#also - and this is probably a topic for a different post -

[malfiora]

OH BOY DO I HAVE FEELINGS.

1. Love is complicated.

We have to start here.

In the English language, and thus in American culture (where we must situate these boys since these are kids raised in the US, written by US authors) we really only have one word for this emotion (with add-ons to try and get more precise), and the word you use for your mom or granddad is the same as the one you use for your friends and siblings and the same as the one for partner. This feeling is messy and complicated and not discreet and definitely not logical. These boys love each other, and that comes with the complexity and messiness that love engenders. That complexity isn't despite the love — it is proof of the love.

And their patterns of behavior demonstrate that this love is multifaceted. Sometimes it looks like father/son (very very early on, as I explained in my mutualism post), and of course fraternal, but also infatuation (e.g. Jason's obsession with him and Dick being partners, Dick looking through Jason's dating profile).

2. "They don't entirely love or hate each other."

My beloved friend is right. As usual, the truth is somewhere in between. Yes, they have a mutual devotion to and admiration of each other. And also, there's definitely resentment there, too. As sunlitlemonade points out, Jason dealt with the pressure of living up to Dick's example, for better and worse. In the pre crisis run, the moments after Jason officially inherits the suit, he grows somber. He had wanted this thing for so long and when he finally gets it, he seems almost regretful about it. His very first villain as Robin is a guy who wants to kill him because he (Crazy Quilt) thinks Jason is Dick. Mistaken identity has been a core part of his experience from the beginning. On the other hand, in the post crisis run, Dick doesn't have a choice in Jason becoming Robin (a cruel twist imo I wish they had kept the original run but eh, I'm asking for way too much from the people who keep calling Jason the angry Robin), plus, as sunlitlemonade said, Jason was adopted before Dick (for very good reasons but it probably still hurts).

And to top it all off: their moral alignment has diverged. Jason no longer abides by the no-kill rule that Dick has organized his entire life around — that's bound to be messy lmao. Plus they both have markedly different perceptions of their relationships with Bruce now (though I'd argue that they're similar relationships, at least in terms of abuse and victimization and toxic projection, but that's a whole separate topic).

They can't stay away from each other but they find ways to hurt each other in ways that others can't or don't. And there is still love. (See also: my post about conflict.)

3. "They can't shake the feeling of kinship. Was it the Robin suit?"

Father/son vs. older/younger brothers archetypes.

I'm making this its own point because I feel it's important to explain why I alluded to a father/son paradigm for these two. As I explained in my mutualism post, this is the original concept that DC had for their relationship — Dick was fully prepared (emotionally, not logistically lmfao) to adopt Jason after Jason's parents died. He saw his own grief in Jason and wanted to be there for him. While this has obviously been retconned, the resulting themes have not been. In fact, each retelling of their meeting seems to double down on it. There is a pattern of inheritance that bears itself out in 3 ways:

Jason inherits Dick's Robin suit.

Jason resembles Dick to such a degree that other characters mix them up / point it out, even those who know them personally (looking at you, Donna).

Brothers in Blood reveals that they both subconsciously view Jason as Dick's successor (i.e. the moment Dick thinks about quitting being Nightwing, Jason shows up as Nightwing and shit gets really weird).

It is apparent that the narrative is trying to draw our attention to a top-down relationship here. However, there is clearly a fraternal relationship here, as well. Dick's sense of identity shifts completely into this mentor/big brother figure when Jason enters his life, almost immediately rallying with Jason and conspiring (innocently) against Bruce, offering himself as a resource, and reassuring Jason that he's doing fine as Robin. He triples down on this with Tim. When Dick returns from being "dead" Jason is upset that Dick would lie to a fellow Robin (brother) — and, importantly, Tim agrees. So there's also a horizontal relationship here. When Jason needs help, he asks for Dick — who shows up even without knowing the context or even always believing that Jason is acting in good faith.

It's not an either/or — it's a both/and. Messy, complicated, love, and hate. It's all there, you can't separate it.

4. That word "partners."

I have to throw this in here: Partner is an interesting word. It comes in many forms. Generally, it can be either professional, platonic, or romantic. With these two, honestly that word can mean any combination of the three. And when I say that that includes "romantic," I do mean that, and I do mean the alternative definition of romantic (i.e. invoking lofty, idealized emotions). It is very interesting to me, therefore, that Jason straight up asks Dick to be his partner twice: once in Brothers in Blood, and again in Battle for the Cowl. Makes you wonder which definition he meant by that, exactly.

That's all I got for now. Will update with links if I find them appropriate. @sunlitlemonade I hope you don't regret showing me your post.

i feel like ppl are always on one extreme abt dick & jason's relationship....... like idk how to tell you but they don't entirely hate or love each other. thats not how they work. they barely know each other and yet can't shake the feeling of kinship they feel. was it the robin suit? bruce? guilt? what-ifs? wishful thinking for things to be different? where did they get cut for the trail of blood to mix up and end up in the same grave? the same dead dream of a brotherhood? was it because of those things or despite them that the stream of their lives cannot seem to diverge no matter what happens? just shut up and let them be complicated.

[quietplace26]

I just had an idea for Furina! Mc soulmate au.

So basically Furina has our dear index’s name written on her: and she’s nervous and excited (and fearful) about meeting her. But the issue comes when they first meet and he doesn’t have Furina- he has her old old name, MC.

And Furina like in the beginning was like internal- ‘it’s might be me- that’s that’s my name- it it might be me’ but over time (and being Furina for so long) that she’s like ‘okay probably not me, very heavily likely not me. I would know by now if it was me.’

Now I image at somepoint after the trial and all that Furina just needs to get away from everything: the (her) index, the people of Fontaine harassing her and just to be free of her acting. So she’s leaves and heads to chenyu vale and settles down there working at a tea house and one day Meets Zhongli (I image his soulmate is dead [Read: Guizhonh]) and those two kinda settle into a relationship.

Meanwhile our index knows something is seriously wrong because while previously he held a sixth sense of his soulmate being within Fontaine and now it’s just gone- outside of his reach and Fontaine has been thundering for days now.

This idea also works well with the exile and diary au’s!

Anyways your thoughts?

Oh, here we go! Note, this isn't gonna take place in either the exile or diary aus.

Well, to start us off, Furina!Mc original had no idea her soulmate was Neuvillette, because the scribbled across her wrist said Leviathan, his pre-Neuvillette Sovereign name.

It's only after meeting him for the first time does Furina!MC's wrist burn, signaling this was her soulmate!

.... Only, he never reacts to Furina!MC. And its only after 100 or so years that she finds out the name he has is orginal self's name. The one she had back in her past life. And Furina!MC... she finally let's go of her stinf hope for her soulmate, for hope that canon would be different.

Because there was no way, even with his name on her wrist, that Neuvillette would believe that her name. It didn't help that Furina!MC knew about his own view on her. A selfish, bratty Goddess.

Not at all worthy of Soulmate material...

So, fast forward to post prophecy, and Furina!MC finally leaves Fontaine. She didn't feel safe there, not with her people harassing her so viciously, the Steambird dragging her name through the mud, her house being vandalize, and so on.

And Neuvillette never did a thing. he offers some poor comfort, but he immediately turns his attention to more important matters.

Furina!MC was not an important matter, not anymore. Or was she ever?

It brings up the question that's always floating through head... if she ever told him her true name, would anything have been different? Would he had saved her from Focalors? Would he have stopped giving her cold stares, brushing her away...

So, she left, ignoring the throbbing pain coming from her wrist where Neuvillette's name laid...

...She eventually settles into Liyue, throwing her 'Furina' name, and taking back her old, rightful name of MC.

She found a small job at a tea house that didn't mind she was foreign, and things went from there... only for a few weeks after arriving to her new home, does she bump in Zhongli.

And suddenly, things start to change. For the better.

Zhongli knew who she was, but even so welcome her to his nation. He invites her out to tea and walks, they chat about this and that, and soon, MC starts to notice the pain she used to constantly feel on her wrist had begun to lessen...

...One day, while having tea in Zhongli's home, he brings up the topics of soulmates. He asks her if she had one... she answers honestly.

"I... I do, but... b-but he doesn't know it's me, and even then, he never-"

Her hands began to shake; her wrist starts burning again as she remembers all the cold and harsh moments between her and Neuvillette. How he never once defended her, how he ignored the abuse she went through from all of Fontaine-

"...If he knew, he would've immediately destroyed the mark."

She says it shakily but matter of fact. Because it's true. It only took her 400 years to finally come to terms with it.

Zhongli stays quiet, before shifting around to sit beside her on the couch taking off one of his gloves, and pulls down his sleeve-

There was a scar on his wrist. MC knew what that means. When a soulmate dies, their partner gains a scar over their dead partner's name...

He tells her about Guizhong, how much he loved her... only to lose her in the Archon war. He says he thought he lost the ability to love another like he did with her... until... MC.

MC looks at him with shock. It doesn't truly hit her what he was talking about until he took off his other glove and rolled down that sleeve to show-

Her name. It was still faint, but the more MC looked at it, the clearer it became.

She heard of this phenomenon, when a soul pair either loses a soulmate to either death or to them forcing their mark to fade because they didn't want them, on their other wrist, sometimes a second soulmate's name will appear.

So to see it happening with her name...

"Y-you like me? You... you want to l-love me?"

Zhongli nods, and MC cries with a weak but happy smile on her face as he brings her into a hug, and unknown to her, the name on her wrist that read Leviathan, starts to slowly fade, and on her other wrist, the name Morax slowly begins to form...

And back in Fontaine, a violent storm never before seen in Fontaine begins to form as Neuvillette stares down horrified as the name that's been his constant since he reincarnated as a human starts to fade away.

[bravehyde]

Ant Tenna Anatomy: What Mike is For Him?

~Deltarune Chapters 3+4 Spoilers~

I'm still working on a post on what equipment Tenna would want, and then I realized...hey, microphones should probably be their own post. This is because of multiple reasons: we have Mike, we have the fact he actually holds a microphone in a sprite, and the microphone is just important! So we'll have our own smaller post for the microphone and the cable he'll need to connect it.

Which one is Tenna holding?

This is the easiest, since it's just figuring out which microphone Toby probably used as reference, and there's one in particular that would fit the bill the best, because it's an iconic microphone model. Everyone has seen this microphone before, it's *the* microphone. This is also the closest match for Photorealistic Mike that I could find, but if someone has a better match they can ID, then by all means go for it.

Tenna's physical microphone is most likely the Audio-Technica AT818 Microphone.

So, just to go over what that name means: Audio-Technica is the company who makes the microphone. They're a Japanese company that's been top of the line for a very, very long time globally and mainly make microphones and headphones. AT818 is the model (AT is denoting that it's made by Audio-Technica, 818 is just the number they assigned it).

This is a cardioid microphone, which means it won't pick up everything in every direction and instead what's in front of it in a heart-like pattern. That's excellent for picking up one person talking. It also has a dynamic transducer, which makes it more precise with what it picks up and records and was revolutionary at the time. The AT818 is a classic for a reason, and stuck around for a longass time.

What's that cord do, though?

That's an XLR cable, and you need it. Some people also call it a cannon plug, but that's less of a thing nowadays. We use these for connecting audio, lighting, cameras, power...it's a very versatile cable and you won't see a set without one. Some microphones don't need to be plugged in for power (they have *phantom power*, which I have worked with for eight years and I still don't know what that means so don't worry about it), but everything has to be plugged in to transmit their audio to the recording device, usually with this. And because I know some people will want to see wires and cords for other reasons, here are some more pictures of them in different angles. First, where to plug it into the microphone.

All XLR cables that we use for professional microphones have the three pin configuration (the pin is that sticking-up bit of metal). There are other configurations for XLRs, they're for intercoms and the like and don't matter to the topic at hand. The other end can have a different shape depending on what it's supposed to connect to and also doesn't pertain to what I'm talking about. For the microphone we're talking about, you need to plug it in at the bottom there, so the cord will come out directly instead of from the side. After that, well, where you decide he has his multitrack recorder is up to your design, really. I was talking about suggestions with other people and i got in the forearm, a holster on the hip, or an ant-like butt that it connects into. Obviously if you need art references for the XLR cable so I'm going to go over what you can't find in a photo reference: how they move and feel.

These things are bitches and they are in charge of you. No, I'm not kidding. They're thick, they're tough, they're heavy, and if you treat them right, they're working for thirty years, but if you don't, not only are they disappointed in you, everyone in the crew is disappointed, because you fucked up the XLR cable. You cannot make them do what you want, you have to go with what they want. If you're drawing these, they'll have a lot of weight and very rarely be straight, since they love to coil in one direction and straightening them out can really screw them up. They're strong and won't ever have a sharp edge to them unless you want the director to fire you. If your Tenna has them bare, they'd also be a great show of emotions since these fuckers have so much personality to them it's a pain in the ass. I hate XLR cables. I went through some videos on cable management and I think this one is the closest to what I was taught in school on how to manage them and also shows how they really move and operate.

Notice how when you are handling them you have to run your finger along it when you pick it up. He doesn't force it into loops, it decides the loops for him and he goes with it. You physically feel how it wants to bend and follow through on it. If you force it to do something it doesn't want, congratulations, you just fucked up an XLR cable.

That's just what I have for now. I've been thinking about doing something about each of the Mikes since I thought it was funny how they're different microphones too, but I'm still thinking about that one. We needed to talk about his physical microphone while I work on the other bits, so here it is! His microphone. I looked at a lot of catalogues for microphones around this era from different companies just to see if there's a different one he could be using, but the one I said above seemed best. If anyone wants the microphones I was looking at for more options, then send me an ask and I'll post the catalogues I was flipping through.

[cadybear420]

Happy Wedding Day to Aiden and Evie!!!!

It's June 20, 2025! AKA, the official date of Aiden and Evie's wedding! So I've decided to revamp my original Aidevie Wedding Headcanons post! Comes with edits and a few dialogue snippets!

Original Questionairres Here and Here. I've combined them into this one big list.

Tags for those who may be interested:

@lover-also-fighter-also | @choicesmc | @our-own-private-paradise |

@loreofyore | @rjschoicesstuff | @aria-ashryver |

@zhoumeyourlove | @dutifullynuttywitch | @storyofmychoices |

@peonyblossom | @rosesnink | @aces-and-angels |

@pansexy-choices-the-sequal | @hssprimefan | @aallotarenunelma |

@lilyoffandoms |

How long were they together before they got engaged?

They got engaged on May 21, 2022– so they'd known each other for about 5 years, and had been girlfriend-boyfriend for about 4 and a half years. By this time, Evie had finished her second year of Uni and Aiden had finished his 3rd year of Uni. Despite them dating in high school and maybe going to different universities (I'm still figuring out where Evie goes to for Uni), they've had a very strong relationship all throughout.

Who first brought up the option of marriage? Was it an easy topic?

Evie I think was the first to bring it up. A few months into their relationship, they mostly just casually tossed the idea around a few times, as well as the idea of living with each other. Sort of like "imagine if we got married one day", or "I'd love to live with you in the future". Evie has fantasized about it more, so she was the first to think of talking about it. It wasn't necessarily difficult, but it was something they both wanted to be absolutely sure about and not rushing too fast into.

Evie had long since made it clear she wanted to be the one to propose, should they ever get married... but the two had also agreed that, prior to any proposal no matter who proposes, they would talk about it together if either of them felt sure of having a marriage. That way, no one would feel like they're being put on the spot by the other's proposal.

By at least late February 2022, Evie was starting to feel more sure of actually marrying Aiden, and by mid April, she initiated the conversation with him. And both were sure they were ready for it.

Who proposed and how? Was it grand and public? Discreet and private? Was it expected?

Evie proposed, obviously. She's always fantasized about proposing to a hypothetical future husband and always imagined it going perfectly. It's what makes her feel special personally, not to mention it's very gender euphoric.

Again, even early on into their casual marriage talks, Evie had made it very clear that she wanted to be the one to propose... though she'd often worry she was coming off as picky. Not to mention how she knows how Aiden sometimes worries he's not doing enough for her.

But they have sometimes coordinated who would do homecoming proposals and promposals– after Aiden had asked Evie to homecoming and prom as per the OG HSS timeline, Evie did express wanting to ask Aiden, and so he did agree that Evie would get to do the asks next year (during the HSS:CA timeline). They split it in Evie's senior year– Evie would ask Aiden to homecoming, Aiden would ask Evie to prom.

So, it probably wouldn't be as big a deal for Evie to insist that she propose. But she still can be unsure of herself about stuff like that.

I imagine a younger Aiden had always pictured himself being the one to propose, if he were ever to get married. Part of him still wanted to be the one to propose marriage and in general planning something big and special and important for Evie, but he does also understand how much it means to Evie to propose to him.

In the end, it's not all that important to him to be the one to propose. Plus, it didn't take long for him to grow onto the idea of being treated to a big special spoiling proposal. Even ignoring their Who Gets To Do The Hoco And Prom Asks talks, he does know he should let himself be treated and spoiled more.

As for how the proposal went down... Evie had been rotating this proposing-to-Aiden fantasy in her head like a rotisserie chimken for years, but it was only by late February/early March that year is when she was settling on a distinct idea of how she'd like to propose to him.

But even though her plan had become more strongly developed, when it was time for the actual proposal... she started screaming internally and began agonizing over everything.

While they made sure no one would be put on the spot to agree to say yes, they both still wanted some element of surprise to it. Like, Aiden knew Evie might propose to him, he just didn't know when. So there was already a lot of agonizing there on Evie's part.

See, she wanted to treat him to something big and special leading up to the proposal, but it couldn't be too big that it'd be painfully obvious what it was leading to and thus ruin the element of surprise. Like, oh wow, the two of you have officially decided on marriage, and you're going all out in spoiling the fuck out of Aiden on a day that isn't a particular special event? I just wondeeeerrrr what it could be abooouuuuut.

Evie also agonized a lot over which kind of engagement ring to get Aiden. She wanted one that sort of made him feel special, but was still within his tastes. She knew he probably wasn't gonna be upset and that she did know him well enough to choose something he'd like, but part of her also really wanted the proposal to be perfect y'know?

On May 21, 2022, Evie proposed to Aiden. She found a way to keep it simple but big. So she just took Aiden on a very extensive date that day. A day full of swimming, go-karting, and dancing. Then she took him back to her house, only to find that she– or at least their friends– had decorated the shit out of her house (Evie's choice of decorations, of course).

Then she led him to her backyard, giving a speech about her love for him... before dropping down on one knee and opening up a purple velvet ring box. Aiden said yes before she even had a chance to actually pop the question.

"Aiden Zhou, will you–" "Yes, Evie, yes yes YES!!!" He freezes, his face turning deep red. "Oh... sorry, um..." "It's okay, My King!" "Um... you can continue if you want..." "Are you sure? I mean, I'm not upset that you–" "Yeah, but I know how much you wanted to say it." "That's true, heh. Well then... Aiden Zhou, will you marry me?" "Yes, yes, a thousand times YES!"

Show us their engagement and/or wedding rings!

The engagement ring!

Dazzling diamond, unique, stylish– but still sleek and simple and not too clunky. Exactly what Aiden likes.

The Wedding Rings!

Think the style/design of the top image (sans the engraving on the heart), with the purple stripe+pattern in the bottom left image on the outside, and the music engravings of the bottom right image on the inside.

The musical notes engravings would be directly from one of the songs Aiden has composed for Evie.

Bonus: a series of other ideas I considered for their wedding bands! Was hard to decide which one, but ultimately I think they both wanted something with a cute design that was unique to them, but also relatively simple and not too clunky.

Truth be told, I'm not sure who wears which ring. Evie likes the left one because it's technically the more "masculine" one, but she also likes the right one because it has the gem in it and she likes that shit. The left one is also the one with the hole, which does make it suited for Aiden. I think judging by how the rings are designed, they are adjustable and so they each take turns with who wears which ring, swapping every month. I'm also gonna pretend their ring sizes aren't much different anyways.

Who were the first people to find out about the engagement? How did they react?

Pretty much all of their friends, since they helped with the decorations for Evie's proposal.

We all know Emma, Ezra, and especially Myra just absolutely lost their shit when they found out. Everyone was very proud and excited for them, but especially those three.

Scott also knew prior to the proposal. Evie was so excited, there's no way she wouldn't tell her Dad about it. He's equally excited, but also of course can't help himself with Dad Puns.

Aiden's parents would have of course known that they were technically making wedding plans, but they don't learn about the official engagement until after Evie's proposal, when he tells them excitedly.

How long was the engagement?

Evie and Aiden waited 3 years after their engagement before officially getting married. Seeing as they were both still in Uni, they wanted to take their time with planning the wedding. Plus, they're both pretty cautious and did wanna give it a few more years to think about it more deeply.

After Evie graduated, they had a lot more time and were able to fully plan their wedding within the following year.

Did they plan the wedding by themselves, with help, or with a professional planner? Who did most of the planning?

Both had pretty equal parts in the planning. Though I'd probably say Evie chose most of the decorations, but Aiden did vibe with nearly all of her choices so yeah. They did also have a few friends and family to give them guidance.

Was the planning and time up til the wedding stressful?

Evie sometimes did agonize over it, wanting a perfect dream role-reversed wedding. But for the most part, they were taking it relatively easy.

Wedding Party? Who are the maids of honor and/or best men? Why and how were they chosen?

Evie's bridal party consists of:

Emma, who is her Best Woman

Caleb

Cher Lee (my HSS:CA MC)

Bear Lee (my HSS:CA MC's twin)

Frank

Julian

Jade

Sakura

and possibly others.

Aiden's groom party consists of:

Myra, who is his Maid of Honor

Adelaide (my ROD MC who is also Aiden's cousin)

Ezra

Cameron

Michael

Ajay

Maria

Skye

Nishan

and possibly others.

Emma and Myra are Evie's and Aiden's closest bestest friends, respectively.

Emma generally prefers dresses, but she knows she can rock a suit and enjoys wearing suits every now and then. She was more than happy to wear one as Evie's Best Woman.

Myra wanted to go a bit all-out for Aiden's wedding, but did have to be careful not to upstage the groom. But let's be real, given the look he picked for himself, it's near impossible for anyone to upstage him.

Big Wedding or Small? Was there any drama whatsoever regarding the guest list?

Somewhere in between? The venue is fairly expensive, but the guests only consist of family and friends (a lot of the friends being those that they knew at Berry).

There wasn't really any drama with the guest list.

Show us a mood/stimboard of their wedding's general aesthetic/colors/theme?

Both Evie and Aiden want a nice balance between "simple, light-hearted, and whimsical" and "upscale, luxurious, and grand", so they decide on the former aesthetic for the ceremony, the latter aesthetic for the indoor area of the reception, and a mix of both for the outdoor area of the reception.

They definitely wanted some cherry blossom(-esque) decorations, because it's one of their favorite flowers. Cherry blossoms are awesome.

The leafy purple and succulent flowers + stray flowers for table decorations were because they both love the color purple, and because it did add a touch of summery chill relaxation vibes. Also, it matches the genderqueer flag. Pure Coincidence, I assure you. I picked those in like 2023, before I became more familiar with genderqueer as an umbrella term.

The candles are also Bergamot-scented and free party favors for guests to keep. Aiden and Evie made sure to save a stash for themselves as well.

I imagine there may also be some sunflowers. And rosies. So many pretty flowers aaagahhahahaga I want all the pretty flowers and so does Evie.

Tell me about the cake!

Red Velvet cake with chocolate chips inside, covered with an appropriate layer of basic vanilla frosting. Topped with a little ceramic bride-and-groom topper of them.

What about the flowers/bouquet?

Aiden's Bouquet (left) and Evie's Bouquet (right).

Evie has a bit of a fixation for pretty flowers, so they decided on both of them carrying a bouquet. Also whoop-dee-fuckin-woohoo surprise surprise, Evie's bouquet is genderqueer flag colored too. Also a Pure Coincidence, I picked these in 2023.

Aiden wanted genderqueer colored flowers too, but the two of them did want to add some summery-lookin flowers into the mix. It is a Summer wedding. They did also want each bouquet to match the other's outfit.

Do they get married through court? Church? Third secret option?

Either court or secret third option. They want it to technically be officially legalized, but also not so fussy.

When do they get married? Night or day? Any specific reason for either?

Probably they'd want it to take place over mid-late afternoon and/or early-mid evening. I'd think they'd want a bit of daytime and a bit of nighttime, but also still have enough nighttime to consummate their marriage hehe

Where was the Wedding?

The wedding was in the ballroom of a grand beachside hotel in upper Cedar Cove, I do not have a name for it yet lol. Evie gets excited about hotels, especially beachside hotels, so yeah.

Do either of them play music while walking down the aisle (if they do at all)? If yes, show us their song.

They definitely wanted music for when Aiden's walking down the aisle (and when officiating the marriage), preferably something that was the right balance of grand and ethereal.

I feel like they'd go with "Worthy" (Bmblb pt. 2) by Casey Lee Williams ft. Ariyel, from the RWBY V9 soundtrack. They both find it a beautiful song, a great combination of grand and ethereal, and these lyrics in particular are VERY fitting for them and their relationship:

And now I know I'm worthy of you (Oh, can't you see, you could be with me) With еvery smile you told me (I am your dream)"I love you" See me for everything I am You don't run away No matter the mistakes I made It's here, you'll stay And now I know I'm worthy of you (Oh, can't you see, you could be with me) With every smile you told me (I am your dream)"I love you"

Show us their outfits!

Edits by me, Art by @rjschoicesstuff! Please go give that art some love hehe <3 <3 <3

Evie of course went with a suit. Masc velvet suit hell yeah. Evie is obsessed with velvet textures.

Aiden by this point has become very comfortable wearing a dress. But he had a hard time deciding between whether his wedding outfit should be a suit or a dress, because he does like both for different reasons. At one point he even considered a hybrid of the two, eg. a blazer and tie over a dress, a suit that had a skirt-like appendage (think of f!Sam's wedding outfit from TNA 3), or some sort of jumpsuit.

He did end up deciding on a dress because a pants suit isn't exactly practical for the garter toss they wanted to do. He wanted a mix between elegant and sexy for his dress, and decided to forgo a blazer and tie too because he preferred the dress as it is.

In general, Aiden wanted to look and feel like an absolute ethereal special beautiful sexy GODDESS on his wedding day. Because let's be real, he is an absolute ethereal special beautiful sexy GODDESS, and he absolutely DESERVES to feel like one.

Bonus because why the hell not: My old designs for them. I liked them at first but eventually I just wasn't vibing with the hairstyles; Evie's looked too neat and corporate and did not go with those glasses, and Aiden's looked too blocky. Also the belt on Evie's suit is pretty, but I think she'd quickly start to find it too clunky. Also Aiden's skirt looked too thick and clunky in the original and it looks much better in RJ's art.

Bonus 2 because why the hell not: an older design for Aiden's wedding dress. I initially didn't like how the liquify tool made the dress come out, but revisiting it now... it's actually pretty decent to me. I may hold onto it for a different event.

Bonus 3 because why not: even older, more prototype Aidevie wedding designs, from 2021. My editing skills were very beginner level at the time. A friend of mine did the recoloring for Evie's outfit. I do still kinda like the idea of Aiden having a flower crown veil, not sure I can see Evie wearing a veil tho.

Do they follow any familiar, cultural, and/or religious traditions at any point of the wedding? Which traditions were important to them? Which ones did they skip?

They kept a lot of basic conventional wedding traditions, but with many of the gender-based ones they had, they'd have the roles reversed.

Aiden is the one walking down the aisle while Evie is the one waiting at the altar.

Both of them are carrying a bouquet, but only Aiden is doing a bouquet toss. Evie is holding onto hers.

Evie is the one tossing Aiden's garter.

Evie is the one bridal-carrying Aiden out of the venue and into their new home. Their first dance was a role-reversal of traditional waltz/ballroom as well (as is all their waltz/ballroom dances).

Evie and Aiden would also incorporate a few traditions from their own cultures, but role-reverse those too as fitting. Eg. IIRC there's a tradition in Chinese culture where the bride's new shoes can't touch the ground until she gets to their new home, so naturally Evie and Aiden would do a reversal of this and carry Aiden to make sure his shoes didn't touch the ground until their new home. Also there may be some sort of dragon-phoenix symbolism incorporated somewhere somehow, where Evie's the dragon and Aiden's the phoenix– though this one is also partly because that's what fits them best, and not just for the sake of role reveresal.

Who was the ringbearer?

Aiden's cat, Meowzart.

Evie's cat Daisy would have joined too, but she hates large crowds. Meowzart is a little more coordinated. But Daisy would still get to wear this little top hat (along with Meowzart wearing the veil)

Who married them?

A Professional Wedding Officiant, probably.

Show us their vows. Did either of them tear up at them?

Aiden, unsure how to properly word his vows, decided to compose a violin song. He has his Maid of Honor bring his violin along and hand it to him when it's time to say vows. He follows his composition with a short speech:

"This particular song was, of course, inspired by you, Evie. My future wife, and my best muse. Specifically, it was inpired by your confidence. Your confidence in me. Even when I would screw up, or had my less favorable moments... you could challenge me, but you never closed the door on me. You never thought lesser of me for... not always understanding you. Or when I would try to communicate through song, when my words just felt wrong. "Which is why I've composed this song for you today. Even now, words don't always come to me so easily, and these vows are no exception... but you've helped me accept that part of myself. You've helped me accept a lot about myself better. And better understand what are the real problems, and what aren't. And understand that those that are real problems... are manageable with you. "The moment I realized for sure that I loved you was when you told me, seven years ago, after my first promposal to you... that because music was important to me, my using it to express my feelings towards you was like me saying you were important to me. And it's vastly changed my perspective. "I love you, Evie Ayana. And I promise to maintain this all for you. To maintain my confidence and love for you just as you have for me. To work through our difficulties together. To always value the influence you have had and still have in my life, and to be– to continue to be– a fantastic person and now husband to you. You are important to me, you deserve only the best. And I want to continue to be that for you."

Evie also has a lot of trouble with wording her vows at first, but then has an easier time when she learns that employing narrative can be a common and pretty significant feature of wedding vows. So she decides to base hers around the story of when they first confessed their love to each other at prom.

"I remember, about seven years ago, when you first told me you loved me at our first prom. I was... elated, flattered, so, so excited, that you loved me just as I loved you. But at the same time, I was also... a little terrified. Terrified... that that love could end. Terrified that I'd end up doing something to hurt you, and destroy that love. There had even been a few disagreements before that, where I... was worried I'd hurt you, or that I'd overstepped. As well a few times where I was upset with you, where I felt you did something that you shouldn't have. "And yet, you said you love me anyway. And I said I love you as well. But what did that mean? That we were never going to disagree or be upset with each other ever again? "No. If we thought like that... well, where would we draw the line on what constitutes... a lack of love? Do we just never challenge each other ever in order to have real love for each other? Do we end things just because one of us so much as doesn't understand something the same way? "Even though disagreements were not (and still are not) commonplace for us, it was (and is) still evident that... they are inevitable in good, strong relationships. In even the best relationships So why did I still say 'I love you', even with my fear that it could be ruined, that it'd almost been ruined before, that our love was not real? Because in a way, sunconsciously, I figured... there may be a few reasons here and there that I might get upset with you. But there are a thousand more reasons for me to love you. And maybe that's what makes it real. "Perhaps, when we said 'I love you' to each other, we implicitly made an understanding. An understanding... that we probably wouldn't just be unwaveringly enamored with each other for eternity, but understanding to... accept... that imperfections and rocks and bumps... will be inevitable in our relationship. Understanding that you and I are people who can and will figure out how to work through those rocks and bumps in the appropriate manner, however it may be. Understanding that we... trust each other, but also can't be afraid to challenge each other when it matters. Understanding that not only would we have a lot of positives in their relationship, but also that any negatives in out relationships would be things we can and will do our best to work around. "By that point, I had known you well enough that I could decide... yes, Aiden Zhou, you are someone with whom I can manage the rocks and bumps with. You are just such an amazing person, and my life has only improved with you in it. I value you. I trust you. I love you. And after seven more years, I've gotten to know you even more, and my opinion holds even stronger because of that. "Within those following seven years that have passed since then, I've come to realize that that is the understanding we have of each other. Not just in our love declarations... but in almost every relationship milestone we've had. Every time we've come back together after either of us screws something up. Every time we say 'I love you' to each other. It's that understanding that keeps us going, that has always kept us going. "And today, our marriage... is simply an extension, a larger-step continuation, of that understanding. "Aiden Zhou... I love you. And I promise you that I mean everything that comes with it."

Did they tear up at each other's vows... do I even need to answer that? You know they both did.

Did anyone oppose the marriage? Did they speak then, or did they just forever hold their peace?

If anyone did oppose, we wouldn't know if they did or who they were. They forever held their peace, as they damn well should!

What was the ceremony/reception like? Any highlights?

After the ceremony, the reception went as follows:

First is their first dance as newlyweds. Aiden composed and recorded the song for it and kept it a surprise until now. Evie absolutely loses her shit over it.

Next is dinner and cake. Aiden and Evie fed each other the cake. No smashing it in each other's faces because that's messy and annoying however Aiden had a different kind of cake he was gonna smash into Evie's face, and they saved the wedding topper statue as a decorative commemorative ornament.

Next is toasts and roasts. Michael roasted the absolute fuck out of the newlyweds. Scott gave a very pun-infused speech. Emma read out some prose she wrote for them. Ezra and Myra performed a ballad they made for them. Glen and Bridget gave a very emotionally charged (in a positive way) speech about how far they've come since the Isa incident and how proud they were of their son. And possibly many more that I can't think of right now.

After that is the bouquet and garter tosses. Michael caught the bouquet (Evie was reluctant to let him keep those pretty summery orange flowers). Maria caught the garter (Aiden was reluctant to let her keep that lovely sexy accessory, even though he did keep a backup for their wedding night). Evie also almost tried to pull the garter off Aiden's leg with her teeth, until she remembered that both of them had family members there.

Last, is the actual party. Aiden and Evie made sure to have a variety of activities set up such as dancing, video games, karaoke, crafts, etc. A very exciting and vibrant night for everyone.

What about something that was uniquely ‘them’?

Their blend of aesthetics to have something vibrant and grand and exiting but not overwhelming. The insane variety of flowers. Their vows. And also how very shamelessly deliberately GNC their wedding was.

What’s their favorite memory of the day?

They can't really choose just one memory. Aiden is particularly fond of the songs he composed, though.

Did anyone pass out from a food/alcohol coma?

I don't think so, no.

Not food related, though, but Aiden will certainly be very stuffed by the end of the night :DDD

Do they have a honeymoon? Where to? How soon after?

First they spent one week in a suite of their wedding venue hotel. It's a very lovely hotel, plus they wanted a week to just go straight to their room and chill before heading out on a plane. There was a fair amount of sexy time and jacuzzi extortion, especially on the wedding night itself, but most of it was them relaxing and cuddling in bed, watching favorite movies, etc.

Next, they spent a week in a beachy/summery resort in Las Vegas. They wanted at least one part of the honeymoon to have full summer getaway vibes. 50% of their vacation was spent going swimming in the hotel pools, and the other 50% was very intense sexy time + extortion of the shower and jacuzzi.

They spent the final week in London, England, in the same hotel that they stayed at for the Spotlite trip in HSS:CA 3. Partly because they both like it there and partly because of the memory of going to Spotlite that was very important to them. This part of the honeymoon is lower on the sexy time, somewhat higher on the chill/relax time, with a lot of exploring of the city.

Do they renew their vows? Remarry, even?

I think they might do vow renewal on major milestone anniversaries (10 years, 25 years, 50 years, etc).

If the couple could describe their wedding in a sentence, how would they?

Grand, whimscal, ethereal, and shamelessly genderqueer as fuck.

If you could describe their wedding in a sentence, how would you?

Grand, whimscal, ethereal, and shamelessly genderqueer as fuck.

[ckret2]

oh hey talking about that point is what inspired me to make this post in the first place, because this post was on a related topic but a different point. "'Accept your inability to change the past' is a ridiculous moral for stories with the ability to change the past" and "what are the implications if Jack specifically changes the past" are two separate issues.

But: I do think that within the Samurai Jack universe there's only one timeline, and that by changing the past, Jack altered the future and thus erased the future Aku was ruling—which also means erasing all the people who lived in that future—and that the show's stance on this is "we're not gonna talk about that because we think the time traveling hero coming back from the future plot is cool and we don't wanna morally complicate it." And I accept that that's their priority.

I'm on the fence about whether, if they'd explored the new future, they would have ACTUALLY had everyone Jack knew be gone, or if they would've taken the cute reverse-butterfly-effect handwave route and had everyone he knew still be alive in a kinder future. Like the season 1-4 Samurai Jack of Cartoon Network probably would've gone for the cute ending, but the season 5 Samurai Jack of Adult Swim is melancholy enough it could've just erased everyone.

but 1) the way Ashi's disappearance is framed—not that she's vanishing because the future disappeared, but because Aku specifically didn't exist to make her—kind of implies the possibility that the writers would've said anyone NOT directly connected to Aku could still exist; and 2) if the writers ever did explore the new future, I'm sure it would've been solely as a "let's see what everyone we know and care about is up to in the new world!" thing and so all the characters we know would still exist.

So in my mind, I think that all the characters are gone; but in my heart, I feel like if push comes to shove Genndy wouldn't have followed through on that lmao. but since nobody's put a gun to Genndy's head and forced him to write a story in the new future i'm choosing to headcanon that everyone's gone because that fits with my personal time travel aesthetic sensibilities.

i've seen people argue that jack should have stayed in the future and the moral of the show should have been about trying to fix things in the present and not trying to relive the past

and i feel like that's a perfectly good lesson... for a world that doesn't have time travel. because in a world that doesn't have time travel, you can't live in the past and you can't change the past. you must move on.

but samurai jack does have time travel. jack literally can change the past.

so in that context, saying "he shouldn't go back to the past to fix a bad thing" is kind of like saying "if you're in a building that catches fire, and the arsonist throws you out a window, you should write the whole building off as a loss and move on. that's it. once you're outside, you're outside. it's over. your only option now is to watch the whole thing burn down. you can't go back to the building with a hose to put out the fire, because that would be bad for your mental health or something. just let that bitch burn. yes even if there are still families trapped inside. yes even if you're literally holding the hose and all you need to do is walk close enough to aim it at the fire. it's too late! you've left the building! make no effort to save anyone from the arsonist!"

making the moral "accept that you can't change the past" only makes sense when you can't change the past.

[babyloniastreasure]

something that kind of bothers me about modern feelings toward the epic of gilgamesh is how it's been COMPLETELY watered down to being "gay". Bear with me as I explain.

this is more of an extreme example, but I see this take all the time (not the yaoi part. the gay lover part). it's boiled down to the fact that it's gay over literally anything else in the epic. Gilgamesh's lament to Urshanabi about Enkidu's loss is overshadowed by the fact that Gilgamesh is mourning his gay lover. Gilgamesh is on a journey because he lost his gay lover. Gilgamesh and Enkidu were gay.

Now I understand that with a modern lens, people tend to lock on to how unabashedly Gilgamesh mourns Enkidu, because it's gay and because it's the oldest written epic in human history. People feel deeply connected to the idea that people like them have been around since the dawn of literature. But placing exclusive focus on the nature of the relationship as gay, rather than why the relationship or its loss was important, erases the story the epic is trying to tell.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story about love, yes, but it is not a love story. It's about the fear of death, coping with loss, and desperation to stave off the inevitable. It's about the bonds of friendship, about hardship, coming to terms personal change and losing pieces of yourself as you learn and grow. It is about consequences, arrogance, death, second chances, mourning, yearning, loving and LIVING. The Epic of Gilgamesh is about the entire human experience and one man's struggle to accept it. What does it mean to have lived? What does it mean to have loved, and lost? What does it mean to die, and to be remembered? What does it mean to be human?

It is perfectly okay to find appreciation for the Epic because of Gilgamesh and Enkidu's relationship. But also understand that the world's oldest story is not about two gay men who loved each other. It is a story about being alive.

TLDR;

[wackywatchdotcom]

see ragatha with horse legs was 100% written because i found the idea extremely funny and wanted to draw it and wasnt intended to be a hc thing. but maybe it SHOULD be.... hm

[rouge-the-bat]

really hate the trend in many progressive circles where people diminish the suffering certain groups face by adding a caveat of "but dont forget youre not the intended target," or insist certain groups shouldnt even discuss their problems with "how dare you make this about yourself, others groups have it worse."

neither awareness, support, discussions, nor oppression are a competition or in limited supply. there is no reason to ignore or silence others to get more of the spotlight. you will only be aiding in others suffering by doing so.

[kodokberjamur]

Uhh so I blacked out, and—

[kittykatkatelol]

should i get into fallout,, i’ve been considering it but um. idk. what is ur opinion…oh mutual of mine..

YES YES JOIN US CRAWL INTO THE FALLOUT ITS GREAT TRUST

[halfbaked00q]

would u ever write the catboy!Bond fic u want to see in the world?

listen........ ive said it on the tin okay :') would that I could but unfortunately I specialize in a take-and-bake supply sort of business model.... some semi-percolation is as far as I get in most cases....... im sure if i Try Rly Hard I may eventually get my metaphoric oven here to bake out some real bread but Im working with what feels like an Easy Bake Oven :') on good days it upgrades to a janky old toaster oven and I can cough out some ficbits :') but uhhh nothing I'd want to put on AO3, which I feel like... requires a higher level of fully-baked-ness than is permissible on the tumbs..... :')

[waffulaa]

january 15 is the best day for me as a vocaloid leon fan because i'm guaranteed to see at least 2 leon fanarts posted that day

[bigbrotherlouis]

in a great many senses, being thoroughly and fully embedded in fanfiction for a decade has done wonders for my writing - i think the constant feedback helped me find my voice well, i've learned some of my writing weaknesses and how to mitigate those, i've been able to play with style and form and syntax in a really safe environment. i still can experiment whenever i want, i can mimic my favourite authors in a way that allows me to learn what i like while making it my own, and figure out how to make it work for me, then try something completely different the next piece. it's so valuable and i think underappreciated in the writing/fic writing communities.

however! in dipping my feet back into original fiction (and i mean original. no converting fic or using half-baked fic premises also not for a class) i have had to unlearn some bad habits. namely among them, that i can get things done in one and a half drafts. i've been increasingly frustrated with myself that this original piece does not have the worldbuilding established like it should because i am having to create the world from scratch, without anything to rest it upon. i am having to remember that the first draft is really a discovery. i am learning things about my story as i write, because the only place it exists is in my own head. and that's hard for me! it's also hard having to keep going instead of going back to fix everything, because as i discover, i leave holes where the foundation will go later.

it's a process! a frustrating process! a frustrating process that i have forgotten how to navigate a little bit because i've been happily cutting my teeth on fanfiction. but i'm having fun. ish.

[ultrakillingmyself]

I read the shit I wrote yesterday and like. Dude this is Weird

[joshuamj]

yall i am soooo close to writing a whole essay about my thoughts on isat but there's just so much to talk about...

[wheucto]

if you guys are going to post things about the new ii episode, please don't tag it with bfdi if there's nothing bfdi about it, or at least tag it with ii spoilers / ii 17 spoilers (or a spoiler tag. or multiple). just something please

(not mad! this is just a general request)