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gayelderstourney · 10 months

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OLD WOMAN YURI BRACKET ROUND 1

Propaganda:

Gertrude Robinson/Agnes Montague:

They are canonically soulmates thanks to a ritual Gertrude preformed to stop Agnes from causing the apocalypse. They both love arson (chaos granny’s for the win) . There’s this scene where someone points out Gertrude’s arsonistic tendencies and she unprompted just goes “remind me to tell you about Agnes sometime” in the most fondest tone EVER. And Agnes calls Gertrude her anchor. They’re very important to me

According to canon, they only physically met once. The canon is dumb and wrong They're bound together by a literal string of fate. One that prevents Agnes from fullfilling her destiny as the literal antichrist. She's probably grateful for it, she never asked to be born as the chosen one of the Cult of Lightless Flame. She can never have a normal life or touch another person without hurting her. Gertrude is a mortal human being and stubbornly remains so, even though she's so deeply tangled in the affairs of all the different eldritch fear entities. Yet she was able to save Agnes from her destiny by binding their fates together. I think they're both deeply lonely people, and there's so many narrative parallels between them. They orbit each other like twin stars. You can't tell me there's not something poetically homoerotic about them. This is yuri

Buddy Aurinko/Vespa Ilkay:

They are WIVES! They are part of a criminal family and they mean so much to eachother

They're like the Thelma and Louise of space crime. There's amnesia, there's prison, there's slavery, there's scifi decay of their bodies. But they find each other again. And they love each other.

i support women's right but most importantly i support women's wrongs. they met when they were young and did grand heists together as lovers, as a master thief and a master assassin. then something went wrong during a job and they both thought the other was dead. oops. but during the podcast's storyline they meet again, have a bit of a moment, save each other's lives, fix their relationship and fall in love again <3 no technically canon age but they are presumed to be in their 50s at least. also they're married and retired now

They have the most tragic story.. They’ve been thief partners for five years before a confrontation with the authorities, during which Vespa falls off a skyscraper and is presumed dead (by everyone except Buddy). Buddy was arrested and spent eight years in prison, and after being released she went to their agreed meeting place and waited for Vespa for years, almost dying from radiation poisoning (!). Vespa actually survived and was captured into slavery, during which she also suffered from radiation sickness. Eventually they are reunited, having not seen each other for fifteen years, and renew their relationship. Now they are married and retired together :)

#polls #round 1 #gay elders tourney #tournament poll #gertrude robinson #agnes montague #the magnus archives #buddy aurinko #vespa ilkay #penumbra podcast

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alexrosekey · 5 months

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Oh boy, this is gonna be my longest submission for the @hprecfest to date. Buckle up my friends, the road ahead will be teary with little to no sunshine and rainbows. HEA is not guaranteed, though one has a little more hopeful ending than the others (I'll let you guess which one 👀)

I take absolutely no responsibility for the possible heartache you feel after reading my recs.

*Most of the fics below are rareships , all but the first one.

1. Seven Minutes by starkidsftw (T, 60,588, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy)

They say after you die, your brain stays alive for seven minutes. And in those seven minutes, you live your entire life over again. When Draco Malfoy's seven minutes arrived, he did relive his life: his experiences, his mistakes, his memories. But most importantly, he relived being with her. He relived hating her, loving her, and then ruining it forever.

A Dramione 6th year AU, how typical. But my breath was taken away with how beautiful and poetic the writing was, how in-character both Draco and Hermione were as well as how believable their journey from enemies to lovers was.

This fic is Draco-centric, though the romance is one of the key parts in it. Seven Minutes explored Draco's thoughts and actions throughout the fateful sixth year at Hogwarts with great care and consideration, never shying away from the more unsavory aspects of his personality unlike many Hogwarts Dramione fics.

Draco, through the exceptional crafting of the author, appeared as both sympathetic and pathetic, yet very human and understandable.

After reading it the first time, I immediately reread it while listening to Dumbledore's Farewell OST, crying my eyeballs out.

The author of this one has several much more popular Dramione fics and in fact has an ao3 account, but SM remains one of the finest Dramione fic I've ever read.

*This fic could be put under the prompts of Day 5: A non-AO3 fic, Day 8: A canon-divergence fic, Day 21: A thought-provoking fic and Day 28: An under-rated fic.

2. Beauty and the Beast by @metalomagnetic (M, 21,209, Bellatrix Lestrange/Voldemort)

Whenever Voldemort sees beauty, he wants to destroy it. Bellatrix Black endures.

As I said to dear @metalomagnetic on Discord: "Your fic destroyed me." Who would have thought that one day, I would read a Bellamort fic, getting choked up over their tragic tale at work?

Through the masterful stroke of the author, Bellatrix Lestrange became much more multidimensional and fascinating. More than just a sadistic and insane femme fatale, Bella in BatB loved strongly, felt deeply and had had her heart broken. She was devoted to what she believed in, in this case her freedom to live outside of the strict Pureblood ideals for women, and Voldemort.

Voldemort, as always, shined in the hands of metalomagnetic. He was absolutely unapologetic, unhinged, with wrapped views and formidable presence. To witness his spiral downward first hand was both tragic and mesmerizing.

So please, if you could get over your misgivings about JK's terrible portrayal of Bellamort in canon (and *cough* CC *cough*), give this fic a try. You won't regret it.

(If you're a fan of Tom Riddle/Voldemort like me or a fan of canon-accurate Sirius Black, I highly recommend you to check out metalomagnetic's other fics 😉)

*This fic could be put under the prompts of Day 6: An unreliable narrator fic, Day 7: A canon-compliant fic and Day 9: A rare pair fic (less than 2000 fics on AO3).

3. Tiveden by NoFootprintsInSand (M, 1,594, Hermione Granger/Tom Riddle | Voldemort)

Hope tastes like copper.

There's a reason why despite not rereading this fic for a while now, I could still remember everything in it vividly. Two people got stranded together in the middle of nowhere is a common trope. But this fic went above and beyond to deliver one of the most agonizing and sorrowful twist to it.

To quote one of the comments: He had nothing to live for and she had everything to die for. Like the summary, this fic left a bitter, coppery aftertaste on your tongue after reading.

*This fic could be put under the prompt of Day 1: A favorite fic under 5k and Day 8: A canon-divergence fic.

4. I Think I Know Enough of Hate (1,392) and This Living Hand, Now Warm and Capable (1,287) by NoFootprintsInSand (M, Hermione Granger/Lucius Malfoy)

Hermione and Lucius and the prelude to battle.

and

Hermione and Lucius and the aftermath of battle.

Just getting into Lumione since July, but whenever I'm in the mood for a good punch in the gut, I would immediately go to these two oneshots.

NoFootprintsInSand is a master in weaving beautifully haunting and bittersweet tales, and these two are no exception.

The tragedy that is the corrupted British Wizarding Society as well as the pain of a hollow existence, of pointless conflicts and never-ending power struggle, all portrayed phenomenally through the short, sharp paragraphs and sentences.

Lucius and Hermione's relationship was both twisted and tragic, filled with so much desire and contempt, both for each other and for themselves. Yet there was something more underneath, something speak of love and concern but at the same time not. Whatever it was, it made them cling to one another, wrapping up in a tangle of love and hate and obsession.

Each word and phrase were designed for maximum emotional effect, so unforgettable and effective that shook you to the core. The ambiguity of the fic's context added to the desperate and melancholic vibe of the oneshots.

The stories left so much up to interpretation that I've decided to write an AU WIP to explore them more on my own! (with the permission from the og writer)

*These fics could be put under the prompts of Day 1: A favorite fic under 5k, Day 8: A canon-divergence fic, and Day 9: A rare pair fic (less than 2000 fics on AO3).

All 5 fics in this list can also be put under the prompt of Day 17: A fic that made you cry.

As always, happy reading, and see ya next year 💋

In the meantime, check out my rec list for other days.

Day 13: A fic with over 100k words

Day 16: A fic that made you laughed

Day 19: Fic with the hottest smut

Day 22: An unfinished fic (hasn't updated in 10 years or the author stated it has been abandoned)

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ink-dusted-dreams · 11 months

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An Analysis of Tomoe and Kenshin’s Relationship Part 1

16 years ago when I was just 12, I watched Rurouni Kenshin with its action-filled scenes, which intrigued me. However, it was not until a year later when I read the manga, that I truly fell for the relationship between Kenshin and Tomoe. As someone who never had a great interest in romance stories, that love story inspired me to fall in love and left me questioning how real love could be. Yet, I was left feeling disappointed as the intricacies of this extraordinary love was never fully explored.

The spiritual, transcendental connection between the two characters was so powerful and poetic that it stayed with me ever since, stirring up feelings of both pain and joy. While I am grateful for the story, I cannot help but to think that with a different writer and Seinen genre, justice could have been done in truly reflecting the complexity of such transcendental love between two characters in the Bakumatsu period and Boshin Sensō.

On the other hand, the OVA was a heart-wrenching masterpiece; the artful quality of each frame was eerie, poignant and touched me deeply.

Going beyond the surface, this analysis delves into the depths of Kenshin's feelings for Tomoe, exploring her role in his life and how the manga portrays their dynamic.

The sorrow that consumed Kenshin after Tomoe's death was overwhelming, a sensation he simply could not shake. One can only imagine, in the depths of his despair, was he also filled with a fury that she had chosen such a tragic ending?

Kenshin had spent more than a decade facing the repercussions of his past, unable to accept the finality of life and his beloved Tomoe in death. Only after the end of his Kyoto epilogue, ten long years later, had he finally found the courage to confront his grief and pay homage to her grave.

As the chapters progress, Kenshin finally locked eyes with the now-grown Enishi, a vision of the beloved Tomoe appeared before him. He let out an anguished cry, as if desperately trying to reach her.

Kenshin is a seasoned killer, yet after finding out Enishi was seeking vengeance, he cannot withstand the onslaught of Tomoe's visions. Even after ten years, her trauma remains buried in his heart, an ache so deep it's all-consuming.

As pages turn, we learn that Kenshin's scar starts with a story of pain and injustice. It's a tale of unfulfilled love, of a man named Kiyosato Akira, denied his most basic desire, a simple wish to be with the woman he loved, who also loved him back. He was a helpless figure in the midst of a deadly and fanatical revolution, and his life was taken in an instant, and all that remained of him was a single scar upon the face of his murderer. A scar born of anguish, injustice, and unfulfilled desires.

Kenshin had only been a young teenager when he was full of idealistic naïveté and dreams of making a change, no matter the cost. But by the time he encountered Tomoe, Kenshin had already taken the lives of over hundred people, leaving psychological scars that would haunt him; a chill of violence that even the Sake tasted like blood on his tongue - perhaps a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Kenshin and Tomoe's initial encounter was an enthralling visual of windswept emotions and tragedies that seemed to have been embedded in a Kabuki play. Tomoe began by saying, “They always say at tragic scenes, a rain of blood falls... but you really made it.. rain blood..” Her cryptic comment portrayed a sense of cynicism. Despite being in the midst of such violence and chaos, her composed expression betrayed neither surprise nor fear.

These apt words may have been derived from Yudono no Chôbê, Kiwametsuki Banzui Chôbê, a kabuki play that dates back to 1881 (although that is slightly later than when the manga takes place). The story connotes the phrase “Chi no ame wo furasu” (Make it rain blood) which translates to “creating casualties with sword.” It indeed painted a vivid picture of sorrow and desolation which Tomoe was able to express with incredible poignancy.

Kenshin was determined to keep the powerful, honorable legacy of Battousai under wraps. Yet, when Tomoe stumbled across his slaying, the first thought that should have occurred to him -- yet tragically failed to -- was how to rid her of the knowledge. But as their fateful encounter unfolded, his other senses were suddenly assailed; the sweet aroma of her white plum perfume eclipsing the staining smell of blood, that seemed to remain present everywhere and followed him. I thought it was at that moment that Kenshin would have felt a spark of attraction toward Tomoe.

In Chapter 168 of the manga, Kenshin is forced to confront the impossible moral dilemma, posed to him by Tomoe: "So, bad people carry swords and good people don't? If I had been carrying a sword that night, would you have killed me?" Kenshin tries desperately to defend his beliefs, to explain the nuances of his sense of morality, that he only kills those who do violence to others. But in the face of her piercing question, he is left struggling to find the answer.

Amidst all the chaos, it was made starkly clear: the Kenshin, who typically disinterestedly refuses to engage in anything personal, was curiously transfixed with her, a notion that would have been otherwise unimaginable to his famed persona, the renowned Battousai. He was consumed by a youthful fascination with her, though seemingly unaware of its implications.

Tomoe gazed upon a sleeping Kenshin, whom she had called the vanguard of mad justice, and was taken aback by how young he really was. As soon as he sensed her presence, he instinctively drew his katana, ready to strike--- although it stood in stark contrast to his adamant belief that he would never kill an innocent.

Tomoe, unruffled by that sudden action, asked him to “let her be his sheath”, restraining his mad justice, while simultaneously reminding Kenshin of the question he put to her the previous chapter--- whether he would have killed her had he possessed the sword.

Hesitantly yet intensely, Kenshin replied that he would never be able to do such a thing, not to her. It almost felt like an unconscious confession--- for neither one of them were aware of whether the other was a friend or an enemy at that point.

It was perhaps at that moment when unexpected vulnerability was shown by the feared Battousai that Tomoe started to feel an irresistible compassion, perhaps even attraction towards him.

In Chapter 170, Kenshin, ever the vigilant sentinel, finds himself lulled into a sense of security he rarely experiences - so much so that he doesn't even rouse at the sound of Iizuka opening the door. Perhaps he finds peace just from Tomoe's presence, a demonstration of how much he has welcomed her into his life and learned to trust her.

The triumphant return of the Shinsengumi was not without consequence. The Chōshū Isshin Shishi had been raided, leaving a cloud of uncertainty and insecurity in its wake. Knowing this, Katsura Kogoro strongly urged Kenshin to go in hiding with Tomoe, for a young couple would have an easier time evading suspicion than a lone man.

But it was in the face of this peril that Kenshin suddenly declared his love for Tomoe and asked her to be his wife until death did them part. The gravity of the situation, the revolutionary forces at work and ever-looming danger of death gave this newfound romance an air of irrevocable finality. They smiled at each other in a sea of turmoil, perhaps aware of the magnetism drawing them ever closer, the snowballing affection as though the path of their future had already been decided.

In chapter 172, Iizuka was taken aback when he encountered Kenshin at the hideout, surrounded by reports of bloodshed and disarray in the city. What struck him even more was that despite the chaos, Kenshin was calm and content. Iizuka was left to ponder what eluded peace could possibly be in Kenshin's life - and the answer came soon enough - that Kenshin found solace in five months surrounded by Tomoe; in a life devoid of violence, where he could practice his beloved Kenjutsu without the worry of taking a life.

As the chapter progressed, Tomoe was in her usual melancholic state, while something radically different was present in Kenshin. A happiness like he had never experienced before shone from his now unguarded, beaming face. The past five months of living with Tomoe had taught him what his life was meant for - happiness.

We also witness Kenshin relinquish all apprehension and wariness, exposing his personal life to Tomoe -- the adversities from his infancy as a famine-stricken orphan that took the lives of his family. His suffered untold hardships throughout the voyage of his life.

For Tomoe however, the wall of sadness still remained, however palpable Kenshin's happiness had become.

In the next chapter, as Kenshin encounters Enishi visiting his sister, suspicions naturally arise. Izuka, Katsura, and Tomoe are the only individuals who would have the knowledge of the place. But rather than pass judgement, Kenshin places his faith and full trust in Tomoe. Conjoined with the newfound realization of his being unaware of Tomoe having a brother, Kenshin begins to understand his limited understanding of her.

#rurouni kenshin #kenshin x tomoe

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bardinthezone · 1 year

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Night Vale and the Power of Stories

So I’ve been losing my mind about this latest arc. Full hyperfixation. Studying for finals? Calling my parents? Enjoying other hobbies? Eating?? Who’s she, never heard of her. There is only the “#wtnv spoilers” tag.

Anyways, inspired primarily by this post, this post, and this post, I have been thinking about Night Vale as a place of stories.

Night Vale is a deeply weird place. It is a place where all the crazy conspiracies and contradictions and creepy crawlies can coexist (try saying that 5 times fast), and it is built on stories.

We know from “109: A Story About Huntokar” that Huntokar singlehandedly saved the town from nuclear destruction in 1983. This in and of itself is beautiful, tragic, terrifying and wonderful (I could write a whole essay on the lasting effects of the Cold War on the American psyche and how that’s impacted our media, but that’s not what this post is about). But what Huntokar says in describing this moment is fascinating: “ The people of Night Vale huddled, waiting for the end to their story.” The use of the word “story” here is so poignant and poetic. This was her town, a narrative she had lovingly followed since its inception, with an ever rotating cast of characters, finally seeming as though it would come to an end. And yet she managed to continue their story. The people of Night Vale, of every alternate universe Night Vale, are kept alive because Huntokar wanted to keep the narrative going. It is a town kept alive-- inverted and shattered and bizarre, but alive-- because someone saw the tale coming to an end and wasn’t satisfied with that. Night Vale is a place of stories.

And Cecil. Cecil Gershwin-Palmer is such a wonderful enigma. He’s a deeply troubled man, he’s the town’s beloved radio host, he is the voice of Night Vale. As the town’s only (?) regular source of news, he carries incredible weight in shaping the public’s perception of reality. It is his radio show that keeps the people informed through all of these earth-shattering events-- it is Cecil who, for as goofy and cringefail (thank you @bigcommunist for that phrase) as he can be, has been responsible for keeping his citizens safe. In “227: A Word With Dr. Jones,” Dr. Janet Lubelle notes that one of his traits is “town leadership.” When Cecil speaks, things happen. He rallies the people, against Strexcorp or the Beagle Puppy or Steve Carlsberg and his dry, dry scones. Hell, he says “weather” and everyone stops, or sometimes (Like in “204: Audition”) it literally saves his life. @lostboywriting raises a fascinating theory about Cecil having inadvertently brought the Faceless Old Woman into existence through his repression of his complicated relationship with his mother-- and while this contradicts with the backstory presented in "The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives Inside Your Home," who’s to say that both origins can’t be true, with how splintered and fractured Night Vale’s existence (and especially relation to time) is? Perhaps Cecil, as the Voice Of Night Vale, is capable of changing the world more than he knows.

Either way, this is why Dr. Lubelle’s Explaining of the town has so much of a tangible effect on it-- because she’s coming in and using something “empirical” to change the narrative. That is why she’s so threatening-- because how do you argue with the facts? How do you argue with science? She is using logic to insist that her reality is right, that these stories and poetics used to keep the town alive are meaningless. That it would be better for them to not exist than to exist outside her narrative. She said it herself-- she cannot imagine that anyone thinks differently to herself about anything, and she is all to happy to provide any who disagrees with an Explanation. No matter the cost.

In 227, Cecil remarks that “Science is not good or bad, as language is not good or bad, as religion is not good or bad, because humans are not inherently good or bad.” This sets up a fascinating play between science, language, and religion that I think is perfectly encapsulated by Dr. Lubelle, representing science, Cecil, representing language, and Huntokar, representing religion. Whether she knows it or not, Dr. Lubelle is directly undoing all of the hard work of Huntokar, and attempting to use Cecil as the most powerful tool at her disposal.

And this works in conjunction with my distinction of the What vs. the Why. We can take the incursion point of November 7th, 1983, and view it through both lenses. From Huntokar’s perspective, we get the Why: Night Vale was in danger, and it needed saving, so she saved it. But from Dr Lubelle’s perspective, we just get the What: Night Vale was the target of a nuclear missile. Nuclear missiles are unstoppable by any force known to science. This is a town that should have been empty for 40 years.

I posit a world in which Dr. Lubelle reduces Night Vale to what it “should be:” A town ruined by nuclear destruction. The empirical facts, the anchors that held Night Vale down to reality, the threads that Huntokar broke-- Dr. Lubelle is seeking to tie them back together. And with the Voice of Night Vale on her side, Explained and ready to share the Truth, of course she can make that happen. Perhaps Huntokar takes center stage again to show that science is not the end-all-be-all. Perhaps Carlos steps in to replace Dr. Lubelle as the Scientist in this equation, to provide a good alternative to her callous methods.

Or I could be totally off-base with that prediction. I imagine the bodies being dug up in the sand wastes and the murals of flesh will play a major role in the finale. Maybe she’ll uncover the splintered realities of Night Vale and won’t know how to explain them away. Hell, people keep hyping up a Desert Bluffs return, what with the Sandstorm tapes and the talk of doubles-- Maybe Kevin and Lauren will be the “religion” in the triumvirate, and drive Dr. Lubelle mad with their unrelenting fervor. Who knows? I have my theories, but I’m just excited to see where this all goes.

Also from a meta perspective, this is 100% harkening back to all those early-days fan theories that “Night Vale is a normal town and Cecil is just off his rocker” (Thanks @maxgicalgirl for that one!). Welcome To Night Vale is a show that has never been about continuity and tight lore-- it’s about spinning a fun narrative, it’s about the poetry, the music, the aesthetics; it’s about everything that Dr. Lubelle HATES. From a meta perspective, Dr. Lubelle is every theorist who tries to ruin the magic of a story, who nitpicks it endlessly because it doesn’t adhere to how the “real world” functions. She doesn’t care about why story elements are included, she just needs what’s included to adhere to her worldview. And I can’t wait to see her get taken down, no matter how it happens.

Thanks again to @maxgicalgirl, @lostboywriting, @eclipse-song, and everyone who’s been sharing their thoughts about the latest arc on tumblr. I would not be writing this without y’all!!

#im sorry to everyone who says shes hot but shes basically a colonizer #''im new to your community but your culture is backwards and wrong''#''let me fix it with my superior science and reasoning''#shes so evil i hate her /pos #finknor wrote her so well #and janet varney is an incredible VA #i cannot express how much I love this arc so far #i really hope we get more on the 1983 storyline because that is just positively fascinating #a town that should have died long ago #that should have been reduced to ashes #and yet here they are #lubelle would fucking hate that if she found out #also WHATS GONNA HAPPEN TO EVERYONE WHO GETS EXPLAINED???#cause if cecil is getting explained i dont think itll be permanent #but #ough its just so GOOD #also carlos. my man. where are you. when are you gonna show yourself #when will we get to know your tragic backstory cause there is SOMETHING going on there #i swear she was just trying to get to carlos and the rest of the town was an added bonus #wtnv spoilers #wtnv 227 #wtnv #welcome to night vale #welcome to night vale spoilers #cecil gershwin palmer #dr janet lubelle #uowii #huntokar

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sporesgalaxy · 2 years

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Please tell me more about anime norse mythology i am deeply invested from only two posts

well, if u look in the tag theres some more character designs.....the story is extremely not finished being made tho. summer srendarrsmercy and i have some groundwork laid out but there's a lot of stuff to fill in still. and also my memory isnt the best and these r the notes i took last time she and i had a long talk abt it

so Im sure I'll miss details 2 say the least

•••

But uhhhhh I guess the gist is that like. It's based heavily on the Poetic Edda + Prose Edda + some of Summer & I's favorite fragmentary info........but aalso we have taken a ton of artistic liberty just for grins and giggles.........and the theme is maybe probably going to have to do with overcoming your fated demise with the power of anime friendship.......

So. First of all. Odin fucking left on a Journey a long ass time ago, told no one where he was going nor why, and Asgard has just kind of been trying to figure out what to do with themselves for a while now.

there is some kind of magic school that 4 of the 5 main characters go to (dont worry abt why theres a magic school. we came up w a reason I literally cant remember rn. Im sure the reason explains the following 2 things better as well). Hel can't be very hands-on but she is sort of overseeing this whole magic school thing. Her brother Fenrir is still bound by the magic ribbon but has been given enough slack to help her out with this.

the 2 MAIN main protagonists are Sunna, daughter of Sol the Sun Goddess, and Hjuki, who was informally adopted by Mani the Moon God (along with his younger sister Bill). Sol and Mani are being chased by wolves rn though :( (There was some more stuff going on w that that I know Ive forgotten as well aggh)

& maybe introduced as Rivals & then later teaming up w them we have Loki and Sigyn's daughter Narfi, along with her cousin (slash informally adoptive brother), Odin's youngest son Váli.

Presumably these teens will get up to some shenanigans. Folks familiar with the Rival Teen Duo will b aware that they have a terrible tragic fate. They Do Not Know This.......Yet. :( This kind of stuff is why we have to destroy fate w the power of friendship bro

Meanwhile on Midgard this elementary schooler is making crop circles every day and she does such a good job and we love her for it.

But seriously Magic was Lost Somehow on Midgard and she and Hjuki are the first humans in a long time to be able to wield it. She takes to it much more naturally than Hjuki, but is too young for magic school and also maybe is so powerful that she might be seen as a problem and therefore needs to be kept secret on Midgard.

#anime norsemythology

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beaulesbian · 10 months

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Good omens s2 spoilers,

(and some meta and theories for s3)

So i finished s2!! And im crying a bit! It was so good and funny, as it was tragic and sad. I feel it was everything it needed to be!

Yeah, we need to get season 3 because it's a 3 part act, i can see that now. And it was there since s1, it was beautifully set up, and what we saw in s2 was everything crowley felt so deeply, even more than s1, and he was ready, and aziraphale could be too, but isnt quite there yet.

The heartbreakingly poetic way that if crowley agreed what aziraphale wanted in the end of s2, just to be with him - they wouldnt be equal anymore. Second in command? Thats laughable! And crowley is allowed to be hurt by that (and i hope that is explored in s3), bc after 6000 years spent side by side with his angel, where they both knew they were on their own side and trusted each other, suddenly the scales would be tipped to the side? Even after they learnt neither hell or heaven are good enough, even wanted them dead? (Something that crowley doesnt forget). yet aziraphale still believes (or believed) - believed that heaven could still be the best for all of them, even for crowley, even after everything.

and crowley cant do anything about that anymore. He can only wait, i think, again.

(And even if the ending hints that aziraphale could go to heaven to prevent what metatron/heaven plans, be the spy or inside job guy, its sad and heartbreaking it had to be this way.)

Uff this hurts, but the angst of it all is so good!!

I dont know what i was expecting going into season 2, i tried not to see many promos or spoilers, i mostly missed these two and wanted to see what shenanigans they will get themselves in and out of, and that was accomplished!

Sure, some things could have been better or done differently, but overall im here for the angst thats to come from all fanworks, and hopefully s3 announcement sometime soon, bc we need that conclusion 🤞😇😈

#good omens #good omens 2 #go season 2 #go s2 spoilers #go spoilers #go2 spoilers #what are all the tags?? OTL so many of them #spoilers #good omens spoilers #good omens s2 #good omens s2 spoilers #ineffable husbands #im probably not making much sense i just need to communicate these thoughts #also im here for the angst oohh boy!! it was great.

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cocogum · 1 year

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Casey is lost.

It’s tragic to realize that the original timeline was supposed to truly end with everyone dying on their own by sacrificing themselves to protect what’s left of their home planet.

Despite the low numbers and chances of survival from this whole experience, the brothers did not care and still kept trying to live until their last breaths.

Because of this movie, we come to find out that all the funny shenanigans and good memories that the Hamato family experienced were for it to all end in tragedy and loneliness.

It’s strange to think that THIS was in actuality the original timeline (and demise) for the turtles. Because it’s a bit hard to believe that they had created so many memories together during missions that they finally can’t complete one. And yet, it’s the most realistic ending for these four.

With so many good things happening to you, you’re bound to receive some bad ones later on. Yes, the turtles had a long life and managed to get so many adventures before it all came crashing down on them. And maybe that’s fine. Maybe that’s acceptable. They died in tragedy but a good sleep will do them good.

Not to mention that it’s quite ironic and poetic that all of those horrific tragedies happened because of Leo’s cockiness.

It all started with Leo. And it ended with Leo.

There is a reoccurring theme in the movie that keeps on supporting Leo no matter what action he presses on the team to do.

And that is the theme of time.

Throughout the movie, there was a repeated conversation about the same topic going on between Leo and Donnie that introduces the idea that no matter how a situation may look impossible, anything is possible. Donnie seems to reject that way of thinking while Leo completely adopts it. We have Donnie explaining why this belief of his brother is deeply flawed based on the reality of things and how not everything just coincidentally goes according to him.

This theme took place in two scenes.

The first was right in the beginning with the pizza box challenge and the second was when they were about to sneak into Krang’s ship.

But it looks like whatever type of danger was thrown at the family, it seems like Leo’s perseverance and unbelievable luck were right all along while Donnie’s logic and realistic views were mistaken.

Or as Leo delicately puts it:

“Donnie’s WRONG!”

Yeah, sure everything went fine after Leo put Krang back in the prison dimension but this success means that a new timeline has been added to the original one.

Saving the world before Krang could have had access to his army meant that the timeline split itself and now has a second-time branch.

This not only reinforces the fact that rise!tmnt is inconspicuously darker than it intends to be, but it also means something big for Casey.

He’ll never actually see his timeline again.

He’ll never see his masters and his mother.

And he’ll never know what happened to the rest of his comrades who were fighting before Casey entered the portal made by Mikey.

Your choices are what shape you as a person over time. Now that the events of the past have been altered, it’s highly likely that the Hamato family will not act the same way Casey once knew them as.

Just because Casey knows these people, that doesn’t mean they’ll grow up to act the same way they did in his timeline.

Even though everyone had a happy ending, Casey is, unfortunately, the only one who doesn’t have one whether he realizes it or not. His friends and family aren’t there. They were long gone in a future that has been unwillingly abandoned by him.

He would literally never see the people he cares about ever again.

Casey might not even meet himself in this timeline.

It is unclear who his father could be but the chances of Cassandra meeting him again without the apocalypse could be very thin.

The krang invasion is what brought people from everywhere together. This is where she must’ve met him and had Casey. So since the krang’s attack never happened in this timeline, Cassandra might never meet Casey’s father and have him.

Leo was so caught up in the events of the potential threat of the Krang invasion that he, along with everyone else, did not think about the consequences that it would bring.

Everything comes with a price.

Whether they won or lost the battle, there would always be good things and bad things trailing their actions.

This is one of them.

Defeating the Krang before the invasion could happen has likely made sure that Casey won’t exist in this timeline.

Sure, the Casey from the timeline where they lost against the Krang can still live in the second timeline. But he’ll be aware that he’ll never exist in this one. In a timeline where people don’t have to live in caves, don’t have to eat rats for every meal of the day, don’t have to constantly hide in fear of getting killed, don’t have to listen to horrifying stories about the invaders, and don’t have to hear the cries and wailing of the people who lost their loved ones during missions.

His existence never belonged in a happy carefree one.

“Our future isn’t written until WE write it!”

Leo’s quote may be the cruellest thing Casey has ever heard.

Can you imagine being in one of the turtles’ shoes?? Like they have to eat rats for dinner that’s like trying to eat your dad’s ancestry. And they eat that for EVERY SINGLE MEAL for the rest of their lives??? Who even decided that they should all eat rats?!!!?!

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alliluyevas · 2 years

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Top 5 asoiaf characters?

thank youuuuu

catelyn...i've said this before but i do think she's the most transformative and groundbreaking character in the series like. the decision to make her be such a central point of narrative and character development and allowing her thoughts and feelings and character to take center stage when a hundred lesser works would have made her a supporting character in ned and robb's stories. showstopping brilliant awe inspiring etc. also her chapters are just so visceral and real and emotional and heartrending. no lie i read most catelyn chapters esp post-agot through a thin film of tears. i also think she's really fascinating as an exploration of female anger and the vengeance/justice conundrum especially as someone who is very gender conforming and has played by the rules most of her life. soooo good her narrative is so rich and poetic and tragic.

theon...i literally cannot talk about theon without sounding like an insane person but he is everything to me. his arc has so much interesting to say about gender and trauma and cultural alienation and cycles of violence and identity and i also think he's probably the character that evolves the most simply because his two books might as well be two different people but they're not and they tie together beautifully and painfully. i totally slept on acok theon until after i read adwd theon but acok theon is also like an incredible read in of itself, and then that story goes to a completely unexpected yet deeply compelling second act. so good!

jaime...jaime is such a FUN character in some ways he is genuinely funny and has such deep charisma but he is also a pathetic little flop worm and then weirdly and endearingly earnest on top of it all. he's evil lancelot and he's tyrion's mother figure and he's a maladjusted little boy who wanted to grow up to be a hero....good shit.

brienne...i love brienne. this is a pattern obviously but i think her story is an absolutely fascinating and very groundbreaking and nuanced exploration of gender and i think the way it's portrayed is very kind and gentle and that makes sense because that's who brienne is despite it all...she means so much to me fr. also i think her chapters in affc are the single most underrated arc of the series they are such great character work and such a beautiful and painful mediation on the cost of war.

sansa...I'm going to be honest with you, rereading asoiaf as an adult I have definitely found myself relating more to the adult characters and connecting less w the child characters than I once did. sansa is still my girl though. i love her themes of songs and stories and endurance, i love how smart she is, i love her thoughtfulness and the small ways she earns space back for herself when she's surrounded by people trying to use or destroy her.

#SORRY FOR THE RANTING....JUST SHARING MY OPINIONS #for my fave characters it's very much like. i love them as people but i also just think the narrative they're [trapped] in is just so fascin #fascinating and thematically resonant to me

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inkstainednote · 7 months

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Escapism (the yellow notebook collectives #3) {tws in tags}

Dear [redacted],

I didn't think of a poetic way to open this letter or well I did but I thought it stupid and scraped it during the transfer. If you want to know, it was of a problem I have already fixed.

There is no real reason I am writing you you at the moment other than the simple truth of me not having anyone else to write to. The loneliness is getting suffocating. I feel like I asphyxiate inside a locked room with its walls closing in a round me and the exit being too far away and constantly shrinking slowly but in a way that it's painfully clear that if I ever reach it, I will no longer fit through it. I cannot do anything but try to reach it in time and yet I never will.

Everything around me, dear, is too real or not real enough. Every morning I open my eyes and I realize my life is getting worse by the day and I hate it a little bit more. I'm unable to feel happiness by the things that used to provide me with it and escapism is becoming less intense and satisfactory and harder to achieve.

I suppose other people dive into alcoholism or substance abuse to find what is missing but I.... I find my escape through fiction. It is addicting. It takes you through space and time in different worlds, other's points of view, places where perhaps I'd be happier, healthier. Places where I could be full. Fiction offers me the relief of living as somebody else, a different person, a character who might be happy or at the very least not numb -if only for a while.

At times I find myself believing I'm a fictional character myself or maybe hoping that I could be. And then I proceed to violently hate myself for it because it is a thought not based on logic or facts but feelings and I am clever enough to not think with those. Scepticism and logic is how I survive. I protect myself by not being a dreamer, an emotional person, someone who believes in myths and fantasies and it works.

Of course even my ridiculous thoughts, dear [redacted], -and what you might think of me now, after that admission of disgust for anything magical or illogical- have a basis. It's not as much a basis, actually, it's more of a thin thread that they are woven into in order to keep me from diving into insanity. Because, you see, everything is a coping mechanism for me. Another protection measure, another way to hide from what hurts. My imagination then, is a desperate though futile, attempt to reason my existence. To understand why I turned out like this.

You see, I am not a person who cares. Apathy is so deeply encarved into my everything, like an infection and most days I think it's too late for me to find meaning in anything. However I eventually realised that it doesn't stretch onto fiction. I care, I feel for characters that are not real, for circumstances that have never happened and never will, for families and couples that don't exist and I even mourn deaths that haven't killed anyone. I have shed more tears onto a page of a book describing the tragic death of a young prince in the arms of his estranged king father's in a medieval, horrid kingdom than any event in my own life for the past five years. I feel heart-warmed when two characters find true love in each other after a long period of misunderstandings and trauma and yet romance I cannot feel for myself. I put the general well-being of a book character I like than of most people I know in reality.

There might be various medical terms to describe a condition such as mine, but all I know, dear [redacted], is that I can be described perfectly by the word miserable.

Love,

Inkstain

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erabundus · 1 year

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@picavecalyx &&. said... what is godhood to scaramouche?

i think more than anything else, scaramouche equates GODHOOD with PURPOSE — but simply saying he feels entitled to divinity due to the circumstances of his creation ( "i was born to become a god" ) is a vast oversimplification of his motives.

he is a person who has desperately searched for purpose, belonging, a reason to live from the very moment he could comprehend such concepts. he has no sense of personal identity — and as a being neither mortal nor god, he has no concrete EXAMPLE to follow to show him how he should be. ei effectively threw a sentient blank canvas out into the world and assumed he would be self-sufficient. he tried to emulate the mortals around him, but it's clear from the beginning he's always been plagued by insecurity, always been painfully aware of his own inherent differences long before his existence as a human crumbled to pieces.

i think it's rather telling what words pierro chooses to get him to join the fatui. he dehumanizes him by calling him a WEAPON — then plants the idea in his head that he could be afforded a sense of purpose by allowing himself to be wielded by someone else. ( instilling that philosophy that his self-worth is based entirely on his usefulness to others. ) notably, he doesn't take offense to this. he's tried being a human. he's tried to form connections with mortals — glean purpose and happiness in living a mundane life, and despite MULTIPLE attempts, it's only ever brought him misery. he's tired of trying to be a person. he's tired of wandering aimlessly in this world that seems so inherently hostile to him. he has spent his entire life up until that point asking "what am i? why am i here?" and pierro is the first person since niwa to offer him an answer.

you are a weapon. that is your purpose. ( and that is still something the wanderer is struggling to unlearn, even now. )

yet the problem is, neither the life of a "human" nor a "weapon" necessarily brings him any lasting fulfillment — he is still hollow. he is still missing something. he is still deeply, existentially unhappy. and so scaramouche comes to the conclusion he can only achieve a true purpose via embracing his DIVINE side. obtaining the gnosis ( the heart ) he was built to contain and ascending to a higher existence. he has tried everything else. it's his last chance — his missing piece, and he's so desperate to achieve it that he's willing to give up literally anything ( mind, body, sense of self ) because even that is preferable to being made to endure another day slogging through this worthless, agonizing existence.

however, it becomes infinitely more tragic when you realize scaramouche doesn't ... really know what it means to be a god at all?

to elaborate ( and also to justify the google doc i have rotting away with all of his canon dialogue saved for reference ) there is a noticeable difference when comparing scara's speech patterns before he obtains the gnosis, and after — as he is in the midst of his ascension. under ordinary circumstances, he can be eloquent, but he combines it with more casual turns of phrase. he knows big words and how to use them, can be obnoxiously poetic and theatrical when the urge hits him, yet he never becomes overly antiquated with his speech. if anything, i would argue his dialogue veers slightly more towards the informal side by default — mainly out of apathy and a general lack of respect. compare that to how he talks before the shouki no kami fight, or even during the conversation wherein he's astral projecting his dramatic theater kid ass to monologue at the traveler. he drops any informal speech patterns entirely and cranks up the vocabulary to a degree that borders on purple prose. he is performative to the point of appearing manic. he surpasses mere eloquence to become completely pretentious — and there is something so very artificial about the grandiose persona he puts on, because that's entirely what it is. a persona. an act.

he speaks of his past self in the third person, as though he is but the discarded cocoon from whence this new, divine being has burst asunder. this is his idea of what a god should be — another mask, in the long line of masks he's worn over the course of his life. ( human. weapon. god. ) born from an assumption based on inaccurate ( malicious, warped ) information. "gods have never needed to be reasonable," he says — much like his mother, whose actions no doubt read as unreasonable from his perspective. he glorifies the archon war and mocks nahida as "a god (...) who does not crave power" when she expresses a conflicting opinion because, again, he is simply drawing from the example that's been set for him and coming to his own warped conclusions based on limited information. a god discarded him for his fragility; naturally this must mean placing an emphasis on strength above all else is what it means to be a god. he isn't just acting overly grandiose and antagonistic because this is his big villain moment — there is a very clear line of reasoning behind everything he says when his past experiences are taken into context.

basically, scaramouche believes becoming a god is his purpose ( his LAST CHANCE at finding his purpose ) — but his interpretation of godhood is firmly grounded in his own trauma. it's not so different from the machinations of a child pretending to emulate their parent's occupation with only the most surface level concept of what that actually entails.

#𝟎𝟎𝟒 : 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥. ◟ hc .◝#( nami thank you so much for the asks....... but also i'm so sorry you've opened the floodgates )#( i have so many thoughts about him i'm normal i swear )#picavecalyx

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bornetoblood · 1 year

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Was talking about Moon Divorce all night and it’s on my brain so sorry about this.

Laurence dies attempting to free Gehrman from the Dream and Gehrman stays alive in the Dream (despite desiring release) because he promised he’s wait for Laurence.

They mirror each other!! What the fuck!!! Tragic!!!!!!

I like them so much I think because they are absolutly to blame for their situations. The events in Yharnam are primerally their faults, they are here through there own hubris and blind faith. Yet it is so poetically tragic the way they are torn appart- through death and distance. They deserve their seperation but their longing to be together is so deeply touching it messes with my head.

Worst person you know is deeply in love and longing to be with his partner again, more at 10.

#sorry thi s is very disjointed im so ill about them #moon divorce #the rat speaks #laurence the first vicar #gehrman the first hunter #bloodborne

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gendrie · 1 year

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Sansa being able to only "skinchange" with the animal that has the closet connection to humanity, the animal that is usually beaten and broken to follow the strictest law, the animal that was altered so much from its origin. It's poetic and sad, the symbolism of grrm by choosing the old hound being her only connection (which is forever broken an altered) to the wildness of her stark lineage that she has turned away from is fascinating.

While Arya embraces her wildness, she connects deeply with her stark heritage, her wolf although taken away (like Sansa's) has a chance in returning. Her deep connection not only with Nymeria but the wolves in her pack. Arya having a skinchanging abilities with the aloof and independent animal of the cat and the fierce family oriented animal of the wolf really drives home Arya's nature within herself.

exactly! dogs are not wild animals therefore they have a very close association with society. as does sansa bc of her conformity. dogs are similar and the easiest species to bond with so its no surprise sansa was able to foster a little connection to the old hound but even that goes nowhere.

so yeah that loss has, irreversibly, weakened her connection to the wilderness plus a lot of other things by extension. the old gods, the north, her family. her siblings are starting to truly sense each other through their shared warg bond. i think this is going to become a very relevant plot point going forward. bran’s presence in arya’s twow wolf dreams was not subtle. with every book they get more powerful and closer to communicating with each other. but sansa is left out of that dynamic entirely. complete radio silence on the warg net and theres no sense of old gods in her story either.

all of which is contrasted dramatically by arya who, unflinchingly and immediately, embraced her wolf in a way even most of her brothers cant compete with. arya is as far as she is with her skinchanging abilities bc she is NOT afraid of of the dark, wild parts of herself. arya is constantly relating to nature to help her navigate the world around her. even in castles or cities or across oceans her nature powers only keep growing. its not diminished at all.

shapeshifting into animals is something most would find uncomfortable (at best) and terrifying (at worst) theres a reason wargs have a fearsome reputation within the books. but arya is comfortable with that. arya already feels "bad" for her nonconformity and on account of the things she has done. unsurprisingly, sansa views arya the same way. how will she feel when she finds out her "wicked" little sister is a monster? now theres some rich soil for conflict.

lady died as little more than a pup so sansa never had to confront the truly monstrous nature of a direwolf. she cant even fathom it. she has built her identity on being a lady. that role is at odds with the wolf (hell, its at odds with her humanity too). will she reclaim a part of it someday? maybe. there is a small piece of lady that still lives within her. when sansa contemplates shoving joffrey to his death we see that part of her but its quickly suppressed. she lowers her eyes, submitting, and becomes the “good girl” again. that piece of sansa has yet to show itself again. it was a fleeting thing. but the story is going to get dark. idk that sansa can ignore it forever. at some point she is going to have to confront not just the darkness around her but within as well.

regardless, she will never be as connected to wolves as her siblings. she will never become a wolf. that path is lost to her. forever. its symbolic and its tragic and its going to effect the plot and i love it. the warg bond in this series is one of my favorite elements even when its missing.

#clearly i have a lot to say #but the fandom would rather throw some cheesy moniker on sansa and call it a day #the r3d w0lf lmao #ask #asoiaf nonsense

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ragingbookdragon · 11 months

Text

Still Life To Live

Vasco x De Sardet

Word Count: 2.1K Warnings: Explicit Language, Wee-bit of Angst

Author's Note: Legit this is the first female De Sardet I've written besides the one with Kurt -Thorne

**********************************************************************

She wakes with a sadness still ever-present in her chest as she stares out the window, at a bird-less, sunless sky. The sheets smell like Constantin’s soap, and she can’t help but feel tears come to her eyes. She hasn’t been able to leave his room since they returned from his burial. She misses her cousin, no, her brother. Constantin was all she had in the world other than her mother. The two young cousins growing up, thick as thieves, only for it to end in such a poetic yet so tragic way. She missed him so. Missed laughing with him. Missed being around him. And she missed the moments where she wasn’t plagued with knowing his blood was on her hands, even if in the end it wasn’t his fault but the madness.

“If you know, why do you continue to blame yourself?”

She blinks a few times, coming to realize that her dear cousin is kneeling beside her; her lips wobble as she reaches out, taking his hand. “I miss you.”

“Oh, I miss you, dear cousin,” he murmurs. “But you cannot spend the rest of your life here.” His smile is so soft. “I may not be here in flesh, but I am always with you in spirit.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head. “I will not accept something you needn’t apologize for. Cousin, you saved me. You set me free.” His hand gently leaves hers, resting on her head. “If you want to honor my memory, don’t sit here and wallow while the ones you love worry for you. If that is not enough, then you must remember who you are and what you are called to do here. You have responsibility and it isn’t going away simply because I am gone.” He pats her head. “Promise me, you will get up and go. That this pain will not hold you down. I may be gone, but you have gained the world in terms of family. That old man, Kurt, the girls.” His eyes hold a shimmer of humor as he jabs, “And that Naut.”

Her laugh is watery, tears slipping down her cheeks and he’s quick to wipe them away.

“Dear cousin, there is more life to live. Promise me.”

She swallowed thickly and nodded her head. “I promise.” As he pulls away, she grabs his hand and stares into his eyes. “I love you, brother.”

Constantin, in all his spirit, simply smiles and leans over, kissing her head. “I love you, dear sister.”

She blinks once and he’s gone, the place where he was kneeling empty, all that remains of him is merely a feeling in her chest, but something in the air has changed and she rises from the bed for the first time in almost three weeks.

Her entire body aches from not moving and her stomach grumbles like there is no tomorrow. She can tell there is loss around her body, a gauntness where muscle and fat should be, but the mind and such strong emotion could always play with the body, suppressing hunger. She pulls a dress on, tightens the fabric of the corset to fit her frame as she ties various lines of linen and silk to appear somewhat appropriate.

A quick facial wash in the basin of water is all that can suffice for now, as she follows Constantin’s orders of moving on. She has so much to do, so many people to check in with, to greet, lives to maintain, rules to enforce, treaties to sign now that she is essentially acting governor before a new one is assigned.

She inhales deeply, readying herself for the surprised faces of the people as she opens the doors and steps out. Surprisingly, there are no servants, and she takes it as a small mercy, escaping the upper floor to the stairs where she walks down quietly, thinking of how she will explain her absence.

It is only when she hits the ground and walks out into the throne room that she sees her first companion speaking with another emissary; they look up at the doors and the old man smiles at her.

“Child,” he simply greets, and she smiles back at him, a little weak but one, nonetheless.

“Petrus.” She walks over as the emissary bows and leaves them.

“It is good to see you out of your room.”

She nods. “Forgive me, for—”

“There is no need to apologize for how your grief affects you.” He looks at her. “Your cousin was the only friend you had growing up. To lose that so fast…grief is merely an understatement to what you felt.” He reaches up, brushing a stray tear. “We have simply bided our time before you came out.”

“Where are the others?” she asks, looking around curiously.

“Kurt is at the barracks training, Aphra is more than likely returning from Hikmet with new supplies, and Síora went to visit her clan.”

“And what of Vasco?” she inquires, feeling something awfully funny in her chest.

Petrus frowns. “Ah, yes, Vasco…”

“What? Is he alright?”

“Oh, he’s fine, but he is leaving port right now.”

Her eyes widen, heart breaking and panicking at the same time. “He’s leaving port right now? Like this moment now?”

“Indeed.”

“B-but he—but we!” she runs to the window, stares out to see the top of the Seahorse and she feels her chest erupting. She never meant to push him away in her grief and cause him to leave. “Oh no…”

“Child…”

“I have to stop him!” she shouts, already hiking her dress up to sprint for the doors.

“Wait!”

Petrus’ calls fall on deaf ears as she runs down the steps to the grand doors, yelling for the guards to open them and they do, just in time for her to burst down the front steps for all of New Sérène to see. It takes her all of three minutes to run like hell is at her heels to get to the docks and she passes Admiral Cabral who only looks up because a sailor gets her attention.

“Lady De Sardet?!” she calls in shock, rising from her desk to run after her. “What on earth are you doing so frenzied!”

She doesn’t answer but runs to the edge of the dock where sailors are busy moving cargo that didn’t get packed into the Seahorse; it hasn’t even made it twenty feet from the port, so she isn’t too late, but she is late.

“Vasco!” she yells, cupping her hands to her mouth for better reach. “Vasco! Wait!”

She hears something from the ship before he appears at the stern, his confusion giving way to shock but a gladness is in it. “De Sardet! What are you doing here!”

Her hands come to her chest, massaging the ache growing as tears fill her eyes. “Please, don’t leave without me,” she begs. “If you’re leaving, let me come with you. I’ll sail with you, please, don’t—”

“De Sardet! Look out!”

Her turning is too slow, and she is barreled into by a sailor carrying far too many boxes at once. And for all her balance training, she loses it all as she is knocked backwards, foot caught in her dress as she screeches, trying to catch something or someone before she falls down into the frigid water.

The world ripples above her and she tries to fight for the surface but the weight of her dress and undergarments are too heavy and she sinks despite her struggle. Water invades her lungs, and she feels like stone as darkness and cold seep into her body, even as hands reach for her.

***

“She still hasn’t come out?” he asks softly, glancing up towards the third floor.

Petrus sighs. “Of course not. She lost the last remaining family she ever had.”

Vasco bristles, as if he isn’t aware of such a thing. “I know she did.”

“Then why assume she has come out of her grief.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, I merely meant that…” he falls silent, scuffing his foot; something about being around Petrus made him feel like a child again. “I just miss her.”

The old man smiles sadly, laying a hand on his shoulder. “I know you do. Even though we all do, you do much more.” He squeezes before letting go. “Believe me, if she comes out, I will be the first to send her your way.”

Vasco nods, inhaling deeply as he puts the tricorn back on his head. “I’ll be back in a few days.”

“Safe travels to San Matheus, Captain.”

***

His heart stops in his chest the second that De Sardet hits the water and comes up once before the dress pulls her back down and Vasco is cussing a storm as he strips from his belts and coat down to his tunic, pants, and socks before diving overboard for her.

The water is freezing, shocking him to his core but the sun shines enough to lead him to the woman sinking down; he grasps her waist, pulling hard as he kicks his legs with fervor until they break the surface, and he sucks in air as a rope lands near him. He wraps it around his arm and tugs, waiting for the sailors to yank them aboard and when they do, his feet hit the ground, letting go of the rope as he lays De Sardet down on the deck.

She’s unmoving, cold, and unconscious, and Vasco yanks a sailor’s knife from his belt, cutting up the front laces of her corset, ripping it open, and she snaps awake, rolling onto her side with harsh coughs as water makes its way up her esophagus. He rubs at her back, taking the blanket from Jonas who’d gone into his cabin to get it from his bed, and lays it over her shoulders as she rests on her side, breathing heavily.

“De Sardet,” he calls softly. “Are you okay?” She nods, swallowing salt as she nods and shuts her eyes, feeling a shiver run down her body from the chill of the air on her thoroughly drenched body. Vasco gets the hint and picks her up with ease, barking, “Get us back to dock!” the sailors are in a frenzy as he makes his way to his cabin and shuts the door behind him, sitting her down on his trunk at the end of his bed.

He moves methodically, stripping her out of her wet dress and undergarments to her bareness before she can even stop him; he wraps her tight in the blanket before he goes over to his chest of drawers and changes from his own wet clothes before he returns with a long tunic and a pair of cotton pants. This time, he looks up towards the ceiling as she dresses herself, or at least tries to before she mutters, “I need help.”

Vasco looks down, sees her shaking hands, and gently helps her into the shirt and laces the pants so she’s dressed. He then takes her to the bed and situates her before he crawls in beside her, wrapping his arms and legs around her, warming her as best he can.

She breathes deeply and turns in his grip, nose brushing the column of his throat as she tries to practically get in his skin. “I’m sorry,” she whispers, and he hugs her tight.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. That jackass sailor ran into you.”

“That’s not what I’m sorry for,” she answers, and pulls back despite the warning in his throat, looking into his eyes. “I shut you out and you’re leaving. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Vasco, I never meant to push you away.” Tears fill her eyes and she’s almost blubbering at this point. “Please don’t leave me. I need you, Vasco. If I have to give this all up to come, I will, but please don’t leave this island without me.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” he calms, gently caressing her face. “Tempest, I’m not going anywhere.”

“But you’re—”

“I’m just going on a supply run to San Matheus.” He frowns. “Didn’t Petrus tel—” his scowl is much worse. “That old bastard.” Vasco lets out a sigh and takes her face in his hands. “I was simply going to San Matheus to deliver supplies and come back.” His golden eyes bore into hers. “My Tempest, I would never leave you. And even if I were to, I would never go without saying goodbye.”

Her expression is downright pitiful as she asks, “Promise?”

Vasco huffs fondly and he leans forward, pressing their foreheads together. “My Tempest, I swear on my honor as a Naut and my love for you.” He kisses her softly. “Rest, my Tempest. I’m here.” Her fingers clench in his tunic as she buries her face back into his chest, breathing in gunpowder, sea salt, and leather, letting sleep wash over her in his comfort.

#vasco x de sardet imagine #vasco x de sardet imagines #vasco x de sardet #vasco x reader imagines #vasco x reader imagine #vasco x reader #vasco imagines #vasco imagine #vasco #de sardet #de sardet greedfall #petrus #petrus greedfall #greedfall fanfic #greedfall fanfiction #greedfall

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sotiris-rp · 2 years

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Soleil Akinyi (she/her) is a 75 year old Venpalan who works as a Performer and Art Connoisseur and looks a lot like Lupita Nyong’o.

Biography

Ever the connoisseur of art, Soleil Akinyi is happy to wax poetic about the meaning behind a deep shade of red and dance to improvised music under the bright night sky. Had she been a sole human on a singular planet, she would have been nicknamed a “citizen of the world.” Of course, that term comes with a certain naivete: as a child, Soleil assumed her planetary and species origins hardly mattered, and that her broader sense of self stemmed from her membership with the Collective. It was an easy assumption to make, considering Venpalans pushed for the supposed good of the Collective. It was especially easy to be persuaded into the inherent goodness of the project when one comes from a family of professional diplomats and socialites. The First Contact Wars were tragic, even with the myriad of justifications for them, and Soleil recalled thinking that the initial hostilities were solely a matter of the Venpalans failing to gain the trust of humans adequately, and in turn, the humans would have learned to think beyond their own planetary atmospheres.

The thought processes of other species would forever confuse Soleil, as much benefit of the doubt as she would provide them.

Still, Soleil cannot help but be moved. Her family’s long line of diplomacy meant that Soleil had the chance to visit a great number of planets, become educated in a great number of fields. For quite some time, Soleil could not help but romanticize the nature-oriented environments of the beastkin world, thinking that such species held a particular hidden wisdom that the Venpalan worlds lacked. It was no surprise, after all, for Soleil to see other Venpalan families stifle their young and rush them along into military training and other ‘harsh’ disciplines. In her youth, she had lent her personal ship to a Venpalan friend hoping to evade a particularly harsh military academy. Naturally, suspicion laid on her; she had sheepishly tried to convince her friend’s family to let him take an easier path. Still, the night they spent convening with a family of beastkin wolves was one of the most nostalgic and romantic nights she remembered, if by ‘romantic’ one meant completely fanciful and adolescent.

Soleil kept up her habit traveling as a so-called ‘socialite.’ Of course, she neglected the tactful responsibilities this came with, preferring to entertain flights of fancy with similarly disconnected souls. Her adventures led her to a wholly integrated planet, wherein she decided to train in theater and music. These creative fields felt much to her like esoteric knowledge. So, she dived headfirst into the arts. In doing so, she felt she learned much more about any one kind’s nature than she ever did from her parents’ work as diplomats.

Naively, Soleil still sees the potential in the creative fields to forge much truer bonds than economic or military interest could ever forge. Though, if one were to ask Soleil to explain herself, she would cite the deep personal bonds forged between individual artists. One can understand how such a woman would come to such a view. Her performances as an actress and a dancer naturally attracted highly mixed audiences. Whenever she visited a planet that knew of her, she would receive a far warmer welcome than anyone she had known in her childhood. Much of her life was spent like this.

If one did not know Soleil Akinyi deeply, or if one hated her flights of fancy, one might assume she has now visited the newly integrated Leora out of personal arrogance. Not so. For once, she did not arrive at a planet to receive an entourage. Instead, she thought of visiting a planet that did not yet know her name, in hopes of escaping some soured relationships that had developed recently. If Soleil were younger, she would have found a great appeal in visiting an equally naive and trusting planet. Now, growing distrust of outworlders coincides greatly with some recent disappointments in her life. As it is, all stars eventually run out of light.

Personality

Soleil Akinyi’s initial regal air is quite deceiving; the Venpalan can be quite spirited and lovely. One can only imagine how imaginative and playful she must be around unfamiliar children. She is quick to weave tales of wondrous worlds to curious strangers, though she struggles to understand why such a move would come across as arrogant to the distrusting type. The laid-back lifestyle of Sotiris is providing her with much time to think. Truth is, she’s not enjoying that as much as she would have expected. She devotes a good deal of time to curating the gallery in hopes of enchanting someone with her distinct point of view. On her off days, she’s happy to spend as much time exploring this watery planet, making odd conversations with planetary locals, and basking under this system’s sunlight. Not to mention, she hasn’t a single complaint on the Leoran fish… yet.

Welcome home @soleilight! We're happy to have you in Sotiris.

#accepted per sotiris;#fantasy rp #lsrp #city rp #magic rp

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koorinohebi · 2 years

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I think the thing that I love about how Kiomi developed as a character is how she would now choose something that she normally wouldn't.

In her home verse which is Naruto, she's the kind of person who would put duty over everything else. She has reservations when it comes to forming bonds or any sort of attachments, and it really does take her quite some time to do so as well. It's the verse were she will withhold her emotions, her feelings of love for someone because it's either wrong, or because she adheres to the fact that she doesn't deserve it. After all, she's betrayed people in her home verse time and time again because she failed to find herself. In the verses where Sarutobi Arai exists, that's the only time she actually settles to having familial bonds with someone; but also living in regret for not having done the things that she wish she could-- all because things were too late for her. Or at least that's how she feels.

With the Fate verse however, she slowly overcomes this because of the bond that she's made with Nobunaga and the rest of her servants. Because of them, she chooses to side with humanity (even if it's not technically for humanity's sake). She's formed more than one type of bond with them, and she's found friends in some of her fellow masters. Kiomi's not a good character at all, not by a long shot. She's not afraid to do what's necessary, even if it means killing someone in the process, or having her servants slaughter others in the process. However, she does know her priorities and ensures that every action she takes leads to that goal because she has something important that she doesn't want to lose. Then again, she does know that her beloved servants can't stay with her forever-- and at the end of the journey, they'll go back to the Throne. But at the very least, she protected their history-- or at least, that's what she wants to do... out of the love she feels for them.

I think her facing on the adversity and accepting the pain that comes with it shows growth to her character. Something that she wasn't able to achieve in her home verse. And I think I do like it that way. While both of them aren't able to forget the past, it's for different reasons. One is a time where she is deeply rooted in regret and cannot move forward, while the other is how she's using the past to propel her into the future that she wants to preserve.

Of course, she does still forsake some things, like her relationship with Izo. However, as Gore and I have talked about before, they are both aware of their circumstances and thus choose what'd hurt each other less. They are close now and share mutual feelings for each other, yet there's a gap there that they both actively choose to keep. And I think for two people who basically lost everything at some point in their lives, this kind of consideration for each other and themselves is so endearing. In a way, aren't they like parallel lines? It doesn't matter how close they are, or if at times they touch... as Master and Servant, the grim reality that they are side by side but never truly reach the same point that they wish for and desire is both tragic and poetic to me. Which is why, I hope for a future wherein their paths converge; in a time where they are simply two people living their lives.

#Beyond the Bounded Field || OOC #Backreading stuff really makes me ponder on things.

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