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concealeddarkness13 · 2 months

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So...All's Fair is Now a Sci-Fi!

Content warning for mentions of rape and violence and death. Tagging: @ratracechronicler, @maple-writes, @pen-of-roses, @drabbleitout, and @grailfish!

I've been rethinking the plot of All's Fair, thinking about how to change it, to make it feel more manageable and make it better. And I think I've figured it out. Change this story into more of a sci-fi/cyberpunk. I am also merging this story with Irina's story!

Instead of the species ganging up on the humans and putting them into an enclosure, a group of corporations (led by humans and other species) joined together to form an empire that controls the citizens through religion, corporations, and force. A majority of the citizens are relegated to the "undercity" (name pending) where they are exploited and used and have to scrounge for survival.

This empire wants to put all humans and other species under their control, and they are doing a good job of it so far. The only free peoples left are most of the faeries (the Kage aliens from this one but revamped), all of the Venus girdle species, and some groups of humans and Shades who have escaped the empire. Outside of the empire, a lot of the world around it has been destroyed and left a wasteland, so much so that it's hard to travel on your own out there without plenty of supplies. It's why Chess hasn't left the empire herself. But first, let me talk about the species and then how the empire works.

There are three other species besides the humans this time. The Shades are honestly still the same, so I won't go into details there. The faeries rarely ever show their true form, but I imagine it looks similar to the Snakes, with scales, fangs, slit pupils, and tails. They have powers that if their prey is within a certain distance of them, they can give an order, and that prey has to obey it. They can do some devastating things with that power. They drink blood now, but their young are parasites that eat a full humanoid as they grow.

The Venus girdles are very similar to their original iteration as adults, but as young, they are small enough to infect an insect and eat its brain, which they then use the zombie insect to go to a human or other species and inject their young. Which that young will eat the humanoid's brain first and then slowly eat the rest of the insides until the young bursts out of the corpse fully formed. Their "hair" as an adult is how they eat a humanoid's soul (don't have to eat a full soul, and they usually don't), which also causes a feeling of euphoria in the humanoid. All of the species honestly generally target humans because humans don't have magic (unsure if that's true or not), so they're not as dangerous.

The empire has the wealthy corporation owners or other aristocrats who live extravagantly in the skyscrapers that look down on the undercity. A lot of the humans, especially the wealthy ones, are deeply connected to the Celestial religion, which states that the Celestials left humanity because humans were too violent, so it preaches peace and condemning and ignoring those who don't follow that peace. Which this religion will be a big deal in this story, with the Celestials just being more plot-important in general. There are cops to enforce the empire's will, but what most people fear are the soldiers. Victims of the cyborg experiments which are now fully endorsed by the empire who were taken at young ages, and a chip was put into their brain which allows their overseers to control them. Controlled and brainwashed soldiers who are used to "cleanse" the undercity and to fight the species and humans who are trying to remain free. The magic is still about the same. Naivi is trying to find a way to make the magic less harmful to the victims. I think now it's time to talk about the characters.

So, of course, the first person I must talk about Chess. I still want to keep most of her trauma and how she sees the world because I love the character she's become, and I don't want to take that from her. Her original name was Ezra Vesperia. Her parents were murdered when she was 10, and the government immediately took her to become a victim of the experiments. Aeflin took special interest in her because she was strong and angry and fought back against the species' powers even before she got the chip that made her immune to that. I will talk about Aeflin's plans in her paragraph, but Aeflin still wants to use Chess as her special weapon. Chess was sent out to fight the species (probably did get sent to "cleanse" the undercity as well at one point), and when she was 20, the Venus girdles sent a swarm of their young to the soldiers, and Chess got infected, but one of her friends in her squad (Torryn, I think) used his lightning magic to try and kill the young in Chess, but the young had already ate through the chip, and when the lightning hit her and killed the young, it hurt her as well, causing her to have a seizure. The overseers decided to just abandon her as defective, but a Shade decided to heal her and take away all her memories. Which he then sent her to Ashont who did the things that he did to her in the original before dumping her in the undercity the next morning. The residents hate her and fear her and call her a monster, because her prosthetics are a symbol of the very empire that hurts them. And she is hurt and abused and doesn't really trust anyone. There are a few people who try to help her, and she does meet Vortex and help him and make friends with him, but mostly it's just people either trying to use her or hurt her. And it's the only life she knows now. She will meet Creed somehow in this story. And she will meet Naivi and still have the rivals to lovers with her. And I'm thinking that the rebellion against the empire decides to use her as the image of the rebellion without her permission, and she has to deal with that as well as Aeflin trying to find her again once she learns that Chess is still alive. (I promise the rest of these character paragraphs won't be so long, lol)

Vesper is the daughter of some nobles, and her faith is extremely important to her. With Maisa's advice, she has come to believe that leaving behind the people of the undercity will be the only way to become the peaceful humans the Celestials want, so she makes speeches about that, about focusing on peace over trying to help anyone who has been hurt by violence. She believes that when the Celestials come back, they will heal all the pain and strife. She will learn better and become a more active advocate who condemns the passivity of what she had been preaching. There is a certain reason why Maisa has shown interest in her.

Thorne was born of two soldiers, and when the overseers learned that his mother was pregnant, they killed her and cut him out to kill in front of his father, but someone decided to let him live, and he grew up dumped in the undercity (not sure how that all happened, but we'll figure it out). He despises the empire and thinks it should be all burned down. He met Jude when he was stealing from Jude's parents' mansion, and they have been friends ever since. They are part of the rebellion, and they are known as the demon twins.

Creed is a "project" that a noble couple took into their home to prove that the citizens of the undercity totally have opportunities. He has proceeded to be the biggest nuisance, but if they drop him, they disprove their "project". He'll probably meet Chess at a bar, but I don't think they knew each other before she lost her memories. He is also half-Shade.

Killian is a hurt Celestial who has come to the surface of the world to help where he can, since he can't fight and protect the planet anymore. He is a tattoo artist who gathers information, and some days, he goes outside the empire to talk with Primary's seed and plant plants and trees where he can to help heal the earth. He knows too much and can't meddle too much, but he'll do what he can.

Irina is the daughter of the CEOs of an android company. She has always shown empathy towards androids, and she ran away when her parents became too much. She ran away with her beloved dog, Briar, but Briar got an illness and was going to die too young, so Irina paid for an android dog that looked exactly like Briar and would have her memories. She paid fully for her, but the company decided after a few months that they needed to take Briar back, and Irina has been on the run ever since. At some point, she will become infected with a Venus girdle young, but she'll talk to the young and try to see if they can coexist. This infection will cause one of her eyes to turn gold (part of one of Chess's eyes is gold too).

Vortex is an android made by Irina's parents' company. He was first made as a pleasure android for the wealthy, but he was abused and hurt and raped, and when he finally fought back, the company took him back and punished him and rebranded him as a hunter for the people stealing from the company (like Irina is considered). I will say that the day that he fought back, he does meet Chess and becomes friends with her, and they remain friends. He'll make sure to tell the other androids that Chess is really nice if they need someone. When he learns that Irina isn't abusing Briar, and that she did pay fully for Briar, he finds loopholes in his orders that allow him to not capture Briar.

Maisa is one of the leaders of the empire, but he prefers to work in the shadows, so no one knows that he is a leader. He was around when the Celestials were still on this world, and he hates them. The Celestials showed special treatment towards the humans, so he wants to use human suffering and death to convince them to come back so he can kill them and prove that the empire is better than the so-called gods. He took special interest in Vesper because she is actually half-Celestial, but he took her powers secretly, so she doesn't have them anymore. He gave the contained powers to...

Aeflin! Everyone's favorite bubbly scientist who is such an asshole is still here. She wants to be able to dissect a Celestial, and she will do anything to let that happen. She knows how to fix the prosthetics to give the victims good magic, but she will only do that for her weapon once she has absolute control over her. And she chose Chess for the job. She's been planning on having Chess receive the half-Celestial powers and receive her overpowered fire magic so she can go fight a Celestial, under Aeflin's control, of course. She doesn't care about the politics of it all, she's just excited to finally dissect a Celestial.

And last, but not least. Naivi. She is a half-faerie. Her mother was taken by a faerie and taken to their city and treated as a pet and raped and is still stuck there. She doesn't even really know what's going on. Naivi saw the truth and the horror of how the faeries were treating humans, and she ran away and joined the empire because she believes that only by being under the empire's rule and laws will humans be safe from the other species. So, she enthusiastically works on the prosthetics experiments to bring everyone fighting against the empire under their control. She despises the free species and thinks that they just want to be able to abuse humans any way they want. She does think that the victims of the experiments are volunteers who want to be here, and she doesn't know about the controlling chips, and she would be horrified if she knew, but she has a lot of learning and growing before she'll be able to be lovers with Chess. It'll be fun!

And I think that's about it! The aesthetic is a little more cyberpunk too. I think Chess will wear a muzzle sometimes, either of her own choice or because the cops catch her and put one on her. And she still has her long, green, curly hair, but she'll have an undercut to one side. And that's all I can think of for right now! Thanks for reading!

#tw rape #tw death #tw violence #writeblr #All's Fair #I hope this is coherent lol

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rosewinterborn · 9 months

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I don't see you hate things a lot tbh

I try try not to hate on things online. Partially because i don't want to kill someone else's good time over something dumb (because its rarely someone who deserves or should even care about my opinion) and partially also because if i ever get called out for being unnecessarily mean the RSD will rise from the deep and swallow me whole :P

Irl I frequently evaluate what I've said, usuallybto my husband, (over the course of a conversation, or an afternoon, or a week) and feel like i must have been a deeply unpleasant person to interact with because every other sentence was a criticism or a complaint. I think its usually a sign that i need something self-care related and I'm too burned out to do it.

#i hope this is coherent lol #asks

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foggywonderlandgentlemen · 1 year

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Hi hello I am very interested in your thoughts on how 07 Raph was done dirty by the narrative, if you don't mind (I also just like hearing other people's thoughts on my favourite lad lol)

I would LOVE to ramble about this! Sorry for the late reply, I had to rewatch the movie so I could more accurately write a small essay in response. Anyways, Raph my friend Raph. Also Leo.

I guess my main complaint is that Raph and Leo are both framed by the movie as more or less equally “wrong” in their actions. They’re both arrogant, both hotheaded, and both completely unwilling to talk it out. So what all did either of them really do “wrong”?

Raph’s vigilante-ing is framed as morally wrong within the narrative, but no explanation is really offered. As TMNT, the group functionally operates as vigilantes, stopping crime and fighting baddies. When Raph goes off on his own, it’s really not the fact that he’s doing violent things that’s the problem. It’s the fact that he’s doing it alone.

When Raph is gone during the night, he sleeps during the day. His few interactions with his brothers are tense at best and downright hostile if anyone so much as looks at him wrong. And him neglecting to be around for his family has real consequences. Donnie and Mikey both have jobs to try to keep all of them afloat, to various degrees of bodily and mental harm. None of them really talk anymore, and the fault is largely placed on Raph. As Donnie says, “Your rogue attitude has always been a source of contention to this team”.

As for Leo, we see a lot of the same “problems” as with Raph. He functioned as a vigilante in Central America, he has a temper, and at the very least, a convincing show of an ego. He can’t interact with his brothers the way he used to because he’s been god knows where for a whole year. And again, his flaws are isolation and lack of understanding of his family as a result. And all of this culminates in The Rooftop Scene.

Oh boy, The Rooftop scene. So, they’re both kind of dicks in this scene. Understandably so, but it’s clear that the audience isn’t necessarily supposed to agree with either Mr. I’m Better Than You Leonardo or Mr. Anger Issues Raphael. Leo’s cocky, bitchy, and lectures him. But Raph is still dunked on for being angry, for having a temper, as if Leo isn’t just as bad. Donnie even mentions it earlier in the movie.

So what’s their beef with each other? Well, Raph tells Leo off for being smug, for coming back and immediately trying to take over as leader as if nothing has changed. He is mad at Leo for leaving, but doesn’t want to admit that things fall apart without him, so he’s angry at him for coming back too. His anger is completely justified in my opinion, but still framed as “bad”.

Meanwhile, Leo is suffering from an acute case of Eldest Daughter Syndrome. I could make a whole other essay on how Splinter treats him in this movie but I’ll make it brief: Leo is suffocating under the weight of responsibility, after having literally been told that it’s his job to fix the family, and wants everything to fall back into place. This obviously isn’t happening with Raph, so Leo gets pushy. He’s also of the opinion that regular human things should be left to the regular humans, while Raph thinks they should help whenever they can.

And then Raph leaves and Leo gets got, and the blame is indirectly put on Raph. He left, he was the one who ultimately “wanted” to be a loner. And as a direct result, his brother, having lost his swords in their confrontation, gets nerf darted and kidnapped. So Raph is framed as the bad guy at the very end of the confrontation. Even if neither party was necessarily in the right, Raph ends up being in the wrong.

In the very next scene, Raph confesses to accidentally leaving Leo behind. He directly says “I know there’s a reason why he’s the better son and I’m not” during this. Splinter gives him a brief pep talk, notes that his qualities could be that of a leader as well, but “only when tempered with compassion and humility”. Once again, Raph’s character flaws are front and center for this interaction.

And look, I’m not saying that Raph can’t be an angry little bitch at times. Of course he can! That’s part of why I like him so much! But his temper is framed as the guilty party, and he has to “redeem” himself in order for his arc to be complete. And his temper really isn’t the issue. Sure it’s not helping, but the real problem is both Leo and Raph’s tendency to isolate. And those qualities don’t come out of nowhere (side-eyes the previous movie’s trauma as well as Splinter).

They team back up, Raph saves Leo to “redeem” himself, they beat the bad guy, everything’s good! Except the fact that neither of their true problems were addressed. Sure, they’re a team again, but they never acknowledged the problem as both of their needs to be in complete control and completely independent. This could have been a fairly easy fix too, a short conversation where they both acknowledge their isolation at the end of the film would have sufficed. But they didn’t.

TLDR: Raph and Leo both got fucked over by their flaws being presented as anger and smugness respectively, when the true problem was their tendency to self isolate, which never got acknowledged.

#tmnt 2007 #ask #I hope this is coherent lol #thanks for the ask!

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angelbaby-fics · 1 year

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Hi Chloe sweetie. I am assuming we have heard the same news. I feel like I do not really have words. I am disgusted. I am disturbed. I am disappointed. This site is a place to express yourself, find like minded individuals and foster a community. But this is wrong. There is so much to discuss about all of this, but I feel it needs to be a community wide discourse of the application of fictional characters into fics and arts. However, I feel like nothing I can say right now will be enough or correct.

I wanted to check in on you. Are you okay? I will be here if you need to talk.

-♡

thank you so much darling 🥺💕

fortunately (or unfortunately i guess) i've been around fandom spaces on the internet for so darn long that this kind of stuff starts feeling inevitable rather than surprising. its so exhausting & it doesn't make it any easier to deal with whenever it happens & i hate that i get jaded to this kind of thing tbh. idk.

i don't know what to do about it. i want to be proactive & save the world & everybody in it from harm & stress but every time crap like this happens it gets more & more disheartening... like what can i even do??

idk... just channel my energy into making this safe space here so maybe people can know that not every corner of the internet is abysmal and depraved. i dont know if its selfish to be drawing attention to myself at a time like this but i just want everybody to know that this blog will always be a 100% safe space, a place of love and understanding and most importantly open communication. even if my brain is frazzled by everything right now and i'm sure i'm not articulating even 10% of what i have to say on the subject, i wanna thank you for sending this (as well as, ofc, every single message you send my dear), and at least to some degree opening up this discussion to my little section of tumblr 💕

i'm okay, i want everybody else to be ok too. i'm here for anybody to talk, but if its alright with you guys (and i say this broadly, meaning not just moots but everybody who wants to send me a message), i'd like our discussions to stay on the positive side, i wanna be a reminder that fandom can still be a nice and comfortable place with the right people & mindsets okay? i love you guys. i'm in a good mood today despite everything and i wanna spread some positivity, so please feel free to send asks or even dms if you need a bit of light today. i love you guys.

#♡#i hope this is coherent lol #this kind of sh*t makes my brain feel like a sea urchin

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bpd-shuichi-togo · 2 years

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In your opinion which housamo ship is best described by they can make each other worse

prerequisite disclaimer that my take on their relationship (specifically during the time in which they knew eachother while the wisemen were screening the summons app) doesn't reflect canon but i literally have to mention toji and shuichi here. i will spare you the particulars since i imagine you wanted smth reflective of canon but 100% i think they literally did make eachother worse. like i think toji's regressive values and his obstinate commitment to his black-and-white morality and shuichi's detached, pragmatic amorality were something they respectively doubled down on after clashing with the other the way they did

more reflective of canon though: shuichi and shiro, hands down. like, borderline (haha) canonically. admittedly the 'making the other worse' thing would be pretty one-sided, so prerequisite disclaimer that i have 0 tolerance for any sort of 'predatory brown person ~corrupts~ innocent fair-skinned person' shit, do not try to apply that framing here. i'd love to be able to take it for granted people won't be insanely racist for no reason but :|.

anyways, shiro and shuichi's relationship is really interesting to me. it has quite a bit of depth to it and i think alot about the different directions it could go across different timelines, and there's some MAJOR 'make him worse' potential there, which is funny because shiro seems to be one of very few people outside of duo that shuichi actively doesn't want to come to harm (not that he'd register making shiro worse in the particular way he could as… making him worse). what it comes down to is that shuichi and shiro are incredibly similar, and in particular that they share alot of their negative traits: first and foremost, there's the deep-seated sense of alienation that underpins their characters. i think it goes without saying a sense of alienation pervades literally every aspect of shuichi's life, but in case i need to back that up in shiro's case: despite presumably being fairly well liked now it's implied he went through a p long period of isolation (in fact, iirc at some point in krampus’ event he says that ppl used to actively alienate him) and his love of reading is p much explicitly stated to be at least partially an escapist thing stemming from this; in chapter 2, one of the main things he expresses while like rapidly spiraling and gradually coming under yog sothoth's influence and generally in complete hysterics is that he feels he doesn't belong anywhere. this is expressed alongside fear of the d-evils (who he is at this point flat-out terrified of) and a horrified denial of the fact (“fact”) that he accidentally brutally killed someone. it's probably a large part of why they're so strongly attached to eachother in the first place.

shelving that for the moment, in the main loop, even after becoming disillusioned with shuichi for his amorality(/generally being deeply insane) to the point of deliberately positioning himself in opposition to shuichi's worldview, after chapter 3 shiro is literally so much like shuichi it's wild. suspicion/skepticism had been a noteworthy aspect of his character from the beginning (he very quickly goes from staring dumbstruck at the protag to pointing out the way theyre looking around is, not odd but suspicious, which is honestly kinda an odd conclusion to come to), but after chapter 3 he is way more distrustful of those outside the summoners, sometimes quietly, sometimes rather bluntly so, sometimes almost to the point of callousness. and under the right circumstances you catch glimpses at a capacity for downright ruthless pragmatism: you remember when he suggested that everyone leave a little girl to get captured and quite possibly shot to ensure they could get away safely? and was insistent on doing that? jesus fucking christ dude, way to be suspicious and distrustful of others and willing to allow others to come to harm to ensure the safety of the small pool of people you do trust due to your deep-seated feelings of alienation and having been betrayed by someone you trusted! now who does that remind me of…?

i think its important that you can see shuichi in shiro in that scene with alice especially, where- despite his undeniable strong moral core- ultimately the difference between him intervening and him letting another come to harm for his benefit is the presence of someone who is the literal physical embodiment of a Hard No outright refusing take the second option, because it highlights that what most set him apart from shuichi is that he has a support system, people he could rely on and who would tell him “dude what the fuck we’re not letting a little kid get shot” when he needed to hear that (and realizing that is probably why shiro is one of the main people to extend that to shuichi come chapter nine). which in turn raises the question of what it would look like if he didn't.

basically shuichi and shiro's relationship has a lot of potential as a making him worse sort of deal that's especially interesting because there's no ill-intent there at all! the foundation of their relationship is a genuine mutual respect and admiration, and a strong affinity to eachother! but they understand the worst parts of eachother too, and shuichi can rationalize them far too well because he was raised in a lab by eugenicists and legitimately thinks being Like That is good and cool. so (in a circumstance where shuichi doesn't scare him off by being an insane little freak) in the absence or even just diminished presence of that positive influence- if he doesn't literally immediately befriend the protag- you can really easily see shuichi fostering shiro's worst qualities, which could get really fucking ugly considering even without anyone enabling him to be a cold-blooded chessmaster weirdo, under the right conditions he would let a little kid get shot. and it goes without saying that- ESPECIALLY in a circumstance where nothing challenges shuichi's relationship to people other than duo/his own emotions- you can see this ending poorly for shiro in particular, bc as much as he genuinely does like shiro, unless something changes at the end of the day shuichi's not going to hesitate to toss him head-first into a woodchipper for duo's sake. he might regret it, but he wouldn't hesitate.

#error.ans #error.txt #shuichiposting #-_- i don't have a tag for shiro #long post #i hope this is coherent lol #shuichi LITERALLY looks at shiro and is like 'hey come be a chessmaster weirdo with me' and shiro is like 'no thank you' and proceeds to be #obsessed with him. their relationship is so fucking FUNNY but also genuinely really interesting outside of that #OOPS SORRY I SHOULD PUT A READMORE HERE SOMEWHERE TEE HEE #Study-Buddies Of The Third Kind

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wrightfamily · 2 years

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hi! what's your favorite disney world in kingdom hearts (across all games)?

oh this is hard because i think im one of 10 people who genuinely really loves them too... i think i'll just answer one per game to the best of my ability (skipping the ones i dont remember as well OTL)

kh1

either neverland, halloween town, or monstro. but i also feel like i must defend deep jungle from the haters (even though i 100% understand where it comes from)

kh2

i really think timeless river is just so so fun. but i also think beasts castle has such a rad atmosphere and great music, love that the field music is literally called "waltz of the damned" + belle does some violence! AND HALLOWEEN TOWN TOO I LOVE especially in final mix!! i just really like christmas stuff. sorry. but i also have to be defensive of atlantica because of music rythm game. sorry to the rest of you but darling poopsies come to my rescue will always make me laugh. maybe if u had some finny fun.

bbs

this one is probably the easiest for me to answer its DEFINITELY enchanted dominion i love the atmosphere and the music in it. plus i just really like sleeping beauty. though i do love disneytown for feeling very nostalgic for me (i loved toontown the game when i was little and the old toontown area at disney world!) and i think it has a great version of neverland (i need to replay days though to properly judge it)

dream drop distance

THIS ONES THE HARDEST FOR ME I LOVE ALL OF THEM SO MUCH. ugh i just think ddd really nailed atmosphere so well like i love how all the levels are designed, but i might have to go with country of the musketeers because ive always adored that movie and never expected it to come up in anything again especially not kingdom hearts!!! it was the world i was most excited for before the game came out and idc if it makes no sense im so glad that it's there. that being said pranksters paradise (especially on sora's side) and symphony of sorcery are also extremely good, i really like that your attacks in that world make instrument noises.

khux

well i think some people disliked it but i did enjoy the wreck it ralph world because i always liked the first movie! it has a special place in my heart for reasons i wont get into right now. also glad that this version of beasts castle actually had gaston

kh3

this ones also hard because they put a lot of love into these worlds... i love monstropolis and toy box and olympus and corona though. i do wish they did more with the hundred acre woods though (especially because my favorite pooh character, lumpy, was there!!!) and san fransokyo (bh6 is also special to me tbh). i did also enjoy the caribbean but uh, i kinda had to rush through my first play through because i had to go back to college so the crab and boat thing really frustrated me at the time, but i can at least separate the party member from his actor LOL

sorry this is definitely a longer answer than you were expecting i just have a lot of thoughts about kh and each kh world OTL ive been playing these games for as long as i can remember so its hard to have favorite anythings...

#asks #anonymous #long post #i hope this is coherent lol #if u asked for my favorite world period i would just say twilight town but OTL #im so normal about this i promise

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meanbossart · 2 months

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How did your DU drow react when he got told he had to kill his spouse? and then when he went to wake up Astarion and get tied up? I think I just wanna know how your DU drow mentally/emotionally is doing during and after that part, and when talking to Astarion afterward, I'm a sucker for hearing about those deep kinds of moments (hopefully that makes sense?) Also, how did your DU react when you met Kressa Bonedaughter and learned all about what was done to him (again, I know none of the companions really comment on literally something horrible being told such a shame, honestly) but how would you say or think that Astarion and Shadowheart might have reacted hearing that info? Again, thank you for all your art and for answering these questions! PS: (I really don't care if your answer is super long; I WILL EAT IT UP)

Sooo for the first question, I wanna preface by saying that I personally don't think their relationship was that in depth yet, at that point. Yes, DU drow enjoyed Astarion's company and relied on him in a similar way which he relied on Shadowheart. And also yes, Astarion saw DU drow as the first person who ever took him and his agency seriously - but I think feelings were still in their infancy. DU drow's mind was a mess through and through; he drank constantly to keep his urge at bay, he kept his distance from everyone most of the time, and when he did seek out comfort in either Shadowheart or Astarion (the non-sexual kind, they didn't really fuck at all), it was a kind of primal instinct and desperate longing for companionship - if you asked him if he was in love with anyone, however, he would have said no.

Similarly, while I think Astarion's act 2 confession is sincere, I also think that he's being sincere when he says that he doesn't know what you are yet. You're not really a lover, but you aren't a victim, either; what you are is a person who he would rather not have to murder eventually, and as someone who has had their empathy squeezed out throughout the course of two centuries, that's meaningful enough. He may fantasize about the best case scenario for you two - but he has no expectations that whatever this is will last. But it is nice, for the time being.

So the "murder your darling" scene, rather than a proof of love and trust, is to me the turning point where:

A) DU drow has to come to terms with the fact that he doesn't have as much control over the Urge as he thought, and B) When Astarion snaps out of his care-free, just-go-with-the-flow nature around his plan and this relationship. They both realize they bit off more than they could chew and are now caught in each other's crossfire.

Which is to say that I don't read Astarion's words of comfort to him as entirely honest - specially when you compare it to certain dialogue deliveries later in the game. I think he's still, to a degree, telling you what you need to hear so that you hold out for just a bit longer and kill Cazador. You probably can't be together forever as he idly fantasized about once or twice, when he let his mind wander - but god damn it, he needs to at least be free, and it seems like you have bloodlust to spare to make that happen.

Meanwhile, DU drow finally comes to confront the fact that he is not in control. Doesn't matter how hard he tries or how much he drinks, the urge will do to him as it will, and when it wishes. It stops being fun and it gets scary, from that moment on.

But here's who did stop it: Astarion. Where alcohol fell short and his willpower failed, Astarion stepped in.

So, more interesting than the scene itself to me, is how from that point on DU drow would have no choice but put his trust entirely on the vampire to control him. He ties him up, he keeps an eye on him, he has full spoken-word permission to kill him if necessary - he is forced to be as vulnerable at humanly possible under his hand, every night. Regardless of whether or not DU drow realizes that Astarion is doing it for his own reasons, he doesnt care, because Astarion has now become his rock and his bondage - hell, if Astarion does have a reason to keep him alive that's all the better; someone else might just slit DU drow's throat and be done with the concern altogether.

And so, it's only from that point on that DU drow truly starts to see Astarion as an equal, and even a partner. He's thinking that, if his whole life has to be like this, at least he has someone who can handle it.

Astarion, meanwhile, I believe only comes to truly consider (and wish for) DU drow's freedom after he's free from Cazador - and after he bestows that freedom upon his siblings and the other spawn. That's when he finally understands the length of DU drow's devotion to him and the value of freewill as a concept- and how he wants it for both of them, instead of being content with his own.

Not to mention... I think in Astarion's mind he was 100% not going to survive Cazador LOL so when he succeeds he's like "oh shit I guess anything is fucking possible huh. Yeah fuck it lets go fight your dad, also I've decided I want you for realsies, now."

Anyways, can you believe I thought this was gonna be a short ask. Here have a doodle I made while thinking about all this bullshit:

As for Kressa, I got an ask about that before but I can't find it now LOL to summarize; he was pissed, angered, and in a far more personal level embarrassed to have had his dirty laundry aired (AKA, victimized) in that way in front of the others - but this isn't something he would have expressed outwardly, and I think both Shadowheart and Astarion would have known better than to inquire him about it. It's not really something he would have sought out comfort for in anyone, so, I think the subject died as soon as Kressa did. In this case, their lack of commentary was completely appropriate - If they had reached out in any way (which would have been, in my opinion, completely out of character) DU drow would have shut them out with a quickness.

#I'm a little drunk so I hope this is coherent LOL #THANK YOU FOR THE ASK #ENJOY THE ELF BASED ESSAY #DU drow lore #sketch #bg3 spoilers #ask

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dandylovesturtles · 6 months

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havin' all these Splinter and Leo thoughts. augh.

this is partly the fault of @/turtleblogatlast's post about Leo just wanting to make Splinter proud.

post-movie

...

Seven days post-invasion, and Leo is feeling (relatively) pretty good. Sure, he's still on a truly ridiculous amount of painkillers and he can't walk two steps without collapsing, but he's able to stay awake and talk to his family and considering where he thought he would be right about now, well... that's everything.

So yeah, he's feeling pretty good. He just finished his lunch of soup and a protein shake, warm and a little drowsy while he listens to April talk about some of the more ridiculous conspiracy theories that have started spreading on the surface. Donnie's tinkering with one of his smaller inventions while he listens, Mikey is nestled in Raph's lap, and everything is calm and cozy in their makeshift medbay.

And then his dad walks in and says, "I would like to talk to Blue, please. Alone."

And suddenly Leo doesn't feel so good anymore.

"Aha, wait," he says quickly, reaching out and grabbing April's sleeve just before she rises from her chair. "Whatever it is, you can say it in front of everyone, right?"

Splinter shakes his head. "This is a conversation I think it is best we have in private." He makes a shooing motion at the others, and April pulls her sleeve from Leo's fingers with a helpless shrug.

"See ya in a few, Leo," she says, then walks out. The others look from Splinter, to him, then back to Splinter, and one by one they each get up and shuffle out, too, with their own hasty farewells.

Traitors, every single one of them.

The door closes, and Leo finds himself alone with Splinter for the first time since coming back from Staten Island. Or at least, the first time he can remember. He was pretty out of it the first few days; most of what he remembers is muddled and confused. And embarrassing. He cried a lot more than he'd care to admit.

Splinter hops into chair April was sitting in and pulls it closer; he has to stay standing to be anywhere near eye level with Leo. He wishes he could read Splinter's face, but his expression is giving nothing away. Sometimes it's easy to forget he spent a not-insignificant part of his life as an actor, until something like this happens.

Leo decides to speak before he can. Head him off at the pass, or something.

"If you're going to yell at me, just remember my eardrums are already damaged."

Which is true - turns out being 1, too close to an exploding alien spaceship and 2, getting punched in the head repeatedly by an alien very mad about said exploding spaceship is bad for the ears, even when you don't have outer ears like a human. So super loud noises are a bad idea right now, and thus Leo cannot be yelled at. Flawless logic; maybe he can keep using that every time he gets in trouble.

For the first time, his dad's expression shifts, just a little. A deeper frown, a heavier set to his brow.

"You think I came in here to yell at you?"

Leo feels his stomach twist. Does he have to spell it out? "I mean, didn't you? That's usually what kicking everyone else out is leading up to."

"I see..." Splinter is still unreadable, looking a little too intensely at Leo. "And what do you think I want to yell at you about?"

He really does want it spelled out. Leo suddenly realizes that there won't be any yelling because this is his punishment: to admit everything he's done, to speak all his sins for his dad's ears. Lay it all out in his own tongue and show that he understands, really and truly, the depths of his screwups.

Oh, he understands. He understands it so well he may choke on the words.

"...For losing the key," he says finally, and it stings on its way out. He hasn't talked about it since it happened; every time he tries to say anything to the others, they shush him, saying, "It's okay, Leo, everything is fine now."

It's not okay, and everything isn't fine, and this is when he finally hears about it.

Finally, an identifiable emotion on Splinter's face: horror, dawning clear and present. And Leo doesn't understand that, because doesn't Splinter know he lost the key? He was there for that conversation, wasn't he? Leo's memories of that day have grown a little hazy between the drugs and the recovery and the fact that thinking about it for too long makes him go fuzzy around the edges, but he's pretty sure he remembers Splinter being there. He flicked popcorn at Leo's head. He probably should have done more than that; maybe then Leo wouldn't have made such a mess of things.

Splinter doesn't say anything right away, just stares at Leo with that horrified expression, and the silence is so scary that Leo starts filling it without even thinking.

"I was kidding about the whole... not yelling at me thing. I know I deserve it. I mean, I was fooling around, doing what you and Raph told me not to do, and I doomed the whole world doing it! Some leader I am, right? And I know I'm not exactly your favorite son to begin with, and that's fair, because I keep letting you down, but this is definitely my worst screwup to date, and you yell at me when I don't close the fridge door all the way or throw balls around the TV room so why wouldn't you yell at me for destroying the planet, right...?"

His voice peters out at the end, too hoarse to continue. That's the most words he's strung together over the last week, and for the first time he's glad for his injuries, for stopping him from spewing any more embarrassing word vomit just to fill the air.

Splinter is still looking at him with that same horrified expression. If anything, he just looks more upset, which means that Leo at least accomplished his goal.

Leo's waiting for the yelling to start, but when Splinter finally says something, it's, "You think I have a favorite son?" throwing Leo for a loop once again.

"Uh, yeah?" he says, because that's all there is to say. He's always assumed it's Donnie - the "funny one", the one who fixes Splinter's TV when it's broken, and the only one of them likely to get a real job and move out of the house. But even if it's not Donnie, it's gotta be Mikey, or Raph. His brothers are amazing and talented, and all Leo has ever been good at is winning the Lair Games.

Splinter closes his eyes a moment, and when he opens them his face moves back to a more neutral expression. "I do not have a favorite son," he says, firm and serious. "I love all of you just the same."

Leo thinks that can't be true - if it is, he feels bad for the other guys. But he doesn't think he can just say that, so he says, "Yeah, Dad, of course," instead.

Splinter looks a bit crestfallen. "You don't believe me?" he asks, and shoot. Leo has no idea how to respond to that.

"...I know you love us," is what he says. And that's true, it is! He just doesn't know how his dad could like him as much as the others.

Splinter's expression turns sad. He reaches out and lays a furry hand on Leo's arm, careful of his bandages and all the many wires he's hooked to. "You think you doomed the world?"

"I lost the key," Leo repeats. "It was all my fault. It's why I had to..." His voice fumbles over the words, and he revises. "It's why it had to be me."

Splinter's mouth twists. He climbs out of the chair and onto the mattress, careful not to jostle Leo as he settles down on his knees.

"Blue," he says softly, gently palming Leo's face this time. "None of this was your fault."

Leo's stomach twists again. He thought he was being punished, but somehow this is worse.

"Yes it was," he argues. "I lost the key," for the third time, "and... and I ignored the order to retreat, and got Raph captured, and and and, I ignored the guys and tried to force our way into Metro Tower, and it was me who told Donnie to try to fly that stupid ship, and because of me Mikey had to-"

"Leonardo," says Splinter, sharp, and Leo goes silent. His dad looks devastated, but he keeps his hand on Leo's cheek, brushing with his thumb, and for the first time Leo realizes his skin is wet. Splinter sighs heavily, his entire frame seeming to droop with the weight of it.

"Leonardo," he repeats, softly this time. "You did not doom the world."

"But-"

A furry finger on his lip quiets him.

"You did not doom the world," Splinter repeats, once again firm and serious. "You did not take the theft of the key seriously, because you did not know what it was, the threat it represented. But it was the Foot Clan who chose to use that key, fully knowing what evil it would unleash. That is not on you, my son. The responsibility falls squarely on them."

Leo doesn't know how much he can believe that - isn't it their job to stop the Foot Clan? But Splinter looks so sure as he says it, and his hand is still tender on Leo's cheek, and for the first time a little bit of doubt seeps into Leo's heart, telling him that maybe, just maybe, this wasn't all his fault after all.

But still...

"Even if that's true," he says, with heavy emphasis on the if, "everything I did after that-"

"You are young," his dad interrupts. "You are inexperienced. You are learning. And the amount of growth you showed us all, even over just that one day... You shined as brightly as I know you can."

Again, Leo's stomach does a twist - but it's a happier one, this time. Splinter's voice is sincere, leaving no room for doubt, and Leo can almost, almost believe that this is true, that his dad has believed in him from the very beginning. Has seen something in him, whatever it was that led him to make Leo the leader, that lead to him putting trust in Leo.

He just wishes he felt like he'd done more to earn it.

"You did not doom the world," says his dad again. "You saved it. But, it never should have been like that to begin with. You should never have been facing down such a fierce foe so young, especially as alone as you boys were. And you-"

His voice becomes choked up, and Leo's heart lurches.

"You... sacrificed yourself to save us all. I... I am your father, and I... could not protect you."

He's crying. His dad is crying, and Leo feels panic, reaching out to try and stop this.

"Dad-"

"No." Splinter holds up a hand, giving his head a hard shake. "All I ever wanted for you boys was to save you from the sacrifices asked of our family. And yet I could not - and for that, you paid dearly. You almost paid the ultimate price, and we almost lost you forever."

A thick knot forms in Leo's throat, and he can barely get out, "I'm okay, Dad, I'm here."

"Yes you are." Splinter squeezes his shoulder desperately. "You are here. You are safe. But that doesn't change that it should not have been you to begin with."

Leo watches in dawning horror as Splinter steps back, then kneels over on the mattress.

"This is why I came in here, Blue. Not to yell at you. To apologize."

He presses his forehead against the sheets.

"I am so sorry that I could not protect you."

He's crying. So is Leo, openly now. He reaches out for his dad, fumbling for his shoulders and urging him to straighten up.

"No, Dad... This wasn't your fault!"

"But-"

"No! It was just... it was just a really, really shitty thing that happened, okay? It was the Foot Clan, and the Krang, but it wasn't- it wasn't..."

Splinter raises his face and looks at him, and suddenly the words he's been trying to get Leo to believe for the last several minutes barrel into him and Leo crumbles.

"...I didn't have to do it," he says.

"No." Splinter gets up, coming closer. "You had nothing to atone for. You did it because you are brave, and you are kind, but this was never yours to fix."

Leo sucks in one harsh breath, then another, and then he's sobbing harder than he ever has in his life, and his dad hugs him tight, his arms warm and his fur soft where Leo buries his face in his shoulder.

All the feelings he's pushed aside - the ones he didn't think he had the right to feel, because he'd had to do it, he had to make up for his mistakes - bubble over, gripping him with grief and despair but also relief, that he's still here to cry and be hugged by his dad.

"I was so scared."

"I know."

"I thought I wouldn't see you guys again."

"I know. We thought we had lost you, too."

"I just... I didn't know what else to do... I couldn't let him... I couldn't..."

"Shhh, it's alright. It's over now. We're all safe."

Leo hugs his dad back, as tightly as he can with his injuries, and sobs and sobs until he's all out of tears. And all along, his dad tells him he is safe, he is good, and he is loved.

Later, Leo feels even better than he had before.

#dandy fanfiction #rottmnt #rise leo #rise splinter #this is probably the most self-indulgent thing I've written in like #A WHILE #I hope this is coherent at least lol #as usual I have no idea how to end anything #god this is sappy but whatever #I AM CRINGE BUT I AM FREE

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weast-of-eden · 2 months

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I've been thinking about how I could contribute to the ACD/Granada Sherlock Holmes fandom for a while, seeing as I'm neither an artist, a writer, or anything actually useful lol. But then I realized something I myself always treasure are curated fic recs, which I could actually do! I've read probably like 25% of all the h/w ACD and Granada fics on ao3, so I compiled a short list for anyone who is just starting out with the fandom. Without further ado, may I present

Eden’s Top Picks for Beginning ACD/Granada Fics:

(edit: i made a second list here!!)

The Adventure of the Doctor's Heart by mistyzeo 12k | Rated E Summary: Holmes has observed much of Watson's habits and tastes over time, which is why it surprises him when his friend objects strangely to a folk song sung at the conclusion of a case. Disturbed by the Doctor's unexpected display of emotion, Holmes becomes determined to lift his spirits by any means necessary, with mixed results. Notes: obviously if you're going to read canonverse h/w, you are going to read mistyzeo. this one is just so good and angsty and features music (!!). it's got some steaminess but it also has wooing. basically it has everything you ever need. this is my odyssey, my iliad, my hamlet, etc.

Cameo by what_alchemy 8k | Rated M | For Archive Users Only Summary: Holmes and Watson become embroiled in a case Scotland Yard refuses to acknowledge. A soulmate AU. Notes: i honestly skipped over this fic for a while, since i'm not the biggest fan of soulmate aus. do not make the same mistake i did, because this shit HITS. this fic has hit after hit: soulmate-mark based case for our main duo, angst, hiatus feels, MORE ANGST, and ofc a happy ending. ugh. read this fic if you enjoy being happy.

A Tide That Does Not Turn by tweedisgood 3k | Rated T Summary: Holmes is a very bad patient with a devoted doctor who adores him. Watson wishes it was safe to speak up, but his friend is a tide that does not turn. Notes: do NOT read this if you don't like angst... ok now i'm sensing a pattern. anyways this is the first hurt/no comfort fic i read for this tag and i literally have cried more than enough tears over it. poor, poor watson :( iconic author though, read everything they write!

The Adventure of the Glad Outlaw by radondoran 7k | Rated T Summary: While Sherlock Holmes solves the mystery of a student's disappearance, Dr. Watson is more puzzled by the changing dynamic between his flatmate and himself. Notes: cute pastiche! a nice little mystery and a nice little get-together. ahhhhhh.... this fic is like cotton candy to me, so sweet and fluffy. defo recommend

Hands by MinorObsessions (draculard) 1.4k | Rated T Summary: Naturally, there are some things Watson thinks about Holmes that don't make it into the books. Notes: i'm also in the star trek fandom, so if you know anything about that then you know that hands are kind of A Thing in both circles and ergo i now Have A Thing about hands. so this is a nice little ode to holmes' hands, featuring some doctoring by watson AND a nice reverse appraisal at the end. it's so sweet :)

Conductor of Light by ColebaltBlue 1.4k | Rated T Summary: A Victorian stiff upper lip won't prevent you from falling in love, but it might prevent you from realizing it. Notes: they finally get their shit together! honestly i would recommend this fic to anyone just starting out with h/w fics in any medium. the characterization and dialogue is A1, and their argument is really realistic to me, idk. also features the iconic HOUN quote for its title so props to that!

A (Mis)fortunate Man by sans_patronymic 1.5k | Rated T Summary: December, 1880. Watson writes a note which may be his last. December, 1899. Watson writes back. Notes: READ THE TAGS BEFORE READING. this was a gut-wrenching read but god i cried at the end for watson. don't worry, this one has a happy ending. ugh now i wish there was a second chapter where watson lets holmes read the letters. to sum up: oof, my heart

The Second Smartest Man in London by FairSinner 73k | Rated E Summary: Dr John Watson returns from Afghanistan to Victorian London, wounded, traumatised and alone. When he meets Sherlock Holmes, his life begins to seem worth living again. But Holmes is a man who despises sentiment and Watson cannot seem to expunge it from his heart. Notes: congrats, you've made it to the end!! so now i must confess that it's been a loooong time since i've read this fic, but the private note i left on my bookmark was just "holy shit", so i'm sure it's a banger. i'm also sure it has angst because i love angst and i love bookmarking angst so i can read it again and again and suffer infinitely. enjoy :)

anyways, now that i've put these all here i realized how much i enjoy angst and hurt/no comfort fics. if any of you guys have a favorite fic you want to link or want to plug your own writing, feel free to!

#i hope this is coherent #or at least helpful to someone lol #sherlock holmes #acd holmes #granada holmes #granada johnlock #acd johnlock #fic rec #acd johnlock fic rec #granada johnlock fic rec

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lai-mar · 26 days

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Re: Winged Lion fulfilling Laios' desires + "Marcille will no longer have to be alone"

Throughout the lion's persuasion, Laios has been acting reluctant / defensive / angry / embarrassed. He tells the lion that his desires of having monsters attack a village was a foolish childhood fantasy. Concerning Falin, the lion tells him he's being a hypocrite because he's wishing for a peaceful world and they can't revive Falin without magic, then the lion says they'll move onto more cheerful topics and digs into Laios' "true" subconscious desire to become a monster (reflected in the succubus chapter).

Laios is clearly uncomfortable but the lion continues digging in. The lion mentions Laios' own desires of becoming a monster, loving monsters, desires that define Laios as a person, and almost glosses over his will to revive Falin? Because we all know he loves his sister and wants to save her. It's a noble and sympathetic act. But turning in a monster and potentially terrorizing or at least scaring people? Just because he wants to? To make up for his lack of social tact and his seeming distaste for humankind? That's not noble. So naturally Laios clings onto his goal of saving Falin (evident in the scene when the lion curses him and Laios immediately thinks of Falin), and just as naturally, the lion wants to uncover that and make him confront his "true" desire.

Laios loves his friends and his party, but I think the lion isn't granting them full livelihoods out of pure selflessness on Laios' behalf. Because his party, despite everything, accepts him. They cook with him, they journey with him to save Falin, they trust him, they support him. In the dungeon, Laios' monster knowledge is respected and valued by his friends. Right before the confrontation with the lion, Laios gives each of his party members something to do, in particular telling Izutsumi to kill him. This is probably because of her skills and the fact that he's known Izutsumi the least (and they're less close compared to, let's say, Izutsumi and Marcille). But regardless of how long he's known them, he trusts them. He feels comfortable and confident around them. He feels supported. He knows his friends will do what he told them to do. And in a world in which Laios struggles to navigate due to his social skills, his companions are very precious to him. The party is aware of Laios' shortcomings but they follow and love him anyway. Keeping them unharmed is a noble act, but also selfish, because Laios likes being accepted and cared for.

Keeping the party safe is a vague concept, but then the lion goes for the kill— Marcille's lifespan.

And you can see Laios' expression instantly changes. There's a whole panel of his face. Previously, he's been uncomfortable and defensive. Even when the lion points out his "embarrassing" and "selfish" desire to be a monster, he's not as affected as he is. Now, he's shaken. He twitches. He knows something inside him just wavered. And the lion pounces on it.

Regarding why Laios wants Marcille to not be lonely, I have some thoughts:

Sympathy

Laios is the one who saw Marcille's nightmare and knows acutely what she fears. She lost Falin and was traumatised because of it. The whole party got killed and she was also traumatised. And Laios probably thinks it's his duty as a friend, party leader, and someone who saw into her nightmare to protect her and make her happy. Falin might never come back and maybe Marcille's already lost a loved one, and Laios doesn't want that to happen again even though it inevitably will.

2. Marcille's time as a dungeon lord

Laios' argument against lord Marcille is that she can't force everyone to eat from the same menu and not everyone wants to live that long. This might be a translation issue, but the lion doesn't say it's going to extend everyone's lifespans. No, it focuses on Marcille herself and says "Marcille will no longer have to be alone". Not "everyone will live as long as Marcille" or "Marcille will live as long as everyone else". It's not about ages, it's how Marcille feels. Which is something Laios obviously cares about.

Lord Marcille was unable to fulfill her desires. What if Laios does it for her, in a kind of "two in one" demon deal? Logistically, in order for the party to keep Marcille company, they'll have to live as long as she does (note the 999 years), or as the lion says, make up a fake version of themselves to keep her company. It might not be real, and with a bit of thinking, this dream crumbles, but the lion deviously targets the emotions and it overshadows rational thought. What if it's impossible to keep Marcille company for as long as she lives? Maybe the lion will magically make it work. Just maybe. And Laios holds onto this shred of hope.

3. Solidarity of being alone

Marcille, Laios, and Falin all experienced loneliness / feeling outcasted growing up. During the nightmare sequence, Laios says Marcille is different from him because her dream takes place in a library to show how hardworking she is. But ultimately, they are people who don't like being alone. Marcille warms up to eating monsters and accepts Laios for who he is. Laios rescues Marcille from the nightmare and the lion. They are each other's comfort zones and they keep each other company.

Laios doesn't want to be alone, hence the lion offering to save his friends. And he doesn't want Marcille to be alone, because he cares for her, and she's just like him in that regard.

Mentioning Marcille's feelings is what tips Laios over the edge. He isn't embarrassed or angry, he's frozen to the ground, shaken and persuaded. Arguably, saving Marcille is also a "noble" goal in the way saving Falin is a noble goal, but I think L+M has developed so far that saving her will feel like saving him because they both just want someone to keep them company (especially with the context of having lost Falin, who keeps them company and loves them for who they are).

Before all of this, Laios trusts Marcille with his precious gourmet guide. It's his hint that he's turned into his ideal monster, but the fact that he's given the embodiment of his dreams and desires to her shows how much he trusts her and feels comfortable around her. And it's Marcille who passes the guide around their friends as they all realise the monster is Laios. Even as a monster, Laios is recognised, his friends cheer for him, they want to save him.

I don't think I've seen anyone talk about this before, but later, Marcille tries using her summoned serpent / monster to eat monster Laios. (Like how she used it to eat her friends when she was a lord.) And Marcille's monster actually swallows Laios. But then Laios claws open its stomach and breaks free. Consumption is a form of love and salvation. I liked seeing their different monsters: Marcille's being a sleek serpent with flower motifs, kind of resembling her sky fish familiar that she used to rescue Senshi and Laios' almost chaotic chimera full of bits and pieces he picked up and carefully selected (including the scylla head he picked from the succubus). Marcille tries to save Laios by using her monster to eat him. They all save Falin by eating her monster parts. Even though initially Marcille was the one most picky about eating monsters, in the end she summons her own familiars and monsters and engages in her own way of creation / consumption.

And after all of this, it's Marcille who finds human Laios first. She doesn't berate him or anything, just treats him normally, tells him everyone is waiting for him. Because they accept each other and keep each other company. That's one of their core desires. Their character arcs intertwine and in the end they live together. Neither of them will have to be alone.

#laios touden #marcille donato #dungeon meshi #dungeon meshi spoilers #mine #meta #hope this is coherent #laimar #<- not a shippy analysis but i want to fill up the tag with something that could be relevant and not ship bashy at least lol #long post

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drawnfamiliarfaces · 2 months

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Would Jenny allow Danny to tinker with her? I know robotics isn’t exactly the same as aerospace engineering (and I do be headcanoning that my boy chose this as his major since he wants to be an astronaut), but with all the experience he had from handling his parents inventions I believe he can be trusted with fixing something as complex as a robot. I like to think that Danny was really impressed with how Jenny was made and secretly wanted to take a look at how she works, but was too shy to ask because he knows how it’s like to be treated like an object and not a person (with the whole “ghosts are non-sentient globs of ectoplasm with post-human consciousness” spiel he heard so many times) and didn’t want to make Jenny uncomfortable. I believe it took Jenny some time and getting to know Danny and his engineering skills before she let him fix her when she got something badly broken. It was like a show of ultimate trust from Jenny’s side and Danny was flattered, humbled and very respectful. And super careful of course, constantly asking how Jenny’s doing or feeling while he tinkered, mindful of her. I bet she was touched.

Not gonna lie, this is one of the more fascinating asks I got - if only because its incredibly interesting to read about your take/interpretation of Danny & Jenny's relationship! I hope you don't mind me saying, but it feels like you adore both characters and it's very cute!

Well, now, in HoM AU, both Danny and Jenny are close friends and indeed Danny is one of the few people who Jenny trusts with - well, herself - her mechanical self. Like you, I headcanon Danny as quite mechanicaly gifted - in HoM AU he actually graduated college/uni with engineering degree, so he got education to polish his raw skills! He is one of the first people who would help Jenny in and out of the field, if there is a minor malfunction or an injury of some sort!

But even for that to happen it took a couple of years and a few adventures together.

So to answer the original question, I would have to say that in HoM AU specifically, neither Danny would ask to 'tinker' with her, nor Jenny would probably be totally comfortable with that question if asked. 'Tinkering' would imply a degree of casual poking around, and in this case, both Danny and Jenny have certain life experiences that gave them... boundaries when it comes to their own and others' autonomy. Jenny especially.

(a bit of random background info dump here to explain the reasoning, but feel free to ignore it, since i basically answered the ask xD i just got bitten by a writing bunny, so its gotten a bit long - be warned!)

When Jenny was younger and only just acclimatizing herself with human world and amongst teenagers, she was rather blaze at times with how much access to her body she gave to her human friends and acquaintances.

After all, her mother was rather frank about it - often poking around in Jenny's mechanics and code. But it was her mother, who created her (sort of 'why are you covering yourself, i made you i already know what you have' mother attitude, which is a bit over-controlling and invasive to other's autonomy, but well, Jenny is a robot after all) and it a completely different deal from others.

So, despite her mother's warnings there are instances when Jenny was not very careful. Like when she allowed Brad, Tuck and Sheldon to literally remove and rip out her stuff in pursuit of fashion goals. Or when she dropped her guard around Todd Sweeney and got reprogrammed for her good deed.

And during the events of the last episode, she was once again controlled, by Dr Locus. While not exactly her fault, it still left a lasting impression that any mechanically gifted person could be dangerous to her.

Now, this is where we venture into my personal headcanons for MLAATR that are tied into HoM-verse:

Another aspect of Jenny's developed caution to giving access to her body - is the fact that she is not considered as a real person in the eye of the government/world. She is a thing, a weapon created by Dr. Walkman. She does not have the same rights as a human, and on paper she does not even have rights to her own body. It's all patented Nora Wakeman technology, (secretly) founded by the government.

And she has been fighting it ever since she was a teenager and refused to be called an IT - XJ-9 - and became a HER, a teenage girl Jenny, who also just happens to be a robot.

At first it started as a simple teenage rebellion and she went to school and started to hang out with other kids, but what about later after she graduates? Will she be even allowed to? Sure, maybe her school will give her a diploma, but how legal will it be to give something like that to someone who is legally not a real person? After all, its not like when other kids will turn 18 and can be their own people, not under the legal control of their parents. Jenny is her mother's property, intellectual and physical. For her to be considered a real person in the eye of government, it would require a law being passed about recognizing sentience of Artificial Intelligence.

And sure, she could probably be made an exception, being a hero robot and all, but the problem is, she is not the only human-made robot in existence! What about her sisters, who are prototypes and are not as developed as her? Her brother, who seemed to develop sentiency to the point of turning on humans?? Melody and Killgore?? And its not only in her world (cartoon), but in others (since its a crossover). So the question about AI/Robot sentience, no matter if they are good or bad or how developed they are, would not concern only her, it would be a global debate.

And we all know how the governments of the world would feel about passing laws about sentience of artificial beings that were created to serve the human race. It would be a struggle one way or another.

So, as she grows up and sees the world refusing to aknowledge her as a person, she doesnt have legal rights to finish school and go to college, to get a job, to get married, heck she cant even have a legal documentation that doesnt says 'Dr. Wakeman's creation'. The government says: your body belongs to us, because we paid for Dr. Wakeman to make you - you belong to us, we control you.

That, on top of several unpleasant experiences with other people disregarding her autonomy, will equal to Jenny trying to get some sense of that control back. So she starts to be more cautious about how much access others have to her physical self; she starts to build and reinforce boundaries with other people, starting with her family and friends.

It was one of the darkest days in Sheldon's life, when Jenny started to firmly say 'no' to whenever he asked her about her inner workings and casual access for poking around. xD Tuck was not a happy camper either, that his favorite robot friend became very stingy with all the cool stuff. But Brad got it. And after gentle (and sometimes not) reminders, others became more understanding.

It was a little harder with her mother. Dr. Wakeman truly loved her daughter, but she was a scientist first and mother second. She was so used to casual access to Jenny, in order to keep maitanance that it was hard for her to break the habits. Its still a constant struggle, but she has gotten so much better.

Now, when it came to her new friends amongst HoMies, she already has built a set of boundaries that allowed her to feel more secure as a person, despite how the world sees her, but she is much more reserved to opening herself up to others, at least compared to how she first approached people when she was younger.

It took a few missions and getting to know them better, for her to start trusting with them with her mechanical self. But now a few years later, she feels comfortable enough with most of them to give her a helping hand when needed!

Of course not everyone are capable of helping her though: Danny, Kim and Zak are three of more mechanically oriented people who can help. Though Danny is the one with actual education in that field, while Kim and Zak learned more by necessity, from Kim's various jobs and Zak to operate the Saturday's equipments.

When Rex joined them, he actually became the second best person for her to come to if she needed help. Not only because he has unprecedent skills in mechanics, but also because of his nanites. (but thats info dump for another time, lol)

Jun has some basic knowledge in mechanics, but nowhere near enough for her to feel comfortable poking in Jenny's insides. Jake is perhaps the least capable of helping, when it comes to engineering, followed by newbie Randy (tho we really aint counting him tbh xD).

Ben is a complicated situation - he has some training and knowledge in engineering and robotics because of his Plumber training, but Jenny has heard horror tales from Gwen about how he treats his stuff (the whole hacking/playing with Omnitrix settings), so she flat out refuses for Ben to touch her. However in emergency/battle situation she would allow Ben to use one of his aliens to do so (like, Grey Matter or Upgrade).

So, we talked about Jenny's experiences and why they would contribute to her feeling uncomfortable if someone asked to 'tinker' with her.

Now, let's talk about why Danny would not ask to 'tinker' with her in the first place.

Like you said, Danny is all to familiar with the struggle of being part of something tat is hardly recognized as a sentient species - he had to listen to his parents dismiss ghost sentience most of his younger life. Of course, they have gotten much better since the... 'finale' of DP, but this sort of racism? xenophobia? (im not rally sure which term to use tbh) prejudice against ghosts would have left a lasting impression on Danny.

So I dont remember if I ever implied it, but in HoM AU - events of DP finale happened very differently and the resulting consequences of it diverged a lot from Mr ButtHurtman's 'canon'.

(Also, I had ideas about it, before a Glitch In Time came out, so events from there were not taken into consideration. )

I don't want to reveal much, because it is kinda one of my planned flashback for HoM, but the events that happened reinforced Danny's ... well lets say regard of people's autonomy? It's kind of hard to put into words.

Ok, let's explain it like this: Danny would not ask Jenny if he could look at how she worked and if he could tinker with her, because it would be like if his Mom and Dad casually asked if they could perform a vivisection on him to see how different he is from a full human.

And while sure, the comparison might sound a bit extreme, since there is a difference when it comes to robots and humans about 'poking around' in their innards. But to Danny - it would be too close of a comparison - because of the whole 'recognition of sentience' thing.

After all, wasn't it just some years ago, his parents cried that ghost are nothing more than lump of malicious energy that have no feelings? They changed their mind after Danny's reveal, which allowed them to actually listen and look into evidence proving otherwise and learn. And here is Jenny, struggling to be recognized as a person, since she is considered nothing more than a lump of metal with no feelings - just a weapon to be pointed in a certain direction.

And Danny would feel like asking Jenny if he could casually poke inside her, is a bit... hypocritical? And not to mention insenstitive. After all, he knows how she feels - she is basically still living his worst imagined life in some ways.

So, I don't think he will ever ask to study how she works by casually poking inside her.

HOWEVER -

At some point, after they became friends, Danny would feel like he should know at least some basics on how Jenny works, just so he could help her in an emergency.

I imagine it happened after a particularly rough mission, and Danny had to help Jenny back home since she was unable to do so herself, so Dr. Wakeman could fix her. After some time thinking, he would sit in front of both Nora and Jenny and ask them for permission if he could learn how Jenny works - from Nora.

After all, Danny does not need to poke inside Jenny to learn how she functions, when there is her mother right there - the creator, the maintanance and doctor all in one package, with access to blueprints and all intricate knowledge, who can evaluate what Danny needs to know in accordance to his passable engineering skills. She could teach him the basics - but of course not without Jenny's permission.

So he asks her, if he could learn, because he is tired of looking how she gets hurt along with them, but unlike most of them she can not be easily fixed with bandages and some time. And Danny, since he is one of the few of them who has the skills, would like to be actually able to help her with those skills. But it is her body - it is her choice, to trust him or not.

And Jenny would be speechless. It would be the first time someone asked her like that. Not even Kim, who is one of her closest friends, asked before (but mostly because Kim was perfectly aware that she is nowhere skilled enough to even think about it).

And you would be right. It would be a show of ultimate trust from Jenny, to agree for Danny to learn. And maybe at some point, simply learning, turned into more on hands learning in some small ways. And Jenny's trust was never betrayed, and Danny always stayed humbled and aware of that.

so, i hope the answer was satisfying, or at least entertaining for you! thank you again, your ask was delightful to read and allowed me to explore some of my own backstory parts for HoM a little bit more!

#que?#hom au #hom au q&a #danny fenton #jenny xj9 #long post #i do apologize for length. im not even sure how coherent my ramblings are but i do hope it was fun to read at least lol

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coquelicoq · 11 months

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justice of toren collecting songs and one esk/breq constantly humming/singing them is such a good detail and ann leckie does so much with it. an incomplete list:

justice of toren's eager collection of songs is part and parcel of its violent destruction of cultures: these songs are cultural artifacts that it only learns because of its presence on those worlds during their conquest, and in many cases breq is the only one to remember them because their people have died out due to that violence. JoT preserves cultural artifacts for its own use at the same time it directly contributes to the need for that preservation in the first place.

the matter-of-fact way in which this is narrated to us gives us information about JoT's stance on respect and imperialism - that is, contrasted with other characters who look down on the conquered cultures, JoT does actually seem to appreciate their value. and yet it communicates to us no sense of remorse over its role in their genocide.

singing can be a communal activity. this allows us to feel the difference between one esk's multiple bodies singing together in harmony/in a round vs. breq singing alone. this has emotional weight, is an evocative image, and illustrates quite nicely some of the logistic considerations of having one vs. multiple bodies.

the constant humming/singing is extremely notable and idiosyncratic according to other characters, which is a dangerous combination for someone who's supposed to be undercover, so it adds a lil bit of fun suspense for us.

the fact that no one ever figures out breq's identity despite this giveaway tells us something about the other characters' attitudes towards artificial intelligences (though see below about seivarden).

the fact that it's so idiosyncratic also tells us something about the ability of individual AIs to have personalities that distinguish them from other AIs, and the fact that one esk sings constantly but two esk doesn't tells us something about the ability of different ancillary decades that are all part of the same AI to have distinguishing characteristics. this is very relevant to, and illustrative of, the series' thematic throughlines around identity, personality, continuity, etc.

the fact that breq personally has a bad voice also serves multiple purposes. because breq and seivarden both believe that the medic could have chosen a body with a good voice if she had wanted to, we can infer something about how ancillary bodies work, how much the AI (and, by extension, its medics) knows about the individual capabilities of those bodies while they're in suspension, and what kinds of things the AI can and can't control once it has unfrozen and taken over a body.

we can also draw conclusions about the medic that chose that body and about intracrew relations on that ship.

breq's bad voice creates moments of humor and irony in the narrative, such as when breq's constant singing - aka the most obvious clue that she is one esk - is precisely what makes seivarden so sure that breq can't be one esk, because no esk medic would use a body with a bad voice for an ancillary.

constant singing/humming imposes itself on the shared soundscape, meaning other people can't easily avoid it and it has the potential to annoy them, especially if the voice itself has annoying qualities. the reactions of other characters to the frequency and/or quality of this verbal tic tells us something about the level of affection those characters have for one esk or breq.

because singing involves words, the meaning of the lyrics being sung can be used to advance the plot, communicate things about specific characters, create irony in juxtaposition with what's happening on the page, etc.

i especially like what's done with the lyric "it all goes around". it's woven throughout the story in such a way as to manifest its own meaning (the repetition of "it all goes around" is, itself, an example of something going around). by repeating the lyric, breq is the one making it true, and i would argue that her repetition of this particular lyric about things orbiting other things contributes to, and/or is a sign of, her growing understanding of the necessity/reality of interdependence and her place in that framework/her role in constructing it, or in other words, the extent of her own agency and the rights and obligations it confers upon her.

because the singing/humming is a constant, background, automatic action, it only ceases when breq is experiencing a strong emotion. from this we are able to infer things about the emotional state of our famously-omits-details-about-her-emotional-state narrator based on other characters' comments about whether or not she is currently doing this thing.

we also aren't even aware that breq is doing it constantly until another character says so. on a narrative level, this serves the dual purpose of making sure we know about how much she hums AND of reminding us that she's not telling us everything.

the humming is not mentioned constantly even though it is happening constantly - this helps us forget in between mentions that it's going on while also simultaneously reinforcing just how constant it must be, so constant that to mention it every time it happens would be like narrating every time she breathes in or out. whenever someone brings it up, we are reminded anew that something has been happening all along that we forgot about. this means that ann leckie is able, by leaving information out, to hammer home to us how much we are not being told.

through this one character trait, ann leckie efficiently and elegantly communicates not just aspects of character but also of setting, plot, tone, theme, and narrative. there's no extraneous exposition just to tell us about the song collection or singing; everything that tells us about it is serving other functions in the narrative as well. the ways in which she manifests this one character trait in the universe and in the narrative contribute to and exemplify both the story itself and the method of its telling.

#and the singing/humming is only one example of how leckie is doing this!#the ubiquitous she/her usage that is actually radchaai-specific is another #imperial radch #storytelling #my posts #i have been writing sooo many drafts lately and it's stressing me out that i just keep making more without posting the old ones #so i'm posting this!!! probably i'll reread this tomorrow and be like girl have you heard of editing?#but i have to get something out the door or i will drive myself crazy #i hope this is at least somewhat coherent lol #f

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sminiac · 5 months

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I think that since there tends to be this preconceived notion that men of a taller, bigger stature are more dominant leaning (and a lot of the time I completely agree) but I can’t help but think about Sub!Sungchan, and how he wouldn’t necessarily be the eager to please, overly whiny kind of submissive, but more of a soft, dimmed version of himself, just wants to be taken care of- to have the ability to sit back and allow himself to be taken care of, yk?

Like very intimate, emotional sex where he’s just completely and utterly yours for the time being, allows you to do whatever you please because he knows that he’s safe, that he’s in good hands, that you’ll make him feel good, so, so good.

Sweet thing, can’t help but love the overstimulation you drive him to, his long fingers squeezing at your arms, taut moans in your ears as he digs the heels of his feet into the bed, forcing himself to take it, because he knows what comes after this, and it’ll feel better than he could ever imagine, better than he could ever force himself through with the effort of only his own hand when you’re unable to see him.

Mewling out breathy pleas as big tears ball into the outer corner of his pretty eyes, lashes clumping as they slip down past his temples, his head thrown back, but when it’s not then he’s angling himself as best as he can to see the way your fist runs slick in up and down motions over his cock, the tip a pretty shade of red, poking out from behind your fingers, drives him crazy.

Once you’re satisfied the poor thing is absolutely spent, his chest heaving, arm thrown over his eyes, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t take more, cue the very sweet, soft sex part that consists of even more tears. His lips blown into a swollen pink mess, so pretty with the moisture he licks into them, a mix of his tears introduced when you thumb softly at his face, whispering the most meaningful praises his ears would ever hear.

So pretty under you, can’t take his eyes off of your face even through his cloudy vision, the way you gently work yourself on his cock, how untethered he feels from the outside world, because when he’s got you, it’s as good as gone. “Love you- I love you s’much.” He’d try to say through a mouth that’s thick with saliva, his register heightened, slack with emotion, the muscles in his face contracting in a weak attempt to refrain from letting a sob wrack his chest.

Just wants you to call him pretty while you hold his face, swiping away the steady stream of tears, fucking him into an untouchable amount bliss.

#listening to frank ocean and its #that’s why this exists lol #sungchan has been invading my brain recently #i hope this is coherent #riize sungchan #jung sungchan #sungchan x reader #sungchan smut #sungchan scenarios #riize #riize imagines #riize x reader #riize smut #riize hard hours #riize hard thoughts

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