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tending-the-hearth · 2 years

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Been reading and loving your Narnia thoughts (you might have noticed). Do you have any opinion on Caspian's relationship with the Pevensies? Like how he has no family and feels possibly slightly out of place in the beginning of Prince Caspian and by Dawn Treader he's treating Lucy and Ed and even Eustace to a degree as family

oh my god YES I DO

god, you're so right, they ARE his family, he says it at the end of "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" to Eustace, Edmund, and Lucy. They're the closest thing he has to a family, they're his siblings, he hasn't got anyone else, and I think that really affects how he interacts with each of them!

so i think Caspian's relationship with the Pevensies is SUPER interesting, and i'm going to break it down with each sibling!!

Peter:

obviously, from the get go, there's resentment and tension between Caspian and Peter. Peter spent the beginning of the second movie showing how desperately he wants to go back to Narnia, how desperately he wants to return to his people and take care of them. When he finally does get to return, it's only to see that they don't need him anymore, and he's basically been replaced by Caspian.

the entire battle in the castle scene shows their relationship REALLY well, and I think it does a good job of showing their separate experience. Peter, of course, knows how to lead an army, he knows how to launch attacks. Caspian's really not familiar with being in an actual battle, and it's shown in the mistakes that he makes. At this point, Caspian's still a rival for Peter, and he's angry. His people have died because of those mistakes, and maybe Peter remembers his first few years as king, remembers the Narnians that he lost because of a few foolish mistakes, and hates that he sees himself in Caspian.

then, their relationship shifting into something more friendly after Caspian's nearly enthralled by Jadis. Once again, Peter's seen himself in Caspian, but more importantly, he sees Edmund in Caspian. He sees the same fear, the same desperation in Caspian that Edmund had the first time he entered into Narnia.

Peter giving the final blow to Caspian during the duel is a MASSIVE moment for them both. First off, it's a parallel to the "not me. him." scene between Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin at the beginning of the movie. It's also Peter acknowledging Caspian's place, and the passing of the sword, both in this moment and at the end of the movie, is Peter showing that he's grown and understands what's happening.

So while they don't become as close as Peter and Edmund, or as close as Caspian and Edmund, I do think that their friendship could have been something SO much closer had they had a little more time! Caspian's never gotten to have an older brother, so I can absolutely see Peter mother henning the HELL out of Caspian because ofc he gets stuck with two dark-haired self-sacrificial idiots as younger brothers

Susan:

Their relationship is SO frustrating to me, because i absolutely think they would have been better off just giving Caspian and Susan the same enemies to friends plot line that Caspian and Peter got.

Like, I struggle to find things I like about their relationship, because I really don't like the romantic subplot. It doesn't make sense, especially because Caspian finds his canonical love interest in the next movie, so it doesn't even matter.

I would have loved to see a Caspian who's grown up with a little hero crush on Queen Susan the Gentle, who's transformed her into this ethereal being in his mind. Then, when they meet, she's his age, and that hero worship lessens as they get to know each other. Give me a Susan who's had to endure countless marriage proposals from Narnian nobles, who has boys in England flirting with her, but Caspian doesn't do any of that. He genuinely wants to be her friend without any ulterior motives! Give me platonic soulmates Caspian and Susan!

AND NOW ONTO MY FAVORITE RELATIONSHIPS THAT CASPIAN HAS!!!!!

Edmund:

Their relationship is so special to me. Like, they easily could have used Caspian to replace Peter, personality and actions and all, but Caspian and Edmund just have a separate relationship, and it really gives me the vibes of how Peter and Edmund must have acted together during the Golden Age!

Their swordfight on the Dawn Treader is one of my favorite moments, because you can tell they're just goofing around and having fun! They're laughing and grinning, and there's no tension.

Also, the entire subplot with Peter's sword, with who Peter's successor will be is so perfect. Edmund hiding his resentment about Caspian getting Peter's sword, to him showing his true emotions during the golden pool scene, to Caspian giving him the sword for the final battle, it really fits with them reconciling with each other.

I also really love the little nuances between them, like how Caspian always calls Edmund "Ed", how he comforts Edmund when they think Eustace is dead, the way he shouts Edmund's name when Eustace grabs him, how Edmund's the first one Caspian shakes awake when Lucy's missing, just everything is so well done.

My favorite Caspian and Edmund scene is probably when they're preparing for the battle, when Caspian helps Edmund with his armor and says "I want you to know I think of you as my brother, Ed", before giving Edmund Peter's sword.

Also, I think it's really important to note that both Caspian and Edmund's fathers play a large role in who they are, and their big decisions: Edmund's loyalty to his father is what prevents his relationship with Peter from growing until he understands Peter's struggles, and Caspian's desperation to please his father's memory holds him back until he's able to let go and learn to be a better king at the end with Aslan.

Lucy:

I wish so badly that we got more moments between Lucy and Caspian in "Prince Caspian"! Like how I wish Susan and Caspian's relationship had looked like, I would have loved to see something similar between Caspian and Lucy.

Caspian admiring Queen Lucy the Valiant, her being this mythical figure for him, and then he meets her, and his Big Brother Instincts™️ go into overdrive!

Their relationship in "Dawn Treader" makes me so emotional. Like, Caspian is truly another big brother to Lucy, and the fact that she's the one he goes to when he spots them in the water, and she immediately knows it's him by his voice, and you can hear the happiness in her own voice when she says "Caspian!", they're siblings your honor.

Also, I'm picturing Caspian rushing to get clothes for both Edmund and Lucy when they show up, frowning as he tries to make sure he has something for both of them, because he'll be damned if they sit around in wet clothes because they'll get sick!!!

Caspian also immediately noticing that Lucy's missing before they go off to find her is very important to me, the way that he, Edmund, and Lucy have such a strong connection that they search each other out and know when one of them is missing works so well.

Once again mentioning Edmund and Lucy stepping into Peter and Susan's roles, Lucy becoming the voice of reason between Edmund and Caspian, keeping them calm and being that jumping off point for them to discuss the Mist and their emotions. She's the healer, that's been her job since she first entered Narnia, and Caspian and Edmund both understand that, but also step into the roles as being her supports, her rocks when she needs them.

so yeah, i'm obsessed with Caspian's relationship with the Pevensies, I think he's such an important character, and has so much potential that I wish there had been a bit more to his relationship with Susan and Peter!

finally... y'all mind if i just fucking sob over the way Caspian interacts with them??????

like the way he reassures Eustace, so affectionate with him, and Eustace is finally returning that affection and holds him back? Like Edmund in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", Eustace starts off on the outside of all the affectionate moments between Caspian, Lucy, and Edmund, and now he's at the center of it all, and he's not afraid to return that affection. And Caspian doing the Big Brother Thing™️ that he, Peter, and Edmund do to reassure Lucy????

then, his hug with Edmund, which has no right making me as emotional as it does. The way they hold onto each other, because they're brothers, they understand each other in a way that no one else does, because Caspian's really the only other one who was nearly tempted to Jadis's side, so like Edmund and Lucy have that special connection because they were the first ones in Narnia, Caspian and Edmund have that special connection because of their personalities and weaknesses.

Lucy and Caspian's hug makes me fucking cry my eyes out. I've already discussed how Lucy is the most tactile of the four Pevensie siblings, but this just makes me want to violently sob. The way she's already reaching for him, and he doesn't hesitate before pretty much lifts her off her feet with the force of the hug, how they both cling to each other so tightly. Lucy's so connected to Narnia, and that includes Caspian. He's her big brother, she's his little sister, of course they're both heartbroken about being separated.

#chronicles of narnia #prince caspian #voyage of the dawn treader #caspian the tenth #peter pevensie #susan pevensie #edmund pevensie #lucy pevensie #eustace scrubb #character analysis #platonic relationships #hearth overanalyzes

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aoflameandco · 2 years

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I often mention my hopes for Hell arc GrimmNell and actually... Today I want to share some personal delusions about it.

Warning! I never liked Nnоitora as a person (his conflict with Nel is very good though) and I genuinely can't ship Nn0iNel, so yeah... pls bear with my bias

Do you remember Nelliel's fight during the Arrancar arc? Yeah, the one every Nel fan feels a little bit upset about. She had a solid reason to fight someone who hurt her family, backstabbed her and left her to die. Someone, who was intended to break her again, who abused her new friends, not to mention the general conflict of their life perspectives. But alas - Kenpachi finished Nnоitora instead.

But what if... it wasn't the end? Kubo's Hell oneshot confirmed - even dead Arrancars can return.

Take a look at Szayelaporro. The guy was crazy from the start, but Hell's influence pushed his Madness to a new level. It was heavily hinted that even the fallen captains developed a more dark personality (well, understandable why), so it wouldn't be surprising if the arrancar's aspects of deaths took completely over them.

So yeah... I doubt that Nnоitora got a ticket to "Heaven", so his chances to return as a Hell-enemy aren't out of the question. And wow, he just happened to be a perfect catalyst of GrimmNell angst.

Nnоitora's Despair made him believe that there's no salvation for their kind. Nelliel was always the opposite - she was sure that they can change for better: with evolution they regain their morals and start aiming for more complex goals, not just a basic survival. Imho this part of her life perspective made her so involved with the self-destructive Espada members. As if she feels obligated to push them into the right direction.

Didn't work with Nnоitora. At all. But Nel didn't give up and found herself a new problem aka Grimmjow. And wow, suddenly it didn't backfire.

I'm not going to tell the difference between Nnоitora and Grimmjow and why one was able to form a sort of a healthy bond with Nel while the other - didn't. Sure, it's an interesting topic I might one day touch again, but we are here for the Hell delusions, right?

So yeah, imagine, Nnоitora is back! And ofc he wants his revenge, he wants to break this arrogant woman again. How dare she enjoy her peaceful life! And no way... did she just replace him with this pathetic loser Grimmjow? Oh yeah, now she is so cocky: her stupid philosophy worked, she tamed a beast and turned him into her personal lapdog. Isn't it all she ever wanted? end of pissed Nnoi's POV lol

But wait, isn't it a perfect opportunity? Using Grimmjow to crush all Nelliel's hopes and beliefs? To break her optimistic nature? What a piece of cake - after all Grimm wasn't created for peace, and Hell can easily trigger his sleeping Destruction.

Nelliel's despair would be fighting against someone she deeply cares about. She told him so many times that their aspects have no power over their decisions and yet - now she has to face it. Was she wrong? Was Nnоitora right? Were all of them the hostages of their destiny?

I think Grimmjow would be the one to answer this question. He hates to bow to anyone and he won't give in, even to himself. And maybe, just maybe he would understand Kurosaki at this moment - the source of his motivation, the powerful wish to protect someone.

Cheesy Happy Ending:

So yeah after some drama GrimmNel team up and beat Nnоitora's ass! In the end it will be Nelliel's fight with Grimmjow's assistance, because well- he understands how important it is for her to close this gestalt. And then they'll live happily ever after without a fear of losing themselves again.

P.S. We still have only crumbs about the Hell setting so pls remember this is just a big headcanon in the name of a ship angst lol.

#grimmnel #grimmnell #Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez #Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck #grimmjow x nelliel #high on angstium

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sukirichi · 3 years

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jujutsu kaisen characters as students in high school: (non-canon AU)

featuring: itadori yuuji, fushiguro megumi, gojo satoru, getou suguru, & ryoumen sukuna notes: some parts include you as their friend, or even their high school love! (this is unedited/ not proofread)

masterlist ! requests are open

𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐈 𝐘𝐔𝐔𝐉𝐈

he’s not the brightest bulb, but he makes up for it through hardwork and enthusiasm

yuuji is literally that classmate everyone is just friends with

the type who waves with a smile, saying “good morning!” the moment he walks through that door

with that being said, since he’s everyone’s friend, i headcannon that yuuji doesn’t really have a best friend because he’s so open and available to everyone it’s hard to have just a one on one conversation with him

not to say he’s always surrounded by a crowd that you can’t get near him, but everyone likes talking to yuuji

he just fits in so well and understands people

kind of like how he easily clicked with junpei (please, i miss him, i still can’t believe that he’s...you know...)

whether it’s the guys raving to him about sports

or girls shyly talking about their crush on class or about that new shojo manga

yuuji is open to anything and everyone. this boy wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s honestly such a precious boy, please be kind to him <3

the type of student that gets called to answer in class but isn’t shy to admit he doesn’t know the answer while rubbing the back of his neck

he does pay attention tho

i think it’s canon that yuuji is a dedicated man, like from that time he just watched movies straight and kept his cursed energy controlled so the cursed corpse would stop hitting him

overall, yuuji is a very hard working student!

he wouldn’t get over the top grades, but he’s really proud of himself (and he should be!)

also that one kid in class that is surprisingly good in sports despite his lanky figure and laid back persona, because all the other sports-craved people are always flexing or challenging other captains

but plot twist, this boy is ripped and very, beautifully kept in trim

yeah he’s not really into club activities that much

not because he hates them, but he’s just not that into it. he’s more than glad to join in whatever activities though and enjoys them, but if asked what he’d like to do, it wouldn’t be that first thing that came to mind

in conclusion: itadori yuuji is the class sunflower that lights up everyone’s day 🌻

yuuji’s role: the hard worker!

𝐅𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐎 𝐌𝐄𝐆𝐔𝐌𝐈

hands down, megumi is THAT student

if you’re volunteering in the library, you can sure as hell guarantee you’ll see megumi there

he doesn’t like studying in class because it’s too noisy, so if he’s in school, you’ll always see his name in the library logs

he’s that kid that aces all exams

the type to scowl when he sees a 96% mark because he’s expecting a perfect mark

okay before you come at me, i’m not saying megumi is that annoying smart kid in class that goes, “Oh, I’m so dumb, just a 96?”

no he’s more frustrated at himself because he knows he studied hard and lost sleep over it. he’s just wondering where he went wrong. he has literal note cards and customize flash cards on an app on his phone, waking up every four am and probably taking supplement classes after regular school hours

i headcannon that megumi is someone who always wants to do his best and actually goes through lengths to prove his worth

maybe it stems from having the need to show who he really is and what he’s capable of

but yeah i can totally see him doing that

also that cute student that keeps visiting the cafe every saturday morning, wearing a black hoodie and headphones tucked in, his pretty hands nestling over a book

he looks like a gamer but honestly i don’t think he’s got time for that lmao

would also be that guy people find hard to approach because of his quiet and reserved self

he’s pretty intimidating too

definitely sits beside the window at the back of the class. you can’t fight me on that

just because he’s smart and loves studying, it doesn’t mean he’ll sit on the front row and raise his hand every damn second

the teachers will encourage him to participate in class a little bit more, especially after seeing he’s awkward during group activities, but megumi just really prefers to do things by himself

i also headcannon him eating in the cafeteria like everyone else instead of having his alone time during a rooftop? like idk i can’t picture megumi completely isolating himself like that

he blends in well in a way that you know he’s just like everyone else; a human

but he also stands out in the manner that he’s a lot more introverted and reserved compared to everyone else

surprisingly good during sports and relay games

100% reliable

the type to stay up at midnight to finish a group project, sighing because his groupmates doesn’t care as much as he does, but turns it in anyway the next day

he’d be annoyed at them, but he doesn’t really like confrontation so he doesn’t out them to the teacher like that

but he’s also not someone who lets people walk over him, so he’ll simply say something about his groupmates becoming more responsible and to be serious for once as a “warning”

and yeah, he may be closed off, but once you get really close with him (even better if you have similar interests) you’ll find there’s a lot more to him than what you’ve originally seen and he’s actually a pretty great friend and supportive classmate

would teach you instead of just letting you copy his work or snap pictures of his notes

ugh he’s so responsible and morally right and that’s so attractive help

in conclusion: fushiguro megumi is the hidden gem 💎

megumi’s role: the intellectual outsider!

𝐆𝐎𝐉𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐔

man...i don’t know how to start this

i’ve said this about megumi, but gojo is also that student

no, in fact, he’s THE student

everyone loves him. literally everyone

the teachers? smitten

his classmates? in love

the school guard? calls him by his first name

the cleaning lady? turns into a star with the way she lightens up when he’s there

the cafeteria staff? yeah free food because he’s gojo satoru

gojo is what i like to call the “one who has it all” because....well, he kind of does

he’s really smart and talented, which comes as a surprise to everyone in the first day of school when he nearly gets kicked out for falling asleep in class

only for everyone to be shocked that he knows the answer already and the teacher is only discussing chapter 1 lmao

yeah he’d be that kid who always sleeps in class

or is playing games on his phone behind an open textbook

he literally doesn’t listen to what the teacher is saying at all - or at least that’s what he wants you to think

man is a god at multitasking and his seatmate would snicker because he’s crushing his enemies at a phone game, but then gojo coolly corrects the teacher about history or something

he’s pretty laid back tbh

but when he’s got everyone’s attention on him? ofc he’d show off

basketball meats are wild. even students from neighbouring schools would visit just to see gojo play - and he’s not even an official member! the coach just asked him to replace a sick player but boy won that champion shot

omg BASKETBALL PLAYER GOJO I CAN’T

but he pretty much excels at everything

except cooking class, gosh, don’t ever bring this man anywhere near a fire. that’s probably the only thing that really got him to detention this time because he always somehow talks himself out of getting that red card with his words and charm

also that kid that would receive lots of confession letters, chocolates, and random gifts in his shoe lockers

he knows he’s handsome and he’s not shy about it. in fact, he’s shameless when it comes to his allure on people

but he also doesn’t really date anyone (it’s canon this man won’t stay loyal to a single woman lmao)

if he and megumi were classmates, they’d be sort of rivals

megumi would always come on top of class, but gojo is just a breath away from the former’s perfect marks. if it only weren’t for megumi’s squeaky clean record and reputation - whereas satoru’s is TAINTED as heck - and the fact that gojo doesn’t really study as much as gumi, then yeah he’d also be top of the class if he wanted to

on a much more serious note,,,gojo acts like nothing really bothers him and he’s simply that effortless

but i feel like he grew up with tutors from a very young age and that’s how his natural intelligence was just further improved and increased with that type of environment in his childhood

and unlike megumi, i don’t think gojo would really have a set goal in mind on who he wants to be or what he wants to do in the future

he’d just be enjoying the moment <3

in conclusion: gojo satoru is the effortless god!

satoru’s role: the lazy king everyone is envious of

𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐔

the playboy

you can’t argue with me on this one

he just is, i feel it deep in my SOUL he just is

moment he walks in, all classy and suave aura and all, you can honestly smell and taste the amount of confidence that drips from him

probably came from a well-off family

probably the mayor’s kid lmao and he’s been used to the attention ever since he was young

much like megumi, he’s not really the type to show off his intelligence

and similar to gojo, people are surprised he’s actually got them brain cells just because everyone is more focused on his appearance first

like who would expect this tall hunk beautiful beast of a man with long hair and piercings actually liked classic novels and could effortlessly recite sonatas and poems in different languages

yeah i headcannon that getou is an intellectual, cultured man

ofc having long hair and piercings isn’t allowed in his school, but because he’s geto and the school knows about his family’s influence, they just let it slide

probably comes late to school too

he eats in the cafeteria, but you don’t really see him indulge much. some days, he’ll have his own fancy bento box prepared by a family chef, but geto is actually pretty simple and humble that he also buys packed bread or canned coffee

takes the library volunteer by surprise when he drops by one friday after class to borrow an old classic novel that even your professors had a hard time analysing

but geto’s like, “oh this? yeah i last read it when i was thirteen, thought i’d read it again”

IDK WHY but I can see him as sort of breaking the rules when it comes to the school uniform

top three buttons of his shirt open when he’s feeling hot or something

doesn’t really keep his tie that tight too

but overall, geto is a composed and well-put together guy

i just can’t picture him slacking when it comes to his appearance, he’s too fancy and pretty for that

he’s also similar to megumi in a way people find it hard to approach them, but most definitely, geto also receives confessions often

i can see him dating someone after being interested in someone in school and actually being serious with them unlike gojo

then they would be “that” couple that’re just so couple goals

not the type that goes overboard with pda and pulls off the angry face emoji when they hear someone talking about them and they’re like, “NO HE’S MINE”

okay that’s cringe but i legit witnessed that way too many times in high school yall cant blame me lmao

but they’d be more like the chill laid back couple that supports each other in everything and you can just tell they have a happy, healthy relationship

(oh to be getou’s girlfriend in high school and his first love and all his firsts)

in conclusion: getou suguru is the unpredictable!

getou’s role is: that one classmate you really admire but he’s so far out your league but he’s genuinely a good guy anyway so you’re happy for him no matter what <3

𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐌𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐔𝐍𝐀

okay okay hear me out but...the stoner

i really can’t see him any other way guyssss

and if you’re his classmate, you most likely wouldn’t see him that much either

dude is like 2-3 years older than everyone in class and he doesn’t give a shit about it

he’ll come like...once a week, if he’s in the mood enough

teachers don’t even bother scolding him for his tattoos anymore because there’s rumours going around he’s the son of a yakuza leader or that he’s a gangster who sells organs or some creepy dark stuff

ofc he doesn’t do that

he just does drugs and gets drunk at most

sukuna doesn’t really have that much friends either. yeah he parties with people and often gets high with some older kids, but he doesn’t genuinely enjoy their companies either

would totally come to school with his uniform unironed

red-eyed from his high and naps at the back of the class, making the teacher soften their voice in fear of waking him up

also doesn’t have a pen or paper

i mean...he doesn’t even bring a bag

fails the exams all the time, making him repeat year by year, and he’s even known for beating his senpai up for something stupid and sending the guy to a hospital where he stays for two weeks

but on the other hand

he’s also freakishly attractive and surprisingly easy to talk to

you probably bumped into him one time and you profusely apologize, but then he notices something about, something odd like, “did you just cut your hair?”

“uhm yes...you noticed?”

sukuna shrugs lazily, “noticed something was different, but whatever. it looks good on you though.”

he’s just soooo nonchalant most of the time, it’s hard to believe he’s actually pretty violent

but yeah this man has anger issues i’m sorry

but with that speaking, i actually don’t see sukuna as a bully with like a gang of his “followers” or that type of jazz

he’s more like the kid that hides under the bleachers or gets high in a storage room while everyone else is occupied with school festivals

it’s a shock he even came, but sukuna just says “free food is always a gift” but ofc it’s not free food...he just steals from the stalls

now here comes the fun part

so now that we know sukuna pretty much is a hopeless case...suddenly, he isn’t? maybe he meets you, the class volunteer who goes out of their way to visit his shabby apartment just to hand him his class work that he’s missed out on

he obviously disses you at first and ignores you, telling you to get lost

but somehow your kindness and persistence has him breaking

now he starts coming to school often, carrying a pack of gum or mint pops because he smells like weed and he’s slightly conscious of himself

this is supposed to be just them being students in high school, but i could honestly sukuna changing colors once he just gets a better grasp of what would be good for him

or maybe something finally interests him and gives answers to his silent questions

i feel like he’s such a troubled kid and just lacks proper care and attention, but once you become his friend and show him you don’t have bad intentions, he’s actually a loyal and decent guy

and when you two finally get close, you eventually gain enough courage to tutor him. sukuna is actually pretty smart too, he just doesn’t like studying, but when you compliment him, oh man, he melts

“yeah, you actually got that right! i told you you could do this!”

tsk,” he scoffs, “that’s all kindergarten shit.”

“if it is, then why haven’t you graduated?”

“shut the fuck up.”

although he sneers, you and sukuna have gotten close enough that you know both of you don’t mean anything bad behind those words and it’s all light hearted teasing

oh and when you ask him to take a picture with you for “high school memories?”

sukuna is disgusted

“get that thing away from my face - did you just take my photo?”

“yeah, you look pretty cute here! i’m so printing this and putting this in my album.”

sukuna is about to scold you even more, but the thought of you putting your photo together - even when he’s frowning in the picture - in something as sentimental as a photo book really has him softening up

would even try - keyword is try - to study more just so you’d stop frowning when you see his paper covered in red marks all over again

and he’d even try cutting down on his weed for the sake of his “health”

ofc he won’t suddenly - or ever, even - become the amazing student megumi is

he’ll still get into trouble because he’s impulsive and has poor coping skills, also he’s not good with words or dealing with his emotions

but on his good days, he’s a pretty funny guy

it just takes a lot to see that side of him, but it’s worth the time and patience

also i was expecting to write funny scenarios or imagines of stoner! sukuna because he’s too high to even hold a proper conversation sometimes but all i got is him saying weird words like “snail trap” or something when you ask him how his day is

would also have that garbled little laugh when he’s so out of it

sukuna will try to be better though, you just need to be patient him

but my GOSH when he finally graduates

he’s going to hide that little smile because deep down, he’s also pretty proud of himself and how far he’s come <3

lol now this makes me want to writer a high school au lololol

in conclusion: yeah he’s the stoner with a good heart

which is so not canon...this shouldn’t even be a headcanon we know ryoumen sukuna is PURE EVIL but oh well maybe when I’m down from my sukuna high I’ll write him a lot more canonically

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memryse · 3 years

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What do you think about renchanting duo

I'm Fucked Up In The Head Over 3rd Life SMP Part 2: Monarchy Boogaloo

ahhhhhh renchanting duo... i love them sooooo much. their story is so tragic it hurts it physically hurts (dear god i love them so much). again no read more you're all going to read my several paragraphs of incoherency whether you like it or not

renchanting duo is also bolstered by the fact that ren and martyn had never met prior to this smp. it makes the development of their characters' friendship that much better.

i always like to think of them as the literal antithesis to the desert duo, beyond just being enemies, maybe i'll elaborate on that in a separate post though because i ofc want to focus on renchanting duo exclusively here.

the two of them start off as a capitalist duo, with martyn being a marketing manager and nothing more. but by moving into renchanting, martyn quickly gains ren's trust - which, to be fair, is pretty easy. ren's weakness at the start of 3rd life was always his kindness: telling people cleo's secret, letting everyone walk all over him and renchanting in the hopes of forming alliances. he gave out his trust too easily. martyn, meanwhile, was bored and chaotic - the server's wild card, the one predicted to cause the most problems at first, running around performing magic tricks and causing raids.

they grow closer again when scar turns red. martyn is immediately concerned for ren's life, and that concern only grows as martyn realises his own life is also under threat. the next episode, ren dons his kingly crown, and martyn steps up from marketing manager to hand of the king. it's a significant responsibility increase, but martyn is loyal to ren - ren took him in, gave him a purpose. and ren is equally grateful to martyn.

from that point onwards, their trust in one another only grows stronger. martyn steps up perfectly as hand of the king: first, when running around trying to solve all the various problems dogwarts is facing in session 4, when grian plants the enchanting table trap. like, you can feel the adrenaline in that scene. it's insane. ren, meanwhile, has finally put his foot down and is standing up to scar. it doesn't work, unfortunately, and martyn is unable to protect ren. (but he did do his best, it was unfortunate timing more than anything)

next, the test. ren's naïveté is gone. replacing it is a simple desire to protect his kingdom, through any means necessary. he gives martyn the chance to murder him, publicly branding him as a killer (and technically a rule breaker, might i add - martyn was strict about following the main server rules until the end, it's very telling that he broke them for ren). ren turns red, and gives martyn a perfectly fair opportunity to eliminate him. but martyn doesn't take it. he can't. not ren. the two of them are too loyal to each other. whilst dogwarts are often painted as the objective villains of the series, it's really... not like that. scar antagonised them. ren's descent into the red king was a tragedy, caused by paranoia and threats on his life. at first ren was kind, and forgiving, and far too easily trusting, and really just wanted to start a little shopping district starting with a funky enchanting emporium.

the red army forms, and martyn remains unquestionably loyal. martyn fights alongside his king - ren stays on the front lines, determined to protect his people with his own hands. which, looking at his kill count, i would say he achieved. i think it's a bit inaccurate to frame renchanting duo as the exact same dynamic as desert duo - while they're similar, their main difference is that ren was a genuinely capable threat the entire time. he's strong. and scary.

martyn makes his peace with devoting his life to defending his king. he'll lose all his lives if it means protecting ren - he'll take anyone else's life if it means protecting ren. he's okay with that. because martyn's loyal, and for the person who gave him a purpose in life he would go to the ends of the earth and back.

finally, he loses his first life, and we see the hints at a potential betrayal plot forming with the voice. this tension builds throughout the remaining episodes, including our favourite iconic line "after every winter, comes a spring". while this plot never technically came to fruition because of time and the flow of the sessions, the fact that martyn even heard this voice trying to tempt him to betray ren only further cements how loyal he was. literally nothing would stray him from that path. and ren? ren never even questions his hand's loyalty. he has no reason to. it's the two of them to the end.

ren dies.

and martyn follows his king to the grave.

i like to think that they found their "spring" in the afterlife.

bonus fun fact: they'd always said that if they made it to the final two, they planned to have a fair fight, fists only with no armour. at least those wishes came true for somebody else.

bonus fun fact 2: martyn's hand of the king coat actually has a yellow life variant too, but it was never used in 3rd life. you can see it on namemc though!

#(sobbing) it's ye and me til the end hand #rendog #inthelittlewood #renchanting duo #3rd life smp #3rd life #mae analyses

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thoughtfulturtleprincess · 3 years

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Angels and Demons AU where He Tian and ZZX are demons and JY and MGS are angels.

1. He Tian and Jian Yi are both princes of their respective realms. Mo and ZZX are both soldiers/underlings.

2. He Tian is the most powerful demon prince of The Underworld. He can overwhelm those around him simply by releasing his demonic aura into the atmosphere.

3. Jian Yi is widely regarded across all realms to be the most beautiful angel to ever exist. He Tian used to agree with that, until it didn’t matter anymore because he met Mo Guan Shan.

4. ZZX is fiercely loyal to the He family reign and had a hard time coming to terms with falling for an enemy.

5. He Tian had no issues with being attracted to angels. He did not struggle internally when it came to his feelings for Momo. He did, however, consciously protect Momo from any potential push-back from his family.

6. Momo is rebellious, feisty but ethereal and mesmerising. He Tian would argue that Mo is actually more hypnotising than Jian Yi because once he saw him, he couldn’t look away. This was not a widespread opinion amongst the angel of the Heavens. To most, Guan Shan is a mere soldier. A servant to angelic royalty. Dispensable. Replaceable.

7. omg what if they don’t manifest their spiritual identity(demonic/angelic) until a certain age, so they all meet in school as ‘humans’. Nobody knows for sure which side they themselves or others will end up being. But it was more obvious for some than others.

8. For instance, it is obvious to everyone that He Tian will manifest as a demon. It is also obvious that Jian Yi will manifest as an angel. ZZX manifesting as a demon is quite surprising, but nobody knew what Mo would be.

9. Except for He Tian. He had suspected that this boy will manifest as an angel since their first meeting. But most people are too distracted by his feisty/defensive facade to notice to the obviously positive, albeit damaged, underlying spiritual energy.

10. ZZX also noticed that, which was why he said that the Redhead is not that bad of a person after their fight. JY had also come to his own realisation about this soon after.

11. Momo didn’t know what he would manifest as. He saw himself as a damaged person. He thought he’d manifest as the most detestable demon of all realms. But he’s wrong about that ofc :D

12. He Tian’s infatuation with Guan Shan grew and grew over time. At one point, He Tian started calling Momo ‘my little angel’ or ‘my angel’. He’d say things like ‘don’t be afraid, my little angel’. Momo would get all flustered and confused. He thinks he’s not going to manifest as an angel.

13. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ He Tian would say. ‘even if you manifest as a demon I’ll still call you my little angel. Because you will always be an angel in my eyes.’

14. Mo would get super flustered and say something like him and his whole family are angels. Classic :D

15. They’d calm down and there’d be a pause. He Tian would either think or say out loud, that in all seriousness, he can’t imagine Mo manifesting as anything other than an angel. Mo is inherently angelic. Anyone who pays attention can tell.

16. When Mo manifests as an angel, He Tian’s with him. He Tian had invited himself over for the night. After a lot of push-back, Mo had somehow agreed to He Tian sleeping in the same bed as him. When He Tian woke up, there were beautiful, white feathers everywhere. He Tian tries to sit up but giant, white wings fill the space around the bed. Momo was hidden somewhere among them.

17. He Tian is amazed, elated and in love. He ever so gently strokes the part of the wing in front of him, and calls out, ‘Guan Shan.’ He knows Momo would be emotional. He Tian gently pushes aside the feathers to find Momo kneeling on the floor, head buried in his hands.

18. He Tian has seen this before. Angels looking radiant and ethereal. But somehow, Guan Shan’s angel form makes his heart skip a beat. It’s like he’s seeing it for the first time all over again.

19. ‘Hey,’ He Tian reaches out to gently stroke Guan Shan’s soft, red hair. ‘It’s okay.’ He slowly removes Guan Shan’s hands, and puts a hand under his chin to tilt his head up.

20. He Tian had honestly never seen anything nearly as beautiful. He is incredibly happy to be the sole witness of Guan Shan’s angelic manifestation.

21. The first time Momo sees He Tian as a demon, he had yet to manifest as an angel. He Tian was so powerful that he was terrified to the point of trembling and paralysis. However, He Tian tones down his demonic aura when he’s around Guan Shan so the other feels safe rather than threatened.

22. After manifesting their spiritual identities, the boys are sent to their respective realms to continue with their education.

23. Years pass. He Tian is crowned prince. He still thinks about Mo every day.

24. The Underworld wages war on The Heavens. As a part of the training regime, Momo had been brainwashed so that his memories of He Tian would not get in the way of his fighting. Jian Yi’s memories remain intact because he is not a soldier and is not expected to go onto the battlefield.

25. He Tian had heard about this. The day he parted ways with Momo he had vowed to protect him. But before his brother and his father, he feels powerless. When he heard about the brainwashing, and saw from intelligence data that Momo was one of the angels that was put under this programme, He Tian had raged, causing a huge fire all throughout The Underworld. He had attempted to charge straight to The Heavens, but was ultimately stopped by his brother and father and was ultimately subdued.

26. Helpless, he reaches out to Jian Yi through spiritual telepathy, a power possessed only by spiritual royalty.

27. ‘Jian Yi, where is he.’ Jian Yi shuddered. Jian had seen the wrath of a demon, but this was nothing like it. This was completely different.

‘Okay, easy He Tian. He’s fine. He just doesn’t remember -’

‘Then he’s not fine!’

‘Right, sorry. No, he’s not fine, because he doesn’t remember you.’

‘I want you to lift that spell. Right now.’

‘He Tian, you are being emotional right now. We can’t talk about this properly when you are like that.’

‘Like what?’

‘Well, unreasonable, you know? I can’t go up against my fucking dad for this. I love Guan Shan in my own way -’

‘Don’t you dare. Don’t tell me you love him when you don’t understand what that means.’

‘Okay, sorry. Look, he’s my friend. I didn’t want this to happen. But there really wasn’t anything I could’ve done, He Tian, you know my dad. He would’ve tortured -’

He would’ve tortured Guan Shan if Jian Yi went up against him. For being a bad influence on his son.

‘Stop. I know.’

At least he didn’t get tortured.

‘Listen, He Tian. They’ve got intel on you and him. They scanned his memories. They know, He Tian. They know that you were in love with him.‘

I still am.

‘They think you may still be, so they are going to use him to kill you, He Tian. They know you won’t be able to hurt him.‘

He Tian stills. Sick bastards.

I’m not going to let them win. They aren’t going to make me kill him with my own hands.

28. After numerous battles, the Heavens proposes a truce. They had promised to bring a gift to the crown prince of The Underworld. He Tian and his family meet the angels that have arrived upon their doorstep.

‘Prince He Tian,‘ an angel bows. ‘Allow me to present you your gift.‘

The angel moves aside and gestures towards two angelic guards and between them, a veiled angel, dressed in the most exquisite garments.

The guards backed away as He Tian moved towards them. Slowly, he lifts the veil.

That chin. Those lips. That nose. That porcelain skin. Those fiery red eyes.

It’s Mo Guan Shan.

He Tian stops breathing for a split second. It’s Guan Shan. His Guan Shan. His little angel.

He Tian gently takes hold of the angel’s chin and tilts his head up. He didn’t know what kind of expression he was making, but Guan Shan seemed surprised at the eye contact, and quickly looked sideways.

‘You are safe now. Don’t be afraid, my little angel.’

Something triggered in Guan Shan. A tear falls down onto his cheek. He stares at the demonic crown prince in front of him as the latter gently wipes the tear from his cheek.

‘Gentlemen,’ a demon administrator calls out. ‘please adjourn to the royal dining room. Take the gift to the guest room.‘

29. That evening, He Tian returned to his room to find Guan Shan waiting for him.

‘Prince He Tian. You must be tired. Please allow me to bathe you.’

30. As He Tian stretches out in the bathtub, Guan Shan approaches from behind, dagger in hand, ready to strike. Just before the tip of the dagger makes contact, it vanishes into thin air. Guan Shan’s hand lands on He Tian’s shoulder instead. The prince turns around and sees the angel cowering in the corner, trembling in fear.

31. ‘Don’t be afraid, little angel. I will not hurt you,’ He Tian says as he carefully approaches the redhead.

‘You were sent here to kill me, right? How dare they make you do such a thing, my poor Guan Shan. I shall put you out of this misery. Then I shall make you my bride. I shall keep you safe from all those who have harmed you. And I shall have you willingly in my arms.’

‘How do you know my real name?‘

‘My dear Guan Shan. They put a spell on you, you see. I know you from before spiritual manifestation.‘

Guan Shan’s brows furrowed.

‘They wiped me from your memories so you can kill me. But because my memories are intact, there was no way I would ever have harmed you. The Heavens think this will be my demise, but we must never let them win.‘

‘Who am I to you?‘

‘You are my little angel, Guan Shan,‘ He Tian takes Mo’s hand in his, and presses a chaste kiss onto the back of his hand. ‘I have loved you since before spiritual manifestation.‘

Guan Shan recoils, but He Tian pulls him towards himself.

‘Come here, my little angel! I am finally with you at last. I have dreamt about you every moment since we parted. I had longed for you to be in my arms. And now that I have you, I must never let anyone take you away from me ever again.‘

Guan Shan tried to squirm free of He Tian’s hold, but to no avail. He felt a gush of spiritual energy enter his body. His head was spinning and he was going limp. The last thing he felt before losing consciousness was He Tian planting a kiss on his forehead.

32. He Tian carries an unconscious Guan Shan in a princess hold, and places him on his bed.

They don’t know that I know which spell he’s under. They don’t know I have the power to undo it. They underestimate me.

33. Guan Shan wakes up to find He Tian lying next to him, embracing him from behind.

His memories are back. A tear rolls down his cheek. He leans down to place his forehead on He Tian’s chest. He Tian awakens to find Guan Shan sobbing in his arms.

34. He Tian keeps his soon-to-be bride in his room, away from others. His father is enraged when he finds out about the Heaven’s hidden agenda and orders for Guan Shan to be eliminated. He Tian clarifies that he’s lifted the spell. They do a scan of Guan Shan’s spiritual energy and found no traces of the original spell he was put under. He Tian’s father senses no intent to kill or harm He Tian in the redheaded boy. He Tian claims that he loves him. He Tian’s father lets them be.

33. The Underworld announces that the war is not over with The Heavens, that the truce is off because of their ‘gift’. They engage in further battle, until the elders are killed, and Jian Yi and He Tian are left to rule over their kingdoms. They establish an everlasting truce that will ensure that the 2 realms will coexist in peace forever after.

34. Guan Shan finally falls in love with He Tian, and He Tian makes him his bride.

#ugh #my heart #was thinking about phantom of the opera while writing about this #lel #tianshan #19 days

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zabrak-show · 3 years

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In the novel Clone Wars: Stories of the Light and Dark Obi-Wan's chapter retells the episode "The Lawless". While overall I found the book, while certainly not bad, missing a certain something and although some chapters really add to the corresponding episodes such as Rex' retelling of the Umbara arc, many are just very close retellings of the episodes. Now Kenobi's chapter was a mixed bag to me because some of it is really just an exact recount of the events of the episode, however, I found some additions made in regards to Maul interesting.

To no one's surprise there's a bit about Obi-Wan's almost hatred: "Hate was not the Jedi way. But for this man, Obi-Wan had grown weary of keeping it at bay."

Then we get confirmation that Maul is either just very perceptive, simply has Kenobi all figured out or is actually able to mindprobe even such thoroughly trained - albeit here clearly distraught - Jedi as Obi-Wan: "Maul seemed to sense his thoughts."

And of course we have Obi-Wan's reaction to Satine's death - which tbh made me all the more convinced that even though Obi-Wan might have crushed on her as a padawan, he is more fond of than in love sith her at this point -: "When Maul killed Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan was stricken with sorrow. Sorrow gripped him again. But there was something else, as well. Something dangerous. Something that scorched. Satine wasn't Maul's enemy. She was just a tool Maul had used to get something he wanted, the throne of Mandalore. And a tool to hurt Obi-Wan. Using a person that way was the worst form of cruelty. Satine had been a person, and her death wasn't just a loss for Obi-Wan. It was a loss for so many more. She'd been a child on this world. Like other children, she'd taken her first step, uttered her first word, laughed and chased flitters in the tall grass of the Mandalorian plains. She'd learned to read, made friends, suffered hurts, recovered and laughed again. And she'd become a leader. She should have lived to see her world thrive, to see her people find peace, to prosper, to make music and art. She should have grown old and been able to look back on all she'd achieved.

"But in a split second, Maul had ended all that. He'd extinguished a light in the universe and replaced it with shadow. Such an act was truly the definition of the dark side. And Obi-Wan burned with rage.

"With the rage came a vision: Eyes smoldering with hatred. Screams in the red glare of a lightsaber.

"Obi-Wan would cleave Maul in two. He would do much worse. There would be nothing left of him. Or the Dathomirian. Or the commandos, those Mandalorian traitors. He would kill them Almec. He would kill anyone who'd had a hand in overthrowing Satine, anyone who'd contributed to her death.

"And he would kill anyone who tried to stop him. Anyone who stood in his way, by word or by deed.

"Anyone.

"Maul laughed. "And now we see the true Obi-Wan Kenobi. The one he hides behind a mask of wit and charm. The one who yearns to be set free."

"And if Obi-Wan gave in to his desires, he'd be giving Maul exactly what he wanted."

So overall this just aligns with the episode. Although I do think Maul's additional taunt in this is so in character for him (and it'd be hilarious if it weren't for the entirety of the situation that Maul describes Obi-Wan as witty and charming). Although it's interesting just how close Obi-Wan came to falling. And ofc this passage really just hammers home the point that Maul wanted for Obi-Wan to fall to the dark side rather than wanting to kill him.

Anyways. The passage I've been dying to point out as an avid Obimaul shipper is the following:

"You can kill me, but you will never destroy me," Obi-Wan said, trying to keep his anger under control. "It takes strength to resist the dark side. Only the weak embrace it."

"It is more powerful than you know."

"And those who oppose it are more powerful than you'll ever be."

There was still a chance to turn this right. He could not overpower Maul, but maybe he could reach him. Maybe he could match Maul's fury, not with equal fury but with understanding. With sympathy. Maul had not always been this way. He'd had his future stolen from him. He'd been warped by the Force-wielders of Dathomir. He'd been groomed to become a creature of anger and vengeance who stood before Obi-Wan.

"I know where you're from," said Obi-Wan. "I've been to your village. I know the decision to join the dark side wasn't yours. I know the Nightsisters made it for you."

Obi-Wan cringed. The words had not come out as he'd intended. He'd wanted to extend a kindness that Maul perhaps never experienced. But he let his own anger and his own fear infect his words with venom."

And then the scene moves along as seen in the episode.

But phew. I feel like there is so much to unpack here. Obi-Wan trying to reach out for Maul is soooo good. I love that meeting anger with understanding and kindness is the Obimaul trope and this is pretty much that. It's interesting that Obi-Wan aknowledges that he couldn't strike the right tone.

Honestly all of this makes me yearn for the AU where he does reach Maul and maybe I'll even write it myself. Just Maul giving in and opening himself up to said kindness (although the staging might have to be different for that e.g. Maul visiting Obi-Wan in prison as an additional scene before he kills Satine).

This also made me reconsider the Siege of Mandalore. We all know, that Maul at that point of the story is not out to kill Kenobi. And honestly, considering that Maul is hyperaware of Kenobi's emotions in these scene and could possibly also have felt Obi-Wan's "kill 'em sith kindness" impulse, isn't it even more likely, that Maul wanted Kenobi to join him in robbing Sheev of his priced pupil Anakin but also killing Palpatine? I always thought Maul wanted to reveal Sidious to Kenobi and he only adapts his plan because it isn't Obi-Wan that arrives. But with this scene in mind, couldn't it possibly be, that Maul remembered that Obi-Wan once tried to reach out for him and wanted to extend the same gesture with the goal of overthrowing Palpatine? Whilst there is this short moment in "The Son of Dathomir" comic in which Maul and Dooku unite in fighting Kenobi, I feel like after Talzin was also killed by Palpatine Maul was kind of aimless - because in the comic he (unfortunately) has essentially moved from seeing himself as Sidious' tool to being Mother Talzin's tool (he even states the latter directly) - and nothing matters to him as much as overthrowing Sidious in that final arc, because he knows if not now then never. He has foreseen what Sidious and Vader will become and knows this is his last shot to truly hurt Palpatine in any way. And lastly Maul is certainly not that delusional that he'd think he can kill Kenobi and Skywalker alone (which is an interpretation I've seen and honestly just feels wrong at that point)

Essentially I am convinced that Maul wanted to form a sort of alliance with Obi-Wan to overthrow Sidious (The enemy of my enemy is my friend and all that). Maul knows that Obi-Wan knows him better than anyone and I think at the very least he hoped he could convince Obi-Wan of the truth. Additionally Obi-Wan is the only being left in his life Maul has a connection to, who hasn't been killed by Sidious.

All I am saying is that I join the ranks of other anons and blogs as a huge Obimaul enabler.

Wow!! This was so informative and awesome. I don't have that book so I appreciate the run down A LOT! And will probably save this as reference point tbh.

I don't really have anything to add other than thank you for sharing with me, and that I think you absolutely should write an AU where Obi-Wan is able to reach Maul. How that would play out and what happens when they do is a delicious thought.

#obimaul #long post #thank you for sending all this in #i love reading fan theories and interpretations

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mevekagvain · 3 years

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Chapter 189 - I still have no clue why the lords' sanctuary is used as a grave like okay yeah I do it's mostly symbolic and to grieve but I still think it doesn't make sense. All the other uses? Yeah cool. Grave? Nah, not when purebloods dissipate into red mist when they die. Extremely funny imagining mvp lord picking out a fancy coffin full well knowing he won't leave a corpse though like okay king <3 and I haven't even started on those damn stairs.

- Everytime Rael's being cringe I flash through renditions of memes that cover the general energy of habitual suffering that is simultaneously willing yet forced.

- Tbh as someone who doesn't particularly believe in the whole concept of honourable fighting unless it's sports or agreed upon beforehand by all parties and because they're going against what they perceive as traitors or invaders... Rajak shouldn't be scolding Rael for trying to get rid of the trio.

Chapter 190 - Here they know the traiters were behind the Loyard massacre but later Seira doesn't even think that Zarga may have played a part until he said it himself so what's the truth.

- Really, Rousare having died should make it obvious that Gejutel wasn't involved and prevent all this. At least Ludis has some sense.

- Ah, time for grandpa's trashtalk.

Chapter 191 - It always drives me insane that Raskreia knows jack shit about Frankenstein and Raizel like she really did not give a fuck about them did she lmao? Oh father has sent clan leaders out on an arrest warrant? Oh father asks me to regularly visit this random stranger who he adores often and wishes for him to be lord? Why would I ever wish to learn more about them? Like queen ily but keep track of important events in Lukedonia even before you're lord please.

- I know Gejutel's just bullshitting but like. The traitors having foresight? Sjjsjsis where? Lagus and Roctis yeah sure I get it. But the rest? Ignes literally experimented on ppl in Lukedonia. Urokai, as much as I love him, is definitely the stupid dumbass of the group. Zarga if he had any foresight would have either just stayed on Lukedonia and chilled as a loner or had a heir who he passed Lontrick on to and left Lukedonia to once again chill as a loner since unlike the others he only disagreed with the new ideals rather than wanting to actively murder someone. As for Gradeus... we know he can use his brain but he really turned it off entirely when deciding to install bloodstones huh? Like if all you want to do is fight than becoming that strong even when you're already the strongest around is not gonna be enjoyable. Well then he went cuckoo so whtever. Ofc I do wonder whether his goal went from enjoying fighting to mere murder before or after he was exposed to bloodstones and the same for him massacring his clan since the options have implications.

- And here we are at the "clan leaders should go into eternal sleep with the lord" bullshit. Like sorry but just cos the good guys are the ones spouting it doesn't mean I'll ever agree with it. Like tf. It makes me think immediately of rulers who had their servants buried alive with them, emperors whose harems were killed upon their deaths, wives set fire upon their husbands funerals, etc. It is interesting ofc that even nobles who are very obviously written as the best race in noblesse have such regressive and cruel practices. Much more fascinating to have humans take inspiration from them for both good and bad after all.

- Grandpa really tried to be mean so Raskreia wouldn't feel bad executing him huh. Not that it worked ofc.

Chapter 192 - It's so funny that Raizel changes his clothes to Lukedonia's black and gold upon entering because like, did he feel like the odd one out or something?

- Darling clan leaders, I'll excuse your ignorance and underestimation of the enemy, but esteemed lord please, you should know better.

- Hilarious that Gejutel saw that the current gen had extremely spotty knowledge due to their predecessors being like that ig but instead of fixing that he essentially went "It's none of my business idc idc" and ignored it until it came back to bite him in the ass. Like at least tell the lord about all this pls. She should know what a noblesse is 😭

Chapter 193 - Rip Karias not finding everyone in the throne room. It's like when a class gets changed last minute and you have no clue which new place it's in.

- Raizel just take the earring off normally I swear. Imagine having only one memento from a friend you actually meant to keep but you just tear it apart. I would cry.

- Gejutel being apologetic about making Raizel use his lifeforce... grandpa,,,

Chapter 194 - The fact that Ludis' eyes glow as he sets up the protection for the sanctuary,,, love him.

- Insert 300 page analysis on Raskreia's relationship with being lord and just her in general here. I'm too lazy to type it out so insecurities, lack of communication, lack of clarity, formality and duty leading to distant relationships, etc etc etc.

Chapter 195 - This is so rude 😤

- God Karias' entrance and interactions with everyone,,, the way he fusses over Raskreia openly, the way Rozaria beckons him over, them,,,

Chaoter 196 - "The clan leaders share my thoughts" obviously not with the traitors. Well Roctis may have agreed but Ignes prevented him from all that. Still, even from the other 4 non traitors of Ru, Elenor, Loyard and Mergas, it's very much possible they disagreed but simply kept quiet about their thoughts because how dare they go against the lord? I mean, the track record isn't exactly great and that's just how it is in these sort of systems.

- Well I definitely think the method he decided on was stupid but I do think mvp lord's sentiment was very sweet. And ofc just how he wants the best for Raizel... it makes me sad everytime like he just wants him to be happy and be able to enjoy life and yet. Just how his message always has him with that soft smile for Raizel as he tells him to live a long joyous life... that he wants him to be safe... that he's happy he's been outlived... gonna go cry brb..

Chapter 197 - Yeah just gonna ignore and replace the misogynistic bs they make mvp lord spout with like "Be wary of men; instead of wasting time beating them up see if you have any interest in women instead. Especially if they're not nobles. Only wear what you're comfortable with and don't let anyone pressure you. Remember to train often with swords or your skills will become rusty. Etc etc etc."

Chapter 198 - At least he has earring number 2 ig

- "This house is a little old and needs some renovation" It's great that you're being tactful but Tao we both know that this estate that hasn't had any upkeep for at least 5 centuries needs a hell lot more than a little fixing.

- M-21 just has his priorities straight okay,,, you all do need to change.

- Why did Tao pack aprons and gloves for the trip?

#noblesse #raining while reading #so it didn't save the first time and i had to go through the entire group of chapters again #hell #volume 3 done

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maskved · 3 years

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hello, besties ! this is ami (she/her) and i’m probably late with this intro ! first i’m sorry for mass-liking every post but i’m already in love with all your lovely muses. also i must confess that i’ve only read the first book ( years ago ) and watched the show because i have an attention span of - 10 seconds. but at least i’m a soc hoe, so we can scream about that ... please ... !!! so if i get anything wrong pls let me know or you can also not let me know and i’ll continue being embarrassing 😔. anyway, if you are interested in some juicy plotting pls LIKE this post or message me ( if you want to plot on discord we can also do that 💖). I’M EXCITED.

PINTEREST . discor*d six of hoes🔪#7888 // YEVA

[ viktoriya zobova ], an [ twenty six ] year old grisha in the little palace. she is a [ tailor ] and are known in the little palace as the [ viscerotonic ]. they are known to be [ resilient ] and [ elusive ] and vaguely resemble [ kristine froseth ].

death tw

- viktoriya zobova ( however, prefers to be called vika because every time one calls her by her full name she might as well be in trouble ) had never been more than average. born to average parents ( although grisha their powers pale compared to others ) into an average family and of course as the middle child, vika strived for more than simply being overlooked.

- truth to be told, she dreaded to be tested. to her it seemed like the final reminder that she was nothing special, average, merely an extra to someone other’s story. she even wished, she wouldn’t be a grisha, fearing that like her parents she’d belong to the lower ranks. however, if she turned out to be a simple human without any power, at least she’d be special within her family or could even try to make a story up that she was adopted or something ( i hate her -- ).

- however, the moment she found out about being able to alter people’s appearances with her ability *atla vc* everything changed -

- truth to be told she knew she was considered to be lower rank among others but what really fueled her arrogance and the sudden feeling of self importance was her knowing that she possessed a rare ability. she didn’t care others treating her badly for her rank because “hey i can alter appearances and that is lit ( she probably didn’t say it that way - )

- ALSO ( here comes the moment i throw in my found family trope bcs i’m a soc hoe and this actually plays a big role in her story ) she’d found comfort in the friends she met.

- (lemme add my childhood friends trope bcs why not ) as vika was never close to her parents ( to be fair her being taken away for the training at such a young age did not really gave her the time to really bond with her family ) her little group of friends became her second family. they called themselves “blood is thicker water” ( gang ???) bcs 1) vika really thought the saying was blood is thicker water and not blood is thicker than water 2) they thought they were incredibly funny.

- they were pretty much known as troublemakers, especially with vika being a tailor it was easy to sometimes shift the blame on others. truth to be told, it only caused vika to be more frivolous. all the fun they had blinded her judgment and she viewed her ability as harmless.

- well, lets say vika becoming more reckless did not end up being the best character development (lmao). as usual , everything started out as a harmless joke. her friend asked her to change his appearance. however, this time they wanted her to change their whole face. not just the colour of their hair or eyes. vika was reluctant at first, she’d never done it before but in the end she agreed to it and much to her surprise she succeeded. she even bragged about it and told her friends ( of the bloody “blood is thicker water” gang (???) ) .

- to cut a long story short, their friend ended up dying because of it. i have two versions for their death ( i haven’t decided on it yet *clown emoji*)

1) the person they changed their appearance into apparantly was involed in some shady stuff and had some pretty morally questionable people around him. they thought vika’s friends was that person they were looking for (bcs of the changed appearance) and killed them for some reason.

2) vika’s friend was supposed to be part of some mission they didn’t want to go to, thus changed their appearance to escape from it. however, ended up having to do another mission and ended up being killed.

RIP nameless but vital character to vika’s bio

- vika pretty much blamed herself for it and maybe her friends of their friend group as well. this incident also ‘humbled’ vika and now instead of being proud of it she hates it.

- right now, she doesn’t really know what to do with her future. she has this ‘oh so grand’ plan that one day she might be able to change her appearance (permanently) and then leave the little palace and live under a new name and lead a life where she wouldn’t need to use her abilities anymore.

personality ( i’m trying to keep it short i swear, i’m just adding a bunch of sentence here bcs i’m throwing all my ideas into this paragraph)

- she’s known to be pretty social. she loves to talk and honestly doesn’t know when to shut up. she can’t deal with silence because it forces her to think about things she doesn’t want to think about. although, her tongue is sharp and trouble seems to follow her, she also loves to dance around the issue, pushing her feelings away and replacing it with a witty joke instead. as if everyone does it the same way, as if everyone is supposed to understand.

headcanons

- although she was tempted to change her own appearance many times. she never did because she is a coward and doesn’t trust her skills as much others might think she does.

- she views her ability as a form of art, perhaps that is also the reason she used to love to paint. honestly, she was never really good at it. average and above average with practice. her friend ( the dead one lmao ) used to paint with her whenever they could sneak away but with them gone, she doesn’t see a point in it anymore.

- she secretly envies the other grisha’s who can use their ability to fight. recently, she’d find herself trying to practice some punches so she doesn’t feel that useless in case of a dangerous situation. she also sucks at that so she’s probably in need of a training patner aka someone who is willing to train her or she has annoyed that much that they were willing to help her out ( wc ???)

- being personally trained by the darkling, one might assume that she’s loyal or even thankful towards the darkling. however, contrary is the case and she wouldn’t even grant him a dust particle of her trust. she doesn’t believe that he has the best interest of anyone in his heart and if she could, she’d probably spread rumors about him and telling others that he has some serious case of stanky breath.

wanted connections ( just some ideas, which can be changed ofc ! or some wcs can be connected )

(0/3) “blood is thicker water” friend group : they pretty much grew up together. the death of their friend ( the friend needs a name - i swear...) caused tension within the group. while, one might have blamed vika for their death the other doesn’t and just wants them to be how they used to be. nevertheless, no one can deny that nothing was what it used to be). (( honestly these are just some ideas and we can plot wtv sddm )

training partner ( can be more than one ): connection mentioned in the hcs ! they help her a little out to become physically fit and level up her combat skills of -10. maybe they want something in return for it. help her out bcs they’re just nice or bcs vika annoyed the heck out of them etc.

person vika changed their friend’s appearance into: honestly we can do wtv with it. i just thought it’d be fun to play with the idea and having the person running around when they actually “died” and everyone belieed them to be dead until they found out that it was vika’s friend. might be angsty bcs it might remind vika of their friend.

angsty exes: listen, i love some angsty shit and i love to blame vika for all the problems. they might have dated before the whole dead friend fiasco happened. although, viktoriya acted as if she was fine after the incident ( which she wasn’t ),it only made muse a realize that vika and them weren’t as close as they believed and how much vika tied to hide from them. BUT tbh anything would work i love a good angsty ex connection djddnd

random idea but i just liked the thought that this person once went to vika for some enhancing stuff. however, this day vika was not really herself, distracted, head in the clouds. so she accidenally might have gotten rid of some important scar or something.

enemies : lbr, vika might prbly be the type who has some enemies. she has no filter and might has stepped on someone toes because of it. (Also maybe gimme some enemies to lovers trope , adding this here quietly to not expose myself as a hoe for that trope )

HONESTLY GIVE ME EVERYTHING, gimme angst, fluff, tropes !!??? more friends, unusual friends, shippy stuff, platonic stuff, family connections djdsd GIMME

#this got super long sddsn i'm sorry #she's super dumb thats her story just being dump #also i'm not ignoring my ims i will answer them asap !!!#ravkahq:intro #not me having to reedit the edit bcs i misspelled her surname *clown emoji*

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haec-est-fides · 4 years

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“What have you done?” : Why Riordan’s Handling of Triumvirate Holdings Sucks

I put my thoughts under a cut to make it easier to avoid spoilers and to save you all from a long post,,,like a really long post.

Basically, I think it was inevitable that Riordan fumble Triumvirate Holdings. He simply designed a villain network too powerful and too extensive to ever be handled properly by the heroes. He did try to address,,,some of it, but in the end I think he just made it worse.

I. Let’s talk about Triumvirate Holdings.

The way that Riordan established the origins of the Triumvirate and the extent of their power made it too big to handle from the beginning. The emperors have been around for centuries. It’s mentioned countless times how much property they own, how much money they have, and how many businesses are actually under their control. Rachel says it well in Hidden Oracle: “They make my dad’s company look like a kid’s lemonade stand.” Nero brings it up again in Tower of Nero: “What you don’t seem to realize, Apollo, is that you can’t destroy bank accounts with a bow and arrows. All my assets, all the power I’ve built up for centuries -- it’s all safe.” Think of what Caligula did to Piper and her dad, how deep that ran and how many people were involved. Think of how the Triumvirate funded both Luke and Octavian. All of this goes to show how deeply rooted Triumvirate Holdings is, especially -- unlike other villains -- in the mortal world.

This never really gets taken into account. For instance, Apollo does wonder if Meg will inherit Nero’s tower, but it seems as if she doesn’t, nor do any of the other imperials who go with her to Palm Springs. They live off of the Sibyl’s tarot card business, which strongly implies that they took nothing from the tower -- or the company -- at all.

Apollo also mentions Camp Half-Blood getting the weapons and Greek fire from Nero’s tower, but that is so poorly thought out that I want to scream. Nero had designed special holding tanks for the Greek fire, tanks that Rachel pointed out could be mistaken for a water-treatment facility. And we’re transferring it to a summer camp? Yikes.

Beyond the question of the material, there’s the question of personnel. Mortals, demigods / legacies, monsters, Germani, etc. were all involved with Triumvirate Holdings. I’ll address the Germani in a moment, but the sheer numbers involved make the fall of the company either impossible or devastating. It is conceivable that the mortals, business people and mercenaries alike, could move on and the Mist would do its work. Still, that’s thousands of people jobless. The unemployment rate just skyrocketed. Further, the monsters once under Triumvirate control are now presumably free to cause havoc as well.

Before moving on entirely, multiply all of that by three. Commodus and Caligula employed mortals and monsters as well, and who knows what happened to their material possessions. (Besides the fifty yachts in San Francisco Bay, ofc. Millions of dollars, minimum, at the bottom of the ocean.)

What I’m most concerned about, however, are the demigods / legacies, especially those raised by or who spent considerable time with the Triumvirate. An experience like that shapes people, and not for the better.

II. Let’s talk about the Imperial Households.

Starting with Nero’s household, I think it’s clear that Riordan brushed over the imperials to have his wholesome ending, which is entirely understandable. Even so, he creates such a conflicting view of them that his “they all moved to Aeithales and Healed” bit is so shallow. Apollo’s views in particular cause this problem.

Initially, the fact that the imperials are enemies puts them in this strange category where they’re minors and people (like Meg) but them being harmed or even killed,,,isn’t a bad thing? Chiron, directing new campers during the Greek attack on the tower, yells, “Try not to kill enemy demigods or mortals! Okay, well, from now on, then!” It’s given the weight of a throw-away line. Apollo later goes so far as to think, “I wondered where the other three missing adoptees had gone -- if they’d been captured or had fallen in battle to Camp Half-Blood. I tried not to feel any satisfaction at the thought, but it was difficult.” (Emphasis mine. Oh, and if anyone is interested, this is almost an exact parallel to what Apollo says in Tyrant’s Tomb about Octavian’s death.) I’m not saying that Apollo hasn’t really changed or that heroes have to value the lives of their enemies, but this isn’t the best foot to start on.

In Nero’s throne room, when Meg gets her imperial siblings under control, Apollo comments on how close they are to siding with Nero: “[Meg] reminded me of one of Hades’s dog trainers working with a pack of new hellhounds. ...any sign of weakness from her, any change in the temperature of the battle, and they might break ranks and slaughter everyone in sight.” Even after Nero’s death, the imperials break down. Raging, sobbing, catatonic -- whatever the case, not exactly the best candidates for a smooth adjustment to ordinary life.

Apollo and Meg briefly chat about how the household will need support to heal, but Apollo still notes, with some real hesitancy, “There were no guarantees. The imperial demigods had dealt with so much for so long, some of them might never be able to come back from the darkness.” A short while later, at Aeithales, Apollo observes that the imperials “seemed determined to garden, as if their sanity depended on it, which perhaps it did.” While Cassius, at the very least, seems to be adjusting well, who’s to say that the others are? They can’t garden forever. I just can’t picture this ending as well as Riordan leaves it.

All of that is bad enough, but we know that Nero’s “household” is larger than just the twelve demigods he adopted, and it’s likely that Commodus and Caligula had similar households. Remember Marcus, Meg’s escort in Dark Prophecy? Whether he was one of Nero’s twelve (and got replaced) or not, his existence is evidence that there are far more demigods / legacies involved than the series’ focus would make us think at first glance. We do see members of Commodus’ household in Dark Prophecy, in the stands of the stadium and in the battle against the Waystation -- “a few dozen” even. Interestingly, Caligula is the only triumvir who doesn’t seem to have a household at all, as they’re never mentioned aboard his yachts. That may be exactly as it seems, with him preferring not to have a household out of paranoia. However, I still think it’d be more reasonable to assume that he had some kind of household than to assume otherwise.

Nero’s household appears to have been the most imperial and the most like a family, but that doesn’t mean we can brush off the other households as a non-issue. Considering the lack on information on the subject, it’s entirely possible that the other two emperors did adopt kids. In any case, we can’t judge the loyalty of these unknown demigods / legacies, and they certainly seem to have fallen through the cracks. It’s doubtful that Nero’s children will be able to “heal” even with Meg’s help and a place totally removed from their old life. If the others don’t have any kind of support system? If they’re left to their own devices? That’s a recipe for disaster. They’re likely to cling to the system they know in whatever ways they can.

As a bit of a thought experiment to drive this home, consider: what would Octavian do if he were part of Triumvirate Holdings when the news arrived that the emperors were all dead? I think it’s clear than the answer is not “go live a normal life and pretend the Triumvirate never existed.” It would be naive to think that not a single person in the Triumvirate’s sphere is willing to step up and take over.

III. Let’s talk about the Germani.

Riordan actually explained this well, but then proceeded to fuck up.

I had questioned why the Germani -- ordinary legacies / humans -- could be turned to “monster” dust once resurrected and put in an emperor’s service. What kind of afterlife did that mean they had? Thankfully, Riordan touched on this! As @triumvirateds pointed out on my older post, the Germani -- like most ordinary monsters -- did come back in a day or two after being killed. This apparent immortality, we find, is tied to the Triumvirate’s power, symbolized by each emperor’s fasces. When the Germani were revived, however the Triumvirate accomplished that, they became removed from any usual afterlife until released from the Triumvirate’s service and made “regular people” again.

(This does raise some technical questions. Were each group of Germani tied to a specific emperor? Meaning that the troops on the West coast were “released” when Commodus’ and Caligula’s fasces were destroyed? I’m fairly certain that they still turned to dust during the final confrontation with New Rome. That would imply that their loyalty was tied to the Triumvirate as a whole, and their bond transferred to Nero’s fasces with the power of the other two emperors.)

However, I can’t believe Riordan decided that the Germani would simply be regular people after Nero’s death. Throughout the series, Apollo often remarks that the Germani are a threat because of their loyalty. Remember when the Germani were described as “sensitive about insults to the Imperial person” and nearly killed Apollo for looking at Nero wrong? Well, now Apollo says, “I supposed none of them loved the idea of staying loyal to the cause of a dead emperor.” I’m reminded of when, after Commodus and Caligula were defeated in New Rome, the army ran away and was never mentioned again. In both cases, the Germani are brushed off as disloyal / uncaring and no thought is given as to how they’re supposed to integrate into modern society.

“But wait,” you might argue, “They’re mercenaries. Many of them, like Luguselwa, probably don’t care about the emperors.” Sure. There’s definitely a long history of mercenary troops not being the most loyal, especially when there isn’t a clear leader. However, I have to bring up the fact that when Nero died (in actual history) the German guard was disbanded by one of the following emperors due to their perceived loyalty to Nero, even in death. (Also, because the guard was disbanded for their loyalty, which was a major insult, the entire tribe revolted.) That’s a bit of an oversimplification of ancient history, but with the constant reminders we have in the series about the Germani’s loyalty, this ending just seems like a cheap move by Riordan. He might as well have had them all turn to dust one last time with the dissolution of the Triumvirate’s power. Also, if you even entertain the possibility that someone could step forward to take control of Triumvirate Holdings, I feel that the Germani would serve whoever that was.

On the purely practical side of things, please try to imagine thousands of (possibly illiterate) barbarians adjusting to modern life with zero help. I’m not saying it’s impossible, considering the amount of time they’ve been around (and how they seem to legally exist, as evidenced by Luguselwa being Meg’s legal guardian), but it’s still a stretch of the imagination with how Riordan characterized them throughout the series.

TL;DR

To wrap it up, you just can’t make villainy this pervasive, throw out some guesses as to how things will work out fine, and pretend the world can just move on. Triumvirate Holdings isn’t a snake that dies when you cut its head off; it’s a hydra. The life that almost everyone involved in Triumvirate Holdings lived makes them who they are. Not everyone will end up like Meg, especially considering the sheer number of people impacted. I know that all of this isn’t really Riordan’s concern, that he couldn’t have covered even half of this if he wanted to, but gods does it bother me.

#trials of apollo #toa #tower of nero #tower of nero spoilers #triumvirate holdings #long post #filodox!#I'm sorry for going off about this but I had to #I'm not trying to be cynical #I just really love Triumvirate Holdings #I'm the kid who won't let the company die #I'm suing CHB for property damage #I apologize for the quality of my writing btw #I gave up trying to edit bc I would never be happy with it

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mrsalwayswrite · 4 years

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Sing Me a Song (Joseph Liebgott x reader)

Can be read as a reader or OFC piece. I was playing around with writing in first person.

The song referenced is Only Forever by Bing Crosby.

Warnings: um...none really. fluff?

Tags: @evelynshelby

It was a cold, white hell. Snow covered everything. Well everything that had not been destroyed by the most recent barrage. The air was frigid, the cold seeping into my clothes until it felt like my bones had been replaced with icicles. Splintered trees surrounded us, an ode to the destruction we faced. Stains on the ground reminded us where someone had been hit, either injured or died.

The only thing that made this place even remotely tolerable was my fellow paratroopers...and him.

I sat next to Muck, sides pressed against one another with the idea of sharing warmth. Even if neither one of us had warmth to share. Our legs dangled over the side of Luz's foxhole, listening to him and Malark joke about something. A few other guys were around, listening in and adding their own commentary. Specifically, he sat across from me in the foxhole, cigarette hanging out of his mouth, fingers tapping out a silent beat on his thigh.

I remember the exact moment I met Joseph Liebgott. I knew he would be trouble for me. That messy hair, dark eyes and the don't-fuck-with-me attitude. Sure I found that attractive and his dry humor always made me laugh. Although his stubbornness and ability to pick a fight with almost anyone did irk me. He was untouchable. It was obvious he was a ladies-man, and knew it. I was...well, not someone typically picked up at a bar. I had always been alright with my lack of male attention, but for once, I wish I knew how to charm and flirt, to beguile a man and have the audacity to kiss one.

But that was not me. So I sat and watched from the sidelines.

"What the fuck are they singing about now?" Liebgott complained, glaring across the no-man's land between us and the Germans in the Bois Jacques.

Sure enough, German singing could be heard, carrying with the wind. They seemed to be singing more lately, either to boost their own morale or annoy the Americans.

It sure got a rise out of some of the paratroopers.

"They just serenading you, Joe." Malark joked then called over to a passing Sergeant, "Ain't that right, Lip?"

Lipton just shook his head, a small smile touching his lips. "Whatever you say, Malark. You boys make sure to keep your heads down. Ma'am too." He kept walking, probably to find Dike.

I giggled, smiling as Lipton walked away. No matter how many times I told him to stop, he still called me 'ma'am'. Something about it being disrespectful and even in the middle of a war his mother would find him and spank him with her wooden spoon if she thought he was being disrespectful.

Liebgott kept scowling. "Well I wish they'd shut the fuck up." He mumbled something under his breath, running a hand through his shaggy hair.

"Oh I see, you prefer me to serenade you." Luz smiled. "I mean, all you had to do was ask, really. Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping…"

"Shut it. I'm sick of your singing."

"Joe…" I reprimanded softly. He glanced over at me and gave the briefest of winks. That simple action, every time, always set my cheeks ablaze and a fire in my belly. I scrubbed a hand over my face, praying no one saw how flustered I was.

"Well what do you want? Not a lot of options here, unless you know where some band is hiding nearby." Muck said, rubbing his hands together for warmth.

"Shit, I don't know. I just miss music, good music I guess. Always had the radio playing in my cab."

My heart broke at the forlorn look on his face. We all had our moments where the longing for home, to be anywhere but this terrible place, overwhelmed us. It was up to our friends around to cheer us up, however they could, but lately it was getting harder and harder to do. The constant threat of bombardment, the frigid cold, lack of food and watching our friends get injured and/or die. It killed the small hints of hope left in us. That we would survive. That we would escape this place.

He drummed his fingers against his thigh, some song probably playing in his head. Even those around us had grown silent, lost in their own memories of before. Who knew such a simple thing as music could be so meaningful.

"I'll sing for you."

Then I realized the words I blurted out. Shit.

"Yeah? You sing?"

Luz butted in. "Since when do you sing? And why are we hearing about this now? We could have been singing duets this whole time!"

I ignored him, keeping my eyes on Liebgott. "I used to sing in school. Nothing special."

That may have been the biggest lie of my life. I used to sing all the time, whenever I could. I even sang for our local radio a couple times. Then war happened. It did not feel right to sing during training, just gave Sobel another reason to despise me, and here surrounded by blood and bullets, I did not even think about it.

For him though, I would do it. To make him smile in this frozen hell. I would sing for him.

"What are you going to sing?"

"What would you like?"

He paused for a moment before smirking. "Surprise me."

Well there was no going back now. Butterflies were throwing a lively party in my belly, my hands were sweaty and my mind continued to berate me for my idiotic decisions. I pushed it all away. I had survived D-Day. I had helped take Carentan. I had fought at the Crossroads. I could sing one song for the man that made my knees weak with a wink.

Right?

Shit.

Carefully I stood up, dusting the snow off my ODs as I mentally chose a song. What did I want to sing? In my mind I imagined myself back home, the sun shining on my face, sand between my toes and the sounds of the ocean waves crashing on the beach. Then I imagined him next to me. A huge smile on his face, like the ones from back in Toccoa when he would hide Guarnere's boots just to see him furious and swearing to make even a sailor blush.

So I closed my eyes, opened my mouth and let the song pour forth.

Do I want to be with you

As the years come and go

Only forever

If you care to know.

Would I grant all your wishes

And be proud of the task

Only forever

If someone should ask.

How long would it take me

To be near if you beckon?

Off hand I would figure

Less than a second.

Do you think I'll remember

How you looked when you smile?

Only forever

That's puttin' it mild.

When I finished the song, barely a sound was heard. Self-conscious, I opened my eyes to meet the stares and dropped jaws of my fellow paratroopers.

I met those dark eyes that I adored and softly said, "happy Hanukkah, Joe."

Then my nerves gave out and I quickly dropped back down to sit next to Muck.

"What the hell was that? Were you planning on keep that from us this whole time?" Luz demanded, looking both offended and awed.

I just shrugged.

"That was beautiful." Muck whispered, nudging me in the side.

"Thank you."

Buck called my name from behind, so I turned to see all the officers standing nearby probably making a plan since Dike was not around. Honestly I was mortified that they had heard also but the smiles on their faces alleviated some of the anxiety. "From now on, only you should be singing for Easy."

"Hey!" Luz placed a hand over his heart, cigarette between his fingers. "You wound me, Buck. You love my singing."

"Keep telling yourself that, George."

Smiling at their silly antics, I was glad the attention was momentarily off me but I knew it would not be for long. It had felt good to sing again. I wondered if my self-imposed denial was without merit. If it boosted the morale of my friends, was it selfish of me to hold back? I figured I should talk to Doc about it later. He gave the best advice.

"You sang that….for me?"

The question startled me out of my musings. I looked over the foxhole to see Liebgott staring at me with an intensity I had never seen before. It made a fire grow in my belly and my toes curl.

I nodded, biting my chapped lip.

His eyes bore into mine for a long moment. Then without warning, he shoved off the side of the foxhole he sat on and in two steps stood before me. Before a word could escape me, his lips crushed against mine with an almost bruising passion.

It felt as if the world faded away and the only thing that mattered was his soft, equally chapped lips, his warm breath and the feeling of his hands cupping my cheeks. Once my brain restarted, I kissed him back with equal passion. For a moment I was unsure if this was a dream or real. Either way I intended to enjoy it. I knocked his helmet off so I could card my fingers through his messy hair like I had fantasized about so many times. It was greasy and dirty but it was perfect.

Eventually the world resumed and I could hear the hooting and cheering of the guys around us. I pulled back slightly from Liebgott, my cheeks flaming from more than just the cold.

"Hell of a kiss you laid on her, Joe." Malarkey teased.

"Hell of a dame." Liebgott replied, his eyes never leaving mine as one of his thumbs brushed gently over my swollen, bottom lip. I could not help the small smile, amazed that this was real.

Quickly he snuck a brief kiss once more before pulling himself up and sitting next to me, his arm tucking me into his side. Not that I complained.

"Why don't you kiss me after I sing to you? Huh?" Luz pouted but the huge smile on his face gave him away.

"I guess you didn't know the right song."

They laughed at my joke, the tension that typically hung over us like an axe gone for the time. The guys heckled one another and tried to convince me to sing again amidst pretending to recreate The Kiss scene Liebgott and I just gave them, like some high school play.

The snow and cold seeped through our clothes, threatening that we would never feel warmth again. The enemy sat in wait not far from us. For now, I pretended those dangers were imaginary. I laughed as Luz tried to sing like me, only to fail spectacularly, and be bombarded with snow balls.

Most of all, I felt a fresh breath of life in me as I scooted closer and laid my head on Liebgott's shoulder, his arm tight around my side. The faintest press of a kiss on the top of my head made my smile grow.

I wondered if I should have sang months ago or maybe it was this moment, that finally allowed me to show him how I felt.

His fingers thread through mine, and I realized it did not matter. I was happy. And that was something I planned on never letting go.

#easy company #band of brothers #Band of Brothers fandom #band of brothers fanfic #joe liebgott #joe liebgott x reader #joe liebgott x ofc #george luz #donald malarkey #buck compton #skip muck #reader insert #mzwrites

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futurestaresback · 4 years

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hypmic kny!au headcanons because nobody asked for it!!!

i wrote this au at like 1am but i like how it turned out, so i'm posting it here :D

some kny spoilers ahead(?)

buster bros

• ichiro is the First Pillar/壱の柱 ((wow thats badass))

• he uses breath of the sun change my mind (though he started out with breath of water)

• his weapon: a katana with a red hilt. there's an omamori on it that says one, or ichi

• as expected, jiro has two omamori (ichiro's one + his own) while saburo has three (all of them)

• jiro uses breath of water come on it fits with his image color (and poor boi probs never mastered another breathing technique that's why)

• however, he's actually very proficient at it -- he knows all the forms and can perform them at any given time. only downside? due to his nonexistentCOUGH i mean insufficient knowledge of kanji, he doesn't know how to read the names of most of the forms and can't yell his attacks like a badass

• saburo? thunder breathing. he's not physically as strong as his older brothers (yet), so he relies on his agility and speed to boost his attacks

• jiro and saburo are training to be ichiro's tsuguko, and they squabble about it a shit ton (much to ichiro's disappointment), but oh boy in a fight the three of them are deadly

• especially if ichiro is injured in some way. jiro and saburo will literally show no mercy to whoever was unfortunate enough to have done it

mad trigger crew

• samatoki is the skull pillar/髑髏柱

• wooooo again with the badass names

• i just thought of this but OK WHAT IF HE BECAME A DEMON SLAYER TO PROTECT DEMON!NEMU???

• because in canon he became a yakuza for her sake and nemu was brainwashed by chuuouku so

• omg

• ok anyways samatoki's breathing style is skull breathing, which he invented himself

• even though he's a demon slayer, he's not exactly,,, sociable. he's irritable, stubborn, and just smokes on a kiseru during pillar meetings

• ((but he's actually a huge softie under all of that, especially if his sister is involved))

• jyuto. he probably uses his own breathing style too, but as for weapons... he uses a pistol

• he literally has the kanji for "gun" in his name ofc he would

• since this is the taisho era, western-style pistols would still have been relatively new so jyuto is feared as much as he's respected for his proficiency of his weapons

• would totally confront any demon he meets by saying "HAI STOP STOP STOP"

• rio?? survival breathing

• ok sorry but seriously he'd use his own breathing style too

• i think it'd be mostly centered around strengthening endurance and prologing survival time in dire situations (underwater, in a fire, trapped in an airtight space, etc) rather than attack

• and where does survival cooking come in, you ask?

• it's still there. but the ingredients are demons

• i headcanon that just like genya, he can eat demons to temporarily gain some of their attributes, and he insists on sharing his cooking with everyone, but (naturally) is usually met with stiff resistance

• mostly by jyuto

fling posse

• ramuda is... the candy pillar/飴柱

• don't be fooled by the innocent name; he's actually one of the deadliest pillars because unlike the others who wield swords, his preferred type of weapon is poison

• he has to use that, because physically he lacks the strength to decapitate a demon (kinda like shinobu really)

• another similarity they share? from a young age, he's been trained to intake wisteria poison into his body, and started a habit of eating candy with that to make the pain a little more bearable (which is how he got the "candy pillar" title)

• over the years, he's accumulated enough toxicity in his body that even the poison on his breath has become lethal to demons if they're exposed to it in close contact

• which is why he loves to get close and clingy with people

• when an enemy really ticks him off, though, he'll snap and immediately resort to methods... quicker in effect than poison

• a swift slit to their throat with the small dagger he keeps in his haori sleeve usually does the trick, he finds

• gentaro isn't a pillar, but oh god if he was they'd call him the uso hashira

• he's always shrouded in this aura of mystery and never gives straight answers to anyone

• especially dice

• gentaro is light for his height, so like ramuda, i headcanon he's not very suited for wielding a katana like the others either

• however, no one has seen that weapon -- just the book he carries around with him at all times

• if you start to link things together and ask him whether the book is his secret weapon all along, he'll say, "why, yes. i do not need a blade to kill, you see, only words..."

• when you back away in fear he'll chuckle a little and hit you with the "uso desu yo"

• gentaro you little shit

• as for dice, i headcanon him to be a special case

• just like a casino slot machine, his special ability is that he can use any attack from any form of breathing he's learned, with full proficiency and power

• only downside is that,,, he never knows what attack it is exactly

• like he learned a form of sun breathing from observing the buster bros' training and was so excited to try it out against some demon he met but forgot about the randomness of his attacks and accidentally hit them with breath of water first form

• it bounces harmlessly off said demon (to dice's horror)

• (luckily ramuda manages to swoop in and kill them while they're too busy laughing at dice's expression of horror)

• and to nobody's surprise, he slacks off training to gamble, but surprisingly his skill matches theirs despite not having been polished through conventional practice

matenro

• jakurai... oh boy. he's the deity pillar/神柱

• the word "pillar" ("hashira") is the counter for deities in japanese, so this title basically emphasises the fact that jakurai is seen as the living embodiment of a deity

• it's hard not to see him as such, because he's so tall and ethereal and there's a certain grace in everything he does

• plus his specialty (besides swordsmanship) is healing others with his knowledge of medicinal herbs and... his voice. like oyakata-sama, i hc that his voice has the ability to instantly soothe people and put them at ease

• HOWEVER, he is absolutely terrifying on the battlefield. he's silent and deadly, and if you're his enemy he has no pity to spare for you. this assassin-like style of his attacks have been likened to a viper lying in ambush for its prey

• and just like in canon, his personality does a complete 180 when he's drunk

• one time he accidentally mistook a cup of sake for water and the next second he'd ripped off his haori and yeeted doppo through the shoji door

• (he's apologized at least 5 times and doppo says he doesn't have to, but neither of them have really forgotten about it)

• hifumi definitely uses love breathing, like mitsuri

• come on the theme just fits too well and some of the attacks are named after cats... he says it's for his konekochans

• instead of his usual suit, he has a small haori he has to put on in order to get into host mode AND gain more confidence, which upon wearing instantly turns him into a bubbly demon-slaying ladykiller

• would 100% flirt with his opponents before killing them ("oh, kitten, you look simply stunning... such a shame that i'll have to cut you down soon. let's make the most out of the last night of your life then, shall we?")

• he cooks for everyone else occassionally, especially after a long day of training. it's a hobby of his that he isn't afraid to admit

• doppo... this poor boy

• he's a breath of water user, and his rank is... average.

• his weapon is a katana, which is... also average

• basically, people don't see anything special or worth mentioning about him at first glance, which (besides his own pessimism) accounts for doppo's constant gloominess

• his mentor also forces him to train for longer than the other tsuguko and he's also a frequent subject of ridicule, which doesn't help at all

• would 100% be the apologetic attacker type (like he'd apologize if a demon he was meant to slay belittled him)

• he lets his stress out occassionally when he's pushed past a breaking point and boy is he scary when that happens

• is it wrong to imagine that, just like how zenitsu can power up ridiculously while unconscious/asleep, doppo has a "berserk mode" that he can activate when he gets pushed too far

• during which his usual meek, timid personality is all but replaced by his pent up rage that he won't hesitate to let out all at once... pray for whoever's unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of it

#long post whoops #but i honestly love this crossover so much it was so interesting to write??#hypmic #hypnosis mic #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba au

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raat-jaaga-paakhi · 4 years

Text

(D)Evolution of Rukmini-Harana

This I wrote while brainstorming in the beginning of this month to centre my brain on what we know of Rukmini, so I could write her with (dis)regard to the texts. And what I found out in my Ruk-foray, was simultaneously intriguing and repelling. Tagging my Mahabharata people, if you want to go on Rukmini’s journey through the scriptures and the later kavyas (ancient fanfiction, guys) and don’t mind my snarky commentary in between as I try to be as analytical as possible (Warning: Strong Opinions and Wtf Moments!) – @avani008 @parlegee @incurablescribbler @shaonharryandpannisim @ambitiousandcunning @glyphenthusiast @mayavanavihariniharini @allegoriesinmediasres @walburgablack @jigyask @heyifinallyhaveablog @1nsaankahanhai-bkr from the top of my head. Under the cut, for this is detailed.

Mahabharata

Rukmini-Haran legend is outlined in several places: that Sabha scene we all seem to love unanimously, Krishna-Draupadi in exile, Arjuna describing Krishna’s feats, and in Udyoga parva when Rukmi comes to help in the war. Other times, she is mentioned as mother of Pradyumna (in fact, Pradyumna’s name is mostly replaced by “son of Rukmini”). Only details being: Rukmini was meant to be Shishupala’s, Krishna came, abducted her, fought off Rukmi who had taken an oath to not return without killing him, Rukmi builds Bhojakata due to his defeat. Rukmi is mentioned a few times to have learned battlecraft from a kimpurusha Druma (whose name is often written as Drona, eliciting confusion between Dronacharya of Hastinapur), from whom he gets Indra’s bow which is said to be equal to Gandiva and Sharnga.

- BORI CE Mbh, Translated by B. Debroy.

He comes with an akshauini to Pandavas’ camp where he is welcomed warmly enough, until he opens his big mouth and says, “Dudes, if you all are afraid of the Kauravas, I can help!” Insert big, smug smile. Krishna is present, but silent. Arjuna speaks, reminding Rukmi that he sought no help from anyone at multiple times (he goes harcore here *grins*), and wouldn’t need the same now, esp. from one like him. Disappointed Rukmi goes to Duryodhana’s camp where he’s rejected for, er, being the Pandavas’ reject and for his big mouth. Yeah. He, like Balarama, remains neutral. (Interesting that it’s Balarama who kills him, later.)

- BORI CE Mbh, Trans. By B. Debroy

There is no letter, no mention of a swayamvara, no love, nothing, sticking to Mahabharata’s rather dry style, which if stripped of its mystical elements would be a cold, clean historical narrative.

Apology: I am not giving any more screenshots (except for Bhaagavat, because it has some rather nice parts), for this would become…far too long to handle for even me. I promise you can take my word for it.

Harivamsa

Considered an “appendix” (khila) to Mahabharata, it contains the legend of Rukmini in the greatest of details. @parlegee would love to hear that her fic kalyanakirti, where Rukmini and Krishna have an early meeting before the letter and all, does have some solid basis. The legend in narrated in two separate parts: swayamvara and harana. Sadly, the first part doesn’t get into the BORI CE Harivamsa, but that is made understandable by Dr. Bibek Debroy, who comments the Harivamsa editing is indiscriminate and lacking in quality w.r.t. cutting down events, as compared to the precise and thoughtful editing of Mahabharata proper, at the very beginning of his translation. Thus, the omission, I guess. I am giving a rundown for this is what we will refer back to as we compare the later versions. (For reference, go to Mahabharata Resources online.)

Swayamvara part –

Rukmi arranges for Rukmini’s swayamvara, calling his boys and excluding Krishna (ofc), of which Krishna gets wind and arrives in class with Garuda. He is welcomed—notedly not by the king, as opposed to rules of hospitality—by his relative/father Kaisika, outside of the capital of Vidarbh in Kaisika’s own city.

Quite strangely, Kaisika and his brother Kratha offer Krishna their city; there is even some messenger fanfare with Indra.

Comment: This seems like something of an interpolation to me (it’s politically and intellectually stupid okay – why would krishna need to abduct rukmini with such pains if a part of vidarbha was already his. he could have been more politically subtle and all. it’s just horrible statesmanship), and part of the avatar-vaad or “make Krishna a god so that we can cloak his philosophies and ideas with the veil of god’s incomprehensible lilas so that no one can hope to emulate him and his decidedly non-brahmanical approach, and so they wait for his next appearance while the world burns” propaganda. Shut up, Medha, you’re going to be killed for this. Nah, brain, I will speak my truth.

Meanwhile, Jarasandha and his cronies come to know of Krishna’s arrival, get “afraid” and there is this huge-ass, strange, contradictory conversation. Jarasandha and Sunitha (read: shishupala. yeah, boi had this other, nicer name) are primarily of the view that Krishna is gonna fight them, while Dantavakra (hm, isn’t he another of krishna’s cousins?) opposes that. Shalva and the others also expressed their ideas. The exact point of this conversation is highly inscrutable because, (not) strangely, the conversation is shrouded by them praising and glorifying their arch-enemy as the “lord of the universe” and what-not. (wut? why do you all constantly fight him if you know “who he truly is” and so on? are you masochists, guys – i am seriously concerned. your opponent is apparently vishnu yet you go on fighting him knowing you’re gonna be defeated. what’s the point? medha, stfu) I mean, a professional, grudging admiration for a fellow warrior is fine, good even, but what’s this BS?

The next part is even more laughable, which I didn’t think was possible. They hear of Krishna’s “coronation” and except Rukmi, everyone attends it, even Jarasandha. Huh? Jarasandha who laughed in Krishna’s face in Mbh, called him a coward cowherd (love alliteration) outright so many times in both Mbh and HV . . . I don’t understand any of this. Is it fear for the one person you cannot seem to properly defeat? Are you trying to keep peace, because that’s ridiculous when you have gone on offence so many times. Is it that you are “honoured” to be part of such an important moment in your arch-enemy, who also happens to be “Vishnu’s poorna avatar”?

Then comes a truly interesting part – Bhishmaka and Krishna have a talk. Bhishmaka thinks it’s better to offer Rukmini to Krishna outright and that swayamvara is a stupid thing – whether it is this particular one Rukmi has arranged, or swayamvaras in general, is kinda unclear. For the sake of Bhishmaka, I will go with the first. He apologises to Krishna for not inviting him to the swaymvara for he is helpless against his ignorant son (I guess the ignorance relates to “the true form of Lord Krishna” here) and…hm, this is both exciting and…controversial? Krishna rebukes Bhishmaka quite strongly about letting Rukmi treat him as a doormat and what-not and I would be heart-eyes for he’s technically defending Rukmini in some weird, chauvinistic manner, but . . . is he? His tone is rather peculiar, if you read it. He ends his little tirade with saying that Rukmini is Lakshmi reborn and as such, meant only for him, and technically demands to dismiss the swayamvara. And then, he just…leaves with Garuda. Form your headcanons, guys. This is just too weird.

Bhishmaka is sweet-and-obedient little devotee now and does as he is told. Interestingly, this is before the formation of Dwaraka, for it is here, after the Rukmini’s swayamvara is postponed that Jarasandh and his cronies hatch the plot to use the foreigner Kalyavana to kill Krishna. (just now you attended the boy’s coronation ceremony, usually attended by allies and friends, and praised him as lord of all…make up your minds, guys)

Also, it is here that Rukmini makes up her mind to marry Krishna. Hm, a little meeting, particularly the one you wrote, Maya Di, is extremely likely!

Harana part –

After Kalyavana’s death, Jarasandha’s failure and Dwaraka’s formation, Jarasandha decides to have Rukmini married to Shishupala, just like that. Here is also said that Rukmi had gained celestial weaponry and the Brahmastra (woah!) from Druma and Parasurama respectively. Hm, looks like he was quite the excellent warrior. It isn’t specified if Parashurama only gave him the celestial weapons or taught him as well like he did with Karna – both are different things. But hey, why do people keep going to Parasurama specifically for Brahmastra? I feel bad for the big guy. [Also, here comes this strange issue, Parasurama is, by Karna’s words as well as popular perception, supposed to not hold any sort of guru-ness towards Kshatriyas, which is why the latter had to lie in order to learn from him, considering Suta is an inferior division of the main Kshatriya varna. But that’s topic for another day, Medha.]

Okay, so it is mentioned that Rukmini and Krishna both longed for Krishna, and though there’s no dialogue, it appears that Rukmi knew of this, for the text goes on to say why Rukmi won’t accept this marriage – his enmity with Krishna due to the latter killing his friend Kamsa who also happened to be son-in-law of beloved Jarasandha etc. The text says that with Jarasandha and Shishupala, also came the allied kings Dantavakra, Paundraka, and the kings of Anga and Vanga. [This…is markedly curious. Surely by this time in the epic, Karna was crowned Angaraja? For it not to be so, Krishna would have to be much, much older than the Pandavas, chronologically speaking, which is the headcanon of a popular modern writer Ashok K. Banker. But Yudhisthir and Bhima are considered Krishna’s elders many times in Mbh. There is also this strange friend/frenemy-ship between Karna and Jarasandha as they have a kind of stalemate in a fight and Jarasandha, pleased, offers Karna a city in Anga, Malinipuri, if I remember right. Does it mean that not all of Anga was under Hastinapur’s influence? Again, Medha, to dissect another day.]

Now, “to please their aunt” (Shishupala’s mother Shrutashrava), Krishna comes with Balarama and other Vrishni heroes, all welcomed by Kaisika and Kratha. Upon seeing Rukmini in her journey to pay obeisances to Goddess Indrani, Krishna, er, cannot control himself and decides to abduct her, in consultation with Balarama and others. To note that (i) even though the text expresses both their desires to be with each other, it seems like an impromptu decision to abduct Rukmini, almost as if in lust (at least, that’s what the text makes it sound like); (ii) there’s none of that “coming alone in a hurry after getting her letter” event, as per Harivamsa. He comes quite prepared, and even consults with the other Kshatriyas before going for it.

You know the drill now: Krishna abducts Rukmini as she finishes her prayers and Balarama defeats all the guards. Krishna then puts the responsibility of the war on Yadava heroes like Balarama, Satyaki, Kritavarma, Gada, Prasena (is this that same Prasena of Syamantaka incident?) etc. and sets out for Dwaraka with Rukmini. At all this, Jarasandha and his cronies Shishupala, Dantavaktra, Paundraka, kings of Anga (again!), Vanga, Kalinga and others decide to kill Krishna in a joint attack. There are small descriptions of these following duels – Satyaki vs Jarasandha, Akrura vs Dantavakra, Viprthu vs Shishupala. Shishupala, after being attacked by Atidanta, Gavesana and Brhaddurga (who are these people, gosh) kills Virpthu’s horses and beheads Brhaddurga. Balarama kills the king of Vanga and then attacks Jarasandha. All this results in the defeat of Jarasandha and his cronies.

Hearing this, Rukmi vows before Bhishmaka and if he can’t kill Krishna and bring Rukmini back, he won’t return to the capital Kundina. Note that the next part of his vow, bringing Rukmini back, isn’t mentioned in Mbh proper. He leaves, accompanied by Kratha (that devoted guy?), Amsuman, Srutarva, Venudari and Bhishmaka’s other unnamed sons.

Rukmi sees Krishna-Rukmini standing on the banks of Narmada (aw, what are these two love-birds doing on a riverbank, that’s so romantic… Medha, stop). [Also, as I argued with someone on Quora, had it been a forcible abduction, without Rukmini’s consent in any way whatsoever, considering the letter is not in HV, they wouldn’t be standing there on a riverbank, resting and doing hell-knows-what. It’s a logical fallacy, sorry.]

Seeing them together, he gets even more pissed and wants to kill Krishna in a dwairatha (dual chariot) fight. Cool stuff. Both archers fight. Krishna kills his charioteer and cuts off his chariot-banner. [What’s the thing with this? Why even bother? If you are making a statement then stop, we know who’s gonna win. Even if you didn’t win the fight, the texts would still claim you the winner. Medha, stop, you are supposed to love the man. Yes, the man, not the god men have created as a horrible substitute for the real thing. Why am I saying this now? This is a very normal archery feat if we see Mahabharata’s war parvas.] He defeats all the Vidarbhan warriors and kills many. Rukmi is not a doormat. He retaliates, cutting off Krishna’s banner as well (the garuda one! wow, boi), hurts both Krishna and his charioteer with his arrows. [Aw, and people say Arjuna only won his duels because of Krishna being his charioteer. Dude, look at this. I mean, these people straight out claim him to be God Incarnate and yet, they can’t completely smoothly modify a fight scene to suit their purposes – how sweet. Stfu, Medha.] Krishna then cuts Rukmi’s bow. [The Vijaya one? Surely Rukmi is not fighting such a serious fight without it. If so, wow. You just cut Indra’s prized bow – you really have a strong issue with the guy, don’t ya? Yeah, I feel you.]

Rukmi picks up another (here’s to perseverance), which Krishna again cuts off and crushes Rukmi’s chariot. Now Rukmi rushes at Krishna with a sword (gotta give, guy’s relentless) which Krishna cuts off and uses a sharp weapon called naracha on him which hurts him enough to render him senseless. The remaining soldiers run away. Rukmini’s pity aroused, she pleads for Krishna to spare her brother. Krishna lifts her up and reasures her (awww *waves shipping flag, completely ignoring the falling at his feet part*), then assures poor Rukmi of his safety (who seems to have woken up from his swoon by now, poor boy must have been so tired…why am I feeling so bad for Rukmi? I hate the guy! Btw, I can so imagine Krishna being cheeky here). He returns to Dwaraka with Rukmini, accompanied by Balarama and other Yadavas and his wedding his celebrated there.

There are no later versions of the legend in other texts that tally with the first part (swayamvara) seen in Harivamsa. There’s no love letter, no shaving hair-and-moustache. Let me tell you guys here only, for I don’t want to repeat this, there is no Madhavpur Ghed in the texts I have encountered (and they’re quite a bunch, as you’ll see).

Note: The evolution or composition of Mahabharata and Harivamsa are considered by old and modern scholars alike to have gone parallely, so the insertions of Rukmi’s details, his guru Druma, his bow Vijaya, etc. which seem to exactly match Harivamsa, may have been addded after that part of Harivamsa was written.

Vishnu Purana (about 300 BC-450 CE)

Rukmini-harana is narrated very shortly here, whereas in Harivamsa, it takes up a few chapters, being one of the most prominent parts of the text, as compared to Krishna’s marriage to his other wives. The entire swayamvara part, from Krishna’s “coronation” to the postponement of the swayamvara is missing here. From the harana part as well, Rukmi and his celestial weaponry, worship of Indrani, consultation with Balarama and other Yadavas before abduction, seeing Rukmini-Krishna along Narmada, details of the fights, aren’t present. Again, no love letter (though, even this extremely short version of a few mere verses speaks of Krishna and Rukmini’s mutual love), no shaving. However, it doesn’t deviate from the “original” in Harivamsa as well; it only clips away the details as if deeming them unnecesary in the larger context.

Matsya Purana (about 200-500 CE) mentions her among the Ashtabharya, here listed as – Rukmini, Satyabhama, Satya, Nagnajiti, Gandhari, Subhima, Shaivya, Lakshmana. [argh, we’ll talk about this later. just know for one that this is clearly not a very…right list, and not only in popular perception. jambavati isn’t mentioned; satya, nagnajiti, gandhari and lakshmana are having an identity crisis amongst themselves. basically, the text(s) is (are) only sure about rukmini and satyabhama. pardonable, for they happen to be krishna’s most famous wives. i feel so bad.]

Bhaagavat Purana (about 500-1000 CE)

Oh, yeah, this one is interesting. Unlike Vishnu Purana, Bhaagavat is all about the details. (reminds me of amitabh sir in badla every time i say this word.) There are omissions as well, for Rukmi and his celestial weaponry, Bhishmaka’s lineage, etc. are not mentioned. Let me go by points of difference only, since the main story has been explained in Harivamsa.

We get to hear the names of Rukmi’s younger brothers, only mentioned in HV – Rukmaratha, Rukmavahu, Rukmakesa, Rukmamali. We come to know Rukmini heard of Krishna from bards and decided he would be her perfect match. (Despite Bhaagavat’s devotional fervour that distracts from the main events, I love its version so much better in so many places.) Similarly, hearing of Rukmini’s knowledge and beauty, our boy pines for her. The relatives shipped Rukmini/Krishna as well, but only Rukmi seems to be against it, who arranges her marriage to Shishu. Learning of this, Rukmini sends a faithful old brahmin to Dwaraka with her message, who is received respectfully by Krishna. In her message, she…well, makes me fangirl. Interspersed between what seems to be fanatically devotional love for her “lord”, Rukmini calmly devises a straight and firm plan for him to follow, from the going to the temple of Girija (not Indrani, here) and the Rakshasa vivaha, telling him “not to worry” and all, and also adds a little…threat, in the end, that if he doesn’t do so, she will give up her life by fasting. Neat.

- Srimad Bhaagavat Purana

Krishna, “in love and excitement”, says that he too has been spending sleepless nights pining for Rukmini. Aw.

- Srimad Bhaagavat Purana

Added this to say, here’s the implicit metaphor of Jarasandha and his cronies being the kindling and Rukmini the diew generated by churning them. (Why am I thinking of Samudra-manthan?)

Here, Krishna doesn’t bring Balarama or any other Yadava hero with him, straight going to Kundina on his chariot with his charioteer Daruka and the brahmin, and apparently reaches within one night (which is realistically impossible, except if he had something like Pushpaka, which is not so here). There’s lot of description of pre-wedding things, where the only thing striking me is the phrase “Rukmini with fine teeth”. (I can just imagine her baring her teeth at Rukmi’s back, uff.) As Shishu sets out from Chedi with Jarasandha and his cronies who have developed a “stratagem” to kill Krishna, Balarama comes to know of the plot and sets out after Krishna with the Yadava heroes, moved by his affection for his bro. Exasperated elder brother, here he is.

A despairing Rukmini is informed by the brahmin of Krishna’s arrival in Kundina, she thanks him. Bhishmaka comes to know of Krishna and Balarama’s arrival, whereas in Harivamsa, it was Kaisika who welcomed them. There’s also this huge gathering of Vidarbhans to see Krishna and they decide that only he is fit for their princess. That’s so sweet. After worshipping Goddes Ambika/Girija, asking for Krishna to be her husband, Rukmini returns very slowly from the temple, her beauty so bewitching that a few kings “fall down from their horses, elephants, chariots”. Omfg! Lol. Krishna abducts her in presence of all those kings, who rebuke themselves and shower arrows upon Krishna, seeing which Rukmini laments in fear. Krishna consoles her, the Yadavas march against the kings; Jarasandha, Shishu and their friends have to flee to save their lives. No details are given, as compared to HV. Here, is a very interesting segment, where Shishu laments about having “lost” Rukmini and Jarasandha consoles him in a strangely fatalistic manner:

- Srimad Bhaagavat Purana

Comment: Jara actually doesn’t sound insane or just fatalistic here, imo. He sounds...manipulative af. Don’t think that was the intent of the writers (more likely it was just to forwards the idea of fate and futility as opposed to true action), but that’s what it sounds like to me. Worthy opponent for Krishna, if you ask me.

Now, there’s that drill with Rukmi and his vow, except here, he’s said to have taken an akshauhini of men. When he sees Krishna-Rukmini (no Narmada river here), he verbally insults Krishna unlike prev. versions and then attacks him.

- Srimad Bhaagavat Purana

(Even the abuse here is mild, compared to Mahabharata. I mean, think of the dice game, the Shishupala-vadha parva and so on! But still, Bhaagavat retains class, even as it propounds avatar-vaad, fatalism and fervent devotion.)

The description of battle here is more intense and long-drawn (compared to the main Yadava battle fought against Jarasandha and his cronies), with Krishna cutting down Rukmi’s banner, and then breaking three of his bows. Rukmi uses various kinds of weapons on Krishna – Parigha, Pattisa, Tomara, Camra, Shula, Asi, Shakti, etc. but Krishna remains steadfast in his defence. Rukmi then picks up a sword and rushes at Krishna; there’s no mention of Krishna having killed his charioteer and crushed his chariot. Krishna descends to thebsword-fight and brandishing his own, breaks Rukmi’s sword too. Now you know the drill, falling at his feet and all, our Rukmini. (Don’t roll your eyes, Medha.) Now...it’s in Bhaagavat we see the disfiguring first, Krishna deciding to give him some sort of light punishment, shaving off his moustache, beard and hair unevenly.

There’s another alteration here, that Balarama comes to see this and rebukes Krishna for humiliating a relative. Rukmini is apparently inconsolable and he offers Rukmini a patronising (if sensible philosophically in many places) discourse, starting with a more political note of “the conduct of Kshatriyas is hard and merciless where brother kills brother” and continuing with a lengthy philosophical lecture of the body and the soul, as in in tune with Mahabharata’s Gita, to a marginal extent. Rukmini attempts to calm down, and they return to Dwaraka. The marriage is well-described, with the addition of kings with intimate relations invited – from Kuru, Srinjaya, Kekeya, Kunti races and Vidarbh as well! Hm. Interesting. As is the inconsolable Rukmini, described earlier, which finds no mention in earlier (or a few later versions). Is it so hard to imagine a “difficult woman”, in Nikita Gill’s terms? Does she have to be a wilting flower, even though it breaks off from her prev. characterisation? I mean, she can sure be miffed at it, but for her to be so disconsolate that Balarama out of all people has to offer a huge-ass philosophical advice. Sigh. Basically, Bhaagavat more or less presents it attractively by way of supplying more materials to the story (the greatest and most landmark being Rukmini’s letter), even while it ignores some other details (like Narmada).

Brahmanda Purana (about 400-600 CE) doesn’t delineate the main legend, but Rukmini, the princess of Vidarbha, is mentioned as Krishna’s principal wife, along with the names of their sons and daughter.

Padma Purana (about 400-1600 CE)

Points of difference:

Brothers’ names apart from Rukmi not mentioned.

To fulfil her desire to marry her “lord”, Rukmini worships the gods from childhood itself and keeps sacred vows. Hm, yeah, go ahead.

Here, her brahmin is called the son of a purohita who is received by both Krishna and Balarama. Rukmini’s words in her message are not there anymore (a format which will be followed by every later version except the kavyas) as opposed to the beautiful plan in Bhaagavat and, they both set out for Kundina. No army of Yadava heroes accompany them.

Rukmini goes to the temple by her chariot rather than by foot, at evening, none of which is mentioned in prev. versions. After the abduction, it is Balarama who singlehandedly routs all the kings headed by Jarasandha, using his plough (Langala) and Musala (…the same weapon they use in the fratricidal war of Mausala parva, incidently; so it has some other source than that “curse” where Samva delivers this “new weapon” called musala).

There’s no mention of Rukmi’s vow.

When Rukmi attacks Krishna, he laughs and defends himself with his bow Saranga, a bow presented by Indra. Keeping with both HV and Bhaagavat, dear Krishna obligingly cuts of Rukmi’s bow, his banner, his charioteer’s head and crushes the chariot. There’s Rukmi with his sword, and Krishna with a sharp knife.

Interestingly, there’s no objection or plea or falling at his feet from Rukmini, but Krishna still doesn’t kill him, letting him go by his own free will. That doesn’t stop him from laughing and shaving the hair on his head, though. The beard and moustache are forgiven.

Despite not having taken the vow, apparently the humiliation is enough for Rukmi to built Bhojkata in Vidarbh outside of Kundina, keeping with all prev. versions.

No Madhavpur again. What’s interesting here, is that Nanda and Yashoda and other cowherds are present in the wedding in Dwaraka, unlike popular perception which says Krishna never met his adoptive parents after having left Vrindavana.

Skanda Purana (about 600-1200 CE)

It is narrated to Yudhisthir by Markandeya about the significance of some Rukmini teertha. Points of difference:

Rukmini’s mother is mentioned to be “Mahadevi”. This could also be a title, since queens were also addressed thus. Rukmini is said to be her second child, younger to Rukmi and elder to the other brothers, whose names aren’t mentioned.

At her birth, there is this prophecy about her marriage to this four-armed divine person by a bodiless voice, kinda like Kamsa’s akashvani. Sure, go on. Marry her to Krishna right as she’s born, why don’t you? It’s destiny after all. Can I add that the previous love affair between Rukmini and Krishna is also not mentioned.

Damaghosha, king of Chedi and Shishupala’s father goes to Bhishmaka with a marriage proposal, more in accordance with a marriage as we see it now as compared to the prev. versions (where Jarasandha and Rukmi are instrumental), as also the prevalent nature of marriage of those days w.r.t. Mahabharata.

These two develop attraction to each other just prior to the abduction, in the vein of Harivamsa, but Harivamsa does speak of mutual pining long before the abduction.

The brahmin messenger, the role or even the name of Jarasandha, Rukmi’s fierce vow – nothing finds mention.

Unlike prev. versions, Krishna and Balarama are invited by Bhishmaka to Rukmini’s marriage. No other Yadava hero is mentioned to have accompanied, similar to Padma Purana.

It brings back the river Narmada, where Rukmini and Krishna were resting and Rukmi stumbled upon them, which is only found farther back in Harivamsa.

Now, the battle with Rukmi gets interesting here. There is no archery or even swordfight; rather, Krishna takes his chakra to battle. Fearful, Rukmini asks Krishna to bless her brother with the “divine eye”. Krishna obeys, “pleased” by Rukmini. Rukmi’s ignorance taken away, he offers auspicious prayers to Krishna, who, pleased at the brother this time, blesses him and speaks “blissful words”. Rukmi happily goes back to Kundina. No Bhojkata, no insult, no killing or fighting.

Even the marriage isn’t celebrated in Dwaraka, but on the very banks of Narmada, in the presence of pious sages and other brahmins.

A long explanation of the significance of Rukmini tirtha is given in details, which we don’t find in prev. versions and which I have no energy to go over, for it isn’t significant to either the topic, or even Rukmini in general.

In a nutshell, Skanda Purana takes a decided and marked departure from the martial, the political and the more realistic, to the more mystical realms that have surrounded Krishna and his actions. Do we see a pattern here?

Brahmavaivarta Purana (about 700-1500 CE)

God, I hate this one so much. In a nutshell, guys, it goes several steps ahead of Skanda Purana and goes for a classic social marriage, as is prevalent nowadays. There’s no abduction, no Shishupala, no love, no resistance from Rukmi, no agency from either the bride or the groom. Nothing.

[Instead of Rukmini-harana, or even Rukmini-swayamvara, the headings become “Rukmini Udvaah Prastaav varnan” (description of proposal of Rukmini’s marriage) and then, “Rukmini Vivaahe Yuddham” (fight in Rukmini’s marriage). Credit where credit’s due, I learnt from an online friend about the Sanskrit titles.]

No message is sent by Rukmini, but a brahmin messenger does go with a proposal of marriage. He is sent by Bhishmaka instead of Rukmini. What’s more, the letter was addressed to Ugrasena, and it’s not Krishna, or even Balarama, who receives the proposal. It is Ugrasena, stepping into the limelight where before he had no role to play except that of a figurehead and a tortured father as per the texts.

In Kundina (described in detail for the first time, with the classic mahajanapada-style ditch around it), Krishna and Rukmini have a nice social marriage, presided over by all the elders and kings, with Bhishma, Drona, Duryodhana etc. and the Pandavas in attendance. Again, no mention of Jarasandha, but there’s a fight between Balarama and Shishupala, Dantavakra, Rukmi and Shalva, ending in a sorta mysterious, inconclusive defeat.

How interesting is it, that Brahmavaivarta is a text dedicated to, er, Radha-Krishna, an idea that didn’t exist until the Bhakti movement. So they just decide that no, such a daredevil mariage between lovers won’t do. It has to be society forcing these two together (rather than apart, as we see in Mahabharata et al), because it is Radha and Krishna whose relationship is against society, the rebellion of rebellions in the name of true love nd devotion, blah-blah. Forgive my tone, please, but I am pissed off, ‘kay?

The concerted effort to make everything in Krishna’s life, except Radha (oh, because they are the Supreme in Goloka, which is even above Kailasa and Vaikuntha, and nothing can separate them and all), socially acceptable because he’s their “God” who can do no wrong except if in “true love for Radha” (when the dude clearly rebelled against society any chance he got) is ridiculous. Esp. this! Damn, don’t make my girl into this insignificant little thing. Harivamsa and Vishnu Purana were silent about Rukmini’s letter too, but at least both mentioned clear attraction and interest between Krishna-Rukmini.

Digressing: Also, why is Krishna such a sap here, suddenly? Or why does the Radha-Krishna pairing (which originally symbolises the Jeevatma-Paramatma or devotee-god relationship,) need Krishna to chase her ceaselessly and for all his actions to lead up to her, despite him advocating being a man of action in the real world? I am sorry for being so vocal; it’s probably just my pent-up frustration from that horrible Radha-Krishna serial where this Krishna (gosh, I can’t even call him that!) finds a reason to cry every single time. I would have forgiven it had they cut off the Vishnu’s avatar perspective and kept only the lover boy part, but they keep it and they still make him a crybaby. What’s worse…at the times he should actually feel bad, he’s “calm” af, looking as if he has transcended every human emotion, and just patronises people. Such hypocrisy. Look, I have nothing against men who cry; in fact, it’s heartening to have men strong enough to embrace their emotions, esp. publicly; similarly, there is nothing wrong with suppressing them (apart from the mental health issues it generates, but we are no one to judge). But people, when you are making an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient character…keep the BS consistent at least?! (Sorry, civility.)

Agni Purana (about 800-1100 CE) only mentions Rukmini as one of the eight principal wives.

[Devi-Bhaagavata Purana gives a brief outline sticking to what’s known. It says that in Rukmini’s swayamvara, Shishupala is specifically invited (this is the popular notion, and what I personally believed too, and still find myself going for). Krishna, with Ugrasena’s permission (not mentioned in prev. versions; as opposed to consulting with his fellow warriors in HV), takes Rukmini in Rakshasa vivaha. It also mentions that he later married Jambavati, Satya, Mitravinda, Kalindi, Nagnajiti, Bhadra, Lakshmana. (Satyabhama is not present. She seems to have been confused with Satya, whose other name is Nagnajiti, princess of Kosala.)

Kalki Purana goes for this elaborate Rukmini vrata which grants desired husband to a lady as a fruit of the vrata, where Rukmini is accorded deity status alongside Krishna, seemingly for the first time (not considering the temples dedicated to both). A woman named Sharmistha (strangely similar to Sharmistha of Yayati, Puru’s mother, who too hankered after Yayati) offers oblations to Rukmini-Krishna, saying a prayer: “O Lord, offerer of boons, accept the camphor, molasses and sandalwood with your beloved Rukmini, princess of Vidarbha. O lotus-eyed one, possesor of pitambara and four arms, supreme of gods. Please be satisfied with me and protect me with Rukmini.” It’s far longer, but this is the gist. Is this still Krishna we are speaking of? Huh, all these rituals and Krishna don’t sit well.]

I have only been able to catch hold of so many texts, and of the others, Markandeya Purana (about 250-700 CE) and Shiva Purana (about 1000-1400 CE) do not even mention Rukmini. Mudgala Purana only says Lord Krishna had 16,008 beautiful wives and washes its hands off.

Note: Mathematician and Vedic shastra writer Baudhayana cites Rukmini/Krishna as an example of Rakshasa vivaha.

Sanskrit Literature

So after the Puranas kinda close off the (d)evolution with turning such interesting stuff to the dry social marriage w.r.t. to the parallel evolution of Radha-Krishna, where the concept of Krishna shifted completely from a socio-political persona with mild godlike touch to become a complete love god (as also the lord of the universe)… Rukmini rises again in later literature, of what, by modern standards, would be ancient fanfiction. Lol. There are loads of poetic descriptions (think Kalidasa) that embellishes the narrative – for example, the beauty of sunrise described for paragraphs onto paragraphs. (Yeah, I skimmed those. I was too interested in some Rukmini action. Will appreciate the poetry later.)

References are made to the Rukmini-haran incident in Shishupala-vadham by Magha in around 600 CE, in the 2nd canto, where Balarama, Krishna and Uddhava are in conversation, planning to kill Shishupala. (I hate this.) The entire canto is full of controversial speeches. Balarama refers to Krishna abducting Rukmini from her swayamvara and defeating Shishupala as being the latter’s prime reason for animosity, saying things like “women are the root of all enmity”.

It is referred to in Bhavabhuti’s Malati-Madhav as well, a love story between Malati and Madhav (son of a Vidarbhan minister), where in a convo between friends, a lady says something like “Purushottama Krishna accepted Rukmini, the mother of Kandarpa (Pradyumna being considered Kama’s rebirth), at her self-choice (swayamvara) ceremony”.

There is Bhagavata-Champu (don’t laugh) by Ananta Bhatta before 1500 AD and Sri-Gopala-Champu by Jiva Goswami. Both show their retellings to be derived from Bhaagavata purana (I’m so glad). In fact, in some places, like Rukmini’s letter and Balarama’s consolatory speech after Rukmi’s humiliation, the lines (as per the translated hardcopy in my home) seem to have been picked up directly from Bhaagavata. So it must be that the original Sanskrit lines were as well. The only thing that differs in Sri-Gopala-Champu is the premise of the story. Two messengers from Krishna tell the story to Nanda, Rukmini’s attributes coming up in the conversation. Radha and her fellow Gopis are mentioned as being present and eulogised. (Can no one let my girl have a moment?) But I love these few lines from the convo. The listeners speak thus (not the exact translation, but I don’t have the book rn):

“Although a girl, she is very intelligent and brave.”

“Is she a girl?” (Omfg, I laughed so much at this)

“No, never. She is a tense female elephant.” (The comparison is aimed to be praising of the confident, slow gait of an elephant in Sanskrit poetry, not in the modern way a woman might be called en elephant. Warriors and great women hav often been compared to elephants. There also seems to be an oxymoron as she is described as being tense or edgy, perhaps an allusion to being cautious…Hm, the spy headcanon, @avani008 and @allegoriesinmediasres? *grins excitedly* Oh, we’ll take anything, won’t we?)

“She is fearless, because she is a princess.”

Intelligent, brave, fearless, cautious…oh yeah, all my personal headcanons too.

Other Sanskrit works are as follows, to the best of my knowledge, some gathered from my grandparents and some from friends. I don’t know if their online versions are available, will have to see.

Bhaismi-Parinaya-Champu by prolific poet Ratnakheta Srinivasa Dikshita (South India) around late 16th century. also based on the Bhaagavata version. His son, renowned scholar Rajachuramani Dikshita wrote the Rukmini-Kalyana-Mahakavya (flourished in late 16th and early 17th centuries), possibly one of the most important Sanskrit works on the incident. This one, I unfortunately haven’t read, but have heard about from my late eldest grandfather. Two whole cantos take up Krishna’s mental affliction and pining in a pleasure garden of Dwaraka at the thought of his beloved Rukmini. Aw. Basically, Sanskrit poetry used to be all about elaborate descriptions and comparisons which would veer far, far away from the context, which in these times would be considered redundant and unnecessary. I agree, sort of. I would rather read about political machinations, rather than devotional poetry that distracts us from the issue at hand, thank you very much. Stfu, Medha.

We have Parvati-Rukminiya by astrologer poet Vidya Madhav in late 17th century, which narrates two marriages at a time – Shiva/Parvati and Krishna/Rukmini. Rukmini-Parinaya was written by Ram Varman of Trivancore in the middle 18th century.

Rukmini-Haranam-Mahakavyam, by Kashinatha Sharma Dvivedi, was published first in 1966 AD. (This one, my eldest grandmother straight up read to me, Bengal-ising it while she read. It was arduous, but I was old enough to bear the long hours.) Here, we find a few deviations from Bhaagavat – We find a long description of Rukmini straight up from birth to youth (yikes, that’s what I was attempting to do in my Yugantaram fic). It’s not a lot of characterisation, though – mainly dramatisation, if I remember correctly. (Unfortunately, I don’t know if we have that book any more.) The second canto has a description of Narada, who comes to Bhishmaka’s court bearing Krishna’s tales, which we don’t find in prev. versions, and who appears in the first canto of Magha’s Shishupala-vadham as well. In the third canto, Rukmini, hearing all this, falls in love and is treated by the royal physicians and offered consolation by her friends. (Here’s to one of my best-beloved lines of Hema’s Meerabai, ‘Is love an affliction, that you can cure?’) The next four cantos dramatise and stretch this love-struck Rukmini – with lovely descriptions of the moon, the seasons, the royal garden, etc. The next three cantos describe Rukmini’s marriage being fixed to Shishu by Rukmi, her sending the brahmin messenger to Krishna, a vivid description of Krishna’s beauty (as a young gal, I fell in love with that, yeah, I know, sorry) and an equally beautiful description of the dawn (which may be compared to the description of dawn in Shishupala-vadham by Magha… people are really fond of poeticising political and social issues to hide their significance behind glamour. Medha, stop). In the next canto, Krishna begins his journey to Vidarbha with obeisance to Lord Shiva, which isn’t present anywhere else. It is worth mentioning that the poet also starts his epic poem with salutations to Shiva as well, and states that he composed the entire poem with the grace of Lord Shiva. There’s a lot more descriptions, along with the deviation of Rukmini being guarded on orders of Shishupala rather than those of Rukmi, but the skeleton is all Bhaagavat. Sharma Dvivedi has been inspired heavily by Magha. It stands that his Rukmini-Haranam-Mahakavyam is the most successful rendering of the legend.

It has come to my knowledge that there are other Sanskrit literary works on these two as well but…I just don’t have the energy, sorry. There is a time and place for poetry and devotional fervour. Let me just say, with absolute relish on my side, that it is the Bhaagavat version that is preferred by our predecessors unanimously and all the Sanskrit literature is based on that. Personally, my go-to is Harivamsa and Bhaagavat as well, especially since they have the oldest layers of puranic text. I mean, just imagine, if all later retellings had been based on Brahmavaivarta rather than Bhaagavat. There would be no Rukmini-lovers at all! I mean, the first love does start from the most popular version, after all. It never fails to intrigue me, how legends undergo these modifications, and none of it is a coincidence.

Much love,

Medha

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the-darklings · 4 years

Text

—𝗖𝗢𝗔 𝗙𝗔𝗤;

Hello, everyone! So with COA being such a long-running series and new readers finding it constantly, I have come to realise that a lot of questions I get often repeat. So to keep everything easy and clear and friendly for everyone regardless of whether you started COA at the very beginning of the story or just recently found it, I have spent the day relaxing, eating junk food, and compiling this FAQ. Please read through it because chances are the answers are here somewhere. I have sectioned the guide into following: general, story, ships, original squad (OCs), AUS, OC!V and tips/advice. If the answer to your question is not here, please feel free to send me a message and have a wonderful day! <33 - kat.

GENERAL:

when does this story update?

I try to keep a bi-weekly schedule (now usually Sunday updates). But I always let you know when the chapter is done by making a final word count post (pre edits).

do you have a masterlist?

yes, you can find it here.

do you have a tag list?

not for COA. they’re very time consuming and I’m already really busy sorry :(

are your requests open?

I rarely open my inbox for requests. the only exception being the monthly blurb nights. then I reblog a prompt list and let people send some requests in for any fandom/ship. however, usually due to how many I get, it only happens every few months. that being said, you can still send me ideas/suggestions and if it inspires me, I will write it. that’s how the majority of the AUs have come about. but i’m also a very busy person so sorry if I can’t.

can I make X or Y for COA and tag you?

yes. yes. yes. please, please, feel free to create whatever for COA (no matter how small or silly) because I consider it a great honour that I’ve been able to inspire someone else. whatever it is, please tag me. I wanna see.

okay, I made a thing and tagged you but you didn’t respond :(

Tumblr is notorious for eating my notifs. whatever it is (art/post/etc) if I don’t respond to it in a day or two, please give me a nudge. you’re not being annoying, I promise. chances are I missed it/tumblr ate it.

I wanna scream/discuss/theorise about COA with others, is there any way for me to do that?

my amazing readers have set up this reddit page that is full of lovely people, theories, and memes etc. I check it often and interact on there, too, so feel free to drop by.

STORY:

how many chapters will COA be?

25. the last one being a very long epilogue.

have you decided on the ending yet?

yes. from as early as part 2. it's barely changed since.

will we ever see more of Prague/Naples? hoe, please say yes.

yes. I plan to write both as COA bonus stories after the main story-line concludes.

will there be a sequel?

depends. on two things: 1) if anyone will even care by that point 2) time. this story has consumed 5 months of my life entirely. i’ve been incredibly strict with myself when it comes to writing it (in a good way) but at best it won’t be finished till the end of august/beginning of september. so likely even if I do, there will be a break for a few months at least. I do have ideas though.

you promised us smut. where is it?

patience is a virtue. ;)

happy ending or tragedy? (please don’t say tragedy, you monster)

I would describe it more as “bittersweet” but whether it leans more towards bitter or sweet you’ll have to see.

SHIPS:

any endgame hints?

you know more about the ending than you probably realise

can v/s finally go to Paris? for the love of GOD? pLEASE?

hector + v? powerful. will there be more of them in the future?

agreed & yes. hector and v have their own arc to go on. it’s actually one of my favourites in this story. I don’t want to say more than that right now because I have plans for their dynamic so no spoilers. :)

please stop bullying john. give us some j/v content please?

i, for one, adore john. it’s team S that’s bullying him lol. but wait till parabellum. i’ve always referred to that portion of the story as the second coming of j/v.

does lucien actually have a thing for v or is it a creepy obsession?

it’s both.

I ship v with everyone :/ is that bad?

the sky is the limit. ship all the things proudly (but seriously, no, it isn’t. I ship all the ships, too, and that’s the fun of it)

v/elder tho? 👀

🔫🤡

j/v or s/v? be honest.

you fool,,,, you buffoon. ot3 j/v/s is where it’s really at. imagine their POWER.

ORIGINAL SQUAD:

what do the Elites/Lovers look like/how old are they?

please refer to this

will there be more step??

of course. he’s my baby. :)

will we see more of camorra/learn more about the elite’s and their backstories?

while I would love to take the time and flesh them all out with full backstories, only hector will be getting his backstory explored in the main canon because plot.

does lucien care for mika anymore or has he replaced her with v?

lucien is a messy hoe. mika is his subject of “affection” but v is his foil and equal. he recognises the same hurt in her that he has gone through himself so it’s more of a fixation. with time, lucien would likely destroy v so no bueno.

I ship our OCs.

I do, too.

can we write about your OCs/V?

so you would have to come to me and discuss this more in private but I’m fine with this sort of thing usually. in fact, a prequel hector story already exists so you’re likely good but please contact me first.

AUs:

when/how often do you update the vampire!au?

whenever I have time/inspo. mainly time. so this means you can get it daily or not get it for several weeks because COA is priority. I keep you all updated on when I have something cooking tho.

what is the actual pairing for vamp!au?

undecided as of yet. i’m leaning more towards ot3 right now but we shall see.

how often do you update flowing in me?

same as the above. whenever I have the time but I will keep you updated.

how many parts will flowing in me be?

I have 5 parts(ish) planned.

do you have a tag list for flowing in me?

I will. please leave a comment on the story if you want to be tagged in future parts!

will flowing in me feature other characters (john, winston etc.)?

this story is mainly camorra-centric but I do plan for John to appear at some point.

how did you come up with your lore in vamp!au?

to be completely honest....I just wrote a bunch of stuff down and used what stuck. mostly the ideas were pulled out of thin air while still trying to keep within the spirit of the canon material (the high priest, the holy church, the twelve priests, john being the boogeyman etc). camorra as the natural enemy seemed fitting and santino as a vampire prince even more so.

can we send you new au ideas/expand on old ones (manager!V etc)?

yes, always. I always try my hardest to reply but ofc I can’t promise I’ll be able to use them all but thank you in advance.

OC!V:

who is the face claim for OC!V?

weronika spyrka

what is her real name?

clara

how old is she at the beginning of the story and now?

23 beginning of chapter 1, 30 beginning of chapter 4 (current timeline)

will/would you ever write an original story about her?

I have considered creating something original out of COA itself or one of its sister series/concepts (like FIM). since I really started working on COA during last year’s NaNo, that might be the time I create something original this year.

TIPS & ADVICE:

how do you write so much, so quickly?

I don’t think that word count is really reflective of the quality work itself. I don’t think you should worry how much you write, either. 100 words can be just as valuable as 1k. most of them time I have a deadline breathing down my neck and I do work well under pressure so that inspires me to force the chapters out. I also do very long days because despite what it might look like I’m not a fast writer.

how can I improve my writing?

read and practice. I know it’s dumb and overused advice but it’s how I learned english and found my style (still a mess and WIP) but still this advice does help.

how do you keep motivated?

spite, your support, genuine adoration for these characters/word, a lot of spite.

do you plan? outline?

I have a vague story outline with specific scenes in mind as I go along (helps to set up foreshadowing, twists, and those ‘full circle’ moments). I also plan each chapter scene by scene and know what each chapter is meant to accomplish. So yeah in a sense.

#i will add more in the future if it comes to mind #with this future parts coming up i imagine more questions will repeat lol #faq post #fic: children of ares

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smol-and-grumpy · 5 years

Text

Dear Dean (Chapter 5)

Re-post

Pairing: Dean Winchester x OFC (Jamie Blum)

WC: 2.4k

Summary: After taking Saint Lo, by sheer dumb luck, Lieutenant Dean Winchester from the 29th Infantry Division, Baker Company, received a truckload of replacements for his platoon that was falling apart. Little did he know, that one recruit would change his life forever.

Chapter Warnings: Angst, fear of loss, confused Dean.

SERIES MASTERLIST

August 3rd, 1944

Fuck fuck fuck fuck!

Goddamn it!

Dean could kick his own ass. What the fuck was he thinking? What happened? What the hell was wrong with him? He ain’t queer. Oh no, he definitely wasn’t, alright. When he looked into Bambi’s eyes and then the private rolled them at him, all Dean could think about was Sam’s letter. Just think that every time he looks at you, that it’s me judging you, alright? I hope he rolls his eyes at you too, you totally deserve it. He blacked out right there, staring into Bambi’s eyes, and when he came back to his senses, he was a breath away from kissing his own damn private!

Shit shit shit!

But, thankfully, there was no time to dwell on things that happened. They marched toward Vire, and Dean could already see the the old brick buildings of the city. And of course it rained again. It was just their luck, wasn’t it? Dean thought, as he hunched his shoulders, shielding himself from the rain a little.

Moving down in the open, they lied low until it was clear and they could sprint over to the suburb of La Salliere - hopefully still undetected. They split up in platoons with One and Three platoons going left, Two platoon was hanging back and Four platoon took the right. Grenadiers and bombers made their way toward Vire, rifles lifted, aggressively taking store by store, building by building.

It wasn’t until Blake’s scream echoed through the rain sprinkled air, as he fell, hit by a round in his abdomen and thigh, that Dean knew that there was nothing to be saved. An artery was hit, making the blood spurting out of the medic like a fountain. He didn’t understand. Medics didn’t get shot. They were invisible. Dean yelled for a medic. “Medic! Fucking hell, Medic down! We need a medic!” But the two other medics were with the other two platoons and there was simply no time. “Captain! Radio in for a medic!” Dean screamed himself hoarse making himself heard over the shells and mortars hissing over their heads, hoping that Captain Mills would hear him from 100 yards away.

Dean pressed his body into the door frame, waiting for the enemy to show themselves so he could fucking shoot them through their eyebrows for the disastrous war crime against a medical officer.

Dean scanned his platoon which were scattered on either side of the street, all of them pressing close to the walls of the buildings. He saw their faces, pale and painted with fear. When he looked back at Blake, he saw him twitching in the rain. Blake was lying in a puddle of red. Oh fuck. Baker was going to lose a medic. He realized it then, with Blake’s blood staining his hands.

“Move move move! Find them!” He yelled to his Grenadiers and they pushed themselves away from the concrete and door frames with a yes, sir! - on it, sir! and went in with their rifles first.

The coast wasn’t clear and Dean waited, hoping that he’d hear an all clear from his men. He turned, looking down the line, only to see Bambi three privates away from him. Bambi’s fingers were twitching, and Dean reached out to tell him that it was okay. His mouth didn’t get the words out before Bambi pushed off from the wall, running toward Blake. He crouched next to Blake, in the rain and blood.

Shit!

“Bambi, fucking get off the street!” Dean could only yell before there was a clatter and it rained rounds on the pavement. “Covering fire! Covering fire! Try to divert them from Bambi and Blake!”

He watched as Bambi talked to Blake, the voice of the small private was calm. “Doc, what’s been hurt? Tell me. Tell me how I can fix you, alright? I can do it, but only if you talk to me. You’ll be fine. Tell me where I can find things I need, alright?” After a while Bambi searched through Blake’s musette bag, obviously finding what Blake said he should look for and then there was a shouting next to Dean.

“Sir!” Sergeant Shurley, their other medic stood next to him, Morphine syringe ready in his hand. Dean acknowledge him before turning to Private Redfield, “Alright, Sneezy, hold the fire. Gotta get Bambi out!” Then he turned to Shurley and nodded at him. “Sneezy, go!” Sneezy started to fire with a bunch of new privates.

Dean sped along with Shurley in a crouching run and Shurley took over. “It’s alright Private, I got this. You get out of here!” Dean pulled Bambi up, pushing and moving him to the other side of the street. He put his hands on the privates shoulders and smashed him harsh against a concrete wall.

He shouted and there were so many things going through his head at that moment, but when he looked at the private, he saw the red in his eyes and fuck, they were so big. “Fucking hell, private! What the fuck were you thinking? Leave it to the medics!”

“But there wasn’t one around. I wanted to help!”

He talked back, and Dean wished he didn’t. He pushed Bambi further against the concrete, trapping the private between the wall and his body and lowered his head to the level of the small private. He was furious. Angry at Bambi but also angry at himself. Why did he let the private get under his skin? It has been a little more than a fucking week since he showed up and Dean’s mind had been all over the place since.

Dean tried. He tried to not look at Bambi. Tried to not let his mind wander to the wide eyes that were strangely able to calm him down. Tried not to let his gaze wander down to the full lips that he wanted desperately to kiss himself stupid on. Tried with all his might not to just fucking do it. He blinked a couple of times, shaking the thought out of his head, but there was Bambi, all wet and flushed and he could even see the faint freckles on the bridge of Bambi’s nose.

“Let me make this perfectly clear, private. You do what I tell you. That’s the only way I can keep you alive. I’m going to make sure that you’re on sentry for fucking 6 hours tonight and the night after because then you’ll be tired and not able to pull that shit on me again. You hear me? If you do that again, I’ll get you on latrine duty from here on out until we march into Germany. I fucking swear!” Dean punched at the concrete with his bare hands, right next to Bambi’s face, but Bambi did not even flinch.

***

August 4th, 1944

As promised, Dean put Bambi on sentry for three full shifts, and when Dean woke up from his three hours of uncomfortable sleep, he decided that he was going to write to Sam. The time neared Oh-four-hundred. Reveille was at Oh-five-hundred and Bambi still had an hour to go.

Dear Sergeant Sam,

Is that right? Did I write it right, huh, bitch? Congrats, I guess! No shit, really, so proud of you, Sammy!

How are you? I hope won’t promote you again too soon. The fame is slowly getting in your head, Sam. To me, you’re still the brother who ran up to me crying with a snot running down your nose because you were upset that a girl kissed your cheek. I said that you should man up, didn’t I? Thank god, imagine you’d still be scared of girls now.

Sam, I don’t even know how to put this in words. I kind of screwed up, I think. I told you about Bambi, right? Well, he and I, we, ah forget it. Forget what I just wrote. It doesn’t matter. What matters that he fucking managed to piss me off, and I put him up for three shifts of sentry. That’s what you get when you piss of your platoon leader. So, fyi, never do that, ok, Sam? Bambi did it without even a groan tho, I highly doubt that you’d do that. So don’t piss off your leader, because I am afraid that I’ll never hear the end of it when you write and rant to me.

We lost Blake today. Our medic. Now we’re just down to two medics for a hundred-odd men. I don’t know but, it wasn’t supposed to be like this, no? I was wondering, would you have signed up if you knew that was going to happen? I certainly wouldn’t. I thought that I could keep them all alive. Well, see where that got me? Almost lost Bambi too (that’s why he’s on sentry). My hands were shaking at the thought, Sam. My hand are always steady. I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I feel like, if I lose the kid, I will lose you, I will lose everything. It’s not supposed to be like that, is it? I shouldn’t feel that way towards anyone of them. It’s war and yeah, I should fucking get my act together.

We’ll be taking Vire soon. I can feel it. I hope you’re good, bitch!

Lieutenant Dean Winchester

Jamie sat at the end of the harbor. It was her and Dopey, who probably picked a short straw and end up having to do the most hated sentry shift with her. Dopey looked over the north while she covered the south of their harbor position. It wasn’t pretty big, so it was ok.

She stared down at her hands, still deep red from Sergeant Blake’s blood. There was not soap around to clean it off properly. Her hands were trembling. It was the first time that she saw someone die right in front of her. She could see how the life drained out of Blake’s eyes and there was nothing she could have done to stop him from dying. It hit her then, that people die in this war and they keep on dying. People she liked and came to care about.

Jamie wished she had someone to talk about it. She wished that she could write to her brothers, but she don’t know where they are since she wasn’t even home when they all got scattered around Europe.

She heard footsteps approaching and listened. She didn’t have the energy to even turn around.

“You alright, private?” Lieutenant Winchester came closer, a metal mug of coffee in his hand. She could smell it from a couple of feet away and she was sure that it tasted delicious too. Like the whiskey tinted air that he exhaled. Fuck, no, she should’ve stopped thinking about what happened. Poor guy probably already thought that he’s going crazy, and it was never her intention to put doubt into her leader’s head.

Lieutenant Winchester walked closer and sat on the stone next to her. “You want some?”

“I’m on sentry, sir.” She wasn’t looking at him. She didn’t want to see the green in his eyes and the freckles on his face and the ruffled hair from sleep or the way his lips crooked when he smiles.

Lieutenant Winchester started to laugh then. “Shit, Bambi, you take this way too seriously!” He looked back at the bodies of men that were slowly rising out of their foxholes. “Look around, they’re all up. Sentry’s almost over anyway.”

Jamie looked over then and it was a mistake because she got lost in the eyes and how can someone look so cute with sleep still hanging in their eyes? “Can I?” She asked, looking at the coffee and he shrugged before he offered her the mug.

Lieutenant Winchester patted at his combat jacket, searching and finding his cigarette tin. Pulling it out, he asked if Jamie wanted one, but she declined. “I’m still not smoking, sir.”

“You’re going to use them for trading?”

“No, actually, I’m giving them away to people who run out of them.”

“Gosh, you’re a saint, ain’t ya?” It wasn’t degrading. It sound like he really meant it. But she didn’t answer. They sat side by side. Listening to the other men rise and probably shine.

Jamie took another sip of the warm coffee before she gave it back to Lieutenant Winchester, not wanting to be rude and drink it all. “Thank you. And I’m sorry.” She didn’t elaborate and hoped that he will know what she’s sorry about.

“Me too.” He said, blowing out smoke and stubbed his cigarette on the stone before he flickered it away. He took his mug in one hand and rubbed at his thighs in his damp combats with the other. He watched her, and Jamie nervously fidgeted at the rifle lying in her lap with her hands. They were still trembling.

Lieutenant Winchester saw them. Saw the dried blood and dirt still sticking to the back of her hand. He put his hand on hers and she stalled. He covered his big hands around her trembling small ones, and he painted soothing circles on the knuckles of her thumb. He began to speak after a while. “I should have never let you get under my skin,” he paused to take another sip of his coffee. “It’s just… you remind me so much of Sam.”

Jamie nodded. She still didn’t know who Sam was, but Sam was a lucky girl.

He took another sip before he talked again, his voice soft and deep. “I’m sorry about how..you know.. in that foxhole. You should know. I’m not… you know.”

“I know.” She said, looking downcast.

“But I’m not sorry about putting you on sentry. I’ve lost too many people already. I don’t need you undermining me and get yourself killed. Alright?”

“Yes, sir.” She had tears in her eyes, and she didn’t even know why. She turned away, she didn’t want him to see.

“You’re scared.” He said, his voice deep and smooth. “I am too. I thought I’d lose you too and that would’ve be on me. Again. History repeats itself and I’m just sick of it. Sorry I snapped.”

Jamie didn’t know why he’s telling her this. He was a Lieutenant. He shouldn’t care so much about his men. He was there to give orders and they were there to follow them. “You’re doing good, sir. You’re keeping us alive. Or at least you try.” She tried to lift up his mood.

“Right. Remember your words, private. About me doing good, I mean.” He forced out a smile before he stood up. “Go get ready, we’ll be moving out again soon.”

Jamie didn’t move. Not yet. She would have rather sat there a little longer, waiting until her hands would stop trembling.

CHAPTER 6

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