#AA THIS TOOK SO LONG TO COMPLETE

[aquanutart]

I was talking and I mentioned that I have my old Game Boy and original Pokemon cartridge. I said, "I think they still work."

I was told, "The internal batteries on the Game Boy cartridges have run out. They're all dead."

"Oh," I said, trying not to show how crestfallen I was. I felt like I was losing nerd cred for not knowing that, although I never kept up with that type of info anyway. I'm here for the fantasy and imaginative aspects of games, and tend not to follow the competitive or technical details.

I tried not to feel anything as I went home. If they were real animals, I reminded myself, I would have had to say goodbye long ago.

But like so many other people, Pokemon was my childhood. It was all I thought about and dreamed about, and the closest thing I could imagine to heartbreak was the knowledge that they weren't real. I spent nearly all my time writing longhand self-insert Pokemon fanfiction--far more than I spent actually playing the game. My Pokemon were with me in my imagination wherever I went. I started playing Pokemon Blue when I was 5, and the last time I had played it was probably when I was 9 or 10. I remembered I had turned it on again one more time after that, not to play it, but to look at my childhood Pokemon.

It was during high school, after a move overseas that completely upended my life, and I was struggling with the crushing blow of being taken away from everything I knew and trying to make sense of anything (least of all adolescence) in another language. All I wanted was to go back to childhood and have everything go back to how it was before.

Seeing my Pokemon, just as I'd left them, had comforted me. I had looked at their stats pages, taken photos of them with my digital camera (that I don't even know if I still have), and then turned it off without doing anything.

That was probably 9 or 10 years after the games came out. It had been a long time since then. I had long since taken the AA batteries out of my Game Boy Color and left it untouched. I didn't even have AA batteries anymore.

It had worked then. But now it had been 27 years... I thought about not trying to turn my cartridge back on. As long as I didn't turn it on, I could believe my Pokemon were still there, the way I remembered them.

On my day off, which happened to be Pokemon Day, I googled and read that some people on forums and Reddit were still able to play their original Pokemon games.

Then... it was possible. I went out to buy toothpaste. At the store, I asked where I could find AA batteries.

It was a big thing for me to be able to go to the store and buy things myself. When I moved at age 13, I felt like something went wrong with growing up. It was difficult to follow what people were saying, and people didn't always understand what I said either. I had been introverted even in English, but now I had enough negative experiences that I became afraid and stopped trying to talk to people altogether.

I threw myself into video games and reliving childhood memories. The internet was where I could communicate in my first language and understand. I lived online and didn't interact with the real world. On the internet I felt like I was understood and could find people who shared my interests the way I did, but in the real world it always felt like I could get hurt if anyone knew me.

I realize now that I could have had a better experience overseas if I'd known how to adapt and socialize, but this was not something I knew even in English, and trying to learn in another language made it ten times harder. I'm sorry now for missing out on interactions that I know I could have had, but I just didn't know how. I wouldn't know how until I learned, and it took me a long time to learn.

I grew up online, in the company of others who had trouble fitting in with the real world, even in their own language. Those experiences shaped me, and the friendships I've made and support I've received online are invaluable to me. The internet gave me a way to live, and through it I learned how to interact with others. But in many ways, for many years, it felt like my life was put on hold and I stopped growing up.

Several years ago I moved back, to not far from where I was born, and I was able to work for the first time. I began to interact with people and feel like I had a place in the real world.

After shutting myself away for so many years, every little step I made out in the world felt terrifying. But every little thing I did on my own made me feel like I was living for the first time.

Even something as little as going to the store and buying a pack of batteries.

I was directed to a shelf at the end of an aisle, and found myself looking at a rack of lithium AA batteries. Did they not sell the old kind anymore?

I walked around to the other side and was relieved to find the familiar black and brown Duracell batteries I'd known from my childhood. I felt more confident about putting in a battery that looked the same as I remembered. The smallest pack they sold was an 8-pack for $12.99. I really didn't need 8 batteries. I didn't have any other devices that used them.

I thought, what if I turn it on and it doesn't work and I'll have wasted $12.99?

I also thought we might already have batteries. I might be able to say, "Mom, do we have any batteries?" and she'd pull out two AAs from a drawer somewhere and I'd save my money.

But somehow I felt like part of what was important about this was being an adult and being able to buy my own batteries.

Yet... what if it just ended up making me sad? Was it better not to know?

I went to the checkout with just the toothpaste and stood hesitating at the edge of the checkout line.

If I didn't get the batteries now, and it turned out we didn't have any batteries, I wouldn't try it. I knew I would just put it off until even more time passed, and then... "Are you in line?" someone asked me.

"No," I said, and I turned around and went back to the shelf.

I bought the batteries.

At home, I took out my original Game Boy Color from the drawer where I left it, the one my dad had surprised me with when I was 5 years old and that I had brought overseas and back.

I put the batteries in and turned it on without a cartridge first to make sure the batteries were inserted correctly. The Game Boy logo scrolled across the screen and it made the familiar blinging Game Boy startup noise. I turned it off again, satisfied.

I took out my original Pokemon Blue cartridge, momentarily having to remember which way it went in, and slotted it in.

I turned it on, watched the whole Pokemon Blue intro out of nostalgia, and then pressed START.

My heart leaped for joy.

MY POKEMON!!!! MY POKEMON ARE ALIVE!!! 🥺🥺🥺

My original Pokemon, that were with me in 1998 when I was 5-6 years old, are still with me 27 years later. I want to cry!!! I love the old sprites, I'm SO happy to see them again 😭😭😭 the Pokemon look so little and cheerful at the same time, which I love 🥺🥺🥺 I know there are people with many more hours on their games, who have leveled all their Pokemon to 100. But these are my Pokemon who were with me through my childhood, and I spent many more hours making up stories about them than actually playing the game. I'm so happy to see them again 😭😭😭

All I want is to see my Pokemon. My other Pokemon are in boxes. Now, how do I get to the nearest PC? Where am I?

Oh... Oh. I have to confess something. When I was a kid, I was scared of the dark cave areas, and whenever I got to them, I stopped playing for a while. (I was stuck at Mt. Moon until I was like, 7.) So I never actually beat the game.

And here I am on Victory Road, with the team of Pokemon I was taking to the Elite Four, without an Escape Rope.

The only way for me to see my other Pokemon is... to finally make it through Victory Road, after 27 years?!

[kumezyzo]

pt.2 to this angsty bullshit

gojo satoru becomes pathetic when he finds out someone is not in love with him. you saw it when he broke up with his first fling after Suguru died. he was sobbing, his blue eyes now red. his nose was running and completely stuffed with snot.

it had broken your heart to see him so distraught. it was almost as worse as the night he and Suguru fought. almost. but it wasn't nearly as bad as when he realized he loved Suguru. now that... that was pathetic. no, pathetic wasn't the word for it. it was tragic.

that night he clung to you. he wailed, and his body shook with grief and regret. god, he had loved suguru. and he had no idea. he couldn't even tell him now. but as much as he hurt, you hurt more.

"i-i lo-oved h-h-him," he cried into your neck, his arms squeezing around your waist. your heart panged as tears came to your eyes. "g-god how did i n-not see it!"

"maybe you subconsciously thought he... didn't love you back," you reasoned, trying to hold back the wobble in your voice.

"i... i jus-st want him b-back," he let out another sob as you pursed your lips and shut your eyes tight. you rubbed his back soothingly as tears fell from your own eyes. "do you think h-he would have l-loved me ba-ack?"

you nodded, "yeah... i think he did."

"w-what if i... what if i-i pushed h-him away cause i di-didn't tell him! " he said, the idea making him cry harder.

"satoru," you started, opening your eyes. more tears fell from your eyes. "it's hard not to love you."

he's not sure why it took him so long to realize what you meant by that. but it hit him like a truck. he felt like a fucking idiot. especially now that you were starting to see someone.

the worst part was that he set you up with them. but not just anyone. nanami kento.

you had been hesitant at first. one reason was because he was always the reserved, snarky but polite underclassman. there was no way the date would end with you two wanting another date. the second reason was that you wanted to hold out for satoru. maybe he'd change his mind and realize he loved you, like he had with suguru. but you came to your senses and caved.

and to your (and nanami's) suprise, the date went incredibly well. it started off with either of you shitting on satoru's persistence. then you actually started hitting it off. and one date turned into two, two turned into three, three turned into your relationship.

and now satoru was angry at himself. how did he just let you go? he had done it again. he had fallen in love with his best friend and realized far too late. and for the first time, he didn't have anyone to go running to.

i think this is gonna be the last part. hope yall enjoyed the angst. inbox and requests are open aa always -nony

[jshkmangaenjoyer]

Kou and Mitsuba's Relationship (in the Manga)

Happy Pride! And now with all of my gathered information let's take a looksies at our beloved Mitsuba and Kou in the Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun manga! (I will be ignoring the anime as I have not watched season 2 yet). First we will look at the meeting between Mitsuba and Kou. And I'm not talking about the OG Mitsuba, these two are different people. Mitsuba has OG's personality and looks like him. He does not have the memories or connections that the Original made so the meeting I speak of is the Hell of Mirrors.

Mitsuba does not know Kou yet. But Kou 'knows' Mitsuba. It can be very jarring for both parties.

In this whole scene Kou is viewing Mitsuba as the Original. As someone who has lost his memories. This is not the case, we learn this in the Picture Perfect arc when Mitsuba makes aa clear distinction between himself and the Original Mitsuba. It takes Kou a fairly long time to realize the Original Mitsuba is completely gone. I believe it took Kou until the Severance, where Yashiro and him go to see Mitsuba's mother.

I believe this is where Kou finally begins to accept that the Original Mitsuba is gone and the New Mitsuba is a different person with different feelings and experiences. There will be more later, I have to go through all the art and panels I received. For now I can say that I got these from @ocelotlesbian and @astrocket

[sunday-bug]

Steve's Sketches

Pairing: Bucky x Steve

Word Count: 0.7k

Content: none, just fluff

Synopsis: Steve Rogers loves to sketch his favorite person.

A/N: my entry for @avengers-assemble-bingo for AA Spring Bingo

Prompt/Square: "Steve likes to draw"/4

Card Number: AAS002

In the rare quiet moments he enjoyed between missions and the noise of life in Avengers Tower, Steve liked to sit down somewhere calm with his sketchpad to draw. He drew anything and anyone, but he especially loved drawing during the spring season - the perennials poking their curious heads out of the warming dirt, the trees budding with leaves and flowers of every shape and size, and especially Bucky enjoying the sun on his face after a long, cold winter. Some of Steve’s favorite sketches were of Bucky, lying in the sun with his eyes closed. He kept his oldest, most treasured drawings in a battered leather portfolio, faded and soft with age - Bucky sunbathing on a rocky beach in Western Europe circa 1943, one arm flung over his face to keep the sun out of his eyes, dog tags glinting off the water; Bucky lying on a striped towel under a boardwalk on Coney Island Beach before the war, hair damp from a swim, water rivulets racing down his limbs and clinging to his chest in a way that Steve thought he could only dream about. And then there was his absolute favorite, drawn the morning after everything between them changed: Bucky, tangled in his bedsheets, sunlight streaming through the partially opened curtains across the side of his face and muscled back as he breathed deeply, still asleep. Steve had sat in an armchair tucked into the corner of his room on that particular morning, sketching Bucky’s perfect form, replaying the previous night over and over in his mind, trying not to fall completely in love, and failing entirely.

Today, Steve found one of those special, quiet moments and slipped outside into the warm spring air, sketchpad in hand. Bucky was sitting in one of the open patio chairs that Tony had insisted on getting because of their superior aerodynamics and state-of-the-art lumbar support. Bucky just liked them because they rocked, and he loved sitting outside on nice days with a cup of coffee and a book, rocking peacefully in his chair as he read. 

Steve shut the door softly behind him as he stepped outside, not wanting to disturb Bucky, but he still looked up from his book with a lazy smile, “Hey, you.”

“Hey, Buck,” Steve replied, sitting down in the open chair across from him. “Don’t mind me. Enjoy your book. I’m going to sketch.” Bucky nodded and took a sip of his coffee before turning his attention back to his novel. Steve watched him turn the page, folding the paperback in half and holding it in one hand with his coffee in the other. The sun shone on Bucky’s face as he read, and that’s all Steve needed to start drawing. He studied Bucky’s form, harder and sturdier now than it used to be, hair a bit longer, jawline more defined - handsome as ever. He sketched his hands curled around the mug and book, watching the sun glare off the silver ring on his third finger. He wore his wedding band on his right hand, saying he always wanted it to touch his flesh, so Steve did the same, defying tradition. 

“You drawing me again?” Bucky drawled, looking up from his book. “I can feel your eyes on me.”

Steve smiled and flipped his sketchpad around, showing Bucky the beginnings of his drawing.

“Look around at all the things you can draw, and you pick me?” Bucky teased with a huff, closing his book.

Steve continued to smile, his face softening even more, “Of course I pick you. You’re my favorite subject.” 

Bucky returned his smile, “Fine. But I’m only going to sit still because the last chapter ended on a cliffhanger and I need to find out what happens.”

Steve chuckled as Bucky opened his book again, settling into the chair and immersing himself in the novel. Steve resumed his sketch, spending extra time on his favorite parts of Bucky - the furrow between his brows that he’s kissed countless times, the broad expanse of his chest that is his safe space, and his eyes that reflect back all of the years they’ve spent together through the ups and downs of life. As he was sketching, he thought to himself that this one may end up in that battered leather portfolio of his favorites because what was better than sitting with your husband enjoying each other’s company on a perfect spring day? Nothing.

This was my first time writing Stucky so please don't judge too harshly!

[teethondafloor]

Bill Kaulitz x gn!reader ~ Taking off Bill's makeup after a show.

________.✮.________

Year : 2006

Summary --

You and Bill have been best friends for over three years now and are completely inseparable. You two are partners in crime, ready to mock and poke fun at each other any chance you get, and even more ready to comfort each other right after. Tonight, the band happens to have a gig in your hometown, where you and Bill first met. You attend the concert and text Bill after, thrilled by the band's electric performance, when Bill has other plans in mind...

Bill Kaulitz x gn!reader

Cute friends to lovers arc

Warnings --

basic fluff (touching, kissing, etc)

Note --

This took me way too long to write but IM SO EXCITED TO POST IT AA. this is my first tumblr fanfic (I'm sadly a wattpad user) so sorry if it's bad :D

________.✮.________

{{y/n}} : dude! That was awesom! You rocked!

{{BILL}} : I hope. My throat hurts lol. Where r u?

{{y/n}} : headin home. U?

{{BILL}} : WTF no! I want to c u b4 u leave!

{{y/n}} : cope. Where r u??

{{BILL}} : backstage dressing room. I can sneak you in!

{{y/n}} : I will get caught!

{{BILL}} : no! I am comin for u. Where r u?

{{y/n}} : at the exit doors :P.

{{BILL}} : STAY.

{{y/n}} : OK.

________.✮.________

Standing near the exit doors of the venue, I wait for Bill to emerge from his post-show hideaway as I look around the empty room, which just moments ago was overflowing with screaming fans. I gaze up at the dim lights above, now painting the room in a slight yellow wash which my eyes peer at weakly after standing in the dark for almost 3 hours. The air-con is blasted through the room, the cool air brushing up against my bare arms and slapping me in my face momentarily as it passes me and continues lingering around the room.

After spending some time taking in my surroundings, I snap out of my thoughts and feel the hair on my arms rise, reacting to the cool air circling the area. At the other side of the room near the stage, I hear a sudden rummaging sound coming from the corner, casted with a dark shadow. I squint my eyes a little, wondering if it's Bill that's making all the noise. From the loud clanks and banging sounds, I can tell that the person is struggling through their journey. Must be him, I smile to myself. I slide my hands into my front jean pockets, continuously glancing over to the security who are stood by the doors, surprised that they don't hear the ruckus. I look back at the noise, which now grows fainter as I hear soft footsteps tiptoeing into the concert venue.

As I hear this, I notice a tall, dark figure slowly emerging from the dark corner, the black fog lurking behind it. I smile and take my hands out of my pockets, knowing that its Bill from his giant spiky hair sprouting from his head, which is the first thing I see as he steps into the room. He takes a few light steps closer, just enough to keep himself hidden from the security guards scouring around the area. As he comes closer, his face is lit up by the soft lights above us, making the ends of his dark hair glow beneath the light, and revealing his wide smile as he sees me at last. He's so bad at sneaking around, I scoff gently.

Not wanting to be seen by the employees, Bill stays behind the stage and out of their sight. I look up and see as he nods to the ground beneath him, signalling me to walk over to him. My eyes widen and I look over to the security, trying to communicate to Bill that I can't just walk up to him without being stopped. A puzzled look washes over his face and he bites the inside of his cheek, thinking. I point at the watch that's tied to my wrist, knowing that the doors will soon close for the night and I will be kicked out of the building if we don't hurry. Bill looks down at the ground before turning back to me and nodding, determined to get me backstage with him. At once, He runs back into the black void behind him, leaving me alone in the room again. I inch forward a little, wanting to run after him, before I stop myself, trusting that he has a plan.

One of the security guards at the doors notices me when I shuffle forward and calls to me form afar. "Excuse me, we need you to leave right now." Shit, I think. I freeze up for a second as he calls to me, glancing over to the corner for any sign of Bill one last time. Agitated that he fled, I look down at the floor and back at the guard. "Yeah sorry, I thought I lost something." I lie as an excuse for my long stay. Just as I'm about to take my first step towards the exit, all of the lights in the room shut off by the click of a switch, the dark swallowing everything and everyone in the room. All of the sudden, I hear firm and heavy footsteps running towards me from the opposite side of the room. Before I can even put my other foot on the ground, the footsteps are cut off and I feel as someone grabs my hand and pulls me, running back with me latched onto them. As I feel their hand in mine, I instantly know it's Bill, his many bracelets which cover half of his forearm rubbing up against my wrist as we sprint ahead and disappear behind the stage. The security guard is left clueless when the lights shut off, and speaks to the black void, only getting the sound of his own echo in response "...did you find what you were looking for? Excuse me?..."

________.✮.________

With a tight grip on my hand, Bill leads me into a tight alleyway, between the back of the stage and the dressing room which he climbed through before. The space is shielded from any light and trashed with clutter from previous bands performing at the venue. We giggle as we stop before walking through it. "Hey" he says with a smile, huffing from laugher. I can tell he is facing me, even in the complete darkness that surrounds us. "Hey" I say, lightly breathless from the excitement. We both peer through the tight gap, trying to spot an obstacle to look out for from afar, however, the shade absorbs any object inside, turning them invisible. I hear Bill turn to me again, his breath on my forehead. "Follow me, come on!" He giggles as he lifts up our hands which are still in a warm clasp. "Go!" I whisper whilst still laughing, nudging him forward playfully. Bill starts taking long and cautious steps through the alleyway, hesitating a little when he hits any object beneath us. I follow his lead, being cautious myself. I run my hand across the wall as we walk to keep myself balanced. Halfway through the black tunnel, I hear as Bill kicks an object at his feet. Still walking, I bump into his back, causing me to flinch a little. "Dude. what is it?" I whisper to him. I hear Bill rummaging gently through the junk with his feet, clearing a path for us to walk through. He laughs "I don't know, it scared the shit out of me" We both try and hold in our laughter and continue through the gap.

As we reach the end of the alley, a streak of light peers through a crack in the wall, revealing some of the junk that is spread out on the ground around us: Magazines, cigarettes, a white laced bra....I turn my head to the back of Bill's as I speak. "What is this? your sex dungeon?" I say, smiling with sarcasm in my voice. I hear Bill scoff and smile. "If it is, it's definitely not mine." We both giggle quietly. At last, we reach the end and I step back as Bill lets go of my hand and starts messing with the crack in the wall, which to my surprise, turns out to be a secret doorway to the venue's dressing room. He pushes on the heavy object which blocks the doorway, sliding his fingers under it, trying to shuffle it to the side. Seeing him struggle, I step forward and push the object forward to help, successfully forcing it out of the way.

Before stepping into the dressing room, we take a minute to catch our breaths; I lean on the wall next to me, and look at Bill as he pants. We lock eyes and burst into quiet laughter, still a little breathless. "I need to see this stupid fucking room" I say, smiling. I step away from the wall and finally enter the dressing room. The overhead lights gleam, almost blinding me as I step in, forcing me to raise my hand and shield my eyes from them. I look around, never had been backstage of a concert venue before.

A faint smell of cheap makeup and pungent nail polish lingers in the room, the sharp chemical scent burning my nostrils as I inhale it. I admire the lit up mirrors lined up along the wall, covered in stickers left behind by other musicians however long ago. Bill's and his bandmates' belongings are spread across the room, creating a small pile of clothes and bags on a large bean bag, pushed into the corner of the room. "Where are the others?" I say, referring to his bandmates. I turn my head to look back at Bill who steps into the room with his head titled down, before looking around the room himself. "They're at some party right now." He slides his hands into his pockets.

"They went without you?" I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion, knowing Tom would not leave him out like this. "no no...I didn't want to go...I don't even know where it is, and I'm exhausted." He says as he stretches his arms out gently. "Dude!" I exclaim "We could've went there!" I punch him on the shoulder playfully, causing him to shoot his hands up to his face in defence. "You can go! I'm not going" He says with a judgemental look, teasing.

I hover around the room and view the splash of graffiti on one of the walls, seeing the signatures of hundreds of bands and musicians from the past, piled on top of each other into a barely legible scribble. "How did you even find the sex dungeon?" I'm still looking at the wall when he takes off his leather jacket and throws it at me without warning, as he says with a smile "I got bored waiting for Gustav to set up." a look of surprise bursts onto my face as I catch the jacket in my hands, which I then throw onto the pile with the rest of their junk, laughing.

"So, how do you like my dressing room?" He gestures his arms, showcasing the space and waits for my response. "You are really living the life here...I mean damn. "My eyes follow the walls, stopping to observe the space again. I raise my eyebrows. "You can't help but make it a shithole though." I say sarcastically, picking up a pair of boxer shorts I saw hanging from a chair next to me. He gasps and laughs, stepping towards me and snatching his boxers from my hands before throwing them onto the pile in the corner. I snicker when I see his red cheeks, blushing furiously from embarrassment as I infect him with my laughter. "Shut up! They're gonna hear us in here!" He whispers with a smile stretched wide across his face, still blushing. He walks over to me and gently grabs me by my shoulders, shaking me to stop me from laughing. As he holds me, I put my hand up to my mouth, covering it and muffling out the sounds of my giggles. I then push him away playfully, to which he steps back. "Stop touching everything, you're gonna break something." He whispers in a joking tone.

"Especially not your trunks." I huffed from laughter. Bill blinks slowly, visibly annoyed from my teasing. "I'm serious though, don't break anything because they'll make you pay for it." I notice how he avoids my eyes and tries to change the subject. "Oh come on...I'm not that clumsy. They should make you guys pay for trashing this room so bad." I smile. He looks down, smiling at my comment, his red cheeks growing fainter.

Bill walks over to the vanity across from us, cluttered with his makeup and endless hair products. He sits down, adjusts himself on the chair slightly and looks into the mirror, which reveals a tired face, caked in makeup and hairspray, looking back at him. I walk over to him and sit on the counter next to the mirror, kicking my feet which hang from the tall surface. I take a moment to look at him, as the vanity's warm lights glimmer in his eyes.

"The concert was unreal." I say, breaking the thin silence between us. "I'm glad you came back to play here. You're everything anyone talks about round here since you got so famous." I look over to him, rubbing my arm that is propping me up on the table. I feel a little bitter-sweet about Bill's fame. On one hand I am so proud of what him and the boys have accomplished, in like what...a year? It's insane. Though, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss just hanging out. Being able to sit for hours and do nothing together. They always have something to do now, with no time to sit in the moment. The guilt of this pools inside me. It makes me feel like a brick wall that's cutting him off on his path. My biggest fear however, is Bill not knowing how to break down this wall, quietly tolerating my burden instead. "Really? I noticed so many people from school there, I really didn't want to fuck up." He says, now looking up at me with his head resting on his palm. "I'm pretty sure I saw Leon all the way at the back, poor guy got pushed out of the crowd." We laugh.

"As much as I like traveling around and playing, this feels better. I can't explain it." He smiles as he begins to stumble over his words. "I don't know, it only feels right to perform here you know?" He looks to me.

"Nah I get you, and we're glad you did." I smile at him and my eyes are suddenly drawn to his eye makeup, now rubbing off on his cheeks after every blink. "What?" He says and quickly turns to the mirror, now seeing his smudged eyeshadow. His eyes widen in shock, seeing how messy he looks after a show. "Dude, you look insane." I burst out laughing, placing my hand over my mouth as I holler. "Shut up!" He groans, laughing with me "I'm too tired for this".

I control my laughter and wait a moment before nudging one of the chairs at the vanity with my leg, sliding it closer to Bill. I hop onto it, now directly facing him. "Come here." I say. He turns away from the mirror as I grab a dry cotton pad from a pack on his desk and drip some makeup remover onto it, watching it absorb the chemicals. He inches towards me, pushing his hair away from his face to help me, and closing his eyes slowly as the cotton pad touches his cheek, working away at his pale foundation. We sit in silence for a few seconds, enjoying each others company while I scrub at the cosmetics, washing away the excitement and fatigue of the long night that has soaked into it. "Did you really want to go to that party? We could still go if you're desperate." Bill says quietly, breaking the silence.

"Nah..." I whisper "I'd rather be here with you." when my hand grazes over his face, I feel a thin smile spread across his cheeks when he hears my words. He peers at me with his eyes half shut and backs away a little. "Look at you being all sappy..." he smiles.

"Shut up and give me your face." I say, taking a hold of his jaw and pulling his face closer to my reach. He lets out a short exhale, charmed by my boldness. I run the cotton pad across his face, quickly rubbing it over his lips playfully. He smiles again now with his teeth. "That was so on purpose..." He says with his eyes still sealed shut. "What?...no.." I say sarcastically.

After dirtying the cotton pad with his foundation, I grab a second one and move up to his shadowed eyes. "Keep your eyes closed...I need to sort all this out." I scoff, laughing as I poke fun at the mess painted on his eyes that has now somehow travelled up to his eyebrows. I take the pad and a wet wipe for good measure, massaging his eyelids. He swallows quietly "I've really missed you" he says out of nowhere. A little stunned, I continue cleaning him. "Me too." My tone suddenly shifts and you can hear a faint sadness in my voice. "I'm sorry I've been going away all the time, I would take you with us if I could..."

"Don't worry about it...I'm always back here if you need me anyway."

"Well I...don't want you only when I need you, I want you everywhere with me." I'm shocked by his sudden sentimentality, not really knowing how to respond since our usual way of showing love is by bullying each other until one caves in. "I know I know, that's not what I meant." I reassured him.

"I know, it's cool." he whispers "You know...sometimes I wish we wouldn't have to travel for so long, I've missed this." he pauses "Y/n...what if I stay?" He falls quiet, waiting for me to say something to fill in the silence. I look to him, a subtle face of worry crossing my face as I pull myself together. "Dude, stop." I say "Don't be stupid, this is...a crazy opportunity. Getting to travel around Europe and sing, that's nuts....don't let me hold you back...please."

"You're not "holding me back" y/n-"

I cut his sentence short "But what if I am? And you're just not realising it?...I don't want to be that." I blurt out.

"What?..." He opens his eyes, takes me by my wrists and holds me, preventing me from moving. His eyes glare at me. "No...don't do that. You're not in my way, do you understand?" His tone turns more agitated, worried that I'm giving myself a hard time because of his absence. A sudden silence falls between us like a transparent wall piling up and separating us, numbing me to his touch. This time, I'm not the wall. "Have you been worrying about this while I've been gone?" he looks to me hoping I'll say no, but already knowing the answer before the words leave his mouth. "Yeah...a little....a lot." I correct myself "You can't blame me though...I don't see you for weeks, sometimes even months. I know that's not your fault, but I'm allowed to be upset." I say, standing my ground.

"I know, it upsets me too." He lets go of my wrists and slides his hands down to mine, gently holding my hands with care. He smiles softly as he holds me, rubbing the top of my right hand with his thumbs, which makes both of us smile. We take time to comfort each other, acknowledging how hard the situation is for the both of us, yet we pull through. "Well you're here now." I sigh "You're stopping here for a while I heard, aren't you?"

"Yeah, we're taking a break here until we tour in the East." He says "And I'm glad I'm spending it with you." His eyes admire me as he speaks. I shift my hand a little, making him let go, and I return to his smeared eye makeup.

"So how's life without me at your hip?" He smiles as I exhale and roll my eyes, teasingly. "Better than ever." I say, with a sarcastic tone, making Bill gasp. "School's ok I guess, it's a teensy bit more bearable than last year at least." I take a short pause "...I won a writer's award two weeks ago..." I hold my breath as I wait for the buckets of Bill's compliments and praise to flood the room when he hears of my accomplishment. His eyes shoot open and his neck tilts forward in awe, his lips apart. "Are you kidding? That's amazing y/n! Why didn't you tell me??" He pushes me lightly on the shoulder.

"You expect way too much of me..." I shake my head and smile.

"I knew you would win! I told youuu..." he makes sure to rub the fact that he believed in me in my face before congratulating me "Well done, I'm really proud of you y/n..." He gazes into my eyes and gently places his hand on my knee. I observe his movements and quickly glance away, smiling. "Ok you can shut up now."

"Never. How can I when I'm being taken care of by a future author! Maybe I'll let you write my biography when you're as famous as me ;)" He teases, knowing I don't know how to handle compliments, yet he never fails to praise me anyway, just so I know. "Ok enough! Fine, I'm... proud of myself too I guess!"

"That's the spirit!" he taps my knee lightly, taking his hand away and resting it back onto the arm of his chair. I smile and shake my head, a little flustered from his admiration which, I hate to admit, I secretly love. "So how's tour so far? Are you eating well?" I ask with nurture in my voice as gratitude for his compliments. "Of course I am...you care way too much." He smiles.

"And you're right." I reply, playfully.

"I love that you care so much...even when you pretend you don't." His voice quietens.

"What does that mean?" I scrunch my eyebrows at his words.

"I don't know...you're just so...thoughtful. You always know what to do and say and-"

"Yeah right." I smile, a little overwhelemed by the flood of compliments. "Thanks though, I really do try my best."

"And that's enough for me." He whispers, his cheeks turning a faint pink. "You make me good...or feel like, at my core, I am good. I love it." without teasing or poking fun at him for once, I let him spill his emotions out onto the table where we both can see . I sit and listen, gently wiping his eyes with care. "It's so hard to leave you here, stuck in this village. It's so hard to not hear you laugh and sing and dance beside me... It's so hard not to love you for all thise things" I feel his tender fingertips brushing against my knee as he talks, slowing my pace. Before I can reply, his other hand shifts to my second knee and he holds it delicately. "Bill..." I whisper, with a little confusion but an unexpected sprinkle of excitement rushing through me. he bites his lip, pondering what to say next and trying hard not to stumble over his words. He opens his eyes and gazes directly into my mine, seeing all of me. He takes my hand. I feel butterflies nibbling on the walls of my stomach, their fluttering wings tickling me as they desperately want to flee and touch and love. In the moment, I don't know if it's wrong to feel so much love and desire for him, this ravenous craving that eats me from inside. I can only do what feels right, and so I let the butterflies feed.

He swallows gently "I want to care for you just like you do...I want to..." His hand raises to my face, holding me and caressing my cheek with his thumb in small circles. My hand laches onto his wrist gently, weak to his tender touch. The room falls silent, the only sound in the room coming from the lights above us, buzzing, humming on one note to our intimate moment. "Can I..." His voice fades out slightly and cracks from nervousness. "Can I kiss you?"

His words ring in my head, bouncing off of my ear drums and into my throat, leaving me speechless. I hold him for a while, our hands sharing each other's warmth through touch. I glance down at his lips that are slightly open, breathing in the little air between us; inhaling the glass wall that not moments ago parted us. With desire and lust, my eyes look back into his, and I nod gently. He takes a second to process this, before cupping my face in the palm of his hands and pulling me closer to him, until the wall turns to paper and our lips are inches away from each other. As I close my eyes, I feel his plush lips on mine, sharing our sweet taste. The butterflies in me settle when we collide, and the walls around us feel as though they are caving in, trapping us in each other's arms. As he holds me, I feel cared for. Safe. Warm.

He kisses me delicately and then again with more passion, before pulling away to let me breathe. As he leans back, his mouth curves into a sweet smile, his lips now stained with my light lipstick. I laugh as I notice his red tinted lips, stained with my evidence. I take his hand again, locking my pointer finger with his. "Looks like I'll have to clean you up again..."

"What a shame..." Bill whispers sarcastically, a wide smile pulling apart his rosy cheeks, now matching his lips.

________.✮.________

Tysm for readingg :)) <3 this was so much fun to write

I'm currently working on a 12 part Bill Kaulitz x fem!reader fic on wattpad and I've published the first part!

teethondafloor on wattpad

Zuźka

[freeeggbailiffcash]

After much consideration, I actually decided to watch Bet that took inspiration from Kakegurui... and honestly I watched it first without any expectations but surprisingly it wasn't that bad?

Like I think the creators made it clear that it wasn't really a westernized adaptation but instead just took the kakegurui universe as inspiration and took off with a different plot and premise. The cast were honestly beautiful, like I really love Mary's actor, although not visually accurate, Mary's actor did have the same cute yet fierce aura that Mary has in the anime.

I think at its core, Kakegurui, while it has a fantastic premise about people falling into pits of despair from the addictive thrill of gambling and adrenaline rush, is a bit cringe because the elementa of fetishizing and long monologues that tend to be far too dramatic. Bet did have some cringe scenes as well (like the ending scene when Ryan drove off and tried delivering those cheesy lines or Michael's goody two shoes justifications against Yumeko) but aa a whole, the show was pretty good.

But I want to touch on the subject of how they portrayed the dynamics between certain characters in the show. I'm pretty sure a lot of people are bummed that Sayaka wasn't in it. And Im kinda excited because of the abundance of Yumeko X Kira edits.

In all honesty, Yumeko and Kirari's dynamics is Kakegurui Manga, Anime and Live action are honestly so freaking underrated like I know people don't really ship them because later on it's revealed that they're distant cousins etc but have you seen the anime opening and ending scenes??? And in all three; manga, anime and live actions, the yumeko and kirari interactions are always smooth where they kinda thread on this invisible plane of power grapple and lowkey flirting

As a whole, the dynamics between manga, anime and live action yumeko and kirari can be labelled as either platonic soulmates or destined damnation for each other. Because while Yumeko does connect with Mary and Ryota, it's always made clear that Yumeko has always been on a whole different level of power than them. Yumeko is smarter and is always pulling the strings from behind, anticipation and predicting her peer's actions (example: when Yumeko deliberately let herself be poisoned because she knew that Mary would be able to defeat Miri.)

Yumeko values Mary greatly, but it's clear that it's more akin to her seeing Mary's drive and exuberance as amusing and thinks Mary as a strong contender. But Mary does not really resonate with the same kind of obsession or compulsion that she has.

While in manga, anime and live action, Yumeko's action has always been ambiguous (even with the recent arc in the manga where it's revealed that Kirari was ultimately responsible for Souko's conditions), she doesn't really seem that emotional about it. Rather than seeking Kirari out as a way of revenge, Yumeko seems to seek Kirari more because she wants to get a sense of fulfillment of gambling on equal grounds with her.

Yumeko regards Kirari highly, seeing her as not only a strong gambler, but also as somwone who really matches her crazy (the obsession Kirari has with order and comparing humans to niche in an aquarium is pretty nifty) and she wants for both of them to bare themselves completely to each other which was why she went to extra length to completely destroy the order Kirari established (the pet system)

To compare, Yumeko and Kirari dynamics in manga, anime and live action leans more to a Dazai-Fyodor dynamic—two prodigies/geniuses who are unhinged but lies on different spectrums of belief.

Dazai and Yumeko on one side, trusts their comrades and willfully place themselve in danger as they pull strings from behind while anticipating their peer's reactions while Kirari and Fyodor are both more ruthless and are more objective oriented.

Meanwhile, Yumeko and Mary's dynamics leans more with a Dazai-Chuuya relationship where Mary and Chuuya are the objects of satisfactions of Yumeko and Dazai who sees them as this symbolic sunny and strong figure that they are truly fond of and they secretly makes secrets mives to help the other grow in either experience or strength while pretending to be silly.

Now for Bet's version of the characters, there were a lot of changes made to support the new plot the creators were introducing.

For one, not only Mary was a strong gambler, she was also part of the student council. So here, the relationship/dynamic between her and Riri (Ririka) starts earlier as opposed to in Kakegurui where Mary encountered Ririka personally after a series of misadventures after Yumeko's arrival.

While Mary and Yumeko's rivalry and frenemy relationship progresses with the plot, it's kinda weaker because Yumeko has a lot more personal and in depth interactions with Michael (additionally, in Bet, Yumeko is not as aloof and ambiguous as she is in the Japanese version. Bet's Yumeko is much more 'normal' in the sense that while she is still unhinged and manic, she has a clear goal of revenge and seems to be more hesitant and mindful of the people around her.

Sure, in the Japanese rendition, Yumeko does flips a coin to decide if she wants to continue befriend Ryota (hinting at how she's a fan of letting fate and luck determine her future, but she doesn't really allows Ryota to fully comprehend or know her past—Yumeko never really mentioned directly how she's a part if the Momobami clan until during the showdown with Rei—

But in Bet, it's a bit alarming how fast she admits the reason and goal for her revenge even if Michael did interest her for not wanting to gamble.

So these altercations to Yumeko's persona in Bet makes some of her interactions with the others a bit different than in the Japanese version. Thus in Bet, while Mary and Yumeko made for excellent chemistry, they don't really match up to the Japanese version of Yumeki x Mary who has a level of understanding of the way each other gamble and think.

Bet also made changes to the twins where again, they make Kirari's character as more humane with shortcomings and weakness like the inferiority complex she had due to her father's treatment—an element that does not exist in the Japanese version where Kirari, like Yumeko is treated as otherworldly level of prodigal, genius and unhinged.

This results in how Yumeko and Kirari's dynamic in Bet is softer and quirkier because both their characters had the additional emitional weight of human flaw (Yumeko's distress over her parent's death causing her to be more goal-oriented to revenge as opposed to Japanese Kakegurui where she only cared about the addictive thrill of gambling while Kira in bet is more concerned with the inferiority she feels to might get outshined by Riri and disown by her father in contrast to Kirari who's already on top, the chosen heir who has all the power and is merely focused on creating a space that demonstrates the conteol she has—the pet system as well as the leverage she has over all branch families)

Yumeko and Kira in Bet are more grounded and weighed by their internal dilemmas while in Kakegurui, you can never fully know the reason behind any of Yumeko's or Kirari's actions where both of them are extremely careful not to let their emotions show in any situations (in s1—how Yumeko remains ambigious in how she feels about her friends (Mary, Ryota and Itsuki) where Kirari tests their worth to Yumeko by arranging the bets or the multiple times Yumeko kinda taunts Sayaka's fragility over Kirari—during the Tower bet and Elections where Sayaka is defeated but Kirari doesn't show open resentment towards Yumeko albeit wearing a smile as she accepts Yumeko's challenge)

The chemistry between Yumeko and Kira in Bet is really more playful and symbiotic as they both seem to need something from the other which makes their dynamic more complementary rather than the domination games and tug of power in Kakegurui's version. I'm not really sure if Bet will have season 2 seeing as Kakegurui still hasn't have a season 3 even though the manga has at least two major arcs concluded but if there is—Yumeko and Kira's chemistry is too hot to not do anything about it🥵🥵🥵

[uwurakax]

-> HQ AS TAYLOR SWIFT LYRICS +

summary just the vibes of t.swift songs/lyrics and who (i think) match with the haikyuu guys ♡

-> i srsly missed them sm omg, clownin (also im rusty pls cri), maybe one day we'll write more on t.s songs bc dang she's killin it rn

(also edit bc i just came back to check this again before posting but, i thought it was fitting bc ya girl got eras tour tickets!)

(( edit two - you can see from above when i started working on this, came back and came back again rn, bc sis is making friendship bracelets rn for next month aa! and i got inspired by this lol - i also just have impeccable taste ))

featuring kageyama || oikawa || akaashi || kenma || atsumu ♡

+ i got other stuff ready to post promise, i just needed this out there +

KING OF MY HEART

"and we rule the kingdom inside my room, 'cause all the boys and their expensive cars... never took me quite where you do and all at once you are the one i have been waiting for, king of my heart, body and soul"

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

it's not easy moving on. you'd been scorned before, and had your heart broken. it wasn't a secret to know you'd been on guard, had your heart under lock and key. created a tall, ivory tower that you made sure no one else would think of scaling. that was before you mer him. it was implausibly easy. how everything fell into place when you were just within his vicinity. maybe being hurt wasn't so bad, because if you didn't face them, they wouldn't have led you to him, here and now. he wasn't just the king of the court anymore, another invisible crown bestowed onto him as he climbed; holding the key to you.

- kageyama ♡

LOVER

"i take this magnetic force of a man to be my... my hearts been borrowed and yours has been blue, alls well that ends well to end up with you, swear to be overdramatic and true to my... lover"

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

you knew he was a star, anyone with eyes could see. he was destined for great things, and you were a planet following, orbiting around his sun. you'd always follow, for as long as he wanted. your greatest pleasure though was with the mundane. you'd take the stardom, the fame... but you lived for the monotonous. where it was just you and him. you hoped it would last forever. hand in hand, nothing would stop you. whether it was cheering for him on the sidelines, or laying beside him at night, you'd love him for eternity.

- oikawa ♡

GORGEOUS

"ocean blue eyes, looking in mine, i feel like i might sink and drown and die, you're so gorgeous i can't say anything to your face, cause look at your face; gorgeous"

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

starstruck, awestruck, wonderstruck. any and every 'struck' you could think of, and thats the feelings that grew the moment you locked eyes on him. it was such a cliche, a crowded room with a bunch of other bodies, and yet you seemed to naturally gravitate towards him. love at first sight. a concept so wildly unbelievable and yet so captivating, that the most famous love story revolved around it. yet here you were, stunned into silence, because this was what you were experiencing now. completely out of your comfort zone, never had anyone ever made you feel like this before; but what could you say? he's gorgeous.

- akaashi ♡

YOU BELONG WITH ME

"i'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're about to cry, i know your favourite songs and you tell me about your dreams, think i know where you belong, think i know it's with me"

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

it's not easy being in love with your best friend. you knew practically everything about him. so why was he with her when you were always in his corner from the beginning? the late night gaming sessions and text messages. she just wasn't good for him. she didn't understand him like you did, and his calls and conversations all but proved how much better you could be for him. so why? you didn't need to ponder long, because soon enough he was at your doorstep late into the night, confessing how it was a mistake, how he ended things with her and if he could come inside to talk.

- kenma ♡

CRUEL SUMMER

"and i snuck in through the garden gate, every night that summer just to seal my fate, and i scream for whatever it's worth 'i love you! aint that the worst thing you ever heard?' he looks up grinning like a devil"

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

you had heard about him. heard about how he wasn't good enough for you, and that you shouldn't get involved. you never were a good listener, and soon enough you became involved with him. despite the little voice in your head telling you to let go, you couldn't. it wasn't supposed to be forever, and you were okay with that. initially anyway. catching feelings for something that would end in disaster... but you couldn't end it. not yet. just how deep did you dive into whatever this was? you couldn't pinpoint when it went south, but did that matter? you were too far gone. the anticipation grew the longer this lasted, and in a bout of stress, you blurted out your confession. not your finest moment, and you were sure he'd shun you for good. turn his back on you and walk away, leaving you to mend your broken heart. he didn't though. he just stood there, with his stupid smirk that made you fall for him to begin with, confessing the same words you all but screamed at him moments ago.

- atsumu ♡

[logansdogmotif]

ANTON SHUDDER HEADCANONS 🦇

requested by the lovely @griffinskullz!! and yes i did use phantom manor as my building claim for the midnight hotel… tf you gonna do about it

🦇 is native american/has native heritage, (lots of my cousins/aunts and uncles my mum’s side of the family are cherokee (a generation up from me i think?) and when i read the books when i was younger she would always headcanon anton as native, so that’s always stuck with me). p.s. my fancast for him (pictured above) is eddie spears.

🦇 is autistic! i always see this one as quite widespread, and it’s completely canon to me. i think he specifically has problems with certain sounds/levels of noise so i hc that the midnight hotel™️ is a top donor to loop earplugs.

🦇 has a bunch of sisters, think one doesn't have particular root in anything i just get ‘large family of sisters’ vibe from him. and in that vein, in my modern au he has two mums <3 so i think he’s always had quite a strong feminine influence, which in turn provides him lots of security in his masculinity.

🦇 has been approached multiple times for modelling gigs (but obviously never took them), and tbh?? has the lethal-est facecard out of the dead men. like if you lined them up and said “oh the really hot, like, beautiful one” everyone would automatically assume anton.

🦇 GAY!! i don’t care what derek says i think he needs to go on a 12-step program for making all of his characters bisexual to be honest. not that i have anything against that obviously i think most of derek’s character are bi but anton? not one of them. he has had girlfriends though but only when he was very young and always got broken up with for not being ‘engaged enough’ in the relationship.

🦇 canon specific: goes full loras tyrell about larrikin’s death. i’m a big shudderkin shipper here and i think larrikin’s death would’ve completely broke anton. and whilst i liked him leaving the midnight hotel to his (ex?)boyfriend after his death as a plot device to confirm his queerness, i honestly don’t think he would’ve had any serious relationships after larrikin. which is totally not what larrikin would’ve wanted but hey ho.

🦇 big music nerd. has a whole record library in the hotel and can tell you the artist, release date, producers, influences and interpolation of most songs in the last few centuries. he specifically likes classical songs that are minimum 10 minutes long, ballad americana (lana del rey, ethel cain, etc), and 80s folk.

🦇 the most mental health aware of the dead men, which i partially think is why he is removed from their shenanigans often as he recognises the negative effect they can have on eachother. i think having the gist gave him cause to learn a lot about compartmentalisation and how we process trauma, and i think he would have set up (or at least wanted to set up) some sort of free-of-charge counselling service at the hotel, and would've let the hotel's space be used for things like veteran's support groups or AA.

🦇 closest friends with saracen out of all of the dead men, and (depending on which au) they've known eachother since they were very young/since when saracen was very young (in canon i think anton is one of the eldest of the dead men, the actual eldest i think being hopeless). they at least grew up in the same village (BIG UP CORMACKSTOWN, COUNTY TIPPERARY!!! which i think is where the two of them are from if that wasn't clear).

QUICKFIRE HEADCANONS:

🦇 annoyingly good at card games (specifically uno)

🦇 generally doesn’t drink but gets CRUNK when he does (think ron swanson in the parks and rec snakejuice episode)

🦇 nicest handwriting ever

🦇 goes non-verbal relatively often

🦇 horrible core balance (that’s why his back is so straight all the time bc he’s actively trying not to fall over)

🦇 slow reader

🦇 favourite weather is early morning mist (specifically on the coast)

🦇 makes horrible tea

🦇 pockets full of mints like a grandma

🦇 chronic chest pain bc of the gist

🦇 WILL win any argument you have with him (even if you’re in the right, you will walk away feeling like you’ve lost)

🦇 genius at finding bargains & sales

🦇 teaches people how to shoplift from big corporations

skeleton hatman taglist 🫶: @griffinskullz @mortalcoils

p.s. i met derek landy for the second time yesterday! he signed my copy of hell breaks loose and i thanked him for making saraxter canon 💗 (also my friend gave him a ‘legally binding’ contract to write demon road 4 and he signed it as simon cowell… what a guy)

[lilysmiles11223345]

HI A A AA A THIS IS GONNA BE A REAL LONG ONE SO BUCKLE UP AND DIG IN GUYS

first the credits, AU is my take on @desertsanctuary-blog ‘s AU :D shout of to them I rlly like their AU with what I’ve seen of it so far,, I wish I had the erngy to actually draw/animate like I wanted to for this but instead your getting a rlly long undertale textbox convo and then an explanation of what’s going on with Freya in this version :3

{Warning: just,, Freya suffers a hell of a lot in this au but also in the textbox, floweys super mean to her}

Textbox first and then description below :)

Warning this textbox convo was so long I had to screenshot it in discord lmao

H I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THAT <3 TOOK ALOT OF TIME FOR ME TO FEEL COMFY WITH IT

Okay! Time to explain my idea for Freya in this AU

^ahem^..

The concept of clover remembering some timelines and not others got me thinking..

So naturally, I thought of the idea that freya gets simular treatment; however remembers different timelines from clover

In Freya’s canon , there are two paths in the vengeance route; clover and freya will find out that Freya is the cursed witch in the legends; and clover gets a choice

To shoot her or to let her live.

Now, I decided in this Au- clover remembers the genocide route where he lets Freya live the most prominent. Freya though..

..remembers the one where he shoots her most prominent.

The silly thing is that I’d like to think judging from how I made that get decided (it’s a lil system where Freya gets questioned about clover in every route, which affects how much clover cares about Freya in the end of each route) clover genuinely doesn’t see anything wrong with freya’s curse and knows Freya would never do/want to hurt anyone, she doesn’t need to be served justice, so she’d be one of the only things that’d activate his sweet side anymore— and and he still cares about her so much ok,,

…

BUT THEN FREYA DOESNT BELIEVE SHE DESERVES IT AT ALL AND HAS BEEN STRUGGLING WITH THE FACT SHE THINKS THE PERSON SHE LOVES ALOT PROBABLY WOULD KILL HER BECAUSE OF THINGS OUT OF HER CONTROL AND FEELING LIKE A MONSTER AS SHE TRIES TO CONTROL HER MENTAL BREAKDOWNS SO THE CURSE DOESN’T FUCK ANYTHING UP INSTEAD OF JUST,, TALKING TO HER LOVED ONES ABOUT IT </3

..

Oh and then there’s what happens in neutral for Freya; which, she just so HAPPENS to remember too which sucks for her cause it REINFORCES IT.

Freya goes a liittle berserk in neutral, specifically to flowey. Her curse is completely activated and when it’s completely in control with no resistance from Freya; it can be..petty.

So flowey got a lil tortured before resetting lmao

This was to defend clover to be FAIR but she still can’t help but see herself as a monster from it, especially when her whole life she’s been made OUT TO BE ONE by everyone BUT CLOVER.

My girl is suffering so hard.

If anyone’s interested (I’m doing it anyways) I am gonna make a textbox thing about a litttle scene I have between this au’s clover and Freya~

One that’s just sad and one that’s A little scene when her curse finally takes control (so one that’s depressing lol)

Thanks for reading this far! <3

[dxstoeskyvjbess]

e1s3's hunting group is in the garage, each one on one side. Reader is talking to Raven when she suddenly sees something that makes her speechless: Gina had walked in and kissed Bellamy Blake. Bellamy Blake, the same one who had been flirting (and something more) with reader for like a month! so reader decides to confront him later when they are alone. I leave the ending to your choice

COMPLICATED

𝓟𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 ; bellamy blake x reader

𝓦𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 ; cheating, rare use of y/n

𝓦𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 ; 1.4k

𝓘𝗻𝗳𝗼𝘀 ; light angst | reader has a situationship with bell

𝓝𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 ; Sorry if it doesn’t meet your standards completely, consider 1. I changed the prompt just slightly for it to be more enticing and 2. i’ve watched s3 a long time ago, i tried to be as close as possible to your req!! sorry again </3

( ps. i luv the 100 fans aa! )

𝓢𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 ; reader thought her relationship with bellamy was just “complicated”, but when the truth unfolds, she realises it was messier than she could’ve imagined.

masterlist | navigation | rules

‘Bellamy Blake and I have a complicated thing going on. ’

That’s what you usually told yourself anytime something went unbelievably wrong; it was just— complicated.

And it wasn’t really hard for things to go wrong with someone like him. He had a roaring fire in his eyes and in his words as well. Yet you couldn’t help but feel drawn to him in unexplainable ways.

The way his eyes held another world inside them, the way his entire being was so complex no one ever managed to fully know what went on in the boy’s head. And the way his face lit up with genuine emotion as he saw you walking in the room, the way words alone could get your stomach twisting. Those things took your friendship to something slightly more…complicated, yeah.

Whatever that was, it was more than three months old. Ever since the mountain men were shut down for good, ever since there was silent peace in Arkadia, your —friend? boyfriend?— had his eyes often fixated on you. And the thing was, you loved it.

And now, after months of flirting, love nights, unspoken words, and frustrating uncertainty, there were the two of you, still on the edge of something— that couldn’t quite be named.

“You know… you gotta do something about it.” Snapping you out of your trance, there was Raven, staring at you with knowing eyes. She was considerably close to you and happened to know what was going on between the two of you.

“I wouldn’t even know what to say… like, ‘yeah, I know we’ve been flirting and doing dirty things for months, but I just wanted to let you know that I actually feel something for you, and occasional dirty flirting doesn’t sit with me anymore.’— He would laugh in my face.”

“That’s exactly what you need to tell him, actually!” she insisted, crossing her arms. You were grateful to have her as a friend; she always seemed to know the right thing to say.

“What if he doesn’t want anything serious, and I’m just being a fool?” You were scared. Actually, you were terrified. The mere thought of losing him for something as stupid as this made your heart ache. “I can’t take risks, Rave. It’s Bellamy, we’re talking about.”

“Y/n, listen to me. Bellamy cares about you, and he may be a disgrace to society, but it doesn’t mean he’s willing to lose you for something like this.”

“Maybe you’re right… still, when should I do this? And how?”

“Now, and however feels right!” she stated firmly before giving you a light push toward the other side of the garage, where Bellamy was supposed to be, before following you right behind.

You both awkwardly walked toward the entrance. Raven knew that if she wasn’t right behind you, following you like a rat, you would’ve instantly chickened out of what you just silently agreed to do.

But as you fixed your gaze on the man a few meters away from you, tension and excitement weren’t what you felt. Rage and loss for words were.

Strangely, the boy didn’t notice the sound of boots hitting against the ground as the two girls walked toward him. His attention was instead placed upon a familiar figure walking toward him, one you thought you’d never have to worry about.

At first, you didn't worry too much, yet the situation shifted in fractions of a second—and what you saw was that girl smirking up to your boy and gently placing her lips on his.

Anger filled your veins in a sense of betrayal, clouding every single thought and piece of rationality in you—so much that you were this close to running there and throwing a tantrum.

Bellamy returned the kiss after a moment, looking at Gina before giving a glance at his surroundings, ensuring no one was watching. There—he was totally wrong. His eyes widened as he saw you standing there with a disgusted face, looking at him from up and down, mouth completely dry.

“Y/n… what—” Bellamy could only murmur, shocked that you and Raven (who was just as mad as you) were standing there in the first place. Your hurt expression felt like a punch in his stomach, and he just stood there, regret written all over his face, completely frozen in place.

“What the fuck...” you muttered underneath your breath, as your eyes shed a single tear, rolling quickly down your cheek. You balled your hands into fists, barely registering the faint sound of a voice screaming at you to wait, but your mind was blank.

You slowly turned around—still confused, angry, and overall shocked by what you just had to witness—and left without looking back. Not that he deserved it after all.

–

On the way back home, tension filled the cramped space of the rover. You could only hear distant chirps, the dusky atmosphere contrasting with high trees blocking a big part of the view. You were silent, like everyone else in that moment. Raven happened to steal a few glances at her friend, quiet concern etching across her face.

Once back in Arkadia, everyone quietly shared soft goodnights before heading to their rooms, you included. Your thoughts were hazy, the tiredness showing both internally and externally. You considered actually confronting yourself about what happened—but after thinking about it, you realized you were more willing to confront him than yourself, going crazy to understand what you did wrong– so instead of blaming yourself, you let your anger free and stormed into his room without a second thought.

There, the boy was pacing nervously around his room, torn between running to you or giving you space for the night. He turned around as he heard his door crack open and felt quite relieved you anticipated him.

“Is there something you wanna tell me, Bellamy?” you raised an eyebrow, voice cutting sharp every piece of confidence he felt a moment before. You crossed your arms– clearly unamused and leaned against the wall, anger still visible on your face and palpable in the atmosphere.

“Actually, yes,” he instantly replied, eager to speak his truth and clarify the circumstance. “Can we talk?” His voice was soft and quiet, as if knowing everything was extremely fragile—and could’ve escalated easily.

You thought about it twice before answering, but the dim light radiating across his face and his deep eyes ended up choosing for you anyway. “I might listen,” you answered softly, although your voice was full of uncertainty, focusing your gaze on the ground.

“I’d start with ‘I’m an idiot,’ but I’m sure you already know that.” He began, gently sitting down at the corner of his bed. “I… was scared. I was scared of actually having to face my feelings for you, and you know me—I hate feeling powerless, so I often distance myself from anything that slightly has power over me.” He admitted, his tone deep but holding no bitterness.

“I searched for a distraction. And Gina— well...” He continued, his voice growing with guilt each breath he took. “She was the perfect one. I thought I could just get over my feelings, and that maybe she could’ve helped me. Turns out it only made things worse.” He searched for your eyes, kindly grabbing your wrist and pulling you toward the bed, insisting you look at him.

“I’m scared of this, Y/n. I don’t like how vulnerable you make me feel, and I tried to escape from it. But it’s useless, isn’t it?” He gave you a bittersweet smile, one you never pictured on his face before, and you locked your eyes on his, slowly sitting down right next to him. “I find myself always orbiting towards you.” concluding, he waited for any type of answer, his eyes pleading for another chance.

“You better back up those claims with actions. Words are cheap.” You declared. Your expression was unreadable, torn between trusting him and his words, and not buying it at all.

“I will. You can count on that.” He immediately stated. Bellamy Blake was not one who had his words go to waste, and he was determined to prove that to you.

“I’ll believe it when I see it, Bell.” You replied. You loved him, you truly did. But this whole thing—no matter how complicated it was—needed to either take a step forward or die on the spot.

You couldn’t let it just be “flirting” or “occasional nights” anymore. You needed every inch of his soul, even the messier parts.

He nodded, and with that, you silently left the room.

‘Perhaps we are even more complicated than I thought we were.’

───────────── ⋆♡⋆ ────────────

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[melrosing]

Do you have any thoughts on the Azor Ahai prophecy?

sorry this took a while, I haven't really written much about this in the past so I don't have the relevant shit to hand in the same way. but my thoughts under the cut; conscious this is a contentious issue, so whilst I'm happy to chat about it, pls be normal if engaging.

I think it’s Jon. That doesn’t really get me excited or make me feel anything tbh, I guess because Jon is my least favourite major POV and the Azor Ahai prophecy isn’t one that interests me a whole lot. But I think the only real candidates for Azor Ahai are Jon and Dany, and based on both narrative structure and evidence within the story, I feel fairly confident it’s Jon.

Ofc, the argument for Dany being AA is strong and I think that’s the point. She ticks all the boxes, indeed more than Jon currently does, and the birth of her dragons is pretty much the most fantastic event in the story. She’ll surely have a huge role in ending the Long Night too, so Dany really does fit the bill.

But imo the structure of the story, and of their own personal arcs, favours Jon. I’ll quickly go through why I don’t think it favours Dany.

First off, rules of three: I think it was GRRM’s editor who told us that he likes rules of three in his writing. He makes you think one thing is true, then appears to provide the true solution, before the real answer emerges later on and completely throws you. There are lots of examples of GRRM using this technique in ASOIAF, but let’s go for another example that directly concerns Jon himself: the question of who his mother is.

The first answer we get is a basic one: Ned got Jon on a sex worker, and that’s that. We already know that’s near certainly not the case, because consciously or subconsciously we know that’s not how stories work. Second answer, Jon was born of an affair between Ned and Ashara. This idea is more interesting, has more supporting evidence, and we come across other characters who claim it’s true, like Edric. But still, I think a lot of people (even if they didn’t know R+L=J) would think that still doesn’t feel like the end of it. The closure has come too soon, and it doesn’t have the surprise factor that we know it’s supposed to have. It’s just clean.

Then of course the true answer is one that we still haven’t learnt yet: Ned isn’t even Jon’s father, and his mother is Lyanna, and Jon is the ‘true heir to the 7K’ etc etc etc. I think we’re all extremely used to this information now, but apart from the overwhelming evidence, we accept it because narratively it makes sense. This is the secret third thing, where everything clicks into place in a surprising way and has massive implications for the rest of the story. Rule of three. 

I think the same applies to Azor Ahai. First, we’re told it’s Stannis. He ticks most of the boxes, albeit in a really haphazard way, but we know it’s not Stannis because we know how stories work. Then we’re presented with Dany as the answer. This seems to add up really well: she ticks the boxes far more literally - smoke, salt, bleeding star - and characters like Aemon are convinced it’s Dany.

But I think we run into the same problem here as we do with Ashara. The closure’s come too soon, everything fits too neatly, and honestly it lacks the surprise factor. Dany may be a surprise Azor Ahai to the rest of her world, but she isn’t to the reader: we’ve seen what she’s capable of, and if we were told that Dany is going to save the world, most good faith readers would be like ‘well yeah if anyone’s gonna do it’. And so ironically, that’s how you start to get the feeling it isn’t Dany. It sounds painfully self-contradictory, yeah, but it’s the same as it works with Ashara. Consciously or subconsciously, we know how stories work.

So Jon is the third answer. Jon is intended as the surprise, where he didn’t even seem like a contender, is really just some guy. Except he isn’t. To make sense of this, you really have to forget how obvious R+L=J seems to all of us now, bc time and again GRRM has said he didn’t intend it as obvious, and actually seems a bit frustrated how many people had worked it out - even before the show got to make the reveal. 

Pasting at this juncture the key details of the prophecy:

When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone. DAVOS III, ASOS

So Jon is descended from Jaehaerys II and Shaera, as the Ghost of High Heart said TPTWP would be. He is indeed a prince, even if he doesn’t know it. When Melisandre looked for Stannis as TPTWP in the flames, she saw ‘snow’. Jon’s story is the one that most directly concerns the fight against TLN; Dany currently has the potential for the most impact, yes, but at the moment she has absolutely no idea what’s going on beyond the wall, and it’s Jon trying to unite the 7K against the Others. This makes him the strongest thematic fit for the hero who will ultimately end TLN.

Then we have the fact that there are two major things about Jon’s story that have to mean something. 1: Jon is the ‘true heir’ to the 7K, the one no one saw coming, that everyone thought was a nobody. Jon was born of the union between Rhaegar and Lyanna that only a dead man and Howland fucking Reed (likely a man with his own knowledge about the TLN, the Children and the Others) know about. Jon was the child Rhaegar somehow knew he had to have (the ethics of that aside…), that made him realise the prophecy wasn’t about him but someone else. Within the story of ASOIAF, this is seismic. It’s no good to say that Jon’s true heritage is nothing more than a political subplot, that’s not how stories work and it’s certainly not how GRRM writes.

And 2: Jon is going to be fucking resurrected. No, he’s not the first character to come back - Beric and Catelyn both got there before him. But if there’s one thing we can be sure of, Jon is coming back for a reason. We saw how ridiculous it is in the show for Jon to just come back to life and get on with everything like normal. Everyone was asking well why the fuck did he need to die in the first place then. To give him an excuse to leave the Night’s Watch? lol. Nah Jon is going to be reborn for a specific reason. Cannot emphasise enough that it is not GRRM’s style to kill Jon for nothing more than dramatic effect.

And who is going to rebirth him? Melisandre. What is the significance of Melisandre? Fucking everything. Melisandre has not been placed at the Wall to get the prophecy wrong AGAIN. She has been placed at the Wall because that is where the answer is. If Jon is the POV most focused on the TLN and the Others, Melisandre is the POV most focused on the AA prophecy. She is the one trying desperately to solve it, and whose revelation we are awaiting because once again, that’s how stories work: we know that Melisandre is wrong right now, so we anticipate the moment she will be right.

So Melisandre seeing ‘snow’ in her flames means something. Melisandre’s weird connection to Jon means something. Melisandre being the one who, seemingly without knowing it, has been preparing Jon for rebirth since about halfway through ADWD - means something also. R’hllorism and its weird connection to the AA prophecy means something. Melisandre and Ghost both having red eyes, with all the rest in mind, also seems to mean something.

Her eyes were two red stars, shining in the dark. At her throat, her ruby gleamed, a third eye glowing brighter than the others. Jon had seen Ghost's eyes blazing red the same way, when they caught the light just right. JON VI, ADWD

And right there’s the fact that Melisandre is the ‘red star of the prophecy’. Everyone thinks it’s the red comet, which we see identified in the ACOK prologue as the ‘bleeding star’ named in the AA prophecy. You know who’s also introduced in that chapter. Fuckin Melisandre. Melisandre and the ruby she wears are alternately described as ‘red’ and ‘star’ - sometimes both together:

Melisandre's ruby glowed like a red star at her throat. DAVOS VI, ASOS

So here’s Melisandre, red as hell, explaining the prophecy. Notice how much she herself seems to embody the imagery of the prophecy - red, flames, blood, burning, etc.

Melisandre was robed all in scarlet satin and blood velvet, her eyes as red as the great ruby that glistened at her throat as if it too were afire. "In ancient books of Asshai it is written that there will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him." DAVOS I, ACOK

So we come to the ‘bleeding/red star’ aspect of the prophecy. Smoke and salt are easy enough to come by, but a star is a more specific requirement. As is a birth (or rebirth). Dany seemed to tick these boxes with the smoke of the pyre, the great salt sea, the birth of her dragons/her figurative rebirth, and the red comet. 

But I think the bleeding/red star is more likely Melisandre and/or her rubies. How either end up bleeding I can’t say, but it’s not hard to imagine. Does Melisandre destroy her ruby to revive Jon, or use her own blood? Maybe she has to die to do it, leaving Jon none the fucking wiser when he awakens what her reason for reviving him even was. That would be fitting: I think Jon won't understand his own significance for some time yet.

Either way, we have our star: Melisandre has been looking everywhere for one, never knowing it was she herself. This is actually a great beat for Mel’s story - for all the times she’s appeared all knowing, she was missing the woods for the trees, and her own significance in it all. It’s tragic, too, because that revelation is perhaps also one of her own demise.

(sidenote: I also think it's more fitting [and more likely] that the decision to burn Shireen and indeed the idea to do it is Stannis' own. in desperation, he attempts to fulfil what he recalls of Melisandre's methods, but butchers everything in doing so.)

Next we need smoke and salt, and as mentioned, those are straightforward. We’ve been told the Wall has plenty of salt lol, and light a few candles and you’ve got smoke - not to mention Melisandre loves a bit of fire, so figures there will be smoke involved in Jon’s rebirth either way. So salt and smoke both sound like pretty standard ingredients for a resurrection, I don’t think it’s much worth elaborating.

Then what’s left? ‘A birth/rebirth a day after a long summer’, check, we’re told again and again through ADWD that we’re on the brink of winter. ‘When the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world’, check again - Jon is right there on the scene. 

The flaming sword comes after the rebirth, but it’s a given that Jon will wield one - it’s right there in his dreams:

Jon was armored in black ice, but his blade burned red in his fist. ADWD, JON XII

(another sidenote: look, a song of ice and fire. I’m aware that GRRM has previously stated that Dany’s fire and the battle against the others are the titular ice and fire, because he’s sure not going to say ‘by the way it’s also Jon’ when he hasn’t revealed anything about Jon yet. But we know that Rhaegar anticipates a child who embodies ‘the song of ice and fire’, and you cannot associate Dany with ice. Dany IS fire.)

I think Jon probably already has Lightbringer, and it’s Longclaw - we see that Ghost is tied in with the red of it all, and who is atop the sword but Ghost. Valyrian steel obviously also has some fantastical role still to play, and it’s notable that Jaime envisions he and Brienne also wielding flaming Valyrian swords (their flames are blue, of course, and Jaime doesn’t know in the dream that the blades are Valyrian, but the point stands that there’s some connection between flaming swords and Valyrian steel going on, and that that all ties to TLN).

So all that’s really left is to wake dragons from stone. This is one where I can’t really guess what it’ll mean - my best guess is that Jon will find dragonsteel at Dragonstone, because even if he did somehow hatch further dragons they’d be damn babies for the duration of the Long Night, but really this part could point to something we can’t yet guess at, so whatever.

And finally, there’s Jon’s heritage. The Targaryens are tied to the wielding of fire, to Valyrian steel, and to dragons. The Starks are tied to winter, to the Wall, to the old gods and the North. Jon’s heritage is representative of the two forces that need to unite to overcome the Others. 

I don’t want to get into how exactly Jon ties into the mythos of the Night King and what undead Jon might look like, because whilst there’s plenty in there that no doubt ALSO supports the prophecy, I freely admit I just haven’t looked into it all that much bc it’s not a passion point for me, so I'm not going to seriously try. But we do have this part from Benerro's prophecy:

death itself will bend its knee, and all those who die fighting in her [referring to Dany as TPTWP] cause shall be reborn... ADWD, TYRION VI

You can make this really figurative to get it to work for Dany, but it would make a lot more sense for Jon. He'll rise from the dead (death itself will bend the knee) and 'all those who die fighting in [TPTWP's] cause shall be reborn' - hey just like the Others are. Is Jon somehow going to have his own army of the undead? Possibly.

So, cumulatively:

Jon will unite ice and fire, armoured in ice and wielding a flaming sword

Jon’s Stark and Targaryen heritage are figuratively significant

Rhaegar foresaw the significance of Jon. Rhaegar has been wrong in a lot in all senses of the word, but I think he’s going to be right on this point - on ONE fucking point

Jon will be reborn a day after winter comes

Jon will be reborn beneath a bleeding red star

Plenty of scope for salt and smoke to be involved

Jon will wield a flaming red sword

Jon will be on the ground as darkness approaches and lead the charge against it

Jon will make death bend the knee

Jon may lead an army of the 'reborn'

Melisandre is the POV with the greatest fixation on the Azor Ahai prophecy, and Melisandre is beginning to realise the significance of Jon + will be responsible for bringing him back

Jon is the Secret Third Thing

etc etc 

And finally, bc I’ve seen many, many heated arguments over this, I want to establish some things myself before signing off:

I am engaging in good faith here. I have come to these conclusions through reading the books and considering all sides, and think this is a very legitimate reading of the text

This resolution to the prophecy is not something I am invested in. Jon hardly makes my top 20 characters in ASOIAF, and Azor Ahai is not a prophecy I crave an answer for. I’m a lot more interested the southern storylines (in case you couldn't tell)

Dany, meanwhile, is a character I like about five times as much as I like Jon. I’ve not reached the conclusion I have because I think she’s not capable of being AA (currently, I think she’s a whole lot more capable than Jon). I’m only judging based on where I think the story and evidence gestures

I agree that there’s potentially problematic subtext in introducing Dany, a young girl who subverts the typical ‘chosen boy’ narrative by fighting every adversity to be a hero for the ages, [edit - forgot the other half of the sentence orz] only to say actually nah it was special boy Jon all along. It’s difficult to say exactly how egregious I’m going to find it when that comes to be because I don’t have the material to judge, but I fully understand why people find the idea of Jon Snow as AA such a deeply frustrating idea, and I may well share in that frustration when it comes to it

Again: I’m engaging in good faith, so if you want to discuss, please afford me the same. We are discussing a fantasy series

[solar-tl-27]

OH HEY WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT I’M BACK

Yall never get regular posts from me omg you guys I’M SO SORRYYYY

but but but but but ya’ll wont believe it

I have been… DOING ART?! youuuuu heard that right folks i me MYSELF AM d-doing art.

Ok soooo i got a few updates

Life is still incredibly hectic i swear i feel like one of those fanfic writers tha5 post like

Hey sorry it took 8 years i was in a coma! But thankfully that’s not… entirely the case?

I’m on the list for an appointment to see if i have adhd because hearing my friends who are diagnosed and medicated talk about literally MY EXACT ISSUES AND IT HELPING i was like… damm maybe it is the good ol case of audhd … so hopefully hopefully i can get something to help with that!

Uhhh in other news I’m saving for a laptop so i can get into video editing and idk make some animation memes and animatics!

But ofcourse

Ofcourse

I promised art let’s not dwindle any more!

First of all we have some art i did for my story quest for the moon (i did blur out a bit just cuz well idk my audience that well so i’ll be bluring it even though it takes away a bit of context)

Then another piece for that series and then… omg.. no way is that?! Is it?!

Hehe surprise let’s get into the first art!

3 GOT ANOTHER REDESIGN AND MIGUELS’S FIRST FULL ART

Welcome welcome to my sweet sweet sweet baby angel boy Three that’s right he’s been on my mind again so i drew him… kinda like a splash art? If he was in a gacha game very cute very demure (if that meme’s old already… no it’s not)

And then we have THE VILLAIN of quest for the moon

Miguel also our main character ash in the corner hiiii ash

Miguel is basically like the mentor that’s secretly just try to steal your powers type he’s very much an opportunist and i love to draw him and loooove to hate him! This piece is basically foreshadowing extravaganza that will… eventually be clear i swear I promise I PROMISE but for now enjoy the piece it took sooo long

Next art!

This is still a work in progress it’s not done yet but I’m incredibly proud of it soooooo I’m showing it anyway and then we’ll get into the surprise

MEET MY SON ALEXANDER

ohhh my goodness after being in art block for so long it feels so nice to just get a solid redes out i’m soooo happy with how he’s turning out AA that’s my son MY BOY one of my oldest oc’s from so so so so long ago and fun fact i drew both pieces with the exact same brush heheheh the headshot next to him is his brother phoenix

Ok NOW FOR THE SURPRISE

Guess what! That’s right i have actually ACTUALLY started finding my way into the new project reignited

That’s right we got a MAIN CAST now

Now obviously some are.. easy to find the original inspiration for but they won’t be that similar to the redesigns they used to be no no no

Welcome the new crew of project reignited!

Muse, Plume, Thea, Orianne & caelusss

Muse is the main character a human boy who is just trying his best who gets swooped up into helping a dragon girl save her kingdom and the magical dimension while also fighting to preserve his home town!

Plume a dragon girl (plume, bloom you get the gist) who somehow ended up on earth is now tasked to find help to save her people and mother while also discovering the beauty of earth

Thea the daughter of an urban development company ceo and the love interest of muse (did i get myself this invested into a ship that i made it canon here… yes.) she’s a frail girl but is forced to step in as her fathers ideas turn from helpful to greedy and destructive

Orianne Thea and Muse’s friend and the more motherly of the group but faced with difficult circumstances and changes in her life can cause her to lash out as her life is completely steered of its course by magic and her dad remarrying.

Caelus! Muse’s closest friend a pretty chill guy that works at an icecream parlour during the week and helps his family with their market food stand in the weekend, he really wants to be a culinary chef but doesn’t know if he can truly achieve his goals in his hometown.

That’s the gang this will from now on be an original concept and no longer a winx rewrite yes winx will be an inspiration for this work but i do not intend to go the fairy route nor make the world building as big as i had made it in my rewrite… what you will see is me taking my rewritten work as a basis for this story considering i have basically rewritten my version of domino, zenith and solaria from scratch sooooo SWEET BABY BOY CRYOS MY BABY will be making a return later on in this story he’s mine he’s my son my boy i can do with his character whatever i pleaseeee ok ty

That’s the update that’s the post thank you all for enjoying my content and my terrible upload schedule life had beeeeeen hectic ty ty hope ya’ll stay for more and if this was your first post of mine you saw…. Check out my other work pls and thank u

Oki

BYEEEEE

[stateofcharles]

Interview with Amina Zaripova on her new job in China (source - translating a translation!)

"The Chinese were shocked": Mamun's former coach - about working in a new country, professional freedom and benching. Zaripova accepted an offer to work with the Chinese national team via social media

The Chinese's victory in rhythmic gymnastics group AA in Paris 2024 was not a sensation, although rhythmic gymnastics in the country is only beginning to really gain popularity, five-time world champion Amina Zaripova said in an interview with RT. In her opinion, in the near future Chinese athletes have a good chance to achieve high results in individual competition. The coach also told how she decided to work in a foreign country, explained why she was afraid to commit herself to a long-term contract and noted that the new rules make this sport insanely interesting.

At what point in your life did the subject of working in China arise? It arose very trivially and completely by accident. At the very end of 2023, I was with my son abroad, flying to him for the New Year holidays. One day I was browsing social media and saw information in my personal messages that representatives of the Chinese rhythmic gymnastics team wanted to contact me.

Did you know any of these people? No. China has an amazing recruitment system. The enquiry does not come to the sports federation, but is a kind of headhunting: like, here are some people looking for a coach, would you like to consider this offer? I responded to this post more for the sake of fanfare.

So you didn't think the offer would be serious at all? No, absolutely not. Especially since in the second message they asked me to send my CV. I thought, ‘That's normal. They ask me for a CV too.’ But I sent some text that a journalist friend helped me to compose and translate. And somehow everything was wrapped up very quickly….

What conditions did you set on your part? The main thing was a guaranteed opportunity to perform with Chinese athletes at international competitions. In our sport, China is famous for the fact that its gymnasts rarely go anywhere at all - and they perform very rarely, and even then within the country. So for me it was a fundamental moment.

It seems that while staying in Russia, you suffered greatly without a real job. It would be wrong to say that. I left the Russian national team consciously. After Rita Mamun and a few years later Dasha Trubnikova (champion of the 2018 Youth Olympics. - RT) finished their careers, I got a good girl, Nicole Rimarachin Diaz. We even managed to win competitions for children of pre-junior age with her. But I left her to Irina Alexandrovna Viner and went into freelancing. I took care of my school, travelled with master-classes. I felt a little tired: there had been too much big sport in my life. Plus I had my fourth child and was trying to finally become a real mum. That was the most important thing in my life at the time.

To be honest, I still can't comprehend it: leaving the Russian team to be able to spend morte time with family and suddenly such a change! Let's start from the fact that my children are adults already. Arseniy is 21, Afanasy is 16, but he is an indipendent boy too. The girls stay with me.

And how did your husband react? Fortunately, both he and I are totally crazy in our profession. So Lesha said we should at least try it. so that we would not regret it later. And in the meantime, see how many pros and cons there were. Pros were more and the decision was taken anyway. Especially because I understood myself how much I was missing real work. I felt it in a particularly brutal way whilst watching the Paris Olympics. I remember sitting in front of the screen and not being able to erase this thought: I want to go back.

When talking about pros, do you mean being able to compete internationally? Not just that. The absolute freedom of coaching, too. Profession-wise, I've never been so free.

I have a very good contract, which states that I can leave the country should personal necessities arise. Generally, when we started contract talks and they discovered I have four children, they were shocked. Especially considering that in China, for a long time, normality was having one child, rarely two.

I thought those times were over... Such things stay in the mentality for a long time. Even a two-children family in China is rare. I haven't seen anyone with three. It's surprising, actually. As I've heard whilst being in the country, after COVID the government is even ready to pay young families so that they have children, but young adults don't want to.

If you have such a good contract, why not signing it immediately for the whole four years, until the next Olympics? I was offered to, but I chose otherwise: why binding myself to it? If everything keeps going smoothly, we'll simply extend the contract. A contract is, up to a certain extent, a picture. Maybe I think this way because I've never been a contract kind of person. Now I have to consider many shades. For instance, I cannot post photos on my social media accounts without permission. I posted them once and they told me no. I'm also forced to approve everything regarding the national team. If at some point I want to go home for a while, I need to give a 3-week notice and find a replacement. I have to get used to all these details.

How is your work in China structured? My job description says I'm the head coach of the whole national team, including junior and pre-junior teams. I only work on the individuals. The groups work is coordinated by Nastya Bliznyuk.

How competitive can Chinese gymnasts be in individual competitions on a world-level? There's a very talented girl, Lulu (Wang Zilu), with whom Ukranian coach Olena Diachenko has been now working for some years. We met at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, when Trubnikova won, and last year Lulu became the first Chinese gymnast to ever qualify for the individual Olympic final and to enter the top 10. Which means, last year she was a true competitor for all the best gymnasts. Obviously, I don't expect to train her in any way: Diachenko and she work well together and they only ask me for some tips, nothing more. Consequently, my current job is recruiting other gymnasts to support Wang and create a team she can lead.

At the Olympic Games in Paris, I remember the group gold medal as a great sensation I don't think it was a whole sensation: after all, the Chinese group was already on top of the game two years before Paris, at the World Championships in Sofia. And what is Olympics, we know it very well since Rita Mamun, when everyone bets on a gymnasts but another one wins. To me, the Olympics is a competition that doesn't have to do with reason, but with some sorts of manifestation of higher powers. Especially when it comes to groups. If in the individual championships before the Olympics everything is approximately clear, everything can still happen in the group competition. Whoever makes the fewest mistakes wins. Which naturally doesn't take away the unpredictability of the Chinese win.

Is Chinese rhythmic gymnastics similar to the Russian? Not at all. As I've already said, gymnasts don't really compete. There are two official competitions per year: the Chinese Championships and the Chinese Cup. That's how thy do it. It's incredible to me, discovering that people train to compete twice in their country. Nastya Bliznyuk made a huge effort so that her girls started to go to the World Cup and other international competitions. Again, differently from Russia, here there's no huge benching. You choose between five or six people, basically. Rhythmic gymnastics in China is just now becoming popular. But it's still far away from trampoline and artistic gymnastics.

I know that in these sports Chinese have been copying Soviet methods for many years. Is it still visible? They have their own training methods and, when I met the girls, it killed me, to be honest. I noticed for instance that after the general training, the girls stay at the gym to repeat the exercises. At the beginning I thought I was giving them too little work. But then I discovered that top athletes, including all those from all the national teams, have to regularly pass physical tests like push-ups, jumping, 3000m run.

When I discovered that my girls had to lift 30kgs whilst laying down, I cried, I felt so sorry for them. It was like lifting a wardrobe. Why? I tried to convince them it wasn't right. But they told me everyone does it. Artistic swimmers, weight lifters, volleyball players: everyone has the same set of exercises. If an athlete doesn't pass them for any reason, they can be expelled

I can imagine your state in that moment. I believe a sane mind cannot comprehend this. I still fight, explain that you cannot put a rhythmic gymnast on the same level as a volleyball player or a runner. This year, the weights were removed and the standards were somehow simplified. But, as a matter of principle, I don't go to the gym during these training sessions, because my heart breaks and I cannot do anything.

Are all Chinese athletes constantly under these conditions? Yes. In this sense, their system is basically the same as the USSR's

Do you also live in a sports center? As Nastya Bliznyuk, I'm also renting an apartment in Beijing. And the training takes place in the university.

Are you learning Chinese? I'm in the process, let's say

Is it your choice or something that was requested by your employer? I believe this is only basic respect for the country, for the girls I work with. Little kids don't understand English and I have to constantly explain some things, like "lift your head", "up your toes"... About this, in the first months this required a lot of my time and efforts. Now they already understand my English and Russian. I really like when they come to me at the end of the training and they say in Russian "Miss, I'm done with the session. Thank you!"

Will we see you at the World Championships in Rio this year? Surely. And before, the Junior World Championships in June. For China, this will be the first Junior Championships

Has rhythmic gymnastics changed a lot since you and Rita Mamun won the Olympics in Rio? Truly a lot. The rules change every four years for us. Gymnastics now is closer to me rather than to the one of 2022-2024, because there's more artistry. We have less DBs, only eight. But this doesn't make the sport easier. Firstly, you have to master these elements and secondly there's more focus on artistry, on the coreography. Every accent, every movement has to fit the rhythm, everything must work: the facial expression, the body. Combining all this in a program is really difficult. But these rules, to me, are incredibly interesting

[mercymermaid]

okay dragon prince s6 was. a wild fucking ride

here's my live reaction and my post reaction

warning: obvious spoilers, really long, extremely incomprehensible, i also forgot half the non-main characters' names

------

live reaction:

JUST REALIZED DRAGON PRINCE S6 CAME OUT LET’S GOOOP

the last show i watched was lmk (besides nezha conquers the dragon king) so seeing them all so animated and actually humanoid is so satisfying

VIREN'S HANDS AND REACTION WHEN HE SEES CLAUDIA'S LEG. RAGDJGUFUJFJDDJBR ME TOO BUD ME TOOOOOO

also aaravos crying in the beginning jumpscared me because i didn’t realize it was him at first i thought it was a new va or smth 😭

ALSO NOOOO SIR SPARKLEPUFF 😭

screaming

claudia: kills her ‘brother’ and loses her sanity to save viren to go save aaravos

viren: nah i choose life

claudia: 😃 haha what

literally she’s sobbing because he’s trying to go back to katolis

oh the running animation is still shit

ughhhh the little humany movements

rayla’s hand being uncertain and lowering and going to her face when callum runs off w her blanket

and soren howling w zym is so real

CUTTING FROM “CAN WE TRUST JELLYBUG” TO THE FIRE WAS A MOMENTARY JUMPSCARE

“i have my blankie” that’s. rayla’s blankie.

okay i’m calling it they sent callum down there without a shot of him replacing the pearl so i bet they took the decoy

either that or the reason they didn’t put a shot is to not make us think that and they brought the actual peael in 💀

jm ever overthinking or a genius

no terry :(

naming a dragon pyrrah is crazy

also not me completely forgetting wtf happened in s5

completely forgot zubeia had her ass kicked

WHAT COULD YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS YOU ARE NOT A QUEEN

DAMNNNNNNN

how have i forgotten like everyone’s names mb

corvus deserves the world i remember why he was my favorite character when he actually had screentime

corvus and soren were husbands your honor

since when was corvus’s leg injured

was that in s5 and my dumbass missed it

but soren carrying him is golden

yeah it was in s5 im stupid just googled

please don’t let the mushroom mage be a villain he’s awesome

the split speech between janai and karim is awesome

and i need to rewatch the other seasons but. did they fix the shading?? or am i just being spoiled after lmk

JANAI AND AMAYA WEDDING LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

corvus and soren are fucking Best Friends Yes Homo i swear ighhjhhh

BUT JANAI AND AMAYA KISSING EARLIER WOOHOOOO LET’S HEAR IT FOR LOVING CARING POSITIVE HEALTHY YURIIIII

NO SHADOWPAW

warriors ass name

i forgot to mention they fixed rayla’s hypothermic forehead

oh claudia’s still alive??

the frozen ship speech

is so foreshadowing or a metaphor or smth cool

terry is genuinely such a good boyfriend

and rayla reading the diary is great

help not rayla reading the diary instead of trying to find supplies

is she crying bc of the sadass story or because she’s thinking of callum

terry do you not know how to brush hair

if there’s a not you grab the hair before the knot so it hurts less

what crisis did claudia go through to cut her hair

okay yeah stupid question

shadow monkey and the bait rip-off baby both cooing at rayla and callum sharing a bed is real

but corvus and soren sharing a bed would be better

CHRIST JELP WHY ARE THEY DOING THAY TO POOR RAYLA AND CALLUM

NO WAYYY

sobbing

DUMB BITCH KI ISS HER

THAT IS NOT A TIME TO BRING UP DARK MAGIC

also claudia honey i love your style but honey you need to fix your hair

OH TERRY MAKING HER A PROSTHETIC LEG SWEETIEEEE

they haven’t spoken at all this entire time

OH THEY KISS TOO

CALLUM YOU DUMB BITCH YOU’RE THE ONLY ONES

“exhales emotionally” is crazy

did their asses just. forget the Pearl

oh yeah they did

rayla’s cooked

oh no she’s fine

the guard bonking the other on the head is so real

how do they not recognize viren

blind ass bitches

DAMN OKAY EZRAN EAT THATTTTTT

im calling it

ep3 already and the only aaravos screentime we had was him crying (over leola i assume) (and callum’s flashbacks but they don’t count)

it’s another mystery of aaravos’s screentime season i see

in america the starscraper would cost 20000000 a month and would have the view of twenty other starscrapers

claudia is a material girl

and I’d get severe social anxiety being inside the starscraper

yikes aaravos has plot armor

“no one can save xadia” okay edgelord

damn not the side quest to go kill a snow monster 💀

last episode before i sleep

please give us actual fucking aaravos screentime

YOOO CLAUDIA IS IN THE INTROVNOW

WOAHHHH

referring to viren as the prisoner is WILD

yeah viren bud you did that to yourself soren had all right to scream at you

watch the snow monster be like aaravos’s pet 💀

the snowstorm isn’t dying down girl

oh nvm

oh yeah that’s not aaravos’s pet im stupid

i expected a plot twist like this

the celestial elves hearing about how the chosen two actually did this for themselves 👁️👄👁️

not astrid’s brother (im sorry i immediately forgot his name) immediately becoming timeblind

HELP NOT CALLUM IMMEDIATELY BEING CALLED EVIL

OH FINALLY AARAVOS CONTENT

oh nevermind it was ONE SENTENCE

buddy we saw you cry earlier you ain’t winning (toxic masculinity is tho!!)

OH I KNEW THAT FLY WAS A METAPHOR

okay one more episode i can’t

ohhhhh the guy was named kosmo whoops

that autocorrected to Komsomol

the fuck is Komsomol

okay yeah we’re not getting any aaravos content this season huh

season 7 is still mystery (though it’s gonna be the last season in mystery) so i assume that’s when shit happens

HOW DID AARAVOS HAVE MORR SCREEN TIME OUTSIDE OF THE SEASONS FUCKING NAMED AFTER HIM

saw the trailer yeah no aaravos is so getting released

I WAS SO RIGHT HE ACTUALLY BROUGHT THE FUCKONG CANDY ORB I CALLED I CALLED I CALLED I CALLED IT

viren trauma dumping to soren is crazy

viren sobbing sounds kind of aaravos sobbing

why is everything black and white when kosmo speaks

okay time line 🤩

timeblind fuck me dude

i love how expressive everyone is

damn astrid eat!!!

OHHHHHHH

THE WHOLE

UH

BLACK AND WHITE TJING WAS HIS FLASHBACK AND THEN CHANGING THE PAST AND FUTURE

OKAYTYYYYYY MAIN CHAARCTERRRRR

damn viren why’d you do kpp’ar dirty like that 😭

NAHHHHHH

rip buddy

no what happened to the spider

did they forget her on him 💀

STOP CUTTING FROM CALLUM PLUMMETING TO VIREN TRAUMADUMPING IS CRAZYYYYYH

what is viren doing anyway

writing a fucking autobiography

like how is this going to get soren to like him

yeah all that did not fit on that one piece of paper with his huge ass handwriting

IS THAT LEOLA

WHOS THAT PRETTY POOKIE

THE MERCIFUL ONE?.

all he needed was to go fly up really high and now he’s plot power protected 💀 no wayyyy

are they gonna tell him about the candy pearl tho 😭

IS HE STILL WRITING

JESSUSSSS

viren a sorry isn’t gonna help anymore

dumb bitch

oh thank god kosmo told his sister

viren should listen to kosmo

oh look at him making smart choices

go soren

YEAHHHH BURN I

It

oh the spider is alive 😁

okay callum be introspective

aswwwwww they’re fixing their past

FINALLLYYYYYYY THEY KISSSEEDDDDDDDDD UGHHHHHH LONG TIME COMING DIMNAZSESSSSSS

DUMBASSESSSSS

AWWWWWWWW THEY’RE SO CUTEEEEE

AND YET NO FUCKING AARAVOS

YOU HAVE THREE EPISODES LEFT.

USE THEM.

why the fuck are they going to the moon nexus

awwww them kissing like a high school couple is great

OHHHHH she got wings!!!

did they. tell callum and rayla that they brought the wrong pearl???

SOL REGEMCIS THAT YOU

“fix my wings and i’ll fly” yeah

oh they’re doing it rn nvm

how are they doing it….

oh runes magic wowwww

the soldiers slamming their staffs is off-beat

YEAHHHHH HE GOT NEW WINGSSSS

since when is corvus a musician

since forever my dumbass forgot about what i saw in the wiki

oh kazi is enby

cuteeeeeeeee

morning clouds is crazy

this is very discouraging poetry

YIPPEEEEE

oh fuck karim dude it’s her wedding be niceeee

run roh bald guy is infecteddddd

oh janai come on you’re the stupid and foolish one

ezran buddy you’re not gonna help 😭

dayum karim be niceeeee

ren pooks i appreciate the humor but not the time

gren

im stupid

ugh these two are so wholesomely in love it’s so sweeeetttttttttt im screaming

ughhhghghghghfhfhghghghggh

YEAHHHHHHHHHHH

HEALTHY LOVIJG CARING POSITIVE YURIII FOR THE WINNNNNNN

history cannot be forged without fire, without strength

damn

ezran bud honey

are we ignoring the archery girl what fucking help was she

ZYM EATTTTTTT

GO BRIDLELESSSSS

YESSSS GO ARCHER GIRL

who tf is archer girl anyway i forgot everything abt her

DONT SHOOT THE HORSES

thank god

yeah they’re cooked

help did the guy riding sol regem betray him

OHHHH THEY’RE GOING FOR KATOLIS

DAMNNNN THAT’S FUCKING FOULLL

WAIT OMG WAIT WAIT WAIT

SINCE THE REAL PEAEL IS IN KATOLIS

ARE THEY GONNA INADVERTENTLY DESTROY THE PEARL AND RELEASE AARAVOS

for being the crownguard soren is useless

ouch that’s a concussion

just use a fucking cannonball

yeahhhhh the pearl is fucked isn’t it

oh rip soren he’s a dead man

OHHH WAIT YEAH THE PEARL IS BEING DESTROYED

BALDIE IS POSSESSED

help making viren do magic is crazy

DARK MAGIC IS WORSEEEEE

oh yeah no

SOREEN NOOOOO

NAHHHHHHHHHH

he’s so dead

NO IS SOREN DEAD

NOOOOOO CORVUS NEEDS HIS POOKIE BEAR

OH SOREN LIVED????

OH SHIT

VIREN USED HIS OWN HEART

PLOT TWISTTTTTTTT

DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

only show in which i care about all the characters

HELP WHY DID SOREN LOOK LIKE THAT

oh right they became monsters or smth

it’s okay viren you died doing the thing you didn’t want to do

I AM A SERVANT IS CRAZYYYYYHY

imagine viren’s body lands on soren

nvm

WELL THEN WHAT DID THE GUY WANT WITH KATOLIS IF AARAVOS’S PEARL IS FINE??.?

claudia your dad is dead im sorry

OH IT AAS FOR AARAVOS

FINALLY AARAVOS CONTENTTTTTT

he looks so annoyed when soul regem looks away

TELL ME HE RELEASES AARAVOS BY ACCIDENT

what mystery

WAIT LUNA TENRBSI

I ATE HER

I ATE HER

I ATE YOUR GRANDMA

DAMNNNNNNN PLOT TWISTTTTT

DAMNNNNN SOL REGEM DAMNNNNNNNNNN

rip baldie

oh rip sol regem too

oh yeah they’re both dead 💀

crazy ass way to go imo

okay bye bye star bitch you still have an episode and a half to prove yourself

terry is right

okay ignore everything terry justbsaid

claudia honey good luck

see now THAT is sobbing

AARAVOS GO AWAY YOU MANWHORE

OHHHHHH THE PEARL

OHHHHHHH CLAUDIA WILL RELEASE HIM OR SMTH

THAT’S FUCKIGN CRAZZYYYDYSHBEVKJSDBIFUGRWLUBRSVIF S

ohhh they’re at the moon nexus

still dk why

ohhhhhhhhhh the coins!!

fake quasar diamonds calling it

anyway i called that the pearl was fake and i called katolis’s destruction leading to aaravos being freed

ARE THEY FREEING HIM RN

CRAZZYYYYYYY

TERRY IS SO REAL

AARAVOS LET HER DEAL W HER DEAD DAD IN PEACE

claudia why do you want to help him

BUT YES IS HE FINALLY GONNA GET RELEASED LET’S GOOOOOOOO

calling it he gets released at the end of the last episode

and then we have to wait for s7 to actually get content

please. all i want. is a scene with him just. being overwhelmed by existence.

which isn’t gonna happen bc he’s the Mysterious Overpowered Villain where any weakness we saw from him was him sobbing over Leola

if that doesn’t happen im writing it i swear to god

NO THEY NEED THE QASAR DIAMOND TOOO

COME ON DUDE

OHHHHHH

THE GEM IN VIREN’S STAFF

IS THE QASAR DIAMOND THAT’S SIPPOSED TO BE IN THE CORONA

CRAZYYYYY

OHHHH THEY’RE RELEASING HIM

PLEASPELEPWSLELWPALSLEOWLALDE

help did they fail

dumbass bitches

LAST EPISODE

IF HE DOESNT GET RELEASED

I AM GOING TO SHOOT MYSELF

help why does intro claudia still have long hair

i was so right about him being released late wasn’t it

I WANT A SCENE WHERE WHEN HE GETS RELEASED HE GETS HIS SHINE BACKKKKK

okay is aaravos gonna traumadump now

claudia doesn’t know how to cast spells with love

that’s pretty sad

OHHHHHH HE’S TRAUMA DUMPING ABOUT LEOLAAAAAA

UEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

UGHHHHH SHE’S SO CUTEEEEEEE

LEOLAA WAS SO CUTEEEEEE

im telling her to save her family fuck runaan (i forgot who he is)

ighhhhh lwk they should have an older version of zym available for pfp usage

“please don’t die” eloquent!!

“what happened to you” honey love pooks those are soul fragments

this isn’t who you are! you’re broken! but i can make you whole again!

rayla, honey… are you gonna sing fight song next

oh now she’s faced with options

go back to save runaan

or go and save her parents

HELP IS THE PEARL A MODEL OF HIS HOUSE??? THAT’S FOUL AS FUCK

yeah leola’s abt to die isn’t she

that cube hole was not big enough for the cube

OH HE’S SO KINDDD

NOOOOO LEOLA

GOLDEN DRAGON

DAMN SOL REGEM DID YOU TAKE HIS KID

OH

AARAVOS ON A FLOATY PLATFORM (IN TRAILER) ISNT HIM BEING RELEASED IT’S HIM W LEOLA

leola is fucked

AWWWWW AARAVOSSS

OHHH MERCIFUL ONE!!

DAMNNN KILLING THEM BOTH IS CRAZY

is she not saving her parents??

OHHHHHH

THEY’RE DYING

YIKES

OHHHHHHHHHHH THAT’S WHAT THAT MEANS

ALLOWING THEIR SOULS TO COMBINE BECAUSE THEY CANT DIE OTHERWISE

OKAYYY MAIN CHARACTER AARAVOS

how did he get his daughter tho

who did he fail

*rail

WHY DID HIS VOICE CHANGE LIKE THAT

bro is sobbing

OHHH LEOLA THAT LOOKS PAINFULLLLLO

LEOLA’S LAST WISHHHHHHH

DAMNNNN

BRO CRIED LONG ENOUGH TO MAKE A SEA

DAMN BRO

yeah he just trauma dumped to claudia and terry

oh she’s bringing back runaan???

oh he’s good now

“i’m a monster” yeah you’re showing that

you’re still trying to kill her buddy

HELP WHAT

HUHHHHHHHHHH

WHAT’S THAT

SHE’S HIS DAUGHTER???

oh i see

so she let her parents pass on and instead went w runaan is crazy

oh no she just got a lotus looking thingy

no parents

oh runaan exists as a pretty flower now 💀

YES TERRY TALK SENSE INTO HER

aaravos watching terry tell claudia that his love is twisted: 🧍

okay so claudia did not have a redemption arc

goddamn

OHHH THEYRE SIMULTANEOUSLY BRINGING BACK AARAVOS AND RUNAAN

CRAZZY SHITTTTT

THAT’SNFUCKING WIDLS,WOD

how did her first attempt look any different than this 💀

oh

i see

terry is regretting his choice of gf

PLEASE LET AARAVOS’S RETURN BE DRAAMTIC PELASEESSA

help why is runaan nearly naked

did he just lose his clothes

poor guy didn’t deserve that

HELP IS AARAVOS GONNA BE NAKED TOO 😭 GIVE THE MEN SOME DIGNITY

YOURE KIDDING KIDDING ME

THEY SHOW RUNAAN GET BRIUGHT BACK

THRY SHOWNCALLUM GASO

AND HE’S FOCUSING ON KATOLIS

AND NO

FUCKING

AARAVOS

I TOLD YOU HE WAS GONNA GET BROUGHT BACK AT THE END OF THE LAAT EPISODE INN THR SHITTIEST CLIFFHANGER KNOWN TO MAN

YOU’RE FUCKING KDDING ME

YOU’RE FUCKIGN HOKIHJ

ohh yippee janai and amaya can have an actual wedding!,

OH FUCK EZRAN DOESNT KNOW ABOUT KATOLIS

SHITTTTTTTTTTT

HE’S ABT TO FIND OUT POOR UGY

YES SHOW AARAVOS

PLEASE

let”smog

YESSSSSS FINALLLLYYYYYYYY

oh he’s not naked

WHY IS HE SO BIG HELP

BRO REALLY DID SWALLOW JANAI’S GRANDMA

EXPLAINS WHY HE MANAGED TO LITERALLY CRY AN OCEAN

every aaravos-comes-back fanfic punching the air rn

make him smaller i don’t like this wtf

WAIT HOLD ON IT DONT MAKE SENSE

IN THE FLASHBACKS

AARAVOD WAS NORMAL SIZED

IS HE JUST HYPER MAGIC

AND THAT

WAS THE SHITTIEST WAY

TO END

THE

SEASON

IM GOJ; TO SHOOTVMYSELF

OHHHHH THE LAST LITTLE CREEITS DRAWING IS AARAVOS WITH LEOLA MY HEARTTTTTTTTT

------

post reaction:

okay wow now wasn't that a season!!!

salty about the fact that they released aaravos at the very end, but i lapped up aaravos's story and his angst like a kitten to milk

loved it, wish s7 was out, and wish his release was a tad more dramatic because! he has been imprisoned for centuries! let him have a breakdown, he deserves one!

also not me managing to predict plot twists 💀💀

anyway if you made it this far, have some sunfire cake 🍰🍰

[lya-dustin]

The Dornish Princess

(Part ii of the Dornish Princess)

Cw: mentions of sex, fantasizing of murder, attempted murder via drowning

Fool.

That is the new name he was given.

Fool.

Fool for trusting you, for believing your words and a worse fool for loving you.

He cannot chase you and kill you for your betrayal, he was the regent and he must deal with the fall out of his own fucking foolishness.

With his brother at the Stranger’s door and no money to continue the war, his campaign into the Riverlands is postponed.

Postponed being a nicer word for it.

They are to surrender to his whore sister and bastard heirs and beg for mercy.

The negotiations had begun and Aemond has requested exile over death. He would never set foot in Westeros for as long as Rhaenyra lives.

No matter, after he gets his hands on you, it will he worth it.

Aliandra Martell offered her hand in marriage should he bring her your head.

Prince Consort of Dorne is good consolation reward.

His exile isn’t the terrible thing his mother thinks it is, his change of scenery matters not when he hunts you down.

He will enjoy killing you, he dreams of seeing the life leave your indigo eyes as he avenges his honor.

Aemond follows your trail even when he takes up the occupation of sword fro hire as Daemon once did. He hears how you defrauded a Braavosi key holder, how you robbed Sharako Lohar blind and just recently, drove the Rogares of Lys to complete and utter ruin.

Word had come from the spymasters that you lived in Volantis in a manse behind the Black Wall. You’d overstay your welcome once the lord you flatter with your serpent’s tongue and poison him with kisses as sweet as honey.

Where would you go from then? You weren’t welcome anywhere anymore.

You could never go home just as he can’t either.

He disguises himself as a servant, a slave rather. The Valyrian looks so coveted in Westeros were as common as horse shit in Essos. Even slaves had silver hair and purple eyes.

Something he’d learned to exploit as he earned his pay with blood.

Something he’ll exploit to finally end you.

You aren’t Y/N Sand nor Coryanne Martell here. You are merely a wealthy widow enjoying the fruits of your labor.

He stalks into your bath quietly, you assuming it is another servant carrying your hot flowery water pay no mind to him.

You are far more beautiful than he remembered, you grew into your looks just as he went from youth to man these years past.

Five years ago, you ruined his life and made damn sure you would never be forgotten.

“I will wash my own hair tonight.” You say as he takes your dark braid in his hands. Within a heart beat he’s holding your face under the water as he fulfills every fantasy he’s had these five long years.

“Did you miss me, Y/N?” he asks taunting you when he lets you come up for air.

“Not as much as you did, husband.” You gasp and sputter with a laugh. As if you’d known he’d come. “Took you long enough, Aemond the Fool.”

He narrowed his eye and wished he could just drown you in your tub and be done with it. But he doesn’t. He is still the fool he was at nineteen at twenty-four.

“Join me, you reek of dragon.” You say as you gather your bearings and pretend nothing had happened.

He could kill you later, hot water was a luxury even in this warm winter. A good fuck and a hot bath seemed like a better send off you deserved, but Aemond has stopped being so picky with whores these years.

“You need me for a scheme don’t you?” he concludes aa you wash his body with the same soaps you had used. You had done this before, back when he loved you and you ensnared him in your trap.

You had felt divine then, your soft caresses, your sweet lips and the oh so tight cunny you sheathed his cock with.

You haunted him till this fucking day, even after trying to forget you with every willing woman he could find. Not even the Red Priestess with her knowledge of the seven sighs couldn’t erase you out of his mind.

“A final one, an apology from me to you.” You say coming close enough to kiss him stupid.

He’d let you, only if your scheme is good enough for him.

“As if I’d believe anything that comes from your mouth, y/n.” he scoffed and yet snaked his arms around your waist to pull you onto his lap.

He'll discard of you once he is sated, your pretty head was worth as much as this manse. A place close to home too.

“Oh trust me, what I will show you will speak for itself, my sweet prince.” You whisper before leaving the bath all together.

The sight waiting for him in your rooms leaves him without words.

Sharing a room and the distinctive looks of House Targaryen, a boy of five and a boy of eight hold on to plush dragons. The younger a green as Vhagar and the other as red as Caraxes.

His child and Rhaenyra’s lost son, presumably.

“Lysandro bought Viserys from his captors and sought to ransom him back to your family along with my son. I don’t bite unless I have to, dearest husband.” You admit with a hard edge to your soft voice. Somehow he believes you.

“What do you want?” Aemond cannot do anything but stare at the boys, his more than his nephew.

His hair is silver and sleek as his is, a faint smattering of freckles like the ones he had as a boy and his mother’s wicked mouth pouting in his sleep.

“That you recognize Aelyx as trueborn, we were married in truth and he shouldn’t carry the stain of bastardry when he is innocent.” You speak honestly, as if you knew your luck had run out. “Take Viserys and my wealth and negotiate your return to your home. It should be more than what I stole from you.”

If you knew he hadn’t thought of killing you since you showed him his son, you’d think your hold on him was as strong as it was then.

Perhaps it was.

Damn you. Damn you to the seven hells for making a fool out of him.

The following morning he writes home saying he’d found his errant wife and a treasure greater than all the gold in Volantis.

If Rhaenyra lifted his exile, he’d personally deliver Viserys to her.

Aemond the Kinslayer gets a hero’s welcome despite being foolish enough to forgive you and wed you in truth.

But you are not content with just being his wife and the wealth you amassed. No, you like your husband were cursed with ambition.

“Have you ever considered conquering Dorne, your grace?” you ask Queen Rhaenyra who owes you the life of her youngest son even if Aemond took the life of her second born.

[hot-take-tournament]

re: the game take. Maybe triple a gaming should stop releasing unfinished games that requires huge updates to finish it while also rewriting content to rework said content to be more palatable when fans already liked the existing content. Maybe triple a games would be better then.

Maybe, but the practice is just a result of how the Triple-A video game industry functions.

Here's an excessively long semi-coherent tangent about the AAA video game industry among other things:

As systems become increasingly powerful with each successive console generation, and consumers demand increasingly high-fidelity games, the cost (in time, money and manpower) of game development for AAA games rises exponentially each year.

As a result, the modern AAA industry is primarily hit-driven. Depending on who you ask, only ~20% of games even turn a profit, and most of those barely break even once the console manufacturer takes their cut (usually about 30%). For a publisher, who takes on most of the financial burden, those would also be considered failures because they took years to develop, time that could've been spent on something better received. That alone makes them a bad investment, and for the studio, a history of failure isn't exactly going to inspire confidence in future pitch meetings.

But then there's that small fraction of games that are breakout hits, achieving massive success. That's the goal AAA studios are chasing, hoping to strike gold with that one runaway success that justifies the multiple years they spent developing it. And even then, that will only keep them afloat for a while. Persona 5 sold millions of copies, but Atlus was still making a loss in the years that followed (though Atlus is probably only a AA studio).

On the other hand, there are the true failures like Sonic Boom, that cost Sega Sammy over 100 million dollars, or Concord, that cost Sony anywhere between 200 to 400 million. Those are blows most companies can't afford to take.

And no company is too big to fail. To take an example from the movie industry, which operates more or less the same way, Pixar, despite being the most famous animation studio in the world, almost went under a couple years ago after their last several films underperformed, and Lightyear entirely bombed. So, they decided to pin all their hopes on Inside Out 2 last year as one final throw of the dice.

Inside Out 2 was the safest possible bet; the original was at the time their 6th most successful film ever, and their 2nd highest that wasn't a direct sequel to a different film. So, a follow-up seemed guaranteed to make bank.

Even then, they still didn't take any chances. They brought in every employee they could find to work on the film, allegedly postponing planned layoffs until it was done so they could have all hands on deck, and forced employees to work seven days a week in what was called the largest crunch in the company's history. Disney higher-ups, who blamed Lightyear's failure on a same-sex kiss, also demanded that any LGBTQ+ themes were removed, and are quoted as saying that the film should be edited to make Riley "less gay".

In the end, Inside Out 2 became the highest grossing film in the company's history. Before it had even premiered, Pixar laid off 14% of their employees, leaving some of them crying in the foyer. According to the people still working there, Disney and Pixar's executives also saw the film's success as proof that censoring its LGBT elements was justified, and that attitude is now pervasive.

That last part isn't really relevant to this specific discussion. It's just something else I brought up because Pixar and Disney suck, and I think more people should talk about it.

The point I'm actually trying to make here is that even a company like Pixar is far from invincible, and a few costly failures is enough to sink them. Conversely, even a single major success like Inside Out 2 is enough to completely turn things around. That's the hit-driven business model of these companies, and the same applies to AAA game studios.

In fact, it's probably even worse for them, because most people don't actually buy that many big games each year. They cost like $60 a pop, and can take anywhere between 20 to 100 hours to complete. As a result, the competition is far more vicious. That's why the most expensive games spend almost as much on marketing as they do on development, because they're all fighting for the spotlight at the time of their release, hoping to be the one game you buy that season. And because everyone wants to play the game everyone else is playing, the more successful one game is, the worse it gets for all the other games releasing at the same time in terms of sales.

Okay, I'm trying to remember where I was going with this. Basically, here's how this informs the current trends in the industry:

First of all, because expensive AAA games are such a gamble, publishers and studios are far more risk-averse. They're less willing to back something new or experimental when they could just play it safe. It's why no matter how much people complain online, publishers will always prefer to put out sequels to established franchises. It's just a far safer bet to go with an established brand or formula that's proven to work than take a needless risk on something new, and that's a line of thinking that's expected to become even more prevalent moving forward. It's also possible that, like Pixar, video game publishers will become more reluctant to include representation if they feel it might negatively affect sales.

Secondly, because a hit-driven business model is so dangerous and has no safety net, publishers would much rather have a constant revenue stream that's more stable. So, that's why there is now a fixation on live-service games and microtransactions, which, if successful, will continue to reliably generate profit off consumers indefinitely. In 2022 Sony claimed they were planning to launch 12 live-service games by the end 2025, though after the failure of Concord, some of those have been axed.

Thirdly, because the market is so crowded, games are rushed out before they're ready to meet marketing deadlines, and crunch culture has become the industry standard.

That's how you end up with a game like Cyberpunk 2077, which was released in a completely unfinished and broken state. They could've delayed the game for a year, spent a little bit more time on it, and then put it out once it was actually finished. But by that point they'd already delayed it three times; the original release date was in April, but they'd pushed back to September, then again to November, and then finally to December, which isn't ideal.

Video game sales vary massively month-to-month, peaking in November and December. While that sounds good, it isn't for a game like Cyberpunk. Because people buy the most games at the end of the year, most major releases all come out then. If it had released in April as planned, Cyberpunk's only real competition would've been FF7 Remake, so if people are going to buy anything that month, it's probably going to be one of the two. But by September, Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part 2 would've already drawn people's attention, and in December, there's also a new Assassin's Creed and a Spiderman game, so anyone on PS4 is spoiled for choice. By 2021, the window would definitely be closed.

More importantly, the hype cycle was coming to an end. Part of the reason why publishers impose such rigid internal deadlines on development is because they plan their 100+ million dollar marketing push around that timeline. As the game was increasingly delayed, they were running out of steam and patience as they tried to keep it from being forgotten, which would doom its launch.

Instead, they decided it needed to go out right now, while it was still at the forefront of everyone's minds. CD Projekt Red had abandoned their policy of having zero crunch and forced employees to work overtime to get the game out in at least a vaguely playable state, while stringing journalists along with carefully cultivated slices of content that appeared fully finished. Timing is infinitely more important than quality, and after all, they could always fix it in post.

The major technical issues did have an effect on Cyberpunk 2077's sales after its release, but it didn't matter much. Despite being one of the most expensive games to develop in history, it made back its entire budget in pre-orders alone. In the first 24 hours, it sold 13 million copies; to put that into perspective, The Last of Us Part 2, which came out that same year, has only sold 10 million copies in almost 5 years.

So, I guess it paid off. In the end, when it comes to AAA game development, hitting marketing deadlines and release windows is generally seen as more important than quality of product, or wellbeing of employees. Crunch culture, where mandatory forced overtime is expected, has been normalised, and often isn't compensated.

Video game development positions aren't stable. There's almost no job security. It's not an uncommon practice for a studio to fire developers before the beginning of a project to make it seem like the company has less expenditure than it does, which makes it more appealing to publishers as a cheap option. This is accompanied by excessive overpromises that could never be kept, made in an attempt to convince an increasingly risk-averse publisher that this is a project worth gambling millions of dollars on.

Pressure to meet these deadlines, both from the publisher but also from the gaming community (who regularly send death threats to developers who delay anticipated games like Cyberpunk), results in mandatory crunch, and the release of unfinished games.

So yeah, that's more or less how the modern video game industry operates.