#their character arcs chase each other in circles

[whatisamildopinion]

Kyoto- Phoebe Bridgers

Pro-tip: don't think too long about how Moonshine and Bev have ouroboros arcs with family members and devils and saving the world at great personal cost. Don't think about it too hard. I definitely haven't (lying)

[inc0mple]

Shape Language in Cinderella Boy: An Analysis

Hello, world, I come with an analysis. Also known as more proof that Punko is a genius, in case you were in doubt.

So first of all, we know that violet is a beautiful iconic queen.

Look at her. Queen.

Violet's features are very distinctive - all of the keys are very distinctive. She has tall shoulder pads that slim down to a form-fitting dress that wraps around her ankles - in this way, she is shaped more or less like an arrow, pointing downwards.

Now let's look at Buddy's outfits throughout season one.

Violet gives him this same shape, time and time again. He is shaped like Violet is, through the clothes that he wears; this downward arrow sort of look. And it fits both of them; villans are commonly pointy. If you look at many villanous characters in media, you will see that triangles are incorporated into their designs all the time. Triangles are less friendly looking than other shapes - they make us think of sharp, pointy things. And Buddy's outfit contributes to it, too. The way his shoulder pads, fabric layers, and even boob windows are shaped all contributed to this sort of top-heavy, narrowing atmosphere. (It also makes him look pretty, which he is).

Now let's look at Silver.

Silver is less pointy than Violet because her job is the heroine, and when we see round things, we think of them as more comfortable objects - soft, smooth, not prickly to the touch. Friendly. But in addition to this roundness, Silver is shaped like an hourglass, a shape feminine and strong. And if you look at the outfits worn by Chase:

They often don this same hourglass shape. Interesting too because usallly the hourglass is more prominent on the bottom (most obvious in the 2nd image above), which means that if you simplify him, he is often shaped as a triangle with the base resting on the ground - while Buddy is an upside down triangle. They are each other's opposites, not only in archetype and personality, but in their simplest composites: their actual physical shape.

It works for Deacon and Bronze, and Prunella and Goldie, too. The outfits of the keyholders match the shapes of the keys.

Bronze is shaped like a rectangle...

Deacon is a gawky boy.

Square shapes are often sturdy and reliable. As the helper, this is Deacon and Bronze's whole job. In addition, you can see that sometimes Deacon also dons a trapezoid shape around his shoulders, with the shorter base on the top and the longer base on the bottom. This is most noticable with the Still Waters and RoBaM arc outfits, and it also contributes to this feel of "groundedness".

Finally, Goldie and Prunella. I think this is the most clear example.

Goldie is not pointy. He is round, friendly, and affable. His smile is rounded, his eyes are round, even the tips of his hair do not sharpen to a point. He has the same roundness that Silver does, particularly in his shoulders (REMEMBER THIS, THIS WILL BE IMPORTANT LATER), and his armor gives him another larger circle to more or less center the two smaller circles. Thus, Goldie is shaped like Mickey Mouse.

And it is very. Very. Very obvious with Prunella.

Because she is a kid. She's innocent, childish, carefree - I wouldn't say playful, nessecarily, but her age alone implies that she is much more of this rounded shape than the older characters.

And these clothes support their personalities. Like a bow or an hourglass-shaped dress, Chase is feminine and cute; Deacon is sensible and grounded, reliable. Buddy is all triangles, he's prickly and triangles also have a proven visual appeal to them that Buddy is well able to match. And Prunella has shapes of circles and hearts and semicircles in her outfits - what I like most about her shape language is that even though I illustrated her skirt as a circle, it is often flat on the bottom, which ALSO makes her seem grounded, just like Deacon's trapezoid.

Buddy's shoulder pads intriuge me most. Because they are all very pointy. Look at his cat outfit, or those over-the-top shoulder pads in Sick Day. All except for one arc.

Still Waters.

The finale.

Because of the way Buddy's outfit is, he still has the arrow shape that Violet does. However, this time, due to the fluff, his shoulders are much more rounded.

Like Silver.

Like Goldie.

Like a hero.

Like, Y'ALL.

ROUND:

POINTY:

ROUND.

Because this arc, this moment, is when Buddy becomes a hero. He stops with the triangle-shaped shoulder pads that have until now been cohesive with villainry, and donned the roundness to his shoulders that the hero archetypes have, via the fluff.

And it's really, really cool.

And what's also cool about it is that it doesn't only extend to these outfits!! Compare Deacon and Chase's houses, for example; there is shape language there. It's everywhere in a lot of media, and it is so cool to me that it was intergrated into Cinderella Boy in this way.

Sadly I already typed this out once before, accidentally deleted it, and had to rewrite it - so I'm going to stop there, lol. I promise the analysis of the Still Waters fit was much more cohesive the first time, but I think the point still gets across

I did it. Tada

[godfeelscanon]

so what’s your thoughts on transfem Dave anyways? Godfeels has always kinda… not exactly sidestepped the idea, but not yknow, lingered on it very much. I’m a big fan of that character interpretation tbh so I’m curious what your thoughts are!

it's not that we've sidestepped the idea so much as put it on layaway. in general i'm not huge on transfem Dave-- not because i think he's cis, but because it's Dave we're talking about here. he canonically lived with Karkat for more than half a decade before they had their first kiss. this is a dude for whom suppression is an artform. there's no "sudden moment of gender revelation" for him the way there was for June, no magical gender ghost to deliver the answer full formed. in a way he's sort of the opposite.

waaaaay back in the gf3 prologue, Jade hit him with the button that turned him into a cat against his will, but when he returned to being a person he kept the ears and tail as a subconscious acknowledgement that he liked being a cat. but he had no agency in this process. it wasn't something he asked for. i think after you've been trans for a while you'll meet someone who is just SUCH an egg, and every cell in your body wants to blast them with rays until they crack. and you know what, sometimes it works! i'm not an evangelist of the egg prime directive, it very much depends on context and sometimes somebody just needs to get walloped with a big gay mallet. but Dave very much is not one of those people. at least from my read of him, he's the type of guy who takes each step into new territory slowly and timidly, and if you try to hurry him along he's just going to give up and retreat until he can start over again on his own terms.

which is, you know, very catlike behavior. he's kind of a traumatized rescue if you think about it, even going back to him and Karkat on the meteor. it's easy to forget since Dave is such a funny and avoidant character, but he's lowkey got the most fucked up backstory of all the betas and maybe of all the homestuck humans. like the way Bro raised him is so messed up. it really reminds me of videos you'd see at the dawn of youtube, of gamer bros walking up their sleeping cat and then screaming loudly out of nowhere, chasing them around and laughing. if you've ever fostered an abused animal, you know that that kind of treatment leaves a mark and it doesn't come out easy.

so Dave's now in this really interesting position of being totally out of his comfort zone in every way imaginable. fleeing from earth with people he just met on a mission he has no stake in and unable to communicate with his better half for the first time in like a decade, while ALSO having these lingering feline features he very much has not come to terms with. he's started wearing skirts because they're more comfortable for his tail, but he's SO embarrassed about it. and now the people who meet him for the first time, the only version of him they know is the one with cat ears and a skirt. so already before he's even gotten used to artificial gravity, other people are defining his image for him just by bearing witness to how he looks.

this, to me, is not a conflict you resolve by having Dave say "oh wait, i'm a girl."

which is why he's latched onto Dare as hard as he has, and why the both of them have so quickly reverted to the comfort zone of how they used to act when they were teens. there's a boyishness to their friendship right now that is... i mean, god, i might as well say it since we've been circling this drain for a few paragraphs already, it's kind of an age regression arc isn't it? that's not how we've been writing it but in practice that's basically what has happened. both are majorly traumatized and suddenly single, both have a ton of baggage to sort through and have no idea where to start or even what their goal is. sometimes when you're in that situation the only rational choice is to bunker down and act like a kid again until the storm blows over. i like them as a pair because it lets us kind of relitigate classic JohnDave as a concept in a vacuum, but with all these added complexities orbiting around them in the background. gender being, naturally, one of the big ones.

all of which is to say that this is 100% narratively relevant territory that will be touched on periodically as 3.2B progresses. thanks for the great question!

[nobodyfamousposts]

Do you really think all of ML's problems would be fixed if Adrien never existed?

Good heavens, no.

Adrien isn't the problem. He's just a symptom of a much larger issue. That issue being laziness and poor writing that comes in the form of "tell, don't show", plot threads that go nowhere, and lack of character development or plot progression that leads to a setup of "Status Quo Is God". Removing Adrien wouldn't fix all of that. Heck, it wouldn't fix any of that.

I can't fault the writers for replacing Felix with Adrien. Even if I and others could write out a plot with Felix, that's not to say everyone could or that the writers could. It could very well be that Felix as he was in the PV simply didn't work for the setup they had in mind.

...the issue here is that the setup they had in mind seems to require stagnancy. Where Hawk Moth attacks without winning and the heroes fight off the akumas without really trying to track him as the source and the two leads chase each other around in circles without anyone making any headway in either of these battles. Marinette wants to date Adrien. Chat wants to date Ladybug. It's why all her plans to ask him out fail while his attempts to express his feelings aren't taken seriously. And there is no forward movement, whether in their arc or in the fight against Hawk Moth. There wasn't even build or lead up to the two falling in love. They just started out episode one with crushes on each other and remained having crushes on each other until arguably season 5.

But no good story is stagnant. In this setup, characters need to do things and there needs to be a feeling of forward momentum.

Break it down this way: What is Adrien's problem? What is his goal? What is the obstacle to his goal?

Yes, we could say Adrien's dad being a supervillain and a neglectful jerk is Adrien's main problem, but it's not the problem Adrien is actually focused on in the show. Instead, if we could say Adrien has a problem, it would be that he wants to date Ladybug. And his goal is to date Ladybug. And the source of the problem and obstacle to his goal is...Ladybug.

So his problem, his goal, and the obstacle are all the same thing. This ultimately seems to make his problems Ladybug’s fault then because the problem would be solved if she gives in to his wants rather than by any real effort on his part.

Adrien as he is in the show doesn't do anything. And he doesn't need to do anything because he is at his base a character that things are done for. He doesn't have a goal or direction or drive. He just comes out to deal with akumas as needed, flirt with Ladybug when he can, and then be sad because his life is so hard when he doesn't get what he wants. We don't see him doing anything else. We don't see him making friends. We don't see him engaging in school. We don't even really see how he interacts with the classmates he only recently met. Things happen around him, but he is not a driving force in anything in the show.

But Felix in the PV is a very driving character. He had a problem: he's cursed. What does he need to break the curse? A kiss from Ladybug. What are the obstacles to his goal: Ladybug refusing to kiss him and Hawk Moth trying to kill her. How does he get that kiss? By flirting with her and trying to earn her affections while protecting her and making sure she doesn't DIE against an akuma before he gets that special curse-breaking kiss.

It's the start of Felix's journey. His goal and the various obstacles to that goal that make his story interesting and his growth possible. As such, I see him as a character who would progress in his attempts to obtain his goal as well as one who would progress the storyline...which is also accurate of 3D Felix since that's kind of what he's done more in his relatively few appearances than the series has in 5 seasons.

Adrien didn't have to have Felix's personality. He didn't have to have the same goals or level of drive. But he could still have had things where he grows and helps to push the plot forward.

Adrien...

...just started school. He has no friends, knows no one, and is trying to learn the ins and outs of public education. How is he doing in the different setting with teachers instead of tutors? How is he trying to get along with his classmates? Does he experience bullying? Does anyone NOT like him? What is he going through as a new student who had been homeschooled all his life?

...is friends with Chloe. What's it like learning his "only friend" is a bully? How do people respond to this? Does anyone (besides Marinette) fear him or avoid him because if he's friends with Chloe, he must be just like her?

...is a superhero. He could have been spending time learning the history of the ring and trying to develop his powers. Trying to get stronger? Trying to get to know Plagg? What is he experiencing as a highly known model who is also a superhero and having to juggle those dual identities?

...has a dead mom who died of a "mysterious illness". Given that this loss supposedly occurred about a year prior, he could still be mourning her. Maybe trying to learn what happened to her.

...has a neglectful father. How is he trying to interact with his dad? How does he feel about his dad not being around? What is he doing to try to resolve this?

...has a supervillain father. Like, I cannot stress this enough! His dad is a SUPERVILLAIN! His dad is THE SUPERVILLAIN THEY ARE FIGHTING! People were predicting him finding out and joining Gabriel to try and revive his mom! People were living for the eventual heartbreak of when Adrien finds out the truth! Entire AUs, fan arts, and fanfics were born of this very idea! Going into the drama and struggle Adrien would be experiencing being caught between the "right thing" and the girl he loves and his duty vs his father and his mother and his family. HOW CAN THEY JUST IGNORE THIS?!

But we don't get any of that. Instead, we get Adrien...

...just acclimated with no issues in school and automatically friends with everyone. Good for him, I guess. Wish it was that easy for the rest of us.

...doing little besides occasional comments to Chloe as she is completely horrible for five seasons including Chloe stealing from classmates, getting the entire school punished for something she did, stealing a Miraculous, trying to crash a train, and betraying the city to Hawk Moth. But it takes him learning about something she did to Marinette a year ago for him to finally decide enough is enough and drop her as a friend.

...only goes out to deal with akumas as they come but does nothing to try and figure out his powers and history, get stronger, or try to track Hawk Moth.

...just moves on from dead mom. No relevance here aside from wanting to see a movie she was in or making a passing comment about how she got sick. No attempt to find out what happened to her. No questioning what she may have wanted for him.

...is just sad about his neglectful father neglecting him but seems to get over it rather quickly.

...never learns his father is a supervillain. Okay, I take it back. He learns twice and those timelines are erased with no real repercussions other than trauma for Marinette, so it really doesn't feel like they count. The pieces are all there, though! He knows his dad has the grimoire but never questions him about it! Never asks his dad what the deal was with Tibet! No question about how mom died or what is going on with Nathalie or what he's doing with a hidden mechanism in mom's portrait.

Adrien has potential. He has plot threads and aspects that could be used and goals he could have. But the writing does nothing with him, so while he has a number of things he COULD do to move forward and progress as a character or for the plot, nothing comes of it.

And that all boils down to a problem with the writing.

Adrien was chosen over Felix as an "easier" option to keep the story at a standstill so they could drag it out for as long as needed. That doesn't mean it should have been. There were so many paths that could have been taken, but Adrien was given the personality of a wet noodle, so he acts on none of them because that was what the writers wanted out of his character.

[late-draft]

Hello, Dema here!

First off—I have fallen desperately in love with your artworks. You have a very particular style, strong and fluid all the same, and I can't help but admire the way you draw and how you approach character design.

And talking about character design...

I saw your post about Zuko's bold design in S1 when compared to what we got in S3 and—as much as I love S3-Zuko—I completely agree with you. Something I've always loved about Zuko in S1 is just how striking he was, how much of a presence he had, even when he was being tossed around by a twelve-year-old. That being said, I love Zuko, I love him in armor and pointy shoes and with a ponytail, and I loved your alternative design for him.

What do you think about his S2 character design? How does it flow with the story beats and his overall character arc? Much has been said about the Hair-Growth-Means-Character-Growth (and I find it interesting, also, that he cut his hair again before joining the Gaang), but I'd like to know your opinion on how that translates to character design and how the decisions made in the show could be either good or bad in that regard.

Sorry about the long ask! I've just been thinking about this a lot, lately, and would like to know what you think. Hope you have a good day ❤️

AAAA Dema hii!!! I'm so happy I got a message from you, I didn't expect it!!

I'm super glad to hear, I'll wear it as a badge of honour and I must tell you that I also love your art, you wonderfully do volume and the shading done through a contrast of sharp and soft areas! Super solid anatomy too and I'd be lying if I said I didn't look up to your art!

Yess the character designs in the show actually are rather strong, I like a good balance between memorable and functional. Zuko is just *chef kiss* but, considering just how many appearance changes he goes through, some are bound to be weaker than the starting one. That said, I'm gonna go through a few of his S2 looks and make this reply long, ha!

The starting one when he ends up huddling with uncle Iroh with other poor refugees, fits extremely well for the narrative at the moment. It's actually one of my least liked looks for him, and that's great!! It's precisely how it should be, because he's also arguably at one of his two lowest moral points in the story - he basically lost almost all hope, no clear goal, nothing to fight for, he's desperate precisely because of the lack of orientation and thus his morals degrade and sink veeery low. He gets on my nerves so goddamn much in this period LMAO I want to beat him up, he looks like a recovering drug addict... annoying, entitled whiny jerk stealing food and anything shiny for his uncle, but even then he just does not cross the moral event horizon. Excellent characterization. He just looks atrocious and it's great because it fits this low point.

Next he gets the standard boyish square of a hair, no notes here...

But theeeen, he arrives at one of my favourite looks of his, and it's not just because the clothes fit him very nicely (I've seen fandom say they look too big for him which, maybe?? But it doesn't look like he's swimming in them to me) And a thing I've noticed which, maybe it was just an accident on design part but I'm not sure considering they colour coded the entire cave scene; in this part his clothes match the shape of Katara's, first one in bottom then the one in top. The collar is the same haf-circle design but I don't know, maybe there was a limited pool of clothes designs guide which they cycled through. Or, he really is meant to come close but miss Katara by a beat, like sine and cosine chasing each other.

But besides this outfit fitting the inconspicuous Earth Kingdom customer service persona, it also (perhaps inadvertently) does this VERY cool thing:

It makes his shape look closed off and guarded, supposedly non-threatening. It's most visible in his fight against Jet, whose shape is open and goes in many directions like an aggressive star. But then look at what Zuko's shape does:

When he attacks, it opens up to reveal the hidden aspect, again the aggressive star shape shows up! The same thing happens in "Zuko alone" episode but I think it's most clearly visible in this fight against Jet because here he has a direct contrast and comparing with Jet. I think this is an example where the outfit, whose similar design exists irl, overlaps with a great visual metaphor and enhances the narrative at that moment in story. He's still that combative firebender but he has to keep that aspect concealed most of the time. Plus it just looks badass as hell!!

Animators really knocked it out of the park with many frames. I think Jun was too early and missed his better hairstyle, but Katara was just in time.

I agree it's super funny how his hair in the Beach is awfully long, covers his face to an uncomfortable degree and then he apparently shortens it before joining the Gaang, insane behaviour Truly an "I'm so angry and depressed I won't show my face nor be capable of seeing anything because there's nothing nice to see in my life" look...

I guess all his appearances in S2 cover his mental states, but only one of them is extremely Extra (the tea server, doesn't even take the apron off and goes to fight) and I don't see any spot where a similar tier design could be shoved in, narratively speaking. So all in all, S2 did as much as S2 could have. More tea server arc please though, the Guru episode really feels like it skipped 800 km of plot and everything that happened in it is so crammed and pretty sus in terms of character behaviour.

[artisticxlly]

Some (actually a lot) of my thoughts on Kagehina; the theme of soulmates

Disclaimer: I am still somewhat new to posting in this fandom. Someone might've posted these same exact takes already (I'm not well-versed in Kagehina analyses). This is just my pure brainrot (also unfiltered, so this doesn't have a ton of structure, just a collection of thoughts)!

As I'm getting more into this ship, there are a lot of things that make me emotional about them.

A thing some people point out when it comes to these two is that Kageyama's backstory is shown extremely late in the manga as a 'protagonist' (or at the least a very essential character). You can argue whether or not it's done well, but for me this is perfect to demonstrate a full-circle moment, as not only did Kageyama find this person that Kazuyo promised would find him, you as the reader only get to realise that now as well.

And adding onto that, in my opinion it also contrasts nicely with Hinata, as his backstory is shown from day one, it is one of the first things explored in the manga. It starts and ends with them, so to say.

About their backstories: As someone who is very much invested in Kageyama's whole arc of 'king of the court', here is a speculation of how he actually got to that point.

Maybe this is a bit obvious, but losing someone like Kazuyo is devastating. And at the time, Kageyama would struggle with making new friends. He always stands out in those flashback panels as someone who carries a passion for volleyball like no one else (at least for his childhood) e.g., he gets made fun of for not owning any video games.

At its core, that intense interest in volleyball is what connected him and his grandfather so deeply.

It makes sense for Kageyama to desperately dig his nails into that remainder of Kazuyo, to train more and more, chasing that feeling of connection to someone he was actively grieving.

And another point would be this famous panel:

"If you get really good". And Kageyama takes his word for it, because really, his grandfather would be one of the people he trusts more than anything. And he practices until exhaustion, until he can't, because he wants to have a relationship (no matter the nature) like that again, wants a deep connection that he gains through his passion for the sport. He wants someome to find him.

I think Kageyama would reach a point where the amount of time he invests into training would be both physically and mentally unhealthy.

And perhaps, that's what also leads to him having no compassion for the people who don't share the same fire as him on the court (which is honestly a bit of a common theme for Haikyuu and its characters). He'd probably doubt a person who is like what Kazuyo described exists.

And then Kageyama and Hinata meet for the first time one the court.

The first time you read the chapter, without knowing Kageyama's backstory, it's moreso framed that he is insensitive, a bit of a jerk too. You could even go as far as to interpret the line as "what have you been doing until now?!" as Kageyama thinking that Hinata should've just practised harder, especially when he later goes on to say that Hinata should get "better" if he truly wants to stay on the court for as long as possible.

When you reread the chapter after going through the whole manga though, these lines make a lot more sense, and - depending on your perspective - are a peek into just how taken Kageyama is when faced with someone who has an equal drive as him on the court.

"what have you been doing until now?!" turns into "why havent I met you sooner?" and "get better" turns into "get better (than me), so we can find each other again" (As Kazuyo promised Kageyama).

And actually, Kazuyo's promise doesn't become fully realised until they're both on the court again, now in different teams.

That's why the flashback to that line is used then, not when Hinata and Kageyama first bond together in Karasuno. Not when they make it to nationals. No, when they're in different teams, after you see Hinata go through a whole lot of development away from Kageyama, then the promise is finally fullfilled. You could argue back and forth which one of them ended up being "someone better" but the point is that they found each other again because of it. Doesn't even really matter that they're on different sides of the court.

That's their arc, at least if you focus on Kageyama's backstory.

In general though, they are characters that continue to parallel each other, over and over. The amount of which is honestly almost absurd.

One of the biggest ones is just how much time they invest into practicing. The manga makes it a point with both of them that the people around them don't have the same energy as them and get tired out while those two continue (like maniacs /hj).

I mean, they even like the gym for the same reason, they're fond of the smell (which makes me mushy I won't lie, these goddamn weirdos /aff).

Another one is that they both want to play as long as possible. During the first chapter of the manga, this whole theme drags through the whole chapter, as they both talk about competing to get to stay on the court longer than anyone else.

A last one, that I just find funny, is that their numbers are ALWAYS one apart and sometimes even the same as in previous teams, EXCEPT for their third year in high school.

Junior high 3rd year: 2 and 1

High school 1st year: 9 and 10

High school 3rd year: 2 and 5

Adlers/Msby: 20 and 21

National team (2021): 9 and 10

Ali Roma/Asas São Paulo: 20 and 21

Like it's not funny, how much these two share even before knowing each other. And yet, despite all the similarities, they don't immediately get along in the way you'd think. There is this weird tension where they meet, they immediately get into an argument, too. But there is nuance to it. Izumi points it out actually, that Kageyama took Hinata seriously. The rest of the people there didn't think much of Hinata and his team, and yet Kageyama seemed to have this 'innate' sense that Hinata wasn't someone you should underestimate.

And they fight again, when trying to get into Karasuno, when they're in Karasuno, etc. etc. But it's never them genuinely disliking each other, it's just bickering at most. And as you read along you grow very fond of that aspect of them.

Maybe it is an overused word, but I don't think you could make it any clearer that those two are written to be soulmates.

Anyways, those are my thoughts! I'm obviously not normal about them, but I hope someone else can agree with these takes ^^

[themisimagines]

prompt generator: person a and person b sharing a bath content: smut under the cut! - self loving, bathtub shenanigans characters: artem, fem!reader

Thank god it's the weekend. You leave the office at 7, a feat given all that's gone on this week, and pop your head into Celestine's office to say goodbye, thinking you might swing by Artem's office to try and convince him to leave work with you. Unfortunately, he's in Celestine's office already when you look in, and they seem to be in deep conversation.

"Have a good weekend," Celestine chimes. Artem raises his hand in parting. You look wistfully at him, but decide to head home first.

Artem texts you on your way out.

<Wait for me to have dinner. Shouldn't be too much longer, I'll pick up ingredients on the way back.>

Your heart warms. He probably knew that you were looking forward to your first free weekend in weeks, having barely had the time to spend with each other beyond curling up together, exhausted, in bed each night, and blearily getting ready for work in the mornings.

Another text. <Don't eat too many snacks.> Ugh, this man knows you too well.

When you finally reach the home you share with Artem, you can almost literally feel the ache in your neck and shoulders from hunching over documents and screens, so you decide to run a hot bath. It's almost criminal that neither of you spend much time in this bath, with it's beautiful city views and skyline. But to be fair, you both only moved in together three months ago, and that was round about the time work started to pick up again. You even take out a precious bubble bath solution you've been saving for a special occasion, the scent of lavender and hibiscus foaming up underneath the running water.

As the bath runs, you pop in a record on the vintage player Artem picked up from his parents recently, and both of you have been enjoying going to markets searching for records, your recent favourites being jazz ballads, the crackle and pop of these old records invoking a different time entirely. The music drifts into the bathroom as you turn off the taps, stripping down and stepping gingerly into the bath, fragrant steam wafting into your face.

Oh, this is nice. You fiddle a bit with the water temperature before it's finally perfect, and then you sink in, closing your eyes blissfully.

<Tell me why we don't take baths on a daily basis again? Are you home soon, by the way?> You grab your phone and send to Artem, snapping a picture of your legs, just obscured by the bubbles.

The feel of the water caressing your body and against your tired muscles is soothingly erotic, and you feel a familiar jolt of arousal flowing down your body. Your hands run up and down your soft inner thighs, the arc of your collarbones, luxuriating in the sensation.

Ding! Artem has messaged you back. <Almost home.>

Then, a follow up: <It's not good for our water bill or the environment to take so many baths, but I agree with you that ours is underused.> You laugh. Ever the practical boyfriend.

Still, if he's still on the way, that leaves you free to take care of... some business. Your hands plunge back into the water, stroking your thighs, your breasts, slowly teasing at your nipples to send delicious shivers up your spine. All the while, the water swirls around you, making you even more excited. One hand drifts further downwards, settling onto your clit, and you draw slow, lazy circles around it, letting a slow pressure build up in your core.

The music swells, and you let yourself enjoy each and every sensation, a small moan escaping your mouth and echoing around the bathroom, your back arching slightly as you chase the peak of your pleasure. One of your fingers is just tracing your opening, ready to slip in, when a knock sounds on the bathroom door, and Artem peeks in.

Startled, you sit bolt upright, almost getting a mouthful full of suds.

"Sorry," Artem apologises for startling you. "Just wanted to let you know I'm home, and I'll be making dinner downstairs. Come down when you're ready.

From the crack through the door, you see that his tie has been loosened slightly, hair slightly rumpled from the day. Even though he's interrupted your moment, you can't help but appreciate how much of a goddamn gentleman he is, barely allowing himself a glimpse of you in the bath. Artem is about to close the door when you call for him to wait.

"Come and join me in the bath," you ask. "We did get one that was big enough for two, after all."

The door freezes, and even though you can't see Artem anymore, you can sense he is debating furiously with himself on the other side of the door.

"Please?" you wheedle. "The water is still nice and warm."

When the door next opens, it does so uncertainly, and Artem blushes upon seeing your clothes tossed haphazardly around the bathroom, the bubbles leaving very little to the imagination. It's hardly as if you both haven't seen each other naked before, but you always sense that Artem is holding himself back, too aware of trying to perform the part of gentleman for you, being overly considerate of your needs. Always too afraid to let his eyes linger for too long, or his hands to rest too inappropriately (except in the heat of the moment), afraid that you might think him crude or impolite.

You take charge of the situation. "Clothes off, Mr. Wing. Now."

His hands hesitate at his shirt-buttons, but then he steels his spine and strips off his clothing efficiently, letting you admire the hard planes and lines of his body, so often hidden away behind suits, which, while flatteringly cut, look much better off him. Belt and trousers join the pile on the floor, and you can sense that Artem is itching to refold his clothes nicely instead of leaving them there, so you launch a distraction tactic, rising in the bath so that the tops of your breasts are just visible, watching his eyes drawn to them as the blush in his cheekbones grows higher and higher.

"Should I just - get in?" He stutters. It's so cute to see him embarrassed. He clears his throat, and although he shifts from side to side, you can see his cock twitch slightly, already half-hardening before he's even in the bath. You slide your knees up to make space, and he climbs in, careful not to let the water splash out, although it's dangerously close to doing so, with an extra person in the tub.

It's almost comical to see him curl up so tightly into himself, trying to avoid touching you. Arms hugging his knees as he watches you intently. You stretch your legs out so they just barely graze the sides of your legs.

"Are you really comfortable like that?" You tease, leaning forward and putting your face closer to his. He continues to stare.

"Come on, stretch out." You try to get him to loosen up. "The point of a bath is to relax, after all. No point in getting even more tense, right?"

"You... hm." He conceeds, stretching his limbs out tentatively, but it's an awkward tangle of limbs with you both sitting opposite each other. Then, you have an idea.

"Artem, what if we sat facing the same direction? I could just nestle myself between your legs. That would solve our space issue, and we'd be more comfortable."

He thinks about it. "I don't dislike the idea."

You stand up to spin around, your body covered in suds, and Artem politely averts his eyes a little, face still red, although you're not sure if it's from the steam or embarrassment at this point. You settle down between his legs, gently pressing up against his chest, and give a sigh of contentment. Artem is the best pillow anyone could ask for. As you purr and squirm to find a comfortable position, you feel a distinct hardness growing against your back and stifle a laugh to yourself. Artem's hands settle awkwardly around the curve of your waist, as if he's holding himself back from letting them wander.

"Comfortable?" you tease.

"Hn." He agrees. His cock has grown to full length now, and you can't help but rub yourself against it, feeling him stiffen. You turn your face slightly behind to look at him, and he doesn't dare to meet your eyes.

"You have soap on your face." He says in a matter of fact tone, reaching a hand out to wipe off soap bubbles on your nose very seriously. You giggle in response, then close the gap to kiss him, gently at first, then deepening it, still rubbing yourself slowly against his cock. You slide one of his hands up your body, encouraging him to grab onto your breast, and faced with so much stimulation, Artem loses control and lets out a small moan into your mouth.

That tiny noise is a sudden breaking of the floodgates, and you can almost hear him think, fuck it, as his hands surge up to hold your body closer to his, hips thrusting upwards greedily between the curves of your ass. Panting, you both break apart the kiss, and Artem dives for your neck, licking and sucking the soft skin until you are sure he will leave a bruise. Rolling your nipples between his clever fingers until he draws out a desperate cry from you, the other hand teasing your clit, your entrance, just barely slipping a finger in. You are writhing and completely at his mercy, reaching behind you to stroke his cock.

"Bed?" Artem asks, voice rough with desire. But you can't be bothered with all that now - getting out of the bath, drying yourself, all that nonsense. You want him now.

"I have a better idea," you reply, then turn around so that you are facing him again, sitting on top of him, nestling his cock between your thighs. He makes an attempt to continue with the foreplay, but you stop him.

"I need you, now." you beg him, and like the gentleman he is, he lets you climb on top of him, lining his cock up with your entrance, sliding into your slick warmth. You both cry out at the sensation, taking a few moments to stretch out and get used to the feeling. Then you slide up and down his cock, panting and not caring that the bathwater is sloshing onto the tiles below, probably getting all your clothes wet.

Artem throws his head back, until you can see the line of his throat, his eyes closed in pleasure. His hands are unceasing, moving to play with your breasts, guiding your waist as you plunge again and again on his cock.

An angle hits particularly well for both of you, and Artem opens his eyes, a wild abandon in them. He seizes your hips and thrusts his hips upwards, creating great swells in the water, but hitting that spot again and again until you feel like you are about to explode, begging him not to stop.

"I'm going to cum –!" you cry. "Please don't stop, oh, don't stop Artem!"

His hips drive into you faster and faster until you hit your orgasm, clenching around him. The tightness drives him over the edge, and with a last few thrusts, he follows suit, cock pulsing inside you as he fills you with his cum.

You collapse against his chest, breathing heavily, both locked in an embrace. Artem doesn't let you rest for too long, as he taps your shoulder.

"We'd better get out, or you'll catch a cold."

"Can't you let a girl bask in post-orgasm glory for a few minutes at least?" You complain, although you know he's right - the bathwater has gone cold during the time that you both were otherwise engaged. You peer out at the floor, where half the water seems to have tipped out onto. Artem catches what you're looking at and grabs your shoulders.

"On second thought, wait. Let me grab some towels for the floor, I don't want you to slip." He steps out of the bath and you watch him leave, sighing happily at what a thoughtful boyfriend you have.

[rat-rosemary]

I was suggested to give this to you! :D

C!Loud Duo but in Manhunt. :)

How I imagine how this could work, especially with how much they hate each other, is they're stuck in c!Dream's body together.

Which not only forces them together completely but also makes it so the Hunters, which will be the main 5 for sure, don't have any reason to think about giving c!Dream any mercy. They think he's just lying.

To win and get c!Loud Duo apart, they have to kill the Ender Dragon.

So, XD will fuse the two together, make sure to keep the 5 in a circle around c!Dream until he bolts off, and then it's like a normal Manhunt. :)

This also includes that they can hear each other at all times and have the compass.

Just some food for thought. :)

It's a pretty old idea, but yeah! :)

I was told you would enjoy it. :3

Aughhhhh!!! That would be insane

I imagine if we are using the C characters then it wouldn't be the main 5, because they simply wouldn't react like it's a normal manhunt

I mean, Sam would be hunting Dream with absolutely blind and ruthless devotion, but the others? Sapnap would waver, stumbling over every sign of something being wrong. Bad and Ant are pretty deep in the egg sauce, and on top of that Bad became an alcoholic during the prison arc, so he's likely drunk and grieving. George would simply not do it. If he thought it was a dream (ha) then he would chase Dream for a bit, but it would very quickly lose its shine for him

I think this works best with Quackity and Dream having lots of time alone because it gives them time to eat each other alive. The manhunt would suck for them both because even if Quackity did agree to go to Dream's allies, he would never ever risk revealing them. So they're on their own, naked, against several people in full netherite

I love this idea, it's so interesting!

[lillymakesart]

I've been thinking a lot a lot Mizu thanks to your posts (tho tbh when am I not am I right?) and idk, I'm not good an in depth character analysis, but Mizu feels a lot like the moon; only shining with the permission of whichever sun she has let into her life and into her heart.

But unlike the moon, its not because Mizu cannot shine, but because she doesn't feel worthy of shining.

(Sorry I had a moment of brainrot and none of my friends have watched BES, hope it's okay I dumped this here ;^; )

never apologize to me for sending me bes blessings in my inbox im literally on my knees begging you guys to do this

but YES i am thinking in the same vein!! in my head actually Ringo is the sun and the only light source that Mizu permits to let the light in and reflect back into the world, since Ringo is the only person that she does favors for (e.g. she saves Taigen thinking of him, and promises him that she would save Akemi too)

it can also be thought of in the opposite way too - Mizu is the blinding sun, Ringo (the moon) is the only celestial body worthy enough to catch her light, and Taigen is the earth that circles her and needs her light (maybe Akemi is the stars all around because she doesn't need anything from Mizu and can hold down her business in her own arc)

when I write fics I actually think of Ringo as the sun, Mizu is the blindfolded eldritch beast fighting against her own bubble of darkness (but the sun is trying to show her a lightened path), and Taigen is the guy chasing Mizu on some own personal Moby Dick type shit that literally nobody else but him cares about lmao

my favorite one is from somewhere else on tumblr where Ringo is the kind pet owner that adopted a dirty cat (Mizu) and a dumb dog (Taigen) from the dumpster and he's desperately trying to keep both alive and stop them from killing each other (original author pls come forth if you see this im sorry i could not find you in time to tag)

many interpretations, all good!!! all valid!!! i love literature!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

[my-cabbages-gorl]

fave zukaang moment from the show? or top 3?

WOOO I am so sorry it took me forever to get to this, veggie!!!! but hiii thank you for this ask I will take any excuse I can get to talk about these two.

There are SO many haunting, gorgeous moments of connection between these two in the show I could choose! There are the obvious ones; fighting to protect each other's lives in the Blue Spirit episode, the "do you think we could have been friends?" moment, all the times Aang chose to spare Zuko's life, or when Zuko begs Aang to let him join their group and says "you know I have good in me" (that one is.. just ouch it's so gut-wrenching). But, I live for the moments when their irrevocable entanglement gets hit with a spotlight.

There are so many little scenes throughout the show that highlight how they are fated to be in relationship with one another. They're circling each other like Tui and La. Whether people ship them or not, their platonic relationship is arguably the core of the show. In the Seige of the North, Part 2- I think it's so symbolic that Koh the face stealer delivers his monologue about the moon and ocean spirit while in the real world, Aang (the incarnation of hope and good) is literally in bondage as Zuko (the physical manifestation of the war between good and evil) is choosing evil and risking the fate of the whole world just to save whatever shred of his own ego he has left.

When Aang asks about the moon and ocean spirits, Koh says: "Their spirit names are Tui and La, push and pull. And that has been the nature of their relationship for all time." Then later in the conversation he continues, "Tui and La, your moon and ocean, have always circled each other in an eternal dance. They balance each other, push and pull, life and death, good and evil, yin and yang." The fact that Zhao is attempting to capture and kill the moon spirit in order to make a name for himself, the same way that Zuko tries to kidnap Aang to deliver him to death (or at least torture and captivity) at the hands of his father to try and make a name for himself is a really nice parallel for what's being explored in their dynamic. It feels so clear (at least to me) that Aang and Zuko are a spiritual metaphor for this eternal dance- their past lives and ancestors disrupted the balance of harmony because of their broken relationship. And, now they're circling one another, mirroring one another, chasing one another in order to redeem the arc of their history- which the future of the world has always depended on. And, only when they enter into balance and harmony with one another will there be any hope for righting the world. That was SUCH a long winded way to talk about one of my favorite moments lol. And, I get that it might be a stretch but I live for the deep, convoluted metaphors of story. And Zukaang has plentyyyy of content for that sort of thing. Which is probably why I can never get over them hahaha. Honorable mention: in the final battle when Aang, the "enemy" that Ozai and his predecessors fought so hard to eradicate, spares Ozai's life when he redirects his lightning. It's so symbolic because he's using the technique that his OWN son- whom he abused and betrayed for choosing to nurture the shred of good in him- had a hand in bringing him down in the way that embodies the ultimate, humiliating antithesis to his character; 1) deep relationship and intimacy with the Avatar (the personification of good and hope) and 2) mercy.

[theyellowapron]

howdy y’all! i’m back again with another bonanza fic. this is actually a reworking of an older story of mine, as i was not fully content with how i wrote it then, but after writing some more and changing a few things, i’m very excited to share it. it’s also available on ao3 too!

this story looks at what happened next with the laura dayton arc in s5 (some spoilers). trigger/content warnings for discussion of letting children go as they grow up/as life takes them elsewhere, and discussion of the fear of losing custody of children for unjust reasons. as well, there are allusions to some of the scandals/rumors surrounding marie cartwright's past (ie. assumptions of sex work or infidelity), and relatedly, discussion of threats/blackmail. please do not hesitate to let me know if i should alter or add anything here.

summary: overwhelmed and unable to sleep, adam goes to his pa for some late night advice.

if you give this a read, i hope you enjoy! 🏜️

his door is always open

Adam rolled over onto his back with a huff, drumming his fingers on his ribs. He stared at the ceiling a while, waiting for exhaustion or answers to come. Neither seemed interested in making an entrance.

He fluffed his pillow and turned over again, trying out his left side. He forced his cheek into the pillow and shut his eyes tightly, humming under his breath, a quiet rendition of the lullaby Inger used to sing to him, and then he to Hoss.

Hoss wasn’t the only child I sang it to, a small part of his mind recalled.

Traitor, another part scolded.

“Sleep,” he told himself out loud, the Swedish lilting falling away.

His mantel clock ticked away.

He could turn up his oil lamp again and read, he knew, or go downstairs and sit in front of the fireplace with his book. It would pass the hours, certainly, but with the way his mind was currently, he knew he’d only stare unseeingly at the pages, his mind on things other than the plot. He’d continue to turn the pages on rote and eventually realize he was completely lost and confused, having no idea what was going on with the characters or plot.

‘I’m sure you can understand how it would only confuse her…’ the note had said.

Adam threw back his blankets and sat up, jerkily pulling on his nightshirt over his long johns.

Foregoing his robe and slippers, he padded across the room and carefully opened his door, quietly making his way down the hall. The last thing he wanted was for one of his brothers to wake up and realize what he was doing.

He hesitated outside the door- did he really want to do this?- but he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep otherwise. The conflicted thoughts chased after each other in his mind, circling around and nipping at each other like snarling wolves.

He put his hand on the doorknob, but still didn’t open the door. Come on, Adam told himself, you know his door is always open.

Yes, it was always open, but Adam hadn’t taken advantage of it in decades.

On bad days or after he had a nightmare, Joe still took comfort in the open invitation. Sometimes it was not even to talk, instead just to sleep, luxuriating in the pure, raw comfort of knowing someone he trusted, without fault, was near him while in his most vulnerable state.

Hoss, too, occasionally went in for late night advice.

Adam couldn’t bring himself to do the same. He put too much pride in his independence, too much stock in being resilient.

He didn’t need his Pa just because he couldn’t sleep.

Before he could register his actions or stop himself, he turned the knob and pushed the door open.

There was a small intake of breath that came from the bed. “Joe?”

Adam didn’t correct him, finding himself altogether incapable of speech.

Pa rose, rubbing at his eyes as he sat up, leaning back against his headboard, the blankets pooling around his waist. He blearily squinted toward the door, and in the pale moonlight coming from the window, Adam could see when Pa’s expression became one of surprise.

“Adam? What’s wrong, did something happen?” Pa was already pushing back his blankets, as if he expected there to be an intruder and he needed to be on the ready.

Adam brought up a hand, a gesture to halt Pa’s movements. “There’s nothing-” he choked suddenly on a lump in his throat. Pa looked at him impatiently.

“Adam?” he inquired again.

“Could-?” Adam coughed. “Could I talk to you?”

Pa’s eyebrows rose, and simultaneously, he sagged in relief. He ran a hand down his face and smoothed back his hair. “Certainly. Certainly, Adam, of course we can talk. Come on in.”

Adam hesitated again- I’ve already told him I want to talk, I can’t flee now- before closing the door behind him. He slowly made his way into the room.

He didn’t know the etiquette on this. What was protocol? Did he pull a chair over? What did his brothers usually do?

One time, after a particularly rough night for Joe, not long after Laura- Joe’s Laura, Laura White- had died, Pa had let him out of morning chores and allowed him to sleep in. When Adam had finally been sent up to Pa’s room to wake him, he’d found Joe curled up at the foot of the bed, using Pa’s robe as a blanket. Without a word, Adam shook him awake and told him breakfast was ready, not commenting when Joe pulled the robe on over his nightshirt and went downstairs still in his pajamas.

Unsure, he sat at the foot of Pa’s bed. If the action surprised or bothered Pa, he didn’t show it. When he wasn’t told off, he pulled his stocking feet up onto the bed, hugging his knees.

He felt tremendously like a child all of the sudden, horribly young and small. Shame coursed through him for needing this, for going to his Pa because he was feeling lost and alone. He felt warmth on his cheeks, and he ducked his head. He was grateful for the minimal light in the room; he didn’t want Pa to see just how embarrassed he was.

He was almost thirty five years old, and he’d padded down the hall to see his Pa like he was a toddler who’d had a bad dream or wanted water or thought there was a monster under the bed.

“Adam? Are you alright?”

Absurdly, Adam found himself chuckling. “Pa, I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

He glanced up and saw Pa’s concerned gaze. God, I’m only making him worry.

“It was Peggy’s birthday today- yesterday,” he quietly amended. “The card I sent to her was returned unopened. There was a note with it. Apparently, Laura feels that any more contact between Peggy and I will only serve to confuse her.”

“That was very unfair of her.” Pa hid a yawn behind his hand, all the while continuing to look at Adam. Eventually, he cocked his head knowingly. “And you feel as if you’ve lost Peggy for good now, yes?”

For all of the miscommunication that frequently occurred between them, Pa sure had a way of seeing straight through Adam at times. Sometimes it made Adam feel loved to be known that well; other times it was mortifying.

“Yes,” he admitted, voice breaking.

“Adam, you will always have your memories of her, and she of you.”

Adam scoffed, the outright bitterness of the act colored slightly by the wetness of it.

“That’s not enough, Pa. I can’t just accept that she’s out of my life forever.”

“She’s still in your heart, Adam.”

“That’s hardly enough, Pa.”

There was a moment of silence. Adam could feel Pa’s scrutinizing eyes on him, but he didn’t look up to meet them. He dropped his chin to his knees.

“You have to let her go, Adam. She’s with her mother and new father-”

A noise of disagreement made Pa stop.

“Adam.” He sounded so pitying. “Her real father passed away, but Will is her father now.”

A marriage certificate, and now Peggy was Will’s? Loving Laura didn’t make him the right father for Peggy.

Just in the same way that loving Peggy didn’t make Adam the right husband for Laura.

But a single legal document- a flimsy piece of paper- and now Will was her father.

“He’s only her father on paper. It’s not the same.”

“Adam,” Pa said gently, “the way the law works-”

Adam had already been struggling to meet his father’s gaze, too embarrassed and ashamed of his need for help, but he outright turned away at Pa’s words, rolling his eyes.

Grasping desperately for any possible way to explain, Adam recalled some of the particularly abhorrent rumors about Marie during her first year on the Ponderosa.

He knew he would be taking a risk in bringing it up, but he knew it was the only way to emphasize his position.

“Pa, do you remember what some of the gossips said about Marie when she first came out here?” Something flashed in Pa’s eyes, something that, under normal circumstances, would have Adam shutting his mouth. “They talked about her old job-”

“I know what they said-”

“-and said that Marie was lying-”

“None of it was true,” Pa said, but Adam continued to speak over him.

“-and that Joe wasn’t even-”

“That’s enough, Adam.”

He paused, regretting the upset he’d caused his father while also grateful it worked.

“If someone, when Joe was just born or later on, came around claiming you weren’t his father- if he claimed Joe was really his and had the paperwork that gave him the right to take Joe away- would you have let him? Would you have even rested until you had Joe back?”

Adam saw how Pa was trembling. Some of it was anger; how much of the anger was at him for bringing it up, as opposed to the hypothetical kidnapper, Adam didn’t know. Some of the anger was also likely directed toward the so-called good honest citizens of Virginia City.

But he was also shaking with fear; fear, Adam realized, that someday, someone would come along with such a claim. There had been so many threats or instances of blackmail over the years. Maybe Pa and Marie had been genuinely afraid when the rumors started, worried that they would lead to more disturbed opportunists; people wanting to manipulate Pa or Marie, people willing to hurt Joe and the family for money.

And in Pa’s eyes, Adam could recognize grief, grief at Marie’s loss and the mere thought he couldn’t protect their child.

“Marie would never.”

“I know she wouldn’t, Pa, I never said she did,” Adam sighed, gritting his teeth, and closing his eyes.

Why was he so obtusely missing the point?

“But say someone claimed as much, and they wanted Joe.”

“I wouldn’t let them take him,” Pa confirmed with vitriolic determination.

“Even if they’d gone to the courts for custody? Even if they had the legal right to take him?”

“He’s my boy, no matter what any judge says.” Ben paused, and then swallowed what was likely a sob. “If they took him- well, I would do all I could to bring my baby home.”

Adam sighed in slight relief at having finally got his point across.

“A marriage certificate and now I can’t even see her. I can’t see my daughter. A few legal documents and she’s out of my life.”

Pa seemed to capitulate as he realized the purpose of Adam’s illustration. “Alright. I can see that legalities have little to do with it. But still, Adam- Joe has been my boy, you and Hoss too. The way it feels to- to know each of you- to know you as my child-”

Adam shook his head stubbornly, and Pa ceased in his claims; Adam had to at least give him credit for that. “She was my daughter, Pa. I felt it. I knew it.”

“Adam, she wasn’t.”

Stern, but consoling.

If he wasn’t at the head of the bed, still half under his covers, and if they were instead next to each other, Adam knew Pa would have a hand at the junction of his neck, his thumb making little circles in the space between his collar and hair.

The knowledge of the comfort that could have theoretically occurred did little to steady him.

“I know how much you grew to care for her,” Pa continued, “but she was not your daughter.”

Perhaps the physical distance between them was why Pa didn’t realize Adam’s anger was rising.

How was disregarding how he felt supposed to help him?

He’s tired, Adam told himself, trying to stay calm. I woke him up in the middle of the night, asking for advice in a manner that I haven’t in years, he knew so little of the great amount of love I had for her, I can’t expect him to-

“You’re not her legal father, Adam, and you have not the blood to claim that title, either.”

For all his efforts to calm himself, the gentle reprimand- the contradiction all wrapped up in a soothing tone- had Adam furious.

“You want to talk about blood? Fine.” He pursed his lips and exhaled through his nose. “I know Marie would never take advantage of your proposal or betray you after your marriage, but contain your anger and defiance for just a moment and entertain another of my hypotheticals, alright?”

Pa looked offended, but nodded for Adam to continue.

“Say it was true. Say that Joe really was fathered by another man.” He saw Pa’s mouth twist, ready to let out an immediate rebuttal, but Adam held up a hand to silence him. “Maybe they don’t want to take Joe away, maybe they do; either way, does having that information- knowing that he wasn’t of your blood, knowing that he wasn’t half yours- does it make you love him any less? Would it make you want him any less, care for him any less?”

Pa looked pale and grave at the question. The poor lighting did little to help, but he seemed haggard at the accusation, the lines of age, exhaustion, and grief appearing like canyons on his face.

“No,” he replied weakly, sounding as if he was fighting tears. “Of course it wouldn’t change anything. He’d always be my son.”

As much as he was inclined to, Adam didn’t fire back with a reply, instead giving his father time to consider his realization.

If family- if fatherhood- wasn’t determined legally or through blood, then what defined it? Adam already knew- he had felt it deeply and completely. Pa, too, understood the emotion, but had never reassessed it or considered it deeper; perhaps, because he never had to before. No one had ever taken away one of his children and said he was no longer their father and denied him the right to ever speak or be with them again.

“I’ve loved Joe- loved all of you- too much and too long to allow something as paltry as blood to tarnish or diminish that love.”

Adam dropped his chin to his knees again, the relief making him slump forward. “You see? It’s not blood. It’s not the law. It’s love.”

“Love and time,” Pa corrected. Adam raised an eyebrow. “I know you loved her, but Adam, you didn’t even know her a full year.”

Adam scoffed.

As if time had any bearing on it whatsoever.

“Did you not fall in love with each of us the second you held us? Already love us the moment you first heard our cries? Before you’d met us, even, loving us when we were only a secret between you and our Mothers?” Adam shook his head. “I knew. I knew, Pa.”

“That isn’t the same,” Pa argued. “Don’t discredit the experiences of your Mother and I by comparing-”

“Discredit? Discredit?” Adam repeated incredulously.

He felt his temper rising again, and he breathed through it, trying to see past the red that was overwhelming him. He took a deep breath, trying to contain his volume.

“Pa, I may not have held her the day she was born, but I held her in my lap as I taught her how to drive a team of horses. I didn’t hear her first cries, but I comforted her when she wept over Laura’s dishonesty. She may have never been a whispered secret between her mother and I, but I protected her secrets when she confided in me. She was my daughter, Pa, in every way that mattered.”

Pa stared at him for a moment, understanding having finally dawned on him.

There was something else in his eyes beyond understanding; it was no longer the unintentionally demeaning pity he showed before.

It had instead moved to something closer to..

Adam thought it might have been sympathy.

“I’m sorry, Adam. I understand, now, what it is you’re currently going through. It must be a terrible ache.”

Ache. It was an ache; there was a physical pain in his chest, he missed her so much. It was like his heart had been taken out of his body and was walking around in San Francisco without him and was calling another man Papa.

“I wish there was something I could say to ease your pain, but there are no words for it.”

Adam was halfway startled by the words; had he really gone to his Pa searching for the words to soothe the ache in his chest, expecting some sort of cure-all panacea that would grant him perspective and comfort and allow him to accept this?

Yes. He had wanted that.

Adam had gone to his Pa because he wanted him to make everything alright.

He more than wanted it. He needed it.

And Pa, through no fault of his own, couldn’t offer what he so desperately needed.

Feeling even younger- even smaller, even more vulnerable- than before, he pulled at a loose string on the toe of his sock, unable to meet his father’s eyes.

It wasn’t just embarrassing to need his Pa to fix everything. It made him feel guilty, too. Why was he burdening him with this, this impossible problem with no solution?

But wouldn’t he have wanted Peggy to come to him if she had been feeling this badly? Wouldn’t he have done anything to see that she didn’t have this pain, didn’t have to carry this burden alone?

He would have.

Adam glanced back up at Pa, considering his sympathetic gaze, his head cocked in understanding.

“Pa.” The desperate words rose up inside him like hitting water when digging for a well, overflowing in his throat. “How- how do I let her go? I don’t know how- I can’t- I can’t-!”

“It’s one of the hardest things a parent has to do.” Pa looked at him for a moment. “Letting their child go, that is.”

Pa’s voice, already quiet given the hour and their slumbering neighbors, was gentle. It reminded Adam of the tone Pa usually kept reserved for sick sons. It was always adopted when Adam or one of his brothers was ill or recovering from an injury, softening his voice as he wiped the sweat from their face and brushed a hand comfortingly up and down their arm, keeping vigil at their bedside until the fever broke.

It was telling that Pa used it now.

“You love them with everything you are, and then you watch them walk out the door, and you let them go, hoping the memory of your love is always a comfort to them.”

Adam felt a tear or two break containment. “But how? How am I supposed to figure out how to let her go?”

“You just do. I did.” Adam jolted and Pa shrugged. It was a small gesture, almost bashful. “I knew you may not come back after college. It wasn’t easy to accept, believe me, but I had to come to terms with the fact it was a possibility. In the same way I accept you will someday want to leave again.”

Adam stared. He felt very naive all of the sudden. Pa had once resigned himself to the fact he would never see one of his babies again; had resigned himself to the fact that such a thing would always be a possibility.

“Pa.” Adam shook his head. “It’s not the same.”

“Oh? You’re the only one allowed to draw comparisons around here?”

Adam let out a humorless laugh, brushing at the tears that had fallen to his cheeks with his sleeve. “No. I just- Peggy had no choice. If I leave again-”

“When,” Pa corrected gently. “It’s alright, Adam.”

There were a few seconds of silence. Adam swallowed.

“When I leave,” Adam said aloud for the first time ever, “it’ll be my plan, my desires. And- no one is taking me away from home and denying me from going back to my Papa, like they are with Peggy.”

“Papa?” he asked.

“When Peggy found out I’d be her stepfather, she asked if she could start calling me Papa. I told when we were alone, it would please me greatly. I knew Laura would’ve found it improper, and I didn’t want Peggy to get in trouble if Laura overheard. But for a while..”

“She asked you to be her Papa? Well, you could’ve told me that from the beginning. I would’ve understood far quicker if you’d told me that instead of your hypotheticals.”

Adam laughed wetly at Pa’s lightly teasing tone, but then shook his head, looking down forlornly.

“But no matter where I go, you will always be my Pa and this- not just the Ponderosa, but you and Hoss and Joe- this will always be my home. She- she won’t remember me that way.” A pause. “Someday, she may not even remember me at all.”

It broke his heart. There was a frustration and anger to it, but he didn’t know where to direct it. Not at Peggy, certainly. Adam couldn’t be angry with her for accepting the father her mother presented her. He couldn’t be upset with Peggy for moving on and eventually forgetting him.

Instead, he just had to live with the memories of his daughter, and know she’d never again think of him as Papa.

As he’d told Pa before, the memories were hardly enough. They were a sorry consolation to loving and raising her as his own.

“Adam.”

Without his realizing it, Pa had fully sat up and moved down the bed, leaning towards him. He was looking at him knowingly. He patted and stilled Adam’s hand, where he was still absently and impulsively tugging away at the loose thread on his stockinged foot.

“You’ll be alright. It’s a painful thing to accept, but acceptance comes in time.”

Adam thought of protesting again- It’s not the same, I’ll always be your boy no matter where I go, but Peggy won’t be my little girl anymore, and she won’t ever think of herself that way again- but he looked at all of the emotion in his father’s eyes.

This was the closest to understanding he could get.

Tears brimming in his eyes, Adam couldn’t bring himself to speak. Instead he nodded a few times, only capable of offering a hum of acknowledgment; even that wavered, sounding cracked and broken.

Pa patted his hand and foot again. “You will be alright, Adam. I promise you.”

“What am I supposed to do until then?” he gasped in reply.

“You miss her.” Pa huffed a sad laugh. “Even after you’ve accepted it, you still go on missing her.”

“The way you’ll miss me?” Adam hesitantly asked.

It was somewhat rhetorical. He knew his father would miss him, but the question had more to do with confirming his father had no hostility at his wanderlust and desire for more.

“Yes. I will miss you with every breath and every beat of my heart. But that’s no reason for you not to go.” Pa’s eyes crinkled affectionately. “It’s the way of the world, Adam. If someone can’t accept that, they have no right being a parent.”

Adam thought about that. It was true; a parent’s love should never be so selfish as to keep their child with them forever. It had to hurt like hell, certainly- he knew of that pain- but letting go was part of the obligation that came with being a father.

He had to let Peggy go.

“I-” he began, and then he swallowed, closing his eyes tightly. “I won’t leave for a while yet. I’ll stay another year, maybe.”

He nervously glanced up at Pa, afraid of seeing resentment or disappointment in his eyes, but there was only relief and acceptance. Relief that they still had another year, and acceptance of the fact that year would eventually end.

“Will you be okay?” Adam asked, hating that he’d someday be inflicting upon his father the same pain he was currently feeling.

“Same as you. I won’t ever stop missing you, but I’ll be okay in time.” He smiled a little. “The best of first mates go on to captain their own ships, after all.”

“You never became a captain,” Adam contradicted playfully, raising an eyebrow.

“No, but a father has succeeded if his son goes on to be better than him. All of my precious boys, I am proud to say, are each better than me, in so many different ways. But you, Adam,” he said reverently, reaching up to cup Adam’s cheek, “will thrive even further than you already have, if you allow yourself to follow your own heart and to pursue your own dreams.”

Adam cleared his throat and ducked, unable to maintain his professionalism upon hearing the fondness in Pa’s voice and feeling the gentle caress of his hand. Adam flickered his eyes up at his Pa; there was only an amused tenderness about Adam’s shy response. Pa stroked his thumb at the corner of his eye, wiping away a tear.

Despite his embarrassment, he found himself turning into Pa’s palm, leaning against the rough scars and calluses, and in them, finding warmth and comfort.

Pa’s hands are a shelter in and of themselves, Little Joe absentmindedly said once during supper, apparently unaware of the depth of his words or how much they touched the rest of the family. Pa’s eyes had filled with tears upon hearing it.

Little Joe was right; not that Adam would ever admit that to him, especially not about something as vulnerable as this.

Adam permitted himself a few more seconds of comfort before forcing himself to pull away. “I suppose I ought to get back to bed. Maybe I’ll be able to get to sleep now.”

“Are you certain? I don’t mind if you need to speak more of Peggy, or if you just need to stay.”

Adam nearly melted, endeared at his Pa’s offer, but he shook his head; he didn’t need it. There was no good solution to his problem, no cure for the ache in his chest, but Pa’s words had done enough.

It still hurt. He would still miss her until the end of his days.

But miraculously, Adam had a sense of peace.

He brought his stocking feet back to the floor and rose, straightening his nightshirt all the while knowing that formality was a fruitless endeavor. He glanced at his father, who had his head cocked knowingly at his behavior.

To be loved is to be known, Adam thought.

“Good night, Pa.”

Pa smiled. “Good night, my precious boy.”

The corner of Adam’s mouth curled upward; if Pa’s pleased expression was anything to go by, the pale moonlight had permitted him to see it.

He turned to leave, the ache in his chest still present, but feeling oddly lightened. He supposed that was what came of sharing your burdens with people you love, people willing to help you carry such things.

“Adam?” Pa asked, just as he was about to reach the door.

“Hmm?” he responded, turning back to him.

“I apologize for my response earlier, how I initially treated this.”

Adam shook his head, slightly confused. “You don’t have to- you already said you were sorry for not understanding, it’s alright.”

“Not that.” Pa paused, and Adam lowered his head slightly, trying to better see and read Pa’s face in the darkness. “When you first came in- I shouldn’t have presumed there was danger. It doesn’t need to be an emergency for you to come to me. No matter what's wrong, my door is open.”

Adam was struck by the gentle softness of Pa’s voice and the underlying self-recrimination. “It’s okay, Pa. I know I don’t- it was understandable for you to-”

Adam faltered, unsure of how to explain.

“I know it’s difficult for you to be vulnerable about such things, and I doubt the way I began made it easier for you, making it seem as if your cause for upset wasn’t worth my time. You’re always worth my time.”

Adam shook his head. “You didn’t do anything but make a reasonable assumption. It’s not like I often wake you in the middle of the night for advice.”

Adam considered the way he felt- unburdened, safe, not necessarily acceptant but nearer to it- all because he’d risked vulnerability with his Pa, because he risked being perceived as a little boy and asked for help.

It felt good, Adam realized.

In the coming year, his fear of vulnerability would be something he wanted to work on.

“I know that I can always come to you if I need something. I’ll- I’ll try to be better about coming to you when-” Adam swallowed, allowing Pa to fill in the blanks.

“You’re always welcome to privacy, of course. But there’s no reason for you to suffer in silence, not when you have people all around you who love you and want to help. Both I and your brothers would be pleased if you confided in us.”

Something instinctively chafed in Adam at that- his younger brothers were supposed to come to him if there was a problem, not the other way around.

“Maybe they would,” Adam acquiesced, knowing that Hoss or Joe would be perfectly willing to listen, both staunchly against any Cartwright bearing his torment alone. “But I don’t think they’d understand, not like you.”

Pa hummed consideringly. “Maybe. But we’ve all seen how Hoss goes silent for a few days, his eyes far away, anytime we see Margie Owens’ little girl, or hear an update from her grandfather.”

Adam took in his Pa’s words, considering his insight and comparing Hoss’ experience to his own.

It wouldn’t have mattered to Hoss that Margie had broken their engagement and run off with another man. It wouldn’t have mattered to him that he and the baby didn’t share blood. If Margie had lived, or if they could have wed before her passing, or if he could’ve gotten custody regardless of whether he and Margie were married- Hoss would’ve raised that little girl as his own, and Adam knew without a semblance of doubt that Hoss would’ve been the best father west of the Mississippi.

Now, Hoss had to watch her grow up from afar, accepting that she’d never know how happy he’d have been to be her Papa; resigning himself to the fact he would only ever be a neighbor to her.

“I guess- I guess he would understand,” Adam murmured, somewhat shaken at his father’s point.

Pa nodded. “Regardless of who you speak with, just remember that I am here whenever you need me. For anything,” Pa affirmed again, stating it like a solemn vow. “Even if it’s a letter from across the country or halfway around the world, I’ll compose a reply as soon as I finish reading.”

Adam looked down at his feet, bashful and trying to hide his awe and amazement at the amount of love his father had in him. He chuckled a little at the long loose thread and the large hole he’d inadvertently created. “I suppose it’s time to take this pair of socks out of circulation.”

Pa, clearly knowing and accepting why Adam was diverting the conversation, huffed a laugh. “I can darn them in the morning, if you don’t mind stitching that looks as if it’d belong on a canvas sail.”

“No, I don’t mind.” Adam smiled, remembering being three or four or five, and Pa mending and letting out his clothes, explaining to him that every sailor needed to know how to sew. “Pleasant dreams, Pa.”

“Pleasant dreams, son. Always.”

As Adam walked back to his room and pulled the covers back over him, he remembered teaching various stitches to Peggy, explaining all the reasons it was important for a sailor to know how to sew.

Instead of frowning at the memory, he smiled, a little bittersweet, reliving the lessons in his mind.

It would be painful to accept, but acceptance would come in time.

And in the interim, Adam knew his Pa’s door would always be open.

[calebscornerofart]

Impromptu Apocalypse Babysitting Music

ok music time

I like to assign music to arcs, stories, characters, and vibes. I mean, there's a reason why everywhere else I'm called 'Songdrop'

Anyways here the music for IAB

For this one if you read the rest of the master post you know what it's about It's Donnie's arc in the story from depression to madness to getting help

This one has a Mikey vibe, nothing specific tho

this is a general vibe

The Following songs are actually for another AU I have, well they are 4 aus sharing the same timeline, But they imbody the vibe and atmosphere and storyline of the apocalypse

just keep in mind that the storylines for these have nothing to do with IAB they are are just so integral to the krang apocalypse that i need to include them or else something is lost

this is sad and powerful and follows mostly Leo and his perspective of the apocalypse but only vaguely , i have a whole amv idea with this but eeh i'll do it later

This follows Donnie in my other AU starting with the first shelter they made(0:56) then to the death of Raph(swarmed by krang in his big halo form and gets taken down) (1:30) Observing how things and people and his family change Leo, Mikey, and him scavenging and finding the old wall that lead to Run of the Mill pizza (3:00) to driving out in modified van to find dead bodies in the road(3:40) and burring them to keep them away from the krang (4:02) To getting attacked and pushing his brothers into the van And activating a button to explode himself to keep himself away from the krang (4:30) and intersperse with clips of Old mikey and 20 something year old mikey making a spell circle to bring donnie back (mikey and leo go back in time but in 2028 when the turtles are in their 20s travelling the word, leo in japan and mikey in mexico, their counter parts appearing near each other becuase magic bullshit) the way i imagine this is bit is like, donnie's bits being send off from the explosion but it's glitching in the distorted guitar parts and where theres no guitar is cut clips of the mikeys doing their thing,,,,, idk if that makes sense or not Then once the music bursts back in, the spell was activated and a cloud of smoke appears and a kranged donnie jumps to the first thing he sees and attacks (lil donnie) (5:42) The rest of them get Krang Donnie off and he escapes through a window or something out in the city He is confused running around why everything seems back to normal(6:14) then he sees himself in a window(6:22) continies running around the city Now in an alleyway a character i have in it that is partially connected to the krang that helps the turtles track other krang becuase they still have a connects finds krang donnie and says the lryics "vtw you smell like garbage" to say 'you have lost' (6:52) which then angers the krang and empowers donnie to use his ninpo to burn off the krang(7:10)

this is the war between the Krang, the US army, and the Turtles

This is very specifically the conflict between the US military and them banding yokai and mutants from participating then getting infiltrated by the krang at the line of "i raise my pink fist and say black is beautiful" thats when i imagine the general or commander or, idk military titles, raises his fist and the krang envelopes it from under his sleave

This is relevant to IAB as it's Leo and the Hamato family in general being the main motivator in the apocalypse It's Leo's putting on a face as a song basically lets seize the day! all hold hand chase the pricks away! lets seize the day! all hold hand chase the pricks away! you can do it! You can do it! You can do it! WWooooo! it's all about the confidence You're joe cal-fucking-zaghe You're Joe Cal-fucking-zaghe You're Joe Cal-Fucking-Zaghe YOu're JOE Cal-FUCKing-Zaghe YOU're JOE CAL-FUCKing-ZAghe YOU'RE JOE CAL-FUCKING-ZAGHE

it's a very good song the whole album is awesome

this is just a really good album and i've been listening while doing IAB related stuff it fits the vibe

[blackdigitalrose]

Thurs - Maho Girls Precure! - Ep 7 - 10

In the attempt to catch up, it's another brief speed run ep review ^^"

Ep 7

Side characters shouldn't be that pretty if they are just going to be throw away background characters...

Any way, the odd rush continues and another stone is found, what are the writers doing in the second half with so much crammed into what would be the equivalent of an opening arc?

Animation wise it looked nice but so far, this may be the dumbest name of an attack so far. (And that's saying something, makes no sense Spicy is already a contender) And that was it, nothing much actually happened. It's all been quite copy and paste since ep 1.

Ep 8

This ep starts of slightly better as you get to see the antics of this little group once more and they do bounce off each other well. Even Emily's drawback could have made for a nice little arc if we were with them for longer.

So basically a Venus fly trap? Quite the deception by the writers, it was setting it up to be something really scary but then it turned out to be utterly harmless. Could have had the villains take the week off.

But nothing of note happens, they find yet another stone, this time a support, befriend and heal a baby Pegasus and completed the task of the day.

However, it was nice that Liko used Mirai's trick from before and Mirai pretty much pushed the teachers message from the start of the ep to get the job done. Little nods and throwbacks that make eps go full circle can be nice when done right.

Ep 9

Nevermind Liko and Mirai, this was a great little ep delving more into this trio who we may or may not ever see again. If this is really it, talk about a waste?

Liko is the only one who ever sits on her broom like that? Wonder why?

And for a mere 9 eps, that's quite the escalation on things, if this was a mid-season issue, sure, it would make a whole lot more sense, this level of separation anxiety seems too early.

Ep 10

Plus side, it was a curve ball, just when you thought they wouldn't possibly make it that simple; huzzah, they didn't and the chase continues even when the ep ends!

This just gives 8th Digivice vibes from 01, just swap it out for Wizardmon and day or night and bam, same scene. Crows and their shiny things and here I thought it was more Magpies but I guess they may not have those over there?

Meanwhile Precure, writing out parents since Futari wa, I've only been watching the 6 so far and it unreal how often this comes up already...

2 + 2 almost made 4, so close to making that connection.

Wait, does that mean the Grandma didn't pass the message on or she wanted a phone call for just a personal update to? Did the Grandma forget and let her worry before letting it slip? What is the implication here?

And to wrap it all up, a Mary Poppins impression? Wonder what she is doing back or why?

I just don't know what it is about this, the characters seem ok, there's nothing wrong with Mirai and Liko, maybe the pacing? It's all so mid, it isn't bad but it isn't good either, it has parts and moments but overall I just can't get seem to get into it. If anything, take the Precure side out and have this as a slice of life, two world show and it'd be just as effective. Nothing would really change.

Heck, our big bad has an amazing villain design, I hope there isn't some underwhelming big reveal near the end that ruins the presence he's been giving so far and it goes to waste.

[acourtofthought]

I sometimes hate Azriel so fkn much... like I know I'm gonna love him at some point, there is no chance I wouldn't. sjm has a way with words but my god... right now... I HATE HIM SO FKN MUCH!!!

This character alone is the reason this fandom hate at least three female characters in this series: Mor, Gwyn, Elain

Mor is literally being hated for no reason. And it doesn't help the fact that she's also queer and a (SA) survivor from her abusive family. People say she's been leading Az for 5 century while idk how she could be anymore obvious about her choice on the matter. I mean if I had a little self-respect I wouldn't have chased a woman when it's clear she doesn't want to be chased and I think she did it in the best way to not hurt him and also keep things neutral and still be his friend but as we all know this man is a shadow daddy so he's the one being wronged y'know...

Gwyn being hated bc she's a barrier between two people of a non canon (I repeat NON CANON) ship and again she's a SA survivor and never been given a chance to choose for herself. She's being villainized to make some people feel better and hopeful that one day their ship will be canon and destroy the villain so they can make their way to each other (I'M HYSTERICALLY LAUGHING I CAN'T-) like if you talk about Gwyn alone to someone they would fall in love with her idk how they could put a villain arc in her story...

Elain again having no choice in becoming a high fae and the only character trait they made for her is in the circle of being a housewife for Azriel, if not that they completely forget her desire not to want to be a warrior or spy or anything that has to do with violence and make her a full spymaster (that actually doesn't make a single sense since he's so abundant to keep her safe all the time and not wanting to expose her to troves bc he thinks so little of her and not trusting her in handling these stuffs?) or the high lady of Prison... yeah she would thrive there absolutely!!! We don't know much about this character and still people make it like they do and put their ideas and fantasies in her while we've never been in her head once!!

As you can see why I hate him so much. (I know it's probably not much of his fault really but his stans and I really hate that about this fandom)

ps: I know there are other reasons to dislike Elain but honestly didn't we all hated Nesta before her book? I'm pretty sure sjm would make us love her INDIVIDUALLY and not bc her relationship with someone...

The Mor and Az situation is complicated and messy but at the end of the day, he has had 500 years to ask Mor to sit down and have a real conversation about whether she has interest in him.

Really, it's as easy as that.

It's never easy to want someone who doesn't seem to want you in return and maybe you give it some time to see if that changes. But no one gets to play the victim after 500 years of pining for someone and I'm not sure why the narrative is always "poor Az". Maybe he tried to confess his feelings after her assault but that's not an excuse for never trying again within the last 5 centuries. He's the one who wants to know so he's the one that needs to approach her, not vice versa.

And yeah, Gwyn has done nothing to warrant hatred from anyone. She doesn't have to be someone's favorite character but the agenda to turn her evil or be some cruel seductress trying to lure Az away from Elain is ridiculous. She doesn't even know Az likes Elain. She's never even MET Elain. It doesn't matter if E/riel is canon or not, if Gwyn was being flirtatious with Az, Az never felt it was inappropriate considering he didn't vocalize having feelings for someone else. Instead he raised his brows high in amusement. He didn't feel guilt over the thought of Gwyn's happiness sparking something in his chest. Why is blame being placed on Gwyn when she's completely clueless as to what Az does when he leaves the training ring?

And yes, Elain has a mate. Yes, Elain was about to kiss Az. But so what? Nesta all but declared her love for Cassian then turned around and slept with other males yet I have never seen anyone shame her for that. But Elain being ready to kiss Az when she has never made promises to Lucien makes her a terrible person? People really don't seem to grasp the fact that to the sisters, mate doesn't mean anything to them at the start of their journey's. They were HUMANS for 20 plus years. The mating bond is not sacred to them. If the mating bond is the equivalent to fae religion, then people are attacking Elain for not jumping right on board with fae religion when she was raised to believe in something else. She hasn't embraced being fae yet therefore she is not ready to deal with her mating bond. She just lost her fiance, give the girl some time to play the field before making another life long decision. And again, Lucien has never once said, "Elain, can we sit down and discuss our bond?" He keeps it surface level so she does too. Of course we know he'd like more than that but him desiring more and him actually approaching her with purpose (and not just tiptoeing around waiting for her to give him a sign) means he's being just as complacent.

AZ is the one who was raised to respect the mating bond yet he's the one who knew it was wrong to kiss Elain with Lucien in the house yet he didn't care. He's the one who is willing to burn bridges with an important ally with a female who he's never thought of beyond his sexual fantasies. He's the one who can't even admit to being completely over Mor.

The girls are so young compared to Az (Elain is 24ish and Gwyn is 28) but they are expected to behave impeccably while the 500 year old torturer gets free passes left and right. It makes no sense.

As far as your PS. I don't hate Elain at all. Sure she should have done more in the way of chores in the cabin at the start of the series but really, what has her big crime been since then? She was willing to risk her engagement for Feyre and allowed her to use their house in the human lands to meet with the queens. She's been kind to Feyre's new found family. She didn't blame Feyre for the fact that she was made. She helped Feyre by designing and maintaining her garden. She apologized in front of everyone for failing Feyre. She didn't blame Nesta for her fathers death. She wants to spend time with Feyre AND Nesta. Yes, she was disappointed to find Nesta wasn't getting better but only because Cassian told her he thought the training was helping. And no, she didn't understand what Nesta needed in order to heal but that's because Nesta refused to open up and pushed Elain away. It was easy for Nesta to sit beside Elain's bedside because all she had to do was read her book. Did Nesta EVER ask Elain for something which Elain refused to do? Did Nesta invite her out to the bar with her? Elain did reach out and Nesta, knowing it would hurt Elain and knowing that Elain was also struggling after the war and the death of their father told her to leave her alone.

I'm not going to blame Elain who is also dealing with trauma to not have the answers for Nesta's problems. It's not her job and she did make it known that she wanted to spend time with Nesta. Nesta rejected her offers and only showed up to get rent money for Feyre.

Really, it's funny to me how much hate the females of the series get. They are flawed but so are the males. They are not MORE flawed and actually, for how young they are and how recent (and major) their traumas are, I'd say they don't deserve the hatred coming their way.

[amelias-calamity-quintet]

Random musing that I hope the Din's Temple arc is going to make pretty clear: Zelda can't be in the main party for Mark of a Hero for too long for the same reasons Gandalf can't be in the main party for too long. She is a divine wizard, and literally breaks the power scaling of any combat scene I want to write with her. She would one-shot 90% of the Mini Bosses & Bosses I've written so far. I know I said she's a level 3 wizard in the character sheets, but I mean like. Narratively. Mechanically, she's level 20 already, hands down.

There are more actual narrative reasons, chiefly in that as a major political figure (she's the heir to a nation) if Zelda jumped into the plot and started running around doing things, she runs into the issue of overriding local (and eventually foreign) governments. So the actions she has to take within narrative are more on political leveraging and intelligence gathering to allow the person who's "supposed" to be doing this stuff (our Hero) can do those things. The barriers she has are not ability, it's political liability. She could easily break the law and get things done, but what kind of future leader does that set her up to be? Link, as the Hero, does not have that restraint in movement, it's expected he'll show up. And also, Zelda is making sure he'll be welcomed if he does (in the Hero persona at least).

It also comes into some of the character contrast I want to have between Link and Zelda in MoaH as equal agents on the narrative, not one rescuing the other exclusively. If Zelda is also diving into these dungeons, it becomes harder to separate why Link specifically has the Triforce of Courage. Which is not to say Zelda isn't courageous, but she can't be equally courageous to Link. The two are meant to play off each other that way. Your lawful good, high tactics minded political official and your chaotic good, improvisational monster hunter. Long game vs short game, high profile vs low profile, Wisdom vs Courage.

Link is notably bad at politics and long term strategy, the Hero act is a rough attempt to convince the court of his title as Hero (since they have no in universe confirmation he is for sure the Hero) and not everyone is convinced. He is very good at solving short-term problems though, adaptation to things gone wrong, and immediate problem solving (like dungeon puzzles), which notably in MoaH, Zelda's not good at her plans getting thrown off. Eventually, they balance each other out that way. Link needs help thinking ahead, Zelda needs help adjusting quickly. They're a team, and their strengths are different. Compliments to each other. The threats that they're good at handling then are also different. Zelda could probably one shot most of the monsters outright, but it's Link's combat experience of learning and developing plans around monsters' weaknesses in the heat of battle that would get her the shot she needed. Which says nothing of his own ability to also fight those monsters.

Zelda is still an active agent in the story, we just don't see her front and center in the plot all the time. She's still doing plot, but the Link POV means the reader won't see that the whole way through. And not to get in my own head about my planning or whatever, but I wanted to ramble a little about the thought process behind the black cat autistic GF x golden retriever ADHD BF pairing that I have going for this Zelink story.

So much of the current formula, of Link being Zelda's knight/Hero/protector (and even with the reversal in EOW) has them chasing after each other rather than working together. And I think that reduces so much of Link's personality down to just "rescuing Zelda." Not to mention what it does to Zelda's personality. Rather than showing how they're equally competent, how they have personalities and lives outside of each other and also are strengthened and supported because of how they work well together. You know. Like a couple. God, just, let's circle back on this after Letter of the Law is out and I'll show you what I mean.

[alphascorpiixx]

River of Stars

Miphlink Week Day 1: Stargazing

Link and Mipha apart from each other but under the same stars.

Rating: G

Words: 1224

Tags: Canonical Character Death, Hurt No Comfort, Angst, Grief/Mourning, Hopeful Ending

Read on AO3

@miphlinkweek​

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The sky was beginning to darken. Link set up a bundle of wood into a campfire. He struck the flint with the edge of a rusted sword he’d found in the ruins. He had no blanket or bedroll, but the fire chased away the night’s cold. 

He’d climbed up to the Temple of Time’s steeple to get a view of the plateau. A hulking shape circling the distant volcano distracted his attention. Link used the slate’s scope for a better look. The shape was almost lizard-like—long legs and crested spine. Death Mountain towered over the kingdom, yet this beast crawled over the lava like the caldera was a small hill. No natural creature was that large. The bokoblins in the ruins had nearly split his skull open. If he had to face such a monstrous thing, barely a day after his awakening . . .

Link shuddered and put the slate away. 

He pierced a fish on an arrow and set the skewer over the fire. The scent of roasting fish made his stomach rumble and sparked an echo of familiarity in his mind. Had he cooked fish like this before? He’d seen cooking pots around the plateau. His mind had already been thinking of meals to make before he’d even realized it. This fish could use salt or herbs for flavor. There was a particular plant that grew in Zora’s Domain that paired quite well with Hyrule bass. Some kind of tuber, or maybe the leaves? Link frowned. He could remember neither the plant’s name nor where he’d first learned to cook with it. 

Ever since awakening in the shrine, the gaps in his memory became more and more prevalent. He knew combat and survival skills, as fighting the bokoblins had proved. He could shoot a bow, wield a sword, climb a sheer cliff face without plummeting to his death. He knew the names of general locations around Hyrule—Death Mountain, Zora’s Domain, East Necluda. But there was no context to any of it. What was so important about traveling to the sacred spring in Faron? Why did thinking of Zora’s Domain fill his heart with such longing?

Link ate the fish and pushed thoughts of his missing memories away. Fixating on what he couldn’t remember was an exercise in futility. Best to take everything one step at a time, one day at a time. He couldn’t force his memories to return, no matter how hard he wished for it.

(Though—by the old scars under his shirt and dread in his heart whenever he looked at the castle—he wondered if losing his memories had been a kinder fate.)

The campfire’s smoke drifted through of the steeple’s broken windows. The first stars of dusk twinkled through the haze. Link watched them appear one by one as the sky darkened into full night. He absently stoked the fire enough to keep it alive but didn’t go to sleep. His body ached for rest but his mind raced with a thousand thoughts. So he focused on the stars.

He moved closer to the broken window for a clear view of the constellations. The Wolf appeared in the west, still partially obscured by the lingering twilight sun. In the east, sands made of stars filled the Hourglass’s upper bulb. As the night progressed and the stars traveled in the sky, the Hourglass would rotate so the sands filled the lower. 

His eyes caught on the band of stars that spanned the full width of the sky. The Hyrulean name escaped him, but he recalled the Zora called this band of stars the River of Souls. In their legends, souls of the dead traveled this starry river to their final rest. His eyes followed the trail of stars. The band arced northeast, passing over a mountain peak jutting out from low-lying clouds. 

Sorrow pierced his heart. Link blinked the sudden tears from his eyes. He did not know their source, and that distressed more than the sorrow. Was this pain merely sadness for his missing memories? Or grief for something long lost?

He glanced down at the shattered wall of the Temple of Time. Despite its name, the temple was not immune to the cruelties of time. Like his memories, this plateau was filled with old ruins and half-forgotten lives. Did phantoms walk among the Forest of Spirits or float on the River of the Dead? The sky was not the only place that held a river for souls to travel. What ghosts had his own awakening unknowingly stirred to life?

(Or perhaps he was the true ghost haunting the plateau. He had stumbled from the Shrine of Resurrection that morning. What unfinished business did he have tying him to the mortal world?)

Sleep demanded its due. Link finally laid down for the night. He wondered, briefly, if his spirit would rise to join the River of Souls. Maybe that would ease the unknown sorrow in his heart. His gaze remained on the stars until his eyelids closed, and they danced in the sky as he dreamed.

-

The stars glittered over Zora’s Domain.

Mipha saw her home bathed in starlight. She’d awoken not long ago, forced into consciousness by the malice energizing with renewed power. Something had triggered the resurgence of malice within Vah Ruta, awakening her spirit along with it. Had Calamity Ganon risen to burn Hyrule for a second time? Not that there was anything Mipha could do to stop it. Her Divine Beast was her tomb, and now her spirit was denied the dreamless stupor of the last century.

Hyrule had changed so much in those years but still not yet recovered enough to survive a second Calamity. A part of Mipha longed for to return to that numb oblivion and forget the horror of her memories.

But the twinkle of the stars pulled her heart from her despair. She traced the path of the River of Souls. She wished she could learn if the legends were true and discover what awaited her at the river's end. But with Ganon’s malice imprisoning her within Vah Ruta, her spirit was unable to find peace.

A constellation caught her eye. Ruto’s Scale shimmered to the south. The sight reminded her of the story of the Zora princess and the Hylian swordsman, a story that had once given her hope for her own love. Now it mocked her for daring to hope. Her heart yearned to see Link again, but her mind knew that he had either died in battle or from old age.

She almost sank back into her grief. Another light shone beneath the stars—tall and faintly blue against the night sky. Some sort of glowing tower? Her curiosity distracted her from grief.

Other lights dotted the landscape, though these were orange instead of blue. Orange like the strange Sheikah structures around the kingdom. 

Blue like the comforting glow of Vah Ruta untainted by malice.

New Sheikah creations appeared the same time as Ganon’s resurgence. These events had to be connected. A faint memory resurfaced in the back of her mind. Hadn’t the Sheikah  researchers theorized about technology that could alter aging or even bring someone back from the brink of death? She was still dead, but maybe, just maybe, fate was kind just this once . . .

For the first time in a century, Mipha hoped.