One thing you must learn on Rook is the artform of letting go. People, possessions, connections. These things will come and go like the tide, washing in on one day and out on the second. He had no qualms with releasing Dantes when he did, the impression the man gave being one of impartiality. There are things in life, however fleeting, that can not be kept, their value appearing to strengthen the longer their absence persists. So is the artform of release, the discipline of relinquishment.
I must go rather than stay. You understand.
No, he didn't understand. In fact, there were few things he did in the ways and mannerisms of Dantes. But so to was the man's nature, the fabric in which he was woven and made. Vaas knew better than to ask questions and sire demands, for Dantes was one of the few people in the world that these sorts of things had any effect on. It was hard to say how much time had passed, only that there was enough to make the old shack Dantes called home begin to collapse inward on the weight of its poor maintenance. And Vaas had left it there relatively untouched. A bizarre relic of the past, a token of an era that never really existed.
Now here he was on the beach, strolling with a handful of his most useless men as they began to look through the sparse trees for any signs of an escaped hostage. Vaas looks lazily upon the pulling tide, not really dwelling on the beached dingy. A lost fisherman perhaps, a dead man's ship. It isn't until he sees that familiar smiling face, that collection of long curls wrapped so carelessly on broad shoulders, that he realizes his discovery. From the pit of his stomach, he almost feels angry.
ship bias, for our ships :3 // @bringhelltoyourdoorstep
hhhhh kleffy me beloved how dare u make me choose between our children....
helsem. oh holy shit. oh god damn. the parallels. the journey from conqueror and conquered to true love. the actual healthy approach to codependency and unhealthy submission in a romance, which is to pull back and get your partner help rather than just accept it as love. they challenge one another in the best ways from their days as enemies to their happily ever after. we wrote it so well that other people literally wished their muses had what hel and *nsem have, and tried to emulate it and fall short every time. there’s some kind of lightning in the bottle with this ship in that i’ve written other varieties of this narrative and they’ve never hit quite right. it’s one of those ships that instantly springs to mind when i think of shipping hel, a great dynamic that kind of came out of nowhere for both of us. it’s truly got something for everyone, and i cherish it beyond words.
heldoom. yet another unexpected dynamic where our muses had to work for it, where we did our best as muns to make it work and have created this amazing self-contained lore. both of them have come so far from that first thread, and built their boundaries and enforced them only to let them fall organically over the years. it reminds me of that one wuthering heights quote, like their love for each other is the eternal rocks beneath the waves. no matter what waves are made in the multiverse ,these two will endure beneath the constant ebb and flow. victor’s love for hel in whatever form she would accept it! hel letting down her defenses as she realizes victor’s great personal strength! the trust they have with one another and their own truths! the wedding! their rule together! their dates! their inter-dimensional political machinations! their baby boy! it’s a ship that is so dear to my heart and i’m so glad we set it out from the docks.
jonleah. i am not sure why this one ranks so high as one of our most recent ships. actually, yes, i do. i can write you an essay about it. i will just say that i have loved unraveling your mind about a ship that has very little chance, whether in canon or even in settings where they do end up together, where their happiest ending is a fever dream we haven’t even worked out the feasibility of. there’s something about the way their pain haloes into one another, yet they don’t give up on each other, one is strong whenever the other is weak, and it’s still not enough but they don’t mind so long as they have each other. it’s a ship where even in the larger context of ‘jon and m*rtin are canon, leah’s pining will only come to unrequited’ doesn’t feel like a loss or a sadness because you know their friendship will last and they always be there for one another in ways others might not understand. i just. i love it dearly. there’s this kind of hope for them under all the horror and tragedy that however their stories end, together or apart, they saw one another and were understood in a world that hardly ever offers that opportunity.
helmand. ok but like. we can both see how close this came to never being a good ship, right? like it’s so tense throughout history that if hel had made one step out of line, armand would have been worse for it. if she had given in to him earlier, he would have just traded his worship of marius or the children for her and their love would have failed because of it. had she stolen him from the children as she so desperately sought to, he would have found another tragedy. if she had stolen him from either of his 20th century paramours, would he have grown into a proper man rather than the jealous child he had always been? there’s so much to unpack beyond his acts of fealty and her long nights playing violin to an open window in paris. it’s the careful dance they wove from venice clear to modern florida, and how they embrace the lives each much live, giving each other room to grow and make mistakes of their own accord.
hel/creature. we have only just begun but here it is. that mirror ship i have been so desperate for. i’m so desperately in love with the potential between them, the room for growth from the creature and a chance to grow out of her own reservations for hel. they’re so alike but in ways that are different enough that they create this beautiful balance, heart vs mind, warmth vs chill, their loneliness making them more desperate to understand one another than debate these personal choices that seem so at odds. i want nothing more than for them to curl up and read to one another in the peace and quiet of nature for all of time. after the creature picks his own name and absolutely pimpslaps the shit out of odin, of course. it will be all the more beautiful when they have all of eternity together without distraction or outside discomfort to tear them from one another, nothing but the march of time to change the lives they make so comfortable.
and, a bonus for u....
cyraroth. i waffled back and forth on who to give fifth place, and changed this answer about three times, but this one i am sure of. their dynamic is so fascinating, the aesthetics make them striking, and i just wish things were better for cyra and s*phiroth because i know they could have been good for one another had the plot not gotten in the way.
skywe. luke sk*walker-*mwe and aleary *mwe-sk*walker own a not insignificant portion of my ass. our rewrite for the chosen one of the whole galaxy to find love, happiness, and eventually a family with this dashing rogue refugee of a dead world is everything i knew i needed, but not in what form or fashion. you have fulfilled a years old wish for me with this one, and i love this stupid twink/stupid twunk solidarity. can’t wait to see them in the actual canon sequels watching their beautiful biracial daughter kick their cousin kyle ron’s ass : )
claydee. i honestly thought claude was as unlovable as the muse themself does. then you and haydee just cunt-kicked us right into a ship that i have enjoyed the whole way around. the way claude finally has hope, the way their love for haydee embodies ‘i forgive the world because it has you in it.’ plus the fact it takes out that icky wife husbandry aspect to the canonical tcomc ending is such a plus, kleffy bless for plugging up the one shit part of canon with my angry little sardinian.
dreadmond. oh shit it’s only number two, what awaits you at number one? no, but real talk, dream is one of those muses that is so hard to ship, but you’re one of the lucky few that he responded well to. you wanted dreadmond so bad and it worked out so marvelously. you know it’s bad when i kick my own oc to the curb to say ‘yep this is it this is the one chief.’ their loyalty and clear adoration of one another without going ooc is... the best. i love it dearly. what could i possibly love more?
honorable mentions before we hit number one: stryx, pietsa, aquoro, koterra, claudemand, helpitch, michaeleah, timcath, helsire, emileta, strignis, heldolin.
and, drumroll please.....
solaria. my first my last my everything. where would we be if i hadn’t cringed my way into a few too many ‘jock elf shoves nerd elf into a locker’ jokes? god, i tear up thinking about what if i hadn’t been lucky enough to be active in the da rpc at the same time as you? what if we just missed each other? solaria is such a special sihpfor me bc it doesn’t just represent hours of plotting nad thread,s this fascinating hero/villain rivalmance, but also... our abiding love and companionship :’ ) i love you dude here’s to another 4 years and many more
“Wishes are false. Hope is true. Hope makes its own magic.” (to claude) // @bringhelltoyourdoorstep
Hope. Hell of a thing, hope that dogged balm for every contusion of mind and spirit. They weigh the word and its impact upon them and find nothing but a syllable. Hope was for those who could look beyond the day they dwelt within, who were permitted a future.
The marrow of their youth was banded together by fact. The currency that carried them from one day to the next was just that, a coin for food, for shelter, for whatever Rafa needed most. Hope stood as fathomable as a star, and further from reach, for one blighted youth.
Prosaic even now, hope was measured in the teaspoon of anticipation for the reactions of others, whether the Duchess might believe their flattery, whether the Judge might ignore the slip of a mask. The language of desire was new to them, and ill-shaped in their mouth. They tasted it with the graceless tongue of a child’s first words.
Hope remained altogether weightless in their heart and mind. Shifting against the chair, they couldn’t stand to look at Monte Cristo in that moment. “I am not one for magics, Excellency,” they huffed, because if there was laughter then doubt was not so dire. The gulf between Claude and those favored by fortune widened, left them on shaky ground.
Yes, the betters of society might hope for simple, empty things, as the Viscount wished for kisses and Eugenie for solitude. The Count must have some hope, too, for how he conducted himself with that bright-eyed mania. Claude sat there still, the abstract concept nothing more than another illustration in a long-pawned book in a comfortable room, the portrait of Baldr who they never understood but recognized as beautiful and beloved.
“In my eyes, it’s rather devalued by such metaphor. I had not taken hope for a conjurer.”
Not that it mattered. Both shaped miracles easily broken by the barest understanding of its fashion.
@bringhelltoyourdoorstep Asked: Sexy Time + who, out of all your partners, can last the longest in bed?
Sexy Time || Accepting
“Hands down? Nishitani. Man’s had so much coke in his sytem for so long he gets pissed ‘bout how long it takes him to cum. I sure as hell don’t mind, though. Fucks harder when he’s like that.”
@bringhelltoyourdoorstep : how easily does your muse fall in love? what sort of things does your muse look for in a partner? what sort of things does your muse AVOID in a partner?
all about shipping || accepting
MCU Loki
Loki does not fall in love easily. He might start to have feelings sooner than he’s ready to have a relationship, and he will very intentionally and stubbornly suppress them until it’s safe to acknowledge them. That trust and sense of safety could take a matter of months to build, or it could be years, depending on the person in question, and also varies depending on verse ; younger versions of Loki fell in love much more easily than older ones do. But when he finally decides it’s safe, he falls hard and thoroughly. There’s no in between for him, he’s either wary and detached or a big ball of feelings.
As far as partners go, there are a few things he needs ( in order ) :
1. Emotional intelligence and compassion
2. Mental flexibility and a willingness / ability to learn
3. Loyalty and patience
( That’s alongside obvious things like requital of love, general respect for him as a person, respect for consent, etc. ) Everything else is icing. Appearances, abilities, gender --- all just icing, as long as those basic requirements are met. Would he prefer to be with someone he considers attractive ? Sure. But even sexual or aesthetic attraction isn’t a requirement for him if the relationship is long-term, loving, and emotionally fulfilling. He honestly just wants someone who treats him gently and believes he’s worthy of care and protection.
What he avoids in partners is just ... the opposite of that.
People who are overly aggressive and violent and think that any problem can be solved by hitting it enough. People who might be inclined to see him as a problem, given that he’s not very forthcoming. Those people, in his experience, have a tendency to try to rip him out of himself and expose him abruptly, instead of trying to create an environment where he feels safe revealing those parts on his own. He doesn’t want to be broken down and taunted by his partner ; he tends to feel weak enough already, so having that from a supposed loved one is extremely unhealthy. He might feel attracted to people --- especially women --- who can beat him up, but the difference between sexual tension and an actual relationship is that in the latter case, his partner could kick his ass but never would. Like I mentioned before, he wants to be protected. A potential partner who would use their strength against him is someone he could never trust, and could therefore never truly love.
Myth Loki
Myth Loki is a little more emotionally resilient, and he falls in love much more easily. He’s not afraid of his feelings, and he’s much more trusting of people, so it takes him much less time to understand and accept that he’s into someone. Once he’s accepted it, he’s a little more moderate about how hard he falls in love, and quite a bit less desperate to please.
But honestly ? His criteria for a partner are so similar to MCU!loki that I’m just going to write down the differences.
Myth Loki doesn’t care as much about loyalty or “ intelligence. ” His priorities are emotional intelligence and compassion, adaptability and appreciation for change, and patience. He’s also much more promiscuous and can satisfy his physical needs without having a long-term relationship, which makes it a little easier for understand the variety of people who exist and know precisely what it is that he wants. Or doesn’t want. And what he doesn’t want, like the other version of Loki, is a person who would sooner eat his heart in the marketplace than cherish it like something precious.
The Count looked over at her, the moonlight glinting silver off his skin, his hair, before turning his attention back to the open window. The wind blew softly, and he closed his eyes to feel it, the salt on the warm air a comfort.
“I couldn’t sleep. An unfortunately common occurrence for me. Usually, I would just take one of my pills and sleep the dreamless sleep of the drugged, but I found myself unable to partake tonight. I felt restless, needed to smell the sea air to calm me.” He turned away from the window fully, giving her a small and soft smile.
“I was not expecting my absence to wake you, though, my dear.”
"of course it woke me. i know when i'm parted from you."
her voice is soft, as in the pale night loki can often be misconstrued for something soft. edmond makes it even easier for her, perfumes her with jasmine and sandalwood, has given her the beautiful chiffon robe in which she wanders to him—soft indeed, the dark pools of her eyes.
loki's hand slides across his upper back, she bows to kiss his cheek. "if you needed comfort you could have woken me. surely you don't believe i would have been angry."
