#this is definitely turning into a series because i have too many ideas that didnt fit into just this

[persephone11110]

A Different Dialect | b.bradshaw

prompt: “You can’t keep hiding this stuff.”- credit: @memesomething

tw:illness—hiding said illness, past child abuse, self esteem issues, protective b.b, readers a mom| dad bradley bradshaw, reader is masking her pain, the word throw up is mentioned and vomit— also the act of throwing up is mentioned, perfectionism, pushing yourself to exhaustion, 15 years into the future

reader goes by angel

children names: Cobie and and Nicky

this a random one-shot/ apart of FALLEN ANGEL Series

AN: Its been awhile since I posted to this series, random idea was born after listeing to Because of You. And i also pulled a quote from one of my fav shows ever Bojack Horseman , ever have a hard time trying to write the middle of a fic

—

Self care….not your biggest strong suit, which is pretty funny for ER/n. Lets just say Bradley doesn’t find it so funny.

This is all started because of your weak immune system. It was shameful how someone who’s been a ER/n for the past decade and half didn’t recognize the severity and symptoms of the flu. For crying out loud your a mom and a wife, your the definition of unstoppable,someone who doesn’t get the chance to fall apart. And yet here we are—laying on bedroom floor, curled up in pain. Weakness doesn’t look good on you Y/n Bradshaw.

Let’s turn the clock back.

This time, you had the chance to hide your sickness from your other half—since he recently taken promotion of Captain he had been busy with students and paper work. As evil as its sounds—you just didnt want him fretting over you, ruining his work schedule because of you, missing out with friend’s because of you.

Being sick today wasn’t any different, you usually toughen it out—pushing yourself while sick was a familiarity, well before you became an adult. You gone to school with body aches, slight fevers, the twins sports game with severe nausea—taking medicine to soothe it. Nothing made you stop—as you learned at a young age age,“Y/n the world doesn’t stop just because your sick.”

You could remember the last time you got sick as a child and the memories are faint but some of it is ingrained into the back of your mind.

“Y/n remember what we say about crying... crying is stupid!"— Dad had grown tired of your loud wails, having come home from a important dinner, he grabbed you by your jaw and gripped it tightly. “Don’t make me have to tell you again”.

You cupped your forehead once again, it felt like someone was taking a knife pulling it in and out. Only couple more hours and twins could be put in their rooms for bedtime. Then you could fall apart—cry if you needed to, throw up if you needed to.

What you didnt expect was your husband to come home early.

“Honey its just a little cold”, you mother batted your hands away from your nose, she stood behind you smoothing the sides of your dresses perfectly.“Your father needs at your best for this dinner, the governor might be considering giving him the funding he deserves”.

You didn’t deserve to be cared for, you didn’t earn the right to stay home like your parents did.

You rolled your shoulders back, you looked in the mirror, praying to god that your mascara didn’t smudge. You put on a fake smile because god forbid you didn’t you smile hard enough infront of strangers your father would have your backside and a belt.

“Come on Y/n, Linda!”’your father shouted from downstairs, he stood at the end of staircase. His shoulders squared straight, his eyes portraying nothing but coldness, it really added to the whole army man persona. “Don’t have all day”.

You sniffled one more time, you swallowed the snot down your throat. Mom hated the way your nose looked after you blew it too many times.

You spent the entire night politely turning down men old enough to your father,while also keeping the bile of vomit down. Multitasker

“Dear god Y/n loosen up, your father needs all the support he can get”. Your mother walked past you, whispering into your ear.

“Yes ma’am, let me go freshen up real quick”, your were face down in toliet, biles of vomit coming up. Remembering where you were, you quickly stood flushing the toliet— you held onto the stall wall.

An older woman passed you onto the way to the sink. “This generation,what makes you think a man is going to want you like that if cant even hold your liquor?”. The silvered hair woman voice held a certain amount of digust that even your own mother couldn’t beat.

Pull yourself together Y/n.

You can do better than this, you were taught trained better than this.

—

Walking through the front door Bradley expected two things, his wife helping the twins with last minute homework Or Cobie and Nicky chasing after Orbit, causing a mess to happen around the house.

Quiet house. Bradley allowed his feet to bring him to their shared bedroom.

He didn’t expect for his wife to laying on the floor curled up in a fetal position.“Angel!” Bradley shouts as he slides on to the ground, he didn’t have time to panic—years of being in miltary and being father kicked in. He pressed his finger into your neck hoping and praying to god there was pulse somewhere.

“Brad?” You open your eyes, your confused the worry look Bradley was wearing.“Whats wrong?”.

“Whats wrong Y/n?” His voice dripping with sarcasm, “I just found my wife unconscious on the floor”. You and Bradley are sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Bradley lets not be hysterical, I wasn’t unconscious I’ve worked a graveyard shift while also taking care of the kids”. Your was voice strained, you lost it while at Cobie soccer game.

You squeezed your eyes the ceiling light was starting to bother you, and because you didn’t want Bradley to see you cry.

Bradley gave you once over and started to feel his bubbling anger starting to faint away. “Angel we’re partners remember?” He’s caressing your face, “I have your six, you know that right?”

You peered your eyes back open, and whispered“I know that, I just…..nevermind it doesn’t matter”.

You start to move away from him“the twins need some important forms signed Brad-Brad and Orbit needs to be let out again”.

“Y/n dont worry about that, right now we need to talk about your lack of self care”. Bradley pulls you back to him, “Please let me take care of you”. The amount of emotion that filled Bradley voice broke your heart, you didn’t mean to make him upset.

“We also need to talk about I didn’t even notice my own damn wife was in so much pain”. Bradley ran his hands through hair, “I mean how I couldn’t I?”.

“Well Brad you’ve been working long hours since becoming a captain, the navy needs you more than usual to”. You smile weakly, the last thing you wanted to do was make Bradley feel bad for being promoted.

“Oh angel Im sorry, thats it I’m taking a leave of absence”. Bradley tone held a no-none sense tone.

“No,no Bradley I’m fine this something im used to, sometimes you need make sacrifices”. You speak like its fact, you’ve never been told otherwise.

Bradley sighs his eyes rimming with tears, its got this far without Bradley noticing.“No Y/n your just used to making unnecessary sacrifices for everyone else”.

“When the last time you’ve been taken care of— when’s the last time I spend the day taking care of you?”. Bradley voice was soft, careful to not wake the kids. “Y/n let me take care of you, my wife the mother of kids deserves to be loved , cherised and taken care of”. His voice is quiet, he puts his hand into yours. “I got you Y/n Helen Bradshaw”.

“I know you do Bradley Peter Bradshaw”.

[jwirecs]

Recommended NCT Fics of December 2022💖

hello, hello! here are my nct recs of december! hopefully these beautiful stories will have more recognition as well as the writers 💝

** anything in parentheses and bolded are my thoughts that can be disregarded if needed **

🔞smut || 💔angst || 💕fluff || ✅completed || 🔄ongoing || 💯favorite

Close Your Eyes, And I’ll Kiss You || @taelme​​💕✅

in which johnny just wants to kiss you

Like or Like Like || @taelme​​💕💔✅💯

local fratboy with unstereotypically nice personality that sits behind you in lectures and doesn’t seem to take an interest in anything other than your stationery decides life is too short to keep subtly shooting his shot by asking what’s in your pencil case (i think this could be considered as friends to lovers....maybe....)

My Christmas Come True || @sehunniepotwrites​​💕✅💯💯

Mark Lee has been a staple in your life for the past six years and you haven’t even met him in person yet. You say yet because you’re steps away from the arrival gate of the airport and he’s there waiting for you on the other side. Nerves out of control, you wonder if coming to him for the holidays is a mistake but it’s way too late to turn back now. The only thing you can do is move forward and hope for the best. (this is the fluffiest of the fluff that i have read so far. like I CAN LITERALLY IMAGINE EXCITED MARK MEETING HIS NEW BFFL AND LIKE BOUNCING ON SPOT NEXT TO JOHNNY LIKE WHAT)

Silent Treatment || @ofjunemoment​💕💔✅💯

you and Jeno aren't attached by the hip all the time. you just sync up in many ways which makes it easy for you to communicate with one another. Right?OR: In which you and Jeno make a bet to see who can go the longest without talking to the other.

Caught in Your Web || @inlovergirlsworld​​💕💔🔄💯

Mark found himself in the makeup section, having not a clue about covering up bruises. And just when he thought he couldn't get any more annoyed, you showed up.

Definition of Hate || @ncteez​​🔞💕💔✅💯💯💯

Johnny Suh is insufferable. He’s rich, arrogant, and anything but funny. You refuse to believe he is worth anything more than walking away from– over and over again– because you keep showing up for his friends, and his friend’s keep forcing you to talk to him.

The Roommate Contract || @jaeyunverse​​🔞💕💔✅

(quick summary from me: literally reader and jeno are idiots and are cute together.)

After Hours || @taeilteller​​💕✅

taeil works from home and everyday, he longs for his girlfriend to come back from work. tonight he feels a little needier than usual.

Candle Light || @2jaeh​​​💕✅

the power goes out so you and mark decide to "enjoy" your dinner under candle light.

Codename: Viper || @yutaholic​​🔞💕💔✅💯💯💯

ten years ago, Yuta walked away from a life of villainy to be a husband and father, but when an enemy comes lurking, he is ready to protect his family by any vicious means necessary… (asdlkdljksdaj the og author didnt establish if this was an established relationship au but mans married in this fic so i say its under established relationship au because LORD HAVE MERCY ON ME)

Seven Days To Say I Love You || @purinpeach​​💕✅

you and jeno can't get enough of spending time together even when you are practically glued to each other's side at any given opportunity. but spending seven days a week for eternity with your favourite person doesn't sound like a bad idea, right?

A Series of (Un)Fortunate Events || @gimmehyuck​​💕💔✅💯

Mark found himself in the makeup section, having not a clue about covering up bruises. And just when he thought he couldn't get any more annoyed, you showed up.

Human Girls Are So Soft || @osakisho​​🔞✅

You’re Renjun’s pet girl and Haechan, Jaemin and Jeno are left to take care of you… yeah.

Neo Hybridverse || @flowerboykun​​🔞💕💔✅💯

(a compilation of multiple series all in one masterlist!)

Boo || @nikinonikki​​💔🔄💯

upon finding that you've died and are now a ghost, you do what any sane person would do- say 'screw it' and sneak into an nct concert for free. you're really living the death out here.

I Got You || @peanutpinet​​💕💔✅💯

you had always thought that you were working for the right people for the right purpose but it was all just a big act, making you realise that the right person was the one that you had to leave after an incident (do you hear mark saying “yo i got you, i got you” in your head rn? because i can and i love that)

Losing 127 In Ikea || @phoxphenex​​​​💕✅💯

(i also enjoy their little text drabbles)

Love Song || @neos-gone-wild​​​​💕✅

you ask your best friend to listen to a love song you wrote about him

Request from Anon. || @doyozen​​​💕✅

Asking the Dreamies “Ass or Tits” (i fully enjoy their little texts)

Skinship || @honeym4rk​​​💕🔄

the many ways mark partakes in affection

Soft Launching You On Instagram || @yellowgatorade​​💕✅

after a few months of dating, your boyfriend gets the okay to post you on instagram. your only request is that he covers your face, and he obliges. the response is overwhelmingly positive! (when will it be my turn to have a boo. like when, god out here playing favorites and i aint one of them)

Cynics || @rosewould​​🔞💕💔✅💯💯

Johnny has been your best friend since middle school. He was the only person who understood you in sad times. As time ticked on, he grew distant. He changed. He walked all over you to suck up to his other friends. It’s too late to fix things.

Dunk Shot || @jaemwrlds​​🔞💕💔✅

you had no intent on getting into a relationship but then you bump into a familiar face, na jaemin, who has an offer your sex craved self simply can’t resist.

Little Taste of Heaven || @taelme​🔞💕💔✅

a little taste of heaven, what you found in the eyes of Taeyong and his daughter.

My Focus On You || @jaemwrlds​​🔞💕💔🔄💯

lee jeno has only been betrayed two times in his life.

Sour Universe || @neowinestainedress​​​🔞💕💔🔄💯

(i suck at summaries but there are currently three fics in this masterlist and i am not too sure if its completed or not but i will put “ongoing” for the time being!)

Do check out all of the other NCT Fics that i have reblogged as well!!

** if there is any fics that you guys would like to recommend, please do! i am slowly running out of fics to read **

[spacedlexi]

hey same anon from yesterday!

first off, good luck with your assignments, Killin myself out here too.

And thanks for the advice! I’m trying to make it canonical while in a modern au, so since this was a mainly S1 part of the series, Clem’s parents + Lee’s wife nonsense still happens, just navigated differently. Different dates obviously happen, some characters are less prominent and others are more (i.e St. John’s useless, or Larry + Lee’s family roles/created)

For the personalities, some characters are just easier to write I think. I’ll never understand the Violet southerner thing, a telltale sight for me is if someone messes that up. (Also basically every story has Minerva as a total asshole so that’s funny)

I tried to implement game lines too, while putting it in modern context! And the end of the day you’re right, it is MY choice, just want to have it look nice. Again, thanks and good luck!

using lines ripped from the game can definitely be helpful, especially if it feels natural in the scene, i would just be careful in not leaning on it too much. adding a twist to it definitely helps. but really try to pay attention to the cadence with which characters speak. theres a rhythm to Everything. do they stutter when theyre nervous? do they use a lot of filler words? do they hesitate at all or do they speak confidently? do they enunciate? stuff like that. if you can figure that out it makes it easier to write dialogue that really feels like its coming from that character. think about the different ways multiple characters may express the same idea. how does it get filtered through their heads and mouths. its less about What the character is saying and more How theyre saying it. believability and all that. to me it feels like pulling off a magic trick

it really is just a delicate balance of behavior and vocabulary. its why i try to cut a lot of slack to writers when it comes to fic. i know its a hard line to walk, and i'll give points for getting Enough right. especially for characters we dont see much of. thats why even tho it annoys me a bit i understand why so many people write minnie as being a possessive asshole and not much else. its why i end up going down the rabbit hole trying to figure out who she was before the delta. like we Know she was a different person, we just dont know much about that person, and the experience/thought process that she had that turned her from the "didnt even like killing walkers" never mind the darkness minnie into the minnie that killed her sister. i find her to be a really interesting character because its obvious she still cares about the ericson group in some fucked up way (sans clem she just sees her as an obstacle to getting them back) and i Do wish that depth was examined more in fics. but maybe im just not reading the right ones

ANYWAY i hope this has all been helpful and good luck with your writing 💕

[thoughts-of-the-unheard]

i just finished reading infinity alchemist by kacen callendar and boy oh boy, i loved this book, i think it has high potential to become a new big popular series, it just came out in february but i saw a lot of two star reviews on goodreads, mostly from people who flat out state that they didnt finish the book (which, for me, means you dont get an opinion on it) and as someone who actually did read the whole thing, i very much recommend it,

basically everyone is capable of alchemy on some level but some are better then others and in order to do the cool stuff, you need a license, but its a rigged system, so ash learns in secret instead, he meets ramsey, a deal is struck, hijinks ensue, theres trouble and danger, some people die, some people are saved, callum is a steady hand, and the book ends leaving you wondering

its what i feel to be a true young adult book, touching on adult themes without being explict, ie fade to black moments, or dancing around it, ie velvet wrapped steel,

theres a lot of good representation in the book between race, sexuality, and gender and none of it felt forced or shoved in my face, i did know it was likely polyam going in and i fear that mightve been a sort of turn off for some people

a lot of complaints i saw were about pacing issues and how it wrapped up too easily and i think thats quickly dissolved when you know theres a second book in the works because yes the big bad was dealt with, crisis averted, etc. but you get that bigger, badder vibe at the end, hinting at the next book i assume, so, not everything Did wrap up easily,

the magic system was fairly easy to follow but i do wish we had spent more time with ash learning because i thought it was interesting but i also think it would help readers understand some things more

there was a map and a list of the houses and what they do, ie guards vs merchants, but, like above, i wish there was also a list of the alchemy tiers because all i mainly caught about the tier system was the higher the level, the harder the magic and the more regulated it gets and then that ash can do tier four no problem, i want to know how many tiers there are and what exactly is in each one

all in all, this was not a perfect book but it was still a very good one, and, from my understanding, the authors introduction to ya fantasy, id give it a strong 9.8/10 because there are definitely things missing that i feel wouldnt strengthened the story but as far as a first book goes, regardless of genre introduction, i think it did very well, and ive read far worse books with far higher goodreads scores

mildly unimportant but i did see similarities between ash woods and simon snow which i thought were cool, kacen mightve taken inspiration (i truly have no idea) and that might bother some people but it was still fun for me to see

[taptrial2]

spiderverse spoilers, talking about my thoughts

i liked across the spiderverse but the whole movie felt like setup. it was two hours of setup for the next movie and none of it felt truly connected it felt like a series of vignettes. all very good vignettes but still. also pavitr showed up for once scene, miles fucked up his whole universe, and then he was just never brought up again? i feel like that happens a lot in that movie. several plot threads are introduced and dropped, several characters are introduced and dropped. theres a lot of clunky exposition. the guy everyone is thirsting after was in it for like 10 minutes and i didnt think he was very interesting. the pregnant spiderwoman was very interesting to me in the trailers but she didnt really have that much to do which made me sad, i wanted to see more of her

miles and gwen's relationship dynamic and gwen's whole Situation were definitely the best parts of the movie for me. miles was also a highlight, naturally, because miles is the best character of all time ever and i FUCKING love miles so much. they had such good scenes together, the gwen intro was so strong, and then the storyline just kind of turns into background noise

i liked spiderpunk. he was there for like 5 minutes. there were so many characters that deserved their own whole Thing that felt very "tossed in". this movie has a lack of focus that really weakens the story structure. it has the problem that wendell and wild had where it has SO many good ideas, SO many good characters, SO many things to say that it packs all of that ambition into an overstuffed unfocused movie that is very fun to watch, is very gripping, and was pretty unsatisfying for me as a viewer

it felt like NOTHING was resolved. i feel like if you're gonna have us sit in a theater for two hours you need to give us some kind of closure for all this setup but it was just. all setup. no arcs got to be complete because i assume they think they're gonna resolve all of this in the NEXT movie. which won't come out for a while because these movies are lovingly crafted and take a long time to make.

again, it really felt like wendell and wild in the sense that i wish it was an animated series. it would have given everything more room to breathe and given us way more chances to see all of the things it wants so desperately to talk about and show us. there are like eight movies in this movie and none of them are done

i will say though. i loved all the ideas in the movie. i loved the characters, the dialogue, the absolutely beautiful shot compositions, and of course, the meticulous animation. the character designs were thoughtful, striking, and memorable. the animation, i must stress, is something i feel like i could study for a decade and still find new things to love. there are so many individual BEAUTIFUL scenes in that movie - the writing, composition, how everything is woven together and how characters interact, it's so fucking beautiful. it's a gorgeous movie and it made me feel a lot of things.

also the copaganda was gross. cliffhanger is kind of bullshit. too much baby.

8/10

[cyberdragoninfinity]

How would you rank the barians from least favorite to most favorite

OK SO. IVE BEEN SITTING ON THIS ASK FOR WEEKS CUZ I WAS WAITING UNTIL I HAD ACTUALLY SEEN ALL SEVEN BARIAN EMPERORS IN ACTION. and now well im done watching the series SO!! im glad I waited because over the course of the back chunk of zexal ii my opinions on all the emperors got jostled around so much AND I ENDED UP LIKING ALL OF THEM A LOT. so i guess caveat for this list: love all 7 of these guys so much, definitely one of my favorite "factions" of yugioh characters. my fuckign kids

anyway, from 'least' to most favorite

7. Girag: THIS FEELS SO MEAN. SORRY GIRAG like I said i love 'em all but I guess he's the one I like the least, if only because his design is.... unfortunate. And his backstory is......................... unfortunate. They really said "this black character didn't actually do any of his supposed achievements; a literal tanuki did them for him" and called it a day huh HHFDGSDFG Yugioh Not Fantastic Moments but what can ya do. He's still fun. I love his dub voice I genuinely do wonder if it being a bit of a Rocky Balboa impression was a deliberate choice (since he's buddies with Alito Boxer Kiddo Extraordinare).

6. Dumon: AGAIN. A LITTLE MEAN. SORRY DUMON FDHGSG he's grown on me a BUNCH since I started z2 mostly because i lesbianpilled him in my brain but he's gotta be #6 because his Barian form is probably my LEAST favorite of the bunch. I'm not big on his very flat eyes but I do love the idea that they're because He Cant Fucking See. His human form is so fucking funny they really librarypilled this guy so hard. He's low on the list but still dear to me. Definite Zexal Real One.

5. Marin: GOD. RIOMARINMERAG. I LOVE HER. I REALLY DO. her Barian form's color palette is just gorgeous and she has an awesome ice motif and she's a COOL SPORTY JOCK and she LOVES HER BROTHER but my GOD she suffers from Girl in a Yugioh Series SO BAD. THIS POOR GIRL IS FRIDGED FOR LITERALLY OVER HALF THE SHOW!!!! she does 1-3 cool things and They Shred Like Hell but there's just barely enough of her in the show for her to really blossom into one of my top favs :( don't worry sweetheart im coming

4. Mizar: ok so now we're getting into the territory of where I Just Really Like These Guys. I didn't give a SHIT about MizarMizael until the Moon Duel, and then I proceeded to give SO many shits about him. What can I say.... sad kiddo YGO character backstory gets me every time. I love that he pulled an Aporia and face-turned and tried to take on the Big Bad but fumbled so fucking hard he died in one turn. His Barian form is ROUGH, THOUGH. HIS SHADES OF YELLOW ARE TOO FUCKING CLOSE TO EACH OTHER PUT SOME MORE GREEN AND RED IN THERE. Anyway. Been cooking a trans woman Mizar headcanon for a little while now. estrogen and hooves could have saved her.

3. Nasch: I. really like Shark. I'm still sorting out favorites in my mind but Shark is definitely in my Top Five and I like him as Nasch by extension. Definitely one of the coolest Yugioh Rivals by absolute far. His slow growth as Shark from Mean Bully to Guy Who Cares So Much About His Friends just GUTS me!! This is what ygo's all about babeyyy!!! And the sheer amount of AWFUL SHIT that happens to this kid, MY GOD. He loses his sister over and over again and ends up with SO MANY LIVES ON THE LINE it's a fucking wonder he didnt have a turbo emotional breakdown and collapse. Also I love when characters have species identity crisis and claim to throw their humanity away<3 I know that one <333 ALSO his color palette is really good, I wish his pants were dark though.

2. Alito: ALITOOOOOOOO ALITO MY BI ITALIAN REP. he is latino to me. as well. anyway Alito is also one of my Absolute Top Favorite Zexal Characters I fucking love him. I love Tough Guy Who Kids Love. I love his Battlin Boxers. I love his narrative parallels to Nistro (also one of my fav characters). I love both his forms!! His Barian color palette rocks. ALL OF HIS DUELS GO SO DAMN HARD ESPECIALLY THE MYTHIRIAN NUMBER ONE AND HIS 'CONTROLLED BY DON THOUSAN' DUEL. He's just so good!!! His dynamic with Yuma makes my brain spin around. I need to draw him for real so bad. I hope they put him in Duel Links soon I will whoop and cheer and clap.

cmon. gotta be basic here but you know it's VECTOR!!!!!!!!!!! God he might be. My most favorite Zexal character. He is certainly the one making me the Most insane. I feel like a version of me from a different dimension made this character in a lab just to psychologically torment me. He's BONKERS, he's FUNNY, he's SO OBSCENELY EXPRESSIVE IT'S INSANE, he LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE MY BESTIE'S BLORBO, he LOOKS LIKE MY ART STYLE. Absolute Dana Monster Perfect Storm thats destroyed my house and my brain. And then they had to go and make him SAD!!! JUST TAKE ME TO THE VET AND PUT ME DOWN, MAN!!! s-tier yugioh character. top tier favorites hall of famer. i love him to bits. half my screenshot folder looks like this now

[pretty-boy-omar]

Hi there! 🌼

10 months later and still head over heels over Young Royals. 🧡

So what's your story? 🙂 How did you come upon YR? What's resonated the most about the show? What are you looking forward to in S2? Do you have a favorite scene? (This is a toughie lol)

Have a lovely day! 😊

🌼🧡

Omg thanks so much for the ask, I am truly bored despite being busy lmao 😂. I started YR because of Heartstopper. Heartstopper is what I'm really looking forward to and I heard people saying HS fans will like YR too so I watched it and I was so invested, I haven't watched a teenage show in a long time that I super loved. Not that I didnt love HS or Stranger Things (if that even counts). I liked those shows but I didn't really get obsess with those then YR happened and I'm just so 🥺🥰😍🤩💗

I think what I really love about this show is that the characters are complex and felt real despite this just being a teenage show and being about a school full of rich teenagers in nobility which is something I can definitely not relate to 😆 (I'd be honest, this is probably one of the few teenage shows I've watched so I dont have much idea about this. 😅) I'd like to say more about Wilhelm and Simon's character but this is gonna turned into an essay. I do plan to make a youtube video of why Simon is such a comfort character but I'm still making a video of Happier than Ever with Simon and Wilhelm, the focus will be on Simon's POV.

I really hope that Wille will have the courage to come out to anyone and declare that he is wholeheartedly in love with Simon. It didn't need to be a public announcement, just anyone who will realize 'holy shit, this guy's really in love.'

I hope that Sara gets her sense back and realize that August is truly not worth it. I want Wille to hang out more with Simon's friends and I want to meet his friends from his previous school too. What do his friends think of the video? I think Wille's gonna be honest to his friends about what he feels for Simon. How will they react to this?

I need more Felice and I want her to be friends with Wilhelm too. August should definitely pay back for what he did.

While I want Wille to be honest and address his sexuality in public,I just think that this isn't a Red White and Royal Blue story where you can be optimistic about what will happen. For sure, there's gonna be more drama in the 2nd season. I'm so excited for the new characters, hope one of them is Wille's friends

The favorite scene is such a tough question because there's so many, most of them Wilmon moments but I'd go for the football field scene. Wille remembering Simon's number, calling him to confess his feelings and Simon going to the football field so he can save him even if Wille didn't ask. When Wille couldn't believe that he actually came and he couldn't help but hug Simon and call him beautiful. Like, he's so in love. I want that 😭

And Simon's reaction of being genuinely mad and annoyed but concerned for his safety and health which is a pretty realistic reaction on that kind of situation btw. Simon doesn't let Wilhelm calling him beautiful and confessing his love gets on him. He's just focused on getting him out of there. In other movie/series, it would have Simon staring at Wille's eyes while he's on the ground when he calls him beautiful and probably a kiss between the two to make it romantic but for me, the fact that Simon's reaction is realistic makes this scene more romantic.

[fheythfully]

“Paint a picture for me, please.” Between arriving at Top Rung and heading to Mt. Gulg, The Warrior of Light and Emet-Selch have a chat about Amaurot. [big Shadowbringers spoilers, theory-crafting, and WoL/Emet-Selch if you squint real hard don’t worry next one you won’t need to squint haaaah]

She finds him skulking around the gates of the Tower, shoulders hunched low as is his wont and eyes squinting even in the restored sunlight. Hesitation holds her steps, though she knows there is no possibility of him not having noticed her approach. She feels his eyes on her at all times, lately, ever since he deigned to join them for the foray into the Greatwood. Even when he is absent she feels the weight of his gaze on her back: pressing and expectant.

Her stomach turns. She does not want the expectation of one such as him. An Ascian, of all people, with his back turned so casually towards her—not in trust but in dismissal, in the assurance that she will do nothing to him that he cannot do to her tenfold in return. A hundredfold, a thousandfold, if he is to be believed.  She will shoulder the burden of expectation from the Scions, and now from all of the First, but from him?

Never. Not after all that he and his kind have done.

Emet-Selch appears to be picking at the crystalline walls with a finger. The light hits his hair and the pauldrons of the immense, heavy Garlean coat he insists on wearing; in the sunlight, large figure hunched over, he looks as much of a suspicious figure as he truly is. The Exarch’s guard is giving him the side-eye from near the doors, one hand inching towards his sword and Lia does not blame him. She wishes to do the same, though perhaps not as often as before—not after his suspiciously kind retrieval of Shtola from the Lifestream.

She knows why she has sought him out, for once, and not the other way around. Sure, there had been her burning questions and his willingness to answer, but never had it been just the two of them alone and not sequestered with the other Scions and the Exarch in a convenient time and place for questioning. The words they’d shared in Kholusia while waiting for the Ladder burn at her, tumble through her head to the point of giving nightmares. She has woken up more than once throughout the night to find Ardbert’s ghostly form within reach, one hand on her forehead as he told her, quietly, that she had been crying.

She does not remember why she cries at night, or the depths of her dreams. Only the voice of the godsdamn Ascian.

“…and then there was Amaurot…”

He had looked so wistful then, gazing up at the sky. So appropriately ancient and burdened, even more so than she.

“Never was a city more magnificent. From the humblest streets to the highest spires, she fairly gleamed…”

Despite herself, she had tried to imagine it: towers stretching to the sky, shades of white and grey; wide streets made for an eternal population and perhaps greenery, carefully placed by its citizens.

Amaurot.

Amaurot.

She wants, despite herself, to know more.

“Well,” Emet-Selch snaps before her, all annoyance. “Will you keep staring at my back for precious eons, or ask whatever it is you came here for?”

It is a fight to keep the scowl from her lips as he turns towards her, his own mouth down-turned as he takes her in. It is hard to reconcile him with the man at the Bottom Rung, who had appeared almost soft when caught in his memory of a better world. It is unfair, she thinks suddenly and passionately, to see a villain made so human.

“Would you walk with me?” She asks instead of giving voice to her thoughts. Her palms feel clammy, although she does not know why, and so she presses them together behind her back. The straight line of her spine gives her strength to look at him without fear, without worry; she does not fear him, or worry for her life when with him. He has had many chances to kill her or to kill them all, and she does not doubt that a great and terrible power lies within the body he has manifested for himself. Yet still her fingers tremble, her heartbeat erratic to her own ears.

Something within her fears something within him, and she does not know why nor what. She only knows the tremors in her heart giving rise to nightmares and tears she does not understand.

Emet-Selch squints at her now, one finger to his chin. “Alone with you, Warrior? Have you decided to pull more of your heroic duties and attempt to dispose of me? I assure you, there is no perch high enough to throw my body off of here. You would be dead before you thought to try.” The frown on his face turns into a familiar smile, making a mockery of her in time with his words. “And there would be so many witnesses. We would need a truly desolate place for you to attempt your murder.”  

She loses the fight against scowling. The guard eavesdropping on their conversation (not his fault, of course, they are right there) sends her a concerned look, not doubting her but rather the man in front of her—she dismisses him with a hand, all her attention focused on Emet-Selch. He is like a godsdamned magnet to it; she cannot, for the life of her, relax when he is present. And he has promised to be watching always, and unlike Ardbert’s now familiar and comforting promise to remain with her, the idea of Emet-Selch judging her every move makes her skin itch. She cannot focus on anything but the Ascian when he deigns to manifest himself, eyes constantly drawn to his face and the motions of his hands, waiting for the hint of a coming attack.

“Oh,” his voice comes again, lines forming in the corners of his eyes as his smile widens. “I do believe I’ve made you angry.”

Lia pulls back her lips in her own mockery of a smile. “Nothing of the sort, I assure you. I will be flinging no bodies over walkways today, so if it pleases you: a walk?”

Emet-Selch is silent. There is bird-song in the air, curious wildlife coming out to inspect the light of the sun. At last he drops his finger from his chin and gazes levelly at her. The mockery of his smile softens to curiosity in the corners, just a touch but enough for her to notice—familiar enough for her to pick up on.

She hates that she does, has known him now long enough to see the tells he allows her to see.

“You must truly want to know of something, then.” He shrugs a grandiose motion, the same as everything about him: the clothes, the speech, the near-rapport she has developed with him. “Let us away then, Warrior, and you may have all of my attention.”

She makes a derisive noise. “Better me than the Exarch, Ascian. Leave the busy man alone, would you?” She does not look back to see if he follows her, so assured that he will: she has piqued his curiosity now, for once seeking him out instead of the other way around. For once, she wants something only he can give; it is him that she comes to, not Urianger or Y’Shtola or the Exarch.

Many people want many things of her. It is atypical for her to want something of them. She wonders if he knows this; wonders how closely he has followed her journey from adventurer to vaunted Warrior.

And indeed his footsteps fall heavy beside her. “Ascian?” He scoffs, a pout she glimpses from the corners of her eyes. “Are we still not on first-name basis? Not that you deserve such an honour, as lowly as your kind are. But me? I think I deserve more than Ascian at this point.”

She sets to lead him up to the Rotunda overlooking the markets, purely because he made the remark about high places. She knows he recognizes the pettiness of her move by the way his shoulders straighten for the briefest of moments, repressed laughter shaking them into motion. Truly, she would believe his claims to being ancient by his posture alone. How did the Garleans ever decide make Emperor of a man with such bad manners?

Few people mill about this high up. It affords them the privacy she had sought, out of respect for the hint of genuine pain she believes to have glimpsed from him that day at Bottom Rung.

“Very well, Emet-Selch, which, by the by, is not even your name.” He sends her an un-amused look as she stops short, turning to properly look at him. Even hunched as he is, she still has to peer up, up—nearly as bad as an Elezen or a Viera, the Garleans. She wonders what his race had looked like when they had been alive. What traits do they share now, with the races which had evolved and flourished in the wake of their demise?

“The tales of your diplomacy fall short of the reality,” the man drawls. “But ask away anyway, Warrior, and perhaps I will even give you an answer.”

One of her eyebrows raises, incredulous. “After following me all the way here, you still think I do not believe you interested in chatting? Do not take me for such a fool, please.” She continues on before he can open his mouth in reply. “Yes, yes, we are all fools and beneath you, I have heard it all before. But, regardless—“ and here she catches her breath, the hesitation creeping back in, the tremor in her hands suddenly felt again.

She pushes on, puts on the Warrior persona, the expectations of all those around her making her brave, making her false. “You spoke of your ancient city some days ago at Bottom Rung. Of Amaurot. I would like to know more of it, if you would speak.”

Amaurot. Staring at him as she is now, the name tastes strangely of ash and her own shed tears. She nearly misses the flinch of his body at her request, the minute widening of his eyes. But he recovers quickly, and he recovers well—and for one as ancient as he, she knows, control must be as easy as breathing.

The constant smile on his face is back once more, almost too many teeth as he laughs quietly. “You ask to hear of what I’ve lost? Truly, Warrior? Have you no shame?”

“Not when it comes to you,” her response comes rapid-fire fast, chin raised in stubbornness. “If you did not wish for me to question you, then you would not have spoken so freely to me that day. And did you not promise me a talk, on a more pleasurable occasion?” She spreads her arms around her, indicating the scene: the Crystarium at peace, the crystalline ceiling above them bright and blue from the midday sun. “And we are unlikely to get a time more pleasurable than this, Emet-Selch.”

His golden eyes narrow at her words, assessing as always. A moment of silence passes, filled only with the chatter of the markets below. “Very well,” he says at last. “What would you have me tell you?”

Well—she hadn’t truly expected to get this far. He had been forthcoming with his answers on matters whenever she asked in the past, but there had always been a thread of secrecy left, a patronizing gleam in his eyes as he talked as if to a child—nay, one he did not even consider alive. She had expected more resistance, at least, before being offered even a glimpse of his past.

She wets her suddenly dry lips. “Everything. Paint a picture for me, please.”

His gaze is piercing, weighing; will he find her wanting? Or will he find enough—enough to give him a captive audience as he shares a world once whole and brilliant, and forever perfect in his memories?

Her heart beats out a nervous drum within her breast. The thought of unexplored lands, of ancient cities buried to time—those have always given her the adrenaline rush she seeks, but this feels—heavier. This is a time before time itself; before Hydaelyn and Zodiark. Before death. Before the first true Calamity.

Emet-Selch opens his mouth and speaks. His past tone of whining and complaining, of snobbery, falls away and she glimpses the Emperor of Garlemald he had once been—or perhaps even long before that, in that time before time itself. He orates himself eloquently and assuredly, the rise and fall of his voice painting the picture she had so desired in her mind. At some point she closes her eyes, lulled into the fantasy he weaves for her: a city of alien structures stretching high towards a brilliant sky, shining white and unblemished in the light of a different sun. Wide city streets of similar stone are busied by robed figures, laughing and speaking and debating and basking in the feeling of their perfect society. They have not known war, or conflict; there is only contentment in the air. Children play and run from their parents and make flowers burst out of thin air; a figure watches them go, and suddenly the material she had been working on between her hands falters and changes, much to her amusement and annoyance. She gathers it into her arms and begins anew, magic shimmering and weaving around her as natural as breathing.

Birds alight on blooming trees, the likes of which she had never seen before—both bird and tree. Yet still she sees them clearly in her mind for the briefest of moments; vibrant violet blooms and eagles with too long wings and beaks, sparrows with strange colour patterns and a trill so beautiful it aches the heart. Emet-Selch speaks and she sees intricately crafted arches and entire city districts, buildings where citizens gather purely to debate or discuss creation. She does not think she fully understands what he means when he speaks of this strange magic, of breathing existence into a thought as easily as one exhales, but she can see it. Can see the magic in the air, the flow of aether as it winds throughout the city and touches upon everything within: the Ancients are made of aether themselves and everything they make is imbued with it, shines with it.

Her body shakes with the idea of it, of being so in tune with the aether of the world. For the briefest of moments she imagines that she can do it, too—that she can will entire ideas into existence, one careful thought at a time. What wonders would she make, with a power like that?

And at the center of it all, she sees it: The Capitol, grandiose yet modest. Inside sits the Convocation of Fourteen in their dark robes, a sturdy bench warm under her weight and voices familiar as they rise and fall around the topics of the day. Emet-Selch stifles a sigh beside her, the shifting of his crossed arms sending an elbow into her side and she hopes he can feel her amused sympathy. Lahabrea is the Speaker for a reason, but even for her there are some days where she wishes the meetings did not stretch on for as long as they did. She reaches up to adjust the mask on her face, its material as comfortable as second skin, and casts her eyes about the room. Every one of them is near and dear to her, even if they do not always agree on all topics. But that is the perfection of their society; they have an eternity to discuss, to learn, to grow.

Her attention falls back to Lahabrea, who is gesturing with his arms in a familiar performance. The light in the room shifts with the passing of the sun outside and the shadows under his hood change, and—

—and Thancred’s face is staring out at her, twisted with fury and agony, a voice not his screaming at her—

She snaps open her eyes and chokes on air, big gasping breaths as if she had not been breathing this entire time. Wildly she reaches for her throat as if the familiar weight of her fingers will help the airflow, and for a second she’s too big for her body—

A hand reaches out and touches her cheek, sweeping under her eye and the tears she had not realized that had gathered there. The Crystarium blooms into existence back around her: the trees bright and otherworldly pink, its citizens below her loud and at once familiar and so very not. This isn’t right, she thinks for half a second, still trapped in the spell of Emet-Selch’s dream. They’re not right. They’re not—they’re not—

She looks up towards the figure before her. She had not realized Emet-Selch had stopped speaking, or had stepped close to her at some point during it all. For once he stands at full height and still she has the crazy thought that it was wrong, that everything around them was empty and bereft of—

Of—

She opens her mouth to speak but it all escapes her. The emptiness within her has vanished, leaving only an echo of the wrongness and a heart threatening to burst from her chest. Blinking, she stares up at Emet-Selch, still gathering her wits about her.

He makes a tsking sound with his tongue. “Come now, none of that.” Quickly, before she can move away, he reaches out once more and brushes aside the tears falling over her cheeks. “This was not a tale meant to make you weep. Here I am, abiding by your most ardent request, and all you do is cry in response? I don’t know why I bother.”

He steps away from her then and she watches him go, still caught in a stupor. “Forgive me,” she says automatically, voice catching in her throat. The echo of wrongness remains, demanding—something. Reaching up she presses her knuckles into her eyes, and—and she thinks, of all things, of Ascians masks, of what one would feel like her against her face.

How long did you live for? She thinks, staring at Emet-Selch now looking at the markets below. How long did you live for before your Calamity?

“Thank you for your time,” she says at last, once she has composed herself enough. Her hands have not stopped shaking and now also burn with a desire to move and shape things with magic she does not have. It makes her sick to her stomach to think of how deeply she had fallen under his spell. Was that, too, a power of the Ascians? Did he use his magic on her?

She’s floating off again, caught in a thought she does not feel herself enough to follow. She feels too full and too empty all at once, sick and bursting without knowing what she wants. It is a feeling almost like the one she awakens with after Hydaelyn calls her, but something about this makes her yearn in a way she never has before; an ache she does not have a name for, a cause for.

I didn’t want this, she thinks. I didn’t, I swear.

She lies. Lies, lies, lies, because within that dream she was herself enough to recognize the truth: her world was ugly, incomplete, when compared to the past Emet-Selch had so wonderfully described.

And it matters little now, of course; his world is long dead and buried and she is the here and now, the one to stop his Rejoining. She will not rebuild a past on corpses and bones.

“If I knew my words alone would affect you so,” Emet-Selch is speaking again, his stare all too amused and focused for her liking. She feels like burning under his gaze, feels the imprint of his skin at her side for that one brief moment in the strange dream. “Perhaps I should have merely created the city for you, and let you wander at your own leisure. I’m sure there would be no tears were I not to be present.”

She bursts into laughter against her will. It catches him as off guard as it does her; she has not laughed around him before, if ever on the First thus far. She does not remember the last time she laughed this freely. When did she start finding his off-colour comments so amusing and not so irritating?

She laughs to hide the remnants of her tears, of how her face still sparks from his touch, of the things she saw within her dream. She laughs in the hope that now she will not awaken to Ardbert’s concerned and all too understanding face as he brings her back from the grasp of nightmares. Now that she has seen this city as best she can for herself, now—

Now, perhaps, she will stop dreaming of it and forgetting the details come waking. She will make do with this painted image of a civilization long gone and forgotten, known only now to her alone. Perhaps she’ll think of it at times and mourn the ones who came before, who did everything they could for the ones who came after; and not for the Ascians, who work so hard to undo all that time and history have wrought.

When she finally stops laughing, Emet-Selch is still gazing at her. There is an unreadable look on his face, and she does not dare contemplate it further. There is the first sense of—not quite peace, but of armistice between them. She finds she does not want to break it, and asking further questions, seeking out his company even further—

It is not a path she wishes to take. After everything his kind have done to her and hers, she will not follow him further down into his hole of despair and desire. The Warrior of Light, joining hands with the Ascians to reclaim and rebuild their perfect, everlasting world?

The smile still lingering on her face trembles.

No, she thinks. That is not a story written of heroes.

And she is, always, for others—

A hero.

[hollypunkers]

Miss hollypunkers can you rec us some of your favorite zukka fics please

Please, anon, Miss hollypunkers was my father, just Holly is fine.

I’m not much for ficrecs because I have a hell of a memory (as in bad), i dont read too many when I an writing myself bc I lose momentum in my own work, and I never want to leave out anything I love - which I inevitably will do, but this question has been asked a lot so I will do my best. If I didnt do the links correctly let me know and I’ll try to fix it

Unconditionally and Irrevocably - @sokkadyke which should be no surprise, its a fantastic reimagining of the twilight story with so much genuine thought and emotion. I also highly recommend Haley’s current wip, Breakable Heaven, fantastic, showstopping, beautiful.

Beautiful Things by @i-love-your-light , funny, cute, so well written and I love the idea of artist Sokka, definitely worth reading and checking out their work

Plum Blossom by GallifreyanFairytale , it’s been awhile since I read this one but I remember crying and I love tragedy with a happy ending

Unchained Melody by AvocadoLove this is one of the first zukka fics I ever read I think, really got me hooked on it and so well done, I’m not caught up but I want to be

It’s the lack of creativity for me by theboilingrock, short, sweet, a soulmate trope - worth it :)

If the shoe fits by @lesmiserablol love it, cute, sweet, well written and well done, I also highly recommend checking out their ao3, there is so much to read and its so well written, this was the first fic to come to mind but all of it is fantastic and worth reading

In Spirit, In Flesh by CSHfic and VSfic, this is SUCH a favorite, I love how plot heavy and anxiety inducing it is, and all the twists and turns, it’s so good

At the Top of the World by Lady_of_the_Flowers, a reallt interesting premise that I read so long ago I cant remember a lot about it but I know it was interesting and very well written, modern au

Ozymandias, King of Kings by Think_of_a_Wonderful_Thought, I think this is the very first zukka fic I ever read? Its was sad, angst, so well written and very easily converted me to the ship. Big recommend.

The Carry On For You series by haicrescendo (and everything by haicrescendo) shkabaisis its pokemon??? its so well done??!! absolutely unbelievable. Fantastic. Amazing. Check out all their writing too.

I havent gotten to these yet but theyre highly recommended:

Feels Like We Only Go Backwards by @oldpotatoe

In the Soft Light by CSHfic and VSfic

Protective and Diners Drive-Ins and Dumbasses by crosspin

Wooing the Water Tribe by llenaballena

Cause and Effect by azenki

(Do you take this jerk to be) your one and only by jatersade

not Zukka but I highly recommend also:

Salvage by MuffinLance

Like a Baby Shirshu by mindbending

I’m certain I missed a million things so, everyone is free to just reblog this with additions or anything. Feel free. But here is my best attempt at a full list of my zukka library as of now.

[miraculouscontent]

Didn’t Need Burrow (April 11th-16th)

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: After the Truth episode occurs, Luka will either not appear nor be talked about(not even by Marinette, Juleka, Sass, or Anarka) at all, or, if he does appear, he'll avoid Marinette like the Black Plague. Guess who's fault it'll be(Kagami will still appear and be on good terms with Adrien, though, since anything that makes Marinette happy needs to be either ruined or gotten rid of, while anything that makes her miserable needs to stay around just to be rubbed into her face.).

I s2g if they have Adrien and Kagami patch things up immediately just to make Marinette feel awkward--

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: The idea that Nino's hat is a keepsake from his late brother comes up during an episode where it inevitably gets damaged and/or destroyed. Marinette is somehow responsible/blamed for this, and/or is forced to try and repair it regardless of feasibility, while being guilt-tripped/ridden every inch of the way. Bonus points for Adrien making some clueless comment about buying a replacement and STILL being treated as more empathetic to Nino's feelings even while ignoring them.

“Bonus” if everyone pressures her over the hat, which eventually leads to Marinette realizes that it can’t be fixed to be the exact same way, so she hides it and lies about it, leading to the episode blaming her for hiding things from her “totally understanding friends” (who are suddenly “totally understanding” and are only upset that she lied to them/”thought so lowly of them”) instead of her friends for making her feel like she had to be perfect.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: A Sleeping Beauty-inspired akuma will ensnare Ladybug, 'forcing' Chat Noir to kiss her awake. While Adrien/Chat naturally claims that he would 'never take advantage of his lady', he is openly gleeful at the prospect and taunts her afterwards, complete with a call back to Oblivio as he tells her to 'check the LadyBlog' to find out what happened. Her dismay over this is played entirely for laughs.

*flashbacks to the “jokes” in “Prime Queen”*

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Just like in countless Salt Fics, Alya will get upset at Ladybug for claiming that it's 'too dangerous' for her to be Rena Rouge anymore after Miracle Queen. Regardless of what she does/how she lashes out, Marinette will be held 100% responsible for the fallout, with Su-Han criticizing her for selecting Alya/the others in the first place AND for 'allowing' their identities to be exposed.

That’s what you get for trusting people, Marinette (apparently).

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Alya will expose more Miraculous-related secrets on the LadyBlog, such as posting the identities of the heroes who were 'already outed' by Miracle Queen. Marinette will be blamed for this, with Su-Han reading her the riot act for every single choice she's made.

And also, Alya will get no flack for this because “she’s a journalist!! she’s just doing what she’s supposed to do!”

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: After spending most of the season taking the piss out of Marinette at every available opportunity, Su-Han will start warming up to her just in time to be taken out of the equation by something like Alya posting another 'big scoop' on her blog revealing his existence to the villains. Marinette will be left with even less support and all of the guilt, while Alya learns absolutely nothing from the experience because why would she?

Considering “Truth,” I just automatically presume that characters who support Marinette lovingly/unconditionally will either be abused or kicked to the curb.

Anonymous said:

Don't need Burrow: "Queen Banana" will be like typical episode with Chloe akumatization. 90% Chloe drama and angst, 10% akumatized Chloe (and probably 0% sense)

Show, I’m begging you, just let this character’s focus die already. We are SO tired...

Anonymous said:

didnt need burrow: the show ends with hawkmoth (now shadowmoth i guess) being defeated, heavy implications that the LS will be canon, but no solid proof, any other plot holes disappear in the cheery end music and all fans are left annoyed at the open ending filled with plot holes (bonus: That Guy says smin like "you would know if you watched carefully" to anyone that asks wtf happened)

Fun for us love square salters at least so there’s that? :P

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Trixx wants to return to Alya despite the danger/her past exposure, and ignores Marinette's concerns, leaving/reuniting with Alya over her protests. This is either played as 'It's fine, and Marinette should have trusted Alya more' or 'It's not fine, and it's all Marinette's fault for trusting Alya in the first place and letting Trixx get so attached'. Or both.

Astruc would totally use the opportunity to brag about the whole, “She’s already taken!” line in “Truth” being foreshadowing.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Bunnix reveals that there is an alternate, 'better' future in which Lila never worked with Hawkmoth and became a heroine instead. The turning point was, naturally, that Ladybug never called her out for lying/stealing from Adrien. (Possibly because Adrien never snooped in the safe in this timeline, yet it's still depicted as Marinette's fault.) May couple with confirming she's the future Hawkmoth and that it's all Mari's fault the heroes are still fighting her years later.

Which means that Chat makes the “reversible” mistakes (i.e: Cataclysming Bunnyx’s miraculous) while Ladybug makes the “permanent” ones.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Marinette/Ladybug will get accused of being a selfish glory hound who needs to learn how to share the credit and 'be a team player'... after Adrien/Chat slacks off during a fight and refuses to help. Bonus points if this is tied into the exposed heroes' predicament somehow, implying that the REAL reason she won't give them 'their' Miraculi back is that she's selfish/short-sighted/not good at working with others/insert other bullshit excuse here.

T_T

I’m so tired.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Marinette will do something unbelievably selfless and self-sacrificing, only to promptly be slammed by the narrative and treated as though her decision was incredibly selfish.

Honestly you could just ad lib that.

“Marinette will do [something positive], only to promptly be slammed by the narrative and treated as though her decision was [negative].”

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Su-Han will pressure, belittle and berate Marinette until she breaks and agrees to give up being Ladybug/the Guardian. This is naturally treated as the worst thing she could possibly do, with everyone (including Su-Han) ripping into her for it. There is no equivalent of Plagg's 'I've had many holders, but nobody can replace you, Adrien' shilling, beyond Marinette being informed that she MUST continue and deal with her many inadequacies by becoming BETTER. She has no choice.

“You’re the worst Ladybug!”

“Okay I’ll stop being Ladybug.”

“HOW DARE YOU”

“?!?!?!”

Anonymous said:

Don’t need Burrow to know that the writers will retcon Marinette allowing Adrien to BORROW her lucky charm so that Marinette actually GAVE it to him instead.

Bonus: of course, the birthday scarf issue/secret is never addressed. RIP in piece, Marinette gift number xxx0

Technically, this has already happened even back in “Befana,” so I don’t count it. Adrien has said that Marinette gave him that lucky charm forever.

Definitely adding that scarf one though.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: We get Love Square scenes (shipping fuel) in the next episode (even though Maribug and Adrichat just broke up with Luka and Kagami).

I mean, we got love square shipping fuel in the Adrimi and Lukanette episodes, so :|

I’ve just come to expect inappropriate timing at this point.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: In a future episode Chat Noir will be even worse than he was in Lies and still be portrayed sympathetically. I don't know how you can get that low, but I have faith that the writers will be able to pull it off and that's not a good thing

“I don't know how you can get that low“

they’ll find a way, I’m sure

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Kagami will become an antagonist/team up with Shadow Moth post-Adrimi breakup for the plot twist "the main villain has been in the show all along." ((This is based on the end card for Lies. I really hope they don't do this because Kagami is one of the only reasons I'm still watching the show.))

I’d only be here for that if her endgoal is getting Luka and Marinette as far away from the plot as possible.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: We STILL don't know how the Peacock Miraculous got damaged and how Emilie Agreste fell sick. Bonus points, we find out in the season/series finale or on social media.

Double bonus if Astruc claims that the decision is good and they did it on purpose (probably to keep people talking).

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Zoe debuts as the new Bee holder on the same episode Chloé is akumatized.

I’m 100% expecting Chloe to be salty at all the adoration that Zoe gets.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: if Adrien is ever in the wrong about something, it will only be for about five minutes and it will ultimately be blamed on Marinette.

Marinette: *breathes*

writers: Yes! Something we can blame on her!

Anonymous said:

Didn't need burrow: The relationship between the Couffaines and Jagged will not be explored. They might perform a song together and that's all, Luka forgives Jagged for abandoning him (his daddy issues just magically disappear so he doesn't bring it up anymore) while Juleka doesn't interact with Jagged at all

I’m torn between, “Luka will basically never appear again,” and, “Luka will suddenly appear much more often now that he’s no longer a ‘threat’ to the love square (Marinette didn’t break up with him because of Adrien but sure).”

Anonymous said:

Didn't need Burrow: "Gabriel Agreste" will be all about how he's not really evil just misunderstood. He had a lonely childhood or some garbage and we should feel totally sad for him you guys.

wow i hate it

[sneakydraws]

Well, here it is - a lengthy explanation of each card in my mdzs major arcana deck and what I meant to convey/what i would have changed in retrospect/what alternatives i considered! It’s a bit messy and my typing style is lazy but hopefully it will be an interesting read to some of you :)

And so you don’t say I didn’t warn you - jiang cheng’s section (11 justice) is absurdly long lmao

0 the fool  I elaborated on this in the post itself but yeah basically jin ling is kind of representative of all the damage and trauma caused by the past, and there’s a kind of danger there of him falling victim to the same vices as the older characters and repeating the same mistakes and perpetuating the cycle of war and misery (the cycle that we already see with how the jin sect became the new wen sect, and later with how jgy became the new wwx) and he has a lot of room to grow! He grows so much over the course of the novel, comes to realise the complexities of the past and gets a harsh life lesson in how nothing is as black and white as it seems. But ill save talking about his progress for the end, for now whats important is that he has room to grow and also a dog. I don’t really have a justification for the sun, i mostly just thought it looked sick? It made its way to the next card as well, where it makes a bit more sense, but then i realised it was a dumb motif to include 1 the magician I still very much like wwx for the role, and that illustration would have probably had him raising a corpse on his left and pointing threateningly to the sun on his right. I considered including the table as well, with some mdzs relevant items replacing the card suits. Anyway, like i said wwx got a few cards to himself already so i went with the alternative wq design, since i think she fits the card as well. Both she and wwx are highly skilled people, extremely driven once they set their mind to something. The card to me symbolises the creative mind as well as a general drive for action, which fits them both - wwx was famously a prolific inventor, and wq came up with a previously unheard of surgery, after all. This card strays pretty far from the rider-waite deck design, largely because i was still figuring out how i wanted to approach this series, but you can still see the influence. 2 the high priestess I was actually going to skip this card at first because I couldn’t think of a fitting character, but once i considered a qings character post death, it all fit pretty well. She was already a highly intuitive person in life, and in sharing her memories with wwx she is, in a way, relaying a kind of secret knowledge. Anyway she’s one of my fav characters so im glad i got a chance to include her. The coffins could be interpreted to be xxc and sl or xxc and xy 3 the empress Theres other mother figures in mdzs who got to be mothers for a longer time, but jyl definitely embodies the positive aspects of this card the best. She’s nurturing, kind, emotionally supportive, she already mothered wwx and jc quite a bit when she was young. Plus i liked that the rw card had both water and flowers, making an easy lotus connection. In retrospect the stars look kind of out of place and i should have replaced them with something more relevant... Also, i should have had her hold a lotus seed pod instead of a flower, haha 4 the emperor Like i said I considered jc for the role but hoching bullied me into admitting that nmj was better… they’re both more of an inverted emperor than an upright one but then again theres hardly any character in mdzs who would fit upright emperor so. Jgs was also considered but he’s even uglier than nmj so i couldn’t bear to draw him 5 the hierophant It was pointed out to me that lqr would have fit this card better and the truth if that statement haunts me to this day. Unfortunately I have no space in my brain for lqr so lxc got the role instead. My main reason was his role during the wen destruction of gusu lan, when he ran away with the contents of the library - this is why there’s bookshelves behind him. The keys, take, from the rider-waite deck, are meant to represent the gusu pendants that allow you to enter 6 the lovers Im sure many people would have chosen wangxian here but I uhh don’t really care abt wangxian personally? And also their love story is so convoluted that jyl and jzx seem idyllic by comparison lol. Also i didnt really have an idea for who to put in the angel’s place for wangxian… mme jin certainly did not get these two together in the end but undeniably she and mme yu did initially give them a chance to fall for each other so. Thats something i guess. Anyway the trees became their sects’ flowers and the mountain became the burial grounds - an omen of their tragic fate, basically 7 the chariot There might have been other characters who fit this card better but i couldn’t really think of another card for lwj and i thought it would be weird to not include him… anyway i don’t really care for current timeline lwj BUT i do like that he was clearly influenced by wwx to walk his own path in life based on his moral convictions rather than follow his sect’s rules blindly. The chariot is to me a card of self control, self determination and focused action, so it seemed fitting. The composition felt kind of empty without the actual chariot so i padded it out with the guqin, the cloud recess in the bg (it doesn’t look great but i tried to replicate the drama design….) and the bunnies which conveniently fit the colour scheme of the sphinxes in the rider-waite design 8 strength Like i said before, my interpretation of this card is more… morally ambiguous than the quote unquote official meaning, so i thought about manipulative or duplicitous characters more than kind characters whose strength is expressed through gentleness (though i did consider jyl briefly for the latter interpretation). As such, i considered both jgy and nhs, but ended up going with jgy largely because i couldn’t pass up the opportunity to put the nie sect’s beast as the lion. 9 the hermit My thoughts immediately went to bssr lol. It may be an overly literal interpretation but whatever, i like it just fine. And i like that i managed to echo the rider-waite silhouette in the mountain and the tree (and even in bssr herself) 10 wheel of fortune God i love the parallels between these 2… this card to me is about how you cant trust your current situation, good or bad, to last forever, and these 2 embody that perfectly imo. Wwx went from son of a well off servant and a powerful cultivator, to street rat orphan, to adopted son of sect leader jiang, to double orphan, to MIA, to terrifying but admired warrior, to terrifying and despised traitor, to dead, to, at the very end, suddenly respected and trusted again. The dishonesty and cheapness of whatever the public’s current opinion of him is is portrayed beautifully as far as im concerned. And jgy of course claws his way up to power only to instantaneously become public enemy number one, to the point that he’s probably blamed for stuff there’s no reason to believe he had a hand in. Wei wuxian’s silent astonishment at how quickly the cultivation world turns against jgy and towards him again is a delicious moment of thematic resonance.  11 justice I settled on this card for jc after he got booted from the emperor seat but i do think it fits, in a somewhat convoluted way. I turned both the sword and the scales into visual representations of the golden core transfer (can you tell im obsessed with it). According to biddy tarot, the justice card is partly about searching for the truth, and the scene where jc finds out about the transfer is of course a big deal. I was also very influenced by the reversed meaning again - which is about being reluctant or unwilling to face or accept the consequences of your actions. I feel on an intuitive level that this fits jc but I’m not sure how well i can explain it - it’s something about how he’s a little too comfortable scapegoating wwx for things that were also, if much less so, influenced by his actions, and also something about the way he keeps wwx at an arm’s length emotionally but still leans on him and accepts his support when he really needs it, and somewhat hypocritically expects wwx to put the needs of him and the jiang sect before the needs of others. And also something about the core exchange is the consequence and proof of wwx’s deep - terrifyingly deep, even - love and care for him, which is something jc doesn’t seem to let himself acknowledge. Maybe even something about how you could argue that the way all of the jiangs acted around wwx - jfm’s favouritism that left him with the feeling of a debt he needs to repay, mme yus insistence that he be a servant more than a brother to jc, prepared to give his life for jc, and jc’s own unwillingness - or inability, he was a child after all - to clearly acknowledge wwx as an equal to himself, enabling wwx’s self sacrificial and protective tendencies - that all of this was what caused wwx’s complete and unquestioning willingness to do whatever it took to protect jc, and therefore paved the way to the golden core transfer. And i don’t mean this to be scapegoating jc - especially considering how young he was when this all went down, it wouldn’t be fair to expect this level of emotional perceptiveness, awareness and maturity of him - but i think adult jc has to grapple with the fact that the chain of cause and effect was not as simple as wwx fucking everyone’s lives up to be a martyr, and that both jc and his parents had a role in that story as well. I don’t even necessarily think this is something that jc only realised in the current timeline - i think it’s something he felt on some level this whole time, and it probably led to a lot of feelings of guilt - but the suibian reveal definitely puts it in sharp focus, and i think he’s now better equipped to handle this introspection than he was as a recently orphaned, traumatised teenager, lol. ANYWAY the window with the fabric is both a nod to the rider-waite design and a reference to the destruction of lanling - i actually did some basic ass research for this, and it seems that in ancient china fabric would indeed be hanged in a window if the normally used paper was damaged. The design of the window, as well as the very idea to use it to imply the reconstruction of lanling, was taken from this great piece of jc angst by my pal moroll1! Oh yeah also the covered window kind of works as a denial of forgiveness for jc because it’s like a halo but covered up... Also I completely forgot to put a blindfold over his eyes which would be perfectttt because blind justice and the core exchange......... ok moving on 12 the hanged man I always have issues with this card because i cant find a satisfactory summary of what it’s really about. Best i can tell it symbolises a need to hit pause, surrender or let go of something… ive also seen it tied to sacrifice? So mo xuanyu doesn’t fit perfectly, but sacrifice is definitely there in a surface level reading kind of way, and the idea that you have to surrender or let go in order to achieve your goal does fit the whole deal of getting revenge but giving up your life in exchange and not being there to see it 13 death This is probably one of my favourite cards, definitely not because I have huge issues with change or anything…. I see this card as signalling the necessity of change or putting an end to something / leaving something in the past in order to start anew? At first i considered putting past wwx, mxy and current wwx here as a kind of transformation and one cycle flowing into the next... But firstly, I’d already used mxy in the very previous card, so putting him in again would feel like overkill, and secondly, the longer I thought about it the less convinced I was that this would even fit with the card’s meaning? Because coming back from the dead doesn’t like... trigger an internal transformation within wwx or anything? Anyway, fun fact: the design I ended up going with was actually originally intended for judgement! I thought I was being very clever with the whole “figure plays an instrument and the dead rise” parallel, but apparently I’d just completely forgotten that the judgement card had a completely different composition... Truly I was boo boo the fool... But yeah anyway at the end of the day I figured the design would kind of work for death as well, with Wen Ning and the theme of transformation, (since in his case coming back as a fierce corpse does actually mark a certain transformation in behaviour) and Wei Wuxian’s protection of the Wen people essentially signifying an attempt to break the cycle of oppression if that makes any sense? Like, wwx is trying to revolutionise the way the world works a bit, if you catch my drift 14 temperance  The centrist card! Again this is probably going off track from the “official” interpretation, but to me this card has a certain “don’t commit fully; do everything in moderation; don’t take either side” flavour to it that i personally find infuriating irl and that i very much assign to lxc. It’s entirely possible that I’m misinterpreting his character because i didn’t really pay him (and the 3zun in general) much mind while reading, but hell, I’m allowed to pick favourites and choose who i want to interpret deeply vs shallowly. Again, i wish id chosen lqr for hierophant because its so annoying for a character i don’t care about to get two cards…. But oh well 15 the devil My alternative idea for this was jgy as the devil and lxc plus nmj as the figures, but since all three had been featured already (multiple times, even!) i figured I’d go with xy instead, especially since he’s among my faves lol. I think the devil signifies something along the lines of unhealthy attachment, obsession or addiction, which isn’t 100% accurate in the case of xxc and a-qing, but if i stretch it a bit to cover toxic relationships in general, and especially manipulation or negative influence, i don’t think it’s half bad. My main struggle here was to choose who amongst the xxc/sl/aq trio to choose for the human figures. 16 the tower Arguably jin zixuans death and the following massacre of nightless city were the final and most direct reason for the siege of burial mounds, and the tiger seal is good shorthand for wwx’s loss of control over his powers, which led to the deaths of jzx and jyl. When reimagining major arcana i like to feature some kind of building in this card (spoilers for a possible future project but in my rose of versailles major arcana set the tower is bastille) and even if it’s not a tower, the image of wwx looming over the gathered crowd from atop a rooftop is so good i couldn’t resist 17 the star Struggled with this one - considered both jin ling and lsz for it, as symbolising a hope for the future, but that was kind of covered by the world so it wouldn’t make sense to include here as well... As usual when I struggle with interpreting a card (as opposed to understanding it but struggling with matching a character to it, like with death or moon) I went to biddy tarot and read all the details about its meaning. What i got was that this card signifies an incoming period of introspection and inner peace following a time of turmoil, as well as a general moving on into a new, better phase of one’s life or finding new meaning and purpose. The figure also suggests someone vulnerable, but possessing a keen sense of intuition as well as a good degree of practicality and common sense. Given all those, I settled for mianmian because IM LOVE HER..... I also kind of see her as a prelude to the “just one person is enough” theme present in tgcf!! And i think her decision to abandon her sect because she saw the toxicity and corruption in it is a very inspiring action - even if it didn’t make a large visible impact, i think the appearance of her and her idyllic family at the very end of the novel - paralleling and mirroring wangxian - implies that at the end of the day, it was a meaningful one 18 the moon Another card i ALWAYS fuxking struggle with - this time less because i can’t grasp its meaning and more because I can never find a character that fits it well. I usually get fixated on the “dreams and subconscious” part, but if i lean more on the “disguise, deceit, anxiety and fear” part, i eventually figured the whole yi city arc wouldn’t be a bad fit. I say the entire arc because it really does encompass all those themes if you include both the past and the present - xue yang’s disguise, his tricks with the villagers, a-qing’s lies and even xxc’s reluctance to talk about his past as well as xue yang pretending to be xxc all fit the disguise and deceit angle, and the general mystery and creepiness of the current timeline yi city work well with the anxiety and fear - the mist, the slow uncovering of the past, even a-qing being revealed to be an ally after scaring the shit out of the protags. I definitely struggled with including all the elements and characters, and even moreso with making them vaguely fit the rider-waite composition, but i think it ended up okay ish. OH and i completely forgot to draw mist swirling around them :( 19 the sun I was considering mianmian’s family for this one, but since I used her for star, I ended up with wwx and his parents instead. Once again I’m reinterpreting the card a bit - normally I think it symbolises incoming times of pure happiness and abundance, as well as a connection with the inner child, but I gave it more of a nostalgic or sentimental twist - wwx looking back at the brief glimpse of his happy childhood. 20 judgement another card that i struggle to interpret a bit... Here i actually used the tgcf tarot zine as a reference! In it judgement is summarised as “rebirth, following duty, absolution” SO i figured that nhs, mxy and wwx all together would fit pretty neatly... wwx achieving (public) absolution through clearing his own name after being reborn, and nhs sort of calling on wwx to expose jgy’s crimes... It’s a bit messy but not bad I think! 21 the world This ties very closely to my read on mdzs as a story - which is that it’s, at the end of the day, largely about cycles, and about how hard it is to break them, but how we gotta keep trying and have hope anyway. Or maybe more precisely, that the people directly involved with and influenced by the trauma of the past might not be able to get over said trauma and that the hope for healing from it will be shouldered by the new generation. Or something like that… Basically what i mean is that jc and wwx and lwj and lxc and nhs and jgy and all these people who were in the thick of the sunshot campaign and the siege are so profoundly affected by it that it genuinely feels by the end of the story like there is little hope for them to ever truly overcome that trauma and build a better future without repeating the same old mistakes - but there is a glimmer of hope in the new generation, specifically in jl and lsz. And it’s a bit paradoxical, because they have also been directly impacted by the past tragedies - lsz having his entire clan wiped out after wwx failed to protect them, jl losing both his parents to wwx’s mistakes - but despite that loss, and despite coming from arguably the two opposing sides of the past conflicts, they are both, in the end, capable of moving past that tragedy, of recognising the complicated nature of those conflicts (jl’s moment of clarity at the end is both heartbreaking and hopeful) and forging friendships between clans in the process. I honestly think that the extra where jl is struggling to assert his authority as sect leader, to treat his subjects well and to cooperate with other sects in a truly amicable way is the single hopeful ending note for the larger themes of the novel - it allows us to imagine that maybe these kids can learn from the mistakes of their elders rather than getting sucked in by resentment at those mistakes, and actually build a brighter future for the cultivation world. And sidenote, this is also why i have a soft spot for jin ling and lan sizhui as a ship... speaking of which their poses were directly referenced from the lovers card ehehe

Looking back, I’d like to add some symbol of jin ling’s trauma so that it mirrors baby wen yuan in the tree stump... maybe his father’s sword? 

[words-for-holland]

Quarantine Series: Birthday Date Night

Summary: It’s Y/N’s birthday, but Tom faces a slight problem. How does a boyfriend top off an accidental proposal while his girlfriend is working on her birthday...again!

Check the Rest: Burnt Out | A New Look | Secret Cuts & Kisses | Breaking Friendships |The Birthday Week | Movie Night | Silence is Golden?

Masterlist

A/N: Sad to say that Quarantine Series may end real soon with 3 more parts to go 🥺. Also this was inspired by my birthday which just happened fairly recently! Thanks for all the support!!

“Tom, mate. You’re pacing back and forth is making me dizzy.” Harry warned Tom, as he lied down on his bed, laptop in hand.

“Sorry, but I don’t know what to do! Y/N’s birthday is in a few days and I have absolutely no plan.” Tom reasoned as he plops on the couch across from Harry. “I mean I already blew the proposal which was supposed to be her birthday gift, but thats gone to shit.” He mumbled, biting his thumbnail.

“Just be happy she said yes.” Harry chuckled as he recalled the day. “I mean has she given any hints? You know Y/N, if there’s something she really wants, she’ll tell the whole world.”

“I know, but she hasn’t said a word and everytime I do ask her, she says ‘I dont know.’”, Tom groans as he rubs his temples. “I just want to do something really nice for her.”

Harry rolls his eyes as he continues shopping for his gift for Y/N. He and Y/N always loved to share memes and compete in board games, so it was only fair he’d get her an exclusive edition of Exploding Kittens. The one with a hard cover box, that plays mariachi music when you open it up. To be fair, he also really wanted it too, so imagine all the rounds they could play in a single day. “You always say this every year, but ever year you always deliver. I don’t know what you’re so worried about.”

Tom sits still to ponder on his brother thoughts. “Yeah..Yeah I guess. Maybe I could take her out for a picnic lunch date. I know she’ll love to get out of the house. I’ll ask her to take off on Friday and it’ll be perfect!” He plans excitedly. He stands up, proud of his well thought out plan, already thinking of the perfect place to settle, the blankets to bring, and the smooth moves he’ll plan to swoon her away. It was completely foolproof.

Just two days before, Y/N displays a noticeable frown on her face. Sludging through the house, only made Tom drop his smile twice as fast when he noticed. “Hey, darling is everything all right?” He asked with worry written all over his face. Deep down, Tom prayed, hoping it was just something she liked was sold out or that she found out the ending of Hamiliton or something..anything but...

“My boss needs me to work Friday. Apparently they think it’s a great idea to put me as the President in charge of IT while he’s out.” Y/N says in a disappointing tone. “Im sorry, I know you wanted me to take off and I definitely wanted to for my birthday, but I guess it’s not happening.” Y/N’s heart feels heavy as she sees Tom’s equally disappointed face. “I did ask for Monday off, so whatever it is you planned we can do it then!” She mentioned, trying to cheer him up.

Tom let out a sadden sigh. He knew it wasn’t her fault, but of all days? Right when he was about to leave for Berlin in less than 4 days? Right when he and Y/N could spend another birthday together? At this point Tom felt like a hopeless man, as he stood in front of his girlfriend, who showed remorse and sorrow. Her long hair draped over her shoulders, and lips forming into that adorable pout that he could not resist. It almost made him smile, but only a little. “I know, but its not the same! You’re turning 24 and you have to work? Can’t you make some excuse?” He asks coming closer to her, smiling mischieviously.

Y/N’s brows knit together as she cautiously observes Tom’s behavior. She knew that look, that smile, that little bite lip he was pulling. “Oh no. No. No. No.” she says repeatedly, resisting the charm. “Im not gonna make some excuse.”

Tom comes even closer, his face bending down a little to meet her eye level, smiling as he runs the very tips of fingers on her sides. “C’mon darling, break the rules a little. I promise I’ll make it worth your while.” He whispers kissing down her neck. “Please?”

Y/N looks up and away from those deep brown eyes, still resisting. “Tom, you know I can’t, no matter how bad I want to say yes.”

Tom draws a line up to her jawline with the tip of his nose. His breath warm against her soft skin. He hums and smiles, “Is your boss a fan of spiderman? What about his kids? I for sure remember you telling me Zach was a huge fan.”

Y/N laughs as she rolls her eyes, but she found it so endearing. The fact that he even remembered your boss’ kids’ name even though he’s probably caught a glimpse of them once or twice during her zoom meetings. “No. You are most definitely not using your celeb status to get me off from work.”

Tom shrugs his shoulders, as if it weren’t a big deal. He wasn’t one for flaunting his fame, but if it meant he could spend another day with Y/N, he would gladly use it. “Please...” he pleads one more time. “Just wanna spend time with my girl on her special day.”

Y/N thinks about it. She really did want to take off, and Tom��s efforts were quite convincing to say the least. It was only a matter of time before Tom would have to leave for Berlin, and Y/N wanted nothing more than to spend every minute with him. But Y/N also knew that if she didn’t do as she was asked by her company, the higher ups would probably have a bad impression of her or worse...fire her on the spot. Yet she knew her boss was also an understandable and chill guy. It wasn’t like she couldnt take off, just not when he’d be out at the same time, especially when she was asked to be in charge of the entire department.

Then, it hit her. She quickly excused herself out of the room to talk to her boss, and quickly came back to Tom with a smile on her face. Tom loved the way she smiled, and how her one little dimple formed on the right side of her mouth. He knew she was really happy, and he had just an idea of what it was. “You got the day off.” He answered excitedly.

“No.” Y/N responded, “But I did ask for half a day, so I’ll be free after 12.” Y/N continues as she comes closer to Tom, wrapping her hangs around his neck. “Hows that for a compromise? And I’ll do anything you wanna do for the rest of the day.”

“Good because you’re gonna love what I have in store for you.” Tom says, almost ready to brag about his well thought out romantic plan. He was ready to treat her like the queen she was on her birthday. How could anything go wrong?

On that faithful Friday, Tom woke up Y/N to many many birthday kisses. Reciting how beautiful she was, and how he couldn’t wait to celebrate with her. Reluctantly he had to let go, as she padded her way to the bathroom to get ready and head into her makeshift office for the next 5 hours.

Tom was all smiles, excited to take Y/N out. While everything felt like it was going according to plan, his mates had other news. “Ninety percent of thunderstorms?!” Tom exclaimed to his best mates in the kitchen.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be a major storm out there. Probably the worse that London’s had in a while.” Tuwaine informs as he reads the news on his phone.

Tom became a stuttering mess not sure how to justify or ask how that could be possible when it was beautiful this entire week. “But...But...It’s so nice out now!” He says discouraged. “No, this ruins my entire plan.”

“Hey mate, dont be like that. You can still find a way to celebrate it. Maybe you can do something romantic inside?” Harrison offers. Thats when it clicked. Harrison smiles, knowning the answer to Tom’s problem. “Yeah..make a date night here. We can set up the living room to be all fancy like.”

“Yeah! Tuwaine Harrison and I can be your waiters and make your dinner. Then just leave you two alone to do whatever you want you want.” Harry suggests.

“Just please...don’t mess up the couch.” Tuwaine groans, thinking about the potential possibity. “Im getting grossed out just thinking about it.”

Tom looks at his mates, giving thought into the new back up plan. He smiles at the group saying , “Lads, I think we got a new plan.”

Its exactly three in the afternoon when Y/N logs off from her laptop. She looks up at the window to notice how dark and dreary it was outside. Thunder was booming, and rain droplets came down hard, splashing off the window. It was her favorite kind of stay-in weather, but she hoped it didnt interfere with Tom’s plans if they had anything to do with being outside. As she opened the door, Harry and Tuwaine greeted Y/N with their own gifts and hugs. They made sure, she got dressed up, and led her downstairs. “M’Lady, your fiance will be right out.” Harry says in the most posh accent he could muck up.

Y/N rolls her eyes, and the moment she sees Tom walk into the living room, her heart skipped a beat. He dressed up with a bouquet of flowers and balloons in his hand. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.” He says. “You look so beautiful.”

Y/N takes the gifts from his hands, placing them on the table. She runs to Tom, kissing him passionately, savoring the sparks that came and left with every push and pull of their soft lips. “You had plans to go outside for my birthday didn’t you?” She teases.

Tom laughs, as he throws his head back. “Yeah...I was planning a picnic and everything, but thats why I made sure Plan B would just be as romantic.” He takes her hand as they sit down at the candlelit table, eating, drinking , and talking away about anything and everything. When it was sometime Harrison, Harry, and Tuwaine brought out a cake that Y/N had only been fantasizing and drooling about since May.

“No way! How did you guys order it?! I thought they didn’t do international shipping for Milk Bar!” Y/N exclaimed.

“Actually..they didn’t. But the recipe was online and we made it ourselves, with Sam’s help of course.” Harry answered, as he placed the candles in the center.

Her jaw dropped for a good ten minutes as she looked at the rainbow sprinkled cake, and the fluffy white frosting that sit perfectly in-between the layers. The crumbs on top were surprisingly uniformed and formed a perfect circle border, she was very impressed with them. Harrison lit the candles as all the boys sang along...off key of course with hints of laughter coming off every other note. Tom moved to her side, placing his arm around the back of her chair and leaned in to place a soft kiss on the top of her head. “Make a wish darling.”

Y/N looked up to see her favorite people in the entire world, smiling. “I dont need to. Everything I could possibly want is right here.” Y/N quickly blew the candles out and everyone left with their fair share of the cake. It was just Tom and Y/N left. They quickly changed out of their fancy clothes and back into their sleep wear, ending the night with watching Stardust and cuddles in the dark. Y/N tries to look behind her to see Tom’s face, who in turn looked down at her. She smiled at him whispering, “I love you.”

Tom quickly leaned in to capture her lips before answering, “I love you too. Happy Birthday Y/N.”

Taglist:

@hollanddolanfangirl @parkerspillow @joyleenl @kihyunwifes @holland-bowen @in-a-lot-of-fandoms-tbh @marvelobsessedteenager @viwihere

[swamp-world]

anyways. if... (1968). how to talk about it. tired ramblings below the cut. again, big TWs for a lot of stuff.

im slowly in the process of rewatching it because i just havent had the time lately. it just...strikes me as such a strange film for what it is. i dont remember much, frankly. i remember the general idea, the general vibe, i think there was a lot i was too young to understand the first watch.

the first thing that comes to mind in this film is the idea of the school shooting. they didnt call it such, no, but that’s what we would call it today. as a film made in 1968, it’s morbid and horrendous that they created an event in an overdramatized film, clearly meant to be divorced from reality, clearly satirical in every way, and that by the end of the century, Columbine would happen, and within the 21st century, school shootings became a regular event in america. a cursory search shows that there certainly were instances of school violence before this (a man shot a student in a dorm; a principal shot colleagues, etc.) but none so sensationalized or arguably senseless as those in Brenda Spencer, as Columbine.

and that’s where this film walks a tightrope. there are multiple ways to see the film and all of them are true in at least part.

1. many will recognize malcolm mcdowell from his role in A Clockwork Orange. many will recognize that as a film that white american men tend to look to aspirationally instead of with horror, as it was designed. same vein as the matrix, fight club, the joker, etc. this movie is where he got a lot of his character inspiration from. and there’s definitely that same idea of the disillusioned loner who, if given a gun, can make enough of a revolutionary difference in a world that has wronged him

2. is this supposed to be a good thing? the film seems conflicted itself at times. the teachers are in the wrong, certainly. oh, that’s without question. it doens’t paint the violence as aspirational, i dont think. i do think that there’s this idea of a fictionalized, sensationalized and glorified revolution, fighting back against the school system and society

3. this was part of a “series” that was satirizing british school, healthcare, and capiatlism. make of that what you will.

4. it predates monty python as well but absolutely demonstrates much of the same humouor and influence and aims. i can’t explain the surrealness of it.

5. the disillusioned students aren’t disillusioned for no reason. the school system strips them of their character, reduces them to family names and no personality, turns a blind eye to abuse at the level of peers, encourages harmful hierarchies within the student body that involve active abuse and corporal punishment, and aims to produce machines instead of people. this is an understandable reason to be upset. it’s something we still grapple with today.

6. the context of the school shooting in the film absolutely must, for my intentions here, be separated as much as possible from our modern conception of the school shooting. the ones that we encounter in the modern world are certainly a product of the issues that the film brings up, but i want to do my best to look at it in its own time, as much as i am able to with my limited knowledge

7. the modern school shooter tends to be a “lone-wolf” domestic terrorist, and i will not hesitate to call them such. they tend to be incels, white, straight, young men who perceive themselves as being rejected by women, or who are motivated by alt-right and fascistic beliefs and goals. these are acts meant to inspire terror in those populations. i would certainly classify these as hate crimes, since that’s their primary motivation. in If... on the other hand, they are very clearly attacking the system of british education itself and the people who perpetuate it. (in a lot of situations, this isn’t inherently much different from the way that a lot of modern school shooters see themselves: important to consider.) rather than being violence deliberately directed at the students, it’s specifically on Speech Day, where parents, administration, faculty, etc. are all present. These are the people in power; these are the ones who send their children to these schools, who fund them, who run them, who allow, encourage, and enact the violence. it is not an aimless violence, nor is it a hate-motivated violence.

8. the shooting in the film is meant to be farcical and satirical. who would have imagined, in 1968, that this scene, meant to be the pinnacle of overdramatized and hyperviolent revolution in a satirical manner, not meant remotely to approach reality, would become something that people avoid watching because it has in fact happened to them? in 1968, who would have predicted Brenda Spencer, Columbine, Stoneman Douglas, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech? there was one significant school shooting in 1966, in Austin, that killed 28 and was the deadliest mass shooting for 18 years. but, and while this doesn’t diminish the violence, i want to emphasize that that took place at a university in america, not at a boarding school in england. the fundamental difference between the concept of adults, former military, gunning down 28 people; and a set of schoolchildren taking over the boarding school’s armoury and shooting at the headmaster, having been taught how to shoot those very guns on that very schoolground, is an extreme difference.

9. so, the shooting is designed to be an act of violence, targeting a system that the film paints as being actively harmful and deserving of a takedown, using the very weapons that the school taught them to use but never anticipated to have turned on them, and created in a farcical light: the idea that “this won’t happen, it’s too outrageous to be real”.

10. how do we take this these days? it seems, in many ways, like very little has changed. oh, corporal punishment isn’t practiced (or at least, not sanctioned, but certainly practiced). students are still molded to machine standard on the basis of class and aspirations spoon-fed to them by their parents. there’s still a significant divide between the working class and the capitalist class. there’s still rage simmering at the way that students have been abused by their schools. the violence that was seen as being overexaggerated at the time became a reality for a completely different set of revolutionary reasons, and the film balances the same tightrope as the matrix, as fight club, etc., between being commentary and satire that violent men will mark as aspirational and true rather than satirical and a warning

11. (that’s not to touch on the misogyny of the film)

this is apparently voted one of the best british films of all time, but that doesn’t mean much a lot of the time. it being a best voted doesn’t mean it’s popular or common or well known among people outside of britain, or outside of that generation; it doesn’t mean it was understood and received as intended.

the other thing i want to bring up about the film is the question of reality. the whole thing is so surreal and strange that the line between reality and imagination begins to blur regularly, but particularly near the end. there’s the question of whether this shooting actually happened in the film, or whether it was merely a twisted fantasy of mcdowell’s character. frankly, i would say that it doesn’t matter if it’s real, according to the movie or not. it genuinely doesn’t. this is what we as the audience see, and the intent is the same: either the boy is so driven to this violence that he actually does it, or he’s so driven to it that he fantasizes vividly about doing it. the point of it is still the same. it isn’t our job to know reality from fantasy; it’s possible that if it’s made up, the character himself isn’t aware of that. of course the film won’t make sense, it’ll be muddled and confusing and unrealistic, it’s satire and meant to bend the rules of reality to make a point. (those rules of reality included: schoolchildren do not use semiautomatic weaponry on their own schools. except for in texas, it does not happen.)

so what’s this to do with dark academia? let me answer that when it’s not 4am.

[thechangeling]

The Fall

This is a one shot I wrote about my OC Gianna Blackthorn-Rosales, one of Kierarktina's kids. Full disclosure, I don't have bipolar, but I do suffer from depression and I did some research to fill in the blanks. Thank you to Halima and Ellie from helping me with the Spanish.

Tw for Depression and suicidal thoughts.

When Gianna woke up, she felt as though she was under water. Her limbs were heavy as if they were weighted down with led. Her alarm was blaring from her phone with zero sympathy. Gianna groaned and fumbled around for her phone to turn it off.

Shit. She felt like absolute garbage. Everything hurt. Everything felt hallow and empty like a great big hole had been carved out of her chest. Mornings were never fun, but today especially sucked. The idea of moving to get up, or even keeping her eyes open felt like absolute torture.

Gigi had recently come down from a manic episode and now she was sinking, unable to stay afloat. Not that she even really wanted to. Not right now at least.

That's when she remembered. Today was test day. Of fucking course. Testing day was when every shadowhunter under 18 had to undergo a series of skill tests, with weapons and also hand to hand combat. They were given scores based on how well they did and then those scores then were sent back to the Clave.

Of course it had to be today of all days. That was the problem with mental illness. It didn't care if you had a schedule to keep or things you needed to do. It just bulldozed it's way through your life, screwing everything up and then leaving you to clean up the mess.

Gianna grabbed her phone and typed out a quick message to her brother Nico.

I'm sick today, tell mama I can't do it.

Her therapist would tell her that avoidance wasn't healthy, but she would argue that sleeping right now was definitely the best thing for her. Unfortunately in fights such as these, the professionals usually won.

Gianna felt guilt and shame start to trickle in, greeting her like old friends. You're pathetic. You're a pitiful excuse for a shadowhunter. That's what everyone else is thinking and they're right. You're worthless. Everyone would be better of if you were gone.

Her phone vibrated next to her with a text from Nico. Gianna picked it up, already knowing what it would say.

Shadowhunters don't get sick. No one will buy it. Come on Gigi you need to try. He wrote.

Gianna fought the urge to scream. Try? Like she wasn't trying? Did they all think she was pulling this crap on purpose for shits and giggles? She was really getting sick of most people.

She was sick of her parents, sick of her siblings, sick of her cousins Ellie and Anthony even though they didn't get to see each other very often.

She was even sick of Anabla. Which made Gianna very scared. She loved her girlfriend but sometimes everything just became too overwhelming. Her father was always busy running his kingdom and whenever she went to Unseelie, many people always made it very clear that she was not welcome. Her father didn't even really understand how mental illness worked, but then again neither did her mama and papa.

Shadowhunters weren't supposed to be sick and neither were faeries.

Suddenly there was a banging on her door. "Gianna!" She heard her mother's voice on the other side of the door "¿Qué esta pasando?"

Gianna shut her eyes. Maybe if she pretended to be asleep her mama would leave her alone. It was unlikely but still. Her mother pounded on the door again. "Alleya!" She shouted angrily.

Well fuck. That was never good. As soon as her mother used Gianna's fae name, it meant that she was in big trouble.

"Ok yeah I'm coming!" She yelled back. Gianna took a deep breath and pulled herself to her feet.

I can do this. She thought to herself. It's gonna be ok. Just get though this then you can go back to bed.

She put on her gear and began to braid her hair into a faerie style. It was a personal tradition of Gianna's, to braid her hair like a faerie and pull it back so that her pointy ears were exposed whenever she had an offical shadowhunter event of some kind.

Outside she could hear the sounds of Shadowhunters arriving at The New York Institute by portal. Gianna and her family had slept over at the institute so they wouldn't have to travel. She could instantly hear the cheerful loud voices of her cousins, as well as her aunts and uncles greeting each other.

One big happy family.

Gianna could feel the aches in her muscles as if she was sore from a good work out. Getting through testing would be absolute hell.

But she would do it. She grabbed her bow from it's hook on her bedroom wall as well as her quiver of arrows, and marched outside to meet her fate.

The wave of liveliness hit Gianna like a truck. There were older shadowhunters gossiping and catching up with one another, while teenagers and kids of all ages darted excitedly around each other gathering their weapons and gear. She noticed her mama and papa talking with her tías, Helen and Aline. Nico was being bombarded by hugs from their tìo Jules and tìa Emma. Even though they were all on her papa's side of the family, her mama had no siblings. In fact she didnt have any family she was in constant contact with since they were all in Mexico. So at her mama's request, Gianna called all of her papa's siblings tía or tío as a way to keep her connected to her culture.

As for her father's side of the family, it was basically just a long string of "these people want me dead", so nobody was getting any names of any kind.

Then there was Kit and Ty, who Gianna called by their first names because they were so close. She had always felt better connected to them for some reason.

Speaking of.

She spotted them over by the corner if the room. Ty had his headphones on and Kit was hugging-

Oh great.

She was here.

Mina freaking Carstairs.

Wonderful.

Which begged the question, what was she doing here exactly? She was 18. She was supposed to be done with these sorts of tests.

Gianna watched as perfect Mina rushed over to great a screaming Ellie, who was her Parabatai, and Anthony and that was when it dawned on her. Right. Of course.

Mina had come to watch them.

The perfect supportive friend and Parabatai. Always smiling. Always ever so sweet and polite.

Yeah Gianna really wasn't a fan.

Nico would tell her that she was being irrational, and she probably was. But Mina Carstairs had always looked down on her with that familiar expression of pity and disgust.

It might have had something to do with the time Gianna had tried to steal Church during one of her manic episodes. Or the time when she woke Mina and Ellie up by blasting heavy metal at three in the morning while making brownies at the LA institute.

In her defense, she couldn't sleep.

Gianna knew lots of people always assumed she was doing these things on purpose. Like she was purposefully trying to sabotage everything in her life. That was probably one of the most irritating things about having a mental illness, being blamed for the things that you had no control over.

Being held to neurotypical standards was also shitty.

"You look like you're about keel over and die on us" said a voice at her shoulder.

Gianna whipped around and breathed a sigh of relief.

Magnus.

Gianna couldn't quite managed a smile, but she instantly flung her arms around him in a hug which he returned.

"Hey there little shadowfae" he cooed. It was the nickname he had for her ever since she was a kid. "Are you taking your meds?" He asked her with his head still resting on her shoulder.

Gianna groaned, lightly pushing him away. "Why can't you just greet me like a normal person? What ever happened to, "How are you?" Or, "What great weather we've been having lately!" She rolled her eyes.

Magnus looked sympathetic as he placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "I'm sorry Gigi. I'm just worried about you." He said softly.

Magnys was essentially the one who had jumpstarted her treatment, the same way he did with Thaís. He contacted Caterina, who contacted a doctor with the sight to get Gianna diagnosed, on medication and into counseling.

Her therapist was actually half Unseelie, half mundane. She was fairly sweet, and she and Gianna got along pretty well. It could have been a lot worse.

Gianna nodded, "Yeah I know. I am." She protested.

That was mostly true, although there was one week when she had gone to Unseelie to visit Anabla and forgotten to bring her meds with her. She was paying for that now.

"Everyone! Could I have your attention please!" They were interrupted by the voice of the consul. Alec Lightwood-Bane was standing in the middle of the room. Several members of the council were standing with him. "We will begin testing in five minutes! If all of the perticipents could please make their way down to the institute's training room. Thank you."

Magnus caught Alec's eye and smiled at him from across the room. He then sighed and squeezed Gianna's shoulder again. "Well. I should go join my husband" he said matter of factly. "Good luck little one."

Gianna managed a small smile. "Thanks Mags."

Gianna stood in place for awhile, willing herself to move. People passed by around her like waves moving around a bolder. No one played her a second glance, not her cousins, and certainly not Mina Carstairs. Her parents were probably busy with Nico.

The living room filtered out and then she was alone. Standing in the middle of the room with a bow in her hand.

See. The voice told her. You're all alone. You're always alone. No one really cares about you.

She tried to protest, tried to fight it but she was just too tired. And there was that old familiar feeling again. A feeling beyond exhaustion, beyond despair, and beyond hopelessness.

Inevitability.

The feeling that at the end of the day this is all that you are, and all you ever will be.

And there's nothing that can change that.

[delfinodreams]

OKAY i said i would make a post about my thoughts on paper mario a while ago and im finally writing it out

ill put it under a break because its probably gonna be long-ish

update: yea this bitch is LONG

okay so overall i really really enjoyed it!! it was really solid for the first entry in the series and i could definitely see the inspiration that ttyd later took from it. one thing that i didnt know about was partners not having HP, which threw me for a little bit of a loop. partners as a whole in this game don't play as active of a role as i wouldve expected because they have so little lines but using them in battle is still very fun! another small thing but i also hadn't expected mario to be completely silent, but it later grew on me!

i'm also gonna list my experiences and opinions on each chapter so here we go!!

chapter 1 - pretty alright for an introductory chapter! i didnt find anything especially notable, apart from getting 2 partners in one chapter. navigating the koopa bros. fortress was fun, and i loved the battle at the end!! their theme is SUCH a banger i had to sit back and listen to it for a bit when the fight actually started ehe

chapter 2 - not quite a fan of this one imo? i liked the first part through the mountain, but the trek though dry dry desert kinda took it out of me. BUT the addition of my favourite partner made up for it! parakarry my beloved <3 also the cutscene where dry dry ruins rise up??? that shit was SPECTACULAR. i absolutely loved how it turned dark when it first came up, i wish it stayed like that for more than just until you entered the ruins. the boss itself wasn't too exciting for me, probably because there wasnt much of a story?? i dont know how to describe it. actually its like that for quite a few of these bosses, but its the first entry for this series, so i wont fault it too much.

chapter 3 - this might be my FAVOURITE chapter- the suspense buildup throughout the entire chapter was AMAZING holy moly!!! first through the forever forest when you have bootler ask for you, and then wandering the mansion itself. i TOTALLY thought that boos were gonna be actual enemies when i saw them floating around. sneaking around tubba blubba's castle was so so fun to do, and i legitimately panicked when you ran into him in the hall and also when he wakes up and chases you back to the windmill. i didnt actually think the heart itself was the boss, just a miniboss, so i freaked out when i left the windmill and was immediately thrown into a battle with tubba blubba. i cannot express just how much i enjoyed this chapter, seriously!!

chapter 4 - coming back to toad town with the music change threw me for a bit; i wasnt expecting action to pop up so soon! figuring out that you could actually go into the toybox was such a "wait, what??" moment for me, but like, in a positive way. it was really cool to navigate this chapter and the lantern ghost encounter genuinely creeped me out at first because it was COMPLETELY dark. the fight against general guy is also a BANGER i could listen to it all day

chapter 5 - man i LOVE the whale. just a big guy willing to take u across the ocean :^) i really appreciated how you weren't stranded on the island too, like how you were on keelhaul key in ttyd. the ravens are also funky little guys, love them too. again, the lava piranha didnt really have any substance to it BUT it was a nice fight nonetheless! when it popped up again i was shocked but i made it through!! also fuck kolorado he doesnt deserve his wife

chapter 6 - this one's formatting is really neat- one central area with lots of branching paths, which i hadnt seen in my past pm experiences! i loved the quest leading up to the big beanstalk, plus the environment was so pretty!! the little part with the sun tower popped out to me, i'm not sure why though. maybe it was the music, it was so different from the flower fields theme. at first i had actually expected to go up to the clouds earlier, maybe like midway through the chapter. i thought that would be the "dungeon" of this part, so i was a little bit let down when i realized that the fields were the majority. however, the bit of the clouds we do see is SO good i LOVE the atmosphere!! huff n puff was actually relatively easy, using parakarry and lakilester for their all-around attacks. the guitars were a nice touch for his theme as well!

chapter 7 - oh dude i LOVED this chapter. i didnt know what i was expecting when i first went into the pipe in the sewers, whether it would put me into a village immediately or if i would have to make it through some screens before. needless to say, i was relieved when it popped me out into shiver city. the whole place felt "warm" which was really nice!! i was comparing it to ttyd's chapter 7 and fahr outpost which i didn't really vibe with, so it was a nice change! the whole murder plot was also unexpected but i enjoyed the whole "whodunnit" mystery! omg as im typing this i realize just how many aspects of this chapter i love this is gonna be long,, the entire snowy atmosphere is just so PRETTY and starborn valley felt so solitary to the rest of the land, like its own little bubble. i also had no idea that ninjis were in this game so when i saw one at merlon's i was like HUH?? anyways the way up the mountain to the crystal palace kept me on my toes; i thought that was the dungeon at first! the small bit where you see madam merlar and she tells you the story of the palace really got to me i have no idea why. the music and mysticality of it all was just SO good. dont even get me started on the crystal palace itself HOLY MOLY. the whole reflection bit was SO SO clever and the moment you realize its NOt actually a mirror?? fucking magnificent. this has to be my favourite dungeon in the whole game because it has such a NEAT gimmick!! it also has my favourite mario enemies, duplighosts! FUCK the crystal king though. he stunlocked me with his freezing move because i could not get the hang of blocking it. my partners really carried me for that battle; thank god for quick change

chapter 8 - THIS CHAPTER DELIVERED. the buildup for the entire game leading to this point. OUTSTANDING. i had to sit back and admire star haven because its so pretty- did i mention i love the water graphics in this game?? it has a pixelly look but it works SO WELL. going to the ship to take you to bowser's castle really felt like a "this is it" moment. the entirety of bowser's castle was So Good, it kept me on my toes the entire time!! slowly advancing as the music got more intense REALLY pumped me up. tracks that start off with only a couple instruments and eventually add more as you progress is one way to make me go BONKERS. the one bit where you make your way outside on the bridge and the music dials down and then you re-enter on the other side to it SLAMMING you in the face- that was Great. and then the complete silence as you get outside peach's castle HOLY SHIT. and then you actually enter the palace and the music is SO EERIE and youre like OH SHIT THIS IS REALLY IT. seriously, the buildup for this entire castle is done SO magnificently. i hadn't expected to fight bowser twice, i guess it was the game's way of letting u level up One Last Time before u got to the big bad. that being said, i wasn't too worried on getting a game over since i was fucking stacked on items. but that's besides the point- the fight itself got my heart POUNDING. the effects for the star rod and the star's powers were really nice to see in action, and the little section with peach and twink was so cool! i was expecting a little interlude where you would get your stats maxed out because thats how its like in every pm game, but it was still moving :)) bowser's final battle theme fucking SLAPS. the guitar especially sounds AMAZING. you really see him as a threat here and its so badass. his healing move fucked me over multiple times- i probably ended up having to deal with double his base HP over the course of the fight.

after the fight was over and you got to see peach's castle float down with the soft music in the background, it really hit me that its done, its over. again, the effects in this game are so pretty and theyre utilized SO well for the n64. visiting toad town one last time with all the npcs was a really nice touch- for some reason i really loved being able to interact with vanna t. (chuck quizmo's toad assistant) she's ADORABLE and i will probably end up drawing her sometime :)) the credits were also something that i really enjoyed- i LOVE the ongoing theme of parades at the end. seeing everything and everyone in the game condensed into a short 8 minutes really got me, i cant remember but im pretty sure i was smiling the whole time! and a small sidenote- TOADS WITH GLOWING SPOTS ON THEIR HEAD HELLO?????? I WANNA DRAW THAT SO BAD.

the ending screen with peach and mario looking at the fireworks made me really soft and i teared up a little because i was finally finished. the addition of pop diva's solo in the track was also so touching, it was my favourite sidequest in the game so hearing it again brought up Emotions :')

one thing i wasnt sure of was if there was a post-game mode and my completionist heart was disappointed a little when i found out i couldn't advance from the end screen and was forced to reset. although not many games from this era had post-game content so i cant dock too many points for that.

the paper mario series has a fond place in my heart, and finally being able to play the game that started it all really was a special experience. it really cemented my love for the original formula and i could see many places where ttyd took inspiration from. this game really is fun, and i would highly recommend playing it yourself if you have the means!

[beyond-far-horizons]

hi! i just saw your post about writing out headcanons for your aol fanfic and YES!!! If you did write them out I’d definitely be interested ❣️

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?! Seriously no-one is around from the old fandom and I feel so alone lol.

Ugh just had the worst 24 hours with a plumbing disaster and now I need to do the 'covid clean' post workman visit so not quite in the best place to do this but will try. Also there will be spoilers for the fic obv but with the way life is going who knows when im going to be able to post that!

Age of Legends headcanons for my fanfic.

Ilyena is an Aes Sedai (this has been implied by Word of Jordan)

She's around Moghedien's age, maybe a little older, between her and Mesaana so around 250- ish mid Collapse at the time of the fic and 300ish at her death (about 100 years younger than LTT, Barid Bel and Elan Morin.)

She specialises in Ter'angreal making (thanks to that great post someone made years ago and also because I love ter'angreal and would totally specialise in this if I could. She is also an artist who paints both physically and with the One Power.

Her hero is Jorlan Corbesan that Rand mentions to Cadsuane in TOM(?) He didnt die in the Sharom Trajedy as per canon and still leads the Centre for Ter'Angreal Studies along with several eminent Aes Sedai. Ilyena is not part of this elite group yet but her brother Talen was. Talen's tragic death going through the Rings ter'angreal (the one the Wise Ones use) before it was properly tested pre Sharom deeply affected Ilyena causing her to withdraw from her ambitous pathway and also from intimate relationships although she has a wide circle of friends being a very gregarious person.

Talen's death is a mystery but what is known is that he was very close with Elan Morin Tedronai pre Collapse. They were actually a couple despite many people side-eying how someone so bright and people-loving could be with someone known for his detachment and rationality. (Spoiler Elan Morin is sabiosexual and virtually asexual in my fic but when he falls, he falls hard.)

Elan Morin is a Dreamer (this is key to the story and I think RJ would have gone this way). @neuxue I think you had this headcanon too?) He heads up a secret Ajah within the Aes Sedai focused on the increasing dire Dreams and Foretellings that have amassed since just before the Sharom Tragedy. He has impounded any Ter'angreal that may have precognitive functions. Graendal (cant find her AOL name whilst on my tablet) is also part of the Ajah as she was treating some of the first Dreamers driven mad and suicidal by their visions.

Barid Bel Medar has been friends with Ilyena for decades and is a kind of mentor to her. He is also deeply in love with her but doesn't press the matter out of respect. They have a strong friendship and unspoken chemistry. She is unsure of her feelings for him mainly because of her reluctance to become involved in relationships and also because....well the guy is very intense! Even when he's on the Light he's intense. She feels like she'd be consumed by him...but would that be a bad thing??

Lews Therin has not yet met Ilyena but he has been virtually lifelong friends with Barid Bel and by friends I mean blood brothers/ shonen rivals. The competition is ingrained by now. He is one of the Rods of Dominion, currently outshining Barid Bel as the Spire of Paraad Disen (but not by much).

The world has been increasing racked by unrest and violence but no-one knows why. Riots, plagues, droughts have increased and faith in the current order is waning. This is excerbated by various cults such as The Promise of Freedom and various high profile figures calling for a new order and casting doubt on Aes Sedai and the egalitarian system. Even Chora trees are starting to be suspected as pacifers etc.

There is harsh disagreement about how to deal with these things in the Hall of Servants and World Government as minor wars have started to break out and people call for peacekeeping forces including channelers (unthinkable a few decades before).

Barid Bel, whilst highly respected as a leader and tactician, has also come under a shadow as he is increasingly being held up as a guru of warfare having discovered and popularised the subject about a century ago (ironically he was just looking for a way to distinguish himself against LTT and back then it was just interesting historical research that became a very popular series of books and lectures. )

Ilyena comes up with a way of both clearing her friend's notoriety and helping him gain control over the situation (not to mention tweaking the nose of the great Lews Therin who she doesnt really approve of give all Barid Bel has said about him over the years). She proposes a grand exhibition - The Art of War where they can showcase warfare to draw interest and then show people why it was a bad idea (no spoilers here but I got some cool things planned!) It is at this gathering alot of the major players meet - a Web of Destiny!

Ilyena and Mierin know each other independently which I won't spoil. Ilyena feels she has been unfairly treated over the Sharom Tragedy. Barid Bel is not a fan of Mierin, both because he takes Lews Therin's side and because he's never quite forgiven her for her dismissive behaviour towards him at the Academy when he maaaay have had a crush on her.

As an aside Barid Bel and Duram Ladden (Be'lal) trolling Lews Therin over Mierin and Ilyena is hilarious to think about. My Be'lal is turning out to be a really fun character as opposed to the non entity Moiraine took care of in Book 3.

At some point I just want Barid Bel and LTT to put their rivalry aside and get roaring drunk together somewhere. I think they really did have a close friendship at one point (mainly because it would hurt all the more with the angst and then the betrayal and in fiction Im here for that!)