Tumgik
#also I've noticed everything is re-reading or re-watching
carpe-mamilia · 1 year
Text
Tagged by @notyouraveragejulie - thank you!
Favourite colour: blue. Pretty much every article of clothing I own that isn't theatre blacks for backstage is either blue or horizontal stripes or both
Currently reading: Alice Through the Looking Glass, because I re-read Wonderland when we were doing the opera
Last song: Two Worlds (Ebn-Hakia's aria from Iolanta). I have to say that Fedora largely left me cold, but Iolanta is Tchaikovsky and therefore has some bops
Last series: just binged Yonderland again, also showed my assistant Detectorists when she came to stay with me while we were doing alterations
Sweet, savoury or spicy? Would have to go with savoury. There are so many sweets and cakes around backstage, which is very nice and all but does make you rather long for a toastie
Currently working on: Iolanta, the last of the three operas I have been working on as Costume Supervisor this summer. It's been bloody hard work but the end is now in sight, and honestly this one is about a hundred times easier than the other two for various reasons. Assorted pics of Fedora and Alice in Wonderland (by Laima Arlauskaite) below since we haven't had the photos from the Iolanta dress rehearsal through yet.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Tagging: @stoportotouch @fabledquill @mischieffoal @deez-no-relation @aconissa @mothlm @princessprouvaire @truthhux if you'd like to!
10 notes · View notes
allmcl · 9 months
Note
hi!! do you also write for armin (separately)? ive been craving some armin content for a while and i found your account, your writing is so amazing, and i was wondering if you'd write something where candy and armin arent back together yet in UL and, after a night in the snake room with alexy, rosa, priya and the others, armin decides to fight for her love not knowing he doesn't need to fight for it since she's head over heels for him
STILL HERE │ Armin Keenan.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
When a reunion with an old love reminds Armin of everything they experienced together, he decides that after so much time, it's now or never that he should get you back.
pairing('s). armin keenan x f!reader
genre. fluff, angsty.
content wanings. mentions of breakup, alcohol consuming, cursing, kissing, suggestive themes.
author's note. MISSED THIS BOY SO MUCH DURING UL, hope you like this!! (tysm for requesting, sorry it took so long!) AND BTW, i found like a lot of lastnames and i decided for this one (not sure if is the canon one ://)
Tumblr media
I was sure that my return to the city would be harder. After all, I couldn't blame anyone for being angry with me. If one of my friends just left, without even saying goodbye, I wouldn't be happy either. But, luckily for me, they had a much better reaction than I expected.
At the moment, I only saw Rosa and Melody. Although perhaps I didn't know how to show it at the time, having seen them after so long squeezed my heart so much that I still feel my emotions on the surface.
To tell the truth, I'm scared. Although I used to seeing eachother very often in high school, whether to go out for a drink or just to walk around the city, this is not high school anymore. And it's now, when I'm getting ready to go out, that I feel like I'm getting ready in my old room to go shopping with the them. The phone vibrates, and brings me out of my melancholic thoughts.
I look at him out of the corner of my eye, the screen glows with a notification from Alex.
Alex…
I refrain from further worries and simply read it from the preview.
"[Y/NNN]??? we are waiting for youuuu"
"Years waiting to see you, and you still late🙄​"
I smiled wistfully. I know he says it jokingly, but the guilt is real. But that's not important now, because it's once and for all my time to fix that, and to get back on track with my life here. I type a quick, “on my way,” before pocketing my phone and heading out the door to my campus room. Although the phone rings again, I don't bother checking it and I hurry to arrive on time.
Tumblr media
I look at the time on the screen: "11:48." I curse under my breath. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I'm lost, and that even though I've been wandering around on the same street for more than twenty minutes, I still can´t find the bar. On the other hand, who would think of inviting someone to a place and not sending the address?
When I start to stress again, I recognize a voice in the distance that I would recognize anywhere. It's Alex. I follow the sound, although I don't pay attention to what it says, none of it matters when I see it. His eyes light up and he falls silent immediately. As I expected, he almost hugged me to the ground. Rosa also briefly joined our hug, smiling as she watched us interact.
"Finally!" He screeches in my ear, and although it dazes me a little I laugh out loud. "I missed you like crazy…" He whispered to me, and I had to separate myself for a moment to not burst out crying in my place.
"I missed you, Alex.." I sighed, but he seemed to notice my mood, changing the subject slighlty.
"You´re back, all that matters." He jokes, and I smile. "I hope you're ready for the surprise then."
I raise an eyebrow. "Surprise?"
"Yes, I told you by text." He emphasized obviously, gesturing towards his phone.
Of course, the text I didn't read. I nod briefly, so he thinks I know what he's talking about. Their surprises honestly scare me. They can go from something exciting to something illegal, you never know what to expect from these two. I'm nervous yes, I assume the "surprise" is inside.
"It's not bad at all." Rosa calms me down, she seems to read my mind sometimes. "I promise you'll be happy"
Well, now I'm scared.
Alexy wastes no time in cutting off the conversation, and Rosa simply presses her hand on my back lovingly, urging me to enter the disco-bar, "Snake Room." This was definitely not there when I lived here. Well, most of the things I see now didn't used to be there. Upon entering I immediately notice the loud music, the smoke and the smell of alcohol, the lights blur my vision a little, and it is difficult for me to discern where Alex is.
Rosa guides me a little to the table near the bar, which seems to be one of the quietest places in the place. But that's when the colored lights hanging near the stage allow me to catch a glimpse of him.
"I thought it would be nice for you to see each other again." Alex says, trying to calm the tension in the air.
My breath stops for a few moments. I don't know how to feel, but my body responds on its own. I'm shaking a little, and at this point I don't know if it's the flashing lights or their presence that's making me dizzy. I can barely move to get close to greet him. He changed a lot. Of course his essence is still there, I can tell, but it's definitely different.
"Welcome back." His voice is also different, deeper I could say. It throws me off a little. Well, all of him does. I curse myself internally. I was convinced I was ready for this, but I see I'm not.
I smile at him reflexively, and sit down across from him. The silence feels quite loud now that I feel his gaze on me, even though I avoid making eye contact. Rosa clears her throat, and gestures indiscreetly at Alex. I would laugh, if it weren't for the fact that this whole situation has me totally overwhelmed. I look at him for a few seconds, but he was already looking at me. God, I don't know if I can handle this.
"I imagined you´d be happier…" He smiled with amusement, and I couldn't help but feel my heart skip a beat at his expression. He looks boyish, in a strange way. It's as if for a moment, his expression took me back to high school Armin.
"I'm surprised, that's all." I laugh nervously.
"Well, he came all the way here just to see you." Alexy clarifies, but Rosa waves him off with a glare.
I look at him with my eyes slightly open. "You´re not living here?" The question escapes me before I can think about it.
"Not quite." He clarifies, and takes a sip of beer. It's now that my throat feels a little dry, but I don't feel like drinking alcohol. I could end up doing things i´ll regret. "Although now that you're back, I'd think about it." He winks at me.
I looked to the side, and felt my cheeks burn a little. It looked like it was going to be a long night.
Tumblr media
"I thought you were tougher." Rosa reproaches, tripping a little, but Alexy holds her steady. "Now you go to bed early and don't drink. You've become an old man." He grimaces, and a laugh escapes us.
"It's not that!" Alex complains. "I just wanted to greet [y/n] sober." He looks at me smiling, and I smile back. "I'll take care of the old drunk" Rosa exclaims a "hey!" and hits him lightly on the shoulder, but he doesn't flinch.
"Are you back on campus?" Armin asks me, and then I remember that he is, in fact, still here. He looks at me, waiting for my response but I freeze instantly. Every time he speaks I experience the same embarrassment.
"Well, I'll leave you, lovebirds." The idiot does it on purpose. But for the first time, I notice that I'm not the only one embarrassed, Armin's cheeks turn pink, and he sends a reproachful look to his twin, who smiles innocently. Some things never change, I see. "Take care of her." It sounds more like a threat than a request, to which the black-haired man rolls his eyes and nods.
I watch Alexy walk away in the opposite direction.
Silence falls between us, and it is until we see the two disappear after turning down the street that I understand that I am alone with him. I smile awkwardly at him before taking a couple steps back.
"I'll walk you back." I open my eyes a little, and look at him with surprise. He seems sure of his words, and looks at me expectantly with that smile of his that I still have to get used to. "I don't like the idea of ​​you walking alone,"
"As much of a gentleman as I remembered." I reply, a flirtatious smile escaping me and Armin simply smiles wider. "It's close, anyway"
"I insist." His expression is confident, and well, I don't mind his company either.
With a slight nod of my head, Armin understands that I agree, so we start walking towards the campus. The silence this time is not awkward, and although we don't talk about anything, it really feels like there are an infinite number of topics to touch on. Not very pleasant topics. After all, we can't ignore that we were together, and that the break-up wasn´t the most pacific thing either.
"I was also glad to see you again." I whisper, and even though my voice sounds quiet, he hears me. He always does.
"I figured you'd be mad." He confesses, and although I don't see his face I know he's looking at me.
Deep down, yes I am. But I'm not sure if that was enough of a reason to ruin the evening and Alex's surprise. It would have been nice to have mentally prepared myself so that I wouldn't have reacted like a schoolgirl to seeing him.
"Well, it's been a long time…" I clear my throat a little. "I have my reasons to be tho."
"Yeah, but I bet you forgot all of it with how good I look." He mocks, smiling widely.
I click my tongue. "You can't use your face to change the past."
"You're right, but I can use it to change things now." A lopsided smile appears on his features, and his comment takes me by surprise.
I tense up suddenly and simply look away. I hate that probably if he tried… "You're too cocky." I complain.
Deep down, I wonder if that would bother me. It's stupid. Armin didn't care that we broke up, I really wonder what his intentions are now. But, I can't deny that the memory is still alive in me. Everything about him remains in me as if he had never left, and it bothers me that I couldn't change that in this embarrassing amount of time we were apart.
"I just feel like I'm not the only one." Armin grumbles, shoving his hands into the pockets of his baggy pants. Now I also notice that his style is different. It doesn't seem like his brother intervenes as much in his clothes as before, that is, he maintains a bit of his own style more than anything. More calm and informal.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I grimace, crossing my arms before looking back at him.
"I say that because I notice the way you look at me." His words make me even more angry. Sometimes I feel like there is no one who can read me like he does. It was always like this, since we were young. One expression on my face was enough for Armin to decipher what was happening to me.
"I―no.." I stuttered and he noticed it, however, he didn't continue probing and I remained silent.
The walk to campus was getting shorter, and I wasn't sure I knew how to say goodbye. Everything was so strange. It's not that I want to see him, but knowing that he was going to leave made me feel like I couldn't just leave him like that. My heart is beating fast, I feel like even he can hear it.
And although it seems like things can't get any worse, several drops falling on my hair bring me out of my frantic thoughts. The chance of rain was quite low today, but of course it has to rain anyway.
"This weather is a bit nice." Armin points out, extending his palm to feel the raindrops on it, which slowly intensify.
"Nice? I'm soaking my clothes." I grumble, trying to cover myself a little.
"On one of these days we kissed for the first time" Armin smiles to himself, and simply lowers his gaze to look me in the eyes.
Shit. I didn't expect to have to think about this again. Less now that he´s here. Of course I remember it. I invited him to eat at the restaurant where we made that ridiculous double date that I actually still remember as one of my most precious moments.
On the way back home, rain started pouring and us, like idiots, hide nder a tree until it calmed down a bit. I wouldn´t forget something as special as that.
"You have no right Armin." I feel my eyes water at the memory, but I am relieved to know that because of the rain it is not very noticeable. "You can't say that now."
"It's not easy to pretend that I don't remember anything that happened." He frowns a little and stops in the middle of the street, forcing me to do the same.
"I'm not asking you to do it but…" I stop, feeling a sudden lump in my throat.
"And you can't pretend that the same thing doesn't happen to you."
And he is right. He always is when he talks about my feelings. He is correct, of course. Since I saw him, I knew that in fact, nothing of what I felt for him had managed to dissipate over the years. My heart still belongs to him.
"I lost you once, [y/n]. I can't let you go again…" His words hit me like a bucket of cold water. "When I knew you were coming back I―…"
I interrupted him. "Do you think it's easy for me?" I raised my tone of voice slightly, the fierce rain drowning out the noise a little. "Your lack of interest tired me out, Armin. You can't come back into my life like this and expect me to throw myself into your arms like it was nothing."
"I know I did things wrong, but I can still show you that I changed!" He raised his voice too. My heart was racing, and his blue eyes looking at me like I was the only thing in the world made me feel like a teenager again. "I'm not the same one who made mistakes. The only thing that remains of me is the love I have for you, [y/n], it's the only thing I couldn't change."
Tears are streaming down my face, and I don´t think it comes unnoticed by him anymore. He sheepishly tries to dry them, but the water keeps running down.
"Look at me," Armin approached me and forced me to look at him with a gentle movement of his hand. He pressed his fingers a little on my chin. "I love you." And now, in his bright eyes, in his warm hands and in his smile that I never thought I would see again, I see the truth.
Without being able to get the words out of my mouth, frustrated, angry, I let myself go and as if my hands knew their way, they wrapped themselves around his neck and pulled him closer to me. Our breaths merge and his arms end up around my waist. We are so close I memorize every feature of his face, every new thing my eyes notice.
"Are you going to kiss me or keep making me wait?" He murmured, and to silence him once and for all I kissed him.
I felt safe, at peace. Like I've been waiting for this forever. His lips fit perfectly on mine as always, his grip tightens and I need to hold on to him as I feel my legs shake a little. It's passionate, fierce. It's not like the way he kissed me before, so innocent and clumsy.
The butterflies that I thought were dead begin to flutter in my stomach again, and the only thing that separates me from jim is the lack of air. But even though we break the kiss, Armin doesn't let me go, he keeps me close to him and brings our foreheads together.
"This time I'll make you stay." He sighs, and kisses me again to seal his promise.
Tumblr media
©allmcl !
166 notes · View notes
byslantedlight · 4 months
Text
Hello OFMD Tumblr thingie, and all the amazing people who are out there, and especially the ones who've been making all the posts that have made me so happy over the last few months. 💖💖💖 First and most importantly, thank you, thank you, thank you, to anyone who sees this!
This is my first post to Tumblr (probably pretty obvious from my huge lack of Tumblr sophistication! And the length of this post...) If you don't count reblogging things that I wanted to be able to find again. I've braved up to comment thank you to people a couple of times, but that's been it so far. I must admit it all looks a bit scary from this side of the glass, even though I can also see how friendly people mostly are.
But OFMD fandom is big! And you've been here a long time! I loved Series 1 when I watched it, and knew I wanted to watch out for Series 2, but it wasn't until I re-watched it when the Series 2 trailer came out on BBC iPlayer that I fell veeeery in love with it! And by then you were already here, and there was a language and debates about things I'd barely even noticed, and it's mostly me staring with big eyes thinking wow, and sometimes huh? and... well, you know. Plus there's trying to work out Tumblr, which I definitely haven't actually managed to do yet, and possibly never will, so... I decided to just jump in and post summat. Even just rambling, which is a bit of a specialty of mine... I mean - what's the worst that can happen, right? 😬
So... how come now? Well, I can't make art or gorgeous screenshots or gifs. I do write, but I'm still hanging out to get the right voices in my keyboard... I know them when I hear them, but you've gotta get the right rhythm going, and I'm not quite there yet, I don't think. Although really, I should probably just sit down and try (and stop waiting for work to shut up and give me time - I should be a pirate and take it!)
Anyway (told you about the rambling...) what I'm mostly doing apart from rewatching the eps on a constant loop is reading the fic. I'm picking it according to kudos on AO3, and according to recs that I see on Tumblr, and it's occured to me that alot of the stories I'm loving must have been recced looong ago, and that newbies like me totally missed them, and so maybe I could do my own recs, even if they are of older stories, and someone might find them useful. You know, if I work out how anyone else might ever see my posts. 😁 And if people aren't put off by my probably age-revealing use of emojis. (But I am entirely age-appropriate for Ed and Stede, and if I had to look up what zaddy meant too, well, that just means I matched Rhys Darby's expression in the bts, right? 🤨)
So it's not much, but I'd like to contribute even just a tiny bit to OFMD fandom in return for everything it gives me, so... yeah. That's my plan. I'll start in a bit, but this post is probably already too long since it's just rambling. And kind of dull. I should probably have said tl:dr at the top, shouldn't I, but then maybe anyone who actually saw this wouldn't, so... See, I kind of live in hope. 😊
Okay. Tags next, right? ... ack ... why won't it let me create new tags instead of just using ones from the drop down...? Well, those will have to do for now... maybe someone who sees this will have mercy and tell me how? I'll just be over here being a slight failure at Tumblr... And if you've made it this far (how long is an acceptable post over here?! Not this long, I don't think...) - thank you hugely for just that, and may your dreams be OFMD and joyous!
82 notes · View notes
crownedghostprince · 8 months
Text
Thorin's Company x Heterochromia!Reader Headcanons
Thorin's Company x Heterochromia!Reader
Fandom: The Hobbit/LoTR
What if the dwarves met and loved (platonically or romantically) someone in Middle Earth who had a very unique condition where their eyes were coloured differently? In this world, heterochromia is incredibly rare with only a few known cases in the entire world so the dwarves are naturally curious about this.
And you get to see how your favourites might react in this Headcanon style fanfiction!
Requests: Closed. Requested: no.
Warning(s): Minor mentions of bullying and reader's family members dying in certain headcanons. Nothing graphic. <3
Note: Please note I will be changing reader's heterochromia for each dwarf's headcanon to make the writing very different. I hope that's okay. This is because this is mostly a crack-fic <3
I will also sometimes specify when reader is a woman, or has feminine characteristics/pronouns are used or mentioned, I hope that is also okay. Enjoy! :)
Word Count: 13,401 (roughly lol)
[Second Person Perspective]
Tumblr media
(Apologies for the image. I was going to post an image of Thorin's Company here, but then I realized you might not have seen a picture of a bunny today. This adorable bunny image was originally posted by "Heidi's Cottage" on tumblr! Please show them some love!!)
Thorin: (Romantic): (Dark Blue eyes with Brown around one's center)
♡ Your eyes are a little harder for Thorin to notice at first.
♡ The dark colours of your eyes and Thorin being too embarrassed to make eye-contact with you when you first met are the reasons it took him a week to notice your unique eyes.
♡ You had first met at Bilbo's house in the Shire where the candlelight bounced off the blue of your eyes when Thorin glanced over at you.
♡ You pretended to not notice him stealing glances as you listened to the gathering.
♡ So, after a week of Thorin being protective, sweet and considerate towards you, he finally noticed your eyes.
♡ It was a beautiful sunny morning and Thorin was allowing the company a few more minutes to brush and re-braid their hair.
♡ You decided to take care of your own hair and absentmindedly admired the clouds as they drifted by from above.
♡ Thorin joined you under the warm sun and made some small conversation about the journey, how rough it would be...mostly making sure you're prepared mentally.
♡ But his breath caught in his throat when you turned to meet his eyes.
♡ He always thought you shared the exact same eye colour, albeit your eyes being a much darker blue, but today he was proven wrong as his eyes drifted to the eye with the brown ring around the pupil.
♡ In the sunlight this brown colour was very distinguished and even looked slightly like caramel.
♡ He was so stunned by the beautiful design adorning your eye he didn't speak for another minute.
♡ When you finally asked if everything was alright, he slowly nodded and spoke.
♡ "In all my years I've never witnessed such beauty. Like a rare gemstone whose colours are only truly seen once under the sunlight."
♡ Please his compliments are so cute and sweet. And creative!
♡ "It's as if your eye wrapped itself in a warm autumn blanket before the cold blue winter covered it with its' icy snow."
♡ He loves your eyes even more now.
♡ They're a sight he cherishes every day.
♡ Sometimes when he can't see the brown around your pupil, he'll gently move you into the sunlight, or bring a candle between you two so he can watch the colour light up and glow.
♡ He made you a dagger with a beautiful wooden design around one of the two sapphires that adorned the handle.
♡ "I wanted to capture your eyes in this dagger for future generations to witness and admire." He smiled as he gave you his gift.
♡ There were also intricate words in Khuzdul that you now knew read, "The eyes of My Beloved."
♡ This sweet hopeless romantic makes sure you never feel embarrassed about your eyes and also stops anyone who might even joke about them. To him they're something to celebrate. Not to mock. <3
~~~
Fili: (Romantic): (Light Blue and Dark Green eyes) ((This is gonna be long, sorry lol))
♡ Your eyes are very noticeable when people first meet you.
♡ Your light blue eye stands out the most and draws people to your eyes when they first meet you, thus leading them to immediately notice the dark green colour of your other eye.
♡ When I say dark green, it's not that dark, it's simply a very strong and rich green colour.
♡ However this was not the case when you first met the dwarves during a fight against some orcs as the group ran towards Rivendell - your home.
♡ You were waiting for Gandalf's arrival when you and the other elves heard orcs just in the distance.
♡ You all saddled up and you rode alongside Lord Elrond as you all charged into battle, firing your arrows and drawing them away from Rivendell's secret entrance.
♡ You rode your horse past the entrance to the secret tunnel to make sure the orc that fell in was definitely dead and you noticed a group of dwarves, alongside Gandalf, just hidden inside.
♡ Your hair covered your eyes and the light being directly behind you made you appear more like an apparition to the dwarves rather than an actual, physical being.
♡ Thus you quickly turned away, allowing them to finish their journey to Rivendell alone as dwarves and elves typically do not get along.
♡ Once you had made it back to Rivendell, circling the dwarves and feeling unsure of their intentions, you noticed a beautiful blond dwarf in the group.
♡ He stood out from the rest of the group, the sunlight bouncing off of his hair and causing it to practically glow under its' light.
♡ You dismounted after Lord Elrond and greeted Mithrandir (Gandalf) before turning to the group.
♡ Your excellent hearing picked up on all of the stunned, but soft, gasps that flooded the group upon seeing your unique eye colours.
♡ You were simply amused by their reactions. Afterall, your eyes were a rare sight to behold.
♡ Quiet, polite whispers started to circle the group before Thorin and Lord Elrond greeted each other.
♡ "Are those her real eye colours?"
♡ "Of course, Ori, hush."
♡ "Whoa~"
♡ "Did you see his eyes, Fili?" That was a brunett dwarf with scruff talking to the blond.
♡ You simply gave the group a curt nod and avoided the blond's eye-contact before following Lindir up the steps so you could clean up and change out of your armour.
♡ The thoughts circled through your head. But specifically the name of the beautifully handsome blond dwarf...'Fili'. His name rolled through your head over and over again like a bouncy melody that never leaves your thoughts.
♡ Eventually, whilst playing your small harp you noticed heavy footsteps walking up the stairs towards you. You opened your eyes and continued to play your favourite melody as the birds in the trees above you sang along.
♡ As you expected, one of the dwarves walked up the steps and stopped at the top. But unexpectedly, it was the blond, Fili. You greeted each other with a smile and he approached you nervously.
♡ "I like your eyes. It's like the Gods couldn't choose if sapphires or emeralds would suit you better, so they gave you both." He smiled dreamily.
♡ Damnnnn he got that 'Line of Durin' rizzzz. (I'm sorry).
♡ (I'm still sorry about before) ♡ (please accept my apologies....) ♡ (I will give you cookies)
♡ And this is where your sweet romance blossomed and continued to bloom for many years.
♡ "Thank-you. I like your hair. It glows like fire under the sun's light. It's stunning." You smiled back, taking a break from your music to flirt with the sweet dwarf.
♡ He brings you green zennia (associated with lasting affection) and bluebell flowers (associated with everlasting love).
♡ When he found out what your favourite animal was he immediately made you a courting gift. A necklace with the animal as the main piece with a sapphire and emerald for each eye. Matching your eyes perfectly.
♡ You happily showed him your own courting gift. "We were thinking the same thing!" You laughed as you gave him the painting you'd made of him.
♡ It was hyper-realistic and you could see every strand of hair and even the eyelashes adorning his blue eyes on it. It was also textured so he could feel the grooves and bumps as he brushed his fingers across it.
♡ He loved it and you two had the best courtship ever.
♡ You courted for a couple years before marrying and life had never been better for the both of you.
♡ "Your eyes are enchanting. Like the forest meets the ocean. And they marry." He grins, sliding across a small box with rings and hair beads.
♡ "Oh? Is this your way of implying something?" You smile back, sliding over your own small box.
♡ "You gotta stop thinking the same thing I'm thinking. At this rate we're gonna have two celebratory weddings." He laughs.
♡ "Y'know, I see nothing wrong with that."
♡ Y'all are so cute, please have a nice two weddings.
♡ He loves making you laugh and smile - watching your eyes light up with joy. You make him so happy every single day.
~~~
Kili: (Romantic): (Dark Brown and Blue eyes) ((This is gonna be long, sorry lol))
♡ When you started travelling with the company, you had fallen from the modern world into Middle Earth with your sunglasses.
♡ And damn was the sunlight bright! So you almost always wear your sunglasses unless it's night and you're sleeping.
♡ So no one usually sees your eye colours and when they do, it's more just a glance of your blue eye.
♡ Then, one day Thorin decides to set up camp earlier than usual allowing everyone time to relax in the sunlight and watch the sunset as you all ate Bombur's delicious cooking.
♡ You spent all your time during the journey cracking jokes and trading stories with everyone. But you mostly hung out with Fili and Kili, having fun riding alongside them and dancing in the rainy nights.
♡ It was a lot of fun to be with this group. And this day was no different as you sat beside the brothers and joked around.
♡ Once the sun had set enough and the sky started to change colour you took your sunglasses off to admire the colours without the soft orange tint you were used to.
♡ Fili - being an excellent wingman for his brother and best friend - left you both for a few minutes to help Bombur clean up the dishes and find more firewood with Bilbo.
♡ You smiled and dragged your eyes away from the sunset to see Kili's reaction and found him already staring back at you with the softest brown eyes you've ever seen.
♡ A moment passed between you two as you both admired each other's eyes before chuckling and awkwardly turning back to look at the sunset.
♡ "Your eyes are beautiful. I've never seen anything like them. Everyone's eyes are usually very similar...but yours are different. I like them" He grinned. You watched as his face and ears grew red.
♡ "You're so cute. Thank-you, darling."
♡ He brings you blue flowers that have bits of brown on them. Whether from decay, dirt, mud or just the colouration. (is that a word?) But either way he loves bringing you flowers.
♡ Especially your favourite flowers. He'll bring you those whenever you pass them on your journey.
♡ You both play silly games to pass the time where you basically say what you like about the other, or try and guess their favourite thing, etc.
♡ He doesn't draw too much attention to your eyes, because he doesn't know if it's a sensitive topic or something you're uncomfortable with.
♡ But he definitely encourages you to wear your sunglasses less often when you're comfortable with it. Especially when it's just the two of you together.
♡ After reclaiming Erebor he'll sometimes surround you with candles until he can't fit anymore in the circle around you. Just so he can see you lit up under the candlelight.
♡ He's cute.
♡ Definitely brings you clothes with brown and blue mixed together in beautiful patterns that dance down the fabric and across the threads.
♡ He loves seeing you dance, loving how your eyes light up with excitement and joy. Sparkling towards him like gemstones under moonlight.
♡ Once you learned Khuzdul, he confidently made you a dwarvish bead as a gift with the words "my darling river" written on them very finely.
♡ You wear it all the time and only take it out to brush your hair when he's there. But typically only he can take it out to brush your hair and then braid it back in.
♡ He adores you and sees your eyes as just another reason to love you.
♡ Kili loves your sense of humour, your fun facts, all your little quirks and habits, etc.
♡ But surprisingly, he loves your hair more than anything else.
♡ He loves when you style it in a new, or fun way. He also loves when you dye it and will offer to help you dye your hair.
♡ Once you even dyed some bronze highlights through his hair that shone like copper in the sunlight.
~~~
Dwalin: (Romantic): (Dark Brown and Light Hazel eyes) ((This is gonna be long, sorry lol))
♡ Dwalin and the Company were fighting orcs and running for their lives, following Gandalf to safety when you jumped in from out of nowhere to help them fight the orcs.
♡ You used your incredible arcobatic skills and daggers to take down the orcs and wargs with the dwarves' and wizard's aid.
♡ After the fight, you turned to the group with a big smile, specifically greeting Gandalf.
♡ After bowing for Thorin and the group and introducing yourself, Gandalf encouraged you to join them over a nice dinner.
♡ You were only planning on staying until they found camp, enjoy dinner with them and then be back on your own way - aimlessly wandering the beautiful land.
♡ But Gandalf's offer was hard to decline, especially after you'd met the incredibly cool dwarf, Dwalin.
♡ His scars probably had awesome stories to tell and you were curious to hear them.
♡ You loved his style, the cool and cold exterior he had with a constant frown. But you saw his eyes clearly had a different story to tell.
♡ You decided in the morning you'd accept Gandalf's kind invite and would fight for the dwarves to take their home back. "I'd be honoured to fight alongside you all."
♡ "Here you go, lad. Just sign this paper and we'll proceed." Balin smiled, handing you the paper. You thanked him, signed it after a quick read and finished packing up the camp. You were on your way on another strange adventure with this equally strange wizard.
♡ But at least you had someone to talk to.
♡ You were kind to everyone, but especially went out of your way to talk to Dwalin, even if it was just small acknowledgements and 'are you okay?'s. That's all you needed, honestly.
♡ It took a while, but you saw him quietly warming up to you which showed mostly during a fight. You were a bit further away from the group than you had intended to be when Dwalin suddenly appeared by your side and helped you take down the group of orcs surrounding you.
♡ You both nodded and returned to the group, not saying much else until the rest of the orcs had run off or died. "Thank-you."
♡ "It's fine, lad." He simply nodded and walked by your side.
♡ After reclaiming Erebor and the battle (in which Thorin, Kili and Fili lived) you and Dwalin talked for hours whilst recovering. Not only were your temporary beds just across from each other, but you both were given some books to read until your bones healed.
♡ But you couldn't read Khuzdul, so you asked Dwalin to read them to you. He seemed hesitant but after a couple awkward hours of silence and boredom, he finally read the books.
♡ He read sentences in Khuzdul first, then translated them to English before continuing to the next.
♡ You didn't mind. In fact, hearing him talk in Khuzdul was fascinating to hear as his accent got thicker and his voice was louder. A contrast to the quieter English he'd then speak to you after.
♡ It took months and months before you both began to court and even then he hardly ever complimented you.
♡ It took a candlelight dinner, a walk through the forest outside of Erebor under the moonlight and you constantly complimenting him until he was brave enough to return your affections.
♡ "Your eyes are stunning. They glow like fire under the light." He smiled, turning away to look at the trees.
♡ He's surprisingly awkward and shy for someone so tough and cool. He's not sure how to compliment you, or court you.
♡ But he always knows what you might like gift wise. He'll bring you daggers, belts and once even a water-proof cowl from Dale for your travels.
♡ All the gifts he brings you perfectly compliment your eyes. Browns, oranges, soft yellows and simple beige outfits.
♡ Every time he leaves Erebor, he'll return with rocks, accessories and hats as simple little gifts he got for you.
♡ He cares a lot about you and always make sure any injuries you have are immediately tended to, even if you brush them off as simple scratches.
♡ He brings you food and water if you've just returned from a journey and want to go straight to bed. And when Thorin allows him, he'll journey with you.
♡ He loves to dance with you, especially under the sunlight in an open field of flowers. The colours and light cause your eyes to twinkle brightly and he loves it.
♡ The brown turning to caramel, the hazel shining in an almost green colour under the sunlight and blue under the moonlight.
♡ He loves to bring you new shades of clothing to see what colour your hazel eye will look most like when you wear it.
♡ Sometimes you'll wear blue and your hazel eye will look similar, but other times you'll wear red and the hazel in your eyes turns almost brown.
♡ Your eyes are a fascinating sight for him watch.
♡ He even writes down little notes about how your hazel eye changes around each colour.
♡ Even though the colour is also based on lighting, mood and other factors, you don't mention that. It's nice to just listen to him mutter and write little notes about your eyes each night.
~~~
Bofur: (Romantic): (Dark Hazel and Silver eyes)
♡ Your eyes are incredibly hard to miss.
♡ Bofur noticed them immediately when you first met in the ruins of Dale after the battle for Erebor. You had come from Laketown alongside everyone else and had quickly learned how to defend yourself and fight against orcs during the battle.
♡ He was walking around the ruins of Dale to help check on everyone and bring to them the healers and you were ushering children back to their parents and helping people dig themselves out of rubble when you two stumbled across each other.
♡ Both of you were scratched up, bruised and tired. But despite all that, you were both awestruck by the other's beauty.
♡ His shining armour, fluffy hat, twinkling eyes and the soft smile that grew wider when you greeted him. Gosh, you were nervous just talking to him.
♡ Your glowing hair, soft skin, dumbfounded look and distinctive eye colours. How could he not smile upon seeing you?
♡ He thought you looked stunning.
♡ After that day, you both hung out a lot. Whether in Dale or Erebor, you'd both just aimlessly walk for hours laughing at each other's jokes. You'd eat dinner together. Sometimes with the Company and other times with your friend group.
♡ He didn't shy away from complimenting you before you were even courting.
♡ "The silver glows like a diamond under the moonlight. What an amazing discovery...to see a gemstone this far above the ground." He smiled.
♡ "Such a beautiful mixture of green and brown and blue. Like a river flowing through a pine forest. Its' beauty is truly unmatched by any forest I've seen."
♡ Don't let the Ents overhear Bofur! He's so sweet!!
♡ So you best believe, his compliments only increased tenfold after you began courting.
♡ "Ghivashel, you look stunning this morning." (Translation: Treasure of all treasures).
♡ "Do you need help with that, mizimel?" (Translation: Jewel of all jewels).
♡ He loves making dolls with mismatched eyes now. He specifically made one for you though. Matching the hazel and silver of your eyes. For the hazel eye he used a zircon gemstone and the silver eye was a diamond.
♡ The beautiful doll had a lovely dress and hair that also matched yours. With your permission, he cut some of your hair and sewed it into the doll's head. The doll sits right beside your bed at all times and sometimes you even cuddle it to help you sleep.
♡ He spends hours asking you to sing and read to him whilst he lays down beside you or on your lap. Loving the way your eyes light up when you reach your favourite parts. Or when you're particularly proud of how you read, or sung, a part.
♡ Some nights it's just you and Bofur sitting under a tree, leaning against its trunk whilst listening to the world around you.
♡ You cherish the quiet moments you get to spend with Bofur, as sometimes you can't spend time together when you're both so busy with work.
♡ So, you both just enjoy each other's presences when you can. Resting together, falling asleep in soft grass and waking up to a bright sun above the hills, surrounding you both with its' glow.
♡ Beautiful morning, after beautiful morning. Time passed for months, seasons, and years. Until you both decided to marry. :)
~~~
Balin: (Platonic): (Light Blue and Dark Blue) ((This is gonna be long, sorry lol))
♡ Growing up was a struggle for you as your father had died fighting for Moria alongside Thorin Oakenshield.
♡ But Balin had noticed you when you were just a child; a young Dwarf watching the warriors return from Moria's battle.
♡ You watched as they praised Thorin Oakenshield and called him 'King' and 'Future King' depending on the dwarves.
♡ But still you searched for your father. More interested in hearing how the battle went from him.
♡ And when you couldn't find your father, you began to cry. A hand was gently placed on your shoulder so you looked up and there Balin was. Looking down at you with sad eyes.
♡ You hugged him immediately and began talking incoherently - asking for your father, where he was and why he hadn't returned.
♡ Balin took you under his wing after that day and to his astonishment, he watched as you grew up and your eyes slowly changed colour.
♡ Eyes can sometimes take years before they reach their permanent colour and that was how it was for you.
♡ By the time you were 7 years old, your eyes changed into totally opposite blue colours: one light blue like a topaz and the other very dark like the ocean.
♡ Balin raised you as best he could with help from Thorin and Dwalin. You also became good friends with Thorin's nephews, Fili and Kili.
♡ None of the dwarves ever ostracized you for your heterochromia, but instead they really adored you.
♡ Balin and you always travelled to the markets together. You were always helping him when he was tinkering with toys, practicing with a sword (you'd have a small wooden sword) and you both also tended to a garden together.
♡ Growing Coneflowers in the garden as they are very hardy flowers that can grow despite bad soil and drought. Hence growing them in a mostly dry, stone-y environment was a piece of cake.
♡ He could never resist your puppy-dog eyes when you wanted to travel with him. The light from the sun made your eyes sparkle and he didn't ever want you to cry or feel left alone.
♡ If he couldn't take you somewhere with him, Dwalin was fine with watching over you and letting you learn a bit of simpler smithing. He'd show you how necklaces were made and even some rings.
♡ If you ever grew self-conscious of your eyes, Balin would write and read to you stories of fantasy creatures with different coloured eyes.
♡ Somethings like... "Juniper didn't know why the others would play without him. He didn't know what made him different from the rest. He sat by the river one day and listened to all the different birds. Their different songs and colours. When suddenly, he realized something! He was different! But not on the outside!...
...Juniper ran to his mother very excitedly! He happily declared to her, 'I'm going to become the best fairy dancer one day!' and she smiled with joy, 'Of course you will be! And I'll be there to watch your every performance!' It was on this day Juniper decided his eyes were not the reason others did not play with him. It was because they didn't know who he was on the inside, and he was going to show them who he was! And he would dance with them at every celebration! He'd perform each move perfectly and smile the whole time. He'd show the world who he was and shine brightly for all to see."
♡ And many more stories similar to that, but perhaps a few pages longer...or a few chapters longer. :)
♡ You had many books of these fantasy stories handwritten by Balin by the time you were a teenager. And you re-read them all the time.
♡ He'd say "Child, never feel different because of your eyes. Know you're different because of your heart. Because of what you'll do with your life when you grow up. Know you're going to do amazing things in your life."
~~~
Bifur: (Platonic): (Light Brown with half of one eye being Light Green) ((This is gonna be long, sorry lol))
♡ You grew up in Earth with a cat companion that had the same colour eyes as you.
♡ Her name was Delta and she was a calico that followed you everywhere and slept with you in bed every night.
♡ Unfortunately for Delta, this meant she fell into Middle Earth with you when a portal suddenly appeared below you on one of your walks in the garden.
♡ You both fell super fast and you gripped Delta tightly against your chest - braced for impact.
♡ But the impact was softer than you thought it would be. Slowly you opened your eyes and looked around you.
♡ Realizing you had fallen directly onto a bush and a large portal above you, far up in the sky, closed.
♡ 'Oh dear...' you thought, 'Mum's not going to be happy about this.'
♡ To be fair, for an eleven-year-old, magic portals were the least of your concern and instead: 'when mum finds out I'm going to be grounded,' was currently more concerning to you.
♡ Delta - being very cuddly - allowed you to pick her up and carry her around once you brushed some dirt off yourself.
♡ You wandered. You were very lost by the time the sun was falling behind the hills that lay far past the forest you were trapped in.
♡ It was only just getting dark when a group of horses and people travelled down the road towards you and Delta.
♡ You watched as they came to a stop. A tall wizard-looking man with grey hair and beard was at the front of the group and he looked at you with very soft and kind eyes.
♡ Delta hissed at the sudden people, so you took a couple steps back and tensed to run.
♡ But the wizard spoke to the others and decided to set up camp and stop for the night. He hopped off his horse and walked towards you, switching a staff from one hand to the other as he approached before he crouched down, leaning on the staff for support to meet your height.
♡ "Hello." He greeted warmly.
♡ "Hello..." You greeted less confidently. And that's how you found yourself in the world of Middle Earth, meeting a group of dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard.
♡ They took great care of you and as you were too shy to speak, Bifur especially took to caring for you. He picked up on your non-verbal communication a lot faster than the others did and helped you climb onto the horses every morning.
♡ He helped you down every evening and made sure you were given food first every dinner and breakfast. He even made sure there were on-the-road snacks just for you to have lunch.
♡ Bifur never pushed boundaries or made you feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Quite the opposite actually, you felt safer with him rather than anyone else. Perhaps it was because he didn't expect you to talk, or respond.
♡ Nor did he ever push you to verbally communicate when you were still feeling too shy or scared.
♡ Although in our eyes the dwarves are incredibly friendly and kind and not very intimidating - save Dwalin - to an eleven-year-old, they were quite the scary, loud and unpredictable bunch.
♡ Laughing loudly quite suddenly, or grabbing food quite quickly and talking and singing all the time. You found you couldn't guess what they'd do next, but you also grew to love that chaos about them.
♡ Bifur was actually the first to pet Delta when you joined the Company on their adventure. He pet her to reassure you that you were both safe with the group.
♡ And yes, that worked perfectly. You stuck with them the whole journey and whilst they took extra care in keeping you safe, secure and out of danger, you still had to do a fair bit of running to keep up.
♡ Especially after you lost the ponies to the goblins. The Company was tempted to leave you with the Elves of Rivendell but Thorin immediately denied the idea and made sure you travelled with them.
♡ Lord Elrond had been very kind to you though and gave you paper and ink to draw with. You spent hours in Rivendell drawing flowers for the Company and showing them off proudly at night.
♡ They were very impressed and encouraging.
♡ But back to Bifur and you!
♡ At night when you were first adjusting to the new environment, you became terrified by the lack of light and began to cry, holding onto Delta for comfort. Bifur took notice immediately having been on first watch.
♡ He quietly called you over and came to get you. He then let you sit beside him as he watched over the camp and told you silly little stories via charades and shadow puppets. He used what was left of the fire's light for the shadow puppets.
♡ You became calmer and happier as the stories progressed and eventually you had drifted to sleep. You felt safe and you had a purring cat on your lap, so why wouldn't you feel safe?
♡ Bifur made sure you were supported and had a pillow to sleep on, letting you use his. He gave you a couple back pats as you drifted off until finally you were asleep and no longer crying.
♡ He went back to watch and kept an eye on you in case you had nightmares, but you slept just fine.
♡ As you may have noticed, the Company hasn't had much to remark about your unique eye colour.
♡ This is because your eyes a slightly harder to notice a difference in. The brown is very bright and the green is a soft shade that almost perfectly blends with the brown half of your eye.
♡ This perfect blend of colours made it harder for them to notice that the colours were different on your smaller eyes that you often avoided meeting people's gazes with.
♡ But they noticed it almost right away on Delta and thought she looked adorable.
♡ Bifur thought she was quite a lucky little kitty to be loved by someone so kind despite her unique eyes. Then one day you spoke up as they compliment Delta's eyes and asked about them.
♡ "Yeah, I was really excited when we found her. My mother said it was a big coincidence that we found a cat with the same coloured eyes as me." You softly laughed, petting Delta with a smile.
♡ The Company was quite for a while before Bifur finally made them ask you more about it.
♡ "What do you mean, child?"
♡ So you showed them. "I thought my eyes were very noticeable." You giggled, letting the light enhance the colours.
♡ Overall, your eyes are less noticeable, but Bifur made sure you knew that your eyes changed nothing about you. You were more than your outward appearance.
♡ But also, this is Bifur we're talking about. He brushes things off very fast when it doesn't seem that important.
♡ If you ever feel insecure? He'll grab a translator (Bofur) and make sure you know that your eyes will never change how others see you. Especially when your eyes are so pretty.
♡ He's great, but in a quiet way. He brings no attention to your eyes, mostly not noticing anything different regardless and only talks about them when you do. Like I said, he'd never push you to talk about stuff you don't want to.
♡ Bifur simply wants to make sure you survive in this new world and grow up just fine.
~~~
Ori: (Platonic): (Yellow and Grey)
♡ Ori was excited to travel with his friends and family and to go on such a daring adventure across Middle Earth to retake the mountain of Erebor.
♡ He was especially excited to join his family in some food at an apparently "very welcoming hobbit"s home.
♡ So when the Company showed up at Bilbo's home unannounced and without much more knowledge from the Wizard on who exactly this hobbit was, they were very surprised to find a young adult hobbit living with the older hobbit.
♡ About Ori's age, roughly 18 or so if you convert their ages to human years.
♡ Ori was excited to meet someone else his age, aside from Fili and Kili who were slightly older. So you can imagine everyone's surprise when they see her eyes in the bright candlelight.
♡ Now they've seen grey eyes, especially on older dwarves. This wasn't an uncommon eye colour at all.
♡ But yellow? Yellow eyes? And grey? Both? At the same time, but in a different eye each?
♡ That was certainly new.
♡ You didn't mind all their questions at first. Until they asked how it happened to which you had no clue. You didn't understand genetics, or biology and how could you? You were a simple florist who designed bouquets for any occasion a hobbit asked for.
♡ Anniversary? Roses, carnations and peonies. Birthday? Dahlias, orchids and chrysanthemums. Apology? Tulips, daffodils and lilies of the valley.
♡ But biology? All you could think of in your head was sunflowers and azalea for yellow; and low ho silver iris and edelweiss flowers for grey.
♡ But that was your brain designing a bouquet after your eye colours. Not the knowledge of how your eye colours came to be.
♡ Young Ori was especially fascinated by your eyes. How the grey would turn into an almost soft, pastel yellow in the candlelight and your yellow eye would glow like embers from a fire.
♡ When you were allowed to travel with the group, Ori watched as your grey eye glowed silver in the moonlight and the yellow glowed like a soft gold.
♡ You and Ori got along greatly and had lots of fun just talking about flowers and art. Ori would show you his sketches and they were so good you could pick out each individual flower he drew without needing to see his references.
♡ You were thankful he never judged you for your eyes. He was probably the first friend you had that didn't immediately judge you for looking a little different or 'weird' as others would say.
♡ He was super sweet and he even drew your eyes as best he could when sketching. You were more than happy to model for him as the sound of his sketching helped lull you into a cozy sleep late at night.
♡ This especially helped as the climate got colder and the floor harder to rest on. He can also read.
♡ So he'd sometimes read a book very quietly to you as you both huddled around the fire. You didn't understand the written dwarvish in front of you, but Ori was careful with his translations and the stories were very interesting.
♡ He said he only brought a couple of copies of books from back home, that way it wouldn't matter if he lost these books, he'd still have the originals. (In case you were worried).
♡ The stories of birds, dwarves, dragons and grand adventures kept your interest whilst sending you off to sleep. You dreamt about these grand stories. No wonder they were Ori's favourites.
♡ He was so sweet and always complimented your eyes. So you always complimented his eyes back. It was like having a brother. Similar to how Bilbo was almost like a father to you since he took you in eight years ago.
♡ You were a lost hobbit from a small hobbit town that was quite a while away from the Shire. Your parents died of disease and you were terrified of being next.
♡ But Bilbo properly nursed you back to good health and helped you through the grief and acceptance.
♡ And now here you were. Standing strong and with new friends, watching your 'father' flirt terribly with the leader of the group, Thorin.
♡ It was pretty funny and you and Ori got to joke about it lots when the other's wouldn't hear.
♡ Ori never once purposefully draws attention to you or your eyes, but he'll always be there if you speak up or someone else does.
♡ Like a protective older brother. He learned a lot from Dori.
~~~
Dori: (Platonic): (Silver and Dark Brown) ((This is gonna be long, sorry lol))
♡ When you were born, like most babies, you had very blue eyes. Just like your parents.
♡ But as you grew older, your parents watched with worry as your eyes changed. One eye getting lighter and lighter every day as the other became darker and darker.
♡ Your parents tried not to be too worried. After all, a local doctor said it was natural for children's eyes to change colour some weeks, and even years, after birth.
♡ But by the time you were 5 years old, one eye was completely silver and the other was a very dark brown. Your parents did their best to help you feel normal and to always comfort you after other children's strange or mean comments.
♡ Despite all that though, sometimes you wished you had an older sibling that could be by your side growing up. Someone to play games with, read books with, bake food with, etc. The other children were scared because your eyes made you 'different'.
♡ So they avoided you for many years. By the time you were an adult, you felt very insecure and styled your hair to fall over your silver eye as, 'brown is more common', children kept saying.
♡ During your first ever adventure outside of your small human village, you discovered a wandering grey wizard who took great interest in your clothing. You were wonderful at sewing and embroidery and he loved seeing all the intricate flowers, dragons and designs you had done on your clothing.
♡ He was especially surprised to find out you even sewed all your clothing yourself. He invited you to join him and the elves of Rivendell, of whom he was on his way to surprise with a visit. "They are very skilled with the fine arts such as embroidery and could teach you anything you wished to know about the art." He promised with a mysterious glint in his eyes.
♡ You ignored the thought at the back of your mind that wondered what he was planning and instead accepted his offer immediately. And he was right. Lord Elrond was very welcoming and taught you a great deal about sewing and embroidery. He even offered for you to visit as often as you liked between your future travels and you excitedly accepted.
♡ (Now the moment you've all been waiting for)
♡ One day after you had returned to Rivendell, a group of Dwarves and a hobbit showed up alongside a familiar wizard. You noticed them when they walked up the steps into Rivendell, following Lord Elrond who gave you a curt nod.
♡ You smiled and waved back, still holding a stunning Elven dress in your hands that you'd been embroidering. The elves had helped you to make it for special occasions if you ever wanted to join their celebrations in proper Elvish attired.
♡ Despite friendly nods from the hobbit and wizard, the Dwarves didn't really acknowledge you all that much - aside from glances to see if you were elf or human.
♡ But during a dinner with the elves and guests, they got to know you a bit more. Especially when you laughed and cheered to their songs and dances.
♡ You couldn't possibly be all that bad if you liked their music.
♡ They were there for weeks and during that time you slowly got to know them. An older dwarf, who was the eldest of his brothers, would especially spend time talking with you after you shared interest in wine.
♡ Every time you tried a new wine with him, he'd make sure to tell you all the cool details and facts about where and how it was grown, as well as how long it was left, why it should be left for however long, etc.
♡ You can now predict how long a wine should be left for based on how it was made. You also can sort of tell how aged a wine is by its taste. Not really, but you try and Dori gives you extra credit for that.
♡ His own brothers sympathize with the random wine and grapevine knowledge you'll be left knowing for the rest of your life. They too were subjected to hours of drunk Dori's stories and trivia.
♡ But the family was fun to hangout with - especially when they were completely drunk - so you didn't mind all that much.
♡ One day whilst you were drinking, Ori suddenly spoke up and asked, "Excuse me, (Y/N), but why does your hair cover one of your eyes? Doesn't that just make it harder to see?"
♡ "Aw, leave them alone, Ori." Bofur spoke up from the corner, smoking. "I think it's a cute style, (Y/N)." He gave a quick thumbs up.
♡ You returned it with a smile. "Nah, I don't mind the question." You chuckled, replying simply, "It is a bit hard to see with, but it doesn't affect my sight that much."
♡ You didn't feel comfortable telling anyone about your eye colour at that point. But Dori somehow sensed that something was a little off with your reply. He didn't pry, but he used his exquisite big brother skills to deduce a perfect solution to your current discomfort.
♡ Cheese.
♡ Therefore, Dori discreetly elbowed your arm and like a proper 'Wine Aunt' that visits every Christmas, he snuck you a little gift - a piece of cheese - when no one was looking and gave you a little nod of encouragement.
♡ "Thanks, Dori." You whispered when everyone was singing loudly and distracted.
♡ "No worries, kid." He grinned.
♡ Months went by, then years after they took back Erebor from Smaug. And you remained good friends with the Company and Bilbo. It was this winter you had decided to visit, your big brother figure Dori.
♡ During the time they were adventuring you opened up to Lord Elrond about your eye colours and he helped you feel more confident and comfortable with your appearance.
♡ It was the small things. Like the elves helping you change your hairstyle ever so slightly to show both your eyes and to frame your face better. Silver jewelry and beautiful leather clothes, boots and gauntlets.
♡ But all they did helped you so much, you'd almost forgotten there was anything different about you to begin with.
♡ So when you visited the dwarves, it's safe to say that jaws dropped.
♡ After all, heterochromia is one thing. SILVER heterochromia is another. Your eyes matched the fallen snow. The silver jewelry that adorned your ears as gifts from the kind elves. The silver moonlight that shone behind you when you entered the mountain.
♡ Bofur and Nori couldn't stop complimenting how beautiful it was and Ori desperately wanted to draw you. He'd never seen someone with two, beautiful eye colours and he wanted to remember the incredible sight.
♡ Dori basically became a temporary bodyguard by making sure no one was asking weird questions, or crossing your boundaries. He made sure to take you to a nice, quiet corner for some wine if you got overwhelmed by the attention.
♡ Your first night there was chaotic, but Dori had your back.
♡ He wasn't about to let anyone upset you. The group really helped you feel comfortable and confident. Adults being curious about such a phenomenon is very different to growing up with adults that feared the change.
♡ One day, Dori surprised you with a jeweled dagger the company had gotten together to make for you. "So you can stab anyone who insults you." Said Dori.
♡ "So you may defend yourself from danger, orcs, goblins or bandits." Corrected Thorin.
♡ "Or so you can look like a cool warrior facing off against wild beasts when hunting." Encouraged Ori.
♡ "Alright, alright. But it's also for stabbing." Dori huffed.
♡ "Guys, thank-you all so much for this." You smiled gratefully. The dagger was adorned with two jewels. A smokey quartz and a crystal. It matched your eyes.
♡ "It was Dori's idea." Balin grinned, throwing Dori under the river with his callout.
♡ "Well. Any decent person should carry a proper weapon of high quality. You see, higher quality daggers made by dwarves have a much better chance at actually piercing through veins and arteries with one cut and swing rather than the duller man-made blades that you sort of have to saw into an enemy's skin to pierce it deep enough to cause any proper damage...and of course that means the enemies will find their tough skin to be no match to the stronger, well smithed metal of dwarven craftmanship." Dori ranted in defense. Rambling a little, but you didn't mind.
♡ "Fascinating." You listened with awe.
♡ "You didn't catch half of that, did you?" Balin raised an eyebrow, watching you with a knowing-look.
♡ "Well, I understood half of it." You grinned honestly.
♡ "Ah, well allow me to explain slower." Dori cleared his throat and began with an added distant groan from Nori who'd heard all this several times growing up with his big brother.
♡ It was worth listening to Dori's explanations, facts and stories though. He was well-spoken, explained anything you missed and clarified anything you didn't understand. Like a big brother you had always wanted to be there for you.
~~~
Nori: (Romantic): (Orange and Dark Blue) ((This is gonna be very long, sorry lol))
♡ "If you let me sail, we'd be there by now." You huffed as Bard sailed the boat to the shores where the wine barrels wash up (after the Wood Elves let them out of the cellar of the Woodland Realm).
♡ Bard and you grew up together. You first met each other when your parents had decided to fish in the same spot out of Laketown and he pointed at you confidently saying, "You're weird."
♡ Other than the fish you were wearing on your head for a hat, you had no clue what would cause him to say such a thing to you.
♡ 'It must be because my eyes are two different colours!' You finally decided. After all, most other kids didn't like you for that reason. Apparently orange eyes were strange - especially when your other eye is a strikingly dark blue in comparison.
♡ "You're weird too!" You finally declared back.
♡ "At least I'm not wearing a fish for a hat." He rolled his eyes.
♡ "How dare you insult Saltwater the Third!"
♡ "What? Did you eat the other two?"
♡ "Daddd!!!!!" And that's how you two met as children.
♡ Don't worry, you still had a fish hat and you wore it all the time. The current one you had is Saltwater the Forty-Seventh if you were curious.
♡ Back to the present moment you two were in, he simply responded logically, "If you sailed us, the boat would be on the shore and the wine barrels would be in the water."
♡ "I don't see a problem with that. We could surf the barrels back to town."
♡ "Alright, (Y/N). You win. If you can surf a wine barrel all the way back to town, I'll let you drive the boat next time." Bard bet with a grin.
♡ "Deal. I'll be seeing you in town, later." You smugly smiled back.
♡ "Yeah. Tomorrow." Bard laughed. You couldn't help but laugh with him as the boat came to a stop along the shore. "Alright, let's go find those barrels." He sighed, hoping down and tying the boat to a makeshift post.
♡ You scouted ahead as he tied the ship up and saw the barrels further down the shoreline than usual. This isn't too odd considering the river's currents can be unpredictable. But it was the start to a very different day.
♡ The barrels were further up the shore - at a very rocky point - which meant you now had to climb up the rocky hill to go around a bunch of trees hanging at the edge of a cliff above the water to get to the opposite shore.
♡ You were halfway up when you thought about calling to Bard to let him know about the barrels when you heard water sloshing, footsteps and hushed voices nearby.
♡ There was no way it was Bard so you crouched down and watched a young dwarf with brown hair walk to the edge of the cliff not too far from you and sit down.
♡ He was emptying his boots of a lot of water right beside one of the barrels that you had first spotted from a distance.
♡ Upon closer inspection down below beside said barrel was another dwarf, a bit bigger with very grey hair that matched the rocks and a light coloured tunic that looked like dirt. Or was just very dirty. Either way he was basically camouflaged until you looked more carefully.
♡ 'Okay, so two dwarves near the barrels that elves use. I'm sure that's just a strange coincidence and they're just travellers.' You thought to yourself. Bard was only just climbing up the hill to join you so you decided to sneak around and spotted more dwarves that were seated behind boulders.
♡ 'Never mind, that's a lot more than two.' You mentally groaned. You snuck back to Bard just as he made it to the top of the hill. You pointed at the dwarves and used charades to count out 'thirteen' to Bard. His mouth gaped open and with a roll of his eyes he grabbed his bow from his back.
♡ 'Seriously?' You mouthed gobsmacked his first instinct was to shoot and ask questions later.
♡ 'There's more of them than of us.' He mouthed back whilst drawing his arrow back and aiming at the younger dwarf.
♡ 'So what? You're just going to shoot them?' You glared. He met your gaze again.
♡ 'It's not going to kill them.' He argued.
♡ 'I don't think that's the point here.' You finished and he reluctantly relaxed his drawstring.
♡ 'Fine. Just let me intimidate them.' He finally mouthed to you as the young dwarf was emptying out his other shoe now. He sneaked past you, drew back his drawstring once more and stood up to be clearly seen. The young dwarf froze in place and slowly turned around to look up at Bard. You decided to just watch from a distance, only having the skill to fight with a dagger for self-defense.
♡ He must've had all the dwarves' attention by now, still aiming his arrow at the same poor young dwarf. Bard's attention then shifted to the other dwarf who quickly stood up and grabbed a large branch - prepared to defend everyone.
♡ Bard then took his shot, the arrow whizzing straight into the branch's wood. Another dwarf in the distance, this one looking younger, picked up a rock and went to hurl it to Bard - but Bard was quicker and he shot the stone out of the dwarf's hand with another arrow. "Do it again, and you're dead." Bard threatened with another arrow drawn back.
♡ "Excuse me, but - uhm, you're from Laketown?" A new voice spoke up. You watched as an older, white-haired dwarf stepped forwards with his arms up in surrender whilst he cautiously approached Bard. "If I'm not mistaken?" Bard shifted and pointed his arrow whilst letting him continue talking. "That...barge over there." The older dwarf points to our ship which could be seen, but they had only just noticed in the distance. "It wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?"
♡ "There's a chance." Bard unnotched his arrow and put it back in his quiver, swinging the bow back around his arm before stepping down the rocks as carefully as he could. "But it's unlikely. We're only here for these barrels."
♡ "We..?" The older dwarf was cut off when Bard waved you over and you helped him to start moving the barrels up the cliff to the ship. "Oh.."
♡ "Do you need help with that, lass?" A different brunet dwarf asked, approaching you and Bard carefully.
♡ You and Bard shared a brief glance, calculating how much sooner you could have dinner with a little help and finally you nodded. "Yes, please. Thank-you."
♡ And that long introduction, chat, is how you first met Nori.
♡ You, like Bard, were very skeptical of the dwarves and only helped them with the promise of pay. Double pay meant you and Bard could easily half it and you wouldn't be totally sacrificing all your pay to your pet cat. Which in turn meant you could buy yourself food!
♡ (Yes, you have a cat and yes he is your first priority. He's the best mouse-catcher in Laketown. He's the sole reason mice have been less of a problem and don't get into the winter food storage sheds anymore.)
♡ Nori thought you were odd to say the least. You wore a fish on your head, had completely different coloured eyes and talked like you were either high, or drunk, 24/7.
♡ You almost didn't have anything more to do with the dwarves after that fateful day, but Nori saw you struggle and stole some food before he went to the mountains and lemme tell you. After nearly 9 hours since your last meal, that little gift of stolen food was like a marriage proposal.
♡ In the Battle against the orcs there was no way you were just going to sit in a building uselessly with a bunch of other women. You grabbed a sword, petted your cat and charged a bunch of orcs, slicing as quickly as you could to deflect and kill them.
♡ During the chaos of everything, you bumped into Nori. Although you had no clue how he and you and ended up fighting near each other, you stood strong and watched each other's backs as orc after orc charged you.
♡ The battle felt never ending and you could've sworn a tinge of pink had lit up the sky and clouds whilst you fought for your survival. The sun was setting and you were still fighting.
♡ Once the battle was one and the injured were healed and Thorin paid people what they were owed, Nori and you sat down together near a dying campfire. You had gotten along since the battle.
♡ He would crack so many jokes it was great! He also liked your jokes. Your favourite thing about his jokes was: they were never about your appearance, or eyes or the fish hat you wore. He would joke about anything!
♡ From teasing his own siblings to laughing at how silly the Elves looked - being all serious. But he showed nothing but adoration for your eyes.
♡ Months passed and Dale was rebuilt. You and Bard had moved into Dale with Bard's children. Nori visited often. You two went fishing, shopping, hiking and scouting together.
♡ Eventually, he started to court you. His antics were amusing. Watching how dwarves court was quite amusing to a human. Nori would steal you items to show his quick fingers, stealth and skills. He'd steal you things he knew you liked.
♡ He squared up against almost any possible rival and even attempted to square up against Bard to win your approval. But Bard denied him and sent him to shop some wood instead.
♡ He didn't need to go the extra mile though. You felt the same for the sneak-thief. He was kind and funny and considerate. What woman wouldn't fall for him? Once you could finally sit him down for a meal, you expressed your feelings for him.
♡ The next day he made a courting braid and asked to braid it into your hair. You gladly accepted and allowed him to gently brush, wash and dry your hair over the next few hours. After the braid was in, you asked if you could do the same.
♡ And so the two of you spent the next few hours together once again, but this time as you brushed, washed and helped re-tie Nori's hair. It was probably the most memorable day you had in a while and you have always cherished the memory ever since.
♡ One day, when you were feeling just a little self-conscious, you asked how Nori felt about you looking different. Being a human surrounded by dwarves more often now...having two different coloured eyes...adults talking about you behind your back despite children adoring your cool fish hat.
♡ It had all just started to get to you and you didn't know how to handle it.
♡ "Darling, you're perfect to me. I don't care if you have blue hair or pink skin. You being human doesn't change how I feel about you...and neither do your eyes." Nori spoke softly.
♡ "Your eyes are like a sunset that meets the ocean. I've fallen in love with those stunning colours of yours." Nori placed his hand against your cheek and rubbed circles with his thumb as you leaned into his touch. Tears were threatening to spill out of your eyes.
♡ "Never change. For anyone. Please...keep being yourself...even if it's just for me. I love you." Nori pulled you into a soft embrace and let you cry out your feelings for as long as you needed. He meant every word he spoke and wanted desperately to show you in some way.
♡ The next day you woke up to a full breakfast-in-bed meal of all your favourite foods and even a nice hot drink for the cold morning. Nori brought you dark blue flowers with orange centers and orange flowers with dark blue ribbows tying them together. He loved your eyes and he really meant it.
♡ He even brought you a hat stand so you wouldn't lose your fish hats. (You had a slight habit of losing them).
♡ He was sweet and thoughtful when he needed to be. <3
~~~
Oin: (Platonic): (Grey and Light Green)
♡ When most people fall into a fictional world, usually it's their favourite. Most of the time, they're minding their own business and not working a 14-hour hospital shift.
♡ Unfortunately, you didn't conform to the norms of society very often and just had to fall through a magic portal as you finally finished clocking off for the night day. Because it was 4am when you finished work.
♡ So you can imagine the company's surprise when a mysterious figure falls from a strange portal in the sky. And when they get closer the stranger is fully decked out in weird blue clothing (scrubs), with their somewhat short hair neatly out of their face and very worn-through shoes.
♡ As if the person did hours and hours of walking in the same shoes every day.
♡ Which you did do.
♡ You're very lucky Gandalf is a super kind person to bring you with them to camp for the night and to look after you, because when you hit the ground it didn't matter that the fall hadn't knocked you out from the impact.
♡ The minute you were laying down in soft grass with the warm sun shining down on you, you were out like a light. You could've slept through a hurricane, tornado siren and nuclear explosion.
♡ Nothing the company did to make sure you were alive and okay the next day, woke you. All they could do was leave you to Gandalf's care as he carefully rode onward whilst making sure you didn't fall off. And hope you didn't hit your head.
♡ When you did finally wake up, you were hungry as fuck.
♡ You ate any food Bombur made and had three serves of dinner. The company was respectful, but cautious of you. They didn't really trust you until you helped treat Ori and Bombur's cooking burns with cold, creek water and some of Oin's herbs.
♡ After they realized you were a doctor they had so many questions. You happily answered any of their medical questions about the body, brain, organs and anything else.
♡ One of the questions they had was regarding your two different eye colours. "How did that happen?" "Does it just happen, or does an accident cause it?" "Is that an injury?" "Does it hurt?" "Is it annoying?"
♡ You patiently answered each question. "I was born with this. One of my eyes slowly darkened until it stopped at this light green and my other grew lighter in colour each day until it was fully grey." "It can be caused by injury, or an accident. Specifically if the accident or injury involves the eye. If the eye is damaged it may lose some melanin - the colouring - and thus change to a lighter colour. But that is not the case for my eyes."
♡ "No, it doesn't hurt. It feels the same to me as your eyes feel for you. I can see perfectly clear and it causes no issues. It isn't annoying, I'm already used to it when I look into mirrors or my water's reflection."
♡ The younger dwarves were especially in awe of your eyes. Despite the whole group growing to like you and come to you for medical aide, Oin especially took a liking to you. He was fascinated by such a young person knowing so much about medicine.
♡ He took you under his wing in this world and taught you all about the different herbs, mushrooms, medieval medicines and other treatments or small surgeries they were capable of performing.
♡ You absorbed all the information quite quickly like a sponge which further impressed the older healer.
♡ When Oin was sleeping early at night, or just resting in general, you would take over as the go-to-medic for the dwarves when they got a small injury, felt sick, or need medicine - like for sleeping better.
♡ You would also make them cups of tea, maybe a nice soup if most of the company caught a cold from icy, freezing rivers that they swam through.
♡ Even though the group wasn't sure about you at first, they really came to appreciate you in their times of need. Especially after the battle for Erebor. If it wasn't for your expert medical knowledge and quick fighting and thinking; Fili, Kili and Thorin (respectively) would've died from their terrible wounds.
♡ They had fought recklessly - though that was mostly Thorin's fault for being foolish - but thanks to your knowledge on healing and stitching, the three recovered quickly and in just a couple weeks they were back up on their feet.
♡ You kept a close eye on them; making sure they weren't going to overwork themselves. After the battle and aftermath cleanup was all sorted, Thorin took over the Throne and ruled as King Under the Mountain. He officially made you Oin's assistant and you basically became a 'royal healer'.
♡ Despite the official title, you decided to help anyone who was in need. Especially young children. The children were always fascinated by your eyes. They thought the colours were incredible.
♡ It was so heartwarming when they'd come back just to give you a drawing they did of you. You decided to set up a picture wall to hang all the lovely drawings. Anytime you felt scared, or were sick, you'd look up at the wall and remember how sweet and brave those kids were.
♡ Oin made sure you never overworked, got proper sleep and meals and he also taught you dwarven sign language so you could treat deaf and hard of hearing patients like Oin, or Bifur.
~~~
Bombur: (Romantic): (Dark Brown with Yellow around one eyes' center)
♡ You were a great cook and fighter. When the spiders of Mirkwood became a massive problem, you were put onto a patrol team that did two rounds around the borders of the forest each day.
♡ After that, you worked hard to make lunch and dinner with the other chefs and cooks. Great feasts for celebrations and small feasts to sing songs around fires with.
♡ So one day when you were preparing a great feast for another fun celebration, a border patrol lead by the Prince of Mirkwood arrived with a large group of dwarves who had been found wandering aimlessly off the path.
♡ You didn't think much of it until they escaped and caused great havoc with their unorthodox exit out of Mirkwood: riding in empty wine barrels out of the backdoor from palace, exiting through the back gate.
♡ Orcs then attacked the dwarves and elves whilst the elves attempted to keep the dwarves from escaping further and the orcs from causing more damage. You watched all this from a distance, killing off the few orcs that attempted to get inside the building.
♡ You couldn't keep track of how much time passed after that, but soon an army of elves were called to arms by the King. Everyone gathered in their armour, grabbing their weapons and standing out the door waiting for further instructions.
♡ You had joined the army, ready to fight against the dwarves that had recently reconquered Erebor. It was for the simple matter of helping the Laketown people who had called for aide since the dragon attack burned down their town.
♡ There were carts of supplies you would all bring to the people who were currently taking refuge in Dale.
♡ The walk to Dale with all the supplies took quite a little while, but when you arrived and saw all the wounded, sick and how desperate everyone was for food - the trip was worth it. Once the King talked with the head of the group and figured out what had happened, he then handed out the supplies.
♡ All the elves got to work: helping the injured and sick with their knowledge of medicine, handing out food, blankets, water and more. You got to work cooking up a massive pot of soup with vegetables and some meat for everyone to have a serving of, as was requested of you.
♡ That was the main reason you were there helping. Your aide in battle was secondary, helping the people was your primary mission.
♡ When the battle began, you did your best to fight off the orc invasion in Dale. There was no reason for you to be fighting up front at the front gate of Erebor when there was a serious battle just at your own feet.
♡ Defending children and the elderly during all the chaos was the most difficult part of the battle. You had to make sure that, whilst they fought and laid finishing blows, they were not hit unaware by orcish archers.
♡ Once the battle was won and the war was over, it was time to help with the aftermath. Burying the dead, tending to the injured, cooking up pots of soup, or stew, for everyone and handing out bread, water and other necessary materials or foods for people to sustain themselves.
♡ The dwarves were allies at this point and did their best to right their wrongs. There was an especially friendly dwarf who came up beside you one evening with more vegetables and meat - exactly what you requested from the dwarves for the next meal - and he even helped you cook it all up.
♡ He knew some herbs that you had never seen before and you taught him some elvish cooking that made food taste more tender and juicy - it was wine, but don't tell the kids.
♡ Over time you got to know your new fellow chef, 'Bombur'. You two spent the next couple weeks cooking food for the hungry masses until everyone had food supplies and shelter to stay at in Dale. Repairs to houses took a while, but once most of the major houses were done for food storage and temporary shelter, you were relieved of duty.
♡ Despite that, whilst the King finished up his business with the dwarven king, Thorin, you continued to hang out with Bombur. Sitting around campfires, cooking smaller meals together, trading jokes, stories, adventures and tales. You grew quite fond of the dwarf.
♡ When it came time for you to return to the palace with the King Thranduil, you promised to write to Bombur and he promised the same.
♡ And you both kept your words.
♡ You sent letters back and forth for many months and occasionally visited the dwarf for special celebrations where he asked for your aide in cooking - an excuse to spend an evening with you.
♡ Many years later, after five full years of courting each other, you both got married and lived together in Erebor. The King Thranduil did not mind your choice in love and wished you luck on your journey.
♡ The King Thorin accepted you fully as another good chef in the kingdom and made sure a feast was prepared for your wedding so you and Bombur could relax and simply enjoy the day together.
♡ Another couple years passed. You were all sitting at a table enjoying a couple beers when Bofur spoke up, teasing Bombur. "Still can't believe you managed to find and romance such a beautiful lady, Bombur. I mean, her unique eye colours," He gestured to your central heterochromia, "...her stunning hair, glowing skin, incredible cooking, gosh Bombur, you're so lucky. I hope I find a pretty wife soon too.." He sighed, taking another swig of his fifth beer.
♡ The alcohol must've been hitting him, so you merely comforted the tired dwarf. "I'm sure there's someone out there waiting for you too, Bofur." You chuckled. "Right, Bombur?"
♡ Bombur was staring at you intensely when you turned to him.
♡ "Bombur?" You tried again, waving a hand in front of his face. "Erebor to Bombur, attention Bombur." You teased. He leaned in closer and you were expecting a kiss, but he hesitated and maintained strict eye-contact.
♡ "Your eyes are slightly different colours!!" He announced excitedly. There was a moment of surprise and silence until the whole table was roaring with laughter.
♡ "You only just now noticed?? We've been married two years!! Courted for five years!! Knew each other for many years before that, how did you not see this?" You gasped.
♡ "I never really took a good look at that...I assumed it was the same in both eyes...I thought it was candlelight most days." He admitted quietly. His whole face was red at this point, so you pinched his cheeks and gave him a quick kiss.
♡ "Darling, I love you! But for Mahal's sake, dear..."
♡ "I know...I'm sorry, love." He shyly offered you his food as an apology and sign of love.
♡ How he didn't notice for all those years remained a damn mystery in your mind. But that was okay, because he was a bit silly, but very sweet.
~~~
Gloin: (Platonic): (Orange and Black)
♡ When you were just a young dwarf, you got separated from your family and lost in a busy marketplace.
♡ Your parents went to look at jewelry whilst you looked at some well made toys and trinkets for children. By the time you were finished looking around...it was too late. You had completely forgotten where they said they were going to be.
♡ You started running around, ducking under people's bags and trays, darting between people and dodging their legs and arms.
♡ Whether it was by fate, luck or chance, when you started to give up your search; sitting down on a stone bench crying, Gloin walked past and noticed your small presence.
♡ He set his groceries down and sat beside you. "What's the matter, lad?" He asked softly, rubbing your back as you desperately tried to sob out coherent words.
♡ But Gloin had a child already and didn't have to spend too long decoding your gibberish to understand you lost your parents and were all alone in distress.
♡ "Aw, that's alright, laddie. Come along, I'll help you find your parents. Hold my hand so you don't get lost and let's go have a look, okay? I'm sure they're looking for you too." He gave you a soft smile and led you back into the centre of the bustling marketplace.
♡ He was correct - your parents had been worried sick looking for you. You apologized and hugged them. They were so relieved and grateful they invited Gloin, his wife and child all to dinner that evening and Gloin happily accepted.
♡ They shared their home address with him and let you two say goodbye before they headed home. You had such a big day, you needed a bath and snack before dinner.
♡ After that fateful day, Gloin and his family had remained good friends with your family and you would play with Gimli quite often. Hide and Seek, I Spy, Tag, you name it - y'all played it.
♡ Gloin would join in too with your own father! It was so much fun running around and squealing when they jumped out from the shadows with a "Boo!"
♡ Gloin was basically an Uncle figure to you. Constant visits, birthday celebrations and presents, babysitting you and Gimli when your parents went on a date night.
♡ And the same with your parents babysitting Gimli so Gloin could treat his love to a nice date night!
♡ When you became a teenager and started an apprenticeship in smithing, you slowly became self-conscious of your eye colours. This was an unusual feeling. Doubt? But also guilt perhaps?
♡ Like a spiraling feeling in your stomach...like your eye colours made you different. Made you stand out...and you felt guilty for it.
♡ You couldn't figure out what was wrong. What went wrong. Spending so many years feeling accepted by Gloin, your family, his family - especially Gimli. None of them even mentioned your heterochromia.
♡ They didn't point it out as if it was a major characteristic of yours, a defining feature, or trait. They always pointed out your creativity, your energetic and bubbly personality.
♡ But since starting the apprenticeship and working alongside other apprentices - they started pointing out how strange, or "different" or "weird" your eyes looked.
♡ These thoughts and confusing feelings kept you up at night. But you didn't dare mention it to anyone. This was a new and strange feeling that you still couldn't put into words.
♡ It felt a little silly that you felt guilty for something you were naturally born with. You couldn't explain how strange that feeling was.
♡ There must've been a noticeable change in your demeanor, however, as everyone started being extra doting and sweeter to you at home.
♡ This went on for months until one day you were sitting outside with Gloin and he asked how you had been feeling recently. "Since starting the apprenticeship." And that's when you broke down into tears.
♡ That small, slightly concerned, question was the final blow to your constant turmoil.
♡ "Aw, lad. I thought you looked a little down recently. Come here, it's okay...shhh...it's all going to be alright, laddie." Gloin hushed, rubbing circles on your back whilst hugging you.
♡ Once you had let out all your pent up emotions, you felt like you could explain how you felt to him. You told him how the other apprentices' comments had been making you feel.
♡ How you felt guilty, doubtful, unconfident, different...the list went on. Gloin didn't interrupt you the entire time you spoke. He simply listened and occasionally nodded. Until you had let all your thoughts out.
♡ You felt embarrassed for breaking down so fast, but Gloin spoke up. "I'm sorry you've been feeling like this for so long, lad." He sighed. "Maybe your eyes are different colours. And maybe you stand out a bit because of that...but that doesn't outshine the rest of you."
♡ "Y'know, everyone starts to feel like that when life gets strange, or difficult. And that's okay. What you've got to remember is the talents you possess. Your skill at crafting things, is who you truly are. The person you want to be - aspire to be! That's who you are. Your appearance will change with time. You might start to go blind...your hair will turn white, but what truly matters is what you do until then."
♡ "If you take their unthoughtful comments to heart, you might miss what's right in front of you by dwelling on how 'different' you feel. Focus on the present, laddie. Focus on this apprenticeship and show those apprentices what true skill and talent looks like! And when you show 'em up and prove their comments useless...well, I hope to be there...standing behind you - watching you shine."
♡ Gloin gave you a big bear hug and ruffled your hair a bit. "Alright, kid." He stood up with a grin. "All these feelings are exhausting and you must be hungry by now. After all, you're still growing." He chuckled and helped you to your feet.
♡ "Let's go get some dinner." The talk you had with him had really helped. You took his advice and ignored what other's said, unless it was advice or about your creations. You were passionate about your creations.
♡ You learned to make lots of different things. From swords and maces, to necklaces and rings. Eventually, you aced the apprenticeship and continued to work at the forge shop - selling your creations and accepting new challenges everyday.
♡ And if you ever had another bad day like that again...Gloin was right there for you - making sure you got back up to your feet and never gave up your passions and dreams.
♡ You were forever glad to Mahal for such an amazing friend.
~~~ The End ~~~
76 notes · View notes
forusomimiya · 1 year
Note
24,25,26 with omi HEHJSNNS
Are you OK? I think you're convulsing a bit hahahaha. First of all I have to say that after reading the prompts, my head automatically went to a bdsm scenario, with a Dom!Omi (I have to admit that it's fault of a SakuAtsu fanfic, it's called terminal curiosity. It's in ao3, if you want to read it ('。- ◡ -。`) ♡) I'm not going to gabble any more, I hope you like it ✦ʚ💜ɞ✦
Tumblr media
"Open" he ordered. "Open more" he grabbed you by the hair, pulling your head back, watching you open your mouth, tongue out waiting for the shot. "Hah, look how messy you are. Waiting for my cum, huh?" his grip loosened.
Blind, you heard his footsteps in the distance, and a drawer opening. When he closed it, he came back to you. The messy kiss on your lips caught you off guard. He devoured you in his own way, softly, slowly, tenderly, but intensely. You gasped in need of more as soon as he left. "Now I want you to be good, yes?" he whispered in your ear, tickling. You nodded and let yourself fall into the stillness.
"I will”
"Good girl" That was the hard tone you needed to hear from him to get excited.
You were afraid of what might happen next. Sakusa had never given you reason to distrust him, but everything was new in your relationship, and your nerves were getting the better of you every time he blindfolded you and left you to your own devices. Then he was always there, alert in case he heard the word that would make it all end, to go from humiliating you to giving you all the treatment and affection you needed, cleaning you up and feeding you. That was what made you accept this, and well, also because of how rough he was in bed.
You recognized the toy when you heard the vibration, and unconsciously, you licked your lips and smiled, playfully.
"Oh, so, you wanna play?" you stated, trying to spread your legs, which remained a failed attempt, but caused Sakusa's erection to become more noticeable, releasing it as soon as the pressure in his pants irritated him. Too bad you couldn't witness his cock bounce as it was exposed.
"You know I don't like it when you don't take me seriously" he knelt on the bed, and managed with one hand, to get you on your side to spank your ass and listen to your moan. "I'll make you cum as many times as I want. So much, you won't stop shaking, I assure you" he positioned you back up and made his way between your legs.
Little time passed between your first orgasm and his promise. Even without the vibrator in your pussy, the vibrations from the proximity already made you cum without being touched. Tears running down your cheeks from overstimulation, your legs jerking, your mouth begging him to please fuck you and leave that stupid toy. All while Sakusa was amused watching you suffer for him, for that cock that turned red with every pump. You would literally die knowing that Sakusa's intention was to jerking off listening to you cry.
"Kiyoo-mi, please fuck me, need yar cock heeere…"
"Huh huh, not yet. I need more of you, so keep drooling some more for me, Kitty"
"But I-"
"No buts honey. You´re doing great… keep going…" Little by little his panting was getting deeper. You cursed you couldn't see it what you heard. His fucking cock covered in cum, creating slimy sounds from the pumping, and his grunts. "Fuck... more, please. I want more. Touch yourself for me” Now that you understood his game, you wouldn't let him play without you.
"Only if you let me see you, please..." Sakusa doubted. "I've been good, I've done what you've asked. Please, I want to see you cum... please" he fell surrendered to your plea. The tape covering your eyes slid down your face. You couldn't have been more grateful to regain your sight, when a disheveled Sakusa, even with that now wrinkled white shirt, his jeans unbuttoned and those said black gloves that were your downfall, looked at you, mouth slightly open, without a hint of seriousness on his face. "Mhmm, look at me and please cum on me, pretty boy. Cum on me!"
“Hah… you little shit! Oh my g- fuck!”
And without a second thought, he cummed on your belly, splashing your tits, weakening and failing in his attempt to take control over you.
And that was what Sakusa meant when he said he didn't like it when you didn't take him seriously. Because he also melts under orders, inducing him into a submissive role that he didn't want you to ever discover.
Now you had a unique power in your hand and you would know how to use it with Sakusa.
358 notes · View notes
simplysamiblog · 1 month
Text
One Piece The will of the D. My personal theory
I was re-watching the episodes where Luffy would use Gear 5 for the first time. As the Drums of liberation thundered through the sea, it kind of struck me how Zunisha reacted to the sound.
Specifically his choice of words.
Words, in the world of One Piece, especially in the mind of Oda-san, are never thrown around casually. NEVER. Remember, just to say one example, how for years (decades dare I say) we believed the last island name was Raftel and how everything changed the moment we saw that name: "Laugh Tale"?. Things were never going to be the same. Roger and his crew saw something so funny, so unbelievably hilarious they just have to name that final island, at the end of their journey, "Laugh Tale". Till that moment we knew that those smiles had something special, yet with just that name, with just that little correction everything we knew was completely twisted.
At that point I remember thinking "Is there anything in this story that I'm actually sure of? Do I really know the meaning of anything I've read so far?". I doubted everything at that point.
And that is just ONE example. Another?
Gold Roger, or as we now know Gol D. Roger.
Can we even imagine what that ONE PIECE could even be? Or mean?
Back to Zunisha, and with that thought...that doubt in mind, I noticed the pronunciation of Zunisha at that sound "The Drums of Liberation" or, to transcribe the Japanese pronunciation : "doramu".
"Interesting" I thought.
Why keeping that word in English? Why is that so important? So much so that Zunisha, a thousand years old elephant, ally of the one and only Joy Boy, uses that specific word as his heart soared at the sound.
"Those with the D. will bring chaos to the world"
Occam's Razor, put simply, states: “the simplest solution is almost always the best.” And I see so much of Oda-san in this. I can almost see him laughing his heart off as we shockingly reacted to such an easy and obvious answer such as "Laugh Tale" after theories and theories spreaded out. And look at that, all those years wondering what that Vegapunk would look like... right, that Vegapunk, the genius scientist "the man with the best brain in the world".... looking awfully and trivially like our renowned scientist Herr Einstein.
Looking back it was so obvious, wasn't it? The answer was right there!
And then it clicked to me:
What if the D. simply stands for Drums?
Those Drums of Liberation. Those Drums who always would accompany Joy Boy. His distinctive sign. Always with him. He was supposed to become a king, he was the first ever known pirate.
As such, he must have had a crew. His allies...his Drums. Those who will inherit his will and his message.
Though hidden and hunted, through the centuries those with the D. survived and they always bring chaos and revolution wherever they go.
Trafalgar D. Law (Dressrosa)
Hagwor D. Sauro (Ohara)
Monkey D. Luffy (basically every place he's been to until now)
Marshall D. Teach
What if those with the D. are the heirs of those who once were together with Joy Boy? Maybe the members of his crew, or people from that Great Kingdom in which Joy Boy ruled and guided a war against the 20 kingdoms?
Those with the D. Also known as the "Natural Enemy of God". Those Gods living over the Red Line, those who delete history in their favor to maintain their power.
Those Drums who would be in the war during the battle, never stopping, never wavering. Guided by Joy Boy. Keeping his will alive.
I know what you're thinking.
"The D. standing for Drums? That's it?"
Impossibile. Absurd. So stupid it's almost... laughable, isn't it?
40 notes · View notes
ackerifle · 9 months
Note
I personally see yan!Levi being like he is in the show, keeping his emotions in control, being focused and having the whole no-nonsense attitude. While being just a tad bit too overprotective. I doubt he'd ever harm reader if he's caught feelings for them or force himself on them. (just my opinion and personal preference!) But it makes me curious to see how he would genuinely struggle with his feelings, being self-aware of how too much he feels for reader while also being quite dense in a way. Seeing him deteriorate as he's trying to keep up with how he usually is with everyone else. While you see things from his POV, his psychology. And how the absence of any form of intimacy and probably not thinking he needs it affects him. I've read all that you've written and really like your writing and wondered what your take on this would be? a scenario or headcanons, Can be sfw and/or nsfw!
dramatis personae!
yan. levi ackerman x fem. reader
+ CW. — headcanon’s: internal morality conflict, stalking, possessive and manipulative behavior, slight intimidation, implied: forced relationship & eventual mind break; i fear the structure worsens as it continues; not proof-read.
first and foremost, you flatter me, i am delighted to hear that you’ve taken a liking to my writing, and your patience in waiting is well appreciated. this particular ask near reminds me that it is long overdue for me to create a work that is written exclusively in levi’s perspective, or rather, one that happens to centre around his general frame of mind as a yandere.
levi is no fool, love comes easy to the forlorn who have never had a taste of it. and when it comes to you? he knows it’s love, he knows it right away. but these feelings are so… intense, so peculiar, so persistent, so passionate, and so not normal. levi’s struggle with morality is a burden that rivals the responsibility of being humanity’s strongest soldier, truly. and although levi does his utmost to justify his unusual behaviors and progressively concerning actions, he simply can’t. you’re quite unfortunate yourself, to have a man such as levi absolutely and utterly enamored with you, and he wholly acknowledges it. but who is to pay the price, if not you? initially, levi’s solution to suppressing the severity of his feelings, if not the feelings altogether, is distance. but this proves only temporary as absence makes the heart grow fonder, and it isn’t long before he gives up because why would he deprive himself of happiness after just finally attaining it?
it’s almost too much, really. levi feels quite a lot, but most of all, he feels guilty— just not guilty enough to stop. and as time passes, his resolve inevitably weakens, and it becomes easier to rationalize what he does, even if levi is astutely aware deep down that acting upon his own selfish desires will always be wrong, at least with the way he’s going about it. it isn’t entirely justice, per se, but levi does happen to have a strong sense of righteousness, of rectitude, of common decency. human life holds great significance to him, but so does the quality of said life; he wants you to feel everything and anything but suffering by being with him. but there will come a point where i believe that he stops caring altogether. that levi’s erstwhile efforts of concealing his sincere intentions and ardent sentiments would waver in due time, but this would be late into his life, likely after the battle of heaven and earth when you’re even more emotionally eroded than he is.
it starts off small, considering that he is fairly unsuspecting as a yandere, and quite little would change about his mannerisms, at least until you’ve noticed too little too late. levi wants your relationship, romantic or not, to develop as organically as possible so he can get over the fact that it is quite literally anything but. not when he already knows everything he needs to know about you. levi is observant and watchful as is, but he also happens to have a plethora of resources at his fingertips; such as your legal documents, military papers, and medical records. furthermore, it would only take one little harmless white lie to attain more… personal information: family history, biographies, or even reports written by none other than yourself, ones that had been published decades ago, that is.
and while i don’t particularly envision levi as the obsessive, nor delusional, type (as much as i find him to be the possessive type), it may simply pass his mind that this isn’t insanely weird. only until levi finally reels himself in — with rare restraint that levi is usually well renowned for having, even in comparison to his most reticent peers — and he realizes that he’s violated your entire right to privacy, unbeknownst to you. it eventually registers in that lucid state of consciousness of his that he’s going out of his way to do this on his own personal accord, that it is taking time out of his work schedule, and that he cannot accredit this to assisting the survey corps in literally any way. when it settles, he’s honestly mortified. and the worst of it all? you’ve probably only interacted a grand total of two times, three if we’re being generous.
the feeling of levi’s presence is hard to miss, let it be from across the dining hall, or in close quarters, both of which levi will ensure that you become mindlessly accustomed to overtime. as aforementioned, levi is adamant about this bond forming naturally so as to prevent himself from digging a deeper hole than he already has, so the introduction of his company in day to day life will be the first steps in making himself known to you. of course, you already know him, all of the soldiers do, but you’ll find that he is just everywhere, and in particular, everywhere that you are. there is no shortage of his lingering presence; you see him often, more often than someone of your rank should. and it gets to be awfully concerning when your recurrent rendezvous with the man take a gradual turn from fortuitous close-shoulder proximity in the mandatory meetings, to levi cornering you in the furthest and deserted hallways of the headquarters to ask the most obscure and obscene questions that only someone maintaining close relations to you would know.
this is levi’s (not-so) subtle way of letting you know that he has taken an interest in you, even if you are likely to perceive it as him being a hardass that has spontaneously discovered that he fancies finding fault with and denigrating your performance in the corps. levi is a busy man, but never too busy to miss visiting you in one way or another; and although he prefers to demonstrate acts of service to indicate his affections for you, you two aren’t exactly close enough for that, yet. ironically, levi may find that doing anything for you is a little too forward, it is blatant favoritism at worst, and a telltale sign of his relentless loyalty at best; but his definition of forward is very different considering it wasn’t all that forward when he decided to hold you hostage in his office to do menial tasks simply because he wanted you there. and it isn’t that levi is intentionally acting with such amateur impromptu (although granted, not like he has had much experience to begin with), it’s rather him just being careful. levi has no issue when it comes to being straightforward, but this… this is surely quite different.
you may come to the conclusion that his sudden, awkwardly formal yet somehow equally as intimate interactions with you — given no prior history with one another, not even as fellow soldiers — is because he is too embarrassed to outright admit what he wants; which is you. that he is above pursuing whatever this is with another, let alone someone of (presumably) lower status. but levi isn’t necessarily shy as much as he is hesitant, and ideally, it would be you who initiates. for the same reason he feels beside himself and ashamed, it would ease the guilt if you had wanted him back in the first place, with levi believing that you may need a push in the right direction to do so. but that push is more like a shove… off a cliff, because it doesn’t even so much as cross your mind that these are levi’s questionable ways of romantic advancement, and not him attempting to intimidate you into woefully resigning from the military.
and when levi ascertains that he has to be the one to do something, he will. it wasn’t that levi was apprehensive out of fear, nor daunted by the notion itself (… like have you seen this man’s initiative statistics), it is just that it would have been for the best had you played along in the first place. to placate levi’s longing for something, anything, from you in return to give the illusion that his valiant efforts weren’t all for naught, he may have even been pleased, regardless of the fact he can see right through you. but you don’t, because you aren’t stupid enough to give yourself to him, and now that he’s been so kind as to give you a chance, you won’t be getting it again. he’ll be curt as all hell, terse with his wants, and unabashed about his desires; but it isn’t quite what you’re used to.
if i were to describe the connection you hold with yandere levi, it would actually be intimate. perhaps not in the traditional sense: physical, emotional, or other, but in the way that levi feels safe, something he hopes you feel with him as well. that he is free to express the innermost dark and delicate thoughts of his subconscious and as himself as humanity's strongest and levi ackerman— to you, as his confidant, as his comrade, and as his lover. real, genuine and authentic intimacy is something that levi has never had the fortune of experiencing. but once he has, he can’t get enough. let it be known that i feel that levi wouldn’t refer to you with typical terms of endearment, as they still remain rather foreign and ambiguous to him, but also because words alone don’t even come close to expressing the extremity of his feelings. he can just show you, if you let him.
levi may be a man who sustains exceptional self-awareness, however, he is a bit thick-headed when it comes to why he loves this way. it is… depraved to say the least, and while he fully understands that the process of falling and being in love is only natural, which he has reluctantly come to terms with now given his current situation, he just can’t place a finger as to why it has to be this way. his behaviors are susceptible to going unnoticed for an alarming amount of time by those around him, even the veteran soldiers who have come to know him for years; save for erwin who is far too sharp and perceptively nosy for his own good, and hange who is pertinaciously attentive as ever. it matters not in the end, as levi won’t be taking advice from them anyway. as exhausting as it may be to varnish over and conceal his deranged approach to love in the eyes of the public, there are only a handful of people that he owes such pleasantries to; and should a cadet have the gall to address him, levi will see to it that there will be no repetition of such daft inquiries following in their footsteps. but he prides himself in the fact that he is greatly disciplined, his self-restraint and intellectual control are unmatched, and it is a blessing that levi can regulate his emotions with the stability that he does, because by god, you would never know peace otherwise.
only partially have i discussed the manipulative potential that levi has (and already possesses) but not as detailed, nor thorough, as i am about to now. this man will drive you up a fucking wall. you can kick and scream, yell until your voice goes hoarse and berate levi to your heart's content, but he won’t budge. you’ll only be met with a blank stare. and it’s honestly terrifying, you’ll find that some reaction, any reaction; angry, sad, hurt, and what have you, is better than nothing at all. the silence after is what kills you, and it does well to remind you of where you stand. he won’t give you the reaction you so desperately wish to see to soothe the nerves that flare when levi goes dead quiet. but he has no reason to paint himself in any bad light, levi has done nothing but good for you, and this is how he is reimbursed?
levi can cope with a darling that detests him, it most certainly will get under his skin, but he’ll live. specifically because he knows that you never asked to be put in a position that you were, one where there is no way out. because levi knows that if what was left of humanity had fallen, obliterated and defeated by the titans as everyone had once feared, you would leave him without a second thought or even sparing a farewell. and as understanding as he is of the unfortunate circumstances (for you) and the wonderful situation (for him), there is no ounce of empathy or pity that could ever topple levi’s hunger to have you. but he is possessive through and through. your love is irreplaceable, priceless even, but it is merely a perk to having you.
thus, levi doesn’t fret when it comes to getting you to love him, though that isn’t to say he disregards the endeavor entirely. he is eerily forbearing, with the patience of a saint and all the time in the world, levi is nothing if not restrained. be it a day, a month, a year, thirteen years, levi can wait because your submission is bound to overcome any sort of resistance you have left. you are the prettiest when you cave in, give in, and although almost as pleasant, your love cannot compare to your compliance, to your acceptance. that isn’t to say levi won’t try, he wants you to like him, but he acknowledges that learning to love him as he does you will take more time, and he can wait.
levi is a slow burn yandere to the end, and if you think you can best him in the long game, you have another thing coming. at the height of his infatuation, back to the very beginning, you may have found yourself maddened and infuriated to your wits’ end by his constant presence, but he has always been the one person to take such tender care of you; to the point it would be almost strange if he had so suddenly stopped. and when the battle of heaven and earth had become the last calamity to finally break you, you stop fighting him. you’ve only one another left, and levi is all yours, always has been, always will be, and maybe you’ll accept that you really are his.
64 notes · View notes
melbatron5000 · 3 months
Text
Fangirling for personal improvement
My Good Omens hyperfixation has made me a better writer.
I did not expect that when I got hooked on the Ineffable Mystery and started digging for Clues.
I've been writing fiction for decades. I have five books out, seven if you count the side adventure novellas I wrote to entice people to my email list. I'm currently editing the sixth (eighth?).
I have a few deeply devoted fans. I have a handful of good reviews on my books.
I also have a full-time day job, because selling books ain't making me rich.
My goal has never been to be rich, it's been to make a living doing something I love. And I'm still not there yet. It's largely my own fault, there are things I could be doing, but I'm too scared of rejection to do them. I've been working on that fear of rejection, but it's been a bit of a roller coaster of feeling better and then feeling worse and scared again.
As part of my attempt to feel better, I decided to re-edit my very first book and re-release it. I'm indie, so I can do that.
Everyone always asks for the first book, and I've learned a lot as a writer since I put it out, so it's not necessarily my best foot forward. Several people have told me to let that go and write another book, but when I'm selling, shoppers are never interested in the newest book (unless they already read the first one), they want the first book. And if the first book doesn't catch them, they won't care about the newest book. So I want the first book to make the best impression it can.
My day job and self-esteem issues have made the editing process slow going. It's been over a year. (I'm also editing the sixth book on top of that, so I may be biting off more than I want to chew. But anyway.)
I took hyperfixating on Good Omens as a little bit of a mental break from grinding on my own stories. After I did that for a while, I figured it was time to get back to grinding.
Holy shit was it easier!
I had a sentence that I had re-written like, five times, trying to capture exactly what I wanted to say. When I came back to my hand-written edits, I saw immediately how to word the sentence to say what I wanted with the most punch. I also saw that in my efforts to correct some author tics, I had re-written some of my sentences to be more "correct" but lose their impact. I could see at a glance which ones needed a little tidying to take care of tics, which ones needed total re-writing, and which ones were good as they were, tics or not.
As I began working on edits again, I also started to feel more confident. I have a better way with words than I had given myself credit for. My characters are interesting. My stories have a deeper meaning. I have a clear-cut idea of what kind of author I want to be.
I had a moment of feeling like I want to make Neil Gaiman proud of me, and of course that's a wildly unrealistic thing to want, and I was feeling sort of defeated at how no matter if I ever have success or not I will always be too small a fish for him to ever notice me, and so will never make him proud. But watching him be so encouraging and lovely on Tumblr has been deeply vicariously uplifting to me. In the distant, good-will-towards-all-baby-writers way he has, Neil may never hear of me personally, but he is, in fact, proud of me nonetheless. This has meant more to me than I know how put into words.
This is all literally because of Good Omens.
I've always loved both Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. They are master-class writers, for sure. I've read everything by both of them, multiple times.
Reading and re-reading are not the same as hyperfixating, it turns out. It's not the same as reading meta-analyses of a master work and going, "Oh, I never saw that before, but it absolutely tracks!" It's not the same as seeing the same words or phrases repeated over and over by people who love them, and seeing why those phrases in particular have caught people's imaginations, the layers of meaning available in them. Reading and re-reading are not the same as dipping a toe into writing my own metas, using my own skills to break down an amazing story I love and examine its working parts and see how it ticks.
I'm not developing new skills that I didn't have before, I'm using the same skills I've gained over the years of trying to write good books. But I am using them in new ways, and maybe more importantly, I'm using them on a book that I love by two authors I really care about, rather than a book I don't like assigned by an instructor or chosen by someone writing a book on how to analyze writing. Being able to ask myself, "Why do I love this bit so much?" as opposed to "What's so brilliant about this book I've never read and never will?"
My confidence is so much higher than it has been in years, and it's holding steady. Every time I look at my own writing, I'm jazzed and pleased, rather than intimidated and concerned. I'm excited to start working on more stories. I'm excited to really give it a go to get them selling enough to make a living at it.
All because of Good Omens.
32 notes · View notes
thedemises · 9 months
Text
Tumblr media
note!... since i'll not be too active on tumblr for a while, have this little scenario consisting of the kidd pirates. i've gotten this idea from @rahonn on this post here. enjoy while i crumble into an embarrassed mess in the background bc i just re-read it for the nth time. (this is set in the modern au!!) (also edited on the 3rd of January, 2024)
Tumblr media
━━ . PURPLE ‘N RED。kidd pirates oneshot!!
Tumblr media
“bro, what happened to your face?” your friend, wire, asked in a enquiring tone while he records with his phone—no idea why is he even doing that in the first place. the camera focused solely on your face; that is covered in multiple lipstick marks of two distinct colors.
and, not to mention, the two stains of those colors planted directly on your lips quite intentionally.
with nothing to respond with, you just dazed into space with an unreadable, blank facial expression—possibly too flustered to even process the situation. Wire didn't know exactly what had happened beforehand when he left to go to the bathroom for a few minutes.
but from the lipstick colors clashing another—purple and red—he can kind of guess why.
the camera then pans at the direction of your other friend, heat, who had himself comfortably laid on his stomach on top of the couch as he watches everything unfold. “did you do you that?” questioned wire—of course asking about whatever the hell happened to your face—to which heat simply replies with, “i did not do that.”
“then who did?”
kidd then enters the camera shot, Wire's phone camera now focusing on the redhead's face—the noticeable red lipstick he always wore was now smeared on his lips, and that connected the dots for wire.
upon seeing the familiar blond behind kidd, wire turns his phone camera towards killer's direction—who is currently unmasked, as some of his thick blond hair covered the view of his eyes—though it didn't cover up the obviously messy purple lipstick on his own smiling lips.
“yeah, who?”
the video ends with the group erupting into laughter—with you only being the silent one, covered in lipstick stains on every part of your face with both distinguishing colors; purple and red.
(thanks to wire, the video wasn't uploaded onto any social platform, though however it was shared to the others' phones with you solely being the one left unaware)
Tumblr media
© thedemises 2023. all rights reserved. ━━ inspired by that tiktok from Bryce Hall.
Tumblr media
88 notes · View notes
blairsanne · 2 months
Note
I just finished my first rewatch of taj. This time around, I noticed more than the first time I watched. I was actually paying more attention to the storyline instead of just watching Dean in every scene and how good he looked lol.
I felt bad for Anders and how everyone treated him, even up until the last episode. Yeah there were times when he acted like a prick but hey that’s his character and I understand him putting up a wall and acting the way he does because if how others treat him. Still loved Ty. Yeah at times it was a little creepy with his approach to Dawn but I love the ending how it all turned out for them. Still cried. Mike, still can’t stand him. I think this time around I found him even more annoying. I almost got to the point where I had to wither mute when he was talking or just outright skip it lol. Axl was better this time around. First time I found him really annoying but this time he was better. Love Zeb, hilarious! Love all the goddesses still, except Gaia. Don’t even get me started on her! Especially the storyline with her and Anders. Nope hated that part, couldn’t watch it this time.
I loved it even more this time around! Since finishing it, it got me thinking about it they did go ahead with a season 4 and what would play out. I would’ve loved to see how each of them adapted to their life now without their god powers and who would embrace the new change, who would struggle the most, would they change anything about their life or try and keep it steady? Who knows!? And then what about Axl moving back in with Zeb, do you think he’d eventually start telling him everything or just leave that all in the past and build a new friendship? What are your thoughts on if they did another season and what they would tackle?
Yay, talking about TAJ is one of my favourite things!!
I fully agree re: Anders. I often feel sad for him when people who watch the show accept his brothers' opinions of him as fact, despite Anders himself repeatedly trying to tell them that he does the right thing often, that he's trying to protect them, etc. -- and the audience even being shown that effort on his part multiple times. It grinds my gears that other characters thinking Anders is a shallow jerk is taken as a statement of fact from the writers and not, y'know, the character's opinion.
Anders may not have the same set of ethics as Mike, but he clearly has his own set of ethics (which he brings up in S2 when he's uncomfortable with Helen's ideas for his powers, in S3 with Colin's ideas for his powers, etc...) and doesn't see his own actions the way his brothers interpret them, and I think it's a very uncharitable reading of his character to think of him as flat and selfish, instead of the very complex character that was actually written into the show, with flaws and good points and complicated family dynamics where mostly there's a lot of misunderstanding of each other going on. I could probably ramble on about that forever, but I'll refrain.
Mainly I wish that viewers would take Anders word for it what his own motivations are, because he does outright state them at multiple points, right from the first season where he explains that the thing that got him BANISHED FROM HIS FAMILY was done in an attempt to protect Mike.
I really disliked Mike my first viewing, because I felt like he caused a lot of strife for other characters by being inflexible and believing he knew best. As I've rewatched, I've come to better appreciate his character and the immense burden he bears. I think his attempt at controlling his family is his own way of trying to protect them, and that this was caused by the events surrounding both the toxic relationship of his parents and that he was forced to be the head of the family at age 21. (I still get annoyed with him during the S3 Odin contest stuff but I also headcanon that it was a "fate" thing to force Odin and Frigg together.) I try to remind myself that every character on the show thinks they are in the right, and why that might be.
I have a theory about Gaia, but that's a whole other essay lmao.
My answers to your questions re: S4 will be somewhat colored by the deleted scene from the final episode, which reveals what Colin was doing tossing a red gem on the ground before the Ga.
In the deleted scene (which they filmed in case they got renewed for S4), Loki comes out of the gem, and we were left with Loki and Colin standing in the woods, apparently about to cause some problems.
With that in mind, I have to assume that the Johnsons would discover Loki was in Midgard and try to do soemthing about it. I further assume that at least some of the other characters would have god spirits inhabit them again (mainly because that's more interesting than them coming back to Earth on their own and interacting with mortal Johnsons).
I think it would be REALLY interesting if they didn't necessarily get the gods they had the first time around. Maybe Odin doesn't want to leave Asgard, so Axl becomes another god. Maybe Freki, just for the lols. Maybe they find some new McGuffin that allows other mortals (liek Zeb and Dawn) to take on god spirits!
Re: Zeb and Axl living together, given how long their friendship was, I headcanon that - much like Dawn - Zeb would eventually start to remember Axl, and maybe everything. Alternatively, maybe part of the season is Axl finding a way to make Zeb remember!
Just re: the Johnsons being mortal in general, I have a bit of a hc where, since Mike's career wasn't based on his powers, he'd go back to construction (maybe rebuild the bar to sell it), and Axl would work for him. Anders (who I assume does know how to do his job, despite no longer being able to just Bragi his clients) might even do promo for the construction business. Ty could still be a courier, and as the only one to actually live as a mortal since turning 21, I think he'd have the easiest time of it, especially with Dawn remembering him and all.
I think initially there would be a lot of razzing Mike by challenging him to games and beating him, but overall I think Mike might actually feel really happy to get to be included in those games again after so long. I think losing Ullr would really help Mike chill out. Or, at least, I hope that for him.
I don't really see Michele and Anders working out long term unless Michele started to take Anders seriously. She didn't really seem to understand him very well even in S3. I did feel like Anders seemed to want a more serious relationship (not necessarily that he wanted what Ty or Mike would want, but just that he seemed to be looking for emotional connection in S3, and not only physical, perhaps because of the whole Idun plot?) so I could see with not having Bragi anymore that he might settle down a bit and get a gf. I've always sort of thought maybe mortal women didn't seem like suitable gf material to him because they couldn't know about everything going on (like he saw how being with Val was complicated for Mike) and that's why they're always little flings. We do see him treat Michele and Helen pretty well imo (not cheating on them, taking them seriously as people, etc.), so I thought maybe he would do better with a goddess gf. (See Lofn fic lmao)
Ahhh that was a lot of rambling, but I'm always happy to talk more about TAJ!! Thanks for the ask :)
24 notes · View notes
genericpuff · 11 months
Note
A while back you made a post mentioning Down to Earth is trash and I would like to here your take on it. No pressure on it I just like hearing your opinion on things. FYI I hate Kade lol
I did, and I've been meaning to post about it, but I've been taking some extra time to re-read as much as I can so that I could better collect my thoughts :' )
Now I will mention, I have not caught up to the most recent episodes. Most of my thoughts here will reflect the earliest parts of the series, as I didn't end up sticking with this one. So please take my criticisms as someone who just never got into this series for various reasons, not as someone who was incredibly into the comic and fell off it (like I am with LO). I will try to judge it and review it fairly based on that context.
Most of my issues with Down to Earth don't stem nearly as deep as my issues with LO, Let's Play, or even Big Ethel Energy. Frankly, I think the comic is 'fine', but I don't think it's necessarily all that good either, and the amount of attention it gets from the platform lends to the fact that I really think its success is due to a lot of generated hype. This is one of the other comics on the platform that gets a LOT of priority advertising, not quite as egregious as LO, but still a lot.
The short answer: I think the comic is just overrated and pretty basic in terms of its storytelling and art, and I don't think it's necessarily a good "romance" comic for some of the same reasons I don't think LO or Let's Play are good romance comics. I think the only reason I don't get quite as mad at it as I do with LO or BEE or LP is because (as far as I can tell) it's not really advertising itself as some feminist progressive piece of work. It's sorta just "what you see is what you get", and what you get isn't really all that great (for reasons listed below) but at least it doesn't try to sound smarter than it is most of the time. Read it the same way you would watch a fluff anime.
Moving into my long answer, I will say some of the things that were initially appealing about it: the art is very colorful and cutesy, the comedy (for the most part) is inoffensive and simple, and the story is really easy to pick up and get into.
That said, I do think some of those praises are also part of its weaknesses.
While the art gets better over time, there are certain aspects of its stylization that still feel very "baby's first webcomic" to me. Which is great if you're someone who's into that style, but when I read it, it never really stops feeling like a Canvas comic, if you catch my drift. Nothing really sets it apart from the flood of Merryweather-esque fan service comics that are in the Canvas section.
And boy, is there a LOT of fanservice in this comic. I think the main plot point itself is fanservice in and of itself - cutesy anime alien girl crashes on earth, and winds up living with the depressed NEET-like guy, shenanigans ensue from how "inexperienced" she is due to her alien status. Everything from the circumstances of this character's plot to how she's drawn screams "this is for people who like to read about small titty girls with big asses being put into a situation where they have to rely on a man". The comic takes many opportunities to draw the FL, Zaida, as wide as possible (and of course, the ML Kade loves this trait about her, it's one of the first thing he notices aside from the fact that she speaks an alien language and can do weird alien things like telepathy and flying).
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Thankfully this does get a little better in the later episodes, you can tell the creator was struggling with anatomy in places and then honed their skills, but there are still times it regresses back to the extremely-pinched-waist-mega-badonker-hips look.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Don't get me wrong, having a protagonist with wide hips like this is all fine and dandy, but there's a point where you can tell it's purely for fanservice and that's definitely what the comic wants you to know from the starting gun. She fits perfectly into that "born sexy yesterday" trope that so many romance FL's do (cough Persephone cough) while also having that "uwu I'm so inexperienced :(((" vibe that you get from characters like Sam in Let's Play. Shit, Kade pretty much starts sexualizing her before he even knows what her deal is as a person. Does he even know how old she is? Is "she" even a "she", do these aliens have different concepts of gender identity or even different types of reproductive organs than what you would find on Earth?
Look, I get it that I'm probably WAY overthinking it, you can write comics about characters from other dimensions and planets without having to get into the nitty gritty of whether or not they have periods, that's fine. But the real problem is the fact that her being from another planet seems to be used purely for creating an infantilized character with extra steps who's easily laughed at for not knowing things (don't even get me started on how "alien" could be replaced with "someone who doesn't speak English or have access to modern devices" in a lot of this comic, but I feel like that's way too deep of a criticism to be pinning on something that's literally designed to be a quirky fanservice fluff comic.)
Like, you want an alien girl who looks human but still acts reasonably like an alien - while even tackling subjects that come with being an "outsider" - without making her act like a literal baby? Starfire from Teen Titans.
Tumblr media
(granted, the whole "smooching to transfer information" thing is definitely a little weird in hindsight, and there are definitely moments of fanservice, but that's about as weird as it gets lmao you don't see Starfire acting like a literal toddler, she is smart and capable, she just isn't from Earth, which is the whole point of her characterization being parallel to that of what foreigners experience ! She's not stupid or incapable of taking care of herself, she's just not accustomed to life on Earth!)
Like, this is in one of the newer episodes and I just-
Tumblr media
(I suddenly have to throw up-)
It really dials the creep factor of this whole relationship dynamic to 100 when they drive home just how "babylike" she is through panels like this. It's not really her being unaware of customs around her, it's just her being written as babylike as possible with the fact that she's an alien being used as justification.
But it really makes you think about Kade's intentions when he goes straight to buying lingerie for the girl he just met who's been forced to stay with him in his home. He doesn't even really make efforts to help her get on her own feet, he just accepts this as his fate and goes "welp I guess I gotta make sure I don't get fired from my job" because now he has to support the baby girl that landed in his backyard. So Zaida ends up having no agency as a result. It just feels like a contrived situation meant to force an unaware, vulnerable girl into being taken care of by a guy who's, frankly, a creep.
And boy, Kade is actually kind of a creepy scumbag.
Kade makes for a really uninteresting and frankly pathetic character, he's just sort of a whiny man baby and you just know if Zaida was an earthling who had spent time on this planet longer than a few days, she probably wouldn't put up with this shit LOL Like, deadass he basically threatens to harm her within the first few episodes of the comic-
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Like, this is after she's ruined his Playstation or w/e, and it's just like DAMN girl, this is a RED FLAG. But of course, she's an alien girl who's ignorant about everything, so it creates that power dynamic where he basically has full reign to take advantage of her at any time. Ladies, if a guy says you shouldn't trust him, take him at his word.
Zaida's characterization is also very inconsistent between her being an alien and her just being an "uwu baby girl". Often times it just makes the whole "alien" thing feel like it's only there to justify writing yet another "I'm babyyyy" romance. Sometimes she's WAY more privy to things than you'd expect her to be and then other times she's doing the dumbest shit for laughs.
Now to be fair, she DOESN'T put up with his shit here, but the fact that the writing for Zaida is inconsistent makes scenes like Kade being a creep being more about the creator realizing they're leaning too hard into her being vulnerable to abuse and so they quickly have Zaida combat it with some strange amount of awareness despite the fact she's only been living with him for a few days... but not enough awareness to maybe realize this isn't a good living situation. Like, again, she may be able to speak English, but that doesn't mean she's fully aware of what Earthlings are like, so she's suddenly really smart about what it means to be taken advantage of by a human man even though everywhere else in the comic she's written like a toddler.
Tumblr media
And of course, like many of these webtoons tend to do, they don't linger on the implications of this scene too long, so they quickly turn it into a punchline to ease the tension. Audience comfort restored.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
And that brings us to the comedy. The "jokes" in this comic basically boil down to, "haha, the alien girl doesn't know how to take care of herself on Earth!" , which frankly, I think is just a very thin veil for infantilization. I mean, really, the fact that she's an alien doesn't even really matter in the world of this comic, it takes a while for the comic to even really give us a glimpse of what her life was like off Earth so most of the comic is just typical slice of life cutesy moments you'd find in literally any shoujo or romance webtoon. You could switch out the fact that she's an alien with her being from another dimension, or turn it into an isekai where she was the female character in Kade's favorite video game who suddenly got zapped into the real world, and it would make fundamentally zero difference.
They even sorta lampshade this fact but swiftly move on from it.
Tumblr media
There's nothing really that makes her an "alien" in any unique or consequential way, she's just a carbon copy anime girl with pointy ears who could be replaced with any other trope from other romance subgenres like this. She can eat human food just fine, dress in human clothes, and as long as she wears a hat over her ears, she's literally indistinguishable from the humans around her.
I will add as well that there are a lot of little ways they hint towards the implied dynamic between these two, at least in the beginning. The whole "second rule: obey" bit, while passed off immediately after as a joke, feels like it was inserted there JUST to create that imbalanced power dynamic that so many "romance" webtoons rely on, similarly to LO and Let's Play. The fact that he corrects himself from this just feels like, again, lampshading.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
And again, after this we do see Kade legitimately acting like a creep and he DOESN'T DO ANYTHING to help Zaida get her footing beyond paying for her room and board and telling her to mind her vocabulary, so this seems more like him trying to create a situation that's beneficial to him where he's effectively trapped this girl into relying on him.
They even lampshade this as well so that leads me to believe they're fully aware of this dynamic and how creepy it is, so they try and play it off as a "haha so funny" joke to ease the tension or create suspension of disbelief.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
When it comes to the actual execution of punchlines, again, 90% of the jokes in this comic are "haha alien girl so stupid!"
Tumblr media
(I will admit this scene did make me laugh, but it's telling that it was the only one that stood out to me for that because every other joke in this series is very mid and resorts to the same type of "haha she's a stupid alien girl" punchlines.)
Tumblr media
(omg mental illness! so funny! /s)
If you really want comedy written around aliens describing human things in weird ways, then just go read Strange Planet. They're actually aliens and they're consistently funny through much smarter writing that doesn't rely purely on "lmao they're stupid because they're not from here". If anything the aliens in Strange Planet are way more welcoming and endearing to the concept of being a fish out of water than simply making them stupid for a punchline.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
(i swear to christ, "crisscross flop disc" and "prohibit anxiety" are lines that have lived in my head rent free for like 3 years now, it never gets old and THAT'S how you know it's a good joke LMAO)
And the story, as mentioned, is easy to get into, but ultimately that winds up meaning it's not really all that well done. Like, it's fine! It's a cute comic to read if you're into this sort of thing, there are a lot of sweet little moments that feel good to read between Kade and Zaida, but ultimately because of the focus on the fluff, that's all it ends up feeling like - weekly doses of fluff. Even when it tries to have some semblance of plot, it's quickly undercut by fanservice. So it's just kinda boring and vapid.
Case in point, one of Kade's observations of Zaida is that she apparently looks "just like his ex girlfriend" who he still clearly hasn't gotten over, but we don't actually see even a hint of what his ex-girlfriend looks like until MULTIPLE episodes later after the "sparks" have already started being formed between him and Zaida.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Um... she doesn't really look like Zaida at all aside from them both being generic anime girls, but okay lol by that logic the girl he served at the store in Episode 7 also looks like Zaida.
Tumblr media
So it kinda makes the whole relationship feel superficial, like he's only interested in her because she vaguely reminds him of his ex, and it's taking so long to get through any amount of plot through all the fluff that I can't be sure if they ever actually address this. I'd like to think they do eventually, though from what I've heard of the later episodes after his ex-girlfriend makes an appearance, it seems more like they go the LO route of making the two relationship "choices" just be complete opposites where one is actually sweet to the ML and the other is abusive JUST to make the sweet FL seem like the "better option". IDK, obviously my criticism of this is lukewarm because I haven't kept up on this comic in ages, but I have the sneaking suspicion the whole ex-girlfriend-the-ML-can't-get-over plotline isn't gonna be used for his development, just to further propel him and Zaida into a relationship - and by extension, manufactured drama to make their relationship more "interesting".
Overall, I don't think Down to Earth is anywhere near as egregious as Let's Play and LO, but it's definitely cut from the same cloth, and that's why it frustrates me to see it - alongside LO and Big Ethel Energy - being marketed as "new voices in romance".
Tumblr media
(also real talk, it's so disingenuous for them to include LO in this "new voices in romance comics" panel when it's been around for so many years that everyone and their grandma who uses WT knows about the comic, if they aren't reading LO by now they REALLY don't want to. It's not "new", if anything it's one of the oldest ongoing webtoons on the platform and it REALLY needs to end already lmao)
Far be it from me to gatekeep an entire genre, but this brand of romance comic isn't really "romance". It's vapid fluff loaded up with egregious fanservice that's meant to give you a hit of dopamine every week, while never lingering on serious scenes for too long because they don't want you to realize just how imbalanced the relationship is between the two main characters. It's not quite as concerning as LO or Let's Play, but it does have a vibe that's really uncomfortable when you start to feel it. So having comics like these held up as the "golden standard" of romance is just... it's really telling as to what WT's priorities are and how unhealthy "romance" has become in mainstream media.
And if I can get a little "old man yelling at cloud" for a second, I miss when romance was sweet and soft and earnest and heartfelt. I think the only mainstream and successful romance webcomic (and it's not even an Originals!) that I've seen in the last several years that isn't loaded up with these problematic tropes is Heartstopper. Heartstopper is sweet and soft and earnest and heartfelt. Heartstopper is way more of a pillar for a healthy romance than what any of these "new voices in romance comics" can provide. It literally couldn't function as an Originals series because the definition of a WT romance comic would undercut the actual point of Heartstopper.
These unhealthy standards and dynamics that we've set in the romance genre have been so pervasive for years now and I really just wish they'd go away.
y'know what, this whole essay is really just a promo post for Heartstopper now, go read it-
143 notes · View notes
irish-urn · 3 months
Note
Hey, I just found out that there was a mini lfd fandom on here and I immediately binged all your fanfic! I've seen you mention stuff about the costume dept that worked on the show maybe playing into Dasey, could you maybe expand on that because I'd love to hear your thoughts. <3
HIIIII. Welcome to our little corner of the internet! We are indeed active and (if you're a dasey shipper), we even have a discord where we yammer at each other, so, uh let me know if you're interested in that so I can direct you to the appropriate inviting parties.
(also, if you ever wanna talk about my stories, I am a needy gremlin)
First of all, this is probably gonna be long because despite my English degree, I am a rambler of the highest order (you can tell because my fics are all suuuuuper long). Secondly, I don't have any screenshots to share, so I'll try to be as descriptive as possible, because I genuinely don't have the time to go back and get screenshots (sorry y'all). Thirdly, I AM still in the midst of re-watching the showing all the way through, so all my examples are gonna be from the first half -- BUT DON'T WORRY, I'LL KEEP NOTICING THEM AS I GO -- and fourthly: I wanna talk a little bit about WHY I notice costume choices.
So, I am not a fashion guru or someone who keeps up on trends BUT I am someone who was taught that, as a writer, showing is better than telling. How does a TV show or movie show us things about a character? Costumes are a major part; and I've watched enough behind-the-scenes and read some ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING costume meta from other fandoms, that I think it's fair to say that costumes are speaking VOLUMES. There are whole posts (from, again, other fandoms) on colour theory and I'll touch on that a fair bit; or we could simply talk about how well the clothes sit on the person probably says a lot about how they either view themselves OR want others to view them.
For instance: as a general rule, Casey's clothes are (1) far more form-fitting than Derek's; and (2) overall far more 'put together as a whole' than Derek's. Now, we can be cynical and attribute that to capitalism and sex selling (although Michael Seater is an attractive dude and I wouldn't have been put off by a shirt showing off his arms); OR we could look at it and say: What does this say about Casey and Derek?
Well, we COULD say that it means that Casey is far more comfortable with herself than Derek is. Derek's clothes are far looser, and he often wears layers (jackets over shirts or one shirt over another shirt). Now, partially this was the fashion of the time, but ignore that for a second: this means that Derek is HIDING parts of himself from the world. He's covering himself in literal and figurative layers so that people don't see him naked and vulnerable. Casey, for all that she's clumsy and a nerd and sees herself as not being popular, is also very clearly HERSELF. She loudly proclaims injustices; she runs for class president; she goes up against a bully to protect her stepbrother even though her boyfriend asks her not to... You see where I'm going with this? Derek pretends he doesn't have feelings and bottles them all inside, when we know from watching him in his private moments, that he actually has BIG feelings and a soft, gooey heart.
Take this one step further: what does this mean about how they want to be perceived by others: Casey wants people to believe that she has everything under control. Her hair is done (always way better than anything I did in high school), her outfits match, her nails are done: she might be a keener and a nerd, but she's an EFFECTIVE and PREPARED nerd. Maybe her personality is a turn-off for some, but she can still give a good first impression. Now, for Derek, let's spin back around to my first point: layers were in fashion in the mid-2000s. Derek dresses according to the current trends because he wants to be popular. He also has a certain reputation of being cool, calm, in control, not working too hard, being chill, everything's all good with the V-man. So he dresses 'casually', with his clothes often looking like he just pulled them on. No ironing for Derek!
Also, on another character note before we get into Dasey — Casey dresses very feminine. She wears a lot of skirts and dresses, and when she doesn't, her jeans are often low-rise (again, the style at that time) and her shirts are form-fitting but not too sexy. She's conservative, but still fun underneath the ironed clothes. Casey also wears layers, but those are a lot less noticeable than Derek's, and not quite as often -- that's because Casey is ALSO hiding things; our girl is big on denial. However, because she's our narrator, it's not something they like to draw attention to. She's supposed to be reliable.
(she's not a reliable narrator, fyi).
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT DASEY.
(if this isn't what you wanted, I'm so so sorry)
The first and most consistent impression we get of Derek and Casey is from the theme song and the Genora wedding pictures -- and their outfits demonstrate what I'm talking about above almost perfectly. Casey is wearing a pink dress, very feminine; Derek is wearing a black blazer and a blue dress shirt. (Casey wears a LOT of pink in the show, btw; just a comment on her character). This establishes their characters: see everything I said above -- Derek doesn't wear a tie because he's LOOSE, ya see? -- but also has them in opposite BUT COMPLIMENTARY colours. We see pink vs black and blue and think, Ah, okay, these two are opposites. They're probably gonna fight. And that's true! But they also look really good next to each other! Lots of people, for a good WOW factor, will match pink with black, or blues with pinks. Also to note: Derek's blue shirt is very bright -- it would be easy for them to have him all in dark colours to give us the impression that they are VERY opposite; but they don't. They give him a bright colour TO MATCH her bright colour.
Do you see where I'm going with this?
I've also been noticing things like Casey dressing very similarly to girls Derek declares as "hot" -- see Sandra in Marti the Monster -- and in Venturian Candidate, Derek imagines Casey as a sexy personal assistant. She also is a cheerleader at some point -- and we know that that would drive Derek insane.
Let's also take a moment and return to that pink dress Casey wore to Genora's wedding; when do we see it in the show? When she loans it to Vicki. What happens when Vicki is wearing that dress? Derek makes out with her.
THEY DID NOT HAVE TO DO THIS. Derek could have made out with Vicki when she was wearing ANYTHING else (like the black and white dress she originally has for the wedding and would be a way to show how DIFFERENT she really is from Casey). But they purposely point out that Vicki looks like Casey, Derek calls her a "total babe", and then when Casey very pointedly states aloud that she can loan Vicki a dress, the ONLY time we see Vicki wearing it is when her mouth is attached to Derek's.
Tumblr media
FURTHERMORE: why does Casey insist they DRESS up for their presentation on Percy and Mary Shelley (who are married!!! who. are. MARRIED)??? Sometimes they have Derek and Casey wearing similar styles; I think there was an episode where they were both wearing stripes, but in different directions? But, still: there are HUNDREDS of shirts they could have chosen!!! But they keep finding ones that say: "See!! We're opposites, but connected!"
For a final note, I did find this image:
Tumblr media
The famed "same difference" scene.
Please note that Derek and Casey are wearing green and purple respectively. Now, green and purple are considered complementary colours (gasp!), because they are on opposite sides of the colour wheel (gasp!!). But, depending on the shades of green and purple and how they're placed together, green and purple work really really well aesthetically. (Also, interestingly enough when I looked at colour theory, green is supposed to be a healing, stabilizing colour while purple is ambitious and creative. Not really important for this moment, but I think says volumes about the characters themselves.)
Also: they are both in a single layer. Derek has his sleeves rolled up -- actually showing skin!! He's being vulnerable purposely!! Casey has her hair tied back but it's falling out and around her face -- she's very casual and herself in this scene BUT ALSO this lets her hide behind some of her hair if she needs to. Metaphorically, she does. It's not a lot of hair, and Derek sees right through her, but it's enough of a barrier to make a point, and a few seconds after this image above, Derek backs off and retreats into himself.
I could go on, but this is long enough and I'm sure as I continue my (very slow) re-watch of the show, I'll find more things that make me scream. But yeah: the costume department knew what they were doing. There's a reason a lot of us ship Dasey.
16 notes · View notes
midnighttheroies · 5 months
Text
Underverse/ X-tale Opinion/ Rant: Cross Is Not The Only One To Blame, They All Betrayed Him Too
so i've been watching jakie's underverse livestreams and parts as well as re-reading the xtale comics and i noticed that alot of people are either calling cross dumb for doing what he did and calling him a villain but i heavily disagree
keep in mind this is a OPINION POST!!, if you disagree thats totally fine, i just wanted to share this because it's been in my head for so long and i always wanted to talk about it
so first off, a lot of people intemperate cross as dumb and stupid, especially after committing a genocide but that couldn't be more then wrong. Cross wasn't and still isn't dumb he's just isn't as smart as your typical sans and is more prone to act based on his feelings and emotions which doesn't make people dumb it makes them emotionally driven which is what cross is. cross wanted to be a royal guard to protect frisk from danger, he's a passionate person unlike most of the other sans.
also what cross did was not out of a rage fit, he was driven to the point of insanity because of what xfrisk and xchara did to him, they literally altered his code and gave him back memories, manipulated him into hating frisk AND even took control of his body; forcing him to do things he didn't want to do!! like come on bro!! anyone would go crazy after experiencing that!!
and for anyone who's confused, basically to put it as simple as possible (because x-tale is a widely complicated series), ink gave xgaster the ability to overwrite timelines, xgaster wanted to make the best timeline for frisk and chara while having everyone live in peace, unity and happiness. at first it was great but then the power of overwriting and the idea of perfection started to corrupt his mind; eventually becoming OBSESSED with the idea of perfection. his obsession was projected onto xfrisk and chara, using the two like pawns so he could achieve the perfect ending. tormenting and manipulating them in the process of it, which eventually lead to the timeline getting rested and overwritten 10 different times. it's also important to keep in mind that when the rests and overwrites happen nobody else remembers them expect for xfrisk, xchara and xgaster.
their are alot more complications to it that i recommend doing your own research into because their are layers and layers to this incredible series.
so on the 10th timeline, xfrisk and chara decided to alter cross's code and get him to kill xfrisk by making him despise frisk. eventally this lead to a incident where xfrisk took control over cross's body and shoot a gaster blaster at him only for the timeline to get reset. after that cross demanded to know what was going on and frisk admitted everything to him, showing him an alternate universe and the power of overwriting and then begged cross to please kill him. cross refused to fight even when frisk attacked him because viewd him as a friend and didn't want to cause harm.
NOW THIS IS WHERE EVERYONE BETRAYS CROSS!!
after cross's refsual, frisk and chara come up with another plan which lead to everyone getting back their memories from the previous timelines and explained to them how cross refused to help in stopping xgaster. leading to the xtale crew getting angry at are all gaster for what's he's done and at cross for refusing to help in stopping all this. WHICH IS BULLSHIT!!
I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO EXPLAIN HOW PISSED OFF I WAS RE-READING THAT!!
now like i mentioned before, frisk told them about the timelines and xgaster but he wasn't being truthful. both frisk and chara don't give two fucks about the other's being used and controlled, they didn't confess to them out of guilt but simply to get them to help them both put a stop to xgaster so they could have the power to themselves!. frisk and chara both only want their power back, it was never out of compassion just sheer selfish gain but the x-tale crew didn't know that, only cross knew but because of that misunderstanding and the foul manipulation on frisk and chara's part it lead to a heart-breaking altercation with undyne and papyrus almost killing him (never thought i would ever get angry at a papyrus but here we are)
and this is where i say calling cross an idiot is making you the idiot because he was the ONLY ONE who was thinking long-term!!
think about it like this!, cross knew that frisk and chara didn't care about the other's and just wanted back their power to overwrite, cross however cared about his family and friends, he knew that even if the button was no longer with xgaster and now under frisk and chara's control the cycle would never end!. just look at xgaster as a example, he started out with good intentions but the power of overwriting got to him, who's to say frisk and chara wouldn't get bored and start experimenting with the other's like toys in a sandbox? and it's not like they would be able to stop them because once the human has the power their is almost no going back to try fixing it.
cross understood this and figured that the only way to really stop this horrid cycle was to gain control of the overwrite by any means necessary, even if it meant killing frisk which he previously refused to do but that was before he betrayed him
also, keep in mind, he made his design with the added trauma of having back his memories, being altered in code, betrayal by his friend and brother, and got his skull split open in half. cross wasn't in the right mental state to be reasoned with (not like it would've worked anyway since y'know they tried to KILL him). but even after that cross still thought of them and wanted to end all their suffering,
despite getting beaten nearly to death he still cared enough to save them. cross didn't kill them out of rage or cold blood. in a way it was mercy to end their suffering and he figured that he could bring them back and fix everything once he gained control but that didn't work out which lead to the events in underverse.
honestly for epopel to call cross stupid is one thing but i feel like people forget just how fucking stupid the x-tale crew was too
they were idiotic enough to believe frisk about cross refusing to help without asking for his side of the story or explaining anything to him!, they just straight up tried to off him!!
and how trusting they were to frisk is also incredibly stupid! like?!--did they not once think to themsleves "y'know what?!, if frisk is able to bring back our memories, isn't their a chance he did something to them so we could believe him more?!"
did they truly not think once that frisk was lying to them or manipulating them!!, the dude already admitted to being able to change anything!!, who's the to say he didn't corrupted their memories or make up fasle ones to get them on his side?!, no instead they just blindly believed the one person who is able to do anything in their world without consequences over their own friend and brother!!
bro come on like i would be questing who i could trust anymore!!, iw would be even questioning if xgaster was truly the one behind all of of he was just the hero in disguise trying to stop the human!!, i wouldn't trust ANYTHING!! like who wouldn't go insane after all that!!, it's kinda a miracle how well-adjusted cross is to an extend due to all the shit he went through
and funny enough, i don't even consider frisk or chara to be the villains and to some extend even gaster
xfrisk was always a pacifist but overtime he started to lose his determination due to the trauma inflicted upon xgaster and eventually just started going along with chara's plans like a lapdog. chara himself is naturally more prone to violence but everything he did was to put a stop to xgaster but he went to far with his ambitions.
x gaster is basically a vicitm of his own obsession and corruption, and poor cross was just caught in the cross-fire of all the madness (yes that pun was intended) along with everyone else.
personally i consider xgaster to be a tragic villan, someone who does horrid things but with the intention that their doing good, forever chasing after something that could never be and putting himself and other's through endless torment and reseting
24 notes · View notes
softquietsteadylove · 4 months
Note
But also!!! I love the headcanons!!! Can I request more for a different AU? (your choice for which AU, I can honestly say I’d read novels about any of them and I want to know EVERYTHING)
You...you want to hear my headcanons?
Okay!!!! (I'm so excited)
So let's talk Ballerina/Boxer AU, because that's another one with a lot of in-between things I've imagined but haven't appeared in any stories, even if I've alluded to them in the tags.
Mutual pining--my absolute favourite. Thena saw Gil a few times going into his studio across the hall. Sersi immediately called her out on it because Thena does not stare at guys. Thena doesn't really notice guys, for the most part. Until the handsome boxer smiles and waves at her. Sersi is on high alert.
Likewise, Gil noticed her because who wouldn't? He adjusted his schedule so he could come in a little earlier and catch a glimpse of her before class. Once he was smiling and waving and walked right into the propped open door. He felt like an idiot and avoided eye-contact for a week, but she was completely charmed by it.
Thena is all grace but at home she's a little forgetful. She's so exhausted that by the time she gets in the door everything is getting dropped on the spot. Then she comes out the next morning looking for her bag, her shoes, her water bottle, everything. Having Gil around has actually helped her keep her stuff organized better, she just doesn't want to admit it.
Gil loves spoiling her. He thinks it's so cute to get to see his graceful and beautiful swan curled up on the couch in a grumpy little ball. She loves watching tv with her head on a pillow on his lap with his fingers running through her hair. She has no idea what's happening in any of the shows they watch together because she always falls asleep, but Gil gives her the gist of what happens. It's super all-over-the-place and she still doesn't know what happens, but it's sweet.
She used to let him help her with her cool down after classes and rehearsals but it always ends up with them getting up to other things so now she has to ban him until after she's done or she won't stretch properly.
He brings up the locker room incident on at least a weekly basis.
Thena has never been in all that serious a relationship before. She's embarrassed and thinks it's terrible, but Gil doesn't care. He's happy and proud to be the first man she calls her 'boyfriend'. Sometimes he jokingly slutshames himself in comparison to her.
Thena only owns one pair of jeans, and one white leather jacket. Everything else is...what you might imagine a professional ballerina to own. Again, she thinks maybe this isn't a good thing, but Gil doesn't care of she dresses super casual or not.
Once they started seeing each other he immediately got his regular suit re-tailored and bought three new ones, so he could have options for her show nights, or if she went to fancy events and stuff. He just wants to feel like he belongs with his Gorgeous Swan.
Ben knew Thena had a thing for Gil from the first moment she mentioned him. All she said was "Gil, the boxing instructor in the studio across from ours" and he went oh yes, your future husband.
Thena was never nervous for performances until Gil started coming to them. It's not terribly nervous, maybe more like excited butterflies. And when she comes on stage he makes a loud 'whoo!' which everyone hates and is inappropriate for the venue, but she loves it.
Thena is much more eager to experiment than Gil. He's up for it, of course, but she's the one who's actively searching for ways or excuses to get up to wild things together. Unless he's going to ask her about it later, in which case it never happened.
Early on, Gil asked to do her warm up with her, for a change in his routine. It nearly broke him.
Thena is completely at the mercy of her students. First it was them calling Gil her boyfriend before they were really that official, which was why she would get so flustered. She didn't know that he loved them doing that. They go 'oooooh!' every time they see him, which embarrasses her every time. Soon they'll start asking if they're going to get married, at which point she will explode and burst into flames on the spot.
Sersi will say 'yes, they will', like a traitor.
Gil has a more distanced but friendly relationship with his boxing students. His oldest and friendliest student is Makkari, who was the one to tell him to just talk to Thena for a month before he ended up actually doing it.
After her fall, Gil starts subtly asking if and when she would ever give up performing for any reason (he's just worried about her).
Gil would never do anything as petty as retaliate against Lara for how she treats Thena. But he did once see her and her husband getting out of their car one day downtown. He called and had the car towed by claiming it had been there way past the allowed parking time.
When they move in, Gil will move in with Thena, because she has more stuff, it's easier, he's always there anyway, and he thinks her apartment is nicer than his.
The rose he gave her the first night he asked her out is dried properly and sits in a vase on a shelf on her wall above her bed (very romantic).
When Gil meets Jack, Jack asks if he and Aunt Thena are in love, to which Gil excitedly says he's head over heels for her. Thena is eavesdropping and has to stick her head in the fridge to recover.
11 notes · View notes
nerdynikki94 · 1 year
Text
Guys...the comparison between Bryan & Aaron's relationship with Mac & Dennis' relationship just fed my fucking soul tonight.
When Mac says he's not allowed to talk and Bryan says 'Me, either' and nods his head in Aaron's direction, you instantly see the comparison in the dynamic.
Also, I think the point is to read Bryan's speech to be his true feelings. I did an immediate re-watch, and in the cold open I noticed how when the reporter asks them specifically about their alcohol, Bryan puts all intellectual credit/responsibility on Aaron, but in a playfully light self-teasing kind of way. Still, he does take removed credit.
But, as we see with the way Bryan acknowledges Mac, he's aware of how Aaron treats him. He's keeping everything low stakes for himself on purpose.
Macdennis brainrot and all that, but their relationship seems to be a main focus this season. If they aren't working as a duo, like in FSEMOTG & TGGC, then we are getting nods to Dennis letting go of secrets from his past and trauma dumps of Mac’s heroes failing him, (Charlie too, but focusing on Macdennis for this post) - Though, speaking of Charlie, his character is intentionally split off from them this episode, despite it being their collective pitch. He's absolutely hilarious, but even though they all were in sync about the original idea, the trio doesn't work in the narrative parallel with our celebrity business partners.
This is the episode after Dennis dropped the Johnny Betrayal Bomb. We see Mac and Dennis side-by-side throughout the entire bar scene, standing together as a unit, even in the damn bathroom.
The audience is forced to examine the dynamic of their relationship. The constant tension between them and their bitching is used for comedy, but it's also used as foreshadowing for the belittling that occurs from Aaron towards Bryan.
But the difference is that's Mac’s being shitty back; he's not letting Dennis tell him how he feels about his clothes. He flat-out accuses Dennis, 'the smartest guy he's ever met', of choking. He smirks when Dennis stalks off in frustration. He also recognizes and points out the 'abusive relationship'. He even goes all high-neck, absolutely entranced when Bryan gets in Aaron's face.
When Bryan sits down and finishes his speech, 'Who's really in control here?' Dennis looks at Mac and then down for a moment before Bryan has his and scene moment.
Sunny loves her metaphors and parallels, okay?!
Maybe I'm unhinged, maybe I'm feral. But...
This is everything I've ever wanted to see in a dynamic shift.
I literally kept popping back into my Macden memo note when I rewatched FVR, before watching CB:TUCG, I finally started to feel a bit of structure to my fic. There was some growth I needed for Mac's character, so I tried to explain his behavior and overall denial towards Dennis' revelation in FVR. I really went in on his character's history. And I came to a theory about him.
And, honestly, S16E5 did wonders for cat-in-the-wall-ing some serious relationship acknowledgments and comparisons.
Honestly, I'm feeling so vindicated with how well this season is blending comedy with acknowledgments to the trauma of these characters and the picking apart of their dynamics.
I may be wrong, but I feel like there are less jokes per episode this season, and honestly, I mean this as a compliment. This is the longest running sitcom and these characters have been to hell and back. Hell, they've all stabbed each other in the back. But at some point, it has to affect things. We can't wear blinders to what their realities are. The relationships have to be examined, but more importantly, they have to change, even if only a little; otherwise, there's no point in the longest-standing journey.
66 notes · View notes
abigailnussbaum · 3 months
Text
Some Grumbling Re: My Adventures With Superman S2
There's more items in this list, but I think you can probably sum up my frustrations with this season when you observe that its best episode so far has been the one that Clark wasn't even in. There's a version of this show where, per the title, Clark/Superman is a secondary character and the actual heroes are Lois and Jimmy. But that's not what MAWS has ever tried to be. Clark has always been a main character, and yet he's also the character that the show seems to have the most trouble using well.
"Krypton was an expansionist empire and its remnants are targeting Earth and expecting Clark to act as their conquering vanguard" is not a terrible idea, but it's not the Superman story. It's the Invincible story, and Invincible is probably doing it better because it's not tied to a PG-13 rating, is able to go a bit deeper into what imperialism actually means and looks like, and doesn't have MAWS's bizarre tonal whiplash between scenes of genocide, quirky workplace shenanigans, and new adult romance.
This is something I've observed in a lot of recent Superman stories, but there's a tendency to respond to the problem of "how do you write a story about a character who is omnipotent" by making Superman a lot less powerful. By which I mean physically - notice how often Clark gets smacked around on this show, even by creatures or machines that Superman should be able to easily swat aside; or how rarely he's able to control a confrontation in a way that prevents it from turning into a city-destroying brawl - but also mentally. This is a Superman who is seemingly always on the back foot, reacting to everything from supervillains from outer space, to government agencies who are (not unreasonably) suspicious of his motivations, to most eligible bachelor competitions. And, to be fair, that's a lot more justifiable in a show where Clark is 22 and has only been doing the hero thing for a few months than in something like Superman & Lois, where he was forty and had been Superman for decades. But watching MAWS, I never get a sense that Clark is thinking about these issues and trying to develop as a superhero. There's no indication, for example, that he is trying to come up with strategies to manage government and public mistrust, or testing his powers to see how he can use them safely without constantly being a nuclear weapon at a knife fight. Instead, he's forever flustered and reactive, and I'm past the point of finding this cute or charming. I would like a hero who actually behaves like a hero, or who is at least trying to get to that place.
(On that note, holy crap did I want Clark to read Sam Lane the riot act. Among the things I am past finding cute or charming is men being all "I'mma get a shotgun" in response to their daughters having a boyfriend. Sam being a deadbeat dad who abandoned Lois years ago makes that attitude even less tolerable. That Clark put up with his delusional posturing and self-aggrandizing protectiveness crosses the line from young and insecure and goes all the way to doormat, which is not something I enjoy in a main character even when they're not Superman.)
I am not OK with Kara being a multiple genocidaire, however unwittingly and unwillingly. Again, it feels like a reflection of this show's tonal inconsistency, and the age group it's aiming at, that it expects me not to think too hard about the fact that this character whom it is setting up as a quirky fish out of water and Jimmy's potential love interest has slaughtered billions of people, and that we will probably be expected to handwave that at the end of the season. Call me a stick in the mud, but I'm just not there for it.
10 notes · View notes