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waltwhitmansbeard · 2 years

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my fair lady: chapter twenty

i'm just gonna say it: you gotta read these first. @romeoandjulietyouwish, this is your legacy, i guess.

She dresses quickly and silently, not wanting to draw the attention of whichever guard is at her door tonight. She picks a simple, brown dress, something she wears when she helps tend the castle gardens, and layers over it a black cloak. With her hair rolled up and tucked under the hood, she's unrecognizable.

She opens the secret door that Vax has not traversed since their return to Zephrah, making sure it closes silently behind her, and, with a single candlestick in one hand, begins to descend into the catacombs. She has only been down here but once before, many months ago, but Vax has described the path a few times, so while it takes some investigation and backtracking, she manages to make her way to the steps that lead up into the store cupboard that Vax uses to start his journey. She pushes up on the trapdoor, knocking over the old bucket that sits atop it, which clangs to one side. She lowers the trapdoor again and freezes, listening for any movement above. After a full five minutes, she determines that no one is coming to check out the commotion, and she proceeds up into the store cupboard.

She snuffs out her flame and leaves it on a shelf before poking her head out into the corridor. At this time of night, nearly all of the kitchen staff is asleep, save for a few scullery maids doing the last of the day's cleaning. It is easy enough for her to slip past them and out onto the grounds. Despite having grown up relatively sheltered, Keyleth has some experience sneaking out of the castle, usually to go visit the sprawling cherry tree that she and her father planted atop a nearby hill to commemorate her mother's passing. It takes some doing, but she manages to slink her way along the outer wall and through a little door near the stables.

From there, it's about a ten minutes walk to the actual city of Zephrah, and then the hard part: finding the cottage. She's had it pointed it out to her once or twice, in one of her many trips into the city to work with healers during the war, but that was during the day, and now, under the light of a waning moon, she must put her memory to the test to navigate the dark streets and remain unseen at the same time.

She finds the place by the large banner hanging out front: a black field with the four interlocking triangles of gold, the symbol of the Royal Guard. Keyleth knows that they display this banner to let their neighbors know that they always have a safe place to come to should they need one. Keyleth scurries up the front door, keeping her hood low around her face, and knocks.

After about twenty seconds, the door swings open, revealing a quaint interior lit by a dying fire. "Good even—Keyleth?"

Vax's jaw hangs low as Keyleth sheepishly waves. "Good evening."

He grabs her arm and yanks her unceremoniously inside, slamming the door shut behind her. "Have you lost your mind?" he snaps, fixing the lock before prying open the curtain on the front window to check the street. "You shouldn't be here!"

Keyleth lowers her hood and stands in the middle of Vax and Vex's little cottage, which somehow looks exactly and nothing like she had imagined. "I needed to speak with you."

Seemingly assured that she was not followed, Vax wheels on her, a deep frown set on his face. "My shift begins in the morning, Your Highness," he says rather coldly.

Her nostrils flare. "I needed to speak with you now."

"And what could possibly be so important that you were willing to risk your life to come here to tell me?"

Keyleth was not expecting this hostility from him, and it's beginning to make her blood boil. She tosses a glance over her shoulder. "Where is your sister?"

"She is with Lord Percival." Keyleth can hear the thinly veiled jealousy in his voice. "Why?"

"Because I'm tired!" Keyleth exclaims with a humorless laugh. "I am tired of the running and the hiding and the pretending. I'm tired of going through the motions of my life as if I am not in the most acute agony I can imagine."

Vax takes a step back. "Key—Your Highness..."

"Please," she begs, "please, just—is this to be my life? Locked away in a castle, alone in that room, remembering the way your hands feel in my hair? The way your smile eases my racing heart? Am I to be condemned to misery and solitude because you have taken my heart with you wherever you go? Is that the price of the crown? Because if so, I don't want it! I refuse it!"

"Princess, please." Vax's voice breaks with desperation. "You were right, we have to be better—"

"Better than what? All of them?" She throws her hands out to gesture all around her, toward the Ashari citizens asleep in their homes. "All of these people who wake up and love each other and create families that they can be proud of? I'm not better than them! I envy them, and I am tired of the envy."

"I'm leaving," he says abruptly, his jaw clenched tight.

Keyleth freezes, tears streaming down her face. "What?" she breathes.

"As soon as I am able to request a moment of your father's time, I will be volunteering for the manhunt for Gaben Finefirn. I am exceptionally well-suited for the task and it will take me far from Zephrah."

"You mean far from me."

Finally, Vax's harsh exterior cracks. She sees it in his eyes, the flash of pain, the cut to the quick. What is she to say to this? She could beg him not to leave—she is very much not above falling to her knees in supplication—but if freedom is what he desires, then who could she be to deny him that?

Vax begins to pace, a tight, tense line between the fireplace and the opposite wall. Keyleth watches him in silence, a treed squirrel eying the pacing dog below. "Why did you come here?" he eventually grits out, coming to a stop near the hearth and running a stressed hand through his hair. "What...what did you hope to accomplish? Nothing has changed, Your Highness. You are still to be the sovereign of a nation, and I am a common guard."

"There is nothing common about you," she argues, her voice quiet. "There is nothing common about your devotion to this country, to the service of my family. There is nothing common about how keenly you know every thought in my head before I speak it aloud. There is nothing common about your skills or your talent or the way in which you wield them to make the world safer, kinder, gentler. There is nothing common about the way my breath catches every time you look at me, like for the briefest moment, time has stopped, and we are the only two left on this earth. You, Vax'ildan, are extraordinary, and if you truly believe that you are unworthy of me because of our difference in station, then I have failed as someone who loves you with all of her heart. I only hope that someday I can be worthy of your exquisite affections, of the love that you have graced me with these past months."

Vax stares at her, eyes wide and bright, the waning fire dancing in his irises. Countless emotions play across his face—bewilderment, confusion, hope, sorrow, heartbreak, joy, frustration—but his features settle on something soft, something fragile. She knows that whatever happens next, it has the potential to shatter them both, and despite the madness of the tension, she wishes this heartbeat of possibility could go on forever.

"Keyleth—" Her name has always sounded like a symphony on his tongue. "—I adore you in more ways than the cleverest poet could ever hope to describe. It has been easy for me to tell you, as many times as I have, that I would die for you, gladly, eagerly, because it is a truth that does not scare me. But what I have never allowed myself to say aloud is how desperately I want to live for you." Tears fall afresh from Keyleth's eyes as a small gasp escapes her. "I wish to spend every single one of the days that the gods see fit for me have left by your side, in awe of your splendor, in service of your great mission here among your people. I want to worship you like the zealot reveres his god and I want to hold you until the last bricks of civilization decay into dust. I want to risk everything, because you are everything."

"Then do it!" Keyleth strides up to him and takes both of his hands in hers. "We have been trying to protect each other from the world for far too long. I think it is time to give the world a chance to prove itself better than either of us believe it to be." She looks him in the eyes, takes a deep breath, and says, "Vax'ildan Vessar, will you marry me?"

#kinda shorter than usual but uhhhhhh #i think it ended it in a good place #no?#critical role #critical role fic #cr fic #vaxleth #vaxleth fic #vaxleth au #tlovm #tlovm fic #my fic #my fair lady #vox machina #vox machina fic

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turtleblogatlast · 3 months

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Leo learns something about himself 🏳️‍⚧️

Based roughly on this old post.

Bonus:

[Leo is taking the fact that he was born biologically female simultaneously very well and also not so well but overall he’s mostly coping with the fact that it was Draxum that just essentially gave him the turtle equivalent of ‘The Talk’.]

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt leo #rise leo #trans leonardo #trans leo #rottmnt headcanons #turtle art tag #rise draxum #happy pride everyone~#if you’re wondering why there’s no backgrounds that’s because my files got messed up so just blankness in the bg sorry #but yeah!#this is forever and always my fav headcanon for Leo it makes too much sense to me #I wanted to make sure I got it done in time for pride haha #I don’t know if it’s obvious by the end but Draxum ran off because he was for once doing something nice for Leo #that being leading him somewhere else not in front of everyone so Leo can process the fact that he was born female in peace haha #(but he also just - wanted to avoid the ensuing awkward Talk as long as he could lol)#“how would Leo NOT know’’ he had an inkling but never thought much of it because he’s a teenage turtle mutant with no access to healthcare #also yeah that’s splinter’s hand at the end there I just KNOW he’d want those pics #also also - Leo here can technically be trans or even intersex in some way too #both is good #making this made me remember why I never do color #at least for comics #it just takes sooo long #but it was fun and worth it for my fave hc #this is like the first time I’ve drawn Draxum and man he’s kinda hard to draw #also their sizes are just 1 2 and 3 because Draxum had a simple system in place for sizing his subjects #(aka I was too lazy to think of anything else to put there)#also dunno if anyone noticed but look at Raph’s paper and look at his baby’s self’s photo

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bluerosefox · 2 months

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Her Astrophel and Sterling

hmmm

Hmmmmmmmm

You know what.

You know those AU's where the Batfam finds or learns about either hidden or thought to be dead Al Ghul Danny! with a deaged/daughter Dani (Ellie) (I should know, I created a few of those storylines) but what if, now hear me out, what if instead of them finding Danny first its Talia.

Do I want Talia discovering her thought to be dead son to be alive? Yes. Do I want her to find him while investigating Amity Park when the League gets reports of 'Lazarus creatures/water'? Yes.

DO I WANT HER TO KNOCK ON THE FENTON'S DOOR, fully ready to pretend/honey talk her way into the house to uncover what the Fenton's know, ONLY TO MEET A LITTLE ELLIE?!

YES.

Ellie whose eyes and hair look like a copy of her Beloved but she can see bits and pieces of herself as well. Talia knows the child in front of her was not fully her's though but everything makes sense when she hears a voice, a voice she hasn't heard in ages but as a mother just knows, speak out.

"Ellie! I thought I said do not answer the door my Sterling."

"But Daddy, yous was busy fighting the hotdoggys!"

Talia's eyes widen when she finally catches sight of familiar black hair and blue eyes.

and she could only lightly whisper a old nickname she hasn't dared uttered in ages, a name she secretly gave her son due to his love of the stars "Astrophel..."

#danny phantom #danny fenton #crossover #dp x dc #blue rambles #danny phantom dc #writing ideas #random idea #dpxdc #good mom Talia?#Good mom Talia. Yes #Astrophel means Star Lover btw #Sterling means Little Star or Excellent #Deaged Ellie #Deaged Dani #Danny either faked his death or got yeet from the Pits to Amity #does he remember? Idk leaving it open ended #if he does remember he chose not to return cause he knew he'd be punished #Talia comes to Amity after so many years because the League finally got reports of 'Lazarus' like creatures/waters being used/seen #Is she League leader now? Idk again leaving it open ended for anyone to play with #does she kept it a secret when talks to Danny about everything? I think so if he asks her not to say anything #Talia is happy to see her son again after so long. She isnt happy about how Ellie came into his life but is happy to have a granddaughter #she totally holds Ellie everytime she visits and promises to teach her how to make the world fall into her chubby little hands #Ellie loves her Granmama Talia cause she tells stories of all the places she's been #Eventually though I can see someone. Maybe Damian or Bruce. Needing to speak with Talia about something #and they track her down when she's on a visit to Danny and Ellie. And well the secret is out.#dani phantom #danielle phantom #Dani is Ellie

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atalana · 1 year

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so the good place is widely lauded on this site for its takes on morality and capitalism, which i totally agree with

but i think it should get more recognition for the line "all humans are aware of death. so we're all a little bit sad all the time. that's just the deal. we don't get offered any better ones. and if you try and ignore your sadness, it just ends up leaking out of you anyway. i've been there, and everybody's been there. so don't fight it. in the words of a very wise bed bath and beyond employee i once knew - go ahead and cry all you want. but you're gonna have to pay for that toilet plunger."

#i dunno i've been thinking about grief lately #and i think the nature of humanity is everyone's grieving something #it might not always be as straightforward as the death of a loved one - sometimes it is #but sometimes you're grieving a life you never got to live #the person you used to be #hell an old toy you just realised you lost years ago and are never going to get back #we're all just a little bit sad all the time #and i think looking at the world like that makes it a lot more friendly place #because everyone is someone who needs a bit of comfort - or just someone to say hey its okay to be sad and angry and confused #and when you're finally ready to let whatever you're grieving go the world will be a happier place #and you'll find a new thing to grieve because there's always something to be a little bit sad about #but the world keeps getting better for every one you get through and every friend who helps you through it #and sometimes you just need to throw a dumb joke in there at the end #that's what it means to be human #the good place #tgp

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shorthaltsjester · 1 year

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the mighty nein - critical role

this is a place where i don't feel alone. this is a place where i feel at home.

#also with softer vibes. i offer They #every silly little brainheart found family deserves a to build a home edit #the mighty nein maybe most of all. thats my family #also the lyrics deliciously well suited to m9.#when jester pulls that. stupid tarot card for fjord. home or traveler. and there's a carnival wagon. and veth says Thats Us! . them #i just think about . the tower is their home the xhorhouse is their home the lavish chateau is their home the balleater. the mistake.#the nein heroez. veth and yezas apartment. the dome. fjord and jesters living room floor.#a bar with a silly name on rumblecusp #also like. the song has stone and dust imagery. gardens and trees.#the inherent temporality of life and love and how that holds no bearing on how greatly people can love. im losin it okay.#ive been making this edit for days straight with my computer screaming at me for trying to shove 143 episodes of cr into a 2min20sec video.#crying becuase. theyre a family do you get it. they were nine lonely people and most of them had given up on seeing their own lives #as something that might be good. something that might make the world a better place. and in the end they're heroes.#and it doesn't matter if no one else knows because They know they're heroes. and they wouldn't've believed that was true when they met.#rattling the bars of my enclosure. to be loved is to be changed #posted on twitter and want to get in the habit of posting here too bc.#general reasons but also bc . i have noticed some of the ppl liking/sharing it are also ppl who shit on my ops by vaguing about my posts #which is in general whatever but does leave a funny taste in my mouth.#critical role #the mighty nein #cr2 #caleb widogast #caduceus clay #jester lavorre #fjord #veth brenatto #yasha nydoorin #beauregard lionett #mollymauk tealeaf #my posts

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eccentricmya · 6 months

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The Valar's mistake did not lie in seeing a possibility of good in Melkor. Rather, their mistake lay in not seeing the equal possibility of him remaining evil.

#i do not think nienna was completely wrong to argue for a second chance for him #if we reject all possibility of repentance n change then we reject the very idea of life itself #life means growth means growing pains... if one mistake is all it takes to end it then there is no meaning to it at all #in any case while melkor squandered his second chance the idea that feanor n his sons do not even get a second chance to waste is just wron #everybody deserves a second chance. but we also need to mitigate any side effect of such mercy #the valar should have been more proactive in monitoring melkor's rehabilitation #they should've had countermeasures in place in case he was up to no good again #so while nienna did her job right but the rest of the valar should've done theirs too #melkor #morgoth #the valar #nienna #feanor?#silmarillion

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bacchuschucklefuck · 4 months

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okay unironically I love so much that porter is like this world SUCKS its BAD here and it HURTS you why do you care abt it!!! and literally every single bad kid is like ngl we just hate ur ass it does not matter what ur philosophy is

#dimension 20 #fantasy high junior year #not art #fhjy spoilers #its!!! gods I will Be My Ass in the tags rn. but thats so like. deliciously setting typical #like porter's desire is to transcend and his contempt for the world he's in feels. idk Real #like he plays the game bc he wants to win and be done with it. how do I word this #yknow. being a god would like. be his win state. when he gets that happening thats it his story is done he checks out #meanwhile the bad kids do actually just like playing the game lmao. like they love adventuring!#theyre so solidly Of This World. they carry the values that can only be born of it and they like having mastery over it #its a meta angle that I think is very fun specifically for d20 being in such a unique position in the zeitgeist when it first started #the rat grinders are from DnD Writ Large. porter wants to escape. but this is the bad kids' home its Their Actual Play Show #which makes it so fucking excellent to me that porter's question is somewhat of merit! its their show and it tries very hard to punish them #and they just straight up dont listen to him here lmao bc they hate him but! since the moment the academic track ended its been clear #that they save the world bc they Like Playing. With Each Others #thats what riz thinks the core of adventuring is! thats why fig stayed! and I also think thats why this hovers over elmville now and #a dead god is coming back in the school gym. porter is a shit evangelist but even if hes a good one I dont think it wouldve worked like he #wants it to. the only way he couldve escaped is if he'd not involved elmville at all. thats where the bad kids met dude #its a shitty place that fucks with them but they all come back here bc they wanna play with each others #and in that regard I think thats what the stress tokens ultimately means. Is This Game Still Fun To Play. ITS A RAGEQUIT LIMIT #Im literally running from one end to another of this conspiracy board Ive pulled out of nowhere #Ill draw after this I just wanna get this out. gods this episode has done nothing but furthering my delusion of grandeur actually #Im the hottest smartest manthing on earth Im king fucking midas over here. anyways uh! great ep!

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kyouka-supremacy · 8 months

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Alright what's up with the last two Hoshikawa arts and Akutagawa and Chuuya wearing hats that are suspiciously similar to the Hunting Dogs one

#It's probably nothing worth looking into.#I just found it currious that it was the same hat two illustrations consecutively. Hoshikawa must have been into that hat recently ahah #Besides I only notcied in the first place because my brain went “omg matching hat. Boyfriends 🥰🥰🥰”#ryūnosuke akutagawa #chūya nakahara #teruko ōkura #bsd #bungou stray dogs #shiwasu hoshikawa art #mine #In the end I suppose it's just a generic military style hat.#It's just odd to see Akutagawa and Chuuya being associated with the military when they have little to no connection to it #...#Btw I'm totally on board with hd Akutagawa becoming canon.#Not that I think it would make sense or anything I just think he looks good in the hd uniform

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urproblematicfav-arsonk · 11 months

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I have a new essay for everyone its called "OFMD S2 is an insult to Con O'Neill both as a person and his legacy in his acting career as a queer man"

Like, this man did not spend his ENTIRE FUCKING CAREER playing almost exclusively openly queer or heavily, heavily coded queer characters to be treated like this??? In fucking 2023??????? He got better, more queer happy endings in the 80s and 2000s, the fuck?

I think it's incredibly telling that David felt like he had to hide what he was doing with Iz' character arc from Con till it was too late in filming. Hey, hey David? What did you think he was gonna do if he knew beforehand what was happening?? David? David do you think he would've walked? Do you think he would've used his leverage both as the fan favorite and integral part of the story to demand BETTER from you and everyone else writing the show?

Con has been making queer art since the fucking 80s when he was in his 20s. He has openly talked about trans rights and the fight against homophobia that we have been fighting for years and decades. I can't imagine what kind of push back he had to deal with to get all the gay shit he was doing to come to fruition. I can guarantee that at least part of the reason he doesn't have as big of a career as he absolutely deserves is because of how openly queer he has been since the start. I think if Con had been allowed to have some input in the direction of Izzy's character that something like this wouldn't have happened, at least not this messily and uncompassionate.

I legit can't imagine how fucked he must've felt after being given the genuinely very beautiful Unicorn scene and then be casually taken aside and told "lolol anyway Izzy is gonna die now, without love and without the acceptance he had already been given". But at least he was given a cuddle????

Anyway watch Dancin' Thru The Dark. Its on YouTube and it's about an openly genderqueer/bi man who goes on a sad but fun music adventure and it's actually really really good. Con sings and its a fucking bop AND he doesn't die at the end or watch Bedrooms And Hallways, it's a fun romcom about a found family of all queer people doing stupid gay shit. Also you can see Hugo Weaving's entire dick and balls in one scene and if that's not better gay rep then ofmd s2 then idk what is

#i did not fall in love with a gay man who lives in another country from me and is 10 years older then my dad to be treated this way David #how dare #i think we should do what s4 of castlevania did which is act as if s3 just didn't happen in the first place #ofmd s2 isn't canon #idk what ur talking about isnt ofmd s2 just izzy gets wrecked on ao3??#poor Con #he was in a lot of pain dealing with that prosthetic and this is the end result of all that work?#i hope my husband is doing good now and gets better queer roles #ofmd spoilers #ofmd s2 spoilers #our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd season 2 #izzy hands #con o'neill

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yvtro · 2 years

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not enough appreciation for countdown #15 wherein jason meets alternative universe bruce who killed the joker (not stopping at this, he went on to eradicate most of gotham rogues gallery in a murder spree similar to that of red hood) and the utter disappointment that jay has in the person that this version of his father has become as bruce discourages him from helping donna in crisis. "we're both dead, batman." – what a raw piece of dialogue.

"go on, then, "jason." you're dead anyway. may as well make it official." "we're both dead, batman. any fool could see you've been dead inside for years."

#i just know that some utrh fans would say that this is missing the point as jason wanted only the joker dead (by bruce's hand that is)#and would say that it's not a slippery slope #but i think what they are missing is what batman is all about #and what place the no killing rule has in the inegrity of the whole character and the symbol itself.#i think you all know that i am plenty sympathetic to jason's reasoning in utrh and his emotional needs #but this story wouldn't have a good ending if bruce did what jason wanted him to anyway #that's kind of the whole point. this is why it's a tragedy #because they would both end up dead in a way.#dc comics #jason todd #bruce wayne #countdown #wretched mirrors #indeed a wretched mirrors moment!

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turtleblogatlast · 5 months

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[ cw: dismemberment / ]

I think a lot about how Leo’s rescue could have easily ended in him losing a leg as the portal snaps shut on the Krang still clutching the limb, or, alternatively, only having Leo’s right arm make it out, still held dearly in his brother’s hand as the rest of Leo is left behind. (The latter hits even harder, as it directly parallels his future self in the worst of ways.)

I think a lot about how so many things could have gone wrong during the course of the movie with even a little bit of a change, but it really is harrowing how much of a coin-flip the entirety of the Prison Dimension rescue was.