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shadamyheadcanons · 2 months ago

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Who would be the first to confess? Or the first to realize their feelings?

I’m of two minds on this. In my experience, the more common concept is “Shadow falls first, Amy falls harder.” This Twitter thread sums up the trope very well:

[Image ID: a screenshot of a tweet by user absolutesilly on April 17th, 2023 that reads, “it’s important to me that the “A fell first, B fell harder” trope ISN’T about B loving A more. it’s about A spending a long time just getting used to having this (seemingly) hopeless pining going on in the background 24/7, while B is just. hit by a truck with it all of a sudden.

fell first: been suppressing their emotions for so long that it’s like white noise to them. always there but mostly manageable. a bruise that only hurts when you press on it

fell harder: if We Don’t Get Married Tomorrow I’m Gonna Start Biting People” /.End ID]

And I don’t think I even have to clarify which one’s which. Shadow’s love is quiet and intense. He’s loyal and devoted. His affection is usually of the slow-burn variety. He hasn’t had any canonical crushes so far, but you can see it in his familial/platonic love for those he cares about. It’s natural to assume romance would be the same way.

And falling hard and fast is what Amy does. Need I mention Sonic? And her desire for marriage?

“Shadow has a crush on Amy for months/years until he suddenly sweeps her off her feet” is common for a reason. I’ve written plenty of it myself, including multiple WIPs. It was how I saw these two for a very long time, and there’s no denying that it’s compelling and in-character. If I were writing a shadamy-esque relationship in a movie, I’d write them that way.

HOWEVER...

I don’t think game canon is following that trajectory.

Under the cut: lots of ranting and images/hints, both old and new. You’ll recognize a lot of this if you’ve read my meta analysis posts, particularly why I ship them, how they’d resolve their arguments, and my feelings on TMOSTH. There’s a tl;dr and relevant headcanon at the end.

In my opinion, “Amy falls for Shadow later” doesn’t quite jive with canon because I think there’s ample evidence to suggest she already has a crush on him. It’s not as strong or obvious as the one she has on Sonic yet, but it’s there, just a little. To make a long story short:

She doesn’t look at someone like this...

[Shadow the Hedgehog 2005]

unless she has a crush on them:

[Sonic CD]

She doesn’t go out of her way to seek someone out this fervently...

[Sonic Battle]

...unless she has a crush on them:

[Sonic X]

She doesn’t insist on bringing someone along like this...

[The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog]

unless she has a crush on them:

Wallpaper posted on Sonic Channel 2/22/21. Art by Yuji Uekawa

One fun aspect of all of this is that the social media team seems to agree with me and keeps noticeably leaning into it. The Twitter Takeovers obviously aren’t canon and I’m not putting those in the ��evidence” pile, but it’s cute how they keep having Amy act flustered about her feelings regarding him, and it’s definitely not something I’m imagining this time. It’s most obvious at 18:14 here:

youtube

The gushing, the stuttering...it’s obvious what they’re implying. Cindy Robinson’s very convincing at sounding smitten with him, which isn’t surprising considering her feelings on shadamy:

The question before that one in the Takeover arguably counts, too, and the social media team was primarily in charge of The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, after all. This is consistent for them. There are plenty of other bits and pieces from them and the not-so-subtle marketing team these days, but I’d be ranting like a conspiracist and hunting down links all day if I got started on those.

^ Me at 2am.

I bring this up not just because it’s fun, but also to prove I’m not the only one who sees it. It’s definitely there, and it always makes me wonder what would’ve happened if she’d met Shadow first instead of Sonic. Would her little crush on Shadow have become the primary one if he’d entered her life first? Would we see this kind of thing all the time if Shadow were the protagonist?

[IDW issue 59]

Yes

We’ll never know, I guess! 🙃

Regardless, she met Sonic first, so her attention is...divided. She’s usually in-tune with her emotions, so even though her outlook on love is tinted somewhat by hero worship, I do think she’d figure out she had feelings for Shadow if her crush on Sonic were sidelined. As she got to know him better, she’d find even more things to love about him, and before long, she’d be hooked.

For Shadow’s part, it’s pretty clear to anyone who’s paying attention that he has a soft spot for her of some kind. In my experience, even non-shadamy fans will usually agree with this if asked. And why wouldn’t they?

1. He let her hug him and see him cry in SA2, then saved the world because she asked him to. There’s a reason fans hate it whenever Amy’s elevator speech at the end of SA2 is put in someone else’s mouth. It’s just not believable that he’d save the world for anyone else--not Sonic, not Chris Thorndyke--because the gentleness isn’t there for anyone but her. That had to be built and proven.

2. She inspired yet another heel-turn of his in the conspicuously-named “Miracle of Love” route in ShTH where “bad boy” Shadow ditches Black Doom to help her, resulting in a hero classification.

I think we undersell how big of a deal this is. For those who aren’t too familiar with Shadow the Hedgehog (2005), that story route starts out with Shadow ignoring Sonic and...*checks notes*...defeating fifty G.U.N. soldiers? The mission says “defeat,” not “kill.” But Black Doom says “finish off those soldiers,” “destroy them all,” “exterminate,” and “annihilate.” In a game where you’re explicitly encouraged to use firearms. On human soldiers. So this Shadow quite possibly has a significant body count by the end of the level, and then he immediately snubs Rouge to destroy Earth’s digital highway system. There’s a reason he can’t get a hero ending past that point if he doesn’t help Amy. Just like in SA2, she’s the only one left who can turn him into a hero. She speedruns his redemption with one jaunt through a haunted castle. This is the sequence:

[Source]

The way he trails off at, “I didn’t have any reason to help her, but since I was looking for the doctor anyway, I figured...” stands out, like he’d forgotten how good of a person he can be.

This brief Twitter thread summarizes the events in a much funnier way than I can:

3. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is the most recent and blatant example. Goes to a party. Dresses up in a silly outfit. Embarrasses himself to get her a thoughtful gift. Agrees to go to a concert for a band he can’t stand just to make her happy. I don’t think I even need to explain this one, but if you want to see me do so anyway, here’s that link again.

4. In Team Sonic Racing, he’s sweet to her when they’re on the same team...

...and he’s borderline flirtatious when they’re on opposing teams. ;)

His lines are delivered in a snarky, teasing way, especially when he calls her cute, and she’s matching that competitive banter.

[Source: this Twitter thread by MeliCross22:

Absolutely worth a read, and it includes links to the lines so you can actually hear them.]

The question is whether his soft spot is romantic in nature, and as biased as I am...I don’t buy it. In the first two, she’s just reminding him of who he is by calling to mind his memories of Maria, and “Miracle of Love” isn’t meant in a romantic way. Likewise, in TMOSTH, it’s extremely sweet of him and he wouldn’t do that for anyone else, but it’s still not inherently romantic. TSR is less cut-and-dried. It could be flirtation, but it could also just be the race stoking their competitive spirits. It’s also just a side game, and while it’s still canon, I don’t know if Sega would put that kind of dynamic between them in the main series. It could be a case of the TSR writers being secret shadamy fans who are tossing us crumbs, but it could also just be them mixing it up so there isn’t yet another instance of Amy saying variations of “Sorry, but I’m in it to win it!” every time she hits someone with an item. Trust me, it gets old.

Canonically, I don’t see Shadow as being romantically interested in anyone to a significant extent at the moment, Amy included. He’s been too focused on his past, his identity crisis, the alien invasion, etc. I don’t think there’ll really be room for romance in his life until he fully makes peace with his trauma. This moment at the end of his game...

...just doesn’t do that. Shadow Dark Beginnings has made it abundantly clear that he hasn’t moved on.

And this is where Amy comes in, because I think she’s the ideal person for the job.

Sega seems to pivot back and forth between “Shadow has no friends” and “Shadow has two friends, but he even keeps them at a distance sometimes.” Without people in his life who are willing to reach out, he withdraws, and it’s really not good for him. A lot of fans feel he’s hesitant to bond with others because no one else is immortal and he knows how painful loss is. It’s not explicitly stated, but it’s consistent with his behavior. Isolating himself is easy. It’s safe. It’s something he can control.

But it’s not sustainable.

He needs love. He needs it so much. It’s his very purpose, in the most literal sense. Maria said it best in episode 2 of Dark Beginnings:

“You have a big heart! It may be difficult for you to express it, but I know that deep down you really do care. About me. About everyone! What you do is what defines you. I know you’re having a hard time finding answers, but I’m certain you will one day. Then, you’ll find even more people you can trust.”

^ This is what I mean when I say Maria would love Amy. Amy’s the only other character who feels love as deeply as Shadow does, the only one who could fully understand, and she just so happens to be a clingy girl who’ll reach out to anyone, even people who think they want to be left alone. It’s baffling that Sega basically hasn’t let them interact for two decades because she absolutely would insist on befriending him.

Shadow hides, but Amy chases. She loves a challenge and doesn’t shy away if she feels she belongs with someone, even if that person runs. If she decided Sonic wasn’t right for her, I think it’s only natural that she’d pursue Shadow given her obvious fondness for him. The only difference is that when someone chases Shadow, he doesn’t run. He clings. He clung to Maria, he clung to Team Dark, and he’d cling to her, too, and I don’t think he’d stand a chance against her charm from there. He’s a romantic in his own way, and that soft spot of his would turn rose-tinted in a heartbeat. If there’s anyone who could convince him that love is worth it, it’d be her; I highly doubt she’d regret her past love of Sonic, and if he thought about it, I don’t think he’d regret his attachment to Maria, either. Amy told him the people of Earth deserved a chance to be happy. Now he lives on Earth with her. Couldn’t she convince him that he deserves that chance, too?

And if he hesitated and tried to ignore his feelings for Amy, I could see Rouge stepping in to kick him in the right direction. It wouldn’t be the first time she talked some sense into him for the sake of his own happiness:

[IDW issue 36]

tl;dr: Amy already likes Shadow. If she spent more time with him, those feelings would grow, and it wouldn’t be long before she’d be pursuing him in earnest. With her talent for breaking down barriers and his existing soft spot for her, it wouldn’t be a very long chase.

This headcanon is the one that I think portrays it best. I don’t think I’ll ever fully stop writing Shadow Falls First, Amy Falls Harder because it’s so damn compelling, but I love this interpretation, too, and it lines up too well with canon to ignore.

#shadamy #amy rose #shadow the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog #meta analysis #not a headcanon #i mean technically you could call it a headcanon #but for the sake of categorization & tag blacklisting...y'know #long post

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theshadowsingersraven · 3 months ago

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I feel like E|riels genuinely don't realize how much their reputation precedes them and that enough people in the rest of the fandom (not just relegated to the Ship Wars) have had so many negative interactions on multiple different platforms with them, as well as them flat out refusing accountability and saying people are making fake accounts despite ones (especially on Twitter) existing for years and proudly proclaiming themselves as E|riels matters more than the Elain Week account saying "Everyone (except people who want to include Tamlin and/or Beron in their portrayal) is welcome!"

Because I remember people getting harassed on their own Tiktok videos about Gwynriel/Elucien regularly from the same 8 or so E|riel accounts. I remember self-proclaimed E|riels harassing the cosplayer who was hired to play Gwyn at Gauntlets and Gowns' event, body shaming her to the point where she had to make a video about it. I remember E|riels on Twitter insulting real people and calling them empty-headed, insane asylum escapees, and saying that users should try and claim mental instability in order to get their money back via health insurance claims for buying commissions of the "wrong ship". I remember E|riels on Reddit claiming that NSFW Elucien art should be considered depictions of SA, since Elain is "saying a clear "no" in canon to Lucien" and completely undermining the entire basis of fandom creativity and shipping. I remember those same E|riels excusing the harassment Gwynriel-related accounts with large followings get because they "don't defend E|riels" or something along those lines, shortly followed by more E|riels saying that the harassment and threats people have been getting on multiple platforms are "carefully coordinated to make E|riels look bad" and fake. I remember E|riels refusing to adhere to tag courtesy and understanding when they are not the target audience for something.

That is just my memory as someone who has been in this fandom for about two years now. Let alone the people who have been here from when the series first came out, or even any time before ACOSF.

E|riels are not operating with the clean slate they seem to believe they are. Cosplayers have had bad experiences with E|riels (even ones who make E|riel content!), for example. As well as fanfic authors, fanartists, average Tiktok users who make videos, Twitter users, Tumblr users, Reddit users, etc. Hell, I've even had my Tumblr account for upwards of 10 years, and it's never been wrongly deactivated by Tumblr before. Not until I started posting anti-E|riel content did my Tumblr ever get reported and then reinstated because Tumblr staff admitted they wrongfully terminated my blog.

So...how are they surprised or offended that people didn't feel comfortable participating in their Elain Week when so many of them are on thin ice as it is? How are they upset when people don't conveniently wipe their memory and trust their week that's already banning certain submissions (as if that alone isn't enough for people to not want to submit their art there? I don't even ship Tamlain but still recognize selectively banning ships is wrong) enough to participate? Saying people are welcome isn't enough when you're based in a community that regularly thrives on shaming and mistreating others, claiming they're the only "true" Elain stans. It's further not enough when people felt like their concerns were validated by the overwhelming amount of E|riel bias in the week's submissions.

If they don't like the fact that they're on thin ice, maybe they should actually do something to remedy that instead of fumbling every single chance they have to improve their god-awful fandom impression. Elaingate was their chance to prove they aren't as bad as the worst of them, and instead of standing for fandom integrity, creativity, and the right for all Elain appreciation and art to celebrated, even if it isn't how they would personally celebrate or appreciate her they doubled down and insisted on excluding others. And now they're playing the victims because they weren't the priority of Elain Day after they already had their preferred Elain Week? They weren't excluded, they just weren't the main concern because they weren't excluded from the Elain Week held this month. The concern was uplifting the people who were shamed or told they didn't care about DV or DV survivors because they felt that censorship for an entire community event based on a mod's needs is wrong and does not cater to the community enough, or because they're triggered by characters that aren't Tamlin or Beron and yet Elain Week didn't deem them worthy of the same "protection" that they "offer" to survivors triggered by Tamlin

They are why a second Elain Week exists. And the more and more they prove it necessary, the more and more I'm glad it exists for the people who want that safe space they were denied. To anyone hurt by elaingate, know that you are seen and there's a safe space in this hostile fandom for you and your art.

#elaingate #anti e/riel #antielriel #anti elriel #anti elriels #anti elriel shippers #anti ewriel #pro tamlin #pro elucien #pro elucien shippers #tamlain #pro tamlain

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galedekarios · 4 months ago

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waterdeep & the city's wards: castle ward - part 2

"The splendors that await you in Waterdeep are legendary. Each of the city’s wards is detailed in this work, telling you what to expect depending on where you are, as well as what thrilling things you might see and do."

[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]

waterdeep is divided into a system of wards and civic districts. the six recognized wards are:

dock ward

castle ward

north ward

sea ward

southern ward

trades ward

notable parts of the city that aren't considered wards are the city of the dead and deepwater harbour and its surrounding isles (deepwater isle and stormhaven island).

in this meta, i'd like to first focus on the castle ward of waterdeep. the ward contains blackstaff academy, the yawning portal, the undermountain as well as other important landmarks and locations.

castle ward

castle ward heraldry with a golden griffon

castle ward map made by reddit user ravenxalmasy

i'll include an ambience video to listen to while reading:

youtube

rainy streets of waterdeep by dungeon crawler audio

general information

in his waterdeep echiridion, volo introduces the castle ward as follows:

"The Castle Ward is the heart and mind of Waterdeep, if not its soul. It houses the city’s military forces, courts, government, and the Market — the largest market square of any city in the North. It encompasses the City Navy’s docks in the Great Harbor and all of Mount Waterdeep, and it is home to six walking statues, numerous temples, and many other landmarks."

i already wrote a meta including the walking statues of waterdeep in my the splendours of waterdeep meta.

the important landmarks volo further highlights are the following:

"Castle Waterdeep stands above the city on a great bluff that extends out from the mountain, its towers soaring hundreds of feet into the sky. It surprises many to learn that this isn’t where Waterdeep’s rulers reside, nor from where the city is governed. The castle was and is a redoubt of last defense should the city be attacked, but for well over a century, the ruler of Waterdeep has occupied the Palace of Waterdeep — also known as Piergeiron’s Palace, and still called that by elderly and long-lived citizens (including many elves). Though not quite as large as the castle, the palace is far more comfortable and lavishly decorated, with many halls used by government officials, guildmasters, and nobles for meetings and court proceedings. If you have reason to be invited (not compelled, I should hope!) to meet with the Masked Lords or the Open Lord of Waterdeep, it will likely take place in the audience chamber of the palace. There, you can witness the ancient and humble throne that Ahghairon first sat upon so long ago.

Many other buildings in the ward are given over to city business, including several courts for magisters and the barracks of the City Guard. So many of the ward’s structures are offices and meeting halls for business owners, solicitors, publishers, and the like that the Castle Ward has the smallest resident population of all the wards. Many landmarks of interest are found in this ward aside from the six walking statues (discussed later in this chapbook). You could hardly see them all in a day, but the following are highly recommended.

Blackstaff Tower is a squat black blot in the otherwise pretty ward. Humble though the edifice might be, looking at the place for too long can give you a queasy feeling and the sense that you are being watched — almost as if the tower itself has turned an unseen and wrathful eye upon you. Perhaps you think this fanciful. Well, go and try it yourself!

On the opposite end of the mountain, close to the Naval Harbor, stands Mirt’s Mansion. Once a fortress-like and glowering tower, it has been upgraded with more delicate fashions of architecture since the return of its long-absent owner. Mirt has quite a history with Durnan, the proprietor of the Yawning Portal. Together they descended into “the Well,” as the entrance to Undermountain was known in olden days. Waterdeep used to throw criminals in the Well, leaving them to die horribly in Undermountain’s dungeons. Durnan and Mirt entered the dungeons of their own free will — and not only that, but returned laden with treasures. Both used magic to extend their lives, but they eventually parted ways. Mirt kept on with a life of adventure, while Durnan built the tavern called the Yawning Portal over the Well and now, almost two centuries later, charges coin to descend into it. Not a bad way to part fools from their money!

The glorious Spires of the Morning, dedicated to Lathander, is one of Waterdeep’s most beautiful temples. But it is rivaled in this ward by the Temple of the Seldarine, dedicated to all the elf gods. The journey through Mount Melody Walk, a tunnel cut through Mount Waterdeep, to New Olamn’s academy of music and other arts is a wondrous daytime excursion. The Market offers a wild array of sights, smells, and sounds in which folk might lose themselves for a tenday. The Font of Knowledge is a temple to Oghma, yes, but also the city’s largest public library. Titles written throughout the ages can be viewed here — under the watchful eyes of the temple’s priests. In short (if I can claim this section of the enchiridion to be such), the Castle Ward offers far too many splendors to list them all here.

The Castle Ward’s colors are blue and purple, and its mascot is a griffon, typically depicted in gold. These borrow colors from the city’s flag and reference the Griffon Cavalry, of course. Champions for the ward often come from among the ranks of the Guard, the Navy, or the Cavalry. Although such competitors have often have the advantage in races and competitions, their crowds of rabidly cheering fans are naturally much smaller than those of other wards."

[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]

the description of the castle ward from waterdeep dragon heist reads as follows, echoing the stateliness of this ward in particular, with its many temples and sights of commerce:

"In terms of both geography and power, Castle Ward is the city's center. Most, if not all, of the city's administrative buildings are within the ward boundaries, from the lofty spires of Piergeiron's Palace to the low-slung crenelations of the guard smithy. While money and social standing are the prevalent benchmarks of might in the City of Splendors, Waterdeep's true power and what keeps it running are the Lords and Magisters here. If you like the taste of power and authority mixed with the usual commerce of the city, Castle Ward is the place to go. The city guard maintains a strong presence in Castle Ward due to the concentration of city officials and areas of importance in need of heavier security. Even so, the watch maintains much of the order, especially around the Market, the Palace, and the Castle Ward docks. Like the guard, the watch makes a show of force in Castle. Ward, traveling in larger patrols of six and brandishing short swords in addition to their normal rods and clubs. The ward boundaries are the southern side of Julthoon Street over to Shield Street and down to Trader's Way on the north, meeting up with the High Road and Snail Street for the eastern perimeter. Lackpurse Lane, Belnimbra's Street, Gut Alley, and Shesstra's Street combine in an uneven boundary to the south, whereas the mountain and the coastline form the western edges of the ward. While Castle Ward covers the most territory, Mount Waterdeep makes up a lot of empty land and the ward is effectively a little larger than Sea or North Ward."

"It is hard to pin down a "typical" architectural detail for Castle Ward, as there are so many different structures here that dominate the skyline. The city buildings, temples, and wizards towers are impressive stone structures, with the Palace and Castle in leagues of their own. Folk who quest for power but lack the funds to rise above the merchant class often dwell in the environs north of Waterdeep Way, their homes either well-kept row houses of three to four stories or individual homes of one or two stories. In either case, structures tend to be timber and wattle-and-daub with stone foundations nestled among the shops. The southern leg of the ward is primarily made up of barracks and warehouses attached to the castle and to various wealthier merchants and noble houses. The only discernible difference between Castle Ward's docks and Dock Ward are the heavier watch patrols. In terms of roads and byways, Castle Ward is by far the easiest ward to traverse due to the paving on many of its larger, primary roads. Even with heavy cart traffic on the roads, it is possible to travel from the Field of Triumph to Castle Waterdeep in the same time it takes to cover one-third of Dock Ward's docks. The paving is primarily for access by dignitaries and officials of the city and other foreign powers (and use during holidays for parades)."

[source: waterdeep dragon heist]

neighbourhoods of the castle ward

the neighbourhoods of the castle ward with notable landmarks and buildings are listed as follows:

The Market

Upmarket: Amberpaths, Cascades, The Cliffride, Elvarren's Lane, Head Lane, Highdrake, Melshar's Ride, Spireshadows, Tanthruil, Tchozal's Race, Toalar's Path

East Midcastle: The Buckle, The Catwind, Duir's Trod, Eldath's Alley, Elsambul's Lane, Goldstar Path, The Houndtwist, Lamp Courts, Lhestyn's Turn, Lhoril's Alley, Manyspells Court, Solemnar's Trod, Summerkeep, Sweetglade, The Waverise, Zeldan's Alley

West Midcastle: Alnether's Prowl, Asmach's Wind, Autumngleam, Blackstave, Cage Street, Cymbril's Trod, Dozenalley, Hippogriff Maze, Jester's Court, Marlar's Lane, Mulgomir's Way, North Swords, Siren Lane, Threeshields, Turnback Court

Piergeiron's Palace: Aghairon's Plaza, Fetlock Court, Piergeiron's Palace

Downcastle: Barracks Court, Castlefoot, Court of Gems, Glittergleam, Mountroot, Old Temple, Owlroost, Portal Lane, the Reach, Tarnished Silver

while the living conditions range from the very wretched to those wealthy and aristocratic.

landmarks and notable locations in the castle ward

there are many landmarks worth exploring in the castle ward. in this post, as well as the posts centered around the wards, i'll mainly focus on those important to gale's story:

blackstaff tower/academy

the yawning portal

promenade of the dark maiden (my own oc purposes and all those who have a drow tav or a tav that follows the dark maiden eilistraee)

i will still touch on other landsmarks and locations, but not as in depth.

blackstaff tower / academy

Gale: “A misadventure from my days as an apprentice at Blackstaff Academy. I was but a child, only a few months into my studies, but already I knew I was destined for greatness. No one believed me, of course, so I decided to prove it. To cast a spell with the Blackstaff itself. From one perspective, I succeeded. I opened a portal. However, instead of pointing it at the first year dormitory, I found myself pulled into limbo, facing a very irritated Death Slaad. Fortunately the Blackstaff himself came to the rescue, hauling me backwards from the brink, and straight into several months of writing lines. Or rather, finessing my autograph.”

[source: gale's dialogue after visiting the abandoned wizard tower in the underdark]

blackstaff tower concept art

the tower is described as a foreboding structure, made out of smooth black stone, with no apparent way to enter it, seemingly having no windows or doors. its main entrance was on swords street, while apprentices could gain access by touching the gate with a left palm. the tower itself was surrounded by a great wall (20 foot / 6 meters). [source: forgottenrealmswiki].

most notably, the tower also has the ability to magically repair itself, a process supported by laeral silverhand, one of the seven sisters and chosen of mystra.

more views of the interior of the tower, including the great staircase which connects the different levels of the tower, a reading room, an apothecary, the library and other interior structures:

the interior of blackstaff tower is also described as follows:

"From the inside, windows appeared to show what was going on outside, but these were illusions. The interior (but not the exterior) of the tower was warded against magical intrusion. The tower was protected against scrying magic. Rooms were connected to the central stairwell and entry hall, which was full of floating doors and arches. Many alcoves and shelves covered the walls of the stairwell, displaying magical items and artifacts, and although they seemed unprotected, a command word was needed to remove any of them. The items changed on a regular basis, so returning to the same stairwell on another day might result in seeing different items. Leaving the dormitories without issuing a command word would lead to the second level's stairwell. Saying the command word nhurlaen in the stairwell took one to the study. On the top floor of the tower was a study and a scrying chamber. There was also a parlor where Khelben displayed his art. In the library was one-way dimensional door to Candlekeep (the other side of the door led to Jester's Court nearby). As of 1374 DR, the tower's entry chamber contained a wardrobe that Khelben was able to use to access almost any closet in the tower. In the tower's kitchen, Khelben liked to serve cups of roasted chicory. Tunnels linked the tower's basement to Piergeiron's Palace and other locations in Waterdeep, which could be accessed by uttering the command word vhuarm. One such tunnel could be accessed at Northspur Rock on Northspur Landing on the Talltumble Stairs in Mountainside. [...] From the mid-to-late 14th century DR onward, the Tower was home not only to the Blackstaff, but to the Blackstaff's apprentices, which numbered fifty or so at any time. These apprentices, and their apprentices in turn, formed the Blackstaff Academy, an elite yet informal school for the training of wizards.

[source: forgottenrealmswiki]

the yawning portal

Gale: Believe it or not, but I witnessed a similar standoff back at the Yawning Portal. Of course, an establishment like that invites all sorts of outlandish entertainments. Player: What’s the Yawning Portal Gale: An inn in Waterdeep. Never a dull moment there. Adventurers come from all over Faerûn to try their luck down the well: Leads into the Undermountain, you see - full of death, danger, and vast amounts of treasure. Hard to resist. Player: What was the standoff about? Gale: Oh, a drow, a dragonborn, and a cleric of Cyric walk into a bar. Your standard fare. Maybe someone was cheating at cards, maybe it was some weird lovers’ quarrel. In any case, out came the crossbow, and a hush fell over the entire room.devnote Player: What happened next? Gale: I stood up and yelled: ‘Shadowdark ale for everyone!’ The crowd cheered, the tension drained into five dozen tankards, and soon all was well again. Gale: In a place like the Yawning Portal, the most powerful magic is calling for a round of drinks. Gale: Mind you, all I did was call for ale, but you went and stood in front of that crossbow. I’d drink to that.

[source: gale's dialogue after saving sazza the goblin]

concept art of the yawning portal [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

the yawning portal, which we know gale references once in the main game and once in the epilogue, implying that he's quite a frequent patron, is an infamous landmark in waterdeep:

The Yawning Portal was an inn and tavern in the city of Waterdeep that was renowned for being the primary open route into Undermountain. A well within its walls led down into the first level of the vast dungeon complex. It was owned and run by the famous adventurer Durnan the Wanderer. The name "Yawning Portal" referred to the deep well and also alluded to the habit of its patrons to tell wild stories. Naturally, the inn was a popular attraction among visitors to Waterdeep and a common point of departure as well as a refuge for expeditions into the extensive dungeons. [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

A well-known inn and tavern whose main feature is a massive well on the ground floor of the tavern, some 40 feet across, that descends 140 feet into the first level of Undermountain. There is a rope hoist that can be used to lower or raise those foolhardy enough to venture into Undermountain, at a cost of 1 gp per person. [source: waterdeep dragon heist]

layout and menu of the yawning portral [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

location of the yawning portral

The Yawning Portal was located on Rainrun Street in the upper part of Waterdeep's Castle Ward between Waterdeep Castle and Snail Street[ and close to Mount Waterdeep's eastern slope. Fronting onto the north side of the road, it stood next door to Mother Salinka's House of Pleasure, and beyond that, The Empty Keg tavern, on the west side, and next door Lankathla Dree's Bakery on the east side. Nearby also stood the magician Sobrey's Magic Shoppe and the smithy of Argali Smith. The inn's relative proximity to the city's docks helped it do good business. Its site was exactly that of the former Halaster's Hold, the demolished tower of the mad mage Halaster Blackcloak, the builder of Undermountain, and the inn was constructed over the well to Undermountain, which had previously been a place of execution, simply known as "the Well". [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

its exterior was made up out of mismatched fieldstone and a roof of "a steep-angled roof of unpainted dark-gray and black slate", giving it a rather drab appearance from the outside. the building had no windows on the ground floor, only on the upper floors, but it boasted several chimneys.

an old wooden sign, which was recovered and reused each time the inn was rebuilt, read simply "the yawning portal".

volo during a visit to the yawning portal [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

the yawning portal also boasts a host of rumours and legends, most recently, however, this:

Circa 1492 DR, a band of doppelgangers were rumored to operate out of the Yawning Portal. The Harpers and Emerald Enclave even sought people to investigate this.

the promenade of the dark maiden

"Eilistraee teaches us that we are not bound by the circumstances of our birth. We all may find beauty and light, if we have the courage to seek them." — Trelasarra Zuind

trelassara zuind, informal leader of the promenade since 1491 dr

the promenade of the dark maiden is located in the undermountain of waterdeep.

"The Promenade of the Dark Maiden was the most sacred temple to Eilistraee. It lay beneath Waterdeep, northeast of Skullport in Undermountain. The temple was composed of four major caverns. One cavern contained multiple buildings that were used as living quarters for the faithful. Another cavern named the Cavern of Song served as an open amphitheater used for songs and celebrations dedicated to Eilistraee. The third cavern consisted of living quarters for the priestesses. The fourth cavern was mostly occupied by the temple guards, storehouses, and armories. A large side cavern connected the Cavern of Song with Eilistraee's Mound. Within stood a large statue portraying the Dark Maiden (but actually modeled on Qilué Veladorn's appearance) and sculpted from a mound of rock. Next to the main temple was the Hall of Healing (a former temple of Moander that had been destroyed by worshipers of Tyr). This section was used as a place to shelter and tend to the temple's wounded and all those who were rescued by the Dark Ladies (including adventurers lost in the Undermountain). North of the Hall of Healing was a small cavern that was the destination of a one-way portal connecting to the sixth level of the Undermountain used to deliver wounded adventurers to the temple. Priestesses of the Promenade healed and welcomed any who came to the Hall, and were known to offer their friendship to (non-ill-intentioned) individuals of races who were more frequently than not met with prejudice and hostility." [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

the promenade held some influence in skullport and they had made it their mission to free slaves and adventurers that ran afoul the more powerful groups and bands within skullport. this earned them the nickname "slave shelterers" and they were regarded with animosity by those groups. other enemies were also worshippers of ghaunadaur (greater god of abominations, oozes and outcasts believed to be touched by the dark realms, and a part of the dark seldarine) as well as worshippers of lolth (most influential drow goddess, mother to eilistraee and vhaeraun) and vhaeraun (eilistraee's elder twin brother and part of the dark seldarine).

the dark promenade's history is defined by those friends and enemies:

the founder of the promenade qilué veladron, youngest of the seven sisters and chosen of mystra, was guided by eilistraee to extinguish the presence of ghanaudar. qilué was helped to victory by the dark maiden and mystra against ghanaudar. the battle took place within the undermountain (third-level). after her victory, eilistraee spoke to her:

"You must make a stand here close to the surface world, and you must be ever vigilant against the return of Ghaunadar. For a mighty city of humans shall rise above this place, and if you are to make peace with humankind and your elven kin of the surface world, this place is best suited for you."

qilué obeyed the words of her goddess, and she and other chosen of eilistraee patrolled these dark corridors (mockingly called promenades). during that time, the temple was being constructed, becoming habitable by 1357 dr.

the promenade had 392 habitants by 1375 dr.

the population of the promenade was severely diminished in 1370s, after an attack by followers of ghanaudar, nightshadows, followers of vhaeraun:

"In the 1370s DR, the Promenade was attacked by a new cult of Ghaunadaur. Nightshadows, former followers of Vhaeraun and later followers of the "Masked Lady" (following the death of Vhaeraun at Eilistraee's hand, and her taking on his portfolio), were sent to infiltrate various drow houses who worshiped Ghaunadaur, but this allowed the cultists to locate some portals leading to the temple. Taking advantage of this, the followers of the Elder Eye proceeded to attack, hoping to release the trapped avatar of their god. However, the glyph of insanity that Qilué had placed on the prison made many cultists go insane. Despite this, the assailants were supported by an army of slimes and decimated the population of the Promenade. In the fierce battle, almost all the Protectors of the Song and Darksong Knights were killed, along with many of the priestesses and of the followers who lived there or were visiting. The battle also caused the seals on Ghaunadaur's prison to break and his avatar to escape, even though it would be soon tricked into attaching itself to a fleeing Nightshadow. He sacrificed himself, going through a portal that led to "a plane of endless mazes" and dying in the process, to trap the avatar there." [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

after the second sundering, eilistraee returned and with that, she also breathed new life into the promenade:

"After returning, Eilistraee personally appeared under the walls of Waterdeep, leading many of her followers to travel to the city. Some of them found the support of Remallia Haventree and started creating a forest-temple, named The Dancing Haven, within Waterdeep itself. While originally meant to be created in the Field Ward of Waterdeep, due to the chaotic developments of that area, the Dancing Haven was temporarily moved to the North Ward. The Eilistraeens planted and grew a small grove of trees within an abandoned, roofless building, and then used it as a temple and base of operations. From there, the moondancers led a series of expeditions to cleanse, rebuild and resupply the Promenade. In the 1490s DR, a dozen priestesses, four novices, and nine lay guardians populated the temple; Trelasarra Zuind was their (informal) leader. Few knew of the restored Promenade (aside from followers of Eilistraee), but rumors regarding it restoration spread in Skullport." [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

by 1491 dr, the promenade would have around 25 inhabitants again, including trelassara zuind:

"After the restoration of the temple, Trelasarra, a dozen clerics of the Dark Maiden, four novices, and nine lay warriors moved there. They established a new base of operations, linked to the Dancing Haven in Waterdeep. The followers of Eilistraee tried to keep their presence a secret but, as rumors started spreading in the near and dangerous Skullport, Trelasarra opted to garrison the temple as if at war." [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

of course, the castle ward has many more locations of note to offer. the following list is taken from waterdeep dragon heist:

Rentals

Banderly Rooming House: A four-story boarding house kept by the Banderlys, two married women who pride themselves on providing good, clean, safe accommodations.

Fair Winds: Rental Villa

Heroes' Rest: Rental Villa, owned by House Melshimber

Marblehearth: Rental Villa

Sablehearth: Rental Townhouse (Northern Swords Street)

Sapphire House: Inn, Rooming House

Stormwatch: Rental Villa

Businesses

Baltorr's Rare & Wondrous Treasures: Shop (Curios) and Warehouse. A curio and coin shop owned by an expert on coins and military markings.

Crommor's Warehouse: Warehouse

The Curious Past: Shop (Historical Curios & Books)

Danimar Fine Wines: Shop (Wine) The Danimar family are one of the oldest holders of licenses by House Melshimber to sell its wines in the city of Waterdeep. They do a brisk business in both the imported and domestic Melshimber vintages.

Dathchant Engravings: Shop (Engraving services)

Diloontier's Apothecary: Shop (Apothecary)

The Golden Key: Shop (Locks) Ansilver the Locksmith (Southern Street of the Sword)

Halambar Lute & Harps: Shop (Stringed Musical Instruments) The premiere place to find any stringed instrument of the Realms. It is also host to a magical harp that sings by itself and is rumored to have connections to the Harpers in some capacity. (Southern Street of the Sword)

Halls of Hilmer: Shop (Armor). Master Armorer Hilmer's shop is hard to miss due to its front of polished plate armor. He sells custom-made armor that is without parallel on the Sword Coast. The shop features practice rooms for trying out his armor. (Southern Street of the Sword)

Hilmer Warehouse: Warehouse (Halls of Hilmer) (Southern Street of the Sword)

Kreis' Fine Wine and Spirits: Import/Export (Spirits) An import business run by Tyrannus Adarbrent.

Mother Tamra's House of Graces: School (Grace, Etiquette, Comportment)

The Market: The largest open area of the city that plays host to hundreds of stalls and camped vendors able to sell nearly anything in the Realms, and many thieves to relieve one of same.

Nureene's Marvelous Masks: Shop (Masks)

Old Knot Shop: Shop (Sailing Gear)

Olmhazan's Jewels: Shop (Jewelry)

Paethier's Pipeweed: Shop (Tobacco)

Phalantar's Philtres & Components: Shop (Herbs and Medicines) (4c). A small shop for medicinal herbs and ingredients for oils, perfumes and potions. It is said that Phalantar allegedly supports adventuring companies in exchange for the rare substances he sells here.

Rebeleigh's Elegant Headware: Shop (Hats)

Sorynth's Silverware: Shop (Silver Goods)

"Sharkroar" Horth Sharlark's Broadsheets: Printer (Broadsheets)

Velstrode the Venturer's: Shop: (Adventuring Goods)

Inns

The Jade Jug: Waterdeep's plushest inn with luxury in every detail, and well worth the expensive price.

Lazy Dragon: A newly-established inn (Old Temple)

The Pampered Traveler

Sapphire House: An expensive rooming five-story house across Swords Street from Blackstaff Tower that has provided room and board for more than one of the Blackstaff's apprentices who found the Tower to be a little too confining (Northern Swords Street)

Wyrmbones Inn

The Yawning Portal: A well-known inn and tavern whose main feature is a massive well on the ground floor of the tavern, some 40 feet across, that descends 140 feet into the first level of Undermountain. There is a rope hoist that can be used to lower or raise those foolhardy enough to venture into Undermountain, at a cost of 1 gp per person. (Southern Castle Ward)

Taverns

The Asp's Strike

The Blue Jack

The Crawling Spider: A tavern for subterraneans that pine for their homes (as well as regulars who like the thrilling atmosphere), decorated as if underground with serving folk dressed as drow elves. Well known for its subterranean dancing floor, and the many small "caverns" that lead off of it whose dark recesses are best left alone by the curious. (Southern Street of the Sword)

The Crow's Nest: A modest but comfortable tavern; a favorite among the clerks, bureaucrats, and visitors of nearby Castle Waterdeep. (Southern Castle Ward)

The Dragon's Head

The Elfstone: An old earthy tavern, with live trees in the walls and the bar, that caters to elves and half-elves, and is a rare source of such delicacies as elverquisst, guldathen nectar and maerlathen blue wine. (Southern Street of the Sword)

The Empty Keg: A rough-and-tumble beer-hall. Later in the eve, it often sees visits from some of the unattached ladies from Mother Salinka's next door, looking to lure some of the drinkers back to their boudoirs. (Southern Castle Ward)

The Flagon Dragon: A modest neighborhood pub renowned for its zzar (Waterdhavian mulled wine) and talyths (a palm-sized cracker with a thin slice of sausage on top, and a mixture of cheese, herbs, mashed root vegetables and other ingredients whose recipe is a house secret) (Northern Swords Street)

The Mighty Manticore: An older friendly tavern with ample ale and light evening fare at affordable prices that attracts a loyal clientele of merchants at the close of day.

The Quaffing Quaggoth:A dwarf-owned tavern and a growing favorite among the city's sailors, merchants and young nobles. The tavern is well-known for the house specialty: a thick-brewed stout mixed with an unknown liquor that is called the Quaggoth for its rumored ability to cure every hair on a quaggoth and then some.

The Red-Eyed Owl: A comfortable, unimpressive local ale-house that is a favorite of the average Waterdhavian locals, well-loved for its cheap ale and heavily spiced coast chowder. (Southern Castle Ward)

Sailor's Own: A crowded, dark, and dirty sailor's dive bar.

The Singing Sword

The Sleepy Sylph: A popular tavern for visitors to Waterdeep, featuring driftglobe lights and scantily clad waitstaff dressed as fairies. (Southern Castle Ward)

Festhalls

Blushing Nymph: An upscale brothel known for its exotic pleasures. (Southern Castle Ward)

Genmura's Stage: A bawdy burlesque palace with two floors of small, cheap, stinking rooms above its taphall, Genmura's sees plenty of seedy sorts, criminals, dock hands, and sailors just come a'shore. (Old Temple).

Jhural's Dance: Nowhere near as raucous as many festhalls, Jhrual prides himself on the seductive, intimate environment he fosters in his hall. Plenty of alcoves and nooks to hide in with someone in close company, all surrounding a stage where his festhall workers dance to advertise their wares. His festhall is also notable for its equal proportion of men and women performers. (Northern Swords Street)

Lightsinger Theater

Mother Salinka's House of Pleasure: A shabby, low-coin festhall. (Southern Castle Ward)

Mother Tathlorn's House of Pleasure & Healing

The Smiling Siren: A festhall that specializes in small plays and the hosting of traveling troupes (burlesque and otherwise). (Northern Street of Silver)

Temples

The Font of Knowledge: Temple to Oghma.

The Halls of Justice: Temple to Tyr.

The House of Two Hands: Monastery to Tyr.

The Pantheon Temple of the Seldarine: Temple to the Seldarine (Elven Gods). When elven clergy of the Seldarine approached the Masked Lords to ask for permission to establish a Pantheon temple to their gods, it was considered a coup for relations between Waterdeep and the elven peoples. Waterdeep has always had an extensive elven population and is indeed the site where the Grey Ships of Evermeet come at Midsummer to carry away those elves who tire of Faerûn and seek to return to elven lands. When that permission was quickly given, the elves asked for an allotment of property right in the middle of a busy and crowded Castle Ward neighborhood, shocking the Lords. Even when pressed, the elves would not explain their choice; so without further ado, the grant was given. The Pantheon Temple is a tall, dour structure of gleaming white stone flecked with silver, but has within it a garden and long walking galleries between the shrines to the elven deities.

The Spires of Morning: Temple to Lathander. A walled garden compound with eight beautiful gilded towers that reflect Lathander's dawn. (Northern Swords Street)

City Buildings

Peaktop Aerie :Headquarters for griffon mounts of City Guard. Rorden Rialter Obyrdar is currently on duty at the Peaktop Aerie where the griffons are kept.

Guard Barracks: City Guard Barracks (Southern Castle Ward)

Guard Smithy: Smithy for City Guard

Bell Tower: A simple bell tower used to signal fires, attacks and calls for assembly at the Palace. (15 Guard at all times)

Palace Storage: Warehouses for Piergeiron's Palace

Palace Stables: Stables for Piergeiron's Palace

Palace Paddocks: Paddocks for Piergeiron's Palace

Walking Statue: One of the eight known 90-foot-tall stone golems created by Khelben Arunsun to defend any gaps in Waterdeep's defenses, this regal figure stands at the Gull Leap cliff at the end of Julthoon Street.

Watching Towers: Sentry Towers

Piergeiron's Palace: The center of Waterdeep's government with various courts, embassies and city offices therein, as well as the living chambers of the Open Lord Piergeiron the Paladinson.

Castle Waterdeep: Castle for the Masked Lords of Waterdeep and the Magistrates' Courts.

Ahghairon's Tower: The slim stone tower of the original First Lord of the city that is surrounded by invisible magical barriers that suspend the skeletal remains of a wizard that tried to get into the tower.

Guildhalls

The House of Gems: Jeweller's Guild

The Map House: Surveyors', Map and Chart-Makers Guild

Fellowship Hall: Fellowship of Innkeepers. The headquarters of the Fellowship of Innkeepers that operates as a member-only inn one night a tenday.

The Master Baker's Hall: Bakers' Guild (Southern Street of the Sword)

Tower of the Order: Watchful Order of Magists & Protectors. A three-story stone tower surrounded by a fence of sparkling green lights that coalesce into Azuth's and Mystra's symbols, with the hand of Azuth over the tower door rumored to watch the tower and fire magic at any intruders.

Guildhall of the Order: Solemn Order of Recognized Furriers & Woolmen

Pewterer's Guildhall: Pewterers & Casters Guild

House of Fine Carvers: Fine Carvers Guild. The slate-roofed wooden base of the Fine Carvers Guild, easily found on the High Road with its frieze of carved animals and people, including Ahghairon and other First Lords.

The Market Hall: Farmers and Grocers Guild

Alleys & Courts

Cat Alley: this narrow twisting, turning passage was frequented years ago by a masked, rapier-wielding man of wealth who scared young women and cut away their garments but was never arrested.

Elsambul's Lane: named for a long-dead priest of Mask and now one of the few areas with graffiti on its walls (they say Elsambul himself still leaves enigmatic messages and clues to hidden treasures on the walls!), it attracts many folk beyond simple curiosity seekers.

Jesters' Court: a courtyard frequented now by hard-currency girls and minstrels that has also been a performance stage for jugglers and comics as well as a meeting place for eloping lovers.

Sevenlamps Cut: named for seven fancy magical lamps placed here long ago by Ahghairon himself, this safe alley is the place to hire spellcasters (apprentice wizards and poor underpriests) for quick healing, curse removals, or some magical firepower for your latest excursion into Undermountain.

Turnback Court: a lamplit, shallow alley at the end of Selduth Street that is used as a rallying point for watch and guard patrols both day and night.

this concludes my collection of information about waterdeep's castle ward for now. it's a sprawling topic, each and every ward, and i'm sure there are things i missed or forgot!

still, i hope this was of use to someone other than myself!

tag list: @evenstar-crescentmoon, @criticalgale, @ofthedirewolves

if you want to be added (or taken off) the tag list, please let me know! 🖤

#gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #waterdeep #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 meta #ch: gale dekarios #ch: altonaufein #vg: baldur's gate 3 #series: baldur's gate #meta: mybg3 #series: waterdeepwards #long post for ts #i am very sorry this got so long #i tried to cut & edit it down as much as possible

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icaruspendragon · 10 months ago

Text

i think the most unexpected part of being a content creator has been just how much parasocial relationships warped my perspective.

like i knew sharing parts of my life with strangers on the internet would mean that even if they didn’t feel like i was a stranger to them, they were all still strangers to me.

and i share more parts of myself online than most. so lots of these people really do know so many things about me, and because of that, sometimes i forget they’re strangers who don’t actually know me.

like someone will leave a comment that i think is funny so i share it with my groupchat and they’ll be like, “berklie, this is actually a really weird thing for a stranger to say to you.” and my response is almost always “oh. 🧍🏻‍♂️”

it’s like i’ve gotten desensitized to people saying what most would consider out of pocket stuff to me. or maybe my threshold for what i consider out of pocket is higher than it should be.

i’m incredibly fortunate in that 99% of what’s said to me is lovely and respectful and that the vast majority of my audience treats me with kindness.

there’s so much talk about people having parasocial relationships, but no one really talks about what it’s like to be on the receiving end of those relationships. and like i know that no one is making me put myself out there like this, that it’s a choice i willingly make.

and i’ve been on the internet for 13 years now, which is literally half my life. i know what it’s like.

i was on this site in 2012 and fanfic.net in 2011. i know how awful and vile anonymity makes some folks get, but there’s a purgatory-esque space i didn’t know existed. and that space is where people aren’t mean, but they aren’t exactly nice, either. they’re weird. and not in a fun way. they’re invasive. and i’ve been exposed to it for so long i only notice when it’s extreme.

and if you follow me and you read this and are thinking, oh god. is she talking about me? the answer is no, i’m not.

i have lots of folks, especially those who comment/interact frequently, that i think of as my “regulars.” these are people i recognize and even go so far as to think about outside of whatever platform i’m posting on. and even if they don’t interact with my content super frequently, i recognize these users. i remember a lot more about people than folks might think.

these people aren’t the problem.

it’s the people who see i’m a person but forget that i’m human, if that makes sense. like of course people objectively know i’m a person. but i think sometimes they forget i’m human. and that i can read. and that i have feelings.

there have been several times where i called someone out for saying inappropriate shit to me and their response has been, “i’m so sorry. i didn’t think you’d see it.”

but i do see it. even if i don’t publicly acknowledge it, i see everything.

i think some people think just because they see more of me that i can’t see any of them. but i do.

so please, please remember i may just be a person that lives in your phone to you, but i’m a human who lives outside of it, too.

regardless of familiarity, i deserve to be treated like i have an existence outside of people’s screens. because i do.

despite appearances or perspective, at the end of the day, i’m just like you.

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zaebucca · 1 year ago

Text

About scale, process, palette and canvas: a few considerations on pixel art as a medium

User moredogproblems answered an interesting and legitimate question by another, DiscountEarly125, regarding my work and canvas size. He also perfectly isolated two central concepts of pixel art, which are scale and process. Canvas size, which was the theme of DiscountEarly125's specific request, is more of a dependent variable to those two aforementioned concepts, rather than a starting point. I hope the following considerations I shared may help or prompt some other ideas, but this is what I could come up with 15-ish years of experience with pixel art (and a few more years of art and media studies). I was quite in the mood of writing down these few thoughts that have been floating for a while. I apologize as this may also result in a confusing wall of text, but it is all part of a my work and research, and I would love to polish all the material, hopefully with some thoughts, insights from other colleagues, as well as pictures and materials!

A. Scale and canvas size It is true that the bigger the canvas, the more distance one may visually create from pixel art, but I personally think this is to be possibly considered a matter of perceiving pixels, rather than a fundative problem of the medium. In fact I concur with the idea of "process makes the medium" rather than identifying pixel art as how (evidently) pixeled the result feels. The general picture, or the sum of pixels, though, is a really important matter to the medium nonetheless! Pixels themselves work in relation one with another, so it's their overall result that gives context and makes the subject recognizable. This relationship between pixels links back to all the art fundamentals that each artist is taught, from color theory to shape and composition - and so on. So, the canvas size debate usually boils down to a matter of scale or necessity of your subjects. As long as the dimension (canvas) of your subject (as in: a drawing of an apple, a character sprite, a mockup environment) allows you to operate, control and keep an eye on the quantity (number/area of pixels together) and quality (color, shaping of multiple pixels, texturing obtained through color and shapes) of isolated single pixels or pixeled areas, you're in the pixel art universe. The other way around to define the matter of scaling: in order to be operating pixel art fundamentals and techniques, your subject has to be on a scale that allows you to apply principles of pixel art within the space of your canvas and your personal style. These very same principles, or basics, can be applied with different results and extent to bigger and smaller canvases alike, each with their own specific difficulties and variables. It is important to adapt your scale when learning, and trying classic canvases per subject like "16x16px" (standard tile or character sprite unit, tied to older consoles and screen ratios, it's a bit complicated there) is always a nice idea - they also tend to be industry benchmarks and necessities so in case you'd like to consider a professional output, that's very useful.

Scale also applies to the array of colors, and there lies the concept of palette: a number of single hexadecimal hues we are using for each single pixel. Any single pixel can have one hexadecimal color only.

Consequentially it is absolutely true that either a huge canvas or a palette too broad may prevent a viewer from perceiving immediately the "nature" of your medium, namely seeing square pixels, recognizing a certain amount of color - or more thoroughly recognizing that you made some choices for each subject on a pixel level. What could possibly happen on a huge canvas (without zooming in) is that you can't really grasp the pixels, but just the "overall picture" - and that may not differ too much from digital, raster art, which is of course also based on pixels. Therein appearently lies a sort of threshold that is really hard to pin down for us pixel artists, as it depends on screen size, visualization methods, distance, filters and lots of other inherently subjective parts.

This kinda is my case sometimes: I make big environments (possibly too big, and too detailed in each part I tell myself) that are a sum of many lesser parts: both tilesets and sprites that relate (but not strictly adhere) to a basic space unit that is 16x16pixels. You can indeed consider scale in a broader sense as a subdivision or magnification issue, much alike squinting your eyes to focus on a picture's overall contrast or, conversely, analyzing its fundamental parts with a magnifying glass, and then a microscope - an analogy as follows:

a. the picture as a whole is like a colorful rock that you can analyze by magnifying its grain. b. the characters, geographical elements and textures, works like the different substances that compose the rock and give its visible characteristics grain and complexity, c. single pixels constitute the very atoms of those previously recognized substances.

I mean "atom" in the traditional, classical meaning of indivisible, fundative object. That's a "quantized" part of information, which for pixel art is ultimately color (or a binary value, like yes/no black/white). If you were, for example, to crop some parts of my work - let's say 160x144 pixels (a gameboy screen resolution in pixels) you would see the substances that are characters and elements of nature, and when you zoom in again, every atom becomes visible as a single entity of color. There are 29 different type of "atoms" in Ruin Valley as in different, singularly hexadecimal colors that work together in different combinations and shapes to create different substances and characters. 18 of them are used for the different qualities of the environment, and 11 more for extra hues for characters and other elements to pop out a bit.

It's really interesting to see how many pixel artists push this "threshold" of pixel art canvases to the extremely small or the extremely big, whereas, notably, palettes are less open to growth: it is indeed my opinion that pixel art tends to quantize color (quality) over than dimension (quantity). Palettes, notably, do not grow exponentially, but tend to a lower, fixed, controlled amount of individual values instead. This usually gives the artist the true possibility and toolkit through which is possible to think about/with pixels. In other words: color (or its absence) is the founding unit and identity of pixel art as a digital medium.

B. Pixels as process or pixels as objective? Pixels themselves (as strange as that may sound!) are not to be considered an objective of pixel art, I think, but the founding matter of its research as a medium instead. I think that making pixel art is not just devoting oneself to show those jagged, squarey areas or blunt edges that we all know and love: this is just one of the possible aesthetics that pixel art conveys or adopts - especially on small canvases. Pixel art is not about denouncing itself as pixels, but, rather, embracing the square, atomic unit to build an ensemble that conveys a content or a style. That's the important part of the discourse that emancipated pixel art into being a medium, and not just an aesthetic choice or style of representation. Again: process makes this medium. Speaking of that, I consider pixel art as part of a broader family of "quantized art", namely media that operate on/with "indivisible, founding bricks and unities" that can assume a certain quality (color, mainly) within a certain quantity (palette, canvas size) and in relation to its surroundings to describe something. This puts pixel art, with its specifics and with a certain degree of semplification, among other mediums such as cross-stitch, bead art, construction sets, textile art (on a warp and weft basis), (micro-)mosaics and others.

A classic threshold example of process vs objective: oekaki art. Oekaki art - which I love and also happen to make from time to time - doesn't really work or "think" specifically on a pixel base: it doesn't place pixels per se, but uses pixel-based areas and textures on bigger canvases with a certain degree of freedom, like one would normally do with brushes on raster digital art programs (adobe ps, gimp, clip studio and so on) in order to convey an aesthetic with fewer colors and a certain line style and texturing. That way, oekaki uses and knows pixels in a deep way, but doesn't see them primarily in a quantized way. As a result the "overall picture" shows pixels to a certain extent, and it's possible to recognize distinct pixels for each part, but the objective is not an analysis and use of pixel and quantized information, but the use of an aesthetic based upon accessibility of resources, their control and a certain rendering style.

A huge part of pixel art is its absolute accessibility: everyone with a fairly outdated computer or screen and a basic drawing program can study the medium. To be fair, it's indeed considering accessiblity that I highly support an inclusive approach to the term "pixel art" and I think traditional oekaki is a close, beautiful relative that builds upon the rules and techniques of pixel art and pixel rendering, yet keeping its identity as its very own medium - somehow like a dress may be built around/upon textile design. Anyway, boundaries are meant to be crossed and I think there definitely are lots of oekaki and pixel-based art that meet traditional pixel art mid-way - or further. I also think the "is it pixel art?" discourse possibly ensuing - and generally speaking any media belonging purist ontology - is a treacherous, slippery terrain leading to excesses, and this is not my focus today, neither am I able to tackle that subject extensively at the moment.

C. Conclusions and a few good exercises Everything above may be farfetched or too complicated as a starting point. I tried to write all down as orderly as possible. The point of this (possibly discouraging) analysis and the reasoning between scale and process is that (pixel) art is about trying different canvases, and reasoning on one's subject and objective, rather than limiting oneself to presets sizes or styles. It's important to choose something that resonates with us and, in doing so, thinking about other, more interesting limitations: that's the discourse about quantity of space and quality in color. Limiting is the best possible exercise and one I wholeheartedly encourage: by doing so we are progressively delving deeper on the basics, as we learn the fundamental relationships between shapes and colors that we can achieve through pixels. A few good exercises that I too implemented in my own workflow come to mind: 1. Trying different canvases (or sizes) for the same subject (sprite, character art, illustration or so on). This helps a lot finding a comfortable size to apply pixel techniques, as well as getting a hold over fundamentals such as aliasing, linework, conventional representation and so on. 2. Trying different palettes for the same subject, both by varying colors themselves (therefore learning about values and contrast and readability, as well as atmosphere and mood!) or singular hues and their components, in order to discover possible relationship between them. Have fun! 3. Reducing the width of the palette progressively for the same subject: reducing the number of singular colors forces a reasoning on shapes, rapresentation. You may go from 1-bit art (just black/white) to 3 colors, 4, 8 and so on. We'll not talk about transparency as a singular color there, but if you happen to be interested in retro art, transparency counts to the palette size. This exercise is very useful in rendering, and possibly tricky. And definitely fun. :') 4. Choosing an objective and usage of our work: for example trying to learn about old pixel art limitations for games, in order to reason within specifics. Get inspired by traditional games (spriters-resource is your best friend here, in case you have a specific retrogame you're thinking of)! I will probably talk about limitations and style on another post. 5. Four eyes (and other multiples) are better than two: try to talk with people and friends and other artists you trust and feel comfortable with to get their point of view. This can be scary, I know, especially at the beginning. You're not forced to, of course, but if you do (in a safespace) there's lots you can learn about concepts such as readability, subject recognition, rendering and composition. Our eyes and brains get accustomed to something, and pixel art being a rather analytic medium made of synergies, subtle changes, limitations and conventions is especially tricky on the artist's eyes on the long term. Either way, the important thing about pixel art is understanding that this medium is about recognizing and enjoying the process rather than the eventual aesthetic and in order to do so the best choice is to start simple, small, with few colors and techniques at a time! Have fun and hit me up with your progress and considerations. :')

#pixelart #art resource #pixelartist #how to #reference #art tips #learning #insights #pixel illustration

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strictpunishedhubby · 3 months ago

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3.013 Follower beobachten laut tumblr seit heute meinen Blog. Es zeigt viele Blogger interessieren sich für das Thema Ehemannerziehung. Das ist die positive Seite, denn sie zeigt das große Interesse an diese Thematik. Die weitaus größere Mehrheit stimmt dabei meiner Frau zu, Ehemänner sollten nicht nur von ihren Frauen streng erzogen werden, sondern es ist absolut notwendig, damit der Mann seiner Frau gegenüber dem Respekt zollt, der ihr gebührt, um den Bestand ihrer Ehe nicht zu gefährden. Dazu gehört auch die uneingeschränkte Folgsamkeit gegenüber seiner ihn erziehende Ehefrau. Leider gelingt es wohl so wie mir, kaum einen Mann ständig seiner Frau zu gehorchen. Eine durchsetzungsstarke Frau wird das immer mit rigorosen Bestrafungen ahnden. An erster Stelle sind hierbei Prügelstrafen, kombiniert mit Eckestehen genannt oft zusätzliche Strafmaßnahmen wie Haus- und Stubenarrest, frühe Bettzeiten, Entzug von Privilegien genannt. Damit mir Tag und Nacht bewusst ist, ich habe wie ein kleines Kind seiner Mama zu gehorchen hat, genauso ihr genauso zu gehorchen, habe ich demzufolge ständig kindliche Unterwäsche zu tragen, ja sogar manchmal meine Haushaltsarbeiten nur in dieser für einen Ehemann demütigende Wäsche zu verrichten. Es soll und es hilft mir dabei die Führungsrolle und das Erziehungsrecht, das meine Frau in unserer Ehe über mich ausübt, anzuerkennen. Nahezu alle User die diesen Blog verfolgen halten es für gut, richtig und angemessen ihre Männer in dieser Weise zu erziehen und dementsprechend für jede Verfehlung streng zu bestrafen.

Die negative Seite besteht darin, zu viele der Follower sind zu phlegmatisch oder zu bequem öfter zu liken, geschweige denn Kommentare abzugeben oder zu rebloggen. Wenn Du auch der Überzeugung bist und es Dir ein Anliegen ist es gesellschaftsfähig zu machen, dass Ehemänner in diesem Sinn von ihren Frauen streng erzogen werden sollen, werde auch hier aktiv, indem Du jetzt reagierst, wenn nicht auf diesem Beitrag, dann auf andere Beiträge auf diesem Blog.

Gleichzeitig bedanke ich mich bei all diejenigen, die diesen Blog tatkräftig unterstützen und bis jetzt unterstützt haben!

According to Tumblr, 3,013 followers have been following my blog since today. It shows that many bloggers are interested in the topic of raising husbands. That is the positive side, because it shows the great interest in this topic. The vast majority agree with my wife that husbands should not only be disciplined by their wives, but it is absolutely necessary for the husband to show his wife the respect she deserves in order not to endanger the survival of their marriage. This also includes the limited effectiveness towards his wife who educates him. Unfortunately, hardly any man is able to constantly obey his wife like I do. An assertive woman will always punish this with rigorous punishments. First and foremost, corporal punishment is used, combined with standing in the corner, often with additional punishments such as house arrest, early bedtimes, and withdrawal of privileges. So that I am aware day and night that I have to obey her just as a small child has to obey his mother, I therefore have to constantly wear childish underwear and sometimes even do my household chores only in this underwear, which is humiliating for a husband. It is intended to and helps me to recognize the leadership role and parenting rights that my wife exercises over me in our marriage. Almost all users who follow this blog consider it good, right and appropriate to educate their men in this way and to punish them severely for every misdeed.

The negative side is that too many of the followers are too phlegmatic or too lazy to like more often, let alone comment or reblog. If you are also of the opinion and it is important to you to make it socially acceptable that husbands should be raised strictly by their wives in this sense, then take action here too by reacting now, if not to this post, then to other posts on this blog.

At the same time, I would like to thank all those who actively support this blog and have supported it so far!

#beta husband #strict punishment

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erc20tokengenerator · 5 months ago

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ERC20 Token Generator Introduction

Have you ever thought about creating your own cryptocurrency? With an ERC20 Token Generator , you can make it happen effortlessly. Let’s explore how to dive into the blockchain universe.

Understanding ERC20 Tokens

ERC20 tokens are a type of digital asset on the Ethereum blockchain, following a set standard for compatibility and functionality.

Advantages of ERC20 Tokens:

Consistency: Adheres to a universal protocol.

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Robust Support: Strong community and resources available.

How to Use an ERC20 Token Generator

Creating tokens is simplified with these tools. Here’s how it works:

Specify Token Details:

Decide on a name and symbol.

Determine the total number of tokens.

Utilize the Generator:

Access an online generator.

Enter your token information.

Deploy Your Token:

Review your settings.

Launch on the Ethereum network.

Features of ERC20 Tokens

ERC20 tokens provide essential features that enhance their usability:

Standard Operations: Includes transferring and checking balances.

Smart Contract Compatibility: Integrates easily with smart contracts.

Security Assurance: Utilizes Ethereum's strong blockchain security.

Reasons to Create an ERC20 Token

Why create your own token? Here are some compelling reasons:

Raise Capital: Launch an ICO for funding.

Build Engagement: Offer rewards to your community.

Drive Innovation: Explore new blockchain applications.

Challenges to Consider

Despite the simplicity, some challenges exist:

Knowledge Requirement: Some blockchain understanding is needed.

Security Concerns: Vulnerabilities can be exploited if not addressed.

Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring adherence to legal standards is vital.

Best Practices for Token Creation

Follow these tips to ensure a successful token launch:

Code Audits: Regularly check for security issues.

Community Involvement: Seek feedback and make necessary adjustments.

Stay Updated: Keep abreast of blockchain trends and legal requirements.

Conclusion

The ERC20 Token Generator empowers you to create and innovate within the crypto space. Whether you're a developer or entrepreneur, it's a powerful tool for blockchain engagement.

Final Thoughts

Embarking on token creation offers a unique opportunity to explore the digital economy and its possibilities.

FAQs

1. What is the purpose of an ERC20 Token Generator?

It’s a tool to create custom tokens on the Ethereum blockchain easily.

2. Do I need technical skills to create a token?

A basic understanding of blockchain helps, but many tools are user-friendly.

3. Can I trade my ERC20 tokens?

Yes, you can trade them on crypto exchanges or directly with users.

4. What costs are involved in token creation?

Creating tokens incurs gas fees on the Ethereum network.

5. How can I ensure my token’s security?

Perform regular audits and follow best practices for security.

Source : https://www.altcoinator.com/

#erc20 #erc20 token development company #erc #erc20tokengenerator #token #token generator #token creation #ethereum #bitcoin

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i-write-shakespeare-not-disney · 1 month ago

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So This is Love: Ch. 9- Finding Our Way Home

This one was a lot yall lmfaooo

Ch. 1- Something Found Within a Smile (full work)

Ch. 8- back to the start

A/N:

Lots of notes to make! 1- I have several playlists, some in order, others I'm still working on, so check those out! (They'll be linked at the bottom of the chapter) 2- I've been writing songs for each couple! So far I have 4 songs, so be sure to check my instagram (@havoc_rising) for those, I've played them on old live streams but I plan to post them fully done soon before working on the rest. 3- THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER OF ARC 2!! We'll be going into the final arc now, which is super exciting! 4- A HUGE thank you to those of you patiently waiting for updates and diligently reading, especially those who leave such incredibly thoughtful comments. The amount of work put into this fic feels validated each time I see there's a new comment, especially if I recognize the username. Thank you so much for the support and encouragement! 5- I do plan to do another live stream soon to talk about this fic, so please follow my IG so I can let everyone know when that will be (Likely Friday (29th) night around 10pm CT) 6- LASTLY, I'm considering making this into a podfic, but I'm not sure if users prefer Spotify or Youtube, so please, please let me know your thoughts on that! I'd love to make this fic more accessible where possible.

Playlists:

Rody & Izuku Hanta & Shouto Kyouka, Denki, & Hitoshi Katsuki & Eijirou Ochako & Himiko Touya & Keigo Toshinori & Shouta

Phoenix's Instagram

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virtualtadpole · 2 months ago

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Thailand's "cute boy" craze: an explainer

Here's another repost from Reddit, originally from 2022. Since Perfect 10 Liners is currently airing with the "cute boy" page as a key plot point, this seems as good a time as any to re-share (remember that the original novel was first released in 2018). Sorry this one is a wall of text, I wasn't sure it'd be a good idea to include example photos involving people who weren't really public figures at the time.

Those of you following Thai BL will probably have come across this concept of "cute boy" social media fan pages, and might have wondered whether they're an actual thing. Or you may have heard of actors being one of their university's cute boys before joining the industry, and wondered what exactly that meant. Here's my attempt at an explanation.

The roots of the phenomenon go back at least to the popular Thai web forums of the 2000s, especially the youth-oriented Dek-D.com, one of Thailand's biggest and oldest web communities (also known as the web fiction platform which launched many BL novels). Dek-D's forums had a picture-sharing section, with a subsection dedicated to photos of cute guys and girls. It was still the early days of digital cameras and camera phones, and these posts were popular among the site's teen users. A few (mostly girls) who became noticed from these posts became Thailand's first "net idols", many of whom went on to join the entertainment industry.

The arrival of social networking sites around 2007 (first Hi5, then Facebook a few years later) helped facilitate these posts, as publicly posted photos became more easily accessible. The issue of privacy wasn't really on most people's minds then, and most of it was done in a light-hearted spirit. Being featured in these posts meant a boost in followers and online popularity, enabling more teens to become recognized as net idols, but it would be a few more years before this really meant anything. On the other hand, the social networking sites themselves would eventually bypass the traditional forums as a central venue for such posts, and an increasing number of Facebook pages (followed by dedicated Instagram and Twitter accounts) would be created to offer a curated experience instead.

The actual trend of "cute boy" pages took off in 2012, around the same time as the explosive growth of Instagram. Teens flocking to the platform (escaping Facebook, which was now full of parents) filled their public profiles with selfies and portraits of themselves, generating a steady stream of material that these pages could pick up to post and promote. This in turn gave the kids likes and followers, a mutually beneficial arrangement for most thanks to the platform's like-seeking culture.

Of course, not all of these proliferating pages featured teen boys. "Cute girl" pages have their share of followers, though they don't seem to be as visible or talked about, perhaps due to a combination of factors including the way society doesn't consider it as creepy for girls to openly ogle after boys compared to the opposite.

As competition grew, these pages diversified into several niches, including those covering specific schools and universities. Most of the school ones aren't that unusual, given that it's quite natural for students to talk about the popular boys and girls at school, and this had been a trend in school forums long before then. Most of them didn't last long though, as page administrators soon graduated and moved on.

However, things were different for certain high-profile schools, particularly the country's four oldest boys' schools, which participate in the biennial Jaturamitr football competition: Suankularb (SK), Debsirin (DS), Assumption (AC) and Bangkok Christian (BCC). The schools had always been well known, but the Instagram era launched an unprecedented wave of interest in their good-looking students, many of whom attracted huge numbers of followers just by being on Instagram. AC especially stands out in this regard, as Instagram allowed outsiders to glimpse into this exclusive boys' world that served as the basis of Love Sick, the source novel of which was begun in 2008.

Not only were cute boy pages created dedicated to these schools (some by outsiders), some of the boys became minor celebrities in their own right, with fans (mostly sao Y (the Thai term for fujoshi), and also some queer folk) meeting up with and photographing them in real life, especially at school events such as AC's Christmas fair and the Jaturamitr competition. And they were serious about it, coming equipped with professional DLSR cameras and huge telephoto lenses. The schools' student bodies leaned into this popularity, having the popular boys promote fundraising events and selling merchandise to their fans.

The relationship between the boys and their fans seemed to be mostly good, the boys appreciating the positive attention and the fans getting to stan someone much more accessible than the mainstream celebrity. And if they later became famous, then there's the pride of having known them before everyone else. These being sao Y, there sometimes is a bit of shipping, though mostly jokingly. Of course, this was not limited to boys from AC and the other Jaturamitr schools, but they were much more prominent.

This was the backdrop against which Love Sick launched its casting calls in 2014, which generated a huge amount of online buzz throughout the cute boy pages and fan Twitter. There's a reason the series featured such a huge cast with so many minor roles - to provide ample opportunity for fans to latch onto the actors and the show.

In some ways, the cute boy label served as a distancing from the previous term net idol, which by 2014 had begun to develop into a negative stereotype of people using their online fame to sell beauty products for easy profit, especially those livestreaming on emerging platforms such as Socialcam and Bigo Live and whose followers tended to be less sophisticated as opposed to the urban middle-class. Which is why most people appearing on cute boy pages tended to come from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, and much more attention was given to those focusing on elite schools and universities.

At the university level, cute boy (or other similarly named) pages associated with the country's top universities became very prominent online and also offline, often collaborating with the universities' student bodies to promote events and sometimes also assisting in the universities' PR for prospective students. Many universities already had a pageant culture in one form or another, with which these pages tied in well. Most prominent among the pages were Chula Cute Boy and TU Sexy Boy of Chulalongkorn and Thammasat, the country's two oldest universities. The two universities have an annual traditional football match, which the Cute Boy and Sexy Boy pages played large parts promoting in recent years, and is another event that attracts many fangirls.

Some have argued that the net idol phenomenon serves as a democratization of the entertainment industry, opening up opportunities for aspirants to directly connect to audiences as opposed to the traditional model where everything depended on one being picked up by an agency. But it benefits the traditional model as well. While in the old days talent scouts would look for teens hanging out at Siam Square, today they only have to scan the cute boy pages. Many BL actors were discovered this way. Inn Sarin was a long-time favourite of Chula Cute Boy, and Up and Mix first became widely known from there as well. Many others have likewise previously been featured in various cute boy pages, and practically all of the younger actors who joined the industry more recently probably had strong followings before their debut.

But the craze might be coming to an end. While there have long been concerns over today's youth's obsession with looks, and the university cute boy pages have from the beginning been criticized for promoting shallow images of their universities at the expense of academic aspects, they didn't really have any effect on the trend. But this began to change in 2020, when a widespread youth protest movement swept through school and university campuses and liberal progressive ideas rose to the fore. The issue of "beauty privilege" became one of many perpetual topics of discussion, and many began calling for an end to university cute boy pages. Thammasat, long regarded as the university with the strongest student activism, saw the TU Sexy Boy page shutting down (though the admin cited personal reasons and it was never confirmed whether this was in response to the criticism). Many people seem to have stopped tweeting cute boy pictures since then.

On top of the political mood, the pandemic's disruption of normal school life also interrupted the cute boy momentum, as many photo opportunities dried up. Long-time page admins and fans outgrowing the topic and losing interest might also be a factor. The Chula Cute Boy page has also been inactive since late 2020, for undisclosed reasons.

The future seems at best unclear for now. There are still many active pages out there, but on the whole, from what I've seen, there does seem to be a loss of interest. If younger netizens are indeed disinclined to craze after them the same way, the era of cute boy pages might very well soon be over.

Or maybe they've just moved onto TikTok, and I haven't found out how.

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In the above original post, I neglected to go into the phenomenon of real-people shipping, so I'm attaching this comment from later as an addendum:

Regarding real-people shipping, there are probably two lines of origin that influenced the practice. First is the rise of K-pop and the shipping culture that came with it, which led to a proliferation of online fanfiction in dedicated Thai web communities and a shipping culture forming around the reality singing competitions which were the talk-of-the-town entertainment programs in the 2000s. One of the first really famous shipped pairs was Nat and Tol from Academy Fantasia season 4 in 2007. (That is Nat Sakdatorn, whom you may recognize as the uncle from Never Let Me Go, among many other roles.)

The other origin is the rise of "net idols", which followed the arrival of social media sites (in Thailand this was led by Hi5 in 2006). I covered this in more detail in my post on Thailand's "cute boy" craze, but didn't really touch upon the shipping aspect. Indeed, a significant shipping culture did form (a few years later) around net idols/cute boys. At first this focused more on (people who were believed to be) real-life couples, like Both and Newyear, who became famous in 2012. From there, manufactured/imaginary couples naturally followed in hopes of cashing in on the popularity of such shipped pairs.

I'm a bit hazy on when the shipping of actors as couples actually became a regular thing in the BL industry. While the practice of fanservice moments on the promotion circuit go back at least to The Love of Siam, I don't think there was significant shipping of the actors' real-life persona, and the same seemed to be the case with Love Sick, especially after the series ended. The first actor pair to become shipped as such was probably Krist and Singto from SOTUS, and the practice quite definitely became a thing after that.

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Postscript: Thanks for reading, and sorry the writing in this one isn't as good as the other posts I've shared. If you're interested in further reading on the topic, I can recommend the article The Yaoi Phenomenon in Thailand and Fan/Industry Interaction. (2019). Plaridel, 16(2), 63–89 by Assoc. Prof. Natthanai Prasannam, one of the leading Thai academics on BL/Y culture in Thailand.

#thai bl #thai culture #bl meta

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ivorydragoness44 · 3 months ago

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“Blush” Part Two Morgie le Fay x Merlin’s Kid! Reader

(A/N: A collaborative piece between @where-dreamers-go and @ivorydragoness44 for a continuation of two magic users who are crushing on each other: Reader who is headmaster Merlin’s kid attending Merlin Academy and Morgie, son of Morgana le Fay. Warnings: Awkward teenage-hood, mention of snakes, and use of (Y/N) for your name. Also Lain translations: facti sunt inanimati (become inanimate) / Ego amo te multum (I like you a lot) / acceptus (welcome/pleasing) Word Count: 4,740 words)

An outdoor common area wasn’t crowded during your lunch time. Various seating and tables welcomed anyone outside of class time. The open area distributed voices into an easily ignorable murmur.

Your usual go-to reading spot in a comfy armchair was exactly what you needed after you had finished eating. Some time to yourself. Time to get a head start on assignments or study. You did neither.

A large volume on momentum spells sat upon your lap. There it laid open to the same two pages for the past ten minutes.

How did I not notice before?

You had been searching through any reliable memory for nearly twenty-four hours since Bridget had cleverly hinted of Morgie’s crush on you. In turn, you realized your own stirring feelings for him in such an odd fashion.

How could I not know my own feelings? You wondered. I know when I’m happy or anxious, impatient, sad, or surprised. Definitely surprised. These feelings were obvious.

Blinking, you retained nothing from the pages before you.

How could you?

You had such a confounding and unanticipated revelation. It was as if you were questioning everything around you as it looked fresh and altered in a way.

Am I in the beginning or all ready in the middle of these feelings? You sighed. I just want it to make sense.

Not that there was much reason for your scurrying between classes the day before. All wrapped in your own mind and hardly making so much as a glance at anyone around you.

That anxious feeling and fluctuating levels of anticipation followed you into a new day. Always on the look out for a specific magically inclined student.

Two more classes and then he’ll be in that one. It’ll be fine. It was fine yesterday.

A sway of greens and black caught your eye from further away. Passing chairs and laughing fairies.

Recognizing the figure only made your heartbeat pick up into a rhythm that made your fingers twitch.

Thoughts whirled in your mind and the large room felt too warm.

I can’t.

Picking up your belongings you dashed around the armchair and sped out into the closer hallway.

I need a quieter place to study anyway, you reasoned with yourself. Your feet took you down a familiar path and soon you had your sights set on a corner seating area. It’s totally normal to sit here, you thought, I’ve done it before. No one really comes here unless they need to. It’s a big school.

Indeed, it was a large academy.

But, who else would sit outside the Headmaster’s office to study other than his offspring? Probably no one.

You sat a bit too upright against the cushions.

I just need to focus. That’s a skill.

Yet shame rose to your cheeks and chest as you considered your escape. A move quite cowardice.

The truth was simple: You were unprepared for the new situation. Having near romantic feelings, more than friendly, towards Morgie was not something you foresaw. The weather, sure, but not a crush. Not int the least.

All you could do was hope to get through the rest of the school day as smoothly as possible…and maybe see Morgie. Maybe.

⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎

Many questions could be asked within the halls of Merlin Academy. None were deemed silly, mostly.

Why is it called ‘butterflies’ when my stomach flips from seeing (Y/N)? Morgie thought while he strolled to class. They’re nice flips.

Hopping over someone’s school bag, Morgie chuckled and quickly surveyed the common area with its tall windows. He saw the same students chatting animatedly, practicing magic, and keeping close to those they knew.

At the sight of a familiar shade of blue, Morgie felt those butterflies.

(Y/N)! Morgie came to a halt as he watched you speed walk through a threshold with a large volume tucked against you. I wonder what spell book they’re reading now. Or history book.

Being gifted with magic himself, Morgie knew almost exactly how knowledgeable and skilled you were. Magic ran in both of your families. Strong and well-known.

A mental image of your eyes shining in magic filled him with a tickling warmth.

Very magical, he thought dreamily.

⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎

Mathematics class; intimidating to some, aggravating for others, and a welcomed challenge by few students.

Sitting in the front row of desks made it easier for you to take diligent notes. Goodness knew how important it was for you, child of the knowledge-seeking Merlin. Especially when you continuously fought the urge to check windows’ reflection.

It was just the right lighting. The perfect cloud cover outside. A subtle way to have a look at the classroom.

So what if you were curious?

I’m just checking. That’s all, you thought as you glanced over to Morgie’s reflection.

After twenty minutes of repeating the action every so often it could no longer be considered ‘checking’. No, you were studying Morgie. Observing how he presented himself in class, a learning environment. He didn’t interrupt. Expressive, but not loud.

By the end of class, your notes could had been neater. An easy task for later.

You took your time leaving class. Slowly packing your belongings where they ought to be in your bag. Yet your eyes had began a habit.

You wanted to see him more. To see what might happen.

Is that a side effect of having a crush on someone?

Could you truly call it studying, something you were confident in doing?

Morgie squeezed passed a taller student while heading for the door. It was when he reached it that he looked over his shoulder and caught your gaze.

In the time it took you to hold back your gasp, Morgie had a flush rise up his neck.

Oh.

In a flash, Morgie left the classroom.

You blinked.

What does this even mean?

⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎

Too much thumping. Too warm and flighty.

Morgie had never shoved and bounded down a hall so fast. Not for avoidance anyway. He had no idea what came over himself.

Eventually stopping underneath a tree, Morgie breathed in the fresh air.

Why does my face have to get so warm? He thought while fighting the urge to hit his forehead on the tree trunk.

Uliana’s words from the day before rung in through his head: “A villain shouldn’t be blushing; not over an honors student.” She had seemed so bewildered then by Morgie’s reaction to you.

It wasn’t as if it was his fault. He didn’t make himself blush on cue, nor did you. If Morgie had it his way, no one would had been able to tell how he liked you. He didn’t want them to.

But (Y/N) probably knows, Morgie thought. They’re too smart not to know I like them. His heartbeat increased steadily.

Seeing your figure ascending a set of stairs took a short gasp out of Morgie.

I could say something.

The youth leapt from out of the foliage, took a few steps, and stopped. His chest felt like it was shaking with the rapid thumps of his heart.

Morgie swallowed. Hazel eyes watching nervously as you walked out of sight.

Maybe another time.

⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎

A whole week passed with just as many assignments and suggested readings. Knowledge was gained and some sleep was lost. Studying for a text was involved.

Maybe I’m getting better at this, you thought.

Leaving your final class of the day, you held your head a little higher and had a slight bounce to your step. Days were looking up, more positive. Magical, one might say.

You had good news to share with your father, Merlin, and Bridget had given you a copy of a cookie recipe. All good things.

And I’m pretty sure Morgie had looked at me in class today, you thought with a giddy smile.

Oh, that crush of yours? You one hundred percent knew you liked him.

Did you figure out when those feelings started? No, and that bit irritated you. You really wanted to know in order to figure out the details. But your mind liked to keep some secrets it seemed.

On route to your dorm, you avoided the sea of students. Each gathered in various sized groups to socialize after a long day.

You wanted to put your books and all away in your room first. It was a wonder how much you could fit into one bag.

Walking into a near deserted hall with mid-afternoon lighting gave you an odd sense of awareness. No distractions moving about or unpolished enchantments to dodge. It was you, your surroundings, and your senses.

Through those senses, it was easy to notice someone trotting up behind you. Not too fast, but also with intent.

“Hey.”

Your eyes widened a fraction at the sight of Morgie slowing to match your pace.

“Hi.” You greeted lightly and did a quick glance behind him.

He came alone.

This is a bit new.

“How’d you do on the exam?” Morgie asked and gingerly bit his bottom lip.

“Better than I thought. Thankfully. I spent enough time studying for it.”

“I know.”

You looked forward briefly and asked, “How about you? How’d you do?”

“Near perfect.” He nearly smiled from ear to ear. His chest stuck out just enough.

A swell of pride unmistakably grew within you.

“That’s great.” You said, grateful to have an easy conversation. “I’m not surprised.”

Was that too much?

Walking alongside Morgie was quite new. Welcomed and almost peaceful. What blasted all that into the stratosphere was the delighted grin brightening Morgie’s face.

Oh. You could feel your heart squeezing and your own smile widening.

All major smiles dropped once the pair of you reached a staircase.

“I’ll…see you later,” Morgie took a step away.

“See you.” You gave one last smile and started the ascent. Even with eyes focused on the steps ahead of you, you were aware of Morgie’s gaze following your movements.

Definitely a more positive day.

⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎

Time and one’s innermost desires didn’t always line up as one hoped. Not even with magic.

Morgie had thought his time was perfect, but there were other factors he forgot to take into account.

This could be better, Morgie thought, or worse.

Morgie had followed his band of fellow villains in line for lunch. Stomachs hungry and eyes trained ahead was the usual standing for the students.

For Morgie, however, his fingers twitched and he was much too aware of every movement he made. He could hardly help it. Making an impression and standing out to you kept him on his toes.

You were standing behind him talking with someone. A fairy who was asking for wand advice, apparently.

They’re a really good listener, Morgie thought as he kept waiting to hear your voice. They might be smiling. He managed not to turn around. Even teenagers with magic had some self control. More so, gaining the attention of the other villains wasn’t something he wanted at that moment.

Suddenly, inhaled sharply as he felt the slightest movement of air behind him. You had almost touched him.

Standing so close together in line felt like the best and the worst thing all at once. Morgie could hardly breathe in a normal manner.

“Hey,” Hook tapped Morgie on the shoulder.

His eyes glanced over to the pirate captain. Soon he met the others’ gazes.

“Are you sick?”

Morgie shook his head.

“The line shouldn’t take that long,” said Hades.

“It could be faster.” Uliana pointedly looked ahead.

After quiet observations of Morgie le Fay, the villains turned back around as the line moved up. He was thankful for the lack of questions. Perhas they had thoughts on the weekend ahead. Morgie sort of did.

Hearing your cheerful laughter practically roll through his nervous system reenergized him like a potent potion. He pulled at his thin scarf.

I need to do something.

⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎

After a rainstorm everything felt alive and…wet.

Nearing the end of your lunch period you had dried off a part of the seating at a table in a courtyard and got to work fixing your notes. Earlier in the day, one of your teachers had spoke faster than you would had preferred. At least the cramp in your hand ebbed.

If they weren’t in a rush to finish the lesson today, you thought, my notes wouldn’t look like a total lopsided disaster trying to keep up. Picking your pen up, you had an idea. Why can’t I let my pen write for me? A mixture of a locomotive spell and personification. It could work. Worth a shot, you thought and set down the pen.

A quick shake of your arms to stay loose, and you straightened your posture.

Any spell started with an intention. With yours set, you spoke clearly and allowed your gift to charge. You had done spells since you were little. This one could be considered a light exercise.

One you completely goofed up when the sight of Morgie le Fay walking by with his hazel eyes already gazing at you threw off your concentration.

“Oh, goodness.”

The pen in front of you didn’t move.

A startled scream drew your attention to your real mistake. Across the courtyard, a stone bench scampered by a group of students.

“Blast it.” You hit the table and leapt from your seat.

“(Y/N)!” Jasmine and Aladdin shouted, both rushing away from the animated furniture.

“Sorry!” You ran after the bench as it fled form you in a gallop. “Stop!”

⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎

Merlin Academy allowed magic in the curriculum. No question about it, with a wizard as its headmaster. It was then, expected by most, to see magic nearly everyday, given the various students’ skillsets.

“That looks like fun,” Hades commented on the running bench, Maleficent nudging his arm in disapproval.

“Maybe they like mischief after all.” Hook said to Morgie and peered to his friend. “Morgie?”

No one was beside him. Not anymore.

Moving as fast as his legs could take him, heart pounding, Morgie ran through an alcove. He had a simple plan: cut off the animated bench’s path and stop it before it caused you any harm.

If (Y/N) wanted it to be running amok, they wouldn’t be panicking. A logical thought for the teenager keeping an ear for any sign of the likely misbehaving bench.

Sunlight poured into an opening of a walkway intersection, and Morgie skidded to a halt when he heard your aggravated shouting in Latin. The corner of his lips curved up.

“Come on,” Morgie murmured in a ready stance.

Rhythmic thuds came closer and closer.

Gray stone tumbled around the corner.

“You,” he kept his hands raised, “facti sunt inanimati.”

A jolt and stiffness hit the bench, stopping altogether. Echoes of its last movements faded into the building.

“Ha.” Morgie gave the bench a good look-over. “Nice try.”

In the next moment, you rounded the corner with determination. Your objective had been completed without you. It stood to reason why your surprise built as you slowed to a stop by the bench.

Backlit from the afternoon’s warm sun and your gaze on Morgie, he found himself speechless.

“Morgie,” you inquired between intakes of air, “did you… Did you stop it?”

He nodded, heartbeat increasing.

A grin brightened your face. “Thank you.”

Morgie stuck out his chest proudly. He could feel himself grinning.

“You, uh, you didn’t have to.” You gave the stone bench a light tap with your shoe.

“I wanted to.”

An expression and emotion came over you, one Morgie couldn’t quite read. You weren’t angry or disappointed. It was neither sadness, irritation, or disgust.

The longer he studied you the more you stood there in wonder.

Should I walk closer? He thought, glad to not be blushing.

“(Y/N),” Fay had scurried into the covered walkway. “Are you all right? Oh! You got it.”

You had turned around to face the fairy, “Actually…”

“It’s all right. I messed up with my wand again yesterday. But, perhaps, we can move the bench back. Somehow.”

“Levitation could work,” you suggested with a cute tilt of your head.

“Yeah. Excellent, (Y/N).”

Standing quietly, Morgie’s heart had a small leap of warmth whenever your name was spoken. A spark of excitement.

“Morgie,” you said looking over your shoulder, “I’m glad the bench didn’t cause you too much trouble.”

“It would’ve ran away if it knew what I can do.” He replied feeling more confident.

“I’m sure.” You smirked playfully.

Not so deep down, Morgie really wanted to keep the conversation going despite the new task ahead, Fay standing right there, and an upcoming class. He could probably come up with something.

“Uh.”

Both you and Morgie looked to Fay as she stood waiting with her wand at the ready. Patient as she was, Fay appeared confused at your interaction.

Good. She doesn’t need to know.

“I have to run.” Morgie leaned forward and allowed his magic to alter his eyes. “You can catch me later.”

After witnessing surprise on your lovely face, Morgie took his leave. Blushing was the last thing on his mind this time.

⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎

Warm afternoon sunlight made the headmaster’s office cozy and nowhere near intimating. It could also be the familiarity and the sheer number of books in your father’s office. Not particularly a surprise for you.

The actual surprise came earlier when you decided to talk to your father about what had been nagging at the back of your mind.

If only you could get yourself to that topic.

“You heard about that?” You cringed, slouching into your seat.

“I did.” Merlin said calmly as he sipped his tea. “It’s not often a stone bench runs around the academy. Oh, don’t take it to heart. Mistakes happen. We can learn from them.” Ever the understanding and intelligent man. Anything could be a lesson in his view.

Now’s as good a time as ever, you thought apprehensively.

“I…was distracted.” You admitted quietly, nervously.

Setting down the teacup, he looked at you pointedly.

“Well now, you know better than that.” He cleared his throat, “especially with others around.”

“I know. I know. It’s just… It doesn’t make sense,” you rambled on, “it’s like one day everything’s normal and then… Oh, goodness.” You sunk further into the furniture a little embarrassed. “I have…feelings for someone.”

Merlin chuckled, “I see!”

“But I don’t know when it started so that I can know fully why.”

“Very illogical and confusing. You might never know.”

“What?”

He continued to chuckle happily. “There’s no logical explanation for this.”

You grumbled, thought half-heartedly with how your father was in such a good spirits.

“A most befuddling thing.”

⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎

Late in the evening when crickets started chirping and owls were starting their day, villains mingled in an enormous rotting eel. An excellent place as any to hang out after school at the black lagoon.

Moods were high and shared as the motley crew recalled the chaos you enchanted bench caused. A real highlight of the day.

“I’ve never seen a fairy fall into bushes before,” Maleficent snickered with a swirl of her hair.

“Or a wave of students diving out of the way.” Hook laughed along with the others.

“Who knew (Y/N) could cause such glorious chaos.” Uliana added gleefully.

“Speaking of fleeing,” Hades turned to Morgie. “Where’d you run off to? You missed the fun.”

“I caught up with (Y/N).” Morgie replied as all attention fell to him.

“Oh, you spent time with Merlin’s goodie goodie?” Uliana teased playfully. She wasn’t oblivious to how Morgie acted around you.

Feeling more confident and a tad bashful, Morgie added, “I think (Y/N) and I could cause some mischief together.”

“Now that I’d like to see.” Uliana said positively.

“Merlin’s child without a book? How shocking,” Maleficent said and patted Hades’ arm.

“They mustn’t be afraid of the dark,” Hades said casually.

“Aye, but how much do they like it?” Hook questioned and looked to the young sorcerer.

Morgie breathed in slowly. “I’ll have to find out.”

⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎

Sounds of water and chirping of birds ground you after what felt like the longest class of the semester. An exaggeration of course. But being by a water feature with friends between classes helped ease your mind.

“Is there a world where you’d consider not being in honors classes? It would give you some freedom.” Jasmine smiled encouragingly. “Or do you like a challenge?”

You shook your head, laughing. “I like learning. Is that so bad?”

“You’re not trapped in expectations are you?”

“Trapped? No. Trying to ignore them? Definitely.”

“I have some experience with—No!” Her words broke into a yelp as she looked down to where you both stood.

“Oh!”

A cream colored snake slithered over your shoe. Not a large one, and it hardly had any weight to it at all.

Odd, you thought and bent down to inspect the creature.

“Be careful.” Jasmine said from a couple of steps away.

“I will,” you squinted and almost laughed once you made a discovery. “Oh? It’s paper.”

“What?”

You chuckled and held out your hand. The parchment, very much enchanted, coiled upon the palm of your hand.

“Will it bite?” She inquired.

“What bites?” Aladdin showed up, almost out of nowhere. His gaze went from Jasmine to where hers was locked. “Are you planning to trick someone?”

“No.” You Brough your hand closer to you and added, “I’ll check it out. No worrying, all right?”

“All right.” Jasmine relented. “I’ll see you in class.”

Giving a wave to the happy pair, you departed for some seclusion. It was truly a good thing that the academy was large and not a simple rectangular building.

This is not a trick, you thought as your mind quickly narrowed down who would enchant paper to be a snake. Those thoughts only made your heart rate quicken.

As inconspicuously as you could manage while not fast-walking, you ducked behind a tree full of branches to obscure yourself from view. The last thing you wanted was a nosy student popping up behind you.

“Alright,” you exhaled and held the ‘snake’ up. “Do you have a message for me?”

With a shiver and nod, the paper snake unrolled before its serpentine enchantment subsided.

“Huh.”

Heat rose to your chest and neck.

It is form Morgie.

Your eyes had looked to the signature first before reading his message in its entirety.

(Y/N), Ego amo te multum. In my chest there is a hum every time I see you and hear your name it’s fluttering and warm and all the same. It’s new and acceptus and I wish you and I were an “us”. Please reply yay or nay. If negative, destroy this letter today. Morgie

Hardly knowing if you were breathing properly or what time it was, you read the letter two more times. You had to be certain you weren’t mistaken. Your heart threatened to burst! metaphorically, of course.

Morgie le Fay did like you! It wasn’t just a misreading of situations. He liked you a lot.

Him writing in Latin may had got you a little flustered, but you’d manage.

Quickly with shaking hands, you folded the letter and stashed it into your bag.

Yup. This is new. Befuddling maybe. You thought as you attempted a few calm breaths. He likes me! A wide smile curved your lips. Oh, wait, wait. I need to reply. Reply…and say what?

⭐︎ ⭐︎ ⭐︎

As with each weekday, the rest of the school day went by. Each spare moment gave you a chance to breathe more consciously and time to contemplate what to write back to Morgie. Obviously, you would. It needed to be written just right.

Morgie liked you and you liked him. For once in your life, you needed to fully express that in words. No more avoidance. Time had come to admit your emotions.

A little intimidating, but he took a big step—a chance. I can do the same, you thought as you walked into your dorm room. Your safe place. No more hiding. It took me long enough to figure out how I feel. I can do this.

So your writing began. Many scratched out marks and revisions later, the reply to Morgie’s confession was complete.

Morgie, How could I reply with a simple Yay? My dear Morgie le Fay Ego amo te multum. I have found where the hum comes from. It’s from oneself being incredibly happy. I have it too. You may have my reply, YAY And I’m keeping your letter. Affectionately, (Y/N)

Thankful to have finally written with a steady hand, you folded the letter and enchanted it to fly as a bird. Speedy delivery for the sorcerer who would without a doubt be hoping for a reply.

Poor Morgie had to wait hours all ready. I hope he doesn’t think I burned his letter, you thought anxiously. But if he didn’t have hope or bravery that I might feel similarly, then he wouldn’t have sent the letter in the first place. Oh, goodness, how do people deal with this?

All you could do was pace the floor of your room.

What else could you do?

Your thoughts were no where settled to do anything academic. So you waited.

Waited for what exactly? You were not certain.

Anything and everything could happen. Even nothing.

Just breathe. You did your part. You leaned against your bed. Then again, there are no instructions for these sort of…illogical things.

About ten minutes since you had sent out the letter, there came an unfamiliar knock on your door. It spooked you as if you had been sitting in the dark alone.

Apprehension to disappointment of another person and nerves overcame you then. There was only one way to find out who knocked.

Be brave.

You walked up to the door.

Unless it’s Ella returning my book…

Upon opening the door, you were doubly happily surprised to see a beaming Morgie with very tidy hair, holding a single flower. The sort of flora that grew around the school grounds.

“Hi.” Morgie stood almost completely still.

“Hi. What are you doing here?” You asked with a grin.

“I wanted to see you.”

Your chest swelled with warmth and all you could do was stare at him, the body who liked you back.

Hazel eyes peered passed you and Morgie tilted his head.

“Why do you have crumbled paper all over your desk?”

Looking over your shoulder briefly, you laughed. “The first few drafts of my reply.”

“Oh,” Morgie raised his free hand to reveal a piece of paper. “Like this?”

“More rambling and messy because I was nervous, but yes.”

“Affectionately nervous?” A smirk upturned his lips slowly.

“Happily so.”

Beaming, Morgie took a step forward, but stopped as he was unsure of your reaction or preference of closeness. He looked ever so adorable. A letter from you in one hand a flower held in the other.

A hug I can handle.

Taking a step back into your room, you held out your arms and beckoned him in for a hug.

Morgie didn’t waste a second of your invitation. The two of your embraced. All nervous jitters forgotten. Enjoying the affection from the other with all the giddiness, warmth, and comfort that came with it.

“I really, really like you,” Morgie whispered onto your shoulder. His arms embraced you a little tighter, emotions shown freely.

I could hear that on repeat.

“I really, really like you,” you said, happy your voice didn’t crack. “Maybe we could do something this weekend?” Your bravery had come out full force.

Was there anything to be nervous about anymore in regards to your feelings?

Morgie leaned back to look at you with bright eyes.

“Yeah! Anything.” His excitement level escalated.

“Anything?”

“Anything,” he insisted. “A walk, a prank, trying a new spell, causing mischief, or dinner.”

“You’ve had time to think about this.”

“All day and when I ran here.”

“You ran?”

“I wanted to see you,” he repeated and finally offered you the flower.

You accepted the flower without hesitation.

Perhaps your time and future with Morgie would be something like that. Beautiful and unexpected. More than anything, you knew it would be magical.

~~~