#WHEW I'm done
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am-iaou · 5 months ago
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care for a Toulousian Miku ? 🌸
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wolfpup026 · 2 months ago
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I don't remember if I asked this, but Trick or treat! 🎃💚🧡
Happy belated halloween! Here's my last Lokitty for now 💚
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dollya-robinprotector · 7 months ago
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Done with my first batch of color sketch commissions!! (CLOSED)
I'll sleep a bit before starting to do the second batch. Anyone who hasn't sent me the refs and notes for order, please do so before I wake up! (This is a threat)
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Target: 150/300$ (Yay! Halfway through! I hope this amount is enough!)
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bevioletskies · 2 years ago
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You know that...Tinn likes me, right? And I like him too. He’s nice, Mom. He’s been so supportive. When I was competing in Hot Wave, he helped. Whenever I feel bad and...down, he always makes me feel better. I just want you to know that I...I’m dating Tinn. Are you okay with that? Honestly, Mom. I have no problem at all with Heart being deaf. He understands everything just like everyone else. I just started [learning sign language]. I still make mistakes when I use it. We mostly talk through written messages. Nothing is too difficult, Mom. I love it when I’m with him.
GEMINI NORAWIT & FOURTH NATTAWAT in MY SCHOOL PRESIDENT (2022) and MOONLIGHT CHICKEN (2023)
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brooksdavis · 2 years ago
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I know what it looks like when you’re in love with someone.
BILLY DUNNE & DAISY JONES Daisy Jones & the Six | “Looks Like We Made It” 1.08 (2023)
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ai-the-broccoli · 24 days ago
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"but your life is mine."
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Luka redraw of that comic with younger Luka and Hyuna. this took me days to finish
(alternate version below the cut)
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beautifulterriblequeen · 5 months ago
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Horrible new theory about Runaan's shirt today.
-no, not the new one, the one he lost-
He's still got his green assassin shirt here on the balcony, and vest too:
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But by the time Gren is thrown into the dungeon a couple days later, it's missing.
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Runaan's also sporting bags under his eyes because he'd been kept awake all night, enjoying Viren's frustrations about losing Harrow and also getting denied the crown of Katolis.
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So. About that missing shirt.
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I can't think of too many things worse for a guy who wears four shirts at once than to have them all taken off while he's badly hurt and manacled to the wall, and then be tickled half to death all night long, on his birthday.
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therantingsage · 4 months ago
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Final batch of blogtember prompts! Once again, prompts provided by @jazzy-art-time / @mod-jazzy!! Thank you for giving me a buncha stuff to do this month!
Elaborations under the cut:
Day 21: I decided the funniest thing to do for this was to swap the shiny status of my Eevee twins. Cream and Cheese who did this to you! Uncanny!
Day 22: Ok genuinely one of the scenes I'm most interested in writing. These three characters are super old conceptually and near and dear to my heart. Once I get to doing stuff with them I'm going to be so!!! Excited!!!!
Day 23: I checked and it turns out I don't have like any nature photography on my phone? So I looked up cave pictures on google and picked one to put my rats in. Hello Remulus and Atticus nice to see you
Day 24: Hmm....important Apricorn. Wonder what that's about hmmmm
Day 25: This one!! Vexed me!! Because a lot of the ships in my blogs feel like plot spoilers to talk about? Or at least the ones I like the most. So I picked Anneva and Reginald! Because I've mentioned Anneva on inquiries and I've drawn them both on here in the past. They're a comfort duo.
Day 26: If Paleo and Tide have one fan its me bro!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Initially I tried to draw him awkwardly giving her flowers but I couldn't get the pose right so instead they're going on a park date! Hi again Jazzy I love your slug and so does Paleo!!!! Their dynamic is fun and cute and I like them!!!!!!
Day 28: I think I mentioned it once or twice? These four on fugamsemidei are based on slugcats in Rain World. In fact the first time I drew them at all was in a big batch of Poke-RW doodles. I just decided I liked them enough to make them characters on the blog. And they fit with the rest of the cast well enough so I don't have any shame lmao
Day 29: Anyone remember this gem??? I do. I rediscovered it recently and went "oh. Oh this is a Gravity song woaw"
Day 29 again: So uh I tried really hard to figure out something for day 27's prompt but I genuinely could not find anything within the time frame. So instead I just did day 29 twice. Neura with this song. Because a lot of people are really unhappy because of her actions. She's to blame for so much strife and grief. Deep down and also not that deep at all she's overcome with guilt but she's not gonna change anything rip.
Day 30: The first ever blog post I made was a poorly-drawn Aspen on phantumpdaily. But that's not particularly interesting to look at, and also I've drawn Aspen just floating there on many occasions so that post isn't super unique. So, instead, I drew the first post on the rebooted version of that blog: the intro to asklucyphantump. That was more directly an askblog than phantumpdaily anyway so this isn't cheese I swear skdfjashdf
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piratecaptainscaptainpirates · 11 months ago
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After living moment-to-moment in a state of high stress and fear for most of his life, suddenly adapting to a peaceful life isn't as easy as it seems. In this twist on the "inn is haunted!" theme, the inn is haunted...by Ed's remaining self-hatred, guilt, and the confusion of figuring out who he is outside of the expectations placed on him.
Been working on this for forever, and it's finally finished! This is an intentional twist on the "murder shack/Ed is going to hurt Stede" theme that has (unfortunately) cropped up after the finale, except it's a sympathetic Ed character study. About 6k and split into five chapters, rated M with light horror themes at first but plenty of healing in the last two chapters.
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skyward-floored · 1 year ago
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Whumptober Day 31: Emptiness, (“I thought that I was getting better”)
Last one finally! ...a day late, but hey, at least I’m close, right..? This may be a bit rambly and headcanony, but it’s something. It’s done. I finished it.
Thank you everyone for supporting me this year! I appreciate you all more then words can say <3
Read on ao3
Warnings: pretty light, discussion of death and grief, mild mention of blood.
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Rusl was familiar to Wind.
Well, okay not exactly, he wasn’t one of those people that popped up no matter what era they were in or anything (like Beedle, seriously what was up with that?), but he was familiar in a different way.
One that made Wind’s chest feel weird whenever he looked at him.
The sailor swallowed, and looked down at his full plate of food, the others chattering loudly around him.
They’d finally ended up at Twilight’s home village, and the rancher was ecstatic, showing the Links all around Ordon, and introducing them to his family. It was late in the day when they’d arrived, and after showing them all around, Rusl and Uli had invited them all for dinner, insisting despite the large number of them.
They’d all piled in their house, the space a bit tight with eight extra people, but they managed, and set out a big meal for everyone.
It was chaos, everyone talking, passing food, holding Twilight’s baby sister, but despite everything going on, Wind found his gaze drawn continually towards Rusl, and Twilight and Colin as well. They were all sitting next to each other, and kept smiling, and laughing, and despite the delicious-smelling food in front of him, Wind had lost his appetite.
Twilight said something Wind didn’t catch over the din, but Rusl laughed at whatever it was he’d said, squeezing Twilight’s shoulder with a fond look on his face.
Wind felt the weird pit in his stomach suddenly grow, and he quietly slid off his seat, slipping out the door without barely a sound. Nobody seemed to notice him leave, and he stepped out into the night, closing the door and blocking most of the noise from inside. Cool air met him, and he breathed in deeply, shaking himself as he lingered on the doorstep.
The image of Rusl and Twilight together flashed suddenly in his mind, and Wind crossed his arms, kicking at a pebble on the ground.
Why was he feeling so weird about this? Twilight was finally home and able to visit his family, Wind should be feeling happy for him, right? He got to be with his whole village, and his little brother, and baby sister, and his parents...
Something stung in his chest again, and Wind swallowed.
Was that really what it was?
This... that was stupid, he wasn’t jealous of Twilight’s family! He had Grandma and Aryll! That was more than most of the other heroes had at all, some of them didn’t have any family, so why—
Why did seeing Rusl ruffle Twilight and Colin’s hair make a pit open in his stomach?
Happy laughter came from inside, and Wind felt the pit get deeper, something cold rising in his chest.
He suddenly couldn’t stand the idea of going back inside. Wind turned from the house and stalked away through the village, the moon shining too calmly for his mood. He circled the village a few times, then eventually found a secluded spot behind a house by the stream, throwing off his shoes and dunking his feet in.
The water was a little cold, chilly from the coming autumn, but Wind didn’t care, swishing his feet around.
A distant trill of music floated on the wind, and Wind hunched over himself as the tune changed to a different one in his head. He remembered his parents dancing to songs like that, and eavesdropping from his bed at night so he could hear them sing.
There was less music after Aryll was born, but it could still be found, and Wind still remembered his father quietly singing up at the lookout tower, Aryll asleep in his arms as Wind tried to fill in the missing harmony.
And even after that, Wind and Aryll still sang, to the seagulls outside, and with their grandmother when they helped her make soup. Sometimes Wind still sang Aryll to sleep when he was home, and they’d curl up together and he’d hum lullabies he’d learned on his travels.
“...Wind?”
Wind startled, and turned to see that Sky had walked up behind him without him noticing.
“We were wondering where you’d slipped off to, Uli was about to serve dessert,” he said warmly. Then his smile dimmed a little as he looked at Wind’s face, and he hesitated. “...is everything okay?”
Wind swallowed, then turned back to the water, not sure what to say.
Was everything fine? He’d thought it was, but the empty hole in his stomach spoke otherwise. He should probably tell Sky to just go back and eat dessert with everyone else, but for some reason those words didn’t come out.
“...Do you remember your parents?” Wind asked shakily, and Sky let out a quiet oh, moving to sit down next to him.
He looked out at the water for a moment, then took off his boots as well, dipping his toes in next to Wind’s.
“I do somewhat,” Sky replied, his voice soft. “My father and mother were both knights, though my father took it much more seriously. He was always patrolling, and practiced with the sword whenever he could, he helped train people to use it actually. My mother was more laidback like me, and mostly preferred just flying with her loftwing though. Apparently she was the best rider Skyloft had seen in a long time, she saved a lot of people.”
His smile dipped, and he breathed out.
“They both died when I was about seven.”
“I’m sorry,” Wind said quietly, and Sky gave him a small smile.
“It’s okay, it was a long time ago. I still miss them of course, but... in more of a good way, if that makes any sense.”
Wind crinkled his eyebrows, but he didn’t really have time to think that through, since Sky then gave him a searching look. Wind squirmed a little under the scrutiny, and looked back out at the water.
“Do you remember yours?” Sky asked softly, and Wind swallowed.
“Kind of,” he whispered, his mind falling back to one of his earliest memories. “My... mom died when Aryll was born. I don’t remember a lot about her, but I remember that night. There... there was a lot of blood.”
He paused and glanced at Sky, seeing that the Skyloftian was watching him with a gently sympathetic look on his face.
“My dad didn’t die until Aryll was three,” Wind continued, clearing his throat. “I remember more about him, he... he loved the ocean. Loved the waves and wind, and sailing. He went out on his boat a lot, but he’d never be gone too long, and he’d always throw me up in the air and catch me when he got back,” he finished with a smile, old laughs ringing in his ears.
Then they faded, and he felt his smile slip away.
“Sailing is hazardous, though. A storm blew up after he left to trade at Windfall once, and... nobody’s seen him since.”
Sky set his hand on his shoulder, and Wind swallowed again.
“I’m sorry Wind,” Sky said gently, and Wind gave him a small shrug.
“At least I have some memories of them. Aryll doesn’t remember Mom at all, and she barely remembers Dad. A-and at least I know who they were, I mean Wild doesn’t know anything about his family, and Four barely remembers his mother, and I don’t even know if Legend ever had parents and—”
“Sailor,” Sky interrupted carefully, and Wind looked at him, his throat tight. “...Where’s all of this coming from?”
“I...”
Wind clenched his fists, feeling that huge empty feeling in his stomach again.
“How come Twilight has a whole family?!” he burst out, feeling his lip tremble. “He’s got two whole siblings and parents that love him and are still alive and he gets to be around them and love them and I’m happy for him, I am but how come he’s the only one of us? Why doesn’t Time get to have parents? Or Warriors? Why did b-both of our parents have to die, it’s not fair Sky!”
Sky pulled an arm around Wind’s shoulder, and to his horror he realized he was crying, tears dripping into the water they were still dipping their feet in.
“I-it’s not fair,” he choked out, and Sky didn’t reply, gently rubbing his shoulder.
Wind let out a thick sniffle, mopping his sleeve over his face, and Sky held him a little tighter, a sigh escaping his lips.
“...I wish I had a good answer for you Wind,” he said finally, voice quiet. “Other then me just agreeing with you that you’re right, life isn’t fair. I... I don’t know why most of us lost our families. Maybe it’s due to us being heroes, maybe it’s just a big coincidence, I truly don’t know.”
Something deeply grieved flickered over Sky’s face, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.
“...I know it hurts, Sailor. It’ll probably hurt the rest of our lives,” Sky said as he closed his eyes, the moonlight somehow softening his features. “And we can’t bring our parents back, no matter how badly we’d like to. But... for me at least... I’ve had so many people in my life who’ve filled that role in their absence.”
Wind looked at him again, and Sky gave him a small, grieved smile.
“Zelda’s father, all the teachers at the knight academy... everyone on Skyloft, really. They’ve cared for me like my parents did, and while they’ll never replace them, they’re also my family. It’s a lot like that for Twilight too.”
“What do you mean?” Wind asked, and Sky looked at the water again.
“I guess you hadn’t joined us yet when we had that conversation... Rusl and Uli adopted Twilight, they’re not his birth parents,” Sky explained, and Wind’s eyes widened. “All of Ordon helped raise him, like Skyloft did for me, but he says he just ended up here one day. He has no idea what happened to his birth parents.”
“...Really?” Wind asked, and Sky nodded.
“Really.”
The weird hole in Wind’s stomach shifted again, and he felt even more miserable, staring down at his feet. For some reason the information only made him feel worse, and he felt Sky’s arm give him a little squeeze.
“Wind... you lost your parents a lot more recently then I did,” Sky said after a moment’s silence, and ran a gentle hand through Wind’s hair. “It’s okay to miss them.”
Wind swallowed back the sudden lump in his throat.
“I... I guess I thought I’d gotten over it,” Wind said thickly, voice shaking. “And then I saw R-Rusl and I just...”
A loud hiccup escaped him, and Sky gave him a squeeze.
“Even with Grandma, and Aryll, and L-Linebeck and Tetra and everyone I just... I miss them,” he finished in an embarrassing squeak. “And Rusl j-just... he looks like my dad.”
Sky didn’t say anything, just let him cry into his shoulder, and Wind shut his eyes and leaned against him a little more.
He didn’t know how long Sky sat with him, holding him while he cried, but it was long enough that his feet had started to feel numb in the water they were dipped in.
Wind shivered a little as his tears had finally slowed, the pit in his stomach feeling a little less empty as he wiped his face again. Then he looked up at Sky, the Skyloftian’s eyes looking a little red themselves.
“Are you okay?” he asked, and Sky let out a wet chuckle, wiping his own eyes.
“Yeah. I’m alright. You ready to head back?” he asked gently, and Wind hesitated a moment, then nodded, pulling his feet out of the water.
“Yeah, I... I think I’m... okay,” he said, and was a little surprised to find that he meant it. “Thanks Sky. Sorry for all the...”
Sky gave his shoulder a squeeze before he could continue.
“No problem, Sailor,” he smiled. “A good cry never hurt anyone. Now... let’s go see if somehow the others didn’t devour all the pie.”
Wind grinned. “Well if they did, I bet we can guilt Wild into making us more. I could sniffle and everything.”
Sky laughed, and Wind joined him as the two headed back across the village, the moon gently lighting their path.
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mocc-tok-flip-flop · 1 year ago
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The submas brainworm is only getting stronger, so I have drafted a whole-ass comic for a new AU idea! One where Chandelure gets to take center stage and become the main character she was always meant to be~
The gist of the AU is that Chandelure has a ghostly soul-bond with Ingo, which essentially means that his soul is under her protection and he sorta registers as a ghost to other pokemon. Basically protects him from other ghosts trying to put their sticky paws on her trainer and also gives the two of them a bit of an empathetic connection. Not quite telepathy, but able to transmit complex feelings and lets them check how badly they're hurt.
Naturally, this means that when Giratina (who was honestly just trying to play around. They were given the tedious task of just opening rifts and looking through all those peep holes made them curious. So when they saw a soul that had a beautiful ghost bond, they became fascinated) snags Ingo and drags him through, Chandelure immediately feels when Giratina's power accidentally tries to overwhelm Ingo's soul and she absolutely loses her shit. Through psychically screaming and using her protective aura to try and bash Giratina, the distortion god acts like a dog that's done something they shouldn't and tries to hide the evidence of their messing around (Ingo getting fucked up via soul and getting not too gently dropped off a mountain).
I have more ideas, especially relating to how Emmet is taking his brother's ace losing her mind and how her actions affect the investigation, but if I keep going down these tracks I'm going to end up with another 90k WIP fic like i did with Naruto. (Though if people wanna see the AU written out...👀... I could absolutely be convinced. I'm very weak...)
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its-leethee · 1 year ago
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What kind of magic does the Jailer use, and what is her connection to the Key of Aaravos?
I have thought for a while that perhaps the Jailer is neither a primal nor a dark magic user, and that she utilized the Key of Aaravos to serve an important role in his imprisonment. Now, there isn't a lot of overt evidence for my hypothesis here; this is a ramble of pure speculation. I'm going to do my best to present the dialogue and canon-consistent logic to support my thoughts. Here goes:
The prevailing opinion in Xadia is that "human magic" is akin to trickery and sleight of hand. When confronted with Callum's claim of being a primal mage in 5x07, Nyx dismisses his boast reflexively: “I’ve seen ‘human magic.’ Fake ropes, false doors, birds and rabbits stuffed into clothing.” To her, it's common knowledge that humans can't use real primal magic, and her derisive attitude shows she doesn't have much respect for human magic either. As for dark magic, Nyx doesn't even mention it at all; as Lujanne said in 2x01, "we do not call that practice magic. It's an atrocity."
But human magic has one more specialty: creating and solving puzzles. The mechanical devices and riddles guarding the secrets in Kpp'ar's labyrinthine house and the rock-stone puzzle hiding the staircase to Viren's dungeon are story-significant examples of the types of innovations created by human magic. In 1x03, Ezran solves the rock-stone puzzle to reveal the staircase hiding Viren's dungeon. Callum answers the riddle posed by Rex Igneous in 4x08, "having knowledge isn't knowing knowledge…. He has a map!"
So neither a primal mage nor a dark mage would resort to puzzles and riddles, the gimmicks used by magic-less humans. So let's now consider the Jailer.
During the post-season four Discord Q&A, Aaron Ehasz states that the Jailer is a "mastermind of prisons and puzzles."
In episode 5x05, Archmage Akiyu tells the story of how she met the Jailer and introduces her as "a human mage." Akiyu goes on to explain:
"The archdragons had given the Jailer a daunting task, to design a magical prison that could hold a Startouch Elf. She needed my powers to craft the prison itself." (emphasis mine).
It stands to reason that a competent dark mage, with the notoreity to catch the attention of the archdragons, could bring that kind of power into her grasp on her own. So why would the Jailer seek out the powers of primal archmage, unless she couldn't wield that power herself? Furthermore, knowing the prejudice that the archdragons hold against dark magic--all of humanity was driven out of Xadia for refusing to forswear its use--I don't believe the archdragons would ever condone cooperating with a dark mage, even to quell an existential crisis like a demi-god bent on world destruction.
Akiyu tells us one more intriguing thing that the Jailer said:
"'The puzzle is the real prison,' she told me with a proud smile," (again, emphasis mine)
There's another word besides "magic" that we can use to describe the practice of creating and solving puzzles: cryptography; the art and science of creating and breaking codes and ciphers. The terms code and cipher are often used interchangeably, but their meanings are technically different. Basically, a code uses arbitrary substitutions while a cipher uses an algorithm.
Now, if you wish to solve a puzzle, you're going to need all the pieces - and if you wish to solve a cipher or code, you're going to need a key.
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More than one use has been hinted at for the Key of Aaravos. We've heard Rayla refer to it several times as a toy and a game piece (1x04, 2x07). In the book two novelization, Callum notices that the Key left marks on the ground that appeared to point toward Xadia (we get a glimpse of those lines in early episode 2x07). In 4x07, we get suspiciously up-close framing of the Key when Callum asks, "is there no primal gem for star magic?"
And a few months back, one of the TDP creators shared on Twitter about a season 6 scene that was eventually cut. In the scene, Callum holds the Key up to a symbol on a wall and says, "I'm gleaming the cube!" (if anyone remembers this twitter convo and can provide me a link to this, I would be so grateful)
This is the Key feature we're all most familiar with: its glow. When exposed to a source of magic, the corresponding primal magic symbol on the Key lights up. This is why I think one of the potential functions of the Key of Aaravos is as a cryptographic key. If it were held up to a magic-infused symbol, the glow effect would reveal the primal magic source - and in this way it could be used to decode a secret message.
In cryptography, a key is the series of words, symbols or phrases that contain all of the basic information you need to decode or understand a specific coded message. Both the sender and receiver of the coded message need to know the key in order to create the coded message or decode it into plaintext - to lock or unlock the meaning behind a cipher or code.
I can't speculate on the exact nature of the secrets that she encrypted with it, but the Key can literally shed light on the solution! It was a toy that was repurposed by a the Jailer, magicless human mage and mastermind of ciphers and codes, to protect the secrets of Aaravos and his prison.
Exactly what secrets it will be used to reveal remains part of the Mystery.
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if you're interested in learning more about cryptography, this page has links to a lot of my favorite resources
Recommended reading for more Key of Aaravos and the Jailer theories:
the post that initially enabled my crazy train of thoughts, thank you @beautifulterriblequeen
super rad analysis of the Jailer's unique character design by @kradogsrats, who also authored one of my favorite alternative hypothesis for the real function of the Key of Aaravos
an amazing thorough and detailed Key analysis, by @raayllum and another very interesting conversation about the Key here
Special thanks to @raayllum for answering my random Akiyu and Jailer questions, and to @self-spaghettification for giving me the push I needed to bring this essay together!
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nectardaddy · 5 months ago
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it's ok to be like "ugh why would they do that?" to a character in anything, trust and believe I do it too (TO MYSELF). but the point is to show human emotion, human actions (PEOPLE FUCK UP AND FUCK UP BAD). you only think "Ugh why" bc you're not in the moment. if that were you, what you truly do??? who knows!
but what I won't do is water down a character just for your enjoyment. I will not make a character more easily digestible just for you! roll with it or click off!
mirage is messy, we knew that from the beginning. humans are naturally going to mess up (especially when stressed)!!! and that's what I'm heavily leaning into, that's what makes it interesting. it shows that a lot of people, with the hate I've been receiving, put themselves on a very high pedestal where they think they never fuck up. please get off your high horse and realize "hey this is human. this is real" and fuck off <3
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iriysse · 3 months ago
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of Eol and Aredhel.
ooc:: before i start on this I want it understood that this note applies only to how I rp Aredhel with others and not with Eol rpers. Those are flexible and I'm prone to move more in the direction of my partners, or find a middle ground. This is simply my canon for Aredhel with the Eol, if you catch my drift. Additionally I am playing fast and loose with certain aspects of LaCE, as I think the whole 'Aredhel was not wholly unwilling' bit implies a lot more than LaCE allows. Thank you. Also, this is gonna be long. TW: domestic abuse, implied rape, implied child abuse, gaslighting, murder.
---When Aredhel left Gondolin, it was with the firm belief that she would return one day. It was a jaunt, a quick little trip which ended up being the most devastating decision of her life. Those who know the story know that she was denied entry at Doriath, lost her companions, and ended up upon the edge of Nan Elmoth lost and alone. Eol in his enchantments found her, and trapped her in a labyrinth of his design to lead her straight to him.
When she met Eol, she believed he was a benevolent elf, for though she was keenly familiar with the fact that darkness could overtake overtake elves, she still had an innocent view of most of her kin. Was he odd? Absolutely. Isolated, most certainly, and being who she is she believed perhaps he suffered from loneliness. She wanted to help him, to maybe teach him that the world beyond was not so bleak as he liked to spout in rhetoric. He spoke of her family negatively, and she--foolishly--tried to explain things from the other side instead of see it as a warning.
But he was supposed to only be a moment on the way, and so she went to leave. That of course was impossible, but he played innocent in saying that it must be by Eru's design that she somehow could not find her way out of the forest, and returned once more at his door. The first time she believed it too, the second time as well. The third, she knew something was wrong.
She was angry when she approached him, accusing him of somehow bewitching her horse. Vehemently he denied it, and somehow she found herself inside by the end of the night, unsure of just when she'd decided to cross his threshold again. The next morning, she tried to leave before he woke, but her horse was gone, and though she ventured into the darkness tracking his hoofprints in the dirt, the trail soon ran cold. Once more, she found herself at Eol's door.
She backed away, intent on finding her way out through the tricks of Orome that she had learned so long ago. Time was strange, paths shifted, the forest seemed both full and empty--oppressive and lifeless. She could not find much wildlife, or if she did somehow it always seemed to get away from her, and at the end of the night, her feet would always find its way to his door. He was waiting, and she tried to reason with him to let her go by whatever enchantments he had laid. At last he relented and confessed that he simply was not ready to let her go, he asked another week, then he would lead her out himself.
Against her better judgement, she agreed. Another week she reasoned, would not be long. She did not expect him to propose the following night, nor the night after when she had refused, nor after nor after. Every request felt more like a demand, and when the week was out she sat before his table and made a demand of her own: to lead her out as she was promised. Sighing, he asked she think it over one more night, and offered her a glass of wine in token of their short friendship. Not wanting to offend, and possibly risk the chance of him letting her out the next morning, she accepted it.
How was she to know that it was laced? That it was his design to take away what freedom she had in her refusal, and make her his wife anyway. Oh he apologized the next morning, as she sat across the table in traumatized shock, reliving what she could piece together from the night before. She was his now, bound to him, and when she discovered she was pregnant it seemed as though this horrible dream was hers forever. Eol saw it as a blessing from Eru, and he confused her when he showed kindness and seeming regret over how this all had gone. Somehow he had convinced her it was her fault that he had to lace her wine with a sedative, for she was willful, but she had opened her arms in the end had she not? She could not remember, and that alone sickened her.
When Lomion was born, things seemed better at first, though soon the change truly set in. She was not allowed to name him, nor sing any song of her childhood, nor speak to him in little whispers of her family or her home. When Lomion cried, Eol became irritated and Aredhel tried to shield him from his wrath. One day she returned from a moment of reprieve to find Lomion bawling in a basket outside, Eol in his forge with no warmth in him regarding it. When she, reasonably bothered, tried to find out why, she found herself with her back to the furnace in agonizing pain. It had been her fault, he said, if she had not been in the forge she would have been alright. She agreed to stay away from it then, and to be honest she was relieved. Eol's forge was dangerous in many ways, it disturbed her what he made as well.
Lomion was three when he asked her to recite some story of his uncles, and Eol overheard. She should have known better, she decided, for Lomion was too young to keep secrets. When Eol struck she felt it was her fault, for she had given the child something he could not keep, and so she stepped between them, the first time in what would become many.
Complacency set in, and through it some semblance of peace. If she didn't fight him, things did not hurt, and she could bear it better. Lomion would not have to see her in pain unable to stop it, and she could bear it in the bedroom away from his sight. When Eol finally named him Maeglin, Aredhel hoped that it was the beginning of something better. He took their son to Doriath and the dwarves, and she requested that she might accompany them, or if not that she might be allowed some hours to see beyond the treeline. Eol strongly denied both.
By the time that Maeglin was taught enough enchantment to get them out of there, and insisted upon taking her with him to Gondolin, Aredhel was greatly scarred. Her ears were mangled, many of parts of her burned from hot irons she'd failed to avoid, she no longer resembled the proud princess of the Noldor that she had once been. She was withered, diminished, flinching at sounds and quick movements. She hated it, some fire in her rekindled by Maeglin's own fire which wanted her to fight on, but it was small and she could barely keep it alight.
When she reached Gondolin, she fell into Turgons arms and wept.
Perhaps it was best then that she died protecting Maeglin, for in the halls of Mandos she was able to find some bit of real peace. Eol was dead as well, and she could escape him under the watchful eye of Mandos, who did not take kindly to her jailer. But it was not the end, and upon being reembodied, and her memories restored, she requested special dispensation from Manwe, and with Mandos' help it was granted.
With that, her marriage to Eol was finally annulled.
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rebouks · 2 years ago
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Transcript:
[Robin yawns, nestling himself under Oscar’s chin] Oscar: Sorry, buddy.. hopefully this won’t take long. [Oscar can’t help but tap his foot impatiently; a fruitless attempt to soothe both himself, and Robin]
Oscar: Your mom’s real brave for doing this, y’know? If there’s one thing she hates, it’s talking about the past-.. she buries far too much, even more than me; not that you can tell... I hope you never have to find out how unfair life can be sometimes.
Norma: Well, that’s quite a lot to take in… Varius, the casino; were you ever sent there? Courtney: No, I was kept quite confined… Norma: The women you were familiar with, did they mention working anywhere else?
Courtney: A few places, I can’t remember the names though. Apparently, the guy who owned the casino ran a bunch of strip clubs and smaller casinos by the beach. Genesis used to brag about it. Norma: Oh?
Courtney: I think she had a bit of a thing going with him, but I’m pretty sure she was an escort, so.. I dunno if that’s true. Norma: Did she mention his name? Courtney: Ash-.. no idea what it’s short for.
Joslyn: Can you remember Brynn’s last name? Courtney: I don’t think she told me. Norma: Did she ever mention where she found herself upon arriving in Del Sol?
Courtney: No, only that her employer died a short time afterward; that’s how she ended up at the motel n’ stuff. Norma: You said she was there voluntarily? Courtney: [pauses] Everyone seemed to be…
Joslyn: You don’t sound convinced. Courtney: I-.. I can’t imagine anyone choosing that life, y’know? They’d tell me I was lucky… I remember wondering what they must’ve been through, to find it so normal; or maybe it’s just something you’d get used to after a while.
Norma: It’s hard to accept that way of life.. although, many do; and some have no choice. Courtney: [sobs] Sorry… I just keep wondering how long it would’ve taken me to give up, would I have felt the same eventually? I feel really mean thinking that though, like I’m judging them-.. maybe they were happy.
Joslyn: Don’t worry about it, you’ve been through a lot. Courtney: Not compared to some. Joslyn: The suffering of others doesn’t diminish our own.
Courtney: [sniffles] I guess. [Joslyn glances over Courtney’s head toward Norma, as if imploring her to leave it there] Norma: [nods] You’ve been a great help, Courtney; and don’t worry too much, we’ll do our best to get to the bottom of this.
[Courtney forces a smile, practically leaping out of her seat as she bids the pair a hasty farewell] Joslyn: Too many connections to ignore, right? I wonder who else wound up there. Norma: Mhm.. I think Del Sol is a good place to start; I’ll alert our offices there tomorrow.
Oscar: You okay..? Courtney: I thought they’d ask about you. Oscar: They might ask me about me.
Courtney: You don’t think-… Oscar: I reckon they’ve shifted their focus, don’t you? Courtney: [nods half-heartedly] Let’s go.
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adrift-in-thyme · 1 year ago
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Whumptober Day 21: "Don't Move"
- Four, Warriors, & Twilight
- Summary: Four awakens to find himself in a rather tough spot
CW for impalement, blood and injury, and brief references to death
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Four’s world is a blur of light and sound. His ears ring. His eyes are wet with tears. Everything is too loud, too harsh, too bright. Everything hurts.
He can’t remember why. His thoughts are mere shreds of things, insubstantial and quick to skitter away when he grasps for them.
He needs to get up though, he knows that much. His instincts are screaming at him to move.
Gritting his teeth he tries…only to bite back a scream as excruciating pain shoots up his leg. Something warm oozes out in its wake. The unpleasant sensation drags Four toward consciousness.
Gasping a thin breath, he forces open his eyes. His surroundings swim nauseatingly. The ringing lessens, replaced instead by a hissing sort of sound like the wind brushing at blades of crisp grass. He is drowning in an ocean of pain. He is drowning and desperately trying to fight it.
Four shuts his eyes, holds them closed until the muscles behind them ache, then drags them open again. This time things are a bit clearer. Not that he is particularly glad of it, however. Because once he gets a good look at his surroundings, he sees why everything feels quite so unpleasant.
He is lying on his side, propped up awkwardly on one arm. Surrounding him are the remains of what he guesses was once a monster camp. Shreds of tarp and large pieces of wood are scattered everywhere that he can see — which admittedly is not too far thanks to the abundant smoke that has yet to settle. It hovers over everything, its thick grayish-black plumes reaching toward the sky. Four coughs into his hand as it tickles his throat. Something escapes his mouth and splatters onto the back of it. Slowly, he lifts it up so he can peer at it.
Flecks of deep crimson dot his skin like gory confetti. Four swallows hard.
It could’ve been there before he coughed…right?
But no, the bitter taste of iron negates that hope. 
Four inhales again, clenching and unclenching his hands.  
Keep it level. Don’t…don’t hyperventilate. Makes things worse.
If he stays calm, he can figure this out. It’s not the first time he has awoken wounded and disoriented. He dealt with it before, he’ll do it again.
…only that seems like quite a difficult feat at the moment with the world still struggling to remain still and his stomach churning in time with the suffocating ache of his body. And then, his gaze happens to drift to his abdomen and everything becomes much, much worse.
The pain is more severe there, he realizes now, and has been since he awoke. He supposes in his hazy state he just hadn’t fully registered it. But now that he has realized it — now that he has seen the reason — he cannot possibly ignore it.
One of the spikes that border many monster camps juts out of him, bloodied and cracked. 
Four chokes again, spewing more blood. This time it dribbles down his chin. He can’t bring himself to wipe it away. All he can see is the spike sticking out of him, lifting grotesquely with each strangled breath. All he can hear is his heartbeat thudding so loud he is certain the entire world shakes with it.
Damage of organs, internal bleeding, infection…the consequences swirl in his mind, tripping over one another in an effort to be heard. He has read about injuries like this. 
Pulling it out alone is enough to do him in. If the pain doesn’t, the blood loss certainly will.
A fairy might be able to make a large enough difference for him to manage but he doesn’t have any on him. At least…he thinks he doesn’t. Truthfully, he can’t really remember. Maybe he should just check…
He tries to reach for his pouch. But the movement sends white-hot agony streaking through him. His hand falls back to his side as a strangled scream breaks loose. His vision goes spotty. The world seems to fall away and he’s floating, weightless, wrapped in the bitter embrace of pain.
….
“Smithy?”
Four opens his eyes with a groan. He doesn’t recall closing them. 
Must’ve blacked out, he thinks dazedly. Wish I’d stayed unconscious.
Oblivion was blessedly painless. This reality of sharpness and light is anything but.
“Smithy!”
Warriors races into view, scarf billowing behind him like an expanse of night sky. He stops short a short distance from Four, eyes widening slightly. Twilight appears right behind him and his expression quickly comes to mirror Warriors’.
“Sweet Ordona,” he breathes.
Four blinks, long and slow. Everything feels as though it’s moving at the speed of a slug. Thought alone seems impossible, much less speech. His tongue feels like a leaden weight, his lips sealed by dryness and blood. 
As his brothers rush forward all he can do is watch.
“Don’t move, smithy” Warriors orders, eyes already roaming over the smithy’s body, analyzing the situation and finding a way out. “Don’t worry. We’ll get you free.”
“C-can’t,” Four manages. The word grates on his abused throat, drawing forth a weak cough. More crimson liquid bubbles out, spilling over his lips. It runs down his chin to soak into his tunic. “Can’t pull it…”
“He’s right.” Twilight steps forward now. He links his fingers with Four’s, touch warm and welcome. “We try and pull that out and it won’t end well.”
Warriors kneels, heedless of the blood and dust muddying his immaculate uniform. His brow furrows as he gazes at Four’s wound.
“We don’t have any other choice,” he says after a few seconds. “If we keep it in him he’ll bleed out, just at a slower rate. Or…well any manner of things besides that can happen.”
None good, Four thinks wryly. At least, they all seem to be on the same page here. But…he blinks again, struggling to remain alert…but there has to be a way for this to work out. He isn’t going to die here, is he? Skewered on some monster’s makeshift boundary, unable to even recall how he ended up there?
He can’t. Not when he promised Wind he would tell him more about the Minish. Not when he promised Zelda he would come back to her. Not when he still has to drive his sword through that cursed Shadow’s heart.
Not when…not now. 
“Four.”
Four drags his gaze up to the captain’s, squinting to try and see his face through the blur.
“I know how to get you free…” Four’s eyes widen slightly, some small hope squirming through the haze he lacks the strength to resist. “...but it’s going to hurt.”
“We’ll do it as fast as possible,” Twilight says. “Should only last a moment or so. But none of it’s gonna be pleasant.”
Warriors cocks his head. “Think you can hold on for us?”
Four nods. If this is the only way then he’ll take it no matter the cost.
“Alright, then. Rancher, you know what to do.”
He is vaguely aware of people shifting around him, footsteps thudding on soft earth. Calloused fingers slide between his own, into the place that Twilight’s were mere seconds ago (he hadn’t even registered them slipping away). Then, Warriors’ voice comes again, closer this time.
“Ready, smithy?”
Four gives the hand a light squeeze. “R-ready.”
Warriors – for that’s who he guesses the hand belongs to – squeezes back. He says something directed away from Four, words he can’t make out past the renewed rush in his ears. And then his very existence dissolves into molten pain.
Agony slices up from his abdomen, licking at his veins like ravenous flames. He screams, harsh and strangled. 
“It’s okay,” someone assures him. “It’s almost over.”
Desperately, he prays that they are telling the truth. 
The pain increases abruptly, gaining momentum until he is certain his skull will split, bones break, body disintegrate beneath its assault. 
“It’s out! Do it, captain!”
His nostrils fill with a familiarly sweet scent wafting from above. Something blankets him like a plush comforter. Slowly, the pain begins to lessen. The weight that had been pressing down on his lungs lifts and he can breathe again. Relief washes over him in a dizzying wave.
Four cracks open his eyes just in time to see a fairy zip over his head, dancing in dizzying circles over his prone body. He is lying on his back now, he realizes dimly, held securely in someone’s arms. A few good blinks and he can make out Warriors’ face drifting somewhere above him. 
“Cap-captain?”
Warriors gives him a small smile. “Hey, smithy. How’re you feeling?”
Twilight appears over Warriors’ shoulder, a concerned look on his face. Four manages a small grin for both of them. 
“Been…been better.”
The captain nods. “That’s understandable. The spike is out and the fairy healed the major injury. But you’re not out of the woods just yet.”
“Don’t you worry about it, though,” Twilight says. “We’ll get you to safety. You just rest.”
Rest. That sounds wonderful right about now. Four can already feel his eyes slipping closed, his mind and body begging for true slumber instead of the endless darkness of unconsciousness.
“Thank you,” he murmurs, softly. “B-both of you.”
“You would’ve done the same for us,” Twilight replies and Warriors nods.
True, Four thinks as they start back toward camp and he lets himself begin to drift, but he really, really hopes he’ll never have to.
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