#ok maybe its more medieval

[snekdood]

finding a way to put your hair up Without it pulling in anyway is hard. i look like a victorian mother who lost a child and looks somberly out the window while it rains and im wearing a emerald green dress and my house is unusually dark and everything looks like it has a washed out filter on it

[perilegs]

i know astrology is fake but i'm not too keen on how a lot of people on this website seem to be clowning on it as a hobby a bit too hard. i swear the woman who thinks it's neat how she and her friends with the same sun sign are all similar isn't trying to say that you are who you are born as and there is nothing you can do to change it. it's a hobby. an interest. what happened to finding meaning and joy in the small things. does it affect you if someone enjoys tarot reading or crystals. does it make you upset someone has interests that they enjoy.

[tomfordjasminrogue]

rant <3

[m4g0hun]

in stars and time x dungeon meshi

(extra thoughts and ideas below!)

closeups!!

so this is more of a isat in dungeon meshi kinda au than the opposite, the idea is that the King is the dungeon lord/mad mage, his desire being to be able to freeze the dungeon and the country in time

The change belief still exists, and Mirabelle is still a housemaiden destined to save the counrty, so she goes to seek out companions who can help her on her journey

Everyone's reasoning to join is still the same as it was in the game

Also this isn't a redesign of them, more like a dungeon meshified version of their clothes + colors so they could fit in better (imo!!)

ok now onto some design notes!

Siffrin

originally he was just gonna be a half-foot, but i realized his wish to be able to stay with everyone would hit harder if he would outlive them, so i made them a half elf- halffoot

i removed his hat purely for aesthetic reasons lol, i think he would stand out too much in the dungeon meshi universe with it, but i suppose its true for ingame too so maybe ill give ut back to him if he behaves well

i also wanted to remove his hat so i could see the top if his beatifiul head

his poncho is a bit different, just a few small details so it would better in universe i think

he lost his eye in one of the previous dungeons they were going through

Mirabelle

she's still part of the change religion

i felt like her being an elf is pretty much perfect, no notes on that

i did have marcille in my mind while designing her outfit, and also theyre kinda similar overall i think?? idk but i love both of them

i gave her braids because its canon in the dungeon meshi universe that taking good care if your hair+unique hairstyles strengthen your magic and also i think its cute

Bonnie - the senshi of the group!!!

i wasn't sure what race i should make them at first because they're a kid so thwres no point in chosing a shorter race to show his size i thought, but then i remember how cute gnomes are in the verse with their big ol ears and felt like i had to make Bonnie an elf haha

their design is probably my favorite out if anyone as well

i imagined they would join pretty much the same way senshi did

Odile

her race was also pretty much immediately decided

her clothes were the biggest struggle for me, not only figuring out how to make them look a bit more medieval-like but also the colors

i decided a while ago in my head that odiles color palette would be blue but it was still a struggle making her coat not look like a lab coat lol

maybe that was the intention but i really just wanted her to appear like a normal adventurer

Isabeau

as you can see on the page i have the least amount of ideas for him lol

i pretty much just had laios in my head while i was designing him

i do feel a bit bad for taking away his stripes and silly looking belt thingy but i felt its a bit too much for the dunmeshi verse

thats pretty much it i think!! not sure if i will draw more of this au, i just mainly wanted to get it out ot my head cus its been rotating in it since i played the game

[castlebyersafterdark]

ok so this is a question that i wish was discussed more in other spicy spaces without getting either too careful or too obviously an expression of people's unrealistic fantasies. what do you think attracts will to mike, both in terms of emotional and physical attraction?

there's lots of discussion about mike's attraction to will because that's thought to be what we need more of in the show, and people are happy to talk about will's physical attributes like his ass. but when will's attraction to mike is discussed, its always in the context of emotion and love and friendship becoming romantic, but never physical. there's not much in the way of will's fantasies or him being allowed to have a purely physical aspect to his love for mike, which is so sad to me because it reflects the thematic castration of will in the show (@therainscene did a great post on this about the lack of posters and sexuality in will's room etc).

i personally think the dnd alter egos give lots of hints about why will is emotionally attracted to mike, but at the same time, physicality and presence is a huge part of medieval/roleplay, so Will MUST have thought about mike's physicality in his fantasies, surely?

i wonder if there's not a lot of spec on this because people find there to be a dissonance between finn/mike's body and what they think mike's character represents in the show to a negative degree? whereas for will, even though his muscle development isnt **exactly** in line with will's character, society considers muscles to be a good thing so the change doesnt upset anyone. (not to say muscular men can't be sensitive, but the duffers probably would have chosen him to remain more delicate if they had a choice)

i personally think that mike's awkwardness due to finn's physicality has always been present and a big part of what makes the show so endearing, esp in s1. its only because there's an expectation for blockbuster scale epic fight scenes now, big music, big action, that people start to think mike needs to be this Baddie. I like the idea of him having a moment, but i dont need him to be wielding a sword like a badass and Looking Cool 24/7. Mike isnt traditionally cool, i need him to stay that a nerd lol.

maybe this is also why i think there would be something so powerful about a byler sex scene, because the more awkward/realistic/nerdier the better? it doesnt need to be traditionally sexy, but it WOULD be sexy just because of the fact that it would be mike and will and them getting together is intrinsically sexy.

i hope this makes sense lol sorry for the essay

EXCELLENT TOPIC! So many good points. You're absolutely correct about all of this - there is a definite line it seems, with more focus given to how Mike views Will, versus what made Will develop feelings and attraction to Mike, beyond the "we're best friends and I want you in my life forever"-ness of it all. I love talking about what Mike loves about Will, but let's hype up the other side of this coin.

This may sound so odd, but I genuinely think sometimes it's forgotten in general spaces that Will is gay? And what that actually means. Like he's a gay guy. Who is attracted to men and ultimately wants to be intimate with men (even if in present time, this want is being internally and externally denied). And Mike is a man (big juicy can of worms re: the gnc debate, save that for another essay, but I think my stance is visible between the lines here) and Will wants him. We all saw how Will looked at Mike in the desert. Dirty, white t-shirt probably transparent in spots from sweat, heaving breath as he did all the work shoveling for his boy bestie. Will doesn't have to lift a finger. Will gets to pretend to move several grains of sand around. Will looks at Mike with lust in his eyes. That is the boy he's grown up with and had been crushing on as a kid, that's the guy he's fallen in love with. And Mike has grown up. Still awkward, but developing into someone that Will not only wants to spend forever with, but wants intimately.

I like to imagine them as kids, maybe around the age they are introduced to us as in s1. What are they, 12? It's been awhile, but I remember being 12. I remember my first crushes, and they happened even earlier. Will has several male friends - each with their own appealing attributes. I think any of the party could be cute to a young, sexually confused nerd. But Will crushes on Mike. His first friend, the face he can imagine perfectly when he closes his eyes, able to draw him from memory because our boy is an artist. Little Will, drawing in sketchbooks from the early years. Why is it so important that he gets the shape of Mike's lips just right? Why are his eyes the best eyes he's ever drawn? Why does he spend so long perfecting a technique to capture the dark swoops of his best friend's hair? He's caught himself staring too long at Mike's mouth on occasion. He's caught himself suppressing a shudder when Mike's arm is so casually thrown around him, holding him close. He smells like a boy. He likes that a lot more than whatever girls douse themselves with. Uh oh.

Mike is not conventionally attractive. Neither is FW, either. Not to say he's bad looking (I find him very very attractive), but honestly - he's different. He's not like the cookie cutter Ken, the action figure, the Hollywood poster boy. He's got unique features and is awkward in his own skin. I don't think girls (and closeted guys) at Mike's school are falling at his feet. "I'm not exactly Mr. Popular." But they still look. As opposed to Jason, the All-American Juxtaposition. Jason - classically and cliche-handsome, the prototype boyfriend for the prototype cheerleader. If Will was at Hawkins High that year, I'm sure he'd give Jason a passing glance. He's an attractive man. Will's heart can belong to one and his eyes can appreciate attractive people in his vicinity. But Mike. Mike. Slightly taller, his protective personality bleeding into his physicality. I can see Will being into the protectiveness as a physical manifestation. Mike can maneuver him, can probably hug him tight and lift him up. He's not some action hero, or a muscled heartthrob but he's not as pathetic as fanon so pretends. I don't think he's gonna be an over powered badass by any means, but he can wield a sword and try and even if he's not that great at it. He's not hesitant. And clearly Will knows this. He painted it. He's into it. Mike, able to lead them into battle. Mike, awkward but endearing and strong. Mike with his big hands and lean muscles and that mouth that Will's eyes are drawn to like magnets and he hopes he's not as guiltily obvious as he feels when he watches his best friend orbit around him.

He may hide his attraction to men, with no posters of them on his walls. Diverting his eyes when he notices an attractive man in public. But he has music and cinema. Albums and magazines and movies. Mike looks more like the men in his favorite bands than the men playing professional sports. Bowie is so much cooler. He's odd, he's different. He's hot. Will likes the unconventional and he likes the familiar things that make him feel good and safe. Mike makes him feel safe. Oh, how he wants Mike to make him feel good.

Will had a crush on his best friend, when he first started being plagued with the realization that boys were cute. Will fell in love and when he re-met his best friend in the airport - his friend has grown up hot. He's pissed off and heartbroken that they haven't reached out to each other more, but he can't keep his eyes off Mike. He's dreamed about him and sketched him from memory so many times before Spring Break - but in the flesh? Everything and more. Will wants him.

[greenscreen-dress]

Hhheeeeheheh I love these skins so much I CANNOT wait to see them in-video... But until then here's my ranking of them, long rambly full thoughts below.

Also here's the tierlist!

Ultimate Slayage: no discussion these 2 are the best. Every single one of Sausage's skins are a smash hit & this one is no exception, it's just so well done. The eye make-up the little tied shirt thing the HUGE extravagant sunflower, contrasted by those big clomping boots... The GENDER of it all aough I love him.

& Pix of course. Pix my guy just STUNNING. Idk about the other skins but this one is very likely made by Pix himself (bc of a thing he tweeted) & that makes it all the more impressive bc it's just?? So good??? The floor-length the off-the-shoulder sleeves leading into long gloves(?), the corset-y bits with golden buttons or lacing up the front, the BRIGHT BLUE bodice bits which (based off the colour) are definitely Ancient Capitollian Dodo feathers or inspired by them at least... It's just a masterpiece. The only comment I might have is maybe make sure you match your foundation right, Pix... But I've also decided he's in a full white lace/mesh bodysuit under the dress so. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Surprised &/or Delighted: honestly this category fits all of them purely bc I don't think anyone expected these ^^. Oli & Jimmy are in here specifically because, while they're not my ultimate brain-frothing faves, these dresses are extremely good adaptations/elevations of their regular skins— Oli's especially looks so natural on him bc it's in exactly the same glitzy faux-medieval style as his bard outfit. The purple is a staple colour with him, fits the royalty theme, & somehow looks both elegant and like a Halloween costume with its bright shade & tinsel-like gold trims. It's silly and fantastic and VERY Oli Orionsound. Cannot wait for him to play the fainting damsel-in-distress at every occasion <3

Jimmy's is plainer but just as faithful to his sheriff skin: off-the-shoulder sleeves appear to be a theme with these skins and they look amazing on everyone, Katherine is so epic if this was her Royal doing. Jimmy looks AMAZING in a long jean(?) skirt & the slit just elevates it even more... I am beginning to notice I have a Thing for long skirts and big boots ^^;. This is going to look stunning with the hat, and just plain adorable at Jimmy's current height.

Fits the brief: ok so these skins are fantastic and I LOVE the colour on both of them, but there's not as much tying them to their Empires... fWhip's goblin skin is so intricate with that embroidered waistcoat & bright primary colours so it's a shame to lose that, though the plain red looks very elegant on him & the shape of the dress stands out from the other skins in a very fun way. It's definitely between the 2 categories and I will likely be swayed by the first bit of fanart I come across for it, but for now: yeah.

Joey's is the opposite case, where it fits the brief and the simplicity of it not only looks good but makes some sense (semi-broke pirate usually wearing tattered sailor's garb). I just wish it had gone a bit further to match Joey's big personality. The slit and shape is lovely (as is the neckliiii— wait where does that neckline end? /pos), but what about some more gold, or prismarine accents? Fishnet gloves, or stockings striped like his shirt? It just feels like it could go much further, & maybe fanart will push it there for me. Also I'm removing points for no dress + epic pirate boots /j

Expected more: oh this skin... Yeah I'm not blown away by it. The colours that are present are very nice but there just aren't enough of them, and the shape... The cutaways at the hip are very nice, but Girl. That is a tank top. & for some reason the skirt refuses to register as one in my brain despite the pretty gradient. With the vibes of Chromia I'm picturing Scott in something shorter and frillier, high-heeled boots, feathered hat and cape— real Barbie and the 3 Musketeers kind of vibe basically. I need to draw that. Definitely more colours though, that's the first step. Bi-coloured bodice, tie-dye skirt with petticoats, a flower crown, something!! Maybe there's custom items involved to accessorise, maybe this is a temporary self-made dress while waiting on a commission, idk but I'm going to need to see some out-of-this world fanart to salvage this skin as it is. :/ Sorry Scott, sashay away.

And finally...

Joel: Joel. Joel Smallish "Massive" Beans that is a recycled MCC skin I am SURE of it. Joel this is so lazy and stupid and perfectly on-brand I love it I hate it this is peak Wish/Aliexpress cosplay. Keep it up you bastard (I still want to see / draw him in proper femme greek garb. But alas).

ANYWAY.

Big long ramble, thankye for reading this whole thing & feel free to make your own lists / yell at me for interpreting these pixels wrong. No matter my minor gripes the fact we have these looks at all and go insane over them is so so SO fun ^^

[rotationalsymmetry]

The social model of disability is incomplete on its own -- it was never intended to completely explain disability. But it is also really important to give the concept time to sink in if it's new to you I think.

Twenty story buildings have elevators. Because most people aren't up for walking up twenty flights of stairs on the regular. But most people ARE up for walking up one or two flights, so one to two story buildings only have stairs. If everybody could climb 20 stories easily, or teleport or something, 20 story buildings wouldn't have elevators and anyone who couldn't would be screwed.

(I'm expressing this in terms of "most people", but it's less a majority/minority thing and more some people are seen as normal and some aren't. Most people don't have any one specific disability at any given time. But everybody spends some part of their life disabled. We were all born incontinent.)

I have an ongoing daydream scenario involving aliens. These aliens happen to be sort of centaur shaped (ok, probably sort of Andalite shaped, whatever.) They don't do stairs, at all. So their society just doesn't have any. At all. And they can't access places that require stairs in ours -- someone who is not disabled by their standards is by human standards.

But the reverse is also true. My made up aliens have sort of built in texting (you can think of it as telepathy if you prefer) and it's just normal to be able to communicate vocally and by text, either in broadcast mode or one to one, at the same time, and their media often relies on multiple channels to convey information. Humans don't really do that. A human who's fully abled by normal human standards is cut out of a lot of this alien society's culture in a way that's somewhat similar to being blind or deaf or maybe just colorblind in human society.

Anyways, I find the sci fi thought experiments helpful but you don't gotta do it that way. You can also look at history, or compare across cultures. In the modern day, being unable to read is a significant disability. It'll mess with your ability to get a job, to navigate cities, to drive, to date, to enjoy a lot of media, all sorts of things. But in say medieval Europe, it wouldn't be a disability, it would be normal. Most culture is passed along orally. Your local bar has a picture on its sign, not words. Your local church has stained glass windows specifically to help tell Bible stories without words (you're not going to get them from worship, that's happening in a language you don't speak, because reasons.)

You can look at animals. A hawk that can't fly is severely disabled. You've never flown a day in your life.

[boldlyexplorational]

Episode 26 "Errand of mercy"

Not a lot to say about this one, but that's not a bad thing. I liked it, it's a good episode.

I like that it's a Spock and Kirk shenanigans situation, the focus is on them. I guess they're starting to lean into their established dynamic as it takes a more defined form (and probably gets appreciated by the audience). (Or maybe not, I have no concept of how episodes were released actually.)

I love their little medieval outfits, how the Cape look is becoming Spock's signature and just how queer that is. He did not need a cape, but he had a cape and that's important.

I also like the idea and its execution. At this point I realize at least for season 1 there are some recurring and favored themes, which of course are classic themes in shi-fi. The confrontation with a more advanced race of aliens who tests other species morality it's something we've seen before, but I think it works great with the situation they used and of course the Klingons.

Ok special mention for something that we've seen before but since I'm here I'll talk about it now: it's so cute that they want Spock's little calculated odds speeches to be humorous bits but the genuine tenderness and affection in Kirk's eyes when they happen is so warm and real that of course people thought these guys were in love.

[elletromil]

Made up fic title: blue dragons

See, at first i was all 'oh that fic would be about characters being dragons or some mythology thing'

But then i thought that was way too predictable and decided that you know what? If I was to write this fic it would either have to be a pacific rim style of au, where the characters pilot blue dragons or something

And like maybe i would start this as an non-modern au? Like start writing it as if it's your common handwave medieval/fantasy-ish setting. And people are telling legens of the blue dragons or something. And there is no way to tell its actually a big mecha until you finally get to the full action and realise that oooh, its actually a steampunk-y au! And the characters that were followed for the first chunk of the story were just living too far from the capital. And even then, it would be start of steampunk, mostly it's just the mecha dragons

And oh oh! As i write i keep having ideas

You get a read more because this got away from me 😅😅😅

Ok so story would start with Eggsy living in your run of the mill isolated/poor village in your generic fantasy-medieval setting. You'd get hint of like dragons being those tyranic overlord and you would think 'oh ok, fantasy setting with opressive fantastical beasts as rulers' and you'd hear also about the legendary blue dragons, dragons who are supposed to uphold the law or something and how they were betrayed but they are totally gonna come back to free then from tyrany.

There's even been some rumors about one distant village who was freed recently from tyranic golden dragon Valentine and that they might be protected by a blue dragon. Its only rumors though and Eggsy had never even heard of the village's name before so who knows. Oh, oh and we would learn that Lee was killed when the tyrant dragons first did their coup to seize control of the continent

Anyway, while Eggsy sometimes have some fantasy of getting to work with one of the fame blue dragons (who according to legend only let the most worthy ride them), Eggsy is no damsel in distress. He's not waiting on anyone to save him and his loved one so of course he joined the resistance.

But then one fateful night, the resistance who was either betrayed or not as careful as they should be gets attacked! By golden dragon Valentine himself no less, not just some of his army! He's come to personally squish the resistance and make an example out of them considering the rising unrest and the renewed hope from the rumors of blue dragons being back!!

All is lost and Eggsy is sure to die and his village completely destroy until right at the last moment, bam!

In comes a blue dragon! The day is saved!

Except not really, because the blue dragon gets trashed by Valentine!

Eggsy runs to the blue dragon, maybe in shock, maybe out of stupidity, maybe bravery, who knows, not even himself.

Anyway, he goes to the fallen blue dragon and that's when the description for what he sees becomes mechanical in nature (before the dragons were just describe in size, colors, power and shape), describing debris and cogs and stuff.

He gets to the head and gasp! He finds a human inside! It's James (probably dead, sorry James)! And like the dragon is trashed but there is still power humming through it and Eggsy knows nothing about it but he's done much more stupid things in his life! So he takes James place inside the dragons head and tries to do control the dragon via the neural link (Eggsy of course doesnt know any of this, he just needs to fight and protect and feels himself connect to the dragon and instinctively start to fight Valentine)

And the blue dragon is trashed but it's not destroyed and Eggsy has no finesse, but he's desperate and he manages to hurt Valentine enough to make him retreat!

So yeah, Eggsy manages to drive Valentine away for now and maybe he passes out because he's not used to controlling a dragon? And when he comes back to, it's to a second blue dragon and its rider Harry Hart who asks him how he feels about joining their ranks and overthrow the tyranic dragons?

And like there could be so many wordlbuilding thrown in about what makes the dragon a certain color (their building material mostly and oh wouldn't it be neat if the blue dragons would be made from some kind of meteorite? They were the first made and every subsequent dragon have some of those meteorite because that's what allows a mental link to control such big constructs? And all the other are copycats) and Chester King being the leader of the blue dragons but ending up being a traitor because of course

And oh!! Why were the blue dragons defeated/pushed back? What if its actually a full-blown sci-fi and the blue dragons and their riders come from outer space? And their technology fell into the wrong hands on this planet and only a few could come and help make things right because there is a full-blown interstellar war happening at the same time?

Eggsy feeling like Harry and Merlin aren't telling him everything and yes it's true they aren't, because they're alien and the reveal comes when Harry gets hurt in a way that should kill him but he gets better because of his alien physiology and with the planet liberated from the tyranic dragons, well they gotta go back to space to help with the war efforts and would Eggsy like to join?

And maybe James wouldnt be dead either thanks to that.

And then you get to the space warzone and that's where you get to meet Roxy and Tilde and just yeah

I wanna write this now

I won't

But i wanna

[imagoddamnonionmason]

Noble Blood: Medieval Fantasy AU

Fandom: Call of Duty

Word Count: 1403

Chapter: 2/?

Relationship: Knight!John "Soap" MacTavish X OC

Characters: John "Soap" MacTavish, Nanette Oakley (OC)

Summary: Ser John MacTavish walks Nanette home and conversation is... a little argumentative?

One might prefer a comfortable silence, if they were to resign themselves to the fact that conversation was not going to flow naturally, however, the silence between the two on the worn, dirt road was nothing of the sort. It was jagged, tense; it was painful, even. It was nothing less than what was to be expected, but one could wish it could be eased, even if only by a fraction. Alas, the Gods were not in a wish-granting mood and if they were, they were probably perusing through the list of miracles they could perform, not a little wish.

The only saving grace of this silence between them was the ambience the storm gave. The melodies of wind, rain and thunder came together in a nice song of storms. Despite the ambience’s naturally soothing presence, the droplets of rain still left a sting on their cheeks, causing them to tug their hoods lower over their faces in a miserable attempt at shielding themselves. Eventually, John opted for accepting his fate, that he had already braved the weather and gotten soaked, so what would it matter if a little rain drenched him once more. 

His main concerns surrounded the woman next to him, who, though she was ignoring him, had seemingly inched closer to his larger form. Most likely, this had happened subconsciously on her part, but that must indicate that she was colder than she would admit. 

After a short while, John cleared his throat, deciding to break the silence and plunge himself into shark-infested waters. 

“You look cold.” 

Ok, maybe he could have opted for a better ice-breaker, but he wasn’t given much to work with. 

“Great observation skills,” the bite to her tone didn’t faze him. 

The two fell back into silence. 

He walked a few paces more, and then he spoke again.

“Would you like my cape? I know it’s wet, but another layer won’t hurt-” 

“No.” 

“You sure?”

“Most definitely.” 

A beat. 

“You’re defi-”

“I said no.” She affirmed, her hand escaping from beneath the cover of the cape she held clutched around her body; it was flat and assertive in its gesture. It retreated back into what little warmth she had remaining, a little soggy from the slosh of rainwater that fell from the furs around her shoulders. A huff filled her chest, wholly and intensely, only to be snatched away on the intake by a sharp gust of wind. The gust snatched her hood down off her head and rain pierced her skin, a stray droplet hitting her right in the eye. 

“Oh- Gods damn. Bloody rain-” she muttered exasperatedly to herself, hand shooting out from the warmth to cover her eye, which was now stinging something furious in response to being accosted by the rain. She had ducked down, in a frail attempt to shield herself from any more of the watery onslaught, so much so that even her steps had slowed. John noticed this, as well as her mumbling, despite it being drowned out by the hum of the downpour and he came to her side. 

There was the feeling of rain hitting her and then there wasn’t. This difference caused her to peek up with her good eye to see that John had lifted most of his cape up and over her, a guard. His other hand moved from his side, taking hold of her soggy hood and pulled it up over her head. To begin with, it was cold and wet, but then it became bearable. 

“Not too long, now,” he said, “come on.” 

“I didn’t need your help-” she fought, but was silenced by the quick drape of heavy weight on her shoulders. John’s cape, which he was now wrapping securely around her. 

“You’ll catch your death if I don’t keep you warm and I can only deal with havin’ one woman angry at me, never mind four. And Lesley… has quite the temper.” He started to walk again. 

Nanette watched him for a second or two, then her face scrunched up; it was hard for someone to remain angry when the person they’re angry at is being nice. 

As she shuffled quickly to catch up with him, trying her best to get her footfalls in time with his own. Nanette muttered, “she sounds like someone I knew a while back. Shame that he up and left without a word.” 

A frown covered John’s features, but he didn’t bite back, instead, he was thankful she was talking at all. 

“Aye, then you understand why I’ve got to get you back safe and sound, eh?” 

If Nanette’s looks could kill, John would be a dead man. 

“You’re insufferable.” 

“Says the woman who’s being petty.” He retorted. 

“I am not petty.” 

“Seems that way from here.” 

“Gods, you’re insufferable and aggravating.” Nanette crossed her arms underneath the cape, her speed increasing somewhat, as her heart thrummed uncomfortably in her chest. That feeling, from a couple hours prior, started to bubble back up again and she felt herself growing closer to snapping his head clean off his shoulders. 

“You know what’s aggravatin’?” He asked, though she was certain it was rhetorical. 

“Do tell, I’m dying to know.” 

“You.” 

John had stopped walking and for the second that he allowed to pass between them, Nanette was about to continue walking; that was until he reached out, gloved hand clutching her upper arm and tugging her to him, “we were kids, Miss Oakley, kids. I left ‘cause I had no choice. I didn’t just leave you, I left my ma, my sisters.” 

“You could have told me.” She snapped. 

“I wasn’t given time.” His tone was filled with seething bitterness, laced with a sense of finality. He’d been right - there had been an argument on the horizon and though he knew it was coming, it didn’t make it any easier to do. 

A beat. 

“You’re not forgiven.” Nanette said, after a moment of silence. The two of them just looked at each other, daring the other to continue arguing and when that dare went unanswered, the tension visibly left their shoulders. 

“I can work with that.” John muttered, a slight smile creeping onto his face, “I always hated arguing with you.” 

Huffing, Nanette turned away and back into a firm stride, not willing to go soft on him quite that quickly, even if she wanted to. She was still very much angry with him, but now she wasn’t sure if she had the right to be; so, what better to do than to… ignore the problem for a little bit. There was certainty that she’d figure out whether her anger was founded sooner or later, but maybe their reunion had been sour enough for now. 

After another short while, Nanette had calmed down and that initial upset had decided to go back to sleep - it was now that she could feel the silence hanging over them and though her upset over him leaving was still very much there, she had also missed him. Maybe they couldn’t go back to where they left off, but she was loath to admit that, well, she had been a little petty.  

“I missed you, you know,” she admitted, quickly, and somewhat hopeful that the rain had absorbed enough of the sentence that John hadn’t caught it at all. But, the smirk on his face proved otherwise. 

“Yeah?” His tone was teasing. 

“Shut it.”

“No, sorry, go on.” 

“No, you ruined it.” 

“I won’t say anythin’ else,” he offered, sending a glance sideways, gauging whether he had actually ruined the chance of conversation. A fuzzy, warm feeling of fondness overcame him when he watched her try to resist him, flashes of their youth coming to the forefront of his mind. Truly, she hadn’t changed; she still crossed her arms and turned her head away so she couldn’t see his face, less his grin convinced her to surrender her defiance. Even now, did he really have such a hold over her? He couldn’t possibly be that charming? 

“I just meant that I was upset because I missed you,” she stated, “that’s all.” 

“Right,” he deflated a little, “for what it’s worth, I missed you as well.” 

After that, there was minimal conversation, but the walk was considerably more at ease than it had started, and though they still had a lot to work on, it seemed the two were on sturdier ground. 

[strawbubbysugar]

Ok, so I have another set of questions about the world, particularly about the Cultural differences between Porphyal and Atomata.

1. What is the traditional look/outfits of each kingdom? Do they have specific colors? Accessories? Textile decorations?

2. What is the architecture like? What does it look like? What materials are used?

3. Is there any traditional music for each kingdom? (Lol I just pictured techno being played in Atomata for all occasions, I apologize for my immaturity)

4. What is the main language that is spoken in each kingdom? Do they have other dialects?

5. I imagine they have spies during the war that get intel for the kingdoms, but do they have any citizens that are genuinely invested in the other culture? Like, citizens that would love to go visit and write books about what they learned? Obviously they can’t because war, but maybe they have libraries with information?

6. What traditional festivities do they have that the other culture may find confusing or maybe be blown away by it if relations were better?

7. What urban legends do they have? Or traditional cautionary tales? Stories children or young bots are told during bedtime/charge time?

8. What are the schools like or rather how does each culture handle education?

9. What would you say is one of the coolest thing about each culture you really like?

10. Is there a tradition Sun, Moon, Pry/ncess dislike/love about their culture?

I hope these aren’t too many questions… 😅

Never too many questions! 1. In general, I lean towards whatever looks coolest/most interesting, but its really just fantasy medieval clothing. However I will say that Atomatan clothing leans far more colourful with big shapes and styles, while Porphyal leans more into subtle textures and practicality

2. For porphyal, classic medieval architecture! For Atomata, classic medieval architecture with a TWIST that it all looks like sets for a childrens tv show! I have a pinterest board here with some examples! Atomata: https://www.pinterest.ca/strawbubbysugar/atomata/ Porphyal: https://www.pinterest.ca/strawbubbysugar/porphyal/

3. Porphyal enjoys a classic lute, while Atomatan instruments mimic human ones, but sound like chiptunes/8bit music! Like this!

4. its just "common", like dnd, so as not to single it out as being english for people who read in other languages :) There are def dialects, for animatronics their dialects mimic humans but they also have varying levels of echo/static to their voices. Older models tend to have far more echo

5. Of course! Both sides have citizens that are just normal people, and want to see the war end!

6. Animatronics know all about the human world's holidays/festivities, but they all are shifted ever so slightly. Humans know little to nothing about animatronic festivities, thanks to the level of information control in porphyal

7. Humans have an urban legend of "The Mangle", an animatronic that steals people from their beds and twists their bodies into something unrecognizable. Animatronics have an urban legend about a purple man, but it differs so widely from person to person, there isnt a consensus on how the story goes

8. Simple schooling for humans, small villages usually have one person that teaches children in the same class regardless of age, simple stuff like reading & writing, maybe a small bit of math, and some history. Animatronics have basic knowledge downloaded into them at birth, and if they want more knowledge they need to seek it out themselves

9. Ooo good question! I love that human beings are practically built to create, and any human can make art if given the tools and time to do so. I love that animatronics use kindness and compassion as a staple of daily life, with being anything else an outlier

10. Sun loves animatronic kindness and willingness to share, but he hates how hard it is for them to step outside their comfort zone. Moon loves the ease of access to knowledge, but hates that kindness is expected when it is not earned. Pry/ncess has a hard time feeling any particular way about anything in porphyal. Theyre a little bottled up about those feelings.

[thysanniia]

Tell me about your godzilla stories I want information dumped in my brain like a horrifying Medieval medicine

Ok so this has sat in my inbox for a couple days now and I've just been mentally preparing myself for writing this obscenely long post, but I think I'm ready.

You wanna know about all of my Godzilla stories? You're sure? In way too much detail for anyone to sit through?? Ok, if you insist. Strap in, it's gonna be a long one.

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Ok so all but one of these are my major overhaul of the MonsterVerse, and seeing as the standalone one is my most recent creation, I'll save that for last. So we start with Godzilla (2014). This was always my favourite MV film, so it was always going to stay relatively similar in my version, but more recently I've been developing thoughts about restructuring the narrative to be more framed around keeping Joe Brody alive and having the film focus on his relationship with Ford as the events unfold. Ford feels guilty for dismissing his father all these years, and Joe becomes painfully aware of just how badly he's neglected their relationship too - especially now that Ford is tied up in this whole mess, and his job as a soldier puts him in serious danger when shit goes down. I haven't quite figured out the details of how this all unfolds and develops (I struggle a lot with character writing and figuring out relationship arcs, my brain isn't exactly wired that way even though my neurodivergent brain loves compelling characters). But I have a feeling it will still end in Joe sacrificing himself - or perhaps at least attempting to? Yeah, this is still fairly new and also not my primary focus at the moment so it'll be brewing for a little while longer. Obviously all the stuff with Godzilla and the MUTOs stays more or less the same, save for perhaps a little more fun lore courtesy of Monarch as they interact with Joe more.

I am going to bring up Kong: Skull Island, even though it's not Godzilla, because it's still a part of the MV. Jokes on you though - I'm only bringing it up to tell you I'm not changing it! I think it's fine how it is, it's kinda stand-alone anyway so I feel no need to tweak anything. Maybe I'd make Kong a little bigger, idk.

So then there's Godzilla Vs Kong. Yeah, plot twist, that one's next, and it's pretty substantially overhauled. The general idea is to have it mostly focus on Kong and Jia's relationship, in a doomed-by-the-narrative sort of way, because this is Kong after all. It starts off on Skull Island, which thanks to climate change affecting the storm conditions is slowly dying. It also doesn't help that westerners have introduced diseases that are harming the Iwi. But anyway, out from beneath the island emerges Camazotz, digging up through the passageways from the Hollow Earth. Naturally, it fights Kong, and some human intervention accidentally causes it to fly away and off the island. Having a loose flying kaiju is obviously not great, but it gets even worse when its return brings Godzilla in tow. Alarmed by suddenly discovering there's been a giant ape here this whole time, Godzilla gets aggressive and Kong gets defensive, resulting in a full on fight that ultimately ends in tragedy when Godzilla inadvetently decimates the last remaining Iwi. Kong is understandably not ok and retreats into the Hollow Earth down Camazotz' tunnel. Ilene and Jia go in after him, accompanied by others from Monarch, and while they are eventually reunited with Kong, things aren't really smooth from there. I haven't developed this part fully yet, but essentially through various Hollow Earth experiences it becomes clear that this is a place where he is safer and more at home, but his guilt, refusal to leave Jia, and fear of this new place leads him to flee up a new Camazotz tunnel that leads to Hong Kong. Predictably, now back on the map he is immediately greeted by Godzilla and shit goes down. They have their fight, and Kong actually does well, motivated by his desire to protect Jia, but it becomes clear that Godzilla will just keep getting back up. He can't stay here. So, in the end, Kong lays down his axe and submits to Godzilla, and leaves for the Hollow Earth alone. It's kinda bittersweet - he and Jia both survive, and they get to say goodbye on their own terms. Plus there are hints that there might be more like him in the Hollow Earth. But, ultimately, they do still have to say goodbye and go their separate paths.

Ok so when I started writing this I didn't plan to write out a full synopsis or anything, but because that one is more of a step-by-step story I felt I couldn't properly explain it without just dumping everything. I'll not do that for the rest because their plots aren't quite as fully organised yet (and also that would make this post excessively long).

So, finally (kinda) there's Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Or, well, something vaguely based on it. I'm not even sure what I'm calling this one yet, but the main point is that it's the one with Mothra, Rodan and Ghidorah (plus Anguirus and Hedorah now too!). This one is much more preachy and focused on showing a clear message, although hopefully still with a compelling central character arc too. It's focused around how, in times like ours when the people in charge refuse to do the right things and our elders don't do enough to challenge them, it's up to us as the youth to take real, drastic action to fight for our futures. Each kaiju is related to something: Anguirus is ecocide, Rodan is war, Nozuki (lol yeah) is greed, Hedorah is pollution, and Ghidorah is climate change. Godzilla retains his general theme of being a force to restore balance - not necessarily on one side or another, but when governments fight back against him we lose our only chance of winning, and the only way we can get him back is through Mothra, who symbolises our hope and will to do right. So... yeah, it's pretty in-your-face and obviously a representation of my own feelings (did I mention that the main character is a trans girl?) but I don't think that's a bad thing. I am a little worried about whether it's possible to get everything I feel needs to be included into a respectable film runtime, I've considered cutting one or two kaiju but I feel they're important enough to keep? I don't wanna cut the kaiju that's the embodiment of capitalism's consequences (although perhaps I can just demonstrate the same thing through other kaiju?), nor do I wanna cut Hedorah because she kicks ass and I love her. But I might restructure it a little, again hence why I'm not going into the beat-by-beat plot quite yet. I'm still happy with the broad strokes of how it's shaping up though, and hopefully I'll have something more final to share soon. This idea is kinda what shaped everything else, I'm very attached to it.

Speaking of everything else, that's not all! Even though that's supposed to be the big film conclusion, at least for now, I was also inspired by Monarch: Legacy of Monsters to do a spin-off show that ties into the events, because I think it's a really interesting concept and I wanna show more perspectives than just those inside Monarch. Currently I'm titling it Monarch: Monster Hunters although that's subject to change. The idea is that it follows some people who come together to search for the truth about what's going on behind the scenes, propelled by creating the ORCA. Simultaneously, it follows someone inside Monarch trying to track down MUTOs such as Camazotz as it leaves Skull Island. Their paths converge, and the group are let into Monarch thanks to their invention, teaming up to search for MUTOs together. However, the more they learn the less they like the organisation, and in the end they rebel against it in order to protect the kaiju. You might have noticed a pattern of Monarch not really being the good guys in these lol. Very excited to include more original kaiju in this one too, which I won't spoil quite yet...

Oh, also it's gay. At least one of these was bound to have lesbians in it, come on.

I'm also toying with a second season taking place after (not)KotM. The first season would bridge the time gap between GvK and KotM, tying in quite closely to both. But the post-KotM world does leave lots of interesting opportunities, even if i initially wanted the world-ending threat of Ghidorah to be the big finale. Toying with ideas of parasites, Shimo, and even Battra... I might have to wait for Godzilla X Kong to see if any ideas for it spring from that.

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Ok, so that's everything for the MonsterVerse, but then there's also my original Godzilla story. This kinda sprung out of thinking about Mechagodzilla, and the best way I can describe it is "Cyberpunk Pacific Rim except we're the bad guys". It centres on a Mechagodzilla pilot slowly realising that their endless battle with Godzilla is little more than a war for war's sake, a corrupt government covering for their own mistakes by trying to win a battle of their own creation despite all of the lives it costs. It's their nukes that created Godzilla, their attacks that instigate the destruction he causes, and their own war that they try to win to retain the public's support, even though it becomes clear that no blood would have been spilled if not for their actions. The pilot themselves have to confront everything they believed, come to terms with the part they played in all this, and atone for the lives lost by instead fighting the people that did this. Oh, and Ghidorah is thrown in there as a third party just to complicate things. It's fun, and I'm looking forward to developing the plot more. Currently resisting the urge to include my beloved Mothra, she'd make absolutely no sense to include but also I love her so much...

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Anyway, if you somehow actually read all of that then you're absolutely gorgeous and I wanna kiss you on the lips (mwah!). If you have any questions or anything by all means go ahead and ask, I'm more than happy to talk more about anything you're interested in.

I might update this with future developments if they're significant enough, who knows, we'll see.

And, finally, thank you unfortunatefloweryfool for asking me to write all this out. It took, uh, way too fucking long and I should not be awake right now but it's fun to have an excuse to dump all of this. You're the best, thank you for enabling me.

And with that, thank you and goodnight :3

[triangularitydubs]

Digital Hearts

Episode 1: Beginnings

(⚠️LOTS OF READING⚠️)

(We begin many years ago… in the land known as Paradise Peninsula. There is a pan shot roll in with the tide as we come across the house of our main character Pomni.)

(Pomni rushes out of her home suddenly, as for now, she is a kid. She begins to run around Paradise Peninsula while the camera follows her.)

(She eventually knocks on another door, and a few moments later, out pops Ragatha, one of 2 childhood friends.)

POMNI:

Hey! Ragatha! Wanna hang out?

RAGATHA:

Of course, Pom! What'cha got planned today?

POMNI:

Oh nothin, maybe explore a certain area I might've saw a Paopu Fruit at.

RAGATHA:

NO WAY!!

POMNI:

(SHE NODS) Let's go get Jax, then we'll look for it!

RAGATHA:

(SHE SMIRKED) Lead the way Pom!

(As they run to Jax's house, the camera follows them both again.)

(This time Ragatha knocks on Jax's door)

(He answers and gives his usual remarks)

JAX:

Rags, Pom, what a surprise! Always thrilled to see you two…whats up?

RAGATHA:

Pomni thinks she found a Papou Fruit!

JAX:

Pfft..no way, Pom. Those things are as rare as it gets. Not even my folks have seen one in their lifetime.

POMNI:

Seeing is believing and I KNOW I saw one.

JAX:

Alright, Alright. Show us then.

(The Squad does one last follow cam shot till they get to the fruit Pomni is taking then to.)

POMNI:

There it is… BASK in its glory.

(RAGATHA and JAX look up in awe, they can't believe they are seeing a Papou Fruit.)

JAX:

I've got to be dreaming.

POMNI:

I heard if you find it, any wish you make on it comes true… wanna race for it?

RAGATHA and JAX:

You bet!

(The Squad begins to race to where the Papou Fruit is. Pomni ends up winning.)

POMNI:

I won! Hmm… whaddya guys want?

JAX:

Hmm… how about more Christmas presents?

RAGATHA:

Y'know, I feel like we need adventure in our lives!

JAX:

For once, Rags is right.

POMNI:

Ok… I wish me and my friends went on a grand adventure!

(Transition to the medieval floating kingdom of Hollow Chesstion, where mannequins walk the streets. Fade to Pomni's new house.)

(Adult Pomni walks out into the streets but gets trampled by 3 hooded figures, and a pair of teeth with eyes behind them)

KING CAINE:

Stop this instant! YOU FIENDS!!

(Pomni blankly stares up at them from the ground as the hooded figures disappear from sight. The King guy stops and looks at Pomni)

KING CAINE:

You! Did you see those hooligans? The tall one with the fancier cloak overtook the castle and turned our King against us.

POMNI:

Well golly.. who's king now?

KING CAINE:

I guess I'll have to suffice as I AM his royal advisor… say…would you be up for the adventure of a lifetime?

POMNI:

Oh.. I don't know I kinda spent all my childhood building a boat and sailing the seas to get here…um that's enough adventure for me.

KING CAINE:

That's quite a shame…it would entail endless riches and the power of… The Digital Heart.

POMNI:

The Digital Heart? What's that?

KING CAINE:

Imagine, a status of a hero, a legend in history, plus all the Gloinkoin you could ever wish for!

POMNI:

…Um…

KING CAINE:

FANTASTICAL!

POMNI:

But I didnt say-

KING CAINE:

I'll even let you pick out TWO allies so you're not alone!

POMNI:

I.. I..(She sighs) I guess if I HAVE to do this, I'll pick my friends, Jax and Ragatha.

KING CAINE:

Splendid! I shall call you all to the castle this afternoon to get prepared for the adventure of a lifetime!

(Later that afternoon, Pomni arrives with Jax and Ragatha. A Mannequin guard stops them at the castle gate.)

MANNEQUIN GUARD:

Halt, what brings you to King Caine's Castle?

POMNI:

(She was slightly taken aback that the guards had so quickly accepted Caine as king) Um… my friends and I were invited to talk to him about.. an.. “adventure of a lifetime”?

MANNEQUIN GUARD:

I see, Lower the bridge!

(Right then the Drawbridge to the castle came crashing down and two fancy red double doors awaited at the end of a beautiful garden. Our trio marched on and through the doors)

(Caine sat on the throne awaiting their arrival)

KING CAINE:

Pomni! You arrived! Who might your friends be?

POMNI:

These are my friends, Ragatha(She motions towards the ragdoll) and Jax(motions towards the purple rabbit)

KING CAINE:

It's quite a pleasure to meet you both. I suppose if you three are going to go on an adventure, you need the proper etiquette! So I shall grant you three magic and weapons!

(The three of them seemed excited)

KING CAINE:

Ragatha, I shall make you a mage. So here's a wand, and a new set of threads!

(Caine did some magic of his own and Ragatha's outfit transformed onto a light blue dress with patches, a long purple cloak and a Obtained a blue hat with a big patch on it)

KING CAINE:

Now you will be the mage and healer, you have access to Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder! You also can use cure to help your teammates! Use this power carefully because you can run out of mana!

RAGATHA:

Sweet!(She waved her new wand around a bit)

KING CAINE:

Jax, It's not much but here is a shield and a small sword! You are the warrior/brute of the group! You can't use magic but you have a higher critical hit chance!

JAX:

Can't complain if I get to swing around a sword.. HAH!(he swings it around as well, but more rapidly, Ragatha had to duck.)

KING CAINE:

Now, Pomni I am trusting you with the most powerful weapon in the world, The Keyblade. It can unlock any door…and cast spells AND be used as sword. You are the leader of this adventure.

Your task is to find The Digital Heart, Find The Lost Princess ane Defeat The Dark One. I'm almost certain he won't stop at Hollow Chesstion, but take over other worlds as well.

For now… I feel like he might cause trouble near the town square for that's the direction I had to chase him and his colleagues.

I'll give you Bubble as a companion. She can do a lot of things such as shop items, sell items and even Upgrade you and your party. Explore with her a bit and she can unlock some real potential that will help you on your journey.

(Pomni looked nervous as she was soaking all this in)

KING CAINE:

No more lollygagging! Go forth and save the world!

(With that our squad was pushed out of the castle and before their eyes there stood a large abstracted blob in the distance, presumably at the Town Square)

POMNI:

Oh s[#^#^#]

(FADE TO BLACK, CREDITS)

[codemonki]

part 2 of the oc info dump :))

this time... Jess Starr (full name Jessamine) !! Another Ace Attorney OC!! (prosecutor edition)

She's based off of a jester! (she's very silly)

here are her sprites

She juggles as she prosecutes, its how she focuses <33 (she also likes to flex)

I made her a jester bc I wanted to keep with a medieval theme but didn't want to do a princess or other royals (especially with her sister the knight) and eventually landed on the "court" jester!

Personality wise she comes across as very sociable, and willing to befriend. She does keep certain cards to her chest, because like Fahlin she doesn't want people to get to close, but she isn't afraid of being "seen" by people. She's more so afraid of the implications of being seen, and doesn't want to explain her problems. Jess is great with a crowd, she knows how to entertain.

She comes across as very emotional (she's very emotive!), and while she is, she uses facts a lot since as a prosecutor, its part of her job. (if her gut does say something though, she will investigate)

Jess comes across as all over the place but her office is very organized. It may not be conventionally organized, but organized nonetheless.

Though Jess was initially a French Prosecutor, she eventually made it possible for her to prosecute in Japanifornia. After all, if her sister refuses to respond to her calls and her open hand, then she'll have to respond in court.

Jess's relationship with her assigned detective isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Jess can be all over the place when investigating, while Hugh is much more meticulous. Jess also cant shake the feeling that Hugh doesn't hold her in the best regards, which is ok, because Jess doesn't need to be liked by everyone she works with. She's OK with being hated by people meant to be at her side.

Besides even if Hugh isnt her biggest fan, at least she is a competent detective! Even if it is a bit quirky of her to recite poetry while investigating. Though its not like Jess can judge her, she's wearing Jester makeup.

Its not like Jess doesn't have anyone who likes her working with her, she's got a good relationship with her secretary, Silas Seydoux and old friend back in France who'd eventually follow her to Japanifornia.

He doesnt speak outside of sound effects but Jess understands him. He's her best friend and the person who pulls strings to trick Fahlin into meeting Jess, as well as keeps and eye on the people around her.

they met during ballet when Jess was kid (unlike Fahlin she was excellent at ballet, not so much fencing) and stayed good friends.

(not to repeat images but this is pretty important for her too)

Jess's relationship with her family is a little different than Fahlins. After all she gave up appeasing their mother much quicker, rather seeking out the attention of their father (who often had no time to give to her).

Jess despises Reine, afterall she's the one who found out their mother was cheating, and that she's a murderer. She was there when the crime was carried out, hidden, but still there. During the investigation of the case, the detectives found out that she would be a decisive wittness and implored her to testify.

She didnt know how poorly Fahlin would have taken their mothers conviction. If she did she may have tried to explain it more to her.

Jess misses her sister a lot, and misses the almost shell she's become. Which is why she has to talk to her, has to prove to her that their mother really was the murderer, because if she does maybe she wouldn't have lost a sister that day.

it has been hard though, Fahlin never seems to want to talk to her, and hardly lets her get a word in.

(I will update this once I get her mentor situation figured out ive been putting it off <33)

[gamerbearmira]

What

Ok so started this to put in my oneshot but. But i have no idea where I'm going with it anymore. Having second thoughts because originally it was gonna be for a different au, but i wrote so ambiguously that I slowly wanted to it be something and. Idk even know anymore 😭😭

What???? Do I do with it, like do I finish or nah 👺👺 I don't wanna delete cause clearly I was going somewhere and it has potential but i guess I just stopped and didn't continue 😭

Anyway giant siren stuff (and possibly vampire because I was listening to Sonne and saw some medieval architecture) soon 🗣🗣🗣

Esketit

-----

All six of the Madrigal grandchildren stood still in the courtyard of Casita. Thank God the others had already left, because there was no way to explain...this. Not really. They had no idea what to do. It happened so fast, and they didn't even know what they were supposed to do.

"So...anyone else confused?" Camilo asked, looking down and about. Isabela and Dolores exchanged looks. Luisa seemed more scared than anything, a little panicked. Antonio didn't really seem to comprehend, or notice, but then again, he was only barely four. Mirabel just kept looking between the others.

"Um..." Isabela opened her mouth, but quickly closed it, unable to articulate what to say or do.

"We can not let Abuela see," Mirabel mumbled, her eyes wide with shock. This obviously had something to do with magic but...it didn't seem like magic from the candle. It was...different somehow. It felt different anyway. And it physically changed the way they looked. It didn't hurt, not in the slightest, but it was still confusing obviously.

The others looked at Mirabel. They didn't outright say it, but they agreed. Abuela could not know. They all knew how she was, and knowing there was more magic, she might try to use it. And while they'd never openly admit it (and neither would their Abuela Alma), they knew she would find a way to use it to "benefit the community". Whatever that meant. It didn't seem to have the same meaning as before.

"Hey, if it affects us, do you think it'll affect Mamá or Tía Pepa? Or maybe...Tio...you know." Luisa asked quietly, whispering as if trying to keep the secret guarded, despite them being alone. The five exchanged looks, Antonio still distracted by his change in appearance.

"I...I don't know. But I don't hear anything out of the ordinary. So maybe it's just us?" Dolores half shrugged.

"Or maybe it just hasn't happened yet," Camilo said and the others exchanged nervous looks. That was true. After all, they weren't entirely sure what this was or why it happened. They weren't even sure if the Candle or even Casita had anything to do with it.

-----

Shoutout to anyone who can figure out what au it was originally gonna be because. While vague, you could tell if you read into it 🥸

Fun fact, its not Housebroken (though I do have a one shot for that I'll post soon as well)

[tillman]

Embarrassed asking this bc I've been following for a hot minute now and still don't know anything haha--where would I start if I were to look into reading abt Lancelot and Galehaut?

NO ITS OK LOL medieval lit is fucking insane especially getting into it with no background here is my brief spiel: <- said before i ended up typing 800 words. sorry.

medieval lit is complex and extremely hard to approach. let alone that most translations work under the assumption the only people to ever read them would be academics with a background in medieval lit, getting into and reading it is a challenge. if u have an interest and dont want to have to brave one of the longest and most complex stories written in medieval french and translated by many many people into english, im happy to say the story of galehaut and lancelot has enough influence to have a pretty decent modern english retelling of the main beats in Lancelot and the Lord of the Distant Isles. (my pdf here, tho copies are really easy to find in bookstores and stuff this is only from 2007). It takes the main story of the vulgate and condenses it down to focus on just the love story of galehaut and lancelot. its pretty fun. the liberties it takes are slight and work for telling a coherent story.

Now, if you have read it, or want the real Galehaut experience, heres whats up, medieval texts and modern poems undercut:

Galehaut is in 5. i think maybe 6 medieval stories total. youre in for a treat as this is maybe the shortest "i want to get into arthuriana and i like this character where do i start?!" list possible besides like. drian the gay. or some other fucking nobody.

The main one, again, is the Vulgate Cycle. This is the main old french tale that inspired a looot of other arthurian works all over Europe. Its huge. Im not done scanning it BUT, i am done scanning the section Galehaut appears in, the beginning, because i got depressed after that lol. (Heres my scan of part 1, part 2 is on my website im too lazy to get both links).

From there, you got the most detailed explanation of the story of Galehaut, and can read the more fun shit and whacky shit with him and Lancelot in it YAY. Heres what i got pdfed on me rn:

Biggest one to note is he has a side role in Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur. Nothing huge, and they do mix him up with Galahad at one point? but hes there. No one should read the original text its such a slog so heres Keith Baines awesome rendition

In other bad middle english texts, Lancelot of the Laik Book 3 has Galehaut, but its unfinished and also. only in middle english. fun footnote, dont read it. one day ill post my translation of book 3 alone LOL.

Short and sweet Galehaut is in The Old Knight, the greek text we have. he tries to fight for palamides and lancelot and tristan then try to fight for him. its cute. the old knight is an odd little thing just had to bring it up LOL (had to download a pdf for this one the site i read the article on before doesnt seem to be up.... just scroll to the bottom!) <- thisll be up on my website soon i forgot it i guess

Now for the funniest reveal: Galehaut plays more of a role in Tristania than Arthuriana most of the time (well. the arthurian branch of tristania im not getting into this rn). Why is Galehaut and Lancelots relationship expanded upon only here? only god can answer that.

Here is the Tavola Ritonda. Its one of the oddest texts i know of. Medieval italian. Very Very brutal. BUT. has some really interesting Galehaut takes and moments hidden in the . whatever is happening in this fucking text. its long as hell but mentioning for fun. (pdfff)

aand more interestingly. Here is the Belarussian translation of that. Which is even fucking weirder. mostly different plot, still has lots of really cute galehaut moments including the bit he asks tristan to join his and lancelots marriage. oh well i love the povest. (and heres that pdf)

Now. this is the wild card round. Heres the weird shit and the Hovey.

If you can brave French. modern french not old dont worry, Pierre Sala has Tristan et Lancelot. an exceptionally fucking weird story. Galehaut does make a slight appearance but mostly, keyley, funnierly, his evil german cousin is a recurring villain for a few chapters. its weird. its fun. its french. (pdf)

and finally. this one is on its own level, here is my dedication to Richard Hovey. one of the greatest poets of 1885 or whenever he wrote his arthurian stuff. He was gay. he famously called himself the american oscar wilde (and maybe met him at a party? one time we found a source saying they made out at a party.). and he wrote one of the only poems featuring galehaut i know.

well ok its a collection of dramas. and galehaut is not the focus. but he is a main character and he is insane. I recommend reading literally all his works hes a fucking amazing poet, you can even find his other poetry online easily. but heres his list of works on the camelot project. oh my god read richard hovey. please . hes my favorite poet.