#but i talk to her and everything related to him flows out naturally

[iftitah]

talked to school bestie 2 hours on phone god im out of breath with my chest hurting but it so worth the talk

[dabislittlemouse]

Hello! I just discovered your page and I love your writing style.

I had this idea in my head for while now.

You know how Dabi went and visit Hawks’ mom for information about him? Well, what if he had a lovable little sister who was clueless about who Dabi is. She thought “oh, he is friends with my big brother there is no harm talking with him.”

Dabi flirts with her a good bit and Hawks comes home like “get away from my cute little sister!” But he does it around about way.

tainted angel 🪽 (pt.1)

PART 2 // PART 3// THE COMPLETE MASTERLIST divider by @cafekitsune

ෆ Pairing: DABI X HAWKS’ LITTLE SISTER

ෆ cw: Dabi being a flirt and a pervert, corruption kink, smut and dubcon in the next chapters so this one is mostly safe.

ෆ Before you read further: this is written entirely on Dabi’s POV. There are specific descriptions for Hawks’ sister such as hair color, eye color, skin, wings etc. and she is a female, age 20-21.

ෆ A/N: I love this request so much, it had my writing flowing so naturally and my motivation reached the sky. I hope you like this!

Another boring day of relentlessly hunting down for information. Walking in the empty alleyway, the weather’s getting bitter, clouds darkening the sky as rain is starting to fall, plinking against my black leather jacket. Man, I fucking hate rain. Feels uncomfortable on my skin, not to mention it weakens my quirk. But I have to finish this job. Once I start something today, I never leave it for tomorrow, cause we never know what tomorrow could bring. Unexpected things are not my forte, I prefer to plan my steps way ahead, I look closely at every clue and untangle any information that I see beneficial. Always one step ahead of my enemies, nothing goes away without catching my eye. No matter how small it is.

No matter how fast it is.

Yes, Hawks, the fastest hero out there, too fast for his own good. I chuckle under my breath, rolling my eyes at the thought of the traitorous pro hero. He’s been pretty useful so far, proven himself loyal to the cause. But something doesn’t sit right with me, hence the reason why I’m out there searchin’ for more information. Maybe it’s his sickening hero charm, makes me wanna vomit. Maybe it’s the fake smile he puts on that stupid face, who knows.. a traitor will always be a traitor. If he went as far as to betray the heroes, I won’t be surprised if he turns his back on us villains again.

Though if that happens, he will be incinerated before he even knows it. Burnt to ashes, those red feathers set ablaze by my own scorching flames. My hand itches at the thought of showing him his place, though I gotta stick with the plan and use him for all his worth.

Bzzz.

The sound of my burner phone grabs my attention. Probably one of my men who I’ve sent to stalk and watch over Hawks. Or maybe Twice, wanting to fuck around because he is lonely. Tch, I’m not in the mood either way.

“This better be important..” I rasp under my breath. Lately my patience’s been thin. Don’t know why.

“Sir, we have found something”

It was indeed one of the men I hired. Yeah, about time they finally made themselves useful. I hum in response, letting the man continue.

“The woman we found, she might be related to Hawks. According to the clues we’ve been gathering, it’s highly possible she could be his mother. If not his mother, then for sure someone from his family. We have found her address, all we need is your order so we can break in and get her for you, sir” the man explained.

“Mm there’s no need. I’ll pay the lady a visit myself” I smirk, knowing that she will be more intimidated by my grotesque sight only and start spilling everything. After the men give me her address, I waste no time to go there. Fortunately not too far from where I am right now.

Something weird forms in my chest. Not sure why, but I feel like I’m gonna have fun~

******

The picture I got sent was of a woman who seemed to be in her 40s, pale skin and exhausted eyes, big fluffy light brown hair, almost drained out of life. This is beyond weird, the mother of a pro hero who looked like she had lost her will to live? Ain’t no way. Supposedly the families of pro heroes usually live their best life.

A thought runs through my head and I chuckle. Damn, I should know by now, the families of pro heroes are those who in fact suffer the most.

Memorising the woman’s face and the address, I am now right in front of her house. It’s a small normal house, nothing fancy or special about it whatsoever. The rain has long stopped. I stop in front of her door, before giving it a few slow knocks. Nobody opens the door. I knock once again, if this door isn’t opened soon I’m gonna have to-

“Coming!! Just a second!!” A chirpy voice was heard, footsteps getting faster towards the door. This voice sounded lively, not the voice I could’ve imagined for the woman I’m looking for.

As the door opened, the sight in front of me leaves me speechless. My eyes widen a bit, taking in at person in front of me.

It’s a girl. Not the old woman in picture, this is a young pretty thing. Could be at her twenties, not sure. As she opens the door wider, she fixes her disheveled hair, removing those golden locks off her face while her caramel eyes fixed on mine, blinking in confusion with those pretty lashes. And her pjs, almost too revealing. Freckles cover her cheeks, her skin looks soft. It doesn’t take long for me to notice a pair of angelic white wings behind her.

“Umm hello, how can I help you with?” she asks, her voice meek and shy as she looks up at me under her lashes.

Fuck, it’s like the whole world stopped the moment I laid eyes her pretty face. I need to focus.

“Sorry for the bother, dollface” I manage to bring a friendly smile on my face but my raspy voice always betrays me. “I am looking for Hawks. I’m a friend of his..”

“Oh, Hawks? I’m sorry but my brother is not here at the moment. Maybe he is at his agency, did you check there?” she smiles back.

Before I find myself wondering why she is not scared by my appearance, my mind focuses on that one simple word: brother. She called Hawks her brother, so that means..

“Wait, don’t tell me that guy kept such a pretty thing like you hidden from me? You’re his sister?” I smirk, leaning on the doorstep, still stunned by the fact that the pro hero had a little sister.

“O-Oh yeah, I’m Takami Y/N!” she blushes, and my smirk grows wider knowing that such simple interaction already got me half of the information. That Hawks has a sister, and his last name is Takami.

“He doesn’t prefer to talk much about us in public” she continues. “It’s best for our safety”

Poor naive little thing. Got no clue in the world who I am, thinking I’m a friend. Is this how the hero looks over his family?

“Well well, that guy is full of surprises. You look a lot like him to be honest, that pretty hair of yours and those wings. A real angel aren’t cha?”

Her face is a blushing mess, all she can do is squirm in front of me and smile awkwardly. I came here for other purposes but damn it.. this pretty angel got me fucking hooked already. So petite, so innocent, a ray of sunshine, if I touch her with my destructive bloody hands I could probably defile her.

This thought gives me a sick twisted feeling in my chest, my eyes flaring in excitement.

“I-If you’d like I can invite you over for some tea? I can call my brother to come in the meantime. It’s only me and my mom here” she shyly says, breaking eye contact. I may be delusional, I am not the most handsome motherfucker out there I know, but she is acting like she saw her school crush. But I have to admit, I do have a sort of charm too. Call it villain charm if you will.

“Sure thing”. Making it easier for me princess, but also harder to focus on my main goal when you’re such beautiful distraction.

As my eyes wander around the living room, she hurries to the kitchen to prepare the tea. Enough time for me to find the lady in question. Her room was not hard to find, she was sitting on her bed. Simply entering and closing the door, I reach to her fast, putting a hand on her mouth.

“Don’t make a single sound or I will burn your sweet daughter to ashes” I threaten, showing her the blue flames flickering on my fingers. She nods, sweating and eyes widened in panic.

“Now..” I let her go while she stands there frozen in fear. “I’ll ask you some questions regarding to your son… and you’ll answer honestly. And trust me, I can tell when someone’s lying, so do not test me woman” I say sternly, all she does is whimper.

****

“Hey I thought you left?”

I find the pretty angel sitting on the couch, a confused look on her face.

“Ah m’sorry doll, had to use the bathroom. Also had a little chat with your mother, been a long time since I last saw her..”

It takes a lot for me to not burst into laughter, acting as if I’ve been Keigo’s childhood friend or something.

Keigo. Keigo Takami. This was his full name according to that woman. She didn’t hesitate to give me all the essential information, afraid I’d burn this place down and harm her precious daughter. Apparently that birdbrain’s been taken from the HSPC since a kid, trained to be a professional hero. And most importantly, his dad was a criminal, murdered someone back then.

Tch, the son of a criminal becoming a hero.

And the son of a hero becoming a criminal.

What a world.

I sit down on the couch, almost too close to his sister. My eyes hungrily take on the sight of her soft plush thighs, her chest, her plump lips.

“Tell me more about yourself dollface” I say, totally ignoring the tea and playing with some of her hair. “Y’gonna be a hero like your brother?”

“Ah none of the sort. I’d rather not get myself into heroic stuff” she giggles, and that sound has my jeans tighten uncomfortably. It’s taking everything in me to not pounce on her right here right now, stripping her off everything and making her scream for me. Just imagine the sight her brother would come across to if he suddenly shows up, her little sister all naked and bruised, used for my own sick pleasure..

Such an angelic being, I have the need to fucking break her and shape her however I see fit. A man like me could never be deserving of her.

“You don’t want to be a hero? How come? Wouldn’t you like to save people, princess? To fight against big scary villains who threaten the innocent out there..”

“I don’t think that’s a job for me. I can still help people without being a hero. And I don’t think I’d be strong or brave enough to go against villains, you know?” she says, playing with the hem of her shirt.

“Awn, poor thing, y’scared from villains?” I grin, placing my scarred hand on her knee, feeling her smooth skin. She squirms, probably by the warmth of it. The way she bites her lower lip nervously has my cock throbbing in my pants. Little does she know she’s in the presence of one of the most dangerous villains in Japan.

“Y’think they gonna hurt you? Maybe they will, if they see you so cute and vulnerable out there, they won’t hesitate to hunt ya down”. My firm grip on her knee has her swallowing, nodding silently.

“So I hope your brother protects you enough” I chuckle. “Cause see, if I was a villain? Man, I’d do anything to kidnap you and make you mine”

Her eyes widen, she laughs nervously, thinking this was some joke. Far from it.

“But you’re no villain right? You’re just my brother’s friend?” she murmurs, feeling tense. Her body language is so easy to read.

“Yes baby, I’m only his friend. My appearance might creep ya out but I promise I’m safe”

She seems to calm down a little. Completely unaware of what I could be capable of.

“Your appearance is not creepy by the way” she says. “I’d say it’s more.. unique. In a good way. I’ve never seen someone who looks like you”

I raise my eyebrows. Her words have me taken aback. For the longest time all I’ve gotten were stares filled with fear or disgust, couldn’t blame them. But this was a new thing, I feel something strange in my chest at her comment. Fuck, I don’t like this. I can’t seem to find any good comeback now, not when she’s staring at me so longingly. I’d rather have her scared, calling me an ugly monster, rather than this.

“Cute little thing wants to get on my good side huh? Wanna charm me, get me hooked with those sweet words? Y’need to be careful~” I say teasingly, reaching to grab her chin and have her look at me. I stare at her caramel eyes, wondering how they’d look full of tears.

“N-No it’s just the truth, I’m not lying” she shakes her head. “If I found you scary I wouldn’t have let you come inside”

“Come inside?” I raise an eyebrow. “Y’need to be more specific..or this might get another meaning”

She looks confused, not getting it at first, but the moment she sees the perverse smile on my face, her cheeks flush in embarrassment.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that pervert! I meant come inside my house!”

I let out a laugh, probably the only genuine laugh I had after such a long time. God, she’s so cute and fun to mess with. Such gem that Hawks kept hidden from me. Well, not anymore.

After some time chatting with my angel, the door bursts open. I turn around, smirking at the familiar face.

“Look who decided to show up!” I stand up, opening my arms as if waiting to receive a hug from him. “The winged hero. I was looking for you. I had the pleasure of meeting your family, y’never told me you had a little sister? Such pretty thing you never mentioned her to anyone, I thought we were close friends Keigo..”

The expression on his face is entertaining, he looks beyond shocked. Probably didn’t expect for me to call him by his real name. Or when his sister comes after me, too close, a bright charming smile on her face.

“Welcome home! I invited Dabi inside to wait for you, couldn’t let him out in the pouring rain-”

“Y/N get back in your room. Now” The hero’s voice is stern, serious, and the poor girl’s smile fades off her face. His piercing gaze never leaving mine. I’m not intimidated at the slightest, it’s mostly amusing.

“But Kei-”

“Now” he repeats. As she prepares to turn around and leave, I reach to grab her hand, not letting her go.

“Very overprotective aren’t cha, big brother?” I smirk, bringing his sister closer to me, wrapping my hands around her waist. Hawks looks like he is ready to kill me, anger visible in his golden eyes now that I’m playing around with his little sister, probably his weakest spot that he tried to keep hidden from the world.

“Me and her already clicked. She’s very fun to have around, we chatted a lot when you weren’t here didn’t we angel?” I turn to her, all she does is blush and nod shyly. I tap my fingers around her small waist, making her squirm. It takes everything in me to not dig my fingers on that soft skin and leave bruises. Then I reach for her white wings, and apparently she is very sensitive there. The way those wings flutter and she tries to break free from my grip, whining for me to stop. And all of this in front of her brother.

“Very nice of you to treat my friend this way” Hawks says, seems like he already caught up what’s going on. He’s playing it cool, so I won’t hurt his family. “Dabi, could you come outside now? We have stuff to discuss.”

I do not protest further, there’ll be enough time to stay with my angel now that I already know where she lives and where she studies. My new little toy.

“See ya later, dollface” I pinch her cheek, before sliding my hand across her jawline. My thumb touching her lower lip slightly, and the softest gasp leaves her pretty mouth.

“Bye Dabi..” she whispers, almost hypnotised by my touch. My name rolling off her tongue is the sweetest melody my ears could ever hear.

Can’t wait to come back for you, sweetheart

Tags: @mostlyheinous @dabislittlebeaniebaby @shadowsandshapes @dabihawksluva @mossy-opal @daniidil @holydayaria @syrenkitsune @arinexeisnotworking @cherrykisssess @doumadono @spltbtch @sukunas-bitxh @awalkingshame @bubblegumsblog @highbats69

[miraclechatbug]

In Animaestro, Adrien said, "Well, I'm more of a dog person myself."

He could be lying to protect his identity... but I like this theory too.

Since the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculouses are meant to represent yin and yang, I believe the same thing applies to Marinette and Adrien.

So, Marinette is a cat person and Adrien is a dog person! :D

Other things/headcanons:

- Adrien is an early bird; Marinette is a night owl

- Adrien is always described as sunshine or the summer sky; Marinette is described as moonshine or the ocean

- Adrien is very tidy and organized; Marinette is chaotic and disorganized

- Adrien is more quiet, a listening type; Marinette is the type to overshare and give lots of advice

- Adrien prefers classical music; Marinette is more into contemporary- though they both like Jagged Stone

- Adrien is very calm and thinks about his words before he says them; Marinette thinks at a mile per minute and doesn't have much of a filter

- Adrien is a very internal thinker, meaning he processes things internally which is why he's able to develop a persona like Chat Noir very easily; Marinette is more of an external thinker, she processes things by talking to people and asking questions and needs to be surrounded by activity to process better

- Adrien is very unsure about his future and place in the world; Marinette has a lot of ideas about what she wants to do in her future

- Adrien might take a more calm and relaxed approach to life as he grows older; Marinette is more goal-oriented and ambitious

- Adrien may be good at being creative, but he draws inspiration from other artists and people; Marinette always has a unique flair in every one of her designs

- Adrien avoids confrontation whenever he can even when someone tries to encourage him; Marinette will stand up for herself and others, especially when she's given encouragement

- Adrien might not always want to talk about his feelings or talk about his issues, used to process things on his own; Marinette might want everyone to talk it out, the type who wants everything out in the open

- Adrien is extremely forgiving when he is wronged, to the point that it could be harmful to him; Marinette is more stubborn, it takes her more time to see herself in another persons shoes if she doesn't relate to them- she doesn't forgive or forget easily

- Adrien is more of the type to get sad and depressed; Marinette is the type to get anxious and worried

- Adrien is more of a follower, go-with-the-flow type of person; Marinette likes taking the lead and charge when no one else seems to

- Adrien is optimistic, and always tries to think about the best-case scenarios; Marinette is a bit pessimistic, always thinking about the worst-case scenarios and catastrophizing

- Adrien has very few, close friends and prefers it this way; Marinette always ends up making friends with a lot of people

- Adrien prefers to focus on the practical matters and issues on hand; Marinette prefers to dig deeper and understand the bigger picture

- Adrien is more comfortable with an unplanned, spontaneous approach to life; Marinette wants plans, schedules, and well-defined procedures in place

- Adrien's very graceful and can move with ease; Marinette is clumsy and lacks a good hand-eye-coordination

- Adrien finds happiness and freedom in being Chat Noir; Marinette finds it stifling and constricting at times

- Adrien refrains from making judgments about people too quickly; Marinette jumps into conclusions too quickly

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

There's more, but I can't think anymore, and it's like 3am haha. I don’t mean to say that they are opposites of one another, they're actually really similar in nature and have similar values, they just might come at it differently. I just wanted to write down the differences I could think of, the contrast between the two.

"Creation and destruction are the two ends of the same moment." "Without order, nothing can exist. Without chaos, nothing can evolve."

They're a beautiful balance of each other, two sides of the same coin

[xdaddysprincessxx]

False God

Ezra x f reader

Warnings: p in v, religious tones, angst, infidelity, he’s a cheater, honestly OOC Ezra (he would never do this, my opinion tho) not beta’d, very lightly edited, all mistakes are mine.

A/n: this is my Taylor Swift drabble for @beskarandblasters challenge! She gave me False God x Ezra. It’s honestly crazy how much I needed this song given my current life and how much I could relate to it lol. I interpreted the song as being in love with someone who doesn’t fully choose you. But you keep going back just to feel loved.

WC: 1719

Loving Ezra was like breathing. It didn’t take long for him to get you into bed after you had first met. His sweet words and beautiful eyes had turned you into putty in the blink of an eye. He never really had to work hard to convince you to take his hand as he lead you back to his place.

His lips on yours, tongues exploring each others mouth, the taste of beer and Marlboro reds forever imprinted on your taste buds. His hands roam all over your body, touching, pinching, filling you up. Once he had you inside his apartment, he took no time in getting you naked, on your back. Didn’t even make it to the bed. Lying on the carpeted floor, Ezra plunged his cock into your wet heat for the first time. His lips on your neck as you both held onto one another as if the other might float away. That night he took you on the floor, on the couch, slowly making your way to his bed before he took you again. The next morning he had you bent over the counter as he took you from behind. He had made a mess of you and you him.

You two had fallen into an easy flow. Soon you were moving in with him, life was fun. It was easy with Ezra. Everything felt natural. Time flew by. From that first night to one month, you blinked and suddenly it had been a year.

That’s when things started to fall apart. One morning you woke up, Ez was still asleep in the bed next to you. His phone buzzed. You reached over to grab it, just to see who was texting him so early.

Her name was Marisol. You’ll never forget her name. Or the messages exchanged.

Your heart dropped into the deep pit in your stomach. Your whole being had gone cold. Shaking with betrayal and anger, you woke him up. Of course he tried to deny it, tried to say it was nothing he was just bored working night shift and she was somebody to talk too.

Eventually you two made up. He made you feel beautiful and wanted. Ezra was your everything, he was all you wanted. You did your best to forgive. You never forgot.

Day after day after day goes by.

Soon it’s been about five months since Marisol.

You found yourself sitting in the car while Ezra ran inside to pick up the takeout you had ordered. His phone sitting on the middle console, face up.

The little screen soon lighting up, a text from your best friend. On his phone.

You knew better than to look. But your gut told you to look. Things had felt weird to you the last time all three of you had hung out.

Now this betrayal broke you. Your best friend. The one person besides Ezra that you told everything too. The one you were gonna ask to be your child’s godmother one day.

He said it was never physical, just texts. Those words cut deeper than any knife. You had left this time, staying at your parents for a couple of weeks. Broken heart and swollen eyes from all the tears. All you wanted was him. You missed him so much. He had become your best friend, your lover, the only one you wanted to spend your life with.

Ezra showed up at your parents house one night with flowers. He begged and pled with you. Convinced you that you were the only one he loved and wanted.

The whole ordeal made your heart clench. As much as you ached, you gave him another chance.

Another year passed. Life had been good, you and Ezra were happy and in love.

Your life was completely intertwined with his. At one point he had used your phone to sign into his email.

Forgetting he had done that, when you got the notification for an email from a Mark, you were confused.

Emails detailing what and how and when. Seeing for yourself that your love was meeting another for oral.

Of course he denied it. Said he never actually met this person.

Emails with this Mark came up two more times over the next couple of years.

At this point you’ve spent six years with him.

He was still the love of your life. Your home. Your comfort. When life got bad, you stayed with him. When your parents told you to leave, you stuck up for him. Even after all the others, you forgave him and tried to work on yourself. Tried to be what he wanted, what he needed. You made yourself sexually available, always saying yes to him so he would be satisfied.

Seven years. Seven whole years. You’ve spent with Ezra. Building a life with him.

Sharing laughs and whispered I love you’s, cooking side by side, having a shoulder to lean on when life gets hard.

The way he strums your body, worshiping you as if your hips were his alter. You, his own goddess, one that he loved and cherished. The love you shared with him became your own personal religion. Your bed became your church. He knew just how to touch you, what to say, knew all the places to kiss to make you melt. Ezra was your whole world. The only name that ever dared to leave your lips, no God to be found. Only Ezra.

The happy, easy days started turning into bad days. It was slow and then suddenly all at once. You aren’t sure what happened or if you said or did something wrong. Ez started acting funny, being more mean and cold hearted toward you. You did your best to brush it off, pretend like it was just your imagination or something. Until you saw the texts. It’s a different person this time. But the words exchanged are the same nonetheless.

The sharp dagger of pain cutting through and piercing your very soul. You knew deep down there was another, again. You also knew this time things were different.

You confronted your love. With tears in your eyes and a soul filled with pain and sadness. You broke things off with Ez.

Unfortunately you couldn’t just move out right away. Having to suck it up and continue to live together. Life was weird. After a couple of months, the two of you were able to sit and really talk about things. It became a little bit easier to breath again. He’s always been your best friend. You missed him, missed having someone to confide in and joke with and enjoy life with.

Things didn’t last long with Ezra and the new person.

One night you had come home after working all day. Frustrated with things, annoyed with people, you needed an outlet. Somewhere to put all the emotions you felt so it didn’t burden your body any longer.

Ezra sensed this. He always knew when you needed to let go.

Standing at the sink in the bathroom, you had dropped your head down as you leaned on the counter. Doing your best to take deep breaths when you heard the door open.

He came in, standing behind you. He brought his hands up to your hips, rubbing circles as he dipped his face in between your shoulder and neck. The tip of his aquiline nose trails up and down the sensitive skin. His breath creating goosebumps that begin to blossom as he gently kisses a spot right below your ear. Letting yourself just feel. No more fighting. No more holding yourself back. This is your Ez. Your love. You let your head roll back, laying on his shoulder as he continues leaving open mouthed kisses on your neck. His big hands engulf your hips, gently pulling you back into him. The feeling of his chest on your back, his hard cock against your ass. A soft whimper tumbles out of your lips.

Letting him take full control, Ezra begins to undress you. His lips kissing every inch of skin as it’s revealed to him. You haven’t even realized he had coaxed you into the bedroom until he gently laid you down on the bed.

You sit up on your arms as you look down at your own God as he sinks to his knees at his alter.

He spreads your legs as he dips forward, his beautiful nose running along your thigh as he makes his way to your cunt.

His lips soon find what they’re looking for. Leaving a soft kiss to your clit, you lay back down as your hands make their way to his hands. Holding hands as he works his tongue around your sensitive spot, working you close to orgasm already.

Oh Ezra

Legs shaking as he takes the sacrament of his God. Your juices quenching his thirst for holy salvation.

He quickly covers your body with his, his lips soon attached to your lips as you taste yourself on him.

Back arching as he parts your holy waters, his cock filling your cunt in the way only he can.

You hold him close to you as he fills you over and over. Each deep stroke bringing you to eternal salvation.

He pulls your hands off his shoulders as he brings them above your head, fingers interlocking with his. Deep kisses in time with each thrust.

Oh Ez Oh oh my -

You chant his name over and over as he brings you higher and higher. No God to be found here, only him. Only Ezra. Your love. Your heart. Your soul.

You know it’s wrong to keep doing this. To keep giving in to him. He’s a drug that’s hard to quit. Ever since then you find yourself giving in to him whenever he wants. You know things are over between the two of you. You know he doesn’t want you in the same way you want him. But you still let him in your temple. You still allow him to take the sacrament freely if only to feel the love you once shared for a little bit. You continue to live, broken and shattered. Feeling whole, even for just a quick moment. You still worship his love even if he was a false God.

A/n: I hope yall enjoyed this, I know how sad this is. To be completely honest, this is literally my story. My last relationship/on going situationship. Um it’s very complicated. But I want everyone reading this to know you are beautiful and deserving of love. You deserve to be picked, to be chosen. To be loved for who you are. If you ever wanna talk to vent or anything, I’m here for you 🩵

[desultory-novice]

Bonus Talk: Storycrafting for Noir and Apologies

So, I keep thinking how funny it is how this whole thing started. I had a chain of ideas at dinner one night: "What if the Master Crown really WAS trying to transform Magolor into Dark Matter? Would he be 'Dark Matter Wizard?' But then, what was Swordsman before he was Swordsman? Hmm. There is that one piece of human concept art he has... and you know...maybe it's the retro anime look or the fact that this series doesn't have hardly any humans in it but he looks just enough like Adeleine that one could think they're related-..."

Back then, "Noir" didn't really exist. I just drew up a quick sketch in Adeleine's notebook that I hope looked recognizably like the human DM concept art. He wasn't in color but given Dark Matter's palette, he probably would have had dark hair, and poring through the wiki - I found at least one Dark Matter incarnation with a purple eye. I also had Ado drop a line that her brother was "bad at making friends" because of that one JP guide and that was IT.

But then... I thought it was sad to draw this poor guy only to kill him off in the backstory without even fleshing out what he looked like (and I was afraid Adeleine's pencil sketch made him look blond XD) so I drew up a quick color pic of him, rendering Swordsman's gear as a normal scarf and coat. Before thecrashman said anything, I hadn't even considered the two of them as living on Shiver Star!

As soon as he said that though, everything started to come together...Now DMS was an overprotective brother taking care of his little sister in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Of course he was. No wonder he couldn't bond with anyone. He was straining under the weight of his responsibilities. He's older. He's supposed to be the protector, so he could never bring himself to tell his kid sister about the things he was going through. He focused on her joy to his own exclusion. A destructive pattern. A fatal flaw for this tragedy.

Twitter readers asked after the first comic how Adeleine's brother even became Dark Matter Swordsman, some suggesting perhaps it was because he died in battle against Zero? I thought a big human-led global effort against Zero and Dark Matter seemed too complicated in scope, so my solution was to go back to where this idea started: he would be the same as Magolor - looped in by a bad ancient artifact that parasitized him before he knew what was happening. Only he doesn't have a Kirby to save him...

At this point, I had to give him a name. I wanted something French-sounding, so he sounded good alongside Adeleine, and remembering the origin of Adeleine's name, I thought to choose something in FL-ese. I combed the lyrics of "Welcome to the New World" back and forth in both English and Japanese. (I was lucky as the song is sung as a one-to-one Japanese audio cypher and I speak Japanese.)

It wasn't easy though. I wanted a "strong" word but almost everything in there was about food or naps. XD I finally found a phrase in the Japanese lyrics, "邪魔できない"/"unable to be interrupted"/"unstoppable" and matched it to FL-ese.

Noruruwa. Sounds kinda like "Noir." And with Dark Matter being "Matiere Noire" in French, well, it seemed all too perfect...!

The rest all flowed pretty naturally from there. If our setting is Shiver Star and Shiver Star exists at the same time as the New World, and it resembles our Earth's globe while the New World doesn't, perhaps Shiver is an "abandoned earth"? One with an angry, betrayed populace and two kids doomed by birth to die a cold, miserable death in a place utterly neglected by the rest of humanity.

Now "Noir" had a good reason to seek out the power that would be his undoing. While I'm at it, why not tell the story of how Adeleine gets her brush? That's magical(?) too. It's no Drawcia's Paintbrush, but neither is Dark Matter Blade equal to Galaxia. So now, we've got the idea for "off-brand artifacts" - found in an abandoned exhibit, perhaps? Maybe Noir wants to get Adeleine a present? He grabs the sword on the way out without even thinking because...it's a dangerous world out and he's got a young sibling to look after.

(Although, similar to the Master Crown, it's hard to say whether it was originally entirely his choice to pick it up...or the sword's.)

But wait, why do the artifacts do the bad things they do? Now that I'd introduced the New World into this story, I had Fecto Elfilis/ID-F86 on the table. The concept that the Shiver Starians were sooo angry at the New Worlders when for all we knew, the New Worlders weren't even ALIVE anymore made me think, "Do we really expect powerful, angry psychic Elfilis was passive that entire time? While they were being tortured? What if...they sabotaged everything?"

I'd already speculated that Elfilis and Void are two of a pair, and you can trace their offshots throughout the entirety of Kirby lore. (If you buy into my Galactic Nova is based on Fecto Elfilis theory.) And seriously, at least half those artifacts have led to serious tragedy. Now, we had a reason for Noir to be doomed by the narrative.

I do HC that everyone who has ever had their soul consumed by an Ancient Artifact had some red in their ledger - and so, I conceived of some for Noir. I didn't and don't ever want to write/draw a "humans are a disease" story, which is why 99~100% of anything "bad" implied to be going on in their lives on Shiver Star is entirely background. That was purposeful for several reasons. One was simply to demonstrate the degrees to which Noir was protecting Adeleine. He would build up more stress and more pain and more trauma while she remains the same throughout. Two is I just didn't want to go into detail about what wretched scenario would force Noir to take another person's life, but it is still a part of his character history.

(I write Kirby fan comics after all! I try to stay within the bounds of what I consider acceptable content to show. Best I can ^^; )

Noir was also just pushed to the brink, despairing in his life and the world around him. He wanted more than anything to escape this life. Of course, Artifacts have this funny way of twisting your wishes in the WORST way. (Screams of joy > screams of pain.) So Noir's artifact transforms itself into a collar he can't remove, with an unspoken time limit to do anything his newfound power could do for him - at the end of which, his body and soul become forfeit to the darkness. Now he has lost all escape routes. Even death only delivers him to a fate of serving Zero, robbed of independent thought and choice and memories of the one bright thing in his life.

Adeleine...

Adeleine still needed to escape though. She has to get to Popstar. This was the most complicated part for me to logic out. In the end, I went with the simplest, quickest, and most brutal method of getting that done. Quietly imply that Noir, resigned to his fate, killed as many people as it took to secure Adeleine safe passage off the planet and then lied to her about everything with a gentle smile.

Perhaps it's because the Dark Matter Blade has affected his mind and dulled any emotional responses the normally gentle (if sharp-tongued) Noir would have to harming people (as again, artifacts tend to twist people in the worst possible ways; Noir is verbally abrasive but his nature is defensive. Now he has only violence to rely on to get his wish) but I also think the look of calmness on his face throughout "Brightest Star", in spite of the blood on his hands, is because he's just honestly happy - relieved, for once in his life - to have at least saved Adeleine. He was already consigned to hell, doomed from a simple mistake born from the desire to do good; to protect. (*) But Adeleine doesn't have to carry either his mistakes or his sins.

His was a character who took everyone onto himself. And he succeeded at that. His and Adeleine's past and their traumas will be buried underneath the unending snowfall of Shiver Star...

...Adeleine departs and Noir dies, his human body dissolved into Dark Matter, rising up into the aether right as the first flakes of snow began their long task of erasing all that has happened...

-

Rest now, Noir...

...it's The Swordsman's turn.

-

-

-

-

(*) I consider Dark Matter Swordsman be in a very small group with Joronia and Max Haltmann as the only sympathetic characters to be permanently dead In Kirby canon. Which is another reason why I crafted Noir's story explicitly to resemble theirs. We had a pair of (potential) lovers whose story ends in tragedy and a father and daughter tragedy but no siblings whose story has ended tragically. By fanon, that's arguably Swordsman and Gooey, but that just made him more fit to be this story's tragic brother figure...

In which case, Noir basically HAD to be someone who had a simple wish (to keep his only family safe) ran afoul of an ancient artifact almost by accident in the midst of trying to do good and suffers an inevitable, horrifying physical and mental transformation that would end with his only option for salvation to be put out of his misery...

Curse you, Dream Land 2! :cries:

[Apologies AU]  “Apologies”  “One Sneeze”  “Summer”  “A Walk in the Snow”  “The Swordsman” “Wonderful Gift” "Damnation" "Salvation" "Unstoppable" "Brightest Star"

[Bonus Illust] “Ugly Scarf”  [Bonus Illust] "That's...Funny..." [Bonus Illust] "Full Regalia" (DMS "Gijinka") [Bonus Illust] "Was I A Good Brother?" [You Are Here] [Bonus Illust] "You Won't Win..." [Relevant] “Vestige” (script-only)

[Bonus Text] Noir Facts!

[Dark Matter Painter AU] "It wasn't supposed to go this way...!" "You're a good knight!" "The Body Remembers"

[dungeons-and-dictions]

It’s Analysis Friday about precisely why Hazbin Hotel is such a stand out.

But first - this is probably my last Hazbin Hotel-related analysis until the next season; give me asks during this long dry spell!

Why on this specific topic? Because I’m tired.

Y’all.

Listen.

I’m all for subjectivity. People can just like or dislike things regardless of quality. Heck, I know Helluva Boss is part of the Hazbin world, but it gives me too much cringe and vicarious embarrassment to handle.

(Yeah, I’m weird. I know)

But I keep hearing people say Hazbin Hotel is mid or just relying on hype.

Those are fighting words!

We are getting quality on par with Disney movies for a tv series!

That’s crazy! Let’s break it down.

Musical numbers

Talented singers play the main crew. Stephanie Beatrix plays Mirabel Madrigal, Kimiko plays Izzy, etc.

There were 2 songs per episode! And because it is truly perfect for a musical, we even get thematic reprises and callbacks!

Does anyone recall when similar things have happened in animation? MLP:FiM had a glorious episode that was ALL musical with a reprise. That’s all I have at this scale outside of Disney.

Characters

I’ve always known Vivzie to put thought into her work, and this shines through so well in Hazbin.

Lucifer’s depression is similar to my own

Angel’s gradual changes and struggles are realistic

Charlie’s breed of passion is the same as mine in my career

Alastor’s extremely manipulative yet we all love him

Velvette had one of the best formal character intros I’ve seen in a long time

Hazbin Hotel works really hard to get away from stereotypes, and dives in past superficial traits.

Also, we get things like Valentino sounding like he’s squeaking because moths squeak. We don’t need these things!

Animation

You know what else we don’t need?

Airplane arms!

Complicated dance moves!

Cute leg swishies with cuter sound effects?

Every second you see is 10+ frames traditionally. (Idk the studio’s technical details). That’s wild to add in these complicated extra details! And they flow so nicely! This level of quality for 2D (and honestly 3D too most of the time) is unheard of in the West nowadays.

And on that, western adult animated shows typically are so poorly made, especially in the art. Even the few I have seen that have okay stories to tell absolutely stink in terms of visuals and movement.

Story

Yeah, this is the biggest weakness Hazbin Hotel has, no doubt. The story is actually an incredible premise, and truly done pretty well within the awful time constraints. I think everyone is valid in saying it was far too fast! Hopefully we get more (or longer) episodes in upcoming seasons.

But at the same time, this is also the nature of musicals. If you think this is fast, don’t watch the Les Miserables musical where everyone only sings. Idk why, but singing the entire time makes everything seem like you’re in a race car on autopilot.

Don’t forget; the symbolism just drips out of the screen in this show. The fact that I could still do more analyses even now is a testament to that with all the content I have done since it aired. Vivienne goes hard on the details.

But put yourself in Vivzie’s shoes. You do the impossible, shot for the moon while hoping for maybe the top of a 5-story building, and you were offered the stars. Your project has been a part of who you are before you even went to university, and a major company gives you a way to bring it to life? Why wouldn’t you settle for this good of a deal?

Innovation

People do not bring up often enough that Vivienne broke a glass ceiling separate from that of gender. She showed that YouTube animations can be taken seriously, and even be aired.

In this age, the Saturday morning cartoon blocks I grew up with no longer exist. There were tons of great shows, and I could talk with other kids about it. Nestled within these weekends were shows that ran short pilot episodes for potential series. The last time I saw one was Adventure Time’s pilot.

It’s been a whiiiiiiile.

So having a cutesy little indie pilot animation amongst thousands on YouTube be such high quality and get a mainstream platform? Spindlehorse made history!

Moreso, Helluva Boss is also demonstrating the capacity of indie studios like never before - and what may pave the way for the future of animation too.

Out of all the animated series running on YouTube, Glitch is the only creator who does 3D that I am aware of. Even Glitch’s work has only started within the past few years, ie after Vivienne managed the impossible.

So please, stop complaining about subjective parts so much. Hazbin Hotel objectively has some of the highest craftsmanship in western animation.

We are blessed that Vivienne’s dream has come true in such a glorious manner. When I discovered her back in 2012, I couldn’t have guessed the pilot would be so successful, nor that it would change what was possible for animation!

[docholligay]

Yellowjackets S2E2: Lottie

Hello! This is about up to Season 2, Episode 2 of Yellowjackets, and ONLY that of Yellowjackets. I have not seen beyond this spot, at all, and know NOTHING about this show. Please do not spoil it for me.  Things that are spoilery in nature, for me, include: saying things like  “Just wait!!” confirming or denying anything I put forward, outside information about the cast interviews or creator statements, leading questions like “Do you think “blank moment” means anything?” etc. Remember  that Y’ALL HAVE SEEN THE SHOW AND I HAVE NOT. This informs the way you  talk about things relating to the show. Just be really careful is all  I’m asking. Also: If there is LITERALLY any stance I  could take on this show or character that would make you upset, please  just fucking block the tag

If you WOULD like to discuss the show and my takes on it, the Discord is right here! I don’t go there, so it’s a great place to get every emotion out.

Please thank @sailorsunspot and @moonlight-frittata for backing this odd way of doing a liveblog, and remember my tip jar is always open

Okay, so let’s start this off with my own honesty. I HATE Lottie. Lottie is pretty much everything I hate about a person, I hate her impractical, woowoo, honor your own heart, feel the rhythm cult leader bullshit. I want to note that is most defintiely informing my read of this situation. Despite all that, I ask you to pleas please please not attempt to inform me of nayhting or spoil me. Okay. 

I do not for one second believe that Lottie ended up fucking…accidentally killing Travis because of a BUTTON MALFUNCTION. I could go into how she could have lifted up his legs and put his feet on her shoulders to help keep him from FUCKING DYING, and ALSO how he didn’t actually need to be more than an inch off the ground, but this isn’t about what Lottie failed to think of in a moment of desperation, because I don’t believe in the moment of horror and desperation.  

Remember, when she’s weaving this splendid little tale, SHE IS WEAVING THIS SPLENDID LITTLE TALE. She is the framing device for what happened with Travis. She even sets the stage, with a bunch of candles in a dimly lit room, covered in soft furnishings, as if it were a sort of confessional, and she the priest, communicating the will of God. 

THis is a story, that she is telling to Nat, a woman who has proven she is willing to severely hurt someone, and who is deeply entangled with Travis. Why WOULDN’T she frame this in a way that a woman who is absolutely haunted by the choices she made in the woods would understand? Travis wanting to make it all make sense, Laura Lee showing up and horrifying Lottie*, a moment that had horrific consequences, Travis saying --a nd of course POOR Lottie would never say this unless directly asked--that Nat would just make things worse. This entire story is being cast with the sort of lens that Nat would relate to IMMEDIATELY. It has great fucking narrative flow. 

Lottie might believe her own bullshit, but I’m not sure I think she does. The show is tipping its hand to the fact that Lottie enjoys her position of power, the way she fucking corrects her little follower about her healing smoothie, and corrects Nat about the specific color they use (which in itself is something else--heliotrope is the answer to a riddle in Finnegan’s Wake, a very confusing novel altogether that requires a lot of patience and untangling, and I think there’s something in that but I can’t really get it set in my head right). She doesn’t wear heliotrope, she wears goldenrod, or whatever she would call it. Lottie thinks herself above the people she leads, and I think that was true even back in the cabin. Maybe Lottie can commune with something, but she’s ALSO a fucking grifter. I want all of it to be true. 

“Sharing is in session” eat my entire dick, CHARLOTTE. 

I mean in fairness, Nat doesn’t believe her either, and I do think that is a great impulse. 

*I concede it is intentionally played ambiguous whether or not this is a part of the story Lottie tells. I, obviously, think she does, but again, I’m admitting my anti-Lottie bias here. 

[imthepunchlord]

Ok, so I'm just gonna apologize in advance, I'm sorry, I know you're probably sick of these types of asks. I was gonna wait till call the polls were done, but since you've been talking about how you've already started brainstorming ideas, it like I should probably just say this idea sooner rather later. So, have you considered using the power system you used for your A Declaration of Love and in your old "Miraculous Fox and Peacock powers" post. I felt it would be fitting since these new powers (like the ones in that fic and post) are based on the animal's symbolism, and this setup could allow for multiple powers. Plus, these new versions of the miraculous feel much like a return to back to how we thought the miraculous would be before season two so it could feel fitting.

Nah don't worry about it. And votes seem to be slowing down for the polls, and I've been itching to get brainstorming so might as well get into it.

With these polls, and plans being made to change, I've actually been gradually rewatching Miraculous, taking notes on eps and on characters to refresh myself and it's just taking me back to that time before s2, and just how creative and fun it was to get into ML fanworks. As it gave us so little info we had to get creative.

Like, on artist who used to do really cool ML art suspected Wayzz was a Grasshopper before we got the confirmation of him being a Turtle.

And man I found I enjoyed those days more, as what a lot of people thought of was far more interesting and fun than what we got. And everything that came post s2 really kinda railroaded us and stifled that creativity.

And a lot of the things brought in were:

Frustrating, like Miraculous are more powerful for adults, which why did Fu pick 2 kids and not do anything to help even the playing field? And we got the confirmation he has 16-17 Miraculous on him, why did he release the very two Gabriel needed? Especially as, arguably, Cat's just not that necessary for facing the Butterfly. Also! There's honestly more powerful perks to misusing a Miraculous, why are they so easy to misuse? And according to Paris Special, why is it that Miraculous are willing to gradually kill off kids misusing them, but won't do anything to adults who misuse them? This is all rigged.

Pointless, like the potions, which aren't really "power ups" but just suit changes. Changes that Miraculous already naturally do as the suit comes down to the user. If someone loves ice skating and it's naturally integrated into their suit, the Ice Potion is pointless.

And just entirely baffling: the entirety of the Rabbit, and Alix, a 15 yo girl, being made to be the Timekeeper, live away from her family and friends to manage the timeline, which, why is that being given to a human? Who are going to be biased and not neutral, made worse to be given to a 15 yo who's not fully matured, and clearly we see her involving herself in the timeline which I'm not sure she should be doing as that's influencing outcomes. And why did they even think a time traveling Miraculous was a good idea? That power is so OP and can get so easily complicated you can get a headache trying to make sense of what they rolled out with it. And honestly, what does time traveling have to do with Alice in Wonderland? If they wanted to really reference AiW with Rabbit, I would've voted dream hopping, cause dreams are wild, imaginative, chaotic, and nonsensical. And that could've worked in ties to the moon as people sleep at night, and that could've been tied to healing too, as dreams can be tied to the subconscious, and you could've done something with dream influence and help people face what they're dealing with. Or if Rabbit had to be another time related Miraculous, do something with influencing the flow of time, either slowing it down so the user appears to be going fast, or speeding up the motion of the user and others and objects.

Tangent aside, I am going to be aim to dismiss and change a lot of what canon has brought in and just kinda go back to working off those old days. I am planning on working off a lot of animal symbolism and myth, and some details that Thomas has rolled out I'll consider (like Pied Piper was a Fox, which suggests Fox should have also have a power tied to hypnosis/subconscious suggestion through music). And just go back to those days where we were more creative and better worked off the possibilities with animals. And ideally do some uniqueness that's not going to have a lot of similar powers, aside from healing and mass restoration, as I feel if there's going to be any repeated powers, those would make the most sense.

I will give ADoL a reread (cause it's been years and typically when I get a fic done, it goes out of my mind as I'm not giving anymore attention to it, so I don't remember everything with it); and it's just a little funny as this is the fic that gets brought up to me the most on relating to Miraculous and kwami changes. Like, Nobody has mentioned to me that Juuno was their favorite take on the Peafowl kwami's personality before canon rolled out ditzy and emotional Duusu. Which maybe got toned down post fixing? I'm not sure. Either way, it gets brought a lot and I don't remember everything so I'll be giving it a reread to refresh myself.

[folkloriansolitairian]

so here’s the thing about the red white and royal blue movie

PSA BEFORE WE BEGIN!!! I AM NOT HATING! i did like the movie, this is not me hating on it or casey mcquinston, any of the actors, producers, writers, etc. i personally think that casey is an insanely talented writer, and the actors did a phenomenal job bringing this story to life. i am simply sharing my opinion and what i would change about it! also i like to complain it is my natural instinct. now that that’s out of the way here we go

honestly i think they could have done better and we could have gotten a lot more. sososo much was left out from the books and i was honestly just disappointed by how much they changed or straight up removed entirely. we were ROBBED of the following:

• JUNE I MISS HERRR WHERE IS SHE WAAAAH

• alex’s parents being divorced and how that effected him as a person and helped him grow into the person he is

• alex’s self discovery in his sexuality

• liam and rafael luna and how they both also helped alex in discovering his bisexuality (who the fuck is miguel) (did not like that he was already bi, his path of self discovery throughout the book is really relatable and good rep imo but idk)

• the iconic cornettos scene (i know they filmed it it was is the fucking trailers WHERE DID IT GO)

• bea’s 🍃 scandal/‘powder princess’ and how much that contributes to her development and depth as a character

• BEAS FATTY FUCKING CAT WHAT IS HIS NAME I MISS HIM

• the physical presence of the emails and how vulnerable alex and henry are with each other in them and how much they reveal about not just the 2 of them but other characters too like bea and the rest of henry’s family (they just has voiceovers which i thought was kind of weird, maybe just me)

• henry talking to the cancer patient about at at wars and that whole adorable thing

• seeing alex storming the palace to talk to henry (he just appeared?? smh anyways)

• most of alexs persepective of the emails getting leaked

• the ENTIRE fake dating arc with alex/nora and henry/june (i think? read the book a while ago don’t fully remember)

• alex’s whole dilemma and eventual decision to go to NYU law

• ZAHRA AND SHAANS ENTIRE RELATIONSHIP BASICALLY!! (why weren’t they engaged)

• the historical love letters henry and alex quoted in their emails to each other

• most of the plot with the richards campaign (mostly to do with the fact that there is NO LUNA)

• overall a lot of the buildup/enemies to lovers aspect of alex and henry’s relationship

there’s probably so much more that i’m forgetting but THE POINT IS there were so many important little details from the book that was left out in the movie that i would have loved to see and it’s honestly just disappointing that we didn’t get those. it felt like they basically got rid of everything that didn’t have to do with alex and henry’s relationship which just made the movie feel very one dimensional and bland to me. the whole film just felt overall really lacking of what made me love the book so much in the first place.

now i am going to be a tad bit hateful when i say the pacing of this film is HORRENDOUS. it was so fast paced and really just did not flow at all like the he book did. a great example of this i think would be the bar scene. when i read that in the book, it felt like a really long and detailed scene, but in the movie it’s a short maybe 60 second long montage which honestly just does not do such an eventful moment from the book justice.

to be entirely honest i feel like the book would have done a lot more justice if it had gotten a tv show adaptation instead of a film. unfortunately movies have a time limit, and amazon made them cut the originally 3+ hour film down to 2 hours or less. with tv shows on the other hand, they can make multiple shorter episodes, resulting in a longer total running time, therefore giving much more time for the smaller details (listed above) that aren’t detrimental enough to the plot to keep in a limited 2 hour long maximum film, but important enough to be kept in a, for example, 8 episode long tv series, 30-45 mins per episode. it doesn’t make sense to me why it wasn’t a tv show in the first place, since it is produced by prime video, whose most popular thing rn is the summer i turned pretty, which is LITERALLY A BOOK TO TV SHOW ADAPTATION!!!!!

to put it simply, it is impossible to fit 10 hours worth of words into a 2 hour long movie, so i understand why they had to remove so many details, but as a diehard book fan it is still disappointing to not see little things like that portrayed on the big screen.

i think that the moral of the story is that books should never be made into movies and instead always be made into tv shows and we deserve the 3 hour uncut version and amazon hates gay people

thank you for coming to my ted talk

[coeursetcolores]

H’aanit, the Hunter: Chapter 2

WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Chapter 2 of H’aanit’s story in Octopath Traveler!

Why are all of these Chapter 2 stories so dark?! Even Tressa’s showed the scary reality of monopolies!

We made it to Stonegard, searching for any sign of Z’aanta we could get. Hägen leading us, we found...we found out things.

Stonegard...lives up to it’s name. Lots of rocks. Everything is rocks. I get the point is that everything is carved out of rock, but the gray monochromatic color scheme is kind of dreary. The foggy lighting doesn’t help either. Sure there’s a lot, but a little paint in a few places could have helped. 

I really like the emphasis this chapter puts on H’aanit’s relationship with Z’aanta. It’s clear the two care about each other, even if he annoys her at times. And I can understand, man needs to get his vices under control. But the fact that he spends his time away from her talking about her shows how devoted he really is. It’s a sweet, relatable relationship. Which makes the end of this chapter all the worse.

Natalia was cool. It’s nice to learn about some of Z’aanta's life outside of the village. And I give credit to a widow in medieval times just trying to live her life and trying to deal with being harassed (But what is with all the entitled rich people? I’m starting to see a pattern). Also, it was nice she let a direwolf and a snow leopard hang out in her house.

I know we have British accents in this game for some people, but now we’re throwing in southern American ones? Just where is Orsterra based off of, medieval Europe or colonial America?

Spectrewood is a scary forest just like out set out to be. Dark, foggy, could easily be used in a production The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Pretty standard. Until you meet the inhabitants.

The Lord of the Forest...is objectively terrifying. Seriously, look at a picture of it, it is scary. The worst part is it’s scary in the way only nature can be: fearsome but accepted as the way it goes and somehow beautiful. The majesty of a wooden stag is offput by the way the branches trail off to look like it’s flowing, like it’s a ghost. Also it EATS the monsters it summons! Ugghhh....

That’s not the dark part, though.

We find Z’aanta.

And he’s been turned to stone.

All this time, I just thought he was going to be dead. But, that glimmer of hope of turning him back...kind of makes it worse.

With how dark these chapters are getting, there’s a chance whatever Susanna advises won’t work. If she does have a solution.

More than dark, this chapter is just...sad.

H’aanit finds her father figure, and she can’t even reunite with him.

And the monster that did this is still out there. And I do not feel strongly about the Knights Ardante’s chances.

As for the other travelers...

Cyrus: Knowledge! And it’s about wolf facts! I want to hear his lecture...

Primrose: Okay, Prim; not all men are jerks. And you can’t just divide them into groups, people are complex. The guys in the party are pretty alright. H’aanit, you’re fine, she’s just had bad experiences.

Tressa: Aww, cute childhood anecdote. Write your parents, Tressa! You’re lucky enough to have parents, most of your companions don’t! But yeah, parents can get...creative with punishments. Hope she didn’t have a dentist appointment after that.

Therion: Listen to Therion, cut Z’aanta some slack! Let him have a break, he works hard! ...Just limit his spendings.

Olberic: ...She needed that. And Olberic’s right, your true character often only comes out in dire situations. At least Z’aanta gave them a direction to start at. I hope they get to talk one day.

Ophilia: Aww, they bonded! You’re both beautiful girls, and I’m sure Eliza would agree! 

Alfyn: Alfyn is too good for this world. Best support.

Well, our only chance is in Stillsnow.

Let’s hope it works out.

[softquietsteadylove]

08 - Reunion

"Gilgamesh?"

Who was this clown? Gil blinked his eyes a few times, hard, as he took in the room around him. He had never seen it before, but it was also deeply familiar to him. "Uh, who're you?"

"A friend," the man smiled at him, although it was a little too smooth around the edges for Gil's comfort. He must've detected Gil's mistrust, as he floated back down to the floor and took on a more real looking smile. "My name is Eros. And I am here to bring you back to someone you'll be far happier to see."

Eros--what a name. Gil sighed as he stepped out of the pod or chamber or whatever it was. He looked down at himself, clad in green and brown armour as if he were here for a fight. He could have sworn he last remembered wearing something else. But there was a distinct gap in his memory, as well as a pounding in his skull.

"I know you have questions," Eros frowned, "but I'm afraid we just don't have time. Thena needs you."

The name hit Gil like he was being pulled through space at the speed of light. He felt elated and nauseated and terrified and excited all at once. "Who?"

"Come with me," Eros nodded his head and started hovering along again. His head looked in all directions rapidly. So, this was not just a friendly excursion.

Gil looked around as well as he walked. The place was massive, terrifyingly so. Its inner machinations were amazing, but also filled him with a feeling of dread. The gears and wheels and pathways large enough to hold an army looked small in relation to the space as a whole. The World Forge, his mind supplied.

"This way."

He didn't know who this 'Eros' guy was, but he didn't like him. And Gil didn't think of himself as a particularly antisocial person. But something about this guy just made him want to take two steps back. And they'd just met.

Thena.

It sounded strange of that guy's lips. But the name by itself in Gil's head was like a clear ringing bell, beautiful and bright. His mind had half conjured images, like a dream he was forgetting more and more by the second. But he knew that she was real, this ghostly vision of white in his mind's eye.

Thena needs you, Eros had said. Gil's fists took on a glow. He let his Cosmic Energy flow through him as naturally as he breathed. That much he still understood clearly. But he felt a kind of urgency as the words rang in his head. "Can you go a little faster, or what?"

Eros just chuckled, not turning back to him as he led them. "They were right."

Who the hell was he talking about? Gil rolled his eyes. His attitude on this guy was not exactly improving. They rounded a corner and Gil heard the scraping of metal against something semi-solid. His ears popped and he felt the air pressure around him shift. It was other Eternals--it was the concentration of Cosmic Energy shifting.

Thena.

Gil pushed past Eros and broke into a run. He couldn't say what was making him do it. He didn't even know what was motivating him with each step he took. But he knew that wherever he was going, he had to get there. And it had to be faster than Eros was going.

She was amazing. She was a streak of white amidst the chaos, jumping and flipping, swinging and slashing. Her hair flew around her in a mane of blonde, as pale and shining as the rest of her. Breezy white fabric billowed around her as she landed, her hands holding twin blades of golden energy, sharpened to a deadly point.

Warrior Eternal, Gil's mind answered his unspoken questions. Thena, he thought more consciously. He knew that was her. And he was already running forward as the security she'd been fighting fell to pieces from her strikes. He met her eyes.

She watched him carefully. Her face was placid, but he could read a whole plethora of things in her eyes. They were stunning jewels of green, expressing everything the rest of her held secret.

Gil took another step forward, although Eros pushed past him, knocking shoulders on his way. "Hey."

Eros ignored him, walking right over to Thena and leaning his head close to her to speak.

Gil's gut twisted at the sight. Why, he didn't know; not important.

"No," she answered his sharply, all but sending him on his way. His eyes drifted back to Gilgamesh for a second before continuing on. Thena's eyes travelled over Gil, making his hair stand on end.

Gil inhaled and held it. But he let his energy drain out of his fists. She accepted the gesture of good will and followed suit. They each took a few steps forward in the smouldering remains of the corridor. She only got more beautiful the closer he got. "Uh...hi."

"Hey."

Something was so, so familiar about that little greeting. He remembered last he'd heard it, looking up at her bent over him. She'd had tears in her eyes. He didn't want her to cry.

I'll remember, she'd promised him. And clearly she had. She was here. She was here for him.

Thena blinked as Gil shot forward, pulling her against him. It was only a second of wondering what she would do in response to his impulse. She melted against him, her head under his chin, buried against his neck. Her hands gripped him tight. "Gil."

"I'm here," he promised her. He pulled away to look at her, tucking some of her hair back. She looked just like she did in his memories, more of which were coming back to him by the second. She had been by his side for hundreds--thousands of years. They had stayed together through everything. He'd shared a life with this woman. They'd shared more lifetimes than most got to have.

Maybe she didn't look the same. Maybe she was even more beautiful than he remembered.

Thena sighed as their foreheads collided softly. She moved the metal insignia at her forehead, savouring the sensation of her skin against his. She raised her hands to his cheeks, holding him in her hands as if to reaffirm that he was real and there with her. And that she would never let him go again.

He was there, Gil felt. He was real, and there with her. And he didn't care if they were fancy robots, or figments of Arishem's making, or anything else. They were Gilgamesh and Thena, and that was all he needed to know. Because he didn't exist for Arishem, or some mission, or even Earth, if he was being entirely honest. He existed because he was real, with thoughts and feelings of his own.

And he had always chosen to give them all to Thena.

"Soon," she pulled away, blinking away her tears as she smiled at him. She sniffled, cupping his jaw as her hands slid away with the utmost reluctance. "I promise, I will tell you everything you want to know. But we have to go."

Gil just nodded, knowing that he would follow her into the depths of an endless, pitch black darkness if she so much as asked. He captured her hand in his before she drifted away completely. "Lead the way."

Thena smiled, not pulling her hand from him as she started making their way back to the rest. She pulled him alongside her. "I wanted to come get you myself. But I was the most equipped to deal with those things. And Eros was best equipped for deactivating the security around you."

They had come well prepared. Gil snorted, "Eros."

Thena smiled, and Gil felt his heart lurch in his chest. He had never seen it before, in a way. And yet he had ached to see it again. "Yes, I agree. But he's brought you back to me. So he must be good for something."

"Let's not give him too much credit," Gil scoffed again, and Thena laughed, as if they weren't in the middle of a daring escape. Stars above and beyond, he wanted to hear that again. "I would have found a way to you."

It was said just as lightly, but the air stilled around them. Their footsteps filled the silence between them. Thena squeezed his hand. "And I, you."

[allamericanlacy]

Lacy.

Lacy has been the one song on Guts that has been sticking with me every second of everyday, and I finally figured out why.

On genius, this is what it says Lacy is about.

"In one lens, Rodrigo embraces her inferiority complex by personifying the beauty of women she’s intimidated by in this “Lacy” character. Similar to “jealousy, jealousy” and “obsessed,” Olivia succumbs to her habit of comparing herself to other women to an extent so extreme that it seems like a crippling romantic obsession."

Using that, I have found myself relating it to a girl that I know in real life. This girl, who I have admired for years, is everything I want to be and even more. She's pulchritudinous. Gorgeous eyes that always have a glimmer of optimism in them, long arms and legs that aren't plagued by the burden of body hair, shiny hair that effortlessly frames her face beautifully, a face that isn't weighed down by glasses that conceal her best feature.

However, her beauty is beyond being purely physical. She has the intelligence level that my parents and I could only dream of me having. Her ability to excel every subject without an ounce of stress seeming to weigh down her natural beauty. And her voice—a voice so sweet and sultry I could die from sugar poisoning—never seems to waver when speaking kind word to people, no matter who she was talking to.

The asshole of the grade? She praised him for his art, the one thing he seemed to be proud of.

The shy girl who had been cast out and bullied? She sat with her at lunch, going on and on since she knew that the other girl didn't have the confidence to.

The average person? She never criticized them for anything. She had a hard time with things like that, even if it was a large part of an assignment.

This girl seemed to be perfect. A smile on her gorgeous face, the smarts of a reputable scholar, and the sincerity that most lack. How couldn't I keep myself from trying to be around her? And that's the thing: this girl is my best friend in the entire world.

I've known her for a decade already, having met when we were 5 in kindergarten.

If I remember correctly, this wonderful girl had come up to me at recess when I was sitting alone at the swings. She mentioned that she thought no one deserved to be ostracized from everyone else just because they were "different." Obviously that isn't exactly what she said, but that was the gist of it.

I was cast out simply because of how I look. Rather than have the pale, milky skin and flowing ocean of blonde hair with piercing blue eyes, I had everything but that. Darker, tanner skin with frizzy dark hair with equally dark eyes that I have been told were ugly. Not even just that, but the hair that was prevalent on my arms and legs were all the more reason for the kids in my predominately white school to view me as being both different and inferior to them.

Seeing my own Lacy reminds me of the years of microaggressions that I've been subjected to. She reminds me of how badly I wanna be here, as well as how many others like me—poc people—wanna be her too.

It isn't her fault, it never has been. It's the fault of how society has instilled this image of the "perfect person" in our brains as being white with blonde hair blue eyes. And yet I still find myself here, jealous of her.

[tasteofgummies]

Hi! Can I relationship dynamic with Kakyoin and if not too much Jotaro p3? I'm Russian, she/her, Gemini, INFP. I'm big fan of histotlry and also a future architector. My hobby is learning languages (English, German, Latin, French and Japanese). I have no particular preferences in movies and other media, but as a rule it is some kind of art house or "underground", whether it's a movie or a book.👺 I'm a gamer with a huge experience and will never refuse to play anything, be it dark souls and starcraft or even sekiro with minecraft. Oh yeah, I have dysgraphia and trouble with speech (sometimes I speak too fast and people can't understand me, and often with it I literally break off sentences without realizing it). Also, I'm very short in appearance and look younger than my age. I can be described as an extremely chaotic meme person who is never afraid to break the rules and has a reputation for being a very kind and smart rebel. Just a person who is not afraid to tell the system to its face what thinks about it ('cause of this, I was given the nickname metapunk lol)

/sorry if too many mistakes, have a nice day :3

In all honesty, I don't know anything about gaming, so I couldn't dive into that aspect as much as I would have liked (specially with Kakyoin)

Kakyoin x you ✨

>Omg gamer boy meets his soulmate

>When you're in a more advanced stage on the relationship and he relaxes more, makes so many game related jokes and tries to embarrass you calling you "discord kitten" or "pogchamp"

>Is there to insult incels who call you slurs in the chat, he's surprisingly sassy

>I feel like Kakyoin knows a bit of everything, so is happy that you can deepen his knowledge with yours

>You two can talk for HOURS

>He just loves your nickname, metapunk just sounds so damn badass

>I thinks his favorite bits of history are the ones that have to do with strategy, so probably The wars of roses and south american independence as a whole (San Martín, Simón Bolívar, stuff like that)

>He knows japanese and english, but it's interested in learning more, I see him picking an interest for chinese and german

>Loves that you're going to be an architect! He will take on dates to historical neighborhoods so you can take a look at the architecture

>He is very patient and non judgemental, so if he doesn't understand, he'll just tell you and go on, so conversation between you two flow very naturally and nicely

>He loves that you can challenge his way of thinking. As an average japanese person, he's been taught to really fall in line without questions, so you speaking up against the flawed system is truly something amusing to him

>It also helps him to be less harsh on himself, and recover his power as an individual and not a number. When he's feeling burned out, he feels useless and like a disappointment, so when you are there to comfort him and tell him it's the educational system that failed him, it gives him a sense of relief

>Jokingly says you're a terrible influence, but he couldn't be more grateful

>He's open to anything, and is very quiet during movies, so it may seem like he doesn't like them, but he's just concentrated

>Will analize it with you afterwards, it's like bonding time<3

>He can match your chaotic energy surprisingly well, and uses his composed image to his advantage

>Helps you if you have to sign a document or something

>Unlike other characters, he's pretty average height, so being taller than you is not something that really affects him? He wouldn't be an asshole if he had to help you get something from a tall shelf, for example

>"I'm forever grateful you came into my life, the things that you have taught me, about the world, about you, even about myself... I love you, and I know that everything we have experienced together has shaped my way to navigate the world forever, and in that spirit, I will give my everything to keep you by my side."

Jotaro x you ✨

>He likes how kind and sincere you are

>You aren't after him for something frivolous, you really want to get to know him

>Likes that you're opinionated, but doesn't have much of a stance on politics, Jotaro grew up in generational wealth, and has the Speedwagon foundation, so he can understand where you're coming from, but can't really grasp the effects this kind of thing has on the lives of millions of people

>Doesn't really put any effort in learning things he doesn't care about (like school) so he will listen to you talking, but will tell you if he doesn't like it

>Likes to hear you talk, he's quiet, so it's nice having you rambling about something

>Jotaro is smart in ways people don't really give him credit for, so even if you cut sentences, or are slurring out your words, it's very likely he will still understand what you mean

>He knows about gaming for Kakyoin, he may buy a console if there's something he can play with you

>He enjoys games like animal crossing, the sims, slime rancher, and his favorite is Subnautica. He may also like games about detectives/solving crimes

>Jotaro knows japanese, english, and he picked some italian and french from Pol and his grandma Suzie, later in life he learns conversational spanish for work related reasons.

>You should try to teach him russian, I think russian is a very fitting language for Jotaro, it may sound harsh to some people, but it's just direct with what it's meant to communicate

>Likes that you're not afraid to break the rules, but his smile quicky vanishes when he realizes how chaotic you can get...

>Won't go along with your antics, but will still be there so you don't get hurt or something

>Doesn't care if it's underground as long as it's not too psychedelic, as long as he can understand what is going on in the screen/book, he's satisfied

>His personal preference is detective related media or documentals

>Won't be an asshole about his height either, but gets protective when he realizes how small you are compared to him

>Likes holding your hand in his, although it's almost like he's enveloping your hand

>"I like you, I do. You're annoying and reckless sometimes, but you can stand on your ground and I like that. There's a lot of things I like about you... I- I mean, I shouldn't have to say it, but I love you, in case you forgot or whatever."

[daikon1]

My 2022 Fanfic Year in Review!

I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but 2022 has been a rough one for me. Between challenges in my offline life and modding for the Drops of Moonlight Zine eating up most of my fandom time and energy, I didn’t write as much as I might have liked in other years.

Anyway, here’s my Ao3 Wrapped!!

Fair warning, spoilers for anything I posted this year abound below the cut!!

1. List of fics completed this year:

Well, I changed some of how I post this year (for example, I stopped posting to FFN entirely and decided to use ‘collections’ on Ao3 instead of chapters going forward for related but standalone shorts/one shots).

That said, I completed 5 fics:

A (Blind) Date with Destiny!

Moving In

then you showed up and I can’t get enough

We Do This Every Time

I Know All About Your Reputation (This is Bound to be a Heartbreak Situation)

I also began a new ongoing multichapter, Close to Home.

2. Number of words written:

61,054 that have been posted - fewer than previous years, but more than I’d thought!

3. Your most popular fic this year:

Of what I posted this year, (Blind) Date got the most hits, but overall The Runner-Up remained quite popular and got a lot of engagement.

4. Your personal favourite this year:

This is always a cruel question, given that everything I write feels like my baby/a part of me. The two I was most actively excited/couldn’t stop while writing were Blind Date and then you showed up… so… coin flip between the two?

5. Your favourite scene:

I *loved* writing the date in Blind Date with Destiny. Their dancing around each other and flirting and playing that ‘but do you remember me and if you don’t do I have to tell you’ game was SO MUCH FUN and basically flowed directly out of my brain and onto the page.

6. A fic or scene that challenged you:

Day six of my UsaMamo week fic (We Do This Every Time) gave me a lot of trouble. Turns out it’s hard to consolidate an entire arc from an anime into a single chapter, who knew 🤣

7. A line of writing you’re proud of:

I feel like this is always the hardest question to answer and the one I put off until the very end, in part because when you write 60k+ words in a year (which comes out to like 2.5k sentences the way I write them), it’s hard to single out one!!

This year, I’m going to highlight this line from Close to Home:

Mamoru took an obnoxiously slow sip from his water glass. “Do you bring a lot of dates home?” he asked in an offhand way that made her want to dump her curry on top of his perfectly coiffed hair.

8. A comment that touched you:

I always feel like I get too many sweet reviews to single out just one; in fact, I now have a designated folder in my email titled “Review Joy” where I file away some of the ones I want to revisit when I’m feeling low. So here is a much-too-short and entirely non-exhaustive roundup of a few snippets from some of my favorite reviews this year:

Just crossed your story today and *had* to go on Ao3 to read the second part!

I can’t picture things clearly or for long in my mind, but this scene was crystal clear, at least Usagi bowing to the little rabbit and talking in a friendly, but quiet and gentle, almost reverential way because Usako was part of Mamoru, vulnerable, almost like part of his soul.

I love all the check-ins for consent - they were so natural!! So good!! Thank you for writing!!

The scene of him putting things together was also suitably spooky and conspiratorial, like the ending of the Usual Suspects kinda.

Ngl I was SHRIEKING AT MY PHONE when I saw she'd written something SO SWEET into the book?! AND THEN DASHED LIKE THE LITTLE ADORABLE IDIOT SHE IS?

I’m always filled with excitement when I see a new story from you and it never disappoints. This is an absolutely wonderful beginning filled with emotions and sweetness and I cannot wait to see where you lead us.

Seeing bisexual rep in usagi meant the world to me as a young, questioning teen, and seeing you showcase that here and have her friends be so knowing & accepting of that really just made my heart feel so whole <3

Impeccable plotline, character depictions, and the fluff was *chef’s kiss*!!! 20/10!!!

I wish I could showcase all of every review I’ve received this year, but sadly I would run out of space way too fast. Just know that if you’ve taken the time to review for me, I am grateful from the bottom of my heart 🙏🏻

9. Something that inspired your writing this year:

Okay so I’ve already disclaimed it in the author’s note, but My Ex’s Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly is the entire reason that then you showed up… exists.

Like honestly the line “I swear to god I never fall in love” just STUCK IN MY BRAIN as a very Mamoru-ish sentiment and I had to explore it. With instalove semi-blind-date hijinks.

10. Your proudest accomplishment (that one scene; finally finishing that one fic; posting your first fic; etc):

Probably have to go with finishing day 6 (Reunion) of UsaMamo week this year (We Do This Every Time). I basically knew what I wanted to do with it as soon as the prompts dropped, but actually whipping it into shape and getting it to be near the level I envisioned it took me longer than I hoped it would!! Was very proud to get that monster off my TBW list 🤣

11. Do you have any writing goals for the next year?

I would like to refill my tank, tbh. As I mentioned above, it’s been a rough year and in many ways I’m running on fumes - and I do think that’s been reflected in my writing (or lack thereof) in this back half of the year.

So in an ideal world, I’d like to have the time and bandwidth to feel excited about writing again. And maybe also make some progress on Close to Home.

————

As always, I would love to see some other people do these! I’m not going to tag anyone, but if you see this and want to participate, consider yourself tapped in.

Cheers to the end of 2022!! May 2023 be a gentle and healthy year for you and yours 😘

[sen-no-kotowari]

Dark Selena Interlude: An Elegy for a Flower Ch 3

Chapter 3: Festive Day of Innocence

The young girl and her friends innocently raised their hands over their head and sang like the gust of wind that blew. Their song soared high up to the heavens.

“Dear Selena, I wrote this letter immediately after I’m done visiting Auntie. By that, I mean your mom. She’s been doing pretty well and has been raving so much about how your opera was absolutely wonderful. She’s so proud of you as her daughter. If I saw how amazing you were on stage, I can’t help but to agree with Auntie. If you were here right now, it’d be nice if you could teach me the ropes on how to write operas and everything related to it. Yep, that’s right. What I need right now is a teacher. I need someone who’s been creating for a long time to guide me. Though frankly speaking, I’ve hit writer’s block. I really didn’t know that I'd have the urge of wanting to break out of this creative slump while working on the stage play’s story. It was a first for me. What saved me from that groove wasn’t much of a big deal, really. When I talked about it to Auntie, she gladly taught me a way how to deal with creative slumps. I admire how passionate Auntie, who is a well-renowned musician, is when it comes to creating art. So you were raised in such a home and received specialized learning, huh… When you decided to participate in the Structurization surgery, how in the world did you manage to convince your parents? Did you persuade your parents, just like how you move other people through your work? I wish you could tell me the answer to these questions, Selena. —With love, Ayla”

(――)

The numbing cold, constant hunger, and the spontaneous feeling of powerlessness and agony overwhelmed Flora, just like him. Her throat was parched and her voice was hoarse. She had been extremely tired as a result of practicing her lines for an extended period. She also wanted someone to take care of her and praise her like any other child.

Flora: In times like these… What would Mommy do?

Even though the young girl wanted to be reassured by her fond memories, she immediately shook her head.

Flora: Hrm… I can’t remember. It’s because Mommy’s a lot more scared than I am in times like this.

Both hunger and the cold are everyday occurrences for scavengers. For the scavengers who found a place where they could belong, what they feared above all was returning to those days when they lived side by side with the loss of life from the past. That’s why whenever the conservation areas were invaded by the Infected or when resource replenishment was suspended due to natural calamities, it looked like the locals were taken back to their harrowing nightmare. As far as Flora could remember, her frightened mother always held her close when they were plagued by difficulties. She has been singing a lullaby with desperation while her lips trembled. Her usual composure wasn’t there at all. Yet the young Flora doesn’t deeply understand everything that was happening. She only understood that her mother was more fragile than her and needed to be comforted in contrast to her.

Flora: Then… What can I do for her?

She pondered for a while and showed a smile on her face.

Flora: Oh, I know. I can comfort Mommy by telling her everything’s going to be okay, that what’s about to happen isn’t scary, and that all things beautiful will undergo change as time passes.

Flora pointed out the puddle of water in between the demolished audience’s seats.

Flora: Oh look, look, there’s a stream over there. It might be where the water on Millais’ painting of Ophelia1 flowed from.

Yes, that’s right. She often engrossed herself in such imaginations. It was one of the pastimes her father taught her. And then, the young girl pointed at the pillar that was broken in half behind her. It was weathered by the elements and tells the story of how long time had passed in this place.

Flora: Look over there, look! David got a rock from there and used it to bravely face Goliath2.

All of the events witnessed and all its colors will shine beautifully when that time comes. Even fear would subside if one exists inside a world of imagination. Her mother listened to her stories from her imagination, hugging her close as she caressed her daughter with both her hands trembling. And when her mother’s mood calmed down, the gentle smile on her face returned. Yes, that has to be it. This is what the young girl must do. She did the same thing the night before her father passed away. With this, even someone as young as her may be able to console her mother. Flora pointed to the sky.

Flora: Over there, that light is something that the sun emits. It has been shining down on this land for millions of years now. It still shines strongly as it does today.

That is its gaze. A warm gaze filled with affection. This place was able to prosper like today because it has always watched over us.

It’s— ack… (Cough, cough!)

A cold draft passed through and the dust that blew up from the curtains came off. The dust became like a golden ripple inside the sun’s rays drifting through the tip of her nose. She choked on the dust and coughed severely. The arm she used to point to the heavens became weak. For a while, Flora was deprived of oxygen and knelt on the ground. She could no longer stand up. She neither has food to fill her stomach nor the warm embrace of her parents. The young girl’s small body was aching.

Flora: I see… Perhaps I, too, should also tell a story from the imagination. If it can make Mommy smile… then surely… I would also…

As she leaned against the wall, she somewhat managed to lift her body and whispered in a small voice.

Flora: Let’s move to the next story.

The cold breeze flipped the page of the script that fell on her feet at the same time her thin skirt swayed with the wind, the young girl trembled from the cold. However, her voice was filled with powerful emotions as her acting relied more on her performance on stage.

Flora: This is a story of a certain elderly person.

His name is Pard, the hero of this conservation area and our hero.

If it’s him, the people have a place to evacuate, they could go to that place that was floating in the sky. From there, he brought home many interesting stories back with him!

Among the stories he brought back, the most interesting one as well as the one that had an impact on me was a certain opera.

The title of that opera was “Arcadia: The Great Escape,” it was written by an amazing young playwright.

I was able to watch the opera that included Sir Pard’s commentary projected on a large monitor together with my friends and our parents.

It was an astoundingly remarkable and emotional story. All of us felt that story touched our hearts.

That day, Daddy… He left in a hurry so he wasn’t able to come and join us at the ball.

Uhm… You don’t know what a ball is? It’s, uhm… It was simply a gathering that I held with a good friend when they were still cheerful because I wanted to express my emotions burning with excitement.

Because other than twirling my hands and feet as much as I want, I don’t know how I can express all the excitement in me.

I pulled Litt’s and all my other friends’ hands, and we celebrated the hero’s ending in that story by raising our hands together.

Flora stood up by the wall and raised her hand, just as if she had imagined dancing with everyone. She took the lead and began dancing. She imagined what her demeanor looked like as she led her friends who didn’t know how to dance and they, in turn, were led to become captivating dancers. If they danced together in real life, they probably would often fumble on their partner’s feet with how wobbly their tense footwork would be. But right now, she doesn’t mind those things. She simply wants to enjoy their dance. Suddenly, she reached her hand out to where the sunlight shined. It’s as though she was inviting the sun for a dance.

Flora: …That’s right. At that time, Mister Pard was also invited to a dance.

But he turned down the invitation. His mechanized body was too large and dancing with him would cause inconvenience to others.

Flora closed her eyes and let out a brief sigh.

Flora: I wanted to jump while dancing, but I wasn’t able to jump so high at all.

Fortunately, Mister Pard didn’t say no to my challenge. He simply looked at me and said that I reminded him of his child.

His son loves stories, just like me. Whenever his son listens to the stories he tells him, it seems like he gets so excited that he would run all over their house.

He said he still remembers what happened the day before the Great Escape clear as day. His son called out to him and said, “Come home soon and tell me what happens next in that story, Dad.”

But that day, he… he was busy transporting paintings and sculptures for someone that he wasn’t able to tell his son the continuation of that story until the end.

It was… truly unfortunate. Since it was rare for his father to stop telling the story mid-way, perhaps that child felt like time passed for so long while he waited for his father to come home.

If you think of his age, that child is already a middle-aged person. I want to exchange views about that story with him someday. It’d be nice if he knew how comforting it is that he’s not alone whenever he feels frustrated in knowing what happens next in the story.

But whenever I talk about it, Uncle Pard looked like he was about to cry. When I asked him what was wrong, he told me that he wasn’t able to meet with his son for a long time now.

That’s why I said these words to comfort his heart.

Uhm… What did I say back then?

Flora faced the audience seat and asked silently. It was as if she was asking a question to the sculptures and paintings that had constantly stood still in this place for years. And after a while, the young girl raised her head.

Flora: Ah, that’s right.

I told him that if he met his son, then tell him more interesting stories than the one he promised him.

The war… is something truly terrifying, but that fear couldn’t stop our hearts that yearned for beauty.

Mm… It’s just like Daddy told me.

The young girl spread her arms out as she faced the sky and embraced it, just like when she hugged her parents. It was as though right now, there was an elderly soldier who was telling her stories by her side and was about to tell her the next story they have for the young girl.

Flora: Ah… I knew it would be effective.

As she embraced herself, Flora noticed that she was smiling. She was laughing at the scene she had imagined. She was smiling like how her mother used to smile before. She once again believed in herself through the smile on her face. The words and the imagination that welled from her sincerity would surely move her mother’s heart, what her true thoughts are… as well as being able to convey what her father’s real intentions were. Once again, the young girl slowly picked up the script.

The depiction of Ophelia singing before she drowned on the lake was painted by Sir John Everett Millais during the 1850s.

This was a Bible Story referenced from 1 Samuel 14.

[st4rbwrry]

ugh i just got finished reading your fic sketch and boy (or girl in this matter) was it good. there are no words to describe how good it was oh my lordt. your fic is the first one i’ve ever read on this app & you have exceeded my expectations (this is coming from someone who has read wattpad fics while growing up, embarrassing ik lol) i have never read anything like it. to start it off, ive never read a fic where one of the main characters has ocd or anything related in that nature so it instantly had me curious as to where this fic was going. i like that we go to know both eren’s & the fl thoughts a little bit throughout the fic, it added a little pizazz (at least to me). like everything in this story flowed perfectly. them meeting at the museum/gallery & becoming interested in each other, them exchanging information so they could kick it later on, the fl not being happy in her relationship, eren & the female lead thinking of each other, & the fl actually coming over. the way you described eren’s place i could imagine it & mind you it’s literally so hard for me to imagine settings in stories when author’s describe the scene but you did it so perfectly i could literally imagine myself floating in 3rd person & seeing every lol. whew & don’t get me started on the build up to the smut- lawd. the cake part where eren was getting some & literally puts it in her mouth! i didn’t know if i wanted to be the fl or eren like- gawd i never wanted to be a character so bad in my life. & then when it finally started to go down i was blushing so hard because it was so hot. ugh i wish i wasn’t such a pussy so i could show you the ss of the parts that i was literally getting 💢⭕️💢⭕️ but i’ll just say it lol. ik exactly what position you were talking about when you said he but his arm around her collarbone & his whole weight was on her 👀 (even tho i’m literally a virgin but we’re just gonna skip over that lmfao). & when he pressed on that spot & was talking to her while doing it, the butterflies i got mann. WHEN HE TOLD HER TO SINK ON IT LAWD. IT WAS SO FUCKING HOT like the switch from eren being the dom to sub my heart almost couldn’t take it. i’m literally a sucker for sub men & the dialogue during that part WHEW. & even the little time skips around afterwards when they were chilling trying to make pancakes/waffles then it lead to the female lead getting ate out, the bathtub scene, & finally them in the bed together as the fl fell asleep while eren was reading warmed my heart fr fr. BUT THE ENDING?!?! the way i didn’t see that coming from a mile away like whaaaaat?! the worst (not like worst worst but in like worst that got me sad fr but best) one night stand i’ve ever read. the very end i was confused on. what did you mean that he was finally free & that the fl wouldn’t find him if she looked? free as in left the earth? 😭 or free as in he dipped & is just never coming back?

moral of this all is, the way of words you have & your attention to describing detail is so fucking good omg! i hope you take writing seriously because the gift that you have ma’am?! 👩🏽‍⚖️💥💥you have a real gift/talent & i can’t wait to read the rest of your fics because this one was straight up heat istg. ugh i wish i didn’t say this anonymously but i’m literally nervous interacting with people so i do it anonymously but still! supporting you from behind the mask ✊🏽 have a lovely day <3

JAJSJSJDD AHHHHH OMGGGG THIS IS THE BEST FUCKING REVIEW FOR SKETCH EVERRRRRRR. thank you from the bottom of my heart, truly. that’s one of my favorite fics i’ve written and, known fact, took me like two months to finish lol. i wanted it to be PERFECT. i’m really really really glad you took your time to read it, analyze, and enjoy it as well as sending me this review. this means EVERYTHINGGGGGGGG to me. i put my foot in that fic so im very grateful. I LOVE YOU VERY MUCHHHHHHHHHHHH. and i completely understand about being on anon and not feeling to comfortable sharing screenshots. your comments were enough fr. thank you. <3