#so instead they utterly despise each other | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

genderqueerdykes · 19 days

Text

there really is a cultural pressure for transmascs & men to detransition, and it comes from all sides. it comes from the queer community too, not just terfs and cishet transphobes.

it took me a while to realize why transphobic people and transandrophobic queers utterly despise trans guys & mascs who are over the age of like 25- it's because it pisses them right off that we've resisted their attempts to make us detransition. it makes them so angry to see they were unable to groom that person into a life of self-shame and repression. it really seems like MOST people believe that trans men will just detransition eventually in life? people NEVER think about older trans men, only teenage trans boys and trans men in their very early twenties.

when i was involved with my local punk scene i was addressed with condescension, almost everyone around me didn't accept transmasculinity as a legitimate identity and thought that we would've transitioned by now in life. i encountered folks who would talk about transmasculinity with subtle disgust that made me feel like i was doing something wrong, and people who expressed overt disgust, saying in plain english that they were disgusted by breasts and vaginas because they were gay men. all along the way i was literally mocked for not having a penis, and one of my roommates started treating me differently once they found out i didn't have one (because they were attracted to me)

i've been on T for 9 years, and been out as a trans man for a bit longer than that, and i noticed as i've aged i've also attracted a lot of folks who have tried to deter me from identifying as a trans man, either through directly telling me that trans men are inherently dangerous, or by implying that women or another gender are safer, quieter, calmer, "less traumatizing to be around," etc. one of my exes told me they were terrified to date me (despite literally going out of their way to do so for over half a year) because they were scared i would be transphobic to them because i'm a transmasculine lesbian.

i received pressure from online friends to either detransition and become an intersex butch woman, or to something feminine adjacent or nonbinary. for years i dealt with a few friends who kept subtly hinting that i should stop identifying as a trans man or trans masc because of how awful transmascs are- going as far as to sending me screenshots of transmascs speaking, complaining about them and calling them whiny, annoying. talking about how all transmascs are entitled, how all transmascs take things too personally, how we complain too much, and so on.

people make no effort to make space for transmascs and men. i met 0 transmascs in my local punk community that i was able to stay in contact with. none. i met a few in passing but none that actually were introduced to me in a capacity where i could actually try to befriend them. it really felt like other punks in the scene were desperately trying to keep the transmascs apart at times. excuses were made as to why i couldn't hang out with other transmascs i liked, but i was constantly being forced to befriend transphobic cis gay men and transandrophobic transfemmes who outwardly expressed hatred and disgust of us. it really felt like it was on purpose... almost as if other members of this community wanted our attention, but never wanted us to give each other attention or a sense of community. like we were objects, not people to be included in the community for real. satellite friends, if you will.

i'll be honest with you. i was at my lowest at this point. i realized i wasn't just a trans man and that i'm a genderqueer person who experiences multiple genders, including womanhood and an "other" gender, which was great. however now i was being forced to completely stuff down being a man for the sake of other people. instead of folks telling me they'd rather not hang out with transmascs, folks rather just attempted to guilt me for identifying as such in the hopes i'd stop identifying that way. i was being told daily that trans men and mascs are inherently violent and terrible to be around. i was in discord servers where transmascs were being kicked constantly for getting even slightly upset about transandrophobia, or being unfairly targeted by staff.

it's violence, but nobody wants to call it that. i pulled myself out of there and am now able to contact other transmascs and trans men who are proud of who they are and have elevated me back into a headspace where it's okay to truly be myself. just keep in mind that if you feel like you're in that situation, you're not alone. people who attempt to groom others are often very subtle it's not always up front. they will start slipping in hateful sentiments very slowly and make you feel like maybe they're the ones who are actually right.

it feels good to be an almost 32 year old trans guy. there's nothing to be ashamed about there. people project their feelings on to my gender and that has nothing to do with me. it has nothing to do with you, either. people will just project on to you for whatever reason- hatred is usually the motivator there. if you encounter folks who keep trying to badger you out of identifying as your gender, no matter who you are, transmasc, transfemme, transneutral, trans anything- they are not good for you. they are not your friends. they do not accept you as you are and you deserve so much better.

2K notes · View notes

thekingofwinterblog · 10 months

Text

You know what the most annoying thing about the Twists regarding the Elves in Inquisition was?

That all the twists, if taken on their own, would make for a really good story.

The reveals about Solas backstory and how him and his fellow God Kings rose, became decadent, warred with each other and fell, setting the stage for their transformation into the Old Gods is frankly speaking, some of the best lore that Dragon Age ever had, and lines up really well with how the world is structured while explaining how the Old Gods came to be, how the elves fell, and so on.

That the tevinter imperium when it conquered the nation of Arlathan was not the great imperial state lead by mighty mages their descendants liked to think they were, but instead a bunch of weaklings that needed years and years to take on one, measly city-state that had utterly obliterated itself in civil war.

There is so much great stuff here.

So where did it all go wrong?

The answer, is of course execution.

Inquisition overall is a great game... But man did it drop the ball so hard with the Elves that it's pretty much hard to believe that they will be able to tell a nuanced story about them in Dread Wolf.

Everything from the companions, to the world itself as the game presents , to retcons regarding mages that's there, not to tell a story about the elves, but to try and make the Templar vs mage conflict grey.

Starting with the companions, we have a great example of coming so, so close to greatness... and then falling right on it's face.

The game has two Elf companions, solas and Sera... and the contrast between them really illustrates the big picture with how incapable Inquisition is with trying to tell a nuanced picture with the elves.

Solas as a character is perfect. Love him or hate him, he is a fully fleshed out character with very clear, defined, understandable motives that makes sense to him.

And most importantly of all, his way of viewing the world is WRONG. The game acknowledges that he is wrong.

The entire story of where dragon age 4 is heading, is all about how the Dread wolf, for all his knowledge and intelligence and genuine virtues, is at the end of the day, a monster, who is willing to see the world burn to restore the Elves magic and immortality.

He is a racist, he is bigoted, and ultimately misguided. Despite all his development with the inquisitor, he does not manage to grow enough as a person that he manages to abandon his genocidal goals. And the game does not pretend othervise.

That is what makes the story of Solas rise to become the big villain of the sequel great.

There is no disconnect between the story, the characters, or the way the game wants us to view solas.

Solas is far, far more bigoted and close-minded than any of the dalish he so despises, and the game ultimately does not pretend othervise.

Which brings us to the opposite end of the elf spectrum with Sera.

Sera is a very disliked character by a lot of people, but by dalish and elf players/fans more than most.

Just like Solas, she is bigoted, racist, and ultimately misguided in her hatred of her fellow elves, whether they be city elves, or Dalish, or ancient elves.

And that frankly, would not be a problem if the game acknowledged that fact. If her character arc was about it, and either how she could not overcome her own issues, or actually managed to grow beyond them, she could have been a great character.

The problem is the fact that the game is not willing to handle this fact head on. Its not willing to come out and portray Sera as just as bigoted against her own kind as Solas is, and to treat this as a flaw.

Instead the game treats her as if her biggest flaw is that she's annoying, and not the fact that in a game that is in many ways about setting up the rise of the dread wolf, she is just as bad as Solas, just from a different origin point.

Sera should have been a mirror to Solas, both from a story point, as well as a thematic one, but unfortunately she is not.

Hell, she doesn't really overcome her racism either. The closest she comes to doing so, is basically burning out on hating the dalish and other elves in trespasser, not admitting she was actually wrong to hate them so much in the first place.

The game does not treat Sera's disdain for other elves and their culture as a problem, and it does not give a dalish inquisitor the option to tell her to go fuck herself on the topic that you are given with Solas if you really desire to do so.

You are given the option of kicking her out of the inquisition, but not actually stand up for the dalish or even city elves the way the player could against Morrigan's flemeth raised cruelty in origins, anders and Fenris obsessions with, and hatred for templars/mages in da2, or solas ideals in inquisition.

And thats a problem that really illustrates the bigger issue with the way Inquisition took what could have been a great story about the Elves and the reveals about their anceators, and frankly ruined it.

The dalish and city elvea were very thouroughly fleshed in both Origins, Awakening and DA2.

However, city elves largely managed to avoid being utterly destroyed by the narrative the way the Dalish were, for the simple reason that outside briala, we don't get much if any interaction with them at all, making them essentially a non show foe the game for the most part. They don't get a city elf inquisitor, and so we have no point of view to look at them from a pc perspective.

They got off much better than the dalish though.

Starting off with the arguably single worst thing in all of DAI is the retcon that Dalish clans, if there is more than two mages in a clan, sends off the third one alone in the wilderness to fend for themselves. This goes against absolutely everything that has ever been established about the Dalish, and worst of all, wasn't even an addition meant to demonize the dalish, instead being an addition to handwave away the obvious fact that the Dalish had a much better system than the human circles when it came to magic... Which in turn was made irrelevant by the fact the Avvar was later shown to have a much better and more effective solution to the possession question anyway.

It was, in essence, a pointless retcon, that overall only made the dalish look bad, and has now opened the door for the idea that most dalish clans acts like this, and will be portrayed so in future games.

Its bad, but unfortunately it was only the start.

The game goes out of its way to portray absolutely every single person who critices the dalish as having a point, that they brought on their own downfalls, even as they are being the most imperialistic, racist assholes imaginable, while the dalish inquisitor can only offer a token of defence for his people, a far cry from way origins allowed you to handle the same situation wheter your main ethnicity was ferelden, mage, city elf, dalish, casteless or dwarven noble.

But nowhere is it worse than the way the game handles the fall of the dales.

Now the actual lore you learn about it, is not bad. At all. I know some complain that the reveals that ameridan(and presumably other elves) worshipped both the creators and the maker, as well as the fact that the dalish unfortunately did have a bad relationahip with the rest of the world, in particular orlais, is bad storytelling, but i firmly disagree.

No the problem is the execution.

Ameridan is not wrong when he says that The Dales should not have distanced itself from the rest of the world, especially not in the face of a blight... But the Dales of his era were in turn not wrong when they argued that the Orlesians were little better than the imperium, and they would be completely right.

This is not a grey issue, its a grey and black issue.

Orlais was, and still is an evil, expansionist empire with 99% of its population living as serfs, that can be raped and beaten at will, little better than slaves.

The dales were the morally right side of the exalted march on the dales. No amount of new lore we learned in inquisition has changed that fact. We simply get the details fleshed out a bit more to add context.

Orlais was going to invade and enslave the elves anyway, as they proved through their actions against all their other, very much fellow Adrastian neighbors.

The problem is that you are not allowed to express this kind of point of view and stick to it like steel.

The characters you meet having the bigoted opinion that the dales ultimately brought on their own fate is NOT a bad thing in and out of itself... the problem is that you are not allowed to challenge that opinion the way you could challenge Lelliana's view of the dalish in origins, or the way you could tell both Anders and fenris to go fuck themselves on their extremist opinions all through da2, and ending that fuck you by killing them in the endgame.

And thats a real shame, because just looking at characters like cassandra's character development through Inquisition, you could easily have made a really compelling narrative put of a dalish inquisitor who stuck by his or her principles, and actually challenged the people they met's racist views on the dalish the way you could in origins, just with a more fleshed out and(unfortunately something way too many people just cannot emote to a character withouth) an actual voice to raise those arguments with.

I do genuinely like Inquisition, and i think it's overall a much better game than DA2... but man did they drop the ball with the elves so hard.

I feel so sorry for anyone who really got invested in the elves as their favorites factions, and i honestly don't think the elves will be handled particularly well in Dread wolf, especially as the only Dalish we are likely to see fleshed out will be the villains fighting for Solas.

#dragon age #dragon age origins #dragon age inquisition #elvhen #elves #dalish #the dales #city elves #solas #sera #meta #dread wolf

400 notes · View notes

snzhrchy · 1 year

Note

HEYYY:) may I request some Chishiya x reader angst? So reader is like a citizen (queen of diamonds or one with no confirmed face)

So reader and Chishiya dated before the beach burnt, but after it burnt reader mysteriously disappeared.

So Chishiya is going into readers game and when he sees reader he gets all emotional but doesn’t say that, although reader can see through Chishiya.

So when the game gets to the last 2 players (Chishiya and reader) reader decides to sacrifice herself because she wants Chishiya to lead a life outside the borderlands and she can’t bare to see him die.

Extra: Chishiya also gets a little more information about the borderlands thanks to reader maybe?

(I may have already requested this bcuz my hands slipped & I didn’t see if I pressed ask or not. if I did can you reply to this one instead? I’m so sorry lmaoo<3)

—☆ QUEEN OF DIAMONDS !

chishiya shuntaro x fem!gamemaster!reader

summary; chishiya got to a chance to play one last game with you. notes; this concept >> taglist; lmk if u wanna b on it !

The aftermath of the Ten of Hearts game was enough to make even Chishiya horrified. He could only stare in horror at the burning building in-front of him, knowing that countless lives were taken and brutally murdered there only made him feel worse.

However, what terrified him the most was when he looked over to the surviving members of The Beach, you weren’t there.

He felt his heart caught up in his throat — he looked over to the remaining 40 or so people, scanning each and every one of them carefully. He was hoping you would be hiding amongst the crowd but much to his dismay, he couldn’t find you.

He panicked. It was unlike him to ever be emotional over another person but to know that the only person he ever truly trusted and confided in was taken away from him? He was desperate to find you.

The fact that the so-called “next stage” in the games was about to being only made him more angrier and distressed.

He frantically searched across what he now knew as Shibuya for any sign of you, any sign that you were ever with him but to no luck, he couldn’t.

Once the King of Spades started to attack the unexpecting players, Chishiya’s mind was only focused on your well-being and where you might be. He didn’t dare think of the alternative.

After getting separated from the group, Chishiya searched as much as he could to find you but to no avail. The King unrelentingly shooting players only made him more concerned.

That was, until, he decided to join the Queen of Diamonds game. A small part of him hoped that he might find you playing one of these games.

He wished he was wrong.

As he entered the game, there were 5 more players already present, he was the sixth and final one. He observed the crowd and scanned each player to see if any one of them was you. He was left utterly disappointed.

Once he picked up the phone, the game began.

You walked up to the unfortunate players, introducing yourself as the Queen of Diamonds.

Chishiya's breath hitched. He was in awe. Seeing you there, dressed up in your fanciest clothes with a smile on your face, referring to yourself as a Queen.

He couldn’t believe that he ever fell in love with a game master — he disliked you for playing with his feelings but he hated himself even more for falling for someone like you.

He never was the one for romantic relationships; he despised them. However, he unfortunately fell for you. He knew that the relationship between you two wouldn’t last long because sooner or later, he would’ve broken your heart. What he didn’t expect was that he was the one being betrayed all along.

He had always been calculating; he had always been two steps ahead of everyone. But when he saw you there, he wished his eyes were lying to him. He wished that this was just a cruel lie to mess with him.

Unfortunately, he had to accept the truth that he never truly knew you.

As the game went on, you and him barely contacted as you were more focused on eliminating the other players. Chishiya didn’t say much either.

Until it was only you two left. 'You don't have to act all strong with me, you know. I can see right through you,' you stated with a fake smile plastered over your face.

Did it hurt you to toy with his feelings like that? Of course not. Kuzuryu and Mira had already informed you of what it would've been like at The Beach so you prepared yourself for the worst.

However, a small part of you did feel guilty for ever manipulating and hurting someone like him. You did feel guilty for making him believe something that never truly was there - whether it was the love you showed him or your actuality.

Or was it really all fake? Maybe there were truths hidden in all the romantic gestures you showcased towards him. Maybe, just maybe you did end up falling for him the way you made him believe, maybe.

'What do you mean? I'm not pretending,' he spoke ever so casually though it literally broke him to even make eye-contact with you now. He felt, betrayed, hurt but even after all that. he didn't blame you. He didn't blame you for anything - he blamed himself for ever being so naive.

'Chishiya,' you called out to him, 'I'd like you to know that everything that happened between - at The Beach - was real. Though, I know you don't want to believe it but we both know that the love I felt for you was there.'

'Why are you telling me this now?' He asked, trying hard to stay calm even though your words were breaking him apart slowly but surely. He tried to appear nonchalant and stoic but failed miserably. He loses himself whenever he's with you and to know that you were really his enemy all along only broke him more.

You ignored his question, 'love can get you to do the most dangerous of things - things that you have declared to fear.'

Chishiya was unsure of what you meant by that statement until he looked at the display screen in-front and his eyes widened in realisation of what you meant.

It was your turn to play and consequently, it was your last turn of the final round.

'I truly did have feelings for you; it wasn't fake, it never was,' You spoke as you went ahead to play your last turn and answered it wrong. You made yourself lose, on purpose. It wasn't a fair game but it was a mandatory sacrifice.

'Live a long for me, Chishiya, live a life that you're content with,' you said as you smiled widely at him, awaiting for the moment you'd finally be free.

The laser shot down from the sky, it's crimson light finally allowing you to be free. You weren't scared at all, you were rather content with what you had done. After months of planning skillful and tactical games, resulting in multiple deaths, you finally had a chance to save the life of someone you loved and you gladly took that opportunity.

As your lifeless body collapsed to the floor, Chishiya ran towards it, holding your limp body in his arms as a single tear fell down from his eye.

#aib chishiya #chishiya alice in borderland #chishiya imagine #chishiya x reader #chishiya shuntaro #chishiya shuntaro imagines #chishiya shuntaro x reader #aib s2 #aib imagines #aib x reader #aib x you #aib #alice in borderland #imawa no kuni no alice #alice in borderland x reader #alice in borderland imagines

602 notes · View notes

anangelcanonlygosofar · 1 month

Text

Why Did So Many People Hate Aziraphale?

When the ending of Season 2 happened the majority of the fandom lost their collective shit. They went utterly bananas. A main theme that I kept coming across was the strange and insulting sentiment that Aziraphale "rejected Crowley" or that Aziraphale "chose heaven over Crowley" or that Aziraphale "Was an arse for leaving Cowley", etc.

When I finally got around to rewatching Season 1 of Good Omens and then watched Season 2 of Good Omens and finally saw some context for the ending, I was/am even more baffled as to why people were so cruel to Aziraphale.

Why had they failed to hear what Aziraphale said to Crowley? Why hadn't anyone taken a moment to realize that Aziraphale respected Crowley's choice to not return to Heaven with him? Why did the collective fandom just completely ignore the WORDS, ACTIONS, and EMOTIONAL RESPONSES that Aziraphale expressed in the heartbreaking finale?

Maybe it was the simple fact they just couldn't cope with what they saw. Maybe the fandom needed someone to blame other than Neil Gaiman himself. Or maybe, the fandom just failed to take a moment to carefully comb through and observe the small, tiny details that are far more important than the big, dramatic moments that fill up the runtime.

However, what I noticed most is the total disregard for Aziraphale's lines in the last scene between Crowley and Aziraphale in season 2 episode 6. So this is where I'll Start.

HE WORDS:

Some of his dialogue was/are as follows:

"He said I could appoint you to be an angel. You could come back to Heaven and... and everything, like the old times. Only, even nicer."

"But Heaven...well, it's the side of truth, of light, of good"

"Come with me...to heaven. I'll run it, you can be my second in command. We can make a difference"

"Crowley, come back, to heaven! Work with me! We can be together! Angels..doing good!"

"I...I need You!"

"I...I forgive you"

Do these lines of dialogue give any indication that he rejected Crowley, or chose Heaven over Crowley, or that Aziraphale was being an arse?

No, they do not. These lines of dialogue clearly show that Aziraphale WANTS to be with Crowley so they BOTH can be angels DOING GOOD and MAKING A DIFFERENCE. Aziraphale wanted Crowley to be redeemed so that he could join Aziraphale in Heaven and be on the side of TRUTH, LIGHT, and GOOD.

Aziraphale didn't want to leave Earth WITHOUT Crowley, however, he was forced to because Crowley rejected AZIRAPHALE'S offer to come back to heaven. So instead of forcing Crowley to come back to Heaven with him, even after the awkward kiss, Aziraphale decided to let him go and sacrificed his happiness to SAVE THE WORLD FROM HEAVEN!!!!

It was not easy for Aziraphale to leave Crowley or even Earth or even his bookshop. HE sacrificed EVERYTHING so he could fix heaven's broken system and stop God and the Angels and Metatron from repeatedly trying to destroy the Earth just to win a dick-measuring contest with hell.

Aziraphale doesn't like war. He despises war due to witnessing the rebellion in heaven AND watching the humans go to war and kill each other repeatedly for over 6,000 YEARS. What Aziraphale did was something nobody will ever be able to understand until they find themselves in Aziraphale's shoes.

It's not easy being an angel, who has been forced to "bear witness" and "not intervene in human affairs" because doing so will go against God's "Great Plan" which may or may not be a part of God's "Ineffable Plan".

Aziraphale cannot stand by and let Heaven destroy all life on Earth. Of course, he knows that Heaven isn't all truth, light, or good. He knows Heaven is broken and needs to be reformed. He knows that Crowley is right about Heaven being toxic. Just because he knows that Heaven is toxic and not as truthful, enlightened, or good doesn't mean he's not somewhat in denial.

It's not easy being trapped and suffocated by a cult-like institution whose sole purpose is to keep you from leaving the said institution. It's not easy watching humans committing atrocity after atrocity, and not being able to stop it. It's not easy watching God kill innocent people and children just because they can't get along.

Aziraphale has struggled to figure out what, "doing the right thing" is and how far he's willing to go along Heaven's/God's plans of destruction until he just can't anymore. All Aziraphale has had to keep him going along with Heaven's/God's plans is his faith that Heaven/God knows what they're doing and that complete destruction and devastation will never truly come to pass. Only to find out later that Heaven and God don't necessarily see eye to eye and that God themselves are super unreachable, even in a time of crisis.

Aziraphale has done EVERYTHING he was told and more and it still wasn't enough to keep another armageddon from happening. Since he can't completely stop it on earth, he HAS to return to heaven and find a way to stop it from happening from there, which may prove fruitful and pointless.

What most fans didn't register or realize is the fact that Aziraphale chose to return to heaven for very UNSELFISH reasons. A part of him knew Crowley might say no to returning to heaven with him, so he decided that if that was the case, then he would let Crowley go, so that he, Aziraphale, could fix heaven and permanently SAVE THE WORLD... something he CANNOT do if he stayed on Earth.

Why is this so hard for some fans to see and/or consider? Why is this something only a few fans actually talk about? Why was there so much Aziraphale hate when there shouldn't have been?

It's not Aziraphale's fault that he couldn't stay with Crowley. It's HEAVEN'S fault that Crowley and Aziraphale can't be together because they (Heaven) are too war-minded and emotionally stunted to realize how many innocent people will die just because they want to measure dicks with Hell.

HIS ACTIONS:

The second thing I noticed happened a lot was the initial total disregard for Azirphale's body language and/or actions during the last scene of Crowley and Aziraphale in the final episode of Good Omens Season 2.

Throughout the scene, we see Aziraphale exhibit the following nonverbal cues:

---initial happiness

---confusion

---Distress

---Anxiousness

---restless hand movements

---pacing back and forth

---sadly looking around the bookshop

--etc.

These nonverbal cues show us that Aziraphale went from being extremely happy to an emotional wreck, especially after the awkward kiss.

Aziraphale excitedly told Crowley about his promotion expecting Crowley to be happy for him (Aziraphale), only for Crowley to grow irritable and angry. Which confused Aziraphale and slightly angered him, yet he still somewhat understood Crowley's response.

As the scene goes on you can tell that Aziraphale is desperately trying to keep Crowley from leaving at first, but relents after the awkward kiss and fully accepts he lost Crowley for now.

Aziraphale really wanted Crowley to say "yes", however, it did not pan out that way. So Aziraphale just gradually quieted down, shorted his verbal communication, and tried his best NOT to have a complete emotional breakdown in front of Crowley.

Not once did Azirphale exhibit any controlling behaviors or actions. When Aziraphale and Crowley came to an impasse and Crowley ultimately left, Aziraphale didn't even go after Crowley. He let Crowley go because going back to heaven to fix it and stop the second Armageddon was more important than fixing his relationship with Crowley, and because Aziraphale knew that when everything calmed down, and the 2nd coming was adverted, and there were no more threats then maybe he would be able to have a proper long talk with Crowley and explain why he did what he did and said what he said.

HIS EMOTIONAL RESPONSES:

Some fans also didn't really register how many emotional responses Aziraphale had in the last scene with Crowley in the season 2 finale.

Aziraphale went from ecstatic and happy to confused and slightly angry, to confused, overwhelmed, and heartbroken.

He started the scene excited and ecstatic about his job promotion and he was nearly exploding with joy when he initially told Crowley the "good" news. Only to become confused and a little angry that Crowley didn't seem happy for him and flat-out yelled at him.

At first, Aziraphale is stubborn and confused at Crowley's response to the supposed good news, yet he still listens to Crowley who eventually can somewhat incoherently say that he loves Aziraphale and wants to be an us.

As the scene progresses Azirapale starts to restlessly fidget, heavily breath, and frantically look around as he realizes that the conversation is going south faster than the sinking of the Titanic. You can see on his face that he's trying to understand what Crowley is trying to say however, he just can piece it together that well.

Aziraphale understands that Crowley does indeed truly love him. However, Aziraphale also realizes that he too loves Crowley in return and is now getting increasingly overwhelmed to the point that he can't form coherent words.

During the awkward kiss scene, you can see that Aziraphale slightly and very briefly goes to hold/caress Crowley's shoulder right before the rough parting between him and Crowley. At this point, Aziraphale is confused as to why the kiss happened, is overwhelmed by the fact he kind of liked and wanted another one but it simply wasn't the right time, and is heartbroken that he has to leave Crowley, but he doesn't know for how long.

CONCLUSION:

Throughout the entire scene, Azirphale actually struggles with Crowley's disappointment and anger in response to Aziraphale's job promotion, with the idea of leaving Crowley and returning to heaven alone, and with how the hell he is supposed to cope, let alone function without Crowley to talk to.

Nowhere in the scene does it suggest that the decision to return to heaven was easy or simple for Aziraphale. He struggled like a bitch and he still left for heaven heartbroken and without Crowley.

Yes, the ending was sad, but there shouldn't have been Aziraphale hate in the first place.

So I leave you with this:

So why the fuck was there so much Aziraphale hate?

#Don'tBlameAziraphale #Aziraphale #good omens 2 #good omens theories #good omens thoughts #good omens tv #good omens #BlameHeaven #Heaven #Hell #LeaveAziraphaleAlone

50 notes · View notes

littencloud9 · 29 days

Note

hi, sending you more cuz i can <3

if you want to attempt jouzai..... jouzai + past crimes

and/or

kunichuuzai + ocean

HELLO!!! jouzai are so bad for each other i love it. hope i did your sillies justice bc WHAT is going on with them

—

Out of all the crimes Jouno has committed throughout his life, Dazai is the worst of them all.

A crime list taller than he is, an ex-Port Mafia Executive (sure, he isn’t anymore, but the fact that he escaped and lived to tell the tale speaks a thousand words), and devious intent that rivals Jouno himself. He is an amalgamation of the worst traits Jouno offers, and falling for him is like falling back into habits he had long swore out of.

It’s like facing a mirror of his younger self, hollow and wandering, searching for something to fill the void.

Despite his title, Jouno is not justice reincarnated. His friends, loyal and fearsome and kind, are better suited for that title. They don’t feel that spark of pleasure when listening to someone’s agonised screams. They weren’t stuck in a cruel and heartless criminal organisation before joining the Hunting Dogs like he was.

They aren’t pressing Dazai Osamu against the wall of their house, fingers wrapped around his wrists, lips inches apart.

Jouno is hyperaware of the distance between them. Normally, being so close to someone is utterly unbearable. A dust’s natural response to being disturbed is to disperse, after all, and Jouno’s body reacts no differently.

But with Dazai under his skin, No Longer Human taking its effect, he doesn’t feel that prickle of discomfort anymore. Instead, Jouno wants to bring him closer than ever.

“You’re taking awfully long, Jouno-san,” Dazai whispers. His breath fans over his lips. Jouno wants more. “I’m starting to think you just wanted to arrest me all over again.”

“I do,” Jouno replies, gripping Dazai’s wrists tighter. The way his fingers encircle his bones, as if to mimic a pair of handcuffs, only serves to prove his point further.

“Well? Go on then. Bring justice to the world, dog.”

Their lips crash together as Jouno hisses at him to shut up. He presses closer, leaving no gap for air between their bodies.

Justice, Jouno thinks. Is this what salvation feels like?

—

kunichuuzai!!! i love them so much. have some ✨ Pondering ✨

—

Kunikida despises the colour blue.

It doesn’t matter what shade it is. Perwinkle blue, navy, cerulean… They all remind him of that wretched case, one where he had to confront what it means to be idealistic—what it means to be himself.

It’s difficult to admit, but seeing a blue scarf still makes him tense up, even when he knows it can’t hurt him.

Though, recently, Kunikida finds that blue might not be such a horrible colour anymore.

He watches Dazai chase Chuuya around the edge of the shore, a water gun in his hands. Chuuya screeches bloody murder, kicking up waves and waves of water and splashing it towards Dazai in an attempt to throw him off. The sun shines down on them, not too hot, but just a gentle glow that lights up their silhouettes.

Under the sparkling sun, the ocean glitters. Kunikida sits under the umbrella he’s set up for himself, his eyes following his partners with every step they take.

They’re beautiful.

His finger brushes against something in the sand. When he looks down, he sees the button Dazai always wears on his tie. He picks it up, rubbing the surface with the fabric of his tank top.

The button gleams a sweet shade of turquoise.

He stares at it, eyes softening. This shade of blue is nice. It reminds him of warm showers and slow dancing in the rain and tight hugs after a long day. When he holds it in his hands like this, he can still feel the heavy thump of a heartbeat, strong and comforting.

“Kunikida!”

Kunikida looks up, gasping when a flurry of red whizzes towards him. Chuuya crashes into him with enough strength to knock him over, and Kunikida falls onto his back with a grunt.

“Oi! That’s cheating!” Dazai whines from afar. “You can’t use gravity to run away!”

Dazai still has his feet in the water, waving his arms around dramatically as he complains. Chuuya ignores him, pushing themself up on their arms, grinning down at Kunikida.

“Thanks for catching me,” they say. Their hair drips with seawater, landing onto Kunikida’s cheeks with a quiet splat.

He looks up at Chuuya, staring into their eyes. Full of life and power and adoration, and so, so blue. Kunikida gets lost in that sapphire gaze, drowning as if he was looking into a whirlpool instead of the ocean.

“Chuuya!” Dazai yells, finally breaking Kunikida out of his stupor. “Stop flirting with Kunikida-kun!”

“Hah?!” Chuuya’s cheeks flush, but they leap up, dashing back towards him. Kunikida watches them go and bodyslam into Dazai, sending them both tumbling with a splash.

His heart jumps unsteadily as he holds the button tighter in his palm.

Maybe blue can be a stunning colour sometimes.

#ness <3 #hope u enjoy!! i am holding them so close and squishing them #also im on mobile so whoops no formatting. im lazy #asks #bsd #jouzai #kunichuuzai #my writing

25 notes · View notes

starheirxero · 27 days

Note

You ever think about Lunara and God Eclipse, and the way they parallel each other??

The fact that God Eclipse created a new, perfect, pristine world?

The fact, that he is utterly bored with it?

The fact that Lunara turned their existing world into one of chaos and destruction?

The fact, that they seem to ravel in it?

The fact that Eclipse, perfect and calculated Eclipse, wishes for the excitement Lunar could've brought him, the excitemt Lunara has?

The fact that Lunara despises to even hear Eclipse's name, yet has become him, even agreeing with him?

The fact, that God Eclipse lives isolated in a giant castle inside his peaceful world, with only Sun to keep him company, while Lunara lives in a small, broken church, where they demand to be worshipped and prayed to in exchange for the remaining humans' lives, not caring for actual companionship?

The fact, that Lunara looks like how they are meant to look like, similar to Moon, while God Eclipse build himself a completely new body, that completely disconnects him from Sun and Moon?

The fact that they speak with such destain for their respective Lunar and Eclipse, yet still hold them close in a weird way? God Eclipse longing for Lunar's chaos, and Lunara, instead of wanting to be different than Eclipse, wants to be a "better" him?

Because I do. God, I think about it way too much.

-Stardust

STARDUST YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME AT 2 IN THE MORNING OH MY GHOD.

THEY'RE LIKE THE BANE OF EACH OTHER'S EXISTENCE BUT THEY'RE JUST A HAIR AWAY FROM BEING ON THE SAME PAGE AOAUAAGHGHH I LOVE THAT SO MUCH.

THIS HAD NEVER OCCURRED TO ME UNTIL RN BUT NOW I'M GUNNA BE THINKING ABOUT IT FOREVER NOW HOW DARE YOU /POS

#asks #anon #stardust anon #THEY WILL PARALLEL EACH OTHER IN EVER UNIVERSE. FALLS TO MY KNEES.!!!!!!#genuinely oh my ghod .#i can't put into coherent words how much i love this stardust ur MINDDD OMSSGAHSHSKCBE #sun and moon show #the sun and moon show #tsams #evil lunar #lord eclipse #god eclipse

33 notes · View notes

wraith-caller · 1 month

Text

D and Rogier are so perfect for each other and their breakup is such a delicious, bittersweet little fuck up. I love the "we were so close to something so wonderful but couldn't quite make it" energy, the lil tragic cherry on the shit sundae of both their lives.

Neither has likely ever been given the kind of love they ought to have had growing up. D was reviled by all societies, a pariah, completely shunned and without any positive relationships outside his twin until the GO took them in. Rogier's set tells us of his detachment that's been with him his whole life, indicating a lifetime of hurt, something possibly even rooted in his family life. He's not a happy person, but someone good at pretending he isn't utterly miserable and angry inside.

D is reserved and stoic, steady and diligent, but also outwardly caring and patient. He gives sympathy and grief to the dead, and tries to protect the player, and goes to his end shielding Devin from harm. This attentiveness and straightforward kindness, without overtures or grandstanding or strings attached, would be foreign to detached Rogier. It'd give him a taste of something he may have been missing out on his entire life.

Rogier on the other hand, is a bit impulsive and determined, thoughtful and empathetic, kind to the maligned and despised. When something holds his passions, he pours everything into it with such a singular focus that it's impossible to ignore or deny it. D being on the receiving end of that focus would be life-changing for him. Being given kindness by someone not expressly ordained to it by the GO, just a random traveller seeing him for what he is and still saying 'you deserve kindness and friendship' could be such a powerful thing.

Love isn't the cure for all of their problems, deep-seated issues laid in the foundations of their beings from a young age. But it certainly can be a helpful thing to lean on in difficult moments. They could have done a lot to help each other.

And instead they were caught in a conflict that speaks to both of them in such personal ways. D can't recant the belief that the GO is the only true judge of what in this world is accursed and not, because it comes too near to having to face he may not be worthy of life after all. Rogier can't continue to see the dead as vermin because now he knows what they are beneath their violence - something miserable and in need of compassion, no different than himself.

So they break, and there is no happily ever after.

#AND THATS WHY WE HAVE FANFIC BAYBEEEE #d hunter of the dead #sorcerer rogier #d/rogier #elden ring

41 notes · View notes

amaranthsynthesis · 6 months

Note

Sorry to bother you, but after reading your amazing fic, I must know: what is Gortash's relationship with Orin like given that he thinks she killed Ballard? Does Orin fuck with him about it? Does she dare??

DO NOT BE SORRY i live for inbox messages everyone is allowed to message me about these motherfuckers forever and ever thanks you

First of all, textually, when Gortash says "Orin I tolerated" this reads to me as just UTTERLY scathing. This man is doing the polite southerner 'oh you poor dear' at the stupidest bitch he's ever met in his goddamn life. He tolerates Orin because he has to, because he's not at a stage of the plan for Bane can dispense with the other prongs of the Dead Three yet, but the minute he can???? Gloves off. If Gortash killed Orin instead of getting tav/durge to do it for him she would have gotten the dressing down of a lifetime from this man.

Gortash and Orin, as far as my canon goes, do not get along prior to the tadpole incident, and are barely civil with one another following. Gortash and Ballard begin working together a handful of years before Orin dedicates herself to the temple of Bhaal as an adult (her manifesto is dated 1482, some three years after the House of Wonders heist and five+ since they became aware of each other), which means they're well established as allies by the time Orin starts stirring up the temple and shoring up her own support for an eventual bid for power. Because there's no way she took Ballard out like that without a plan; she moves the doppelgangers in too quickly, she maintains control well enough that she has been preparing for it, for all her shortsightedness. Which means Gortash, if not Ballard, would have seen and noticed her doing that. He would have known she was a threat, regardless of whether or not Ballard thought it was a significant threat, and if she were operating like that within Bane's temple and not Bhaal's he would have taken steps to mitigate the threat she posed or hamstring her in some way the minute he saw it.

Orin is the crux of the 'we have agreed to stay out of each other's business issue'. Gortash thought she needed to be eliminated; Ballard loves her and despises her and fears and hates their similarities, and in a lot of ways can only believe himself to be worthy of Bhaal's regard when placed in opposition to Orin--he forbade it. They argued on it regularly, and come to think on it, I'm fairly certain that this is the argument where they finally had to admit their relationship was not just business partners. So they fucked about it and then put the rule into place.

But Gortash never trusts her, and never likes her, and considers her a pest at best--following Ballard's assumed death, he holds himself as much to blame for it as Orin. He should have taken her out years ago. If he had, he'd still have the Bhaalspawn he wanted.

#bg3 #durgetash #enver gortash #the dark urge #ballard #asks #i'm writing something right now about Ballard and Orin and it's so terrible #they're awful and he's the worst to her #but it's worse because it's founded in affection and a sense of shared circumstance

31 notes · View notes

assassinshadowgirl · 11 months

Text

Final Fantasy 16 AU Draft

Same as the Prologue; Annabelle the bitch betrayed her Nation, slewed her husband and offered Clive to the Holy Empire of Sanbreque.

Dion came to learn about what happened at the Phoenix Gate from his Dragoons and strongly despised Annabelle for her actions. He later became devastated when his Father announced his marriage to her and Annabelle will be Dion's stepmother from now on.

Dion refused to acknowledge her. Furthermore noticed that his Father Sylvestre Lesage, Emperor of the Holy Empire began to act distant towards him ever since that woman stepped into their homeland.

Feeling lonely and neglected, Dion wandered into the basement where he met Clive now a Branded, sitting alone at a fireplace. Both recognized each other. Soon they were sitting together, chatting.

With Clive's mother married to Dion's father, the young blonde Prince joked that they are considered half siblings. He then went ahead to tell Clive about his father's cold treatment and Annabelle's disdain towards him. Clive understands how Dion feels as he's also the same as him. They grew close immediately.

Dion visits Clive everyday. To protect his brother from mistreatment as a Branded, Dion proposed a plan; He asked if Clive is willing to be his bodyguard so both can watch each other's back. Clive agreed.

Thirteen years later, Clive served as Dion's bodyguard, and assisted the Prince in the war against Waloed Kingdom and its Dominant Odin.

During rest, Dion admitted honestly that he's growing weary of this war and much more concerned for his people's safety instead. Both Clive and Dion knew the Emperor was getting more cold hearted due to someone who was clearly being the one responsible for all these happenings. It got even worse ever since Olivier was born.

For the past years, Sylvestre had treated Dion more of a war weapon than a son. He only showed his affection towards Annabelle's child making Dion feel even more lonelier. However Clive was always by his side as a brother and only friend.

Suddenly a group of Imperial Soldiers under Annabelle's rule barged into the camp, issued an arrest warrant on Dion for his treachery against the Holy Empire. The Prince was utterly confused by this sudden accusation that he never committed. Before the guards could take him away, Clive attacked and with help from a few Dragoons, Clive and Dion escaped.

They were later rescued by Cid. Clive was reunited with his trusty hound, Torgal. And both were warmly welcomed into the hideaway.

From Cid, they learnt about the Ice Dominant Shiva being used by the Iron Kingdom for war and agreed to work together with Cid to rescue her.

Clive was later shocked to find out that Shiva was actually Jill, his long lost childhood friend whom he introduced her to Dion and they instantly got along with. Jill was grateful to Dion for taking care of Clive for 13 years.

Dion, now a fugitive as well as an exiled Prince, along with Clive, Jill and Torgal decided to work alongside with Cid as Outlaws to make a better world for the Branded and others.

The following will be them encountering Benedikta, Hugo, learning about Ultima's existence, Clive being the Mythos that possesses an unique ability to absorb other Eikons' abilities, reuniting with Joshua, fighting against Barbanas and Harbard etc.

During their journeys and hardships, they evaded Annabelle's Imperial guards who were tasked to hunt Dion and bring him back to Sanbrequec against his will while Clive was being hunted by Ultima to become his vessel.

Clive, Dion, Joshua, Jill and Torgal protect each other's back as they journeyed together.

That's that. If there are people out there who want to use this idea for their fanfics, are welcome to go ahead but pls do give credits lol. 😂

#final fantasy 16 #final fantasy xvi #ffxvi #ff16 #clive rosfield #torgal #jill warrick #dion lesage #joshua rosfield #au

70 notes · View notes

darkpoisonouslove · 2 months

Text

Trivia Tuesday

Who says Trivia Tuesday is only for written works?

I have been putting this off for 3 months but I wanted to share this compilation of my favorite moments from my Daylight video for Griffin x Valtor and do some commentary on them, talk about the process behind this video.

*I chose to overlay the song from the beginning instead of making you listen to the different segments that go with the footage smashed together in a cacophony. Here's the full video if you want to reference which parts of the song correspond to the respective segments.

There is no reason for me to bring this up other than that in the og video the line "you and I drink the poison from the same vine" just so happens to play while this is going on. I swear that was not on purpose. I chose the vine attack against Valtor because of the dark green glow around the stem which looks like Griffin's magic in order to make this more convincing... and then I realized that this moment happened right as that lyric was playing.

This whole segment starting from Griffin and Faragonda and then switching to Valtor in his lonely tower before Griffin contacts him because she wants to talk to him too and can't tear herself away is just so wistful and nostalgic and the music (especially in the actual video) only adds to that vibe. They're both brooding - out of the daylight - because they despise their obsession with each other but still can't help it.

I especially love that he proceeds to break into Alfea to talk to her and she blasts him with a vortex of books because she sensed his presence (I just didn't include that part in this compilation because then I'd have to post the entire video). It is a headcanon that I've had for a while that because they were partners for so long and the Dragon Fire is the most powerful magic which created the whole universe, Griffin has learned to home in on his magical signature because she can distinguish it from anyone else's.

-- Join me. -- A horrible idea.

I find this moment utterly hilarious. I don't really have anything else to say about it but I guess I can share the process of picking the dialogue for the video. Valtor's lines were easier to pick because they mostly come from a couple of scenes but I had to scour the entire season 1 (aka every scene with Griffin) to figure out which of Griffin's lines can be useful and then I had to piece together actual conversations from them, the one above being my magnum opus.

I simply enjoy the way I made these two different scenes fit together into one to make it look like his whole "teleporting in your chair" shtick happens right in front of Griffin's and the viewer's eyes. This is why I love video editing!

This one! Oh, this was a legendary moment for me! A whole new step in my video making career. I feel like I unlocked a whole new part of my brain when I realized that I could use the mirror effect to showcase Griffin's spell creating her clone. I have never used the mirror effect before and finding such great application for it that adds to the story (because I wasn't sure my idea with the spell was coming through before I came up with this) was certainly a highlight of my video making process.

Kind of on the other end of the spectrum this is here because I wanted to explain that the vortex is the portal that Griffin opens to sneak back to her office and catch Valtor off guard while he's watching her clone. I wasn't sure all of that was clear but I was running out of ideas, mental energy and remaining seconds from the song so I kind of had to speedrun that if I wanted to fit everything in the video.

I thought Valtor deserved a taste of his own medicine (aka payback for the illusion spell he used on Griffin, Faragonda and Saladin at Light Rock lake). Is this scenario realistic? Mayhaps not. But! Griffin used to study under Lysslis with him so she could have picked up some very convincing illusion magic too!

I'm thinking that perhaps I would have been able to provide more insight into the video and my thoughts on it if I had written this back in January when I could still remember the process of making this but it is what it is. I got to talk about it again and rediscover some of the joys that this particular video brought to me which was fun! And now this post works as a throwback to refresh all our memory on my latest efforts in video making before we see where I go from here.

#winx club #griffin x valtor #winx griffin #winx valtor #covenshipping #my video #video #trivia tuesday

14 notes · View notes

high-mackrels-musings · 17 days

Text

Star Crossed Lovers: How Revenge of the Sith adapts Pyramus & Thisbe

*This is another adaptation of an essay I wrote on reddit found here

Back when I was in college I took a class on myths, and for my final essay of the class I was given the assignment to find and contrast an Ovid myth with another piece of media. Now, being who I am, I immediately tried to tie it to Star Wars. And I found a sort of comparison between the tragic tales of Anakin and Padme and Pyramus and Thisbe. The tragedy in their love is similar, but there are differences. And Lucas, and by extension Stover who wrote the novel, shows the influence from Ovid’s tale and manages to at the same time change the way the love story of Padme and Anakin is told. And the parallels were interesting enough for me to share my thoughts here.

Who are Pyramus and Thisbe?

For those who have read Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, the story of Pyramus and Thisbe ought to be familiar enough. Pyramus and Thisbe are two Babylonian youths whose families live next to one another and utterly despise one another. This of course puts the two at odds with their feelings. Pyramus and Thisbe both love each other. And they manage to find some refuge by speaking to one another through a small gap in the walls, “In the common wall that ran between their houses, there was a narrow cleft made by the builders and unnoticed since. Love misses nothing!” One should note the way then that the love of Pyramus and Thisbe is portrayed by Ovid. There is a sense of the purity of love.

Unlike many of his other stories within Metamorphoses, there is no focus on grotesque violence. Rather the true tragedy of “Pyramus and Thisbe” comes from the way others prevent their love. Because their parents refuse to allow them to be together Pyramus and Thisbe resolve to run away together. They both agree to meet under a mulberry tree, but unfortunately, when Thisbe arrives, she sees a lioness and flees leaving behind her veil for Pyramus to later find bloodied by the lion’s jaws. He believes that the lioness has eaten her. The misinterpretation of symbols, as Pyramus, stumbles upon the bloodied cloak. And he says, “On this one night, two lovers come to grief! For she, far more than I, deserved long life!” Lost in grief he strikes himself down plunging his sword through himself. And in doing so effectively dooms Thisbe who arrives later to see her dying lover. She too takes her own life, but not before begging the gods for their sacrifice to be heard, “And may our wretched parents, mine and yours be moved by this petition to allow joined in the same last hour by unwavering love, to lie together in a single tomb.”. And their prayers are heard, which shows Ovid’s overreaching theme of the legacy of love. Pyramus and Thisbe’s love lives on as their ashes are shared in the same urn, and the gods change the color of the mulberry berries to red.

How This Relates to Star Wars?

So, one may see in fact the parallels here between Anakin, Padme, Pyramus, and Thisbe. The idea of two lovers who desperately want to be together. Anakin and Padme are both forbidden to be together, as Jedi are prohibited from being married, Ki-Adi Mundi aside, Like Pyramus and Thisbe both have had to hide their brief moments of love. And both resolve to run away together, as seen in the Revenge of the Sith novel. So, if the bare-bones structure is there how do they differ?

One must keep in mind that both are tragedies. But the way these tragic moments manifest come in a different way. Instead of a bloody veil in a lioness’s jaws, Anakin receives visions of the impending death of his beloved. These visions haunt Anakin. The love between the pair can hardly be said to be healthy. Anakin has feared the loss of his loved ones since the death of his mother saying in Attack of the Clones, “Well, I should be! Someday I will be. I will be the most powerful Jedi ever. I promise you. I will even learn to stop people from dying!” And in the Revenge of the Sith novel Anakin’s fears are described as a sleeping dragon that haunts him, “That is the kind of fear that lives inside Anakin Skywalker: the dragon of that dead star. It is an ancient, cold dead voice within his heart that whispers all things die …” His jealousy is also present in the novel as we see how he greets Padme and believes there is another in her life, “He took her by the shoulders now, his hands hard and irresistibly powerful. ‘There’s someone else. I can feel it in the Force! There is someone coming between us-” This is a further sign of his unhealthy love, and Lucas and Stover show this love which contrasts the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe.

Anakin is resolved to not allow Padme to die. And in a desperate search for power, he turns to a false promise, and he transforms into Darth Vader. Unlike Pyramus who literally kills himself Anakin’s death is a metaphorical one. Gone is the Jedi Knight Anakin skywalker replaced by the Sith Lord Darth Vader. And this effectively kills Padme who when she learns that all the terrible things he’s done say to him, “I don’t know you anymore. Anakin you’re breaking my heart.” And of course, Padme later dies having lost her will to live. Thus, while Anakin did not kill himself directly as did Pyramus. The death of his identity as Anakin and transformation into Darth Vader does kill Padme.

So How Are They Similar?

So, while we have seen how Lucas and Stover show the difference in the love story, and the parallels of the bloody veil and Anakin’s dreams, one might be inclined to ask how then they are similar?

Thisbe herself pleads to the gods that their love is remembered, and her desire is granted as the Gods allow for the mulberry tree’s berries to forever be stained red for the blood they shed beneath the tree. Revenge of the Sith also reveals to us that there is a legacy in the love of Padme and Anakin. The film ends by showing us the scene of Luke and Leia, the children of Anakin and Padme, being split into two separate families so that one day they too will take up the mantle. And Stover’s novel ends with the words, “The dark is generous, and it is patient, and it always wins- but in the heart of its strength lies weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back. Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars.” And it will be so as Luke and Leia will go on to save the galaxy. And their children would go on to protect it, and their descendants would do the same. Love in both stories has a legacy that would be felt after their deaths within the Legends continuity.

Conclusion:

While I cannot say with any authority that Lucas or Stover have ever read Pyramus and Thisbe, the influence of the text is still felt in this work. And one can see how Star Wars has positioned itself into a new form of mythology that may inform us, and do its best to teach us the lessons. The simple love story changed into something more complex about the nature of love and jealousy. And that is an important lesson which can be taken away. And this entire exercise was a fun way to interact with my favorite fictional series in a more academic setting.

#star wars #ovid #jedi #anakin skywalker #padme amidala #anakin x padme #star crossed lovers #revenge of the sith #star wars legends

13 notes · View notes

poorlittleyaoyao · 9 months

Note

I think part of the threatening to summon lwj with jin king thing is partly like. wwx is HORRIBLE at reading people. like he’s charming. he draws people in. he’s extremely clever and brilliant. but I, personally, think he’s an idiot when it comes to reading people!

almost every wangxian interpretation I’ve ever seen has some iteration of ‘wwx can read lwj while lwj seems expressionless’ and I am always FLOORED how people got that from any of the media. the person who can read lwj is his brother! not wei at the time of my death the man who hated me and my demonic cultivation most was non other than hanguang jun wuxian. not wei lan zhan has a crush on mianmiam wuxian. not wei I couldn’t admit to myself I wanted to sleep with lwj until after I died and got resurrected and we’re all being held hostage wuxian.

fic writers out here are like ‘wwx understands lwj best!’ meanwhile xichen is over here on his fourth cup of ‘insert number of days’ since lwj has been irrational about the cultivation world’s number 1 criminal now that wen ruohan is dead’ coffee like

Am I a fucking joke to you

ANON YOU ARE CORRECT ON ALL POINTS IMO. The very first thing that made me go "ohhhh, I don't think I like this" reading the novel was when LWJ showed up and WWX was genuinely convinced that LWJ despised him and was going to kill him. Like. What? I totally get not realizing the depth or nature of his feelings! But no discernible emotional attachment on WWX's part? They're not even friends? This makes LWJ forcibly dragging WWX back to Cloud Recesses extremely sketchy. What am I even doing here?

And the thing is, I could see WWX's obliviousness being used effectively! LWJ is the one who invited him to Jinlintai for Jin Ling's ceremony, after all; from what I can tell, it's entirely reasonable for WWX in the novel to think LWJ lured him deliberately into the Qiongqi Pass ambush. WWX could've approached LWJ with a mixture of distrust and hostility on the grounds that LWJ tried to kill him in his past life (deceitfully via a gesture of friendship, no less!), and been utterly bewildered by LWJ's behavior towards him for that reason. His feelings for LWJ then change and grow because he's learning more about what the hell happened with the political plot.

Instead, we just get Wei Wuxian, The Jianghu's Most Tediously Oblivious Man, and his aloof love interest who exclusively shows affection while he is drunk or while WWX is incapacitated/unconscious/whatever and won't remember, and both of them replace Gay Chicken with communication.

I can see "WWX can read LWJ like a book" for the drama specifically. Wang Yibo does an excellent job of conveying interiority so something different is always going on underneath LWJ's stoic expressions. The "you must like Mianmian!" stuff in CQL always read to me as WWX teasing LWJ knowing full well there was no truth to it (though still not getting who LWJ did have a crush on). And since the two of them are good friends in that canon (with WWX's protestations that they are TOTALLY not friends, LWJ is so BORING!! coming off as tsundere behavior rather than his honest assessment of the situation), of course they'd understand each other!

BUT EVEN THEN. EVEN THEN! LXC can read him best. LXC can read him even when LWJ demonstrates his own tsundere behavior. LXC knows his didi better than anyone else and does everything he can for LWJ's happiness and safety, and in exchange he gets kicked to the curb at the lowest point in his life. Maybe the insistence that WWX is the only person who can understand him is so ppl don't have to think about that last part too much.

23 notes · View notes

noxexistant · 1 year

Note

Hi i momentarily fell into a deep slumber only to be broken by true loves kiss (which apparently includes my dogs slobber)

Developing on the Medda adoption:

There’s a reason she can’t have all these boys at once. She would love to have all of them, to see the same fierce protection that Oscar has for Morris encompass little Jack Kelly as well. But, they’re too distrusting. Of her. Of him. Of everyone but each other.

The first time they pick a fight with him, Jack’s only six. He comes to Medda in full blown sobs, rapidly trying to explain that he’d been trying to play with Morris and Morris got upset and Oscar just hit him to get him to back off. And he’s got a black eye and a bloody nose.

Medda worriedly reprimands them. If she gives them up, they’re left at the mercy of the system, where broken is a kind word for something far messier.

The second time, Jack is only seven. It had only been a few months since the last one, but Jack once again burst into Medda’s room in tears, running and burying himself in her arms, babbling about how he wished Oscar and Morris loved him like he loved them (he’s seven, he gets attached very easily, doesn’t understand why they’re so distant when all he wants-all he’s ever wanted-is brothers) and it isn’t fair that they get to be brothers and not him.

He tells her it was Oscar that hit him, even though it was Morris who had bruised him this time. The older Delancey had told him that he’d better tell Medda it was him-or else. Told her he’d been messing with them instead of just touching Morris’s favorite blanket. He’s just wanted to feel it, honest. He wanted to know what made it so special.

Medda can’t keep letting one of her kids get hurt.

But what to do?

She calls up their social worker-Denton, she remembers- and asks his opinion. He tells her that she’s got to either give up the two brothers, or she’s got to give up Jack. She can’t have both under her roof, not while they pose a threat to each other.

She’s never had to make a harder decision in her life.

And she hopes Oscar and Morris don’t despise her for it.

dog slobber absolutely falls under the umbrella of true love’s kiss. my puppy is currently snoring in his bed across the room - deceptively loud for something so little - and it’s my own personal lullaby.

also, [even more utterly feral screaming]

god, this is so good, it’s like you read my mind.

poor little jack just utterly cannot wrap his head around oscar and morris’ dynamic - not for what it is. how could he? he just sees their closeness and love for each other and wants in. he wants to be a part of it so badly, wants to be their brother, without understanding that their bond was built as a survival mechanism. that it was a lifetime of trauma in their short lives so far that made them so desperately close and so dependent on each other - and it was the same which also made them so quick to violence, so distrusting of anyone who comes close, so quick to lie even when medda promises them it’s safe to tell the truth.

morris’ blanket had been his only possession beyond the clothes on his back when he’d been introduced to medda’s care. oscar’s closest thing to a possession had been his grip on his brother’s hand, and he hadn’t let go for a single second for days, especially not in front of medda - he’d glared relentlessly at her, wouldn’t take his eyes off her, wouldn’t let her anywhere near morris. jack has a bag of things when he comes to medda’s - old clothes that don’t really fit him anymore, but they’d been the last ones his dad had bought for him; a couple books; a few toys - and he doesn’t have the years of abuse the brothers have, but he of course still has plenty of trauma. jack’s mom had been loving until she’d been dead, and his dad had been good too until he’d fallen apart, and he’s just got all these memories of the good times and what could’ve been. all these wants for what could be now, and he wants so badly to be part of a family again, even if he doesn’t really understand the dynamic at medda’s, he knows it’s his new family.

he’s so excited to have brothers. and he really does love them, wants to love them, wants to be their brother. even though he doesn’t understand why morris is so scared of harmless innocuous stuff like the kitchen, and covers his ears when men are talking - even on tv - and sometimes screams when jack is just trying to play with him. he doesn’t understand why oscar won’t play, and glares at medda even when she’s being nice, and has these big outbursts where he throws and breaks things and then hides like he’s terrified and has to be coaxed out by medda promising gently over and over that he’s safe here. there’s nightlights all over the house and there’s nothing glass and there’s silent alarms on the front and back doors if anyone opens them. jack’s not allowed to go anywhere near oscar and morris’ bedroom at night - even if he can hear one of them having a nightmare or medda talking to them - because morris starts screaming if he does, and then he can’t be calmed down, even by oscar.

and that’s another thing - jack doesn’t understand why neither oscar or morris run to medda when they’re upset, like jack does. they cling to each other, and they hide. they don’t tell medda if jack’s bugging them, they just hit him. they don’t tell medda anything, even important things or things they need help with. like when morris wets the bed - oscar just tries to change the sheets by himself, and starts beating on jack when he trails oscar into the laundry room to tell him medda says they’re not allowed to go in there. and medda tries to explain it to jack, sits him down and tells him gently and slowly that awful things happened to oscar and morris and that they’re not like this on purpose, they just need extra patience and looking after and accommodations made for them so that they can get better - just like someone with a physical injury would - but jack’s a kid, and he can’t help from growing to think that the delanceys are just cruel and strange.

which is why it feels like such an inevitability when medda - looking utterly grief-stricken, which jack hates - says as gently as she possibly can that oscar and morris are going to move on to somewhere new. she says it’ll be somewhere better for them, with this look on her face like she’s trying to believe it. and jack’s kind of sad too, an odd loneliness filling him at the thought of not having his brothers anymore, even if they’d never liked him back - maybe they could, if he kept trying - but he’s maybe glad too. he’ll have all of medda’s attention, even though he’d always had most of it because oscar and morris never wanted to join in. she’d still always been worrying about them. and she looks worried now, maybe more worried than ever, because she and jack both had been expecting some sort of outburst from the brothers at this news - oscar hitting and kicking and destroying, morris screaming and wailing. but instead oscar just looks cold, looks detached as he glares at medda and curls himself around morris, who’s crying quietly, and his understanding is clear.

they’re being abandoned again. they’re not loved, again. they don’t fit in here. they’re not wanted here. he was right to not trust medda, and he was right to keep morris close and protect him too. because everybody’s the same, and all the brothers will ever have is each other.

medda hates the system and hates the situation and hates herself for having to make this choice, because she knows the damage she’s just inflicted on these already brutalised boys is permanent now. and she wants so badly to keep them, but she can’t. she had considered just keeping morris, the quieter and less rough of the two boys who has never hurt jack (as far as she knows), but then she’d thought about oscar and morris being forcefully separated - thought about those tiny, tiny boys who’d first come to her and been unable to let go of each other - and almost made herself sick. it’s her only comfort, really - that they’ll have each other, still, no matter what happens.

jack continues to grow up under medda’s care, and he gets plenty of siblings over the years - who are kinder to him, and stay his siblings even after they leave medda’s care. antonio and sean and patrick and plenty of others. medda becomes mama somewhere along the line. jack goes to school, where he does his best and does okay, and he makes friends, and he visits his parents’ graves when he can, and he starts drawing and painting and flirting. he builds a life. he largely forgets about oscar and morris.

oscar and morris are sent to “the refuge” - a notorious low-rated care facility for at-risk and troubled youth in new york. wards of the state. they don’t go to school, and they fight everyone but each other, and they’re punished constantly and drilled into submission and stripped of everything they never even got to be. they’re taught they’re not worth anything, not anyone’s time or effort and certainly not their love. they’re all they’ve both got in the world and that’s the only thing they can both trust. oscar ages out age eighteen and pulls morris out with him, they move in with some estranged uncle who never wanted them and hardly wants them now, and they don’t build a life so much as they survive. same as they always have. and they never forget jack kelly.

#i’m so sorry my response is not at all worthy of how much i love this #(this meaning your ask)#(but also this au in general)#answered #anonymous #jack kelly #oscar delancey #morris delancey #medda larkin #my writing #modern au #cw abuse #cw violence

27 notes · View notes

cypanache · 1 year

Note

okay darling. for the wip ask game that you tagged me in. I know it's been a minute since you posted it, so feel free to ignore, but i'd like to know more about either 'date my wife' or 'raised a sith'– you pick! since I know all about the obidala stuff, and very little about those, i'm curious.

Ugh, I've been so heads down on Countdown, I'm finally getting around to going through my ask box so apologies for the insanely late reply on this.

I talked about the 'date my wife' wip here. So let's do the raised a sith au, because I'm insanely excited about this one, and it even has a title now "Chirality".

So after repeatedly and painstakingly walking back sexual tension in like every draft of every obidala fic I have ever written, because they're just so damn good and they wouldn't, not yet ... I really just wanted to let Obi-Wan and Padme be unrepentantly hot for each. So I asked myself what would it take for them to stop worrying so much about it all and the answer as you so eloquently put it, is 'they could be evil, as a treat'

That's it, that's the fic.

No really. Imagine a world where Obi-Wan got left on Bandomeer by Qui-Gon and then eventually rescued by Dooku and taken as his apprentice and later left the order with him. Meanwhile imagine a Padme who never left Coruscant after her appeal to the Senate in TPM and instead stayed under house arrest while she watched her world ravaged by the Trade Federation with Palpatine stoking her outrage and anger into something truly spectacular. But to the galaxy she still presents as Padme Amidala as we know here during AotC. So drop poor baby Anakin into the events of AotC and The Clone Wars between these two opposing dark proteges who are sort of allies and sort of adversaries, but are definitely obsessed with each other, watch them ruin him.

I honestly feel a little bad tagging this obianidala because its me, so its definitely very obidala focused and Anakin is in way way over his head being manipulated and gaslit at every turn, but it is there at least as an implied future state so there you go. Also its a SithAU so while I don't write terribly explicit or kinky sex, all the warnings for mind games, manipulation, violence, unnegotiated everything, and basically terrible people who should absolutely be kept away from Anakin Skywalker at all costs, but won't be. Sexy, though not explicit, excerpt below the cut:

He’s waiting for her when she gets back to her apartments. Lounging on the bed like he owns the place. Utterly unconcerned with the fact that in less than a day’s time all of the Senate will be calling for his head along with his Master’s.

One of her handmaidens comes over to assist her and Padme grits her teeth in irritation as she takes in the blank expression, the clumsy movements. Oh, she despises when he does this. True, it was amusing the first time or two. And she has always had a weak spot for power in all its flavors. But these days she just finds it tiresome. They’re utterly useless for anything more complicated than the most basic of tasks for hours after he does this.

Dismissing Eirtae with a wave of her hand she rounds on him in a huff.

“I wish you would stop doing that. You know you don’t have anything to worry about. They’re all completely loyal. I’ve made sure of it.”

Obi-Wan grins, vulpine and vicious and absolutely unrepentant. “To you. They’re all completely loyal to you. I doubt there’s a single one among them who would spare me a second thought.”

“That’s not true, there’s at least three who would strangle their own mother for the opportunity to put a blaster to your temple and pull the trigger.” Turning, she holds out her arms and then looks back over her shoulder, imperious and expectant. “Well? You can hardly expect me to get out of this on my own.”

He doesn’t. That’s the entire point of this petty little show of his. He likes the opportunity to undo her, deconstruct the facade she presents to the galaxy layer by careful layer. Until she’s laid bare in more ways than one.

Coming up behind her, he trails his fingertips up the length of each arm before he settles his hands against the line of the high collar in a way that from anyone else would be a threat. But he could force choke her from halfway across the room and they both know it. And they both know Palpatine would make him regret it for the rest of his very long and very painful life if he ever tried.

She smiles at him in the mirror and presses back a little into the joints of his fingers calling his bluff. “You know we debated putting a bounty on your head this afternoon.”

He tsks. “How very uncivilized.”

“Yes, well, attempting to exterminate the entire Jedi Council does tend to provoke people’s ire.”

“Oh, is that the version they’re selling to the Senate?”

She spins in grasp, indignant now, “Don’t be insulting. You know better than anyone how useless the Jedi are at politics. It’s the version I’m selling to the Senate. Very effectively I might add.”

“I’d expect nothing less,” he says, skimming a kiss once against her mouth. Then deepening it as his hands come up to her headdress and she feels him begin to remove the hairpins holding it in place one by one. It’s not precisely what she had in mind when she told him to undress her, but Obi-Wan wouldn’t be Obi-Wan if he wasn’t always looking for the loophole and Padme allows it. It’s been months since she’s been kissed well. Whatever Anakin’s potential, both as a lover and a darksider, and it is glorious, it’s all raw and unrealized, it will take her years to mold him to her liking. Pleasurable work perhaps but work to be sure. Sometimes a lady just wishes to rest on laurels.

Particularly when her laurels are so very, very appealing.

Obi-Wan frowns against her mouth, “Your shields are down.”

“Are they?” She asks innocently, biting at his bottom lip with just a little too much force in punishment for both starting and stopping without permission. “And did you like what you heard?”

He pulls back. “You know I didn’t.”

She turns away with a huff, and removes the last few pins herself, running her fingers through her hair to free it and denying him the pleasure. “Oh yes, you’ve made your feelings on the matter quite clear. His arm, Obi-Wan? Was that really necessary?”

“Maybe not, but it was fun.”

Padme scowls at him over her shoulder.

He just laughs. A cocky, contemptuous sound that sets her teeth on edge and her blood on fire, “Oh dear, are you upset I scratched up your pretty plaything? And here I thought you were a fan of my work. I even signed this one for you.”

“And if I thought it had anything to do with me, rather than breaking the boy Qui-Gon Jinn actually wanted enough to take as an apprentice, I might be flattered. Besides–” she gives him her most petulant pout, “I didn’t even get to watch. You know that’s my favorite part.”

#obidala #obianidala #fic: chirality #oad sith au #cy writes things #sith obi wan #sith padme #cy answers things #wip ask game

40 notes · View notes

yatsugareboyf · 2 years

Text

i'll wait until you're mine, beloved - chapter one: "initial meeting"

﹙ 「university au」 akutagawa ryuunosuke x gn! reader ﹚

notes: 3k words. warnings: minor injury

masterlist

The new academic year doesn’t bring Akutagawa any new emotions. Sure, his first year as an English Language and Literature student was a new experience for him, but he wasn’t easily fazed by changes. He went through his first year with ease, unlike his other classmates who were either on the verge of dropping out or shifting courses, and he’s now welcoming the new academic year with the same mindset as the last: he was here to learn, no extracurriculars or distractions will swerve his straight path to graduation. He reminds himself daily that he cannot afford to slip up or get amused with anything other than his personal goals, and any temptation of something else would not be welcomed.

Of course, like any love story goes, that’s not how things work out for sophomore Akutagawa Ryuunosuke.

He lived with his sister, Gin, in a small penthouse near the university they attended. Akutagawa lives modestly, he would say, but to say he’s wealthy would be an understatement. After being adopted by one of the biggest CEOs in the country, his life had been lavished with luxury and glam, but he never had an interest in so much money. He would turn down anything that he deems unnecessary, which includes the extravagant things and services that his adoptive father would offer. All he asked for is his own allowance (which was already a lot, but he doesn’t have the energy to complain) and for his medical bills to be covered, other than that, he lives dependent on himself. He accounts for his own school tuition, being a small price because of his academic scholarship, food, essentials, and his rent. He makes it a goal not to rely on his father’s riches and glory, so as not to be seen or flaunted as Mori Ougai’s second eldest son, because he doesn’t enjoy the attention. As for his sister, he doesn’t force his own ideals on her, but reminds Gin not to rely on Mori too much and rely on his brother instead. Gin already knows this, after sticking to his brother’s side for their entire lives since they were practically born into the slums, but appreciates the concern. Akutagawa believes that his sister deserves all the best things that she can receive, whether those things be from him or their adoptive father, but he prefers that she ask for them from him.

He gets up every day at six in the morning, no matter what the day. This early streak of his has been going on for almost his entire life, sparing the days where he sleeps for days when he’s sick, giving him a few hours (depending on the day) before his day officially begins. Going through his planner over some tea and sliced apples, he drags his calloused finger over the words he had written a week before, mouthing each one silently.

“Sophomore student orientation, MPH, 10:30 am…” he whispers under his breath, sighing in slight irritation after digesting the words. He utterly despises large gatherings that he thinks is a waste of time, and student orientations were a part of those events. Unfortunately, as an obligation to the school as a scholar, he has to attend every event held in the university or else his scholarship might be waived off. It was a bit chilly today, so Akutagawa decided to dress in a black turtleneck under his signature gray coat with some black slacks. After preparing a small breakfast topped with a swiftly scribbled note for his sister, he left his penthouse at 9:45 am to catch the ten o’clock bus.

Making his way to the sophomore student orientation, which is being held at the open-air multi-purpose hall of the university, he flips through the syllabus given to him through his email that he printed out. He always gets ahead in lessons and readings whenever he possibly can to maintain the “good student” role, but he never considers it work. He sees advanced reading and assessments as an interest, feeling as if it was his hobby to read so much, and it doesn’t become something he’s supposed to do, but something he wants to do. Reading through the syllabus, he skims through the professors and their respective details, making a mental note of all the pieces he’ll indulge himself with when he gets home from the orientation-

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

In what feels like a half-second, the paper he was just skimming through had been knocked out from his hand and onto the cold floor of the hallway. His shoulder has been knocked back as his eyes immediately shift to the figure that stumbled onto the ground, hearing them mutter incoherent curses while rubbing their wrist that slammed to the floor on impact. They got up as quickly as they could, grabbing the syllabus along the way. After composing themselves, wiping off any debris that might’ve caught on their clothes, they clear their throat and extend their arm out to Akutagawa with the paper in hand.

“My apologies, sir, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

Your day was messy, to say the least. After moving in the dorms only the night before, you didn’t have the time to roam the university campus which you’ve initially planned. Scrambling through the unfamiliar hallways and buildings after finding out that your freshman orientation was to start in thirty minutes, you rely on your phone’s GPS to guide you (which isn't much help, by the way, since you couldn't pull up any detailed map of the school), but due to your complete focus on your phone, you couldn’t see anything in front of you.

Damn it! was your first thought after you’ve made your descent on the ground, attempting to soften your land with your palm which ended up almost spraining your wrist, try to look where you’re going next time, Y/N! He must be a professor, good job! I’ve already embarrassed myself and I haven’t even been here for a day.

“Try to look next time, then.” Akutagawa mutters loud enough for you to hear, snatching his syllabus from your hand, irritated. “I’ll be late for my sophomore orientation because of this.”

“I’m really sorry, sir- wait, sophomore?” you clutch your aching wrist, wiggling it around to ease the pain, which it doesn’t. “You’re a student?”

“Yes? You just picked up my syllabus. Are you blind?”

“Jeez, I already said I was sorry!” you whined, wincing from the growing pain in your hand, “would you mind if I asked for directions? I need to get to the freshman student orientation at the gym-”

Akutagawa was usually expressionless despite the circumstances, but after you asked, his eyes slightly downturned in annoyance.

“You have the nerve to ask me for directions? I told you, just look where you’re going.”

“Okay, fine! Go to your orientation then! I’ll ask somebody else- ow.” your whole face scrunches up in pain, groaning under your breath as the ache in your right wrist worsens. Clutching it close to your chest, phone safely tucked into your pocket, you walk past the dark-haired male with a small frown on your face.

They lied to me; they said people at this university were nice. This guy is a total asshole, you thought while looking around at the now-empty hallways. What? I swear this hall was packed just a second ago! Aren’t there any other freshmen getting lost? Sighing, you slouch forward dramatically and drag your feet to who knows where, uttering quiet curses when you move your wrist out of place even just for a second. Damn it, how am I gonna survive three hours of the orientation with a sprained wrist-

“To your left.”

Your head whips back almost at light’s speed, looking back at the sophomore you just banged shoulders with. His expression is less annoyed now, but still visually upset.

“Excuse me?”

“To your left,” he lazily points to the left side of the end of the hallway, “there should be a campus map, maybe even a security guard. You can find your way from there. Take a picture while you’re at it.”

A smile makes its way to your lips, eyes shining much brighter than it had ever been today. You bow exaggeratedly, pushing back the pain shooting up from your wrist every time you leaned forward, yelling a mix of “thank you”s and “I appreciate it”s. Akutagawa winces at your loud voice, but bows his head at your incessant show of gratitude.

“I better get going, take care Mr. Sophomore!”

Akutagawa watches as you sprint down the hall, harshly turning left after reaching the end. He figures out that you’ve encountered the security guard, just like he predicted, as he sees you being accompanied to the right direction. He shakes his wrist and glances at his watch, only to find that he’s only given five minutes to make it to his own orientation. Scoffed, he shakes the thought of running to the MPH so as to not give out his lungs so early in the academic year, and takes his time to walk all the way there. He makes it only eight minutes late.

"I'm home," Akutagawa's voice echoes through the small penthouse. He hooks his fingers into his shoe to wiggle them off, inspecting the open-spaced room while he is at it. As he folds his coat over his arm, he notices the food he left on the table gone, the plate and cup stashed back into their respective containers. "Gin?"

“I’m here.” Her older brother’s eyes shift to the other side of the home to see her waving a book in her hand, the other holding back the large headphones she was wearing. Akutagawa responds with a curt wave.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at the freshman orientation?” He asks, hanging the coat near the window.

“I already know what the university looks like, I went there for high school.” She murmurs, fully resting her headphones on her shoulders, tossing her book on the couch after placing a random receipt she had found as a makeshift bookmark. “Plus, I don’t need to be there.”

Akutagawa gives her a pointed look but decides not to push her anymore. Just like him, Gin prefers to be alone and only wants social interaction when it is on her own accord. Her brother couldn’t scold her about that, since he himself also acts this way, but there’s a lingering feeling that he feels that urges him to force a happier lifestyle for his sister despite her being satisfied with whatever she currently has.

Deciding to leave her alone for now, Akutagawa climbs up the stairs towards his room to fix his things for tomorrow. He pulls out his notepad from the desk drawer and his syllabus to jot down all the literature that he took note of at his first glance of the lesson plans. After laying down a bit and changing into a new shirt (the one he’s currently wearing got a bit sweaty after speed-walking across campus), he sets off once again towards the library.

Akutagawa dislikes pollution, as do many asthma sufferers do, yet he chooses to walk to every destination he desires to reach if he knows he can take it. The roads he walks are filled with black smoke and heavy fog, people coughing and sneezing every other second, filling the air with things Akutagawa knows he shouldn’t be exposed to. Still, he trudges towards the high pillars and walls of the library, letting out a deep breath he didn’t know he was holding as he entered the premises. The air inside was much cooler and more controlled, filtered out by several machines planted around the building. He makes a beeline to his section and starts browsing for familiar titles.

As he continues to scan the muddy colored books, his ear catches the voices of several freshmen at the end of the bookcase he was occupying. He makes out the word’s “readings” and “weird professor” in their conversation, hearing an occasional groan and quiet giggles. Akutagawa was never one for eavesdropping, but when he hears one of the students say “the one with the limp wrist” after the other students asked about any particular stand-out freshmen, he was intrigued. Grabbing a random book off the shelf, he pretends to busy himself with the pages while he listens in closer to the conversation.

Flip.

“They were so funny, I thought they were special since there was a guard escorting them, turns out they just got lost.” One of the three students’ whispers, barely holding back her giggles.

Flip. Flip.

“Right? I feel bad for the person sitting next to them the whole time, they were groaning non stop because of their wrist.”

Akutagawa immediately recognizes the student as the freshman who bumped into him earlier today, feeling a bit irked at the thought of them followed by a second irk after hearing the group gossip about them. He keeps on flipping the pages as a cover, his ear nearly perking to hear more.

Flip. Flip. Flip.

“I swear, I can smell them from where I was. It was so gross.”

Flip. Flip. Flip. Flip

“I wonder if they’re-“

Flip. Flip. Flip. Flip. Flip. Flip.

“What’s that guy doing over there?”

Flip. Fl- what?

“How can a guy read that fast?”

“Let’s just get out… he seems weird. Might be a creep.”

Once the group of freshmen leaves his earshot, he closes the book with a slam, making all the other surrounding students look his way. After sending each one a pointed glare, he decides to roam the section again to find his books.

“Ryuu, you don’t have to send me to class. Don’t you have your own class to go to?” Gin nudges her older brother with her elbow, making him grunt half-heartedly as they make their way through the busy hallways of the university. The first day of classes are always busy, random freshmen dashing through the crowds to get to class on time, noisy juniors tossing around empty bottles of soda and water above your heads and such. Akutagawa just couldn’t risk letting his sister walk through this chaos alone, pestering her the moment she stepped out the door with him.

“I’m doing this so I can feel at ease.”

“Please don’t do this every day or I swear to God I’m telling Mori-san.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would, so I’m begging you, this is the last time-“

“Mr. Sophomore!”

Both Akutagawa’s face the source of the voice from the door of the room. Ryuunosuke scowls before he can even register their face completely. Gin makes a more appropriate face of concern and curiosity, looking between you and her brother.

The words came out of your mouth before you could recognize the other person next to the sophomore you recognized. He looks exactly the same as the last time I saw him. What is he even doing here? I thought he was a sophomore?

Akutagawa takes a quick glance at you. You’ve fixed up your appearance better than the last time he saw you, hair in all the right places and skin looking more dry and less sweaty. They look more… decent, he thinks. Cleaning up does your face justice, he observes, as he gets a clearer view of your face without the stray hairs around it. Your outfit doesn’t look bad either, being a lot more put together and coordinated-

“You know… him?” She asks before jabbing her elbow into his guts again, making him straighten his face out, realizing he spaced out and made a face.

You nod quickly, straightening your back to look more presentable. “We bumped into each other on the way to the orientation! There was a bit of an accident though…” You wiggle your injured wrist a bit. Who is she? They look so alike. Maybe they’re relatives? I shouldn’t assume… is he canoodling with freshmen? This early in the semester? He’s a total creep-

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Gin suddenly bows towards you with a full 180.

“Huh?”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s his fault, isn’t it?” She gestures to your wrist after raising her head, cradling your hand ever so gently to inspect the damage, “he might be bad with his anger but he doesn’t usually pick fights like this.” Gin bows again, making Ryuunosuke make a spit take at his sister’s actions, “Please don’t report him! He’s a scholar and he’s really good at his course so-“

“Woah woah, slow down!” Placing your hands on her shoulders, she looks back up at you. “I-he- we didn’t fight! We literally bumped into each other and I fell. Nothing more, I promise.”

Your sheepish smile and her brother’s unamused face doesn’t convince her, but feels an odd gut feeling to let it go.

“Okay, but please don’t report my brother. It won’t happen again, right, Ryuu?”

“…”

“I said right, Ryuunosuke?”

Akutagawa immediately straightens up, uttering a small “yeah, right..” then goes back to his resting scowl face.

You let out a small chuckle at the two siblings, waving them off. “Of course, of course. I won’t. You said he was a scholar?”

Gin nods. “It’s really important for him to keep it so-”

“Don’t worry!”, you smile. She’s so worried for him. He has a sister who cares so much for him… but he acts so weird. He’s a scholar though, maybe I misjudged him. “I’m a scholar too, so I know how important it is to keep your disciplinary record clean.”

Akutagawa looks down at his watch while you and Gin make small talk about your scholarship and being in the same class, noticing the time being too close to his first class for his liking. He tapped his sister’s shoulder before gesturing away.

“I have to go. If you need me just call-“

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll call. Shoo.”

Your gaze settles a bit longer at the sophomore, watching his dark gray coat fade into the crowd as he walks away from you.

#bsd #bsd x reader #bsd akutagawa #bsd akutagawa ryuunosuke #bsd akutagawa x reader #akutagawa x reader #bungou stray dogs #bsd imagines #akutagawa x you #akutagawa x y/n #bsd akutagawa ryuunosuke x reader #akutagawa imagines #yatsugareboyfwrites #iwtymb

44 notes · View notes