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#we don't talk politics much here but all the rules ARE GONE
marydiva-17 · 17 days
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A marriage of peace & political (2)
Zuko x water tribe reader x male mai + others
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Many years had gone by since you left your home and become a wife, it had been so long since you had seen your family and everyone else. No words or visit had taken place between them with you, at first it had broken your heart but you soon came to terms with everything. There was some distance between yourself and southern water tribe, that had grown over the years since the last time they saw you. Over the years you had changed into the person you had become now these days. 
Y/n " ........" you are the on the dock of the fire nation ship moving on the ocean, you were looking out on the landscape surrounding you. 
Fire nation solder " my lady y/n we are not that far from the South Pole"
Y/n " thank you for the report please make sure everything will be ready to be unloaded"
Fire nation soldier " yes my lady" it had been so long but you were finally going home, not for a home coming but for help. As some tension had risen and issue had risen for water and earth kingdom, Among themselves and some tension with the fire nation as well.
????? " mom" you soon had a smile show up on your face, as you looked to see your four sons standing there. 
Y/n " hello my sons" you soon walked toward your children, all of your dressed for the cold climate. 
Y/n " Muko, Izo, and Uze, Zoja I thought you boys will be inside with everyone else"
Muko " we were going to stay inside but we came to see how you were doing"
Y/n " I'm doing well it has been so long since I been here"
Izo " that good to hear mother"
Y/n " I'm guessing your fathers had asked you all to come on the trip with me to make sure I'm okay"
Uze " yes as it seems like they don't like your family and their friends that much, and one of them the avatar ... so sad on how he failed to keep his oath"
Zoja " even after this marriage it seems like chief hakoda has failed to keep his rule in line, as well so has his children the only one who has been successful if you mother" 
Muko " mother we don't wish to be rude we have here for two reasons to keep our family safe and to see your home and all the culture you talked about"
Izo " yes it going to be a good trip"
Y/n " I'm happy to hear that boys" Muko and Izo are fire-benders like zuko and have his personality and inherit his looks as well. While Uze and zojia didn't have any bending abilities but picked up their father Mao talent for daggers and looked and act ike him. 
Y/n " I know you kids will be able to find some fun in this place and one we are done here we can go see the rest of our family on ember inland" 
The boys " yes mother" The children had become your pride and joy over the years, the boys and their fathers always found ways to make you happy. 
Uze " mother" Uze was Ponting at something and you soon saw it the South Pole it has been so long since you been home, even due it had changed it was still your home a bright smile grows on your face. 
Y/n " welcome to the South Pole my children" The fire nation ship soon stopped the ship at the dock the walk way had bene dropped, as you and had gotten off with your children. To see water nation soldiers waiting there as well it seems like they were apart of the escort to the palace and into the village. 
Water nation solder " hello lady y/n we have been order by your father and brother to escort you to the palace and inside the village" 
Y/n " thank you I will also be bring my guards as well under the commands of my husbands" 
Water nation soldier " yes that can happen we all take you and your party right now if you wish" 
Y/n " yes please" the Group soon left the docks the suppiles will follow later on as you soon walked inside the village, you had been greeted by cheers and music. It seems like everyone had come to see the arrival from you water and earth kingdom civilians and soldiers are here. The were people waving to you and you waved or smiled back, after a while you soon reached the palace. 
Muko " well we are here it time to show them what you can do" 
Y/n " thank you my child" 
Water nation guard " up these steps everyone else is in there my lady and it good to have you home" 
Y/n" thank you and it good to be home" you and eveyrone soon walked up the steps as the door opened and soon more cheering and music had been heard from behind you and in front of you. 
Squire " I announced the arrival of lady y/n the princess of the fire nation and lady of the southern water tribe daughter of hakoda and kay, and sister to sokka and katara " you soon made you way towards the front where all the important people are standing you soon saw your father and siblings, along with everyone else. 
Y/n " chief hakoda hello it good to see you again and everyone else it has been go long" hakoda had smiled and soon made his way towards you. 
Hakoda " welcome home my daughter I have missed you it been to long but it good to have you home" 
Y/n " yes it" 
Sokka " welcome back sister" 
Y/n " hello sokka" 
Katara " y/n I'm happy to have my sister home" 
Y/n " hello katara ... hello to you as well aang and top it good to see you all are doing well" 
Toph " hello snow princess I have missed you" 
Aang " hello y/n I have heard about the great things you have done I and nomads ow you thank for helping us restore the air temples" 
Y/n " you are welcome" 
Hakoda " I hope your remember all our old friends as well they have come here for the meeting" 
Y/n " hello everyone" 
Toph " are zuko and Mao coming along with iroh"
Y/n " they will be coming later on I and my company came first" 
Bato " speaking of your company who are these four young man with you today they seem young warriors in the making" 
Muko " we are the children of princess y/n of the fire nation and lady y/n of southern water tribe the sons of her husband and future heir of the fire nation" The room had fallen silent after muko had said that and bowed soon his three brother had followed suit. 
Sokka " okay I must not be hearing right or the music got to me but did he say he your son" 
Y/n " yes he my son all four of them are my sons" 
Sokka " wow I can't believe I have nephews" 
Katara " it so wonderful to meet you four" 
Izo " it good to meet you as well" 
Hakoda " I can't believe I'm a grandfather why haven't I been told ahead of time" 
Y/n " I have sent word but it seems like letter were never received or read" 
Hakoda " well we can find a solution later I'm happy you are home and my grandsons are here as well" 
Sokka " family hug" 
Uze " I don't do hugs" 
Toph " hey I like this one" 
Uze " your toph I heard great stuff about you from my mother and great uncle respect" 
Toph " thank you" 
Y/n " we can talk later and have time to get to know each other or caught up, we should get to the meeting I'm right to sokka time line" 
Sokka " you still know me well sister" you had nodded your head as the meeting will be starting soon but you know during their time here it was going to challenges for you, as now you will be dealing with your family and the others. As life was not the same anymore, you were going to do you best while you were here and not let the last control that much.
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dandelion-wings · 28 days
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On thing about Mondstadt’s government that bothers me is that everybody boils it down to just the Knights on one side, and the Church on the other. Which, sure, they’re what we know the most about…
But it completely ignores the ‘Community Representative’. Considering their signature is one of three needed to (legally) make use of the Holy Lyre, alongside the Grandmaster and the Seneschal, they must be pretty damn important. So assuming they have equal power to those positions, which are at the head of the Knights and the Church respectively, what actually is that power? Presumably it’s an elected position (the title is that of a ‘representative’, plus I would be severely disappointed if there wasn’t even a hint of democracy in the Nation of Freedom), but is there a structure under it similar to the Knights and Church? Is there a completely separate civilian, secular government that for some reason just barely comes up? If it is elected, how is that handled? If both Grandmaster Varka and the Seneschal are on expedition, does that mean they hold more authority than Acting Grandmaster Jean and whoever is Acting Seneschal (assuming an acting-title’s authority, though still above everything else below the proper-title, is still considered secondary to that of said proper-title)? But if so, why hasn’t it come up? Or is it just some guy elected to act as a more expedient alternative to something like a full referendum?
God, I have an education in history and political science that is just begging for some damn answers!
I mean, I don't have an education in those things and am not real good at working those things out myself, so I don't know that I can provide you too much useful commentary here. XD;; But while I'd love if Mondstadt did have some democracy, I... am pretty convinced that it's a theocracy, actually. The Knights and the Church (which tbh seems to exist under the overall umbrella of the Ordo, given that Jean says in her voiceline about Barbara that "the order also manages the Church") fulfill pretty much all the governmental functions we actually see happening at all, including the whole thing in Jean's quest where Charles expects tax forms from her.
I'll admit I also lean that way because I read into Mondstadt as a whole (its history but also our introduction to it, where Amber initially nabs us for unauthorized entry and then there's a whole early section about gliding regulations) a theme of humans repeatedly being given freedom, and gradually rebuilding restrictions upon themselves. Which I don't think is entirely a bad thing, in that I do think communities generally function better with organization and administration and such, but, like, Mondstadt has gone all the way into tyranny before and could again. Mondstadt building itself an increasingly restrictive theocracy feeds into the theme I like drawing from it, so of course that's the reading I tend towards! But, still, that's where I'm at about it.
(I draw a lot of my read of this national theme from the line, "Mondstadt is the City of Freedom, but unchecked freedom without any kind of rules only invites chaos and anxiety," in Jean's character details, and I haven't seen anyone else talk about it, ever, so it's entirely possible this is actually character brainrot I'm projecting onto the city as a whole. I'm fine with that.)
Presumably there is a further government apparatus, but I tend to believe it's probably under the higher authority of the Ordo. Maybe with checks and balances, maybe not (exactly how I arrange the setup for fic where it's needed is specific to individual fic, because the openness of canon leaves the kind of room that makes it easiest to go with what works for the plot). "Community Representative" on its own is very vague; looking at the line where it actually appears, it's talking about the Holy Lyre in the context of the Ludi Harpastrum, so it could even be a role specific to the yearly organization of that particular festival! That said, it does sound a bit more like it's a regular thing, and given my presumption of theocracy above, I think this:
Or is it just some guy elected to act as a more expedient alternative to something like a full referendum?
honestly is the most likely possibility. It would make sense given Mondstadt's ethos and history--you have a representative of the community to sign off on certain decisions (hopefully elected, as you said, but who knows exactly how it happens), like that one about the Lyre, to show that the people agree. Possibly it's a triangle with the Grand Master at the top and the Seneschal (given the above "manages the Church" line) and Community Representative as equals who have input but not ultimate power on the next level down, possibly they both exist largely to rubberstamp the Grand Master and Seneshal's decisions, possibly it's an area-of-authority divide. Regardless of the exact divisions, Jean does seem to have some fairly unilateral powers in the areas of domestic defense and peacekeeping, but that's... something you do want the head of your military-and-police order to have, generally, so who knows how broad her powers actually are to act without the Seneschal and Representative's approval in other areas. The game is, as always, frustratingly uninformative.
Anyway, tl;dr: my personal reading of Mondstadt tends to render the Community Representative as relatively unimportant, despite the equal billing in that quest, because over and over again in quests and lore and voicelines we don't see anything but "the Ordo handles things," and Mondstadt honestly makes most sense to me as a theocratic city-state. I think they're more likely a representative "voice" in the government than a significant power, and I don't think they represent any significant "third branch" other than possibly, given Mondstadt's history, a symbolic reminder that its people have toppled tyrants before and can do so again.
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moonlightgrisha · 11 months
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A dance of shadows
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Ch. 2 You meet the Black General again, among the chattering of the ball, but he has is mind set on something else. [Masterlist] Previous - Next
He's here.
This is not the first social engagement you have attended since your arrival at the Grand Palace. There's been quite a few, actually, as your distant royal relatives parade you searching for the best match. You are probably being a disappointment, because you spend your time gossiping with other girls, drinking far too much champagne and stomping on the feet of your suitors.
He's the first Grisha you see attending one of these events. He must abide by the rules of the court too and show himself at the Grand Palace, sometimes.
The tsarina introduces you, although he can't possibly be a suitor of sorts. You know a thing or two about Grisha: this man has definitely been living longer than any other in the room and cannot be interested.
He doesn't take your hand, just respectfully bows his head, and suddenly the two of you are alone in the crowd, with nothing to say.
You have something to say, actually. It would be so easy, to just speak up and say: "I can call upon moonlight, take me with you". But your tongue is tied, and when it loosens, you say the stupidest thing in the world.
"Do you dance?"
He barely smiles, seemingly amused. "Not if I can help it".
And now that you have made a fool of yourself, you hide your face in your glass of wine. You need a refill.
"Although I've heard you are quite the dancer", he adds, and you almost choke on your wine.
"Don't believe everything you hear" you stutter. "Or you'll end up with a broken foot".
That's just small talk, and it's making you uncomfortable. You shouldn't be standing next to him, you shouldn't be making jokes at him, you shouldn't be talking to him at all.
And he shouldn't be talking to you. You are pretty sure he's just playing the politics game, so you bow, ready to take your leave, when he casually leans forward and whispers:
"Who are you?"
"You heard the tsarina", you answer, not very politely. "She just introduced us".
His glare widens. He seems to contemplate all the lies you dress yourself with. "But we met before", he continues. "Haven't we?"
"You mistake me for som--"
"Don't lie to me, milady".
You turn red with rage, and get bold. "How dare you--"
"I can't keep myself from wondering what you were really doing on top of that hill above the Little Palace, at the end of night", he keeps talking, undisturbed. He has piercing eyes, and you could get lost in his glare if he weren't what he is. "It's the old story of the rebellious noblewoman? Running from an unwanted fate, perhaps?"
You can't help it. "Or running towards it", you mumble.
Someone comes to your rescue. They see a lady in distress and they just can't resist. A gentleman you've never seen before, never heard of, comes over to ask you to dance.
You turn to your interrogator with a small, triumphant smile. He's the picture of formality, now, but this time, when he bows, he takes your hand. You are wearing gloves, but you feel...
Something is awfully right, or awfully wrong. It has to do with his grasp, his eyes, the evening shadows lingering at the golden windows of the Grand Palace and, damn you, it's a full moon tonight. The Darkling looks at you and now he's smiling, and you don't know who's winning anymore.
You go on dancing, but when you spin around, he's gone.
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intermundia · 9 months
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Sorry to bother you but I'm curious to know your thoughts on this.
I know it's not technically canon but the novelization does at point depict anakin wanting to leave the order to raise his kids and padme encouraging him to stay. I know he's his own person and all but having his wife pushing him to keep up the lies and secrets is kind a factor in his decisions I would say. Having someone you care for so deeply tell you to keep living a lie is definitely something that would mess with your brain and influence your perspective on things.
Idk. Just something that I feel is overlooked sometimes in the discussion of Anakin’s decision in not leaving. I would really love to know your thoughts on this.
“Anakin, not here. It’s too risky.” “No, here! Exactly here.” He drew her against him again, effortlessly overpowering her halfhearted resistance. “I’m tired of the deception. Of the sneaking and the lying. We have nothing to be ashamed of! We love each other, and we are married. Just like trillions of beings across the galaxy. This is something we should shout, not whisper—” “No, Anakin. Not like all those others. They are not Jedi. We can’t let our love force you out of the Order—” “Force me out of the Order?” He smiled down at her fondly. “Was that a pun?” “Anakin—” He could still make her angry without even trying. “Listen to me. We have a duty to the Republic. Both of us—but yours is now so much more important. You are the face of the Jedi, Anakin. Even after these years of war, many people still love the Jedi, and it’s mostly because they love you, do you understand that? They love the story of you. You’re like something out of a bedtime tale, the secret prince, hidden among the peasants, growing up without ever a clue of his special destiny—except for you it’s all true. Sometimes I think that the only reason the people of the Republic still believe we can win the war is because you’re fighting it for them—” “And it always comes back to politics for you,” Anakin said. His smile had gone now. “I’m barely even home, and you’re already trying to talk me into going back to the war—”
yeah so i think that padmé's encouragement to live the lie is deeply unhelpful. if i recall correctly, there are two key times anakin thinks about leaving the order, both of which are in her presence, and yet she is the one who offers pressure back toward staying. the above passage is taken from right after they are reunited, and it is so telling to me. padmé loves him as her husband, yes, but she also sees him as larger than life, and says things that absolutely feed his ego. she encourages him to think the rules don't apply to him, because he is so important and special.
she doesn't take his commitment to the order seriously with respect to what it means to be a jedi, but she wants him to stay there anyway. i think that this kind of encouragement is rather similar to palpatine's manipulations, though she definitely has less sinister motives, the result is the same. her permission to break rules exacerbates the potential weaknesses in his character that lead to his fall. it compounds with sidious's maneuvering. her pressure makes him feel like not only a tool of the jedi but also the democratic opposition, unable to have what he wants because of politics and duty that he doesn't personally care about. all he cares about is getting what he wants.
i honestly don't know if he was ever genuinely serious about leaving the order. he clearly does not take his commitment seriously, but he also craves the power that having high status in the order brings, both in terms of access to force training and the glory of being the youngest council member. he thinks of leaving only when he's directly looking at padmé, not otherwise. so basically it's unclear to me whether or not he actually meant to leave, but what is not unclear is that padmé absolutely pressured him and flattered him, manipulating him and trying to use him (not with bad intentions! with the best of intentions!), and it encourages him to the edge of darkness. his perspective is absolutely shaped by her words.
i just believe that they make each other worse. that is the tragedy of their relationship imho. they love each other, and it harms them both.
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shini--chan · 9 months
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The reader mumbles about how she wished to be an human like.
Don't you wish sometimes you would be an human? I mean they live an normal life marry someday, have kids and die together and the end. And we live so long now, I hate it, my past lovers are now all dead.
A bit of a strange ask, but nevertheless interesting. I’ll be taking England for this one, since the grumpy rat wouldn’t take it well.
Warnings for suicidal ideation, mind break and other shady stuff
Yandere England – Shatter
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Arthur stared at you. You had been strangely lethargic lately, dragging your feet do matter how much he snapped at you to walk properly, eyes drooping and smile seeming even more strained than usual. There was something dead to your gaze, a light that had been snuffed out, something that went beyond dissociation.
You didn’t want to be here but that was something both of you had come to ignore over time. Thus, a peculiar insanity had made itself comfortable, where the two of you would pretend that this relationship was normal. It was surely better that the alternative, than the cursing and the crying, the blood on the floor and chains on the bed post. Though, playing pretend had only let the wounds fester and this was the culmination of it.
“Have you ever considered being mortal?”, you asked out of the blue one evening, when the lights were already out and he had tucked himself in bed. You were standing at the foot of the bed, night shirt and scraggly hair making you look like a creature out of a horror movie.
(You hadn’t brushed your hair again. How dare you! You were supposed to take care of yourself, make yourself pretty and presentable for him. He had spent countless hours drilling the rules of conduct into your inferior little skull and by the looks of it, it seemed like everything had gone in one ear and then directly out the other. This needed correcting. Perhaps...)
“No, now stopped muttering gibberish and come to bed”, he commanded. That was a lie. He had often stared at humans, or transients, as he liked to call them, and wondered how it would be like to live such a wretched, short live. Looking back on history, only the fewest of those mayflies really amounted to something. So it was more out of morbid curiosity and pity that England entertained the idea of being a human. But he didn’t want to talk about that with you, especially since you didn’t seem to be in the right state of mind.
However, you persisted on following that dangerous train of thought.
“Don't you wish sometimes you would be a human? I mean they live a normal life marry someday, have kids and die together and the end. And we live so long now, I hate it, my past lovers are now all dead.”
This just kept getting weirder and weirder. Personifications didn’t yearn to have children, because children meant succession and succession meant death. Marriage wasn’t the giddy affair it usual was for humans, because it was either a political alliance that would one day dissolve into war or a mean of establishing control, of colonialism, that ended in blood and vows of vengeance if it ended at all.
You wanted to die. No responsible personification yearned for death. They all lived to be eternal, to strive on and on and on until there was no history and no future, only they.
“You’ve gone insane. Do you hate me that much?”, he ask, slowly clambering out of bed, cautiously opening one of the drawers to his cabinet. There was chloroform somewhere here.
“I’m simply tired of all this. Is it so bad for me to want it to end?”, you asked in a voice that was far to high and with a giggle that sounded like nails scrapping down a chalk board. His fears were confirmed.
Arthur wouldn’t take it well at all. He would think that you would just want to leave him, seeing death as the only option since he had quelled every rebellion, and thwarted every escape attempt. This would probably happen after one of the aforementioned incidents, where your dashed hopes would make world weariness creep upon you big time. How couldn’t you not want all of this to end, when all the days melted together until there was no future or the past, only a miserable present where you had to bow to all the whims of a possessive madman? When no matter how fast you ran, you just seemed to stay on the same spot?
England would seek to eradicate that “rebellious” train of thought as fast as he could. It would necessarily be through words of comfort, but rather mind games, and psychological manipulation and torture. He would very likely make your mental state even worse, but if you would shut up about dying and rebelling then he would be a happy man.
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charminggirl512 · 1 year
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road rule // jax teller x oc
Jax Teller x F!OC (Dolly Dawson)
Warnings: language, mentions of drinking and drug use, mentions of sex, angst
Word Count: 979
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 The party around us swells as even more people walk through the doors of the clubhouse. A year ago, I would never have been caught dead at a motorcycle club and now I was perched on the lap of the vice president of one. Jax's hand caresses up and down my leg, the goosebumps on my legs showing everyone how much just the slightest touch from him affects me. He turns my face towards him, his beautiful smile on his lips, and places the half-smoked joint between my lips. His eyes scan down my face as I inhale, the warm thick smoke filling my lungs before I blow it right in his face to make him laugh. He uses the front of my dress to pull me towards him, our teeth clashing together before our lips do. 
"I'm empty. Do you want another one, baby," I ask against his lips when I will myself to pull away. 
"That would be great. Thank you, darlin'." He pats my butt when I stand up in front of him and I flash him a smile as I walk over to the bar. They gave Kip the night off for once so a croweater that I don't recognize is behind the bar. 
"Just a beer and a Jack and coke. Thanks," I tell her and she starts getting our drinks. As she's making them, I overhear two other croweaters talking and decide to be nosy and listen. 
"What is up with Gemma tonight? She has been pissy all night," One of them says before taking a sip of her drink. I've seen her around Tig before which makes me question her taste a bit.
"You didn't hear? One of Clay's road girls showed up here, so she's super pissed that he broke the road rule. That's like the cardinal rule of biker life." I contemplate asking her what the hell the road rule is when my drinks are set in front of me. 
   I saunter back over to Jax, but instead of sitting back on his lap, I hand him his drink and grab his hand to lead him outside. We pass a bunch of people and we both smile and wave until we reach the picnic tables and I make him sit down. 
"What's going on, Doll?"
"What's the road rule?" His eyes go wide and his mouth stays shut. "Jax." 
"It's nothin' you need to worry about, darlin'. Let's go back inside and I'll let you kick my ass at pool." He stands up again and places his hand on my hip to try and lead me away. I push it off and then push him back towards the picnic table. 
"We're not going anywhere until you tell me what the road rule is, Jackson Teller." He rolls his eyes at me using his full name, which instantly sets me off. "I'm trying really hard to be a cool biker babe for you, Jax, but I'm about to go suburban housewife on your ass if you don't start talking." 
"What happens on the road stays on the road." He seems to be looking anywhere but at me and my blood runs cold.
"As in..." 
"Yes." 
   I pace back and forth in front of him, my mind moving at a mile a minute. The fact that he was so hesitant to tell me makes me want to peel my skin off. Did he think this rule applied to our relationship? On the nights when I slept alone in our bed, was he on the road fucking a random girl? Was him telling me that he missed me while he was gone just a lie to avoid an actual discussion of what he did with other women? I feel like an idiot. I'm so ignorant to so many parts of this life and the thought of that making it easier for Jax... 
"Dolly," He starts but I cut him off.
"How many? I just need to know so I can decide how quickly I need to leave you."
"What are you talking about? Baby, just calm down," He says and the panic that seeps into his eyes is oddly reassuring. 
"God, I'm not that much of an idiot. How many women have you fucked using the road rule? Usually, if you're going to use a rule to make decisions in your relationship, it's polite to tell the other person in the relationship." 
"Zero." 
"At least be honest with me." 
"I am. None. I haven't touched another woman since the day I met you, Dolly, and I don't plan on it." This time when he touches my hips, I let him. He pulls me so that our chests are pressed together and uses my chin to make me look him in the eyes. "I told you that you didn't need to worry about the road rule because it doesn't apply to us. Why would I go somewhere else to get something that you do so well for me? Maybe I should take you home and remind you who the only woman I like to fuck is." 
   I blush and bury my face in his chest, which makes him laugh and pull me closer. His hands slide up and down my back before burying themselves in my hair, using it to guide my lips to his. He's gentle at first, soft kisses that seem completely innocent. They quickly turn dirty when he bites my bottom lip and slides his tongue into my mouth at the same time that one of his hands squeezes my ass.
"Prettiest girl in the whole world," He mumbles against my lips. "My little Barbie, my angel girl who fucks her man so good. Love you more than anything else." 
"Okay, but just to be clear, if you ever cheat on me, I will castrate you and take our son when I leave." 
"Wouldn't expect anything less."
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postoctobrist · 1 year
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Is your distaste for the SNP on a pure policy level, or are you also anti-independence?
I am also anti-independence, for several reasons:
I think a Scottish worker has infinitely more in common with an English worker than she does with a Scottish boss, in a way that wasn't true of, for instance, Ireland in Marx's day. We're talking about comparable, deeply intertwined economies rather than a purely extractive model.
James Connolly already predicted the path of Irish independence being that if you can't pay your rent you get thrown out in the street, but now the guys doing it have harps on their hats instead of crowns, and this is hardly an improvement.
Even if the people trying to deliver an independent Scotland weren't neoliberals, which they overwhelmingly are, they would be trying to navigate the biggest economic upheaval on the British Isles since Brexit, leaving Scotland with a border in front of its (newly very annoyed) largest trading partner, an uncertain relationship with an even more neoliberal European Union, an uncertain currency, and an economy based on, depending on who you ask, oil or app development. You would have to be the economic genius of the century to do this at all, let alone without serious pain and disruption, and this genius I have not yet seen.
I personally don't feel English or Scottish but British. I was born and raised in England, but half my family are from Scotland and I've lived and worked here since I was 19. However inclusive a vision of Scottish identity you want to advance, I still don't feel connected to it. I'm certainly not the only person in this position, and any independence movement's only response to it is to effectively tell me to go fuck myself.
I don't think most people in the UK understand intuitively what it's like to be a small country, because we have grown up with our government holding onto the spoils of empire by its fingernails. It sounds ridiculous to say that you're going to miss a permanent seat on the UN Security Council when it's gone, but if you care about foreign policy at all you're going to see it become an irrelevance. An independent Scotland is going to demonstrate moral leadership on the world stage? Sure. Go demonstrate moral leadership in the General Assembly, the countries with nukes are talking. You think staying in the UK is a humiliation for Scotland? You haven't seen anything yet.
Same but for the internal politics of being a small country. Money goes so much further, because instead of a hundred billionaires all trying to influence the government or the media in different directions, you get one or two. If JK Rowling were smart (she is not), she'd be for independence instead of against, because she could rule this country like a fief. It's always been this article of faith that an independent Scotland would be cleaner and more liberal politically out of some innate Scottish niceness. Mince. The SNP has never been free of corruption, or bigotry, and both of those can only take deeper root the moment they have to start governing a country instead of a nation.
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hinatastinygiant · 3 months
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11 | Lady Banks
Pairing: Ominis Gaunt x Fem!Reader
Serpents and Roses
SEBASTIAN'S P.O.V.
"Just an hour, I promise," I say as I toss Ominis the cloak on his bed. "I know you want to cram in a bit more studying for whatever you said it was. But this is a perfect opportunity to go check up on your crush, yeah? What could go wrong?"
"You do know that it's against the rules to go wandering off campus," he sighs as he pulls the cloak over his body. "Besides, Y/N isn't my crush. We're just-"
"Who said anything about Y/N," I smirk mischievously at him.
"Shut up," he grunts.
"Come on," I chuckle, rolling my eyes. "Let's just go already."
"Fine," he groans, "But I swear if we get caught-"
"We won't," I say as the two of us make our way towards the door. "We'll be quiet and make our way to the forest easy-peasy."
And I kept my promise, too. We arrived at the party without a hitch and started looking around for the other Slytherins at the party, as well as Y/N. Together, Ominis and I make our way through the crowd. It doesn't take me long, but eventually, I spot her in the middle of the party with Garreth Weasley's hands all over her. I try not to react too much to cause suspicion from Ominis, but when I stop dead in my tracks at the sight I know will cause my friend's heart to break, he catches on.
"What is it?" he asks. "Did you find her?"
"Uh, yeah, she's dancing with her Ravenclaw friends," I lie to him.
"I didn't know they were so close," he murmurs under his breath. "I hope she's having fun."
"I don't know about her but I'd be having a lot more fun if you'd quit talking and keep moving," I whisper as I nudge him forward. I know it's harsh, but I don't want him to get any ideas about walking over there.
"We should be polite and say hello. I don't think her friends much care for-"
"I've already lost track of them," I continue to lie. "Let's just get a drink."
"You're lying," Ominis calls me out. I gulp hard, but I don't let him catch me that easily.
"No, I'm not," I say, trying to hide the shake in my voice. "Why would I lie?"
"I don't know," he replies. "Maybe she's with someone."
"With someone? She's only been here for two weeks, you know. I don't think she's got a boyfriend that quickly."
"I didn't say she had. But I have a feeling that you're not telling me the truth. Was she at least wearing the necklace I gave her?"
With a sigh, I stop and look back. I can see her perfectly from this view. She's got a big smile on her face as she wraps her arms around Garreth. But there's no necklace on her chest.
"Yeah," I lie, turning back to my friend. "She's got the necklace."
"That's good," he nods.
"Are you still thinking of walking over there?"
"Maybe after we get a drink," he sighs.
"Good idea," I nod, patting his back.
Y/N'S P.O.V.
"Garreth!" you hear Oliver Nott call out to him as he pushes his way through the crowd towards the two of you.
Garreth clears his throat and takes a step back from you as Nott pushes his way between you both. "What're you doing?" he asks, his eyebrows knitting together. "What do you want?"
"Leander said he was lookin' for you..." he explains, trailing off as he looks over to get a better glance at you. "Good evening, Y/N. You look quite beautiful tonight. Are you here with this fool, or are you finally free?"
You feel your body tense as his eyes rake over you, sending a chill down your spine. "I'm just here with my friends," you explain.
"I swear to god, Nott, if you're fucking lying to me about Leander-" Garreth grumbles.
"I'm not, man. Go and check for yourself. I don't mind keeping Y/N company while you're gone," he smirks down at you.
"Will you be okay?" Garreth asks you, placing his hand on your shoulder.
"Of course," you force a smile.
"Sorry, Y/N. I'll be right back. Stay close, alright?" he whispers in your ear before pushing his way past Nott and vanishing into the crowd.
"Now that it's just us," Nott grins as he wraps his arm around your shoulders, "we should get a drink."
You suppose that drinking a bit of amortentia will help you have to deal with Nott for the time being, so you agree and allow him to escort you through the crowd until you arrive back at the same cauldron as before. You look around at your surroundings as he pours you a drink, hoping you'll spot Luna and be able to flag her over.
"Here ya go," Nott smiles as he hands you a plastic cup.
You smile politely at him before bringing the drink to your lips. The liquid burns as it goes down your throat, and the taste is a bit sweeter than you remember it before.
"Not bad, right?" Nott laughs as he pours himself a cup as well.
"Tastes different this time," you admit as you narrow your eyes at him.
"Oh," he hums before taking his own sip from his cup. "Well, that's probably because I put some of Mnemosyne's Curse in it."
"Mnem..." you mumble, your head getting foggier by the second. "Nemo..."
"Mnemosyne's curse. It helps you forget things temporarily by manipulating the perception of time," he explains, watching as your vision begins to blur. "You'll probably lose track of what happens tonight, forgetting your interactions and experiences with me altogether, but that's okay," he hums as he slides the back of his hand down your cheek.
"You... fucker," you mutter as your body goes limp against his.
OMINIS' P.O.V.
After Sebastian and I find a few other Slytherins to talk to, I ask him where he'd seen Y/N last. "What? She was out dancing with Weasley. I told you before," Sebastian waves me off, but his words only make me more worried. I know he's had a lot more to drink than I have, but that's certainly not what he told me before.
"What are you talking about?" I ask, dragging him away from the group. "You told me she was with her Ravenclaw friends."
"Shit," he mutters. "I-I'm sorry, Ominis. I knew you'd be upset and I didn't want to tell you. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."
"Tell me what? Sebastian, where's Y/N?"
"She's dancing with the Weasel. You don't want to go over there. She looked pretty into it," he explains, hiccuping between words.
"Where?" I press him, growing increasingly concerned. "Is she safe?"
"I-I don't know, man. You should leave it alone. I don't want you going and doing something stupid," he shakes his head.
"Tell me where she is. Now!" I shout, the words coming out louder than I had meant them to.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. Don't worry, Ominis," he says, pulling me towards the table with Wizard's Sangria. "You should get another drink."
I'm about to argue with him, until he stops short in his tracks, causing me to bump into his shoulder. "Y/N?" he then mutters worriedly.
"Uh," a man's voice calls out instead. Immediately, I recognize it as Oliver Nott. A strange smell then reaches my nose. It's not from the Sangria, but rather from a potion I pinpoint as Mnemosyne's Curse. "Say hi to your friends, Y/N."
"Mmm, hi," I hear her mutter as she stumbles to her feet as if Nott was previously holding her up. He most assuredly slipped her that potion.
I then reach out and grab the drink in Y/N's hand. "I don't think you should be having any more of that," I tell her before dumping the rest of the contents upside down on the ground.
"Ah, fuck!" Nott calls out. "What the hell man?"
"Oh shit," Sebastian laughs. "Ominis, you just spilled that on his shoes!"
"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Nott frowns, taking a step back.
"She's obviously had enough to drink," I narrow my eyes.
"No kidding," he scoffs, pulling Y/N closer to him again. "That's why I was going to bring her to the Gryffindor common rooms. It's the closest nearby and she certainly needs a break."
"We'll take her," Sebastian then chimes in. "You can leave her with us."
"Yeah, you've got a big party to host," I remind him, my fists clenching in frustration.
"That's right," Sebastian nods, a goofy grin spreading across his face. "Don't worry, Nott. We've got it covered."
I can hear Nott mutter something under his breath before pushing Y/N off of him, colliding her against me. She groans, leaning into my chest for support.
"Whatever," Nott rolls his eyes. "Fucking Slytherin bastards."
Sebastian and I take Y/N by the arms and begin walking her back to the school. "Gryffindor isn't even the closest dorm from here," Sebastian scoffs. "It's Slytherin."
"Huh?!" my ears perk up as I realize what he's getting at.
"Are you gonna bring her back to your place?" I can feel Sebastian's smirk growing wider by the second although I cannot see him.
"No, of course not," I shake my head. "She needs to sleep in her own bed."
"Fair point," he nods. "Come on, let's go."
The trip back to her dorm was easy enough. It helped that Sebastian was sobering up by the time we arrived, which he did by splashing his face with the cold water from the fountains on the way. And when we arrived outside the Ravenclaw dorms, we were relieved that she still remembered the passkey to get inside.
"I'll wait here," Sebastian whispers as he transfers all of Y/N's weight onto me. "You take her up to her dorm."
"Why me?" I groan as I adjust her slightly.
"Cause I've got a feeling that if I do, you'd kill me later on," he chuckles.
"Whatever," I roll my eyes.
"Just be fast," he hums.
With a sigh, I wrap my arm around Y/N's waist and help her into the dorms. She's able to guide me to where her room is, and when we finally reach the door, she tells me her passkey. "Bed, please," she moans once we enter the room.
"Alright," I nod, helping her to her bed.
The second she's under the covers, she falls completely silent. "Goodnight," I whisper as I let my hand trail down the side of her face. Then, letting my curiosity get the better of me, I allow it to trail down to her neck. I want to feel for myself if she's really wearing my necklace.
"What're you doing?" she then asks, stopping me by quickly placing her hand over mine. I can feel the beat of her heart pulsing rapidly.
"Looking for something," I confess, not bothering to stop the blush from spreading across my face.
"What?" she then asks.
"Um, nothing. Just going to turn the light off now, okay?"
Y/N nods and as I reach over to the light, I trip on the backpack she'd left in the middle of the floor. With a shake of my head, I bend down to pick it up and feel the familiar necklace on the side pocket. My blood runs cold as I realize that she took it off at some point and must've left it in there.
"Y/N?" I call out to her, but there's no response. So, I pick up the necklace and step closer to Y/N. In the darkness, I'm not sure whether she's fallen asleep or is ignoring me, but I lean in close to her face anyway. Then, after gently placing the necklace around her neck, I place a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight," I murmur, letting my lips linger for a second longer than necessary.
Then, with a deep sigh, I turn and make my way out of the dorm. As soon as the Ravenclaw door closes behind me, I lean against it, a feeling of sadness filling my chest. "What is it?" Sebastian asks, his eyes scanning me.
"Nothing," I lie, pushing myself off of the door.
"It's not nothing," he replies.
"Just tired. That's all."
"You're a shitty liar," he continues to pry. "What happened? Did you say something stupid?"
"No," I roll my eyes. "I'm not an idiot. And she wasn't wearing the necklace. She left it in her backpack."
"I really am sorry," he sighs as he puts his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry for lying to you about who I saw her with, too."
"It's okay," I wave him off. "I'm the one who's an idiot. I should've told her how I felt."
"I mean, it's not too late," he shrugs.
"I don't want to risk her not reciprocating my feelings. Besides, she's obviously attracted to other people. I don't want to mess things up."
"But... you're still friends, right?" he asks me as we begin to walk away. "You should at least try."
"Maybe. But right now, I'm going to focus on passing my classes. Let's go. I need to get some rest."
"Alright," he sighs. 
Serpents and Roses
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Exploring Adaptation and Bridgerton
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There comes a point where a girl can't deny she has engaged in a fandom. It probably is well before you start writing fic (you can find The Polin Fic on Ao3), but y'know, here we are. Let's talk Bridgerton.
Ok, couple things right off the top.
We are not dealing with either The Duke and I or S1 of Bridgerton on Netflix. We are not dealing with *THAT* scene and it's complete disregard for consent. Find that somewhere else on the internet, it's a big place.
We are literally only talking about The Viscount Who Loved Me and Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. They're the only books I've read, and at this point they're the only books in this series I care to read. That means we'll also chat about S2 of Netflix's Bridgerton.
Ok, with the ground rules established, let's jump on in!
I think the reasonable place to start here is with Kate. I watched Bridgerton the Netflix series before reading The Viscount Who Loved Me, and Kates Sheffield and Sharma are objectively not the same woman. They wouldn't even LIKE each other. Kate Sharma is self-assured, confident, driven, and quite frankly, a force of nature when she wants to be. Kate Sharma understands that not only is she a grown ass woman but also that if she does not get in gear and go for her goals, they ain't happening. You guys, I freaking love Kate Sharma.
By contrast, Kate Sheffield is a blond, blue-eyed, infantilized debutante with some serious unresolved PTSD. I was not at all sorry to see that Shondaland did away with THAT library scene and THAT bee sting scene. I think that the show did both of them way better, and I will never be mad when an adaptation takes an adult female character and lets her ACT like an adult. I also appreciated the shift from creepy Anthony trying to *checks notes* suck the venom out of the bee sting to a full-blown panic attack. It subverted a highly gendered trope and put both Kate and Anthony on a much more even and human footing. It was also--and I cannot stress this enough--so much LESS CREEPY than the book scene. Anthony describing what he was doing in detail while the reader is told but not shown that he's panicky left several different flavors of bad taste in my mouth. Kate Sharma showing actual dimensionality in her strength in the show in this scene as Anthony goes fully nonverbal is objectively a stronger scene that does far more to develop the characters.
Generally speaking, Anthony Bridgerton is Anthony Bridgerton in both the show and the book, with maybe some of the high-and-mighty, self-righteous edges sanded off for the show. He's a regency era Viscount, there's not a whole lot you can do with him in adaptation. Show Anthony is my preference because he has some of the high-handedness sanded off, and because Jonathan Bailey is extremely nice to look at. I don't even hate the S1 (*gasp* she mentioned Bruno!) sideburns and hair, they had a very 1995 Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy vibe that I was willing to lean into. I honestly don't have a whole lot else to say about Anthony, so let's move on and hope that maybe we get an S3 release date before I get to the end of this post.
I actually thoroughly enjoyed the fluffy confection that is Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, which makes it much harder to talk about than The Viscount Who Loved Me. I suppose the biggest difference between the book and what the show is setting up for Polin is in the stakes. The book stakes are arguably extremely low; the consequences for being Lady Whistledown in the book are essentially a round of polite applause and some deep-seated rage that Cressida freaking Cowper would dare to take credit for Penelope's work. And frankly, I was 100% with Penelope on that one. The show cannot possibly roll with that ending (or if they do, they're going to disappoint everyone) because Penelope has pissed off a reigning monarch, and that has, historically, gone poorly. So I think the show is setting up to give Colin real, concrete reasons to be pissed as hell when it comes out that Penelope is Whistledown, and to actually make the pair work for their romance. And for all I enjoyed the fluff in the book, I am a sucker for multiple layers of increasingly high stakes and I hope the show really goes ham on the payoff for this setup. Frankly, I want Colin to be absolutely furious with Penelope and still ready to sneak her out of England if the Queen decides that Lady Whistledown is too dangerous to leave at liberty.
In terms of how Colin himself changes in the show, I'm fairly cool with the "I am a bottomless pit where is the food" aspect of Colin's character being quietly left behind. I think we can do more interesting things with our male characters than that. However, like many of the people who have both read the book and kept up with the show, I am WORRIED about how much Colin's writing has been downplayed. Yes, he and Penelope have a correspondence, and clearly they mean a lot to each other, but writing letters does not necissarily set up Colin's journals and the writing relationship that the two develop in the book. It's so, so wildly uncommon for game to recognize game and form a partnership of equals in skill in regency romance novels, and that was one of the things I loved about Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. I also loved that Colin, not Penelope, was the less experienced newbie of the writing partnership.
Not that the book didn't complicate this issue, because Julia Quinn didn't hesitate for a millisecond to slot Penelope into the historical role of "uncredited, unpaid, and historically unknown editor and 80% of the reason that history remembers the husband who's name is on the cover of the book." And that SUCKS for Penelope.
That takes me really smoothly into the thing that I love most about what Nicola Coughlan brings to Penelope in the show. She has an edge, a little more willingness to take risks, and that really makes me believe that the Penelope of the show could be behind the edgier, sharper, WAY riskier Whistledown. I am excited to see what they do with Polin in S3!
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macksting · 4 months
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Murderbot: System Collapse (and Susan Pompoms)
This is not exactly spoiler territory but I'm still putting it below a cut. (It might qualify as spoilers for El Goonish Shive, but I kinda feel the same about that in this case too.)
Bharadwaj says even good change is stressful.
A relatively recent page of El Goonish Shive has a character facing this head-on. Unfortunately for Susan, she wants to be rational about things, even though she knows she sometimes isn't, and seems to consider it a bit of a weakness. She's harder on herself than she is on others. Big Mood. We have to deal with our own bullshit 24/7; at least when we sleep or are alone we aren't around someone else's that often, and even then it's a different angle on the subject and, in my experiences, compassion is easier.
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[ID: El Goonish Shive page. Susan and Sarah are standing talking on the roof of the high school. Susan is facing away, distraught and trying to hide her expression as she has lost her composure. Sarah suggests, pursuant to a page omitted, "It, um. Maybe you're upset by change?" Susan, still facing away, incredulously asks, "By good change? Not the store closing, but... quitting a job I don't want? Being done with this school? Not having to deal with that terrible locker anymore?" Sarah, concerned but calm, continues her supposition: "Well, I mean... You've worked there for years, and you've been here for years. It's what's normal for you, and... there is stuff you like about both places, right? Like, you started your movie review show with Elliot because of your job, and... you have friends here. You met Catalina here. Got to know Elliot and Tedd here." Susan half-smiles, her expression still bearing the strain of the strong emotions she's navigating, and asks, "And what's there to like about a locker with a sticky door?" Sarah smiles and replies, "You share it with me?" Susan, the sardonic half-smile gone, turns to face her more fully, and with a haunting expression as she comes to terms with it, pauses and says, "I want to hang out more." /end ID] So, y'know, right now I'm a mess. One little line messes me up so much. okay from here on I'm just fangirling to clarify shit. If you don't wanna hear me ramble about these fandoms in the abstract, adios. If you're a Murderbot fan wondering what this is about, El Goonish Shive is a webcomic that's been going since 2002, is unapologetically queer, has both accidentally and deliberately given earnest and deeply compassionate portrayals of queerness and neurodivergence, and also is just interesting, clever, and has a really big cry button moment as early as 2003. Susan in particular doesn't use the label asexual; Dan Shive considers her sexuality representative of his own, and is personally uncomfortable committing to restrictive labels such as that, though he knows how important they can be as well. She is beloved by asexual fans, okay frankly she's beloved by all fans because she's a complex, fascinating character whose political and philosophical views are her own, and excuse me I'm a mess again. She's not even my favorite fucking character. If you're an El Goonish Shive fan, I am crying over a construct made of cloned human tissues and robotic parts who is bitter, sardonic, and spent the first few books in a deep depression it was not aware of, has developed into a badass punk, and has an unsophisticated but very personal perspective on oppression, slavery, and artificial consciousness under a corporate dystopian rule. It calls itself "Murderbot" because of an incident it cannot remember that led to it hacking its governor module so that it might never be forced to kill again. It will kill, it's occasionally even Plan A, but it's a choice, not an order. ("As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure." - Book 1: All Systems Red.) It is asexual ("Things. :p"), prolly aromantic, prolly agender, and wonderful.
Then she added, “You know, you can stay here in the crew area if you want. Would you like that?” They all looked at me, most of them smiling. One disadvantage in wearing the armor is that I get used to opaquing the faceplate. I’m out of practice at controlling my expression. Right now I’m pretty sure it was somewhere in the region of stunned horror, or maybe appalled horror.
My favorite installment takes place after the fourth novella, but the first novella is absolutely sufficient as a standalone work of fiction, with a satisfying beginning, middle and end, comes in a glorious audiobook format narrated by Kevin R. Free, and makes me cry a lot. The early "humor me" level cry button for me is when everyone confronts it, and it turns to face a corner to avoid their deeply stressful eye contact. I have heard that fan responses to All Systems Red led the author Martha Wells to seek out an autism diagnosis; compare Dan Shive's "It would explain a lot."
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twistmusings · 1 year
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Here is something different. What do you think leona would be like if he was the first born? Still passive aggressive and sleepy?
Ooh. I love this anon. This is going to probably be a bit more ramble-y than my normal headcanon posts, but here's my ideas.
What if Leona were the first born son?
CW: Not a warning perse but I do talk a bit about book six, which hasn't been translated to English yet. It is nothing major, but just examines some of the ways that Leona is described in it.
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To start with, here are some of my thoughts as to why Leona is the way he is now because it gives context to how I think he would be as firstborn son:
We already get to see small glimpses of what Leona can do in canon. His unique magic is incredibly strong, and, as Idia describes in chapter 6: his ability to activate his magic and overall magic energy is "extraordinary" and that he's very in tune with his own magic. He also is incredible at curbing his accumulation of blot. It is highly implied that the only reason that Leona overblots is due to his internal feelings acting as the stressor to cause it.(Chapter 6-34.) He's an incredible magician, and on top of that he's an amazingly analytical and calculating person. One of his hobbies is chess and his other is looking for openings to take advantage of.
Now, Leona himself explains why he's so unmotivated: "From the moment I was born, there's been a boulder on top of me that's too heavy to move." "This is all because I was born second, they'd find fault with me no matter what--just so they could use it as a pretext to praise my brother. No matter what I do I can never be the best." "Maybe if this country selected it's kings on the basis of intelligence, I'd be motivated to do something with that wisdom." (Chapter 2-27)
Truthfully, I think Leona and Falena are a lot more similar than Leona would like to admit, even in canon. Falena is described as 'carefree'. Depending on your perspective (or in this case, how people view the same traits in their king vs their second born son who won't ever reach the throne) carefree can also describe Leona, but that's because he can't be bothered.
So what does King Leona Kingscholar look like?:
Leona is driven. Not having something preventing him from moving up and making himself better the way that that metaphorical 'boulder' does, he's much, much more motivated to care for himself and improve himself. Personally (and as a person with depression), I see him as being depressed, so I don't think that his motivation would hold out all of the time, but definitely moreso than it does now. He wouldn't resort to sleep as a means of escapism so much anymore because he wouldn't feel like anytime he's trying he's just spinning his wheels.
Not playing second fiddle to his brother would mean that Leona would never have overblotted the way that he did. There wouldn't have been a source to cause those negative thoughts the way that it happened in canon. Negative thoughts might still happen, but certainly not to that level.
Do I still think he'd be kind of lazy? Frankly, yeah, but not nearly the way he is shown to be in the story. He would probably shirk his duties pretty rarely and even when he did he would make sure that they would either a) be taken care of by someone else or b) be something he could pick up and do later.
As a King? Leona would be fantastic. He's quick witted, strategic, a natural leader, confident, decisive, wise, intelligent, and incredibly talented with magic. He has a lot of qualities that you see in a great leader, and I don't think him being predetermined to be king will change most of that.
An important thing to note: if Leona had been next in line to be King, assuming nothing else changes, Leona wouldn't have gone to Night Raven College. His father growing ill and passing away would have meant that he had to step up to rule the kingdom rather than furthering his magical education.
Leona would be a political asset to neighboring countries. Being a king with a power to turn things to sand at his touch? That's terrifying, so I think a great many countries would want to cozy up to the sunset savannah for the sake of avoiding conflict with a country where the king wields such power. He would handle it with grace, but I definitely think that would be one of the things that would still put him out of his depth.
Personality wise: I think Leona would be a lot less prickly and quick to anger or get jealous. He wouldn't have as much of a reason to be. Instead, he's probably a king with a wry sense of humor and still just a bit smug. He's benevolent and quick to help someone find a solution to a problem: always wanting to improve the quality of life for himself and the people around him. He's a bit spoiled but that's pretty parallel to how he already is in canon. He's, surprisingly, a caretaker, and looks after his kingdom and the people in it. He's also a surprisingly good communicator, he hates mincing words and would rather that people are just direct with him.
On the topic of kids........ well, I feel like Leona still doesn't like them, so he probably wouldn't have them. Truthfully, I feel like with having the duties of the whole kingdom on his plate, he probably wouldn't have much interest in romance either until he got older too. He would probably still help to care for Cheka once he's around (and be a bit better humored about it), but he's not all that interested in having kids of his own. He would literally be the most eligible bachelor in the whole kingdom and... well it would piss him off. (lol) He would feel like most people are trying to get close to him with an ulterior motive, so he's not all that interested in it unless someone is willing to go out of the way to get to know him and not just try to get at his money or power.
He would probably still like his sister-in-law though. I feel like he would trust her judgement and ask her for opinions if he felt like he needed, be it about a person or a situation. Falena may or may not get asked, truthfully. (He still thinks his brother is a little too lax, but isn't as indifferent to him as it might seem. He would probably be a bit more sympathetic to Falena being in the position as the second son than Falena was to him, more willing to listen and not tell him what he thinks Falena should do unless he asks for his input.)
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princesssarisa · 1 year
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Character ask: Alice (Alice in Wonderland)
Tagged by anonymous
Note: These answers apply only to Alice from the original two books and the more faithful adaptations, not the Tim Burton movies.
Favorite thing about them: What a complex, three-dimensional character she is, despite being a child character in children's books. She's a sweet-natured, polite Victorian girl, but she's spunky too, and not afraid to call out adults when they behave badly – even if they threaten to have her beheaded. She's sensible and smart, but more naïve than she thinks she is, and full of childish wonderment and relatable emotions too. On the surface she's the only "sane" person in Wonderland and Looking-Glass Land, but her normalcy is only by comparison with the fantasy characters, as her inner monologues reveal that she's full of imagination and eccentric thoughts. And of course her adventures are dreams, which means that she's even more quirky and imaginative than we realized, because Wonderland, Looking-Glass Land, and all the nonsense in them are creations of her own mind. On the one hand, she can be seen as an embodiment of prim and proper Victorian culture, thrust into a new world where all the rules and values she took for granted are turned upside-down. But on the other hand, if we view Wonderland itself as a satire of Victorian British society, then she can be seen as a little rebel, protesting against bad or silly social conventions with her instinctive childlike sense of right vs. wrong and logic vs. nonsense. I could probably write several pages about what makes her an interesting, appealing character, and I think it's a shame that pop culture tends to focus more on the Wonderland characters and reduce her to just a bland audience surrogate. She's much more than that.
Least favorite thing about them: Well, in the first book at least, she has moments of childish callousness. For example, when she kicks Bill the Lizard out of the chimney (it's no wonder that the Disney version has her accidentally sneeze him out instead), or the fact that she seems to think it's cute when her cat Dinah eats birds, and thoughtlessly tells a group of sapient birds about it.
Three things I have in common with them:
*I can be curious.
*I enjoyed pretending and imagining things when I was her age (and to be honest, I still do).
*I sometimes talk to myself as if I were two people.
Three things I don't have in common with them:
*I'm not a child anymore.
*I've never owned a cat.
*Unlike her usual depiction, I'm not blonde.
Favorite line:
"Curiouser and curiouser!"
"I almost wish I hadn’t gone down that rabbit-hole—and yet—and yet—it’s rather curious, you know, this sort of life! I do wonder what can have happened to me! When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one!"
"Maybe it’s always pepper that makes people hot-tempered, and vinegar that makes them sour—and camomile that makes them bitter—and—and barley-sugar and such things that make children sweet-tempered. I only wish people knew that: then they wouldn’t be so stingy about it, you know—”
brOTP: Her sister, her cat Dinah, and Dinah's kittens Snowdrop and Kitty.
I also like crossovers that have her meet and befriend Dorothy of Oz. They have a lot in common, of course, and yet they're so different in other ways (refined upper/middle-class British girl vs. down-home American farm girl, cat person vs. dog person, etc.) that it would be very interesting to have them meet.
OTP: None until she's older.
nOTP: Any of the Wonderland or Looking-Glass Land characters, especially if she's not aged up from the books.
Random headcanon: This might be a cliché, especially from me, but... I think she might be on the autism spectrum. She's content to play by herself instead of with other children, has an incredibly rich imagination, talks to her cats as if they were human and to herself as if to another person, is precocious in some ways yet very childlike in others, shows slightly disproportionate emotional reactions to things (e.g. crying a literal flood when she can't get into a pretty garden, yet showing little concern about being alone in a strange land with no apparent way back home), tries her best to show proper etiquette yet makes glaring mistakes (i.e. talking about her cat killing mice and birds to a sapient mouse and birds), imitates other people in her attempts to be proper (she's clearly imitating the adults in her life when she scolds herself for crying or Kitty for misbehaving), and spends her adventures trying to make sense of a world that seems nonsensical to her. Some people argue that Lewis Carroll/Charles Dodgson showed signs of being on the autism spectrum, so maybe he put something of himself into Alice.
Unpopular opinion: I don't think Carroll meant to imply that Alice is a lonely or neglected child, as some critics and online fans claim she is. That's a valid interpretation, but not the only way to view her. True, her parents are never seen or mentioned, but only because they're not relevant to the books. And just because she plays by herself, talks to her cats, and tends to (almost literally) get lost in her imagination doesn't have to mean there's anything wrong with her life. For millions of healthy, happy children, those things are perfectly normal!
Song I associate with them:
"Alice in Wonderland" from the Disney film.
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"In a World of My Own" from the Disney film.
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"Curiouser and Curiouser" from the 1972 film.
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"Loved All Day" from the 1981 musical Alice at the Palace.
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"Welcome Queen Alice" from the 1985 TV version of Through the Looking-Glass.
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Favorite pictures of them:
These classic illustrations by John Tenniel:
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This illustration by Arthur Rackham:
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These illustrations by Greg Hildebrandt (from an edition I owned when I was little):
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Charlotte Henry in the 1933 Paramount film:
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Disney's Alice:
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Fiona Fullerton in the 1972 British film:
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The Alice of the 1981 Russian animated version (I love this Alice – I love that she isn't a generic pretty girl, I love her upturned nose, rosebud mouth and buck teeth, I love her squeaky little voice, and I love that she's allowed to be just as quirky and imaginative as the Alice of the books):
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Natalie Gregory in the 1985 TV version:
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Tina Majorino in the 1999 TV version:
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lemonhemlock · 1 year
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Do you think Aemond would have made a much better king than both aegon ii and rhaenyra
Thanks for dropping by, Anon! What a loaded question! I suppose the matter of contention here would be "which Aemond?"
Book!Aemond is villainous to the point of caricature and offers little in the way of characterization. The historians of the time do not dive into his personality or motivations. Is he genuinely like that or has he suffered some breakdown of sorts? Does he become too far gone or can his trauma be overcome?
The problem with Aemond is that he reveals nothing in the direction of policy, both in the books and in the show, so it's very difficult to appraise his potential for kingship when we don't know his ideas. This is true even of Aegon. We know Aemond will burn the Riverlands, but what are his starting-point policies for peace times?
Meanwhile, characters like Daemon and Rhaenyra have had more time to make political decisions, just by virtue of being older. We already know Rhaenyra is not an astute political actor, because she proved herself before the war began. We already know Daemon relies on a combination of throwing tantrums, running away, murder and waging war as a means of problem-solving, because he has lived a full life before the start of the war.
This will get long. :))
Show!Aemond fortunately has received much needed humanization and characterization, even so much as to become a fan favourite with little screen time. His appearance on-screen suggests that, as a child, he is well-behaved, dutiful, sensitive and kind. He doesn't cause trouble, doesn't get into fights, is studious and a rule-follower. He has low self-confidence because he is the only boy in his cohort without a dragon and is hurt that he is not accepted. He has no problem confiding in his mother and seeks her out for comfort. He respects and cares for his sister. These are all good qualities to have in a king.
Not low-confidence, but the fact that he doesn't retaliate to his bullies and takes it patiently on the chin says something. He doesn't resort to cruelty as his first reaction. He instead tries to prove himself over and over, which is why he is often scolded for annoying the dragons and putting himself in danger. That can also be interpreted as recklessness, but it's not exactly thrill-seeking behaviour. This is dragons we're talking about and it's basically the only way he can gain one: by claiming one. Taking risks is kind of inevitable in this situation. Aemond is not a hatcher, else a dragon egg would have hatched for him already.
There are also shades of Targaryen exceptionalism in him: he must have a dragon and marrying your sister is normal and even opportune. But he doesn't look down on his mother for not being a Targaryen and he doesn't seem jealous of Rhaenyra or Daemon for having "purer" blood than him (gosh) or even of the Strong boys for claiming to have "pure Valyrian blood" (my god, I sound like a Slytherin). I think Aemond was a pretty respectable, sweet kid that yearned for connection with others (his brother, sister, mother, I think he would have accepted even Jace and Luke had they been nicer to him) and was saddened when he got rejected within his tiny circle. He tries very hard to prove himself worthy, in the hopes that he will one day gain that sense of belonging.
I think little Aemond really wanted some friends and would have responded very well to people treating him kindly, but he isn't a pushover and not necessarily the type to cede to peer pressure. He could haven taken his cues from Aegon and shared in his vices out of a desire for closeness with his brother (perhaps that is why he agreed to go with Aegon to that brothel?), but he didn't. He has his own moral code and isn't comfortable with breaking it willy-nilly.
Based on this, I think that, with the right councilors, Aemond could have been a pretty decent king. Again, he hasn't released his Manifesto yet, so I have to base my assumptions on something. 😅
People look at his fight with Jace/Luke/Baela/Rhaena and claim he is insensitive and disrespectful and violent. I disagree (obviously, lol).
He went out in search of Vhagar unarmed, through the fields of Driftmark, after dark, perhaps because violence wasn't really his modus operandi.
He was brave enough to approach Vhagar and claim her. Riding Visenya's dragon is obviously supposed to be evocative and symbolic, but Vhagar doesn't necessarily bond only with the serial killer gene. She was also Laena's mount, who is not presented as any kind of psycho and seemed to be a generally well-balanced person.
That was probably the best moment of his life, finally gaining the confirmation he craved for. Getting a little cocky and talking shit afterwards is not a crime. Defending yourself after being assaulted 4-1 is not a crime.
After he got maimed, with half his face stitched up, he demonstrated enough emotional intelligence and political awareness in order to diffuse the situation twice in favour of his mother. That's good indication for his political acumen if he ever were to become king.
However, unfortunately, this incident obviously traumatised him and he will not the same afterwards. He is now disfigured, disabled, suffered through a great injustice and was betrayed by his literal blood relatives. I can't imagine what that would do to someone's self-esteem. Even claiming the biggest dragon in the world wasn't enough to gain him acceptance and appreciation.
Now, the next time we see Aemond, he is undoubtedly framed in a villainous way. He has a pirate eyepatch, looks like an anime villain, has obviously been studying the blade and is kind of a dick to his bewildered, nice-guy nephews. But is that so out of the ordinary? He hates Jace and Luke's guts. He has no reason to be nice to these expired coupons.
I'm not gonna lie, Aemond has his own issues. He has thrown himself into his studies and training as a means to cope with his new eyeless existence. He has anger issues and a desire for vengeance. How would that translate into being king? Well, for starters, he is still very kind to his mother and sister. He stands up for his Aegon, even though he's a lecherous street rat. He's still "doing the right thing" and abiding by his own morals like a good little boy. He prays with Mummy at dinner. Aemond is a trauma-survivor (now of sexual trauma, too, thanks to Aegon) who deals with it via perfectionism and repression, but he doesn't strike me as someone who wouldn't listen to reason. He still longs for connection. I have made another super-long post about how Aemond basically insinuates himself into Criston's quest to find Aegon just because he wants to shoot the shit and process his past troubles.
Should he become King at this moment, I think he'd continue to be a good little boy and listen to Mother & Grandsire, but probably take his duties way more seriously than Aegon ever did. As downsides, Aemond has a chip on his shoulder now, probably has more low-confidence because of his mutilation, and is really, really mad at Lucerys for taking his eye.
I don't know what he'd do to Luke and Jace if he became King. When constrained by social norms, i.e. at dinner, with Viserys still alive, he tries his damndest not to react to anything at all, probably an attempt to control himself. He is dead silent and only reacts to look after Aegon and Helaena. He already thinks this situation is humiliating. When Luke laughs at the pig, it's literally the final straw for him. And still! What he says is a mere insinuation, not even mentioning the word "bastards". The people present already know the truth and it's a private event anyway.
He wanted to ruin their night and did it in the most low-effort way possible. He is astute enough to figure out this will get under their skin, mirroring Criston's behaviour when he provoked Harwin into that outburst. But we don't know if this is a true talent for reading people or if he just knew how to read Jace and Luke because with them he made the extra effort.
To those sat at the table, his outburst could have appeared out-of-nowhere, but he has been nursing this grudge for nigh on 6 years, since he's been literally disfigured and disabled because of them. I mean, if THAT doesn't earn you the right to hold a grudge, nothing will. I get why he would feel it so disrespectful to be forced to dine with them when he hasn't even received an apology. I don't blame him here, since I'd probably also try to make these guys' lives as hellish as possible.
When these social constraints disappear (Viserys dies and they are on the verge of going to war), Aemond feels like he can finally have his revenge and sets out to terrorize Luke. So, from his perspective, he let loose one time and ended up doing something catastrophic, that can have terrible consequences for his own family. He is obviously shaken and regrets it immediately. He's never done anything of this magnitude in his life and must feel panicked and in need of guidance ASAP. For a King, that's not very good, because he'd be the person to impose these social constraints in the first place. It doesn't bode well if the King himself lets loose and this happens.
So, I guess we'll have to see where they go with his characterization from here. At the moment, he should be feeling very vulnerable and is possibly in a headspace that allows him to be manipulated. From what I can gather, Aemond is not the type of person to thrive on his own. He needs connection and genuine bonds with people in order to not feel swallowed up by his feelings of inadequacy. If left to his own devices, he'll probably spiral. In a way, he is similar to Aegon, who also craves love and validation more than anything.
Unfortunately, after Blood & Cheese, I think everyone will be consumed by their own anguishes and left incapacitated to give themselves the comfort that would allow themselves to heal. Aemond himself is likely to become riddled by guilt and have some kind of mental breakdown.
The answer to your question is, therefore, dependent on several variables.
When does Aemond become King? Does Aegon succeed in running away to Essos? I have spoken about how/if he could realistically become King in that scenario. If he does manage it somehow, I feel he probably would abide by Alicent's advice. The question is how he would approach Luke and Jace down the line, with his desire for revenge. In that scenario, he would probably not go to Storm's End himself, but maybe send Daeron or some other emissary.
Does he become King because Aegon succumbs to his injuries and dies in the war? Is this before or after the battle with Daemon? Does Helaena still die? Does Brothel Queens happen? Does Maelor still die? He will be forced to set Alys aside and marry a proper noble girl. How would he handle that? What kind of character is Alys? We don't really get a look inside his head from the text, so we'll see how they approach his characterization in the show, but each new tragedy will be an opportunity for depression and agony.
Is Aegon the second son or does he even exist in this version of the story? If he is the first-born, Aemond is going to come with different emotional baggage.
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probadbatch · 10 days
Text
Feel free to ignore this - it's just some uncharacteristically melancholy musings about the past that I needed to get out of my head. Everything's fine, don't worry.
I've been going through my archive from the early days of this blog and just. So many people have deactivated since the season one days. I know some of them remade and are active now but more are just gone. I feel like I'm seeing ghosts.
If you're new here - things are better now but they were pretty ugly in the beginning. This blog really only exists because I got so damn frustrated with the negativity and fighting and I needed to channel that into something a little more positive. A lot's changed since then. Friends deactivated, bullies moved on, but I'm stubborn so I'm still here.
It was weird coming into this fandom at first. I've been on tumblr since 2011 and to say I've seen its ugly side is an understatement. This blog is relatively small for me but I have another that... well, let's just say I get hate mail there on the daily. Coming into the SW community here was the ugliest I've ever seen tumblr. I won't call the whole fanbase toxic but there were definitely a few people who were and unfortunately they were organized and extremely loud about it. They tried to drag everyone into their war and if you tried to stay out of things, that made you a target.
A few of them are still around. They've moved on to other things but every once in a while I break my own cardinal rules and check in on a few of their blogs. They don't seem any happier than they did back then. I'm sad for them. It looks like such a miserable way to be. The fans who stayed definitely seem happier than any of the bullies ever did.
I wonder about the fans who didn't stay. I like to think they just found somewhere more pleasant to be and they're living good happy lives now and don't give much thought to the old days. But I don't know. And with how bad the bullying got back then, I worry.
If anyone I don't know about remade and is reading this - please don't feel like you have to tell me. If you're happy and safe, that's all I care about and if your privacy is how you've managed that, I'm okay with not knowing. But I think about you - even if we didn't know each other back then. I think about all the fans who've disappeared. I hope you're doing well.
I don't know what I'm trying to say. I guess partly I just wanted to say goodbye to everyone who left before I could tell them. I guess I also wanted to say that bullies might win battles but they don't win wars. We've lost good people but the fandom is still here, still going strong.
This blog is for anyone who's ever had someone else try to tell them how to experience fandom or to stay out of it entirely. People who would say that are miserable and the only thing misery loves is company - so much so that it will go to great lengths to create more. Pity those who would rather spread their misery than accept joy.
I don't care who you are or how you identify or what your politics are or what you ship or how long you've been in fandom or what someone else thinks you've done. If you ever need someone to talk to, my inbox is always open for you. I promise you aren't bothering me.
I'm tired of seeing deactivated blogs.
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yanban-san · 2 years
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Sooo, the twins have done "little" favors for Elisa before, like adjusted the weather or brought her a baby Raikou (nbd of course). But what if Elisa was facing something a little more serious? Maybe she mentions offhandedly to Darling on a girl's day that there's a creep who regularly comes in to challenge her gym. Its always super uncomfortable and makes it hard for her to work because she's always anxious about him coming in, but she can't exactly ban him because of the gym rules or whatever. Darling is lucky that her bosses care about her so much that look out for her and keep the creeps away (nudge nudge wink wink)
The creep goes missing the next day. He doesn't show for like two weeks and Elisa is relieved, but also a little suspicious because she KNOWS those blockheads were listening. So she goes to confront them.
Elisa: What did you do?
Emmet: We don't know what you're talking about
Ingo: You'll have to be more specific.
Elisa: The guy! The creep who challenges my gym! He's gone - I thought we talked about how disappearing people was bad!
Emmet: We talked about how killing people was bad. But we didn't kill him! We thought you'd be pleased.
Elisa: What did you do?
Ingo: We thought that since he was such a drain on your energy, he ought to have a form to match.
Emmet: He fits right in with the other joltiks around here! We can't even tell them apart anymore :}
-Scale Anon
adhsjhda Scale Anon you have excellent ideas-
Put this under the cut because it’s long:
It happened shortly after Elesa had become "friends" with the demons of the Subway Station.
Elesa had been so terrified of them- But, they had agreed to answer her questions, and to not hurt her- To explain themselves rather than remove her memories, and that they’d never wanted to bring her harm!
As the Gym Leader of Nimbasa, the de facto protector of the city- It was her duty to assess the threat of these supernatural train conductors. If they were bad, then- well, she'd retreat and figure out how to deal with them, of course!
But now, after she had asked her questions- and gotten some very vague, confusing answers in return, and some terrifying ones- They’d refused to answer why they were here in the first place.
Until you suddenly walked in. And she watched as the two practically melted under your questions and your thanks for their assistance- dreamily sighing and craning their heads to follow your movements as you left the office-
They were two idiots in love! They were adorable! After she had gushed to them about how cute they'd been- Quietly watching their darling, love and adoration and passion so clearly written all over their smitten faces- She learned of just how nervous they were- They weren't used to humans; They weren't used to human customs, and all of it was so foreign to their kind; And specifically, Ingo emphasized, they were terribly worried about frightening their poor darling- As Elesa had been. They'd accidentally frightened- and injured- her beforehand, when they first arrived in this realm anyway.
"But not to worry," Emmet added- "We healed her and took her memories!"
"Like with me?" Elesa asked.
"Yes- Though brother did it, and he did it properly!"
Ingo nodded.
So, she'd established something; They could erase people's memories. And their true appearances were something very dangerous. Hmm.
And they were also nervous idiots who didn’t know how to ask a girl out.
But then Elesa had an idea; She would help them work up the courage to confess to you, and use her vast knowledge of human customs to help them express their love for you in ways that would make sense to you!
Elesa had to return to her work, however; And Ingo oh so graciously teleported her there, before bidding her adieu. Well, she thought- they seemed polite- and kind!
Oh how wrong she was.
It started when she learned- and regained her memories of Gear Station.
It hadn’t been there but for nearly a year, not the some... near hundred, that the world thought it had existed for.
The world.
They had manipulated the entirety of the world into accepting the existence of a supernatural transit system- Because you had complained to your friends one frustrated afternoon about how much you hated the awful buses around the cities, and expensive taxi rides.
For an off hand remark, they bent the fabric of reality, and across the entirety of a region- set up every necessary component of a subway system? The trains, the rails, the- the wiring, the buildings- train stuff, Elesa didn’t know-
What else had they done?
Oh right. They’d brought Dialga to your front door, they said. It had refused at first- but Emmet simply smacked it into submission and it was so frightened it was willing to listen to anything they had to say after that.
Elesa was a little nervous at this revelation- And she watched you with incredible curiosity. You seemed largely unaware of every action they did for you- The changes in the weather, how you always seemed to win at games of luck and chance, free food or dish mix ups at restaurants, and a hundred other little odd things that simply made your life better. No wonder you seemed so content and happy all the time- every little stress in your life magic’d itself away, and you were constantly blessed with freebies and treats and every little thing you could want. Emmet and Ingo were certainly quite... cute in the way they showed their affection! It put such a smile on Elesa’s face.
But then she’d also learned of their darker sides. “Kind and polite” her ass; they understood enough of human “customs” to know that certain actions were unacceptable; But they simply didn’t care, or their natures as whatever-the-hell-they-are trumped whatever thoughts humans had on the matter.
She couldn’t believe she’d had to explain to them that murder was unacceptable- As was kidnapping, brainwashing, and the host of a thousand other terrible things they dreamed up between the two of them in their supposed name of loving you. It almost made her sick; but, perhaps, that place they mentioned they came from really was so horrible that they’d never considered that these things were bad. How pitiable, Elesa thought.
  And, at the very least, they seemed to accept her moral teachings, so that was good!
And everything was relatively peaceful- aside from their blockheaded idiocy and your own naivety. But it was also cute! And Elesa genuinely liked hanging out with you, and sometimes she even enjoyed the company of the twins. She would bring them gifts and she learned they went nuts for sweets; So she would often bring them treats from her favorite bakery, or they would join her there.
And then they started reciprocating her gifts, with favors of their own. The rain stopped when Elesa had to go outside, Emmet showed up one day particularly happy that he had caught a little electric type- a Raikou, he said? And presented Elesa with it; It was a little baby, pawing and yowling and teething gently on Elesa’s poofy jacket, and she was ecstatic at the gift! How thoughtful and cute, and how special!
And she returned to her gym duties that day, letting her Jolteon watch over the little tiger.
Many, many challengers- Some not even challenging league, but that was alright; Elesa enjoyed the challenges trainers brought her, losing some battles, but winning many more!
And then there was one challenger.
“H-hello, Elesa! How’re you doing today?” He asked- smiling wide. He wasn’t an ugly man, by any means- He was clean and well dressed, but-
Elesa sighed, uninterested. “Alright,” She answered dryly. “Emolga, let’s go!”
Emmet’s smile was creepy, but in an endearing way. This man- his smile was always... strange. Creepy. Actually creepy. But he hadn’t done anything... too weird. Yet. He dropped Elesa’s title of “Gym Leader” after their third battle. He constantly asked her personal questions under the guise of conversation during their battles- And Elesa was always quick to set her boundaries. She’d dealt with eager fans before. But this trainer... he was showing up to her gym, day after day after day- How many times had it been? She’d stopped counting the days and started counting the months. About 3, she’d say?
But then he started showing up at some of her favorite places- Her cafes, the arcade, the nightclubs- Or while she was out grocery shopping-
This was unbearable! And sooner or later she was going to blow her lid at him- But she couldn’t risk a PR incident as a model, hmm.
Elesa sighed, pouting as she glared out the window of her favorite cafe; Waiting for you to show up.
“Yo, Elesa! How’s it going?” You asked- Man, she looked down, you thought.
Maybe you could cheer her up?
“Oh, hey there! I’m- I’m doing good,” She answered, trying to bring her attention back to you. That guy wasn’t here. And you were! She was going to enjoy her time out with you, darn it-
“Are you sure? You’ve been looking pretty annoyed these past couple of days,” Aw dang. You’d noticed?
“It’s nothing, I’m just dealing with... a creep.”
“Oh shoot, that sounds horrible!”
“It really is. He’s been coming to my gym practically every day, I run into him at lunch sometimes... I even ran into him at the Grotle Grocer’s mart yesterday.”
You cringed. “Oh, oh dear... that sounds terrible.”
Elesa sighed heavily, taking a taste of the whipped cream off her coffee beverage- It really was bad. And there you were; if you’d had a creep tailing you, Emmet and Ingo would’ve- Actually, they’d already done it on multiple occasions, before Elesa had to tell them that murder was bad. Whether it was a creep, a mugger, or some handsy guy at the bar- Elesa shuddered to think what must’ve happened to them.
But at the same time? She was a little jealous you had such protective, adoring admirers.
“I wish someone would deal with him- You’re really lucky you’ve got the Station Masters looking out for you, you know.”
You blinked. “Oh-oh, they don’t look out for me specifically, Miss Elesa! Emmet and Ingo are just really nice like that. They watch out for everybody- Though I’m sure if they knew you were being harassed, they’d be more than happy to sock the guy for you.”
Elesa laughed. Ah, if only you knew.
And suddenly a voice called out- “Miss Elesa! Fancy seeing you here!”
Oh Arceus no-
A voice that made her flinch. That guy.
You turned to look-
And the guy- that guy-
Looked like a creep. He looked well dressed and put together- Too perfectly. As though he were trying to mimic what a well dressed, put together man ought to look like-
His hair was combed back obsessively, his teeth were too white- And his movements were agitated and... strange. He paid you no heed, staring down at Elesa like a Sableye admiring a gem stone it found.
Elesa leaned away from him-
“Who are you?” You asked, annoyed.
The man drew his attention off of Elesa for a second- his eyes still flicking back to her as he answered you. “O-oh, I didn’t notice you there. I’m a- regular challenger of Elesa’s Gym,”
“Huh, weird. Anyway, Elesa-” You began, turning your attention back to your friend, “Oh yea, you know how Emmet like, threw that-”
“Mind if I join you?” The man interjected, ready to pull up a chair-
You puffed up- Maybe confronting this guy wasn’t the best idea, but- You saw how uncomfortable Elesa looked, and after all she’d done to help you? To comfort you when you were down, and, well- the simple fact she’d been your friend?
You weren’t going to stand for this.
“Actually we do mind, we’re having a private conversation here. Mind backing off?”
And all of a sudden the lights flickered dramatically.
The man may have been obsessed, but he was pathetically timid. He flinched at your statement, and seemed- suddenly overcome by something- He shivered.
And apologized meekly- and ran off.
“Full offense, but screw that guy. Did you see the way he was eying you? That was gross.”
“Thanks for that,” Elesa added. She was ready to yell at this guy but- PR problems. Gym problems.
“Why don’t you just ban him from your gym?”
“Can’t, he technically hasn’t done anything ban-worthy yet... Inside the gym. But I really do wish he’d stay away- I’ve been feeling like a drained charjabug ever since I’ve had to watch out for him when I’m just- hanging out with friends,” Elesa sighed miserably.
“That’s terrible- I wish I could do more Elesa- I just hate people like that. Maybe he’ll stay away now that we’ve sent him running with his tail between his legs, ha!”
---
The next day she returned to her gym duties.
And the man did not show up.
And the next day. He didn’t show up either.
Nor the next.
Or the next day after that.
Elesa waited- Maybe he had been beaten down- and was too pathetic to show up again-
Oh wait.
And immediately after she was done at the Gym- She booked it to Gear Station Central.
“Alright,” She shouted as she threw open the doors to their office- “I know you two had something to do with this!”
Emmet cocked his head at her, looking around a large filing cabinet. “Oh, Miss Elesa! How are you?” He held a mug in hand- chocolate milk, of course.
“Emmet-” She threatened, trying to look as menacing as possible. “What did you do?”
“I haven’t the faintest clue what you’re talking about, Miss Elesa!”
Ingo was sitting at his desk- staring at- not a work document, but a thick, leather bound book- “Indeed; What has you so riled, Miss Elesa?”
“You both know exactly what I’m talking about!” She hissed- Really, did they not expect her to know-
“You’ll have to be more specific- There are too many things you talk about,” Ingo added, looking up from the book.
Elesa glared at him. “Really, you guys- The creep! From my gym! You overheard me talking to your oh-so-precious-Darling and did something with him! I told you it’s bad to murder people! So why-”
“Ohh! You’re talking about... him.”
Emmet giggled. “We did not kill him, Miss Elesa! We are still following what you have told us. Are you not pleased that he is not pestering you anymore?”
Elesa took a step back- Sometimes she was harshly reminded of the fact that these two... were not human.
“What- What did you two do?”
Emmet clapped his hands together gleefully. “It was brother’s idea, really.”
And Ingo’s gaze had returned to the book in front of him. “Yes, well-” He closed the book dramatically, and it disappeared in a puff of black smoke. “We thought, that since he was such a drain upon your energy, he ought to have a form to match,”
Oh no- Ohh no, no no no-
Several happy Joltiks crawled out of Emmet’s sleeve. “He fits in so well with the other Joltiks- I can’t even tell them apart anymore!” The little spiders chirped happily on his shoulder.
“But- Does he even remember-”
“-Being human? No. He would harass you as a Joltik, and cause us a headache. Would you want that?” Ingo asked.
...No, Elesa would not- But that wasn’t the point!
“Can you- Can’t you turn him back into a human?” She asked.
Emmet’s eyes moved upward as he thought- “Not really,” He lied- “He has no memories of being a human. As far as he- and all the other normal Joltiks are concerned- They’ve been Joltiks their whole lives!”
Elesa shuddered- And the worst part?
She still felt a hint of relief in her heart that she wouldn’t have to deal with this man anymore.
------
The man-
had been named Rolan.
He had been obsessed with Elesa ever since he saw her a year ago- And would stop at nothing to possess her.
Ingo and Emmet had been watching him- He’d followed Miss Elesa into Gear Station several times, observing her- and observing them with her. He gave off such horrific, evil thoughts- It was impossible for them to not hear his mind echoing of how he hated seeing them standing beside Miss Elesa. He was akin to a rat, Ingo thought- the way he crept around-
But they wouldn’t move on it. Elesa was a capable human- She could deal with this man on her own, right?
Until their Darling mentioned her abject disgust at that filth, and he had the audacity to speak with her?
Ingo wanted to break his neck right then and there. Their kind had... limited romantic gestures they normally performed, but to offer the head of one who’d offended your soulmate to them?
Now that was something sweet- Though he doubted Elesa would approve. She had said, unless someone was actively threatening their lives, the lives of someone else, or their darling’s lives, that killing was utterly “off the table”, as actions they could take.
Ingo thought- How else could they deal with this man, whom you had so openly announced your hatred for?
Yes. That could work quite well.
Rolan woke up, his head reeling- as he became aware of his surroundings. He was stretched out over a seat, intense, fluorescent lighting overhead that made his head and eyes hurt- and a gentle swaying sensation of movement with rhythmic clunking every now and again-
A train cart?
There was no one else on board. While Rolan began to investigate, it gradually came to a stop. In the middle of the tracks. And the doors opened.
He disembarked. It was dark.
And silent.
“Hello?” He called out-  The path before him lead to a dead end on the rail tracks, so he turned around to head back wherever the train had come from- And it was gone. All that was in front of him was a door. He swallowed hard, breathing heavily. Was this some kind of joke, he thought? No, it couldn’t be. This must’ve been the work of some villain- Someone keeping him from his darling Elesa? He tried to reach for his pokeballs- And they were gone.
There was nothing else in the tunnel. No vents, a single light- some piping on the ceiling-
Well, he couldn’t wait here forever. Time to see what was on the other side of the door.
He walked into another dark room- but there was a light on- And he could make out the silhouette of a Galvantula in the dark-
And across the room, was Station Master Emmet- Stroking a tiny little Joltik in his hands.
“Yo-You...” Rolan hesitatingly asked- Something was very wrong. Emmet- This thing- Was wrong-
“I am Emmet.” He answered as Rolan stuttered- “I am a Subway Boss. I have a newly hatched Joltik here, you see?” He opened his hands out to show Rolan the tiny little bug in his hands- It clicked and chittered happily, with some kind of electric diode in it’s mouth.
Rolan’s mind was racing- What was happening? Why was Station Master Emmet doing this? Was he trying to steal Elesa from him, bastard- was he going to kill him? It certainly felt that way. How was Station Master doing this? A Zoroark? Some sort of psychic hallucination? One thing was certain though, as Emmet turned his silver eyes up to look at him- softly glowing with a strangely beautiful light in them-
This guy is a fucking lunatic, Rolan thought- And opened his mouth to speak- But no words came out.
He couldn’t speak. Why? How-
“I don’t want to hear your irritating voice. You’ll annoy me even more. I don’t even like the fact I’m talking to you, but it is fun to see you squirm.”
Rolan felt his heart thudding in chest- How- How was he doing this-
And suddenly the shadows pulled away, brightening the room slightly- and Rolan- was alone in the room, With Emmet- and now behind him, his brother- Ingo.
“You’re a rather pathetic excuse for a human, don’t you think?” Ingo asked him-
Rolan couldn’t reply. Ingo continued. “However, we are incredibly generous, and merciful. You’ve failed completely as a human- So we’re going to give you a second chance.”
Emmet giggled-
This was entertaining. The bastard who had offended darling was terrified. Rolan was horrified. Why, why, why? What were these two-
“Really,” Ingo added, as Rolan watched a hoard of shadows close in on his vision, grabbing him impossibly tight, cutting through his limbs- “You should be thanking us.”
And his eyes shut forcefully, desperate to end this nightmare.
---
A Joltik awoke with a start-
Deep in the darkness of-
A cave?
Surrounded by other, slumbering little Joltiks.
Somewhere in the back of it’s mind, echoes of a dream played back- A human woman, so pretty, so electrifying, so dazzlingly brilliant-
Why would it care about such things? It tilted it’s head in confusion. It dreamed it had human hands- that there were pokemon at it’s side- strange ones. To help it meet the woman-
It started shaking as a feeling of terror and sadness seized it- It was confused-How did it end up in this cave? It was a Joltik, it lived here! Why was it suddenly so frightened-
There was a chittering noise beside it- a Galvantula had woken up in the darkness of the cave, and gently picked up the little crying spider- soothing it back to sleep.
It had had a nightmare. It had always been a Joltik, never more- never less.
That was all.
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heartofspells · 2 years
Text
I've been on and off Tumblr all day throughout work. I've watched this all mount up higher and higher over the passing weeks and months. And I've (mostly) kept quiet. I go on Tumblr and am part of fandom for stress relief, for fun. It keeps me sane. It gives me a break from real life. But today, every time I've opened the app, it hasn't been fun. It hasn't been relief or a break for my sanity. And I am in a foul mood after another day in an increasingly endless string of days filled with more and more crap of my daily life, so now I'm saying something.
I don't like saying much about these sorts of things, because I've only seen bits and pieces. I don't have the full story on anything in fandom anymore because I've been gone too long and am only just now really rooting back into it fully. Opening your mouth and speaking up under those circumstances leads to bad things. It leads to misconstrued notions and ideas. It leads to more hate. That is not what I want. That shouldn't be what anyone wants. All this discourse has two takes, two imperfect sides of the same coin. And that likely means that somewhere in the mix, both parties are wrong to some extent, because that's just how these things work. It's how they always work and always have worked. No one is ever completely right about anything, not ever, and to think that you are makes you wrong. We're all imperfect. We all miss things, have rapid judgements that probably shouldn't happen. We all make mistakes. It's part of being human.
I've steadily come to realize in the passing weeks that I've got mutuals (budding little friendships) on both sides of this hate spiral circling around all our heads. People who have only ever been kind to me, have shown support when I've needed it, and I've tried to give it back wherever I possibly could. That's not going to stop for me, because I believe in kindness above all else. Until I see something blatant, I'll keep the friends I'm making so long as they keep me.
With that being said, that's why we're all here, isn't is? To make those connections, build those tethers, find common ground with people we would have never met otherwise? It's why I'm here. I just want to talk about things that I can't discuss like I want to in my real life. I want to meet new people, see new views I'd never have come to on my own about characters and places we all love for varied reasons.
Fandom should be fun. Full stop. But attacking people because of their personal opinions or views on characters is not fun. It's cruel and hateful. They're not hurting anyone. Fanfiction is not hurting anyone. It is fiction. These characters are not real. Tag what you write and move on. Read the tags before you dive into something and move on if you see something you don't like. Don't come after the person who wrote it, and do not single them out because of it. Where's the gain in that? There isn't any. If you have questions about something that was said, ask it in a polite way. Don't accuse as soon as you leave the gate. That only makes things worse in the long run. It amps everything to such high volumes no one can hear anyone else over the screaming.
Things get taken out of context all the time. We live in a world of text here. Sarcasm doesn't translate well. Not much does. So just ask. Give people a chance to defend themselves, and if you don't agree with what they have to say, never speak with them again. It's so simple that it hurts.
What's not simple and is infuriating is having a friend come to me saying they're upset and torn over speaking out or not doing so. Not because they have nothing to say, but because they're afraid of the backlash they'll receive from one side or the other if they do, even if what they say isn't specifically targeted and only their own personal opinions on what's happening. But then they also fear the backlash that may come from not speaking out. Why is that even a fear? It shouldn't be, and that makes me angry.
The rules of life are also simple - or should be - though they seem to miss a lot of people, so let's break it down in an easy-to-follow way:
Don't attack people for who they are. Race, gender, disabilities, sexual orientation, age, etc. Just because someone is different from you or what you think is a perfect worldview trapped in your head doesn't give you the right to lash out at someone for being different. Homophobic, transphobic, ageist, racist - it's all wrong. Stop it. Stop coming after people for who they are in the heart of themselves. They're not hurting anyone, least of all you, so leave it alone.
Don't attack people for their personal opinions on things that don't matter all that much. They don't like your favorite song? Oh well. Move on. Why is it affecting you so badly? Don't like their headcanons? Not your problem. They belong to that person. Chances are, they're not physically forcing them down your throat. Move along, please.
If you see someone not following these two basic rules of polite society listed above, speak out about it if you feel comfortable doing so. Call it the the person's attention. Maybe it's possible they didn't understand what they said? Maybe they'll apologize and alter how they speak in the future, because - as much as this shouldn't still be the case - some people honestly don't know what they're saying or thinking is actually filled with wrongness towards others. If they don't apologize, once again, move on. Cease all contact. You don't need that in your life, do you? And I promise you you'll not change their entire way of thinking by repeatedly coming down on them. I wish this fact was different, I really do. I wish everyone saw the world with these easy views on all life is sacred and precious and should be valued no matter what, but they don't. You probably won't be the one to change that, unfortunately. Remove the toxicity from your life.
That's all I'm going to say on the matter. Don't like what I've said? Unfollow me, cease all interaction. Again, it's that simple. You don't have to have me on your dash, don't have to see anything else from me. And maybe that'll suck for me a little, but I've got a wild, chaotic life outside of all this. I'll survive. But I'm also sitting here waiting for those anonymous messages of hate to begin pouring in, because that seems to be the way of things now.
This is was not meant for specific individuals. This covers the entire spectrum of fandom, every single book, show, film, etc that exists and holds some sort of following. Stop the hate. It's pointless and it wears you down. Do you want to spend the free points of your life like that? Because I don't.
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