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felassan · 1 year

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Thoughts/wonderings on Dragon Age: The Missing #2, under a cut due to spoilers for The Missing (not just #2) and for the recent leaks:

Overall I think issue 2 was more interesting and more exciting than issue 1. I don't mean this in a bad way about issue 1; it's just that issue 1 had a lot of catching up to do ('here's what's happened since you were last in Thedas') and setup both for Varric&Harding (they should open a detective agency together)'s current quest and for future issues in this series. that was quite a lot of setup and the comic issues only have a few pages. now in Issue 2, the story is properly starting off and the plot thickens etc.

continuing the theme of issue 1 (which is: Varric Is Having A Very Bad And Terrible Time), this issue opens with Varric groaning and cursing. it really is like this huh.. "shit", he says, while.. stepping in shit.. it's eponymous. eponymous suffering.

change in art style and artist from issue 1. if memory serves, Fernando Heinz Furukawa is the artist who worked on some previous DA comics such as Dark Fortress and Blue Wraith. here's Varric portrayed by Fernando in Knight Errant:

and here's Varric now in The Missing #2

it's day and night! he looks Older and more tired, and also maybe redesigned (outfit, scar etc). if this comic is set around 9:52 or shortly beforehand, he's over 50 years old now since he was born in 9:1. according to this tweet of Fernando's, it wasn't Fernando who did a redesign, BioWare had sent along the reference for Varric for this comic. are we looking at Varric's DA:D Era (Dad Era..) Redesign? is this how he'll look in DA:D? if so why did he look the same as usual in issue 1 - was it a recent decision of BioWare's that happened after issue 1 had been illustrated but before 2 was drawn? or is it just differing art styles between issues - I notice that each of the 4 issues of this comic has a different artist. it will be someone else again in issue 3, so I'll guess we'll find out based on what he looks like in issue 3 :) also, a different artist for each issue is an interesting choice - is it to showcase as many different peoples' talents as possible?

We don't see much of Vyrantium in this issue but from what we do see I think it looks cool

Harding's hair is definitely red/orange here. in one leak the person wrote that there was a rogue lady dwarf party member. in another the person implied via emoji codes (hh) that one of the companions that they saw is a lady with red hair. with these in mind plus Harding's presence and appearance in this DA:D lead-in comic, I wanna speculate that Harding is a companion in DA:D. if Harding is and Varric isn't, I'd be down with that! I'd rather he isn't a companion again, and this setup would provide a lady dwarf companion, an ascended extra (see: Cole, Merrill etc), and the familiar returning face/Inquisition representative on the team without filling up a slot with someone who has already had a turn at being a companion. maybe, like Charter says in issue 1, Varric builds the team, but instead of joining it in person himself, it's Harding who joins the DA:D roster and he's around doing some stuff in the background like giving quests or advising or something. Varnick Fury...

last time we checked in on the Qunari invasion of Tevinter, they had invaded Neromenian (Dark Fortress). before that they invaded Carastes (Blue Wraith) and Ventus/Qarinus (Deception). now the Antaam have progressed towards Vyrantium and are laying siege to it. this shows the passage of time between our looks at Thedas and that that the world isn't static, and it keeps building the backdrop in Tevinter of the Antaam invasion as a potential background plotpoint for DA:D (reminds me of the mage-templar war in the background of DA:I). the Tevinters don't seem to be having much luck in this war, losing city after city to the Antaam.

looking at this progress map below, I'm reminded of this line from Dread Wolf Take You in Tevinter Nights: "I fear everything east of Vyrantium will be under their control inside a year, and northern Antiva as well", said by the Mortalitasi at the meeting Charter attended. we're seeing this come to pass now, and if it roughly followed that projected timescale it gives us a bit of insight into when Charter's meeting with Solas in TN took place relative to the effective prologue to DA:D (this comic). if the Antaam keep this up, I guess the next settlement is Marnas Pell and then onto Asariel. Minrathous has famously never fallen to siege or invasion. I guess you could still effectively choke a country by capturing all of its other cities besides the main one though. maybe the plan is to take the rest and Minrathous would be the last hold out? its food supplies in the Catacombs will only last a year

"You think Solas would have crawled through a city's worth of shit to get here?" felt like a bookend to Varric's comment in the previous issue, "It fits, though. A refuge in the ass end of nowhere is exactly Solas’s style". at this point varric sounds like he's talking about an ex who jilted him lmao. and probably not, Varric, he's probably fast-travelling around as it suits him via the eluvian network. I thought the highlighting of sense of timing, how long it took them to get there, how rough the road there was and the obstacles they went through to reach their destination was interesting. maybe it's a precursor (for the sake of creating contrast) to the possible upcoming 'travelling around via eluvians' stuff from the recent leak? to the possible plotpoint of 'here's how the Inquisition remnants have eluvian access now'? it's taken them weeks to walk from Marnas Pell to Vyrantium, which gives a sense of the scale of Thedas and emphasizes travel time outside of in-game 'fast travel' mechanics. Solas is basically leading them on a wild goose chase in this comic series all over Tevinter. given his effective teleportation relative to their having to walk for weeks to get between cities, he has them at a massive disadvantage.

new locations in the lore: Armael Hills, Wava River/Wava River crossing. given that they have travelled from Marnas Pell to Vyrantium, these must be places in Tevinter.

"food poisoning" ye sure okay bud. at the end of issue 1, Varric was after a stiff drink. this panel is a smart bit of continuity from that, and also, BioWare must have fully known what they were doing with this panel lmao.. on a serious note though I hope Varric is doing okay like, and this was just a hangover after a celebration like he says, rather than part of his recent tired/sad/kinda strugglin vibe. otherwise coupled with his older tireder more haggard look it reminds me a bit of Ser Aaron which is sad to think about :( (RIP)

lmao the valet was really like "You? The noble famous Viscount of Kirkwall? but you're so scrungly, stinky and oldlooking.. No. It can't be so. Bye"

if Lady Crysanthus has been 'indisposed' for months it means Solas was here months ago. that's confirmed when they mention about how the bedroom hasn't been used in months. they're so many steps behind him and would continue to be - the walking distance between Vyrantium and Arlathan Forest is even further than that between Marnas Pell and Vyrantium.

I enjoyed how their cover story was "Hi I'm Varric", they walked straight up to the front door, showed themselves and told him who they were, and then broke in talking about how they're supposed to be being subtle lmao. (also that setup for the house going up in flames at the end and condemning the lady's husband to death so dramatically, LOL subtle indeed. I guess it was them being ironic). so knocking on the door was Harding's suggested approach, Varric had initially suggested breaking in and they decided to try Harding's way first. that's nice, it contrasts them as characters and carries on that idea from their discussion in issue 1 about their two different suggested ways for approaching/dealing with stuff/Solas if they found him

so about Varric's redesign, he has speed stripes now/salt and pepper hair, and where/when did he get that big serious scar? also would you take Varric's hand and trust him, even though he's like, a pathological liar? after that panel i would ok

their dynamic is cute

Tevinter architecture is cool (red glass windows) and I like those lil Tevinter wind chime looking things. inside the bedroom there are serpents coiling around the bed posts.

Harding was right after all, and had the smarts to check under the sheet. she looks shook when they discover Crysanthus. and no wonder, of course the only person they know who can turn people to stone is Solas. from the lady's outstretched 'Stop!' arm and scared facial expression, it doesn't look like she and Solas were having a pleasant conversation when he did this.

that wall mural... lmao. the dog looks kind of like a mabari, which I guess I could see since they originated in Tevinter. my random obscure headcanon is that this ~Decadence~ mural is supposed to, by in-universe artists, depict the golden age of the Imperium when it ruled most of Thedas and before the mabari defected to the 'barbarians' of the south hh

shoutout again to Harding's cool looking cape

Teia and Viago!!!! as the front cover prophecy foretold!! man we knew it was coming but i still went OOOOOO at them appearing. their entrance and they in general was/are so cool. they look amazing!!

wing-like motif on their outfits, fitting for Crows :) hh, Harding knows immediately that they are Crows. also "subtle".. :)

lmao he's so done

I enjoyed the banter back and forth at this point, it was fun :)

Harding's freckles 🥺

The question is, who put out this contract on Crysanthus to the Crows and why? it must have been a pretty big deal (the person who took out the contract and/or the reason for taking it out), otherwise what are two Talons from two different Houses doing on a job in Tevinter when the Antaam is currently invading Antiva and we know from TN that the Crows including Teia and Viago (Eight Little Talons) were going to be taking the defense of Antiva seriously?

So the Inquisition remnants are still basically "The Inquisition" when it comes to name-dropping, and Varric 'my cover is hi I'm Varric also I'm gonna break in now' Tethras has no qualms about telling a pair of Crows they've just met that they're working with the Inquisition. whereas he omits mentioning Solas specifically by name. I guess "Inquisition" is an easier sell than "The Dread Wolf"

also interesting, why are the Crows concerned about a Tevinter mage possibly working with the Venatori, or about the Venatori planning a possible concerted move against the Imperium, or about stopping that? I'm reminded of TN where we learned that a mysterious patron had contracted the Crows to kill a bunch of prominent Venatori (Lucanis' story). some of the Venatori were scared about that, particularly of the aforementioned notorious Crow, "The Demon", who had been doing a lot of these contracts. the Venatori said that they wouldn't cower to foreign mercs like the Crows. and it was implied that the anonymous hirer was elfy, as they gave Lucanis assistance/info about a magic secret passage inside a statue of a vhenadahl, the passage of which was lit with veilfire and guarded by an elf, Athima, who was sent by their patron. then Lucanis died or "died" and we saw his wake, which Teia and Viago were at. and now here are Teia and Viago in Tevinter on a contract job to take out yet another Venatori/Venatori collaborator. are they continuing where Lucanis left off? Crows, the Venatori, and Solas... curiouser and curiouser

the fight scenes in this comic were cool. Varric at one point doesn't even draw Bianca, he just socks someone in the face like POW

Viago with his poisoned rapier/poisons again, ice cold but also like, what a nerd

when the secret door opens Harding is like > :) hhh

when the valet says "You've killed us all just by being here", is it Lady Crysanthus' husband that he's thinking about or someone else? the Venatori? the person who turned the lady to stone?

so Lady Crysanthus was a spymaster who had records and notes on many known Venatori agents, as well as maps and papers relating to their plans to get a magical artifact/magical weapon called the Crucious Stone out of Arlathan Forest. she was also helping Venatori operate in Tevinter. given this, why would she invite Solas to come and talk to her? their mutual interest in the Stone? was the invitation even for Solas, or did he or whoever was using the room in the Deep Roads get it from the person it was actually supposed to be for after he/they got wind of this scheme?

the Stone can bring the Imperium to its knees. that would explain why the Venatori, who are apparently plotting a move against the Imperium (to.. make it great again? I guess they have to take it down or take it over before they can make it great again?), would want it. Solas isn't a fan of the Imperium - is he interested in this Stone because he'd also like to impact Tevinter, or because he needs to use the Stone's powers for his plans relating to the Veil or similar? (I'd think more the latter than the former) Any relation to, or how does it tie in to, the Orb or the idol?

Also I wonder about the specifics of the stone's powers. to bring the whole Imperium to its knees.. we must be talking blood magic? I'd guess? plus some Veil wibbly-wobbly Fadey stuff too, if the last page of the comic is anything to go by. also, the shape of the stone reminds me of the sarcophagus from Dark Fortress. that artifact was of unknown origin but built to fit an elf and there were some possibly elfy aspects to its design..

"Monologue about it, who knows?" // "Is this a contract or an old flame?" // "Well..." killed me hhhh

Viago asking the Important Questions

Stone Fist

Teia is badass

nice group takedown, again a party with majority dwarves and elves :)

Varric's one liner while the guy stabbed through the wrist crushed by a broken statue of his beloved departed wife while he burns to death is. stone cold.

this time around there's a reason why they didn't gather up a bunch of papers/books from the Secret Den, it was going up in flames and they had to escape. makes sense. I still wonder why they didn't take those books with them from the Deep Roads room in issue 1 hh.

in the panel where they are back outside on the streets of Vyrantium, the column of smoke from the burning house can be seen in the background going up into the sky, and off to the right in green is the figure that Teia clocks in the next panels.

Cat

presumably the possible Venatori assassin is the Venatori we saw tailing Varric&Harding at the end of issue 1.

Varric and Harding leave Teia and Viago on a positive note which is nice. I hope we meet them for a bit in DA:D :)

also since it was confirmed that the characters in this comic are Teia and Viago, I think again about the 'this comic is introducing us/re-introducing us to various factions/groups who are players on the chess-board or otherwise of note in DA:D' idea. Issue 1 had Wardens, 2 the Crows, 3 looks to be the Veil Jumpers. also since it was Teia and Viago, I'm also once again wondering if the two Veil Jumpers will be Strife and Irelin, who we know are in a Dalish clan that lives in/near Arlathan Forest. (also I enjoyed the confirmation in this comic that a few/multiple Dalish clans live in Arlathan Forest. those clans, like Morlyn, sound super interesting due to the magical/ancient nature of the Forest)

About the last page of the comic, the tree branches give an elfy vibe, and that structure in the distance being upside down gives a Fadey and/or Arlathan Forest's current time/space topsyturvyness vibe. could the archway in the structure be an eluvian? is this how they get eluvian travel? is this what's in the heart of Arlathan Forest, or is it somewhere in there where the Veil is thin and the time/space reality warping has influenced things? did Dalish elves build those walkways?

the synopsis for Issue 3 is as follows:

Following their adventure in Vyrantium, Varric, and Harding travel to Arlathan Forest in search of the crucious stone. When the duo finds themselves face-to-face with a pair of Veil Jumpers, they decide to team up. Finding what they seek will have them up against puzzling obstacles, and their success could depend on the allies they can gather.

this is the issue in this comic that I'm most excited about. I'm so hyped to meet the Veil Jumpers AAAAAA!! [cat.yodeling.png]

#dragon age: dreadwolf #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4 #dragon age #dragon age: the missing #dragon age: the missing spoilers #bioware #video games #long post #longpost #dragon age: dreadwolf spoilers #solas #alcohol cw #lul #strife

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actualaster · 1 year

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Hey, A YouTuber Put Together Trade Codes For SV

Uhhhh... Austin John Play I guess? IDK, it was being shared on Twitter is where I saw it lol. Seems like the same was done for BDSP?

Basically, you enter the 8-digit code and hope to get matched with somebody who’s got the opposite offering, the 8-digit code is the same for both X for Y and Y for X so you might end up with X for X happening or Y for Y--if so just quit out and try again. The codes are for starters, version exclusives, and Ditto to try and swap for the Masuda Method (again, just quit out if the summary of the other Ditto says it’s the same language as yours). (Video describing this is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqeuYcwF1xU)

Images and text version of what’s in the images are both below the cut for length, also be advised the second image (and thus text summary) contains name spoilers for certain endgame Pokemon but does not show their images.

updated to include both DLC code lists.

Updated again to include different codes I've found in use--I would assume the community in general decided to change how they were formatted to account for all the Pokémon added in the DLC and for ease of numbering. This does, however, mean that some codes are a crapshoot between "are you getting a partner using the original lists or the newer lists which assigns different pokemon to the same codes previously passed around".

To make use of these codes, enter the 8 digits as your Link Code. Keep in mind that, aside from trade evolutions, these generally are "any pokemon of this evolutionary line" so you might see somebody offering an evolved version rather than the basic pokemon.

Base Game

Version Exclusives:

Armarouge and Ceruledge is 0166 0167

0166 0167 is ALSO for ANY 'mon holding the evo items so CHECK held items before quitting out!

Stonjourner and Eiscue is 0319 0320

Oranguru and Passimian is 0313 0314

Tauros (Fire) and Tauros (Water) is 0223 0223

Stunky and Gulpin is 0227 0140

Drifloon and Misdreavus is 0143 0114

Skrelp and Clauncher os 0337 0339

Larvitar and Bagon is 0316-0276

Deino and Dreepy is 0370 0305

Great Tusk and Iron Treads is 0376 0382

Scream Tail and Iron Bundle is 0377 0383

Brute Bonnet and Iron Hands is 0378 0384

Flutter Mane and Iron Jugulis is 0379 0385

Slither Wing and Iron moth is 0380 0386

Sandy Shocks and Iron Thorns is 0381 0387

Roaring Moon and Iron Valiant is 0397 0398

Koraidon and Miraidon is 0399 0400

Starters

Sprigatito and Fuecoco is 0906 0909 [Some people are still using 0001 0004 which has apparently been reassigned to Kanto swaps]

Sprigatito and Quaxly is 0906 0912 [Some people are still using 0001 0009 which has apparently been reassigned to Kanto swaps]

Fuecoco and Quaxly is 0909 0912 [Some people are still using 004 009 which has apparently been reassigned to Kanto swaps]

Trade Evolutions

0069 0069 -- Haunter, to evolve into Gengar*

0260 0260 -- Scyther, to evolve into Scizor (NEEDS TO BE HOLDING METAL COAT)* UPDATE: [Apparently some folks are also using 2019 2019]

0324 0324 -- Slowpoke, to evolve into Slowking (NEEDS TO BE HOLDING KING'S ROCK)* UPDATE: [Apparently some folks are also using 2075 2075]

Misc.

Ditto language swap is 4448 4448 (you might also have luck with just 4448)

DLC Version Exclusives/Trade Evolutions (Teal Mask):

Gligar and Aipon is 0207 0190

Cramorant and Morpeko is 0845 0877

0533 0533 -- Gurdurr, to evolve into Conkeldurr*

0708 0708 -- Phantump, to evolve into Trevenant*

0061 0061 -- Poliwhirl, to evolve into Politoed (NEEDS TO HOLD KING'S ROCK)*

0349 0349 -- Feebas, to evolve into Milotic (NEEDS TO HOLD PRISM SCALE)*

0356 0356 -- Dusclops, to evolve into Dusknoir (NEEDS TO HOLD REAPER CLOTH)*

0075 0075 -- Graveler, to evolve into Golem* [UPDATE Some folks are also using this for the Alolan variants]

DLC Version Exclusives/Trade Evolutions (Indigo Disc)

Alolan Vulipix and Alolan Sandshrew is 2155 2157 [UPDATE some folks are also using 0027 0037, may be Alolan or not]

Craniados and Shieldon is 2107 2109 [UPDATE some folks are using 0408 0410]

Gouging Fire and Iron Boulder is 2236 2239 [UPDATE some folks are using 0120 1022]

Raging Bolt and Iron Crown is 2237 2238 [UPDATE some folks are using 1021 1023]

2054 2054 -- Seadra, to evolve into Kingdra (NEEDS TO HOLD DRAGON SCALE)* [UPDATE some folks are using 0117 0117]

2129 2129 -- Porygon, to evolve into Porygon2 (NEEDS TO BE HOLDING UPGRADE)* [UPDATE some folks are using 0137 0137]

2130 2130 -- Porygon2, to evolve into Porygon-Z (NEEDS TO BE HOLDING DUBIOUS DISC)* [UPDATE some folks are using 0233 0233]

2011 2011 -- Electabuzz, to evolve into Electivire (NEEDS TO BE HOLDING ELECTIRIZER)* [UPDATE some folks are using 0125 0125]

2014 2014 -- Magmar, to evolve into Magmortar (NEEDS TO BE HOLDING MAGMARIZER)* [UPDATE some folks are using 0126 0126]

2006 2006 -- Rhydon, to evolve into Rhyperior (NEEDS TO BE HOLDING PROTECTOR)* [UPDATE some folks are using 0112 0112]

2097 2097 -- Alolan Graveler, to evolve into Alolan Golem* [UPDATE some folks are using 0075 0075, may or may not be Alolan version]

Other Starters:

Bulbasaur and Charmader are 0001 0004 [People still use this for the SV starters]

Bulbasaur and Squirtle are 0001 0009 [People also still use this for the SV starters]

Charmander and Squirtle are 0004 0009 [People also still use this for the SV starters]

Chikorita and Cyndaquil are 0152 0155

Chikorita and Totofile are 1052 1058

Cyndaquil and Totodile are 0155 0158

Treecko and Torchic are 0252 0255

Treecko and Mudkip are 0252 0258

Torchic and Mudkip are 0255 0258

Turtwig and Chimchar are 0387 0390

Turtwig and Piplup are 0837 0393

Chimchar and Piplup are 0390 0393

Snivy and Tepig are 0495 0498

Snivy and Oshawott are 0495 0501

Tepid and Oshawott are 0498 0501

Chespin and Fennekin are 0650 0653

Chespin and Froakie are 0650 0656

Fennekin and Froakie are 0653 0656

Rowlett and Litten are 0722 0725

Rowlett and Popplio are 0722 0728

Litten and Popplio are 0725 0728

Grookey and Scorbunny are 0810 0813

Grookey and Sobble are 0810 0816

Scorbunny and Sobble are 0813 0816

I've found additional codes people are using to trade some of the above pokemon, you may have more luck with these:

Vulpix and Sandshrew is 0027 0037 (may or may not be Alolan versions)

Craniados and Sheildon is 0408 0410

Gouging Fire and Iron Boulder is 1020 1022

Raging Bolt and Iron Crown is 1021 1023

0075 0075 -- Graveler, to evolve into Golem* (people are now using this for BOTH Golem variants)

0112 0112 -- Rhydon, to evolve into Rhyperior (NEEDS TO HOLD PROTECTOR)

0117 0117 -- Seadra, to evolve into Kingdra (NEEDS TO HOLD DRAGON SCALE)*

0125 0125 -- Electabuzz, to evolve into Electivire (NEEDS TO BE HOLDING ELECTIRIZER)*

0126 0126 -- Magmar, to evolve into Magmortar (NEEDS TO BE HOLDING MAGMARIZER)*

0137 0137 -- Porygon, to evolve into Porygon2 (NEEDS TO BE HOLDING UPGRADE)*

0233 0233 -- Porgygon2, to evolve into Porygon-Z (NEEDS TO BE HOLDING DUBIOUS DISC)*

*Make sure that your trading partner's pokemon is NOT holding an everstone and is holding the correct item (if applicable)

#pokemon #pokemon sv #pokemon scvi #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon scarlet #pokemon violet #got me a ditto from another language after several attempts

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ahdraftingco · 2 years

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Chapter Five: Never Trust Your Enemies | Series: Lesson Learned

Pairing: The Mandalorian x Reader

AO3 Crosspost: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40653303

Rating: Explicit, readers are advised to read the warnings below before proceeding.

Series Warnings (in no particular order): Porn with Plot, Dark!Din Djarin, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Extremely Dubious Consent, Hate Sex, Master/Slave Relationship, Knife Play, BDSM, Rough Sex, Genuine Fear, Sexual Coercion, Power Play, Degradation, Face Slapping, Spanking, Choking, Gagging, Enemies to Lovers, Possessive Behavior, Spit, Forced Orgasms, Hair Pulling, Multiple Orgasms, Threats of Violence, References to Death/Suicide, Stockholm Syndrome, Emotional Manipulation, Book of Boba Fett Spoilers

Chapter Summary: The Mandalorian is impressed. He never thought you had it in you to let go and show your true colors. He likes this side of you, maybe a little too much…

Word Count: 10.1k+

***This chapter is part of my Lesson Learned series, if you haven’t read the other chapters, go to the series masterlist: here!***

A/N: As always, please read ALL of the warnings before proceeding: very possessive behavior, light bondage, sex toy usage, cum play (kind of?), mild breeding kink, intent to murder/attempted murder (oop-), aphrodisiac effect/drug, blood/minor cuts, slapping, spit, brief suicidal thoughts, emotional/mental corruption, degradation

Did you see the chapter title? Well, I guess that's all the context you need for where this chapter is going, read with caution and prepare proper aftercare ~ ♡

Ever since you and Din had your time on Daiyu, your relationship has been…different.

How so? Well, for starters, the Mandalorian has decided that you are indeed his, in every which way.

He makes sure you're aware of it, which is why the sex has been incredibly possessive.

There's almost no trace of hate left in it.

Instead, it's been completely replaced by a new, more overpowering sense of pure domination. The Mandalorian reminds you day in and day out who you belong to.

And you let him.

It's not like you have much of a choice in the matter, unless you want to be denied your orgasm. That's how he's been training you. He knows you want him. He knows he owns your pleasure and he is using that fact to slowly take full control over you.

You're being devoured by Din and you can't stop it.

You knew this would happen the moment you felt it slip inside of you for the first time. It was a soft, squishy silicone sex toy that filled you almost as much as his cock does. The only difference was how much it wriggled around inside of you anytime you tried to move. The ridges it had rubbed up against all the spots that made your body shake and you were constantly on edge because of it.

When you asked him what it was for, he responded, "to keep you company while I'm away."

You should've realized what that meant…

A routine had been started and you can't say you weren't getting used to it. Din would fuck you until you were filled to the brim with his release and then he would plug you right up with the toy, making sure none of it could spill out. The warmth would sit inside of you and when that coupled with the toy working its way against your sensitive spots, it was agony.

Especially because he wouldn't let you take it out until he came back from whatever outing he needed to go to during the day.

The first time it happened, you couldn't stop the orgasms after a while. You edged yourself for as long as you could but your body was desperate for the tension to be released and once it did, the waves of pleasure just overtook you. You had to pull it out eventually because you just couldn't handle having it inside of you anymore. You needed some time to breathe before putting it back in.

Din wasn't happy about that. He came back and it was obvious you had taken it out because nothing spilled out when he pulled it out of you, which was exactly why he did what he did. It was to ensure that he knew if you listened to him or not.

You didn't get to sleep that night. No, your punishment was being edged for hours and hours until you were crying and begging him to let you atone for what you had done. Only then did he finally let you come and you remember it being so intense that you actually blacked out.

Since then, you haven't dared to take it out yourself if he chose to plug you up. You would wait patiently, even if it meant enduring the countless orgasms that kept you from moving out of bed. You couldn't really move, not when any time you did move, it would move inside of you and you would have to bite back the feeling.

What's worse is that while the toy may feel good, it only makes you crave Din more. It's nothing compared to being fucked by him and that's why he's doing this. He wants you to have that constant reminder that the pleasure he can give you is better than anything else.

It's scary how true that is because right now, you're squirming in bed, trying to fight off another orgasm. How long has he been gone this time? Maybe a few hours. You've lost count how many times you've came already.

The orgasms you have this way aren't substantial. They just happen and you feel good but at the same time, it doesn't feel as good. Nothing compares to him.

You want Din to be back already so he can take it out of you and then fuck you the way you need him to. It's unexplainable, the way you feel empty even though you're full right now.

There's such a rush of excitement that floods through you when you hear him parking the N-1 and the familiar footsteps of the Mandalorian walking towards you.

You can't help smiling as you go, "you're back."

Din pulls off the helmet and sits down beside you in bed, touching your face with his gloved hand, answering, "of course. I'll always come back for you, my pretty little thief."

"I've missed you." You admit because it's true.

You don't like it when he's away anymore.

"Have you?" He lifts the covers, seeing the way you've opted to go bare from the waist down. "I thought keeping some of me inside of you would be enough company."

His hand lays on top of your lower stomach, pressing down. You can almost feel the toy shift inside of you in response and you whimper.

"It sounds like my girl wants something else filling her up."

You watch as his hand slides downwards, grabbing a hold of the looped base of the toy. He curls his fingers around it, before pushing it deeper inside of you. You gasp, your body trembling at the sudden feeling.

"Oh, unless this is enough for you." He tortures you a little, pulling it out just a bit before thrusting it back inside of you.

You grip onto the sheets, unable to steady yourself otherwise. "Please, take it out."

"You don't like it? Doesn't look that way." He drags his fingers along the rim of it before showing you how wet you are. "You're dripping from how good it feels inside of you."

"I want more." You plead. "I want you, please."

"Be specific." He demands and you know exactly the words he's looking for you to say since you've said them many times before now.

"I want you to fuck me, Master. I only want your cock inside of me. It doesn't feel the same without you." You grind against his hand, begging with your body.

"Good girl." He leans forward, pressing a kiss on your lips. "Now, you know what I want you to do as I pull it out, right?"

You nod profusely and he smiles at you.

"Tell me." Din waits for you to do as he says.

"I'm going to come." You're already about to burst so it won't be difficult to. "Please let me come."

"You're learning so well. You're making your Master very proud." He praises you and you feel such a wave of euphoria from it. "I want to see you come hard for me, okay?"

"Okay." You nod once again, the anticipation killing you.

Now that you want to come, it's almost unbearable how much he's stalling. But, he doesn't make you wait much longer.

The moment Din pulls the toy out of you, forcing you to feel every inch of it being yanked out of you suddenly, your orgasm hits you and you gush out uncontrollably from the release. You can't stop shaking all over, your whole body quivering from the sheer intensity of having been finally freed from the constant sensation.

You expected him to give you a moment to catch your breath but he doesn't. Din strips completely and then before you even notice he's on top of you, his cock is already buried deep inside of you and you swear, you came again just then.

"So fucking beautiful." He says as he wipes the tears that are flowing out of your eyes from the intense orgasms. "I love it when you clench around my cock like that."

"More." You're already swaying your hips against him. "Fuck me, please."

"I would do anything for my thief." He tells you rather sweetly before aggressively pounding into you the way you've always loved.

You see those stars you're all too familiar with as your eyes roll back and you can't help writhing beneath him. He grabs a hold of your hips, digging his fingers into your flesh to hold you still so that he can keep ramming himself inside of you, prolonging every orgasm that shoots through you. There's not a better feeling than being taken by him.

"Do you love being mine?" He always asks you this right when he's about to come. "Who owns you?"

"I love being yours so much." You say back, your orgasm building quickly in desperate need to come with him. "You own me, Master."

It doesn't take long after that for Din to fill you up with that warmth you're getting too used to and your orgasm follows suit from the feeling. As you relish in the high, your mind floats for a moment over a thought.

You have protection. Your implant should prevent pregnancy, but does it account for this much unprotected sex? There hasn't been a day that's gone by where Din hasn't came inside of you at least once. He enjoys the sight of it spilling out of you. He likes knowing you were thoroughly fucked by him.

You like the feeling of being filled by him. You like how the warmth makes your toes curl and your back arch. You like the way he looks at you afterwards, so content that he gave you so much pleasure.

You can't help but wonder if he's doing this because he wants to induce this kind of subliminal desire in you. You've never thought about how good it could feel to be fucked over and over again, almost as if you're being bred, then forced to carry his release inside of you until he deems it okay to spill out.

You're being influenced into a deep form of submission…

When did he start occupying every thought in your mind? You haven't thought of anything else except for the Mandalorian in…how long has it been since Daiyu?

Wait…how long has it been?

You don't know. You've lost track of time. You know at least a week or two has passed but could more time have gone by? You wouldn't know because when he's fucking you, you aren't paying attention to the hours that have gone by or if the sun has set or risen.

When did it become like this and why are you letting it be like this? It started in Daiyu, when you got so worked up after he killed all those Masters and freed those slaves. You've been lost in his embrace ever since, but why?

You're giving yourself over to him. You're allowing him to own you. You're letting him dominate you.

Soon enough, Din will have stolen everything from you and you cannot let that happen. You need to wake the fuck up from whatever mental trip you're on right now but it's so hard when he's kissing you like this.

Like he loves you…

"Let's get you cleaned up." He says when his lips part from yours.

Din lifts you up into his arms and you grab a hold of him like you always do, snuggling against the crook of his neck as he carries you to the refresher. You both rinse off and share those sloppy kisses you like too much.

"I should build us a bath." He breathes out against your lips. "I miss bathing with you."

"We could bathe together in the lake. That would be nice." What the fuck are you saying right now?

Are you…are you even in there anymore?

Who the fuck is this, talking to your captor so sweetly?

"I'd like that. Maybe tomorrow." He shuts the refresher off when you're both nice and clean. "But for tonight, I just want to hold you in my arms and sleep."

"I'd like that too." You smile at him, despite your mind trying to comprehend when you grew to be so…domestic with him.

It isn't until Din is asleep and you're cuddled up in his arms that you finally have a moment alone to think. And fuck, you have to fucking think.

It's been a long time since you've fought him. You've just been letting him do whatever he wants to you. You didn't even fight it when he pushed the toy into you for the first time.

You even started to enjoy it…because you enjoyed the sex afterwards so much.

Oh fuck, fuck, fuck. You're losing it!

What the fuck has he done to you?

You have to slow your roll right now. You can't panic. He'll notice. He'll feel your heart start to race and your breaths start to quicken and then he'll know.

Din will know you're onto his next game. That's what this is. He's playing you like a fucking fool. This can't be the only thing he's doing either.

What if…no, that can't be…but what if?

You think back to all the times you've followed him while he was out hunting bounties. You did that mainly because it was an easy payday where you could steal some of the credits he earned when he turned the bounties in.

When he brought people in alive, they were frozen in carbonite. Obviously without the Razor Crest, he can't really take those bounties anymore without a place to store them, which is why he has shifted to the more deadly ones where he has to kill his targets for his client.

However…doesn't he normally need to bring back proof?

Din didn't–no, fuck, fuck, he didn't bring back anything from Daiyu. You nearly missed that because he was fucking you the second you both came back. He hasn't given you much of a break since then, for this very reason.

He's been trying to sidetrack you into not thinking about it because now that you have, you realize how fake it all was.

Was any of it real? If the bounty wasn't actually a bounty, then…did he just kill all those people for fun?

Did he do it…because of you?

Before the whole "job" on Daiyu, you and Din were at each other's throats. There wasn't a day that went by where you weren't fighting him. But, the moment he told you that you needed to help with that bounty, you shut down. You stopped fighting because you were so worked up over the prospect of having to see other slaves and witnessing what they had to endure. You started getting those nightmares and losing sleep.

Then, Din spoiled you by giving you such a loving experience with him at that hotel, to comfort you.

Did he…create a scenario for you to get lost in?

Did he purposefully put you into that scared mindset just so he could take you out of it?

Would he really go to those lengths to stop you from fighting him?

Yes, he fucking would.

That's why he killed all those Masters. That's why he let you free those slaves. He planned the entire fucking thing for your sake, why else would he have brought a lockpicking set when he was just there to kill one guy!

The only thing Din probably didn't plan for was the Owner trying to assault you. However, that fit into his plan almost perfectly because it gave you two a shared enemy. A person to displace your rage into for a moment that wasn't Din. And you fucking fell for it and stabbed him. Just like Din wanted you to. He wanted you to get that closure in the worst way possible, through unhinged violence.

You even hugged him afterwards for giving you the opportunity to do so!

Fuck! Fuck! You've been tricked, again.

Of course you have. Why did you ever trust him? Real or not real?

Never real.

It's never fucking real. None of it is and you fooled yourself into thinking things could be different.

I wish things were different. You're haunted by those words now. He said that not because he wanted you and him to be in love.

Din fucking said that because he was planning to manipulate you into thinking things could be different, that you could have a relationship with him. He has been acting the part everyday since Daiyu.

The possessive sex is a ploy to get you to submit to him, to tell him that he owns you, that you're his, that you want him, that you're never going to leave him.

Soon, he would've asked you if you loved him.

Would you have said yes? Fuck!

He would've gotten you then.

If you hadn't realized it, then maybe…he would've turned you into his perfect little slave.

So excited to see him when he got back. So eager to be fucked by him. So happy to fall asleep in his arms and repeat the whole process again.

You almost fell for it.

Almost.

There's this stupid voice in your head that's going "what if it is real and you're just trying to sabotage something good" but that can't possibly be the truth. You know the real Din. He would definitely have this kind of fucked up intention to get you to admit you're in love with him.

Well, jokes on him.

Two can play this game.

You aren't a master manipulator like him, but you will become a Master manipulator. What he doesn't realize is that he has taught you exactly what he wants from you and you'll play the part.

You can pretend to be his perfectly obedient slave and once his guard is down, you'll kill him.

It won't take much. You just need to be able to secure a weapon and hide it. Then, you'll wait until he's fast asleep like he is right now and drive a blade through his heart. That's all it'll take.

You have to kill him. You can't reason your way out of it. There's no escaping him now. You…you can't. You can't leave him.

The only way out of this is if one of you is dead and that isn't going to be you. You need to use the fact that he's not in the mood to kill you right now. He wants you to break. He wants you to fall captive to his tricks. He wants you to be his.

And you can never let that happen, no matter how much you want to.

You can't feed into these sinful desires of yours. Din isn't in love with you. Din will never be in love with you. He is going to manipulate you until the very end and you have to beat him at his own game.

That's why you hid the lockpicking set from him.

Thankfully, you had the mind to do that back then.

Why? You have no idea. A part of you thought it would be convenient to have, since you would most likely need it for something in the future, even if it wasn't for a murder plot against Din.

You're grateful that he believed you when you told him you had given the set to the slaves you freed, so that they could use it if needed. All the while, you had tucked it away in one of his pockets, which you picked on the way back and hid somewhere he would never look.

You'll need it soon enough.

For now, you'll play the role he wants you to.

You'll let him fuck you, you'll tell him you want him, you'll cuddle up next to him and fall asleep in his arms.

Just until an opening arises.

You won't falter for too long…even though you find yourself falling for him with every kiss, every touch, every "you're so beautiful", every "good girl", every "my pretty little thief".

You can't let him win you over like this.

Not when it isn't real.

Not when he has tricked you far too many times for you to believe his shit.

You cannot trust him for a second, which is why you wait until he comes back from a week long bounty, exhausted and wanting nothing more than to hold you in his arms, in order to strike.

You have to hit him when he least expects it.

"Was it a bad bounty?" You ask him as if you give a shit, your hands cupping his face, brushing your thumbs along the stubble you should hate. He always smells so nice and feels so soft after a long shower.

He shakes his head against your palms. "Just an annoying one. Kept trying to run away from me. Caught them soon enough though."

"Not soon enough." You say with a small chuckle. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." He leans in then, kissing you.

You smile against his lips, because you know you have to, before kissing him back. It isn't a long kiss, probably because he's tired.

"I can't wait to spend the next few days laying here with you." He tells you as you both snuggle up, ready to sleep.

If only he knew he wasn't living passed tonight. You thought long and hard this last week about whether or not you wanted to be with him one last time before you killed him, but you opted against it. You knew the moment his body became one with yours that it would be nearly impossible to let go of him then. You have to be thankful he's too tired right now to want to do anything with you.

"Me too." You say back, burying your head in his familiar chest. "There's no place I'd rather be than right here with you."

"That's my girl." Din kisses the top of your head and your heart sways a bit in response.

Keep it together!

"All yours." You tilt your head up, wanting him to kiss you good night and he does, meeting your lips halfway.

A longing overtakes you, which is why you reach up and touch his face, holding him in that kiss for a moment longer. You know it'll be the last one you'll ever have with him so you make it count, even when you know you shouldn't.

"Sleep well, Din." You nudge him playfully with your nose once your lips move away from his, a gentle grin softening your face.

"I always sleep well next to you, my pretty little thief." He smiles just as softly back to you and your heart aches when you see it.

It's not real. You remind yourself. It's all a trick.

You decide not to say much else after that and lay on his chest, waiting to hear his breathing slow as he falls asleep. You keep your eyes closed the whole time, almost drifting into sleep yourself.

After what feels like a good hour or two, you poke at him a little, to see if he'll shake awake. If he does, you'll feign a nightmare and try again tomorrow. If he doesn't, then you kill him tonight.

You wait and he doesn't wake. You don't know why you hoped he'd wake up. You choke back the ill feeling coursing through you.

Why do you want to cry when you see how peaceful he looks asleep like this?

Din is vulnerable, which is why you need to strike now. No more holding back.

This is your endgame.

So, you pull out the handcuffs and the knife you slashed away beneath the mattress. You debated if you should grab a blaster but you were afraid you'd back out if you had to shoot him.

Unlucky for him, Din showed you that you were capable of stabbing someone. Not fatally, but you'd learn to today.

Quickly, you cuff his ankles together and then straddle his lap so you can cuff his wrists to the headboard. You remember the taunts he used to tell you, about how the headboard is as sturdy as beskar and how you'd never break out of his ties to it. You have to use that knowledge against him.

With the knife in hand, you stare down at him for the last time. Those soft brown curls, that patchy stubble that's starting to fill in a bit more, the subtle little white hairs that peek out in the moonlight, his warm skin and full lips that you've felt pressed against your body time and time again.

It's terrible how much you're going to miss him. As much as you harbor angst-filled memories of your time with Din, there are pockets you'll reminisce about, like the way he took care of you and comforted you when you needed it most.

He really did fuck you up, didn't he?

You'll never love anyone the way you love him.

With tears streaming down your face, you lift the blade, gripping it with both hands as tight as you can. One fatal stab in the heart. That's all it takes and this ends.

This ends right here, right now.

The Mandalorian will die and you'll be free.

No more games, no more lies, no more…

No more Din. No more asking if the persona he's putting on is real or not. He'll be gone, so it won't matter.

Despite thinking that, you whisper into the cold night air, "I'm sorry."

With all the strength in your body, you drive the blade downwards, needing to be strong enough to pierce through his tough skin to stab his heart.

But, you don't make it past his skin.

You don't even nick it.

The tip of the knife hovers right over where his heart is because the moment you get close, Din's eyes shoot open and he shouts, "wait!"

Why…why did you listen?

Fuck! You start to shake. He's awake. You're going to have to kill him while he's aware.

Can you do it?

"What are you doing?" He looks panicked, pulling at his restraints. "W-why am I handcuffed? What's going on? Why do you have a knife?"

You can't tell if his panic is real or not. Is he fucking with you right now or is he actually scared you're going to kill him?

You're the one holding the knife this time, so why not ask? "Are you afraid I'm going to kill you? Because I am."

"Why would you…I thought we were…" He glances up at you with those brown eyes of his and he…he's staring at you like he would when he's comforting you.

Gentle, calm, collected, caring.

Maybe that's why he says in an oddly understanding voice, "you think I did something to you, don't you?"

"You're such a fucking liar!" You scream at him, the tears bursting out of you are so hot and hard to handle. "How can you act like you don't know what you've done to me?"

"I don't know though." He seems genuinely confused. "I thought we were doing well these last few weeks. I thought…I thought we were happy."

"Happy?" You scoff, taking a moment to wipe your tears away. Then, you shout right in his face, "how could I be happy when none of it was real!"

"It was real!" He shouts back, struggling against the cuffs. "Everything was real."

"Liar!" You press the knife against his throat like he has done to you before. "How can you keep lying to me?"

"What did I lie about? Tell me, so at least I know what the fuck I did wrong to make you think that I…that I've been manipulating you somehow. I haven't, I swear."

Is he telling the truth? You don't fucking know anymore!

"You lied about the bounty." You tell him what you do know. "There was no bounty, was there? You just wanted to make me stop fighting you so you came up with this convoluted plan to get me on your side. To make me want to be yours. To fuck me up in the head even more than I already am because of you!"

Din looks stunned to hear this and his words shock you, "the bounty was real. I got paid well for it. How else would I have had the credits to commission that toy we've been playing with?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" You don't believe a word he's saying. "How could the bounty have been real if you didn't bring back any proof!"

"I didn't need to!" He exclaims. "My client lives on Daiyu, I just told them to go see the slaughter themselves and they did. I went back to collect the credits once I had you settled here again. Why do you think I brought you back a present?"

"A present? You think that toy was a present?" You're baffled to say the least.

"You seemed like you enjoyed it. Was I wrong? I thought you liked the feeling of being filled up so I just…I don't know, I thought it would be nice to have while I was away. I guess I'm not that great with gifts…" He turns away from you, like he's embarrassed.

Can a man like Din even get embarrassed?

Is he being serious?

You can feel yourself wavering a bit. "Why should I believe you'd ever get me a gift? Why would you even do that for me?"

"Because I wanted things to be different." Din turns back to meet your gaze as he goes, "after Daiyu, we were…better. You didn't hate me anymore. You actually wanted me. You stopped fighting me. I thought that meant we could move on from everything we've been through. That's why I held you so tightly. I never wanted you to stop wanting me again, so I treated you as well as I could. I'm sorry if I fucked up but I'm serious. This is real. It has been this whole time. No tricks."

"You're just saying that because I have a knife to your throat." You can't give into him.

"I'm not. Please, I'm telling you the truth." He begs and you get a nasty feeling in your gut hearing it.

He never begs. He doesn't, not unless he means it.

Does he mean it?

"I want you, my pretty little thief. I want us to be together. Maybe you were pretending to be happy but I was really happy. Seeing the way you looked at me when I came back from a trip. Holding you in my arms after making you feel good. Sleeping and waking up next to you. Everything was just…perfect. I've never been happier but I guess it wasn't the same for you. I fucked it up somehow and ruined the only happy thing in my life." The guilt in his voice is apparent and you don't know what to do.

Has Din really been happy?

Have those smiles been real?

When he held you in his arms and told you sweet words, were those his honest thoughts?

"I'm sorry." He tells you, closing his eyes then. "It's okay if you want to kill me."

"What?" You blink a few times, looking at the sad yet composed face he's making, like he's prepared to die.

"I deserve it for what I've done to you, so it's okay." Din doesn't open his eyes. He keeps them shut as he goes, "just hurry, please. I don't…I don't want my last memory of you to be this. I want to remember us being happy so please kill me now while I can still see the smile on your face when I think of you."

A faint smile filled with melancholy curves on his lips. Is he remembering the better times you've had with him before they cease to exist completely?

Does he…

"Do you love me?" You ask because you need to know before you kill him. You need to know for your own sake, even if you don't know if you'll believe what he says.

His eyes open then and when he looks into yours, he tells you in the gentlest voice you've heard yet, "why else would I want us to be happy together?"

And, just like that, your heart shatters in your chest…

What are you doing?

If this has been real, if he hasn't been fucking with you, then are you…are you really going to kill him over a misunderstanding?

The truth is that you've been happy too. You liked being his. You liked being owned by him. You even liked the gift he got you because you liked having him on your mind all the time.

You…you don't just like him.

You love Din.

You have for almost as much as you've hated him. It was easy to hate him for what he's done to you, but it was as easy to love him too.

One part of you hates him, the other part of you loves him. You feel strongly for him either way, both emotions intense and never-changing.

The way you feel about Din is unlike any other feeling you've ever had for anyone. It's raw and dark and fiery and hard to explain.

It's a lot like the DarkSaber, with its black glow and its powerful presence.

Your feelings for him are all consuming and you're drowning in them…

"Can we really be happy together?" You say through small, broken sobs.

"We are happy together already." He answers. "We have been, haven't we?"

You think back to these last few weeks and he's right. You both have been happy. The sex is great, the cuddles are amazing, the sleep has been peaceful. No nightmares, no pain, no hate, nothing remotely bad.

It's only your mind that was making it into something it wasn't…

"Yes. We have been happy." You wipe your eyes, wanting nothing more than for him to be the one doing it like he usually does. "But…I ruined everything, didn't I? How can you ever forgive me for this?"

You wanted to kill him. You were going to kill him…

"I'm the one who needs your forgiveness." Din reaches as far as he can towards you while handcuffed, his hand grazing your neck and with a click, your collar unhooks and he throws it aside. "So, go, my pretty little thief."

"Go?" You touch your neck with your free hand and now that there's nothing there, you press into your skin to check it. It doesn't hurt. There are no bruises anymore. They've healed.

He hasn't done anything like that to you since Daiyu…

"The only reason why you would want to kill me is because you want to be free from me. So, go. I'm letting you go." He points to where he set down his armor. "Take the N-1. I carry the key in the same place as before."

"Why would you let me go?" You're stunned, just like you were when he first offered this same thing to you before.

You couldn't trust him then. How can you trust him now?

"Because I love you." Din breathes out and you can't believe he said those words. They linger in the air because you simply can't process that they came out of his mouth.

Real or not real? You can't tell…

"You're lying." You shake your head at him. "Don't lie to me anymore, please."

"I'm not lying." He tells you in such a sincere tone. "You were right. You stole my heart, my pretty little thief."

"No." Your tears are overflowing now, dripping onto his shirt. "No, you can't love me. You don't. This isn't real."

"It's okay." He tries to comfort you. "It's okay if you don't believe me. I wouldn't expect you to, not after what I've done. I'm not telling you because I'm trying to convince you to stay. I'm telling you because I want you to know it's okay for you to go."

"Why?" You can't wrap your head around it. "If you love me, why would you let me go?"

"I would do anything for you." Din smiles at you, looking softly into your eyes. "I'd let you kill me if you wanted to."

He adjusts himself a little and you watch the knife you've been holding to his neck nick him just a bit. You forgot you were holding it against him this whole time. When you see the blood drip, you choke back a sob.

You don't want this.

You don't want to see him hurt.

You can't–you can't kill him.

Not when you love him too.

So, you pull the knife away from his neck and toss it across the cave, listening as it collides with the hard floor.

"I don't want to kill you." You admit to him. "But, I just–I don't know what else to do…I don't want to run away either."

"It's your choice." He puts the decision onto you. "I'm not forcing you to stay with me anymore. You can go whenever you want."

"No more collar?" You feel your neck again.

"No more collar." He says it like a promise.

You never thought this day would come. Is Din really giving you your freedom back? Real or not real? It's so hard to tell.

You want to trust him, but can you?

After everything you've been through with him, can you really believe that he's in love with you?

You want to…

You really want to.

"If I uncuff you, what are you going to do to me?" There's worry in your voice.

"I'm going to propose to you." His words cause your eyes to widen and he smiles at your reaction. "Go look. Small metal box in the left pocket of my pants over there. I was going to save it for a different time but…I already confessed so why wait?"

You quickly scramble off his lap to go check if he's being serious and…when you pull the box out of his worn clothes, your heart skips a beat. You open it and there's a ring inside.

Beskar. Just like his armor. Same color, with a shimmery golden line in the middle.

"You like shiny things, right?" You're drawn back towards him by his voice. "I made sure it was as shiny as it could be for you."

"Din, are you being serious?" You walk back over to him, sitting down beside him in bed.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. I always have. Though, I sort of wished I wasn't proposing to you in handcuffs right now." He says with a chuckle.

"Sorry about that." You go to unlock them, freeing him from his restraints. You throw the handcuffs away somewhere, not wanting to see them anymore. "I shouldn't have done that to you…"

"It's okay." He lifts your face up with his warm hands before leaning in to kiss your forehead. "I understand why you did it. I should've told you clearly about the bounty."

Din takes the box from your hand then flips it around to you. You look down at the ring. It really is shiny. Your eyes glance back up into his and he smiles that soft smile of his.

"I know we've been through a lot but I hope we can start fresh right here, right now. Think of this less as a proposal and more of a promise of a new beginning for us. Everything will be real from here on out. That's my promise to you."

"So, it's more of a promise ring?" You chuckle at your own joke.

"I like that better, actually. Do you?" He doesn't force the ring onto you. He waits patiently for you to make a decision.

You like that promise. No more wondering if it's real or not. No more tricks.

"Real?" You ask him and he nods.

"Real." He declares.

"Then, let's just keep it as a promise for now." You lift your right hand towards him. "I'll switch hands when I'm ready to marry you. Deal?"

"Deal." The smile on his face brightens as he slips the ring onto your finger and it fits perfectly. "I knew you'd want to be mine. All it took was a love confession."

You're distracted for a moment by the way he's holding your hand and how shiny the ring is on your finger that his words don't register for you right away. Once you hear them though, an unsettling feeling surges through you.

Why did he say it like that?

You try to reason that it doesn't sound weird but it does…

It's almost as weird as the sudden prick you feel on your ring finger, as if the ring stabbed into you with a bunch of tiny needles.

You realize then that the smile on his face didn't brighten. It curved into a devious smirk and your heart sinks.

"No." You tug at the ring on your finger but it doesn't budge. "Din, please, don't do this–"

"Do what?" He pretends like he has no idea why you're panicking. "I haven't done anything."

"It won't come off." You pull at the ring with all your strength. "Why won't it come off!"

"It will, eventually. Maybe." His tone flips back to the one you're all too familiar with. That sadistic darkness that sends chills up your spine.

"What the fuck do you mean by that!" You scream at him, getting to your feet so you can put some distance between the two of you.

Din sits up at the edge of the bed, staring at you like you're the crazy one. "You'll see. Go, my pretty little thief. Run from me, like I know you wanted to."

Is this another game? Another chase? Is he going to run you down with a rifle again? You have no idea but you don't wait around to find out.

You immediately turn away from him and run…only, you can't.

What. The. Fuck!

You can't get more than a few feet from Din before your legs give out and you drop to your knees. You start sweating uncontrollably. There's this uncomfortable heat rising in your body and you're dry heaving all of a sudden, like there's not enough air to breathe.

"W-what did you do to me?" You can't hold yourself up anymore so you flop onto your back on the ground and you watch as Din walks over and kneels down beside you. He stares at you as you pant like an animal in the hot sun, desperate to cool down.

"How long has it been since we last fucked?" His question doesn't make any sense to you.

Why does that matter right now?

"They said that the withdrawal would be intense, but I didn't think it would be this intense." He lays his hand over your forehead and you feel a rush of something at his touch.

You can't explain it but you're throbbing between your legs for some reason. Your body is aching for him.

Why is it…oh no. No. No. This can't be happening.

Din couldn't have–but of course, if anyone could, it's the Mandalorian.

"You fucking drugged me." You realize what's going on. "What the fuck is in this ring!"

The grin that forms on his lips frightens you to the very bone. "You really shouldn't have tried to kill me, my pretty little thief."

"Tell me what you did to me." You won't let him change the subject. You need to know why you can't fucking move right now and why you feel so needy for a release.

"I'm sure you've figured it out by now and if you were a good girl, I would've given you the antidote." He pulls a necklace out of his pocket and at the end of it, a ring dangles that has a shimmery red line in the middle that contrasts your gold one. You notice the way the color swims back and forth and that's when it clicks.

It's liquid.

There's some kind of liquid in the rings…

"We could've been so happy." He lets out a sigh. "Why did you have to ruin everything? I planned it so well."

"You're insane." The tears build up in your eyes.

You want to die. You can't stand this anymore. It's too much. You really thought…you actually trusted him.

You believed for a moment that he could love you.

How fucking gullible could you be? You should've killed him while you had the chance!

"Did you just notice?" He taunts you like always. "You're smarter than this. Though, I guess what they say is true. Love really does make you blind."

He's back with the love accusation. You have yet to say it to him and that's the only thing you continue to hold over him.

It's the only power you have left. You can never give into him. You can never love him.

"I don't love you, Din Djarin." You state as your heart breaks into a million pieces.

"You're a very bad liar." He shakes his head, dangling the necklace in front of you. "Why won't you just admit the truth?"

"Why won't you?" You bite back. "You love me so much that you're willing to do this just so I don't leave you. Isn't that your truth?"

Your heart is pounding out of your chest and your head is starting to spin. You're getting dizzy. Whatever he gave you, it's making you lose your mind. You're trying to stay rational but your body wants one thing and one thing only.

Him.

"You're right." His words hit you like a bullet. "I told you I wasn't lying. That's why I wanted us to be happy. I thought we were doing well until I noticed what you've been trying to hide from me this whole time. I was curious to see if you had the nerve to go through with it. Too bad you didn't kill me, I was fully expecting at least one knife wound."

"I should've killed you." You curse him. "Fuck you, I fucking hate you."

"Hate is a very strong form of love." He declares confidently. "That's what I've learned from our time together. Hate is the most obsessive love there is. It's like a virus that burrows so deep into your very being, to the point where your every thought is consumed by this person that you hate so much. We are enemies as much as we are lovers, my pretty little thief."

"That's not true." You find the strength to fight back. You need to bring him down with you, so you pick the right thing to say to push him off the ledge. "You will never know what it's like to be loved by me. Haven't you realized? When have I ever shown you an ounce of my love that wasn't forced by your manipulation?"

Once the words come out of your mouth, you know you've got him. For the first time, you witness Din waver. His face contorts beyond his control as he thinks over what you said because it's the truth. You've never shown him what it's like to actually be loved by you. All your interactions with him so far have been reactions to his actions.

You haven't done a single loving thing for him out of the goodness of your heart. That's not the case for him though. He has taken care of you. He has shown you what it's like to be loved by him. He has comforted you, held you, made love to you.

But you have never done anything in return.

You've been the one pulling the strings on his heart almost as much as he has on yours, only in your case, you've actually gotten him to do your bidding unknowingly. He needs you to forcefully submit but you haven't had to lift a finger for him to fall into your hands when you need him to.

"You lost a long time ago, Din." You purposefully rile him up. "You've been trying to level the playing field ever since and have only dug a deeper hole for yourself. Now, how are you going to live with me by your side, knowing I'm never going to love you? You won't be able to. You'll kill me eventually out of pure anger. So, hurry up and do it already. I'm tired of this. I'm tired of you."

You close your eyes then, not giving him any acknowledgement. Whatever happens next, you'll live with it. You're okay with dying. You are that tired.

You're exhausted from the mental games. You want to take a break from it all so you're giving yourself one. He can do whatever he wants. You don't care anymore.

In the stillness of the night, you hear Din throw the necklace down onto the ground, presumably in a fit of rage. Then, moments after, the sound of it being crushed echoes through the room. It's like he hit it with a hammer. You wouldn't know, though.

It's not like it matters to you.

It's funny, how numb you are now. You still feel the effects of whatever drug Din put in your system but you've completely shut down internally. You can't feel anything. You don't want to.

If you do, then you'll have to deal with your broken heart and you don't want to do that right now. Not when you know you'll never be comforted by him again. No more crying in his warm arms. No more falling asleep to the sound of his steady heartbeat. No more waking up to him lazily rubbing your back.

You're mourning the loss of those moments. The ones you wished were real. The ones you think were real. Were they real?

You can't think anymore because Din grabs you off the floor, carrying you back to bed. He drops you rather roughly onto the mattress and you can feel his presence as he hovers on top of you, but your eyes are still squeezed shut. He doesn't like that very much.

"Open your fucking eyes." He demands but you don't listen.

"I thought Mandalorians preferred not to be seen." You tease him, smiling at your own defiance.

A hard slap hits your cheek and you almost open your eyes out of instinct but you squeeze them shut even tighter instead. You don't react to the pain. It hurts, but you're used to it by now.

"I realize that I've gone soft on you because you're no longer afraid of me." Din states the facts and you shrug in response.

"Maybe I was never afraid of you. Maybe I was just good at playing the damsel in distress to fuck with you." Your smile widens.

Why are you provoking him? You don't know. It feels good though. It feels good to be the liar for once. You want him to suffer through what you did.

Real or not real? You want him to be asking himself that question, torturing himself with it like you have been.

"To fuck with me?" He lets out a menacing laugh that actually makes you flinch. "You wanted a savior. You love being taken care of. My spoiled brat who depends on me to live. You'll understand soon enough why I'll always be your Master."

You don't understand his words and how deep his threat goes until Din's lips on yours. The moment his tongue slides into your mouth and he deepens the kiss, you suddenly can't think straight anymore.

Why does…what's going on?

You're kissing him back unknowingly. Not only that, you don't want to stop. You can't stop. Your body won't let you.

You feel him smile against your lips as he pulls away from you to ask, "you like the way I taste, don't you?"

Then, he fucking spits in your mouth all of a sudden and…you swallow it because he's right.

Why does it taste good? It's addictive and indescribable. You can't explain it but you want more.

"Stick out your tongue." He commands and you don't know why your body listens before your mind can stop you.

Your eyes shoot open and you watch as he wraps his tongue around yours. It's hot and you lean into it because you don't want him to pull away.

Before you know it, your hands are buried in his hair and you're kissing him again for some reason. It's just…you need to. Your body can't resist him.

It's like you have an unquenchable thirst for him.

Why, though? What the fuck is going on!

With all the strength and willpower you have left, you pry yourself off of him and exclaim, "what the fuck did you do to me?!"

Din looks at you like he has no idea why you're angry with him and answers, "I didn't have to do anything to you. The drug embedded in that ring only enhances the desires you already have and makes fulfilling them all the more enjoyable. Whether you want to admit it or not, you want me in every fucking way. Here, I'll show you."

You can't protest. You don't have time to. He's too quick, pulling off your pants and tossing them aside. When Din buries his face between your legs and circles your clit with his tongue, you have no idea why you came so fast. It didn't even register at first. It was like a jolt of electricity but it…wasn't enough.

You need more. You have to have more. You can't–you can't fucking live without it.

You catch him smirking as he stares up at your face, which must have your shock written clearly across it. "Someone's finally figuring it out. Don't worry, your Master is here to tend your needs."

"No." You grab a hold of the sheets, the tears building up from the intensity of trying to hold in the orgasm that'll inevitably burst out. "I don't want this."

"Your body says otherwise." His fingers slip into you, curling to hit that spot he knows you love. You're getting close again, clenching around his fingers with every thrust. "See what I mean? You want this. Just admit it. You need me now."

"I don't." You breathe out all airy and your head is spinning like you've just run for miles. You're going to explode if he keeps fingering you like this.

"You don't? Okay." Din pulls away from you, laying down beside you. Then, he dares you, "go ahead then. Finish yourself off."

"What?" You don't know what he's trying to say.

"If you don't need me, then make yourself come." He leans his head on his hand, propping himself up with his elbow to watch you. "You must be aching for a release, so what are you waiting for?"

You grit your teeth out of anger. It's not like you can't get off on your own. You just don't like that he's bossing you around like this but you know what you like so you can definitely do this, right?

Wrong. You're terribly wrong. No matter how hard you try, you just can't…you can't come. It doesn't make any sense. You try everything possible but nothing is enough and yet all he had to do was touch you a little bit earlier and you were on the brink of collapse.

"Why can't I…" You don't know how a drug could fuck you up like this.

"Because you don't want to." He speaks like it's so obvious. "You want me to make you come and that's why you're incapable of doing it yourself anymore. I told you, I own your pleasure now, just like I own you."

Din then gets on top of you, resting his hips against yours. You feel how hard he is through his pants and he purposely rubs up against you to get a rise out of you and you nearly convulse at the feeling of being close to him again.

"Let me help you." He pulls his clothes off entirely, showing you the body you've grown used to seeing all the time. His cock throbs right up against your folds. "Go ahead and get off. Use me like you've been claiming to have done this whole time, thief."

You try to resist but your hips begin to sway unconsciously. At the pace you've set and the position you're in, the tip of his cock applies just the right amount of pressure onto your clit over and over again. It doesn't take you much effort to finally get that release and it's debilitating how amazing it feels to orgasm after having been denied for so long. Your whole body shivers afterwards but your hips are still moving. You can't control your body anymore…

You don't want to…

You just want him, desperately.

"All you have to do is ask and I'll slip my cock right inside." He torments you by pushing the tip in a little before pulling out. "You just have to be a good girl for your Master and ask politely."

"Will it stop if you fuck me?" You need to be freed from this drugged out mindset.

"Temporarily." He tells you and you actually believe him because he sounds truthful in his explanation. "But you'll need more of me soon enough, or the withdrawal will hit you harder than ever."

That's the game, then.

Din is actually fucking you into submission. You can't live without him anymore. You'll need him like you need the air you're breathing.

"I'll never love you, Din." You have to say that for your own sake and he just smiles at you.

"Never say never, my pretty little thief. You know better than that." He playfully pinches your cheek like you're a child and you turn your head to bite his fingers. "Oh, look who's trying to be fiesty today! Still got that weak bite, I see."

"Fuck you." You glare at him. "I want my life back. I don't want this. I don't want you."

"More lies." He shakes his head in disappointment then sighs. "This would've been so much easier if you stopped lying so much. I thought we were going to be real with each other from now on?"

"You're a fucking psychopath if you think I'm going to ever give into you!" You scream at the top of your lungs. "I fucking hate you!"

"I know." He says like he always does before he adds, "and yet, we both know it's only a matter of time until your body gives in. Your mind will follow soon enough."

You turn away from him and then go, "just get it over with and fuck me already. I'm tired of feeling like this."

You hate Din. You hate him so much and yet he's always right. Your body gives into him the moment his cock slips inside of you and fills you up exactly the way you crave. He has imprinted himself into you in the worst kind of way.

This is full-on corruption. It'll start off physically, with every touch, every kiss, every orgasm. Then, he'll consume your mind, your thoughts, your will, your very being.

Who will you be when this is over? You don't know anymore.

All you know is that you should've stabbed him in the heart before he could tear yours apart like this.

Lesson learned: never trust your enemies.

You hope the Mandalorian learns this lesson because when you've gotten enough of him to reclaim your mind and he has helped you clean up and tucked you into bed beside him, you lay against his chest like you always do.

Why? Because you know you can. He's not going to let you go, so why shouldn't you use him too?

You'll get him to help you do what needs to be done.

Which is why when you're both comfortable and ready to sleep, you whisper to him, "I want you to teach me how to kill you."

Din glances down at you, staring at you like you've gone mad, but you're completely serious. You want him to show you what to do to end this once and for all.

"Why would I ever do that?" He stifles an amused chuckle.

That's when you meet his gaze with your own and you say back in the softest, most broken-hearted voice ever, "because you know I'll never be able to do it so you'll have something to hold over me forever."

Then, with glossy eyes and a choked back sob, you lean up and kiss him on the cheek before going back to rest against his chest. You say nothing else after that. You just cry yourself to sleep, unable to handle the emotions brewing inside of you.

Because you're not sure you can trust your own feelings anymore…or yourself for that matter.

You know you have to kill him, but can you? Or, will you truly be giving him something else to torment you with…

A/N: I hope y'all took my warning at the beginning seriously because this lesson was definitely a one for the books! I genuinely love the whole idea of not knowing what/who to trust. I wanted Din's eventual confession to be ambiguous but now I don't even know if he was telling the truth! Real or not real? What do you think? Is he in love or was it all part of his elaborate plan? Was there any truth to anything he said?

I think this is the chapter where we really see that this is an enemies to lovers story! How does this whole mess get resolved? I guess we'll just have to wait and find out ~ ♡

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#din djarin x reader #din djarin smut #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian smut

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adminbryantsaki · 1 month

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Welcome to the Multiverse Part 2

I Do not own the Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything related to the series. It belongs to the Walt Disney Company. I own the Four sisters though. If this isn’t your cup of tea, blend of spices, or brew of coffee, move on. Reader discretion is advised.)

TW: MCU Spoilers, OCs, destruction, war,

WC: 1,849

Within the walls of a very secure vault under a house, the six Infinity Stones glowed in the darkness within separate cases. All of the sudden BOOM, and a wall fell through, a tall, slender woman stepped over the rubble and into the vault where she grinned at the sight of the glowing Stones. The light of the Time and Mind Stones illuminated her face to reveal an angular face with high cheekbones, thin lips, and beady black eyes that seemed to radiate absolute greed when she saw the Stones.

“Those foolish sisters left all the Stones open for the taking. Guess I’ll just keep them safe for those sisters. They are such a thorn in my side. I’m glad that they up and disappeared with no trace. Stupid of them to leave the stones here though.” Lamina spoke.

One sunny afternoon, just after training with Doctor Strange, Ren and Azar received a letter

From their home universe informing them that their Infinity Stones had been stolen by their arch nemesis, Lamina, and was currently wrecking havoc on their home world. Azar later showed this letter to her sisters after summoning them from the other sanctums and they decided to go back home, so they could save their universe. Ren was upset about this as she worked hard to help make a better universe for her sisters, but she stormed off to her room and began to pack. Terra went after her and leaned against the doorway. “You know why we must go back. Lamina will tear our world apart piece by piece with those Stones.” Terra spoke as Ren walked past her and out the door. “I know, that’s why we’re going back. We must stop her and get the Stones away from her and locked up again so we can come back and keep learning the Mystic Arts.” Ren spoke and carried her bag down to the main lobby where Dr. Strange was talking with Azar and Zephyria when he looked up to Ren and gestured for her to come over. “I have told your sisters this and I’ll tell you now. The four of you have done so well in your training that you are ready to move on. Go back home and save your world. If you wish to visit this world, then you may do so, but leave your Stones in your universe.” He spoke. Ren was shocked, thinking they still had years of training to do. But the sorcerer in front of her was right. She and her sisters needed to go home and stop Lamina. Ren nodded and turned to the wall, where she assisted Terra in opening a portal back to their home, back in their house. Once the portal was open, Azar and Zephyria went through first before Ren and Terra followed and Ren closed the portal, cutting off their connection to the World of Heroes.

Ren took a deep breath and turned to the dark grey walls of their home and the empty pedestals where their six Infinity Stones once stood. The pedestals had been smashed to bits and there was a hole in one of the walls just past the pedestals that looked over the crowded city that seemed to be burning below.

“We’re too late.” Zephyria spoke as she saw the destruction that had been wrecked on the city. “No, look up, Lamina is there with the Stones. She’s using them to cause all this destruction.” Azar spoke and pointed to a figure levitating in the sky above the city. “If we can do anything, we need to use our skills in the Mystic Arts that we have learned these past few weeks. We need to bind her down and take the Stones back, and always keep them on our bodies, Incursions be damned.” Ren spoke and put her necklace on that had two empty places where the Time and Soul Stones would be. Azar had a pair of gauntlets that would hold the Reality and Space Stones, Terra had a headband that held the Mind Stone, and Zephyria had a bracelet that held the Power Stone. All the slots for the Stones were empty, but the sisters gathered their courage and followed Ren who charged out of their home and created a glowing shield to help her float in the air and sped quickly to where Lamina was causing destruction all over their home. “LAMINA! STOP THIS NOW AND HAND THE STONES OVER TO US! THEY DO NOT BELONG TO YOU!” Ren bellowed. Lamina paused what she was doing and turned around to face Ren who was seething with every fiber in her being. Lamina was a tall and slender woman who looked like she had one too many plastic surgery operations to try and achieve the ultimate vision of beauty. She didn’t achieve that at all. She looked like a skeleton with flesh wrapped around the bones and a metal armor that was skin tight and showed every part of her bony body. Across her chest was the Infinity Stones in this order: Reality, Soul, Mind, Time, Space, and Power. Her face had twisted into a frown at the sight of the young women in front of her. “Took you long enough to realize that your world is in danger. Where did the four of you go anyways?” Lamina asked. “None of your business. Just hand the Stones over and we will leave you alone.” Ren spoke. “Now why would I do that when I’m only just beginning to have fun?” She asked as she plucked out the Reality Stone and spun it around in her gloved fingers. Azar’s eyes widened and lunged forward at Lamina, trying to get the stone away from the villain. Lamina caught her and pulled her hand away, chuckling at Azar at her failed attempt to get the Stone away from her. “You all should know by now that I’m not going to give these beauties up so easily. I plan to wipe this world clean and remake it to be more beautiful, and no longer such an ugly, grey world that it is now.” She spoke.

Yes, their world did look grey and lifeless. But it wasn’t ugly. There were things of beauty to be seen within the small cracks of the city. Clearly Lamina was blind to these other forms of beauty as she was too focused on her own self-image to even notice them. “You’re wrong.” Zephyria spoke quietly that only her sisters could hear and Lamina caught a whisper of her voice. “What did you say?” Lamina hissed, lunging at the girl, and pulling her up by her hair. “You’re wrong. Our world isn’t ugly and lifeless. You only think that because you took too much time on your own self worth and never thought to look at beauty in the small things. You only focused on the grand picture and how your ideals would fit into it. When you didn’t fit in, you went to more drastic measures, altering your body until you look horrendous and like a skeleton fit into a skin suit without the organs, muscles, and fat, and even planned so that when my sisters and I left to learn how to defeat you once and for all is when you chose to strike. Taking what isn’t yours to try and unnecessarily change the world into what you think is ‘right’ and ‘beautiful’. You shouldn’t do that, but I can’t change your mind, and I’m sorry for you.” Zephyria spoke and smiled as someone approached with the cops. “Lamina! Give up! You are surrounded with no escape. Turn the Stones back to their rightful owners and come with us peacefully!” The chief of police called through a loudspeaker at the villain who glared down at them before looking back to Zephyria who had a smirk plastered on her face. “If you decide to not give up the Stones and turn yourself over to the police, you’ll only make yourself look uglier.” She told her. Lamina snarled in defeat and floated down to the ground, pushing Zephyria away from her and into the arms of Terra who felt safer on the ground during this fight an held her wrists out to the police. “Alright, you have me.” She spoke in defeat. “You must hand the Infinity Stones over first. We cannot trust you to not use them against us.” The chief spoke. Lamina hesitantly turned to where Ren and Azar were landing next to Terra and Zephyria she plucked each of the remaining Stones and floated them over to the sisters who took their respective stones back into their jewelry.

Once the sisters had the Stones back, a cop took Lamina under custody. Everything seemed to be going easy, almost too easy. Lamina had been taken away in the police car and the sisters were heading back into their house to begin cleaning up and helping with fixing whatever other destruction that had been caused due to Lamina’s control over the Stones. They had put the Stones back on their pedestals for now as they contributed to the cleaning up and repairing of their city. But once those operations were over, Ren wanted to go back to Dr. Strange and ask if they could still train under him as she knew that they hadn’t trained for long enough when the threat had risen-up in their world.

Ren went to the same wall where she would open and close portals to other dimensions and opened one to the New York Sanctum in Earth-616 where she found Dr. Strange sitting down across from his fireplace with a cup of tea and a good book. She stepped through the portal and approached Dr. Strange. “If you are here to ask about furthering your training, its not needed. As I told you and your sisters before you left to save your planet, which you did an excellent job. But you finished your training. There is no need for any of you to come back.” He spoke. Ren felt hurt and crestfallen. She turned to go back through the still-open portal and go home. But she was stopped by Dr. Strange who stood up and put a hand on her shoulder. “But, I had a talk with Wong and the other Sanctum Leaders. We decided that the four of you should help us by gathering information on Kang the Conqueror and any other threats to our universe that seen like an issue to us so we will be ready for anything.” Dr. Strange spoke. Ren lit up and thanked him before running back through the portal to home to tell her sisters the good news.

The End.

#admin writes #mcu #marvel mcu #marvel cinematic universe #marvel #avengers #dr strange #original character

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wyllzel · 6 months

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the bg3 approval system is truly infinitely fascinating to me... like it really is so circumstantial how companions can react to your choices??

spoilers for two act 1 beats and one act 3 beat below the cut!

emerald grove: kagha

after uncovering the shadow druid conspiracy, you can either:

go in guns blazing and outright declare that you want kagha dead

persuade kagha to turn from the shadow druids and 'redeem' her

interestingly, altho these endings for kagha seem at odds, wyll approves in both instances!!! despite his heroic sensibilities, he's a little too down to murder anyone he sees as even vaguely in the wrong lol

grymforge: nere

after freeing nere from the cave in, he tries to go gnome tossing and you can either:

let nere toss the gnomes

intervene on behalf of the gnomes

both astarion and lae'zel will, at some point, advise you to disregard the gnomes. but while astarion will disapprove if you a) tell him you want to save the gnomes and b) intervene for the gnomes, lae'zel does not disapprove if you intervene for the gnomes! she and wyll will then approve if you threaten nere lol

rivington: yenna

ok this one is very tricky and i still don't super understand it LOL i'm sure there's some special algorithm behind it but idk lol

when yenna arrives at your camp and asks to stay, astarion might interject and say she'd be a waste of supplies and space. this happened in my 1st playthrough and is likely the consequences of my relatively selfish actions. 😞 he then disapproves when you tell yenna she can stay.

however, there's also a chance that astarion will neither approve nor disapprove when yenna moves in. this happened in my 2nd playthrough, when my durge started off doing heinous things but eventually mellowed out into making consistently good choices.

but i've heard there's also a chance that astarion will approve when yenna joins the camp???!! i'm guessing this would happen during a consistently good playthrough??

but i kind of wonder if it has to do with consistently saving children -- i saved mirkon from the harpies on my 2nd (but not 1st) playthrough, but rolan and his siblings and therefore i think a bunch of tiefling kids didn't make it in either of those playthroughs?? so maybe rolan & co have to make it and/or astarion needs to witness that?

this is just a theory... i suppose i could go digging thru the dialogue/dev notes but that seems like a lot lol

#chelle.txt #bg3 spoilers

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springsaladgaming · 2 years

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Another Short

Hi, everyone! I didn’t have time to prepare a snippet for today, so instead... Have another canon short story! (I finished this over a week ago. I’ve just been waiting to publish it.)

This one features Cherry, though it is told from another’s point of view. This story does not contain any spoilers for the main plot of Ninelives, but it does contain information regarding Cherry’s back story. This one is another that is a bit of a downer (because I like to write sad shit I guess), so I would advise against reading if you are not in a great headspace.

Content warnings: references to non-descriptive violence, references to non-descriptive injuries, references to mental illness

Continue below to read!

Together

Erik didn’t bother putting on a brave face before he entered the house. He knew before even turning the key to the front door: she would know. She always knew, somehow, that endlessly brave little girl with his green eyes and her mother’s red hair.

He opened the door and stared at her crestfallen face where she sat on the sofa facing the door. Sean, his neighbor, spoke a concerned greeting, but Erik ignored him and walked over to face his daughter.

Her eyes looked red with the threat of tears, but not a single drop fell. “Is it over?” she said, stalwart and unblinking.

Erik put a hand over hers where they rested in her lap and looked deep into her eyes. “Yes, Cherry. It’s over.”

A moment passed, the two of them the only people in the world. She was safe now, Erik told himself. He had to tear out a piece of his heart, but she was safe, and that was all that mattered. Bittersweet relief flooded him, and he let out a shaky breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Cherry matched his sigh, and they were both allowed to breathe. The days ahead would be hard, but the threat of drowning was gone.

Erik turned to his neighbor, his friend, the only one outside of his family who knew enough to be worried. “Thanks for looking after her, Sean,” he said. “I won’t keep you any longer.”

Sean nodded slowly, as if worried that any sharp movements would spook Erik or Cherry. “Are you going to be okay?”

Erik glanced back at Cherry. Her big, green eyes seemed to be looking directly into his soul. Even spoken to someone else, a lie was still a lie, and there was no point in lying in front of her. “Right now, no,” Erik said. “Eventually, we will be.”

The two friends shared a few more words before they reluctantly parted at the door. As soon as Erik closed the front door behind him, the world felt a little less bright. He wanted to curl up and cry, but he wasn’t alone here, and the night was not over.

After one more wordless glance at Cherry, Erik padded toward the kitchen to assess the damage. The floor was covered in glass and food and debris, broken plastic here, liquid spills there. The counters were covered in spices from broken spice jars, and there was blood still on the floor where Marie had cut her hand open after slamming a glass pitcher against a cabinet.

Erik crossed the kitchen, glass and rice and pasta crunching under his boots with each step. With a shaky hand, he grabbed the broom off the far wall and began sweeping the mess at his feet, the sound of detritus scraping against the floor filling the silence of the house.

Memories of shouting and crying and yelling flooded Erik’s mind, and he couldn’t help but wonder why it took him so long to see that his wife was unwell.

Then Cherry entered the kitchen, boots sloppily pulled onto her feet. She stepped across the mess on the ground until she reached the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a small hand broom. She too began sweeping up the debris on the floor, and Erik knew then why it had taken so long.

Erik turned away from watching his daughter and went back to sweeping. Neither of them looked at each other, but he spoke. “Did you always know?”

There was a long silence before the young girl answered. Her voice was small and fragile, but her words sounded aged beyond her years. “It got worse,” she said.

Erik nodded. “Yes. It did.” Once he’d gathered a neat pile, Erik gathered together a trash bag and bin and began collecting the debris on a dustpan.

“She was scared,” Cherry said. “Sometimes I think she didn’t know why. Other times I think she did, even though she knew it didn’t make any sense.” She brought her own small collection to the trash and dumped it.

Erik had to swallow the lump in his throat before he could reply. “I thought I was protecting you from it.”

Cherry looked up at him then, and Erik wanted to weep for this little girl who had experienced too much and too little. “Hiding isn’t the same as being safe,” she said, and it seemed as though she regretted the need to say it.

The two stared at each other then, so many unspoken words floating between them. The silence stretched on until some shards in the trash creaked as they settled, breaking the still moment and sending the two back to their sad task.

“Is she going to come back?” Cherry said, her tone flat and even.

Erik cursed his weakness then, cursed that he didn’t have the same awareness that Cherry did. How he would have loved to look into her soul, to know whether she was asking the question out of longing or fear. But he did not have her gift, and the only thing he could do now was tell the truth.

“I don’t know,” Erik said. “When she gets better, maybe.”

“Will we be able to visit her?”

“I don’t know. Maybe not right away, but I hope so.”

“We should bring her flowers when we do,” Cherry said. “It always makes her feel good when you bring her snapdragons.”

Erik had to sit, no longer able to bear his sorrow. He pulled out a chair from the dining table and slumped into it, boneless and exhausted. He did weep then, for his odd and wonderful child who felt too full and too much. She knew every jab of fear, every pang of guilt. She knew what it was to drown in another’s sorrow and to burn in another’s rage. What kind of ‘gift’ was it, to be forced to carry the burden of others’ emotions as she did?

It wasn’t until he felt the tears being wiped from his face that he realized Cherry was standing in front of him. She cradled his face in her hands with a warm and loving touch, even as tears threatened to spill from her own eyes. “It will be okay, dad,” she said. “We still have each other.”

The words only strengthened the flow of tears from his eyes, and he could do nothing but nod at his daughter. He took her into his arms and held her tight, as much for her comfort as for his own. It had been a hard day, and the days ahead would be even harder, but they would get through them.

Together.

#ninelives shorts #ninelives: cherry

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link4eva · 3 years

Text

Kiro’s Culinary Date Translation [CN] (Season 2)

Hi, everyone! Just a couple of notes before you begin reading. I don’t actually know Chinese so this translation was done through the power of Google Translate and with help from @keliosyfan. Thank you! 💛

This translation contains spoilers for a date that has not yet been released in the ENG server. This date is set is Season 2 but doesn’t contain any major plot details. If you wish to not be spoiled, please don’t read beyond the cut.

Hope you enjoy!~

*Spoilers below for future content!*

[First Part]

“Ding Dong!--”

I stood in front of a villa full of sunflowers in the yard and rang the doorbell.

Recently, in order to create a gimmick for the new show, the company intends to let Kiro participate in an observation variety show.

The stars in the show will experience different professions. The profession of this episode is to run a restaurant. To create more entertainment, a culinary competition is also set up.

Whoever makes the food that receives the most praise will win the final prize.

But I wasn’t so sure about Kiro’s cooking skills….

??: I’m coming!

The familiar voice interrupted my thoughts.

Accompanied by a rush of hurried footsteps, the door was swung open and golden hair instantly came into view.

Kiro: Good afternoon, boss!

Kiro: I just saw your text message, why did you come to me so suddenly?

Kiro put one hand behind himself, his always-smiling face now even more enthusiastic.

A strange smell hit the tip of my nose. I seemed to distinguish something but kept it calm on the surface.

MC: I heard Savin say that you rarely go out recently and don’t answer the phone very often. So I just came to see what the situation was.

Kiro: So that’s what it was. That’s because….

Kiro moved his eyes towards me and smiled.

Kiro: I recently became obsessed with a new video game series so I couldn’t check my phone as often.

I nodded and accepted the explanation.

MC: There’s another thing; you’re going to be on a new variety show.

Kiro’s expression suddenly became very serious. I couldn’t help but want to tease him, pretending to be serious.

MC: You should have known already about your appearance on the show and how you need to show your cooking skills in front of the camera.

MC: But I don’t think this should be a problem for Kiro, right?

Kiro looked shocked. But not long after, he smiled confidently.

Kiro: Of course.

Kiro: I’m actually very good at cooking.

MC: So confident--

Kiro: What’s up?

Seeing Kiro’s confused eyes still showing a hint of a guilty conscience, I couldn’t help but finally express my doubts.

MC: Kiro, were you really playing video games?

Kiro: Yes, I was….

MC: But why do I smell something weird?

Kiro: ….

Kiro: ….So you knew already!

After a while, he sighed slightly, and put down his hands behind his back like he had accepted his fate. He was holding a bear apron in his hands.

Kiro: Miss Chips, do you want to come and take a look at my kitchen?

[Second Part]

Although I was mentally prepared when I walked into Kiro’s kitchen, I couldn’t help but look on in shock.

The kitchen utensils are stacked in a mess, there are many broken eggshells on the ground, and the dishes were piled high in the sink. With that, there were also some “unidentifiable objects”...

Everything in front of me seems to show what kind of “messy” experience this was.

Kiro also looked a little embarrassed.

Kiro: Ahem, it went well at first, but I don’t know which step went wrong.

Kiro: The taste and appearance are a little bit different from what you may expect….

Suddenly, he turned his eyes to look at me.

Kiro: In order to find out which step went wrong, I plan to do it again!

Kiro: However, it’s best to have personal supervision next to you….

MC: I can help you. Also, I can show you some new things. *changed some wording*

As if he had obtained the answer he wanted, Kiro’s brows and eyes were curved slightly, and a smile appeared on his face.

Kiro: Great, then let’s get to work!

Seeing a glimmer of success in his eyes, I suddenly realized that I was fooled!

He had planned to bring me to the kitchen all along!

Twenty minutes later, with my help, the cooking was finally completed decently.

Seeing the steaming food on the table, Kiro couldn’t wait to pick up the spoon and took a bite.

MC: How is it?

Kiro: Hmm….

He blinked and then gave me a thumbs up.

Kiro: Super delicious! Miss Chips should really consider opening up a restaurant!

Although I knew his evaluation was exaggerated, I still breathed a sigh of relief.

MC: That’s good.

Kiro: However, I’m afraid there’s no way I can make such delicious food for the time being….

He lowered his eyes and his long eyelashes cast a small shadow in his eyes.

Knowing that Kiro has always been a perfectionist, I thought about it and spoke slowly.

MC: Actually, to make delicious food in addition to certain cooking skills, you also need a special recipe.

Kiro: Huh? What is it?

I stretched out my hand, poked Kiro’s face lightly with my finger, and made a smile on his face.

MC: The chef’s mentality is also very important.

MC: If you put yourself in a happy mood, you will definitely feel it. And….

I also smiled at him.

MC: Enthusiastically greet every challenge, isn’t this what Kiro is best at?

Kiro was taken aback for a moment, a strange emotion flashed in his eyes. After a while, he smiled and took my hand.

Kiro: Well, MC is right.

Kiro: By the day of the show recording, my performance won’t disappoint anyone’s expectations.

Kiro: However, I still want you to promise me one thing.

MC: What?

He leaned closer, his warm breath fell on my cheek.

Kiro: Can you come to the set on the filming day?

Kiro: If you do, I think the food will be better than perfect.

[Third Part]

The sun was shining brightly on the filming day, and the temperature was several degrees higher than usual.

I arrived at the shooting location as agreed with Kiro. Seeing that it was still early, I walked towards the lounge.

(Cut to lounge)

As soon as the door was opened, I saw him sitting on the sofa alone and intently looking down at his phone.

Hearing the movement, Kiro raised his eyes to look at me with undisguised joy on his face.

Kiro: ….MC, there you are!

MC: Well, I’m here to cheer for you.

He subconsciously turned off the phone screen. Although it was just a quick glance, I saw that he seemed to be watching a cooking tutorial.

Kiro: The sun is so nice today, it’s good weather to go out in.

Kiro: There should be a lot of customers in the restaurant later.

Kiro looked out the window, his face thoughtful.

MC: Well, you don’t have to put too much pressure on yourself. After all, this is a variety show, and cooking is only one aspect.

MC: So all you have to do is show your truest appearance and enjoy the process.

Kiro: I know, it’s just that I haven’t figured out what to do yet….

MC: Huh? You haven’t thought about it yet?

MC: Didn’t we practice a dish at your house last time?

Kiro: But….

Kiro paused. After a while, he seemed to have thought of something, his lips raised in a beautiful arc.

Kiro: But now I have changed my mind.

Kiro: I’m going to keep it a secret for now and surprise you later.

Although there were some doubts in my mind, I also believed Kiro could handle it well. So, after a while, I nodded.

MC: Ok.

MC: If you have any questions, you can send me a text message and I will be there later. Also….

Kiro: Don’t worry, Miss Chips, I have my own coup.

Kiro took my hand and interrupted me with a chuckle.

Kiro: And have you forgotten? No matter what kind of food, I have my own “exclusive recipe”. *changed some wording*

As he said this, he poked my cheek lightly as I did to him before, and also sketched a smile on my face.

Kiro: I will get the best result while enjoying the process.

His eyebrows are curved and my figure is reflected in his clear pupils.

Kiro: So, please wait and see.

(Cut to shooting location)

The bright sunlight passed through the leaves. *changed some wording*

The show officially started filming. Stars who usually have a certain distance from the public are now wearing aprons and running an ordinary restaurant.

I was sitting on a seat in the restaurant and found that the surrounding area was filled with people.

Seeing popular movie stars or idol singers passing by one after another, many guests showed surprised expressions.

Female Star: Hello, this is my chocolate cake.

The female star gave me a sweet smile and the dessert on my table. After thanking her, I took a bite and the sweetness instantly melted in my mouth.

Girl A: Wow, this cake is delicious!

Girl B: Is it? I’ll try it too.

The voices of the two girls from the table over fell into my ears. I glanced around and saw that many people seemed to be very satisfied with the food.

Girl A: The celebrities’ culinary skills are so good too!

Girl B: You’re so stereotypical. By the way, I heard that Kiro is also here. Our “Little Sun’s” cooking skills are guaranteed to surprise you!

Hearing the girl’s words, I couldn’t help but glance at my phone screen. The last text message sent was from Kiro ten minutes ago.

“I’m ready to play!”

I put down the spoon in my hand and couldn’t help but guess what kind of food Kiro intends to make….

After tasting different delicacies one after another, everyone’s expectations were getting higher and higher.

Initially, I just advised Kiro not to be too stressed out but I couldn’t help but feel nervous at this moment….

??: This guest, would you like a delicious mango smoothie?

A familiar voice rang in my ears and I turned my face to meet a pair of sky-blue eyes.

MC: Ki-!

Everyone: AAAAAAHHH IT’S KIRO!!!

The enthusiastic cheers drowned out my voice.

Kiro smiled brightly at them and the screams suddenly became louder. Immediately afterwards, he suddenly turned around, avoiding everyone’s gaze--

He gave a wink towards me.

I couldn’t help but feel my heart beat frantically.

The golden light shone on Kiro’s hair and the person in front of me seemed to be more dazzling than the sun.

Kiro: I saw that you’re sitting there all alone. Don’t you feel a bit lonely?

Before I could answer, he took off the bear doll from his waist and placed it on the seat opposite me.

Kiro gently covered the microphone pinned in the collar and whispered in a voice that only the two of us could hear--

Kiro: Let it temporarily replace me to accompany you.

As soon as his voice fell, he straightened up and looked at the people present.

Kiro: Does anyone else want to try a refreshing fruit smoothie?

The sun was shining, and after tasting many dishes, everyone happened to be a little thirsty. So, they raised their hands enthusiastically.

Kiro: Just hold tight, I’ll come back right away!

Holding the tray, he walked towards the other table of guests. In the scorching afternoon, Kiro’s fruit smoothie became the most popular dish.

Looking at the blond boy walking through the crowd, I couldn’t help but curl my lips up into a smile.

It turns out that this is what he meant by “coup”.

Looking down, I saw Kiro with one hand behind him, making a “V” gesture in my direction.

My smile grew even more. I picked up the mango smoothie on the table and took a sip.

--The taste is really sweet.

[Fourth Part]

As the sunset slowly falls, the shooting is gradually coming to an end.

According to the process, the program team will determine the final prize based on the customers’ evaluation of the food. As a result, the awards were announced one by one with suspension--

Kiro didn’t win.

Kiro: MC!

I looked towards where the voice came from and saw that from not far away, Kiro was walking towards me through the staff surrounding him.

MC: Is it finished?

Kiro: Well, they’re checking out the shooting material.

I thought that Kiro would be a little disappointed if he didn’t win the prize but his face didn’t show the slightest bit of disappointment. Instead, his smile remained the same as usual.

A light flashed before my eyes and I realized that he was holding a golden trophy in his hand.

MC: What is this?

Kiro: This….

He followed my gaze and winked slyly at me suddenly.

Kiro: There are too many people here. Let’s talk about it somewhere else.

(Cut to lounge)

MC: “Most Popular Award….”

In the lounge, I took the trophy from Kiro and repeated what he said.

Kiro: That’s right.

Kiro: They said that because of the popularity of “Kiro’s Special”, the program team made this award.

Kiro: I told you that I wouldn’t break my promise, right?

Kiro said somewhat proudly. I can’t help but smile.

MC: Well, I was a little surprised. But I know that Kiro never disappoints.

MC: By the way, something hasn’t been returned to you yet.

I took out the little bear doll that I had always taken with me. I wanted to give it back to him but he shook his head.

Kiro: This was actually a gift to you to thank you for teaching me how to cook.

MC: In that case, I will accept it without any hesitancy.

As I was talking, a question suddenly came to my mind.

MC: I don’t seem to remember you telling me why you suddenly decided to make a smoothie instead?

Kiro gave me a look and smiled helplessly.

Kiro: When I tell you, you mustn’t laugh at me.

MC: Of course not.

Kiro: Actually, after we started cooking together that day, I practiced many times in private.

Kiro: After all, I’m going to be on the show. I hope that no matter what I’m doing, I can let everyone see my best.

Kiro: But that last time, I still felt that it was not enough.

Kiro’s tone was indifferent but I seemed to hear a little reluctance from it.

Kiro: But after coming to the lounge today, I saw the light outside was very strong.

Kiro: Thinking of everyone sitting in the sun all that time, it must’ve felt a little hot. So, I suddenly came up with an idea.

Those bright blue eyes lit up again and the corners of Kiro’s lips curled up slightly.

Kiro: I think if it were me in this hot weather, I would want a refreshing smoothie more than one of those meals.

Kiro: And this method was a very simple one--

Kiro: It was within the scope of my cooking skills!

I couldn’t help laughing.

I saw that the name tag on his chest was a little crooked, so I stretched out my hand to fix it for him.

MC: So, our “Chef Kiro” decided to make a smoothie?

MC: It was indeed a great idea.

I nodded approvingly. Kiro’s eyes flickered slightly and he suddenly took my wrist.

Kiro: Speaking of which, you brought me this inspiration.

MC: Huh?

Kiro: Didn’t you say that if you put yourself in a happy mood, other people will definitely be able to feel it?

Kiro: Because I was inspired by you, I gradually began to worry less about satisfying everyone and more about what to do to make myself feel satisfied….

Kiro: Therefore, this trophy is also yours.

Kiro winked as he spoke and his lips curled up softly.

Kiro: I wonder how Miss Chips would rate my performance today?

MC: Do you need to ask?

MC: Of course it far exceeds full marks!

Kiro: Even if I didn’t make good enough food?

MC: Even if you didn’t make good enough food.

I repeated it with certainty.

MC: Remember, because you have the most unique “recipe”.

MC: That is Kiro’s signature appeal.

I smiled at him.

MC: During the filming, many people including myself, were affected by your smile and enthusiasm--

MC: It was such a pleasant afternoon.

MC: I believe that this happy mood will be conveyed to all viewers when the show is broadcasted.

MC: Rest assured.

The light in Kiro’s eyes shook slightly and then the corners of his mouth rose even more.

Kiro: Is MC’s evaluation of me that high?

Kiro: Actually, it’s more than that.

Kiro: In fact, there are other “exclusive recipes” that I found.

He pretended to smile mysteriously, held my hand more tightly, and then went on to say--

Kiro: She not only taught me how to cook, but she also gave me great inspiration;

Kiro: And she also told me that no matter what challenge I encounter, I can solve it in Kiro’s fashion as usual.

Kiro: So, when I saw her at the shooting today, I felt confident and smiled uncontrollably….

The gentle voice fell in my ears and I felt my heart beat faster.

Those sapphire eyes looked at me for a moment. In the next second, a chuckle came into my ear--

Kiro: So….

Kiro: For me, she is the recipe that makes everything more perfect.

[End]

You can read the call that comes after this date here!~

#mlqc spoilers #mr love queens choice #mr love #mr love game #mlqc #mlqc kiro #mr love kiro #mr love dream date #周棋洛 #date translation #he's so cute

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cinlat · 3 years

Text

I don’t usually put my rants on here, but I’m pretty annoyed right now. I was introduced to The Expanse by this site and learned that it was a book series. A pretty kick ass book series at that. I’m about to start #4, so I’m about halfway through.

I thought it would be fun to read the book and watch the show at the same time, which is has been. But I’ve got ISSUES with how the TV show are portraying the female characters.

Spoilers below the cut.

Okay, so I’m in Season 3 of the show, which covers book 2. My main issues.

Naomi:

In the Book: Holden. Is. An. Idiot. Plain and simple. He makes bad choices while thinking he’s doing the right thing. Throughout the book, Naomi keeps him grounded, reminds him of what happened the LAST time he was an idiot, and spends a lot of time cleaning up after him. She’s a genius, a solid character, and pretty laid back. The woman despises violence (she won’t even touch a gun) and is generally the voice of reason for all the men on the Roci.

In the Show: She’s rash, headstrong, and fueling the war machine by spouting OPA propaganda. She causes discourse on the ship and lies, going behind the crews backs to further her own ends. Even wholly devoted Amos (who would do absolutely anything for her in the book) is angry and barely talking to her. In the book, she LEFT HOLDEN when he went off the deep end. In the show, HE LEAVES HER because she lied and gave a weapon to the OPA. AS usual, the man comes out as the good guy and women are just unstable bags of emotion to be tolerated.

Bobbie:

In the Book: She’s a level headed marine who struggles deeply with turning her back on her government for the good of the galaxy. She led her men fairly and if a veteran who knows her duty but isn’t trigger happy. She’s a bit dull politically, and makes Avasarala laugh more than once with her biting humor. She’s a total bad ass who knows what she’s doing and has a profound respect for everyone who does a job.

In the Book: She’s a blood thirsty rookie straining at the end of her leash to start a war with earth. She has no sense of humor, a bad attitude, She doesn’t respect anyone who isn’t a Martian marine (except Avasarala eventually). She’s prone to outbursts, often yelling at people before she knows what’s going on, and trigger happy. The only thing the show got right about her character was her appearance. That actress is a dead ringer for book Bobbi.

Avasarala:

In the Book: This woman is SMART. I mean, she’s moves and countermoves. Very little slips through her defenses. When something does, she deals with it and moves on. The woman can intimidate the strongest man and deal out political justice while cuddling her grandchildren and playing tag. She singlehandedly saved the galaxy and stopped a war with her WORDS. She contacted Holden and had them pick her and Bobbie up because she knew they would work with her.

In the Show: The men jerk her around and send her off into an ambush without her ever being the wiser. Instead of her moving all the pieces around (while on the run for her life, I might add), her brilliance was handed to, you guessed it, the men. And they couldn’t even give it to one. All of Avasarala’s brilliant political positioning had to be spread across THREE DIFFERENT MEN. While she sat on the Roci (who stumbled across them by accident) demanding to make calls that they wouldn’t give her. Because Holden is pouting.

*aggravated growling sounds* Don’t even get me started on Anna. She’s only been in one episode and I already know that she’s going to be a mere shadow of the woman in the book.

My advise. Read the books, skip the TV show.

#cinlat rants #friggin tv show ruined the female characters #the expanse #this is ridiculous #what the actual fuck #naomi nagata #chrisjen avasarala #bobbie draper

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symphonic-scream · 3 years

Text

Okay so here's the summary of what happens in the first section of the ML Genshin au. If you're overly familiar with the lore of the game itself sorry in advance cause things are gonna be different. It's a mix of wanted to incorporate new ideas and I don't remember everything exactly lmao

This of course contains Spoilers for the first three Archon quests in Genshin Impact :) so there you've been warned. Also warning: long post. I'm sorry

So the story starts with two travelers soaring through the skies, visiting world after world as they go. However their journey is cut short when they encounter a strange god in the heavens above one such world

The travelers hold out against her for as long as they can, but she gets the upper hand, capturing one of the two travelers. She seals away the powers of the other, trapping him in this world

Some time passes. Our traveler has spent his time trying to survive in the wild in this new world, and has now fished a strange creature up out of the sea. Some floating cat thing, that insists he's not a cat. He calls himself Plagg

Our traveler is blond, with striking green eyes. His outfit is very strange, looking kinda like,, a thick leather armour type stuff but softer. There are dark stars on his shoulders, wrists, on the belt, and in the centre of his chest, and his shirt cuts off at the base of his ribs. Pants are much the same, boots ending just below the knees, and he's got some fancy golden gloves and padding on the knees

The traveler explains what he remembers of his story to Plagg, introducing himself as Adrien. He's not of this world, and he's going to find his identical cousin Felix, who was taken by a strange god, no matter what it takes

Plagg decides to be his guide in this world, which he calls Teyvat, and agrees to help him find the god and his cousin. He explains that Teyvat is divided into seven Nations, each under the rule of one of seven gods called Archons, collectively "the Seven". The land they're in now is called Mondstadt, the nation belonging to the Archon of freedom. And Anemo, the element of wind

Plagg leads Adrien into a small valley, a statue resting in the middle of a small lake right in the centre. The guide calls it a Statue of the seven, this one modeled after Barbatos, the name used for the Anemo Archon. Plagg believes there's a chance the strange god could be one of the seven, so perhaps praying to the statue may give them some answers

However when Adrien gets close, he's infused with a strange power. He now has control over Anemo

This is odd to Plagg because in Teyvat, only humans with something called a vision can use elemental abilities. Visions are gifts from the Archons, used to show who has earned their favour through what's usually some inhuman feat or something like that I guess

The statue left more questions than answers, so Plagg decides they should try to find the god in person in the City of Mondstadt. However on their way to the forest that will lead to the city, a dragon flies overhead

Plagg decides a dragon is too much work to deal with and suggests they turn back, cause maybe your cousin will show up on his own- wait - hey come back here-

Adrien marches on, interested in meeting a dragon. He walks carefully through the trees, stopping short when he spots the dragon and a shorter figure

The person slowly approaching the dragon has their back to Adrien, with pinkish-red hair, wearing a somewhat fancy looking grey hooded jacket, black high boots, and dark cyan trousers. On their left shoulder, attached to their lapel, is a spring green/seafoam?? Kinda? Idk- coloured gem

Their hand is outstretched towards the dragon, who growls lowly as the figure shushes them. Adrien leans in to see better, snapping a twig beneath his boots. At the sudden noise the dragon shoots off into the sky, flying off. The figure whips around to face Adrien, summoning a sword from thin air (vision users can just do this?? There's really no explanation that I've cared to read haha). The figure turns and runs off into the woods after staring at Adrien for a moment

Adrien and Plagg continue on their way through the woods, coming out the other end with no other issues. Once they exit the forest, a woman is calling for their attention

She's dressed in for the outdoors, emerald kinda green overalls that are cut like shorts, white,, idk kinda like tights but thicker?? And brown boots, the same colour as the pretty much useless belt around her waist, where a bright green gem and little pouches rest. Under the overalls is a navy collared shirt, soft fabric, button open at the top, a brown half jacket (cut like a crop top) open over it. Dark hair in two pigtails, bright blue eyes

She introduces herself as Marinette, an adventurer assisting the Knights of Favonius, who protect the city, with keeping monsters at bay from the city. She asks Adrien what he and his, cat? ("IM NOT A CAT!") Are doing outside the city, and he tells her he's looking for his cousin, and maybe Barbatos

Marinette explains that they haven't heard from their god in years, and only recently have they gotten any sign that the Archon actually exists, with the first Anemo vision to be given out in ages and the dragon attacks

Adrien helps her clear out a little monster camp before they head into the city, with Marinette planning on taking Adrien to see the Acting Grand Master to see if she can help

But OH NO DRAGON ATTACK. Adrien hears a voice and suddenly he's got boosted abilities, flying (using a wind glider) up with the dragon, chasing it away from the city by blasting it with Anemo energy

When he lands Marinette asks him what the hell he just did, and someone else steps in, claiming they were about to say the same thing. This woman has orange cat ears sticking out of bobbed orange hair, and is wearing glasses over teal eyes

She's got a simple, dark blue jacket on over a light blue collared shirt, a brown vest between the two. Dark pants, tall metallic, silver boots, a small kinda waist cape?? Idk what they are but she's got one and it's white and furred. A pale baby blue vision hangs from the side of her belt

This is Sabrina, one of the Captains with the knights, Marinette explains. Sabrina escorts the two of them to the headquarters of the knights, claiming the Acting Grand Master wants to speak with them

The Acting Grand Master has long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, and tired blue eyes. She wears a long dark coat, an orangey brown vision just off the right shoulder. Under the jacket is a dark brown, thick blouse and vest combo. Her pants are a pale brown, and her boots are the same as Sabrina's. Her clothing looks rather lavish

The Acting Grand Master, Chloe, she insists they call her, listens to Adrien's tale. She explains she can help once things calm down with the whole dragon thing. He wants to help, but she can't just let him in for liability reasons and strikes a deal. If he can locate the one citizen that didn't check in and confirm their health after the attack, he earns honorary knight status

The knights and adventurers head out to seek out the temples of three of the four winds while Adrien and Plagg look for this missing person. They follow traces of Anemo energy, leading them to the roof of the knights headquarters where they come face to face with the figure from the woods, the missing citizen

The citizen attempts to run, but they stop her and say the knights are looking for her. The figure cautiously introduces herself as Alix Kubdel, watching the duo cautiously

Plagg speaks first breaking the silence, asking her about what she was doing with the dragon. You know, the dragon that attacked the city? Got an explanation for that?

Alix hesitates but explains that she was trying to calm down the dragon, bond with it. When asked why, she finally explains that she's the New Anemo Archon, and she's still getting used to what she has to do

New? What do you mean new? Plagg kinda hounds at her, Adrien apologizes, and Alix says the last Archon died, and she was eventually chosen as a replacement

By now the knights are returning from the temples and Adrien takes Alix in to talk with Chloe to convince her that they don't need to kill "Stormterror", the name given to the dragon by the city. Alix corrects them, stating his name is Dvalin

Alix has to reveal to Chloe as well that she's the new Archon in order to convince her to let them try Alix's "bonding plan", and they set into action. The group sets off for the lair of the dragon, to confront him headon

Adrien fights the dragon the same way as before, realizing Alix was the one that gave him the ability to do the funky blasting and flying, and then they've got him weak enough that Adrien can do some weird otherworldly healing thing on him

Apparently the dragon was poisoned by the monsters from the Abyss, and was under their orders. Without the aid of the Archon he couldn't fight it, but now that he's met the new Archon, Alix, all is great and dandy and they have a fun chat

They all head back to the city to celebrate, but they're ambushed by a group called the Fatui from one of the other nations, Schnezneya. During the ambush a woman known as Signora, one of the Harbingers who executes the will of the Cryo Archon, gets a hold of Alix

She snatches something called a gnosis from her, leaving her weak on the ground as they flee. The gnosis, uh, it holds like,, uh, the godly powers of an Archon? It's what makes em an Archon I guess? Sorta? Anyways Alix's was stolen so she doesn't have it now

And that's pretty much it. Alix goes to heal at this big ass tree and advises Adrien fo go check out the next nation, Liyue, and their Archon Morax, to see about his cousin and thats it

Adrien would do other stuff before leaving including meeting two Alchemists and helping them explore a mountain, assisting the two owners of the Harmony Tavern with some bullshit and all that but yeah

This is a very condensed version, of the events, but anymore detail and this would be that much longer lmao

If you have any questions comments complaints or whatever let me know. Sorry this was long I tried to condense it as best I could,

#ml genshin au #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #miraculous au #ml #alix kubdel #adrien agreste #chloe bourgeois #sabrina raincomprix #marinette dupen chang #long post

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otonymous · 4 years

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The ABCs of Shaw (MLQC Headcanon - NSFW)

Dearest Nonny,

Thank you so very much for your lovely comments! 💕 And I'm SO GLAD you asked for Shaw’s dirty alphabet because god knows my thirsty ass can’t think of anything else 🤣 Take care of yourself as well and hope you enjoy the read!

Warnings: NSFW/18+: Explicit/graphic language - reader discretion is advised. Specific spoilers noted in the appropriate section(s) below.

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Surprisingly sweet and tender. Shaw is actually a bit of a teddy bear once he's decided to let you in his life

Sex is very passionate with him: often hard and fast, at times desperate and rough — the two of you will typically come down from the high of release with your foreheads pressed together, feverish bodies cooling as you both gasp for much needed air in between deep kisses, punctuated by the occasional chuckle at the fact that neither of you can keep your hands off one another

A marathon cuddler: his lithe yet strong arms will wrap tightly around you, as if the strength of his emotions could be conveyed through his embrace alone

Chatty Cathy: Shaw actually loves to talk after sex. Topics could range from something as mundane as what to eat for dinner to contemplating the meaning of life. He’s a great conversationalist (partly because he’s got such a wide range of interests).

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Shaw loves his cock. It’s huge — long and thick. He also loves the way you respond to it: immediately on your knees with your mouth wide open 🤣

He loves your eyes. He loves how expressive they are. He loves their honesty - the way you can never truly hide what you’re feeling. And when they crinkle at their corners when you smile? That’s the best thing in the world, as far as Shaw is concerned

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum)

Loves to pull out just enough to cum on the folds of your pussy. Will then proceed to use the head of his cock to slowly smear it along the length of your slit, still trembling in ecstasy

Sk8ter Boi is instantly hard again if you dip a finger in it and bring it to your mouth (tbh though, his refractory period is pretty much nonexistent)

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) - ***SPOILERS***

He’s in love with his brother’s girl

Loves the smell of your pussy on his hands

If he could, he would never wash them after fingering you

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

Don’t judge a book by its cover: despite his youth, his sex game is strong

Not only is he experienced, he is also adventurous and up for experimentation (grad students need to conduct research after all 🤣)

F = Favourite Position

Pressed up against a wall: because 85.72% of the time, this man can’t wait until he’s in a bedroom

Neither will you, to be honest, especially if Shaw’s engaging in one of the following activities: playing bass guitar, cruising effortlessly on his skateboard, speaking oh-so-eloquently about his archeological research and studies, blinking, breathing, etc.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc.)

Post-coital giggles and a few seductive chuckles leading up to intercourse, but Shaw is nothing but serious when he’s actually making love to you

Sex is raw and intense

At times, it actually feels spiritual: identities merge and unseen wounds are healed

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

Your man is nicely trimmed and neatly groomed

And no, the carpet is not lavender as well 🤣

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

Very intimate and romantic — Shaw is actually quite the sensitive soul. This is true even when the sex is rough and fast, such as when he’s banging you to within an inch of your life beneath an overpass or backstage before a set

There are rare moments (usually when he is particularly frustrated) when Shaw’s tough-as-nails façade slips and you get a glimpse of the melancholy that resides in his heart. You cannot help but sense that he’s been deeply hurt in the past. This won’t be something he’s readily willing to talk about at the beginning of your relationship, only when he feels like he can really trust you

Thus, there are times when sex feels like a form of emotional healing for this man. It is more than a means by which to sate his physical desires. The intensity of his love and feelings for you remind him of his humanity. The fact that you can love him reminds him that he, too, is deserving of love and affection

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

He’s young, healthy and a grad student. Of course he jacks off 🤣

On average, a few times a week

The frequency increases during exams as a way to relieve stress (though this guy remains unflappable most of the time)

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Director’s Cut: Shaw LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to film your sex sessions

Even better: making love while watching clips of the two of you going at it

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

Shaw isn’t really that picky tbh — any place is fair game when the urge hits

Still, he has to admit that your bedroom is pretty comfortable

That time he fucked you doggy style against a lectern at Loveland University was pretty hot too - he often thinks about that experience 🤣

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Shaw is most turned on when you show him that you love him — please give this guy plenty of care and affection

The swing of your hips when you walk also makes his cock twitch

He also loves watching you eat: he thinks you’re absolutely adorable when you react to tasty food with unadulterated joy

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

Not into name-calling during sex (e.g. “slut,” “whore,” etc.), although he would do it if you so desired

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

As much as Shaw loves to have your lips wrapped around his pole, he’s actually a bigger fan of eating you out

Sk8ter boi isn’t afraid to get down and dirty: he will bury his ENTIRE FACE between your legs when he goes deep sea diving, refusing to surface until you’ve come several times and made his face a shiny mess

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

Capable of both, but tends towards fast and rough because y’all are typically boning all over the place

Guess that’s what happens when you can’t keep your hands off each other

You also don’t really have the leisure to be slow and sensual when there’s a line-up for the restroom at the Live House

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

(please see “Pace” above)

Quickies happen often and thankfully, are just as enjoyable as proper sex

Let’s be real: any sex with Shaw is great sex

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

As mentioned previously, this grad student is quite adventurous and game to experiment

Take your bag of kinks and feel free to have him root through it for something that might intrigue him — he’s down for whatever and would never judge you

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

Can generally last pretty long during a given session

But his true talent lies in frequency — with a practically non-existent refractory period, Shaw is raring to go in no time at all

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?) - ***SPOILERS***

this man charges them with his Evol

Boy’s got that Hitachi Magic Wand and isn’t afraid to use it (What? He’s got stiff shoulders from all that studying!)

Is definitely down to use electronic aids on the both of you

U = Unfair (How much they like to tease)

Despite being snarky when you’re both fully clothed, Shaw is actually quite straightforward when it comes to activities of a more lascivious nature

He would like to be able to tease you, but most of the time he’s already got his pants down around his ankles by the time thoughts of sex run through his head

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

FUCKING LOUD

(Rapid, heavy breathing + ample dirty chatter) x (moans so sexy it should be illegal coming from a man’s mouth) = such a bad combo for discrete quickies but a turn-on nonetheless

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

Shaw is also a b-boy. He knows his windmills get you hot.

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

You have to see it to believe it. Shaw has actually been hiding an ANACONDA in those ripped jeans all this time!

This snake happens to be circumcised

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

HIGH AF. Nuff said

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Typically likes to cuddle and chat for a bit before falling asleep in that nice, post-coital haze

Please forgive him in advance: Shaw has been known to wake you up on occasion with the slide of that juicy boner between your legs LOL

Thanks for reading! Check out more of my work here!📚

#q&a #all request line #anonymous #thank you so much #mlqc #mr love queen's choice #love and producer #mr love dream date #mlqc shaw #mlqc ling xiao #mlqc smut headcanon #my writing

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silverducks · 3 years

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Jaime Lannister – A theory on his ending in the books

So, as you can probably tell from my blog, I’m not quite yet over the ending of Game of Thrones, which I binged watched and finished about a month and a half ago now.

The main issue is the ending, or the last 3 episodes to be more precise, where so many things didn’t make a whole lot of sense. The main one being, for me, how the story ended for Jaime Lannister.

So, whilst writing all my super long character analysis for Jaime is definitely helping, (I’m about half way through the next one), I’ve also been reading about possible ways his story could go, and how it might end in the books.

And today I came across a theory I really, really like. It’s become my new headcanon for what will happen in the books and I’ve added a mix of other theories I’ve read to it as well.

Now, show and book spoilers beneath the cut.

First off, I’d like to say I haven’t yet read the books, so this post is based on the show and what I’ve read happens in the books. None of these theories are my own, but I’ve combined them all together in a way that actually makes a lot of sense to me. So until the books prove me wrong – or I come across an even better theory, this is my new headcanon.

(I don’t have any links as they’re random posts/comments etc I’ve found on the net on my phone, but I’m not claiming these ideas as my own, just putting it all together, so I hope the lack of links to source is ok.)

So without any further preamble, the theory is that Jaime and Tyrion’s story arcs and endgame in the book were reversed in the show. This would mean that the main plot points the writer, George R.R. Martin (GRRM) told the screenwriters (D&D), were swapped around between the two characters.

That would mean that it would be Jaime who became the hand of the King, not Tyrion, and Jaime who put forward the idea of the Bran becoming King.

And I love this theory, because it would be such a fitting end for Jaime. And below I will explain why.

Firstly, the idea of Jaime becoming the Hand of the King for Bran is a wonderful final step in his character arc – he’s gone from throwing this kid out of a tower to try and kill him, to serving as his main advisor, trusted with the power and command of the King. Jaime and Bran’s character arcs are already connected, much more than Tyrion’s ever was, and for the similar reason why Bran gave it to Tyrion, he could give it to Jaime – in fact it makes more sense!

And rather than a redemptodeath for Jaime, he doesn’t have to die, and can instead have a fulfilling life, continually making up for past wrongs as the Hand, and with the real love of his life, Brienne. She could still be Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, as per the show, but married to Jaime (they’d change that outdated celibacy/non marriage rule easily enough), giving her a much more satisfying ending. And why does Jaime have to die? He’s atoned for his past wrongs, lost that darn hand that (symbolically in the show), did push Bran out the window, and it doesn’t serve any other higher story telling purpose… And by becoming the Hand of the King, after he lost the hand that hurt said King, is even more symbolic.

I know Jaime has refused to be Hand before, but that was old Jaime. And if we assume Jaime continues on his road to self-betterment, then he can continue to learn and improve the skills that would make a good Hand. He’s becoming more honourable, but has seen enough of the world to know sometimes there’s a conflicting choice (unlike Ned in series one). He’s been learning to rely on his own wits and brains much more since he can’t now just fight his way out of everything – and is proving pretty smart. He is proving to be a good commander of the army and has been a Lord Commander for the Kingsguard. And has enough Lannister cunning, but with actual mercy and honour, to make it work. A stark King with a Lannister Hand!

Imagine, ending the very first episode of the show with Jaime pushing Bran out that window, to ending with Jaime by his side, advising (and also of course) protecting him. How good is a full circle/reflection piece for Jaime as that!

And in a similar vein, Jaime can be the one to put forward to the council of Lords (I assume something similar happens in the books, but much better written), that Bran should be King. That being the all-knowing Three Eyed Raven means he’s a good match. And surely the other Lords would more likely listen to Jaime – who is a good commander – than Tyrion, who hasn’t really won over many of the Lords in Westeros. After all, he was sentenced to death for killing a King (they don’t know it was a set up), and also killed his father and escaped. He’s been in a foreign land serving a foreign (to them anyway) ruler who has just sacked their Capitol city. Doesn’t it just make so much more sense that they’d listen to an alive Jaime? Yes he killed the King too, but he also did a lot of other good stuff as per his redemption arc etc.

Anyway, I just think it makes more sense – and then the Kingslayer Jaime, becomes the Kingmaker Jaime – again another wonderful full circle arc for him.

So, from a storytelling theme, symbolism and arc perspective, I think it just makes so much sense!

But when you also look at the show itself, in comparison to the books and where the show sort of went wrong, it makes more sense too.

So, just to give a bit of background on it, the theory I read today about Jaime and Tyrion’s role reversal was in a post mainly looking at how Tyrion’s character seems to be going in a very different direction in the books versus the show.

The idea is that book Tyrion is in a much darker place in the books than show Tyrion, and this, in the upcoming books, could continue. This could send book Tyrion down a difficult, morally dark path, which could result in him becoming more of a villain type character, perhaps taking on more and more of his father’s bad traits. This makes sense to me, as Tyrion was most like his father and was certainly cunning. And where the books start to properly deviate from the show, after series four, Tyrion could go either way. He has just killed his father and his lover. And in the books he also falls out with Jaime when Jaime tells him the truth about his first wife (that she wasn’t a whore like Tywin said). Being in this foreign land with all these dark thoughts and deeds haunting him, I can definitely see him turning into more of a bad guy.

So, basically, a completely different story arc for Tyrion.

In terms of his endgame? Well, if he’s swapped with Jaime’s then I guess it means he might die. Maybe after killing Cersei, hence them dying “together.” Or at least be punished such as sent to the Wall or something. I don’t think GRRM said either Lannister brother actually dies in Cersei’s loving arms, so I’m guessing they took some differences in both Jaime’s and Tyrion’s endgame, if the theory is correct.

And I’m tempted to believe it is, because it helps explain Tyrion’s kind of dodgy characterisation in the later series of the show. He just wasn’t really the same after series four, which at the time, I just put down to D&D not being clever enough writers to write a clever character such as Tyrion. But with this theory, it actually makes more sense. Tyrion was such a fan favourite character in the show, the underdog, clever, snarky good guy, I can understand why D&D didn’t want to take him down this other, darker path. In the books, there’s much more time and details and PoVs to make it work, whereas the show would struggle, especially against such a popular fandom character.

It also explains why Jaime never told him the truth about his wife, or they had their big fall out in the show.

And by changing Tyrion’s story arc so much, they didn’t really know what to replace it with (I think we all agree D&D are not the best writers), so his characterisation was not only off in later series, but it meant they took Jaime’s end game and gave it to Tyrion instead. And this further makes sense as they might have thought having just Cersei (a female) the only bad Lannister at the end was too much, especially when one of the other main female characters, Dany, was also going bad. So, they made Jaime “hateful” in the end to better match and even out Cersei, because it was supposed to be Tyrion…

(I do think D&D were also unhealthily obsessed with Cersei and Twincest, so they probably thought it have them an extra good reason.)

And there’s a really good reflection in this between the two brothers – Jaime starts out the villain, but ends up the underdog hero, Tyrion starts out the underdog hero, but ends up the villain.

But, in changing Tyrion’s character, if indeed it does, it then also has a knock on effect for so many other things.

The theory also said that he might negatively influence Dany, when they meet. For example, help to slowly bring out her suppressed mad/dark side, encourage her to take Kings Landing (which the theory points out Tyrion actually ends up hating because of how the people there view him.) So perhaps if Tyrion’s influence is so vengeful in the books, maybe’s Dany’s own turn to madness makes much more sense. And the lack of Tyrion’s negative influence in the show, undermines this. And this could then make Jon’s decision to have to kill her much harder etc.

So, I do think it’s quite possible, looking at Tyrion’s side, that they gave him a very different story arc, and so had to swap it up with Jaime’s endgame.

The show has certainly mixed and matched up characters from the book, so this would help explain why the main beats are still GRRMs, but why they didn’t just work for some of the characters. So not completely made up and ruined, but they just weren’t able to make the pieces fit together properly in their changed version. (And I do think they could have easily done a much better job, so I’m not letting D&D off the hook.)

Now, back to Jaime, because as much as I love all the characters, I’ll be honest, it’s only really Jaime and Brienne who I obsess enough over to properly theorise about.

Why do I think this works so well for Jaime? Well, first off, the whole him dying in Cersei’s arms just does not make any sense at all to me (hence all my super long posts about it). Especially if we take into account how over Cersei show Jaime seems in series 8, until that scene in episode 4. He behaves like he’s completely cut ties with her, fallen out of love with her and has fallen truly in love with someone else instead – Brienne. This is even more obvious in the books, where Jaime actually burns Cersei’s letter where she’s begging for help. And when he looks back on it later, he’s dreading retuning to Kings Landing and facing her. In fact, he thinks that Cersei might well die, but there’s nothing he can do anyway and perhaps she deserves it. Granted we do have 2 more books to go, but this is like the complete opposite of his ending in series 8, that I think it’s highly unlikely it was meant to happen in the books. A LOT of stuff would have to happen for book Jaime to change his mind now.

But as they gave Jaime’s ending to Tyrion, as per our theory, then what do they do with Jaime? Well, why not have him die in Cersei’s arms and fulfil their Twincest fix. Have Jaime be the bad brother Lannister, not Tyrion.

In fact, I don’t think D&D knew what to do with Jaime either, as he changes so abruptly in the show. It’s like they had to try to cover Jaime’s actual plot points from GRRM (which I’d assume were things like fighting the dead, getting together with Brienne), but then suddenly have him change his mind and rush back to Cersei... Also, as much as I loved Jaime in early series 8, he doesn’t really do anything pivotal. If you take him out of the equation and have him never even in series 8, the actual storylines all stay the same anyway. So, for me, this further adds weight to the idea that, in swapping Jaime’s endgame with Tyrion, they were left with the same problem, what do we then do with Jaime?

It’s like other aspects – they try to change one thing, but by changing that, it affects everything else so what you’re left with doesn’t make sense for the characters.

Now, so far I’ve talked mainly about the show, because overall I do think the main plot points in the show will happen in the books. And if you consider the role reversal between Tyrion and Jaime, it makes more sense why what happened did happen (which makes no sense in the show story itself).

But this is where I start to tie the various theories I’ve read together – it also makes a lot of sense in the books, for Jaime to not die, but instead be Bran’s Hand.

Other than the wonderful symmetry we’d get, as mentioned above, there’s a few things that happen in Jaime’s arc just in the books that make it even more possible, which I’ll talk about now.

So, most of this comes from Jaime’s fever dream, or also called his Weirwood dream. Now, there’s lots of analysis on this dream on the net, and there’s lots of ideas, some conflicting, of what it could mean. It’s not all relevant to this particular theory, so I’ll just summarise it. Basically, in the books, Jaime doesn’t go back to save Brienne from the bear straight away. Instead he travels quite far away with Bolton’s men, and goes to sleep on, what we assume, is a Weirwood stump. At the same time, Jaime is also suffering from a fever due to his hand becoming infected. Now, that means he’s potentially delirious, but also the dream is potentially prophetic. The Weirwood trees are those magic trees that Bran uses to have visions and to find the first Three Eyed Raven. I’m sure there’s more about them in the books as well. But it’s this potential for it being prophetic that I’m most interested in here.

Ok, so the dream starts a bit like a nightmare – Jaime is led somewhere underground that’s dark and feels dangerous by lots of ghosts. He first assumes it’s under Casterly Rock, and indeed he thinks he’s surrounded by the ghosts of the Lannister family. He’s scared and naked (eg vulnerable) and his father, sister and Joeffrey come. Cersei is holding a torch – the only light in the world for Jaime, but they leave and Jaime is left scared again in the dark. Before they go, he begs them for a sword, which Tywin says he gave him, and he begs Cersei to not leave him. Jaime finds a sword and as he touches it, the blade flames blue, providing some light. Now, a lot of analysis on this part of the dream tie it to Jaime’s metaphorical death, (ie of the old Jaime going to Hell) or breaking away from his family so they leave him. The light of Cersei’s going out, and instead a new light on Jaime’s sword coming, could also then symbolise that he’s breaking away (or about to) from Cersei and finding himself, his own light, instead. I also think, as we know Tywin and Joeffrey die later in the books and show, that it’s also foretelling their deaths. Which means it’s likely that Cersei dies before Jaime in the books, hence why he leaves her and he can’t follow. So this firstly means Jaime can’t die in Cersei’s arms.

Now, the next bit of the dream gets interesting, because who shows up next, after Cersei and his family has gone? Brienne of course! She appears (also naked) and Jaime imagines she looks not only more like a woman now, but also that in the light she could also be beauty, and a knight. This is generally taken to show Jaime’s growing (and so far subconscious) attraction to Brienne – and that he sees her as both a warrior and a woman. Now she asks for a sword, and also asks to be able to keep him safe, as she has pledged this and must keep her oath. A sword appears and Jaime gives it to her, and it also starts burning with blue flames.

Now, I think these two swords represent Oathkeeper (the one Jaime gives to Brienne in series four) and Widow’s Wail, which Jaime gets after Tommen dies in series 7. And these are two Valyrian steel swords that were from the melted down sword Ice, which used to be Neds. Now, I don’t think this is coincidental, but again I’ll come back to this.

Brienne is there to help protect Jaime, but she also asks him what’s down in this dark place (which may or may not still symbolise Casterly Rock or another place). Jaime says doom, and Brienne is worried it’s a bear (foreshadowing her being in the bear pit later). We hear, but don’t see Cersei saying that if the flames go out, Jaime will die.

In the next part of the dream ghostly, mist like figures appear and Jaime recognises them as his former Kingsguard and then Rhaeger, the heir to the throne before he was killed in Robert’s rebellion. These ghostly figures accuse Jaime of not keeping his oaths and seem about to attack. Jaime tries to plead with them and give his reasons, and Brienne is still there ready to defend him. These ghosts likely represent the internal guilt and self-hatred Jaime still has for killing the Mad King, but also for not saving Rhaeger’s own children, which were murdered on Tywin’s orders. As the ghost like figures continue to accuse Jaime, the flame on his own sword goes out, and the ghosts rush in, and then Jaime wakes up. As soon as he wakes up, pretty much, he demands Bolton’s men take him back to Harrenhal, where he then saves Brienne just like in the show.

Now, I read a lot of people saying this foretells Jaime’s death, that his flame goes out, but I disagree. I think the fact that Brienne has a matching flame, on a twin sword to his, means that Jaime doesn’t die – after all Cersei says flameS. Instead, I think this ending to the dream foretells that Brienne will actually save Jaime – that as long as she is alive, Jaime will also be.

Now, onto more foreshadowing theories from this dream – I think the ghostly, mist like figures also represent the White Walkers, and that him and Brienne are there facing them means that they will indeed (just like in the show) stand together to fight them in the books. As this has also happened after Cersei has left Jaime with his now dead father and son, I think it means she’ll already have died by this point.

I also think his guilt and the mention of Rhaegar’s children, which Jaime feels guilty about failing to protect, will also tie into Jon’s storyline. As the only surviving child of Rhaegar, I think once Jaime finds out, and Jon, Jaime will pledge himself to protect/serve Jon to make up for this guilt. I then think, based on this, that Jaime will effectively save Jon’s life in the battle with the White Walkers and then, Brienne will have to save Jaime’s. After all, she says in the dream she pledged to protect and save Jaime.

Now, the reason I think the end of the dream means Brienne saves Jaime, is not only because her flame keeps burning in the dream, but also because, as soon as Jaime wakes up, he decides he has to save Brienne. As we are going with the idea that this dream is prophetic from the Weirwood stump, it seems very important that Jaime rescues Brienne, so she can be there to fight with him. And what better reason than having to save him, when his own light (the sword flames) has failed?

And those swords – two halves of one whole, from Ice, the Stark’s sword. Turning into blue flames and helping them in the battle against the dead. Likely at or near Winterfell like in the show… When the books have a theory about a special sword called Lightbringer, wielded by the hero Azor Ahai to defeat the Others..

Soooo, perhaps this is really going into the realms of fan theory, but I definitely think that ICE could be Lightbringer, and that Brienne and Jaime, with Jon (who imo is the Azor Ahai character) will be imperative in helping to defeat the White Walkers. And that Jaime will fall in this battle, and Brienne will have to be there to save him so he doesn’t die.

Now, you might ask, what does all this random dream theorising mean for Jaime becoming the Hand of the King? Well, first of all I think it foreshadows that both Jaime and Brienne have a major part to play in the battle against the dead – much more than in the show. And that as Jaime is near death, it was super important for Brienne to be there to save him. And that it was super important for Jaime to give Brienne the sword Oathkeeper, and have Widow’s Wail himself – two halves of the same sword. So, all this must happen, and Brienne must save Jaime, which is why Jaime was given the prophetic dream in the first place. After all, if he hadn’t of saved Brienne, none of the above could go as it should…

And, this is where Bran comes in and this is more my own idea than anything else, so forgive me if I’m just not understanding the books properly. But as Bran himself sees visions through the Weirwood trees, which I suspect are due to them being sent either by the old Three Eyed Raven, or markers from Bran himself in the future, or perhaps fate or another unseen magical force. Then I wonder if the reason why Jaime was sent this vision, is because of Bran – and also the White Walkers. That Jaime had to help in the fight, but also had to be saved by Brienne. (Maybe even because it’s through his interactions with Brienne that he does become a better person and chooses to fight). And he had to be saved, because it was his destiny to be the Hand of the King to Bran. And also to save Jon so Jon can defeat the White Walkers. And that perhaps, this saving of Jon by Jaime is another reason why he is chosen as the Hand of the King.

I would also like to add in here, my other theories for book Jaime, which can lead him up to being Hand of the King, and tie up other loose ends in his story arc. So, the books and the show deviate a lot for Jaime after series four – he breaks away from Cersei much earlier and he’s currently off on an adventure in the Riverlands with Brienne in the books. A story arc not put into the show, featuring Lady Stoneheart (LSH). Now, she is a re-resurrected, zombie like version of Catelyn Stark, who is hell bent on revenge for the Freys and the Lannisters for the Red Wedding. She’s threatened Brienne with the death of Pod, unless she brings her Jaime. (At least that’s what most people infer from the books, it’s left open ended on a bit of a cliffhanger.

Now, my theory on this is that somehow Jaime and Brienne will have to fight each other in a trial by combat (echoed in the show itself by Brienne’s line about maybe having to fight Jaime). Of course they won’t be able to kill each other and will somehow be able to escape from, or kill Lady Stonehart.

So, why am I mentioning this? Well, GRRM himself has said he was disappointed they didn’t include the LSH plot in the show. Instead, D&D completely cut it out and sent Jaime to Dorne instead (as in series 5, which isn’t in the books). But for GRRM to say he wanted it in the show, makes me think there’s something very significant that is going to happen from it – either to the characters, or their relationship. Something which will later prove to be important in the rest of the story. This makes me think that Jaime and Brienne have a much bigger impact on the overall story arc than they were given in the show. And if it is more important, it makes the idea they’d have an important ending as well – Hand and LC of Kingsguard respectively – make more sense. And perhaps add more weight to the idea that Jaime HAD to save Brienne.

Now, after LSH, my idea is that Jaime will have to go back to Kings Landing and Cersei – but not in a romantic way. I think, like in the show, Jaime’s going to have a story arc that takes him on the role of commanding the Lannister’s forces against Dany’s when they get to Westeros. And if we assume Cersei does die before the battle with the undead, maybe this is also when Jaime kills Cersei – if he is the Valanqar, the one prophesised to kill Cersei. Or it could be someone else…

I then think the battle for Kings Landing will happen before that of the White Walkers, so Jaime then goes to help in the North, and catches up with Brienne again, who has been busy saving Sansa after her and Jaime parted ways (on good, but still unrealised and not yet acknowledged romantic terms) after LSH. I then think, like in the show, Jaime and Brienne will get together near the end, but this time not only will there be no Cersei for Jaime to rush back to (and throwing his character arc out the window like he does in the show), but he will still live to then become King Bran’s hand.

Of course, there’s still so many unknowns, and all, none or bits of this could happen, so I really hope we do get to see the last two books and find out what really happens.

But until then, I’m going to stick with the idea that Jaime marries Brienne, and becomes the Hand of the King and survives!

There, that’s the end of my theory – several all tied together really. I’d be interested to know what people think.

I know that my later reasons are more random ideas, but I do think, above all, the idea that Jaime is going to be the Hand of the King, not Tyrion, helps explain why the show didn’t really make sense for those characters (Jaime's 180 change at the end being the main one). But also just the wonderful symmetry of a redeemed Jaime fulfilling the role of Hand, for a King he once tried to kill, after he became a better person after losing his own hand…

#Game of Thrones #Jaime Lannister #Brienne x Jaime

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a-crimson-lion · 4 years

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“It Makes Me Wanna Keep Him At Arm’s Length” An Overview On Katsuki Bakugo’s Development

[I should by no means be the one writing this analysis, but here we are. Obviously it’s an overview on Katsuki’s character development, but there’s a bit more to it than that. Keep reading if you want the details.]

Table of Contents

i) Prologue

I) A Brief Explanation

II) The “What The F*** Is Your Existence” Phase

II.A) Breaking The Barriers

III) The “I Can’t Let You Get Ahead Of Me” Phase

IV) The “Why Don’t You Care About Yourself” Phase

V) Final Address+Conclusion

Word Count: 4415

[Warning: Contains manga spoilers up to Ch. 284. Will also include spoilers for the movies and OVAs, as well as the special Deku & Bakugo: Rising two-shot manga. Reader’s discretion is advised. Not scared off yet? Good. Let’s do this.]

i) Prologue

Alright, no beating around the bush, I guess.

We all know this has to deal with Ch. 284, and the milestone that came with it. We got a rare look inside Katsuki’s perspective, and we saw firsthand how much his perspective has changed from the start of the story. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten such an in-depth look into Katsuki’s psyche since Deku vs Kacchan 2. It’s honestly impressive.

...which is why I’m so confused by a certain kind of response to it.

When you look past the swarms of tumblr posts absolutely losing their s*** over Katsuki getting further character development, you come across an… admittedly troubling response. The idea that “Katsuki always cared.” The idea that as early as the Battle Trial, if not middle school, Katsuki was secretly keeping an eye out for Izuku in their tumultuous relationship.

...no. Just-. No, what the-

I’ll get to why this particular response pisses me off in a bit, but before that, I wanna give a run down of Katsuki’s development, according to the narrative. Anyone who’s been around my blog long enough knows that I don’t exactly hold Katsuki in good graces. (Pretty much the opposite, actually.) However, in light of recent developments, that’s not what this post is gonna be focusing on. And as such, I’ll keep the snark and branch conversations to a minimum… to the best of my abilities.

So… how are we gonna do this?

I) A Brief Explanation

After we finish this brief “tutorial” section, the next three segments of the post will cover the various time frames of Katsuki’s development. I’ll be going through a general rundown of Katsuki’s perspective and the various evidence points that lead me to my conclusions. It’s essentially a glorified retelling. Sound good? Alrighty then!

II) The “What The F*** Is Your Existence” Phase

Time Frame: Ch. 1-Ch. 116 [Sludge Villain Arc-Late Provisional Hero License Exam Arc]

In case the Prologue didn’t make things clear, let me spell it out: Katsuki didn’t always care.

At least, he didn’t “always care” in the positive sense.

To clarify, this isn’t just 3rd Year Middle School Katsuki to UA Katsuki. This is all the way back to the River Incident. Katsuki has had this mentality for that long and then some when you shift out of backstory territory. We’re talking about the same kid who nearly murdered Izuku in the Battle Trial, blasted Izuku to kingdom come in the Training of the Dead OVA, and decked Izuku during the Final Exams. So…

The following hinges majorly on the line Katsuki stated in Chapter 284, and the title of this analysis: “It makes me wanna keep him at arm’s length.” Contrary to popular belief, this does not just apply to the idea that Katsuki wants to stick around Izuku to keep him from destroying himself.

...it’s also a major contributor to the reason Katsuki bullied Izuku in the past.

So let’s backtrack to the River incident. Katsuki takes one wrong step on a log, slips, and falls down into the river below. Izuku is the only one that goes down to help him. This infuriates Katsuki because he was fine, as was said by him and everyone but Izuku that was present that day. This is also the first time Katsuki becomes aware of something he echoes in the Ch. 284 flashback:

“He just… Deep down, he doesn’t take himself into account, y’know?”

This is Katsuki’s first run in with Izuku’s inherent selflessness. Initially, he takes it as pity; in his words, Izuku is “looking down on him.” And this bothers him a great deal. Then when it comes to Quirks, Katsuki gets one and Izuku doesn’t. This assures Katsuki of something he shortly discovered previously: Izuku isn’t all that special.

It’s a brief comfort. Because Izuku hasn’t taken the damn hint and stopped hanging out with him and his friends. The Quirked kids. The normal kids.

And worst still, he’s willing to get in Katsuki’s way just because someone else is in his line of fire. In the back of his mind, it’s the River Incident all over again, though he’s not being feared for; he’s being feared of. It’s all wrong. Deku isn’t strong like the rest of them. Deku can’t be a hero. Deku knows that.

...he knows that he doesn’t stand a chance, right? He knows how the world really works. Is he… is he putting on an act?

One of the few remarkable traits Katsuki has right from the get-go is his disdain against dishonesty. So, when he sees Izuku putting on a brave face and acting like a hero, and Katsuki decides that Izuku’s just “pretending,” Katsuki takes the matter into his own hands. He’ll get Izuku to show his true colors in due time. That’s what heroes do, right? Take down the bad guys? And Izuku faking about caring for others when everyone else clearly puts themselves first and foremost sounds pretty bad guy-like, at least at the time.

So, Izuku keeps on trucking, occasionally trying to join back up with Katsuki’s group on a near frequent basis. Even when that fails, he tries his damnedest to catch up.

But what many people forget is that at some point, Izuku stopped following, at least actively.

By Chapter 1, he’s making sure to keep from drawing attention to himself. He’s not as enthusiastic as everyone else in the class, he tries backing away from Katsuki and shrinking down on himself, tries defusing the situation. That doesn’t sound like Izuku’s still trying to keep up. Even in the special two-shot manga dedicated to Heroes: Rising, Izuku isn’t the one to draw attention to Katsuki’s presence. And even when he does go after Katsuki and the villain, his attention is more so focused on the villain, thoughts of staying out of Katsuki’s way to not offend him likely somewhere in his mind.

So then why does Katsuki keep antagonizing him in the first chapter of canon proper? And even before that, most likely?

“It makes me wanna keep him at arm’s length.”

...Izuku didn’t stop being Izuku. Izuku didn’t stop being selfless.

And his selflessness is what pisses Katsuki off to no end. So, he keeps pursuing Izuku, keeps trying to get him to “drop the act.” Makes him a “punching bag,” as Izuku states in Chapter 8. Because the way things work, Izuku should not be trying to be a hero. He should not be trying to put on a brave face when he’s scared s***less. He should not be sticking his neck out for others when he doesn’t (or rather, didn’t) have anything to stick up for himself.

Katsuki was born with something that made everyone consider him prime hero material. Izuku was born without that, and was considered the opposite… and yet, he still tries.

And this character trait, this selflessness, it drives Katsuki insane. And it continues to do so well beyond the Battle Trial Arc. Even when Katsuki is able to begrudgingly accept that Quirkless Deku has a Quirk now, somehow, his selflessness continues to bring Katsuki grief. While it’s never inherently brought up, this is the dividing factor between Izuku’s fight against Shoto in the Sport’s Festival and Katsuki’s fight with Shoto in the Sport’s Festival.

Izuku was willing to go all out at the cost of himself just so Shoto could accept what was his. Katsuki just wanted a good brawl, to be the undisputed first place.

This even continues well into the Final Exams, though the fact that Katsuki is running high on arrogance and anger does nothing to soothe matters. It takes a deck to face and later an explosive kabedon wall smash to get Izuku and Katsuki working together, and let’s not forget that when Izuku was trying to get Katsuki to realize they were still fighting All Might, regardless of whatever handicaps he may or may not have, he gets decked in the nose for his efforts. While it’s technically a subtler play on Izuku’s selflessness and concern for others, Katsuki likely took it as further mockery, another attempt for Deku to try and get under his skin and throw him off.

In any case, throughout this time period, Katsuki cares f*** all for Izuku or his philosophy, opting to brute force things up until the very end of the time frame. But what causes the eventual shift?

II.A) Breaking The Barriers

A number of things, actually.

None of the proceeding events ever do a clean cut on Katsuki’s worldview. It’s more like chiseling through a wall than breaking it down with a hammer.

The Sludge Villain is the first hint that Izuku might not be faking and Katsuki might not be at the top. While many claim that Katsuki leaves Izuku alone because he feels indebted to him but doesn’t want to admit it, it’s more than likely that he’s more focused on his own self-loathing. This incident is what defines him for a good chunk of the series, to his chagrin.

The Battle Trial is just another nail in the eventual coffin. Katsuki thinks he’s finally got Izuku right where he wants him, only for Izuku to pull a 500 IQ play and prioritize the exercise over his and Katsuki’s squabbles, taking the brunt of Katsuki’s attack and attention while giving Ochako the opportunity to capture the bomb. That look of frustration is Katsuki realizing that not only did Izuku get ahead, he got ahead with the very thing Katsuki despises. Needless to say, it f***s with him well until the aftermath outside of UA’s gate.

Shoto refusing to use his flames is another chip off the marble that is Katsuki’s pride. It reinforces the idea that Izuku is doing something that Katsuki isn’t, something that Izuku shouldn’t have in the first place, beyond a Quirk at least. So, Katsuki rages, because he can’t understand why it’s such a big deal, in both Izuku’s and Shoto’s cases.

The Final Exams just hammer the point home further. Katsuki’s one-track minded attempts to bring down All Might are met with no results. He would have failed that exam if it wasn’t for Izuku’s selflessness or Katsuki “lowering himself” to cooperate with him. Had Katsuki not gotten decked in the face and dragged off or got saved at the last minute while he was knocked out, he definitely would have failed on account of becoming a liability.

The Training Camp attack is an odd mix of Katsuki’s current philosophy and the next stage in it. He knows Izuku’s gonna go and save his ass, and he wants no part of that because hasn’t he made him suffer enough already? Hasn’t he already proved time and time again that he’s getting better, despite the fact that Katsuki doesn’t want or believe it? Despite the fact that it shouldn’t even be happening if things were right in the world? Izuku does recognize Katsuki’s wounded pride, however, which is instrumental in getting him out of All For One’s clutches during Kamino.

If we briefly direct our attention to the Make It! Do-Or-Die Survival Training! OVA, Katsuki is pretty adamant on claiming he only got the power back on in the underground mall to complete the exercise. And I don’t think that’s Katsuki’s “tsundere” talking, either: I genuinely believe that Katsuki’s only thoughts at the moment was getting the exercise done. Everyone else was just secondary. And remember, Katsuki hates dishonesty, which is probably why he doesn’t take credit for “saving” Izuku and Shoto. While his actions did save the two of them and everyone else in the mall, that wasn’t his intention, which is an interesting flip on Izuku’s performance back in the Battle Trial. Couple that with the fact that Katsuki is injured (and therefore weak, and in need of help), and it’s no wonder he’s in a sour mood towards the end of it all.

And this sour mood carries over to the final nail in his coffin: the Provisional License Exam. He only gets by the first half because other people had the sense to tag along, but the second half regards his undoing because he still doesn’t get the whole selfless aspect of saving people in the second half of the exam. This was also foreshadowed back in the aforementioned OVA with Katsuki’s excessive animosity towards the victim dummy. Whether they be real or fake, Katsuki’s disregard of either victim doesn’t grant him his hero license.

This is the straw that breaks the camel's back for Katsuki. And ultimately, this sparks the start in his shift to the second phase of his development.

III) The “I Can’t Let You Get Ahead Of Me” Phase

Time Frame: Ch. 117-~Ch. 257 [Late Provisional Hero License Exam Arc-Early Paranormal Liberation War Arc]

Since this is only the second phase of Katsuki’s development (and given that this is Katsuki we’re talking about), don’t expect to get much of an upgrade with this shift.

Essentially, it boils down to two things: Katsuki stops viewing Izuku as an annoyance, and starts viewing him as an obstacle. Simultaneously, he starts seeing the viability of saving, at least as a tool in a hero’s kit.

Let me explain.

While Deku vs Kacchan 2 is the first time Izuku and Katsuki have attempted to talk out their issues… not much gets addressed. Sure, Katsuki becomes aware of Izuku not looking down on him, but Izuku is never made aware of the deeper issues regarding Katsuki’s loathing beyond that. It primarily serves as a half-barebones narrative checkpoint, a segway for Katsuki to get in on the secret of One For All.

...let’s also talk about that, shall we?

So Izuku’s been getting better as a hero and with his Quirk. Then Katsuki finds out after he gets kidnapped and rescued that Izuku is the successor to their mutual idol. And that’s after essentially being told he can’t be a hero in his current state due to the PLE. And what is his usual response to adversity? He decides to get ahead of it.

He’ll surpass Class 1-A so there won’t be another Battle Trial. He’ll surpass Izuku and One For All so he can truly claim that he’s the best of the best.

Unfortunately, we don’t get to see more of this development until the Joint Training Arc. However, keep in mind that this is only the second stage. Katsuki wants to prove that he’s the best, so of course he’s gonna step up his game. That means taking advice from the LITERAL (former) #1 HERO, and making the victory as flawless as possible. After all, Katsuki himself said in Chapter 208:

“I’ve decided! We’re gonna win this match with a perfect victory! 4-0, with everyone unscathed! That’s the kind of victory there is for the strongest guys out there!”

...it might be a slight exaggeration when he says he’s hardly changed at the end of that chapter, but then again it is a stretch to even call it an exaggeration.

That aside, Katsuki also makes it part of his agenda to keep tabs on OFA. This would fit into the “Katsuki secretly cares” agenda, but we haven’t reached that point. Right now, in these moments, Katsuki figures that if One For All starts getting freaky, he wants to know about it so he can get a leg up. And maybe part of him still wants to call Izuku out.

He was minorly ticked when Izuku allowed himself to make a mistake during their unauthorized fight. And he constantly reminds Izuku to not forget that he’s supposed to surpass him (or the other way around).

Taking off the rose-colored glasses for a moment, it does make sense for Katsuki to say this beyond the context of positive motivation. We are talking about the same Katsuki who lashed out at Shoto for holding back. It’s reasonable to assume that he doesn’t want Izuku to do the same, and lagging behind more or less equates to holding back.

And Katsuki still isn’t completely invested in Izuku’s training for Izuku’s sake. After the Joint Training, Katsuki tries getting Izuku to manifest Black Whip again, and nopes out shortly afterwards when nothing comes of their sparring sessions in Chapter 217. This still isn’t the Katsuki we see in the 284 flashback. He’s still got a ways to go.

Yes, this even rings true for Katsuki during Heroes: Rising. While the film might be the ultimate Bakudeku dream come true, there really isn’t… much depth in regards to Izuku and Katsuki’s past. Y’know, the thing that most people are hoping gets resolved? It only gets referenced a few times in the film, but doesn’t overall factor into anything meaningful. Most of the time when Izuku and Katsuki team up, Katsuki only gets to the fight because he wants to throw hands with villains on an island where (if the status quo had remained unchanged) was likely selected because it had little to no serious villain activity. It just so happens that protecting and working with Izuku is an unintended byproduct of these fights. Katsuki even drops the infamous “lowering myself to work with Deku” line just before the big climax. And even with the transfer of OFA to Katsuki, it strikes less as overcoming a longstanding obstacle and more as plot convenience, especially since by the end of the fight OFA nopes back into Izuku so hard that Katsuki gets mind wiped about the whole thing.

Even during the Endeavor Arc, we don’t see much growth beyond the Ending fight, where Katsuki prioritizes saving Natsuo over throwing hands like he usually would, learning to take saving as more than a tool. This is significant considering it’s Katsuki, but unfortunately, there’s not much else thereafter. The entire arc won’t get referenced as an overall stepping stone until Ch. 284.

And thus, we head to the final phase.

IV) The “Why Don’t You Care About Yourself” Phase

Time Frame: ~Ch. 257-Ch. 284 [Early Paranormal Liberation War Arc-Paranormal Liberation War Arc (Present)]

So here’s an interesting tidbit: Katsuki can’t handle nonphysical confrontation.

Leave him with the fact that his kidnapping could have gotten most of the class expelled because they decided to go rescue him or avoided such while knowing of the operation? He’ll pay back Eijiro for the expensive night vision goggles and make Denki suffer Quirk overuse so he doesn’t need to be reminded.

Get stuck in the middle of a Todoroki Family Drama scene? He’ll try bragging about how he did better than the current #1 Hero to attempt curbing off the situation.

Put him in a discussion with Izuku where they address his additional Quirk manifestations and the full weight of his potential/legacy? Katsuki will brag about having a skill already in his toolkit to ignore the fact that he has the potential to fall behind.

This defines the earlier days of this phase. We don’t see what happens in the timeframe between that and the start of the War Arc until the Chapter 284 flashback. I believe that during the gap between 257 and this flashback, Katsuki allowed himself to process the full weight of what he and Izuku were told during that meeting.

And this marks one of his biggest revelations to date.

Izuku’s selflessness is no longer something annoying. It’s a potential fatal flaw.

For the first time, it’s hitting Katsuki that Izuku is no longer an obstacle, or just an obstacle. Izuku is a person who is working himself to the bone and past that, who would die at the drop of the hat if he thought the payoff was well worth it. He’s finally starting to see that what Izuku is doing to himself is dangerous, and he wants to know what he can do to prevent the serious ramifications.

This is a big phase in his development, no doubt, but um… it’s not the last phase.

If I’m being honest, we’re nowhere close. Why? Well, two reasons:

A) Katsuki still has yet to properly take a loss.

Any and all of Katsuki’s losses are either in his head or narratively negated. And his disproportionate win/loss ratio doesn’t do him any favors either. He’s culminated a philosophy that he can’t and shouldn’t lose, but losing is a crucial aspect of improvement and being human in general. In the case of the story, Chapter 275 suggests that Katsuki wants to face off against Tomura as payback for Kamino. He essentially wants to extend the narrative and treat that loss like a delayed win, as if the loss hadn’t happened yet. Many people claim that this is a bluff he used to cover his true intentions of keeping an eye on Izuku, but I don’t think that’s the case. While sticking by Izuku is a contributing factor, getting a win is equally so, because Katsuki hasn’t properly adjusted to a loss. His strategy for dealing with any kind of loss is just to bulldoze through it like nothing happened, instead of taking the time to understand why he lost and to apply that knowledge for future encounters.

Be aware of your surroundings during the Sludge Villain.

Focus on your priorities and communicate with others during the Battle Trial.

Don’t ignore the situation just to focus on your own intentions during the Training Camp attack.

HELP PEOPLE during the Provisional License Exam.

There are so many lessons Katsuki could have learned sooner if he had taken the time to properly digest his losses. But he didn’t. He still doesn’t. He might have learned some of them eventually, but the fact remains that he nearly ran head first into a suicide mission just because he couldn’t take the loss and was dead set on getting even.

And keep in mind, Katsuki was lamenting on struggling to keep up with Izuku earlier before their encounter with Tomura, and how he couldn’t afford to stay a loser, so this is likely less far-fetched than you think.

Okay, so then what’s the second reason Katsuki’s development is far from over?

B) He hasn’t fully connected the dots on what he did to Izuku.

So far, Katsuki has recognized that he was off-put by Izuku’s selflessness, and that he bullied him over that.

What he hasn’t recognized is how much of a role he played personally in that part of Izuku’s personality, or at least it’s present day incarnation.

Let me clarify a bit. Katsuki is aware that he was distrubed by Izuku’s selflessness. He is aware that bullied him and that, at some degree, was wrong. But I don’t think he’s quite connected the dots on how his intervention has led to Izuku’s current brand of martyrdom.

At the start of the series, Izuku just cares about others. After making sure he gets down to the river safely, he’s willing to lend a hand to Katsuki, who fell from a pretty concerning height ig we’re being honest.

But this unnerves Katsuki. And it leads to his physical altercations with Izuku from time to time.

Remember, Izuku followed Katsuki at the time, but somewhere down the line he stopped. But he never stopped being Izuku, so Katsuki continued to pursue him. Izuku had already been willing to give up in some degree on ever keeping up with Katsuki the way he used to. He knew, at some level, that he wasn’t accepted.

That he wasn’t worth as much as everyone else.

Katsuki bullied Izuku because he was selfless. But Katsuki’s bullying, coupled with the rest of society’s ostracization, twisted and warped that selflessness with low self-esteem, low self-worth, and self-destructive tendencies. Katsuki wasn’t the sole bully of Izuku, but he was a primary perpetrator. And his actions only made the very thing he despised so, so much worse.

...and until he can recognize THAT aspect of his relationship with Izuku, his journey is far from over.

So yeah, Katsuki’s making progress, but we’re still not out of the woods yet.

V) Final Address+Conclusion

So now for the obvious question: why did I write all of this?

I said it at the beginning, about how some people claimed that Katsuki cared all along. I brought up a bit about how it pissed me off. Why, exactly?

Because when people insist that Katsuki threatening Izuku to not go to UA comes from a place of concern, they disregard Chapter 1 Katsuki’s gigantic ego and utter disregard for others, much less so for Izuku.

Because when people insist that Katsuki’s shocked face at the end of the Battle Trial was because he was upset with how he hurt Izuku, they disregard the fact that Katsuki was willing to almost murder Izuku, and if not that then brutalize him, and that at this point Katsuki absolutely loathes getting shown up, which is what Izuku inadvertently did.

Because when people insist that Katsuki always cared from the very beginning, they (un)intentionally undermine one of the few things that draw people to Katsuki’s character: his character development.

On his own, Katsuki is an prodigious, antisocial and angry teen looking for fame and fortune in the industry who grows into a dedicated source of confidence and understanding as he finally allows himself to branch beyond his initial handicaps. If you insist that Katsuki always had the awareness and concern he displayed in 284’s flashback, what do you get instead?

A selfish, self-centered, fickle, emotionally-constipated asshole whose growth is more comparable to a ramp instead of a mountain.

...not as impressive, is it?

While I’m pretty sure this is just a minor trend, that doesn’t excuse the lack of care it demonstrates. If you aren’t willing to admit and live with the fact that Day 1 Katsuki is the worst of the worst and that he did progressively get better through trials and tribulation, why bother? When you insist a character like Katsuki was fine from the start, you take away part of what makes that character so endearing. If they were never an ass to begin with, then what the hell was their problem at the start, or even now? Why the hell would we condone that? It’s important to recognize character flaws and to give them their due, because seeing a character grown out of them is far more self-fulfilling and relatable than insisting that they were always in the right place from the start.

...but then again, that’s just me. Thanks for reading.

-Crimson Lion (20 September 2020)

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