#Finally some good content for the Tan Train arc

[fountainpenguin]

“We're gonna party; make this moment last forever!”

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New 130 Reasons Why I’m Fairy Trash update today!

Fairly OddParents || One-Shot - “Swim”

Read on FFN || Read on AO3

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Well, it's that time of year again... the time when all the unwished wishes of Unwish Island need to be tallied and accounted for. Also an evil genius clone has moved in, so that's gonna be extra paperwork.

Anyway, just leave it to Binky! He and Jorgen are on the case!

(First 1,000 words under the cut)

54. Swim (Three weeks before "Anti-Poof")

Wednesday May 21st, "2008"

Year of Breath; Spring of the Frozen Planet

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"This is nice!" Binky chirped, breaking his chocolate-drizzled croissant in half. Still warm… It smelled sort of like pudding in his hands. Crisp. Fresh. Wasn't that nice? You know, microwaves were underrated; he needed to get one for his house. All in all, eating at an outdoor café table had been a fantastic idea. Even in a city like this one, Earth always smelled so fresh and green. The fairy leaned back in his chair, bringing the croissant to his tongue. "You know, it really is too bad we never hang out anymore… Let's do brunch again sometime!"

He received no response from the two fairies sitting across from him. In fact, neither of his companions - one with curly purple hair, the other with waves seafoam green - had spoken the entire lunch. Oh, they'd both tried… They'd also both tried to eat, though were shaking apart with coffee cups in hand right about now. Chrysalis kept one hand on his bowtie, practicing breathing exercises that were meant to help him maintain his human form. Minty had already replaced her earrings twice because she jittered so much, they kept falling out. Neither had touched their own croissants. Binky gazed back at his friends in silence, chewing on his treat. Then he tilted back his head. Ah. Right… Wednesday. You know, when you spent every hour of your work day under Jorgen von Strangle's shadow, sometimes you really could forget the man was always there. He loomed behind Binky with a hoagie in one hand, his "walking stick" in the other. Jorgen still looked beefy in his human disguise, with nothing much about him changing besides his crown. Binky reached for a napkin and dabbed at the crumbs along his lips.

"How is your godkid?" he asked the two fairies. "Your current one's named Annie, right?"

"Y-y-yeah," Chrysalis squeaked, fighting not to spill his drink. "She's… she's, uh…"

"She's taking care of the class rabbit this weekend," Minty put in. "Mr. Cuddles is such a, um… sweetie."

Binky nodded and glanced at his watch. According to his friends, their godchild was taking a final exam and would be busy for another 40 minutes. Funny… They certainly looked like they had somewhere else they wanted to be. Errands? Yeah, maybe. They likely didn't get enough time for themselves, what with the new godkid. Maybe he should wrap this up. It seemed a little mean to keep them in their seats. They clearly had to go.

"How's your brother?" he asked Minty anyway. Just one or two more questions. Just to be polite. He didn't want to cut their brunch too short, just in case they found that rude. "Is he a doctor yet?"

"Y-y-y-yes," she stuttered back. In the sunlight, the tips of her hair were starting to turn white. She did not elaborate. Binky ate his chocolate croissant in silence.

Brunch ended shortly after. Binky tossed away his napkin, hugged them both, and bid his friends farewell. Chrysalis and Minty didn't stick around any longer than they had to. As soon as they were in the clear to poof, they raised their wands and disappeared. Binky set his hands to his hips and gave a long sigh.

"I never see those two anymore since their new godkid. I do hope things are all right at home."

Behind him, Jorgen let out a husky laugh and Binky glanced up again. Jorgen was a purebred fairy, his thick muscles bulging with a hundred plus generations of magical strength. He dwarfed most fairies by a long shot, but here on Earth, he'd needed to do very little to blend in among humans. Binky had lengthened his own legs and slightly squared his shoulders (not to mention swapped his purple tunic out for a neatly pressed shirt). Jorgen? He stood over Binky in his usual sweat-stained tank and camouflage army pants. In one hand, he gripped the giant star-tipped staff he always kept around as the Keeper of Da Rules. Around the humans, he'd disguised it as a rather plain walking stick. "Ha," he snorted. "Their cowering in fear is because of me."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Binky brushed crumbs off his slacks and glanced about the road. No one in the nearby shops had reacted to Chrysalis or Minty poofing off in a cloud of dust. Were they good to leave? Or should they wait here a few minutes before making a move?

Jorgen patted his shoulder in mild sympathy. His clapping touch nearly buckled Binky's knees. "Well, now we have work to do… Are you ready for our next appointment, old friend?"

They'd spent all week combing through Timmy Turner's locker at the Fairy World Giant Unwished Storage facility. Actually, two weeks… though Binky had been out sick for two of those days, so it barely even counted. He liked Timmy well enough on the few occasions they'd crossed paths. Sweet kid. He had a gooey heart… but he did leave behind such a mess of discarded wishes in his wake. Honestly, it's like Cosmo and Wanda didn't know how to say "No" to him!

Most godkids didn't keep their fairies anywhere near as long as Timmy had, and even then, most of their wishes were, well… Pretty standard stuff. New toys. Tickets to amusement parks. The desire for parents to spend a little more time with them. Timmy's the only one who went so overboard, he was wishing up new, creative things every day. Binky always volunteered to help Jorgen when it came to cleaning stinky magic out of Timmy's locker before it could fester. You never knew what you might find in there, and every year, Binky felt a lot better when the work was done. No living creatures fearfully squeaking in need of food, or crushed by heavy books and bikes… No moldy food… It's just so much nicer to float inside a workplace that's been thoroughly scrubbed clean, right?

"If we must," Binky sighed. He picked a crumb from under his ring finger nail and tried to look at least a bit aloof. But, well… Cleaning Timmy's locker did come with certain benefits if you knew how to play your cards right. The trick was to get your supervisor to grant consent for you to check in on all of Timmy's discarded wishes. That way, once the indoor work was done, one lucky sucker could win a week of guaranteed fun on sunny Unwish Island, where the overflow had been relocated. Maybe even too. All counted as paid working hours, of course. Binky leaned back on his heels. "But I do want to poof out and grab milkshakes when we get the chance."

[Cnt'd on FFN / AO3 - Links at top]

[vecnawrites]

Jaune and Pyr wake up early in the morning so that they can start the day with their favorite drink~ Their precious sleeping beauty still asleep even now, good thing they know how to wake her up and have a tasty morning treat.

Loved Writing This One! Kinks: Triad Relationship, Lactation, Sleeping Orgasm, Body Worship, Pyrrha Is Thirsty, No You Can’t Say She Isn’t

“Mmm~” Jaune Arc slowly woke up, surrounded by warmth and comfort, so much so that he nearly drifted directly back to sleep. Warmth surrounded him on both sides, and he knew on one side was May, his first and oldest friend, and on the other, Pyrrha. Really, he could tell due to the snores. He loved the girl, he honestly did, but her snores outdid the snarls of a bellowing angry Ursa. But that was part about what he loved about her. She wanted more than anything to be seen as a normal person, and believe him, it was hard to see her as some unparalleled figure when she snored so...and drooled onto his chest, a large wet patch on his shirt under her cheek.

...and an equally large wet patch was on his other side, making his eyebrows raise, since May was as quiet as a mouse when she slept, barely making noise at all unless she was...stimulated...which admittedly, happened more often than not with the three of them sharing a bed. And she wasn’t one to drool, either. So what was it?

Tilting his head, a small smile and chuckle escaped him. Of course it was. Poor May had leaked in her sleep again, dark spots forming on her pajama top where her milk bled through. She hadn’t been able to milk the past few days and had a great deal of build up...fortunately, it was the weekend and May adored sleeping in, meaning that Pyrrha would wake first.

Which mean that they could help their dear girlfriend...and also be treated to their favorite morning beverage. He licked his lips, feeling his cock twitch in his boxers. Besides the taste, he and Pyrrha both loved their little Sniper’s reactions, the small squeaks of pleasure as she squirmed and trembled beneath them.

He sighed as his cock popped out of his boxers from his fantasy and arousal. That would have to be handled...eventually. For now, he needed to be patient, at least until Pyrrha woke up. Then something could be done...after they helped May...and themselves.

~x~x~x~x~

Pyrrha Nikos woke slowly. Despite her discipline, she hated waking up early, but it was ingrained into her now. From training at dawn from a young age, her body refused to let her sleep any later than daybreak. She heartily despised it.

But it wasn’t without its benefits, she would admit. She no longer woke alone, and that would give her the time to do the most wonderful things to-with! She meant WITH!-her boyfriend and girlfriend. Shifting her head, she whined as she felt her cheek slick with drool. She had never been able to break that habit, nor the one of cuddling with the nearest warm body. Meaning, Jaune or May, or both, if she was lucky enough to snag the middle spot, were her personal teddy ursa!

Today, she knew that Jaune had been her teddy, and she was thankful he never minded her snoring or drooling, something that she always found embarrassing, but he had simply accepted as another part of who she was. Reaching up, her hand cupped against something burning hot and hard as the shaft of Milo, her spear. A lazy smile formed on her face as she already knew what that was. Perhaps she could start the day off right~? A gentle pump got a groan, one too loud to be from a sleeping person. Drat. So, Jaune woke before her, did he? It was rare, but it did happen. Opening her eyes a crack, she stared up into the deep blues that she had fallen in love with. “...morning…” she mumbled. No matter how much she trained, let it be known, Pyrrha Nikos was not a morning person!

“Good morning, Pyrrha…” she heard his soft tone fill her with warmth. “Sleep well?” Pyrrha hummed and shifted, wincing as her saliva had started cooling and was getting cold and thick. “Could have been longer...I was having a nice dream~” she grabbed the blanket and wiped her cheek as she looked down at the large dark spot, giving her boyfriend an apologetic look.

He only chuckled and kissed her lips lightly. “I could tell; you’ve been grinding against my leg for a while now, and you’re still doing it~” Pyrrha blushed, forcing her slowly moving hips to stop, although she whined at the loss of pleasure.

Jaune smiled at her and kissed her again, with Pyrrha eagerly accepting the loving advance, trying to worm her tongue into his mouth, whining and trying to follow as Jaune pulled back. She was soothed as he pecked her on the nose. “Now, now, Pyrrha...later...we have to help May.” seeing him lick his lips made Pyrrha’s heart jump and her stomach growl, and she licked her own lips.

Right...she could start the day with the sweetest, most natural, tastiest beverage on Remnant...her girlfriend’s milk! Peeking over Jaune’s chest, her jaw dropped and she began drooling a bit as she saw dark spots on May’s shirt, the swell of her fat nipples pressing against the thin shirt that they had managed to trick-convince!-their precious Desert Flower to wear.

“Poor May’s gotten backed up...it’d be...cruel to let her continue on like this, wouldn’t it?” Pyrrha nodded so fast Jaune and May were both blurs in her vision. Cruel? It would be inhumane punishment if they left their beloved, delicate Desert Flower to suffer overfilled and constantly leaking breasts! She didn’t deserve that! They would drain that milk...they didn’t have any pumps or containers though, so it would have to be by mouth and into their bellies, but that...that was what good teammates, good boyfriends and girlfriends did! The sacrifice they were making to ensure their teammate’s comfort should be commended!

“Yesh, shwe-” she blushed fiercely, swallowing the saliva that had pooled heavily in her mouth, shying away from her boyfriend’s knowing smile. “Yes...yes, we should help her! We can’t let her suffer for long!”

~x~x~x~x~

It didn’t take long for the boyfriend and girlfriend to settle on either side of the sleeping busty beauty, gently shifting the sleeping sniper onto her back, her massive chest rising and falling, straining and stretching the ill fitting top she wore, buttons looking ready to pop off at any given moment.

Jaune and Pyrrha shared a smile over the “Milky Mountains”, a name they had saddled May’s breasts (and subsequently mortified the poor busty sniper) with and carefully reached up, working together to unbutton her top, both chuckling as the buttons finally gave in halfway through, flying through the air and landing on the bed with muted sounds, her fat breasts settling, fat puffy inverted nipples swollen and beading with milk, the delicate skin shining under the muted morning light.

Carefully, they each hooked a thumb into her shorts that she wore for bottoms, and eased them, and her panties down, revealing her nearly bare slit, a small, fluffy tuft of maroon pubis, trimmed expertly into the shape of the Arc Crescents (and boy, May had shrieked in embarrassment when that was noticed...although Pyrrha immediately had May do it to her, as well) clinging to her mons. Both rubbed their fingers through it, the incredibly soft hair tickling their fingertips as they teased May’s body, watching her cheeks darken a bit as she murmured softly in her sleep. Jaune and Pyrrha shared a smile with one another, before their fingers slid down, down, down...rubbing over her petal soft lips, their fingertips each brushing gently over the sensitive skin.

Sharing a smirk, both opened their mouths and descended, capturing a fat nipple in their mouths, sucking and licking the plump, leaking bud gently. Both moaned as intense, almost cloying sweetness squirted into their mouths, dancing along their tongues, making Pyrrha moan needily, wrapping her leg around May’s and beginning to grind against her thigh.

Likewise, Jaune’s penis had popped out of his boxers and was prodding insistently at the sleeping girl’s hip, but he weathered on, instead sucking gently at the teat in his mouth, throat bobbing as he swallowed mouthfuls of the sweet, nourishing liquid. His cock throbbed, oozing fat, thick drops of precum onto May’s lightly tanned flesh, his tip smearing it into her skin.

They both hear May whimper and moan in her sleep as they suckled her, their fingers rubbing her rapidly moistening core, both humming their contentedness as they drank their fill and worked to empty out their Desert Flower’s swollen, and no doubt aching, breasts.

May’s breath hitched and her moaning increased, her sleeping body shifting, wiggling, turning as she tried to get away from their touches, but their bodies and their own insistent actions keeping her from getting away.

“Mmm~Feels...Oooooo~” May hummed and whimpered in her sleep, her hips bucking upwards into their playfully moving fingers, the pads spreading her quickly leaking slick around, making her mound shiny from her arousal.

Both stayed away from her clit and opening at the moment, content to simply rub her outer lips, sucking and licking, twirling their tongues around the fat, squirting nubs in their mouths, the tips of their tongues slipping into the small slits, toying with the hidden bumps of her nipples.

“eeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPP~!” both lovers felt their Desert Flower jerk underneath them, her chest heaving, the milk filled mountains practically smacking them in the face repeatedly as they suckled on her, the action only forcing more of the delectable milk in their mouths.

Glancing up, they saw wide, misty blue eye staring down at them, cheeks flushed bright red with embarrassment, the lower lip of that beautiful face being pinched underneath the clean white glint of her upper teeth.

It was plainly obvious the beautiful, ravished girl was trying to say something, but all that escaped her mouth were squeaks of varying intensity. But neither Jaune or Pyrrha were worried about words, as May’s body was far more honest. Her back was arching on it’s own, pressing her breasts more against their faces, and her thighs fell open more, their noses being invaded with May’s natural, sweet perfume, only raising their own libido’s higher.

~x~x~x~x~

May Zedong was mortified. She hated how her breasts naturally lactated with ease, making so much milk that they had to be milked like a cow. She hated them so much so that she had avoided doing so the past few days...but boy, was she paying for it now. She had gone to bed with an intense, dull ache throbbing away in her teats, and just knew that the next morning would be painful. She hadn’t, thankfully.

...but somehow, this was worse!

Pleasure, intense, stirring, hot like an iron filled her body, making her shake and tremble, her pussy practically a drooling waterfall of her liquid lust. She could feel slim fingers sliding over her slippery valley, and hot, wet suction over the obscenely sensitive fat nubs that she was unfortunate enough to call nipples.

Shame warred with pleasure and outright relief as her milk was drawn out of aching tits and fingers played with her soaking core, still avoiding her dripping little slit and her twitching clit, leaving her tap dancing along the edge of a second orgasm after that intense first one that woke her out of her sleep.

“Eeeeehhhhhmmmmm~” shame filled her as her hips humped upwards, trying to get her boyfriend’s and girlfriend’s fingers to do more than slide around her flooded core. She was so wet she was pretty sure Jaune could slam in full force inside her without any pain! Her tits gushed more milk out into greedy mouths that sucked, licked, twirled tongues around her squirting nipples. Her cheeks burned as she heard the loud swallows both of them, and she glanced down-nopenopenope!-her eye snapped back up and away, knowing if she kept looking into the loving and adoring emerald and sapphire eyes, she would come undone, completely and utterly between them.

Her eye widened as they shifted.

~x~x~x~x~

Jaune and Pyrrha shared a look, seeing their beloved Desert Flower glow under their ministrations, feeling her pussy absolutely gush under their fingertips, her tits letting down and draining into their mouths eagerly, making them swallow more and more, their bellies filling with the delicious drink that was theirs and only theirs.

Their fingers finally moved, Pyrrha wiggling her index and middle fingers into their girlfriend’s tight warmth, beginning to pump them back and forth, marveling at the slick, sticky wetness that clung to her fingertips, Shick, Shick, Shick sounds filling both of their ears as thick strings of her cum gushed from her actions, splattering along her hand and May’s inner thighs.

Jaune, however, retreated upwards, putting his focus onto the emerged little nubbin of May’s clit, his fingertips ghosting over the small bud, spreading the slick that he had acquired over the bundle of nerve endings.

Both smiled into May’s breasts as she bucked like an angry Boarbatusk, outright wailing her bliss to them...and everyone else in the dorms, most likely.

~x~x~x~x~

May thought she could handle it! But no! The attack on her tits, her nipples, her pussy, her clit! All of them worked together to send her over the edge into the most intense orgasm of the week, her body arching and going taut as a bowstring as her pussy gushed, her clear slick squirting out of her flexing and gripping pussy as Pyrrha continued to finger her pussy and Jaune tweaked and toyed with her little bundle of nerves.

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAA~♥♥♥~!!!” May heard a scream faintly in her own ears, but knew with shame that it was her. Her boyfriend and girlfriend had made her cum and scream...without even doing much! Damn her sensitive nipples!

What was worse was neither backed down while she was cumming, both continued to finger her, rub her clit, and suck on her still leaking tits!

She slumped as she came down from the cresting high, a myriad creeping around the edges of her sight, and she blushed deeply, glad that today was the weekend, meaning they wouldn’t be missed. Because she could feel them...Pyrrha was grinding against her thigh, leaving sticky wetness against it, and Jaune...well, no one could ignore his burning sword poking them.

She fumbled, trying to move her pinned arms, but neither Juane nor Pyrrha let her up, instead continuing to please her, quickly bringing her arousal up again, making her mewl in a mixture of want and fear. She knew her boyfriend and girlfriend. She knew they could love her body, worship her breasts and pussy and everything in between, for hours on end! And with no classes today…

“MmmmmmmMMMMMMM~♥♥♥~!!” she clenched around Pyrrha’s fingers again in a minor, more muted, orgasm. Where had she been? Oh, yes…

...with no classes today...she’d be loved and worshiped, fucked and filled all day. Her cunt quivered around Pyrrha’s fingers as she realized Jaune would fuck her and fill her pussy, her womb up...he would breed her...and if she was lucky...her breath began getting faster as she imagined it...if she was lucky, Pyrrha would bury her face between her thighs and eat her out after Jaune had emptied his balls into her belly! Before moving up and sharing the creamy treat with her, their tongues tangling and swapping the deliciously salty-sweet flavor of their boyfriend~

“HHHHMMMMMMMM♥♥♥♥~!” May’s eye rolled up into her head as she came again. Brothers, she loved her boyfriend and girlfriend…

~x~x~x~x~

Jaune and Pyrrha hummed happily as their girlfriend relaxed between them, both of them content to drain the breast before them for the time being. Their pleasure would come. This was the weekend, they could do with it what they wanted. And if they wanted to spend the day in their dorm making love to their Desert Flower? That’s what they would do!

[puppyluver256]

[Image Description: Three regional variants of the Pokemon Machop, Machoke, and Machamp.

The first Pokemon is the regional variant of Machop. It is a small pale aqua humanoid with three tan ridges on its head, orange eyes, and a stumpy tail. It is quite muscular and has a dark blue marking on its pelvis and upper legs that resemble sport shorts. It is in a pose that suggests it is jumping, and is pumping its fist into the air. Maroon text outlined in yellow to the right of the image reads "Machop - Cantessy Regional Variant".

The second Pokemon is the regional variant of Machoke. It is a pale aqua humanoid with three tan ridges on its head, orange eyes, and orange lines along its arms. It is quite muscular and has dark blue and white markings on its pelvis and upper legs that resemble sport shorts. It is wearing a dark blue and gold power-limiting belt with a red "P" on it resembling a champion's belt. It is flexing its arms and grinning. Maroon text outlined in yellow to the right of the image reads "Machoke - Cantessy Regional Variant".

The third Pokemon is the regional variant of Machamp. It is a pale aqua humanoid with three tan ridges on its head, orange eyes, four arms, and a tan muzzle. It is quite muscular and has dark blue and white markings on its pelvis and upper legs that resemble sport shorts. It is wearing a black and gold power-limiting belt with a red "P" on it resembling a champion's belt. It is flexing all of its arms and grinning. Maroon text outlined in yellow to the right of the image reads "Machamp - Cantessy Regional Variant".

End ID.]

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Machop (Cantessian) - Superpower Pokemon - fighting/electric Always working out, their preferred exercise locations are near power plants as the heightened static electricity in the air helps to energize them. This has led them to be considered a pest around such locations. / If one could harness a Machop’s electric energy while it is training, there would likely be enough there to power an average modern two-story house. However, they are incredibly stubborn about keeping their routine varied, so doing so would prove to be difficult.

Machoke (Cantessian) - Superpower Pokemon - fighting/electric They can often be seen training to grow their muscle mass. It is never clear if they are training to grow stronger or training to look better, but even if the intent is the latter, the former still comes about as a result. / Electricity arcs across their muscles as they train, sometimes leaking out when they are pushing themselves to the limit. A single flex of their arm in this state might short out an entire building’s power circuits if they are standing in the wrong location.

Machamp (Cantessian) - Superpower Pokemon - fighting/electric They often proudly show off the muscles they have developed, flexing all four of their large arms in a variety of poses. They arc electricity across their biceps for a more stunning effect. / Cantessian Machamp and Bulkat often train together to grow more powerful, both in terms of muscular strength and more potent electrical conductivity. Machamp are a bit more concerned with looking good, however.

More Cantessy regional variants! And oh joyous day, calloo callay, these guys are finally wearing PANTS! But seriously, got some electric Machop fam to compliment Blukit and Bulkat from earlier, hehe. These guys are kinda based on gym bros and people who drink a lot of Gatorade and similar drinks while working out or playing sports. Because they're full of electro-lytes X3c

Reminder that if anyone wants to suggest moves for any Cantessy Fakemon to learn and some physical stats where I haven’t yet figured them out, feel free to throw ‘em at me :3 Links to their info pages will be provided in the replies!

💖🐶 Check out my pinned post for ways to support my artwork, among other things! 🐶💖

~If you like, please reblog to show your friends! Likes are appreciated, but reblogs let more people see my content! If you have something to say, feel free to give feedback in tags/comments/replies as well!~

Machop, Machoke, and Machamp © Nintendo/GameFreak Cantessy variants, the Cantessy region, and artwork © PuppyLuver Studios

[hyliangrace-a]

ZELDA, HER APPEARANCE & HER FEELINGS REGARDING IT  /  

talking with amber about the differences between the appearances in our respective zeldas got me motivated to finish this headcanon, finally ! i love zelda’s ocarina of time design, because y’know, imprinting on your very first zelda game & all that, but there’s always room for improvement, right ? these are my ( questionable ) improvements ! this headcanon ... got away from me little bit when i started to talk out my reasoning for zelda’s choice in how she presented herself as queen. i intended on talking about how she looks in other verses, too, such as when she’s a spectre in the queen’s shade universe, but i feel that would suit better as an entirely separate post, so, that’ll come in time ! i hadn’t intended on putting this post under a read more, because i feel it’s a fairly important headcanon & i’d like people to read it, but - surprise ! - it’s really long, & it would feel really rude to just leave it uncut, so behind the black it goes - that, & it also deals with body issues & negative perceptions of one’s body, so please keep that in mind if you’re sensitive to that sort of content. that said, & i’m aware of the irony of this sentence after the last, but i hope you guys at least find it an enjoyable read !  ♡

the three basic tenets of her appearance which have appeared in most of her predecessors & descendants ( pale, blue-eyed, blonde-haired ) apply in most, if not all, of my verses for zelda  but there are only a few verses of mine where i would say zelda’s appearance is exactly as it is within the game & the official art provided by nintendo - primarily the earliest arc of my canon verses, when she’s still the little princess, & the au which follows the events of the child timeline, where she never goes on the run & so never becomes sheik. she’s still quite fit, thanks to horseback riding & regular exercise, overseen by impa, but it’s in this au she most embodies the slim, graceful princess look nintendo gave her. one constant in all her adult verses, however, is her height - by the time she’s fully grown, she’s 5′8″.

in my other main, canon-inspired verses, well - zelda goes on the run at age ten, & it’s from that age impa begins to teach her how to fight, as she knows that she cannot protect her forever, & she’s going to need to become self-sufficient if she wants to survive. it starts off with basic things, graduating into an intense regime, but the result is, by the time link awakens from his slumber, zelda, even whilst disguised as sheik, is broad-shouldered & visibly muscled. i choose to interpret the tanned skin, red eyes & shorter hair as part of a glamour zelda put up, out of fear that ganondorf was searching for girls matching her description á la wind waker, but the muscles get to stay because whilst her appearance might be fake when under this alias, her feats are not. she did, after all, manage to survive seven years in a monster-infested hyrule, stay in the heart of death mountain without a visible goron tunic, & for whatever reason, was at kakariko village before link when the seal holding bongo-bongo back began to break, & i choose to interpret that as her being prepared to fight it. she also managed to make it through the haunted wasteland to the desert colossus / the spirit temple, sans lens of truth, & as she presents as an androgynous, masculine-leaning figure, she might have also had to prove her worth to the gerudo in battle, just as link did - after all, even though the gerudo, such as nabooru, openly disavow ganondorf by that point in time, it would be madness to declare her true self in his hometown.

this piece of fanart by lord-lorens is, honestly, the closest thing to how i picture zelda’s body type whilst she masquerades as sheik, & afterwards, when she reassumes her identity as princess. ( is there a gossip stone out there saying princess zelda has an eight pack ? there’s nothing in canon to disprove this, so yes. ) the only thing which stops it being entirely perfect for me is my headcanons of where across her body zelda is scarred ( which could be another, much smaller headcanon, so i’ll leave it for that ) but considering everyone’s interpretation of how zelda lived as sheik is varied, it was bound to happen - but god, minus those, i just want to pin this somewhere on my blog with an enormous sign next to it which says  ❛ this is how my zelda looks, as both sheik & a princess. ❜ but, with that in mind, lets move on.

i think it’s interesting how similar zelda’s outfit is as an adult ( which she ISN’T, she’s SEVENTEEN, but i digress - ) to the one she wears as a child, & my interpretation of it is that it’s very deliberate - & another glamour. ( seriously, where the fuck would she get a dress like that ? ) zelda hasn’t been seen in public, as herself, in seven years. the last people saw of her, as mentioned by those in castle town prior to drawing the master sword, is her fleeing the castle on horseback with her attendant, & that might have been the first glimpse some people had of her at all. when ganondorf is sealed away, & she re-emerges, she’s dressed similarly in order to spark recognition in people’s minds, & also because she knows that it may be difficult to prove she is who she claims to be, considering the king is dead, & impa has ascended as a sage, & can’t vouch for her. surviving nobles who interrogate her on her memories are able to confirm her claim to the throne, but if she had just strolled into kakariko village in casual dress, it’s very likely she would have absolutely been dismissed.

because of this, zelda’s feelings towards her appearance end up... complicated. in the aforementioned child timeline au verse, where she has a privileged, but more normal, adolescent socialization, she’s quite accepting of her own appearance & how feminine it is, because in that timeline, she fits the mold of what people expect a princess to be - she’s tall, she’s graceful, she’s pretty, & she’s rewarded for fitting that ideal. in her canon universe, where a life on the run left her with an entirely different body type, an indifference to feminity, many insecurities about her suitability as queen of hyrule, especially in her first years of being on the throne, & a desire to conform to others expectations of her ... it’s a perfect storm, whose origins can be traced directly to her choice to homage her childhood dress during her reappearance in hylian society. 

insecurity & fear feeds a lot of her choices in how she presents herself at the beginning of her reign. her body type is what some would call androgynous, others vaguely masculine - broad shoulders & small breasts which combine to give the illusion of her hips being narrower than they are, & she though she herself is content with that, she fears scorn by others because of it, so she works to minimize these features, & she plays up to feminity. her wardrobe primarily consists of dresses, gowns & robes, all loose fitting, all sleeved to at least the elbow, preferably in a style which leaves her biceps covered, & indistinct beneath the fabric. the gold pauldrons she wears as an adult feature in most, if not all, of her garments until her official coronation, seven years after ganondorf was sealed away - they provide her a measure of security, give her a regal appearance, & do a lot of heavy lifting, in conjunction with the sleeves of her gowns, to hide her shoulders & biceps, to the point where people are surprised at just how muscled she is when they come off - she hides the results, but even as queen, she still trains as she did when she was in hiding. most people are accepting of how she looks, but as is always the way, the few harsh comments she hears deafen her to the compliments - the only thing zelda wants, in the end, is for hyrule to recover, & for her people to thrive, & for that, she needs to be a good queen to them. to be a good queen, she must live up to their expectations. her attempts to live up to that via her appearance lead to her first breakdown, three months after her coronation.

it’s not just her appearance, of course - there’s enough stress to go around trying to get hyrule back on its feet again in a fair way, whilst trying to make her own mark as queen & live up to her parents’ peacekeeping legacy - but the nitpicking from a few members of her court, & the constant moving of goalposts as she attempts to satisfy their criticisms of her appearance, is the catalyst for her eventual declaration that she is done trying to satisy other people’s unreasonable explanations. the queenly mask she wears for other people’s benefit is suffocating her, so she decides to break it, & forge a new one. if she is going to be feminine, it is because she chooses to be, not because people expect her to be. if she wishes to dress as a man does, who can stop her ? if androgyny is what she feels, she will not deny herself. so, after a good cry, zelda does what every twenty-four year old going through a tough time does - she cuts her hair. she no longer tries to hide her body or disguise her frame. she is the queen, & the people will accept her as she is.

& most do ! hyrule has some strange looking people in it. a queen with a pixie cut is not the end of the world. she keeps it short for a good while, as a symbol of both her & hyrule’s fresh start, but eventually she begins to let it grow out again, with its length varying at ... well, various important points in her life. a short bob when she begins the programme to build new villages & settlements in hyrule. shoulder length when she begins courting to secure the throne for the future. waist length when she marries. she cuts it to above her shoulders once more when her first child is born, & keeps it mostly at that length until the end of her life, mostly for practical reasons. she was never ashamed of her body, before or after she became queen, as it was proof of her survival, but she became a lot more confident in herself as queen after she stopped letting other people, & her own well-intentioned, if misguided, fantasies of what a queen should look like dictate her life. that doesn’t mean to say that was that, every dark thought about her appearance swept away - there were days afterwards where she still despaired of her appearance, of the image she was projecting to others, of the judgements being passed on her & her country that came from her looks alone - but they were infrequent compared to the constant anxiety she felt about her appearance prior to the night she took a knife to her hair. they also weren’t enough to stop her from maintaining her physique, either - the training regime she began as a child continued into her late sixties, when she finally felt confident enough in the kingdom’s safety to stop, but the results of it meant that zelda was powerfully built through her whole life. even the birth of her children, which softened her body, couldn’t diminish much of her muscled appearance. shedding the weight of others opinions ( of her appearance, at least ) allowed her to stand tall until the end of her days. her body told the story of her life, & eventually, she was proud to let people see it.

[bobasheebaby]

Windows- Behind Closed Doors chapter 1

Pairing: Bastien Lykel; Garrett Byrne (OC); Queen Elora Rhys; Duchess Adelaide of Krona

Word count: 1,994

Warnings: sexy light (stealing from the wonderful @sirbeepsalot), angst

Summary: A chat with Adelaide ends with unforeseen revelations. Midday rendezvous for one couple.

A/N: We are picking up a few months after the prologue. Thanks for putting up with me and giving me your insight @sirbeepsalot you and DoE rock! And thank you for the chapter name!

Series warnings: mentioned character death, potential threats, referenced (past) adultery, potential violence, NSFW content, orgies. By asking to be tagged you acknowledge that you are at least 18 years old.  

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from my taglist.

Disclaimer: I only own my OC’s, the rest I’m borrowing from PB.

“Elora dear, just how long are you going to mope over your dead husband?” Adelaide tilted her head as though she was appraising the other woman. “Oh so sad, he died.” She pushed her plush lips out in a mock pout. “If you are going to get over him, you need to get under someone new. Stop frittering your life away pining over a dead man.”

Elora stared unblinking at Adelaide, unsure how to respond. She had put up a front, one of sadness over the death over her husband, only a few knowing the truth of what happened on the boat, how Constantine really died, and she intended to keep it that way for the sake of the children. She couldn’t tarnish their image of their father, no matter what he did to hurt her, she refused to have her children bare the weight of knowing the truth. She was determined to try to keep things as normal as possible for her children, refusing to upheave their lives more if she didn’t have to, all while running a country on her own. “Adelaide, what are you doing here?” She drummed her fingers against the mahogany desk, his, no her desk, anxious to get to the point so the other woman could leave. “And don’t tell me you brought Madeline to see Leo, I know she went with Godfrey to Karlington.” She found the Duchess to be tiring and wanted to finish her day so she could attempt to try to keep some semblance of normalcy for the kids. She’d been thrown into a more hands on role as queen but she refused to allow that to mean the children had to lose out on time with her. Just spit it out already woman so I can leave.

Adelaide threw her head back, golden blonde hair flying in an arc as she let out a shrill laugh. “Oh no dear.” She looked around the study as if she were trying to conceal a secret. “The new guard are training, and you know how much I love looking at a strong, muscular, sweaty man.” She dropped her jaw, sea green eyes rolling to the back of her head as she pretended to fan herself with her hand.

“Adelaide aren’t you married?” Elora questioned half heartedly. She was tired, tired of talking to Adelaide, tired of pretending, tired of being alone, tired of stretching herself thin to be both a good queen and continue to be a good mother.

Adelaide let out a mock gasp. “Oh Elora, I’m married, not dead!” She missed Elora wincing at her word choice. “There is no harm in looking.” She lowered her voice. “Or touching.”

Elora arched her brow in question.

Adelaide shook her head. “Please tell me you heard of a Cordonian arrangement!”

Cordonian arrangement. The words pricked at her heart like fiery hot pokers. She knew all about the understanding some spouses seemed to have when it came to lovers, she was well aware her husband had taken it upon himself to keep her out of the conversation, choosing to make an arrangement without her consent. She nodded her head in response.

“Well then, what’s the harm in looking and touching?” She leaned forward in her seat. “I normally would just watch the guard train, flirt a little and leave, but I’m having a party, or some acquaintances are having a party at the duchy this weekend. You should come, shake off the cobwebs.”

“What kind of party?” She was afraid she already knew the answer, she wasn’t even sure why she asked, it wasn’t like she had any intention of attending.

“Let’s just say it’s the kind of party you can get under someone new at, and leave it at that.”

“Well, thank you for the invite, but I don’t think I’ll be attending.” Was she out of her mind? How could she think it was appropriate for the queen to be seen at a party like that?

“If you’re worried about being recognized, don’t be. The hosts are very discreet, they kind of have to be. They host parties frequently and I finally managed to convince them to have one in Krona.” She leaned in closer. “I’m hoping with the home turf advantage I can finally have a little fun with them.” She sat back in her seat. “Anyway, with it being at my duchy, more of a reason for discretion. It’s a masked party, you only have to reveal yourself if you want to.”

Well at least she thought about her reputation. Who are these friends she keeps mentioning that they need discretion themselves? Nope, don’t want to know. “I still think I’ll sit it out Adelaide, but thank you.”

Adelaide frowned. “Boo! Oh well, more hot sweaty guards for me!” She feigned a gasp. “I forgot the best part! Don’t tell anyone, but.” She lowered her voice. “I think they are together, not that it stops them from getting around with the ladies, and they are members of the guard! Could you imagine if that got out?!” She stood from her seat. “Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time, time for me to go check out the guard.” She turned with a whirl of green silk.

Members of the guard?! “Who?” She asked before she could stop her curiosity. A nagging feeling gnawed at the pit of her stomach, surely it wasn’t him. He wouldn’t show interest in me if he’s with someone else would he?

Adelaide turned, wide smile on her cherry red lips. “I knew that would get your attention! They are both young members, but extremely yummy!” She glanced around the empty room. “You didn’t hear it from me, but Bastien Lykel and Garrett Byrne. Ta!” She turned and left the room in a swirl of colorful silk.

“We have to stop meeting like this.” He teased as he felt his lovers arms slip around his waist, hot breath fanning against his neck as his lovers lips pressed fiery kisses along his tanned skin.

A deep rumbling chuckle reverberated through a hard chest. “Isn’t that usually my line?”

“Only because I’m usually the one catching you by surprise.” He turned in his lovers arms, steely eyes locking on blue so deep they rivaled the depths of the ocean. He leaned forward, claiming his lips in a kiss full of need and longing. His hand wound around his lover gripping the base of his head pulling him closer, fingers gripping short rust colored hairs, tugging gently. His lover moaned into his mouth before pulling away abruptly, quickly glancing around the hedge maze to ensure they hadn’t been seen.

“I thought we agreed we wouldn’t do that in public anymore.”

“I’m not the one who started it.” He pulled their hips flush, his pants only growing tighter as he felt his lovers hardening length pressing against his. “It’s not likely someone will stumble upon us this far into the maze.” He ground his pelvis against his lovers. “Besides, if you were really worried you wouldn’t have kissed me in the first place.” The words said into his lovers neck as he trailed his lips along it, gently nipping at his ear.

Elora leaned back in her chair, digesting the information she just heard. Two members of the KingsGuard, or her Guard were in a relationship together? Not only that they held parties at Adelaide’s duchy, she had trouble processing what it meant. She now understood the reason they would want discretion too, if it were uncovered that they were in a relationship both would lose their jobs. Her heart had sunk as she had heard his name, he was the only one who she had thought about since Constantine’s passing, she now saw that would never be a possibility, and not only because she was queen. Had every interaction been completely one sided? Was the intensity of his gaze all in her head, or was there something there? Surely she couldn’t have made up how kind he was to her, even before Constantine’s death. The way she’d catch him glancing at her, the way he made her feel couldn’t simply all be in her head. Had her need to feel desired embellished innocent interactions to make them seem more than they really were?

She stood, crossing to the window overlooking her gardens. She pulled back the thick curtain. I wish I could go take a walk to clear my head. So much had changed since Constantine’s death, the gardens she designed as a little place of calm for her and her children she no longer got to enjoy.

His lover gave one last cursory glance over his shoulder. Fuck it. His lover pushed him backward, his back pressed against the hedge, his grey eyes going wide in surprise as a growl escaped his lips. He lunged forward, their mouths coming together in a clash of tongues and teeth, their hands roaming over the familiar plains of their bodies. His heart hammered in his chest in need as his hands drifted over the sculpted plains of his lovers chest. He pulled back, drawing his lover’s lower lip between his teeth. “Fuck I need you.” He groaned as he ground his length against his lovers.

His lover leaned back in capturing his lips once more in a heated kiss, his hands drifting down to his waistband.

Rustle. Rustle.

His lover froze, pulling away, his eyes wide with fear as he looked for the cause of the sound. His deep blue eyes drifted around the dead end, finally landing on a bird hopping in and out of the base of the hedges.

“It was just a bird Garrett.”

Garrett ran his hand through his rust colored hair. “This time, we can’t be this out in the open Bas.”

Bastien nodded, allowing Garrett to take his hand leading them out of the complicated maze.

What was I thinking, of course it was nothing, he was just being kind like all of the staff. She stared out over the rows of perfectly trimmed hedges, days spent chasing Liam and Olivia through the maze or reading by the fountain becoming a distant memory. Why would anyone want a widowed queen anyway? I heard some of the staff calling me a black widow, who would want that? She moved to turn when movement at the entrance to the maze caught her eye. She watched as the two gentleman dropped hands before turning away from each other. Of course she was right! She let out a gasp as he looked upward. Oh shoot. She ducked away from the window, allowing the curtain to flutter back in place. I think they are together, not that it stops them from getting around with the ladies. Adelaide’s gossip pinged around in her brain, maybe she could make an appearance, it’s not like anyone would ever know it was her. I just need to be sure.

Bastien released Garrett’s hand as they reached the entrance to the hedge maze. They broke off in different directions as to not draw attention to their activities. Movement in the study window drew his grey eyes up. He eyes went wide as he watched her jump backwards to conceal herself. Did she see? His heart hammered in his chest. He feared what it would mean for him and Garrett if she had seen them holding hands. Would she support the current rule and fire us? He sighed shaking his head. He’d been allowing himself to read more into her kind behavior, the idea sparked in him that she might understand, but that spark. It doesn’t matter, she’s the queen, her job comes first, and so should mine. They were worlds apart, she’d never understand or allow their relationship to continue, no matter how kind they were to each other. Is that the only reason you’re kind to her? It doesn’t matter, it can and will never be more.

Feedback fuels me, please like, comment or reblog to let me know how much you like it. I can handle the screams, so scream away.

Masterlist can be found in my bio.

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[cherry-valentine]

Spring 2019 Anime Season

Here’s what I’m watching: Gunjou no Magmel is definitely my favorite new show of the season. It has a fun setup that lends itself well to lots of different stories: a mysterious new continent suddenly appears one day, full of new animal and plant life and inspiring people across the globe to explore it. Of course, the place is incredibly dangerous, which is why many people work as professional “rescuers” hired to go and retrieve those who have been lost or trapped in the new continent. The protagonists of the series are a pair of rescuers: the highly skilled and unflappable Inyou and his tech genius sidekick Zero (who doesn’t physically go to the continent but instead controls a drone). Right away the series provokes a feeling of adventure that reminded me somewhat of One Piece. The new continent, known as Magmel, is beautiful and teeming with life. The series wisely presents it in a neutral light. There are dangerous creatures there, definitely, with some seriously horrific body horror imagery (much of it veering into nightmare fuel territory), but the series is quite clear about the fact that these creatures are just behaving naturally. There’s no malice there. In fact, the only truly malicious and cruel actions are performed by the humans who go to Magmel to take advantage of the creatures there for their own profit. Inyou understands this, and is generally sympathetic to the animal and plant life, while still prioritizing the preservation of human life. It’s an interesting balance. It’s also interesting that a show with the above mentioned body horror and nightmare fuel is presented with bright, cheerful, cartoony art and peppy, upbeat music. This is an adventure series, not horror, and sometimes there’s even a degree of beauty in the terrors seen in the mostly standalone episodes. The two leads, Inyou and Zero, are entertaining and have a fun dynamic between them. They act more like family than anything else, with no romantic tension at all so far (and I hope it stays that way). Currently sitting at the top of my watch list.

Ace of the Diamond Act 2 is the sequel series I’ve been looking forward to. The original series was a favorite of mine, with a fairly realistic portrayal of baseball and a team of fun, quirky characters, including Miyuki, the only character that springs to mind when I think of the term, “husbando”. He’s a fan-favorite and incredibly popular for a reason. He’s sharp-witted, the most skilled player on the team, and also has a rather twisted sense of humor (he’s the kind of guy who, upon realizing a new member of the team doesn’t like him, is totally delighted and thinks of how fun that’s going to be). Miyuki gushing aside, the show has great art that rarely goes off-model and somewhat smooth animation. The music so far is okay, nothing special (the opening and ending themes were hit and miss in the original series as well). Main character Sawamura is still annoying (like Asta in Black Clover, he tends to scream rather than speak) but his underdog status and genuine love of the sport and his team make him endearing enough to overlook his negative traits. My only real gripe with the show is its tendency to recap that last several minutes of the previous episode in each new episode, making you wait quite a while to get to the new content. This would be a much bigger deal in marathon viewing, but on a weekly basis, I can deal with it.

Hitoribocchi no Marumaruseikatsu is a cute series about cute girls doing cute things. This is a genre I’m generally not fond of, mainly because the girls in these types of shows tend to be sexualized in a creepy way and their “cute antics” tend to be banal and annoying. In this show, however, neither of those two problems are present. In fact, if the show had a male love interest, it would feel very shoujo to me. The focus of the story is on a shy girl with severe social anxiety trying to make friends in her new school. She’s a bit awkward but cute and earnest, so watching her attempt to talk to strangers is funny but also heartwarming. The small circle of friends that begins to form around her is made up of equally cute and funny girls, each of whom have distinct personalities and character designs. Surprisingly, considering this is based on a manga aimed at male readers, none of the girls seem specifically designed to appeal to a male audience. They come across as genuine, well developed characters. The art and music are cute, but not very notable. My only complaint is the subplot involving a young teacher who takes one look at the blonde, tanned Nako and immediately judges her as a juvenile delinquent and is thus afraid of her. It’s meant to be funny, I suppose, but I find it annoying that a teacher would be so judgmental, especially considering Nako is a quiet, well-behaved student who gives absolutely no indication that she’s a delinquent. Ah well, it’s a relatively minor subplot so I can overlook it.

Bungo Stray Dogs Season 3 was hotly anticipated after a strong season two and the amazing Dead Apple movie. Following a group of supernaturally “gifted” members of a detective agency and their conflicts with other “gifted” groups (including the ruthless Port Mafia), this show is one of the best series of the past several years. It has a bit of Durarara!!’s cool vibe and style, but with a more straightforward story. This is a series that handles all of its various story elements very well, from the action scenes to the heartfelt moments to the comedy, and looks great doing it. I still prefer the comedy and characterization of season one, but only because they were done SO well. The more serious, plot-driven arcs of late are still fantastic. The music is great too, with my favorite opening theme of the season (and there were some outstanding ones this season, so that’s saying something). 

Kimetsu no Yaiba might just be my second favorite new series. Every season has a new show that gets a lot of hype, and in my experience around half of those shows actually live up to that hype. This show is definitely in that good half. With fluid animation, excellent music, and an interesting setup (a young boy’s family is slaughtered by demons, leaving only one sister behind who has become a demon herself, so he trains to become a demon slayer and find a way to turn her back into a human), this series seems primed to become a hit. The protagonist, Tanjirou, is a fairly standard kind-hearted hero training to join a group and accomplish his goal. The series doesn’t tread a lot of new ground in that respect, but it does everything so well that it’s easy to forgive it for not being the most original story. The most interesting aspect is the sister, Nezuko, who instead of being a delicate young flower for him to constantly protect is a demon herself who, in an early scene, literally kicks another demon’s head clean off. She’s a powerful ally in battle, which is refreshing. The other characters haven’t had much screen time yet, but seem fun so far. Overall, it’s a very well-done, if somewhat unoriginal, show. Highly entertaining and high on my watch list.

Midnight Occult Civil Servants is much better than it seems at first glance. Protagonist Arata joins a particular group of civil servants that deal with mythological creatures called “Anothers”. They range from fairies to gods to Japanese-based creatures like Tengu (this mishmash of mythology actually reminds me of Shin Megami Tensei). Arata quickly realizes that he’s the only member of the team who can understand the languages used by the Anothers, and so he becomes a valuable tool when dealing with them. The show presents a variety of creatures with a variety of behaviors. Some Anothers are friendly to humans and mean no harm, while others are outright malicious. Others still are just indifferent. At first, it seems like the show is going to be about Arata clearing up misunderstandings that his fellow team members have about the Anothers, but then the show lets us know that not all Anothers are friendly, and being able to understand their words doesn’t mean Arata can understand their motivations or can do much to stop them from doing bad things. The episodes are often inspired by real life urban legends, and overall has an air of mystery. The art is fine, with interesting, varied character designs but animation that’s just okay. The music is above average though, with my favorite ending theme of the season. It’s not my favorite new show, but it has a secure spot on my watch list.

Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2 really doesn’t need much of a write-up, since it’s just a continuation of a season that was delayed (and that I already wrote about). I’ll just keep it brief and say it’s still great, is finally getting into one of my favorite arcs from the manga, and has a gorgeous opening theme.

Mobile Suit Gundam Origin is the tv series version of an OVA that details the origins of one of the Gundam franchise’s most popular characters (and one of my all-time favorites): Char Aznable. I never watched the OVA (despite intending to for the longest time) so this is all new content for me. What I find most interesting is the visual style, which looks very much like the classic Gundam art style of the original late 70‘s tv series but with more modern, smooth animation and some CGI mixed in. There’s a strange awkwardness to the art style that feels oddly natural. It was present in the old tv series and it’s present here. It’s kind of hard to explain if you haven’t seen it yourself though. Art aside, the story is definitely interesting. While Char’s basic history had already been revealed years ago, we didn’t really know the details. Char is a complicated character, which explains his popularity several decades after his debut. He was ruthless, cold, and calculating even as a child, but he loved his family very deeply and was surprisingly emotional. There are also badass lady characters to enjoy (who also appeared in the original series - I’ve always found it interesting that a show made in 1979 had more complex, strong, and generally well-written female characters than more modern Gundam series like Wing, Seed/Seed Destiny, and Iron Blooded Orphans). The music is fantastic here, and it’s overall a very solid show. Now I wish they’d remake the original series with this kind of animation (and cut out some of the filler).

Shoumetsu Toshi is, honestly, at the bottom of my list. The animation quality is just okay, with questionable character design choices (for the first few episodes, there were two unrelated female characters with such strikingly similar designs that it was very confusing). The story is a bit of a muddled mess. It mostly follows a young girl who survived a bizarre event where a whole city full of people suddenly vanished (later dubbed “The Lost”), and the young man who has been hired to help her return after she receives a message from her father, who was one of the people that vanished, telling her to come back. The setup is actually very interesting and mysterious. The problem is that the series throws too many concepts and ideas at us way too quickly, and explains none of it. It might be because the show is based on a video game, and the writers assumed people watching the anime would be familiar with the game and its various elements. Already in the show we have time travel, undefined magical powers, totally different powers that allow people to summon the souls of the vanished victims to fight for them like Persona, shadowy organizations doing human experiments, fancy artifacts that grant even more abilities, phantom thieves, idol groups, hackers, detective agencies, and double agents that have infiltrated the police. There’s just way too much going on, and as a result, the core plot that was actually interesting gets crowded out and choked. I’m still watching because the show is still entertaining in a strange way, but it’s a shame that it wasted a lot of its potential.

Carry Over Shows From Previous Seasons: Black Clover

Best of Season: Best New Show: Gunjou no Magmel Best Opening Theme: Bungo Stray Dogs Season 3 Best Ending Theme: Midnight Occult Civil Servants Best New Male Character: Inyou (Gunjou no Magmel) Best New Female Character: Nako (Hitoribocchi no Marumaruseikatsu)