#I lived on a farm for a long part of my life and sometimes we would scare of the coyotes from the chickens

[honeydippedfiction]

Please I need #1 from the pre-established list with Trevor Z

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#1. Sending you dumb questions, funny jokes, or random thoughts in replacement of good morning texts.

Trevor Zegras x black!femreader

• you DO NOT have my permission to copy my work, upload as your own, translate, or repost on any other website •

Trevor never sent normal good morning texts. Not once.

Where most couples woke up to heart emojis or sleepy selfies or some variation of “Did you sleep okay?”, she woke up to things like: “If I get bitten by a radioactive squirrel, promise you’ll still love me if I become Nutman.”

It was absurd. Unnecessary. And somehow, it had become her favorite part of the day.

It started early in their relationship—accidental at first. One morning, he’d overslept and shot off a panicked text that read, “Just woke up from a dream where I lost all my teeth and then signed a contract with the Tooth Fairy. Thoughts?”

She had laughed so hard she nearly dropped her phone in the sink. It wasn’t a smooth good morning, but it was real. It was weird, oddly tender, and it caught her completely off guard.

After that, it became a thing.

Every morning like clockwork—sometimes before sunrise if he was on the road, sometimes a few minutes after she’d already texted him “hey sleepyhead”—a new Trevor Zegras Original™ would arrive. Stupid, sweet, or wonderfully unhinged. But never ordinary.

This morning was no different.

Her alarm went off at 6:55 AM. She silenced it with a groan and rolled over, burying half her face in the pillow. Her body begged her to stay in bed, but her brain—well-trained now—waited for the buzz.

It came at 7:03.

She reached blindly for her phone and unlocked the screen.

Trevor: “Serious question: If I legally adopt a penguin, can it be the ring bearer at our wedding?”

A slow grin crept across her face. “This boy,” she mumbled to no one. She rubbed her eyes, yawned, and thumbed out a reply.

Her: “Only if it wears a bowtie. Tux is overkill.”

She barely had time to set her phone down before the typing bubbles appeared.

Trevor: “God, you get me.”

This was their rhythm. The day didn’t begin until he’d dropped a dumb hypothetical into her life like a glitter bomb—completely unnecessary, a little messy, but unexpectedly delightful.

Her apartment was quiet. She padded barefoot to the kitchen, sunlight beginning to spill across the tile floor, and flicked on the kettle. Her phone dinged again.

Trevor: “Okay but what if we invite two penguins? One for each of us. Equal opportunity.”

She laughed out loud, nearly spilling her tea. “That’s equality,” she muttered, tapping back.

Her: “You’re drunk with power. It’s 7 AM.”

Some of his greatest hits lived forever in a saved folder on her phone—screenshotted, organized, and shamelessly re-read on bad days.

— “Would you still date me if I had elbows where my knees are?” — “Your laugh is strawberry-flavored. Not a question, just a fact.” — “Do you think ghosts get annoyed at each other? Like, 'Ugh, Janet, stop floating through the wall dramatically.'”

Each message was a window into his mind. Some windows were foggy. Some were cracked. All of them were open.

On away-game days, the texts got more elaborate. Maybe it was the hotel boredom or the 3 AM bus rides, but he had time. He’d send long strings of voice notes, or mock-poetry about how sad his pregame bagel looked.

One Tuesday, she woke up to a five-part text saga:

Trevor: “Okay hear me out: a reality show where NHL players have to live on a farm and raise goats.” “I’d win btw.” “Or die.” “Either way, entertainment.” “Miss your face.”

She had laughed herself into a coughing fit. Not just because it was funny, but because it was him. Even when he was exhausted or hurting, even when the game had gone sideways or the media was hounding him—he always found a way to send something that felt like him. And better yet, that felt like them.

Because, really, that was the magic of it.

These weren’t just jokes. They were love notes in disguise. They were little daily reminders that he saw her, even when she wasn’t in front of him. That she was the first person he wanted to tell when his brain spun off into some strange corner. That he didn’t want their relationship to become routine—not even for a second.

He didn’t say “good morning.” He said “here’s a world I made up that only we live in.”

And she treasured it.

One night, back in the off-season, they were tangled up on his couch, Netflix flickering in the background. Her legs draped over his lap, his fingers absently tracing circles on her shin. They’d watched maybe ten minutes of The Officebefore veering into one of their wandering late-night conversations.

She glanced over at him, playful curiosity in her voice. “Hey. Why do you do that?”

He didn’t look away from the screen. “Do what?”

“The weird texts. The penguins. The elbow knees. All of it. You could just send, you know… ‘good morning.’ Like a normal boyfriend.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, but where’s the romance in that?”

She snorted. “You think hypothetical penguins are romantic?”

Finally, he looked at her—smiling, but serious in that way he got when she caught him off guard. When her question nudged something real beneath the jokes.

“I just… I never want you to feel like I’m phoning it in,” he said. “Like I’m just checking a box. I want you to wake up and already know I’m thinking about you—not in some boring, 'hope you slept well' kind of way. But in the way where my brain does something dumb and you’re the first person I need to tell.”

She looked at him then—really looked. At the boy who lit up arenas and still worried about making her laugh before 8 AM. At the kid who could dangle around defenders but never danced around his feelings.

She didn’t say anything at first. Just leaned over and kissed him, soft and slow. Then whispered, “You’re such a weirdo.”

He beamed. “Your weirdo.”

The next morning, her phone buzzed before her alarm. 6:41 AM.

Trevor: “What if we bought a submarine and just dipped from land life?”

She blinked at the screen for a second, half-laughing, half-awake.

Her: “Only if it has WiFi and you do the dishes.”

And just like that, her day began.

Better than good.

Better than “Good morning.”

[nerdygaymormon]

Sometimes you mention that you've lived long enough to see changes in the church on LGBTQ topics. What are some of the major changes you've experienced in church?

I feel like I've lived in 3 eras of the LDS Church.

When I was a child, it was an era that now seems very far away. Black people weren't allowed to go to the temple or have the priesthood (which also limited which callings they could have in church). Church met twice on Sundays, once for Sunday School (children attended Jr Sunday School) and I think priesthood quorums met prior to Sunday School, and then we came again later that day for Sacrament meeting. This part is fuzzy to me, but I think youth activities were on Tuesday, and Primary was on Wednesday (and I think Relief Society was also on Wednesday). In addition to paying tithing, my parents were asked to contribute to the local ward budget, and we raised money to build the local church building. I remember my family working on the local church farm (I'm not sure if it was part of the welfare system or was a fundraiser for the local stake/ward budgets, perhaps both). There was a BIG emphasis on food storage. Social life revolved around church as there were many activities such as the annual Gold & Green Ball (dinner and a dance for the married folks, it was a big deal, they'd dress fancy for it). The church members were socially and politically conservative.

My teens and young adult years were spent in a different era. The church had undone the restrictions on Black members. Church was now consolidated to a 3-hour block on Sundays (except for youth activities on Wednesdays). Temples started getting built in big cities outside of Utah but still were a far drive for many members, instead of going on a temple trip once a year, as a youth we could go twice a year when a temple was built a few hours away. There were still a lot of activities, especially for the teenagers, such as big stake/regional dances, sports competitions, road shows, and a big youth trip in the summer. The ward budgets came from the church (from the tithing) and not from individual members of the ward giving more, and we no longer had to contribute (either money or labor) for local church buildings to get constructed. We didn't work on farms anymore, but worked in the cannery (I remember hearing adults talk about operating machines that bottled ketchup). While the membership was still very conservative, a more moderate approach was being taken by top leadership, and President Hinckley made big steps towards being more open with the world.

I'd say that President Nelson has ushered in another era. Two-hour church on Sundays. Wednesday youth programs being less rigorous or programmed. Temples within a relatively short drive of members and encouragement to go often. Teenagers can have their own temple recommends. No home or visiting teachers and instead a conversation and informal friendship counts as ministering. Few church activities outside of those for youth and our regular church meetings. More accommodation for differences in beliefs of what were considered core doctrines & principles (this started before the Nelson era). The internet has caused the church to be more open about its past, including some issues which are hard like racism and polygamy (again, this predates the Nelson era). There's also been steps to undo some of the patriarchy in the church structure (like women can serve as witnesses and changes to the temple ceremony).

I definitely would not want to go back to the era of the 1970's when I was a child. While there are things I miss from the era of Hinckley & Monson, I don't think I'd like to revert back. The one effect I worry about from the recent changes is people have weaker social ties to their church community. I've heard leaders say that church isn't a social club, but for a long time it was and I think the church underestimates the importance of social connections.

—————————————————

As for LGBTQ history in the LDS Church, Nathan Kitchen, the former president of Affirmation, did an excellent job in describing the changes in the church on these topics. I have lived through 5 eras of the church on LGBTQ issues.

The era from when I was a child was brutal. Even saying you're gay was seen as sinful. You were expected to fight with everything you had to completely erase these feelings. Attempts to remove these “tendencies” included electro-shock therapy at BYU. Most families would reject the queer family member.

The death of President Spencer W. Kimball in 1985 led to the next era for LGBTQ members. Rather than insist on complete erasure of homosexual feelings, gay members were to behave like straight people--get married and have kids and DON'T TELL ANYONE. This is the invisible generation who felt isolated and alone, hidden from other members and each other. Every so often we still hear about a former mission president or stake president who finally comes out after decades of living as a straight person. Most of the mixed-orientation marriages failed, the queer person eventually spoke their truth, picked up the pieces of their shattered dreams, and moved on and out of the church.

In 1998, President Gordon B. Hinckley did a widely-viewed interview with Larry King in which he said said we love "so-called gays and lesbians" and put forward the idea that gay thoughts aren’t a problem, but gay actions are. The church's view was that some of us are struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions, much like people who have other addictions. Even as the church led a major effort to defeat marriage equality, queer members no longer had to remain hidden, so they found each other and attended conferences together and encouraged each other. Members would admire queer members for their wrestle against their attractions. Because they were trying to make this path work and were admired for it, these queer members mostly didn’t share their struggles & mental health challenges with their family, friends, or other members. They were visible, but largely were silent. A generation seen but not heard.

Beginning in the early 2010's, a growing number of gay members receive media attention, and groups like Mama Dragons and North Star are formed. By the mid-2010's the church shifts its approach and starts highlighting and celebrating gay and bisexual members who are single & celibate, and also a few who are in mixed-orientation marriages. The church starts softening its former positions as it officially rejects conversion therapy, advocates for no violence and doesn't require members to deny their queer identities. As long as you are single & celibate, you are welcome. This is also when trans members start entering the consciousness of the church as in 2015 Emmett Claren (now Emmett Presciado) starts a YouTube channel where he documents his transition and in 2017 Kris Irvin makes national news for having a bishop threaten to withhold a BYU ecclesiastical endorsement if Kris receives top surgery. LDS families no longer automatically reject their queer children, but tend to leave the church together if their queer child doesn't feel welcome or safe at church. One last effort to pull membership back occurred in 2015 with a policy against gay couples and their children, and it received a LOT of pushback and generated a wave of members leaving the LDS church.

I think we entered a new era in 2019 as the Handbook policy of 2015 is reversed. In 2020 the now-publicly available Church Handbook softens the approach to gay and bi members but puts in more rules and restrictions of trans members. It's the beginning of a dichotomy where we see progress for people who aren't heterosexual and regression for people who aren't cisgender. In 2024, there are now married gay couples quietly attending church and not being excommunicated (which wasn't a thing even just 2 or 3 years ago), and trans members are facing severe restrictions due to more changes in the Handbook. It's hard not to believe more positive changes for gay and bi members will be coming, even as the church ratchets up its fight against trans members.

[tboyrory]

What do you think about transgender men who just want to be men? I feel weird on this platform; most people are non-binary, and I even saw a post mocking binary people. It's a bit weird, and I'm currently transitioning, both medically and legally. I live in Poland, and here most of the people I've met were mostly binary transgender, and even if they weren't, they still used male or female pronouns. Here I see the opposite.

I feel a bit lost. I'm a pretty simple guy. I come from a farming family. I have simple interests. I don't stick out. I wear regular, simple clothes like polo shirts, T-shirts, or sweatshirts. I look ordinary. However, for some reason I'm just afraid that I won't be accepted. I don't want to force myself to change, but maybe being too "ordinary" makes me push people away from me? I would like to be born a man, to be cisgender. But unfortunately this did not happen.

I hear you. I’d also just like to say I’m so damn sorry about what’s going on in your country at the moment.

This is long but the reason is kind of complex (skip to the bottom four paragraphs if you want my advice without all the context)

There’s a few things at play here. Offline, nonbinary people are an extreme minority. Trans people are already a minority within the lgbtq community, which is, yet again, a minority. So we’re seeing a community of people that are a minority within a minority within a minority essentially. And if you’re that, tumblr is kind of the right place to be, because this site is host to many small populations, other “out of the ordinary” communities. You see a post on here mocking binary people. Let me say, you’ll be hard pressed to find that anywhere outside of tumblr, on other sites or in real life. Post that shit on Reddit, TikTok, or Instagram, the poster will be possibly threatened with violence and harassed into the depths of hell.

Offline, there is pretty much no advantage to publicly identifying one’s self as nonbinary or attempting to use gender neutral pronouns. No advantage to being trans but for binary trans people, if we perform our gender roles good enough and conform with cis expectations, we might get a condescending pat on the back and told, “you’re one of the few trans people that isn’t insufferable, unlike the people identifying as xyz and going by they/them.” Whenever I make friends with cis people, I sometimes realize too little too late that I’m “one of the good” trans people to them and am just a diversity accessory.

That’s not to say you’re safe from transphobia just because you’re binary. But during the peak of trans medicalism, the trans community turned nonbinary people into our scapegoats to access the “acceptance” of cis people who believe we are just men and women with an unfortunate mental illness, and entertain using our name and pronouns (as long as we behave and remember our place).

All that said, trans men are often expected to conform to femininity and to feminize ourselves because being masculine is seen as “regressive”, ugly and bad, while femininity is pretty and good. This attitude exists for so many reasons, hurts a lot of people, not just us, but too many to list right now, the end result is that we’re isolated from “inclusive” queer spaces. To be part of the in group, a lot of trans guys feel pressure to change themselves or not participate at all. Essentially, you’re ostracized on the basis of being a trans guy, but you’ve also entered a place heavily populated by a marginalized group that you aren’t part of, and you’re seeing frustration and possibly resentment at the wider trans community for our past and current exorsexism (hatred of nonbinary people).

That doesn’t mean you have to make yourself different to find space here. A lot of nonbinary people are trans masc and are also impacted by transandrophobia, we share a lot of struggles with them. Even nonbinary people that aren’t transmasc are often caught up in the cross fire when we’re targeted. I might be wrong, but it seems you aren’t used to sharing a platform with many nonbinary people. To feel more comfortable, instead of not participating, or feeling like you must change, interact with them if they’re open to it (positive interaction). Comments, likes, or reblogs. Interact with posts that talk about exorsexism or ask questions, get familiar. Transandrophobia is running rampant, and when trans men are targeted, some of the first people to stand up for us and stand with us, are nonbinary people. Sharing a space with them doesn’t have to be feeling like the odd one out, rather, an opportunity to build an amazing mutual allyship.

I relate to and connect with binary trans guys, I celebrate them, I fall in love with them, but ultimately, I wish we more often give nonbinary people the same support they’ve given us. I understand how it was isolating to see a post mocking binary trans people and how that might make you nervous and uncomfortable, but believe me, only a very small minority of them harbor actual hate. You likely saw that post because it got outrage that got a lot of engagement.

I see a lot of posts from transfems on here saying nasty shit about us, however, yet again, they’re a very vocal but small percentage of trans fems. Most of them don’t actually feel that way about us. It’s no different than this.

Let me know if you have anymore questions, if I misunderstood anything, or if there is something else on your mind. Stay safe.

[ladymrf]

oh to miss something that is just a dream to others

a conversation between Kon and Kara lost in time that would be part of an old fic idea, a much more simplistic version of the whole thing actually because I lost the original when my computer broke

"Sometimes, it feels like we haunt you."

Kon says this to Kara with some care, she appreciates the fact that he tries to be gentle with this subject, appreciates it enough to gesture for him to continue his thought.

"You look at us and it feels like you're seeing ghosts, sometimes it feels like everything around you causes you pain." Kon touched her hand gently, Kara let her head fall on his shoulder in response "It's hard, isn't it? Waking up in a world that's not familiar at all."

And isn't it? Kara loves her life on Earth, she does, she loves her city, her friends and all the beautiful horrors of this place, but when she looks at her family gathered on the farm, she can't help but ponder the endless What Ifs?

What would it be like, back on their home planet? Would House El be bigger? Would she have more cousins? Would she have siblings? Could she hold all of Kal's children when they were babies? Would she have taught Kon or Jon to fly? Would they get together for the holidays? Would they live nearby?

"I haunt you all too."

She knows she does, they look at her, the living memory of the home they never lived, and they wonder too what it would have been like to be House El in that place, would it have been less painful? A civilian life, lived far from the horrors of the hero world.

Kara's home was just a dream to them, it hurts her almost as much as the longing.

"I don't think any of us can really stop wondering." Kon murmured into her hair "I'm sorry Kara."

"It's just the way things are, we can't stop thinking about what would have been, but we're okay." Kara pulled away from him and ruffled Kon's curly hair "If we weren't here, you wouldn't have existed, and neither would Jon. There's no point in thinking about what House El could have been on Krypton, not when our future is here on Earth."

"I really think Luthor would have found someone to obsess over." Kon frowned. "I could be half Hal Jordan or something."

Kara laughed.

[panoffrying]

My Dr. Sozonius LORE Headcanons

✨Warning this is a bit long✨

Sozo is a character that has lived for a very long time. Whatever that mushroom was on their head not only influenced Sozo but kept them immortal. We know really nothing bout Sozos past so I made some headcanons for silly fun and for me to visualize who Sozo was and what his life may have looked like. I want to do my best to keep this as game accurate as possible, so there will be quotes from the game. The quotes are not at all in order! I kinda just bring up random Sozo quotes as I go. Also I apologize if this doesn't make sense or if I ramble (I get excited about certain topics) 

thank you so much @7moonbird for going over and editing this for me, Love ya Pookie!

And so we start:

Sozonius was born in the days of the old faith. He was present the day the Bishops declared the genocide of the lambs and he actually played a big part in assisting the lambs survival. However, he almost got caught and had to stop helping the lambs to keep his family safe. He's never seen any of the bishops(maybe) but his village was part of Darkwood and therefore under Bishop Leshy’s ruling.

VILLAGE 

Sozonius village was mostly a colony of Carpenter Ants, there were a few other species living there too but it was mostly Carpenter Ants. I imagine there are different races of ants depending on the region they’re in; so there could be fire ants, pharaoh ants, and more! Most ants get along nicely and work together but sometimes other races of ants can be more temperamental and cause conflict between colonies. Carpenter ants are a more calm type of ants, they aren't aggressive but they are incredibly strong. Carpenters ants are known to live in trees; they hollow out trees to make their homes and they like to stay off the ground as much as possible in case of floods and other dangers.

In the colony they had their ruler, the “Queen,” who looked over the village and did queenly business (not gonna go too deep into it). Everyone had many different jobs, ants are hard workers and very strong. They made marvelous structures, farmed a lot of crops, and knew how to work together when there was a threat. Sozo’s village was one that many others would try making deals/trades with. I would talk more about his village but that's not why y’all are here lol. 

Sozonius was a fellow damn near everyone in the village knew. He loved his work and he loved to talk about it to anyone that expressed that they wanted to listen. He was that guy that you could get stuck in a conversation with and struggle to end it. He liked to ramble about his work and kids. Other than that though he never really started conversations with others, he would keep to himself unless someone interacted with him.

And I could definitely see him having a science rival but nothing too bad lol.

FAMILY

“Where am I…? Where is… my family…?”  are the words Sozo says when he turns back into Dr. Sozonius. I like to think he had a wife and two children. They didn’t have the best marriage but they made it work out for their two sons. His wife was a bit stubborn and very honest. She would say things before thinking which did cause issues, but Sozonius let it slide because he loved her so much and wanted a happy family for his sons. 

Sozonius was a very funny dude. He made dad jokes all the damn time, his family would pretend to hate the jokes but in reality they did love them. 

Sozo Dialogue “Now all Sozo can think about is mushrooms, mushrooms, MUSHROOMS… They don’t leave mush-room for anything else! Ha!”

(Also, this next idea is inspired off of @kuphulwho headcanons for Sozo. I loved her ideas and I recommend y'all look at her headcanons too!) Aside from Sozonius being a mycologist he had a side hobby of art! He wasn't the best artist, but he was really talented with sketching plants/fungi, he liked to make art of anything that interested him. He most likely wrote an educational picture book about Fungi, there's probably an old copy of it somewhere.

This art hobby caught the interest of his two sons, and they also started to pursue art. Sozonius would take his free time teaching his sons how to draw plants and such. Sozonius would hang his kids' art everywhere in their house, it was like walking into an art museum haha.

JOB

Sozonius studied mycology which means he studied fungi. Sozonius knew fungi could benefit his society and he wanted to help educate others about the importance of fungi. Soon he learned enough of a new discovery of mushroom people, neither plant nor animal…Sozonius then made the decision to go on a solo mission to study the Mushroomo people.

THE MUSHROOMOS 

Dr. Sozonius Dialogue “My name is Dr. Sozonius. I was researching the Mushroomos that live in Spore Grotto… strange creatures, Neither animal nor plant…” 

Sozonius went to Spore Grotto and at first, he studied the Mushroomo people from a distance setting up a campsite near the Mushroomo Village. When the Mushroomo people discovered Sozonius they welcomed him into their home, cheerful happy little things. Sozonius was given the chance to learn more about these strange creatures up close! How could he say no? Sozonius was welcomed into Spore Grotto and was treated like a god. 

Sozonius asked the Mushroomos many questions, but getting any actual answers from them was difficult. The Mushroomos treated Sozonius like he was their most special guest, they danced and sang for Sozonius. They would mimic Sozonius and follow him around, making sure to do anything he asked of them. There would be many times when the Mushroomos would offer to feed Sozonius menticide mushrooms but Sozonius knew a lot about fungi and declined their offers. However, there seemed to be a special Ritual the Mushroomos took part in… 

Sozonius had been in Spore Grotto for many weeks now, it was time for him to leave, he had studied enough and was ready to return home but the Mushroomos were surprisingly sad when he announced this. They wanted to show Sozonius a sacred ritual to them before he left, he wasn't aware of the menticide mushrooms being part of it…

Dr. Sozonius Dialogue “They gave me Menticide Mushrooms, and then… that’s the last thing I remember…”

After Sozonius was tricked into eating menticide mushrooms and also gave Sozonius a crown, a crown that would grow into Sozoniuss mind, he shall be the Mushroomos leader… And the new Sozo was made. (literally just think of Ice Age 2 when the lil sloths take Sid to be their fire king, however they don't sacrifice him)

The mushroom on Sozos head is very powerful, it makes me wonder what it is exactly, it gives the person wearing it immortality, but also causes the user to go insane (don't forget that Sozo is also being fed menticide mushrooms) the mushroom crown kinda reminds me of Chemachs crown. It seems to have a mind of its own and a face. I feel like the Mushroomos for days straight made sure to give Sozo a diet of only menticide mushrooms to make him forget everything and to possibly power the mushroom crown. They would constantly tell Sozo that his mind would be open and free, that it would make him feel better, and Sozo being under the influence of the mushroom listened to them.

A Mushroomo Dialogue "Once you taste the Menticide Mushroom your mind will be opened." 

As the years went by so did all the sanity Sozonius had left, but in some moments Sozonius seems to still be aware but not all there. 

Sozo Dialogue “Sozo had friends... Followers... family... now Sozo has mushrooms..."

Sozo over time seems to start to dislike his followers and call them liars. He even becomes quite cruel to his followers. Yet he also mentions that he trusts the lamb and wants the lamb to protect him from his followers which makes me believe that Sozonius is somehow a little aware and fighting against the mushroom crown’s influence. He is mad at the Mushroomos for lying to him, tricking him, making him into who he is now.

 Sozo Dialogue  “No need to thanks Sozo. Build it at your Cult then come back to me. Sozo shall grant you one last gift. Sozo is always fair. Always repays this debts. Not like those LIARS out there."

"You did it! Now I know I can trust you... not like those nasty liars outside. They are always watching, always listening! Here take this. You are Sozo's best friend, you are Sozo's only friend."

"Sozo can trust you now, Sozo will pledge himself to you! You will protect me from those liars outside and bring Sozo mushrooms!"

(Also a side note that my gf brought to my attention last second lol! Apparently parasitic mushrooms rely on insects to spread. That is probably why they tricked Sozonius into staying and eating menticide mushrooms. Maybe it's been that long since they've seen an insect)

SOZOS IMPRISONMENT

So, this next little headcanon of mine is an interesting one and might be confusing to explain. Was Sozonius imprisoned within his own mind while under the control of the mushroom crown? If he was, I can see him being stuck in a sort of loop, imagining his family and friends. Think like Mabel's Bubble from ‘Gravity Falls’ weirdmageddon. Sozonius is trapped in a mental bubble, stuck in a false reality as the now mushroom-infected Sozo takes over his body and actions. 

In Sozonius’s mental bubble he is in a place where trees are big, tall mushrooms and flowers are mushrooms, everywhere he turns its mushrooms. He knows something is wrong, everything is too strange, everyone he loves is there with him but is it real? It feels like he's living in a dream. Sozonius proceeds to talk to his friends and family as if they are actually there in which I noticed that Sozo will talk to the menticide mushrooms as if they are actual people.

Sozo Dialogue “Precious, perfect little mushrooms, Sozo is here now, Sozo will always be here…”

”Sozo is busy now… Sozo must commune with the ‘shrooms.”

As time passes more mushrooms grow in his mind prison, and they keep growing and growing until they start to grow on the people he loves. He knows something is happening, he's going mad, and he starts to search for an exit, he needs to escape this false reality that the mushroom crown has created for him. 

He starts fighting the mushroom crown’s hold on him which causes him to regain some awareness. This is when a part of him realizes he’s been tricked, and he starts refusing everything the Mushroomos give him and becomes cruel to them. However, the lambs have never done him wrong before and the lamb (from the cult) begins to be the only person he can trust. At least until it becomes too much and well… we know Sozo’s fate.

SOZO’S REVIVAL 

So Sozo doesn't get resurrected until all the bishops become mortal (at least in my playthrough)(I might change this to he was part of the cult before the bishops I’m not sure). So all the bishop siblings are in the cult and learning the ways of mortal stuff and Sozo appears around the same time, still the crazy Sozo we know and love. However, he’s still very addicted to the menticide mushrooms and both the Lamb and night workers have found Sozo digging through the mushroom crops like a lil racoon.

Based on the game, Sozo likes to run around the cult and do his own thing; he often looks very spaced out but the moment someone talks to him he starts spitting nonsense before yelling at them to go away. The only people Sozo will talk to are people that give Sozo what he wants, which is menticide mushrooms! If you do that for him he will talk your ear off with nonsense, in conversations with him he will often talk about his followers, them being liars and disgusting little creatures. One day though Sozo’s personality seems to change? He starts to tell the lamb,

 “Sozo was just here, all alone, thinking about mushrooms... Uh, Sozo means Sozo's little Mushroomo followers!”

”Yes,, they must be so lost without Sozo. They love Sozo! Everyone loves Sozo - especially Lamb!”

“Without their great and beloved Sozo, Mushroomos must be so scared... YOU! You must save them! Save them and bring them to Sozo.”

”They will be trapped in Anura. They are always getting captured when they don't have their great Sozo to protect them. Rescue them and bring them to me.”

But when you bring the followers to Sozo he ends up eating them. At first glance you can assume it's just his addiction, in which it most certainly could be! He sees a big mushroom and he's like oooo~ delicious but there's also a possibility of this being Dr. Sozonius’s anger coming out. The whole fighting against the mushroom crown’s influence and realization that he’s been tricked. Maybe a mix of his addiction and anger for what they did to him? I’m not too sure if Sozo eating the Mushroomos was a problem before he joined the cult.

Of course, this addiction must be stopped so the lamb decides enough is enough and refuses to get more Mushroomos. This causes Sozo to dissent and, with little choice, the Lamb has to put him in rehab. I imagine it would’ve been a struggle getting Sozo to the prison without the Red Crown’s help. With the power of an ant that is Sozo’s size it's a miracle he didnt break that pillory while he was in it. Sozo just stayed silent and didn't fight; the person he had put his trust and hope in has imprisoned him. Sozo is a bit depressed at that moment. 

After Sozo has been re-educated, released, and cured of his addiction the mushroom crown finally falls off his head. Which, like I said before, makes me wonder, was it being powered by the menticide mushrooms Sozo has been eating or is it something else?

But Dr. Sozonius talks about some stuff before saying,

Dr. Sozonius Dialogue “I can’t help but feel that I have you to thank for… something. You have my loyalty, I will remain here and serve you. Please, take this!”

Sozonius was ready to live his life rather than reunite with his family in the afterlife. He wasn't expecting to be resurrected after dying in the cult from old age. But Sozonius gave the lamb their loyalty and promised to stay in the cult and serve them. The Lamb had been so kind as to give Sozonius an immortality necklace, the Lamb didn’t want Sozonius to go yet… and Sozo’s heart was too kind and soft. He will have to wait a bit longer to return home to his family, but maybe some good things will come out of staying longer~

Also! Who do we think Sozo was talking to? 

A Mushroomo Dialogue "Who is Sozo talking to when he whispers in the dark...?"

Is he talking to himself? The mushrooms? Or the Fox?

[justjudethoughts]

Hometown Rambles

So! A post I made a few weeks ago has brought to my attention that a lot of people have never really heard of small, semi-insular American towns that manage to keep a pretty strong sense of heritage which is actually hecka exciting because it gives me a chance to tell you guys about where I grew up!!! Cause it's a really cool mix of Very Midwest America and the bits and pieces of 1860s Germany we kept with us!

First disclaimer: There are some communities that are wayyyy more entrenched and their heritage than ours. We have, admittedly, lost a lot throughout the years. But what we still have makes me really happy.

I grew up in a small, midwestern German-Catholic farm town. At this point, most of us don't speak German anymore, though there are still a few old folks left who do. In my family, my grandparents were the last generation to speak it. In the 1960s, they chose not to teach their children German. No one told me why, but I do think the cultural affects of WWII were a large part of it—my grandpa would tell stories about how they could only speak German in town during the war, and absolutely NOT when they went into the city. Pretty much everyone here has a surname of German origin, although it might be Americanized by this point. We've got lots of Kliens and Schneiders and Feldpausch(s).

Circa 1830, a bunch of German Catholic farmers came over to America from Rheinland-Pfalz and started our small town. The Catholic Parish that is running now is the same Parish that was founded early on, though the building (and name, I think) have changed. Most families here are still Catholic, and a lot of us can tell you which one of our ancestors came over on the boat (mine is 5 generations back, and I can name each grandfather to get there). Our cemetery has very well marked graves, so I grew up visiting the graves of all my great grandfathers. Even more so!! Every year the town historical society (yes, it's exactly what it sounds like) hosts "A Cemetery Walk." A few different members of the community who are buried in the cemetery are picked and close relatives are called and asked if they would like to represent their family members. The living family member then dresses as their ancestor and writes a little first person speech about the ancestor's life, and gives it at their grave side. Last year, I got to be my great grandmother and do a deep dive into her life.

While most of us don't speak German anymore, we do all know the first verse of Stille Nacht, because it's a Christmas tradition at our parish to sing it every Christmas Eve. It makes my dad cry.

In October, we have an Oktoberfest, which probably isn't a very authentic one, but we do our best. And every 4th of July, we serve Saurkruat at our parish festival. Also, beer is like the #1 beverage of choice in town. This bit is probably American, but everyone has an inexplicable obsession with gravy burgers? And I think a lot of time they are served with the saurkruat. Not sure the origin of that, but it's home 🤷🏼‍♀️

For a long time, my grandparents were able to stay in contact with some distant cousins in Germany (this was through my great grandmother's side, as her father was the one who immigrated, making it much easier to stay in contact). In the 80s, my grandpa and his brother got to visit them in Germany and see the house their grandfather left. The cousins were also able to come to America at some point.

We have a family farm and homestead that has been running for at least 4 generations. We have pictures upon pictures of relatives, and sometimes they aren't well labeled, so I have a lot of fun looking through postcards and pictures and matching people if I can, and sussing out stories from various records. Also! When the town turned 120 years old they made a town history book, that has all sorts of fun information. We also have a few individual family history books that trace genealogy that someone who is way more focused than me (and can probably read German) put together.

Our Midwestness and remenants of Germanness meet in the fact that family is *extremely important* in my community, but also pretty private. By that I mean everyone is super friendly and would help out any stranger in a pinch, but they are likely to keep family time closed, with less emphasis on found families than some other communities, particularly those in the American south. We also all prize good work ethic and resourcefulness, which in large part comes from being a farming community.

ANYWAY, these are just random things I can think of off the top of my head! This post is in no way trying to prove a point, I just genuinely really love this type of thing and wanted to share ♡

Also, in regards to the post that prompted this one, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who interacted. There were a lot of lovely responses, both assenting and dissenting to my point, that contributed to a flourishing discussion I really didn't expect. There were also a handful of passive or straight-up aggressive responses, but such is the way of the internet. Those ones don't bother me too much though, because I think those of us trying to foster unity and beauty through civil discussion and sharing things that matter to us are doing a lot more for the world that people on the internet bent on being unpleasant in comment sections.

[tanoraqui]

Dungeon Meshi Liveblog: I THINK BEING A NECROMANCER WOULD FIX ME, TOO

HOLD THE FUCKING PHONE, ARE WE GOING TO EAT HIM?!

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I think my boy Laios just headbutted a phoenix?

.

He's so fucking clever under stress, I love him so much!!!

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/laughing

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Dad energy.

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Book's awake!

You: What?

Me, loading a gun to go kill this motherfucker before it messes with Marcille and to a lesser extent Laios: Book's awake.

.

This is normal sibling behavior on Falin's part, actually.

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holy shit I'm about to meet the rabbits everyone was :)ing about. The rabbits that haunt Chilchuck's concept of monsters. THE Rabbits.

.

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oh my god the rabbits

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MARCILLE NO! (MARCILLE YES!)

(Chilchuck is going to be so. pissed. when he finds out about this.)

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MOVE ASIDE, CHIMERA GIRL, I'M MARRYING THIS WOMAN!

what a line, too. Oh my god I really do want to play a Necromancer wizard sometime...

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I'm laughing hysterically. This is the best. I'm just going to keep some of the best panels but oh my god they're all the best.

I'm getting strong Candace Flynn (Phineas & Ferb) "Squirrels In My Pants" x "Queen of Mars" vibes?!?

.

SHOUTOUT TO IZUTSUMI FOR KILLING A DUNGEON RABBIT WITH HER BARE TEETH!! And also for enduring this, uh, zombie nightmare. Necromancers amiright.

(/sobs - I wanna play a necromancer wizard in a long-plot D&D game SO BAD...)

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IT WORKED, THOUGH! Marcille, it worked. You did it. Laios had total faith in you (Laios had total faith in a friend again and he was right again), and you did it. You saved them all. And you're going to make a stew for Falin, which is the language of love and life-giving, and save her, too.

.

And! the fact that this is all happening in this room where Thistle has been desperately trying to retain a masquerade of life just as grotesque, though slightly more pretty, as Marcille's mass animation there! Except it wasn't really more pretty at all, because absolutely everything was a mess - our heroes were the ones who made it nice enough to actually live in. But everyone is still just as dead ("alive" but un-hungering, even when conscious) as Laios, Senshi, Chilchuck, Izutsumi and these rabbits - mimicking the motions of life, of walking and moving or of growing crops, raising farm animals and sitting down to eat... Thistle is in blind denial; Marcille is weeping.

.

ohhh my god she's not just taking measures to avoid personal loss, or to prevent anyone else from avoiding personal loss... She, too, is aware of the interracial politics... (And it's lifespans specifically to which she doesn't want to lose anyone ever again. That's why the monster appeared in the background when Chilchuck told her that halffeet lifespans are 50 years, that's why Laios was specifically dying of old age in her nightmare... It really was SPECIFICALLY old age that terrifies her... Death by monster or murder or whatnot is one thing, but she Does Not Want to outlive anyone she loves, and she doesn't want anyone else to have to do it either.)

eyes eyes eyes eyes eyes

[deepestnightcolor]

Hello! I just recently found your account while searching for alex/reader and love your one-shot of him!!! I was wondering if you could do another of him and reader and their lead up to a relationship? I haven't seen many of fics with and reader sadly wish he had more! And maybe a Lil freaky deaky scene? Obviously no rush or if your not wanting too! Love your sam fics too❤️❤️

ᴀ/ɴ: Hello there!~ Thank you so much for your request and the Alex love! We must admire our athletic king, mustn't we? I have a little something here for you, the freaky deaky scene might follow at some other point! I started it off with somethin' in my mind and then it got all fluff and mushy...I hope you will enjoy either way! <3

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: Alex (SDV) x GN!Reader

ᴡᴄ: 1973 words

ᴍᴅɴɪ ✧ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: we like some good ol' fluff, I have decided.

☾ ᴇɢɢᴇᴅ ☽

Alex had always thought that he would only have three priorities in life: Working out, gridball, and his family. Sure, he had had interest in some people here and there – Hayley, for example. She was pretty, and they sometimes were able to share some good times, but it never seemed to go deeper. Some of the guys in town had also made him curious, yet he always felt… a lack of motivation to pursue things after a while. Nothing enthralled him more than these three priorities, and he was a man of principles, simple as that.

That was until a certain farmer decided to take reign over the old, abandoned farm. At first, he didn’t think much of it. A new farmer, so what? You weren’t even living in Pelican Town, but outside of it. He was pretty certain that you wouldn’t ever really become a big part of the community, living in sticks of the sticks like that. Of course, he was polite when you actually swung by. Nodded his head at you, sometimes he even said “hey”. That didn’t mean he paid much attention to you, though. At least that was what he was telling himself.

Something about you always made his head turn, no matter what. Whenever he caught you out of the corner of his eye, he would crane his neck to get a better look at you. He found it amusing that you ran around town with whatever you had farmed that day, dirt covering your sweet, reddened cheeks and sturdy hands. He would watch you as you went to the beach, just to return with buckets of fish hours later. His eyes followed your path to the blacksmith’s house to get Yoba knows what upgraded or whatever geodes you had found broken open. He decided it was your determination that caught his eyes, nothing more, nothing less. After all, you were building up a ruin of a farm with your bare two hands, filling it with the life it hadn’t seen in years.

That theory didn’t last long, either. It ended when you stopped in your tracks one day and gave him this look. It was one of consideration, of doubt. Yet the fog seemed to lift, and instead of uncertainty, a smile blossomed on your plump lips. You crossed your arms behind your back while you approached the athlete, tipping your head to the side as you stood right in front of him. And fuck, didn’t you look adorable? Alluring, almost, with the way you fluttered your lashes at him. A sense of friendly innocence radiated from you, and it hit him right in the gut. “Hey. It’s Alex, right? I have met your grandparents.” It was unfair, really. Even your voice seemed to be drenched in honey, immediately luring him into a conversation he hadn’t been interested in having. “Yeah, Alex…So, you are the new farmer.”

You gave him a grin; one of the kinds he always found attractive. It was challenging, but still so, so polite. “Have you seen any other person running around with dirt on their cheeks?” Alex whistled through his teeth, cocking his brows at the sudden sass being thrown his way. “Alright, then, I guess that answers it.”

The grin on your face didn’t falter in the slightest, quite the opposite. You seemed to enjoy that you had thrown him off guard, that you had made an impression that he hadn’t expected. You let him simmer in silence for a while, before revealing the egg you had hidden behind your back. Given the way his eyes lit up, you assumed you had hit the nail on the head with that one. “My chicken Cluck and Brood were busy, and now I have some extra. Do you want an egg?” The smile that spread on Alex’s face was big, and you were quite sure that you had seen something shift in him. “Really? Yeah, thank you! They are great sources of protein!” He took the egg with a gentleness that took you by surprise. “Yeah, it is no pro-“ The sound of an eggshell meeting a set of pearly whites shoved your words back down your throat. You watched in horror as the brunet broke the shell of the egg and slurped its contents down his throat. What horrified you even more was the sole fact that he didn’t even seem to find the taste disgusting or off-putting, quite the opposite – he seemed to enjoy the taste of raw egg. Which indicated… that he had done this before. Alex apparently didn’t take note of your expression, or if he did, he was used to it and had decided to pay it no mind; he licked his lips like you would after having your favourite dessert. “That was great, thank you, farmer!” He grinned, giving your back a clumsy smack. “I’ll see ya ‘round.” Alright, maybe Alex had thrown you off guard. Yet that wasn’t a problem, because he had been right in one assumption about you – you were determined.

Alex hadn’t expected for you to return this fast, and what he had been expecting even less was you showing up to him working on his gridball techniques – at least that was what he called it; usually he just threw the ball for Dusty to fetch it, just like he was doing now – but there you were, propping yourself up on the fence and throwing a smile in his direction. For a moment. Alex didn’t quite know what to do, so instead of ending his little workout session, he threw the ball again, waving in your direction. “He can go far,” you noted, shielding your glistening eyes from the sun as you watched the animal chase after the ball with great elan. The brunet grinned a little at your comment, pearly whites showing for a split second. “’Course he can, he’s got a great buddy to train with.” “Huh, is that so?” You asked back, mustering the egg in your hand. “Is so.” “So…you could even train someone as incompetent at sports as me?” That had piqued Alex’s attention. He walked over to the fence, green eyes now falling on the gift you had brought him. “Mh…maybe. You’ve got potential, after all. We would probably need to get you to eat more protein,” he began, thick fingers of a large hand wrapping around the animal produce you were holding out. The egg looked tiny in his hand; it would have been possible for you to become distracted by the way he managed to shrink a large chicken egg to one of the size of a quail’s if you weren’t so focused on the words that were about to tumble out of his mouth. “Maybe you could start out with eggs as well?” There it was, the words you had been anticipating and yet hoping he wouldn’t say them. Still, the way he was seriously considering it as if anyone else in this small town ate raw eggs made him kind of endearing to you. “Oh…uh. Maybe. You know, I will start with…uh, something less crunchy? Leave the eggs to the pros like you?” A grin appeared on his face again, warm palm landing on your shoulder with a small smack. “You get it, farmer.” There was an appreciation in his voice that he would have never expected to carry. But then again, he hadn’t gotten up this morning and awaited a sweaty farmer bringing him yet another chicken egg, had he?

You were working yourself into his routine; slowly, but surely. You weren’t set in stone like his strict workout regime, but he knew that at some point, you would show up. Sometimes you caught him in the middle of weightlifting – he had grown accustomed enough to you to allow you to wander into his room -, sometimes you met him while he was walking Dusty. Talking to you came easier and easier, not that he had any trouble talking to anyone, but he just felt…more comfortable. Finding someone that got him, that didn’t necessarily have high expectations. Someone who genuinely cared. That’s why he was hoping that you would find him today. He was sitting at the beach, cradling a music box that seemed so delicate in contrast to Alex’s broad shoulders, chest, and strong arms. A soft melody chimed from the box, luring him into some sort of trance that he was never able to break free from for some reason. He just had to stare, and stare, and stare. Every now and then he also wondered, wondered if his life could have gone differently, better. He loved his grandparents; he loved them with all his heart! But sometimes… sometimes he wondered if he had had a better chance at life- “Alex? You okay?” Something heavy and warm was placed on his shoulder, making the tall man snap upwards just to see your face. You gave him a smile, one that he had grown fond of in the past months. “Oh, hey.” “Sorry, I didn’t want to startle you, but you didn’t react to all my screaming, so I just- I wanted to check up on you.” Alex gave you a smile. It looked strained, but also so, so lost. It made you sit down next to him slowly, keeping your hand on his shoulder, arm now wrapped around the muscular broadness of his back. Much to your surprise, Alex rested his head down on you, green eyes trained on the ocean, following the draw and pull of the waves. The melody from the music box still filled the air with its soothing gentleness, though also thickening it, leaving the bitterness of memories and hopes that were never fulfilled behind.

Your head slowly dropped on the brunet one’s, allowing him to bask in the silent comfort he seemed to need. At some point, his hand wrapped around yours, a deep sigh leaving his lips. “Sometimes, when I miss her…I come here, playing the music box. It brings back what little of an image I got to create of her…makes me feel close.” You hummed, allowing your eyes to wander about the delicate box. The tune was still playing, the little figurine starting yet another round on its little spring. “And I feel weird about it sometimes. I know she’s gone, after all. So why should I keep doing this?” “Because it makes you feel better, you don’t need any more reasons,” you answered, words l

rolling off your tongue in a velvet “matter-of-fact” voice. Alex seemed to relax a little, his gaze falling back on the box as if he only now had dared to look at it again.

 “See, that’s why I like you.” “Like me?” You asked, genuine surprise coating your words, sticking to them in a way that made it impossible to hide it. It was such an abrupt change of topic – not that it didn’t intrigue you. “Yeah, ‘course. Didn’t you notice?” Well, there had been a change in Alex’s demeanour towards you, like you had hoped. He had been more open, more…interested. There weren’t only talks about him anymore, and he didn’t act like you were a simple source of petulance while he was doing what actually mattered to him. “Huh, I thought I was bad at readin’, and now here you are, suckin’ at readin’ signs.” It was a weak attempt at humour, making your fingers wrap around his more tightly. “You became one of my priorities and didn’t even realize.” Hands closing tighter around one another’s’, you smiled to yourself. “I knew the eggs would get you.”

So maybe Alex did have four priorities, and for once, the thought didn’t make his stomach churn. For once it made him feel settled, and soft. Like he could be soft. Like he deserved to feel.

[pokemonshelterstories]

Even after reading your FAQ and a bunch of asks you've answered, I'm still not sure if a shelter blog is the best place to ask this, so do feel free to delete this (or tell me privately that you won't post it, but only if you have the time and energy), but I can't think of anyone else, and if you do post it, you or some of your followers might have some interesting thoughts, so here goes:

How would you feel about using Pokeballs to catch Pokémon you're planning to eat?

For context, I and my siblings grew up in a small, mostly off-grid community, and while most details aren't relevant, we did hunt for food occasionally. We never used pokeballs, but instead bow and arrow, fishing rods, nets and traps.

These days I live closer to a big city, sharing a house with my brother, his husband, and their teenage son (my other nibling, their older child, has moved out a while ago, so they're not part of this story).

Last month, we visited the community my brother and I grew up in, and during our two week stay, I took my nephew on a hunting trip. He was decently enthusiastic to train his archery, but he asked why we don't just use pokeballs. Wouldn't it be easier? I didn't have an answer for him then, only that we'd been taught this way and that I'd never considered using pokeballs.

But I've been thinking about it. It would be easier, but wouldn't it also be more cruel? After all, by catching it in a pokeball, you're giving the pokemon false hope of a nice life with a trainer, only to then kill it. I feel like killing it quickly while it's still in the wild and doesn't know any better is more, like, honest maybe?

What do you or your followers think?

(If any angry vegans find this post, don't even waste your energy on a mean response or lecture, because most likely I have you blocked already, and if I don't, I'll correct that when I see you being rude to me)

oooh, this is an interesting ask to get...

i think this is really more of a matter of personal comfort with the idea of eating a pokemon that's been caught in a ball, but as long as it's done properly, i don't see anything wrong with it. after all, pokemon for the most part don't really have any concept of what's going to happen to them in the future.

as someone who hunts, you (i assume) understand our duty to give the pokemon we eat as painless of a death as possible. then, as trainers, we have a duty to maintain the 5 freedoms for our pokemon, which includes freedom from psychological stress. provided you meet those requirements, i think it's ok to catch a pokemon in a pokeball for the sake of eating it. it's more humane than certain types of traps that leave the pokemon struggling until the hunter comes to check them, and pokemon tend to relax in pokeballs, since they mimic the way pokemon curl up when healing. when the pokemon is released from its ball, you then just need to humanely slaughter it. there are some pokemon that i wouldn't do this with, since they don't immediately take well to being caught in a ball; buneary is a good example. but many common game pokemon do just fine.

i've actually used a different tool to help out with culling food pokemon- my styler! there are a lot of farms out near artazon, and rangers do sometimes get asked to help with keeping livestock mons calm in the moments leading up to slaughter. i've met rangers who aren't comfortable taking on those cases, and i've definitely gotten fussed at by my share of pokemon rights activists, but i think pokemon raised as food deserve as calm of an environment as possible. so, no, i dont think using pokeballs to trap game is cruel as long as you know what you're doing and don't stress the pokemon out. but if you're used to the way you already do things, don't feel like you have to change it up either.

[chinomiko]

hi! i know it must be kinga boring for you recive questions about castiel bc ppl are obsessed ober him for years but like the other person who asked you a few days ago, i follow you (and ply mcl) for like 10 years and ever since day one my fav boy has been tiel. till this day at the age of 22 he's my favorite and my comfort boy so i joke that he's not a fictional character anymore for me and that i know him personally at this point lol

with that being said, i bet you can imagine that over the years i've been elaborating his personality beyond what the game gives us but he's your boy, you created him therefore you know him and your word is canon, so i'd like to ask a few stuff!! nothing too big, dont worry but here we go.

tiel is an amazing songwriter and since he's very emotional not very good at express it (he does it a lot better now that he's an adult 🥹) i bet his lyricism is very deep and poetic so i have this headcanon that he at first wouldn't like taylor swift because obviously lol but then he payed attention to her lyrics and ends up basically being a swiftie since he likes her writing a lot. what you think about that?

and what kind of music crowstorm sings? like there are any bands that you listen and think "hey this would be in a crowstorm album!" (i have a playlist with this name btw lol). im probably wrong on this one but since this is my fav band i like to think that catfish and the bottlemen are the irl crowstorm, musically speaking

and the last one: another thing that gives me so much comfort is the lystiel friendship. not having present parents, being so closed off i know that lysander is such an important presence on tiel's life because he was basically the only close person he had (specially after the debrah fiasco); if lys didnt had taken the farm and went to college and bla bla bla do you think he would still be part of the band with castiel? im not sure if im mixing the canon with a fanfic i read a while ago (lol) but the band was more of a fun thing to lys, right? he liked writing most (i always imagined him getting into a literature degree or something like this). i also like to think that he helps tiel with lyrics at times, even if he's out of the band (in my head the canon is that they are best friends and pretty close till this day, i pretend lys never left our lives just like armin)

anyways sorry for this big ask 😭 i dont even know if you will read it all but if you do, thank you! and dont feel like you have to answer, i know its too much its just that mcl is my hyperfixation till this day like for real, i have a fanfic that i write still and i even plan on making it into a book sometime. except from the main characters (who is my oc) all the characters will be based on the game's ones :)

ilysm take care and stay hydrated!!

Hellow !

Aww thank you so much and for all your love for Castiel ^^

What a long ask, I'll try to answer in order.

Castiel being a swiftie. No sorry, I don't think he would be. If candy likes her, I'm pretty sure he would try to listen. Also he is an open minded person for sure, so I'm sure he would be curious to listen and study what all the hype is about, it could also help as some sort of far away inspiration, but I don't see him being a fan.

What kind of songs Crowstorm sings This is hard to answer because my musical knowledge is pretty limited and I'm sure I would miss on lot of potential groups or singers that would fit well. And it would require too much research time to have a real detailed and clear answer, but I still did check a bit and here is a little list of songs/groups that I think would have a fitting vibe for Crowstorm

City of the dead - Hollywood Undead The worst in me - bad omens Paranoid - I prevail Trauma Just pretend - Bad omens Ice Nine Kills - A grave mistake Catfish and the bottlemen sounds nice but I think its a bit too soft for what I imagine for Crowstorm.

What is his voice like I think something similar to this (not necessarily the song itself, just the voice. )

bonus, I think this song is so so fitting for Castiel's breakup song, I love it. Dial Tone - Catch your breath

Castiel and Lys friendship. It was'nt mentionned much in UL/LL because I didnt wish to bring too much drama by mentioning Lys when he was not there for the players, but of course Lys and Cast always kept in touch. It is very clearly mentionned in Lys' AL that they keep in touch, that Lys helps Castiel write songs and Cast also like to come to his farm to have a break and spend time together. You should play it if you havent, you'll have a good chunk of Cast and Lys friendship :) However yeah I can confirm that Lys would not like to do it serisouly and professionally, but he'll be all the way around to support and help Cast.

[happyk44]

hi happy! whats ur interpretation of jason graces character? be as short or long as u want <3

The way I immediately knew my answer would be long as fuck as soon as I read the question 😂

Thanks for asking though -- I have a lot of interpretations of Jason's character. My default is wolf!Jason, which is to say I think due to his young age the effects of being raised by wolves, he retained some more animalistic behaviours that were then forcibly repressed due to the leadership requirement. Some people have argued Jason wasn't in the Wolf House long enough to retain those traits, which, okay, fine, that's a valid argument, but I say Jason having a problem with biting people is infinitely funnier so who cares.

I'm variable on when he leaves the Wolf House. We know he was there for at least a few months - sometimes I place it at a year or make him leave around 6, 7. Either way, he always leaves alone. I think of the venture from the Wolf House to Camp Jupiter to typically be a group activity, the newbies learning how to work together as a pack, as a team, in a real-life environment, but Jason is different, he's special, so he has to walk it alone.

If he stays at the Wolf House until he's about 10, 11, then we move into feral!Jason territory, where Jason has essentially become a feral/wild child. There's two variations of feral!Jason I like.

The first variation is Jason lives at camp and is often taken on quests to be used as weapon. He's not really a camper and no one interacts with him besides Reyna and a couple older campers. He lives alone in a hut near the river. He's learned some people skills but he doesn't see or think of himself as human.

The second variation is also known as the underworld Jason au because in this one Pluto "adopts" him as a pet. Essentially Jason is so feral that the people at camp can't handle it. He's convenient on quests, but he's also a wildcard and extremely aggressive, so sometimes it's not worth it. So they call on Pluto to please help them get rid of them since, well, do you know how to kill a tornado? But instead of putting him down, Pluto takes Jason in. Jason lives full-time in the underworld as Pluto's dog. He's much happier in this AU because he has a dedicated pack, where in the previous versions he's constantly being dropped and forced to take on a lone wolf lifestyle.

He's severely devoted to Pluto, and is loyal to the other members in the underworld crew. He loves to chase the chickens and creep up on the cows and basically irritate the fuck out of Menoetes who wants this little brat to stop fucking with the farm animals. Pluto treats Jason 100% like a pet dog, and the others treat him between the varying layers of "this is a human child" and "this is a definitely a wolf pup disguised as a human child".

Then there's the DID!Jason AU, where Jason develops DID due to the trauma of growing up the wolf house. His psyche essential fractures into four parts:

Jason, the host, ages with the body, looks like the body, albeit with less scars

JJ, traumholder, little, he's about five to seven years old and nonverbal, he looks like a young Jason with bandages

Grace, protector, he's around late thirties, early forties, shapeshifter (can only shapeshift into a wolf for obvious reasons), he has black hair

T, caretaker, partial introject of Thalia, her age slides from ten to nineteen (i wanted to make her an age-slider since Jason was very young when he was taken from Thalia and young kids do not generally have an accurate understanding of people's ages, ya know?), she's also a partial introject because she's modelled after Thalia as a caretaking figure but her personality and appearance differ in aspects, such as T has long hair, Thalia (as far as we know) has always had short hair, T is much brighter and enthusiastic where even when she was younger, I imagine Thalia was probably more sullen due to the complications of her home life and maybe more anxious when it came to Jason and his safety

Other bits and pieces:

suffers from depersonalization - even outside the DID AU, he lacks a solid sense of identity. It's one of the core problems in the series (one that I don't think was well explored or finished well tbh). He was raised to be a specific way and has never been allowed to anything else

autistic with an extreme sense of justice and obsession for the rules

dog boy

alexithymic with a severe emotional disconnection from his traumas. He can and will talk about wolf house training, situations where he almost died or was left for dead, times where he was tortured, etc, very easily and contentedly. He lacks the emotional connection that tells him these events were painful and traumatic, and cannot understand why people may get upset with him for talking about it so candidly. He doesn't bring it up willy nilly though, but if you ask him, he answers honestly and bluntly because he doesn't have social awareness to understand that there may be some things that should be held back

suicidal but in denial about it. Suicide is shameful and disgusting. He would never kill himself. He would, however, throw himself into every sacrificial option presented to him because dying for your loved ones is an honourable death.

low cognitive empathy, but strong emotional/compassionate empathy. He doesn't always understand why most people feel the way they do, especially if he disagrees with the situation they're experiencing a feeling over. For example, say someone killed themselves and their partner is crying about. Jason does not have the ability to understand to their partner's sadness because he sees suicide as shameful and cannot separate that from his capacity to care. However, he is still a very compassionate person, and will quickly jump into action to soothe them over their loss, even if he personally thinks, "why are you crying, they were clearly immoral and pathetic" the whole time.

side note: You may see people talk about having high cognitive empathy but low compassionate empathy - this is basically the opposite of Jason, where you have a strong understanding of why someone feels the way they do, but there is no internal drive to help them. Jason has the drive to help, but lacks the understanding/ability to relate

he is not very visibly expressive. I headcanon that he used to (and probably still does) practice making facial expressions in the mirror after everyone else had gone to bed. He's very good at mimicking human expressions and "acting" the part, even if he doesn't get why

experiences chronic pain, but due to a general disconnection from his personhood he doesn't pay much attention to it. He also thinks that its normal and trying to convince him that its not never works because if it wasn't normal then why has he been feeling it for so long. In the DID!AU, T is the one who is most disconnected from their pain and has to consciously do her best not to aggravate it when she's at the front. Grace is the one who is most connected to the pain and feels it more strongly than the other three

despite his adherence to laws of the land, hierachies don't make too much sense to him. This can be because of being raised by wolves, or just a general autism thing, but he actively treats everyone equally and has to consciously remember to treat people ranked higher than him in a different way than he'd treat people equal or below him in rank. Unlike other people though, Jason often gets a pass on this "insubordinate" behavour because of his status as Jupiter's son. It does mean that a lot of the time he fucks up on certain things and has a reputation among some campers for being an asshole because he doesn't know how to sugarcoat things for people younger or beneath him in rank

he's religious! I heacanon that the Romans are more inclined to follow their gods spiritually and religiously. They follow the old holidays (often modified for modern times), they follow the traditions, they have shrines of different gods, many kids will often pray to their parent and maybe one or two other gods. However, if they were to leave New Rome, some would likely not continue this practice, or at least not to the degree they did previously. Jason, however, is not like that. He is very connected to Religio Romana and follows the calendar, the daily rites, etc, etc, very closely. His gods of choice are Juno and Lupa (aka his moms). He does worship his father, but that's more of a respect, he's my dad, I have to kind of thing. After the events of BoO, Jason slowly starts to scale back in his worship of his dad while he researches older and forgotten gods. He may choose to adopt gods outside the Roman pantheon into his worship, but he will continue to follow the Roman traditions as he does so.

part of why he scales back his worship of his dad is that he becomes very disillusioned with who his father is versus the image of the man he'd grown up with. Jupiter is law and order, sound logic, the face of Rome, and yet, in person, Jason sees a paranoid old man who can't take criticism or admit when he's wrong - this can be seen as part of his inability to fully understand/respect the hierarchy of things. His father is king of the gods, none of his decisions are incorrect, and how dare you ever insuinate that especially in front of the people who are supposed to respect, fear, and revere him, but where someone like Percy would argue against that because they rebel against authority, especially when that authority has been a pain in their ass from day one, Jason can't make that connection because he doesn't fully see other people's authority in that way. To him, his dad is a god, yes, but like any god, like any person, he is still just some guy and can be unwise at times

This is really funny to me because I also think of Zeus/Jupiter as being autistic as well, so at the end of the day it's his fault his son doesn't respect him lol

he's very physically affectionate and loves so so much when people play with his hair (aka when they pet him. he is. a dog at heart)

he has a lot of sensory issues. the main one I usually mention is his hair. he keeps it cropped short because he physically can't stand it when it grows longer.

And I think this is long enough plus my brain is stalling so I am going to end this here. Depending on the story, these things may or may not be present in how I write him, but in general, yeah.

Thanks for asking! I had a lot of fun rambling 😂😂

[soaps-mohawk]

Kyletober was fucking amazing. I'll admit I haven't gotten through all of it, part of it being personal preference regarding some of the kinks, but what I have read was fun and sexy as hell. And I'd definitely enjoy it if some of these were turned into full length fics. But it's also great to hear that CRCB is back on the menu, because I'm not proud of this, but it's still a thing I think about non stop. The lack of updates has not eased the burden of the brainrot at all. Feel free to take this as a chance to ramble about the world building in general, but my god my heart goes out to every Omega in your universe. Because the more I thought about the more the treatment of Omega's starts to eerily resemble how we treat pets in our world. Specifically institutes. And I have to ask, to soothe myself that Omega's don't have it all that bad in this universe.

Just how commonly are Omega's sent off to institutes? Because from the way it's talked about it seems like that's the norm which seems complete bonkers to me, because bad or good parents I doubt most of them would be okay with sending their child off to what is essentially a boarding school and never hearing from them again, not knowing what packs they end up in and what life they live.

The high school I went to has a dorm for students from nearby farms, and the parents of 18 year olds still hesitate to send them there even though they come home on the weekends and y'know, they don't go no contact, so I doubt these parents would be okay with an even stricter arrangement. I wouldn't believe it if there's no pushback from families of Omega's, especially if one of the parents is an Omega themselves. Speaking of that, are Betas and Alphas completely okay with this system too? Just choosing a life long partner from a list of candidates? In another post you did mention some families keeping Omega's until their old enough to search for packmates organically, which I fucking hope is the norm, but even if that's the case does that mean the Alphas and Betas that turn to institutes are in fact the "bad" ones that don't exactly value Omega's as people?? Because I can't decide if that's worse. There has to be some pushback against both betas and alphas, but also if the perception around Alphas is analogous to "not all men" in our world I'm guessing it's not very likely.

And I guess this leads into my last point which is if bonding with between an Alpha and Omega is scene as a lifelong thing in this world, do institutes give any protection to Omega's that have just been sent off to packs? I'm going to assume that they at least have the courtesy of doing background checks, but what about after that? Is there some kind of system where they check in on the pack and the Omega? Since you did also mention that sometimes a bond doesn't form and an Omega is returned, so it's not like an institute completely forgets about the Omega they just let off into the world. Like if an Omega is sent off to a pack that ends up being abusive there has to be some system in place to not just prevent that but stop it if it's already happening. Like in another post you mentioned about Alphas having multiple Omega partners. Especially since I'm guessing the whole reason Omega's have no rights on their own is a spin on the fact they're so sacred and need to be protected and monitored (and you can throw in the usual their too emotional and weak minded to function on their own). If not then I'm praying this is a rare occurrence since I guess in packs Betas would be the ones to stop this kind of behavior, and essentially serve as mediators between Alpha and Omega, especially when an Omega is being integrated into the pack. But still it would be reassuring to know that even if they don't have rights there's at least systems in place to protect them, even with institutes, because my god I don't know if this was intentional but Omega lives just sound so depressing and dystopian in this universe. It's part of the reason why our 'Megas story is so tragic too. Not a single choice she could have made to prevent what happened to her. (And NGL is part of the reason I'm still so pulled into this fic. I've reimagined with countless of my OC's who would be Omega's, rebellious or not.)

I hope this was at least somewhat comprehensible because it's the result of many late night brain worms and many rereads of your work. I'm looking forward to more updates but also no pressure! And I hope above all else you are doing great and all these big changes coming in your life will go well and with as little turbulence as possible :DD

Aww I'm glad you enjoyed Kyletober!! Like I said, there's no pressure to read any of them that aren't your thing. Not everything is for everyone and I respect that.

Yess CRCB is back, or will be back as soon as I can get the next chapter done. But anyway, omegas do really have it hard in this universe I've created.

As far as institutes, it kind of depends on the situation. I'd say it's kind of split pretty closely between sending an omega to an institute versus keeping them at home to allow bonds to grow more organically. It kind of depends on the location too. Some areas don't have very many institutes so the more common way packs are formed are through organic relationship building. Some areas, typically richer areas, will have more institutes and it's more common to send omegas to institutes there.

Most of it is just personal preference when it comes to families. Some omegas know from before they present that they'll be going to an institute if they present as an omega. Others wind up there by accident in less favorable circumstances. A lot of packs might choose to send their omegas to institutes to give them a chance at a better life. Again, it just kind of depends on a case by case basis.

Most betas and I'd even say alphas, don't really know what institutes are really like. They kind of have this understanding that doesn't branch beyond common knowledge and what they hear, etc. I can imagine there are a lot that are against institutes and as is mentioned in the fic, there are some emerging studies being done on institutes and better ways to handle omegas. On the flip side, there's a lot of alphas that like institutes because it's a good way to find a good omega and know what you're getting before you decide. A lot of institutes are okay with sending omegas off with just anyone who's willing to pay the price. Some institutes, like the one 'mega went to, do have more extensive processes for alphas, but again, like we've seen, they're not above corruption either.

Institutes do check in with alphas after omegas are sent, and there is like a time period where the alpha has the ability to return an omega if things don't wind up working out for whatever reason. It's less checking up on the omega themselves and how they're doing, and just more how they're performing and if the alpha is satisfied with the product. Some institutes don't check in at all. It's kind of a sign, sealed, delivered kind of thing and once you walk out the door that's it. Once an omega is sent out from an institute, it's entirely up to the alpha they've been sent to, to make those decisions on whether or not they stay. An omega can't decide they want to go back to the institute since omegas don't have that right once they're with a pack. It's entirely up to the alpha since alphas are the ones in charge of the omegas once they leave. Institutes don't care at their core. It's all about making good omegas and making them attractive to potential alphas who will put money in their pockets.

Yeah. It's gross.

Outside of institutes omegas do have more of a choice as far as alphas go. It's more organic in that omegas get to meet alphas and do more of a dating type thing. It's not all good though, as being an unclaimed omega in the world leaves you vulnerable to alphas that aren't above being despicable human beings. Omegas can still wind up in very bad situations, and even then they don't really have rights. They're under the control of their family pack and that control gets signed over when they find an alpha they want to form a pack with.

I hope this made sense and answered your questions. My brain is mush right now lol.

[hangmanbradshaw]

Happy ho-ho-holidays everybody!! As a celebration, I'm going to be posting fic related treats (new chapters, new fics, one shots, story add ons, snippets, etc) each day, a chaotic advent calendar of sorts full of my (and your so voted) favorite things. I hope y'all have as much fun with this as I do. Some of it I have planned, some I'm taking the inspo as it comes so ;) you never know what I'll run with

Day 1: i find myself running home to your sweet nothings (IWTBY Part 3, chap 1) tumblr post

Day 2: sometimes all it takes is a thursday (javy pov one shot: After the mission, Javy watches Jake and Bradley become Jake and Bradley again, and then become more, OR, Jake and Bradley become friends again, and sometimes love is actually easy.)

Day 3: that little farm where every wish comes true chap 5 (hallmark sugar daddy au) tumblr post

Day 4: i talk a big game that i'm scared of losin' (one shot: Jake's a professor ready to jump back into the dating pool, Bradley's a little rough around the edges, and Nat swears they're perfect for each other. She might be right. OR Jake dumps his loser ex and moves to California to be near Nat and Javy. Nat knows a guy, and sometimes opposites attract.)

Day 5: and i feel like my castle's crumbling down (Bradley POV add on to rival princes au. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know where else to go.” All it took was nine words for Bradley's heart to rebuild and break again.)

Day 6: santa, can't you hear me chap 2 (Jake Seresin didn't want to live the lyrics of Last Christmas, but in the aftermath of a breakup, he finds himself meeting someone different, someone maybe even special, in the form of a reporter sent to do a profile on him. Bradley Bradshaw wasn't what he expected, but maybe that's a good thing. The rest, well, he can honestly say he never saw it coming.)

Day 7: take me home where we met so many years before (one shot: On the day of Jake and Bradley's wedding, three best friends look back on how they got there. OR the Seresin-Bradshaw guide to laying under the stars through all stages of life) (aka the FGCC's fault lmao love you guys)

Day 8: cuz you know i love the players and you love the game (one shot: Jake's the star quarterback, Bradley's the star baseball captain. They both like playing games, turns out they want the same prize. OR. Bradley dresses as a cheerleader for the team and Jake hates him (except that he totally doesn't))

Day 9: the set it up/football/baseball/fall in love with the city idea that almost was (before I went with IWTBY which I'd been dreaming up for so long)

Day 10: santa, can't you hear me chap 3 finale

[heartlandians]

‘Heartland’: Michelle Morgan Opens Up About Lou’s Season 18 Journey & Family Struggles

Beef is brewing heading into Season 18 on Heartland. The longest-running drama in Canadian TV history premieres April 17 on Up Faith & Family streaming service for fans stateside. After Garland Foods dropped the Bartlett-Fleming company in favor of rival Pryce Beef, competition has only added to the challenges keeping the long running family business afloat.

Samantha Louise “Lou” Fleming (Michelle Morgan) has shouldered a lot of the weight to turn things around after taking on a more active role in the cattle business. Her drive and ideas don’t necessarily mesh all the time with the traditionalists like her grandfather Jack Bartlett (Shaun Johnston) and father Tim Fleming (Chris Potter). If things weren’t bad enough, the drought in the foothills of Alberta has threatened the health of the herd.

Complicating matters is Lou’s young sister Amy (Amber Marshall) has continued to build a deeper connection with Nathan Pryce, Jr. (Spencer Lord), who has his own complicated backstory. Needless to say, we have a lot to unpack here going into the new season. Luckily, we were able to sit down with Morgan to do just that.

Going into Season 18, Lou has really entrenched herself into the family business. This comes at a point where the company is facing the most challenges. 

Michelle Morgan: I think one of the things that is very relatable for me about Lou and our show in general is people’s lives don’t go in a straight line. People can start going down the wrong track sometimes and run into hard times. Lou, we see in Season 17 going into 18 that she makes the decision she will focus on the family business, family ranching and get really hands-on. She is on a horse, out in a field, working with the cattle. She ends up getting so driven, as Lou can sometimes do, and loses sight of what’s important. 

You must have had a lot of fun doing more of the outdoor filming. 

I was so happy. I loved when Lou was the mayor, but I wasn’t out on a horse very often. I absolutely love that I get to do that more. One of my favorite parts of the show is being able to ride and being out in the beautiful foothills. When we’re filming in the studio, it’s nowhere near as beautiful and fun. 

This season the business gets hit hard with the drought, which really is art imitating life when you think about what the farmers and those in the industry have to deal with. How was it seeing that be part of the story? 

I thought that was beautiful writing because it is something that is so authentic. If you’ve talked to anyone who is farming or ranching or dealing with the elements, it happens every season. How much rain are we going to get? How are the wildfires going to be? Is it too hot? Is it too dry? Is it too wet? It’s all these variables that they are constantly juggling and dealing with. It’s super realistic. I thought that was really interesting. As we’ve been shooting the show now for 18 seasons, I have watched the climate change where we shoot and evolve. The fires are getting worse and worse every year, so it’s something we are watching happening in real time as well. I’m glad the show addressed things in this way. 

What do you make of Lou’s dynamic with her father and grandfather as she wants to be seen more of a colleague rather than just daughter and granddaughter? 

There is the generational clash as well. Lou is part of the younger generation and not going to do things the same way they’ve always done them. She sees it’s time for a change and upgrade. So, she’ll push them to do more marketing, morning television and approach things in a different way. That causes some tension or not because there are happy moments. But this sort of thing does make their dynamic tricky at times. I thought it was fun because Lou is obviously going to do it her own way. 

How would you describe Lou’s relationship with her daughter Katie [Fleming Morris] as she continues to find her own path and explore interests? 

Katie is going on her own path and journey. I think that falls along the lines of Lou losing sight of what’s important. Katie is going through something Lou is somewhat aware of, but there is some distance there. Katie is hiding things from Lou and keeping secrets from her. It will all come to the surface. It’s something they will all come together to address as a family. The beautiful thing about our show is people do get off the right path and get distracted, but we do end up getting back together and realizing what’s important, which is family and our ranch. Katie is growing up and maybe she doesn’t’ fit in on the ranch and maybe wants to leave. That’s something she’ll have to deal with her mother. I always love working with Baye McPherson. She is a wonderful actress and friend as well. 

There is such a great visual between sisters in the premiere. Amy is getting closer to Nathan. She goes to Lou, who can be a protective sister. This is a person who is part of the competition for their business. What do you make of their sisterly relationship this season? It’s definitely complicated. 

Yeah, and that’s the fun of it. Amy’s conflicted too because she has feelings for Nathan, and he is our direct competition. Lou is conflicted because she wants to support her sister and thinks she deserves to move on and be happy, but it happens to be someone who is considered the enemy this season. Lou can’t support that. Things are at odds. That makes for a tough dynamic between Amy and Lou. It challenges Amy and Nathan as well. I won’t spoil it, but things come to a head toward the end of the season when Lou has this accident in the field. That’s when everyone reassess what’s important. 

What kind of feedback did you get from the Canadian viewers who watched all this unfold? 

I would see things online where people thought Lou had died and all these serious things with what happens. It’s good to have all these theories and excitement surrounding what happens. It was so challenging to shoot all that, but in a really good way. I loved filming this one episode as it tells an incredible story. I hope the fans love it. I feel like our show thrives when there are these really high stakes and danger scenarios that come up. This is definitely one of them. 

Having played this character for so long, is there anything you want to see from her or see her do that she hasn’t already?

I haven’t thought about that in a while. I used to always say I wanted Lou to be the mayor. Then I had my dream come true as well. Now I need to think about my next thing, and be careful because it might come true. Let me think about that for a minute. 

Maybe Lou is an astronaut with all these people going to space now. 

Oh god, no thank you. I think it’s a little late in life for that kind of career shift. Lou does whatever she wants. She decides to take on a restaurant, she does it. She decides she wants to open a franchise, she does it. She decides she wants to run an Airbnb and build cabins, she does it. When Lou sets her sights on something, she does it. It’s amazing. 

What do you want to say to viewers before they watch this season? 

For one thing, it’s exciting that Season 18 fans in the [United] States will finally be able to see Up Faith & Family and that is the only network to have Season 18. They also have hundreds of behind the scenes extras and cast interviews and bloopers and fun things for the real Heartland fans. I also want to say I think it’s our best season yet. I really liked directing this season. The episodes I directed are so fun. There is a rodeo, barn dance and accident and drama and everything that people love about our show. It’s a beautiful season, and it has family and horses and drama and fun and everything people have been coming back to our show for the last 18 years. 

Heartland, Season 18 Streaming Premiere, Thursday, April 17, UP Faith & Family

Source

[kuinaminku]

i was debating posting this but i’m planning on including this lore in a fic so . fuck it . here’s an explanation of my glinda ethnic minority headcanon featuring some completely made up worldbuilding i did for the hell of it

the in depth explanation is below the cut but if you’re lazy like me

TL;DR: glinda’s mother Larena Upland is “west gillikinese”, a Unionist practicing ethnic group belonging to the major colonial power in Gillikin. her father, Highmuster, is eastern gillikinese, an ethnic minority and married up into nobility and assimilated into Unionist/western gillikin culture and this gives glinda her Complex™️

OKAY. so . the history part of it. bare with me for any inconsistencies with book lore im not good with keeping track of that. Anyways! long before the Wizard came to Oz, Gillikin was mostly Lurlinist, especially concentrated near Mount Runcible due to its religious significance, but a lot of them were also concentrated in the East (think Lake Chorge and Great Gillikin Forest).

The Unionists were mostly concentrated in the Southwest, with the West Gillikinese being a distinct ethnic group. Over the course of time the West Gillikinese began to settle the East, vying for resources and also to spread Unionism, essentially cementing themselves as the colonial power in Gillikin

So fast forward to present Oz … in the West, you have the richer cities like Shiz, and you also have the dairy farm towns like Frottica. In my mind the Pertha Hills cities are inhabited by a lot of mixed and East Gillikinese immigrant families due to many coming over for work or for religious reasons. In the East, you have the mining towns like Traum that are closer to the Glikkus mines and aren’t really centers of commerce and industry like Shiz or the Pertha Hills.

Lake Chorge is a popular vacation spot for a lot of West Gillikinese families, but there’s a distinct divide between the settler vacationers and the people who’d actually been living there for generations. naturally there’s also a class divide

West Gillikese people are what the book tells us “Gillikinese” are like— blonde haired, blue eyed, typically rich

East Gillikinese people have red, curly hair, and shorter statures (my explanation for this is because they border Munchkinland and the Glikkus teehee)

because i’m bad with cardinal directions i decided to name west of Gillikin “New Gillikin” (since it is the center of industry and new developments) and the East “Old Gillikin” (since it. Isn’t . lol. also this ties in later with a line Glinda has in the book)

New Gillikin people are also referred to as

- just “Gillikin”

- Westsiders

Whereas Old Gillikin people are sometimes referred to as

- Eastsiders

- Madelines (from the mountain range)

SOOO… here’s where glinda comes into this. from what we know of glinda and her family from the books:

- she comes from Frottica, which is a bit more rural than the other Gillikin cities. Perhaps a dairy farm?

- She’s from “nobility” but only on her mother’s side (The Uplands). I think it’s implied her father had to marry up?

- She has this insatiable desire to perform and constantly overcompensates

so. in my crazy autism powered mind . Glinda’s father Highmuster, an Eastsider from Lake Chorge, met Larena, her mother, when her family was on vacation when she was very young. They fell in love, but the Uplands were notttt approving of the relationship at all and Larena ran away in her 20s to be with him. as a result her family cut her ass off and didn’t reconnect or allow her access to her family’s status (or their money) until years after and it kind of traumatized her for life and she passed so much of that down onto her daughter 😭😭😭

her dad, on the other hand, converted to Unionism and assimilated for the sake of his wife and his family, but he still yearns for his childhood and his own damn culture and kind of influences Glinda’s Eastsider side

Glinda grows up in rural Frottica— a city with Eastside influence and remnants of Gillikin culture, but her father’s internalized xenophobia and her mother’s For Real xenophobia makes her suppress that side of herself HARDDD. her culture reminds her of her childhood and reminds her of her dad but her mom gives her a really bad Complex about it

- her hair is naturally strawberry blonde and super curly but she dyes it bleach blonde to fit in

- she’s insecure about her height

but in ways glinda also kind of yearns for it? her name is Unionist but she’s insistent on people using the “proper Old Gillikinese pronunciation” for it in the book . in my hc this is a deliberate Eastside spelling of her name her dad fought for her to have

anyways i’m kind of really bad at explaining this nor am i really good at world building but the long and short of it is that glinda is “othered” in some way but has internalized beliefs and hatred towards herself and her heritage and feels the need to perform to maintain her privilege . which puts her at odds with Elphie and i think informs a lot of her… Choices later on in the story

ermmmm yeah that’s about it . if u have any questions or feedback feel free to ask

[winterstellars]

sins of the son | part iii

15,506 w (entire fic is 55,619) | aemond x nameless fem oc (can also be read as reader insert) | 6.14.24 | the first two parts can be found in full on ao3

content warning for violence in this excerpt. if reading the full fic on ao3, please be mindful of the tags!

What could you possibly kill that you love so much it would make the sun rise again?

—Succession S2E10, written by Jesse Armstrong

Harrenhal stands out from the gray-brown muck of the Riverlands like a lonely gravestone: bitter, ugly, twisted. Aemond can just barely see the broken towers and melted stone walls, the work of his ancestors, as Vhagar pierces the clouds and descends upon the castle. It is for the best that the weather has put a thick haze between them and the countryside. If it were clearer, he might be able to see the villages. The farms. Small huts where simple people live. It is best not to think of them as people, what with the orders he and Criston have. It is best not to think of them at all.

Her hands, which have been anchored to his tunic since they left the capitol, finally uncurl when Vhagar touches the ground. The tension dissipates as he helps her down from the rigging. She is a bright bloom of life against the dull backdrop of snow and steel. Soldiers cross the courtyard carrying supplies, lighting torches, draping green-and-gold banners with the three-headed dragon sigil emblazoned upon them. Nightfall is close—the clouds hide the glow that should be a sunset—and every bone in his body aches for a bed and a pile of quilts and furs.

“My prince.” Cole, though muddy from the march, is as sharp and meticulous as ever. “The castle is secure. The scouts have not seen any men within a league of here. They likely retreated when they saw our advance.”

She makes a small humming noise in the back of her throat. “They know this land better than we do.”

Cole makes no reply, but Aemond can see a small muscle by his ear go taut. He will not do any of them the disservice of pretending as though Cole would approve of her presence. To him, she represents an uncomfortable inconvenience. Neither as shameful nor as easy to overlook as one of Aegon’s whores, but still. Inconvenient. A blemish on Aemond’s honor, if such honor ever truly existed.

“My lady.” It is a generous allowance coming from Cole. “Perhaps you would be more comfortable inside.”

“I’ll stay,” she murmurs, holding Aemond’s arm, thumb stroking over the crisp leather. He can feel her gentle stability, the sureness of her presence. His wife, he thinks, his queen. 

“These are the prisoners?” He gestures to a pack of men in fetters, closely guarded. Many sport gray hair and long-healed scars from wars of the past along with fresh cuts and bruises. Others are barely old enough to swing a sword, scrawny and unsure of themselves, the same age as Luke had been—

He kills that thought in its infancy. Storm, sun, blood. It feels more like a nightmare than a memory now.

“What’s left of House Strong,” Cole replies, disdain dripping from his words. “They await the king’s justice.”

He can feel her watching him. He dares not look back. He and Cole know full well what their orders are. They know that the king’s justice knows nothing of mercy and everything of retribution.

“I’ll have the servants make up a room for us. You can rest. I’ll find you,” he tells her, but as soon as he speaks, she shakes her head. Firm, sure, unflinching. Sometimes her conviction ought to frighten him. 

“I rode to war with you,” she says. “I expected war.”

“Have you ever seen a man die?”

Her mouth moves, almost resembling a smile, but her eyes are far too steely for there to be any hint of joy. “You won’t scare me.” 

He couldn’t, he realizes, even if he tried. There are no shadows in which he can hide from her gaze. All of his rage, his grief, and his love has been laid bare in front of her, and she has not fled from him. What he must do will not change anything. She has seen him as a killer and still loves him all the same, still touches him as though his hands have never committed any sin.

The first man the guards bring forward has a mop of brown curls with spots of gray by his forehead. His doggish nose is split with a fresh break. He does not look at Aemond, but that is for the best. This man is a ghost from another world, some wretched glimpse of what Luke might have been like had he lived. A silver wedding band perches on his ring finger, and a piece of red ribbon is tied around his wrist. It is a simple thing. A little trifle. Something a child might gift a father.

Traitor, traitor, traitor, Aemond chants to himself, embedding the word into his heart. It does no good to let himself imagine what kind of person this man might be. He makes himself think of his mother, of Helaena, of Jaehaera and little Maelor. Their safety comes at a price he will always be willing to pay.

“Your name, Ser?” Criston asks for him. He is silently grateful; if he tried to speak now, he would not know what to say.

The man keeps his face lowered, shoulders hunched, all signs of fight drained out of him. “Harrold Strong.”

“You command the garrison here?”

“I do.”

Aemond draws his sword, the steel singing in the crisp winter air. He sees her standing off to the side. Her breath turns to mist as though she could breathe smoke and fire, fiercer and darker than even Vhagar. If she can be a dragon, he must be one too.

“Harrold Strong, your house has betrayed the crown and has conspired in treason against the king. In accordance with the law, your lives are forfeit. You and your men have been sentenced to the king’s justice.”

So slowly, as if he has all the time in the world, Harrold Strong looks up at him. Stares. Raises his chin.

“You the king, lad?”

Aemond ought to offer him better dying words, but when he searches inside himself, any pity has evaporated. He has his sword raised in the space of one heartbeat, and in the next, head falls away from body and blood coats the earth. Though he can see Criston’s mouth moving, there is nothing but a great, piercing silence in his head. The guards bring another man—no, not a man, a boy not even Daeron’s age—forward. The boy is crying. A pair of soldiers come for the pieces of Harrold Rivers. One drags his body off by his arms, the other scoops his head up, careful not to touch his neck. Aemond breathes in and tastes metal on the air.

It is past nightfall when they finish. His shoulders burn from the effort of it all. Blood pools along the cobblestones, draining outwards in little rivers. She is there when it is over, arms crossed, serene as a statue, the hem of her dress stained indelibly red.

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