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nadiajustbe · 1 month ago

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I think the most beautiful thing about writing of Howl and Sophie's pair is that they are written as people before being written as a pair. Let me explain this very quick.

The thing about book Sophie and Howl is that they are not really fully fitting into any "classic" romantic trope. They are not exactly enemies to lovers, as their angry chats are definitely cannot be considered a life or death battle, they are not rivals to lovers because the only aspect of rivalry between them is the cleaningness of Howl's room. They are not friends to lovers, as their relationship just doesn't fit into "friendship" structure at the very start, nor they are roomates (yes, they live in the same house but that's not the core aspect of their relationships). Of course, you can go on and fit the name of the trope you found specifically for them, but that's the thing.

They simply cannot be processed through a pairings lenses only, in order to understand how they act in relationship you need to analyse them separately, as a characters first of all. Cause that's what the book itself does!

Sure, it doesn't have a whole lot of romance instead, but it gives us time to learn and observe the life of incredibly written, alive characters, understand them as personalities first of all, while slowly immersing the dynamic between two characters (in this case, Howl and Sophie) into work. They are written as personalities, both being fully separated and interviewing, changing eachother's point of view.

It's difficult to find a trope for them. They're are not a trope. They are Howl and Sophie, and that's probably the only way their dynamic can be properly described. Just as real people, they are not really fitting into the boxes of linial character progression, but go way deeper into being complex, filled with little differences and moments only people with their personality can have in romantic (or any different) kind of interaction. They're imperfect, and silly, and multidimensional and the reader knows them well enough to imagine them interacting way beyond of what the book says to them.

They are being people before being a ship, a pair of a trope — and that's why they work so perfectly charming in the end.

Howl and Sophie are unique in being themselves.

#and that's not that they're the only ones like that #I'm sure there's a lote of well-written paintings like them as well #it's just I feel that people would try to find them some kind of a trope in the end anyways #actually If you let me brag about it a bit #I feel like people nowadays are trying a little to hard to force romance (and other dynamic but romance especially) into some kind #eh..tiny boxes instead of letting characters actually interacting on independent manner?#like there's so many bookshops and book covers that say “enemies to lovers!!” on it and like #nothing else. that may be a fault of booktock cause so many videos in there are “top-5 friends to lovers books of the year!!”#I don't care?? tell me about the characters about how their personalities are connecting them tell me about their story about their quircks #about the parts of them that led to romance being as it is about the parts of them that compliment each other #TELL ME ABOUT THE BOOK AND THEIR PERSONALITIES GODDAMIT #I have nothing against people inventing a way of naming the progression their characters relationship are that's actually pretty handy #I'm just kinda puzzled cause way people are starting to act like having one of this two three maybe five classic tropes is a necessity #I cannot understand why people won't read a book simply because the cover doesn't say enemies to lovers #I cannot understand why ppl are thinking it's enough for characters to be enemies to lovers and nothing else #I was doing tell me abt your ship template with Sophie and I had to add a million of arrows and little texts explaining every specific #AND I LOVED IT SM LIKE THEY ARE SO??! THEMSELVES THEY ARE SO ALONE #you cannot understand how much I love it #(and yes I do categorise my ships sometimes it's just I feel I don't put as much meaning into it as someone else would??)#hmc book #howl's moving castle book #hmc #howell jenkins #sophie hatter #howl x sophie #howl's moving castle #howl pendragon

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recents · 1 year ago

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so we all know astarion was named after the minotaur of greek myth, who, despite widely known as the minotaur (“bull of minos”), was named astarion/asterion (“starry one”) by his mother at birth. asterion the minotaur was trapped in a labyrinth and cursed to devour virginal men and women thrown in there as sacrifices.

”The House of Asterion” is a 1947 short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges that retells the story of the minotaur from the minotaur’s point of view. it’s one of his best early short stories and it’s very short, only 3 pages long. you can read it here.

borges is in my top 3 favorite writers of all time, and “The House of Asterion” obviously deserves to be considered on its own merits, so i feel slightly irreverent connecting this text to a recent video game. but i reread this short story today and there was much to think about, there were many more seeds planted in my mind in terms of interpretations of the minotaur myth and how asterion the minotaur relates to the story of astarion the vampire. i think it will for you, too.

anyway. if you don’t click through and read it, please at least read how it ends, remembering, of course, that the speaker is asterion the minotaur:

#baldur’s gate 3 #astarion #bg3 #bg3 meta #OPENLY TAGGING THIS. WHO CARES. CRY WITH ME.#maybe im the only person openly weeping abt this in *connection* to astarion bg #the story itself is more than enough to make you weep #god theres something about #I hope he will take me to a place with fewer galleries and fewer doors.#also like. obviously. tav as the redeemer.#‘will he be like me?’ (full of trembling hope) makes me think of durge tav ok shut up #the way ‘my loneliness no longer bothers me’ is so clearly not true from the rest of the pragraph #OKAY

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dukeofthomas · 5 months ago

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I can't find it now but there's a post about suspension of disbelief and how it's broken when the story starts trying to excuse it. "character gets knocked unconscious for hours but there's no further issues from this" okay 👍 "and actually this makes perfect sense because of this and that" um no it doesn't why are you lying to me. like i am willing to ignore the holes and the discrepancies!! all you need to do is let me and not bring unnecessary attention to it!!!

and all that is my issue with the whole robin child soldier argument. like i am willing to ignore it i am willing to engage with the fantasy literally all you need to do is NOT try to convince me that Actually It's Fine Because They Want To Do It or whatever. like literally just shut up about it and i can engage with the fantasy!!

#my dc posting #dc #robin #batman #like. if you want to tell a story and not worry abt the child endangerement thing just DONT BRING IT UP ???#all you're doing when you bring it up is telling me this is something i'm allowed to think abt when it comes to the story #and then you tell me Um Actually It's Fine ?? no! what the fuck are you talking about!!#i am tryinggggg to just have fun n read fics your lil “isnt that child endangerement and kinda fucked up?” “no actually they wouldve done i #anyways bla bla bla batman couldnt have stopped them bla bla bla''#is COUNTERPRODUCTIVEEE #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #damian wayne #<- tagging the robins sorry #sorry this just. this topic annoys me so much #...also ''batman couldnt have stopped them/they wouldve done it with or without him'' are literally #just factually incorrect in jason's case. he did not in fact start on his own and the only thing batman wouldve #needed to do to stop him is literally just NOT make him robin BUT- at this point im just beating a dead horse on that topic #w how many times i bring it up lmao #like. in real life you cant just knock a person unconscious for hours with no consequences on them.#but i dont care when it happens in fiction despite being not realistic!! bc its fiction!!!#unless of course the characters out of nowhere do a lil sidequest PSA abt how actually doing that is fine #and completely safe with no risks #yknow??#like if that happened id be annoyed and like no its fucking not fine why are you trying to convince me. just move on and dont bring it up #and I wont bring it up #anyway. yeah these are just some thoughts im having rn sorry its not more coherent and put-together i cant be assed rn lmao

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youssefguedira · 22 days ago

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I wish you would write a fic about irreconcilable artistic differences on a movie set between Joe and Nicky.

not really irreconciliable as in not solvable at all but you know i had fun with this

Joe squeezes his eyes shut, covering his face with both hands, and leans forward. His shoulders tremble uncontrollably. He takes a short, sharp breath, and another, and another, but he can’t quite seem to get enough into his lungs. There’s a lump in his throat and a weight in his stomach. He leans forward with a low, wounded sound and–

“Cut,” Nicky says softly. Then, because it takes Joe a second to hear him: “Joe, stop.”

Slowly, Joe raises his head. Wipes at his eyes and takes a few deep breaths to steady himself. Nicky’s already up, frowning ever so slightly as he looks at the camera.

“What is it this time?” Joe manages. His voice is hoarse; he has to clear his throat once or twice. Nicky doesn’t look up. The clock on the nightstand reads 01.34, but Nicky’s changed it a few times over the course of the shoot. He has no clue what time it really is, only that it’s dark outside.

It’s just the two of them in the room. Nicky had wanted to keep this one small, just him and Joe and the camera. The apartment they’re in is nice, if a little empty, though Joe supposes that’s the point. They’re in the bedroom, Joe sitting cross-legged on the bed, shirtless, sheets bunched up over his lap, a phone lying on the nightstand behind him. One entire wall of the room is taken up by a floor-to-ceiling window which lets the moonlight in, though there’s a few low lights set up behind Nicky to send bars of silver light across the bed, because the natural light hadn’t quite been strong enough for the effect Nicky wanted. It’s otherworldly; it’s beautiful.

Nicky still isn’t looking at him, so Joe says again, “What?” It comes out a little harsher than he means it to, but it gets Nicky’s attention.

Nicky runs one hand through his hair. Joe can’t see him well, not with the light behind him and the shadows in the room. “I don’t know,” Nicky says. “It’s missing something.”

Joe has worked with Nicky enough times before. It’s not that he doesn’t like working with him - they’re friends - but he can’t fucking read him, and so after the sixth take of the same scene he can’t help but take it a little personally.

Joe reaches for the bottle of water hidden just under the bed and takes a long drink, mostly to keep himself from snapping. What time is it? “I can try again, but I can’t do this indefinitely, Nicky.”

“I know, I know,” Nicky says, fidgeting again with the camera, “it’s not you, it’s just–”

“What else could it be?” Joe interrupts. He’s not stupid. This scene doesn’t work if he can’t get it right, which means the entire film doesn’t work if he can’t get it right. More than anything else, this one depends on him. No music, no camera movement, no dialogue, nothing but him and the camera. And he wants to do it right, he loves this project almost as much as Nicky does, but there’s a hollow feeling in his chest and he’s spent the last however-many-hours having a near-complete breakdown over and over again and it’s still not right. And Joe doesn’t know what it is he’s doing wrong.

“I don’t know,” Nicky says quietly. Now he is looking at Joe, and Joe can’t tell if he’s disappointed, or angry, or – or what. He’s perfectly expressionless, as always.

Joe loves this job. And he wants to get this right. But it doesn’t mean it’s not one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do, and he’s tired.

“I don’t have much more left in me, Nicky,” he says, and this time he does snap. He wipes at his eyes again, can’t look at Nicky. He’s supposed to be making himself vulnerable, above all in this scene, but suddenly he can’t stand the way Nicky’s looking at him. “Pass me my hoodie.”

“Joe–”

“I can’t. I can’t keep doing this.” He kicks the sheets off and gets tangled trying to do it, grabs his hoodie when Nicky offers it, pulls it over his head in one fluid motion and gets out of there as soon as he can. Thankfully, there’s only Andy and Nile in the other room, Andy lying back on the couch with her feet up and Nile perched on the arm of it. They both look up at Joe as he enters, both look like they’re about to ask, and Joe can’t stand it, can’t be in here a second longer, can’t–

“We are done for the day, I think,” Nicky says behind him, startling Joe. He hadn’t realised Nicky was there.

Andy raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t argue. It’s already the second day of trying to shoot this scene: they’re running the risk of falling behind schedule.

“We’ll find something else to do tomorrow,” Nicky says. “I’ll look over everything tonight. We will try this again on Monday.”

Andy and Nile look at each other. Nile shrugs.

“Get some rest, Joe,” Nicky says.

Joe shoves his hands in his pockets and doesn’t say a word.

–--------------------------------

He doesn’t get called in the next day at all, and he doesn’t interrogate it too closely. Takes the day off, pretty much, because they’ve only really got one scene left to film, and there’s not much more he can do for that. Nicky had wanted to leave it to the last, and Joe had agreed, at the time.

At about nine pm, someone knocks on his hotel room door, which is unusual on a day where they don’t have a night shoot to do. When he opens it, Nicky is on the other side. Joe lets him in without a word.

“I wanted to apologise,” Nicky says, standing in the middle of the room and looking as uncomfortable as Joe’s ever seen him. “For last night. I was pushing you too hard, and I should not have done.”

Joe closes the door behind him. Nicky fidgets with the sleeve of his hoodie.

“Sit down,” Joe says.

Nicky does, settling himself on the edge of Joe’s bed, not quite looking him in the eye. Joe joins him, after a moment.

“At the risk of sounding cliche,” Nicky says, “it’s not you, it’s me.”

Joe laughs, mostly because the phrase sounds so strange coming from Nicky and also because out of everything he’d thought Nicky might say, he hadn’t expected that.

Nicky smiles slightly, too. Then he gets up and heads for the minibar. “Mind if I have a drink?”

Joe shakes his head. Nicky gets out a little bottle of wine, glances at the label, and takes a swig straight from the bottle without bothering to get a glass.

“I can’t seem to get it right,” Nicky says. “You know I wrote almost fifteen different versions of that scene?”

The scene in the script itself is barely a page long. “No,” Joe says.

Nicky nods. Rubs a hand over his face. “I wanted it to feel real. I thought if I could get it right, it would… help, somehow. I don’t know.”

It’s the exact same reason Joe said yes before he even read the script, when the whole thing was just an idea in Nicky’s head, when they were talking about it over drinks at Andy’s and Joe was in love with the idea almost immediately. He knew exactly why Nicky was writing it; he knows, now, exactly why it needs to be right. But at the same time – “I don’t know if that’s possible, Nicky.”

Nicky sighs. “I know.” He crosses back over to sit beside Joe again, takes another drink from the bottle. “But there is something missing, and I cannot seem to find it. And so it does not feel real. And I know this is not easy for you.”

“It’s not,” Joe says plainly.

“But you know,” Nicky continues, “I could not have trusted anyone with this but you. If you had not said yes, I would not have done this.”

That, Joe didn’t know: he knows he’d been Nicky’s first choice, but he’d assumed that’s because they know each other well enough already. But it makes sense: the reason Nicky wrote the script is the same thing they’d bonded over.

Even still, it’s a lot. “I don’t know if I can do it the way you want,” Joe says.

Nicky looks up at him from where he’s been running his fingers over the label on the bottle absentmindedly. “If you want to stop, I can–”

“No,” Joe says quickly. “But I don’t think it’s ever going to be exactly the way you felt.”

Nicky looks away. “It is a lot to ask,” he says. “I know this.”

Joe doesn’t think; just reaches over and takes Nicky’s hand. “I know,” he says. “Trust me.”

Nicky takes a deep breath. Then he nods. "Okay."

#neon answers #materassassino #neon writes #the old guard #kaysanova #DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY (me): not at ALL a realistic portrayal of anything actually but this is about the vibes #this was originally gonna be a 2 person scene where both of them were actors #but a i dont know shit abt acting ive never done it. i HAVE however been a director all of one time which didnt really relate to this but #its more than 0 experience. anyway i was thinking about the level of trust in that relationship #i.e. joe trusting nicky to let himself be entirely vulnerable on camera like that and trusting that nicky knows what hes looking for #and in this case nicky trusting joe to take care of a story that is heavily based on his own experience #this isnt long because i drafted it at 1am then wrote the rest while ignoring my essay but . nicky cant quite let it go and joe cant manage #to let himself break down completely on camera like that. presumably after this they get it in one take #joe wins several awards and the film does super well. or it doesnt thats not the point #its abt making something to deal with personal experience #the film in question being about rebuilding yourself after moving to a different country with no ties left to where you came from #+ the scene here being a post-phone call/rejection of phone call meltdown in which the loneliness gets to be a bit much #in my head nicky never went through this Specifically but it's more of an externalisation/dramatisation of something that did happen.#anyway you know early tog metas abt joe being the more overtly emotional one and nicky acting as a balancing force bc joe feels stuff for #both of them. or maybe i made that up. anyway thats what this is #ten points if you can work out my Cinematic Influences #they are patently obvious i think

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intricate-ritualz · 12 days ago

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SMASH that like button if u feel personally victimized by the time skip in your friendly neighborhood spider-man!!! 💯🙋‍♀️🙏🙏

#like.#queen.#if i wasn’t already a spider freak i wouldn’t GAF abt peter #a good story can get Any audience invested. this seems to be written for people who already Care abt peter. guys i want you to MAKE me care #about peter. not Assume i already do #exposition !! is important !!!!!!!? GOD.#good exposition PULLS PEOPLE INTO UR STORY #honestly. i think we should of had at least a full ep of it …😅😅😅#ugh.#i have so many thoughts so many.#i’m like. 10 minutes into the show so maybe i should shut up actually 😭😭#my boyfriend (@oscorpgaypride) finished it tho and HE agrees!!!!#included his username bc. it’s fitting for the topic at hand.❤️#your friendly neighborhood spiderman #anyways. it was like they wanted to tell a New!!! Fresh!! story and they wanted to tell it RIGHT AWAY #girl that’s not how it WORKS #give me some foreplay God!

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mariatesstruther · 6 months ago

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okay but a version of events in which tommy takes ellie to the fireflies, but NEITHER of them come back. and maria joel have to work together to get them back

#maria and joel best friend agenda #has someone already done this (in a way that actually characterizes maria as an actual person w a plot lmfao)#pissed off maria and regretful af grumpy joel having to team up #joel at first being like i canNOT let you come with me youre pregnant #maria: and who the fuck are you to tell me what to do #joel: okay ur coming i guess #him doing anything and everything to make the trip as easy and safe as possible for her #runs on like four hours of sleep every night so she only has to take one watch and gives her 70% of their food #at first maria is sooooooo not having it like #sure you care about me and my baby who you asked your brother to LEAVE for yOUR SELFISH SHORTSIGHTED ASS #but then one night hes telling her a story about ellie and then she tells a story about kevin and he tells a story about sarah #and she can see how much he loves not just his late baby girl but his living one too #and in that moment she just kind of gets it #tommy told her this part of joel was long dead #the part that was soft and loving and good #but he was wrong #he was so wrong #and all maria needed was to see that for herself #and then they team up and break into davids camp and take care of business #tommy and ellie are probably there that makes sense #and then ellie is like we still have to finish this we’re going to the fireflies #maria: um haha ur funny no we’re not #ellie: i—#maria to tommy and joel: no we’re not everybody pack it up #we’re going HOME #joel and tommy: yes ma’am #maria miller #joel miller #au #i had a dream abt this last night couldnt at least do a tag story on it

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gio-cosmo · 4 months ago

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Every time I think about Kawoshin my heart aches and I have to log off and reconnect with nature and empty my mind in order to stop myself from breaking into tears. Like I’m being so serious when I say I don’t think I’ve ever been so emotionally impacted by a fictional ship in my life 😭

#neon genesis evangelion #nge #neon genesis evangelion spoilers #nge spoilers #spoilers upcoming in the tags be careful I’m warninggg youuuu warning warning warning #so I’ve completely finished the anime and am watching the rebuilds now #and I’m at the part where Kaworu is abt to die and i fr had to shut off the show like idk if I’ll even be able to finish it 😭#like I’m genuinely distraught #yk what I don’t think I’ve been this impacted by a characters death in a WHILE #like usually I get sad but I power through #but this has me in such a state of devastation that I genuinely don’t know if I’ll even be able to finish it 😭#when the story is so good it has you in a state of genuine emotional distress and panic #I should reblog this when I actually get through the rebuilds bc I bet you I’ll put it off for months #they are happy and alive in my heart 😞#lorddd the piano scene gutted me. and them watching the stars #CRYING WEEPINH……GOOD LORDDDD THEY MAKE ME MISERABLE 🙁🙁#kawoshin #kaworu nagisa #shinji ikari

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ezralva · 1 year ago

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Two weeks after anime Nanami's death and there are still ppl bitching about how sick Gege is to k*ll off his favorite character brutally like that. I started to think those ppl conveniently skipped the fact that Gege had canonically wrote Nanami as the most gentleman and (not) arguably had the best personality among JJK's adults that made his character so loved by many. That the way his death was narrated is without question better than other deaths in the story. As we saw him gave his best to protect others and being worn down first then his last moments with Yuuji and Haibara. That it was clearly shown how impactful his death was for Yuuji. That all of those narratives combined made Nanami such an unforgettable supporting character. Which spoke a lot about how Gege treated Nanami as a character and it's definitely not a bad writing or doing him ugly.

#i know GG said he didnt intend to k*ll him at first and that he was k*lled off cz his power and role cud not progress further than shibuya #then if he decided to make Nanamin left with such impact rather than his role being overshadowed by other new stronger characters so what #the author saw it from wider scopes how a supporting chara fills their roles to support the protags etc while readers will usually just car #abt their supporting role for the protag how they fulfill their role for the story etc while readers will prolly have one bias or two and #cudnt care less about the other characters #like idk why they keep comparing jjk to other big names shounen and wrote it off as gege's ugly writing when gg always said jjk won't be #like other shounen?#my thoughts #jujutsu kaisen #nanami kento #nanamin #kento nanami #jjk #nanami kento x reader #nanami kento x you

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heedra · 11 months ago

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the longer i work as a child educator the more i strongly feel like it's really just awful practice to post specific anecdotes about the children you work with to social media. not only out of respect for children's privacy but also because i think that it's just really not good to tie your mindset when observing your kids to a mindset of looking for content to post about. if that makes sense.

#this is one of the big reason i just really dont talk much about my job on here #one reason i get so pissed off abt self-avowed childcare workers doom posting horror stories about their kids on here #is that i dont care whether its true or not why would you just throw it out on ur personal social media #to an audience of ppl who largely will not understand or empathize with your kids and your struggles #like i think anyone who works with kids can probably understand that posting alarmistly about their behavior on tumblr #is not going to breed nuanced empathy or awareness for their situation. its just going to get op notes.

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byfulcrums · 1 year ago

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The sun and moon symbolism was used so well in LMK

I love how it wasn't used as a way to tell us about their personalities but instead as a way to reflect their beliefs, their places in the world and how their relationship with it can vary

When you think about sun and moon characters, the first things that comes to mind are "extrovert and introvert", "loud and quiet", "optimistic and realistic (or straight up pessimist)", etc. You think of two labels that are used, to put it simply, as a way to tell us that oh, this character is bright and nice and this other character is quiet and follows them anywhere. And depending on what you think about Shadowpeach, this might suit them! But if we're talking about canon, then it's just... not them

Macaque isn't a shy, timid guy who while he's smart and clever, he doesn't stand up for himself. SWK isn't a happy and cheerful but also dumb guy who tends to be the one to defend Mac when he doesn't do it himself

Here, the sun and moon symbolism is used to explain the nature of their relationship, not their personalities. It's used to give us a simple explanation of why they're that way without showing us a 20 minute backstory scene to make us understand what the fuck happened (though that wouldn't be unwelcome)

The sun shines brightly and gives us its warmth, but in the end, he'll always be alone; no one can get close to her without burning. The moon's brightness comes only from the sun, and she's most noticed when it's night, while the shadows cover the earth

The moon needs the sun to shine, but the sun wouldn't change at all if he wasn't there; Macaque needs SWK to be there for his character to be important. but Sun Wukong's story would have remained almost the same if Macaque had never been his friend. If you want a story where they never knew each other, just read JTTW!

However, while the sun doesn't need the moon at all in real life, these two characters are supposed to be actual people, not a rock and a ball of gas in space. Macaque can be his own person without Sun Wukong being there, and Wukong is strong enough to not need someone fighting by his side but still wants it anyway

They're not soulmates, at least not in the way the wind and the sea are. Sun Wukong's love for Liu'er Mihou isn't a thing destiny wrote. It's not heaven's, not space's, not faith's: it's his. And his love for Macaque is what makes him need him by his side

#idk there's smth about the fates not having written two ppl together in their story but them choosing to be together anyway that haunts me #i think that while swk n mac are a lot like the sun and the moon they're still yk #NOT the sun and the moon #mac might've left behind and swk may be too powerful for common mortals to truly reach him but #mac has (almost) the same power as swk even tho the moon isn't anywhere near to being as bright as the sun #and ig you COULD use it to show how ppl care about the moon as much as they do about the sun but this is about THEM #not abt what other ppl think they are. so it's about the actual sun n moon rather than what they mean to ppl #and #there are some ppl who CAN get close to swk without dying even tho the sun will kill anyone who gets close to it #the way macaque views their relationship is flawed n the way swk views it is #also flawed!#miscommunication and unreliable narrators my beloveds #lmk #lego monkie kid #sun wukong #the six eared macaque #the monkey king #liu'er mihou #swk #shadowpeach #i don't know how to put their relationship into words without it sounding weird #ig that what i'm trying to say is #that they are really important to each other #even if they hadn't needed each other they'd still choose each other #even if they hadn't chosen each other they'd still have needed each other #idk if i'm explaining myself well #the sun and the moon. never touching but always seen together even if they're never by each other's side irl #avis' post

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lucabyte · 3 months ago

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#@ comment directed to me in a tag. i have not talked abt them anywhere publicly but if u were deep enough in the paint in 2020ish theyre #like not super surprising. i think i wanna get back around to the trolls in my reread (so itll b a while) before i say anthing solid #just so i can go in w intent to pay closer attention again but like #overall have a low opinion on most the troll boys insofar as i see that the narrative seems to also not care for them. they seem to exist #to serve narrative purposes & end up discarded when no longer relevant. ie they dont end up very interesting and thus i view #many fans with suspicion when they have 'boys disease' ie having an outsized focus on the boys of the story despite hs being by the end #an extremely female dominated text with a lot to say about masculinity as an opressive force #tavros and gamzee are the biggest bugbears here (only really beaten out in eyebrow raising by cronus and the male dancestors)#on account of fans of them often downplaying gamzee's misogyny that is core to his role as a charismatic cult leader (or worse #sending trans women death threats when they made the factual assesment that gamzee was written to be a weird misogynist calling it #character assassination etc. man 2020 was wild.) tavros mostly just ends up being an accessory to this crime tbh. though his genuinely #complicated relationship w vriska oft being flattened to villify vriska + an inability to actually read what tavros Says...#like. if you get rid of tavros' quirk. stammering and all. and read his lines. he's kind of fucking rude? and yeah its alternia they all ar #but i have my hesitancies wrt how people seem to infantilise him (a disabled character) to the point of ignoring his dialogue and flaws #when one of tavros' core conceits (u can argue if this is . like. something hussie should have stayed out of. like its not their lane) is #that shitty ppl online will be assholes but will be allowed to get away with it due to unrelated disability. which like. it was 2010 ig #but this is hit upon again with mituna being distinctly a 4 channer with real brain damage and speech issues & all his friends letting him #get away with shit he still clearly has the cognitive capacity to know is wrong. its very messily handled but. i dont rlly like tavros ig.#will b amazed if tumblr doesnt eat these tags i went on wayy too long. but im not putting this in plaintext for obvi reasons #lucabytereads

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tired-lamb · 2 months ago

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Never Alone (On Christmas Day)

A TLG christmas fic brought to you by yours truly. Takes place in a modern human au, where the Guard are young adult age range. For the purposes of this story, Kion works under Rafiki who runs a store (idk what he sells).

Merry Christmas TLG tumblr! I wanted to put something out for the season, and speedwrote this in like. 2 hours max last night. Due to that very reason, the following christmas tlg fic is extremely messy, rough and all over the place, for which I apologise. I tried brushing up whatever I could in the morning, and though it’s not my best work I’m still pretty satisfied with it. Hope you enjoy either way, and Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays to you!

[ THE greatest(s) of all ]

best bud!! 6:21 p.m. [ Image attached depicts Bunga, Ono, Beshte, Timon and Pumbaa all facing the camera. The house and their surroundings are decorated with Christmas lights and wreaths. Bunga holds the camera up, and the rest are seated behind him, posing. ] best bud!! 6:21 p.m. merry christmas eve guys!!!! emergency no. (fuli) 6:25 p.m. aww, you guys spending christmas at timon and pumbaa’s huh? best bud!! 6:25 p.m. you BET!! @Kion wish you were here dude You 6:27 p.m. Wish I could too, Bunga, but Kiara’s bugging me to spend it at her’s You 6:27 p.m. Esp with the baby on the way literal teddy bear 6:30 p.m. Due in a couple of months, right? literal teddy bear 6:30 p.m. Must be hard :( hope you still have fun there, Kion! We’ll miss you emergency no. (fuli) 6:31 p.m. you sure you don’t want me to drop by or anything? emergency no. (fuli) 6:31 p.m. I know I whine about how you guys always wanna ruin my christmas me time but I seriously could come over if you want You 6:32 p.m. Nah, it’s fine. Besides, I don’t think Rafiki will let me off aaand you’re also like a bunch of kilometers away from me, Fuli. You 6:32 p.m. Idk why but it feels like this year everybody wants to keep me busy around this time best bud!! 6:32 p.m. whaaat why would they do that emergency no. (fuli) 6:32 p.m. 🙂 literal teddy bear 6:32 p.m. Lmao You 6:33 p.m. ?? You 6:33 p.m. Ignoring whatever that was, I gotta go. Rafiki’s calling, seems like someone’s got a problem with his shit again, lol. local braincell 6:33 p.m. late to the convo but goodluck with the baby and rafiki, kion! we’ll miss you :( You 6:34 p.m. Let me guess, Timon and Pumbaa fussing over you again? You 6:34 p.m. Ok, seriously gtg now. Bye guys! Merry christmas eve :)

.***.

Kion really didn’t mind that his Christmas might get wiled away thirdwheeling his sister and Kovu, and definitely doesn’t mind that all his best friends are spending Christmas without him. Definitely doesn’t mind that even his other friends, like Jasiri and Janja, are also busy with plans for Christmas. He also most definitely doesn’t mind that he’s stuck working with Rafiki in his spiritual-y shop, and that Rafiki has unusually been working him to the bone these days. Doesn’t care that the snow and the Christmas lights call to him, or that everytime his friends send him photos of their celebrations, his heart aches just a little bit.

Nope. Definitely doesn’t mind.

Kion sighs, nearly letting the box of ornaments in his hand fall to the ground. He manages to save it just in time, however, and lets out another sigh, this time of relief, because he just saved himself another scolding from Rafiki. From somewhere around the extremely-messy-despite-his-best-attempts shop, he hears Rafiki laughing heartily with a customer. The sound fills the air, and as much as Kion hated to admit it, it pierces through his heart in a negative way. He can’t help it; it seems as though the entire world, including even his own boss, is enjoying this season. The entire world, but him.

He makes his way towards the main counter, finding Rafiki and the customer he had been laughing with. He places the box on the table with a loud oomph, alerting the other two of his presence.

“Ah, Kion! Kion! Come, meet Mrs. Janna!” Rafiki calls to him loudly, even though he’s right next to him. Kion forces a smile, because he doesn’t want to dampen other people’s mood, and faces the ‘Mrs. Janna’ in question.

She’s an old lady, evident by the smile lines and crow’s feet on her face. Despite this, there’s a general warmness to her that you don’t usually find in older people, something akin to a crackling fire in the winter months. Mrs Janna smiles at Kion, genuine unlike Kion’s own. Kion thinks she knows his smile is only for pleasantries, but doesn’t seem to mind.

“Habari, Kion?” Mrs. Janna asks, her voice deep and grounding. It reminds him of the recordings he heard of his grandfather’s voice.

“Sawa, Mrs. Janna, thank you,” Kion responds, trying his best not to let his despair seep into the conversation. He should get a hold of himself.

Rafiki laughs once more, giving Kion a pat on the back which feels more like a slap than any pat Kion’s ever gotten.

“Kion here is unhappy these days, I won’t let him off work! Ah, Janna, what can you-a do? When the season arrives, that is when people come! Am I not right, Kion?”

Kion lets out a nervous chuckle. “Well, I wouldn’t say unhappy, but definitely a bit lonely.”

“Ey, ey, Kion,” Rafiki says, moving on from the previous topic, “Mrs. Janna here has found someone who can help us! She is interested in working with me, isn’t that right, Janna?”

Mrs Janna nods, her eyes sparkling for just a moment. “Indeed, Rafiki. I do have someone who’d like to come and work here, though she’ll be arriving after the New Years. Maybe then Kion might not be so unhappy, perhaps?”

She looks to Kion, half teasing and half serious. Kion appreciates the sentiment nonetheless, and responds in the affirmative. Better to say yes than anything else, he supposes.

It’s not long before the two are lost in their own conversation, something about old times and how things have changed so much. Kion decides to leave them to it and visit his favourite corner of the store; the little nook where their biggest window lies.

It’s a little elevated, and sits right where their staircase turns. Kion has to climb up a bit in order to get to it, but he manages in the end, and it’s worth it. It doesn’t have much space, just enough for Kion to sit in peace during his breaks, but the view outside is what makes it Kion’s favourite corner. The roads lie some way beneath the window, strangers passing by. These days, the numbers have multiplied. He credits it to the Christmas season, and how there must be families visiting relatives in their small town. Now, sitting in his space, he remembers that he, too, will be visiting his own family this Christmas.

He’s not totally bummed out that he’s spending it with Kiara and Kovu; just that he wishes he could spend it with his friends instead. He loves his sister and brother-in-law to death, but Kiara’s moodswings are more frequent nowadays due to the pregnancy hormones. Kion hasn’t visited in a while to know how bad it is, but he’s dealth with her period hormones before, and Kion would rather do anything but go through that again, thank you very much.

Alas, the only other option is to stay in his apartment and hole up, since all his friends are out of town. He supposes that visiting his family, even if it means thirdwheeling, is still worth it.

Today, Kion finds himself watching the snow fall on the streets, snowflakes occasionally decorating the window beside him. Rafiki and Mrs. Janna’s conversation can still he heard from where he is, but slowly the sound muffles and Kion feels his eyelids grow heavy. He knows Rafiki will call him back to work soon, but just for now, he lets his body shut down.

Just for now.

.***.

The big day has arrived, and boy has it kept Kion busy. Texts and notifications flood his phone screen before getting cleared out for later. Rafiki orders him about with customers here and there, the store bustling with company. Somehow, the loudest sound in the store isn’t Rafiki’s voice today, and Kion finds his ears nearly bursting with how much chatter he can hear at once. Outside isn’t any better, as snow collects itself in piles and trucks blare horns as they come to clear the pathways. People are shouting here and there, wishing each other a merry Christmas, and families flood the streets with little kids running around in mufflers and big, poofy jackets.

It’s the busiest the town ever gets, and will ever get. Kion’s become accustomed to it, though the sight of friends and families and their joyful faces as they spend the day together does sting just a bit. He gets more than a dozen texts from his friends, all of them wishing him a merry Christmas. Amongst them lies his sister and his conversation, where Kiara is going on about something that Kion can’t comprehend because his mind is in a whirl when he’s in work mode. It can’t be that important, if Kiara’s not calling him about it, and so Kion decides to read through the messages once he gets his break.

“Kion! Where are you?” Rafiki calls from somewhere. Kion chuckles to himself, glad that his Christmas is at least starting with someone familiar.

.***.

dada kiara 3:16 p.m. Hey Kion! Merry Christmas little dude :] dada kiara 3:16 p.m. There’s been some change of plans, so is it alright if you meet me and Kovu at this place? dada kiara 3:16 p.m. [ Embedded: link to location ] dada kiara 3:17 p.m. We won’t be home by the time you come, so just meet us here and we’ll go back home together dada kiara 3:17 p.m. Ok??

dada kiara 4:00 p.m. Boy you better see the message

dada kiara 4:32 p.m. Kion.

dada kiara 5:12 p.m. Don’t blame me if you find our door locked

dada kiara 6:46 p.m. I hope you’re on your way now at least

[ 2 Missed calls from dada kiara ]

You 7:43 p.m. 👍

.***.

Kion groans to himself as horns blare at him and his taxi in the middle of traffic because of course there would be traffic on the busiest and most celebratory day in all the year. He opens his phone for what feels like the twelfth time, the bright screen burning into his retina as he scrolls through all the unresponded messages. He booked a taxi the minute he got off work, and somehow despite being two hours into traffic, he still has no energy to reply to all his friends and family.

Why did the meet-up place have to be on the busiest street?

He lazily scrolls through his chats, trying his best to ignore his driver’s cursing and horns that were still blaring at Spirits know what. His fingers pad his screen, finding their way to his best friends’ and his groupchat. Without actually wanting to, Kion opens it.

[ THE greatest(s) of all ]

local braincell 5:20 a.m. merry christmas everyone! best bud!! 5:20 a.m. ono why are you up local braincell 5:20 a.m. I could ask you the samw question

literal teddy bear 7:01 a.m. Samw literal teddy bear 7:01 a.m. Merry Christmas everyone!!

emergency no. (fuli) 10:07 a.m. why in spirits’ name are you three up so early best bud!! 10:10 a.m. damn merry christmas to you too ig emergency no. (fuli) 10:10 a.m. yea yea merry christmas to you too loser best bud!! 10:10 a.m. um ☝️ if I recall I’m not the one spending christmas ALONE?? best bud!! 10:11 a.m. so really whose taking Ls here local braincell 10:11 a.m. if you don’t get your ass in the car this minute then it’ll be you emergency no. (fuli) 10:11 a.m. LMAOOO thanks ono 🫶 local braincell 10:11 a.m. <3

literal teddy bear 3:20 p.m. [ Image attached: A photo of Bunga, Ono and Beshte in Timon and Pumbaa’s garden. Bunga is running away from Ono and Beshte, who have big snowballs in their hands. ] best bud!! 3:24 p.m. HEY

best bud!! 6:58 p.m. This message was deleted. best bud!! 6:58 p.m. wait nevermind wrong group emergency no. (fuli) 6:59 p.m. This message was deleted.

Kion is just about to type a message, when he finds himself lurching forward. He nearly hits his head against the back of the front seat, mumbling curses to himself. His taxi driver apologies, blaming a car or two in front of him. Kion doesn’t respond, instead going back to his phone. Where before there was the groupchat with his best friends, his keyboard open and ready for a message, there now lies a black screen.

Kion knows it’s not that deep, but somehow it manages to sprout tears from his eyes, and before he knows it there’s streams flowing down his face while he tries his best to keep quiet so his driver doesn’t make a fuss. He misses his friends. He was going to meet some of his family, but somehow he misses them too. It’s as if he’s been aching for them the entire day, the entire season. Christmas without them doesn’t feel right, and Kion feels a hollow, aching pain inside his chest. His friends were somewhere celebrating while he was stuck in traffic, a mess both physically and mentally. He missed his home— his true home.

Unfortunately, the road itself doesn’t give him any time to wallow in sadness as his driver is now speeding through. Kion hurriedly rubs tears away, trying his best to look composed, and finds that they’re no longer stuck in traffic. He recognises the area now, and quickly sends his sister a message saying he’s almost there. He takes a deep breath, maybe two, and the thought of meeting his sister in a couple of minutes manages to cheer him up just a bit.

The taxi soon halts in front of the location, and Kion is slightly surprised to find that the place he’s meant to go to is some basement belonging to the house right in front of him. After double-checking with his sister, he pays the driver and makes his way towards the basement door.

He takes in another breath.

Two.

No time to sit in self-pity, Kion, he tells himself, just.. enjoy the moment. You can call your friends later. Don’t be whiny about it.

He pushes the door open and leads himself down the staircase, groaning to himself once more when he finds the room dark and otherwise empty. He’s just about to look around for a light switch and call his sister, when all of a sudden the room bursts with warmth, joy and light as the actual lights turn on, too. Kion blinks a couple of times courtesy of the sudden change, but soon he’s opening his eyes to find—

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!” yells Bunga, Beshte, Ono and Fuli. His friends. His friends that he thought he would be spending Christmas without. His friends that he thought were faraway and not right before him. His friends that he somehow got because Spirits does Kion not deserve them at all.

“Hey, I know what you’re thinking,” Bunga says, a stern glance directed towards him, “and to be clear, you do deserve all of this.”

Kion sputters, still recovering from the shock. He takes a look around the basement itself, and finds it well decorated, with some cakes set on a table and a beautifully lit Christmas tree behind his friends. He struggles to find his words, and is left with his mouth agape.

“How— but— Kiara..”

“Kiara helped us plan the entire thing, and, just to be clear, you’re still spending the rest of the season with her,” Fuli explains, making her way towards Kion and giving him a good pat on the back in an attempt to bring him back to reality.

“However, you will be spending tonight and the next two days with us,” Ono continues, a wide smile painting his face. “We’ve already planned everything out, and we’ll be having a huge slumber party right here for tonight.”

“The blankets and pillows are arriving in a bit, we had to rely on your sister for that too,” Beshte says, a sheepish grin on his own face.

“But— wait, whose basement even is this?” Kion finally gains enough of a hold on himself to say.

Here, Bunga steps forward and proceeds to perform elaborate moves before proudly standing in front of his bestest friend.

“This would be my uncles’ brother’s sister-in-law’s friend’s basement! They talked it all out; said we’re lucky enough to get in even for a night.”

Kion is still trying to digest everything in when he feels his phone buzz and sound a notification. It’s a message from Kiara.

dada kiara 8:27 p.m. Tell your friends we’ll be there in a bit, yea? dada kiara 8:27 p.m. Hope you enjoy little bro <3

He can’t help but smile, feeling a little silly about all his worry a couple of minutes ago. He looks back up to his friends, all surrounding him, radiating joy, love, and home. He feels the same things bursting in his chest, and Kion can’t help but give in to his impulses. Just this once.

He tackles all of them down to the ground and pushes them into a hug. A flurry of laughter fills the air, and it’s the best Christmas gift Kion has ever gotten.

Still squeezing them as best as he can, while stretching his arms out too, he thanks them and thanks them, before finally screaming and yelling as loudly and as lovingly as he can—

Merry Christmas.

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