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#for the culture you grew up in and the people who escaped it and the people who haven't and the people you couldn't help
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five's character suddenly makes a lot more sense when you look at it as a metaphor for a kid indoctrinated into an abusive evangelical church, who has been convinced that hell is real.
[longpost, talk of religious abuse--mainly the evangelical christian variety--after the cut.]
he's convinced that everyone who doesn't comply with the church's rules will go there; that leaving won't save you, because hell will be waiting for you in the end; and that everyone who claims to believe differently is lying and knows better, they're just pretending they don't because they don't like the idea of acknowledging authority in the time they have before hell catches up to them. and as much as he's been taught to be self-righteous and unsympathetic about people who '''choose''' hell, in practice he's the kid who goes around trying to have the 'so have you accepted jesus into your heart' speech with everyone he even remotely cares about, and won't back off about it even though it goes over Absolutely Fucking Terribly and he's being an asshole, because if he doesn't get them to convert when (he thinks) there's any chance they might have done so they will go to hell and it will be his fault.
and like, this adds a lot of layers to his hatred of nine and what he thinks (and in some ways is correct 🙃) that he stands for. but one of the big ones is that as far as he's concerned, nine can and will snipe people to send them to hell out of spite for converting to save themselves. one of the things that made him hate him so much--decide he Needs and Deserves to Die--is that he was told sandor made the decision to comply with the mogs because it was the Smart Thing to Do... and that nine punished him for it by murdering him brutally. and that given half the chance nine would do it to him.
for all he's been indoctrinated to value Having Power Over Other People and Deserving It Because You're Special, at heart five has major just world fallacy going on because he desperately wants to believe that everyone can be safe, and happy, and understand each other. that all that needs to happen for them to have that is to make the right choice. he doesn't actually believe the mogs are inherently Superior; he thinks they have the same fair shot as everyone else and that the only difference is that they will take that shot, and are honest that they're doing so.
whereas what is one of the other big things he hates nine for? the one that fills him with so much rage he has to stop reading about him? the idea that nine is inherently superior to him and the others, and deserves a better life, regardless of any choice they ever could have made.
he's told that the elders saved nine for last because he was strongest, and that the earlier numbers were cannon fodder because they were weak. he's told that he and the lower numbers were forced into hiding, made to suffer, to buy nine a little more time. and he's told that in the event he managed to survive that far, he would be nine's inferior--his servant--because he's a lower number.
five talks about how he's superior and deserves to rule everyone else because he has 'potential,' but it's not about how powerful he is because of his legacies; it's that he thinks he's willing to make the right choice. he thinks the idea of treating someone like they don't have a right to that choice because they're inherently worth less than others is absolutely fucking repugnant. and where the mogs get him is by twisting his idea of what constitutes Everyone Being Happy so far that they convince him their cause, which is doing exactly what he hates most, is the one that's fair.
add onto that that he's terrified of the idea that you can in fact just be completely fucked no matter what choices you make, and just gets more and more invested in coping via denial the clearer it becomes that he is the one who is utterly royally fucked no matter what he does, and... well, you get some real unfortunate end results to say the least. but like, that's where he's coming from.
so to wrap this back around to the evangelism metaphor: if you believe what five believes, the idea of someone being willing and able to do what nine does by sending someone to hell regardless of their own choice would be Existentially Horrifying to begin with! but it also goes against one of five's deepest core beliefs, both reasonable and Unfortunate Coping with Trauma. and when you pile that on top of the immense suffering he's gone through over it, the result is going to be visceral burning hatred.
anyway this post is already Long and i've got a lot more thoughts in me about it, but suffice it to say five absolutely is a metaphor for evangelical trauma, and how victims get weaponized into extensions of their church's abuse. and it's an evangelical survivor's nightmare, because the version of hell he's been taught to base his entire worldview around fearing is objectively real. 🥲
(the real smoking gun here? not only is the Great Book a really obvious analogy for the bible, but the name is a retcon. what was it called before that, while he's evangelizing about it no less?)
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(the Good Book.)
(welp.)
#lorien legacies#LL number five#LL number nine#LL sandor#LL tag#cws in post#looking back at the characters and parts of the worldbuilding i got most invested in back in the day i am seeing a Pattern#and that pattern is called It's Religious Trauma All the Way Down#on both an individual and community level#the mogadorians and five /could/ have been a really good raw painful narrative about the grief; ugliness; and difficulty holding onto hope#for the culture you grew up in and the people who escaped it and the people who haven't and the people you couldn't help#and for the people who never wanted any part of it to begin with and are having to suffer for your community's systemic upfuck#it's why rereads have left me increasingly soured on adam; and made me appreciate rex more despite his own moral dubiousness#i thought adam represented grief and hope for the culture and community that traumatized you while refusing to go back to them#and instead he represented violent dehumanizing fuck-you-got-mine hatred and victim-blaming for Every Other Victim#instead of 'i recognize that the work of engaging with the community to help the victims inside of it is important and worthwhile'#'but i cannot be the one to do it because i cannot and will not have that community in my life anymore; therefore i will focus my efforts#on helping and protecting people who are targeted by the community from the outside when internal damage control isn't enough'#his narrative was to pull the ladder up after him; then torture every other survivor for the rest of their existence to atone for their sin#which...... hmmmmm....... sounds familiar..............#whereas rex represents being able and willing to go back into the burning building as many times as he needs to#because there are children in there#anyway. subject for another post#dyn: lost boys#dyn: but i'm helping you anyway
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yuusaris · 2 years
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How is every single 'anti' or 'pro' shipper discourse on this site overloaded and bad?
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sage-nebula · 1 month
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"Suffer No Fools" - Shiver vs. Marina Analysis
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It's been a few days since "Suffer No Fools" released, but I wanted to go ahead and release my analysis of Shiver's and Marina's verse since that's the one that has caused the most discussion within the fandom. I've seen a lot of debate over Marina's section in particular, with people unsure whether she was being sincere or sarcastic, and I think the actual answer is a little more complicated than one or the other, at least with regards to the first couplet of lines both she and Shiver sing. Of course, people are free to interpret this song however they wish, but after seeing numerous interpretations I personally didn't vibe with, I just wanted to put my own out there, breaking it down line by line.
So! Here we go.
Exchange 1:
Shiver: "Your haunting voice -- there's no escape. How nice it must be for your fans." Marina: "You're far too kind! I love your vibe. I can learn so much from your style."
Analyzing from dialogue only:
Shiver is insulting Marina's voice by calling it haunting and saying there is no escape, insinuating she wishes there was one. She says how nice it must be for Marina's fans, again implying that she isn't one.
Marina says that she loves Shiver's vibe, which on the surface could be a compliment, but given the context (a music battle) it could also be a Mean Girl "ooh I love your [thing] :)" passive-aggressive drawing-attention-to-something-ugly insult. More direct though, is the "I can learn so much from your style"; you can learn what not to do from someone just as much as you can learn what to do from someone. Marina's engaging in plausible deniability here.
HOWEVER. Lyrics are NOT the only thing that need to be analyzed from this first verse, which is arguably the MOST important exchange between these two. Instead, we need to look at how these lines are delivered.
Shiver is singing in a traditional Japanese folk singing style, specifically a style based on Shima-uta, which her voice actress has a background singing in. Unfortunately, I don't know the actual term for this style of singing, only that it's not kakegoe, something Shiver also does that is different from this. Anyway, in these lines specifically Shiver is singing in her Shima-uta style, a style that she has presumably been practicing since she was a small child, a style that is probably culturally significant to the Hohojiro clan. Singing in this style is not something that just anyone can do. It's completely different from singing in a (for lack of a better word) "western" style. The way you breathe is completely different. The way you incorporate your voice into your breathing is completely different. So by singing in this style, which Shiver has been doing practically her whole life and which, presumably, only she of the four there can do, Shiver is FLEXING on Marina regardless of what lyrics she chooses to sing.
But then Marina, who grew up under the domes in Inkadia, who presumably has never heard Shima-uta before she started listening to Deep Cut and heard Shiver sing, who presumably has had absolutely no training whatsoever on this style of song . . . mimics it perfectly and flexes on Shiver right back.
Could Marina's words to Shiver be interpreted as passive-aggressive in turn? Yes. But does it matter? No, not really. Because in this first verse, Marina's ACTUAL comeback is to take the style of singing that Shiver has been perfecting her entire life and throw it right back in her face despite having never (as far as we or Shiver know) practiced it herself. Shiver was flexing by presumably doing something Marina couldn't do, only for Marina to do it flawlessly, being every bit as divine with a voice so fine as Pearl said she was previously. Marina says "I love your vibe" so she takes it. Marina says "I have so much to learn from you" but does she really, when she can already do exactly what Shiver can, and has, just now, right in front of her?
And Shiver noticed, hence:
Exchange 2:
Shiver: "You remind me of my neighbor's little daughter . . . What's that saying? 'Octo see, octo do.'" Marina: "Glad you approve -- your praise has left me moved. Thanks to your notes, I'll find my groove!"
Shiver drops the Shima-uta singing, because now there's no point. Marina can also sing in that style, so it's no longer a flex. Shiver lost ground on that one, so instead we're back to the same (again, for lack of a better word) "regular" style of singing that everyone else is using. For that reason, we can go back to analyzing purely based on the words alone.
Shiver is calling Marina a copycat, essentially, because Marina copied her Shima-uta singing style in the previous verse (hence why Shiver had to drop it, as previously noted). Marina then gives her "glad you approve -- your praise has left me moved" . . . basically noting that by Shiver accusing her of copying, Shiver is saying that Marina -- someone who just tried the singing style off the cuff right there on the stage for the first time -- was just as good as Shiver, someone who has trained in that style her whole life. The audience saw for themselves that Marina was able to emulate the style, but Shiver saying, "you copied me!" is basically admitting that Marina was just as good as her in Shiver's own eyes, and Shiver is a pro. That's Shiver's aggravation handing Marina the win and Marina smiling wide as she accepts it.
Exchange 3:
Shiver: "Oh, look at the time. Isn't it getting late?" Marina: "Not at all! I could go on like this all night long."
This one doesn't even really need an analysis. For all that she prides herself on being "so cool even sharks call her cold-blooded," Shiver is known for being easily irritated and riled when she's losing due to her competitive nature. Marina successfully got under her skin, and this is her trying to end the battle fast because she didn't have any further comebacks. Marina, meanwhile, gives the classic "I could go on all night" because she's not riled at all, and is instead perfectly comfortable in this environment, knows what she's doing, and has had the upper hand from the start.
It goes back to another post I made about Experience vs. Inexperience. Shiver and Frye are still new idols, whereas Pearl and Marina have been at this for a long while. And while off the stage Marina is a sweet, kind, gentle person who will go out of her way to help others, and can sometimes be a little spacey or naive, she's also a 23-year-old literal genius who has been in the music industry for years now and knows full well what a rap / music battle is and knows her way around a stage. Personally, I found it to be a little infantilizing to insinuate that she "didn't realize Shiver was insulting her," when not only do I think she knew full well, but also she was the one with the upper hand not because of sick burns (that's Pearl's department), but because of sheer innate musical talent.
But those are just my thoughts! Everyone else is free to have their own.
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willownwisp · 3 months
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love on me
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iv. you're exciting, boy come find me. (di!leon x fem reader)
author's note: yayyyyyy, fourth entry !
cw: NSFW MDNI. love hotels. p in v. oral (f receiving and m receiving).
part 4 of ree's leon valentine's advent
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If he had been born under different circumstances, Leon swears he'd surely become a beach bum. Better an idle man rather than get smacked by bioweapons day in and night out, not only that, but have the top brass of good ol' U.S of A breathing down his neck constantly. Yet, he's a man who has seen things, he'd already vowed to protect whatever and whoever he can. Cold and cruel this life may be.
So he loves the warmth of the sun on him, lying down on a sun lounger sipping on dry drinks. Enjoy the view in the tropics of crystalline beaches and white sand on his feet, letting loose and relaxing himself.
Unfortunately, after the events of Alcatraz, maybe he's had enough of the sea for now. He gives himself a pat on the back, takes out a chunk of his savings to go to Japan because you've been eyeing it. You said you were interested in the food, culture, and sights.
So here he is, you in hand, his cute girlfriend clinging onto his bicep like a bunny that hopped in excitement at every interesting thing you see because you're adorable to him like that.
You were extra flirty too, Leon had chalked it up to you being over the moon because you were finally in Japan after so long of dreaming it, he's smug and pleased with himself, he likes the good boyfriend brownie points, but you had other things in mind.
"Bunny, aren't you cold?"
Leon cocked his head to the side to take a look at you, in your skirt, crop top, and cardigan combo. He's not the type of man to control women and their clothing. Come on, don't people listen to Beyonce? Girls run the world. He doesn't really know who the fuck Beyonce is but he does know Sherry listens to the song.
"Nope."
You give him a cheeky grin, shaking your head.
"Besides, you'll warm me up anyway."
You say this with a wink as you both card through the busy streets of Tokyo as Leon gives you an innocent grin, oblivious to your intent.
"Of course I would bunny. I take care of my pretty girl."
He coos, before giving you a chaste kiss on your forehead, you giggle at how he missed your innuendo before smirking.
"I wanna go somewhere."
You reply as you slide your hand to lace both your fingers together, his calloused ones enveloping your own as you all but drag him to the busy streets.
You turn him around to an alley, google maps pulled up on your free hand as you show him, what seems to be a rather flashy building illuminated by red neon lights and blinged up signs. It was like the establishment wanted to be purposefully flamboyant.
"What am I looking at bunny?"
You flash him a toothy grin, Leon knows that glint of mischief in your eyes as you reply.
"A love hotel."
Leon is floored.
"A what now? A motel? Bunny, if you were horny I'd be hauling your ass back to the hotel room right now."
He breathes out, smoke escaping from his lips as he quirks an eyebrow at you, but you giggle.
"This is different!"
No shit.
Leon thinks inwardly as sapphire eyes scan the building once more. Motels for sex used to be inconspicuous during his time. He really is getting old.
"You wanna check in bunny?"
You nod your head quite excitedly with a huge grin on her face, there's no mistaking it. Your eagerness, and Leon relents. Of course you would want a vacation and his cock. No surprise there.
Leon sighs and squeezes your hand, being the gentleman that he is, leading you inside of the garish establishment. He'd be lyin g if he says he isn't the least bit interesting, you were always the more exciting and free-spirited one.
On the reception counter, he waits for the key, with you standing just beside him, hands still entwined. As Leon grew curious, you grew embarrassed. The lobby was decorated with red. Red hearts, mirrors, sensual posters, and oh god, the brochures on a nearby rack that had photos of toys and costumes
You're fairly aware that love hotels are popular, but now that you're gonna experience this for yourself, bashfulness and your own eagerness had you blushing.
Leon could see you, feel how you'd gone and overheated in his arms and you both aren't in the room yet. He chuckles, squeezing you. You got him going now, as a shiver runs down his spine.
"Are you interested in a specific suite? You can take a look on our brochure here."
The receptionist asks and Leon shakes his head.
"We're fine with anything."
The receptionist nods, handing Leon the key as he cooly leads you to the designated room. Despite his laidback demeanor, Leon is already briskly walking, adrenaline in his veins. As you both reached the designated room, he eases the key in the lock as it opens with a low clicking sound. He leads you inside first, following behind but not before locking the door while you turn the lights on. Another clicking sound, the lighting is a kind of low red and Leon blinks as he follows in, you both inspect the room with amusement and fascination. There inside the center of the room is a queen round bed, with a heart-shaped headboard, covered in satin sheets and what seems to be a confetti of hearts on the foot of the bead, even the pillows were heart-shaped, and the most ridiculous part were the mirrors. Everywhere. Mirrors on the wall, on the ceiling, mirrors of various  shapes and sizes at each of the walls. Red, heart-shaped lounge chairs and a faux tiger rug. Gaudy as the room is, it certainly looks like a place to fuck alright. 
Your eyes slowly adjust to the light, but you were beaten by Leon, who is certainly not the least bit captivated by the interior choices. He did, however, wanted to fuck you in it. He's already dropped his coat on the floor before proceeding to toss his shirt away as he stares at you with an amused smirk while you stood speechless.
"You embarrassed now?
He asks while putting his hands on your waist before turning you around to face him. Face his smug face smirking at you.
"Who? Me?"
You reply with a cocky tone.
"Nah."
You wink at him and he chuckles, he takes your hand pulling you to him as he strides to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Figures," he shrugs "You always wanna fuck me. Don't you, bunny?"
He coos before kissing your palms, your fingertips brush across his lower lip, and he kisses your fingertips one by one, the small act only making you shiver.
"Is that a problem?"
You ask him as that familiar warmth pools in your stomach, he had just finished unbuckling his belt and is now rubbing his hands on your thighs, before peeling your skirt off of you.
He gives you that same handsome grin, there was a sparkle in his eyes and you blush. You take off the rest of your upper clothing to help him before Leon pulls you to sit on his lap, his pretty bunny.
He presses his lips into yours in a sweet kiss, before sweeping his tongue on your lower lip, a cue to open your mouth, proceeding to stick his tongue inside your mouth, tasting you and you sink into his lap. The kiss a passionate tango and as you both part for air, his lips connects to yours with a thin strand of saliva. He swipes it with his thumb before chuckling.
"You're so fucking pretty."
He breathes out before lifting you up, only to place you gently on the bed. Leon's eyes roam over your voluptuous figure, smirking at the dampness on your underwear, he kneels down, peeling that last pesky article of clothing off of you, already admiring how swollen your clit is already.
"So fucking hot too."
He murmurs against your skin as he trails kisses on your ankle, your knees, and up your thighs.
Your breath hitches on your throat, you feel yourself soaking the sheets with every kiss.
Your blissed out face doesn't escape Leon and he smirks, he presses another kiss on your pelvis, before he presses a kiss on your clit. It was like a greeting, in his silly mind.  
His cold breath against fans against your skin before he takes a long, languid lick on your pussy.
Your hands immediately reach down to grip fistfuls of his dark hair, pulling him closer as he licked over your slit, lapping at your essence.
"Fuck, Leon."
You whimper, tossing your head back and Leon smirks against your pussy. He always liked seeing you coming undone with his mouth. His tongue dips into your entrance, the wet appendage flicking and curling inside you.
He presses his thumb on your clit while his mouth still worked on you, relishing in your sweet taste and breathy moans while you could only shut her eyes closed and sob his name helplessly. He doesn't let up, he pulls his tongue out to wrap your clit in his warm mouth and sucking it, inserting two fingers inside your sopping wet pussy. Scissoring and curling inside you while his tongue flicks and sucks on the hood of your clit. It doesn't take look that you gush around his fingers in an orgasm and he smirks. He let's you breath, admiring your flushed face as he stood up. Takes his boxers off and his thick cock springs out, already erect leaking with precum. He stands beside your face. "Suck."
Despite his domineering voice, he looks at you with soft eyes and you turn your body to his direction, you sit up on the bed. With a lick of your lips, your fingers trail over his abs, before your tongue sweeps across his slit, swiping it clean with his precum and he grunts, his body tensing in your touch.
"Fuck yeah."
He hisses through gritted teeth as your tongue swirls around the head before engulfing his dick with your mouth. You dip your head, swallowing him deeper as your hands grab his waits, until his length reaches the back of your throat, knowing he was looking, you don't break eye contact and you suck his cock, thick on your tongue and rolling your eyes while he looks.
"Shit, bunny. So pretty sucking cock like that."
Leon's voice is throaty and you know he likes what he sees, his dick practically jumped in your mouth and you moan. The vibrations make him shiver violently, and he grunts.
"Goddamn."
He breathes, patting your cheeks, A signal for you to stop and you peels yourself off him with a pout like he had just taken your favorite lollipop. Which is true, he is after all, your favorite lollipop.
"Don't be upset now. You suck cock so good, I won't last long."
You both laugh in unison as he breathes in to calm himself, while stroke his cock, he twirls a finger around.
"Turn around for me, bunny. On your fours if you wanna be good."
You hum in response, turning your back to bend over for him. You arch your back, with your ass perked up against him. In that moment, you understand why Leon wanted to fuck you from behind. The image of you bent over and him standing up, his dick plush on your ass is reflected in all of the mirrors on the walls and you let out a scandalized gasp while Leon only chuckles, sensing your embarrassment.
"Wanna see you moan while I pound you into that fucking mattress."
Leon winks at you from the mirror and you see his smug expression reflected everywhere. He kisses your ass cheeks, he's too horny out his damn mind now. He's inside you with one strong thrust, his thick cock all the way inside and he shuts his eyes close. Stilling for a moment to let you adjust to his sized as you close your eyes and whimper.
"Jesus Christ… no matter how many times I fuck this pussy."
He groans, sweeping his auburn strands before steadying his grip on your waist.
"It never gets used to me. Poor little thing."
The fullness makes you squirm and he savors the addictive feeling of your walls clenching on his cock desperate to get him to just fit. You're pressed against the mattress, your pathetic moans muffled by the sheets.
When he starts to thrust, finding that rhythm, your body jerks forward with every rock of his hips. His body moves to cover your own.
"Watch us baby."
He whispers, his tongue sweeping on the shell of your ear and you could only whimper. Clutching the sheets as he finds his rhythm with his hips rocking against yours.
"Look. Don't hide."
He raps before tugging on your hair to forcibly lift up your face while his free hand tug on your arms. You find yourself feeling small with Leon's muscular body covering you. The muscles on his arm flex as both his hands are now grabbing your arms and your hair. The way his muscles pulled and flexed as his hips slams against her ass, the way your ass bounced on him, the thin layer of sweat that coated his torso, the way his mouth hung open in ragged breaths, the way your breasts bounce at every thrust. You feel so turned on at the sight it was crazy. It looked so erotic. This only elicits louder moans from you, while you move back against him, meeting his thrusts.
"Shit!" Leon groans, clenching his jaw. This positions and rhythm was blowing his mind, coupled with how your face twists into pleasure and the heat that coiled in his stomach. This was so fucking hot, he really wouldn't last long.
"Come here" He whispers, planting a kiss on your shoulder, before pulling out which makes you whine in displeasure. He chuckles, both his hands grab you, picking you up. Manhandling your ass to pin you down the mattress. "Shh," he coos. "Not done with you yet bunny."
He chuckles before kissing your nose, guiding himself back inside your pussy. You chuckle as you look at the mirror on the ceiling.
"You've always had a nice ass."
You tease, despite the breathlessness of your voice and Leon only cocks his head to the side in confusion before following your line of sight, remembering that there was a mirror atop the ceiling and he chuckles, a rush of desire running through his veins with the sight of tangled limbs.
"Yeah, so?" His tone full of sass as he smirks. "Jealous much?"
You laugh as he places his fingers under your jawline, bringing your face close before crashing his lips down yours in a sloppy kiss, before moving inside you again. His pace rougher and faster, cock slamming down your pussy like a freight train as you lock your legs around his waist tight, bringing him close before you bite down on his shoulder and Leon hisses a curse.
He peels your legs off of him first before hooking your legs above his shoulders. He growls, this position slips him in deeper, and you squeeze his cock tighter.
"Holy fucking shit!
He exclaims, it's no secret that you both are vocal in the bedroom. You both love verbally assuring each other that the pleasure is mutual, you were always the louder one, but this time it was Leon. Completely pussy whipped with every clench of your walls.
"Got me drunk on this tight fucking pussy."
He grunts and your hands reach out to grab his hips, slamming down on you rougher with every thrust. Your nails digging on the flesh of his waist and he moans. His jaw slacked, sweat dripping down.
"I'm gonna cum inside yeah? Gonna fill this tight pussy up for making me this rabid."
He laughs as his thrusts become erratic. He knows you're close, just like you know that he's close as well.
"Goddamn, got me addicted to pussy."
He moans and your toes curl as he slams into you one last time. His body tensing up, shooting ropes of his cum inside you as you both climax together.
"Yeah, bunny. So good for me. Creaming on this cock like a good girl."
He soothes you, kissing your forehead as you tremble beneath him in the intensity of your orgasm, he looks at you intently. Rubbing your body gently. Not pulling out yet as you gush around his cock.
"You're so pretty when you cum."
He hums. You both cuddle up for a minute to calm down before he pulls out.
Much to Leon's surprise, you whine.
"Lovey… don't pull out yet…"
Leon chuckles, pulling you into his arms to cradle your body.
"Yeah? Give me a minute. Have mercy on the lil guy."
You giggle softly, you were feeling fuzzy and the throbbing in your pussy suggests you were not fully sated yet, and with the way Leon looks at you like a hawk, he wants another too.
"There's nothing little about that."
You retort, giving his chest a little slip and he has a proud look on his face.
"Yeah? Maybe I'll compare it with those next time. Gonna use it on you."
He winks, pointing at the assortment of toys just neatly placed on the bedside table that went unnoticed in the heat of your lovemaking, as you both share a hearty laugh.
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lovelybrooke · 1 year
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Platonic Yandere Sully Family x human reader Concept.
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I've wanted to write for the sully family for so long, but never got the opportunity because I couldn't see the movie. Now that I have, here are some headcanons. Also please request for Avatar in the future, I won't shut up about it. (Let's just pretend no one dies okay!)
For context, you're younger than Neteyam, Lo'ak, and Kiri, but younger than Tuk. I couldn't find official ages for them, so I had to guess, sorry.
You were like Spider, a human who was left on Pandora after the sky people were force out. Since you were young at the time, you were unable to be sent back to earth, and were given the privilege of living on what's left of the research bases near the Omaticaya clan. I won't go into the details of your parents, but I can another time.
Unlike Spider, as you grew, you preferred to say away from the Na'vi. Not because you thought they were savages like the sky people wanted you to believe, you were smarter than that. You were just...shy. You preferred to say in your little bunker, by yourself, away from the unfamiliar land of Pandora.
However, Eywa had other plans.
It started with Spider, who thought it would be really cool, and definitely not annoying, to bring the Sully kids around the research base. You and spider were not friends, a least, that what you thought. Spider thought you were great, since you were really the only human he could really relate to. You were also left on this unfamiliar land, by yourself, with a bunch of nerds to take care of you. You and Spider were much closer when you were younger, but as you aged, you went separate ways, Spider running headfirst towards Pandora, while you remained stagnant.
Anyway, when Spider would bring Lo'ak and Kiri around, you would hide off in your corner, alone. You didn't want to talk with them, occupying yourself with "homework" that the other scientists would give you, most of which would consist of history on the Na'vi or even earth itself, which you didn't spend a lot of time on.
When you weren't able to escape the Sully children, you were forced to spend time with them. Lo'ak was extremely interested in you, since you knew a lot about the Na'vi and its culture, but never spent any of your time outside the research base. He thought you were strange, but if he was being honest, it was something he liked about you. After a while, he started treating you like a sibling and would encourage you to explore Pandora with him and Spider.
Kiri loved you. You both shared a sort of standoffish nature, and she felt like you could relate to her like no one else could. She liked learning about humans from you and loves watching videos of her mother with you. Often, when she if fighting with her siblings, she'll come to you and rant about them to you. This will last for a while.
As time went on, your relationship with the two Navi grew. However, they both grew frustrated with your reluctance to leave the base. They didn't understand, Pandora is a beautiful place, and with them, you'll be safe. They wanted you to meet their family, since they already saw you as a part of it.
They didn't understand that your reluctance came from their parents. You knew how strong Jake Sully is, how strong Toruk Makto is, and you really didn't want him to know that his children were hanging out with a 'demon'. Neytiri scared you the most though. Humans destroyed her land, her home, and killed her family. You knew she did not like Spider, so why would she like you?
With much corrosion an oxygeen mask was put on you and you were let into Pandora. Honesty, you were like a small child seeing new colors for the first time. It was great seeing all the plants and animals that you've only read about in notes.
Kiri and Lo'ak introduced you to Tuk and Neteyam before introducing you to their parents. They have both already heard of you before your meeting, and while Tuk was excited to meet you, Neteyam was less so. Tuk being just 8 was excited about everything, but oh loud does she love you. She loves to play with you, and like Kiri she loves stories about humans. Sometimes you sneak her game consoles so you can play with her. Overall, she just loves spending time with you.
Neteyam knows that spending time with you is wrong, especially since his parents wouldn't approve of it. However, he just can't help but view you as another sibling in need of his protection. He's usually the one who take you to and from the base, since he's the one most concerned with your safety. He's also the one that helps you with your Na'vi. While he tells you it because you sound like a baby talking for the first time, it really so that his parents will like you better when you meet them.
The kids all have a secret understanding that you in fact, are their sibling. They don't care if you're human, a demon. They believe that you were meant to be a part of their family, and that Eywa drove them to you, so you could all be together. Even though, they knew at least one of their parents would never fully accept you. So, they planned on keeping you a secret for a while. Emphasis on planned. Because they were not prepared for Tuk going on a playful rant about her "super cool human friend who showed her cool toys and read her cool stories." Lo'ak tried to shut her up, but it was no use, because the moment Neytiri heard the word 'human' she was furious, forbidding them from meeting with you again. In an instant, Tuk was crying, Kiri was freaking, her and Lo'ak swearing that you were harmless and just a kid. When Neteyam started defending you was when Jake decided enough was enough and he would go meet you himself and decide whether or not you were fit to be around his children. Neytiri was upset, accusing him of taking the side of a demon, but when she was reminded of her mate's demon heritage, she cooled down a bit.
Jake didn't expect much from you. He expected you to be just like Spider, a child meddling in a culture he understood nothing about. However, when he did finally meet you one day at the research base you called home, he realized how wrong he was. You were like Spider in the curiosity department; however, you didn't take any interest in assimilating with the Na'vi. In fact, you were most interested in the idealist version of Earth the scientist fed to you. It took a while for you to warm up to him, however when you did talk to him, it was almost always questions about Earth, and as he got to know you, he didn't have the heart to tell you the truth about the status of Earth, neither did any of the scientists.
As Jake got to know you, he started to view you as his child. Much to the annoyance of Neytiri and the excitement of his children, he started bringing you around more often. He couldn't deny the since of fatherly love that would fill him when he saw your shy façade break and goof around with his children. Knowingly or not, he was trying to assimilate you into his family. You started spending less and less time with the researchers and more time with the Sullys. Soon, Jake unknowingly became a part of the plan to make you an actual Sully.
The one roadblock in that plan was Neytiri. She firmly believed you were an outsider, a demon, and that you would never be a part of her family. It didn't matter how much time you spent with them; your time was always cut short by Neytiri demanding you to go home. It even got to the point where Neytiri was threatening you to stay away from her children. Her behavior caused you to spend less and less time with the Sully's, and while Neytiri was happy, if eventually caused a fight between her and Jake. Jake said you were a child and needed their protection, while Neytiri claimed that it wasn't their business.
Due to her children, and mates, stubbornness, your presents was common, even if Neytiri didn't like it. Jake suggested that she try and bond with you, and while she barely knew what that met, she attempted for him. She would request your help while preparing meals or assisting with basic task. While it took a while, you began to warm on her. It wasn't until a minor attack by a wild animal where you were barely harmed that Neytiri realized how much you mattered to her. She viewed you as a baby, and eventually agreed that you were safer with them.
(This got too long, so expect a part two soon. Also please request for Avatar I'm obsessed.)
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Hello! It's me again. I'm probably pestering you, lol. I think a lotta people give flack for the Octavinelle trio being ruthless and "behaving like a Mafia." But I think considering where they live it makes sense? They live in the ocean. And the ocean is a kill or be killed environment, where you have to the strongest and toughest. If not? You at least have to be quick witted and unable to be seen, otherwise you'll be dead. If the trio become too soft they'll be fish meat.
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I think the fandom is pretty divided when it comes to perceptions of what the Coral Sea is like. On one hand, you have the people who think of it as like living in Atlantica, which is basically just like living in a peaceful and pretty city (but underwater). Then you have the people who think the environment would be so different it would shape its inhabitants to behave differently as well. The second one tends to be a darker or grittier interpretation which aknowledges dangers such as other undersea creatures and treacherous living conditions.
Personally, I lean on and enjoy the latter, since TWST rarely ever designs purely for the aesthetic of it; one example of this is how the twins are confirmed to be bioluminescent in the Magical Archives. This is a decision that was not made “because it would look cool”, but because many deep sea creatures rely on this trait to intimidate potential predators. It would make more sense for the cold waters of the Coral Sea to change its people rather than merfolks’ cities simply being civilizations moved several leagues under, especially seeing TWST time and time again really consider the geography and history of each new location and how those inform the cultures that form there.
However, I want to state that the Coral Sea would be very different depending on which area you’re in, just like how there are nice parts and bad parts of a city. It’s not ALL nice or ALL bad. For example, the Atlantica Museum in book 3 appears to be in a more photic zone, so there’s more sunlight and it appears pleasant to be in. Even the merpeople there seem to be different than the Octatrio; they less so resemble specific sea creatures and are much more akin to being human-like. We have yet to really see how the benthic zones are—but we do know they must be harsher, since Floyd has mentioned exploring shipwrecks and various dangers there (like sharks).
I also want to point out that there are subtle signs in dialogue which could imply merpeople prefer traits that promote survivability and adaptability in the ocean. Azul’s bullies are noted to taunt him for his weight, but also for his bulky tentacles and inky tears. Now why those traits specifically??? Because these impede his ability to swim swiftly (making it harder to escape danger) and easily give away his location (if he’s in hiding or camoflauging).
I’ve seen others suggest that maybe these comments are because of racism against octopus merpeople, who are a rare kind of merfolk. This is entirely possible, yes! But thinking about it like that… Isn’t it also possible that there aren’t a lot of octopus merpeople at the moment because it’s more difficult for them to escape or to hide from predators? Which then informs and perpetuates preexisting prejudices. In this context (plus the bullying), it makes sense why Azul may have “hardened” as a defense and survival mechanism. The same goes for the twins, who were explicitly taught how to defend themselves (although this also goes into the Leech mob family theory, which is a whole separate matter) and have often made references to fighting others in the Coral Sea. Their upbringings also play a part in their personalities, but so does the environment they grew up in. Like Azul and the twins, you’d have to harden mentally or physically to some degree to ensure your survival through tough circumstances.
It’s hard to say for sure though! A lot of this is speculation based on current but infrequent lore, and the Octatrio themselves are a very small portion of all merfolk. They may not be representative of the behaviors of all other merpeople, and we should keep this in mind when referring to them as our exemplars. That’s why I’ve been hoping for a Coral Sea hometown event so we have a more concrete idea of what life under the sea is like 😭
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weepingchronicles · 2 months
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yandere azula x reader headcanons this could be read as either romantic or platonic, whatever you wish! tw: yandere, violence, mentions of death, torture, manipulative and controlling behavior, degradation (also maybe a smidge of yandere aang??)
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when I say you are fucked if you have this girl yandere for you, you are FUCKED
you are one of the last remaining air nomads, except for aang who is unknown to the world right now and presumed dead
the troubling part is that you have no bending abilities, you were practically raised in the fire nation belonging to azula
you have no spirituality connecting you to your tribe because you know nothing about your culture thus making it hard for you to bend
fire lord ozai had gifted you to azula to keep as a pet basically, only after ensuring you were not the avatar.
growing up with azula has its moments..
azula treats you as bad as zuko, perhaps even worse. she regularly mocks your deceased parents and tribe and knowingly withholds info on your culture in order to keep you dependent on her
you're also not allowed to speak to anyone but azula or a higher rank person.
once ty lee tried to play a game with you since you're both naturally agile people, the outcome was your hair almost catching on fire
as a result, you grew up very fearful of azula but naïve of any outside influence.
the only bright side in your childhood was that you got to keep your life while your parents didn't, and that you somewhat live safely in the palace.
azula likes to keep you on a tight leash, metaphorically (although she wouldn't be against actually doing so-) she has you sleep in your obviously smaller room just across from hers
she doesn't worry about you ever escaping because she has engrained in you that it's impossible, and why bother when you have no family to turn back to, except her? where you get fed pretty well, have a good place to sleep, etc
of course she doesn't mention how she likes to torture you daily
most torture games with azula are psychological, she likes to see you be manipulated to her side and cry but knowing no one else can do that but her
but sometimes her games do get violent
one time she handcuffs your hand to a table, and plays pinfinger on you, enjoying your expression as she pretends to "slip up" and accidentally cut you.
she never majorly hurts you though, she doesn't want her pet to be broken!
you may be thinking that azula doesn't even care for reader! she sees her as only a pet
while that is half true, she cares for you probably more than her own father.
when aang hears one of his last remaining relatives is being held captive, he has no other choice but to save you
when you're greeted by a 12 year old boy who is claiming to be your family and the avatar, you are wary. azula has always said your family is dead, wiped out so how can this be?
it doesn't take much to convince you though after he says he can help you escape.
together you fly away on aang's glider, and for once you feel hope and freedom.
when azula finds out you've been taken by the avatar, she practically breaks
the only thing that stops her from breaking havoc across the nation, is her dad appointing her to capture the avatar
oh she'll capture him alright, and make sure no one puts their hands on you again.
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bumblesimagines · 1 year
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Headcanon:
Both Neytiri and Jake liking you
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Request: Yes or No
Sorry for the sudden absence! I will try to get When Fire Meets Fate out soon
~~~
You'd met Jake at the compound with Grace introducing you as his babysitter. The chuckle that had escaped you at her words made his skin flush
However, there were some truth to her words. You never allowed Jake to stray far and always kept him within view. It had made Jake feel like a child at first but he grew to find comfort in your stare and even felt uneasy when he didn't feel your eyes on it
Along with the uneasiness was this prick of neediness. A desire to have your attention on him at all times
And his desire had been fulfilled the first few days on Pandora. You were his teacher along with Grace and Norm. You taught him about Pandora, the dos and don'ts, and the little knowledge you had about the Na'vi
Despite your lessons Jake still managed to get himself in trouble with the thanator and separated from you and the others
When he returned- his avatar tucked away safely with the Na'vi to Grace's relief- he met your eyes first and gleefully smile, ready to tell you all about his meeting with the Na'vi clan
While you were glad to see him fine, you still smacked the back of his head (not that it did much considering he laughed afterward)
His encounters were amazing for Grace to hear and he often found himself in your room retelling the story with all the tiny details. You were easy to talk to and it helped him feel more comfortable with his new life
He kept his meetings with Colonel Quaritch a secret however. You and Grace were close as you had been assigned as a soldier for her team and your dislike for the man who was still essentially your boss was apparent
But, regardless of secrets, he certainly didn't keep you from Neytiri. His evolving friendship with the fiery native had gotten to the point where he felt comfortable talking to her about things, including you
And Neytiri was curious, albeit still hesitant on meeting another soldier given everything the humans did, but still curious enough to convince her parents to allow both Grace and you to meet her people (much to the delight of Jake)
Her ears twitched and turned, listening to the sound of the chopper flying away. She could feel the excitement oozing of Jake in waves and a small smile tugged at her blue lips as she glanced at him. Jake's eyes lit up as you pushed through the brush, Grace following close behind you.
"Good to finally see this guy again." You grinned at him and Jake's tail twitched and lashed from contained happiness. Neytiri met Grace's gaze first and exchanged a fond look with her, the memories of their time together before the school had shut down still fresh in their minds. Sylwanin would've been pleased to see her again.
"You know Grace." Jake turned his head to look at Neytiri, motioning to the older woman before he lifted his hand in your direction. "This is (Y/N)."
"I've heard much about you." Neytiri spoke, eyeing the gun in your hands. Without looking away from her, you shifted the gun and allowed it to rest against your back and out of view. You made no attempt to greet her with a handshake and instead gave a small nod.
"All good things, I hope." You smiled and she relaxed. You had a warm air about you, one that calmed her. While your ears twitched at every sound and your eyes occasionally flickered about, you weren't as tense or jumpy as the other humans she'd seen. Calm yet alert. You'd fit in fine with her people, she could tell already.
Much to the surprise of her parents and Tsu'tey, you had given up your gun without any complaint. This willingness had caused Mo'at and Eytukan to share an approving look
While you'd been more than happy to learn the language and culture, you'd been more apprehensive about exchanging your clothes for a loincloth. You'd already teased Jake about his enough, you didn't want to tables turned which did disappoint Jake in the slightest.
After moving to a spot in the Hallelujah Mountains, you and Jake were able to spend even more time together
Of course with him focusing more on his life with the Na'vi it meant he forgot to do things like eat, drink, and overall take care of himself
When it got to a worrying point, you backed him in a corner and essentially spoon fed him until he caught the hint. Although it took a bit since he got a fluttery feeling when he realized you were taking care of him in such a domestic way and didn't want it to stop
Back with the Na'vi, Neytiri had quickly warmed up to you, much faster than it'd taken for her to warm up to Jake
You were more observant and a quick learner so you learned the language quick meanwhile Jake still had trouble speaking it
And of course, you'd finally given in to the loincloth after much consideration
"Oh, well look at you!" Grace called in a teasing tone, laughing when you grumbled in return. Neytiri and Jake turned in your direction upon hearing her voice, eyes zoning in on you immediately.
"This is..." You huffed softly, skin flushing as you crossed your arms over your chest. You hadn't been this exposed to the world since the day you left the womb. Your pressed lied flat against your chest, lips pulled into a cute scowl and tail lashing wildly behind you.
"You look fine." Neytiri spoke first, rising from her hunches and approaching you with a small smile. Jake took a moment as he studied the details of your body, committing everything to memory before you could regret the decision and return to your shirt and cargo pants.
"Y-Yeah! You look great, (Y/N)." Jake agreed, rising as well and grinning widely. "I think it's about time you start hunting."
"I believe you'd take to a bow easily. You've got strong arms, good eyes." Neytiri pressed her hands to your abdomen and inhaled deeply, nodding her head for you to mimic her. You did so and she hummed in approval, hands lingering before they dropped to her sides.
"If Jake of all people can do it, I'm sure I'll do fine." You replied, hearing Neytiri giggle and Jake huff playfully.
Despite having little interest in joining her clan, Neytiri insisted on teaching you to hunt. It began with instructing you on how to hold a bow
She was gentler with you than she was with Jake- something he picked up on- but she was regardless strict and firm though she rarely lost her patience as she had with Jake
Neytiri admired your openness to learning the way of her people. Jake had been open but stubborn in letting go of the human way resulting in his training taking longer than yours
The clan had been more accepting of you as well, with even Tsu'tey keeping his comments solely directed at Jake instead both you and him
The more time you spent with Jake and Neytiri, the more they grew attached. You didn't get much time alone as the two always found you somehow, always following and watching
So, when you inevitably caught the eye of another Na'vi, the two noticed immediately
Running your fingers over the arch of the training bow, you narrowly missed the shadow that fell over you. Tilting your head up, you rose to your full height and offered the woman a smile.
"(Y/N)." Ninat greeted, lifting her fingers to her forehead and lowering her hand. While you had only seen her in passing, her voice demanded attention during ceremonies. It carried over the others, powerful and beautiful. "I've heard you've taken well to the bow."
Neytiri watched from her spot beside Jake, fingers remaining on her forearm as she studied you and Ninat. Jake took notice, lowering his arms and nearly letting the arrow slip from his fingers. He curiously followed her gaze and felt his stomach twist. Ninats' body language as she spoke to you made her intentions obvious. She was flirting. With you.
Neytiri broke away from Jake, reaching you in a couple quick strides. Jake stumbled after her, slipping the bow over his shoulder and clearing his throat to grab your attention.
"Hey, you two." You greeted casually and Ninat released an unsatisfied hum, greeting Neytiri in typically Na'vi fashion.
"You're ready to hunt, (Y/N). Come, you must track-"
"I could accompany him. JakeSully will need you for training."
"Nonsense." Neytiri sharply turned toward her. Ninat lowered her ears, holding Neytiri's gaze for a few seconds before she looked away, murmuring a farewell to you.
"I'm sure she could've-" You clamped your mouth shut when Neytiri turned her glare onto you.
"Come, you both must prove yourselves." Neytiri muttered bitterly, glancing in Ninats direction before she stalked off.
Neytiri's foul mood had disappeared after you and Jake successful completed your hunt and it was instead replaced with pride
Jake had beamed and boasted about it to Norm whilst you watched, chuckling along and eating a meal. Jake felt proud, not only proud that he had his first kill but proud of you too
Climbing up the Hallelujah Mountains to reach ikran territory had been a challenge and Jake had made sure to check on you every few minutes, anxiety gripping his mind the higher up they went until they reached ikran territory
Neytiri felt confident in your abilities along w Jake's so when she arrived, she addressed you both with reassuring smiles and explained what needed to be done in order to claim an ikran. You and Jake exchanged a look upon hearing how the ikrans chose their riders
Nevertheless, you and Jake were successful again. Jake had gone first, struggling and nearly being thrown off the side of the mountain but he'd gotten their queues together and took off into the skies with a surprised shout. Neytiri waited for you to tame a ikran before taking to the skies, showing her pride through shouts and vocal calls
Not long after, she gleefully led you and Jake to a place she called the Tree of Voices. It lived up to its names when you were able to hear the voices of past Na'vi upon connecting your queue to it
And then, Neytiri revealed another thing...
"You may make your bow from the wood of Hometree." She murmured, the blissful look on her face disappearing. "And you may choose a mate."
"A mate?" You repeated, disconnecting your queue from the vines and blinking at her. Jake's lips parted and he glanced between you and Neytiri. The woman turned her back to you, gazing up at the sky.
"We have many good men and women. Strong, loyal... Good hunters and fighters."
"And what if I don't want just one?" Jake questioned softly and Neytiri looked over her shoulder at him, ears perking up. Jake swallowed and met your curious gaze.
"Who do you want, Jake?" You asked softly.
"Neytiri." Jake answered and she smiled fondly. "And you."
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zeldasnotes · 2 years
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➷ If you have a Moon-Pluto aspect You probably grew up wondering why people love the same people you cant stand because you saw things in people that others didnt see. You see the little smirk someone makes when telling a lie, you notice everything.
➷ Lilith in the 9th house might go against cultural expectations. Someone I know with this placement moved in with his girlfriend without being married and a lot of his relatives shames them because he is the only one in his family whos not married.
➷ Having a strong Neptune in your chart especially Neptune in the 1st house can make it very hard to know what to wear, what to work with and how to act without getting inspiration from others. Like you might not know what clothes you like until you see someone else wearing something that you find attracive and then you go buy the same pair of pants you saw someone else with.
➷ You will be at your most powerful when you act like your chart ruler in conflict. Example:
Saturn: act calm, your cold facial expression does the intimidation for you. You dont look good screaming or fighting.
Mars: You are at your most intimidating when you are all up in someones face and when you are being straighforward letting it all out, your angryface is scary.
Venus: Your social skills and way of looking innocent is your best weapon, people will take your side anyways
Mercury: Your words!!!
➷ The best time to start to work out or diet is when Venus is transiting your 6th house. You will be more organized and driven during this transit.
➷ One thing Ive noticed with women who have Venus or Moon aspecting Neptune is that they tend to copy and idealize other women a lot and other women do the same to them.
➷ Lilith in the 2nd house are the kind of people who wont leave their food in the fridge at their job because they are so afraid of someone stealing from them.
➷ People with Venus in the 1st house tend to not only be good looking but also have a wonderful life. They are well liked and people like to be around them. They usually get what they want and find partners get jobs very easily.
➷ If you have Lilith conjunct North Node you will keep being put in situations where you have to stand up for yourself ,bring out your inner bitch & stand alone until you learn.
➷ Moon conjunct Chiron in the natal chart is a sign that family members will be the ones to cause you pain especially female family members.
➷ I was friends with someone with Scorpio Mercury and I noticed that she never wrote anything bad about anyone in our group chat or in text messages at all like the rest of us did(This was in high school) She only talked bad about people irl. She never said or did anything that anyone could prove. She was also friends with the right people and only started drama with people who were not popular. So calculating.
➷ Mars in the 9th have strong opinions and dont like when people disagree with them. They are also not the type to like you if you have different opinions and see you as a good person in spite of your opinions. If they dont like your political views they dont like you. They dont separate a person from their views. (I have this placement and im like this😂)
➷ Do you even have Lilith Square Ascendant if you never experienced a person walking out of the room because you walked in or a person refusing to go to a place if you are there
➷ If you have Moon or Venus aspecting Pluto you will get to see the worst side of women and if you have Sun or Mars aspecting Pluto you will see the worst part of men and masculinity.
➷ Chiron in the 9th house are constantly put in situations where they cant escape and feel trapped. Like trapped at a job they cant leave.
➷ With Moon in the 1st house synastry there is no getting to know eachother phase you just instantly know the other at first sight which is really good if you are about to move in with the person.
➷ People with 1st house ruler in the 2nd house wants to be seen as rich and elegant. This is the placement of people who grew up poor and then when they started making money they only dress in gucci and prada.
© 2022 Zeldas Notes
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sanctus-ingenium · 3 months
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I’m really inspired by your world building and the creatures you use. I’m trying to kickstart my own world using Celtic, Norse and Scottish myths (it also involves werewolves because they’re cool)
But I’m stumped and a bit overwhelmed. How’d you start your project and what were huge sources of inspiration for you as you worked on The Black Horse?
hi there!!! this will probably get wordy i have a lot of thoughts on this but here's how i built up my inver setting
i had the characters first, and the werewolf establishment was basically the first thing invented about the world. I wrote a decent amount about the characters in the pre-1st draft slush pile just getting a handle on their voices, their history together, etc. the first slush draft was in painstaking chronological order telling of their lives from birth to like age 40 - it wasn't pretty to read but it meant I knew what big moments formed their worldview, their relationships with others, things like that. and then i got to pick and choose which ones would feature in the actual 1st draft, and which i would leave unsaid, in flashback form, or only in the form of vague allusions. the plot and world events changed significantly as i wrote the actual 1st draft so this ended up only being useful for backstory stuff and not book plots, but it was still good to have.
There was an important moment of a character being kidnapped into a faery realm, which is what started me off thinking about fairies in general. they weren't originally a part of this world - it was an undefined space before just for the characters to exist in, because i was (and still am) more interested in the characters than the worldbuilding. but i still like for there to be SOMETHING there in the background, and it gives a lot of opportunities to inform characterisation, so i started to make my setting. I picked the Púca as a pivotal being & major inspiration source to include because of its relatively large presence in the fringes of my childhood in stories told by my older relatives and i like the unusual aspects about it as well, how it has been both heroic and malevolent in different stories. you have to remember i grew up in this culture too, i knew a lot already, and that's what got me thinking of alternate Earth history - as in, the setting of Inver as alternate history, not wholly original fantasy set in a fantasy land.
So then I had to think about the implications of that, and here is where I think a lot of authors adapting extant mythology fall short. A world where faeries/mythological monsters/gods based in real cultures exist and people interact with them is indistinguishable from our own. We already live in a world where people interact with faeries in their own way; I've heard many older relatives recount stories of being trapped in their fields by faeries, how you can only escape by taking off your jumper and putting it back on inside out. There was no question as to whether they believed this was a concrete, meaningful interaction with a supernatural being. We have a motorway that was diverted while it was being built because the builders didn't want to risk cutting down a hawthorn tree. There is a deep stigma against harming hawthorns. Now, tell me how things would be any different if faeries were real irl? ftr I do not believe in the supernatural whatsoever, not even a little bit, but it is impossible to deny that I live in a world deeply shaped by it - I need only look out the window at the stands of whitethorn around my house to know that. because the main expression of that supernatural element is in how the people of that culture react.
you cannot, you cannot pick and choose only the monsters from a legend and leave behind the people who made & propagated that legend. you're only taking a single thread from a rich tapestry. I'm not arguing that other cultures should be untouchable, far from it, I'm just saying that to truly appreciate it, you need context for everything you adapt. you gotta know what you're writing about
in that sense, the people are more important to building Inver than the faeries. a citizen of Inver not immediately affected by the main plotline would likely never see or interact with magic in their lifetime, but their society is still shaped by it. so is mine (though that's more on the catholic church than anything else)
So now that I'd had that realisation, I decided to dump a lot of the traditional fantasy tropes I'd been working with. Think basic fantasy setting stuff, pop culture "The Fae" tropes, even the terminology of 'Fae' at all - that is not something I've ever heard the older generation in my life call them. It's just 'fairies' to them (although I did shift the spelling to match the Yeats poem because I could not handle writing characters making accusations of being A Fairy and have it not come across as a unintentionally homophobic accusation lmao). I did some research; mostly on JSTOR, using my institutional access, because my own university is mostly science and didn't have a big library of anthropological texts. I read An Táin Bó Culainge which is honestly one of the greatest stories of all time PLEASE READ IT if you are at all interested in Irish myth. It is a fantastic story and extremely comedic as well (a canon mmmf foursome lol). In terms of academic sources specific to the Púca, I have a drive folder of pdfs I will share with anyone if they ask.
I decided I was not going to include anything from what people actually think of as pre-christian Irish mythology - no fianna [rangers notwithstanding], no Ulster cycle, no Tuatha Dé, no Irish gods. All the things I include are post-colonial aside from the notion of the Otherworld in general. This decision wasn't necessarily accurate to what might have happened in this alternate history (given that christianity still has no real foothold in Inver) but it is a colonised society after all. It's why I got slightly steamed once when someone filed my Púca art into their irish deities/irish polytheism tag (I have my own issues with iripols/gaelpols for the same reason I dislike people taking myths out cultural context and in this case contemporary cultural context), because the Púca is in fact a postcolonial being - it comes from the UK, and likely the mainland as well
One of the last things I did before starting on my 2nd draft, which is what turned into Said the Black Horse, was decide to always capitalise the word 'Púca'. Because what really clicked from doing my research and remembering what I'd heard as a child was that the Púca is a specific character. Not a species, not a class of monster. A character, one guy. And you'll find this everywhere - the obvious example is the Minotaur being one specific guy, the son of Minos, not just 'a minotaur'. One very funny consequence of speciesifying mythological characters is dnd ppl saying their character is A Firbolg (fir bolg is plural!!). Fantasy bestiary books like Dragonology or Spiderwick Chronicles have done some amount of damage to how people relate to myths and legendary creatures, and I am not immune as someone who loves speculative biology, but in Inver I decided to cut all of that out.
Next once I got that out of the way I had to think about tone, atmosphere, and intended results. I didn't achieve my holy grail of a very atmospheric, undefined, and uncertain story that provides no answers, due to limitations in my own abilities, but I tried. I have given less than 1 second of thought to how magic or faery biology in Inver works because that is not conducive to the atmosphere of a fairytale. Many of these source myths and legends are really about the fear of the unknown. They are rationalisations to explain away something unknown, some mystery of life, and you cannot explain the unexplainable and expect it to carry the same punch as the original myths that you are drawn to adapt. That's also why I try to never actually give facts about fairies, but instead I talk about what people think of them. The word 'considered' does some insanely heavy lifting in that linked post lmao. Is any of what I wrote true with regards to the Red King?? It is for the people who believe it.
I'm saying all of this because these are all points I had to think about before writing that 2nd draft, but also because I think they're worth considering for your own story as well. I'll admit I invented my werewolves from scratch, they have no mythological basis, because they pre-date the faery stuff and also I wanted them to fill a very specific role and appear a little more concrete than the other supernatural elements. It is what it is; I wanted a werewolf element that didn't match myths and legends (and honestly was partially inspired by me rolling my eyes about those posts going around moaning and whining about 'the doggification of werewolves missing the point of werewolf stories'. I thought, well, there's more than one story you can tell with a werewolf - it isn't always 'i fear the beast within', sometimes it's something else! sometimes it's daddy issues! it's okay to make something new)
ok i think that's all i have to say.. modern Inver is a bit different, that worldbuilding is largely the same but with a big dose of actual ecology because the main characters are rangers and in Inver in 2017, rangers mostly do environmental monitoring. and that's a whole different sort of worldbuilding lol
good luck with your story!!
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Ok here’s my two cents that no one asked for on the current (sort of?) debate going on in the Creepypasta fandom on here rn.
For starters, I grew up with Creepypasta. I also grew up mentally ill. I am also autistic. So I know my way around good and bad mental health rep at this point. And to be honest? A lot of the original stories DID suck balls at representation or just horror writing in general.
However, nowadays I see other people on here, often mentally ill or any other social outcast, taking these characters and reshaping them as their own to fit their own feelings and experiences, and I don’t think anyone has the authority to criticize things like that. Cringe culture is supposed to be dead anyways, nevermind the fact it’s inherently ableist at its core.
We also need to take into account kids still exist in the fandom. Pre teens who got tired of shit like scooby doo and wanted something more “mature” or “edgy” to get into without fully going off the deep end into full blown horror movies. At least that’s how it was for me. Not everyone, especially someone who’s younger, is gonna be comfortable with the grit and gore a lot of Creepypasta “purists” are pushing for these days, and that’s okay! When a fandom gets popular it’s always inevitable and unavoidable to have the popular characters get two dimensionalized.
There’s also the whole mascot horror thing that I don’t wanna get into, but I’m 90% sure that also plays a part in the old favorites like Jeff and slenderman being brought up again. They were and still are recognizable characters. Recognizable characters aren’t a bad thing. Making horror more approachable for younger audiences isn’t a bad thing. People having their own interpretations based out of their own experiences isn’t a bad thing.
Some of us grew up and wanted the more edgy and reality based content, and that’s also not a bad thing! But neither side should be dictating or policing how the other enjoys content in this fandom. If you personally don’t like the way something is written, characterized, depicted, or drawn, no one’s forcing you to look at it. No one’s claiming it as canon. No one’s asking for you to accept it as the end all be all.
At the end of the day this fandom was built on OCs and personal depictions of stuff. I can’t name a single character or story in this community that was created by some outside party like a movie or TV studio FIRST (because I know some got so popular they breached the fandom and got their own shows/movies/comics/etc). Everything here was created by someone who wanted an outlet for their creativity, or their pain, or their coping, or whatever else.
Realism and dark headcanons aren’t bad, and neither are any of the headcanons out there who just wanna make a goofy found family of social rejects as a form of escapism.
A 13 year old drawing a fictional layout of a fictional mansion where these fictional characters live isn’t going to suddenly invalidate the horror, I promise, it’s not that deep and it never was.
A 22 year old making a dark comic on the realistic origins of Jeff who is a fictional character in a fictional world isn’t going to suddenly invalidate the more softhearted side of the fandom.
Sure, there can still be a split if people are so adamant about that, but as someone who personally enjoys both the brutal horror side and the “haha Jeff is 15 and gay” sides equally, y’all need to at least learn to be civil to anyone who has a different headcanon than you. And if that seems like too much still, the block button exists for a reason.
TL:DR this fandom is based entirely off OCs and headcanons and people can do whatever the fuck they want because none of it is real and horror comes in many shapes and sizes and intensities and no one should be bashing anyone on their headcanons or views or rewrites or whatever else.
EDIT:
Actually wait I think I have more to say-
Horror, like any genre, has NO AGE LIMIT. And by that I mean, if someone younger wants to delve into scary stuff, they should be allowed to do so without criticism. I personally grew up on “child friendly” horror media like Scooby-Doo, and the older I got the more horror I wanted to experience.
There’s no right or wrong way to “understand” horror, and I frankly think it’s ignorant and stupid to say if you don’t fully “understand” something, then you shouldn’t be involved in it at all. Horror isn’t always about gore and unspeakable violence and the eldritch entity that wants everyone’s skin inside out. That’s why horror has sub genres for fucks sake. Gut wrenching brutality against innocent people isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and that’s okay!
However, bashing anyone’s tamer headcanons, or calling anything anyone interprets differently than you “stupid”, that’s not okay. God, I feel like an exhausted parent giving this lecture to fellow adults, but this really needs to be said and stressed.
I am an adult. I like when stuff in the fandom takes a dark turn. But for nostalgia’s sake, I also love the fanon so much, because that’s what I was exposed to.
And for fucks sake if it comes down to picking sides, I would rather stick with the part of this fandom that gives zero shits how you see a character as long as you’re having fun.
You can have your serial killer 30 year old Jeff and your canon-accurate-to-that-one-image eyeless Jack, but don’t shit on other people if they don’t want the same thing. Your interpretation isn’t canon, and neither is anyone else’s for that matter.
Realistic, dark, gritty Creepypasta isn’t a new concept, and neither is “adult” Creepypasta. And by the way, Creepypasta was never stated to be for adults. That’s like saying kids and only kids can eat trix cereal. It sounds that stupid on paper.
Let people interpret things the way they wanna interpret. No one is infringing on YOUR character ideas. Creepypasta has no age limit, nor a set way the horror has to be presented. Those who do continue to claim that just sound like pretentious assholes.
Very small side note, I personally think it’s inappropriate and rude to keep using Toby as a “bad example” of mental health rep when the creator has stated multiple times the character is old, not researched, and not even in the fandom anymore. Leave the poor guy alone.
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punching-pentagrams · 1 month
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Talk to Me
Chapter 4
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Lucifer x Fem Fallen Angel Reader Word Count: 5.1k CW: Angst, trauma, trust building, slow burn, enemies to lovers(ish?), lies, curiosity Guess who is finally gonna talk to each otherrrr?
|Chapter 3|Chapter 4|Chapter 5 (Updated through Chapter 5)
As happy as you were to be back at the nice new hotel, with nice new rooms, and nice new… friends(?), that didn’t mean that there was still a lot that you were trying to get used to. A lot that still felt overwhelming.
You had gone to sleep that night feeling ready to take on getting to know the others in the hotel, even briefly said hi to a couple of them, Angel, Husk, Cherri, and Niffty. But the next morning you woke up in a panicked cold sweat, and the tightened feeling in your chest about being around sinners.
You stayed into your room for a couple days, only sneaking out to get food.
You spent much of that time moving between freaking out and trying to figure out what to do to help other sinners. You just wish you had someone to talk it out with.
As if to a sort of answer to your prayers, Charlie knocked on your door. You slowly opened the door before giving her a panicked hug. She held you close and stroked your hair.
“Charlie, I’m so sorry I have not left my room… I’ve been meaning… trying to… but… I’m still so overwhelmed… I know that no one here will cause me harm… but I can’t help but think…”
Charlie shushed you as she held you, “Hey, it’s ok. I’m not upset, don’t worry. I know that I am wanting to encourage you but also not push you too far… I’ve made that mistake before… what do you feel like you need from me?” You thought, you’d never been asked that before. You think you would usually be the one asking Emily that in the past.
“Well… talking helps…”
Charlie smiled and moved further into the room with you, closing the door, sat on your bed and patted next to her “Tell me what is on your mind.”
You went to go sit by her and sighed, “I… I don’t know… I guess the first thing is… other sinners scare me… I don’t know what to do.”
Charlie thought, “Well… other sinners can be scary, but they can also be nice too. You never know what it is that made someone come to hell. I’ve always had the thought that sinners might not always be bad people.”
You gave Charlie a confused look.
Charlie thought again, “Ok uhh… let’s take Angel Dust for example. He’s a porn star. Why do you think he became a porn star?”
You shrugged, “Because he was a pornstar on Earth?”
Charlie shook her head, “Not the case actually. What would you say if you knew he grew up on Earth in the Mafia, with no way to escape, and spent most of his energy protecting his little sister?”
“That’s… huh…well being in the Mafia is bad… but if he was trapped in it… and he was protecting his sister… then that’s good…”
“He also is protective of others here at the hotel,” Charlie added, “He is almost like an older brother to Niffty.”
You thought for a minute about this, “But… how did he end up here… as a porn star?”
Charlie shrugged, “Lots of people end up here and get pulled into the… errr rough culture of Hell. Somehow he found his way to Valentino, the Overlord of the Porn Industry, and they made a contract.”
“And the cycle continues all over again,” you realize.
“Exactly,” Charlie added.
“And he is back repeating the same mistakes, because that’s what he needed to do to survive on earth,” you perk up more.
“Yes,” Charlie adds with more excitement.
“And… if he is becoming more good at the hotel… or doing more good things… it’s because…”
“Because he has a community to help him learn that there is more outside of that place of survival. That he can have support that isn’t abusive. Support that is kind and helps him find what he wants without being evil.” Charlie added.
You felt like your brain exploded. People weren’t just bad to be bad, some people were bad because of the community around them. Your heart broke.
“Some people on earth…” you start to choke on some tears, looking at Charlie “Some people on earth… had no chance of being good in their lifetime, did they? Not because they didn’t want to, but because they did not know how? Because they were not in a life where they were able to be around good people? They were trying to be the best they could in a bad environment?”
Charlie nodded, “Exactly.”
Tears streamed down your face, his realization made you so sad and so angry. So it was not just that people chose to be good or bad? Was there a gray area in the middle?
Charlie rubbed your back as you cried. She was… surprised by your response. She would hoped it would click, but something about this made you so upset. Questioning things? She was intrigued at the thought that this was not something that was understood by all sinners, but she guessed that everyone was different in their understanding. Everyone on earth experienced such vastly different things, it was hard to consider any sort of “standard” to the human experience.
Your tears soon settled, and you continued to look onto the floor, “I want to understand more… I want to.. to hear people’s experiences more… see more of this in action. But how would I do that?”
Charlie thought, “You could… just offer people a space to talk! Like… just saying you will be there to listen? Maybe talk them through some ideas if they want that?”
You thought and nodded, “Ya… that might work, but how would I get people to want to talk to me?”
Charlie stood up and started to pace around the room as she thought, “Well… I could encourage it as part of the hotel curriculum. Maybe they can get out of other activities occasional if they talk with you. Ultimately, them talking to you would need to be for their benefit though. Not just for you learning… Hmm…” Charlie continued to pace.
“Well… I think I would have to promise not to share anything outside of that conversation with anyone,” you added.
“Right! Hmm… we might want to be careful with that though,” Charlie said, “I don’t want anyone to abuse that. Like say if someone told you about something where they want to harm someone else or the hotel? I think you wouldn’t be able to keep that secret.”
“Oh ya, good point,” that though made you a little nervous, but you had to be prepared for anything, “I would just have to tell people the rules at the beginning.”
“That sounds good.”
“Ok… I can work with that… I think I with want to brainstorm for a little while more before starting anything.”
“Totally!” Charlie perked, “It sounds like an amazing idea that we can run the idea past the others. But for this to work, it would help if you started to come out and interact with them some more, what do you say?” Charlie held out a hand.
You looked at her hand and smiled, you knew she was right. You took her hand and followed her downstairs.
You took the rest of the evening and the next few days getting to know Vaggie, Angel Dust, Husk, Niffty, Cherri, and Alastor more. Though Alastor didn’t share much about himself other than the general vibe that he was powerful and scary. But overall the others did not make you feel bad about needing some time to get used to Hell, many of them had died a long time ago but they all remembered it being hard, even though they all varied in how much they accepted their placement in Hell.
Several days later, Charlie brought up the idea of your “Talk Time” with the other members of the hotel, and they were given time to talk through their worries or concerns.
“How do you know you ain’t gonna move to conversation to what you want? How do you know you ain’t gonna judge us?” Angel asked.
“Hmm… everything in that room is about you and your story. I want to learn more and support you guys. And if you ever do feel that way, you can tell me. I’m not forcing anyone to be there, I’m there if you want to talk some someone,” you responded, “Anything you tell me, I’m gonna do everything I can to meet it with curiously, not judgement. I’m not gonna be perfect, but I wanna try.”
“How do you know you are actually going to keep our secrets? What stops you from just blabbing them to all of Hell?” Husk asked.
You thought about that, and you looked at Charlie and Vaggie. You knew there was a certain type of silence spell that was sometimes used in Heaven, mostly for people on themselves so that they would not accidental spill secrets. It’s a spell that Adam should have used when it came to the exterminations, but his pride got in the way and he didn’t. You were curious if either of them had magic like that.
“Do either of you have magic that can cause a sort of silencing spell? One that could force me to not be able to talk about certain things?”
Charlie and Vaggie looked at each other and thought. Alastor in the corner of the room gripped his cane, thinking of the magic threads that kept his own secrets locked away.
Vaggie thought of the same angelic seal that you had, she found it cruel though, but she understood the reason here. Part of her was curious about how you had thought of that so quickly, but now was not the time to dive into that.
“I do”, she said “It binds you to keeping secrets within specified parameters, like if it were to be like “You are are bound to keep the secrets of Charolette Morningstar, so long as keeping the secret would not cause harm to others.”” Or something.”
You nodded, that sounded right, “Can we try it so everyone can see?”
Vaggie nodded and began the spell, saying it the same thing she had said before, then she prompted Charlie to tell you a small secret. Charlie came up and in your ear whispered “I accidentally used Vaggie’s toothbrush one time before we were officially dating and I’ve never told her and I feel really bad about it.” You wanted to laugh because it was such an innocent secret, but your face remained neutral.
You turned to the group and attempted to say the secret but all that happened was your lips sealed shut and a red X marked over your mouth, silencing you for a moment before disappearing. You tried it again, and the red X appeared. You looked out to the group.
“Any further questions or concerns?” You ask the group.
“Will that happen for anything we tell you?” Niffty added.
Vaggie answered, “I can set it just so it happens involving information said when you are in her room, this will also incentivize you all to only talk to her about heavy stuff during times you meet with her, so that you aren’t just randomly coming up to her. Got it?”
The rest of the group nodded.
“How long will we have to talk to ya for?” Angel asked.
You shrugged, “As long as you like I guess, but I might have to cap it at some point. We will workshop it and see how it goes. I’m gonna start offering it a couple days a week and then I’ll increase time as I feel ready for it.”
That seemed to be the end of the questions for now. There was always room for more questions.
You started your open office hours the next day, your door was open and you were just hanging out in your room. No one came in for most of the day, but closer to the end of the day, Angel came walking in.
“Hey,” Angel said in the doorway.
“Hey! You wanna come chat?” You ask.
“Not really, but yes… but Husk said it might be a good idea, let’s get Vaggie going with that silence spell though,” Angel added. You called for Vaggie, she set the spell, and then you and Angel were alone to talk.
Angel sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking. He sighed, “I talk ‘bout my shit all the time but I don’t know where ta even start ‘ere” he buries his face in his hands.
You thought a moment, “How about today? Is there something that is bothering you today? You said Husk told you to come up here.”
Angel sighed, “Alright, buckle in toots.” Angel started by telling you about his boss, Valentino, being an absolute monster to him. You asked some questions and Angel went back into the details of how he ended up on the end of Val’s chain. How he had arrived to Hell much like you did, scared and alone, although he figured some of his family was down here, but he didn’t want much to do with them. There was no hotel then, and all he knew was finding someone in power to protect him.
He got a job in Val’s company since he knew sex and acting were things he could do, and he quickly gained the favor of Val. But Val didn’t just like him, he was obsessed with him, Angel had to live with him and be on call basically 24/7 for shoots and for Val personally. Protection didn’t matter if it wasn’t protecting him from the biggest threat in his life, which had become Val himself. But he was trapped, he learned about the hotel and got set up over here. The hotel was the only remotely safe place he had now and he was thankful for that. He then went quiet.
“I understan-“ you started to say.
“No! No you don’t! No one does. Don’t hit me with that crap, I get it all the time,” Angel snarked as he crossed his arms.
You wanted to snap at him but you took a breath, remembering this isn’t about you, that’s probably his pain.
“You’re right,” you said. He looked up at you with surprise and confusion, “You’re totally right, I’m sorry, I don’t… I guess I mean… I see your pain, I hear your suffering… I see you Angel. You just wanna be safe.”
He stared at you a moment and nodded “Ya.”
“And you want to have people around you that will want to protect you?”
He nodded again, his arms going more slack, “Ya.”
“And if you took part in the battle with Heaven, I’m gonna guess you have found that here, and you wanna protect them, too. Right?”
He nods, fighting the tears that welled in his eyes, “Heh… I’m glad you got that silence spell, wouldn’t want everyone to know how mushy I am.”
You shrugged “I think many of them would appreciate it, but that is up to you.”
Angel smiled “So uhh… let me know when ya office is open again. Kay? This… didn’t completely suck.”
You smiled, and walked him to the door. Once he left you closed the door and sighed, that was a lot, but it was good. You didn’t have long before there was a knock on your door.
You opened the door to see a short young man with short slicked back blond hair, a sharp smile, and button up and a suit vest, there were red dots on his checks like Charlie, did she have a brother?
“Hiya! Haha, I apologize for the intrusion, I hope I didn’t startle you. I was in the neighbor and came to say hi to Charlie and she said you were taking times for people to come and just chat with you so I thought I would came say hi!”
“Oh! Well wonderful, and… you are?” You asked.
“I’m sorry, weird are my manners, I’m Lucifer!” he said sticking out a hand.
You were suddenly full of fear and took a step back, “Lucifer…” You felt yourself trip and start to fall backwards. You anticipate hitting the floor but you stop just short as Lucifer catches you, a worried look on his face. Time feels like it slows for a second as he holds you up and you look at each other. He quickly sets you down and takes a step back.
“I’m so sorry… I really didn’t mean to scare you… I promise I just wanted to come say hi. Connect the face to the name. (Y/fn), right? Charlie mentioned you. And I wanted to give you this!” He pulls out a simple rubber duck.
You were just looking him up and down, trying to make sense of the image in front of you, and then the rubber duck. This soft and small person was the terrifying Lucifer? Why did he have a rubber duck?
“Yes that’s me. Wait. You are Lucifer?” You asked.
Lucifer nodded, “The one and only!”
You blinked and thought more, “But… you’re not scary? Do you make yourself not look scary?”
Lucifer looked at himself and chuckled “No this is how I normally look, I actually have to try to make myself look scary.”
“So you can be scary?”
Lucifer shrugged, “Yes, but I don’t like to. I’m guessing they still draw me as big and muscular with horns and fire and all of that on Earth?”
You thought back to the few depictions you had seen of Lucifer around Heaven, each one a more terrifying depiction from the last, and you made a face. “You could say that, lots of goat and snake like monsters.”
Lucifer rolled his eyes, “Eh. Of course. I can look like elements of that, but half the time I swear they are just drawing Satan and slapping my name on him. He’s like a big goat man, Sin or Wrath. He runs the Wrath ring downstairs.” He set down the rubber duck on the table next to the door. “Anyways, I just wanted to thank you for joining Charlie’s hotel. We weren’t sure we were going to get more after the extermination news. How did you find us?”
Damn you needed a good excuse, what was the one you had told Charlie the other day? You started to stand back up as you responded. “I uhh… heard something about it from the group of sinners that… beat me up. Not in a positive way but I thought I would check it out. I’m glad I did, Charlie has been so kind to me.”
Lucifer frowned, “I’m sorry to hear about your attack but I’m glad that you have found comfort with my daughter. She has such a gentle heart.” He smiled as he thought about his daughter.
You watched his eyes shine as he talked about her. Seriously, who was this guy? This gentle and kind person was the most hated being in all of creation? This was the man whose name was akin to a cursed word in the heavens. The longer you were here, the less sense things were making, and the more angry it made you.
Lucifer looked at you and noticed the grimace on your face, “Uhh… everything ok?”
You snapped back to the present and realized how twisted in frustration your face was. “Uhh… ya! I just… still have some pain I’m dealing with. Nothing to worry about.”
Lucifer looked at the light wrap on your arm and opposing leg, no longer full casts but a little wrap, “May I take a look?”
You hesitated, and he sensed it. “I wouldn’t hurt you. Some angels just have healing powers, I just want to see if your bones settled the right way.”
You paused, and then offered your arm “No cuts please.”
Lucifer nodded, “No cuts.” He walked forward and took your forearm in both hands and closed his eyes, focusing in on your bones. He could sense that this one was healing correctly, but he let out some power and finished up the healing process.
You were so nervous to be this close to him, but something about his soft touch was so disarming. He was warm and gentle. The light startled you, but then a wave of relief came over your arm. His hands slipped away and you tried moving it. It was good as new! You beamed a smile looking at it.
Lucifer smiled seeing you ease up a little around him. “Want me to do your leg next?” You looked at him and nodded.
You sat on the bed, and he knelt down to take your lower leg in his hands, closing his eyes again. This time you looked more over his features as he turned into your injury, your curiosity over him was just eating at you. And even more so… they did he almost feel familiar?
“Hmm,” he hummed. “Were you walking on this injury?”
“Uhh… ya, why?” You responded. “Why? Is something wrong?”
He looked up at you, “The bones are not healing correctly in line, that is probably what is causing more pain here.”
“That’s not good… is there a way to fix it?”
“There is… but I would have to separate the bones again to be able to heal them back in the right place. You wouldn’t feel pain but it’s not pleasant. It will feel better after that though,” he said looking into your eyes.
You grabbed at your shoulder, remembering the break of your wing. You swallowed hard, could you trust the devil?
You nodded.
He nodded, set his hands in place, and prepared you, his magic beginning to glow again. Before you knew it, there was a quick pop and then a cooling sensation of healing again. You both exhaled and then smiled at each other.
You stood up and tested your leg, you could put your weight on it without pain again! You spun around and smiled.
Lucifer smiled again, warmth filling his heart as we felt like he was actually able to do something nice for you. Filling some sense of an unpaid debt of some kind.
“I’m glad you are feeling better, anything else? I noticed you grabbed your shoulder, I could-“
“No!” You stopped your dance and held your shoulder away. Lucifer pulled back with a look of worry on his face.
“I mean… I’m sorry, it’s nothing. An old injury from… my old life. Nothing something that is actually there. Just something I think of,” you looked over the worry and pain on his face. “Shit… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to yell…”
“No it’s ok, haha, I get it, old pains from a past life and all…” Lucifer thought off, thinking of the fall.
You looked over his face again, there was something so deep about his pain, it intrigued you. It was funny how little you had known about pain as a concept just a month ago, but now, your hunger for learning about it was unmatched. You couldn’t understand what made people actually good until you realized that also made them bad, and pain and suffering seems to be a big factor. Looking at the harbinger of pain and suffering himself, it made you so curious as to what started it all.
“Hey,” you said, Lucifer looked up at you. “My… my talk times are available for everyone at the hotel, so… that includes you. If you ever want to talk about things that have happened to you… my door is open. Just… maybe not today. My last appointment was uhh… a lot. With-“ you tried to say Angel’s name but your mouth sealed shut and a red X appeared over your mouth.
Lucifer was startled by the angelic red X that he remembers seeing on the elders sometimes in the past. After a moment the X disappeared
“Sorry, silence spell. I forgot I can’t even say the name of who I last talked to. Vaggie helped me set it up,” you rubbed your mouth, that feeling was not pleasant.
“Oh interesting, so you have parameters set to not share what people let you during the talk time?” Lucifer asked. You nodded. He thought and then smiled.
“Alright, I’ll come talk to you. I’ll see you in a few days then.” He gave you a wink and then wished you goodbye before teleporting downstairs to grab his hat and coat, and saying goodbye to the others before teleporting back home.
You sighed and flopped on your bed after Lucifer left. You had met the King of Hell and lived to tell the tale. He was so unlike anything you expected. You were still a little wary of him, but the way you didn’t sense a single bit of malice or trickery about him. Just… kindness and…sadness… lots of sadness… He felt so much like Charlie, but also… not.
You thought again to the look in his eyes, the gentle way he talked about healed you, especially your leg, he could have just snapped it and healed it, but he took the time to talk you through it. You actually thought to keep that in might when talking to people, you could probably approach conversations like that.
But beyond that, he, like his daughter, respected when you said no to him looking at your shoulder. He wasn’t just searching to make you “perfect” he wanted you to have a say in things. That felt so unusual, that was something you had very little of in Heaven.
Then there was the biggest part that bothered you. Why did he feel familiar? Vaggie you could understand, she could have been a face in the crowd of Heaven that you just didn’t pick up on and she slipped your memory in the years since she was kicked from the service of Heaven. But how could Lucifer feel familiar? He fell before you were created. Had you met at another point still?
You remembered the day you came into being, your eyes opening and Sera welcoming you, explaining your role, and being introduced to Emily.
Emily… your heart hurt to think of her, your closest… friend. Tears welled up in your eyes. How you missed her. You wished she was ok. You wondering if she thought of you. If she still suffered. Or if she had just forgotten you at this point and moved on.
You shook your head, no, Emily was not like that, she wouldn’t forget you after almost 10,000 years of friendship.
You sighed and rolled onto your side, your eyes caught sight of the rubber duck Lucifer had left. You smiled. What a curious thing, and what a curious man. You floated the duck over to you and looked at it as you laid there. You realized you never thanked him for the gift. How rude of you. You would have to remedy that next time you talked with him. You smiled at the thought as you drifted to sleep.
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Lucifer returned home and flopped on his bed again, a swirl of emotions mixed up in his stomach. On the one hand he was grateful for another pleasant visit to the hotel, and a chance to meet and interact with you. On the other… there were some things he just couldn’t wrap his head around.
On the more positive end, he was glad the you seemed like a kind sinner, which also confused him, because kind and sinner should not mix, but he also didn’t even know what the threshold was for people ending up here anyway. He knew from getting to know the other sinners at that hotel that some people just had a rough exterior, but you didn’t even seem to have that. Your biggest thing seemed to be that you were very afraid of him.
He had hoped that by the end of your conversation he had put you a little more at ease. He thought that maybe you had grown up in a cult or something, that would explain many of the behaviors. Growing up with an idea of a deity that should be feared above all else or else the “monstrous devil” would steal their soul.
Pfft. As if. He had better things to do than deal in the trading of mortal souls.
Anyways, ya that was probably the case. He was just glad that you were feeling better about your limbs and you offering some of your time to talk with him. He almost found it amusing to think about talking to a mortal about his problems. As if they could even comprehend it. But it would be nice to talk to some things outside of Charlie and his rubber ducks, although the ducks were great listeners.
The things that bothered him about his visit were… interesting. The more simple part was your reaction to him looking at your shoulder. He understood the idea of an old injury but… that reaction didn’t pan out with an old one, but a new one. A traumatizing one. You hadn’t been here for long, so what could have happened to have caused such a reaction? One that you didn’t want touched or healed if it was as fresh as your other injuries? Or was it even fresher? Had a rogue exorcist gotten to you? There was no way of telling. Maybe once he had built up more trust with her, he would have more of a chance to get that question answered.
Then there was the bigger reason for his discomfort, why did you feel familiar to him, and why did you feel off to him? He had only recently started interacting with sinners and you were new to Hell, so that couldn’t be it. Maybe he had seen you in the past when he had taken a trip to Earth before with… ugh, maybe? That also seemed like a stretch. Maybe you just reminded him from someone, that was probably it. Someone from a long time ago maybe?
Curse this depression brain fog, it made trying to remember anything impossible. What was your name again? (Y/fn)? That didn’t ring any bells, so you must have just reminded him of someone, it was gonna drive him crazy.
Oh well, for now that would just have to remain a mystery for another day.
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chorealis · 10 months
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I’m not the first or the last person to say this but I grew up in the restaurant industry (third generation restauranteur) and everything that happens in The Bear is real life. Every restaurant you eat at? That’s what’s behind the kitchen door. There’s a crazy culture of abuse (both mental and emotional) as well as rampant substance addiction that’s considered “normal”. And I’m very serious when I say TV personalities like Gordon Ramsey truly make things worse by perpetuating the idea that yelling and screaming at both coworkers and subordinates is how a restaurant “should work”. And that attitude has genuine, real world consequences. So many good chefs- and good people- have taken their own lives because it’s so taboo to ask for help, or even just that maybe being yelled at all day every day might not be good for people’s mental well being.
The kitchen is a wonderful place. People from all walks of life come together in order to make people smile, to make memories, to make food that tastes the way food SHOULD taste!! But it’s also the same place where human beings are treated like absolute garbage. It’s where people plate hundreds of wonderful meals a night, but then eat their own dinner hunched over a trash can. It’s where people escape to a cold, dark, damp walk-in freezer to cry, because that’s the only break they get from being on their feet for hours at a time. It’s the place where chefs sometimes walk out after a hard night and choose not to wake up the next day.
The restaurant industry is changing. Owners and managers say that it’s because “nobody wants to work anymore”, but the truth is that people refuse to let themselves be treated as disposable anymore.
I dunno. All this is to say- remember the human beings behind every dish you eat. The chefs who put so much of their lives into food and the emotions attached to it. Whenever possible, eat at restaurants that have designated kickback fees to the kitchen staff. And if you work in a kitchen… you’re loved. You’re valuable. Please never be afraid to reach out if you need it.
Read more on restaurant service fees here if you’re curious what they are and how they work:
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Sexiest Podcast Character — Unscripted Bracket — Round 2
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Propaganda
Ver'million "Millie" Blue (Friends at the Table: PARTIZAN):
Mech pilot with a body horror mode and a thematic dog motif. She’s trans in a culture that does gender way different than contemporary human genders, and she’s sexy about it. Escaped a military super soldier cloning program to join a revolutionary organization. Kind of a fish person (pls look up art of her, it’s all excellent). Dreams of settling down into a peaceful life and is so so so wife to me
She's a canonical goth trans woman with sick teal hair and scales and she's an alien who's vaguely fishlike and she's a sniper and an absolute shit kicker she's literally SO sexy
ok so i did just submit Pickman bc she won my tournament but i gotta say, Milli is my personal pick for sexiest f@tt character! she's goth! she could kill me! but she won't! she just wants to be away from the war! she's breaking out of the worldview she's been conditioned in to since infancy! her mech is called the stray dog! and after the campaign ends she goes around recruiting so many people that they recognizably start getting called the stray dogs! she's so excited to have literally any participation in governing! she spends a while going around the moon to install a communications system and gets to learn what its like when you approach people in a way that isn't immediately antagonistic! SHE DECLARED A GOOD HER RIVAL! she got SO close to getting out but then her sense of duty to others pulled her back in (im not actually sure if that last one is hot exactly but it SURE is compelling). AND SHE'S A FISH WHO REJECTED THE GENDER SYSTEM SHE GREW UP IN FOR ONE NOT DESIGNED TO FURTHER WARFARE!
The entire blog @fuckyeahvermillionblue.
Mercedes Oak-Garcia (Dungeons & Daddies):
MILF of the Year
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anundyingfidelity · 10 months
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CATCH FEELS — Adam Warlock x goddess!reader
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Summary: You're very happy seeing Thor again after your ways parted. Adam is not sure he's liking the god of thunder's visit.
Pairing: Adam x asgardian goddess!reader.
Word count: 1.5k.
Notes: reader is the goddess of joy and peace, some descriptions of reader wearing dresses, reader is as around the same age as Thor, female pronouns use.
☕ if you like my writing, support me with a ko-fi !
GEN MASTERLIST!
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A sigh escaped from Adam's lips... by the tenth time in the day.
He watched you in silence from afar. How happy you looked, how your laughter got louder and your smile grew wide, all meanwhile you spent some time with Thor, the god of thunder himself.
Less than a couple of hours before, Adam came back from a lonely mission and he was atonished to find out you were not alone. In fact, you had a visit. He certainly did not like your visit immediately. Something inside him grew up, like a rejection toward the asgardian god.
When you met a few months ago, Adam remembered you telling him the story of Asgard and its people, and how you ended up with the guardians after Thor left the team to look for Sif. Suddenly, as time passed and you became very close friends, a weird feeling flourished inside of him. Adam then realized he loved you, but he was too scared to confess.
Tired of just being a viewer on your little chat with Thor, he started to walk to meet you and the god, who was now occupied having a small talk with a kid.
"Adam!" you beamed once he was near, you ran to him and hugged him tightly. "You're back! I'm so glad you're here, I missed you."
The golden boy embraced you with a smile on his lips. "I've missed you too."
"Hey, I want you to meet someone. He's very important to me, I know you're gonna have a great time with us-" taking his hand and not stopping your talk, you brought Adam closer to Thor, who just finished his chat with the kid. Unaware of what you did with your small action, Adam felt his heartbeat increased, and his face started to burn at your touch.
"So this is the new addition? The golden man?" Thor beamed once Adam was literally in front of him, with you presenting him like a proud mother.
Thor patted him playfuly in the shoulder with such joy and embraced the golden man with his strong arms. Adam realized asgardians did give good, big hugs, but Thor's hug was nothing like yours.
"Let's have a special dinner today!" you stepped in, happy that your best friend finally met Adam. "People around here have been missing you, Adam, and you'll like Thor, I'm sure."
You took his hand again, a beautiful smile that crinkled your eyes on your face. How could he say no to you? Of course, you were the goddess of joy and peace, and there was always something bright you saw and this was the perfect opportunity to introduce Adam to Asgard and your culture.
Adam nodded with a grin. "I'd love that."
A long week was waiting for him.
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Adam got lost in the story that Thor was telling. One of Thor's hundreds of times he saved the universe or a planet that he really didn't pay too much attention to. He was focused in one thing: you, sitting in the middle of both, the asgardian god and him.
You smiled and chuckled through the epic story telling Thor was giving to the guardians during the dinner, he was certainly getting all the attention that night. You were enjoying yourself, unlike Adam, who was just pretending to listen to the asgardian god, instead he was focusing on your reactions and how beautiful you looked with that shiny, golden dress on you.
Adam was totally hypnotized on your figure that he didn't expect Thor to smash his empty cup to the ground.
"Another!" The god yelled, making you laugh and the Guardians celebrating him around the table. Even Nebula curved her lips a little, and that was a lot to say.
"Mead?" you asked Adam, offering him a little of the asgardian liqueur you prepared. The guardians giving all the attention back to Thor, as Drax loud voice boomed the dining room while they chatted.
"That would be great," the golden man nodded. "And the food is delicious, thank you."
You filled his cup one more time for the night and smiled wide. "You're welcome, I'm truly happy to have you here."
"Y/N!" Thor loud voice called you, immediately you were forgetting about Adam and totally inmersed in Thor's conversation about an old battle that Drax was requesting to hear.
So he was long ignored, prepared for the rest of the night to be the same, but he couldn't leave the dinner because you prepared it for him and the guardians to have a good time, however, he wasn't having it.
Running was a hard decision right now.
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Knowhere looked better and the people were happier, you were a lot of help for that. The citizens loved you and Adam couldn't blame them. Each day that passed by, his love for you grew up inside of him, but also the strange sensation of having Thor around was getting stronger.
Two days have passed since Thor arrived, and he was supposed to leave soon, however, his visit felt eternal for the Sovereign. He couldn't help but feel bitterness each time you left to follow the blonde, tall muscular god and do the tasks you'd normally do with Adam instead, such as fixing things around for the citizens or teaching the new kids and their families about Knowhere, its culture, and the different planets and galaxies around.
Standing and helping Drax while fixing a metalic huge door, Adam didn't measure his strenght over the pipe of the balcony in his hand as it folded like it was a simple piece of clay in a matter of seconds. The cause? Thor hugging you tightly in front of his eyes.
"Hey, golden man! Be careful!" Drax warned, but he noticed what was Adam looking at.
You and Thor. Of course it had to be.
The muscle man began to stand up and came closer to Adam, who was ashamed of what just happened.
"Just tell her."
"Pardon?"
Drax rolled his eyes and sighed exaggeratedly. "You liek Y/n, she doesn't know and that's certain, so tell her."
But Adam wasn't certain that you liked him back, so he just nodded, dismissing his words. "Let's keep working on this."
Adam didn't even notice he did what he did because of you. And it wasn't fair for him. As the week went by, he started to break things accidentally every time you were seen with the god of thunder. Adam got called out often, but he couldn't stop himself. It was this weird feeling someone taught him so long ago taking over him as time passed by, but Adam did not remember its name.
Soon your mood changed once you knew Thor was leaving the next day, and it looked like the gods or the universe were again with Adam, as you were the only ones left in the dinning room that night.
"Adam," softly you called his name. "I'm sorry..."
The golden man was confused. "What for?"
"I just feel like I've been away from you these past few days, so I want to apologize for that," you were not as cheerful as normally and it hurted him.
"It's okay," it wasn't. "I know Thor is important to you... but I would prefer to be with you instead."
He did not mean to voice the last sentence.
"Well, you are with me now," you stepped closer to take his hand, a smile curved on your lips. "And I won't be leaving, Thor will. So you will have me here for a long time."
Adam nodded in silence, squeezing your warm hand. He tried to speak, but nothing came. He wanted to let you know how much he loved you, but he thought it wasn't the time.
"Is there anything you would like to say?" you asked, as if you were reading his mind.
"No, not at all. Everything's fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah-"
"I love you."
"W-what?"
"Adam, I love you," you repeated. "I'm sorry if it's not prompt, I promised Thor I would say it to you once you were back."
His heart fluttered at your words and his cheeks burned, your hands never stopped touching the whole time. You felt the same too. And that was also why you were spending so much time with Thor.
"I- I love you too," he stuttered. "And I never found the time to tell you, so now I'm sorry for being shy about it."
After that, you stealed a kiss from him. A quick, innocent, short kiss tasting his soft lips.
"I hope you were not mad or jealous of Thor," you joked.
Jelousy. That was the word he was looking. That's what he felt. But he would never admit.
"I wasn't jealous, I was being absolutely reasonable... in my head."
You chuckled and kissed his lips one more time.
"Sure, golden man. We will have our own time together from now on."
There was no reason to be jealous anymore.
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jalluzas-ferney · 3 months
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Soooo….I made some nationality headcannons! At first I was a liiittle bit unsure if to do so cuz then again.. they live in ninjago…. And im pretty sure countries like argentina or Morocco don’t quite exist in the ninjago universe LMAO. Butttttt. Already seen others make headcannons, so hell, why not? I uses they apply to some irl au or what if they lived in our world uk? And what different countries would I see them coming from and etc.
I can imagine that the EM might have travelled all over the world, either to go into hiding, or missions, or escape conflict, etc. Or maybe simply that’s where they came from! So yeah that’s my little explanation that is mostly for myself cuz im a little bit too literal sometimes lol.
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When thinking about nationality I always think a lot about where they grew up and what nationality they grew up with and would later on identify with the most. It’s a complicated concept when your parents are from a different nationality and theyre immigrants in a different country- so you grow up in this country, surrounded by this culture and people, but your. Also. Raised by your parents who also have your family living in this completely different country- where you also find home and relate to the people considering how you look, the language you speak with your parents- or the specific culture and environment your parents grew up wiooith, impacting your home life and the way your raised. Perhaps you lived in both places, or travel a lot to your parents homeland. Perhaps you live in one of your parents countries but the other. Not. but you still identify with one of your parents nationality because of the rest of your family from that side and the culture your take in from them. So it’s always very personal! So for Kai and Nya, I imagined that ray was Argentinian and Maya Filipino. And perhaps - because I want to project onto my faves- they were born and grew up in Argentina. But have always also identified a lot with their mothers homeland, since not only does their race impact the way they might feel more different and set apart from kids there, maya loves talking about her childhood in the Philippines and is always talking over the phone with their aunts and cousins, meaning Kai and Nya def were taught some Tagalog, tho theyre not incredibly fluid with it. In their early teens they probably travelled to the Philippines, (took ray and maya some time to settle down and get enough money to travel, as well as find time) and met their whole family, and the place they reside in, habit that would turn quite common as they would continue to travel other times the following years.
For Lloyd, I really wanted to make him Asian -Brazilian. It just felt right. So imagined that my queen (don’t you judge her >:() Misako would be Brazilian, meanwhile Garmadon,Japanese. i imagine that Misako adores traveling, so she met Garmadon on her trip to Japan, and decided to stay there for a WHILE because of the brothers. During her time there, she had Lloyd. Since her family heard of her new baby, she travelled back to Brazil with a two y/o Lloyd to have her family meet the him and catch up overall. but as the serpentine wars rose In japan (ill hc it happened in japan let me know what u think of that) Misako was told to wait in Brazil. Misako didn’t really like that though, and while she dreaded having to leave her son, she was sure shed come back soon after helping out the Brothers in the battle against the serpentine. So Lloyd was left to live with his aunties and grandparents in Brazil. Of course, after Misako found out about the whole Green Ninja thing and all that crap, she pulled the same stunt as in the series and ✨ vanished ✨. But then Garmadon came and fucking took him like divorced parents sometimes do uk? So then he spent some other of his childhood years growing up in, ya guessed it, Japan. This is how Lloyd identifies both with being a Brazilian and Japanese. As for the rest, I just envision that they lived in their respective countries their whole lives till they were recruited!
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