I love the concept of Alastor being just as affected by his separation from Vox as Vox is.
I like the idea of Alastor being more open minded, to technology, to innovation, to music and food and experiences. Vox takes all those things to an 11. Him to an 11. They both do, two men never satisfied, even in the endless seas of indulgence that hell can offer it's powerful.
But then something tears them apart. They tear each other apart.
Resentments fester. Vox copes by changing constantly, using innovation and change and modernity to escape himself, escape his past, his feelings, his memories.
Alastor digs his heals in. He picks his niches and stays there, keeping his power and his interests as they are by pure force of will.
Vox draws everyone in, screaming love me with the rings in his eyes; letting himself and the people he touches think they're choosing that. That it's not some grand farce. Some dramatic ploy. A lie.
And Alastor lashes out at anyone he can't control in explicit clarity. He needs everyone he lets even remotely close to know that he is his own priority.
I love the idea of two men ruining each other to the point where they force themselves to try and be opposites - traveling so far apart yet never being able to remove the other from their clothes, their feelings, their eternal fucking existences.
The connections they fight to sever never going away. Their hate as powerful as their care. Their lies loud and their pounding hearts louder. They want the other to suffer. But they don't want them to go. Not forever. Just away. Away somewhere close. Not gone for seven years without a trace. Not really gone. Never that.
Neither would say it, but I wonder if either could stand that.
I cannot wait to see what Alastor actually cares about besides himself and his mother next season. I'm aoieh;oaiwahohi god I need it sm.
Harrow the Ninth current progress reading thoughts (pt.3)
Part one | Part two | Here | Part four | Part five
Please no spoilers for beyond chapter 13 of book two, and none for book three please.
Spoilers for HTN and GTN below:
Chapters 12 & 13:
Okay so yes, Gideon and Harrow aren't fully integrated. I figured bc of the eyes, but I'm really glad for a more clear layout of Harrow's situation!!!
I will admit (begrudgingly) that Ianthe is kind of, somewhat, interesting. Hearing Harrow also call her irritating (or something within that realm, I don't remember exactly, sorry) was gratifying. I like when I end up in the place a book wants me to be - or at least in a place the book finds grounded within at least one of the characters. But she's mildly interesting in the same way that a hummingbird may interest someone who has no great attatchment to birds. She's not.. I don't know. She doesn't let a lot come to the surface, does she? Not much that's honest/genuine/vulnerable anyway. You do get the sense that she's letting Harrow in more than she ever would have, because, even with the other Lyctors, they're both very much alone in the world.
... universe lol
The bit with the paintings was also interesting. It didn't really feel like she was putting another up in pride-of-place to simply be contrarian, but like, rather to exert some control? Like as if to convince herself that some things, even very very small things can be hers. Her way. Not simply exerting that just because, but because she needs the reassurance for herself.
The fact that they're nude paintings as well ___
I also find it interesting that she's so content being among another's things. I get the sense that maybe she's trying to just let herself slip into someone else's life. Like if nothing there is truly hers, then it doesn't matter. It's not hers and its not her.
Not her existence. Not a life without Coronabeth. Not a life where her body was entirely her own. Not a life where there were options. She chose her path, but I think she had no idea the path she was taking, not really, because of Cythrea, that information wasn't really afforded to any of the participants in book one.
I think she thought she was choosing choice. The power to choose. Not binding herself to an endless existence with two bleak paths - exist to fight and serve or die.
I have this feeling that she did what she did to protect Coronabeth. I think everything she's experiencing now doesn't feel worth much to her at all. With her cavalier inside her body, someone else's arm attached, and her sister missing (possibly dead).
I don't think she... well, I think she likes the power. I think she likes being perfect. I think she's realizing that perfection isn't really a thing.
How odd to have planets dying being in such a... human way.
I liked learning about the purpose of the cavalier in the adept's body beyond being an integrated sword-arm. That reveal in the first book of why cavalier's must use rapiers still haunts me, bro. It was such a gorgeous, awful gut punch.
It's always the things like that that really stick with me.
And the fact that Harrow in clinging to that longsword feels just - so perfect for our stubborn, gorgeous girls. Its funny, how protective I feel over Gideon and Harrow. I want to hug them, let the scream it out against my shoulder. I think a good long cry would do Harrow some good if she could ever let herself. But I think she'd need someone there to ground her so she doesn't get carried away from herself, yk?
She really just needs Gideon back by her side. Not forgotten, not inside her, but beside her. Harrow's magic isn't like Silas', it's not some intangible thing. Harrow doesn't do well with the incorporeal. She needs Gideon by her side where she can hear and see and touch her.
Sometimes I get like, book anxiety. Like I get to anxious to read bc I care too much. And it's always an odd thing bc I almost never realize how much I like something until my tummy hurts and heart pounds thinking about it XD
I've been slower-going on the reading the last couple days bc I have IRL anxiety that my body can't tell apart from the added fiction-fueled anxiety and it's making me feel like crap lmao
Anyways, book's good so far. I know slower-paced books aren't for everyone (I'm sure they're for you if you're bothering to read this haha) but I find that I really enjoy them. One of my other favorite series is the Cruel Prince, and I know a lot of ppl don't like the first book very much bc it drags along at the pace of Jude's life, but that's why I like it. All these pieces you can't see the shape of until it's just coming up upon you, living through things at the pace the characters are feeling it. HTN is giving me a similar vibe to that.
It took me a while, but I feel like I've finally acclimated to the perspective style and I'm equally joyed and frustrated by the slower pace (how I like it haha) it give me time to digest the crumbs I'm being given alongside Harrowhark hehe
...
IT WAS AT THIS POINT DEAR READER - LMAO - That I tripped over my desk cord and smacked my head into the edge of my door XD
I was FINE other than a MASSIVE goose egg, black eye, and knee that is still a little dented, thank god, but I harbored unfair dislike for this particular book (which I was listening to when I fell) afterwards LMAO
That combined with how hard it was to follow the audiobook and moving countires again AND - yeah TLDR I'm just picking this back up now, but I got the print vers. on kindle and its and it's already feeling a liiiitle bit easier to follow (I'm on chapter 3 rn) so here's hoping I can make these again >:3
Harrow the Ninth current progress reading thoughts (pt.5)
Part one | Part two | Part three | Part four | Here!
Please no spoilers for beyond chapter 22 of book two, and none for book three please.
Chapter 14
WOw! Haha sounds like a horror show. I - ew. I can do bones. Bones are fine. But preserved severed limbs with the fleshy bits? Jars of bits??? Bits of hair?!?! TwT no thank you.
Using the bones of the dead didn't feel as violating. It felt similar to when I see native cultures using every part of the animals they kill, right? Like, respectful. Reverent of the life that was taken. But the bits of people... that feels... disgusting. Like someone's personhood removed for the sake of useful parts and pieces. No longer person. Just useful eternally un-rotting decor.
I don't know why the flesh in particular makes it feel like disrespect to me. Maybe because flesh reads more to me as recognizably human? Like that's still a person. Let them have the dignity to return to the earth before you make use of them at least.
On a less serious note, let it be known that I've read 'bolthole' as 'butthole' every time.
"The ovum ought to have been obliterated at a subatomic level. Do you understand what they did?" And "No, I don't mean mechanically. Conceptually. To all intents and purposes, your mother and father committed a type of resurrection," he said. "They did something nigh-on impossible. I know, because I have committed the same act, and I know the price I had to pay. Thalergetic modification of an embryo is difficult enough, but to achieve the same thing with thanergy..."
Oooh my god. So Harrow is a resurrection-based conception based within Thanergy, and Gideon (I assume) the same but with Thalergy. And now they're set to be one person. Holy fuck.
If this is Gideon he's referencing, wouldn't that make sense as to how she survived the gassing as well as everything in the first book? If Thanergy and Thalergy are two sides of the life coin, that one could presume that a child made by intense Thalergetic manipulation might have a better resistance to Thanergetic (necromantic) doings. Whether that be death itself or some other sort of deathly/necromantic attack. Am I understanding these principles correctly?
...
Chapter 15
"Do I have Ortus's eyes? Are these ones mine? I never really looked at them - beloved, what were my eyes like?" Unfortunately, that time she answered. - "She asked me not to tell you." Okay but why do I want to cry now? I miss Gideon so much it aches. That sweet girl.
...
Chapter 16
Wow, Augustine is awful. I hate him vehemently. Mercy and Augustine pushing Ianthe up into my arms by digging their way to the bottom of my tastes and throwing her back towards me with the dirt.
I was under no illusion that those who chose to kill to become would be terribly... moral and lovely. You have to be a specific kind of person to do as much, and when you add such an endless expanse of time and isolation to that, it is unlikely you'd come away with anything remarkably pleasant in a real and honest sort of way. But gods what an ass he is.
Oh but it is good to see Harrow becoming something like herself again, even if its changed. Her journaling is an absolute delight.
...
Chapter 19:
Ten months lets do thissss
Girl wtf do you mean "who?" >:▪︎
Chapter 20:
Ortus the First thinks Harrow is that much if a threat? He's not trying to kill Ianthe. Does he think god might die trying to protect her or does he see latent potential. Is he aware of power in her? Has something like Harrowhark happened before in such a way?
And making "-a pact, with an authority [God has] no power to gainsay" - hello???
Mmmm what happened with Anistasia and Samael?
I swear half my notes are just '?????', which is actually a great deal of fun for me personally; but I don't know how interesting it may be for someone else to read, except perhaps to see which things catch my eye enough to note.
Oop well poor sam, dying to no purpose.
Ah, I'd caught A.L. earlier and found it an oddness, but I assumed it was something like RB that I had simply forgotten the longer form of that I'd remember later. Annabel Lee.
...
Yeah, what the fuck is going on XD
My first few parts of this felt so insightful, now I feel like a drooling child that can't yet understand that the square peg doesn't go in the round hole. Not the child's fault. They're not wrong for it, everyone has to learn, but to drop the metaphor, I feel like I'm holding so many pieces I can tell are important, but I don't have enough of them to work out how they fit together yet, and so I have nothing ti do but point at certain passages and go:
"OOOH LOOK" or "What?" XD
A lot of what else I technically have to say over this, I've already said. The notes about some kind of birth, how different and twisted things are in Harrow's re-told version of reality.
It's hard for me to discern what is reality and what is Harrow's mind, and what is some other supernatural influences. I am always inclined to believe Harrowhark, and not just because we reside within her perspective.
Harrow the Ninth current progress reading thoughts (pt.4*)
Part one | Part two | Part Three | Here! | Part five
Please no spoilers for beyond chapter 13 of book two, and none for book three please.
*in which its really Part One 2.0 because I restarted the book for reasons stated at the end of Part Three lol
I did not re-read any of my thoughts posted in previous parts until after writing this. I am sorry if I repeat myself herewithin, I've done my best to clean it up, but it's not nearly so well-composed as previous parts since my bran has already done thinking over it before..
Chapters 1-3
WOW okay so I have a text-version now instead of the audiobook and being able to see the list of names and who's crossed out makes it SO much clearer. I wish I had this book physically instead of digitally, but this is so much easier to follow so far I'm not complaining.
Though, I am immensely glad that I started with the audiobook so that I know how to pronounce all this stuff XD
I fully thought The Body haunting Harrow was Gideon, but its the body from the locked tomb???? And she's... in love with it? Can't tell if that's like, a metaphor of Harrow being Harrow™️ or if she's just that queer (I am a gay person put your weapons down. I am on tumblr dot com for goodness sake.)
It has been a WHILE but I still remember the overall plot of book one... and that I think God is Gideons dad (which I think I accidentally read online was true? That I was right? Dunno.)
So, surely The Body, and Gideon are connected, yes? I Assume Gideon surviving the poisoning was because she's probably 'God's' daughter... maybe something else too.
...
So did Harrow ask God to remove memories of Gideon. She has those letters so I assumes as much... I should perhaps listen to the last chapter of book one before I continue Chapter 3... brb.
[Re-Listening to Ch.37 of Book one: god, I miss Gideon TwT I forgot how much I loved them together. They're so gay and perfect save meeeeee. Why is there so much vomiting in these books.]
[Re-listening to the Epilogue: okay so God's entire eyes are full-black... weird. My poor babies. (I don't fully remember why I hate Inanthe, but I'll trust past me.) Where... did the bodies go? The other people? Only Inanthe, Harrow, and Cytherea and a couple peoples... pieces were found? Huh... Oh okay lol that all. Dope. Pfft]
Okay, glad I did that. Now I'm better aware of what confusion is intentional by Murr and what is/was just me not picking this series up in ages.
...
"- and to view the Tomb as symbol of his victory and his demise." & "As thought their collective awe might flatter it into sparing God." Sus. Mkay.
Assuming the reason he (God/John) only did The Resurrection once has something to do with The Body and the Resurrection Beats. (Fork found in kitchen kind of thinking but book two really just dumps 80,000 pounds of lore and information on you and expects you to carry it around like you follow and I feel like Harrow with that damned sword strapped to her sickly back)
The amount of words I have to look up while reading this is quite astounding considering my grasp of the English language has been far from poor thus far. (Its my mother tongue and have always been Autistic™️ about writing and language with an internal lexicon to complement that interest.)
Young Harrow failing to commit suicide by opening a forbidden door: "Unexpectedly, this did not kill her; and what did not kill her made her curious" I fucking love her LMAO
When these books are not in second person (one of my least favorite story-telling perspectives) they enrapture me so comfortably and wholly. When they're in second person, they are the same, except for the 'comfortably'. Successful instead in their attempt to make me as uncomfortable with Harrow's continued existence as she is.
*taking notes* okay so Harrow is... Traumatized... has OCD and panic attacks. Got it cool. Me too, bestie.
"There had been another girl who grew up alongside Harrow-- but she has died before Harrow was born." This little bit of contradiction pleased me. Yes Harrow, gaslight yourself, babygirl. Bide your time because you WILL remember your girlfriend or so help me -
...
Chapters 4,5,6,7: No real notes. As I remember. As I thought.
Chapter 8:
"His mask slipped, and not the mask of alabaster and black paint. Ortus looked at her with his steady dark gaze, and his heavy face flickered; she realized with electrified astonishment that he was exasperated. "You never did possess an imagination," he said, and obviously upset with himself, his mask reappeared as swiftly as if slapped back on with both hands."
Is - are Harrow's make-believe lil memories with Ortus... Gideon doing one of her impressions to appease Harrow's sanity?! XD
The sassy lil skeleton makes me think this might actually be Harrow shitting on herself for how she constructed the falsities (either by her own hand or instruction to whoever may have helped her, Ianthe/God/etc)
...
Chapter 9: Nothing of further note upon revisiting.
...
Chapter 10:
"This calm agreement [of Ortus'] made her all the more furious. She did not examine why." Gideon's refusal to bow to Harrow and their charged hallway scene haunt Harrow's gay little soul. Fuck yeah.
Okay so the eggs thing, that's probably where I first started getting my Gideon-is-god's-kid thing, yeah? Guessing so. Also,
"A cavalier's life is conflict. She is a warrior-" 'She', huh? (Eyebrow raise at Harrow) & ""For the love of God, Ortus, I need a cavalier with backbone."
"You always did" said Ortus. "And I am glad, I think, that I never became that cavalier."" Our girl is unraveling.
...
Chapter 11: Hiiii Gideon, pookie. I miss you.
...
Chapter 12 & 13:
Wow okay 14 months to 6 is quite the jump, hello act 2.
...
Alright then, I suppose that catches me up to where I left off! Hopefully any further installments can be progressing rather than this stagnated detour. Tysm for coming along with me again :3
Most of this was sent to my friend Penn @pennedinblood in discord first, but I wanted to share it + some more on here too.
Okay, I now that its been a couple days and I've had time to think properly, have some thoughts about Arcane. This isn't going to be as specific and nuanced as I'd like, but I'll need more time for something like that.
Here's the thing... What we did get was good and I liked it a lot - for the most part anyway - but like - it wasn't a very good finale imo...
Like -
In season one they had this just fucking masterful foundation for such a nuanced discussion of class and oppression, of the cycle of violence, of how desperate acts may seem evil to some but are not always as simple as they seem and that one person's actions may influence the narrative but that it is the systems in place - and the willingness to follow systems that harm a disproportionate amount of the population for personal gain - that are the real issue. There were no real villains in s1 imo. It was just people making good, bad, or neutral choices, and they all interconnected and effected not only the plot, but the audiences' understanding of the corrupt system in place.
It forced you (if you're paying attention) to understand with visceral understanding both those of the oppressed and the oppressors; and in the midst of all of that we had magic and science interplaying beautifully against the good and greed of mankind.
AND just vast, resonant, deep interpersonal connections and development that you could feel in your bones.
and then in season two... we just kind of went - 'fuck that here's jesus and a witch ~~~ Magic war tiiime' Like?????
It touched on a few themes for sure, and what Jayce had to say to Viktor about disability and the purpose of people, or the value in imperfection and the point of life - as someone who's struggled with their health and other personal things I don't want to get into on the internet, that hit so hard. I hated Jayce in S1, and he won me over in act one of this season and just - didn't let me down. His arc was beautiful and I really really appreciate it. His connection with Viktor means so much to me. screeches into the void
But lets be so fucking real - they kind of (majorly) chickened out of their mass commentary on the opposing classes and working towards a better system that doesn't harm its people.
and instead like - Vi's arc got completely fucked?
Like - oh okay so you ditched everything you were going to say and just made her a strong war pawn who can hit good and is gay coolcoolcool (sobs). Like, act one was so promising it really felt like it was following up on everything they had been working towards, and i loved seeing Vi having to make hard choices; watching her become an enforcer as the only way she could think of to deal with two disparate parts of herself - one that needed to put an end to the monster she feels like she created (Jinx, obvi), and one that desperately needed to hold onto the only person she had left (Caitlyn).
And Cait's devolvement into fascism was so intriguing and dark and I hated it in a good way, yk? Like I was like "oh fuck they made Cupcake unrecognizable in a fucking believable way wtf that's rad bro"
And then in act two they were just like 'HAHA lets not show you anything but the highlights of Vi's inner tumoil, then - wow look Jinx is here to tell her about Vander! - let's just never actually take a hard look into Vi's issues or personal arc ever again teehee - oh! And Cait's on our side again yay!'
Like EXCUSE ME???
Vi had stood as one of the most important characters in the entire show. She is the linchpin between Piltover and Zaun - one of only two hinges that connects the two cites (the other being Viktor to a far lesser degree bc his roots are never explored, Singed is the only undercity person we see him go back to interact with, etc etc leaving Vi to be the only 'real one') And they completely sidestepped that - especially how she's also so connected to Ekko and the Firelights - which was just - never touched again - Ekko didn't even get to fix his tree! I get it, bigger fish but ffs - it's not a blaming character thing, it's a writing issue. I understand why Ekko had to focus on smth besides his tree lmao - it's that the writers just dropped this thing that stood so strongly for Ekko's fucking roots man (pun intended). Like - He's representing what Vander wanted to do. What Zuan could be. He is literally making a part of Zaun beautiful and supportive, and standing resolute against the system and saying "both of you are wrong, back tf up and lets talk" and they just got rid of that. I think it says a lot that that in particular was punted into the void.
I'm just not over that we never got to see him and Vi interact again dude wth - and I feel like that really speaks to how much they removed Vi from her point and purpose in S1. It would make sense if she needed more time to reconnect -esp after how Cait betrayed her - but to never actually talk again? Just glimpsing each other in the finale?
Don't get me wrong, I loved some of the time-suckers this season. Mel for one (who I also wasn't a huge fan of in S1 (I didn't trust her lol)). Everything with Mel, Vik, and Jayce was sooo interesting, and Ambessa was a great villain. She was imposing and horrible and yet there were very small parts of her that you could understand - but there wasn't enough time. Not with everything else we were also touching. Not without loosing so much of what we had been working towards. And even with the large focus, The Black Rose was this jumbled mess of ideas that didn't really amount to much besides giving Mel a powerup and probably leading us into the spinoff :(
I've been having trouble processing all of this because I'm shocked and upset because narratively, I didn't like it.
And I HATE that I didn't like it. I liked the individual scenes. I liked the concepts at play. But none of it was fleshed out!
That impeccable no-crumbs-left writing was suddenly nothing but crumbs. A whole feast of them. Nothing was really held together and it left each arc feeling like a separate vaguely-connected vignette rather than a whole story - let alone a satisfying conclusion to the previous season.
I'm genuinely angry because I wanted so badly to love this season but I just don't; not as a whole, not as an ending. Again, the individual moments were largely great, but good moments don't make a good story.
I just feel like they were trying too hard to serve LoL lore. Originally Arcane wasn't cannon-compliant with the messy lore of the game, and then a few months ago they came out and said that it was now considered canon - and I was excited bc I thought that meant that whatever they did would influence League - but I was wrong. I think it's very clear that Canonizing Arcane had the opposite effect. I think it's why they chickened out of their societal commentary - I think it's why the Champion deaths were so 'no body, no proof'. I think that it undercut all the stakes for the writers and made them forced to bend to the will of a lot more oversight from the higher-ups at Riot.
I don't know guys, how are you feeling? I'm really glad we got CaitVi cannonized (but I have things I wanna say about that too, esp. how their sex scene played into the sidestepping of Vi's arc (not that it happened, but the way it did - I can talk more about this another time lmao)) and I loved getting a timebomb kiss (again more Vi arc things I wanna say *sobbing and gnawing on my cage bars*) but yeah - anyway I gotta stop typing before I get too into-the-weeds of my thoughts. I'll probably make a big post about the specifics of how I feel they fucked up Vi's story in another post bc I clearly can't let it go XD
But fr tell me ur thoughts too pls I want to know what you thing even if - maybe even especially if - you disagree with me :3
Idk I've got to rewatch it.
It wasn't bad TV, it's still better than most things coming out right now... I hate that I can't just love it entirely rn raaaaaaahhh auhfalwoiha (help D':)
If we get to see human Vox and Alastor (respectively obvi) next season I might start foaming at the mouth.
Like - oosufhowhdoahifuh excuse me? Like any of the cast - but especially them? We've all kind of collectively decided what Alastor looked like as a human but people are much more divided on Vox and I simply must know how Viv imagines that pathetic little man.
I love Poly!Vees, but if it ends up being just Vox/Val being fuckbuddies with Vel not in the romantic or sexual mix - particularly if Velvette is more of a daughter to Vox and Val... then that could set up a super interesting dynamic in S2 with the other half of the cast???
So in 1x05 we get Al (presumably just postulating) about how he sees Charlie like a daughter (heh, yeah right. Al? After like, four or five months? No way. With Nifty? Sure, I can almost buy it. Charlie? No.)
So, like, imagine this:
Charlie steps between the two overlords, hair mussed from the warring static, scleras dipping red as they fix on Vox.
"Stop." Her arms are out, Vox almost laughs when he realizes she's shielding Alastor. "I won't let you hurt him."
Alastor's expression is somewhere between smug and affronted. Vox can understand, having someone as powerful as the princess devoted to your safety is quite the bragging point, but to have anyone think that Alastor would need help, against him, no less. No, no. That stroked Vox's ego. He did laugh now.
"Alright, princess, I'll bite. How'd he win you over?"
"What?"
"Alastor. How'd he convince you, you matter to him? I can tell you how he convinced me, if you'd like."
"Charlie - I would strongly advise not engaging with this one. Once you get him started, its quite hard to shut him up again. Not to mention, most of what comes out of his speakers is meaningless drivel."
Vox scoffed.
"What are you, her fucking dad?" He watches the princess puff up her chest, eyes sparking with something that could really only be noted as passion.
"Yes." She looked back over her shoulder at Al, and Vox caught the softness in her growing smile as her head turned away from him. "He's as good as." When Vox processed the genuine tone in her voice, he started uproariously, uncontrollably laughing, she returned her gaze sharply to him. "You don't know him like I do. Like we all do! He's helped us, maybe not out of the goodness of his heart at first, but time means something, and we've built a bond! He's shown up for me in ways people who should have, haven't."
"Oh my god you're serious!" A few more laughs escaped him before the righteousness and earnestness of her expression processed in his system. Oh my god. She's serious. He felt his expression sober, and he dropped his aggressive stance, keeping a few of the cameras trained on Alastor so he could keep his screen directed at the girl, and he watched her tense at the serious drop to his expression. "Look, I don't know what you think he's done for you, but I learned the hard way how little he cares. I'll admit, your little theory has more of a shot than the things I used to think were between us, but I wouldn't count your chickens, Charlie." Her mouth pulled into a flatter line as her name left his speakers. "I know what it means to care for someone like a daughter. And I don't think he has that in him."
"You -" When Charlie's words faultered, Vox cut in.
"Alastor can manage - what did you call it Al?" He spared a glance over Charlie's shoulder. "'Passing affections?'" He choked down the sneer he wanted to give Alastor and returned his gaze to Charlie. "I think he's too selfish to love anything but himself. I think he can enjoy people for what they give him, but don't be sweet-talked into thinking he has enough room in his heart to be anything like a fath-" A black tentacle shot up from the pavement, hitting the base of Vox's screen and throwing him up into the air and back a few feet before he crashed back down onto the ground.
Alastor stepped up beside the princess, putting a hand on her shoulder and bending down slightly, his tone light, like he was sharing a bit of innocent gossip.
"What did I tell you, my dear? This one doesn't quite know how to summarize a thought." He looked over a Vox, who was pulling himself back up into a standing position, his screen still glitching mildly from the force of the impact, he could feel wetness dripping down from the corner of his mouth. "Shall I summarize for you then, old friend?" He moved out and around Charlie, removing some of the newfound space between himself and Vox. "Something, something, I'm a terrible monster who cannot be trusted, i hurt your feelings, nobody should risk being near me, and you... 'hate' me?" He leaned forward slightly, smiling as he tilted his head to the side - that stupid fucking smile widening even further as he send another tentacle barreling into Vox's stomach like a punch, Charlie squeaked somewhere in the background like she wasn't expecting them to come to blows again already. Vox was just pleased he was only winded rather than thrown this time though. "Did I about cover it?"
Vox breathed raggedly, trying to get his lungs to work right.
"You're a fucking prick."
"Poetry!"
"Get a new fucking line."
Alastor narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I am curious about this 'daughter figure' of yours? That spunky little overlord nobody worth their salt can stand? The one with the fabric name? Velvette, was it?"
Sparks flicked from Vox's claws.
"Don't."
"You expose a weakness and expect me not to strike? And here you are trying to convince Charlie how well you know me!"
"Velvette can handle herself."
"Against me? I hardly think so. So few can."
"Adam did alright." Vox watched the small twitch of displeasure Alastor gave at the bruise to his ego with a little bit of pleasure.
"You can't seriously think their levels are comparable. What exactly might she do? Wrap me in silks? Oh the horror. I have felled overlords so old only Zestial rivals them. And her? Has she even reached fourty? Thirty?" Alastor shook his head disappointedly. "No, I'm sure she'd be quite the waste of energy. Then again, I do so love to see you suffer."
Vox surged forward and blasted enough volts to level a city block straight into Alastor's neck, watching him fly back to land behind the Princess' startled form.
"That, is mutual." Vox rolled his shoulders, getting ready for more... for maybe dying. You always had to be with Alastor. Part of him didn't want to believe they'd ever devolve quite that far, but the part of him that scrabbled around in his self preservation like a panicked animal had to face that eventually one of them was going to...
It was statistics, honestly.
Even in eternity, nobody seemed to last forever.
...
Like???? Come ON. That doesn't even touch the Valentino side of things. Make the terrible people complicated! Give them weaknesses and things to like about them that makes hating them feel worse for us!
Idk something about the idea of Vox, the fucked up guy from the age of the 'nuclear' family having the most warped but genuine dynamic with Velvette and Val? It tickles me!
Like I can see Charlie trying to convince Al there's something worth redeeming in Vox if she actually stumbles across seeing him being a doting father to Vel, especially if it was before any interactions like the little senario I wrote above.
You just know our little baby bleeding-heart with her big doe eyes and daddy issues would just feel for him. Wouldn't want him to lose even though she wants her side to win.
'how can i destroy what might be the only good family relationship I've seen in almost 200 years. If someone took that away from me -'
You just know that Vox would be the most indulgent little guy ever when he loves someone.
Now, do I think Charlie actually bought Al saying all those things to her in 1x05? Not entirely. Not given how she spoke to him in 1x07 before they made their deal. I think Charlie is a lot less naive then people assume her to be, but I also think she'd want to believe it. Maybe with a bit less desperation then before she made up with Luci somewhat. Regardless, it's clear she has a big soft spot for Al, and considers him to be like family much the same as the others from the S1 hotel crew.
Idk, I just think there's a lot of potential there!
Do I think it will go that route? Heh - no. Probably not. But It's fun to think about :3
The amount of L x Misa fanart I've seen over the last two months has had me feral - I - wfiuehloahida I have to know if I actually like the idea of them or not, I don't think I've seen this show since I was in high school and it used to really fuck up my mental health lmao
I guess lets see if I can handle it now XD
The things i'll do bc of cute fanart istg
For posterity, here are a few of my scattered pre-rewatch thoughts I have on this series from way back in the day lol:
(Includes spoilers!!!)
L and Ryuk were my favorites - L in particular
I found Misa Amane horribly obnoxious (but I was also very defensive over her, wanted to protect her from light, etc.)
I thought Misa's shinigami eyes were cool AF but a wickedly bad deal lmao
This show make me horrendously anxious
As a neurodivergent person, as a kid I had very black-and-white thinking about 'good and bad', and watching a show that centered around someone like Light, and understanding through this show why a person might do something like what he did really freaked me the fuck out lol
When L died and got replaced by Near I was seething bro. I remember having such a palpable, visceral hatred for Near. Idk if that was just bc I was bitter about L or if I also just didn't like Near at all on top of that.
Was there someone who went by 'melon'? I feel like the begginning and end of this show are the haziest for me, with the middle being the part I remember the most details of.
Also wait - doesn't Misa have a whole-ass career? Is Light in high school or university? Is... is she older than him??? That would honestly be a delightful change of pace if I have to suffer through an adult being interested in a hs student LMAO at least it shakes up the monotony of predatory men XD
I'm planning on drawing while I watch this to hopefully circumvent some of the anxiety haha, wish me luck
