#if you are a good father you are automatically my favourite character

[coolunspokenforname]

I want to hug Hector, prince of Troy. Have I read much of the Iliad? No. Was that one scene I read in book 6 where he's looking around Troy for his son and wife enough to make me forgive him for (almost) everything he has done and will do? Yes. When I read him praying to Zeus to have his son grow up to be a better man than him, knowing that he would probably die soon, I also died.

[elizaellwrites]

WIP Questionaire

Thank you @worldstogetlostin for tagging me here!

Rules: Answer as many (or as few) of the questions about your WIP as you can.

1. What was the first part of your wip that you created?

My ocs, but not all of them. They were part of a separate plotline that I abandoned quickly because it was terrible and cringy. Parts of them changed as they developed, but the core of their characters began here.

The originals are: Annamarie, Rachel, Jacob, Elaine, Jol (the daemon), and Natalie (Anna's mom)

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

I imagine it would be like the soundtracks I listen to while writing. These include songs from Narnia, HTTYD, Pirates of the Carribean, etc. I'm no composer, so I'd trust the judgment of the music expert on the case.

3. Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

My automatic instinct is to jump to "all of them," but I'll be reasonable here and keep it brief because I could write an essay about each of them. I won't because a) that's ridiculous to do here, and b) a lot of this has to do with spoilers/stuff on the down-low. My Top 3 (these may be surprising or not) in no particular order are:

Seniar- He's more than Anna's dad, he's lived many lives and seen too much. He's a prince who stepped up to protect his people, defied expectations, and fell in love with a human, earned his place as a war hero, and did his best to protect and raise his daughter after everything he had known and cared for was destroyed in front of him. He might not be perfect, but he's dedicated his life to other people and still provides for his daughter despite carrying the burden of his past.

Roselle- The living dead, her existence shakes the very foundation of my other characters. After being introduced to the universe, nothing was the same, and it was all for the better. She also has this strange charm about her, like she demands attention. Her life and her death are quite possibly the 2nd and 3rd most influential factors in my entire plotline- only outdone by the destruction of Ariya. She's also on a team of her own with a willingness to overlook the rulebook, which makes her extremely fun to write.

Jacob- He's caring but distant at the same time, his family is a disaster, and he's a rule follower and a rule breaker all at once. He's an enigma and has been from the start. You think you know him, but do you really? He's always running from something, facing challenges like he's trying to prove something to himself. Him and his siblings are the driving force of a lot of plot lines, and for good reason. You just can't help but wonder whether he is a good person or a bad person, and maybe he's just both.

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

I'm honestly not 100% sure. My inspiration to write this WIP truly started with Percy Jackson, so there could be some crossover there. Really anyone with an interest in fantasy and okay with dark subjects could find it interesting.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

Writer's block. Whether it's because a character wasn't connecting with the action the way I wanted them to, or if I'm having a day that everything I write isn't something I'm proud of... I'm in college and work, so there's often a lot on my mind, and stress and creativity don't flow well together in my brain.

6. Are there animals in your story? Talk about them!

Anna(marie) has a cat named Isa(belle) who she picked up while moving around with her father. Isa is a beautiful and sweet black Turkish Angora whose personality is modeled after my childhood cat Belle. She's not a major focus, but she means a lot to Anna as one of the few beings she could connect with outside of her father.

All other animals are wildlife and have to do with worldbuilding, which could go crazy, so I'll stop it there.

7. How do your characters get around? (ex. trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

While on Earth and involved in traditionally human things, they travel in cars because their goal is to blend in and hide in plain sight.

In the list of natural (magic) Hecathian abilities, one of them is Teleportation. Characters with this ability, or in proximity to someone who is, travel this way. The challenge is it takes more energy the further you are traveling and needs quite a bit of practice and discipline to do it safely and correctly. A couple examples of characters with this power are Seniar, Annamarie (duh), and Jaleya (Cameron's sister).

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

Chapter 16- near the middle of book 1.

Not even close to where I want to end this.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

I suppose the variety of aspects that appear. There is action, adventure, drama, complex characters and relationship dynamics, worldbuilding aspects, and the world and timeline just keeps expanding with different stories to tell. There's a lot to choose from, and it's all interconnected in the same universe.

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

I have a whole series planned, plus spin-offs and expanded stories to supplement it. I hope I have time to get through all of it because I want my main WIP and its world to someday be a complete set and no longer stuck only in my brain and scattered through thousands of notes.

Lightly tagging @my-cursed-prince, @willtheweaver, @jacqueswriteblrlibrary, @ashen-crest and anyone else who wants to tell me about their WIP!

[onesaltysir]

I need to settle this with myself, I can't decide if it's a good movie or not. Debate material under cut.

Eva Gabor slays as Miss Bianca (my queen) both times so that's an automatic yes from me. The story itself was also not bad.

On the other hand the animation threw me off because I've always been so loyal to the original 1977 The Rescuers. Milt Kahl's animation is such a big deal to me, that was the best era of Disney and I will not be hearing other opinions because they are wrong.

The egg scene with Johanna and Mcleach in the kitchen? Made me smile during my surgery recovery. Animated movies rarely make me smile. That scene was peak cinematic gold.

The absolute deciding factor is if Jake is sexy or not. Now for the record I am 100% team Bernard. Thicc mouse man with a dumpy and a big heart? Yes maam. (He also has a slight stutter. As a stutterer myself, child me instantly fell in love when my father had me watch the original for the first time.) But there's just something about Jake's charm. That Indiana Jones ass kangaroo rat could punt me into the sun and I can’t tell if I would thank him or dropkick that Crocodile Dundee motherfucker.

Miss Bianca, however, has been and always will be my favourite. Everyone has a crush on her everywhere she goes and she looks so put together but I promise you she is so fucking autistic and probably does Jello shots with whoever wishes to humour her. Just watch the original, and then this is emphasized in Down Under. Fucking icon. God is a white mouse from Hungary with a purple hat.

That being said, let's turn back to the animation. What are these CGI scenes doing in here? Now mind you, overall I *am* impressed with the CGI. This movie came out in 1990 and they combined 2D animation with so many near flawless CGI shots. But why though? The combination was awesome, it slayed, it served. But there was just something about it that seemed so corny to me and I can’t place my finger on it.

And what are these size proportions? Cody is six years old acording to the Disney Wiki. If you are familiar with six year olds, then you know those things aren't exactly tiny. Why is he able to ride on that eagle? Golden eagles are real birds however they are smaller than bald eagles. Bald eagles are large birds but they are not that large. In fact the largest eagle as of right now is the giant Philippine eagle, which is only a meter tall. A six year old can’t ride that. Not only did Marahute fly hundreds of metres in the air supporting an entire six year old and then some, but she was also large enough for this kid to pitch a medium sized tent on. What the hell. Fake ass bird.

Another problem I have is that it takes place in Australia. So why in the absolute FUCK does Cody sound like he's from Nebraska USA? Riddle me fucking that. Mcleach is understandable because he's a poacher, probably dropped in from the US. In fact he sounds like he's from Tennessee so you know his ass did. But come on. Cody? He's a six year old born and raised in Australia. The only characters with Australian accents were two kangaroos, a koala, and Cody's mother. His mother is a stretch though, Edinburgh sounding ass bitch.

Also what six year old owns a large pocket knife? Cody if you don't put that shit down and go work on your colouring book. I swear to god.

What redeems it for me is Bianca and Bernard. Jake really thought he could pull Bianca from the perfect man. Bernard respects Bianca with everything he has, he continually gave her everything he could. Bernard loved her, and Bianca loved him back. Jake tried to shit on her man and Bianca said 'I think the fuck not.'

And yes. I know Bernard is some Hobbit ass motherfucker. He didn’t wanna go on the trip to save Penny in the original, he hates flying, he hates adventure, but Bianca taught him to love that and it was beautiful. He tried it for her and found out that he did love it after all. Bianca brought out his courage, and Bernard brought out her heart. They're the best Disney duo. Fuck you.

I got distracted. The question I want to answer is, is The Rescuers Down Under a great movie or is it a horrible movie? It's not just good or bad. You either love it or you hate it, and I can't decide.

Miss Bianca supremacy for life.

[academicsurvivorscomicproject]

Academic Survivors (ask blog :))

(hello tumblr! this is a little passion project of mine if you will , It's a comic im planning on making in the future when i improve in digital art (and when im less busy) but for now so i would appreciate if you send some asks along my merry way :D most asks will probably be answered in traditional art so i hope you dont mind that!)

Watch and hopefully ask as four idiots along with their group of survivors manage to survive an apocalypse (with something more sinister hidden beneath the surface) Main Characters : Debbie Hak-geon (She/Her) Jady Faith (She/Her) Dae-Eun (He/Him) Hanaul (She/Her) Debbie : the stoic , sarcastic , stone-faced one of the bunch! (with a secret soft side but dont tell anyone) , she has a little pet tabby cat she adopted named "World Destroyer" , and it is very evil mind you . a daughter of an Ex-yakuza leader turned good and an ex-special forces member , does two right equal one wrong? well its time to find out Jady Faith : the smartest one of her peers (which isn't saying much) a bubbly and optimistic christian with a personality so bright it might actually blind you! but dont be fooled by her little miss perfect cover , she can be VERY surprisingly violent when she needs to (and surprisingly good at it too) . Hallelujah! Dae-Eun : a class monitor , the responsible one of the group , the only one with self preservation , the glue of the gang! and to be honest , the only reason any of them are still alive . a natural born leader with the personality to match it , strict , intimidating , and ran out of fucks to give a long time ago! Hanaul : im in love with an emoo gorlll!!! the dark and mysteriouss one of her group (or at least she tries to be) , an avid axe wielder in the apocalypse (she probably prepared for this moment for her entire life) a rebellious version of a pompous rich kids , with her mother being a CEO of a famous clothing brand and her father being a head financial leader of a popular phone industry . with her parents being away with meeting most of the time , while a butler (with a strange similarity to Alfred) deals with her batman-levels of brooding (he needs to get paid more)

(yes i know its REALLY bad but i tried </3) there are two types of asks you can send Pre apocalypse (before the zombies n stuff happen , aka normal teenage school stuff Post apocalypse (after zombie stuffs happen) and you will HAVE to specify if you want to ask the pre apocalypse gang or i will automatically assume you meant to ask the post apocalypse gang , for example : "Pre apocalypse gang : what is your favourite animal?" enjoyy :DD

[scorbleeo]

TV Series Discussion: Sex Education

Season 4 (2023)

Source: Google Images

Insecure Otis has all the answers when it comes to sex advice, thanks to his therapist mother. So rebel Maeve proposes a school sex-therapy clinic.

Source: Netflix (2019)

Absolutely Brilliant

I'll be honest here, I started watching this season with expectations of disappointment only because I knew the one couple I was rooting for was not endgame. That being said, I had no idea what I was going to get from Sex Education's final season.

In this last season, we got some really good stories which ultimately led to great character growth. Some were simply briefly touched on, like Jean's postnatal depression, Jackson finding out the truth behind his sperm donor, Ruby finally figuring out her true identity (kind of), and Viv's experience with an abusive man.

Whereas some took practically the entire show (not just this season) to get an ending. Like Aimee finally being able to recover from her assault, or Cal's struggle to become who they truly were. We also had Otis realising what issues he had and how deep they were rooted. This season also showed us Maeve and exactly how thick the wall she built around herself truly was.

Some of these stories, I particularly enjoyed watching the characters learn and grow from them. Some, really annoyed me. For example, I was never in love with the idea of Maeve and Otis being endgame. As time went on, I just preferred them as friends instead of a couple. As friends, they brought out the good in each other. As a couple, it always felt like Maeve's just holding onto Otis's leash. And I hated how Otis forsaked anybody and everybody once Maeve was around. If you'd watched this season, you could see how bad of a friend, a son and a campaign party he was once Maeve was back in his life. I still don't like the idea of them being a couple but seeing how deep-rooted their individual issues were, it made sense why I always thought them together romantically was problematic but I am not opposed to them coming back together in the far future. Probably why Sex Education's finale struck a chord in my heart, one I did not expect to be struck. Way to go, ambiguous endings.

Now, Adam has been one of my favourite people in this show since he showed his vulnerable side which automatically meant Michael's not exactly likeable. Michael was a toxic father and husband, nobody can object to that. And when Adam told Michael off and finally articulated his unhappiness with his father, I was so proud of my dear boy. However, it's the part where Michael said he doesn't hate Adam, he hates himself. That part made me so happy because not only was Michael fully acknowledging he was a bad parent and husband, he also finally gave Adam clarity. My boy has struggled too much and although I hate that he is no longer with Eric, I am absolutely elated Adam's in such a better place both physically and mentally.

Which brings me to my favourite character growth in this season. Eric freaking Effiong. I never thought this person needed more development, then this season came and I was utterly proven wrong. However, it's his story that warmed my heart. I don't think enough people talk about what Eric was going through in season 4. It's something everybody knows, regardless of which side we're on. Yet, we never talk about it or in some cases, act on it. The dilemma, the identity crisis, the forlornness that people like Eric suffer from... It opened my eyes bigger, I was aware before, I am just even more aware now.

Sex Education actually got better as the seasons went on. And season 4 was an excellent finale to it. I know it's not a show for everyone but I think it should be.

Before I say farewell to Sex Education once and for all, I went back to read my reviews for seasons 2 and 3. And wow, my thoughts each season really go back and forth. (Sarcastically) I love the fact that none of my wishes for season 4 happened, at all.

Rating: ★★★★☆

P.S.: I did not realise how much I liked the secondary school teachers until they had that small appearance.

More on Sex Education here: Season 2 | Season 3

[whypolar]

Gundam Unicorn OVA 2: The Second Coming of Char

It's time.

Here comes a special boy!

If you don't cheer and clap for him I'll blow this whole building up.

(You can read my previous post here, if you want.)

I was grinning every time Frontal was on screen. I'm so easy. He's perfect.

The music continues to be excellent.

The percussion in Frontal's theme is fucking crazy. I don't even have the vocabulary to describe what is happening here musically, but I like the aggressive synth and that there's a xylophone. Maybe multiple xylophones. Imagine.

I also particularly liked this one track with the chanting vocals before the hostage negotiation-- apparently it's the Sinanju's theme.

The main theme associated with the Unicorn itself keeps getting caught in my head.

The robots remain very cool.

Combat plays out almost beat-for-beat as described in Novel 3, right down to the automatic cockpit functions and Banagher throwing up in his helmet. Gross.

Environments: effectively conveying information.

The backgrounds in this one didn't wow me as consistently as the first one, but that's fine. They're in space. They're on closed ships. They have other, more important things they want you to look at. Sterile corridors communicate information about the setting, even if they're not necessarily exciting.

They do some cool stuff with the lighting on the bridge. I also like that they have an inexplicable vaporwave room to put the civilians in.

I'm pretty sure I have this exact room in my house in Animal Crossing.

After Banagher gets captured we start seeing more variety again, since there are more different places for us to visit.

Those are my big surface-level impressions.

From this point on, there will be novel spoilers up to the equivalent point where this OVA ends (which will include some things that I assume will show up in OVA 3).

One of my favourite background nobodies, Lieutenant Commander Liam. I love that the main thing we know about her is that she's big and constantly side-eyeing her blustering boss.

In terms of novel comparisons, there's a lot more I can potentially talk about in this one than the first.

Judging by these first two, it seems like each OVA covers about 1.5 novels worth of material, which sounds about right to cover all ten in seven episodes.

They swapped a number of scenes around. They've been skipping over a lot of little Vist family stuff that will have to come up later. I don't think that will be a problem. I assume they had two priorities:

Establish key details of Frontal's character, such as his self-identity as a vessel and his ambiguous relationship to Char, in the same OVA where he's introduced

Set up the hook of Banagher getting rescued for OVA 3

They've held off on introducing Martha for now, which is fair. She hasn't really done much by this point, she just exists as a vaguely menacing figure. I assume she'll be in the next one. Please?

They also skipped over Cardeas' memories of Syam arranging to have Cardeas' father killed. If they intend to tell us that later, it will probably be through another character, such as Martha or Syam himself.

Alberto hasn't figured out Banagher is his half-brother yet. Martha is the one who tells him this, so that makes sense. I could see them making that scene Martha's introduction.

Have I mentioned I love Alberto? I really do. I like him even better without a judgmental narrator describing his fatness, so there's an unambiguous point in the anime's favour, lmao.

Banagher

I'm glad they kept the flashback of Banagher's childhood 'training', but disappointed that they cut off the nightmare at the end. I wanted to see how they'd do it.

Caught my not-husband zapping our son so he'll be good at killing people in the psychic death machine when he's older. He does it in the piano tapestry room, to make sure the repressed traumatic memories are as poetic as possible.

We don’t get to hear Banagher's mother confront his father about putting him in the newtype pilot torture simulator, so we miss out on Cardeas' incredible defence of "don’t worry, I'm not using drugs on him in the tests." Father of the year.

In the novel: we hear the fight, it moves on to memories of Banagher leaving home with his mother, and then it eventually degenerates into the horrible withered body of Banagher's dead father grabbing his ankle and trying to make him go to the Gundam. The Gundam is described as a giant bleeding demon that wants to eat him.

It's important to me that a Gundam should always be at least a little monstrous. They should let the Unicorn be evil. As a treat.

At this point, I think anime Banagher comes across as mostly in line with his novel counterpart's characterization. The change in situation means a change in behaviour. Events have forced him to start openly expressing his doubts and fears-- which means the audience can actually know what they are.

There is still one difference that stuck out to me, because they chose to cut a particular scene:

OVA Banagher feels less genuinely attached to his friends.

I don't think this is a worse characterization. It's interesting in its own way. It's just like... a notably different one, imo.

There's a very sweet scene in the novel of him reuniting with Micott and Takuya. They're all overjoyed to see each other again alive. They hug, floating through the air in low gravity. Banagher feels warmth and a sense of belonging, and seriously considers never getting back in the Gundam again. They get so caught up that they end up hitting a wall and getting grabbed by gravity again, so they all collapse and start laughing. Then Audrey comes in, and the moment ends, as Banagher is compelled to go to her instead.

In the anime, they're all at his hospital bedside when he wakes up. Micott directly calls out to him in concern. He totally ignores her and addresses Audrey instead. Bro???

Given that he mostly ignored the other students and stared into space for a lot of the previous OVA, because they cut a lot of their casual school interactions from that one, too, well... Audrey doesn't just feel like Banagher's most powerful connection, but possibly his only real connection.

They also cut Micott being the one who approaches Mackle about Audrey, which makes him decide to look her up. Instead, he recognizes her face on his own. I was surprised by this one, since it felt like they were setting it up, but I guess not.

Audrey / Mineva

Mineva translates flawlessly to the screen. It helps that she's central both to the plot and to our protagonist's motivation. An element of mystery is also already important to her portrayal, so not getting direct glimpses into her thoughts doesn't feel like losing something. Much like last time, we basically know what the protagonist knows, and it works.

This is the best case scenario, but it also gives me less of an excuse to talk about her. Now I have to talk about Riddhe instead. I can't even believe how much I feel the need to talk about Riddhe. I did not think I cared about Riddhe.

And yet.

Riddhe

We find out who he is by the end of this one. Kinda. Depending on how much attention the viewer pays to character surnames, they may have figured it out earlier, or might even still not have grasped exactly what was being implied.

Again: I don't especially care about Riddhe, so I'm hesitant to say I want them spending time on him that could be used elsewhere, but the thing about reading the novels first is that I know his significance to the plot going forward. I'm worried things might end up more frustrating in the long run if they don't do enough with him early on.

When I think about scenes centred on Riddhe from the first 4 novels that I found particularly memorable… a lot of them were removed!

That good luck charm he has? In the novel, he doesn't have that. He has model biplanes, like actual hand-sized toys. In his introductory scene, he's sitting in a cockpit with one and basically zoning out, pretending to make it fly around. He thinks about wanting to be a pilot growing up, and it really gives the distinct impression that he's a bit mad that planes are mostly obsolete and he has to fly in a mobile suit instead. People roast him for being a rich kid playing with his toys.

That's the kind of idiosyncratic and slightly cringe enthusiasm that makes a character feel real to me. I don't even know if it would have been better to keep that in, I just know that I personally would like it.

The little things are what let me engage with him as a specific character, as opposed to an archetype I'm not personally invested in. I'd rather have a more detailed character than a guy who feels like nothing, whether I personally like him or not.

This is how the novel version of Riddhe meeting Banagher played out:

After the battle, Riddhe is feeling survivor's guilt, since they lost a lot of pilots during the battle. He goes to check on his machine. The mechanic inside is one of the older crew members, and he's crying.

When Riddhe tries to speak to him, he turns around and screams at him. He found the airplane model in the cockpit, where Riddhe accidentally left it. He's furious that Riddhe brought a toy onto the battlefield. He tells him to his face that he wasn't taking things seriously, and that's why they got massacred in the battle.

He throws the plane out of the cockpit, Riddhe chases it down as it glides through low gravity, and Banagher ultimately catches it, which is how they meet for the first time.

It's just much meatier than what we got.

I also feel like we've seen less conflict with others and emotions from Riddhe about his family so far. We don't know what his relationship to them is like at all, really. We miss the scene of him biting the bullet and asking his father for help, even though he really doesn't want to, because he believes it might save lives.

Maybe that will feel more present going forward, now that Mineva knows who he is?

Still, it's not like we didn't get any character moments for him. We get a bit of banter between him and other members of the crew. He reacts to stuff. I thought the scene where he confronts Mineva about Zeon and recalls Garma's funeral was very good.

Just... I want him to be interesting enough for me to get something from his arc.

Imagine me pacing around my room and gesticulating wildly for this next part, because I finally get to talk about Full Frontal

This scene. This specific scene is the one I most want to talk about.

First of all, it has Frontal in it. Second, there's a lot of information conveyed in the novel scene that does not make it to the screen at all. Third, the anime makes its own strong visual choices that are entirely original and not drawn from any kind of novel description.

This shot of Frontal's mask is downright fascinating to me. The outside of the mask is pristine and smooth, but the inside has all these gnarled ridges. The lines around the eyes remind me of wrinkles on an old man's face. In-universe, someone decided it was important to make it look like that, where nobody but Frontal himself will see it. Was it designed this way at his request?

This scene in the novel is written from Banagher's perspective. There is no camera, it's just Banagher pointing out whatever he thinks is important to comment on. When they decided how to frame it in the anime, they pulled the camera way back, for all these extreme distance shots in this huge room. Everyone looks so tiny. This is, obviously, an unusual framing for an intimate conversation between three people.

There were so many cool and very deliberate shots in this scene; I'm kind of obsessed with it. The separation of spaces in this massive room and how they kept showing Frontal moving back and forth between them... I wish I could include them all, but tumblr has a 30 image limit per post.

When Frontal is wearing the mask and sitting next to Angelo, he is visually separated from Banagher. When he moves to speak to Banagher, he is then separated from Angelo. This is a sentiment that Angelo expresses in the novel-- that when Banagher was around, Frontal suddenly 'left him out of focus'. This is one of the things that drives Angelo to fixate on Banagher out of jealousy going forward.

Aside from depicting emotional distance between characters and showing off the absurdity of how big the room is, it's possible that the camera choices are meant to evoke another detail from the novels.

There is something very important we learn about Frontal that is conveyed solely through narration, and which has not come up at all yet in the OVA: the way characters describe his appearance, and the emotional response they have to it.

Specifically: Full Frontal looks exactly like Char Aznable, but he doesn't look like a convincing human being.

How does Banagher describe Full Frontal in this scene?

Well:

Is he a human? This was the first impression Banagher had. He could not detect any sense of life from that man, not just from the mask covering his eyes, but also the vibe that he was artificially created. He stared at the masked man who sat on the Mahogany made office table, and seriously thought that it might really be part of the decorations in the room.

The hand under the glove felt rather hard, causing Banagher to remember the first impression of a puppet ...

Perhaps I might not have seen the true appearance of this man? Banagher recalled the beautiful blue eyes, and felt that he was following an illusion ...

He also describes his stare as "machine-like" at one point.

After removing the mask, he describes Frontal's face as handsome and without identifiable flaws. "His cheekbones did not reflect his age" -- he looked younger than expected based on the age of Char Aznable, I think is the implication.

Anyway. The point is, he's good-looking and there's nothing specific anyone can pinpoint that's obviously wrong with him, and yet this is a consistent reaction characters have to meeting him. He doesn't feel real.

Honestly, this is one of my favourite things about Frontal, and it makes me a bit sad that it doesn't translate at all. I'm sure it would be difficult to visually convey-- any attempt runs the risk of looking like an error, or just 'bad'. It could also be they were worried about going too hard with it and making him read like a monster, rather than someone who could plausibly be a charismatic leader.

I get it. I just miss it, man. It's such a good little detail. He'll always be a beautiful creepy puppet to ME.

I love that Angelo's always two seconds from going on the attack. He's like a beautiful fluffy dog that's human-aggressive and keeps biting people. He's Frontal's feral rescue persian cat.

Angelo doesn't go for Banagher a third time in the novel. In that version, these lines are delivered (less violently) by Frontal himself.

The change makes sense. It's in character for Angelo, and it still implies something about Frontal-- he speaks about Banagher sympathetically, but he pretty much just lets Angelo do this, not even chastising him or telling him to stop like the previous two times.

Banagher still falls over in the novel, despite not being physically assaulted. He almost passes out from the horror of realizing he killed someone, and then he spends the entire rest of the scene dissociating and feeling physically ill. Marida and Zinnerman pretty much have to drag him out of there.

The scene with Angelo and Frontal on their own discussing the possibility of an attack on Palau is gayer in the novel. Being inside Angelo's head is always gayer. We might get the full version of this scene in the next one, since they started talking about certain exposition-related things before getting abruptly cut off.

Concluding scenes

I really like this scene with the family. The designs of these characters and how they interact with each other is very endearing. Marida casually holding the little girl upside-down and handing her over to the mother is unbearably cute.

They don't fully explain the logistics of where and how Banagher is being held prisoner, leaving it to you to intuit what the arrangement is. This works just fine for me, but I did wonder if it might throw some people off. Maybe not-- I feel like most UC Gundam stuff I've watched occasionally leaves gaps like this and trusts you to connect the dots on your own.

It's just very different from reading the novel, where it leads you through the whole process of him being kept on the ship, brought to Palau, being taken to see Frontal, etc. It gives a history of Palau as a mining colony, including how and why it was built, why the guy who bought it most recently renamed it Palau, the population size, the dimensions in kilometers... you get the idea. Completely different approach.

Marida.... the next one should have a lot more of Marida, I think. I'm glad. I want more Marida. She's one of my favourites.

Her big scene in this one is a good one with a lot of thematic and emotional weight, but the reordering of scenes did skip over a lot of smaller moments between her and Banagher that I really love-- big fan of her grabbing his face to check his eyes and then telling him about the effects of g-force on the human eyeball.

I'm hoping at least some of those casual interactions make it into the next one. They can be shifted around pretty easily, so long as it's before the attack on Palau begins.

I think that's everything I wanted to go over... either way, I'm done. This post took me a lot longer to edit than the first one.

I can't believe they made me write fifteen paragraphs about Riddhe.

[obsessedwiththedragonprince]

So I've watched the first three seasons of TDP a while ago, randomly decided it needed a rewatch, somehow realised it got two additional seasons while i wasn't looking and now I need a place to vent my random thoughts.

I watched around a season a day and i just have to watch the se3 finale tomorrow and I'll catch up with what I've seen so far. When I see the 4th and 5th seasons I'll probably going to start spewing a lot of random shit so beware.

First of all. FIRST EPISODE AND CLAUDIA IS READING LOVE AMONGST THE DRAGONS?!

Second. I shipped Amaya and Janai hard the first time around already but this is so good. Like Janai's sister dying? Prolly my favourite scene so far. (Btw I'm spoiler free for seasons 4 and 5 except i googled ship name for them and saw a picture of them kissing so i know that's canon. Would honestly feel cheated and insulted if it wasn't.) Also the translator is such a cinnamon roll.

There are sooo many lovable characters in this series. I love Amaya and Soren most I think but everyone has such good arcs!!

Like Claudia being manipuated by Viren? I really like how her corruption comes from her love for Viren. I also loved how Soren is seen as the slower one out of them but she's more naive when it comes to their father.

The scene where Soren leaves her and she says "Don’t make me choose! Not again."? Right in the feels man.

Also sending my love to Bait! The guy deserves some love! I felt really bad for him during that scene on the ship when he felt like he was replaced by Zym and then when Callum invited him to come and he was so happy?? Like my heart? And then he basically goes and becomes a parental figure to Zym.

Oh that reminds me. What was the captain's name? I can't remember but i recognised it in those texts in the beginning when important people who work on the series are written so. Fun.

Also Gren is so random but I hope we'll see more of him. Loved his friendship with Amaya even if it had like two minutes of screentime.

I'm trying to think of everything that went through my head during the watching. Um.

Oh! Aaravos (is that correct?) What's up with that dude? And I didn't go back to check but in Harrow's letter to Callum he said that cube is a key sth connected to Aavaros and that he's a powerful mage and knows all six arcanums? So I'm wondering where that'll go. But he'll prolly be the final villain instead of Viren? We'll see ig. And a stupid thought but i just imagined him being somehow stuck in the cube? And my brain automatically got the idea that to open it all six sides must be activated(glowing) at the same time? I dunno what my brain is on atm but this exists in my head now.

And what happened with Ezran's abdication? Like why did he do it? What did anyone gain from that? Were the others supposed to leave them alone just because he did it? Dunno.

Also Aanya is so cool. Really love how she has a brain you know?

Also who was the guy who first deserted when the option was offered? Cause I know we saw him before but idk where. Wait he's not the guy Rayla spared is he? That would make some sense but i know we see the guy who deserts at least once in the throne room? I'm confused.

Also all kings and queens are dead so who's leading all the other armies beside Kasef(is it Kasef?)? Why don't we meet them?

Also Corvus is great and I love how he just goes along with everything Ezran does. You're a weird king Ezran.

This is so random but how was that vet supposed to know how fast an unhatched dragon's heartbeat is supposed to be? Just seemed funny to me.

Also i think the first time around i didn't like Soren in the beginning but now i loved him from the first scene when he helps Callum show off in front of Claudia.

I'll be back in the morning but right now I'll have to finish this rant cause i went to bed like two hours ago and couldn't sleep so this happened lmao.

[m34gs]

For the writing ask meme: 5, 9, 14!

Thank you for the ask, friend! (from this post!) These are really helping me think about writing and getting me unstuck! I appreciate it!

I have many WIPs, but the one I am currently focusing (and stuck) on is United, my BNHA Hogwarts AU fic. I recently got a motivation boost from a lovely comment left by @oaken-dick and so I've been revamping the plot for the remaining chapters and working it to be more cohesive, and then writing, hopeful to post the next chapter when I can.

5. what is the next moment you need to write that’s interesting to you?

I would say the very next part that I have to write is Tenya's Ultimate Betrayal. Not to give too much away, but if anyone has read the fic they know that I took Tenya's canon spiral from when his brother is injured and made it worse. I made it so much worse. My poor Tenya, I am not giving him a chance to easily redeem himself...oops. Basically, every time you would think he's Past the Point of No Return, he does something that leads him further and further away from his friends and any shot at redemption.

At this point, no one is safe no matter how long they've been friends or what they've promised in the past. Tenya is working with Shigaraki, and murder is on his mind.

9. what do each of the relevant characters currently want?

oooooh, this is such a good question. This is actually one of my favourite questions to ask myself, and I'm so so so happy to answer. It will make my answer long as there are several relevant characters, but I will try to summarize as best I can and I will only focus on the major characters of the fic for this one:

Izuku - Izuku wants to stop Shigaraki for a couple reasons: 1. He wants his mother, a muggle, to be safe; 2. He wants his friend Tenya to stop heading down the dark path he's on; 3. He does not like the sound of a once-powerful dark wizard coming back to kill people; and 4. he wants to prove to everyone that being a Slytherin does not automatically make someone evil or beyond saving.

Katsuki - He just wants himself and Izuku to be happy together. And for Izuku to be SAFE.

Hitoshi - My poor son just wants some happiness. He has been hit hard at every turn and he's reaching for anything he can to save himself. He would also like to not be heartbroken *looks at Dabi and coughs*

Dabi - Initially, Dabi wanted to rebel against his father. Now, he just wants to find a way to stop Shigaraki and survive the process. He has an added desire to watch out for Tenya, because he's Hitoshi and Shouto's friend. And if he and Hitoshi could figure some stuff out...that would be nice too lol.

Tenya - I don't think Tenya really knows what he actually wants at this point, but I know the fact of the matter is that he's seeking an outlet for his grief and he wants others to hurt the way he is hurting.

Shigaraki - He wants the extermination of muggles for a few reasons. It's not explicitly stated (yet) but uh...his situation was very similar to Hitoshi's once (see fic for details? it's complicated...), and All for One is the wizard who saved him.

Ochaco - Ochaco wants the boy she loves *looks pointedly at Tenya* to stop being an idiot and for things to go back to how they were when everyone was getting along.

All for One - Believes muggles are beneath wizards and witches, and so he wants to get rid of them.

14. what do you like about this WIP?

This was my first ever fanfic, and I've been working on it for a little over three years now(started posting in October 2019). I have a strong attachment to it because I've been working so hard on it for so long.

I really like the Dabi/Shinsou in the fic. Initially, this ship was meant to be more background, with the main focus of Shinsou's character being his escape from the abusive foster home he lives in...but I really liked the way the two students were drawn to each other and the way they interacted when I wrote them, so the ship kind of grew from there.

I also liked playing around with character assignments. When I first told my brother that Izuku was going to be in Slytherin, he nearly jumped out of his seat going "what?! How does that work?!!!!" lol. But I think my reasoning is logical. Izuku has ambition, maybe even more than Katsuki. Slytherin highly values ambition. I also really like drawing out the plotting side to Izuku, which is a bit of what happens with him being in Slytherin. And honestly, the fact that Izuku in the original source material takes the hair from All Might and agrees to be his successor in order to be a hero screams to me "I will do anything to meet my goal". On the other side of it, Katsuki is a Gryffindor. Yes, he has ambition, but he won't do 'by any means necessary'. He actually has his own guidelines for himself (evidenced by the Sports Festival where he is angry and refusing to accept first place because he knows Todoroki didn't give their fight his all and feels that means he hasn't actually earned the first place title). Honour and Bravery are Katsuki's thing. I did a lot of thinking for every character I assigned a house in this fic, so it took a long time to actually plan it all out.

I took liberties with ages and de-aged a lot of characters to have several of them all be students together, which was also fun because it allowed for more interactions between the antagonists and protagonists to happen organically in the fic.

I also really love how Inko in this fic finds her spine far sooner and is not afraid to speak her mind from the get-go. In the very first chapter, she is traumatized along with Izuku and Katsuki. And at that moment, she decides to do what she can to make sure they're safe. This led to a very interesting interaction between her, Aizawa, and All Might when the boys initially get invited to Hogwarts. I based a lot of it on the part in the anime where teachers are going around apologizing to parents and explaining the dormitories and asking permission for students to live on-grounds. She really stood her ground there and I loved how strong she was even as she had tears in her eyes. Inko is a Queen.

There you have it! Thank you again, friend, for asking me this. It really helped me iron some things out for the part I'm writing right now. Love you tons!

[evilwriter-originals]

Okay, I’m making you work. All of these for Girad and Anaria because they’re my new blorbos.

🤥 LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show they're lying?

🥞 PANCAKE - what is their comfort breakfast?

🍩 DONUT - favourite sweet treat?

🍧 SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood? what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it?

🌺 HIBISCUS - do they have any allergies?

🍁 MAPLE LEAF - what is their favourite season? why?

🙈 SEE-NO-EVIL - whats a side of your oc that they don't want to show other people?

🪤 MOUSE TRAP - what will always lure them into certain danger? a loved one in danger? a promise of something they are always searching for?

📦 PACKAGE - what are some "most likely to..." that can apply to them?

❤️ RED HEART - their love language(s)?

💔 BROKEN HEART - what could their partner do that would absolutely break their heart?

Wow, long one! Thank you so much! This really helped to develop tiny things about these characters, and some bigger things too! Going under a read more because it is long.

Anaria

🤥 LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show they're lying?

Anaria isn’t really a good liar. Her tell is that she plays with her hands or looks down or away from the person she is speaking to.

🥞 PANCAKE - what is their comfort breakfast?

Anaria really enjoys omelets with mushrooms, broccoli, and ham, with a warm buttered biscuit on the side.

🍩 DONUT - favorite sweet treat?

Orange dream bars. They’re basically lemon bars but with oranges. Anaria really likes citrus. 

🍧 SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood? what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it?

Anaria keeps a stuffed wolf that her mother gave to her. She doesn’t have much from her mother, given that she was so young when she passed, but the wolf means a lot to her. If she lost it, she would be absolutely distraught, feeling like she lost the last connection she had with her mother.

🌺 HIBISCUS - do they have any allergies?

Not that I know of, lol. Maybe she’ll develop one.

🍁 MAPLE LEAF - what is their favorite season? why?

Anaria really likes the summer time. It gets very hot in Nessar, but she likes it. There’s something about summer and flying on warm air that feels freeing to her.

🙈 SEE-NO-EVIL - whats a side of your oc that they don't want to show other people?

Anaria doesn’t want to show people her violent and vengeful side. She knows she has a darkness inside of her that would be frowned upon by others, and so she tries to hide it.

🪤 MOUSE TRAP - what will always lure them into certain danger? a loved one in danger? a promise of something they are always searching for?

Any loved one in danger will automatically make Anaria do something drastic to get them to safety, be it rushing into battle with no plan or sacrificing herself for the other person.

📦 PACKAGE - what are some "most likely to..." that can apply to them?

Most likely to commit avunculicide (killing of uncle). Didn’t know that was a word until today.

❤️ RED HEART - their love language(s)?

Anaria’s love language is touch. She loves having contact with people that she cares about.

💔 BROKEN HEART - what could their partner do that would absolutely break their heart?

Tell her that her trauma isn’t real and that she’s weak and broken.

Girad

🤥 LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show they're lying?

Girad is a very good liar. He’s used to having to lie to his father to avoid conflict and confrontation.

🥞 PANCAKE - what is their comfort breakfast?

Porridge with berries.

🍩 DONUT - favorite sweet treat?

Chocolate cake. He’s a huge fan of chocolate.

🍧 SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood? what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it?

Girad has his mother’s engagement ring. It was supposed to be buried with her after her execution, but he stole it to keep for himself as a way to remember her. His reaction to losing it would be utter heartbreak and distress.

🌺 HIBISCUS - do they have any allergies?

I’ve now decided that he’s allergic to dust and pollen. Sneezy Girad in the spring.

🍁 MAPLE LEAF - what is their favorite season? why?

Girad’s favorite season is winter. No allergies to worry about, and he feels like the cold brings new life into him. He also prefers dressing for colder weather.

🙈 SEE-NO-EVIL - whats a side of your oc that they don't want to show other people?

Girad doesn’t want others to see his anger. He has a very angry side, but tries his best to hide it.

🪤 MOUSE TRAP - what will always lure them into certain danger? a loved one in danger? a promise of something they are always searching for?

Girad doesn’t like backing down from challenges, even if they’re ones he knows he can’t win.

📦 PACKAGE - what are some "most likely to..." that can apply to them?

Most likely to rule the world. (Let’s be honest: he’d be good at it.)

❤️ RED HEART - their love language(s)?

Girad’s love language is gift giving. He’s a very good gift giver, and tries his best to figure out what to get the other person without asking them what they would want. 

💔 BROKEN HEART - what could their partner do that would absolutely break their heart?

Probably purposefully breaking his gifts.

[davyreads]

review of nisha sharma’s the letters we keep

a story of beautifully written love letters; love letters to one another and to the south asian community, that sharma holds close to her heart.

"there is no sunshine without you here, my bachcha,"

the letters we keep follows ravi kumar, nepo baby extraordinaire, and jessie ahuja, hardworking scholarship student, as they try and unravel the mystery of the legend of davidson tower, where it is said that two star-crossed lovers suddenly vanished in a fire. nisha sharma details the struggles faced by the south asian community, and how those hurdles seem to transcend time. however, so does the love that these characters have for one another, and we follow these two parallel love stories as they grow closer and closer to not just each other, but to the truth.

keep reading for my personal thoughts (there will be spoilers)

this story follows hartceller students, jessie ahuja, a hardworking freshman, and ravi kumar, a senior who is also part of the very well-known kumar family and who is deemed by jessie a “nepo baby.” though their relationship starts off very rocky, they eventually call a truce so that they can unearth the secrets of the davidson tower at their university, since one of the campus legends is that a south asian woman and her boyfriend disappeared without a trace after the tower was set alight. with the help of some letters, jessie and ravi slowly start to unravel the story of these long-lost lovers as well as develop their budding romance.

hartceller is set up, from the beginning, as almost a hotspot for south asian students, and its place in the rich history of south asians in america is, in my opinion, very well done. sharma shows us how hartceller served as, to an extent, a safe haven for south asians just arriving in the us and allowed them an opportunity at higher education that were few and far between for this demographic. it was refreshing to read about indian characters and the different ethnicities and cultures of india, as well as have a small glimpse into the unique culture and identity carved out by the first migrants; i felt lucky and excited to have this chance to see it, considering i am neither american nor south asian.

another aspect of the book that i really enjoyed was the relationship between jessie and her father, and my favourite quote from the book actually comes from one of their interactions, because it is truly so beautiful to read. it is clear through jessie’s diligence that everything she does is out of love and service, and a debt she feels she owes to her parents for all that they have done for her to get to the point that she is at now. it is through these interactions that it becomes easier to see this story as a love letter in and of itself to the south asian community and, really, the forefathers of any community who took those first fateful steps to procure a future for generations to come in a land that promised hope and success. this difference between jessie and ravi is clear as ravi’s family has more established roots than jessie; he is wealthy, with a powerful family as a safety net should he fail, and his name automatically draws attention and respect, things that jessie (and her parents) have had to work at from the moment they got to america. the differences between the two main characters and their social classes are visible and you are able, to an extent, to understand them.

all of this being said, i did not enjoy this book. romance is already a genre that i do not immediately gravitate towards, and i am trying to read beyond young adult fiction, so once it was picked by my book club, i knew this book was never really going to be a good fit for me. the book feels very ya-esque, which obviously is not surprising, but it was to the point that it constantly took me out of the story, which already felt quite flimsy anyway. the book is paced quite quickly, and this seems like an instance of “insta love”, which made it even more difficult to read, because everything just felt a bit incredulous and that truly means something because i really enjoy books with fantastical elements to them. none of this was helped by the fact that these characters were not particularly interesting, and they fell flat at times. they had very strict archetypes that, once you get to my age (the haggard, wizened age of 20) and you’ve read as extensively as i have (wattpad, tumblr and ao3), get very tired and boring, especially when executed in a basic manner, as was the case for the characters of this novel.

let's first discuss insta love which is basically a very fast-paced romantic relationship (insta being short for instant, i assume) and it’s something of a universally despised trope; it is unrealistic, annoying and, honestly, a tad lazy. it is also present in this novel, and for me, it made the reading experience very frustrating because ravi seems to be immediately captivated by jessie, but we don’t actually understand why? he’s always talking about how surprised he is by how she can’t see what he sees, but what do you see, ravi? we are only told about his crush; we are never truly shown actual reasons for this sudden obsession. also, before reading this book, i had just finished reading the twilight saga for the first time, and there’s a point in the novel when ravi admits that he followed jessie home after their first meeting, and i got immediate edward cullen flashbacks. we as readers don’t actually know why he’s so taken by her, and we never really find out; this tends to be a feature of insta love – because everything happens on an accelerated scale, everything is underdeveloped, and i can just tell that this book was marketed as a “he falls first” book. this love story was not convincing, and it isn’t just ravi and jessie who suffer from this, but also the lovers whose letters they are reading. it’s worrying that the love story that brings our main characters together is weak and uninteresting. the “mystery” isn’t particularly captivating and over the course of the book, i didn’t actually find myself caring about their story. something else that weakens their story, as well as ravi and jessie’s, and therefore the novel as a whole, is that it’s kind of nonsensical? ravi and jessie find letters sent by the anonymous woman to her lover and they examine them for a class assignment, but they never once think about the possibility that the recipient would also have written back (those letters appear at the end to solve the flimsy inevitable angst that develops, quite weakly, between ravi and jessie). they try and tell this very old story and they don’t realise that they only have half of it, which really bugged me because it was the first question i asked upon realising we only had letters from one person. the whole thing felt quite shaky and it didn’t make for a fun read.

something else that hampered the reading experience was the characters themselves. we are repeatedly force-fed the idea of jessie as the “unattractive nerd who’s actually really hot” and ravi the “misunderstood bad boy nepo baby with a heart of gold who really has a passion for the arts and who actually has it just as hard” and this is something we are consistently told rather than shown, and it is drilled home so incessantly that it gets annoying and then angering. these characters seem to exist around the love story they share with each other and it’s aggravating to read because we don’t really know anything about these characters; even worse is that we don’t really want to know anything about them – they’re so uninteresting and boring and we don’t get why they even like each other. the characters and the story in which they appear are both so underdeveloped and you don’t really care about them. as i mentioned earlier, my favourite relationship in this whole book is the one that jessie shares with her father; the love they share is so tender and unhindered and so raw, it’s truly beautiful to witness. i wish as much care was put into ravi and jessie’s relationship; there seemed to be a preoccupation with hitting all the marks of a typical young adult romance (including the sex scenes which come out of literally nowhere) and the story suffers because of this strict adherence. you also see it in the inner thoughts of jessie and ravi, where they seem to constantly reiterate their personal standpoints in a somewhat unnatural way, and this only hurts the reading experience.

i feel it necessary to bring up here that this book also makes attempts at an enemies-to-lovers storyline with ravi and jessie, and it is so poorly executed. i would say that this is something that plagues many inclusions of this trope nowadays in some mainstream novels because the rivalry is either so laughable that it’s not serious or so severe that it’s unbelievable that these characters are actually breathing the same air right now. ravi and jessie are the former, and i don’t even think whatever they had before dating can be called a rivalry because like them and their story and the letters and the book as a whole, it is unconvincing. you’re not rooting for these characters, let alone rooting for them to get together because they are boring, as is their “rivalry” which ultimately comes from them liking the same study room in the library, and on a deeper level, jessie has some pre-conceived notions about ravi since he’s a nepo baby, a term that’s only used 6 times in the novel but that’s still 5 times too many.

something else that was annoying was the attempt to make it seem as if ravi has it just as hard as jessie which, let’s be real, is not the case.

“just because her life had been different from his didn’t mean that it was less than or worse off than his had been. if anything, it was better. she had people who appreciated and loved her for who she was, and as cheesy as it sounded, that was something that money couldn’t buy." – chapter 13 – ravi

what would’ve been really interesting to see, and which would’ve really brought the theme of class disparity to the forefront, is if jessie spends most of the novel, preparing herself for an interview for an internship that she really wants, she spends every waking moment padding up her cv and getting experience. she manages to score an interview and she prepares herself as best she can, only for ravi’s family to secure the position for him with little to no work on his end. that would have created a real tension between them, one that’s understandable, palpable and convincing and furthers the themes present in the book. the story doesn’t delve deep enough on any aspect and that really sucks.

imagine my surprise when i found out it was apparently modelled after jane austen’s pride and prejudice.

[joyridingmp3]

ive never seen hunger games tbh,,,,i had a grudge against the books in elementary school but i don't remember why😭😭

The captain acts kind of as the leader of all the ghosts in the show! he was a captain during ww2 so thats a big part of his personality but he's also very caring n funny n repressed (which automatically makes him my favorite character)

also im interested in this ghost theory u mentioned. also also u write songs??? that's rlly cool!!!

you've NEVER seen it?????? it didn't even occur to me that people exist who havent seen/read the series! i guess for me it hits a lot of personal notes and spots (little sister 4 years younger than you who you have to protect, dads leather jacket, fuck the government, etc etc) so its definitely my comfort movie ejkghfksdjeus but id recommend it for sure

omggg is the captain like their little father figure and they're a found family? either way the show sounds rly good! i'm glad though having a favourite character is the best

the ghost theory i will elaborate on - she's a little dark though so i'll make a seperate post and tag it appropriately. don't get it wrong though like she has dark origins but its not distressing at all to me & i have fun with it

YES i write songs and stories!! if you have hobbies you should totally talk about them too if you want

[so-you-melted-22]

anthony carver is dr gears but antimony is one of the bright siblings

[shaharizade]

love really just is my friend sending me a post that reminds them of me, or me sending someone pictures of everybody i see who has the same name as them, it's my mother pretending not to be hungry and giving me more than a third of the scrambled eggs bc she knows i like it, it's me proofreading every email my father sends, it's my relatives meeting every weekend and deciding to videocall us so we're included too, it's my father copying the way i say good morning and racing me in saying it first. love is the way someone says they're going to cover for you in online class while you use the washroom, it's finishing a book and texting your friend about it crying and her agreeing aggressively with everything you say even though she's never read it, it's your friend telling you her favourite character on a tv show died and you comforting her even though you've never watched it. it's everywhere, it's in you helping your friend figure out a tumblr theme, it's in them patiently refreshing their screen to your blog to see every latest edit you've made, it's you and your parents automatically having designated seats on the sofa and automatically curling into each other as the movie starts, it's in your friend patiently explaining the rules of her language as you try to learn it, it's you and your dad having a specific routine to clean the table after every meal, it's your mom kissing your hair every time you try a new hairstyle, it's those old videos of your grandmother pushing you on the swing while you tell her about your breakfast, it's in you waking up early to go with her to the temple, love is really stored everywhere, in the smallest of actions.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi! If it’s not too late to ask, could I please request Vil, Jamil, and Cater with an s/o who is super talented at writing, but has no confidence in their stories because a relative destroyed their self-confidence? Btw, I love your blog! You’re my favourite TWST writer😊

***Mild spoilers for every character’s backstory!***

Curiouser and Curiouser...

As one who is constantly in the public eye, Vil knows that support (or lack thereof) can really impact morale and motivation. While his father has supported his involvement in the entertainment industry, Vil has gotten his fair share of negativity and hate, simply due to the reach of his stardom, so he knows firsthand it doesn’t feel good.

His best advice to you? “Enjoy yourself, and what you do. You won’t be able to please everyone--that’s simply a fact of life--but fixate on the naysayers, and you will no longer be able to find joy. There are many others who will appreciate and applaud your work, if only you would give them a chance.” Vil smiles, patting you encouragingly. “Come now, pen in hand, and best face forward.”

Vil has learned to grow thick skin and to not let ugly words get to him, but he knows this may not come as naturally to others, such as yourself. Just as one nasty comment alone doesn’t immediately breed low self-esteem, Vil is aware that one nicety won’t automatically “fix” you. A slow and steady diet of support is what you need to get back on your feet again, and Vil’s there to provide that for you.

He’s of the mindset that constant flattery holds little merit and breeds dependency rather than confidence. Because of this, Vil won’t blindly praise or compliment everything you make. You may be a talented writer, but to Vil, there’s always room for improvement, and you should never be satisfied with stagnation.

His eye for detail comes in handy when pointing out plot holes and continuity errors--but no matter what he catches, Vil remains kind and constrictive with his criticism. He aims to help you improve, not tear you down as your relative has.

When you’re stuck on writing certain parts, Vil reads your draft out loud to help you gauge the flow of the story. He makes for a great narrator, and his acting abilities really bring your characters’ dialogue come to life. It’s as though Vil is putting on a private performance, acting his heart out just for you.

You and Jamil are birds of a feather. He, too, was discouraged from showing off his abilities--and by his own parents, no less! He still feels quite resentful about that facet of his childhood, and that bitterness makes itself well known when he learns of your circumstances.

“Restraining talent, purposefully holding back... It’s a scenario I’m familiar with. If there is anything I have learned from it, it is that you must continue to hone that talent in spite of what others may say,” he advises. “And if scorn or ridicule should come your way, then do as I have and relegate your skill to the shadows. Keep it, guard it, polish it... like a fine jewel, and allow only your closest confidants near.”

Jamil encourages you to channel your frustration into your craft. According to him, you may as well put that energy to some use rather than sit on it and sulk. Let spite fuel you, he whispers--a snake’s forked tongue in your ear. Make a masterpiece. Prove them all wrong.

When he knows you’re planning to sit down and write, Jamil ensures the environment is a quiet and peaceful one for you. He lights incense to bring a pleasant aroma to the room (or, if it gives you a headache, opens the window to let fresh air in), and provides a small plate of fruit (speared on toothpicks) for a healthy and non-messy snack to keep your energy up.

With time, Jamil ends up being your proofreader and editor. As Kalim’s caretaker and party planner, Jamil is very pragmatic when it comes to details. He’ll let you know certain points are unrealistic or require further research to more accurately portray--in fact, he’ll accompany you to the library and help you look up reference materials!

He snidely jokes that now he’s finally able to demonstrate his abilities--and how fitting, he’s lending his power to help you, someone in a similar situation as him. Jamil doesn’t even see these tasks as work. Instead, they’re oddly liberating bonding experiences for the two of you.

Cater’s been on Magicam long enough to know about the toxicity and bullying that sometimes takes place online. From that alone, Cater can only imagine what it must be like to walk in your shoes--it can really harm someone mentally, especially when it’s coming from family!

“It’s best to not pay too much attention to that kind of stuff, (Y/N)-chan!” Cater reassures you with a sunny smile. “It’ll really bum you out and weigh you down. Let’s try to get your mind off of that and thinking happy thoughts again~ Just leave it to Cay-kun to make it all better, okay?”

He’ll do what he can to help inspire you and get your creative juices flowing! (Look at this moodboard he put together--doesn’t it just speak to your soul? And check out this cafe with the cute ambiance! You two should definitely go together and experience it for yourselves~)

To help you slowly rediscover your confidence, Cater decides to start off small and work your way to bigger pieces! He’ll give you random one word prompts and tell you to try writing something inspired by it. The twist? You’re only allowed a small number of characters or letters maximum for it--just long enough for a social media post. Next, Cater might send you a string of emojis and ask for a few posts’ worth of words, then maybe a photo with the challenge to write a short story inspired by that image... 

Of course, he always eagerly reads your work each and every time you’ve completed one. His comments may not be super in depth or analytical, but he can tell you’ve put your heart into everything you write, no matter the length or the inspiration, and Cater cheerily praises you for your efforts.

It’s difficult to get his façade to crumble, but there’s a few times when he genuinely comes close to tearing up from reading your works. The way you convey emotions in writing--whether with a few words or with many words--strikes a cord with him. As you gradually open up again to the world of writing, so, too, does Cater gradually open up about his own dark feelings that he so readily stashes away. You share your stories, and Cater shares his emotions--equal parts give and take.

[ready-steady-freddie]

Beyond (Part one)

Robert Bob Floyd x original female character

Warnings: None, really. Mentions of alcohol and death.

Word count: 2,8K

Notes: So, I recently watched Top Gun: Maverick and instantly fell for everyone's favourite Bob. It's funny, he is so far from my usual type but oh, that boy does things to me.

And thus this fic basically writes itself. Let me know what you think.

This isn't beta'ed.

PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | PART FIVE | PART SIX

‘The Hard Deck’. Kate did not know what that meant. It sounded very navy-like, almost boat-like but she was sure it must have had a specific meaning. She would ask someone in uniform later that night if the opportunity arose.

The bar did not look like much from the outside. Placed on the southern beach on the North Island Naval Air Station, Kate had been told it was usually frequented by both permanent and temporary employees of the station. She did not know much about the navy or people employed in the navy but she wanted to spend time with her sister and support her in meeting and getting to know her new co-workers on the premises. So here they were on a Friday night, ready yet did not know what to expect.

Kate and Lily stepped inside and were met with the sight of an endless number of khaki-uniformed men and women and a hefty amount of noise that almost drowned out the jukebox currently playing some random rock hit from the 80s. Kate took a deep breath and looked at her sister. Lily grabbed her hand, beaming a smile at her. She was excited. A little nervous too, Kate sensed. 

“Thank you for joining me here. I know it’s not really your thing.”

Kate smiled. “It’ll be fun. I hope.”

They ordered two colourful, fruit-flavoured drinks at the bar and found a spot by a window overlooking the beach. The place was busy but not entirely packed. None of the nearby pool tables were occupied yet.

“So, your first week at the air base, huh?” Kate looked around the place. It was not quite evening yet and most people seemed in good, loud spirits. She briefly wondered what life was like for these people in the navy. Did they live on the premises? Did they have a normal family life? She appreciated that her sister had not enrolled in the navy but simply found a job inside the air station. They had been separated for far too long now and she could not bear the thought of not being able to see her whenever she wanted.

Lily nodded while sipping on her pineapple cocktail. “Yep, it’s been interesting.”

Kate raised an eyebrow, wanting her sister to elaborate on her reply. But she did not get an explanation as a tall figure came up and interrupted them.

“Hello ladies,” came a deep voice. Kate and Lily both turned their attention towards the man. Kate’s mouth fell slightly open at the sight of him while Lily sat up straight, almost automatically pushing her chest out. He stood broad-shouldered, broad-chested in his uniform with dark blonde hair styled to perfection, name tag revealing his rank of lieutenant and last name Seresin. His gaze was intense upon them, his smile wide and inviting. He was gorgeous and he knew it.

“Hi,” Lily immediately replied.

“Oh my god, you’re twins,” was the man’s only words before another handsome man turned up behind him. He stood just as tall and broad-shouldered but dressed very casually in a white top with aviator sunglasses hanging from the neckline and a subtle form of Hawaiian shirt. He sported thick, wavy dark hair and a unique moustache that reminded Kate of pictures she had seen of her father in the 80s. She smiled to herself and did not know if she found it attractive or weird. Perhaps both.

“Hangman’s wettest dream come true,” he laughed. He reached out to shake their hands and they happily obliged. “Hey, I’m Bradley.”

“I’m Lily and this is Kate.” She gazed briefly at the blonde man - Hangman? - and smirked while looking back at Kate. “We’re not twins.”

Kate nodded with a similar tiny smirk. “We’re not even related.”

“This happens all the time," Lily sighed.

Both Bradley and Hangman looked dumbfounded, eyes wide and mouths shaped in confused smiles. “What?”

Kate and Lily laughed to themselves. "Just kidding!"

"We are sisters."

"But not twins."

"Pseudo twins, though."

"Oh yeah, that's true."

“Thirteen months between us.”

The sisters enjoyed teasing the two men, grinning slightly as their gaze shifted from one sister to the other like watching a tennis match. 

Hangman cleared his throat after a few seconds of silence. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Are you both stationed here?”

“No, we’re not in the navy. But I just started a new position as physiotherapist at the fitness centre on site.” Hangman looked intrigued and smirked. Judging by his muscular physique, Lily could be almost certain to run into him there. Kate smiled behind her almost empty cocktail. As if Lily would mind seeing this hunk of a man again. Add to that a tight t-shirt and shorts and you would have to mop her up from the floor. 

Kate was not sure what to answer or if they even wanted an answer from her. She honestly did not want to disturb whatever was happening between Hangman and her sister and so she casually finished her drink and slid off the stool. She motioned to Lily that she would head to the bar. Hangman immediately yet nonchalantly took her place opposite her sister.

“Let me accompany you to the bar,” Bradley offered, “I’m heading there myself to buy some beers.”

Kate smiled. “Thank you, that’s very nice of you.”

“It’s easy to be overlooked when you’re not that tall and the place is getting packed,” Bradley replied with a wink. Kate smiled slightly as she figured he had a point. Standing almost an entire foot taller than her, he would undoubtedly have more luck ordering drinks at the bar than she would. “So, what are you having?”

“Just something very sweet and very girly. You know, colourful and fruity.”

Bradley grinned. “Gotcha.”

Kate gazed back at her sister and the officer. Lily was totally engrossed in conversation with him. Her entire face was lit up with interest and enjoyment and Kate smiled at her sister’s fortune this evening. She deserved to meet someone who would treat her right, and if this guy had any intention of not treating her right, Kate would simply have to find him and cut his balls off.

In front of them stood a lone officer in khaki uniform bent over a pool table, racking up the balls to start a game. He looked tall but not nearly as broad-shouldered as Bradley or Hangman. Kate made a quick mental note to find out Hangman’s real name because ‘Hangman’ was just silly. The lone officer had a neat side parting in his sandy blonde hair and wore glasses that looked too big for his slender face. Kate caught his eyes and smiled at him. He was cute. Very cute indeed. Kate felt heat creeping up her neck and cheeks as she held his gaze for a few moments.

The man in question furrowed his brow slightly as Kate smiled and turned to look over his shoulder. There was no one behind him. She was smiling at him. Kate giggled a little behind her hand at his reaction.

Bradley came up next to Kate and handed her two pink-purple drinks. “Here you go.”

“Again, thank you so much. What do I owe you?”

“Oh, no problem. These are on me. You can buy the next round.” Kate smiled in gratitude and sensed that he would never let her or any other woman pay for their own drinks while he was around.

“So, Bradley,” Kate said as they walked back to Hangman and Lily and handed them their new drinks, “Are you in the navy, too?”

“I am, I am. Looks can be deceiving,” he gestured to his choice of clothing, “But I am indeed a navy boy. I just hate wearing khakis.”

As they reached the pool table Bradley greeted the lone officer with a fist bump and placed a cup of clear liquid on the rail of the table. He, too, was a lieutenant. Lieutenant Floyd. “Hey, man. Here’s your drink.”

“Thanks, Rooster.” 

Kate shook her head with a slight smile and asked the man, “If that’s Hangman and he’s Rooster, what do they call you?”

“I’m Bob.”

Kate laughed. She found that very endearing. He could definitely be a Bob. “Just Bob?”

Bob smiled. “Just Bob.”

“Alright, Bob. I’m Kate.” She shook his hand.

“Just Kate?”

Kate grinned a little and confirmed, “Just Kate.”

“Do you play, Kate?” Bob stood with a pool cue in each hand, gingerly offering her one of them. Kate looked around for Bradley, figured he and Bob were to play a game, but he had bounced off to talk to a few other people in uniform.

She accepted the cue from him and rested it on the pool table. “Not really, no.”

“I’ll show you how,” he suggested and quickly added, “Uhm, if you want to.”

Kate noticed a bit of flushing on his cheeks, nodding at his proposal. "Please do." 

As the night progressed Kate found herself getting more and more tipsy as both Hangman and Rooster kept filling her and Lily up with delicious, sweet cocktails - and somehow she found her game at the pool table improving as well. Bob, on the other hand, despite keeping up with her tempo of drinking, did not seem one bit drunk.

"Bob, what are you drinking? You seem to be holding your liquor very well." Kate could not tell if she was slurring her speech or not. She hoped she sounded more sober than she felt.

"It's just water. I'm the designated driver tonight and I usually don't drink alcohol anyway."

"Ohhh. And here I am, getting to the point where I can barely see which hole to pocket the balls in. I'm sorry, what must you be thinking about me." She rubbed her temples.

Bob smiled. "Let's take a break. Get some fresh air."

"That is such a good idea."

The sun had not yet set below the horizon but it was nearing the time of night where the darkness took over the blue, purple, red and pink hues of the sky. Kate was almost brought to her knees with the freshness of the southern California sea air. She slumped down on the wooden porch outside the bar, Bob joining her on the ground.

Kate glanced up at the sign above the door of the building, making her dizzy. "What does 'the hard deck' mean? Do you know?"

"It's the expression we use during flight training exercises to represent the ground level. It's ten thousand feet."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that if we go below that altitude during exercises, we have basically crashed and are no longer part of that exercise."

"Oh." Kate's brow furrowed. "Is it difficult to stay above the hard deck?"

"Not if you're a good pilot and know what you're doing."

Kate smiled mischievously. "Are you a good pilot?"

Bob laughed a little. "I'm actually not a pilot, I'm a wizzo. Hangman and Rooster whom you met earlier are naval aviators. Pilots."

Kate wagged a finger at him and giggled. "Are you just making stuff up now? What's a wizzo?"

He laughed again and held his hands up in defence. "I'm not, I swear. It's short for Weapon Systems Officer, or WSO. Basically, I sit in the backseat of the jet and I'm responsible for manning the weapon system on that jet."

Bob told of his duties with such unpretentiousness that Kate for a second doubted if he was even in the navy. Weren't naval flight officers supposed to be overly confident, brazen and loud? He was a strange one. Sort of reserved yet open and honest. The warm wind pushed his locks around a bit, making him look a little less rigid.

"Honestly, that sounds very complicated and dangerous."

"I suppose it can be." Bob rubbed his neck self-consciously. He offered Kate a drink of water which she gladly accepted. "What do you do for a living, Kate?"

"Well .. uhm, I'm in between jobs right now." Kate had not yet figured out for herself if she was embarrassed by the fact that she was out of a job. She had her reasons, but she was not sure if she wanted Bob to know why or if he was even remotely interested. Why would he be? "But I am a registered nurse and had been working at a hospice for some years prior to moving here down south."

"A hospice, huh? So you must be used to people dying."

Kate raised her eyebrows. Bob was a straight talker. People usually did not know how to react when she told of her profession and former place of work. Death was not something most people liked to talk or even think about. Strange, Kate mused, as the only certain thing in this life is that we must all leave it again at some point. But, she supposed, Bob was used to that risk every time he sat in a jet. No need to sugar-coat things.

"Yeah. Not the shot-down-by-enemy-jets, crash-and-burn type of deaths." She eyed him with a wry smile. "But the slow ones. Surrounded by peace and quiet and hopefully the ones you love."

Bob took a deep breath and sighed. "I have so much respect for the work you do."

Something hitched in Kate's chest or throat or somewhere in-between. A naval flight officer, probably not much older than she was, who had definitely seen combat, been to war, in all likelihood shot down enemy planes, had respect for the work she did? She became dazed, heat once again making its way across her chest, neck and face, further fuelled by the alcohol consumed. She appreciated how the dim lighting hid that from Bob.

"It-it's nothing. I mean, someone dying is not nothing. It's special. It's very intimate and sorrowful and it's beautiful and it's such an honour to be able to give people a dignified death."

"My grandpa Donald died in a hospice some years ago, and I remember there was this one nurse who made all the difference to him and us while he stayed there. She was so good to him." He let out a shaky breath and looked Kate in the eyes. "You make all the difference to people. Please know that."

Bob seemed pained at the memory of his grandfather's death. Kate wanted to reach out and hold his hand. As she had done many, many times as a loved one passed away in her care. But she did not. Bob's kind and earnest words were sobering to Kate. And something about the way he observed her made her feel confident and competent, even if he had not spoken about her personally. But she felt seen and acknowledged.

Bob shook his head and smiled despite himself. "I can't believe I've already told you my grandfather's name. I'm not going to say a single word for the rest of the evening."

Kate laughed a little. "Well, thank you for sharing your memory of your grandfather with me."

"He was - is .. He is very special to me."

"I can tell."

Moments of comfortable silence fell over them and passed until Bob spoke again. "I gather you're not from around here? You said you moved down here?"

"I did," Kate nodded, "I came all the way down from the northern part of Washington to be close to my sister. I'm practically Canadian."

Bob chuckled. "We're both so far away from home. Not that I really have a home to return to-"

A commotion near the entrance to the bar snapped them out of their conversation. Bradley and Hangman had one arm each of Lily's slung over their shoulders and they were just about carrying her outside. They were all laughing, drunk and happy. Lily spotted Kate on the ground and wrestled out of the two pilots' supportive holds to hug her sister. "Jake! It's Kate. It's my sister Kate!"

"Kaaaaaate!" she called as she fell on top of Kate, awkwardly putting her arms around her.  Kate laughed and embraced Lily who fell quiet and closed her eyes. Kate heard the three officers laughing amongst themselves.

"We called a cab to take you back home," Hangman said. "We, ah, probably gave her one drink too many."

"Oh, she'll definitely be suffering tomorrow," Kate replied with a grin. "I'll take care of her. Thanks for keeping her entertained tonight."

Hangman helped Lily up while Bob offered Kate a hand to get her on her feet again. She smiled shyly at the taller man, feeling bold. "Thank you, Bob. You have very kind eyes."

He cleared his throat, slightly perplexed, holding her hand still. The cab arrived and the sisters were helped into the car.

Before closing the door behind Kate, Bob said, "I'm not just Bob, you know."

"No?" Kate smiled.

"Robert. My name is Robert."

"Well, Robert. I'm not just Kate either."

"No?" he replied with one raised eyebrow.

"Katherine."

He grinned slightly as he closed the car door gently.

"I hope to see you around, Katherine."

"See you, Robert. Bradley. Jake."

The cab sped off into the night, leaving four hearts beating just a little bit faster.

PART TWO

[msfeyredarling]

Nyx’s first Starfall

I really enjoyed writing this one and I hope you enjoy it too :)

Context: after acosf, Nyx’s first Starfall

Warnings: intense fluff

All characters belong to SJM

ao3

Tonight is Nyx’s first Starfall. It’s safe to say I’m the most excited person in Velaris, apart from my mate, for this year's Starfall. Putting my heels on, I look up at my mate, buttoning up the last buttons on his black shirt. I raised a brow, smirking at my mate as I say, “keeping it traditional?”

Rhys looks over at me, my entire, and raised his own brow at my mock question.

“The same could be said for you Feyre darling.” Rhys purred.

“This dress has sentiment. Your mother made it and I wore it on my first Starfall, as I have every year since.” I paused, “you on the other hand, only ever wear black.”

My mate laughed and said, “but look how good I look in black. I know you love it, you think it’s sexy.”

I shook my head, hearing, “you know you do.” I let my smile break free and looked into his glittering violet eyes.

“Tonight is Nyx’s first Starfall,” I said softly, barely louder than a whisper.

Rhys smiled and it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

I’m excited, my love. I can not wait to show our son this day, a day solely found in the night court, his home, our home.

A tear snaked free and my mate wiped it away, taking my face in his two hands. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. The kiss was gentle and loving, and I reluctantly broke away.

“Let's go get our son and show him the beauty of the night court.” I entwined our fingers and together we walked to our waiting family. Nyx is in Elains arms, in a similar fashion to his father. I almost laughed at the similarity.

Did you have something to do with our son's clothes? I said into his mind, as Rhys took him from Elains arms.

Maybe? I do laugh at this and was given looks of confusion by the rest of our family. I just smiled at them in return. Together, we make our way to the house of wind.

Upon arriving, we’re greeted by the citizens of Velaris. Our family walked to one side of the roof and Rhys placed Nyx on the ground. He immediately took up the opportunity to explore wherever he could, eventually finding himself at Mor’s legs.

Nyx crawled around her legs, overly excited from all the energy buzzing through the air. Cassian watched Nyx with a hint of jealousy in his eye. Mor noticed and smirked at him.

“It seems I’m still his favourite,” Mor said with a smug look.

“And when he realises how much better I am, I’m sure he will come running into my arms.” To emphasise this, Cassian lifted Nyx into his arms. He started swinging him up and down in the air making Nyx squeal in delight.

I tried my hardest to keep my laugh in but failed. It seems I was not the only one finding this interaction amusing as Azriel shared a rare laugh with me. Mor gave us both a look and if I was anyone else, I would have withered away on the spot.

As I walked over to Cassian and a very happy Nyx, the city below quietened. Nyx saw me and made a big show of wanting to be held. I happily obliged. His hands immediately found my hair and began playing with it. A smile spread across my face, my heart bursting at the small sign of affection. Rhys found me and together we watched as the first of many stars to come, crossed the night sky.

I brought my head down and whispered into Nyx’s ear, “lookup” as I pointed towards the sky.

He looked up and the emotions that crossed his face were enough to bring tears to my eyes. Nyx started squealing and laughing, reaching towards the sky. I looked at my mate to see those same tears shining in his own eyes. One of those tears spilled and my hand automatically reached to wipe it away. Rhys held my hand to his face with his own, watching Nyx and I with so much love.

I smiled at him, my friend who held my hand in the dark, my mate who helped me see the light, my other half that continues to bring such joy and happiness and love into this second chance I was given at life. There will never be words that can ever describe how much I love and care for this male in front of me. Never be enough words for what I would give to protect him. Or this bundle of happiness in my arms. A gift, both of them from the mother herself. Not a day will pass where either of them will ever question the love I feel for them.

Tears of happiness welled in my eyes and threatened to spill. As if sensing my thoughts, Rhys gently raised my face towards his and pressed his lips to mine, conveying the love he felt. Understanding too, always knowing me better than I know myself.

A thought for a thought Feyre darling?

Those tears spilled at the nostalgic feeling, the reminder of an old game we once played.

You. I was thinking about you, and Nyx, about how I am so blessed to have two of the most beautiful souls with me, here. How you two are the greatest gift I’ve ever received. I love you both so much, more than words can ever describe.

I looked at Nyx who was still reaching for the sky. Rhys did too and Nyx, cauldron bless him, was smiling, brighter than the moon, than any star in the sky.

I looked up to see tears spilling down my mate's face, not at all ashamed to be crying in public. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Nyx’s forehead. Nyx reached for Rhys, wanting to be held by his father but a bright green spot collided with his face. He screamed and proceeded to start crying. I cradled Nyx to my chest, rubbing soothing strokes up and down his back while rocking him. He just continued to cry into my neck. I caught Rhys's eye and saw that he was trying and failing to keep a straight face at his son's hysterical display of tears.

I scowled at him as he began chuckling but Nyx suddenly stopped crying. Frowning I looked to see him staring at my neck. Some of the glowing dust had rubbed onto my neck and Nyx was staring at it in utter fascination. He started giggling then laughing, wings twitching as I passed him to Rhys, whom he snuggled right into his chest.

I smiled at the sight.

A star collided with my neck, starling me. Another collided with Rhys’ head causing Nyx to a fit of laughter. He laughed so hard that tears fell and I found myself joining in, soon followed by my mate. Our laughter slowed but the smiles stayed.

“I believe you owe me a thought.”

Rhys chuckled, “I’m thinking that this.” He stopped to look around, at our friends, Starfall, Nyx, and then me; our family. He continued in my mind, this exact moment will be something I will never forget. Something I will always look back too. To remember everything good that was given to me in this life, by the stars themselves. It will be one of my favourite memories, I will always cherish this moment. He paused, then mused, it seems for those who look to the stars and wish, that they really do answer.

I laughed, letting a bit of my gift from day shine through.

Curious, I asked, “what are your other favourite memories?”

Rhys's smile was as radiant as the sun, “your first Starfall, when you were hit by the star, when we danced” he said more softly, “the first time you smiled at me.” His eyes were lined with silver once more.

I grinned recalling the memory. I walked up to him, taking his free hand in mine and looking into his violet eyes, I smiled, recreating the memory. My mate smiled back. I rested my head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around my waist, both of us now gazing at our sleeping son. At the slight rise and fall of his chest, his beautiful and delicate wings, his precious face that I will always cherish.

Here I can heal. Here I can hope. With my friends and family, son and mate, I can be happy. And with the help of the stars, my dreams can be answered.