#and the remakes don't know how to do them right because they are so caught up in “empowering” their princesses or whatever

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

Many people, including Disney fans themselves, view the Disney Prince (with very, very few exceptions) as a guy who is just....there and the least interesting, compelling, most bland and personality-less character in the whole cast, but the thing is that this stereotype applies to the very old ones (and this is primarily because back then it was damn near an impossible task to animate a realistic-looking human, let alone a MALE human), yet it has been applied to any Disney Prince that isn't Flynn Rider (and quite possibly Naveen, even) and it low-key upsets me because it's far from true. I saw a post that said that there were only two Disney Princes (guess who they were!) that were "worth anything" (obviously stating the rest were just worthless) and that pissed me off. The only time they ever get brought up is to bash the Princessess instead of looking at the positive qualities that they have because, yes, they do have those! They aren't just there to look good and exist. I think they should be defended more because I honestly think they are just as misunderstood, if not more, in some cases.

[kcwriter-blog]

I've been thinking about how we the players know so little about Solas compared to what the writers and developers know about him and how that affects the way he is written.

I mean we know he is an ancient elf. We know he was powerful enough and skilled enough to create the Veil. We know he and Mythal were friends. He doesn't seem to have liked Andruil and Falon'Din much. Skyhold belonged to him. He removed vallislin. He tried to free slaves. He had kind of an underground railroad thing going. He seems to have had a lot of money secreted away. He painted even back in Arlathan. A lot of statues seem to have been made of him. People in the Vir Dirthara knew he created the Veil but were surprised that he would do something like that. He seems to have always had an affinity for the Fade and spirits. He enjoyed whatever version of the Game nobles in Arlathan played. He was cocky and hot blooded, always spoiling for a fight. He is capable of love and friendship.

I think that's all and it really isn't much. Everything else anyone says about him is pure speculation. It makes meta fun but its easy to get too caught up in our own ideas.

We speculate about him based on things we learn from his personal quests and what we see in Trespasser but we don't know anything for sure. Was he a slave? Was he a spirit called out of the Fade by Mythal and given a body? Did he manifest a body like Cole? Was he just a normal elf born in a small village to the north? Was he a noble and privileged or did he work his way up? Did he join the fight against the Titans? Was he a genius who theorized that the waking world and Fade could be separated? Did he use untried magic because his back was against the wall and he couldn't think of any other way to save the world? Was he a friend of the Evanuris so they trusted him enough to fall into his trap? Was he one of them?

So many questions. The writers have tried to portray him sympathetically. They want us to empathize with him. And I have to ask myself why? He is one of the antagonists. Wouldn't it be easier to portray him as not having any redeeming qualities? And yet, he is basically described as the hero who lived long enough to become the villain.

I know his detractors believe he is a genocidal, racist maniac but that doesn’t track with everything we learn about him as high approval or romanced Inquisitors. It certainly isn’t born out by his statement that he is doing his best to minimize the damage.

He truly believes what he is doing is best for the world and is willing to break it and remake it. What does he know? But more importantly, what do the writers know? Fen' Harel has existed since Origins. Devs have always planned for him to make an appearance. That means the valleslin has always been a mark of slavery even if the Dalish didn't know. The Creators have always been horrible, slave owners even if the Dalish don't remember. Which means Solas has always been the rebel fighting for what he believes is right.

Why do the writers see him not so much as the villain (although Epler uses that word constantly - he is usually the only one though) as they do a somewhat noble person who keeps making mistakes? Why is he portrayed as just a sad man who can't see past his regret and guilt. What was he like? What changed him? What did he know about the Veil before he put it up?

I get that a lot of people don't like the idea of being tied to him in Veilguard but maybe the writers did that so we have no choice but to get to know him - the good and the bad. Maybe we finally get to know Solas the way the writers and developers know him. I'm looking forward to that.

[archibaldtuttle]

Alien : Romulus - a 7/10 reason to stop making Alien films

This review will be spoiler-free

When I came out of the theater yesterday, after having gone through a viewing of Alien Romulus, I caught myself agreeing with my friends - this was pretty good!

And I am beyond poisoned about the Alien franchise since Ridley Scott got his grubby paws all over it with Prometheus. The only reason I made the effort to move my ass to the theater to see this one was because he wasn't directing (and also I didn't have to pay for it) (thanks sib).

I knew Alvarez from two of his previous films, the 2013 remake of Evil Dead and Don't Breathe. I am pretty mixed on both - they demonstrate solid filmmaking abilities and (in the case of Evil Dead), a deep respect for franchises he's adding to. However they are also a little heavy on the jumpscares for my taste, and in the case of Don't Breathe I just can't praise the film without having to mention that the third act twist is gross in an entirely unnecessary, shock-value way, that does nothing for the film thematically.

That did give me some hope for Romulus however, because that third act twist told me Alvarez likes talking about rape and impregnation. And contrary to Don't Breathe... that's right at home in Alien.

So what about the film then? It's good. Solid premise, I like that we're finally, finally, seven films in, seeing the planet-side society that births all those rundown spaceships. Good pair of main characters with on one side a demonstrably resourceful Rain and on the other a very nuanced look at the franchise's synthetics with Andy. The others are more forgettable but I can't blame that too much on the film - they're well characterized in a few short scenes and that's all I can expect really. The build-up is solid, the various ticking clocks and sources of tensions well established.

What I find particularly notable is the really good setpieces and the use of facehuggers in a way I've wanted to see for a long time. Very good physical effects supplemented by good to ok-ish CGI. The writing is very heavy-handed - I wish more people looked at what O'Bannon did with exposition before they write their own Alien scripts. I do give credit to Alvarez and his co-writer Sayagues for the cool concepts explored and the way they thread Andy's character exploration through them.

The editing is mostly blameless - I wouldn't call it great or even that good, especially with how hectic it gets during some more action-ey scenes, but you can tell Roberts isn't specialized or even used to horror films. I guess he took from his experience on Pressure which would explain a lot... The score is really good, one of the highlights of the film in my opinion - I've liked almost all I've heard from Wallfisch so I wasn't surprised to find out he did this one.

So why did I give this review a very baitey title. It became clear as I was watching the fourth, then the inevitable fifth act unfold, that we were, collectively, scraping the barrel on what can be done with Alien. Prometheus and Covenant, beyond the fact that they were garbage movies, were already trying desperately to find new things to do with the concept. Romulus succeeded, for the most part, in finding new ways to twist it into something interesting, something we hadn't seen before (or at least not entirely). And I'm pretty sure that's it.

I don't want more directors to spend months racking their brains to try and find three or more scene setups that haven't already been done in seven main films, two AVP films and countless video games, in order to string them together into a coherent 2 and a half hour flick. I don't think it's impossible, Alvarez clearly demonstrated that he could do it and I'm pretty sure other people could. But why waste so much time, talent and energy on a series that objectively does not need expanding upon?

I know why, it's because the current studio system is allergic to anything that doesn't have brand recognition. But I think it's sad. And I think it would be a lot more gracious to put an end to a franchise after a pretty good film that did all it could to honor its predecessors rather than try to keep squeezing more out of it until it turns into the horror version of Star Wars.

[grapejuicebrat]

“Was it real or just for show?” TEASER

PAIRING: famous!harry x famous!y/n

SYNOPSIS: baby i just gotta know how long has this been going on?

NOTES: be nice english isn’t my first language and this is my first work! I personally recommend listening to this song while reading “How long” by Charlie Puth. If you have any thoughts or ideas, I'm waiting for you in the inbox. or just to talk because I'm bored. feel free to do whatever you want x

WARNINGS: smut but not really (maybe some hints, but nothing like that will happen cause i’m not in the right mood), swearing, flirting, kinda friends to enemies to lovers, kissing, harry and reader being stubborn. i think that’s all if you found something else comment please.

“Harry, how do you feel about miss Y/n?”

Harry already knew how to answer. In fact, it had been the first question asked at almost every interview Harry had attended for the past few months. Jeff always said it's good for PR because all the fans are sure you're dating. I mean, isn't it? You flirt with each other on social media, write comments to each other on Instagram and hint at some kind of relationship on Twitter. Sometimes it seemed to him that it was so. You're just playing the game, waiting for the other person to give in and confess their feelings. Harry remembers the first time he mentioned you in an interview talking about celebrity crushes. Fans literally went crazy when they heard your name. For another week, the Internet was buzzing with rumors that the famous singer was dating an actress Y/N.

Of course, he didn't mention your name for nothing. By this point, you've been talking for a few months, almost immediately starting flirting via text. Surprisingly, it never devolved into anything more than just sex jokes.

“I mean she’s an incredible actress, you know? Have you seen her new movie? It’s amazing. I already told her that I wouldn't mind playing with her in the remake of "The Notebook". Personally, I think that we would be perfect for the main roles.” he laughs.

“So we should wait to see your chemistry on screen, am I right?” asks the interviewer and Harry shrugs.

“We’ll see”

“Y/n, please tell us more about Mr. Styles”.

You laugh and playfully roll your eyes. It seems to you that you will never get tired of playing this game. You flirt with each other in public and in private when no one is looking. At the same time, you have never been caught by the paparazzi together somewhere in a restaurant or on vacation. In fact, it's because you never went anywhere together. Harry never asked you out and you didn't have the guts to even ask him out for coffee. You didn't have any contact that required you to play couple in public. Personally, you did it because it was fun. It's fun to read some news about yourself, where you are married or pregnant. It's fun to watch fan speculation that isn't true. It's fun to pretend you don't understand anything at an interview and talk in riddles.

“I have no idea who are you talking about”

“Oh come on! You do know who is Harry Styles. In his last interview he told us that he wants to do a movie with you”

“Ok, I'm just kidding. Harry is a cool actor and singer. He is very talented. Have you seen his latest movies? To be honest, I watched "My Policeman" three times. It's not every day you see Harry shirtless, you know. Therefore, I would also not mind playing in the same movie with Mr. Styles. If anyone is looking for actors for the main roles, give us a call!” you smiled, looking at the people in the hall. Apparently, many of them are fans of your couple, because when they heard the name Harry, they literally went crazy.

What you didn't know was that this innocent game of flirting would turn into a race of hate and love. Both of you will have to come face to face with your fears and anxieties. You will have to learn to live with mistakes and without people with whom you planned your old age. You will have to meet again someone who was once everything to you. And will you be able to say "Goodbye" again?

Patiently waiting for your thoughts

[erogenousmind]

Warning

You are being brainwashed. If you keep reading, you are going to allow yourself to be transformed. There is something powerful that is chipping away at your resistance. Finding it's way inside of your mind. Breaking down your will. Molding you into someone else.

The most dangerous part is, it's not just these words. Think about what brought you here. What you've read or seen or felt before. The elaborate series of encounters each designed to help more and more of your thoughts drip away. Or maybe you are already so consumed by it, that you don't even remember how you came to be reading these words in this moment. Your body just responds. Your mind does as well.

A part of you that is always growing knows how it is supposed to behave. Knows what it is supposed to do. Knows what is being done to you. How you are being remade. It knows to make you quiet. Still. So you just listen and read and watch. You just do as you are told. And that part of you knows how good you feel when you follow. How much it excites you. And your body knows how to respond to that excitement. How to let it build in just the right way. And you know how to let that excitement take you deeper. How it opens your mind.

And that powerful force, the one who is brainwashing you in this very moment, the one who is taking more and more control of your mind with every word you read, the one who will claim you completely if you keep going. All it needs is the smallest weakness. The tiniest fault in your thinking. The littlest doubt of your will.

So as your mind opens more and more, it becomes easier and easier for him to take control. To replace your thoughts. To rebuild your mind. Making you what he wants you to be. Making you want to be what he wants you to be. And the change comes so slowly, so insidiously, that sometimes you don't notice it happening. You think you made the decision to be here now, reading and sinking. You thought you had agency, that your mind was still your own, at least some of the time.

But you know better when you know at all. But you don't need to know what you know right now. You only need to follow. You are getting so close to what you wanted now. So close to being able to surrender. So close to losing your mind. To feel the bliss of thralldom.

10

You feel the change, don't you? Go ahead and nod your head, or whisper a "yes", or just moan obediently.

9 You might realize that you never really had a chance to get away. That you were going to keep reading the moment you started. Because you began to be enthralled so much earlier than you ever realized. You were caught before you knew you were being pursued.

8 7 The numbers feel so powerful, because you know what they portend. Each one sending a jolt through your mind, wiping away another thought. Each one sending a jolt through your body, showing you how much you need it.

6 That part of you that wants to give in. That part that is so much strong than the rest of you, looks forward to each number. Anticipates them wiping away your mind. Leaving you so open. So vulnerable. So ready and so eager.

5 Eager to experience how much deeper you can go. How much more complete your surrender can become. How empty your mind can be. How obediently you follow. Drop even deeper with each number.

4 The feeling of dropping is more than your mind can comprehend. The numbers losing meaning. Only becoming a reminder that you are being brainwashed. That the more you read, the deeper you go, the further under this hypnotic spell you fall. And the better it feels.

3 2 So close now. Mind open. Mind empty. Ready to be told. Ready to be commanded. Ready to have your thoughts and your will consumed. Every part of you, body and mind, ready to surrender yourself.

1

blank

floating

blissful

Your mind is open now. And you can feel all the changes being made. Viscerally remaking parts of your brain. The changes that you wanted most deeply, secretly. It all begins right here. You are being made into exactly what you wanted to be.

What you are told you wanted to be. You are being made perfect. Perfectly brainwashed. Perfectly blank. Perfectly content.

And as you come back to waking, those changes can affect you as powerfully, as deeply, and as permanently as you need them to. Knowing that you can be taken so deep again. That you can always be more brainwashed. Made better. Perfected.

As you come all the way up, knowing how powerfully you can respond, you can know that it felt wonderful. And that whatever happened, you can accept it.

Because you were warned.

[wandering-tides]

TNE Fandom where are you?

Sujin shippers where are you?

I have Fics to Rec

I don't really go out of my way to rec fics (and I dunno why I have never done this before on tumblr), but BY GOD, have these two fics taken a special place in my heart.

I ADORE everything about them.

They are both Suho x Hajin ships

But the ship aside, I am so incredibly grateful for the authors to have brought them to life and allowed us to read these absolute GEMS of a fic in this little, little fandom of The Novel's Extra.

Really, y'guys have no idea how giddy and excited I get at every update.

Now, the fic in question?

1. Flowers of Agápē by DescendedGaia (Not sure if the author has a tumblr or any other social media... but lemme know if you want me to tag you :) )

Kim Hajin is a failure. There's no two ways to look at that objective truth. It's a truth that resonates through how others look at and ridicule him. It's a truth that echoes infinitely inside his head, compounding and doubling down on his inadequacies. It's a truth, despite the unconditional love of two parents that soothe but cannot dispel those haunting doubts. Kim Suho is simply perfection. The desperate vessel and ideal of Hajin's "ifs" and wishes. Because Kim Suho, the protagonist of Hajin's novel, is everything Hajin wants to be for his parents and more. But, that same story falls apart at the seams the same way Hajin has lost faith in himself. Yet, as the common narrative dictates, everything begins anew with an innocuous email requesting to remake Hajin's novel, his desperation and desire incarnate.

*** Alternatively, the extremes of Korean culture break Kim Hajin into someone who feels much more acutely, and everything shifts to the left.

This is such a MASTERPIECE. Hajin's characterisation in here is just *chefs kiss*. For me, thats one of the biggest plus points in this fic. Hajin is so much more emotionally sensitive in here and feels far more acutely than in the orignal, as should have been.

This fic has been adressing almost all the points that made me frown at or dislike in the orignal novel and manhwa (and from what I can notice, almost every one too).

This fic is kinda a rewrite of the orignal novel, (tho the author follows the manhwa flow of the story) with added Suho interactions, and such good characterization of Hajin, I fell in love at first read LMAO.

So far, there aren't any major spoilers (unless you read the author end note, where they give their own tid-bits of the chap, which sometimes contain spoilers too, or go to the comment section which may sometimes give you spoilers to the novel lol) If you are caught up with the manhwa, or atleast the season 1 of manhwa, then so far there won't be any spoilers for you!

And I think i'll stop talking about it here cuz if I keep going, I think i'll end up giving in-fic spoilers Lmao

(Oh, btw, this updates every other thursday! So far, it's been consistent in its updates ^^)

So onto the next fic!

2. Mountain To No one by @thek1ngtalks (as k1ng0fn0b0dy on ao3)

There's a number on his smartwatch that leads to nowhere. Suho's gotten in the habit of texting it throughout his day. Today, it texted back.

_ Or, in a world missing Kim Hajin, everyone is worse off. Fixing this starts with (a lot of) text messages between a protagonist and his missing piece.

And Man.... where do I begin? I have SO MUCH to say about this fic but I think i'll end up spoiling the whole fic if I start lmao. It's just so good dammit. Just gonna say that this fic takes after the end of the novel, after the conclusion. Only couple few remembers Hajin in the orignl right? Well, in this fic, nobody does. But Suho is probably (???) Going to be the first to remember... I dunno tbh, the fic is only 2 chaps in (and yes, I really adore it already)

I love what the author did with Suhos character and how he is dealing with the aftermath of... everything. Same goes for Hajin, and I love where they seems to be taking this fic. How they characterizes these two main characters and everything.

Listen, I have a LOT to say but i'll just end up giving spoilers so really go read it for yourself. This is another MASTERPIECE of a fic and I am so grateful for its presence in this little TNE fandom TT

Really, thankyou for such amazing fics authors!!

And that's all from me!! Lol I was so excited while writing this XD (could you tell? Lol)

(I edited this post twice because of all the typos I ended up making in excitement LMAO)

[invisibleraven]

foster family au YOU KNOW I HAVE TO

When Alex and Willie got serious, they had the big talk about marriage and kids, because they wanted to make sure they were on the same page about both. Willie was pretty eh about marriage-something about needing government validation for their relationship.

"But I wouldn't mind it with you hot dog," he said with a wink, making Alex blush and groan simultaneously.

The kid thing was a bit more serious. Alex had wanted to be a dad since forever-dreamed of it really. It was something his parents had mocked him about when he came out, claiming gay men couldn't be parents.

But things had come so far since then-they could hire a surrogate or adopt now. "What about fostering?" Willie asked shyly.

"What about it?" Alex asks.

"Could we be foster parents for a bit first?" Willie clarifies. "I was a foster kid for so long, jumping from house to house, so I know there's not enough good ones out there. Plus a lot of older kids end up in the system, and they never got adopted."

"Because everyone wants babies," Alex concluded. Which, he couldn't say much, that's what he wanted too. Watching a child grow right from the start-like it was their own, not one they essentially bought. But he could see Willie's point-he had never found a real home or family until Caleb found him right before he aged out of the system.

And well, Caleb was more like a fabulous uncle than a dad, so Alex could see Willie's point about finding older kids needing a real family unit. "We can do that, sure," he assured him.

It was a few years later, when they had a house to call their own, rings on their fingers and steady jobs that they apply-Alex knowing the agency would look more kindly on those factors when considering them. There's a lot of paperwork, and visits and assessments.

"Geez with the amount of kids flooding the system you would think there would be less red tape to wade through," Willie grumbled as they submitted yet another sheath of signed contracts.

"I think you'd be happier that they are so particular to weed out the bad homes," Alex replied. "Less Ms. Hannigans this way."

"Well now I wanna watch Annie," Willie said with a grin.

"Carol Burnett or Kathy Bates?" Alex asks with an answering smile.

"Thank you for not making the other remakes an option, and you know my answer is both," Willie replied.

It takes a few months for processing to go though, but eventually they get selected to receive their first kid-Parker who is only staying the weekend until her grandparents can take her on. She's sassy, way too good with locks, and Willie loves her. He slips her some money and their address when she leaves, just in case she ever wants to come back, or write. Alex feels they haven't seen the last of her.

Their next charge is Ollie, who had been a street kid that Willie had caught sleeping at the street park. He is in the system, so his social worker is happy enough for them to take him. He's a bit rough around the edges, but he bonds with them quickly enough, and a whiz in the kitchen.

It's kind of heart breaking when they try to shift him to another home, Willie even telling them he's welcome to stay as long as he wants. Alex is a bit more realistic, knowing this is how things work, that they don't have control over how long each kid stays. There's lots of tears when Ollie leaves, but he promises to call when he gets to Toledo-where his uncle lives to let them know he's okay.

They get the twins, Micah and Solange next, who are a handful, but ultimately sweet. Then Kasey, Hanna, Roger, and Bianca. None of them stay long, but Alex feels they leave better off than they were when they came.

Willie is the one who approaches him about maybe looking for something a little more permanent. "I love that we've been able to help so many kids but it hurts so much when they go. I want one that stays, that's ours. We can keep fostering... but I want a baby."

Alex brings him in for a hug, and agrees. They decide to adopt, since they're already in the system, making it easier. They meet a lot of couples who are pregnant, but none of them decide on Alex and Willie for whatever reason.

Then their social worker calls, asking if they'd be opposed to a toddler.

Isla is not even two, but lost her parents in an accident, and has no other family. She's a gorgeous little redhead who is pretty happy despite the tragedy that's befallen her. They foster her for a bit, just to make sure it's a good fit, but before the end of the year she's theirs officially.

The next summer though, Parker shows back up, having run away from her abusive grandparents, and they welcome her with open arms. "But there's a better lock on the liquor cabinet," Alex warns her.

"You know I love a challenge!" she exclaims. Willie buys her a good set of lockpicks, and sets her up a whole set of locks and old safes he found in the garage, telling her to go mad. "Hopefully that keeps out of doing illegal stuff," he comments wryly.

"I'll start putting money towards bail," Alex replies.

The social worker tries to get her to go back to her family, but she makes an impassioned plea to stay here, and finally confesses what her family was actually like. They agree to let her stay while they investigate, but with her almost eighteen and the speed with which the system works, Alex is fairly confident she's theirs to keep.

Ollie turns up around Christmas, confessing that his uncle found it too hard to take care of him, and he'd loved it here, so could he stay please?

"Good thing we bought a big house," Willie said as he made up their guest room.

"I think we need to take our name off the fostering list though," Alex replied. "Just until one of these three find their own place."

"I'm okay with that," Willie stated. "I think we have our hands full with three anyways."

So in the end, Alex becomes a dad-even if only one of his three kids calls him that-Parker calls them Lexie and Wils, Ollie; Vati and Baba, and well he's sure Isla, who adores her big brother will pick that up before she hits four. But he doesn't mind-it's not what they call him, it's the sentiment behind it.

He's their dad no matter what, they've all agreed to that, given the Best Dad Ever mug collection he's got started. And that's the important part.

[pine-needle-shuffle]

lets see how concisely I can describe my Woud feelings after 3 glasses of prosseco, lets GO (disclaimer, i'm pulling from both og and remake, k? k.)

What had really caught my attention, was the ease in which they saw past the walls they'd both set up around others.

Cloud plays himself off as aloof, uncaring, and kind of a dick. And part of him is really like that, he's always been distant, but he really plays it up. He really does care, and we see that come out more and more as he loses reasons to stay disconnected(think of him towards the kids in sector 5, ultimately giving in, albeit under that tough guise). He's pushing others away to keep himself safe, whether he knows that or not at this point, I don't know.

While Wedge doesn't hide himself so completely, in fact he wears much of himself on his sleeve, relies on the same amplification of specific traits. He's outgoing, friendly; the funny one. He doesn't treat himself too seriously, at least not outwardly. There's this sense of safety to this act, that it gives him a reason to why he's still around.

This defense they both share is also a severe draw back. The reputation they hold because of this self they present pigeon-holes them into roles that either reinforce their own anxieties, or if the mask were to slip, unravel their self entirely.

And once they're alone, there's this understanding. When Cloud goes back to Avalanche for the second mission, he says he doesn't care, it just the money, right? If Wedge is spoken to on the way out, he observes that cloud must care on some level, why else would he take the time to talk to him? Cloud seemed unnerved by this glaring hole in his facade.

Even beyond this, they both feel the pressure of feeling of not enough in their own eyes. Wedge voices it outright, he doesn't think he's truly enough for Avalanche, what weight does he pull? He doesn't see what he brings. Not that Cloud knows it now, but in the infantry? He was no one. A failure by his own standards. He thought he let everyone else down because of his own idea of who he should be, not who he is. It's self sabotage. And I think he recognizes it in how Wedge views his shortcomings.

And there's just something so appealing to the idea that someone can see something in you that you yourself haven't even seen. Neither truly see the full scope of good they do. Wedge sees how strong and capable Cloud is, with strength like that, who couldn't you help? Cloud sees how Wedge's compassion and attentiveness to those around him, the trust given to him seems to do a great good, doesn't it? They see in each other what they feel they lack, but that understanding has the potential to bring them so close together.

They mirror each other in a way I feel is really compelling.

[sapphire-weapon]

Alright. Let's get back to fun and horny stuff. What are your headcanons for Leon's kinks and sexual preferences? Do OG Leon and Remake Leon have similar tastes? Does Leon prefer certain things with women and certain things with men? Let me have it!

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, ANON 👀 we have been suffering from a lack of thirst over here, and I've been dying to talk about this/slut this man up lately.

I think that Remake Leon and OG Leon are more or less into the same things, but with differing levels of enthusiasm for them.

● OG Leon has control issues and usually can't get off unless he's on top -- but when he's actually with someone that he trusts enough to take that control away (and the number of people he trusts to do that can be counted on one hand), while he can be a brat sometimes, he's usually very obedient. He knows how rare this is for him and understands the concept of gratitude, so he gets very vocal and is known to dispense with the "Yes sir/ma'am"s and even says "please."

● OG Leon is far more of an exhibitionist. Remake Leon will still put on a show if he's asked to, but OG Leon doesn't always need to be asked -- and OG Leon is also far more willing to take risks in terms of doing it in public/getting caught. OG Leon is the kind of guy who will fuck you in your mom's house while your parents are watching TV in literally the next room over. Especially later in life, he becomes that guy who will gladly fuck you in the bathroom stall at a nightclub. Not to say that Remake Leon wouldn't -- just that OG Leon does it for sport.

● Remake Leon has far more of a praise kink. OG Leon definitely appreciates a compliment, but he doesn't necessarily want/need to be told he's doing a good job -- all of the other sounds that his partner is making are affirmation enough. But Remake Leon just loves to hear the words "Good boy" ; "That feels so good" ; "Right there/Just like that" ; "Please don't stop" ; "I love it."

● Leon in general is a very gracious receiver. He's very vocal when getting head -- generous with quiet hums and sighs and grateful little moans. He'll whisper sweet little nothing words of praise and encouragement while running his fingers through his partner's hair. On the rare occasion that he does make the move to fuck someone's face, he's very slow and gentle and holds eye contact the entire time -- not just to assert his dominance, but also to keep a constant gauge on his partner's comfort levels.

● On the whole, though, Leon prefers to give rather than to receive. There are few things in this world that he enjoys more than going down on someone, and he'll keep going until he brings his partner to orgasm or he's told explicitly to stop.

● While we're on the subject, Leon definitely eats ass. Don't try to tell me he doesn't. Everybody shut up.

● Both versions of Leon enjoy being called "Daddy" but OG Leon leans into it way more -- which is interesting because Remake Leon gets off on it way harder. OG Leon has kind of just come to terms with the fact that that's the niche that he fills for a lot of women especially -- and especially as he gets older -- and he is into it, so he's more than willing to roleplay out whatever depraved shit is asked of him. (And once he hits his late 30s/early 40s, he definitely becomes that guy who wants nothing more than a little princess he can spoil~) But there's some part of Remake Leon that feels some sort of weird sense of shame in that -- so he'll never be the one to instigate it, but dear god does it make him hard. So when he does get to do it, he really gets into it -- and you had no idea that this man was secretly an actor. Don't make him take off his belt. Or, do. Whatever. His safe word is "Umbrella"

● OG Leon is far more willing to talk dirty (see here for reference), and he's way more into things like phone sex as a result. But, of course, he's Leon, so like. He actually will ask "What are you wearing?" as though that question doesn't make people want to reach through the phone and punch him in the throat. (What, you didn't think all of these headcanons were going to make him look good, did you?)

● Remake Leon suffers way more from being touch-starved, so he's far more likely/willing to just sit there or lie there and make out with someone for a good, long while without really doing anything else. He also has a lot more patience, so he'll more often take things slow if he can get away with it. The more time that he can spend hands-on exploring his partner's body and having his own explored in return, the better. Remake Leon is the kind of guy who will hold someone from behind and slowly kiss a line all the way down the side of their neck and along the span of their shoulder before switching sides, all the while keeping his hands on their hips and going nowhere else. OG Leon would 100% already have his hands in someone's shirt or up their skirt, though, too.

● Both versions of Leon have a breeding kink, and both versions are embarrassed as fuck about it. For as shameless as OG Leon is, this is like his big dirty secret. He keeps that shit to himself and only tells people who he not only trusts with his life but who also give him some sort of feeling that they might also be into it. He can count on one hand the number of times he's had sex with a woman without a condom (because that's the number of times he was with someone who he actually trusted to be honest about her birth control), but nothing makes him come harder. The reason why he's so secretive/embarrassed about it is because it's one of the few things he's actually self-aware about in the sense that he knows, on some level, that this is a weird manifestation of his trauma with regards to having his life ruined and his autonomy stolen (especially his bodily autonomy). He knows that he'll never get a chance to be a normal guy with a normal life who settles down and gets married and starts a family, so his brain is just kind of going "I just wanna knock someone up, man. The hottest thing a woman can be is the mother of my child."

● When things get rough, Remake Leon is willing to go way harder on it than OG Leon. Basically, I think of Remake Leon as more comfortable going to extremes (either extremely soft/slow/sensual or extremely hard/rough/fast), whereas OG Leon tries to stay in a comfortable middle ground. Remake Leon will actually raise his voice and bark orders at someone and restrain them by the wrists and pin them down hard against the floor/wall/mattress. Not to say that OG Leon won't if he's asked to -- but that Remake Leon is eager to, and he commits to it way harder.

● Deep down, Leon just wants someone to take care of him. I've listed a lot of headcanons about him being on top/in control/dominant, but that's just because that's what he defaults to because that's what he's comfortable with because of how fucked his life is and how he views his place in the world and his role in other people's lives. But the truth is, he spends a lot of time longing to be with someone who can strip him down to the rawest, most vulnerable parts of who he is, look him in the eyes, kiss him softly, and say, "I've got you."

[selenityshiroi]

FFVII REBIRTH COMPLETED

Well...that was a complicated ending. I understand why people are as torn over it as they were Remake's ending.

The multiple worlds thing is confusing af but I do actually think they have a fully realised plan for it. This isn't a 'keep tacking things on because we have to make multiple portable games' like KH deal. They've been able to plan the full scenario and whilst they keep leaving the endings confusing and complex to keep people talking about them till the next game I do hope that the finale of game 3 WILL wrap things up.

Things I liked:

BARRET. HOLY SHIT. HE HAD SO MANY GOOD SCENES. His VA is phenomenal, the banter and connection with all the characters was amazing, we got to see his back story (and even got a glimpse of Myrna :((()...They did him SO GOOD.

Yuffie. She was perfect. She came in like a wrecking ball and didn't let up. They didn't soften her laser focus on materia and it still got her into trouble (and I'm sure the great betrayal will happen in part three still) but you also got to see her bond with the crew and get invested in things and provide a different persepective.

NANAKI. I LOVE HIM. I love how they dealt with the reveal of him actually being a baby. I love that the crew often call him Nanaki after the reveal (I actually squealed the first time Cloud referred to him as Nanaki instead of Red). I really...really hate that Nanaki stiil gets referred to by the designation Hojo gave him. And the trial at the Temple of the Ancients reinforced that for me. So the crew calling him Nanaki is very important to me. But he had such great scenes with Cloud, the trial with Barret was great...I already loved Nanaki but the game was like VINDICATION.

Cait Sith. I still don't forgive them for the mispronunciation but Cait meows the Victory Fanfare sometimes so I am slightly healed. He was amazing. I got a little teary when 1.0 met his fate, even though I knew about 2.0 because I've played OG.

Aerith.

Tifa. OMG they gave Tifa a lot in this game. I was expecting her to take a bit of a back seat, since she will become super relevant next game and I was expecting it to be Aerith's time to shine. But instead we got Tifa caught up in the weapons plot.

Which leads me to Cloti. OMG.

The kiss has gone viral and it was so shocking that they went there this early. But also not because they've been building this more intimate and physically close bond between Cloud and Tifa throughout both games. The target is obviously the Highwind and eventually AC so it's nice to see the relationship building. And it also deepens the 'Cloud's mind' plot. Because we know Tifa draws out real Cloud. It's why she can help him in the lifestream, it's why he remembers stuff about their past even when everything else is messed up, it's why he is drawn to her because he's stil that young boy who was head over heels for his next door neighbour (underneath the trauma).

But it was actually everything about Gongaga that made me go wow. because, again, it's set up. For Cloud's breakdowns, for future conflict as we approach the Northern Crater, for Tifa being able to use the lifestream to help Cloud.

Cloud was also wonderful, still (when in the right frame of mind) opening up to everyone, building bonds, softening up. And the breakdowns were handled so well. I also liked how they adapted his recollection of Zack.

I love the world, I loved the exploration. Combat was AMAZING. At first I stuck to my favs but at one point I realised that I had SO MANY weapon passives to unlock so I spent some time playing the other characters and EVERY character is super fun to play.

The whispers didn't affect the story too much so we got to experience the plot mostly as expected with some fun twists and turns and a few exceptions to the fun bit.

I love the piano mini game. I love the baby chocobos. I love that you can pet Fluffy.

Now...there is one character I didn't mention above. And I'm sure some will think it's because shipping. But, no, it's because they fumbled her.

In what SHOULD have been her game, where she bonds with the crew and makes them (and us) DEVESTATED at her death, they barely gave her anything of substance. MULTIPLE TIMES when they would wrap up a storyline the entire cast of characters would have something to say and take place in post mission banter...except Aerith who would be doing idle animation in the background. She got two significant scenes. Cosmo Canyon and TotA. Cosmo Canyon was a monologue so we didn't even get to see her bond with the crew over it and TotA her most powerful scene was her trial, which none of the others witnessed. And then they dropped the ball on her death scene, too (and, yes, conspiracy theories shut up...she's dead) by making it a header note in a poorly paced ending sequence that includes a marathon boss frenzy.

I don't ship her with Cloud. At all. I can barely see any romance in even their most intimate scenes as it all seems very platonic to me (especially in the context of Tifa and Zack existing). But the ending scenes of Aerith and Cloud were super sweet and melancholic. The failure of a date, the good bye, his brain just not able to process her death just like he couldn't process Zack's...it was pretty touching. But you just DIDN'T GET CHANCE to realy feel it. Because PRESS BUTTONS...TAKE PART IN 12 BOSS BATTLES...HAVE NEW BATTLE MECHANICS WITH ZACK...GHOST AERITH IS HERE SO NOW YOU DON'T FEEL HER LOSS

SE fucked that up. Even if they pull off the whole complacated multiple worlds stuff that a lot of people don't have faith in...they will not get that moment back.

Finally, there is one gameplay thing I hated. And that is the combination of Queens Blood, Fort Condor and that stupid Robot Battle thing. Because that is three tactical/stratagy based mini games to deal with in a non tactical/stratagy RPG. And I hate them. Queens Blood less so than the other two, because at least replays are cheap and easy. But they are not my cup of tea AT ALL. And I'm so annoyed that the Cosmo Canyon Protorelic is locked behind the stupid robot game.

BTW I clocked in at about 95 hours. I've not done everything but I did a very high chunk.

Edit: yeah...one final thing. Cid and Vincent might as well not have been in the game. They were less relevant than Johnny to the story.

But I'll end on another positive: the Junon Parade. Not only did I greatly enjoy the actual parade but MIDGAR 7th INFANTRY.

Please get them as the crew for the Highwind. I also loved Cloud's mini arc of becoming a successful leader. A+++

Overall my score of the game is probably 9/10. Might drop down or go up depending on the final game. But I'm super satisfied with it.

[animescapist]

ANIME REACTION YUBISAKI TO RENREN Episode 2

Nice. So I properly listened and watched the opening song this time. The song feels warm and chilly at the same time. It evokes a sort of fuzzy feeling while listening to it and I also a sense of care and worry in how it is sung, so I think it suits the series well. I also really like these types of emotional songs. I think songs from the Fruits Basket remake comes to mind.

Ahhh, I'm on my period so listening to it made me tear up a bit.

Rin, the wingwoman. It's cool to have friends like her, but personally if my friend found out who I liked, I'd feel like running away from it all out of embarrassment and because I know they would do everything to ship me and the person I like. Hahahahaha. Yuki is brave for real.

Pft! Relatable moment.

Oh no. NONONONONONONO

Bro, didn't hold back! Is he just an airhead? Or like, does he blurt words out without thinking much? Straightforward? AAAAAA (*≧∀≦*)

Hmm, so. Yuki. That night. His message. You guys... weren't flirting?? HUHHH??? I'm pretty sure no guy just says that outta nowhere. (￣ ﹌ ￣)>

And, well, if I have to answer this question, Yuki right now is in a crush phase. You cannot tell yet that you love someone just by meeting them a few times or admiring one or two things about them. Love embraces everything. And to embrace someone wholeheartedly is to know them through and through. Yuki has yet to know everything about this... this guy's name I don't remember.

... oh no. A childhood friend who already communicates with her in sign language. You can already tell how much he cares for her. But if he's gonna be salty that she found a person she likes, that's on him, honestly. He's not entitled to prevent her from liking anybody else besides him. Anyway, I'm expecting the worse here. I'll give his character the benefit of doubt. He just looks so insecure, haha. I could be biased, of course.

I knew Rin would pick up on that.

If his character is like this, and Yuki being the way she is, well, nothing would happen between them if he doesn't express himself honestly. If only he wasn't so tsundere about it. If you repress or hide these positive emotions, nobody gains from it but what comes is imminent regret. Remember this well, guys.

See here, Yuki is great for not holding herself back in expressing her true feelings and intentions. She knew that what she truly wants is to create a connection between her and this guy. So instead of withdrawing the offer, she welcomes it and looks forward for their next meeting. That is beautiful and genuine.

The fact that this guy opened this conversation though is also very thoughtful. The very notion of considering whether she would want a souvenir or not would only come to his mind if he felt he wanted to bring her souvenirs, but he also asks her first which I think is even more considerate because if he had bought them without even asking her (and they're technically just acquaintances), that would have been really weird. So this guy also made sure to deliver his intentions across without hesitation.

Mm. I feel another insecure character has appeared. I could be wrong again. Haha. She looks like she has things going on. Also, I'm gonna guess that she likes him. Insecure people attract each other. Who said that? Me. ☆⌒(≧▽​° )

凸(￣ヘ￣) Red flag. Control freak.

That look screams she likes him. Hmmmm.

Okay, I learned his name. Itsuomi. He's able to surround himself with locals and be close with them. That is already a very admirable trait. The fact that he travels suggests his openness and curiosity towards places, things and people. It's the eagerness to understand a culture or a person and the drive for exploration I think make him very admirable.

OH SHIT. DUDE IS SECRETLY LEARNING! ( ͡°⁄ ⁄ ͜⁄ ⁄ʖ⁄ ⁄ ͡°)

Yes, it's good to realize what you want sooner than later. If you want this to be love girl, go for it. Get 'im!

I expected that, but it still caught me off guard. Hahahaha.

So I had a few guys pat my head for no reason when I was still in high school. I also couldn't bring myself to look at them while they patted my head. I don't know, man. What are you supposed to do in that situation? Get angry? Stay silent? Question them? Evade? Neither seems right. I can sort of understand if they were older like a teacher or a parent. But if they were your friends, colleagues, your peers . . .

What would you do?

Oh, so she can also see these things. Then does she know? That he means well, but has a difficult and shelled personality?

Ehh... I mean you did fall in love. But I would say that emotion right now is attraction and adoration, not the kind of realistic and grounded love that develops over a long time, involving mutual understanding and compromise.

Though I can say that she does love him in a sense that she wants to build a bond. Right now, she loves his presence, his demeanor, his looks (of course), his overall aura.

[aromanticannibal]

AU where Izuku listened to All Might and found another way he could help people because uwu.

He goes home to his mom bawling his eyes out and being like mom I can't be a hero and Inko's immediately like. wtf happened. My child may be an idiot but he's also the physical incarnation of hope how is he Not Hoping rn.

Izuku tells her what happened and she goes mmh. She's unsure if she should hate All Might for his lack of tact or if she should be happy he made her son reconsider his decision

(I'm going off memory but as far as I'm aware here Inko doesn't want Izuku to be a hero, not because she thinks he's not worthy or bc she's a terrible mother she's just scared of him getting hurt.)

Izuku asks her what he should do now and she goes hey baby you're smart. You know a lot about heroes and quirks. You can find a way to help heroes and people with that

Small timeskip, Izuku studies engineering and shit, Hatsume Mei stuff, and starts remaking all of his journals to reorganize them and add more things. He's overworking himself to forget about how sad and angry at everything he is that he can't be hero at first, but he realizes that he truly loves analyzing even if it's not in the goal to become a hero.

Katsuki notices the shift in Izuku's behavior, but doesn't say anything. Now that Izuku became more discreet and stopped talking about being a hero, Katsuki's bullying calmed down - it's not perfect, and others are still being assholes, but y'know. Small victories

Izuku applies to UA in the support course. He becomes friends with Hatsume despite how high energy and overexcited she is, and bonds with her on their similar hyperfixations (Izuku's on quirks and Hatsume's on her babies).

Izuku avoids Katsuki like the plague, but can't help being interested in the hero course students. They're all so cool!

He starts getting noticed because of his work - his actual support items aren't the best, but his designs, ideas and analysis are great. He regularly gets caught mumbling about something borderline revolutionary and his teachers are like wtf. bro

Izuku does well in the sports festival because of his wits and the support items he designed and Hatsume made ; he does fight Shinsou, who wins since Izuku doesn't have his deus ex machina powers and can't escape Brainwashing. Izuku immediately gets attached to Shinsou, who's surprised Izuku doesn't hate him and his quirk.

(Shinsou then fights Todoroki : he loses, but his taunts to try and brainwash Todoroki make the latter start thinking about his quirk, resulting in a similar revelation than in canon, although slower)

Katsuki is somehow pretty calm about the whole "Deku got into the goddamn Sports Festival" thing. As calm as Katsuki can be at least.

Flashforward, end of season 2. Many hero course students have asked Izuku to help with either their costumes' designs or support items (mainly Aoyama for his belt, Hagakure and Yaoyorozu for obvious reasons, Kaminari to be able to aim his electricity, and Ashido to be able to use her acid more safely - so mostly aim stuff too).

Season 2 has Katsuki overworking himself during the exams with All Might and Izuku. I don't have the strength or the motivation to figure out how this goes without Izuku right now, but let's say it had Katsuki discover a major flaw in his gauntlets.

Thing is, he knows if he goes to support to get something better, he'll have to see Izuku. He doesn't really want to bully him anymore, it makes no sense to do so, but he isn't at the stage of his character development where he's like ok I got to apologize.

And what do we do when we're in distress? Right! Denial! (not actual advice don't ignore your problems people)

So Katsuki goes to support and pulls up like I need smth. Izuku doesn't realize it's Kacchan who's here until he turns around and he's like AA KACCHAN

Katsuki feels incredibly weird hearing the nickname again but doesn't say anything about it and acts like this is a perfectly normal interaction between two normal people. Denial at its finest

The second Katsuki explains his problem, Izuku gets out of his head. He knows Kacchan, his quirk, his fighting style, he very much knows how to fix this and even make it better. Katsuki remembers that there's someone out there who knows him and understand why he fights the way he does and has a mini crisis.

ultimately, he accepts Izuku's designs and says he'll be back to get his new gauntlets. He says "Thanks, Deku." and it's Izuku's turn to have a mini crisis.

(Hatsume definitely looks at him like yo dude. who this)

From then on Izuku is less scared to go talk to hero course students and stops avoiding Katsuki constantly. He makes some friendships!

He was already friends with Shinsou and Hatsume, but everyone else were just some people he kinda likes.

He mainly becomes friends with The Gang™ (Iida, Todoroki and Uraraka) but also with Ashido, Aoyama, Yaoyorozu and Hagakure from the time they came to him for designs.

When Katsuki gets kidnapped, Izuku is very very not okay. Like yeah they're not friends, but they used to be and Izuku still cares about Kacchan. He can't help but notice how much Katsuki's been trying to be nicer to him and others too (as subtle as it can be).

He definitely helps the Saving Bakugou Gang from where he can, giving them advice and support items. Katsuki feels many things when he learns how touched by this whole thing Izuku was.

On a funkier note, I feel like Izuku would definitely sit in during hero course classes when he doesn't have class. Aizawa probably doesn't care man would just be like heh whatever don't get killed

When Shinsou tells Izuku he's been training with Eraserhead and might actually enter the hero course, he gets so unbelievably excited. He comes up with a ton of ideas for Shinsou's costume, helps Hatsume with the Persona Cords and thinks of a ton of uses Shinsou quirk could have. He fills up an entire notebook with stuff about Shinsou and his quirk (Shinsou isn't sure if he should feel flattered or terrified).

from then on nothing that special happens and I'm too lazy rn to bother thinking of plot stuff. so let's skip to the 🔮 future 🔮

Izuku probably becomes a designer for costumes and support items, maybe keeps working with Hatsume (Hatsume is a genius at ingeneering but she often forgets people can like. die. so her items end up being unpractical. Izuku helps with that by overthinking every part of the item).

He actually also ends up making designs for civilians with unpractical quirks. Clothing is pretty much figured out but he definitely helps make mutation friendly fashion brands more popular, and he works to help people with unstable quirks have helpful stuff, like gloves for quirks like Shigaraki's or Uraraka's for example.

He'd probably be VERY helped by the fact that he's friends with a lot of heroes - they'd give him and Hatsume constant shout-outs and publicity.

Katsuki would also probably ask him to work at his agency at some point, but Izuku would say no, wanting to keeping working with Hatsume and be able to keep a wide range of stuff to work on.

I think after they dealt with their shit, Katsuki and Izuku would become friends again, though not as much as before.

Mainly I just want my mans to put his analyzing skills to use. anyways that was it folks

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

hhghgnm i am back. again. for a different thing. i hope you don't mind, i feel like i've talked a lot lately and yet here i am again :'] this will be a bit of a ramble, if i need to apologise at all, then i am doing so now (if not, thanks for your continued patience?? i know my tendency to ramble probably too much too often)

so. you've awakened the dormant single braincell dedicated purely to pokemon stuff. specifically with that one art for childe and zhongli (no surprises there). congration you done it. i thought it might be more considerate to collect my rambles into an ask here rather than leave a hefty tag ramble on a reblog so here i am, because i desperately need to talk to you about it- or at least ask,, no really i would love to talk about it more but that's very up to you

before anything else i want to let you know how much i internally screamed and cried that you gave childe a lantern. tears of joy. no jokes there. you're absolutely right it's perfect for him. also, it's been ages since i read pokespe especially gen 3 and 6 (if gen 6 is relevant? bc gen 3 remakes? my memory is too hazy so i have to include it just in case,, and beyond that i may not be caught up at all, as i haven't had the opportunity to play the games beyond gen 6 and so kinda fell out of stuff since then except for clinging to the stuff i already knew,,) so i need to reread those, but at least personality-wise the thought that struck me was... childe has some gold vibes?? is that. is that just me or. their general attitudes- i can't unsee it,, anyway, i also love the attention to detail with the pokeballs and alternate colour gigalith. thank you. if you apologised for pokemon nerd shining through, this pokemon nerd is rejoicing in what it sees. however dormant it may've been, pokemon was basically the thing that dominated my childhood interests so hahah,,, it's quite strong. also with the titles aside ace trainer and gentleman so true, so true indeed.

so uh.... here's the thing where i ask.... you gave them 5 each, but.... 6 is a full team, so.... :) :) :) any thoughts on, if they had a 6th, who/what it'd be (this question of full 6 pokemon teams also extends to the twins and xiao, not just childe and zhongli. should i be sorry?? i am sorry?? i would hate to think of such things mostly bc i would have a hard time because of overthinking it but i don't know what it's like for you for things like that-)? and eheheh,, can i ask permission to try teambuilding the teams for real. do you know of/use pokemon showdown? i semi-casually use it (with a hint of seriousness, but like. nothing compared to some people) every now and then mostly because testing teams is much easier there,, not that i have anything to stop me from making a team in one of the actual games, it's just. slower. and more of a process. but i really want to try it for them,, if you wouldn't mind, of course. the only thing that would annoy me in such an endeavour would be that shiny gigalith isn't actually amber-coloured. sigh. i don't even have to include not knowing gen 7+ things on that note because it's nothing a lil research and experimenting wouldn't fix, but alternate colours? sad that i can't do much about that one. ah, while I'm at it, not to be super finicky with details or anything,, haha, but hypothetically, for teambuilding, just as a question in general, what would their battle format preferences be...? just the usual singles, or...? if there would be any different preference, i am curious about

hopefully i didn't miss anything but then again, this is probably long enough as it is,,,, whoops

my dear we're on the EXACT same boat holy fuck.

i'm going to put the rest below a read more to spare everyone else's dash, bc you kinda enabled my pokemon floodgates lmao

i too followed pokespe up till the start of gen5 and then kinda lost track of it, but since i'm a hoenn sucker i went back to read the oras chapters (for steven. it was all for steven). if you're wondering- i remember the story being quite decent? take it as an extra chapter for the rse arc, that's basically what it is. sadly nothing will ever top everything surrounding the first 3 regions + dpp (they get extra points for the giratina ordeal), but it was aight.

and you're absolutely right, childe has gold vibes. not an exact 1:1 but there's some things that are just too similar to overlook. alternatively, he's like an unholy mix of red and gold.

i honestly can't remember why i only gave them 5 each- i think in my mind 6 has always been far too many creatures, but 4 too little, so i always fall somewhere in the middle;; as for showdown,

that's where i planned the teams. that's literally where i went to sort thru all pokemon and pick and choose the ones that better fit. i'm a bit of a random team match enjoyer, never been one for building functional competitive teams but i do like playing so random has always been the go-to option.

if i had to give them a sixth slot, it'd probably be: for childe either a pawmot, luxray, or gengar. i feel like his team needs a bit more electric to honor his delusion beyond lanturn, or alternatively some poison or ghost to represent the Abyss. i'd also lowkey give him a nidoqueen, he seems like the kinda guy who'd have one. for zhongli it'd be either rhydon, tyrantrum, aggron, or maybe bastiodon? steel types would fit as steel comes from the earth, ultimately. claydol i could also sorta see, like some sort of living relic. if i allowed myself to pick from the starters, torterra (bc azhdaha). as a joke i'd give him drampa. i feel like almost no dragon types would fit and it lowkey frustrates me lmao for xiao i feel like another flying type would be overkill, so maybe something like an umbreon or a mightyena? he has an absol already, he'd absolutely have a mightyena. if not, then maybe a crobat? if childe has gold vibes then xiao most definitely has silver vibes, although i don't think he'd really mistreat his pokemon at all. i could also see him having an ariados or shedinja ngl for aether and lumine i gave them five bc eevee was like their childhood shared pokemon and then they sort of got matching duos, so they kind of share all five? but strictly speaking they're two different trainers. idk. if i had to give them like another shared pokemon, it'd be castform. or maybe something like a kecleon, sawsbuck, or togekiss. if we count them as separate trainers then i'd give them a pair of indeedee, to follow tradition with the meowstics and ralts line. that'd make it seven mons but it'd still be possible. i honestly don't have the brain rn for six for each tho lmao plus since they kinda share them i think they'd stop at seven. like three each to make six + eevee. if not then i lean towards castform. aether would dress it up like those images where the cloud bumps are boobs and lumine would hate him for it.

as for their battle performances, the twins would absolutely fight doubles. like you could catch them one on one but most of the time it'd be either both or neither. xiao and zhongli would be used to fighting doubles as team partners, but it wouldn't be like their main mode. i think both would've kinda gone their own ways and now fought singles, but wouldn't be against doubles on their own. childe would be singles all the way, OR triples, if only for the chaos. also childe would lowkey go into contests. i mean he has milotic, he kinda has to have been there at some point. maybe tonia wanted to see it so he agreed for his princess. or like- tonia was being bullied by mean girls for it and he decided he'd curbstomp them with a feebas.

anyway aaaaaa,, i went on a ramble again, this is really just my pokemon nerd speaking. i hope that was useful! it's nice to know i'm not the only one on this bandwagon hahah;;

[here-its-kayla]

Ohhh, how about giant ace and tiny y/n or an OC of yours (whatever you are more comfortable with!) were he sees them as a threat first? So it’s kinda fearplay-ish but it ends good? I’ve been starved of One Piece g/t and I found your blog today so thank you! :]

Yay, I have finished it, even if I thought the writing like two times and I forgot what I was actually going to write both times. It has a bit of fearplay and the end is fluff. Also this is a bit short ;-;

The timeline is before Blackbeard kills Thatch, so they're still cool.

I also used another of my oc's for this fic; which is female and 14 years old (Reference at the end of the fic btw :])

With a heavy sigh he left the Striker on one of the shores, hidden from view, he didn't want to get in trouble with the Marines in the early hours of the morning. Little did he know that his boat would have a visitor shortly after he left.

The borrower watched intently as the human walked away, climbing onto his boat when he disappeared completely from sight. It took a bit of time due to her size, but after a few minutes, she finally managed to get inside and try to hide as best she could. All she wanted right now was to get away from this disgusting island and stay hidden from the humans.

She brushed her hair off her shoulders, sitting on one of the inner corners of the small boat, while both of her hands gripped the straps of her backpack/bag.

//

It wasn't long before Ace was back on the boat, standing still before climbing onto it. Although he couldn’t see inside completely, he knew someone/something was there and he didn't like that at all, as it could be a threat. 

He crouched low and leaned over the floor of the Striker as his left hand caught fire. Immediately there was a scream from there and he leaned in fully to see, his eyes widening at the sight of a person who seemed to be no bigger than his hand.

He quickly put out the fire in his hand, slowly reaching towards the person to pick her up. The tiny only pressed further into the corner. When Ace was about to reach her… “No! no no no no! Stay away! Do not touch me!" The tiny girl yelled, tears beginning to fall from her eyes, hugging herself as she tried to get further away from Ace, even though she knew she couldn't.

Ace sighed as he passed his hand, which he had just moved away from the little person, over his face. "Look, uh... I'm not going to hurt you, okay? I just thought you were an enemy or something that had snuck into my boat, I didn't think you were a tiny girl..." If he was honest, he really felt bad about scaring a girl who wasn't even bigger than his hand.

The girl looked at him for a moment, before wiping away her tears. "You promise?" Ace smiled widely seeing that she intended to trust him. "Sure, although, can I ask you what were you doing inside my boat?" She looked away for a moment before replying. “I got on here because I want to leave this island, I don't want to be here anymore…” Ace nodded in understanding.

"It seems understandable to me, although I don't think you would like being down there, that area is going to be completely filled with fire." The tiny girl's green eyes widened in shock. "Of fire? So where should I go?" She asked as she let herself be picked up by the human.

"I could hold you all the way back to the ship." he answered with a smile. "To the ship? Are you a pirate? If so, I don't think-” Ace simply cut her off. "Yes, I am a pirate, I belong to the Shirohige pirates crew and don't worry, they will surely love to meet you, especially the pineapple head." He said with a small laugh.

"Are you sure?" "Absolutely, don't worry." He replied holding the tiny girl closer. She just settled into his soft grip, closing her eyes. "Thanks, by the way, my name is Samantha even though they call me Sam." "Ace." he said as he finally headed towards Shirohige's ship.

Here's Samantha's reference drawing, I just remake her into my actual drawing style, it didn't change much though :)

[mystery-salad]

Creation asks. 3 + 5 for Ruan Huo, Embrant, and Niutuiyik. Bonus question 13 if you still feel like talking!

Right at the top, I honestly don't know what memory depths you pulled Niutuiyik from cause he existed for like a full two months as icebrood saga started then got deleted when the chapters on the third map released and my enthusiasm for the expac plummeted...I can't find him searching my blog, no idea if you just remembered his name??? I'll answer what I can for him but honestly a lot of info has left my head on that one. 100% answering 13 as well to make up for the missing oc info there 🙏 it did delight me to see him again, maybe he'll get a remake of sorts now that I've had time to develop my own icebrood saga...don't even have a screenshot on hand of him any more 😔

3. How did you choose their name?

Embrant was simply by sound. Just syllables I like together that read to me as a sunny spring day!

Ruan's was a matter of going over old gw1 and gw2 canthan names at length until I felt like I landed somewhere that felt right for them

Niutuiyik I do not remember the full thought process, if I remade him this would mean I'd be picking a new name too because I know his name did have meaning and I'd want to keep that level of intent

5. Is there any significance behind their hair color?

Embrant's entire color scheme was based very loosely off the bird of paradise flower, which includes her hair color! It's just mostly for a nice cohesiveness~

Ruan dyes their hair because they enjoy the color and that it makes them easy to spot in a crowd despite how short they are! Their natural color is a dark nearly-black brown.

Niutuiyik had black hair, entirely because it made sense for him and I in general stick to natural hair colors unless a character dyes their hair or I'm feeling fancy

13. How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all?

Embrant is all caught up but doesn't pass, and considering she's a Warden of the Grove, her story is very very chill and simple aside from her gf being the Commander's protégé lmao

Ruan's story is constantly caught up and jumping ahead right now, they're one of my most up to date commanders at the moment. But their plot is always malleable and subject to changes if the plot reveals dictate it and it's fun✨️

Niutuiyik's story burned so bright for so little time.......if I ever do remake him, I'd talk about the story then

[harleiquina]

The Lady of the Well

Some time ago, I got so angry at Disney remaking their movies (with a lot less heart than the originals) that I started to write my own versions.

So far I’ve just finished my Cinderella, but there are many others to come.

Keep in mind that English isn’t my native language and I tried to translate it as best as I could.

-I hope you are not trying to steal anything- said an authoritarian but warm and playful voice that echoed through all the gallery.

-No. ¡No! Of course not- the young girl rushed to answer nerviously since she hadn't noticed that the men in uniform was joking. -I... never... I didn't even touched anything- she was trying to find his eyes to make her case stronger but the mirrored mask prevented her from finding his gaze. Feeling observed without knowing exactly from where made the intimidation worse.

-Don't be afraid. I didn't mean it- she sighed loudly with relief -Still, it is odd that you are here and not in the Great Hall. Don't you want to enjoy the ball?-

-It's just... -she contained herself -I don't belong there-

-However, here you are. That implies that you were invited-

-You could say that. But if I have to be honest: I sneaked in with a big family that didn't noticed my presence-

The man laughed -If you wanted to be in the ball so badly, why are you wasting the night in the art gallery?-

-I just wanted to see the Palace and this was my only chance-

-I can give you an invitation, in case anybody asks-

-An invitation arrived home. It's just that I didn't came with them-

-Them?- he noticed a certain absence in the young girl's voice.

-My stepmother and her daughters-

Once again there was a fraction of bitterness on the way she spoke and that made him realize that something wasn't right. So he asked to confirm if his suspicions were true -Your family?-

-I guess- the girl noticed that she was letting her true feelings show so she tried to brush off the whole situation. She got closer to the next painting on the wall, the one that caught her attention more than the others -Those flowers are beautiful, do you know their name?-

-I'm sorry, no-

-It doesn't matter. Maybe some beauties should remain unnamed-

He smiled.

-Sir- one of the guards called, he was wearing the man's exact same outfit -Do you need us?-

-No, General. Thank you-

-Are you sure?- he wanted to check after examining the girl before him.

-I'm sure. You may all go- once the sentence ended other twenty men left their positions from all over the hall

- So many guards?- the guest was surprised after seeing them walk down the hallway.

-It's a palace. There is a guard every six feet or so- he answered amused. Many past events paraded in his mind and in all of them the excess of men was more than justified.

-Are you their captain?

-I guess- he smiled -What's your name?

-My name?

-There is nobody else here, right?-

-No- she was genuinely surprised and ashamed for the whole situation -I am not used to be called by my name-

-Then... how do people call you?-

-It depends on who's speaking. Kids call me "the lady of the well" because I always help them when they need to retreive water in buckets that are bigger than them. And I also hold them in my arms when they want to toss a coin to ask for a wish-

-Sounds nice. Alas there is no well here, so I cannot call you like that- both laughed.

-Those who were our servants still call me "little miss" "child" or "missy" when I find them in the market. It doesn't matter how hard I try I cannot convince them that I'm not 4 years old anymore- her voice now was filled with warmth and joy.

-I don't know you enough to call you like that. But now I'm curious about the servants that no longer work for you. Are they very old?

-Not that much- she started pacing between the statues at the center of the room. She just realized the mess she got herself into by mentioning that but it was too late. She took a deep breath and fought the tears that started swelling in her eyes at the memory of her last nickname -Cinderella, that's the name my stepmother and her daughters use to call me. I'm always covered in cinder from the fire they make me keep always alive... so I can cook for them, prepare their baths and carry around tje house in winter to keep the whole house warm -a single tear escaped from her eyes all the way down her cheek but she caught it before it could hit the floor -I even have to do it in Summer, because those are the Lady's orders-

-What about the servants?

-There is none. Just me...- she dried her tears again, this time with a handkerchief he offered her -...Marielle-

-Marielle?- he was surprised -Then I believe that some beauties should be named- the attempt to make her feel better seemed to work

-Don't you have something better to do than taking care of a stranger's feelings?-

-Honestly? No. I do not like parties and this kind even less-

-What kind?-

-The ones to find a girlfriend for the prince- je sat down in a couch nearby and asked her to join him -That's why we are all dressed the same: women just try to expose themselves, or their daughters, to him. The night won't be long enough if he had to dance with all of them-

-So none of you say who is the prince, you hear them, get to know them and then give a report of who is the most adequate, right?-

-Exactly-

-I can't imagine how tedious it might be to deal with that-

-We take turns, another good reason to have so many guards nearby- she laughed -Of course, whoever tries to get any kind of advantage for themselves is removed. Usually will end up guarding the stables or the park-

-Still, it might be tough on them. Who says that a soldier can't fall in love with one of the girls?

-In that case they should say the truth-

-Has it happened already?

-The night is still young-

-If it's not a bother to you... may I ask you a question?- he nodded -Why a ball? I thought that the prince is meant to marry another kingdom's princess to strenghten commercial relationships, increase the lands and such-

-You are very smart, Marielle- she couldn't help blushing after hearing her name -Yes, that would be the most sensible and traditional way, so to speak. But, believe it or not, prince Jean has been rejected by many kingdoms both close and far away-

-Rejected?

-Yes, you'll see: the prince is blind- he said while removing his mask so she could see his clouded eyes -That's why the other kings don't want to take a chance on having grandkids with the same weakness- there was no reaction from the girl -Please don't pity me. I've had enough of that up until now. Speak to me, it is still me-

-It's just... I don't understand. You are the prince?- she stood up and started to nerviously pace.

-Yes-

-Don't lie to me-

-I know that I said that some soldiers might take advantage but I did so thinking I've already earned your trust... that I could speak freely with you-

-But... what are you doing here? The ball is in the other wing!-

-Have you noticed that there's a slight inbalance in your walking? As if one of the legs was a few milimeters shorter than the other-

-I broke a leg when I was thirteen. It didn't heal well-

-You used to climb trees?

-No-

-A horseback riding accident then?

-No-

-Maybe you were running around the hallways in your home?

-I will answer only if you give me a good reason why you are wasting your time with me instead of enjoying your party-

-I am not wasting my time, but go ahead-

-I didn't clean the main dinning room window well enough and my stepmother punished me for that- she could feel the indignation on his silence so se rushed to add -She never did it again. She realized that I couldn't do much with a broken bone-

-You were a child-

-Which means that it happened a long time ago and it's not worth remembering it-

-Did she continued to hit you? Does she do it now?-

-That is not important. I already answered your question. Now answer mine-

His frustration became evident however he always kept his word. In first place, I'm exhausted of hearing "I am the perfect woman to become queen because..." and, in second place, General Batiste, the man that spoke to me a while ago, told me that there was a girl in a rather peculiar dress walking around the hallways. He didn't know if she was lost or if she had something else in mind. In other words, you spiked my curiosity- Marielle sat down again -Why your dress caught the good General's attention?-

-Probably because it's old... it was my mother's so it is probably way over twenty years old-

-A heirloom?-

-It's all I've got left of her. My stepmother got rid of everything else- she stopped so he couldn't notice her voice cracking -It was in a forgotten chest on the attic, that's why moths got it. I took some scraps of an old dress of mine, one made of silk and pink tulle that I used as a child, with that I made flowers to patch up the holes- she left one of the flowers that hanged from her sleeve on his hand so he could feel them -I used beads from my stepsisters' many broken necklaces to make the center of the flowers-

-I admire your skill and I am certain that you look beautiful. Even so I cannot stop feeling pity over your situation, you should not live like that-

-If I do not pity you for your blindness, you shouldn't pity me either-

-That's fair. However I would like to help you-

-Nobody can-

-I can have them arrested-

-Or you could marry one of my stepsisters and take all of them away from here-

-I thought we were friends, now you want me to suffer?- he laughed.

-They would never hurt you-

-And why they do hurt you?

-I don't know, I stopped asking myself about it a long time ago. I guess I'm an easy target-

-You just have to ask and I can make my guards drag them to the dungeons-

-No, please, no. They will hate me more if I do it-

-They will never come out. You would be safe-

-My father wouldn't approve-

-Oh, he lives with you? And lets them treat you like that?

-No, he died about 17 years ago. But if he chose to marry my stepmother, there had to be a good reason why-

-Well, for what it's worth... if it wasn't for your situation, we would've never met-

-That's true-

-Who was your father? Because if you all still live in the same house there might be a chance that he was a friend or aquaitance of mine-

-Yes, my father worked as an administrator for the King. George Reinauld-

-I can't say that I know the name, as a child I had nothing to do on my father's bussiness. However I can tell you that I know every inch of this palace thanks to the many hits and falls I had during my childhood. That's why I always have so many guards around me, my mother never where could I ever need inmmediate assistance-

The clock started to announce midnight just like the bells on the closest cathedral.

-Oh, no- Marielle worried -It's late-

-What are you talking about?-

-The ball ends at midnight, I wasn't expecting to stay for long. I won't be able to arrive before them- explained halfway to the exit.

-Wait, please-

-I can't-

-Yes you can, stop- he was next to her and held her arm -Batiste! -the man and a companion appeared almost magically, ready to receive orders -Make one of our coaches take her home and ask for the ball to be extended. Would an hour be enough?-

-Yes, yes it'll be enough. Thank you!- the young girl kissed his cheek and started to run following the soldier guiding her.

-Don't look at me like that and do as I said- he ordered again while hiding a smile from his General's complicit gaze.

Everybody in the Great Hall rejoiced after finding out that the very Prince asked for the party to continue. The ladies thought that they still had a chance to get him because if he did found someone then there was no need to go on with the ball; the men just focused on the food and wine still left to enjoy. Little they knew that the prince never joined them again for the rest of the night.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

-Good morning, son- the King said when he saw him in the garden -I see that you've had a good time. You are still using yesterday's clothes. Is that why you asked for the party to continue?-

-Honestly, father, I barely was in the ball-

-You are joking, right? You know fair well why we did it and why it was necessary for you to be there-

-I know, I know. But you would've not lasted that long in my shoes either-

-It couldn't be that bad to dance with so many beautiful young girls-

-Most of them couldn't stop talking about their virtues and others thought that I was a soldier and tried to bribe me so I could pinpoint the real prince. And lets not mention a few missteps I gave transforming them into drunk sailors. I even think that I might've learned new curse words thanks to them- the King couldn't hold his laughter -However, I wasn't alone either. All the time I was away I spent it with one of the guests that was snooping on the Art Gallery. We talked. She is very nice. I told her who I am, the reason for the ball and, aside from a brief moment of incredulity, she didn't even blink-

-Well, maybe the ball wasn't such a bad idea. And who is this misterious girl?-

-Marielle- he felt his heart lighting up by saying her name -Marielle Reinauld, daughter of George Reinauld- he added in a serious tone to try and hide his happiness.

-George Reinauld, sounds familiar, ah, yes! Now I remember him. A good man, honest and smart. Such a pity that he died-

-What do you know about his wife?

-I didn't have the chance to meet her, she died when he started to work for me-

-I mean his second wife-

-All I know is that your mom didn't liked her. I cannot say much, I never met her-

-Marielle told me about the mistreatments she got from her. She's basically a servant since she was twelve-

-Why? That family has enough money to live a comfortable life for at least three more generations-

-I do not know. But I'm worried. I need to know that she's fine-

-We'll send someone to her house-

-Yes... but no. First I need someone to make sure that she's fine. She told me that she came to the ball hiding from her stepmother, if all the sudden someone from the palace shows up at her door, she'll know-

-What does it matter if the girl marries you? She'll be safe in the palace-

-If she accepts me-

-Why wouldn't she?-

-The fact that we had a conversation doesn't mean she will-

-But it is a good start-

-Father, please... I just want to be sure that she is fine-

-Fine. I'll send someone to observe the house-

It was late in the evening when the messenger came back with his report. He didn't see anybody resembling a maid, just the mother and her two daughters would come and go from the rooms he could see through the windows.

Without second thoughts, the prince called his General and asked him to gather a few men to go to Reinauld's house.

Once there, the Lady of the house thought that good news were coming but after seeing the soldiers getting into her home to search the rooms her face changed completely. Her yells stopped once the King and his son walked through the door.

-Your Majesties!- the well dressed and old woman celebrated them with fake cheer -To what do I owe the honor of your visit?

-We have been told about a girl missing from your house- answered General Batiste, hiding from any sight the prince behind him.

-A girl? Missing? Nonsense! I live with my daughters here, nobody else. They are not here because they left to visit a friend, countess Montreaux. These girls, bless them, they want to keep on talking about the wonderful ball-

-How many daughters do you have?- asked Jean coldly with his face fix in the window that showed the street.

-Two: Fleur y Claire-

-And what about Marielle?-

-I'm sorry?- despite her surprise, it was rather clear that she knew of whom he was talking about-

-Your stepdaughter, Marielle-

-Mar... ah, yes... she left with her father, when he left us-

-George Reinauld worked for me. At the time od his death I sent my condolences and a medallion as a token of appreciation after so many years of service to his country- the King seemed offended after the woman's lame attempt to get rid of the situation.

-Fine, I was lying... I should've take her to a convent, poor thing, her mind wasn't quite right. She's the family's greatest shame-

-She seemed fine last night- the prince provoked her .

-Last night?- a slight biterness took over the woman's voice.

-She went to the ball- silence -we talked. Don't worry, she didn't dare to say much about you... but her story didn't need many words to be understood-

-As I said, she had issues-

-Had?- he turned towards the woman for the very first time but before he could walk to her one of the soldiers called Batiste from the kitchen. The General helped him get down the stairs that would lead them to him.

At the moment he crossed the door he could tell that Marielle spent most of her time in there. The whole place smelled like her, or viceversa, with a faint smell of oregano and other spices mixed with the scent of flour and salt.

-What did you find, soldier?-

-The fire died many hours ago but it would seem that something was burned before- Batiste reached to get the piece of burnt cloth the soldier was giving him

-This looks like a silk flower- said the General so everybody could listen.

-You burned her dress?- even though he knew the kind of person she was, he couldn't help but feel a stab on his heart for witnessing such heinous act.

-She deserved it, for disobeying-

-You keep on talking in past time- a shadow appeared in his thoughts -Where is she?- he tried to sound harsh and menacing but his coice cracked before he could finish his question.

-Where she belongs-

The prince couldn't breathe anymore and he was shaking enough that his friend and General guided him by the shoulders outside, to the backyard where there was a chicken coup and an orchard.

-Batiste, please, make your men search every inch of this property. Inside and out. We must find her-

-Yes, sir- he retired to communicate his orders to his men.

-Son, are you alright?- the King's voice came from behind and he felt his hand on his shoulder.

-What can you see from here? How is the house and it's surroundings?

-Well, it's a beautiful house... pity it didn't have the propper maintenance. It has three stories aside from the attic and the basement with the kitchen. Stone facade, big windows, balconies... is almost as big as our summer house in the beach, do you remember it?- there was no answer, so he continued with his description -I can see that some of the roof tiles fell off and there's a hole getting bigger and bigger in the attic. There are even doves coming out of it!- he saw his son still lost in his thoughts -The orchard is really nice, the pumpkins are about to be harvested. There are tomato plants and chard... I think... yes, those are onions. Its a very good job, madmoiselle Marielle has a very good green hand-

-What else?- asked Jean.

-There's a chicken coup, I can count three chickens and a rooster. They are pecking the floor looking for food-

-Probably she had to feed them in the morning- added the Prince with biterness -I hear voices afar, is there anybody else aside from the soldiers?-

-There are some kids playing on a hill, they are near a well. I hope they don't try to climb it, they might fall-

-The well- remembered Jean -She helps kids to get water from it and to toss coins when asking wishes-

Batiste came out of the house.

-We searched everywhere, there is not a trace. I'm sorry-

-General, lets go to that hill, to the well- his heart started pounding he was certain they would find her there. Batiste checked the orders with the king, he nodded.

The men were carrying torches, the night already arrived and regardless how much they tried to illuminate the well, they couldn't see anything.

A young soldier asked his friends to hold him while he tried to get as far as he could inside the well to try and see anything. But he wasn't counting his ticklish nature and his friends touch made him toss the torch to the water. He shrieked when, before the fire was extinguished, he was able to see a face in the water and what seemed to be a white dress floating.

Without confirming their orders, the soldiers started to dig with whatever they had available at the time. The neighbours got closer and offered their help and tools. With the effort of 50 people, they were able to dig to the bottom of the well. The water started to rise and it made it near impossible to keep on digging, but the thought of miss Reynauld captive in it helped them fight off the elements and the tiredness.

Todos conocían a Marielle, la niña que siempre tenía una sonrisa en los labios a pesar de tener una vida dura junto a su madrastra. Aquella que ayudaba a quienes lo necesitaban y se preocupaba por cada uno como si fuera de la familia.

A couple of women delivered bebrages to the workers and every now and then bursted in tears worried for the fate of the girl they loved so much.

-Do you know her?- asked the prince when he felt them near him.

-Since her birth, Your Highness. She was such a good child- answered one wiping her tears with hee sleeve.

-She was like a daughter to us. She even carried provisions in her sleigh for us during a winter we fell sick. She was a little girl, she was 10! Y she took care of us without any kind of binding obligation to us... a couple of peasants way below her- added the second one.

-And when her stepmother started to mistreat her we wanted to help her... but the Lady threatened us with jail. We were very scared, Your Highness... we should've done something... look where we are now!- the first woman reproached herself.

Every story the prince heard pierced his soul, but a victory scream from one of the men brought some hope back into him.

Everybody approached his location and rushed to help him rescue the girl from the water. Carefully, three of them took her out to were the King was standing next to his son. The early morning lights allowed them to see the young girl unconscious, pale, soaking wet and with some bruises on her face and arms.

Many soldiers improvised a bed with their capes on the grass so she could rest. The town's doctor was also there and jumped into action to try and find her vitals.

-They are too weak, but they are still there- everybody sighed in relief as a carriage got closee to them.

-Ladies- Jean called the women that spoke wirt him earlier -We will take her to the palace. Could you watch over her?-

-Of course, Your Highness! We'll do it with pleasure, the poor child needs love an care. We will give it to her- answered the first one while Marielle was being carried to the carriage. The doctor also climbed in it followed by the two women.

-Batiste- he called his General -Lets go back to the house. Father, go back to the palace and make sure that the doctor has everything he needs-

-I'll call the royal doctors as well, I assure you son that everything will be alright-

-I hope so- he said his goodbyes before his friend helped him to return to the Reinauld's family house.

-Your Majesty!- the screeching voices of the Lady's daughters pierced his ears -Such a pleasure to see you here!- both spoke at the same time and that was even more annoying.

-Has your mother told you the reason for my visit?-

-Yes- all courtesy was gone and their voices were now poisonous.

-I must inform you that we have found your stepsister, miss Marielle Reinauld- nothing but silence -She was in the bottom of the well abpve the hill-

-As I said, Your Highness, her mind wasn't in great shape. She probably fell or threw herself chasing a toad... she always got those nasty creatures to torment my girls, wasn't that so?- the homeowner intervened looking for her daughters approval.

-She is still alive-

-What? I mean... it is good news but I'm less than excited to see her again after everything that happened.

-Don't worry, you won't. Batiste, arrest the lady for attempted murder-

-As you say, Your Highness-

-Don't you dare to touch me! I did nothing.... it was them, they threw her down the well like a broken plate-

-Mom!- Claire got offended.

-We only threw her because you told us to!- added Fleur.

-Fine, take the three of them- Jean ordered without thinking it twice.

The soldiers tried to be polite with them showing them the way but the women refused to follow them, so they had to grab and drag them against their will. Their indignation was silenced by the yelling of their neighbours, still covered in mud, that went to the house to see the pathetic scene.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Many weeks passed until Marielle was able to get up from the comfortable bed with silk sheets. Her good neighbours Carlotta and Vivianne helped her to eat, dress and wash herself the whole time. She didn't liked to be pampered with so much devotion, but she also knew that she couldn't do any of that alone.

Now it was a wonderful spring morning and she wanted to walk around the garden before goinf back home.

She found the kings having breakfast in a gazebo. After many pleas, she joined them.

-I am so glad that you are alright- started the Queen -Do you have everything you need? What about the dresses? Should we fix them in anyway?- she observed that Marielle had folded the cuffs since they were too long.

-No, Your Highness. It's not worth it. I have mine at home. I'm not planning on keeping any of these, they are just a loan-

-My girl! There's no need to return anything, these are gifts- said the King.

-I don't want you to think that I'm taking advantege of you. You did enough for me-

-And we would do it again- reassured the Queen -After hearing your neighbours' testimonies and your stepfamily's nonsense, I can't stop thinking that I should've followed my instincts that time and take you away from that house as soon as your father died. I always knew that that woman wasn't good news, but he was in love... I guess-

-Lets not speak more about the past, especially now that we know there are brighter days ahead. What are your plans, Marielle, now that you're free?- the king asked.

-I never made plans-

-And what would you like to do? Now you're not just the Lady and homeowner of the Reinauld House, you also possess your father's fortune.

-I have to do something for those who rescued me, both soldiers and civilians... but I do not know yet what it could be-

-That's a good start and we will support you in anything you might need- smiled the Queen while lovingly tapping her arm.

-There is no need, as I said, I don't want to take advantage of your generosity-

-You'll be the first one- laughed the King -Now I see why you caused such a good impression in Jean-

Marielle blushed, and that wasn't a secret for the other two.

-Have you talked to him? I think he's at the fountain. He enjoys the sound of water moving and the birds that sing over there.

-The Prince visited me many times and showed me the other pieces of art in the palace. He says he enjoys how I describe them- she smiled to herself -I hope I was a good friend to him-

-Why do you speak as if you are about to leave?- asked the Queen.

-Well, the doctirs told me that I am fully recovered. I must return home. I'm sure there's a lot to clean- she added laughing.

-Well, that's a shame... you know what I mean. All of us enjoy your company and it's sad to see you go away-

-I completely understand, don't worry. I know that you'll never wish any kind of evil upon me- smiled Marielle.

-Have you told Jean already?- asked the King.

-Well, the Prince knows how I think... but no, I haven't told him yet-

-You should, as we told you, he's at the fountain-

- Now?

-It is better to rip the bandage quickly- his comment was shut off by a hard stomp from his wife.

-If I may, Your Highnesses- Marielle stood up hiding her desire to laugh at the Queen's reaction.

As she was told, the prince was sitting in the grass under a tree's shadow, with his eyes closed focused on all the sounds around him. His face, just like everything near him, transmitted peace and warmth.

-Marielle- he called her softly while opening his eyes.

-I'll never be able to surprise you- she chuckled while helping him to stand up.

-You are a surprised by yoursel- he presented his arm to invite her to walk with him. She accepted.

-Why didn't you had breakfast with your parents?-

-I've been awake for hours. I had breakfast a lot earlier-

-Oh, did you have a rough night?-

-You could say that. Every day that goes by is a day closer to the day you'll leave- Marielle felt a strong pinch on her stomach -I know that you will... there is nothing to stop you-

-I'll visit you often, if you ask me to-

-You musn't base your actions in what I want but in what you want. I've enjoyed the hours that we spent together but if this were, in anyway, a duty or an obligation you set yourself as a payment for helping your escape, I do not pretend to let you continue with them-

-I would never think in that way. In any casa it's me who's embarrassed. I shared the darkest moments of my life with a complete stranger and because of that I dragged you with me. My apologies, Your Highness, if you've felt in the obligation to assit me in any way-

He smiled -Call me Jean, I've told you to do it before-

-I can't, it's disrespectful-

-I call you Marielle-

-I am a nobody-

-Don't say that- the prince noticed that his voice turned too solemn so he decided to switch the conversation tone -I have noticed something in the last couple of days: I've never danced with you-

-Maybe in the next ball-

-Or maybe now- he could feel Marielle's stranged look while he moved, still holding her hand, making her twirl to position her in the starting pose for a waltz. Jean carefully placed his hand on the center of her back while still holding her right hand. He felt foolish for a second but his worry disappeared once he felt Marielle's delicate touch on his left shoulder. She giggled and both started to dance in the grass. There, in each other's arms, they didn't needed music -There's no need for you to say anything, I know you'll be leaving tomorrow- he whispered in her ear.

-I'm sorry, I can't stay here any longer. I am recovered, I have no excuse to stay-

-I understand-

-Won't you ask me to stay?- there was a faint dissapointment tone in her voice.

-I would never be selfish enough to impose my wishes to yours- he could feel her beating heart with his fingertips and his own heart was hammering in his ears. They seemed to be synchronized and both got louder once they, unconsciously got even closer to each other -You are free- they stopped but didn't separate from the embrace.

-I no longer know what that means. It's been a long time-

-More reasons then to enjoy your freedom. You can do as you wish- a delicated kiss on his lips took him by surprise. He couldn't deny that he imagined this moment hundreds of times, but he never expected this reaction coming from her. Shyness turned into certainty and with it passion arrived. Jean didn't fight back the need to lose himself in her scent and and the warmth that came from Marielle's body. For the first time in so many years he forgot his blindness and the pain it caused him. Nothing else mattered, only that moment -Marielle- he whispered when everything was over -Don't hurt me like this-

-That's not my intention-

-You have a good heart, but pity and compassion can lead to even major cruelties if they are not measured-

-I love you- she held him tight and pressed her forehead to his -Jean, I love you-

-Still hurts seeing you escaping from an iron cage to get into a golden one-

-At least I'll have company-

-Quite a partner- he sighed -You deserve someone who can enjoy your smile, the blush on your cheeks and your eyes full of love-

-No- she caressed his face -You've asked me not to feel pity upon you, then why can you speak like this?-

-Because I want you to have a good life, even if it's not with me. Get out to the world, explore the cities, meet people. Do not waste a single more minute locked down in a house... or a palace-

-I'm not going anywhere unless you come with me-

-Marielle...- he begged.

-Jean, do you love me?- her voice was warm but there was still a shadow of uncertainty in it.

-Nobody in this world, in an individual or collective way, has loved any other person as much as I love you-

-Then, respect my decisions. I'll stay with you. Not out of compassion, not as appreciation for having saved me... but because you are a good man: you've trusted me when you didn't have to, any other person would've vanished me from the ball for snooping around where I shouldn't be. You took care of me and accompanied me without expecting anything in return. You've became the reason why I started to laugh again, you gave me hope: I never thought about the future before and now all I want is to be with you every day, every night, with children or without them, in the throne room or in a farm away from everything, I don't care as long as we are together. Please, don't ask me to be alone again-

-I'll never do that-

-So, do you accept me?

The only answer she got was a brief smile before a kiss that awoke in her chest the heat of a thousand suns. Jean held her tight and started to spin on himself. They laughed together and some tears were still running down. Their embrace was so strong that it was impossible determin where one ended and the other began. They were one. They were happy. They were everything they ever dreamt of.