#pre-story

[thewizardprincessau]

The Lover pauses, leaning on the curtain to stare at the princess in bemusement. “..Pardon?”

“Huh?” The princess seems confused at their own earlier statement and shakes their head as if trying to retract it. “What did I say? Ah, I didn’t mean to.. I mean, I meant it, but not like that–?! Er..” They draw their legs closer to themself and place a hand on their face in shame.

“You just..” they gesticulate awkwardly, gazing at the town so far below them. “...look.. Really happy. Talking about him, your.. Life. Together..” They let out a strained laugh as they gesture outwards with their hands. “Then– Marriage? Me? Hah, that’s… well, you did it, right? Against all odds. And– congratulations, by the way. Have I said that yet? It’s just.. ahh, you’re not me, so.. Well, you are.. um…”

The Lover lets out a small hum listening to the poor princess spiral into their own thoughts. “You’re only 24, darling. It isn’t impossible. A lot can happen in six years, you know.”

The princess brings their hands down to wring them together absentmindedly, not sure how to retort that. “I.. suppose that’s true…”

The two sit together in heavy silence. The Lover watches as the princess fidgets with their scarred hands, and they think about what made them so similar that The Lover couldn’t help but feel their heart ache for the young royal. Here they were, a dancer and a princess both doomed to eternal hunger. They’ve lived their lives under public scrutiny, flowing through society with expertly crafted words and smiles. But while they themself never lost hope for love, the princess seems to already be resigned to their loveless fate. Something about that frustrates The Lover, but they don’t let it show.

But who could blame the princess, really? When you know destiny has fated you with someone across worlds, how could you ever love another? Who could say that the two will even meet in this life? Will they just have to watch this poor royal force themself into a union they don’t want? To appease this world that’s done nothing but hurt them? Perhaps that was what they were trying to communicate earlier. What a damning predicament. As romantic as the premise of having a “soulmate” is, being hyper-aware of the fact is extremely soul-crushing. And not knowing where they are, or if you'll ever even cross paths.. no, it pains them too much to think about.

The princess pipes up again, soft enough that The Lover would have missed it if they weren’t staring at their pitiful solemn face. “It’d just be nice to, to.. To look like you. One day. Maybe.”

The Lover directs their gaze to the kingdom below them. Little lights pour out of little houses, sheltering the little people the princess has devoted their life to. They don’t quite understand their altruism; of course, it is their responsibility to care for their subjects, but to this extent? To permanently scar the only body they have, to sacrifice their happiness for a world that doesn’t care? There’s a twitch in their heart. A strange melancholic understanding that gnaws at their chest, leaving a gaping nothing and everything in its place.

Be selfish, just this once, they want to beg. But they sigh instead.

“You live in the reality you choose to create, princess.”

“The one I choose to create..” 

That seems to have struck a chord with them. Their face lights up a bit as they start to sit with better posture, the way they’re about to open their mouth indicating another flood of excited rambles and ideas to come. The Lover exhales a breath through their nose, endeared by how easily the princess jumps from one thought to another. 

“Do you think I’ll ever meet him?”

“I hope so.”

“Ooh, what if he’s actually a noble, too! That would be perfect, huh?”

“It would be.”

“What do you think he’ll be like? Nice, sweet..”

The Lover fidgets with their locket. “He always is.”

“Always? Really?” The princess smiles brightly, pressing a hand to their chest. “Then I’ll be even sweeter! To sweep him off his feet! Do you think he’ll like that?”

“Being swept off your feet by a princess would be anyone’s dream, dear. Noble or not.”

“Ahh, that’s true, isn’t it…” A bashfulness overcomes the princess’ face as they rest some fingers on their cheek, getting lost in their own daydreams. The Lover can’t help the gentle smile that spreads across their face seeing the princess’ mood improve. They’ve had strange bouts of sadness and doubt before, but The Lover was never the one around to deal with those. It felt strangely comforting to have been the one to catch them tonight. They don’t mean to degrade the other inhabitants of the princess’ mind, but they really are the most well-equipped to be able to handle this topic. They’re dressed like this for a reason, right?

They’re snapped out of their thoughts when they see the princess smiling at them silently. Did they start making some kind of embarrassing face? How humiliating.. They’re about to avoid their gaze when they notice just how the princess is staring at them. They’re still lost in their own head, taking in the appearance of this alternate version of themself in full. Admiring the little details of their gown, watching the way their veil flows in the evening wind, trying to catch a glimpse of the ring on The Lover’s obscured hand. Their earlier smile fades into a more neutral, contemplative expression. There was a lot going on in their head, The Lover could tell. They’re used to dealing with and easing a busy mind; they married one, after all. But what do you do when the mind is so much like your own?

The Lover reaches their left hand out to them, and the princess takes it without thought. They can feel every nick and scar on the royal’s hand, the same roughness in their palms meeting. The princess looks to be deep in thought, watching their joined hands without making a single sound as one of their fingers rests on the gold ring on The Lover’s finger. They slowly trace over its smallest of details with a somber, yearning, yet hopeful look in their eyes. Without uttering a single word, The Lover understands the princess.

Breaking from the contact, The Lover brings another hand up to slide the ring off their finger, placing it in the princess’ still open palm. They gaze up at them, caring eyes meeting confused ones. They gently push the royal’s fingers inward, securing the jewelry in their closed hand. They can feel the princess tightening their grip on it ever so slightly as The Lover encases their hand in both of theirs delicately. The words that fall out of their mouth do so without second thought, but they mean every word of it.

“Please.. Never give up on your own happiness, too.”

And the princess wakes up alone, in bed, and with a curled fist.

[cawcawkarasu]

221b

“Please, Mycky love, don't leave,” Hudson gripped Mycroft’s arms before he reached the door..

“You do know we could never make this wo-”

“I'll house your brother in!”

Mycroft halted at that. “No sane person would-”

“No sane person would want to date you either,” Hudson interrupted.

Mycroft finally turned back.

Hudson recoiled, “I ain’t sane anyway! I’ll do everything…” Her words died upon Mycroft’s forefinger on her lips.

The man sighed. “I'll be here every now and then,”

“-to see Sherly,” Hudson finished his sentence, “I'll be waiting for you.”

A smile crept on her face, and his, finally.

[kanellebullar]

[goatofgehenna]

Roses of May- A Final Fantasy IX Vignette

This is a piece of writing by Chris (Co-Author/Blank) and posted on the same account the script for the audiobook is on. Prose expressing the pre-game combat surrounding Beatrix, Fratley and the Burmecian knights. Beatrix and Fratley, two of the most revered warriors of rival kingdoms, engage in combat in this eloquently written excerpt! To take place before the events of the main story in Final Fantasy IX, as played in game.

It should be noted: We have verified with the English and Japanese additions of the Ultimania as well as all other officially released texts related to Final Fantasy IX that there is no information explicitly stating what happened to Beatrix's eye and everything posed, therefore, is a theory or suggestion.

[badolmen]

They don’t even attempt to assassinate US politicians anymore. You notice that? Not since the anthrax scare back for… who was it, Barack? And even that… pathetic. This new generation has no respect for an honest hitman. I’m not sure this new generation has any honest hitman - you see that shit with Boeing? Sloppy, fucking disgraceful - you kill the whistleblowers before they get halfway to a lawsuit. What kind of fucking amateur is doing faked suicides the night before testimony? Goddamn greenhorns. Back in my day someone tried to shoot Ronald Reagan in broad daylight. There used to be bomb threats to Congress. I took out a few union leaders in the utilities sector myself. Today’s generation? Won’t even threaten to throw a punch - not even over on that - what’s it now, ‘X’? They got no guts. None! And they don’t even have poor impulse control to boot! Too much of that - that panopticon anxiety bullshit. “Oh what if I get a called out post???” People used to send the president letters full of bioweapons. In the mail! Today’s generation? Not a chance. All because of woke.

[egophiliac]

if there was an autobiography based on any of the twst characters lives, which one would you be the most interested in hearing?

once again, Leona is the #1 funniest answer, because this man couldn't be bothered to write an autobiography if his life depended on it. someone would try to tactfully suggest that it might be good PR and Leona would immediately go to sleep right there just to be passive-aggressive. the mere fact that it exists would be enough proof to anyone who knows him that he had no involvement with it whatsoever.

...for a more serious answer though: I think Vil's is the one I'd want the most! I imagine there'd be a lot of really interesting entertainment industry stuff and behind-the-scenes stories, and also Rook would be there for part of it. can't go wrong with any of that! (alternatively, I feel like Vargas' would be extremely embellished -- he would nobly sacrifice his life in a blaze of glory at least once a chapter -- but it would be such a fun read that no one cares.)

[ciderjacks]

despite Laios low self esteem making him think that if he’d been eaten, Chilchuck and Marcille wouldn’t have helped Falin,

theres a small part of me that thinks the reason Chilchuck stayed with the party and went back in the dungeon in the first place was because he didn’t want to leave Laios alone. That Laios was moreso the reason he stayed.

[braisedhoney]

fighting back? against who? they're so happy—they've been waiting for you.

you are wonderful. don't you know that?

bonus: they play sims together :)

[chronotopes]

I love you public history people I love you museum people I love you archivists and I LOVE YOU architectural historians!!!

[curseofdelos]

mentally I'm still here:

Nico insisting that neither of them are going to be sacrificed/left behind to satisfy the prophecy is a perfect encapsulation of his growth over the series and it makes me SO soft to think about

Nico as a character - particularly in BoO - doesn't have a lot of self-preservation. He doesn't really care what happens to him as long as the mission gets done. We see this most explicitly after he almost fades into nothingness after the Bryce Lawrence incident:

And again when he considers shadow travelling into Octavian's tent to assassinate him:

(Nico himself notes here that it was unlikely he would survive another jump. If Will hadn't stopped him, he probably would have died.)

In both cases, Nico was willing to risk death for the sake of ending the war. He puts very little value on his own life, and repeatedly argues to Reyna, Hedge, and Will that the possibility of saving camp (a place he never felt welcome at, might I add) is worth the risk of losing his life.

Even before Nico went on the quest with Reyna and Hedge, the others were concerned about his safety. Percy tried to remind him how unpredictable his shadow travelling could be, and Hazel notes that he has been acting strangely lately:

It's not quite clear what Hazel is worried about here, but my interpretation of this scene is that she's concerned that Nico isn't thinking - or perhaps, isn't caring - about what effect the constant shadow travelling will have on his wellbeing. Between Tartarus, the jar, and the Cupid incident, Nico's mental state is at its worst at this point in the series, and I think Hazel is worried he'll do something reckless - something he can't come back from.

And so in TSATS, when Nico is told that he's going to have to leave something of equal value behind in order to save Bob, the old him would have had zero issue sacrificing himself if that's what it took to ensure Will and Bob's survival. This version of Nico, who's been going to therapy w/ Mr D and opening up more and built a little support system for himself, can't fathom it.

Nico in BoO did not have a future. He had fully convinced himself that nobody cared about him or would miss him if he was gone - not Percy who fought for him at every turn in PJO, not his sister Hazel, not his new friends Jason and Reyna. He was ready to leave both camps behind because he couldn't see himself ever being happy there. He couldn't see himself being happy at all.

But now, in TSATS, he has a boyfriend that he loves, he has friends that he loves, and he has a community in Camp Half-Blood. He has experienced so much loss that losing someone else is his worst fear. The old Nico would have considered sacrificing himself to protect Will and Bob. At the very least, he would have kept that option in his back pocket as a 'just in case'; he wouldn't have sworn on the Styx that he wouldn't stay behind.

This Nico, however, is doing much better - not perfect, but better. He loves Will, and he wants a life with him, and he's not willing to give that up for anything. Nico has hope for the future, and he's clinging to that hope with everything he has. He sees a light at the end of the tunnel, and he wants to reach it. He's not willing to sacrifice himself because it means losing that future.

Gone is the cynical pessimistic Nico who assumes the worst because the worst is all he thinks he can have. Here is the Nico who has had a taste of happiness and is willing to fight to keep it. He's not going to sacrifice himself because he wants to live. He's not just fighting for Will here; he's fighting for himself too.

And seeing him go from "if it kills me, it kills me" to "it's not going to be me" makes me so ASDFGHJKL

[completelymindfucked]

instead of a 4 year age gap, it’s 10. Deans 19, living life hooking up with girls, the works. Then Sammy’s 9 and he has nobody besides Dean, the kids still whip smart reading psychology books and such. So when Dean is too busy with Amanda from 3 trailers down in the middle of bumfuck nowhere Wyoming, Sam goes into the kitchen to get some food. Deans up in a instant at the sound of shattering glass of course, running into the kitchen to find his little brother all guilty looking and teary eyed.

Sams babbling and pleading “I’m sorry de I was hungry I didn’t want to bother you” there’s a shattered jar of pickles at his feet and Dean feels like the scum of the damn earth cause how dare he makeout with girls instead of feeding Sam? He kicks Amanda out “sorry babe, brother stuff rain check?” And gets to work on making grilled cheese with the last of their loaf of bread while Sams all smiles sitting on the counter soaking up his big brothers attention, Dean doesn’t have to know Sam smashed the jar on purpose.

[bongosinferno]

A devastating and confusing thing about the Fallout setting, when you explore the pre-war aspects, is what the creators think about pre-war America. In the first games we only get hints of the pre-war world, but they seem to be some sort of wild fascist nation invading Canada. In Fallout 1, the first thing we're introduced to of the pre-war society is seeing a soldier shoot civilians and laughing.

Now, for the first 2 games and New Vegas we don't really know much. What we know is that there's a fascist military group known as the enclave who were a sort of US deep state even before the war, and that the government teamed up with corporate interests to preform vaguely MKULTRA-ish experiments with the Vaults. Basically, the government was an extreme version of the 50s American jingoism and McCarthyism.

This is well and dandy, I guess issues come up more when we get to the later games, especially 4, where it seems like none of this extreme plotting and societal civil unrest which would exist is seen. The society as presented in 4 also seems quite progressive, gay people are featured in the opening, and none of the baggage of say, civil rights not existing are included. Now on a baseline, I don't want settings to be more conservative, homophobic and sexist etc., but it becomes a very confusing setting when it's displayed both as this jingoist extreme thing with fascist tendencies aswell as a progressive place where everyone is seemingly equal. If you're focusing on the 50s as your setting, and American nationalism in the 50s, then you can't have McCarthyism spoofs and anti-communism as a societal paranoia norm while also general equality is the norm without misunderstanding why McCarthyism and nationalist jingoism is bad. A massive harm done in anti-communist paranoia is how it degrades and vilifies any progressive movements (women's rights, civil rights, homosexuality) as being morally un-American and therefore connected to communism. To ignore this just makes any critique of MacCarthyism and jingoism weird!

Basically, pre-war America in Fallout 4 becomes this both sides thing where America is both pure and equal and white fences in every instance that we see as the player (the intro), while also supposedly being this dystopic MacCarthyist hellscape that's broadcasting gladly about their war crimes in Canada, and wants to root out communism. I guess the only fix for this issue without getting into the fine print like they had to do is just not to focus too much on the pre-war world.

[machveil]

Neighbor!König Headcanons

before the events of the sticky note exchange! just some thoughts while I write pt 3

Neighbor!König didn’t realize his old neighbor moved out - he happened to be deployed when they did. he was surprised to see a bunch of boxes against the wall between his door and yours

Neighbor!König whose brain short circuits when he sees you exit the elevator, another box in your arms. he’s not too sure what to do, he was just leaving his apartment to run to the store

his hands are a little sweaty, mouth goes a little dry. he’s absolutely taken with you when you look up at him, all wide eyed and awed. it’s the first time you’ve seen each other and he’s pretty sure his heart stopped for a moment. he can’t find his voice when you say ‘hi’, so he awkwardly waves and ducks back into his apartment - he’ll get his groceries later

he’s silently debating whether he should go back out there and offer you a hand or just leave you be. eyes darting between his front door and his keys. would it be weird to go back out into the hallway? he just stared at you and waved, was that strange? do you think he’s a creep? a behemoth of a man who just quietly looked at you and left?

safe to say, he decided to just sit down on his couch. sighing, looking up at the ceiling, his shoulders slump. you were so pretty, he thinks. maybe that’s why his stomach did a flip when he heard your voice, because that was pretty too

he didn’t see you again for a week. he figured it was too late for a proper introduction, he’d just be your… quiet, weird neighbor. he didn’t want to be that, but the back of his mind kept replying his retreat. yeah, maybe it’s better to let that situation be

so when he entered the building after a walk around the block, he was startled when your hand caught the closing elevator doors. you had smiled at him, he saw your mouth moving as you talked - probably a greeting? he couldn’t be sure, he too focused on not taking up too much room in the cramped space. so when he heard you introduce yourself, heard you ask for his name, he blinked

“Ah— König.”, he mumbled, gaze darting towards the bright yellow floor numbers as they slowly creeped towards your shared floor. what he didn’t notice was how your gaze was glued to him. he was tall - tall enough he had to duck his head a little going through doors, and he was so big. a pleasant contrast to his seemingly meek demeanor, a demeanor that heavily contrasted his work

maybe, if König could tear his eyes away from the floor numbers and back down towards you, he would notice your eyes dilating slightly, a dopey, nervous smile tugging at your lips. being up close in such a confined space with him was doing things to you. you barely know the man - König - and you’re already smitten. but, before you can continue with any small talk, the elevator doors open and König is gone

he’s pushing through his apartment door, a soft click ringing out as he locks it behind him. “Oh Gott.”, mumbled words leaving his lips as he kicks his shoes off. eyebrows slightly knit as he moves to his bedroom, he pauses when he hears music. through your shared wall, the soft hum of your music plays - or is that you singing? he isn’t too sure, but before he registers it, he sitting down on the floor, back pressed to the wall.

eyes fluttering shut, he takes a deep breath. maybe if he properly became friends with you he could be in there with you. the cold, hard floor grounds him a little, the muffled music keeping his head from spiraling down more ‘what if’s’. but, as the song slows down and the next starts to play, one thought crosses his mind

he really should try to speak to you more

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Parallel Lines and Brothers.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[uncanny-tranny]

Something I love that some trans people do is talk about their pre-transition selves with no context as to their transition.

Like, if a trans woman talks about her past by saying, "when I was in Boy Scouts..." and never elaborates that she's trans and that there was a time where she was a boy scout. I just think that kind of normalization is great (and honestly, it can be funny when others are like "a GIRL in the BOY scouts?????? My life is changed")

[fumifooms]

Kaka compilation

Because everyone is sleeping on him. Witness his greatness!! First two Kaka colored icons were colored by me, lineart by Ryoko Kui though!

Kaka & Kiki are kinda like Laios & Falin… Kaka being stoic and giving repressed energy like early Laios, Kiki being cryptic and always smiling and kinda soft-looking. Autism siblings 2, ostracized and othered as kids and have a deep bond due to sticking together through it all, though unlike with Laios their parents are very loving so Kaka developed family as a big value more than Laios (bc asides for Falin Laios doesn’t care much about it).

In the gnome festival comic you can see Kaka is more emotive than he seems! Full with a :3 face, and he’s the one crying at the end. He’s insecure about his legs and being tall… It really got to him. Conceal don’t feel. In the gnome festival comic you also see him sensing others’ gaze on him and that something is off unlike Kiki, again Laios-like in the way that judgement from others gets to him more than her.