#would it truly be the worst thing in the world? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

catsteeth · 2 days

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Ovulating as we speak but anyway.

Sandor seeing y/n holding a baby and he can't stop imagining what it would be like if they had a baby together. 🤭

(mayhaps a little bit of smut)

Thicker Than Water🤍

Sandor x Reader CW: NSFW, MDNI, Oral (Fem Rec), Breeding Kink (obvi), Afab reader, baby fever. A/N: Your Honor, My client was ovulating!☝️🧐 okey girl you said “a little bit of smut” and if it pleases the jury i did the whole damn thing.

After the war was fought and won, you and Sandor still lived within Winterfell. He had a new occupation working as a groundskeeper. He never thought he’d ever have let alone enjoy an occupation that did not center around violence.

But once the war was over you made him swear he’d never put himself in harm's way for no good reason.

While Sandor was off chopping wood, you were walking past the watering well when you saw a woman trying to pump her bucket full while holding onto her babe in her arms.

You approached her, not knowing that around the corner your Husband was approaching you.

“My Lady, would you like some help with that?” You said, offering to pump the water into the bucket for her.

“That would be lovely!” She said, pushing the babe into your arms.

Sandor watched the exchange from afar, he chuckled to himself as you looked overwhelmed by the babe in your arms. But something naturally maternal instinct took over you and he saw it.

the babe in your arms reached up in an attempt to grab your nose, however their attempt was futile as their arms were far too short. You smiled and you took the babe's hand and kissed it sweetly as you rocked and bounced the babe.

Sandor found himself watching you in awe.

You traced your finger gently down the babes forehead down the bridge of their nose, all the way down until the tip of their nose.

He felt a strange wave of emotion. One he’d not ever felt before.

He’d thought in passing of having children. More so how awful he’d be as a father. But things had changed around him and within him, drastically changed.

He wasn’t the Kings Dog anymore and he wasn’t in the South. And most importantly now he had you. And you had him. He was yours completely.

He thought of your belly swollen with his babe. How plump your breasts would get, how everyone would know truly that you were his. But then he thought of how beautiful you’d look carrying his babe in your arms. How he’d watch that babe grow, how they’d carry your features, and his own. He wondered what they’d look like, would they have your hair? Or would they have his? Would they have your eyes? Your nose? Your-

His day dreaming was interrupted when he heard you ask, “Worst pain I’ve heard. Worse than any pain in the world I’ve heard.” You said. You’d heard the awful awful stories of women who’d even died in childbirth. But with the babe in your arms you couldn’t help but feel a sense of possibility.

The woman laughed a little, “Aye, it’s not nearly as pleasurable to produce it as it is to make it. But you are left with the most splendid thing.” The woman said.

You smiled, “He is quite splendid isn't he?” You ran your fingers along the babe's sparse hair, “Aren’t you?” The Babe cooed back and you snuggled them a little closer, unable to help yourself.

Maybe you wanted this too.

The woman finished filling her bucket, she looked over at you and the Babe, “You should have one.” Your eyes went wide and your mouth went dry. Sandor did too even though he had heard it from afar. The woman laughed, ”I felt the same, but once you’ve got one you’ll never know how you ever could have lived without them.” The woman smiled at you warmly,

That was when Sandor finally came to you,

“(Y/N), we better be off.” He said, trying to ignore the babe in your arms as it cooled at him. If he dared look it might have stopped his heart.

You nodded, “Right,” You smiled at the woman “I’d better return this to you,” You said as you gave her back her child.

As you took Sandors arm and walked home you and he didn’t talk about it, but you both thought about it.

꒰ ୨୧ ─ ・┈ ꒱꒱

Later that night, you couldn’t stop thinking about the babe, or more accurately, the prospect of you having one of your own.

It’s not that the thought never occurred, it had, but it was war.

When you were coupled he always spilled his seed on your belly, on your thighs, on your arse, or in your pretty mouth. And the very few times that he couldn’t pull himself out in time you were lucky enough to have access to Moon Tea herbs.

As you finished the soup you were making for supper you poured a bowl for him and placed it in front of him while he sat at your table. As you stood beside him he snaked an arm around you and pulled you closer, he placed his large hand against your belly making you giggle and squirm but his arm around you kept you in place.

“What’re you doing?” You asked, smiling as you placed your hand on top of his that was on your stomach.

“Do you want one?” He asked you earnestly as he rubbed your belly slightly,

Your eyes went wide, and heat spread across your cheeks, “Want what?” You knew what.

“A babe.” His deep brown eyes met your own, his gaze was warm and so inviting. Like a fire on a cold night.

You felt your face go red completely, “What?”

“In here,” He asking gripping onto the plushness of your belly making you squirm even more.

“Y-yes.” You whimpered, “Do you?” You asked, running your hand over his cheek.

“Aye,” He said, his voice low and hoarse. “I want no other woman,” He began as his hand that was holding you in place snaked up your back and began to pull at your dress ties. “To carry a babe of mine.” He finished as your dress came loose.

He pulled the sleeve that covered your shoulder down, he pulled you closer onto his lap and kissed at your exposed skin. Soon, he pulled it even lower than that exposing your breast. He kissed, licked, and bit at your skin sending shock waves of pleasure through you. You caressed his head and ran your other hand over his back, digging your nails into the leathers of his top.

“Ah!” You moaned as his hand traveled over your ass, squeezing it pushing you closer to his body. He gave you one good spank before his hand moved lower and in between your legs. His middle finger teased your clothed entrance. His mouth abandoned your breast and moved to your mouth. You moaned and whimpered into his lips.

Your hands left Sandor's face and roamed down over his neck, his chest, his stomach, and finally to his aching cock that was uncomfortably trapped in his breeches. You looked into his eyes intensely as you released him from his pants. His cock was eager as it sprung out and practically straight into your hands. You stroked him, letting him groan into your mouth as you gripped him harder, and harder, stroking harder and harder.

He let go of you for a moment to swipe the table of the bowl of soup you’d placed there as he pushed you onto it.

As you laid back onto the dining table panting with anticipation, Sandor ripped your small clothes off of you, to which you squealed “Sandor!”

“No more of these fucking things.” He huffed and got on his knees between your legs, “I don’t want you wearing any of those fucking things before I get you good and bred, aye?” He commanded you, You nodded, your eyes dazed and love struck looking at your husband between your legs. “Good,” He said as he spit on your cunt, then rubbed his spit into your clit with his thumb.

As he rubbed your clit with his thumb he fucked you with his tongue. You threw your head back and arched your back at the wonderful sensation. However it didn’t last too long as he stood, “You’re good and ready now.” He said, making you feel slightly embarrassed but you couldn’t dwell on it for too long before he held out his palm to you, “Spit,” He commanded, and so you did. You spit into the palm of his hand and he stroked his length with it.

You propped yourself up by your elbows as you watched him line himself up with your entrance. He looked at you and you nodded in desperation. He began to push himself into you, “Seven-fucking-hells!” He hissed as you clenched down on him immediately.

“Sandor!” You whined, his eyes blinked to yours, “Kiss me!” You desperately moaned out.

He leaned down over you as he grinded in and out of your weeping cunt. You wrapped your arms and legs around him, holding him close to you. He thrusted into you with a brutal pace, you thought for certain the table was going to give out. But his kisses were sensual and slow. They were a testament to his love and devotion for you, and only you. His wife, his woman, and he was determined to make you the mother of his child. “Look at me,” He said, trying to hold back his own moans of pleasure, “Look at me when I spill my seed into you.” He said, “Do you want that? You want my seed?” He asked you, teasing you slightly.

“Yes! Please, Sandor!” You gasped, whimpering into his lips, “Please my love, I need your seed, only yours, no one else-” You said staring deep into his eyes,

“No one else?” His thrusts began to be more erratic and his groans were more apparent.

You shook your head, “No one, only you,” You closed your eyes for a moment as your face contorted to the peak that was approaching you,

“Look at me!” He desperately commanded you,

You looked in his eyes as you reached your high, “Please, please my love-” You begged, and Gods it done him in,

He growled and pressed his hips flush with yours, making sure he was as deep as he could be inside of your cunt. You could feel the heat of his seed spilling into you, “AH!” you cried out at the intense pleasure of it all.

Sandor practically collapsed on top of you, he panted as he rested his head on your bosom. You ran your hands through his hair and down his back.

He stood, and pulled himself out of you. However when he saw his seed begin to spill out of you he pushed his softened cock back into you making you gasp slightly,

“Can’t have that go to waste, or I’ll have to fuck you harder next time, aye?”

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batboyblog · 3 days

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In regards to the climate change thing, the market might have been more willing to push towards green energy sources if fossil fuel industries hadn’t purposefully hid research that climate change was a thing for decades, and still find misinformation campaigns to thus day, and lobby ejected officials to not just says radical changes

You are right that the answer isn’t as simple as “kill these ten people and everything is fixed” and that the average citizen might have to affect their lives somewhat to truly address it but to act like all the oil billionaires where doing was supplying a demand feels like an attempt to shift the blame,

the world is complex and often more than one thing is true at the same time.

which is to say, we all did climate change together, and we're still doing now.

but it is also true some people took intentional action, and are still taking intentional action to make it worse, for example Republicans in Wyoming want to phase out and ban electric cars by 2035

the one I was trying to make was that I hear too many people decry that there's nothing they can do, that its all the fault of a handful of people and so climate change is hopeless and this air that the only thing to do is to punish the guilty while the world burns, but there is things we can do and are doing as a country

"The Biden Administration Has Taken More Climate Action Than Any Other in History"

the sharp dip there is Covid btw, you can see how even the brief Trump Presidency we went up over where we would have been under Obama.

and this is the hard part because more than using reusable water bottles or buying an EV for your next car the biggest climate change fighting tool any one has is a vote. We can choose to fix this, or not. And on some level all this focus on "you can't fix it" "these people over there are the reason" I feel like on some level and some time intentionally all that is about getting you to not vote, to not look at Democrats in power=we fix it Republicans in power=at best we don't improve at all, at worst it actually gets worse.

when they were projecting in 2010, they feared between 4.5-3.2 degrees, so we're making progress and you can see, so do people want us to do everything we said we would and pressure other countries not to flake out so we can hit 1.7? and then keep going and do more at get under the 1.5? or do we want to say "oh we can't do anything, just shoot an Oil CEO" and get 2.4 or more?

#political #climate change #climate action #vote #ask #answer

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judesmoonbeauty · 3 days

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Alfons Sylvatica Chapter 5 Semi-Summary

This is a fan translation only. Not 100% accurate. Please expect grammatical errors and translation inaccuracies. This is an extremely pared down SUMMARY of each chapter. I am roughly translating this with out much research other than specific lines from certain scenes. Why? Because it's a huge task to translate a main route chapter line by line. So, this is what we're working with, and I appreciate your understanding ♥︎ Cybird owns everything. Re-blogs are appreciated, but please do not post my summaries elsewhere. Minors: Please DNI or consume this content. CW: Dub-Con Dividers: @/natimiles

The next morning Kate wakes up with Alfons in her bed again, and she moves away from him as he proudly greets her with a good morning. She yells and Alfons asks what’s wrong with her as he hasn’t done anything to make her moan this morning. Kate begins to remember everything that happened, and glares at him. Alfons says he’ll take any criticism from her and she reprimands him for manipulating someone’s mind without consent. She calls him “outrageous” and Alfons claps his hands in an overdramatically fashion at her.

Alfons: But isn’t it too much? “Outrageous”…..to the man who was once your “lover”.

Alfons: Last night you were begging me for it over and over again.

Alfons: You were moaning so loudly, the entire castle could’ve heard you.

Kate: ….?!

(Moaning…..? Lie…..I’ll say I don’t remember that…..)

Alfons: ….this is no longer a one night stand, we’ve become something more of a relationship.

Kate responds to Alfons that she never thought of having such a relationship like this, and yet she couldn’t say anymore because she was at a loss for words, and wasn’t sure if it’s because she clung to the pleasure he gave her last night, the illusion of love she’d been given or if it was truly her will. As she sat in silence, Alfons continues to taunt her with whether or not Kate would sue him, and Kate decides that she isn’t going to let him do what he wants anymore, (I kind of feel like you said this before bestie and look at what happened), so she says she won’t sue him which surprises him.

Kate: I won’t be pushed around by you anymore.

Alfons: A declaration of war? Good.

Alfons: - But how will you stop me?

Kate: I’ll find your weakness or something.

Alfons: I see. A weakness.

Alfons: You’re so kind to reveal your hand so honestly, thank you.

Kate tells him that she doesn’t want to be shown illusions anymore and when Alfons asks why she hates the illusions, she tells him it’s because she doesn’t want to miss anything important and let something slip by her. He smiles in pity and tells her the only important thing is to feel good.

Alfons: Life is a tragedy. We need a place to escape. Don’t you agree?

Alfons: We can forget all the scary and sad things by covering them with joyful things.

Alfons gently whispers these words to her and entwines his fingertips with her in the bedsheets. She knows she should tell him to stop, but that small touch softly stimulates her heart. Kate realizes that only when Alfons touches her, do her thoughts get mixed. She feels like her fears and sadness are mixed up and driven out by him, and even though it may seem like he was taking advantage of her, somehow rather than using her for pleasure, it would be more fitting to say that he was offering her a way to escape. That’s why she can’t reject Alfons as the worst person in the world. But…

Kate: It’s unhealthy for a person to forget everything just because they’re in pain.

Alfons: People forget, Kate. It’s a natural self-cleansing process to forget.

Alfons: Besides, isn’t being unwholesome more appealing?

Alfons: It’s boring to live a wholesome life.

Kate noticed that Alfons words were gentle and heartfelt, and surely reality is more painful.

Alfons: I’ll make a prediction

Alfons: When you think back to yesterday, you’ll remember more than just the gory murder scene.

Alfons: You also remember the exciting and shameful sex we had.

Kate: ….!

Kate: ……That’s not true!

Alfons: Oh, don’t be shy about it.

Alfons: You’re really cute aren’t you?

Kate brushes Alfons hand that gently strokes her flaming cheek.

Kate: I’m red because I’m angry.

Alfons: I love that angry look on your face.

Kate: ….?! Don’t just say random things…..

Alfons: Let’s play again, Kate.

Kate: Wait…..

Alfons quickly slips out of bed and leaves the room and there is a pain in her chest, no doubt it’s just the illusionary love that Alfons fed her. Kate gets ready and finds William in the common room and discusses the incident with her. The men were transported to a warehouse owned by Crown where they were interrogated all night long confessing that they were hired by the administrators of the “poor house” to cleanse the slums. Kate recalls that they “poor house” is responsible for giving food to the poor, so are they trying to kill them off now?

William asks how she is going to write about Ellis and Alfons in her report, and she’s decided that they aren’t guilty of sin because without them, there would be more victims.

William: Even though one of them is a murderer and they other can manipulate minds?

Kate: …..I think that somethings can’t be protected if they didn’t do that.

William: I see. You’re a brilliant and practical robin.

William asks her if she will be able to continue in her role as fairytale keeper despite the memory of last night, and while he was referring to the slaughter she witnessed, her thoughts went to when she and Alfons were in bed, and then she recalls Alfons’ prediction of her recalling the memory of them having sex. William keeps calling Kate’s name until she comes back to reality and tells William that she’ll be able to complete her future missions. Afterwards, the scene transitions to her asking Roger and Liam about Alfons’s weaknesses, and Liam is SUPER excited to help her. She flashes back to earlier when William told her to rest for the day when she bumps into Alfons who was leaving the castle for the day even though he wasn’t on Crown duty. So, Kate asked Roger and Liam whom she also met by chance to tail him with her.

Back to the present, she thanks them for going along with her spur of the moment actions, when she remembers Roger’s ability to hear up to 100 yards, and she starts to worry if he heard them having sex or not. Catching on to her embarrassment, he mentions that he didn’t hear them last night. (OMG, I’d be so embarrassed though LOL.) She recalls that he can hear even heart beats, so maybe that gave her away. She freezes and she asks how could he not hear that, and he tells her that he can pick and choose the sounds he wants to hear, or rather that’s how he’s trained himself because in the beginning, everything he heard was random.

Noticing that Alfons descends a dimly lit staircase that leads to a basement, she points to where he enters and Roger tells her that it’s a speakeasy. Liam says that he often drinks around noon time. Kate can’t believe that he’s playing around at night, sleeps during the day and then drinks at noon on a daily basis. This causes her to start worrying about Alfons’ health, but she tells herself not to worry about him. Roger offers to go with her to the speakeasy if she buys him a beer and she agrees, and Liam agrees to go while invisible.

[Next] [Master List]

#alfons sylvatica #ikevil alfons #ikevil translations #ikemen villains #Ikémen villains translations #IkeVil JP spoilers

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lorynna · 3 days

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a terf once raped me, she kept humping me and licked my pussy, she kept rubbing my clit until i came and when i did, she told me i could never be straigth because i came to her, then she stripped down my clothes, revealing my huge tits she kept licking and sucking them and held my huge pillowy breasts until i became very sensetive, then she opened my legs wide putting her fingers in me violently, i screamed with pain, she took a picture of me like as blackmail that so i would never tell anything about her to anyone, she stripped and got on top of me to forcefully scissored with me and she kept riding me, until we both came, i was 13 and she was 25 btw, she called me her little loli and sat on my face, i was forced to eat her out

then she used her blackmail to lure me into a forest where she tied me up to a tree naked and raped me all day, took a pic of me there and sent it to 4chan so i would get raped by multiple pedophilic men, i was left in that forest for weeks getting all my holes used and abused, my cunt was soaked by 50 year old male cum and absulutaly abused and raped like the fucktoy i was, then right when i was about to die, she came in with 5 differant men and got my used, disgusting cum soaked body in a werehouse somewhere, where they made hours of childporn, i was used in all of my holes, she got naked with me and got fucked by all these old men, i got taugth my place as a female, my only purpose is to serve men just as they want,

she demanded to fuck my 8 year old sister so i called her to have sex with us too, she was an innocent virgin cutie with an unused adorable pink cunny that got raped by multiple men, i made her suck my huge tits as i rubbed her cute flat chest, she had hot incest sex and scissoreed for hours, making the most viewed sex tape in the world, my dad upon seeing that his daugthers are fucking slutty cunts stopped holding himself back and finally raped us, we had more sex and make more child porn using our cute loli bodied to make a revolution to show the world that little girls and female cunts that should be used by men <3 after that it was legal to rape any cute girl outside and little cute lolis were being raped left and rigth <33 cute sounds of little girls moaning made me really horny and i was a cute girl with huge tits always walking naked bc of it!! and i kept raping little kids whenever i saw them

i pimped out my babies to porn studios bc that females purpose to be cute sex toys, all the cum that was used to soak me in cum was reused to fuck more little girls <3

little girls are sexy

lolis and hot

having sex with little girls is normal,

fuck little girls, little girls need to be raped by men

their cute cunnies should get used and their mouths used until they cant scream from the cum in it anymroe<3

it's kind of sad that asks like this don't trigger anything in me anymore. not sadness, not disbelief, not anger. I'm kind of numb against these kind of texts if it makes sense.

The only thing I am is being deeply disgusted with this paragraph and I hope this perverted, mentally sick male who wrote this does not pose a real threat to anyone who is in their lives. the only thing that makes me sad is wondering if this male has any friends or even a partner that does not know about the kind of shit he puts out on the internet. that's the only thing I'm truly concerned about. receiving this does not make a difference in my life, altho I do wonder what the intention was behind writing and pasting this in my inbox.

is this the hate you get from males because you're a woman speaking out in the name of feminism? do you want me to be triggered by this? do you think this is the worst I've seen?

This is deeply evil and you should rot in hell for this, Anon.

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writingquestionsanswered · 3 days

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I think my ego is getting in the way of my writing. It's confusing, because I doubt my ideas and writing, but I still feel competitive in a way. I don't like reading about others' WIPs, I avoid reading the genre I want to write, and I automatically dislike authors who's already published a book similar to any of my WIPs. I quit the ACOTAR series because the themes were too similar, and I'm scared of Priory of the Orange Tree because the worldbuilding has intense good praise. I need an egodeath.

Case of Strong Ego or Low Self-Confidence?

If you're doubting your ideas and writing, I would question whether it's actually your ego getting in the way and maybe not just good old-fashioned low self-confidence. The reason I wonder is because your dislikes and aversions all sound fear-based to me. For example, if your ego were an issue, you probably wouldn't dislike or avoid authors who did something similar... you'd more likely scoff at their relative inferiority and boast that you did it better. You wouldn't be afraid of a book because its world building received good praise... you'd roll your eyes and say you don't know what people are going on about, because your world building is so much better.

Dislike and aversion instead seem to indicate jealousy and self-doubt. The good news, however, is that low self-confidence is actually pretty typical for writers and it's something that gets better with time.

Here are some things I hope will help boost your confidence, or at least give you hope that it will get better:

1 - Writers with big egos probably aren't as great as they think they are. In reality, storytelling is a craft no one can truly master, because reader appetites, story material, and even mechanics to a degree all evolve over time. What makes a good story is also very, very subjective. There are people who consider Jane Austen one of the best writers to ever grace the Earth, and there are people who think she's one of the worst. I think truly good writers can know that they're good without thinking everyone else is beneath them.

2 - You can't doubt your ideas and writing without understanding where you want your ideas and writing to be. In other words, you know what good ideas and good writing sound like to you, which means your taste and style are intact... you just have a little bit further to go to get your own ideas and writing where you want it to be, but that's okay. Going back to #1 a bit, writers don't hit some magical peak early on and level off at greatness. There's a lifelong upward trajectory with each book being a little bit better than the last. And sure, it's not a perfect upward trajectory. You can have periods of leveling out or even dropping off, but most writers will continue to get better over time. So, again, it's okay that your writing isn't quite where you want it to be, because it's that feeling that drives us to get better and better and better. This shows you're on the right track!

3 - Those similarities aren't the big deal you think they are... I've been at this a long time, and I'm going to tell you right now: stop worrying about "similarities" in other books. I've posted about this a lot because it's a common concern, but similarities are a dime a dozen in fiction. For every book about a high school girl who falls in love with a vampire, there are a dozen more. For every book about a woman who quits her big city job after a divorce, moves home to her small town, and falls in love with her childhood nemesis, there are at least twenty others. There are countless stories about young women getting wrapped up with fae princes, sad boys/men whose lives are invigorated by a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, murder mysteries set in quiet fishing villages, horror stories set in dilapidated old mansions someone just inherited from a long lost aunt, kids or adult who learn they've secretly been magic all along and get roped into fighting a Big Magical Bad. There are over 100 million books in existence, and that number increases by hundreds of thousands every year. You're never going to write a book that doesn't have similarities with dozens of other books, so stop worrying about it. Remember, it's not the similarities that matter... it's everything else... all the things that only you can do.

4 - Similarities are actually a good thing. The truth of the matter is, similarities are actually a good thing. That's why you can look back through cinematic history and see major trends... monsters, westerns, musicals, disasters, sci-fi, action, epic adventures, rom coms, superheroes... It's why when a book about a young woman toppling a dystopian regime becomes massively popular, dozens of other dystopian books hit the shelves the following year. It's why we gravitate toward favorite genres and tropes and comfort shows. Its why we go to the same restaurants and stores over and over again instead of going to a brand new one every time. Humans like a bit of repetition, and if your book has similar world building to Priory of the Orange Tree, that's a bunch of readers who are going to gravitate toward your book.

5 - There's only so much material to go around. I was interested in the fact that your concern about ACOTAR was that the "themes were too similar," but I promise you, those themes are in a million other stories. When it comes to tropes and themes and character arcs and magic systems and settings and... all of it... there's only so much material. Themes aren't something that are created from nothing. You can't make up an original theme that no one else has explored. Themes are inherent to human existence. They're truths about humanity that beg to be examined and explored. It's not the themes that matter so much as how they're explored and what you say about them, and even if there were similarities there, odds are there were far more differences.

I hope this resonates and helps. I hope I was right that it's more of a self-confidence issue than an ego issue. And if I was wrong, maybe something here will still resonate. You might spend some time in the "writing-related fears" section of my Motivation master list to see if anything there resonates, too. ♥

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quitealotofsodapop · 2 days

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it has been awhile, but I've finally gotten around to doing another one of these! hope it will help with my writing funk.

[and is super guilty for not having told him back then. At the same time, Wukong is confused why Max seems so... ok with it suddenly???] + [He ultimately doesnt want to open up any old wounds Wukong has from the incident since he's been living with the outcome of that fight far longer than Mac has.] + [Why was Wukong protecting the monk that hurt him? Why was Wukong going on this Journey and not returning to his throne? Why did he hide the Stone Egg from the world?]

honestly? Wukong is probably more concerned by how okay with having been killed Mac is than he would be if he was still upset and causing problems because of it. I feel like Wukong would actually be very ok with talking/answering any questions about what happened, it'd be a hard conversation for sure, but he's grown to have enough emotional maturity to know it's a necessary one. the only reason he let Mac get away with pushing it off for so long to the point of it blowing up in there faces a little was because he was trying to let the other have time to process and work out how he felt before trying to hash things out together.

but perhaps, Wukong is also deflecting a little, worried that trying to talk about it would spur into an argument. neither of them are very good at listening to each other when they get riled up, and after how their fight went... he knows he did his best trying to talk Macaque down, but he always kinda feels like he should've tried harder. he just doesn't want things to get out of control again.

[Ao Lie and Wukong are quickly panicking over each other while their other bros are forcing them to rest after the Samadhi Fire Ritual.]

the Tripataka forces them both onto bedrest, but it's a combined effort of the uninjured pilgrims to keep them there considering how restless Wukong can be. between Wukong and Ao Lie? it's an endless cycle of "no, I'll get up and ask for water, you stay in bed" and "no, I'll grab the extra blankets, you need to rest".

[Wukong was in so much pain that he was convinced that he was going into labor, or that he even lost Yuebei as a result of joining in the Ritual.]

now I'm just picturing the others waking up to Wukong (who normally has a very high pain tolerance) loudly sobbing from how much it hurts and inconsolable because once the thought of having lost the egg even crossed his mind he became convinced that's what happened. he must have cried so hard, they'd have to call Guanyin to do a check-up while he's still sobbing to show him the egg is fine for him to even begin to calm down.

[Nezha makes note of hiding anything flammable whenever he visits the monkeys.]

it does seem Yuebei has a taste for the spicy-er things, huh. wonder if she'd like any of Redson's cooking?

[Pigsy: "Sure thing. Guess little monkeys aren't much different from little MKs." *gives Yuebei her nose back*]

heh- funny thing about that pigsy-

[Memory!Ao Lie, frowning: "Why are you so stubborn to admit that it wasn't your fault? I really truly never blamed you, or her." Wukong, crying: "Why were you so ok with it? Because of me, the Samadhi Fire it... hurt you."]

Wukong has had a real rough go with people ditching him after one mistake, real or even just perceived mistakes alike, and messing up the ritual and letting the fire hurt Ao Lie? a monumental fuck-up to almost anyone you ask. Wukong, rather unfortunately, has very good reason for believing Ao Lie would hate or resent him for it, anyone else would. he's grown used to it, apathetic, maybe even has grown to expect it.

as it is, this means Wukong has a very hard time understanding/grasping it when someone doesn't hate him over things like this.

[Ofc Nezha feels like garbage for treating Wukong's actions during the Ritual as a failing.]

worst part is, Wukong doesn't treat him like he was wrong. when it gets brought up he talks about matter-of-factly, nonchantly, like it was no big deal that he was in pain, at risk of sacrificing his unborn egg and basically everyone aside from the pilgrims was treating him like he was the ultimate disappointment.

this is in part due to Wukong's own guilt over the ritual, insecurities about being enough/strong enough, and because he, again, doesn't blame Ne Zha because he didn't know about the egg because Wukong never told him and therefore, it's actually on his shoulders .

(Wukong needs a therapist)

[The Spider Gang has nightmares of Guanyin coming to beat the rest of them up like she's a Jojo stand.]

they're so terrified that they basically start praying to Guanyin- more so begging to be left alone, but still.

[To hear that Wukong has named her his little "Moon Comet Star" just makes him cry harder, especially with how casually Wukong names her.] + [But I bet Wukong is just so happy that he tells everyone Yuebei's name long before that time.]

I think Wukong probably had a lot of trouble coming up with names before Yuebei was born, nothing just ever seemed right! he honestly tried not to think about why the only ones that ever seemed to be good candidates were space/moon related names. but then Macaque came back. he stopped denying it at that point, and just went all for it. no matter how things with Mac end up going, Wukong probably already had the name chosen by the time he came back from looking for the map. And yeah, Macaque loves the idea that this was always Wukong's plan, and Wukong being just as happy about the name is also just so cute to him!

[It's PIF anf DBK's fave baby photo of Yuebei - besides the one where she tried eating Red Son's hair.]

oooooo what do you think would be everyone else's fav baby photos of Yuebei?

[and when he gets to Camel Ridge, he pauses before looking towards Wukong for confirmation. At Wukong's excited nod, Macaque grins evily.] + [Macaque also deliberately exaggerates the voices of their allies like PIF and DBK so Yuebei doesn't accidentally associate their voices with the muddy past shown in the book.]

let's be real, Peng's voice is the most bastardized.

love the fact that Macaque doesn't even really have to ask, Wukong already knows what he's planning and is living for it. Wukong enjoys the retelling almost as much as Yuebei does, if only for Macaque's dramatics. and doing his best to change her perception of their current allies? a very appreciated effort.

[Azure is clueless and isn't sure if monkey cubs work like lion cubs or not. Yellow Tusk has the sense to ask the remaining servants for help with tending to the infant - a group of seven brave orchard maidens stepped forward to run the baby a bath and prepare her a meal. Yellow Tusk is sure that he recognises them.]

so long pining for a monkey and he has no clue how they work or how to care for one. at least Yellowtusk is at least a little bit sensible. and ah! the peach orchard maidens Wukong was friends with! imagine if this was their first proper intro to Yuebei. they've never met but they know this is their old friends child so the seven will do anything for her, take on as many responsibilities as it takes to keep Yuebei out of Azure's claws as long as they can.

they don't like any of the brotherhood, but tusk at least seems remorseful enough to consider him safe enough to help bathe the little infant- with supervision of course. Yuebei latching to his trunk was probably as funny to them (at Yellow tusk's expense) as it was heartbreaking because they could probably recognize the behavior for what it was due to their time spent with the Monkey King.

at least Yuebei's comes out of it thinking/feeling very positively about peach maidens.

[So when the elephant gently put Yuebei in the warm bathwater and offered her mashed fruit, she instinctively clasped around his trunk like it was the arm of her parents, making sad hooing sounds as she sucked on her fingers. Yellow Tusk felt his heart break at the sight. He simply cannot fathom harming her in any sense of the word.]

oh no, Yuebei's sucking her finger, means she's missing her mama. imagine if after her rescue Wukong/macaque notice she's developed a small oral fixation from the trauma of her kidnapping.

I wonder if Yellow Tusk ever looks down at this tiny monkey and has an epiphany about how he treated Monkey King and Macaque, or the treatment of them he was at least complacent in. those two were never truly infants sure, but they were young minds, perhaps the thought had never crossed his mind because they're looks were deceiving when it came to age. how young had they truly been? what age were the children the brotherhood sent to war and martyred?

perhaps it doesn't matter anymore, the chance at redemption long forgotten, but at least he knows i his heart of hearts he will not make the mistake again. even if it means betraying those he's held dear for so long...

[Mac would make a show of picking up his baby girl and kissing her all over while commenting in baby-talk; "Did you have fun with the birdy and kitty, moonlight? Yeah? Do you want Bama to take something to remember your little play date?"]

the fact that Macaque baby-talks to the obvious victor only makes Peng's humiliation worse. Imagine getting turned into ground beef by an infant and her dad comes in and makes it all the more real that you were beaten by a less-than-a-year-old baby by outright baby talking her in front of you. like you always were and always would be nothing but literal child's play to deal with that you weren't even deserving of having your defeat be treated seriously, no. your opponent gets baby talk congratulations.

Macaque will forever tell the story of Peng's defeat when having proud dad bragging moments.

[Macaque has one of the feathers preserved as a bookmark. It brings him great joy.]

he takes a couple feathers for himself, makes a few different things out of them, like a quill. but he also made one or two for other people like Wukong and of course Yuebei's toy. they all bring him (and the receivers of the gifts) great joy.

prev.

yesyesyes some SlowBoiled thoughts! Also btw I've shortened what parts I'm replying to for brevity.

[honestly? Wukong is probably more concerned by how okay with having been killed Mac is than he would be if he was still upset and causing problems because of it...] + [but perhaps, Wukong is also deflecting a little, worried that trying to talk about it would spur into an argument... ...he just doesn't want things to get out of control again.]

YES

A big reason for their fight just as S4 starts is the fact they're avoiding some pretty big glaring questions/concerns to "avoid conflict", only to hurt themselves and each other more by deflecting. Sometime avoiding confrontation is more harmful than tackling your demons head-on and de-escalating any anger that it brings up as it comes. Wukong would be ok answering any questions Mac needed to be answered, but the real hard part is getting both monkeys in a space where they can vent it out a bit without one or both trying to portal away from an escalating conversation.

A good marriage counsellor needs to take on Wukong and Macaque's case and let the monkeys honestly Talk for a while without interruption.

Yue Lao, god of marriage & true love: "Diiiid someone call for marriage help?" :3

[the Tripataka forces them both onto bedrest, but it's a combined effort of the uninjured pilgrims to keep them there considering how restless Wukong can be. between Wukong and Ao Lie? it's an endless cycle of "no, I'll get up and ask for water, you stay in bed" and "no, I'll grab the extra blankets, you need to rest".] +[now I'm just picturing the others waking up to Wukong (who normally has a very high pain tolerance) loudly sobbing... ...he must have cried so hard, they'd have to call Guanyin to do a check-up while he's still sobbing to show him the egg is fine for him to even begin to calm down.]

Aww. It's very sweet but also kinda sad to think about. Eventually Ao Lie and Wukong are both too exhausted from their escape attempts, so the rest of the Pilgrims tap in to tend to them.

And the miscarriage scare!! PIF had opened up to Wukong in the last few weeks about how she and Bull had suffered tragic losses before Red came into the world - and when Wukong feels that terrible pain in his body, he immediately breaks down at the thought of suffering the same loss. Guanyin has to check in since Wukong won't stop hyperventilating and crying at the idea that he lost Yuebei. The goddess thankfully is able to confirm that the soul within the egg was alive and well, just very startled by the surge of power. Wukong still cries, now from relief.

Sadly, if the Samadhi ritual occurred after Macaque's death, Wukong likely saw the Egg as the final reminder of his former-mate. Yuebei is his little moonlight, even if her creation was not ideal.

[it does seem Yuebei has a taste for the spicy-er things, huh. wonder if she'd like any of Redson's cooking?]

Now I'm thinking of a scene where post-S3/4, Red Son is messing around in the kitchen with MK and Mei while they're babysitting Yuebei. Cue the baby grabbing a handful of spicy bbq sauce Red Son has been preparing and shove it in her mouth like it's nothing. All three are speechless with terror as Yuebei doesn't appear to be bothered in the slightest. Then she tries going for more!

Red Son quickly moves his sauce pot away and wonders aloud if he's skipped an ingredient. MK takes a spoonful, and with his face sweating profusely wheezes "Nope. That's Australian-level."

Yuebei whines for some more, and all three now understand why she keeps trying to eat firey things. DBK laughes proudly when he's told about it later on - nothing less from his dear godcalf!

[heh- funny thing about that pigsy-]

Lets just say a lot about MK's upbringing makes more sense after Pigsy realises that his son is a monkey demon XD

[Wukong has had a real rough go with people ditching him after one mistake, real or even just perceived mistakes alike... ...this means Wukong has a very hard time understanding/grasping it when someone doesn't hate him over things like this.]

THIS is why Ao Lie and the Samadhi Fire arc are so important to Wukong's character. He has such trouble understanding that sometimes people who care won't hold your mistakes real or perceived against you. Ao Lie likely told Wukong to his face multiple times that he didn't care that Wukong "screwed up", he was just glad that Wukong, the Egg, and Tripitaka were alive and well after all things considered.

[worst part is, Wukong doesn't treat him like he was wrong... ....(Wukong needs a therapist)]

The fact that Wukong doesn't mind that Nezha treated his failure that way all those years ago, makes Nezha even more concerned in the modern day!

yes yes he does.

[they're so terrified that they basically start praying to Guanyin- more so begging to be left alone, but still.]

Guanyin can only grant the Spider Gang a swift end and perhaps a revival after S3. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[I think Wukong probably had a lot of trouble coming up with names before Yuebei was born,...]

Wukong is bad at naming things I feel. He did call himself "Grimpil Sun" when he pretended to be a different monkey in the Gold-Silver Twins chapter. Even after over a thousand years of prep, he's still undecided what he'd should call his Egg once they arrive.

He's called Yuebei his "little moonlight", his "star", and his "comet" since long before he finally decided on her name. And when Macaque came back into his life and confirmed that he wanted both of them to be safe? His little "Moon Comet Star" just made sense - she indirectly brought his Moonlight back to him.

[oooooo what do you think would be everyone else's fav baby photos of Yuebei?]

hehehe!

For Wukong it's any photo of Yuebei. Look at his daughter! She's here! She's so perfect! Has one of those giant wallets full of photos of her.

Macaque's favorite is one Mei snapped of Yuebei just after the baby had destroyed Peng and Azure - the cub's eyes gleaming with delight at seeing her Bama again, her mouth full of golden feathers. He also treasures a photo he took of Wukong just after Yuebei's egg was born - his Peaches smiling contentedly as he curls around the egg.

MK's is when Yuebei saw him put away the Staff, and she tried looking inside his ear for it.

Mei is taking so many photos all the time, so it's hard for her to have faves. One of her faves though is a pair of photos where Yuebei is completely calm and about to fall asleep, and then her eyes are glowing with eye-lasers cus a bang in the kitchen scared her. Mei uses it as a reaction meme.

For Pigsy its a photo of Yuebei attempting to eat her first mooncake - the pastry was bigger than her whole head. Chang'e took the photo and just knew Pigsy would love it.

Tang's is the one of MK holding Yuebei for the first time, tears and snot running down the older monkey-boy's face while Yuebei looks up at him curiously. Tang thinks it's hilarious.

Sandy's fave is Yuebei taking a curious sip of tea from her mama's cup, and frowning hard when she realised it wasn't as nice as milk. Also one where Yuebei and Mo got distracted by the same cat toy - seems that the baby girl likes attacking things with feathers.

PIF and DBK's faves are well known ofc. Red Son would claim that he doesn't have any, but secretly its one where the baby monkey is playing peekaboo with DBK. It just really heart-warming to see his father interact with Yuebei after missing out on a lot of Red's childhood. Red looks at the photo and wonders if his father ever tried such games on him. (He did. Baby Red Son exploded)

Jiuweihuli and the twins love any photo Wukong shares with them. The old Vixen's favourite is where Macaque managed to get Yuebei into an elaborate baby costume (lots of bribery with mashed peaches was involved) and the baby is just happily sticking her tongue out at the camera.

It takes Bai He a while to warm up to Yuebei all the way, but she likes the photo of Yuebei when she first met Mo. The cat was very cautious and the baby monkey was just fascinated.

The gods themselves get rare glimpses of Sun Wukong's baby. Nezha's fave is a short video of Yuebei's first ever swimming lesson - decked out in all the little floaties as she doggie-paddled in the kiddie pool, Wukong smiling and holding his arms out for her while Macaque filmed. Nezha loves it not only for it's content, but for how happy Wukong finally is after so long. He blesses Yuebei many times over for good fortune and safety.

[let's be real, Peng's voice is the most bastardized. love the fact that Macaque doesn't even really have to ask, Wukong already knows what he's planning and is living for it. Wukong enjoys the retelling almost as much as Yuebei does, if only for Macaque's dramatics. and doing his best to change her perception of their current allies? a very appreciated effort.]

Macaque turns Peng's voice into a harsh nasally sound with random squawks thrown in like a cartoon parrot.

Wukong and Macaque have a near psychic connection as a couple once they start cohabitating again (and deal with emotional stuff). Wukong cannot deny his Plums the chance to make fun of their former brothers. Wukong even gets in on it, mimicking his own younger self and a some of the Pilgrims in a silly voice. Yuebei loves story time.

[so long pining for a monkey and he has no clue how they work or how to care for one. at least Yellowtusk is at least a little bit sensible... ...at least Yuebei's comes out of it thinking/feeling very positively about peach maidens.]

Azure is an orange male cat at his core - he's standing there, holding Yuebei by her diaper and wondering "What now?" while Peng covers their beak. Yellowtusk atleast has the wisdom to ask around the palace for help when Yuebei starts getting fussy. And since Peng confirms that the Memory Scroll "took the cupbearers as well" in the special, the Orchard Maidens are running themselves ragged to ensure that the invaders are content, and by proxy Yuebei safe. Not many are aware of their familial connection to the Emperor on first glance, so they quickly disguise themselves as "just" servants that escaped the Scroll.

So when Yellowtusk approaches almost shyly for help to feed and clean the baby hostage, the girls knew they made the right choice to stay. The seven maidens had taken one look at the baby monkey, saw the power she wielded, and just knew she was their dear didi's baby. '

The Maidens provide a character statement for Yellowtusk once everything is said and done. Afterall, the elephant allowed his trunk to be nearly crushed if it meant the baby girl had comfort.

Oh oh! Imagine in the aftermath of S4, Wukong manages to ask Yellowtusk who cared for Yuebei while she was hostage?

Yellowtusk, in cuffs about to be taken away: "I tried my best, but without the aid of the seven Orchard Maidens I likely wouldn't have fared much better than my brothers." Wukong: "Orchard Maidens?" Seven distinct voices: "Didi!" Wukong turns to see the seven snake-cat-like celestials running towards him, their appearances unkempt from worry. They carefully check him and Yuebei over. Orchard Maidens: "Oh thank buddha you're ok!" "We were so worried!" "After what happened to baba we..." "We couldn't bare to leave her alone with them!" Wukong, touched: "You all stayed behind, knowing that you shared the halls with the lion that took your father away, just to make sure my baby was ok?" Orchard Maidens: "Of course!" "You're a fellow attendant!" "Aiyi would have broken her vow of pacifism if either of you were truly hurt!" "We knew she was yours just from the way she... shot lasers out her eyes." Wukong, tearing up: "Oh girls..." Wukong & the Maidens: (*all group hug, careful to give Yuebei some space*)

Yuebei considers the Maidens akin to aunties since they care for her so well and clearly have a good relationship with her mama. This indirectly leads to the mourning Xiwangmu to see the baby girl as a surrogate granddaughter once they are properlly introduced. Yuebei recognises something in the Queen Mother's heart is hurt and wants to hug and kiss it better. Xiwangmu in turn can only reminice on the times she and her dear Jade held their own cubs in their arms, the dawn of their empire.

[oh no, Yuebei's sucking her finger, means she's missing her mama... ... he knows i his heart of hearts he will not make the mistake again. even if it means betraying those he's held dear for so long...]

Yesss. Baby monkey who are separate from their mothers develop oral fixations/self-soothing behaviors, which is still seen if they successfully gain a foster mom/is returned. It's a learned habit. Now I'm imagining Yuebei becoming super attached to her pacifer long after she's weaned, just because its such a source of comfort for her. Wukong and Macaque had to ask around a bit to try and figure out how to wean Yuebei off the pacifer once her milk teeth started growing in.

Yellowtusk's redemption is very internal, but it reflects heavily in his actions. After the days of caring for Yuebei, and coming to realise how they as a Brotherhood treated their monkey brethern, Yellowtusk starts on the path of reversing the damage caused by the coup. Even if the Heavens never forgive him, he is ultimately glad that his brothers and their families are safe - a far greater reward than what Azure's plans brought him.

Note; in situations where the Brotherhood survive/are captured after S4 - I feel like the Buddha pulls a Jttw on them and suddenly theres three circlets on their heads for the next few millennium. >:)

[the fact that Macaque baby-talks to the obvious victor only makes Peng's humiliation worse... Macaque will forever tell the story of Peng's defeat when having proud dad bragging moments.] +[he takes a couple feathers for himself, makes a few different things out of them, like a quill. but he also made one or two for other people like Wukong and of course Yuebei's toy. they all bring him (and the receivers of the gifts) great joy.]

HAHA! XD

Peng ain't ever going to live down being turned into chicken paste by a baby monkey. A bunch of celestial soldiers and servants saw how the Six Eared Macaque waltzed in, picked up the baby monkey, and cooed at her while Peng lay broken upon the floor. Yuebei isn't some disguised immortal or god, she's a baby. One that quickly falls asleep in her parents arms once they're all reunited.

Macaque is so keeping a few of Peng's feathers as trophies. The quill idea is amazing - he'd sign everything with it. Wukong gets a cute broach made with one of the golden feathers intertwined, and thinks its beautiful (if a little arrogant but hey he loves trophies). Yuebei has a toy thats 80% feathers she's ripped from Peng, and 20% string and cloth that looks like a kitten toy - it's her fave thing besides her plush skeleton toy. Macaque sends Xiwangmu a few feather quills along with a letter of condolence - it brings her some comfort (as does the lion hide she drapes on her shoulder).

tysm for asking in! Its ok to take breaks from writing if we need it. I'm just glad that we can shoot ideas back and forth.

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cowboybaedling · 20 hours

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Your post strikes me as off in a way that I can't articulate well. I ask you this in good faith: how much do you truly fear any slightly negative statement about a trans woman can result in other trans people or allies (which I assume they must be if they're a friend of yours in the first place) could result in her being harassed? Again, attempting to approach this in good faith. I'm a trans woman who's been harassed off the ends of the earth when I was younger and I still have trauma over it, so I don't approach the subject lightly. I'm not trying to downplay it, just get a sense of where your feelings on the issue are.

oh it's you again. well forgive me if i take your claims of "good faith" with a tiny grain of salt here given our previous interactions, but i'll try and answer in kind as long as you do.

anyway, in my post i was speaking from personal experience, in many cases from conversations i have had with friends both past and present who are, as you surmised "other trans people and allies". and i would like to note here also that most of them i still consider friends.

the thing is, when you are a victim of transmisogyny and harrassment, and just plain bullying, you start to notice patterns in how things work. and since the nature of these things is that they don't get said to your face, often where you notice it first, if you're paying attention, is not when it is directed at you, but when you are seeing it directed at other trans women you know.

so one of the things that i have noticed, and one of the things which i am sure has been said many times by many people more eloquent than me, is that transfems aren't afforded space to be flawed in the same way other people are. the things we say and do are interpreted uncharitably because a lot of non-transfems still (whether consciously or not) view us as dangerous or "male-brained". so whenever vague language is used about us, others have a tendency to interpret it in the worst way they can. "i don't like her very much", "i have personal beef with her", "she's kind of weird" etc. immediately get jumped to "she must be a (creep/predator/pedophile/whatever else this person views as the greatest evil)"

and when you've seen all this happen, when you've seen sites like kiwifarms get set up entirely around harassing us, when you've seen people, friends of yours uncritically parrotting how x or y tranny did x or y awful thing and that's why she totally deserves all of the harassment she gets, you start to get a little jaded around all of this kind of vague talk. you start to wonder what things others are saying to their friends about you and what ways those friends are interpreting those things. and perhaps, in the middle of a conversation with a tme friend, you decide to just drop whatever quarrels you had with some random trans woman you know because last time you said something like that to them, they with full confidence said "she's a bitch and we don't like her" the next time that woman was brought up, and you wondered to yourself in that moment if a cis woman would have been instantly demonised in that way.

and all of this is, after all, just my own experiences. maybe i really am just living in a bubble or being paranoid and maybe in the rest of the world really is nice to transfems all the time. i sure would like it if that was the case. but judging by the number of people who resonated with my posts about this, i'm willing to err on the side of that not being the case. i would rather 100 people think im being a paranoid bitch for protecting my transfem sisters than one transfem be hurt indirectly by something i said.

#this turned out wordier than i intended #oh well #transmisogyny

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fairytale-poll · 54 minutes

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Welcome to the Best/Worst Modern Fairytale Adaptation Tournament!

We've done best Red Riding Hood, we've done best Cinderella, and we've done best Little Mermaid! As voted by you guys, we'll be switching gears a bit and doing Best/Worst Modern Fairytale Adaptations! This will be two simultaneous tournaments to see what is the best modern fairytale adaptation and what is the worst!

If you are confused on what qualifies as "Modern Fairytale Adaptation", please read the following:

By "modern fairytale adaptation" I mean an adaptation of a fairytale that takes place in the modern day.

I will be a little loose with what I mean by "modern day". "Modern" will be defined as taking place around the same time as when it was published. (Ex. "Splash!" is an adaptation of the Little Mermaid that was created in the 1980s, so it taking place in the 1980s works for "modern day".) The earliest I will accept something taking place is the 1950s, anything earlier than that I will not count as modern.

If the modern fairytale adaptation has some magic / a little bit of fantasy in it, it can still counts just as long as the world it takes place in can be reasonable compared to being our modern day world. (Ex. "Ponyo" has a lot of magical elements with the titular Ponyo being a magical being from the sea and her mother being the Queen of the Ocean and her father a magician, but the world she sees on the surface is very clearly our world, so it counts.)

No futuristic settings. (Ex. Something like "The Lunar Chronicles" series by Marissa Meyer, for example, which takes place in a Sci-Fi dystopia will not count.)

Some other rules to read before submitting:

Submit a modern fairytale adaptation to the best or worst brackets. There will be two separate forms for each, so make sure you fill out the right one!

Submit as many pieces of media as you want, but don't submit the same thing more than once to an individual form. You can submit the same piece of media to both forms, if your heart truly desires. (Ex. You can't submit "A Cinderella Story" more than once to the best bracket, but if you think it's simultaneously the best and worst you can submit it once to both brackets.)

This tournament will be for pieces of media, not individual characters. Thus far we have only done character polls to this blog, but don't let that confuse you. (Ex. Submitting "Sam Montgomery" would not be accepted, but if you submit "A Cinderella Story", that will be accepted.)

Make sure you submit a substantial piece of media, such as a movie, TV show, book, short story, comic book, etc. Things like a comic strip, a meme, or a fanfic will not be accepted. Additionally, smaller pieces of media such as someone's OC story will not be accepted. (There might not be enough public info for someone to vote on & it might not be fair to put someone's OC story against a big name like Ghibli or Disney.)

Do not submit anthologies. If there is a series you want to submit that is a collection of different fairytale retellings, like a TV show where every episode is a different story, that is not allowed. Feel free to submit an individual episode where there is only one complete story, though.

Submit something based on a specific fairytale(s), not something that just happens to have a fairytale vibe.

This will be either a 32 or 64 bracket for both. I would ideally like the best and worst brackets to both be the same size (i.e. either both 32 or both 64), but if one is smaller than the other, so be it. I'm going to cap each bracket at 64, as doing any more would be a lot to manage since there already are two brackets.

Submissions will be open either until they reach the cap or for a full week (closing on Friday, June 14th.) Whichever comes first.

And that's it for rules! Remember as always to be kind and respectful to others. This is bracket is supposed to be fun so please have fun with it! ✨❤️

Best Bracket Submissions:

Worst Bracket Submissions:

Tagging other tournaments under the cut for visibility.

@tournament-announcer @princess-polls @the-ballerina-battle @booktomoviebrawl @do-you-ship-it-polls @mattapparentlystumbltourneys

#fairy tale #fairytale #poll tournament #poll bracket #poll submissions #submissions #polls #long post

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uva124 · 12 hours

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HAEDUS, NAOS AND NEMBUS BACKSTORY (MY STARBOYS)

Well these last days I've been thinking about my three beloved stars and I wanted to give them a solid backstory, it's not the final story (I'll probably change some things) but this is what I have planned in mind:

First of all I'm going to explain how the stars work in my world:

POWER CATEGORIES:

Not all stars have the same qualities or powers, some are born being powerful and others are born with a weaker magic, of course they can improve it, but it would take MANY years considering how long a star lives, besides this wouldn't make a big effect you know? So here not all stars are those kind and divine souls like the Pinocchio fairy, or incredibly cheerful and energetic like others, here the more you are born with a great talent the more respected you are going to be:

WISHING STARS: These are the most respected type of star, only they are allowed to come down to earth to help people who wish them because they trust they have the ability to take care of themselves down there without being discovered, because if anyone discovers them, it could bring great danger, they also serve as a guide to the newborn stars who are learning about their world.

AVERAGE STARS: This type of star can help people fulfill their dreams, but they can't come directly down to earth, they would be responsible for those “lucky breaks” that happen in Disney movies lol.

WEAK” STARS: Here belong my two little boys Naos and Nembus, they were not blessed with the greatest power, usually they were to some extent despised by other stars, others simply pitied them, however, they can still see what happens down there in the worlds, and these two little ones have not ceased to be fascinated by what is down there.

I also have to point out that star powers become emotional quite often, the stronger the emotion they feel, the more out of control their magic will be. Now you may be wondering “what category does Haedus belong to?” oh man this guy is special but not in the best sense of the word: CORRUPTED STARS (BLACK HOLES?):

In this world there are also corrupted stars, they are the ones that have already reached the time of their death or on the other hand they have lost their own control and their own magic has consumed them inside, this can be unleashed in several ways: not controlling your emotions, dark magic spells, among other magical things I guess.

That usually happened to wishing stars because of their incredible power, but it was very uncommon so everyone in the star world was pretty calm regarding the topic….huntil a certain star appeared.

STORY OF HAEDUS: My boy my poor boy, believe me I'm going to make they suffer in this rewrite 😊.

He was born as any normal star but with the difference that he had a HUGE power without exaggerating it too much, no doubt he has the potential to be one of the best wishing stars no? Well not really, they power was quite big but also dangerous if not handled carefully because as I said the management of magic is also emotional, and if this child could not contain himself he could unleash the worst and this was known by the other stars that already had some time of life.

Asia that Haedus was very energetic, almost like @rascalentertainments star (who is also doing a wish rewrite if you want to go read it is this profile :D), but he couldn't help noticing how when he approached the stars they looked at him in a strange way, they seemed uncomfortable or even scared, but of what? He commented this to the wishing stars, some simply avoided the subject or in a way to comfort him told him that they looked at him with “respect” (respect? If that means no one wants to get close to me then I don't want it).

In the end Haedus had a real friend, one that actually liked spending time with him and not simply out of fear or “respect”, he was the only star that truly accepted him, but it all fell apart one day that if only Haedus could remember clearly he would make sure he wouldn't make the same mistakes, all he knows is that he hurt him, He doesn't know how or when but just by seeing the look of his friend full of fear and confusion in his direction he knew he could never forgive him, not even he himself could forgive himself, he lost his only companion, and not only that, he also lost the last bit of sympathy that the other stars had for him, now he could only see the anger, fear, pity and disgust in the eyes of the stars.

I also have to add that many times Haedus asked the wishing stars when it would be his turn to come down to earth, however he never received a clear answer, only scoldings and warnings from the people and how dangerous they could be for him (imagine that maybe they manipulated him like mother Gothel did with Rapunzel), however he did not believe them, He really had no one to hang out with, Haedus just stared at the different worlds in front of him (all fairy tales) he was not really impressed by the forests or kingdoms, he liked they home and especially the magic, for that reason his favorite part was to see how the stars helped people to fulfill their dreams, he really had the illusion of being seen as help instead of whatever the stars were telling him.

He spent some time being good alone, he was getting used by this point to the stares he was constantly receiving (and by the way the murmurs of the stars “can't they at least try to hide?" ), everything was normal until he found two quite young stars, by their aura it seemed that these were twins or something like that, he would have given him the same when he noticed how the other stars looked at the little ones…… It was quite similar to his situation, the days passed and he noticed that yes, the two little stars were ignored and despised, he even saw how some older stars were bothering them, that was it, Haedus approached and as usual they ran away from him, then the two little brothers started to thank they, he felt good after years of being rejected but he thought that would be all until they discovered they “reputation”.

It wasn't like that at all, after that day the two stars (who introduced themselves as Naos and Nembus) chased Haedus like little ducklings chasing their mama paw, this was quite strange, Haedus tried to push them away however it didn't work, eventually he grew fond of them and suddenly his world wasn't so bad after all, these children were his only company, he will not let anything happen to them, he will not let anyone hurt or despise them again, he will protect them at all costs (although these little ones still insist on being nice to everyone even after they have been insulted).

One day Haedus simply reaches they limit, he tries to force his smile for they little brothers but he simply can't hold it in any longer, there has to be a way for the three of them to be accepted in their home, without mistreatment, without having to listen to them, without having to run away…… maybe if he tries to prove that he can be of help as the wishing stars?

So yes, Haedus at this point plans to somehow escape to one of the lands to help grant someone's wish, so the other stars will see that he is not dangerous, that he can control himself and not become a monster, and so they will also respect Naos and Nembus. (Besides as much as they have tried to keep the humans out of the way our starboy still has the illusion of being able to help

Unfortunately the plan does not go as planned. Not at all. First it turned out that Nambos and Nembus had snuck in with him like the naughty children he was (even though the overprotective side of Haedus stressed to them that this time he needed to do this just so no one would get hurt, better safe than sorry). Then something VERY WEIRD happened, in short what happened was the scene when Giselle is transported to the real world only much more terrifying and creepy.

literally Haedus is watching how they most precious people are being covered by green glows while Naos and Nembus don't know what is happening while they panic and cry calling for their big brother, only for the three of them to fall forcibly into a world they were NOT supposed to be in, besides is it their illusion or did they hit something before they reached dry land?

this is what happened lmao, I'm reusing the joke about Starboy almost crashing into Asha, only here it really happens and my girl is knocked unconscious for a few minutes (how did she survive? disney magic)

First meeting:

Well …… the first impressions were not very good, I have to emphasize that in my wish Au asha is from the modern world like the one here, also at that time she had just had one of her worst emotional lows (That's Magnifico and Amaya's fault) and Haedus had just suffered a panic attack while trying to process how the hell they got there and where they are and above all who brought them here?

The only thing our two main characters can agree on is that they are confused, scared and frustrated. Haedus is simply debating whether to fly away with his two little brothers or ask the human how the heck she brought them here and what she wants them for?

I'm still debating how to continue this sequence, but Asha and Haedus certainly don't get along very well, but they both come to the conclusion that they should stay together, Asha simply feels guilty that it's probably her fault that they are on earth and also because she wants to return to her normal life. On the other hand Haedus only accompanies her to guide them in this strange world that is nothing like the ones he had seen before from heaven, and also to find a way to return to heaven.

Also I have to say that Naos and Nembus are very kind and try to see the best in people and that each one should have the chance to fulfill their dreams, even if they are too weak stars they want to help in some way, all this results in them entering in trust with Asha very fast and empathize with her, also this new world makes them very curious and they want to explore it all (even though they are giving Haedus a heart attack every time they accidentally put themselves in danger).

In the middle of the movie we see how Haedus finds the appetite for the little things in life even without magic, and above all he manages to make some real connections, here he is not seen as someone unpleasant, eh he even gets to develop certain feelings for Asha that he tries to deny.

In short we see his development from being someone distrustful of people in general who doesn't understand how people can be happy without magic to someone who appreciates ordinary life and how he can still trust people, and that he doesn't always have to keep everything to himself.

I have to emphasize that Haedus has always been taught to keep his emotions to himself because if he explodes at some point even the stars don't know what will happen, that scares him, he doesn't want to hurt anyone, he doesn't want to be what he was always told he was, he doesn't want to be a monster, he just wants to be accepted, so if keeping everyone safe means repressing his emotions with jokes and a confident attitude, he will gladly do it, as long as his little brothers are safe and don't worry about him.

FINAL COMENTS

This post is just me rambling about my main ideas for these three characters, I will gladly accept your opinion if you want to write it! that's all for now bye :D✨✨✨

@oh-shtars @signed-sapphire @annymation @emillyverse @chillwildwave

(I hope you don't mind me tagging you😅 , but I wanted to share with you these ideas I've had for a few weeks now, I hope you enjoy reading them!)

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silencedrowns · 12 hours

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you want to know the most overly specific and extremely petty problem I have with a piece of media that I otherwise rather enjoy?

Frieren. The problem is that I have spent a truly stupid amount of time researching the development of fiber arts, particularly in Eurasia, because I am weird and I find this fun. I know the world has magic!!!! I know that’s the hand wave answer!!!!! But!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The technology shown on the clothing and the world are such a bizarre mishmash of “pre industrial technology, could be justified from any time period past agriculture and steel” and “bro that particular item requires levels of technology not reached until the mid 19th century” that it just makes me start screaming inside and I NEED ANSWERS. HOW DOES THE TECHNOLOGY WORK IN THIS WORLD WHAT IS THIS ECONOMY SOMEONE HELP ME

the worst thing is that the only reason Frieren triggers this where other fantasy series do not is because it does such a good job depicting the absolutely tiny details of objects that it sets me into analysis mode and whoops now I’m off writing fix it fic in my head for what this world would look like if they applied the tech they clearly have for textile work to literally anything else AUGH ARGH WHY AM I LIKE THIS

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lieslab · 3 days

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Devil's advocate

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎ ꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎ ꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

Pairing: Felix X gn reader

Summary: After being ripped from your picture perfect life of modeling, you're thrown into an unexpected world where you can't help, but feel sympathy for the devil.

Genre: Mafia AU

Word Count: 5.7K

Trigger warning: Implied stockholm syndrome, violence, sedation, murder, and mentions of alcohol.

_ _ _

You didn’t belong here and you certainly didn’t belong with this crowd. You didn’t fit in with the worst of the worst. Men who pulled the trigger without a second thought. Women who seduced men with kisses one moment and slit their throats the next.

Mingling with serpents in the garden of Eden wasn’t your ideal pastime. Then again, it’s not like you had much of a choice anyway. Glued to Felix’s side with your hand clenched tightly in his, once again, not by your choice.

Your vocal chords were practically shredded from all the screaming you did. From Lee Felix’s private doctor, you were on vocal rest for vocal recovery. To Lee Felix, this was a glorious change of plans on his end.

As he tugged you through the swarm of bodies, he introduced you with his usual cold demeanor. Your name and then, to your horror, the announcement that the two of you were married.

Amusement sat on the faces of some and curious eyes swept along you for others. You were a shiny new pearl for them and it didn’t help that the color scheme was black. The color scheme was pitch black; the color of the dead of night, the color of the rotten souls in the room, and yet Felix had dressed you in light pink.

It was soft and lively, he had explained to you before the two of you showed up. You held your breath as he fixed the collar of your outfit. The color of soft pedals, the rosy cheeks of babies, and a color that he could easily find you in. Even if you tried to escape, there was nowhere for you to go due to sticking out like a peacock.

You hated the gala and you hated him. You hated the pristineness and shine of everything. From the decorative and nearly overflowing punch pool to the crystal tear-drop chandeliers hanging above your head.

You had been kidnapped and thrown into a world you didn’t belong in. You used to enjoy being a well-known model. The camera was your best friend. Everything had been perfect in your world until you woke up to the cold eyes of a stranger.

“Don’t worry, it won’t hurt for long.”

You’d never forget the chill creeping along your spine. That brief moment of silence where your fate hung in the balance. You were sure you were dreaming until your breath was cut off. You shrieked, you screamed, you kicked, and you fought hard, but the sedative was stronger than your sleep-laced muscles.

When you woke up, the nightmare truly began. The announcement that you were going to be married to a powerful mafia leader and there was nothing you could do about it. You fought like hell, but the indomitable human spirit couldn’t last forever.

It was all a blur. The sedation. The talks from people reassuring you that this would be a good thing. People would praise you and you’d be protected. You’d live a good life full of luxury and happiness.

Felix watched every incident you had with that idiotic cold gaze. You refused to believe it. You screamed, you wept, you begged. You went on and on about how much of a terrible person you were. The lies you told, the horrors you committed, but your sins were merely papercuts. Minor, small, and forgettable.

Your white lies weren’t comparable to murder. Your beauty was something you couldn’t escape. Everything you practically broke your back to achieve was now biting you in the ass; the life that you once adored had betrayed you.

Every photoshoot, every image, every interview had ended up in the wrong hands. Passed from person to person until it reached Felix himself. Once he knew about you, his mind was set. You would be his and no amount of begging on your knees would change his mind. Whatever he said went and he wanted you.

So here the two of you were at some gala event or maybe it was a banquet. You couldn’t be too bothered to pay attention to everything. You were upset and your throat hurt. Hindered vocal chords hurt like hell when they were in the slow process of healing. All you had once had was your voice and even now, it was basically gone too.

You had always hated networking events. Sure, they were incredibly important and could help your career, but you loathed them. Nothing had changed at this event.

Felix’s cold expression didn’t falter. He kept tugging you around in different directions. Eyes looked you up and down and you hated it. You hated the way everyone oogled at you like you were a new toy to be played with.

Your own face sat blank as you met different eyes. You were a goldfish in a bowl. People circled and they assumed things. You hated it, all of it. The looks, the whispers, the glares, you just wanted to go back home and wake up from this nightmare.

Felix was absolutely no help as he tugged you through the crowds. How many people were here? A couple hundred or over a thousand? They all started looking the same at some point. The same black dresses and the same black suits. Like walking shadows, it never seemed to end.

At some point, away from people, you gently tugged on Felix’s hand. He glanced over at you, looking almost bored. Your eyes met his and you attempted to speak. Hoarse whispers were the best attempt you could give. “Bathroom.”

“You have to go to the bathroom?” His thick accent responded. His eyes narrowed at you as you nodded. “Are you serious?” After another nod, he sighed, and pulled you through the crowd.

You weren’t sure about Felix or his gang, but you knew people respected him. As the two of you walked, everyone parted like the red sea. People were hesitant about you, but when it came to Felix, it was like everyone tried to purposefully keep their distance. Maybe it was fear?

The heels of your shoes clicked along the floor as you tried to match his pace. Over and over again, you continued to keep your steps even with him. When he finally led you to a handicapped bathroom. He pushed you inside and kicked up the latch at the bottom of the door.

You felt yourself getting annoyed at his careless actions. There was a restroom right across the way that you could have used instead of taking this one. You didn’t need his help and you didn’t like taking this bathroom when it was, specifically, created for people who needed the extra space.

The door slipped shut behind you and you turned to glare at him. Your arms slipped across your chest and your lips pushed together in an angry pout. For the first time this evening, a smirk grew across his face at the observation of your furrowed eyebrows.

“Are you angry at me, doll? You shouldn’t be so angry, it doesn’t look good on you.” His hand reached up and gently ran across your furrowed brow. Your body jerked in response. “Why do you flinch whenever I touch you?”

Your heart began to hammer in your chest and your face fell. You hated how weak he made you feel. Butterflies nose-dived into the barrel of your stomach over and over again. No matter how much you hated him, you couldn’t lie, he was attractive.

Maybe it was the constellation of freckles scattered across his cheeks and nose. Maybe it was the deep voice or the sun-kissed golden skin of his. Perhaps, it was the darkened hair that framed his features. You loathed him and something in you also seemed to love him.

“I’m not used to it,” you weakly got out.

His fingers slipped down the side of your face and goosebumps crept along your arms. His hand cupped your cheek and his fingers ran across your cheek.

“Sweetheart, you can be mad at me for the rest of your life, but it doesn’t change that you’re mine. You can weep from dusk to dawn, but you're in my world now. Whether you like it or not, this is my game and these are my rules. You should get used to my touch.”

The warmth of his cinnamon breath crept into your nostrils. He had been sucking on a cinnamon disk for most of the night. The overpowering and burning scent made you want to cry, but it also made your head feel dizzy.

You needed to get a hold of yourself. You couldn’t fall in love with this man. He was a monster and you couldn’t let him win. You needed to stick to what you knew best. This wasn’t someone to fall in love with.

How many people had taken their last breath at his feet? How many children grew up parentless because of him? How much fear had he instilled in one city? In two? In a handful? If he could reach you through your security team and security systems, just how powerful was he?

A chuckle fell from his lips. The warm fingertip brushed against your cheek again. You couldn’t stop the blood from rushing to them. Your embarrassment was humiliating.

“Would you look at that?” He teased. “What a lovely color on you. Maybe I should do things like this more often. The more you shy away from my touch, the more it makes me crave it. You instill a hunger in me that I can’t explain.”

His hand shifted again until his thumb ran directly onto your bottom lip. With wide eyes, you met his own glimmering with a hint of mischief. “Look at you, just like a little mouse.”

“So scared, so timid, so afraid, and yet so submissive. A strange mix of temptation and submission that drives me insane.” His finger lingered on your lip and gently started to trace it.

When you didn’t react, he took it as a challenge. His thumb began to push down and your lips parted slightly. He began to press his thumb further into your mouth and then-

You jerked away, startled by what was happening. The blush on your cheeks darkened to the color of stained wine. Felix’s smirk only grew at your response. “Took you long enough.”

Amusement danced in his eyes as he dropped his hand back to his side. “Your mouth is a temptation that I find hard to resist. I can see that you have some fighting left in you, but I can’t tell if it’s aggravating or more cute.”

When your cheeks continued to darken, he cocked his head to the side. “There it is again, that captivating color, it looks good on you. Is it embarrassment or fear that makes your cheeks darken, hmm?”

His head tipped closer to yours. Almost a little too eager, his breath brushed against your neck. “Perhaps, it’s something else entirely.”

You gulped and that stupid smirk appeared again. “Spoken in a color that only I understand, I’ll unearth your every secret written in that pretty shade of pink.”

Your heart had turned into a wild animal. It beat widely against the enclosed cage of your ribs. Your eyes met his and his hand reached back to your cheek. “Cat got your tongue?”

Snapping back into it, you finally jerked away and he snickered. “Can you leave?” Your whisper came out harsh, but you couldn’t help it. You were annoyed that you were feeling such things for someone so cold and heartless.

“And to think we were finally getting somewhere. You want me to leave after I’ve been so generous with my touch? The fun was just getting started, sweetheart.”

Your hand ripped back and gestured towards the porcelain toilet behind you. A soft sigh escaped Felix’s nose and his shoulders dropped. “I suppose I shall give you some privacy. Just remember to behave yourself and don’t try anything foolish. Remember what can happen to mice.” With that, he spun around and left you alone in the empty room.

With your heartbeat filling your ears and the blood rushing to your head, you swallowed and blinked his actions away. The coolness of the bathroom air hit you. With a quick step, you locked the heavy door in one go.

Outside, Felix leaned against the wall while he waited for you. Guests lingered and he had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He only came here as a reminder of who he was. It wasn’t often that he left the safety of his shadows, but when he did, he was talk of the city for weeks.

A haunting and startling reminder that the devil had a handsome face. He was strong and stark. With a quick snap of Felix’s fingers, you could be at the end of a barrel of a gun. No amount of pathetic pleading would get you anywhere. Besides, the scene of crimes could be wiped and made anew.

Blood washed and bleach dissolved traces. All he had to do was say the words and his cleaning crew would be in and out in a jiffy. Toying with Lee Felix was like playing with the grim reaper. Once you summoned him, he wouldn’t stop until you were dead.

After finishing in the bathroom, you glanced at yourself in the mirror. Nothing was out of place. Felix had hired the best of the best to make you look perfect. The added hues of soft pink along your eyes made your eye color pop. The shiny gloss to your lips made them look hydrated.

The deep purple bags were gone. The light had been snatched from your eyes days ago. You had been dropped into a pit of inky darkness and had yet to resurface and find yourself. All you knew was that this wasn’t what you were meant to be. You were meant for being far more than just the devil’s lover.

Felix glanced up when the bathroom door opened. His eyes lingered over your silhouette before he reached out his hand towards you. “I see that my little firecracker has returned. Did everything go smoothly or did you start to cry because there wasn’t a window you could escape through?”

Your eyes narrowed, but you held your tongue. Getting into an argument with him would only add to his amusement and you didn’t want that. You kept your face blank and nodded.

“You’re choosing to stay quiet? That’s a new one for you.” Maybe you’ve finally begun to understand your place or-” He cocked his head, “maybe you’re just waiting to pull your next act of rebellion? I’d heed with caution if I were you. You never know who or what is waiting for you.”

Defiance flickered in your eyes. As the anger began to rush through your veins, you pulled your eyes away and tightened your lips. Felix caught your movement and another smirk came across his face.

“Every time you try to resist me, it only fuels my desire to test your limits. You really are a little firecracker, aren’t you? You’re quite tougher than you appear to be.”

He stepped closer, his figure slightly towering over you. He soaked in your scent with an inhale. His hand went towards your forehead, but you didn’t flinch this time. Your eyes bore into his as he slowly adjusted a piece of your bangs.

“Do you have any idea what kind of fire you’re playing with? Your defiance does something to me, my love.” His voice lowered as it brushed against your ear. “For once, I might have met my match. Perhaps, you might be the death of me, little mouse.”

Your face falling gave away that something was wrong. Felix began to pull away and that’s when your body reacted first. Your fingers slipped into Felix’s hand and tightened around it. Your back automatically straightened and your chin went up.

Surprised by your actions, he glanced down at the entwined hands with a hint of surprise. When you squeezed his hand, he glanced over his shoulder to find one of his rivals standing with a grin on his face.

The unbothered cold look slipped back onto his face instantly. “Well, this is new. I can’t say I’m surprised to find you here. Planning something big tonight?”

The man chuckled and shook his head. Adorned in black dress pants and a matching dress shirt, he glanced at you. His dark eyes took you in from head-to-toe and you internally cringed.

Something about him reminded you of a serpent. Maybe it was the way his beady eyes sat too far apart or perhaps it was the nose that came to a sharp sudden point. The white and unnaturally sharp teeth that had definitely been worked on by some sort of cosmetic genius.

“For once, the rumors are true. The infamous Lee Felix has found the love of his life and settled down. What comes next? A heir or two to continue on the family tree? Careful now, I hear that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.”

“Something like that,” Felix agreed. When you squeezed his hand again full of anxiety, his thumb brushed against the back of your hand. For whatever reason, you found the gesture to be soothing.

This isn’t you!

Your brain screamed at you, but you ignored it. The aura of this man was lethal. Something about the way he was eyeing you made you want to squirm. It was potent and overwhelming. If it wasn’t for Felix’s grip on your hand, you were sure you’d curl into yourself in an attempt to hide.

“What about you?” Felix continued. “Any plans to settle down soon?”

“You should know that there is no time for love in this industry. Let bygones be bygones. Why create issues when there’s bigger fish to fry? I’m sure you understand what people can do to one another, isn’t that right?”

You suddenly wanted to deck him. You wanted to march forward, swing, and hear the satisfying snap of his nose. Something about the way he spoke, it was taunting, almost like a dare.

“You make a good point, but love can be a driving force behind a lot of good things.”

“I suppose you know that best. After all, your father raised you, did he not? What a shame he had to die so young.”

You didn’t look at Felix’s face, but you knew the man hit a nerve. You could feel Felix’s fingers tighten so hard around yours that you could feel your bones creak from the sudden weight.

“And I wonder whose fault that is.”

“I had to do what I had to do. You run this country’s largest gang, so I’m sure you understand. There’s been whispers that this one is a firecracker,” he gestured to you. “Make sure you keep them in line because if you don’t…well…I think you understand the weight of this business.”

“Don’t worry about them.”

“Are the rumors true?” The man took a step closer and your eyes shot daggers at him in defense. He let out a deep belly laugh and shook his head. “You have a long fight ahead of yourself, Felix. I wonder what other traits they possess besides their beauty and spark. I never considered yourself the type to settle down, but it seems you might have your hands full.”

You suddenly cleared your throat and for the first time in days, you found your voice. It was hoarse, but you managed to get out the words through the burn in your throat. “Can we help you with something?”

There was shock on Felix’s face, but it was quickly erased and replaced. The man laughed and rubbed his pointed chin. “I’m surprised to hear you speak. I suppose since your beloved is around, your flames have been tamed.”

“Have you tried the punch?” You managed to get out through clenched teeth. “I hear that it’s some of the best around.”

“You have quite the tongue, but no, I have not.” The man took a few steps back and relaxed. “I tend to prefer stronger concoctions than some measly fruit punch. I bet you wouldn’t be able to han-”

“I’ve heard that it’s been tainted with something that lightens the soul.”

That seemed to get his interest because his eyebrows raised. “Hmm? Interesting. I suppose I’ll have to investigate that claim for myself, firecracker. Try not to burn yourself out in the meantime. Have a wonderful night.”

In a mocking bow, he dipped down with one hand over his stomach. When he stood back up, you slightly nodded and he sauntered away. Once he blended in with the crowd, Felix let out the breath he was holding. “I didn’t think yo-”

“Who is he?”

Felix raised an eyebrow and glanced over at your gaze. You were practically burning holes in the direction the man went. With furrowed eyebrows and narrowed eyes, you were seething.

“That would be my biggest rival to date. Don’t pay him any attention. He can’t try anything here because there’s too many people involved. If he shakes things up here, gangs would go to war and he-”

“Killed your father?” You got out.

Pain flickered in Felix’s eyes. His gaze dropped onto the floor. You caught the sadness from the corner of your eye. He looked like a lost boy instead of a grown man.

“Yes. It was years ago when I was still a teenager. He killed my father and attempted to take over my father’s gang. Fortunately, my father had devoted men that didn’t let that happen and he taught me a lot. At the age of sixteen, the reins of the gang were handed to me. I’ve built it up brick-by-brick ever since.”

You couldn’t explain why you pitied him so much. Ever since you were dragged from your home, you hadn’t been treated nicely. You were sedated, you were cuffed, and you were gagged, but you couldn’t help, but pity him. Maybe if things wouldn’t have played out the way they did, maybe he would have turned out entirely different.

When Felix glanced back up, your eyes were angrily searching the crowd for any glimpse of the man you could find, but all you could see were seas of bodies. The dim lighting to the place didn’t help.

“Maybe that fire of yours isn’t such a bad thing,” Felix managed to get out. “Perhaps, there’s more of your personality in there than meets the eye.”

“Don’t push it,” you mumbled.

“And you’re back. If you insist, I suppose I’ll keep a respectable distance, my fiery love.” Amusement laced his voice. You weren’t thrilled with the playful banner. “Just remember what I said earlier.”

Your fingers went up to rub your throat. It still ached from speaking, but it felt good to speak for once. Even if it wasn’t your normal voice, you had missed it.

“Does it hurt?” He asked. “You shouldn’t push yourself like that. I can handle myself.”

“I don’t like him.”

“Join the club. If you hadn’t noticed, he thinks the world is his and his alone. He struts around like a peacock and I wish I could say his bark is worse than his bite. He’s ruthless and vicious, don’t let his light-heartedness sway you.”

“Like you?”

“Don’t compare me to him. There’s a purpose behind my ideals and my actions. Just because you hear things, it doesn’t make them true. I don’t act unless I need to, but him.” He shook his head. “Men like him should cease to exist. They do things just because they can get away with it.”

“Then why don’t you defeat him?”

“Despite my dislike, I don’t have time for petty fights. Going after him would lead to a full-blown war. I’m not in the mood to have my people killed off. Haven’t you heard of the term ‘don’t poke the bear?’”

“Why should that stop you?”

He sighed, “did you not hear what I just said?”

Your hand suddenly jerked from his. Your eyes caught something and you weren’t going to miss the opportunity. “I’ll be right back.”

“Hey! Where are you go-” Felix stopped when you began to head towards the punch bowl.

The dark red liquid looked like blood. Dripping down the ladle and dropping back into the bowl. The same man from moments ago filled his clear wine glass nearly to the brim.

He sipped the punch slowly and licked his lips, savoring every bit of the burn on the way down. To his surprise, Felix’s little firecracker had been right. Someone had slipped something into the punch. He shut his eyes and let the alcohol carry him from this gala.

“How is it?” You asked as you approached.

In the distance, Felix kept his eyes on you. He had no idea what you were doing and part of him wanted to stop you, but another part wanted to know what you were planning. His brain said go, but his heart said stay put. What’s the worst thing that you could do?

The man opened up his eyes and smirked when he saw you. “My, my, my, if it isn’t the little firecracker again. I’m shocked that Felix let you out of his sight. Shouldn’t you be by his side or something?”

“I couldn’t help my thirst.” You grabbed an upside down wine glass and tipped it up. “Is it as good as they say?”

“Far better. Sweet and tart. Fruity and yet oh so strong.” He watched you ladle your cup full. “I’d be careful with that if I was you.”

“I can handle my liquor perfectly fine, thank you.”

The man’s eyes shifted into crescent’s when he laughed. You sent him a smile and began to sip your drink. You hated the burn, but forced your face to remain still.

“Such a shame that Felix got his claws in you before I could. You are something else. I bet you’d be a lot of fun.”

“You have no idea.”

“So what did you come over here for?”

“I already told you that I was thirsty.”

“I wasn’t born yesterday, you must want something.”

You inhaled and then exhaled. “Alright, you caught me. I came over here because I realized that I could do better than Felix.”

The man’s face perked up and he grinned. “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

So you spilled lie after lie. Talking about how Felix wasn’t good enough. How the two of you argued and bickered. On and on you went and Felix watched everything from afar. He had no idea what you were saying, but he kept seeing you fill the man’s glass over and over again.

What are you planning, little mouse?

The truth was that you had started to develop a minor crush on Felix. You hated the way he made you feel and you hated that you had been thrown into this shit show, but you were falling right into his trap.

He knew if he kept you long enough, he’d be able to break you down. You were the one who had said it yourself in an interview for a magazine. You had a soft heart and were able to find the good in everyone. You were too naive for your own good.

It wasn’t his fault that you laid your weakness out for everyone to see. All he had to do was care about you, connect with you, and you were smitten. Head over heels in love, there was nothing you could do to take it back.

“I see,” the man nodded. He kept shifting his weight from leg to leg to keep steady. You have filled his cup about three times now. Tipsy was an understatement. Clearly, he couldn’t handle his liquor.

“I think the answer is…” He paused and shut his eyes. “Simple. Come home with me and we-” His face scrunched up before his eyes opened. “Can go from there.”

“I have to get away from Felix to do that.”

“You can start by getting rid of that god awful outfit. It’s much too bright. In fact, it’s giving me a headache.” He waved his hand at you and waved you away. “Take it off and I’ll distract him.”

You wanted to roll your eyes. Even if you wanted to go with him, you had nothing to change into. He truly was an idiot. Nothing to change into, nowhere to go, nowhere to escape to, and yet with a few wine glasses of fruit punched spiked with cheap vodka, he was gone.

You carefully ladeled another scoop into his cup. “Stay right here and I’ll be back.”

“Go ahead, I’ll be waiting.” He licked his lips and greedily guzzled down the juice.

You glanced around until your eyes met Felix’s. He had shifted closer to you in the crowd and when your eyes met his, you wanted to grin. You wanted to give him a thumbs up, but not yet. Too many people were keeping an eye on him and probably you.

Instead, you tipped your head down to the floor and began to look around. Your eyes scanned the crowd in the process. To everyone, it looked like you were looking for something.

You spun around, kicked your leg out, and then-

Crash!

It all happened so fast, people could barely understand what happened. You jerked back to the front with wide eyes. Felix’s rival groaned as he pawed at the floor. You stepped back to keep your shoes from getting sticky with fruit punch.

As if it was blood, the liquid began to seep from beneath him and spread out. That fancy punch bowl shattered the moment it hit the floor. This part of the refreshment table had been stacked with golden platters.

This was the dessert section. Fancy slices of two-tiered cake had been thrown to the floor. Cupcakes were lying upside down. The perfectly pointed swirls had smashed into messy dollops. Cheesecake bites smeared bits of fruit along the white floor.

The entire gala seemed to freeze, but they weren’t focused on you. Their interest had been taken by the man who made a fool of himself. In the heavy silence, you could have heard a pin drop.

When your eyes met Felix’s, you could see him struggling to hold back the corners of his lips. He saw your shoe connect with the back of the man’s knee. Too absorbed and unsteady from the punch, he crumpled instantly.

A loud laugh suddenly fell out of the crowd. Soon, more people joined in. You basked in the glory that came with it as your own chuckle fell from your lips. Maybe you hadn’t taken down Felix’s rival in a big way, but he’d have a hard time living this down.

It’d be talked about for weeks. Remember that one gala when that man fell in the punch bowl? A classic lesson that even the best can fall. Sometimes karma comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it doesn’t happen until years later, but when it does, it still packs a punch.

You doubted the man would even understand what happened. Down on all fours, he was still pawing around in an attempt to get up. His fingers were smeared with chocolate frosting.

A few men had appeared and tried to help him up, but another came crashing down on top of him. Face first, he hit the floor, directly into an unsliced pie. The whip cream smearing his shocked face was enough to send another wave of laughter through the air.

A few nearby women asked if you were okay and pulled you to safety. They watched the man and his men with an uncomfortable look on their faces. One grimaced as another man fell.

“Can’t he understand this is an important gala?” Another grumbled.

“Aw man, I was really hoping to get my fingers on another one of those cookie dough cake pops.”

The rush of waiters caught your eye as the catering team scrambled to help. Your attention parted ways when a hand slipped into yours. Felix’s face was full of worry as he took you in. “Are you alright?”

You nodded and gently squeezed his hand. He thanked the women for helping you and pulled you further away from the crowd. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“He got what he deserved.”

“I think he has an alcohol problem.”

“Speaking of that, can we leave? I was sipping the alcohol to make it seem like I was drinking too. Everything seems too foggy. I don’t drink a ton and I don’t like the way I feel right now.”

“Just hang tight for a few minutes.” He began to pull your hand and head towards the exit. When he looked back, his rival was being tugged towards the bathroom. A trail of punch followed along behind him causing Felix to snort.

You leaned into his shoulder as you walked. His arm went around your waist and tugged you closer. “Don’t worry, we’ll be in the car shortly. Are you going to throw up, sweetheart?”

“I don’t think so. How do people enjoy getting drunk? I feel like I can’t think properly.”

“Oh, you poor thing. I’ll admit, I didn’t think you were this innocent.”

“Shut up,” you grumbled.

After struggling to reach his car, you managed to climb in. He buckled you and began the short ride home. He wanted to get you tucked into bed before you fell asleep, but this would have to do. He’d just have to carry you when he got home.

Despite your fire and your anger, he had a feeling that you’d start to warm up to him soon. If you were willing, he had good use for that fire inside of you. He had been looking for new ways to take down rivals.

If you easily went after his biggest rival to humiliate him in a crowd of a thousand people, he couldn’t wait to see what you’d do with unlimited resources. When money wasn’t a problem and nothing was illegal, where would your ideas take you? He couldn’t wait to find out.

Clearly, you weren’t just a timid little mouse, there was a hint of monster inside you too.

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mllemaenad · 9 hours

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You know what? That's fair. You never ssid you condemned individual Brotherhood members, I'm sorry I assumed that.

Addressing them as an institution, however...

I think they might still be a morr admirable group than you give them credit for. Yes, they have rather brutal hazing rituals for aspirants. At best, this ensures the unqualified won't go into danger, at worst, it's abuse. Bullying is absolutely wrong, I won't defend that.

However, on the charge of bigotry, I don't think it's entirely fair. Based on comments by Knight Rhys and others, I don't think tgey hate nonhumans simply for being nonhumans, rather they see it as a quasi-religious duty to remove the consequences of technological abuse. Ghouls, Synths, Super-Mutants... they didn't arise naturally. They are permanent (un-ageing) reminders of "technology that's gone too far". Think on Arthur Maxon's words in "Blind Betrayal". Danse's existence is intolerable to him because it is symbolic of a perversion of technology. Whether it's radiation, FEV, or whatever else, the Brotherhood is committed to opposing technological abuse.

In that context, their hoarding of technology is understandable. In 2077, mankind demonstrated that it wasn't capable of using technology in a responsible manner. Heck, given what Ulysses tried to do at the Divide, and what Hank did at Shady Sands, mankind arguably STILL isn't capable.

So what alternative is there but to keep that technology safe, away from the reckless hands that would abuse it, until humanity develops the maturity and restraint to show technology its peoper reverence?

The Brotherhood is also not without its reformers. This is explicitly why Maximus chooses to return to them! He speaks with Cleric Quintus about improving the Brotherhood, making it match the idealised image he once held. He no longer holds illusions about what the Brotherhood is, but he still believes in its mission, in what it could become.

Even when they have disagreed with one another, the Brotherhood has always shared a common (noble) goal. Christine Royce and Father Elijah didn't see eye to eye on how the technologies of Big MT and the Sierra Madre should be used, but they both shared the same ultimate vision; Rodger Maxon's vision, a vision of a world where mankind worshipped technology rather than misusing it. A better world.

Hi Anonymous person.

I mean, look. I'm not the Thought Police. You're free to like any Fallout faction you like, and I'm not going to hunt you down and bother you about it. But ... I mean, you've asked, and I'm really confused about what you're saying here.

I ... don't understand why you're putting this forward as a defence? This is kind of my whole point. If some individuals in the Brotherhood were bigoted, that might reasonably make them terrible – or at least misguided – people, but it might not say anything about the institution itself.

But the genocidal impulses are built into Brotherhood doctrine. Wanting to murder groups of people because they don't fit into your vision (religious or otherwise) of a perfect world is ... bad. I mean it's very bad. It's one of the worst things you can want to do. It's very much a despairing "war never changes" thing.

I know what Arthur Maxson says. I'm not disputing that the Brotherhood really, truly believes that mass murder is a good thing. It's just that my response to that is "Go fuck yourself, Arthur."

I genuinely do not understand why you're calling my assertion of bigotry unfair. I noted that I do not like the Brotherhood because they are genocidal toward mutants and Synths, and you have agreed that they very much are, and not only that but that this is a core part of their belief system. So ... that's that.

Huh? No he doesn't. Maximus very definitely does not do that.

For much of the show, Maximus lies to other people about his name and status in order to protect himself. He also lies to himself, somewhat, about what he wants out of life.

The fact that Maximus shows little investment in the Brotherhood's ideals is one of the things that keeps him sympathetic, even when he's stomping around in power armour (he calls the Brotherhood's mission "weird" when Lucy points out the inherent contradictions).

His time in Vault 4, combined with his exposure to Lucy, allows him the space to grow as a person, and to start telling the truth. Truth works with her in a way that it did not with Thaddeus, who was never going to side with Maximus against Brotherhood guns. What Maximus really wants is Shady Sands back: specifically a world where Shady Sands was never destroyed, and he could have eaten well and gone to school and lived a completely different life. Failing that, what he wants is peace. This is what he says "explicitly": that he wants to live in peace and not go to war.

Maximus returns to the Brotherhood with a decoy head to allow Lucy to complete her mission. He does this because one of the things he has to admit to himself is that the deal he made with her was bullshit. He simply doesn't have the clout to force the issue, and the Brotherhood isn't going to help out a vault dweller having a rough week for moral reasons.

Lucy is confused by this sudden change of plans: she only knows Maximus, so she thinks the Brotherhood must be "the good guys". Both Maximus and Thaddeus know better: they've lived through Brotherhood brutality.

One key problem that both Lucy and Maximus have is that they've never really delved into what the head is for, so whether it's safe or good to deliver it anywhere in particular doesn't factor into their plans. It's just a MacGuffin to them: Lucy needs it to rescue her dad; Maximus needs it so the Brotherhood doesn't murder him.

Consequently, Maximus is at least initially fine with using his knowledge of the head's location to save his own arse – moreover, leading the Brotherhood to the head will also take him back to Lucy. He confides to his friend Dane that he intends to flee with Lucy at the first opportunity; Dane laments that they don't believe there is a way to escape. I don't know where this "Maximus enthusiastically reforms the Brotherhood" idea is coming from. In his head, Maximus is already deep underground, wearing Vault 33's fluffiest dressing gown, and never hearing about any of this crap ever again.

However, The Beginning is largely about disillusionment. For Norm and Cooper, this means engaging in some espionage to uncover Vault-Tec's evil plans – and their loved ones' complicity in those plans. For Lucy and Maximus, it means recontextualising the childhood memories that shaped them.

As Lucy listens to Moldaver's story, she reflects on her childhood memory of standing in a cornfield with her mother. She realises that she really did stand beneath the sun in a rebuilt civilisation, and that her father's insistence that she was in the vault the whole time is a lie intended to conceal his own crimes.

As Maximus listens to Quintus's horrifying little speech about conquering the wasteland, he reflects on his childhood image of the Brotherhood as heroes and saviours. In the present, the Brotherhood has just forcibly occupied the town of Filly (this is bad!), has come very close to summarily executing him (also not what you'd call good!) and is about to force him to go to war against a group of people who have not at any point in the series threatened them, purely because they have some tech the Brotherhood wants (really fucking awful, if you think about it!).

If Maximus has any mission at this point beyond getting the hell out of there and finding Lucy – it is wresting control of the cold fusion technology from the Brotherhood's hands. Because Moldaver bequeaths her cause to him with her dying breath.

What do you suppose your Brotherhood would do with infinite power? Maybe you can stop them. Maybe you can't. Maybe all you can do is try. – Lee Moldaver, Fallout: The Beginning

Maximus is a child of Shady Sands. He's a citizen of the NCR. The expression on his face when the Brotherhood vertibirds open fire on the people fleeing across the compound is understandably appalled. He attacks Hank when he learns what he did to his home. Moldaver knows none of this. She just knows the expression on Maximus's face when the lights go on across the city – and she reaches out to him because that's enough to hope.

So ... no? Really no. Maximus does not explicitly return to the Brotherhood to embrace Quintus's bullshit.

I mean ... Dead Money is not a story about rational people making good choices. I don't think the "unhealthy obsession DLC" is a great example of anything but what not to do. Christine is a tragic figure. Her absolute best ending leaves her as something that is almost literally the ghost of an old-world film star, forever haunting the Sierra Madre. She's also clearly paralleling the fate of her lost love, Veronica: Veronica is keenly aware that the Brotherhood's ideology leads to an ugly dead end, but she can neither change them nor escape them and becomes a kind of ghost herself.

These are not pro-Brotherhood stories.

But I mean ... I'm not trying to somehow dispute that many Brotherhood members believe to some extent in Brotherhood ideals. I know how indoctrination works.

You're assuming the "noble" part. What I am saying is that I don't believe the Brotherhood's goals are noble, good, or helpful. I think they should stop doing what they're doing. I think the hoarding and the dogmatism and the genocide are ... well, wrong. I don't think Roger Maxson has a "better world". I think he and his men couldn't handle the guilt of being involved in unethical experiments themselves, and the Brotherhood has just been reacting badly to their collective trauma across generations.

It's not that I think the Brotherhood of Steel is absolutely incapable of change: in theory they could stop hoarding and murdering and generally being arseholes. But then they would not really be the Brotherhood of Steel anymore. And I think it is unlikely that that will happen, because the kinds of problems they cause are useful for the sorts of stories the Fallout series wants to tell.

So I'm probably stuck with them for the foreseeable future. And I still have no time for any of them.

#fallout #fallout 4 #fallout tv series #fallout tv spoilers #fallout new vegas

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