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#tried not to think too much about it because i simply cannot choose favorites
myliob · 1 month
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So for one of my classes, I had to take a story from the Hebrew Bible and rewrite it so I rewrote the storey of Cain and Abel from Lucifer's perspective
Take your crumbs you little hazbin gremlins
Favorites. The Lord always chose favorites. Lucifer glared up at the living as he watched a man murder his own blood simply for the attention of a Lord who wanted to morph the world into his own, who wanted to control every waking moment these humans had. He scowled when he saw God turn Cain away for not being worthy, but what does it truly mean to be worthy? Both of the boys were worthy in their own right but the Lord was simply too blind to see that. Abel provided his blood with warmth and clothing, while Cain gave them the food they needed. Both were worthy in the aspects of providing, giving their blood life.
Perhaps the Lord simply dislikes fruit because of his actions. Perhaps the Lord detests it and does not wish for fruit that could have come from the tree in Eden. But there was nothing wrong with that fruit! The Lord was angry at him! Why must he let that anger out on the blood from the man he has created? All Lucifer wished was to provide the creations with knowledge and dreams, freewill and joy, but the Lord simply did not agree with it, angered that he couldn’t mold these creations exactly how he pleases, and has let that anger infect him, controlling his every move.
Lucifer sighed, the Lord truly is unjust. No man should be punished for another man’s sin. Why must Cain suffer for his parents doing? For Lucifer’s doing? The man simply wished to provide, all he wished was to care for the family around him, including the man who’s blood now stained his hands. Lucifer’s glare sharpened as he watched the earth drink the blood and eat the body that was once Abel, watching as she enjoyed her meal but knew that not every being will have the same feelings towards the death of Abel.
He watched as the Lord came to Cain about the sin, watched as the Lord asked for Abel. He struggled not to laugh at his response to the Lord, smiling at the point he made while it only seemed to full God’s rage towards the man. Good, Lucifer snarled. Feel enraged, Lord, for this blood is on your hands as much as it’s on the poor boys. You pushed this boy past his limit by favoring his brother without an explanation to your actions, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Lucifer knew that the Lord would never hear his words, knew the Lord would never see past his sins, much like he was now towards poor Cain. He pities the boy, but emphasizes with him as he watches the Lord curse him, treating him as an outsider, much like he had done to the fallen angel. God never changes, does he? It’s always follow my will or you will be damned. Think not for yourself, but for me. What a truly unjust being. One cannot damn another for his sins even with his hands drenched with sins of his own, yet here the Lord is, damning a boy for his sins before acknowledging his own. Lucifer may be prideful, but the Lord is more so.
Lucifer watches as the boy runs, watches as he tries to live with the mark the Lord has cursed him with. And he envies the boy as he watches him succeed, building a city and a family of his own, watches as he grows old and dies as his family continues to grow. He watches as the Lord ignores the family until a boy, Noah, is born. He watches as the Lord favors the boy, much more than he had anyone else in the bloodline, even saving the boy from his flood.
Favorites. The Lord will always choose favorites.
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viatrixtravels · 6 months
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More Genshin High School AU
The students
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Noelle is repeating her first year. She overworked herself to the point of falling ill on the day of the final exams and was held back as a result.
Everyone thinks Dori is an elementary schooler who wandered into high school. She claims not to be, but nobody knows the truth.
People often mistake Kaveh for being a second year student and Alhaitham for a third year, but it is actually the other way around. (Which very much upsets Kaveh)
Venti has been a 3rd year student forever. Nobody even remembers when he first enrolled at Teyvat High. If you ask him, he will simply respond with 'ehe~'
Albedo skipped a grade because he is too big brained.
The class presidents for each class are Ayaka (1st year), Yanfei (2nd year) and Ninguang (3rd year). Keqing volunteered to be class president but it would be too much to combine with her responsiblity on the disciplinary committee.
Student council
President - Furina
Vice president - Neuvilette
Treasurer - Zhongli
Secretary - Ganyu
Library committee
President - Alhaitham
Vice president - Xingqiu
Health committee
President - Kokomi
Vice president - Barbara
Student Disciplinary committee
President - Jean
Vice president - Keqing
School principal
Rukkhadevata
School counselor
Madame Ping
School doctor
Dottore (I had to)
Clubs
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Lynette would be in the 'cannot be bothered' category but Lyney forced to join with him.
Similar situation with Chongyun who did not know which club to join so he followed his best friend Xingqiu to the literature club. He likes to read supernatural stories about demons and evil spirits.
Ganyu might eventually convince Xiao to join the gardening club with her. He finds being surrounded by plants and flowers strangely soothing. His favorite is the Qingxin flower.
Mona tried to make her own astrology club but there were no other members, so she eventually joined the art club instead.
Sara joined the cooking club with Ei so she can be there to stop Ei from setting the school kitchen on fire.
Cyno joined the debate club with the sole intention of making bad jokes for all of his arguments and annoying the heck out of his clubmates.
Wanderer is in the drama club because he's a DRAMA QUEEN.
There's several sports clubs so I'll leave it up to you guys' imagination which specific sport these characters would choose. uwu
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matan4il · 1 year
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Breaking the Tragedy
Kinnporsche vs Brokeback Mountain meta
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In honor of me finding out that Apo once tweeted the above poster of Brokeback Mountain with his and Mile’s pics photoshopped in, that Mile’s favorite LGBTQ movie is BBM and that for their trip to Seoul, they dressed in coordinated outfits reminiscent of BBM’s protagonists... I have lost yet another piece of my sanity and wrote some meta about KPTS vs BBM.
Brokeback Mountain the short story: America’s Greek Tragedy
I cannot do BBM justice if I don’t start by talking about the original short story that the movie is based on. I read it and it absolutely broke my heart. You think the movie is sad? It’s practically a joyous celebration in comparison with the source material.
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Because what Annie Proulx set out to write with her short story was an American version of a Greek tragedy. Let me explain how is a Greek tragedy, as a genre, different to tragedies in general. A tragedy is a story where our protagonist experiences an incredibly sad ending. A Greek tragedy is a story where our protagonist has a choice to make, but no matter what he chooses, he will experience an incredibly sad ending. In other words, in this genre, the real tragedy isn’t just that the ending is sad, it’s that there is no way for the ending to be anything other than sad. The impossibility of avoiding a devastating fate, THAT is the true tragedy of life.
Often this means that in Greek tragedies, the protagonist will monologue about the choice that they have, explaining to the audience why, no matter what they choose, the ending would be dire for them. The classic example is Antigone. Her brothers rebelled against her city, which is ruled by her tyrant uncle, and they were killed. The uncle, as punishment for their betrayal, decrees that his nephews would not be buried (condemning their souls eternally) and that anyone giving their bodies a proper burial will be executed. Antigone is in torment. On the one hand, human laws make it impossible for her to bury her brothers. If she does, she will be killed herself. She’s young, she’s in love, she’s about to marry her beloved, she has so much in life to look forward to. On the other hand, divine laws decree that as a sister, she must bring the bodies to burial and give their souls eternal rest, it would be a sin against her family and the gods if she doesn’t. So whatever she chooses, she’s doomed.
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In her short story, Annie Proulx sets out to demonstrate the Greek tragedy that is the fate of gay people in the society she’s describing in her book of short stories, Close Range: Wyoming Stories. It’s a hyper-masculine, homophobic society in which non-heterosexual people have no right to exist. What Proulx tries to show is that queer people are damned no matter what choice they make in such a society, whether they pursue their love or stay deeply closeted. She will not have a protagonist who monologues about the impossibility of this choice, but she can have two characters, one choosing the former option, the other choosing the latter, and show the miserable ending that both meet.
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That’s who Jack and Ennis are in her short story. Jack is the guy who simply can’t remain closeted. He doesn’t come out in the modern sense of the word, but he finds he can’t stand being fully closeted, because he’s in love with Ennis. The short story makes it clear that it’s not just about attraction (an attraction not seemingly based on looks. Proulx gives a less than flattering physical description of them) and sex (though their sex is canonically damn good). What they offer each other is a mutual understanding and therefore comfort that they don’t get from anyone else in their life, not even their own families. That’s what keeps them tethered to each other, that’s what keeps them hooked even when settling with women would make everything so much easier. They do try that. But Jack is SO in love with Ennis that he’s just too damn miserable in his marriage. Jack’s wife simply can’t give him what Ennis can, and that means there is this emotional void that he can’t live with and she can’t fill. He tries to get more of Ennis, Jack has this dream that he at first keeps to himself but eventually has to share about the kind of life they might lead together, one where they wouldn’t declare who they are to anyone, but they’d live together, so they’d get to share the sorrows and joys of every single day with each other. They’d get to enjoy the warmth and love that comes with mutual understanding and comfort on a daily basis.
Ennis can’t accept this dream. He knows what happens to men who dare live like that, his father made sure his kids would see with their own eyes how a man like that was murdered. So Ennis knows how society will punish them and that they can’t lead a life that’s even semi-open about who they are to each other. He doesn’t share the dream and he chooses to settle for the few times they can get away from the heteronormative lies they’re living.
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In an attempt to resist the draw he constantly feels back to Ennis, Jack turns to sex with other men. It’s still not what he longs for, but it’s better than his marriage, because at least having sex with these men is one step closer physically to what he misses when he can’t be with Ennis. Eventually, he settles into an affair with another man who would come and live with him. Jack takes what he can get, even though it’s not what he really wants. Ennis is still the love of his life, the man whose shirt Jack keeps in his closet to the end, entangled with his own, mingled dry blood and all, Ennis is the reason why Jack wanted his ashes scattered on Brokeback Mountain. Between the two impossible choices Annie Proulx lays out, Jack chooses the closest thing he can have to his dream of living his life openly with the love of his life.
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Ennis finds out that Jack was murdered for this. And at this point, it seems like out of the two, Ennis had made the smarter choice, the one of hiding who he is as much as possible. He’s still alive, he seemingly didn’t pay the price homophobia demands. Except that’s not true. Proulx then goes on to show us the real tragedy of a society that so fully embraces this type of hatred. It’s that EVERY queer person pays a price, no matter what choice they make, even if that price is invisible to us. Ennis is alive, but upon learning that Jack has been murdered, his heart dies. He becomes a ghost. All he is from this point on is a shadow of longing for Jack, hanging their two intertwined shirts in Ennis’ trailer, waking up every morning from dreams about Jack, wanting something that can never again be. There are no happy endings, there are no good choices for queer people where homophobia prevails.
Brokeback Mountain the movie: a softer lens
The movie tones that down. For the most part it follows the original short story with only a few elaborations that IMO don’t change the meaning of the source material by much. Except for the ending. That’s when Ennis’ daughter comes to talk to him, and they have a kind of reconciliation. The movie lets us understand he’s going to be there for her despite not being there before. Ennis also puts some roots down when he installs a mailbox, signaling both finding a place he’ll be connected to again (whereas the Ennis at the end of the short story is still very much adrift, not knowing what tomorrow will bring, not even where he’ll stay) and implying he’ll once again have someone writing to him. This doesn’t exist in the short story. By the end of the story, Ennis’ oldest daughter is already married, they have no special conversation about her wedding, and the only reason why she’s mentioned is that he might have to crash with her for a while if he can’t find any other solution in between jobs. Jack was the love of Ennis’ life, he’s gone, nothing will bring him back, nothing will give them the life they should have had together. There is no comfort, there is no consolation prize in Proulx’s tale. You can’t fix a Greek tragedy. You just gotta stand it.
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So the movie is different. It’s not an inevitable tragedy that cannot be escaped and cannot be healed. The film ends instead with an offering that every life (even one in which everything that was ever important to you seems lost and unfixable) can hold some solace. Lost the love of your life? Experiencing immeasurable grief without even having the possibility to talk about it to anyone? You can still be there for your daughter’s wedding. You can still do one thing right. Does that fix it all? No. BBM the movie does recount a tragedy. It does follow a powerful love story and its destruction. But the film isn’t a Greek tragedy, either. You might have lost almost everything because of homophobia, the movie says, but you can have something.
At the same time, something both versions have in common is the title (obviously) which refers to the mountain where Jack and Ennis fell in love, the place that broke their lives and turned them into tragedies. This mountain becomes an image in their minds, a symbol of that moment in time when they were young, in love, happy and had the illusion that they always could be. Both versions tell the story of an all-encompassing love and the devastating effect of losing it due to homophobia, even if the film’s criticism is somewhat softened by the more hopeful ending.
Kinnporsche the Series: breaking the tragedy
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On the most basic level, KPTS is easily comparable to BBM because they’re both set in a tough, hyper-masculine, demanding and merciless world. One might argue that Kinn and Porsche are in an even worse version of that than Jack and Ennis, because the mafia world is also a violent one by its very nature, whereas BBM tells the story of a society that is supposed to be civilized, though in reality its violence lies under the surface. The threat of it is very real for gay people, as our protagonists both learn firsthand, but that’s because homophobia provides a small break in the surface where violence can erupt with society choosing to turn a blind eye to it.
But against expectations, Kinn and Porsche exist in a hyper-masculine world that does not fall into the pit of homophobia. It’s not that homophobia doesn’t exist in their world at all. We do know that somewhere out there, people are homophobic in the society that the characters of KPTS live in. The show doesn’t deal too much with it, because our protagonists are simply spared any encounters with this homophobia, at least on screen.
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How do we know that it does exist in their society? There are small hints, like Porsche being told in ep 108 that “Love is love” (first stated by Jom, then repeated by Yok). We all know this to be an anti-homophobia statement, and there is no need for it in this world had it been free of that kinda hate. But the matter is most explicitly brought up after Porsche discovers Kinn is gay. It turns out, Porsche is shocked not because of this revelation, but because Big sent him into Kinn’s bedroom, despite knowing about the sexy times happening there. But then Porsche realizes Big expected him to have a homophobic reaction, and so he goes off about that. This moment tells us Porsche himself isn’t homophobic, but he is aware of the existence of such attitudes.
This scene also points to the existence of homophobia in this world by hinting Porsche’s guess regarding Big is correct. After all, Porsche was bragging about having gone to the sauna together with Kinn, and that he would invite Big next time, implying there’s been a change in who is now the favorite bodyguard. Big, who is secretly in love with Kinn, was obviously jealous and wanted to do something that would destroy this newfound closeness. Big sent Porsche into that bedroom to witness Kinn’s gay sexcapades, expecting that the presumed heterosexual Porsche would react in a homophobic manner and would wanna get as far away as possible from their gay boss. In fact, Big lurks outside Kinn’s bedroom, and he’s completely unsurprised to see Porsche fleeing and shocked. Big’s confusion only starts when Porsche explains the actual source of his distress. Big’s bafflement indicates to us that homophobia was, in fact, the reaction that he was counting on.
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Last thing about this scene which tells us that homophobia does exist somewhere in the background of KPTS’ world is Kinn’s own reaction. We discover that he was close by and heard the entire exchange between Porsche and Big. If homophobia was not an issue, then Porsche revealing himself to be free of it wouldn’t have mattered to Kinn so much. But instead, we witness this big grin blooming on his face, as he stands there, happy and literally illuminated. We never hear whether Kinn himself had ever suffered homophobia. As a mafia prince, he might have been spared its repercussions. But he’s aware of it enough that he must have known there’s a chance Porsche, who had up until then been straight and assumed others around him to be as well, would be homophobic. That’s what Kinn’s smile tells us, it’s his joy and relief that this guy he’s started having feelings for does not harbor that prejudice. And that whole bit doesn’t work, that smile isn’t anywhere near as meaningful, that scene doesn’t require the metaphor of illumination, unless homophobia does exist in KPTS’ world.
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(as a side note, since I brought up Porsche’s sexuality, I’ll mention that in both stories we have guys who are presumed straight by their environment, by the narrative and even by themselves, and who discover their attraction to another man. In neither story do we get clear answers and definitions for how they identify, for example as gay or bisexual, in any modern sense. In Jack and Ennis’ case, claiming their identity by defining it would simply be too dangerous due to the homophobia around, not to mention the bits of it that they have internalized. When it comes to Porsche, there’s no need for labels, because those simply don’t matter to him. “Love is love,” he’s in love with Kinn, and that’s all Porsche needs to know the second that he accepts these feelings. He is unsure at first over never having dated a guy before, but when he talks to Yok about it in 108, he sounds more confused over not knowing how to date than about the fact that he’s looking to romance another guy)
KPTS offers us a hyper-masculine setting that co-exists with homophobia, but is mostly untouched by it. Through all the challenges KPTS’ protagonists have to face, none are about being attracted to another man. If BBM tells us how homophobia destroys people, KPTS presents a picture of how they can thrive in its absence. Because while the finale isn’t complete (as I indicated in my KPTS s2 meta), this show’s ending is still a tale of how love between two men saves the day.
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Which brings me to another point. I think the biggest resemblance between KPTS and BBM comes when we consider the tagline for the movie. “Love is a force of nature,” the film’s poster reads, as Jack and Ennis’ portraits take up most of its space, seemingly bigger than the mountain their love was born on. BBM at the end of the day might be about the tragedy of homophobia, but it also affirms the undeniable power of love, so overwhelming that nothing can truly stop it. After all, not even what he experienced as the ultimate rejection could make Jack stop loving Ennis, and death itself couldn’t make Ennis stop loving Jack.
We see something so similar with Kinn and Porsche’s story as well. When they meet, they’re both men who aren’t looking for love or happiness. They’re both settling for just sex. One had been betrayed by a former lover so badly that he doesn’t believe in love anymore, the other has never even given love a chance because he’s too dedicated to raising his kid brother, leaving himself emotionally unavailable for a relationship. But when they meet each other? That’s a whirlwind that throws their lives into disarray, opens them up to love and to the possibility of loving someone who’s different than they expected (Porsche falling for a man, Kinn falling for someone who fights back, unlike the appeasing, docile men he’s been with before), and saves them from being destroyed by hurt even as they experience betrayals of all kinds.
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And so unsurprisingly, these two epic love stories have many similarities. KPTS and BBM alike, perhaps precisely because of that hyper-masculine context they portray, give us protagonists whose first time acting on their mutual attraction involves alcohol being consumed by both men. For Kinnporsche, it’s their first kiss in 103, which follows partying up together at Yok’s bar. For Jack and Ennis, it’s the first time they have sex after they’ve drunk so much that Ennis can’t leave the camp for the night by riding away. Which inevitably leads to another similarity between these two couples, that this is a starter happening on a physical level, but it will lead both down a path of emotions realization.
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Of course, emotions are complicated, especially for men who aren’t that great at communicating (which tends to be almost all of them when we’re talking about guys who exist in hyper-masculine settings). Jack and Ennis, when they have to part ways and they don’t know how to express the pain of that, they end up throwing punches at each other on their last day on Brokeback Mountain. Similarly, Kinn and Porsche, when they care about each other so much, but the possibility of Vegas coming between them arises, they end up turning to a shove, a slap and some insults, hurting each other because they themselves are in pain. But since this is also just a symptom of how much they care about each other, then eventually, in both cases, it is the depth of their feelings for each other that helps them to overcome their trouble in communication. They return to and help heal each other.
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Then, there’s also that understanding and comfort these men offer each other. In BBM, the peak of this is represented in a moment when Ennis pulls an exhausted Jack to him and repeats words he had heard as a kid from his mom. This is the softness and care that drives them out into the wilderness several times a year, no matter what else is happening in their lives, and into each other’s arms. Despite all the hurt Ennis caused Jack on their last day together on Brokeback Mountain and on every occasion when Ennis rejects Jack’s dream of living together, in spite of all other measures Jack turns to in order to deal with the hurt, he never stops seeing Ennis, untangles their shirts or changes his will. On Ennis’ part, even when Alma tells him she knows his secret, even when he realizes his life could be in danger because he and Jack were not as invisible as he thought they were despite their precautions, Ennis doesn’t stop seeing Jack either. They are bonded together. And that’s what we see with Kinn and Porsche, too. No matter what surprises are thrown at them, no matter what betrayals, no matter how reality is twisted around them to make them doubt their own minds, they don’t stop trusting each other. They keep choosing each other throughout the show and especially during the finale. And their trust and understanding is also built on tender moments, similar to the one Jack and Ennis shared, such as when Porsche is taking care of Kinn’s hair, reminiscent of how Kinn says his mother used to do the same for him when he was a kid.
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Lastly, these great love affairs aren’t just a bond of compulsion, where they have to return to each other. They’re also a bond of choice, a commitment that they want to make, even if it’s not one that society is ready to recognize. “Jack, I swear,” says Ennis to a pair of shirts he has just hung in his trailer next to a postcard of Brokeback Mountain, two shirts that Jack joined together and Ennis would never put asunder. A symbolic wedding vow. Their own little ceremony that they end up sharing by virtue of Ennis continuing what Jack had started even after he isn’t there anymore. This symbolic commitment is one we also see with KPTS in ep 114, first when we know Kinn is the one who has put a ring on Porsche’s finger (one that matches his own and marks them as partners who lead their extended mafia family together), and second when they exchange their own vows on the boat. It’s the same one where Kinn demanded Porsche’s life as his bodyguard back in ep 101 and was refused, but this time Porsche is committing his whole life to Kinn and is being promised in return that he’d be treasured.
Kinn and Porsche broke the inevitably tragic nature of the BBM world. At the end of it all, it’s not only the relative absence of homophobia that makes the difference. That detail is crucial! Their story would have been completely different if they would have had to cope with what Jack and Ennis did. But another element that makes a difference is the trust in each other that Kinn and Porsche manage to build. I’ve talked about the importance of that in my previous Kinnporsche meta posts (about the sex scene in 107, as well as KPTS s2 meta) and how we can tell that they would have eventually beaten any adversary and all hardships thanks to that. It’s something that Jack and Ennis, as much as they loved each other, didn’t manage to get to. They never learn to trust each other enough to communicate properly. Ennis is afraid of Jack’s wrath when he has to cancel one of their planned meetings, so he keeps it a secret until the very end of their current tryst. Jack knows better than to share with Ennis what he does with other men in order to get over the emotional loneliness he experiences whenever they part. Maybe in a less homophobic society, they would get to where they stop disappointing each other and could have faith in one another.
So that trust that Kinn and Porsche put in each other? That’s actually a huge thing. Because in a sense, Kinn and Porsche’s backgrounds as they unfold at the end of KPTS unveil they easily could have ended up as a tragedy as well. Their story is that of two young men who are caught in a war started before they were even born by Kinn’s cruel grandfather who we never even see on screen. This head of the family is cold and manipulative, turning brother against his own brother and shaping both his sons into being like him. He’s also responsible for violent acts, one of which brings Porsche’s mom as a young girl into the lives of his sons, setting off a whole chain of events that will end with the bloody war between the two mafia families that we witness in the finale. This is precisely the type of background that in Greek mythology curses a whole family and dooms all of its members, even the ones born generations later. In fact, it’s those younger generations who become the very essence of Greek tragedy. They are fated to meet a terrible end no matter what they choose to do, despite them not being responsible for any of the atrocities that curse their family, and their fate is set before they were even conceived.
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Kinn and Porsche could have easily become these tragic figures as well. But KPTS breaks the cycle of tragedy through the bond its protagonists created. Where the family of Kinn and Porsche is torn apart by hate and envy, they change the course of their fate by finding love together, as well as a desire to support and make each other happy. And where Jack and Ennis failed to trust each other, Kinn and Porsche manage to build that foundation, and make it a stable one. That’s powerful enough that when the events of the past start surfacing, whether more recent (Vegas and Tawan) or less (Korn and Gun, Porsche’s parents), threatening to tear our lovers’ faith in themselves and the other one apart, they manage to hold on, trust and choose each other still. Which leads us to that last scene on the boat, the one where they commit themselves to one another, sealed by them physically holding each other, safe in the knowledge that they’re truly and completely in love, that they would die for each other, and that, thankfully, now they get to do something better. They get to do what Jack and Ennis could only dream of. They get to live the rest of their lives with each other.
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~ * ~
more: (pool sex mini meta) (all my KPTS meta on AO3)
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As a bonus, here’s Brokeback Mountain’s theme, and Jeff Satur’s Why Don’t You Stay. They’re not similar, but WDYS’ opening always reminded me a little of bits of the BBM theme.
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morgana-ren · 6 months
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What do you think it feels like to be commanded to do something? Can you try fight it? Does it hurt to try?
Do any of your vile 3 in your au have that ability?
Is Astarion a vamp in that au? It's slipped my mind. If he is, what would happen with the other 2 if he ever tried to turn you?
I feel like it becomes as strangely instinctual as breathing. You know when your body does something against your will? Think like... anxiety. Irrational, wholly in your mind, and yet fighting it without the proper tools is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible? Your heart beats on overdrive, your breath comes in short bursts even as you try to regulate it, and it's this liquid lightning pulsing in your veins that burns and hurts, demanding you do something-- but what?
Now imagine that, but you have a goal. Your master becomes a part of your very own being, and even as you try to defy them, you cannot. You do not have the ability. Your body howls and demands you submit, even as you do not want to. Eventually, it will move of its own volition, or you will relent and simply cave; whichever comes first.
Truth is, you never really had a choice in the first place. If they command it, you will obey. You do not have the option to say no. Being bound by ancient curses to forever oblige their bidding. Obedience becomes a part of your very soul. You are completely sentient and awake the entire time, a prisoner within your own flesh.
If they command you to kill, you must. You are compelled. If they command you to kneel, you kneel, even as you grit your teeth to a fine, bloody powder. You are wholly and entirely at their mercy. What they demand of you will come to fruition one way or another, and fighting the instinct only makes it more powerful. You are trapped; completely robbed of your autonomy even as there are no chains or whips or coercion.
As for the Dastardly Three™, Nightmare very much has the ability. Not quite in the way that Cazador does over his spawn, but he is a master manipulator and also an incredibly powerful magic user. He can charm and compel and suggest and even twist your mind.
However, it's very rare that he does. See, he wants you to obey him of your own will, and to be absolutely miserable over it because the alternative is... well, worse. If he commands you to kneel before him, he wants you to have full autonomy when you do, and have the ability to refuse, but you won't, because you are terrified of him.
See, he enjoys the misery and the torture. He likes that. That's like, half the fun for him. He wants you to cry as you lie before him and bend or whatever else sparks his fancy. He wants to know you hate it and have a choice and still choose to obey because you have seen what happens when you do not, and this, even utterly miserable, is the better option.
Reaver can't do magic for shit. He's just going to put a gun in your mouth and have you suck on it until his point is made. That or he will literally just manhandle you and make you do it. Another favorite of his is to offer you two choices: One is wretched, and the other one is absolutely vile beyond comprehension. It's a business tactic, see. Ask for something utterly unreasonable and then offer a still-horrible alternative, but at least it's not the other one!
Astarion is very much a vampire, but in this one, he had the option of an alternate ascension. Nightmare is from the Hells and decided to intervene. He was more or less able to keep his mind and his soul in this one, since he is basically brothers with the extremely powerful devil-prince he made the pact with. Hanging around with Nightmare, however, turned him into an objectively evil shithead.
When they have a shared love interest, Astarion is told off of any thoughts he might harbor about turning her into a vampire. Nightmare is usually the biggest objector of this, because he likes soft, weak, adorable little humans, and turning her into a vampire would make her far too capable of defending herself-- and make her far too obedient to Astarion.
I don't think Astarion is really keen on it either, since he has the means and ability to protect her on his own, and trust me, she isn't going anywhere. Again, half the fun for him is breaking the girl and having her be defiant and disobedient. He likes that. It's no fun to compel her obedience. He wants the fight.
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italoniponic · 2 years
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This is probably the last little ramble I've got in me for a while, but I'm excited about it none the less!!!
Also, I never write these things out. I get the idea, let it simmer in my head, and then I eventually tell someone- usually you. 😂 So I hope that explains why my asks are always so long and rambly. Thank you for reading them! 🎉💛
So... let's say that Crowley discovers that MC cannot be sent home. Now, I've had a few scenarios about this.
One in which Crowley decides that the easiest thing to do is make sure that MC gets married to a lucky student after graduation so she's taken care of- I'll tell you about that one someday if I can find a way to condense it so it isn't so long. It was a fanfiction that I tried to write, but Tumblr ate it.
Another scenario I thought about for this, is Crowley gives MC some students for Ramshackle. Mainly misfits from other dorms, because Ramshackle is basically the Hufflepuff of NRC. This idea caused me to make 6 OCs... what is wrong with me. Anyways, because Crowley thinks "maybe she won't be so lonely!", like these students are puppies or something... but chaos ensues. Chaotic, but I love the OCs I made for this idea.
The last idea I had- and the one I wanted to tell you about, was Crowley feeling bad for MC and allowing her to choose any of the 7 dorms for her and Grim to officially join. I have seen a few Tumblr users play with this idea and I love it. But in my scenario for it, Crowley doesn't tell the MC what he's doing, at first. Instead, he simply sends her and Grim to stay with each dorm for one week, stating that Ramshackle is uninhabitable and needs repairs. He decides that she can choose after being with each dorm for an equal amount of time. She has no idea what is really happening. Grim *does* know, and he's been bribed to keep his mouth shut.
ALL of the other students know, and the teachers too. But Crowley specifically tells the dorm leaders they nor their students are allowed to tell MC about why she's truly staying with them, and they definitely aren't allowed to act any different or try and make their dorm more enticing. Meaning no parties, special events, perks or presents, etc. MC must be treated as every other student... of course, nobody listens to the rules... except for maybe Riddle- but he finds a way to throw MC her very own unbirthday party anyways.
Remember the part where I said Grim knows but was bribed to not tell MC? Yeah, he uses the situation to his advantage. Because it's a known fact to everyone else that Grim is aware of what is truly happening, and everyone knows how much MC loves her cat-monster partner. So basically, happy Grim = happy MC. And happy MC = MC joining their dorm. So Grim manages to get everything he wants.
Staying in Heartsabyul: "Wow Ace, that tart looks so yummy... by chance, would you like to "share" it with me?"
Staying in Scarabia: "You know, Kalim... I bet MC would be so happy if I had a golden collar... hint hint."
Staying in Diasomnia: "That's a nice cloak you got there, Malleus."
Grim would 100% stare each student dead in the eyes and and smirk the entire time he was asking for something. Cue eye-twitch from the victim. Everyone is desperate to get MC to join their dorm so they basically comply with every request Grim has. At some point Grim freakin' cons Azul out of his own damn glasses! And when asked why he did it, Grim simply shrugs and says "because I could."
By the end of their tour of the seven dorms, Grim has a whole stash of treasure and MC is elated over the time spent with her friends. The various dorms all wait impatiently to see who she's chosen. And each dorm head is fairly confident that she has chosen his dorm.
Crowley tells MC the truth about his plans, and then asks her to choose what dorm she'd like to live in.
Cue MC smiling brightly and saying "I'm happy here at Ramshackle! I'd like to stay here."
(Also I just saw in your pinned post that you said you liked Sailor Moon and BNHA. Who are your favorite characters? I love those shows!)
- Swimmy
Swimmy-my-my-my~ all the love to your ideas, its one better than the other lmao I'm always honored that of all people you could chose to share this ideas with, you keep choosing me
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(keep doing the good work, Swimmy my angel <3)
(I decided to copy the first two ideas so its easy to get it)
"One in which Crowley decides that the easiest thing to do is make sure that MC gets married to a lucky student after graduation so she's taken care of- I'll tell you about that one someday if I can find a way to condense it so it isn't so long. It was a fanfiction that I tried to write, but Tumblr ate it."
oh, so this was the fic you talked about </3 I really hope you try again someday bc I already think is amazing! I could think all the ways each boy could be up to the task but it will got sooo long bc I can emerge in the prospects of future au/married life a lot lol
but like... if you ever need help with that... pls... let's go on a rabbit hole about the whole competition + the married life hcs together <3
"Another scenario I thought about for this, is Crowley gives MC some students for Ramshackle. Mainly misfits from other dorms, because Ramshackle is basically the Hufflepuff of NRC. This idea caused me to make 6 OCs… what is wrong with me. Anyways, because Crowley thinks "maybe she won't be so lonely!", like these students are puppies or something… but chaos ensues. Chaotic, but I love the OCs I made for this idea."
SWIMMY OCS AAAAAA I really want to know all of them! Really, really, really! I never thought about this... but yeah, Ramshackle having this Hufflepuff vibes of "we will just throw all the secondary and not so important characters here" </3 not anymore, Crowley! you can regret this idea but MC sure won't
"The last idea I had- and the one I wanted to tell you about, was Crowley feeling bad for MC and allowing her to choose any of the 7 dorms for her and Grim to officially join. I have seen a few Tumblr users play with this idea and I love it. But in my scenario for it, Crowley doesn't tell the MC what he's doing, at first. Instead, he simply sends her and Grim to stay with each dorm for one week, stating that Ramshackle is uninhabitable and needs repairs. He decides that she can choose after being with each dorm for an equal amount of time. She has no idea what is really happening. Grim does know, and he's been bribed to keep his mouth shut."
You can already see that this isn't going to end well (for everyone who isn't Grim ofc lmao) sneaky Crowley~ even sneakier Grim~~
The whole thing of Grim blackmailing the dorms to get nice things, these people fighting over how to make the dorm more comfy and good so MC can stay there, then everything backfires bc MC enjoys Ramshackle dorm with all its imperfections and qualities, the ghosts and ofc Grim <3
everyone like:
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(Azul needed to buy new glasses, Jamil can't believe Kalim spent so much on a golden collar, Ace misses his cherry tart, Malleus is still sulking over his taken cloak, Leona eying Grim bc he ate all his special beefs and other meats they brought for lunch all for this little shit of a racoon or whatever Ruggie I'm going to sleep, Epel watching everyone in Pomefiore having a meltdown bc they brought the most expensive silk cat-house/bed for Grim and he wanted that change dorms would be so easy for him, Idia dead bc he'll need to walk off of Ignihyde just to pet Grim instead of having him just there)
I had a similar idea to this but it wasn't about changing dorms, but still has the thing that everyone does their best to impress MC and convinces her that "oh this one (points at boy) is a good option". Maybe in the future, this idea will see the light too :')
and talking about Sailor Moon and bnha!
SM: my favorite characters are Hotaru (Sailor Saturn), Makoto (Sailor Jupiter), Minako (Sailor Venus), Rei (Sailor Mars), Helios and Mamoru (Tuxedo Mask) <3
BNHA: Kirishima, Ochako, Tsuyu, Tokoyami, Iida, Aizawa, the Big3, Camie, Momo and there's so much more but these are the ones that poped into my mind now <3
later tell me your favorites too, okay? again, thanks for another lovely ask, Swimmy <333
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tanya-ch · 3 months
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Relations with them (Yandere Akutagawa/Yandere Higuchi)
I think at first Ryunosuke didn’t want to share you with her, but then he resigned himself to her insistence. And despite the fact that you are now the center of Ichiya’s attention, she is not averse to sharing you with another of her lovers.~
Although Akutagawa never told his subordinate about his feelings, she understood everything perfectly. It was as if she could read him in his eyes. Which was easy to do, taking into account the amount of time that she spends with Akutagawa.~
You, like Higuchi, were his subordinate, and... at the beginning he shows his feelings for you quite subtly.
For example, he told you -
Not-"I don't need your help" but-
"I don't want to put you in danger"
Ichiie also tried to help you, calling you senpai (a sign of respect), even though you have the same rank.~
When the mafia and the agency crossed paths, for any reason, Ryunosuke's aggression increased dramatically, which is why you mostly deal with paperwork.~
If you are still sent on a mission, but oh my God, without Akutagawa or Higuchi, then rest assured that Ichiie will be closely watching you all the time. Oh no! - if you notice her, then don’t be upset, she really believes in you and your strengths! I hope you understand it.~
They won’t kidnap you, because it’s easier to simply monopolize all your time than to lock you up somewhere. Ryunosuke, using his powers, controls you very much, but Higuchi is too intrusive. Plus, it’s convenient to keep an eye on you and your safety, precisely when you’re nearby, and not at someone from a couple for example.~But what Ryunosuke and Higuchi have in common is their methods of punishment.
Of course, Akutagawa is a little tougher, but Ichiyo has also become a favorite to injure you. If Akutagawa simply does not know how to explain it to you differently, then Higuchi for the most part simply adopts his behavior.~
About your social circle... Most likely these are only black lizards and bosses, which unfortunately the couple cannot prevent.
Although she still trusts her sister Ryunosuke, that’s why your relationship with her is also like that of good friends/relatives. Basically, you go to work, communicate with her, so she of course suspects her brother’s inclinations, but doesn’t see anything critical. (Or maybe just ignores)~
If you have the ability, then Akutagawa will spend a lot of time training you with it, and if not, then Higuchi will help with melee weapons.~
If there is a fight between them, then most likely you will only be with Ryunosuke for a couple of days until they make up.~
I think you eat in cafes/restaurants, since the couple has neither the time nor the appropriate skills. You most likely sleep between Akutagawa and Higuchi, I think Ryunosuke is a light sleeper, so you’re unlikely to be able to leave, even if you want to.
I think Higuchi likes to admire your appearance, but you wear open clothes only in front of her and Ryunosuke. By the way, she chooses clothes for you, no, she doesn’t completely care about your taste, but still listens to you a little. And the owner of the rasshamon frankly doesn’t care what you wear you walk around, the main thing is not too openly. Not many people see you anyway, so why dress up at all?~
NSFW warning!If you are over 18!-
I think this rarely happens to you, because they are too tired.
But still, late at night, they still invite you to relieve stress. If Akutagawa most often has a sharp and rough tempo, then Higuchi is the opposite, although she also has a faster tempo rather than a medium or slow one, and she has to use her fingers, but you doesn't it bother you?
Akutagawa’s kisses are short and most often rare, and most often on the lips. But Ichie kisses you often, no, not in public, and then on the cheek, then on the forehead.
________________________________________
550 words, sorry that I’ve been away for so long, creative crisis (school), in any case, I’ll be glad to see your opinion, kisses!
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Forgotten but not Lost
NOW ON Ao3
Unknown Life Series Season 4 sometime early march? Cubfan? Fwip? The bunnies are a goin folks. Have.... Whatever this is?
Unbetaed.
Forgotten but not Lost
They’re all just standing there. In a circle around a campfire. Its the first time that hes done this, Scar knows. It is not the first time he’s done this. He’s just as sure of that.
And yet, something here is wrong about the tableau before him. He’s never seen these people before in his life. Yet somehow he knows them. Not well, but still its stuff that he should not know about any of them. The werewolf? wolf hybrid? he doesnt know which and hes not sure why thats the questionable point when he knows the man is?was? royalty. Theres also something whispering in the back of his mind about frozen blood and an affront to good taste. To the wolfman’s right just where he should be is his right hand, the one who hears. The Fey is next, chatting quietly with a Demon no animosity present at all. The survivalist is blatantly listening to their conversation while he lightheartedly taunts an Omen whos trying to ignore him in favor of the conversation hes having with the Forge spirit. A Dragon gives him a smile or perhaps its the flash of a fang when their gazes meet.
He returns the grin, threat and greeting all in one before moving on. Theres the innovator, the timekeep, and his other half? former other half? his betrayer? his... The whispers are incoherent. Theres too much there and no time to piece through it at all. His gaze skips over a blank space, before landing on the puppetmaster, Fate’s favorite fighter, and completes the circle with a couple of people the whispers dont have much to say about at all. A glint, and Scar’s attention is drawn not to the pesky bird that the whispers have entirely too much to say about but to the blank space next to him. A space which is now occupied. A space which as always been occupied and Scar knows that this is what’s not... quite right. Black eyes with a spark of electric blue in their depths meet his own hazel evenly as they take each other in. The slightly rumpled young scientist across from him seems content to just study the strange company they both have found themselves apart of. Yet, something about the way he holds himself, the lack of surprise at his own presence here or the appearance of the others, suggests that he knows more than they do. And that the smug trickster finds it funny. And its just as obvious that he knows that Scar knows because he gets a sly half smirk directed his way the longer they stare at each other. It’s Scar who breaks first. “You have something of mine” he states, surprising himself. He doesn’t know how he knows this, he doesnt know where the other man got it, the whispers arnt talking. Theyve been strangley silent since their eyes met, and Scar knows that hes never met the man before in this life. Yet his statement, while attracting everyone elses attention, including a startled squawk from his former soulmate, is simply met with a widening grin that reveals far too many sharp teeth for the mouth they’re in. “I do.” Theres a pause while the rest of the group very loudly tries to figure out exactly when this blank space arrived but cannot to their vexation. “Did you want it back?” Scar almost nods and reaches out a hand before stopping abruptly “What happens if I take it back?” A shrug “You Know what you Are and you are Unfettered and Unbound in what you Can Do” Scar peers at him mulling that over. “I heard those capital letters Sir. What happens if I don’t take it back?” “I keep ahold of if until you decide you want it back” “Its not a limited time offer?” “Ehhhhhhhhh.” the noise is accompanied by a hand wiggle “It is a limited offer” “But not a limited time offer?” “No.” Scar hmms. “You keep it. I think I’ll have more fun figuring things out without it.” The other man nods and looks slightly wistful but accepting, as if he had already known what Scar would choose but had hoped otherwise. Their conversation is interrupted by a cough and the Instigator says from somewhere to his left “And with that cryptic conversation out of the way, lets get on with it shall we?” *****************************************************************************************************
Its later that same day and Scar has since learned that the blank space’s name is Cub and the one responsible is Grian, along with a host of other names which are frankly a lot easier to remember than the epithets that the whispers were offering when he stumbles across the pair of them arguing about something in the forest. “Listen, Grian” Cub says, clearly done with whatever is going on here. “We’re done. You’ve got resources to collect and so do I. But before I bounce, riddle me this; what is a watcher to a vex?” The words mean nothing to Scar, but Grian apparently does as do the whispers. He can feel their tension and can see just how tense and pale Grian has gotten, before he grits out a “I dont know” “Dinner and a Show” Cub answers before turning around and striding off deeper into the dark oak forest. “So step lightly, little watcher, before someone takes a bite”
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riskybeep2 · 2 years
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•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙  A little bit of Rinne brainrot, I just think a lot about him
•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙  Pairing: Rinne x gn!reader
•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙  Fluffy drabble
•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙  Word count: 832
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Oh, to go on a date night with Rinne. The arcade and the movies are the first things that come to mind. Thankfully, you have your favorite places.
Watching a movie with Rinne would be an adorable time.
As soon as you settle down, he lifts up the arm of the seat that separates you two, pushes the popcorn box into your arms and wraps his own around your shape as he slumps onto you, faces squished together. Rinne is definitely a clingy lover, he likes feeling you close to him, it fills him with comfort.
You barely move throughout the movie, too warm and comfortable in his embrace. Although when the weight of his head becomes too crushing, you will wiggle your way out to rest on his chest.
Because of his big hands and mindless movements, he tends to grab handfuls of popcorn at a time and doesn´t stop until the box is empty. So you have made a rule for the both of you; you are the designated popcorn distributer, alternating between eating some yourself and feeding him.
Sometimes he will nibble your fingers or lick or kiss them, just to get a reaction out of you, which in turn, earns him a smack to the chest.
The low vibrations in his chest when he snickers at a funny scene.
The speeding up of his heartbeat during an intense scene.
His deep, shaky breaths while he tries to keep it together during a sad scene.
Usually, unless he is utterly engrossed in whatever you might be watching, he will caress your hair, rub your shoulder, and give you little pecks on your cheek. He simply cannot keep himself still for too long, and it shows. Sometimes he might even tease you by lightly grabbing your chin and turning you to face him, only for him to give your forehead a playful lick. He receives another smack to the chest.
Once you leave the theater, you walk, hand in hand, looking for a place to eat, drink, or towards your favorite arcade. While walking, Rinne enjoys swinging his arm back and forth, the pull making you jerk forward and backwards in turn, given the size difference. Sometimes, when he is feeling extra clingy, he will keep his arm thrown lazily around your waist or shoulders.
In the arcade, though, he lets you lead the way, allowing you to choose your favorite games, but being as competitive as ever when it comes to beating you and getting as many tickets as he can.
Of course, you have to keep him from diverting to the pachinko machines when he spots them. Pulling him and trying to keep his attention on you. All the while he whines dramatically. It happened once though, one time you did spend a good hour sitting, bored from playing arcade games by yourself after he told you he would be only doing a couple of rounds in this new machine. And not to mention you don’t have the money to afford his gambling addiction once the funds for your date have run out.
He also likes the claw machines, a bit too much, which came as a surprise the first time he got invested in one.
What you didn’t know was that he had noticed the way you kept looking at a particular plushie of one of your favorite animals. At that moment, he decided he wanted to win you said plushie, of course, he would not tell you that, instead he covered up saying he wouldn’t let a machine beat him, assuring you he knew how they worked. Cue him spending way more than he needed to before the claw finally dropped the cute plushie into the box. Your bright smile and the sparkle in your eyes made him feel all warm inside. Yes, it was worth it. For you.
Rinne secretly loves the praise you give him when he does something cool. The ego boost is much more effective when it comes from you. The triumphant look on his face when he gets a high score in a game or wins a prize in the claw machine is something he cannot hide, especially when you look at him full of love and admiration.
That’s why, since then, every time you go to the arcade, Rinne puts extra effort in winning you whatever plushie he sees you looking at with particular interest or enthusiasm. He would never tell you this, but he has built a habit of saving pennies whenever he can, so he can make sure to win you as many plushies you want.
To you, Rinne is a chaotically clingy, whiny and overall adorable boyfriend.
Rinne is a sweetheart. He likes you so much, too much. He would do anything to see your smile, the smile you only show to him when he spoils you or does something genuinely nice.  And he wouldn’t change you for the world. As you mean the world to him.
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janichroma · 2 years
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I know you're removing insane mode but I really hope you don't end up making normal mode too easy with that new blog post. I couldn't get into Reborn because the new update was so much easier compared to last time I played or at least have an options that player can choose an easy normal mode or the same difficult normal mode we've had
Sooo, there's a comment on the thread I posted that reads very similar to this, even misspelling "intense" mode as "insane". Of course, there's always the chance this is just another person (probably from rejuv-gen) who decided to waddle their way here and throw this at me. Regardless, I'm going to pretend this is the same person so that I can vent out my extreme frustration with people.
Very quickly, I want to ask, what is the point in sending this to me here, again? If you posted this in the thread already and you read my comments, then you know that I said I'm reading all responses! So! there can only be a few options, let's go through them together.
To be obnoxious.
You actually didn't read anything at all, or you disregarded what I said because you too are frustrated.
You reeeeeally wanted to make sure I read your opinion personally.
Okay! Which one is the correct answer here?
...
That's right! All the above.
I'm gonna make this crystal clear for everyone. I cannot, and will not bust my ass to make everyone happy with this game. I've tried and it doesn't work. It is simply out of my realm of possibility at this point. Not even the Pokemon Company themselves is capable of doing that.
---
Scenario 1:
Intense Mode exists: People yell at me because it's "unfair". Balance Team: *adjusts difficulty due to response* Result: Intense Mode players yell at me because I'm ruining their experience.
Scenario 2:
Sends out a Survey: People send in their comments about particular fights. Balance Team: *adjusts difficulty due to response* Result: More intense players yell at me because I'm responding to data.
Scenario 3: Specific Part of the game: People send me asks detailing why they don't think it's good or how it can be improved. Me: *Takes their criticism and apply it* Result: Omg Jan is redoing the game again lol! 🤪
---
That's sooo awesome. That's like, my favorite thing ever, actually. Wtf do you want from me?
I am one guy. A singular person. I am not here to fix Pokemon's innate mistakes.
It doesn't matter how this game's balance is modified. I will piss someone off somewhere and somehow. I've accepted that. All I can do is make the experience as healthy as possible, because as the head developer it's my job to do so. You guys have it easier. Eventually, through trials and tribulations you will win every battle you go through. But I am playing a game where I will always lose.
And lastly, while this isn't directed towards you specifically, I'm tired of people being bold enough to talk to me like they know me. We're not friends. I don't know you, you don't know me. I don't care if you think this isn't a pokemon game story wise, I don't care if you dont like where the story is going, I won't hurry up because you're impatient, and I don't care if you hate a certain character. Stop asking me about romance. Go complain somewhere else, I'm sick of it.
tl:dr - life sucks
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thekingofwinterblog · 2 years
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Day 3 - Funniest Moment In The Show
Well for this one, i literarily wrote an entire breakdown of my favorite joke, and why it works so well, so i might as well just Repost my analysis of the funniest moment, in what i consider the funniest Amphibia Episode.
The Dinner.
The Dinner, is probably the funniest episode of all of Amphibia. It's an expertedly crafted masterpiece that utilizes everything the show has spend 2 seasons worth of character building to set up with moments that are both hilarious, and 100% built of off the characters involved.
But i think my absolute favorite joke in the entire thing, has to be Sasha's attempt at drawing a tree, and how each of the Plantars manage to piss her off in such a way that it really does seem to her like all 3 are completely and totally doing everything they can to piss her off(When it's really just sprig).
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It all starts with Sasha drawing a perfectly basic tree, which none of the participants in the game gets.
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That's kinda funny, but what makes it even better is that there is a specific reason why the frogs and Grime aren't able to associate this with a tree, because as we see in the season 1 episode "Family Shrub", this kind of imagery just isn't associated with trees by Amphibia's inhabitants. But instead with shrubs.
Hell, Hop pop pretty much calls Anne crazy for suggesting it could be replaced by a tree.
It is literarily a piece of alien artwork to them, drawing trees in a way that Amphibians just don't do.
No wonder not one of the Amphibians are able to get it.
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And then, Polly, the youngest Plantar family suggests it's meant to symbolize Toad Tower exploding.
She doesn't do this just to piss Sasha off, but because she genuinely thinks that it looks like that, and being as young as she is, she either doesn't quite get just how painful the memories of it is to Sasha(Just as much as it is to Anne), or she doesn't care, or a combination thereof.
Anne, who for some reason doesn't get what it's supposed to look like either, understands that at the very least it's not Toad tower, and tries to suggest that being the case, only to be interrupted by Hop Pop.
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Hop Pop latches unto the idea that it's the tower, because he kinda gets what Polly is talking about, and when forced to think on the spot, Hop Pop has an amazing ability to be the most awkward guy you could possibly meet(5 minutes earlier, he told an incredibly racist and offensive joke to the one guy who would find it absolutely hilarious because to him, it was so true.).
So without thinking about it at all, he just continues rambling.
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And having been there, he recalls the most memorable moment of that night, where Sasha decided to give her life for Anne, he "points" out where on the picture he thinks this took place.
And being his usual self, he puts his foot in his mouth further by connecting it to the other moment that he recalls from that night. Namely Anne choosing the Plantars over Sasha.
Not too surprisingly, the moment, which was arguably the most intimate moment Sasha and Anne ever had, is a very, VERY touchy and personal moment for Sasha, and so having it dragged up is likely to hit some nerves.
Having it further dragged up in a manner that makes fun of her deciding to kill herself rather than let Anne die with her, is incredibly emotionally painful for Sasha, and it's not surprising that at this point, she goes from trying to be a good guest to being outright pissed.
Frankly speaking, Sasha would have made the choice to die for Anne regardless of her choice of Sasha and the Plantars, so for Sasha this is Hop Pop just outright taunting her.
But at the very least, he isn't doing it on purpose. He's just being an awkward, awkward old man.
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No, that role falls to his grandson, who seems to think that the rest of the family actually IS intentionally picking on Sasha, and so decides to get in on the action, by pointing to an event that simply cannot possibly be depicted in the picture Sasha drew.
You can kinda see where Hop Pop and Polly is coming from in this being a depiction of Toad Tower. But there is no way anyone could ever seriously claim to see Sasha in this picture "Plummeting to her possible death".
This is purely Sprig being a little shit, and taunting Sasha because he wants to do so.
It is also stepping over a line. And unlike Hop Pop, it is a line Sprigg steps over intentionally, and with no regret.
And it's at this point Sasha finally snaps.
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"It's a a TREE! YOU MORONS, A TREE!"
It's a great sequence, but that's not even the punchline.
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Because Hop Pop, in the moment being completely oblivious to the fact that this is a very volatile situation, decides that rather than being diplomatic, and give Sasha some leeway, to instead continue with the game, and send her to the shame corner.
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Which the younger Plantars act like children about, which just clinches it for Sasha that yes, they seriously dragged up what was up until that moment probably the most traumatic moment of her entire life and made fun of it, and her choice to die for Anne, just to trigger her and make her lose the game.
Needless to say, she absolutely loses it, and it's hard to blame her, but at the same time the audience knows that other than Sprig, this is just the Plantars being their usual selves.
It's an expertedly crafted joke sequence that is both hilarious in how it crosses the line twice, it's built entirely on how each of the characters acts in situations like this, builds off continuity, and creates a strong moment of conflict fueled by the shortcomings of every character involved eithouth either the plantars(As a whole at least, not so much for Sprig) or Sasha being completely in the right.
And all of this masterful storytelling takes no more than 45 seconds to tell, all without being rushed. Anyone can tell a joke. Actually crafting a sequence that is both funny, painful, and emotional, all based on the characters involved that takes true skill.
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dklem · 4 years
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was tagged by @judedeluca! thanks~
Rules: Choose 10 favorite characters/people from 10 different fandoms, then tag 10 people.
Arche Klaine (Tales of Phantasia) Asuka Langley Soryuu (Neon Genesis Evangelion) Damian Wayne (DC Comics) Elliot Nightray (Pandora Hearts) Kageyama Ritsu (Mob Psycho 100) Koto (Kyousougiga) Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic) Neil Josten (All for the Game) Sawamura Eijun (Daiya no A) Xion (Kingdom Hearts)
uhh i shall tag @lizzyfalls @eau-de-low-budget @lukubird @albinohummingbird @furuyawn @kuroash @narlith @ariaqueiroz @fairymascot @bbbutterfingers @wingedskyes (oops thats eleven but its not like anyone is counting) and anyone that wants too, feel free to say i tagged you~
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twilight-orchid · 3 years
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How the Undatebales React After A Fight
Thank you to my friendo @wholelottatiffy ​ who helped me brainstorm this one. I’m only on chapter 19 at the moment, so I haven’t interacted with anyone but Diavolo much. And thank you to everyone who wanted a follow up to my previous post, I did not expect that. Y’all are super sweet!
tw: Fighting (a bit more in depth than my first post), description of panic attack, minor name calling, insecurity, depression, angst with resolution.
Diavolo:
Diavolo doesn’t know what to do with himself. 
To start, we need to talk about how the argument unfolds.
He’s not used to arguing. 
He’s Lord Diavolo, Prince of The Devildom, head of the RAD student council. No one defys him on anything.
So you raising your voice at him, trying to get him to see your way,
It was very overwhelming.
He tried to reason calmly with you at first, but he felt cornered. 
When fight or flight kicked in, his body chose fight.
His wings burst open in all their glory as he screamed back, his towering frame far more intimidating than yours.
The blind rage is slapped out of him when he sees your terrified face.
If you’re at the castle, he’ll order you to leave if you haven’t already. Anywhere else, he’ll turn and leave without a word. 
He wants to put distance between you both for fear of making things worse.
He absolutely cannot believe he just blew up at you. He would have never thought he'd raise his voice at his partner regardless of the situation.
He can’t shake the image of you flinching from him from his mind.
Now, being the prince of hell certainty has it’s perks; He has power, influence, and everything he could want.
But the one thing he wants the most seems to evade him no matter what: a friend.
A real friend. 
He has Barbatos and Lucifer, but it’s Barbatos’ job to accompany the prince, and Lucifer is bound to Diavolo whether he likes the future king or not.
MC was the first person who chooses to be with and around him for no other reason than the fact that they love him.
And now he’s terrified them. Gotten in their face and screamed at them.
He assumes he’s permanently driven you away.
As soon as you leave or he gets home, he rushes to find Barbatos. To explain what happened and hope his butler would know what to do.
He’ll text Lucifer and ask him to check on you as well.
He just feels lost. 
He wanders the palace aimlessly and he can’t focus on his work without his thoughts drifting to you.
He doesn’t feel like going to school or even getting out of bed. He doesn’t want to speak to anyone - to put on a happy face and pretend his world isn’t shaking.
Yet, a prince has his responsibilities. He will go about his normal public appearances as usual, smile and laugh and carry on, but it’s a mask.
Those close to him clearly notice the prince isn’t himself.
After school he visits the spots that you two visit together frequently.  
Anything to make him feel as if you are still at his side.
If you don’t sleep in his bed that night, he’ll take it as proof that he was right and that you don’t want to be with him anymore.
He doesn’t sleep that night. He clutches your pillow that still smells of you and just bawls. 
He will tell Barbatos he feels unwell the next morning and to postpone his obligations for the day.
This prompts Barbatos to seek you out and see if he can help resolve the issue.
Barbatos tries to stay out of your relationship as he doesn't feel it's his business, but his job is to assist Diabolo in any way necessary. And right now, he needs you more than anything.
If you sleep at his side still, it will be a glimmer a hope. That all may not be lost. 
He’ll give you you space that night. He’ll walk around you on eggshells but always watch you from the corner of his eye to gauge the temperature.
He avoids your gaze, stays on the other side of the room as you prepare for bed, and as much as it kills him, doesn’t hug you or kiss you goodnight.
He spends the night staring at your sleeping face and making silent promises that, if you forgive him, he will never let this happen again.
He thinks of how to apologize. What he could say, what he could do. 
Ultimately though, it feels like everything he could think of is too little of an apology. 
He pretends to be asleep when he sees you stir and decides to let you choose if you want to forgive him on your own.
You will have to approach him first. 
He thinks losing his temper with you was unacceptable and feels like he has no right to ask for your forgiveness.
Worse, he’s terrified of not being given forgiveness.
Thus, I feel a fight with Diavolo will take as long as you let it. He’s willing to suffer as long as you need him to.
Barbatos:
Barbatos doesn’t argue. He sits quietly and watches you, his responses calm but absolute.
He’s no pushover, he will defend his side, but he’s not going to enter a screaming match. It’s just not him.
You know you’ve really gotten under his skin when he offers a tight, forcefully pleasant smile.
He finally shuts down the conflict with "It's your right to feel that way just as it's mine to disagree." And leave it at that.
Post argument, he will avoid you and lock his feelings about the fight inside.
He tells himself he doesn’t have time to deal with the terrible feeling clawing at his heart and takes to his duties as an escape.
If you sleep in another room, he realizes that this isn’t a minor disagreement and he’s suddenly very distressed.
His instinct is to use his future vision. 
To scour the timelines and see how the different versions of himself handle it and to replicate the one with the most desirable outcome.
However, he stops himself. He feels it isn’t fair to you. 
You have a right to be upset about things and he doesn’t want to manipulate the situation, and by extension, you.
Thus, he must find another way to cope.
He’s always a devoted butler, but it’s not his whole life. 
He takes time for himself throughout the day and in the evenings. Unless Diavolo needs him, nights are usually his to do with as he wants.
Now, however, his identity becomes Diavolo’s butler. 
He’s constantly asking for extra work and hovering more than usual around the young lord in hopes of being given a task. 
Diavolo finds it odd and asks about it, but he brushes it off. This isn’t anyone else’s business, least of all his employer’s.
Even though Barbatos won’t tell him, Diavolo can clearly tell his friend is off.
In hopes of giving him something to distract himself with, Diavolo requests hellfire mushroom rolled cigar cookies and Barbatos jumps on the opportunity. 
Baking has always been his escape as well as his happy place. Diavolo’s favorite isn’t easy to make, so he looked forward to the task.
And it worked. Keeping track of the ingredients, the steps, and the technique required was enough to occupy his mind.
But then it was time to wait for it to bake. 
He suddenly feels trapped in the suffocating silence of the kitchen.
His mind replays the argument on repeat as he falls down a rabbit hole of what ifs.
He loves you more than anything and the last thing he could ever want is for you to be mad at him.
No, the worst thing would to no longer be able to call you his.
Suddenly, he becomes aware of the sharp scent of burnt food.
He jumps up and runs to the oven. He’d been so lost in thought he hadn’t noticed the timer go off.
He pulls the blackened desert out, puts the cookie sheet on the stove top, and just stares at the burnt cookies.
His sight blurs and a soft sob escapes from the prison he’s created in his heart.
He wasn’t crying because he burnt the cookies, but because they were a visual representation of everything he’s been trying to suppress.
Once he collects himself, he knows he can’t continue like this. 
He doesn’t want to invade your space in case you’re still mad, but he needs a resolution.
He’ll send a quick text and silently begs you to respond. 
“MC, I understand if you are still upset with me, but would you be willing to talk though it? I look forward to hearing from you.”
If you still sleep with him that night, it is a great weight off of his shoulders. 
He hopes it means that it will be easier to make up with you and that you aren’t too mad.
When you wake up, he will be watching you like he has all night with a small, tired smile. 
He’ll put on your favorite tea as you get ready for the day then asks if you’d be willing to talk things over.
Because of how it affects both his job and himself, a fight with Barbados will not last long. He’ll seek a resolution by one, maybe two days tops.
Solomon: 
Lucifer may be the avatar of pride, but Solomon can certainly give the demon a run for his money.
In the moment of a particularly heated argument, he absolutely will not admit he’s wrong. 
In fact, he really doesn’t consider it a possibility.
There’s no point in trying to get him to see your side until things have calmed down. It’s like talking to a brick wall.
He won’t yell, but he gets a pissy, condescending tone and almost talks down to you.
If you really push his buttons, his patience with this “useless” argument runs out.
“Oh please, listen to yourself! You’re acting like a dull child!”
Freezes as soon as it leaves his mouth.
He didn’t mean to say that.
He opens his mouth to apologize immediately, but upon seeing your hurt reaction he becomes flustered and can’t get the words out.
He’ll simply turn and leave. 
He’s absolutely furious with himself. 
Solomon is old and wise. He’s seen many things, been many places, and he knows many things.
Sometimes though, he needs a reminder that he doesn’t know everything.
Even if he still feels he was right, he knows name-calling is unacceptable.
In fact, he doesn’t miss the irony that he was the one being childish. 
His self-fury is replaced by overwhelming worry if you sleep in another room that night.
Of all the treasures he’s come across, none were as precious as you. 
He can’t stand the thought of losing you because of his thoughtlessness.
For once, he feels like an idiot.
He locks himself in his study that night and brainstorms on how to make it up to you.
He decides to approach you in the morning at RAD. He’s terrified that you think he actually meant the insult and wants to clear the air as soon as possible.
He’s afraid of you taking anything less than his highest praise to heart or for you to think that he views you as below himself. 
The thought of how he must have made you feel makes him sick to his stomach.
The more he thinks about it, the more his body demands that he act. 
While he has many virtues, patience is not high on his list. 
Assuming you returned to The House of Lamentation that night, he’ll text Asmo to explain what happened and asks if he’d let him in first thing in the morning.
Thus, when you leave to head for breakfast, be careful not to trip over your sorcerer who’s seated against the wall outside of your room.
He scrambles to his feet, his hair and clothes a mess and bags heavy under his eyes.
“MC! Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I just- *sighs* I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. Would you be willing to discuss the matter again? The right way this time.”
If you do sleep with him, he’s at least relieved that you don’t seem like you plan to leave him.
Once again, however, he wants to clear the air as soon as he can.
You’ll both be sitting in silence as you get ready for bed. He’s clearly lost in thought, his eyes focused unblinking on his feet and any movements slow and disjointed.
He's not sure how to apologize, if it's too soon, and is afraid to make things worse if it's not an appropriate time.
However, seeing you move about the room he decides to risk it so he doesn't risk losing you.
Suddenly, he stands up straight and locks eyes with you.
“MC, we don’t have to talk about the fight tonight, but I need you to know that I didn’t mean what I said. I’m sorry.”
It’s up to you if you want to forgive him immediately, but he will at least apologize for the insult as soon as he gathers his thoughts.
Simeon:
If you yell at him, Simeon is just gonna sit there stunned
Your relationship is usually as laid back as he is, so he doesn't know what to do with you blowing up at him.
All he knows it that this is bad and he needs to find a way to make you happy again. 
The thought of losing you takes precedence over everything and, though he will not sway to your side just because you’re upset, the argument loses any worth it had to him.
He’ll go to Solomon almost immediately in hopes your fellow human might know better about how arguments are resolved between human couples.
He becomes very distressed when Solomon says everyone handles it differently. He then asks what he should to make up with you specifically.
He doesn't have a defined emotion right now, he's just on edge. He wants to gather information first and foremost so he can figure out what to do from there.
He’s just a walking ball of anxiety and those close to the angel even become concerned. No one has seen him like this before.
If you decide to sleep in another room, the anxiety just takes over. 
His chest feels like fiery chains are crushing his ribs, he can hear his heart is hammering in his head, and his body begins to shake as if he were buried in an avalanche.
He doesn’t realize he’s crying as he struggles to breathe.
Solomon had expected something like this may happen so he made sure to be nearby to help coach him though it.
Once he’s calmed down, Solomon urges him to talk to you as soon as possible.
Simeon isn't sure though. True, he wasn't in a good place, but he didn't want to push you if you weren't ready to talk.
He doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t feel like he can think let alone coherently tell you how he feels.
He begins to feel overwhelmed again and decides to try writing down his thoughts in hopes of it helping him sort through the tsunami of emotions consuming him.
While it doesn't completely calm him down, it does help.
He stares down at the messy, tear blotted papee and has an idea.
The next morning you should expect to find a hand-written letter slipped under you door.
The letter is long and and rambling. His usually pristine handwriting is as shaky as his hands were when writing it.
It's not as dense and heartbroken as his original one, but the further it goes the more desperate his words become.
He writes about how much you mean to him and apologizes for allowing things to get that intense. He writes that he loves you and doesn’t want to lose you. 
He reminisces about his favorite memories of you two together more than once.
Finally, that no disagreement you two could ever have is more importantly to him than being with you.
It's really just a collection of everything sitting on his heart at the moment.
That day at RAD he’ll watch you from the sidelines and pray you approach him about the letter so you two can work things out.
If you still sleep in his bed, he’ll be very conflicted about if he should approach you yet. 
He’s afraid of making it worse if you’re still mad.
However, Simeon is an open book when it comes to his emotions so you will absolutely be able to tell that he’s freaking out.
So please, save the man a terrible night and talk it though with him.
He wants you to not be angry anymore, but even if you’re still upset just having concrete information to cling to will help him immensely. 
He’s thinking of all the worst case scenarios and needs reassurance that the relationship isn’t over.
Simeon will try to make up within a day, so however long it lasts after that is up to you.
Luke (MC is his best friend):
Luke will be very, very distressed. 
You’re his best friend aside from Simeon. Friends don’t fight like this, right?
Wait, so if you’re fighting with him, does that mean you’re not his friend anymore???
As soon as the thought enters his mind, he decides that must be the case. 
Real friends don’t fight with each other like this.
Externally he takes a “I don’t need a lousy human like you for a friend anyway” attitude. 
He’s not just testy with you though, anyone who interacts with him that day learns that chihuahuas bite.
Simeon immediately realizes something isn’t right and is very concerned.
As soon as he asks him what’s wrong, Luke's mask of anger is discarded and he tosses himself in the older angel’s arms crying hysterically.
He doesn’t want to lose you for a friend.
I doubt Luke has ever truly argued with someone so this uncharted territory is earth shattering to him.
Simeon, as he tries to calm Luke, he will text you and ask you to come to wherever they are immediately.
Because of Simeon’s intervention, the fight will only go undiscussed for a few hours max.
Again, sorry if I don’t know these characters as well as I’d like yet. Thank you for reading! 
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absolutelyfizzing · 3 years
Text
little dove
loki x reader
description - Loki acted so caring around you, more so than anyone else in his life. He loved to take care of you, especially when you had a long day, and he got teased by some of the team for it.
warnings - fem reader, cute loki and pet names, implications of gender fluid loki?, reader gets picked up, slight implications of a nsfw theme the night before
word count - 1900
A/N - this is a pretty plotless blurb but i just love this man, i have been obsessed with the new series and just wanted to write anything about him. i will inevitably be writing for him more so please end me now. there are no spoilers for the new series and it takes place in an AU after new york but pretty much otherwise out of timeline. all the avengers live at the compound together, endgame didnt happen and no i wont talk about it.
MASTERLIST
Loki was not someone who was overly friendly. To most of the people in the compound, he was courteous at best. That rule, however, was bent occasionally. The only exceptions were you and his brother (some of the time). He had been smitten with you the moment he saw you though he would never admit it. You were bubbly and light and the exact opposite of him. You were so friendly and kind that it almost made him want to be the same.
You were kind to him, which he was shocked by. Most of the people in the compound tolerated him but they were never caught being too nice. You, on the other hand, were friendly to him the day you met him.
You weren't an Avenger, you weren't really even a fighter. You were a genius in the medical field as well as the unofficial caretaker of everyone on the team. You made sure that they all ate, they didn't overwork themselves, that they were getting enough sleep every night because they were your closest friends. Everyone listened to you. You had this power over them all that they just wanted to make sure you were happy and that meant they wanted to do what you asked of them. They tried their best to take care of you as well.
When you met Loki and were very nice to him, he expected some ulterior motive. He assumed that there was something you wanted or that you would gain his trust and then humiliate him later. So he kept his guard up. This was proved wrong over the months to come. He noticed that you were that kind to everyone and you were just happy to be around other people. He let you in over time.
You became the only person who he opened up to, even more than his brother. You would keep him company even when he lashed out at others and when he was filled with guilt. You forgave him for his past without question and opened up to him as well. It took probably 3 months for Loki to realize that he was in love with you.
He couldn't believe himself. In love with a midgardian? What was he thinking?
But it was undeniable and uncontrollable. He just couldn't help himself. You would read to him and watch movies with him. You would braid his hair when he was stressed and would teach him how to cook when he asked. You were just everything to him. It took him a long time to confess. He was terrified that you would reject him. You could have had anyone you wanted, why would you choose him?
When he did confess, you were thrilled and he couldn't believe it. You kissed him and he thought he could die happy right then and there. He had never felt this much love for anyone besides his mother.
You continued to break his walls down and he fell deeper in love with you every day. He didn't, however, change his behavior towards others very much. He had grown closer to the team, having regained some trust from them all. He was no longer aggressive and he tried very hard not to lash out. Most of that was out of his own desire to be trusted. He realized that he was going to have to make his life work to remain with you and he slowly learned that most of the people in the compound weren't actually as awful as he might have originally guessed. That didn't mean that his personality changed toward them though. He was still slightly cold and short. He wouldn't smile too much and he was what some might call grumpy most of the time.
That only changed around you and everyone noticed. Loki got teased for it constantly and he couldn't care less. He just wanted to make you happy and he had no regard for what anyone thought of your relationship.
He was waiting patiently in the common area of the compound on the couch. Steve and Rhodey were sat on the couch watching something that Loki didn't recognize or care for, it was some kind of reality TV. When he heard the elevator door open he looked toward the door and you were walking towards him. A grin spread over his face and his posture relaxed. He could hear the men on the couch scoff at his sudden change in demeanor. When you got close to him he picked you up and pulled you to straddle his hips on his lap and immediately began kissing all over you. You buried your face in his chest and he kissed your hair.
"How are you, my love?" He mumbled sweetly and you hummed. "Long day?" he questioned and you nodded in affirmation. "Lets go get you some food then, yes?" He asked lightly and you hummed happily. He picked you up and you clung to him, arms and legs wrapping around him. He carried you with ease toward the kitchen. It shocked you sometimes how much he could lift and how easily he lifted you but you had to remind yourself that he was indeed a god.
"How come you never treat us that way?" Rhodey called from the couch and Loki grumbled a bit.
"Oh I'm sorry did you want me to pick you up and make you some tea?" He asked sarcastically and you giggled from where your face was pressed into his chest. He smiled at the fact that he had gotten you to laugh and he set you on the countertop. He tried to pull away to make you some food but you did not let him leave you, still holding on to the front of the shirt that he was wearing. "Do you want to talk about your day?" He asked sweetly, kissing your forehead lightly. You gazed up at him lovingly and his heart skipped a beat.
"I'm just tired. People are annoying and I didn't exactly sleep much last night." You winked at the last part. He smirked at your comment.
"I'm sorry, my love. I was under the impression that you enjoyed what we did last night but I would be happy to give you plenty of time to sleep tonight if that's what you would prefer." he teased and you punched him lightly in the chest.
"Okay fine you're right, I like getting kept up." You confessed. You paused for a moment and his eyes remained on you as he waited patiently for you to continue. "I was mistaken for an intern again today. You would think that after over a year of working here that people would recognize my name and my work but today there were some new investors walking through the facility. When they came to look at my work they started to talk to one of my coworkers and then turned to me to ask me to get them a coffee order while they waited for the doctor to arrive." You grumbled, your mood now sour at the memory. Loki frowned and he felt his anger begin to take shape inside of him. His eyes flashed green for a moment.
"Would you like me to go and teach them a lesson? Perhaps just to mildly terrify them?" he asked, fully serious. That cheered you up plenty and you chuckled. Loki knew that you were laughing because of the absurdity of his statement and the fact that he was dead serious but he was just happy to see you smile again. "I will never understand the midgardian obsession with gender roles. Though I suppose my own identity is more fluid than most asgardians as well." He confessed and you brought your hand to rest on the side of his face. He leaned his head into your hand as he beamed at you. You loved when he compared his home to yours. It reminded you just how powerful he was and that he still chose to spend his days with you. There was suddenly a flash of green before he held his hand out to you, now holding a bouquet of your favorite flowers. When you gasped and moved to grab them he slipped from your grasp to move towards the refrigerator.
"Hey that's not fair, you tricked me." You pouted at him, now grumbling that you couldn't hold him anymore.
"Little dove, I cannot make you food when you hold onto me. When I am finished cooking then you can stay with me for as long as you would like." He promised and you nodded solemnly. He quickly pressed another kiss to your cheek before moving around the kitchen to prepare you waffles as he often did when you were having a long day. You observed the beautiful flowers in your hand and watched him as he moved around the kitchen, a million times more comfortable than he had been when he first moved into the compound. You talked contentedly with the people passing by as well as the man who was diligently trying to improve your mood. Occasionally one of the other team members would walk by and laugh a bit at how caring he was acting toward you, all of them just happy you were content though. Eventually Thor stopped by while Loki put some batter into the waffle iron and sliced some fruit.
"You know, this is the happiest I have ever seen him." He stated simply, a smile in is voice.
"It's the happiest I've been too." You responded with a small grin.
"The last time I saw him open up to someone the way that he opens up to you was on Asgard with our mother. She would be happy to see him being so vulnerable again." He patted your back and walked away as tears started to come to your eyes. The brothers would talk of their mother sometimes and Loki often mention the fact that he believed she would have loved you, if not for your own personality then for what you did for her son. You wished that you could meet her.
You were suddenly taken out of your thoughts by someone handing you a plate of waffles and sliced up fruit with a little container of syrup on the side. You looked up at Loki and nearly cried right there. You put the plate aside for a moment to reach out and pull him into a crushing hug. He was a bit startled but responded quickly, a hand going to the back of your head and his fingers brushing through your hair soothingly.
"Did something happen, my love?" He asked softly and you sniffled a bit.
"Just love you and I'm very thankful for everything you do for me." You got out and he affirmed to himself that he would die for you in an instant.
"I love you too, darling, but I slaved away at those waffles and now they are getting cold." He teased and he kissed your hair gently. You took a deep breath before pulling away, looking up at him with love. You smiled and then hopped off of the counter. He walked with you over to the dining table where he sat next to you and serenely waited as you ate, the food lifting your spirits a bit and easing your anxiety of the day. You planned on spending the rest of it with the man next to you as well as every day after that.
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alwaysmarveling · 3 years
Text
Call Me Back
Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x reader
Warnings: death, a small sexual innuendo, and lots of commas and long sentences
Word Count: 3.4k
Summary: You and Wanda promised each other you would always call to check in, and Wanda’s going to do her best to keep that promise, no matter what.
The first time you met Wanda was… well, when was the first time you met Wanda? Was it when wisps of red flashed in front of your eyes, projecting images so horrific and lifelike that you all but collapsed in a heartbeat? Or was it when she stepped forward to shake your hand timidly, grief and determination filling the witch as she promised to make up for it?
“I- I wouldn’t have done it if I… we were just trying…”
“Don’t worry about it,” you had told her with a smile before confiding in her about your own missteps, how you’d wreaked havoc on all of New York with your powers of body modification after your own parents died, how Fury finally got the Avengers to catch you, and how they quickly became your new family.
-
“You mean they really almost burned the kitchen down trying to make you a birthday cake?” The brunette giggled later that night as you recounted the story of your sixteenth birthday, the two of you sitting comfortably beside each other on the living room sofa.
“Yup. And when Nat showed up with an ice cream cake fifteen minutes later to find smoke in the living room, Sam told me she freaked on everyone.”
“Excuse me, Y/N, I did not do any ‘freaking.’ God, is that what you teenagers are calling it now?” The two of you erupted into laughter, and the redhead could do nothing more than shake her head, a smirk playing on her lips no matter how hard she tried to conceal it.
---
Much like Nat and Steve predicted, the two of you became fast friends. You sat next to each other on movie nights, sang karaoke in your room when you thought everyone else was asleep (if they weren’t awake when you started, they certainly were once you were thirty seconds into Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”), and, much to Steve’s dismay, when you finally became confident with your ability to grow wings on your back, snuck out regularly for late-night flights around the compound.
But you also insisted on being there for Wanda’s training sessions, even if it meant you had to wake up an hour earlier. You cradled the witch in your arms when she woke up night after night with an aching hole in her heart before you eventually insisted you guys just share a room. And you promised her, above everything else, that when you went out for anything, whether it be a quick grocery run or a month-long mission, you’d let her know you were okay.
You knew the promise she pleaded you to make was a result of the anxiety she suffered. She’d lost everyone she cared about; if a simple text or call was enough to put her at ease, you’d do it in a heartbeat.
---
“Wanda,” you’d whispered, the teen immediately sitting up straight when she’d heard the cracks in your voice. “I- I don’t know what to do. I’m safe, but...” She told you to stay there, don’t move, she’d be there in minutes. And, with your brain unable to function enough to think of any other option, you listened.
Her heart broke at the sight of you, your arms wrapped tightly around yourself and your head hung, you feet occasionally kicking the wet sidewalk. The neon sign of the restaurant your date had promised to meet you at illuminated one side of your face, allowing her to see the tears that you had tried but failed so desperately to hold in. But the witch didn’t let you see her emotions, instead whisking you away from the unfamiliar section of the city, brushing the tears off of your cheeks and bringing you to the twenty-four-hour diner for milkshakes. She made a fool of herself in front of the waitstaff until tears flowed from your eyes once again, but this time, the crystalline drops rolled down your raised cheeks, aching from smiling too hard. 
-
When you had a panic attack during training because you couldn’t get one of your body modification attempts to reverse—”Wanda, I cannot be stuck with claws for hands, I can’t!”—she refused to let you hang up until the steady sounds of her own breathing calmed you down, the sharp nails receding and making way for the soft pads of your very human fingertips.
-
And when she called you after the mission in Lagos, you worked tirelessly to complete your own solo mission as soon as you could. You returned to the tower to find her holed up in the bedroom, news broadcasts playing nonstop on the television to remind her of the horrors she’d committed; accident or not, she told you, she needed to hold herself accountable. You simply shook your head at her, holding out your hand without another word. She didn’t take it at first.
“You can’t fix it, Y/N. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you.” She was expecting you to fight her back on it, yell at her and demand that she take your hand, or perhaps you’d go the complete opposite direction and leave her alone, let her be swallowed by guilt and anguish, rip open old wounds and form new ones as she thought of how she tore apart families that were probably much like her own. You did neither.
Wanda’s green eyes remained fixed on your outstretched hand. You stayed silent, one eyebrow cocked as if daring her to see what would happen should she choose not to take it. It was only then that she realized, for once in her life, the person she most loved wasn’t leaving; the support she so desperately needed wouldn’t be yanked away from her when it was mere centimeters from her grasp.
So she rested her fingers in the palm of your hand, and you pulled her out to the balcony where the two of you had spent night after night watching the stars instead of sleeping, making up funny names for each of them and rolling in fits of laughter that only came to those delirious and sleep-deprived enough to understand just what was so funny. Except, this time, instead of dropping into the oversized beanbag chair that was the usual spot of your stargazing shenanigans, she watched curiously as you removed your shirt. Her mouth dropped as you closed your eyes and allowed the white feathers to emerge from beside the ridges of your spine. Although it was a process she’d seen several times before, your modifications had never ceased to amaze her, and your angel-like wings had always been her favorite. The witch admired the additions as you allowed them to flap slowly, once, twice, before turning back to her.
“Let’s go,” you finally spoke, the order gentle but leaving no room for negotiation.
“Where are we going?”
“Away.” That was enough for the brunette, who squeezed your hand before following your lead. She allowed you to guide her through the maze of clouds and couldn’t help but smile softly as the sun’s rays hit your face at just the right angle. You wore the exhaustion from your recent mission on your face, and streaks of dirt covered the bruises that she was sure littered your body. But she was content, in awe, because you were you. You didn’t put up walls to hide your scars from the world, didn’t use passive-aggressiveness to hide the passion that burned in your heart. At the end of the day, you were good, purely and truly good. You were an angel; even the sun knew it.
What Wanda didn’t realize, but what you taught her that night, as she sat surrounded by sunflowers, the moon, thousands of gleaming stars, and the tickle of your feathers as your wing pulled her close to you, was that she was one too.
“I’m glad you called me,” you whispered, your eyes not leaving the open sky as you pointed out a particularly bright spot. “I’m gonna call that one… Philip. He looks regal, real proud. Look at him, so much brighter than the others, and he knows it too.” The witch breathed out a soft chuckle, stroking her fingers over your feathers as she responded.
“I’m glad I called you too. And I think Philip is a good name for him. What about that one?”
“Hmm… Walter? He’s a bit more serious, I think. But you see the one next to him?” You waited until you got a nod from the girl before continuing. “That’s his sister. She makes sure he has fun, even when he says he doesn’t want to. But you name her, Wands. Naming stars is a two-person job, you know.” She squeezed the elbow that you nudged her with before giving in.
“Alright… that’s Delia. And, yeah, she’s the best. The life of the party. Walter keeps her grounded, though,” Wanda added, to which you agreed to with a hum. You two fell quiet after that, enjoying the comfortable silence and looking up at the twinkling lights, some of them gaining names and stories, others waiting to be named another night.
“Wanda?”
“Yeah?”
“You call me if you ever need me, okay? I know we started this with me calling you, but I’m here for you too.” The witch met your eyes with a firm bob of her head, but you continued, desperate to make sure she understood. “And if I don’t pick up at first, you call me back, okay? Call me until I respond, promise?”
“I promise,” Wanda soothed gently. “I will.”
“Okay, good, good. Because,” Wanda felt a brush of your feathers against her upper arm as you fluttered your wings, slightly agitated, “because I think I love you. I mean, um, I know. I know I love you. I love you. Yeah, I-” Wanda shut you up with a kiss, her lips pressed urgently against yours. And if you hadn’t lost your breath from your rambling or your declaration of love to the girl of your dreams, then you most definitely lost it as your lips melted into hers, in the comforting warmth of her palm against your cheek, and in the words that left her mouth as you finally pulled apart, breathless.
“I will, Y/N, I promise. Because I love you too.”
---
People thought you were inseparable before you started dating, but they all realized how wrong they were after that night. The two twin beds quickly became a queen-sized mattress, sideline support during training sessions became fierce yet playful spars, and the private giggles you guys shared grew tenfold. Fury wasn’t exactly happy that his unofficial daughter was now dating, but he was pleased by how efficiently the two of you worked together, which led you to this moment, the two of you covering the Quinjet while waiting for the rest of the Avengers to finish their business inside the massive Hydra base. With Wanda covering the ground and you in the sky, flying with the white-feathered wings that Wanda loved so dearly, the two of you held off the swarms of Hydra agents relatively well. With a small break in between incoming agents, Wanda looked up to check on you, but she was a moment too late. Before she could even think to warn you, the pure feathers she loved to brush her fingers through fell from the sky, the white stained with red, your screams ripping through her eardrums.
No one, including Wanda, had time to think as she exploded with a new rage, one that hadn’t run through her in years. One that she hoped she would never experience again, but here she was. And there you were.
While you were held in the air by her signature red mist, the opposing agents fell to the ground. She didn’t care about their screams, only yours. And with them all dealt with, she could turn to you, rushing you both into the Quinjet and yelling for the other Avengers to get back here, now.
But her efforts were futile. She could press down on the wounds all she wanted, beg for you to come back until her voice was nothing more than a whisper, but nothing would work. You were gone the instant the missile had hit you, and as much as Wanda wanted to deny the truth, she knew it just as much as your other teammates did when they rushed onto the Quinjet. You were gone before you could say a single goodbye.
---
The first time Wanda called was from your shared bedroom. She dialed your number before tracing the pillow where your head would have laid, running her fingers over the cartoon carrots that covered the comforter. The yellow bedding set was a gag gift Tony had gotten the two of you when you got your new bed.
“You know, since I figure the two of you will be going at it like rabbits,” he winked before getting immediately smacked in the back of the head by Steve.
“They will be doing no such thing,” the supersoldier had chastised him with a roll of his eyes. “God, Stark, sometimes I forget you have a brain when you say such stupid things.”
But you loved it, telling Wanda, “The carrots remind me of you, Bunny.” And how could she return the present when you were being so sweet about it? But the sheets didn’t make her smile in the same way they once did because you were gone. No one was there to tease her about the way her nose wiggled much like the little white fluffy creatures or promise to get her carrots from the market the next day.
The call went to voicemail, and as bittersweet as it was, Wanda savored it because it was you. Your voice. But the beep came far too soon, and your turn was done. So she spoke. 
“Y/N, hey, it’s me, Wanda. I, um, I love you. I’ll always love you, yeah?” The witch put the phone down, thinking that was all she could bear to say as the lump in her throat ballooned in size and hot tears filled her eyes. But just before time was up, her hand shot up to press the device against her ear again. “Call me back, milaya.”
---
The second time Wanda called was from the balcony. The brunette eyed the sparkling diamonds that filled the sky, wondering how you could be gone when, the last time she was here, you were right there beside her, laughing over the boys’ latest shenanigans and Ned, the newly named star. 
Now, the beanbag chair felt too big, too empty without another person sitting next to her. Without you. So she dialed your number, the only number she bothered to learn by heart, and waited for the dulcet tones of your voice. As the dial tone rang, she ran one hand over the white feather that laid gingerly in her lap. Natasha had given it to her along with several others a few days after your death. Each of the team members had one to remember you by, but the spy had picked out the biggest and most brilliant ones to give to Wanda.
“I know how much her wings meant to you-” Natasha stiffened as Wanda threw her arms around her. But the witch didn’t care, her tears soaking the redhead’s shirt as she tried to find the words to thank her. She couldn’t, but it was okay. Natasha knew anyway. Wanda had little time to reflect on the memory before her face brightened at the sound of your voice.
“Hi, this is Y/N-
“And her girlfriend, Wanda! She’s taken, so don’t even think about it, you jerk!” Wanda smiled slightly at your jubilant laughter, remembering how you’d pushed her away for interrupting you.
“I’m not available right now, but leave me your name, number, and message and I’ll call you back as soon as I can, okay? Talk to you soon.” The witch’s eyes closed slightly as the greeting ended with a spell of your giggles before it was interrupted by that damn beep. God, how she hated that beep. Nevertheless, she took a breath and spoke out into the clear night sky, looking up at the stars as she did so.
“Hi, lyubov moya, it’s me. Wanda. I’m calling you back, just like you told me to. I’m not okay. I need you. I love you.” Her breath caught in her throat, forcing her to pause for a moment, but she forced herself to keep going a second later. “Sam and Bucky did the stupidest thing today. Nat and Steve were all over their asses. You should’ve seen it. I miss you. Please, call me back. I’ll tell you all about it.”
---
The last time Wanda called was from the sunflower field. The two of you hadn’t been here since the night you told her you loved her. In fact, it took Wanda several hours to find it since she hadn’t been paying much attention to the route the first time you came.
Once again, the night was clear, the stars lighting up the dark canvas with their radiance. She missed the feeling of your wing wrapped around her, of your presence next to her. But she had one of your feathers in her fingers and your voice in her ear, and to ask for more would be greedy, right?
“Hi, angel. It’s Wanda. I’m calling you back to leave a message, but I can’t do it again after this because I don’t want your voicemail to fill up, okay? I’m sorry, I know I’m being selfish, but I need to be able to hear your voice, so I can’t let it fill up. But I haven’t forgotten you, I promise I haven’t. I never will. I’m still-” Wanda swallowed, a fighting effort to calm the waver in her voice. “I’m still not okay, but I’m trying. For you. But I’m not okay, I need you to call me back. I’ve named one up there Halia, but her twin sister needs a name. And naming stars is a two-person job, you know.” The witch sniffed once as the corner of her lip curved up slightly, remembering the playfulness in your voice when you’d first said the line. “Call me back, Y/N, please.”
With the message over, Wanda clutched the phone to her chest, her breaths becoming faster and shallower as she closed her eyes, trying to accept the knowledge that it’d be the last time she’d ever leave a message, the knowledge that she was really losing you… the knowledge that she already lost you.
---
Months went by. Wanda wasn’t sure how they did, but they did. The first sign of it was the first Halloween without you, as she saw the other couples dressing up in matching costumes that you would’ve loved, costumes you would’ve pointed out to Wanda with an excited bounce and told her you’d have to wear next year. The next was Thanksgiving, when Wanda ran through the list of everything she was thankful for and came up short when she thought about the people she still had left. And then it was Christmas, and Valentine’s Day, and the first day of summer.
And while Wanda did her best to move on, she always found herself under the stars, dialing your number. She sat on the balcony, in the sunflower field, wherever she could see the sky, and she listened to your voice telling her that you’d call her back as soon as you could, always forcing herself to hang up a second before the beep could cut you off. Wanda named every other star she saw, leaving the ones in between for you and hoping that you’d approve of the names she chose.
“I’m naming that one Angel for you, Y/N,” Wanda murmured. “It’s even brighter than Philip. It’s the brightest star in the sky. I know you think it’s silly to name things after people, but this one’s just special, so you’re gonna have to make an exception, okay?” The brunette’s lips stopped moving, but her eyes stayed wide open as she watched the star as if, if she watched it long enough, studied it hard enough, you would materialize from its luminescence. As if you would come back to her. But when you didn’t, she finally allowed her watering eyes to rest, her eyelids drooping to surround her in darkness.
“I’m not okay, Y/N.” The witch’s voice was softer than it had ever been, more tired. But this time, there was no one to whisk her off and make her forget the heaviness of it all. “I need you so badly. I love you so much. I always will. But, please, angel, call me back.”
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formulawonu · 3 years
Note
Hi! I have a request for you if you can, can a request based on “champagne problems” by taylor swift where either daniel, lando, lewis or carlos are dating the reader and think it’s time to propose, and they do it in front of their families or the whole grid but the reader says no, and they broke up, and years later they run into each other again and talk. you can choose the ending between fluff or keep it angst.
champagne problems / lewis hamilton
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(gif is not mine! credits to the owner)
warnings: angsty :'(
a/n: i fell in love with this request, thank you so much for it. i got immensely sad writing the last few lines of this :/ taylor swift knows what she is doing. i hope my writing did justice to this beautifully sad song <//3 tried doing smth different and wrote in third person/more of lewis' pov. big cheers to lewis getting 100 wins — what an incredible feat!!! hope you guys enjoy this one :D
He thinks he sees her from across the room but an extra glance tells him it’s not her. She wouldn’t show up here. That isn’t her — something he’s had to learn ever since she left his life two years ago. He is here with someone new and she reminds him of the stars that never fail to show up in the night sky every night. She is constant and he doesn’t need to second guess with her. She understands who he is and knows what he thinks. He is genuinely happy. But she is not her.
“I would like to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” He says, looking up at the love of his life from where he is kneeling. They are surrounded by his family and their friends. The most important people in their lives that have become an extension of who they are and know how perfect the two of them are for each other. He planned it all out — the intimate dinner full of all the things she loved. Her favorite food, her favorite people. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect. Everyone in this room knew it was only a matter of time until they both took the next step forward in the relationship. In this moment, however, he only sees her. That is how it is whenever she is around. It feels like tunnel vision: all roads lead simply to her.
He has always believed that love was unique to different people. He is, no doubt, in love with his current girlfriend and he is so sure of that. She is the calm before and after every storm. He also knows that despite this, a piece of him and the love he is capable of giving will always remain with Y/N. He will never forget how it felt to love her, just as he knows she won’t ever forget loving him.
Something is wrong. All he sees is her and yet she looks terrified. Tears are forming in her eyes and there is an emotion that he can’t quite place yet. It is an emotion he doesn’t see often. “Y/N?” He whispers, trying to read her. At this moment, he doesn’t care that everyone is standing around the both of them. He just wants to make sure she is okay. She looks away from him and looks around the room. He squeezes her hand, trying to get her to just focus on him. He is trying to reassure her that everything is okay. She looks back at him then at the open small box in his other hand. She starts shaking her head, the tears now falling from her eyes. Everything seems to be going wrong.
“I love you, Lewis.” His girlfriend whispers as he sways her back and forth on the makeshift dance floor. It is his friend’s wedding. “I love you more.” He is satisfied with the way his life has turned out. It was difficult the first few months she had left his life and he honestly thought life wouldn’t be okay again. Everything reminded him of her. There were pieces of her in his apartment and pieces of her everywhere he went. Time passed by so slowly as if it wanted him to sink in the emptiness that came when he lost her. But he met her — she made everything bright again and allowed him to see colors in the world that turned grey. She was patient with him. She took the time to understand him and let him find himself again. He is happy. He is in love.
“I- I can’t.” She whispers, still shaking her head. The tears won’t stop falling from her eyes. He understands the emotion in her eyes now. She is overwhelmed. It is regret. He can feel tears building up in his own. Everything begins to spin around the two of them. “Lewis, I… I can’t.” He tries to remain holding her hand, but she forces hers out of his hold. He looks up at her, speechless. There are so many things he wants to tell her. He wants to tell her to forget about everyone around the two of them. He wants to tell her it doesn’t matter how it happens or that they don’t need to get married right away. He would be happy being engaged forever if it meant she would be by his side. He wants to tell her that they could ditch the party and just lock themselves up in their apartment if that was what she wanted. But he doesn’t. He can’t because she is long gone now. She has run outside of the room and has left him in the center of everyone’s gaze. He cannot move. He is stuck on one knee, with his mother’s ring in his hand. Everything feels like it’s in slow motion. The first thing he does is close the box and drop it in his suit pocket. He slowly stands up, refusing to look at anyone else. He doesn’t know how to react or how to be. Everything is wrong.
While he is leading his girlfriend back to their table, something catches his attention in the corner of his eye. He has to blink a couple of times, trying to register that it is actually her. There, standing by the bar, is the girl who had left him two years ago. She is standing on her own, her body language still very familiar to him. She does not want to be seen and is trying to simply be a faceless stranger in the crowd. She would not be here if she didn’t need to, but his friends are her friends too and the bride is a good friend of hers. “That’s her, isn’t it?” His girlfriend says, following his gaze. “She’s beautiful.” He flashes a smile at her, nodding. “Yeah. I didn’t think she was going to be here, actually. None of us have actually seen her since it happened.” “Do you want to say hi to her?” He fully focuses on his girlfriend now, trying to understand if she is challenging him or simply curious. All he sees is genuine questioning. “I think you should speak to her, Lewis.” He is unsure if that is the right decision. He does not know what he wants to say to her anyway. “Go. It will make you feel better, even if you don’t know what to say.” She gently nudges him towards her and he is left reluctantly walking towards the woman he has not spoken to since she left him kneeling.
“Hi.” Words escape the both of them, the casualness of a greeting seeming so unfitting for the two. “Hi.” She replies. “How ironic that we’re seeing each other here.” He offers, trying to break the ice. He is not used to this, the awkwardness enveloping the two of them when once in the past he felt he could talk about absolutely anything with her. She visibly draws back at the reminder of the last time they had seen each other too. “Why are you here, Lewis?” She asks with a smile on her face. She was never the type to beat around the bush, that much he knew. She always went straight to the point, never afraid to hear things she might not want to. Like ripping off a bandaid, she once said. “I honestly don’t know why either.” There was no point in lying to her. He doesn’t know what to say, neither does she, and yet it felt right that he could speak frankly to her about the events of the past. “You look happy,” She starts, looking genuinely pleased for him. “You deserve to be happy.” Two emotions bubble up inside of him, one he has not felt in ages. Frustration and defeat. It is all coming back to him.
“We could’ve been happy too.”
She sighs, refusing to meet his eyes. She is still surveying the room, taking in everyone celebrating the union of two lovers. He did not like that about her; she always knew how to hide her emotions. Better put, he did not like how he could not read her anymore. “I don’t want to fight you, Lewis. I didn’t come here to do that.” She picks up her glass of champagne that she has left on the counter of the bar, sipping at it. “Dom Pérignon.” She adds. The champagne she is drinking is her favorite and it is the same one that everyone was drinking the night it happened. Or should’ve happened. A wry smile forms on his face. “I know you don’t owe me an explanation nor should you have ever felt you owed me a marriage, but I just wish you talked to me about it. That was our thing. We always talked about it.” She finally meets his eyes, studying him.
“I just didn’t have anything to say.”
“How could you have nothing to say?”
“I did not know what to say.”
“Then you should’ve said that.”
“I did not have a reason, Lewis. Is that what you want to hear? When you got down on one knee, a thousand thoughts were in my head and none of them told me to say yes. I’m so sorry and you know I loved you immensely—I still do—but I could not for the life of me come up with a reason to know for sure I wanted to say yes.” Just like ripping off a bandaid.
He does not know what to say and he wants to laugh at how she is still able to leave him speechless after all this time. “Well, I’m sorry you felt that way.” That is all he is able to say in reply. “I’m sorry I couldn’t say yes.” She finally meets his eyes, the familiar gaze of the woman he once swore he would give everything up for. “My mom wants a sorry too.” He finally says after a while, trying to lighten up the mood. “I miss her.” She replies, a small smile forming on her face. His mom absolutely loved her and held a special place in her heart for her. She was just as crestfallen as he was when she saw what had taken place two years ago. “She misses you too. Everyone kind of misses you too. I don’t understand why you had to disappear.” She shakes her head. “It wasn’t me, Lewis. All of this,” She says, gesturing around the grand ballroom. “Is not me.” “Then why are you here?” He doesn’t mean it as an insult, he just wants to know. She frowns at him. “Because Joe and Louise are my good friends, Lew. I wasn’t planning to stay long, though. I just promised Louise I was going to come by and I keep my promises.” He knows she does. He shakes his head at her. “I didn’t mean it that way. It’s nice to see you again, honestly. Nice to know you’re still alive.” “I know you didn’t. But I just don’t know who I am when I’m here. It’s all so….” She pauses, trying to think of the right word. “Intense? Overwhelming? Heavy? I don’t know. It just makes you feel so small.” He nods but he still can’t grasp that she had felt this way all this time. Maybe he didn’t know her as well as he thought he did. “Don’t blame yourself, Lewis. I can see you doing that now. It was just me.” There is amusement in her eyes and he can’t understand how she is so candid about all of this. “I just don’t understand how I feel like I didn’t- don’t know who you are. I don’t know where it all went wrong.”
She studies him, noting how the creases in his forehead have formed. Something he always does when he is deep in thought. “Lewis, you knew me better than anyone else in this world and I don’t want you to ever feel like you didn’t. What we shared was good, right? It was brilliant.” She offers him a small smile, a consolation for all that has gone on between them. “I will always love you. I don’t think I need to tell you that. You will always be special to me. But what was screaming at me when you got down on one knee was that whatever was happening… It wasn’t right. And I wouldn’t forgive myself if I ever let you go into something so wholeheartedly with me in it half-heartedly. That wouldn’t be fair to you. You deserve someone who would jump into darkness headfirst with you. I hope she is that for you.” She glances around the room again, probably noticing the eyes of spectators that have now noticed the both of you together again. She is beginning to get conscious. The emotions that were beginning to reveal themselves through her eyes are disappearing once again. She is withdrawing. He nods, trying to internalize everything she has just said.
“I’m sorry I lost you. I know you don't want me to apologize, but I’m sorry we ended like that. There are times I wish you were still in my life and there are times I still think about what it would be like if it was us in this position.” His words hang in the air, the both of them looking around the room. “But I’m doing okay. She’s great - I think you two would get along, actually. I honestly hope you’re doing okay. It sucks that I don’t know what you’re doing. I hope you know that you’re still always welcome to just hang out or whatever. Have a chat to update me on your life, Y/N. Don’t be a stranger.” She nods, smiling at him. She drinks the rest of her champagne before setting the glass back on the bar counter. “That is great to hear, Lewis. I still keep up with your races, you know? A hundred wins, you’ve finally done it. No matter what, I am always going to be proud.” She places a hand on his shoulder, a fleeting squeeze on it, then she drops it. “I’ll try not to be one. But either way, just know I’ll always be rooting for you.” She straightens out her dress then tucks her hair behind her ear. “I’ve gotta go.” She says, looking up at him. He tries to remember how she looks in this moment because he knows he doesn’t know the next time their paths will ever cross again. She is in a floor-length dress and her hair falls in waves just by her shoulders. Her eyes alight with assuredness and confidence, something that he now realizes he barely saw back then. She is happy too. That is all that matters. He nods, giving her a small smile. “Goodbye, Y/N.” She smiles back at him too. “Goodbye, Lewis.” She begins to walk away, not once looking back. Just like how it was two years ago.
“Hey, Y/N.” He calls out to her. She is not far enough for him to draw attention. She turns around, her head tiled to the side. “We almost had it all, didn’t we?” She chuckles and he can feel the sadness in it. She nods, still chuckling. “We really did. Cheers.”
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aerial-ace97 · 2 years
Text
1. Aboleth/Alghollthu - D&D 3.5, Pathfinder, PF2E, 5E
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I mean what else was it ever going to be.  If you know me at all, you knew that this was coming.  Aside from being, in my opinion, the best Big Monster Evil Guy aberration out there, the aboleth is not only my favorite aberration, but also my favorite monster in all of D&D lore.  Yes I chose them independently of that and tried not to let my bias filter in here, but let’s be honest, I made this list so you’d have to hear me talk about them.  So let’s go.
Of the Big 3, the aboleth is easily the least recognizable between itself, the beholder, and the illithid, and this is a tragedy that must be rectified because by lore they are infinitely more powerful than either species ever could hope to achieve.  For in almost every lore from Golarion to Faerun, it is the aboleth who came first of all things.  Or at least close.
Before any gods ever arrived, it was the aboleth that stirred the primordial fabric of the world.  In some tales, they came from a distant planet, or the Far Realm or other alien plane, but sometimes they simply came up from the creation of the earth itself.  The aboleth fought all sorts of aggressors to maintain their dominion over the world.  Neothelids, xiomorn, serpentfolk, intellect devourers, and every wave of new threat were not enough to contain their empire.  And when the Gods came, they too would have to maintain themselves against these creatures.
Different editions tell it differently, but the long and short of it as that finally, it took divine entities such as this to finally give the universe a new lease on life beyond the rule of the aboleth.  Yet still they lurk in subterranean depths, ever seeking to restore their empires to what they once were.  The pathfinder aboleth were born with two rules of their empire.  The first was that life existed to be controlled.  And the second was that it was the aboleth who would control.  And by whatever means necessary they will see this come to reality.
There is an infinite amount to say on the lore of the aboleth and I intend to do so, but I wanna take a moment to say that I feel like Wizards somewhat sells aboleth short in the power department.  At least based upon their lore they certainly do.  The aboleth were supposed to have been able to LITERALLY face off against the Gods, and yeah this might have been as a whole empire, but surely this deserves something more than a CR 7?  My rule of thumb has always been to say that the stat block of CR 7 for aboleth only indicates the actual CIVILIAN aboleths, and that any aboleth worth their salt will be more than that.  And this isn’t saying CR 7 with their intellect cannot be a match for a party either, but lore-wise it doesn’t match up super effectively.  Paizo made it far more reliable in terms of lore by giving us the fact that the aboleth are just one of a much larger breed of species called the alghollthu and gave us variants much more powerful than the typical aboleth.  I do enjoy though that at least CR 7 gives us room to class and advance the original model as well.  I think CR 10 in 5e still isn’t the right call.  They either had to be on par with beholders (as in CR 13 at least) or given more variants to choose from, so I side with Pathfinder in a mechanics field.
Let’s take a look at the actual mechanics that come with this rating though.  Whichever edition we’re looking at, we’re looking at an aquatic foe (sort of, more on that later) that can deal some decent but not crazy damage with three to four tentacle attacks.  The real danger lurks in the secondary effect.  Those struck must make a Fortitude save against the primordial slime which is left on them from the attack.  This slime slowly soaks into a creature’s skin and causes it to only be able to breathe water and suffocate in the air.  Why is this helpful to a creature that is fighting in water?  Wouldn’t they want their enemy to suffocate in the water?  Well this goes back into an aboleth psyche.  Most times, they don’t wanna kill their foe, but rather enslave them.  Their slaves won’t be much good in their kingdom if they can’t breathe underwater.  Even if fighting to the death, this will mean you can’t flee from their domain.  Air is toxic to you now.  You’re stuck with the aboleth.  Aboleth that do have means of going on land (which I’d argue they definitely do) now also become incredibly lethal when they touch you and make your existence death.  In Pathfinder and 3.5, this slime also reduces a creature’s Constitution or natural armor respectively, so it even further weakens them should the aboleth decide they aren’t worth the trouble.  Even getting close to an aboleth runs this risk as a cloud of this same slime constantly exudes around them when in water.
In Pathfinder and 3.5, an aboleth is also outfitted with a number of psionic abilities, which fits into their mental persuasions.  These powers mostly consist of several different illusions capping off with 3 uses of dominate monster per day.  5e simplifies things slightly by boiling their psionic capabilities down into three uses of... charm? person?  Hmm... yeah don’t really like that.  For one, you boosted the CR so shouldn’t it get better?  You boosted illithids up to Dominate from Charm?  And the lore is all about how aboleth can enslave people’s minds, which takes a lot more than a Charm.  Also DC 14 is very beatable at this stage, that seems a bit low, so why not at least make that a Dominate?
Not to say that 5e doesn’t give them some unique upgrades.  For one, an aboleth who speaks telepathically with a creature AUTOMATICALLY knows their greatest desires which is even more useful perhaps than the Nothic’s Weird Insight.  They also have legendary actions for some physical attacks or psychic damage.  Finally, they are given the benefit of regional effects and lair actions, which is always awesome, even if to me it seems maybe a little bit much for a creature that supposedly existed as a whole co-mingled society.  But let’s go through them anyhow.
Regionally, there isn’t much uniqueness for most of this.  Water within the area is foul and things are covered in primordial slime.  Some of it is left a bit vague and for the DM to fill in which is nice.  The aboleth can also create illusory images of itself all throughout its region for whatever distractive or luring purpose the creature desires.  Within the lair itself, an aboleth can trigger phantasmal forces on a massive area of creatures, cause pools of water to swell out and grab people who are on land, or deal some minor psychic damage.
All of this is a lot for a creature of its CR so I can’t dislike the rating too much especially when there are so many additions out there both in homebrew and in-game that can be added.  Despite this, I feel the aboleth is super slept on as a creature.  I know big fans of D&D that have barely heard of this creature or if they have, have never actually used them and that’s a shame.
Before even looking at the lore, I have to admit that I think the aboleth scratch a Lovecraft itch which is in a lot of ways, far better than actual Lovecraft creatures.  It hits every subject of an evil villain and exceeds expectations in every one.  They are intense schemers, and have several different plans running contingently at any given time.  They exist forever and have a memory which never loses track of even the most infinitesimal detail.  They are horrors from other worlds, beyond comprehension but also capable of manipulating entire empires with their psychic powers and infiltrative roleplay.  They are spoken of as the bogeyman and forgotten deities of most dark and violent tales, and most commoners probably believe or hope that they’ve gone extinct.  They are the perfect villain and I’m not done trying to convince you on that in the least bit.
The tales speak of creatures that are not quite mortal but not quite divine.  Separate and distinct from these comprehensions of mortality and even separate from undeath in a way that speaks to some other nature of being.  In their time, the alghollthu created all manner of beings, many of them living now as lost adherents to their cause.  They are responsible for the chuul, the skum, the cloakers, the ugothol, the ixitxachitl, the ceratioidi, the gillmen, and endless more both vile and known.  Some even contest that it may have in fact been the aboleth that gave rise to life as we know it and not the Gods, a sentiment considered blasphemy in most faiths.
Once again we have a splintering of editions here, so I’ll do my best to keep distinct those separate visions starting by looking at 5e.  Everything I’ve said as of yet is mostly the case of all editions.  The aboleth had an empire that was ancient even when the divine first came and lost this first universal empire against the divine.  Each edition treats the aboleth like the past chaos that preceded creation, such as the titans of the Greek pantheon, the darkness of the Bible, the Giants of Norse mythos, the Tiamat of Babylon, or, you know... all of Lovecraft’s creations.  Could go on and on about these different example of primeval chaos (cosmic egg, Apophis, Vishnu, separation of the Dreamtime) but you get the idea.  In 5e the aboleth is much the same, with a memory for all that preceded this.  Not only do the aboleth have a flawless memory of their defeat, but when they devour other beings they also gain the memories of this creature, infinitely expanding their consciousness for each life they consume.  Even before resorting to this consumption they can read a creature like a book to know whether they might be more suited to servitude than as an addition to their mental library.
The aboleth of this continuity, as well as others, have fled to the deepest recesses of the ocean, into primordial underdark lakes, and even into the Elemental Plane of Water to continue and unwravel their schemes.  They are surprisingly adept at diplomacy, able to promise those they encounter the grandest of treasures and rewards through their knowledge of their desires.  Even in death, their villainy does not end as their bodies will coalesce in the Plane of Water and form once more, memory intact to seek vengeance on those who had slain it.  Throughout their infinite lives, the aboleth’s ultimate plot is to overthrow the divine and regain their place as rulers of the multiverse.
Aboleth were psionic masters, on par with mind flayers but without the disposition against the arcane that they had.  While certainly self-centered, the aboleth were not at all above putting themselves at the basest of means in order to achieve their goals.  Their unending memory made them alien to other creatures in mindset but this still allowed them to have traditional social interactions between the most aberrant and humanoid of civilizations.  While the aboleth did not worship the Gods, and were famously atheistic in that respect, they did however build a reverence for beings known as the elder evils.  There were still cities built for the Aboleth, but few lived to witness their bizarre, cyclopean styles.
I’ll admit I don’t know how I feel about the extended addition of 5e about how aboleth can’t die.  I get why they added it, so that it might seem more plausible that the creature can actually face off against Gods, but I feel like this could’ve been bypassed by just giving the creature more powerful variants in the first place.  Also it doesn’t quite achieve the Lovecraftian inevitability concept I think it’s going for.  What I might suggest instead is that the memories and consciousness of a given aboleth who has died are instead absorbed into another aboleth form.  This means that in a sense you don’t die, but also you don’t die in a very weird otherworldly sort of way that fits more with their theme.  To me at least.  But for the edition, the way it’s written also does the job ok.
I don’t really understand why I don’t see aboleth get more use in 5e.  5e definitely gave them more prominence in the base material than 3.5 and has featured them a few times throughout their modules.  They’re even one of the few creatures that have Legendary Actions and Lair Actions, which means Wizards expects them to be treated like a big deal.  So... where are they?  Why do I so rarely see them used or even mentioned?
Ah well, let’s dig in to 3.5.  I’m mostly just going to be noting the differences instead of going over things over and over again, especially because there is still Pathfinder to go.  In 3.5, aboleth are a bit more natural in that they have at least some fashion of traditional life cycle, even if they still absorb the memory of their parents.  We get very little outside of this from the base text, but the Lords Of Madness once again widely elaborates on this creature.  In this, we learn that they are born fully mature and grow continuously, though sometimes at a slower rate.
They were the first, once again, though in this case supposedly spawned directly from the Elder Evils.  I find the Elder Evils a bit difficult to incorporate in the cosmology personally and often kind of cannibalize them as Great Old Ones in the Elder Mythos.  Though hinted at, there is less in this continuum about an actual conflict with the gods and yet the aboleth still despise them as younger and less mature beings than them.  Even beyond the extent of their hidden cities, some of their species still take root within the ruins of their smote empires.  Several times, the aboleth have arisen and overtaken the world only to be eventually repelled once more in a continuous cycle of rising tides.  But they always return just as the seasons.
The aboleth here have a keen obsession with ancient artifacts, as many aberrations seem to as we’ve seen.  The aboleth especially enjoy enslaving creatures that might teach them greater skills in the arcane.  They also of course have great arcane skill of their own, being especially gifted in glyphs (which are I guess distinct from runes in D&D.  Wonder if sigils are also their own thing).
Their reverence is a strange thing, devoted to five Elder Evils out of respect but not quite to the level of faith that most races come to.  They believe the Elder Evils will persist beyond the existence of this world.  The Elder Evils they follow are as follows: Bolothamogg who exists as the gaps of darkness between the stars.  Holashner who exists beneath earth and swallows earth and magma and leaves behind a strange mineral known as bilestone.  Piscaethes, whose blood supposedly formed the aboleth and who sees the expanse of possible worlds.  Shothotugg who bleeds parasites and poison into the fabric of the universe.  And Y’chak who supposedly created all the gods of destruction and death that mortals now worship.  Even within the text, 3.5 acknowledges how these creatures have resemblance to Outer Gods of Lovecraft.
Beyond their usual manipulative rulerships, the aboleth form alliances with many aquatic races as well as notably unique relations with a few notable races.  The drow often come into contact with them, sometimes erupting into conflict, but with a few finding mutual interest in a faith of Ghaunadaur, which is largely despised by their respective races.  Despite their fear of the illithid, the aboleth often make alliance with them, if nothing else to learn more about their strange newness.  The ixitxachitl were once made by the aboleth but at some point split from them, even though they occasionally will ally with them.  The kopru have similar histories of lost aquatic civilizations that they seek to renew through alliance with the aboleth.  Kraken often form alliance with the aboleth as titanic war machines or even despotic rulers.  Kuo-toa, while not created by aboleth like the skum, often can be found cowed into servitude as land infiltrators.  Beyond this and their own creations, aboleth have skill in summoning devils, creating constructs and oozes, and bringing derro as faithful adherents under them.  Yeah, they can do it all.
Several variant aboleth also exist here.  Their are amphibious aboleth (if I’m honest I think all aboleth should be) that can move a bit more on land and breathe air or even the more dreaded aerial variants that can freaking fly and live in the clouds.  There was also a contingent of aboleth at one point that travelled into the Nine Hells and began a civilization within the River Styx, developing skills that made them entirely independent of their species.  And as we begin to speak on variants, this is of course the best time to look into the absolute insane cosmology of aboleths, or rather alghollthu that Pathfinder has given us.
Ah beloved Pathfinder you have done it again.  You’ve taken my fav creature and made it even more spectacular in ways I could never have imagined.  If only you didn’t have a system that was almost ENTIRELY dedicated to combat, I’d play you every single day of my life (I know PF2E supposedly fixes this, but I haven’t had the honor of playing in it yet).
The alghollthu of Pathfinder follow every hallmark of ancient civilizations and conflict with the gods that D&D does but add on to it an even better layer.  That is, we actually get to see a glimpse of the history of one of the alghollthu’s empires.  The Azlanti Empire was the foremost empire in Golarion for some time and that was thanks to its hidden benefactors.  The aboleth controlled humanity for millennia from behind the curtain, manufacturing an entire faith for the people of the world and giving their play things advances in technology and magic beyond the progress of their own means.  And when their creations finally started getting wise to their machinations, the alghollthu LITERALLY SUMMONED A COMET AND BLEW UP THE WORLD SO THEY COULD BUILD UP AN EMPIRE AGAIN IN THE FUTURE!  Sure, it didn’t quite go how they expected but this event, Earthfall, is one of the driving and most momentous moments in Golarion’s history creating a thousand year era of darkness from the debris kicked up into the atmosphere that would later give rise to some of the most major empires and gods the world had ever seen.  We actually get to read about how the alghollthu steered human evolution and oh my God I love aboleth.
Now of course, the alghollthu are waiting, plotting their next move in ancient cities where some of the same aboleth who constructed Earthfall cannot wait to build a new empire once more.  They have somewhat less control of the Darklands in this continuity, preferring the vast oceans since the Darklands of Pathfinder are so massively populated by threats as it is.
The alghollthu have additional dictums that were constructed to help understand their life.  They seem to reproduce by splitting themselves with both halves retaining the memories of the last, which led to the dictum that they are many and one and most aboleth treat their own kind as equal to them.  They then created glyphs from their original planet in order to conquer the universe and topple over divinity and this was their final dictum.  Their history shows also that the alghollthu are not beyond self-sacrifice and are all too ready to die to see the greater being that they are rise to power.
Upon Golarion, the alghollthu ruled the oceans while the xiamorn ruled the land.  It was here where they experienced the rise of the Azlanti empire, but we can assume that many other planetoids throughout the cosmos experienced similar interactions with other contingents of the alghollthu.  Beyond sigils and lesser forms of magic, the alghollthu gained talents in psionics and fleshwarping, as well surely as many more magical means.
The alghollthu have come into conflict with elves in Golarion more often than any other humanoid race, most likely since they could retreat to the First World.  They also are considered the arch-nemesis of the xiomorns and the two cultures learned extensively from one another.
As well as some other creatures we mentioned, the aboleth are believed to have created the abhominal, deep walkers, merfolk, mimics, shell sentinels, paguroida, and even the dreaded shoggoth.  Again, a lot.  The aboleth find great joy in creation it seems.  But beyond this, the alghollthu also evolved and mutated themselves into distinctive forms and casts that make up the society.  Socially, these were split between the aboleth, vidileth, and omnipath, but many other variants designed for specific tasks have appeared since.
The weakest of these was the enisisyan, a CR 4 creature which serve as psychic weakeners for the alghollthu.  They have the power to allow for more powerful aboleth to control one another and also weaken the Will of any creature nearby.  They also enhance the mental powers of the vidileth or omnipath which they are assigned to or even other creature’s that same creature assigns them too.  They themselves are immune to mind-affecting effects.  Their existence is in direct contrast to the law of alghollthu being in control, which lends to my point later on alignment.  They are bred to serve the greater species alone but recently they have begun to communicate and form a more complex relation of their own.
The next were the aboleth themselves, or the civilians of their species but we’ve talked a great deal about them.  They are socially above some of the more powerful entities we’ll discuss but we’ll move ahead to the uldraaghu of CR 10.  These creatures are designed as architects of the species non-euclidean civilizations.  This comes as a result of their unobstructed control of physical matter.  They can shape water as easily as clay beneath their hands, freezing creatures in place or pushing them away by means that subvert the usual saves.  They have greater control over the forming of glyphs and have heightened spell casting tailored for craftsmanship but also swift extermination, with disintegrate being the pinnacle of this power.  An uldraaghu lacks the psionic manipulations of most alghollthu though and is therefore in its own distinctive caste outside of the hierarchy.
The plizeazoth are like dumb tanks to the aboleth, with a CR 12 and psionic energies channeled into a ballistics arsenal of mental assaults.  Even their physical attacks leave psychic remnants in target that they can implode for crippling effect as a free action.  Ultimately however these creatures are simple predators for the aboleth to unleash on their foes.  Sometimes they are given the place of relentless taskmasters over the enslaved however.  Slowly however, they are gaining more sentience and may yet be a fully formed species amongst their fellows. 
The vidileth, or veiled masters, are the next in line of true societal castes of the alghollthu.  With a CR 14, veiled masters have an insane list of spells at their disposal reaching up into 6th level casting. Beyond their regular enslaving ability they even have quickened dominate persons and mass suggestion spells.  It has greater power over sigils and runes than most creatures and have tentacles that can all deliver electricity and a stagger effect to anything they touch (oh thank God it’s not stun).  They can also bite you to suck away a huge portion of your memory and give you a negative level.  Veiled masters serve as the manipulators behind the entirety of aboleth civilization, as if the lesser kind were not bad enough.  They also have the ability to impersonate humanoids naturally and often are deeply infiltrating world governments.
Finally, the omnipath of CR 18 serve as a sort of mental storage of all aboleth consciousness.  They also empower all aboleth near them and are often at the center of any aboleth civilization worth it’s salt.  But that’s not all they are, as they have a three-tiered bite which’ll leave you shaken and staggered, three sniper shots that’ll leave you stunned (hey there CR 18, let ‘em have it), and a once per day astral projection spell on to of their otherwise 7 level deep spell table.  Wait they can dominate at will!  An omnipath may have several fragments of its consciousness walking the surface at any given time, but almost none will ever encounter one in its home.  For the most part, they are conduits of communications and information for other aboleth to use however.
Keep in mind in all of this that an aboleth is far beyond the sum of their parts or stat blocks.  They are inherent schemers that have plans predating the lives of even the most ancient of dragons.  I have several campaigns going in my world right now where everyone has independently decided to use aboleth for different purposes and someone made a joke about how what if it was all actually the same aboleth and I was like ‘The funny thing is that ISN’T farfetched.  They definitely could have this much going on.’  They are masterminds beyond Gods.  Basically, everything the DM knows about the world, an aboleth also knows by ten times.  They can go anywhere and know no bounds.
One thing that somewhat restricts them is their aquatic nature, but this barely qualifies.  For one, we can see that there are variants that can exist above water.  For two, aquatic adventures can work in any campaign if set up properly and so long as your DM is kind with the strictures of what water breathing does (it allows for casting and speaking, at least to some degree, and I’ll stand by that because the alternative ISN’T fun).  For three, aboleth are incredibly intelligent and definitely have means to bring them to the surface, including spellcasting or whatever else is necessary.  For four, you can have the party face off against them in intermediary substitutes such as the Far Realm or the Astral Sea.
I do have, one small complaint about the aboleth.  I know.  My favorite monster and I still have constructive criticism.  I don’t get why an aboleth is Lawful Evil.  Like, ok it enslaves people and has an empire, but this isn’t their whole psyche.  Their long term manipulators that will do anything to achieve their goals, regardless of ideas of chaos or law.  Two rules about how they are supposed to rule doesn’t really add up to a fully established structure of law.  I feel like their description fits more with Neutral Evil, especially considering how both the other Big 3 are already Lawful Evil.  Put some variety in there.  But this is a minor nitpick that ultimately doesn’t matter much.
I love the aboleth.  I hope I’ve inspired you to love them too now.  They are the inspiration for writing this list in the first place and I’m so glad that we’ve gotten here.
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