#and i think being a knight would make them both super proper

[lysitheascurse]

part one of my every fire emblem support aesthetic series

while you're working to be more proper, i’ll be working to strengthen myself, so that I might become a greater knight than you!

raphael x ingrid 

[ivorylungs]

I put down my last unicorn au ideas before I forgot them if you, uh, wanna see them🫣

Hizashi meets Shouta while they’re both kids and Hizashi is still super new at magic.

Unicorn Shouta is injured and Hizashi takes care of him while he’s recovering and they bond during that time enough for the unicorn to consider him his friend.

But before Shouta can make a full recovery the red buII attacks them and Hizashi in his panic turns Shouta human to get the bull off his tail

They get separated while escaping.

Hizashi spends ages looking for Shouta. He didn’t just turn him human- he turned him into an injured human! Who knows what could happen to him out there all by himself!

Days, then weeks, then months go by with no luck. He grows up believing he led his friend to his death out in those woods.

—————————

Shouta did escape that day. He eventually stumbled his way onto a road where a farming couple found him. They take him in and clean him up and listen to his silly stories about being a unicorn, a scary red buII, and his wizard friend. They adore the imagination of the child.

As Shouta grows up he stops telling those stories he came up with as a kid. He’s not sure how he thought them up. Must have been in a book he read.

The farming couple, now parents, raise Shouta as their own and he grows into a fine young man, if you ask them.

Shouta decides that he wants to become a knight and with the (maybe reluctant) support of his parents he’s off to the kingdom for training.

——————————-

Hizashi had been summoned to speak with the king. It had been a little over a year since the last time, but fuck- this was the last thing he needed. He knew he would have to report his findings back eventually. The only problem was that he hadn’t come up with a good enough bullshit report to replace the real one with yet.

He wasn’t sure if the last unicorn the king was making him search for was Shouta or not, but he was going to find out even if it killed him.

Which it might, since he’s showing up empty handed again.

He walks through the halls like the powerful wizard he is (claims to be) with his head held high and his palms definitely not sweaty.

He stops before the throne of the king and bows his head. When he lifts it to speak, the words he had prepared get stuck in his throat. Standing next to the king, he’s pretty fucking sure, is Shouta in royal guard attire.

Sitting next to where (maybe) Shouta stands is prince Oboro. He seems to be trying to get Shouta’s attention for something. His antics get an exasperated huff out of Shouta that moves the hair off of his forehead just enough for Hizashi to see it.

The mark that appeared after Hizashi changed him that day. Where a horn would be if he were in his proper form.

He’s finally found Shouta, but in the worst possible place he could be and right before the king probably hangs him for his failures. Just great!

“Shouta?”

Ohhhhhhh he didn’t mean to say anything out loud! Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfu-

The knight’s head whips around to look at him. Confusion clear on his face.

“Yamada-!” The king spits out. “You were not summoned here to speak to a knight. Where is my unicorn?”

“Your Majesty, please forgive my outburst. I- I have not yet found the unicorn, but-!” “Enough. You promised me years ago that you could deliver. I think I have been more than patient. However, all the resources and time have been wasted on you it would seem. All you’ve done is proven how useless a wizard you are.”

“I promise if I could just have a little more time-” Hizashi tries to reason.

“Guards, lock this fraud up immediately. I don’t want to see his face again”

Hizashi finds himself being dragged out of the throne room. His eyes meet Shouta’s as the doors shut behind him.

—-------------------------------------------------------

The guards are kind enough to bring him back to his old cell, where the king originally found him all those years back. Where he begged and promised his way out of it, embellishing his resume as a powerful wizard, specializing in researching and finding magical creatures.

He thought he had won the lottery back then, and if he was any good at what he did, he would still think that. Hizashi’s plan to use all the resources and knowledge the king had to offer to possibly find the unicorn he thought he had doomed back in those woods was a dream come true. He never trusted the king's motivations, but he also never planned on turning Shouta over to him if he found him. Hizashi robbed the world of its last unicorn. He was going to do whatever it took to give him back.

Hizashi is so busy wallowing in his sorrows on his cell floor that he doesn’t even notice the figure looming just past the bars.

“How do you know my name?-”

“HOLY FUCKING SH-!” Hizashi screams as he scrambles his way up. Hand on his chest as he tries to reel his heart back into it.

Shouta stands on the other side of his cell and Hizashi takes him in. He can’t believe it’s really him, after all this time. He’s alive. He’s alive and he- he’s hot? Not the time, Hizashi!

“Are you deaf? I asked-” Shouta begins to say Hizashi cuts him off.

“A little.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-” Shouta’s anger deflates a little at that.

Hizashi waves it off, though. “No it’s ok, I have an enchantment that helps me out most of the time. It’s not perfect, but it gets the job done.”

“So you heard my question?” Right back to business. Alright then.

Hizashi tilts his head, thinking. He knows they both have grown quite a bit in the last… 15-ish years, but has Shouta really met that many loud blond wizards in that time?

“You really don’t remember me? I found you in the woods when we were kids and you were injured. You refused to leave the woods to go into town, where I could help you more, so I stayed there with you. I had to change you when the red bull attacked us and then we got seperated-”

“Change me? What does that mean? And I’ve never been attacked by any bulls in my life… Is this some kind of joke?”

He really doesn’t remember.

“Where did you grow up?” “On a farm a few hours south of the kingdom. I doubt you’ve been there so how do you know my name?” 

This isn’t right. Did changing him into a human make him forget everything about being a unicorn? Hizashi really fucked this up. Would it be wrong to change him back after he’s been living as a human for this long? Maybe he likes it better this way. Would Hizashi be robbing Shouta of a life he loves again? 

“Do you- are… are you happy?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Hizashi walks up to the bars and stands face to face with Shouta. They’re nearly the same height. It looks like whoever took Shouta in took care of him. He’s tall, well built, his hair looks beautiful, and even the stubble on his face suits him. Not that you can’t have all of that and still have grown up neglected. He just can’t get over that Shouta is here. He didn’t kill him and Shouta could possibly be thriving.

“Are you?" Hizashi tries again.

“Why won’t you just answer my question?” Shouta’s fuse noticeably grows shorter and shorter.

“Please, I need to know.” Hizashi is sure the desperation in his voice is confusing Shouta even more, but he really does need to know. Needs to know that he didn’t doom Shouta to years of misery.

“I - I guess I am? There’s not much I could complain about. I think I probably have it pretty good compared to a lot of people, even right outside these castle walls.”

“And have you made friends here?”

“They didn’t really give me much of a choice” Shouta says with a faint smile finally showing on his face.

“I’m so happy to hear that” Hizashi knows he’s got tears noticeably shining in his eyes, trying to fight their way out. 

Shouta seems to be stunned by the emotions this strange wizard is showing him. He opens his mouth, probably to continue his questioning, but is cut off by the dungeon door swinging open.

“Shouta! Did you get anything out of him yet?... Whoa! Did you make him cry?!”

“I didn’t do anything, he- he won’t give me a straight answer! Are all wizards this weird?”

Holy shit. Why was the prince down here?

“Nemuri is a witch, does that count?”

“I guess. Not looking good for your magical folk’s reputation…”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean??!” Hizashi finally chimes in. The disrespect!

The prince casually walks right to his cell and extends his hand to him.

“Yamada, right? It’s nice to finally formally meet the wizard my father has spent the last few years bitching my ear off about!” He says with somehow absolutely no malice.

Hizashi cautiously takes the offered hand to shake. “S-so sorry about that, your Highness! It was never my intention to-”

“No need to apologize. I’m really glad you never found the unicorn.”

“You what?” Hizashi must have missed something.

“My father is not a good man. I don’t know what his plans were for after he got his hands on it, but I doubt it was for anything good. I think you knew that too, though, right?”

“I mean- I-”

The prince shakes his head at him. “ It’s okay, really. I don’t think you even planned to hand over the unicorn if you did find it.”

“Oh my god, was I that obvious?!”

“Please. The king is so high on his own power that he probably never even considered you weren’t going to do exactly as he asked. Me on the other hand-” He puffs out his chest “ I know a good man when I see one!” The prince says rather proudly.

Shouta crosses his arms and stares Hizashi down. “I don’t know, I still don’t trust him” 

“Shouta, you never trust anyone.”

“Yeah, well, especially not this guy.”

The prince gives Hizashi a look and Hizashi is pretty sure he’s trying to convey some kind of message with it, but he has no idea what it could be. He then throws his arm over Shouta and laughs right into his ear. Shouta's face says he hates it, but his body language says otherwise. This is something they do often. Did he even get so lucky as to befriend a prince while living his life as a human?

Hizashi really does start to cry then.

It’s a lot. Some of the grief he’s been carrying all this time lifts and it might not be all of it, and he’s still stuck in a cell in a disgusting, smelly dungeon, but Hizashi can’t remember the last time he’s felt so light.

Shouta and the prince look at each other for an answer that neither has about this strange wizard.

“H-hey, man. It’s going to be ok, there’s no need to cry” the prince tries.

Hizashi starts to get control of his breathing again and wipes away some of the tears still falling down his face. “Yeah, haha I know” he says with a real smile he hasn’t used in some time.

The two on the other side of his cell don’t look convinced, but the prince seems to have come down here for more than just to check on his friend. He pulls out a set of keys and begins to unlock Hizashi’s cell door.

“I’ve actually been hoping you'd get the boot from my father. Took longer than I would like, but better late than never! Would you like to work for me instead, Hizashi?”

“Is offering jobs to people while imprisoned something that runs in the family?” That… wasn’t what Hizashi meant to say.

The prince gasps “I let you out first!” 

“See, he doesn’t know how to answer questions.” Shouta pouts.

“You might be onto something actually…” a matching pout now growing on the prince’s face.

[anonyanonymouse]

I am again thinking about what the financial situation is for the diasomnias. It's difficult to say anything for sure because I don't really know what the economy is like in briar valley and what kind of currency they use (if any at all...?)

They use their own magic to get by, but there's definitely still some things left they would need. They mention Briar Valley has exports in cloth nowadays, and I'm sure they'd have a few other exports too. I'm super curious how it effects the financial situation of the royal family and how they give payment?? The only example we have is of Malleus giving Deuce the gem as a thank you for fixing gao gao dragon kun, but that could have just been a one-off gift he decided to give, since we do see others in diasomnia buying things with money (presumably?)

With so much left up in the air, there's a lot of possibilities. My thoughts are that they do have a currency they use mostly for exchanging services and buying art. The actual royal family aren't any richer than the Asims, but that matters very little with the loyalty they've grown amongst fae folk plus their own capabilities with magic

I don't think Lilia was paid during the war or before it because he was already given room and board by the royal family, and again, currency exists but is not as necessary when magic helps to make up the difference. He definitely wasn't paid during the ~200 year gap that he left the royal family's service, but now that he's taking care of Malleus, I think the queen is personally giving him a decent salary for his work

While he wasn't being paid, Meleanor, Levan, or Baul could have given him any money he needed, but instances like that would have been few and far between, and when he was traveling, he'd probably pick up a few odd jobs to pay for whatever he needed in the country, but also could have just sold his own few possessions at the time instead

For Malleus, I'm not sure if he's given any kind of "allowance" or just given money on an as-needed basis while he's at NRC. Before NRC, though, he wouldn't have been given anything. Everything would be paid for by his grandmother or by the senate at his request. We see him shopping around town multiple times though, so he does have some kind of money or goods that he's exchanging for things

I'm the least certain about what's going on with Silver and Sebek. I don't think it's been confirmed whether they're officially considered guards by the queen, and I don't know enough about Maleficia for me say one way or the other about it. I do like to think they are! It's nice to think they're already employed while they're in school, but with how Malleus and Lilia both talk about them like they're still babies, it's pretty likely that if they are employed by her, it's only as a joke or as a way to appease Malleus

If they aren't considered knights by the queen yet, then it's safe to say that Malleus is paying them. And if he's paying them with rocks and crystals like he did with Deuce, they've probably already exchanged those for proper currency lol

[yrrtyrrtwhenihrrthrrt]

Good morning everyone. I haven't written smut since the last time I wrote smut so it's time for

✨ Goldenheart NSFW Kink Headcanons✨

For both versions. 🌶️Spicy🌶️ content beneath the cut (obviously)

Movie

First we have the obvious: praise, competency, body worship, it's basically canon at this point.

I also think they'd be very into roleplay. It helps them to escape their situation and enjoy each other in New Ways for a bit. Before the events of the movie, they would roleplay that Bal was a Knight and Ambrosius was a commoner, or that one of them was a villain, or any from a myriad of stranger meet-cute roleplays (they are both switches). Post-canon I think they'd work in a hero/villain roleplay to process some of their issues.

Heavy possessiveness kink from Bal. He wants to be marked up, he wants to be owned, he wants to remember constantly that he belongs with his man who makes him feel so loved and safe. Ambrosius is naturally a pretty respectful guy but upon receiving permission to be stupid possessive it comes easily to him (he wants nobody else to touch his man ever at all and he wants EVERYONE to know Ballister is his)

I think these two would also be into experimenting with some light BDSM stuff, like light bondage, teasing, edging, etc. They already explore power imbalance stuff in their roleplays so I think this just adds to it. While they are both switches Ambrosius Doms more often, especially post-canon because surrendering himself to Ambrosius really helps Bal build trust. Bal can certainly go freak-mode though, Ambrosius really likes getting his hips bruised from being gripped so hard by a metal hand while he's being railed. The hand-shaped purple mark on his skin is a sexy reminder of their activities.

Comic

Kinky kinky kinky motherfuckers these ones. As we know. Ballister always Doms, but he doesn't always top (it's rare for him to bottom, but he does ride on occasion, since Amb lacks lower body strength and mobility due to injury)

I think they'd be into a lot of BDSM practices. Nothing 24/7, just scenes, but I cannot imagine they wouldn't. Heavier bondage, chains, ropes, suspension, etc., it's fun for both of them when Ambrosius can't move beyond squirming. Degradation I can see being their biggest kink-- Ambrosius wants Ballister to be fucking mean to him. Call him pathetic, stupid, a slut, a fleshlight, a sex toy, fucking anything. Ambrosius doesn't know why but it gets him so riled up (it's because he felt pressured to be perfect his whole adult life and being broken down releases that pressure.) He wouldn't be into insults of his appearance though, bc he's insecure about it, and Ballister also could never call him ugly with a straight face even if he wanted because he is just way too smitten. In addition to that as far as BDSM goes I think they'd be into discipline/impact play. I can see spanking Ambrosius to be very cathartic for Ballister, and also very fun for Ambrosius.

Outside of typical BDSM shit I imagine that this Ballister also has a praise kink but is in Big Denial about it. He thinks that because he doesn't like being called a "good boy" he doesn't have one. He is not correct. Ambrosius has a praise kink too, on top of his degradation kink, but that's what comes out during vanilla sex.

Ballister is also a huge salirophiliac, he likes fucking Amb's appearance up, ripping the clothes off his body, messing up his hair, getting cum all over his face and body, he just wants to turn his prim and proper little dandy into an absolute fucking mess.

Lastly I think these two (particularly Amb) would be super into cockwarming, it's like cuddling x1000 intimacy and he loves having Bal inside of him. This ranges anywhere from incredibly intimate, quiet, soft cuddles where Ambrosius is in tears from how loved and safe he feels being filled and in those arms, to cheeky teasing exercises where one or both of them will try to get the other as desperate and whiny as possible until they cave and just have sex.

And both sets of gentlemen are of course incredibly good at aftercare and make each other feel safe, loved, and regulated after any kinky or intense sex 💛

[icedragonlizard]

What if Sectonia and Max Haltmann were to hypothetically come back to life in my verse?

In my verse, Morpho Knight will literally never bring people back to life. One someone dies, they don't come back. All Morpho Knight does is just bring the souls of the dead to the afterlife.

But, hypothetically-speaking, let's just assume that Morpho Knight suddenly decides to bring Sectonia and Max Haltmann back to life for some reason.

What would happen, then? How would Taranza and Susie react to them coming back to life, and how might they reconnect with them?

I have it thought out as to what'd happen if these revivals were to hypothetically happen in my verse.

Click on the 'Keep reading' tag to read about it.

First, let's start with Sectonia.

In the afterlife, Sectonia is back to her original spider form. If Morpho Knight were to bring her back to life, she'd come back as a spider.

Taranza would be so, so excited if she came back. He'd immediately come rushing to her direction and be filled with joyful tears. He'd tell her that he's so glad that she's back and attempt to hug her. He'd profusely apologize for giving her the mirror that corrupted her, and he'd talk about how they can finally get their long lost happy ending.

.... But it wouldn't actually be so simple.

The problem would be how Sectonia herself would act. In the afterlife, she's enormously guilt-stricken over all the atrocities she's committed, and this would carry over to her hypothetically being brought back to life.

She'd believe that she didn't deserve to be brought back to life. She'd tell Taranza that she doesn't understand why he still loves her so much after how badly she treated him, and would tell him that she's the one that needs to apologize instead of him because he didn't know the mirror was going to corrupt her, and that her actions after being corrupted were totally inexcusable.

She'd tell him that he has every right to resent her after the way she treated him in her corrupted form. She'd tell him that she doesn't deserve him, and that she doesn't deserve a happy ending with him. She'd think that he's trying to absolve her of her sins way too easily.

Taranza would be upset over her acting like this. He'd be heartbroken to see her be so distraught, and it'd just make him even more guilty about giving her the mirror. He'd tell her that he absolutely did need to apologize for giving her the mirror because she wouldn't have done all those bad things if he didn't give it to her. He'd tell her that it's all his fault that she went off the deep end. And he'd end up saying that he's the one that doesn't deserve her because of it.

There'd be a brief period where they both end up wallowing in despair, as they'd both feel like they don't deserve each other, and they'd both blame themselves. Therefore, a happy reunion wouldn't really come too easily here. They'd both be too ashamed of their respective actions to get a happy ending that Taranza anticipated.

However, things would eventually get better. With the combination of them trying to talk it out some more as well as Taranza's other friends playing a hand in giving helpful tips and advice, the spiders would eventually start making proper amends and would start embracing each other more over time.

There'd be moments of simultaneous hugging and crying. Sectonia would still be so guilt-stricken, but she could eventually slowly accept potential salvation for her. And while Taranza would understand her guilt, he'd tell her that he's just happy that she's back and missed her so much, and that he'd be more than willing to forgive her and reunite with her.

It'll eventually be okay for them. They'd just have a difficult start because of Sectonia's guilt, which also snowballs into Taranza's guilt because he sees how his mirror gift made her feel that way.

She'd never stop feeling super guilty and ashamed, but ultimately she can settle into being brought back and reunite with him again.

Now we go onto Max Haltmann and his revival.

In the afterlife, Haltmann has his memories back. If Morpho Knight were to bring him back to life, he'd come back remembering Susie/Susanna as his daughter again.

.... However, the two Haltmanns would get off to an incredibly difficult start.

The thing is, it's a complicated mess as to how Susie feels about her dad. She was really affected by him not recognizing her as his daughter during the time period that they were together again after she left Another Dimension to come back to him. She's had a lot of resentment for him because of it.

She'd hesitate to embrace her dad right away in the hypothetical of him coming back to life. The last time she ran up to him for a hug, he coldly rejected it, and so she wouldn't risk doing that again. She wouldn't trust the way he'd act if she tried anything like that again.

Initially, she'd keep a distance from him, even after first finding out that his memories are back. Heck, she'd actually be skeptical when she first witnesses him being so emotional upon seeing her again, basically acting like the dad she remembered as a little kid.

Here's the problem: Susie has never been able to know what was going on with her dad while she was stranded in Another Dimension. She never understood why he kept Star Dream around after it took her away from him, and how or why he presumably allowed the machine to erode away his memories of her. She'd want to know how it all happened.

Early on in this revival scenario, Susie would think that Haltmann's behavior is insincere. She wouldn't want an insincere reunion with him where they pretend that nothing ever happened. She'd want answers. She'd remind him about what happened when she came back from Another Dimension, and how hurt she was over his behavior.

She'd ask him to explain what he was doing in her absence. She'd want the complete truth from him. She wouldn't be willing to reunite with him unless he was entirely transparent about what he did while she was in the hell dimension.

... She'd then become utterly shocked at what he'd reveal.

He'd talk about how he was enormously grief-stricken about Star Dream taking her away from him, and what he did in response to the catastrophic accident. He'd talk about how he assumed she was dead, and that he tried to use the machine to bring her back to life, but it didn't grant his wish, and it didn't say it was because she wasn't dead. He'd then talk about how he kept trying to use it to bring her back until it eventually ate up his memories to the point of him forgetting about her existence.

He'd be in a mental breakdown when explaining all of it. He'd also talk about how he completely understands why she resents him and why she was keeping a distance from him when he came back, and he'd tell her that he'd understand if she can't forgive him for everything that happened because he can't forgive himself. He'd express his enormous regret, and how he'd believe he failed her and that he doesn't deserve her.

He'd be as every bit as guilt-stricken as Sectonia, or perhaps even more so.

Admittedly, it'd take Susie a bit of time to process all of it. But once it fully clicks to her that he was essentially sacrificing his mind trying to get her back, that he wanted the initial reunion every bit as much as she did, and that he feels so painfully crushed with guilt over what he turned into by the time she came back, it'd make her emotional. Really emotional.

She'd eventually come to him with tears in her eyes. She'd tell him that she has a hard time completely forgiving him because of how the damage has already been done with her not having closure for a very long time, but despite that she's genuinely happy that he's back, and she also makes an apology for accidentally killing him when she stole Star Dream's controller from him.

He'd tell her that he doesn't even require an apology from her, as he doesn't even remotely hold that stunt against her, and he'd say that it was his own fault that it got to that point in the first place because of how stubborn he was. And he'd emotionally talk about how despite all of the hurt that he feels, he's also just happy to finally be with her once again after everything.

They'd eventually get to the point where they hug each other and cry while doing so. It wouldn't happen immediately after he comes back, but it'd happen after they unpack many of the complicated stuff between them. And it'd be cathartic for the both of them.

And after that hug, they'd finally start making amends, and the friends that Susie has made ever since her dad's death can help out in various ways.

Max Haltmann wouldn't take back the presidency for the Haltmann Works Company. He wouldn't even want to. If anything, he's actually proud that Susie revived it and became its president after his death. He wouldn't want to take that from her. He'd go in retirement. Susie would let him have a room all to himself.

The Haltmanns would eventually and slowly work things out. But even after making amends, Susie would still sometimes feel awkward about having her dad back. While he was dead, she eventually accepted his death and had grown to like her friends more than him because of the baggage she had over him, and so him being back would still admittedly be a little weird and awkward for her.

And honestly, even in this revival scenario, he still wouldn't go back to being her favorite person. He still wouldn't top her two best friends. She'd still love Taranza and Francisca way more than him. Sorry, but she had grown such strong bonds with him for many years that it just simply wouldn't be possible for her dad to top them at this point.

He'd understand. He wouldn't blame her. More than anything, he'd be exceptionally grateful to his friends. He'd especially give her two besties a wholehearted thank you, and he'd be happy that she wasn't entirely alone and miserable during his death.

Susie still wouldn't regain all of her lost love for her dad in a revival scenario, and they'd get off to a really complicated start, but it'd eventually turn out okay for them. They'd just need time. They'd ultimately reunite in the end, even with Susie still loving her best friends more than him.

And that basically sums up how the two "reunions" would go.

They'd both have difficult starts because of the trauma, but in the end there'd ultimately be a reunion in both situations. It just doesn't come too easy and both situations would require time to work through enough of their issues to properly reunite.

Funny enough, I did actually write a fanfiction about reviving Sectonia and Haltmann a long time ago. I wrote it last year, and it can be found here. But that was also before I made changes to my Kirby headcanon verse, and looking back at it I think the reunions came a little too easy.

There was a lot of emotion and crying in both reunions in that AO3 story, but if I were to rewrite it now, I'd make the reunions harder and longer to achieve. They'd be more like what I wrote above in this post. In both situations, the baggage wouldn't be fixed overnight. It'd absolutely take more than a day for proper reuniting in both situations.

.... Is it possible that I could rewrite that story? Maybe. I'm not too sure as of right now. Writing fanfiction is admittedly draining so if I do it, it wouldn't be for a long time. But I can say that it's not completely off the table. I'll know as time goes on.

Anyways, mind if I bring up the Mage Sisters and Hyness in this topic? They'd actually be pretty relevant in the hypothetical scenario of Sectonia and Haltmann coming back to life in my verse.

You see, in terms of how I have the Mage Sisters interacting with Hyness post-HiAD, it has similarities to both the hypothetical Taranza/Sectonia and Susie/Haltmann reunion situations.

Zan Partizanne quickly forgives Hyness despite his actions and was just overjoyed that he's back even early on, which is similar to how Taranza would quickly forgive Sectonia and just be overjoyed that she's back.

And then both Francisca and Flamberge have a lot of hang-ups with Hyness early on and required some time to work through those hang-ups with him, which is similar to how Susie would have a lot of hang-ups with Haltmann early on and would need some time to work through those hang-ups.

Hyness himself is very guilt-stricken over his actions while he was corrupted and partly feels like he didn't really deserve to be brought back, which is how Sectonia and Haltmann would act if they either survived or hypothetically get brought back to life.

And so you can imagine the Jamba family being capable of giving advice to both the spiders and the Haltmanns in the revival hypotheticals. I can see Hyness understanding how lost, uncertain and guilty Haltmann and Sectonia would feel, considering he himself more or less felt the same way.

I can see Zan trying to give Taranza advice in a scenario where he tries to reconnect with Sectonia, and I can see Francisca giving Susie advice during her period of skepticism in a scenario where Haltmann comes back. Well, Flamberge can also definitely do that, but Francisca to a greater extent because Susie is more closely bonded with the ice general than the fire general.

Nice to have people who understand the situations help out, huh?

Anyways, that's it. Thank you if you managed to read all of this.

[thetarttfuldickhead]

A Jamie-centric pre-OT3 Christmas story told in 25 short chapters.

Masterpost / AO3

21.

Maybe he was dreaming again, Jamie thought. Kind of had to be, because how likely was it that he would actually be chilling in the home of Roy – Roy Kent! – while Keeley – best and kindest and sexiest Keeley! – let him lean on her and kept running her fingers through his hair in that way she knew that he loved?

It felt real, though. Felt nice and warm and a little float-y, a far fucking cry from the sickening shame and fear of the early evening when Roy had rushed in like some knight in shining armour to chuck Dad out. And it’d been fucking humiliating to have Roy – Roy Kent! – see Jamie like that, fucking shivering and dumb and then crying just from a few nasty words and a shove, but there’d been relief in it as well.

Someone knew, and the world hadn’t ended. Someone had seen, and hadn’t walked away, or called Jamie a pussy for letting his dad talk to him like that, push him around like that.

Roy had cleaned out his wounds instead, and brought him home.

It was weird, the way a day that had started so badly and only gotten worse could somehow turn into what might be one of the best evenings of Jamie’s life. A proper Christmas miracle, like.

“Which one was the best?” Keeley asked suddenly, breaking Jamie out of his revere.  

“Eh?”

“Best adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Deciding that is what led to all this, right,”—she indicated the three of them—“so I just wondered which one was the best.”

“The Muppet Christmas Carol,” Roy said before Jamie even had time to open his mouth. “It’s not even a contest.”

Jamie shrugged. ”We didn’t watch that one.”

Roy’s head snapped toward Jamie. “What?” he asked, sounding as baffled as he did furious.  “The fuck do you mean you didn’t watch that one?”

“Um, that we didn’t? We, like, all voted on which ones to see, and that one didn’t make the cut, so.”

“Fucking Ted,” Roy muttered, looking genuinely upset. “How the fuck is he going to get you back to the Premier League if he can’t even make calls as easy as that. Jesus Christ.”

“Maybe you should come on as coach,” Jamie suggested innocently. “Make sure we don’t miss any other important movies.”

“Don’t be a dick,” Roy said. “And we’re watching The Muppet Christmas Carol right now. Can’t fucking believe I was haunted by the ghost of Christmas pricks and he hasn’t even seen the only relevant version.” He stood up from the couch. “I’m getting a beer, you want anything?”

At Keeley’s wine for me, please and Jamie’s a beer’d be mint, cheers mate Roy gave a short nod and disappeared to the kitchen.

“I wasn’t being a dick,” Jamie told Keeley confidentially. “I mean, I was, but I think he’d be dead good as a coach. Ted and Beard and Nate, they’re all great, but we could use someone who actually knows what it’s like to play the game, do you know what I mean?”

“I know! He’d be so good at it! And I know he really, really misses football, even though he doesn’t want to admit it. I could hardly get him to try the pundit gig, though, so I’m not sure what’d convince him to start coaching, even if Ted, or someone, asked. He’s so fucking stubborn.”

“Thick-headed twat,” Jamie agreed, though the snark was tinged with a fondness he hadn’t expected to ever feel for Roy, not since the first time he actually met the man and he proved to be a massive cunt. But maybe Jamie had been just a little bit hasty in his judgment last year. He wasn’t always right, after all, as surprising as that would be to people.

Roy returned with the drinks, pausing with narrowed eyes as they both swivelled to look at him.

“Were you talking about me?” he demanded.

“No,” Keeley said, guiltily.

“Yeah,” Jamie said, not guiltily at all. Roy was a thick-headed twat; the fact that he was also weirdly sweet and kind of like a super hero or some shit didn’t change that.

“Uh-huh. I was thinking we should order some food too. Indian fine with you?”

Indian was fine with everyone. Roy promised to get Keeley her “usual”, told Jamie which items would work best with his meal plan, and called in the order. Then he returned to his corner of the couch, and he didn’t say anything about it, but Jamie noticed the furtive and decidedly longing look he shot Keeley.

Keeley must have noticed it to, because she gave Jamie’s shoulder a little pat. “Come on, sweetie, let’s switch it up a little, eh? I think Roy is starting to feel left out.”

“I’m not—“ Roy began, but Jamie was already moving, scrambling to his feet while he felt his cheeks heat up and his heart freeze. The fuck had he been thinking? That he could just stay like this, getting all cosy with Keeley while Roy sat alone in the corner? And after making them spend the entire evening looking after him when they were probably just dying to get some time alone, too. Fucking stupid. Selfish.

“I can go if you want,” he hastily offered. “I mean, I should probably go, right? Yeah. But, like, it’s been great, so thanks, uh, thanks for having me.”

“Jamie, no,” Keeley said, looking distressed. “That’s not—“

“You’re not going anywhere until you’ve seen the movie,” Roy added firmly. “Fact is, you should probably stay the night, just in case your piece of shit dad decides to drop in on you again.”

“He probably went home already,” Jamie admitted reluctantly. He really wasn’t keen on going back to his empty house and the broken glass still on the floor, especially if the alternative was a sleepover at Roy Kent’s, but it felt like a bad thing, lying about his dad just so they’d let him stay. “Or is about to, anyway. Too cheap for a hotel if I’m not paying for it, ain’t he. Him and his mates usually takes the last regular train back to Manchester.”

“All right.” Roy kept staring at him, gaze dark and penetrating. “You should stay anyway,” he said abruptly. “Just in case. It’d… “ He paused, looking up in the ceiling and looking like he’d rather stab himself in the eye than continue. “It’d make me feel better,” he eventually gritted out. “Knowing that you’re here. So. Stay. Please.”

“Yeah, Jamie,” Keely quickly interjected. “It’d make us both feel better, yeah?”

Jamie, still wide-eyed and open-mouthed from the please, could only nod. “Yeah, okay, if you want, yeah,” he croaked.

“Great!” Keeley beamed at him. “And I didn’t mean we can’t keep cuddling, babe, I just thought we’d shift around a bit, make sure everyone’s included, yeah? Like this.” And she moved over to the other end of the couch, sidling up next to Roy and leaning back against his chest. He immediately put an arm around her, and pressed his lips against hers in a kiss when she turned her face towards him in invitation.

Jamie had found the sight of them kissing disgusting once. Now, it sparked something else; heat, and a sense of quiet longing.

And then Keeley looked up at him, raising her eyebrows expectantly. “Come on, then.”

Jamie looked to Roy, to make sure he really was okay with this.

But Roy just gave him a nod. “Go on.”

So Jamie went, laying down on the couch with his head in Keeley’s lap, and gave a happy sigh as her hand immediately went back to his head, scratching idly at his scalp and running her thumb over his neck.

“Don’t fucking fall asleep,” Roy ordered as he started the movie. “You’re paying this the attention it deserves, Tartt, you hear me?”

“Yes, Coach,” Jamie said, and grinned when Roy growled and Keeley giggled. Huh, he thought. Really is a fucking Christmas miracle, innit.

---

Roy had been right. It was the best version.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Credit: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/71251860#big_0

Final one. Hopefully.

//Let's do this.

Makoto is Sir Bedivere, one of last Knights of the Round Table who survived to the end and is the one who King Arthur gave Excalibur to to throw back to the Lake so it can be returned to the Lady of Lake. Of course Makoto gets the good boy character.

//As it should be.

Kyoko is Artoria Pendragon Lancer. Idk why Kyoko is the a lot more busty adult version of genderbent King Arthur, the face of the franchise, but I guess it makes sense for Kyoko to be Makoto's King/Queen.

//I mean, as I've said before a few times, people seriously underestimate just how important the original protag trio (Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya) are to this series. Even when they don't show up physically, their presence is everywhere. And yeah, sure, KOMARU is actually the first proper female protagonist, but Kyoko is far more integral to the series than she is, and I think she looks gorgeous here. Also, unless I'm remembering this wrong, Lancer dies a lot in the Fate series? And so does Kyoko in DR, lol.

Junko is Kiara Sessyoin. I FUCKING HATE KIARA. Kiara is defined by two things: 1. Her desire to reach Buddhist Enlightenment via actual Universal Menstruation/Orgasm/Inserting the universe into her vagina for some fucked up Vagina Vore bullshit and 2. Her desperate wish for a sequel to The Little Mermaid. No not the movie. The actual book. Kiara can NOT stop being a constantly dirty minded absolute bitch whore NUN of all things about everything we do and she keeps getting in our way. Sigh... Yeah it fits Junko due to how much detestable they are...Junko does have an alternative as Suzuka Gongen. This is solely due to them just being actual Gyaru girls. I'm not getting into the backstory of Suzuka.

//This is just a guess, but I think that MIIIIIGHT be why she's represented through the literal worst person to ever be born? Also, I was aware of all this before, but it's no secret that Junko doesn't just want to cause despair because it makes her feel excited. She has admitted several times that it makes her straight up AROUSED! So yeah, this makes far too much sense if that's the case.

Mukuro is Hassan of Serenity. You can say Mukuro may have a touch of death but this is stretching it. I'm not sure Mukuro has anything to do with someone with literally poisonous skin, hair, body fluids, breath, and etc. Although I guess they are both precious girls who want to be loved. Also, i doubt Mukuro would dress that scantily.

//Taking it into a metaphorical perspective, Mukuro might not have ever been poisonous, but the ideas that Junko drilled into her sure made her feel like she was.

Byakuya is Gilgamesh Caster. Formerly super arrogant? Check. Overly worked to death for being responsible for being the leader of his people? Check. Still an arrogant douche with LOTS of resources at his disposal? Check. I can see this.

//I actually do know a bit about Gilgamesh, and yeah, while I wouldn't say Byakuya is THAT bad of a person, it does check out.

Toko is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide. I don't even need to explain.

//No you don't.

Mondo is Sakata Kintoki Rider. Flaming Motorcycles, baby! I'm not getting into the lore. I don't think that's relevant.

//It doesn't matter to me. I saw the word "rider" and I got it.

Chihiro is Chevalier D'Eon. Of course. D'Eon is known for being a spy whose gender we could never ever figure out. You can see how this kinda relates to Chihiro.

//I LOVE the way that outfit looks on Chihiro too though? And the idea of him being an androgynous spy is fucking awesome actually.

Taka is Gilles De Rais. Now this is just insulting. Taka is no soldier general to Jeanne D'Arc who, after Jeanne was burned at the stake, turned to kidnapping, raping, mutilating, and torturing little boys for years to prove that God exists cuz god would punish him for his sins. Taka is not a person who dabbles in Lovecraftian tentacle magic.

//Yeah, that basically goes against everything Taka is, besides the loyalty part. I don't vibe with that.

Yasuhiro is Tawara Touta. Not sure how much Hagakure loves rice. And I mean, REALLY loves rice and wants to give to everyone.

//I think it's more got to do with the fact he looks like a hobo.

Sakura is Heracles/Hercules. FUCK YEAH. I approve. We made Hercules her Persona in my headcanon for a reason.

//Strongest human is the strongest human; it's really quite simple.

Aoi is Miyamoto Musashi. Genderbent Musashi is a weird case. Aoi clearly is no master of the sword nor is she a battle nutcase. Hey at least both of them have very sexy bikinis and lots of fanservice.

//Yeah, she's no master of the sword, but she IS pretty competitive. And yes, lot's of fanservice. I can definitely see her wearing that outfiot.

Leon is Jason. Idk why. Jason is kinda racist douchebag in Fgo. I mean, we eventually like him cuz he's a gag character who gets screwed over all the time and he does help us a lot when times call for professionalism but nah. Not seeing it.

//An asshole, douchebag gag character who gets screwed over so much, and you DON'T see the connection to Leon!?

Sayaka is Mata Hari. Sayaka may be able to dance and allure people with her sexiness and nice sexy figure, but I'm not sure Sayaka is one for being a professional stripper. Then again, maybe? Mata Hari is actually a super sweet and very nice person.

//I mean, Survivor Sayaka would be exclusively for Makoto; we had this conversation like, a few days ago, lol. And yeah, Sayaka is a very sweet and nice person.

Celes is Semiramis. Of course Celes is the dommy queen character who poisoned her husband. Semiramis is weird story.

//Fair. Also, that is a FUCKING look for her.

And I think Hifumi has just been relegated to being one of Semiramis Celes's laser coffin things.

//I had a feeling right from the get go that Hifumi's would be related to Celeste, but honestly, it would have made more sense, based on what you just described, for Celeste to be Jeanne D'Arc, and Hifumi to be Gilles De Rais. I don't, under any form or circumstance, think Hifumi is worthy of being likened to a serial killer/rapist either, god no, but if it was this way, it would make a lot more sense given these two's in-game relationship with each other.

[sukehiroselei]

YAMICHAR in the final arc

At the end of the day, this blog is still dedicated to Yami and Charlotte. So of course everything that's happening in the story, I'm gonna relate it somehow to my OTP of OTPs. Some possibilities that I think could happen during the final arc, in order of best-case to worst-case scenarios:

1. Yami and Charlotte are totally fine, indestructible, and kick paladin ass together.

The best I can hope for as a shipper is that they somehow avoid the raging death flags and manage to win, together, then finally have that adult conversation over tea about what it is they've got going on.

They fight together like they did during the Elf arc, except this time it's much better since Charlotte will be in full-control of her body. We get proper development of their relationship during battle, either Yami surpassing his limits because her life is in danger, or Charlotte overcoming her insecurities about not being strong enough to stand by him, because goddamn it, they're knocking paladins left and right, showing these knights how it's done (or both, honestly?).

I want Charlotte to unlock the full extent of her powers, realizing that loving someone isn't a sign of weakness, but is a source of strength. Watching Yami fight his hardest because he loves his squad finally gets her to see what it is that makes him so strong, and it's because of his heart. That in spite of the pain he's faced in his life, Yami chooses to love the people who matter to him—it just so happens that his love language is kicking the asses of those who hurt the people he cares about.

Best-best case scenario??? A kiss. But that's just never gonna happen now ahaha.

2. Yami turns into a monster

There's something about that devil heart... Tabata wouldn't have put it there if it isn't important, right? And Yami being a punching bag key character of the series, there has to be a breaking point.

This man's entire life has been a tragedy. He had an abusive father, a sister who was coerced into killing his family and then choosing to shoulder the blame on her behalf, washing ashore on a strange country then being treated with racism, looked down on by members of society in spite of his achievements; now slowly losing the people he loves....

No wonder this man has so many vices. I'd be super stressed too, if this was my life. It's honestly a wonder how Yami's worst habit is just smoking??

So yeah, this seems most likely to me rn. I feel like this development would absolutely destroy Asta. That this world is so broken that even the seemingly infallible Captain Yami has fallen victim to it. Also, the role reversal in the Elf arc would be interesting; Charlotte trying to get Yami to snap out of it along with the Black Bulls? What a scrumptious idea.

3. They both die

Now listen, this isn't my favourite outcome, but it's still not as bad as the next one. If both of them die, I'd of course be devastated, but at least neither one has to live the rest of their life alone & wondering what could have been.

To me, it would be better to face death with hands adjoined than to be left pining for a ghost, especially if it was Charlotte who survives and not Yami. That would just be beyond cruel, I think. But this is of course, my personal opinion.

4. One of them dies

I love a good angsty fic, but I would absolutely be crushed if only one of them dies. Sorry if people think that this is childish. I think if BC had established itself as a manga with high stakes from the get-go, then I would kind of understand, but one of the things I liked about the series is the minimal-amount of deaths so far?? Idk.... I'm just fiercely protective of my fav characters (and I honestly love a lot of them). So yeah, either Yami or Char dying would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

I would also like to add that Charlotte dying to spur Yami's devil heart transformation would absolutely be a worst-case scenario for me. We've built her character up for so long and then at the end she becomes fodder for one of the male protags??? I'd be livid lol

Bonus Super Duper Crack Theory That Has A 0.00001% Chance Of Happening:

When Charlotte and Yami had dinner to discuss her curse, she said that 'The curse had altered the shape of her soul'. And her being cursed has hindered her from fully mastering her magic.

Additionally, it was explained that all curses are born from Megicula. In her fight, she had combined the knowledge of magic runes from the Heart Kingdom to modify her curse, allowing her to wield both blue and red roses.

We also know that Lucius's power involves the transformation of souls. He explains that 'The soul is the source of human life, spirit, and magic.' He can manipulate someone's soul and implant directives that they cannot disobey. BUT we did see that Sister Lily's resolve falters as she fights against Asta, so Lucius's magic isn't as infallible as he believes it to be. Therefore, his magic can be negated by anti-magic OR by strong emotion.

So what the hell am I rambling on about? Well, what if Charlotte becomes a devil along with Yami? Would Lucius's magic work on her, as her soul has already been affected by another devil (Megicula)? Being cursed changed the quality of her magic, yet in the Spade arc, Charlotte was able to work around a spell that altered her damn SOUL. I think it would be pretty sick for Charlotte to fully embrace the darkness of the devil's curse on her metaphorical heart. Plus, you know, Devil!Yami and Devil!Charlotte kicking "angel" ass is sexy to think about.

[dededaio]

What do you think about some of the earlier Kirby vllians that aren't Dedede or Meta Knight compared to the newer ones?

dark matter slaps, the rest are mediocre, in my opinion.

dark matter has raw design and sense of presence, at the time it was incredibly unique antagonist. and while it's motivations weren't explored in the game proper, it's also essentially first "tragic" villain in the entire series, with primary motive being jealousy of being unable to form friendships with people.

nightmare is raditz of kirby franchise.

marx, as he was in his original appearance, is incredibly underwhelming, especially after how same game made both dedede and meta knight be more memorable and defined characters, heck, even dynablade. marx has about as much depth and characterization as wham bam rock and that's embarrassing for the final boss of the entire game.

it might seem like i dislike marx, but i really don't. i like marx. but it's only thanks to all material that included him AFTER snes super star that made him an enjoyable character to me. his original appearance is super middling. the plot-twist doesn't even feel impactful compared to adventure's, because in snes super star it's very easy to miss intro cutscene + it's incredibly easy to guess that he's sussy because marx is the only new character introduced in milky way wishes that is not galactic nova. why would they introduce a new face *just* to make kirby go on this quest? doesn't take much to put 2 and 2 together.

zero and zero two are alright, but i'm not a huge fan of them. unlike dark matter they don't really have much in terms of motivation and we know virtually NOTHING about them. i understand the appeal, a lot of people think that this is what makes them intriguing, but to me they are just cool setpieces and barely characters.

[fangaminghell]

Hi, I'm here for more insurgence rewrite content. Tell me literally anything that you've cooked up recently :D

Hehe!

So this is something that I talked about before but it's nice to actually explain it: The Timeless and the cults. I'll hopefully not make this super long lol.

I'm realizing, thinking about it, there's a lot to unpack, so for now, I'll keep things short by explaining the relationship between the Timeless and the first Infernal cult leader, who is Jaern's ancestor.

In my rewrite I pretty much. Tossed out the old Timeless and replaced them with my own ocs lol. The two important ones for this little story is Vasilios ( my replacement of Verysn) and Nikolas. Vasil is/was the king of Torren in this au, and was chosen by Diancie. Vasil was the one that stumbled upon the void gauntlet/the throne of hegemon ( which might get some tweaks later on we'll see). He fell into the pool of starry waters, which was made him see glimpses of what to come- Nyx, chosen ones, the crystal- all of which had led Vasil to Arceus. That's when Arceus itself gave Vasil his duty to protect the crystal and was ultimately chosen by Diancie ( via Arceus). Nikolas is Vasil's right hand man, a head knight who is severely loyal to his king. He is also the chosen one of Keldeo. Him and Vasil are in love. Just thought I'd mention that.

Jaern's ancestor was a good friend to both of them. How exactly they all met I haven't fleshed out but the vague idea I have is that they found her one day, took her in and they've been friends ever since ( Nik used to be jealous of her, given how close she and Vasil would be. She would tease him for it later down the line lol. They became good friends!). Jaern's ancestor ( I should really get a name for her) was a genuinely kind woman. She wanted to help the world in earnest, and thus has taken up medicine. Despite her efforts though, she always mused on how she wishes she could do more for the world. That is, until she stumbled upon the crystal. I don't think I thought out how she found it- maybe I explained it before but I forgot. But she did, and was ecstatic! Something with immense power- it could heal so many people! Vasil, however, wasn't as pleased that she found out. I should mention that Vasil is a sweetheart. He truly is. If it was up to him, he would have used the crystals power to make his home so much better for everyone, but it's still a crystal with infinite power. If gotten to the wrong hands, it could be disastrous, especially when Nyx is a looming threat (according to Arceus n his visions). It was too much of a risk. So when Jaern's ancestor suggested making the crystal public, Vasil adamantly denied it. It had caused a small argument between the two, but it ended with Vasil convincing Jaern's ancestor to just let it go, that the risk of it all would be too great ( without mentioning the whole Arceus stuff).

And that was that.....until it wasn't.

Jaern's ancestor does have a deep sense of justice within her. She wants to help the world, but never seems to have the right resources to do so. The crystal would be on her mind for ages. It would help heal the world, it could help so many people if Vasil just let it be known! That was when she decided to take a risk of her own: she attempted to take the crystal for herself. She snuck into the caves, found the crystal again, and just when she tried to take it- it wouldn't budge. Vasil and Nik was there behind her ( she didn't realize she was being followed), and explained that the only way for the crystal to be moved is if you beat the original owner in battle- him. Jaern's ancestor had no pokemon, nor any proper combat training. She would not win, even if she tried. Again, she tried to reason with him, tried to convince him that it would help so many people - but her going back to the crystal was already enough. With a heavy heart, Vasil exiled Jaern's ancestor. He couldn't take that risk. No matter how much it hurts seeing the pain in her face.

Vasil allowed her to gather her things before leaving. He was not expecting her to gather some doctors and healers to leave with her. He didn't expect her to quietly vow getting the crystal for all to use. He hadn't expected her to form the first cult. The Sky Cult......though if you'd ask her, she'd looked at you with disgust if you call what she's doing "cult work". I can't stress enough, Jaern's ancestor isn't doing what she's doing for power. She just wants people to have the resources they need to live, and the absolute best one is literally being hidden away. And she thinks that's unfair. Truly unfair. And even if she doesn't get the crystal ( which she is determined to get), she won't stop helping where she can. Exiled or not.

Some smaller things

Pre- Crystal, Jaern's ancestor had always had a connection to the sky. You'd find her playing her lute on a high place when the sky is nice and clear.

Vasil and her LOVED teasing Nikolas lol. Vasil even more so, in her opinion, but he denies it. She Knows What's Up though.

Post Exile Jaern's ancestor went from someone who was pretty dainty in appearance to someone who ended up being fairly muscular.

At some point she ends up dying, perhaps in a final battle between her and Vasil. I think despite everything, they consider each other their greatest friends, and deeply respect each other. Her death is one of Vasil's biggest regrets.

In connection to the above, I also imagined that by that point she had a child and husband. I think her final wish was for them to live comfortably. Vasil made sure her wish came true.

Aaaaand I think that's everything! There's other Insurgence stuff, but I love these guys, so here you go!

[meowthefluffy]

Oh my gosh Maddie tell us about the Prinxiety version of that au! I am also very obsessed with prinxiety

I have completely run with this idea, and now I’m pretty much resigned to the fact that I’m gonna be making this one next after I finish off the cupid au BUT ANYWAY CHARACTER SET UP FIRST:

Janus is Virgil’s father/the dragon witch, and Virgil is Janus’s son/dragon in training! In this area dragons are an important part of the like,, fairytale ecosystem- and are super respected for their role as the villain in the story/main way couples happen. It’s a really big deal and dragons are in low numbers so every dragon has to be on their best behavior. (Also dragons are like shape shifters, so they are people for monologuing and crashing parties but big monsters for fights and guarding their hoards)

Roman is the middle prince of a large Royal Family, and is generally overlooked by his family. He desperately wants to stand out and be important but he doesn’t really fit in at the castle or in noble society- he’s too bossy and domineering to do well as a trophy husband, but not sure enough to be a knight or hero like some of his other siblings. (Also culturally Princes and Princess both get “kidnapped “ as a means of finding a suitable partner, and the rescue is like an elaborate dowery. Roman is expected to follow this trend as his parents deem him unlikely to find a partner on his own, but they need him to be useful to the family by marrying for alliances)

this au would take place over two main sections:

One section where Roman and Virgil are children (ages 13-16)

and one where they are both adults (they are both in their mid 20s and it would take place over a few months)

The kid section would follow the time when Virgil and Roman first meet+and get crushes on eachother. Janus kidnaps Roman as practice for Virgil, so he can have something to guard and a playmate so he can have some social interaction. Janus is a bit rough with Roman in the beginning (he’s never kidnapped a kid before so he didn’t know better at the time) but once Ro’s left fully to Virgil the conditions get way better. (Mostly because Roman bullies him into being nice lol)

Over the course of their time together Roman sort of brute forces Virgil into being his friend and cleaning up the tower he’s being kept in (bossiness 1 Virgil 0) Since Roman is still young and not yet at the age where suitors go out to rescue people it takes a while for anyone to come and get Roman or even try (and his parents don’t intervene because they think it’ll be good for him, to draw in his own suitors early on and practice being a proper damsel) so the two of them spend a couple years together. (They become best friends and It’s all very cute)

But eventually A knight does come to save Roman, the two are separated and Roman is betrothed to the woman who saved him. At this point it’s basically understood that Roman and Virgil will never see each other again- but Roman promises that they will meet again before he gets married (so Virgil can be his best man and host an epic bachelor party for him obviously.. not ya know cause he loves him or anything)

Smash cut to the second half of the au and Virgil heard through the grapevine that Roman’s wedding is finally coming around! And Virgil decides it about time he kidnap a damsel himself (for the bachelor party obviously and not because he’s jealous)

Cue Roman being absolutely ecstatic to see V again and absolutely loves being kidnapped away from his stuffy wedding to a lady who only wants him as arm candy, and he decides- why leave now? I’m having fun and I’m not being missed, I’ll just stay here until they come to get me- and hi-jinx ensue!

[dangermousie]

Was thinking of rereading Sharon Kay Penman’s Falls the Shadow, which largely centers on Simon de Montfort, father of Parliament, brother in law of the King he fought against etc etc.

Reading FtS for the first time is actually a super vivid memory - sitting in my college dorm, listening to music and binging until after 3am in non-stop frenzy. It remains my favorite book in her Welsh trilogy (The Reckoning is brilliant but so horrifyingly depressing that she literally had to create a couple of minor fictional characters just so at least someone would escape the grinder and Here Be Dragons is a rare Penman with a happy ending but I still prefer Shadow.) It’s actually probably my favorite of all her novels except The Sunne in Splendour.

It’s funny, there are not that many novels about de Montfort as main - Edith Pargeter’s The Marriage of Megotta features him as a major character (if you want a truly depressing read, boy do I have a novel for you!) and then there is an utterly hilarious Virginia Henley romance novel, The Dragon and the Jewel which turns him and Eleanor into a romance novel couple and it’s totally hilarious:

Father of the English Parliament the way you’ve never imagined him, I bet 😂

Anyway, wish there were more novels about him because he’s had a totally insane life.

I did just get my hands on Elizabeth Chadwick’s A Marriage of Lions which, truly unusually, centers on Henry III’s half brother who fought AGAINST Simon in support of Henry. That will be a truly interesting take.

Side note: de Montfort and Roger Mortimer, lover of Queen Isabel and ruler of England after they overthrew Edward II until he himself was taken out by Edward III, are my favorite relatively obscure Medieval English barons. Insane lives, both of them.

I’ve had a thing for Mortimer ever since I read Maurice Druon’s The Cursed Kings series as a tween. It was very very age-inappropriate (my parents being under the delightful misapprehension that classics, and foreign ones at that, were always appropriate. They did NOT read Apuleius like I did at 10. Or Maturin’s Melmoth the Wanderer. Or Druon.) N. Gemini Sassoon has a great duology about Mortimer and Isabel. Though she chose to avoid tragedy and end it before Mortimer was murdered. And Anna Belfrage’s The King’s Man series, which is awesome, has Mortimer as one of the major characters (ML of that novel is Mortimer’s knight.)

Anyway, I wish England was more like Korea in making proper period shows about their cool historical people.

[primordial-shade]

I wanna fix it

Ok, so here I am making a HOTD AU because I have seen a fair few and I am a mischievous crow who picks up shiny things and immediately gets consumed by them.

 General warnings for this AU:

General HOTD fuckery and such.

Also I am Team Black but I do think the little Greens can be redeemed if they were gotten to young enough.

 This was written whilst super very bored but also was stuck in training so please forgive the appaling spelling and grammar.

Ok so here we go!

  The first Key difference is that Rhaenyra took an interest in her     younger siblings.

Ok I know she has an issue with Alicent, which fair, and her     father, which fair. 

But these are her baby siblings. God when I think     about how many she lost I just want to cry.

And yeah I get her resentment for possibly being replaced but after     her father's reassurance of her being heir.

Listen, she must be so lonely.

Like Laenor and Laena have each other and the previous generation     was full of people before all the untimely deaths.

Rhaenyra only really had Alicent and at times Laena and Laenor.

Why did my girl not have a contingency of Ladies in Waiting?? Thats     like a thing? She should have got that.

Ok anyway, my point.

My point is that Rhaenyra is probbaly so fucking lonely so yeah.     After she's assured she is going to be heir she goes and just... visits     Aegon.

He's her only living sibling. She doesn't entirely     love the name and what it represents but she knew her father wanted to     call the kid Aemon after his dear uncle. But both Alicent and Rhaenys took     this poorly for widely different reasons so it was a no go.

So anyway, baby Aegon. She heads to his nursery. 

TO her shock and horror there is only a Nursemaid there.

Like, a single maid.

And a Hightower Guard who demands Rhaenyra leave under orders of     the hand but is summarily 'excused' by Ser Erykwho is her swornshield     still.

Ser Crispy Cunt may have won a Tourney but Eryk has been at     Rhaenyra's side since she was born.

He is not giving that up, that is HIS baby girl your honor. Just     because some Knight unseated him does not mean he is no longer her     Kingsguard.

(I have this headcanon that Kingsguards are assigned to royal     children Pretty much at birthand they stick with them, nothing except     death will seperate them.)

Anyway, Rhaenyra is horrified.

Her mother was pregnant enough times that Rhaenyra learned what was     required of a newborn baby, especially a royal one. And her brother is a     royal dragon.

He doesn't even have an egg in his crib??!

Absolutely not. Not on her watch.

The nursemaid is questioned and she immediately spouts it all. She     is a nursemaid of the Targaryeans, not the Hightowers despite their best     efforts to try and get one in for the young prince. Viserys would not have     it.

She says the Consort Alicent, because that is her proper title, has     not visited the Prince at all since his birthand neither has     Visery's.

(Viserys is still in his fucking guilt trip and Alicent, I'm sorry     to admit I don't think was a good mother due to how young she was and the     way she and her father went about things. I recgonise her victimhood but     she is still a shitty person.)

And Rhaenyra instantly knows this is bad.

She has had motehring beat into her head since she was old enough. And Aemma was explicit on what is     required of a Valryian dragon rider babe.

They need a Targaryean Parent, their natural fire     will suffer if not regularly held by one. And, for those especially     without dragons from birth, can cause extreme illness.

In fact thats when she realises that her baby brother wasn't quiet,     he was sick with exhaustion.

So she wastes no time pciking him up and craddling him.

His nursemaid actively weeps in relief as the young Aegon instantly     perks up in his sisters arms. Beginning to cry like a proper little     dragon.

Rhaenyra spends the first hour with her brother holding him,     helping the nursemaid feed him until he is looking much more alive than he     has in weeks.

He clings to his sister with a strength of a proper dragon and     Rhaenyra is as enamoured with him as she is enraged with her father and     Alicent.

So she storms to her father's office.

Viserys is equally delighted at the sight of his daugher holding     her brother as he is mildly terrified of the look of fury on her     face. 

His dear Rhaenyra took after her mother in many ways, but her fury     was purely the good queen Alyssane's.

She nearly screams his whole model to the ground and by the end of     their 'conversation' 5 more nursemaids nd maids of Targaryean loyalty are     given to her brother, along with Ser Aryk as a Kingsguard.

And this is where, in my canon, Otto has FUCKED UP.

His daughter refuses to see his child and Otto is damned if any     loyalist to house Targaryean goes near his priz-grandson.

Rhaenyra of course demands why a knight forbade     her from her brothers nursey and Viserys gets angry.

The knight fucking buckles like wet bread and admits Otto said the     young princess would kill her brother. And the Queen agreed.

It is the first time in an age that Viserys get angry.

Otto is dragged into his rooms by a gleeful Ser Erryk and his Twin     who is equally as vindictive.

He is not killed but he is immediately banished with nothing but     the clothes on his back and a knight instructed to return him to Oldtown     immediately.

So Otto is GONE, but unfortunately not dead. Yet.

Anyway, Rhaenyra is now heavily invested in her brother's wellbeing     and so takes both of them and their kingsguard to go an fetch and egg,     dragging Visery's along as well and he is just so delighted right now.

And thus Aegon gets Sunfyre's egg and is moved to the nursery     closer to her room.

It takes a few hours for Alicent to realise what has happened.

She is not an attentive mother. Every scene I saw her in she looks     massively uncomfortable with motherhood and being around her kids. Which I     get, don;t get me wrong. She is an utter stone cold bitch but I get why.     But its not exactly conducive to stay in your rooms all day or hang out in     the Saept like an 'ideal' aka religious obsessed, queen when you are     trying to raise a Hightower loyal King.

She only hears about it when her father is removed from his rooms     and unceremoniously marched off to Oldtown.

She goes fucking crazy.

The court nearly pisses itself when they hear she has been sent     into seclusion 'until she regains her senses'

WHat they do not realise is that she tried to attack Rhaenyra with     Aegon in hand.

Needless to say she has to so a lot of grovelling and is only let     out due to being pregnant with Helaena.

But from this moment on Visery's places Rhaenyra as the family     'matriarch'. As in the person in charge of their immeidate family and the     children.

Rhaenyra, immeidately claiming on this, asks for Rhaeny's to come     and assist her as she is still young herself and will be looking to be     married soon.

Visery's of course agrees, and then take on Rhaenyra's insistence     he should employ her Velma as his new hand.

He so desperately wants his cousin to like him again he instantly     agrees. SOrt of again leading into the idea that Targaryeans are very     attached to each other.They are literally the last

And thus Rhaeny's returns triumphant as the new Hand of the King.

Rhaenyra has realised, after seeing what hs occured under he     rbloody nose, that she is not being trained as she should. Her Velma is     the most politically intelligent person she knows and she NEEDS that is     she is protect her right and become somewhat politically skilled.

Rhaenys is informed of this plan and says 'Bet'

She is on it.

Honestly she has the unfortunate relisation that Rhaenyra is     lacking a lot due to her mothers absence, not just due to her untimely     MURDER but also due to her long term weakness and constant state of     pregnancy and despair.

Rhaeny's realises she is one of the last Targaryean women alsmost     suddenly.

Thousands of years of female tradition brought over is suddenly     reliant entirely on her education and teaching of the only two other     Targaryean girls in the world. The Lineage VIsenya and Rhaenys themselves     had passed down.

Shit.

On an off note it genuinely persuades her to have another set of     kids. Much to Corly's delight. Because holy shit, there are so few     of them.

Anyway anyway.

Rhaenyra basically realises, with heart in her throat, what had     been happening under her nose, what her once best friend, the girl     she had loved, thought Rhaenyra would do to her own little brother.

After that and the way Alicent tried toattack her whilst she held     her brother, Alicents own son, kills whatever love may     have still exsisted in Rhaenyra.

Rhaenys basically, between ruling a kingdom as Hand of the King and     trying to rework the system, begins raising and help raising Rhaenyra and     her siblings alongside her own children.

Woman is busy, Corly's just adores his wife so much.

Alicent is not fucking happy. Honestly part of her major     malfunction is the fact she also lost her mother at a young age and her     father see's her more as a living tool than a child. Ss such she has no     idea how to function outside thatand the instant she meets conflict or     aggression due to 'her'actions she fucking buckles down on it.

In sneaks Larys.

Larys, painfully resentful of his brother and father despite     howmuch both love him, and willing to take any chance to gain power.

Unforntunately for him Rhaenys is arguably one of the most     intelligent politicians currently alive. Yes she has her faults but to     keep her family in power she is willing to do anything.

Anyway, Rhaenyra finds herself going from no support to having the     support of one of the richest and most powerful families besides her own.

Rhaenys is immediate in her expulsion of anyne she suspects to be a     Hightower loyalist. Rhaenyra's aunt Jemma is more than happy to send Aryn     loyal soldiers to replace them and Corly's quickly gathers and train more     soldiers compeltely loyal to the Targaryean family.

Rhaenyra flourishes under her aunts care.She is educated in a way     she was never allowed to be before, taken into council meetings as the     heir should.

Rhaenys also gets her a proper retinue of young     handmaidens, all from powerful families to endear herself to.

Rhaenyra begins taking her own initiative as well. She looks at the     city and realises how poor the staution had become.

She uses her own funds to begin funding repairs to the city but it     won;t be enough. She then realises she may have a business opportunity.

The street of silk.

It is always making money, even in the worst of times, and she is     sure that like her many of the women would like better conditions.

Rhaenys thinks this is a clever idea, but she will need more     funding and to be discreet.

What about the war of the Stepstones?

Rhaenys insists the girl train before joining her uncles and cousin     in the war and quickly inlists someone to train her.

A year later Syrax and Rhaenyra leave Aegon in Rhaeny's hands and     she comes back Queen of the Stepstones a mere 6 months later. Queen of the     Goddamn stepstones.

Her father is obviously beside himself with delight and horror.

But his little girl presents him a crown and declares him King and     all his forgotten and his little girl his home.

A little girl who thought in a war and helped take down a Crab     King, a daughter who had shown herself to be a Vinsenya reborn.

Otto of course tries to use this to his by insinuating Rhaenyra was     fucked by every male Valyrian and solider but it never catches in anyone     except Viserys. Because he's really dumb

So, thus begins the royal Tour.

Rhaenyra is fuming. She also takes Aegon, Helaena,     Laenor, Laena and Corlys with her. The only reason she     doesn't take Rhaenys is because the council and the realm will fall apart.

Corly's has far to much fun as he is given the title of     Professional vetter.

He wanted to marry her to Laenor but her and     Rhaenys were blunt in how poor a choice that would be but Rhaenyra agreed     to marry her first born to the first grandchild of the opposite sex born     from Laena and that Laena and Laenor will be given positions in her court.     And obviously Rhaenys is going to be her Hand as well.

Corly's is more than happy with this honestly. And it makes him     take the job of vetting all the more seriously because thats going to be     his grandchilds future spouse.

And no one is gonna piss off the Sea Snake or his     feral children, especially after Laena and Rhaenyra head to Dragonstone to     pick up some ancestral pieces for Rhaenyra to wear and Laena comes back     with fucking Vhagar.

Laenor pouts, Corly's is proud but nearly has a fucking     heart attack and Rhaeny's is just delighted.

Anyway, royal tour.

Aegon is absolutely not happy his sister is     looking for a husband and delights in scaring away any     possible suitor. Helaena seems calms but will absolutely wail if     someone she hates comes near.

Rhaenyra trusts her siblings instincts and no one is     willing to offend the baby prince or princess. Especially those who barely     made it past Corlys.

Truth is he hated them but just let them past to have Aegon scream     at them.

The they get to Storms end.

Lord Baratheon is being a shit and it takes all of     seconds to send a raven to His wife.

But Rhaenyra takes it on like a chellenge.

Corly's is less able to Vet in this session because these are     all important lords.

Aegon has no such issue and screams and cried when Jason Lanister     Approaches.

Then the fight happens and Rhaeyra stops it and basically rips Lord     Baratheon a new one for nearly allowing a Murder to happen on a royal     procession.

All when one Cregan Stark walks in, a masive Grey Direwolf by his     side.

He practically falls in Love at first sight when he see's his     Silver Haired queen rip into the Storm Lord with fire.

Of course everyone freaks out when they see the future Lord of     WInterfell and his huge Fucking Wolf and Rhaenyra soon realises.

She turns, Amethyst eyes meeting Steel and there is something instant.

He's respectful, calm and looks at her like she hung the sun     itself.

Rhaenyra likes him.

And the best thing is, though Aegon tries, he is instantly won over     by Cregan's wolf, known as Winter.

Rhaenyra head home with a Northern Fiance mcuh to her father's     bemusement and Rhaeny's delight. 

Pulling in one of the most powerful Kingdoms and one     of two that chafed the most under the rule of their family?

Absolute game changer.

Anyway, in my Vision her and Cregan basically become like a new     Rhaenys and Corlys. They match each other like, well, fire and Ice.

(Lol)

Anyway, Rhaenyra also comes back to a new little brother Aemond.

She is very unimpressed with her father but she     quickly takes on her newest sibling with adoration, Much to Aliscents fury     as she is still not allowed near the children without supervision and she     keeps tripping up which means Rhaeny's has her by the neck.

Daemond is also pissy as hell because his Niece is picking someone     else, especially when Laena catches the eye of one Harwin Strong.

He needs to get over it and both women tell him to fuck off and     sulk elsewhere.

He does eventually get over it when he meets the Love of his life     in the form of Lyra Mormont of Bear Island and she basically beats him in     a fight five minutes after knowing him.

Maybe those of the First man Blood are ok?

Poor man, no Targaryean can resist these hnourable and blunt First     man people apparently. (And yeah, harwin is technically of the First men     and his family obviously looks after the Island of trees."

I have a theory they just go sort of feral for each other, Aegon I     had to keep that shit underwraps after finding out because otherwise the     locals couldstart taking advanatge.

Anyway they get super married and soon Jahaera is born, and obvs     all his aunts and uncles adore him.

But they basically think they are Rhaenyra's kids anyway.

But fuck the throne, they don;t want that fucking thing.

Aegon basically grows up how he wants, impassioned by art and story     telling and just flying his dragon.Most key is that he falls in love with     the future Queen of Dorne and basically says, hey can I marry her. They     say yes with the promisehis kid will then Marry Jacaery's kid. Which means     a Dornish Queen.Prince consort in the next generation.

Dorne says ok, because they actually like how Westeros is changing.     Also the yung princess adores Aegon and is like, 'Yes, this artsy pretty     boy who adores me will be perfect."

Aemond, like many true Targaryean men, is a MaleWife. Yes I was     live in sunspear with my spoiled dragon and have many pretty children.

In fact they have 10.

Rhaenyra and Cregan beat them at a whopping 14

And Rhaeny's and Corlys have another three girls. Much to his     delight.

Targaryean baby boom, hells yeah.

Also Aemond and Helaena also get Betroathed, because por girl     deserves a life of chilling with her bugs and going on adventures with her     Love. They have 9 kids. 

Lots of targaryeans and with it, a fuck load more Dragons. Each kid     basically catches a dragon egg or a wild dragon.

Jahaeres grabs Vermithor and Laena's daughter with Harwin Rhaena,     yes I know, gets Silverwing.

The people of Westeros go fucking Nutty for that.

Also Laena and Harwin have like 6 kids, mostly because after the     the 6th giant baby Laena     said no goddam more because the last set were triplets. All their kids are     taller than her, their all giants.

Daemon and Lyra end up having 9 children, three sets of triplets,     all girls. Their also all fucking amazons.

Daemon basically gets to live the life of his dreams. He fights     Iron-Born on the regular and his wife's people love him, he barely has to     do any work, the North actually likes his blunt rudeness, and his family     is prosepering. All his daughters bully him as well. he adores his life.

Also can’t forget my boy Laenor. Love him. Basically lives a more     open life with his partner Joffrey WHO DOESN’T DIE. Creates a new position     known as Maester of Civilians, which is essentially taking care of     education and etc, with his sister as co-Master. Rhaeny’s is hand of the Queen     but eventually passes it on to her third child Aemma.

Also Jahaerys is Jon Snow. I don't make the rules, no yes I do and     I want Jon to have loving alive parents. But the little fucker is also     cursed to be the Prince that was Promised so here he is. But honestly bruv     I gave you living parents who fucking love, an amazon wife who is really     fucking smart, a big ass dragon.

Oh, also a wolf. Yeah, Cregan gets a direwolf up north but also     finds a puppy for each of his kids. So Jon/Jaehaerys gets his Ghost back.

So yeah, the night King things comes a wee bit earlier, around when     Jaehaery's hits 25.

But at that point there are about 60 Targaryeans and their fully     grown Dragons.

Also Jaehaeras sister, Sansa, because I am funny and Cregan wanted     half his kids to have Northern names, becomes Lady of Winterfell.

Because I say so.

Also the rest of Jon's siblings are reborn as his siblings because     I watched a video abut the Starks tragedies and I am now in my feels about     it. SO yeah, all of them. All get dragons and direwolves to. No more     goddamn Stark deaths in this universe.

So yeah, Night King, dead, so fucking dead. He does try bless his     stupid heart, but between Jaehaerys and his protective half feral family     he is wiped the fuck out.

And no one dies. Because I said so no i don't care if its not     realistic.

Afterwards its a golden age.

Maesters are got rid of and replaced with a more robust system with     no connection to any religion, the Old gods and the 14 flames become the     more popular religions but religious freedom is allowed. Quality for men     and women because Rhaenyra and Jaehaerys are fully for women and say no to     them. Say no to their dragons and direwolf. Go on, I dare you. So women     can inherit, matriarchal lines are developed etc.

Also improvement to civilians lives. More education, better health,     a functioning sewer system. Women and men can learn and teach and learn to     fight, because what if something like the Night King happenes again?? Like     fuck are they having half a fighting force. Also women can defend     themselves from men now.

Jaehaerys even gets the first two female Kingsguard, much to his     mother's anooyance and pride because goddamit she wanted to do that.

Basically Westeros becomes a better Valerian empire. No slavery,     religious freedom, less wealth disparity and an ability for better social     maneverability. Jaehaery's cousin Daenaery;s (leave me alone) by Aegon and     his wife even heads over to Essos with her numerous dragon     riding relatives to take out the slave masters and free the free cities.

Because she can and also fuck the slave masters and slavers. She     even brings back her besties Missandei and Grey worm who get set up well     in Westeros because otherwise I will cry.

[bumbleklee]

labor and delivery

masterlist | 1k prompt masterlist | pregnancy series

pairings: diluc, kaeya, childe and zhongli x female!reader (separate)

warnings: pregnancy, labor/birth, 5.2k words

a/n: congratulations, you’re a mother <3

diluc

Instead of feeling anxious about your due date being days away, you felt at peace. And it felt like the world was at peace, too. The sun illuminated your kitchen, warm beams of light caressing your body. You could hear birds chirping outside and the stray cat you fed was sitting on a barrel next to the window.

You contemplated going outside to bask in the breeze but opted to stay inside. Despite your pleasant mood, you couldn’t help but feel like something was going to happen today. Your mind pondered the possibilities, skipping over the most obvious one.

Diluc was still asleep when you climbed out of bed. Some of the Knights kept him at the tavern extra late so you decided to let him rest.

You stood in front of the counter of your kitchen and reached up to pull a mug off a shelf. You had been drinking tea for the majority of your pregnancy and you couldn’t wait until you could finally have a mug of coffee again. You hummed to yourself as you filled the kettle with water and placed it on the stove.

A sudden, abrupt feeling hit your body like a ton of bricks. The feeling made your body jerk and a gasp left your lips, your hand instinctively covering your baby bump. Your other hand swept across the counter and knocked the ceramic mug onto the ground, leaving the porcelain to break into a million pieces.

Your midwife had described that leading up to the birth of the twins, you might feel braxton hicks. But something inside of you was telling you that this wasn’t just braxton hicks.

And your fears were correct when you felt something warm and wet running down your legs.

You screamed for your husband, panic rising up your throat. The comforting morning you had was thrown out the window as another contraction hit your body. “This can’t be happening,” You said to yourself. You were afraid to move, afraid to do anything, so all you could is yell for Diluc and pray that he heard you.

When Diluc finally heard you calling his name, he shot out of bed. He didn’t even bother to put proper clothes or shoes on, running down the stairs in his pajama set.

“Hey, hey,” Diluc said, shock and confusion written all over his face. “What’s going on?”

“The babies,” You breathed out, “I think they’re coming.”

You watched as the color drained from Diluc’s face. You weren’t supposed to have the twins for another few days. Nothing was set up and Diluc had even given his staff the weekend off. “Oh my god. Oh my god. What should we do? What should I do?”

Another contraction hit before you could answer, sending Diluc into another fit of hysteria. “You need to go into town and get my midwife,” You shakily said, “Like, now.”

“And leave you alone? Oh god, what if you give birth right here?”

You stepped closer to Diluc and pulled on his arms, guiding his hands to your baby bump. “I need you to focus. We can’t have both of us freaking out, okay?” Your husband nodded. “Everything is going to be fine but you need to get my midwife.”

Diluc nodded his head again, more firmly this time. His shaky hands led you to the couch where he knew you would be safe. He pressed a kiss to your forehead and bolted out the door, leaving you alone.

At the sound of the front door closing, you couldn’t stop the tears welling in your eyes. You knew Diluc would be back with your midwife and everything would be fine, like you said moments before, but you couldn’t stop the sheer terror that was creeping through your bones. Were you ready to be a mother? Could you give your babies the life they deserve? Too many questions flooded your mind and for the first time in months, you cried.

They return home within an hour and by then your tears have dried up. You were trying to focus on your breathing instead.

Diluc rushed to you, grateful that you were where he left you. “Is everything okay?” He asked quietly upon seeing your puffy eyes and red cheeks.

You forced a smile onto your lips and nodded, “Everything’s okay.”

“Where are we having this baby?” Your midwife said, interrupting the moment between you and Diluc. He stood up straight and motioned to the stairs.

“The bedroom,” He told her. Your midwife headed upstairs, pulling a rolling chest behind her, and Diluc helped you stand up. His fingers squeezed your hips, “Ready to have a baby?”

You threw your head over your shoulder, “Two babies, ‘Luc.”

For a moment, Diluc’s calm demeanor vanished and you swore you could see a spark of panic in his eyes. But your husband instead just smiled sweetly and helped you walk up the stairs.

Labor was not what you expected. You assumed that when your water broke, you would have your babies moments after but as you laid in the middle of your bed, you realized that wasn’t the case here. Contractions still hit your body every now and then but you were able to rest and even distract yourself from them.

“I’m bored,” You complained to Diluc, nuzzling closer to his warm body beside you.

“Do you want to play a card game?” Diluc asked. When you looked up to give him a deadpanned look, he put his hands up in defense. “What about a book?”

“Are you trying to make me even more bored?”

You wished you were able to leave the bed but as instructed by your midwife, you were on bed rest until the twins were born. Your midwife entered the bedroom again to check you and only gave you a sympathetic smile, “Four centimeters. We’ve got to get you up to ten.”

You groaned and threw your head back onto the pillow.

Your midwife left the room again and you sat up (as much as you could). You turned your body awkwardly so you could face Diluc, “Who do you think is going to come first?”

Diluc thought for a moment, “I think Clara will.”

You nodded in agreement, “One of the twins is super active and the other isn’t. I bet it’s Clara. She’s going to be fiery just like you.”

Around midnight your midwife checked you once more. Finally, you were almost ten centimeters dilated. Diluc moved off the bed and pulled up a chair next to it, instantly taking your hand in his. There was another twenty minutes before you felt a contraction that wracked your body. Your hand squeezed Diluc’s so hard he let out a yelp.

Your midwife sprung into action. She was at the foot of the bed in seconds, ready to guide you through the process. “Legs up, good, now just focus on me, okay? When you feel this next contraction, you’re going to push.”

Your chest was rapidly rising and falling and Diluc rubbed your thumb with his. And just like your midwife said, when the next contraction hit your body, you pushed.

The pain that ripped through your body was unlike anything you had felt before. It clouded your vision and you thought you couldn’t breathe. “You’re doing great,” Your midwife assured you, “Once the head is out, the baby will slide out like butter.”

Out of curiosity, Diluc poked his head around the corner of the bed.

And what a horrible decision that was.

“Oh my god,” Diluc mumbled, his face turning pale again. The grip around your hand became loose until his hand fully let go of yours. You heard a thump on the wooden floors and your mouth dropped.

Your midwife stared at your unconscious husband for a moment. “He can wait,” She decided, turning back to you. Your eyes squeezed shut in pain and you gripped the bedsheet beside you. “I see a head,” She smiled. “Ready again?”

You nodded your head before taking in a deep breath and pushing again. But there was no going back now and within moments of that push, you heard the little cries of a newborn baby. You wanted to stop and admire your baby but a gasp made you remember you weren’t done.

“What’s going on?” Diluc said groggily, finally standing off the floor. He was rubbing his head and froze when he saw the mess on the bed.

“Don’t pass out again,” Your midwife said sternly, “You have a daughter to clean up.”

Daughter. Clara was born first like you and Diluc said. Your vision was blurry from tears, the sight of Diluc and Clara distorted.

“Almost there,” Your midwife told you. After a few more minutes of strenuous pushing, relief flooded the lower half of your body. “And there he is.”

You tried to sit up but you were too weak. Two sets of cries could be heard and right now, that was music to your ears. Your son was placed on your chest and soon followed by your daughter. Your arms folded around them. Your midwife smiled as she cleaned up as much as she could before leaving the room to give you and Diluc some privacy.

“You did it,” Diluc said. He was in awe and couldn’t believe this was real life. The babies had tufts of red hair like himself but their nose was yours. Diluc wished he could photograph the sight in front of him. This was the start of your family.

kaeya

When Kaeya woke up in the early hours of the morning, he didn’t understand why at first. The night was peaceful and the bed was more than comfortable. His eyes ghosted to the side to see you still fast asleep. The blanket was pulled up beneath your chin and silent breaths left your mouth. It was only when Kaeya shifted did he realize why he woke up.

The sheets were soaking wet, especially from your side of the bed.

Kaeya’s hands gently shook you awake and you groaned, slowly opening your eyes. “Love, I think you had an accident.”

It took you a moment to register Kaeya’s face in the dark. “What are you talking about?” You asked before feeling the wet sheets yourself. An embarrassed fluster crept onto your cheeks but before you could say anything, a pain crashed down on your body.

“What’s going on?” Kaeya asked, immediately alert to your sudden movement.

“I think my water broke,” You said quietly, rubbing your stomach to try and soothe the ache that was growing. “Kaeya, it’s starting to hurt.”

“What is?” He was on his feet now, running to the other side of the bed to help you sit up. “Is it the baby?”

“I don’t know,” You answered, “I think so. It hurts here.” You motioned to the area underneath your baby bump and frowned. Kaeya helped you get out of bed and change clothes.

“Can you walk?” You nodded. There were spouts of pain with periods of calmness and you were ready to take advantage of those. You and Kaeya weren’t sure what to do. Fortunately, you had set up the guest bedroom a week ago. Unfortunately, your midwife was out of town this week.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen until next week,” You said, your voice shaking, “I don’t want to have the baby yet.”

Kaeya chuckled, “That’s not an option.”

Still dazed from your sleep, Kaeya led you to the guest bedroom and you sat on the edge of the bed. Your husband stripped the sheets off the other bed while you rested. Slowly, the fact you were going to have a baby that day was creeping into your mind. You were ready, you knew you were, but the thought was still scary. And your midwife wasn’t around.

Kaeya came back to the bedroom and rubbed your back comfortingly. You were still sitting on the edge of the bed, stiff as a board, eyes squeezing shut and your body tensing when a contraction hit.

“Can you do it yourself?”

His words made you look up in shock. Your husband couldn’t be suggesting you give birth without a guide, right? But when Kaeya looked back at you with a serious look, you felt your stomach drop.

“Look,” Kaeya took your hand in his, “Your midwife is out of town this week and I don’t know anyone else in Mondstadt who knows how to deliver a baby. You read books on childbirth, you’ll know what to do.”

You sucked in a deep breath. He was right - you did read a lot about labor and delivery. It would be hard without anyone there to help you but if your baby was coming, your baby was coming. Kaeya continued to rub your back as you contemplated your decision.

“I’ll do it,” You said, “But I need Jean.”

“What?”

“She’s my best friend. If I can’t have my midwife, then I want Jean.”

Kaeya knew it was useless to argue with you and the quicker he got Jean, the quicker you could get on with the process of labor.

“Alright, alright,” He said, defeated, “But don’t move.”

You promised him and Kaeya left to retrieve Jean. Alone in the house, you wandered the halls. Surprisingly, stretching your legs helped the pain slightly. You stopped outside of the door to your daughter’s nursery. There was a ‘C’ on the door and when you pushed the door open, you were met with a pastel pink wonderland.

There were photos of The Knights of Favonius on the walls and gifts from them littered the room. There was a stuffed rabbit from Amber and handmade clothes from Lisa. Even Diluc had gifted your baby a set of wooden blocks.

Your hand rubbed your baby bump gently, “Soon,” You said aloud. “Soon we’ll meet each other.”

The door to your house opened quickly and inside rushed Jean and Kaeya. Your husband frowned at the sight of you in the nursery and put his hands on his hips, “You promised me you wouldn’t leave the guest room.”

You only shrugged your shoulders and smiled.

Jean looked disheveled. She was wearing her pajamas and her hair was down from her usual ponytail. But she wore a look of determination on her face and you knew you needed her by your side throughout everything.

Once you were back in bed, your labor progressed quickly. The time between your contractions was becoming shorter and shorter and it was hard to catch your breath. Sharp pains were rocketing down your spine and bubbling in your abdomen and you didn’t know how you were going to survive this.

“Just breathe,” Jean said. She didn’t know anything about childbirth but when Kaeya came banging on her door in a panic, she knew you needed her.

Since you were in charge of your own delivery, you had to check yourself often. It was becoming increasingly harder to do but you knew it was important. “I'm seven centimeters,” You told your company. When they looked at you with a blank expression, you said, “It’s going to happen soon.”

Kaeya whispered affirmations in your ear, trying to distract you from the pain as you waited around. Jean brought you a cold washcloth and placed it on your forehead. You sighed in relief and leaned back against the mountain of pillows. While Jean looked at the various things scattered around the room, Kaeya leaned closer to your face.

“You’re a warrior,” He told you, his forehead almost touching yours. “We’re almost there. Just think about holding little Calla.”

You groaned as another contraction hit your body. “It just hurts so much.”

“I know, I know,” Kaeya pressed a kiss to your nose. You closed your eyes and tried to think about something relaxing. You knew you wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, not with contractions wracking your body every few minutes at least.

For a while, you stayed like that. Jean and Kaeya talked quietly about work in the background, pausing to look at you when a contraction hit, and birds were beginning to chirp from outside. You imagined holding baby Calla in your arms with Kaeya beside you. He would be mesmerized by your daughter and you would be so, so in love. And maybe there would be more children down the road. A nice, big family with Kaeya sounded beautiful.

You were ripped from your daydream when a horrible contraction hit your body. It was unlike the others and your legs went numb. Kaeya was by your side in an instant, noticing the change in your reaction.

A sudden urge to push overwhelmed your body. “I can’t do it,” You cried out, your hands trying to find something to grasp onto. Tears were streaming down your face and Kaeya’s heart sank. He hated seeing you like this, especially since the cause of your sadness was from your own fears.

But instead of Kaeya speaking up, Jean rested her hands gently on yours. “Look at me,” She said softly. You sniffled and turned to face your friend, “You can do this. You’re ready and you’re strong. The pain is temporary but you’ll have your baby forever.”

You nodded your head furiously and tried to zone into yourself. You repeated what your childbirth books said, waiting to push until you felt a contraction. Jean rushed around the room and Kaeya held your hand despite you crushing it.

“Is that her head?” Kaeya asked quickly, peering over your legs. He grinned and turned back to you, “Almost there! You got this!”

You had to take a pause to take a deep breath. You felt like there was water in your lungs and you wondered how a human body could endure this much pain. When the next contraction hit, you pushed as hard as you could and squeezed down onto Kaeya’s hand.

A rush of relief washed over your body like a tsunami. You were quick to reach down and pick up your baby, mouth agape that you did that all by yourself. The room was filled with silence until it wasn’t, a tiny cry breaking the air.

Jean handed you a fluffy towel and you quickly wrapped Calla in it, wiping her eyes and nose. “Congratulations,” She said softly, “She’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.” The words tumbled from your mouth in a whisper.

Kaeya kissed your forehead, “I’m so proud of you.”

childe

“She’s nesting,” Zhongli said matter-of-factly, “Like an animal.”

Truthfully, you were nesting. You wouldn’t call it nesting, of course, but the way you were arranging your birthing room was eerily similar. Your baby was due any day now and you were getting anxious about things being perfect. Your midwife had already come by to set up her things and now it was time to set up your things.

A photo of you and Childe sat on the end table, next to a copy of your latest ultrasound. Three of Childe’s sweaters were thrown over the back of the bed and when Childe asked why you needed three, you couldn’t give him a final answer.

After putting a candle down on the adjacent end table, you proudly rejoined the men in the living room.

“How’s the nest coming, Birdie?” Childe grinned, moving over so you could sit beside him.

You rolled your eyes at your boyfriend, “It’s coming along great, thank you very much.”

Childe laughed and wrapped his arm around you. You were content, feeling calm and secure in the moment. You were ready to have your baby and you refused to let it consume you. You were lost in your thoughts when Childe shook you back to reality.

“Are you peeing on me?” He asked, a confused look on his face.

“What?” You exclaimed, looking down. Your pants were soaked from something, darkening them as well as the couch. You felt a sharp pain in your abdomen and your hand raced out to hold your baby bump, “Whoa, he just kicked me hard.”

Childe raised an eyebrow at your weird behavior. “Are you okay?”

You nodded and stood up, looking at the mess you made. “Sorry, I’ll get a towel,” You said. Zhongli paid no mind, trying to understand that you were a heavily pregnant woman, while Childe continued to tease you from down the hall.

You reached for the towel in the bathroom and were met with another pain. You rubbed your belly, “It’s okay, Nikolai.”

Heading back to the living room, you wore a frown on your face. “Is everything okay?” Childe asked, taking the towel from you. His jokes had died off and him and Zhongli were looking at you with concern.

“Um, I don’t think I peed myself,” You said quietly, “I don’t feel good.”

Childe jumped to his feet, “What’s wrong?” His hand came up to caress your cheek as he watched you, trying to see if something was physically wrong. “Are you hurting?”

You managed a nod before another contraction hit your body. You gasped and held onto the bed of the couch for support. “That really hurt.”

Thankfully Zhongli was a man with common sense. “Are you going into labor?” He asked, reaching out to hold onto your arms. “Where does it hurt?”

“Here,” You said, pointing to your stomach.

Zhongli nodded firmly, “I see. Are you expecting a midwife?”

“We are,” Childe answered, running a hand through his hair. “Zhongli, can you stay here while I run and grab her?”

“Certainly.”

Childe turned to look at you and cupped your face again, “Don’t stress, okay? Zhongli is going to be right here if anything happens. I’ll be back in no time.” Your boyfriend ran out the front door and you collapsed down onto the couch, breathing hard.

“Can I get you anything?” Zhongli asked, unsure of what to do. “Water?”

“I’m good,” You said, clenching your teeth. “Can you help me get to the bedroom?”

Zhongli nodded and you held onto his arm. You were trying to regulate your breathing but it was coming out in rough, short breaths instead. You stopped in your tracks when the pain came back, flowering itself inside of you. You groaned and leaned forward, Zhongli needed to wrap his arm around you to steady you.

He helped you in the bed and you instantly grabbed one of Childe’s sweatshirts off the bed. You hugged the fabric tightly and inhaled the comforting scent of your boyfriend. Zhongli paced the room, getting more concerned when your pain was only increasing.

But, thankfully, Childe and your midwife returned home quickly. Zhongli wished you the best and took his leave. You were still holding onto Childe’s sweatshirt.

Your midwife checked you and you were only three centimeters dilated. “I think this is going to be a slow process,” She said sympathetically, “Is there anything you want to do in the meantime?”

“Can I take a bath?” You asked, your ears perking up.

She nodded, “Just call for me if needed.”

Childe helped you out of the bed and kissed the top of your head before helping you to the bathroom. He filled the bath and stripped your clothes, helping you into the tub. Childe sat on the toilet, an excited grin on his face.

“What are you smiling about?” You asked, a smile creeping onto your lips too.

“Just thinking about how we’ll have a baby to hold tonight,” He said. “Teucer is going to be so excited when he hears.”

You hummed in response and leaned back, submerging your body fully in the water. Surprisingly, being in the water helped with your pain. You still felt contractions but they weren’t as breathtaking in the bath. You stayed in the bath for what seemed like hours.

Suddenly, something snapped inside of you. “Oh, shit,” You cried out, hunching forward. “Get the midwife, Childe!”

Your boyfriend shot off his feet to grab your midwife while you cried out again. She hurried into the bathroom and bent down to you. “I’m going to check you.” Her face paled slightly after removing her fingers, “You need to give birth now.”

“What?” You nearly screamed, “Right now?”

“The bath must have sped up the process,” Your midwife explained. You looked at Childe and panic coursed through your eyes. You tried to sit up straight, ready to get out of the bath, but your midwife stopped you. “There’s really no time to dry off and move to the bed. You’ll have to give birth here.”

Your eyes widened, “But I’m in the bath!”

“It’s safest this way,” She said. Your midwife instructed Childe to get some things and when he came back, he sat by the edge of the tub and held your hand. “You’ll need to push the next time you feel a contraction.”

A feeling of upset was bubbling in your throat, “But...but everything is in the bedroom.” You thought about the photos and the candle and the sweatshirts and felt tears welling in your eyes. You wanted to have your baby in the bedroom, not here.

Childe kissed your fingertips, catching your attention. “I’m sorry this wasn’t your plan,” He said, “But you need to listen to your midwife. You want to meet Nikolai, right?”

You nodded, a few tears falling loose. “I do,” You said.

“Then let’s have a baby.”

Childe wrapped his hand tightly around yours and interlocked your fingers. He squeezed it comfortingly and didn’t even flinch when your contraction hit and you nearly broke his fingers. You let out a string of curses, mostly towards Childe, and pushed.

“This sucks! This really sucks!” You cried out, wondering how you were going to get through this.

“You can do it!” Childe assured you.

“Almost there,” Your midwife said, “I see the head.”

It took one more contraction for your son to be born. Immediately, he was placed on your chest and you had to shake your head to focus on reality. “Oh my god,” You muttered, turning to look at Childe. He was grinning ear to ear.

Your midwife wrapped the baby in a towel, cleaning his nose and mouth, before handing him to Childe. She helped you get out of the bath and you almost fell over, your legs feeling like jelly. She wrapped a bigger towel around you and as you gazed behind her, all you could see was the beautiful way Childe looked down at your son.

zhongli

“Watch out, pregnant woman coming through!”

Xinqiu and Xiangling held onto your arms as Chongyun cleared a path through the crowd. Like usual, the teenagers were being your honorary protectors while Zhongli was at work. They took you to the Wanmin Restaurant and Xiangling disappeared momentarily to bring out platters of food.

Your midwife told you that it was best for you to stay home, since your due date was at the end of the week, but you thought one last outing with the kids couldn’t hurt.

“You’re getting bigger each time you come around,” Chef Mao called through the opening of the storefront.

You laughed, “Well, I’m almost at term!”

Xiangling piled your plate high with food, “More for the baby.” Frankly, it was nice being pampered by the teenagers like this. They were selfless, especially towards your unborn baby, and everyday they surprised you.

You were shoving a dumpling in your mouth when an odd feeling struck your abdomen and water gushed onto your pants, the seat, and the ground. Based on your facial expression, the kids knew something was wrong.

“What’s happening?” Xinqiu asked.

“I think my water just broke,” You told him, groaning as a harsh pain swept over you.

“Oh, no.”

In that moment, you were reminded that despite their maturity, they were still children. Panic spread throughout the three of them and they began debating what to do with you.

“Let’s bring her to the infirmary!” Xiangling argued.

“Why would we do that? Let’s bring her home!” Xingqiu shot back.

You held back another groan, “Guys, don’t fight about this.”

But they didn’t seem to hear you. Chongyun’s eyes flickered back and forth before running a hand through his hair, “I think you should bring Y/N home and I’ll get Zhongli.”

“We need to go now,” You said. Xiangling and Xingqiu held onto your arms like before and immediately started towards your house. Chongyun took off in the opposite direction. “Fuck, this hurts,” You muttered, stopping to ride out a contraction. “Excuse my language.”

“It’s okay, we know you’re in pain,” Xiangling says.

Finally, the teenagers get you home and you sit down on the couch. You would wait to move to the bedroom when Zhongli came home. You breathed deeply and Xinqiu spoke up, “Look on the bright side, it’s only going to get worse from here. So this can’t be that bad, right?”

Xiangling glared daggers at him, “I thought you were smart.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at their banter. The pain you were experiencing was worse than anything you had ever felt in your life but with the kids nearby, the pain was bearable. They would make great siblings to your daughter.

Chongyun and Zhongli burst through the front door, startling you. Your midwife was right behind them. Your head was hanging low and you were clenching your jaw each time a contraction hit. His large hands rested on your back and he rubbed your shoulders, “Thank you, kids. I’ve got it from here.”

“Good luck!” Xiangling beamed before ushering the two boys out the door with her.

Zhongli lifted you up by your shoulders and his heart nearly broke when he saw your face. Your eyes were wet and puffy and your nose was already stuffy. Any calmness you had was gone as pure panic and pain overtook your senses.

“Can you stand?” He asked, wanting to move you to the bedroom. You shook your head and Zhongli managed to pick up your body, carrying you to the bedroom. He helped you change before you climbed into the bed, feeling dazed and scared at the same time.

Your body felt weak and you hadn’t even begun giving birth. Your midwife was talking to you but you couldn’t seem to pay attention.

“I’ll need your help,” She said to Zhongli, “You’ll need to grab her leg and hold it steady.” He nodded and did as told. Your midwife grabbed your other leg and you barely looked up. You could feel the pain and you knew what was going on, but you couldn’t comprehend it. The pain was unbearable but you did what your body was telling you.

A gasp left your mouth and Zhongli said something to you. There was pressure and pain, a lot of pain, and then suddenly it was gone. The last thing you saw before your vision went black was the blurry silhouette of your baby.

When you came to, the room was quiet. Your eyes adjusted to the light and you looked around before stopping on your husband. Zhongli sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the bedroom, holding a little bundle in your arms.

“Hey,” You said, your voice hoarse and low. Zhongli looked up and immediately came over to you. Without words, your baby was placed in your arms. “She’s so tiny.”

“I was so worried,” Zhongli said, brushing your hair back to press a kiss to your forehead. “How do you feel?”

“Sore and tired and achy.”

Zhongli slid into the bed next to you and wrapped his arms around your frame, leaning his chin on your shoulder. “She has your nose,” He whispered. Despite having a traumatic labor, it was all worth it.

[zenixromeave]

zane skins/designs review!

first MCD appearance/wedding/white +gold

This is ugly as sin to be completely honest.

Okay, looking a little harder it isn’t THAT bad. The white and gold are clearly reminiscent of royalty and status, but the chosen yellow is far too on the lime green side of the spectrum to be recognizable as gold or have the same beauty as gold does. The belt looks bad, it doesn’t fit the rest of the outfit well and it would probably have given more of a priest/nun look if it weren’t present and his clothes were implied to be more drapey. This far back in his character design, his hair was also very light, giving it more of an impression of being gray than black, which thankfully she fixes eventually. The shading on the clothing- both white and gold- is very harsh and uses some really bad yellow tones (when shading with yellow, it is almost never good to take the color just closer to black, instead, making it more orange and a little darker usually makes a more aesthetically appealing color.)

There are admittedly some good, iconic features present in this design which just weren’t fully polished yet. Personally, I really like the idea of the hood, as it’s a common motif in a lot of religious clothing I feel like. Also, it looks cool, and goes well with him having a mask and covering himself.

-

main outfit (MCD)

The monochrome of this outfit works really well. All of the blacks and greys are slightly blue, lending themselves to suit his eyes nicely. The shading is nice as well. While the outfit looks good, I don’t feel the same about his face. His eyes could provide a nice pop of color, and since his clothes are tinted blue it should work, but the blue of his eyes is far too dull and light to provide any contrast or pop. Since his eyes and skin have nearly the same gray undertones, his eyes don’t pop as much as they should in a monochromatic design like this. “Also, they look like pajamas” - my boyfriend

-

other main outfit (??? this one’s white)

“This one is super ugly” - my bf

The blue crosses are too similar in color to his eyes, it draws your attention to his knees instead of his face and eyes. I think his eyes work better in this outfit though with all the white, and I like the gloves. The strap around his chest is not really recognizable as a strap and the colors in the sword are obviously awful. The brown is really bright, as is the greenish-blue color of the sword (dagger?) Also, the amount of armor and weaponry in this outfit doesn’t really make sense for him considering he rarely fights. The boots/pants situation confuses me, I don’t know what’s going on there. Are they really short shoes and black pants of almost the same color? Visually confusing and ugly. His hair is still a little bit too gray.

His mask looks like it’s really long and with a cross on it. I think that looks really good. Shoulder pads are weirdly small as well, looks goofy.

-

rebirth

Why did she make him sexy. Whats her issue

I like the belt/strap details, they add some well needed texture to the previous design. The pants/shoes situation is still confusing and hard to tell what’s what. Finally, she’s utilizing his eyes as a proper pop of color. Personally, I would make them more on the purplish side of blue, but the green tint does match his sword, so that’s a nice touch. 

-

Jury of nine transformation (I think?)

He’s big. You can’t see his face. He’s evil. Very sexy of him.

-

season 3 (shadow knight armor)

I really like the purples in this one, and I think the shading is nice. I think the red should have probably been toned down a little because it’s very harsh and yet again draws attention away from his face. I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again, the full gem swords are ugly as shit. No escaping it. They’re all bad and look tacky.

The reasoning for why his mask is shaped that way still eludes me. He’s wearing all armor in this outfit, so the same hoodie-scarf-mask made of fabric he usually wears makes even less sense. There’s definitely cooler ways to cover his face, use some creativity. At this point, she was only giving him a mask because it was an established part of his character, not because it served any narrative or aesthetic purposes.

-

beach episode (side stories)

trans ? why is he wearing that.

The shorts and top have no shading. Other than that, there isn’t much clothing to critique so... overall I think it’s kinda cute. The colors are pretty balanced, and I appreciate giving him some kind of shirt even at the beach, considering he’s usually covered head-to-toe. Not the kind of guy who should have abs though. Not everyone is Grey Fullbuster, Jess.

[t4tails]

hi! i'm not sure if you've been asked this before but sonic seems very cool and you seem very knowledgeable so i was wondering if you have any advice for getting into sonic? all i know is cool speedy hedgehog with cool friends, rings, colorful emerald things, eggman. thank you if you answer :D

hello yes! id be happy to help!! putting under a cut to not clog ppls dashs ^v^

okay obviously the way most people get into the sonic franchise is through the games, but these also have the biggest hurdle to jump through to consume them (money + proper consoles). here is a list of the mainline sonic games in chronological order (out of universe that is; in universe a few are switched around), and here is a list of EVERY sonic game. try to play any that seem interesting to you! the classic games (1 + CD + 2 + 3&Knuckles) and the adventure games (SA + SA2) are the most essential viewings. the classics are all getting rereleased on switch in june as sonic origins and are otherwise very simple to understand, and the adventures have large cutscene movies you can watch on youtube!

if you like darker and more serious storylines, i say check out sonic 2006, shadow the hedgehog, sonic forces, and to a certain extent sonic and the secret rings, and sonic and the black knight.

if you like more lighthearted cartoony stories, check out sonic heroes, sonic unleashed, sonic colors, sonic generations, sonic lost world, and sonic mania.

note that i make no guarantee of quality because some of these are infamously bad but its okay because liking bad storylines and games is a part of liking this series 💗

okay other than the games theres also animated media you can check out! there were three american animated sonic cartoons in the 90s, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (aosth), Sonic the Hedgehog (satam), and Sonic Underground.

aosth is a super lighthearted cartoon thats just about sonic and tails running around defeating robotniks schemes together. its not much in terms of story or meat, so if you dont like eggman, or sonic and tails, then its probably skippable. my personal favorite episode is Tails New Home. all of its on youtube.

satam is the darker cartoon of the mid 90s. its about an underground revolution against the dictator robotnik by the village knothole outside the city of robotropolis. this would get cancelled after 2 seasons, and would get a comic adaptation which ill talk about in a second. all of its on youtube as well.

sonic underground is a nonsense show lmao. sonic has blood siblings in this one and they fight robotnik using magic amulets that turn into magic instruments. a nostalgic favorite for many fans, and its notable for being the only cartoon tails isnt in because the writers chopped up his personality and split it into other characters. again, its all on youtube!

theres also 2 japanese anime adaptations of the series!

the sonic OVA is a 40 minute movie that was originally a pilot for a series, but it wasnt picked up. i personally adore the animation used in it, its adorable and its length makes it fun to watch on the regular. its normally on youtube but currently down i think, so you can watch it on places like dailymotion and vimeo.

sonic x is the story driven anime adaptation from the mid 2000s! it got dubbed by 4kids in the us, but they censored tons of stuff so everybody tells everybody to watch it subbed. theres three seasons, and while i havent seen this yet ive been assured its actually very well written and a good watch. the dub is on youtube, but since again you want to see it subbed, both versions are on hulu. its also on uh. other sites <3

and we're back in the us for recent stuff!

sonic boom is the most recent sonic cartoon from 2014. a cartoon adaptation of series spinoff game Sonic Boom and the Rise of Lyric, everybodys designs and personalities are slightly off, especially knuckles. its not necessarily in character half the time, but its funny enough nobody cares. its like a sitcom with sonic characters and everybody loves clipping stuff out of context. you can watch it on hulu! and other sites <3

THE MOVIES! everybodys seeing the movies. what are you doing if you arent seeing the movies? pirate the first one off paramount+ and then buy your ticket for the 2nd one right now. theyre genuinely good movies and are super super fun to see with friends!!

okay thats it for cartoons! finally, theres multiple comics you can read about sonic.

Archie Sonic is the first, american made comic series with over 500 issues if you include spin offs. this is the satam continuation. its infamous for its behind the scenes drama with ken penders and its terrible relationship drama in comic. it gets good when ian flynn starts writing though. you can read these on any comic sites online, and heres a reading order, since it gets super complicated to keep up with.

Sonic the Comic is the british version of the series. commonly dubbed fleetway sonic by fans, its lore re sonic and eggman is vastly different to the rest of the series. its much shorter than archie, with less than 200 issues. again, you can read these online, and heres a much less complicated reading order.

finally, theres IDW sonic. started in 2017, its a spiritual continuation of archie in some ways due to the returning writing staff after archie ended in 2014. its also a literal continuation of sonic forces, and you should know what happens in that game before reading these. this is most peoples favorite comic run, due to it being the most consistent in story and art quality. its more recent and still ongoing. you can read it online, and heres a reading order as of the issues released when typing this up. thank you tumblr user thankskenpenders for both this and the archie reading order!

thats.. basically it! theres more that i have not mentioned here, but you can do research into the nooks and crannies yourself after checking out any of these and deciding if you like it! i hope i could help and i hope you end up liking the funny animal guys ^_^