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youcantdateosmosisjones · 6 months

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The morality system in fable 2 fascinates me in terms of the implications it has on Sparrow as a person.

-This is heavily based on my last post, so go check that out for more for more context. Yes this is very self-indulgent.

Right, so Sparrow. One of the many great Hero's of Albion. Motivated by grief, and hellbent of avenging the death of their sister at the hands of Lucien. Theresa is the one who raises them to carry out the mission (which also, conveniently, is the easiest way for her to achieve her own life's purpose). Depending on Sparrow's morality, I can see them having 3 distinct personalities in the events leading up to Fable 3:

GoodPure!Sparrow: Who is so influenced by Theresa, that they dedicate to serving the people of Albion for as long as they live. Their grief struck them particularly hard, and Theresa giving them a purpose to strive for at 2 very crucial moments in their life definitely... impacted them. No, they were not happy or satisfied with how their life turned out near the end (mainly because they denied themselves to indulge in pleasure or temptation like, ever), but they did manage to fall for the illusion of "hey, I did a good thing for these people. I don't exactly understand what any of this means or why any of this happened because I never asked questions, but I really hope my kid doesn't feel this way when their day of reckoning comes". They still subconsciously feel the terror and pain from what they went through, and feels so guilty for being apart of the the reason why someone is doomed to repeat it all over again. They never were able to move on from their past, so their attempt to repay it just kinda... consumed them. And because of that, they were never able to be truly known or involved with the lives of their children- or even close allies. Yeah, they knew and respected them for everything they did, but never got to know them beyond that legacy.

Neutral!Sparrow: Who manages to pursue a somewhat balanced life as an opportunist. Throughout their eventful life, they had many ups and downs that shaped the very course of their actions. Yeah, they always intended on avenging Rose, but sometimes the course of action they thought would bring them there got muddled. They tended to let their emotions get the better of them; and despite the good they did, there were always weights on their shoulders that prevented them from ever truly believing themselves to be "pure", or a "well-loved" hero. Sometimes the consequences of your actions can be a bitch. But, because of this lack of a sense of duty, that allowed them to be able to lay back and try and build a life for themselves outside of serving others. Purely just because they wanted to. After all was said and done, they did whatever they wanted. Eventually, that led them to having a home and a life for themselves away from Theresa, destiny, and the greater scheme of the world- Maybe they even dedicated enough time and energy into them self so that they could properly heal and move on from the unhealthy drive of their past actions. Then, Theresa comes in to ruin everything (again), and Sparrow just kind of think about it. As much as they dread the idea of burdening another person with the same fate as them... maybe they could raise them to be different? Maybe, just maybe, this is a chance to truly better the world so that no person had to experience what they had to, long after they them self is gone. Besides- Theresa's like their mom, and when has she ever been wrong? If she says it's destiny, why fight it? Instead, they try to make the most of this opportunity, and raise their children to prepare for an unjust world.

EvilCorrupt!Sparrow: Who's grief and obsession with revenge drives them to become hungry for the life that was ripped away from them at such a young age. Given the powers and abilities to pursue anything they put their mind to, they fill their life with increasingly bolder methods of lashing out and reveling in the ways of just how cruel- and exhilarating- life can be. Yes, they dedicate most of their life to defeating Lucien once and for all- but take it a step further by striving to make him seem insignificant. After all he's done, it's only fair that he will never be remembered compared to the child he failed to kill. But-then Theresa tells them to "get the fuck out of my tower", and Sparrow is pissed. They fuck around for awhile to let out some tension and have some fun, and then Theresa shows up again and tells them that they're gonna be a ruler and responsible for another hero. Now, this is very surprising news- but also kind of intriguing. On one hand, they literally take Lucien's empire and make it their own (while finally coming full-circle with their childhood wish of living in the castle and having access to such luxury's), and they also get to cement their empire in the history of Albion even after they are long gone. Their heir will continue their legacy, and never again will Sparrow, or their family, ever have to know the cold unforgiving slums. No, not after Sparrow builds them a bright future full of conquest and innovation.

#fable 2 #fable sparrow #fable rambles #fable theresa #Im so delusional #Brainrot #fable 3 #if you squint

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revoevokukil · 2 years

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Wingmen from Hell

“Gold nugget in a pile of compost” - the line is so dreadfully effective upon utterance because it picks at Ciri’s insecurity, her hope that she is more than the baseness and evil marring her; more than what the world has been reducing her to.

In this particularly sly way, the one-two Avallac’h & Eredin run on Ciri is kind of brilliant.

After entering the world of the Alders Ciri goes about trying to convince herself she is not at all astonished by the beauty of the place; by the very possibility of such beauty (coming off blood on ice and the witnessing of her friends’ heads being stuck into sacks of sand). Very quickly her first impression takes shape: in this world everything is different. Different! As in... better? Beauty bias makes humans associate beautiful things with goodness almost by default, and likewise ugly things with evil. It’s no co-incidence the witchers’ frightening appearance fuels the society’s hostility toward them. The matter is somewhat more subtle with Ciri, a witcher girl whose time with the Rats has nurtured human ugliness in her in earnest. Not only in Ciri’s memories does evil live; in that other world, now far behind her. It lives on under her skin. Her scar mars her, visually marking her with the “evil” she did not obtain through traditional witcher trials (or did she?), reminding her of the human ugliness and evil she knows lives within her. That she has perpetrated. Conversations with Vysogota helped a lot but Ciri’s self-worth – not to speak of identity – is in tatters by this point in the Saga.

Consequently, the witcher girl feels humiliated and lashes out, feeling acutely that she does not fit in this world where everything is different, beautiful, perfect, and surely, on some level of bias, “good.” Especially when someone who presents as beautiful, perfect, and good suggests Ciri ought to fit and that by raging like a little bull she is treating the kindness extended her way with contempt. Because there is something in her that makes her belong in this place, as Avallac’h insists despite her churlishness, and by being unreasonable, she is blinding herself to it.

Effectively, Crevan is giving Ciri hope. For if we recall Ciri’s initial motivation for leaving the Rats it was to re-possess her past self; a past that saw her on the path of a princess. Or an empress?

Taken at face value, for a person whose sense of self-worth and social position has been damaged, hope can be like a drug even if it infuriates because every time upon looking into the mirror “evil” looks back. Mistakes look back. Self-hatred looks back. For sure, they actually despise me; for sure this is all mockery and disrespect because I know what I really am. (Do I?) And not always have I been... decent. But if we did not want for things to be different the irritation would not occur and knowing that hurts all on its own.

Enter the bad cop.

Eredin tells Ciri outright that the part of her that has any hope of belonging anywhere in the world of the Alders is nothing more than a glimpse of gold in a pile of manure. Why yes! This sounds more like the reality Ciri has become conditioned to, doesn’t it? Rude, sure, and infuriating, yes, but at least it’s the truth! The witcher girl is no fool - she knows she is no angel. Eredin’s words strike closer to Ciri’s present self-percetion - not beautiful, not perfect, not good. He is telling a teenager what every teenager on some level believes - that others and the world hates them. A deeply harmful viewpoint to hold onto. The elf’s words reaffirm the self-hateful voices in the witcher girl’s head which sh*t on the illusion that in a world where everything is different she too could be different. Erase the scar, erase the evil - let things be different in this world’s image? Erase that old Self? ( 🚩). No, birdie, you’re mud.

At which point the good cop - who has faith in her not being mud after all - is nice enough to defend the girl against the offence.

‘You talk just like a human, Eredin.’

It’s a pretty pointed use of the word “human” there, I feel. Almost as if to combine the positive emotion aroused by defending someone with the condemnation of humankind as a whole. In short, the things you, Eredin, encourage Ciri to accept - her human ugliness and evil - are contemptible; Ciri, sweet thing, you know better than that, don’t you? Cementing by way of this classic move the impression that the “good” is on the girl’s side; despite its exasperation with her imperfection. Therefore the good’s goals are, perhaps, also worth striving for? Even if one of these aims - becoming a mother - is repulsive to me; outrageous, unbelievable! But what if I am reacting in this manner only because I have not yet tried brushing all the regrettable sh*t off the tucked-away, secret gold in me? What happened to me is not my fault. I can choose to be wiser, do better. Everything can be different.

I can be loved.

Oh, a flowering myrtle... Good thing I tried to remain above this rude creep’s insults, wasn’t it?

The one-two is psychologically brilliant because it feeds an identity crisis. The aim - to weaken from the inside and break down a sense of who a person is and what they want. Replacing whatever tatters are left with what they should want. Cooperation - when in haste - is easier if you can be the conductor of the behaviour of the subject you are trying to make cooperate with you. Handy tools for this endeavour: creating guilt for objecting to doing better and being an obstacle in the way of helping yourself; stoking the exasperation at the evil that feels like home yet does not even reward you with what you have come to expect from it - the ability to hate.

With no satisfaction in sight, the puppet is danced around in circles.

#the witcher #wiedźmin #ciri #aen elle #lady of the lake #avallac'h #eredin #i am writing eredin's character analysis #but some scenes are so rich i keep shooting off into tangents of analysis #red flags #the witcher meta #scraps #characterisation

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le-ded · 1 year

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COUNTDOWN PART - I (A NOVELLA)

CH-1 INSTIGATION PART 01

CH-2 INCARNATION

CH3- INSTIGATION PART 02

CH4- IMPIETY

CH5- INTERROGATION PART 01

CH6- ILLUSION

CH 01 INSTIGATION

Jack was born on 28th of December in 2000, 18 years after his birth he died in a car accident while driving through a tunnel in East Vienna, Austria. Today he is going to celebrate his 19th birthday in heaven.

11:00 P.M.

Beep Beep Beep alarm clock rings at 11 according to Jason's plan this is the time when he will start his preparation for the mid term exams being held in December of 2019. Of course in this multiverse also we have the concept of snooze, so why not? Jason gives an RKO to his alarm clock before it shuts forever. Even though the alarm clock was not a good reason for him to wake up, a message from Shez was, she dm'ed him to know if he wanted to do some questions for practice. Shez is particularly not interested in Jason, but as Jason is a genius according to her she won't mind his company, but I forgot to tell you all, how is Jason going to prepare? Jason and Shez are both in the same college MCI and both are going to qualify this year for the final term exams if they don't fail tomorrow. Jason being a tech genius knows nothing about the theory of networking but has a good knowledge of Data transferring and it will do the best for him. He calls Shez on her request and starts to ask some questions.

Shez asks him if he wants to sleep he says that no he doesn't sleep on the day before exam ( bloody liar) Shez was writing a long answer while her phone gives a chime and she looks towards it, a notification - COUNTDOWN

People who don't know about Countdown - as per me no one knows ... so Countdown is basically an app which shows a timer that's it, No that's not what all it does...the problem is it's not a regular timer you can't set the timer as per your wish, the timer starts as soon as you log in and it identifies you, it comes with more problems....You can't delete once installed and the last problem being the countdown is of your Death.

Kind note: Will be continued..

CH02 INCARNATION 2000

It's the 28th of December of 2000 and a man called Robin is running towards the hospital. Maybe because he has no umbrella to save him from the cruelty of the weather or because his wife is suffering from labor pain in the hospital, both the reasons are acceptable as far as I know they are even true.

He runs, he reaches the hospital's entry gate and looks at the direction board even though he knows where the ER is, he is just trying to postpone the time when he gets to know what happened inside? He calmly walks inside, his clothes are completely wet, no one cares much about it but his tears are somewhat camouflaging with the rainwater. He stops outside the ER room and gives some tools required for the final conclusion of the operation. Nurse walks out and she says " Congrats Mr. Robin the mother is safe and the boy too" Robin sighs and says "Thankyou sister" He moves and starts walking inside his nerves filled with joy all the tears finally defining the beauty of happiness in his heart and the surrounding area is filled with joy too with the smile he saw on the nurse's face with sweat on her forehead completely tells how much effort with positive aspiration was put in the whole process.

Kind note: Are you really done with chapter 2? I think you took something for granted

CH03 INSTIGATION PART 02

Shez

I was terrified by the thought of countdown what if one day i get a notification, i must commit suicide before the time decided and prove that Countdown's curse is now broken, of course there's a plot, The key rule of Countdown .. If one tries to change their fate, me Ozhin, it's my duty to come and bring them to hell.

It's already 1, she has not said a word on the call Jason probably thinks she is asleep but the problem is personal war cries aren't really loud enough.

Jason asks if she is asleep, a horrifying sound comes "Yes asleep forever."

Kind note: The countdown was of 1 hour, Shez is dead.

CH04 IMPIETY 2016

Finally the app is live, she will pay for it. What she has done is hellish and she is obliged to die, ain't everyone.....my app isn't the reason why people will die it will just tell them when, because Death is the only truth humans know about.

I am a 16 year old boy, I don't how to define how intelligent I am but surely more than the person who is writing about me because they don't know death is their fucking truth too, I am Jack and I know when you will get to see this story I will already be dead because even I am obliged to die at the end, no..... I am not going to die due to a car accident that's for the world to think about and I am not even sure if I will really be dead by then. It's just a prediction by my app.

My app's name is Countdown. It will basically tell people when they are going to die and if you think it's completely random and fake, keep thinking because I know the harsh truth now, that everyone is obliged to die and so what's the point of controversy and what's the point of crime punishment. I am going to kill her just before I actually die. "TADAH Plan of the year Mr. Jack the greatest tech genius of all time the greatest developer of all time." ( A.I. SPEAKS )

Kind note: He is definitely the bad guy.

CH05 INTERROGATION PART 01

Police : So Mr. Jonas what was first thing you saw once you entered into the room

Jonas (cries): the first thing I saw once I got in was the blood which was draining from the bed onto the tiles and my daughter who was lying on the bed with no movements at all.

Police : So according to what you have said the doctor believes this is not a case of natural death

Jonas : Yes yes sir

Police : How was your daughter feeling during the dinner or the last time you saw her before this dea.t..h . I mean all this happened

Jonas : My daughter and I used to liver together but I had gone to somewhere out of station for a business meet

Police : Hmm, and who is this Jason?

Jonas : I don't know who this guy is

2 police officers bring a man into the room holding his arms and hands which were locked with handcuffs

Police officer 1 : This is Jack sir

Police officer 2 : (whispers into his ears) He is Jason not Jack

Police officer 1: Sorry sir this is Jason

Police: Shut up you two leave and leave him here

Kind Note: Get ready for some fun!

CH06 ILLUSION PART 01

Jack is a very bright student he loves programming he has made several softwares and has got several scholarships, he only has one obsession and that is with his computer and other gadgets even though this was until a girl joined her school her name was Elle. Jack never tried to ask her or gain her attention even though he knew about her presence and the fact that she is very attractive. Jack might hate her as a fact he wants the world to think in this way.

Kind Note: Re read the chapter name once you are done with main body

#novel #death #mystry #fiction #unnatural #demons

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recreancyrpg · 2 years

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BASICS.

NAME. Gwendolyn Lockhart AGE: 28 ALUMNI HOUSE. Not applicable BLOOD STATUS. Half-blood (Squib) FACECLAIM. Vanessa Kirby

PAST.

Gwendolyn Lockhart was eight years old when her brother Gilderoy was born, and her parents almost completely forgot about Gwen and her sister as they doted on their perfect baby boy on whom they’d pinned all her hopes and dreams. He was a wizard, after all, and no matter how much they try, the girls can’t create the magic that skipped them. Gwen has always been determined to try, though. Despite her lack of magic, she refused to let herself be regulated to the muggle world like Gretta did. Instead, Gwen was determined to embed herself completely.

Some potions require wandwork but very few. Is it possible to fake having magic if you can pull off a good potion and don’t get out much? That’s what Gwen originally asked herself and decided she was determined to find out. She managed to guilt her parents into supporting her in opening a shop in Diagon Alley. A few years ago, she was found out, and a petition from several shop owners tried to get her evicted on the premise that a nonmagical person selling potions is dangerous. She was shocked when the Ministry allowed her to keep operating, but it served a huge blow to her customer base. If her parents hadn’t continued to pay the rent, her shop wouldn’t be open today. Gwen is determined to work her way through this setback and continue to show that potion work is possible for anyone, including her.

Despite her insistence to stay in the magical world, Gwen has never had any illusions about being fully welcome there. She was a preteen during the Squib Rights Marches, and the horror she felt watching purebloods literally riot against the idea of people like her so much as being allowed to exist in their society is something she’s never shaken. She doesn’t want to. She has an automatic distrust and often dislike of purebloods that she’s not particularly interested in overcoming. She’s been proven right over and over by people belittling or underestimating her. As a result, she tends to stay to the edges in large groups. She doesn’t believe in herself or the people around her enough to take that kind of risk.

Gwen doesn’t fully trust the Order and definitely doesn’t trust many of its members, but she’s seen how purebloods left uncheck treat those of a different status and especially those without magic. Considering the Death Eaters dial up those opinions in every other way, she knows she won’t be safe should they take control. She stumbled into the Order somewhat on accident about three years ago, but she’s determined to prove she’s as capable of making a difference as any of them. Obviously in her ideal world, the Order winning would open up possibilities for muggleborns and squibs, but she’s not an optimistic. Her primary goal if anyone asks is to keep the wixen world from sliding farther into the purist hellscape she sees all around her. It may not be achievable, but Gwen knew she had to try. Even if the magical world isn’t kind to her, she’s at least been allowed to survive. Future squibs deserve the same opportunity.

CONNECTIONS.

LILY EVANS. Gwen would have never guessed she’d make a real friend through in Order, but Lily might just fit the bill. The two have a surprising number of shared interests like potions and pureblood skepticism. She likes that they can be useful together. The only thing that Gwen is apprehensive of is Lily’s fascination with the Dark Arts; but as long as she knows when to stop swimming down and come back to the surface, everything is fine, right? EVAN ROSIER. The easiest way Gwen has found to put her potions skills to use has been providing healing elixirs for the Order. However, she didn’t realize that would put her directly with a pureblood. Gwen stays civil most of the time, but she can’t help pushing back when questioned, whether Evan meant it or not. While she finds him frustratingly unaware of his privilege and how much he takes for granted, even as she has to acknowledge his skill. AMELIA BONES. There’s a bitterness when she looks at Amelia. The two of them are the same age and should have been the same year in school if fate hadn’t been so cruel to Gwen. She looks at Amelia and sees someone who understands the pressure of being the oldest, but Amelia is the oldest of a close set. Gwen can’t relate. While she wonders what her life could have been like if she’d been more like Amelia, she tries to be friendly, but it’s hard.

GWENDOLYN IS TAKEN.

#harry potter rp #harry potter roleplay #harry potter rpg #marauders rp #marauders roleplay #gwendolyn lockhart #gwendolyn lockhart bio #character bio #half blood #squib #taken

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sisterofleatherfrog · 3 years

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Star Wars Kinktober day- 28

Prompt: Erotic photo modeling

Fox x Riyo Chuchi (Foxiyo)

Wow I sure do love this totally canon pairing, don’t we just love how cute all their interactions were that definitely happened in the show?

Gods do I love this pair, I don’t know where the hell it came from but I am here for it. ❤️💜💙

Sorry for the long absence and missing most of Kinktober, I haven’t been doing the greatest mentally or physically but I’m finally starting to recover a little. I’ll try to cover the rest of the month, but beyond this month I have so many more ideas! I have material to keep me busy for a good long while at the rate I work so expect to see more in the coming months.

Also, remember people: you may not like Foxiyo, but Riyo is officially as old as Padme, she’s not a child.

I might make an Ao3 account and put my stuff up there as well once it’s gone live here, does that sound cool to any of y’all?

Tags: Palpatine being a sith piece of shit as usual, allusion to mind manipulation, it’s all good though because Fox has great brothers and an awesome girlfriend, boudoir photography, allusion to male masturbation

Words: 2051

📖😳💦

Fox did not like Palpatine. Scratch that, he couldn’t stand the man, but for the sake of his job and not getting sent back to Kamino, he did his best to give the illusion that being in the man’s office wasn’t making him grind his teeth behind his helmet’s visor. At first he’d seemed fine, a politician sure, but pleasant enough. As time wore on though, more and more he found he hated the smiles that Palpatine tried to pass as kind. There was… something wrong with the man. He never thought too hard about it though, every time he tried the thoughts would suddenly become slippery and amorphous and he wouldn’t be able to keep them straight, confusion thickly clouding his ability to reason. Still, Fox knew somewhere he wasn’t to be trusted. He stood at attention though as he went through the motions of the end of the week briefing.

There was nothing new to report: there hadn’t been any major security concerns; no breaches; nobody had been maimed, murdered, or kidnapped; no encore from the Zillo beast; yes, the normal crime syndicates were still at it; no, there wasn’t any indication of separatists involvement in any of the protests; and there were no reports of troopers being recommended for reconditioning.

Palpatine steepled his fingers and smiled at Fox, “Good, good my boy,” Fox resisted biting the man for that damn nickname. “Is there anything else on your mind then, any other concerns that need to be addressed?”

Fox shook his head, “No, that’s all Chancellor.”

The edges of Palpatine's eyes crinkled, Fox didn’t think it was a warm look. “Alright then CC-1010, that will be all for today, dismissed.” With that dismissal Fox saluted and point-turned on his heel and marched out the door, not sparing another moment to stay and tense against his presence. Once he was a few passages away he allowed his posture to slump somewhat, the familiar weight of his armour now pressing heavily upon his tired body. It wasn’t a particularly exciting week and he’d finally had time to catch up on paperwork (that frankly, Palpatine most of which should have done himself if he wasn’t too busy being a prick), but exhaustion lay heavily upon him still.

If you asked anyone around, they’d say exhaustion was the result of how demanding his job was and the very limited time he was given off or to rest. If you asked Fox he would deny being tired whatsoever even if you could see the dark bags under his eyes appearing on his helmet. If you asked any of his vode they’d snicker and tell you it was because he never slept well while his girlfriend was away. And yeah, that was it, wasn’t it?

Riyo Chuchi: Pantoran senator, passionate debater, peace negotiator, short-stack, and resident lavender haired goddess of Coruscant was currently off-world on a diplomatic mission. For Fox this meant a whole month without so much as a whisper from her. No seeing her, giving her hand small squeezes in secret, holding her close whenever he could, getting his head scratched while they relaxed together, no flirting, and no late night tomfoolery. It had only been one week out of the four and he was already feeling something like withdrawal from the lack of her moonlight. But, each day apart is one closer to being together again, so he counted the days by filling out his morning papers and cursing Thorn’s tar-like caf brew.

A few passages reserved only for corries and senate guard members and a speeder ride later Fox was walking back into the barracks; it was the evening and the sun’s ass was just disappearing behind the farthest buildings, but he was now mentally preparing himself for hours more of tedious work in his cramped office, sitting on his pooched chair. The twinges in his back were getting a little worse as of late, he really needed to get a new seat. Maybe one of those fancy ones that spun so he could at least amuse himself a little. It was the same as it always was inside: troopers gathered in knots and whirls as they cleaned weapons and armour, chatting about bolla ball or the most recent news from the front, preparing, kitting up and down, and creating a bustle that never actually ended.

His men snapped to attention and saluted him as he passed and he returned their attention with a nod as he moved on. Now away from the outside world and their expectations of trooper decorum, Fox released the seal from his helmet and took it off, allowing himself a breath of air that wasn’t passed through filters, and taking in the flat smell of the barracks with its underlying man-smell. Not particularly appealing, but familiar and as homey as it could get for him outside of Riyo’s apartment. After another turn he suddenly almost ran into Stone who had his arms full of documents and papers.

“What’s going on here, Stone, finally deciding to take your work seriously?”

Stone raised an eyebrow at him over the stack he was carrying, “Very funny, I’m sure you’re an absolute scream at the senate galas. No, actually though, this is all your work, but I figured you could use the evening so…”

Wait, what?

“What the hell are you upto Stone?” Fox demanded firmly. This sort of thing never just happened, Stone certainly was a good guardsman, but he didn’t particularly take to the pencil-pushing side of things.

A slow, toothy smile took up residence on the other commander’s face, “Well you see vod, I was just going to the common room to watch some bad holo-drama’s with some of the shiny’s when a package came in for you, so I took it to your office and while I was there I nicked all this.” He hefted the pile a bit. “It was from your favourite senator and I figured, whatever the hell it is, maybe you’d want the evening with it.”

A package from Riyo? “While I’m thankful you’re being so considerate of me, I think I can still manage to do my work-”

“Ah come on Foxie, relax a little for one evening and let me do something nice. Besides, if you try and take all this from me I’ll get Hound to let Grizzer loose in your office while you're away.”

Fox narrowed his eyes, Stone would do that, he had no doubt. And while he really should be the one to sign those documents, Stone was another commander so it didn’t actually matter too much. The idea of an evening to himself was tempting…

“Fine, Stone, you win this one. Any idea what the package is?” He called the last bit over his shoulder as Stone had already taken off along his original course.

“No idea! Good night vod!” He called back cheerfully before disappearing.

Now with an interesting mystery awaiting him, Fox moved with a little more urgency, eager to face it and find out what awaited him. He’d received gifts from Riyo before, always things he needed or could use, like an extra soft pillow and a chunky blanket for his personal room; he was always happy to see just how much she paid attention to his needs when they were together, her trying to take care of him in her own way. But to get something in the mail from her is a first. So when he came to his door he wasted no time typing in the code and moving inside, the lights revealing a desk empty of it’s usual clutter except for a black box tied with blue satin ribbons. He noted how well the ribbons matched her colouring.

With a little more care now, as if it were a cornered creature that would either flee or attack, he approached the parcel. When it didn’t sprout fangs and bite him he lifted up to inspect it. Whatever was inside wasn’t too heavy, but was definitely a solid mass. Placing it back down, he gently pulled the bow to undo it before he hesitated for a moment, then lifted the lid. It was a book, printed on flimsi with a black cover with a little card sitting on top that depicted a small fox sitting among irises. Very cute. Turning it over, it read in a loopy, familiar scrawl:

My dearest Fox,

I hope I’m finding you well and not too overworked with this. A month away isn’t much and yet it’s still a long time without you and I think of you everyday, especially when trying to fall asleep here alone. The time will be gone sooner than we both think, but until then I’m leaving with you a little something of me. Enjoy!

Faithfully yours,

Riyo Chuchi

The tiredness that had been clawing at his consciousness melted away and was replaced with something warm and soft. A thin curl of perfume met him and he shivered, the familiar scent awakening a hundred different memories of Riyo: holding her, tasting her in all the ways he could, her smile, and everything else there was about her. He felt so many things about her, he lo- no, he couldn’t go there. If he admitted that there was no going back and his duty would become secondary to anything to do with her and they couldn’t do that.

Trying to end that train of thought, he reverently placed the card on the shelf by his desk so he could see it when he worked, he turned his attention to the book. A real flimsi book, not a holopad. As far as he knew flimsi books were reserved for antique libraries, but this one looked fresh and new, the edges of the pages white and glossy. It had weight to it despite its size. Turning it over there was no markings or words, just a matte black front and back. Now just what could this be that Riyo thought he’d like so much? Flipping it open, his eyes shot open and he gasped, a hand shooting to the desk to keep himself steady. It was a picture of Riyo, but holy maker...

Her image stared at him, back arched, clad only in red underwear (his red, he noted), her breasts high in a way that would have been begging for him to touch them if he was there. Frantically he turned the page and there was another of her posing, now leaning over a chair in only heels, her plump behind in the air. Another: she lay artfully wrapped in white sheets that hinted at the body beneath. More: she was clad in white, blue, and violet lingerie as well; she was in other sinful positions; she cupped her breasts as if offering them to him through the pages; she teased silently through the still images.

Fox half fell, half scrambled to get around his desk and fall in his chair, ripping off his codpiece as he did so before the force of his hard-on made it fly off and dent the karking wall. He had to squeeze himself harshly through his blacks in order to calm down and not shoot off like a shiny. Maker and the moon goddess that Riyo prayed to: he was well and truly fucked. He didn’t know where, when, or how she got these done, but he could kiss the photographer. These were- maker he didn’t know, smouldering in the way that ice can burn you, so fresh and invigorating. They were sensual beyond anything even the finest holo pornstars he used to watch could ever hope to match. They were exactly like her. There was nothing fake about these, the sensuality and fire were all her, nobody else and no fake thing could compare.

The more he looked, the harder his cock throbbed and he cursed. He was going to have to crank one out here if he wanted any chance of making it to his rooms sane. Once he was there though, he was going to take Stone’s advice and spend the evening pouring over every page of this book and thinking of her. The end of the month couldn’t return fast enough for him to finally have her back and return the favour.

📖😳💦

Stone is a good bro. That’s it, that’s all.

I like mixing in Star Wars and real life cursing, I just feel like it works better. Yeah, kark works in some situations, but nothing hits like a good, old fashioned, fuck.

Before this month ends I will get the 3rd and final part of the Hardcase x Reader story done, that’s a real bitch promise.

Kinktober works

Masterlist

#sisterofleatherfrogwrites #kinktober #kinktober 2021 #the clone wars #commander fox #cc-1010 #riyo chuchi #fox x riyo #foxiyo #i just think they're neat #star wars #sw #tcw #sw tcw #coruscant guard #thire #stone #fuck palpatine #all my homies hate palpatine

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marypenelope · 3 years

Text

Okay, so I've talked previously about how I don't think Luz's presence on the Isles is an accident. In that original post, I posited that the Emperor's Coven, or Belos himself, might have something to do with the letters. However, that doesn't seem particularly plausible at this point. Based on his desire for Eda's portal and him going to the trouble of fixing it after Luz blew it up, Belos didn't have a way to the Human Realm at the time the letters would have been sent. Given that the Emperor's Coven are basically his lackeys, it's highly unlikely they had access to a portal either. So that eliminates them from the list of suspects.

The fandom has also wondered if King or Eda might have been responsible for the letters - perhaps as a way to help keep Camila pacified and keep up the ruse that Luz is at camp. However, like I mentioned in the previously mentioned post, I think that's unlikely. Although the spelling errors do seem at least somewhat on par for King, and we have most certainly seen that he Does Not Want Luz to Leave, given what we know about him likely being 10 or younger, as well as his general lack of knowledge regarding the Human Realm, I seriously doubt he'd be capable of forging the letters. Plus, unless he has some kind of creation powers that we don't know about (which is not entirely out there; it seemed kinda like he was trying to create more Jean-Lucs when Eda found him, but for whatever reason they were lifeless), that wouldn't explain what we saw in the most recent episode.

Eda, of course, is a whole other ballgame. She certainly would have had the power to pull something like this off, at least pre-YBOS, and given that she's apparently hidden out in the Human Realm before to avoid her mom - as well as having been collecting and selling items from there for years - she's certainly more familiar with human culture than King. Even so, we see in the early episodes that this knowledge doesn't account for much. She doesn't know how TVs and batteries work, or even what summer camp is. As well, she's seen how worried Luz is about her mom since the portal was destroyed, and in Echoes of the Past, she got a very frank reminder that keeping secrets of that magnitude never ends well. While it's still possible she's at fault, I genuinely believe she would have told Luz by now.

So who does that leave? A few people suspected Amity when we first saw the letters, given some minor similarities in the handwriting, but much like King, I doubt she would have had the knowledge or power to pull something like that off - especially since she'd only recently become friends with Luz when the letters were revealed, and it seemed like several had already been sent by that point. Willow and Gus are equally unlikely. But if it's not our main antagonist, our other two protagonists, or our favourite side characters, who could it be?

A somewhat popular theory is that the camp itself is at fault - that, somehow and for whatever reason, they've been replacing campers with 'perfect' versions of themselves. While this is certainly possible and makes sense in its own way, I'm not entirely convinced. After all, that'd be a pretty deviation from the current plot - and given everything else going on with the Isles, I'm not sure Dana and crew would have time to cover it in what's left of the show. Maybe if we were getting a proper season 3, but...

Of course, if the camp is somehow connected to the Isles, that makes things a bit simpler - but it still doesn't explain how, who, or why. Again, Eda's portal is the only stable, reliable form of transportation between realms that we know of, and she's had it for about 20-30 years. Belos seems uninterested in humans, or at least he was uninterested in Luz, and he can't be behind it for the same reasons as above. If someone is kidnapping human children and replacing them with... idk, abominations, or illusions, or changelings or whatever - then who? And why? What would be the purpose of that?

And then there's my personal theory, which I first discussed in the other post, and expanded on a bit more here. What if Luz is meant to be here?

It could be, as I previously speculated, that the Titan itself chose Luz to be here, and has been somehow communicating with her without Luz realizing it - giving her knowledge of things like griffins with spider breath and helping her discover glyphs. But in order for the Titan to have arranged for Luz's double and the letters, it would need to be. Y'know. Less dead, and also able to write and stuff. Which, like, maybe? We don't know a lot about the Titan. But it seems unlikely that it would be directly responsible for the letters and doppelganger.

I think it's far more likely that an individual or group of savage witches - or at least, people who oppose Belos - is working on the Titan's behalf, likely manipulating the 'leaks' that Gwendolyn talked about. Perhaps the author of the Azura books, or the human (or, more likely, their descendant, given Gwendolyn said her great-grandma was the one to tell her about them) that was mentioned this episode.

But I don't know. There are just so many missing pieces here - it's impossible to say what's really going on until we know more.

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thedevillionaire · 3 years

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Illusionary

Cerberus, Kia, domestic bedroom snz scene with a little magic, little romance? Hmm, yeah, sounds like me. 😏 --- Wrapped in a full-length darkest burgundy dressing robe, feeling somewhat refreshed but still more than a little coldhazy, Cerberus emerges post-shower to the sight of Kia, changed from her earlier black velvet bodice and jeans into a burnished deep gold satin negligee, lying on her stomach across the bed, head resting on her hands, attention fixed on the Testing papers in front of her. He pauses at the threshold, leans against the door frame to simply look at her awhile, silently enraptured, a soft smile on his face.

:Just so you know, babe,: Mindsends Kia, keeping her eyes on the papers, :it’s not possible for you to enter a room and not be noticed.: She glances back over her shoulder at him and grins wickedly. “You’d be a terrible spy.”

Cerberus chuckles, walking over to settle beside her on the bed. “Hard to argue given the circumstances, I suppose.” He toys with her hair, looking down at the papers. “Which Level are you applying for?” A light sniffle, and he frowns slightly, rubs his nose against an irritation rising anew.

“6.” Kia sighs. “I mean, I’m pretty sure I can get that, but…I don’t know, I’m not…evenly skilled across the options or something.” She rolls over to sit up, cross-legged. “There’s a bunch of stuff I can do really well, and some other stuff I’m…just not very good at, I guess.” She gives him a rueful smile. “But I think if I maybe…”

“What is it you’re not sure of?” Cerberus reaches across her and picks up the papers, flicking through them as he moves to sit leaning back against the bedhead, rearranging the array of pillows and cushions to suit. Another sniffle, more sharply this time and he recognises the battle as lost, his focus dissolving captive to undeniable need, and he turns from Kia in surrender to an adversary already his conqueror many times over today. “HHAHTSSCCHU! Damn it, I swear Healing deal in placebos. Comple…ehh-HH ..completely…hh… Ahh-HEHTSSCH-uu!” He sniffles again and fixes Kia with a look conveying irrefutable vindication, raises an eyebrow. “*snf!*Hm? As evidenced. Completely ineffectual,” he states with authority, and takes several tissues from the box on the bedside. “Excuse me a mome… hh-HH... Oh, for f… HHAHTSSCCHU! Ah, gods. *SNF!* Pardon me, love.” He blows his nose in an attempt to stop any further irritation, at least in the short term, though he holds very little faith in that regard, and incinerates the tissues in a flashblaze of aetherfire.

“Bless you, sweetheart,” Kia says, gently strokes his forearm. “I’m fairly sure the meds have helped a bit, though,” she suggests. “Compared to earlier, at least.”

“Oh, well, yes, I’m sure I’ve had at least ten minutes respite here and there,” mutters Cerberus sardonically, though he concedes to his bonded’s wry smirk quickly enough, places a kiss on her forehead. “Ah, I’m sorry, darkling. It’s just that as a rule, I’m rather fond of breathing.” Resting back against the pillows once more, he sighs again, absently rubs his nose, and returns his attention to the papers, making a quiet hum of thought as he flicks through them, in consideration.

“Sweetheart?” Kia, curious, shuffles up along the bed a little more to kneel beside him, resting her head on his shoulder, trying to read what he was reading. “What are you doing?”

Cerberus points to the skillset of Illusion, listed as a subcategory within Hypnotics, several thick and emphatic lines scrawled beneath it. “This is underlined because…?”

Kia scoffed. “Because I suck at it,” she says, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I mean, I can do the basics, but…” She looks up at him, nestling into him, trailing absent patterns across his chest with her fingers. “It’s just…it’s like…you have to sort of direct what someone else sees, so it’s…putting your images into their eyes without actually seeingthrough their eyes, so you don’t know if it’s actually working, you just kind of have to hope for it, and I can’t figure out when it is working so then I get distracted and the whole thing pretty much falls apart.”

“It’s a skill Demonics covers as well.” Cerberus kisses the top of her head, draping an arm across her as he drops the papers in his lap.

Kia stares at him, taken aback. “You can do this?!”

“Well, I don’t use it widely, nor is it my forte, but…”

“Oh, oh, oh! Want to take my Test for me?” Kia gives him a playful entreating look. “Just, I don’t know, shapeshift or something. Is that a thing? You can do that, right? I’ll let you wear whatever you like. Oh my god, I bet you’d be super-hot as me.”

Cerberus collapses into laughter, and she laughs with him, her heart warming as it always does when he loses himself to delight, and particularly now, with him unwell. She repositions herself to settle beside him, kissing him tenderly as she does so, and picks up the papers in one hand, resting her other hand on his thigh. “Alright, alright, okay, I know. I’ll take my own stupid Test. It’s mostly Vampirism specific, anyway. But still…” A devilish grin darts across her face and she bats her eyelashes at him with exaggerated flirtation. :Super-hot.:

Smiling, Cerberus looks down and shakes his head in an ill-advised move that brings about yet another stark reminder of the throbbing sinus headache he’s only just managed to almost forget. He winces slightly and does his best to ignore it. Claiming the honeyed tea from the bedside tray, he reheats it with a touch, and takes a sip. “Well, darkling,” he says, “perhaps not quite that, um…absolute, but I certainly owe you any favours I can offer at this point, so if you’ll allow me—” He kisses her forehead. “—to revisit a request that you once asked of me… Drop your Protect.”

Kia’s eyes widen and she looks up at him, confused, curious. “Why? Do you even need me to?”

“No, love, technically I don’t. But I’d prefer to have your consent, if you’ll give it.”

“For what? I mean, sure, of course, babe, but…”

And then Kia loses her words, struck voiceless, astonished, and reaches her hand out to feel for a bed that is no longer there, finding instead only the soft moss and verdure of a rainforest glade, the gentle sensation of vivid greenery under her touch; lush, thick and rampant plantlife above her, beneath her, beside her, in sensory undeniability. She turns rapidly, looking everywhere around her, unable to comprehend what’s happening even as the very atmosphere changes, the dark, thick, wet scent of fernery, pines, rich soils, and peat surrounding her, immersive and entirely real, solid, incontrovertible. The sky darkens to gunmetal greyblue, stormclouded and windswept, and the crash of distant thunder seems to vibrate the air itself. Sky? But there can’t be sky. Where’s the…where’s the ceiling? What…

“Honey?” she asks, questioning, her own voice feeling like a foreignness, seeking her love who isn’t where he had been mere seconds ago, and she runs her hand along the bark of a nearby tree, one of several, the texture rough and actual, definite. She pushes it, pushes harder; it does not yield. The thunder echoes again, muted but resonant, a certainty, and the heavy cloudcover darkens with it, bringing further shadow to the dell. Shifting her position and reaching for familiarity does nothing to transform the verdant rolling hills back into the furniture she knows so well – oak and cast iron and ornate fabric lost to, consumed by, this wilderness she’s breathing. The landscape stretches out endless and impossibly vast; bedroom walls stay invisible, dissolved. There are no hard angles. No corners. Thunder once more but softer, as if moving away. Wisps of phosphorescence dartdance across thickets and brush, phantasmal. She curls her toes against some lichen at her feet.

:Know this, love,: Cerberus Mindsends almost as if in echo, in memory, to the bone, and Kia spins around to face him, seated beside her but on the opposite side to where she last saw him, dressed as if for a fog-covered moorside in a thick cable-knit sweater and fleecelined suede coat, which she knows is not possible this is not possible it cannot be possible how can he do this how can anyone oh my god definitely not reality but still the only tangible perception she can make, and she isn’t at all sure she can speak to him and she tries to see what she knows to be real, where she knows she must be sitting, but she simply can’t, and she plucks a honeysuckle flower off a nearby creeping vine that has to be fictitious and yet it somehow isn’t, marvelling as she turns it over in her hands, touching its petals, breathing its sweet perfume.

“You’re extraordinary,” she whispers, tears in her eyes.

:Close your eyes a moment, darkling, and immerse. Remember this. Understand this.:

And feeling the reassuring touch of his hand on hers, she closes her eyes as requested, reopening them after just a brief time to see again the bedroom that she’d logically known she’d never left, only then consciously recognising that he could not have taken her hand in that way from where she’d thought she’d seen him last, and she gazes up at him, open-mouthed in astonishment, for the shortest of moments before reaching up to trace her fingers along the contours of his face, almost as if to confirm his existence. “How are you even…” she murmurs in wonder, before calling herself back to reality somewhat.

She takes a moment to rebalance, breathes deeply, recentering. “Okay.” She exhales slowly. “Alright. Okay, that was…wow, that was completely amazing and… I love you but that was… If that’s what I’m meant to do… I mean, I could feel it. I held a flower. Fuck, babe. I have enough trouble even getting an image to form. A single image. You…you made a world. There’s no way I can do that.”

“You most certainly can, love,” counters Cerberus, “and, in fact, will. Should bring you up to a Level 8 grading, I’d imagine.” He presses his index finger then the back of his hand against his nose, frowning a little at a building itch, sniffling. “Excuse me. You just, um…recall the memory, enter in and redirect, adjusting for context. You’ll only be working with mortal capacity for resistance, also, if I recall the Vampirism protocol for this sort of thing correctly, so it sh…should be…” His breath hitches, the returning urgency stealing his sentence; he excuses himself with haste and turns from Kia, succumbing desperate, heavy, absolute. “AhhHEHTSSCHuu!”

“Bless you!”

He raises an index finger and gives the briefest shake of his head, brow creased, and frozen in thrall to the crescendo of oncoming need; he takes an imposed moment, expectant, and another, inhaling shallow scissored twice and over, then deep, deeper still.

And again.

“hh-HH… Hh-TSSCHhuu!”

And oh he does not want to concede, but again.

“HMPTch! HHKTchu!” His attempt at resistance proves no contest against the still insistent, overwhelming tickle, and he gives over completely this time, abandoning any further fight. “Hh-TSSCH-uu! ah-hh… AHHTSSCHUU! Ah, gods.”

Kia’s own breath comes a touch uncertain too as she purrs a honeytoned, “Bless you, sweetheart.”

Cerberus exhales tiredly, pushes silken ebony disorder back from his face with one hand while claiming several tissues with the other. “Thanks, love,” he murmurs, adding a sotto voce curse or two about the entire situation. “Pardon me.” He blows his nose, a little more gingerly now, sniffles again and sighs, repeats the process. Ridiculous.

A thought suddenly occurs to Kia that piques her interest far too much to not to ask it. “So, um…what would have happened if you’d sneezed during that whole…you know, ‘the bedroom is a forest now’ performance?”

Cerberus wipes his nose a final time before vaporising the latest used tissue collection. He chuckles quietly, clears his throat. “You’d best tell me, I think.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t, though. I would have…” Kia breaks off, examines her beloved’s expression with wary sidelong glance, considering whether there was any chance of...

No. With a faint scoff, she rejects the possibility, positive, confident. “No, you did not. There’s no way I don’t hear that.”

“If you say so, love.”

She frowns. “You’re right here. I am next to you in the bed.”

“Yes, it’s wonderful.” He flashes her a candid, disarming smile. “My favourite thing.”

Laughing, Kia pushes him in play. “Well, mine too, sweetheart, but that’s not what I meant and you know it,” she says before returning to her point. “You did not sneeze during that, though. No way. It just isn’t… Nope. You’re teasing me.”

“Well.” Cerberus once again brings newly steaming heat to the cup of tea with a touch, the very slightest of smiles crossing his face. “I admit that thunder is rather a cliché, but I didn’t have a great deal of time to consider intricacy of plot.”

“You di… But…” Kia stares at him in complete bafflement. “How?!”

“Illusion, darkling.” He stretches an idle arm across her shoulders, presses a kiss to her temple. “This is how it works.”

“Are you serious?!” Kia shakes her head in amazement. “God, do I even know what reality is?!” She gives a half laugh of incredulity, simultaneously astounded and utterly unsurprised at the variety of skills her beloved seems able to just call to command at will. “Okay, okay, and…so now because you…set me up, is that right, I can just, what, do that now? Oh. Ohh, whoa now, wait a second. Hang on.” She gives him a sly look, comprehension dawning. “Did you just do my homework for me?”

Cerberus laughs softly, a little darkly. “Consider it a crash course. Anyway, I know that you are in fact highly skilled in…not unrelated areas. I certainly know you can direct events. Your truly…outstanding talent with Immerse and Possess proves it. I suspect you just weren’t sure where to begin in this case.” He gives her a gentle smile. “You have an advantage, love. You should use it.”

Kia smiles back. “Oh, I’ll use you alright. I mean, use it.” She winks, laughing again. “I liked your mountain man look, by the way. Do you even have a cable-knit sweater?"

Cerberus raises an eyebrow. "What? You dressed me in a sweater?"

“I dressed you? What?"

“My direction only goes so far, darkling. Illusion involves a great deal of obfuscation, but it’s not a complete taking over. Some parts of it are nothing more than guidance, suggestions. And certain aspects are – I assure you – entirely of your own creation." He looks at her in nonplussed bemusement. “Really? Cable knit?”

“Navy blue, with a tan suede jacket,” Kia specifies with haughty precision before dissolving into laughter anew and doubly at the expression on his face. "I guess that’s what you get for setting everything in a forest. Come on, I was thematically accurate, at least.” She wipes away tears of laughter before meeting his gaze with conviction, points at him as if delivering an unarguable truth. “You looked hot as fuck, incidentally."

“I feel I’ve learnt something entirely new about you tonight,” Cerberus remarks, smiling briefly at her before suddenly turning away again, a couplet of fierce, unstoppable sneezes almost catching him unprepared absolutely, and he apologises with haste. “Hh-TSSCHH-uu! Ah-TSSCHH-uu! Goddamn it. *snf!* I have had more than entirely enough of this.” He sharply pulls another pair of tissues from the box, blows his nose again, immolates them afterwards with a burst of flame rather more emphatic than required.

“Aw, bless you, hon.” Kia tuts softly, strokes his hair back from his eyes, moves to sit across his lap, facing him. She traces a finely manicured nail down his neck, across his shoulder. “You know,” she nearwhispers, her tone softly teasing, “it wouldn’t kill you to wear a sweater once in a while.”

“I’m really not…”

Kia leans closer, purrs as if sharing the wickedest of secrets. “Denim jeans too.”

:Gods, love, who are you?: Cerberus Mindsends in shadowsnarl as he wraps a strong arm around his bonded and draws them together, claiming her mouth and kissing her with fire palpable.

:You know me, sweetheart.: With deft touch and feline grace, slightest shrug, Kia allows her negligee to smoothly fall away, returning her beloved’s kiss perfervid, wanting, infusing her reciprocal Mindsend with the same.

:Your favourite thing.:

----

#supernatural soap opera #cerberus #kia #cerbia #snzfic #sneeze fic #he will never wear denim jeans nope never not gonna happen #the sweater's not completely out of the question though #my writing #my OCs

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sepublic · 4 years

Text

Eda’s Happiness

Okay, but can we talk about the importance of that entire crowd, vouching and cheering for Eda’s escape?!? Every time we’ve seen Eda transform in public, it’s always gone wrong- Her first moment was no doubt incredibly traumatic, especially with her own older sister doing nothing to help Eda, as she was forced to navigate this curse on her own. And you can TELL that Eda actually has a lot of trust issues, and concerns with being a freak; Like yeah she still manages to have so much self-confidence, because that’s the only way she can survive and deal with how she’s treated! Not just for her ideals, but for her curse as well… The hurt of seeing her own sister prioritize the system that hurt and abused Eda, over Eda herself!

And so Eda assumes that she’s naturally unlovable. That she’s only someone’s last choice, and the kind of people that would hang around her are only ‘weirdoes’ who have nobody else to go to. She doesn’t tell King nor Luz about the curse because she’s so afraid they’ll be turned off, that they’ll ditch her… And it’s hurting her inside because you KNOW the general public is at least somewhat aware of her curse. You know the Emperor’s Coven played up the incident as proof of what happens to Wild Witches –given Belos does so in the season finale himself- and how scummy people like Odalia and Alador told their children stories of the evil Owl Lady… And it must make Eda feel so humiliated, dehumanized, and unvalid? So unsupported and lonely???

There were no doubt snobs and bullies who rubbed it in Eda’s face afterwards, or mocked her behind her back, about having the last laugh- That no matter how much more talented or enthusiastic Eda was compared to them, it was Eda who ended up worse off as a criminal rooting around in trash, that she got what she deserved in the end! There were probably plenty who mocked Eda for the lost, wasted potential because of the curse- While her enemies and bullies went to higher, prestigious places, such as the Emperor’s Coven. And to cope with this kind of mockery and humiliation, this feeling of being outdone and left behind by people so consdescending of you when you were once the best… Like they were right all this time about you turning out to be nothing.

I think Eda really had to learn to love and appreciate what she was doing, while disregarding any notions of superiority and hierarchy existing in the first place. That Eda didn’t need to feel like she was actually secretly doing better than others by being a wanted criminal, any lifestyle was valid! Eda chose not to wallow in bitterness and self-pity, to avoid that sense of entitlement and jealousy towards others for having what she was rightfully owed and then cheated out of, when it should’ve been hers and not theirs- Eda didn’t become obsessed with petty spite, about proving everyone wrong about her, about caring about what others had to say… She didn’t foolishly invest her energy towards revenge!

At her lowest point, Eda avoided looking to Belos’ toxic system for validation and an answer like so many others had. By doing so, Eda got to live truly freely without anything holding her down, she didn’t fall for that trap, validation from herself was all Eda needed… No wonder there was such a refreshing relief and sense of self-discovery in her newfound lifestyle, and why Eda so unironically boasts of it to Luz! But in the end… it feels good to receive support from others as well, and Eda no doubt missed that from a lot of people, especially her sister Lilith. And when you have only yourself… Amidst society and your own sister calling you a degenerate and a freak? With even the nature and the Boiling Isles/Titan that Eda found inspiration from, seemingly rejecting the kind of person she was, according to the Titan’s alleged messenger?

It’s no wonder she’s so tsundere about showing affection. Why Eda insists on being closed-off, and it’s why Eda insists on being nice to Luz despite her own fears of rejection, because she really doesn’t want Luz to go through what she did! And it just… MEANS. SO. MUCH, to her, when Luz and King stick with Eda after learning of the curse! And they actively help Eda with the curse, go out of their way to help her when Eda isn’t asking them, when Eda is telling them NOT to… And Eda’s kind of nervous and unsure of how to feel about Luz’s hugs. Maybe she’s afraid of being abandoned for the Coven System like Lilith did to her, which is why she’s so against Luz joining Hexside; But she also doesn’t want to force things on Luz, and she recognizes that Luz’s autonomy is more important, and that if Luz makes the choice to leave Eda, Eda should respect that! So she gives Luz that choice without trying to sway Luz to any particular opinion…

Luz is just SO KIND, and it’s all so unusual and overwhelming to Eda! Then Luz brings her friends, and Eda’s not so sure what to think, but she lets them in, she doesn’t want to be downright hostile. She’s cautious, she lets Willow and Gus exist and feels there more Luz’s friends than anything else, they probably have no opinions of her- Don’t complicate the kid’s relationships like that! Then Eda meets Odalia and Alador’s kids… And maybe she’s lowkey afraid of them recognizing and calling her out as a freak; But Amity, Emira, and Edric never do that! Amity goes out of her way to fix her own problems and it’s lowkey relieving that this girl that Luz clearly loves and vice-versa, is no threat to Eda- Though of course Eda would bear a lot of pain for Luz’s sake, you know she would even if Luz would never ask her to do that! The twins even conjure up a giant illusion of Eda that she adores…!

During Grom, it’s so painful and traumatic to see her cursed form assumed by Grom, and to have those kids look at her- And Eda must be lowkey getting panic attacks from her old memories again, but she bears through and watches so she can keep an eye on Luz, and then comes to the kid’s rescue so that Luz never has to worry about handling an uncomfortable situation without support! And Eda is just so STUNNED by how much Luz is doing for her, that she feels obligated to pay her back, as if Luz’s love isn’t unconditional to Eda and vice-versa… So she makes the Witch’s Wool cloak for Luz- And then when Luz breaks into the Conformatorium for her, Eda is just. SO touched, but concerned???

You can only imagine how much the pain of Lilith’s betrayal meant- Not just her being the curser, but especially Lilith kidnapping Luz, which is something Eda ALWAYS cites first before reminding Lilith that she cursed her little sister? But regardless this genuine betrayal of family hurts so much, but Eda swallows her pride to beg Lilith to protect Luz or at least keep her from Belos, because her love for Luz overwhelms any hatred she could have for anyone else… And Eda is resigned to her fate. She thinks this is what happens to her, and that Luz made it worthwhile, and maybe only Luz, because Eda underestimates herself.

Eda thinks she accomplished nothing. She was a rebel but never managed to change the system, and her curse discredited Eda to the public as a ‘savage’ beast. Eda felt like she had SO many unfulfilled dreams, that she was lowkey just taking up space and could never do the good things for this world that she always wanted to, so she always saw herself as just a criminal… Eda felt like all of her efforts against the system were for nothing when her own sister abandoned her for it! She thinks Luz and King are the only valid things about her, Eda relapses into that feeling that she needs to justify her own existence…

And then Willow and Gus step in. They mostly know Eda through Luz and not much more beyond that… But they VOUCH for her, and surely it’s only because Eda means a lot to Luz herself! Even so Eda is touched, but then… This entire crowd of randos, of utter strangers starts vouching for her? Morton expresses gratitude to Eda, who must’ve thought herself as just another needy customer to him… Principal Bump, who probably has regrets about failing Eda- He straight-up says Eda made him love teaching again? And you KNOW that means so much to Eda, because she has a relationship with wanting to reclaim education on her own terms, free from the Coven System’s influence…

Eda no doubt has trust issues over being taken advantage of, in regards to her curse, and her need for elixir. Tibbles didn’t exactly help that, so it means a lot to see Morton appreciate what Eda did; Obviously partly as a customer, but there’s a sense that Morton doesn’t just need Eda’s business, he wants her happiness in general out of true gratitude! Even the DEMON HUNTER who captured her in Episode 10, vouches for Eda’s escape! Granted that dude probably didn’t even know that was a person he was capturing and not a mindless beast (granted he has no qualms about murdering children even if he won’t glorify it), and maybe that Demon Hunter is vouching more in opposition to Belos, than an ACTUAL support for Eda herself…

But still, even this random jerk who persecuted Eda for being cursed, as a beast, who dehumanized her- This former enemy is now vouching for Eda’s personhood, for her right to live and exist! Then you’ve got a bunch of kids who are cheering for Eda too, even kids from high-status families like Skara- You’d think those families would be particularly against Eda, if Odalia and Alador are any indication… But the Blight kids prove that wrong. So does Skara, and then you’ve got some regular students, among them a kid who looked at Eda when he recognized her cursed form during Grom… And Eda’s felt like a freak for so long, so having these innocent kids actually vouch for her, like she’s a role model, like she’s someone to rally around and defend- It means so much! That these strangers don’t care for Eda on a personal level, but on a moral obligation they can’t bear to see her suffer- Just as Eda doesn’t connect with most people, but she defies the Coven System because of what it does to society! Even when the system offered her a place at the top, she refused because she saw others being hurt by it…

Eda is very much the kind of person who would vouch for an enemy, I feel, if she thinks their mistreatment is coming from a place of injustice, by a cruel system, and is undeserved in this particular scenario. She’d vouch for the rights and personhood of EVERYONE… Even if she’d totally kill them in self-defense for harming her Luz. To Eda, your right to exist is something you really have to work to forfeit through heinous acts and threatening others’ right to exist, instead of being something one must earn- You’re already entitled to it by default! To finally see her ideals be repeated, to have that sentiment echoed through others… After so long of feeling unheard, of feeling like her ideas have been dismissed because of her curse…

And now people are doing this, while Eda is LITERALLY cursed, right in front of them! She’s taking the form of a monster, but that doesn’t matter to any of these people! The dweebus’ dad even risks his job to let Willow and Gus fight against the system, because he thinks they and Eda make some good points; Or AT LEAST, Eda doesn’t deserve this! Every time Eda’s transformed, it was always a state of vulnerability and trauma where she was hurt and rejected. Even King, her trusted friend, lowkey dehumanized Eda by treating her as a beast to conquer others with (even if he learned his lesson in the end). Whether through Luz or her own actions, which DID affect Luz to begin with, or both… Eda has done something. Eda has actually put something out into this world, and is now receiving back from it so gloriously and kindly.

It must mean a LOT to her, it must mean so much… And obviously she couldn’t immediately react in the chaos. But afterwards, when things have calmed down and they all have time to recollect their thoughts at the Owl House? It probably struck Eda. To see kids, low-key a symbol of her lost youth, vouch for Eda… To change for the better just as Eda wants this new generation to avoid the trauma of the old one. It gives Eda a sweet hope in the new generation to save things, it gives her even more faith towards Luz, a desire to truly see her do well and propagate… Teenagers, from her first experience transforming, mock and hurt you for the curse even when you’re scared and need help. So it means a lot to Eda to see the situation change, so see Teenagers now being the kind of people who vouch for Eda…

Because keep in mind, this is all at the risk of Belos’ retaliation! This is an execution specifically propped up as being what Belos himself wants, to the point where he isn’t even going to hide it- He’s going to publicize and broadcast it! These people, kids and adults alike, even Bump who feared Belos because he likely saw his violent rise to power; They’re in the Conformatorium, at the heart of a symbol of Belos’ cruelty. The Emperor’s Coven could lash out at them for this, but they don’t care, because Eda deserves better than this, because ANYBODY deserves better than this, by principle! These people are risking themselves for Eda on the same kind of principle she tried to spread and feared would never be heard…

And it’s so incredibly validating. That Eda herself made just a change, not only for this specific kid named Luz –and she’d have been content with just that- but even with all these strangers from Bonesborough! Her existence and efforts weren’t for naught, and they expanded well beyond what Eda expected. Eda had resigned herself to never getting the dreams she wanted, and opted to get them for someone else- But now, this gives her hope that maybe Eda CAN live out the dreams she thought she lost, after all! And so when it’s finally tied off with Lilith… With Lilith risking Belos’ wrath, for Eda’s sake- Lilith FINALLY prioritizing her little sister, after all this time?

Lilith’s betrayal was among the first of Eda’s trauma. Lilith, siding with the Emperor’s Coven when Eda first transformed… It no doubt stuck in Eda’s mind and influenced her feelings of worthlessness a lot. Eda hoped that Lilith could turn around, not just because she loved her sister, because it also made Eda hope that she was lovable, that Lilith could still care for her in return… Which is kind of a parallel to Lilith hoping Eda would join the Emperor’s Coven for her, albeit in a much more compassionate and respectful way, of course! And Eda becomes resigned to Lilith’s rejection as the fundamental truth of how unlovable she is if her own sister rejects her, ESPECIALLY after learning that Lily even cursed her to be beside Belos…

And now Lilith is changing. Lilith has FINALLY changed, and now has King vouching for her- Luz has no doubt changed Lilith’s heart, and Eda is so indebted to the kid for this… But then she remembers that Luz was influenced by Eda, too. In a sense, it was Eda who indirectly managed to finally change her sister’s heart… Lilith finally realized how much she cared for Eda unconditionally. And Eda is just SO touched, after all these years of pain and abandonment- That she takes the petrification blow for Lilith and King. Probably more for King, with Lilith having to unintentionally benefit from Eda’s cursed girth that SHE caused, but still! It must be an overwhelming series of events- To have Luz and King affirm their love for Eda, to have this entire AUDIENCE of strangers, some of whom aren’t so strange to Eda, vouch for her? For Eda to realize she made a positive impact…

And now Lilith, the person whose betrayal likely hurt her most? Now even Lilith is vouching for Eda? When it finally settled in, after they all returned to the Owl House? Eda could’ve very easily cried and sobbed intense feelings of relief, of happiness, of validation… And I can see her just letting go of any grudge against Lilith, at least in the moment, because she’s just so happy and grateful for this. That she just wants love and validation, that she doesn’t care to hate- Eda never wanted to hate Lilith, always she wants to regain that lost love between them, and now it’s being offered back! Maybe in calmer moments, Eda will rightfully recall her issues with Lilith… But right now, she’s so happy. Eda’s never felt this relieved and content before, as she hugs Luz and King… It’s like she really COULD die without regrets this time, unlike what she claimed in Agony of a Witch…

Eda’s at peace with every decision she’s made now, and if given the chance to redo her life, would pick those choices again without hesitation! Eda wouldn’t change a thing, especially not after seeing where it’s gotten her now- Not a single of her own actions, she regrets! And at the same time, Eda’s still got so much more to do, so much more to look forward to! Making up for lost time with Lilith, learning Glyphs alongside Luz… Eda felt like it had already ended, or was in the process of ending- Her own lifespan had been shortened by the curse! But now, NOW, it feels like it’s just begun…! And Eda’s rediscovered that lost passion and hope for the future, that desire to head forward and explore to her heart’s content, to seize opportunities- And she’s just so happy. It just means the world to her, so much, and she’s eternally indebted towards Luz for this, for showing Eda the Light at the end of the tunnel; For getting her out of that dark place of resignation.

It’s like Eda’s going back in time, almost, to get the life she actually deserved and wanted for herself- And she is taking her chance! She’s not going to forget what she actually went through as an adult of course… But regardless, Edalyn Clawthorne has hope for the future. And not just the future, but for herself as well- It feels like she’s undone and made right her greatest regrets and failures, and now Eda feels the capacity to not just undo mistakes, but to make good… Because she DID make good, she did inspire people! And now Eda is determined to be what she always dreamed of, now that she has the chance to put in the work, and now nobody else can ever take that from her! And she won’t let people take from anyone else, either… What had been possibly the worst night of Eda’s life, was immediately followed by the best one… Not just in years; Maybe the best night in all of Eda’s life, period! And Eda could understand if there will never be a moment as great as this, ever again, because all ensuing moments from now on will still be worth it, especially if it’s with her family… And hey, who’s to say Eda can’t work to make things even better, as is?

Her confidence in herself to improve, to change the world around her, to make things better for herself and others- Not only has it returned, but it’s been truly validated! And now… now, it’s like a spark has been relit in Eda’s heart, more potent than her lost bile magic, and Eda can finally unapologetically be herself and fully pursue what she wanted, without anyone else to drag her down! Screw you Belos- Eda feels like she practically has the entire world behind her back! Fitting, given the possibility of the Titan siding with Luz… And ironic, given how Belos claimed it was the Titan’s will to spare Eda!

Maybe Belos WAS right about that in the end, and never even realized it… And being validated by the wilderness Eda loved and found solace in when there was nobody else to reassure her, the wilderness that inspired and defined her? To be told it was real, that it felt Eda’s attention and that it was touched by it in return? To do for Nature, after Nature did so much for her? Finally earning others’ respect for nature by getting them to challenge the Coven System’s loathsome rejection to wild magic… That there really was always somebody listening, that Eda was never wrong, and even on her own, she was still valid? That the world will never be against her, it too wants the best?

Eda’s life really has turned around. She was on the trajectory for what she thought would be a meaningless, unnoticed end, isolated from all others, forgotten even by the Coven System, with Belos not caring for Eda until she had the portal. But now it’s changed around, and Luz’s Light has shown her that in many regards, Eda’s life really was already that valid as she claimed, after all! And now, it’s like Eda can do anything… She knows who she is and can truly trust in that, now. The Owl House was an environment where people could finally be themselves- And after all this time, its most long-lasting and famous resident can enjoy this comfort at home for herself.

An unimaginable burden has been lifted from Eda’s shoulders, and now she feels freer than she’s ever been- And now she can truly love herself, not just in the present, but every moment in the past. Eda can fully, intensely self-love, and from there, her love of others can only flourish and bloom- And for Luz, it’s pretty intense as-is! Eda’s making new connections… All that went wrong has gone right, and Eda can safely be reassured that she doesn’t just owe it to others for this- She owes it to HERSELF as well, that Eda’s own efforts and struggles paid off in the end!

Eda made her own life not just better, she made it great from the very beginning, she truly defined herself, and applied those principles of determining one’s fate, to herself, and not just to others. Eda was a mentor to many, but now she gets to be the apprentice who learns and benefits after all this time- Not just from her own lessons, but from Luz’s as well! Eda did make a change, she really did… And I wouldn’t be surprised by a major shift in Eda’s mood from now on, in how she interacts with others and strangers, as she becomes even more open, and unapologetically herself, and openly loving with those hugs that Luz taught, or reminded her, of…

#the owl house #owl house #the owl house eda #edalyn clawthorne #the owl house luz #luz noceda #meta

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nikkoliferous · 4 years

Text

Phase One: Thor

Since I was looking up my past live-blog of the novel and realising how annoying and repetitive reading through it all is because of my having structured it as a bunch of reblogs, I’ve decided to organize it all into one long-ass post instead. In case anyone else wants to read it in the future. Or in case I decide to re-read it. Because I’m hilarious. 😅

SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO

My Hilarious Yet Wrathful Overview Of Phase One: Thor, Redux

—

If your son who’s to become king requires a babysitter to not screw it all up and also the idea of him being king is stressful enough to put you into a coma, maybe, uh… reconsider doing that? Just a thought.

But you see here why Odin was so deadset on Thor becoming king, despite him being ill-suited for the role. It’s not about what’s best for Asgard; it’s about personal legacy. Thor is Odin’s mini me, and Loki is very much not. There are places within the text where Odin laments Thor “lacking his father’s wisdom” (he’s definitely inherited your humility, though, Odin!), but he hopes for Thor to grow into a “wise king” like himself. Whereas he holds no such illusions (lol, pun) that Loki will ever take after him.

now with tag commentary! #this scene is in the script and both novelizations #(though in reading this novel seems to just be a more complete version of the junior novel? #idk i'm confused because they're supposedly written by different authors but so far the text is identical) #and it drives me insane each time i read it

“Haha, I’m a warmongering piece of shit, isn’t it funny?”

I know, I know. I try to cut Asgard some slack for being such a militaristic culture because social changes happen slowly and when you live for thousands of years per generation, it makes sense that your views on things like war would be regressive. The text says Odin has ruled Asgard for tens of thousands of years (so much for taking Loki’s “give or take 5,000 years” line literally; sure, the Odinsleep would have extended Odin’s lifespan, but by that much? Idk).

Still, fuck Odin. Especially since he’ll eventually try to shame Loki for doing the same thing he’s fucking boasting about here. And on a much smaller scale too.

…is it, though?

I actually think Loki’s relationship with being the centre of attention is really interesting in its complexity and we don’t discuss it enough. I’ve said this before, but he strikes me as the sort of person who craves attention but also wouldn’t really know what to do with it if he had it. He craves it as a result of neglect, because he’s never been shown recognition or validation. This is why he seems to revel in it in Stuttgart, even in (or maybe especially in?) his brainwashed state. But he also frequently comes across as pretty introverted and has horrible self-esteem, so I think on another level, sustained, genuine attention would make him feel kind of uncomfortable. Loki seems to believe that in order to be loved or respected, he has to literally be Thor, though. And Thor has always been the centre of attention, so for Loki, attention is synonymous with respect.

I find Loki’s relationship with wanting attention especially fascinating because I too both crave and fear it. As a borderline, I need it. When no one is paying attention to me, I lose my sense of identity. I feel as though I literally cease to exist. It’s excruciatingly painful. And yet, I have no authentic sense of self; I’m just a chameleon, and the closer people get to me, the more likely it is they’ll see behind my mask. They’ll realise it’s all a show and that I’m actually no one. And then they’ll leave. I can’t help wondering if that’s how Loki feels sometimes too.

Wait, what? You mean goat. His horns are shaped like a goat’s. This is a ram:

This is a goat:

This is Loki:

Do you see now? They’re like a goat. Not a ram. Not a cow. A GOAT.

This book was written before Ragnarok was a thing, so it may be unfair to connect the two, but it still seems worth noting that it was Thor who reduced Loki to being no more than a trickster to begin with. “You could be more,” my ass. Loki’s problem has never been that he was one-dimensional; it was always that the people in his life, including Thor, refused to see any other dimensions to him. Which makes those words particularly cruel—as if they aren’t cruel enough already, what with the physical torture and all.

Always happy to have cause to point out that

Loki was on Thor clean-up duty their whole lives; he certainly was not trying to kill Thor.

People like to point to Loki’s attempted genocide of the Jötnar and attempted(-ish? lol) conquest of Earth as proof that he’s some kind of violent maniac. But in a little place I like to call reality, Loki was historically far less aggressive and bloodthirsty than his peers.

Question: why is one conqueror evil and the other is righteously entitled to ruling over the Nine Realms?

Asgardian exceptionalism FTW

I can’t even begin to imagine what would lead you to expect such a thing, Odin. 😂

Uh, ‘cause it is?? And also their planet is MELTING without it??

This is all only within the first two chapters, btw. Lmao

—

“Looking for answers,” my foot.

YOU WOULD THINK SO, WOULDN’T YOU??

#i mean unless you knew heimdall #he only commits treason on days that end in y

—

What’d I say? Thor clean-up dutyyyyy

Just wanna remind everyone that this

is why he’s smiling during this scene

because it makes me laugh every time. 😂

—

My heart breaks every time I remember that second excerpt because literally ALL OF IT happened to him when he survived falling through the wormhole. My poor boy. 😭

But also of note… Loki gets cold (and also does not like being cold). This interests me because 1) as many are aware, the prevalent headcanon that Loki has a low body temperature irritates me and 2) it possibly(?) lends weight to the theory that he may not be fully Jötun, whether by virtue of his birth or Odin’s spell.

Haha, look at this Feminist Icon™ trying to take credit for his female friend’s accomplishments! Truly inspiring.

#for some reason the ragnarok lovers have somehow decided that thor is both a feminist and lesbian icon #whatever that means 🤷‍♀️ #and i'm still trying very hard to figure out why #is it literally just because he *says* he respects women or whatever in that dumb rambly conversation with valkyrie?

Ooh… you were so close to getting the point, Volstagg. So close. Take your tongue off Odin’s boot for just a couple minutes longer.

Also, the author just forgot the name of the Casket. How did this book get published? 😂

JUST LOOKING FOR ANSWERS, HUH?

Because fuck Loki, amirite? He, uh… he’s a prince too, you know.

Also… Fandral, you dweeb 😂

…am I reading too much into this, or did Odin just literally forget that Loki exists?

On the other hand, the author also seemed to forget Loki existed for most of this chapter, so who knows. 🤷‍♀️

lmao @ Jane immediately trying to convince herself she’s too rational to be attracted to a stranger

Honestly, though, big mood.

Just your periodic reminder that Thor’s sycophantic friends KNEW Loki was right and decided to throw him under the bus anyway.

Just as I’ve always said: That was it. That was their ENTIRE rationale. That Loki *could* have done it, therefore he must have. Please tell me these people have nothing to do with Asgard’s justice system.

…lol, jk, Asgard has no justice system.

Ok, first of all, no.

Second: thank you, Fandral. You’re a self-absorbed cad, but also evidently Thor’s least stupid friend.

Thirdly, how…? First, it was, “Loki arranged all this because he’s jealous of Thor.” Now they’ve suddenly jumped all the way to, “All of Asgard is in danger.” What exactly does Sif think Loki is planning? He’s gonna, what… assassinate Odin and then sell Asgard to the Jötnar?

—

Please stop hurting me.

Just so there’s no confusion: this one sentence explains everything Loki did for the rest of the movie. It explains how a person who has been historically non-aggressive suddenly transforms into a warmonger. To prove himself a real Asgardian, like his brother and father and grandfather.

—

…why did Odin fall into the Odinsleep in two completely different scenes in this book? I’m super confused.

Also, we really need to talk about how cruel it is of Marvel to keep forcing Loki to prove his loyalty again and again and again when he’s been doing so almost literally since we met him. And by “we need to talk about it”, I mean I need to tie Kevin Feige and co. to a chair and spend a minimum of five hours lecturing them on how poorly they understand their own fucking character.

Let’s just be clear here: they’re talking about Loki. They’re saying Loki, their LEGITIMATE king, is an enemy of Asgard, based on evidence so paper-thin it’s practically invisible. Just… please, let that sink in. Take a moment to appreciate how utterly fucked up that is.

I’m sorry (not really), but Thor was so much funnier before Ragnarok.

This scene has always kind of bugged me. If Odin removed Thor’s powers, how come he can still control the weather? Confusing.

So what exactly was Thor’s plan anyway, before he realised he couldn’t lift Mjölnir? He was just gonna call on Heimdall to help him commit treason AGAIN, show up on Asgard against the expressed command of his king, and… Odin would just shrug and be like, “You got me, son! I guess I can’t keep you down. Welcome home!”?

…I mean, I guess that more or less is what happened in the end, but it’s hard to imagine it would have still gone down that way without all the stuff that happened with Loki. Idk.

#look what i'm saying is... thor is not exactly a thinking person #no one on asgard is a thinking person #except loki but he's crazy now so he's also thinking somewhat poorly lol

Cool, Thor. Now imagine feeling that way for ONE THOUSAND YEARS and develop a little fucking empathy for your brother.

But you won’t.

You’ll brush off his feelings of worthlessness as “imagined slights”. 😒

Nice that somebody knows how the royal line of succession works, I guess…

That sound you hear? Yeah, that’s just my heart breaking. NBD.

First, they mislabelled it the Casket of Eternal Winters. Now it’s the Cask of Ancient Winters. Author must have been thirsty when they wrote this. Lol

Look, not to nitpick, but this is not the recommended procedure when you see a storm that you don’t believe is of supernatural origin coming. I’m just saying. Lol

Uh… ‘cause he is?? And your pals are committing treason AGAIN, Thor, so it technically is responding to a threat to Asgard. Just FYI.

Anyways, this is an important point that doesn’t get made often enough. People want to act like Loki illegally usurped the throne somehow, but even without the deleted scene that explicitly shows Frigga passing rulership to him (a scene which is, for some reason, entirely skipped over in this book, but whatever), understand this: Loki could not have controlled the Destroyer unless he was legitimately King of Asgard. The fact that he’s able to do so is irrefutable proof that his rulership is valid.

lmao you little shit

So… here’s my issue with this scene (and with Thor as a character): He always assumes that Loki’s acting out specifically to hurt him. That Loki’s entire life and thought process revolves around Thor. He does it in this scene, he does it in The Avengers… it’s just a chronic thing with Thor. Everything is viewed through the lens of Loki inexplicably hating him.

But that’s… just not accurate. Yes, Loki harbours a lot of jealousy towards Thor. But that’s not what’s happening in this scene. Loki is not trying to kill Thor here because he wants him dead; he’s doing it because Thor (and his friends) are getting in the way of Loki completing his ultimate goal. Loki tried to solve this problem non-violently, by lying about Odin being dead. It’s Thor’s friends who all but forced his hand by going behind his back and trying to bring Thor back to Asgard against Loki’s (and Odin’s!) direct orders.

For all the humility he’s learned in the past few days, this entire speech is still really all about Thor. About assuming that Loki’s doing this for personal reasons, because he holds a grudge against Thor for some unknown reason. This is implicit in his request to “take [my life] and end this.” It never even occurs to him that his friends are traitors to the Crown and Loki, as King of Asgard, is perhaps justified in pursuing them.

It also needs to be acknowledged that Thor’s apology here is hollow, even if it’s ultimately coming from his heart, because he has no idea what he’s apologising for. “Whatever I have done to wrong you” is not an apology. An apology addresses specific hurtful actions taken and commits to not repeating those mistakes in the future. Thor cannot commit to not repeating the hurtful things he’s done, because he doesn’t know what he’s done. Despite his best intentions, what Thor is doing here is actually kind of manipulative. He’s not addressing any substantive issue between the two of them; he’s just trying to talk Loki down. And it ultimately fails not because Loki doesn’t care or because he wants Thor dead, but because it doesn’t actually change anything.

Finally and only semi-relatedly, we should maybe at some point talk about the fact that Loki, who is stated to be a master tactician, has displayed a weird pattern of hardly ever being as lethal as he could be. He freezes Heimdall in place instead of killing him outright; he backhands Thor with the Destroyer instead of incinerating him; he, well… *gestures vaguely at almost the entirety of the first Avengers movie* Anytime the violence is even a little bit personal, he seems to hedge. Odd behaviour for somebody who’s supposedly super evil.

I’m sorry, I know I’ve pointed it out at least a hundred times before, but I just can’t encounter this scene in any form without taking a moment to appreciate how underrated and hilarious it is.

I also genuinely wonder how many Ragnarok stans who have accused me of having no sense of humour, have failed to laugh at moments like this one. Kinda feel like if you need to have the comedy spoonfed to you in the form of ass jokes, maybe you’re the one whose sense of humour is lacking. 🤷‍♀️

Let’s be super clear: this is not what happened. Loki did not betray Odin; he was betrayed by Odin. He did not open Asgard to its enemies; he attempted, misguidedly, to destroy Asgard’s enemies. And he most certainly did not commit suicide out of a sense of guilt.

I’m not saying Loki did nothing wrong, nor am I saying he feels no regret for the lives he has taken. What I’m saying is there’s no indication that he believes he betrayed Odin or Asgard in the process. Which makes perfect sense, because he didn’t. Everything he tried to do was for Odin and Asgard. It was misguided and horrible, yes, but it can hardly be classified as a betrayal.

The insurmountable burden on Loki is not that he did terrible things, but that no matter what he does or how hard he tries, Odin will never look at him with anything but contempt. Consider once more these passages from the very beginning of the book, at Thor’s coronation:

—

Consider that this book goes to great pains to point out that Odin favours Thor because Thor is a warrior like him. And yet even when Loki embraces that, even when he acts more war-like than ever before, Odin rejects him— just as he always has.

There is a reason why this moment is the last time Loki will ever call Odin his father. Because he realises once and for all that, no, nothing he tries will ever be good enough; no, Odin won’t ever look at him with pride. That is Loki’s burden. That is why he lets go.

The epilogue is really just two pages of making me want to vomit.

There’s your party where Thor and a certain subset of the fandom insist that Loki was mourned. There’s barely an indication here that anyone even perceives his demise as a negative thing.

“[Sif] could see Frigga thought [Loki was dead] as well” also contradicts the tie-in comic for TDW, so I don’t know what the author is on about there. Unlike the majority of Marvel comics, the tie-in comics are canon to the MCU, so it’s a bizarre statement to make.

COULD YOU SMEAR THE DEAD* ABUSE VICTIM A LITTLE HARDER, PLEASE? Fucking hell.

No matter how many times I encounter this scene, in whatever format, I still fail to become desensitized to how disgusting it is. I realise there’s a good chance that whatever version of events Thor has been told was twisted at best; but how you can look at a man whose son has just committed suicide under any circumstances and say there will never be a better father than that guy, is utterly beyond my capacity to understand.

And Odin’s “you’ve already made me proud” line just feels like extra salt in the wound because, again, Loki let go because he realized Odin would never say those words to him. And yet they come so damn easily when it’s Thor.

Fuck this entire family so much. I think I hate them more than Loki does. Sometimes I wonder what he would think about that. How he would react to knowing that not only is he actually loved, but that he’s so loved that people are genuinely furious at the way he’s been mistreated. That there are people who regularly devolve into full-on rants because they just can’t contain how much anger they have towards the people who hurt him. I think he’d have a hard time wrapping his head around that concept, tbh.

Anyways, to end on a not-completely-depressing note, I’m still waiting for someone at Marvel to explain how Loki knew what Thor said in this scene after plummeting into a wormhole. ‘Cause he references this conversation as Fauxdin at the end of TDW. So like… ?? Did he steal Odin’s memories before he erased them? Because that would be… kind of neat, actually. And very clever. Not entirely ethical, of course, but it’s Odin, so fuck ethics.

WELP, THAT’S IT. Thanks for following along with my dumbassery, hope you enjoyed yourselves. Lol

#phase one: thor #loki meta #thor meta #odin's a+ parenting #frigga's b+ parenting #topic: thor and loki's broken relationship #loki #thor #heimdall #lady sif #the warriors 3 #jane foster #ragnarok cinematic universe #mcu #topic: asgardian hypocrisy #topic: asgardian militarism #topic: odin's family dynamic

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alarawriting · 4 years

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52 Project #31: (Inktober 2020 #26: Hide) Survival Traits

Trigger warnings: This is a horror story. I’m serious. If you’re triggered by harm to children don’t read this. This came from a nightmare I had a very long time ago, and it still upsets me.

***

My heart beats faster, my palms sweat, but tension is good. Tension keeps me on edge until the moment it begins. My eyes seek a pathway through the crowd, and I am ready for the Hunt.

Our Hunt is being conducted in an abandoned shopping mall. In the basement of one of the department stores we wait, tensely, for the Hunt to begin. I am more ready than the others, the spirit of flight in me. I will find safety before they do.

"Let the Hunt begin!"

And I shove my way through the path I found, faster, ever faster, threading my way through the milling mass of children around me. This is the moment of exploding forth. When they come to hunt us, we need to be in a place of safety.

I will find such a place.

I take the stairs as fast as I can, running, almost flying. There are others, in front of me and behind me. I thread past them, going up, always up, then out into the store and running. Dozens of them swarm onto the escalators‑‑ I dodge through them, out onto the top level. A boy nearly falls as I brush past him, and I give him a hand to right himself, then go, through the bed department. Perhaps I can find safety there.

Groups of girls congregate and sit down, shutting me out with their laughter. Are they stupid? Don't they know they have to find a safe place? I run past them, through them, ignoring them as they laugh behind my back. There is no safety here. I dodge around the curtains and head out into the mall.

Already it's full of children, seeking hiding spots. They are in the stores, behind counters, under clothes racks, in groups. As if there's safety in numbers. Don't they understand how easy it is for a group to be found? I leap down over a banister, onto a staircase, and run down it. No telling how much time has passed. I've seen no place that could be truly safe. They could search anywhere-- a shopping mall doesn't have true hiding spots!

I understand the Hunt. I know it's safer to keep moving than to stay in a bad hiding spot-- but it won't be safer for long. Soon they'll begin searching. I have to find a place before then.

All around me, children are forming into groups, sitting in places that, while not immediately obvious, are certainly not safe. Do they think numbers will save them? Part of me wants to be part of such a group-- they seem to feel more secure than I do... But that security is an illusion. I'm contemptuous of their huddling, and I don't want to die.

Besides, they wouldn't have me anyway...

There! A blacked-out store window!

I run to it and press my face to the glass, looking as hard as I can. Try as I might I can't make out more than vague shapes. I go around, inside. The window is one of the kind that isn't open to the store-- there's a wall in front of it, with a door. I open the door to the window and toss in my white shoes. Then I run back outside to check. I still can't see them-- it's completely dark in there. So I go back around again and climb in, shutting the door behind me-- and then I hear the siren. They're coming. The hunters are coming, but I have the perfect hiding spot. From behind the darkened window, I can see them, but they cannot possibly see me.

And I watch, somewhat shocked, as group after group of children escapes their notice. We were told the Hunters would be tough, merciless, would spare only those with the necessary survival traits. These children are barely hidden, and yet the Hunters spare them-- could it be I was wrong to be so worried? Maybe they're not so tough after all.

Then I see a boy who hasn't yet found a hiding place. He looks around him in terror, and my heart stops for him. Run, hide, come on! Hide! He runs, finally--

--and a Hunter grabs him by the ear. He struggles desperately, kicking, then begins to scream as they lift him and muscle him into the portable compactor. My heart is slamming with terror and horror for that poor captured boy. He shrieks, an inhumanly high sound, as they turn on the compactor.

Then they remove a cellophane-wrapped square bundle of flesh. I want to be sick, or scream, but my mesmerized eyes can't leave the Hunters outside. Now horrible anxiety overwhelms me. What if they find me?

They won't, I tell myself over and over. I'm hidden too well. They won't.

But what if I'm wrong?

They pass another small group of children, who appear to be sick, but not particularly afraid. Now I know they saw that group-- why didn't they take them? Not that I want them to-- god, no one should die like that-- but what's the reason?

They pass the water fountain, where one of them leans down suddenly. I see signs of a struggle, and then they pull a slim girl out by her leg, shrieking. Again my heart pounds, sick with dread, and I cannot turn my eyes away as they throw her in the machine and crush the life out of her...

Where was she hiding?

If she'd been in the fountain, she wouldn't have been able to breathe-- and I saw them reaching, pulling. I read a story once where a child hid in an air pocket in the reservoir that fed a fountain. But if she'd been there-- how did they find her? That would have been the best hiding place of all...

Then I see they have some sort of device, that they're passing back and forth. Several groups they see, and ignore, but children alone they take, and kill them. No matter where they're hiding. This happens several times. I cling to a piece of mannequin and tremble, terrified beyond imagining. My heart wants to stop with terror.

They're ignoring the groups, and coming for the loners. Like me.

I've never fit easily into groups. When they used to tell us to do something with partners in school, I could never find a partner. Unless they assigned it, I could never find a group. Hardly anyone ever wanted to be my friend.

It's not my fault! It's not my fault!

I’ve always tried to be a good person, a kind person -- I saved that boy on the escalator, before, didn't I? It's not fair that the ones who form groups and shut other people out should live! It's not my fault I don't belong!

They are heading toward me.

Mad thoughts run through my head, of breaking out of here, running to join a group-- oh, but there's no time, they're coming, they see me, I know they see me, oh help me help me somebody please save me--

They open the door to the store I'm in, flick on the light, and open the door to the window.

#52 project #inktober 2020 #alara's october 2020 prompt fics #spooky5 #horror story

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iamanartichoke · 3 years

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What do you think Loki would think of Kilgrave (from the tv series)? Would Loki be immune to his powers? How could Loki cheat and defeat Kilgrave?

This question has been sitting in my ask box (among others - sorry, anon :/) for probably a couple of months and I think about answering it at least once a week and I haven’t answered it yet bc I have no idea how to express how flaily I am at the idea of Loki encountering Kilgrave (believe it or not, I never thought about it before! Loki teaming up with Jessica, yes, but not crossing paths with Kilgrave.).

I also don’t know how to answer this lmfao, I have no idea.

Well, I have a lot of ideas, but how accurate and/or in-character they are remains to be seen. .

Idk, buckle up.

Under the cut bc it’s super long and I’m sure only like three people care about this.

What do you think Loki would think of Kilgrave (from the tv series)?

I don’t know if there’s a word that would encompass what Loki would feel toward Kilgrave. I think that there’s a number of things he would think, none of them particularly flattering. I think that the most succinct way to put it would be that Loki would think Kilgrave - basic, is the only thing I can think of. A basic bitch.

I say that for a number of reasons and it’s not that I think Loki would think Kilgrave isn’t a threat. Kilgrave is evil. Kilgrave is irredeemable evil; there’s no redemption arc, no coming back from the things he’s done. He doesn’t want to come back from the things he’s done.

It isn’t just that he mind controls people, and it isn’t just that he kills people. It’s the way he feels (or doesn’t feel) about it.

Kilgrave could be a sociopath. (I don’t know enough about the diagnostic criteria to say that he definitely is, and on tumblr dot com, I feel like I need to disclaim that right off the bat. I’m not armchair diagnosing here.) There’s no empathy in him, no remorse for any of his actions, no inclination to do the right thing. It’s the exact opposite: Kilgrave’s particular brand of villainy is rooted in this purely sadistic need for power over others - quite literally.

He doesn’t just want his victims to hurt or kill themselves. He wants them to do it as painfully as possible. He wants them to suffer, and he wants them to keep on suffering even after he’s no longer there to enjoy it.

An example: Kilgrave uses his powers to hustle a ton of money in a poker game, and one of the players confronted him. Kilgrave told him to “see how long it takes to put your head through that post,” and the poor guy goes over and is just slamming his head repeatedly into the post, long after Kilgrave leaves. This is a particularly horrifying aspect of Kilgrave’s ability: the person isn’t freed from the mind-control after Kilgrave is no longer there, and it’s not the kind of mind-control that can be broken with “a really hard hit to the head.” The victims physically and mentally cannot stop doing what he told them to do, either until the thing is complete, or they literally die trying.

It’s brutal and perverse. But it’s significant to note that Kilgrave doesn’t hurt/kill everyone he mind controls. Whether or not he decides to make someone suffer seems to depend on 1) how useful they can be to him, and 2) whether he feels like it or not. There’s little rhyme or reason. He will mind control someone to give him their cell phone, mind control a second person to throw a cup of scalding coffee in their face, and mind control a third person to cut their own hands off, and all three of these things seem to be the same to him. He doesn’t see making someone cut off their own hands any worse than making someone give up their cell phone. He’s not any more horrified by it, and he doesn’t even think about it long enough to attempt to feel any real remorse.

In this manner, Kilgrave mind controls, torments, kidnaps, rapes, maims, and kills his victims and doesn’t give it a second thought. He forgets them forever once he’s done with them. (What makes Jessica the exception is a whole other meta.) He’s motivated by the feeling that having power and control over other human beings gives him. He’s motivated by feeling invincible, and will do whatever he can to maintain that sense of invincibility.

These things make Kilgrave terrifying as a villain, both to his victims as well as to the audience. What makes him a particularly formidable villain for the series is that Jessica is literally the only one who can stop him. He loses his ability to control her, and she’s strong enough to take him down. She’s the only real threat to him. When one is surrounded by regular human beings who are completely helpless to this brand of mind control, it raises the stakes and frames him as a villain you are going to be scared of. Ymmv, but I mean, I certainly wouldn’t want to cross paths with Kilgrave on the street.

So why is he a basic bitch?

Loki may consider all of these things, and he may further be mildly horrified if he actually saw what Kilgave does to some of his victims (’mildly’ because we don’t know what Loki’s threshold is; who knows what kind of Fucked Up Shit he’s seen by now), and he would conclude that while Kilgrave is certainly a threat in his own, human context, there’s nothing about him that differentiates him from any other would-be villain out there. There’s nothing compelling about him; there’s nothing that sets him apart. His powers are the only thing that make him significantly more threatening than any other human serial killer who kidnaps, rapes, and kills for no reason other than that sheer need for power and control over a victim.

I mean, Loki’s opinion of the humans is pretty low to start with. When Thor says, “you consider yourself above them,” and Loki is like, “um yes?” - I don’t believe that’s a response that had anything to do with the scepter’s influence and everything to do with the culture in which he and Thor were raised. Odin compares Jane being on Asgard to a goat being at a banquet table. The W4 mention “throwing around a little lightning and they see us as gods” (paraphrase). Loki grew up in a world that is both physically and scientifically millenia beyond humanity, and as a prince besides (which grants him a level of privilege above even other Asgardians). It’s only natural, I think, that he would see the humans as lesser-than his own people.

If Loki encountered Ted Bundy on the street, he’d not be overly impressed. Likewise, Kilgrave is not overly impressive to him. In the most general “here’s my reaction,” sense, Loki thinks that Kilgrave is what we would call a basic bitch. It’s similar to how he used his last breath to tell Thanos, “You’ll never be a god.” The implication being, you may have power, and you may be frightening, but there is nothing about you that is truly remarkable and there never will be, no matter how hard you try.

That all said, if we dig a little deeper, I think that Kilgrave would give Loki a lot to think about, in a way? Kilgrave suffered through medical experimentation in order to get his powers, and Loki isn’t a stranger to torture. And I think that, in a comparative sense, Loki would be somewhat reassured at the fact that he finds Kilgrave’s actions appalling. Even going through whatever torture Loki went through, he didn’t turn out like Kilgrave. Kilgrave does things that Loki would never do. (The mind control aside, but to be fair, it wasn’t entirely Loki’s choice to do that.)

Loki doesn’t enjoy violence just for the sake of it. He takes no pleasure in hurting or killing anyone and, in fact, seemed kind of repelled by it (does anyone else notice how Loki rarely looks at his foe when doing the violent thing?). Loki would never kidnap or rape anyone, and certainly not just to feel power over another person. He would never inflict torture, either.

I say this fairly confidently because the consistent thing about all the misdeeds Loki has done is that they’re internally motivated. Loki’s desire for power isn’t rooted in the need to victimize others; it’s rooted in this deep-seated self-loathing that has him convinced that power - not just any power, but the power to be a king - is the only way he will ever have any worth.

He never wanted to rule Asgard. I don’t believe he wanted to rule Midgard, either. It’s like Loki is seeking the illusion of power more than the actual power itself. He wants the worthiness and the validation; he wants to be taken seriously. He wants his own abilities, specifically his magic, to be revered as any other warrior’s skill. He just wants to be seen.

So I think on some level that Loki, when confronted with bone-deep, unapologetic, irredeemable villainy (for lack of a better word) would think, I could have been worse. Thank the norns I’m not worse.

Again, I may be completely off-base or wildly out of character - idk, I revised this like 12 times. But this is just my idea of what Loki would think of Kilgrave and I hope, if nothing else, it was interesting to read.

Would Loki be immune to his powers?

Yes. This is another thing that contributes to how Loki sees Kilgrave; his powers aren’t a threat to him personally. This is because Kilgrave’s ability is a virus.

According to Kilgrave’s Wikia:

Kilgrave’s abilities are due to “a virus that he emits through microparticles in the air. His power was revealed to be a side-effect of the viral treatment used to cure his childhood degenerative disease. His ability is always active as he cannot stop his body from producing the virus and anyone within his immediate proximity is affected” (Source).

Now, I’m no scientist, but my takeaway from this is that, because Kilgrave’s powers are literally a virus, and said viruses (viri?) have this effect on the humans around him, someone with alien biological insides (Asgardian or Jotun, for that matter) would likely not be affected in the same way, if at all.

It’s like how ebola or HIV (or covid, ugh), is potentially deadly to humans because of the way our cells respond to the virus cells. Someone who isn’t human wouldn’t have that same response. Of course, it’s entirely possible that a different effect could occur, or even possibly the virus could affect an alien but the reaction wouldn’t be as strong or overpowering. There’s no way to know for sure but, my limited understanding of science-y things leads me to believe that Kilgrave’s ability would be useless on anyone who wasn’t human. (As a matter of fact, I think that it’s revealed that Jessica was able to break free from the control because she’s enhanced and her biology is different, but I’d have to watch those episodes again.)

How could Loki cheat to defeat Kilgrave?

Considering the above answer, there would be no need for Loki to cheat; Kilgrave’s abilities wouldn’t work on him, which leaves him powerless while Loki maintains his arsenal of magic, along with the whole super-strength thing. Loki would probably just have to hit him a few times to take him out.

I’m sorry this is so long, but I really appreciate the question! Thank you! I hope that this was a decent answer overall.

#idk how well written this is #i kind of got carried away and had to delete a bunch of irrelevant stuff #but alas here we are #kilgrave #jessica jones #loki pokey artichokey #asks #charlotte replies #a nonny mouse #shit i forgot trigger warnings #tw rape mention #tw violence #tw mental illness

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sammysdewysensitiveeyes · 4 years

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Because I’m in the mood, here is more obsessive analysis about Pyro, this time concerning him and Mystique.

I think Pyro and Mystique have a very interesting relationship. Sometimes, she seems to regard him as a dumb lackey, especially the story when they fight ROM while trying to break out of prison, and completely bungle the whole thing. She’s certainly willing to leave him in prison if he screws up. But sometimes, she seems affectionate towards him, or at least appears to regard him as a trusted team-mate and friend, more so than she does with Blob or Avalanche. Pyro certainly appears to consider her a friend in this moment on Muir island.

Pyro also seems to respect Mystique as a leader, and to stick up for her. In fact, the first time he gets pissy with Blob is right after Blob disparages Mystique. It could also just be Pyro doing some dick-measuring with Blob about who’s the biggest, baddest mutant. But he reacts right after Blob says he doesn’t “take orders from a broad.”

I also note him snarking on Val Cooper when Mystique is annoyed with her. Maybe that’s just his own opinion (Pyro likes to snark on people…a lot), but it feels like he’s chiming in to support Mystique, and maybe as a way of bonding with her. Or assuring his own position as a friend. “Look at us, we sure are chums, right Mystique? We do fun things together like gang up on Val and the new recruits.”

I remember years ago when there was more of a fandom for the old-school comics Brotherhood, before they got over-shadowed by the movie and Evolution versions (and before like half the comic Brotherhood died), I saw fics shipping Pyro and Mystique as a friends with benefits thing, or writing Pyro as having a one-sided crush Mystique. And as much as I head-canon gay Pyro, I could totally see it (and of course, he could always be bi). Like, if Duggan writes Pyro as being in love with Mystique as part of his characterization (that would require Duggan to actually give Pyro some characterization, LOL), I wouldn’t consider it out of character. Personally, I imagine Pyro having a strong sense of admiration and loyalty towards her. Duggan does seem to write Pyro being in awe of powerful women like Storm and Emma, and I think that fits perfectly well with his previous relationship with Mystique.

I think we especially see Pyro’s loyalty towards Mystique in the X-Factor Graydon Creed assassination story. He was mostly there so that Mystique could discuss her plans using extremely ambiguous phrasing and mislead readers into thinking she was the assassin, when she and Pyro were actually attempting to save Creed’s life. (And then it turned out that Mystique actually was the assassin via time-travel shenanigans….but Pyro didn’t know that at the time). But I thought his few panels had some good character moments.

Despite his protests, he’s clearly in no condition to be running around getting into fights. And he doesn’t even fully agree with what they’re doing, but Mystique has asked for his help, so he’s giving it. To some extent, I think this is partially about Pyro wanting to do something important before his death, rather than just fade away. I also think that his insistence that he is still well enough to carry out the mission is a kind of denial about his own condition. Like, if he’s well enough to do this, then the disease isn’t that far advanced, and he still has time, right? (Actually he has a lot of time, because the editors weren’t ready to kill him off for a while).

But taking all that into account, I still think it’s very significant that, when Pyro is arguably in a vulnerable state, when he’s sick and weak and admits himself that it’s difficult to think clearly, he turns to Mystique to tell him what to do. Also, there is something weirdly cute about how he keeps calling her “Boss.”

I head-canon that Pyro sees the relationship as a little bit more than it really is, like he thinks he is “special” compared to Avalanche and Blob. Like he’s not just her lackey, he’s her friend/trusted right-hand man. And he is wrong. I think Mystique is probably fond of him as a useful follower, and maybe even something of a friend. I think she was sorry to see him waste away from Legacy. But he’s certainly not in the top three of “Important People that Mystique Cares About,” (that would be Destiny, Rogue and Nightcrawler), maybe not even in the top five….or ten. I think Pyro would claim he has no illusions about his role in the Brotherhood, but if Mystique threw him under the bus, he’d be both surprised and hurt.

And this isn’t meant to paint a picture of poor, innocent Pyro used by evil Mystique. Pyro took to crime and terrorism like a duck to water, he’s clearly having a great time setting fires and burning people, and he continues to participate in the Brotherhood under other leaders like Toad (and Joseph, but that was resurrected zombie-Pyro, so I like to ignore it). He’s not a particularly good guy. And Mystique has shown that she is capable of caring about others, but only a limited few. And even the few people she cares for fall victim to Mystique’s chronic back-stabbing syndrome (except maybe Destiny?). She would absolutely sacrifice Pyro if it was part of some greater plan, although she might feel bad about it. But she also probably doesn’t want to see him killed or hurt, as long as he’s not getting in her way.

Further head-canon, mostly because I’ve been frustrated by the complete disconnect between Pyro and Mystique (and Pyro and other Brotherhood members) in Marauders: I think after Pyro came back, Mystique kind of “cut him loose.” But not in a cruel way. I can imagine him being all, “What’s the plan, boss?” and her telling him that there is no plan, there isn’t really a Brotherhood any more, and he can find his own place on Krakoa. Partially because getting Destiny resurrected is the most important thing to her, and she can’t trust anyone with her plans for that. And partially because Pyro joining the Brotherhood eventually led to his death, and she doesn’t want to immediately take him down that same path. I think Mystique wants to offer him the chance to start over and find his own way. I don’t think she’s mad about his last-minute turnaround saving Kelly. She’s done plenty of back-stabbing in her time, and she wasn’t even there at the Brotherhood’s attempted assassination, so it wasn’t going directly against her. Plus, he’s been dead for years, so I think she’s had time to get over it.

Of course, if she does decide to burn Krakoa to the ground, she’ll probably come around to recruit him, anyway. I’ll be very interested to see which Brotherhood members Mystique asks for help when she inevitably turns on the Council. Will Pyro go to help her, or does he have some newly developed loyalty to the Marauders? Or will he just be completely ignored in that story, because writers haven’t been paying much attention to old character relationships at all? We’ll see.

TL,DR: I think Pyro sees Mystique as a friend and admires her as a leader. She may or may not consider him a friend, but I think she somewhat cares about him.

#pyro #st. john allerdyce #mystique #this was just yet another excuse to post some of my favorite Pyro moments

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commie-eschatology · 3 years

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Annulment at Ostwick

Summary: Trevelyan kills her mentor, Senior Enchanter Lydia, as the mage rebellion begins.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29683359. Shoutout @5lazarus for the “this is systemic, not personal line” lol. tw/cw: somewhat graphic depiction of violence near the end.

Judging by the commotion outside her chambers, Senior Enchanter Lydia of the Ostwick Circle imagines it will not be much longer. The rebels, once her students, have nearly broken through the barrier; she holds no illusions about what will happen afterwards. She seals her final letter to Vivienne and hands it to her ravens. The world has gone mad, she only hopes her dear friend avoids the same fate as herself.

This rebellion has been brewing for a long time, since even before what happened in Kirkwall. For years, she has tried to avert this suicidal course of action. With Vivienne’s help, she even got the Ostwick Circle to formally declare neutrality after Fiona’s stunt at the White Spire. Lydia knows the Circle is imperfect, that is not a controversial observation, but what chance do her people have against the entire Templar Order? She knows how this rebellion will inevitably end, with witch hunts, mass executions, and the widespread use of the Rite of Tranquility. When her people are eventually forced back into the Circle, she’s certain all political rights they have earned will be revoked; eight hundred years of careful advocacy swept away by the rash actions of a few miscreants.

She hears the barrier outside her chamber break. Lydia stays sitting at her desk, quickly adjusting her hair and posture. One can never truly be ready for death, but she goes through her mental checklist one last time. She’s sent instructions to Vivienne and made her peace with the Maker. She sends a quick prayer to the heavens one more time just to be sure. Trevelyan steps through the door, armed with a staff. Lydia sees other students behind her, guarding the door.

“Hello Enchanter Trevelyan,” she greets, trying to keep her voice neutral. There was a time she called her protege by her first name, but so much has changed since she fell in with the rebels. Growing apart from Tara is just one more casualty of this madness.

Both say nothing at first. Lydia looks up at her protege and feels like she should say something wise, provide some parting words of advice for her daughter by choice. Instead she just says, “well this is a state of affairs.”

“Indeed. Now get up,” Trevelyan orders, staff at the ready. Lydia slowly raises her hands above her head and stands. She looks up at her once protege and thinks of that terrified child brought to this very office, all those years ago. Tara has grown so much since, Lydia isn’t sure if she should be proud or disappointed.

A week ago, with Vivienne’s help, she had forced a neutrality vote through the Ostwick Circle. It was her hope that this victory would protect Tara and the others, even as the rest of Thedas fell into chaos. She had expected a response from the Liberati, but not something as appalling as this. Apparently, the Maker does have a sense of irony. She knows anger at her Creator is a sin, but she hopes He’ll understand in this case.

Tara raises the staff, its crystal glowing with mana. It won’t be long now. She cannot detect any regret on her protege’s face, just rage and determination. One might expect that she would feel the slightest bit of sadness at murdering the woman who raised her, Lydia thinks. But bitterness is also a sin, she reminds herself, and she’s quickly running out of time to make penance.

Their last fight after the vote had been particularly tempestuous, even by their standards. Trevelyan had shouted endless slogans at her, “the people united will never be defeated!” and other trite nonsense that she should be intelligent enough to reject. “The slogan retired, will never be repeated!” had been her response, she can’t help but be a little proud of that line. It is such a tragedy that their relationship has devolved into shouting platitudes. She knows Tara, her brilliant protégé, is smarter than this, and wishes she wouldn’t throw her entire future away on a suicidal crusade. There is, however, nothing more she can do now.

To her surprise, the blast from Trevelyan’s staff hasn’t come yet. Lydia cautiously takes a step forward, hands still in the air, Tara flinches backwards. Perhaps there is some regret, Lydia thinks with some relief, at least she did not completely fail as a mother.

“For whatever it’s worth, I am glad it’s you,” she says. Lydia has always found deathbed reconciliations trite, but what choice does she have?

“Now that’s manipulative,” Tara accuses.

“You believe I’m being manipulative? Tara, you came here to murder me.”

“You made this rebellion necessary. We have nothing , not even the college of enchanters anymore. You’d rather us be trapped in a fucking prison forever, like good little mages. I... we will not grovel to our oppressors any longer. Our people have no choice but to fight for the same freedom as anyone else.” More platitudes, she hopes they’re comforting to her.

“ I made this rebellion necessary? So it follows my own murder is my fault then?” Lydia scoffs, “and you accuse me of being manipulative.”

Tara lowers her staff and runs her hand through her hair, a nervous tick she knows well. Lydia is almost tempted to try something but what good would that do? “I’ve been trapped here, in this fucking tower, my entire life. What other choice do I…” her voice breaks, “we are far past the point of reconciliation. For non-violent civil disobedience, or whatever you loyalists tell us to try over and over again. Your neutrality vote saw to that.”

Trevelyan paces back and forth as her speech reaches its crescendo She gestures to sounds of fighting outside the door, “We will break the Circle or die trying. Our people have no other choice.”

“I have no desire to relitigate our many political debates,” Lydia is so tired of wasting her breath, can no longer listen to the cliche platitudes anymore. “I am sorry it has come to this.” It feels as if they are just reciting the same lines back and forth, as they have for years.

“It didn’t have to be like this.” Tara says, Lydia sees her eyes swell with tears, “if you had just listened, if you hadn’t…” She wipes the tears from her face. “Fuck,” she says.

Lydia steps forward cautiously into her space, slowly she wraps her arms around her adopted daughter. Tara freezes in response, but then cautiously responds in kind. It’s awkward and stilted at first, Lydia isn’t sure where exactly they stand. Deathbed reconciliations may be trite, but it’s better than nothing at all she supposes.

Tara leans further into her embrace. “I should note that this is systemic, not personal,” she says.

Lydia laughs, despite everything. “Good to know.” Tara wraps her arms more tightly around her, but holds onto her staff. Lydia is proud of her survival instincts, how she has learned to never let her guard down. She likes to think Tara will survive outside the Circle, won’t end up dead in a ditch somewhere, but she knows the danger she faces. She’ll be an apostate, hunted her entire life. It’s a terrifying thought.

Lydia holds Tara just a bit closer, while she still can. She’s given birth to two children in her life, both taken by the templars. She knows more than any the importance of chosen family. It’d be a lie to say she has no regrets, who wouldn’t when your adopted daughter is your murderer? She reminds herself to push down the bitterness, and try to dwell on the good memories, before the end.

“This is so melodramatic,” Tara sniffles into her shoulder.

“You are melodramatic, love. Just lean into it.” Tara laughs through her tears. Neither says a word for a time. Eventually, Tara slowly draws back, and once more readies her staff. Lydia holds her head high, she’s always aspired to die with dignity.

“Clan Lavellan in Wycome took in apostate refugees from Kirkwall. You may wish to seek them out,” she says. Those elves have a tendency to meddle, to use the rebel mages as proxies in their own heathen war against the Chantry. She can only hope they will, at least, keep her daughter safe.

“I know,” says Tara, “who do you think gave us our weapons?” The thought of Dalish elves supplying weapons into the Circle is appalling, Lydia curses herself for missing that. She knew Tara to be conspiring with Liberati and perhaps even the Mage Underground, but not with elven terrorists like the Lavellan clan. If the elves and rebel apostates are both working towards a common goal, Lydia fears this rebellion is far beyond the threat she anticipated. She looks at Trevelyan and wonders what else she does not know.

Tara’s face is wet from tears, her eyes are red and swollen, and there’s a raw cut near her right eye, she imagines from a templar blade. The rage of an apostate radiates from her very being. Lydia begins to fear not just for Tara’s safety, but what she might do once she is free.

“For the rebellion,” she says. The blast of fire hits her in the chest, and knocks her back into the desk. Her back slams into the wood, splinters embed themselves in skin, and she falls gracelessly onto the floor. Her whole body burns, and she sees embers on her robes. But she still is, as far as she can tell, alive.

“Shit,” Tara says, as the fire drains from her staff, “templar smiting. Fuck, uh,” she begins to frantically look around the office. Lydia can hear fighting outside. “Do you, uh, have a knife?” she asks earnestly.

“How did you fuck this up?” Lydia snaps, “You come here to murder me and you can’t even, fuck,” she yells in pain as the burning grows more intense. “Just hurry…”

Before she can finish, Lydia screams in pain, as she feels the impact of Tara’s staff against her head. Her vision goes blurry, the thoughts become disjoined, her world shrinks into nothingness.

#dragon age #dragonage #mage trevelyan #ostwick #senior enchanter lydia #mage rebellion #fanfic

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inuyashaographer · 4 years

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Why does Kagome's power rise around Inuyasha, when Kikyo's declined?

My issue with this subject is that this is coming from Naraku, who, would rather climb a tree and tell a lie than stay on the ground and tell the truth.

That is no better seen than during this scene. Which has this particularly elaborate lie. Based on that he's more looking to mock and torment Inuyasha than anything else. That all being said there is one part that is in fact be true, and it's the topic I'll be covering today.

Naraku states that it's because of Kikyo's love for Inuyasha, that she lowered herself down to falling in love with a worthless half-demon, that she became a powerless human.

We can say right off the bat that just love had nothing to do with it. Onigumo and Naraku don't have a concept of love, Onigumo lived his life by lust, Naraku views feelings of emotion as a weakness, to him just the fact that he believes there is love there is enough for him to justify weakness in his eyes.

However there is proof that her powers did decline, even if Naraku wanted to lie about that fact and assume weakness, Tsubaki later confirms Kikyo's decline in power, she also blamed this on Inuyasha, however unlike Naraku, she doesn't have emotional investment in the situation.

So what caused Kikyo's powers to decline? Is Inuyasha really at fault?

Bitterness. By far and large the biggest reason... and one that can be tied to Inuyasha. This can be blamed in large part due to her duty to protect the jewel, she got herself into a situation that she believed she could handle, she believed that she would not be tempted by the Shikon no Tama. Then came Inuyasha... though he lived a life alone he was free to do largely as he pleased, feeling a connection with someone disconnected from the world, like she felt, she did grow bitter over the circumstances of having to be tied down to the jewel... she desired for a normal life... and then felt herself tempted to use the jewel. Desire itself can be positive or negative depending on how it is approached, Onigumo allows his desire to consume him completely, he'd however long ago made that decision. Kikyo did allow her desires to consume her, at a time when she actually wasn't ready to make such a decision, under normal circumstances she would have had to let things settle in and really think about things... but with the jewel, she could fast-track things, in the process she placed herself into a position she wasn't ready to handle, her desires got the better of her, and with the prospect of using the jewel to get away from the life she was in, after years of holding herself to her high expectations, she was expecting to turn everything around in a matter of seconds which only made the bitterness grow. Technically speaking... it was kind of Inuyasha's fault... don't get me wrong he didn't do anything wrong, but the mere fact that he was there, that he came at the time that he did, and that Kikyo had the jewel, was possibly the worst circumstances that they could have met under, both would have ended up making rash decisions that they would have regretted. While Kikyo may have gotten to live a normal life, how jarring would things be for her after she turned her beliefs around on a dime? We already know how hard things would have hit Inuyasha who could never stay as a human for very long.

The lack of desire to fight. Reason, motivation, with the prospect of a somewhat normal life on the horizon it was clear that she wasn't as invested in either, the more comfortable she seemed to get the less she was on guard, naturally she was falling into normalcy, if at a rate that was a bit too quick considering the circumstances.

Why does Kagome's power rise around Inuyasha, when Kikyo's declined? Kagome was younger more inexperienced but was more open to accept her flaws, she was confident in the person that she was, and she was willing to make mistakes because she could learn from them and grow. When coming up against something that tested her morals she admitted to her flaws, they're just a fact of being human, they're natural, they're going to be there no matter what. Ignoring them and pushing them aside will only lead to those negative emotions of bitterness and anger. Knowing who you are and what you want while holding a firm belief and confidence, while remaining down to earth for those moments when being open and honest leads to you learning and growing as a person. Because Kagome addressed those moments when her emotions came up, she was able to confront them and keep them in check, they are still there, but they are never allowed to consume her as a person. She’s in charge.

Kikyo when tested wasn't willing to accept those flaws, she would push them aside and never actually address them, in large part she expected perfection from herself, which hindered her progress and more often than not led her into situations where she didn't learn from her mistakes, she only tried to avoid those mistakes. Glossing over those mistake never allowed her to hold her emotions accountable, but truth be told she likely didn't know how to do that because of how long she was pushing her feelings away. It gives her the illusion that she’s in charge of her emotions, but pushing them aside is giving those emotions the freedom to control you.

Inuyasha, despite being stubborn in the beginning and living under similar if not worse circumstances gravitated more towards Kagome's approach to things because that's how he was too. He may have not wanted to admit to his mistakes and flaws, but he knew they were there and he kind of accepted them, they were apart of him. Though he did have to adapt a more brutish facade he never does seem to lose touch with who he is, he struggles with his decision of what he wants to be, but the person that he is never really changes, he was forced to put himself into a position where he had to make a place for himself in the world. He did for a time lose himself in his pursuit of power, but much of that was him trying to cover up his own flaws, which he’d later find was a mistake on his part. His time around Kagome allowed him to embrace those flaws, learn from them and grow stronger because of them.

There are numerous other factors that could be thrown in, from trust and faith in one another, a desire to protect, compassion, acceptance and all around support all were a large part in why Kagome and Inuyasha were naturally stronger when they were around one another, their willingness to grow and adapt, to learn from one another served to not only improve their relationship, but their teamwork and strength. That in turn passed onto everyone they worked with, Miroku and Sango especially who had a very similar dynamic to these two.

#inuyasha #kagome #kagome higurashi #kikyo

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