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vegaseatsass · 1 year

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Queen Seondeok spoilers below

Ok exorcising this post from my head before it gets lost in the brain attic instead of articulated. Truly will be of interest to me and only me but I want to SAY THESE WORDS and have a way to reread them months from now. So I don't actually know what the feeling on Nirvana in Fire 2 was in my current fandom circles, but back when I watched everyone was like "meh it's fine but it's no Nirvana in Fire 1" and that is kind of how I feel about the last 10ish episodes of Queen Seondeok after Mishil leaves. Like it's still a really gripping and compelling show but suddenly everyone is a LITTLE stupider and I'm spending a LITTLE more time yelling at the tv screen because all these previously brilliant strategists are taking years to figure out what I, a plebeian, have put together from anvilicious context clues. Suddenly the politics of our heroes are a LITTLE sketchier and we're getting what feels like a LITTLE too much nationalism for my taste*. That's all fine, it's just a drop in quality of writing, still interested to see where this all goes, but the real thing I hated was eps 52-57ish where Bidam...

...went from a delight of a character to an uncomplicatedly manipulative bastard who kept feeling sorry for himself that his grotesque attempts at controlling the object of his obsession were destroying her trust and affection for him. But it wasn't just a consistent personality switch, it was this confusing dynamic where he would be a smirky piece of shit in one scene, then the next he'd be earnestly crying and begging for attention. He would be doing dumb shit that fucked over his queen and nation one scene, then characters would comment on his selfless one-sided love a scene later (the comparisons to Seolwon, who truly did love his evil wife with zero attempts at owning her: I was flabbergasted!). It sucked because he's my fav dude in the show you see! What was the point of him wishing after Munno died to learn to be good at Deokman's side, what was the point of him telling Mishil he'd love in his own way, what was the point of Deokman comforting him beautifully over his mom only for him to choose her over Deokman, are we really going the determinism route where he can't escape his own evil blood? But I tried to make sense of it, like "hey, don't make this already morally flexible guy responsible for corralling all the most toxic people in your court and expect him to come out in one piece, my queen." "Okay, he always just wanted parents and now that he 'knows' his mom who left him on the floor as a baby 'loved him' he has to follow her evil plans after death." (I understood this to be the textual justification but I kinda hated it because he def didn't come across as if he was trying to do his evil filial duty but as if he was trying to follow his evil unfilial dick.) "Well, if Deokman is the hilt for his feral blade or whatever and now she's queen and has to be cold and distant, maybe he's just back in Hwarang tournament mode, causing problems in a desperate bid for attention, rather than because he ACTUALLY BELIEVES destroying Yushin is the path to 'winning' Deokman." I was compelled by a combination of these reasons, but I still missed old Bidam! I missed when he got to be cunning and vaguely amoral and Deokman would go, no we're not going to poison the entire fortress, BUT your idea gives ME an idea! (Instead of like "oh he just went and poisoned the entire fortress w/o me, pinned it on Yushin, and left me to pick up the pieces then cried when I yelled at him for it.")

However!!! Somewhere around ep 57 (sorry I don't have the specific number, we were binging), his personality... switches back?!?!?! Suddenly it's like no time has passed between Mishil's death and this moment, suddenly he is the Bidam Deokman and the audience know and love. Glad to have him back! LOVE that Deokman decided to prioritize keeping him over punishing him for the fuckery of the past bunch of episodes, that is a fun and consistent character choice. But!! I still feel like the writers did not do enough to justify or acknowledge his 5ish episodes of pure fuckery. He didn't just try to knock Yushin out of favor, he failed to stave off the Baekje invasion when they had everything they needed to get the leg up on them. That is something neither Deokman or his mom would have forgiven so easily! And hey maybe Deokman doesn't blame him because the entire court was agitating to bring Yushin down and ignore his information, but it was very frustrating to watch Bidam fuck up that bad for that many episodes in ways that almost wiped out their army and got who knows how many civilians killed, and never be held even verbally accountable. All to try to control Deokman into wanting him, while the narrative kept telling us he just has a selfless crush and some unrelated "manipulative DNA" issues. Well anyway!!! I solved it for myself!!! By deciding!!!!!! He is possessed by Mishil's ghost for those episodes!!! HAHA

It's perfect because everything fucked he was doing was consistent w/ her style of strategy (and it is genuinely more sympathetic to me to try to destroy Yushin for power than for "love"), and it means all the atonal Jekyll moments of earnestness he has in between the fuckery are just actual Bidam coming up for air before his mom's ghost takes the reins again.

More importantly it's perfect because I needed more of a motivation for my absurd time travel fuck-it fic concept (where Deokman travels back to the moment as a trainee where Mishil tells her to take off her clothes, is like, YES MA'AM!!, and then proceeds to seduce her utterly) than "Deokman is sad Mishil is dead and wishes she was around to help hone her as a ruler." Well, ha ha! Now when Deokman gazes into the abyss of the time vortex at the end of her life (don't spoil meeeee for the very last 3 episodes, but I'm p worried that's coming up any minute), and tells the time gods that she wants her shot at a do-over instead of passing into the next life, it won't just be so she can make Mishil love her more than she loves Silla, so Mishil takes her deal to come home w/ her during her coup, it won't just be to try to save Cheonmyeong and Sohwa's lives and get more time with them, it will also be to avert or at least get the leg up on a disastrous surprise war for her country.

This also means if any fuckery does happen w/ Bidam in the remaining three episodes lol I can justify it as "oh well trust was broken between them in 52-57 but if Deokman had exorcised Mishil's ghost - or better yet averted her death with irresistible sex - that never would have happened, and Bidam would get a happy ending too, which she very much wants." I am going to tag this in case I never write the fic, in case another person one day watches this 2009 drama, gets obsessed with Deokman and Mishil's relationship, and also cares overly much about Bidam's character consistency, but I apologize to everyone else who checks the tag, for being such a niche weirdo with tunnel vision. Oh a post about fan favorite Bidam! No it's actually about my Mishil/Deokman agenda... I just think it would be fun for trainee!Deokman to be like "oh, my lady, oh! I'll take off my clothes but now you're going to have another secret to control me with! But I simply can't resist you~~" and like, not actually dispel Mishil's correct suspicions that she was working for the princess at that point, but dangle this delicious opportunity before Mishil to at least compromise that loyal bond w/ sex, all whilst Deokman works to be sexy and mesmerizing enough to compromise Mishil's loyalty to her own dreams. I am prob not talented enough a writer to pull this off ANYWAY lmao, but I think it would be FUN!!! * This was about the Deokman vs. the Gaya plot and that was well worth sticking it out for imo, but my god I got nervous when she was stamping her feet about them not appreciating her enough for the rights she doled out. I guess I was used to Deokman being in the moral right, so I didn't trust that they were doing a storyline where she still had more growing to do. But they did and it kind of ruled imo. EDIT: WE JUST WATCHED EPISODE 60 AND SURE ENOUGH THERE'S MORE BIDAM FUCKERY!!! LOLLLL it's not his fault this time though :( more fodder for Deokman to want a time travel do-over

#queen seondeok #queen seondeok spoilers #are you a true mishil fan if you want her to give up and go home w/ deokman instead of going out like an absolute boss?#idk but i have needs #and some of them are to be able to love bidam w/o qualifications #and some of them are for mishil to preen under the power of being a queenmaker!!#and thus this incredibly convoluted post where i talk to myself was born #next time i post about this drama it will be with a final tally of all my ships #sometimes you just watch something from almost 15 years ago that you need to treat like a megafandom #in your head #even though it is not #dear diary

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ecoamerica · 24 days

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memento-morri-writes · 8 months

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Hi remembrance

For blorbsday, two of your blorbos are having a duel for Reasons™️. Who do they take with them and how does it go down? (Everything's fair game: weapons, rules, fantasy new jersey)

HI SLEEPY!!!! Happy Blorbsday!

(I giggled at Fantasy New Jersey, so thank you.)

Canonically I do have a couple of duels that actually happen in my WIPs. I'll talk about all of them.

In ATQH, Nina and Kris do actually duel, but it's just for fun and practice. Both of them are skilled swordspeople, so it's a fun challenge for both of them. By the end of the story, they're on pretty good terms, and it's a sweet moment, I think. (Plus, it's nice for Kristopher to finally fight someone who isn't secretly okay with killing him...) I don't think Fallon would actually be there for it in canon, but it would be cute to have her there watching the Blond(e) Sword Duo Showdown.

I also have post-canon plans for a showdown between Kris and a certain asshole named Sebastian, but idk if I'll ever do anything with it, other than daydream about it. (This duel was the reason I came up with a very detailed fictional poison...) Kris is all alone at the time that the duel happens, but the most important character who's there is Leo, my sweet baby of a guardsman who honestly is a little in awe of Kristopher, for several reasons. (He's Blackthorne's personal favorite, and everyone thinks he's going to end up as the next Captain. But my boy needs to work on his confidence!!)

In Political Fantasy WIP, Alora and <Prince> have a magic duel, which ends up having some pretty serious consequences. The reasons behind it have yet to be determined, but it's basically so they can both show off to each other, and to the court. They each have their closest friend in their corner. For <Prince>, that's Lila, the palace healer. For Alora, it's her personal guard Erin. (Lila tried to talk <Prince> out of this shit, but he's too stubborn to listen to reason. Especially when it comes to Alora.) It's not so much a direct "try to harm each other" duel, but more of a show of magical power. (Trying to overpower the other's magic, etc. without actually causing harm.)

Also, if Runaway Prince WIP stays the fantasy route (which I think it will), there will definitely be some kick-ass pirate duels in there.

I just LOVE duels so much, and I really need to write more of them. To be honest, the only reason I haven't written more of them is because I struggle writing action/fight scenes. But seriously, duels are the fucking best. (I might be biased, though, because I'm playing a swashbuckler in dnd right now, and my DM said I can have a narrative duel against my villain....) (Not to mention the fact that I challenged a dude to a duel and got back-to-back nat 20's against him...)

Also, if anyone wants to see some absolutely BOMB-ASS magic duels, you should totally read V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic series. The duels aren't until book 3, iirc, but the whole series is AMAZING.

Thanks again for the ask, Sleepy!! <3

#sleepyowlwrites #morrigan replies #blorbo blursday #oc asks #duels #wip: atqh #political fantasy wip #runaway prince wip

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syndxlla · 3 years

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More To Love

Part two of the More to Love series

Summary: As you start adapting to Mandalorian culture and life in the palace, you have to start thinking whether or not you’ve made the right decision.

Word Count: 6.2k, NO USE OF ‘Y/N’

Warnings: Non-Consensual kiss, mentions of loss of pregnancy

Author’s Note: Wow wow wow, the support I’ve gotten for this fic already has been so awesome thank you so much especially to the people who have direct messaged me you’re all so kind I love you guys!!!!

Part One here

“Good-morning, Your Highness.” A Handmaiden said as she pulled open the heavy curtains, letting the bright morning light shine into your elegant room. You softly moan as the sun hits your eyes, and roll onto your side to try and sleep more. “Today you will be having brunch with Her Majesty the Queen and a few members of her court and we have set aside a bit of time for you and The Prince to get to each other this evening before dinner in the library.” Her accent was thick like the Prince’s. You sigh and roll around onto your back, letting your limp hand rest by your face. “I trust you slept well?” She asked as she walked towards your bed, in her hands was a golden tray with a teapot on it.

“Not enough sleep.” You groan, trying not to sound annoyed but failing.

“Would you like to sleep longer, Highness?” She asked.

“No, I’ll be fine.” You sigh before scooting to sit up in your bed, and she places the tray on the table by the mattress.

“I wasn’t sure what type of tea you liked, so I brought a chamomile, do you have a preference?”

You stop to think for a moment, “Chamomile is fine for today, but do you have any hsuaberry tea?” Hsuberries are native to Corellia, and you could use a little taste of home.

“I’m not sure, but I will check for tomorrow?”

“That would be lovely, thank you.” You nod.

“I’ll return in a half-hour with the other maiden’s to prepare you for the day then?”

“Alright… Miss?” You stop her as she turns to leave. “Do you have a name? What can I call you?”

“Oh… of course, Lady Soniee would be fine.” She smiles. “Thank you for asking.”

“It’s my pleasure.” You smile in return. “Lady Soniee, is my guard outside?” You ask.

“Yes, he returned to his post with my arrival, in the night we have the night guards patrolling so our individual day guards get some time off.” She explains.

“Would you… Would you send him in, please?” You ask.

“Yes, Highness. Is there anything else you would like?” Soniee asks.

“No, that’s all, thank you, dismissed.” You released her from her duty and she turned to leave the room. As her back was turned to you, you rub a bit of the sleep out of your eyes and run your fingers through your hair in an attempt to tame your bed head. You wanted to look presentable for the knight. Truthfully, you haven’t quit thinking about him since last night’s endeavor. You fell asleep picturing what he looked like under his armor, and brainstorming what his name might be. You even wondered if you dreamed about him, but it’s all gotten hazy now. You knew this was inappropriate, and that you were here for your wedding with another man, but something about the secret relationship the two of you were forming was exciting, you were addicted to it. You sigh deeply as she closes the door behind her and then quickly looks down at your nightgown, proceeding to pull the cap sleeves down your shoulders a bit to show more skin and more of your collar. You laugh slightly to yourself, “You are ridiculous.” You mumble, chuckling. Before you could consider anything else, however, he walked in, his stature at attention.

“Is there something wrong, Your Highness?” He asked.

You felt your cheeks heat up in his presence, “I just wanted to thank you again for last night.” You tried not to gush as you spoke.

“Oh… Yes, anything for you, your Highness.” He nodded in response. Your chest filled with warmth as you looked at him.

“You’ll be accompanying me today, correct?” You ask.

“Of Course, Your Highness.” He nodded once again, you really wanted him to call you princess again.

“Wonderful, I hope you slept well last night.”

“I did, Princess, did you?” You smiled a little too wide at the title, and tried to cool your cheeks, not wanting to look like an absolute child in front of him.

“Yes, I did, thank you once again, I’ll see you later.” You sigh in response. “Dismissed.” That word felt like poison to you, you didn’t really want him to leave but didn’t know how to keep him around longer. This was an accident waiting to happen, and you had the power to stop it in its tracks, the only problem is that you didn’t want to.

—

The Gardens were even more beautiful in the daylight, the sun shone spectacularly off the fountains and the various statues scattered throughout the estate contrasted lovely with the bright flowers. You sat at a round table ornately decorated with various different pastries, teas and sandwiches on it. Around the table was the Queen, the women of her royal court, yourself and of course the Elf. You really wanted to speak to the elf, unfortunately, you asat across from her, and was forced to mostly converse with The Duchess Wren and another woman you had never spoken to before. The Queen introduced her to you last night but you were having a hard time remembering her name. The women weren’t in such heavy gowns this time, and none of them wore the jeweled headpieces they had on the night before except for the queen. You wore a light beige and white dress which ruffled at the sleeves and had a scooping boat neckline. It was very beautiful, however the corset back didn’t go nearly as high this time as the last dress did, which meant you couldn’t use it as an excuse to spend more time alone with the silent knight. He stood a few feet behind you away from the table, watching over the event. Every now and then you would turn to glance at him, ceiling every time you laid eyes on his armor.

The tea was fine, not as good as the winter teas you had back home, they were far more bitter. Mandalorians clearly enjoyed more bitter-tasting food as you noticed the longer you’re here. Once again, you were being mostly ignored as the Women who knew each other talked about drama within the Mandalorian Royalty. It was all much more conspicuous than anything you would talk about at home, and you found yourself quietly listening in on the various conversations instead of applying yourself to them. The women most likely thought you were some sort of strange claude, not social enough and far too boring for their culture. Again, you tried convincing yourself that you were overthinking, but you had a hard time believing yourself.

“And what about you, Your Highness?” The Elf spoke up, interrupting your deep and self-centered thoughts.

“Huh?” You were not listening.

“What do you think about the conduct to come out of Coruscant?” One of the fatter women sitting by the queen asked.

“Oh… I think they’ve rather lost their integrity since the assassination of their Emperor…” You clear your throat. You were just saying what you remember hearing your father say, attempting to fit into the conversation and hopefully gain some affection, knowing how much Mandalore despised Coruscant (you were rather indifferent, however).

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” The Queen smiled, “I believe you will be well suited for the politics of Mandalore.”

“Oh yes,” you began, “I had been preparing to be Queen of Corellia my whole life, I find politics rather exciting.” You admitted.

“Hm, I prefer to leave the politics to the men.” The fat woman scoffed and sipped her tea.

“I nearly forgot, you’re the only hair to the throne of Corellia, aren’t you?” The elven queen asks.

“Yes, I am.” You nod in response.

“Ah yes, your mother got sick and lost a baby-” The fat woman laughed. Your face dropped and went pale.

“Excuse you-” You began.

“Lady Aryn, have you no respect?” The Queen frowned.

“There’s nothing wrong with it, just a rumor I heard.” She shrugged, not seeming to care that she offended you or The Queen.

“Well it’s not a rumor.” You swallowed thickly, wanting to put her in per place for such an inappropriate comment, “My mother lost a baby when I was all but five and you have the audacity to bring it up like there’s nothing rude about it.” You spit out.

“Well who is to take the throne once you marry the Prince?” The fat woman asked as she sipped her tea. Many of the other women involved stayed quiet, timidly watching the drama play out.

“I don’t believe that is any of your business.” You chuckle out of frustration.

“It is my business, whomever rules Corellia during the impending war will directly affect how Mandalore responds to it. Considering my husband is the Grand General of the Mandalorian Army, it is very much my business.” Lady Aryn raised an eyebrow and dread washed over your body as she finished.

“I believe that your Cousin will be taking the throne?” The Elf Queen vouched for you and you were thankful she did, but still found the entire situation rude and out of hand.

“It should be me, but I’m being married off and getting my title stripped away from me.” You blurted out and immediately regretted what you said. You looked around at the faces of the women at the table. Each one showing a different expression of shock or betrayal, everyone but the Queen. The Queen’s face was stern, her lips dangerously straight and thin and her eyes dark as the two of you made eye contact. You had offended the Queen of Mandalore, you had offended the most powerful and wealthy monarch in the world. You sighed, and closed your eyes for a moment. “May I be excused, Your Majesty?” You asked with your eyes closed, waiting to open them until you finished speaking. You looked up at her through furrowed eyebrows, awaiting her response. The air was deathly thick, the tension grew as the court looked around at the scene. Your anger was justified, the remark on your unborn sibling was out of turn and incredibly rude, and after feeling ignored and unwanted for twenty-four hours by the very people set up to be your family, you snapped.

“You are excused.” The Queen said quietly, almost too quiet to hear, and you slowly stood from your chair before turning to leave. You looked to your knight as you did, and he followed. After you made distance between yourself and the other Mandalorian women, you could hear faint whispers. That went so much worse than you could have ever imagined. You want to disappear, you want to go home. You swallow a tear and sigh of relief when you get back into the Palace, strolling the halls until you found an empty sitting room. You sit down on one of the blue sofas and bring your fist up to your mouth. The Knight waited at the door, watching your every move. You felt ridiculous, and the absolute last thing you wanted to do was cry in front of the only person who’s shown you any decency since you arrived in Mandalore. You look over to him with dewey eyes before clearing your throat.

“I apologize for my conduct, I didn’t want you to see me like this.” You shakily sigh out. He didn’t reply, and you laugh once, “I suppose you have your code to uphold here.” You look down as you place your hands in your lap.

“No, I’ve sworn to protect you, that comes before the code of arms.” He takes a step forward and you were almost startled at his voice, you weren’t expecting him to speak up, but you were incredibly happy he did. You look up to see him a little closer, and smile just slightly at his gesture. “I didn’t protect you out there, I’m sorry.” He nodded his head.

“There’s no way you could have known,” You shrug, you didn’t want him to blame himself for your mistake, “Besides, I wasn’t in any danger.”

“Maybe you weren’t in any physical danger, but.. I really shouldn’t say this but that was out of hand. You’re family with the Queen now, she should have defended you.” He continued to step closer to you. “I deeply apologize for being so careless and allowing you to be hurt.” He bowed after saying this, and you smiled.

“Your apology is accepted, Sir Knight.” You slightly teased. “Thank you.” Your chest and stomach was filled with that warm and welcoming feeling again, and the negative endeavor from outside was forgotten even for just a moment. You knew you would have to face it eventually, and formally apologize to the Queen for offending her, but until then, you would allow yourself to feel okay for now. “You’ve been the kindest to me since I arrived.” You tilt your head, “You have no idea what it’s meant to me.”

“As I said, I vowed to be there for you, I will honor that vow.” He said, you didn’t want to feel like he was only being nice to you because he had to. You suck your lips in for a quick second as you absorb his response, unsure of how to respond. “But-” he interrupted your thinking, “It has truly been a pleasure to serve you, and I would be happy to undress you when you ask.”

Your eyes widened, “Excuse me?” It’s not that you didn’t like what you said, you just weren’t expecting it so casually.

“That- came out wrong, forgive me.” He corrected himself. “I mean, I’m happy to help you with anything you like.” He clears his throat and you smile, blushing at his sheepish correction.

“I understand.” You look down at the floor again. “I’m sorry they only give you the nights off.” You switched the topic, not wanting to linger on the last one in case someone was walking by or overheard anything.

“That’s fine, I... enjoy my time with you.” He stopped mid-sentence to consider what he was saying. You smile and laugh a little again.

“It must be tiring, wearing the armor all day, standing at attention, only getting a handful of breaks every few hours…” You think out loud.

“I’m used to it,” He shifts to his weight on one leg, lightly poppin his hip out as he speaks to you. “It’s not so bad, anymore.”

“Is the armor heavy?” You ask, trying to distract yourself.

“Yes, but that’s another thing we get used to. Our bodies adapt to it.”

“So… are you saying you’re strong under all that metal.” You raise and eyebrow, flirting just a little. You could hear a light chuckle come through the helmet when you said this.

“I guess you could say that.” It was like you could hear his smile.

“I’ve found that all Mandalorians are very attractive, do you fall under that assumption?” You knew very well you were playing with fire, that this was uncharted territory and everything was screaming at you to stop before you got too far but you couldn’t. Everything about him was so intriguing to you.

“I’m.. I’m not from Mandalore, actually…” He slowly responded.

“Oh?” You tilted your head, “I thought you had to be in order to be a part of the guard?”

“Well, in a way, you do. You have to be either born in or taken in as a foundling, and that’s what happened to me.” He shrugged.

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” You blinked, “Where are you from? Or can you not tell me…”

“The Nevarro frontier.” He responded, “I probably shouldn’t have told you that.” He groaned. You felt a shiver run down your spine at the sound of his rough voice groaning in such a way. You swallow your thoughts.

“You’re a long way from home.”

“I guess you could say that.” You smile at him again after he says this before turning and looking behind you, taking in the room. This was a larger sitting room, and there was a baby-grand piano in one of the corners. Outside of the windows you could see a courtyard, not the same courtyard that the garden is placed in, but one that was stoned and had a large tree in the center of it. There was so much of the palace you hadn’t seen yet, it was far larger than the Corellian one. You stood up to walk over to the piano, feeling a bit better now, and sitting at it. “Can you play?” He asked.

“Yes, I learned at a very young age.” You bring your hands up to keys and begin playing a song, one you have memorized. It was your mother’s favorite song. You played it with such emotion that the Knight was drawn into it, relaxing from his attentive stature and enjoying the sound.

“You’re... very talented.” He nodded.

“Thank you.” You said, looking up at him from the instrument. “I’m a bit rusty I must admit.” You shrug.

“I know someone who would really love it, no matter how rusty you say it is.” He explained.

“Who?” You ask as you stop playing, wondering who he may be talking about.

“I-I shouldn’t say, I’ve already broken the code so much-”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I fully understand.” You interrupt, “But just know that anything you say is safe with me, If you vowed to protect me from both physical and emotional harm, the least I can do is keep your secrets.” You nod. He sighs, you can’t hear it but you see it in the armor.

“My.. Uh, my son.”

—

“Soniee, do you know if any guards are fathers?” You ask as the handmaiden tightens the corset on a different dress, tying it to your body. You were preparing for some time alone (chaperoned) with the Prince. You knew you promised the Knight you would keep his secret, and you would do everything in your power to uphold that secrecy, but you figured there was no harm in asking a few questions here and there. As far as anyone is concerned, you’re just curious about the customs and traditions of your new kingdom.

“Well many of the Knights have families of their own, some have illegitimate children as well.” She said behind you.

“So, they don’t have an oath of celibacy?” You ask, hoping it didn’t sound too strange or specific.

“What? No,” She laughed as she said ‘no’, “No, marriage and families are incredibly important to Mandalorian society, the only thing stronger than power or war is love and family. Blood before anything else.” She explained, she had clearly said those words before.

“Maybe that’s why everyone is so cold towards me.” You sigh.

“Maybe.” Soniee confirmed, “But I also believe any new member of house Kyrze is going to be given a hard welcome.”

“And why is that?” You ask, wincing afterwards due to a tight pull of the corset.

“Well it’s taught in every Mandalorian history class: House Kyrze is the royal bloodline, but it wasn’t always that way…”

“What do you mean?”

“There was a civil war some years ago almost immediately after the assassination of Queen Satine. A bad man came in and tried to overthrow Queen Bo-Katan. He was successful in his endeavors for a while, and that's why the Elves and the Queen are so close-” The handmaiden explained.

“I never knew about a Mandalorian war that happened among themselves?”

“It’s shielded from the outside world, we fear that if it gets out, people will stop coming to us for their wars out of speculation that we are not strong enough to fight them if we can’t control each other.” She finished the corset and took a step back, admiring the beautiful dress. “Many Mandalorian’s blame Queen Bo-Katan for the civil war even though she gave up everything she believed in to protect the royal family. You see, she used to be on the side of the Bad Man, but switched after her sister’s death. Many see her unfit for the crown, including members of her own Court.” You didn’t need any more explanation from Soniee to assume who that might be. Considering your previous endeavor this morning, the fat woman probably did not approve of the queen.

“That is why it’s essential that this marriage happens. The people love Korkie, they always have. He is the true heir and the pride of his mother, who was revered and loved throughout all of the kingdoms. When he is back on the throne, not only will anyone who disapproves of Bo be silenced, but they will also see it as one of her many successes. Having to raise and prepare a child who isn’t even yours is not easy.” Soniee concluded.

Great, another weight to be placed on your shoulder based on your ability to fall in love.

“I had no Idea any of that happened.” Your eyebrows furrowed together.

“Personally, I believe that is why you’ve received such a harsh welcome, Korkie is the golden boy of Mandalore, and many will not see you fit for his wife.” You sighed, your belly filling with stress.

“Highness, the Prince is waiting for you in the library.” Your Royal Guard interrupts the conversation, and you smile at him.

“Thank you, Lady Soniee, you’ve been incredibly kind and helpful.”

“Of course, Princess. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” She curtsied and you walked out of a your suite into the hallway.

This dress was simpler than the last, a soft pink with embroidered flowers running up and down the smooth tulle and puffy sleeves. It was very beautiful, one you brought from Corellia that was gifted to you a few years ago. You wore pearls from Naboo, and had a soft look to your ensemble. You wanted to be perceived in a specific way by your fiancé, pure of heart, and genuine.

You open the doors to the hallway, and your guard is standing at attention.

“Would you escort me to the library?” You ask, smiling with your lips afterwards. He nods and holds his arm out for you to take, looping your own arms round his and walking down the hallway.

“You look very beautiful, your highness.” He said quietly through the metal, quiet enough that you were the only one who would hear it if anyone would be listening in. You got the lightest touch of goosebumps at his deep and gruff whisper in your ear.

“Thank you, do you think The Prince will like it?” You ask, looking up at his helmet with beady eyes.

“He would be a fool if he didn’t.” The Knight responded, and your stomach filled with butterflies. You blushed as you experienced the addictive feeling of his presence, and pulled him just a bit closer to you. The two of you walk in silence for the remainder of the journey to the beautiful library. This was a part of the palace that you had never been to before, and it was just as stunning as the rest of the castle. Books from all over the world in countless languages sat upon towering bookshelves that reached the tall ceiling. There was a large fireplace and in front of it was a number of red velvet armchairs and sofas. As you entered the quiet room, your eyes immediately found the Prince, who sat in one of the chairs reading a book, his head resting against his fist. You and the Knight walk towards him, and as you pull to unhook your harm, you feel him stretch his hand out to feel you for as long as possible before the contact breaks.

“Prince Korkie.” You curtsie, interrupting his reading. He looked up from the book and smiled, standing and bowing to kiss your hand once again.

“Your Highness, You look lovely.” After he compliments you, you turn to look at the guard, smiling.

“I hope you weren’t waiting for too long.” You as he takes your hand and guides you to sit on a sofa.

“Not at all.” He reassured, “Allow me to introduce you to Lord Vaughn, he will be chaperoning us today.” He gestured to a man sitting across from you.

“My pleasure, Princess.” He stood from his seat to bow.

“The library is beautiful, as is everything else in the palace.” You compliment.

“It’s less beautiful when it’s been your classroom growing up.” The Prince teased and you chuckle. “If you would like, please feel free to take any books at any time.” He nodded.

“Thank you, but I’ve never been very into reading.” You admit. “I much prefer music.”

“Ah yes, I play the viola, my mother taught me when I was a boy-“ Somehow he always made it about himself you noticed. You didn’t think he tried to, but conversations are rather boring when you’re just listening. He talked for nearly a half-hour about playing for the Queen of Naboo as a twelve year-old and being revered as a child prodigy for the early part of his life. You sat quietly as he bragged, telling the story to both you and the chaperone instead of keeping his focus on you. You even caught your mind wandering every now and then, glancing over to your knight to make a little face of boredom in an attempt to make him smile. You know you wouldn’t be able to see him if he had smiled, but the thought of it was enough to keep you occupied. After the Prince bragged about his viola skills for close to an hour, he finally asked what you played.

“Piano, actually. It’s my muse, if you will.” You smile, happy to have finally been included, although it was short lived. The prince then continued to talk about how the Queen could play piano but got sick of it after her sister died and hasn’t played in a very long time. He went on and on about it, and you were starting to wish you had picked up a book on your way in to pass the time.

“Allow me to show you to my favorite section of the library.” The Prince said, forcing you to snap out of your little trance as he held your hand out. You clearly hadn’t been listening for a while because you had no recollection of the previous situation, his voice was very tune-out-able. “I’ve asked the Chaperone and Knight to stay here while I do.” He smiled, and you take his hand, standing from the chair.

“Is that appropriate?” You ask.

“I’m the Prince, I can do what I want.” He shrugs and then proceeds to walk you towards a corner in the library. You look over your shoulder to the Knight one last time before you’re pulled around the corner. “This hall is where I would go when I was mad, isn’t it beautiful?” He asked.

“Yes, it is.” It had mostly desks and only a few bookshelves, but was covered in mirrors on both sides of the walls, showing an endless reflection of thousands of copies of yourself.

“I wanted to give you this, as an engagement present.” He held out a small box wrapped with a blue bow.

“Thank you…” You take the gift out of his hand.

“It was my mother’s.” He said as you untied the bow and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful necklace of a sapphire stone with a gold halo.

“It’s beautiful, thank you.” You held up the necklace to your eyes, watching how it sparkled in the light.

“May I put it on you?” He asked. You nod and hand him the jewelry. Turning around and pulling your hair to the side, you feel him hook the necklace, letting the heavy gem sit against your collarbone. You looked down at it.

“It’s incredibly beautiful, Prince Korkie.” You turn around and smile.

“Please, just Korkie.” He said before forcing a kiss on you, pushing his lips into yours forcefully and holding you in place. It startled you, you hadn’t expected this from him, especially considering how kind he had been before. This was your first kiss and was less than pleasant. You push him off you, and look at him in disbelief. You didn’t want to offend him, but couldn’t mask the look of shock and beytrayal from your face. Your stomach filled with regret, it was customary to not kiss one another until your wedding day, why had he broken that tradition? You felt as though it was your fault he forced himself onto you, and you swallowed back the feeling of anger and distrust. If anyone found out you had kissed him before the wedding, they would all blame you, regardless of who initiated the kiss. You both knew this.

“Excuse me…” You huff passed him, returning to the main room of the library and walked towards the door, you heard your Knight follow you close after, and in a fit of confusion and flusterment, you storm as fast as you can towards your room.

When you two got to a more private part of the palace, closer to the suite, you heard him speak up, “Princess, princess what’s wrong?” You hear your knight say, and before you can ignore him, you feel him grab your hand. It isn’t forceful and it doesn’t hurt, but he’s strong, he wouldn’t be letting you go unless he had to. You turn around to show a tear running down your cheek. “What did he do?” The Guard asked. You swallow thickly and try to look away, darting your eyes behind him, “Look at me.” He said.

“I can’t see your eyes.” You sniffle.

“Please, did he hurt you?” He took a step closer to you, your bodies almost flush against one another.

“We can’t do this here-“

“Did he hurt you?” The knight repeats himself, sterner this time.

You look at his helmet and sigh, “No.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“It doesn’t concern you.” You were embarrassed, and pull your hand away before walking away, trying to get to your room before bursting into tears. You heard him pick up his pace to catch up and then suddenly he was cutting you off with his body, firmly grabbing your shoulders.

“As your Royal Guard, it does concern me. I told you just this morning that I promised to protect you, and now you’ve gotten hurt twice because of my mistakes.” He said, startling you just a bit. No one had ever spoken to you this way, no one had ever shown that they care this much.

“It’s not your fault, really.” You reassure.

“But it is. What did he do to you?”

“It’s… I’m embarrassed. It’s silly and I’ll-“

“Nothing you say could ever be ‘silly’ to me.” He said, his voice hushing as he did, giving you those little goosebumps again.

You sigh, looking up at him and trying to get out your next sentence, “He-he kissed me. I wasn’t expecting it and he broke tradition and it was all so… so forced.” You admit, feeling as though he would blame you for the kiss.

“He what?”

“You’re really going to make me repeat myself?” You scoff and push passed him, you were almost to your room, if you could make it just a little further-

“He kissed you?” The knight asked.

“Yes. I told you it’s ridiculous but-“

“It’s… not. Ridiculous, that is. It’s not ridiculous. Did he ask if he could?”

“No…” You reply, “I didn’t think he had to.” You raise an eyebrow. “I just wasn't expecting such a stark betrayal of tradition and it startled me and if anyone else find out, they’ll all blame me-“

“He has no right to lay a single finger on you without your permission. He hurt you, and therefore I’ve failed at my job.” He interrupted you.

“Oh-“ You mutter, finally arriving at your door. He had done that without your consent, he had hurt you. The knight was right all along and you were stupid to not accept his help right away. You wipe a tear away from your cheek and open the door. You take a step in, and hold the door open for him to join you. “I have over an hour before dinner… I’ll have to see him again.” You swallow before closing the door.

“I’ll be there by your side, I won’t leave you again. I won’t let him hurt you like that ever again, I promise.” He was firm and confident with his words, giving you a little wave of relief as he spake them.

“Thank you.” You whipser. You take a deep breath and look at him, “You said he can’t do anything without my permission?”

“Yes. That’s how you protect yourself. Don’t give him power he doesn’t deserve.” The Knight explains.

You exhale sharply, “I had never been kissed before.” You admit, looking down at the floor. “It wasn’t what I expected, to say the least.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t… kisses are special, sacred.” He sounded pained as he said them, like it was hard for him to get the words out.

“Have you kissed anyone?” You ask, considering he had a son, you assumed he had, but never really know unless you ask.

“Yes, once, a long time ago.”

“So you haven’t had that helmet on since birth?” You lighten the mood just a little. You hear him chuckle and your stomach is filled with warmth at the noise.

“No, I haven’t.”

“Can you ever take it off?” You ask, walking over to sit on your bed, listening intently, he takes a step in that direction, too.

“Yes, I take it off to eat and bathe and sleep and sometimes I take it off to talk to my son…” He sighs, “But at work, in the palace, in the eyes of other people, it stays on. Always.This is the way.”

“I still don’t understand why.” You tilt your head.

“It… protects us, it keeps our knighthood separate from our manhood, an it’s an ancient tradition practiced by Mandalorians, we do it to respect the culture.” He nods as he speaks.

“Hm, I half expected you to say it was just because you were ugly.” You giggle, and he shakes his head. This time, you knew he was smiling under all that metal.

“Compared to you, I am nothing.” You could hear his smile in his words. You blush and the butterflies in your stomach only grow. You pause for a moment, carefully considering what you were going to say next.

“Will you… will you kiss me?” You ask, looking up at him, he goes still.

“What?”

“Will you kiss me?” You repeat yourself. He doesn’t respond at first, and for a moment, you fear you’ve made a terrible mistake. You wanted him to, you wanted to know what he meant by “kisses are sacred”. He had plagued your mind ever since you first spoke to him and you already have far more affection in your heart for the Knight than for the Prince. You wanted to kiss him.

He sighs in response, and nods once, “Close your eyes, and keep them closed.” You blushed at his agreement.

“Okay.” You say, slowly closing your eyelids and patiently awaiting his next move, feeling triumphant that he agreed. Your body fills with adrenaline as you wait, trying to slow your heart rate with deep breaths.

“Promise to keep them closed?”

“I promise.” You whisper and a few seconds after, you hear the sound of metal hitting metal, and the hollow echo of his helmet being placed on the mattress by where you sit. It took everything in you not to open your eyes, you wanted to look at him, wanted to see his eyes. But you made a promise, you had made promises to each other and had to keep those promises.

Then, ever-so-gently, you feel his warm and forgiving lips against yours.

They’re soft and light, like he didn’t want to hurt you. You melted into his touch, and against your soft skin you felt his stubble run against it. It was rough in the most satisfying and loving sensation possible. He was much kinder than the Prince, so gentle, so true. It wasn’t a very long kiss, but it was more than a peck, and held more passion and intimacy in it than any of the hours you spent with your fiancé combined. He moved just slightly against you, and you felt his bare hand come up to hold your jaw in place as he deepened it for a split second before pulling away. As your lips parted from his, your breath was taken right with them, and you had to consciously remind yourself not to open your eyes.

“Keep them closed, okay?”

“Okay.” You nodded, trying to remember the feel of his kiss. “Thank you.” Your voice was broken, and you wanted another, but before you could ask, you felt the helmet lift off the bed and the sound of gloves being pulled onto hands.

“Open.” He said after a moment, and your eyes fluttered open to see the knighted figure in front of you. “You’re welcome.”

Part three here

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thegreymoon · 2 years

Text

Monarch Industry

She loves him not at all, and just came to use his old feelings for her to manipulate him to her advantage 😢

***

I miss him 😢

Not only is he separated from Awu, they are going entire episodes without a single scene with him, which is just a big no for me, since he is a major reason I’m watching this in the first place. Is it the army scenes, and in turn his scenes, that got cut in those missing twelve episodes, because I don’t understand? Why wouldn’t they give us more of him? I have zero fucks to give about the court murders and politics, all those boring schemers could do with less screen time, and he should have been given more.

***

How she loves him, and he tried to murder her 🙁

***

OMG, he told her??

***

WAIT, HE ADMITTED TO THIS TOO?

***

LMAOOOO, he must be joking 🤣🤣

“Look, uncle did try to kill you and the man you love, however, it was not because I wanted to, but because it was a part of my day job. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience!”

Smh. Poor Awu.

***

I’m on his side.

The Empress is quite evil and deserves a bit of murdering.

***

NOOOOOO, DON’T KILL YUXIU!!

I TAKE IT BACK! I’M NOT ON YOUR SIDE ANYMORE!!

***

Gee, I wonder why 🙄

***

He finally gets a hug!

The way she has to forgive and still love these people when they are literally going after her very life.

***

Here comes the muppet again 😤

For fuck’s sake, leave the woman alone!

***

Oh, interesting!

***

Acupuncture? 😑😑

***

LMAO, their faces 🤣🤣

They are so shocked the wine is not poisoned 🤣🤣

***

My beloved 🖤

***

Oh, thank goodness, Yuxiu woke up 💚

***

My intelligent baby 🖤

He is ten steps ahead of everyone, Duke Huan will be winning no battles against him!

***

I can’t wait to watch you die 🔪🔪

***

Wait, what is this cookie?

What does it do?

***

Oooh, Ziliu hid a letter in it!

***

Huan Mi is about to get caught 😕

***

Smh.

I hope Yuxiu stomps her.

***

Ooooh, he found Ziliv’s secret room!!

He’s giving me so much anxiety, lol, I keep waiting for the Second Prince to show up Hannibal-style and slice him up 😬😬

***

LMAO, he may be the only son with a brain cell that the Emperor has, but he is full-on insane.

He’s literally playing pretend at being an emperor and she his wife 😐

***

Xiao Qi already suspects, but here is his confirmation.

Awu, please send help!!

***

Of course he got caught 😭😭

He should have fled immediately, but he had to stay behind and snoop some more!

***

Oh, he got away, thank god! 😅

#zhou yiwei #zhang ziyi #monarch industry #mi spoilers #mi ep21 #mi ep22

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cool-the-binge-eater · 3 years

Text

Apothecary Diaries - manga rec

Summary

Before it had an English name I just called it Kusuriya no Hitorigoto. It's about mao mao who was forced by kidnappers to be a court maid. A plain freckled girl who is nonchalant about it but misses working as a doctor assistant for her father.When the high ranking court ladies babies come down with an illness that others deem a curse mao mao figures out the cause. Trying her best not to get stuck in court drama squabbles only leaving a note on the cause. However a eunuch named jinshi figures her out and is forced to solve palace mysteries while also working as poison tester. (it's fine she likes to test poisons on herself)😓 So basically Chinese historical story that deals with harem life that's also a detective and medical story. So their are modern conventions and solutions that we take for granted that are used as solutions in the story. That’s the draw of alot of time traveling stories but since its not we don’t get an outsiders perspective about what we would consider wrong. Maomao has resigned herself to whatever happens to her and dosen’t fight the system directly but she still has a strong sense of justice.

Maomao- the pharmacist

Maomao is the protagonist /pov chara and is the main reason you read the story she's very eccentric when it comes to medicines and poisons but is actually very quick witted and emotionally intelligent. She's a realist and down to earth often thinking little of herself. Maomao has resigned herself to whatever happens to her. She knows she's smart and might be toooo smart. Her only motivation is medcine so political infighting and conspiracies is the opposite of that. Whenever her sense of justice shows up it really bursts and it's great to see💖😊 Even though she pettite skinny and a commoner whenever she decides to do something it really feels like she's risking her life.Also aro/ace representing she really dosent care about much except medicine.💞

Jinshi -Eunuch

He works as a foil to maomao becasue hes a born noble, the boss of her and is one of the most conniving characters. His personality starts off as a sadist/playful tease but eventually really cares for maomao in the story as he gets to know her better. Jinshi is the one who presents the issues to maomao and is the one withe the authority to give her tools to solve the cases.He's obviously hinting at maomao alot but she dosent get it or doesn't care.His job is to work in the harem and to do whatever the emperor requests if him. He's the most beautiful person in the story and alot of woman and men want him. He drinks this a medicine that make him more eunuch like to maintain that appearance. The reason why we don't know and his backstory is one of the big mysteries.

Setting

It's not a specific year which is good Apparently mongels are still a problem and they can keep in contact with the west if they want. Historical Chinese dramas I guess 🤷‍♀️. Politically ppl dislike the last emperor and just over a decade before slavery was abolished. U can technically sell family members tho if ur poor. Maomao was sold as a palace maid and all her earnings go to her "family". In fact most of the maid charachters are the same way.So some cultural things need to be addressed if your new to court drama. Honestly it's a cliche for me cuz I watch alot of Asian dramas but others might not.

In the palace we have the outer court that does real work like paper work and women can join the outer court but they are akin to secretaries. I think they dislike inner court ladies cuz they had to take a test (Also technically maids but they don't do the best job compared to inner court ladies). The inner palace only has women and they are all concubines for the emperor. There have been cases of maids becoming lower ranked concubines if they were pretty. 4 great positions are taken by great noble ladies and their families. These 4 ladies each have their own palace and are the ones most likely to become empress/create heirs.

Hanmachi/red light district is a big part of the story. Mao mao was raised there and is the 2nd location the story takes place. It's both a beautiful gorgeous palace and a dark dangerous alley. Maomao says that the brothels are both a cage and a Wall that protects them from the streets Maomao isn't a courtesan but was raised with her 3 big sisters the 3 princesses of Rokushoukan. All high courtesans need to learn to dance, play instruments, talk, play go or other board games and read. Men don't usually get to sleep with high courtesans and it dosent work on all girls but the more pure you are to get the higher the price.

BTW we never go to them but there are brothels that are lecherous, and there are cases of rape within that district and maomao has almost been in that situation which also hasn't been shown.

Adaptations/art

There are like 3 types of versions of the story for some reason. There are 2 mangas and the og light novel. The mangas not done but maybe the first one went in a different direction of the novel 🤔 idk??? I've read a little bit about the the light novel but honestly not that different. Mao mao is a very introspective charachter she has alot of thoughts and won't say alot of her thoughts or feelings due to fear of nobility or just laziness.

So the manga makes her alot more expressive while keeping her introspective thoughts. She can be very funny and comedic with her expressions. Later on when she gets stitches they keep reopening(she just roles with it and everyone gets freaked out for her)

The 2nd manga makes mao mao her personality more serious and aparently there's less emphasis on romance. Only 1 volume so can't judge on much. (Only read 2 chapters) so I'm gonna talk about the 1st manga.

(Light novel, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto manga and Mao Mao no Kōkyū Nazotoki Techō manga)

The art is really good what happens alot in shoujo series set in harems or inner courts. Is that the women are not hot they can be beautiful, pretty even but they really aren't hot.

But damnnnnnn all the girls are 🔥🔥🔥

Specifically the hanamachi ones and even maomao herself sometimes. Lol 😆 I'm gonna stop now

But seriously I like how they talk about sex, prostitution and harems. Alot of shoujo are so PG about a place that is notorious for sex work.

Last minute thoughts

Check it out there's 2 manga volumes out and more coming. (Or read the scanlations I did both)

I like jinshi when he gets jealous since he's so cool and in control alot seeing him flounder about with mao mao is fun ❤

Maomao has a pretty interesting past too and it's hinted at really early there's this guy she definitely dosent wanna meet in the outer palace (that's my hint for foreshadowing) 🤐

I would read the light novels if ur like dying to know the plot the manga is a monthly series (I won't cuz I'm lazy)

Previous emperor is a pedo current one is a dick. So yea royal family sucks what's new 🙄

#kusuriya no hitorigoto #apothecary diaries #manga recommendation #shoujo manga #manga cap #comic recommendation #mao mao #manhwa recomendation #manga #manhwa #barnesandnoble

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wolf-zer0 · 3 years

Text

Ya want some WORLD-BUILDING????

Have some world-building!

*REMINDER* This is based on characters, not real people. I’m not going to be writing any shipping/smut content, especially involving minors. Please be respectful of content creators’ boundaries!

The Crystallos Empire (AKA the Antarctic Empire)

Largest the countries (takes up most of the southern half of the map) but agreed to stop expansion after a bloody battle with Valeriana

Centered on a large snowy mountain in the middle of the tundra

Mostly stays out of other countries’ business, but will step in as a last resort

Has some of the most well-known citizens in the world because… they’re pure chaos

Attack at your own peril

Has vast deposits of ores and gemstones, and the metalwork from Crystallos (mainly weaponry, armor, and jewelry) is highly sought after

The only known food export is potatoes. Wonder why…

Associated Colors: Royal blue, light blue, crimson, gold

Aesthetic/Vibes: gothic vibes, white stone and large stain glass windows, not particularly opulent or extravagant but still impressively royal looking, think catholic cathedral but brighter and with less Jesus (can you tell I’m a recovering catholic yet?), spires shooting into the sky that’s visible even during a blizzard, cavernous halls full of sunlight and echoes, snow that can comfort and kill in equal measure

Notable Members:

Philza Minecraft:

Angel

Visible wings look like a harpy eagle

Probably the most powerful person in the world

Didn’t mean to start an empire it kinda just happened

Also didn’t mean to adopt kids but his Dadza alarm went off

Usually kind but will not hesitate to use violence when necessary

Technoblade:

Is pig.

With braid.

At least 8 feet all

Extremely adept fighter, skilled in almost every form of combat.

Not a people pig, prefers his potato farm to being a prince

Hella protective of his family but will not hesitate to bully when given the opportunity

Wilbur Soot:

Muse who can influence people through song

Can’t totally control people (yet) but can subtly push them in a certain direction

The public face of the imperial family

Would rather insult than fight but can and will cut a bitch if he needs to

Because inspiration is fickle he’ll have some … strange episodes (see: the Sand Incident)

Tommy Innit:

Child.

Chaos incarnate.

Is he human? Is he not? No one’s sure yet.

But he’s a gremlin and a hellion and willing to throw down at any moment.

Has a surprisingly caring side, but no one outside his immediate circle has ever really seen it.

The Kingdom of Valeriana (aka Dream SMP)

Oldest of the countries

Located in the middle of a massive forest at the center of the main continent

Home of the Fae Courts

Ruled by a single king who is chosen by a tournament held every 100 years

Known for causing chaos in other countries, but after an Incident with Crystallos they have kept their meddling to annoyances rather than outright declarations of war

Considered the most magical of all the countries, and traditional enchantments almost all come from Valeriana

Associated Colors: neon green (duh), bright yellow, forest green, light brown, blood red (more saturated than Crystallos), rose gold

Aesthetic/Vibes: spooky art nouveau (idk what else to call it), lots of plants and nature but with an edge of danger, poison gardens and carnivorous plants, hedge mazes that lead everywhere and nowhere, laughter deep in the forest, deer with eyes just a hair too human, Alice in Wonderland on steroids

Notable Members:

Dream:

Current king of the Fae

As long as he’s touching the ground, he knows where everything and everyone is

Can terraform

Unlimited in the boundaries of his kingdom

Much more limited outside of his realm

No one has ever seen what he really looks like, even before he took the throne

Since people outside the kingdom don’t know who he is, he’ll wander the outside world and challenge random people to fights

Never says what happens to the losers

Only one person has ever beaten him: Technoblade

He might have a lil obsession around Techno, but it’s fine.

A little competition is healthy.

Sapnap:

High Lord of the Summer Court

Dream’s right hand man

Likes fire a little too much probably

George:

Human that Dream took a liking too and yoinked from the mortal world

Dream and Sapnap made him immortal but he hasn’t realized it yet.

Skeppy:

Changeling who started growing diamond-like scales across his body

Is vaguely allied with Dream simply because he’s Fae, but is more loyal to BBH

Like a lot of other Fae, likes to make challenges but he makes them less deadly. Not totally safe, just less deadly.

Badboyhalo:

Demon who was kicked out of hell because he was too nice

Found Skeppy in the Overworld and the rest is history

Cursed by the Demon King that the moment he says a swear word, the entire world would end, but can never tell anyone that he is cursed

The Merchant’s Guild

Not quite a country, more of a international power

Oversees the largest and most important businesses in the world

Makes sure that no laws are broken between different countries and everyone gets a fair shake

Has a very large reach, so some members have dabbled in espionage for various groups

From the outside it looks like the whole thing is kept together with duct tape and hope, but its actually pretty functional

The main members are just… a lot.

More concerned with keeping things working than influencing other nations (although there are still jokes about it)

The most valuable thing they trade in is information

They have a lot of fingers in a lot of pots, but are trusted with their information

Associated Colors: dark blue, teal, deep yellow, burnt orange, copper

Aesthetic/Vibes: art deco babie, angles and lines, very modern and streamlined, sleek suits instead of armor or robes, whiskey in a crystal glass, wars won by words not weapons, knowing when someone’s lying without them saying a word

Notable Members:

Schlatt:

Ram-man with a plan

Not that bad of a dude, but is in a position where he is constantly in possession of highly sensitive information and that does things to someone’s mental state

Drinks pretty regularly but not a full blown alcoholic

Trying his best

Can be a snarky asshole sometimes

Quackity:

Lucky duck. literally.

Duck man with an uncanny ability to absorb good luck from people (typically Fundy) and apply it to himself

No one knows when or why he joined the guild, but now he’s there

Pretty damn smart, but hides it behind humor

Fundy:

FOX!

With BEANS!

Trying his goddamn best but life (and Quackity) make it very difficult

Usually is stuck with the shit end of the stick when getting jobs/contracts/etc.

Wilbur being his dad is an inside joke that’s gotten a life of its own.

(No Fishfuckers Allowed!!!)

Puffy:

Badass sheep lady who captains a ship and commands her own armada

Schlatt’s sister

Also part of Storm’s Landing’s council and acts as the main liaison between them

Do not fuck with her she will kick your ass.

Storm’s Landing

Port city that became a country after becoming a safe-haven for seafarers

Led by a council of important people, with the head of the council known as the Admiral

Closest ties to Crystallos and the Merchant’s guild because:

1) Clingy supremacy!!!!

2) it’s a good idea for a guild to have good ties with a large sea power

3) all the dads for Tubbo

Associated Colors: navy blue, scarlet, white, brass

Aesthetic/Vibes: Nautical (obviously) with heavy “Age of Exploration” vibes, barnacles crusted on treasure chests, think tall ships and pirates and shit, respecting the ocean because holy shit she’s gonna smash your boat to pieces on a whim because she can, has an edge of darkness because when you go deep enough who knows what you’ll find down there (maybe mermaids???)

Notable Members:

CaptainSparklez:

elected to Admiral after the previous Admiral went missing on a routine voyage

(idk who it used to be, I just wanted to make him new at leading)

not 100% sure about the whole thing, but handling it pretty okay

still answers to “Captain” instead of “Admiral”.

Niki:

If Storm’s Landing had a queen, would be it unquestionably

Never gets robbed even though there’s a well known “underbelly” in town

Could probably end wars with her croissants

Has a significant history of empathic abilities in her family, so she can tell how people are feeling at all times

Eret:

Owns a magic store in town that really only shows itself to people who need it.

Having a bad mental health day?

He’s got a warm blanket and a cup of your favorite warm beverage waiting.

Dysphoric?

She’s got the perfect outfit and affirming words already prepared.

Trying to find that specific book but can’t remember the title or plot, only vaguely know the color of the cover?

They’ve got it.

Ranboo:

Not sure why he decided to move to a seaside city when he’s not chill with water, but now he’s here and he’s too anxious to leave

Known for teleporting around town randomly when nervous, and the people who find him are always willing to let a hand if he gets lost

Tubbo:

This boi! Has so many dads!

Epitome of “Kindness does not equal weakness.”

While a lot of people underestimate him, he’s not some fragile little flower

He hasn’t fully grown into his ability to speak to animals (he can only understand bees right now)

He’s just as much of a shit stirrer as Tommy.

When they meet up, look out. Something’s getting destroyed.

The Astral Academy

An independent university focused on advancing knowledge in the arcane arts and engineering

Not a country, but has the political power of one due to their vast resources and building prowess

People can’t enter unless they are invited or have been given entry as a student

There are a bunch of potential doors scattered around the continent that could lead to the Academy, but no one is sure where the real entrance is

Associated Colors: royal purple, lilac, sepia, sky blue, silver, bronze Aesthetic/Vibes: bright academia, massive libraries with bookshelves stuffed to bursting, workshop benches covered in scrap and prototypes, open air observatories, runes waiting to be translated, the crackling energy that comes from successful collaboration, falling down a research rabbit hole, bursting with pride after a project is a success

Notable Members:

Sam

Purpled

Ponk

Punz

Antfrost

Jack Manifold

I don’t know much about these characters, so if you have any ideas please let me know!

Zero’s OC Land - The North Haven

Smallest and newest country

Recently gained independence from under a cruel dictator (not schlatt lol)

Located in a pine forest at the base of a huge mountain range

Has pretty good relations with the other countries, but outsiders don’t know much about them

Main exports are wood carvings and leather goods

Associated Colors: Maroon, dark brown, black, pewter

Aesthetic/Vibes: medieval but with a modern twist, dark wood lit by a roaring fireplace, snow-covered woods without a living soul in sight, half timber houses and detailed wood carving, no outrageous ornamentation or extravagance

Notable Members:

Tyr:

Lord of the North Haven

trying to keep his people safe and protected

one of the few remaining Spirits (higher in power than the Fae, but lower than angels)

Spirit of Justice

lost a hand in the war for North Haven’s independence

didn’t want to become the leader but does a pretty good job at it

Adopted 5 kids and is trying his best

Bragi:

Heir Apparent

24 year old human

can influence the world by speaking (not singing) but has to be careful about which words he uses

has a book full of phrases that have proven effects (a spellbook of sorts)

has a friendly rivalry with Wilbur

Freya:

Spymaster

actually the oldest but abdicated because she feels she’s not the right person to lead a country

age unknown because she’s the last known [REDACTED] (it’ll be revealed, but I wanna build suspense)

has gyrfalcon wings and heightened senses

chronic insomniac

Forseti:

Official Librarian

20 years old

hybrid with an unknown entity

has black fingers with sharp claws

always wears gloves to hide them

can create portals to places he’s been or to people he knows (the second is much riskier, but not impossible)

knowledge sponge

wants to join the Astral Academy but is too nervous to apply

Odin:

Older Twin

The “Sensible One”

17 years old

Has an uncanny sense of direction

Can’t get lost no matter what

Can manipulate magnetic fields

Loki:

Younger Twin

The “Hot Headed One”

17 years old

can manipulate fire

idolizes his older siblings, particularly Freya

The Institute

Creeping around in the background

Up to bad things

Something’s going on in the world, but no one’s noticed yet

They will though… soon

Aesthetic/Vibes: minimalism (the worst kind of vibes imo), think laboratories or empty hospitals, harsh artificial lights and cold floors, labyrinths of monotonous hallways with no doors

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werenotacoupleyesyouare · 4 years

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So I was meaning to post updates for my Farseer Trilogy liveblogging because y’all seemed to really like the last one but one thing lead to another and I finished the book before I could even pick up my phone. SO- here are my thoughts at the end of book 1! (Contains spoilers)

- I’ll try to go chronologically so bear w me

- Look I love chade okay? He’s funny and mysterious but how on EARTH does the whole court think it a good idea to have a child deal with their political issues eye-

- like “oh, boggers! We have found a breach in our enemy’s defence after a war of interests that has lasted decades! Now we only need to gruesomely murder this well known politician, but whoever could be up to the task? Ah yes, this eleven year old warrior cats enthusiast will do”

- Yes I will refer to the Wit only as being a warrior cats stannie bc y’all know that if he was in the real world Fitz would have absolutely lost his mind over that saga. No I will not be accepting criticism.

- I LOVED CHADE’S RICHSONA lady time was funky

- every chapter I read I grow more worried about Fitz’s self preservation skills. He wakes up for the second time during the night, he is told to immediately go check on the royal he is serving because she’s sick, only to find out she’s just Chade in a ballgown, who tells him “there’s no time to explain, now follow me to check out this very dangerous hostage situation 2 days of travel from here” and he’s just like “ok sure” BABY!! NO??

- Forging is gonna throwin a nice angst trope eventually, I’m here for it

- my wlw heart is torn between Molly and Lady Patience... good thing I have two hands!

- Fitz please,,,,, Chade asks him “wait, does the Fool talk to you??” And Fitz is like “oh yeah :) I like when he hangs with me! He barges in, insults me and then tells me my clothes are ugly :)” BABY THAT’S CALLED BULLYING

- okay I know y’all have been waiting for this one so here it comes: FOOL RANT! I don’t know who this funky mean child is but I would do ANYTHING to keep him safe and happy. (And this time I’m not worried he’s gonna die bc there are like another 3 trilogies w his name on the title, so at least I don’t have to worry for a while) he speaks in riddles!!! I love that!! Also he tries to keep Fitz safe so we like him (more to come abt the fool, I ain’t done yet)

- MOLLY AND FITZ ARE SO FUCKING FUNNY SOMEHOW THEY BOTH MANAGED TO BE THE USELESS LESBIAN STEREOTYPE WHEN IT COMES TO FLIRTING I WAS LOOSING MY MIND LAUGHING

- like “Molly!! You deserve to be with someone who wouldn’t treat you like a piece of jewelry! You’re smart, brave and talented, not to mention beautiful, you need someone who could understand you!!” “Oh really?? Like who?” “Oh idk lol” KIDS I-

- also idk who this Jade is but I have a feeling he’s like a relative of Molly and Fitz is just being dramatic

- as you may know I’m listening to the audiobook, and I misheard Pocked Man as Pot Man, which lead to this very funny exchange:

Fitz: are you really... the Pot Man? 🥺

Chade 420-blaze-it Fallstar: not the one you’re thinking of

- I love how almost all of the characters are stoners, I feel like it’s something all fantasy sagas should consider implementing lol

- GUYS! are Lady Patience and Lacey,,, you know,,, 👀

- Lacey 🤝 Burrich: in love with one part of the royal couple while being their man/woman

- OKAY NOW BURRICH. I LOVE THIS MAN GUYS. HE IS A DECENT DAD AND HE CARES SO MUCH ABOUT FITZ IT MAKES MY HEART SWELL. But MAN what bitch with the Wit hurt him like damn

- aside point, Burrich has the Wit right? He was made to feel ashamed about it but he’s another warrior cats enthusiast

- also probs not intended but the Wit especially now feels like a metaphor and my queer ass was PROJECTING I was HURT when Burrich didn’t accept Fitz bc of it

- GALEN FARSEER? STUPID IDIOT MOTHERFUCKING GALEN FARSEER GODDAMN FOOL SKILL TEACHING CHILD ABUSING RAT OLD BASTARD SHITHEAD IDIOT BASTARD SON OF SHREWD. BIGGEST CLOWN IN THE CIRCUS LAUGHED OUT OF TOWN COWBOY MOTHERFUCKING GALEN FARSEER-

- okay no really this man is an absolute asshole how can he abuse those kids like that? Fitz almost killed himself damn like imagine being 60-smth and feeling threatened by a fucking 11 year old like get a life bastard boy

- also about that part I loved the Fitz Protection Squad™️

Fitz, at his worst, contemplating s*icide, convinced he isn’t worth shit:

Smithy, The Fool and Burrich: okay! It’s time for murder.

And they did! Well almost but verity finished the job anyway

- how sweet is the fool actually tho?? On the outside he is a bit mean, but then his room is covered in flowers, handmade dolls and swirls of colors. He avoids everyone, lives in the most remote part of the castle but as soon as he makes one friend he absolutely melts and tries his best to protect him. He acts so smug and uncaring but then gets scared when his friend avoids him, and starts going on about how he Doesn’t Actually Care About Him, The Court Just Needs Him, like sure baby. All I’m saying is please protect this kid he deserves the world.

- Verity is my only king, his wife is a kickass cool lady and I can already tell they’re gonna Fuck Shit Up together and I love it.

- yes that whole arc??? Incredible. I kept yelling at Fitz because GODDAMNIT but he did his best, he is only 14 after all (HOW DO THEY THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO GIVE HIM SUCH RESPONSIBILITIES AAAAA)

- lol tho I loved how the Fool was like “yeah so Fitz maybe don’t eat everything they give you ‘cause I’m pretty sure they want to poison you” and then Kettricken is like “hey do you want to try these weird leaves I got from my sketchy garden?” and Fitz is like “oh boy would I”

- earring! Chivalry’s earring! We like that

- Yay so Nosy was alive! Cool again I don’t usually get emotional over dogs jfhdhufjdj I’m sorry I’m a disgrace (I’m confident this will change but for now eh)

- something that will positively destroy me is when Burrich will die eventually (and I know it happens cuz my dad SPOILED it for me) I don’t think I’ll be able to stand that

-okay so yes in general this book has completely made me fall in love and I’m definetly in for the whole saga lol. I was thinking of reading the three Fitz trilogies first and then go back and read the dragons and the other one

- I’ll probably make 2+ posts like this every book, so you can find them on the “#greta reads” in my acc :) anyways tagging a few people who enjoyed the last one @wellamarke @violetiris-ak @wolfofmars thank youuu

#Farseer trilogy #assassin’s apprentice #greta reads #fitzchivalry farseer #Fitz farseer #realm of the elderlings #the farseer trilogy #royal assassin #RotE #Robin Hobb

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siderealxmelody · 3 years

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The Sundering of The Aes Sidhe

The Aes Sidhe were a diverse and proud people. If asked they claim their powers came from the elementals around them. It is said they are a people crafted by Da'at itself to bring balance to the world.

They held a prophecy of their own:

When The Dove was killed by The Raven, The Aes Sidhe would cease to exist.

Aes Sidhe Scholars poured over ancient texts, trying to understand if the words meant animals or people. It was only when the daughters of Asmodai and Noreah that the prophecy finally made sense.

It was said upon seeing his daughters Asmodai exclaimed:

"I have beheld true beauty on this hour. Danu, my darling smiles up at me chiseled from ivory. Anu, my sweet gazes up at me molded from ebony. I need not wish for any more paintings for how they could compare to the Dove and Raven before me?"

Courtiers and scholars rushed to the Palace. Many demanded Anu be killed, others asked for her to be raised away from the palace. Asmodai and Noreah outright refused. It was Noreah who quelled any words though, coming to the royal balcony only days after her birthing. It is said though she was pale and still bleeding, her voice rang strong and clear:

"We will not show such blatant favoritism and prejudice to our own children. They are ours and they will be raised together. To suggest otherwise is speak the will of cowards."

The girls were given the same teachers and both soon came to be adored by any who met them. Danu was lively, and always smiling. Anu was erudite and able to best even the Scholars who taught her.

It said that though Danu was the heir apparent she wished to rule with her sister. A request that everyone honored. After all, they were better together than apart.

As The Tel-Assar's instability and threats began to grow, both went to Morozko's court. Anu and he engaged in hours long political discussions.

Danu was free to wander the castle, this is how many think she and Indech first found each other. Their friendship wasn't a secret, but to be anything else would throw their worlds out of balance.

Still as Indrch grew more and more furious of how Morozko handled matters of state - the closer he and Danu became. It is said they exchanged thousands of letters in a week, that both found in the other what they lacked.

In the aftermath of Vairya's horrible act Indech and Danu married and consummated their union in secret. For a time the world hung frozen, there was not much anyone could do but simply survive.

As the Fimbulwinter began the Aes Sidhe thought of their own survival over power. It was in this time that Danu came to Anu with her secret. She and Indech had married and had a child. The baby was old enough now to come to court, won't she debut him?

Anu was disgusted by her sister, how dare she sully their line with a Tel-Assar? And not even one who was worthy of them. Indech was a power-hungry monster, who was to say he hadn't seduced her into this? Whose to say he wasn't like his Kin and this was all an elaborate rouse to understand the secrets of The Aes Sidhe?

Danu refused to see reason and departed for Indech and hers home deep in the mountains of Gog Sheklah. It was protected and the seat of Indech's power.

Anu pulled her back and the sisters's argument turned violent, ending with Danu dead on the ground. As news spread of what Anu had done, the Aes Sidhe splintered.

Those who found it horrifying and unjust wished to protect Indech and his son. They became the Titans. It is these people that claimed Zahak as the descendent of Danu. They claim not only is Zahak the true heir of the Throne of Thorns (as the name suggests, it was a throne made out Thornwood). The Throne was an holy relic with the shavings of it used to help Aes Sidhe contact their ancestors. It is believed that wood could make any poison and cure any ailment, but the one who will bring about the unification of The Aes Sidhe once again.

Those who agreed with Anu and her actions became the Fae. It was this faction that swiftly took control of any and all lands once belonging to the Tel-Assar. Anu's grief over her sister turned into rage. She worked with the Chimera to kill as many Tel-Assar as she could.

Those who refused to chose, who wished to honor one of Danu became the Cubi. One of Danu's last words was to help keep the balance, for isn't that what they were designed for?

Indech's son ingratiated himself with the people that now called themselves Titans. He spoke of the ways his father died to protect their people. He began the first trials and let himself fade into obscurity.

His son was Zahak who lead a war against the Fae and Grisha who fought against both his grandparents. Zahak may have died but his sons survived. Lazar and Juris ran from the ruined kingdom and to the seas. Lazar guided Juris to the Gren Family, hearing their prayers for a child on the wind.

Once Juris was safe with them Lazar slipped back into the seas, becoming the ancient sea monster Rusalye. He watched out of his younger brother as he sailed along the seas and borne down on any enemies of the Grens.

Juris Gren would come to meet Ludamilla and Aleksander in due time. The three of them would become close friends. It was Juris who begged Aleksander to stay his hand in the wake of her death - though his advice went unheeded.

He was locked in Aleksander's shadow prison for his troubles.

Danu - The White Queen, The Dove, The Ivory Queen, Sankta Danu of The Wellspring

Anu - The Red Princess, The Phantom Queen, The Queen of Air and Darkness, The Raven, Sankta Anu of The Doors

For anyone who cares about the other side of things....

@xdarklingx

@thequillandthesword

@truthuncovered

@siiinfully

@rebelliousfamily

#reference

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thorsthot · 4 years

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golden wedding ✦ thor

note: this is a commission for @myhoneybeeheart. thank you so much!!! also, when writing this, I realized I've already wrote something with this similar concept called Won’t Be So Bad. So, for this I’ve decided to do something a bit different. This also, honestly, go me out of a writing slump and I am so thankful for that

words: 3.4k warnings: smut

pairing: king!thor x queen!reader; arranged marriage/established relationship

summary: A golden wedding is usually referred to as being the 50th wedding anniversary. And on the 50th anniversary of the marriage to a particular God, you recall everything that happened on the night of your wedding. (Oh, and we’re just gonna act like nothing after ragnarok happened and that the asgardians safely made it to earth lmao)

Fifty years. Half a century. Five decades. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a long time to be with someone that you barely knew before your wedding day. And ‘barely knew’ is just pushing it. You admired Thor, since Asgard and even here on Earth. Something about the way he walked around, head held high, broad shoulders; a demeanor that showed he KNEW who he was and his purpose in this universe. He was magical in each and every way.

Word had gotten around that the King of Asgard was looking to court someone special here in Asgard, especially now that the very kingdom was being restored. Men and women alike put on their best clothing and behavior in hopes of finally scoring with Thor. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t either. You’d seen the way he’d walk around to greet everyone or play with some of the newborn babies. A gentleman to everyone he’d ever come in contact with. So it was only pure chance when the royal matchmaker chose you to be queen.

You weren’t sure if Thor had ever even noticed you. If he’d even looked at you in the way that you’d looked at him. And you panicked. What if he wasn’t this man that he’d appeared to be? What if he was horrible, and just an awful man and now, you’d have to spend the rest of your life with him. You worried all up to the wedding day, though, you never backed out from the wedding despite not being allowed to meet Thor in person until your wedding day.

Though weddings for Asgardians are far different from those of Midgardians. However, with the rebuilding of Asgard on Earth's soil, the kingdom could only help to adopt a few of the Earthly traditions. Mostly by the wishes of Thor to engage the traditions of his two homes together. Luckily, the royal matchmaker worked hard to make you worry-free about the political sides of the affair - couldn’t help much in the nerves department, however.

The actual ceremony was quite simple, though, it was still unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. There were golden statues of past monarchs of the kingdom, and which, you, were soon to be one. You’d be seen less as a wife and more as a queen, a companion fit to help rule with Thor. He’d studied you, he has one hundred percent seen you gawking at him from afar. He thought you were beautiful. Everything you did, every time you reached out and helped someone, he saw. He saw the compassion in your eyes whenever you’d talk to someone. He saw you.

And when you walked down the aisle to greet him, soon to be his wife, his queen; he fell in love. At first, it’d just been infatuation, but as you walked to him, staring into his eyes and fully giving him all of you, he fell hard. Your eyes were gorgeous the first time he saw them, but now that he’s looking, their breathtaking. The setting sun shines on them while you stand in front of him. Your eyes tracing every single feature of his face, he’s gorgeous. And he couldn’t help but have this sparkle in his one eye as he looked down at you. It’s like, as he simply looks at you, he can feel how warm your soul is.

There wasn’t an exchange of vows, but later in life, you two would go on to write vows as you fell deeply in love with one another. Through the entire ceremony, not a word was spoken between you two. For a great portion of it, the officiant was mostly speaking. Then came the exchange of rings, and the presenting of the crowns. The tall, golden crown replaced the flower crown you’d been instructed to wear.

The gold went very well with the steel blue dress you wore. The accents of the dress were off-white and gold. A sheer, steel blue scarf wrapped around your arms, hanging low as you held the bouquet of purple, blue, and yellow irises. Beneath the crown laid a veil that began right above your hairline and flowed down to the floor. And your hair had been braided to the side and entangled with flowers. Truly stunning and basking in the sunlight, you stood barefoot before him.

His crown was golden with red lettering. Almost similar to that of his fathers. As they placed the crown atop his head, you couldn’t help but stare at him. He was flourishing. His skin bright and healthy, and he’d been well fed. His beard was long, plated and a nice honey blond color with deep brown roots. A couple of greys sprouted from the hair on his head, and you could tell it’d been washed just before the ceremony. He wore black, something similar to what he might wear in battle, only not at all beaten up. And the eyepatch that fit so perfectly on him, it was once his father’s, pulled the look together. He looked honorable as anybody would follow him into the depths. He was home, he was safe.

You faced each other and joined hands. He stared into your eyes as you did his. A bearer came before you, presenting you with two with chalice cups filled with red wine. In Asgardian wedding traditions, those who are getting married must drink red wine together and then seal the marriage with a kiss. And so you both drank from your chalices; the wine was sweet, bitter and a bit tangy all at once.

Once you both drank, his hands came around your waist. They were warm and tingled a bit when he touched you. He pulled you into his embrace. He smelled good, a natural odor. You breathed in as you closed your eyes before opening them. You looked to him and he smiled, you could’ve melted right in his arms. And with your hands placed on his chest, you closed your eyes once more as he leaned into you. Your lips moved together gracefully, no one had to take much of a lead. It felt right, meaningful as if it was meant to be. Somehow, the stars aligned and the two of you got to meet.

There were a lot of people at the reception, many you didn’t know. Small children running around, playing with each other and trying to escape the grasps of the parents that told them to sit still. Adults hung around tables in groups, drinking alcohol and/or arguing with each other about the most recent drama going around Asgard. Small animals ran from small children or drank from the small bowls set out for them.

The sun had nearly set. Lanterns and small lights that resemble butterflies hung from small pillars. Large crystals sat like rocks, catching any amount of light to shine off of. There was a lot of gold and silver strewn all over the place from the cloth on the tables and the decor to the attire each guest was wearing. Big blue bouquets of flowers stood in the center of each table, blocking a few people from seeing the table in which you and Thor were sitting. Every so often someone would come up and wish you success in your marriage; a lot of those words were laced with poison and daggers.

Thor, with amazing intuition, could tell how uncomfortable you were at times. Resting his hand on your thigh and giving you a warm smile. Even whispering to you and saying that the two of you could leave at any time you felt fit. But you continued to say it was fine, beating yourself up in the process of declining. It’s not like you weren’t having a good time, you were, but in the same note, you were dying to leave. Every time his hand touched the inside of your bare thigh, you shuddered. Every time he whispered to you and his breath tickled your neck, you got wetter. Practically torturing yourself trying to wait until after the reception to get fucked.

Weighing out the various options on how to tell him you wanted to leave lasted through the entire reception and the toast. You were completely out of it and didn’t even notice much. But Thor did. He noticed every single time you squirmed from him touching you, every lip bite, and every last whimper followed by a deep breath. He noticed and continued to do the little things that damn near sent you over. Learning small things about you just by how you reacted.

Even how you stopped breathing when he whispered in your ear, “Come on my Queen,” followed by a kiss at your neck.

He led you away from everyone, your hand in his. He walked before you, showing you the way up the stairs and down another hall. You approached a large golden door with white accents. Thor opened the door and let you walk in first, letting go of your hand. Instead, his palm stretched across your lower back, guiding you in, then shutting the door behind you.

The fireplace was already blazing, making the room nice and toasty in contrast with the colder outside. You looked around the room in silence. The room wasn’t decorated as much as you’d thought. It was a huge room, of course, it has a fucking fireplace. There was a grand painting hanging over the fireplace, depicting the old kingdom of Asgard. In the center was a table with a vase of flowers, though unrecognizable to you, were very pretty and gave the muted room a nice dash of color.

“After you,” Thor motioned to the bed. Past the table and up a single step was a huge bed. Covered in muted brown, or deep tan, sheets; and draped over those was a big brown fur. You touched it, the softness of the fur felt like it melted and merged with your hand.

You sat down, and he sat next to you. Sitting in silence for a few seconds was odd as both of you wanted to make the first move, but equally as smitten. It’s like you’re a teenager again, only married. But fuck it, life is short, so you decided to make your move first; well, at the same time Thor decided as well. Incredibly in sync, you both leaned in, locking lips as though you’d always bed doing it.

The kissing had escalated quickly, from lip-locking to love bites and grips at your thigh. Before you knew it, Thor had told you to get on your knees.

And you couldn’t help but kneel before him. There was something about his demeanor, how he stood tall in front of you. The light emitting from the candles and fireplace lit perfectly onto his chest, you could see the heat from the room had taken a bit of a toll on him. The beads of sweat rolling off his chest made you thirsty for him. Thor has been a gentleman this entire night, every single word he’d spoken to you had been laced with mead and silk, rolling off his tongue as if he’d known you his whole life. You wanted him and there was no denying that.

His thumb dipped into your mouth, allowing you to suck on it. But as quick as it came in, it when right back out. He mumbled, “What am I doing?” in a low and playful breath, smiling and confusing you for a second until he picked you up. Softly, placing you on the bed, then pulling you to the edge of it. Still in your dress, he bunched it up to your waist. Without panties, he licks his lips in delight as he spreads your legs.

Licking a long stripe from your asshole to your clit, he begins devouring you. Eating you out as if he hadn’t eaten in a few days. Licking, kissing and sucking at every inch of your pussy. Every time he would moan, the vibrations would shoot straight through your clit, then charge through your entire body. He spread your legs wider, pressing them closer to your chest. He lifted his head, looking up at you, his beard wet with your juices. The cool air hit your cunt, and you shivered, grabbing Thor by his hair and pushing him back into your pussy.

Every moan you made, made his dick harder. He was practically creaming his pants just hearing you. And his cock twitched with every single lick at your clit. He was throbbing, but you were his main concern. His tongue flicked up and down on your clit, and between few licks, he’d kiss and suck on you. Inconsistent at times, but he was teasing. But when your body shook, and the pit of your stomach felt heavier, you pulled at his hair; positioning his head in a way you were sure that would make you cum all over his face.

You were so close, moaning out frantically. Curses and praises left your mouth as you ground against his face. You scratched as his scalp and pulled at his hair once again, your eyes rolling to the back of your head. Every single nerve shot to the pit of your stomach and your body felt warm. You could feel your wetness running down your thighs. Everything centered together and the high seemed to last for minutes on end.

“Fuck, I-” It felt like you were screaming. Your eyelids shut tight, and Thor had somehow slipped from your grip on him. Two of his fingers entered you. Thick, long, and now sleek with your juices. You’d minorly came down from your high, but when his fingers curled up inside you, attempting to claim your second orgasm, you wanted to scream.

Barely twenty minutes in and this man wanted to rack up as many orgasms from you as he could. With his free hand, he firmly planted his palm on your lower stomach. He pressed gently, and as he continued to finger you, you could hear the squelching of your wetness. But before you could warn him, let alone warn yourself, you’d squirted all over his arm and torso. Some of the wetness even hitting you in the chest.

It caught you off guard and made you a bit embarrassed. Though, the embarrassment soon faded as Thor warmly smiled; “I wish you did that in my mouth.” To which, your cheeks began to get hot. He took his fingers from you and sucked on them, looking you deep in the eye as he did in.

“I want you,” You proclaimed to him. Nearly tripping over yourself trying to get closer to him.

“You can have me,” He spoke back, standing up.

And you’re back kneeling for him. Palming the ever-present bulge in his pants. Though you couldn’t wait so long, so you pulled down his pants yourself. He also didn’t have any underwear on.

His dick was huge. Thick and uncut, leaking precum from his tip, red and aching. His pubes were gold, trimmed, and curled, though his balls were cleanly shaven. You took his dick into your hand, slapping its tip against your tongue, looking him in the eye as moans slipped from his mouth. Careful with his foreskin, you massaged his cock, moving your hand up and down, spitting on it for less added friction.

He honestly thought that he was going to cum, possibly the quickest he’d ever come, if it had happened. But he kept his thoughts centered elsewhere to prevent coming so prematurely. His eyes squeezed shut tightly as your mouth makes its way around the tip of his dick. “Fuck,”

His chest rose with every deep inhale. As you began to lick around his cock, teasing him when you’d put your mouth around him. And his hands traveled to your face, resting on the sides of you. He moved your face to position you to look up at him. “Open your mouth,”

Thor said it sternly, and you had the wild urge to defy him, but you’d save that for another date. You smiled at him, sticking your tongue out as you opened your mouth. He smiles at the way you obey him, and spits in your mouth, leaving you to go back to his dick. “Good girl.”

The cockiness that’s peering out of him makes you want to talk back and tease. You have a feeling that if you did though, he wouldn’t tolerate it. Which, sounds like a plan for a later time. Now, however, it was about learning of each other and your sexual desires. To which, you were sure both of you would be satisfied.

Dick down your throat, tears in your eyes, and you feel like you need to sneeze; but it doesn’t matter, you love it.

He takes his dick out of your mouth and goes to lie down on the bed. Locked in under his spell you move over to him as he beckons you over. However, he assumes that you would ride him, you now have a better position to lick all over him.

You lick him from base to tip, taking him all, or most, in your mouth, gagging before pulling away. Cock in your hand, you begin to jerk him off, attaching your mouth to his left testicle. Occasionally looking up to him, which you’ll find his head tilted back, and his fingers digging into the sheets. You even lick a little beneath his balls, just for the thrill.

Though the wait became too long, and you ached to have him inside you. Crawling up to him, planting a kiss on his lips, then, you lined his dick up to you, slowly sinking onto him until you took every inch.

You began to bounce up and down on his cock, grinding against him every once in a while just to feel him against your clit. He’d end up taking your hips in his hands, steadying you, and then rocking up into you, making you squeal with each thrust he makes.

“You feel so fucking good,” He says through moans. Various praises left his mouth as you rode him. Praising you for being so good for him, and how your cunt felt so nice and warm wrapped around his cock. How he wants to cum inside of you and fill you up, make you have his children. He is the God of Fertility so you knew that when he does cum in you, you’ll more than likely become pregnant.

The two of you went at it for what seemed like hours. You came back to back in various positions; of course, Thor made sure that you came before he did.

And when he did, he couldn’t help but cum inside of you, his hands gripped tightly at your thighs. His moans heard as deep roars coming from his throat as he spills his load into you. Your legs wobbly and numb, and you’re holding onto him for dear life as if he’d ever let you fall. Still, he continues to rock you onto his cock, more cum spilling from the tip of his dick. It was enough to make you orgasm again, all from the overbearing feeling. You gripped at his neck and pulled at his hair as your bodies rocked together to fuck off your high.

He let you down, your legs shaking as your feet plant down on the floor. He picked you up again, this time bridal style, and carried you into another room. This one, a bathroom. More candles and flowers laced it in decor.

“For you, my Queen,” A bath, already hot and filled with rose petals awaited you.

“Thank you, my King,” You shared a long and loving kiss before settling into the bath, which, he bathed you. Talking to you all night long into the well hours of the morning about God knows what.

You remembered that first night as if it was only yesterday. It was miraculous how you could have a lifelong bond with this man that you barely knew before your wedding day. Thor is noble, a gentleman, and always treated you how you deserved. He frequently put you before a lot of things, even if you told him not to. He thought of you constantly and explained his love for you daily.

Thor was the type of lover that everyone wished they had. Though, it was much deeper than that; a soul connection. He cherished you at his lows and his highs and would continue to love you with his last, dying breath.

Permanent taglist: @macfizzle , @audacious-little-fuck, @shaykeijser, @ghost-with-spaghetti-arms, @thedunconnsmythe, @history-freak1, @pagethepunisher, @kitcatimpala67, @frappichino23, @insideoflit, @thorsstar, @captainthotodinson, @mermandy, @ka-ni-ma, @leaf-slut, @sea040561, @cannonindeez, @blackpantherimagines @thebookamongmen, @havpojke, @totallyreadyforthis, @heliosparadox, @ineffabl-y, @the-bleeding-rose, @lilylovelyxo, @akamaiden, @ringpop-poppy, @coonflix, @godohammers, @marvelmaree, @acciorinn

Thor Taglist: @sthorgestavenger, @shiningnestor, @dcmarvelblog, @lbrownsugarbbyl, @loverofthor, @vulnificura, @humbleslvt, @onemorebookidontneed, @kittygothpastel, @darling-youre-beautiful, @infinity1321 , @6lackraconteur , @hi3431, @m00sethemurderer , @warriorsacrifice

#thor smut #thor odinson smut #thor #thor odinson #thor imagine #thor odinson imagine #thor x reader #thor odinson x reader

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skullsandwineglasses · 3 years

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The Rebel Princess Episodes 45-51

Um, wow. A lot to process.

Awu and Xiao Qi say their goodbyes and separate in 48. Not sure for how long this time. When they were apart for 10 episodes from 19(?) to 29, we at least knew that when they reunite, it would be a happy reunion.

But this time? Xiao Qi is gravely injured (and poisoned) and Hu Yao disguised her brother’s corpse as Xiao Qi so that people would think that he died in battle. (Also sidenote: RIP to Awu’s embroidered cape. Xiao Qi no longer has a piece of her to carry with him). And on top of that, he’s accused of having assassinated the emperor. So it’s not like he can just casually waltz back into the capital any time soon. So I’m thinking that the next time that Awu sees him again is during the scene in the promos where he’s bearded and storms into the palace court, sword charging at Zi Tan.

But in the meanwhile, Awu will have to face the news of his death and alleged treason. I don’t know if she’ll believe that he’s dead, but she’s going to be heartbroken either way, all the while she’s holding down the fort on the homefront, trying to protect the baby emperor from Zi Tan who’s most likely going to swoop in to try to take the crown for the most unconvincing reasons. Ugh Zi Tan. The most uninteresting and annoying second-male-lead-turned-villain.

But since the story has now shifted back to Awu, perhaps we’ll now see her play more of an active role in the drama. I also wonder how Awu is going to extricate herself from the palace politics, especially now that she’s going to be such a central character in the palace as the unofficial guardian of the infant emperor. Her aunt the Dowager Empress is probably going to want to get rid of her because she’s going to feel threatened by Awu’s potential influence over her grandson, but also because of Awu’s relation with Xiao Qi, and the Dowager Empress will probably feel vengeful because of it. Is this how Awu ends up in Hulan with Helan Zhen? Does this happen before or after Xiao Qi returns to storm the palace? But if it happens after, how does Awu still end up in Hulan if Xiao Qi is around? So many questions about the order of these events and how it will all come together. Another question is why does Zi Tan allow it? I thought Zi Tan was obsessed with Awu too.

The setup and false accusation that Xiao Qi killed Zilong is such a tried and true trope, but I guess it’s effective at heightening suspense, which is exactly why it’s an overused trope. And the battle scene in episodes 49/50 were tense as hell. It’s amazing that this drama gives you several well choreographed battle scenes throughout the drama. Likely a testament to the budget. Usually dramas only have one short scene at the beginning to set the tone, or one at the end as a conclusion, but this drama really emphasizes how Xiao Qi is a seasoned warrior and a man of war. We don’t get just one battle scene to establish his character. We keep seeing him in action (and each battle is unique), which makes him so believable as a skilled general. I’m in awe just thinking about all the stunts involved in the drama. And not to mention all the full-body horse riding shots that were also hella majestic. It’s a far cry from the fake upper body shots on a bench propped on a truck that idol dramas normally use.

Also, the part of the battle where the white horse broke free from the stable at the camp in order to join the black horse on the field was touching. Since the white horse was the horse that Awu rode on the grasslands in Ning Shuo, I’m guessing this scene was to symbolize that even though Awu isn’t there and doesn’t even know about the danger that Xiao Qi’s currently in, she’s always with him in spirit and will always fight alongside with him.

All the omens in episode 48 hinted at this turn of events though. The bad feeling that Awu got when she told Xiao Qi about the bird she saw that suddenly fell from the roof. Them talking about leaving the capital for a life in Ning Shuo and beyond, to explore the lands beyond the capital and live a free and nomadic life, to build a cottage somewhere, a home of their own for just the two of them. They’re hinting at an escape from the palace, a simple life, but it’s clear that it’s not going to happen because their enemies aren’t going to let them. Not with everyone wanting their heads. And then the hug that Awu withheld because she want to leave things open. She wants to hold on to hope, and so she creates an ellipsis. A hug would make the goodbye too official, so she instead changes her mind and tells Xiao Qi that he owes her a hug, which means he has to come back in order to pay up. Again, not a good sign. I don’t know what state they’re going to be in when they see each other again.

Also, the two kids that we see them embrace in the promo aren’t their kids like I thought. They’re the kids of Xiao Qi’s fallen comrade, so it looks like they may not be able to have their own kids after all and end up adopting the two kids. A part of me wants Awu and Xiao Qi to have kids of their own, especially seeing how desperate Awu is. But at the same time, it’ll be refreshing to have a drama in which the main couple can’t have kids of their own and adopt.

I do feel bad for Xie Wanru. She’s just a product of her situation. I also don’t hate the Dowager Empress as much as I feel like I should. I guess because I can see that both characters still somewhat care for Awu (or at least they show that they’re somewhat remorseful for plotting against her and hurting her), and miss the old days when their relationship with her wasn’t strained. I feel like the fact that they still acknowledge the good old times means that their humanity isn’t completely gone.

It’s been a whirlwind. I have to admire the Dowager Empress though. So many players have come and gone (e.g., her brother, her husband, her son, the second prince, the third prince) and yet she’s lasted this long and is still here pulling the strings. Maybe she’s the main villain after all.

#monarch industry #the rebel princess #cdrama #zhang ziyi #上阳赋 #cdrama review #cdrama rant #impressions

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itsybitsylemonsqueezy · 4 years

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ANGST KAZUMAJI ANON AND WOOF. FUCK. GOTTA LISTEN TO THOSE SONGS AFTER WORK. EXCITED. Your idea though OW. I haven't seen Y6 yet (I watch playthroughs don't have the console and my computer laughs at me trying to run the games) the streamer thats playing it finally got to Y6 and I am Refusing To Watch It. My heart can't take even starting the VOD.

You’re welcome for the music cc:

A LOT of people haven’t seen 6 yet, so I did my best to get through that without spoilers ^^; Hope I haven’t ruined anything for you. And I feel that, my laptop and I have constant arguments and I’m not a good gamer anyway ^^; I should try Kiwami 1 someday though... I have it, I'm just Nervous about Being Bad ^^;

Nice, following one streamer, well done c: I just hopped around to different playthroughs on youtube ^^; My wife and I binged all 7 games in I think 2 months, max. ^^; She crazy tho and a bad influence on me xp She likes to just sit and binge things and I am, understandably, weak for my wife <3

6 isn’t so bad, I promise. You can do it c: It’s very pretty, you get to stare at Kiryu’s juicy ass the entire game, there’s lots of cute minigames of Kiryu with a baby, uh... *running out of nice things to say about 6* ...did I mention it’s very pretty? Fuck... Listen, I have... Feelings about game 6, but I don’t want to ruin it for anyone ^^; Everyone’s allowed to experience things in their own time and form their own opinions and I don’t want to deprive anyone of that. Please watch it and when you see it, feel free to come tell me about it c:

And as a reward for all that, another angsty idea:

The Nishikiyama Opera!

So I composed the entire thing on a car ride with my wife last week and it’s WILD. Y’all ever see opera? If you’ve never seen an opera you SHOULD, they’re fucking Great. Operas are all about being The Most, comedy or tragedy, they’re all horny as shit and everyone is extra as fuck. If you living for the drama, you HAVE to get your ass to an opera. I’m lucky enough to live somewhere with a relatively robust opera community. And anyway, my point is, The Nishikiyama story? RIPE for an opera adaptation!

First, you gotta know some of the opera tropes. There are two categories of opera, comedies which are kinda rare and tragedies which is... constantly. And operas are pretty good at telling you almost immediately which one they will be. There’s also a lot of meta about the voice parts themselves:

Soprano - heroine, ingenue, beautiful. Will win if this is a comedy, will die if this is a tragedy.

Alto - mothers & witches. Not the heroine. Will probably die regardless of comedy or tragedy. Unless she’s the villain, then she lives in a tragedy.

Tenor - hero. Given the sexiest parts to sing. Sometimes unbearable. Everything is about Him.

Baritone/Bass - fathers & villains. Gorgeous voice, never utilized properly.

Knowing the vocal parts and what they classically represent is key to knowing who will win and who will die in the opera. For example, in Carmen, Carmen is actually an alto, not a soprano, and Don Jose is a tenor. This immediately tells you that shit’s fucked. Tenors are supposed to fall in love with sopranos, never altos. So this story can only end in tragedy because he’s interested in the wrong kind of voice part. There’s even a counterpoint of a soprano who is madly in love with him, and the baritone toreador for Carmen. They’re given their proper voice partners, but Don Jose still pursues Carmen which is a ginormous mistake by operatic tropes.

So, opera education over, picture this:

ACT I Kiryu (soprano) is the loveliest yakuza in all the land! He’s just delightful. The Chorus sings his praises and he demonstrates his impeccable fighting ability. (Forgot to mention, any opera worth its salt has a Chorus and I will die on this hill.) The Audience is assured of his might and grace.

Kiryu, obviously, does not want for admirers, but has not chosen to court anyone formally.

Here enters Kiryu’s brother, Nishiki (bass). The Chorus explains that Nishiki is second to his brother in strength, but is formidable in his own right. Nishiki explains to the audience how he longs for Kiryu, how he covets him, his strength, his beauty. How after a lifetime together, affection has turned to love. Nishiki must have him.

Kiryu hears none of this. Nishiki approaches to make his case when Majima (tenor) sweeps onto the scene. Majima is brazen and glib. The Chorus tells us to beware his charming smile, he is as dangerous as he is flirtatious. Majima has heard of Kiryu’s reputation and calls him into the street to defend his title. Kiryu responds and they do battle.

In the midst of the battle, Majima finds himself won over by Kiryu’s skill and grace, his kindness and strength. Majima is bursting with love and there and then makes a proposal to Kiryu, offering his whole heart.

Kiryu is stunned. Majima is not a weak fighter, he is not a braggadocio, despite appearances. He was a real challenge and Kiryu was not expecting the fight to take this turn. He is so surprised he cannot make an answer and politely, but quickly, leaves.

Nishiki has been watching the entire time and finds his heart gripped by jealousy. He plots to claim Kiryu for himself and hates Majima bitterly, despite the fact that Kiryu has given no answer. Nishiki believes he knows his brother too well not to know that Kiryu returns his affections even if he won’t say. Nishiki leaves, concocting a plan.

We find Kiryu at his balcony, lamenting his situation. Majima may have been exciting, but Kiryu’s no fool. He has no proof that Majima’s feelings will not waver in time. Majima steals into the garden beneath Kiryu’s balcony and professes his love once more.

Kiryu is startled and makes to flee, but Majima sings so sweetly, entreats so gently, that Kiryu is compelled to stay. Majima doesn’t even ask again, just sings of his feelings. Kiryu, in his heart, is wooed by this. He may have been ready to answer when Nishiki interrupts. Majima quickly hides in the foliage.

Nishiki counters with his own confession, his own proposal. Kiryu is shocked and saddened. He begins to sadly tell his brother that he cannot accept. Nishiki flies into a rage, demanding if there is someone else, someone else Kiryu prefers. Kiryu hesitates, but answers honestly that he has always seen Nishiki as a brother, regardless of any other feelings. He cannot accept Nishiki on the grounds of their previous relationship.

Nishiki was expecting this. He reveals a vial of poison and threatens to drink it unless Kiryu will marry him. Majima gasps. Kiryu pleads with Nishiki not to be rash, but Nishiki only demands his answer, the vial nearly at his lips.

Kiryu swallows back tears and collapses to his knees. Sorrowfully, he agrees, unable to bear the responsibility of his brother’s death, and the act finishes to the sound of clamoring wedding bells.

ACT II The lights come up on Kiryu and Nishiki in their home. Nishiki is pacing the floor and making increasingly outlandish suggestions for things to do. Kiryu says yes to all of them, gently and politely. Nishiki’s frustration and annoyance increases with every yes. Eventually he snaps at Kiryu, demanding why he won’t fight him, demanding why he will give no more reaction than a placid yes. Kiryu shrugs helplessly and tries to soothe his brother, but Nishiki won’t be soothed.

They have been married less than a year and it has been like this the entire time, getting worse by the day. Nishiki can see the pain he’s causing his brother, but can’t stop himself. He loves him too greedily to stop. He departs, hoping to take his mind off things.

Kiryu is left alone in the house and sings a longer, sadder version of his lament from the balcony. Distantly, we hear strains of Majima’s love song, now broken and echoing.

The scene changes and we see Kiryu sat down in a busy cafe. At first we assume he’s alone, but people move and we can see he is sitting across from Majima. They do not touch. Their careful, polite space around each other is conspicuous.

Kiryu is tired, he looks wan, almost sick. Majima sings heartbrokenly, telling Kiryu he needs to take care of himself. He is desperate to take Kiryu away from all this, and asks several times, but Kiryu always sighs and shakes his head no. Majima knows Kiryu will not break his word once given, he is too good and honorable for that. But he cannot help singing for him all the same. He cannot touch, he will not permit himself to touch, but he can sing.

Kiryu eventually cannot take the heartache anymore and departs sorrowfully. Majima looks after him, just as sad. Nishiki is revealed to have been spying on them the entire time. He confronts Majima, furious and accusatory. He insists that he and Kiryu have been having an affair. Majima simply looks at him and shrugs. Nishiki screams for Majima to admit it, to admit that Kiryu loves him, has always loved him, this whole time. Majima only says that Nishiki knows Kiryu best. He will not confirm or deny anything Nishiki says. Shaken and stymied, Nishiki flees.

We return to Kiryu’s balcony, where he sits, silent and pale. Nishiki storms in and begins to berate Kiryu with his accusations. He is half-mad now, not seeming to hear Kiryu’s denials. Kiryu professes over and over that only Nishiki is his husband, that he loves only Nishiki. Nishiki cannot accept this as true. Nishiki screams that Kiryu ought to ask him for a divorce. Kiryu cannot claim to want a divorce. He gave his word. Nishiki reveals that he had been watching them in the cafe, that he knows all, the secret contents of Kiryu’s heart. Kiryu manages some resistance at last and asks Nishiki for proof. What proof of his indiscretions? What proof of adultery? What has Kiryu done that has angered his husband-brother so?

Nishiki has none. Kiryu has not done anything wrong, not in word, not in act. Whatever thoughts he might accuse Kiryu of having are ephemeral and will never be real. Still... Nishiki saw how they looked together and his heart was sore. He knows he has stolen Kiryu from what was rightfully his. Moved to regret, Nishiki withdraws the vial of poison again.

Kiryu gasps and tries to prevent his brother.

Nishiki swallows the poison quickly, insisting this will set things right, this will free his brother. He says he did it for love. He falls.

Kiryu collapses next to him, sobbing.

The final scene is Nishiki’s funeral. Kiryu kneels next to his brother’s grave, all in black. He sings of his regrets, of his sorrow. Majima stands close by, but still not touching. He does not look at the grave, only at Kiryu. His broken love song is the last thing we hear.

The End.

...this opera was a tragedy ^^;

#Yakuza #long post #kazumaji #I write sad thing #hope everyone wanted a slice of tragedy today #Anonymous

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thecomfywriter · 3 years

Text

top 10 dumbass evan moments

because we all know homeboi is the biggest idiot LOL (chaotic dumbass/genius; depends on the phase of the sun/moon)

1. jumping into the volcano because

✨ sad boi hours ✨

2. not going to a doctor for said volcano therapy

3. breaking out of prison without getting caught and immediately going to a library before getting bored and deciding to go back

(4. helping yozar hide 5 bodies that he murdered LOL baby... what were you thinking... )

5. deciding it’s a good idea to provoke a serial killer that’s after him to bait him out (bonus points for doing it while he was defenseless and had no magic)

6. turning a bird into a horse, training it and using it to travel the land instead of going by flight/dragon

7. raising hilbert’s (the murdered and ex-mentor of his father who his father killed) soul using forbidden magic after already getting into trouble and being in a prison because “it can’t get worse than this” (yes, baby, it can you know this)

8. using plant anatomy to transform some of his organs to be able to perform photosynthesis instead of eating (again like... you do the most and for WHAT?)

9. getting in an axe fight with a serial killer after getting fourth degree burns (bonus points since he decided the best therapy for his burns was to bathe in salt water. friendly reminder that this man is a HEALER)

10. killing his best friends twin brother and then trying to apologize to her six months later with a surprise walk (like... dude how are you such an idiot LOL)

notable mentions:

1. seeking out a cannibal tree and touching it because yolo

2. breaking into a dragon den during tense political relations between them

3. threatening the god of death (multiple times) LOL

4. trying to stop a war with “hey why don’t we all just chill over tea and talk about it” (bonus points since this acc WORKS at the end when he threatens to murder them all if they don’t attend his tea party)

5. inviting his girlfriend to a festival where he proceeded to spend a good half of his time with his best friend (who everyone rumours him to be romantically involved with)

6. deciding the best way to deal with trauma and nightmares is to simply not sleep and fight/befriend his hallucinations

7. blasting himself with pure energy because he was feeling weak (since he doesn’t eat since ✨ photosynthesis ✨ )

8. trying to dress himself to political meetings even tho he knows he’s colour impaired

9. trying to fight a plague???? with music??? and it works???? (**this needs context lol **)

10. vibe checking all the poisoned crops by blasting energy into it (there’s a pattern, can you see it?)

11. deciding to donate his energy to a psi vampire even tho he is feverish and starved lol (bonus points when he starts complaining about being put in bed rest when he passes out in the middle of a festival from such a height that he breaks his arm)

12. going BACK to jump into the volcano because “the music is prettier in there”

13. setting the royal court on fire and then just leaving lol

14. setting the funeral grounds where his mother’s progression is happening and crying so violently that he has to be dragged away

15. being tortured and immediately mocking his torturers for being ugly (SKJDNDHSJKS THIS HAD ME CACKLING)

16. trying to stab a skeleton

17. trying to kill an undead skeleton who is also a hallucination (and he is self aware of this)

18. after returning to prison (after breaking out) deciding to go to an entirely different world and chilling over there (temporarily) instead of just??? leaving prison???

19. leaving therapy right after finding out his mother had been killed by a serial killer (like sweetie you need it MORE now)

20. cussing out the gods and then *surprise pikachu face* when they punish him and take his magic away during a - w a r - (bonus points for him refusing to use his dragon to fight because he doesn’t want to be extra lol like darling this is WAR)

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secret-engima · 4 years

Note

In Fangs and Feathers, what are everyone else's reactions to meeting Xanxus, and vice versa? Are any other reincarnations going to pop up?

In GENERAL reactions are shock (the king has another son?), horror (he’s so VIOLENT AND RUDE), and incredulity (why does Noctis LIKE this guy???). Some more specific ones would be-

-Cor. Cor and Xanxus DO NOT get along for the longest time. It’s like introducing two cats very, very improperly. They tolerate each other at best. Cor thinks Xanxus is violent, uncontrolled, reckless, and selfish. Xanxus thinks Cor is a very, very dangerous man playing at being more calm and in control than he is and that triggers bad memories of Nono’s guardians and their trickery.

-These two will eventually come to a more stable neutrality toward each other after Xanxus stops acting like he’s going to stab Regis at any moment (ie when Xanxus realizes that Regis genuinely does love his illegitimate son and has all the snake-like qualities of a sad fluffy dog) and after many very bloody sparring matches that leave them both exhausted and in need of an elixir.

-Ignis is straight up horrified. He knows Noctis attracts strange people (look at Crowe) and forgives the dangerous ones (look at the various assassins that Noctis has converted) but .... but THIS is Noctis’s brother? Regis’s other son and Titus’s nephew? He’s so .... ANGRY. He walks around like he’s about to commit murder at any given second and yet Noctis ADORES him. It’s only the fact that Ignis can see Xanxus adores Noctis in return that keeps Ignis from trying to poison Xanxus’s tea or something.

-Xanxus, for his part, actually likes Ignis? He’s a Bby Inverted Sun who is clearly very protective and loyal to his Sky. Very smart for his age, and smart enough to be both wary and willing to throw the rule book out the window in favor of protecting Noctis (or better yet, using the rulebook to tangle someone up and trip them legally down the nearest elevator shaft). Ignis knows Xanxus is dangerous and is prepared to fight him to the death the moment Xanxus proves a threat to Noctis. Xanxus approves. He knows Ignis won’t WIN, but he approves. Finally Small Trash gains an Element that isn’t useless or suicidal and hasn’t tried to murder him beforehand.

-Xanxus’s arrival is before Gladio’s Nicked Lung incident (we’ll all just assume Xanxus was out on a Hunt or something when that happened k?) but he’s always ... been neutral toward Gladio. Neutral leaning toward negative. The kid is a brat. Arrogant brat that takes pride in his duty while also being scornful of the bby Sky in his care and THAT makes Xanxus dislike him. BUT, he’s also a kid and kids can change. Plus this is Small Trash’s Storm, he is fully expecting some kind of violent Incident to happen to turn the kid’s attitude around. This does not mean Xanxus won’t join Crowe in kicking the pants off Gladio after he gets back and hears about the Nicked Lung Incident OR from holding it over Gladio’s head for years after but it does mean he won’t outright try to kill Gladio because he knows this is ... how Tsuna-Noct always courts his Elements.

-Gladio thinks Xanxus is SCARY, but also admires him. He ... almost wishes he could be Xanxus’s Shield instead of Noctis’s at first (until the Incident) and thinks Xanxus is a “real man” for always being on the move and ready to fight and get things done. But he also dislikes Xanxus to an extent because Xanxus tends to ignore him or call him Trash instead of his name so....

-After Xanxus hears of the Nicked Lung Incident, Gladio upgrades his opinion of Xanxus from “scary but kinda cool” to “UTTERLY TERRIFYING DO NOT ENGAGE ABORT ABORT ABORT” and also becomes glad he is NOT Xanxus’s Shield because Xanxus is a feral mass of instincts, magic, and wrath tied together in the rough shape of a prince.

-Clarus always knew Regis’s reckless youth would come back to bite. He just ... didn’t expect it to be QUITE this bad. Or violent. Or magically powerful. Or CUNNING because this boy has never touched the political scene before yet he maneuvers through it with the careless abandon that only comes from knowing EXACTLY what all the rules and dangers are and just not giving a flying tonberry.

-He is ready for YEARS for Xanxus to either turn on Regis or turn on Noctis. Or both. Especially after Xanxus’s Shield shows up (more on him later). It ... takes him a long time to accept that yes, Xanxus is loyal and loving, he’s just a feral Cor turned up to 11 all the time and age is not going to make him Chill like it did Cor.

-Xanxus equates Clarus to Nono’s favorite Guardian. Specifically the one that abused Xanxus as a kid and continued to belittle him and treat him as a mad dog for the rest of his life. For obvious reasons, even if this first impression is incorrect, it sours Xanxus’s view of Clarus for years. They come to a silent non-aggression agreement for Regis’s and Noctis’s sake eventually, but not without much glaring (on both parts), snarling (on Xanxus’s part), swearing (on Xanxus’s part), and veiled comments (on Clarus’s part). Once Xanxus is wayyyyyyy older and has been around long enough, their antagonism mellows into something of a snarky frenemies thing, but it takes a while.

-Prompto thought Xanxus was terrifying for all of the ten minutes it took Xanxus to walk in glaring and then let himself get bowled over by a happy Noctis. Seeing the man lying on the floor complaining about “Small Trash get a diet you’re heavy” while absently petting Noctis’s hair went a long way to turn Xanxus from “nigh-eldritch demon” to “really grumpy cat” in Prompto’s brain. It helps that Prompto is the sweetest thing on the planet and even Xanxus doesn’t have the heart to be mean around him (plus Prom is a kid, the most kid-like of all Noctis’s friends, and Xanxus has always had a soft spot from brats as long as they weren’t threats to his Elements or the Vongola).

-Xanxus takes one look at Prompto and goes “ah. Bby Inverted Cloud. Abused bby Cloud. I will protecc.” then hides it under fifty billion layers of Gruff that fools everyone but Noctis, Prompto, and Xanxus’s own Shield.

-Is secretly ECSTATIC when Prompto shows a talent/interest in firearms and proceeds to gleefully train Prompto up to Varia Quality in them. Needless to say, Prompto is now the deadliest thing on the planet (Xanxus is more deadly, but Prompto looks like a cinnamon roll and thus is always underestimated, making him more deadly in the long run).

-The glaives are terrified. Captain’s nephew is powerful, is the King’s oops baby, AND has the general temperament of a rabid Coeurl stabbed to a chainsaw.

-Check that, all the glaives are terrified except for Tredd and Nyx. Tredd loves to antagonize despite the bruises it leaves him and Nyx wants to be friends because HUMAN COEURL. Lib and Luche are a Despair.

-Everyone is a Fear (even Nyx) the day they realize that Xanxus is Titus’s choice for Captain replacement. Which explains why Xanxus signed up the day after he turned 18 despite hating the military but STILL.

-Xanxus ... secretly loves the Glaives. These absolute morons are like his Varia but slightly less psychotic and loud. They are also his Uncle’s People so they must be protected (even if protection comes in the form of chasing them around the training ground shooting at them until they learn to dodge properly NYX). Tredd is a pest, but what do you expect of Storms, and Nyx is a blast because he can actually keep up with Xanxus’s crazy and is usually up for 90% of it. Xanxus’s favorite is actually Lib because Long-suffering Braincell Cloud but shhhh Xanxus isn’t supposed to play favorites with his future troops.

...

-To answer your last question ... yes there will be more reincarnations, but I haven’t decided which ones yet? I know that most of Tsuna’s guardians are NOT present because that makes the cast too big and risks overthrowing the Chocobro dynamic. I also have no plans to bring in any of the Arcobaleno so far and most of the Varia are also not present because I wanna focus on Xanxus and the glaives but.... There IS one member I’ve decided to bring. XDD

-Xanxus spends the three month trial run being kept secret from the world just in case he decides he hates Regis. Obviously he doesn’t, because Regis is the Best Dad™ and that means AFTER that, Regis has to man up and hold a press conference on the existence of his eldest son (who there are rumors about because even the best can’t keep Xanxus completely off the radar).

-Literally one week after the press conference where Regis did his speech and then was surprised when Xanxus actually PLAYED NICE for the camera (ie: didn’t cuss everyone out and only used the word trash ten times, even if he did scowl the entire time and ignore any questions aimed his way), all of Insomnia is thrown into a panic because someone just kamikaze ran a gunship at the Wall and used the diversion to slip through the opening that had been made to let in the weekly trucker convoy of foodstuffs and whatever. Naturally all the Crownsguard and Kingsglaive are up in arms to find the infiltrator that punched the border patrol in the nose and then disappeared into the back alleys.

-Another week goes by with no sign of the infiltrator until he once again rigs a diversion in the form of a truly astronomical amount of firecrackers set off at 4 AM right next to Crownsguard HQ. In the chaos of responding to the “gunfire”, the Nif infiltrator proceeds to careen his way through Citadel security, avoiding capture or death through truly insane shenanigans that make Crowe’s invasion years earlier look like a kitten run.

-Xanxus disobeys orders to stay in his room to instead go hunting for the Trash daring to invade his new home and, being Varia quality, successfully finds the infiltrator before anyone else does in the gardens. Xanxus pulls out a pistol, intending to shoot the Trash through his kneecaps because no doubt the king will want to interrogate him, when the Nif teenager, who has to BARELY be enlistment age and probably only four months out of Imperial boot camp, whirls around and CUTS THE BULLETS with his sword. Which promptly shatters.

-“VOI!” The teen yowls loud enough to shake the leaves of the trees and maybe a few window panes and Xanxus freezes. The teen drops his useless sword hilt on the ground and bares his teeth at Xanxus, green eyes glittering with fury and white-blond, waist length hair left to fly every which way in the breeze (noble’s kid then, no way he’d escape regulation haircuts if he wasn’t from some high noble’s spawn), “You! Get over here and let me stab you!”

-Xanxus holsters his pistol and stalks forward without a word. The teen gets nervous the closer Xanxus gets, Xanxus’s magic flaring around them to box them in with a Shield spell. Once he’s nose to nose with the teen, he reaches out with his magic, poking and prodding angrily at the soul in front of him. The teen doesn’t flinch, just glares with something feral and desperate in his eyes, something manic and NEEDY that reaches out and catches at Xanxus’s burning magic without fear.

-Xanxus takes a breath and its shaky, “Squalo?”

-The Niflheim teenage officer bursts into tears even though he’s trying not to, cussing Xanxus out in between his sobs because Xanxus DIED and he LEFT THEM and HOW COULD YOU YOU IDIOT TRASH BOSS.

-Because they are alone, and because this is his Rain that he thought was forever lost, Xanxus pulls Squalo into a hug that was almost spine breaking and shakes as he pours his magic into the gaping hole in his Shark’s soul.

-The Kingsglaive find them in the garden an hour later, no tears in sight (but eyes suspiciously red) yelling at each other and wrestling like long lost playmates on the ground. Titus, who is used to assessing his nephew’s condition via magic sensing, picks out the vibrate bond of magic between them and groans. “Xanxus, HE’S A NIF. HE’S LITERALLY THE ENEMY.”

-Xanxus hauls the boy (who’s birth certificate would tell you is Tempestas Highwind) to his feet and then pulls him protectively behind him with a snarl of, “Back off, Shark Trash is mine.” When Regis and Clarus, just arriving on the scene and already getting flashbacks to Crowe, make faint noises of protest, he grins and declares-

-“Shark Trash is my Shield, and if any of you have a problem with that you can put it where the sun don’t shine.”

-And Regis wonders what kind of horrible person he was in a previous life to deserve this. Son. Son pls, son he is AN OFFICER OF THE ENEMY FORCES YOU CAN’T MAKE HIM A SHIELD.

-Tempestas/Squalo, loud enough to shake window panes, “VOI I DEFECT FROM THE EMPIRE.”

-Titus just ... groans. Because he knows that look in his nephew’s eyes, that’s both Xanxus’s innate stubbornness AND Lucis Caelum possessiveness. The only way they’re getting rid of this Nif kid is by prying him from Xanxus’s cold dead hands.

-Also fun fact, YES, Squalo is related to Aranea. He is her older brother by a year and YES this is going to lead to the sibling spat to end all spats when she learns her brother uP AND DEFECTED TO LUCIS for seemingly no reason. Tho honestly she’s not surprised, because Tempestas has always vocally hated the empire.

#SE asks #shadowdragongem asks #Secret Engima Rambles #Fangs and Feathers verse #squalo #xanxus

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longforyesterday · 4 years

Photo

Ok. Here we are. Long post(/rant) ahead in response to the photo above. Sorry for my English, but I had to get these things off my chest. Thanks to everyone who will take the time to read this post, and tell me what you think!

1. They had all agreed to shut up about the “divorce” and he announced it to promote his album.

First of all, it was Allen Klein (one of the main villain in this wretched story) that had convinced John - who was very enamoured with him, his persona and his promises - not to tell anyone about it. In late December 1969 John, however, told journalist Ray Connolly, who didn’t say a word. Klein wanted to make as much money as he possibly could from the band, and announcing the break-up would have certainly damaged that prospect. Paul did it in April 1970. That’s four months of limbo, of nothing. He was in the midlle of an uncertain situation, with a manager who profited off them and their work and that he didn’t want, his bandmates and closest friends against him. Paul loved the Beatles and being a Beatle, he never wanted them to break up but the time had come. George had wanted out for years but never left for good. We all know John had lost interest in the band and had already started working with Yoko. I feel like Ringo didn’t want the band to break-up, but just went along with the other two, hoping that Paul would eventually agree with them. Releasing a solo album (that he put together without any help from the other three) while staying in the Beatles under Klein, with no hope of a follow-up to Abbey Road, in a tense situation, after John’s “divorce” private announcement, alone against the other three would have meant - for Paul - that everything he made from it would have gone to Klein for the most part. Of course he didn’t want that. Let’s not act like this didn’t affect Paul at all. It must also be mentioned that, while he was working on his solo album, Allen Klein and John had contacted Phil Spector to work on Get Back/Let It Be, which had been shelved.

Back in Beatles headspace, Paul sat in a room at Cavendish Avenue and, with fresh ears, reviewed the results of the second version of the Get Back LP. To his mind, the music was stark, unadorned, frighteningly bare, but ultimately thrilling. Klein, meanwhile, bluntly deemed it ‘a crock of shit’ and conspired with Lennon to bring in Phil Spector, who had just overseen the rousing production of ‘Instant Karma!’, to rework the tapes. Unknown to McCartney, Spector booked studio time in March and began slathering strings and brass, fairytale harp and aaahing choir onto ‘The Long And Winding Road’, making it sound hopelessly corny, like a BBC orchestra backing Engelbert Humperdinck. At this stage, however, Paul remained unaware of this development, his thoughts somewhere else entirely. Secluded in his music room at Cavendish Avenue, McCartney began recording his first solo album.

Tom Doyle, Man On The Run

Then came a letter (maybe it’s just me, but I find it a little passive-aggressive) from the rest of the Beatles.

Ringo Starr stood on the doorstep of McCartney’s house at Cavendish Avenue, unaware that he was about to precipitate the end of The Beatles. His tricky diplomatic mission, which he had chosen to accept in his role as the chirpy drummer, was to convince his increasingly estranged bandmate that there was an unacceptable clash of release dates between the long-delayed Get Back – now renamed Let It Be – and Paul’s freshly minted eponymous solo album, which was due to be issued only a week before. With him, he had a letter, dated 31 March 1970, handwritten by John Lennon and co-signed by George Harrison. It read: ‘Dear Paul, We thought a lot about The Beatles and yours [sic] LPs – and decided it’s stupid for Apple to put out two big albums within 7 days of each other. So we sent a letter to EMI telling them to hold your release date ’til June 4th (there’s a big Apple-Capitol convention in Hawaii then). We thought you’d come round when you realised that The Beatles album was coming out on April 24th. We’re sorry it turned out like this – it’s nothing personal. Love, John and George.’ Paul – his patience already strained, his temper on a hair-trigger – invited his friend inside and very quickly absorbed this information. Then he erupted. ‘I told him to eff off,’ Paul says. ‘Everyone, to my mind, was completely treating me like dirt. It was kind of like, “We’re the big guys, we’re the grownups.” And I said, “No way, man. Get out.”’ Ringo swiftly departed with the sound of Paul’s fury ringing in his ears. McCartney refused to budge and his solo album was released on 17 April 1970, forcing Let It Be back another two weeks to 8 May. It was the moment when Paul McCartney finally gave up on The Beatles, the point where he mentally quit the group.

Tom Doyle, Man On The Run

Of course the news provoked public outrage, and Paul - trying to set the record straight - later said

‘It was all a misunderstanding,’ he protested. ‘I never intended the statement to mean “Paul McCartney quits Beatles”. I didn’t leave The Beatles. The Beatles have left The Beatles, but no one wants to be the one to say the party’s over’

Tom Doyle, Man On The Run

but John was furious because he had wanted to announce it to the world and Paul had beaten him to it. He didn’t announce it to promote his own solo efforts, he wasn’t the type of person to do such a thing: Paul left that limbo he didn’t want to stay in and did what had to be done, even though it was painful. His first solo album resented from the announcement, and McCartney was destroyed by critics for ages because of it, not because of the songs, and by John, George and Ringo too.

2. “He sued the Beatles”

Yes, he sued them, that’s a fact. He sued them in December 1970, at the end of an year during which he had received worldwide hate and criticism for his actions and for his album. He could have sued the other three immediately after the release of McCartney or Let It Be (and he was booed during screenings of the movie), but procrastinated and thought a lot about it. He also had a nervous breakdown because he felt worthless and useless and because of that difficult situation within the group (which at that point didn’t exist anymore) and with Klein. We could have lost him if it hadn’t been for Linda. There was no other escape from that situation. He brought his former bandmates to court with a heavy heart. He “killed” the Beatles, but he also saved them from their manager. In the end they all recognised Paul was right about Klein, and he did them a favour by freeing them from that shark and from Apple.

3. “It’s a drag”

Imagine having just learned of your close friend’s sudden, terrible death at the hands of psycopath. Imagine burying yourself in your work, in the studio to deal with your grief, and crying your eyes out all the while (George Martin was there with him, and I trust George Martin). Then you come out of the studio and a journalist shoves a microphone in your face, prying, asking you for a reaction to the sad news you’ve been trying to deal with for hours. He probably was still in denial. Everyone has a different reaction to death and grief.

4. “He lost their songs to his little Jackson mate”

Paul and Michael had worked together on two singles, and MJ had hung out with the McCartneys in their Scottish estate. He had also asked Paul for financial advice, and he suggested investing in song-publishing. The Beatles catalogue was up for sale and Jackson seized the opportunity. Of course Paul didn’t think MJ would go after their songs and was upset about it (eight years of his and his former bandmates’ hard work in another man’s hands? I would be furious) and he and Yoko weren’t able to outbid Michael and to get the songs back, which only happened ten years ago.

5. The credits for ‘Yesterday’

Every song in the Beatles catalogue that wasn’t a cover, written jointly with Ringo or written by George was credited to Lennon-McCartney, even when they wrote and composed separately (especially after 1967). Paul and John also agreed that the credits could be reversed, if either of them wanted to, on any future releases. When I first got into the Beatles, I thought that that was a good arrangement, but in my book the name of the main composer should go first. For example,in my opinion, A Day In The Life is correctly credited to Lennon-McCartney, but Eleanor Rigby, which was Paul’s creation with some input by John, should be McCartney-Lennon. But this is just my opinion. Now, Yesterday. We all know Yesterday was and is Paul’s baby. John repeatedly said he had nothing to do with it. In Wings Over America (1976), Paul reversed the credits for five Beatles songs, and John didn’t say a word about it. In 1996, before the release of Anthology 2, Paul asked Yoko to reverse them only for Yesterday, and she disagreed. He didn’t ask her to remove John’s name. After Yoko’s refusal, (probably unbeknownst to Paul) Linda, who was at the height of her chemo treatment, phoned her to ask the same thing, only to be answered “That’s never going to happen”. She could have been more empathetic and polite. Maybe she refused beause Yesterday is the most covered song of all time and still makes a lot of money?

6. “Salieri and Mozart”

Some people may argue that I’m bringing Yoko into this for no reason whatsoever, but - actually - there is a reason. The comparison with Salieri and Mozart was made by Yoko herself in a BBC interview in December 1997, when Linda was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Put yourself in Paul’s shoes. Your wife is dying and your best friend’s widow rubs salt into the wound and describes you as the Salieri to her late husband’s Mozart. Common knowledge has it that the two composers were enemies, and that Salieri even poisoned Mozart, but in reality the Italian musician was Wolfgang’s mentor and tutor, and we probably wouldn’t have had Mozart without Salieri. If you choose to make that comparison just as Yoko made it, you should keep in mind the historical truth, and that Salieri was essential. The person who made the comment said that Paul is the modern equivalent of Mozart, and for a reason. Mozart had been a musical prodigy since his childhood, and Paul was and is still considered by many an all-round musician and multi-instrumentalist. People who worked with the Beatles like George Martin and Geoff Emerick, their sound engineer, even said that he was the most musically talented of the four. He also composed Yesterday in his sleep, for heaven’s sake! You can have your favourite among the four Beatles, but you can’t deny his talent. (The commentator isn’t doing that, but a lot of people did it in the past and still do to this day.)

7. *I’m not going to repeat those last words*

Read up on his life and work, dear commentator, and then tell me if you still think that. And his solo work shouldn’t be dismissed like that. Maybe I’m Amazed? Another Day? Band on the Run? Live and Let Die? Here Today? I could go on. (The other former Beatles wrote some clunkers too, let’s not forget that). I think that many of the nasty, horrible comments about Paul come from what John said about him immediately after the break-up. John regretted them later, walked back on them, apologised and made peace with Paul (who never badmouthed him in the press), but the media ignored that and continued spreading lies. Paul wasn’t and isn’t perfect, neither of them was. A lot of people (mainly boomers) just like to act like John was Saint John of Peace from Liverpool and never did anything wrong, while the other three were inferior to him and evil people, especially Paul. Nowadays (thankfully) people tend to be objective and to not believe the old whitewashing propaganda that has been perpetuated by the Lennon Estate. But this post is not the place for that.

#i've written a testament #but it was worth it #i'm going to tag john too because i mentioned him a lot #paul mccartney #john lennon #the beatles #rant

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caltropspress · 4 years

Text

Notes on Pink Siifu’s NEGRO

You and anybody else who wants to get their random vicarious kicks off White Power can stay the fuck away from me.

—Lester Bangs

Tell a nazi he can suck my dick. —Pink Siifu, from “SMD”

My first contact with white america was marked by her violence, for when a white doctor pulled me from between my mother’s legs and slapped my wet ass, I, as every other negro in america, reacted to this man-inflicted pain with a cry. A cry that america has never allowed to cease; a cry that gets louder and more intense with age….A cry? Or was it a scream? —H. Rap Brown (Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin), from Die Nigger Die!

it is the hour of conflict, antagonism, struggle the world turning autumn in warpaint everything silently prepares to scream —Amiri Baraka, from “Disorder”

White institutional power operates to negate or suppress. To that end, white institutional power bestows awards on singular figures when it’s convenient. Let’s call one such example Kendrick Lamar. Pulitzer Prizing DAMN. is white institutional power taking cover. This, in no way, defangs DAMN. But it does provide crowd control. Pink Siifu, meanwhile, won’t be awarded a Pulitzer for NEGRO. If he did, I’m confident he’d pull an Adrienne Rich, telling President Clinton to choke on his National Medal for the Arts, seeing as how the U.S. gov’t drives “the demonization of our young Black men.” Siifu would be PE boycotting the Grammys on the grounds of Black invisibility. Or John Lennon relinquishing his membership in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire because, well, empire (see: Biafra).

NEGRO is what happens when Three 6 Mafia goes full bandolier, full decolonization, full Thomas Sankara. When the emphasis is on the 666 sirening[1] across white cop foreheads, reflecting off Makrolon face shields. Siifu cites and channels Sun Ra, June Tyson, Death, and Bad Brains, but you also hear the mass hysteria of Abbey Lincoln’s vocal cords trembling, of Max Roach’s We Insist! in a street brawl showdown with the LRAD. Basically, it’s Ornette blowing sax in a riot, harmolodics like incendiary devices.

“FK” is the primal scream reaction of hearing the news another one of your people has been killed, snuffed out. Suffer through our screams, it says to the listener. And “out of body, out of mind” distorts what we see with what we witness. It’s the re-played, re-tweeted, re-shared visuals of Black death.

At moments, NEGRO sounds like Aaron Dilloway organizing a chapter of the White Panther Party.

Siifu’s lyrics are a Stokely speech draft. His artistry is prismatic, shattered pane glass: crust punk, jazz cat, marching band drummer, hood ballerina, noisemaker, bareknuckle emcee. His lyrics should be run off on the mimeo and saddle-stitched into a chapbook for Totem Press to publish.

“SMD” samples from Ivan Dixon's 1973 film The Spook Who Sat by the Door (“Do you hear me, man?...I am BLACK!”). Just like dead prez sampled the dialogue before Siifu on “We Want Freedom.” Siifu and dead prez are bedfellows, for sure, but Siifu's head rests on a pillow of static. It’s the friction that electrifies.

NEGRO is the art of de-arresting in audio form. As the comrades at Mask Magazine have stated, de-arrests “are beautiful,” reminding us “the law and the state are not supernatural forces.”[2]

I’ve always felt uncomfortable using the word freedom. It’s a word that’s been co-opted and gutted to the point of parody. I subscribe only to a different form of freedom, one articulated in noise. Suicidal Tendencies’ “Freedumb” cuts it: “Peace through politics is a fallacy—that doesn’t exist.” Liberation more seriously expresses the extinction agenda. Poor Righteous Teachers taught the curriculum out of Trenton, on “Freedom of Death”: “Consciousness—it’s a must / Just avoid the wicked, wicked ways of this pale Caucasoid.”

Regardless, we see freedom, liberation, knife through even with Siifu’s orthography. Revolutionary thought requires revolutionary language. Ask the Combahee River Collective. Come correct. Fuck autocorrect. Remember womyn. Siifu spellings like: nxggas, eye, tyme, iono, and the evergreen ameriKKKa. The abbreviated words—eliding letters wherever possible—don’t reflect self-censorship so much as the mindmaze of a harried man. Deliberate typos demonstrate no faith in the system. It’s like if Bon Iver (see: “22 (OVER S∞∞N)”) decided to forgo BLM symbolic gestures (Mahalia Jackson) and straight-up encouraged looting. Siifu is CAPS LOCK happy, too. We’re witnessing the joy of militancy.

To begin with, it must be said that former African slaves and their ancestors have been the avant-garde of everything in this country. There’s no culture in America, in this American wasteland, without us. There’s no classical music; there’s jazz, and that was invented by us. And besides that, America has nothing to offer the world and it never has. —Idris Robinson, from “How It Might Should Be Done”

Siifu in the audience of the Congress of Afrikan Peoples, and Baraka imploring him like, “Get up, Pink Siifu.” It’s nation time. But on “Nation Tyme.,” Siifu groans, I’m tired…can’t fall…asleep. Black rage, of course—but what of Black insomnia? The French revolutionaries abolished the calendar. CPT, so, is rightly weaponized. “I feel fettered by Western time,” Gregory Pardlo writes in “Colored People’s Time.” Punch clocks need punching, smashing. I saw Baraka roll up to a conference panel late as fuck once, cane-walking right down the center aisle, shameless, commandingly.

In a somnolent slur, Siifu says, “They treat me like I’m wasting away / I know I’m worth more than they pay.” What of these capitalist definitions of work? What of productivity? What does it mean to monetize every waking moment? He’s been quoted as saying, “I ain’t have to work for no white man.”[3] “Nation Tyme.” picks up there.

10. Feel like deadmeat. They say I’m deadmeat.

“DEADMEAT” is a pig siren stuffed into an industrial-grade slaughterhouse grinder. It sounds the way Alan Vega's sculptures look—hazardous masses of electronic junk, like wires raveled inside a homemade bomb, like buzzing viscera.

I want to see Siifu perform it at the Meat Locker, a cellar club in the underguts of Montclair, New Jersey (s/o the dramacydal Outlawz). The place is dingy and bedecked with feces—a venue befitting a GG Allin opener. GG Allin, a racist, who also hated cops. Who, on “Shove That Warrant Up Your Ass,” a track that appeared on the posthumous Brutality & Bloodshed For All album, sang, “You say I broke the laws in your state… / Your courts and cops should all be hung.” Allin hoists a headless, legless, armless torso on his hip in the cover photograph—a slab of meat. Like the Beatles with baby doll parts and prime cuts in their laps, bloodless butcher coats on the original Yesterday and Today (1966) artwork. Like the papal kill floor in Francis Bacon’s “Figure with Meat” (1954) with its tapestry of offal. But what you don’t get from Bacon, or the Beatles, or GG Allin is what Siifu needs us to hear. What Siifu tells us is the reality of corporeality is that cops continue to make carcasses of Black people.

11.

That cellar club can be scream therapy, can be cell therapy. Siifu brings us there—to the darkest, dampest corner of the Dungeon Family’s dungeon. Big Gipp, speaking self-defensively: “Try to separate me from the blood / Is disrespect like you coming in my home and not wiping your feet on the rug.” It’s echoed in Siifu addressing the question of his audience: “This [album] is for black people, but I know white people are going to fuck with it. I’m mad cool with that. I just want everyone to know, before they come through the door, that this is a black house and you have to respect my people.”[4] The theme of respect as it relates to a sense of home, to cultural tourism, is paramount in both. Everyone’s got to know their place. No listener should approach ignorant of the auction block. Siifu’s noise refuses the separation of kinsfolk and his stubbornness makes the dungeon shake—he is rightfully “tough, dark, vulnerable, moody,” and, on NEGRO, he has a “definite tendency to sound truculent.”[5]

12.

“ON FIRE, PRAY!” eventually grinds the brakes to a cavernous slowjam pace. “Blood on my body / Blood on my face.”

13.

The racist dog policemen must withdraw immediately from our communities, cease their wanton murder and brutality and torture of black people, or face the wrath of the armed people. —caption on Huey Newton photograph

NEGRO’s album cover, painted by Junkyard, is a call-and-response. Pink Siifu is a portrait of exhaustion, slouched, shirtless like Huey was when he was released from the Alameda County courthouse in 1970. It’s a tableau like Huey in that rattan peacock chair was. Eldridge Cleaver orchestrated it, right down to the zebra rug.

If you squint, the glimmer of Siifu’s gold fronts looks like his jaw is wired shut. Of course, violent threats are routinely directed at Black people—that's how the system operates. Media is often behind the scope. Relentless orders to “shut up,” to silence yourself, police yourself. We know this from David Wojnarowicz, photographed with his lips sewn shut, blood dripping like shadows, in “(Silence = Death)” from 1989. The violent threats on queer life are kin to those on Black life. But Siifu, like Wojnarowicz, refuses the censorship. After all, those aren't wires—they're the glint of his grill. Siifu is dribbling blood, too, and those black splatters across the flag are like pen bursts—ink poisoning for all. If you squint, the mind’s eye might see the Pan-African flag.

The flag above his head recalls Jasper Johns’ flags: elliptical, non-patriotic, made slop-bucket sloppy from newspaper shreddings and other detritus, i.e. amerikkka is a trash heap. At least the stars are black in the “Flag (Moratorium)” rendition. Bullet hole dead center, too.

If all goes well, the riots going on—bless them—will go on interminably. Sly Stone’s customized flag with black in place of blue[6] and sharp solar-flared suns in place of Betsy Ross geometric stars is yet another parallel to Siifu’s flag. Like Sly, Siifu isn’t opposed to police ambushes. They both know you’ve got to grin at the gun of the devil. (“Don’t you mind people grinnin’ in your face,” Son House sings eternally.) Citizen takes on cop on “Thank You For Talkin’ To Me, Africa”: Bullets start chasin’, / I begin to stop. / We begin to tussle. / I was on the top. Just the same as Siifu on “SMD”: “Iono why eye ain’t shot ya.” Or on “run pig run.”: “Kill a cop / Left a pig dead.”

14.

We can't disparage any aggressive protest on the reductive grounds it's aggro or violent. I think of Pam Echols in Milwaukee in 1968. Siifu’s assertion of you are my enemy on “steal from the ENEMY” corresponds with Paris’s sophomore and shadowy album, Sleeping with the Enemy. Like on the corrode-ode “Coffee, Donuts, and Death”:

You get poached when you fuck with black folk. Said it ’til my voice was hoarse. I ain’t down with excessive force, But of course I wasn’t heard so I’m silent now. Black folk can’t be non-violent now. […] The only motherfucking pig that I eat is police.

Which is to say, try no pork, ameriKKKa.

15. RE: punk

Think of Bad Brains playing CBGB’s in 1982. Lester Bangs writes of a woman in the scene who referred to Black people as “all these boons.” He tells us a Black friend of his believes the clubgoers “[strive] to be offensive however they can.” Anti-Blackness plagued CBGB’s and nascent punk like vermin, a pestilence. A white woman in the music business claims she “liked [Black people] so much better when they were just Negroes.” These anecdotes are culled from Bangs’ 1979 Village Voice piece entitled “The White Noise Supremacists.” He notes Ron Asheton’s predilection for “swastikas, Iron Crosses, and jackboots.” He cites Ivan Julian, guitarist for Richard Hell and the Voidoids—one of the few Black individuals to grace those inchoate punk stages—as saying “whenever he hears the word ‘n-----’…he wants to kill.” He calls Nico a “dumb kraut cunt” for her brazen, Third Reich-ish brand of racism, which was no industry secret. Bangs even implicates himself, quoting an earlier article: “…it’s the n-----s who control and direct everything just as it always has been and properly should be.” He meant this, somehow, as a compliment.

16.

On “we need mo color. Abundance,” there’s no innocence left in asking “tell me your favorite color.” Siifu answers rhetorically, parenthetically, melanin. Don't settle for forty acres of color—demand abundance. Take, loot in abundance. And don't be contained by the gendered parameters of “pink or blue.” “You can have any color you like” suggests the limitless possibilities if you move your mind beyond the imposed parameters.

The “favorite color” invoked on “we need mo color. Abundance” becomes abundantly clear on the following track, “BLACK!”

17.

“ameriKKKa, try no pork” starts in a slurry of radio static, news reports of Black death. Black, Black, Black, Black. Sped up. Slowed down. Drag the progress bar. “Progress,” ha.

18.

“run pig run.” See the pig / Run away / Run, pig, run. Like a Dick and Jane basal reader. Like picking your favorite color. Like a Three Little Pigs fable. Like huffing and puffing. These are childhood exploits for childhoods that aren’t allowed to be. As long as the Kenneth and Mamie Clark doll experiments keep providing the proof, there can be no childhood innocence. So it's a carnival game in the meantime: See a pig / Shoot a pig. Huffing and puffing: Run, pig, run.

19.

"myheartHURT" is the safehouse after the shooting. It's the cooldown, the chillout. The hypnagogic nightmare. It's vaporwave minus whiteness. We all know Biz had the vapors before Daniel Lopatin. As if DJ Screw was just an apparition, a codeine cloud. The fact remains, Screw's phantasmagoria hovers above all our heads.

20.

The wail of distorted police sirens introduces “Chris Dorner.,” a track gleefully indebted to Ice-T and Body Count’s “Cop Killer.” Repetition was a popular device and it still is: die, pig, die. Chris Dorner has achieved folk-hero status in anarchist circles and beyond since he waged asymmetrical warfare on the LAPD. His manifesto has been published as a zine.[7] “No one grows up and wants to be a cop killer,” he wrote. Begs the question.

21.

“faceless wings,BLACK!” nods to Frank Castle[8], a figure who may or may not be recoverable from militias and thin blue liners, despite Gerry Conway’s best efforts.

22.

White institutional power operates to negate or suppress. Pink Siifu, through NEGRO, refuses suppression and negation. Siifu delivers a hole in the head, and it’s sublime.

Footnotes:

1 “The Law comes sirening across the town.” Gwendolyn Brooks, “THE THIRD SERMON OF THE WARPLAND” from RIOT

2 “De-Arrests are Beautiful.” Mask Magazine.

3 “The Necessity of Pink Siifu’s Rage.” Marcus J. Moore. The Fader.

4 “Pink Siifu’s ‘NEGRO’ is a Riotous Mix of Jazz, Rap and Punk.” Max Bell. Bandcamp Daily.

5 Baldwin, the god.

6 “What did I do to be so black and blue?” (see: Armstrong); light a reefer and listen to the phonograph (see: Ellison)

7 Research and Destroy New York City. https://researchdestroy.com/

8 https://archive.org/details/PunisherPigs

Images:

Emory Douglas work (detail), courtesy of Sean Stewart archives | Makrolon face shield, Google Image Search result | Amiri Baraka performing at the Congress of Afrikan Peoples (screenshot) | Alan Vega light sculpture (photograph) | GG Allin Brutality & Bloodshed for All album cover | The Beatles Yesterday & Today album cover | Francis Bacon, “Figure with Meat” (detail) | Goodie Mob “Cell Therapy” (screenshot) | Splitting up a family at auction, Public Domain | Huey Newton Black Panthers Minister of Defense, photographed by Blair Stapp, 1968 | Andreas Sterzing, David Wojnarowicz (Silence = Death), 1989 | Sly and the Family Stone There’s A Riot Goin’ On album cover | Jasper Johns, “Flag (Moratorium)” | Pam Echols punching cop, 1968 (photographer unknown) | Sid Vicious, nazi (photographer unknown) | Emory Douglas work (detail), courtesy of Sean Stewart archives | Biz Markie Goin’ Off album cover | Oneohtrix Point Never Memory Vague album cover

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