#Young Lito

[merlot-and-chardonnay]

Original post was deleted in order to add additional characters I forgot but couldn't go back to add.

[comfortqueers]

50. 🌸🌈💫

"There are worse things in the world than a boy who likes to kiss other boys."

[realspacejunk]

Motivated by this Tweet by @delta86-art I decided to share a Character description for Lito, the Quilava character from the cast of Pokémon I include in my drawings, which I wrote some time ago. I have not worked out the details for all the others, but I have solid ideas for what they are like.

I also have it as a PDF but Tumblr does not allow me to upload those, so here is the Google doc.

Here is the raw text without pictures:

Lito Ayrura, the Little Flame (or Flame Choker)

Race: Quilava

Gender: Male

Age: 14

Height: 0,87m / 2’10’’

Hobbies: Trying to learn high-skill magic, Hanging out with friends, causing mischief

Likes: Adventure Stories, Treasures, Strong drink called ‘Golden Elerin Brew’

Dislikes: Busy work, Foreigners, Fire, Hypocrites, Being broke, Medicine

Personality and Character:

As a young and energetic Pokémon and apprentice of an adventure guild, Lito values loyalty, honour and the desire to help those in need. He deeply admires the ideals and traditions of the guilds, but more in spirit than in letter. He presents himself as a carefree and laid-back individual, but he feels like he is constantly living in the shadow of the legacy of his older brother, who was an admired and almost legendary adventurer in the land and a reminder of Lito's weaknesses.

         Being very ambitious but impatient, he often loses sight of the small but important things. He often falls behind in combat training and class, which he believes are boring. He tries to hide his shortcomings under a mask of brashness and overconfidence and often boasts to his friends. In many situations, Lito wants to take the initiative, even if it jeopardises his personal goals or even a mission, causing him to be seen as an annoyance and a liability by others. As a result, he often gets relegated to busy work. Lito does not like to ask others for help and reacts antagonistically to those who offer it to him, preferring to solve his problems on his own. 

         Unusual for a fire Pokémon, he has a deep fear of flames, which causes him to be greatly insecure about himself. It greatly stifled his potential as an adventurer and earned him the nickname ‘Flame Choker’ from his rivals, which he strongly dislikes. Because his abilities are either useless or weak, he relies on magical items during combat. He is knowledgeable and skilled in their usage, but they are expensive merchandise, resulting in constant money problems for Lito. Thus he often finds himself forced to choose between money and guild ideals. He always wears a golden bracer and talisman, but would never sell them for anything in the world because they are invaluable heirlooms to him.

Backstory: 

Lito was born into the small Ayrura clan which ruled an unimportant island in the eastern Azure Sea near the Land of Winds. At a young age, his home town was ravaged and scorched to cinders by an enraged Groudon earth god which was set loose by an unknown foreign power. Lito lost most of his family and friends to the fires. Only a few Pokémon escaped this carnage, two of them being Lito and his older brother Lian. Only the bracer and talisman were left to them as proof of their lineage, and they became valuable artefacts to them. The brutal attack on his home and his utter inability to save his loved ones planted a deep fear of fire in his psyche.

After their escape, they began a long journey westward, on which they had to avoid pursuing bandits, bounty hunters and mysterious agents hellbent on capturing the remains of the Ayrura clan. It is only thanks to his brother that Lito survived this trip, even if barely. They ended up in the peaceful land named ‘The Golden Leaf’ where the two orphans were found and taken care of by a local adventurers guild. They adapted quickly to life in this new home. The guild master, who has had dealings with the Ayruras before, took them in as novices. Lian quickly climbed the guild ranks and became Lito's close mentor and somewhat of a second father figure. It became Lito's dream to get strong so he and his brother could go on great adventures together and save Pokémon who could not help themselves, something Lian promised him, despite Lito's struggle to learn fire abilities and techniques.

Powers and Abilities:

As a Pokémon of the Fire Nature, he has the same resistances and weaknesses against other magic forms as any other fire Pokémon. For instance, he is resistant to Grass techniques, but he is weak against techniques of Ground, Rock and Water.

Naturally, he can use four combat abilities consistently. His specific skill set consists of the techniques commonly known as ‘Quick Attack’, a quick physical strike, ‘Smoke Screen’, a cloud of thick smoke that blinds enemies, and his strongest moves, Fire Wheel and Swift, two powerful attacks which cause large amounts of damage. His fear of fire prevents Lito from using ‘Fire Wheel’ unless he is under dire stress. If he uses it, he passes out from mental overload, leaving him vulnerable for some time. ‘Swift’ is a high-level ability and thus often fails, resulting in an explosion which can cause Lito to take heavy damage.

To compensate for his flaws, Lito mainly fights using his good knowledge of magical combat items, which he carries around in his bag or a bundle on his back. Combined with his ‘Smoke Screen’ ability, he uses those items mainly for crowd control. Thus he can quickly either stun, slow, confuse, or make his targets fall asleep. But for the really strong foes, these effects might only last a short amount of time, so Lito often relies on the assistance of others. These items can also only be used a couple of times before they lose their power, so Lito has to use them sparingly.

[sadbigemini]

I'm coming to you with another au! I just watched this anime and I'm reading the manga rn! I loved it but I did not appreciate the sexualization of teenage girls whatsoever :/ cool concept tho

High-rise Invasion AU

A crossover with this would be great and so interesting! But either way this au would be cool!

Imagine a whole lot of different characters caught up in that world?!

Some antagonists could be ‘Those Closer To God’ while some could be Angels and a few of your faves could be redeemed!

Remember relationships, friendships, enemies, and other things can be changed in fanfics! It doesn't have to be close to the original source material!

**Oh! Also, young (usually) = teen.

I feel like mori or fyodor (BSD), Klaus (TVD Originals), tom riddle (HP), vox, Alastor, Seraphim, Adam (Hazbin Hotel), muzan (Demon Slayer), AFO (MHA), metatron or azazel (SPN) and/or Whispers/Milton (Sense8) would be perfect for being the evil of ‘Those Closer To God’.

For Kusakabe role (in order to the evil those closer to god role): (for mori's pick Kouyou, Elise, or Yosano), Nikolai (BSD), Rebekah or Marcel or Elijah (TVD Originals), Lucius or bellatrix or umbridge (HP), (vox's pick valentino or Velvette), Niffty, Adam, Lute (Hazbin Hotel), and Doma (Demon Slayer), shigaraki/Tenko (MHA), gadreel or Meg (SPN), and Jonas (Sense8).

Ideas for enemy Angels: Meg and any other antagonists on (SPN), Daki/Ume and Gyutaro or any of the demons really (Demon Slayer), Zatara and have Zatanna as one of the MCs- that is some angst potential right there (YJ), Toga, Mr. Compress (MHA), Raoul (Sense8), tyler and matt (TVD), the death eaters (HP), and idk for Hazbin Hotel?

I think Cas or Adam (SPN), Giyu or Kanao (Demon Slayer), Conner or Zatara (YJ), Sun, Wolfgang (Sense8), Enzo or Alaric (TVD), Husk or Arackniss/Salvatore (Hazbin Hotel), Young Aizawa, Hawks, Dabi, Shirakumo, Young Mic (MHA), or Dazai, Ranpo, Chuuya, Atsushi, Akutagawa (BSD) would be great for the Sniper Mask role. Whichever you choose, the others are good for the good masks.

For the MC’s brother or Rika role I would recommend a lot of BSD characters starting with Jun'ichiro, Young? Dazai, Akutagawa, or Atsushi. Now the other recs are Young Dean (SPN), Young Aizawa, Young Dabi, Young? Hawks or Young Present Mic (MHA), Young Chuuya (BSD), Tanjiro (Demon Slayer), Angel Dust/Anthony (Hazbin Hotel), Young Dick Grayson (DC), Young Sirius Black, any of the older Weasley brothers (HP), Wolfgang or Will (Sense8), Young Damon (TVD).

For the MC or Yuri role (I will go in order to match with the Rika role) Naomi, Atsushi, Gin, and Kyouka (BSD). Now the other recs are Young Sam (SPN), Midoriya, Young Fuyumi, Kaminari, Uraraka, (MHA), Nezuko (Demon Slayer), Charlie or Molly (Hazbin Hotel), Young Jason Todd (DC), Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Young Felix or Young Nomi (Sense8), and Young Stefan (TVD).

For the Mayu Role (again I will try and go in order): idk who to do for Naomi, Akutagawa or Lucy, Higuchi, Kenji? (BSD), Young Eileen (SPN), (for Mido's pick Shinsou, Todoroki, Uraraka), Mirko, (for Kami’s pick Shinsou, Jirou, or Todoroki), Toga (MHA), idk for Nezuko, Vaggie, idk for Molly? (Hazbin Hotel), Roy Harper (DC), Ginny, Hermione (HP), idk who for Felix? But Young Amanita for Nomi (Sense8), and Young Lexi, Young Katherine, Young Valerie? or Caroline? (TVD).

The Kuon and/or Rikuya roles (no order and these characters are similar): Zenitsu (Demon Slayer), Neville (HP), Megan, Zatanna, or Starfire? (YJ/DC), Young Sir Pentious or Young Emily (Hazbin Hotel), Kaminari, Komori, Uraraka, Hado, Aoyama (MHA), Atsushi, Young Poe, Louisa (BSD), Young Charlie or Kevin (SPN), Kala or Lito (Sense8), and/or Elena, Jeremy Davina, Bonnie? (TVD)

For the Doctor role (no order again): Crowley (SPN), Kunikida? Or Yosano (BSD), vox or Alastor? (Hazbin Hotel), Monoma or endeawhore (MHA), Quirrell or pettigrew (HP), Tamayo with Yushiro as one of her Angels, Inosuke, or Genya (Demon Slayer), sportsmaster (he doesn't get redeemed but his Angels do) with Artemis and Jade as his Angels (YJ), metatron with gadreel and Tessa as his Angels (SPN), and Kol, Katherine, or Pearl (TVD).

Also do what you want ofc but I think having quirks, supernatural enhancements, etc would make the world a little too easy but I'm sure it could be done right!

I might even do individual posts with certain fandoms since I love this au! Maybe even crossovers but that's less likely to happen <3

[chronicowboy]

i am in writing jail for my rsi but if i wasn't i would be writing a fic based off lito/hernando & daniela from sense8 where eddie's a big actor in mexico who married shannon young and had chris before realising he was gay but keeps it quiet and stays married to shannon bc they're still best friends and it's just better for chris both family and money wise but enter: evan buckley who gets stranded with no money before he can make it up to los angeles so grabs a job as an extra on one of eddie's movies, eddie sees him from time to time but he's a little rizzless freak contrary to popular belief so he avoids the big beefy man with the beautiful blue eyes except then shannon gets an audition for something on a filming day so eddie has to bring chris to set and chris wanders off during a scene, cue eddie sprinting around set all panicked only to find chris having the time of his little life learning about sharks from the big beefy man, they become best friends, they get a little too drunk one day and kiss, they fall in love, eddie doesn't come out because he's scared of what will happen to his career but also how his family will react, but buck comes up with a plan to act as his bodyguard so he can come to the like award shows and shit with eddie and shannon to share in eddie's successes in public, but in private they're sickeningly in love and shannon is their live-in best friend and they're a weird little family but they all love each other so much and it works

[roseapothecary]

happy nice ask day!!! I finally thought of one I can ask!!!

what's your favorite thing (or things) about henry, and is it a common trait with some of your other favorite characters?

Aww, this is such a good question.

You are going to deeply regret asking it.

[clears throat]

My favorite thing about Henry is his heart — my sweet prince born with his heart outside his body. Tbh, that letter to Alex in the book might be the moment that really solidified Henry as blorbo:

Once, there was a young prince who was born in a castle. His mother was a princess scholar, and his father was the most handsome, feared knight in all the land. As a boy, people would bring him everything he could ever dream of wanting. The most beautiful silk clothes, ripe fruit from the orangery. At times, he was so happy, he felt he would never grow tired of being a prince. He came from a long, long line of princes, but never before had there been a prince quite like him: born with his heart on the outside of his body. When he was small, his family would smile and laugh and say he would grow out of it one day. But as he grew, it stayed where it was, red and visible and alive. He didn’t mind it very much, but every day, the family’s fear grew that the people of the kingdom would soon notice and turn their backs on the prince. His grandmother, the queen, lived in a high tower, where she spoke only of the other princes, past and present, who were born whole. Then, the prince’s father, the knight, was struck down in battle. The lance tore open his armor and his body and left him bleeding in the dust. And so, when the queen sent new clothes, armor for the prince to parcel his heart away safe, the prince’s mother did not stop her. For she was afraid, now: afraid of her son’s heart torn open too. So the prince wore it, and for many years, he believed it was right. Until he met the most devastatingly gorgeous peasant boy from a nearby village who said absolutely ghastly things to him that made him feel alive for the first time in years and who turned out to be the most mad sort of sorcerer, one who could conjure up things like gold and vodka shots and apricot tarts out of absolutely nothing, and the prince’s whole life went up in a puff of dazzling purple smoke, and the kingdom said, “I can’t believe we’re all so surprised.”

Henry is just so soft. He was instructed to build a wall around his heart and keep his childish fantasies about love and happiness hidden behind it, but that's the thing, right? He didn't abandon those parts of himself or change them. Despite everything he has been through, despite all of the pain he has endured, despite the pressure that's been pressed onto his shoulders, despite, despite, despite... Henry built defenses around the tender parts of his heart, and then he never let anything touch them. He didn't let that cement leak into his fortress and cause the gentleness to harden while he was building. He protected that tenderness. Kept it safe. Kept it warm.

So, when Alex came along, someone who proudly wore his heart outside his body — someone who probably wasn't even born that way, someone who actively ripped his heart out of his chest and put it on his shoulder, deliberately — all Alex had to do was tear down a couple of those bricks. ("Give yourself away sometimes, sweetheart. There’s so much of you.") Once Henry was surrounded by people who believed his heart was his strength and not his weakness, Henry eventually learned he didn't need those walls. His heart is indestructible, after all. Who needs walls?

Like.

He's just.

He's so... [gestures wildly with hands]

That said, I do think that's a common trait among my favorite characters. David Rose and Stevie Budd, both with such tenderness hidden behind their armor... Evan Buckley, who never learned to build that fortress and gives and gives and gives... Scott McCall, who outright refused to touch that cement... Lito Rodriguez, who learns "we'll all be judged by the courage of our hearts..." Ugh, and y'all don't have the privilege of knowing my best friend's OC, Jody, but he also follows this pattern and he's truly the sunshine of my heart.

Idk. I guess I have a fondness for characters who, at their very core, are kind when the world tells them not to be — for "the gentleness that comes not from the absence of violence, but despite the abundance of it."

[horizon-verizon]

How/Why were Alicent and Rhaenyra ever even long-lasting friends to begin with?

How did these girls get together and become close with their personalities actually opposing the other so hard?

At that age, people are less tolerant or willing to hang out with each other without some sort of common habits, interests, or ideas and attitudes or some sort of knowledge of a shared trouble. And for the last, this has to be supported again and again by both individuals's burgeoning understanding of how deep this burden(s) goes for them both and how they come up with countermeasures or solutions together.

For Rhaenyra and Alicent, there needed to be some sort of outside force forcing them together for them to tolerate or just be convinced to share time together. (Writing about Viserys and Otto way below)

Alicent was what more impatient observers would call a "goody-two shoes" whose hobbies were mainly reading and praying, while Rhaenyra was definitely the more adventurous of them (who didn't seem to mind reading but just disliked that the same material was repeated and used to teach girls specific repressive conduct. Yes, even at the young ages below 10, people sense and know repressiveness.)

A) The Opposites Attract Trope

Usually, in the "opposites attract" pattern, a relationship tends to have the persons contrast each other so that:

through each other, they find out things about themselves that they didn't think was there or possible to develop

we/they focus on how the differences make them see each other and the world, through new perspectives

each person compensates for the other's fears and/or weaknesses with their own strengths

they want the same thing (have similar goal(s)) but approach completing or obtaining their shared goal(s) differently with different--maybe with opposing methods because they sincerely believe theirs is the best way to do make any headway and they bicker because of it, often creating friction but still manage to work together or find some common ground to stay together at some point and often several times without negatively compromising themselves

Let us think of Coraline and Why-Be against the the Beldam, all the Teen Titans crew member against Starfire’s family in her own arranged marriage, the two male protagonists of the Indian film RRR that I forget the names of against the British military encampment in India/British imperialism, the Lenore and Annabel Lee (who actually develop a romance from the goal of understanding what’s happening to them) of the webtoon Nevermore. Lito and Hernando of Sense8.

All of these people are very different from each other, sometimes even having traits, experiences, or beliefs that at first glance seem to be reasons why they actually would dislike each other or try to stay apart. But the respective writers all managed to show us why they even care about each other through how they all contribute to the others’ self confidence or act in different scenarios that threaten to overwhelm one/some. In specific events where they are forced to see what troubles they both face or how they are alike or what they share in one or a few aspects.

Examples:

escape or resist mistreatment/abuse/oppression/neglect of any and all forms

trying to get the respect or acknowledgement of their peers

understand how difficult it can be to try to protect others while protecting themselves (older siblings in abusive households)

live up to their parents'/authority figures' expectations

to prove that they can do exceptional, culture-moving things on their own

trying to understand their own identity under the pressure of poverty, oppression, abuse, etc.

The very differences in methods or responsibilities often threaten to separate the group/pair in an opposites attract situation and thus there is the risk of the individual/persons doing something unforgiveable or developing too far away from the other(s), never again being able to be in real harmony or stay friends again. 

B) Rhaenyra and Alicent--Opposites Attract

What is attractive to Rhaenyra (even platonically) about Alicent? Isn't Rhaenyra too unruly and troublemaking for Alicent? Where did Alicent look at Rhaenyra and feel that she wanted to be like her and resist the pressures of her dad and society? What does Rhaenyra see in Alicent that makes her feel stronger and adds to her belief that she can and should resist against societal pressures?

If we argued that it's because they felt an attraction that would later blossom into romance....even then there has to be some sort of reason why they would be attracted to each other. And the show doesn't give anything substantial to prove this. No scene of them together as small children.

Alicent is unwilling to ride with Rhaenyra on Syrax at any moment. Okay, how do the writers make up for this? Rhaenyra doesn’t want to sit around just reading about things they went over hundreds of times and stay at one place when feeling contained. How do the writers make up for this? 

Where do these girls meet? When and where do we see Alicent and Rhaenyra realize something they want to accomplish together? Or at the very least endure societal pressures and specific agents of societal pressure (septas and the errant courtier or other noble girls snarking at them) together and with each other?  The first and obvious big bad for these young, unmarried friends was society and patriarchy and the figures like the septa who demand conformity and obedience.

How does Rhaenyra protect Alicent from Otto? What does Alicent think about Daemon? (All in their unmarried youth because after what happens in episodes 2 onwards, it’s way too late and impossible to truly be friends again.) Where are their many shown inner struggles way before Rhaenyra gets named heir and Alicent is pushed to marry Viserys?

(Why do I need to be the one making up whole-ass scenarios not suggested or present in the show to justify their relationship? That's the writers’ job.)

Why should I care about Rhaenyra and Alicent or believe in their friendship? What about their relationship or the prospect of it is convincing me that it could ever survive what Alicent believes Rhaenyra did to her and what Alicent did to Rhaenyra? 

C) Rhaenyra and Alicent--After They Marry

But please explain to me how any real mother or father or parent would forgive and want to be close to Alicent after years of trying to get your kids killed by revealing their illegitimacy? Whether or not they are not legitimate, they are your kids and if you are a caring parent, I imagine that this would destroy any good feeling left for your “friend”.

Rhaenyra has also endured Alicent trying to end her for years, trying to get Viserys to condemn Rhaenyra and remove her from the heir position/prevent her from becoming the ruler after (assumedly) years of Rhaenyra telling Alicent how she wants to be in Viserys’ trust. Alicent tried to depose Rhaenyra, whether or not she was doing the right thing in her own eyes or not. If someone tried to prevent you from getting a promotion because they think you would hurt them somehow.....are they your friend and would you want to be? Would you not doubt how they ever could have been your friend?

And what about Alicent? She thinks that Rhaenyra would definitely kill her kids when she ascends, that Rhaenyra would bow under the pressures from the other lords and kill them. She believes that Rhaenyra having illegitimate kids is amoral in of itself, that her going out and purposely “ruining“ herself is amoral and has grown a strong resentment against her for trying to have sex outside of the feudal restrictions on her body that Alicent has chosen to follow. She puts enough credit to the idea that Rhaenyra could be willing to let others make huge decisions for her for someone that Rhaenyra -- that point when Otto is criticizing Alicent -- had even begin to reconcile and who Alicent thought was victimized by Daemon (episodes 4 & 5). That Alicent actually believes any of this of Rhaenyra goes to show that she doesn't really feel like she knows her nor has ever really known her. 

Yet I am supposed to believe that they were ever close?! 

Or that Alicent is a benevolent figure only looking out for Rhaenyra as some people will claim?

These are things that Alicent forces herself to really believe in so she can conform and be obedient. The woman has proven to believe that obedience matters more than friendship. Yet she’s all of a sudden willing to take Rhaenyra as her friend in episode 8, only after an apology from her for not recognizing how hard Alicent worked to keep Viserys comfortable and be a “good wife”? That was itself after Viserys demanded they make up? 

That this beginning to a reconciliation was only possible since it is about Viserys?

That apology could have been seen as Rhaenyra trying to keep in good graces with Viserys and evade any more shit from Alicent from the POV of this Alicent. Why wouldn't  Alicent see it that way, after seeing Rhaenyra as just trying to stave her off with Jaecaerys and Helaena's marriage? Because Rhaenyra apologized to her? 

Isn't this narcissistic of her: nevermind that she may try to kill or marry my kids to bastards (she believes in the reality of dirty blood, not me), she apologized to me!!! 

At the very least it is inconsistent.

As for Rhaenyra, Viserys’ condition is not (or should not be) the only thing that she -- as an individual and a mother -- cares about. She can have sympathy for her father and want to see him safe and happy while still keeping in mind what she needs to do for herself and her kids against a threat. Not compromising her children. Alicent, as well.

And I have to point out that Rhaenyra was willing to be friendlier in episode 4 when they talked in the garden after Alicent was the one to approach her to talk. Yet afterwards, Alicent approaches Rhaenyra in an accusatory manner -- set against her due to her belief in feudal female chastity and her own envy at Rhaenyra being able to find some way to find what little agency she can have. No thanks to society and Viserys, her own father.

Ryan Condal has gone on to say that their kids are messing up the “peace” that “everyone” was working towards for a long time. Who is “everyone”? If Viserys, he and Viserys both underestimate how unforgiveable the attacks (perceived and believed) are. And Rhaenyra has been trying to get Alicent off her back not for any mere feeling to reconcile or a wish to be close again, but for survival. Alicent has been the living embodiment of "I don't want peace. I want problems, always! “ for 10 years.

The kids, realistically and going by the timeline, don’t have to do anything for their parents to hate each other and fight.

The stakes are lives and the throne itself, not a friendship!

Where is there ever a chance that these two would ever be friends again? This is just absurd, insulting, and benevolent sexism on the writers/showrunners’ end.

On the one hand these two are supposedly so close that people write of how Alicent tries to look out for Rhaenyra and knows her....yet she is very quick to believe that Rhaenyra is amoral/would be and to let her father work against her. What about all their time and love spent together before Aemma dies that we don't even get to see but are told exist?

How does Alicent throw that all away, is what we should be asking ourselves. Is it just bad writing, sexism and a severe misunderstanding of narrative feminism on the writer's parts, or is it that these characters were never, ever close or understood each other from the very beginning?! Because, once again, there is absolutely no context and nothing to show for their emotional bond other than them touching each other here and there. There was no situation where we saw their relationship progress, change, grow and develop...so can we really be confident that it exists when Alicent so easily turns?

D) Speculating (But Not Really Because I Know Why)

The only thing that I thought of to “justify” this pre-marriages relationship is that they both had dead moms....oh wait, Rhaenyra's mom died much later after these two became friends!

But we only get a scene that could really shows how the may begin to be close after Aemma dies, when Alicent gets Rhaenyra to pray with her. And even then, that moment was more about Alicent and Alicent more guiding Rhaenyra like a septa or some authority figure, some saint, then a friend, rather than them coming together or realizing things together, etc (episode 2):

Rhaenyra: It's only been half a year since my mother died, and already they tried to marry my father off and replace me as heir. I know those men and how they plot in their secret councils when I've been sent away. 

Alicent: You cannot worry at the matters of lords and kings, Rhaenyra. What if your father were to remarry? Your father loves you. He chose you for his heir. 

Rhaenyra: He didn't choose me. He spurns Daemon. 

Alicent: Kneel with me. I find this is a way to be with my mother. Here in the quiet of the Sept, I feel close to her. I know it sounds foolish. 

Rhaenyra: I don't think it's foolish. I don't. 

Alicent: Good. Because I thought you might try. If not for me, then, perhaps for them.

Rhaenyra: What do I say? 

Alicent: Whatever you wish. It's only for you and the gods to know. 

Rhaenyra: I want him to see me as more than his little girl.

Alicent: Mine own father does not know the language of girls either. When I wish to talk with him, I know that I must make the effort.

Alicent’s last line here is particularly atrocious. “I/Rhaenyra must make the effort?”

As if Rhaenyra is the on who should build bridges? Not Viserys? Why the emphasis on Rhaenyra having to appeal to Viserys, and not how Viserys' actions are unfair and contradictory? What are people congratulating Alicent for making Rhaenyra "focus" on how her gender invites her to appeal to Viserys, to obey, not not "Rhaenyra, your gender would be used as pretext for obedience, so use it against them"? That Alicent doesn't at least commiserate on this point means she herself has internalized misogyny too much, and her advice now is flawed, not wise.

As if Alicent doesn’t steer away from the topic of Viserys not seeing Rhaenyra as a real, autonomus and worthy option is about mothers.

Or that Alicent is trying to avoid confronting the fact that her own father is pushing her to become a conflict of interest to Rhaenyra and endanger the very same inheritance?!

Excuse me.....how are they friends?! How does Rhaenyra not see this all as condescending, even a little? No, it’s “Thank you”. And she doesn’t worship nor believe in the Seven, so how does Alicent just now try to force her into praying when she had more than 10 years of their supposed friendship to know this isn’t helpful...and why would Rhaenyra, experiencing that unshown (nonexistent) scene of Alicent trying to get Rhaenyra to assimilate into Seven worship, then acquiese? 

How does this scene come across as them being close?!

And even if Aemma died much earlier--before episode 1--and they bonded over that, there has to be specific moments where we see these girls process and realize what their mothers’ deaths mean in the context of their living where they are and who they are or want and want to become, what they face by large and from individuals like the only-mentioned septa of episode 1. We have to see the moments where they realize that they share specific ideas and feelings about their moms, and not just assume that they are there because we watch these girls be intimate.

Now it feels like it's just because they are in the closest proximity with Otto being Viserys' Hand and working close to him. But kids don't become friends just because their parents work close together or are friends themselves.

(Ahem, Arya and Joffrey.) There was no hope there even without Mycah’s death and "execution". And Sansa didn't want to be friends with Joffrey. She wanted to impress him because she acknowledge his status as him being able to treat people of lower class as beneath him. That's not real respect, on either side. It's ego and wanting to materially benefit from an association (Sansa) or feel powerful (Joffrey).

So we go back to the only possibility where R and A became friends much earlier on, but there's no reason why they would and there's no scene to show how the writers imagine it happening.

Honestly, I wish this friendship never happened because what’s shown to us doesn’t make any sense. We don’t feel that Alicent betrayed Rhaenyra, like how the soiled friendship between opposites would thematically demand. But no, the writers think it is more "complex" to make Rhaenyra justifiably lie when it's actually making Alicent look like Rhaenyra's helpless victim with little of her own accountability.

What made more sense is the canon relationship between Laena and Rhaenyra, and that is never a thing in the show. Show!/Book!Laena are both a lot more like Show!/Book!Rhaenyra than Show!/Book!Alicent ever was, at least by personality alone. She has the daring to approach and claim Vhagar at age 12, which suggests a stronger claim of adventurousness in her that matches Rhaenyra’s.

And why aren't they ever a thing in the show despite being available and more sensible? Because the writers are making a fanfic to express how the separation of RxA, two female "friends", come to be because it's all the fault of the !evil! men who always will have more power, soft or hard or interpersonal, over them.

LaenaxRhaenyra doesn't serve this purpose to them and would give too much of a rich characterization, source of emotional comfort, or agency either to Laena or Rhaenyra.

I love that they were trying to make a point of non-politically-motivated, peace-desiring women manipulated by men and losing critical female friendships, emotional support, or agency...and yet removed the canon source of real female friendship and origin of the realest love and community Rhaenyra had.

[inh3ritanx]

ENTER: LITO CALLE-JORDA. the wayward son.

BASICS:

full  name  : lito calle-jorda. nicknames  :  bilks or bilky ( loved biscuits and milk as a kid ), jordy. birthdate  : 12th july  (  30  ). hometown  : hampshire, england. gender  +  pronouns  : cis  man  +  he/him. orientation  : bisexual. zodiac  : cancer. occupation  : officially unemployed, unofficially on charles' payroll. character parallels : theodore 'laurie' laurence, roman roy, robert spearing.

SUMMARY:

grew up 'down the road' or as close as one can be to the eversley estate in a home much smaller though by no means humble. his grandparents made a name of themselves in the art world and his parents came to prominence in the same industry.

lito was orphaned at a young age, losing both his parents and grandparents in one accident. he was sent to live with his only living relative, his mum's father, who she'd been estranged to due to his opposition to her marriage to a man in the arts.

he spends most of his free time at the eversley estate to escape his grandfather, who is not a nasty man but far too strict for a free-spirited boy, and a quiet house. where there was an eversley sibling around, lito was right next to them. all he wanted was to be one of them, to have what they have, and he starts idolising charles.

lack of ambition remained constant throughout his life, preferring to travel and collect adventures. a bad night ended in a disaster. charles saved him from what could've been a miserable life. he is eternally grateful and is genuinely forever indebted to him.

charles, sensing an easily manipulatable boy, subtly brings him into the fold, making sure there's a lito sized print on all the wrong doings. a high-profiled name this could fall back on, if it comes down to it. oblivious as ever, he continues to worship the guy, and has no idea what he's gotten himself into ... yet.

[oswlld]

OH PUEN, WE’RE REALLY IN IT NOW (or, an ask requested by @megacherik​ that I didn’t mean to turn into an almost 6K word count about the character, Puen)

BUCKLE UP! This post is split into two parts : 1) summarizing Puen as a standalone character and then 2) realllly diving into how these character moments are fleshed out in each episode

-

PART I - SUMMARY

Here are some takeaways about Puen as a standalone character; these conclusions are my own and some are supported under the cut, so please take these with a grain of salt (cries oh gawd there’s already pink)

ROMANTIC LEAD VS LOVE INTEREST

Romantic lead - main character in a romantic setting (main plot, other motivators drive towards romance)

Love interest - a character that the hero/main character is interested in (subplot, motivator to move the main story along)

And for the majority of the series, a lot of Puen’s onscreen presence, to me, functions more on the love interest side. HOWEVER, there’s still so many instances where his status as a romantic lead lead to understated character moments

WHAT IS IN A NAME

the narrative choice of never telling his name, calling himself/making others call him Tun for two years (and for us, ten weeks), weighs heavily when we hear “Puen” for the first time in ep 11

we feel the trauma at the same time as he does

i never took issue to the name drama and Talay has made it clear on numerous occasions it wasn’t important for him; having the audience wait ten weeks to hear it again was well executed

MOURNING? SOPHISTICATED? BLANK SLATE?

Talay’s wardrobe dialog carries the blue theme throughout his time in their universe, while Puen wore black/grayscale

we poke fun at those who default to black wardrobe, but how do I find meaning in this color palette choice that the production team assigned for Puen if it is an important characteristic for Talay/Blue?

so, is it because it’s one less thing to think about before going into work? is it painting a bigger picture about his character being orphaned? or is it simply saying nothing because we’re not supposed to know anything about him?

in a very quiet way, Tun’s wardrobe is the AU version of Puen; muted, neutral tones vs tess’/AU’s vibrancy paints, until we see Puen in red in so many occasions (which comes to a head when it comes to Real Red)

“TUN” vs PUEN

the balance between Up and Aou showcases the two sides of Puen - the person (silly) vs the actor (serious)

in a very understated way, it feels right that Talay also fits into Friend Credits and, by extension, falling in love with Puen, due to this dynamic

whether it was intentional that Jimmy moves differently or not, I have no choice but to pick up on the way Puen moves in the glass house scene, with the hand in his pocket, as if the suit/his wardrobe changes the way he carries himself vs when he was in Tun’s body and wearing casual clothes

“PEOPLE THINK I’M PERFECT”

Puen is naturally talented, picks things up quickly (good memory), which is an important skill to have for being a successful actor

reminds me of Lito a lot, having to learn new things for the job (ex: flair bartending)

we don’t see much evidence that would lead me to believe he’s a people pleaser or having insecurities to maintain perfectionism

thus, i think his professionalism, mixed with the loneliness, comes with the territory of never voicing his needs; other people assuming he could take care of himself gave himself permission to shut himself away at a young age

LOVE FROM A DISTANCE

we’re told that he remembers everything about Talay, but he has also been keeping tabs on Pang’s life while she’s been away in the other universe

it would make sense for a loner like Puen that he’d keep other people he cared about at arm's length; he’s very self-aware about being bad about love, so to what extent did he try and fail at retaining friendships in and outside of work?

in Lady Bird, there’s a scene where it’s pointed out that a piece of writing about Sacramento was written with so much affection and care; main character tells them she was just paying attention, but the other points out that “don’t you think maybe they are the same thing, love and attention?” the context for that scene in the movie and Puen as a character doesn’t translate thoroughly, but it does speak to how memory can play into his character without having flashbacks

i am going to just lean on the writers for creating a character that is very understanding and is the first to apologize and easily forgiving; without having moments to dispute this otherwise, this is a character trait he has, but not necessarily something he needed to work on i wonder if there’s a place in their og universe Puen disappears to when he’s struggling with something, that is unique to him (rather than using the same locations shown in the show so far)

HE’S A SELFLESS MAN WHO WANTS TO BE SELFISH FOR ONCE

his loneliness hasn’t hardened him or made him bitter, it has made him childlike in return

perpetually orphaned

reminds me of when heedo told her mom she was still thirteen; i think in many ways, he’s stuck there and it showed in moments when he wanted to be taken care of

there's something to be said about having the biggest angst/fight between them in midnight black be resolved in the love interest lens; meaning, the most important details about Puen’s life/motivations were vocalized through Up and Pang, in their respective scenes with Talay (instead of carrying out the turmoil through Puen, in the romantic lead lens)

we learn the full extent Puen is willing to fight to keep this life for himself, when Talay has previously fought so hard to ensure Puen’s return to their universe, and Puen wrestles with this selfish (and very understandable) revelation offscreen until we get to the island scene

after all this, is there something he learned from universal traveling? thinking back to the point i made about never voicing his needs - i think this was where growth happened, when he asked Talay if he could be that person to wake up to; that singular, pivotal moment of being vulnerable enough to ask someone to be their person???? no wonder it's the one scene he writes into a script ITS SO GENUINELY ROMANTIC

There is love in holding. And there is love in letting go. the Friend Credit subplot didn’t serve as a vehicle to motivate the portkey/universal travel plot forward; even less so for Puen’s ideal life with Pakorn’s parents, but the letting go of both was FKJLSKDJLSKDF inhales that…. it’s the grandest romantic gesture and greatest character moment for Puen as a romantic lead

his last act before leaving the universe was writing his name, letting go of the last thing he kept for himself; it being written in the earth of the universe that was his home, instead if it being spoken, is so LOUD

As we go into the last ep, the one character moment I am looking forward to seeing is how much of his life as Tun will be carried into his life as Puen. In the AU, being Tun was his way of being his most authentic Puen and now that he’s back in his own body, how does Puen change to carry Tun with him from this point forward? I do have points laid out below, when it comes to Puen’s return as an actor, but will we see further growth in establishing self worth? We shall see.

If this wasn’t long enough, I have broken down the character analysis further, by ep under the cut. It’s a marathon, so pls take breaks and stretch your legs when you can.

PART II - PUEN, THE CHARACTER THAT YOU ARE —

DISCLAIMER: I am utilizing much of my thoughts/explanations with context to later episodes, instead of what we learn about Puen within the timeframe/scope of the episode itself. In short, this is me breaking the character moments down with the information revealed later in the series.

OCEAN BLUE - 1a. Mainly showcases Puen through Talay’s POV, which gives love interest vibes alone. But what we did take away from his two brief scenes is how he interacts with his fans vs those he works with (well, there is no difference, he treats everyone with the same kindness and respect). We also know now that he keeps everything his fans gift him in his apartment, which speaks to how he cares for his fans; is there an element of sentimentality for him? Sidenote: he is tooootally the type of person that would have one thoughtful, nice interaction with a stranger and then think about that moment/person for at least a week 1b. Gawd, the professionalism of this man; you can sense how level-headed he can be in between takes. What is his rapport as an actor? We know him to be a superstar, enough to gain recognition to star in an international film and represent his country, but does the industry like him? Is he a pleasure to have on set?

FOREST GREEN - 2a. Puen’s entry into the other universe; how blessed we are to have a show give us THREE distinct events where PuenTalay meet each other again and again anew; instantly, Puen is surrounded by people, but i think the scene plays out beautifully; in that, while meeting Pang again later was special to him, Puen too felt that, in meeting Talay and Talay asserting himself as someone Puen can trust, the meeting was special to him too 2b. What’s this? a flashback that serves more as a Puen POV, rather than a Talay POV? there’s not much to take away from this short scene, but I wanted to establish a romantic lead POV shift, even if its only in a flashback scene; the rest of the episode exists with Puen in scenes with Talay and we don’t get a moment alone with Puen until the next episode

SOFT BLUSH!!! - I think the short, drunk narrative doesn’t need to have a moment in this post, but it stands to be said that it was a necessary send off to a version of Puen - we need to see Puen shift from how he deals with his previous life to learning how to exist in this universe. 3a. NOW, Pinky Promise™ reference, with the wooden hand model, was pointed out by others in the tag, so I won’t speak too much into it; but loooooook! a full scene of our romantic lead, fleshing out the history and future of Friend Credits; although the scene is most carried out through a flashback of a character we don’t see again until the end of ep 10, we understand what aspects of Pakorn Puen needs to contribute to the friend group and the type of friend he needs to be for Up and Aou; i wonder if he read further into Pakorn’s journals/studied them

3b. What is this?? ANOTHER solo scene of our ROMANTIC LEAD PUEN???? I love that the show gives us this moment: the beginnings of this friend group with Puen; it’s an important gesture (as opposed to how tess treated Talay’s friends), to truly want to make amends with Up and Aou; after this, we rarely see moments with just the three of them outside of Friend Credit shenanigans, but at least we had this 3c. A perfectly normal reaction to learning that Talay is single in your area.

DEEP MAGENTA, MY BELOVED! 4a. He’s SO perceptive about portkeys; “Hasn’t it occurred to you that the key to finding the portkey is love? […] What if to go back, you must fall in love with someone? What if it’s me?” - and it DOESN’T STOP - “I’ve been thinking about lots of things lately. About going home and about work. Everything is related to love. […] So I want to know a little more about love.” (the therapy bills are just piling up) That deep breath he takes, that pause, the way his hands hold together like that… PRECIOUS TO ME 4b - T: “Want to get married too, don’t you? P: “That’s normal, isn’t it? Of course, I think about it sometimes.” Interesting moment to contrast two character moments in that conversation; Talay thinking about the video presentation, saying he would like to color the video vs Puen thinking about his potential partner; also when Puen catches the bouquet vs Talay shielding himself from it (just like the RV scene when Puen points out that Talay shouldn’t just plan for the future alone)

side note: GUYSSSSSS, it didn’t occur to me until now that the music playing during the wedding video is the same as when they reunite in the glass house in the end of this ep AND in Talay’s fantasy reunion with Puen in ep 12 outside the building), APPALLED AND UNWELL

Jumping forward to the scene after the toss, when Talay reflects on their ongoing conversation about falling in love: P: “We can just fake it.” T: “No.” P: “Why not?” T: “Love isn’t something you can fake.” P: “Of course, we can. I faked it all the time when I was an actor.” T: “Then you fake it with someone else. Leave me out of it.” It’s an interesting take on having to artificially manufacture the elements required for both as inspiration for a screenplay and conjuring a portkey into existence. Do I believe there’s some hiding happening, in that he is using screenwriting as an excuse when Talay repeatedly turns him down? When Talay gets upset about the big spray paint display, there is a moment of hesitation. We know he was already falling, but this is a love interest moment. It’s creating friction for the Talay narrative. But if I switch over to Romantic Lead!Puen lens, I wonder if the moment after Talay says stop messing with me, he was going to confess something. However, Talay cuts him off.

4c. Let’s pause to take a 5 min break, you’ve already sat through likely 20+ min of my ramblings. Plus, let’s looks at one of Puen’s best looks as Tun… it’s a good look, lbr. Theyre all good looks - guys. shhh just look

4d. Anyways, at the end of the ep: P: “I just… wanted to know the feeling when I really love someone.” In hindsight, THIS REALLY HURTS YK??? He’s on his way there, albeit misguided. But how fascinating it is to point that out, diving into those emotions like an actor would in researching a role, except the lines are blurring. “But I want you to know that if it’s not you, I wouldn’t be able to work this well.” I am going to come back to this when we talk about ep 11. 4e. Now, that kiss… “There’s one more thing about the characters that I still don’t understand.” “Are you messing with me again?” “Not messing with you this time.” We jump to ep 5, the scene as a flashback continues with Puen confirming, “I kissed you because I felt like kissing you.” That’s mah BOY!!! Baby’s first real moment in acting on his feelings, not from his acting experience. Still misguided, in ways I can't express right now, but what a big step in his journey to learning more about love.

WINTER WHITE - 5a. the way I love a Bookstore Scene!! It’s such an understated character moment, when Talay is taking a genuine interest in Puen life. He’s not used to someone being curious about his likes/dislikes, especially coming from someone he really likes. We know the many future instances he turns Talay down in revealing something personal about his life, but ever the same, it’s so worthwhile to capture moments of unease/hesitation for Puen. VV showcases more of Talay’s journey in Puen rocking his foundation and keeping him on his toes, but we rarely see the many little ways Talay does the same for Puen. 5b. SOLEMN FACE!!! “The series crew got him a nickname.” GAWD, he - inhales This was him at least five years ago, around 18/19? “Because he always made a cold and solemn face on set.” IM SADDDD. As I mentioned before, I see him as someone who keeps an ear open to those he cares about, even if it’s not people he regularly keeps in touch with. By either osmosis or just seeking out news every once in a while, idk. Interesting thing to point out that he wants to give up acting while in the AU. In some ways, maybe he wanted to retain as much of Tun’s life as possible. But there is something to be said about staying away from a life he wasn’t happy in.

Before I move onto the next ep - “I’ll be the guy who lives with you.” MY GUY, RELAX! And then, when Talay is the one to hold his hand One (1) Time, Puen is just ready to move in together PFFFFT head in hands

5c. I know this is a post about Puen, but HI BABYYYYYY!!!!!! uhhhh PINK?????? FJSLDFKJSLKDF (btw this is a callout post to everyone who watched part 4 and made the most-played part of the video the preview for ep 6, where jimmy is shirtless with the shaving cream…. Valid, but STILL)

FIRE YELLOW - 6a. SOLEMN FACE RETURNS [crowd goes “awww :( “] Do I agree that it’s a good character take, that he prefers working anywhere with Talay over actually getting a job?? MMMMMMMMM idkkkk. 6b. “A life of doing things alone was not fun at all.” Now, THAT’s something. What a throwaway line that tells so much in so few words. Sure, he’s still shaken by Friend Credits disbanding, but he’s really trying to drive himself away from falling back into his old life: doing this alone. Yes, he now resides with Pakorn’s parents, but he’s really hoping to bring the group back together somehow over anything else.

We’ve all had our collective moments with Puen’s fantasy at the top of ep 6, so I won’t dwell into the specifics of the dialog, but it is a great character moment in how he paints Talay in his fantasy. From our initial reaction, not realizing it was a fantasy until we are brought back out of it, it was that blatent: he loves Talay exactly the way he is. Nothing about Talay felt out of character, which also extended to how their banter played out. Of course, there were moments that made the fantasy obvious, but it got the point across. Our boy is down BAD.

6c. Oh the paradigm shift in ep6 [2/4], you will always be famous - the first instance where Puen starts saying, “my dad’s…” Already laying the groundwork in the upcoming turmoil in wanting to stay. I speak more on this below when I dive more into Puen’s goodbye to Pakorn’s parents. 6d. I often wonder how long Puen has thought about writing that next screenplay about their lives. And I think a lot about the motivation behind it, bringing something so personal into existence. It’s not so different from what writers of all media do normally (which, wow that’s something to think about if Puen eventually steps away from acting to become a screenwriter full time; he’s already a natural at it)

6e. After learning that he truly fell since glass house, i think joob’s death really spooked him. perhaps even moreso that Talay, but we didn’t see it that way when the episode aired. the scene to me played out as a love interest scene at first, but it really is a good romantic lead moment. And then in ep 7, not telling Talay how he feels, while Talay is pushing him towards Pang???

SUNSET ORANGE - before we get started, let’s take another break. Rest your eyes for a minute, drink some water. But also, Scent kink? In my thai bl???

7a. Okay let’s continue - “HASN’T IT EVER OCCURRED TO YOU THAT I’M YOUR PORTKEY?” “IF YOU ARE, WE’D BE BACK BY NOW.” WHY ARE YOU TWO SO LOUD BUT SO STUPID 7b. “People think I’m perfect. I can take care of myself.” Having it be spoken so plainly, instead of show us evidence of this in more flashbacks (rather than seeing that through gyo’s/fans’ eyes… is something). “I’m just a man who can be weak and needs care.” That moment after Talay teases him about it, I COULD KISS IT. He’s taking the necessary baby steps in vulnerability and my son Talay is teasing him… SIGH “Not many see this side of me… You’re one of them.” Just how many people out there has he opened up to, outside of Pang? And how have these people come in and out of his life? Are they all from work?

7c. We now know what he wrote, I’M FINE BTW (lying). The next scene plays out in them having a moment to themselves and Puen steers the conversation to them, but never pressuring him to like him back. In a moment where he can act on his emotions, and Talay wants him to, his final thoughts are always Talay. His wish being the most selfless, unspoken thing… SEDATE ME. He doesn’t just write that he wishes Talay to fall in love with him, but the unspoken intention of giving a piece of his declaration the moment his wish comes true??? His wish isn’t to hear “I love you”, it’s to be able to say “I love you, too.” I am no longer fighting demons, I am sending them my therapy bills and they’re pissed.

7d. [Oh NOOOOOooo the bg music for their almost kiss scene is the same as their glass house reunion scene STAHP] 7e. Jimmy, the actor you are…

7f. Small side tangent, but I wish there were more moments of having the both of them start to pick up habits/mannerism in their scenes together, rather than have it always be recalled in flashbacks (ex: Pang’s scene about the Talay palette and then again in Puen’s flashback to learning about pantone with Talay) 7g. MY PATHETIC WET KITTEN - to me, it’s both an important character moment AND a important trait for a blorbo

Back in Aug, after ep 7 aired, I was discussing the progress of the show with beloved mutual @lulabo and she pointed out how “jimmy’s doing interesting work in that I still don’t know who Puen IS outside his relationship to Talay and so far that hasn’t gone anywhere. he’s SO enigmatic it should be a point of contention” and my response:

Currently, I feel the needle moving a bit since my last response. I still feel strongly about this, however there are several aspects of his work in the month without Talay that reveal his screenwriting and acting produced improvements in the eyes of his peers, due to his time with Friend Credits.

CLOUDY GRAY - 8a. I don’t really see him as a jealous type of person, esp having Mek really having no connection to Talay in their universe. Hmm… Was having one rejection too many really getting to him? Me thinks this was his first trial in this universe fighting to maintain a connection with someone and us witnessing something he has perhaps experienced in his previous life, with people falling out of his orbit. He just wants to be wanted and he’s so CLOSE. 8b. It would at least explain his expression when Talay finally confesses that he likes him. Something something to be chosen again and again. Some of us are single, gmmtv.

MIDNIGHT BLACK - so… that pillow scene

9a. That moment when he was eating by himself - my first real glimpse at a scene of him ALONE alone, perhaps his natural state back home. Did he feel more himself at this moment or did it feel strange? We don’t get many moments where we stay on him for a great length of time, just existing. It was a fleeting moment before we see the birthday scene play out, but i will cherish this small bubble of me meeting this side of him 9b. Their biggest fight, being Puen’s desire to stay, was written as a roadblock for Talay (and so to me, a love interest moment); it was still a character moment for Puen, since it transitions from his birthday scene into them talking about his birthday wish and at the end of the fight, the camera stays on him (instead of following Talay out)

9c. When he gives Talay a piggyback ride without explanation, I think this is when I also fell in love with the character; the show and the writers are finally giving him the depth I was seeking earlier in the series (since we don’t get flashbacks to their former life). If I loved it less, I would be able to talk about it more ;; 9d. I can’t believe up until now, Talay believed that their time together was going to stop once they return to their universe. My son, what.. huh lol do you not understand how down BAD Puen is for you??? SO I ALWAYS THOUGHT - I WANTED TO WAKE UP AND SEE THAT SOMEONE WAS WAITING FOR ME. CAN YOU BE THAT PERSON FOR ME? [………………………… user talaypuens flatlined for a few seconds but shes back] Okay soooooo anyways, that is a Scene. a Scene that doesn’t change the course of everything in this universe and their own. Nope. It’s not like it sets in motion their pinky promise to find each other… or that it improves Puen’s acting career in ways that not only received praise from those in his industry but a moment that Talay needed to hear from him and run back to him. It’s a completely normal, romantic lead scene.

9e. [INCOHERANT SOBBING] EXCUSE ME, DID YOU BUY THAT BEFORE OR AFTER THE PINKY PROMISE; seriously, i need to study his brain.. when the braincells work, they WORK. how did he connect the dots about the theme of an hourglass representing universal travel?? HOW??? Does he know this did psychological damage to my brain when it was explained as a flashback for Talay? PSYCHOLOGMICAL. DANAJ. 9f. We’ve already sang our praises how this reveal played out, but im giving it it’s moment here because i love the editing in the latter part of the series. They included more of Puen’s POV in their scenes together, giving us more glimpses into his thoughts/motivations that we didn’t get earlier on. Getting the screenshots of them in the bathroom… i was fighting demons,,,,, DEMONS

[WHY IS THIS POST SO LONG, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME…. let’s not unpack all that]

PINK - Mek really said get your gay fantasy out of my script fjlskdkfjsl;d Mek can have some rights but also...

10a. The maturity and speed in which Puen reconciles with saying goodbye to the life he loves. I think I seriously love him… I often think about how different this show could have been if the Pakorn family dynamic was the whole of it, in place of the Friend Credits subplot. Of course, we needed to keep the “improving their bodies’ lives” narrative, but as heavy as this scene was, it had potential to just SHATTER ME BEYOND REPAIR. It was more like a treat into a character moment for Puen, rather than a reward for the journey. Since we have sat with the revelation about Puen being orphaned for a short time, we have come to care for Puen long enough to be destroyed by the scene of him saying goodbye to his surrogate universe parents. To somewhat be able to leave them with a soft confirmation that even if he wasn’t Pakorn, they’d still love him, if not more. I SOBSSSS 10b. In the week leading up to ep 11, I fully thought that Puen dreamed and didn’t tell Talay. I also knew this would be so out of character for him, but I wanted to find some meaning for the last scene they had together and what the motivation was behind finally wanting to tell his name. It almost felt like the place they chose to camp at was his dream location and when the big reveal happened for the switch, it made me feel like he ran out of time before leaving. I mean, why else would he himself bring up the dialog “Though we aren’t together tomorrow, you’re always here in my memories” uh…. ow????? and you expect me to think he wasn’t saying goodbye to Talay?

oh gawd i need a moment before diving into Real Red, I - inhales take a moment to stretch your legs again while i have a mild breakdown, maybe do a few neck stretches?

REAL RED - 11a. I need to preface this by giving all of my love to those who made [1/4] all 25+ min of it a POWERHOUSE. The editing between both universes were perfectly balanced in pace, emotional weight, and dialog. There were moments left unspoken that just made my heart SING. I just - MWAH. And it all starts with Puen’s return to their universe and the scene that alone deserves at least 3 oscars for acting, directing, and best foreign language - short subject.

The very first night back in his apartment - I imagine that he didn’t get any sleep and mostly it might be due to missing Talay, but some part of me thinks about the idea of sleeping in a strange place and the difficulty of sleeping in a different bed; could he have felt the same sensation here, after feeling more at home in the other universe? did he ever feel like he was back to sleeping in his own bed?

11b. In my red color analysis post, I took a moment to mention the cubby in Puen’s apartment and how that speaks to his character. That prompted an ask, which created this Puen brick of an analysis post. [We have finally made our way, woo!] That is to say, knowing for weeks that Puen has no one in his life, no personal connections outside of work, speaks to the little corner of praise in his apartment. It’s not organized in any particular way and no item is displayed with more attention than the others. It just is and it’s in plain sight when he w- IS THAT AN ALPACA PLUSHIE??????????? He doesn’t have people over, so it doesn’t need to be hidden or tidy. He doesn’t (often?) throw any of it away, it just appears to accumulate. It is made even more poignant by the positioning of where the hat is on the shelf, just out of sight for two years. He appreciated the gift and placed it in the cubby where all the other love he receives goes and that was that. Good thing he has a really good memory, because that small moment, that token given by a fan’s best friend, that memory brought him home.

11c/11d. He’s done so much in a month, I wonder how much of what he claims to have done was also done by Pakorn. Does it really take less than a month to write, film, record, and premiere a movie? In that time, he’s done so much with Talay written all over it. He’s screenwriting, writing in a scene that he experienced with Talay, he’s singing a song that he learned from Talay, Talay, Talay, Talay. He’s outputting so much of their love into their universe, it’s only right that the universe screams it back. Remember back in my ep 4 pointers, when he said if it wasn’t Talay he would not have worked as well?? Look at how the universe is rewarding him for this love. The cherry on top is having Talay fight to get his life back on track, with it having nothing to do with his feelings or connection to Puen, and it brought them together nevertheless. Puen’s speech even didn’t have any motivation to reach Talay’s ears; he didn’t even think that Talay was there in the building, let alone in their universe. Puen does these things out of so much love, confident that they will be together again someday. I hope he’s also finding some moments of joy in the process. He deserves to get excited about doing all these things, instead of feeling trapped again.

11e/11f. I mentioned above about how the suit seems to change the way Jimmy plays up Puen the actor. Now, I don’t know Jimmy well enough to see if there’s a distinction between actor Puen and actor Jimmy, so I only see Puen. And here, I love seeing how he carries himself in front of Talay, still thinking it’s Tess. There’s something about how he presents himself in front of the face of someone he loves, but knows and acts like it's someone else. I mean, don’t we all act differently in front of different people? But this is Vice Versa, and we are here to witness the shift in Puen when he turns away, saying goodbye to Tess and then turning back around and seeing Talay in his home body. For the first time, AGAIN. HE CRIED, TALAY CRIED, I CRIED, WE ALL CRIED.

-

I am writing this on the eve of the finale. Who knows Crystal Clear will bring (besides tears because who am i kidding), but this undertaking into Puen as a character was the perfect send off for me. I have seen him, or a version of him, claim something that Puen at the beginning of the series would not have fought as hard to keep. He’s kept people away for so long, not knowing how to ask to be cared for. But I enjoyed seeing that development in seeking Talay out again and again in ep 11, going to Tess over and over. And when he finally stepped back, just letting it be and working until Talay would eventually reach out to him, that restraint too is growth. The confidence in their love… And in loving Talay, where that love will continue to carry into his work until Talay returns, it has already started to make waves in the industry. I am sure future projects will only further his fame and we know it will not change him. Because he’s Puen. I am so happy for him and I love him so dearly.

In conclusion, he’s baby.

[powerpolyculeshowdown]

MASTERPOST

Preliminary round/Round 0 (finished)

Rajan/Wolfgang/Kala vs Lito/Hernando/Dani (Sense8) Winners: Rajan/Wolfgang/Kala

Fluorite vs Greg/Rose/Pearl (Steven Universe) Winners: Fluorite

Eddie/Venom/Anne/Dan vs Cletus/Frances/Carnage (Venom) Winners: Eddie/Venom/Anne/Dan

Peter Quill/Aradia/Mors vs Peter Quill/Gamora/Richard Rider (Guardians of the Galaxy) Winners: Peter Quill/Aradia/Mors

Max/Jack/Anne vs Miranda Barlow/Captain Flint /Thomas Hamilton (Black Sails) Winners: Max/Jack/Anne

Mercymorn/John Gaius/Augustine vs Pyrrha/Commander Wake/Gideon The First (The Locked Tomb) Winners: Pyrrha/Wake/G1deon

Logan/Jean Grey/Scott/Emma vs Bling!/Loa/Mercury Winners: Logan/Jean Grey/Scott/Emma

Round 1

Part 1 (finished)

Kieran/Ray/Gemma (Trigonometry) vs Nicky/Joe/Andy/Booker/Niles (Old Guard)

Eugene/Rapunzel/Cassandra (Tangled the Series) x Sasha/Anne/Marcy (Amphibia)

Neal/Peter/Elizabeth (White Collar) x Jade/Dave/Karkat (Homestuck Epilogues)

Anzu/Kazuki/Junta (Romantic Killers) x Pyrrha/Commander Wake/Gideon The First (The Locked Tomb)

Syenite/Innon/Alabaster (Broken Earth) x Breq/Mercy of Karl/Seivarden/Ekalu (Imperial Radch)

Taylor/Theo/Josey (3) x Tessa/Will/Jem (The Infernal Devices)

Kieran/Cristina/Mark (The Dark Artifices) x Sofiane/Victor/Luisa (Mortel)

Jack/August/Rina (The Wicker King) x La’gann/Coral/Rodunn (Young Justice)

Part 2 (finished)

Roguish Semiotician/Infamous Mathematician/Player Character (Fallen London) x Alphonse/Seth/Listener (Bittersweet)

Emiya/Saber/Rin (Fate Stay/Night) x Winter/Moon/Qibli (Wings of Fire)

Amber/Reese/David (Adaptation) x Jack/Emma/Izzy (You Me Her)

Camina/Michio Pa/Serge/Josep/Berthold/Oksana (The Expanse) x Enrique/Hypnos/Sofia (The Gilded Wolves)

Max/Jack/Anne (Black Sails) x Keiko/Miles/Kira (Star Trek)

Shikimori/Izumi/Ai (Shikimori is Not Just Cute) x Quincey Morris/Jack Seward/Arthur Holmwood/Lucy Westenra (Dracula)

Camille/Nyra/Dendro (Muted) x Turtle Heart/Melena/Frex (Wicked)

Storm/Helen/Mira (Love and Luck Podcast) x Neptune/Venus/Jupiter (We Know the Devil)

Part 3 (finished)

Nathan/Vlad/Ursula (Hunger Pangs) x Leif/Thorn/Kale (Leif and Thorn)

Haruka/Michiru/Setsuna (Sailor Moon) x Ichika Hoshino/Saki Tenma/Shiho Hinomori/Honami Mochizuki (Project SEKAI)

Sadie/Walt/Anubis (The Kane Chronicles) x Sherlock/Watson/Mary (Sherlock Holmes movies)

Dianda/Simon/Patrick (October Daye) x Caleb/Astrid/Eadwulf (Critical Role)

Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot (High Noon Over Camelot) x Mukai Naoya/Saki Saki/Nagisa Minase (Girlfriend Girlfriend)

Dashawn/Steve/Jose/Cupe R III/Otto/Arturo/Gregory/Quackers McQuack (Bojack Horseman) x Fluorite (Steven Universe)

Logan/Jean Grey/Scott/Emma (X-Men) x Uzui/Hinatsuru/Makio/Suma (Demon Slayer)

Eddie/Venom/Anne/Dan (Venom) x Ben/Ryn/Maddie (Siren)

Part 4 (finished)

Nathan/Gabriel/Annalise (The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself) x Peter Quill/Aradia/Mors (Guardians of the Galaxy)

Aizo/Yujiro/Hiyori (HoneyWorks) x Kyle/Rogelio/Lonnie (She Ra)

Princess Glisselda/Seraphina/Lucien (Seraphina) x Tess/Jacomo/Margarethe (Tess of the Road)

Daniel/Sam/Jack/Teal’c (Stargate SG-1) x Quanxi/Pingsti/Cosmo/Long/Tsugihagi (Chainsaw Man)

Wu Zetian/Li Shimin/Gao Yizhi (Iron Widow) x Tree Trunks/Mr. Pig/Alien Husband (Adventure Time)

Miss Piggy/Kermit/Gonzo (Muppets) x Rajan/Wolfgang/Kala (Sense8)

Megaera/Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades) x Rilla/Arum/Damien (Penumbra Podcast)

George/Gilda/Thomas (Design for Living) x Asmodeus Alice/Clara Valac/Iruma Suzuki (Mairimashita, Iruma-kun!)

masterpost part 2

[sagefauna]

Hi I love your art it's very nice. M ask if you have any vessel ocs? Or any hk ones n in general. :3

Thank you! I've never had anyone ask me about my OCs before haha! I don't have any vessel OCs but I do have a hk one.

This little guy here is named Lito! He's a young cricket that lives in the overgrown landscape of Queens gardens. When the mantis lord and his infected tribe took refuge in the garden, they hunted down and slaughtered Lito's family, leaving him as the only survivor. Ever since then Lito has lived alone, learning to craft his own spears to defend against the mantises. He's a traveler, constantly on the move throughout the garden. Even though he has wings he cannot fly.

He's very quiet and doesn't like to talk, but has a sweet chirping singing voice :D

[deathdxnces]

» — ⌜𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙴: 𝚁𝙸𝙾𝚃 𝚁𝙴𝙲𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂.⌟ 

𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚊   𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚝   𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛   𝚊   𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎   𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝   𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎. it is an immutable constant in her life since its beginning, and what led her to stardom. the early years of her childhood were spent in carefree learning of traditional korean dances from her grandmother, but she soon moved on to learn myriad other styles, from classics to contemporary and everything in between. trained as an idol from a young age, she made her debut as part of a group at age fourteen. following their disbanding, irelia launched a successful career as a soloist, achieving worldwide fame.

the more specific information tidbits.

irelia is the fourth child and only daughter of lito and iseul xan. zelos, kai and ohn are her older brothers; ruu is her only younger brother. her grandmother, hayun, also lived with them (her eldest brothers might have had places of their own already? idk). they were a happy family and led a comfortable life.

she was around 3yo when she started dancing, learning from her grandmother. her first contact with dance was through traditional and folk dances, although she would start branching out to different types as she grew up. to her grandmother, their dances still held power, being more than just performance; irelia didn't share her beliefs, but always respected them.

at age 10 she became a trainee, and would debut as part of a kpop group at 14. i don't have the specifics for the group but if for whatever reason it'd be interesting for anyone to plot something in that sense just come yell at me 🫡

her family was almost entirely murdered when she was 11. irelia and her brother kai were the only survivors, due to not being home at the time. she was the one who found their bodies — and who had to stab two men to get out of the house alive. if they were targeted for a reason, irelia doesn't know.

i'm sure she made swain lose his arm at some point idk how but that's a canon event always has to happen in every universe.

kai, already an adult by the time their family was killed, was the one who raised irelia from then on.

irelia dedicated herself entirely to dance and music and her training after losing her family, and left a lot unprocessed and ignored in favor of focusing on that. she wasn't open to accepting help either, honestly. you can see when the 'suffers in silence and says she's fine' attitude began. i think she's also very angry and resents what happened to her but she won't talk about it. and she learned to not act on her anger and always try to, well, act as if it doesn't exist, because she was being trained to be an idol after all.

kai is the only one she'd sincerely listen to for the longest time. she's very attached to him and i feel the opposite would also be true, considering they lost their entire family. her brother is very very important to her.

it's public knowledge that her only living family is her older brother, but the fact her family was murdered, as well as what irelia herself went through when that happened, aren't widely known facts. i think with enough investigation people could probably find out, but it'd take digging into it.

irelia is very dutiful and dedicated and harsh on herself trying to not let anyone down. being trained as an idol from a young age, she had to face a lot of pressure and developed the very unhealthy habit of facing everything quietly on her own because she has to be good enough to deal with everything on her own. it's what people expect of her. she can't falter when others look up to her like that.

as the leader of the group she debuted in, she was extra prone to trying to shoulder everything on her own, on top of being very perfectionist, though irelia was always harsher on herself than anyone else. like, i don't think she'd fight or criticize or argue with anyone for any mistakes (unless they were purposefully not taking things seriously), i think as a leader she's more. inspirational and helpful. but i think when it comes to herself even a hair out of place is enough for her to be quite harsh on herself.

she still struggles greatly with a lot of pressure and a complicated relationship with perfectionism in that at the same time she feels she has to do everything to not let people down and to live up to expectations, she hates the expectations and that people expect her to be perfect and don't really see her as a person who is human and flawed. yes, just like canon c:

between her personal tragedies and the pressure and strictness of the industry, there's a lot she didn't really have the chance to experience as a teen, and i think nowadays irelia is still learning to embrace her freedom (which is part of why i think she very much enjoys spontaneous people and people who just. do whatever they want. it isn't always something she does easily and i feel she'd appreciate the nudge in that direction).

i think she can come across as cold/haughty at first (in part, it's the resting bitch face), but she's super caring toward people close to her. very protective and affectionate and too willing to excuse their wrongdoings tbh skdjfnksjfn she can also be silly but that's usually reserved for the people she's very close to.

toward fans and such she's always very warm and attentive. irelia would always try to take the time to interact with anyone who tries to approach her when she can, and she always tries to be as nice and kind to them as possible.

she's not nearly as warm toward reporters and paparazzi. i think she handles interviews well, but like, anyone trying to pry into her personal life and paparazzi type of things she has 0 tolerance for.

she can sing and dance and act. she also speaks korean, english and japanese. i haven't decided if she knows more languages so uh i might add to it later..

[corpuscristiano]

WAIT IS THAT...CRISTIANO? i forgot about that guy.

FULL NAME: Cristiano Martin Van Allen NICKNAMES: Cris, Van Allen AGE + DATE OF BIRTH: Twenty /// April 5th, 1965 ( i think???) JOB: Bartender @ The Pit MAJOR: Art Education

TRAITS: Worldly, Smart-Mouthed, Family-Oriented, Hypercritical, Confident, Flirtatious, Loud, Obtuse, Overdramatic INSPO: Katie Morosky (The Way We Were), Lito (Sense8), Odd Della Robia (Code Lyoko), Elliot (Euphoria)

SILLY LITTLE BIO FOR A SILLY LITTLE BOY🎊

Cristiano is by no means an outcast. He's been in the gang's orbit since before he could remember. But even so...Cris likes to think of himself as a lone wolf. A jaded artist staring down life's barrel with a smug grin.

Cristiano is by no means an outcast. He's been in the gang's orbit since before he could remember. But even so...Cris likes to think of himself as a lone wolf. A jaded artist staring down life's barrel with a smug grin.

This is mostly an act. Cris is a nerd first and foremost, and a budding community leader in his own right. He's read books by every activist known to man. He spends his free time in front of canvases and hodgepodge statues. He's the kinda guy who reminds all his friends about their Miranda rights...repeatedly.

His obsession with bridging art and activism started pretty young. It's kinda inevitable when your mom runs a boundary-pushing bookstore. Twigs was known as a cheap place to get used college textbooks and get psychic readings by the one and only Astrid Van Allen. He was a consumer first and foremost. An inquisitor. Yeah, that sounds right. Astrid Van Allen was more than happy to provide her son with the resources and the answers. She was gonna do this single mom thing right.

Maybe subconsciously, Cristiano wanted to be worldly for her. He saw the other kids in Cherry. Most of them had dads...and if they didn't there was an explanation. Astrid shut down any conversation revolving Cristiano's father...often in a tone that Cris could only define as "nice-nasty". When Cris won an art competition or got straight A's, those pesterings were replaced with backhanded compliments.

"He is shockingly well-behaved!"

"Do you think he gets that art stuff it from his dad?"

His love for him mom and for intersectional feminism (Thanks Maya Angelou!) made him very bitter about comments like these. Really...as he got older, the olden day mindsets in Cherry began to make him more and more angry. Cris started to vocalize this bitterness in school. Vandalizing bathroom stalls with Malcom X quotes. Interrupting teacher's lessons with counter-points and anecdotes about injustice.

Needless to say, this behavior landed Cristiano in detention quite often. The inevitability of the smart-mouthed activist constantly finding himself in trouble with "the establishment" fueled his artistic fire. By high school he was pretty well known by his loud mouth and louder art pieces. But things started to get weird in around that time. Well weirder than being raised by a woman who claimed to see spirits and auras. He and his friends were suddenly privy to stabbings, masked figures, drama queens, & cheating scandals. All great inspiration for Cris's artistic endeavors...but ironically deeply distracting for a kid just trying to get into fucking art school and flee Cherry with his mom in tow.

Graduation didn't help calm things down. Right before Cristiano could start classes at CCU (a very sizeable downgrade from his dream pick of UCLA), the news struck. The Van Allens could no longer afford to run Twigs. Maybe it was a drop in sales...maybe it was a mismanagement of money (Astrid was never the most responsible when it came to that kind of thing), but what was done was done.

Those times were a haze for Cris. His second home had seemingly gone up in smoke. He suddenly felt a responsibility to show up for his friends as they got pulled tighter and tighter into the mystery of the LDB. He became a ball of stress to put it lightly. And even as things began to resolve (If you could call Lux Lewis revealing to be a domestic terrorist and hightailing it outta there a resolution)…Cris felt like a changed kid. No…a changed man! He’s shaved his head, garnered a few stick & poke tattoos, and unfortunately…sold half of his art portfolio. He is the breadwinner of the Van Allen household nowadays after all.

These days Cris is a survivor first, artist/activist second. He spends his evenings slinging drinks and pretending to be a Russell brother at The Pit. He spends his days perusing his Art Education degree. If he's stuck in Cherry for the rest of his life, he might as well spend it empowering the young minds that inhabit it. Occasionally you might find him at the boardwalk selling caricatures and groaning about the imminent gentrification of Cherry. He's a good time! I swear!

[bamboomusiclist]

9/5 おはようございます。 Ethel Ennis / This is Ethel Ennis lpm2786 等更新しました。

Ethel Ennis / This is Ethel Ennis lpm2786 Gogi Grant / Torch Time Lpm1940 Felicia Sanders / That Certain Feeling Dl78762 Felicia Sanders / Felicia Sanders s2110 Irene Kral Herb Pomeroy / the Band and I Ual4016 Della Reese / What Do You Know About Love JGM1109 Charlie Parker / Jazz Perennial V6-8009 Lester Young / the President mgn1005 Lito Vitale / Vitale Baraj Gonzalez C3024 Baden Powell / L'ame de Baden Powell ims5047 Egberto Gismonti / Carmo 31C 064 422830D Ernie Hines / Electrified Xps1902 Opus / Opus St7779 Wayne Wade / Ride A Cock Horse - version Jimmy Lindsay / Magnificent Sanctuary Band - Giving Up To Get JAM12

[fervonian]

𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐁𝐋𝐄  ⸻  originally  posted  mar.  17,  2019,  slightly  edited.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀a   dance   at   sunset.

reaching  out  her  hand,  irelia  shields  the  flickering  flame  from  the  wind  as  she  lights  the  last  candle.  a  slow  breath  is  released  as  she  transfers  it  to  the  awaiting  lantern  and  closes  the  latch  on  the  structure  with  a  soft  click.  though  constructed  from  long  wooden  twigs  &  paper,  its  structure  is  firm.  unlike  other  ionian  crafts,  these  vessels  are  not  built  to  last.  after  the  ceremony  is  complete,  they  will  sink  to  the  bottom of the lake, & eventually decompose into the banks.  that  is  the  way  of  the  spirit.

⠀⠀⠀⠀the  sun  is  just  beginning  to  set  as  she  begins  her  prayer.  the  dancer  kneels  by  the  water’s  edge,  alone  and  yet  surrounded  by  her  loved  ones  as  they  glow  faintly  against  the  dusk.  her  hair  isn't  tied  up  today,  strands  of  black  silk  fan  out  around  her,  draping  over  her  bare  shoulders  -  there  is  no  need  to  bear  the  mantle  on  this  occasion.  she  reaches  out  for  the  spirit  first,  a  key  reason  why  she  still  possesses  the strength  to  keep  fighting.  after  offering  her  gratitude,  irelia  moves  onto  each  members  of  her  family  as  she  floats  the  lanterns  out  onto  the  water.

⠀⠀⠀⠀from  youngest  to  oldest,  she  prays.  ruu,  ohn,  kye,  zelos,  yulan,  lito,  xiujuan.  she  remembers.  she  sings.  she  promises.  she  laughs.  but  she  does  not  weep. none  of  them  want  her  to  experience  any more anguish.  when  the  seventh  lantern  leaves  her  hands,  a  gust  of  wind  sweeps  across  the  water’s  surface  &  causes  all  of  the  lights  to  float  away  from  the  water’s  edge,  away  from  irelia.

⠀⠀⠀⠀may  the  spirit  guide  your  souls.  may  you  rest  in  harmony.  i  will  carry  this  burden  for  you,  until  i  join  you  again  at  the  end  of  my  days.

⠀⠀⠀⠀she’s  performed  this  ceremony  annually,  always  on  this  day.  it’s  bittersweet;  her  awakening  as  a  blade  dancer  &  the  brutal  culling  of  all  those  dear  to  her  on  the  same  day.  the  first  time  irelia performed this,  it  was  under  the  advice  of  karma.  she  had  personally  accompanied  the  young  woman  to  this  lake,  and  had  bought  the  intricately  decorated  lanterns.  she  fondly  remembers  the  words  of  comfort  the  older  woman  offered,  the  blossoming  feeling  of  warmth  amidst  all  the  hopelessness  & anger roiling in the pit of her stomach.

⠀⠀⠀⠀enough  of  this,  her  audience  awaits.  pushing  herself  from  the  ground,  she  brushes  her  garments  as  she  takes  her  position.  and  as  the  sun  sinks  beneath  the  horizon,  the  dance  begins.  as  always,  she  pours  herself  into  her  performance,  under  the  twinkling  eyes  of  starlight  &  the  drifting  lanterns.  her  feet  tap  & swipe  across  the  ground,  body  twirling  and  expanding,  rising  dipping  to  a  rhythm  only  she  can  hear  as  the  silk  ribbons  woven  to  her  garments  spin  and  create  delicate trails  in  the  air.

⠀⠀⠀⠀and  when  the  dance  concludes,  something  inside  of  her  mends  a  little  more.  the  lanterns  are  far  away  now,  having  floated  towards  the  center  of  the  lake.  irelia  watches  as  the  flames  flicker  faintly,  her  breath  returns  to  it’s  normal  rhythm  as  the  darkness  fully  settles  over  the  sky.  she  isn't  magically  healed  from  a  personal  ritual  like  this,  but  her  heart  does  feel  a  little  warmer.  for  now,  this  will  have  to  be  enough.