#look I know this might not very accurate to what actually happened in his tale. but let me have this

[antimonys-stuff]

anyway what I'm saying is BISEXUAL Icarus who in his mortal life fell (quite literally) for the splendor of Apollo in his chariot, and in his death falls in love with the princess of the Underworld, who also shines in her own way

[snakes-and-fluff]

Milgram drought be hitting hard... Anyway I was thinking what an anime of each prisoner's personal story might look like (assuming all isolated from each other and Milgram as a facility does not exist) ((also assume each 12 episodes long)) also assuming they're psychological dramas because. Milgram

Haruka: The main appeal is the artstyle, drawn like animated child's drawings for most of the time but a few scenes an episode is instead depicted in starkly realistic illustrations (not animated). It's told from the perspective of Haruka who keeps insisting he has a good life even as all the facts point otherwise, finally culminating in the murder late in the show, at which point the artstyle changes to be a strange mix of the previous two

Yuno: What first presents itself as a peppy slice-of-slice soon devolves into a painfully raw story of a teen girl. The winner of many awards but not that popular with most people who claim to find it too dry and boring

Fuuta: The murder happens towards the end of episode two but it isn't revealed to the audience exactly what happens until much later. Fuuta's behaviour clearly changes after that point and he keeps getting harassed by people who were previously friendly with him, but the actual flashback reveal is only in ep 8. The show leans very heavily into the "is he a bad person?" question and the fandom is known for starting debates about it in the comments of completely unrelated posts

Muu: It was a dark setup from the start but not many people expected a murder in episode 7. The anime switches POV between Muu and Rei until Rei dies, then it switches between Muu and a student counsellor (who doesn't know about the murder and is just trying to solve the bullying but the tension comes from the fact that the audience and Muu keep being worried about her potentially learning about the murder)

Shidou: The most niche of the bunch, some people weren't a fan of how medically accurate it was while others rejoiced in that fact. The whole thing is a flashback as it's established that Shidou has left the medical industry in the first episode but it is slowly revealed why and the circumstances behind his family's deaths as it goes on

Mahiru: Yuno's might have been a bit misleading at first but everyone who saw the promo material knew what was going down. Mahiru's managed to keep the dark twists under wraps, genuinely being sold as a cute love story though there were hints from the start. It's unclear when exactly the death happened because as it goes on it starts timeskipping and flashbacking without warning and it's clear that Mahiru isn't quite sure herself of what is actually happening

Kazui: Hinako is dead before the series even starts and it is actually told from the perspective of someone who works with Kazui slowly uncovering what happened out of morbid curiousity. Kazui is the very definition of unreliable narrator and nobody knows what to make of whatever information comes directly from him. Some fans don't like the way the show never seemed to decide on a single answer as to what happened while others praise it for it

Amane: The fandom is small but loud (though it is always recommended as "this one will tear your heart out"); the tale of a child embroiled in an awful home life, using a unique visual style of poppy colours and thick outlines to sharply contrast the horrible things being portrayed. The murder happens at the end of the last episode, giving the closest thing to a "happy ending" they could achieve for Amane, though it is left ambiguous what would happen to her next

Mikoto: Told in a non-chronological style, the reveal of the murder is towards the end (around episode 10) leaving the rest of the time as wrapup as Mikoto finally comes to accept the truth of the situation. There are still arguments in the fandom years after it ended if the murder was metaphorical or not

Kotoko: She's presented as a really cool vigilante at first but then it slowly unravels as she reveals more of her violent side and that her kill count is a LOT higher than previously thought. Her personality is divisive among fans but everyone can agree that the opening is a banger

DISCLAIMER: I just realised that some of these can be read as me throwing shade on the fans of a particular character; I promise 100% that isn't the case this was just a fun thought experiment!

[kozykricket]

some terapagos-centric speculation

alright well back into pokemon brainrot perhaps since the actually interesting to me part of SV dlc (the silly turtle) is very soon um so. i got spoiled by a leaker on a story beat i think? but i wont mention that anywhere here. however i WILL be speculating (without any leaks involved in speculation) about the lore of catching all of the series' past legendaries, using information on the official site. if you havent beaten SV and found out some terapagos lore, or if you dont want to look at the official information on the website then dont read ahead!

Let me first just... put what they have on the page for catching old legendaries "In order to encounter these Legendary Pokémon, first talk to Snacksworth at Blueberry Academy. If you’ve met certain conditions, you’ll be able to get snacks from Snacksworth that let you encounter specific Legendary Pokémon back in the Paldea region. Snacksworth will share his extensive knowledge of these Legendary Pokémon with you, as well as tales of his heroic encounters with them. Why not listen to what he has to say?"

To receive snacks that allow you to encounter these Legendary Pokémon, you must complete Blueberry Quests (BBQs) and report back to Snacksworth.

I think you can read a lot into this. First of all, BBQs is brilliant. but second of all Let's recall what everyone generally concludes paradox pokemon to be, in relation to terapagos. I'm a bit rusty on my SV lore, but as I recall, the general theory is that the paradox pokemon are all created by desire / powered by imagination. From the drawings in the books that aren't fully accurate, to heath waking up having written what I see as designs for the """time machine""" (what I believe to just be a helpful power source for terapagos) to arven literally questioning (especially notable in violet) how his father would have been inspired to bring pokemon from the future... by a book recounting pokemon from the future. from the past. I mean, heck, tera crystals even... somehow power AI sada / turo, and they say that what humanity is capable of isnt really... well, they're beyond our technology. yet they also cannot leave area zero. Theres more to it than that, I think. and I haven't even seen what lil baby terapagos does with liko in the anime... but I think its pretty safe to say this is some sort of wish-maker pokemon, that gives you tangible results, if you just think powerfully enough about something. One might even say... if you practically felt like you were there.

Heck I bet heath was so bored about seeing nothing interesting that he just... IMAGINED some weird freaky not-quite-pokemon. and terapagos thus made them real. but only a bit. Note that the only paradox mons we see outside the crater are the paradox donphan, which is the only one in the book... and the paradox of cyclizar, which was very close to heath. Powerful memories with cyclizar would create a powerful creature I imagine So, back to snacksworth. They're vague about the "certain requirements" for catching past legendary pokemon. I think this honestly just means we need terapagos, or... terapagos' blessing. or whatever. whether we catch it, whether theres only one, i dont even know.

I think he's just a nerd who happens to be giving us exactly what we need to manifest these legendaries into existence (he probably doesnt even know lol). Why would the SV protags know about all these legendaries, what they were like? Well, they dont. but he has extensive knowledge... to clearly give us an idea of what they're like. And he has "heroic tales" of him having met them before. I imagine that'll be essentially the fuel for like- "take this snack and when you eat it, it'll be as if you're about to have an encounter with them just like the story I told you!"

it'll make you feel like you were there because of associating the food with his Legendary Encounter Story (whether hes lying or not lol) and using that, combined with our newfound knowledge on what these legendaries are... terapagos will summon it into existence!

Essentially: Snack = reminds us of a heroic encounter with a legendary thus Idea of a legendary encounter + clear knowledge about said legendary pokemon + funny turtle = legendary

[bardic-perdita]

If you're still doing the yellow asks

For All 3 of Our Weirdos: Sunflower, Blossom, Crown, Lemon, Banana

For Zeke specifically: Key (He's the only one I don't know what he might even purposefully keep a secret)

"Our weirdos", love that 🥰

It's another wall of text, so I'll answer them all below the cut

🌻 (sunflower) - What’s something your character has grown out of? Did it happen gradually or was it a drastic change? What caused this shift?

Answered for Breoch here:

Shrike used to be very impulsive and let their rage get the better of them. Being a bhaalspawn meant that they were quicker to resort to violence than most, in spite of their mother's teachings. It was only after learning military discipline that they honed the skill of patience, and learned when to sharpen their tongue instead of their blade. It was a slow process, and was eventually unravelled when they succumbed to their Urge.

Zeke used to sleep in his adopted parents' bed as often as he could get away with. Solaris didn't mind too much. They enjoyed holding the tiny tiefling in their arms. Caedes was less enthusiastic, but he too eventually grew accustomed to cuddling his two most precious treasures as he slept. Zeke stopped sneaking in after he became a teen, but he'd probably still do it if he thought he could get away with it.

👑 (crown) - How does your oc feel about power? Do they hold any? If so, what kind of power and how did they attain it? If not, would they ever want power? How do they feel about those that hold power over others?

Hoo boy, Breoch has a real lust for power. When he has power, he will abuse it for his own ends. Pre-tadpole (and early tadpole) Breoch thrived on having power over people, especially when that person was oblivious to how much sway he held over them. He loved nothing more than when somebody gave him their everything willingly, and he sacrificed only what he was willing to part with. He deliberately kept Astarion in his debt to begin with, and only later did he begin to love him freely and unconditionally. He does get better about not seeking power at the expense of all else, but he still wishes to be seen as powerful. Being 1/8th dragon does mean that he's a fairly formidable sorcerer.

Shrike enjoys power, but feels intimidated by the lack of control they have over theirs. They believe that power should be utilised for a greater purpose, whether that be the protection of the meek, the violent retribution against tyrants, or the sacrifices for their divine father. If they were to suddenly lose all the power they've gained one day, Shrike would most likely feel relieved rather than distressed about it.

Zeke is ambivalent towards power. He just needs enough power to protect himself and his loved ones. He will never seek it out, but also wouldn't refuse extra power if he is granted it. To him, power is a gift granted as a reward for doing a good job.

🌼 (blossom) - When a stranger meets your oc, what’s the first thing they notice about them? What kind of vibes do they give off? Are they friendly and open? Cold and standoffish? Is the first impression people get accurate to who they actually are?

Breoch is exactly who you expect him to be (and that is on purpose). He knows he looks unusual for a drow, so he's patient with all those who stare. He will play the part of gracious nobleman with most, or a charming bachelor with some. He is quietly cautious, so will appear friendly and civil until he can determine a person's intentions. But it is only an appearance. If you're lucky, you'll see he's much friendlier and caring than he seems. If you're unlucky, then you will learn just how cold-hearted the culmination of a drow and dragon's cruelty can be.

Shrike has a resting 'I will murder you in your sleep' face. Underneath their fearsome exterior, they have a heart of gold and boundless child-like joy at every wondrous little thing they see. They smile rarely, but that just makes it all the more special when they do.

The first thing somebody may notice about Zeke is how he doesn't look like a typical tiefling. His arms, legs, tail and ears have an unusual gradient along them, and his arms are covered in battle scars. At first glance he may appear to be a bit of a fool, overly friendly and trusting, but upon closer inspection it's clear that he carries himself with all the poise of an elite soldier.

🍋 (lemon) - What’s something your character never got over, if anything? Why did it affect them so much and is there any chance of them ever healing from it?

I think you already know Breoch's, though I'll keep it pretty vague here. Breoch can never get over the impossible choice he was forced to make when he was a little too careless in his younger years. No matter how he tries to reframe it in his mind, what he did will forever be unjustifiable.

Shrike would struggle to get over Gortash and Orin's death, even though they made the choice to kill them both. Orin was their sister and just as deserving of redemption as they were, but fate denied her that chance. She represented Shrike's failures: their failure as a sibling, their failure as a Chosen, and their failure as a paladin. Gortash's death also meant the destruction of who Shrike used to be. All the memories he held from the point of view of someone who truly understood them died with him.

Zeke doesn't really have any regrets, namely because he isn't allowed to have any. If there was something he did that was awful, or if something terrible happened to him, his patron would simply erase that memory to prevent him from becoming too morose or unhappy with his lot in life. A happy warlock is a faithful warlock.

🍌 (banana) - What is your character’s diet like? Do they cook hearty homemade meals or prefer to eat out? Are they a vegetarian or a meat lover? Are there any cultural foods they’re particularly fond of?

Breoch has a very refined palate. He's very fussy when it comes to meat, and he finds most of the food on the surface abhorrent at first. He'd much rather eat a plate of mushrooms and veggies than a steak. Though he is rather partial to a fungal pie. In terms of cooking, he's surprisingly adept at it, though only when cooking in a proper kitchen rather than on a campfire.

Shrike will eat anything you put in front of them, even if it's not technically edible. To them, food is fuel and taste is secondary. It doesn't mean they don't appreciate finer cuisine, but it's not something they would actively choose over something simpler. This also means they're a terrible cook.

Zeke prefers to eat savoury foods over sweet treats. He loves home cooked food and has a fondness for seafood. Prior to the events of the game, Zeke lived in the Moonshae Isles, so local dishes from that region hold a special place in his heart. He cannot cook to save his life, but is a very proficient baker. He's far better at cooking sweets than meals (complementing his purple husband wonderfully)

🔑 (key) - What’s something your character has never told anyone? Why have they kept it a secret? What, if anything, would make them reveal it?

Ooh an interesting question. As mentioned before, it's hard for Zeke to keep secrets. I think the only secret Zeke might have is a memory of a time when his bhaalspawn urges got the better of him and he mindlessly killed an innocent. His patron tried to erase the memory, but Bhaal kept it safe and repressed it so that Zeke may recall it in his dreams. As these memories are held by Bhaal, they are beyond the devil's power to change, but Zeke hasn't told anybody about these visions. He's afraid that forgetting about the danger he poses might result in it happening again.

[slowpoke272]

“east of eden” by john steinbeck

finished: june 13, 2023

beware, spoilers ahead!

having just finished this book yesterday, i’m still processing so much of how the book ended and overall thoughts on it... but i’ll try my best. i enjoyed this book. first, john steinbeck’s writing, while not for everyone, i feel like paints an accurate picture of the salinas valley landscape, and this certainly made me interested to see what he has to say about monterey bay. this book encompassed so many characters over numerous generations, but i love the depth we got of every single character.

the only character we really never get more of, shockingly, is the narrator, and i sense that this is deliberate either to further demonstrate the closeness/word of mouth-ed-ness of small town salinas valley OR that john steinbeck was the real narrator IRL? i just took a quick peak and steinbeck’s history on wikipedia, okay so being that his mother was olive hamilton, yes steinbeck is the true narrator so that does offer an explanation as to why the narrator is never actually involved in the story. before knowing steinbeck’s personal connection with the characters, it always felt like a story that was passed from word of mouth.

the story takes a while to get going, i had actually discussed this with someone else online about how slowly it starts. especially knowing the majority of the story takes place in salinas valley, california, starting off on the east coast with cyrus trask and it seems like the story is mostly going to be centered around the bond between cyrus and his boys, adam and charles. then we flashback to the present when adam is traversing to california with his wife. it isn’t until after she births twin boys that the plot really starts to get going.

although the story spans generations and decades, the pace of the story unfolding is careful and steady. we get the “cain and abel” parallel right away with cyrus’s boys, but then find several chapters/parts later that the true cain and abel story is aligned with adam’s sons, cal and aron. i did really enjoy the grappling with people being “all good” or “all bad” and how that is almost never the case, even with someone as vile as their mother. i also thought the lettuce story was actually gonna go somewhere completely different, i was so excited for adam to pick up refrigeration and it just made me feel his loss so much.

idk if it was just me or if steinbeck meant to write it like this, but it took me a good long while to like adam and believe he actually was trying to be a good person. at first, i really don’t think he was all that great, going off to the army with very little protest against his father’s wishes, and stringing cathy along even though she clearly didn’t want to move to california and verbalized it several times. catchy might not have been a good person either, but keeping someone captive in their own life is unjust.

of course, given the time period, there is a lot of ruthless racism that goes on, but with it we get the most purest character in lee. samuel hamilton is also a very likeable character, despite his flaws, his moral compass was always calibrated properly.

it’s going to take some time to fully process everything that happens at the end, i suspect when i look back i’ll think of this as a harsh rating but i’m also definitely biased for john steinbeck. i think what makes this book a bit aggravating is the people it’s about, the community it’s for, the ones who would benefit most and relate to these characters best are also the ones least likely to read such a lengthy tale. i thought it was funny how the book kind of scoffs at education and nerds generally, but i also appreciate steinbeck’s resistance to military operations. i also find cal’s existential dread extremely relatable, and i think this was steinbeck’s way of slowly, purposely getting us to side with “the bad one.” well played, steinbeck, well played.

overall, i understand why this book gets so much adoration, it’s well-deserved and is a great timepiece. it’s definitely made me want to read all the rest of the steinbeck catalog. timshel.

rating: 7/10 really enjoyed but wouldn’t necessarily recommend

[animeyanderelover]

I would like to request Osamu, Kita, Tendou, Iwaizumi, Ushijima, Kageyama, Urie, Aomine, Kuroo with an s/o who is a mermaid like from H2o Just add water. What things would they noticed and how would they find out.

I literally just realized that Bleach will continue this year so I really have to hurry up. I have to admit that I never watched H2o so I don't know how accurate this became.

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessiveness, obsessiveness, delusions, clinginess, touchiness, stalking, overprotective behavior, worshipping

Darling is a mermaid

Kuki Urie

🖤He might look like a very dismissive and indifferent person to others, is quite attentive and observing when it comes to his s/o. It steams from his overprotective and worshipping feelings so even if certain things might look minor initially, he connects the dots at one point. Your almost obsessive behavior to avoid any sort of contact with water. From avoiding to go out when it rains up to the point where you frantically run away as soon as the danger that you might get wet presents itself. It’s as strange as it is concerning and at first he assumes that you have some sort of traumatic experience which only feeds his protective side. Long story in short, he becomes pushy and starts asking you about it and the more you refuse to answer, the more he starts overthinking.

🖤Until he has to resort to something he isn’t too fond off. Stalking you. Urie is a man who prefers it much more to be by your side so he can react accordingly to any scumbag and threat approaching. That doesn’t mean he feels guilty though, just more annoyed that he has to go with this method since you neglected him an answer. He even goes as far as installing some cameras in your house, not every single room though. So he either discovered your secret by direct stalking or via the footage. Safe to say that he assumed a lot of things, that you’d turn out to be a mermaid isn’t one of those and it leaves him quite perplexed since he thought they were fairy tales for girls.

🖤He’s actually that baffled that he doesn’t even know how to bring it up, he acts quite strange around you so you just have to notice and assume that something is wrong. He cracks relatively easy though since he can’t stand the thought of not knowing about your fishtail and how to change his way of protecting you accordingly. Extremely straightforward the moment he confesses that he is aware of your transformation and he will brush any questions from you about how he found out aside, you didn’t answer his questions back then either. Kuki is not angry, he could never at you, he’s just upset and disappointed that you never told him. He still loves you, he swears it to you. He just wants to know how this happened and what he should do in order to avoid a transformation in public.

Tobio Kageyama

🌧He remains more oblivious, mainly because he is way too lovestruck to notice the signs at first. He’s way more focused on unleashing his possessive and jealous behavior against others and his more clingy and needy desires when with you. He’s fine when you don’t want to go out when it’s possible that it’ll rain nor does he object very much when you decline invitations from others for a day in the pool. He might have asked you at one point, was content with your answer that you weren’t too fond of getting wet. Tobio just assumed that you didn’t like water and as long as it doesn’t hinder him from spending time with you and his cuddles, he doesn’t think too much about it.

🌧Something more obvious has to happen for him to finally see things a bit more clearly. It happened in quite an unfortunate way and he swears that it was an accident when he spilled his drink on you, water seeping through your clothes. He was literally just about to apologize and help you to dry yourself up when you just pushed him away, a panicked expression on your face as you dashed to the bathroom. He’s just in shock for a moment before it all settles in and a sudden paranoia that he did something that upset you strikes him and in the next moment he follows you. Only to find you laying flat on the ground, a colored fishtail there where your legs used to be.

🌧He…just stares and you can most likely hear the gears turning in his head before his eyes nearly bulge out and he starts to stammer out some sentence, panicked since he doesn’t know what he should do at first. His darling, despite being highly frustrated themselves, has to tell him what to do if they don’t want to keep laying on the ground with a boy who has temporarily forgotten how to function properly. He snaps out of it soon after you told him what he needs to do, his flustered state stays throughout the whole ordeal anyways. You can’t lie to him after this anyways and he starts questioning you soon after anyways so you might as well be honest if you don’t want him to breathe your neck down permanently. He stays confused about a few things even after you’ve explained yourself, is ready to protect you from being exposed though. Truth be told, he finds it pretty cool.

Hajime Iwaizumi

🤎Hajime counts as a keen observer due to his rather protective nature. Sure, he can understand and reason some things like the whole refusing to leave when it rains thing and you never going to the swim pool as a simple dislike, maybe fear, when it comes to water. That’s fine with him, he actually even starts planning dates and everything regarding his relationship with you so you don’t have to come into contact with too much water. The red flags start when he takes notice of the little things, how you shrink away when a simple droplet of water threatens to touch you and then there was the one time where you literally locked yourself in the bathroom after some water landed on you.

🤎This hysterical behavior unsettles him and he begins to see something much more serious than just a simple fear of water and believe me, he did try to talk with you about it. You changed the topic every single time and that only increased his worries. He can respect the fact that you don’t have to tell him everything, feels like you’re keeping something very important from him which bugs him. How did he find out? By one day walking to your apartment, determined to finally get through you when he hears a sudden sizzling noise followed by your sudden cursing. Cue word for his protective side to take control which led him to barge into your house, using the keys you had given him.

🤎He was expecting that you had injured yourself, halted his movements when he saw you on the floor, a glittering fishtail as your lower body and a battle of water next to you. There was just a silent and long stare between the two of you before you coiled away from him, trying desperately to get away despite knowing that it was already too late. He stopped you from doing so, trying to somehow comfort you out of fear that you’d suffer a mild meltdown due to him discovering what you truly were. Iwaizumi has a lot of questions himself, bites them back though since he notices that you’re left a bit shaken up after his discovery. You probably need some time to recover from that fright yourself and he’s willing to wait, hoping that you’ll tell him yourself.

Tetsurō Kuroo

⚫️He might act like a jokester and a huge tease which he definitely is at the end of the day, it doesn’t take away his rather perceptive nature. Kuroo is a protective guy himself and has sharp eyes and a equally sharp mind. There is definitely a pattern that he comes to see at one point in the relationship. How you come up with excuses to go outside whenever it rains and how you always rush to something that can shield you when it suddenly starts raining unexpectedly. He hears from friends that you’ve been that way for a while now, going as far as not even wanting to go swimming. A sudden fear of water is his initial assumption, he grows more worried when he sees to what extents you actually go.

⚫️You don’t even let a drop of water touch you, flinching away as soon as you notice it. It’s like you’re walking on invisible eggshells and as much as he might delight in teasing you a bit with water at first, he stops when he realizes just how bad this is. He swallows down his overbearing side for now and instead resorts to just ask you and getting an answer out of you. He handles the first few rejections quite well, he’s ready to give you time. Unfortunately his patience runs out as well, especially since he starts assuming some bad things the more he sees how you jump around any wetness near you. You keep something from him and it triggers him so much since it’s awfully obvious that it bothers you just as much, even limits you down.

⚫️Kuroo starts pestering you at one point yet you still refuse to open up to him and he slowly feels himself going crazy about it. Until the day where he touched you and forgot to dry his hands thoroughly enough beforehand. In one moment you stormed out of the room, in the next he found you sprawled on the ground with a fishtail. He’s quick to count one and one together and it all suddenly makes sense to him all of a sudden. He won’t ask anything and even if he’s on the inside still quite shocked himself, he puts on a more levelheaded appearance for your sake since you are sort of shocked yourself that you slipped up. He never talks about it to anyone and similar to Iwaizumi, he gives you space after in hopes that you’ll talk with him about you being a mermaid yourself.

Wakatoshi Ushijima

🦅Very stoic and very blunt with what he genuinely thinks, Ushijima is a clever man himself. Especially since he is so highly protective of his darling he is sharp to notice if something bothers them. He talks about it with you from the moment he notices it since as already mentioned, he is a rather blunt and straightforward individual. The excuse of not being comfortable with water might work for a few times, the pettier the situations get, the more he becomes suspicious. He can understand the aspect of rain and swimming, hiding away from a small raindrop blows it all though. So either you are a very petty person who overreacts or you have a good reason which you didn’t tell him yet.

🦅Ushijima doesn’t cross out one of those options and for that simply wants to know which one it is. You being just very sensitive or having a bigger reason behind your fear of being touched by water. He’s not fond thinking about the latter option since he’s honest to you and sort of expects the same from you. Especially when it seems to be such a important thing for you. Too respectful to trigger anything though so I can assume that it was a pure accident with him as well. Maybe just a unlucky slip of his or your hand before the catastrophe was already elicited and you were on the ground, the fishtail flapping around as you felt his gaze on you, the usual stoic mask melting into one of initial disbelief and surprise.

🦅He’s never been someone to belief in fairy tales and myths so he needs a little bit until he has fully digested the information that you are in fact a mermaid and not a human. There is some genuine curiosity in him whether you were born that way or something happened to you that transformed you into one, he keeps those questions for himself since he knows that you’re uncomfortable with him finding out about you. He doesn’t necessarily pull away from you though since he sticks to his belief that he as your lover should support you and be there for you and that you should know that he’s with you and will accept you for what you are. So don’t avoid him and let him help you somehow, even if it bewilders him that he can’t do as much for you as he’d like to do.

Satori Tendou

❤️The thing is that despite the fact that Satori is aware of your rather peculiar fear of water and any sort of physical touch with it, he’s reluctant to ask about it. He’s somewhat of a worshipper himself and even if he’s pretty much over the moon now that he’s actually darling’s boyfriend, that doesn’t keep away the more insecure thoughts. He’s too nervous to talk about it with you out of fear that you’ll take it the wrong way and will be mad at him. His fear to be left holds him back and so he just silently goes along with your routines of not touching water. Tendou has his fair share of questions, votes to rather observe than risk offending you unless the situation calls for it. He sometimes gives his darling the vibe that he really wants to ask something, but bites in the end only his tongue.

❤️That little pretend game goes on for a while where he just tries to stay oblivious to your behavior. His concerns might have pushed him to bring his question in a more subtle way over, the answer still wasn’t mentioned among them though. He can quench his worries at least enough with the knowledge that this thing won’t hold his darling back from being in a relationship with him, stays still present enough to be often on his mind. He’s way too careful with any sort of liquid around you since he is scared of your reaction so it’s more likely that darling ended up spilling water or that it just was a very unlucky incident. Whatever it was, Satori’s initial panicked and slightly terrified expression turns into one of wonder and shock when you suddenly turn into a mermaid.

❤️As someone who has been bullied due to his rather strange appearance and ability to read someone, he should be the least person to judge. He would never anyways, he adores s/o way too much. There’s a curious nature on him so after the initial shock he becomes genuinely curious about darling’s transformation. Obviously Tendou won’t force you to tell him everything, he still wants to know some things though. Personally think that he does believe that supernatural stuff might exist so finding proof to his theory has him feeling sort of proud and only leads to being even more amazed with you. On the negative side of things he starts doubting even more if he’s even special enough to be with a literal mermaid.

Kita Shinsuke

☁️Kita might be a little bit scary in such a scenario. Not because he threatens you to tell him what’s wrong or because he purposely splashes water on you. Rather because he is smart, perceptive and prides himself in taking notice of the small things about his darling. His observation skills are on point and just as quickly as he has seen it, he starts collecting the hints and tries to connect the dots. You seem too nervous to talk about it which is fine at first, you two are still freshly together and he decides that he wants to wait until you’ve grown more comfortable around him and trust him enough with your secrets. He doesn’t dismiss the whole thing though and you know that he’s very much aware of your water problem, instead of talking proceeds to just assist you with your problem.

☁️It isn’t until the both of you have been together for a time he seems to be long enough that he slowly and carefully tries to ask you about your fear of being touched by water. If you still insist on keeping quiet about it or try to lie, he will somehow notice and will in return he a little bit more stubborn. Not enough to make you annoyed, just enough to realize how much you fear to tell the truth. Shinsuke backs down once again, with much more sharper eyes from now on and even if that makes you slightly uncomfortable, you can’t exactly blame him. You almost expected him to find the answer himself, instead karma seemed to punish you for lying to him in form of a puddle on his farm after a rainy day where the ground was only made out of mud.

☁️The shock and fear was mixed with shock when he found you in that ridiculous state. In a puddle and covered with dirty water and mud. If he found the situation peculiar or funny, you were somehow expecting both, he hid it well as he carried you back to the house and to the bathroom, giving you time to clean yourself up. He takes some time to think as you clean yourself and dry everything up. Even you know that you can’t keep this a secret anymore from that point on so you might as well tell him, though Kita still holds back since he understands why you would want to keep your identity as a mermaid a secret. The thought of a mermaid on land is endearing and funny at the same time for him. He might invite you to holidays on the beach soon.

Miya Osamu

🍣He’s more of a passive guy and a lot more calmer, especially if you put him next to his rather lively and noisy twin. That is sadly exactly why he is so good in picking up from a very early point in the relationship just how deep your refusal to touch water goes as you don’t even want to touch the tap. Another thing he starts to naturally assume is that you only do this when there is a risk of people nearby since your hair still appears to be washed and you definitely don’t skip on body hygiene. So you are hiding something that you don’t want others to see which leads you to most likely only allowing yourself the contact with water when you’re alone and at home. He wonders what that might be.

🍣If he were his brother, he’d pretty much still you with questions and pleads to answer. Luckily Osamu isn’t his brother. If you hide it from everyone, he knows that it won’t be that easy. You most likely won’t give him the honest answer if he would ask you since you even kept it from him so far a secret. Should he try to pry on your secret though? He’s not gonna lie and admit that you’ve sparked his interest, besides that he hasn’t detected any real threat in regards of your secret yet. He just…wishes that you’d at one point trust him enough to tell you. Against his curiosity he makes the decision to not corner you too much though, he won’t risk you potentially getting offended to the point where you would want to leave. He has worked hard for this relationship.

🍣From everything he could have assumed about your fear of water, the thought of you being a mermaid did not belong under them. The scenario…was a bit out of a movie. His darling was literally just preparing food with him when some of the water from the tap splashed on them. He handles it quite composed after he’s gotten over his first wave of surprise and confusion. Osamu is able to reason better why you would want to keep it a secret from others since it would cause quite a commotion if someone would find out that you’re a mermaid. He’s so chill about it, it has you actually worry a bit at first for him. What did you expect him to react like though? You’re still the same person he fell in love with and the fact that you happen to be a mermaid adds to your charms in a way.

Daiki Aomine

💙Aomine is a little bit slower to notice which is partially to blame on the fact that he’s a little bit too enamored. Add that to the fact that he is possessive as it already is and you have a man who is kept busy with towering over every person who steps too close and is too busy showering you with affection. Leave it to Momoi to point it out to him since she is known to be good in analyzing people. And that is when he slowly picks up the signs and strange behavior of yours around water. You’re so cautious and careful, keeping a safety distance. It’s weird for sure yet at the same time his protective side kicks in quickly since he also sees that you seem a bit frightened of water in general. He ends up shielding you and keeping water away from you if it makes you feel better.

💙That is the good thing, Daiki will still turn out to be a major thorn in the eye at one point. Simply because he starts pestering about this all and even if he is more gentle and definitely far from forceful, he wants to know the exact reason to why you act the way you do around water. It triggers him when you don’t tell him and it low key irritates him even if he never turns his ire against you. Momoi attempts to help in a less pestering way, receives the same results as her friend in the end. His pink-haired friend is on the other hand also the only one next to his s/o who can manage to calm Aomine a little bit down which is good because at one point he is highly irritated and equally worried about your true motive. You never tell him so why shouldn’t he feel that way?

💙I blame him for being perhaps a bit too aggressive whilst he explained his frustration with you constantly refusing to let him know. He knows that he doesn’t have to know everything, but this seems to be like a thing he as your goddamn boyfriend should know. It was not his intention to knock his drink over, some of the liquid spilling on you as a result. His train of thoughts probably completely silenced when you fell on the ground with a fishtail. Has a very peculiar look on his face which might be funny if you wouldn’t feel exposed. He feels guilty as soon as he notices how you seem to want to hide and if you are angry at him, he understands. He winds up being left a little bit frustrated due to his own feeling of inexperience and cluelessness since he never believed in mermaids and the other bullshit, is definitely more than eager to learn how he can properly treat you good.

[bananonbinary]

Time for a Salty Meta Post about Martin!

people who’ve followed this blog for a bit know that spending six hours combing through text for some goddamn sources is my specialty, so i compiled every time jon ever talked about martin’s work in season 1. which for the record, he stopped complaining about all the way back in episode 26, where he was angry that martin of all people got hurt.

things jon gets mad at martin for:

not being able to find records that don’t exist

not being able to find someone based only on a first name

the Dog

not wearing trousers in his off-hours

being the one that got caught up in the jane prentiss thing

mag 004 and mag 012 both have jon taking potshots at martin over research that was proven accurate by outside sources

things jon has never once complained about:

martin not understanding the filing system and just putting stuff away at random

martin being clumsy, constantly ruining things, spilling tea everywhere everyday, etc

martin turning in incompetent, poorly-edited, or badly formatted reports

martin not understanding the terminology used, skills expected, etc., and generally being extremely new to the field

please for the love of god stop making martin the silly bumbling idiot who can’t do anything right just because he doesn’t have a formal education. there’s zero evidence for it in the text, and it’s really weird to act like a 4 year degree would outweigh the *10 years* of job experience he has, not just in academia, but in the institute itself by season one. my boy has worked there longer than ANY of the rest of the main cast. screw you guys.

tl;dr: martin is never once shown to be bad at his job, jon pretty much only ever gets mad at him for the really stupid first impression and also not finding stuff that no one else was able to find either. after martin got hurt, jon talks about his research basically the same way he talks about tim’s or sasha’s work.

fucking proof under the cut:

(i didnt include the s1 finale or martin’s statement bc that’s just...two entire episodes of them talking to each other, but there isn’t really any notable Martin Complaints in either of them imo)

I swear, if he’s brought another dog in here, I’m going to peel him.

[pre-launch trailer]

.

Well, technically three, but I don’t count Martin as he’s unlikely to contribute anything but delays.

[...] Alongside this Tim, Sasha and, yes, I suppose, Martin will be doing some supplementary investigation to see what details may be missing from what we have.

[MAG001 Anglerfish]

.

Martin couldn’t find any records of Ex Altiora as a title in existent catalogues of esoteric or similar literature, so I assigned Sasha to double-check. Still nothing.

[MAG004 Pageturner]

.

I had Martin conduct a follow-up interview with Mr. Woodward last week, but it was unenlightening. Apparently there have been no further bags at number 93 and in the intervening years he has largely discounted many of the stranger aspects of his experience. I wasn’t expecting much, as time generally makes people inclined to forget what they would rather not believe, but at least it got Martin out of the Institute for an afternoon, which is always a welcome relief.

[MAG005 Thrown Away]

.

Martin was unable to find the exact date the original house was built but the earliest records he could find list it as being bought by Walter Fielding in 1891.

[...]

We cannot prove any connection, but Martin unearthed a report on an Agnes Montague, who was found dead in her Sheffield flat on the evening of November 23rd 2006, the same day Mr. Lensik claims to have uprooted the tree.

[MAG008 Burned Out]

.

According to Martin, who was here when they took this statement, it was at this point in writing that Mr. Herbert announced he needed some sleep before continuing. He was shown to the break room where he went to sleep on the couch. He did not awaken; unfortunately succumbing to the lung cancer right there. Martin says the staff had been aware of how serious Mr. Herbert’s condition was, and had advised him to seek medical aid prior to giving his statement, but were told rather bluntly by the old man that he would not wait another second to state his case. I can’t decide whether this lends more or less credibility to his tale.

[MAG010 Vampire Killer]

.

“Veepalach” might also be a mishearing of the Polish word “wypalać”, according to Martin, which means to cauterize or brand. Admittedly, if Martin speaks Polish in the same way he “speaks Latin,” then he might be talking nonsense again, but I’ve looked it up and it appears to check out.

[MAG012 First Aid]

.

I sent Martin to look into this ‘Angela’ character - not that I want him to get chopped up, of course, but someone had to. Apparently, he spent three days looking into every woman named Angela in Bexley over the age of 50. He could not find anyone that matches the admittedly vague description given here, though he informs me that he had some very pleasant chats about jigsaws. Useless ass.

[MAG014 Piecemeal]

.

Martin declined to help with this investigation as he’s “a bit claustrophobic”

[MAG015 Lost John’s Cave]

.

There simply aren’t enough details given in this statement to actually investigate, short of Martin confirming that Mr. Vittery did indeed live at the addresses he provided.

[MAG016 Arachnophobia]

.

Oh, he’s off sick this week. Stomach problems, I think.

Blessed relief if you ask me.

[...]

I asked Martin to try and hunt down Mr. Adekoya himself for a follow-up, but have been informed that he passed away in 2006. 

[MAG017 The Boneturner’s Tale]

.

MARTIN

Well, I need to tell someone what happened, and you can vouch for the soundness of my mind, can’t you?

ARCHIVIST

…

That is beside the point.

[MAG022 Colony]

.

Martin! Good lord man, if you’re going to be staying in the Archives, at least have the decency to put some trousers on!

[MAG023 Schwartzwald]

.

Martin found one other thing while combing through police reports for the Hither Green area. About a month after this statement was given, on May 15th, 2015, police were called out to once again investigate the chapel.

[MAG025 Growing Dark]

.

I know, but it would have to have been Martin, wouldn’t it? I mean, anything goes wrong around here, it always seems to happen to him. Anyway, we’re getting off topic. Why didn’t you report this?

[MAG026 A Distortion]

.

Martin made contact with the son, Marcus McKenzie, but he declined to talk to us, saying that he’d “already made his statement.”

[MAG027 A Sturdy Lock]

.

Tim and Martin had a bit more luck investigating Tom Haan, though only really enough to confirm that he seems to have completely vanished following his departure from Aver Meats on the 12th of July.

[MAG030 Killing Floor]

.

Martin’s research would seem to indicate the place employed a reasonable number of international staff they preferred to keep off the books

[...]

TIM

Ah well, that’s actually what he was asking, huh! Um, apparently Martin, uh, took delivery of a couple of items last week addressed to you. Did he not mention it?

ARCHIVIST

No, he… Oh, yes, actually. I completely forgot. He said he put it in my desk drawer, hold on.

[MAG036 Taken Ill]

[littleblackqrow]

((I keep seeing people question why Taiyang didnt tell Ruby about her eyes, or Yang about her mom, and I really need people to understand something: Tai has lost both of the women he loved: Raven abandoned him, and Summer died. While Qrow is still around, in a sense, he’s also somewhat lost and is drifting further and further away as his alcoholism steadily gets worse over the years.

Yang and Ruby are really all he’s got,

Losing Summer sent the poor bastard into a catatonic fit of depression. If Yang’s recollections are accurate (I’m not going to doubt them, but I am going to say that her memories are coloured by being a little girl who was also hurting and couldnt understand why her dad couldnt be there for her), Tai tried his best but there were days he wasnt able to get out of bed. 

I want to be very clear that his struggles with depression do not make Tai a bad dad. Given his current state, Tai clearly took responsibility for his mental illness and got help in some form. Anyone who has struggled with mental illness knows, however, there are some days that you just cant fight it. A small Yang might remember that happening more often than it actually did because memories are fickle, especially childhood memories.

Its understandable, then, why Tai would want to shelter these girls from some of the evils of the world. As I’ve said before, Yang has already displayed that she is willing and capable of running away in search of Raven. Her mom is on a different continent in the middle of the Grimm infested woods, and in a tribe of bandits that make even the Headmaster of a Hunting Academy nervous. Qrow, a former member of that same tribe, had five skilled fighters with him, and Leo, and still went out to get more help to deal with the Branwens. No responsible father would just let his daughter wander into that without an escort or without training so that she could handle herself.

And no responsible father would let Yang go to meet her mom without some emotional maturity, and critical thinking skills to really be able to take in who Raven was and how different she was from whatever image Yang had built up in her mind.

As for Ruby and her silver eyes, the Fairy Tales of Remnant had Tai narrating the Watcher in the Woods fairy tale. He did not finish with the last line of the story which talks about the Silver Eyes. Tai visibly tears up, probably because the line about falling in love as soon as he saw her silver eyes hits home. It would be well known to any member of Oz’s inner circle that Silver-Eyed Warriors are hunted by Salem’s forces. Qrow even says as much when he’s telling Ruby about it. 

Why would you tell a child that they are in mortal danger, when, instead, you can surround her with adults with the skills to protect her. Ruby got to have a childhood where she could grow up without having to constantly look over her shoulder out of fear. She had people like Qrow Branwen protecting her, after all.

And even with his fears of loosing his daughters, Tai didnt prevent them from following their dreams. He didnt forbid Yang from becoming a Huntress, even though he had to know looking for Raven was an eventual goal. He didnt stop Ruby from growing up to be a warrior either, and allowed her to use one of the most dangerous and difficult to use weapons known to Remnant. 

I can already hear people say, “But he didnt want Qrow to tell her about her eyes after the Fall of Beacon.” See: the girls are all he’s got left. A cataclysmic event has just happened. Ruby was in a days long coma, and Yang was maimed. I think getting both his daughters back in that condition gives Tai the right to be a little overprotective. He knows his kids, and he knows once Ruby learns about her powers, she’s going to do exactly what she did: leave because its her duty.

Remember also, she’s 15/16. She doesnt even have a driver’s license. 

Tai is not a perfect dad, but god dammit, he’s doing his best. 

[elamarth-calmagol]

What actually is LACE? (an informal essay)

What’s LACE?

Laws and Customs among the Eldar, or LACE, is the most popular section of the History of Middle Earth books.  It's available online as a PDF here: http://faculty.smu.edu/bwheeler/tolkien/online_reader/T-LawsandCustoms.pdf .  There’s a lot of LACE analysis in the fandom, Silmarillion smut fics are usually labeled “LACE compliant” or “not LACE compliant”, and I’ve been seeing the document itself show up in actual fics, meaning that the characters themselves are discussing it.

LACE is an unfinished, non-canonical essay split into several parts.  It covers the sexuality of elves, which is mostly what people talk about.  It also covers elvish naming (which I want to make a whole different post about), the speed at which elves grow up, changes that happen throughout their lives, their death and rebirth, and finally the legal and moral issues of Finwe remarrying after Miriel’s death.  The discussion about rebirth conflicts with Tolkien’s later writings about Glorfindel’s re-embodiment, but to the best of my knowledge, LACE is the best or only source for most of the topics it covers.

However, LACE is not canon since it doesn’t show up in the Silmarillion.  Counting all of the History of Middle Earth as canon is literally impossible, considering Tolkien contradicts himself all over the place.  It is only useful because it has so much information that is never discussed in the actual canon.  Many people consider it canon out of convenience.

Another important thing to remember is that, other than presumably the discussion of the growth of elvish children, the information is only supposed to apply to the Eldar (meaning the Vanyar, Noldor, Teleri, and Sindar) and not the dark-elves such as the Silvan elves and Avari.

The rest is behind the cut to avoid clogging your feeds.

Problems with LACE interpretations

But because it’s hidden in the History of Middle Earth (volume 10, Morgoth’s Ring), barely anyone actually gets the opportunity to read it.  I don’t think most people are aware that you can get it online, so it doesn't get read much.

I feel like this leads to a handful of people saying something about LACE and everyone else going along with it.  I definitely did this.  I was amazed by all the things that were in the actual essay that nobody had ever told me about, or had told me incorrectly.  For example, most people seem to believe that elves become married at the completion of sexual intercourse (whatever that means to the fic author).  In fact, LACE explicitly says that elves must take an oath using the name of Eru in order to be legally married.  Specifically: 

It was the act of bodily union that achieved marriage, and after which the indissoluble bond was complete… [I]t was at all times lawful for any of the Eldar, being both unwed, to marry thus of free consent one to another without ceremony or witness (save blessings exchanged and the naming of the Name); and the union so joined was alike indissoluble.

I’ve seen a marriage oath being included in a few stories recently, but most writers leave out the oath entirely and just have sex be automatically equivalent to marriage.  What would happen if elves had sex without swearing an oath?  I don’t know, but I’d love to see it explored.

Then there’s a footnote that might explicitly deny the existence of transgender elves... or not, but I’ve literally only seen it mentioned once or twice.  Overall, I feel like all of LACE is filtered through the handful of people who read it, and we’re missing out on a lot of metanalysis and interpretations that we could have because most fans never see the actual document.

Who wrote LACE?

I mean within the mythology of Middle Earth, of course.  Since LACE appears in the History of Middle Earth and not the Silmarillion, we can be pretty sure that J.R.R. Tolkien himself wrote it and it wasn’t added to by Christopher Tolkien.  But that’s not the question here.  Remember that Tolkien’s frame narrative for all of his Middle Earth work is that he is a scholar of ancient times and is translating documents from Westron and Sindarin for modern audiences to read and understand.  The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings come from the Red Book of Westmarch, and I believe The Silmarillion is meant to be Tolkien’s own writings based on his research (though it might also be an adaption of Bilbo’s “Translations from the Elvish”, but I haven't looked into that).  So what does LACE come from?

Christopher Tolkien admits in his notes that he doesn’t know.  He says, “It is clear in any case that this is presented as the work, not of one of the Eldar, but of a Man,” and I agree, because of the way it seems to be written as an ethnographic study rather than by someone who lives in the culture.  Honestly, it talks too much about how elves are seen by Men (e.g. speculating that elf-children might look like the children of Men) to be written by an elf.  This changes once it gets to the Doom of Finwe and Miriel, but that could be, and probably is, a story told to the writer by an elf who was there at the time.

Tolkien actually references Aelfwine in the second version of the text.  The original story behind The Lost Tales, which was the abandoned first version of the Silmarillion, was that a man from the Viking period named Aelfwine/Eriol stumbled onto the Straight Road and found himself on Tol Eressea.  He spoke to the elves and brought back their stories to England with him.  So it makes a lot of sense that Aelfwine would also write about the lives and customs of the elves for an audience of his own people.

Does LACE exist in Middle Earth?

I keep finding fics where first age elves discuss “the Laws and Customs” openly, as if it’s a text in their own world.  I usually get the impression that it was brought by the Noldor from Valinor.  But did the document actually exist in that time period?  For me, the answer is definitely not.

First of all, LACE was probably written by a Man, meaning it could not have dated back to Valinor in the years of the Trees, because Men hadn’t awaked yet.  In fact, the closest thing to an established frame narrative for it is that it was written by Aelfwine, who comes from the time period around 1000 CE (though Tolkien doesn’t seem to have pinned him down).  This is at least the fifth age, if not later.

But what if you don’t believe that it was written by a Man?  It still couldn’t have been written in the First Age, because it discusses the way the relationship between elves’ bodies and souls changes as ages go by.  For example:

As ages passed the dominance of their fear ever increased, ‘consuming’ their bodies... The end of this process is their ‘fading’, as Men have called it.

A lot of time has to go by in order for elves to get to the point of fading.  As a bonus, here’s another reference to the perspective of Men. LACE also discusses the dangers that “houseless feas”, which are souls of elves who do not go to Mandos after their bodies died, pose to Men.  How would they have known about that in the First Age?  It further says that “more than one rebirth is seldom recorded” (which isn’t contradicted anywhere I know of), and that’s not something you would know during your life of joy in Valinor, where almost nobody dies.  That’s something you learn after millennia of war.  This has to be a document written well after the Silmarillion ends.

So what about the sex part?  That’s all we care about, right?  Well, it is entirely possible that this was written down by the elves and Aelfwine translated it (though my impression is that he mostly recorded stories told orally to him and that elves were not very much into writing, at least in Valinor where you could get stories directly from someone who experienced them).  However, why would the elves write this down?  They know how quickly their children grow up.  They’ve seen actual marriages.  They don’t need that described to them.  And if they did have a specific document or story explaining the expectations of them when it comes to sex and marriage, why would they call it “Laws and Customs”?  That’s a very strange name for a set of rules for conduct.  I’m sure they had a list of laws written out somewhere in great detail, like our own state or national laws (that seems very in character for the Noldor, at least).  But I seriously doubt that those laws are what we’ve been given to read. LACE is not an elvish or Valinoran document.

Is LACE prescriptive or descriptive?

Here’s the other big question I’m interested in.  Prescriptive means that the document describes the way people should behave.  Descriptive means that it describes how people do behave.  And the more I worldbuild for Middle Earth and the culture of elves, the more I want to say that LACE is prescriptive in its discussion of sex, marriage, and gender roles.

But wait.  I’ve been saying for paragraphs that I think LACE is Aelfwine or another Man’s ethnographic study of elvish culture.  Then it has to be descriptive, right?

Does it?  How long do we think Aelfwine stayed with the elves?  Did he wait fifty years to see a child grow up?  Did he get to witness a wedding ceremony?  Did he meet houseless fea?  I don’t think he could have done all of that.  Maybe a different Man who spent his entire life with the elves could, but then when was this written?  When the elves were still marrying and having children in Middle Earth or when so much time had gone by that they had begun to fade already?

Whoever wrote this was told a lot of information by elves instead of experiencing it firsthand, the same way he heard the stories from the First Age from the elves instead of being there.  Maybe it was one elf who talked to him, maybe several different ones.  But did those elves accurately describe their society the way it was, give him the easiest description, or explain the way it was supposed to be?  If I was describing modern-day America, would I discuss premarital sex or just our dating and marriage customs?  Maybe people would come away from a talk with me thinking that moving in together equated to marriage for Americans in the early 21st century.  And I don’t even have an agenda to show America in a certain way, I'm just bad at explaining.  Did the elves talking to what may have been the first Man they had seen in millennia have an agenda in the way they presented themselves?

Or did the writer himself have an agenda?  Imagine going to see these beautiful, mythical, perfect beings, and you find out that they behave in the same immoral ways Men do.  Do you want to share the truth back home?  Or do you leave out things that don't match your worldview? Did Aelfwine come back wanting to tell people what elves were really like?  Or did he want to say “this is how you can be holy and perfect like an elf”?

Anyone studying the Age of Exploration will tell you that Europeans neber wrote about new cultures objectively, and often things were made up to fit the writer’s idea of what savages looked like. For example, my Native American history teacher in college told a story of how explorers described one tribe who (sensibly) didn't wear clothes as cannibals, because cannibalism and going around naked went together in their minds and not because of any actual incident.  Unbiased scholarship barely existed yet. Even Tolkien was extremely biased and tended to be imperialistic, as we all know.  There’s absolutely no reason to think that Aelfwine wasn’t biased in his own way.  (Of course, now we have to consider what biases a Danish or English man from the centuries around 1000 would have when it comes to things like gender roles. I assume he would have been more into divorce and female warriors than the elves are said to be.)

But is that what Tolkien intended? Probably not. He probably wanted LACE to be descriptive. But he also never got much of a chance to analyse the essay after the fact, which might have led to him discussing its accuracy and even the exact issues I just pointed out about explorers. Anyway, we know he's biased, and honestly, what he intended has never slowed down the fandom before.

Conclusion

In short, I take LACE to be a prescriptive document describing the way elvish culture is supposed to be, not a blueprint I have to stick to in order to correctly portray elves.  I also don’t believe the document that’s available for us to read existed even in the early Fourth Age, where The Lord of the Rings leaves off.  There maybe have been some document outlining the moral behavior of elves, as a set of laws, but thats not the Laws and Customs we have.

Of course, canon is up to you to interpret.  If you want Feanor discussing LACE with someone back in Valinor, go ahead.  If you want to throw out LACE entirely, go ahead.  It’s not even a canonical essay.  All of this analysis is honestly useless when you consider the fact that no part of LACE exists in any canonical book.

But that’s Tolkien analysis for you.

[vickyvicarious]

Just as I was about to go to sleep last night, I got a brain flash that went basically "something something flashback episode thiefsome themes???" so now in the light of day let's re-examine. This still isn't anything too polished, but... I think there's some interesting stuff to be found here.

Putting it under a tag so it doesn't clog up peoples' dashes too much, but the gist is that their roles actually represent their relationships/desires at each respective point in canon quite well, and it's giving me some thoughts about what a possible flashback with Hardison/Eliot would look like.

In the van Gogh Job, we get flashback Parker/Hardison. Obviously it wasn't them and the names are different and all but I'm just gonna call them f!Hardison and f!Parker because it's easier.

f!Hardison is brave, clever, determined, and deeply in love

f!Parker is loyal, comfortable, just as deeply in love, but terrified

Their flashback story is a cautionary tale as much as it is a romance. F!Hardison shares so many traits with Hardison himself, and f!Parker is a clear representation of current Parker. They make no bones about it, the parallels are extremely obvious and are even what makes the guy start telling Parker his story in the first place. Parker loves Hardison but she has found a place to belong in the team (flashback town/roller rink) and is afraid of what will happen if she disturbs that status quo by getting into a relationship with him. She's too scared of losing him (flashback to her racist dad/his buddies killing or hurting him, modern to the possibility of death mostly) to take the step to actually be with him, even though they both know she wants to. I love that there isn't any hint of her doubting his feelings or that he will remain devoted in either flashback or modern; the focus is entirely on her own fears for him and how she would handle that, not ever of him in any way.

Regardless of the timeframe, it's clear that (f!)Hardison loves her and will respect what she is willing to give him, even if that means leaving her. In the flashback, f!Parker still loves him and saves his painting in his honor for the rest of her life, remaining loyal to him despite never seeing him again. None of the emotion is in question at all, and it's clear that if she is willing to give it, her faith in him will be completely justified.

The episode basically just acts out Parker's fears (puppet-style?) and demonstrates to her that even though she would be fine if she doesn't take the leap - she'll be so much happier if she does. There's no guarantee of a happy ending, but Hardison is still himself and that means that before that ending comes at the very least, she will be happy. (Much like Sophie's beautiful speech to her.) Parker was already beginning to ease into a relationship with him, and this episode doesn't exactly drive her to jump in headfirst, but it's clear when we watch her reaction to the story what she will choose. She's going to build up her courage, but she's going to take the risk.

.

Now, given how transparent that episode is on their pairing, I kind of wondered what would happen if I look at the one that pairs Parker/Eliot's flashback selves: the D.B. Cooper Job.

f!Parker is understanding, supportive, loyal, and gives him a place to belong

f!Eliot starts out doing something bad for the sake of someone he loves, is drawn to her, and later feels wracked by guilt and seeks redemption by helping others

The focus in this one obviously isn't on the romance. It isn't even on either of these characters, so much as it is on Nate and his flashback self. But the parallels between modern and f!Eliot are still pretty apparent, if a bit watered down in that f!Eliot has no intentions to hurt anyone and in fact takes pains not to do so.

But as far as pairings go, I think what they do between these two is pretty interesting. Their flashback characters are drawn to one another, feel a kind of understanding and recognition that they can't quite explain. It's why f!Parker stops him before he jumps and never gives him up, it's why f!Eliot trusts her in the first place and why he shows up at her door after it is all over. I think this is a really nice parallel to the way Eliot and Parker understand one another and have this connection that is different from the rest of the team.

The other thing I like a lot is that in this episode, f!Parker is the steady support. She represents the home f!Eliot longs to have, even if she isn't the one who eventually offers him the chance to help others and make his own redemptive efforts. In fact, him working with f!Nate starts out for selfish reasons and only later evolves into a place where he feels he belongs. That's another obvious parallel to the Eliot we know, but the Parker in this episode is a little less immediately recognizable. Sure, she's an incredibly loyal person and will obviously not care overmuch about crime or whatever but mostly it's harder to see her as much in that role.

But I think she serves much the same role here as f!Hardison in the other episode. Though modern Eliot isn't hearing this story and making any resolutions based on it, the casting still represents their relationship. Parker is growing steadily into the position of leader/mastermind, and at this point she and Hardison are openly together. She is someone who understands Eliot on a very deep level, and she is coming to be the person who is his rock. While I'm not discounting Hardison's importance at all, Parker more closely fits the role of the person who encouraged him to take the job in this flashback. She's the one who, only three episodes later in Rundown, verbalizes a promise to change together. She (and also Hardison) represent the home Eliot craves to have, the belonging and support necessary for him to grow and to do good in the world. What's more, f!Parker is accurate in representing her side of things as someone who wants that for him. She wants to invite him in, wants to support him even if it's from a bit more of a distance at first (pre-relationship) but would absolutely welcome him inside as soon as he shows up at her door (once he's ready, she will bring him into the thiefsome).

And Rundown shows us that in action, again only three episodes later. Not in the sense of canon thiefsome, but Parker and Hardison are absolutely supporting Eliot leaving his darker past behind, changing with them for the better - and not just getting away with his own hands clean, but doing the extra work to help others (going after the guy who tried to hire him instead of just leaving town; again when they realize how serious the situation is but stay to fix it). The episode even ends with Eliot literally throwing away the crutch that would allow him to walk on his own, and pull them both in to support him instead. He's in the middle, he's deciding to join them even if he could get by alone, it's all representative for them welcoming him into the relationship too. (I headcanon something went down between them here but it isn't all cleared up relationship-wise until the Toy Job, but either way the themes are there!)

.

So with this in mind... The flashback with Hardison/Parker focused on Parker and her fears/decision to enter into a relationship with Hardison. Similarly, the flashback with Eliot/Parker focuses more on him and his desire to join the relationship. For both of them, the episode represents a shift in their relationship with one another, something not entirely unknown before, but a step that is challenging for them personally. Still, this step leads to greater happiness and growth.

All that in mind... what would a Hardison/Eliot episode look like, if we got it in Redemption? I'm getting into slight spoiler territory here, so leave now if you haven't seen the first few episodes.

.

.

Okay, so since we've had more focus on Parker, and on Eliot, this episode would focus most on Hardison. It makes sense as well for his role in the new series, because while Parker and Eliot are a little more stable, Hardison is the one entering a challenging new period of his life that is difficult but helping him grow.

I don't have any kind of full plot figured out, but here are some things I think we might see:

f!Eliot is supportive, confident, and believes deeply in him

f!Hardison is bold, struggles with self-doubt, and upends his own life in order to change the world for the better

I think Eliot's role in this flashback would be smaller, but he'd love f!Hardison deeply and the focus would not be on their relationship developing, but on the challenges it would face as f!Hardison embarks on... whatever it is. It has to be something f!Eliot knows he cannot do, and maybe even something that might mean the end of their relationship (though much like the van gogh job, the love between them is never in question).

I've seen people mentioning a Stonewall flashback episode for these two before, and that's possible. But another thing we could see is f!Hardison working against racist laws or something. Whatever the case, he needs to be doing something that benefits many, many other people, and it needs to put him at personal risk. I'm not entirely sure on what would be holding Eliot back from helping in the same way - it may just be as simple as f!Hardison gives amazing speeches and inspires so many people, while f!Eliot just doesn't have that skill. Maybe he is sick. Maybe, their relationship does end up attracting violence, and he gets hurt (doesn't even have to be their romantic relationship, if we're going a race angle and setting this episode further back, it could just be an open friendship with their romance kept secret. the themes would still be there). Whatever the case, f!Hardison has to leave Eliot behind.

And yeah, this has already happened in canon. We're already here. But if we wanted this episode to happen, I think it would be possible for the themes to still be relevant and the challenge to still be there for Hardison's character, if something brings him back to the team. If something goes down and he isn't there, and it terrifies him that he wasn't there, and he has trouble leaving again even though his work isn't done. Or if he organizes something on his end of the world that goes horribly wrong somehow. Sometimes it's not the first step that's hardest, it's keeping on even after the first big challenge. No road is free of bumps, after all, so Hardison might well think he's fine at first but start having doubts even after things have been going well for a while.

That is where you can bring this episode into play. That's where you start - f!Hardison is already getting involved in activism of some kind, but his own fame brings about negative consequences or something unrelated happens, and it scares him and makes him consider giving his work up. The episode can be bittersweet, with them never reuniting, or it can have a happier ending where he returns and f!Eliot is still waiting for him. But it's important for Eliot to represent a home that Hardison is already comfortable in, and one he has to leave in order to help others (however temporary the leaving is). And we need to see him away from the team, thriving and growing and improving so many peoples' lives in ways that never would have happened without him - both in the flashback, and in the modern part of the episode. In fact, Hardison doesn't even need to actually be physically with the team at all in the modern part of the episode. It can be more like the Broken Wing job, where we get hints at what they are doing but the focus is entirely on him and his struggle.

Of course, I have no idea how this would tie in to a modern heist. But maybe the format could be changed up, if we focus more on Hardison outside of the team. I'm sure there's some way this could be worked. And I think it would do really well in completing the trio of thiefsome episodes, and giving equal emphasis on all three of them in each one.

[softcallofdutyimagines]

Hc: How the squad would try to impress you

Adler

His tales

Only a few are actually true

But all of them are entertaining

He's already an interesting person, but there are parts of him that he's afraid might scare you off if you knew the truth

So for now, you get his pretty, welcoming mask

Such as it is...

The mask of man who sometimes does stupid things, but always has a cool story to tell because of it

Not the ruthless... machine he has deep inside him

The man who will truly do anything to reach an objective when it's all on the line

The type of man who does the dirty work

The things even some of the hardest veterans he knows would think twice on

No. He can't let you know...

Hudson

He does not feel a need to impress you

In fact, he doesn't even like you

Nope, not one bit

Not the way you look at him with respect and admiration, instead of as some government drone like literally everyone else

Not the friendly, cheerful smile you always wear, and how it even reaches your gorgeous, shining eyes

And certainly not your melodic laughter, like a wind chime in a summer breeze to him, no matter how many times you say you hate the sound of it

...

He tries to impress you with the one thing he has going for him, knowledge

The only problem is he may come off as a bit of a know-it-all

But he does, in fact, know it all, so you kind of have to hand it to him

And honestly, it's almost nice to have a walking encyclopedia around

Although he'd never admit it, except perhaps with an air of exasperation, Hudson finds he actually enjoys being appreciated

Being... Liked, even

Not that he'd go out of his way to chase that reaction from others, but still

He even finds it in himself to willingly answer your questions

Even if the majority of them revolve around spell checking

Mason

He... Is not sure how to approach you

But don't take it the wrong way, he does want to

It's just, even he's not quite sure who he is these days

How will he know if what he's doing to draw you in is the real him?

Besides, he comes with a looooot of baggage...

He can't possibly drop that all on someone's lap, not at this stage in his life

For a long while, he feels distraught over wanting to talk to you and not wanting to compromise himself emotionally

But thankfully, Woods is here to give him the kick he needs

After all, he'll never find out who he is if he never tries to lay out a personality!

And as for the rest, cheesy or perhaps bizarre as it sounds: if you're the one, then it'll all work out with the brainwashed stuff

Besides, look at this place... What they do...

Everyone's a little messed up

Ok, a lot messed up

So with some surprisingly sound Woods logic in his pocket, Mason decides...

Maybe you'd like to go hangout and get drinks?

Or perhaps even, a movie?

Yeah, that sounds like a good start

Park

She knows that obviously the best way to impress someone is to be yourself!

It's not too hard, just walk up and introduce yourself

After that, segway in with a sincere complement, and bam!

You're getting to know one another

Of course, she has the added bonus of being naturally friendly, charming, and easy going

And damn, if it isn't hard to resist someone who just knows what they're about

Park asks you out for some proper, stiff drinks and has a ball trading stories

It ranges anywhere from military/secret agent type stuff, to gossip about current happenings and your friends back at base

But even then, when you're talking about the others, it almost astonishes you how she manages to keep things professional

It's never nasty comments or prying

Just... talk

And that's something that truly impresses you

She's always just so team driven and encouraging...

Perhaps you wouldn't mind getting closer to someone like that

Weaver

Weaver's in the same boat as Mason tbh

And by that I mean, he's shy and an aging, self-conscious vet with a hefty bit of baggage

Particularly, he's concerned with his missing eye

I mean, there's plenty of other, better looking guys in this place

Why would you settle for a beat up pen pusher like him?

You wouldn't get that impression from him though

Typically he just comes off as distracted or busy before he goes back to bustling around with the scientists and Major Carver

A clever fallback plan

Although the distraction piece is accurate, considering that, regardless, he's still trying to figure out just what it'd take to win you over

If you're Russian as well, he'd probably have a muuuuch easier time

Because in that case, he'd want to bond over defecting and living in the US as an ex Soviet with you

If you're not however, he has the added fear you'll reject him if you found out about his background, in addition to all the other stuff above

So he keeps that aspect as quiet as he can, and tries to talk about anything but himself

Once he works up the courage, (because he will eventually!) he likely take you out on a traditional "date" type thing and will happily let you do the talking

Woods

The most impressive thing about Woods is, well, himself!

He may be getting some salt and pepper to his beard as well but, much like Adler, he's got a lot of life still in him...

You know those weights in the back corner of the garage?

Well you can catch him pumping out some reps with them!

He's often doing waaaay too much weight which causes him to be quite sore the next morning

But hey, he does look impressive while doing it

And if, for whatever reason, he can't grab your attention all sweaty and shirtless as he pumps that iron...

He is also a very skilled marksman, he'll have you know

Whenever he can afford to show off a wicked shot out in the field, he will

He never lets his pride get in the way of the mission though

And the funny thing is...

That's what gets you in the end

Frank is so much more then his looks and his showboating

He's brave and strong and loyal...

He's a true hero, all 'mission first' and an inspiration to everyone else in the field

These are the things you like and look up to him for

Although, his unique personality is a plus

[gillianthecat]

Cutie Pie is fun! (one episode in). I like the silly tropey rich people fairy tale vibe of it all. It feels the most like an old school heterosexual genre romance of everything I've seen so far. I'm thinking along the lines of Harlequin Presents: Engaged to the Billionaire (although I don't think I've ever actually read an HP so I don't know if the comparison is accurate.) Like these:

But the very stoic, in-charge, over-protective seme and the very silly, dependent, feisty uke dynamic is so over-the-top that it's gone past irritating and back to fun again. It helps that their billionaire world feels so separate from reality.

Zee and NuNew are great so far. And it's fun to be able to recognize the supporting actors. Hi Poppy! Hi Tonnam!

The part that bothers me the most, tbh, is the face smoothing. At least I think that's what's happening, but I keep getting distracted trying to figure it out. Everyone's face is just a little bit out of focus, especially when shot straight on. It might just be the heavy make-up, but either way I don't like it. It's especially obvious with Zee because I just spent many hours staring at his face in Why R U? and he looks... weird here. It's unfortunate, because he has amazing microexpressions, and I fear a lot of them have gotten lost. Also he's gorgeous and does not need his faced smoothed. Also it makes him look way too young to be a CEO. I'm just going to have to try and get over it though.

[salemorbit]

Hi, sorry if I'm overwhelming you with Requests, but I had an idea for an Imagine that I'd really love to see you write!! Could you please write some Headcanons for how Link, Zelda, Sidon and Revali (Age of Calamity timeline for Sidon btw) would react to a young woman who has a very strong connection to the Spirits being sent to teach Zelda how to unlock her power? Like it's a young woman, around 18 years old, who has a natural ability to communicate with all manner of Spirits, maybe even is part Spirit in some way, so she gets appointed by the King of Hyrule to teach Zelda how to do the same? And maybe she's super nice and excited too? Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!!

oh darling you're totally fine i really appreciate it :D

i hope i did this justice! it's a really neat concept

i also made it an x reader with those attributes if that's okay :)

~~~~~~

Hylia's Guide

[BOTW x fem!Reader]

Headcanons (Link, Zelda, Revali, Sidon)

warnings: none

takes place during Age of Calamity!

also for headcanon's sake,,,,,being a descendant of hylia in this case doesnt mean that you're of the same family? if that makes sense? okay so like reader is descended from hylia and technically so is zelda but they aren't blood related in any way HAHA hope that makes sense

~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~

Let's set the scene, yeah?

You were one of the descendants of Hylia from centuries past, now a ghost in the afterlife as part of the universe itself.

Naturally, you would be surprised when you became sentient once more and blinked open your eyes in the middle of Hyrule Field. In your head rang a soothing voice that you both heard in your head and felt in your bones. In an instant, you knew it was Hylia communicating with your physical form again after years of dormant sleep.

The voice instructed that you were to aid Zelda in her studies of connecting to her powers. Hylia could not intervene directly with Zelda, of course, but the most the Goddess could do was send someone in her place. And that was you: a descendant of Hylia's own bloodline resurrected from the dead come to help the princess in her efforts. Easy enough, right?

Convincing the King and his guards of the situation was difficult, let alone trying to get him to allow you to assist his precious daughter with her practice. The only proof that you had of any story that you told were the markings on your hands and chest.

Three distinct triangles etched themselves on your body: one on the back of each hand and the third on your chest. Your powers had long since been passed on to the next descendant of Hylia, but you were still full of the knowledge of how to use Hylia's gift and how to communicate with the spirits.

•••

Link

Link was wary of you at first, being the princess's appointed knight and all, but he soon figured that you weren't as much of a threat as he initially thought

You were kind and excited to meet someone else who also held Hylia's gift (albeit not necessarily awakened, but still) and Link knew that Zelda would be safe in your hands

While going on spiritual treks with Zelda and Link, you almost always made the meals because both Zelda and Link can't really cook lmao

Coming from an entirely different era, you had a big book of recipes in your head that you brought into reality with every meal you made, and Link definitely wasn't complaining

He appreciated your wide breadth of knowledge of different foods, plants, and wildlife that you might encounter on your travels

It made planning protective measures for the princess all the easier

Sometimes the ventures to connect to Hylia didn't bear any fruit (and that's okay because the gift takes plenty of patience!) and the mood could become solemn quickly

But you were always determined to lift the mood and lighten everyone's attitude, and it always worked!

You would excitedly ramble off stories about where you grew up or what you liked to do on your own travels back in the day, and it would always make Link feel warm that you had such fond memories you were willing to share with him

When Zelda needed time to herself to try to connect to the spirits and Hylia, you and Link would hang around each other and bond

Link would listen attentively as you talked about the cultural and time differences between your world and this one, sharing sympathy when you expressed nostalgia over your time lost

But you would quickly turn it around to the positives, which is what Link thought was a wonderful quality that you had

If you ever got caught off guard while on ventures by the Yiga Clan or rogue animals, Link would fight just as hard as he would in larger battles to keep you safe

Over the time you spent together, Link grew very fond of you and always was at your side if he wasn't immediately attending to the princess

Once your guidance and knowledge finally broke through to Zelda and her power awakened, Link was so proud of you for fulfilling your duty

He was worried that you would disappear from his life once you completed Hylia's task, but you connected to the spirits after the fact and bargained with them

At the end of it all, you were able to live your life through again with Link by your side :)

•••

Zelda

Goddess was Zelda relieved when she found out that she would be having a guide to help her unlock her powers

Upon meeting you, she was absolutely floored with your kindness and willingness to help her with her problems

You were a wonderful mentor to Zelda, teaching her things about the different spirits and how to harness the power that she never would have dreamed of researching on her own

And wow there was a lot of information HAHA

Zelda was also transfixed with the fact that you came from another lifetime, and you were more than happy to tell her all about your life before this one

She would also take very detailed notes about everything you said, enamored with the way you spoke and how excited you got about things you loved

Quiet study time in Zelda's room would often turn into challenges of you trying to make her laugh with small tidbits of stupid stunts you would pull

Of course Zelda couldn't hold back a smile when you were around, so the challenges would fall short but with you falling into fits of laughter

You always brightened Zelda's mood whenever she was down about a failed connection attempt, urging her to try more and be patient with herself

Zelda was thankful to Hylia for sending you because honestly she wouldn't know what to do without someone that was as kind and generous as you were with spreading knowledge about your gifts

And when they finally awakened, Zelda couldn't be more happy!

Hyrule was now safe with Zelda's power awakened and Ganon on the edge of being sealed away

She pleaded that you find a way to stay in her time and teach her more about the spirits and Hylia herself

Your heart warmed at the thought that someone wanted you to stay, and it warmed even more at the fact that someone loved you enough to want to keep you forever :)

•••

Sidon

Sidon met you when he was summoned with the other Champion successors

You were the first to greet him and explain what had happened with the time jumping and all that, and you helped to put his nerves at ease

His own excitable and boisterous personality bounced off of your own energy and buzz!

Fighting side by side with you, Sidon admired how you always had a strategy and were looking out for Zelda as if she was your own sister

He was surprised upon learning your story: never had he known that Hylia had the power like that to bring someone back to help those in the present

Sidon tried his best to stay by your side whenever he could, wanting to keep your blind spots covered just in case

In your time, you had known the Zora and actually knew King Dorephan when he was a young little guppy, and your stories of Dorephan never failed to make Sidon laugh

Sidon in turn shared his own tales of the evolved Zora Domain, and you found his storytelling absolutely captivating

Sidon felt a pull to you like he had to no one else before, and he nurtured that pull with his own heart

He made sure you had enough supplies, checked in on you immediately when you came back from a far off mission

Just an all around softie I think! Sidon has always been caring like that :)

When it was time for him to go back, you discovered a way that you could jump with him back to his own time

After all, your mission with Zelda from Hylia was over. Why shouldn't you be able to live your life through again?

You jumped back with Sidon to a world vastly different than the one you had just been in, and even more different than the one you were born into

But with Sidon, it always felt like home!

•••

Revali

Revali didn't want to be impressed, but he was Definitely Impressed

Your composure about the whole situation was amazing, and you handled all the questions everyone had with grace

And your kindness was overwhelming (in a good way) with the fact that you opened your mind to such possibilities of even being resurrected like that

Revali admired you through and through

He would be incessantly curious about what the afterlife was like, how the spirits communicated with you, what Hylia was like

You, of course, couldn't accurately answer most questions because, well, you couldn't remember, but you appreciated his desire to learn

You loved the way that he fought: with purpose and intent. There was little to no hesitation with Revali, he always had a plan

When you would go to treks with Zelda and Link to try to summon Zelda's power, Revali would make comments here and there insisting that he tag along just in case

Poor Rito really just wanted to spend more time with you, that's all!

If he did tag along, it would be to Lanayru with his knowledge of the cold weather

He would rattle off safety facts of mountain weather and gear you would need, and you would be happy to listen as long as he was talking to you

Revali would also love to hear about your old life, and since you could go on for hours about it all, he would sit and absorb everything that came out of your mouth

He was smitten in a matter of weeks!

He could see the care and sympathy you had for Zelda as she struggled and triumphed in her process of opening her powers, and he appreciated that you could care so much for someone like that

Revali subconsciously protected you even if there was a leaf that fell in the way of your path, as he was always on alert in case someone caught you off guard

As your time came to a close and Zelda awakened her powers, Revali demanded that you stay (with love, of course)

And stay you did, making a bargain with the spirits and living the rest of your second life in the company of the Rito warrior :)

~~~~~~~~~

hope i got this good!! i thought the concept was really neat and i kinda wished they did something like that actually :/ zelda didn't deserve that angst

requests are welcome :)

[robininthelabyrinth]

you are all horrible horrible enablers, every one of you, and I hope you know that

-

The Quiet Room (aka whumptober no. 24) part 2/? - for part 1 see ao3 or tumblr

Lan Wangji liked the quiet.

Or – perhaps it was only accurate that he had liked the quiet, back when quiet meant good things. When it meant thoughtful contemplation, not having to deal with people he didn’t understand, and mama.

She’d called her home the jingshi, the quiet room, after the real one that was built back against the mountain, the one even Lan Wangji, who loved the quiet, had to be slowly acclimated to, the one that served as a means to strengthen cultivation and discipline the mind. He’d asked her once why she called it that, since it wasn’t a proper jingshi at all – it only had the basic arrays for privacy set at the windows, plus a few others he didn’t understand set into the floor, but those never seemed to be working when he was there.

She’d laughed weirdly (unhappily) and said that the sect’s quiet room was meant to discipline the mind and her quiet room was meant to discipline her. He didn’t understand, which he didn’t like – he usually understood mama, not the way he sometimes had trouble with other people – but she didn’t say anything more.

(That was the only time he’d ever seen the floor arrays active, the whole time he’d known her.)

He took to calling his home the jingshi, too, long after she’d left it. After all, the Lan sect rules demanded ‘Maintain your own discipline’, and quiet was discipline, and Lan Wangji always tried to do his best to follow the rules because following the rules made you happy. Right?

His older brother hadn’t liked that he called it that, but the name stuck – it’d been called it for so long, after all – and in the end he used it too. And so Lan Wangji lived in the quiet, even when it isolated him from the other boys his age, and he liked it that way.

And then, of course, he met Wei Wuxian, Wei Ying, who was the very opposite of quiet.

A bit like mama had been, actually, and for the first time it occurred to Lan Wangji that it wasn’t the quiet that he had liked so much.

When Wei Wuxian was gone, and he was hurt as much by his absence as he was by the whip marks that tore open his back – a punishment so dire he had scarcely believed it would actually be implemented until it was, and where before he might have accepted it as being his proper due he wasn’t so sure now – Lan Wangji turned to the quiet again, seeking the strength he gained from cultivation. Seeking comfort.

He found none.

He found –

Nie Mingjue was a heavy weight in arms that had begun to atrophy from disuse no matter how much Lan Wangji tried to train them, trapped as he was by his injuries, but Lan Wangji ignored the pain as he helped him back to his own quarters, his own jingshi, away from the other one.

(He ignored the way he took the lesser-used pathways to do it, making sure no one saw them.)

There was a lot of blood on Nie Mingjue, his hands nearly battered to bits, his throat abused by the silence spell, his face and ears covered in scratches caused by his own nails, and his eyes and ears had begun bleeding in the tell-tale sign of disorder qi wreaking havoc on his body from the inside as well.

It was not that Lan Wangji did not know of Nie Mingjue’s familial affliction. The man was his brother’s lover, after all, and they had all known each other since they were young. It was true that Lan Xichen no longer turned to Lan Wangji to confide in him his fears about Nie Mingjue, not after everything that happened over Wei Wuxian – it wasn’t necessary since he now had Jin Guangyao, some cruel part of Lan Wangji whispered, feeling jealous that his brother should have two great loves in his life while Lan Wangji had none – but it didn’t mean that he didn’t know.

“Why did you go to the quiet room?” he asked. He had always thought Nie Mingjue had hated the idea of it – it had always made sense to him, even if it didn’t to Lan Xichen. Nie Mingjue was a man of movement and noise, always loud in presence even when he did not speak; what succor would he find in the quiet, he who had never known it? “What happened?”

Nie Mingjue was weeping into his bloodied hands, salt tears mixing in with the tear tracks of blood on his face. Lan Wangji suspected it was the sound of Lan Wangji’s voice that affected him so – the voices of others always seemed to ring loudly after some time spent cultivating in the quiet room, almost deafening, and yet every time the din acted like a balm on his tender nerves.

And that was him. Lan Wangji couldn’t even imagine – for someone like Nie Mingjue, who didn’t have Lan training nor practice Lan techniques, who was notorious for lacking any skill in music and who couldn’t even protect himself by playing melodies in his head –

“What happened?” he asked again, more determined this time – there was a sick feeling in his stomach, a feeling not unlike the sick he had felt at the Nightless City, seeing his beloved do so much wrong. “Tell me.”

He got the story out of Nie Mingjue in bits and drabs, confused in sequence and time and not – not well – and –

Lan Wangji threw up into the small basin by the bed that he kept just for this purpose. It happened moderately often after he overexerted himself, whether in cultivation or movement or otherwise, and sometimes just after a particularly bad nightmare – and this felt like that.

A nightmare.

His brother – his brother – who always meant well, who tried so hard to do the right thing, who was kind and gentle and approachable the way Lan Wangji wasn’t – who was dutiful, who followed the rules, who had two loves in his life, each of them appropriate and approved of by the clan elders –

“He didn’t mean to hurt me,” Nie Mingjue lisped, his tongue still swollen from having been nearly bitten through, his voice hoarse and torn from his silent screams. His eyes and ears were still seeping blood. “He just wanted me to get better…he thought I wasn’t listening to him…being irrational…”

He nearly killed you, Lan Wangji wanted to scream. He didn’t trust you.

Just like he didn’t trust me.

“You need to go,” Lan Wangji said, seized with a sudden urgency. “Before –”

He didn’t know how to verbalize it. He didn’t want to verbalize it: he didn’t want to say that his brother’s lover should leave and never return, never trust himself again into the hands of the man (his brother) who did this to him, who put him in a room of nightmares and left him there unsupervised, who was probably at home having tea with his other lover while his childhood sweetheart died by inches in torment.

(Did Nie Mingjue even know about Jin Guangyao? Lan Wangji wondered for the first time. He’d thought they were a triad – Lan Xichen certainly spoke as if they were, confident that his sworn brothers’ troubles with each other were temporary, because love would eventually conquer all; he’d said that Jin Guangyao had told them that they were once lovers, attracted despite themselves, that it was a lover’s tiff that was sure to pass – but Nie Mingjue didn’t speak like that at all, distant and wary and even a little hateful towards the man he only reluctantly called his brother. He spoke of Lan Xichen as his lover, his beloved, and Jin Guangyao as someone who had betrayed him and who he was trying to force himself to get to know again, to tolerate, all on Lan Xichen’s say-so, and that was wrong, that wasn’t the relationship Lan Xichen seemed to think they had, and if Lan Xichen was so horribly wrong about that, then what else was he wrong about?)

“What happened to you?” Nie Mingjue asked instead of leaving at once, his hand raised and pointing as best as he could with broken fingers at Lan Wangji’s back. “Why…?”

Lan Wangji wet his lips. He knew, of course, that the Lan sect had not disclosed to outsiders what had happened to him – his betrayal of the sect, his punishment – but he had assumed Lan Xichen would at least tell Nie Mingjue.

“He said you were punished, and that you went into seclusion after,” Nie Mingjue said, before turning and spitting out some blood into the basin Lan Wangji had just cleaned. “But not – details. Why? What could merit that punishment?”

“I aided Wei Wuxian in escaping the Nightless City before he could be executed,” Lan Wangji said, because while he wanted to help Nie Mingjue he didn’t know if Nie Mingjue wanted his help – he didn’t know if he would turn away from him the way everyone else in his family had turned away from him. After all, there had been plenty of Nie sect cultivators who had been wounded or worse by what had happened there – and Nie Mingjue had been one of the ones who’d heeded the call to go to the Burial Mounds to lay siege.

But Nie Mingjue just nodded. “Should’ve had a trial,” he muttered through bloody lips. “Should’ve had a chance to explain what happened. Might’ve died anyway, but not – like that.”

Those were the kindest words on the subject that Lan Wangji had heard since it had all happened. They were probably true, too; Wei Wuxian should have had the chance to explain, to meet justice on his own terms, even given what the outcome would likely have been…Lan Wangji might not have even been able to tolerate that much. Like his father before him, he couldn’t bear to see his beloved executed for their crimes, though at least he’d kept himself from imprisoning him against his will until he lost all will to live.

(Not like Lan Xichen, who put his lover inside the jingshi just as their mother had been put inside a jingshi and left him there alone –)

“You need to go,” Lan Wangji said again. “It’s not – safe. Here.”

He hated to say it. He hated to think it.

Nie Mingjue looked at him, the same shared sorrow in his eyes. “Is it for you?”

That night, Lan Wangji went to children’s quarters and collected a very sleepy A-Yuan, who had been reluctantly named Lan Yuan by elders who didn’t accept him and sometimes resented him and who would not live well here without Lan Wangji to protect him –

Collected an equally sleepy Lan Jingyi, a little orphan who hadn’t yet been assigned a guardian, who liked noise and play a bit too much for the elders’ liking and who screamed for days after even the smallest introduction to the quiet room and no one seemed to care because surely he’d get used to it eventually –

Collected Bichen and Wangji and all the things he thought he might miss, which turned out to be far less than he’d thought –

He ignored the pain on his back, mounting on Bichen with Baxia under Nie Mingjue’s feet as well for all that the man was still bleeding and couldn’t stand without leaning on him, though he held Lan Jingyi securely in his arms like a man who knew his way around children –

He left.

Lan Wangji did not think he would return.

[mst3kproject]

The Neanderthal Man

Since I'm taking a break from fishmen, I might as well let Bigfoot catch up a bit.  The Neanderthal Man isn't exactly a Bigfoot movie, but it’s along the same lines and its entire starring cast has MST3K pedigrees.  Robert Shayne was in Indestructible Man and Teenage Caveman. Richard Crane was Rocky Jones, Space Ranger! Beverly Garland was in Swamp Diamonds and Gunslinger. Even the composer, Albert Glasser, wrote music for Invasion USA, Last of the Wild Horses, and almost all of MST3K’s Bert I. Gordon movies.

Some little mountain town in the middle of the Sierras (which the Portentous 50's Narrator takes some trouble to tell us is a primeval place where 'the defacing hand of civilization has fallen but lightly') is having a rash of saber-toothed tiger sightings!  At first these are laughed off, but when the game warden himself sees one cross the road in the middle of the night, it's time to do something about it.  The warden shows a cast pawprint to Dr. Ross Harkness in Los Angeles, who is interested enough to come up and see for himself. Local Mad Scientist Dr. Groves pooh-poohs the whole thing, which is enough to tell me that we're not dealing with a local cryptid here.  Somebody is making prehistoric monsters.

So... I may not have actually run out of movies, but I seem to be running out of plots, because this is a remarkably similar movie to Monster on the Campus. The major difference between the two films is that Dr. Blake turned himself into a caveman by accident, while Dr. Groves here is doing it on purpose.

Another difference is that Monster on the Campus' story, while silly, was linear – events escalated in a way that felt logical, and there were reasons why things happened when and where they did.  By contrast, The Neanderthal Man feels like a first draft.  At the beginning of the film, we're dealing with the saber-toothed tigers that Groves has been creating by injecting cats with his de-evolution serum.  We hear about these slaughtering game and livestock, and it seems like only a matter of time before they move on to human beings.  The beginning of the film is quite upfront about the fact that Groves is responsible, too, as it is only mildly mysterious in its depiction of one of the creatures escaping his lab.

Sometimes the saber-tooths are represented by an actual tiger, usually filmed from behind or at a great distance so nobody has to put the prosthetic teeth on it.  They do have prosthetic teeth, but they're only visible in a couple of shots. Imagine being at a bar and some guy tells you his job is sticking fake fangs on real tigers for a caveman movie!  For close-ups, there's a hilarious puppet head that looks like the sort of thing you'd see mounted on a frat house wall as a joke.  The director had the sense not to linger on this in motion shots, but later we see still photographs Groves has supposedly taken of his experimental subjects and they're even stupider-looking than we imagined.

Anyway, this goes on for a while with rising action, as the game warden goes to get Harkness and they manage to shoot one of the animals, only to have it vanish from the kill site when they try to show it to Groves (the movie never bothers to explain how that happened, incidentally. The ending suggests that the creatures change back when they die, but there's definitely no dead kitty cat at the scene, either).  The whole movie could easily have just had the cats and their creator as the antagonists, perhaps even ending the same way as Dr. Groves proves his work to the other characters by injecting himself. That's not what happens, though.  Instead, the story mostly forgets about the cats one we find out Groves has also been carrying on human experiments.

(Before himself, Groves' first experimental subject was his disabled Latina housekeeper.  Another series of photos show her half-transformed into a cavewoman who for some reason is wearing drag queen false eyelashes.  And as long as I'm talking about the movie being gross and bigoted, there's a bit where a woman is violently raped.  This happens off camera, but the audience is not allowed to entertain any illusions about it.)

The problem is that before we see him give himself an injection in the arm, we have had absolutely no indication that Groves has been giving his serum to anything besides the cats! Cats are stealthy, cryptic creatures and if one of those has been seen wandering around killing things, then surely a full-on caveman beating people to death would not be able to stay out of sight!  If what we were seeing were the first time Groves had tried the formula on himself then that would be an explanation, but his notes reveal that he's been doing it for so long that he's on the verge of losing control of the transformation and permanently reverting to a pre-human status, as indeed he does for the climax.  Much like the stupid dinosaur in The Beast of Hollow Mountain, the movie's main monster is given no build-up whatsoever!

There's worse yet, though.  The main characters, Dr. Harkness and Groves' daughter Jan, are barely involved in the 'caveman' part of the plot. They get phone calls about the various murders that Groves is committing in caveman form, and they snoop around the lab to figure out things the audience already knows.  The same story could have been told without them, perhaps with the game warden and the hunter as protagonists, and it would probably have been more interesting. The script also repeatedly has Dr. Groves wander in and bluster about how the tiger sightings are hallucinations and tall tales, which seems a little unnecessary when we already know he's responsible. The film-makers can't seem to decide whether they want us to know that or not.

Dr. Groves wears glasses.  Maybe the reason his primitive alter-ego is angry and breaking shit (although it does politely open and close the window it climbs out of, which made me laugh) is because it can't see. This is also my theory about why the Hulk smashes, and what do you know?  In Avengers Endgame he's got Hulk-sized spectacles and only smashes when he's told!

The direction of The Neanderthal Man can probably best be described as 'serviceable'.  It shows us what's going on, but doesn't particularly add anything to the proceedings.  The 'Neanderthal' mask is immobile and uninteresting, not much better than somebody's Party City Sasquatch costume.  Even the eyes are just painted on, meaning the poor guy in the costume can’t do much because he can’t see where he’s going.

The dialogue is often very strange, with characters talking like they're in a Jules Verne novel. If only one person did this, it might seem like a character quirk – it works for Dr. Groves, for example – but it's everybody. Seeing the cat carcass is gone, Harkness declares, “I refuse to believe in the supernatural!  There must be some logical cause and effect to this unholy adventure!”  Groves' fiancee Ruth berates him for ignoring her, saying, “I want you, the man I once knew!  The good companion, the cheerful friend.  I want the happiness we once found in each other.”  It's bizarre to listen to, and often audibly awkward for the actors.

Monster on the Campus was kind of trying to be about how humanity must choose to evolve away from our inner savage, although the finale didn't bear that out.  There's a scene in The Neanderthal Man in which this movie seems to be trying to go in the opposite direction, saying that we were never savage to begin with.  Dr. Groves is speaking to a panel of scientists about the size of the brain in various 'primitive' species of human.  He points out that by the time we reached Homo erectus we were already working with four times the cerebral jelly of a chimpanzee, and argues that our ancestors would have been recognizably human in their behaviour and problem-solving capacity.

(Amusingly, his chart of human evolution includes Piltdown Man, which was proven to be a hoax literally a few months after this movie's release.  What makes this even more tragic for the writers is that their list of primitive humans seems to be the only place where they actually did any research.)

The problem with Dr. Groves' theory is that he already knows it's wrong. We soon learn that he's been experimenting on himself with his serum for a while already, and his notes show that he knows very well he regresses into a near-mindless animal.  The movie does not even try to reconcile these ideas.  If Groves were continuing his experiments in the hope that perfecting his serum would give him a more accurate reconstruction of ancient man, that would be one thing, but the script never goes there.

So now that we've had two 'man turns into caveman by injecting science juice' movies, of course I have to ask which one is better.  Monster on the Campus wasn't a good movie but it was definitely an improvement on The Neanderthal Man in several respects, and although I don't have any way to find out for certain, I suspect it was an intentional remake.  It's definitely more entertaining and gets bonus points for including the Meganeura dragonfly, but nothing in it is nearly as funny as The Neanderthal Man's fake tiger head.  I guess if you're gonna watch one or the other, stick to Monster on the Campus, but if you're gonna watch both, start with The Neanderthal Man and do them in chronological order, the better to spot the inspirations and references.

Before I go, a fun paleontology fact: current thinking is that the saber-toothed cat's eponymous fangs actually didn't show when it had its mouth closed!  There are zero cave paintings or ancient sculptures of a saber-tooth cat with teeth visible, and when scientists looked at the structure of the enamel in the canines, it suggested that in life the teeth were hidden by big, fleshy, St Bernard jowls.  Google 'smilodon lips' and behold how this looks fully three hundred percent more ridiculous than you're imagining.  I love nature.

[purplerose244]

It was always you

Hello everyone!! 😊

I’m a bit late but I really wanted to contribute to the @lukadrien-june event, I hope this is okay! Based on the third prompt, while throwing in some character study for sunshine boy! 💛

Enjoy!! 😙😙

Summary: Love was supposed to be easy, at least in his head. A pure perfect fairy tale... except it was not. Adrien takes probably more time to realize it than other people but he is getting there. Especially not alone.

Read it on the AO3 here

If there was one thing that Adrien wished he had known, before giving up homeschooling once and for all and finally starting to build a life, was that loving wasn’t nearly as simple and dreamlike as his extremely well-developed imagination had led him to believe. He truly wished that he could borrow Bunnix’ Miraculous sometimes, just to head back to that room where he used to spend his entire time on his own dreaming of himself and his soulmate and getting married at sight, and tell him that if living was hard outside, heart matters were even harder.

Love wasn’t that ideal, it wasn’t reductive.

It wasn’t nearly that basic either. It took him a while, but he had figured it out.

It had all started with Ladybug of course, most of his new experiences in the real world had started with her. He had fallen in love with her pretty much two days after meeting her… granted, being stuck into his own house for years thinking of himself as a poor prince in waiting of a savior rather than a knight out to get the princess, might had developed in him a bit of an eagerness for romance. She was smart, beautiful, courageous, resourceful and a hero, what was there not to love? Besides they were Chat Noir and Ladybug, they were meant to be… because… that was Ladybug. The moment he had realized how much he loved that image – if he used to fantasize before looked at him now –, and how he had started to slowly care less and less about knowing what was hiding behind it, that was the dealbreaker. He didn’t want to be in love with a figure, an icon for Paris, because it was what all people had always reduced him to. It would have not been a good way to start, and it would have not been fair for her either.

Getting over all those dreams about the marriage, the children and the hamster – oh the hamster, heart stay still – that he had wished for so intensely had been… easy? Not exactly, but smooth. A strong emptiness and pain that had slowly faded away with time. After all, Ladybug was never going to be far from him, and she cared about him a lot, he knew that much. He could love her, no matter what, no matter in what way.

After that singular and very one-sided experience, a spectacular sequence of disasters had made him slowly and steadily feel aware of how much messier the concept of relationships really was. One thing was dodging Chloe’s overly affectionate tendencies or his fans’ intense assaults over him; the other realizing that Kagami was ready to commit into something he wasn’t sure of, that Lila was still somehow convinced that he wanted something to do with her after all of her lies – for a fox this sly she sure was in denial… why did that sound hypocrite? –, and that Marinette had apparently harbored feelings for him almost as soon as they had met – oh yeah that was why. Life, a real, multifaced, worth living life was chaotic and confusing, it hurt, and it saddened, and he was behind everyone, struggling like mad to catch up.

Rejecting so many people he cared about had been awful. Some of his closest friends, all important parts of his life in different ways, and all because he wasn’t smart enough to understand feelings and his own clearly weren’t right. When Marinette had smiled at him with tears in her eyes, saying that it was okay and that she understood, Adrien had decided that it was enough. He wasn’t going to attempt anything else, if it always ended up with hurting someone he cared about.

He could deal with his feelings on his own, he always did, without paining anyone. There was no problem anyway, after Ladybug no one had ever shaken his heart.

No one, no one at all… and during that time, between slowly realizing that perhaps looking for wedding rings after two days sounded a little unreasonable and somehow managing to hate his face plastered all over Paris even more than before, the Music Festival had occurred, along with the awakening of Captain Hardrock. The famous tripping over the bridge had happened, a goofiness that had somehow gotten him into a band.

Him had happened. The charming, kind, intriguing guitarist of the Liberty, that had welcomed him the moment he had been there.

Luka Coffaine.

… Adrien was starting to hate his heart a little bit.

Luckily or unluckily, around that time he had found himself too caught up in his and other people’s messes to even realize how he had always unconsciously smiled at the boy whenever he was there, and how it had become normal for him to stay with him after band practice, without caring on how father could had reacted to his delay – just how dense was he about his feelings… never mind. It took Lila to finally focus on something other than plotting, Chloe to start paying attention to her own life instead of worsening others, and Marinette and Kagami to begin exchange sweet looks for him to finally find some normality to think – and develop an extremely intense fanboy soul.

Enough to realize that ever since Desperada, with the brilliant introduction of Viperion to the team, Adrien had found himself as Luka’s confidant, the only one besides Ladybug aware of his secret identity. Exciting stories, confessions, insecurities, all while the guitarist was making such an effort to communicate with words, because he trusted him enough not to judge his mind.

And Adrien was enjoying the confidence, the vicinity. A lot. Truly a lot.

… way too much for it to be normal.

It had woken him at night. He had teared up in his bed, curled on one side while Plagg had been purring next to his ear all night. It was the first time that being in love had felt this terrifying. He didn’t want to mess everything up, not again, not with Luka. The freedom he felt with being on the Liberty, the time spent with his friends in the band, the warming welcome he had always received from captain Anarka and Juleka – and by extension Rose, those two always came in pair –, and every single moment spent without having to care about who he was and what did he represent because Luka didn’t care about covers, he cared about the real music coming from people. Everything could disappear in a moment.

With that set of mind, he had spent some of the most tense moments of his life, constantly pondering about what to do next. What exactly was a person supposed to do if he liked another without making a mess? What was the alternative to confess his undying love and hope to plan a wedding at the end of his studies? Was there an alternative??

His anxious attitude had inevitably gotten the attention of his group of friends, that for some miracle hadn’t gotten tired of his denseness, especially Marinette. She hadn’t seemed to care much, especially not while distractively holding the amulet Kagami had made for her – somehow love life had made the fencer even deadlier during practice, like she was fighting was someone, impressive. It had taken them to bribe him with a new recipe of croissants from the Dupain-Cheng bakery to be forced to talk, a necessity that had exploded out of his lips the moment his friends had been gathered on Marinette’s bed to listen. The sweets had been amazing. Just a bit salty… but that was probably because he hadn’t been able to talk without tearing up all over the food.

At the end of the discussion, Marinette had squeaked so loudly his ears had started to ring.

“You have to confess and get together, you two would be a great couple!” To which he had responded that he didn’t want to risk it, especially since he didn’t know how it was going to end.

Alya had slammed her hands over her own knees – ouch –, standing up.

“You have to man up! Don’t think about what could happen, go for it and make him yours!” To which he had said that he didn’t want to be insensitive again in case it didn’t go well – also that that kind of wording was a little confusing, enough to turn him bright red.

Then Nino had looked up from his phone, looking a little baffled. He had changed too, considering that love matters used to make him all nervous.

“Why don’t you ask him out first and see how it goes from there? You don’t have to become boyfriends if it feels too soon.” The table had gone silent, all eyes were on the DJ, who simply arched an eyebrow. “… you do know you can go on a date with someone, realize that it’s not working without actually get together, right?” More silence had followed. Adrien was sure that he had felt a weird mixture of disappointment and relief, while Marinette had looked so very shocked.

In conclusion, Nino was amazing. Like that was new.

Starting from there the blonde had been practicing in front of the mirror every day, terrified of rejection but less tense over how things could go. Despite fans and admirers his past relationships, if those could be called, weren’t giving him much of a booster or a good feeling about how this chance was going to play. Somehow it hardly mattered. Luka was a very reasonable person, he was going to reject him very nicely. It had been almost uplifting the idea of the guitarist treating him with absolute kindness, even while shattering all of his dreams.

One day Luka had called him over for an improv session. It happened often, this artist was extremely instinctive when it came to music, and he had told him that having a more rational and accurate player like Adrien around grounded him to his usual style. It was flattering every time he was called for that same reason, it was an occasion that made the blonde ignore all about his current schedule – of course he was at fencing right now, Kagami could cover- uhm, confirm for him –, to finally focus on something that he really wanted to do. Luka was always waiting over the bed of his room, playing a few notes, stopping for minutes then going again. It was calming and endearing, like Adrien was allowed to hear the inside of his mind.

He had been standing there, legs crossed at the end of the bed while Luka was lying down with the instrument. There had been only sounds for all of this time, without additions or suggestions or anything. It was nice. Really nice. Adrien had wondered what else could he discover out of him just by stay close like this, and how much he wanted to. The need to let those words out had been steadily growing without him realizing it.

“Luka?” Until they were out. “Do you wanna go on a date with me?” Mirror practice had helped, it had come out almost mechanically. There was a spark into his stomach, the adrenaline pouring out. The melody in the air had stopped for a pretty terrifying second.

Then it had come back as a full, real song. It was timid, sweet, and sincere.

“I’d love to.” In his own giddiness, Adrien could admit of being wrong. Yet he was almost sure he had seen the calm and controlled guitarist blush the tiniest little bit.

A single date at the restaurant where Alya’s mother worked at without people in the way – he loved his friends so much – had followed another one walking hand in hand through Rue Montorgueil in disguise – at last he had achieved his long-lasting dream of looking like someone else without the mask –, that had followed another one at a secret party Chloe had organized at Le Grand Paris for her classmates – she had given him such a smirk at seeing his plus one, gossip was coming. It had nothing to do with the dates of his daydreams, the ones he had lived through his head for years: every single time his stomach was so tense it felt like it was burning, painfully, making him question if he really wanted this. Then, the moment they were there talking, engaging themselves into an interesting topic while letting time pleasantly leave them behind, the stress was gone and there were only the two of them.

They had gone like this for months. Some absolutely lovely months. At some point Alya, stopping him at school, had calmly stated that him and Luka combined with Marinette and Kagami were making her feel single, and she had a boyfriend, so it was probably time to make it official. He had agreed with her, of course he had. He liked Luka… yeah right, he loved him. Everything with him felt so real, so close and intense, like he was finally living.

His feelings weren’t the problem… Luka’s were.

Not that he doubted him. Not after all the little orange blossoms left over his keyboard before band practice – they meant eternal love, oh heart stay still once again –, the songs sung for him whenever he felt upset or angry at his father, or the hand kisses at the end of every single date, like he was being cherished every single time. One of the guitarist’s biggest qualities was his sincerity, Adrien was absolutely sure he could trust him and his heart. Just how he had never blamed anyone before, not Chloe, not Kagami, not Marinette, not even Lila, for their feelings towards him.

They had been real, like his own feelings for Ladybug used to be… but they were for Adrien only, the supermodel, Paris’ iconic pretty face and perfect boy. That perfection in him, one he had been forced to practice in order to please his father, that was attracted others, but it wasn’t in any way all that was in him.

What was all the rest? It was also there. But it came out only whenever he wore the mask.

With time, the image he had been forced to wear for the profit of his father had grown into an uncomfortable, old sweater that he hadn’t known it had felt unbelievably itchy until he got the possibility to take it off, to try something else. And that black-leather armor was his absolute favorite. Nothing felt like freedom as that, nothing felt like him as those moments, whenever he jumped into the sky holding hard onto his staff. Thanks to his Miraculous he had discovered himself. Thanks to that he had found out that he liked making jokes, he loved puns, he liked making a fool of himself for the sake to have fun. He liked risking, he liked dancing, he wasn’t too keen on closed places, and he absolutely loved how the moon reflected into the Seine at night after patrol. Everything was him, so vividly him it made him choke a little at the mere thought of it.

Adrien Agreste was another mask, one he was growing considerably tired to wear. He had been through some love experiences now, even though they did not end quite well: there was no point into pretending to be someone he wasn’t, there was no meaning into hiding himself when he truly wanted to establish a bond with someone. He had known this, he knew this.

But if everyone liked Adrien better… if Luka liked Adrien better, how was he supposed to do that?

The tension coming from those thoughts was there only when he wasn’t around his favorite guitarist, making him at least forget about the dilemma coming with. Even so, around those times he had found himself at least wondering exactly what kind of opinion his date had about Chat Noir. He wasn’t sure, they had never talked much in their superhero personas, because of the urge of the moment and because with his lady’s strategic mind and a power like Second Chance it was unfairly easy sometimes to solve the situation – Ladybug needed to start bringing Viperion more often and yes, maybe just a little bit to see more of Luka in sexy snake cosplay. He was fairly sure he didn’t mind him, he seemed to even smile at him sometimes – total heart eyes –, but he wanted to be sure.

It had been night at the Liberty, they had ordered pizza. Sugary drinks made Rose giggle like mad, so Juleka had brought her to her room to take a nap and probably cuddle, leaving the two of them alone. That wasn’t weird. Wondering if the guy Adrien was dating liked his cat counterpart, that was weird. At the end, looking at how relaxed the boy over the sofa was while distractively bending the last pizza crust, he hadn’t been able to do pose a potentially confusing question, asking instead what he thought about Ladybug – he had made a mental post-it to whine loudly into his pillow later.

Luka had brought up stuff he already knew, how she was a great leader, an inspiration, extremely smart and courageous. Despite the failure of questioning him Adrien had smiled, he was weirdly happy they thought the same about his partner.

“She has a huge responsibility and deals with it incredibly, that’s commendable… with that being said, my favorite is Chat Noir.” A boom inside. “He’s hot.” A second, bigger explosion had occurred into Adrien’s head – in a feeble spark of lucidity he had begged his brain not to produce smoke out of his ears. Luka had laughed, playing some more, without looking directly at him. “And he’s such a selfless, reliable person, you can tell from how he doesn’t hesitate to help others or support me or Ladybug. He’s incredibly loyal, and… really funny.”

It had taken perhaps a second too long, in which a thousand of tiny little Adrien running all over his brain had been screaming out loud hysterically about how this handsome guitarist was a Chat Noir fan, and it had been the best day ever. Then he had managed to talk, ask, his voice was a little raspy.

“You… you like his puns?” Luka had scooted closer to him, smirking a little.

“It’s our little secret.” With that he had put a hand around his shoulders, bringing him closer to him. The blonde had abandoned himself into the embrace, trying to hide the giddy smile in his chest.

It got easier to let himself go from that moment forward, knowing that at least some parts of Chat Noir Luka didn’t mind at all. Having Nino groaning like mad after they had all taken their matchmaker ice creams from Andre, with Adrien coming out with a “I scream for an ice cream”, had been worth it just to see the guitarist rolling his eyes with an endeared smile. It had felt good. He couldn’t fully let go, being a model and famous and all that baloney, but he could stop pretending for a moment and embrace a little bit more about himself.

It had hit him much later that perhaps, maybe, possibly, the matter of telling Luka about his superhero identity was meant to come up at some point. It hadn’t seemed an important matter before, he was not supposed to do reveal it anyway according to Ladybug. Then again, this wasn’t a relationship behind masks like that one, it was as open as it could be. Also Plagg wasn’t exactly the biggest fan or rules anyway, he had doubted he would have minded. Hearing Luka talking about his latest adventure with Viperion, basically summarizing everything Adrien already knew from his point of view, made him feel a bit guilty about not coming clean. Still, it was hard to recall that unpleasantness with Luka always ending the discussion making a comment about Chat Noir, probably catching up over the fact that Adrien was also a ‘fan’. Knowing that such a charming boy like Luka considered his pun machine alter ego attractive, stating that the only blondie with green eyes as handsome he knew was Adrien, was definitely a good way to end the day.

Then, that had happened. Apparently, Hawk Moth had thought that the idea of unleashing once again Gorizilla over the powerless city of Paris was a hilarious idea. It had taken them forever to calm him down, the bodyguard had been all agitated since there had been no sign of his protegee – at least for what he knew. Cataclysm, Lucky Charm, Miraculous Ladybug, the script was old and overused and after the most tired pound it ever Adrien had called it a day, sinking into his own bed as soon as he had been home.

The unconscious was a calming place, a pleasant one, just like Luka.

Just like Luka… Luka… the date.

Out of pure will and terror he had managed to get on his feet, realizing with horror that not only he hadn’t just fallen asleep, but he was also late. Two. Hours. Late. Dread didn’t describe properly the feeling that had taken over. Begging a very annoyed looking Plagg he had launched himself into the night sky, running on all four out of pure despair. When he had arrived at the restaurant, miserably closed, Luka was leaning over the wall of the entrance that was off, humming a very mellow, very melancholic melody. And he had dressed up, for once in his life wearing something classy, a white dress shirt and a black jacket without sleeves. His hair had grown a bit in those months, enough for him to pull a little ponytail.

What a waste, Adrien had thought. What a waste on someone like him, this beautiful person lightening up as soon as he was there, running to hug him, saying that he knew there had been an akuma today and he was happy to see he was okay. Except he wasn’t, this wasn’t, it was not okay. He was taking advantage of his position, the fact that there was stuff he was keeping for himself. It wasn’t fair for himself, most importantly it wasn’t fair for him.

“And you’re okay with this?” He didn’t know what he had been implying with those words, he had felt the need to get them out. To be heard. Because Luka always listened.

The guitarist had given him a weird, aware look, holding up his hands.

“I am if you are.” Unfair. Unfair. Unfair. Nothing but that feeling of guilt had filled his heart, and Adrien had rushed in, hugging him as closely as he could. Luka had embraced back, caressing his back slowly and gently as it was his way of being, telling him that they could postpone on a day with a less dangerous akuma terrorizing the city. Adrien had kept his eyes shut, choking silent sobs against his jacket. Thinking that maybe it was okay, maybe they could still keep going like this. H was scared, besides there was no need to change anything, or even better there was no need to say something that wasn’t needed. This was enough, this could be enough.

Adrien had then opened his eyes, only to feel them pinching. From the window of the restaurant, he could see the lonely white table with two dishes and two glasses, and all around… were candles and roses. Luke remembered. He had remembered the mention of the romantic gesture the blonde had done for a girl that hadn’t gone as planned. He had remembered how Adrien had always wished for something like that for himself. He knew how much of a hopeless romantic he was. Luka knew him.

At the same time, he didn’t. He didn’t know him. It was not okay.

It was not okay, and it was not enough.

Mirror sessions were back after that, more frantic than ever but less frequent than he would have liked – he was dense he could admit, not enough to proclaim to his father or Nathalie that he was Chat Noir while in the shower. He had wished it was like preparing for a shooting, or even imagining to be an actor like mom was. The tension was nothing like. The number of warnings coming from all directions was massive, starting from how once again his friends were getting worried about him – he wasn’t going to resist the bribe of chocolate chip cookies for long –, how Ladybug had expressively told him no one was supposed to know about their real identities, how there was no telling how Luka was going to react over the fact that his date was the cat boy with whom sometimes he fought crime with – man that was a weird line to say out loud. He had found it hard to sleep, too tense to get lost into his dreams, questioning his decision all night long.

One night, after a particularly harsh internal battle between him himself and he, he had rolled over a little too much forgetting about his poor little cheese-eating friend. He had been on his way to apologize to the squished kwami, but with a single firm gesture coming from his tiny arm Plagg had gotten him to shut up, eyes widened and extremely pissed.

“You’re telling him.” His eyelid had twitched a little. Right, he had kept him awake as well. “I don’t care what Ladybug says, I don’t care what Tikki says, you’re telling him.”

“Huh, okay?”

“It’s not a question Adrien, it’s an order. Do it or else you won’t find Atlantis that much of a natural disaster.” Wasn’t for experience he would have doubted that this tiny guy was able of much. Good thing he did have precedents, so Adrien had opted to nod and lay down once again. Following orders was still pretty normal for him anyway. “… besides…” Plagg had scooted closer to him, nudging against his shoulder while closing his eyes. “No secret is worth taking away your happiness, kid.” Adrien had found no problem sleeping from then on.

At last, after a bit more of self-convincing, it had all come down on the matter of when. Adrien wasn’t exactly sure if the news was particularly good or bad, consequentially he had no idea if the reveal had to be organized during a joyful or tense situation. Was a date a good idea? Or was it better to simply invite him over, or go to his house and talk? Luka was a great listener, but he didn’t always like to talk much, maybe he was going to feel pressured in the second case. He communicated better with songs… but writing a jingle about how he was a superhero in a leather suit with a ring that could pulverize the Tour Eiffel didn’t sound like a hit – maybe… or maybe it was, he had to ask Luka later if the matter was going to be solved. After so much time pondering, he had been left with nothing concrete, no ideas. He couldn’t ask his friends, nor Ladybug. Maybe this was a bad decision after all – never mind Plagg that was still glaring.

He had been trying to focus on his Chinese homework all afternoon, his mind running miles with him unable to make it stop. Then his phone had lightened up, a welcomed distraction that had blossomed into absolute delight at reading the sender’s name. Despite the migraine coming along with the situation, it was all worth it just for a chance to be with him.

Melody: Hey Sunshine

Melody: If I remember right you’re free tomorrow

Melody: Do you want to come over?

Me: Of course I do :)

Me: My schedule ends early afternoon

Me: Is the evening okay?

Melody: Perfect

Melody: Dress nice, it’s a date

Melody: A special one, for a special day

Me: Why? What’s tomorrow?

Melody: Wanna guess?

Me: …

Me: Thursday?

Melody: Ahah, well also

Melody: But also exactly one year since the Music Festival

Melody: It’s the day you and I met

Somehow while melting into an absolute puddle of tears and adoring whines, Adrien had realized that this guy was too wonderful. In his heart the last thing he wanted to do was ruining something good, especially a night Luka had prepared for him. But this wasn’t about himself anymore, this was about giving him what he deserved. Hopefully they were going to have a date still after this.

Hopefully. Adrien had tried to forget about that eventuality, at least enough to finish his homework. It had taken him a while to fall asleep that night – Plagg had simply whispered “thin ice” in a very grumpy tone.

The next day he had used all his experience as a model to look his best, raised two thumbs up at his mirror, and headed out. He had begged his bodyguard to leave him alone on this one and the big guy had actually agreed, somehow seeing his seriousness and commitment more than his father – granted that the bar was pretty low on that one. The path leading to the Liberty was not exactly short from his house, yet he had felt the absolute need to rethink everything. Perhaps to find it in himself the strength to blame himself for wanting to come clean only now. It had been a year, a year since he had met Luka. He had changed so much, his thoughts, his world, himself. He was there to make just another change and take control, it was terrifying and exciting…

…

… and there he was.

When he saw the Liberty, his stomach did that fluttering again. Pure tension and longing mixed together, because this was about him and it was making him grow terrified; but this was about him, and he loved everything that involved him. The sight of the ship covered in aromatic candles and roses with the table prepared on the bridge, the most romantic place once again, should had not surprised him after all. He still had to close his eyes for a moment to recollect himself.

Luka was waiting on the dock, smiling at him. It was such a lovely view, and when he extended his hand towards him it turned into the perfect view.

“You look amazing. You’re ready?”

He was. He finally was. Adrien sighed, shaking his head.

“I have to tell you something first.” Huh, something was wrong. The guitarist had changed expression, he looked so confused and hurt all of the su- wait. “Ah! No! Not that kind of ‘I have to tell you something’, an actual ‘I have to tell you something’!” He had practiced this moment for so long, how was it possible he had never noticed how off it sounded? Luka let out a nervous laugh. Ah, his hands were sweating already, where was Chat Noir’s confidence when he needed it? “I really need to get this out of my chest.”

“Oh, okay. I’m listening.”

“And if afterwards you have doubts about…” He didn’t like it, but he needed to state it as it was. “… all of this, I’ll understand.” He was in. He was doing it. No turning back. That most likely didn’t sit right with Luka, he wasn’t looking any less distressed.

He reached for him, grabbing one of his hand for comfort. Even though he didn’t understand, he was still doing his best to be there. Gosh, Adrien loved him, so much.

“Don’t jump to conclusions, tell me what it is and then we can talk about it.” He looked for communication in his relationships, he had told him from the start and even before, during the times they used to talk about anything and everything, waiting for the sun to set behind the bridge over the Seine. The blonde hoped they were going to talk too.

He closed his eyes again, took the deepest breath in his life, and nodded.

“It might sound crazy, but please listen to me and believe me.” Luka nodded immediately. “I…” He had composed a whole speech about how much these last months had been amazing, how he was sorry that he had kept quiet over something important for so long, and how he hoped that they could still try and be together for real. A convincing discussion slowly leading to the reveal. “… I’m Chat Noir, and I love you.” Out of all of that he had taken seven words max and blurted them out without a single thought in his head.

The cat was out of the bag, classic cat superhero style. If only that knowledge wasn’t making him feel worse. He was tense, sweating, completely still, waiting for his judgement. Every second was turning into a minute then an hour then it was getting lost into his own misty head.

It was warm outside, even at that hour.

Those long fingers clenched around his hand.

Adrien looked up. Luka was smiling tearfully at him, his blue eyes were mesmerizing. He laughed happily, then he reached for his cheek. Heartbeats echoed into the blonde’s head as he got closer, eyes narrowed but still open as to catch any kind of rejection. It hit him very very slowly that this was actually true, this out of world fantasy was not a fruit of his messed up imagination, and the moment the realization took over Adrien closed the distance between them. Wow. Luka kissed nothing like he would have expected. His hand on his cheek was careful and gentle like him, but his lips were caressing his with want and passion, like they had lost all the patience behind the moment they had met in electric need. Closeness was something Adrien had missed for such a long time and could never get enough of. Luka’s closeness was whole, real, his. He reached for his jacket, just to hold onto something and have another proof that this was happening.

They parted, and then got closer, kissing again and again, happily trapped into a bubble in which time and space couldn’t reach them. When they back away with trembling breaths, Adrien felt his lips getting immediately cold and couldn’t help himself as he reached for one last peck. Luka laughed into it, pressing back then leaning his forehead over his. There was an amount of sweetness into those eyes that it made the blonde want to look away, his sight getting all blurry.

“I love you too.” His hand was still over his face. “Will you be my boyfriend?”

The answer was the clearest of his life. It was screaming from the bottom of his stomach, it was highlighted in neon in the middle of his brain. He was almost tempted to tackle him to the ground and let his actions speak for himself – alright he needed to chill for a moment –, then confusion hit him. He… he said it, he had said it, right? He told him the truth about his identity. Then what was this lack of reaction? Where was the amazement, the fright, the confusion, even the anger? Adrien Agreste had just confessed he made a habit of running over the roofs of Paris in full cat cosplay and this was the reaction?

“I… you… what’s going on?” Luka giggled, probably still caught up with the latest nice mood. Maybe he didn’t believe the blonde, maybe he didn’t hear him at all. For a musician this talented it sounded farfetched to miss a sound, but you never knew. “I’m… I’m Chat Noir, Luka.”

The guitarist blinked, smile slowly decreasing but without disappearing.

“Yeah, I heard that.”

“As the superhero, Chat Noir.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

“Then why aren’t you saying anything about that?” A little shrug. The last thing he would have expected was this nonchalance. It was maddening. “I’m a superhero, I’m Chat Noir! Why aren’t you mad? You deserved to know! You should’ve known for a…” Suddenly the guitarist’s eyes were not as easy to find as before. Like they were hiding something. “… a… while…” Again, Adrien was extremely dense emotionally, and some things were harder to understand for him. But he wasn’t stupid, most important, he couldn’t ignore that little guilty grin of his taking over. “… you knew.” The pressure that had assaulted him for the last period disappeared completely, now there was only absolute shock. “You knew I was Chat Noir?!? What in the world, since when?!?”

The guitarist passed a hand over his neck, looking a little reluctant. It was a little weird of an emotion on him, on someone so on track with himself and proud of his persona. He took his hands, gently guiding him onto the bridge. That was one relief at least.

“To be honest, I was never completely sure. If you hadn’t told me I wouldn’t have known one hundred percent… but at some point I started to have my suspicions.” He led him near the rail, the moon was mirroring into the water of the Seine. His heart soared at the view. “It was the kind of thought you pay attention to only when something comes up, so I never actively tried to prove it was real.” He sounded relaxed. Perhaps he had made peace with it for a while.

Adrien nodded absently, feeling a weird limbo between relief that he wasn’t completely recognizable and that there were at least doubts in people’s minds.

“Okay, but there has to be a time when you started to think about it.”

“… there was a moment.” Once more Luka looked guilty, while smiling still. He looked at him, raising his hands. “Again, it was a doubt, not a certainty. I never actively knew for sure you were Chat Noir, okay?” The blonde frowned but nodded. “Well… remember the Desperada incident?”

He gaped, so strongly he almost chocked.

“You have a suspicion for months?!” Luka laughed a little, that managed to calm him down a little.

“An idea, a speculation, call it what you want. It got me and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” He leaned against the rail, looking pensive. “We were hiding in the lockers, and while I was in there I heard you opening and closing a locker… then opening and closing a door.” Holy Miraculous he was an idiot. “When I found you with Ladybug in the sewer you left, and I got the snake Miraculous. Right after that Chat Noir was back.” He grinned, eyes lightening up. “From that moment the possibility has never really left my mind, and nothing has happened that made me think it couldn’t be real.” Of course not, Adrien was never around Chat Noir and Chat Noir was never around Adrien. It almost made sense – sure, ‘almost’.

Adrien took a few deep breaths, still recovering from that sudden reveal – a confession that did not go the way he would have expected. He looked at this guy who so calmly was taking everything in, a view that was calming like very few other things and, slowly, he smiled, joining him at admiring the Seine. He let his head fall onto his shoulder, closing his eyes for a moment.

“I was so worried about this.”

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t know what to do. On one hand I didn’t want it to be true, because it made me feel anxious whenever I looked at the news and saw another dangerous akuma.” He wrapped his arm around him protectively. It felt so nice. “On the other, it was kind of an endearing thought, that the two gorgeous blondes I knew just happened to be the same person.” Gosh he was going to die, this person did not hold back with compliments with either of them.

Speaking of…

“Wait, if you were thinking about it since back then… were you teasing me on purpose whenever you talked about Chat Noir in front of me?” Whoa, he had to take in the fact that this very zen guitarist was able to make such a suggestive smile. I made his entire face burn. “Oh my gosh.”

“You were always blushing whenever I did it, I couldn’t help myself.”

“For real??”

“It was too adorable. At that point either you were really him or you found him attractive as well… which I would’ve understood.”

“Stooop!!” Adrien covered his eyes, his heart bursting out of his chest, laughing out what was left of his fear. “… you really don’t care? I’m the one who asked you out, not Chat Noir.” A bit a sadness made him step away just a little. “And people like me better when I’m not him…”

“If people aren’t into you when you’re a blonde superhero with a sexy catsuit, maybes there’s something wrong with them. I suggest blindness.” It got him to laugh. Luka brought him closer, arms around him. “Besides, there aren’t two people here. You are Adrien, and you are Chat Noir. Being a superhero is a part of you. And I love it, because it makes you… you.” Truly sincerity was his biggest quality. Adrien didn’t doubt a word that had come out of his mouth. He leaned his head into the crook of his shoulder.

“Are you sure?” Luka nodded, his hair tickling his cheek.

Then he pulled away. He put a finger under his chin, raising it up. Their eyes met. There was such a calm, comfortable world behind those blue globes. It made him want to never leave.

“You’re a rare symphony, Adrien Agreste, one that had been kept hidden for far too long. I wanna hear that song, your soul, finally free to be heard. I want to know its beauty, because the echo alone is astonishing.” He knew him. He knew all of him. “The kind and selfless to a fault, the professional and determinate model, the mischievous and enchanting superhero, these are all notes that play in your life, that make your life. And I wanna be part of that song, if you will let me.” He pressed another, shorter kiss on his lips, as to seal this moment forever into his body, forever into his heart.

There was no way Adrien would have been able to stop tears. Luka gulped. The blonde smiled, a horribly wide, unsophisticated curve that would have made all of his photographers shudder at the same time. Perhaps that was why it felt so immensely good.

“You… y-you’re not allowed to say you’re not good with words after this.”

The guitarist laughed, relieved, holding him closer.

“It’s a yes then, Sunshine?” Adrien smiled, reaching forward again, thinking that there was no imaginary world of his able to replicate this.

“It’s a yes, Melody.”

This was pure, unparalleled, wholesome reality.