#you are your own friend too. and i think everyone has a beautiful soul within themselves. nurture it! water it! feed it good thoughts. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

calliesmemes · 2 months

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A SANCTUARY FOR EVERY SENTIMENT

ASSORTED QUOTES PULLED FROM TUMBLR POSTS, PINTEREST POSTS, AND SONGS.

CHANGE gendered words and in-universe phrases as needed.

SPECIFY muse for multimuses.

“ Fill your mind with knowledge — it is the only kind of power that no one can take away from you. ”

“ I was born knowing you. ”

“ Even if you know what’s coming, you’re never prepared for how it feels. ”

“ Where have I seen you before? ”

“ You are half my soul. ”

“ I thought we hated each other. ”

“ All my life, I have been restless. ”

“ There's a darkness inside your mind. ”

“ I am going to be good this time. ”

“ I forced myself to know you. ”

“ The question you should be asking is not why I push you away, but why you stay. ”

“ To me, you’re sunshine in human form. ”

“ Some wounds never vanish. ”

“ I refuse to let the past find me here. ”

“ The grief is still heavy within me. ”

“ It's like you're so afraid of feeling that you're already dead. ”

“ I want to learn how to be soft again. ”

“ Pride isn’t sinful; it is confidence in yourself. ”

“ I don’t think that there is any truth. There are only points of view. ”

“ Everyone is a monster to someone. ”

“ Some days, I feel everything at once. Other days, I feel nothing at all. ”

“ Without violence, how do I understand my life as meaningful? ”

“ A friend today could be an enemy tomorrow. ”

“ It's always the wrong bits of the past that people want back. ”

“ I must kill memory once and for all. ”

“ A man with nothing left to lose is a very dangerous man. ”

“ I burn for what’s no longer mine. ”

“ Anyone who takes the time to be kind is beautiful. ”

“ It’s better to have a guarded heart than a bleeding one. ”

“ Everyone should love and be loved. ”

“ You’re the reason I know why storms are named after people. ”

“ What have we done to each other? ”

“ Perhaps you were like a candle: created to light up the darkness for an unfairly short amount of time. ”

“ I don’t know what’s wrong with me. ”

“ You were my home. I had no home but you. ”

“ How could you recognize me after all these years? ”

“ I’m always soft for you, that’s the problem. ”

“ Does my sweetness lie so deep within me you need to cut me to find it? ”

“ I want to trust my own joy like that. ”

“ When I bled, I thought I deserved it. ”

“ Do I have to forgive in order to love? ”

“ I will try to disappoint you better than anyone else ever has. ”

“ I’m hell-bent on loving you. ”

“ There are ways of dying that don’t end in funerals. ”

“ I have been fighting since I was very small. ”

“ Love doesn’t conquer everything. Whoever thinks it does is a fool. ”

“ We all have one foot in a fairytale, and the other in an abyss. ”

“ There’s nowhere to run. ”

“ Darkness, once gazed upon, can never be lost. ”

“ I like figuring you out. You are so human and puzzling. ”

“ If I am to be saved it is because your love redeems me. ”

“ Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness. ”

“ I have longed for people before, I have loved people before. Not like this. It was not this. ”

“ The difference between failure and love is where you draw the incision. ”

“ You never think that the last time is the last time. You think there will be more. You think that you will have forever, but you don’t. ”

“ We tend to talk too much because it’s rare that we are listened to. ”

“ I promise that I shall never give up. ”

“ They may not have loved you, but they did change you. They taught you. They grew you. ”

“ I feel like a part of my soul has loved you since the beginning of everything. ”

“ You didn't deserve what they did to you, how they treated you. It wasn't a lesson. It wasn't meant to happen, and it was never your fault. ”

“ I have always loved everything about you. Even what I don’t understand. ”

“ What’s done is done, but in the future, do better. ”

“ It's a lot easier to be angry at someone than it is to tell them that you’re hurt. ”

“ You don’t have that fire in your eyes anymore and you know it. ”

“ If you are so committed to being perfectly lawful that you cannot see the value of breaking a law to defend yourself or others, you're not good, you're obedient. ”

“ I have survived everything, but I fear that I cannot survive myself. ”

“ No one warns you about the amount of mourning in growth. ”

“ I was looked at, but I wasn’t seen. ”

“ Who's the real you? The person who did something awful, or the one who was horrified by the awful thing that you did? ”

“ I never would have expected you to become my deepest scar yet. ”

“ I fight. I resist. It doesn't even matter what I resist; there is simply something in me that tends to resist things as they are. ”

“ You are not weak just because your heart feels so heavy. ”

“ I want to be with you. It is as simple, and as complicated, as that. ”

“ Why must you push away those who care for you? ”

“ You were treated horribly. You came out on the other end. You were always you. ”

“ I know what it’s like to love what ruins you. ”

“ In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on. ”

“ I am the centre of an atrocity. ”

“ You’re my family, and I love you. But you’re terrible. You’re all terrible. ”

“ Desire can be partner to violence. ”

“ It’s been a long time since I’ve been me. ”

“ There is so much love in friendship. People forget that. ”

“ Nothing you become will disappoint me. I have no desire to foresee you, only to discover you. ”

“ What is more unfair than having to choose between being a monster or being a hero? ”

“ Stop being so afraid of everything. ”

“ We must be our own before we can be another’s. ”

“ I’ve found that growing up means being honest. About what I want. What I need. What I feel. Who I am. ”

“ If you’ve been hated, you’ve also been loved. ”

“ Even when I detach, I care. You can be separate from a thing and still care about it. ”

“ Study me as much as you like; you will never know me. ”

“ See how our wants horrify us. ”

“ I feel so lonely, like childhood again. ”

“ Never in my entire childhood did I feel like a child. I felt like a person all along — the same person that I am today. ”

“ You see loving you as such a mortifying ordeal, you feel you owe to anyone who could find the will inside themselves to do it to reciprocate. ”

“ I wish they would only take me as I am. ”

“ We’ll pretend any ending is gentle. ”

“ If I am a sunflower, would you be my sun? ”

“ Being must be felt. It can’t be thought. ”

“ I’m not much, but I’m all I have. ”

“ I think that hell is something you carry around with you, not somewhere you go. ”

“ I want to be wanted more than anything else in the world. ”

“ Don't look away. Look straight at everything. Look it all in the eye, good and bad. ”

“ There must be a point where you’re allowed to be defined by something other than what he did to you. ”

“ There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. ”

“ I would rather break the world than lose you. ”

“ What goes too long unchanged destroys itself. ”

“ We are so accustomed to disguising ourselves to others that, in the end, we become disguised to ourselves. ”

“ Beauty is terror. Whatever they call beauty, we quiver before it. ”

“ Is one part of you allowed to forgive the other? ”

“ No one could ever replace you. You were there at the start; I’ll be there at the end. ”

“ It's a most distressing affliction to have a sentimental heart and a skeptical mind. ”

“ "You're so calm and quiet. But there are things inside you. I see them sometimes, hiding in your eyes. ”

“ Is it foolish to speak of little joys that occur in the middle of tragedy? ”

“ I imagine that one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, that they will be forced to deal with pain. ”

“ Take life as it comes. Take what you can while you still have the desire to take. ”

“ If the moon smiled, she would resemble you. You leave the same impression of something beautiful, but annihilating. ”

“ We’ve been through so much together. I’ve seen you grow into someone you thought you’d never be. I’ve seen you endure challenges most will never see. ”

“ You don't tell a story only to yourself. There's always someone else. Even when there is no one. ”

“ I know that my life is meaningful because I love my friends, and I care about them, and I think I make them happy. ”

“ There is so much stubborn hope in the human heart. ”

“ To live is to suffer; to survive is to find meaning in the suffering. ”

“ It isn’t your life that’s a prison; it’s yourself. ”

“ You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress, simultaneously. ”

“ You knew what you were doing and you knew that it would hurt me, but somehow, that didn’t stop you. ”

“ They would’ve kept lying if you didn’t find out. ”

“ You broke my heart in every way that a heart could be broken. ”

“ Just because I let you go doesn’t mean that I wanted to. ”

“ There is no intensity of love or feeling that does not involve the risk of crippling hurt. It is a duty to take this risk, to love and feel without defense or reserve. ”

“ I’m enjoying my hatred so much more than I ever enjoyed love. ”

“ Become the voice you’ve always needed to hear. ”

#askbox meme #askbox prompt #rp ask meme #ask box #roleplay sentence meme #sentence starters #roleplay prompts #roleplay sentence starters #* sentence meme #rpc help

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ryukenzz · 1 year

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[Note: Relationship Headcanons of Sosuke Aizen from Bleach. Reader will be the Third Seat of Squad 5 and have a developed relationship with him while he was still a Soul Reaper Captain and leave with him to Hueco Mundo. Will contain NSFW so minors, please do not interact.]

[Small note: Excuse the lack of a title, Tumblr was tripping out and wouldn't let me fix it😅💀.]

SFW:

Oh boy....where do I even start. I'll be honest here, I don't think a genuine relationship with Aizen is possible. He might feel something for you, but manipulation and deceit would play a big part in shaping this entire thing. Being that the former Captain is a man of charming complexity, there will be many moments of conflicting feelings and confusion from your side.

You first met Aizen when you were appointed as the Third Seat of Squad 5. Naturally, you were respectful and smiled at the Soul Reaper, the latter returning a friendly one of his own. So this was the infamous Captain Aizen. You had heard many good things about him from your fellow Squad members. Especially your lieutenant, Hinamori.

You looked forward to being under his guidance. The brown-haired man happily showed you around himself, insisting it was his duty as your new Captain. “It's my duty to ensure that all of my Squad members feel comfortable within their positions.” It was a very warm welcome. At least... that's what it seemed like to you. The real reasoning was so he could begin to shape you into the ultimate pawn. The piece that would complete his game of deceit. And besides....

What kind of Soul King would he be, without his lovely Queen by his side?

As you settled into your new rank, you found yourself getting attached to Aizen. You always looked forward to spending time with him, even if it was only for a minute. His kindness towards you and everyone else was something you admired greatly. But lately, that admiration has been slowly crawling its way to a crush. One that quickly became more. You, the Third Seat of Squad 5, were in love with your Captain. Everything was set into place. No more "Captain Aizen." It was time for "Sosuke Aizen" to make his appearance.

You confessed your feelings to him about two days before his "death." With the Ryoka on the loose, you never knew what was going to happen. He drank in every word of your professed love, his plan of having you for himself going all too well. Holding your hands softly, he flashed that handsome smile and dissolved any concerns he knew you had.

“It's alright. A Captain in a relationship with his Third Seat is not seen as very appropriate, but my feelings for you are true. Your strength and beauty, it makes me feel as if you're too good for this world. I share this loving heart with you, (Name).”

The twinkle in your eyes told you that he had to right where he needed you. Just a little more nudging, and you would truly be his. He knew his "death" would break your little heart greatly, so he took the measure of writing you a letter that was different from the one he wrote for Hinamori. He wanted to keep you away from the fighting, so he entrusted your safety to Tosen.

You loved Aizen. You even trusted him with your whole life. He would never betray his comrades. He would never.... right? So, why were your friends injured? Why were you being carried away as if you were some trophy that was won, being looked at as a traitor? You didn't want this. You did. This wasn't supposed to happen? But it did.

You, the former Third Seat of Squad 5, were officially a branded traitor of Soul Society and the partner of Sosuke Aizen. “Welcome to Hueco Mundo, (Name). Your new home.”

During the time before Aizen's fake death, the former Captain would invite you to his personal quarters and converse with you all night. Your interests, preferences, any topic that was considered dull (Sosuke didn't exactly care, but he had to deal with it for the plan's sake). He would also bring you lunch whenever he could (extra points if he cooked it himself).

Those "sweet gestures" became little to none in Hueco Mundo. Aizen would still check on you and spend quality time, but he wasn't the kind and caring man that he was in Soul Society. Some days, he would spend every second with you. Others, it would be between Gin, Tosen, and Ulquiorra (he trusted him the most out of the Espada). Despite this newfound arrangement, you still loved him. You still wanted him. Even if this relationship was started on a manipulated lie.

NSFW:

I like to believe that Aizen does have experience. The man knows any and everything, so it would make sense that he knows the ins and outs of pleasing a woman. Aizen practically reeks of sex appeal. You were in for the times of your life with this one.

You guys actually had your first sexual experience together on his throne. Of course, whoever walked by wouldn't dare say anything. It was a private and special matter between the ruler of Las Noches and his future Queen. Distractions were prohibited.

Sitting atop the massive throne, Aizen had you widespread on his lap, your pretty pussy on display for anyone to see. His large hands started exploring your body, his lips on yours. He caressed your torso and massaged your breasts, using his thumb and pointer finger to tweak your nipples.

Sastisfied with the whimper that left your throat, the Las Noches ruler wanders his hands to your thighs, his hands going lower and lower, stopping right above your cunt. Aizen nibbled on your ear and smirked against it, making you moan softly. His fingers then traveled to your pussy lips, teasingly rubbing them. You whine out a complaint, telling him to quit delaying what you really wanted. A deep chuckle emits from him.

“Oh? It seems my sweet darling is getting impatient. Perhaps I can indulge and give you what you want. Although, I should really make you do it yourself.”

In response to his purring voice and dominating Spiritual Pressure, your clit throbbed in excitement, finally ready to receive her award. Long, nimble fingers slowly made their way to your clit, starting at a steady pace before going faster. It was safe to say that your clit and G-spot had met their challenge.

If his fingers weren't enough to make you cum, then his cock would finish the job. He was 7 inches flaccid and 9 inches hard. He also had a prominent vein on his right side that massaged your walls just right. Your body may have felt on fire from being exposed to any of his servants, but the way his dick was threatening to intrude in your womb, you didn't have a care in the world. Aizen put on a smug smile and gave your pussy a playful slap.

“Look at you, taking my cock like a good slut. It seems my underlings understand that you belong to me. Your pussy, belongs to me. It was crafted for me. You're close? Well, why don't you go ahead and show Las Noches who makes you like this.”

[Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy, and Merry Christmas!]

[Tagging: @stygianoir and @sailewhoremoon]

#❦.ᴊᴇᴡᴇʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴏꜱᴇꜱ #❦.ɴꜱꜰᴡ- ᴍɪɴᴏʀꜱ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟᴏᴏᴋ #aizen x reader #aizen headcanons #bleach x reader #bleach headcanons

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fathermarty · 2 years

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Lovely Curves ✰ Remus Lupin

┌── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──┐

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Plus Size Girlfriend!Reader

Requested: Yes, by @twilightlover2007

Summary: "Blurb for Remus loving on his plus size girlfriend whose having insecurity issues: not wanting to sit in his lap for fear of hurting him, not wanting full body pictures taken, not wearing anything that might be too tight or show off her legs too much. Just need some comfort through a rough time."

Word Count: 756

Warning(s): Swearing (I fucking swear a lot),

└── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──┘

I just wanted to let you know, despite how cliche this may sound, that you are beautiful no matter what size you are. The preconceived idea that we women have to be certain size bullshit. We all are beautiful in our own way, no matter our size, skin color, or any other defining label society uses to put us in boxes. So disrespectfully, from deep within my soul, fuck those labels + anyone who has ever made you feel less than because of your size; whether you are skinny or bigger, it does not fucking matter. You are beautiful by your soul, that is what makes you beautiful. Not the conceived idea society puts on you.

☆。*。☆。

"C'mere dove," Remus pats his lap, you shift from foot to foot looking around. All the seats have been taken by Lily's friends and the other Marauders, which resulted in you standing behind Remus' chair.

"No, I am okay," You say trying to downplay the nerves running through your body. Somehow your clothes feel impossibly tight, even though you consciously wore baggy clothing.

Remus looks at you in concern, you have been his girl friend for a few years and he knows when something is upsetting you. This is confirmed when he sees you wrap your dress robes to cover your legs.

"Hey guys, y/n and I are going to go to bed. We will see you tomorrow," Everyones head, including yours, snapped to Remus. He grabs your hand to lead you away.

"Yea sure thing, see you later Moony, and y/n/n!" James says smiling at you both and waving.

When you arrive to Remus' dorm the familiarity of it made you smile, his dorm was more yours than your own. Remus walks over to sit on his bed.

"Y/n?" You look at Remus who is holding his hands out to you. You walk over to him and stand in between his legs, grabbing his hands in yours.

"What is wrong?" Remus asks, his eyes never leaving yours.

"I just- its stupid Rem," You say looking away, knowing there are tears welling up in your eyes.

"You can tell me anything, princess. If it is stupid or not, and judging by how upset you are it isn't stupid," Remus tilts your head towards him.

"I am so uncomfortable in my skin, you want me to sit on your lap but I am too heavy. My clothes are too tight and my legs show too much. I just-" Remus interrupts you by pulling you into his lap -- you are now straddling him.

"You are not too heavy, and these-" Remus pats your thighs which are now on pull display for him, "Are so beautiful. Everything about you is."

"Remus, please let me down, I don't want to hurt you," Tears fall down your red e/c eyes, and Remus' heart breaks a little more.

Remus wraps his arms around you, now holding you in place against his chest, "You are not hurting me y/n, I promise," He places a gentle kiss on the temple of your head, "You are so beautiful y/n/n. And it pains me to see you upset over something that doesn't define your worth."

"I think I am gross Rem, I don't look like those other girls. They all are half of my size and so much prettier."

Remus pulls away and cradles your face in his hands, "You don't look like those other girls because you aren't them. Just like they aren't you. This idea in your head that you weigh too much is rubbish, you are so goddamn beautiful. Weight doesn't define you. What defines you is your soul, and you, my darling," Remus pushes the hair out of your face before placing his hand back on your cheek, "Have the most beautiful soul. Every day you make me fall more in love with you, and while you are beautiful, that isn't why I am in love with you."

Tears run down your cheeks and Remus wipes them away before continuing, "I love you when you talk about something you are passionate about, or when you get excited over the little things that make you happy, or when you look at me with the world in your eyes. You are so much more than how much you weigh, or how you look, and I wish you could see yourself through my eyes because you would truly love yourself as much as I do."

"Remus, I-" Remus cuts you off by placing a gentle kiss on your lips, pulling you closer by your waist, deepening the passionate kiss between the two of you.

Remus pulls away, "You are beautiful y/n, and there is nothing you could do or say that would make me change my mind. I love you more than all the stars in the sky multiplied by a million. I love you so much, every-single-part-of-you," Remus places a kiss on your face after each word.

"I love you too, Remus." You smile because the boy in front of you truly loves you, despite what you think are your flaws. Remus Lupin loves you for everything that makes you, you.

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Hey guys, I hope you like this. I also wanted to say that your weight does not define you; whether you are too skinny or too big, you are beautiful regardless. We all need to focus less on being pretty + more on being pretty nice. Everyone is having a hard time, + sometimes empathy will go a long way. I am always here for anyone who needs a pick me up, I love you all so much.

Requests: Open

Request Info: Here

Taglist Info: Here

(I am tagging @divinekills because she loves Remus, + I love her so ツ)

#remus x reader #remus lupin fanfiction #remus lupin x reader #marauders era #remus lupin fluff #remus lupin #remus x y/n #marauders #remus john lupin #hogwarts #incorrect marauders quotes #gryffindor

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illithilit · 3 months

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what flavor is your soul?

BLURG IS.... ROSEMARY.

ah, the old soul, nice to meet again. the time of ages is etched into your bones, you see clearly. you've watched the heartache in this realm and sworn to solve it. but kindness without limits is self destruction. oh little leaf, strong and wise, you seek to bring peace with your presence. I'd be wrong to say you fail at this effort, but you mustn't set yourself on fire to keep others warm. you wish to please everyone, to protect them all. but if you shield the saplings from the sunlight they will never grow, and you one day will wither. protect yourself too. you know there are no happy heroes, so don't be one. be a friend. your loved ones will not forsake you for not being perseus slaying all their demons. you have your own monsters, why not meet them first before you conquer anyone else's nightmares. oh true-hearted paladin you are brave, and you are good enough. you know that right? be true to yourself, one cannot do anything saintly if they did not tend to their own wounds first.

TAGGED BY: @mindfoster TAGGING: @rizzsave ; @aliarssmile ; @infernaliscor ; @spiderwarden ; & anyone else who'd like to, say I tagged you c:

[ below the cut: Graz, Ori, Mourndax, Sayak, Yzare ]

GRAZILAXX IS.... LAVENDER.

oh moon child, restless sleeper, tell me what it's like to dream? you float along the margins of reality, picking up the pieces of fallen memories to sculpt into your own realm. you are searching, but your tongue is quiet, quiet, quiet. open your mouth and sing my dear, silence only does you good for so long. and here you planted roots in the darkness, where not even the moon can reach your leaves. there is such a thing as being too practical, for you sail your ship on perpetually calm waters, and never have you spotted land. your mind has wings, uncage them! allow yourself to dream, you are not too far gone. there is no such thing! trust in yourself dear.

ORIANNA IS.... HONEY.

"sugared mel e lingua serpentis." sugared honey from a serpent's tongue. oh dearest, look how you gleam. how the sunlight dances off your shoulders, how the heavens shine across your wingtips. but you are hollow, hollow, hollow. even the taste of nectar can choke a man. sometimes the sweetest flowers hide the sharpest poison. you lie to yourself, the worst lie of all. you needn't be so obsessed with perfect. the greatest beauty lies in our faults. do you think the moon apologizes for their mara? no, their craters add to their glow. my dear, breathe. you are not an island, breathe, before the honey drowns you. you wish to be lovely, you long to be loved. but did aphrodite trade her powers for perfection? she did not. you can be beautiful, and also whole. be whole above anything else dear. a heart of diamonds is worth nothing if inchor oozes from it. inward. look within and question how well do you know yourself? little petal are you trying to be a god? why? can a god bloom from sullen soil? no. you are whole as you are.

MOURNDAX IS.... SALT.

ah little kraken, bold are you. restless sailor, dauntless fighter, lower your sword, let me see your shield. ah, of course, they are but the same object. oh wave-tossed ruffian, lend me some of your mettle would you? you have been struck by the sharpest of spears yet you still stand here proudly. but off your guard, elsewhere of the battlefield, you will find your spirit can parch others. your words are but weapons crafted from your soul. little lion, sheathe your claws, or the ones you love the most will suffer. you do not have to be strong all the time love, there's nothing wrong with being soft. vulnerability is not weakness, and if it were, what's wrong with that? strength is not always your greatest tool, your heart is good. put down excalibur, and use your words. you'll find they will carry you much farther. not everything in life is a battle.

SAYAK IS..... MINT.

oh spry little dryad, spinning sprite, you drift through life as light as lion down. you are the chimes of churchbells and the laughter of faeries. gossamer and spidersilk shine from your ribs. life is fleeting, you more than anyone should know that. something we love today may never see tomorrow's sun. you pride yourself on skipping through moments, soft and merry. but you do not let your soul be tethered. is it for freedom or fear, sweetheart, that you do not let yourself be tamed? you are as fresh as and wild as bluebirds in snow, you smile at your problems before dashing away. hoping they will never catch up to you. but even nike can't run forever. you have been hurt before. but that is life. you wish to never feel that way again, but regretfully I must tell you that is nothing short of impossible. life is but part sorrow part sun, you cannot have teacups until they are burned by the kiln. oh I see the scars child, they shimmer down your chest, I see the pain in your eyes. but I also see the stardust. keep smiling, but allow tears also. you do not have to be solely wonder, fear, you are allowed to be bitter. so bite, and scream, and laugh, and love. that is what makes life worth living.

YZARE IS..... CINNAMON.

oh child of spice you are bound to the core of the earth. can you feel the heartbeat of nature pulsing through your veins. you are the mouthful of autumn that scorched through your throat, you are the pepper of life that wakes up the weary. the foolish and shaking will attempt to dilute you with sickening sugar, do not let them. your spark is what keeps us alive my dear. keep burning, little star. you see the beauty and the light, but oh you have been fed poison and refuse to drop it onto other's tongues. be wild. I know what your heart is chanting. run. run. run. run dear, find your story. do not trade your spirit for safety. you are a child of the earth, forever seeking, forever dancing.

#the moral of the story is I will gut you if I need to; I will carve my way out with only my teeth // Mourndax headcanon.#''you just don't know when to quit do you?'' call me a slow learner but I don't like giving in to tyrants // Blurg headcanon.#I am more powerful than I am damaged and I will rise from any abyss you try to drown me in // Grazilaxx headcanon.#we who wield power adorn ourselves with flowers to hide the sting of our thorns // Orianna headcanon.#I LOVE IT when these nice little things read my muses to absolute FILTH #live each day as if it were your last because I'm going to kill you but I'm not super good with schedules // Yzare headcanon.

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inu-mothership · 1 year

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Inu-Mothership Spotlight Saturday Dec. 24, 2022: Tsubaki!

Hello everyone! We are @inu-mothership are back with our last fic rec list of the year. It’s been such fun bringing you ship and character rec lists, and we look forward to doing more of that in 2023!

This week, our members have voted, and we’re pleased to share that our character list this week will focus on Tsubaki! The dark miko: she’s vain, she’s power-hungry, and she’ll do whatever she can to keep both her beauty and her power intact!

Our list (featured below the cut!) is divided into two sections. First, we have a section dedicated to the most popular Tsubaki ship, which is Tsubaki and Kikyo! Then, we have a section dedicated to gen fics/fics where Tsubaki is not part of the primary pairing. We hope you enjoy this list, and we’ll see everyone in the new year! Thanks so much for your support, all! We really do appreciate it.

💜 The Mods

Tsubaki/Kikyo

The Absence of (T; complete) by Aiffe (Ao3) Also InuKik and NarKik

With what will I love you, after my heart is gone?

All I Ever Wanted (T; ongoing) by @gayredheadbitch/MangaBitch (Ao3) Also many other ships; please check ships tagged for more!

Kagome was a powerful priestess whom protected the Shikon jewel, which resulted in the cost of her own life. Centuries later, her soul is reborn as Kikyo Himura. A senior student and medicinal healer living in modern day Tokyo Japan. A new mission and new love born.

Frost (T; complete) by Aiffe (Ao3) Also InuKik

The old tree is leafless in the forest, the old year is ending in the frost, the old wound, if stricken, is the sorest, the old hope is hardest to be lost.

The Spider’s Den of Iniquities (E; ongoing) by RaditzsThighBand (Ao3) Also Kikyo/Onigumo, NarKik, TsuNarKik; please heed the tags

This is where all the discarded sex scenes from my Narkik fanfictions: Kikyo, Captured & The Bandit & The Lady go that didn't make it into the stories because the scenes were either too graphic, or simply unnecessary. This is just me having too much fun with my stories. Please mind the tags and read with caution, and remember that this is all fiction and some of it is non-consentual!

Gen fics/Non Tsubaki-ship stories

Coterie, Ch. 5 (Kikyō & Tsubaki; G; ongoing) by @elkonigin

An examination of relationships within Inuyasha.

The Deadliest Sin (InuKag with implied Tsubaki/Hojo; E; complete) by @fawn-eyed-girl and @hopidoodle

Socialite Kagome Higurashi has been murdered in her New York City apartment, and Detective Inuyasha Taisho has been assigned to be the lead in the case. As he investigates, he meets a strange assortment of friends and family, all of whom have a motive to kill her. But the most surprising thing of all is when he enters Kagome's apartment and sees her portrait hanging on the wall...

Because Inuyasha realizes that Kagome was his soulmate. And now she is dead.

But the more Inuyasha looks into the case, the more things are not what they seem...

Can Inuyasha solve the mystery in time?

Dissonance (Shiori/Souten; M; ongoing) by @witchygirl99

In a world on the brink of an all-out magical war, Shiori finds her salvation in a married couple who care for her far too quickly, and in a young female soldier who keeps climbing through windows to see her. Turns out, fate has something to do with it. Maybe even love, too.

Inuyasha Bingo Bonanza, Ch. 3: Refusing to Repeat the Past (M; complete) by @heynikkiyousofine

A collection of my one-shots for my bingo card.

Murky Magic (SessKag; M; complete) by @sereia1313

In which Sesshoumaru has a spell cast on him, with interesting results.

Onigumo House (InuKik, InuKag, MirSan; E; complete) by @splendentgoddess

“Are you interested in a once in a lifetime experience that's to die for?” Kagome read with some dramatic flair that had Souta laughing. “If you think you have what it takes to survive what goes bump in the night then come for a stay at Onigumo House.”

Paint Me a Picture (InuKag; E; complete) by @kalcia, @neutronstarchild, @ruddcatha

“Madame can see beyond what others can see.” Kagome looked at the golden paint the kindly old woman was offering, the paint that would complete the painting she had poured her soul into: Inuyasha. Her only respite from the life she was trapped in: a betrothal to one she does not love. But when she adds the final touches to her masterpiece, she finds that she must set her life on a new path, for herself, and for the soulmate that has waited for her to return to him for 400 years.

The Selection Process (SessKag; M; complete) by @sereia1313

Every century that Sesshoumaru isn't mated, the most powerful females compete for the position. However, it takes more than fighting to be the Lady of the West. It is a tedious affair, and one Sesshoumaru would rather avoid, but after being gifted with the services of a mysterious miko, he suddenly finds the events much more interesting.

Soul Deep Fear (InuKag; T; complete) by @neutronstarchild

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Tsubaki was going to make sure that the Inu no Taisho’s family would feel her wrath. When her engagement to Tōga was broken by her sister Izayoi’s being the man’s soulmate, Tsubaki curses the entire Inu no Taisho line so that they should never find happiness with their soulmates. And when Inuyasha touches the hand of a barista at his local coffee shop, igniting the soul bond, all he can feel is her fear. Will he be cursed to have his soulmates flee from him for eternity? Or will this one, unlike the last, overcome her fear?

Through the Night (MirSan/InuKag; M; ongoing) by @sapphirestarxx

Sango is a demon slayer in a world that is unaware of the existence of demons and evil spirits. When her best friend and priestess Kagome calls her and tells her she wants Sango to meet her new “boyfriend” she meets not only him but his best friend, Miroku. After a confrontation in an abandoned house, secrets are revealed and they all must work together to defeat a foe they know very little about. One that has been leaving behind strange runes and attacking those with spiritual powers, leaving them in mysterious comas. Along the way feelings start to develop between the two pairs.

Wrath: Kikyō’s Kill List (InuKik, NarKik; M; complete) by @neutronstarchild

Kanna (Brown Recluse), Kagura (Redback), Hakudoshi (Brazilian Wandering Spider), Tsubaki (Brown Widow), and finally, Naraku (Funnel Web). Those were the assassins who took everything from me—my family, his family, my fiancé and our daughter. But they made one cardinal mistake: they left me alive. So one by one, I will send them all to hell. I was never ‘Black Widow,’ I was always ‘Kikyō.’ They will all learn that lesson soon enough and they will all suffer my wrath.

This story is an adaptation of Kill Bill, with Kikyō as "the Bride." So be prepared for some fun and violent darkness.

#inu-mothership #inu-mother ship spotlight #inu-mothership spotlight saturday dec 24 2022 #tsubaki #the dark miko #the vain miko #inuyasha fanfiction

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paigeschapterbook · 2 years

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My recap of Louis’s LTWT2022 Melbourne night 1 show:

This is very late but had a bit of a hard week. And it is a mess of emotions, which is probably pretty apt considering my emotional state during Louis’s show.

I apologise for the rambling. Even a week later, I am still in a state of shock. The PCD is hitting hard but I am still in shock. The truth is, I feel like I am never going to be able to properly express how seeing Louis made me feel. Before I went on Tumblr, I loved Louis in my soul and was the only solo Louie I knew. I spoke about him to friends and family and probably annoyed them with my way of turning things around to Louis. I loved him, hoped for more for him, sent out good thoughts into the universe and hoped they reached him and that he could somehow know that people out there loved him for him, for his artistry and solo career. So seeing the singer, artist, songwriter I chose 10 years ago - although it really wasn’t a choice, I was hooked when I heard him sing and saw his beautiful sunshine smile and perceived the sweet personality that radiated from his very being - was an experience that will live on in me forever. It will stay; a core experience.

I was very anxious leading up to Louis’s Melbourne shows, battling my own head and the night before I received some bad news about work. That wasn’t a great feeling and so that was on my mind. As a result, I was excited but worried. I also didn’t want to have my experience of the show marred by the actions of the crowd. I knew I was so lucky and blessed to be able to see him so I was trying to focus on that.

In the venue, waiting for Louis was a breathless experience. My heart was beating fast, I was feeling so many things. That moment when the lights go down and the music starts, it was electrifying. The screams were loud, piercing, when Louis arrived on stage and took over. The environment just felt special. When Louis is on stage, it feels like everyone in the audience actually is a Louie, no matter how they came to be there at his show. I wasn’t close to Louis but his presence just reached around the arena, wrapping everyone there in the warmth and beauty of his energy. He is just so pretty, even from far away. All this energy and life wrapped up in a beautiful talented slight frame. I think I get why Louis seems small. Obviously he has a slight build, slim shoulders and a narrow waist - and wears oversized clothing and is around men who are bigger and much burlier than him 🫣😊 - but he just radiates energy. Even though I was far away, it’s like his presence just radiates out from him, like his presence is so much bigger than the body which contains it. His physical body seems smol in comparison.

He was in blue and I loved that because my favourite colour is blue, and of course Louis looks fantastic in blue. His voice sounds higher than it does through livestreams. The energy in the room felt high, even through the slower songs. The crowd were swaying, standing for most of it (including me). The music reverberates in your soul and Louis does too, there in the warmth and beauty of his tone, in the emotion, in the way he is a storyteller. I feel like that is who Louis is an artist and live that becomes even more clear. What I live for in loving and supporting an artist is connection and Louis has that ability to connect, to feel that emotion along with the artist and to have it change something within you. Live music is transformative and that is Louis. That personal connection also makes you feel like you actually matter, your support matters, whatever you can do to show support matters and Louis can feel that with you. There is so much warmth and hopefulness and truth in that and it is beautiful, it does matter.

We Made It. It’s been said but it really is the perfect way to open the show. The way the music reverberates and then there is Louis, arriving on stage like the rockstar he is.

DLIBYH is very personal, and I felt that. It’s another song that has always been comforting to me and hearing it live is even better.

TOU is emotional, always. I am so grateful to Louis for sharing this song which is so personal in its expression of grief.

Always You sounds so good live!

Change(s) live is magical. I already loved it and live it is even better. It’s such a warm song, comforting like Louis is.

Fearless live is *chef’s kiss*. The drums. The guitars. Louis. Always Louis. Need I say more?

OTB is so beautiful, a safe space that envelops you in loving light. It is just such an experience; there is nothing like that feeling of safety and warmth that you get from Louis. His beautiful tone moving through this shirt song which makes you want more. I want more of OTB 😭

I just have to focus on Habit as Louis’s song, a song he wrote for himself on his debut solo album - which was released - as he even says: Louis is the storyline. It has some wonderful lines, things that Louis clearly strongly relates to, and I have always enjoyed how the song itself - especially the chorus - reinforces the concept of what a habit/addiction is.

I will never be over Copy of A Copy of A Copy. It is an arresting song that howls through the space, an expression of solo strength but also community comfort and care. Please officially release it, Louis 🙏🙏 OTB and Copy just remind me of each other and I love them both so much ❤️

Defenceless is so strong, vulnerable and heartbreaking but strong in execution and message. It’s like you can hear that Louis in the live version understands, even if he didn’t always, how much he deserves his love and support to be reciprocated. If Defenceless (album version) is a bit of a cry for help, live it is even more of an acknowledgment that there is great strength in vulnerability.

Walls (song) is so beautiful. Screaming ‘You were my because’ at Louis is actually cathartic, a way to in part express how much this human means to me, how his music and warmth have helped me when I could only see the world as dark and cold.

KMM is just so fun, so energetic and the perfect way to close out this beautiful journey of music and artistry and human connection. It was amazing to witness.

There is such a fascinating journey through Walls (album). It shows how respect and vulnerability has to be reciprocal for a relationship to be equal but it also points out that love is personal, love is yours to give or not give, love is a solo song you can choose to share with others (for those who feel love).

Through The Dark sung in Louis’s voice is very comforting. I did always like that song in 1D era despite my mixed feelings about 1D (which really was that I didn’t hear Louis sing solo lines enough), and once Louis started covering it, I only hear Louis singing it in my head and live just cements that. DMD and LBD are better, more rocky and high-energy with Louis singing live than they were for me in 1D. And Michael’s LBD guitar moment is certainly…something.

Louis’s cover of Beautiful War is a truly wonderful experience. The drums, the way the song twines around you, reverberates in your being. Louis’s gorgeous voice, emotional tone, the way he squats to take it all in like the babie he is. 7, amazing. His high note, the way he moves, just his voice on this song 🥵 Louis’s voice covering these songs is transcendent. I can hate comparing covers to the original version but I will say this: before Louis covered these songs, I liked them. They didn’t stick in my brain, didn’t really touch my soul but I thought they were good songs, nice to listen to. Now I love them. I adore them. I hear Louis singing them in my head. I can’t help it, it’s the Louis/Louie effect.

Louis is such a rockstar. He really is. My favourite Walls (album) songs sound even better live - and to be honest even my least favourite Walls (album) songs are still songs I would listen to over most other songs by current artists - and I will never be over Walls (album). No matter what comes next - an album where Louis makes music that is 100% him, which I am eagerly awaiting - I will always hold Walls close to me, for everything that it was and is. Hearing it live is life-changing.

Louis’s band are so good too. Steve is just wonderful and I love his energy. Drummers are objectively sexy - they keep the rhythm, I don’t make the rules - and Steve is just awesome. Michael is obviously so good on guitar, you see why Louis admires his talent. But that is Louis, isn’t it? A genuine appreciator of music. There is something really nice in the chemistry between his band and they all complement each other well. Of course, I also couldn’t really look away from Louis’s figure owning that stage, except when Louis left the stage for Michael’s Fearless solo. I can’t help it, I just look for him always.

The crowd was loud where I was. People were actually doing the projects, especially in certain sections. Unfortunately my section didn’t seem to know about the green lights for the OTB project and so used just normal lights - in videos of the crowd being panned to during OTB, I am one of those green lights - but people were screaming/singing his lyrics and it was everything. It feels like a blur. I was so happy and moved and feeling the moment and it was all so beautiful. I felt connected to the other people in the room, even though I know I would have profound differences of opinion with a lot of the people there. When the break before encore happened, I was waiting with baited breath. I was ridiculously happy when the crowd chanted Louis’s name rather than sing No Control or other 1D songs. Instead, some of the audience tried to do the Oi Oi Oi call, which I think was from the sport chant (Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi) and then people in the crowd started a wave. Not everyone noticed, so someone called out for it again and so it happened again. And then again. That was a nice moment. My sister and I actually had sore ears and a headache from the night so there’s that so at least it was loud enough for that to happen. And my sister goes to gigs with metal bands and the like so she is used to louder crowds.

Louis is so charming and cute and lovely and I adore him more than I can adequately express. He’s truly captivating, glowing up there on stage where he belongs. He fosters that connection to his fans so beautifully, creates a space and a relationship that feels special, real. The way live music is so transformative with Louis and Louies is special. A heartbreaking album transforms into a further expression of strength, of coming out the other side of difficult situations and circumstances and keeping your heart open and loving. Louis understands the strength in vulnerability and he really knows what he is talking about when he talks about music which sounds good live. To witness his first solo world tour is something I will forever be grateful for. To see him on that stage, owning it, having so much fun and being so happy and full of life. It means the world to me. He deserves it so much.

Louis is Everything.

Ending thought: if I could only attend one artist’s show for the rest of my life, I would choose Louis Tomlinson.

Below are photos of my sign, both sides. Not the best photos but I forgot to take them before I got into the venue. I’m just grateful my sister took them, she’s much better at taking photos than I am 🫣:

#louies #louis is everything #recap of my show #i am so sorry for the rambling length #ltwt2022: melbourne 1 (my show)#louis tomlinson #solo artist louis tomlinson

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cosmoboba · 5 months

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1, 2, 6, 8! for mr strifey!

OH YEAH DADD-/JJJ

"Why do you like or dislike this character?" + 2. "Favorite canon thing about this character?" - Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7

because he's Cloud Strife. thanks for coming to my tedtalk/J

ANYWAYS i'm putting these two questions together with one answer considering that they're kinda the same thing

whenever it comes to this(/ese) question(s) for Cloud i'm just??? Not able to form a proper answer??? My answer just goes all over the place

let's start off with the fact that he fits into the delinquent trope, at least, in my eyes he does with how much retaliates(i.e Sephiroth + Shinra), BUT he does it for the right reasons ofc.

second things second....have I ever said that I'm a suckass for duality in a character? Queue in how Cloud wants to achieve a persona on the outside but is unable to contain that soft babyness within. Fucking loser I love him to death for that. AND NOT TO MENTION how he also struggles with fitting into that masculine standard and acts coldly just to make himself seem "cool", and each time I remember that bit of him I just go "he struggles with achieving being that man ppl expect him to be meanwhile my bitchass struggles with accepting my own femininity in fear that I'd get stereotyped/seen as vulnerable and weak" and it's just straight up "he's my fuckin (fictional)soulmate and god knows it"

AND NOW FOR PHYSICAL APPEARANCE CUZ IM THAT MUCH OF A SLUT OKAY.

"blonde hair and blue eyes is an overrated beauty standard" *fawning over Cloud fawning over Cloud fawning over Clou-*jokes aside technically I still think it's true like cmon now everyone is beautiful stfu with your standards

no cuz the fact that Cloud is canonically teased about looking like a big bird(chocobo) bc of his golden spikes is just....... square enix wants me fuckin dead ok

and no.

don't get me started on those....blue sky....crystal-like...orbs for eyes....that fuckers could stare into my soul....I'd allow him...and this is coming from someone whom is eye contact-shy...

hhmnmnhbbhbnbmnhhbmbnjbhbnmnbhbnmbhbnmbhbnmHBNMNBNHBNMNHN-

oh and he has some great arms too wow my good sir put me in a headlo-

6. "What's something you have in common with this character?" - Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7

let's begin with the fact that we both have been outcasted at kiddos, yeah?

Cloud hadn't been able to be accepted by Tifa's friend group, meanwhile I hadn't been able to be accepted by other kids due to my...heritage thanks to the fact that I spoke and looked different among of middle eastern group of kids

so....you can add the fact that we were both considered "weirdos" as kids to the list omg true love/s

not to mention how this both led us to being bitter? Yes I'd be lying if I said I didn't have anger issues(still do) and fought with my older brother's friends(but we're cool now). Same case with Cloud since he always put himself into fights with other kids, and eventually both of us just wanted to do smtg to be noticed/admired by someone too

Reverting back to how I explained elements of his personality that I like, which are. basically the the reasons why I love him in the first place along with other elements ofc-

so I can easily relate to his delinquency, being as I myself am a bit rebellious given the circumstance I am in irl. I disagree a lot with people around mecoughcoughfamilycoughcough I also use rebellion as like...ig a self defense mechanism to put it, which ties into how im unable to accept my own feminine urges bc like said, it's somewhat of a fear bc I dislike being categorized into the gender norm stereotype

Second is with his duality. Now this....is both a pos/ and neg/ context depending on what I'm referring to

for pos, or...neutral ig? I actually don't know how to explain what my personality is, let alone if I'd be considered an introvert. Now, I can't and genuinely don't know how to make friends anymore due to lack of emotional attachment, hence this leads to communicational loss and such, but then when I do become comfy with someone somehow that triggers into me socializing..? Like. to the point where I'm rambling and hell even overtalking

but this is just an example of many that's making me question what my personality is bc then there's times where I'm a douche but then comes the part where I feel really bad that I apologies too much

now...for the neg part

this part ties into my unfortunate hypocrisy, I honestly don't know how to control it. I don't mean hurt anyone, I have no intentions of it. But then when I get forced into scenarios just...where im afraid to actually speak up so...lying is my only gateway

yeah I'm sorry. I won't be going into a venting tizzy I prommie

8. "What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?" - Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7

....sigh.

okay look. YES I do get jealous when it comes to Cloud's relationship with the ladies.....but if you start misinterpreting/lying about his relationship with them then imma slap a bitch okay

no. Cloud does not hate Aerith and he doesn't want her dead either clearly you don't know what emotional attachment is let alone connection to someone special to you. Have you also forgotten how much Cloud had beaten himself over and over at how he hadn't saved her? Yeah I don't think someone with this much affection to a loved one would feel that fucked up over the fact that they died and they could've done anything to save them

no. Cloud didn't/doesn't hate Tifa for they way he was treated when they were younger. Like said I relate to what happened in our childhoods, and albeit some kids grow up to continue being a pain in the ass to ppl but some grow up to be friends later on, same case with me and my brother's friends. This ain't about me ofc tho but Tifa later on finds out what Cloud went through just to get her to notice him when they were younger, pair that with the trauma of the nibelheim incident and that just made them infinitely closer

I would like to add: no. Cloud sure as fuck DOES NOT think he's Zack. I would imagine he knew who Zack's parents were let alone would've recognized Aerith the moment he saw her. But did he? No, no he fuckin did not.

but anyways mmmm Clooudf Strriofenmnmnm<33333

#✰cosmo ask #Cloud Strife #Final Fantasy vii #ff7

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crimsontroupe · 1 year

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What Flavour is Your Soul?

rosemary (adonia)

honey (aliah) "sugared mel e lingua serpentis." sugared honey from a serpent's tongue. oh dearest, look how you gleam. how the sunlight dances off your shoulders, how the heavens shine across your wingtips. but you are hollow, hollow, hollow. even the taste of nectar can choke a man. sometimes the sweetest flowers hide the sharpest poison. you lie to yourself, the worst lie of all. you needn't be so obsessed with perfect. the greatest beauty lies in our faults. do you think the moon apologizes for their mara? no, their craters add to their glow. my dear, breathe. you are not an island, breathe, before the honey drowns you. you wish to be lovely, you long to be loved. but did aphrodite trade her powers for perfection? she did not. you can be beautiful, and also whole. be whole above anything else dear. a heart of diamonds is worth nothing if inchor oozes from it. inward. look within and question how well do you know yourself? little petal are you trying to be a god? why? can a god bloom from sullen soil? no. you are whole as you are.

vanilla (equinox)

oh heart of ice and mind of gold, what am I to do with you? you are only good in small amounts, bittersweet fledgling, you are hard for most to swallow. your spirit is strong, your wit is potent, your biting essence drives even the most daring away. but why are you hiding your sweetness? I know within you, you are soft, but humanity has made you bitter. you mask your pain and sorrow with spite and sensibility. you say you do not care about trivial things, but don't you? sweetheart relax. you can let down your drawbridge, the waters are not poisoned. I know you have looked monsters in between the eyes and scoffed at them, but please, relax. you think your armor protects you but it is smothering you slowly. little owlet, when will you learn, words can only get you so far? feelings are what makes this world pulse. do not suppress your feelings. your heart can still thaw my dear. trust.

tagged by: @blindedguilt (love u. mwa)

tagging: @kesil (phos), @voiceofduality (emil), @viilein + @weavermasked, @saintsdawn, @inabsentiia, @amaurotine, @tomepact (🐛), @thronelessking (vanya + arlas) + you! tag me so i can see ur results.

#oh i did this for several ppl. it was fun. some of these results... oh naur #the last rose of summer ; adonia #black roses for the wicked one ; aliah #half light of dawn ; equinox #the way they just (orbital laser) pointing at adonia was rly funny tho

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oathofpromises · 11 months

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“Your absence has gone through me like a thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color.”

( my absent lover starter for the WoL from the Crystal Exarch )

Stella held a hand to her heart, as she listened to G'raha speak. How long she had yearned to hear him say he missed her. That she wasn't the only one who suffered during the other's absence. It had been unbearable to see his back fading. The tears that had slipped passed her eyes, as the Au Ra tried to remain calm. Her heart, a whirlwind of emotions. He always did have a way of making her feel such affections. The two were alone in the Ocular at this point, the rest of the scions retired for the night.

"Raha....you want the truth? My heart burned for you since that day. There has never been anyone else that I feel like this for, despite the stories written. I can’t think of anytime I didn't think about you. Seeing you here, in the first...I'm left with so many questions. How exactly did you end up here? The amount of pain you suffered just to get to this point...I can't bare to think of you alone all these years."

It made her heart ache, imagining him enduring all of this without anyone to lean on. Yes, he was the Crystal Exarch to the people of the first, but to her he meant the entire world to her. Slowly, she walked closer to the other, his hood down now. They had no need hide anything from the other.

“Your absence shook my very soul.. There wasn’t, nothing I wouldn’t do to bring you back…even if that meant losing myself in the process. You mean the universe to me..I chose you Raha. It's always been you."

Her hand slowly reached up, cupping his face, feeling the cold of the crystal against her touch. Oh, how she missed him..no matter how much time had passed, he was still the beautiful man she had fallen in life with during the Crystal Tower quests. The one person that could cause such a stir of emotions within her chest. This was new to the traveler, no one had managed to work their way into her heart to the point she could hardly think of anything else.

"If I could've given up everything to join you back then, I would've in a heartbeat...there wasn't any day that passed that I didn't recall our adventure into the tower. How quickly you managed to warm into my heart. I didn't want to let a single person that close...usually anyone near me ends up getting hurt, or worse..."

Stella glanced away, a sorrow behind those pink eyes. Her mind wandering to the moments she had lost dear friends. They had given up so much just save her. Why was she worth so much to everyone? Is it because of her title. That only she could prevent the darkness from consuming the world. Surely, the weight was starting to tell.

"I am not worth such affections Raha...no matter how much I love you. In the end, you will only suffer more being close to me..." A part of her didn't mean that, but could she risk losing him all over again? No..the very idea of saying goodbye did nothing to soothe the storm inside her chest. The others were gone, surely it was okay to be a little vulnerable around Graha, but he had so much on his shoulders too. Her body refused to listen to her mind though, as her forehead leaned against his chest. Fingers grasped at his robes, as her face was hidden from his view. It wasn't like the warrior of light to show such emotions in front of anyone. People expected her to be the hero, so no matter what she would always put everyone else first before her own needs.

'I missed you...my heart it aches just knowing how much you went through to keep me safe. Why did you go far for someone like me? Raha.." muttered the Au Ra, as she allowed tears to fall down the sides of her face. It hurt to keep acting like she wasn't hurt by all this. That she didn't want to be close to him always and the further apart they had been the emptier her soul had felt.

"Please don't leave me again..."sobbed Stella, as her tears hit his chest. It was moments like this that the Dancer would allow herself to show those deeper emotions, but only to him. To her Raha.

#— ❛❛ // STELLA CAELUM ¦ our hearts endure and remain forever strong ・「 Threads」#— ❛❛ // G'RAHA TIA ¦ Your love will be the compass of my heart ・「 Diademreigned」#ooc; Hopefully this was good way to start;;;#This is going off dynamic we have formed with them in other threads #I am tossing you feels with them I hope you know

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like-rain-or-confetti · 7 months

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hi, Vanity, are ok? Hope so!

well, would linda writing some headcannon of Midnight Mass with John Pruitt and a s/o witch

Ohhh okay okay, I'm going to completely stick with the story but add this side character so MAJOR SPOILERS to anyone who hasn't seen midnight mass and intends to! Im also doing this by memory. I havent watched it since it first came out so if i forget or get something wrong- my bad! I also know nothing about witch craft personally so this is my best guess.

Also I'm good, I'm just going through some health stuff and life changes for the better! I talk about it a few posts down. Thank you for asking ❤️

So this relationship wasn't forseen by either when the young handsome priest arrives to the island for the 'first' time.

Witchcraft isn't actually frowned upon by most- except Bev Keane because she is a bitch and everything is beneath her. But no witch craft isn't really known to if it works or doesn't but you seem nice enough so maybe you aren't any harm right?

But back to the handsome priest man who is focused on bringing the community together in worship...kinda. mostly. It's a goal of his.

So he originally doesn't think much of the witch craft stuff. He's a believer in the freedom to choose ones own belief system. Unlike some certain church members -COUGH-

He's even rather fascinated by it along with the Sheriff who knows what it's like to be deemed an outcast before you so much as step through the door. Both passionate in the pursuit of knowledge and becomes quite the therapeutic relationship. A friend who has compassion without judgement and a friend who takes pride in the pursuit of knowledge and constant interest in the world around him.

The small community really brings everyone together just like small communities do.

Things begin to change between you and the priest, John Pruitt. He was like an old soul you couldn't help but be drawn to with eyes full of life-long pain despite his young appearance. Yet he still saw beauty in the present day. He's mystifying and comforting. The days of time together become more frequent as time goes on.

You notice he's rather secretive. He appeared as though an open book but you couldn't help the feeling you were only getting half of the story.

Things were getting strange around the island. Cats turning up dead on the beach put most if not all on edge of a potential virus but all is reassured by John who is zoning his focus on newly returned Riley who needs mandatory AA meetings as a part of his release.

John expresses his concern about poor old Mildred Gunning, who was slipping away with every day. He was told she was very passionate about her religion after all before she got too sick to do so. You thought it a major kindness and very much like John to take mass to Mildred. A noble thing indeed.

Bev Keane seems to have her sights on Joe, his dog, and the Sheriff with her snarky comments. Naturally, when she couldn't get a reaction from Erin or the others, her sights zoned back to you and the temptations you offered being in bad faith.

Despite how loyal Bev is to John. John supports you entirely, insisting you paid her comments no mind after a heart to heart about your own religious beliefs.

Your look into witchcraft was not with ill intent or an attack on God. It was merely that God had given you the ability to reach out and acknowledge other deities. That God was not one but many and like the island prayed and went to mass, you gave these deities offerings and love just the same. You saw beauty and magic within the crystals you kept. Like religion helped them, witch craft healed what was needed in your soul.

That night, you and John had your first kiss. You had never felt more connected to a man or anyone the way you had connected to him.

Things get even weirder on the island. You witnessed a girl who was wheelchair bound, walk again. Mildred gunning was not only physically looking better -and definitely a little younger as nuts as that sounded- she was also very much more aware of her surroundings. None of this should be possible. Not to mention Sarah Gunning has called you to her home to show you blood samples literally explode. She asked you of you had any ideas. It was a long shot but maybe a witch would know. You had seen many coincidences that could be only that or magic. You had seen the down right bizarre on the island but nothing prepared you for that moment that blood sample shattered and sizzled under the sunlight of the window. Your faith told you that there were simply things in this world people would never understand but fear in your gut told you that you didn't want to know the answers sometimes. What reasoning could there be to make that sight any less crazy?

You voiced all of this to John, who- as always sat, listened entirely and didn't try to talk you out of things you claimed to see or think. Instead, he hoped to provide comfort for those things. He didn't try to give answers for these things and will them away. In hindsight, maybe it wasn't so much a kindness that he didn't give you answers.

Mildred was getting younger by the day. Riley disappeared, and Erin, already mourning her baby's loss, insisted that Riley was dead. That he burned to dust in front of her and that John Pruitt wasn't to be trusted. That last part somehow became the least believable out of all of that, ironically. At least until the angel came.

Or at least John called that thing that. An angel as well as a miracle asking the church to not be afraid... but you were. You were more terrified of anything, and for the first time, you finally saw that other side of John you had since talked yourself out of believing existed. Many had secrets, but very few came in the form of something that looked to be an 8 foot tall monster. Mildred seemed to have the same experience at the very same time.

Things went to hell after that. The bloodshed, the poisonings, the death. It was like a ripple effect, threatening to wipe out the already very small population of people.

Sarah's death is what made John see what he had done and only then on the church stairs as the monster soared the sky looking for its next victim did John explain himself to you and a now young Mildred.

John and Mildred had a secret love affair. Sarah was the product of that affair, Mildred's deceased husband having no idea nor did Sarah until her last night but John and Mildred knew.

John saw how Mildred's condition was wasting away at her, and on top of that, he knew his own condition had begun to eat away at him too. He was attacked by the angeland when he awoke. He was restored. So he bribed the being, smuggled it back with him to the island for no more death or sickness. Bev always saw it as a new way of life but John wasn't interested in that. He did it for Mildred and Sarah and eventually, he did it for you, too.

You were not a part of the plan. You were a gift from God, John believed. A wonderful person who was young and passionate but now he felt he had been greedy and has robbed you of your years. You had a whole life to live before him and John got greedy and wanted to save you from a necessary evil that was only going to come that much quicker if you didnt survive. With every passing minute that seemed less and less likely.

He apologised constantly and even Mildred felt pain for you. She understood she and John had taken borrowed time that wasn't theirs to take and now those so young like the sheriff's son, Sarah' their own daughter and possibly you and every other young person on this island no longer had a future.

John said he wanted to try, to at least try and give you one last gift as a thanks and prove of his love. To help you get off the island. It was a long shot but he'd go through hell and high water just for that small chance that you'd live and leave this all behind. You hadn't died yet. The blood would exit your existence eventually.

You found Lisa, the girl who could suddenly walk and Riley's younger brother. The three of you getting off the island and watching the sun come up as the island went up in flames. A flutter of hope emerging when Lisa said the words. "I can't feel my legs." A bittersweet sign of a future.

You never spoke a word of what happened on the island but when you sought those deities at night- you asked them to take care of those lost souls from the island and forgive them if nothing else. No one more than John Pruitt.

#flanaverse #midnight mass #john pruitt #request

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adarkrainbow · 1 year

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Catherine Bernard’s Riquet with the tuft

(Note: all illustrations actually come from Perrault’s Riquet with the tuft, not Bernard’s)

As I said in my post about Charles Perrault’s Riquet with the tuft, the tale of the Academician was actually an answer to a previous fairytale written by Catherine Bernard - and reading her version of “Riquet with the tuft” helps a lot understand Perrault’s. Now, while Catherine Bernard is part of the “first fairytale tellers” of France, and was very influential in the birth of the fairy tale genre (after all, she influenced Perrault’s tales), she isn’t often talked about... It is because, unlike other writers of the “first generations”, she didn’t create a lot of fairytales - merely two. “Le prince rosier” (the rose-bush tree) and her Riquet with the tuft, both inserted in a novel called “Inès de Cordoue”. This, as you will learn by following this blog, was actually quite usual when the fairytale genre appeared: fairytales weren’t considered enough to exist “by their own” and so were often inserted as “stories-within-stories” in realistic narratives.

Mind you, when I say Catherine Bernard wasn’t “talked much about”, I mean in terms of fairytales nowadays - outside of this, she was actually one of the famous French women of the second half of the 17th century. Also called “mademoiselle Bernard”, she was a poetess, a novelist and a playwright, and one of the first women part of the Académie Française. Much more importantly: she was the first women who got a theater play written by her (a tragédie) to be played by the Comédie Française! (If you don’t know about France at this time, this was huge, l’Académie Française was the official cultural institution of France, and the Comédie Française the most famous and respectable official theater of France).

All that being said, let’s see what’s her take on the “Riquet” story...

Once upon a time, there was a rich lord of Granada [note: Given the novel the story is inserted in takes place in Spain, of course the fairytale has a Spanish flavor to it] who had only one sorrow: his only daughter, despite being very beautiful, was very stupid. Her actions ruined her grace, and despite her splendid body, she lacked a “soul”. She was named Mama, and she was too stupid to know that she was actually stupid (well, “lacking spirit” as mademoiselle Bernard puts it), but she felt that she was disdained and isolated from others, though she couldn’t tell why. One day, as she was walking alone near her house, a man so hideous he could be a monster appeared out of the ground. She was ready to flee when he talked to her, saying he had bad news to tell her, but also pleasant things to promise. He begins with the cruel part: he reveals to her that the reason don’t like is because she is lacking “in thoughts”, and because she never thinks she is far inferior to him, even though he is a monster in body. (There is a funny line where he adds “But given you empty your eyes are right now, I realized I over-estimated you when I thought my words would offend you.”) The monstrous man offers Mama to give her spirit - but to do so, she needs to love him, Riquet with the Tuft, and in one year she will have to marry him. He lets Mama think about it as long as she likes, and while waiting she just has to repeat a little magical poem to gain the thoughts and cleverness she misses (it is a little poem about love).

The girl immediately does so, and becomes fast in thought and shining in spirit. Back at the court, she amazes everyone with her newfound spirituality, she is now surrounded by friends and lovers at her balls and promenades, soon people become jealous of her and everybody talks about her. And regularly she repeats the magical love-poem of Riquet, to keep her bright spirit... But unfortunately, while these words do create a feeling of love in her heart, it is for somebody else: for the most good-lovers of her suitors. There’s just one problem: this suitor is not rich or wealthy in any way, he is “without fortune”. The girl’s parents, realizing the mistake they made by wishing for her to have spirit, try to compensate it by teaching her all sorts of warnings about love - but it is useless to fight love in the heart of a young and pretty girl, and so Mama became madly in love with the handsome but poor suitor, Arada.

Now, Mama had revealed to no one the true cause of her “spiritual metamorphosis” - she was so vain she refused to admit she didn’t grow a complex thought on her own. But as the year came to a close she started to despair and realize that she shouldn’t have used Riquet’s gift so much - she needed to escape her fateful wedding to the monstrous man, while also keeping the gift he had offered her... One day, as she thought about her plan alone, she heard a great noise and songs from under the ground - songs singing the poem of love Riquet taught her. Mama, terrified, sees the ground open up before her, and Riquet with the tuft appears surrounded by men as deformed him. She could only cry before such a sight. Riquet understood what was going on, and was sad to realize she disliked him even more than before, but he told her: you can still back up. I gave you one year to think over, you can refuse my wedding proposition, as long as you return to me the gift of spirit I gave you. However, if she marries him, she will become the Queen of the Gnomes (for Riquet himself reveals to be the King of the Gnomes), and he will offer her all the treasures buried under the earth (which are his property). He concludes: “If someone is unhappy with both gold and spirit, it is that they deserve to be.”

Riquet takes Mama in his underground kingdom and his somptuous, luxury apartments, where ugly female Gnomes serve her every whim and desires. He leaves her two days to see what he has to offer to help her make her choice, and she has all sorts of gnome-entertainments - balls and theater plays - but all she can see is the grotesque appearance of everyone. Now, to flee this hideous husband, she was ready to return to stupidity... But she had a lover now, and this changed everything. She didn’t want to lose Arada, so she wanted to keep her spirit, but by doing so she condemned herself to life forever underground cut from him...

After two days, she realized she fear too much to return to Arada in a thoughtless state, and decided to marry Riquet nonetheless, to keep her spirit. Through this wedding, Mama’s spirit became even bigger and stronger than before, but this made her regret even more the decision she took of marrying a monster that disgusted her constantly. Riquet realized the hatred of his wife, and he grew hurt - he started to curse his own curiosity that led him outside of his underground realm, he cursed all these seductive womens and his dreams of marriages, and in his bitter state he left Mama more and more alone. Without the King of the Gnomes around, Mama decided to bring Arada into her underground realm: after all, she entered, couldn’t he? She was also worried of how brutally and unexpectedly the Gnome had ravished her - fearing what people might say and claim back at the surface. Mama had a Gnome servant bring a letter to Arada, who was despaired by the disappearance of his lover, and as soon as he learned where she was, he joined her - gaining access with her help to her underground chambers. Exchanging sweet words, Arada decided to abandon the human world to live with Mama under the earth.

Arada thus started to live with Mama hidden in Riquet’s palace - but Riquet noticed that his wife was suddenly much more joyful and happy than usual. Worse: he noticed she made an effort to dress up nicely, put on jewels and look pretty, even when she was supposed to be completely alone. He was too clever to believe she somehow had grown to like him - and he guessed a human lover must have sneaked to her. He wanted to punish her, for using the intelligence he had gifted her against him - but he couldn’t remove all of it, because she had obeyed his law and held his promise... So he decided to split the spell: she would only be intelligent at night, as she slept with him, and return to begin stupid by day, when he left her alone.

Unfortunately for Riquet, while during the day Mama was lethargic with stupidity, by night the rush of ideas kept waking her up, and she stole a magical herb that, placed under Riquet’s nose, would make him sleep deeply as long as she liked. Like thus, she could leave her drugged husband to spend the night at her lover’s hiding place, without worrying about a thing. This went on from quite some times - she spent all her nights with her lovers, and by the morning removed the herbs, and spent her lonely, stupid days sleeping.

But things couldn’t last forever... The magical leaves that placed Riquet to sleep also made him snore. A Gnome servant, who was half awakened half asleep, misunderstood one of the snores as an order and rushed into the bedroom of his master: seeing the herb, he thought they were bothering him, and removed them. Riquet found himself all alone. Looking for his wife, he discovered her making vows of eternal love to Arada. Riquet didn’t say anything, but took a wand and touched with it Arada, who became identical in body to Riquet. Days passing by, Mama lost the ability to distinguish between the two, and merely found herself with two husbands: she didn’t know to which she could confess her sorrows, and from which she should fear the wrath.

Mademoiselle Bernard to conclude: “But maybe she didn’t lose that much. With time, all lovers become husbands.” THE END

As you can see, this story has a quite distinct tone. We have here a more irreverencious, humoristic, darker tale where no one is really a good guy - it is a classic “unfortunate extra-marital love story” so typical of the time. The female protagonist, Mama, is clearly designed to not be a good heroine - she is told to be vain, cunning, deceiving, and to use her intelligence for bad things... But at the same time, it is said that she only follows her heart, and that she stays true to her love despite what everybody else says. In a similar way, Arada could be seen as an antagonist, given his position in the tale, but the truth is that he is just a good-hearted man in love, and who stays true and loyal for his soul-mate, even abandoning the human world for her.

It is a strange and bizarre tale without clear morals here, a muddle grey story where nothing is black-and-white, and whose only purpose is to explore the clash between “love” and “marriage”. We have here the traditional topos of a loveless wedding to a hideous and hated husband - but who, in a twist, is not a bad, cruel or lecherous one, as Riquet is shown to be understanding of his wife’s feeling, to be wise, to leave her a full choice to marry him or not... He only punishes her when she does break their marital bonds, and even then his punishments are not truly cruel. In fact, this breaking of the cliche and stereotypes of the romance novels reaches a culminating point with the last sentence of the tale: “All lovers become husbands”, which literaly happens as Mama finds Arada turned into a twin of Riquet. Catherine Bernard seems here to try to prove the absurdity of the very topoi romance of her time relied on, this sort of clear-cut divide between the charming, heroic, extra-marital lovers and the wicked husbands, by pointing out how one can become the other and reverse: the real thrill of Mama (and of all typical romance protagonist) is the thrill of an extra-marital relationship with a young and beautiful person. But if we imagine that their love for the dashing youths lead them to marry them... Then it means love is gone, as they are now one of those hated husbands the romance-heroine has to flee from in another man’s arms. A very superficial way of thinking that Bernard takes a great joy playing with here - especially by highlighting how everything bad that happened to Mama happened because of her vanity, her refusal to reveal where she got her intelligence from, her refusal to appear stupid in front of the man she loved (or thought she loved). The fact that, in the end, when one’s appearance is changed, she cannot distinguish between the two, actually proves that her feelings were entirely superficial, and that deep down, Riquet and Arada are the same in spirit...

Of course, reading this full, original version also allows one to understand the strange gaps and holes in Perrault’s story. The whole passage of Riquet having an underground kitchen popping out of nowhere makes not much sense in his tale (since Riquet is there a human prince) - but it is a nod to Bernard’ version where Riquet is a gnome ruling over an underground nation. Similarly, the mention of the dashing rival opposing Riquet in Perrault’s is a leftover of Arada, a nod to the original tale that is quickly gotten rid of as the Academician rather chooses to make his story one about the power of love, with a happy ending, rather than a pathetic comedy like Bernard’s. In fact, Perrault’s ending is purposefully designed to be the reverse of Bernard, with the ugly dwarf becoming the handsome prince, instead of the reverse - and the ambiguity at the end of Bernard’s tale (Mama unable to recognize Arada from Riquet) is displaced to the princess of Perrault unable to know if Riquet was truly transformed, or if simply her look of him changed.

To this, I’ll add some notes taken not from my mind, but from an article written by Monique Vincent, comparing the two versions of the tale:

Perrault’s story is one fundamentally optimistic. In his tale, the character of the fairy is here to soothe and balance the disasters of natural birth: to the ugly Riquet she gives spirit, and to the stupid girl she gives the power to make people beautiful. These two different characters are soul-mates made for each other, gifted with complementary gifts, that end up making the happiness of one another. But Bernard’s tale is pessimistic. There is no fairy, only Riquet can give a gift (a gift which causes his own unhappiness, and is used/abused against him), and the “marvelous” of the tale is only present in Riquet who, while just an extravagant but charming prince in Perrault’s, is here a grotesque and frightening being ruling over an underground realm of ugliness. Perrault’s protagonist are charming - the stupidity of the princess being tied to everyday things such as clumsiness, and Riquet having his cute little tuft of hair at his birth ; Bernard’s characters are self-destructive, such as Mama who keeps accumulating miseries and miseries driven by the wrong choices.

The whole struggle of Mama is one of fatality: to keep her newfound love and reputation, she is forced to tie herself forever to somebody she does not love, but to be able to live fully and happily her live and emotions, she needs to become a betrayer and an oath-breaker. She understands and knows that there is no right way for her, and that she is doomed either way, but still drags herself and her lover into dangerous situations out of pure vanity. And Bernard’s character of Riquet is one we can only feel pity for, the same way he felt pity for Mama - as his fate is to be humiliated by a cheating wife, and to end up in self-hatred due to Mama’s constant disgust (it is noted that due to her dislike of him, he ends up cursing his own appearance). Perrault’s narrative is fast, light-hearted, talkative and “shining” with wonders ; Bernard’s narrative is a deeply human story of anxiety and emotions, taking us into the depths of the heart and the earth. This is a clear opposition of what liked to call “le merveilleux blanc” and “le merveilleux noir”, the white marvelous and the black marvelous. In fact, Perrault’s story is much closer to the traditional fairytale, where Bernard’s story is still ingrained in the logic of the novel.

A common point in those two tales is that both explore aspects of the modern world the authors live in, but each author has its different angle. Perrault’s tale is about life in society: it is about learning to be entertaining at parties, it is how to get the art of “shining” by your conversation, it is the story of a young princess becoming the jewel of a court, and it ends with the social event that is a wedding feast. Mademoiselle Bernard rather turns herself towards the familial life: Mama is the young girl that cannot be with the one she is in love with due to her parents’ disapproval, while only being able to grow as a person through the love of someone else ; it is the story of a husband who tries to make his wife happy through riches and entertainments, but fails as she flees to find something else he cannot offer. This is the story of a girl who follows her love despite the social and familial norms, which only leads her to becoming an unhappy criminal. This is the full horror of the “black marvelous”.

But both tale share a noticeable “twist” and “leaning” towards the real world, somehow announcing the disappearance of the world of the supernatural and the wonders, replaced by reality. In Perrault’s, it is the refutation of the fairy’s spell through psychological explanations ; in Bernard’s, it is the depressing conclusion of what looks like a banal, sad case of love affair and cheated husbands - that “all lovers become husbands”, a heavy truth that crushes the marvels of the world of the gnomes, reducing it to a mere caricature of our own world. Bernard’s tale is a tragedy, Perrault’s a comedy.

[I would personaly nuance that there is more humor than what Monique Vincent claims in Bernard’s story - there are several jokes cracked up here and there, the whole situation is indeed a grotesque caricature of romance stories, and the final conclusion, while pretty sad or heavy, can also be read as a sort of dark joke.]

#riquet with the tuft #french fairytales #literary fairytales #catherine bernard #charles perrault #perrault fairytales #comparative fairytales

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mini-ism · 2 years

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i have some thoughts about the new saints row reboot. [NOT SPOILER-FREE]

i decided to write down some of my own thoughts, feel free to (respectfully) let me know what you think!

characters— i really like the new crew, even if they feel a bit "2-d." neenah had a great character arc, even if it was short. i understand her resentment to sergio and her attachment to her project car. eli is your typical side-character geek, but without him, the new saints empire wouldn't be built. eli definitely knows what he's doing, even if he's a bit of a klutz. eli and neenah contributed lots to the depth of the new saints row, but my issue is with my favorite of the new crew- kev. kevin is adorable, he's cute, but he lacks the depth and arc i would've liked to see. he's almost like comedic relief, and definitely has worse motives than that of neenah and eli's. the nahualli seemed like your average handsome villain, but even he had me fooled. i don't think nahualli should have been a villain, even so— volition could have changed his motives. how does he go from thinking friends are liabilities to becoming envious of the main character, their friends, and even their life within weeks? on the other hand, we have atticus marshall. i liked having him as an antagonist. atticus had a very genuine and understandable reason to dislike the protagonist, rather than nahualli becoming envious, the collective and their idols wanting to take down everyone (because they're anarchists [but not really]), and los panteros- now led by sergio, with tensions rising between neenah and sergio because of disagreements, and eventually destroying her property (definitely a better arc). regardless, there's plenty of potential to work with, to shape and mould into genuine, relatable characters, but volition somewhat lacked in the creation of a solid plot and characters we can relate to.

plot + storyline— i appreciated the start of the new saints, we've come full circle. just as the third street saints had once done, the new saints built their "empire" in a run-down church. i thought it was a cute reference. the continuation of plot and story, and the villains is a major issue. the nahualli had extremely bad motives, almost lashing out at the main character with jealousy. literal backstabbing could've worked, but not in the "im-going-to-steal-your-friends" way. the climax of the story, nahualli stabbing the main character and burying them alive, evoked lots of shock. it was definitely unexpected, and i appreciated that, but his motivation for doing so upset me. the storyline moved way too quickly for me though, it felt a bit "casual," rivalling saints row: the third's short length. things felt rushed, many things felt kind of unimportant, especially the saints becoming the saints because of rivalry and student- fucking -loans, but some moments within the game, such as the main character choosing to shoot or terminate atticus marshall from his own company— they felt amazing. seeing the saints go from a rag-tag friend group, to a "gang" operating out of a church, to an empire within santo ileso felt all too fast, like it was weeks, rather than months as canon suggests. the issue isn't with the beginning of the story at all, or the marshall arc, but the nahualli. the nahualli wasn't a very good villain, even if i enjoyed his character. i know volition could have done better at the end of the game, but the beginning definitely hooked me.

critics— i don't believe the reboot deserves all the hate it gets, it has innovative and streamlined gameplay, and is plenty of fun to play, with a beautiful open world to explore. however, i don't think the reboot is a good open-world game. there's plenty of effort, beauty, and detail put into the open world, but we don't use it much outside of ventures and side hustles. however, i feel like the reboot of saints row lacks an audience, it lacks the soul we know in a saints row game (at least to me.) saints row (2022) is a very solid game that lacks a specific audience is wants to appeal to, and even so, i feel as if it's target audience is "quirky millennials." it doesn't feel different, but it does have the little references to the older games i always wanted to see. i can tell volition poured a lot of love into the new saints row, but as times change, so do video games. i prefer the gritty, cynical humor of the original saints row, but maybe it was time to retire the old crew and their humor, as much as i adore them. the comedy in the reboot felt a bit dry. game critics seemed to be too harsh on this new game, though, clearly expecting to see what was surface level in the older games. with enough attention to detail here in the new game, the references kind-of reveal themselves to you. i believe the shit-storm of hate was not deserved, but i personally also think the reboot is not the best saints row title. however— the reboot wasn't given a chance to prove itself as a truly solid game.

overall— i see people in the "old saints row fandom" saying this new game is woke propaganda. clearly, it is not. it's a game about shooting things, just as is any other saints row game. the same people complaining about the "random bullshit" also fail to realize that random bullshit was thrown into the mix, and is what made saints row: the third and saints row IV: re-elected. people are definitely entitled to their opinions, 100%, but i'm willing to discuss thoughts about this new saints row game. i don't think this game has the best writing plot-wise, or character-wise, but volition could have gone different ways with saints row IV: re-elected, as well as agents of mayhem, and even the johnny gat spin-off. each game has a very strong suit, but lacks in many other ways. overall, i don't think this reboot is the worst project volition has released at all, but it is far from the legacy saints row 2 and saints row: the third both collectively have. with an open mind, all complaints and dislikes about this new game are valid, but ignorance is not key. perhaps a reboot is what saints row really needed, but volition may have gone about it wrong, —or even did it right. it all depends on what you think. nothing will stop you from enjoying or disliking this new game, and that is fine.

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