#amazing wonderful writing

[sunny-porridge]

Listen, I think I spent a good two months drifting in and out of the fandom, accumulating a shameful pile of subscription updates and unread recommendations. But hey, that’s not what you’re here for. Behold, the

fics that revived my Linked Universe energy in November

Crystal Symphony - by @starwolfie

This was exactly what I needed to remind me why I started participating in this fandom. It’s sweet, and it’s fun, and it builds on a dynamic between Hyrule and Sky that just feels so natural and also fresh. 

The boys are fine: as much as my lovely, sweet friend Mel likes to torture them, this one is pure fluff, but with the depth and attention to detail that makes it a wonderful piece to read over and over.

--

Year of the Rabbit - by @blindbrilliance

Be honest, was I the only person in the world that hadn’t read this fic?

Year of the Rabbit starts with a crack premise (one some friends and I call “Pinkie AU”): what if it was Legend who accompanied Wild during Breath of the Wild, instead of Twilight? 

It starts out with a very humorous tone, but with a lot of heart, giving little glimpses into Legend and Wild’s depth and the true weight of their fates. What surprised me the most was how it slowly turns into a unique re-telling of Breath of the Wild with a far more serious tone, exploring a fresh take on Wild’s Hyrule, his relationship with his people, his past, and the destiny he has to grow into.

Fair warning: the latest published chapter ends in a huge cliffhanger! If you’re like me, though, this is merely an opportunity to spin this fic like food in a microwave and think about every possible outcome.

--

Korgu Chide’s Favorite Hero - by @wolfsong6913

A new challenge has appeared in everyone’s favorite isolated island that steals all your clothes. And sure, the Sheikah monks committed to helping a hero in the future, but who’s to say they can’t look to the past for inspiration?

The heroes find themselves in one of Wild’s most polarizing shrines, and we get to explore Wind’s ingenious mind as the stakes grow higher and higher, culminating with a lovely tie-in with the world we explore in Tears of the Kingdom.

And yes, everyone needs to be naked. Well, almost naked.

--

NSFW Zone !!

hand in hand - by anonymous

This moody, sulky piece is filled with familiar –but unique– headcanons, characters that feel both impossibly larger than life and simultaneously intimately relatable, and an atmospheric setting that sells the scene.

It’s provocative, it’s desperate, it’s sweet and spicy and rich, an intimate encounter between two unlikely lovers who suddenly feel safe enough with each other to just unravel.

Enjoy!

[valoale]

It never ceases to amaze me how brilliant fan fiction writers are, like, you take bits of something and can turn it into such brilliance and create crazy good plot lines with so much depth and layers and come up with all these ideas, like, literally blows my mind every time. The level of creativity is stunning

Never stop

[teaboot]

you're so like. inspiring. or i wish i could be inspired. you reblog that post with the blue critter and you're like "im glad i was born on this planet". how do i manage to get that mindset. how do i manage to not want the pain to stop at any cost and enjoy what's still possible to enjoy

It's my first time here and I'm never coming back

[sunny-porridge]

this is great news

THANKS FOR TAGGING ME ILYSM

I’ve barely had any time for the Characters this past few weeks but this made my day

BDOR Prologue: A Haircut -- A Final Trim (5/5)

They gotta fix Wild’s hair now that everything has settled down. Wild is… conflicted.

“Will all’a his memories come back?” Twilight caught one of the physicians by the arm. They’d already run a multitude of exams on Wild—testing his reflexes, his senses, his memory both of present and past events—to no discernable results they’d shared with Twilight. “Do we gotta worry about this sort of incident again?”

“We can’t know about that, yet.” They answered, as they always did, with all the clarity of a mud pit. “We’ll just have to see—the brain can be quite the tricky thing, you know.”

Read the rest of this fic here! BDOR Prologue: A Haircut

Or catch up with the whole series here! Blood Drops On Roses

@sunny-porridge I did indeed write another chapter to this fic XD

Beta read by @needfantasticstories and @somer-writes

[fluentisonus]

working in a factory has you thinking so much about the insane chain of labor & transport that goes into making literally anything

[applestruda]

Impulse and the book

(based on chapter 1 of zera's bkau fic)

[gentlebeard]

If I could hold you for a minute, Darling, I’d go through it again

For @edsbacktattoo & @stedesearring 💕 Show: Our Flag Means Death - Season 1 & 2 Music: Francesca by Hozier YouTube

[sunny-porridge]

ME SPOTTED

It makes me happy that my comments make you laugh.

Even though you hurt me so

✨

✨️ Out of the comments you’ve received on your fics, what are two or three of your favorites?

Oh honey, we are getting screenshots! All of these are from Adjuration, a fic which has a comment section that is made of fucking gold, with the readers tin hatting and talking to each other in basically chat threads (this is not a complaint keep it up guys I love me a chatty and engaged class) to the point that picking only three caused me physical pain.

So I tried to pick three of my favorites that were as non spoiler-y as possible in case someone who sees this isn't caught up. Okay.

This one made me ugly laugh for like ten solid minutes. 10/10

This is just... a fucking mood.

This one made me so happy and full of warmth (which is really funny when you think about the content of the chapter but still).

[sysig]

Blood sugar levels (Patreon)

[gallawitchxx]

whipped up a lil outside pov to celebrate @galladrabbles 3rd anniversary! 🥳 congrats & thanks to vey & evie for keeping us creating every single week! this one’s for the early prompt: “spark a fire” by danny vera, which is such a gallavich vibe 🔥🖤

- - - - -

Besides Carl, who’d swept her off her feet despite her best efforts, Ian and Mickey were Sera’s favorite Gallaghers.

“Can’t believe you were cellmates once,” she laughs, passing the joint to a bloodshot-eyed Ian.

Mickey snatches it before he can take another hit, which Ian allows. “Believe it, new girl. Was way better than gettin’ locked up alone.”

“He landed in juvie days after we first sparked something.”

“Took a bullet for this babyface too,” Mickey coos, grabbing Ian’s chin.

Sera knows shit about love, but after sixteen years of good and bad, clearly they’ve got something beautiful and true.

[sunny-porridge]

fics that brought me back to life in June

Retired Assets - by @lele5429

Retired Assets flows like a stream. Ravio as the main character is precious, and the way wordbuilding is weaved in with profound relationships and emotions has made it my favorite this month. Five chapters in, I've already held my heart in my hands as the raw emotions mix in with the plot twists poetic prose. Best of all, it has art! Amazing, wonderful art!

—

Since we are made of the Earth and Rain - by FilipaMariaKecharitomene

"But hairband, clearly you're biased, this was a gift fic for you."

Excuse me, I'm a professional.

This piece made my heart soar. It's short, with nothing but heart and humor to give. It's intensely emotional, but it highlights love and hope and appreciation for the goodness of the world.

Also, this short work is part of a series which I highly recommend. Fair warning - "Travel through the Darkness" is a lot more intense and involves quite sensitive topics. So far, I've found it does so with dignity and respect, but if you do decide to read it, please read the tags!

--

An Unremitting Ululation - by @not-freyja

Surprise, bitch. You thought you had seen the last of me?

They say grief is love persevering. Well, Twilight took that literally.

This may be confusing to follow if you haven't read This is an Adjuration, the first work in this series and the fic of all time.

--

in the manner that people used to dance - by @rebornofstars

You never expect to be hit right in the feels by re-reading a fic that you remember well. I might say I liked this better the second time - I got to pay more attention to so many little details!

This is a story about what happens to love after death.

--

Fairy Chime, Fairy Chime - by koogi123 (drlessy)

This one is for the Fluff truthers. Wild is a fairy. Wild gets fairy brain. Legend gets "must protect fairy Wild" brain. So many cuddles. Literally nothing goes wrong. It's perfect. Go read it.

--

Tell Him I... - by @thesadpuffin

I've read about a million Post-BOTW Zelink fics. I thought that there were no perfect first-words that Link could say to Zelda, but... I was wrong. The perfect words do exist.

Quiet atmosphere, easy banter - real emotions.

--

NSFW ZONE ‼️

Well, I lied. This is technically not NSFW, but it is part of a series that very much is.

Rain Falling like Tears - by Anonymous Author

Wild's last memory, as seen from Wolfie's eyes.

During one of the hardest moments of Wild's adventure, he is comforted by the genuine gratitude of an unsuspecting traveler.

[sunny-porridge]

GIA WHY

May I present to you, a completely out of context sketch based on a fun little something @not-freyja and I have in the works. 😉

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

-request

Because of Childe’s birthday recently I had a thought, would Legacy have had the same birthday as Childe? Would Legacy know what a birthday is? What about decorating, would Legacy help with decorating? I’m just imagining balloons and glitter everywhere at this point, and probably other shiny things

this year's birthday art was the best thing ever, i am humbly asking for Hoyoverse to give us Foul Legacy birthday art

~ * ~ Foul Legacy's Birthday HCs

Foul Legacy x Reader Genre: Fluff Pronouns: Gender Neutral Warnings: None

~ * ~

-Foul Legacy doesn’t actually know when his birthday is!! He was more focused on survival than celebration before Childe- Ajax, then- tumbled into the Abyss -It’s only after he ascends to the surface of Teyvat clinging to a mortal’s mind does he learn what birthdays are -He doesn’t really understand at first. Isn’t everyone born? Legacy doesn’t see the point in celebrating something that’s natural and normal -Or, rather, he doesn’t see the need to celebrate HIS birthday. It’s only when Ajax’s first birthday with him rolls around that it sinks in. Ajax is alive and here, Legacy is HAPPY that Ajax was born -There’s a burst of excited, overwhelmed chirps and chitters in the back of Ajax’s head, and he has to hold back laughter as Legacy essentially scrambles around his brain happily -Even so, he still never celebrated his own birthday. He was content just watching his host receive his yearly congratulations; as Childe, Tartaglia, and Ajax -It’s you who decides to finally give him his own little celebration, just a day after Ajax’s. The Harbinger is delighted at the idea, an enormous grin spreading across his face when you ask him to help -Legacy can vaguely sense his thoughts and eagerness, but they’re frustratingly locked away as Childe sometimes does. He can almost SEE his smug grin in his head, letting out an irritated huff -You and Childe spend the whole day preparing- well, YOU do, he helps as much as he can before he’s dragged off to work by his sheepish subordinates even on the weekend, laughing and waving all the while -There are streamers and sparkling ornaments and tiny stars everywhere- no balloons. They terrify the both of you when they pop, and Foul Legacy has claws made to pierce the toughest hides. As something extra special you gather some shiny stones from your rock shelf and place them here and there, chunks of glittering colorful inedible candy -You’re just done setting up when the door opens again, the sun nearly below the horizon in an array of bright reds, oranges, and purples. There’s a crackling static sound as Childe allows Foul Legacy to take control, a pair of crimson horns peeking inside with a curious trill -He lets out a yelp of surprise at the new decorations; you spread your hands with a smile and a singsong “Surprise!” like a mischievous magician, and Legacy’s single crystalline eye goes wide with awe -In less than two seconds you’re suddenly scooped off the floor, his head bumping against yours as he nuzzles and purrs, overjoyed and wings aflutter. Tonight is for him? Just for him? And Ajax doesn’t mind at all? You laugh, smooching his masked cheek with a nod, and Legacy is beside himself with delight -He LOVES sweet treats, especially when you let him taste test something new you tried making, so of course you had to whip up a cake for him to munch on. Although at the moment he seems more engrossed in nibbling and licking your cheek. Eventually you'll get him to take a bite of the pastry, and are met with satisfied coos and a rumble so strong it makes you physically vibrate -All he really needs and wants to have an amazing day is to be near you, so he nudges you over to the couch and promptly snuggles against you, his head pressed into your lap and watching you adoringly. There’s a streamer or two tangled in his horns and claws, the very tip of his tongue sticking out from his fanged maw

-You show Legacy your rock collection. He’s seen it before, but he loves seeing it again and again and hearing you talk about each stone. The purple amethyst from Inazuma is his now, as a little gift, and displayed proudly in his blanket nest room, right next to the tiny glass narwhal you got Ajax. Legacy is extremely careful, they’d both be safest in there -Speaking of blankets, you spent all week making a new, thick quilt for him to bundle himself into, all embroidered with little constellations and whales. His eye glows happily when you present it to him, immediately attempting to crawl underneath it with a muffled chitter of delight -He gently bumps your cheek when you put on some music to play, shaking out his lilac fluff and holding out a hand for you to take, to dance with him. There’s some distant memory of how Ajax would dance at home, and neither of you are well coordinated enough to not end up in a pile on the floor, overcome with beautiful and grumbling laughter

-Playfully you stick a few star-shaped stickers on Legacy’s face, and ponder- if he wore a party hat, would he wear one between his horns or two on top of his horns? You’ll have to ask him next year, when you can find or make decent little hats for the both of you, just like you’ll ask if he wants to help with the decorating, too. This year was a surprise, but you can bet on the Adepti that you’ll be doing it every year afterwards -He shifts in your lap, a yawn pulled from his mouth and showing all his sharp teeth like a cat as he rumbles and croons tiredly, smushing his face against your legs. You put in the effort to celebrate, to make him feel as special as you think he is, and that makes today the perfect birthday

-It’s actually better that you didn’t celebrate it on the same day as Ajax’s birthday- you’re very particular in how you planned everything, not wanting either of your two beloveds to get overshadowed by the other -Foul Legacy still doesn’t know what day he was actually born, and never will. But for all he cares, his real birthday is the day you decided to celebrate him in his entirety

[crabsnpersimmons]

Happy valentines day!

happy valentines day to you too!

i didn't plan any art for valentines day (besides my gift for the valentines secret santa event), but here's a little hairdresser Sun i drew as a pre-class pick-me-up this morning (added some heart stickers to make it valentines-y):

[fictionadventurer]

I'm fascinated by the ways in which the things a creator is good at making don't necessarily line up with the kind of art that they respect or even enjoy.

This has haunted me ever since I saw a Youtube video about the downfall of The Band Perry, a country band that I had liked until their music got weird and they kind of fell off the face of the earth. Well, it turns out that they tried to reinvent their image and their style of music several times before the band finally fell apart. When they started, they had this weird Southern Gothic homeschooler style that really worked for them and was reasonably popular, but then they tried to switch to a cooler type of pop music--a style they supposedly admired and enjoyed--and it just did not work at all. They failed because they chased what they wanted to make instead of sticking with the style that they were good at.

It's a tension that's present in all creative work. At one point does "going outside the box" go too far? Can one be happy making good work even if it's not the kind of stuff they like or admire? Are the techniques and styles that are most appealing to us appealing because they're things that we can't create ourselves? As in, our minds don't work that way, so seeing these things from other creators is exciting, but the fact that our minds don't work that way is exactly why we can't imitate those things. Where's the line between creative integrity--pushing yourself to make better things--and pride--wanting to make something more prestigious and impressive instead of humbly making the type of art you're best suited to make? Can one even clearly see what they're best at making, and appreciate the good that's there rather than chasing after styles and techniques that seem better? There are no solid answers, which is why I'm going to be endlessly thinking about this.

[wickmitz]

I decided to start talking about Wick and Rocky's relationship because I like their dynamics too, I like seeing Wick scared of Rocky and Rocky being aggressive with him, which is unusual because Rocky is rarely aggressive with anyone, but of course Wick is an exception to rule

Also my mini opinion about their possible relationship, I think that if Rocky didn't have to fight for his place, then he and Wick could become friends, or at least tolerate each other a little, I also see some superficial similarities, their gentlemanly and romantic natures, and their common love for explosions (remembering the quarrymen chapter), but this is my assumption, I think that I don't understand the characters' personalities well, so I can be wrong in this assumption, something like that. So, what do you think about their relationship?

for starters, i cannot thank you enough for this ask! as i’ve said previously, i have many thoughts on these two, so it’s nice to finally be able to share some of them. although given the extent to which i think about them, i apologize in advance if this is sloppy and sort of everywhere … while i’ll try to structure things the best i can, i cannot promise i’ll succeed! but hopefully this is an enjoyable reply nonetheless.

one of my favorite things about rocky and wick’s relationship is absolutely how aggressive rocky is towards the aristocrat ; he is prone to glares and cruel jokes and borderline hissing whenever the man is within his line of sight, or can be brought to a wailing-fit over the mere mention of his name from miss m’s mouth. there is a childishness to it, but a very prominent threat as well in spite of rocky’s usual incompetence. so he goes out of his way to posture around wick, readily lying and adorning himself with the gangster drapes he so badly wants to wear, in the hopes that it intimidates … will even badmouth wick’s family and make fun of his name and rock related obsession to mitzi, and so on so forth! yet all of this is very reminiscent of schoolyard bullying rather than anything too severe, though we as the audience understand rather quickly that rocky would bash wick’s head in with a tire iron if he could. ( translation : if it wouldn’t earn the tears or hate of a certain beloved mitzi may ) and it’s all very intense despite the absence of actual violence! and i understand why many fans see this as unusual for rocky and believe that it’s only wick who makes him act so aggressively, but i’d argue it isn’t really wick at all that prompts such scary reactions from him … and that rocky is a deeply angry character who’s a.) been boiling quietly for a long, long time and b.) has turned wick into a punching bag of sorts for this inner world of resentment and hurt. basically, when he’s judging the well-to-do or poking fun, his eyes don’t look at wick and actually acknowledge him as sedgewick sable ; instead this is a being, something vague and metaphorical, who threatens to upseat rocky’s permanence in the lackadaisy and steal away his savior, and he’s had a hand in the violinist’s misfortune for a long time.

obviously, rocky doesn’t think wick robbed him of his family twice over and made him homeless, but he is channeling the fear and anguish of those events into his loathing for wick, if that makes sense? it’s easier that way -- to finally have an outlet for everything bleeding inside of you, to be able to bite and claw at something without feeling conflicted or having to take personal accountability for your own mistakes … which is something that i think rocky does struggle with to a degree. he is sort of a finger pointer! his pain has to be worth something, it has to be for someone else ; spending years homeless and losing his last bit of family was for freckle, and the scrambling of his literal brain was for mitzi, and that means he can’t ever be angry with them! well, except that he is, somewhat, but he buries it deep down instead of feeling it. with freckle there is a sense of strain between them -- an air of ‘you owe me’ from rocky to freckle as he uses freckle to appease miss m, and he constantly pokes fun at his cousin too. it’s lighter than his jabs at wick, but there’s a constant pestering, a reminder of how good freckle has it : how he’s got the mom and the house and the job and the girl most notably. i don’t think rocky is intending to come across as mean, and to his credit he hardly does! but it’s rather clear to me that some part of him, some hidden and deeply hurt part, is rather indignant about taking the fall for freckle all those years ago. which he can’t understand, because how could he? he made that choice, he decided to take accountability for something he didn’t do because he loves freckle and knows it’d be so easy to believe this family tragedy was roark’s fault ; the devilish child he was, all troublesome and too broken to properly fit anywhere. so there is a disconnect born here, where rocky can’t comprehend that he’d be angry at freckle, so instead these not so great feelings are placed elsewhere and silently boil over time. and with mitzi … i don’t think he’s angry at her per se, but there is a frustrated and desperate chorus of : why him and why not me, when i’m the one out here dying for you? which is certainly unpleasant. of course, rather than allowing those feelings to be more aimed at miss m, whom he feels unloved by, he ( again! ) represses these emotions and allows them to fester into his greatest fears and fantastical complexes. i think there is a lot of other miscellaneous anger he could have towards others too … perhaps some part of him is sore upon seeing ivy’s normal lifestyle, watching her go to university and knowing that’s been taken from him. or an ache felt when hearing stories from zib and the band and how they used to travel successfully, living as nomads, and rocky is all too reminded of his similar lifestyle and how he couldn’t make it work as effortlessly. people with immense trauma are more prone to irrational anger and jealousy, to viewing everything around them as unfair and believing it’s even more unjust that so many people get to live comfortably while they’ve suffered. a situation that gets more messy when you’re someone like rocky, a man who’s willingly made choices that have harmed himself and wants to continue on with his smiling, bumbling fool of an act. he does not want to be angry, does not want to see it within himself, i think, which leads to an accidental increase of it.

all of this is to reiterate that wick is a scapegoat for rocky and nothing more. it’s why he’s rather hypocritical whenever it concerns the man. for example, it was stated by tracy that he looks down upon wick for his excessive presence at the bar, yet he appears to enjoy hanging out with zib -- who drinks just as often! he makes fun of how all wick ever talks about is rocks, when he himself is prone to poetry rambles that people find irritating or boring, and etc etc. this is also just a human nature thing, to critique someone you heavily dislike and even going as far as to belittle things you love or do in your own day to day because you just hate them that bad! but given rocky’s willingness to befriend anyone, it more so reeks of a dehumanization element. wick is every obstacle in his way, every divine force that threatens to send him packing again, so he is equal parts unnerved by wick’s presence and angry about it. it is mostly a fear response we are seeing, an emotion that’s morphed into long held resentment and anger. so his actions are extremely defensive, with him trying to push wick far away and keep him and mitzi separate, like some sort of animal attempting to ward off a threat that’s come too close to their home. despite the loaded animosity there, this hate has hardly reached its peak … but it shall only grow more intense as things continue onward i’m afraid, since as it stands ( in the comic at least ) rocky is at an all time low … and is ten times more desperate. i’d honestly say wick has become so warped in his mind’s eye that he can only strive towards ‘winning’ over the other man, because that’s all he can see anymore. i think mitzi implying that wick willingly helped her out, the intense head injury, and rocky’s fragile emotional state is exactly what pushes him towards premeditated murder in look-see. i don’t know how people perceive that arc, but to me it’s very clear that rocky actively sought to see the deaths of wes and fish that night. going as far as to lament that he’d be, “very disappointed if ( he ) dreamed them,” and purposefully luring the marigold duo away to have freckle pick them off. while you could argue that this was a smart move, in a gangster sort of sense, there’s still no denying that rocky is oddly chipper about the whole thing and is now seeking death out ; whereas before his methods of vengeance were just, well, ruining people’s livelihood but ultimately leaving them alive. this isn’t to discredit the fact that rocky is going through something! he is in a very muddled and dark place, mentally and physically, but even tracy has said that the head injury hasn’t changed rocky’s personality -- it’s only brought things to the surface.

source : q&a with tracy .

which, yeah! makes sense! head trauma can cause a person to become a wreck emotionally ( think mood swings, irritability, etc ) but it doesn’t completely morph someone either. personality changes may occur, but it’s not like you’re being rewritten entirely, you know? and given tracy’s old statement, it’s clear that ‘personality changes’ aren’t a side effect he’s suffering from. something that adds to my beginning statement, which is that rocky is a deeply angry and troubled person, more so than fans give him any credit for.

however, to touch upon your mini opinion about these two, i actually wholeheartedly agree that rocky and wick could become friends if circumstances were different. they do in fact have many superficial similarities, but one of the more prominent things they deeply share is never really belonging in the groups they frequent. this is more overt with rocky’s character, yet wick faces it too in subtle ways. the well-to-do crowd, seen through the investors, find the gentleman to be lacking in about every place imaginable ; to them he is an obsessive freak who cares too deeply for meager rocks, something they constantly mock him for, while he’s also being noticeably set apart from the rest of them … he seems younger than the investors, more excitable, passionate, and a little less experienced, and doesn’t seem to care for money or reputation as much as them either. there is a constant rubbing between him and them, where what he enjoys is seen as wrong, such as his love for the lackadaisy and his choice in paramor, a grieving widow with extremely dangerous ties. we also know that wick doesn’t have many friends at all, with the only two he has being lacy and church ( church is listed as such on his character profile, in a sort of tongue-in-cheek way ), both of whom work for or with him. they are obliged to hang around, and while they care in varying ways, they are prone to judging him just as much. honestly, it’s not shocking that wick seeks refuge at his chosen speakeasy! but even there he is rather distant from everyone else. he doesn’t speak to zib ever in the comics, nor seems all too close with viktor, ivy, or horatio … it is merely mitzi he is close to, even if he knows of the other people who work there. and, once again, wick very obviously doesn’t fit in. he is not gangster material, could never be an atlas may replacement, much less someone who could get his paws dirty in such an active way. so he has his feet in two different worlds and doesn’t know how to fit into either of them, or which one he actually wants to fit into more. i think in many ways rocky could relate -- these are two very lonely people who wish to belong somewhere and be accepted by some group or another but go about it in all the wrong ways. wick, who is too hesitant to fully commit to what he wants and is worse off for it, and then rocky, who obsessively throws himself against what he wants until he breaks every bone in his body. they also have explosives to bond over, lol, and other miscellaneous things like their taste in women i suppose … but this potential bond adds to the tragedy of lackadaisy, where we see two people who on every level should get along but we’re burdened with the knowledge that it’s an impossibility anyway, because there’s no removing the circumstance of which they’re in.

though i like to believe that despite wick’s fear of rocky, he maintains a kindness towards him regardless. i think his worries about rocky are rather surface level … he doesn’t know the boy at all, really, and thus can’t make heads or tails of him, hence him believing the lie in balderdash. so when i’m feeling particularly self indulgent, i like imagining a world where they’re forced together and sort of ‘stuck’ together ; to which rocky finally breaks and exposes his wounds to wick, in every sense of the word, and wick finally gets him. the aggression, the possessiveness of mitzi … it is all fear and desperation and a profound sadness, things he’d sympathize with. if rocky was able to explain that he loathes wick because if he saves the lackadaisy then mitzi won’t need him anymore and that it’s not fair that wick gets to so easily fix things when rocky would give his soul for his home, for her, and how wick could render every sacrifice he’s already made for naught by smoothing things over with some greenbacks and he can’t lose this, he just can’t --! … which, well, wick is too kind of a man to be able to do anything except feel awful, even though it’s not his fault at all. here we have two people who could coexist! and they should, since rocky logically can’t do every speakeasy job ( band member, rumrunner, mitzi’s shadow, also the guy who gets the money for the hooch ) by himself, just like how wick can’t save the lackadaisy with only his cash and limited booze stash. it’d be a joint cooperation, a collaboration between them, both equally important in the grand scheme of crime’s every turning wheel … but rocky’s rage and fear won’t let him see that, and likely never will. still, in scenarios where everything ends up alright for the lackadaisy and the people involved in it ( which is not how canon will go, by the way ), i fancy wick and rocky getting better within their relationship. rocky will always be prickly and quick to upset around the other man sadly, but perhaps he could see wick in a softer kind of light. or at least understand vaguely enough that he isn’t out to get rocky, so to speak. and then maybe wick learns that pancakes soothe rocky’s ire and poorly makes them anytime he wishes to talk to the man, and other fun things like that! but you should have more confidence in your character analysis skills, because you were spot on ( at least in my eyes ) about them potentially getting along if things were different. it’s certainly a fun aspect to play around with, and is important to note when discussing their relationship so you can fully understand just how warped rocky’s perspective on things are. and how unstable and traumatized he is too, of course </3 sidenote, but i also hope that throughout everything i’ve said here, or anything i’ve said before on my blog, that my love for rocky and my own sympathy for him comes across well enough. while he’s deeply flawed and i have no qualms discussing said flaws in depth, i also don’t think of him as some insane freak who’s evil at his core or anything like that. honestly, i adore analyzing him so much as a character because of how far down his issues go! he’s very well written, i’ll say, as is wick and many of the other characters, but i digress.

once more, thank you for the ask! i’ll end this here because i fear if i don’t i’ll start going in circles, since their relationship is so vast and very important for rocky in a character sense. hopefully i shed some more light on it though! i love these two to bits and pieces and i wouldn’t be half as invested in lackadaisy if their dynamic wasn’t so monumental -- at least to me.