#(( you know what I ought to just make this a headcanon post at some point. just for fluff.

[gctchell]

so many of my female muses with male lovers: i'm getting him a ring

[eleventhhourfactor]

First day of 2025 has been good so far. So good, in fact, that I've decided to actually make a self-reflection/look to the future post, as much as I'm trying not to be vain.

Anyway...2024. There was a lot happening there.

If we're looking at Tumblr alone, it's pretty clear that this was the year that solidified Mario and Luigi as a hyperfixation for me. Helped along by the mutuals I made along the way, I turned out a lot of stories for AO3--moreso than I'd ever done for any other fandom prior to this. It's...mindblowing, honestly. Just the year before, I'd written and deleted my works after becoming convinced that it wouldn't amount to anything and ought as well not be out there. It was a pattern I longed to break, and I think I've finally cracked it, and I've never been happier to put myself out there and be cringe and free.

The rest of 2024 was a hell of a lot of change for me--mostly good. I moved across the country, started writing for another company, found another special interest in the form of Mario RPGs. I also realized that a load of my extended family have garbage takes, and that I alone can't fix that for them. My cat needed teeth taken out, my car got hit by a delivery truck in the parking lot, and I got holed up at my in-laws' house with the flu on Christmas Day. I'm still trying to make real-life friends, which seems to be an outstanding issue for little ol' me. Outside of college, I've never been great at making and keeping friends.

But I do have my network, without which I wouldn't have been able to publish a story, plan a big move, or even doodle on occasion. And you, dear mutuals and others, are a part of that, I've come to realize. It's stupid and corny, but there's something really neat about going to the internet and nerding out about things through headcanon posts, fabulous art, and wonderfully-written tales. What's even crazier is what fanwork can drive me to do in my original little things.

So, for 2025, along with some outstanding fics I need to wrap up and work on, I also want to put some work and effort into fleshing out a long-running project of mine: the world of Astrara, the worldhoppers moving throughout, and the threads of the universe tying it all together. There's characters I've been bouncing around in my skull for nearly a decade now, and it's about time I clear the sad lack of confidence from my space and actually draw them to the life they deserve. Might I make a comic? Who knows. For the next year, I just want to draw my little dudes until I run out of pencils, and then scan it in and color digitally. I want to make more art, and I want to write out the story of Lenora, Aylín, and their absolutely batshit journey to find their way home. Or at least, get the bullet points down and go from there.

It's crazy, but I thought turning out over a dozen fanfics was insane as well, and look where I'm at. Anything can happen. The spark has caught aflame. I want to keep creating. For the first time ever, I want to keep going with whatever the heck I've got going instead of letting it sit while I grind to live.

So, follow me as I get this going. See how far I go or fall short. Maybe ask me some more about what exactly I'm working on. I'd love to brainstorm and share and get others interested, too.

A bit of insurance in the form of doodles. Lenora on the left, Aylín on the right. One's being careful, the other wants to fight.

Kinda funny how much I project onto my own little stories.

Thank you all for sticking with me. Sorry this turned from reflection to a bit of narcissist goal-setting, but I've never felt so set on a creative goal before. This project means a lot to me and my growth over time, and without stepping out and meeting you all, I'd never be able to do this. So, thank you for being there, and I hope I've been able to do half as much for you.

Under the cut special! Sending love to all the people who keep me going on here. Like, y'all are so great. You are all great people.

So, mutuals and creators I admire (as well as my frens), this one's for you:

@giddlygoat @peaches2217 @snakeeyesdraws @bberetd @itsavee4117 @silenzahra @silksongmaiden @fyreburning @akiiame-blog @megamagimugi @supergay-64 @artizonka @rainbogen @loud-kid2 @@diamondempp @dooxliss @lu1g199 @laatgag @moriouchou-radio @thegravityshark @gustygardns @vulpixfairy1985 @vbnhuet

[phonydiaries]

I am begging politely for something with number 20 from your one word prompt list?? Maybe something fluffy to save me from the angst of whatever bloodbrown has asked for? (Luv you bloodbrown)

Hope you are doing well <3

I am SO excited that not one but two people asked for 20 because I was so so hoping for an excuse to extrapolate on my promise headcanon from this post so here it is! Thank you so much for the ask <3 megafluff ahead!

Promise Me - P x Reader

It was well known that sunny days were not so easy to come by in Krat, a city most commonly overtaken with a stark and looming gloominess. So on a rare sunny day, eager to take advantage of the warmth which so often eluded you at the hotel, you practically dragged P to the kitchen in search of decent picnic-ing supplies. There, you loaded up your pack with sandwiches and fruit and a bottle of some sparkling something-or-other. Pino of course couldn’t really partake in the food, but it was more the aesthetic of the picnic that really mattered, and he had seemed interested in the whole ordeal besides. 

Along with all the goodies, you stuffed a carefully folded blanket and a hardcover book into the pack. Lately you’d spent a great deal of time wandering the library with your trusted puppet, and he’d taken quite the liking to simply lazing about as you read to him in hushed tones, often with his head settled comfortably in your lap, listening intently. 

Now, as you headed for the shimmering daylight of the courtyard you realized one very important piece of the picnic was missing; P himself. You huffed, sure that the damn puppet had wandered off again, as he so loved to do. It was not the first time he’d silently slipped away from you, either distracted or whisked away or otherwise lost in his own thoughts, and you were sure it wouldn’t be the last. 

For the better part of the next hour, you were relegated to the rather painstaking and exhaustive task of lapping the hotel in search of the lost puppet. At one point you even entailed the help of the other hotel’s guests, but neither Sophia nor Eugenie could offer any better guess at where he might’ve disappeared to. Finally, tired, rumpled, and out of breath from your efforts, you stalk back to the courtyard, your head hanging low in anticipation of a far less rewarding picnic alone. 

As you round the path, digging around aimlessly in your bag, you come to an abrupt halt. The picnic pack falls to the ground with a light thunk and the puppet crouched in front of you glances up. He grins in blissful ignorance of the tremendous effort you’d just expended in search of him. He motions for you to come closer and points to a blue butterfly which emerges, glistening, from its cocoon, buried away in the branches of a rosebush. He’s seemingly enamored by the unfurling of the insects iridescent wings, and offers a finger of his legion hand to it gently. 

Lovely, just lovely. You think.

I’ve lost him to a butterfly.

Exasperated, you pinch the bridge of your nose and sigh. “Yes, it’s very beautiful P, don’t get me wrong, but your habit of running off like this is frankly…” you pause, wondering how to put it delicately. “Just. The worst.” 

P’s shoulders sink and he looks almost hurt by this, though you can tell that even he can’t deny his tendency to explore precariously and without warning. It had landed you in loads of trouble at the worst of times, namely active combat, but this was neither here nor there. 

“You know what, I ought to make you promise to knock it off.” P opens his mouth, about to speak before you press a finger to his lips. “No no- a regular old promise won’t do either. Pinky swear it.” You say, offering your finger to him. He only stares blankly at it for a moment, then tips his head quizzically at you. This must be a new concept to him, you realize, and a creeping mischievousness takes root in your mind. With faux bewilderment, you gawk at him. “Your father never told you about pinky promises?” 

Pinocchio shakes his head fervently, now obviously eager to gain this oh-so-coveted knowledge. You take both his hands in yours and speak sotto-voce, as if the matter were of great importance. “It’s an ancient human tradition, a vow of the utmost seriousness. It’s a promise so great that once spoken aloud it would bond the two of us forever!” 

P leans in, enamored, and gestures between the two of you with curiosity. He seems, if anything, eager to engage in the grand ritual you’ve made this silly little thing out to be. You turn away with a saddened look. 

“Though I don’t suppose you’d be interested in such a thing. After all, it’s quite the big responsibility-” But P is already tugging you by the hand and nodding vigorously. You can’t help smiling at his enthusiasm; he is after all, nothing if not incorrigible. 

Swiftly, you situate yourself in the grass across from P. 

“Now,” you start, taking the puppet’s wrist in your hand and turning it over as if in careful examination. “This is a very serious business. I mean it.” P’s chin juts forward and he looks up at you, his head tilted in rapt attention. He looks like such a little boy, you think, sitting criss-crossed in the grass, hanging on your every word. 

“Once the oath is taken we can never ever break our promise. Ever. Are you sure you’re ready for that, P? To pledge your fealty right here, right now?” You ask, punctuating each grave word with a squeeze to his hand. P’s brows knit together in unbearable sincerity as he offers you a lone dutiful nod. 

You exhale deeply, giving P one last solemn look. “Well then. I warned you.” 

You hold your own hand out, elbow resting on your knee, your pinky finger extended in P’s direction. He watches you and with precision copies your posturing. He takes a moment though, to deliberate between his legion and human halves, before propping the fleshy arm upon his knee just the same as you. 

You straighten up a bit and clear your throat, speaking in a manner uncharacteristically clear and commanding. 

“By the power vested in this hand, I, and Pinocchio too of course-” You say, gesturing towards the boy. You assume, being a puppet of few words, he won’t mind you speaking for him. “Swear to always stand by each other's side, ever valiant.” 

P’s gaze is locked with yours as you speak, hanging on your every word. He is painfully earnest, and in a moment of overwhelming fondness for the poor puppet you add, perhaps getting a bit carried away with the whole thing “And.. and to always protect one another, never allowing harm to befall their most trusted friend.” 

You expect some surprise or even protest at this added condition, but instead Pinocchio settles the palm of his legion arm calmly over his heart, leaning ever closer with all the conviction in the world. 

And with that your finger brushes his, and you find much to your surprise, that you’ve begun to believe in your own dumb joke. Somehow, as your tiny fingers lock together, you feel the tremendous weight of this promise in the depths of your heart. You wonder if somehow by mistake you made magic here, in the soft green grass with a puppet much too naive and trusting and eager for his own good. You decide if there truly was an unbreakable contract forged between the two of you this day, you don’t mind. You don’t mind at all. 

When you glance at Pino, you find his eyes squeezed shut, his pinky finger wound tight around yours as if bracing himself. 

“Your oath is sealed.” You say, and watch P’s eyes open one at a time, uncertain. “Bonded for life. How does it feel?” 

P blinks a couple times in consideration, and allows his fingers to thread neatly through yours. With his other hand, he leans in close and presses it firmly but with the utmost care against your chest, and although you know logically he’s only a puppet, you swear you feel warmth radiating from his touch. He presses his forehead tenderly against yours, so close that you feel the breath of his words dance along the surface of your skin. 

“Safe.” He says simply. 

And although the circumstances are silly, you can’t imagine a truer word.

[dolceaspidenera]

Okay guys, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I don't want to stir up drama and this is not why I write this, but I really, really need to get this off of my chest.

Yes, we are back discussing ace/demi headcanons for Astarion.

First thing first: people are allowed to headcanon whatever character they want as whatever the hell they want.

I read a post on here basically saying that Astarion should be the last character to be headcanoned as ace/demi because he is a character who is "reclaiming his own sexuality" - yes, and? Demi or ace people don't do that? Are they somehow exempted from any type of trauma regarding sex? Are we really making these arguments?

My favorite part though ought to be the one about Wyll being the most suited for these headcanons because he prefers "dancing over sex and waits for the marriage to have sex".

Huh.

So glad this is how asexuality is perceived, thanks.

What the heck does having sex after marriage have to do with being ace/demi? Can someone explain it to me?

Look, Wyll is an amazing character with lots of positive characteristics, but he is not an alternative to Astarion and shouldn't be treated that way.

Do you really want to know why lots of people headcanon Astarion as demi/ace? Because he resonates more with them. Simple as that. Not because he is white and Wyll is not, not because of some inherent form of hate or bigotry. He just resonates more.

And do you know why?

BECAUSE PEOPLE UNDER THE ACE SPECTRUM CAN BE VICTIMS OF ABUSE AS WELL.

Because we too wrestle with claiming our own sexuality, because we too experience being oversexualized against our desires.

On top of that, being ace doesn't mean being chaste, a virgin, or someone that necessarily will wait until after marriage to have sex!

You can be ace and embrace your sensuality, you can be ace and love to wear slutty outfits because fuck yes, it's my body and I do whatever the hell I want with it.

Do you know which other incredible sex icons other than Astarion are headcanoned as ace? Freakin' Jessica Rabbit and Barbie (from the 2023 film). You know, the most sexy characters ever. Because guess what? Ace people can be sexy too.

I'm sure the person who wrote the original post didn't have any ill intentions but damn, if you don't know what you are talking about, don't drag ace and demi into your comments.

This is also valid for trans headcanons btw, but I'll leave this whole topic to someone else who has more direct experience on it.

The point is: let people headcanon whatever the hell they want, there isn't a character "more suited", and there are plenty of reasons why people resonate more with a character over another.

Headcanons of Wyll as demi/ace are awesome,

Headcanons of Wyll as allo and very princely are awesome,

Headcanons of Wyll as trans are awesome,

Headcanons of Astarion as demi/ace are awesome,

Headcanons of Astarion as allo are awesome,

Headcanons of Astarion as trans are awesome.

[bluginkgo]

Quick announcement (before the diarrhea of information):

I'm gonna go on a semi-hiatus for a week or so. I'll still be around, just not posting any drawings. Need to replenish my energy and drawing reserves cause I'm dead >_<

Sleep behind scenes!

So... Ginkgo why the hell did this take you so long? Sorry, sorry 😅 Here's what happened. I got burned out after like 10 pages (specifically the manor backgrounds killed me, plus having the full gang in the story) and then got sick and was not feeling all that great. Working through the burn out, sick, AND college work on top was quite hard not gonna lie though, but I wanted to finish it ^^

Alright, now as for little unnecessary Easter eggs, I added as nods to the show and my other interests. ^_^

1. Undertale save point. Undertale had me sucked in for a good long while, and for some odd reason decided to re-emerge in a form of the star save. Made it purple for Uzi's effect over N. She made him more rebellious, so he started to question why is it his memories and dreams are strange/corrupted/missing instead of just going with the flow.

2. Ep3 nod. V and N have history, history that I wish we get to see. V was nicer, kinder, in my opinion, prior to the absolute solver going rampage. So it makes sense for them to have some sort of friendship at the VERY least. So I decides to give it a small spin to it too. A direct quote from ep3 ^_^

3. Ep 2 + 5 nod. I kinda pulled the moment when James dismissed N from ep2 together with events that follow after N leaves library in ep5. Chronologically, these events don't fit together, seeing as ep2 is when N first meets Cyn and ep5 is when she's already set up the massacre. But this is exactly what I was going for. N's memories are jumbled at best, so I took liberty in mixing, matching, and editing his memories just as the admin program would probably.

4. Absolute Solver symbols nod. My chats with @absolute-solver (sorry for annoying you with tag 😅) made me realize that the absolute solver ought to have more presence now. It's activated and running systems in the background for Uzi. Whiiiiich means that drawing absolute solver should start now. BUT, it's rudimentary at best. Symbols don't really make sense and are not completed for most of the time. Not until Uzi at least sees the error message in ep2, when she truly starts questioning what that weird symbol on her visor is. I headcanon that N does know or at least feel that the absolute solver symbol is familiar, hence the little comment.

5. Absolute Solver Nori. Why is there so many absolute solver Nori around? I'm certain she went back to normal, just like in pictures Khan showed us in ep4 post core collapse. But I connected the solvers together here. Uzi's absolute solver string is up and running, and because the solver is a hivemind, it'd connect the memories and warp them a little. So that's why Uzi's doodle of her and Nori at the end (and during memory recall) was so full of absolute solver. It's slowly taking root, whether she wants it to or not.

Personal touches/added/cut ideas:

N's tail wrapping around Uzi like a hug. Originally, Uzi was supposed to look more nervous, but not for the reasons you might think. I cut the nervous look to a more upset look so it wouldn't be confused for fear. Uzi's never scared of N (yes, I don't count ep2 either, that was a lot of events at once and very little time to process them). The nervous look was more of a "Why are you butting in?" type, you know? Being a loner makes you cautious, so when N prods at feelings, I figured Uzi would be a bit defensive.

Cyn is fully rendered and yet I glitched her so much I felt bad. So here's full absolute solver Cyn eldrich monster thingy. ^_^

I pulled a Hazbin hotel moment. Did you see it? Abracadabra GONE! All the scraps from first couple pages with NUzi chatting POOFED out of the existence. Did I get lazy and tired? Yes, that was the tell tale sign of burn out, when I stopped keeping track of background details and just kept the pod.

These progress shots show pretty well how the story boarding goes and how I change my mind too easily. 😅 storyboard is still as much of a mess as ever, sketch shows you I was gonna keep Uzi's hat, but decided against it in final product. I figured this. Nori gave Uzi the jacket whenever Uzi got a bigger body + hair. These are the same jacket and hair Uzi has in canon. Uzi's body is just upgraded again and her hair gets shorter in that regard. The jacket would be big on her, and cover her hands, but what's up with the fluff if I draw canon jacket more spiky? And where's the death battery drawing? I headcanon Uzi drew those on once she got into the angsty teenager stage. The jacket is more spiky from wear and tear.

Fun fact! You can sorta tell who's gonna show up in the comic by what memes I post prior. Here's some examples ^_^ Cyn showed up, and that was first practice with maid outfits and Cyn's eldrich form. Closely followed by manor gang, the second/final form of maid and butler outfits and prime practice for those scenes. This example is a bit spoiler for a meme I'm working on right now! I've never drawn Nori before, so I quickly sketched out the idea and continued on with the comic (otherwise, I'd lose my steam and procrastinate on it again). Memes are filler for you guys while I work on the actual projects (comics), and along the way, they give me practice and change in drawing style ^_^

Is it a coincidence that this comic is called Sleep with the release of a certain horror game? Actually, yeah pure coincidence 😅 I had this drafted allll the way back in November, and didn't take particular interest in poppy playtime until I saw lanky boi, which was actually during a stream I watched on release day of the chapter.

(I didn't know tumblr, or at least the phone app, had a tag limit of 30, BOY was I surprised @brookiedaaroacecookie that must have been THE tag city, sorry 😅)

Next comic is Loneliness 1 and 2

This one is split into 2 POVs from both Uzi and N side, thus its 2 separate comics. That one will be more NUzi centered, too, a slight angst and comfort spin to it. That will come... sometime. I have a few more projects I wanna finish up with prior to starting on these guys ^_^

Why are you still reading this? Omg, have a cookie 🍪 you made it. Have a nice day now ^_^

[desultory-novice]

Once again, my ask box is so packed that I'm bundling a few of these so I don't have to take up everyone's day/dashboard with posts!

This time:

-The Fate of Mirror Galacta Knight -Traitor Magolor vs Elfilis?! -Kirby from Undertale?! (Silly) -Other Characters Babysitting 10 Kirbys -Magolor and Daroach Thievery Dynamics -A Redemption Arc for Zero?! -The Love-Love Stick is The Best

Anon, your concept that there WAS a Mirror Galacta Knight but that they were defeated - perhaps by Galacta themselves - is awesome!! I think the concept that either one or both Galacta's maybe even has a goal to see the other versions of themselves destroyed, pre- or post-sealing, feels very in character for Gala. Perhaps Gala knows of the Dimensional Mirror and doesn't like the concept of falling prey to it. Perhaps Gala truly does seek power and will only be confident in themselves when they are THE only one. Or perhaps they see what's coming and want to stop themselves from banishment and imprisonment across countless dimensions.

As for Galacta borrowing something in memory of his mirror self.. why not, right?! I think that's very cool! Aeon hero is able to turn their wings black and change his armor. It's not out of the realm of possibility! (Nothing is too fanfiction-y to have as a HC! Because neither headcanons or fanfic is something to be ashamed of! So please, indulge in all the fanfic-y thoughts that you wish!)

As for the last part, I totally believe that Magolor saw or encountered Galacta Knight at some point. (I always thought it would be funny myself if the first time Magolor is made aware of Gala is the Lor recording a snipped of Galacta's battle with Meta Knight in the Meta Knightmare Returns. You know, that easter egg where you can sometimes see the Starcutter in the background when Gala attacks? And so Magolor is going through the logs and notices, "Wait, was that a dimensional rift we just passed by? Whoa! Who's the dude who looks like an angry Kirby fighting Meta Knight?! ...Wait, weren't there legends of someone like that in those old texts?")

--

@a-stardusted-sky

Ahh, thank you so much for the birthday wishes and the nice compliments! I hope you're having a lovely day yourself!

OMG, Traitor Magolor vs Fecto Elfilis in the battle of the big, self-important egos! I can't help but think that even though Magolor ought to have "unlimited power" thanks to the Master Crown, he feels a little limited in creative ways to use that power. Whereas Elfilis would probably have no end of ways to use their dimensional power to ruin Magolor's day! They're both super persistent though, so I imagine neither one would want to give an inch.

As for how Elfilis would react, I imagine those choice words would get even spicier upon seeing Magolor flitting around with the Master Crown. Honestly, if Elfilis has enough of an understanding of the powers made from THEIR power, they could simply toy with Magolor knowing that all they have to do is damage/overload the Crown and then just leave Magolor a gloopy mess.

Is it just me? Sometimes I think of Elfilis as one of those characters that doesn't even have WORDS when they get angry. I think their speech in Lab Discovera was somewhat practiced, and that the capsule had something of a restraining effect on their emotions. Whenever they're free, they're mostly seen roaring and wrathing at people (in contrast to the angelic beauty of their completed form.)

--

@emeraldcoloredwinter

Not that shocking...!

Pictured: A Peaceful Family Reunion?!

(PS: are there still proponents of the theory that Sans is Ness grown up or was that exactly the kind of theory we make fun of Game Theories for now? I'm so out of the loop...!)

...But also, does that make Gaster Dark Matter? Or some other form of Matter? (...Stop! You shouldn't ask questions you aren't remotely equipped to handle the potential response to, Dess...!!)

--

This is a concept that I absolutely love! And it's been explored so little from what I've seen?! There's that one, err, somewhat infamous(?!) animation series which... ah, congrats on them for putting in all that work to get it done, and I won't say anything negative about them including content that appeals to them personally when, from what I've seen, everything manages to stay in the proper rating. Plus, making a full animation series has got to be SUCH an endeavor that you likely need to write/draw what you love to keep yourself motivated/sane in order to finish but...it's not personally for me. ^^

(Reminds me a bit too much of some of the western animation of my childhood that I wasn't too fond of. Aka, the reason I pivoted to watching anime as soon as I had the chance. ^^; )

BUT that aside, I've also seen some cute fanart on Twitter and such of Magolor not babysitting the 10 Kirbys but commenting on them...and then trying to steal one or two of them while no one is looking to keep for the sake of teasing on his own!

But yes, the idea of other caretakers is rich!

I personally think, in an adventure scenario like Mass Attack, Magolor would have a great time "accidentally" misleading the Kirbys into non-lethal traps, just to see how they fare. Marx would absolutely be a pest to the mini Kirbys! I think, when the chips are down, he would defend them (Kirby is HIS to torment, after all!!) but in times of relative peace, he'd probably try to eat a few... just to see...

The Animal Friends are used to backing up Kirby and would step into the role with no problem. I think Rick would love to ferry the tiny Kirbys around, them clinging to his fur. I think Ribbon's reaction to the 10 tiny Kirbys could be very funny, although that probably depends on where you fall on shipping the two of them.

Meta Knight would be another one who would be really fun/zany for different reasons. I think he would initially TRY to be stoic and treat the 10 Kirbys as if they were as reliable on their own as regular Kirby but then the moment something happens to one of them (even if they ARE in fact okay) his stoic facade breaks and he becomes a nervous wreck/helicopter guardian mode!

The Mage Sisters feel like they would cover the whole spectrum of reactions! Francisca wanting to "keep" some for herself. Flamberge wanting to test how strong they are and laughing when they turn out to be only 1/10th the original Kirby's power. Zan being the one who just... can't stop being ~SHOOKETH~ about the whole thing. (And the fact that Flam and Fran won't stop giggling about the minis!)

Dark Meta Knight would probably swoop them up and them drop them on Shadow Kirby to deal with. Susie would probably be a relatively reliable helper, keeping in touch via her tech whenever any trouble shows... in exchange for the rights to merchandise the mini-Kirbys after everything is over. >w<

--

@icedragonlizard

Hee! I got around to reading some of your dynamics posts, by the way! They're really good! (I still have more to read through yet!) But yes! This is super cute! Especially since both their tastes lean toward the collection of the ancient... and dangerous!

It's absolutely one of those things where one or the other will be proudly talking about their latest haul/salvage and the moment they have their eyes turned, the other is walking out the door with it!

Neither means the other any harm, so it doesn't hurt their friendship any. But there is absolutely a twinge of jealousy. 

"H-How did you...?! But... but... I've been looking for that EVERYWHERE!" "Looks like you were looking in the wrong places."

Everyone else is probably relieved by this strange dynamic they've got because it keeps most of the rest of THEIR collections safe!

--

Hmm, you know, I'm not certain that Zero as they are COULD have a redemption arc. They feel too... primordial for that. As if they are nothing more than the incarnation of what they can become, which renders them nil (fufu...) to change.

But Zero 2.... yes. I think there's room there. I think Zero 2 is a lot like Void in that they are searching for identity after their destruction and resultant... rebirth? (Or simply the act of living on in a new form? Zero 2 is such a fascinating mystery!)

But I think about the fact that while Zero's theme is just mystery and weirdness and fight music, Zero 2's theme is so... sad. 

(Btw, I listened to Man on the Internet's Zero 2 with lyrics recently and really liked it. It had this great feeling of... inevitability to it? I'm typically a bit mixed on Kirby boss themes (:cough: I haven't yet found a Marx one I like though I really like some of the lyrical motifs in Itoki Hana's version :cough:) but I liked this one.)

Anyway, as for Zero 2's redemption, I think it would all tie back to the fairies, really. Zero 2 spent pretty much the entire length of the game possessing the Queen of Ripple Star and I'm one of those "you can't really possess someone/be possessed by someone without that having an effect on you. For both the possessor and the possessed."

And whether or not the Queen is one of the heroes of lore, we have reason to believe she is both a being of power and a powerful being for good. (Why else would Dark Matter target Ripple Star FIRST without getting near Popstar? Well, getting their non-existent tail kicked might have something to do with it! XD )

So basically, I imagine that either Zero 2 picked up...something from the Queen or that the Queen might take it upon herself to preserve some form of Zero 2. To give it a chance to redeem itself. Surely, this would wig out certain of the fairies, who still remember their home's invader, and I imagine Zero 2 to be something that would probably have a very hard time understanding the difference between doing good and doing evil - only that one gets praised and one doesn't.

They might never be able to understand. They might never be able to be a friend, or left alone with an innocent creature, as invasion and corruption could be so woven into their nature that they couldn't HELP but hurt it, even though no intention to do harm was there. But through a bond/a deal with the queen, they might be assist in helping other planets that Zero had harmed or at least be stopped from harming anyone else.

...I dunno. It's interesting though!

--

@newthinkerer

I love the Love-Love Stick so much! You're right in that it's so uniquely Kirby's! Not just as an artifact, but as a representation of what Kirby would do when a genki dama's worth of power is sent his way! (Sorry for the random DBZ reference!

That and Dess loves magical girls / maho shoujo shows so the fact that is a really good approximation of a magical transformation wand is also excellent in my book! (Let Kirby Be A Magical Girl!!)

Speaking of the maho shoujo genre... a decent variety of finishing attacks are about "healing" the inner darkness/corruption/violence of their opponent/monster of the week rather than destruction. That Kirby would fight Zero with love in an attempt to heal them/the damage they have done to Popstar... It's all too good!

(The fact that it destroys them and all the Dark Matter too is a bit sad. But Void takes damage from Friend Hearts so...)

I like your idea about Gooey too. Either taken perfectly literal or as a metaphor -- that Gooey couldn't/was afraid to tap into their Dark Matter origins until he was shown enough love and acceptance that it was safe for him, emotionally, to do so.

...But of course, the other best thing about the Love-Love Stick is that Kirby KEEPS IT after the events of Dream Land 3 only to proceed to use it to bap people over the head with it in Star Stacker SNES!! Gryll, you have the honor of being defeated by the same weapon that was used to obliterate Zero. And yet, Gryll totally survived. Gryll strongest last boss canon?!?

[smaller-comfort]

In conclusion:

On the one hand, I do have a lot to say about this story. On the other, it's been a weird few weeks and I probably need to take a break from the internet for a while, in general. (Am I going to? Probably not.)

All things considered, my notes are a lot less hysterical than I was expecting. Here we go!

The expanding text was a last minute addition, but I'm glad people had fun with it. I certainly had fun with it. The "Pause" at the top of chapter 6 probably makes me laugh the most, but the ones in chapters 3 and 4 were what made me stick the cuts in there to begin with.

I really wasn't expecting to actually finish and/or post this one any time soon (or ever???) but, like I said- a weird few weeks. I don't usually hyperfocus on a single project like this, and lately my brain feels like it's going to implode. Anyway!

Who is the second person narrator in the expanding text? I leave that as an exercise for the reader.

Death of the author and all that, but here's some of the background stuff that probably ought to be in the story but isn't:

It's really only a few months between Dreaming Still and Save Scumming; Aephorul wasn't actually lying about the spell being a rush job, and Resh'an absolutely did not do his due diligence before he opened that vial.

They're idiots! That's it, that's the real theme; they make each other stupid, and they mirror each other's poor decision making constantly.

(I'm not trying to be like...a subtle writer. I have these themes and ideas nailed to a two-by-four. I am going to beat someone to death with them. At least, that's how it feels to me, but I realize that may not necessarily translate as well as I think it does.)

After not speaking to each other for a thousand years and then getting thrown back together- however briefly- during the events of the game and Loser Takes All, they're both desperate for any excuse to see each other again. They just have to make things complicated for themselves.

Aephorul really could have just sent a letter, like "hey wanna grab coffee somewhere neutral sometime and ~not argue~ for a little while less-than-three winky face winky face?" (He dictates.) And Resh'an would've replied back, "I don't drink coffee anymore" along with a location and time. (He does still drink coffee; Aephorul swings by Sea of Starbucks and gets him his favorite latte.)

Resh'an intended the time loop to be insurance, in case something did go wrong. Whoops. He can't help it, but he's really only playing twelve dimensional chess with himself. Aephorul, meanwhile, is playing poker. I could torture this metaphor a little more, if you want.

Pure, organic, unfounded headcanon territory! Aephorul can't manipulate time the way Resh'an can- but he does know more about time magic and alchemy than anyone else in the universe except Resh'an. When he's paying attention, he's able to see what Resh'an is doing, and he's on hyper alert after his embarrassing lapse in Dreaming Still.

He doesn't have a clear sense of the events of those other loops, but he does get a pretty clear idea of the emotions he's experiencing. Anger tends to compound itself.

Hokay so. In the game, Resh'an splits himself into 3 "clones" during Garl's borrowed time. Those aren't empty puppets; my theory is he made a time loop, iterated himself, and then reintegrated those loops into the main timeline. That's sort of what happened here. The time loops are separate and concurrent, so my cutesy framing device is slightly misleading; technically no one is going back to restart the loop.

Okay, technically some of them do. There were probably more iterations than just the three in the story. They're not really important, except one of them is going to be a standalone story at some point (no happy ending).

It's not linear. Don't worry about it.

There are some fucked up implications here! This is not Resh'an's first rodeo/orgy/extremely ill-advised gangbang. It's also not the first time Aephorul has sexually assaulted him. It might be the first time those things happen in conjunction with each other, but Resh'an is being fairly literal when he says none of this is new to him.

Does this even rate in the top 10 of horrific things Aephorul has done to Resh'an? It might be like...8th or 9th place. Definitely not in the top 5, in Resh'an's opinion. (He and Aephorul have very different opinions about this.)

The fact that he and Resh'an now have wildly different ideas of what constitutes "fun" is also difficult for him. He'll get there eventually. Maybe.

Aephorul really wants to pretend things between them haven't changed; before they began fighting, they would've gotten up to all kinds of weird and horrifying shit with each other, because it was fun and they were bored. (What's the point of being immortal if you can't use it to spend a few centuries inventing bizarre recreational drugs and weird sex acts? No point at all.) He's not used to asking for permission when he could always just take it for granted that Resh'an would ultimately enjoy whatever he had planned. The fact that Resh'an no longer appreciates his fun little surprises is difficult for him to deal with.

One thing I really hope comes through is the way Aephorul's actions are him being extremely reactive to Resh'an's level of vulnerability. He can be gentle when Resh'an is willing to show that he's in pain. If Resh'an had begged him not to go through with it, chapter 3 wouldn't have happened; if chapter 3 didn't happen, then chapter 4 couldn't happen. It takes Resh'an being completely broken for Aephorul to be willing to show his face. Even then, he can't help responding to Resh'an's initial anger like a complete fucking asshole, before his 'wait, shit, I fucked up' instincts kick in.

It doesn't matter in any meaningful sense- what Aephorul does is inexcusable on every level- but he does erase the memories of everyone who participated in the gang rape, and most of the audience was illusionary. There's a few plot hooks in there that I may or may not pick up in a future story.

But really, I'm done with plot for a while. I think most of what's going to follow this will just be more snarsty porn. Enthusiastically consensual snarsty porn, but snarsty porn all the same.

(Since I'm apparently not done experiencing the mortifying ordeal of being known, I do intend to finish the oviposition story. Someday. Probably.)

I feel like I can summarize a lot of their relationship at this point like this:

Resh'an, face completely neutral and voice pleasant: Say one more word and I am going to mcfucking lose it.

Aephorul: one more word

Resh'an: *mcfucking loses it*

Aephorul: *shocked Pikachu face*

I listened to Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) by Florence and the Machine so many times while editing this that I think I'm now stuck with that as my Resh'an song. Embarrassing.

(Aephorul's song is, unfortunately, still Where's the Girl from The Scarlet Pimpernel.) ("We were cut from the same surly star" come on, how can I not.) (...okay also Bad Touch by The Bloodhound Gang.)

Resh'an literally broke the space-time continuum because he couldn't bring himself to kill Aephorul. This story was, in part, me wanting to work through why. I have apparently decided that it's because they're in a horrifically toxic codependent relationship that most likely will end with them destroying the universe and each other.

...okay, and honestly, when I wrote the end of Dreaming Still I was kind of like "shit, I can't just write the same scenario as Loser Takes All again." I mean. I could. But I had to do something a little different. Then it got out of hand, as things so often tend to.

This is the longest thing I've ever finished! I am actually quite proud of it! It is probably going to be at least a month before I can stand to look at it again. *sighs, and walks into the lake*

[tonydaddingham]

Because of my heart break over Good Omens season 2, I have been trying to predict what might happen in season 3. Here's what I've got: I think Aziraphale takes on the forces of Heaven. I think Aziraphale is going to realize, the hard way, how toxic Heaven is and is going to fight Heaven to save humanity. And, I think he will start this fight alone.

Aziraphale has constantly shown that he values humanity above Heaven, but he has never really been given the chance to understand that Heaven doesn't have the same values. I mean he's seen it, but he has been told for centuries that Heaven is good - when you're told something so often it makes it hard to unlearn. He will not be able to stand by as Heaven does something to hurt humanity. He also will not be willing to see humanity last only 6000 years. I think there was a bit of foreshadowing that he will fight for Crowley's nebula to get a chance to really grow. I think having him start this battle on his own allows him to get his personal growth, and show Crowley that he is ready to fight for the things he loves (including Crowley). From there everyone will come together. I would also bet that we will get to see a lot more from God in the next season.

Any ways here's to feeding my delusions of everything being fine and Aziraphale and Crowley living happily in love forever.

hi lovely, i know your ask came in a while ago but I've needed to really take a minute to think about it properly!!!✨ I feel like ive been burned by fire as far as prediction goes (ie i got NUFFINK right haha), and think i ought to just stick to analysis lmao💀

however, possible thoughts on s3:

- second coming = greasy johnson, first up

- in terms of aziraphale, i think he's going to get a taste of actually how difficult it truly is to run heaven. i don't think we're suddenly gonna have him self righteous and be pitting himself against all of heaven's bureaucracy, because i think we need to see actually how difficult it is (as much as id hate to feel ANY empathy with any of the archangels). there's going to be red tape, stupid rules that must be followed for the greater good, moral dilemmas that as a lower angel he didnt appreciate had to be made... being a boss is hard. it's not fun, you have to please a lot of people, and make everything fair whilst essentially keeping a business afloat. i think, as it stands, it's pretty obvious that aziraphale is Not Suited for it, but is too much of a good person to not take his opportunity to make things Better

- the motives behind the metatron are going to be interesting to uncover. something tells me sTILL that aziraphale and crowley, together as a unit, are part of the ineffable plan, and this was a plan to separate them in order to prevent certain things coming to fruition (eg metatron references the second coming, but what if he's trying to prevent it???)

- the BoL has to come in again somewhere (the phrase chekovs gun now gives me a Twitch), but again i think that heaven has misunderstood what it actually is. i wonder, as the link says, if it's actually the deciding journal, or at least has a chapter in it, that chooses which angels fall and which don't... which, if aziraphale was meant to fall originally (and crowley took his place - TOTAL headcanon at this point), that could explain a lot about some motives crowley to keep aziraphale from returning to heaven's clutches, a last big secret that could make or break them... anyway i disgress

- idk about god. what really strikes me is the golden glow from heaven in s2e2, vs the sterile white we see now. plus, metatron essentially being de-facto sovereign over heaven? i think god fucked off a long while ago... i suspect she will come back, but maybe not as prominently as we'd like

- idk about crowley's s3 arc, im still thinking about that, he's probably gravitated towards tadfield or the south downs or st... but we're less than 12 hours post s2 release so all a little premature to be thinking about really!!!✨

[acacia-may]

And y'know what? 27 and 45 for any ship you want to indulge. 😤💖 I'm happy to listen you gush about your faves

Thank you so much for this ask, Laura, and for playing the ship ask game! 🥰

I feel so spoiled, and I'm not sure which ship to pick, honestly. 😅💖 I was going to go with Rillmy (my OTP of Black Clover), but I have gotten a few asks about them for this game, so I think I ought to go with a different relationship here (it's only fair to give the others a chance too even if Rillmy is my favorite 😁). I also considered writing some headcanons about my CC x OC ship, Henry Legolant x (my OC) Lorelei Swallow, but since I don't talk about my OCs a lot and I've only written about them a little bit so far, I didn't think they'd fall under the "any ship" umbrella category as intended. 😅 So instead, I decided to write some headcanons about a ship between only canon characters, David Swallow x Letoile Becquerel. I (secretly) really, really love them and I don't think I have ever talked about them before so I will gladly take this opportunity. 😂💖 Thank you so much again for that and for the ask!

Answers are below the cut because the post is a bit lengthy.

Ship Ask: David Swallow x Letoile Becquerel

27. How do they say “I love you” non-verbally?

In my mind, neither David nor Letoile are particularly big on verbal expressions of love. Neither of them are against it, but I think they would both prefer to express their love through their actions rather than with their words. For Letoile, words feel very cheap and very empty if they don't have actions to back them up, and I think David (for all of his bravado and big personality) actually feels kind of awkward about expressing his feelings with the words "I love you" (even if he does express love verbally in other ways through compliments and encouragement).

David expresses his love non-verbally with his time. No matter how busy he is, he always makes a point to carve out time for him and Letoile to spend together. He loves planning activities for them to do, spontaneous little trips, and fun experiences they can share. Letoile isn't usually the biggest fan of surprises, so they sometimes have to compromise on that (i.e. he tells her that he's going to take her somewhere for the weekend and enough about the place & the weather so she'll know what to pack even if he doesn't tell her exactly where they are going 😁). As a couple, I think they both value their independence so they don't do everything together, but it's really important to David to get to share a lot of things with Letoile and, at least in my mind, a big moment for him in realizing that he loves her, is him first realizing that he wants to share so much of his life and all of these experiences with her. He really does just want to be with her all the time (or at least most of the time).

Letoile expresses her love non-verbally through acts of service. David can be a little proud and not ask for help all that often, but she can tell when he's struggling and will offer to lend a hand, which he'll often take her up on. He actually told her he loved her for the first time in a sleep deprived daze and frazzled relief when she stepped in and "saved him" from scrambling over a mission report for Golden Dawn he had forgotten about. Eventually when they marry and have a family, they tend to split the housework equally, but Letoile will often quietly surprise David by taking care of some of his laundry or helping out with some of the chores he was supposed to do (especially if he is exceptionally busy or rundown). She is also fantastic at taking care of him when he's sick (though she doesn't baby him or allow him to baby himself 😅).

45. How do they support each other? How do they rely on each others support?

Despite being so different in personality and not always seeing eye to eye, I like to think that David and Letoile actually do have a lot of respect for each other and are very supportive of each other (even if they do occasionally argue). I think David's support is very loud and exuberant--kind of like a cheerleader, whereas Letoile's support is more quiet but steady like a support beam or firm foundation where David can "safely land" when he tries to reach for the stars.

In some of my headcanons for the future, I imagine that Letoile eventually becomes the Golden Dawn's Captain (or whatever the squad will be called by then), and no matter what happens to them (if they end up together or just stay friends) David is so incredibly proud or her and goes around talking her up to everyone. I think this is especially true in a world where they're married--he's just telling anyone who will even so much as pretend to listen: "My wife is the Captain of the Golden Dawn! She's amazing!" I think he is very openly supportive of her dreams and incredibly proud of her accomplishments. In my mind, Letoile really has this forever cheerleader in him, and he really thinks she is just incredible and wants everyone to know how amazing she is.

On her side, Letoile is much more quiet and reserved just by nature and personality, and in that way, I think her support is much more steady and calm. It's less flashy but it's steadfast. She is always in his corner, and he knows that he can always turn to for advice or support when he needs it. I think David has a lot of these more wild, big ideas, and his big plans can sometimes get away from him so the support he needs is often having someone there to help him reign back in a little bit so he doesn't bite off more than he can chew and also to help him with the more practical side of how he can make his dreams reality, and I think Letoile is very good at that and he appreciates that in her.

Overall, I like to think that because they're such good friends with each other, communication comes a bit easier for them and they can be more open about their struggles with each other (despite both being a bit proud and independent at times and really wanting to default to that "Well I can take care of it myself" mentality). I think they can really learn to lean on each other and will really stick by one another in particularly rough times in their lives. I mean, say what you will about Letoile and David but they're both pretty stubborn (in true Golden Dawn fashion, of course). That can be bad things sometimes, but I also think it can be a good thing sometimes too. No matter what happens, neither one of them is really going anywhere. When they choose to share their lives with each other, they're not going to change their minds. They will stubbornly stick together through thick and thin. They might disagree sometimes, but I think those disagreements will be over mostly inconsequential things (like what color to paint the living room walls), and in a time of real trouble, they will come together and work through it together, falling back on the deep, mutual respect they have for each other.

[cacklingblobbittyrabbitty]

super unhinged rainbow magic post 8 of 12

Ok me and the pal were making this at about 9pm which is late for us considering we’d been studying all day and it shows. We’re having unhinged and frequently louder opinions, and here is where our tiny lil brains go into overdrive and begin the Headcanons. Brace yourselves.

DANCE FAIRIES

a couple generic points before we begin - all these ladies Understood The Assignment. There are no fuckin necklaces (FINALLY). Also, these bitches gay! Good for them!

Also honourable mention to Shona the Scottish Country Dancing Fairy, never published but never forgotten

Bethany She looks like a bit of a bitch but apart from that I’m not getting any personality here The outfit is on point - tutu is cute, leotard is cute (chest cinching is so accurate it hurts) She isn’t wearing pointe shoes! WHY IS SHE ON POINTE THEN THIS IS DANGEROUS Legwarmers!!!! Accurate!!!! but should also be wearing cardigans tho Adequately petite as the ballet world demands Her hand position is not correct but her head position is HEADCANONS:

Bethany is a closeted lesbian, she loses a major role to someone else in the company (homoerotic rivalry that takes over Bethany's life), she has a breakdown at the age of 26 and a quarter-life gay crisis. She shoves herself violently back in the closet, which is tied to the toxicity of the heterosexual dancing life - super ironic because like nearly everyone is gay but everything’s a secret. Then Bethany is forced to retire because of mental health/physical health issues (probably from fucking pointe shoes or the lack thereof), so she moves to a small town and opens a laidback dance studio for cute lil kids (baby ballet!) She then falls in love with the aunt of one of the kids who’s the costume designer, when she’s gluing glitter on a costume for a recital. This costume designer is a punk because SHE WAS A PUNK SHE DID BALLET WHAT MORE CAN WE SAY

Jade OMG she’s Rocking That Shit! NO notes She has the 70s hair and it is OUTSTANDING She has face paint of a green star! Iconic! We stan Everything is working so well yessss -  low waist groovy flares, chunky wristbands, party top halter neck The shoes are sliders but heeled which idk is sus Life of the party Jade! She’s a popular girl who’s actually nice, just look at her you know she has massive personality

Rebecca The lil shoes and socks! (heart eyes) Finally the motif is cool! She’s got records! The skirt is just so perfect (polka dots!!!) You can see her dancing! She has movement! The scarfffffff is so beautiful Scoop-neck 3-quarter length sleeved top! Could be darker but i love it anyway! We’re letting it slide! We’re petty so this is big for us! She has a personality! Severe fringe and high pony is so iconic (we’ll overlook the volume issue in the hair) She’s swished, no notes

Tasha Holy fuck we are getting FED TODAY She’s bisexual, no notes The bows on her shoes are adorable! Even though we think tap shoes ought to be the traditional black and white ones but other than that she’s good Re. the waistcoat cropped sleeveless collared corset looking thing: how does she manage to pull off such chaos so well? Answer: disaster bi Skirt and leggings combo coming BACK WITH A STEEL CHAIR THE CANEEEEEEEEEEEEE WE LOVE A PROP (side note: is this the first prop that’s not a living creature?) The HAAAAAIR - this is what avril lavigne wanted to look like, Tasha could be a skater girl Enormous top energy (it’s the cane and pose and look and smirk) and yes we would

Jessica I have those exact shoes but in black so she’s got taste We appreciate the merging of the 1920s flapper and the 2000s energy but lmaoo what are the belt, the neckline, and the shoulder straps doing with themselves  The boa is INSPIRED even if it does make her pose look a bit fucked up - bitch needs some physio stat Marilyn Monroe is that you? If so congrats on the lesbian energy They’ve finally cracked the blonde hair! Give your warm blonde fairies pink-toned skin for the love of god

Saskia (or Serena i guess but Saskia is a way cooler name ngl) Most important thing first: FRECKLESSSSSSS Hair needs to be shifted to the left slightly but other than that it’s a really gorgeous hairdo - a little too much shine but at this point the fairies are singlehandedly shooting herbal essences’ profits sky-high The colour-grading on the outfit is delightful and perfect, the sleeves and the skirt are beautifully complimentary Fire motif for bad bitches! The heels are not high enough though, we want you to give this bitch some ankle issues - that being said, you KNOW she’s the woman who can run in stilettos She is SO intense everything is cranked up to 11 at all times and honestly? Good for her!

Imogen  Skirt looks like ice crystals! We like it! But we do wish there wasn’t such a harsh waistline - i want continuation (e.g. the lines go up and then spread out into crystals) Crystals at the neckline are niiice but we don’t want the little spaghetti strap thanks just tape it down Half up half down hairstyle is beautiful - it hits her in the face when she spins but she’s dealing, girl is a performer, the show must go on. And she IS the show Hair and outfit FINALLY complement each other, well done for having the best blonde hair yet - also her boots are to DIE FOR She winking! She cheeky! You think she’s gonna be aloof but she’s so friendly

HEADCANONS: Gay and out babey Fuck the heteronormativity of figure skating man - she has a male partner and they’re best mates, but she also has a female partner (not allowed to compete internationally yet but they’re rioting)

[plantwithoutplot]

I saw you reblogged a post the other day about wanting to receive more asks so here's mine. Sorry if it is too specific, you don't have answer it.

As a fanfic writer, what advice would you give too someone that's just starting?

Hi Anon!!! Thank you for noticing and for sending an ask, that's so so sweet of you 🥺🙏💕

Oooooh great question!! Uhhhhh.... Σ٩(๑º ﾛ º๑)۶

I'm going to separate this into two different advices, because I'm not sure if you wanna hear something general or more specific, and as someone who studied fan fiction in University + has been writing fanfics for +15years, I would have tons to say if I don't restrict myself 🤔

1. Know what you want to write

If you're like me and have a thousand ideas a minute and lots and lots of motivation until you're a few chapters in, having an outline really, really is the best!

For example, as yourself a few questions:

Will this be a one shot? Multichapter series? A series of one shots? This will allow you to wither condense/fill your writing to focus on what you want!

What kind of narrator do you need? You can find many, many lists on internet about narrative voices, their cons/pros, and how they affect your story. Sometimes, writer block happens because you HAVE a story, but you're looking to tell it from the wrong POV

What would that character actually do if put in this situation? Quite often you want to write fanfictions to fullfil a need to see a certain trope/situation/what if, and then found yourself in a pitch mid-chapter because?? Something feels off?? And in the case of fanfiction, it could be because there is a problem of balance between what you want to see the character do versus how they would react in canon. This is a REALLY tricky one, because you have to adapt your writing/the dynamics/tropes you may usually rely on so that it can fit the character you're writing instead.

Okay that was for the specific-ish answer on writing!

If you have anything else you want details on, or just wanna talk about, feek free to ask in a reblog/comment/DM too! I'm always happy to talk about writing (*´▽`*)❀

Now, here is the more general, but best advice I could think of when it comes to writing fan fiction:

H A V E F U N ━!!

Does it sound obvious and silly? Yes ― and?

Fan fiction comes from a place of love for a piece of media. It can be a reaction going along with or against canon, but in both case, it is the love and deep entertainment you've experienced that makes you want to keep it going.

You start writing a story to have fun with it ― for some it means giving their favorite characters more sfreentime, others will want to shower them in love and fluff, and wuite a number of us make their life even worse to put them through hell before giving them a meaningful, happy ending (or not).

Plus, you are never alone. From the moment you thing of creating fan content, you become a beacon to the rest of your fan community. We're all in this together, even if we disagree on ships or characterization or plot points ― you're never alone. You will find people experiencing the same brainrot as you do. They will find you and want to share headcanons with you as well. You will both encourage each other to keep loving the media you're connected by, whether you decide to create or not, whether you're satisfied with the quality of your craft.

The point is: this isn't a chore.

This isn't homework. This is soemthing you yearn for ao bad you decide that you will try your best to bring it to life yourself if you have to.

Which means that it's okay to give up too.

It's okay if this isn't the best work of the century, or even oje of your best works! You're free to write the cringiest shit, just like you have full reign to take ten years to write a fic so meaningful, so well told, that it ought to be studied in class like any other work of art that is oraised by classicists.

You're free.

Have Fun.

[wildstar25]

still not over this scene aaaaaaaaaaaaaa o+< sorry sorry I am putting this giant "thoughts and sequences" post under a read more!! warning its very long, incredibly ramble-y, and full of sappy (not proof read) ship content haha

So because Arsay lives off the power of friendship it would feel weird if only one of the scions visited her that night imo... My headcanon is that each scion knocked at her door to chat as she was (very slowly) getting to bed herself (she kept getting distracted staring at the moon and contemplating) I'm just going to run through how I think she would handle each convo in the order they'd show up in:

Alphinaud

He's baby. my son. precious bean!!! Literally cannot express how much Arsay cares for him. Their conversation goes as seen in game -

As Alphinaud began to thank Arsay for the nth time, she placed her hand on top his head. "Of course I'd trust you Alphi, you're family! You needn't thank me for doing what any good big sister would do." She rustled his hair with a smile. "I know you'll always try to make the right choice. Whatever happens from that, we'll face it head on together as always." With one last pat, Arsay removed her hand. Alphinaud smiled in kind as he began to fix his out of place hair. "Try as you might to protest Arsay, it is of great import to me that I properly convey the depth of my gratitude. After all our journeys together, I dare say I've used every expression imaginable to so. Nevertheless, I hope these words of mine still carry some small weight."

The conversion would continue the same from there, Arsay of course wishing him a good night back! Once he's done writing his letter to Arenvald he goes off to bug Estinien.

Alisaie Alisaie, in typical fashion, does not let Arsay get a word in that whole conversation. As the young mage sprinted off, Arsay thought to herself that she ought to give Alisaie a great big hug the next morning. Alisaie would most likely object to that, but Arsay will do it anyways because she is so proud of her and was absolutely so heartened by her show of concern. Alisaie, with energy still to spare and naught to do finds herself hanging out with Alphinaud in Estinien's room.

Y'shtola Shtola sounded sooooooo upset when she talked about how fucked up Arsay's aether was at the end of shb. I had a feeling it was bad but she can't even look towards Arsay when she's talking about it now... oof...

I suppose then, that this has been a constant worry for her since that time.... that Arsay could come back from an adventure looking like a monster to her yet again :( Something I've enjoyed of her writing in this expac so far is how they've been highlighting what troubles her; that her ability to see/recognize the ones she cares for so dearly completely depended on a property that can fluctuate so easily. [It always felt a bit odd in hw when she came back and it was treated as "oh yeah I'm blind but im not really blind". Perhaps that was a product of the character writing - that Shtola at that point in time would have never dared mention if she couldn't see something perfectly - though it's probably more likely a "introduce a magic thing so we dont have to write about disability in our media property" situation. Let's say, on a good faith reading, it was the later, then that demonstrates some significant grown from her character. She trusts in her relationships enough to let them know when she needs confirmation or help. ]

It's good that she is finally bringing it up to Arsay though!! Perhaps this might be the catalyst for them finding other ways to quickly recognize each other; even when y'shtola's aether-sight is impaired or Arsay's aether gets weird! It's hard to say what that could be; I feel as though Arsay already greets her with so much warmth in her voice Shtola would be hard-pressed NOT to recognize that voice as her Arsay. Hmm, perhaps the forehead bonks or intertwining their tails could be a grounding method for the two of them? Similar to how Seto saw Ardbert through Arsay; if Y'shtola ever feels unsure, she can close her eyes, focus on the touch, and let her heart see Arsay the way she remembers her to be. Yes, lets go with that! Moving on - as to not obscure it in the tags -it is absolutely canon to me that when Y'shtola told Arsay to keep warm, the following took place

"If I feel so much as the slightest chill, know that I'll seek out your warmth first and foremost. ...Or perhaps we can skip all that; Stay, won't you? I'd sleep more peacefully by your side." Arsay took Y'shtola's hand in hers with a light squeeze, "Please, Shtola?" "I should have expected you'd say as much. What of G'raha?" "I haven't seen him since we returned; but should he make himself known, I was hoping perhaps we could keep him warm as well." "Arsay, exactly how large do you believe that bed to be?" "oh, we'll figure it out - I'll sleep on the floor if I must!" "Really?" "Mhm!" Y'shtola let out an accepting sigh. "Alright, I suppose like everything else you'll make the impossible happen. I still have matters to attend to before bed, but I shall return ere long." "Wonderful!" Arsay pulled Y'shtola in for an exuberant hug. "Thank you Shtola, for everything." She planted an equally enthusiastic kiss on the seeker's cheek with a loud "mwah" before relinquishing her grip. As Y'shtola made her way down the hall, Arsay turned towards the window of her room once more.

Thancred Thancred and Arsay's friendship has always been slightly debatable tbh. They've never been outwrite unfriendly towards each other or anything like that, but they definitely had points of friction. On inspection, they actually have quite a lot in common: Both of them are orphans, haling from limsa lominsa/limsa marked territories, grew up well acquainted with the suffering an unruly crew of pirates can cause, trained with/are a member of the rogue's guild, far too familiar with feelings of loneliness, are the first to blame their own failings should aught go wrong and add that guilt to the ever growing pile, have an unshakeable sense of duty to those they care about, and, finally, both are incredibly apt to hiding much of their pain behind a smile. But unfortunately they just have very opposite coping mechanisms and a lot of how Thancred dealt with his grief in HW/StmB/ShB frustrated Arsay to no end. Doubly so when she was also going through her own shit at the same time. They only really began being on the same page during the events in Eden/The Empty. They had both gone through some considerable character growth and most importantly (to arsay) Thancred learned how to open up more. I think they were able to see/talk past their various hook ups and actually trust each other properly to stay above water emotionally. All that said, I think it was quite apt that Thancred would reach out to Arsay with that request of his. Basically him saying "Hey, you'll be the first one to spot me when I'm on my bullshit, so can you make sure I'm not doing that?" Of course Arsay agrees no questions asked. She'll gladly drag him by the shirt collar if she has to.

G'raha And of course, It doesn't take long for G'raha to come knocking at her door... Honestly I've not nearly as much to say about his scene other wow I will never recover from G'raha going from shy baby to stern/confident and saying "let me carry your burdens" 😳

the duality of this catboy... And then he goes off about adventuring when this is all over and ooooooooooooooooooooooh They really are two peas in a pod 🥹 I find it very hard to write about their relationship in contrast to Arsay's and y'shtola mostly cause they just vibe?? they are very much head over heals in love with each other and absolutely share braincells. That said Arsay is prone to not bringing up things... especially if its any thought or feeling that could be seen as negative. So this interaction between them is very much needed, really! Arsay does need to open up more and let herself not be silly 24/7!! Constantly bottling up her emotional turmoil is not good in the long run and pretending its simply not there hasn't worked for quite some time. She's been doing her best but she can always feel her worries snapping at her tail, chasing her wherever she goes... Similar to before: in my version of events before G'raha can make his leave, Y'shtola would come up behind him. She'd poke fun at the fact that he was still standing aimlessly in the hall while Arsay was actively holding the door open for him the whole time. Going as far to point out how obtuse they both can get when they need to get something off their chest as she walks past G'raha into Arsay's room. G'raha finally gets the clue and walks in after her. The three of them spent a short while chatting. Mostly sharing a laugh over the more comical aspects of their moon tour and Arsay explaining some of cool stuff she saw on the surface. (G'raha's ears poke up when Arsay mentioned the allagan ruins lol) As Y'shtola predicted, the bed was a bit cramped with the three of them in there but Arsay did not care about being squished ahaha. Just as they all finally settled into comfortable positions, there's one final knock on Arsay's door. Before G'raha or Y'shtola could object, Arsay had already leapt out of bed to answer. Estinien

It is incredibly funny to me that Estinien and Arsay get along as well as they do. They are the definition of a "tall grump and short ball 'o sunshine" duo lol. As he said in his version of these cutscenes, there is a whole lot of mutual respect in their friendship. They are also leading members of the "we are so proud of Alphinaud all the time" squad so that helps.

Anyways I wouldn't change a single thing about Estinien's cutscene; only when he barges into the room and says that "If anyone asks, I wasn't here" line: just before he jumps out the window, he turns to G'raha and Y'shtola who are plainly in the bed right beside the window and says something like "That goes for you two as well." and leaps. He is not even surprised that both of them were there to begin with. -- With that, Arsay made her way back to bed as Y'shtola lightly scolded her for prolonging their much needed sleep. "A hero should always answer the knocking of a door, no matter how late; for there might be someone in need on the other side!", Arsay retorted back in a playful tone. She ensured to close the window this time before nestling herself into the sliver of open space she had for herself on the bed. "She does make a fair point," G'raha agreed with a short laugh, "one cannot easily predict the adventures that await beyond closed doors." "Exactly! I knew you would understand Raha." Arsay, now fully settled in, gave him a quick peck. "But what Shtola said is fair, I'll not keep you two up any longer." She turned her neck to the other side to face the seeker in question and was met with a swift kiss. "Finally you say something of reason." Y'shtola responded, her smirk carried through in her tone of voice. "Now, sleep." Arsay let out a sweet sigh as she pointed her gaze towards the ceiling. "Good night you two." "Good night, my love. Sleep well, Y'shtola" "Good night, Arsay. You as well, G'raha"

At long last, Arsay closes her eyes and lets a blissful sleep between her two beloveds take her.

no words just them smiling at Arsay before bed

and Arsay smiling back :)

[raspberryranpo]

So I’m still living for your posts every day and I thought I should contribute! Could you maybe do headcanons on how the BL house would respond to their so returning from being kidnapped during the war? Sorry if this is too specific!

reactions to their s/o being kidnapped during the war

fire emblem three houses: blue lions

happy pride month everyone!! you’re all valid every month of the year!!

& thank you for 490 followers 😭😭 i’m so close to 500 !!

DIMITRI

if you thought he was mad before, you ought to see him now

goes absolutely feral. more mad than he already is, as much as i hate to say it - he’s torn apart the entire monastery and he’s ready to advance to the town

everyone is just as worried as he is, but they can’t stand to watch this man fall apart for the second time

is the head of the search party for you, all battle plans thrown aside - he must be the person to find you and take you back

once he finds you, you aren’t allowed out of his sight for the rest of the war, and he becomes very fiercely protective of you from then onwards

DEDUE

much like dimitri, he also drives himself insane, except his is a lot more internalised. if you know him well, then you can probably tell that there’s a lot going on in his head

blames himself for your disappearance and won’t allow anyone else to take the blame for it.

goes by himself to find you, storming out of the monastery at midnight - of course, the rest of the blue lions and a few soldiers follow out behind him without him realising

when he finds you and takes you back, he gives you space, of course (he’s afraid he’ll come off as too clingy), but he’s always in the area to protect you if you ever find yourself in trouble again

SYLVAIN

is downright devastated and cannot make himself come out of his room due to how genuinely upset he is

like dedue, he blames himself fully for not being there to protect you, and for being selfish enough to let you go

of course, he’s at the front of the search party, still wiping tears from his eyes

holds you very tightly in his arms when you both get back - he’s crying into your shoulder and apologising for being a sad excuse of a man

it’ll take him a while to come back to his senses, but he’ll always stay right by your side from then onwards

FELIX

tries to act unbothered but literally everyone can see how bothered he actually is

even dimitri pointed out that there’s a light that seemed to have disappeared from his eyes, and that he doesn’t hold himself with a good posture any more

runs out in the middle of the night once he discovers where you are, yelling and screaming at the people who try to follow after him

his screaming probably alerts the guards surrounding the area you’re being held in, but he’s more than happy to just knock them all out and storm right through the doors

once you’re home safe and sound, he starts apologising, his entire body shaking from how hard he’s trying not to completely break down on you

ASHE

when everyone discovers that you’re missing, his first response is just to not believe them - after all, there’s no chance you’d go missing, right?

once he comes to terms with the fact that you’re not just playing some sick game of hide-and-seek with him, he breaks down then and there, and everyone has to just help him get back on his feet

leads the team trying to find where you are, and all of his suggestions are extremely helpful - you’re found within days

also won’t leave your side for a very long time because he just doesn’t want to lose you again. he repeats this fact to you every night when he walks you back to your room

MERCEDES

doesn’t know what to do with herself. you going missing and being kidnapped was never a possibility in her mind, so for a few days she’s completely shaken

the mood is dampened in the blue lions - because you’re missing, obviously, but the ray of sunshine that was mercie has also dimmed

is right by your bedside the second you come back, her hands holding yours and her face in the crook of your neck - she can’t bring herself to physically let you go

won’t let anyone else attempt to tend to your wounds and insists on doing it herself. of course, she apologises verbally, but she uses her healing skills to try and make up for it too

ANNETTE

doesn’t cry in front of anyone because she knows that she and mercie are supposed to be the happy ones in the house - she bursts into tears every time she comes back to her room and sees some of your things in there though

annette is one of the more rational people in the house too, so she waits until everyone knows where you are to leave. she runs ahead of everyone else and is excellent at motivating people

takes down any and all soldiers waiting inside and outside of the place you’re being held in. nobody’s ever seen her do this much & they certainly aren’t complaining

her face whilst mercilessly killing all soldiers guarding you was fierce, but she bursts into a smile the second she sees you - there’s tears, of course, but she’s more happy to have you back than anything else

INGRID

is in charge of the strategy to find you & literally puts forward all the ideas. nobody else has to do anything

her face doesn’t change, and is held in the same blank expression until you’re found. nobody has seen her cry or look distressed and it’s scary

has an even scarier look to her when she’s charging into the place you’re being held in and the soldiers literally move out of the way for her

breaks down once she finds you and everyone has to tear her away from you in order to tend to your wounds

[littleoddwriter]

Can I make a request for the Sinclair brothers, Chucky/Charles, Pavi Largo, Billy Lenz and Dan Torrence with a GN!s/o who knits and their reaction to getting a hand knitted gift for an anniversary? Bonus points if you include what you think the gift could be!

Slashers x GenderNeutral!Reader, who knits | Headcanons

Thank you so much for this request! (Also, thanks for throwing Dan in the mix, I haven't written for him in forever, I missed that). <3 I really hope you enjoy these. :)

[My requests are open, so feel free to come into my Inbox with whatever you have in mind. But be sure to read my Pinned Post, BEFORE you do. Thanks!]

notes; GenderNeutral!Reader; Domestic Fluff; Anniversaries; Gifts.

Billy Lenz

Loves to watch you knit; you’re always so focused and your hands and fingers move so beautifully in quick and sure movements

It is so soothing to him to just sit there, or stand somewhere you wouldn’t see him, and observe you work (you always know when he's there and looks, even when he's not visible, you can feel his eyes on you and it makes you smile)

So when you try to make Christmas a more enjoyable day for him, you put a hand knitted forest green turtleneck sweater and a scarlet scarf under the tree for him

When he opened the present, he couldn’t help but gasp and look back and forth between the gift and you with wide eyes and a slack mouth

He loved them! They were so cosy and beautiful and smelled so wonderful – these two items were pure comfort for him

He did his best to thank you, but could barely string the words together coherently at all, but the way he stuffed his face into the thick collar and the scarf after he tried them both on, told you more than words ever could

Bo Sinclair

He thinks knitting is boring and for old people; he really doesn’t understand why you like doing it

But he has to admit that he enjoys seeing you knit something when you two are just having a lazy afternoon or night – you just look so at peace and yet very passionate, which is something he appreciates about you

Still, it was a big surprise to him when he received a knitted sweater and a pair of gloves from you for his birthday in November

It was even more surprising to him that he loved them – you’ve done an amazing job and the sweater fit perfectly and the gloves too; all items were olive green which he’d once mentioned as his favourite colour to you

It touched him that you remembered it at all and he couldn’t help but to kiss you breathless to thank you for your efforts

The sweater quickly becomes his most worn piece of clothing during the colder days

Lester Sinclair

Thinks knitting is a great hobby and you are clearly very talented and he really admires you for it

He really enjoys the times when you two just sit on the bed and cuddle, while you’re knitting; it’s so peaceful and the rhythmic clanking of your knitting needles calms him down

You know he loves his hat and he never takes it off, unless he really has to

So, it’s only natural that your gift for your one-year anniversary to him would be a hand knitted dark sky blue hat for him

Additionally you threw in a little sweater vest for his dog, which he is super ecstatic about

Lester is all over you when he receives those gifts and now your knitted hat is what he wears all the time, no matter how hot it may be, he won’t exchange it for a different one

Vincent Sinclair

He considers knitting just as much of an artful craft as his wax figures are (and it is!)

So, he really enjoys when you two spend time together, sitting downstairs, and knitting and working on wax figures respectively, – it’s the most peace and quiet he’s ever had in his life with another person

He always praises your finished pieces and shows the deep appreciation and admiration he has for them, just like you do with his own; it’s so perfect for you both

It only makes sense for you to knit him something for his birthday – a tan, oversized sweater and a black scarf that he can bury his face in (and he does)

He can’t believe that you’ve made these beautiful things for him and that you wanted nothing in return; he couldn’t possibly thank you enough for your unyielding kindness that you keep showing him

Of course the sweater and scarf are quickly his all-time favourite clothing articles to wear from that point on; he only washes them very reluctantly

Charles Lee Ray/Chucky

Teases you for having such an old-fashioned, boring hobby; but it’s in good nature and you never take it to heart

Especially not when he sits there, looking at you as you knit, when he should actually be watching the movie you two put in to have a relaxing evening – it makes you smile, though

When Valentine’s Day rolls around, you thought it to be the perfect opportunity for you to gift him something that ought to show him just how much you loved him – so, you knitted some things for him

It ends up being bright sky blue gloves, and a matching hat and scarf – a full set; because he never likes admitting it, but he actually gets cold easily

He is shocked when he opens your presents, but he is beaming at you after a moment, a genuine thank you leaving his wide-stretched lips

Anytime it gets a little colder, he is wearing the full attire; he loves it (you) so much, but you better don’t tell anyone

Dan Torrance

He loves that you’ve got such a peaceful hobby and he never ceases to shower you in compliments about your creations – he just admires your talent so much and wants to support you

It’s a little hard to make gifts for him, because he’ll involuntarily be able to hear you think about it, no thanks to his shine

So, without even thinking about it at all, you’ve knitted an azure blue sweater for him and gave it to him at random, just because

His eyes might be a little wet when he holds it up in front of himself and smiles at you so brightly

It becomes his favourite sweater quickly and he kindly asks you if you could perhaps make more for him – they just make him feel so warm on the inside, so cared for and loved, which is something he hasn’t felt since forever, but especially not since his mother has died

This blue pullover is the one he then wears at his AA meeting that officializes his eight years of sobriety

Pavi Largo

He never really gets behind knitting and why you like it so much, it seems far too tedious and boring to him

But he has to admit that all your creations look rather cosy and so full of love, which would be strange if anything could really feel obscure to him at all

Often at night he gets a little cold and you feel him shivering, but he also refuses to add another blanket to the mix

Well, you took that personally and started knitting a big throw blanket for him for his birthday that was coming up anyway (very convenient for you, of course)

No matter how hard he tries, he just can’t hide the sharp intake of breath and huge smile that grows on (under) his masked features – this was just so thoughtful and the blanket is so fucking soft, he wants to bury himself in it

It’s safe to say that he’s never cold at night ever again (and that he really likes burrito-ing himself in the hand knitted blanket you made for him)

[writteninsunshine]

Completely Unnecessary - Fizzarolli/Asmodeus - NSFWish

Title: Completely Unnecessary

Author: Keith

Fandom: Helluva Boss

Setting: Ozzie’s House

Pairing: Fizzarolli/Asmodeus | Ozzie

Characters: Fizzarolli, Asmodeus | Ozzie

Genre: Romance/Erotic

Rating: M

Chapters: 1/1

Word Count: 461

Type Of Work: One-Shot, Day 10 Of 30 Days Of Fizzarozzie

Status: Complete

Warnings: Gay, Slash, Yaoi, MLM, Dry Humping, Clothed Sex, Teasing, Sexual Situations

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything.

Summary: Fizzarolli didn't need to do that, but his enthusiasm was something to be rewarded.

AN: Hey guys, it’s me again! Just thought I ought to say, if you want vague updates and to talk to me more, I have a Helluva Boss Tumblr, too! Twitter is Sunshinecackle, and Tumblr is Gimme-A-Thrust! I also have a writing Discord that is currently pretty dead. xD If you want it, please contact me on Tumblr/Twitter!

Here we have another short one. I love me some vignettes, especially ones that are smut-flavored. I am finding no end to the inspiration for these two, honestly. I’m going to try and use this as an opportunity to get some more done for the event and also some things that I need to work on outside of it. Regardless, I am having a damn blast with these. It’s a good prompt list!

Also, I have requests open on my HB tumblr! Anon or not, feel free to send things! The link for the rules and such is in my pinned post under Headcanon/Fic Requests Are OPEN!

30 Days Of Fizarozzie Fic Masterlist

Completely Unnecessary

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Humming under his breath, Fizzarolli’s hips shifted from side to side as he bopped to the song stuck in his head. Watching Ozzie practice for his latest performance at the club meant that the song he’d written was trapped in Olli’s skull, bouncing around at all hours. Ozzie’s voice was smooth and light, and his word choice was perfect at all times, which made for a catchy song that would draw anyone back to the club. Some of the words dropped from his lips with barely enough breath behind them to be audible, and he drove himself forward with a winding motion, bumping his hip bone into the counter absentmindedly.

Lifting the next plate out of the soapy water and scrubbing over it with the sponge in his other hand, he bopped his head from side to side, giving a few abortive thrusts to the music. Sure, nothing was playing as he was doing the dishes, but he still loved the song. It was a good thing, too, since he’d been listening to Ozzie sing and watching him dance for over a week, now. Being a performer, he had pretty well memorized the dance that went along with it, and that meant he mimicked bits and pieces of Ozzie’s intimately sexual dance while he cleaned.

“What are you doing?” Ozzie asked absently, sliding up behind his artificially tall lover and taking his hips in his hands. Grinding forward, he rocked his own with the other’s movements, taking pride in how his breath stuttered.

“Dishes,” Olli replied with a little moan, pushing back into him with a mechanical whirring as his legs extended a little more to make it easier. 

“You know you don’t have to do that, right?” Ozzie murmured against his neck, mouthing it wetly as he pet the other’s slim stomach underneath his loose t-shirt.

“I kno-know.” Gasping softly, Fizz’s eyelids fluttered as Ozzie tweaked his nipples gently, and he wiggled, dropping a fork back into the water. At least it wasn’t a plate.

“Then why are you?” Purring softly, he drug one hand back down to the other’s groin, guiding him to grind against Ozzie with Fizzarolli’s dick trapped firmly between two fingers, “We have servants.”

“You still cook.” Olli pointed out with another breathy whine, rocking against him as Ozzie’s fingers pinched his nipples again, “But we have servants for that, too.”

“...Touché.” Ozzie chuckled, licking over his neck a few more times, “I guess that means you should keep going. And wrap your legs around my waist.” 

“You’re not going to fuck me while I’m washing dishes, are you?” Despite his words, he sounded excited.

“No,” Ozzie shook his head, lifting the other and helping his legs wrap around his hips, “I’m going to dry hump you while you do the dishes, and fuck you when you’re done.”

“Ooooooooh, yes.” 

So much for helping around the house. It was hard to stay on task with Ozzie touching him, and dishes took far too long to complete, but there was no making Ozzie a liar. He did wait until the dishes were done, edging his lover the entire time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: Welp, even if these are short I can’t seem to keep them from being at least somewhat sexual. Ozzie can’t keep his hands to himself.

Prompt: 30 Days Of Fizzarozzie Day 10 - Domestic

[erazonpo3]

Lost Legends

Okay so I read Lost Legends: The Rise of Flynn Rider and general thoughts? It was cute and fun, and I have gripes here and there but I can still recommend it. I don't want to compare it to WOWM because it's like apples and oranges but Lost Legends wins points for me by actually acknowledging the TTS storyline and characters, even though it's kinda brief and not quite as... entertaining.

And before I go into the in-depth spoiler review I'll jot down a few thoughts here: there's a lot to be said about tie-in media and 'canon', but where I think it becomes contentious is where two pieces contradict each other, and whether those contradictions necessitate a canonical hierarchy or cancel something out completely. And the reason I'm bringing this up is because while LL borrows TTS lore it also contradicts it? which is. ironic.

but i'll get into that. Spoilers ahead

Basic Summary of The Plot

Our story starts at the Dark Kingdom, with a short prologue. It's all stuff we already know from the series: King Edmund tries to grab the moonstone, his wife dies, Eugene gets sent away for his own safety. What's funny is that Ms Queen still doesn't get a name, but her Lady in Waiting/Handmaiden gets a name (Maeve), and it's Maeve who really drops the ball on dropping Eugene off at an orphanage instead of raising him as Prince Horace. Go girl give us nothing

And from here the LL timeline begins, as Eugene and Arnie are now twelve year olds (I think?) in an orphanage in Corona. Which is the first contradiction to 'canon' but shelve that thought for now. Eugene and Arnie are good little boys but they're getting too old to keep hanging around and the orphanage needs money for the evil Tax Man, so they decide they'll go off into the world and send some money back when they're rich off their famous adventuring. What happens instead is that The Baron's circus rolls into town (yes that Baron) and Eugene and Arnie decide to try their luck signing up for that gig.

To prove themselves to the Baron, Flynn and Lance have to perform a hazing ritual a heist. The heist is literally just to buy a key from the Weasel but it plays out as this huge dramatic thing with a guard chase which is eternally funny to me because two kids walk into a bar, buy a key and then leave, and it's treated like fucking ocean's eleven. The Stabbingtons try to betray them (those guys are here too) but Flynn and Lance outsmart them, beginning a rivalry for the ages. Also, the pub thugs are all part of the Baron's circus crew. Don't think about it too much.

Anyway, as this has all been going down, Eugene is really interested in getting to talk to this guy with a tattoo of (what we as the audience know is) the brotherhood symbol, which Eugene recognises from the note left with him as a baby. He wants to talk to this dude in the hopes he'll get a clue about who his parents are, but this dude keeps eluding him. He also hasn't had a chance to tell Lance about this yet, so when Lance finds out about it he assumes Eugene only tried to rope him into the circus so he could find his parents and ditch him. Cue an ongoing silent treatment.

Eugene eventually does talk to this guy and he learns that the Brotherhood symbol is from the Dark Kingdom but the Dark Kingdom is gone so he shouldn't bother looking for it. Bummer. And now the Baron is planning a huge heist of the reward money for the Lost Princess' return, and Eugene is getting cold feet. He's been okay with a little bit of thievery so far but this feels like too much for him, and he's not okay with pulling it off but Lance still won't talk to him.

As the plan unfolds, Lance and Eugene reconcile and then they work together to betray the Baron and return the stolen treasure that they stole back to the King and Queen. They get caught by the Baron, escape, then get caught by the guards, but it's okay because they're presented to the King and Queen and when Eugene explains that they felt really sorry about it and promise not to do it again they're let go. And so the story ends on a high note.

My Thots™

Okay so here are the thoughts

Canon Compliance?

The obvious takeaway here is that this story offers you a beautiful pie in the form of the characters you know and love and the established lore, then shoves the pie in your face with things like "Eugene already knows the Dark Kingdom and the Moonstone exist but he never brings this up" and "Eugene betrays the Baron in a very significant way but somehow they'll make up and he and Stalyan will get engaged". Which means that if the integrity of the series is important to you, you'll probably just mentally cross out Eugene knowing about the Brohood/DK/Moonstone.

And imo that's fine! My own approach to this story is a kind of general 'if it works it works, if it doesn't I'll leave it' thing to work my own headcanons around. Because there's a lot of fun things to pluck from, like a new ex-Brotherhood member and other characters that could pop up from Eugene's past and other worldbuilding details.

The Story

The story was pretty short and obviously very tailored towards a younger audience, but it still felt kind of... slow? Mostly because nothing particularly exciting is happening until the big heist and even that feels pretty underwhelming. And of course I don't expect a story like this to be particularly complex and can appreciate its simplicity, but I felt like if it had been longer there could have been more twists to keep things interesting.

For example, the Baron is set up as a character not unlike Gothel, who lavishes praise upon the boys and goes on about how they're 'family' but is obviously just manipulating them and would throw them to the wolves in a heartbeat. Eugene underestimates just how criminal the Baron is, but at no point in the story does the doubt we have in the Baron's sincerity ever amount to anything- Eugene only turns against him because he has a morality crisis, which I'll get to in a minute.

Misc. Thoughts

Okay so one thing I thought was really cute was that each chapter has a little 'quote' from a Flynnigan Rider book, and I wrote them all down so if you've read this far and want me to post those separately lemme know. Anyway I just thought it was a very cute touch.

An honourable mention goes to every time Stalyan shows up, she doesn't really do anything in the story yet still is somehow the only character holding the brain cell. Rapunzel gets an indirect cameo by Lance and Eugene stumbling upon her tower and going "Whoa that's Crazy. Anyway. " which is amazing, and Cassandra even gets a little mention by the Captain! And to answer the question nobody asked, there's a chameleon running around Corona because she's an escapee from the circus, and Pascal's mom's name is Amélie!

Characters - okay really just Eugene

Eugene/Flynn is the title character of the book and we get the story exclusively from his POV, so there isn't a lot to say about Lance. On the one hand while I can acknowledge that this is a story about Flynn, not Lance, there's a few choices that feel like a missed opportunity at best given that this book really was an opportunity to explore Lance's character in a way the series never really does.

And it feels extra egregious when the plot demands conflict between Eugene and Lance, because while the emotion between them is engaging when it's happening, at other times it just feels like a convenient way to shove Lance offscreen again. (As a side note, as contrived as the conflict is these are also two twelve year old boys so. Can't blame em too much).

Also, Eugene coming up with the name "Lance Strongbow" on Lance's behalf while he's unconscious is one of those backstory things I'm not going to be acknowledging, thank you.

The Robin Hood Dilemma

Something I touched on after reading What Once Was Mine is that Eugene's characterisation prior to the movie isn't something writers seem to really like... dealing with. And it kind of makes sense that the author received a lot of characterisation notes from Chris Sonnenburg, because little Flynn does feel very similar to the Eugene we know; only the Eugene we know is an adult man who has since grown out of his Flynn Rider persona. But the Flynn Rider persona he needed to grow out of isn't something that ought to be cast aside entirely!! Stop being cowards!!

Taking a step back, the whole premise of the book is kind of a paradox- because Eugene needs to become Flynn Rider before he can learn to embrace his authentic self, but Flynn Rider isn't hero material, he isn't a good guy, he's not the right protagonist for a story for kids. So what we get isn't Flynn Rider, it's really just Eugene trying on a new name. That works for the beginning of the story, because he is just Eugene trying on a new name, but he doesn't grow into it.

At the beginning of the story, Eugene is an orphan in a poor but still functional orphanage run by a kind old lady, and he is surrounded by nice little boys. Eugene is motivated to leave and get a job by a desire to send funds back to the orphanage, and when he joins the Baron's circus he's taken aback to learn he's among thieves. Here's where I thought: okay, this might get interesting. We might be getting a G-rated 'angel falls from heaven' story about Eugene being morally corrupted by the Baron, of learning that the world outside is tough and he needs to look out for himself first and foremost-

but no. The Baron shares his plan to steal the reward money for the Lost Princess, because all the people he's surrounded himself with are already criminals who don't give a shit, but Eugene thinks that this is going too far! What about that poor lost princess who people need an incentive to search for? (he's like, projecting about his own parent issues which is fair, but still). And so the story ends with Eugene turning on the Baron to return the money to the "right" people (aka the king and queen of a kingdom?? okay) but he takes a single golden egg for himself so he can send it to the orphanage.

Which is all sweet and nice but. He still has to become Flynn Rider, asshole extraordinaire. He still has to lose his morals to the point where he'd take an inexperienced young woman to a pub that he, in this book, recognises is a dangerous place in the hopes that he can ditch her. He still has to go and become a wanted thief and rejoin the Baron and then ditch Stalyan on their wedding night.

The reason I'm going on about this so much is that the appeal of Eugene to me is that he is this good guy who wants to be a better person for the people he loves, but that means recognising that he has behaviour he needs to change, and his development is meaningful for that. Watering him down to a righteous Robin Hood hero does him a disservice.

The Real Villain Was Capitalism All Along

I will not elaborate nor should I