#also they're a little older so I get to give them growth and have it feel real lmao

[griefabyss69]

Ghost 👻

So this isn't something I've shared before, but I started it in October on the same day I started shrapnel! It's Tommy x Carol x Steve + Carol x Robin, college au. I'm not super into second chance fics but I think the theme works really well for Tommy & Carol with Steve.

It's been really interesting digging into a Tommy POV!!! There's a lot in there it turns out.

This scene is after Carol already ran into Steve and Robin and they planned to get coffee and catch up, and now she's bringing Tommy with her.

Tommy can't even look at himself right now. Carol inspects his teeth for him and even looks to see if his nervous sweat is showing through his over shirt. She's a sturdy tree branch and he's a raccoon, clinging for his life. "C'mon, you look like ten times hotter than you used to," she says, kissing him like five times as she does. "So it doesn't even matter what you look like compared to last week, because he'll still be impressed." That all seems like a lie, but he can't think about it. "And I'll talk so much he won't even notice that you're too nervous to open your mouth," she says. Another kiss - those are helping. "Besides, Buckley's mother was a radio and her father was a jukebox, or something. She never shuts up." Tommy nods. He vaguely finds the joke funny. He looks down at himself one last time before Carol half-drags him out of her room. He feels like he left his ghost in there.

Word guess WIP game

[kedreeva]

A couple months back, my neighbor wanted to get some Spitzhauben hatching eggs for his wife, so he asked me for help finding some good ones, from a good breeder. So I dug around for a bit, since Spitz are a bit of a rare breed, and found a few options that looked decent. One of them happened to be in Michigan with us, maybe a little over an hour from us, so I arranged to go pick them up in person to avoid the stresses of shipping on the eggs.

I picked up a dozen (baker's dozen, she added a few extra just in case), and a half dozen of the Marans eggs for myself (she gave me a discount because fertility hadn't been tested yet, as long as I promised to report growth/hatch rate and update about what comes out) because she claimed to have good quality and her eggs looked to be decent quality. She was really nice, very chatty, and the eggs looked great in person, too.

12 of the spitz eggs hatched, and 3 of the BCM. The BCM chicks looked great but they were being stressed OUT by the quail chicks they were in with, so I snuck them into the brooder with the spitz when I closed up the neighbor's birds one evening while they were out.

I've visited them a few times since, and they've been looking good, but they're finally to an age where on the BCM you can tell sex- perfect ratio, one rooster, two hens.

Now, I used to keep and breed BCM a long time ago. I had wanted to get into showing (never got around to it for several reasons), and I'd dealt with several lines. My original line that I'd mixed from a couple different people always produced REALLY stellar roosters- big lads with sweet, docile personalities that were 100% ready to die for their ladies, whom they always treated well. For roosters, those are all REALLY important qualities. The ideal is a rooster that treats his ladies well, is willing to fight to the death to defend them if something comes after them BUT--- importantly can tell the difference between a predator and a human who is messing with the hens (picking up, moving, treating w/ meds, whatever). Ideally, if a hen makes a noise of distress, the rooster come BOLTING to her at top fucking speed ready to kick ass, but stops dead if he sees it's just a human. And I HAD that- I used to sell the roosters to folks (SELL them, I never had to give away a rooster) as flock protectors, and I would get people coming back to buy another after their guy died defending the girls while free ranging. It's sad, but it's also one of two reasons to have a rooster.

And I see all the time people posting about their mean roosters, about how to handle roosters that are mean to humans, or people telling others oh the rooster is just young and roosters are mean when they're young and they'll mellow out when they get older, just keep putting up with it. Power through.

NO! There is almost* NEVER a reason to tolerate a nasty rooster- one that's mean to the girls, or to humans. This BCM rooster is only a few months old, but you can already see the purpose that's been bred into him. I picked up one of his girls and she went :( and he came RUNNING over to see what was wrong, looked me up and down and went nah that's cool, and then checked on all the other girls. Just in case. I went to move them from their cage to the big play pen that's set up for them, and I thought oh this is going to be a circus, trying to catch them all. The Spitzhauben were acting insane, like I was trying to kill them by looking at them. I braced the carry bin on the edge of the door, expecting to reach in to (try to) grab each bird and put them in. But no. This rooster walked over, got in, called the others, and they all chilled right out, came over and jumped into the bin with him. He's in the playpen right now just watching over all the others. If someone gets into an argument, he runs over and gets between them, and then checks on them both after. When he lies down, the others come lie down with him. On him.

THIS is what a good rooster looks like. Not in a year, not in two years. Right from the getgo, the instincts are all there. Hormones shouldn't eliminate/supercede this behavior- they shouldn't turn a bird into an asshole. They should instigate a second set of rooster behaviors- dancing/courting, tidbitting, and mating attempts. Running girls ragged, pulling feathers, causing injury, attacking people- these are all poor breeding and/or handling problems. These are things that can (and SHOULD) be selected against when breeding fowl

*The "almost" never is that a breeder starting out may not have a choice when it comes to shitty personalities- they may find themselves having to tolerate the least shitty for a few generations, until the personalities show improvement. In this case, most (good) breeders know better than to dump the wash outs on the unsuspecting, and will instead do hard culls for food or sell to folks raising food or who are aware of the personality problems. In any case any tolerance should be an in-progress tolerance, not an endgame result.

[mylovesstuffs]

OT13 reaction to an older s/o

Request: Hi, Celeste! Just gotta say, it's been months of me following you, and I absolutely live for your content! 💜 I just came across your "Younger SO" for SVT, and I was wondering if you can do the opposite: SVT with an older SO? Thank you for considering!

A/N: Whether it’s a few months or a few years, these boys would absolutely thrive with a ‘noona’ s/o who has a little extra life experience + I think they're very cool with both younger and older s/o. Also, hi hi!! Tysm, I’m so happy you enjoy the content and stuck around this long.

Seungcheol: He is a leader with so many members to handle, so being with someone who’s just a bit older, gives him a sense of calm. Loves when you guide him through decisions or offer wisdom, but also gets adorably sulky when you tease him for being younger. “I’m still oppa in this house,” he’ll say while reaching for your hand in public.

Jeonghan: You being older? He’s using it. Teasing you? Constant. “You should take care of me~” He lives for the dynamic. Always playing it up, but deep down he respects the maturity and insight you bring to the relationship. Plus, he finds older s/o's incredibly attractive; something about the confidence and experience just does it for him.

Joshua: The “age is just a number” kind of guy [ahem, que that fancall]. He’d love having deeper, mature conversations and would appreciate the emotional intelligence you bring. He’s probably calling you “baby” just to balance the dynamic a bit, but when things get hard, your ability to stay grounded makes him love you even more.

Jun: I don't think he actually doesn’t notice the age gap. You’re older? Oh. Cool. Jun is too much of a vibes/personality-first person to really care. He’s charmed by your poise, but also still drags you into pillow fights. If anyone points it out, he’ll just blink and say, “So?” Because to him, your soul feels like it matches his.

Hoshi: He jokes that you’re “the boss” in the relationship, but he adores it. He’s all about affectionate teasing, spontaneous affection, and showing off for you. He also really wants to impress you and is always a little extra excited when you praise or encourage him. You bring out the more grounded side of him without dulling his sparkle.

Wonwoo: He’s so so soft for someone who brings emotional clarity and maturity into his life. He’s not the type to care about age gaps at all, but he’ll note how soothing it is to be with someone who has a stable energy. Will 100% ask for book recommendations and sit with you in peaceful silence like it’s love language gold.

Woozi: You being older makes him feel a little relieved, he doesn’t have to over-explain his workaholic tendencies or emotional blocks. He values how self-aware you are, and he absorbs your perspectives like a sponge. Plus, he finds the way you handle conflict so hot. If anyone comments on the age thing, he gives them the death glare.

Dokyeom: He’s all giggles and heart eyes, older s/o or not, but he definitely benefits from your emotional maturity. When he gets overwhelmed, you know how to help him reset. He’ll call you “Noona~” in the most singsong way, but still treat you with total love, babying and respect.

Mingyu: Will still insist he can carry all the groceries himself. He’s a bit extra about wanting to prove himself, especially if you’re accomplished or confident. Loves it when you guide him but also wants to be the one taking care of you. Over time, he realizes you don’t need “taking care of,” and starts just enjoying how easy it is to be himself around you.

Minghao: Old soul meets old soul 😌😂 He goes the best with someone older anyway. He’s all about mutual growth, and an older s/o is often more emotionally steady, which suits him perfectly. He appreciates the lack of drama and the introspective conversations you bring. He’d never flaunt the age gap, but he would brag about you non-stop.

Seungkwan: At first, he might be shy or overthink things, wondering if he’s “enough” for you. But once he’s reassured, he’s in. Loves having someone who can match his emotions but handle them a bit more maturely. You make him feel secure and loved, which is everything he really needs.

Vernon: To Vernon, age doesn’t equal power; energy does. If you match his energy and give him space to be himself, he’s head over heels. He’ll appreciate that you’ve probably figured yourself out more, and he finds your confidence very attractive. Bonus: he never forgets your coffee order or how you take your ramen.

Dino: He loves older s/o's but can get a little flustered about proving he’s mature enough. You’re a source of motivation for him, so he wants to meet your standards and show you he’s grown. Will occasionally pout if you “Noona” him, but secretly loves it. Your stability + his ambition = power couple.

[starmahgalaxies]

The sibling energy starting off this movie I am dying for. Hikari is such a troll; I love her.

I want! The little notice and delivery message is so goddamn cute. Early 2000s web and mail pages whiplash tho.

Egg!

I will never not laugh at this dumb joke. Doesn't matter the language or anything else. Whenever I see it I'm just like "egg!" Makes me think of Tamagotchi too.

A nuke destroying the credits is morbid as hell. My first reaction seeing the Japanese credits was ...okay then. lmao.

Kuramon is so cute. A little gremlin in disguise but so cute. I like how they compare it to a jellyfish... and continue refer them as a jellyfish even as I will call Infermon and Diablomon more of a spider with the spindly legs (not enough of them, first thought is still spider though).

The desktop layout and everything is sure taking me back to my childhood. I love depending on the program or file he has a bilingual desktop

...IS THAT NETSCAPE?!

Taichi, there's no reason to be jealous of Koushiro's penpal. The first person Koushiro decided to come to was you, chill. lol. They're such silly beans.

TSUMEMON MY BABY!! I love you lil' one so much, even if the anime gives you the least amount of time to shine. (this is literally it for this movie. Kuramon is everywhere is the whole point next time around. I may be a little bitter as it is my favorite stage and favorite lil' lil' guy, but I still enjoy the other evos)

I get the POS failing at the cash registers, but I always found it a bit weird that the prices for already printed barcodes and labels are changed when they're not connected to the internet? They are printed; they are done, how? Unless they are implying they've been labeled in the last few minutes or something else.

So begins a long game of phone tag.

Koushiro silently judging his friends for not being able to communicate.

It could be like an old battle screen or menu for a game ❤️

I love the impression that if Hikari was losing she would have taken the out. "Yeah, bro, I'm losing bad, I'll come home when I can." That would be out of character for her, but it is funny to think about.

So continues the game of phone tag.

Taichi not being straightforward with Hikari. I'm like... you could have tried "it's urgent and people are in danger;" or "you'll get to see Tailmon again;" or anything really that is not sounding like a bossy older brother demanding her to ditch her friend's birthday party. Find better leads for the conversation next time XD.

My guys trying so hard to find a working computer, and they almost hit the mark right off the back. Nope, nope... no.

No, no! Koushiro, do not fall for empty stomach. You are going to get distracted, and then you are going to regret it!

Infermon is such a troll. I didn't recognize I took a screencap while the sign was spinning upside down, but here we are. Another thing is that adds a lot of character is communicating mostly through electronical text messages (makes the phone call creepier, which I would have included if I had room).

A single motionless frame is hard to give as an example saying I like the animation in this movie, so I picked two that conveyed motion the best I could.

It's okay, little one. Next movie you'll get to spread your wings 👼.

Not to say I told you so, but I told you so.

I would say this is why you don't thump computers. I won't though (with any heat at least), poor kid is about to have a heart attack.

LMAO, HOW?!?

BBY SPOTTED!

Also damn Miyako hit a growth spurt in the next couple years. Girl is tiny.

*wonders in befuddlement once more why Adventure 2020 started with Our War Game when it can not hit these feels on the basis of being an introduction and not a sequel, which the original movie was* (I do actually like the start of 2020 reboot but I am much confusion)

That said... *rips heart out, steps on it* That feeling almost equates here.

LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOO!!!!!!

This is such a 2000s movie. The antagonist being beaten by poor internet speeds and influx of hundreds of thousands of spam mail. I love it so, so much.

If you didn't make it, you would already be dead.

Unless I keep on missing it, they never clarify/know that Odaiba is ground zero in the original. They mention they can't guess the trajectory or where it's going to land until... it happens. That would be heartbreaking. For the audience in a tragedy. Everyone at ground zero would already be dead.

I'm pretty sure neutralizing a nuke isn't as simple as they have it, but I'll let it slide. I love this movie. I don't want precious kids (and countless people) dead, so it's fine.

Thank you for sticking with my meme-y long posts. I like that 54 episodes + movie easily are divided into weekdays over a couple months. If you don't care, well, you probably aren't seeing or reading this far so... XD

I will likely do a post about when I'll start 02 posts (the season itself I am almost done with watching). I know I'll be taking a break but still should start this summer.

👋

[bernardisgross]

Bim bam boum ! Here's the whole comic i drew for Crossroads @zine--garden , a zine focused one showing and sharing love for Hunter x Hunter ^^

I chose to focus on my two favorite teachers !!!

Bonus, making of & talk in the read more⬇

I was very happy to be able to participate and even more happy to finally share a headcanon i've had for years about Bisky and Wing's meeting.

I don't know how clear it is but basically, Wing is a young nen user who happens to have been taken in by a big criminal family. The boss is using his abilities to forge precious gems from cheap materials, passing them as precious gems he bought for his collection. As a renown collector, he also sells the gems and makes tons of money from it. As Wing's skills become sharper though, his forged gems become more and more precious, making it difficult to tell them apart from real ones.

Having sold a good gem in a batch of "bad" ones, the boss is trying to get it back, framing his client as a thief. He calls for Bisky (a "young" hunter with a good resume) planning to trick her into committing insurance fraud in his place. Unfortunately, she's got a better eye than he thought, and asks for the good gem as compensation.

Feeling antsy about his money, the boss accepts, already planning to get rid of her once the job is done.

Bisky can sense the residual nen from Wing the moment she meets him, that's why she demands he comes with her. She wants to make sure at first that this is a normal child in the wrong place rather than the boss's actual associate.

Making him her disciple just came along the way because she honestly didn't know what to do with that kid LOL but didn't want to return him to a bad place. Also, she saw his potential. Here's a rejected final page (rejected bc I couldn't tie the text properly and wasn't very happy with the visual) where it's a bit clearer that she's got back with the good gem and values it a lot BECAUSE it was made by Wing. (also metaphor, analogy blabla)

I love teachers/masters in stories, i love that trope so much!! It's always so interesting to me to have someone older and wiser share their knowledge with the young waiting for nothing in return. Nurturing and loving, becoming a support with the only satisfaction to witness the growth and blossoming of someone else. I think it's so beautiful to help others in this way, to give a little of yourself with kindness.

I think if touches on other tropes i'm sensitive to like found family etc... So of course, i've loved Bisky & Wings for a looong time, and i'm even more obsessed with the fact they're on the same line of teachers 🥺💕

I was always curious about how they could have met and what could have moved Bisky to take him under ... her ..................... wing.....🔥🔥🔥 lol... anyways !!! I went full indulgence and comics are not my thing at all so if you've enjoyed it, i'm very very, very blessed and happy ^^ !!!

I've also included a rejected sketch of the cover with big Bisky :3

and here's a look at all her outfits !! I love Lolita alt fashion soo much, i do tend to latch onto characters who dress like this... and love making my own outfits for them too !!!

I also made a sticker of Palm for the merch bundles !!

Thank you so much if you've picked up Crossroads, it was great from the start !! I'm so lucky and so grateful to @/gachahugs and all the contributors for having me ^^ !! thank you thank you !

[on-a-lucky-tide]

i hope this isn’t too weird but im a young trans guy and i was just wondering when did you start to transition? i know some people didnt start until they were older and im a little nervous about taking testosterone shots due to my extensive fear of needles and having religious parents. how was it for you? was there any set backs? this whole question would be really awkward if you aren’t trans😭💔 so sorry if you aren’t and im just stupid💔

People say it's never too late to transition and they're right, but you also need to understand and prepare yourself for the different challenges you will face transitioning later in life. I'm going to be as gentle as I can, and I would always encourage you to transition because the positives of being fully and wholly yourself outweigh the negatives imo.

At the bottom, I've included pictures of trans men who transitioned from their mid twenties all the way through to mid sixties. I know of one who transitioned at 74. Enjoy.

1. Second puberty as an adult fuckin' sucks. You don't get the grace or the flexibility that a young person does. The acne, the hunger, the feral horniness and unwelcome erections with bottom growth. Be prepared. Don't go on any androgen blocking shit for the acne either, for obvious reasons.

2. Transitioning later means some things are permanent. Sorry. Your epiphyseal plates fuse between 14 and 20, sometimes as late as 25. That means your height is your height. Same with hand size, feet size, etc. But your muscles and skin thicken so it can give the impression of growth. Just remember that men come in all shapes and sizes even when they get the headstart of being born as one.

3. You have zero control over what does change. Receding hairline, general bodily hairiness including your beard, bottom growth, voice drop. You need to be prepared to embrace it all. Voice training can address the "froggy voice" effect and help you speak from your chest, not the back of your throat.

4. You will go through a period of being misgendered. Of being asked "what are you?" Of the general discomfort of being stared at and treated like shite until your puberty progresses. The world is hostile to transexuals right now. And you also, as a trans man, cannot expect the same safety nets as trans women in terms of community. Especially if you're not already "in" the queer community. Given your background, I can't say, but it's worth shoring up your mental health, resilience and working on building connections with other trans men who have pursued a medical transition so you have someone to discuss concerns and experiences with.

5. If you suffer from significant dysphoria around fat distribution, you need to be prepared to hit the gym. Testosterone will change some, but not all, without the assistance of dieting and exercise. It's not a quick fix and will take time.

6. You will lose people. People you believed were friends, family members, etc. You need to be ready to start again. This is particularly galling if you're in your thirties, forties, etc, because that's half a life time of networks that are under threat. But there is still time to rebuild these with the real you. (Edit: Even people who have professed to be "trans supportive"; a lot of people are performative and are fine with things as long as it's not affecting them directly. They are "trans supportive: abstract" not "trans supportive: actual".)

7. If you don't like needles, there's Testogel. Never take testosterone in pill form. Ever.

This is Ramses Underhill-Smith.

Professor Stephen Whittle.

Dr Charlie Adams.

Luke Pearson.

Court Peneiro.

Paul Batista.

Lucas Woods.

Landyn.

Devin Delani.

Darren.

[mswyrr]

They presented the possibility of older women--who were repeatedly described as "covenless witches" in a story that also repeatedly told us a witch needs a coven--finding community again and a new reason to live in each other and their own power and then "subverted our expectations" with these women dying to serve a male character's story.

That was the point of their stories. Him.

It isn't common for older women in US pop culture to get depicted as people who are capable of rebirth. Of lives, desires, hopes and dreams that matter beyond solely being a mother. It rarely happens, and it didn't happen here.

It's rare for stories to deal metaphorically with real things - like women who get clean or make positive change in their 40s or 50s. Women who find each other and aren't alone and "forgotten" anymore. These things happen -- yes, sisterhood is sometimes a lie and sometimes "people never change." Sure, those things happen. But sometimes sisterhood isn't a lie; sometimes people make change in their lives.

You don't see these stories when they're women though, especially not older women, especially not gay women.

I'm glad for Jen. She doesn't have a community, though. A witch needs a coven they told us, over and over again. They showed us them getting one small taste of the joy they could share together, in their scene of flight. But that was just for Billy too. And now everyone else is dead. To serve the male character's journey, give him some angst.

Agatha is forever spiritually dead--not experiencing any kind of emotional breakthrough or change--because she's not the lead, so she's static so she can serve as a device within the true lead's journey.

She can't even be allowed the growth I pictured as the worst case scenario - where she dies for *the coven*--so they can live and have community and spiritual rebirth together--and makes enough peace to go with Rio. She doesn't even get that much, to get to have a real death that matters and has a sense of completion to it, where we can imagine her reunited with her child and/or at peace with Rio. She can't have that because she has to be Billy's amusing sidekick, his Jarvis, his moral warning lesson about his powers and the witches he got killed and his angst. Because his story matters and theirs didn't.

I was talking to a friend the other day about how love stories often have a "point of symbolic death, when all hope seems lost" (concept from Pamela Regis's study of romance novel structure) and with mf couples they get to rise again from that, into rebirth, into new life. Ff canon couples in stories often, due to a bunch of reasons, aren't allowed that narrative power. They remain trapped in tragedy and despair. I thought surely Agatha herself though, as the lead character, would get to have some kind of change or rebirth as part of a community of women, given that her core wound is betrayal by community -- but she, as a character, doesn't get to go into the symbolic underworld and change and be reborn, because she was never the lead character to begin with.

Sapphic love remains broken once it breaks, the "point of symbolic death" is literal death or a shattering end, there is no rebirth. We, I guess, lack the symbolic potency to come back, in the eyes of the world? We are not generative. "Which one's the man?" "How do they even have sex?" "Your marriage isn't real because you can't make babies." (Kudos for subverting that one, though, show! Except... a child born of women, without a man, cannot live a full life I guess?) And specifically, as a 30something queer woman, people who call my wife, after I've described her as my wife, my "girlfriend" and are shocked by how long we've been together. That we're grown women and our commitment is right down to the bone, that it has blood in its veins. We are not little girls playing dress up. But that is how a ton of nice people see us; we exist but we are spiritually empty, lacking potency. And the stories reflect that. That energy, that core belief that we are the juvenile, non-generative form of love and relationships. And this woman too, she remains in a kind of eternal spiritual death.

That's why people are mentioning the Hayes Code, they're feeling how that aligns with larger cultural prejudice against us and our humanity and capacity to have the kind of power of living and loving that is ascribed to mf love and that more (though not always, misogyny is a hell of a thing) straight women get in stories.

The idea that it's GOOD for a story to do this, because "sometimes sisterhood is a lie" and "sometimes people don't change" ignores that context of who precisely this narrative "subversion," this spiritual aridity is given to. And who gets to live and grow and be reborn and strive and learn and become in stories, to be allowed to connect with the transformative potential inside themselves and each other.

The show did give us a lot -- I think it's important to recognize that. The canon ff love; I would have never expected that. The canon kiss. They put a lot into that and I honor that. This wasn't a classic "bury your gays" and I'm not mad at them. They did their best. A lot of the issues I have are probably due to the problems of the mcu overall and how static it is. But the deeper themes are also just incredibly disappointing to me, and I wanted to outline why.

It's entirely possible to be disappointed but appreciate context and not be unkind to creatives who did their best within overall industry/cultural limitations, which is where I am at and what I mean with this.

[callofdudes]

141 + Rodolfo & Laswell general headcanons

Before he was Ghost (and still sometimes after) he was the guy you'd go to if you had a rip in something or wanted something stitched/embroidered.

His brother was the type to bully him like he did, but if anyone outside the home tried to hurt Simon Tommy would beat them.

Had a schedule where he was to be home straight after school but would sometimes get to go dirt bike riding with Tommy.

Was a prime bullies target because he was very small before his growth spurts. And after said growth spurt has a lot of stretch marks around most of his muscle area.

Is the favorite child of Laswell.

Loves squishmellows, has many.

Will eat Thrills gum just to spite everyone even though it tastes like dish soap and he hates it.

Brings all Gossip to Gaz first.

Because of trauma and stress Simon gets constant migraines and everyone knows to avoid him because he gets insanely cranky.

Knows spanish from how long he was kept in mexico.

Used to play those computer games where you had to input the command of what you wanted the simulation to do.

Doesn't like VR. It's cool but he gets motion sick inside.

Huge mama's boy.

Had braces when he was younger but it didn't stop him from showing off his amazing smile.

Used to bug his older sisters with nerd guns.

I like the idea of Johnny being the youngest chaos gremlin but being the middle child also works for him. (Of two or three sisters)

His parents let him be in football because he was a very smart kid. Topping his science and math classes and becoming valedictorian of his class.

He thinks he's the favorite child of Laswell.

Gets scared when Simon tells him about pixel command prompt games.

While his sisters were watching Frozen he was dealing with the weird crush he had on the king.

Steals pick up lines from Kyle.

Doesn't voice his achievements a whole lot because he wasn't enough for his dad when he was younger no matter what he did. Which has led to his snarky form of confidence and Rizz.

Even older people with take credit for his work and he will fight.

Was 100% a theatre kid.

And an only child.

Is scared to come out even to people close to him after what happened when his platoon mates first found out and wouldn't let it go.

Also thinks he's the favorite child.

Almost got his eyebrow pierced once.

Started to learn what a good father should be because of Price.

Brings all gossip to Ghost first.

Massive people watcher. People credit Ghost for his people watching but it just gives Kyle more opportunity to also people watch.

Has a mentor/big brother little brother relationship with Ghost and they're actually very close.

Used to be a menace when he was younger, and to be fair he still is.

Can't have kids because his balls don't work very well 😅

He was in history in school and was also very good at math.

The Duolingo bird hates him for some reason so he's taken to learning languages from interrogations, now knows 7 languages.

Is Nikolai's permanent backup plan if some shit goes down in Russia and has gotten used to waking up with the man asleep on his couch.

Attracts girls looking for older rich men and it pains him to tell them he is not old, nor is he rich.

Had a strict Military dad who currently still works for the military as a higher rank than him and they do not have a good relationship.

Spends most of her leave time up in the mountains camping. She loves being out in nature.

Has older brothers who are really into rock climbing so she'll accompany them and their friends for rock climbing and camping when she can.

Simon is the favorite child.

Everyone thinks she's married to Price but she'd actually scold him like a child half the day and encourage his antics like a good friend for the rest.

Was in the history and chest club.

Keeps gifting Simon his squishmellows.

Mother to all her 141 children.

Brings her wife to base and Johnny had taken to calling them the "moms".

Will bully people for 141.

Have you ever seen the crazy taser girl?? Yeah, that's him. He has many tasers and he loves them all.

He's actually crazy.

Very capable of yelling and defending himself but Alejandro has bestie senses and usually beats him to whoever did it.

Rudy is quiet but don't bark at him because he barks back.

Alejandro and Rudy used to skip school and go hang out on the cliffs they now trek for military.

His father made a joke once that he was going to get milk and Rudy never recovered mentally.

(and then he left for real-)

He was in photography and sports team manager in school.

After checking out each other's turf, Simon and Rudy are now chronically insane besties.

(had this in my drafts for a while, decided to post because I'm bored.)

[mermaidslabyrinth]

I think I may have confused myself, but how many times does Daemon get married in your story? 💕

First off, thank you for the question.

No worries I more than likely haven’t made it clear. And that's on me more than anything. Mostly because I’ve never talked about Geda.

Daemon does marry 5 times in my story: 1) Rhea Royce. She dies as she does in the show. 2) Igreyn Belmore (my OC). She dies from childbed fever. 3) Laena Velaryon. She dies as she does in the show. 4) Rhaenyra Targaryen. I haven’t revealed how she passes in my story. 5) Geda Vance of Wayfarer’s Rest (my OC). She outlives Daemon.

Geda appears way towards the end of my story.

I can go into a little bit about her under the cut.

Her face claim is Gaia Mondadori. She just gives off the mixture of Igreyn and young Rhaenyra for me.

I have no clue where her name came from. Idk if I was going off of Gyda, Geta, Gada. Not a clue. It's lost to me. But Geda fits her and so it's who she is. I chose Vance of Wayfarer's Rest for two reasons: 1) their history connected to the Targaryens and as well to the Blacks in the book. 2) I was going to have Igreyn be a Vance but changed it when I saw the sigil to House Belmore and thought it was an unnamed house. So Igreyn is a Belmore by chance.

Geda was created because I knew Rhaenyra would die in my story. And Daemon had some years left to live. So I gave him a fifth bride. She was at first just a prop for Daemon but she quickly became so much more. She had a voice and was going to be heard.

Geda is the daughter of Hugo Vance of Wayfarer's Rest. She was born in the year 127 AC. She has one sibling. A much older brother named Kevyn (118 AC) who is heir. Geda doesn't come into my story until Aegon III ascends the throne. She was at the coronation with her father and brother.

I won't go into detail on Rhaenyra's death. But she does sit the throne and is Queen. After her death Daemon was a widower. In my story he is not one who is the type to be alone. He always has to have someone near him.

I haven't fully fleshed her out mostly because she is like a character that would appear in the appendix of a story. But I will say she is kind and understanding. However, she also has a strength to her character that she does not take others guff so easily. She will fire back at others if possible. If not she will find Daemon and let him know how a person behaved. She sometimes borderlines on “brat behavior”. She knows who she is married to, the Rogue Prince, rider of Caraxes, and knows what he is capable of. Even in old age.

She may be devoted to Daemon but she also isn't a “silly little girl” that he can maneuver around for his pleasure. While she lets Daemon make a lot of the decisions, she also knows that he enjoys a little push back. A little push and pull. Almost how Daemon was with Rhaenyra when she was around that age. But at the age Daemon is when he marries Geda, it's more of an indulgent that he wants to dabble in and Geda easily rises to the challenge.

As a mother Geda is as fierce as any dragon would be protecting its clutch. She loves each of them dearly. Though she does have a favorite (Rhaerra). She doesn't spoil them but she doesn't discipline them either. She figures they're Targaryens and they can do as they please.

When Geda enters the picture, all of Daemon's children are either away from him or just “over” him. Baela is living on Driftmark. Rhaena is engaged to Garmund Hightower and soon to live in Oldtown. Rhagerys is on Dragonstone and then would live in the Vale a few years later. Aegon strongly dislikes his father on how he handled his mother's death. And Viserys has always been indifferent to the man. So, Daemon was alone and he had that need to have someone in his life. Who, in a way, revolved their life around him. Enter Geda.

Daemon has some personal growth in my story but not enough to fully change his ways. Geda is 14 when she marries Daemon. He is 60. Daemon honestly could have married anyone, within reason. But why pick someone who is set in their ways? When he could have someone be molded to his ways?

Daemon did not know how long he would live but he knew he wanted someone there to take care of him as he aged. Geda graciously stepped into the role of a wife and caretaker mixed into one. Almost a parallel to Alicent and Viserys. But unlike those two, Daemon never did make Geda feel less than or used. And to Geda, Daemon could do no wrong. In her eyes he raised and set the sun. Just what Daemon wanted. The back and forth they develop as the marriage progresses is jut an added bonus.

The marriage was not so much scandalous but it was met by his children with strong side eyes. Along with exasperated sighs. Especially when Daemon and Geda started having children.

That is all I have of Geda as of now. I do really like her, it's just she plays such a minor role that I don't talk about her much. But I should. Because she is quite the character. Particularly as she grows into her own and settles into her marriage with Daemon.

[blue-mint-winter]

Maegor's natural conception: debunking the dark magic baby theory

There is a popular theory that Maegor was conceived with dark magic. Some go even farther and say he was a clone of Aegon. I've been trying to find if anyone actually did a comprehensive write up of this theory, but I only found some more casual forum discussions on Maegor's and Aenys' paternity and whether Aegon was sterile and his sons were bastards. I decided to reason out what was the most likely explanation of Maegor's pecularities and why it's not a conception via dark magic.

Debunking the magical conception theory: why Maegor was NOT a dark magic baby

Arguments used to support the dark magic baby theory:

A rumour that Visenya practiced dark magic -> theory that she used dark magic to conceive.

A rumour that Visenya was barren, because she didn't conceive earlier despite being married to Aegon for years.

Other reasons for people thinking that Maegor was conceived with dark magic are:

His big size, great strength and fast growth in childhood.

His excessive cruelty.

His inability to have children that weren't stillborn and malformed.

There are two kinds of arguments - those related to Visenya, the supposed magical conceiver, and those related to Maegor - his magical conception is used to explain his unusual traits.

Assuming both rumours about Visenya are true - she was barren and knew magic to conceive - she had both a reason and means to create a dark magic baby Maegor. However, if she wasn't barren, she could just conceive naturally. It’s possible for Visenya to give birth at 41, as other women gave birth at an even older age, like Alyssa Velaryon at 47 and queen Alysanne at 44. She didn't need to use the dark magic.

That's when the supplementary theory comes in. If Aegon was sterile, then Aenys was a bastard and Visenya had to use dark magic to get pregnant.

The arguments related to Visenya are a lynchpin to this entire dark magic baby theory, because if she didn't use dark magic to make Maegor, then everything else doesn't matter. That's why debunking Maegor-related reasons isn't necessary, but I will still do it for my own satisfaction. Explaining why a character was evil with him being a dark magic baby is just a bit ridiculous for the world of ASOIAF. There are plenty of evil characters in the series and none of them were made with dark magic.

Dark magic and Visenya's knowledge of it

I think the best way to prove if there was magic involved in Maegor's conception is to look to the rest of the ASOIAF series and find a similar case of magic use. There were Melisandre's shadow babies, but they weren't real, living humans like Maegor.

On the other hand, there is a character whose storyline has to do with childbirth and magic - Daenerys. When she was pregnant, she ate a stallion's heart to strengthen her son in the womb, which could be a magic ritual. Then she met a real expert - Mirri Maz Duur was said to know everything about childbirth and never lost a baby. She was a godswife (a priestess, healer and midwife) and also she was taught birthing songs by a moonsinger of Jhogo Nhai, that is a place north of Yi-Ti.

So apparently there is a branch of magic involved with birthing in the series. There's nothing said however about conceiving. The information is so little that it's impossible to say if Visenya knew this type of magic or any magic related to conceiving children or if conception magic even exists (let me know if there are any leads in the books about that). There's no mention of Visenya making trips to far east of Essos to learn about this branch of magic. The book only tells that she went with Aegon to Oldtown before the Conquest, where she might have learned anything to do with poisons and magic. However, none of the maesters so far displayed knowledge of a magic used to conceive. They're proficient at making moontea, performing a C-section and using poisons.

As well, there are reliable reports of Aegon and his sister Visenya visiting the Citadel of Oldtown in their youth, and hawking on the Arbor as guests of Lord Redwyne.

Incidentally, the moonsingers founded Braavos. There's a Temple of Moonsingers and also House of the Red Hands, which is a great center of healing. That means that Braavos is the closest location to Westeros where one could learn about birthing songs. However, the book doesn't mention Visenya ever going there. Due to the history of Braavos being founded by escaped slaves hiding from dragonlords, it's very unlikely she would go there or even be welcomed. Or helped with making more little dragonlords. If she visited, it would have been a huge event for the Braavosi. Not even king Jaehaerys went to negotiate there for the stolen dragon eggs, he just sent Septon Barth.

The rumours about Visenya using dark magic claim she did it when she was older and couldn't use a sword. There are two mentions of rumours about Visenya using dark magic:

Even those who loved her best found Visenya stern, serious, and unforgiving; some said that she played with poisons and dabbled in dark sorceries.

The oldest of the three heads of the dragon, Visenya was to outlive both of her siblings, and it was rumored that in her later years, when she could no longer wield a sword, she delved into the dark arts, mixing poisons and casting malign spells. 

Poisons and malign spells seem useless when the goal is to conceive a child. That's a type of magic to deal with enemies and Visenya learning it even before Conquest makes sense, as she was going to help Aegon with the war.

During Maegor's reign Visenya was suspected of killing High Septon with dark magic from afar, before she arrived in Oldtown, but there were many more likely suspects closer to the dead man. In any case she is only implied to know killing magic, not conception magic.

One videomaker had an interesting point about using magic in ASOIAF. If Visenya used it in some way to conceive Maegor, she had to pay a price for it - his inability to have healthy children. It would be a logical and satisfying setup and payoff. On the other hand, if Visenya knew a magical way to conceive, why didn't she tell Maegor at any point so he could use it to have a son? It would have prevented many political problems, like his polygamy causing the Faith to rebel. Looking at it this way, it's more likely that Visenya didn't know how to conceive with magic.

The evidence in text that Maegor was conceived by Visenya with magic is nonexistent. It's at best very circumstantial. Additionally, I found no evidence that a type of magic to help with conceiving a child even exists. There is only magic that helps with birthing and strengthening a child. It could be what Visenya used on Maegor after his natural conception.

Why Maegor wasn't a dark magic baby

The strangeness about Maegor's childhood is linked to his big size and strength and most importantly, his fast growth, as if it was accelerated. He could defeat adults in a fight when he was 13. It looks like he reached physical maturity early. (As an aside, it would make sense if he was a clone, but in Star Wars universe - the clonetroopers' growth was accelerated so they reached maturity at 10 years old and could fight in a war).

No newborn was ever more robust than Maegor Targaryen, maesters and midwives agreed; his weight at birth was almost twice that of his elder brother.

On the other hand his brother:

Aenys came first. Born in 7 AC to Aegon’s younger wife, Rhaenys, the boy was small at birth and sickly.

It's interesting to note that Maegor was a robust baby. If Aenys was too small and Maegor was like two of him, then it seems that Maegor was large but within a norm for babies (or Visenya wouldn't have been able to birth him). Also, it sounds that Aenys was simply a premature baby and it caused his many problems with early development.

Magic affected the growth of dragons, as with time they were growing slower and becoming smaller which was connected with weaker magic in the world. It's possible magic was used to affect Maegor's growth as well, because Targaryens are said to be a blood of a dragon. Visenya was more likely to have knowledge of this kind of magic rather than magic to conceive (which, again, we can't prove even exists in the series).

Visenya could have used magic, like Daenerys eating a stallion's heart, to make Maegor strong, resulting in his fast growth. She could have bathed him in blood, like Sam Tarly who was bathed in blood by warlocks from Qohor to make him brave.

She could have given him potions so he'd put on muscle quickly. She could have put him on a protein-rich diet. She even could have used magical equivalent of a hormone therapy to make her son grow up faster. The point is that it's easier to make an existing baby strong than invent a new branch of magic to make a strong baby (especially if doing it naturally is more convenient). This isn't Harry Potter, where they put things in a cauldron, say a few words and a dark magic baby is made.

Maegor's exceptional physicality and cruelty can't be used as a proof that he was a dark magic baby. He's not even the first character having those exact same traits. Maegor shares many similarities with Gregor Clegane, known as The Mountain, like his big body and strength, cruelty, brutishness, dimness and suffering a serious head injury. Their lists of crimes are also very similar: rapes, kinslaying, fighting partisans (Faith Militant, Brotherhood without Banners), raiding, killing servants and innocents, killing a horse in anger, destroying half of a boy's face (Maegor - slashing a stableboy, Gregor - burning his brother), killing an Aegon, killing wives, allowing torture by their subordinates. Both of them were healed or possibly resurrected by a dark magic user (Maegor by Tyanna, Gregor by Qyburn). Even their names sound very similar. Maegor is just a Targaryen version of Gregor and anyone can guess that making Gregor a king would be as much of a disaster as Maegor's reign was. So if Gregor was like that without any magic involved in his conception, why would Maegor be any different?

Maegor's inability to conceive normal children can have numerous better explanations than him being a dark magic baby:

Ceryse was infertile (Hightowers knew about it before the marriage or Visenya used poison/magic to stop her from conceiving in hopes of Maegor getting an annulment and marrying Rhaena as his mother proposed to unite her and Rhaenys' lines).

Tyanna and/or maesters poisoned other wives (including Alys Harroway when she and Maegor were in Pentos and met Tyanna).

Maegor had some sort of genetic defect that made him infertile because he was an incest baby.

Tyanna used dark magic to heal/resurrect him and that interfered with his ability to have healthy children.

He was cursed.

He used bloodmagic himself - proof: all the mass murders and burnings that look like blood sacrifices, he cut out Tyanna's heart with Blackfyre - seems like a part of a dark magic ritual.

His children were malformed because they were premature, other Targaryens also had malformed babies (like Rhaenyra's daughter Visenya and Daenerys' son Rhaego). In Rhaego's case his appearance could be caused by Mirri Maz Duur using him in a dark magic ritual.

In addition, it's proven in the series that dark magic use can cause infertility. According to Mirri Maz Duur, Dany became barren after her son was sacrificed in the failed ritual to resurrect Drogo. It could be just an effect of a miscarriage at her young age as well.

There's no mention of Visenya trying to resurrect anyone in her youth, which would make her barren, and she would be the last one to curse her own son with infertility when he was meant to continue her and Aegon's line.

On the other hand, Tyanna's use of dark magic to heal Maegor seems like the most likely cause of his infertility. Dany's example proves that dark magic can cause infertility in a woman, then why not a man too? And Tyanna told Maegor that she poisoned his children in the womb. She knew that was a price of her magic - making him unable to have healthy children. She didn't poison his wives, she cursed him and that's why "his seed was full of maggots". It was defective in some way. Maegor's life was prolonged by dark magic at the price of his bloodline never continuing. He was unable to create life after his own was magically extended, therefore unnatural.

All of the above reasons point out that Maegor wasn't evil and infertile because he was a dark magic baby. Any dark magic that influenced him and caused his infertility came at a later time in his life than his conception.

Maegor wasn't a dark magic baby.

Visenya wasn't barren and Aegon wasn't sterile

Whilst no one ever questioned Visenya’s fidelity to her brother-husband, Rhaenys surrounded herself with comely young men, and (it was whispered) even entertained some in her bedchambers on the nights when Aegon was with her elder sister. Yet despite these rumors, observers at court could not fail to note that the king spent ten nights with Rhaenys for every night with Visenya.

In other words, Aegon rarely had sex with Visenya (if they even had sex on those nights), he was in love with Rhaenys and had sex with her often.

[...] rumors flew about the court that King Aegon might take another wife, as Rhaenys was dead and Visenya childless and perhaps barren.

Somehow the rumour was spread that Visenya was childless because she was barren and readers took it at face value, when the explanation is right there in the first quote. Visenya didn't have children before, because she and Aegon rarely had sex. They had a marriage of duty, not love. The one Aegon was obviously trying to conceive with was Rhaenys. And they tried at least for 6 years until Aenys was born in 7 AC. I'm assuming they started after the Conquest, when the constant wars ended and they needed an heir to stabilize their new regime. On the other hand, after Rhaenys died in 10 AC and Aenys' condition worsened, Visenya and Aegon were forced to do their duty and actually started trying to conceive. They succeeded after only a year, as Maegor was conceived in 11 AC and born in 12 AC.

Why is no one asking why Rhaenys took 6 years to conceive? I think she was the sister with fertility issues, not Visenya.

Again, when looking to the main series for similar cases, I can think of a character that had trouble with conceiving and birthing a living child for years and that's Lysa Tully, the mother of the infamously weak and sickly Sweetrobin. Aenys and Sweetrobin are described in a similar way: they are small for their age, grow slowly, have spindly limbs, watery/runny eyes, cry a lot, and prefer their mother's milk. Sweetrobin wasn't weaned, while Aenys "screamed for a fortnight when he was weaned".

As we know, Lysa's fertility issues were caused by her having an abortion when she was a teenager. She almost died from it. We don't know anything about Rhaenys' younger days, but she was a party girl, so a similar situation could have caused her to have trouble conceiving until she was 31. Lysa gave birth to Sweetrobin after 10 years of marriage. She had 5 miscarriages and 2 stillbirths. In Rhaenys' case there's no information about any stillborn babies, but miscarriages could be hidden if they happened early in her pregnancies. Besides that, she and Aegon had political reasons to hide any of their troubles with conceiving the heir to the throne.

It looks like Visenya and Aegon are both wrongly accused of infertility. Maegor being quickly conceived after Rhaenys died and they needed a spare proves that they were both fertile. They just needed an urgent reason to do their duty.

It's all a misunderstanding

As an aside, I have a theory that the rumour about Visenya being barren was caused by a cultural misunderstanding. Valyrian/Targaryen customs in regards to procreation could be different than Westerosi tradition. Targaryens' immunity made it less pressing to have many children right away like Westerosi do, because the children wouldn't die of common illnesses and most likely survive to adulthood. Another reason for less children could be the necessity to maintain control over dragons and the hierarchy within the family. Too many people having dragons in the family at once would lead to infighting for the leadership. Examples of that kind of conflict were Maegor fighting his nephews for the throne and then the Dance of the Dragons.

I think Westerosi assumed that from the start of his rule, Aegon was trying to conceive children with both of his sisterwives. Rhaenys gave birth, but Visenya didn't, so she had to be barren. The Westerosi just couldn't imagine a situation in which a man, a king wouldn't even try to get one of his two attractive wives pregnant.

Visenya, being a warrior type and married only for duty, not love, probably wasn't keen on having children if it wasn't needed at the moment. Her behaviour and priorities weren't like those of a typical Westerosi noblewoman, whose most important duty is childbearing.

Later on, Targaryens adapted to Westerosi culture and started having more children, because there were many stillbirths and infant deaths. Also daughters couldn't inherit, so some kept trying to conceive in order to have sons.

Why Maegor and Aenys weren't bastards

I think that kind of plot twist misses the point. If the famously incestuous dynasty isn't actually doing incest and instead has kids with secret lovers, then what's even the point of making them incestuous in the first place. Targaryens are supposed to show the negative effects of incest and abuse being passed down the generations of a royal dynasty.

Visenya was faithful as the book says: "no one ever questioned Visenya’s fidelity to her brother-husband", while Rhaenys was rumoured to take other lovers, but then she had a sickly son. He was sickly because he was born from incest and he was a premature baby. Aenys only survived because he bonded with a hatchling, while many other Targaryen children like him later on didn't have that opportunity (like Jaehaerys and Alysanne's sons Aegon, Gaemon and Valerion, Baelon and Alyssa's son Aegon, Viserys I and Aemma's sons). Both Maegor and Aenys are Aegon's sons and I'll leave it at that.

Conclusion

The theory that Maegor was a dark magic baby has no legs to stand on. There's no evidence of a dark magic conception ever occurring in the whole series. Visenya couldn't learn any magic related to birthing because she never went to far east of Essos and as a dragonlord, she couldn't go to Braavos. She wasn't barren, she and Aegon rarely had sex (if they even did) and they didn't want to conceive when Rhaenys was still alive and trying to have a child with Aegon. After she died, Maegor was conceived quickly because Visenya and Aegon had a motivation to do their duty - Aenys' state regressed and it was uncertain if he will survive to adulthood.

Being a dark magic baby isn't needed for someone to be big, strong and cruel as proven by The Mountain, ser Gregor Clegane, whom Maegor resembles a lot in his size, strength and terrible deeds, which are almost the same. Both of them suffered a serious head injury which also could be a reason for their cruel behavior.

Infertility isn't caused by being created with dark magic, but by taking part in dark magic rituals, like Daenerys was. Maegor was healed/resurrected by Tyanna in a later part of his life, after which he kept having premature, malformed babies. There are also many other plausible causes of his lack of healthy children.

There's no reason to believe dark magic was used to conceive Maegor but he certainly had contact with it later on in his life.

.

I hope I was convincing in this argument. I'm open to discussion and questions. If there's any book evidence I missed, please let me know. I spent entirely too much time thinking about Aegon-Visenya-Rhaenys dynamic and their sex schedule, but decided not to include that as it wasn't that important to the argument. Next up I could analyze Jaehaerys and Alysanne's bad parenting or move on to reading and comment on the Dance era.

[robotravanger]

Solo Leveling Female G!P Sung Jinwoo x reader: Episode 5: A Pretty Good Deal

Y/n's current hairstyle and outfit:

After Jinwoo and Y/n had completed the instance dungeon and leveled up a ton. Including getting a new dagger for both of them, they returned to the hospital and from there, continued their little exercise training.

Meanwhile, all the nurses are out here talking about the couple.

Random Nurse #1: You see those hotties, right?

Random Nurse #2: Do you mean those E-Ranks? I sure did!

We switch over to Jinwoo doing push-ups with Y/n sitting on her back.

Jinwoo: ( breathing heavily) Babe, can you get off my back?

Y/n: But I like sitting on your back.

Jinwoo: (breathing heavily) Well, you're blowing my back out.

Y/n gasps sarcastically as she giggles.

Y/n: My, My, Jinwoo Sung. You are quite naughty, aren't you?

Jinwoo: Whatever. You do your push-ups and I'll spot you.

Y/n: Alright, babe.

Y/n gets off Jinwoo's back and does her pushups.

We then move over to another group of nurses talking about Jinwoo and Y/n.

Random Nurse #3: Their bodies are so ridiculous.

Random Nurse #4: That Jinwoo girl has an average face, but she seems so hot.

Random Nurse #3: And that Y/n girl, she's just as hot.

Back to Jinwoo and Y/n, both are doing sit-ups.

And then some squats afterwards, once they're done, Jinwoo uses a towel to wipe the sweat off her body.

Y/n: Jin, can you hand me that water bottle?

Jinwoo: Catch.

Jinwoo tosses the water bottle and Y/n catches it as she drinks from it.

Once she's done, Y/n places the bottle down by a nearby table.

Jinwoo: Hey, Y/n. Can you wipe my back?

Y/n: Sure.

Y/n grabs the towel off Jinwoo's hands and wipes her sweaty back.

A knock on the door is heard as a nurse walks in.

Random Nurse #5: Excuse me, Miss Sung, Miss L/n...

The nurse gasps in shock as she sees the two girls covered in sweat and hella fit too.

Jinwoo and Y/n: Huh? Oh, we're sorry.

The nurse apologizes and states that Jinwoo and Y/n are being discharged from the hospital now that they've fully recovered.

She even tries to snag their phone numbers, to which they hand over since Jinwoo and Y/n think that the hospital might call them for other things.

Y/n's current hairstyle and outfit:

Sometime later, Jinwoo and Y/n return to their home as Jinah walks out the living room.

Jinah: Hey, Jinwoo? Where's Y/n?

Jinwoo: She's asleep. Plus, I've been awake for a while now. Have fun at school.

Jinwoo yawns as she scratches her toned stomach.

Jinah takes notice of her older sister's new appearance. Jinwoo was now taller, more muscular and her hair had grown a bit.

Y/n walks into the room as she yawns while giving Jinwoo a kiss on the shoulder since she's too tired.

Y/n: (yawning) Morning, Jin. Morning, Jinah.

Jinah then looks at Y/n and notices that she's changed too. Y/n's curves have become more refined and voluptuous than before, her body also more toned and fit like Jinwoo but more unique and feminine to her.

Plus, something Jinah also picks up on is the fact both Jinwoo and Y/n's boobs got bigger. Well, Jinwoo was a bit flat-chested so it could be forgiven to think that she hit some late growth spur.

Y/n, however, was already beautiful before her current glow-up. So, she's now more beautiful than ever with a better set of boobs, ass, curves and everything most women and girls would desire.

Jinah now has something to gossip about at school with her friends.

Jinah: Okay so, have you two been working out?

Jinwoo: Uh...yeah, a little.

Jinah walks up to Y/n and Jinwoo as she speaks.

Jinah: You also look a lot taller, which is weird. Abs, I can understand, but height?

Jinah then looks at Y/n.

Jinah: And you, you went from pretty to absolutely sexy. Y/n, you're a whole damn model!

Y/n: Thanks, Jinah.

Jinah: I guess that even girls in their 20s can grow!

Jinah displays a massive smile on her face.

Jinwoo chuckles while rubbing her hair and holding Y/n by her waist.

Jinah walks off and puts on her school shoes.

Once she puts them on, Jinah is about to go but Jinwoo stops her.

Jinwoo: Hey, hey... don't forget an umbrella.

Y/n walks up next to Jinwoo as she hands Jinah some lunch and other goodies in a bag.

Y/n: I stayed up last night and made you some extra lunch in case you get the munchies. Plus, I managed to add some sweet stuff in there too.

Jinah takes the lunch bag as she heads out but Jinwoo tells her to take the umbrella anyway.

Jinah ends up taking the umbrella and leaves.

Jinwoo and Y/n then check out the daily quest checklist, seeing they completed most of the essentials, except the running part.

Jinwoo: Let's save the running for later.

Y/n: Yeah, I'm tired.

Jinwoo then checks out her biceps, marveling at the transformation her body and Y/n's body has gone through within the span of a few days.

Jinwoo: Man, we really are jacked.

Y/n: I know. Talk about a stat boost.

Jinwoo: If we keep investing in strength, we'll just become bodybuilders. Well, you might end up looking like a model.

Y/n: What do you mean by that?

Jinwoo grabs Y/n and sets her down on her lap.

Jinwoo: Did I ever tell you that beautiful and smoking hot you are?

Y/n: Well, a lot at this point. You've acting all dominant recently.

Jinwoo: With your fine ass around, I just feel different.

Y/n: Cute. Anyways, what do we do about the ability points we got?

Jinwoo: Well, let's split it where we see fit.

Jinwoo adds her points into strength, agility and perception.

Player 1 status:

Level 18

Job: None

Title: Wolf Assassin

HP: 2220/2220

MP: 350/350

Fatigue: 0

STR: 50

AGI: 35

PER: 29

VIT: 27

INT: 27

Y/n does the same with her points.

Player 2 status:

Level 18

Job: None

Title: Wolf Assassin

HP: 2220/2220

MP: 350/350

Fatigue: 0

STR: 50

AGI: 35

PER: 29

VIT: 27

INT: 27

Jinwoo: That looks good.

Y/n: Shouldn't increase the intelligence stat? You know, just in case?

Jinwoo: No, don't think we'll need to for now.

Suddenly, the sound of a phone vibrating, that phone being Jinwoo's.

Jinwoo: Huh?

Jinwoo takes her phone and picks up the call.

Jinwoo: Hello, Jinwoo Sung speaking!

The person on the other line is the landlord.

Landlord: You finally picked up.

Jinwoo I'm so sorry, me and Y/n were stuck in the hospital, sir. We're both here, so, you're calling about the rent, right?

Landlord: Right.

Y/n: Oh crap.

The landlord decides to delay rent payment for them till they can pay up.

The girls then check out some dungeons they can go participate in since they are still E-Ranks.

Y/n's current hairstyle and outfit:

Later on, Jinwoo and Y/n are running towards a construction site as the system informs them they completed the running bit of their daily quest.

Jinwoo and Y/n: Confirm.

The screens of the two players then shows the rewards they received. Three ability points, a random loot box and full recovery.

Just as they're about to pick, a voice calls out to them.

Dongsuk: Hey, there!

Jinwoo and Y/n walk up to Hwang Dongsuk/ Dongsuk Hwang and his party.

Dongsuk: The name's Dongsuk Hwang.

Dongsuk then shakes Jinwoo's hand and then Y/n's

Jinwoo: And mine's Jinwoo Sung.

Y/n: Y/n L/n, nice to meet you.

Dongsuk: E-Rank, right?

Jinwoo and Y/n: Yes, sir.

One of the hunters then points out that Jinwoo and Y/n are known as the weakest hunters of all mankind.

Dongsuk then tells his fellow hunters to chill out and apologizes for their actions.

He also informs the girls that since they're E-Rank, they'll just carry the bags. They won't get any of spoils but still get paid for participating regardless.

Dongsuk mentions that they don't have a healer, to which Y/n asks why.

Dongsuk replies that getting a healer is tough, hence why they have to use first aid kits as alternatives.

Jinwoo and Y/n sign the contract for the raid as another hunter walks up to them decked in armor and some sweet gear.

The hunter being Yoo Jinho/Jinho Yoo.

Jinho: My name's Jinho Yoo. I'm a 21-year-old D-Rank hunter, and I signed up as a quota guy, just like you two!

Y/n:Interesting.

Jinwoo: We see.

Jinwoo's thoughts: (A D-Rank with that gear? Is this kid a trust fund baby)?

Jinho: It's your first C-Rank raid ever? Huh! Don't you worry, I'll be there to keep you safe!

Jinwoo and Y/n: Awesome/Cool.

Everyone gears up as they get ready for the raid ahead.

Dongsuk: Let's move out!

As they walk forward, Jinho is chatting it up with Jinwoo and Y/n.

Jinho: Those bags look really heavy, think that you guys will be okay?

Y/n: It's nothing, really.

Jinwoo: Yes, but thanks for asking.

Jinho: Oh, come on, girls, I'm younger than you, so just drop all the "please" and "thank-yous".

Jinwoo: Works for us.

Y/n: Alright.

The group heads inside the gate and arrives in the dungeon but finds nothing.

Dongsuk: Well, this is different, no beasts to greet us?

Kyu-hwan: Awfully dark for a dungeon, too.

The other hunters all to start to wonder what's up with the dungeon being so dark.

Jinwoo and Y/n assume this is similar to the Cartenon Temple.

They reach a hallway-like area with various tunnels everywhere.

Jinho: What if it's a bust? Just a big, empty cave. What d'you guys think? Could a dungeon without a single magic beast even exist?

Jinwoo and Y/n: Quiet.

Jinwoo and Y/n use their enhanced perception and senses to detect the magic beasts coming down.

Jinwoo's thoughts: ( I hear them)...

Y/n's thoughts: (Looks like they've found us. They just haven't shown themselves yet).

Dongsuk: (readies his sword) Everyone ready?

The other hunters agree as they ready themselves for what's to come.

Jinwoo and Y/n try to figure out what's coming.

Jinwoo and Y/n's thoughts: (What moves as a group, lives in the dark, but is drawn to light when they sense it)?

They think of this question as a riddle of a sorts.

Then, it hits them as they yell out.

Jinwoo and Y/n: We're dealing with insect-types!

Kyu-hwan: Insects?

Dongsuk: Damn it, no wonder it's dark!

Kyu-hwan: What do you see over there, boss?

Dongsuk: Buncha nothin', they're hiding!

As the party freaks out, the two players figure out the enemies are above.

Jinwoo and Y/n: There!

Dozens of ants begin to fall down like hail on a super stormy day.

Dongsuk: Kyu-hwan!

Kyu-hwan: On it!

Kyu-hwan unleashes a light beam up in the air, obliterating the ants.

The group of hunters proceed to slaughter every single ant in sight.

Jinwoo and Y/n notices how well the group work together and Jinho's gear accommodating his lack of skills.

The group then loot the ant corpses for essence stones.

Dongsuk walks up to Jinwoo and Y/n as he speaks with them.

Dongsuk: That was some call you made, Jinwoo and Y/n. Those bugs about ambushed us.

Jinwoo: Glad to help.

Y/n: We're happy to assist, that's all.

Dongsuk: How were you able to tell they were attacking us from above?

Jinwoo and Y/n look at him with a serious look.

Jinwoo and Y/n: Instinct.

Dongsuk: Huh. Then your instincts are very sharp. We'd be dead!

Kyu-hwan: Hey, boss, get a load of this!

Dongsuk goes over to one of his party members and finds that the ants were already wounded before they arrived. Meaning something bigger and meaner did this.

The group presses forward through the dungeon.

Jinho: Hey, you guys, those bags must be heavy to carry in this huge place. Really, I don't mind helping.

Y/n: That's really kind, Jinho. But you don't need to do that, at all.

Jinwoo: They're really not as heavy as you think. Plus, we're getting paid without fighting magic beasts, which is a pretty sweet deal.

Jinwoo's thoughts: (Or at least I thought it was. Now, it seems too sweet. What's this nagging feeling?)

Jinwoo thinks of how shady this hunter party is since they didn't bother to bring a healer, plus they hired other hunters like herself and Y/n to fill some kind of quota.

They also encounter mostly dead or dying ants which makes everything ten times worse.

The group comes across giant spider webs as they move onwards.

They then spot some mana crystals.

Jinsuk: Jackpot!

Kyu-hwan: No way.

The group realizes how much money the crystals are worth.

Jinho turns to the ladies as he reaches out his hand.

Jinho: Hey, Jinwoo, Y/n, can I see that contract you guys signed before entering the dungeon? There's something I wanna double-check for you.

Jinwoo: Okay.

Jinwoo hands over the contract she and Y/n signed as Jinho inspects it throughly.

Jinho then confronts Dongsuk.

Jinho: Excuse me, Mister Hwang, sir?

Dongsuk turns to face the D-Rank hunter as Jinho speaks with him.

Jinho: According to Jinwoo and Y/n's contract, they should be in on this. Battle drops are the only things they don't get a share of. Since mana crystals are excavated as opposed to being dropped by beasts, shouldn't this particular find be split nine ways instead of eight?

Dongsuk with a smile on his face, speaks.

Dongsuk: Well, of course, let's split it all evenly! Fair is Fair, after all. But first...

Dongsuk looks up to what appears to be a massive spider, sleeping in its little nest.

Jinho: The dungeon boss!

Dongsuk then explains that mining the mana crystals takes priority since killing the boss will just close the gate.

He then asks one of the hunters, Chul-jin, to go the equipment for mining but he states he left them in his car.

Dongsuk then tells Jinwoo, Y/n and Jinho that they stay there while they head outside for the equipment.

However, our lovely couple/players don't buy this seemingly half-baked story.

Jinwoo's thoughts: (Regulations say you need eight to nine members to take on a C-Rank dungeon. Their squad only consists of six.)

Jinwoo then thinks back to what Dongsuk told her and Y/n a while ago about how they never do raids with a healer involved.

Y/n seeing Jinwoo in thought also realizes the same thing.

Y/n's thoughts: (Jin must be thinking of how these guys said they're "used to it", meaning they must've taken on a fair share of C-Rank dungeons before this one. So why recruit me, Jin and Jinho instead of regular temps? Something doesn't add up.)

Suddenly, the boss's lair entrance is blocked off by an explosion.

Jinho: No! No! Considering the timing, I think they just betrayed us.

Jinwoo's thoughts: (I knew it, those bastards.)

Jinwoo recalls a conversation with Chiyul who tells her of how in the line of hunter work, there's bound to be a few bad apples who will do heinous shit since in dungeons, the law can't do nothing.

Jinho punches a nearby mana crystal in anger.

Jinho: They're really trying to kill us. All because of some lousy mana crystals?

Jinho starts to blame himself for bringing up the contract but Y/n stops him.

Y/n: No, we were in their trap from the very beginning. They were ready to strike us down on the spot after a single fatal move.

Jinwoo: More importantly.

The spider boss drops down as Jinho readies his sword and shield, standing infront of Y/n and Jinwoo.

Jinho: Jinwoo, Y/n... I said I'd protect you so that's what I'll do! Somehow I'll manage.

Jinwoo and Y/n look around, trying to figure out an escape route as the spider boss creeps closer and closer.

Jinwoo and Y/n decide to fight the boss themselves as they drop their bags.

Jinwoo: Jinho, don't move.

Y/n: We got this one, sweetie. We're gonna fight this thing.

Jinho is taken aback by the couple's boldness and confidence.

Jinho: Wait... you guys mean like fight-fight?

Jinwoo and Y/n spawn Kasaka's Venom Fang daggers in their hands respectively.

They walk up to the boss with such bravado and confidence that can make the whole world stop.

Jinwoo and Y/n: We mean this one's ours.

And just like that, Jinwoo and Y/n face off against another great opponent.

A/n: Hope you guys enjoyed and as usual God bless and peace out.

[barb-l]

Isn't a writer question but was curious; How does wenclair different from other ships you've enjoyed?

Is it solely due to having been a lifelong Wednesday Addams fan, or is it specifically the Netflix's Addams world that you find intriguing?

I ask mainly because I recall you once saying that your wenclair comics--specifically the Next Gen Au I believe--are written and made with a lot of intention in regards to dialog and the discussions had between characters.

Is this due to a greater insight into the characters or simply a mark of growth in writing comprehension?

I like to think I put as much thought in all ships I've been hyperfixated on tbh. Wenclair isn't even the one I've been obsessed with the longest. So far it's actually Trimberly, for which and I was hyperfixated with for like 3 years.

But yeah ok I get ur point lol The intensity this time feels different, I suppose.

I think it's a mix of both being a long time Wednesday Addams fan and how cute of a ship Wenclair is both in concept and the canon execution of their dynamics.

As some of you are aware, I've been a fan of The Addams for a while now. All incarnations of them are great in their own way, but one of the many reasons why the animated 2019 movie is my favorite is because it didn't give Wednesday a bland ass male love interest. I don't think the B/W series did it(because Wed was like six in that) but the 90's movies, musical, and netflix series for some reason found it necessary to give Wednesday male love interests so painfully boring and i hate it. This isn't even about making Wednesday attracted to boys. I personally headcanon her bi, as the ol' stereotype that all grumpy/angsty female characters must be lesbian isn't my cup of tea, and also because I like to think all Addamses just don't give a shit about gender when it comes to romance. I woulda been fine with her getting a boyfriend so long as they're not boring af and goddddd canon incarnations still haven't delivered. Joel was sweet but he was too much of a wimp, not even Gomez is that pathetic. Lucas' thing with Wednesday was just portrayed in such an icky way in the musical that I couldn't finish watching by the time their sexually charged duet came on, and don't even get me started on the boys Netflix gave her. I expected better of Gough and Millar...(unless the blandness was on purpose like it was with Lana Lang--)

Anyways, because of all said canon love interests, I've been desperate for Wednesday to have a love interest that is both not painfully het or boring for once. Crossover shipping with Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice the Musical was fun but was ultimately a very niche fandom. I could only draw and write for an audience of twenty or so people for so long. Parker from the animated movie would've been great, but the cop out with her mom dating Fester just made it too weird for me to be fully on board with the ship.

So when Enid Sinclair was introduced as a character I was absolutely ecstatic. On paper alone she already seemed great. She has a very distinct appearance (even if her "design" was inspired by Harlequin and it shows) that goes so well when she stands next to Wednesday, whether it's in the actual show, fan arts, or even in official merch. Her being Wednesday's complete opposite in so many ways makes her being paired with Wednesday so dang interesting too.

And I don't just mean aesthetic or personality wise. I'm talking about how one of Wednesday's struggle stems from having too much smothering love from her family as someone who gets overwhelmed too easily, and Enid's loneliness and insecurity coming from her own family's lack of love and attention where it matters most. Or how Wednesday's just girl who, deep inside worries about being an actual cruel monster like the very bigots she hates, while Enid is a supposed beast who resents herself for only being a scared little girl. Even the fact that Wednesday is an older sister to a soft-hearted younger brother while Enid is the youngest daughter to a bunch of rough-housing older brothers feels very on purpose.

Everything about Enid feels deliberate. Like she IS supposed to be paired with Wednesday, platonically or romantically. She's the best person to stand beside Wednesday as a character because they have enough differences and similarities to have interesting conflicts but also significant character growths sparked by each other. She's not bland or boring like the canon love interests because even without her attachment to Wednesday, Enid is still such a compelling character. The mere fact that she's as popular as she is despite an eight-episode series being her debut in a franchise that's been iconic to generations is already pretty amazing, and only a character as impressive deserves to smooch somebody as iconic as Wednesday Addams.

And their on screen chemistry is just *chef's kiss*

[wordy-little-witch]

Can we know about Atlas or Buggy Seraphim idea you have. Are they smaller than S-Hawk and S-Crocodile? What are the reactions of Buggy, Crocodile, Mihawk, and everyone else?

So I actually don't have like. A STRICT idea for S-Buggy, all in all. But what I DO have is this:

• he is, indeed, smaller than the rest. My personal thought process is that while they ARE made between cybernetics, lunarian and sourced DNA, they also have to.... idek I guess like INCUBATE. So if they got the DNA for Buggy during Impel Down, growth would be a lil closer to the rest. Still notably OFF but not quite so... teeny.

If it was only after he was named a Warlord, then I can see Atlas being visibly MUCH younger than the others.

Let's say for these purposes the current seraphim are around 10~. Atlas would be, on the older end, about 7-8~. On the lower end, he could be from 2-5~.

• he's semi or nonverbal! He either prefers to or can only speak in sign. Buggy has stints where he goes semi-verbal, and he was a late talker himself, but for Atlas it's. A constant thing. Words are hard.

• his wings are disproportionally tiny compared to the others and the tips of his feathers are white-grey.

• he wears a cat ear beanie!! Loves cats!!! Loves all animals actually. Give that boy an animal encyclopedia and he's RIVETED for HOURS

• his Haki is.... very strange. His range for Observation is outright NUTS and nobody expected to have a nonverbal cyborg baby going into a sensory overload every time he tried using his Haki. ((His abilities there are currently disabled btw))

• loves music

• kind of clingy all things considered. Atlas is real hesitant about trust but once you've gotten into his I Trust You Group, he's following you like a duckling.

As for reactions -

Buggy

• this is... it's complicated, okay? He's doing his best but seeing the kid initially gives him.... so much anxiety. On the one hand, the carefully cultivated persona he's crafted is now going to inevitably implode. It's already well past salvaging as is, but smth about having the final nail in the coffin makes his chest knot up.

• is very patient and doesn't treat Atlas any differently from any of the other seraphim. That's a kid, they're ALL kids, and Buggy's a clown - making kids happy is literally in the Code.

• he will forget sometimes that not everyone knows sign language so he and Atlas will be absolutely going HAM about something and get really confused and/or offended when someone interjects or asks what they're doing.

• he absolutely calls Atlas smth like "my little mime" or "mime of mine", and it makes people melt. Carries him ((and the others as needed)) around, usually on his hip, can and will pepper faces in kisses and swing them around to get squeals and laughter.

• mama buggy supremacy need I say more /hj

Mihawk

• was certainly not expecting this. Like. At all. Hawkeye Mihawk was blindsided.

• ngl was very hesitant on having ANOTHER vulnerable party on the island, especially one so.... small. His own seraphim and Crocodile's seemed so intimidatingly tiny and then this little guy just.... proves everything wrong there. Holy fuck.

• when he realizes Altas's Haki is so sensitive, he asks Buggy what he does to cope. When he finds out Buggy always just.... locked it down, he's flabbergasted. Makes it his MISSION to research oversensitive oberservation haki. His spouse and tiniest child deserve better.

• is very good with Atlas's sensory needs and winds up also encouraging the other seraphim to be more open as well. None of these bitches are neurotypical.

• if asked, he will deny getting a little choked up when Atlas, Birdie and Angel each called him some variant of father. He did though. He absolutely did.

Crocodile

• he's too big and cool and wealthy for feelings (/j). But if he did have them, he'd be extra soft with Atlas. Angel and he click due to many reasons. He and Birdie are decently close. He and Atlas are... a little different. For one, the tiny little clown lunarian is so.... well..... tiny. And quiet. He likes small, cute, quiet things.

• he spoils all of the kids absolutely, but if anyone asks, he'll gut you. Stop. He has a reputation damn it.

• considered getting an AAC book, not only for Atlas but definitely considered heavily with the kid's presence and needs.

• was a little concerned with all the little red flags from all the kids, but ESPECIALLY from Atlas - especially because he can see the red flags now in Buggy too, now hidden under layers upon layers of masking. Reptile man is doing some math here.

• sometime the world gets a little too Much for Atlas, and Crocodile will never admit to the Emotions that come up when the kid creeps up to him, tugs on his pants leg, and signs 'hide, coat?' He let's the kid take as much time as he needs and does NOT stop to think on the ramifications of being considered a Safe Place for him ((He thinks it a lot))

BONUS REACTIONS

Angel

• the Oldest of the seraphim because he came out first so OBVIOUSLY he's the biggest and oldest. Takes his role as Big Brother VERY seriously

• weird mix of VERY protective and Cain Instinct. He'd never ever ever hurt Atlas but sometimes his baby brother is just........ so very.......... smackable.............

• learned sign in the lab a little later than the others, uses it far less, but knows most of the swears.

• complains about how ANNOYING having brothers is but if anyone else complains about his brothers, he'll throw hands.

Birdie

• still thinks he should be the oldest since he was STARTED first and only came out after Angel due to technical issues, but whatever

• still deciding on his name but is very tempted to follow Atlas's example and pick something Cool and Mythical. Is debating Avalon but isn't sure he wants to commit to the accidental A-theme they'd have going on.

• he learned sign the first after it turned out Atlas couldn't or wouldn't talk. Played it off as a useful skill to have anyway. Secretly a big softie.

• he's the type to wordlessly take Atlas's hand in a crowded area to make sure he "doesn't get lost or kidnapped", tries to play it cool but always flutters his wings that little bit more when a smaller hand holds his own just a lil tighter.

• preens the others far more, but absolutely keeps any spare feathers bc he knows Atlas likes them.

• milder Cain Instinct but he can and will bite with and without warning. Not even always aggressive either. Sometimes he just loves someone so much he just noms

• usually keeps Atlas company when he's overwhelmed and needs to decompress - he's either a cuddle buddy or a silent sentry if protection. Anyone who tries to interrupt gets stabbed

[crazylittlejester]

I need to get this out of my system so if I seem a little pissy about this, it's because I AM pissed.

I don't like that people say Zelda doesn't have a personality. I don't like that people say Zelda is just the helpless princess you save every game. I HATE that people are able to give Link a personality despite not speaking but they say Zelda doesn't have a personality!

It's so ANNOYING to see people say this type of stuff about Zelda because even from the first few games in the series, you can analyze Dawn and Aurora's actions and see their personalities!

Dawn is wise and courageous. She knew that she would get kidnapped by Ganon so she split the triforce of wisdom into pieces and his them in dungeons HERSELF! Adding more onto that, you can see that she's able to compose herself in danger and is also willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good.

Aurora is stubborn and courageous! She was the only person who was told where the triforce of courage was and because of that, her brother tried to force the information out of her. She could've just given up the information but NO. She stood her ground against her brother and suspicious wizard man and refused to give up that information because her dad only told her about the location for a reason!

Even if both of these aren't a fleshed out as later Zeldas, and this was back when the formula was still "defeat the evil, save the princess" they still show personality through their actions just like how Hyrule's actions can be analyzed into a personality!

It's not hard to analyze a character through their actions and the Zeldas are FAR from flat characters. From Z1 and Z2, we only got more and more story in game and we got more and more stuff to see the characters' personalities shine through but it baffles me that people still think Zelda doesn't have a personality.

To close off my argument, we see a clear difference between the Zeldas, right? We can tell they're different people! That tells you that they indeed do have personalities. Sorry for ranting I just really REALLY needed to get that out of my system

Don’t apologize, you cooked here and I agree, I feel like the argument could be made that the Zeldas have more visible personality than the Links in some cases. Saying Zeldas have no personality is INSANE, especially when Tetra and BOTW Zelda are sitting right there (bringing up those two specifically just because they’re very different from the others, they don’t really fit the same format). If you can say Link has a character arc you can DEFINITELY say the same of Zelda, her character growth is so clear to me. Especially in the newer games?? (Skyward Sword and BOTW specifically) Like come ON, She is not a boring character

And like you said, the older games’ Zeldas aren’t as fleshed out, BUT TO ME THEYRE EQUAL WITH LINK IN TERMS OF HOW EASY IT IS TO FEEL THEIR PERSONALITIES IN THE GAMES (that’s just my experience with playing these games tho)

Justice for the Zeldas, because I think they’re awesome

[assassiowl]

Emotive landscape (Dec 14th 2024).

This post is about looking back at your older work and seeing how you look at it differently now. Pictures beyond the read more are older and contain spoilers for Outer Wilds.

There's also an eclectic collection of characters from different fandoms and I talk about how these pieces played a role in my growth. They're older pieces by now, but if you're interested in my reflections then read on.

I've been looking back at some of my pieces from even as little as a week ago and noticing just how much I've changed in my approach.

The colours, the perspectives, dynamics, anatomy, linework, just everything, these were all pieces that I was really proud of when I made them and being so excited to share them.

When I look at them now I can't help but feel a little saddened, I remember them being a lot 'better' at the time of creation. I'm not going to be super harsh on myself, I was still learning the tools, and taking on board a lot of new concepts and not being afraid to just try them.

This is more of an acknowledgement that some pieces in the long run end up being just that, you don't know how they're going to turn out until you try it, but maybe you learned something along they way.

I think these pieces convey the emotions that I wanted to, they're technically clunky, but they were my lines, I did that, and I've learned a lot since then, I'd tackle them each so different now. But I wouldn't have been able to get where I am now unless I went through those clunky steps. Stumbling around the program and just guessing colours.

I remember making these, they each represented such a jump in skill.

If I keep stepping back, I can see this common thread of attempts at emotive character studies, janky foreshortened hands and a consistent misunderstanding of light on clothing haha, I suppose that much still hasn't changed.

But I remember after each piece I'd step back and say, "Dang I think this is my best one yet", but that was definite by virtue of feeling like I had learned something, ready to take forward into the next piece, be it, how to use the tool better, or a little more about colours or lighting.

I think that growth mindset came from making all those sprites, I think as an artist being able to stop and say something is good enough for now is key, getting sucked into an endless "it has to look good" spiral is just going to demotivate.

The thing is I think being curious enough to learn more and to be genuinely reflective enough to acknowledge what your strengths while also being able to identify what challenges or areas to tackle next is the key to growing.

Stopping to beat yourself up about things you don't know that you don't know yet is going to make you want to quit. The common thread I've been running off is: "This looks weird, why is that?" then trying things until I found out the reason. I had janky colours, then I realised I have janky lighting, then it's janky anatomy, composition, backgrounds which don't interact with the figure.

The ball builds off the last and you take what you learned from the last piece, build on it, try something different and see what changed.

This piece on Phos is when I started digital again, there's a lot of issues, but I think even from the jump I was trying some wild stuff, even if I was spending more time wrestling with the tools.

I guess this curiosity got me to where I am now, I think it's nice to stop and reflect on where you came from from time to time, just to see how far you've come, it's an important reminder for those days where things feel like you've just forgotten everything, and can't get anything down, it's your mind telling you you're improving and that your expectations of yourself are rising again.

Sit back and remember not everything has to be a milestone magnum opus cornerstone representation of improvement. Breathe a bit, you're probably doing a lot better than you're giving yourself credit for.

Anyway, I learned a lot from making these pieces, I look at them now and think I could probably revisit these at some point, but there's still so much I want to learn and try before I do that, who knows. In the mean time I'll keep trying things, and when I've shifted my style and learned a bunch of things along the way, I'll remember how impressed I was with myself when I made these.

[capinejghafa]

do you think that the show's "inej is incapable of killing" made people idk "soften" inej up? like "making her the mom friend" when in the books she isn't?

Also book rec anon (though i think you had several so i'm one of them) LOVING YOUR RECS THANK YOU!

I will say this because Inej being seen as the "mom friend" is nothing new! Actually, it comes from the book fandom. Having read several fics from before the start of the show, it seems more like an expectation that she is forced into this role because if Kaz is the "dad" of the group, then Inej has to be the "mom". This gives me a lot of pause and makes me feel weird because the fandom collectively assigned a very nuclear family dynamic to the crows that we should play off as a joke... but some people are unironically very serious about it.

I think the show definitely softened Kaz much more than his book counterpart (because he's older and has a bit more of life experience. At least, that's my interpretation of show!Kaz). While show!Inej does have the capacity to be cruel and dismissive. I think it's often overlooked because thinking that Inej is even remotely a little mean is sort of frown down upon. The thing is, nuance plays a big role, and sometimes, we don't want our characters to be messy. Which isn't fair to the crows because they're deserve to be seen a fully dimensional characters who are just trying their best.

I think Inej gets a bit of the short end of the stick because people want her to be the pinnacle of kindness or the most badass characters of all time... and my goodness, there's no in between, no room for flaws or growth. I think Inej is best when she gets to arcs where she questions her faith, where she fails, where she still has so much wisdom to learn.

But this is all imo!

(Also, I enjoy working on the recs so much! There is a list that I will make public when the author fic recs are done!)