#So much goes into thought behind the characters sometimes and it's just inspiring

[aaeds]

A kindness to Adaptations and “Based On” in costumes.

The teaser has been released and everyone is super excited. I’m looking forward to January just as much as the rest of the fandom - however, before we get close to the full trailer let’s all go in with open minds.

After watching the Cabinet of Curiosities Anthology on Netflix, I was surprised by the response of some of the watchers. A lot of the responses were “That’s not how it was in the book/story.” Well, maybe not but adaptations are conversions of paper to television in most cases. They won’t always be what you’re wanting or expecting

And...it can’t be. It can come close, but an adaptation will always subvert your expectations one way or direction.  Not because the producers don’t care, but because there are hundreds of imaginations going off at once and sadly we’re not behind the decisions made. So I plan on going into Lockwood & Co. with an expectation to see a new spin on a series I’ve read and listened to a dozen times. That said A particular interest in mine has been in the fashion of the series as we’ve seen it. I’ve seen a few complaints over no skirts (I believe it’s a skort or shorts in the teaser) and that’s okay. There are other aspects of her costuming that can tell us more about her character than what fanart has given us.

Lucy comes from a working class family with several sisters, it wouldn’t surprise me if several pieces of hers are hand-me-downs. Her clothing is also punk inspired, bordering on working class skinhead mod subculture (and no I don’t mean that kind of skinhead.) Rolled pants, heavy boots, a bomber jacket but with feminine touches such as her mockneck ruffled shirt. It’s an interesting way to show difference between herself and Lockwood (Rather than always dressing them in one colour.) This is including their class, but also to put an emphasis on Lockwood’s put together-ness to her hodgepodge dress and quality teen behaviour.  I’m not saying we shouldn’t see skirts, but if we do outside a haunt I would be very interested in seeing how it meshes with the rest of her outfit. I think Lucy’s background doesn’t get enough attention that it deserves in regards to her emotional growth and insecurities. Finding a home in London outside the confines of strict codes of conduct like Fittes also probably went into her design.  Lockwood as well had some minor brushes, and while the converse are as comical as his dodge-roll on camera, I can see how practical they would be to film in while also remaining faithful to the character in other areas. He’s wearing a tie and trousers, with that ridiculous overcoat so it was a good compromise. Capturing the dichotomy on screen of “Put together businessman in his teens” and “traumatised child” would be a complex arrangement of fabrics and key pieces to his wardrobe. Someone pointed out the bright red socks, and I hope that maybe colour will play into his role through the series. I think also the ring is very interesting as it’s on his right hand which can ‘mean’ strong attachment. To wear it on the same hand as wields a rapier could for example have a connection to its previous wearer. Jessica, or a parent. 

I love costume theory and we haven’t seen much of George but I think they nailed one aspect of his wardrobe from the books was everything was in ways too big on him - except the elastic on his jacket. We don’t know how much of George we can say for wardrobe - but given the stacks of comics and state of things I’m hoping for graphic T’s and character PJs. Comfortable clothing, and not really giving a damn compared to his cohorts. 

But we should enjoy the series when it comes out as it is before getting too critical on small details now. 

[picturejasper20]

Steven Universe as a character is someone who has been mischaracterized and flanderized over the years, to the point people who aren't into the fandom or haven't watched the show believe that mischaracterization to be a fact rather that a product that comes from memes and jokes

The truth is that Steven often fights in the series when it is needed, usually by fusing with someone else like Connie or Amethyst since he is still developing his powers in the original series. He doesn't cry when he has to fight back or defend himself, with exception if the person attacking is someone he considers a friend. Because, yes, for a 14-15 old teenager it isn't fun having to do something like that and it can be traumatic.

He also doesn't start to cry the moment someone refuses to change their mind or is being mean. He often isn't afraid to be sarcastic or call that person out. He didn't cry when Aquamarine mocked him in ¨Stuck Together¨ nor when Jasper didn't apologize for poofing Amethyst in ¨Crack the Whip¨

However, what we see is sometimes him blaming himself for not being able to help people that, more often than not, have been hurt by Rose Quartz, his mother, in some way. After Season 3, Steven fears a lot that he is going to become like Rose and he is going to hurt people the way like she did.

In general Steven deals with an Atlas complex in the show. He feels like he has to fix his mother mistakes and deal with ¨what she left behind¨ even when Rose wanted for him to be his own person as seen in the tape she left for him as it was revealed in the episode ¨Lion 4: The Alternate Ending¨.

Steven also defines his identity a lot for being to help other people and fix their problems. He believes that he has to be ¨useful¨ for others. So when he believes that he failed to help someone, that may lead him to think that he isn't living up to his ¨purpose¨ or that he is a failure as a person.

In reality, he isn't that much different from other hero protagonists from other animated shows. Those who are kind and emphatic and willing to listen to other people and give them a second chance if the person changes their ways. You probably like an animated show that has a protagonist like this. (Who was probably taken inspiration from Steven if the series came out after SU).

The main difference, i think, is that Steven goes a bit more than those protagonists do when it comes to listening to other people, understand their motivations and give them another chance if they regret their actions. A lot has to do with how he is aware that his enemies (usually gems) act the way the do because of the system they were born into rather ¨they are evil just because¨. He gets that their motivations come from the system that hurt them or lead them to believe that their actions are justified.

Another common mischaracterization is that Steven becomes super buddies with every person he helps...when this isn't always the case. There are some occasions that Steven shows discomfort around people who he has given a second chance. Just because he gives them a second chance doesn't mean that he immediately considers them close friends, maybe allies at best.

A good example of this is the gif above of Steven's interactions with White Diamond in ¨Homeworld Bound¨. White Diamond touches Steven very close to where his gem is- which makes Steven distressed since in his battle again White, she ripped his gem out to prove that Pink was still ¨alive¨. In most of the episode Steven shows to be very uncomfortable around the Diamonds and Spinel, to some extent. They bring him bad memories, which is the main reason he has been doing everything to avoid going to them to ask for their help until this point in Steven Universe Future. He even almost accidentally hurts White's gem by smashing her head against a pillar when she lets him control her to talk to himself. This being result of a intrusive ¨vengeful¨ thought.

I wouldn't say that Steven hates the Diamonds,but- he doesn't want to be their friend neither and wants to avoid in general because he feels nervous and bad around them. It's something like ¨I'm glad that you are changing but i don't want to be associated with you. Please, i would appreciate if you kept your distance from me.¨ dynamic.

On last point, Steven is someone who usually pushes his feelings down in certain situations and buries them down, which has led him to have strong emotional outbursts in bad moments. He usually prefers to ignore his own problems and take priority on others. Again, this comes a lot from his desire to be useful and be needed, making him trying to ignore how he feels about certain people and pretend that he is doing fine.

This explains why we don't see him lash out that much to others in the original series, and, why he feels so frustrated and angry in Future, since all that anger and negative feelings can't no longer be ignored as they used to and they are having a negative impact in Steven's mental health. This, of course, isn't meant to be seen is a healthy coping mechanism. It is in fact potrayed as something pretty self-destructive for Steven, as a huge flaw of his, that over time he comes to learn that it isn't the best way for him to deal with his problems.

These are some of the most common misconceptions i have seen about Steven's character online. I could go in more depth with some of them but i think the points should be clear enough. This could be considered a general analysis of how Steven is as a character and how he operates, leaving aside more specific things that can be covered in other posts.

[choccorin]

after school | ft. megumi

tags. fluff , fushiguro megumi x gn!reader, characters are in high school

ever since the start of your first year, you always connect eyes with this boy in your class. fushiguro megumi. when you first saw him, you thought that he's definitely the quiet type, and that he was pretty.

you didn't know much about him, you knew that he doesn't have much friends and he gets into fights sometimes, and according to your best friend — nobara — he has an older sister that goes to the same school and he has a friend in another class, who's always so energetic and ranks first at their p.e class, his name is itadori if you remember correctly.

you've never actually talked to him since you're never been paired in projects or class duties, well — until now. your adviser tasked both of you to help stapling some paperwork after school.

you slide open the door, you’re surprised to see that he’s already here. and he started stapling some of the papers without you.

“sorry for being late.” you shyly uttered, closing the door behind you. the atmosphere in the classroom is awkward — well it’s expected, since this is your first one-on-one interaction.

you sit in the chair across from him, “ woah, i didn't expect this to be this much.”, you awkwardly laugh. megumi hums in response.

that was your attempt at small talk with him, and considering that response, you think you failed. so, to not embarrass yourself any further, you stay silent with him.

10 minutes have passed and the awkward atmosphere isn't going away any time soon. you wanted to take this opportunity to be friends with him but after your last attempt failed, your way too shy to speak again now. it’s troubling you way more than you expected.

you steal a glance at him, admiring his features. this is the first you’ve been this close before, and he really has a pretty face — his eyelashes are longer than some of the girls you know, his face looks soft and smooth to touch, and his eyes are definitely prettier up clos-

“ouch!”

he looks at you, a bit worried. “ are you okay?”

“ huh .. ah, yeah. just a little paper cut.”

he reaches for something in his pocket, “here,” he reaches out, “a band-aid. the blood might stain the paper.”

“t-thank you!” you take the band-aid and rip it open,

“you know, fushigur-”

he cuts you off, “megumi. you can call me megumi.” he says, still stapling the papers.

you’re surprised by this but you’re happy since this means he’s warming up to you, you smile.

“you know, megumi, you’re way nicer than i thought you’d be!” you joyfully say while applying the band-aid to your finger.

he likes it. he likes how you say his first name, he wish that you’ll say it more often now.

“thank you for the band-aid!”

he hums in response, trying to hold back the smile forming on his lips.

you started talking a little bit more and after finishing your task, you both exchanged contacts since you're both friends now, right?

safe to say that both of you went home with a smile on your faces.

a/n. wrote this at 2 am, again. scene is inspired by skip and loafer! a little bit. i enjoyed writing this hehe <3

[melonae]

based on the game’s canon, and my own experience.. and headcnaon… Elliott is the product of an artist so passionate and obsessed with their work that it causes him to be so isolated and burnt out constantly whilst CONSISTENTLY feeling like an ultimate failure due to the fact that he cannot get anything done because he has so MUCH going on in his head— ideas, whatnot, that it all becomes some sort of overstimulations hujubbub and he just does NOTHING.

he spends all day in his shack trying to come up with ideas, perpetually being inspired then instantly losing motivation in fear of being the thing his peers doubted him for— that is ends up with him doing nothing but just sulking.

he’s somewhat middle aged in my opinion and I can’t help but think HE thinks he’s spent his whole life wasting it on hopes and dreams sometimes. Sure, he undoubtedly has a burning motivation for CERTAIN and when with the farmer, finds the motivation to pick back up the quill and ink— but I find him slightly, ever so self-conscious and even STILL overwhelmed with thought that he’s still ought to wonder if it’s still worth it. Maybe he should give up, live and work laboriously on the farm, leave his dreams behind like most of the other bachelors.

though what I think makes his character so great is that he goes through with it anyway despite the doubt. He’s no longer lonely, as he grimaced about, and furthermore he’s found someone who FULLY supports him and his dreams to be a novelist.

anyways I’m a SUCKER for this man I CANNOT stop yapping about him

[the-marshals-wife]

Strangers Like Me (Orm Marius x Reader)

─ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ⋅☆⋅ 𝐀𝐎𝟑 ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─

A/N: I love Orm so, so much, and I've wanted to write for him since my major obsession with the first movie back in 2019. The sequel was everything I could have wanted for his character, and now that he's had the perfect open ending to his cinematic story, I finally let the inspiration run wild. This is the longest fic I've ever posted, and I'm proud to say he was the muse that inspired it.

Description: Orm Marius/Ocean Master x Fem!Reader (human), friends to lovers | Warnings: suggestive themes, steaminess at the end, cataclysmic levels of fluff throughout | Setting: after The Lost Kingdom | Word count: 5.8k

Gif credit: user acecroft

Imagine Orm opening up to you about who he truly is, and wanting to be part of your world

If someone had asked you a few months ago where you liked to be most, you wouldn't have said the boardwalk. Now, it'd become your favorite place in the world. Not for the noisy crowds, overpriced deep-fried foods, or vendors overflowing with cheap beachwear and souvenirs for the tourists. Those things you could have done without. That is, until you met Orm. Ever since that fateful day, everything around you had transformed into something new and exciting. Today was no different.

"I can't believe you've never had a corn dog before," you say.

Orm walks alongside you, well into his second serving. "And I can't believe something this abysmal in appearance can taste so good," he replies before taking another bite.

"Seriously, what have you been eating all this time?" you ask, wiping the mustard from the corner of your mouth with a napkin.

He swallows before answering, "Fish, mostly."

He was completely serious, as usual.

"You really love seafood, don't you?"

"Where I'm from, it's just called food," he counters.

Once again, you found yourself wanting to ask where exactly that place was. The last time you inquired yielded little insight. He gave a vague reply to the tune of "somewhere far away" and quickly changed the subject. For a while, you'd assumed he was originally European or something like that. Yet the more time went on, the more difficult it became to believe in that explanation. There must be a reason he did not want to talk about it, and you knew when he was ready, he would probably tell you. Still, you couldn't help but wonder where he had come from, and why he had not showed up sooner.

"So, what did you think of your first corn dog?" you ask instead.

"It was excellent. And I imagine it will not be my last," he says, tossing the stick into a trashcan as you walk by, "I still don't understand the name though, if it's not made of dog."

"Me either, honestly," you laugh as you toss your trash as well, "I'll have to look it up sometime."

"Speaking of, I listened to the singer you told me about."

"You did? What did you think?!" you exclaim, almost bumping into a passerby in your excitement.

"She is quite good, vocally. But I do think Ms. Parton would have more success exposing her rival publicly," he suggests.

"I know you're not talking about Jolene right now," you burst out laughing, covering your mouth.

"Indeed. This Jolene is a siren. She lures men with her wiles, and then goes unpunished because of her beauty," he explains wholeheartedly, holding his arms behind his back.

"Well that's the point of the song. Dolly is calling her out," you remind, "Plus what about her man? Shouldn't he get some of the blame? Falling for Jolene when he's already in a relationship? I mean come on, he's talking about her in his sleep. That's pretty low."

"Indeed, he misses the treasure that is right in front of him because he too has no honor," he expounds, his expression turning thoughtful, "You're right. Ultimately, they're deserving of each other."

"See! I told you," you chuckle victoriously.

Orm shakes his head, "I could not be tempted by such a woman."

"Oh, I don't know. You heard Dolly. Her beauty is 'beyond compare'."

"That is merely a facade," he dismisses, waving his hand, "Besides, I have seen far more beautiful than her."

You're about to inquire about his remark, but then you realize he's looking over at you. You can only hold his attentive gaze a moment before averting your eyes toward your feet, heart fluttering.

The previous moment still hanging heavy in the air, you walk together quietly for a minute before Orm stops in front of a beachwear vendor.

"Now that is amusing," he declares.

You backup a couple of steps to stand alongside him, "What is?"

He points to a pink tee shirt, the image of a mermaid riding on the back of a smiling dolphin printed on the front. "Dolphins are actually quite aggressive. They do not enjoy having riders on their backs. Sharks are much better mounts."

You stare at him, brow furrowed. "And how do you know that exactly?"

"I, uh, saw it on a television program," he stutters, "about taming sea life."

That was a lie if you'd ever heard one, and a strange one no less.

"Uh-huh," you reply unconvinced, walking away.

In silence, you resume your short walk to the end of the dock, Orm trailing close behind you. Once you reach the end, you lean over and rest your arms on the weathered wood railing, and he stands beside you. A few moments pass as you watch the waves crash upon the shore below and breathe in the salt air. It's not long before you feel his gaze on you once again.

He finally speaks, hesitation thick in his voice, "Something...on your mind?"

You smirk to yourself before looking over at him, "I'm just trying to figure you out."

"What do you mean?" he asks, concern visible in his bright eyes.

"I've never met anyone like you before. So much of what you say is a mystery," you remark.

"That is a fair point," he concedes, "I don't wish to vex you. There's just...so much that I don't know how to say."

You stand up straighter, smiling at him softly.

"I didn't mean it as a bad thing. Everyone has parts of themselves that they hide. Parts they don't want anyone else to see. There's nothing wrong with that," you reply, turning towards the ocean, "You don't like talking about your past, and I respect that. I just don't want you to think you have to hide. It's awful feeling like you don't belong, just for being yourself. I wouldn't want that for you."

"That is kind of you to say. Truly." He mirrors your posture on the railing, moving closer to you as a result. "You don't make me want to hide, Y/N. Quite the opposite, actually. I've learned so many things from you these past few weeks, and I have greatly enjoyed your company."

You look back to him, your heart skipping, "So have I."

His gaze softens. "I've also never met anyone like you before. You find joy and purpose in even the smallest of things. It inspires me how gracefully you view the world. And I've known no one whom I've wanted to share it with more."

Everything else around you melted away as you find yourself becoming just as lost in his eyes as you've been in his words.

Before either of you can move an inch closer, the chime of your cellphone cuts through the thick air between you.

Cursing inwardly, you shoot upright, embarrassed, and retrieve it from your pocket. It's an all-caps text from your sister with many exclamation marks, quickly followed by another. The sister you just now realized you forgot needed picked up.

"Oh no. I have to go," you say, frenzied, "My sister's waiting for me. I have to drive her home from her class, I completely forgot!"

"I understand," he nods, touching your arm assuringly, "Do you want me to accompany you back to the lot?"

"I really appreciate it, but I literally have to run. I'm so sorry, Orm," you say, turning to leave.

You make it only a few steps before you hear him call out.

"Y/N!"

Despite the urgency of your escape, you can't help but turn on your heel expectantly.

"Would you meet me tomorrow? Down on the beach, beneath the pier around sunset?"

A grin spreads across your face. "I'll be there!"

♆

It took everything in you not to grin like an idiot the entire drive to pick up your less-than-amused sister. You weren't ready for the brutal interrogation that would surely come if she saw the look you knew was on your face. After apologizing to her profusely and letting her chew you out, as was her sisterly right, her suspicions were already raised.

"You've never looked this happy for me to yell at you," she said, glaring at you.

"I'm just really enjoying my book! I started the sequel I told you about," you defended, flashing a smile even you knew was pretty fake.

"Enough to forget all about me," she rolled her eyes and punched your arm, "You're not telling me something, I know it."

"I'm dying to know if she's really the lost heir to the throne, I heard the reveal is like halfway through," you add, ignoring her last words.

"Mhm," she grumbled, "Fine don't tell me. I'll figure it out, just wait. You can't hide from me."

"The only thing I need to hide from you is my chocolate bars," you argue in a desperate attempt to throw her off the subject.

"I'll find those too," she snickered confidently.

You laughed it off and went back to biting down hard on your lip. It was the only thing you could do not to spill everything to her as she continued to give you the side-eye. Your body was at the steering wheel, but your mind, and your heart, were back on that boardwalk. The final glare she gave you in her driveway was unmissable, but for now, you'd evaded being found out as you made a getaway back to your own apartment.

That night you'd hardly slept, the moment at the end of the dock replaying in your mind over and over well into the morning. Work only made it worse, the monotony making the perfect backdrop to picture what the coming evening would bring. When your shift ended, you couldn't get out of there fast enough to go home and change.

Now, with sunset fast approaching, you were circling the parking lot trying to find a space, and close to bribing someone to move, when a spot finally opened up.

"Someone loves me," you exhale, hurriedly locking your car as you throw your bag over your shoulder.

The words linger in your thoughts. You can't help but blush at the notion, given your current destination, and who was waiting there.

In some ways it seemed like a lifetime since you met Orm, and in others it felt like only yesterday. The memory of that fateful day comes to the front of your thoughts as you start the long trek to the path that cuts through the dunes.

Unlike your fib from last night, you'd actually been desperate to finish the book your coworker had been pestering you about all summer. With only four chapters left, you'd escaped to the boardwalk one sunny Tuesday afternoon, hoping to find a bench, a fresh lemonade, and far less crowds than the weekend so that you could finally finish in peace.

Just as you'd sucked up the last drop of your drink and reached the last handful of pages, you noticed something out of the corner of your eye. On a bench across the way from you, you saw a man trying to untangle the most knotted pair of earbuds you'd ever seen in your life. You watched him from behind the top of your book, and suppressed a giggle as he became more animated in frustration. He ran a hand through his blond hair and seemed near to giving up on the whole endeavor. Unable to watch him struggle any longer, you tucked your book beneath your arm, tossed your empty cup in the trash, and started to walk over.

"He did this on purpose," he muttered as you approached.

"I can take a crack at them, if you'd like."

In his fierce concentration, he hadn't noticed you approach. He jumped a bit at your greeting, and squinted up at you, confused.

"Hi. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Would you like some help with those?" you smiled hesitantly, "I just, I couldn't help but notice you were having a hard time with them."

"Well, you are welcome to try," he invited with a sigh, extending them to you, "Although I have seen seaweed less entangled than this."

You took them and sat down beside him, analyzing the knots.

"Earbuds are pretty notorious for getting tangled," you began, pausing to focus a moment, "These, however, look like a sailor used them to practice tying his knots."

"Courtesy of my brother," he said with no small amount of exasperation, "He delights in making things difficult for me."

"As brothers are wont to do."

"Indeed," he conceded.

Untying your own numerous pairs of earbuds over the years had more than prepared you for this moment. You'd made quick work of separating the right and left buds, down to the last few kinks in each.

"You're quite skilled at this," he observed.

"I should probably put it on my resume, huh?" you chuckled as you conquered the final knot.

"I think you might consider it," he laughed as well.

At last, all the tangles were gone.

"There you go," you declared, handing them back, "Good as new."

"Impressive," he remarked, marveling at your handiwork before looking back at you, "Thank you for your assistance."

"You're welcome," you smiled and pointed to the iPod in his lap, "What do you like to listen to, if you don't mind me asking?"

He hesitated, picking it up, "I'm...not actually sure how this device works. Are you familiar with the technology?"

"An iPod?" you laugh, "Yeah, I had one in high school. It's been a while and it wasn't this exact model, but they're all pretty much the same. MP3 players, that is. I had so many songs on mine, I couldn't add any more. Never went anywhere without it. I had to tape it together in senior year because I used it so much."

"Perhaps you could show me how to properly operate it?" he posed, turning towards you more, "My brother sent it to me. He said it contains music inside that I must hear, but I'm at a loss on knowing how to make it play."

You gazed at him bewildered a moment, caught off guard. Never had you met anyone who didn't know how to work an iPod before. But then again, you reminded yourself, not everyone had a chance to own one.

"Sure," you grinned, "I can show you. There's not too much to it, really, once you know the basics."

"Thank you," he replied sincerely, "It's not often that I've met a lady with such kindness, and lightness of fingers."

Heat immediately rushed to your cheeks at his gracious works, and suddenly it was difficult to hold the gaze of his rich blue eyes.

"It's no problem at all," you replied, offering your hand, "I'm Y/N, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Orm Marius, and the pleasure is mine."

Before you could blink, he'd taken your hand, and instead of shaking it, he kissed your knuckles. If he had lingered, perhaps it would have alarmed you. But he did it so quickly, it was like it was second-nature to him. Practiced or not, your head spun nonetheless, and launching into an urgent, flustered spiel about how to power on the iPod was all you could do to keep yourself held together.

You spent the next half an hour showing him everything from the buttons to the way to change the background image on the menus. Before long, you were talking about all of your favorite songs and artists, simultaneously making lists for each that he would have to listen to. Orm listened eagerly to your recommendations, and soon the conversation turned to any and every subject, from foods to places to dreams. You still remember the feeling of the rest of the world fading away as you talked to him, afternoon turning to evening. And the thrill you felt when he asked if he could see you again.

In the almost four months since, every meeting followed much in the same manner as that first day, with introducing Orm to the many things he'd never experienced before, and hours of conversation on the pier or walking along the beach. You'd stolen away to this area as many times as possible to see him, well over a dozen now. Of course your sister was more suspicious than ever after yesterday, but you still weren't ready to reveal where you'd been spending so many evenings, and who you'd spent them with. There was something exhilarating about you and Orm meeting secretly, and you wanted that feeling to last as long as possible.

He had such wonder about the world, like someone who'd not been in it very long. It was one of his oddest qualities, but his curiosity was endearing to you. Despite knowing so little about his past, you'd come to trust him like few others in your life. Whoever he'd been before, and wherever he was from, it seemed he had no intention on going back. If you were honest with yourself, you didn't want him to. There were so many places you wanted to take him further inland, yet he was still hesitant to go far from from the ocean. You'd never gone beyond a couple of blocks from the boardwalk together, but tonight, with the energy of yesterday's encounter fresh in your mind, you'd planned to breech the topic with him.

Now, the sun is sinking lower in the pale orange sky and your pulse quickens with the threat of being late. With all your reminiscing and daydreaming, you'd lost track of the time. You nearly run across the wooden walkway over the dunes and down the broad stairs. As soon as your feet hit the sand, you remove your sandals. Grasping them in one hand and the strap of your bookbag in the other, you take off into the best sprint you can manage. The pier is still a good distance up the beach, and you want to curse out whoever built the access so far away. You run at an angle towards the water, the wetter ground giving you better traction than the loose sand.

Just within the shadow of the great structure, you finally see Orm up ahead, his back turned. Out of breath, you slow your pace and try to catch some of it back before you reach him. Once he's within ear shot you call out to him.

"I'm sorry I left in such a hurry yesterday," you pant.

He spins on his heel. Relief is written all over his face.

"You came. I was afraid you might not," he sighs, walking up to meet you.

"Of course," you exhale, dropping your shoes and brushing away the hair clinging to your forehead, "Why wouldn't I?"

His expression indicates he had not thought of an answer to that question.

"I don't know," he hesitates, "I didn't mean anything by that. I mean, I wouldn't have blamed you if you hadn't. I did ask you at the last minute."

You can't help but chuckle as he stumbles regretfully all over his words.

"I brought you something," you declare to change the subject, much to his gratitude.

"A gift? For me?"

You can tell by his tone that he is actually baffled. Reaching into your satchel, you retrieve the item. In your outstretched palm, you hold a small snow globe, a miniature skyline of New York City contained inside.

His confused expression leads you to elaborate. "It's called a snow globe," you say, turning it upside down so that the little flakes inside swirl around, "You told me once that you never get to see snow where you're from. Now you can see it whenever you want."

He tentatively takes it, entranced by the miniature flurry.

"That's where I'm from. Well, I grew up there. We moved here when I was sixteen," you add, chuckling, "It's a little bit nicer in person."

Orm looks up at you, visibly touched by the gesture, "It's wonderful. Thank you."

"You're welcome," you smile, "I, hope that I can show you the real thing some day."

"I would like that," he replies with the smallest hint of sadness, pausing to behold it again, "I will treasure this always."

You'd never met anyone who talked like he did. Everything word he spoke was with full conviction. Others might sound pompous or conceited speaking the way he does, but when he said something, you believed he truly meant it.

"I'm glad you like it," you say, tucking your hair behind your ear.

"I do, very much," he says, frowning a bit, "I'm only sorry that I have nothing to give you in return."

"That's alright," you dismiss.

"Will you keep it safe for me while we are by the water? I regret that I have no pockets large enough to carry it."

"Absolutely," you say, putting it securely back inside your bag, "I know that feeling all too well."

When you finish with the zipper and lift your head up, you see Orm offering his arm to you. Surprised, and twice as excited, you take it.

As you cross beneath the pier and set off down the beach together, you suppress the urge to glance up at him. You agonize over what to say next, hoping he would speak first. When he did, it only made your heart beat faster.

"Actually, when I said I had nothing to give you, that was not entirely true," he said, clearing his throat before going on, "As much as I enjoy your educating me in foods and traditions I've never tried, I was hoping this evening we might enjoy a treat of a different kind."

Just up ahead, something on the shore comes into view. Your mind races in anticipation, and moments later, you come upon a blue blanket spread out neatly across the sand. A single white rose lies in the middle.

"Oh Orm," you breathe.

"It's not much, but I thought you would like to watch the sunset with at least some level of comfort," he says, a veil of nervousness in his voice.

"It's perfect," you exclaim.

He releases your arm and picks up the rose, presenting it to you.

"For you."

You feel nearly breathless once more as you take the flower and inhale its sweet fragrance.

"It's beautiful," you sigh, "Thank you."

He smiles timidly at your approval. "Shall we?"

"This is amazing," you say, removing your bag and carefully sitting down on the soft blanket.

He follows suit, and you gently place the rose in your lap as he comes to rest close beside you. The glow of the setting sun warms your skin, but it's nothing compared to the warmth in your chest.

You'd never seen him act like this before. He was normally so calm and collected, but now he was almost pure nerves. You work up the courage to glance over at him. He's staring hard ahead, clenching his jaw and rolling a seashell between his fingers. It's slowly becoming clear that you're not the only one who wanted to say something this evening. Normally, you found the rolling of the waves to be one of most soothing sounds in the world. But at this moment, they were far too loud.

You decide you have to break the excruciating silence.

"I've only watched a true beach sunset alone before."

Your voice brings him out from his trance. "I've also been by myself. I'm glad I have someone to share the splendor with."

"Me too."

He smiles weakly, and fixes his stare back on the horizon.

To your disappointment, the silence returns. Before long, everything is bathed in golden light. The sky transforms into rich oranges and reds before your eyes. The beach is surprisingly deserted apart from the seagulls and sand pipers, making it seem all the more that this moment was tailor-made just for the two of you.

Just when you're about to speak again, Orm at last turns towards you.

"I wish I could show you my world, Y/N. It is a realm of beauty, and strength, and light. You belong in such a place."

You feel your cheeks flush as he continues.

"Where I'm from, you can't see the stars at night. But there is a place with magnificent, glowing lights. A cave, filled with luminescence of every color you can imagine. You would absolutely love it."

"That sounds magical." You hang on his every word as you try to picture it.

"My mother used to take me there when I was a boy. I remember my whole hand disappearing inside hers." He smiled at the memory, but it faded as he spoke once more, "We used to go there seeking solace from my father."

Frowning, he throws the seashell towards the water. The sun begins to dissolve into the ocean, but neither of you take notice.

"Did you not get along?" you ask, hoping it was not too personal to do so.

His gaze falls downward again. "That's one way of putting it. Growing up in his shadow was- challenging. He was severe about many things, and against all of the rest. He expected me to become just like him. Demanded it, more like. Yet he was never up to the task of teaching me how. I wanted nothing more than to please him, but as I look back on it now, I'm not sure that I ever did. I was never worthy enough to be his son."

His words make your chest ache. You reach to gently touch his hand on the blanket.

"You are not an unworthy son," you assert, your feelings coming to the surface, "He was an unworthy father. I don't need to have met him to know that. Because I know you, and you are a good man. The most thoughtful, polite, decent man I've ever met."

He stares at you, emotion all over his face. A wistful look shines in his eyes.

"If only I had known you then," he reflects, "Perhaps I would not have gotten so lost in the tides of his storm."

"I wish I had known you too," you agree, more shyly than you'd expected, "But wouldn't have needed me. You already survived it, all on your own. You're stronger than he ever was."

His expression steels.

"Y/N, there is something I must tell you," he says, his tone turning grave, "It will not be easy for you to hear it, but I can't go on without you knowing what I am. I cannot hide it any longer. You deserve to know the truth."

Your heart starts to race quicker than your thoughts at his startling declaration. "What do you mean?"

Without warning, he casts off his jacket and stands up.

"Orm, what are you talking about?"

"Perhaps, it would be better if I showed you," he says, reaching out his hand to you, "I want you to understand. No more secrets."

For just a moment, you look up into his pleading eyes. Then, as if it had even been a choice, you carefully set the rose aside and take his hand. He helps you to your feet and leads you down past the water's edge. The cool water on your feet sends a shiver up your spine. The foam is lapping at your ankles when he stops just in front of you.

"You see that marker?" he points ahead.

The breeze whips your hair into your sight as you fight to push it away. You have to squint to see the outline of the buoy, the red light on top twinkling faintly in the twilight.

"Yes," you hesitate.

"Keep your eye on it," he directs calmly.

With that one instruction, he retreats further into the water, stopping until it is well above his waist. You cross your arms against the chill of sea spray and wait worriedly. He looks up and down the beach, as if to make sure no one is watching. You are still alone. Before you can call out to him, he dives headlong into the waves.

What follows you can only describe as a thunder beneath the water. It looks as if a missile has been launched from where Orm stood, careening toward the marker. Mere seconds later, a blast like a whale spout shoots above the horizon, and the buoy rocks violently as it is landed upon by the figure that flew up out of the sea.

A gasp escapes from your agape mouth as you witness the silhouette wave at you, and proceed to dive back into the blue.

Three pounding heartbeats later, Orm immerges from the surf and walks toward you, slicking back his dripping hair. His tee shirt clings to his muscular form, and his soaked jeans don't seem to encumber him at all. You're frozen in the sand, staring at him with only one word on your parted lips.

"How..."

"There's no simple way to say it, but you must know. I am from the Kingdom of Atlantis," he confesses, struggling to hold your stare, "I am Prince Orm Marius, son of Queen Atlanna. Although I was once ruler, I made many mistakes during my time on the throne for which I was banished. My penance is served by my exile here on the surface. I deserve my fate, and I gladly uphold it, but it is not something I wanted to keep from you any longer. I'm sorry that I was not honest with you sooner, but I didn't think that I could trust any surface-dweller with my secret. I was...proven wrong."

"You're a real Atlantean?" you manage to get out.

"I am," he nods, apprehension still in his voice, "I was raised to hate the surface and its inhabitants, but much has changed. You, Y/N, have had no small part in that."

Despite your reeling head, it's slowly becoming clear what Orm is saying by this grand unveiling of his true identity. As you struggle to process it, however, your silence compels him to go on.

"If all of this is too much, I understand. It is my burden to bear, and you did not ask to be part of it."

"I-It's not that," you stammer as the shock starts to wear off. You step closer to him. "Not at all. It's just a lot to take in. I need a minute, that's all. I promise."

Hope lights up his eyes.

"Absolutely," he agrees eagerly, "I apologize, I know this reveal was sudden. Please ask any questions that you have. I will withhold nothing from you."

As you finally begin look at him instead of through him, only one question lodged in your throat.

"Why?" you ask through threatening tears, "Why did you tell me all this?"

You knew why, because it was the same reason you wanted to tell him all of your own secrets. The same reason you came back to this beach over and over. The same reason your heart skipped every time you saw his handsome face, and heard him speak your name. You just wanted to hear him say it. For any of this to work, you needed to hear it.

His anxious gaze softens as he weighs his answer.

"I meant every word of what I told you yesterday. When I'm with you, I see a future that I never thought I would deserve. You make me feel like I can be more than I've ever been. And for the first time in my life, I have felt true happiness," he says, finding the words along with his conviction, "I never thought I would belong anywhere but Atlantis, but now, I want to know more about this world and its many gifts. And most of all, I want you to be by my side to show it to me."

"I want that too," you respond, tears threatening.

He gently takes your hand in his. "Even after all that I've done, part of me hoped that I might find some kind of redemption here on the surface. I wasn't sure how, and then I met you," he says tearfully, searching your eyes, "Y/N, you gave me that hope. Your goodness, your charity, your beauty. This realm has much to offer, more than I ever dreamed, but you are what I love most about the surface. From that very first day we spoke, I knew that you were what I was meant to find here."

Your vision blurs as he reaches to gently stroke your cheek.

"All of that to say...I've fallen in love with you, Y/N."

A sob escapes your throat as you look into his eyes and see it.

"I fell for you too. From the first day," you nod, finding your own confidence, "Being Atlantean doesn't change that. I don't care about who you've been or what you've done. I want to be with you. I love you too, Orm."

His composure crumbles along with yours as you embrace. The distance between you vanishes as your lips meet in a desperate kiss. You rest your hands on his chest and melt into his touch. He sighs and deepens the kiss, pulling you close against him. You feel the coolness of this still-dripping clothes soak through to your skin as you become lost in the taste of salt and longing. When you're forced to come up for air, you're both beaming.

"I've wanted to do that for so long," he smiles, caressing your face.

"Me too," you giggle, lacing your arms around his neck, "What did you think of your first surface-dweller kiss?"

"Not too bad. I think I'll have to try it again before I decide if I really like it," he smirks.

"Well, if you get me out of this frigid water, I'll see what I can do about that," you tease back.

"Now that I can do," he announces.

You shriek in surprise as he swiftly lifts you from the water and into his arms as if you weighed nothing at all. He chuckles in amusement and carries you bridal style back toward the shore.

"Orm!" you protest, in an obviously half-hearted fashion.

"I have to admit, concealing my Atlantean strength has been considerably more difficult than I anticipated," he reveals, wincing a bit, "I intended to bring a bottle of wine tonight as well, but- the glass here is far weaker than what I'm accustomed to."

You laugh. "Well, it's the thought that counts."

"I'm glad you think so. Because I thought since I'm responsible for us missing the best part of the sunset, that perhaps we could lie under the stars instead?" he suggests, setting you down gently on your feet upon the blanket.

"I would love to," you say, looking up at him, "But aren't you freezing in those clothes?"

"I'm used to it," he shrugs, "I don't think I feel the cold the same as you."

"In that case," you say, pulling him closer into a tender kiss, "What do you think about that?"

He grins.

"It was perfect, and I'm certain it will not be my last."

You no longer feel the chill as you cling to him, and he rests his forehead to yours. It didn't matter where the tides of life would take you next. As long as Orm was there to hold you in the waves, you would always be in your favorite place.

[miss0atae]

The figure of the Fool from Meet You At the Blossom (Ep 1 & 2):

It’s no secret but I really fell in love with Xiao Bao from Meet You At the Blossom. At first, I wanted to write my random thoughts about the two first episodes of the series, but nothing I wrote really inspired me. I felt like I was just reciting what happened and I didn’t have fun doing it. I believe I should only write about things that inspire me or interested me. I really appreciate the plot of the series and we have promising and compelling characters, but none of them inspires me more than Xiao Bao. That’s why I’m writing this post specifically on him. I also have to say that I haven’t read that much Danmei, so I don’t know how it can affect all I’m going to write about Xiao Bao. Sorry in advance for any person keen on the genre.

I believe Xiao Bao is the archetype of the Idiot Hero or the Fool. The Fool in a story, is usually a character who has no real idea about what they are doing, doesn’t really know his enemies and who is protected by cheerful disposition. The Fool is freer and happier than those who have the wisdom of what is going in the world. They speak the truth because they don’t craft lies or seek to manipulate others. It works well with Xiao Bao because he is a cheerful person who is only trying to find the person who could be his wife. He is rich so he doesn’t have to worry about anything else than his goal. Even if he faced challenges, his determination remains solid because he stays very optimistic and he knows he will find it. When he met Huai En and mistook him for a woman, he gave his all to seduce him. He never stopped even when he was rejected several times. Xiao Bao is true to himself. He doesn’t need to hide behind a mask. He is not the most clever (doesn’t seem to be able to read properly) and he has never learned how to fight (why would he?! He is blessed with incredible chance so far). His lack of duplicity means that he does not let himself be dictated by fear (he goes after Huai En to save him or he stepped in when the prince was questioning his “future wife”).

The Fool is sometimes considered as a the representation of a new beginning or transformation. Without him, there is no story. It's the quest for finding a wife that leads Xiao Bao to Huai En and their meeting will change both of their life. If Xiao Bao had stayed at home and did nothing, Huai En could go more easily after his goals, but it may not work the way he wanted. He would be stuck on the same loop. Xiao Bao is going to disrupt it and thus will bring changes in his life. It has already started. Huai En would have not experienced the first signs of love and jealousy without Xiao Bao. He would just be hyper focus on his journey. As the Fool, Xaio Bao makes Huai En deviates from the linear path he was supposed to take. Huai En wants to be careful and wants to avoid failures to be sure to accomplish his goals. It can be a trial for him to always be on the lookout . Xiao Bao is not burden by these because of the fact he is the embodiment of the Fool. He lives in the moment and see realities as it fits his view of the world. He doesn't stubble even when he encounters obstacles: Huai En isn't a woman… that's not a problem. He doesn't discriminate. After all he was just trying to be a husband and it doesn't mean his significant other has to be a woman for him to do it. The societal convention doesn't accept it? It doesn't matter to Xiao Bao, there is a solution to any problems.

Poeple may considered Xiao Bao as an airhead but what he lacks in, he makes it up with his good nature and affability. Xiao Bao may be considered a fool by others but he isn’t really one. He is merely perceived this way. That’s why he is my favorite character.

[chthonicarcher]

Hello!! I've been a fan of your art and writing for a while now, and I wanted you to know your works a big inspiration and comfort to me!! Anywho, thoughts on Davebot and Commander Vantas :]

first of all, wow, thank you so much!! that’s so kind <3

mkay so...

the thing is,

sigh. so. okay.

okay listen—

OKAY THE FIRST THING I GOTTA SAY, and I mean this ought to go *without* saying but I’m still just going to say it: this is all JUST MY OPINION!! it’s subjective, I’m not saying other people are wrong just bc we may happen to disagree about this!

TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, though, I only really engage with “beyond canon” or “dubious canon” or “post-canon” content in the way I’m doing right here, which is to say, drawing silly requests to dress up CKat as Hatsune Miku or whatever. or sometimes drawing something featuring meat or candy DaveKat specifically for my dear friend bug, who loves the epilogues and HS2, and still has a lot of hope for a happy DaveKat ending in *both* timelines. (love you bug, love your optimism, and I hope for your sake that HS2 doesn’t disappoint!)

because **MY** opinion of all that is that it sucks and shouldn’t exist, lol. sorry!! I hate its very existence! I ignore it and I mostly avoid it because it upsets me deeply, and I only engage (very shallowly) with the elements I can fully get behind, which usually means “cool outfits” or “cool designs.” Davebot looks real cool, man! that’s about all I can say about him without wanting to vomit!! his very existence makes me sad as fuck and I hate it, idk what else to tell you. I hate that even though that story goes out of its way to point out how non-canon it is, just by nature of being an officially sanctioned product it kinda IS canon, and the fans sure treat it that way, and I’m not even saying they’re wrong. if Hussie wanted the epilogues to actually be treated like fanfic maybe they shouldn’t’ve attached their name, man, idk.

anyway, I know drawing CKat and Davebot as just silly little guys without actually fully engaging with/reading post-canon sorta makes me part of “the problem,” like those “fans” of Homestuck who don’t understand it at all bc they HAVEN’T READ IT yet insist on making art about it that misunderstands the characters? but tbh I just don’t like or respect post-canon stuff in the same way I like and respect the original work. to me it is fanfic, and not even like a good one that I would bookmark or download a PDF of, lol. sorry if this disappoints you! I still think the designs are cool ✌️

[yuwumeniji]

Sick Days w/ Luxiem

Don't come any closer! What if you catch my cold?

WARNING: Please remember that I am writing about Luxiem based on their characters online and not of the people behind their vtuber avatars, thank you!

EXTRA NOTES: lmao i've been feeling so lethargic lately,,, inspiration struck..... also not proofread as usual lmao

Let's set the stage!

Established relationships between the reader and the luxiem boys

Overall self-indulgence

the reader is the one sick in this scenario

MORE UNDER THE CUT!

⊰᯽⊱┈───── ��� ─────┈⊰᯽⊱

IKE EVELAND

the type of person to nurse you back to health very well, like you'd think he's a nursing student or something like that

ike "i literally can't take care of myself" eveland goes above and beyond when it comes to you

do you want blankets? porridge(or soup, idk your choice)? maybe a little massage? ike will do anything within his power to make sure you are well rested

he also uses the time to spend time by your bed as well - he makes it sound like you're dying and he's spending your remaining hours together in bed (with him on the side)

"y/n, i can't believe you're leaving me so soon *sniffles into a tissue*"

"ike, i literally just have a cold"

"IS THERE ANYTHING YOU NEED DEAR?"

you're also forced to listen to his literary rants like, you're bedridden - the perfect victim proofreader for his manuscripts

there is a 50/50 chance he catches your cold (he also expects to be babied if that is the case)

LUCA KANESHIRO

"BABE ARE YOU DYING ??? *pien*"

"Luca, it's only a cold, i'm fine?"

"BEING SICK UNPOG !!!"

he acts as if it is the end of the world even if you sneeze - how much more if you're sick sick ???

he does baby you a little too much, even if his intentions were pure, he somehow manages to make you feel even more tired with the cold - but it's cute watching him try

he tries to mimic what the mafia members did when he was sick as a child, and he often made phone calls back home to check if he did the right thing; in fact, a lot of the family servants offered to step in for him, but he says that because you're his love, he has to be the one who takes care of you (it brought tears to the kaneshiro servants' eyes)

"ARE YOU COLD?" he doesn't cover you with more blankets, instead, he hugs you - he once heard somewhere that human body warmth is warmer than the thickest, most warmest of blankets and thought that it was true.

he's a little noisy too - you overheard a few pots and pans falling about because he was a bit too frantic in finding the right things

they say idiots can't catch colds and somehow, luca proved it to be right (endearing). however he does get the sniffles

MYSTA RIAS

he's actually an angel, like, sent from the gods and everything

after living alone for quite sometime, mysta is used to being sick on his own, so he uses whatever methods from then for you

because you're sick, his meals actually taste good - and he would melt if you said that

"Are you feeling a little cold? C'mere."

god he knows about the "body warmth" thing too and holy hell is he warm. once his arms were around you, you half expected him to do something pervy, but he didn't. he just hugged you, peacefully. he really wanted to make sure you were warm enough (he also just wanted to use you as a body pillow and fell asleep faster than you did)

you can't tell if it's because you're sick or it's because he's a little more romantic than usual - he's normally on the brash side, but even then, this is quite heart-fluttery

he definitely catches your cold. and complains about it (he wants to be babied by you too)

SHU YAMINO

he relied on wiki-how to learn how to take care of a sick person,,, don't @ me on this one... and then maybe called his mom and asked how to take care of a sick person. even with his knowledge, he can be quite the clumsy person

as a sorcerer, he takes pretty good care of his health - i mean with the profession, there are a lot more life-threatening things than a little cold, so he doesn't experience one quite often

he was half expecting something to appear out of thin air when he heard you sneeze

"Would putting this drink in my chicken mug make you feel better?"

he's so cute trying to run around the house to find things that would soothe the pain without having to use his magic (i mean if he could use his magic, he would)

he calls his mom to ask her what kind of foods to give to a sick person while you were asleep - you best know that his mom later tells you the next time you meet his family

he doesn't catch your cold at all - his health is at tip top shape

VOX AKUMA

"what do you mean i can't touch you :( "

"vox.."

"it's from the show! you know you should trust things from a tv show!"

vox is banned from entering your bed to cuddle with you - he pretends to know about the "body warmth" thing mentioned earlier from movies, but in reality he's just a very touchy-feely demon and can't stay away from you

even so, out of all the members, he knows how to take care of a sick person to the point it makes you wonder if he was a doctor or a nurse during his years wandering earth

food? he's literally a 5 star michelin chef and you could feel your sickness go away with just one bite

need to be cooler? warmer? he's got your back (literally, with a wet towel if need be) ((or a thicker blanket))

bored? he'll tell you a story of his past and even tucks you into bed before starting

he never catches your cold ever - a demon like him could withstand arrows and a measly cold will not take him down (also he becomes the biggest baby who needs to be coddled if he gets sick)

[oumaheroes]

I'm so sorry if I'm bothering, but reading "The Captain" has seriously floored, contaminated and infected me and I'm making a playlist inspired by it - But I was wondering if you had thoughts on Alfred and his people in that context? Because I... Like cowboy Alfred and I can't emphasize enough how many stories would emerge from Alfred losing a dual, lying dead on the ground, just to be gone by dawn and seen again in the next town over on death row to be hanged, just to be seen alive again some time later?

Like, it gives campfire stories and western-tales! 🥹

The Cowboy

Characters: America

The Captain (England)

The Artist (France)

The Cleaner (Scotland)

--------

Some say there are monsters out on the plains.

Unholy things. Dangerous things. Things that no man should see, and that would drive him mad if he ever did.

The cowboy does not believe all this. He believes in truth, cold and bitter. Life is hard out here, that is true, and sometimes a hard life does things to a man. Turns him inside out with wanting and regret. Makes him yowl for his momma at night like a child from loneliness. Cold nights, bitter winds, and dust choked skies- miles and miles with nothing but the hot sun and ghosts of old lives nipping at your heels.

Because to choose a life on the plains alone is to have come from something. To go far into the desert and stay there means that there is sanctuary in the sands that cannot be found in a town, or a village. And that life changes those who live it. Makes them see their fears manifested in order to understand them. Forces them to acknowledge their wrongs and mistakes by trapping them alone.

The cowboy is no different. He’s seen many things he wishes he hadn’t. Has done many more besides.

There’d been a boy. Many summers ago.

Bright blue eyes, golden hair. Rough broad hands of a working man, but the expensive clothes of a comfortable one. He’d rolled into town with fear behind his wide smile; twitchy fingers and a need for work with no questions asked. He’d been running from things, that was clear, and the cows don’t ask no questions. Nor do cowboys in need of able hands.

He’d been good. Been quick. Great with horses, could calm even the most spooked or rowdy with just a touch. A real gift for them, and a real love for the plains. He grew tall under the wide blue skies, expanded his chest outwards as he rode in a way that made you look at him. Talked much, talked often, but without saying anything at all.

When he’d died, the cowboy didn’t know who to send for. The boy had never mentioned his father, hadn’t spoken of his momma, not even in passing. No family and not even a family name to claim him. He’d had to leave him out there to the sun, nothing but a bright red blanket over his face to offer him shade and the cowboy’s own rings on his eyes to pay for something he didn’t quite understand. It had felt right. It had felt inadequate.

He’d been too young.

The memory of the boy haunts him. The cowboy sees their final ride in his dreams, sees the herd change direction and sees the boy react too late. Sees him realise across the cattle that he was pinned- rock of the canyon on one side, and the stampede the other. He caught the cowboy’s eye and that, that moment of knowing, seared something into him that the cowboy knows he will never forget.

Over the thunder of a thousand hooves, the boy’s scream is an unanswerable battle cry he still wakes to, even now.

The cowboy keeps moving. The herds do not stop. Rides must be finished. Life goes on.

He goes it alone. Wrings out his soul in the dust, lets it boil over with regret. Then he gets another partner. Then another. The cowboy is older, too old these days to head on out to watch the cattle without someone he trusts at his back. The world is changing around them but this life does not change, does not grow easier. Only harder, as his bones begin to hurt and his eyes can no longer spot unfriendly shapes moving in the shadows.

One night and a shared fire like any other- three men and a dog in the middle of nowhere- the cowboy looks up to see a face he knows all too well. It has been years, decades, but the boy’s face is unchanged. Still milk smooth, still full and whole.

He has a chain around his neck that glitters in the firelight. Thin gold links that hold up familiar rings, unused payment for a journey not taken. He catches the cowboy’s eye over a whisper of long ago screams and nods.

There are monsters out on the plains.

Things that creep around campsites, things that stir in the night. Things that wear the faces of long dead men, that put on old skin like clothes and come to sit quietly by your side.

The cowboy cannot look at him. He hears him breathing as the men around them talk, feels the warmth of the boy’s arm through this jacket.

‘Well met,’ the cowboy manages, and offers his old friend his flask to drink from.

The boy does not take it. He looks up at the stars, bright and endless above them, and holds the cowboy’s rings in one hand.

‘Strange, isn’t it?’ he says softly, ‘What things we can sometimes think we see.’

The cowboy’s heartbeat beats loud in his ears, ‘Too much sun does things to a man.’

‘It does.’ The boy turns and looks back. His eyes are old, hard things, ‘I’ve heard people tell all sorts of tales. Drunken ghost stories no sane man would believe.’

The cowboy’s gut screams a warning, that he is but prey in front of predator. He knows to listen, has enough sense not to question, ‘I’m too sane to believe most things.’

He meets the boy’s eye and does not look away. The fire before them cracks, and the boy breathes. There is no other sound. Then, he smiles, teeth emerging white and gleaming. It doesn’t reach his eyes. Maybe, it never did.

‘Well met, friend.’ the boys says. He claps the cowboy’s shoulder and settles back. The cowboy’s chest feels lighter, ‘I think we’ll get along just fine.’

I couldn't help myself Sunny, I was instantly inspired and it's all your fault

---------

AN

As it was written so quickly this may well change, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone and I had to get it out there

If this story is to have a song, it's 'Ghost Rider's' by Johnny Cash which is, and always will be, an utter banger.

[cutekoala1001]

You ever wish Sing had a bigger fandom? I sure do. Also what specifically do you like about the movies? Do they inspire you? Are they just fun to watch? I’m eager to hear!

Thanks for your thoughtful ask!✨

Yes, sometimes! If the fandom were bigger we’d get to see more beautiful artwork of our favourite characters. But because it’s small there are also advantages, such as we kind of all know each other! And there’s less drama which is nice. 🤡

Personally, I love the Sing movies because they have inspired me so much. As someone aspiring to work in a professional creative industry, I find it relatable to see how people overcome the struggles to getting a creative project done and to pursuing their dream when it feels like there are endless hurdles to jump. The Sing movies are fun to watch of course and the animation is absolutely beautiful, but I love that these are stories about what goes on in the lives of those working behind the scenes on a creative production! Sometimes, maybe most of the time, the stories being told behind a project are just as interesting if not more entertaining than the project itself! So that’s what I really love about these movies.

And Buster Moon has especially been a very inspiring character to me! (Could you tell he’s my favourite?! 🐨💞) He’s out living his dream, doing his best, even if it looks like failure to outsiders sometimes. He’s resilient and courageous about it, not letting others keep him down or take his joy in the theatre away. He doesn’t let fear stop him from doing what he loves. He’s passionate about his craft, he tries to maintain a positive spirit, and he’s such a hard worker. (Like in Matthew McConoughy’s book “Green Lights”, Buster sees a green light and he GOES for it!) And he inspires others to pursue their dreams. He’s not perfect but he’s got a good heart, and I love him 💖 He inspires me to have the courage to follow my dreams and do what I love, and to not wallow in depression over what I can’t control but to be positive and take action in what I can control. To be resilient and realistic about my art career, but to stay true to what I love and take joy in the process, even if things don’t work out the way I had hoped or if some don’t support me. Buster’s a fictional character but he represents the things I would like to be as an artist, so I’m drawn to him. 💖

Again, thanks for the thoughtful ask!✨ I’d be curious to see how the Sing movies have affected other fans’ lives too! If I ever have a chance to meet Garth Jennings I’d want to tell him about how these movies have had a positive impact on my life and art career☺️

(Here’s a little classic cartoon Buster and me: )

[wasyago]

Love your art! I was super inspired by your Gillion design specially. He's so squishable (positive).

Do you have a specific process for designing characters? Be it original or reimagining canon designs of fandom

thank you!! :D

hmm, well, i don't remember the last time i properly designed an original character, so nothing on that front. for reimagining designs... i don't have a step by step way i do it, it varies from character to character, but i can point out some of the things i do that might be helpful?

i largely base my designs on the vibes the character gives me: their manner of speech, their actions, their story and personality. and also the world and environment around them if it affects the character. it sounds pretty obvious but like, duh.

im gonna try and explain on gillion's example since its the one you mentioned. he's a himbo, a swimmer and a paladin, so he's gonna be buff or at least a little thicker. he's a triton, so he's short. he's also short for the reason that he is in an unfamiliar for him world and he might feel small in it. he's also short because it makes him look almost child like, connecting it to his trauma and lack of childhood that manifests in his behavior now. gillion is kind or at least trying to be, so his features will be softer and rounder. but sometimes he's chaotic or harsh, so he has some sharp features too. though they're secondary, the softness is still the main focus.

i also really like to think and overthink the designs while drawing. i try to keep everything simpler and less detailed, showing personality with shapes rather than uhh presence(?), but that means that details i do include have a lot of thought behind them.

one of my favorite things is practically. i love to think about what a character would realistically wear in the climate they're in, which clothing would be comfortable for their anatomy and field of work. would certain things get in the way or would they be helpful? how would they style their hair, do they need it tied back or do they not care? would they wear make up, why yes or why not? etc etc etc. i like asking myself questions and answering them in the design.

continuing with the gillion example. he's constantly wet because he's a triton (again, yes), so it would be more comfortable for him to wear a wetsuit. other clothes may stick to him and be uncomfortable, or get stuck on his fins, etc. he doesn't have any piercings, there's no way he would've gotten them in the undersea, and on the surface i don't think there was anything meaningful enough to promt him to get it. plus fin ears. he doesn't have his hair styled in a complicated way because of the coral on his head. doesn't wear a lot of jewelry because he jumps in the water a lot and it'll easily get lost. no belts or flowy bits because they constrict the movement and might get in the way.

and then like. all the personal headcanons and preferences and little bits and things. there's a lot of elements that i draw just because i like how they look. or because that's a comfortable thing for me, or because it's cute or hot or sad or whatever. or because i saw it while looking for inspiration and i really liked it. just bullshitting with the design and making it my own, yknow?

for gillion. gave him a cool long tail and lots of fins everywhere because i like it when inhuman characters are openly and visibly inhuman and have distinct features. and gillion is VERY much not human, part of his personality is being confused about humans. big ol yellow eyes with slits — look cool, also doubles as an inhuman feature, also makes him look curious about the world. small black stripes all over his body — make him look more fishy, plus because there's a lot of them and they're all the same they form a pattern that looks more like a natural anatomical feature and draw less attention. coral that goes around his head and not only the front like a tiara— makes it feel more three dimensional and looks cool in perspective (also i kinda just drew it wrong and never fixed it). coral and fins are pink — adds some much needed color variation and contrast, plus pink is one of the more natural colors which again make him look animalistic and not magical, plus ties in with pretzel. his skin is closer to green than blue — removes blue from the color pallet (especially with his eyes being yellow instead of blue), making the design more coherent and pleasing, allows me to properly introduce reds and purples without it looking like a mess of colors (although it still does sometimes). sharp teeth — fish, cute. yellowish underbelly — supports the yellow for the eyes and makes it stand out less, plus again, animalistic feature. little to no details on the clothing — creates good negative space that lets the eyes rest and focus the attention on everything else. his fringe and hair are floating around and don't follow the laws of physics — personal headcanon that it always looks like he's under water, plus adds roundness to the design because of the waves and curls.

ookay haha sorry didn't mean to write down literally every design decision here-- kind of derailed the post again.

basically yeah, for me designing is like a dialog with myself where i ask and answer questions. also something that wasn't mentioned are references and inspiration. if i don't have a good idea when i start, i usually scroll through my gallery or pinterest for some time to get ideas and figure out the general direction i want to take the design, maybe also find some fun stuff to include, etc.

hopefully this long ramble was at least somewhat helpful or gave you insight on my progress. i wanted to draw some things to also visually explain the design decisions for gill, but i think I'll do it later and in a separate post, and maybe include chip and jay too...

umm good luck 👍👍

[evansbby]

Some of my inspirations behind Wicked Games 4🩷🩷 *SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT*

The foreboding winds on the night of the gala

Okay so those who know me know that my favourite book series is flowers in the attic. If you read just an excerpt of this series and observed how Virginia Andrews writes, you’d be able to recognise just how much my writing is inspired by hers. It’s bc sometimes her writing makes me emotional, and I can picture things so vividly. ANYWAYS, one of the big themes in flowers in the attic is how the heroine Cathy kept hearing the loud, wild winds. She was imprisoned in an attic in a mansion up in the mountains, and mountain winds are insanely loud, like roaring level of loud. And she’d always talk about how the winds were trying to warn her about something. So…yeah. That part was very very inspired from flowers in the attic 😅 Like how she described the winds, it just stuck with me.

And it really just builds up the tension of the gala night perfectly and encapsulates the sense of foreboding perfectly too AND WORDS CANNOT EXPLAIN how happy I was when so many of you noticed the wind descriptions in your feedback!!! Some of you even called it your favourite part!!! I love that 🥹🥹 Thank you! Also it really goes to show that READING is the best way to get good at writing. I would be nowhere if I hadn’t read all the books that I did in my childhood! I cannot stress it enough: reading really impacts the way you write your own stuff. Anyways, I added a quote from FITA below. I couldn’t find any wind ones (despite the fact that she mentions in ALL FOUR BOOKS the foreboding whistling winds) but yeah, can y’all see how her writing has inspired my writing?? I really think it has.

Steve’s personal problems

A lot of it was inspired by… well… me. BUT JUST HEAR ME OUT. The parts where Steve talks about having too many responsibilities, how all of it just piles up inside his head and it feels like his thoughts are screaming. I get that! Not to such an extreme extent as Steve, but I am someone who panics easily when I have too much on my plate. And it’s like I can physically feel my thoughts racing (it just sounds like me screaming lol) so that’s where I got inspiration for that! Obviously it was exaggerated to fit Steve’s much bigger problems (I’ve never had absentee parents or a younger sibling who I solely worry about all the time nor have I been kicked off the basketball team nor am I an alcoholic). But yeah! That’s how I knew how to write that overwhelmed feeling that he was feeling.

The chapter title “comfortably numb”

Okay so MAJOR SPOILERS for the tv show the sopranos ahead. Basically the song “comfortably numb” plays during a scene where something not so great happens to the character of Christopher. iykyk. And I found the character of Christopher very interesting. He was by all accounts a shitty person. But he was so sensitive, and he was dealing with a lot, and he’d try to escape it by doing drugs, essentially “numbing” himself to the pain. So the title does refer to Steve, who’s problems are piling up so high on his head and he KNOWS he’s fucked everything up for himself, so he just gives up and numbs himself with drugs and alcohol. I’m sure this was pretty self explanatory and didn’t need an explanation but yeah!

Wanda’s drunken tirade 😂

Okay so the part where Wanda only selectively hears what Curtis is saying and latches on to “reader slept with Curtis” and ignoring everything else?? I SAW THIS HAPPEN IN REAL TIME WITH TWO OF MY FRIENDS!!! Basically we were at a party, and we were young af like 16-17. And both my friends were drunk (I’m not friends with either of them anymore but this was in like 2016 bahah) anyways one friend thought the other friend had kissed the guy she liked, the other friend said she didn’t but the first friend was only selectively listening. AND I SWEAR I HAVE SEEN THIS HAPPEN A LOT. Like when someone is so drunk they just selectively listen or just believe what they want to believe. So yeah that’s how I got the inspiration for that. And for a lot of these, I don’t even think what’s inspired me. I write it down and then read it over and I’m like “wait this actually happened to me IRL that must be where I’m getting these ideas from” 😭😂😂😂

Reader’s emerald dress and the gala

Okay this one I didn’t even realise was sooo flowers in the attic inspired until I read it over. So basically Cathy’s mother Corrine wears this gorgeous emerald gown to her family’s Christmas ball. And many years later when Cathy plans revenge on her mother, she remembers this emerald gown from memory and has it remade so she can wear it and confront her mother at the Christmas ball. I remember reading long descriptions of that gown. But tbh I didn’t really remember what that gown looked like or any of the details, just the colour was significant to me. Bc the gala was going to be a night of many confirmations too. The description of reader’s emerald dress all came from my head haha. Like the ruching and the slit etc. I tried to find a dress on Pinterest that matched my vision but none of them lived up to the image I have in my head that’s my own creation LMFAOOO

Andddd my mind is blanking now but if I remember any more inspirations I’ll add them here!!!

[arminsumi]

it's disheartening for writers to see "part 2 when??" comments, you know why?

because there's a lot of effort and thought behind one post. it takes far less time to read than it took for us to curate it.

the idea comes, we pen it down. then we look for inspiration to build upon this idea. we make notes on dialogue, pacing, structure. we highlight important aspects, underline the main feeling and hidden messages and subtle details we want to incorporate. we make sure everything aligns with the character to make sure they're not ooc or two-dimensional. and that's just the beginning stages of one fic idea.

then we write it. now for me, personally, when it flows easily i take two hours to write. but then there are some fics that take months. actual literal months. because the idea does not flow easily, but i hold onto it because i know it has potential. then i write multiple versions, sometimes they're 1k+ and i scrap them, all 1k+ words in the trash, just to make a "better" version which will go into the end post.

then we continue writing it, and some fics that get big wordcounts make us nervous because of all that editing and proofreading we have to do, which alone will take a long time. for me, editing can take more time than actually writing it. i have so many finished pieces in my drafts that aren't published or stay untouched because there's a complex jumble of 5k words that i need lots off energy to meticulously edit. errors, misspellings, restructuring. editing is sometimes such a nightmare that it deters me and then fics get avoided.

then there's the final touches. the banners, the warnings list, the layout, the aesthetics, etc. sometimes making banners takes a long time because of finding the right pictures and editing them too. or finding color schemes/combos that please the eye. a lot of artistic effort goes into post layout alone. there's so many tabs open it's a mess, and i constantly open and close and reopen and close, various sites for various tools to make everything look proper and neat and good for the eye and pleasing to the mind. and let's not even get started on the warnings list. it's probably my least favorite part, because i have to be very careful and proofread with a sharp eye to make sure i don't miss something that could cause the reader to accidentally have an uncomfortable experience.

and then it's published.

this baby post raised in the drafts, something that we put so much thought and care into, and now can you imagine the frown a writer makes at "part 2" comments? this whole post took a long time to make, and to just ask for more makes us feel like we're not satisfying you enough or we didn't do enough even though we did everything. it's appreciated that you enjoy it and want more, but it's still disheartening and even discouraging. imagine if you went up to your favorite author after reading their book and said "when is the sequel?" without saying anything else. it's weird. it makes us feel bad.

so please try to refrain from asking "part 2 when??" and maybe say a simple "i like this because xyz" or appreciate something about the post. even two emojis can give us an idea of how much you liked it or what you thought of it.

reblogs and comments or any feedback on the content we made is so super appreciated. writers want to know what you thought, it's fun to see reactions or understand what aspects you enjoyed. engagement is inspiring and motivational.

[alouiadina]

Fanfiction Idea

This is going to be long because I didn't want to split it up.

I've been thinking about this idea inspired by There's A Part of You Always Standing By (Mapping Out a Sky) by Perpetual Motion (@sweaterkittensahoy )

For those who haven't read it, it's about Rosie and Ken's relationship during the war (and there isn't homophobia, though it is set in the 40's) And if you haven't read it, you should, it's amazing.

So, my idea isn't really that different from what's in the thing, it's really just a bunch of fan fictions that I want to read.

So the gist of it, is it's basically one story, but with multiple different fan fictions/perspectives, and it is set in the 40's with no homophobia like it was in the 40s. It'll, of course, include buck/bucky, but all of my favorite pairs/ rare pairs, and how their stories intertwine, as well as changing some stuff around so that their isn't any major character death.

I apologize if the timeline is off:

Clegan- when they meet, Gale and Marge are close friends, and when he and Bucky first meet, he thinks that Gale and Marge are dating. For the few chapters (like 2-3) they're in basic training and they're kind of dancing around each other, Bucky actively trying not to flirt with Gale, but still being his handsy self, and Gale being receptive to it, but also thinks that Bucky is just a big flirt/ a bit of a whore because he sees Bucky acting similarly handsy with Curt and some of the women there. Everyone thinks they're dating, asking Bucky about his better half, and he explains they're not dating. Gale has some similar experienced

Bucky doesn't realize he can ask out Gale until Marge and her friend (I don't remember her name) comes to visit. Maybe they come a bit earlier, while they're still in basic training. Marge insists that the two of them go get drinks bc she wants to make sure that Bucky is good for Gale, because Gale has written her about him. Bucky asks her "so, how long have you been going out?" you two being her and Gale. She answers "Oh, (friend) and I have been going out for a year."

Bucky blinks at her, dumbfounded. "Lesbian?" He asks, oh so eloquently. She nods, and he responds with "Oh. I thought you and Gale were dating." And she responds with the same thing, mentioning how Gale talked about him in the letters that he sent her. After a day of processing, Bucky does eventually ask out Gale, and they're dating by the time Marge comes back with her girlfriend before they ship out.

(Sometime before they ship out, they get two pictures of the two of them embracing for each of them to carry in their forts. And maybe their is a dance or something idk)

They do break up before Gale goes down, because they fight over Gale not wanting to London with him. Bucky does end up with that woman because she looks so much like Gale, then the next day he finds out that Gale went down, and feels guilty. They then reconnect in stalag luft III, where Bubbles, Dickie, and Curt are bc they didn't die. When it looks like they're going to start dating again, Bucky tells him about the woman in London, which makes Gale pull away. Gale tells Bucky that he's hurt by what Bucky did, even though he knows that they were broken up and Bucky was upset, but it still hurts. Bucky apologizes again, and their relationship starts again, but it's a little rough.

Their relationship is still rough when they're moving to the 2nd POW camp, and if I remember correctly, Gale comes across a friend, and Bucky is jealous of said friend.

Their relationship is slowly healing throughout this, and is basically healed when Gale, his friend, that other guy that escaped with them (I think), and Dickie escape, forcing Bucky (and Curt) to stay behind. And before they escape, Bubbles gives both Bucky and Gale to give to Crosby to let him know that he's alive.

The rest of the stuff happens, Gale gives Crosby Bubbles' note, Bucky and Gale reunite, and Gale asks Bucky if he wants to get married, and Bucky jokingly brings up this conversation he and Curt had (either in basic training, sometime before Curt crashed, or after Gale escaped) that the two of them discussed having a double wedding. They don't, as who would be Bucky's best man.

Crubbles- They also meet in basic training. They both meet because they both were denied to become pilots, Crosby because of his air sickness, and Bubbles because he once took the place of navigator and they just made him a navigator. They begin bunking together. And maybe this is a polyamorous Crosby/Jean thing, with both of them bisexual. There could be this whole thing of Bubbles being miserable because he has a crush Crosby. Jean, like Marge, visits with her girlfriend during basic training, and the two of them plus Crosby and Bubbles go to dinner.

While Croz is getting drinks, Bubbles witnesses Jean and her girlfriend kissing, and internally panics because in his eyes the wife of the man his best friend, the man he's in love with, is cheating on him with her friend. Croz comes back with drinks and they continue their conversation from before Croz went to get drinks. Bubbles tries to act normal, and waits until after Jean and her girlfriend leaves to tell Croz about what he saw. He has to wait a little because Jean wants to talk to Croz for a moment before they leave. When they do leave, and Jean is out of sight, both of them say that they have something to say to the other. Croz lets Bubbles go first, and he says "Your wife's cheatin' on you, Croz." And when asked to clarify, Bubbles says "She kissed her friend when you went to get drinks."

"Oh, you mean her girlfriend?" "What?" "Jean and I have an open relationship, that was her girlfriend. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about,"

Crosby then goes to explain the reason why Jean came to visit them was to meet Bubbles, and approve of him, which is why the two of them talked afterwards. Bubbles asks what Jean would be approving of him for, and Crosby goes a bit red, his confidence leaving him as he looks at his feet.

"I wanted to ask you out," he mumbles and Bubbles stops breathing.

The two of them start a relationship, make comments about Bucky and Gale's (because maybe at this point in this story, they haven't started yet.) Also, maybe Crosby and Rosie are able to meet in basic training before Rosie goes to Texas, and they both talk to each other about their love lives/ wanting to ask out the men they're interested in, and also Nash is there. Before Rosie goes to Texas and before Ken gets shipped to England like a week before Bubbles and Harry do, they go on a double date while the two couples are on weekend passes. While on the double date, they come across a Photo Booth, both couples doing pictures.

They basically have a happy relationship, and they are able to have another weekend pass/ some down time, like maybe in Greenland or something. Then Bubbles plane goes down, and there are some parachutes out before the plane explodes, but not everyone sees them, which leads Crosby to think he's dead. Crosby has his "Hallucinating Edward Cullen" moment when he over works himself, and stays up for 72+hrs. Even after waking up after passing out, he still sees Bubbles, then he's forced to go to Oxford. Then the whole Sandra thing happens, and he's hallucinating Bubbles the entire time, and the maybe first time the two of them have sex, he sees Bubbles in her place, which is why he's desperate to keep seeing her.

While this is happening Crosby and Rosie are emotionally leaning on each other, Crosby because of Bubbles and Rosie because Ken broke up with him after finding out Rosie re-upped without consulting him. He also sees Ken doing what Crosby did when he found out that Bubbles "died" with not sleeping. Crosby ends up having a conversation with Ken, saying this lack of sleep will inevitably lead to bad things. Ken, in anger, accuses Crosby of sleeping with Rosie, which angers Crosby, but he swallows it, mostly, and he gives this Ken this speech about appreciating the ones you love while you still can, then he leaves. Ken does end up apologizing to Crosby when Ken when Rosie's fort is the only one to come back. Crosby and Rosie do end up talking with each other while Rosie's in the Flak house and Crosby's at Oxford, and he ends up talking Crosby down from going and seeing Sandra in more of a friendly sense again. He ends up talking to Sandra more about Bubbles, what they meant to each other, and why he pursued a relationship with her, and she's understanding, and they become friends

Then in stalag luft III, Bubbles gets processed, and meets up with Curt and dickie, as well as Gale then eventually Bucky. One of his bunkmates does proposition him, but Bubbles says no, he has a boyfriend waiting for him.

Crosby and Ken do end up connecting more the they find out that Rosie's plane had been shot down, and Crosby is the one that sits with Ken, comforting him when Winks can't, making sure he's eating and sleeping regularly, and also talking to him about both Rosie and Bubbles, because talking helps.

I don't remember when this happens in the story, but when Crosby does get sent home to Jean, instead of not telling her about Sandra like he did irl, and of the Edward Cullen Hallucinations he's been having of Bubbles. She's angry, but understanding, then they have sex and she gets pregnant.

Then with the moving between POW's, like I mentioned before Bubbles writes two notes that say the same thing and gives them to Bucky and Gale respectively in case he isn't able to escape (which he isn't). It's just this heartfelt letter saying in case no one saw, he escaped his plane before it blew up, and as of the day he's writing, he's still alive. He hasn't stopped thinking about Crosby, the thought of the possibility of escaping or being freed so that he can get back to Crosby has kept him alive for this long, and that he'd do his best to stay alive to do so.

Then he does eventually get freed, coming back with Bucky. When he gets back, before he's able to shower, Crosby pulls him into a hug and starts peppering kisses over his face, then finally his mouth, all the while Bubbles protesting, saying that he needs to shower.

They do shower together, and while in the shower, Crosby tells Bubbles everything. Bubbles is disappointed in Crosby for the Sandra thing, but makes sure that Crosby knows that he understands that grief his weird, and that's why he did what he did. He's also excited about Jean being pregnant, and is excited to be parent/uncle/ whatever Jean and Harry wants him to be to the child.

Rosielemmons- Robert at first only knows Ken as Lemmons and as a head of curly hair that occasionally sticks out of the forts. He finally goes to meet Ken because Nash is tired of hearing Rosie basically waxing poetic over this mechanic they've never met. So, Nash drags Rosie to where the planes are kept, asking Winks where Ken is. Winks points them to a plane that he says Ken is checking, and he drags Rosie over.

Ken is working on checking one of the of the last forts that needs to be checked when he hears two sets of footsteps approach. They yell up to him, and he yells back to give him a moment to finish his once over, as he is almost done. About 5-10 mins later, he's out of the plane and he has a bit of moment when he sees Rosie, not realizing that Rosie is also having a moment. Then he notices that there is another person is there, stuttering out a greeting/apology, then asking why they're there. The other person (Nash) introduces the two of them to Ken and says that his friend Rosie was curious how the planes work on a more mechanical level, and that he was the best person to ask. Then Nash leaves, leaving the two of them alone. Ken, not knowing what else to do, starts walking Rosie through the parts of the plane, in detail.

Rosie does his best to listen, asking questions when he hears something that he doesn't fully understand, but he keeps getting distracted by Ken's freckles, curls, eyes, lips, and all of that. By the time they're done, it's almost dinner, and Rosie almost asks Ken, who he still only knows as Lemmons, to join him for dinner, but Winks comes in, saying that it's time for dinner. So, they say they're goodbyes and they go to dinner. At dinner, Rosie keeps glancing at Ken, stopping when Ken catches him.

Nash teases him, and Rosie hits him on the back of the head, telling him that he looks forward to teasing him when he gets a crush. The next day, he visits Ken, again close to dinner, this time able to ask to eat with him. Ken blushes and agrees. At dinner, they're sitting as alone as they can. Ken tells Rosie his first name and rank, and they end up talking to each other so long they are asked to leave the mess hall so that they can lock it up.

Rosie walks Ken to his barracks, where they almost kiss because of an eyelash, but that doesn't happen because Winks walks out of the barracks to go look for Ken, only to him and Rosie standing there.

They end up exchanging notes, and meeting up when they can, and they start dating. They go do their weekend pass, Rosie spoiling Ken while they're there, and also doing the double date with Bubbles and Crosby. They do the Photo Booth stuff, the night ending not long after that.

A week or so later, Ken gets shipped over to England, going over on a boat. While on the boat, he writes a long letter to send to Rosie once he's there, maybe he also meets Rosie's sister at some point like he did in the Perpetual Motion's fic, sending a picture of the two of them with his long letter.

Then Rosie's stay in America extends as he as he and Nash go to Texas for teaching and stuff. Ken, Winks, and the other mechanics befriend the children that hang with them in the air field (?)

Then Rosie finally comes over, there's a dance, and Rosie gets excited when he sees the bucks, and his interactions with them are the same, but Ken is also there.

Their relationship gets strained with all of the missions and Ken's late nights, but they try. Ken eventually finds out that Rosie re-ups. They have a fight and it's messy. Rosie tries to get Ken to understand the guilt he'll feel if he leaves, and Ken tries to get Rosie the pain he'll feel loosing Rosie. There's yelling and crying, mostly from Ken, and Ken ends up ending the relationship, stomping on Rosie's heart, not because he wants to, but because he feels like Rosie has stomped on his. They both mope around, Rosie going into the emotional co-dependency thing with Crosby, and Ken gets it into his head that the reason why that Rosie re-upped was not because of the guilt he was talking about, but because he wanted to break up with him and get with Crosby. So, he starts doing what he saw Crosby do when Bubbles went down: barely sleeping and barely eating, mostly working. He does try to hook up with Winks, knowing that Winks used to have a thing for him, but Winks turns him down and tries to take care of Ken the best he can, which is usually bringing him food from mess, and the occasional blanket.

Then Crosby finds out and tries talking to him about it and its consequences. Ken's, of course, hostel towards Crosby, accusing him of sleeping with Rosie. He can tell that it pissed off Crosby, then he gets the "Cherish your loved ones" speech. Then Rosie's fort is the only one to come back. The two of them have a lightly awkward conversation and they both apologize for their words and actions, and Ken ends up finishing his paperwork that night with Rosie sleeping in the cot in his office. Rosie get's sent to the flak house, and one of the days, for like an hour or two, Ken gets to visit Rosie.

Then, a bit later, Rosie's plane gets shot down. Ken's emotional pain is so intense, it hurts him physically. He ends up coming to Crosby and asking him how he deals. They end up meeting up to talk about Bubbles and Rosie, and Crosby is obviously dad-ing him, which leads to Ken finding out about Jeans pregnancy. This lasts until Ken gets a letter from Rosie, saying where he is, what he said, and that he's on his way back. When Rosie finally returns, he tells Ken what he saw, and asks him if he wants to get married. He does. They end up discussing it when they can, and they agree that they're getting married on Ken's family farm, and then where they're going to live.

I haven't really thought about a curt/dickie longfic, though it may be nice to read one alongside the others.

I would also like to mention that jackharding would be an ideal additional ship also to appear in a longfic that focuses on the two of them. Like, the only thing I really thought about is that Jack is mad at Bucky for getting demoted, which lead Jack getting air exec, but the anger he feels for Bucky goes away when he actually meets Harding, the new CO.

[keepmeinmind-01]

Hello! So interested in exchange student AU and the dogs, but I HAVE to ask about plug in baby because that is giving me a weird image in my head.

thank you so much for asking @tina-mairin-goldstein :D

I'll go through them! I did a little too much writing last week and haven't managed much at all this week. No idea whether I need to rest and recharge or just get a bit more inspired LOL. But I can share some snippets—I write in chunks in the first draft stage so they're a bit everywhere, and these bits might not even make it into the final :')

Exchange Student AU

This is actually the prompt you gave me about a little Newt seeing Theseus and Percy together and being his accepting self!

A Second Person? Visiting the Scamander household?  Well—Second Person wasn’t trailing in. He seemed very confident and self-contained. In fact, Newt has always thought Theseus was exactly like that; but next to this shorter, dark-haired stranger, Theseus suddenly looked coltish and far too smiley. Newt clicked through the settings and accidentally zoomed in far too much on the stranger’s expensive-looking scarf.  Why does he want to spend time with Theseus? Newt mused, as most seven-year-olds with older siblings sometimes do: sure that his brother could hang the moon and stars if he tried, but chagrined by the pure bossiness their relationship seemed to entail enduring. 

Thesival Dogs

It's a one-shot (with several chapters LOL, I don't know if that stops it being a one-shot anymore). I started drafting this in a frenzy over four days because I felt bad about how kmim Theseus never really finds a partner he's comfortable with again. Losing those feelings of intimacy and trust forever hurt me. So, it's set sometime after the end of the election in kmim and kind of diverges from the rest of the outline I have planned for that long story. Theseus and Percival get into a sort of casual-sort of not relationship complicated by their respective traumas. When Percival accidentally triggers Theseus while they're working on a case together, they have to get through it and figure out how to re-negotiate the physical stuff. It goes well—well enough that Theseus accidentally summons his Patronus (a borzoi). But after Percival summons his (a German Shepherd) too, as a joke, the dogs stick around, so they spend the next day figuring out how to make them dispel and thinking about their relationship.

Nearer the start:

Each like a damning indictment—because of him, it could never be long term. Because it’s you, Theseus imagined, because it’s you, and it’s me, they could tangle their broken bodies together, but they couldn’t fix them.

Nearer the middle:

"Tell me how you imagined it," Percival demanded, voice roughening.  "I, ah..." Theseus faltered, uncharacteristically flustered by the heat kindling behind Percival's eyes. Get it together, Scamander. “Mmh?” “Er…” Theseus racked his brains, but it’d been weeks since he’d had a vaguely sexy thought. I thought it’d be nice seemed like a mood killer for someone as skilled in talking filth as Graves. And I love you was all of the steps too far. “You…hmm. You would…um. Or maybe I...or maybe not.”

Plug in Baby

This is named for a song by the band "Muse", because I always end up doing song lyric titles. I do have four other songs that fit wayyy better with the themes, plot points, etc, but even though Muse said they forgot what the song was about because they were high (LOL), there's something particularly good about this as a title imo. This is my dark!thesleta fic, where Leta joins Grindelwald at a rally and Theseus follows her. It's set in a world where Grindelwald and Dumbledore are much more organised and there are very partisan 'sides'. Theseus is less certain, trying to convince her to leave, but when something happens that makes him fall apart, Grindelwald has enough and brainwashes/reconditions him using a mixture of drugs and magic. The 'character is turned into a weapon against the ones they love' trope, basically. It goes downhill from there, and involves Newt, Tina, Grindelwald, and Dumbledore, focusing mostly on Theseus, Leta, and Newt. The ending is a bit bittersweet, but I'd say positive, given what happens. I'm curious what the image in your head was! Hopefully, no actual babies? XD

I have no big chunks of text for this one. Even though it's all planned in detail, it's being written in spotty chunks, so here are a few lines I've jotted down:

"You're getting better at this," Gellert said, removing the needle. His voice was approving, almost fond. "Hardly even a flinch anymore." How much did he require tonight? Surely his tolerance was not increasing this quickly.

Power still crackled through his veins like lightning seeking ground. He felt half-feral, drunk on destruction. Unstoppable.

[sunjinjo]

The ascent was so swift it took his breath away.

He was floating. He was glowing. Lines of brilliant blue ran up his wrists, across his chest, under the fabric of his clothes. He looked down at himself, and his held breath abruptly left him in a huff of involuntary laughter – he was glorious. At last.

Find my writing here on AO3! Sunjinjo | Archive of Our Own

Currently writing for this series: ✨Mended with Gold✨ - both long and short Wanderer-centric Genshin stories, as canon-compliant as possible, featuring his healing and self-expression in Sumeru, with lots of Nahida, the Aranara, and other characters by his side.

These are chronological as events happened ingame, but can all be read as standalones!

🍃The wind guides, the forest remembers (39,510 words, 8 chapters) - right after gaining his Vision in Inversion of Genesis, Wanderer goes for his first flight, ends up somewhere he didn't intend, and gets adopted by the Aranara for a while. Much-needed forest therapy ensues, as well as an unplanned tutorial on his new powers.

🌷Dream Flower (2,452 words) - coming to terms with the name the Traveler gave him, and the one that wasn't given as well.

🍵Warm Care, Bitter Truth (3,432 words) - It's a cold night up in the Divine Tree. Luckily there are ways to warm back up, inside and out.

🌱It's Called Growth (1,786 words) - Nahida almost did something drastic when faced with the Dendro Dragon. Someone isn't taking it well.

🏅The Wishful Thinking of Idiots (56,724 words, 8 chapters) - The Akademiya Extravaganza, from Hat Guy's perspective. His (sharply opinionated) thoughts on the matter, what he was up to behind the scenes, and ways he interacted with the other contestants.

⚔On swords and those who wield them (10,902 words, 3 chapters) - Wanderer practices telling his true story through sword dance.

🌄Splendorous Skies (118,032 words, 17 chapters) - Khvarena of Good and Evil, with Wanderer in the Traveler's place by Sorush' side as her Yasnapati, standing against the Abyss.

📖Dark shapes flutter free (ongoing, chapter 1/?) - The Wanderer (re)starts a little journal of haiku.

🌠Vantage Point (1,821 words) - the Traveler (me) giving out a gift on my own birthday, Teyvat style. Also, wishing my way to C6 Wanderer. ❤

🎉The Return of the Sabzeruz Festival (12,641 words) - Happy birthday, Nahida. ❤ The Sumeran festival event we didn't get.

⛲A Cage of Your Own Making (84,189 words, 8 chapters) - ‘It is forbidden to release any flying objects during the first three days of each month.’ Nahida and the Wanderer visit... different parts of Fontaine.

🌊No adventures on the mountain (1,067 words) - I'm not salty about that giant empty mountain in Sumeru's north. But the ocean is.

🎂This sweetness isn’t so bad (5,631 words) - It's just another ordinary day for the Wanderer. Until people look up his birthday in the Akademiya records.

🐟Rainjade Ovation (ongoing, chapter 1/10) - After finishing his essay on Fontainian law, the Wanderer earns himself a little holiday, accompanying a certain star performer in search of inspiration in Chenyu Vale. A Hero's Journey ensues, because of course.

🐝Heirs of lightning, breakers of silence (3,077 words) - the Wanderer's first meetings with the leader of the Temple of Silence. Busy bees, flying lotuses. :P

🎭At the mercy of the mages (8,977 words, 2 chapters) - the Wanderer is summoned to the Imaginarium Theater. His disappointment is immeasurable and his day is ruined. Moreso in chapter 2.

🐉The Light Beyond the End (84,387 words, 7 chapters) - Summertide Scales and Tales, from Wanderer's perspective. Sometimes, becoming a Hero is about deciding to help just one person, even if the title feels like a mockery. <3

...and more to come because I'm far from done with this lad :D

Also, set before all the others:

🍀Sapienta Oromasdis (ongoing, chapter 2/6) - Nahida is freed from her cage, and experiences a few things for the first time.

Also also:

🍑Sunny Sky, an ongoing (GORGEOUS) comic drawn by the marvellous ✨Lumier✨ and supplied with written material by me, about her younger Scaramouche segment Kuni meeting my Kintsugi. Two rash puppet boys going on an adventure! :D