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#if she wants to make a bond with someone does she have to force herself to spend time with that person until the link forms
gaymakima · 1 month
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Two theories I have (well, one theory and a headcanon) regarding Raven.
Headcanon: Raven's kindred links can influence her own emotional state, depending on the intensity of the other person's emotions.
Theory: Raven left to spy on Salem for Ozpin, with the specific purpose of getting close enough to Salem to create a kindred link with her. This plan succeeded. The mysterious portal in the V9 flashback was to Salem. Raven spent enough time by Salem's side to bond with her. Kindred links can only be broken when the other person is dead.
Conclusion headcanon: Raven, as we see her in canon, has been emotionally linked to a whole range of people, none of who have particularly positive opinions on her that don't come with a caveat (namely Taiyang and Qrow being heartbroken and bitter, Yang's feelings of abandonment, Ozpin's guilt, Vernal might be the only exception but, uh... decoy). And then you add in Salem's emotions to the mix, which have been stewing in Raven for over a decade by the time we see her.
Bonus: if kindred links can only be broken when the other person is dead, and Summer has turned into a Hound, what would Raven feel from that?
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jubileemon · 17 days
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Understanding Husk
A "husk" means a shell or a protective outer cover. This fits his character well since he's shown to be a husk of a man. More specifically, he's a former overlord who lost his power.
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Husk in the "Pilot" was a lot more grumpy than he is in the show proper, losing his temper at Alastor and not hesitating to show his disinterest in anything going on as long as it doesn't concern him. When he sees just who has yanked him away from his card game, all he can do is exasperatedly ask Alastor what he wants with him this time. Seeing as Alastor is a constant reminder of how his gambling ended up costing him his status as an Overlord, it's easy to understand why he'd be upset at having to bend to the Radio Demon's will.
In the series, it's established he's still a jerk, but it's evident he cares, and his temper isn't as volatile and often warranted. In the beginning, Husk made it no secret that he was forced to stay at the hotel because of his ties to Alastor and would gladly get as far away as he could if able to. Behind his grumpy exterior, Husk is actually very patient and it takes a lot to make him legitimately angry.
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He does his job as a bartender competently, but Husk is fairly blunt about the fact he's only participating in the group's shenanigans because he simply can't be bothered to protest. He does join bonding activities but departs once it's no longer enjoyable for him, after Vaggie decided to literally throw everyone into the middle of a turf war as part of her trust exercises. Thankfully, he grows out of this a bit as the series goes on and grows to care about the staff and guests.
Husk has his own issues and is pretty much apathetic to almost everything out of pessimism. But he still has the most common sense out of the cast and he's the most emotionally intelligent and self-aware, even serving as an advisor to the others at the right times when he's not bitterly accepting his circumstances. The hotel's owner is the only cheerful idealist demon princess who just wants to see the good in everyone, one investor is a maniac who wants to get entertainment out of watching the chaos, the other investor is the owner's neglectful, depressed father (and also the literal King of Hell), the manager is bossy and threatens people with weapons at the slightest provocation, and the cleaning lady is a neatfreak with a thing for "bad boys". Then there's Husk wanting nothing to do with their escapades. He's also a lot more hostile towards Alastor and Angel after they touch him multiple times.
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It should be noted that Alastor lets Husk get away with flipping him off. But the moment Husk brings up the fact that Alastor's own soul belongs to someone else within earshot of the Radio Demon, Alastor can barely restrain himself to threatening to tear Husk's soul apart and broadcast his screams for all to hear if he ever says that again. By the end of the encounter, Husk is a shivering, terrified wreck and Alastor couldn't care less.
As the bartender, Husk knows how to listen to people and knows exactly what kind of problems that all the residents of the hotel are going through, and while he would rather let them solve their own problems, he isn't exactly above giving them some pretty solid, if very brutally honest. While it was unnecessarily rude to bring up the Hotel residents' flaws, Husk was accurate about every one of them as Charlie's desperate to help others but doesn't confront her own issues, Vaggie judges others because she hates herself, Sir Pentious is a lonely Sinner who watches people in their sleep, and Angel puts on an act that he's happy about his porn star job but is really miserable.
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Husk was always cynical and crass, but he's also an old Sinner with a tender heart. With Angel however, he tends to be a lot more irritable. While it initially looks to be because of Angel constantly flirting with him, it's because he hates how hard Angel acts out to hide how miserable he actually is, considering him a "phony" in a self-destructive spiral. He eventually realizes he and Angel are the same, despite their differences. They're both self-destructive addicts since Husk is a gambling addict, while Angel is addicted to sex and drugs who sold their souls to an abusive Overlord. And both of them have descended even further into their addiction and adopted outwardly cynical, cruel personas as a coping mechanism.
Husk getting through to Angel Dust in the manner he does makes a considerable amount of sense when it's taken into account that the first step to overcoming drug addiction is usually getting the addict to acknowledge they even have a problem. Angel hasn't been able to get better despite having some genuine interest because he's been utterly refusing to admit he has a problem to fix, the moment he does his mood drastically improves as does his motivation.
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In "Welcome To Heaven", Husk saw Cherri as a bad influence on Angel's path of redemption and advised her not to get high during their night out. He even defends Angel from Cherri's criticism about how the hotel was changing him. Of course Husk wants what's best for Angel, but unlike Cherri who thinks that feeding into Angel's addictive tendencies are the best way to treat his depression and that living up to the hotel's standards is only making his life more difficult, Husk encourages Angel to stick with the self-improvement he's learned from the hotel and not fall back into his old ways since Angel's trying to get into Heaven.
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When Vaggie leaves to find out how angels can be killed, she tells Angel, Sir Pentious, Husk and Niffty that she knows they didn't sign up to be the first targets of the angels, so she wouldn't blame them if they left. Of course, when she and Charlie return, they find that all of them have stayed and fortified the hotel.
Husk even admitted that he doesn't want to look for new drinking buddies and being nice to both Angel and Pentious is a demonstration of the massive character development he's undergone over the course of the show. In the beginning, he was grouchy towards everyone and hated even being in the hotel, but now he's willing to risk his life to defend it and the other residents.
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thebirthofvenusfly · 1 month
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okay but i like thinking about the events of ISAT/siffrin's struggles not as them going from a party of normal people with normal struggles to "everyone essentially now has to help Sif heal from That," but as, "everyone in the party has had their own immense, long-term struggles, and this happens to be Siffrin's." like, siffrin is not just a, "problem child," or the standalone outlier in terms of angst
here me out
[major ISAT spoilers, especially for acts 3-5 btw]
siffrin doesn't know all these things in act 1, but:
Odile has had a life-long struggle with identity. Her mother abandoned her family at a young age, her father (presumably heartbroken and betrayed) has never kept any mementos or photos or stories of her and likely avoided speaking of her at any and all opportunities. For the most part, Odile loves her culture but admits she was an outlier in Ka Bue and always stood out from the texture of her hair and eyebrows. She's tried to settle before for the peace of just letting it be, but after meeting that travelling merchant, she realizes how badly she does want to bridge that gap in her identity and has now spent years travelling--all only to find that it didn't quite fix her problem and she hasn't been able to find herself entirely in Vaugarde either. She doesn't dwell too much on her mother, but I feel there is a part of her that could never forgive the hole her mother left behind.
Mirabelle has similarly struggled, though in terms of religion and sexuality. She holds herself to a very high standard of Changing and being a, "good," Housemaiden, and has gone to great lengths to learn as much as she can in efforts to reinvent herself and Change, as she feels she, "should," do, because that's what Housemaidens and diligent followers of the House of Change, "should," do. She is so adamant about this that even prior to the game, even prior to the King's reign--which was several months-a full year before ISAT begins--she is forcing herself to look into relationships to potentially date, bond, and even have children with someone and she doesn't want to do any of that it. She is distraught because she doesn't want to change that aspect. She doesn't want to become what she's not, or try to force herself to feel things she doesn't and can't feel, but she isn't being a good Housemaiden or a good member of her society if she stagnates.
Bonnie's plight primarily comes in with the King's reign, which again, has been for a few months now. They live with their older sister who loves them and cares for them tirelessly, but she is taken by the King's Curse and frozen in time--an event which presumably happens in front of Bonnie, who is encouraged by their sister's last words to just run from the village as far as they can to safety. If that isn't terrifying enough, this leads to them wandering the wilderness for days, exhausted, dehydrated, presumably starved/ill-fed, and lonely, and likely scared out of their mind. Their only saving grace is Siffrin, who happens to find them and save them. The comfort they feel with Sif is called into question when they have to watch Siffrin take a permanent, debilitating injury to the eye to protect them. While the incident seems to roll off Siffrin's worries pretty seamlessly, this is a lot for Bonnie, who by now, has recognized a pattern of the people they love being permanently hurt or altered in some way all just to protect them. They're convinced they're a recurring problem, and after the death ritual talk in the House, has to prepare themselves for the haunting reality that they might really lose everyone they love (and, again, this is a lot. Especially for a child).
Isabeau has tried Changing before, and while it did help him make leaps and bounds, he is still in a constant struggle to love himself fully. Let's be honest here: Isabeau is easily the most emotionally put-together party member, and most equipped to handle the stresses of the party in terms of feelings. This does not make him immune, however, to his own negative feelings. He even cites as wanting to become someone that Siffrin wouldn't be, "ashamed," to know. He also mentions that he is remorseful of the new image he's given himself, as an air-headed, jock type of person, which often leads people into genuinely believing he's stupid and thus treating him that way. Not to mention, as the emotional mediator of the party, I'm sure he occasionally gets stretched thin between helping everyone else manage their problems and altercations.
all this is to say: everyone in the party has their problems, and a good sum of these are not all instantly solved by the end of the story. all of them, siffrin included, are left in a space where they have plenty of healing to do but can confidently and comfortably still rely on one another.
ISAT is just siffrin's chapter of major emotional plight, and everyone else's is presumed prior to the narrative (i can also acknowledge that siffrin definitely got the worst of it though LMAO)
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zanarkandskylines · 22 days
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unbreakable bonds ꒰ no quirks au | childhood friends | friends to lovers ꒱ ⇢ a collective of family bonding and little moments between you and katsuki.
『♡』  k.bakugo x fem!reader ꒰ tags & content ꒱ emotional hurt/comfort, fluff, tooth-rotting fluff, happiness all around ⋆ ˚ʚɞ — just wanted to write something sickly sweet and it’s been sitting in my drafts forever. reader has a little sister that helps bond the two of you together over the years. cross posted to ao3 | word count; ~3kish? -`✧ katsuki bakugo masterlist
You were too young - a little over three - to understand the day your mom brought home your little sister. You'd been secretly asking the universe for a sibling, someone to share everything with. Ask and you shall receive! But, you never knew just how much she would shape your life into what it is today.
The Kingdom - Elementary School
Fourth grade is when you and Katsuki started to play after school together on a daily basis. Him and Izuku would come by and grab snacks from your mom while you went back to the park around the corner, playing pirates and super heroes with the other neighborhood kids. Every so often, your mom would ask for you to bring your sister along. You never minded, even though she was your baby sister in first grade. The boys would pick on her - lovingly, of course - to make her feel included with the rest of the pack. She loved being around you, cooing and giggling away as she'd hold your hand and squeal with delight.
One day at the park, she'd declared herself to be queen of the castle as she stood on the slide, proudly puffing out her chest with her hands on her hips.
"I am the queen, and what I say goes!" she pointed to you and Katsuki. "Sissy will be the princess and you will be our royal guard, Katsu!"
You chuckle. "Isn't the older sister supposed to be queen?"
She does her best impression of a royal laugh, projecting her voice theatrically. "Not in my land! It's my kingdom and if you don't like it, I'll send you to the brig!"
"You're confusin' pirates 'n princesses again,” Katsuki taunts playfully.
She stomps her foot on the slide. “Silence in my kingdom! Izu will be my knight!”
Katsuki pouts. “Hey! Why don’t I get to be the knight?!’
“Cause I say so! You’re the royal guard cause you’re tough. Izu is the knight because he’s brave!”
You can’t help but let out a loud ‘hah!’ at her comment. Your sister never failed to push Katsuki in the cutest ways - he probably was thankful to be an only child whenever you guys would go home for the day.
Katsuki huffs at her declaration, taking the challenge with stride. “Fine! I’ll show you who’s tough and be the best dang guard in the whole world.”
“Do I get a cool set of armor, queen?” Izuku asks, bouncing up and down at the bottom of the slide.
“Of course! Only the best armor and ponies for my royal kingdom.”
She sits and pushes herself down the metal slide, rocketing off the edge past Izuku and barreling toward Katsuki. She trucks into him at full force - but, being small, that force isn’t much for him to withstand.
“What the heck was that for?!” he yells while catching her before she hits the wood chips.
“A test of your toughness, Katsu! And you passed! You’re deserving of a spot in my kingdom,” she giggles, mashing his cheeks together with her tiny palms. He protests her closeness and tries to fight her off, setting her feet back on the ground while she’s wiggling in his hold. Watching the two of them act like siblings themselves always made you feel so warm and fuzzy inside, knowing your two closest friends also adored your sister as much as you did.
You meander over to grab her from him. “Alright, I think you made your point, queen. Your guard and knight have other duties to get to.”
She waves goodbye to the boys over her shoulder as the two of you stroll home for dinner. She gleefully remarks how cool they are and that she can’t wait to marry them someday.
You can’t help but giggle at the thought. “Both of them? Wow, all to yourself, huh?”
She pouts and whips her head upward. “No, sissy! We both get one!”
”Oh yeah? Because you’re the queen of the kingdom, you get to pick?”
“That’s right! They’ll have to fight to see who gets to pick you!”
You roll your eyes, shaking your head at the thought. You’re only ten years old, the thought of boys fighting over you was hilarious.
”Promise not to tell Izu, but I think Katsu would win that fight,” she whispers, tugging on your hand to get you to lean over closer to her face. “He’s taller and faster!”
The thought of marrying Katsuki flashes in your mind - you have zero clue what that even looks like, but you imagine him bringing you flowers on the playground or giving you a bite of his ice cream. A blush creeps over your cheeks and nose at the thought. Your sister catches your reaction and gasps dramatically.
“You like Katsu?!” she exclaims.
You shush her. “No! Don’t go yelling that!”
That’s a big fat lie. You liked him a lot, he was your favorite person, but you’re kids.
It’s just a harmless crush.
───
An Enchanted Afternoon - Elementary School
A week later, the four of you returned to the playground after school. Snacks from your pantry in hand, the bunch of you sit on the swing set to eat. Your sister seemed extremely eager today, more so than usual. Once you all finished eating, she demanded your attention.
"Gather 'round! Your queen summons you," she declares, arms raised above her head. You and the boys huddle around her.
"Katsu, go fetch flowers!" she orders as she points to a nearby patch of grass. "Zuzu, clear out the sandbox of any villagers."
There wasn't anyone else here today, so that job was easily done. Izuku doesn't say anything and smiles as he heads over to the sandbox as ordered. Katsuki is confused, nose scrunched and arms crossed.
"Why do I need to get flowers?" he asks, tapping his foot in the wood chips.
"Do you dare defy your queen?!" she shouts, grinning wickedly. He obliges, sauntering over to the grass to find a few spare daisies.
"What's all this for?" you ask, genuinely curious to her plans. She doesn’t answer you as she grabs you by the wrist, dragging you over to the sandbox.
A few minutes later, Katsuki comes back with a handful of daisies, picked and pruned clean of any dirt and weeds. Izuku stands on the edge of the sandbox patiently.
”Perfect! Katsu, Sissy, please approach your queen.”
You play along and stand in front of her with Katsuki. It’s amusing how small she is in comparison to the two of you, easily shadowing over her figure.
“With my knight as witness, I give the blessing to the princess and royal guard to be married forever!” she exclaims, waving her hands around to mimic casting a magic spell.
You're pretty sure she got that line from a princess movie, but that doesn't make the sentiment any less adorable. You begin to chuckle to yourself, smiling ear to ear before turning toward Katsuki. You're expecting him to be disgusted, repulsed by something so sickly sweet, but are shocked to see him standing with the flowers outstretched in your direction. He's biting his bottom lip and avoiding eye contact by staring directly at your feet.
"H-here," he whispers meekly, pushing the flowers into your hands. You've never seen him so shy before - that's usually Izuku's demeanor. His unexpected affection makes your little heart flutter in your chest.
"Thank you 'Suki," is all you can muster up the courage to say, your mind running blank on the right thing to say. It's just an imaginary scenario...It's not real, not like you're actually marrying him. Katsuki exhales, turning his back to you to hide his strawberry colored cheeks.
"Now you're together forever!" you sister raves, dancing on her tip toes with satisfaction.
Maybe that was the moment she bound you two together with some unknown magical force, or it was a mere coincidence. The sappy part of your young brain believed in fairytales and chose to believe she was weaving your golden string to him, binding you two for life.
───
Leftovers - Middle School
”Yo, brats! Come eat already so I can get the hell outta here,” Katsuki called from your doorway. He’d come by with leftovers from his mom for you and your sister, since your own mom was working later that day. The two of you were still…friends? You weren’t sure. Being in seventh grade and all, he started acting like you weren’t cool enough for him. He did the same to Izuku, starting to ditch the two of you for other kids in class to hang out with at lunch or walk home with. Did it hurt your feelings? Absolutely. But you didn’t own him, he was allowed to have other friends, even if it did suck to see him less outside of class.
“Coming!” you called back, skipping down the hallway with your sister in tow. She happily ran into the entryway, hugging Katsuki by the waist. She was taller now, but still much smaller than him as a fourth grader.
“Hiya Katsu!” she gleamed up at him, rubbing her face against his uniform jacket.
He grunted, uncomfortable with her sudden affection and poking her in the forehead to release her grip. “Let go, squirt!”
He turned his attention to you as your sister finally let go of him. “Here, take these. I gotta get to practice.”
”Thank you! Tell your mom we said hi.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
You hand the containers to your sister as she wanders off to the table. Before Katsuki opens the door, you tap him on the shoulder.
“Hey, are you alright?”
He scoffs at your question. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You just seem distant lately. Wanna come by sometime for a movie marathon?” you ask, tilting your head and giving him a warm smile.
“We’re not kids anymore. Got better stuff to do.”
Ouch, that stung. Your smile fades away as you reply. “Well…I know. I just miss hanging out with you.”
“You have Deku an’ that other group of bitches you hang out with, ya don’t need me.” His harsh comment has notes of jealousy intertwined in his words. He goes to put his hand on the door again before you take a step forward to stop him.
“Kat, they’re not a replacement for you. You’ve got your own friends now, too since you’re on the soccer team. You’re saying we can’t hang out 'cause we have different friends?”
He glares at you before pushing past you and pulling on the front door.
“Hey!” your sister shouts from the dining area. “Katsu, that’s not nice. My royal guard doesn't act like that!” She’s always thought of Katsuki as a guard since your elementary school playground days.
“Cut the shit! We’re not kids anymore!” Katsuki rebuttals with a growl of frustration.
He makes eye contact with you. “We’ve grown apart, end of fuckin’ story. Get over it.”
He slams your front door closed and leaves you standing in the entryway, your eyes stinging from the urge to cry. You feel a small gust of wind rush by as your sister is sprinting to the door, throwing it open and running outside without shoes on.
“Hey!” She calls after Katsuki. “Get your butt back here, Katsu!”
He turns on his heel. “Hah?!”
She stomps on the ground, fists balled at her sides. “Apologize to her!”
Katsuki cackles, a little too manically. “For what, brat?”
“You’re being a mean jerk to her! She doesn’t deserve to be yelled at like that. Friends are friends forever, idiot!” she yells, her cheeks puffed and eyebrows scrunched together.
You can’t help but stifle a laugh at her calling Katsuki an idiot and turn your head to hide your amusement.
”That’s not who you are, Katsu. That’s not how you treat your princess!”
He pinches the bridge of his nose and screws his eyes shut in annoyance, exhaling dramatically. He locks his gaze on you, storming back up to the doorway. He roughly ruffles your sister’s hair as he passes by her as a pseudo apology. Katsuki sucks the air through his teeth and shoves his fists in his pockets as he stops in front of you.
“Look, ‘m sorry for yellin’, okay?” he sighs, kicking a foot against the pavement. “I'll come over Saturday, we’ll have that movie day ya wanted.”
"You don't need to if you feel forced to hang out with me." Your eyes shift to your feet to avoid looking at his reaction.
" 's fine. I'll be here at noon, don't pick anything lame."
With that, he turns to leave for a second time in silence. You watch him disappear around the corner and can't help but feel like a burden for asking him to make time for you. As if reading your mind, your sister shakes you out of the negative train of thought while walking back to the house.
“Don’t worry about him, he’s just being a dumb boy. That’s what my teacher says when boys are mean for no reason.” She grins a toothy smile up at you and grabs your hand. “Come on! Foods getting cold!”
Katsuki rounded the corner and waited to be out of sight before palming his face in anger. He had no idea why he said those things to you. None of it was true, especially that you’d grown apart. If anything, he was jealous of your friends and missed seeing you all the time. But he couldn’t bring himself to say so, like always. Ever since middle school started, he’d harbored some unknown rage inside of him that lashed out every chance it could. He hated it and didn’t know what to do to stop it - hence trying out for the soccer team, looking for an outlet for the pent up emotions in his body.
Katsuki secretly hoped you wouldn’t end up despising him for it. Even after all this time, he still thinks of you whenever he sees a patch of daisies.
Maybe one day he’d be brave enough to tell you about it.
───
Running Late - High School
The front door to your home opens as Katsuki slips inside, kicking his loafers off by the door. Your younger sister peaks over the kitchen counter while spreading jam over her toast and nods in his direction.
"Hey Katsu, pretty sure she's still asleep upstairs," she calls, rolling her eyes. "I tried to get her up three times, maybe you'll have better luck."
It was hard to believe that she was already in her freshmen year of high school - shit, it’s crazy that you and Katsuki were seniors. The age of playground days and summer adventures went by in the blink of an eye.
He makes his way to the kitchen island, leaning over to ruffle your sister’s hair - some things never change.
"Thanks, bean. I'll get her ass movin’."
“Stooop! You’ll mess up my hair!” She whines as she pulls away, fixing a few stray pieces of her fluffy mane.
“Ya look fine, don’t sweat it,” he compliments while heading for the staircase. He makes his way to your bedroom on the second floor. The door is surprisingly cracked open - he taps on the doorframe to grab your attention.
“Come in,” you call, lying on your bed facing the wall above the covers while scrolling on your phone. You presume it’s your sister until a soft kiss is planted on your cheek.
“Mornin’ sweets,” Katsuki whispers, rubbing your shoulder to turn you to face him. He sits on the edge of your bed beside you. “You wanna be late for our last first day of high school?”
You shift to sit up and drop your phone to your bed, reaching to cradle his face in your hands.
“No, I just wanted to steal a few kisses first,” you mumble as your lips quietly meet his. Katsuki places one hand on your cheek while the other lightly grazes your back. After a few moments, the two of you part with a soft smack. You stand and straighten up your uniform skirt, flattening a few of the panels to work out any stray creases.
“Do I look okay?” You ask, spinning around for Katsuki and showing off your uniform. Your hair was pulled into a pretty ponytail with a few pieces framing your face. The only make up you had on was some lip gloss - you valued sleeping in over doing a minimalist makeup look today.
“Y’always look good,” he sighs, standing to his feet. “Let’s get movin’ before bean suspects somethin’.”
You hadn’t told your sister about your relationship with Katsuki. Sure, you guys had been friends since you were children and he’s always around…how would she know the difference?
The two of you patter down the hallway and skip down the stairs to the kitchen. Your sister is waiting for the two of you, arms crossed and tapping one foot impatiently.
“Finally! Get your damn shoes on,” she orders while pushing you toward the door. She does a double take at Katsuki while you’re putting on your shoes, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Katsu…are you wearing lipgloss?”
Oops.
Katsuki’s searching for something to say as his face glows scarlet. He puts a hand on the back of his neck and turns away, grumbling while attempting to hide his embarrassment.
“Oh come on, you two. I knew you guys started dating months ago. You think I didn’t notice?”
You spin around to face her, cheeks puffed and eyebrows scrunched. “You never said anything?!”
She laughs, walking up to Katsuki and placing a hand on his shoulder.
“If you ever hurt her, Katsuki, I’ll knock your lights out. I know where you sleep,” she threatens, grinning mischievously. Katsuki pulls her into a headlock, ruffling her hair a second time.
“Deal, but I plan on stayin’ alive.” He lets her go, chuckling as he smooths out the pieces of hair he messed with.
Seeing the two of them get along never fails to make your heart swell with joy. Katsuki has always treated her like his own sister - one that he could easily give back at the end of every day, anyways.
She turns with a huff with her hands in the air.
“You both have my blessing, you should know that. I didn’t marry you two in a sandbox for nothing!”
───
Today Was A Fairytale - Current Day
“It’s an honor to be doing this for a second time. You’re in luck, my vocabulary has grown exponentially since our sandbox days.”
There’s a wave of laughter through the crowd at your sister’s lighthearted joke. You can’t help but smile as Katsuki’s fingers dance across the back of your hand to regather your attention.
God, he looks so damn handsome in that tux. His usual wild hair is slicked back and tamed - an extremely rare sight. Carmine eyes stare back at you, full of devotion and excitement for this next chapter in your fairytale.
“By the power vested in me, and these people as my witness, I pronounce you two as king and queen of the kingdom!”
Friends and family alike cheer and whistle as you and Katsuki intertwine, kissing each other for the first time as husband and wife. He spins you around and dips you low, kissing the tip of your nose playfully.
“I love you,” he mouths, a silent profession of adoration - reserved just for you.
The two of you strut down the aisle to the dance floor in the reception hall, the DJ already queuing the first dance song. Katsuki gently tugs you by the waist, pulling you closer to him as he begins to sway side to side when the music begins to fill the room. You rest your head against his chest and get lost in the moment.
Right now, the world belongs to the two of you. Every worry, struggle, and hardship is stripped away from your lives to give you the peace you deserve.
There’s one thought that lingers in your mind as you catch a glimpse of your teary-eyed sister watching you from the corner of the dance floor, latched onto Izuku’s arm for support.
She tied that golden string with an unbreakable knot.
tags 💥 @slayfics @maddietries @queenpiranhadon
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antianakin · 5 months
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An AU where Obi-Wan and Satine are somehow forced into an arranged marriage post-Civil War, like Satine can't become Duchess if she's not married because she's a woman or she's too young, or maybe she decides to join the Republic post-Civil War in order to give herself legitimacy as a leader and gain herself enough followers to effectively force a peace without causing another civil war, but the Republic is reluctant to let them in and Satine discovers a workaround where if she marries a Republic citizen or something as a world leader she can use that to gain entry into the Republic. She asks Obi-Wan to help her out and he leaves the Order for her because she has literally no other options available and this will hopefully bring peace to Mandalore and allow Satine the chance to change things for the better, even though it means he loses EVERYTHING and has to give up who he is, his family, his friends, his home, etc.
And the marriage goes terribly because Satine and Obi-Wan's "tension" or whatever was basically just a trauma bond combined with teenage hormones and while he respects her ambitions, she never truly understands what he's given up for her and she doesn't entirely respect the Jedi culture sometimes and so Obi-Wan is absolutely miserable among the Mandalorians. None of them accept him, hardly any of them even LIKE him, he doesn't have any real power politically because Satine is too worried about people thinking she's letting an outsider rule through her and wanting to establish herself as a competent leader on her own, and Mandalorian culture is just so vastly different from the Jedi. There's a lot he DOES like about it, obviously, every culture has its own beauty to it, but it's not HIS culture and there's a lot about it that goes vastly against what the Jedi believe in and teach that makes it really uncomfortable for him sometimes. Satine and Obi-Wan just end up in screaming arguments all the time and can barely stand each other just a few years into the marriage, but they can't get a divorce because Satine doesn't want to admit to that kind of weakness or mistake or seem like someone who just made a political marriage for her own agenda (even though that's effectively exactly what she did, as Obi-Wan points out).
There's other tensions that come up, as well, like the problem of heirs. Obi-Wan and Satine DO try, but it never seems to actually work, and Satine's worry that she'll have made all of these changes to make Mandalore peaceful only for it to fall into civil war again upon her death if she doesn't have an heir means that she keeps trying to insist on more attempts and getting upset with Obi-Wan when it inevitably doesn't work. They end up in separate bedrooms because of this, despite the gossip this inevitably creates about their relationship fracturing. Eventually, Bo-Katan shows up with the baby she had but refuses to keep and asks Satine to raise in her place, and Satine agrees so long as Bo-Katan allows Satine to name the baby her heir. Bo-Katan agrees, and Satine stops trying to create an heir of her own in favor of raising Korkie as her heir.
Obi-Wan also keeps trying to find work-arounds to Satine's reluctance to let him help her politically. He accepts that she doesn't want him in the room when she's holding council and he can't be ON the council, but even when he suggests something as simple as just discussing things together in the privacy of their own bedroom so he can try to help carry the burden with her, but Satine refuses to do even that much just in case people start suspecting that she's taking advice from him and assume he is ruling through her. Obi-Wan ends up entirely cut off from all political work and decisions, Satine never tells him anything about what's going on at all and never wants his advice on how to lead Mandalore. She barely even allows him near Korkie to make sure no one ever questions Korkie's right to succeed her or his ability to lead Mandalore.
Obi-Wan attempts to stay in contact with some of the Jedi, but they're often busy and can't respond very quickly, if they respond at all, so those relationships start to fade. Only Qui-Gon keeps up any kind of regular communication and even that is still relatively sporadic depending on how his missions go. He tries to cling to the Jedi teachings he remembers as best he can rather than assimilating into Mandalorian culture, something that further alienates him from the Mandalorian people. Satine had given him formal clothing to wear and had told him that, as her spouse, he had to present himself a certain way, which meant he could not continue to wear Jedi or Jedi-style clothing. But he continues to meditate as best he can, at least once a day, reciting the meditation mantra he was taught as a child to ensure he never forgets it: there is no emotion, there is peace.
Satine hates that he seems generally uninterested in most Mandalorian customs, even though he knows them and has studied them as best he can. She sees his continued interest in practicing Jedi culture as a rejection of Mandalorian culture and doesn't really understand Obi-Wan when he says that they often feel diametrically opposed. He cannot do both, and she's asked him to give up enough of his Jedi heritage as it is, it feels cruel to ask him to give up what little is left to him for her own comfort. Satine points out that he wasn't BORN a Jedi, so it shouldn't really matter to let go of it. Obi-Wan doesn't speak to her for weeks after that, and while she does apologize for having hurt him, she still doesn't entirely understand, and Obi-Wan isn't interested in explaining anymore, something that just makes her angry all over again and the two of them have to agree to simply never discuss the topic again.
Obviously all of this creates irreparable damage to their relationship. Satine's youth when she took over Mandalore caused her to focus exclusively on what she believed needed to be done to solidify her position so she could do waht was best for her people, regardless of what that meant for Obi-Wan. She doesn't INTEND to hurt him and abandon him, but she married him for political reasons even if she had feelings for him. Obi-Wan's desire to replace the purpose he'd had as a Jedi with some kind of purpose on Mandalore causes him to push Satine to give things in their relationship that she's unwilling to give, and her refusal to meet him halfway and his alienation from her life creates resentment in him. Even as they grow older and Satine could theoretically try to rectify some of these mistakes and allow him to help her more politically, there is a rift between them that neither one knows how to cross. So they don't; Satine continues to put all of her focus on politics and Obi-Wan keeps his distance. They just continue to grow further and further apart without any way to free themselves from the black hole that is their marriage.
The one time they manage to get along is when Obi-Wan gets word that Qui-Gon died on Naboo. Satine finds him in his room after he didn't show up for something and he's practically catatonic on the floor, the room in a state of disarray. She sits down next to him and just offers him her silent presence until eventually he reaches over to hold her hand and she grasps it back. The two of them sit on that floor for the entire night until she has to leave to go to a meeting in the morning. They never discuss it.
And then TCW comes around and we're just assuming canon went mostly as per usual somehow and so the war still starts and the Jedi are leading the clone army and Death Watch has been building over on Concordia and Ferus Olin shows up on Mandalore to figure out what's going on. Ferus tries to speak to Obi-Wan because he'd heard a lot about Obi-Wan from Siri even though they'd obviously never had a chance to meet and Siri had mostly fallen out of contact with Obi-Wan by the time she took on Ferus, but he has very little time to do much more than tell Obi-Wan who he is and pass on the news that Siri had died recently during the war.
Then Satine goes to speak to Coruscant to convince them that she's NOT the one sending people to attack supply ships and she ends up bringing Obi-Wan with her. Obi-Wan isn't allowed to take part in the political dinner she has with Ferus and the other senators, so he wanders and ends up meeting Ferus's men, including Waxer, Boil, and Cody. Cody is initially more stiff and formal given Obi-Wan's assumed political position as Satine's spouse, but he warms up to Obi-Wan eventually, especially when Obi-Wan is able to sense the spider droids in the cargo area and proves himself a decent shot. Obi-Wan asks for stories of Ferus because he was fairly certain he wouldn't get a chance to really get to know him on this trip, but he'd been close with Ferus's old master and wanted to get to know the student Siri had trained in the only way available to him. Waxer and Boil are more than happy to tell him what stories they know and even Cody joins in eventually. A few other troopers switch out with Waxer and Boil later and Obi-Wan is able to get even more stories. This is the closest Obi-Wan has felt to a group of people in almost 20 years and he feels practically giddy about it.
When they arrive on Coruscant, Obi-Wan is told to stay in the apartments they're given, but when things go sideways for Satine, she has no one else she can call for help that she trusts except Obi-Wan, so he still comes in to help her with the assassins and manages to make his way into the Senate building to pass over the evidence she'd acquired to Padme, someone Satine believed to be trustworthy. It works, and Satine is able to be "neutral" in the war without having to leave the Republic. Before they leave, though, Satine tries to insist that Obi-Wan should go visit the Jedi Temple, try to see if any of his friends are currently there, just experience being there again, but he refuses. When she tries to push the issue, Obi-Wan snaps at her to drop it and insists that they just leave immediately. She does, and they leave without Obi-Wan being able to get anyone's contact information.
However, Satine is different after this. This was perhaps the first time in almost two decades that the two of them had actually worked TOGETHER on something and it reminded her of how they had used to be. It reminds her of the person Obi-Wan used to be, and the person he was supposed to become, the person he'd chosen to give up for her and her goals for Mandalore. And she hates the person she sees now, this defeated, jaded man she's helped create. So she goes back to him when they arrive on Mandalore and tries to talk to him again about why he didn't want to visit the Jedi Temple. Obi-Wan isn't receptive initially, asking her why she cares and rolling his eyes at her when she claims that she cares because she cares about him. But eventually, her gentle nudging gets him to admit that it would've hurt more than he could bear to walk in his home again knowing he couldn't stay. And it would've been too painful to see his people caught in a war that was killing them, to know just how many of his friends were now dead, and be unable to do anything to help them. It felt almost like it would've been insulting for him to have done so. Satine tells him that she doesn't quite understand, obviously, she'll likely never entirely understand how he feels, but she knows now that she doesn't NEED to understand. She just needs to accept how he feels and be there for him. She asks if there's anything she can do to help, and Obi-Wan is silent for a moment, almost stunned by this changed version of his wife, before telling her that there's nothing she can do to help him with this, but he'll let her know if that changes.
Their relationship doesn't really MEND afterwards, but it becomes less actively hostile. Satine tells him about her day sometimes, including the political things she gets involved in. She asks him questions about his time as a Jedi and listens when he chooses to say something (and when he tells her he'd rather not discuss it). They occasionally take meals together now, although they're often awkward and uncomfortable. Satine starts very VERY quietly looking into the option of a divorce. She doesn't say anything to Obi-Wan in case she can't follow through on it, but she at least wants to know her options.
When Padme shows up, she invites Obi-Wan to dine with them and when they go visit the children's hospital. When the council meets, she invites both Padme AND Obi-Wan, and it's the first time Obi-Wan ever sits in on a meeting with the council. Padme still asks to speak, but Obi-Wan tries to stay as unobtrusive as possible. Even during the rest of Satine's hunt for the perpetrator of the poisoned drinks, he keeps to himself. Right up until she starts threatening the innocent dock worker if he doesn't blow up the warehouse. He steps in and defends the dock worker's insistence that the warehouse could have evidence in it that could actually lead them to who allowed this to happen and while he understands her anger at the situation, making a statement isn't worth losing valuable time and information. Satine almost snaps back at him before his words sink in and she recognizes them to be true and she allows the warehouse to stay, but orders that it be quarantined and blocked off from the public.
Satine still wants to call for Jedi assistance in looking into the issue and Quinlan Vos is sent to help her. Obi-Wan remembers him from before he left, they'd been friends and he remembers being attracted to Quinlan and thinking Quinlan might have similar feelings back, but neither had acted on it and they hadn't quite known each other well enough to keep in contact after he married Satine. Much to Obi-Wan's surprise, he's no less attracted to Quinlan now than he was as a teenager, but it's not something he can actually act on and Quinlan is here to do a job anyway. But Quinlan remembers Obi-Wan, too, and takes the opportunity to get to know him again. His laid-back attitude and sarcastic quips start pulling Obi-Wan out of his shell a little. Satine takes a step back on this one and allows Obi-Wan to be her primary "ambassador" between the government and the Jedi representative, which allows Obi-Wan to get out and do something more productive to actually help Mandalore finally and gives him more time to bond with Quinlan. They discover the Prime Minister's secret black market dealings. Because they're still within the Republic, their supply of goods isn't actually THAT impacted, Almec is just a greedy asshole.
When Quinlan leaves, he insists on leaving his contact information with Obi-Wan and while he does warn that, due to the nature of his work, he likely won't be able to immediately respond very often, he'll make sure to always respond once he's in a position to do so and Obi-Wan should feel free to just keep sending/leaving messages for him. Obi-Wan says he'll think about it, but he sends his first message the next day. The contact is still pretty sporadic, Quinlan sometimes doesn't respond for a week or two at a time, but true to his word, he DOES always respond eventually and always seems happy to have received Obi-Wan's communications.
And then Maul invades Mandalore with Death Watch. Obi-Wan tries to speak up again when Satine says the people have made their choice, he tries to convince her that this fight is hardly over and if she was able to bring together all of the warring clans and force them into a 20-year-peace, she can fight this and keep Death Watch from outplaying her. She points out that Death Watch is armed while most of her guards were killed when the criminals attacked, but she agrees to at least TRY to negotiate and win back the hearts and minds of the people. When she and Obi-Wan show up to negotiate, Pre Viszla isn't there, Maul is, and he immediately kills her. Obi-Wan is barely able to escape because his use of the Force to hold Maul back shocks him enough to give Obi-Wan an opening and Bo-Katan shows up at the last second and gets him to a ship.
Obi-Wan is devastated by the events, obviously, he never wanted Satine DEAD or Mandalore run by a Sith and they'd just started to fix things between them, but a guilty part of him is also relieved because he's finally free. He goes to Coruscant to request asylum from the Republic and and he ends up staying within the Jedi Temple in order to receive their protection. The Jedi set Obi-Wan up with a mind healer to help him through not just the trauma of Death Watch and Maul's attack on Mandalore, but the impact of the entire last few decades since he left the Order. Obi-Wan immediately sheds his formal Mandalorian clothing and starts wearing Jedi robes again, he spends a lot of time reading in the Archives and meditating in the gardens and just wandering around the Temple and sort-of soaking up the serenity that still exists there despite the war and its effect on the Jedi. It's painful to know how many of his old friends and mentors are already lost, still, but there are still many left alive and the Temple still stands. It's still a bastion of hope. Instead of the painful visit he anticipated the last time he was on Coruscant, he can feel himself beginning to heal the moment he steps foot back in the Temple.
He speaks to Yoda quite a lot and while Yoda does ask if Obi-Wan has considered rejoining the Order, Obi-Wan isn't really sure. He'd obviously be a particularly unorthodox case since he'd need to finish (restart really) his training at a very old age and his old Master is long dead. Yoda tells him that Obi-Wan definitely isn't ready yet, he needs to heal a little more, but he hasn't lost as much of his training as he thinks he has, and after the war, they'll need more good Jedi to help replenish their numbers. Yoda promises to take him on as his last student if he does choose to come back, but also promises him that none of them will think any less of him if he decides it's no longer the right path for him to walk. Obi-Wan agrees to think on it.
Eventually, Obi-Wan meets Quinlan again and the attraction they'd once had for each other as teenagers rekindles and combines with the friendship they'd begun developing the last time they met. Obi-Wan is uncertain about having sex given that his only experiences with it have been the disastrous attempts at creating an heir with Satine that were so emotionally draining and so damaging to their relationship, but Quinlan takes it slow and makes sure they both have a good time and doesn't just walk away afterwards, but stays until the morning. They spend time training together, with Obi-Wan trying to remember what he'd been taught before and Quinlan giving him pointers and offering to spar whenever he's up to it.
One day, Obi-Wan is wandering the halls, just looking at the artwork on the walls of the Temple, when he hears someone address him as "Your Grace" and he turns to see Cody standing nearby. Obi-Wan is exceedingly happy to have confirmation that Cody has survived the intervening time since they'd last seen each other and offers to show Cody around the Temple a little (Cody's been given a tour before, but he opts not to tell Obi-Wan that, besides it's a big place and he'll probably have different places to show Cody than Ferus had). They end up spending all day together at the Temple and agree to meet up again before Cody has to leave. This time, Obi-Wan makes sure to get Cody's contact information before he goes and they continue to keep in contact with each other as often as they can.
Bo-Katan eventually shows up at the Temple and demands that he help her fix and restore Mandalore after Maul and Death Watch's takeover because he may have been an outsider, but he was married to Satine for two decades, he has a responsibility to Mandalore, etc etc. And he refuses. He gave his entire life to Mandalore, he gave up everything to try to help Satine fix Mandalore and look where it led. Satine is dead now, he won't make the same mistake twice. If Bo-Katan wants to try to fix what she broke on her home planet, she can go through the proper channels and ask the Republic Senate for assistance. He owes Mandalore nothing. Bo-Katan asks if he ever even loved Satine at all. He looks her dead in the eye and says, "Did you?" Bo-Katan leaves.
Maybe at one point, he ends up running into Anakin in the Temple, like maybe Anakin sits at Obi-Wan's table for a meal or something and he's clearly agitated, so Obi-Wan tries to be polite and ask if he's okay and because Obi-Wan is a complete stranger, Anakin sort-of snaps and tells Obi-Wan things he likely shouldn't. He's probably sleep deprived and caught up in his head and barely thinking about the ramifications of what he's doing, he's just upset and needs to talk to SOMEONE. Maybe he's had an argument with Padme or thinks she's cheating on him or something to that effect, so he can't talk to Padme and he hasn't been able to make it to Palpatine yet, so he's stuck at the Temple and Obi-Wan kind-of just ends up caught in the crossfire, for better or worse, and figures out not only that Anakin is married to a sitting senator (from a planet that doesn't allow their senators to be married no less), but that he did SOME kind of horrible thing not too long ago that his secret wife is aware of and that definitely breaks the Jedi code. Obi-Wan does his best to navigate the minefield that is this conversation before Anakin just sort-of wanders off and then immediately decides to report what he's learned to the Council.
The Council calls Anakin in and interrogates him about this and they speak to Padme to try to get to the bottom of it. Both of them deny it, but it turns out that the Jedi interrogating Anakin and Padme about it spurs one of Padme's handmaidens into finally bringing the evidence she's been collecting to the attention of the Naboo government. She has evidence of Padme being secretly married to a Jedi, evidence that Padme has used her relationship with Anakin to ensure he prioritizes Naboo, evidence that Padme has ditched her responsibilities as a senator to spend time with Anakin. And while Padme had no issue lying to the Jedi Council, especially when all they had was hearsay from one witness, she can't lie to her own government when it's her own handmaiden who is presenting all of this evidence against her. She HAS to confess and her confession inevitably brings down Anakin, too.
The Council offer Anakin the opportunity to make a different choice, to terminate his marriage with Padme and re-commit to the Order. He'd have to be removed from his position as a General in the GAR and grounded to the Temple to speak to a mind healer until the Council decided his commitment was genuine. Anakin initially refuses, but when he tries to go back to Padme, she turns him away. She chose to admit to having covered up Anakin's massacre of the Tuskens as well and that admission turned the accusations from something fairly simple to something much more heinous. Neither Naboo nor the Republic care about the Tuskens, but they do care about one of the Jedi charged with protecting them having massacred a village down to the last child and a sitting senator not reporting him for it. Palpatine has already laid the groundwork for the people of the galaxy to fear the Jedi, so this new information about Anakin is seen as proof that the Jedi could turn on anybody if sufficiently pushed. Padme is going to face serious consequences for covering it up, but the Queen steps in and promises Padme her protection if she agrees to terminate the relationship and promise she'll never see Anakin again. Padme agrees.
Anakin goes back to the Jedi before Palpatine can get to him and agrees to their terms. The relationship is over with Padme, he'll accept the demotion and the mind healing sessions in order to remain a Jedi because it's all he has left. Palpatine can't really speak to him because Anakin's basically under seclusion in the Temple. He's not really speaking to anybody. He does ultimately figure out that it was Obi-Wan who snitched to the Council about him and hates Obi-Wan for it and never wants to speak to him again. Obi-Wan has no problems with that, but he hopes Anakin figures out how to get better, that much anger can't be good for anyone. Ultimately, the mind healing starts to work. Anakin starts being just a little more mindful and starts accepting certain things about Palpatine so that when the Council offers him a job speaking to Palpatine and basically spying on him for the Council, he accepts in order to earn back their trust. Palpatine still tries to manipulate him, pulls out every trick in the book, but this time, Anakin has just enough of a buffer to keep from falling right back into Palpatine's orbit. He figures out Palpatine's a Sith, informs the Council, and ends up invited along when they go to arrest him. Palpatine doesn't survive.
And after that, it's just a matter of everyone settling into a happy fix-it AU. Anakin leaves the Jedi on amicable terms and goes off to do whatever, who cares. Padme stays on Naboo to reconnect with her family. The war ends, the Separatists probably have to realize how little of their government actually functioned and maybe gain a few clues about the atrocities done in their name. Some of them ultimately rejoin the Republic in the wake of these revelations, others refuse and try to continue their own government together, but this time they're actually able to make a treaty with the Republic. The clones are able to stand up for themselves and refuse to continue to be an army for a Republic no longer at war and the Senate votes to demilitarize. The Jedi's work doesn't end with the war, peacekeeping involves a lot more than just fighting after all and this is the part of the job all of them have been hoping to make it back to.
Obi-Wan decides to take Yoda up on his offer and rejoins the Jedi Order as Yoda's last Padawan to finish the journey he started so long ago.
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readychilledwine · 1 year
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Enough
Reader is struggling after returning home from Under the Mountain. After the High Lords meeting, it has all finally become too much, leading to Rhysand having to comfort his mate and High Lady as her self-worth and panic come into play
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Warnings- negative self talk, references to anxiety and depression, is being unedited a warning? Probably should be. 
Author's note- it's been a rough week, and I wanted to hear this from someone tonight. So, this happened, and maybe one of you needs to hear it too. 💜 you're not alone, and you are enough.
Rhys held his mate's hair back as she threw up for the 3rd time this evening. 
Since coming home from the place. She hadn't been herself. 
Little noises made her jump. 
Social interactions tended to lead to her crying.
Her mind would become blank and filled with white noise when she felt put on the spot or pressured.
She was constantly fidgeting with something. Her mind was constantly racing and trying to focus all at the same time. 
Her "focusing" became hyper focus, though. She'd focus on perfection. On overworking whatever task she was working on to death. 
Worst of all? She'd become a people pleaser. She was constantly trying to make sure all parties in situations were happy. Even to her own detriment.
And today, in her mind, she had failed.
She failed when Azriel attacked Eris. 
She failed when Feyre attacked Beron.
She failed to maintain peace. A task that was never assigned to her.
"Darling," Rhys whispered. "You did nothing wrong." He was in her mind and reading her through the bond as well.
Failure. Not good enough. Not worthy. Stupid. Ugly. Powerless. Over Emotional. Damaged. 
Damaged. 
Damaged goods. 
He felt his heart shattered piece by piece at the voice she heard those words in. His voice. Amarantha's voice. Her own voice.
"Darling, please." He rubbed her back. "You can not control what others do."
A loud sob was her response as she began to cry. "I can't be High Lady," she finally said in broken breaths. "I- The Night Court needs better. I can't even stop Azriel from attacking someone we have an alliance with. I-" Her voice trailed off, breaking at the end as she moved to lean against the wall. "I'm not good enough."
Rhys studied her tear soaked face. Her distant eyes. The look of defeat on her face. Amarantha had destroyed his once confident wife. "My love-"
"Swear in Feyre," her voice broke again. "I see how you look at her. I won't hold you back, Rhysand."
"Darling, what are you talking ab-"
"You deserve better than me. You can do better than me. I'm a broken toy you had fun with for a few hundred years, and now I'm beyond repair. I'm a burden, Rhys. I-"
Rhys finally lost it. Tears fell from his eyes as he interrupted her, "Y/N, you can not be serious right now. You are my mate. When you hurt, I hurt with you. When you bleed, I bleed with you."
He took a few breaths before forcing her into his lap and arms. "You are not broken. You are hurting. You are healing. I do not want, nor need, anything besides this. Besides you. There has never been anyone else but you."
He paused to take another calming breath. "I see into your head, your dreams, your heart. Darling, I know. I know you are struggling. I am, too. But I am here for you. I am here to listen, to hold you, to LOVE you through all of this."
"Rhys-"
"I am not done. You carry so much, my love. Too much. You are trying to hold the weight of the world on your shoulders, and it is destroying you. It is eating you alive. Let me shoulder the burden with you, darling. What happened down there does not change that you are my mate, my wife, my everything. I can not and will not lose you because of her." 
He listened to her shaken breathing and began rubbing small circles on her back. "What happened does not change that I love and support you. That I want to have a family with you. That you are the best damned Lady of any court in History. Even during our time there, your laws, your improvements, and your goals changed the Night Court, Illyria, and Velaris for the better."
He paused as she calmed down slightly. "Your work for the poor and underprivileged has started a movement and vast improvements, darling. Your work for females in Illyria is changing the more progressive camps daily. Your work for our family-" he chuckled lightly, "My love, we would not survive a day without you."
"But-"
"No. There are no buts in this, y/n. You are our rock, our anchor. You are the light in the darkness for our family. We would be lost without you, even on your worst days. But my love, even you, as powerful as you are, can not control what people do. You put so much pressure on yourself to do so, to make us all happy, and all you truly need to do to make us happy is be, y/n."
He stopped talking for a second as her watery eyes met his violet ones. "You just have to be, darling. You are enough. You are worthy. You are so loved. I love you. More than anything in this world, and above all else, I love you. I have loved you since we were children, and I will love you long after our children take over this Court.."
Her hand touched his face gently as she nodded, tears still falling. "You are enough, y/n. You will always be enough." She nodded slowly. "I love you."
"I love you," she repeated back. 
He leaned their foreheads together and repeated one last time.
 "You are enough, Y/n."
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lovemyromance · 26 days
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I'm gonna need the ACOTAR fandom to be so fcking for real right now. Which of these is a better story?
A) An uncomfortable/awkward indifference between two people that have been declared mates already, turns into love. Join Elain & Lucien as they grow...and heal...together...and end up together to the surprise of absolutely no one. Elain, again, bends to the will of others and makes a choice that makes everyone else happy. She leaves her sisters, and moves into the human lands or day/spring/autumn/anywhere but Night court with Lucien for her happily ever after.
B) A priestess who is afraid around men due to her traumatic past ventures out to start her healing journey by learning self defense in order to never be weak again – only to fall for her training instructor. They fall in love through training, where the instructor is very careful and respectful of her and all the other women he trains. The training instructor is known as a freak in bed, and she is suddenly all healed to go have kinky sex with him. Follow their journey of fighting, and fucking, and bantering, and fucking some more as they fight and banter. There are ribbons and friendship bracelets. And a pegasus shows up.
C) A woman who everyone underestimates and makes decisions for finally gets to make her own choice. Fate has given her a partner she does not want, who makes her uncomfortable. An iron crockpot has stripped her of her mortality and forced her into a life she did not choose for herself.
Yet, this woman, this female, is so lovely and good that she finds the best in things, despite the circumstances. She adapts to her new life, her new world. She makes friends, she tries to bridge the gap between her relationship with her sisters. In the process of acclimating to her new life, she starts to have feelings for someone else.
A quiet male, the first to truly see her for who she is. The first to talk to her like a real person, the first to hand her a powerful weapon, the first to discover her powers and free her from her depressive murky realm. The male seems to want her too, but is careful around her because she already has a mate. Yet, he cannot seem to stay away from her. One night, under the cover of the night, they meet and are about to share a kiss when something pulls him away. He says "This is a mistake" and she is hurt - Was she imagining all the secret touches? The shy glances? The time they spent together?
She doesn't know that he was physically ordered away from her. The High Lord of their court ordered the male to stay away from her, claimed that she is already spoken for. The male immediately argues, says, "You can't order me to do that". But after some more angry threats, he relents. His own brother basically affirmed the fact that he does not deserve a female as lovely as her. He is tortured endlessly of how he could love someone so much, and yet, fate gave her to someone else?
Then their journey officially begins in the next book. Fate once again, brings the two secret lovers together. Circumstances demand Elain train her powers, and who better to do that than the Spymaster himself? He is the only person (other than Amren, perhaps) with the type of skills (Seeing/Hearing/Spying without physically being there) to be able to understand how to build her powers. They train together, are forced to interact and finally they make up. They cannot stay away from each other, but they have been expressly forbidden to be together. So they sneak away to the garden, under the covers of the stars, when not even the shadows are awake to witness the two lovers find peace in one another. Their love, their bond grows stronger - until Azriel can't physically stay away from her and he finally tells her his suspicions - that they also share a bond. Once it snaps into place, Elain, sweet lovely Elain, understands she has been given not one bond, but two bonds. The cauldron loved her so much, it wanted her to have the choice of whom to love. Elain, after understanding this, decides they've hidden their love long enough. She accepts the bond with Azriel, making her choice forever. They live happily ever after, raising their kids alongside her sisters and their mates.
Idk you guys, clearly I have a bias, but I'm going for option C 🤭
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racefortheironthrone · 9 months
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MAWS Episode 5
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I was a little surprised at the discourse coming out of Episode 5, because I thought the episode (and also major elements of Episode 4) did a very good job of setting up a conflict in which both Lois and Clark's actions make total sense.
For Lois' part, the stairwell scene in Episode 4 did a very good job of elaborating on her main drives and motivations: Lois grew up with a father who constantly lied to her and kept secrets from her, and she has defined herself in reaction to that. She dedicated her life to an occupation that's all about exposing the truth and uncovering secrets. Not only does she have a point that someone with immense power should be held accountable to the public, but she does have a legitimate beef in that her co-worker and partner has been both withholding information about big things (his secret identity) and lying to her constantly about small things (the bagels).
Handcuffing herself to Superman and throwing herself off buildings is an extreme reaction, and she should probably talk to a therapist about her disregard for her own safety, but to be fair, it's not like she hasn't tried and failed with more normal methods, because Superman has been avoiding her and deflecting her questions.
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For Clark's part, he's right that he has a right to privacy and that his secret being exposed could put the people he loves in great danger - even more so now that he knows that Task Force X is specifically coming after him as an alien threat. As we saw with his childhood, his Kryptonian heritage is something that frightens him and makes him question whether he belongs. Moreover, in her statements about publishing all of Superman's secrets and calling Superman a liar, Lois didn't give him any reason to believe that she would understand his motivations or prioritize his interests when it comes to his secret identity.
I would argue that the ending of Episode 5 only works because both sides have a point. If either Lois or Clark were completely right or completely wrong, the scene wouldn't hit as hard as it did and we wouldn't get the right emotional response.
To use a TV Tropes term, this episode is the Darkest Hour beat, as the bonds between Lois, Clark, and Jimmy have been frayed because of their conflicting drives. We're supposed to be upset about it, and we're supposed to want the band to get back together - because that's what's going to give the emotional payoff when Lois and Clark rescue Jimmy and come to a reconciliation by uncovering the reverse-engineered alien weapons program that Lois' father (a confrontation with whom Lois' arc is clearly building to) and Amanda Waller have been running on an unsuspecting public, thus recommitting the group to truth, justice, etc.
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dragon-watcher03 · 7 months
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hihi, anon who still hasn't gotten concubine!reader out of their head 😭
if it's not a bother can you do some headcanons for the Lin Kuei brothers with Kuai’s concubine reader? your dialogues and writings are seriously amazing
Bout time someone appreciated my trope-
Lin Kuei Trio x Concubine!Reader
Headcanons
Ft: Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Smoke.
Note: We're so close to 100 followers dude- Also the reader has a daughter in this scenario that she gave birth to asexually.
Scorpion
Since you are his concubine, you'd expect him to treat you as such, but he doesn't. You are a strong, kind, hard-working woman who doesn't deserve to be treated in such a way. In fact, he's grown to see you as more of a second partner than a concubine. He also tries really hard to bond with your daughter since she doesn't have a biological father and he wanted to play that role.
He and Harumi silently agreed that, concubine or not, they would treat you as part of their relationship. They only don't do that when they are around Kuai's father and mother, but even then they just don't talk with you rather than being rude to you.
Kuai has grown fond of you, but it saddens him to see you so distant from him and Harumi. He knows why you do it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. And he has made it clear to the other Lin Kuei ninjas that they must treat you with respect.
After his father's death, although he felt depressed, deep down, he was somewhat happy that he no longer had to ignore you, and maybe he'd even tie the knot with the two of you and Harumi. He'd try his hardest to win your heart the old-fashioned way rather than use the fact that you are his concubine as an excuse to marry you.
As a lover, he'd be very caring and warm towards you and Harumi. He loves you both equally, and that goes the same for you and Harumi. He calls you guys a 'throuple' and has special nicknames for you and Harumi.
After a while, you finally opened up to them, which made him very happy that you trusted him with your heart. He's a very touchy husband and wanted to start a family with you and Harumi. But he was very cautious around Bi-han seeing as he also wanted you as his wife.
Sub-Zero
He is completely envious of his younger brother getting to have you instead. Especially since he's the eldest sibling? It made him hate his father more than he already did. And he couldn't wait until he could become grandmaster.
At first, he wasn't really interested in you since you were a concubine. But then he saw you fight, and your strength was very impressive to him. That was what drew him to you in the first place.
Then as time went on, he started to grow obsessed with you and making you his wife. He always tells you that you don't deserve to be a mere concubine, let alone his younger brother, and constantly tries to convince you to leave Kuai and become his instead.
It almost worked, but you were only staying as Kuai's concubine so that the Lin Kuei would provide you and your daughter with protection and you don't know what will happen if you leave Kuai. Bi-han understands, but at the same time it frustrates him since he is fully capable of protecting both of you by himself.
If you decided to marry him and leave Kuai, he'd be an excellent (but strict) father and a possessive yet soft lover to you. I say he'd be a strict father because he'd want your daughter to be able to defend herself, but he knows when to give her a break.
And if you don't, he'll be upset with you but won't force you to do anything you don't want to. He'd still treat you with the utmost respect and protect you during missions. And when he does become grandmaster, he'll say you no longer have to be Kuai's concubine in order for you and your daughter to be protected by the Lin Kuei.
Smoke
He thought you were very beautiful when he first saw you, but he was rather confused as to how you ended up as a concubine to his brother.
He treated you very well just like the other two, but he'd never hit on you or try to convince you to leave Kuai since he didn't want to ruin their relationship. But when he found out why you became a concubine, he felt kind of bad for you and your daughter.
He's also secretly upset that you didn't get to choose a partner. Maybe if you did, he could try and win your heart the correct way. That doesn't stop him from spending some time with your daughter though, since she has no father he thought she'd enjoy some sort of father figure in her life.
Deep down, he was sort of jealous of Kuai, but he never let that ruin his relationship with his brother. However, it doesn't stop him from ruining his relationship with other men, including Bi-han (if their relationship wasn't ruined enough).
While you are Kuai's concubine, Tomas does not treat you as such. He always has your back during missions and is the one to bandage you up afterwards. He is very kind and caring to you and would make a great husband. (wink wink nudge nudge-)
If you choose to be with him, he'd be ecstatic. He finally managed to win your heart over and let you be with someone you actually love rather than just being with someone for protection. He'd be a very sweet and clingy partner and a fun and playful father to your daughter.
And when you decide you trust him enough to open up to him, he's extremely understanding and supportive of you. He also really enjoys spending time with your daughter even if you aren't in a relationship.
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mysticmilks · 2 months
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Dark rise 3 theories
Just finished the first and second book in one go, and want to write down my raw theories, until I forgot them.
Sun King is BAD (shock to no one). A pretty obvious one tbh — we never saw his face, Sarcean said he'd done some 'dark deeds' for him, but no one remembers him, saying he just 'disappeared'. I call it Suspicious. Maybe he even was the one who ordered the creation of the cup to enslave other Kings
Sun King is either related to Sarcean or to James (kinda don't feel like using his nickname). Either older brother or father. My bet goes on the older brother of Sarcean (but my secret wish is that he's the Father of James (to make ALL of his father figures assholes)). But probably we haven't seen his face exactly because he looks very similar to Will/Sarcean. 
Sinclair either knows that about Sun King, or, more likely, he is Sun King Reborn (or Sun King possessing someone's body). That would also make him manipulating James especially horrible.
If Sinclair is Sun King, that might explain WHY there were false beliefs that the Collar would make James obey to whoever put it on him. If James and Sarcean knew that Sun King/Lady also can return it would be a nice trick to make them seek to put the Collar on James instead of killing James and/or destroying the Collar 
Lady is probably also not as Good as everyone thinks, she is a Grey Character, way too obsessed with the idea of defeating Sarcean, or she is fully Bad, maybe even manipulating her husband Sun King 
White death is connected to Lady (also a pretty obvious one), cause she is the one who killed Kathleen and sent Sandy back. (Why she can't travel in time herself is an interesting question)
Collar, collar, collar. It's currently revealed that the Collar does at least two things — shares Will's powers with James (Will felt the cold exactly the moment James puts the Collar on, and James can do powerful magic even after opening the Gates), and gives James his past life's memories back. So... it would be a bit strange to give such protective powers to the object that was meant to enslave James. So probably it doesn't control James in the way that he (and us) thought.
Maybe the Collar was meant to protect James from mind-control, and enslavement of the Sun King/Lady. (But my bet goes on Lady, because of the scene when Sarcean was arrested — he said "You called" as if she somehow enchanted him). Maybe if he is 'bonded' by Collar to Sarcean/Will no one else can control him -> hence inability to take it off.
Maybe that's why James felt such a compulsion to put it on, when he is near Will, cause deep down he felt that the Collar would protect him, instead of enslave him
Maybe the whole 'Dark King forced him to lay near his throne' was part of the lie, to convince everyone else that that's what's going on, so in the next life someone is tempted to put it on James, so James can get both his memories and power boost.
Then we have 'I will always find you, try to run'... It's definitely not just a phase, maybe it indicates the message that James sends in that scene, something like "If you run, I'll find you and join you", or, more likely, that later he did find Sarcean, and maybe Sarcean explained something to him, which made James switch sides
Almost forgot. I have a theory that Sarcean / James were childhood friends, and Sarcean was pining for him since forever. Maybe Sun King knew that and did something to make their relationship impossible, maybe 'promoted' James to position where he's not allowed to have 'boyfriends'
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waspredteeth · 29 days
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Let's talk about Damian, the League of Assassins and the al Ghuls. A.K.A things to keep in mind when writing them.
You don't have to force yourself to comply with this, but there are some important facts you need to know and things you absolutely SHOULDNT do (be racist or orientalist).
Read on for a long post about Damian and the League and his family - giving context, some research and comic storylines, and characterization.
There are basically three different backstories for Damian.
Batman: Son of the Demon - technically, this baby is unnamed and not completely Damian. But the writer of that comic does still (sorta) resent that Morrison was able to write Damian in current comics while he wasn't. This baby was given up for adoption by Talia and we never see him again. Fans vastly prefer taking this backstory (me) because Damian is NOT a product of rape and Talia is written like herself.
Morrison's canon/the 2006-2011 era - the Damian we know and love. Kinda-sorta. So, in Morrison's whole run - Damian was raised in the League and trained as an assassin. One key point here: Talia DID NOT raise him. Morrison instead wrote that Talia only first met Damian when he was eight years old, and she was out of his life before then. Morrison also completely fucked up by writing Talia as a rapist who assaulted Bruce in Son of the Demon rather than the actual consensual sex they had. While it gave us the character, its not the complete version that many like. (and also its pretty racist)
Tomasi/Gleason's canon in Batman and Robin/Robin: Son of Batman - almost the same Damian as before, with one key difference: we actually get see what his training and life in the League entailed. Additionally, Talia in this version raised him from an infant, thus making his connection with her much stronger. A win/lose situation there. Talia would never raise her son under her father, but we do get a stronger mother/child bond than we ever had before. (Still fucked, but insanely better than Morrison).
From these three versions, only two utilize the League of Assassins in Damian's origin.
The League, then, is very important to his character. By extension, so should Ras right?
In Morrison's canon/the 2009 era - no, apparently. As per Resurrection of Ras al Ghul, he only sees Damian as a vessel for his soul. To stay eternally youthful and does not care for him as grandson in any way. This...is a lot. You could use it for angst. But it's also not in line with Ras' characterization. You could argue that this version of him and Damian have never interacted before but still.
Here's what you need to know about Ras al Ghul. He was and still is: a doctor. A man of science. He loves and wants to save the beauty of nature. Ras is an eco-terrorist. Not a generic assassin. He believes in the life of nature, animals, but he despises humanity for what they've done to the world. He has seen it all, and he canonically laments of loss of endangered species, of ruined habitats and long-gone animals he once cared for.
He also loves his family. A lot. The entire reason he becomes the Demon's Head is because his first wife, Sora, was killed by someone he treated, and then he was imprisoned and forced to co-habit with her corpse. Of course, over the centuries he's been alive, she's become only one reason for his existence, as we see how jaded he sees humanity and how little he trusts people. He latches onto Talia, his surviving daughter, because he loves her and he grieves her mother. He degrades Dusan, the White Ghost, because he cannot bring himself to love him. He was murdered by Nyssa because she felt betrayed and began to despise his love (and inaction). In current canon, Damian is his grandson and he loves him, despite everything.
Of course, it doesn't justify what he's done. But it's a crucial part of his character: the twisted love that cages. The love that binds and says it knows best for you - "I only want the best for you, I want to protect you, I want the world for you. Can't you see that? I can bring you something better." The fact that he's an ancient immortal only adds to the superiority he believes he's giving to his family.
We return to the League of Assassins. SO, the League was canonically created to further his ultimate goal: saving the planet. Again, eco-terrorism. The League exists to cull the human population. Ras believes in utopia, a world without any humans (even himself and his family). Ras is willing to die, eventually, like a really long time from now, if he gets to complete his goal. Thus, the League wholeheartedly believes in him, for the betterment of the world with their savior at the head. Exactly how the League treats their mission and Ras depends on the writer - but it's common to write them as a cult. Almost a religion.
We don't really get a lot about they operate. There are figures like Dr. Darrk and the White Ghost and all the stuff that comes up in Red Robin. We get some interesting ideas and characters in Robin: Son of Batman. But we don't get how the League works. There's no comic that does a step by step breakdown of their finances, operations, assassins, employees, what Ras actually does to lead and impart his vision to his followers.
We go the cult route, then. Here's something that I'm currently exploring and that I think others should too: The League is a global cult that believes in the holiness of death and the end of humanity in order to save nature/the planet. The League is far-reaching. It is eternal. It has existed for centuries, just as long as Ras al Ghul has.
Damian was part of a cult. Depending in your version of events, he was either taken from his adoptive parents or born into the League. Either way, he was indoctrinated. He believes in his grandfather's ideas. His training, canonically, began when he was very young. It was fast paced, trainer after teacher after teacher. He didn't grow attached to them, but he retained the skills. He is raised not just as an assassin. He is raised as an heir. A leader. An overachievement of talent and privileges. He embodies Ras' beliefs.
He is worshipped. A symbol of the cult. A prince. He is dehumanized. He is a figurehead, a piece of Ras that the common folk can touch and see. Damian believes in this superiority, misguidedly thinks they respect him and not the word of Ras. And there begins the struggle.
He grows up arrogant. Manipulated by his loving grandfather into something he really shouldn't be. But there is still Talia.
Either she only met him later in life when he was eight years old, or she was there from the beginning. In both cases, she would NOT stand for her son being treated this way.
Talia is not a completely non-violent character. She has killed before, and does not have the strict rules of Bruce. But she's not an assassin (at least , she didn't used to be). She can cry over a soul lost. She can shoot a gun but with a trembling heart. Talia was raised by her father with affection. She was sheltered, spoiled. She was educated and trained, yes, but she was not made into a weapon. She was taught martial arts for skills, protection, for Ras' paranoid benefit.
She was loved, but Ras has canonically hit her in moments in rage. He has canonically manipulated/threatened her to try and kill Bruce. I fully believe that she would want to protect Damian from as much abuse as possible even if they're both in the League.
You can interpret her split from her father as many things: her love for Bruce, her love for the world, her own love for her father and seeing in horror how twisted he'd become, her need for independence, to be her own woman without Bruce or Ras in her life, an abused child becoming an adult, etc.
Talia also canonically studied medicine (in Cairo). She believes in life. She would impart this onto her son. She wouldn't want him to grow up sheltered as she was, nor would she want him to become a weapon to be wielded. Talia would advocate for him to be taught arts and literature and respect for nature, and to try and give him some sense of normalcy. She was the one who let him keep Goliath. She would never kill Damian's pets (Morrison you have three days what were you thinking?!).
(EDIT: adding some more context to the Talia section of this post!)
After Talia healed Jason using the Pit and sent him to be trained, she left the League in entirety. For several comics, she was entirely independent and drifting - enjoying her life apart from Ras as her own woman.
For a brief moment in comics when Lex Luthor was the US President (yes that happened), he chose Talia to oversee LexCorp. Talia does not like Lex, but she agreed anyway in order to secretly change his company from the inside. While she put on a front to the public and Superman as another cruel businesswoman, in reality she was draining Lex's finances, shifting LexCorp into a more ethical direction, and digging up as much dirt as possible on Lex in order to take him down. She secretly gave Superman information on all of Lex's evil plans as she could, but didn't directly work with him. She wasn't LexCorp CEO for very long, but it was pretty much all she was doing until the events of Death and the Maidens. It can be assumed that while she was a CEO, Damian was being trained in the League in secret.
In Batman: Death and the Maidens, Talia was kidnapped and repeatedly tortured/resurrected in a Lazarus Pit by Nyssa Raatko (her half-sister) in order to brainwash her. She was killed, over and over and over again, then resurrected every single time afterwards in immense pain until she was filled with nothing but primal rage. Nyssa's goal was to use Talia as her own pawn against Ras in a revenge plot. The brainwashing made her a loyal follower of Nyssa, hate Bruce, and made her kill Ras without a second thought. Eventually, they succeeded in taking over the League - leading to the eventual storylines in Robin: One Year Later and Infinite Crisis where Nyssa is shown leading the League (before her unceremonious death). Ras eventually returns in the Batman: Resurrection of Ras al Ghul storyline that precedes Final Crisis/Bruce's death.
Some fans use this Pit event to explain Talia's butchered character in later appearances - making her abusive and cold to Damian and a full villain towards Bruce - as a consequence of this horrific brainwashing. It's definitely a far better explanation for her actions in Batman and Robin (2009) and Batman Incorporated than her sudden heel turn under Morrison. Unless you're completely re-writing her actions in the 2009-2011 era to be more in line with her original characterization, then this explanation is an easy add-in to explain her dynamic with Damian in your fic if you want.
You could take the complicated family dynamics of the al Ghuls and write some seriously heavy stuff on love and abuse and the cycles of trauma and violence. From Rúh to Ras down to Talia/Nyssa/Dusan down to Damian and Mara. It's one big circle.
Speaking of which, here's a list of all known al Ghuls for your convenience.
Rúh al Ghul - AKA Mother Soul. Ras' mother. She's fairly recent, but I think she's interesting enough to include. Unlike Ras' hard beliefs in science, Rúh is very spiritual and a practitioner of magic. Through her, it can be implied that every al Ghul has the possibility of learning magic. She believes in a figure called the Demon. Led the League of Lazarus on Lazarus Island, where she was basically imprisoned for centuries.
Ras al Ghul - real name unknown. The originator.
Sora - his first wife. Deceased. Killed by a raging prince who was healed by the Pit, as Ras did not know what it did back then.
Melisande - his second wife. Talia's mother. Half-Arab, half-Chinese. Deceased. Ras canonically met her at Woodstock (lol). She was murdered by Qayin, the antagonist of Son of the Demon. In some depictions (basically only Morrison) she was revealed to be alive and a fortune teller who hid her identity from Talia. (I think her being dead makes more sense for how Ras treats Talia, and her issues/love for her father).
Nyssa Raatko - I believe she's Ras' oldest child. Technically, she's been dead since Infinite Crisis and has not appeared in comics ever since. Canonically tortured and brainwashed Talia. Led the League for at least a couple months to a year. Half-Russian, part Arab and Chinese. Jewish ?, it's complicated. Canonically survived the Holocaust. Is immortal.
Dusan al Ghul - the first White Ghost. Albino. The forgotten and despised son. Still very loyal to Ras, does not call him father and instead calls him the Demon's Head. Mara's father. Is not immortal.
Talia al Ghul - the younger child. The beloved one. Damian's mother. Is not immortal.
Damian al Ghul-Wayne - you know already.
Mara al Ghul - Dusan's daughter. Damian's cousin. I think they're pretty much the same age. Raised in the League, led the Demon's Fist. Can be assumed to have been trained in the same subjects as Damian at the same time.
Compiling all of this, here's the things to NOT DO when writing the al Ghuls and the League:
Making them animal abusers, encouraging Damian to kill animals or showing him their deaths. The League stands for nature. They would not kill them unless its for food or mercy. It's insanely racist, even, to imply that a group of Arab-based people or Ras or Talia would gleefully brutally murder a puppy in order to teach Damian a "lesson."
Making Ras or Talia comically abusive. Ras would be hard on Damian and manipulate him. He's smart. He knows what he's doing all the time. He'd rather keep Damian's loyalty than turn him against him using physical violence. That doesn't mean he wouldn't ever threaten him, just..idk show some restraint when you write them interacting. On the other hand, Talia WOULD NEVER ABUSE HER SON. You could make an argument for Ras, but Talia would never ever hit her son unless she was forced to.
This is just common sense. DO NOT write the League or al Ghuls as racist, orientalist tropes. Research before you write? Use your brain. Please, I'm begging you. If you think of a concept you think might be problematic, look it up, try and find sources, ask around.
Make Ras weirdly obsessed with/in love with Tim. Seriously. What the fuck. This also weird and racist. I've seen horrendous tik-toks making shitty jokes over this. ITS NOT TRUE. STOP MAKING HIM A PEDO BC YOU THINK ITS FUNNY OR EVEN REMOTELY INTERESTING. Never once has Ras expressed a desire as making Tim "his bride" or some fucked shit like that. I'm going to beat you with hammers.
Having everyone take a dip in the Lazarus Pits/using them extensively to become immortal. As far as I know, only Rúh and Ras have used them frequently. Only they are the immortal ones, the ones arguably driven slowly mad by the unknown sciences of the pit. Talia is not immortal, she's not even that old, and she doesn't have the desire to be ageless. She has to be at least near Bruce's age, maybe younger than him depending on the timeline/your interpretation. Damian did not ever become exposed to the Pits until after he was killed in Batman Inc, and even then- he was NOT resurrected by it. (Actually I don't think he's ever been put into one.)
Having Talia hate Bruce. Like, No? Currently, they have more of a "we are Divorced but still care another but also we don't agree" dynamic. But they were once really in love, star-crossed even, they were married. But Ras and circumstances and even Damian pulled them apart. (I do think writing Damian as a child of divorce is both accurate and kind of funny).
Finally, demonizing all of the al Ghuls and making Bruce's half of the family Damian's saviors. THIS is racist. Full stop. Making his majority white family the "good ones" and "saving" him from his evil brown family is an insanely bad thing to write. We have to see it enough in comics, please don't write it into your fic. There can be redeeming things about the al Ghuls, about his life prior to meeting Bruce. Keep in mind, always, that Damian is part Arab/Chinese, that the al Ghuls are all a mix of Arab/Chinese ancestry and that they should/would be imparting their culture onto him. The League was where he was taught art, to appreciate animals. You could write Talia imparting certain tea preferences onto him, favorite cultural foods, practices, numerous languages. Ras is immensely proud of his own heritage, muddled by age it may be, there's no way he didn't let Damian express himself this way. I fully believe Damian is fluent in various Arabic languages and Chinese, and that his first language is not English.
My final message: think before you write. Consider the actual comics, in fact, I'll put one here for Ras.
Ras al Ghul: One Bad Day. Published 2023. Unfortunately written by Tom Taylor (sigh). Its still good though.
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Ras kills some rich guys for facilitating the extinction of the wolf species you see. Of course, Bruce investigates.
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Ras kills Bruce, keeps him dead for three months before resurrecting him in the Pit. Damian stays by Bruce's side. There's a lot more, but I implore you to read this comic for yourself to get the full experience.
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Thus ends this post. Read this comic for yourself! Have fun writing them, just take these things into mind.
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Helloooooo! I recently found your blog, and I rly like your writing style. I was hoping, if it’s not uncomfortable or anything, could you do a NSFW headcanons for yelan, jean, and eula?
NSFW Headcanons - Eula, Yelan & Jean
Genre: Smut
Characters: Eula Lawrence // Yelan // Jean Gunnhildr
A/N: Hello! I'm glad you're enjoying my writing :) Here are your requested hcs, hope you like them as well! I switched the order a little to accomodate for best girl Eula. It took an entire day (not sure if it shows 😅), but I had a lot of fun writing these.
Also, the entire Jean's part, which took a lot of time, was DELETED BY TUMBLR BECAUSE I WANTED TO PASTE SOMETHING WHY THE FU-
Contents: Sub!Eula, body worship, Dom!Yelan, femdom, forced orgasms, edging, post orgasm, Sub!Jean, roleplay, public sex, lots of wholesome stuff
NSFW under the cut.
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Eula Lawrence
For her entire life, she has been kept at a distance. First, her family applied their traditional upbringing tactics, mainly consisting of replacing her natural needs like love and affection with artificial norms and behaviors of her clan. When she broke out of the loop and joined the Knights, they completely pushed her away. Eula couldn't expect comfort from the society either, leaving her to fend for herself. To cope, she assumed her strange way of speaking and the bizarre mannerisms, which only made everything worse. It was a complete surprise to her when Amber became her friend, but an even greater one was actually finding someone who loved her.
Eula is quite touch-starved, and that carries over to love-making.
She wants to have you two as close as physically possible at all times. Eula wants to feel your warmth, your breath and heartbeat on her body.
For her, your face is best when it's in full view for her to enjoy. Eula needs to see that it's you who makes her feel good, you who envelops her bare body, you who loves her.
She is a very intimate woman, and as such the bonding element is more important than the pleasure.
Her body is quite sensitive anyway, so it doesn't take much to get her off. 
She is very clingy, always having her hands on you. Her favorite place to hold on to is your neck. Leg locking happens often, making it difficult to pull out of her. She does that instinctively, and hopes you're fine with it.
The woman is well-aware of her assets, and likes to show them off to you. The way she dresses doesn't exactly make it hard, but she likes to couple it with a very suggestive way of walking.
That said, you can not only look, but touch as well. She loves it when you grope her thighs and ass, but only when no one is looking.
She'll gladly let you use her breasts and thighs to get off.
In fact, one of her favorite things is sitting on your lap while you rub  your length between her legs and right on her womanhood. Suck her nipples or make out at the same time and Eula will cum in no time.
Making out makes her go weak in the knees, especially if you push her up against the wall or pin her hands down.
Give Eula lots and lots of kisses not only outside your bedroom. She lives for your lips on hers, and some tongue action as well.
A hard no for her is bondage. She might bear it if you kiss her non stop, but not being able to touch you is not enjoyable for her. She absolutely needs physical contact.
Eula is not really into giving oral for a similar reason, but she does like receiving it. She usually keeps your face on her clit with a hand in your hair, giving in to the immense pleasure.
But do be careful - the Spindrift Knight gets very squirmy when she's close, so being choked by her thighs is a real possibility. But who would complain?
The best orgasms, however, come from vanilla sex for Eula.
She is not very kinky, but you could say that intimacy is her biggest kink.
Eula is defenseless against the pleasure you bring to her, and having a sensitive body means overstimulation is even worse. Hence, one or two times is her limit.
She is so fragile that she can orgasm without nearly any stimulation to her slit. Having your leg between hers and your tongue in her mouth may just get her off hands-free.
Favorite positions for her are any that include being face to face. Missionary is her go-to.
When the pleasure becomes too much, she may just scratch your exposed back a little. She will get VERY bashful when you point it out later.
Sex will only happen inside your bedroom, where she can drop her guard and be the submissive one without anyone judging her.
"I... I lov-hngh-love you, please g-give me everything!"
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Yelan
Yelan's work is bothersome. Running around, moving paperwork, and putting up with people's bullshit makes her very frustrated. She just wants someone who could just listen and obey her orders without all of the unnecessary babbling. And who could fill that role better than you?
This one? Very kinky.
It's all about control for Yelan. Whether it be pulling off a well thought-out scheme or ordering her boytoy around, it gives her the sort of satisfaction that nothing could compare to.
It's just so much fun, seeing you bend to her will, ordering you around. Lie down. Get up. Kneel. Crawl to me. Beg. Lick. Her pussy gets so wet at your submissiveness.
You know that Hydro rope she can summon? Yeah, you'll be on a first name basis with it.
Yelan will tie your wrists and ankles so tight they will be sore. She will show some more mercy to your cock and balls, but they still will be uncomfortable.
She'll make sure to wrap the base of your cock tightly, so she can enjoy you longer. The rope will separate and stretch your nuts, not enough to hurt, but enough to be unpleasant. If she feels like it, she will also attach a leash to them. Nothing beats pulling a man by his most precious part in her eyes.
She will call you all sorts of pet names, her favorite being 'boy'.
If you be a good boy for Yelan, she will reward you. But if you disobey, or just don't meet her expectations, she will not hesitate to punish you.
Or maybe she'll do it just because she feels like it.
Yelan has to dish out pain daily because of her job, so she won't carry it over to the bedroom. No pain, just pleasure. Which is not a good thing in this scenario.
See, she had to learn a lot about anatomy to develop good interrogation techniques, and her books described the male body in great detail. Yelan knows all of her pet's sensitive spots, and she will show no mercy.
Seeing you whine and tremble gets her unbelievably hot. She will push you to the edge and stop, only to do it again. And again. And again, until she gets enough of your pleading for orgasm.
You better not cum until she says so, or you'll suffer an even worse fate.
Yelan will turn you into a crying, moaning mess with just two vibes - one on your frenulum, and one against your prostate. It will feel amazing at first, but will become torture after you orgasm. And Yelan will not stop, no matter how much you beg.
She just thinks your tear stained face is so fucking cute!
If you have enough brain cells (or just get lucky), she'll just use your cock and tongue to get herself off.
Because how else would a woman like her unwind than with her toy's face between her legs?
When your shaft becomes nice and hard from all of that cruel edging, she'll ride you to orgasm. Your precum and her juices will be all the lube you'll need.
If you endure her inhuman pace, or cum at the same time, she'll reward you.
The reward will be her mouth, along with possibly the most agile tongue of Teyvat.
After finally removing the ropes biting down into the sensitive skin of your cock and your sack, she will get to work and give you her all. You deserve it for being an obedient plaything, don't you?
While her tongue swirls around your glans, one hand will massage your balls and the other will tease your backside.
Her touch on your jewels will be gentle, but firm. She will roll them around in her fingers, squeezing the sensitive flesh ever so gently.
Milking your p-spot at the same time will lead to possibly the best orgasm you could ever have.
Yelan will gladly take in all of that thick, hot seed you'll give her. Outside of the bedroom, she'll control your diet and make you eat lots of fruits, to give your cum that sweeter note she loves so much*.
Because of her work, she has to protect her image, so you'll play only within the walls of your home. Don't worry, though - your girlfriend will make every session unforgettable.
Her sex drive is quite high, but she'll adjust it to yours. Yelan wants you to enjoy it as much as she does, and she knows her 'ideas' can get quite intense at times.
"Come to me. Good. Now, eat this pussy like the good boy you are~"
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Jean Gunnhildr
In between working herself to the bone and lying unconscious, Jean enjoys reading books. Historical records and romance novels are her favorite genres. Since the library didn't contain much of the second, Lisa decided to hand pick and order new ones for her. And Lisa, being Lisa, started sneaking more steamy novels along the vanilla and cliche love stories. She enjoyed watching Jean's face go bright red when she reached the most juicy bits. The Grandmaster always dreamt of experiencing the things she read first-hand, and with you around, she can finally fulfill her fantasies. 
Having a wide range of references made her imagination quite rich when it comes to fantasies and ideas.
Being a practical woman, she always bookmarked her favorite scenes for... future reference. Reading about romance made her feel quite lonely, and that bothered her. It's one of the reasons she overworks herself so much, as exhaustion takes her mind off of that problem.
But now, she finally has someone. Someone she feels safe around, likes to hang out with.
She is kinky, yes, but there's a problem. Jean is unbelievably shy about it.
Her poor heart couldn't possibly handle asking you directly, so she turns to dropping hints.
For example, Jean will leave one of her favorites on your dining table, in full view, and with a single bookmark. She hopes you open and read it, and get the idea.
If you don't, she'll keep trying. If you're especially oblivious to her signs, Lisa will help guide you in the right direction. She'll have enough of Jean's dejected looks by that point for sure.
You'll quickly find out that Jean is really into risky, public sex. Public as in in her office, the library or other enclosed space with a quiet corner.
She'll get a lock on her office door for sure. Yet people can still hear her moaning while getting her insides rearranged, so the thrill is still there.
Nothing that a hand over her mouth couldn't fix, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
Jean is a submissive at heart, which stems mostly from her fascination with gender differences.
She loves how different your bodies are. She is tall, yes, but you're still taller. Her build is more fragile, with smaller arms and shoulders, and yours is stronger, with broad shoulders and large, muscular forearms.
When you stand over her, overshadowing Jean's entire frame, she gets hot and bothered.
Loves your strength - both in bed (picking her up, pinning her down) and outside of it (lifting heavy things for her).
She values greatly both what makes her feminine, and what makes you masculine.
Worshiping her body is up to you, but she will definitely worship yours.
Likes giving oral more than receiving. She tends to get lost in the moment, the strong scent of your manhood flipping that hidden switch in her brain.
Worships your shaft with everything she's got, and sloppily at that. She likes it when you make her work for that dicking with her mouth and throat. Add a hand in her hair and she will rub her legs together, too horny and desperate to hold back.
Plays with your balls a lot. It's definitely the most masculine part of you, and Jean loves showing it the proper respect with her tongue.
Her favorite ways to screw emphasize that difference. Jean likes when you hover over her, lift her up or force her down - gently of course. The absolute hottest position in her eyes is when you both are standing, you penetrate her from behind, and support your weight on your hands, placed right before her face. She enjoys seeing just how big yours are compared to hers.
Jean really likes a good amount of foreplay before the deed. Making out, oral or mutual masturbation helps get her wet and ready for you.
She also likes long, slow and passionate sessions. The ones that come after a romantic dinner, a walk under the night sky or a picnic under the Windrise tree.
Also enjoys a gentle, morning fuck on free days, as rare as they are.
Vaginal is for sure more enjoyable for Jean than anal, but that doesn't mean her asshole is off limits. She likes when you insert a plug to heighten the sensations and keep things fresh. She'll let you take her in the ass (slowly) during her time of the month to keep both of you close.
Dirty talk can turn Jean into a whiny, needy mess very quick with the right words spoken at the right time. She automatically clenches when she hears the words 'good girl' fall from your lips.
The same naughty things won't come out of her mouth, sadly. She just isn't very confident, and can't say it in the overwhelmingly hot way you can.
Jean will not hesitate to try new things in the bedroom, but sometimes when she isn't that sure, but wants to keep it secret from you, she will turn to Lisa for help. The two are very close, and so Lisa will gladly lend Jean her experience and knowledge. As for the price, who knows, maybe a threesome would be adequate~
Jean's endurance is not that great, and she's completely fine with it. Just how could she resist your strong arms, thick shaft and low voice?
Sexing her out is fairly hard, but it's possible. Usually two extended sessions and three or four quickies in between will keep her a happy girl.
"My love, what are you do- Ah! N-not here, p-please... someone might see us!"
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Footnote: Yeah, that's a real thing. The taste is mostly impacted by diet and similiar habits - eating salty, processed food, drinking alcohol and coffee or smoking give it an awful character, while staying drug-free and eating sweet, acidic foods like certain vegetables and fruit make it more bearable. Go research it, seriously.
...
Contentloading - providing not only horniness, but also ✨K N O W L E D G E✨ since 2022!
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Thanks for reading!
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belit0 · 10 months
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What if Madara, Indra and Izuna with a independent strong S/O? Like maybe even stronger than them😳 I know Indra would be fuming😭
Yeah, you're rigth. Indra would be fuming!
TW: Yandere! Indra
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Indra
- What does she mean, independence?!?!?!?!! He needs to govern (Y/N), conduct their relationship in a fully traditional and retrograde way. Have her fulfill her role as a woman, look up to him and love him as a man.
- Be strong? Nope, no way. If she decides to show her strength or wants to make him think she doesn't need him, Indra will have to stand up and put her in her place. It will be the hard way, most of the time, losing patience over and over again when (Y/N) explains she doesn't want him to be involved in all the things she does.
- Indra is not looking for a strong person, he does not want someone who can spare him, and he does not want someone who chooses him solely out of love. He seeks someone who genuinely requires him, and if (Y/N) refuses to play that role, she will have to do it by force.
- They will fight again and again, confronting each other as if enemies. It will be difficult. There are not many ways to deal with someone with Indra's strength so eventually, there will be a real conflict.
- They will reach a breaking point where (Y/N) will have to choose between being with him or having independence, living free. It won't be easy, and the Otsutsuki will be happy with only one decision, so be wise girl.
Madara
- Mmm, it's hard for him to understand. Why doesn’t she want to depend on him? Let him solve all her problems and live in peace? Doesn’t she want the Uchiha to take the lead and decide for them both? Weird, he never met anyone like that.
- He circles around the issue and all the instincts his father instilled in him will scream he's doing the wrong thing if he allows her independence, but there's no greater reward than her smile when seeing her achieve things on her own.
- Eventually, he enjoys testing and proving her strength, building her up as a warrior with his techniques, and making her think her power is close to his own. Of course, this is a secret he will never reveal, wishing to make her happy.
- He worries when (Y/N) decides to go out on her own and fend for herself outside the house, but he knows meddling in her way and invading her space will only drive her away from him, and that's the last thing he wants. He learns to respect and observe with caution.
- He particularly enjoys watching her interact with people without relying on his presence to be somebody, watching her flourish and generate her own bonds despite being the wife of the clan leader.
Izuna
- EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS! There is nothing that repels this Uchiha so much as people depending on him to do anything. Learn to function on your own, learn to handle yourself, and learn to live without needing anyone.
- It makes him very happy to find a person as independent as (Y/N), appreciating each other's spaces and not encroaching on each other's daily lives. At a certain point, he even starts to miss her before she does, which makes him feel like he lost a battle in life.
- (Y/N) being a strong person actually turns him on. He loves knowing he will have a fight in the bedroom and she will not give into his hands easily. He deeply enjoys a partner who knows how to take charge as well as he does.
- He is grateful to know he has someone to train with as well, since fighting alone with Madara was getting boring, and the confrontation with (Y/N) has potential for an interesting ending.
- They will enjoy walks together, outings, and glowing evenings, but each of them will have their own space during the week, not being together all the time. Izuna deeply appreciates personal space and believes he has found the love of his life.
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piglet26 · 5 months
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Reylo Scenes: TFA
The day after the Force Awakens Ren and Rey were christened Reylo. I always laugh when Lucasfilm and JJ Adams tried to keep this pairing neutral and "suggestive" like seriously. The seeds were laid in the first film for FinnRey and Reylo, but really Reylo was always going to reign supreme not only because of the chemistry between Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver but the writing, art direction, acting and even costuming leaned Reylo heavily.
Reylo are introduced as Ying Yang right off the bat. Ren arriving in Jakku by night in black with a black mask. Rey meet on Jakku by day in white with a white mask.
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The first time Ren hears about Rey or "the girl" he reaches out towards the camera and Rey reaches back towards him.
It's stated that Ren and Rey had similar visions of one another without understanding who the other was. In Rey's lightsaber vision she sees Ren very clearly setting up that he, bringing him back to the light, is her future.
On Takodana, it's canon that the production team wanted Ren's arrival to be like a prince arriving at a castle to meet a princess. "In this scene she is drawn to this place almost like Cinderella." FYI Ben Solo is an actual Prince. You know the twisted Star Wars version.
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Then there is their first scene in Takodana. In the novelization this moment is more intense than the already intense movie scene. Kylo Ren recognizes that this is the girl that created a ripple in the force. He's fascinated with her. The standby stormtroopers actually are noted to having a reaction to his odd interaction with her. Despite the fact that he probably could've taken the information from her then, he bridal carries her out.
Having circled her, he moved even close peering into her face, her eyes
"It is you," he murmured.
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The interrogation scene - the moment the Reylo fandom was born. Does it bother me that she's strapped to a BDSM stand? No. It's actually very clear that she's a peer. He doesn't approach her like he did with Poe Dameron. He's kneeling down as he observes her. She's a powerful force user and he does respect her on that level. He also does want her to be comfortable hence taking his mask off and girl....
I know you were not expecting this fine ass man to be behind that mask.
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Believe me, I would've had all kinds of images in my head he would've picked up on.
He also checks her out physically. He's focused on the information he needs but overall he is attracted to her and very interested.
Rey surprised him but not being the simply girl she was in the forest. She is actually powerful in the force "untrained but stronger than she knows."
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"Don't be afraid. I feel it"
Reylos "Feel what exactly. The minds want to know."
It's also canon in this scene that their force bond starts in this moment. She actually learns how to get in his brain from him getting into here's.
Force bonds between masters and apprentices aren't new. It used for defense/offence and it makes it so skills are easy to translate to apprentices.
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Now their fight scene which was filled with sexual tension that everyone noted. It's still complex. Rey's instinct is to defend herself and Finn. She also just saw him murder someone. Ren is fleshing her out and testing her. It's like sparring. Where it's get's interesting is when they spiritually connect.
Daisy Ridley "Finding the force together"
Ren "You need a teacher. I can show you the ways of the force"
Many people read the moment as Rey finding the force on her own but it's actually the both of the moving through the force together. Kylo Ren actually finds a powerful ally/kinship with her and reaches out for that connection. Considering he rejects most of his connections this is actually a big deal. Is looking for a girlfriend? No, but he is looking for somebody.
Rey has such a conflicted view of him and an off kilter one.
Rey beating Ren is stupid. Even if he is injured, emotional damaged and surprised. It's stupid. It should've been a draw.
His stunned "Just Marry Me" face is also really great.
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It's a great start and a unique relationship especially in the Star Wars universe. It's ridiculous that adults who grew up on Han/Leia find romance something purely feminine now and so unlike Star Wars hahaha either way Reylos stay winning.
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Text
I'm always so very torn on whether I want to fuck or be fucked. There's a lot of fun to either and they both have their respective high moments.
Like how being able to fuck someone. . . Being able to feel my cock enter my daughter's perfect, tight, ass. . . Is absolute heaven. Despite my desire to let my poor little baby work all her pent-up energy out, I still have my own deeper. . . more carnal desires. After watching my baby girl grow up, it's only natural that I'll get scared she's going to leave the nest one day. So. . . Maybe if I can get myself deep enough inside of her, cause her to moan our her mama's name, slam into her hard enough, show my little girl the type of love she deserves, then she'll stay with mama forever.
That's why with every thrust, I'll make sure she knows she's mine. Every time she gasps, whimpers, moans, or whatever cute princess noise she ends up making will be greeted with me screaming out how she belongs to me and won't get away from mommy. She is mine. Mine and no one else's. She is my perfect fucking child and no one else's. Her cunt is the perfect hole for me to fuck because she is mine. My daughter, my lover, my wife, mine, mine, mine. No one will take my baby from me even if I have to grab her and force her against me to ensure she never leaves.
But on the completely other side, it's so wonderful to lay on my back, legs resting on my baby's shoulders, feel the sensation of all my years of parenting filling me up. You have no idea the amount of love and satisfaction you get from being able to watch the girl you raised, the perfect woman for you, give into her primal instincts and spend all the time she can fucking the most optimal mate she can find, which just so happens to me, her own mom. You end up staring at the most beautiful girl in the world as she moves as fast as she can without immediately tiring herself out. . . and I mean, she's going fast, faster than a poor old lady like me can even keep up with. . . So I'm just letting out these embarrassing noises and hiding my face because there is no way I want my daughter to end up thinking her mom is some kind of slutty fucktoy.
But, oh to my surprise, does she get a little confidence in her and tells me, "A beautiful woman like you shouldn't hide her pretty face." She tells me this while still being so rough that I'm holding back tears, so I just get completely overwhelmed and look at her saying thank you over and over and how much I love her. I just scream out how my baby girl is the perfect woman, and I'm so glad she's chosen me as the lady she wants to be with. Then, the immense pleasure that comes with her being sent over the edge and letting out a loud response of "I love you too, mom!" While drenching my insides with her immaculate seed. . .
I may have gotten a little off topic, but. . . You can understand how beautiful either type of "family bonding" can be when there's so much love involved!
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thesoftboiledegg · 1 year
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"Analyze Piss" was a great episode but not what I expected, which made it hard to write a review at first. I assumed that most of the episode would take place in Dr. Wong's office with Rick hashing out some of his issues. Admittedly, I guess that's what happened in a more indirect (and more entertaining) way.
When Jerry's fight with Pissmaster went on for a good couple of minutes, I was like...are we seriously spending valuable screentime on this? But I guess we needed to see Jerry being a badass and humiliating Pissmaster to understand why the world was fawning over him.
The topic of change keeps coming up this season. People tell Rick that he won't change, and he doesn't want to, but he IS changing. Unfortunately, no one seems to notice.
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He tries to tell Jerry that acting like a superhero is a bad idea. The family boos him. He tells them at the end of the episode that he knew Jerry's adventures would fall apart, and they boo him again.
Rick tells them that they're only praising him for trying to change because they want to feel superior--and maybe he's right. In their minds, THEY don't have to change anything. HE does. And it's 100% true that Rick's fucked up a lot of shit, he's been abusive, he's hurt Morty in ways that he probably can't atone for, and he needs therapy more than anybody.
But they talk about his therapy visits in a condescending way, like "Aww, that's so cute! Are you going to change for us, Rick? Are you going to be docile and passive?" They praise him when they think that Rick concocted some crazy plan to boost Jerry's ego for no reason. When they learn the truth, they turn on him again.
I won't say that he doesn't deserve it. They don't owe him anything, and they'd be well within their rights to kick him out of the house and never talk to him again. But Rick didn't create the toxic family dynamic that Beth and Jerry had been cooking up for 16 years before he showed up. I think they're telling themselves that everything that happens is his fault, and he's getting to the point where he's kind of letting them think that.
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Rick smiles to himself when the Smiths leave with Jerry on his ship (although he does drink from his flask) and ignores a couple of the bad guys tailing him. When they start fighting each other and leave him alone, he thinks that he's got it all figured out.
But inevitably, he starts to fall apart. He gets drunk and hears people at the bar mocking Pissmaster. "Who could relate, being that much of a piece of shit?" Rick can. He and Pissmaster aren't that different--they provoke people, they're pieces of shit and everyone wants them to be the villain. He's going to visit Pissmaster so they can drink beer and bond over their shitty lives.
He arrives to find that Pissmaster killed himself. Through the door, Rick hears Pissmaster's daughter apologize and say that she's worried about him, she loves him and she'd blame herself if something happened to him--all things that Rick would love to hear from his own daughter, and probably never will hear. At least not in that same fretful, emotional tone.
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Everything goes to shit for everyone except Pissmaster's daughter, who believes that her father died a hero. Admittedly, Rick shouldn't have told Morty about the note--it's understandable that he'd want someone to know the truth, but he can't trust a 14-year-old kid with that information, and he needs to stop seeing Morty as his peer anyway. He should've taken it to Dr. Wong.
But telling the truth just makes the Smiths turn on him again. And after all that, why should Rick change? Why be honest? Why not play the roles that they want him to play: the aggressive villain or the docile old man, or both?
Sometimes, the people around you don't want you to change even if it's for the best. I don't think the Smiths want anything to change. That would force Beth and Jerry to face their shitty marriage and the ways they abused and neglected their children, especially Morty, and that's not going to happen.
Just keep blaming everything on the drunk old man in the garage.
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But Rick IS changing. In seasons 1-4, Rick would have taken the fact that they believed that he was always Pissmaster as an opportunity to gloat and manipulate everyone. Here, he just looks at them sadly. He tries to talk Jerry out of doing something that he knows will end badly. He desperately tells Morty the truth because he's sick of lying. And the entire premise of the episode is based on Rick willingly going to therapy.
Seasons five and six have countless moments that show that Rick's trying to grow up, show affection, be a father figure, admit to his fuckups and treat Morty gently. Even in season four, he was starting to cut the bullshit a little.
And it must be hard on him. Everything was easier when he was a monster. Beth loved him, Jerry was out of the way and he did whatever he wanted with no guilt, fear or regret while suppressing his trauma and shame. Wouldn't it be easier to be the heartless patriarch who can manipulate his family into doing anything? Go on adventures? Cook and clean for him? Stop talking to Jerry? Show him affection? Actually want to be around him? Make him feel human again?
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There's no going back even if he tried--they know him too well now. And he shouldn't go back because he was a monster destroying his entire family. But he needs the Smiths' affection and encouragement if he's going to get anywhere because he's not going to get it from himself.
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