#There's no paid outfit this update so I'm good

[godisasimp]

This is the 2nd greatest thing ever made by MiHoYo this company can really create peak out of thin air

[jenny-in-a-jar]

🖤💙 4 days until my Surgery 💙🖤

(Picture taken Dec 9th, 2023)

I'm very very excited for my surgery (it's my second gender affirming surgery but this one is more significant to me since it'll be top and bottom surgery) and I'm obviously counting the days until it and I thought some people might be interested in my trans journey 🏳️‍⚧️ So see part 7 below the cut.

Part 1 here

As the summer was ending, I got really lucky! A lesbian hairstylist (who helped organize the drag show I went in the last update) gave my name to this sales lady who sold accounting work to like companies and she needed help with researching CEO and CFO types. And she paid me out of pocket and honestly it was pretty easy internet research using Google. I felt like a little rat scurrying across the Internet 🐀 So, thank you lesbians 🙏🙏

(Picture taken Nov 6th, 2022)

Apparently I really impressed her so she got me hired full time as a sales admin for her company (I wouldn't have gotten with my lack of a college degree without her) and I've had that job since! And a lot of my transition wouldn't be possible without the pay and benefits of this job. Also this is my first job where I get gendered correctly and I'm slowly getting less anxious about going to the bathroom at work 🥰

She honestly mom'd up on me and bought me a bunch of new business casual clothes for the job. And here's an example of one of my new work outfits 😁

(Picture taken Nov 14, 2022)

Bc of the new job I was able to afford a lot more things for transitioning! Like voice training. I remember when I first cracked I tried to just teach myself using videos but I wasn't good at it 😅 Also a friend during the summer of 2022 helped me and I did make some progress with her help. But, I started making a lot more progress once I started seeing a speech therapist. But, there was a barrier since I could tell she hadn't worked too much with trans people. I went to a speech therapist bc it was covered by my insurance but she moved and then I couldn't find anyone for insurance covered speech therapy. So, I eventually just paid for lessons Your Lessons Now. And, honestly it's going a lot better! It's really nice to be able to talk about my frustrations with voice training with another transfem. The biggest thing I'm learning from here is how to break the bad habit of pitching up my voice by squeezing my vocal chords.

(Picture taken Sept 8th, 2023)

I had also switched to injections and I highly recommend it! A friend even made my first two vials into earrings 🔥

I also got a lot lazier with makeup 😅 I do eyeliner wings, mascara, and blush for when I go into the office. Which for a bunch of accountants means I do about as much makeup that is normal for the women in the office 🤷‍♀️

(Pictures taken October 31st and December 2nd of 2022)

These were two notable exceptions. I really love the makeup I did for the Halloween of 2022 bc I decided to go as a ghost-type trainer. And the one on the right is when I learned how to use concealer to cover my 'raccoon eyes' as my dad liked to call them 🦝

Also this would be a good time to mention something I probably should've mentioned earlier 😅 I never learned how to use foundation. I know it's easy but I have a weird mental block around it 🤷‍♀️ But, in the summer of 2021 I started doing twice daily skincare routine for my face. Which took me from a very acne heavy face to people being surprised I'm not wearing foundation. Also the routine is really nice. Would recommend to those who want to get rid of their acne (send an ask if you want to know specifics).

(Picture taken Aug 20, 2023)

Romance update since I've been doing that lol: Well, things ended with all the girlfriends I had so I am down to 1 partner. And I got caught in a romance scam for a few months 😭 However, I can't really complain because I got engaged!!! It was so sweet in cute. My partner and I had this date the night before Valentine's Day under a statue outside of a local art museum. We read sapphic poetry by candle light and then they popped the question 🥰🥰

But, I say another big part of this era was I made a lot more local trans friends. Went to a good amount of house parties which would've surprised pre-transition me! And I really love my community of queer people I've been building 🥺🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️💕

(Picture taken July 21st, 2023)

Oh yeah!! I also started laser hair removal at the beginning of 2021 as well. Which was before this era but time is a lie. But the new job definitely made it easier to afford.

The biggest step for my transition was getting my surgeries set up!! And my FFS (facial feminization surgery) marks the end of this era. Below was the last picture I took before my FFS.

(Picture taken Feb 17th, 2024)

So, in my next update, I'll be showing my post-op pictures once most of the swelling went down. See you tomorrow!! 😁✌️

Next Part Here

[lynxtheserval]

Can i request Self-awake! Yandere! Illumina x player! reader? reader main sword

deadass kinda hard to write with limited information so I'm so sorry if it's bad or ooc!

Also! This wasn't the best writing I've done so I'm so sorry for that, but schools been hella crazy ngl

Might do a part 2 if y'all want , but it might take a while to make haha

Self-Aware!Yan!Illumina x player!reader

(TW: not as hard on the yandere aspects, but still a tw for stalking (kinda), kidnapping (also kinda), and curse words)

It was a normal day for you, at first at least. You got up, went to your classes in college, went back to your dorm, and played a Roblox game for a little while. You played Slap Battles for a good moment or two until you got bored of slapping children off a cliff with your overpowered paid glove. You then got back onto your favorites page, and saw a game you haven't played in like… a week.

Phighting.

It seems it got some sort of update, because the game icon changed to… some sorta deity looking thing. You didn't know much about the lore, you were mostly just playing the game for the gameplay. You had no idea what or who the icon was showing, but you went into the game without a second thought.

It loaded up like normal, same old music, same old map, same old characters… seems like nothing much has changed.

So you picked your main, Sword, and got into the game. You went to where Zuka was, pressing all the buttons you needed to get into the game.

It loaded.

And loaded.

And loaded.

Why the hell was it taking so long?

You started getting a little frustrated, and made an audible sigh of annoyance. You tried to close the game, but.. you couldn't? You went to the task manager, and tried closing Roblox from there, but Roblox didn't even show up! In fact.. nothing did. Your computer was messed up. You tried to turn off the computer as a whole, but surprise surprise, it didn't turn off.

“What the fuck..?” You murmured.

Then your computer froze completely. You tried clicking every button, tried turning it off AGAIN, and anything you could think of, until the computer suddenly unfroze.

You looked back up at the screen, and you saw you were.. still in Phighting, somehow. You were still in Crossroads, But every other player was gone, and all the NPCs were too, you were alone.

“What the hell..?” You decided to look around the map, or the middle part of Crossroads at least.

Then you saw something in the chat. A name in purple-ish white text. A name reading: Illumina.

“Hello, I've been waiting for your arrival, Y/n.”

It.. it knew your name. Not your username, but your ACTUAL FUCKING NAME. Your own computer doesn't even know your own name! You use your username for everything!

You managed to type in the chat:

“Hello? How do you know my name?”

“I know a lot about you, my dear. Now why don't you come meet me face to face, hm?”

Your computer froze again. Then, out of nowhere, your body started hurting, your ears started ringing, your eyes got blurry, your head started aching, it felt like you were dying. You soon passed out.

You woke up startled. You quickly sat up, but your head didn't seem to be feeling too great. Once your vision calmed down and you were able to see again, you looked around at where you were. You seemed to be in some brightly lit white room with no door and no windows. You got up from the oddly comfortable bed you woke up in and stood up. And with a thud, you fell onto the floor, your legs giving up on you.

“You won't be able to walk for a few hours, Y/N. So stop trying.”

You heard a voice, intimidating and masculine in nature. You looked up towards the voice.

A man, or what looks to be a man, was looking down at you. A bright figure, with one wing, dressed in mostly flowy clothes. He was wearing mostly white, but had a hint of purple in his outfit as well. Not to mention, one purple horn protruding from the left side of his head, with two other small horns coming out of the main one.

You moved to try to get up again but before you could, the man picked you up, and placed you back on the bed. You both made eye contact, his eyes… they were completely white, and bright, they seemed like they would blind you if you looked in them too long. He took notice of this, and smiled slightly.

“Good morning, love. Are you feeling okay? Humans.. I do not know if they handle world transportation well.”

“I.. who.. who are you..?” You managed to ask, it was hard for you to talk, it seemed.

“I am Illumina, and you are Y/N, such a lovely name.”

He placed a pale hand on your cheek, and laughed a little when you tried to pull away. You were confused, and scared, but you felt so.. weak, that you didn't have enough energy to push back too hard.

“Y/N, do not worry. I’ll take good care of you.”

“Wh..what do you mean..? Wh..where am I..?”

“You're home.”

[poordeadsejanus]

tigris hating the new snow (colour symbolism + minor meta from this scene)

i'm so deeply obsessed with so many of the colour choices in tbosas movie.... like wow! one day i'll talk more about them, but one i want to pull out and talk about right now is tigris' colour scheme in her last scene. the one where she's wearing this:

(the picture is not great quality, i'll update this when i have a pic that's more than 2 pixel lol, but it shows what we need to see)

she's got on a light purple/lavender dress with dark blue stripes. blue and purple are usually associated with wealth and royalty (given the historic complications that came with producing them).

purple is especially representative of royalty and wealth, and tigris' outfit is mostly purple, symbolizing the new (wealthy) life that she's found herself in.

blue, along with it's other meanings is associated with melancholy. we know that tigris is unhappy/heartbroken/disappointed with snow's changes, so this link makes sense. it is also a passive colour, showing us that she is passive in coryo's transformation into snow -- there's not much that she can do about it anyway, but i digress. the deepness of the blue implies something tumultous, which gives us an insight into what she's likely feeling: relief at being out of poverty, happiness for coryo's success, but a deep sense of uncertainty and unease at this new snow persona that he's adopted. finally, it can also a colour of peace, which i take to mean that she's sort of made peace with what she cannot change about him, regardless of how she may feel about it.

now we get to the standout of this outfit: the red lip!

usually we see tigris is lip colours that are complimentary to the other colours she has on from what i recall; when she wears pink, her lips are pink, when she's got on dark magentas her lip colour matches/compliments it. the red lip here is clearly an intentional choice as it is a contrasting colour that stands out brightly against the mostly subdued/cool-toned rest of the outfit.

red can be recognized as the colour of passion and anger. the fact that it is on her mouth is certainly trying to show us something. what she says to snow here is "you look just like your father, coriolanus". it is clearly a dig, clearly meant with negative intent, with anger. she is heated! this is the little boy she grew up with, that she protected, that she loved and he's morphing into something sinister before her very eyes. if it wasn't clear by what she said, the subtext behind it, and the way that she said it, the red lip indicates her anger here.

it stands out as a little piece of rebellion against just accepting snow the way he is. she is clothed in colours that show her wealth and complacency with the changes that caused them, but she isn't entirely willing to let it go all the way.

also, she wears warmer colours for a lot of the movie -- pinks and the like -- and now she's in more cool tones, which is an obvious choice being made. she loves coryo (perhaps not snow so much), and she is letting herself be swallowed up by this new life (symbolized by the royal colours and new wealth), but she has that little bit of her that is clinging to the past, that wants her coryo back.

her (minor) dissent against snow is verbal, it is subtle and not exactly obvious to anyone except her and him, in the same way that the red lip is a subtle way of emphasizing her displeasure with this new snow.

she chooses her words very carefully, tailoring them to be a direct referral to her convo with coryo after the arena ("i know you wanna be like your father, but, what i remember the most about him, was that in his eyes it was just hate. you don’t have to pay the same price just to survive. people can be good. you can be good"). snow is like his father, who tigris remembers most as having hate in his eyes. coryo didn't have to pay the same price just to survive, he could be good, but he paid that price anyway.

in the full quote from her last scene, tigris says "i think you look just like your father, coriolanus." This stuck out to me because I don't really remember her ever calling him by his full name often (maybe just at the start when we get the "future president of panem" thing). it seems like perhaps he insisted on; he's not coryo anymore, he's coriolanus snow -- no, he's snow; it could also be something tigris did intentionally. either way, it shows that he is not her precious, still-able-to-be-good coryo anymore.

another interesting thing from this scene is her positioning. she does not rise for him, instead remains sitting at her sewing machine (someone look back and see if its a new machine or if she's using the same one as before!!). she does not rise to greet him happily like the Grandma'am, she remains seated, clearly showing her displeasure at the new snow. plus, usually rising when someone enters a room shows respect; tigris does not rise, ergo she does not respect him!

this also makes me believe that she is not making his clothes anymore (she's at the sewing machine, clearly she can make the clothes, but he grabs the coat out of the closet, showing that it's not a tigris snow original creation). it's a contrast to how we first see adult tigris, rushing up to coryo with a shirt she made/modified. now she keeps her distance and doesn't give him clothes. this shows that huge huge huge pit growing between them. once again, this is not her coryo anymore.

i'd assume that she initially was offering to make/alter his clothes, but somewhere along the way he refused. it's a sign of the hard times when all he had to wear was too-small shoes and potato-starched shirts sneaked in with curtains to be bleached. buying new clothes shows power and wealth and coriolanus' 'impeccable, well-bred, respectable taste' that comes from being a snow.

regardless of the how, she's not doing his clothes anymore, she's displeased over the new snow, he's not her baby coryo anymore, and the distance between them has never been bigger, not even when he was all the way in 12.

[ellstersmash]

Veilguard loves & hates:

Love It:

the banter!!

overall the armor is very cool looking

don't really have to take a balanced party (but detonations help A Lot)

enjoyable mix of linear quests and exploration

at least some puzzles

more qunari lore that isn't "qun bad chantry normal"

GORGEOUS locations fr. like under the sea? you kiddin???

a lot of the quest location and actual quest designs were intriguing and engaging

the soundtrack on the quests was better than the main theme, in most cases

only experienced one bug (on PS5) so far and it was fixed with a reload

THE HAIR!! love that I can change it often—and I DO because there are so many cool options!

honestly the whole CC is very excellent

im in love with all my friends 🥴 and my friends love each other!! much more successful found-family vibes than Inquisition; more akin to DA2

so much talk about food and using food to come together and show love!!! big fan of that

I CAN PET AND HUG ASSAN (and will. all day.)

I do wish I could hug or interact with my romanced companion....but the overall romance and amount of references to it were acceptable. more than enough to get me daydreaming about my Rook and Taash 🥰

Rook's idle animations near the edge of something make me smile

the final battle (like the whole set of quests) felt appropriately dramatic and significant

my completionism paid off :}

the emotional stakes!! I cried like a baby more than once.

DREAD WOOF \o/

the ending (the one I got this round anyway) felt relatively satisfying, even though **

Hate It:

no lighting swap for the Inquisitor CC

no warning before the first major decision point/point of no return. never had my coffee date :(

no armor/outfit dye mechanic, and my god some of the color combos are.. certainly choices

no crafting system

very few legitimately casual outfit options

the main theme sounds like Harry Potter to me

so few meaningful callbacks to past games and choices... it felt impersonal and disconnected from previous game experiences

the way certain areas are walled off (either exploration areas during quests or vice versa) by some nebulous white haze is lazy

I love a DIY home base in my viddy games, but the decor mode is basically pointless. like that's time that could've been better spent elsewhere (like maybe improving the above point??)

loading a save drops you at a respawn beacon, so I'm always forgetting what undiscovered location I was gonna explore next

combat can be fun but is often an exhausting mash of swipe-and-dodge, since unless you use a companion's Taunt skill, every enemy will prioritize Rook for no reason, minus a few swings at the companions here and there (in Adventure mode)

no dedicated Open Map or Open Journal buttons

can't talk to solas whenever I want :(

the evanuris altars are boring. at least the fen'harel ones have some challenge to them, even if it's not a very difficult one

Davrin's talk about the Dalish is.. idk. mixed bag (update: I like his arc though, and Bellara provides another great perspective!)

the Crows are a good and benevolent organization now?? I thought Caterina abused Lucanis? I need to reread his story but it really felt like the writers didn't.

humorous dialogue options are rarely actually funny

dialogue trees don't flow very well, especially if you take one of "more information" options. they need better transitions

too much mythal 😤

**the ending left me with quite a few unanswered questions AND made my Lavellan look a whole-ass fool (I will be headcanoning otherwise, because I am a whole-ass fool)

[einsatzzz]

"even in teyvat, they fight…"

More commissioned arts from @azaracyy to celebrate the release and homecoming of our boi(tm) Oro//ron who is included in the limited banners of the Gensh//in update today 😆💜✨ Both Cyl and I successfully got him, so yippeee!!! My brain is currently trying to make the math.exe on how I want the layout for this to look like as an acrylic stand.

This one came up while Cyl and I were talking about how Oro//ron has the same JP VA as Hibari (CV: Kondo Takashi). Then it became about how he is an Electro character and that Kana's main (Rai//den Shog//un) is also an Electro character. And then Cyl told me about how she can imagine them both fighting to assert their Electro dominance in some Genshin/Streamer AU. Of course, my brain went 🤯🤯🤯😳😳🥴🥴✨ at the idea, so I quickly went to Vgen and sent her the comm request to draw it hahahahaha I sent the request so fast‼️ I forgor ‼️ that oro\ron's full design ‼️ hasn't been released yet back then‼️🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭 this is truly a "no thoughts, head empty, only hibakana" moment...💀💀💀

Also, the rest of Cyl's caption for this on VGen is so good! I love it so much! 😭💖✨ So I'm putting it here too! Artist spotlight from one of my fave artists ever 🫶🥰✨

rambling ahead because i have A LOT to say about this commission, you've been warned! 😅😂 i'm not gonna lie, this has been the most challenging skeb and chibi art i've ever done, mostly because oro\ron's design was not even released yet when ein's request came in, and the fact that oro\ron wears so much black confused me for a while lmao 🗿 oh you know, gen\shin character design and the intricate details. i'm very pleased with the result though, i think the patience really paid off ✨ featuring: - ein's oc kana as rai\den shogun, and - KHR's hibari as oro\ron oro\ron & hibari are matched because they share the same japanese VA (kondo takashi). funny that hibari and kana end up being related to electro characters so knowing ein's oc lore of hibakana they'd totally fight as usual to assert dominance 😭 even in the video game world of tey\vat a small interesting detail i noticed while coloring these two: rai\den shogun and oro\ron's outfit design both feature an "eye" shape. rai\den's should be obvious if you play genshin and uses her skills. oro\ron's "eye" design in his scarf and his overall color scheme reminds me of turkish evil eye for some reason either way, it's cool and this is one of the moments for a yumeship enjoyer, in which i go "this is fate, they are so meant to be!!" obviously, none of them will ever win in tey\vat. after all, gen\shin doesn't support pvp 😭 the context of this artwork is supposed to be when yuikanarumi are about to co-op, a 4th player joined in and surprise, it's hibari 🤣 cue hibari likely being the first to attack kana and the two end up running after another endlessly (i like to think they end up killing mobs too in the process rip). hibari wields two Rust bows as a joke to his canon weapons... his oro\ron uses physical dmg build 🧍‍♂️ (would be hilarious if this build is actually viable when oro\ron's playable) poor kurumi (hu t\ao) and yui (zho\ngli)... then again, they're probably already used to it... maybe they can trail after hibakana all around tey\vat to collect free materials from their fight... 😂

[marshallpupfan]

Marshall Merchandise Update!

Got some interesting new additions for my collection to show off today! Eventually, I need to show everything off again... as soon as I get things organized again. I still have items I bought from early last year that I still haven't found a spot for yet. I've been slacking! lol

First off, this lapel pin... being graciously held up by Wolf O'Donnell. There's probably a "can't let you do that" joke in here somewhere, but I can't think of any right off hand. 😅

This was actually sent to me by a friend, who recently paid a visit to Nickelodeon Universe (an indoor theme park). While she was there, she seen this and got it for me, hoping it was something I didn't have. Fortunately, it wasn't! A fine item for my collection, indeed! She'll likely see this post later, so if you're reading this, thank you again!

Actually, I believe she also went a year or two ago and managed to find the Meet & Greet Marshall wandering around. She even got a picture & video with him, too. I was quite envious! 😄

Next, this "magic towel" thing. It's also being held up by another wolf - this time, it's Wolf Link, from "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess". Can you tell I'm a bit of a Nintendo gamer? lol

Anyhoo, I was just doing some shopping with my mother in a dollar store when I happened to stumble upon this. It was only $1.25, so... why not get it? The artwork isn't the best, but hey, I still like it.

Next, one of those "Good 2 Grow" snack containers! Actually, funny story about this one. I was at a gas station, not expecting to see anything pertaining to PAW Patrol, when I seen one of these that someone left at the front near the cashier. However...

It was actually one of Zuma, which surprised me, since they usually pass him up to focus on the main four. I meant to post about it on Twitter/X, but like usual, I forgot. In any case, I decided to track one down, and I soon found one of Marshall at Walmart. It was the last one, too! Unless I'm mistaken, they also had one of Liberty, so I guess they went beyond just the six original pups this time. Nice!

As you might recall, we've actually seen products like this before, about a year or two ago. Back then, it was just the pups in their regular outfits. This time, they went with a superhero theme, no doubt due to The Mighty Movie. I'm not sure why they went with Super Paws and not the Mighty Movie outfits, but maybe these were easier to mold. Who knows, but hey, I quite like it when older outfits get brought back, instead of them getting forgotten in the sands of time.

I just wish we could see THIS outfit again someday. It had a brief reappearance in that "Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay" video game, but that's it so far. Sadly, at this point, I doubt we'll ever see it again.

Er... guess I got a little distracted here, sorry!

Last, and absolutely not least, is this brand new item! Something I knew about for many months and couldn't wait to get a hold of one for myself! It's "Storytime with Marshall" by Leap Frog!

(In hindsight, taking these pictures in front of my monitor may not have been the best idea. Hopefully they're not too hard to see. 😅)

This thing is legitimately super awesome! They really got his likeness down so well here! I mean, seriously, just look at it! It's so cute! It's easily one of the best pieces of merch I've got in my collection now!

According to the box, it can do quite a lot. It includes 40+ stories, which I assume are based on various episodes (I haven't listened to them yet, but I also assume they focus on different pups, going by the buttons on the front... yeah, it's a shame there's no Rocky or Zuma again, I know). It has a sleep timer, to help lull the little ones to sleep at night before shutting off and all that. Additionally, it teaches "core learning skills" or something, whatever that means. That's cool and all, but of course, for me, I just wanted it because I absolutely love how it looks. It'll look great on one of my shelves! lol

I'll admit, I'm glad this came out before the new animation style got applied. While I like Marshall's updated season 11 look so far (I might make a separate post about that later), his original design is still my #1 favorite. A part of me hopes to keep collecting more merchandise of THIS Marshall, but I know that, by next year, they'll probably retire this design and start using the new one, permanently. Guess I'll enjoy it while it lasts. 😅

And that's all for now! I currently have another item coming in the mail; Marshall's new Rescue Wheels big wheel vehicle + figurine. It's been delayed, but it's supposed to show up at some point next week. Hopefully, the remaining Rescue Wheels merchandise will show up in stores soon enough, and I'll be able to show them all off soon. I might also have to buy a Boomer figurine, too. lol

[the-bjd-community-confess]

Mod: I'll post Anon's more recent update first, and the older confession under the break 💖 I'm glad you're feeling better now Anon!

Hey mod, if you see this, I’m the anon who confessed about my cats catching a fatal disease and it making me want to basically give up on everything like my work and my dolls.

I’m okay now and I’ve made peace with it and whatever happens I’m just gonna give my cats the best life I can in the time they’ve got. It doesn’t hurt to look at my dolls anymore, in fact, I’m anxiously anticipating the clothes I ordered them for fall/winter. I love my cats, but this was out of my control and it doesn’t have to ruin my life. Sending in that confession really helped me come to terms with the situation and get my joy back. I’m happy to say my cats are happy and my new boy likes to steal my doll wigs (which I’m not so happy about xp)

Anyway, you don’t have to post that confession, but I don’t mind if you do. If you do though, would you attach this or some kind of note letting people know I’m okay? Life happens and my refuge has always been dolls, I was just worried that I had lost that too in my sadness, but they’re still there for me after all.

Thanks for listening, and I hope you’re well!

~Anonymous

Previous confession below:

CW: pet death, pet illness, depression, rant

One of my cats died, so I got another cat so my older cat wouldn’t be lonely, but now we’ve found out that my new cat might have a deadly disease and he may have already given it to my older cat, now we have to wait 3 months to find out if either one is infected or not with no real way to prevent my older cat from being infected in the meantime if she hasn’t been already.

Before we found out I got paid for the first time in a while and bought a bunch of new doll stuff because I wanted to get my dolls fall/winter outfits as the season is changing. Slowly, the items arrive and I dress my dolls, put new eyes in because I finally bought the new eyes I wanted, but I’m just so empty.

I’m supposed to be working too, but I have no energy for that either, nor any of my non doll hobbies.

I know that even if my cats are infected they have a good chance of living another 3-5 years (according to the vet and Google) but the dread is eating me alive. Every night I have to take pills to sleep and I stare at my dolls which sit around my bed on tables and they seem so empty now. My heart hurts so much that I don’t see the light in my doll’s eyes anymore.

It’s all my fault. I wanted a new cat to help my heart heal from losing my sweet darling girl, and I may have doomed the cat I had left, not to mention I might lose the sweet baby boy I’m already so in love with.

Doll stuff came in the day we got the news and I tried so hard to enjoy it. My doll is beautiful and maybe my favorite of all of my dolls, but there’s just no joy left. I wake up every day feeling like things might be okay and I go to bed every night looking into their empty eyes and wish I could just not wake up.

Why can’t I wake up tomorrow and it be December so I can be free of this not knowing and get back to things I love again. If my cats will have shorter lives I’ll be devastated, but it’s out of my hands and I can move on and love them and get my dolls and my life back and enjoy my life again, but not knowing makes me ill and all the things that once glittered and gleamed and filled my heart with joy just seem so fucking pointless.

As if the world wasn’t already crashing down around me, why this? Why now? Why can’t I just keep moving and enjoying my work and my hobbies? I’m so fucking exhausted.

I’m sorry if this isn’t doll related enough. I just need to say this somewhere even if it’s just a void. Maybe someone here can understand the emptiness of not being able to love the one (hobby) thing you love above almost anything else (dolls, my special interest) because life starts falling apart. I think if I said this to anyone else they’d think it’s stupid to care about pieces of expensive plastic when something bad is happening to a living creature, but dolls always spark joy in me even when bad things happen, but this is just so fucked and I’m so ill that they don’t even do that anymore. I want to feel normal again. I can’t change what’s already happened, but I can’t let it go and I hate going up to my room at night and looking at my dolls because it feels like they’re judging me. I feel like a monster. I just want to feel joy and peace again.

~Anonymous

[woodsfae]

B5 s04e04 Falling Towards Apotheosis previous episode - table of contents 

I had to look up what Apotheosis meant, having only been able to draw up the vague idea of one of itstwo definitions: the highest point smething can reach. And the other, glorifying something, or someone, to the point of godhood. 

Hm, god Sheridan or god Valen?? Surely Valen became a sort of demi-god to the Minbari. Probably Sheridan? But it would be cool to see Sinclair one more time. 

Ivanova updates us on the situation via an emergency broadcast to B5. That's clever, I like that as a method of exposition/don't forget where the plot is. 

Wow, Sheridan parting the stampeding masses just by walking through. Also lol at the 90s fear of trampling. Looks like some early stage apotheosis alright. 

the credits: "The year is 2261 [...]" Partner: "If this doesn't actually happen in 2261 I'm going to be so pissed." 

Personally, I would not.

Garibaldi is suspicious of and investigating a god. Lorien is pretty strange and a very random, new element without much explanation. 

And he's having a weird time. As he says, the captain disappeared for even longer, and just says he's back from the dead and everyone's fine with him running things. But Garibaldi comes back and gets closely monitored and not allowed to return to work without multiple medical examinations despite being seemingly fine.

Well. He's wrong because he is compromised, but yeah, they also have no way of knowing that the captain isn't. More of that being venerated by the people, clearly. 

Sheridan better not get a swelled head over it, is all I'm saying. If he doesn't take his ascension with an aw shucks then is he really a wholesome side of corn-fed Iowa beef? 

Morden's still fucked up. And he's dictating defense policy on Centauri, while Cartagia blithely agrees. 

Cartagia has another secret room which I assume witll be as fucked up as his secret torture-murder chamber.  

Aaaand it is. He has a secret council where he sits in a room with the corpses of deceased members of court. Lovely. A very sane sort of thing to do, to keep oneself grounded. 

A very sane plan, Cartagia. I commend you on the whole "become a god by being the person who caused the end of Centauri while dying too" is a normal thing to want and possible to achieve.  Very unfortunately possible to achieve. And lowkey destined. 

Living the trainwreck he willfully set into motion would be satisfying if it wasn't so horrible and tragic and wide-reaching in scope and loss of life. 

Garibaldi is most likely clean of Vorlon technology impanted in him. But sadly he cannot, or does not, test if he has a secret personality implanted in him by psicorps. 

The Vorlons are going fucking murder-serious, wiping out planets, colonies, and ships. 

I suddenly wish I paid more attention to the types of clothes and colors of clothes that Delenn wears. Her red and blue outfit is vivid, and I feel like I recognize it, and she's worn it before. 

Cute Delenn and John. The sweeping romance feels well earned, and solidly set up, and the actors have really good chemistry. 

Ah! They finally mentions not-Kosh. He's still here. Sheridan wants him gone. 

Lyta! And she's here to help carry out Sheridan's plan to kill not-Kosh! Presumably while Garibaldi is off trying to kick him out without knowing about his plan as not to betray it telepathically. 

Another planet down. With all this destruction the Shadows have certainly won ideologically already. 

Y'know, I don't remember Sheridan saying "force him to leave," but Garibaldi apparently heard "fire guns at him a lot till he kicks your asses." Like, I didn't get the sense that was Sheridan's order. Luckily, no-Kosh didn't kill any of them. 

Sheridan shares information about when the Vorlons might arrive at Centauri Prime freely when Londo asks. 

Operation: Kill A God is underway. Lyta lures him out, with the fragment of Kosh that is/was in Sheridan. I don't know if the fragment of Kosh passed on when Sheridan died or not. 

not-Kosh walks into a trap of an electrical field and a couple dozen soldiers firing plasma guns. 

Although they succeed in discorporating the Vorlon, it still isn't down! 

Ah, it seems that the Kosh fragment survived! It, and a bit of Lorien, join the discorporated Vorlon, and reverberate outwards like ripples on water till they joined the Vorlon ship and exploded. Wow, Kosh literally turning on the Vorlons that are massacring in his name. At least we know Kosh didn't approve of it! Not all Vorlons :P

Londo's assassination plan is to lure Cartagia out to Narn, to have a trial for and "execute" G'Kar on his homeworld. 

John Sheridan is going to die young becase he died already, and Lorien could only give him so much biochemical energy, Yeah, younger death, but like the mildest of death sentences. That would be pretty rough as a member of a long-lived species! Counting on sixty years or more with John and already knowing you'll outlive him by a lot would make the loss of that sixty years pretty heartbreaking. 

Awwww they're being cute again. Sheridan and Delenn are engaged. I wonder what the Minbari custom is - or was that the three nights of sleeping that was interupted by puppet!Anna?

Cartagia is having G'Kar's eye "plucked out" fuck man. That's so augh. C'mon. If he must lose an eye have it be in a fight, it's just overwhelmingly negative. No one else is getting this. 

Also a bummer point to have the episode end on! It does build a sort of dread fascination though. What horrible thing is going to happen to G'Kar next episode. 

onwards!

[eponadolls]

Lost in Shipping?

Be warned, a bit of a rant ahead...

About a month ago, I found a seller selling the War Story Captain Elsa head separately, and I pounced on it. I like some pieces from the fullset outfit, but buying just the head would have saved me a good bit of coin, which is appreciated since she would have been customized into one of my 1/6 action figure elf crew. Unfortunately, it's been in a... shipping limbo. It hasn't been lost as much as "effectively, probably, lost."

It went through customs and Chicago just fine, and then took a detour to Pontiac, Michigan and... went radio silent. For a long time. Can't have nothing in Detroit, I guess. I put in a missing parcel request and just... waited. Eventually I got a very unpleasant update:

"The package associated with this tracking number did not have proper postage applied and will not be delivered. You are encouraged to contact the sender/merchant to seek reshipment, refund or other available recourse."

This is... the first time I ever got that notification. I contacted my post office and they said they would let Pontiac know that, if necessary, I would be willing to pay the overdue postage at delivery at the post office, but they couldn't guarantee anything, especially if it ends up being used in a case against the shipper (in case said person was known for not paying correct postage). I quickly followed up with the seller and I was told the following:

"hello, friend, just talked with the aliexpress carrier Cainiao, they reply as following : Due to USPS system issues, the deduction was not successful. USPS is arranging for transfer and delivery. Please inform the consumer that there is no need to pay postage and wait patiently for the package to be delivered [...] and, friend, if till Oct 21th,you still haven't received the package, you can open up an haven't received case for it"

...Unfortunately, there was been NO movement on the package, so I don't think the package will show up. I guess tomorrow I can file for my refund but it really, really sucks that this head will (probably) never be arriving. There was only one other seller I found find selling her head and it's out of stock now too, well before I noticed the delivery issues, so it looks like I'm kind of shit out of luck and I'll have to probably buy the full figure anyways if I really want this sculpt. She's widely avaliable at least but this is a real kick in the teeth, I would have much rather paid $50 for a sculpt rather than $200 for the whole figure with an outfit that only a few select pieces would I utilize well. If she had the BBK Pirate outfit, I wouldn't complain since honestly, I could use a lot of those pieces really well... I should be getting my refund without any problems, and the seller has been nice so far with this issue, but this has been really disappointing.

[siriannatan]

Overheat - ScWhip

Man, I didn't write anything for a while, all the games I play kept on dropping updates on me lately, and my inspiration's been at all-time low :{

Here's to hoping it gets better :}

fWhip was fully aware he'd be quite a sight if anyone spotted him. A well-liked if a bit abrasive hero barely stumbling through the back streets. His face flushed so much it was easily visible from under his mask. Lips curled in an annoyed sneer. At least the place he was going to was both close and didn't have overly tight security making it easier to sneak in. He didn't need his acquaintances being bothered by the media.

Another lucky thing. No one got on the lift as he made his way to the top floor and then stumbled his way to a very specific door. And knocked. Leaning against the wall was all he could do while waiting.

Not that he waited long. "Must you come here in your hero outfit?" Scott sighed and practically dragged fWhip inside. Scott being still in his 'work clothes' was making fWhip's brain short circuit slightly. Teal and black looked too good together.

"I can go home if you're busy," fWhip offered in case Scott was leaving for work. Even if that work would get the whole city in uproar about a brutal murder.

"Shouldn't you be telling me to change my career instead?" Scott chuckled, practically carrying fWhip to his couch. 

"As long as you don't freeze anyone you're police's issue," fWhip shrugged, not like he was all that passionate about being a hero. It was just a job for him. He was no Gem to put actual passion into it. So he could not care less what Scott did as long as the mercenary was willing to help with his overheating issues.

"You're weird for a hero," Scott chuckled sitting down as fWhip freed himself of his mask and cape.

"For me, it's just a job, why put in more energy than I'm being paid to put in?" fWhip sighed. "I can go and stick myself in a fridge if I'm interrupting something," he added, just in case. Scott letting him in could mean he was not interrupting but it was more polite to ask. He might have just wanted to not have a chance of his neighbours seeing a literal hero on his doorstep.

"I was just catching up on emails, I'm barely back from one contract and I'm already getting requests," Scott complained, tablet in hand clearly ready to carry on.

fWhip had the urge to lay his head in Scott's lap but that seemed a bit forward. They were just accidental friends after all. Even if Scott was unfairly pretty with his soft floofy cyan hair and pretty dark blue eyes. Practically skin-tight black, likely bulletproof shirt he had on was just making it worse. 

He just had to try to not think about it. fWhip decided. Have a nice nap in Scott's pleasantly chilly company - literally chilly. And sneak back home. Hoping Gem doesn't ask where he goes to cool down after overusing his powers. Easy. 

Scott's hand, as if he could read fWhip's mind suddenly guided his head to the other's lap. "Just sleep," the mercenary said. "It'd be troublesome if you fall off the couch," he explained but fWhip could swear he saw a slight blush. He was smart so he didn't mention it. Just enjoyed this rare chance. "I'll wake you up when you've cooled down."

Scott's hand tangling itself into his hair as he was about to fall asleep was a nice bonus as well.

[buggybuggs]

Fresh New Commission Sheet!

As I've been drawing more, I've decided to make some updates to what I offer commission wise!

i use PayPal and Ko-Fi for payment :) all prices are in USD!

Click below for more information!

Hey! Glad you clicked!!

The main difference between this comm sheet and my previous one is updating the prices, simplifying my finishing process, and to showcase more of what I can do with my art!!

Got the norm base prices - 20$ headshot, 25$ halfbody, 30$fullbody

Finishing is my term for shading, as I have two shading methods, and a wiggly-line style of art!

Examples below of Style 1 (smooth) 2 (pixel) and 3 (wiggle)

And I do offer discounts for symmetrical works! I didn't write it on my sheet but its usually 5 bucks, whatever makes the number look good.

Now for the 4 featured things -

Yes, I do have an 18 + account, i'm not linking it here but it shouldn't be too hard to search for my 2nd account on this blog

I'm also happy doing taur designs! I can even make them of usual non-taur creatures!

Nonfurry designs are cool too as you can see by my monster girls, here's a human though for good measure (her name is Sam)

And animations!!! I can do smooth Live2d Animations and also frame by frame animations!! Double the price of the usual commission for what it'll cost, so 40 for headshots, 50 for halfbodies, and 60 for full!

And not listed on the sheet.. Ref Sheets!

The base is 50 bucks for the fullbody and your choice of focus shots, and for 5 dollars each you can get a symmetrical outfit doodle added in!

Other than all that, if you see anything I post and want something like that with your characters, feel free to send it over to me!! Whether its a big OC lineup or some specific pose i did before, just let me know!

That's about it though! Here's my TOS below, and feel free to DM me if you have any questions!

I usually give updates for 1-2 sketch phases, a color phase, and then the finished piece. Once I send you one update, I'll wait for your approval before moving onto the next phase. During these updates, any requested changes should coincide with the stage of the artwork (Posing during sketching, color changes during colors, etc.). Please don't have any fear however if you do need to make a last minute change, just keep it reasonable please. I usually add filters onto my art, I'll be more than happy to send unfiltered alternate versions upon request. Feel free to also personally request different filtered looks (Making the piece pastel, adding a static filter, giving the piece a pride flag overlay, etc.) I'm always happy to experiment. When commissioning an animation, please let me know whether you'd like a smoothly made animation using Live2D or a frame-swap animation. Feel free to ask for examples, but just note that these you'll need to pick one or the other Feel free to message me here or on Discord (Mel#4367) for any questions, or if there's something you'd like that isn't listed here [By commissioning me, you agree that your commissioned piece will not be used for AI art, any cryptocurrency related means, or reused/resold for more than you paid.]

[fyeahdprian]

MANiCURE VLOG • Getting my nails done with Christian Yu (aka: DPR IAN)

joanday Uploaded: Oct 26, 2020 UNISTELLA NAILS

In today's #JOANDAY episode, we go back to Unistella! This time, we have a special guest from ‪@DreamPerfectRegime‬, Christian Yu aka dpr ian. For his music video, "So Beautiful", I suggested getting his nails done. What do you think?

Make sure to check out his song, "So Beautiful":    • DPR IAN - So Beautiful (OFFICIAL M/V)  

Follow #dprian on instagram for updates:   / dprian  

And shoutouts to the #UNISTELLA nail queen, Eunkyung unnie for her creative designs & dealing with our madness:   / nail_unistella  

I'm planning on continuing this series. Who would you like to see next? Please be realistic... Haha!

⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤

💎 JEWELRY INFORMATION:

Kira & Misha "Sasha" Earrings & Cuff:   / kiraandmisha  

Cartier Love Ring: https://bit.ly/2zu9HC9

Chrome Hearts Rings: http://bit.ly/2UGtg2D

Gucci Silver GG Flower Ring: https://bit.ly/3iqT4JD

💇 Hair Color by LUMIO:    • FALL OUTFITS OF THE WEEK • What I Wor...  

⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Video Edits by Joan Kim @joanday   / joanday  

Music by

Epidemic Sound | "Thanksgiving Dinner" by DJ DENZ The Rooster

ninjoi. - Beautiful Love: https://thmatc.co/?l=F107BED4

frumhere - back in my feelings.: https://thmatc.co/?l=B6257470

Epidemic Sound | "Good Luck with Your Dreams" by DJ DENZ The Rooster

Epidemic Sound | "A simple Kiss" by Justnormal

Epidemic Sound | "Something More Than Friends (Instrumental)" by Ooyy

frumhere - same time next year.: https://thmatc.co/?l=8E9ECC48

Epidemic Sound | "Froot Loops" by Jobii

DPR IAN - So Beautiful:    • DPR IAN - So Beautiful (OFFICIAL M/V)  

Camera & Equipment

Canon Vixia mini X: https://bit.ly/3erKQz9

Canon G7X Mark iii: https://amzn.to/2YECAr6

Saramonic SR-XM1 Microphone: https://amzn.to/3bbvxcC

FTC: I am NOT getting paid to make this video. Some of the links above are affiliate links which means I can earn some commission. You don't have to use my link, but if you do, it would really help my channel!

[ellaofoakhill]

BIG LIFE UPDATE!!!

Hello all and sundry! I am happy to announce that, in a few short weeks, I will be leaving my job as a massage therapist, and pursuing a career as a full-time writer and digital artist.

If you've seen and liked my work up on here and my instagram, I have good news: you're going to be seeing a lot more of it! Part of that is because, once I'm doing this full-time, I'll have a lot more time for my own work, but also because, at least for the foreseeable future, I will be taking art commissions, starting now!

I'm in the process of starting up a Patreon, as well as my own independent website where you can look over all of my collected work, but for now this is the main way to help me out, so if you like what I do, and want to support me, this is a great way for you to do that.

My Terms of Service regarding said commissions are below the cut, for anyone who's interested. Please read them before commissioning.

But first, in case anyone wanted to see close-ups of these. Here's one of my oc's, Lanthialdn of Leaning Boughs; you won't meet her (and sometimes him) for a while.

Has anyone else ever wondered what would happen if a dragon and a fasolasuchus got into a scrap? Just me?

A wyvern. That isn't fur or feathers, in case anyone was curious; just scales like a pangolin.

And this guy (girl?) is a bit of fanart, a Behemotherium maxwelli from Biblaridion's Alien Biospheres speculative biology series on youtube. I forgot to include the calculation for something similar on the page above, so I'll throw it in here:

Full Body + Flats + Shading + 2h BG fee = $45 + $12 + $12 + $46 = $115

Anyway, here's the ToS!

Terms of Service

Service Description.

Will Draw: characters, creatures, and light nsfw (i.e. revealing outfits [no nips, no clits, no butts, no nuts], suggestive poses, PDA)

WON'T Draw: porn, graphic violence/gore, hatemongery (racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobic, etc.)

---

Characters: Bust $23USD; Waist $34USD; Full Body $45USD

Creatures: Head & Neck $23USD; 'Waist' $34USD; Full Body $45USD

Flat Colours: +$12USD

Shading: +$12USD

Extra Character/Creature: Double above $$$ amounts (each character/creature beyond 2 will be an additional $30USD)

Background: A blank background/simple pattern is free. Complex backgrounds are $23USD per hour of work I spend on them.

Complexity Fees: If you ask me to draw something extremely complicated/time-consuming (an intricate pattern on an outfit, for instance), I will apply a complexity fee of $23USD per hour spent drawing said thing. Again, I will notify you as soon as I think something you commission me for will entail a complexity fee.

Anatomical Drawings: $91USD. Think like a 19th-century naturalist's journal sketches of creatures new to Western science. I will draw a full-body illustration of your creature, along with any 3 of the following: 1 superficial anatomy highlight (your cave monster has some glow-in-the-dark antennae? I draw them specifically [and, as an option, include a short blurb, which you write, talking about them]), skeletal elements (hollow bones? unusual jaws? I draw [you blurb]), muscular elements (powerful digger? unusual tongue?), visceral elements (gas bladder? metal-digesting GI tract?). Anatomical highlights beyond 3 will entail a complexity fee.

-I reserve the right to refuse commission requests for any reason.

-Reference pictures are extremely helpful. Please include some with your commission request. The more specific your commission, the more helpful the pics are. -Each commission includes two revisionary periods: one after the sketch phase, and one when the commission is complete. -major changes can be made during the first period, only minor changes after the second. -3 edits maximum per period (ex. you can ask for 2 posing changes and 1 perspective change) -I will not make the above changes after these periods have passed. -I will send your commission to you upon completion, assuming said commission has been paid for in full, according to our most recent agreement regarding same, in a file form of your choosing (.png, .jpeg, etc.).

Payment.

-all monetary quantities above are in USD. -Payment is through Paypal only. No chargebacks. -Payment is to be made upfront before I will start working on your commission. -If a commission is anticipated to be greater than 200USD, you can make one payment of 100USD upfront, and pay the rest upon completion. If a commission is anticipated to be greater than 500USD, you can make one payment of 200USD upfront, a second upon the beginning of the first revisionary period, and the remainder upon completion of the piece.

-I reserve the right to apply complexity fees if I deem them appropriate. I will notify you if I make this decision, I will stop work on your commission until you reply to said notification, and I will provide you with an invoice detailing the time spent on your project.

Communication Termination. -If I contact you at any point in this process, and receive no reply within 14 days, your commission spot will be forfeit, i.e. I will move on to other work. -I will contact you when this happens. -If I receive no reply after an additional 14 days, any funds you have paid will be considered forfeit.

Illustration Rights. -I retain the rights to use your commission for personal promotion, and as a commission example. -I retain the original .csp image. -Neither you nor I can use your commission to sell merchandise. -You cannot use your commission for purposes including but not limited to: AI training, reselling, relicensing, or NFT usage.

-You may not alter or repurpose your commission without my consent.

[safetycar-restart]

okay the new charles magazine photoshoot has me thinking soft thoughts

charles facetiming you whenever they put in him a new outfit just to show it off and make sure you like it (because of COURSE he needs your approval and compliments)

and then you’re the first to see the new pictures, and get to praise him so much for looking so pretty in them and being so cute

( and also maybe fucking him but that’s less of a soft thought lmaooo )

- 🌱

Oh my god I LOVE this!! It's so soft, and I'm really in the mood for soft Charles so this is perfect.

So firstly, I think that Charles is pretty much always messaging you and sending you pictures? Even of the most pointless shit. Like he saw a pigeon and decided you must be informed about it.

He dont really care if you respond to every message or not, he honestly just loves sending you updates and selfies and random pictures he took. Often you'll open your phone ten unread messages and all of them are Charles just telling you random shit, like how the Ferrari intern brought him a coffee, and how he signed someone's back, and a screenshot of a pair of shoes he ordered. Literally just whatever is happening in the day.

Having said that, he often fails to tell you the important things. Like his schedule changed and he's flying home early, which he doesnt tell you. Instead he sends you a picture of the muffin he bought at the airport.

And so of course you're gonna get pictures of all the outfits! At first the people at the photoshoot freaked out, because the outfits aren't supposed to be seen until the photos release. But the Ferrari media person with him calms them all down, telling them that Charles is sending them to you and that you would never do leak them. (The Ferrari media person has given up on trying to police what info Charles can and can't share with you and has just accepted that you will forever know Ferrari's secrets).

You answer his first picture immediately, telling him that he looks so pretty!! When you answer so quickly, he asks what you're doing and when you say that you're just relaxing at home, he immediately starts FaceTiming you.

Because if you're at home, then you can FaceTime him!!!

He's so smiley when you answer, showing you his outfit in greater detail and questioning you about how your day has been, because he's a good boy!!

He facetimes you throughout the shoot, once or twice just handing his phone off to the media person and running to the set because he's late (you tell the media person they aren't being paid enough, and they fully agree with you).

And of course you get to see the final product first!!

It should be noted that if you said you didnt like them, which you would never do, he would refuse to let them be published. He wouldn't want any pictures out there that you dont like.

But of course you'll always praise him, giving him loads of kisses and cuddles for posing so nicely.

[needfantasticstories]

I updated the very first fanfic I ever wrote, the one that started with Swimming Lessons. It's still called TBD on AO3 because I'm still not sure where it's going other than whump and BAMF BotW Zelda.

But it WILL cameo flower lady Magda vs two Yiga... mostly offscreen, but I love her. I look forward to that.

Chapter 2 is mostly fluff, so here you are:

TBD (11662 words) by SkipBreaker Chapters: 8/? Fandom: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Impa & Zelda (Legend of Zelda) Characters: Link (Legend of Zelda), Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Impa (Legend of Zelda), Riju (Legend of Zelda) Additional Tags: Whump, Competent Yiga Clan (Legend of Zelda), Gerudo Desert (Legend of Zelda), Gerudo Outfit, Angst and Romance, Sheik is Zelda Summary: Who is Zelda, without a Kingdom or Calamity? Who is Link without the Champions and a clear mission?

Chapter 2: Sunset at Lurelin (fluff) Sunset painted the Lurelian sea and sky in brilliant pink and orange strokes. They faded slowly to deep purple and gray shadows. In some parts of Hyrule, sunsets looked too much like an ugly bruise turning yellow and purple, or a fresh wound, full of red. But here, the colors radiated across the sea and sky, and every cloud seemed alive.

“I love twilight,” Zelda sighed, “And I like it here most of all. I can see why you came here so often,” Zelda said, “to find peace. I stood with you, though you could not see me, to say goodbye to them. And yet,” she shook her head slight, “yet it is completely different with mortal eyes. Mortal…thoughts.”

He blushed. He hadn’t known she’d see quite so many of his adventures. What had she not seen?

“This was as far as I’d ever reached, and only near the end. It sort of… helped me to wake up, after so long. It’s strange to know a person so well and yet never speak until so recently. Of all the things I missed, my voice was quite high on that list,” she smiled. They both knew how she loved to fill any silence with her thoughts.

He didn’t want her to feel nervous about doing all the talking yet again.

“I did hear you, sometimes,” Link answered. It felt good to talk about it with someone who understood all that he’d seen. He didn’t have to take hours explaining things to her as he would have for so many others. Sidon, Teba, Yunobo, they understood some, but the whole… she knew the most: their regret, their loss, their hope, their journey. It was a secret language. One side-eye and one word from her could make him spit his food out, laughing. And vice versa.

“Really? Besides when you first woke up? That was quite difficult. By the end I was regaining my body. It was much easier by then.”

“Every Blood Moon, I heard you,” Link said, and he watched her blush, and he felt a little bolder, “Goddess knew how I needed to hear something friendly those nights. Everything I did to help save people…all of it coming undone over and over, knowing people would get hurt, slowing down all our work.”

She put her arm around him.

He stiffened at first, but her hug was so compassionate, so friendly, he slowly relaxed into it.

They watched the sun disappear. They trekked back down to the Inn and Zelda moved their beds closer so they could reach across the gap between them. It was simply part of their routine now to stay within arm’s reach. Link paid several of the villagers to keep watch through the night outside while Zelda wrote in her diary. Link added a few notes to his own records with a smile, and Zelda nodded approvingly as he finished and closed the book.

“Did you include the part where the children tried to eat me?” She asked as he brought the candle closer to her.

“No, but I’m sure the Royal Record has a full account as of tonight. May it never be forgotten,” He chuckled.

“We shall commission a tapestry,” she said, her laughter softening. She closed her diary, blew out the candle, and settled into her blankets,

“And thank you, Link, for encouraging me to agree. I don’t know why the sea makes me so uneasy. I think… I think it might be because…whenever Father told me about the sea, he described it in such a terrifying way. It sounded like a nightmare. Only knowing you’d be here made it feel somewhat safe to come. And then seeing children playing so freely in the water…I’m learning that so much of his description was grossly exaggerated. He made it sound like a place of death, where waves could grab you and hold you down, sharks waited from the shore to eat you, and even the sand would swallow you whole. I wonder if he just never wanted me to ask him to bring me here. Just another distraction.

Silence caught and held the sadness in her voice.

“I guess he truly wanted nothing to impede my duty saving Hyrule,” she sighed after some silence.

Link reached a hand over to her bed, and she took it.

“That’s true,” he agreed, “And you did. And next it’s your turn to decide where we make up for those lost years; after one more day of putting up with sand in Gerudo, that is.”

“Uhg! I still feel like a blade is going to find me every time I touch sand. I was so foolish for trying to run away from you,” He rubbed her fingers with his thumb, and she sighed. He sat up a little, remembering something new. He whispered, “None of us knew you were being hunted. You can’t blame yourself for what you don’t know. None of the reports I read indicated their resurgence. I remember…feeling…surprised.”

The ocean’s soft shushing drew them away from dark memories and into peaceful thoughts.

“Time to make new memories,” Link mumbled as he drifted into dreams.

She pondered his words in silence, and soon they both fell asleep.