#a lot of words of the catt

[cattewife]

"are you writing weird fetish fanfiction or are you writing normal fanfiction about how much they love each other?"

OK LOOK IT'S BEST WHEN IT'S BOTH OK! DON'T LOOK AT ME

[magistralucis]

@absolut--kurant!

everyone needs a big floofy tail they can cuddle like a teddy bear

[mightydragoon]

What The Bronze Dragon says about Annabeth Chase.

Returning to PJO I also started rereading a good few of the side stories and I forgot about basically all of them. But even I didn't realise how bad the Bronze Dragon was until I reread it.

My feelings towards Annabeth Chase were not as sour as they are today, and even still, I don't hate her. If anything, I'm mainly disappointed with her wasted potential, but also the trajectory in which Rick wrote her and how she is ultimately disappointing more than anything. I think she is a stagnant character who originally might have once had the opportunity to grow but Rick refuses to let her.

And you know on the topic given how much the word "misogynist" is chucked at anyone with even a negative opinion of Annabeth, whether that leans from outright bashing to the slight bit critical let's delve briefly into that and how Rick had misogynist leanings in the series and how that translates into characters like Annabeth.

Part of that, I think, also comes down to the attitude of the time when Rick was writing it in the 2000s, where that was a particular push on "strong female characters" and "pseudo feminism".

This actually connects with the Bronze Dragon ending for reasons I will get into, but for general notes.

I do think Rick was trying in some respects, but it doesn't change how PJO is quite dated in a lot of ways, and how Rick writes women in it is one of them. The dismissal of femininity in the text is part of that and the Goddess are the more clear victims of this, often reduced to caricatures or outright villains compared to their male counterparts. Demeter is one of the most explicit, completely reduced to something ridiculous despite being one of the six Kronids and an Olympian.

But you see, this problem is prominent from how Demeter and Aphrodite's cabins are discussed in the first book alone, compared to Athena.

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That becomes harder on examination to believe as a reader, given how the Aphrodite cabin can have members with charmspeak (TLH) and Demeter cabin members with the ability to turn tunnels into jungles (TLO).

Additionally, given how Annabeth goes off how she and the Athena cabin don't have powers (which ironically I think she does but she ignores it because its weaving and it's no coincidence with that being an inherently feminine profession) and she is one of the few characters with a mobile phone (by at least BOTL but possibly as early as SOM which might explain why she was tracked as she was) which is a known signal attractor to monsters.

Or how she feels she is dismissed for being blonde, which in another story might have a semblance of sense but here it doesn't

It feels so performative to take seriously. The Athena cabin are fucking blondes as a reminder and a good chunk of the Apollo cabin are too but the Athena cabin is interesting in how narratively invisible they are apart from Annabeth and Malcolm and I will get into the implications of that one day and what it reflects on Annabeth and family.

I think it's revealing with the exception of Silena (who died rather gruesomely by a Drakon and was a traitor) Rick often presents femininity in a poor light and it reflects in the attitudes he passes onto his female characters like Clarisse and Thalia "death to barbie" Grace in an attempt to be "strong" often try and turn away and dismiss it. Annabeth included.

I don't even want to get into the misandry by the Hunters and gods forbid the Amazons that Rick presented as feminism because ugh.

It's gross.

But nowhere is this element of internal misogyny within female characters stronger than in Piper's story which is basically "not like other girls" in the Lost Hero and maybe one day I will get into how Drew is ironically a deep character due to logical assumptions in how she even became a camp counsellor in-universe and the implications of her being the counsellor of a newly larger cabin in the aftermath of Silena's death despite Rick writing her as a one-off catty villain.

Annabeth had the potential to be a genuinely good character, and even now she is an interesting one when you look into analysing her actions based on her fatal flaw pride. But ultimately, she is interesting for the reasons she should be.

Forgive me for trying to reread characters and ways they could've been better and how Rick squandered growth in favour of poor and cliched romantic developments that I can't fathom why people fawn over because I have seen more interesting dynamics.

And forgive me for criticising a relationship most people claim is healthy and a gold standard, and seems to normalise the toxic and unhealthy aspects of the relationship.

The fun of an unhealthy relationship in media can be with the author knowing that and expressing that. Even better if there was once a chance it could have been healthy, but one or both parties erased that. The best tragedies demonstrate that.

If Rick wrote Percabeth deliberately as unhealthy or destined to break up man, would I read that? It would've been revolutionary in demonstrating the complexities of relationships and how they might break or why people continue in these unhealthy dynamics. Heck if most fans acknowledged that maybe I wouldn't have the same faults.

But that isn't the case.

There are gaps between fanon and canon in any fandom but nowhere do I think its more explicit than in PJO and especially with how old the fandom is. Annabeth is often wildly misinterpreted by her own fans to fit a more appealing image of her character than canon presents. It's understandable but it is important to grapple with the characters we often see ourselves in in order to improve ourselves as people.

Annabeth herself has nice moments that is nearly immediately chucked out the window in order to make her appear to be superior. In some ways, it makes her even more wasted because she shows some capacity; she could be better but she ultimately can't.

The Bronze Dragon plays a role in cementing that for reasons I will say in a minute with missed opportunities and chances taken, but for the first three books, I didn't have a major problem with Annabeth.

Part of that was because one would expect Annabeth would develop into a more rounded one and go through an arc much like Grover was going through with finding Pan, and the damage done to the world was up to the remnants of nature, and they had to try and protect what was left. She does not, and I will discuss her architecture for a future post and how Rick inadvertently doomed her and her relationship, with what her signifier appears to be in her designs.

Rereading BOTL was the turning point along with others on a discord server changed that perception. She is older so it is harder to excuse her actions and this is when Percabeth was becoming more apparent and romantic but it still blindsided me when the volcano kiss occurred just as much as Percy was when it happened.

I think the confusion is also conveyed in how Annabeth treats not only Rachel but Percy in a hot and mostly cold manner. She is young but Annabeth is also a fictional character at the end of the day and as a reader one would want to see her move past her jealousy, reckon with her flaw and mature beyond what we were introduced to.

We don't get that in PJO. Let me contrast that in an instance where I did see it with another character like Astrid Hofferson. I can see bits of Annabeth and Astrid with how alike they can be in their pride. The difference is Astrid is far more rounded character and her actions are also more understandable as she is determined from the start and intervenes notably when Hiccup screws up a little early on with the Nadder (Stormfly).

Astrid is certainly no friend of Hiccup, no one is but unlike Percabeth she has good reasons with how Hiccup is already naturally isolated, clumsy, her intolerance towards idiocy and is frustrated with how her attempts to be a warrior are thwarted. She also doesn't put Hiccup directly in danger and is more annoyed he is even there in the ring because she believes he doesn't take the endless war they fight against dragons seriously and is putting her life and others in danger.

It's far more natural than hating a camper seemingly on the spot for killing a monster, and losing a loved one in the same place you once did (and not expressing much if any empathy for it) and putting them in danger just to win a game. Not to mention the forced rivalry when there was a missed grievance with the CTF over "oooooh our parents hate each other" and its mainly one sided.

Astrid has legitimate reasons that the audience sees as Hiccup does have an advantage in training and she isn't a fool. But that amnosity leaves her after the romantic flight. From that point, you can really start to see how Astrid respects Hiccup. Respect plays a big role because while Astrid does occasionally hit Hiccup, that's usually at the start of the relationship, where she doesn't respect him and she stops doing it as frequently and as roughly, with the exception of a few friendly jabs later down the line. Annabeth takes an almost opposite approach given the Judo Flip we see in MOA

The conversation as the ships leaves is even more crucial in solidifying their relationship and it being able to stand later. Astrid bluntly puts that Hiccup has lost everything and he must feel horrible. But still questions plagues everyone's mind. Why Hiccup didn't originally kill Toothless and Astrid pushes that point to get the truth from him. It's a genuine question both Astrid and the audience wonder because it forces Hiccup to examine himself and change his understanding. And eventually, he admits why he wouldn't kill Toothless after Astrid points out he is the first to fly one. It's a moment of vulnerability by Hiccup and you can see how seriously Astrid takes it with gentle encouragement to get the truth. And after Hiccup does Astrid shows empathy towards Toothless, noting how scared he must be and that is the trigger for Hiccup to set out and fight the Red Death. And that's just the first film as after that we start to see the pair respect and grow together, especially as the series is expanded in subsequent sequels and the tv show.

Crucially we see that development unfold as the entire cast matures and develops. We aren't just told. The show does a genuinely amazing job with its characters in general but that's besides the point.

We get scenes from Annabeth especially early in the books about her vulnerabilities and a bit in TLO but we don't really get scenes from Percy allowing to be vulnerable to her despite having quite a few conversations together. Percy often says how amazing Annabeth is but we don't see her actions reflect that.

She is propped up as a leader of the Argo in MOA but due to the nature of the POVs requiring every character to have a little mini arc that had every character doing their own thing like Leo getting the scrap metal one chapter. It doesn't really suit.

The main instance where that did actually apply was the initial escape from Fort Sumter (in her POV fitting with the mini arcs mentioned) where she was barking out orders and taking control of the helm and at the start where she was planning the landing and was VERY aware it was meant to be a peace mission. The first paragraph in MOA establishes this.

And we all know how that ends.

The Bronze Dragon only proved to me Annabeth is cemented in ways I didn't realise and while Staff of Hermes proved to me how doomed Percabeth was from a narrative standpoint, The Bronze Dragon broadcasted how ironclad Annabeth's pride, her callousness and the sort of mind games she plays on others like Percy.

Take the first Capture the Flag match in TLT, and even on reread it's kind of incredible that Annabeth and a certain level of contempt that she planned Percy as bait, who she immediately hated for accidentally splashing her with toilet water.

We know why Luke played along in the plan (he is evil and in the first two books he is comically evil and then Rick realised midway he needed to make him sympathetic) but Annabeth is interesting cause of what it suggests of her.

Annabeth's only warning to Percy was to watch Clarisse's spear, nevermind the fact it is electrified or Percy is standing near a creak of all places. At this point Annabeth is still the opinion Percy is moreso Zeus' son so and she did watch over him but she only intervened after the fight was already over

Annabeth comes across as quite a cold individual upon introduction.

She is someone will do whatever it takes to get a victory over a game, despite the real harm that it could bring and it is seriously a missed opportunity that Percy was not genuinely mad with Annabeth over this more. It would've made a much more compelling conflict than the forced Poseidon/Athena rivalry that hilariously is more natural with Clarisse and is generational with Ares with Percy (and probably Annabeth too)

So Annabeth put an untrained camper in the way of five others and could've gotten seriously injured if not killed if it was literally anyone who wasn't Percy. Annabeth is not completely heartless but it does make you wonder if Annabeth had done a similar thing not just to Percy but other campers she is not on good terms with.

She does win here, but her tactic feels very short-term success and long-term enmity. In that logically, she would not make many long-term allies especially if she is willing to pull something like this for just a game. It might also explain the lack of friends she has around Camp despite being there for years.

After all the Hunters are despised for using very dirty tactics in their CTF matches from what we saw briefly in TTC.

So that's the first CTF match and why on earth is this relevant?

Well, it's because the Bronze Dragon itself is about a CTF match. This is a good chance to see how characters have grown a little since that initial one.

We are introduced with the Hephaestus cabin pulling a major upset in CTF the match prior and seizing the flag from the Ares cabin.

Rick is presenting it off as cute, as this point the Percabeth moments are but coded, but it's less cute when Percy asks her to stop and the reason he even accepts is less because he "loves it" and more so because he is used to it, and that is not exactly better.

Annabeth expects Percy to like it, but from Percy it doesn't exactly come across as him liking it. And unfortunately, with Percy's background, we understand why he doesn't.

The bump is interesting because in a sense I do think it's a good example of how Annabeth might think her behaviour is friendly but in reality, it is ultimately harmful to the person she supposedly has a crush on as we see a bit throughout this story. It's not inherently a bad thing to have friendly jabs but the thing with Annabeth is it's hard to discern the difference between what's friendly and what's not.

She is competitive, but as I mention in the Staff of Hermes post, Rick writes Annabeth with an undertone that she constantly dismisses Percy's inherent worth and constantly underestimates and forgets his capabilities. It doesn't come across as playful as Rick is trying to suggest here and it means that even an innocent sentence like this

This comes across with an uneasy light with the case that Annabeth would genuinely prefer that and it fits well with the ending.

Competitiveness between couples is nothing new but it does feel like Annabeth would harm Percy in order to get one over him in order to feel superior over Percy or have Percy believe she would harm him in order to do so.

I feel like this explains the flinches from being attacked in BOTL respectively but also the ending of this particular story.

It's also linked to the general issues in Percabeth that Rick feels the need to dismiss Percy's self-worth in order to boost Annabeth own standing in the relationship.

The Judo Flip is after all not a flaw but rather a feature. It wouldn't have its defenders if it didn't. And Rick encourages through Charlie Beckendorf that if a girl is mean to you, that must mean she likes you....Which....No.

This is the equivalent of a young boy pulling his crush's hair to get her attention, and it's not cute with the genders reversed. Or a good thing to encourage.

Percy himself seems to read Annabeth's behaviour as her genuinely hating him in a way and given Annabeth's past actions where she did legitimately not liked him in TLT and she doesn't exactly act any different towards Percy it's no wonder he feels this way.

Here it's Beckendorf who justifies the behaviour which is fucking ridiculous and infuriatingly wrong to imply any girl who tries to murder Percy secretly likes him. It's such an infantile reaction for anyone's first reaction when in love is to act violently and yet Beckendorf endorses it as a sign for Percy. What's more it is meant to be by Annabeth and it seems to be her "love language," and she seems to bemoan how Percy doesn't get it.

Percy is often treated as an idiot when it comes to love by the narrative and others. In BOTL, there is an underlying indication that they are meant to be fighting over Percy.

It's done poorly done by Rick, given that there is a genuine animosity by Annabeth against Rachel for her being a mortal and while there are hints of her softening in BOTL and Annabeth later saving Rachel's life

(I'm wondering whether or not Frederick got her flying lessons or something, given how technology is not something Annabeth is naturally gifted in like Leo is to explain it. She does manage in this story somewhat to fix Festus but still.)

I despise how they seemingly make up almost immediately in TLO offscreen. I get that Annabeth saved her life, but it feels like Rick is trying to brush off the love triangle and once Rachel was no longer a threat in Annabeth's eyes and show that the two girls are good friends, really!

But Percy also doesn't exactly have a basis for what healthy relationships look like. Yet we know from his interactions with Rachel in TLO, he seems to prefer the more open communication rather than the confusing mind games. He knows one form of abuse through Gabe, but that doesn't exactly mean he can recognise other forms, and he is taught here by Beckendorf that this behaviour is acceptable for romantic relationships. Percy's fatal flaw is loyalty and I don't really think it's been mentioned much but loyalty can be detrimental in a different way than I think Rick presented it as.

In the general narrative, Rick presents it as being willing to burn the world to save one's loved ones but Rick fails to acknowledge what it means when personal loyalty can blind a person to another's faults and how it can destroy the person themselves.

Fatal flaws don't just ruin others; they can ruin the person themselves to be blinded of the wrongs or the flaws of a loved one.

With Annabeth, Percy often builds up Annabeth in his conversations with others, despite us not really seeing that in action. I recall reading MOA recently and getting to the line about Annabeth being no one's sidekick and laughing because up until that point she had played such a passive role in the story and her greatest achievement in that story was trapping Arachne which is immediately deflated with Annabeth taunting Arachne so much, Arachne instantly frees herself and nearly kills Annabeth had it not been for the timely arrival of the Argo.

Additionally having reread the series, Annabeth is an expositor of knowledge like Greek Myths (and occasionally getting them wrong *cough* Cadmus and Europa *cough*) and Rick seems to equate that with strategy and wisdom.

It's telling us how great Annabeth is, without us seeing it. A bit like in Magnus Chase and the Ship of the Dead we get this.

It's a sweet sentiment but it doesn't really stand.

Whatever the case Percy and Beckendorf go around near the Ant Hill and see a Bronze Dragon and at this point it becomes one of the first signs that Beckendorf is abandoning the game in pursuit of the dragon.

The entire game vs reality plays an undertone in this. Annabeth does eventually realise where they are and the seriousness of the situation and to her credit she does go to rescue Beckendorf but her focus was still on the game and not on her initial surroundings.

I'll get into this with the ending but let's keep it in mind for now because it is important.

Let's note the fact that Beckendorf is badly injured.

Annabeth doesn't immediately rush in to save Beckendorf much to Silena's and Percy's bewilderment but there is a reason for that.

They get the future Festus' head and it is noted that the Myrmekes our monsters, have a very nasty poison and acid. Beckendorf has already been exposed to both and is likely not in good shape.

At this point the focus is on the Myrmekes; all thoughts of the game are out. And we learn about the automatens, the previous guardians of camps. Festus was one such guardian until it went rogue. It becomes clear however, that Hephaestus intervened in unearthing the dragon's body, wanting it to be found.

We get a slightly cute-ish moment with Percy mentioning he would trust Annabeth to reattach his head and then immediately get this

Yet another instance where Percy is afraid Annabeth is going to attack him. This is a constant theme in their relationship but there appears to be a genuine fear from Percy of Annabeth's capacity towards violence. It might be fun for a one-off gag but as seen prior this is constant with Percabeth.

They (mainly Annabeth) fix up the dragon after some time and at this point Percy assumes CTF is over.

(This also suggests CTF matches are usually quite quick but it is important that Percy is mentally checking out of CTF)

Festus nearly immediately goes to attack and fun fact we get a likely indication where Silena uses charmspeak on Festus. It's not explicit but she has a very commanding tone as she speaks to Festus.

They soon race to rescue Beckendorf. We also get hints of how desperate Silena is to rescue Beckendorf and an indication that she is deeply in love with him

But ah yes, demolishing Silena from the stereotypes of her being a typical Aphrodite kid. Stereotypes which Rick created and enforced for the cabin and he continued to reinforce in HOO.

They reach Beckendorf who is still deeply injured.

And while the paralytic might wear off, as mentioned earlier, Beckendorf was still hit in the face with presumably the acid and he got bit in the leg which absolutely doesn't help matters. Either way Festus wrecks shit up and proceeds to nearly wreck their shit too.

Percy now starts to get injured and Beckendorf activates Festus emergency defence mechanism to save it. Unfortunately it goes rogue on them.

Beckendorf starts running but at this point I believe more than anything adrenaline kicked in for him to move but I still doubt he is in good condition by any means. Either way they need to get Festus in a less murderous mood so they can make it for another day.

As they fight it with Festus, Percy notices Beckendorf do something and while Annabeth warns him, Percy stays put and buys Beckendorf the time he needs and succeeds.

What follows is a mildly cute moment (minus the nickname) and what feels like a second of appreciation from Annabeth. We also get some developments with Silena and Beckendorf going to the fireworks together. They head back. But at that point Percy is injured the acid hurting him to the point he is limping.

Funny enough we also get some acknowledgement from Annabeth over Percy's ideas and for a moment, for a brief moment we get what appears to be a sincere moment from Annabeth to Percy.

Then it is immediately ruined by the ending. Oh boy, the ending!

One of the major problems I have with Percabeth is that anytime there appears to be somewhat of a cute moment between them, there is nearly is almost something negative clouding their relationship that makes it impossible to enjoy.

Like with the picnic in Staff of Hermes wasn't enough, and Annabeth didn't seem to appreciate the effort and pressured Percy to do something "special" for the month anniversary (a materialistic and most likely something Annabeth said to pressure Percy) and then immediately after for the second. Not to mention Percy was already doing something for her. Like it doesn't matter Annabeth did do something for Percy in Rome later (one of the better moments of MOA honestly) and proving she could have done something herself for a date.

The real issue was the lack of appreciation and consideration.

This is no exception in what appeared to be a sweet moment turning sour, losing the impact it originally had.

Annabeth's nameless siblings come out of the bushes to capture Percy and Beckendrof, revealing the CTF was not yet over. For Percy and Beckendorf we get a good indication that for them, they had long mentally checked out of the game to prioritise other real life issues.

For a second, one might think maybe Annabeth would give Percy and Beckendorf who are already injured and probably seriously so and clearly not playing the game anymore some slack, but alas. Like mentioned at the start of this story.

The chance to beat up Percy is the best thing that ever happened to Annabeth and here she took it.

It comes across as cruel to do such a thing to Beckendorf and Percy.

Now do I believe Annabeth orchestrated that entire thing to keep them both out of the game? No.

Annabeth was as shocked as everyone else when Beckendorf got kidnapped and she mentioned she was following Percy and Beckendorf. But she didn't let Percy know that.

Annabeth allows Percy to believe she had the capacity to do that. The fact Percy considers Annabeth as perfectly capable of doing such a thing is legitimately kind of awful and it's played as a fun little scene, with the girls getting one over the boys.

Funny enough, I do think another reading in Silena's actions here is that it inadvertently shows that while Silena does love Charlie Beckendorf, when it comes to her own selfish desires, she will prioritise them and allow Beckendorf to be seriously harm in the process. That is not the intended reading but is one I nonetheless made, considering Silena's role as a traitor in the story and how she wanted to protect Beckendorf but got him killed thanks to her spying.

It screams unfairness. It feels like the first CTF, except it kind of feels worse because here was a moment Annabeth could've stepped back and allowed Percy and Beckendorf to get treated for their injuries. Heck, it didn't even need to result in Annabeth "winning". The game like the boys thought could've been over and we might even be able to see the fireworks with them.

In-universe, it feels despicable and there is a real semblance of confusion and disgust over the boys. It feels so laughably bad that Annabeth had the audacity to pull a move like that and then ask Percy out afterwards.

But this how Rick tries to equalise Percabeth. It's how he demonstrates that Annabeth is "strong." And he does that by degrading Percy. Much like the judo flip is meant to present to Reyna she is a warrior which comes at Percy's expense.

It's also presented as a feminist victory with that last line. The girls beat the boys! But it's a pseudo one, one the girls didn't earn in their own merit. Yeah, they won but it didn't feel deserved or satisfying. The victory came at a hollow cost and if Beckendorf and Percy weren't who they were, anyone else would've felt betrayed.

Winning is everything to Annabeth. We saw that from the start and she proves it here. Annabeth does jolt back to reality once she realises when Beckendorf is in danger but she didn't originally notice that and I think that was because of how single-minded she is in winning.

The ending didn't need to be like this. The ending could've been a sweet moment with all parties involved going to the Infirmary and Percy and Beckendorf getting their injuries treated and then Percy getting that invite. It could've had Annabeth continue on their chat about what Percy did to give Beckendorf time to fight Festus.

But that didn't happen.

We just saw that Annabeth is the same as she was in her first CTF as she is now. Willing to occasionally help out, but will still prioritise the game even at others' expenses.

The next final thing to look at is her interview. This is crucial because it is a look inside Annabeth's head and more importantly, how she feels about Percy. While beforehand I might have been able to take the hits as slightly playful and her arguing with Percy as cute, this changes matter.

Annabeth's interview feels like it deliberately cuts into that originally sweet moment where Annabeth showed appreciation for him but also how she can't genuinely say a compliment about Percy without a backhanded one. There can't really be a Percabeth moment that isn't tainted by a backhanded compliment, an insult or something else.

That isn't pleasant to read through, and it's not a good indicator in their relationship.

The nickname Annabeth admits herself is meant to be a dig at Percy's intelligence. Her annoyance at Percy also comes across as personal, as we know Percy is not trying to acting deliberately dumb. But that doesn't matter to Annabeth and from TLT she has always been exasperated by Percy's lack of knowledge as if he wasn't someone new exposed to this culture overnight and it wasn't her job to induct new campers to the system.

It comes across as her internally disliking Percy with how she think Percy does what he does to annoy her and how she constantly underestimates her intelligence and seems shocked whenever he is smart. Annabeth can acknowledge Percy is but its overridden by her own sense of self in that equation.

It has to be her that was directing Percy, it's thanks to her he wins and yet as we see in this story with Percy doing his own thing against Annabeth's warnings (though understandably so) this isn't true.

It's frustrating. Annabeth is still ruled by her pride and it's frustrating that a story about CTF when they are much older was a chance to show how Annabeth has grown since the first one. But she hasn't. She can't. Annabeth is the same as she always was and always will be.

That itself is the greatest tragedy of the series.

[sepublic]

Adding to the timeline of Darius and Eberwolf’s rebellion, it’s a fun little detail that right after almost being killed by Eda’s curse, they get a chance to talk with Raine properly and come to an understanding, which leads to the two suggesting the curse as a weapon against the coven; It makes sense, given how it completely negated two coven heads, and I imagine Darius’ Abomination form to be pretty unstoppable until it came across the decays of Archivist magic.

Raine seems to reiterate their refusal to involve Eda, and right after this scene we have Hollow Mind, which deals with the rebels’ attempt to invade Belos’ mindscape. Given Raine is established to pretty pro-murder, I don’t think it was as simple as learning the truth about the draining spell, since they seemed to have already figured it out; We see how damaging a mindscape can damage the individual themselves.

It seems their plan was to just assassinate Belos outright, since he knew the carvings necessary for the ritual. So was this Raine’s idea, a Plan B that they eventually pushed as a Plan A, because better to try taking out Belos ASAP, than let him attempt the draining spell at all, right? And of course this brings me to how the only other time we see a mindscape spell, it’s via Eda…

So did Eda teach it to Raine? After all, the mindscape spell the CATTs pull off seems to involve multiple forms of magic, so it tracks only Eda could do it for those reasons. That’s poetic; Raine using Eda’s magic to save Eda. Alas, it didn’t work out; The CATTs had to bail with Hunter’s presence. Maybe they would’ve succeeded if they’d made it in, or not, if it’s implied that Belos anticipated the attack; If Hunter heard rumors, it’s probable he heard it by eavesdropping on his uncle as Kikimora did.

And as for Luz? At that point, the plan was already a bust; She didn’t ruin anything. But she did put Hunter into the mindscape with her by accident. But as traumatizing as it was, it did inadvertently lead to Hunter’s survival, I suspect; If he didn’t see the truth with his own eyes, he might have realized it too late, and stuck with Belos up until the Day of Unity, and been killed at the skull. Kikimora wouldn’t have brought “Hunter” there herself, so the Hexsquad wouldn’t have followed her there, and thus King could not free the Collector.

In other words: Luz tackling Hunter saved the life of everyone with a sigil. Nice job, kiddo!

And so in a really roundabout way, Raine’s attempt to avoid using Eda to stop the draining spell saved everyone after all, as was Eda just dabbling in that kind of wild magic to begin with! That was one component to that whole outcome; The other was Raine confronting their avoidance by owning up to their mistakes, just as they own up to keeping Eda out of the loop for the sake of her kids, by involving all three. And look how it turned out!

It’s sad, but. It really took a lot of guts and acceptance on Raine’s part to face it head-on, eyes wide and back straight. They could’ve insisted otherwise, but by that point they’d learned their lesson to isolate Eda, after breaking up with her for doing the same to them. Different extenuating circumstances mind you, but it’s just. Wow. Likewise, Eda may have destroyed herself out of self-loathing at first, but this time she really is doing it for the isles, for the wild magic she always loved and defended; It’s how she earned the Bat Queen’s trust.

The first sacrifice was called off because it was done out of self-hatred, this one is done out of love, it’s actually for the kids Eda cares about, and not to cut herself off from them. And if it was those two Raine called it off for, it’s those two Raine lets it go on for.

[lynxiesblog]

It’s been almost a year since my last upload, so here’s a list of things I manifested since then 💖

Hii my luvs <3 here’s a list of things I manifested in the past 11 months ! Hopefully this helps you stay motivated about your desires because everything will work out .

This is also inspired by @youalreadyhavefullresults

・an iPhone 13

・money being given to me just because — literally got 160$ last week in CASH 🥰

・straight A’s in all my classes

・people complimenting me a LOT more — like every time I go out someone is either complimenting : my scent (my perfume), my makeup, my face, body (in a good way and non-creepy way), etc.

・braces — I had my braces at the time when I posted my 3dolc X Roe challenge but I’m still going to say I manifested them 🙄

・more friends — so many people that were in my grade and class last year that I didn’t talk to became my friends. My overall friend circle grew bigger

・more guy friends — most of my friends were girls which I love but I wanted to have some guy friends too and I got some 🤭 many of them added me to their close friends on Instagram and we hung out a lot during school (low key miss them)

・multiple people having a crush on me — I don’t know how to word this without it sounding weird but yeah😭. I had 4 dudes tell me they had a crush on me and they were low key attractive but my parents are kinda strict so no boyfriend for me (yet)

・my teachers liking me / being one of their favourite student — one of my teacher boosted my grade on my final report card, I didn’t even do any work that could give me extra credit.

(Pro tip : always be nice to your teachers like it’s so beneficial on the long run. Even when they’re low key assholes don’t hold a grudge)

・my anxiety whenever I have to present a presentation or speak out loud — I used to be so scared whenever I had to make a speech or just talk in front of people at school but I my fear went down. I’m still kinda nervous but so many subliminals helped me get over it.

・HUGE GLOW UP - OH MY GAWD, you guys I became so much prettier since I was last year no joke. I’ve had so many people stare at me in awe and compliment me. Like two weeks ago I was going grocery shopping alone since I have a store really close to me and I had to take the bus (I don’t have my drivers license yet 😔) and this lady that I sat next to full on turned and kept staring at me. When I looked at her she just smiled like kanaosj’akah!/&/$/78[•\*£\’s pls 💞

・acrylics — my mom wouldn’t let me get acrylic nails unless it was for a special event but she’s been letting me get one every month and I’m so so grateful

・a better relationship between my mom and dad — they have gotten so much nicer to one an other like my dad started buying gifts for my mom. It doesn’t happen very often but it’s a start

・my mom’s health

・a fun summer — compared to last year this summer has been way more exciting, even though I took summer classes for the month of June I still had so much fun and I still have a whole month to go

・finding lost items — you have no idea how many times I lost my AirPods because I sleep with them on overnight and whenever I wake up they are no where to be found 😭😭.

・getting a second ear piercing on each ear — my mom told me I could only get a 2nd piercing when I’d be 18 but I didn’t feel like waiting that long so I manifested she let me get them and she did 🙈. I got them last year during the time I posted my last post

・getting a KITTENN and a CATT — I’ve been wanting one so so badly and I’m finally getting one

・getting more clothes — I already have so many clothes and my mom said she would stop buying me some for a while , but she still bought me some and they are on the way 💞

・my parents finally getting their dream house 😩

・cute moments between me & my crush 🤭🤭

・greener eyes — my eyes have been getting lighter and look more green

・prettier 😽 (iykyk 😭😭)

・toxic people out of my life — specifically my old “friends”

[catcze]

HI CATTE! big fan of ur works!! glad to see another wrio filo fan !!, can I request wrio trying to learn filo for Filipino!reader !! I think it's super cute and I feel like he would probably become fluent in secret to surprise you !!!!!

Reblogs are greatly appreciated !!

「 FEAT : 」  Wriothesley x GN! Filipino! reader

「 ### : 」  Fluff, some swearing, but overall very good vibes ♡ Reader can speak Tagalog! I'll be real this is super cheesy esp the tagalog dialogue but SUE ME I love cheesy shit and this is self indulgent. Written pre-4.1 release.Translation for Tagalog dialogue found at the end!

AAAA HI BABY ♡ I cannot express how happy this made me ?!?!? Like, I'm bumping it up on the prio because it made me sooo kilig when i read it HAHAHAH I hope you like it lots !! (also if any filos have corrections/improvement on the tagalog dialogue pls lmk because I am notttt the best at writing in tagalog dialogue lmao) also ! I changed it and made him, like, not super \ fluent yet at Tagalog, hence why imo some of his dialogue sounds a bit;;; like, practiced? textbook? if that makes sense? HAHAH

Wriothesley doesn't have some big, grand reason for doing any of this. It's not your birthday or your anniversary or anything like that. He's not meeting your parents and he sure isn't planning on proposing just yet.

In all honesty, it all started from a quick kiss you pressed to his cheek and a string of words in a foreign language whispered into his ear.

"What did you say?" he asks when you pull away, a small smile on your face.

"I said mahal kita," you tell him, a hand resting on his arm. Your eyes soften almost imperceptibly when you say the phrase again. You sound so damn fond when you say it, it makes his heart want to skip a beat. "It's one of the most common ways to say 'I love you' in Tagalog."

"Can you say it again?" He asks, and you easily comply.

Mahal kita. Mahal kita. Mahal kita. I love you. He turns the words over and over in his head, then tries to replicate how you pronounce it with his own tongue, but the words come out a bit funny thanks to his fontainese accent. He's not used to the intonation of the language and it shows, if your amused little laugh was anything to go by.

"Like this," you tell him after watching him struggle for a bit and taking mercy on his poor tongue. "Repeat after me." Then you open your mouth wide, so he can see how you do it.

"Ma."

"Ma?"

"-hull."

"-hull."

"Kih."

"Kih?"

"Mhm. Tah."

"Tah."

"Put all that together, and you get mahal kita."

He tries it again, but it still comes out a bit funky. Not at all like how you say it, sounding buttery smooth and practically dripping with charisma. Despite this, you still smile at him like he's given you the world in your palms, or like you're about to cry from happiness. You press your lips against his, stealing the air right from his lungs and making his eyes flutter shut. He can never get tired of kissing you, he thinks, and if messing up a little bit gets him this much affection, he can only imagine what you'd be like if he improved.

"Mahal din kita," you mumble against his lips, breaking away but not straying far.

After that, unbeknownst to you, Wriothesley picked up what is essentially (but not actually the title) a Tagalog for dummies book and hunted down a guard in the fortress who can speak the language enough for him to consult whenever merely reading the words on a page was not enough.

You've also begun to speak Tagalog more and more around him since finding out his interest in the language. You've even managed to correct his pronunciation a little bit, despite how new much of it was new to him.

("You have to roll your r's a bit more, Wrio. Like... like you're purring, i guess?" That, in particular, he heard quite often. Who knew that his mother tongue said their r's differently from yours? Certainly not him.)

He eats up every bit of advice you give him in passing when he tries to replicate whatever word or phrase you just said, quietly taking note in his head and repeating the phrases back to himself even when you're not around. He goes to that one guard he had dubbed as his 'Tagalog tutor' and peppers them with questions so often that he figures it warrants him to hand over a particularly generous bonus later on for letting him as much of a bother as he is.

And finally, after a good long while of giving it his best effort, his tutor deems him able to hold a conversation in Tagalog well enough, and promptly pushes him out the door, telling him to 'go get 'em, boss.' before hastily locking the door behind him.

When Wriothesley wanders back to your living quarters, reassuring himself that he's been practicing for this, for you, and that even if he gets it a little bit wrong, you're probably going to be happy either way. Probably.

"Sweetheart?" He calls, coming inside. He follows your faint 'over here' to find you on your bed in your casuals, relaxing for the day.

When you catch sight of him, you smile, beckoning him close, just to press a kiss to his lips when he leans over. "Hey," you say, grinning up at him.

"Kumusta ka? Namiss kita, mahal. " He says, the words coming out a soft murmur against your lips. You pause for a good while, jaw dropping and brows furrowing in confusion, and Wriothesley fears that he could have messed up somehow. Then a wide smile breaks across your face as you glow with absolute delight.

"Hoy, talaga?! Nagtatagalog ka?" You sit up to be eye-to-eye with him, and you see nothing short of pride in his eyes. One of your hands flies up to cover your mouth as you gasp. "Woah, ang galing mo!"

And oh, it's one of the cutest things you've ever seen from him— Wriothesley smiles, just s little bit, and the slightest hints of a blush dust his face. It's adorable to see how he reacts to your praise.

Wriothesley's eyes dart away from yours, one of the few tells of embarrassment you've ever seen from him. "Pasensya na, di pa ako magaling magtagalog. Nag aaral pa lang ako."

"Kahit na!" You're clearly enthused, happy and grinning and buzzing with energy. "Namiss din kita! Okay naman ako. Ikaw? Kumain ka na ba?" You're wide awake and looking up at him like he hung the stars in the sky for you. Wriothesley is smiling now too. All those hours and late nights trying his best to get the words right, and this was the very reason why.

"Mhm, kanina pa, bago pumunta ko dito." One of his hands reaches up to your face. The callouses and scars of his hand drags a giggle from you as he tries to rub the sleep from your eyes. "Sana nakatulog ka ng maayos."

And compared to when you first told him you love him in your language, his Tagalog has improved by leaps and bounds. Still affected by his accent, yes, but his hard work showed through. It is that and the tenderness in his voice that makes you break this little song and dance between the two of you. Your hand reaches up to hold the one cupping your cheek, letting you lean further into his palm.

"Were you intending to surprise me? Because you certainly did. In a good way, I mean."

Wriothesley chuckles. "I'm glad. Been trying to learn it since that first time, and I think I'm making some progress. Though anything more than a simple conversation is still a bit much for me."

"Kahit na," you repeat yourself, "You're amazing! You got so good! Oh, we are going to have so much fun having secret conversations that no one else can understand."

He playfully quirks an eyebrow at that. "While that's definitely going to be some fun, I really wanted to learn how to, ah, tell you that I love you back."

"Oh." Again, you pause. "Well. Here's your chance, I guess." And you smile at him again, the one that has his heart skipping a beat. Wrapping your arms around his shoulders to pull him into your space, you press your forehead against his and close your eyes. He can feel your breath tickle against his lips, and he almost sighs in response.

"Mahal kita, Wriothesley."

"Mahal din kita, my love."

Translation:

"Kumusta ka? Namiss kita, mahal. " — "How are you? I missed you, love."

"Hoy, talaga?! Nagtatagalog ka? — "Hey, really?! You're actually speaking Tagalog?"

"Pasensya na, di pa ako magaling magtagalog. Nag aaral pa lang ako." — (spoken sorta formally) "Sorry, I'm not very good at speaking Tagalog yet. I'm still learning."

"Kahit na!" "Namiss din kita! Okay naman ako. Ikaw? Kumain ka na ba?" — "Even so!" "I missed you too! I'm fine. What about you? Have you eaten yet?"

"Mhm, kanina pa, bago pumunta ko dito." "Sana nakatulog ka ng maayos." — "Mhm, I did earlier, just before I came here." "Hopefully you had a good nap."

"Mahal kita, Wriothesley." — "I love you, Wriothesley."

"Mahal din kita, my love." — "I love you too, my love."

[juukai]

Center Stage

@just-a-floofy-catt I was your secret valentine! so sorry for the wait, I loved the idea of your glamrock adoring sun so I hope that I did the au justice! (do you have an ao3 handle? I can add it there too)

SunxMoon Word count: 5035

Moon expected that there would be a lot moregoing into this arrangement for Sun.

In the end, it was actually pretty simple: his discussion with the Glamrocks in private while he was out on a patrol one night was very fruitful, everyone seemed to like the idea.

That hadn't been something that Moon had expected, really. They all had been happy after a little while when he had taken Sun to see them during one of their rehearsals, but that didn't mean that they were necessarily looking to spend more time with him. At least, that had been what he'd thought.

He was perfectly aware of the reputation that both he and Sun had around the 'plex. He was scary, creepy, and painted into such a cartoonish monster who was cranky and libel to snap that he was just unapproachable in general, and Sun was said to be an anxious, loud, and overbearing mess. Neither of those were the case at all, but that didn't mean that people saw that.

Sun was sweet, he was so good with the children, and he was adorable in the way that he saw the good in people. Moon had been so worried that after everything that had happened that Sun would hate him, but in the end it wasn't something that he'd had to worry about at all. 

Sure, there was a lot for them to talk about, and there were conversations that they still sometimes had to have to address what had happened the night the little kid had been running around the pizzaplex with many of the animatronics, himself included, out for blood. It was hard, getting over these things, but Sun- with his almost infinite patience and understanding- was always there when Moon's progress in coming back from all that reached a snag that almost set him back a few steps.

He'd had to shake off that thinking after having his talk, though. That wasn't what he needed to concentrate on, what he wanted to. He was going to do something for his Sunny, something that was going to have him on cloud nine for ages to come, he hoped. He deserved it.

And it was the season to express one's love, after all.

There wasn't anything that either of them could do with chocolates, seeing as they didn't have the function to eat like Chica did, and Moon briefly considered flowers before he came to the realization that he didn't really have a way to get ahold of any; it wasn't like he could ask one of the daycare assistants or night guards to pay for and bring him something to get for Sun on top of what he had planned, to sweeten the deal.

So instead he waited until Sun was busy and he was able to slip away to start making paper roses in the days leading up to what he had arranged.It was a little tricky hiding them from Sun, but it helped that sun couldn't climb the walls. He could hide them in the ceiling tiles, where Sun never checked. Moon definitely didn't have a secret stash of little trinkets and stolen things up there that he didn't want his counterpart to know about... His paper roses weren't very good in the beginning, and he definitely wished that he had Sun's patience as he crumpled attempt after attempt while following tutorials from the internet that he played over and over again in his head until he finally had some presentable ones. And then after some more tries, some good ones.

So he was confident that Sun would like the ones that he left waiting in a giant bundle alongside a handmade card on the table in their room, along with a little paper of words that he didn't want to include on the card that he already knew Sun would save. He was sentimental that way.

My Drop of Sun-shine, the roses aren't your only gift. You remember your outfit to meet the Glams? Put that on and meet me in the theater when you're ready, I have a surprise for you. - Moon

Moon ducked out of their room and crawled along the ceiling- purely because he could and he liked to for the fun of it- and let himself out of their hidden door to skitter his way to the floor outside of it. He wasn't dressed any differently than normal save for a bowtie that an assistant had brought him jokingly that had a magnet hot-glued to the back of it to stick to him. He wasn't sure that it wasn't too silly, but he was confident that Sun would get a kick out of it whether he genuinely liked it or it just made him laugh.

He waited patiently slouched against the wall for his Other, aware that Sun would already have been up in their room by now with the cleaning done. That and even if he wasn't aware of how much time he had to wait just from Sun's routine, the heavily muffled sound when Sun found the yellow and blue paper roses definitely gave away that he'd found the little spread on the table. Moon snickered quietly to himself and hummed a low and slow tune while he gave Sun time to read the card, possibly fawn over it a little, and then read the small note to the side and hurry off to get himself changed.

When he heard excited footsteps approaching down the long L-shaped hall he stood up in an actual straight posture instead of his normal slouch outside of the radius of the door so that when it was thrown open he was in no danger of being hit.

Sure enough Sun burst through the door with more enthusiasm than was strictly necessary, his grin wild and eyes bright. It turned the smile on Moon's face soft and fond to see him like that, there was just no way to avoid being absolutely enamored with his celestial mirror. "Hi," he greeted.

Arms were around his neck and a chest crashed into his before he had a chance to dodge the oncoming hug, even if only just to pull back enough to soften the momentum. He didn't actually mind. Sun held him tight and Moon could feel the way that he was practically giddy with excitement. As always with Sun, it was nearly palpable. Moon hugged him back with arms wrapped low on his torso.

"Moonie! Did you make those flowers yourself? And the card?" Sun pulled back enough to look at him, and if they were human Moon would wonder if the grin stretched so wide on his face would hurt his cheeks. Luckily they weren't human, but Moon reached up to pinch a cheek on him anyway. Sun shook him off with a little laugh, then pulled back from him more. "Oh stars, are you wearing a tie?" His laugh grew, though he covered his mouth with one hand like that would muffle the sound. Like Moon would ever even want it to. "Where- where did you even get that?"

"Does it matter?" He reached up to straighten it after the assault on his person and tried to put up a playful air of dignity that a smirk he couldn't fight definitely ruined. "I happen to think I look handsome."

"You do! I didn't say that you didn't!" Sun's giggles calmed as he reached up to gently brush Moon's fingers aside so that he could actually get the bow straight and Moon tried hard to pretend that even the little touch affected him. He was never over those small moments of contact, let alone the large ones like that hug. "How do I look?"

Moon made a circular motion with one finger and Sun did a slow twirl for him as silently directed. He was dressed in pants other than their usual poofy attire with shoes to match the more 'rock star' look, with various other things he'd seen that the Glams had, like studded bands and piercings that were magnetic for him, since his rays were not actually pierced and neither of them wanted to do that. 

He even managed to make himself fake shoulder pads like some of them had, and Moon suspected that there were more magnets being utilized to keep them in place since he didn't actually see a tie around his neck for them. "Strike a pose." Sun did, pretending to be caught mid guitar riff. "Perfect. Like a real Glamrock."

While Sun didn't say anything to that Moon could easily feel the breeze that accompanied the quick few spins of his rays, one of his cutest happy little tells. His small pleased smile that he tried to hide also helped to read how the compliment affected him.

"Come on, are you ready for your surprise?" Moon held his hand out and squeezed gently at the fingers that eagerly laced with his.

"Of course!" Sun fell in step beside him as Moon started to lead the two of them out of the theater and towards the main atrium elevator outside of the daycare area. "But you really didn't have to do anything else for me besides the roses, Moonpie. Those and the card were more than enough."

Never one to resist a chance to tease him, he smiled cheekily. "Oh, so we can turn around and go cuddle up while we charge until my rounds?"

Sun's hold on his hand tightened. "No, no, no! I mean, there's no need to waste the surprise that you went to the trouble to set up!"

He chuckled, a deep rumble that he knew Sun liked when they were up close to each other. "Then I guess I really did have to, didn't I?" It was going to be worth it, he was so sure of it.

Idle chit-chat about the day with the kids filled the time that it took to get to the atrium from there. While he had been there for a lot of it, though usually with a different bunch of the kids than Sun, he still listened to him go on about the games that they played and the Valentine’s cards and candies that had been exchanged between their charges that day. Of course Sun also had little cards for them that he completed on the sly after the last child was checked in so he had a complete mental roster for names; just the cheap and brand-appropriate kind like the kid’s Parents bought from big stores by the box load. But Sun and Moon both had ones in there, on top of the main crew that Sun so idolized. Moon wouldn’t be surprised if Sun had managed to keep one card of each of the main four for himself.

The soft neon glow of the atrium was a welcome reprieve to Moon’s eyes after the harsh light of the daycare halls and the elevator, and in his opinion Sun positively glowed in the blues and purples. He might have been biased in thinking that blue looked good on him, though. Sun’s attention flitted around them at the colors and sounds of the space and all the different decor. It seemed that the novelty of it was yet to wear off, but that was fair given that he had been stuck inside the daycare without system permissions to leave for so long. Everything about the rest of the giant ‘plex was bound to stay new and exciting for a while and Moon couldn’t blame him one bit. He would have gone stir crazy being trapped in their space, it was a wonder to him that Sun never had. He always actually seemed nervous and a few hairs short of overwhelmed as he was getting used to it, really.

At the end of the giant open hall they started their approach to the stage and Moon could feel the moment that Sun realized that the Glamrocks were standing up there, instruments in hand for those who played, by the way that he started to pull on their joined hands as his pace increased and there was a swinging little skip to his step. Moon stifled his laughter and allowed himself to be hurried along. It was adorable to see that his counterpart was so quietly excited, or at least he was quiet about it up until they were within earshot of the stars of the 'plex.

"Hi!" He greeted loudly as he tugged Moon to jog the last few steps to get close to the base of the stage, who grumbled good-naturedly at the treatment. "What are you all doing? I thought that there weren't any practices happening today!"

Expressions ranging from happy smiles to teasing grins greeted them back. Chica came up to the edge of the stage, mirroring Sun's enthusiasm. No one else seemed surprised that it was those two who were the ones practically jumping in place. "Hiya, Lemondrop!" Using the strap of her guitar to keep it steady she moved the instrument behind her so that she could comfortably crouch down to get closer to Sun's height. "We made an exception tonight. There was a special request." She looked over Sun's shoulder at Moon and gave him a very obvious wink.

He rolled his eyes in return with a very theatrical open-mouthed scowl. "Subtle," he muttered, though Chica would hear him this close up— their audio processors were built well enough that despite the loud music that blasted them daily, they could hear far better than a human could. She just giggled at him without an ounce of remorse.

In that time that Moon had been watching her Sun had turned around and was looking at him with a slightly confused look, his head tilted a little to the side. He could almost see an added shine to them, like Sun was some sort of puppy trying his hardest to root out what the obvious thing meant. Moon's fake annoyance melted and he pulled Sun closer to him by their joined hands. "Surprise."

Sun glanced back over his shoulder at the Glamrocks, of which only Freddy was pretending to do something other than watch them interact. Chica had her chin in both of her hands while she listened to them and watched them closely, Roxy was next to Monty while the both of them didn't look particularly entertained, yet their attention didn't waver despite their act. None of them gave him any indication about what Moon was talking about though, so he was left turning back to Moon just as his other hand was taken so that Moon was gently holding onto the both of them.

"You asked them to perform on their night off?" he guessed.

That made Moon chuckle. "No. Well, yes." He knew that his expression was softer than he was generally comfortable with other people seeing on him as he looked at the sunny animatronic. He had a reputation to uphold, after all, but he was happy to let that go in moments like this for his Sun. "They're not the only ones that are going to put on a show."

That only made Sun look even more puzzled and Moon laughed. "Happy Valentine's day. Get up there."

"Wha-?" He looked back over at the Glamrocks and then incredulously at Moon. "No, you didn't."

It was hard not to laugh harder at that and he squeezed Sun's hands again but harder this time. "You say that, but they're waiting for you and you're dressed for the part." He grunted as Sun threw himself against him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders with an ecstatic cry. He stumbled back a step in surprise but recovered quickly enough and pressed his cheek against Sun's before nuzzling into him, enjoying the tickle of the mostly-retracted rays that accommodated his closeness. Sun was nearly vibrating against him with his excitement and that was just even more proof that Moon had made the right call in planning this for him for their Valentine's night. He looked up after a minute and after catching the looks that they were getting from the group he played an audio file of a throat clearing and tried to backoff a little, though Sun wasn't letting him go just yet.

"I think he likes the idea." He tried to play off.

Monty snorted in amusement and Roxy barked a laugh, meanwhile Chica was still watching them without having moved, though her expression was far more fond now. With very obvious reluctance Sun did eventually let go when Moon gave him a few pats on the back, but not before he left a kiss on Moon's cheek. "Just you wait until later, mister," he whispered just between the two of them. Then he was completely detached from Moon and bouncing up towards the stage.

Chica offered him a hand straight away and as she stood up she brought Sun up onto the stage with her without much effort on her part. Sun dusted himself off nervously once he was up with them and did his best to hide the excitement that Moon could see pouring off of him in waves. He wondered if the Glams realized just how ecstatic he really was. Obviously he knew what every single twitch meant in his partner, but he would hope so given how much time they spent together and just how carefully Moon studied Sun when he was sure that Sun wasn't paying any attention. Even when he was sometimes, though Sun tended to fluster easily in those moments.

He backed off to the actual viewing area of the stage while Sun teetered forwards and back from his heels to the balls of his feet and back again and talked with his idols. When he had first floated this request for help to make Sun's night extra special they had all already discussed what songs Sun would know to be able to perform with them. He didn't play any instruments, so he wouldn't be any help there, but Moon was happy to know that he'd get to hear him sing. They did so often enough in the daycare, Moon during naptime and at night when it was just the two of them, and Sun sometimes while they got the daycare back in order and cleaned down with different approved sanitizing agents, besides his silly preprogrammed clean up songs he taught the kids to build good habits both there and at home.

Moon wasn’t quite as fond of those as he was the others.

The lights around the stage dimmed even further at some invisible signal from one of the band mates- perhaps Freddy or one of the others could ping the system to activate certain preset routines- and the lights above and below it started as the music for one of the songs he had listed for them started playing. They must have decided on an order for a few of them while they were talking, which Moon was happy for. It made things less awkward and flow smoother with a partial plan already in place, he was sure. It also allowed them to get the music needed into the systems of the instrument players and a drum track that played in the background- why was there no drummer in a band?- all set up. Freddy passed Sun a mic as the two of them stood front and center on stage, though Freddy did stand a couple steps back to really let Sun have the literal spotlight.

To say that Moon was enraptured by the performance wouldn’t do it justice. Sun was visibly a little nervous but happy up there on stage with the eyes of his heroes and his partner on him but the longer the first song went on the more he came out of his shell. After the first song Monty came up to clap him on his shoulder pad and shouted encouragement while Chica played the opening riff to their next song. Sun looked like he would have been absolutely breathless if they had needed to breathe, Moon was sure that his fans had to be working in overdrive to keep him cool and not just from the heat of the lights.

By the time they had worked most of the way through the list that Moon had made, Sun was hamming it up on stage like he had an audience, like he’d been made for this. Perhaps it was a bit of their old theater programming and personality pieces that hadn’t been completely deleted or suppressed. Dressed as he was and floating between the multicolored stage lights as he was, he looked completely in his element and confident in a way that he sometimes lacked. It didn’t appear that he was brave enough to get too close to the Glamrocks but there were times when he approached them, stood back-to-back with Chica without coming into contact, half-faced Freddy who mirrored the pose while they sang together. Nothing at all could have made Moon happier than seeing Sun have so much fun up there with his idols.

Like all good things, though, it eventually came to an end. Sun jumped nimbly down from the stage after passing his mic back off to Freddy and ran up to Moon, who was already walking to meet him.

”Well? What did you think?” Sun asked excitedly, though Moon could tell that he’d tired himself out by the way that he wasn’t really bouncing or otherwise moving in place. His battery might be getting a little low after that performance, especially since he could hear the way that his fans were whirling inside his casing.

”You looked like a natural up there,” he assured. “Like you were always meant to be part of the band.” He couldn’t help but lay it on a little thick while it was just the two of them, the way that it flustered Sun was just too endearing. He smirked at him and chuckled when Sun pushed him for teasing him. “Really, though. You were great up there, you should sing more in the daycare even if it’s just after hours.”

”I could say the same to you! You have a great voice, you should let more people hear you sing!” Sun put his hands on his hips and leaned forward into Moon’s personal bubble.

”Who needs to sing? Should I get my guitar back out?” Without Moon having noticed Chica had come up behind Sun, who straightened with a squeak and whirled around.

”Oh, uh… Moon has a very nice voice when he sings to the kids at nap time. I was just saying that he should try singing more often too!” Sun wrapped an arm around one of Moon’s and brought him closer as Moon spluttered out his own rising embarrassment at now being under Chica’s attention.

For all that people tended to consider Chica a bit of an air head, from what Moon heard when people forgot that he was creeping around on his patrols, she adeptly picked up that he wasn't really comfortable with the idea. At least not for the moment. "Aw, I didn't know you sang for the kids! That's adorable, I bet it puts them out like a light, you seem like you'd have a good crooner voice."

Moon was never more tempted to pull his hat down to hide his face in his life.

"He does!" Sun piped up in the absence of Moon saying anything. "He tries to say that he's not really built for singing and that it's his music box-" Chica's beak moved to incredulously mouth 'music box' with a glint in her eyes after Sun without interrupting him- "but he can sing to it, so he's definitely just being modest."

Luckily the chicken seemed to be in the mood to take mercy on Moon. "Next time, okay Gumdrop? Just one song, pleeeease?"

Moon couldn't look at her when his fans audibly clicked into a higher gear to contend with the heat of his embarrassment. If he could blush there was little doubt in his mind that his entire face would be changing color. "I'll think about it."

His non-committal didn't at all phase her as she pumped an arm excitedly. It was easy to tell who was going to be the easiest of the four of them for Sun to befriend when she acted like this. "That's not a no!" And then she laughed in the face of his grumbling like Sun usually did when it was all just playful. A few more minutes were spent winding down from the performance while she and Sun talked about what a great surprise it had been and how well he'd done up on stage.

After a while Moon noticed Sun leaning more into him and letting Chica carry the conversation a little more. From his peripheral he watched him while allowing Chica to finish going down her current topic of discussion to check on him. Sun got like this when he was really starting to fade. He did have a softer happy look than what he'd been sporting this entire time, his energy level was definitely coming down.

"Alright," he interrupted before a new topic could take hold and keep them any longer. "I think I need to take him back to our room and get him charged up after a full day and then all that."

Sun made a whining sound and stood back up straight but otherwise didn't fight him on that assertion at all. "Can we come to another rehearsal night soon?"

The attention of the other bandmates was called for as they settled on a good night for the next one so that he and Sun could plan to attend, and then there were a chorus of goodbyes and encouraging words to Sun with echoes of goodnights to Moon. He was sure that he would see one or two of them when he went out later on his rounds, but he didn't bother to say as much and wished the Glams a good evening themselves before he started to herd Sun back towards the daycare.

The trip back was quiet but it was a very comfortable and content brand of quiet. It was something that neither of them felt the need to break until they were all the way back into their room, just basking in each other's company while the ambient music of the 'plex gave them a soundtrack to the walk back. Their hands stayed joined the entire time just as they had been on the way there, a tender mirroring to wrap their evening up.

"I feel bad. I didn't get anything like this for you at all," Sun said when both doors leading to their room were closed before he started to shuck off the bits of his Glamrock outfit.

"You made me a card and got your hands on some soft lights for our room." It was silly to keep his back turned to give Sun some privacy to get back into his normal attire but Moon did it all the same, smacking the magnetic bowtie to the door of the fuse box taking up space on their wall. When Sun complained about it, he just laughed and assured him that it wasn't dangerous and they might as well take advantage of the space.

"Yeah," Sun argued once they were back on topic again though he still sounded disgruntled, "but you got me time to be on stage with the Glamrocks. The Glamrocks, Moon."

He laughed, checking to see if Sun was ready for him to turn around before he did so and pulled him into a hug. "It's not a competition, Sunny. I wanted to make you happy, and I love what you did for me. That's what matters, right?"

The look that Sun gave him was one of someone who was melting under the sweetness of the moment but still wasn't entirely mollified. "... Fine. But you better be ready. Next year I'm going to knock your socks off."

"Good luck, I don't wear any." Moon snickered at the blustering annoyance that he was hit with for that and managed to pin Sun's arms to his sides when he started to struggle in his hold. "C'mon, bedtime. You were getting close to falling asleep in front of your heroes again."

"I was not!" Regardless of his huff of annoyance, and embarrassment, he still let Moon walk him over to their makeshift bed and allowed himself to be fussed over as Moon made sure that he laid himself down comfortably to rest. "Can I make one more request for the night?"

Moon was in the midst of getting himself situated beside Sun among the pillows and the plushies and a couple pilfered blankets that weren't 'quite up to his standards anymore' to be allowed down for the kids during naptime, and had definitely not been an excuse to bring them up to the tower. "Of course you can. Whether or not you get it..." He smirked at Sun's unamused look and used the distraction to get the jump on Sun by suddenly plugging their charging cord into its port on Sun's back.

Sun shuddered and breathed out a quick "jerk" before he relaxed back against Moon. "Will you sing for me for a little while? Just until I fall asleep?"

The question was just too sweet, Moon never stood a chance in being able to refuse it. He chuckled and shuffled around so that he was half sitting up and could hold Sun against his chest. "Of course, just for you." When he leaned to press a kiss to the top of Sun's head he was intercepted, instead meeting Sun's lips. He melted instantly, holding the gentle kiss for as long as Sun let him before Sun slowly put a small amount of distance between them. It was a disgustingly domestic moment of intimacy, staring at Sun after that simple, treasured kiss. There was nothing on this world that Moon would have traded it for.

He didn't bother to pay any attention to how long they stayed like that until Sun settled against his chest and this time allowed Moon to press an affectionate kiss to the top of his faceplate without interruption. "Will you sing my favorite one?" he asked sleepily.

"As if you had to ask, morning star."

[kowtownart]

Sending out a huge Merry Christmas to my beloved besties!!

@magnus-opus @the-spam-specialist @disastrouslyyours

Words can’t describe how much the three of you mean to me. When we all met because of our love for a silly little salesman, i never would’ve believed that i’d find the people i want to be close to forever. I took a leap of faith back then, almost three years ago now, and i’m forever so so very happy that i did.

You’re all so lovely and sweet and kind, sometimes i wonder how the heck i got lucky enough to be your friend. We’ve had so many fun times over the years, from our RP shenanigans, to ArtFight chains to playing Pokemon together, and even working on projects in call!! I can only hope that we continue finding new games to play and telling new stories and just hanging out.

This year has been an exceptionally hard one for me, for a lot of reasons, but knowing that you guys were there and always lending support when you could made it that much more bearable. I could never thank you enough for being there for me, for continuing to stay by my side through the last half of this year.

Someday i hope to meet you guys irl, whether one on one or as a group, i want to get the chance to say that i love you in person. To give each of you a giant hug before we go off to explore together. Even if i’m going to be blubbering like a big baby.

To Mags, Catt, and Amber; Thank you for being my friends and letting me be in your lives in one way or another. I love each and every one of you so so much, i hope you all have a fantastic Christmas!!

🫂💙🫂💙🫂💙

(Now for the bonus pictures!!)

Non-blurred

And the original sketch from 2022! I would’ve finished it but some things got in the way and i just hadn’t touched it until this past week. I always wanted to do something with it but i just felt too nervous before now! So throwback to Hocus and Mags’ Spam EX! Disk, Gramps and Birb were gonna be in the original sketch too somewhere but i kinda ran out of room… and motivation back then.

[disastrouslyyours]

For the ask game thing!! (feel free to skip any if you wanna!! <3)

13, 16 and 18 (hehe) for Gideon

4 and 7 for Phyllis!

(sorry Uncle Gray, but i'm pulling you outta the spotlight for this one! <3 )

Gray can’t be the center of attention all the time. So, starting with Gideon:

13. Do you have a voice claim for the character? What do you imagine they sound like?

Again, I’m terrible at these. Gideon’s voice is a little tricky for me to describe than Gray’s, but he sounds bright, boisterous, bold, and brash (and belongs in the trash). He’s very dynamic with his words and his inflection, very flashy and showy. But you probably assumed as much.

16. Are there any memes or running jokes associated with the character, both in- and out of universe?

The man himself is a walking joke. He’s the kind of guy who fumbles every pass that comes his way, yet still manages to come out on top. Nothing in particular comes to mind, but comment down below if you’re thinking of something I’m not.

18. Does the character have other characters connected to them? Do you have a family tree and “offscreen” connections made up for them or do they exist in a vacuum purely for the purpose of the story?

Gideon has a few connections! His secretary, Celeste, his designer, Gray, and his best friend, Catt (me myself and I, the most blatant and direct self insert). I’m really bad at giving my characters families and backgrounds, so I suppose right now he exists in a vacuum. (Aside from… a few visits to a certain house that a few friends might reside in. ;) hehe)

And moving on to the woman of all time, Phyllis!

4. Between name, appearance, personality, and role in story, what aspect do you struggle with the most?

Phyllis is one of my first characters and favorite characters, but I still haven’t nailed down her appearance! Her name, personality, and role all feel super solid to me, but I struggle to figure out what species of creature this former Hollywood starlet might be. Part of me wants to make her a bird of some sort, but drawing those is a little above my current skills. I want to figure her out soon though, so I can add her to my ArtFight list!

7. What is an aspect of their appearance that you like the most?

Funny follow up question! Her main inspirations are Bret Somers and Phyllis Diller (sorry I stole your name <3), and so I want her to have dramatic makeup and dramatic expressions. She might have dramatic, oversized glasses, but that’s TBD. She’ll follow a loosely 70s inspired wardrobe, so I imagine I’ll have a lot of fun thinking up outfits for her. Not quite the answer to this exact question, but it’s what I decided to say lol.

[angela-the-fox]

My Eddsworld Style of my OC cat.

Meet ✨Walter✨ the mixed Orange Ragdoll Cat.

Name: ✨Walter✨

Nickname: Wally, Waltito, Wal.

Wizard name: Walthazarbobalthazarfeefiefofalthazar IV

Gender: Male

Pronounce: He/they, xe/xem/xyr

Eye colors: Hazel

Fur color: Orange

Nose color: Pastel pink

Pads: Peach

Age: 6 years old

Personality: Quiet, silly, less talkative, more energetic, attractive, magically purrfect, less aggressive, positive and social friendly, also shy when meeting new people

Feature trait: Meow - squeak like a kitten meow from the newborn age (in my own description)

Likes: Cuddles, snuggles, kisses, being a shoulder pet, giving a lot of snacks, kneads, playful bites and scratch, being a lap cat, brushing his teeth (with my help of course), being limp in someone's arm while being carried (such a real ragdoll cat ☺️), likes to play with his toys, cuddle with plushies, giving grooms with his tongue.

Dislikes: Meow a lot (get embarrassed by his voice while meowing), separation anxiety, too much stress, having anger issues, seeing someone sad or in a bad mood or in a stressful day, arguments (he'll yowl when he doesn't like hearing some terrible arguments due to yelling or cussing).

Favorite food: Cat biscuits, chicken meat, cat candies (candies for cats with the flavored cat biscuits), some blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, red currants (his favorite).

Description:

Walter the orange cat really loves to be a cute floofy wizard of all cats, even everyone wishing that they could have a pet cat, like Walter himself. Despite looking at his hazel big pupils, always making like cool magics of all. Especially when he always doesn't meow a whole lot, which he likes to be quiet, which makes him comfortable. Not only that, he can sit in the position, then he can look like a real life 3D Dorito chip from Doritos. Which made everyone desperately want to cuddle the cutie patootie so much and give all the kisses and cuddles, like a stuffed plushie. Moreover, Walter is a very young adult cat in the words. Especially the fact that he is the most powerful wizard in the whole universe, but also the cutest.

Hint: Whenever you say to Walter, like "If i say your wizard name, can i get a kiss?", or cuddle or whatever. You say "Walthazarbobalthazarfeefiefofalthazar IV" and he'll do it as you asked for it. And he gives it to you as a response.

***

🎶Cute little fluffy magical wizard Dorito~ Waltito~🎶

***

P.s: The design version of the cat from Walter The Catt from TikTok and YouTube.

_____________________________

YouTube: @walterthecatt

TikTok: @walter.the.cat

[arbushq]

get to know your mutuals :P

thank you @catt-crossing :)

What's the origin of your username?

• that is my name. arbus h quarters. please do not wear it out💯🔥

OTP(s) + shipname:

• arasol (HS). i don’t really ship many things that often, i have a few i really like but they’re kinda my ride or die.

Favourite colour:

• purple :)

Song stuck in my head:

• nothing stuck in my head rn really. a recent one was pink triangle (weezer), and the last song i supposedly listened to was loser (beck)

Weirdest habit/trait:

• i talk to myself under my breath all the time. not even always like out of annoyance but like running jokes and stuff with myself.

Hobbies:

• drawing, and playing my guitar

If you work, what's your profession?

• i don’t actually have a solid job, but i have dabbled in some work with painting and cleaning houses

If you could have any job you wish what would you have?

• i don’t know. just one i like and feel comfortable with. one that allows me to untangle a bunch of wires. $15 to have me untangle your christmas lights, the holidays are right around the corner fellas.

Something you're good at:

• i don’t know. i don’t think about this sorta thing often. maybe walking very quietly.

Something you hate:

• modern home renovators. FUCK YOU.

Something you forget:

• i dunno. i can’t remember.

Your love language:

• quality time and words of affirmation.

Favourite movies/shows:

• i have so many, though off the top of my head:

• shows: dungeon meshi, the owl house, duckman, adventure time, regular show, clarence

• movies: juno, little miss sunshine, jennifer’s body, a bag of hammers, fantastic mr fox, edge of 17, booksmart, spvtw, atsv, the muppet movie

Favourite food:

• sandwich (doesn’t matter what kind)

Favourite animal:

• cat, rat, monkey

What were you like as a child?

• i used to hiss at people.

Favourite subject in school:

• i didn’t really have one. there was always something about the subject i didn’t like. i think in some ways it’s how it’s taught and who’s teaching it, but i digress. one of my favorite classes ever though was english 11.

Least favourite subject:

• algebra 2 i will be seeing you in hell.

What's your best character trait?

• i like to be silly

What's your worst character trait?

• i tend to bitch a lot.

If you could change any detail of your life right now, what would it be?

• to have more patience.

If you could travel in time, who would you like to meet?

• cavemen and i’d show them a magic trick or two i think.

tags, if you’re interested:

@subterra-rose @corvustion @imovyn @noelledeltarune @lesserdad @wizardelf

[cosmicjoke]

Hey, Cosmic. Sorry to see you getting more anon hate. You called it for sure, but I'm sure it gets tiring. Well, I came here to send a normal ask, but please accept this small kitten to accompany my initial question in case it helps you out:

https://www.tumblr.com/cute-catts/774421270638018560/mothers-love?source=share

Well, anyway, haha. These are not deep thoughts, but will we ever get to see Beth the Nurse again in This Life, After? I'm very fond of her. I think Levi seems to benefit from having someone older around, especially since he's the oldest of the main characters of the story. It must add to his overall impression of uselessness regarding himself. There's also a certain degree of comfort that comes from someone older that goes unmatched (given they're a good older person, obviously). Beth is arguably old enough to be his mother's age if she had him early on. He also likely doesn't have a lot of experience with good parental figures. Not that Kuchel didn't try, of course, but she didn't have the means to provide for him what he needed. So, Beth is familiar, but I bet her presence fills a little hole his "inner child" has, in a way.

Oh, and I also just happen to think Beth is sweet, lol. So that's that, too.

Hey starshower! First, thank you so much for your support and kind words as always! It is tiring getting anon hate, but at this point, I pretty much expect it. At the end of the day, these people are cowards, and I think deep down they know it, too. So they can keep trying, but it won't change the reality of what they are.

Anyway, thank you for the link! You know cats always brighten my day, haha.

To answer your question, yes, Beth is definitely going to show up again, and actually really soon, in the next chapter! I agree that it's actually really good for Levi to have an older adult around him, for all the reasons you laid out. And that's a great point too, about how Beth is actually old enough to be Levi's mother, since she's 20 plus years older than him, and it's true that Levi's never had a good or stable parental figure in his life. The fact Beth acts as a literal caretaker for Levi definitely adds to that sense of her being a kind of mother figure to him, I think. Hopefully I'll be able to work Beth into the story more frequently, too, because I really enjoy writing her as well, and her dynamic with Levi.

Anyway, thank you so much again for the ask and I'm glad you continue to enjoy my story!

[cattewife]

happy (late) new years from the catte!

this year i hope to draw more!

and also maybe... FINISH??? the h/ual/ian modern au series.... i was writing a tonne early december before the holidays hit and now i'm sitting on like 3 finished parts and 30k words in general that need me to finish part 5 (and do.... a lot of illustrations...) to post.

also i would like to maybe even work on my ideas for a (much more limited than the t/gcf one) m/dzs w/angx/ian series u///_///u

[toastedcatbread]

Last line challenge

RULES: In a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or however many as you like).

Thanks to @skadren for the tag. I've got so many WIP...

"Sephiroth sees it as a bud of resistance. The first sign of disobedience. And he would never stand for humans betraying him and turning against their god."

🐍☁️

I'm sure a lot of people have done this already, but just in case they haven't: @peanutbutter-nutella, @amakai, @r1ngbanana, @soranokumo-is-catt

Feel free to jump in!

[dynared]

Oh boy do I agree with your assessment that Skybound is able to execute its concepts much better than Earthspark! Despite Skybound technically being another G1 continuity, it feels fresh and original and fun, and DWJ has managed to take something old and turn it into something new, an area in which Earthspark failed somewhat. I mean, I respect what they tried to do, but due to so much being told rather than shown (ie, that one moment where Hashtag asked JB if Megatron’s harrowing story of redemption wasn’t the most beautiful thing he had ever heard? really felt like we were being told to like Megatron rather than simply shown a likeable Megatron, compared to those scenes with OP and the deer, OP saving Spike and a bunch of others with the Matrix, and him bonding with Sparkplug. It just feels more organic, ya know? And it lets the viewer form their own opinions without trying to constantly nudge them into thinking a certain way) made watching it very frustrating, and it felt like the writers were trying to tell us what to think about certain characters, and overall just not letting the story breathe and take shape on its own

Maybe it's just the differences between the mediums (namely the issue of budget for a CG show that reuses assets to save money), or maybe it's the quality and styles of the writers (Robert Kirkman and Daniel Warren Johnson are comic writers, first and foremost), but Skybound, throughout all of the Energon Universe, not just Transformers, has been very good at visual storytelling. Seeing reactions to events, having expressions and scenes tell the story in a way that if just described in the text would fall flat on its face, which in turn creates a richer world. Even in a book like the most recent issue of Cobra Commander, where the main battle is a battle of wits and words, the expressions, the surroundings, and the visuals create something that worlds alone, dialogue alone could not convey.

"Show, don't tell" is a basic tenant of writing, one that every writing teacher worth their salt will preach to their students. However, I can only blame so much of that difference on the medium. While Earthspark will never have the visual spectacle of the Skybound comics (there's a reason I want them animated by Studio Trigger) a lot of it is the writers themselves, who really want to beat the morals and messages of the story into your skull without any care for subtlety or nuance, especially Mae Catt, whose rejected script for a Drift episode had him married to Ratchet and debating a spiritual vs. pragmatic viewpoint with all the subtlety of a brick (and considering how badly Nightshade went over to the point the show got put on blast on Fox News, it's no wonder it was turned down and Catt was apparently let go for Season 2).

I'd forgive even that under the idea that it's a show for a much younger audience than the Energon Universe is for, but then you run into the issue of treating kids like morons, which kids hate. Even Marc Summers (host of Double Dare) pointed out on Quiet on the Set that the attraction of Nickelodeon to kids was that it didn't try to educate, talk down to, or preach to kids (which probably explains why he appeared so horrified at Dan Schneider's antics, but that's another story). Although noting that handicap that it's for kids goes back to a more obvious question, why would kids be invested in what's essentially a pseudo-sequel to a cartoon that ended its initial run of episodes in 1988, before some of their parents were even born? The franchise is literally 40 years old this year, and it's been 35 years since the last initial run of episodes aired, re-cut with a kid talking to a cardboard Powermaster Optimus Prime (while Japan was watching Star Saber battle Deathsaurus and his Decepticon forces). Why would kids connect to something they didn't see, aren't shown, and generally are only told in speeches why they should care about it? Skybound took the time to introduce everyone, in contrast, and make you care, even if you've been apathetic to the Robots in Disguise after years of poorly selling IDW comics that were only for a very specific subsection of a hardcore fan, and gave us reasons to care about the cast outside of the cast telling us why we should care.

Maybe Season 2 (which is going to air somewhere, Hasbro seems to have Paramount obligated to do so) will improve these issues, but I seriously doubt it. I just want Earthspark to finish at this point so we can get something else, even if, in a best-case scenario, an Energon Universe adaptation will take years to be feasible. At least Transformers One seems to be getting good feedback from test screenings.

[wildstar25]

Hello and happy one day until Halloween [:

I’ve been scrolling through your wol posting tag and I absolutely adore Arsay and her throuple with g’raha and y’shtola <3 I was curious, in your canon, what is Raha’s and Shtola’s relationship like without Arsay there and how has it changed over time? Would they count themselves as partners or just partners of Arsay?

Thank you so much for sharing your amazing gposes and artwork for your wol!! It has been a delight to look through. Have a great day [:

omg Thank you!!🥹 I love my catte throuple so much and it's so nice to hear other people like them and the posts I make about them too! That's a really good question. I can't seem to recall making a post about it since being caught up with the msq, so thank you for asking!

This ended up being quite long so I've place it under a read more haha apologies for rambling so much! As well, Happy halloween o/

Initially Shtola and Raha both considered themselves partners to Arsay first and foremost. They both cared for Arsay deeply and agreed to this poly situation because, after everything she's done for them, they wanted to do something for her that would make her happy. I also like to believe because they started off on the wrong foot, it took time for the two to build up trust in each other.

I have many side thoughts about how Raha held himself back while he lived out the persona of the Crystal Exarch, how his hesitance to the relationship caused Arsay to get upset, and how Y'shtola essentially saved the whole polycule very early on by telling the Exarch to get his head out of his ass stop living dishonestly and start thinking about what he really wants to do with his life. How that gave him the spark to think about the possibility of transferring his memories over to the version of himself on the source, since this version of him will never be free from the tower's grasp.

By the time everyone returns to the first, Raha and Shtola consider themselves trusted friends and deeply respect the importance they both have to Arsay. No words about it are exchanged, but there's a mutual understanding that for as long as this can go on for the three of them, it will. Shtola and Raha actually end up spending casual time together in the Rising Stones while Arsay is off doing warrior of light stuff. Turns out they actually have a lot to talk about together. Mostly about magical studies, but Y'shtola strikes me as someone who would be mildly curious to know of the event that took place in the timeline they erased, and Raha for sure would have loved to learn about Y'shtola's involvement in the warring triad stuff and the alexander raids. Plus they can theorize about history and mysteries of both the first and the source! By the time Endwalker starts, Arsay has noticed everyone seems a lot more comfortable with each other. She started asking to spend time all together more often then not. There was no real objections to this surprisingly. They all settle into a consistent dynamic around each other pretty naturally. If you were to ask Raha or Shtola how they defined their relationship at that point they would probably say they were just Arsay's partners and leave it at that. Ask Arsay and she might let slip how she caught the two snuggled up to each other while they were reading on the couch at her apartment.

[end of endwalker 6.0 spoilers from this point]

The next shift between the two is while on the Ragnarok waiting for Arsay to regain consciousness. I have a particular scene in my head which i cant gpose out since I don't have access to the environment so here it is described: --

Y'shtola has placed herself against the wall of the ship, shifting from pose to pose doing her best to contain her nervous energy. They did all that they could to seal up as many of Arsay's wounds as possible. Still it was impossible to tell just how much blood Arsay had split prior to her arrival. What Y'shtola could see is that Arsay's aether was unbelievably weak, having been all but spent in a final clash with (presumably) Zenos. For all Y'shtola knew, Arsay's body arrived to them too late. Her head began to spiral at the thought. So much so that she had failed to notice G'raha had torn himself from Arsay's side to stand next to her. He looked at Y'shtola with a pitiful face, eyes puffy and red, lips pressed into a trembling frown. Neither of them had the wherewithal to speak at this point, and Y'shtola most certainly did not want to. Twelve forbid if a single being on that ship heard her voice shake or crack even the slightest. Instead, G'raha timidly put his hand around Y'shtola's and held it. It was a small gesture, something he'd often do whenever Arsay looked in need of support. It was a comfort to her, to hold hands with a loved one. The two stood together in silence. Their gazes fixed on to Arsay's motionless figure laying in the centre of the room. Y'shtola squeezed G'raha's hand ever so slightly. Holding on to someone you love was a great comfort indeed.

-- Perhaps its not an as romantically charged love, but its love! Shtola and Raha are part of Arsay's tribe and they've come to care deeply for each other. Again, I do not believe either would readily admit to those feelings publicly, but in private conversation with Arsay it's obvious how fond of each other they have become. (this is also when shtola and raha begin feeling more comfortable being intimate together with Arsay >w> she is notorious for doing everything for her partner and not really letting herself be focused on. The two of them work as a team to make sure arsay gets some attention *nods* )

And, imo?, their closeness is kinda backed up by the endwalker patch content where G'raha already knew where to find Y'shtola and did not hesitate to get her for the treasure hunt. And then many of the proceeding patches has Y'shtola saying in passing that she's been in constant communication with G'raha. okay yes im not delusional, I know they are brought up because of them having relevance to the things happening or being done in the plot but still! The way the dialogue is phrased I can't help but put my wolship glasses on lol. I figure Raha and Shtola keep pretty consistent contact even when they are busy doing their own thing, same as Arsay does with them. The most recent development for my wolship is that by 6.5, they are all pretty much married to each other. Unofficially, that is. No ceremony is held or anything of that vein. It was more that they all finally managed to say out loud how much they want to be in each other's lives no matter where the future takes them.

Eventually I picture the three of them getting a proper house together. Arsay surprises G'raha by importing a bunch of furnishings from the crystarium, and dedicates an entire room just for Y'shtola's book collection. She also brings back some flowers native to the Greatwoods for decoration. Until then though home is wherever they are together!

So yeah! thats the break down of grah and shtola part of graharshtola!

thank you for reading, asking the question, and sending such a sweet message about my blorbos. Hope you have a fantastic day <3