#but most mellow out by adulthood

[silvantransthranduiltrash]

Hc that legolas was fucking menace to society when he was an elfling. Not just a brat, a bona fida menace.

He had a temper, a love for havock and an irredeemable hatred for being told what to do. Pretty par for the course for elflings in his family, tbh. They’re all hellions when they’re younger, and they mellow out in adulthood. Why thranduil wanted to go through raising that six times, we’ll never know.

Anyway, bc he’s genuinly such a chill elf when he’s an adult, everyone who only knew him in adulthood thinks he was an easy kid, think’s that he never could have been trouble.

They’re all wrong. Legolas is not going to correct them bc he’s lowkey embarrassed (most elflings don’t crotch shot visiting royalty for baby talking them).

[monodramatic-cannibal]

Renegade!Cross

Info post about the au

(If characters seem OOC ((Out Of Character)) it's beacause I'm going off of my own interpretations/headcanons/fandom versions. So please be aware of that)

More info under the cut (Info is subject to change at any time. Info may be added to as well)

(TW: Child abuse I don’t go into too much detail, but I will warn for it anyway)

-Jobs in the group: Protection of the base, fighting Wraiths, scouting 

Weapons of choice: Great sword (like monster hunter levels of big ass sword), duel blades

-Head canon voice: ???

-Uses He/Him mainly, but also They/Them, identifies as a Demiboy

-Didn’t have the best childhood, and a lot of things carried over to his adulthood. He was also raised alongside (X!Tale)Chara. They were both raised by (X!Gaster), but don’t consider him a parent figure, as they both know he doesn’t deserve that title.

-Before the apocalypse he was a royal guard, and when the apocalypse started he travelled around on his own for quite a while. He was able to survive as he is highly trained in combat. He got by with what little he could scavenge.

-He wears the leg armour of his royal guard outfit, as that was all he grabbed of that outfit when he left the area when the apocalypse hit. He’s always debated on going back for the rest of it, since having armour would be nice, but he now doesn’t want to  leave the group and his home is quite far. 

-The wounds/red eye on him were caused by an incident as he was working as a royal guard. Happened when he was more of a rookie. (Xtale!)Chara a bit after the fact makes fun of him for the wounds, mainly just so they could make light of the situation.  

-Has some abandonment issues, it has gotten better for him as he’s grown up, but he still can get attached to people quite quickly. To add to this, when the apocalypse hit and he got separated from (X!)Chara it made him panic and spent a lot of his time trying to find or get in contact with Chara, later on he found the group. He still hasn’t forgotten about Chara, and keeps his phone fully charged and on him at all times just in case Chara gets back in contact with him. 

-Nightmare was the one who found him first from the group, Nightmare ended up stumbling upon him, at first they both were on guard, since they hadn’t expected to run into anyone. But Dream ended up breaking the situation as soon as he showed up. He and Nightmare must have had a stand-off for about 20-30 seconds before Dream butted into it.

-He got pretty attached to Night nearly right away, he liked Dream as well. Thinks Night’s mellow but goofy attitude is better suited towards himself though. He also at first saw Night as weak (though he’d never say that to him), so got a sense to protect him due to Night being very small and not much of a fighter.

-Will hide food, normally food that's in packets. This is partly due to his bad childhood and it's a habit he can’t stop, since he was denied food in his childhood as a punishment. Tends to hide food in places he frequents, e.g. his own room, Nightmare’s/Dream’s/Blue’s room, and a few places around the living areas and on lower levels where the others don’t frequent.

-Wakes up at an ungodly hour, started when he was a kid, so he could get ready and be out the house to get away from (X!)Gaster, but continued to adulthood due to his job as a royal guard. To add to this he goes to sleep quite early as well. These habits have continued even in the apocalypse.

-Is kinda awkward and shy, though how awkward he is normally overshadows his shyness. Since he didn’t interact with too many people growing up, and as an adult his job didn’t really have him talking to other guards other than on break or for a task he still hasn’t really figured out how to interact with others. Everyone else in the group also has degrees of awkwardness too, so he’s lucky in that regard that most in the group won’t call him out on it.

-Has the strength to lift up a bus (like how he can in canon). But is aware of his strength so is always extra gentle when physically interacting with people. 

-A weeb, has started hoarding manga, movies, etc that is anime/manga related. This also includes stealing any anime/manga merch he sees too. Will often bother the others to help him take stuff back or find stuff for him while they’re out.

-Is dyslexic,can get frustrated if his brain isn’t computing with the words. Didn’t have any interest in reading as a kid, so it’s something he has to work on in adulthood. Will often use translated manga to practice reading.

But when it comes so subtitled anime he gets a little annoyed because he can’t read the subtitles quick enough most of the time, so tries to look for dubs, even if he doesn’t like the voice acting.

-Scared of cows. Has once screeched loudly when on a scavenging mission with a few members of the group and he ran into a cow statue that was around a corner. No one will let him live it down now.

-Has basically been riding off one compliment for most of his life. Will explode if someone gives him a compliment/praise. Also seems to get spooked by compliments/praise too, because he’s not used to it. 

-Talks a lot, is a professional yapper. Hates silence and has to fill it with random thoughts that come to mind, may accidentally tell things to people that he doesn’t want them to know, e.g. accidentally told Dream he has a crush on Night. If he thinks someone wants him to shut up he will go completely quiet and not really say anything. If someone actually tells him to shut up it's the same idea, but he gets super awkward and will refuse to speak for a few hours.

-Has fangs, and almost dog/shark like teeth. He used to bite people when he was a kid, is still willing to bite others as an adult. Has once bitten someone as an adult, during combat, nearly took a chunk out of their arm. 

-Will pet any stray dog he sees. Has probably nearly been bitten several times. But he can’t help it, he likes dogs a lot. Has never considered getting one though.

-Is pretty open to wearing whatever clothing. Normally prefers something that's tight on his arms though, which he uses his gloves for that. So when choosing what to wear he likes to make sure he can wear his elbow length gloves.

-Also has to wear some form of gloves since he has a habit of biting his knuckles, so having gloves protects his hands somewhat. He just bites his hand subconsciously. 

-Keeps regular upkeep on his weapons and what pieces of armour he has. Basically does this every day, even though he doesn’t really need to, as it’s not like those things are being used everyday, but he still does it anyway, as he doesn’t like deviating from his routine. 

-Shit at cooking, he does have a few things he can make, and what he can make tastes really good, but everything else is terrible.

How they feel about:

Nightmare: His emotions are a bit all over the place when it comes to Nightmare. He does adore him though, and has a crush on him. But is unsure about this crush since he’s unsure if Nightmare feels the same. Often wants to protect him and not really leave his side. But knows Nightmare won’t be able to cope with him being so clingy so does make sure to give him time to himself.

Dream:  Likes him, and gets along well with him. Appreciates the fact Dream hasn’t told Nightmare about his crush on him. The two often hang out together, and he will often help Dream out with things if he isn’t busy. Half the time when they do hang out Ink and Blue are included, or they hang with Nightmare, on rare occasions they all hang out together, if they can convince Nightmare to be social.

Blue: Knew him before the apocalypse, as Blue was training to be a royal guard. Helped him train whenever he had time.Can get along with him well. Blue would also share food with Cross sometimes, since Cross is kinda shit at cooking. They often still train together even during the apocalypse, to keep their skills sharp.

Ink: Gets along with them and is often trying to make sure Ink doesn’t get into any trouble/harm. Thinks Ink needs to think more before they do stuff. Ink keeps trying to teach him to draw, but he sucks at it, tries anyway. Ink is always telling him he needs to loosen up a bit and just go with the flow of things. Which Cross always tells Ink that’s a terrible idea.

Dust: Super unsure of him, knows he’s killed people, and doesn’t really like him for that fact. But Nightmare also gets along with him, BUT he’s worried Dust might hurt Nightmare. Just super unsure and conflicted with how he feels about him. Dust has also done nice things for him, such as gifting him anything anime/manga related he finds while out. Which puts Cross’s feelings to being even more conflicted about him.

Horror: Unsure of him but prefers him to the other two in the MTT. Horror is relatively chill and polite, and will sometimes give leftover food to him (Cross) whenever he’s made a lot of food. The food is winning Cross over to liking him. Bonus points that Horror also has a cute kitten.

Killer: Doesn’t like him. Killer is often teasing him any chance he gets. Which annoys Cross. Killer will also steal food from his stashes, which annoys Cross to no end especially if it’s chocolate that's stolen.  Killer also teases him involving Nightmare into the teasing one way or another, either it be teasing Cross on how protective he is over Nightmare, or trying to keep Nightmare from Cross. Cross also thinks Killer is the one most likely to hurt Nightmare out of the MTT.

Error: Unsure on Error, can sort of get along with him when he’s (Error) in a good mood, but often times them interacting consists of Error asking what he wants from him then telling him to go away. 

Lust: Gets along with them. Lust helps him repair clothing if it gets ripped. Will often bring little gifts for Lust such as jewelry as thanks for things Lust does for him, since Lust doesn’t leave the living area so doesn’t get to collect things outside. 

Fell/Edge: Doesn’t mind him but has snapped at him once, he just doesn’t like Fell’s attitude. He did apologize eventually about snapping at him, but also held a slight grudge that Fell didn’t apologize for his attitude back. Just thinks Fell needs to watch what he says and he’d get along with him just fine.

Geno: Doesn’t understand Geno. Is unsure why Geno even sticks around the group, since Geno appears to not get along with many people. Just concludes Geno is sticking around strictly for survival. Geno towards him is sort of okay, wouldn’t call them friends, but not enemies either.

Outer: Hasn’t really interacted too much with him, but what little interactions they’ve had he’d say that they get along. 

Sci: Hasn’t really interacted too much with him, but what little interactions they’ve had he’d say that they get along. Can’t wrap his head around half the stuff that comes out of Sci’s mouth though. 

Reaper/Death: Is genuinely confused when it comes to Reaper, he can understand why Reaper is there, but also doesn’t understand why he’s here at the same time. Like just kill Geno and get it over with??? But like at the same time he doesn’t really wish death upon Geno, so it’s like he doesn’t want Reaper to kill Geno. Just thinks it’s wild that a literal grim reaper is hanging out with everyone.

Fresh: Hasn’t met him yet, but has been warned by both Dream and Nightmare to try not to be around him, their reasoning is he gives off a bad vibe, won’t admit it to the twins, but he’d give Fresh a chance, since yeah he's also weird, who isn't at this point.

Gans/Echo: Has only met him twice, once when Dream and Nightmare were showing him around they stopped by the radio room where Echo was, and another time when Outer asked him for a favor, and it was to drop some stuff off at the radio room for Echo. Both times went well, but he has a feeling Echo isn’t too interested in him.

Chief: Has met him before the apocalypse, due to Chief being in the royal guard. When they met again in the group they ended up catching up, they get along and may sometimes train together. He thinks Chief can be a bit bossy and rude though, but other than that he sort of gets along with him, he wouldn’t call them friends though.

[utilitycaster]

1. Why do you like or dislike this character? - Percy and/or Keyleth?

I like both of them, so:

I like Percy for the surface reasons of intelligence and witty comebacks and the general Taliesin Jaffe Arrogant Guy Is Confidently Wrong About Many Things reasons, but more specifically I like how incredibly aware he is of social structures and doesn't dismiss them as stupid or fake or meaningless just because he is aware how much artifice is involved. I love how much he validates Vex in this, as someone who's been on the other side of that social divide most of her life and who knows she "shouldn't" care but does, deeply. It would be so easy for him to say "look, titles are stupid and fake, I should know, I have one," but instead he says "no, I see what this means to you, because yes it's all an accident of birth and yes it is kind of stupid and fake, but it's also the reason why you lived rough for your teens and early 20s, and you are not silly for wanting this security." I also think he's a great exploration of guilt and of someone who has a lot of complicated feelings from the gods but does value their counsel; we don't get a lot of characters with that sort of nuance. His scene with the Raven Queen remains a standout for me and for all he can be melodramatic and obnoxious at times, he is also like 25, traumatized, and should be at the club. I think the question he answers (why would someone invent the gun) is an interesting one, and I think the way that his story ends up with the obvious inevitable happening and yet he still finds happiness is unexpected and wonderful to see.

I like Keyleth for a lot of reasons people will probably be annoyed about, which is...she is annoying. Annoying women: may we know them, may we be them, and may we raise them. Anyway, I think her terror of doing the wrong thing at the cost of doing anything sets up a fantastic arc for someone who is expected to become a leader. I admire how she knows she's not the most eloquent and is scared of her responsibilities but does not back down from speaking up when she disagrees with the party. I like how she's perhaps the only example of lifespan angst that is actually portrayed as making a lot of sense, especially since she is also extremely young (probably shouldn't be at the club given the bar crawling results. She should be at ZooLights and have like, one cider.) I think in general her fears are incredibly real and make sense for the character and shape her, and that's not something you see portrayed with this amount of depth very often. I stuck with the VM-era portrayal of Percy but I will say I especially love how Keyleth is portrayed in Campaign 3, because Percy hasn't changed a ton in adulthood, merely mellowed out a little, but Keyleth very much has as she's grown in confidence, as she was only at the beginning of that during the Campaign. I think her relationship with Vax is incredibly good for both of them; her sense of belonging to a place and his ability to support. I do like that she gets angry, especially after so much time being insecure, but I feel much has been made of her anger and I don't have a ton to add there, and also while I like that she is angry and expresses it, there are other characters I gravitate to for that specifically. Also I have incredible respect for her having to take on a much bigger magical burden than expected; I have said this before but my longest-running character was in a campaign where the player playing sorcerer switched to ranger, and the cleric left, leaving me as the only full caster and primary healer (though thankfully we got a baller paladin shortly after). The fact that Keyleth had to, and could, be whatever the party needed mechanically was a godsend. I know VM died a lot but they would have died like 20 times more without her and Scanlan and especially without her.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Wait, I just realized something. In “Inside Out 2”, Riley gets the new emotions of Anxiety, Ennui, Envy, and Embarrassment as part of puberty. But when we see the emotions of the parents, those emotions aren’t present. I know that Pixar probably didn’t consider the new emotions at the time, but since the sequel is focused on bottling/suppressing emotions, what if this means the new emotions end up getting suppressed as you grow older? Or, as you mature, maybe some emotions start to go away.

For example, consider a person who starts to give less of a fuck as they grow up. They grew up not wanting to talk about their special interests (for instance, anime) but as they become an adult, they realize that there’s nothing to be embarrassed of and that they’re proud of what they like. Or, they find a community that will appreciate them. So, Embarrassment ends up being an emotion that they use less and less, eventually leading to them disappearing from the mind headquarters.

Maybe that’s why the parents don’t have Embarrassment, Envy, Anxiety, or Ennui, they grew out of those emotions. They could still be around since it’s impossible to completely get rid of an emotion, but they’re not a “main” emotion for their person anymore.

I just want to say though that obviously there’s the possibility that an adult still has those new emotions as one of their main ones. For example, Adult Ennui could be someone who smokes weed all day and Adult Anxiety would be most of my peers. I’m just saying that I could see an emotion “disappearing” because as you grow up, you start to change as a person. I mean, I used to be a lot more angry as a kid and teenager. Nowadays, I’m far more mellow and calm, to the point that I’m borderline pacifist. So maybe for someone like me, Anger got demoted lol.

Just a thought.

(Ways that I could see the new emotions disappearing for Riley’s parents: Embarrassment disappears due to them caring less about other people’s opinion about them, Ennui disappears due to taking on the responsibilities of adulthood and raising a child, Envy disappears since they’re happy with where they are in life, Anxiety disappears since they’ve learned how to better manage their sense of unease)

[randomrabbidramblings]

Rabbid biology

Follow up of the Rabbid biology post I made a while ago with some things i mssed.

Appearence

A rare fur mutation, most commonly seen in litters of rex/rex Rabbids where the offspring completely lacks fur. These Rabbids have a hard time staying warm and they will always wear as much clothing as possible to shield their skin from enviromental factors. Hairless Rabbids are more prone to get sick than furred Rabbids. Skin and ear infections are the most common health problems, to contrast them, they have to have frequent baths and use hydratant and antibacterial skin lotions. They also tend to be either underweight or overweight (due to being constantly sick or to overeat to fight the cold). Angora Rabbids or Rabbids that shed a lot will sometimes donate their fur to hairless ones to make clothes, wigs and blankets out of (thanks this anon for the idea!).

Biology

Rabbids have incredible healing factors, they can whitstand injuries that can kill other creatures their size. However, they are not less prone to illnesses and diseases. Sick Rabbids are treated differenly from every culture: some use natural remedies, some have advanced medicines and some even have to learn to live with untreated disabilities. Their ears are especially vulnerable to cuts and bruises, but they also heal really fast, so Rabbids with notches in the ears are pretty common. Scars are also common, and are quite visible as the fur on the area comes back thinner (like on their belly where the skin shows). Rabbids (especially very young and old ones) who get some kind of surgery or have an open wound treated, will have to wear a cone to avoid picking at the healing site.

When Rabbids get older, they mellow down and are far more calm and quiet. However, they will not stop from doing what they always loved to do despite the age, so it's possible to see an elderly Rabbid still enjoiyng running around and play with their friends. They do get tired quickly, though, so they need to rest a lot.

Rabbids build their nests in safe spaces when they're about to have kits: wild ones prefer to dig a separate room in their burrow for this, while civilized ones tend to build the nests in a quiet room (usually the bedroom). The nest is made out of soft materials (leaves, hay, blankets, pillows and shedded fur) and is circular in shape with a raised rim to keep the kits from wandering outside. The nest is prepared quite in advance and the parents keep adding and shifting things until the kits are born. No one other than the parents is allowed to enter the nest until the kits are already able to wander out by themselves. Rabbid kits are carried around by picking them up by the scruff. They have a lot of lax skin there, so it doesn't harm them, in fact they completely relax even when just pinched behind their necks. Rabbids carry this reflex even in adulthood with various degrees of sensitivity to it: some of them may not relax that much, but some of them can literally ragdoll to the ground. The parents rarely move the kits away from the nest when they're too young, but if needed they make bundles out of some nest materials to wrap the kits and carry them with to keep them warm and to keep them calm by having something close with a familiar smell.

Behaviour

Rabbids are very social creatures, as such they love to form colonies and live close to eachother. It's not uncommon for some Rabbid culture to have a single house/burrow for all the population to live in.

Wild Rabbids dig burrows to live in. They have different rooms and they decorate them with things they find suitable, for example a "kitchen" would have plates, pans and maybe even a stove regardless if the Rabbid owner even uses those things. The room they sleep in is usually the lowest one and is the only one with a door, to avoid noise from the outside as Rabbid dig their burrows very close to eachother.

Civilized Rabbids live in buildings and have a more complex social structure, with one or more Rabbids leading the others. Buildings vary depending on the environment where they are built and, unlike wild Rabbids' burrows, they have distinct rooms with functioning furniture.

Carrots are a staple food of Rabbid diets. They're eaten and prepared in all sorts of ways and every Rabbid culture has its own recipes. For example in hotter climates (like Beacon Beach) carrot ice creams are really common, while in colder places (like Pristine Peaks) carrots are usually baked in more caloric dishes or used in desserts. Rabbids also make drinks from carrot juice. Carrot juice is used as a substitute of alcoholic beverages as Rabbids aren't affected by alcohol at all. They can get "drunk" off of the sugar contained in concentrated carrot juice (more on carrot juice here), but it's more of a sugar rush.

[kankuroplease]

could you please do a Hc for Frédéric to get to know him a little, for example his character..., I like the fact that he looks like Kawa and Kota😎👍

Frederick was the most laid back and easygoing baby of the pack

Never really cried unless he was hungry and preferred to sleep in his basket or on one of the ninken to being rocked to sleep

He did like crawling into their laps for cuddles though

Bees terrified him as a baby

He took a liking to his mother’s taiko and would copy the rhythm she would use. This became a regular occurrence until he was able to memorize them and make his own

As he grew, his vibrant and compassionate personality started peeking through and set him apart from his shyer older siblings

If there was dancing, he was in the middle of it; showing off and getting the other kids to dance too

Usually his grandmother Ebba or some wallflower of his choosing were his dance partners, but he’d occasionally would cut between his parents to dance with his mom too

He was the recipient of a wolf pups that he named Heofon. She’s his pride and joy 🥹

He would serenade the ninken has they all took baths in the river (Wolfgang found it easier to bathe the boys and dogs at the same time 💀)

As a teen he was rather notorious for having the habit of jumping rooftop to rooftop barefooted, his jovial demeanor, risk taking, great dancing (ofc), and hunting skills

Always helped his father butcher the meat for his mother (partially because it got him praise for being a good kid but also his mom was always cooking something and would let him sample the food before everyone else for helping)

He was in direct competition with Asahi in academics and tracking. He knew his older brother naturally more gifted in those areas, but it didn’t stop him from trying to keep up

Him and Kuri use to argue a lot as little kids over dumb things, but got closer as teens and are each others best friends

He brings Mika and Sena hang with the older guys so they could learn the ropes and stop clinging to their mother’s apron

Always helped Leonie braid her hair (even if he complained about it)

Reluctantly took Elke and Arashi on his ninken whenever he somehow got stuck with little kid babysitting duty

Although he was still lively, he mellowed out again in his early adulthood and took up tradesmen as occupation

Heofon is his wingwoman and gets the best cuts of meat for being such a good girl

He usually has to pay extra for passage on ships with her tho

He’s still the barefooted life of any party after a drink or two

Which lead to him traveling quite a lot and meeting many new people both old and young that he considers life long friends

He always made sure to write his family regularly when he was away and stock up on gifts for them

He was the first of their children to see the land of fire, which he highly recommended they his siblings stay away from

The main Inuzuka clan were nice and their Uchiha relatives seem to be doing well, but it’s far from a peaceful place in his opinion and he can see why their parents left it behind.

[shiftingtomydrs]

Changes in Plot / Lore in my mlb dr:

The Peacock Miraculous has the ability to manipulate emotions with the feathers kinda borderline mindcontrol ig? since youre able to control peoples decisions based on emotions they feel? (cos the whole sentimonster thing doesnt make sense if its the miraculous of emotion imo)

Ladybug can create Sentimonsters but not destroy them

Chat Noir can destroy Sentimonsters but not create them (the whole sentimonster thing is part of their adult powers tho)

Anyone can control a Sentimonster as long as Ladybug binds the Sentimonsters life energy to an object of her choosing and said person possesses the object (but like she doesn’t have to do it I guess? Idk yet ill figure it out when I get there haha)

Everything after Season 2 doesn’t happen except for the episodes I include here (e.g. Chat Blanc) cos i dont like most stuff after season 2

The side miraculouses aren’t used on their own, just for unification purposes due to the big risks involved (i dont want everyone and their mother having a miraculous sue me)

Exception is the Bunny Miraculous (cos of the chat blanc thing)

Theres only 1 Miraculous box, the whole Chinese temple thing doesn’t happen (same as 2 points above haha)

No miraculous holders are permanent except Ladybug and Chat Noir (again, same as 3 points above)

Master Fu keeps the role of Guardian until Ladybug and Chat Noir reach adulthood (and know each other’s identity)

No one except Ladybug and Chat Noir find out who the others identity is

Lila and Felix are not evil masterminds and regular teens who can manipulate other teens at most but not adults (and lets be real google is free tf you mean lila is able to lie to adults about really ridiculous things that don’t even make sense)

Marinette ends up with Luka and while she does have the crush on Adrien (including the stalkerish tendencies) it mellows down at the end of season one up until the middle of season two

Btw I'm ladybug haha if you were wondering (so I'm kinda stealing marinettes life but not really? I can make a post about myself if you want)

[verushkak70]

Fraser's anger

Fraser is so angry here, he swears:

"He was your friend, you son of a bitch!"

Fraser is so angry that not only does he swear, he also draws his gun, and he aims it POINT BLANK in Gerard's FACE.

This is why the perfect, polite, well-mannered Thank-you-kindly canon Fraser of dS feels... a bit "off," to me. There is anger in Fraser. He has the clear potential to do bad things to bad people (who, let's face it, completely deserve it, plus more).

I love this Fraser. This is my head-canon Fraser. He has suffered loss after loss (shall we talk about his ACE score? it would be kind of high, don't you think?), starting very young. He appears fine on the surface, but let's not forget that (absurd) psychological test with the Rorschach images in S3 episode Strange Bedfellows. He is not okay. He's not fine. His psychological state is eventually deemed "acceptable" in that ep - but, c'mon: "acceptable" is not exactly well-adjusted or healthy. "Acceptable" is like getting a C on a paper when you should have gotten an A or at least a B.

And ftr, of course he is not okay! That's completely understandable given his history: an adult man lost his mother at age 6, was subsequently abandoned by his grief-stricken father (a child does not understand why a parent leaves/is gone - only that they left), whose entire life is uprooted to move to live with his grandparents (and let's just point out that his grandmother's ghost slaps Fraser, Sr - who is himself a ghost - in Letting Go! if you presume that, like most grandparents, she mellowed with age, and that is the mellower version of her - what was she like with child!Fraser??)... the constant moving/losing friends/having to make new friends/being the new kid because they were mobile librarians...

That is all canon. But there is never any canonical mention of therapy or counseling, which a kid with such a background (or his adult self) would surely need to process the many traumatic changes he experienced at such a young age, and develop some healthy coping mechanisms (because the ones you sort of fall into as a child - I certainly wouldn't call it "choosing" when as a kid, all you're trying to do is find a way to cope that WORKS) - aren't usually the healthiest in a set of circumstances this bad.

Then, in his early adulthood and RCMP career... the Victoria thing happens. Of course Fraser is not okay. (And that is okay.) How on earth could he be?

[glowinggreeneyes-e]

In honour of PSC’s interview, here’s the Captain and Havers dancing:

Momentarily, the Captain unplugged his headset and turned the machine’s output to its speakers, lowering its volume to a comfortable level. “It’s variety hour on the Forces Programme, so we’ll have to settle with the BBC Home Service, I’m afraid,” he said, mostly to himself, as the mature timbre from a woman’s voice crackled through the speakers, accompanied by a few wind instruments fluttering with notes at the high end of their range. He shook his head as he heard the recording mellowed out into a presenter. “They always play the most melancholic of tunes at night, do they not think some classical gusto or perhaps uplifting melodies would be more appropriate?”

“I think people want to listen to a song that reflects how they are feeling. And did you dishonour both Frances Langford and Falling in Love With Love in front of me?” Havers shook his head disapprovingly. He guessed that they could turn off their professional idiosyncrasies at this point, and he was glad to be rid of it.

The Captain suppressed a grin at his Lieutenant’s charming yet biting comment. “I suppose I did. But I did not realise you held any strong opinions about music.”

“I did not realise you held so few. Though, I should not be at all surprised,” Havers returned the shot, leaning against the back of the chair.

When he tilted back his neck, stretching and sprawling his legs out under the desk, the Captain glanced over the lengths of soft, exposed skin.

Remembering he should be offended by essentially being called uncultured, the Captain cleared his throat to shake off his flustering state. He unknowingly squinted at Havers in the same manner as when he was exposed to something queer. “Now, whatever do you mean by that?”

“I’ve never seen you dance or enjoy music: you never put on records of your own volition and whenever you turn on the BBC you prefer their breaking news, bulletins, and updates from the front. Would it hurt you to switch your brain off and enjoy a bit of this?” the Lieutenant gestured vaguely to the new song coming through on the airwaves.

“I-I enjoy the works of Vera Lynn; she’s got a wonderful voice. And the talents of Glenn Miller and his orchestra,” the Captain replied without considering an actual thought-out rebuttal.

Immediately, he recoiled; his first thought was that Havers would spiel judging words for his overtly formal talk and by virtue of holding such an inoffensive opinion - that was the reaction he had known to expect from anyone else. When he managed to look at Havers, he was met by a nonchalant expression and a raised eyebrow that prompted him to go on.

“To tell you the truth, Havers, I don’t think I have danced in my entire adulthood.”

“Would you like to?”

It was the lack of ceremony that caught the Captain off-guard by the proposition. If the past month had all been a dream, nothing marked the end of it quite as much as a dance. But reality demanded he react instead of replay the moment.

He stumbled to reply, unfortunately having the effect of being uninterested; he’d had all kinds of thoughts about the Lieutenant in their time together, but not one was ‘uninterested’.

Havers hung his head, lightly laughing away his suggestion. “I apologise. You don’t want to dance with a man.”

“No! No- I-” the Captain struggled to string a sentence together in his head, let alone verbalise anything. Thinking quickly, he got to his feet and extended his arm down with his palm upturned. He knew he didn’t look the picture of a dancer, or that he was particularly handsome enough to ask to dance, but he wanted to try in the safe presence and direction of Havers. “They’re playing Moonlight Serenade… it’s my favourite.”

Havers considered the outstretched hand, only briefly, before slipping their fingers together as he joined his CO on the makeshift dance floor. The Captain stood close, his eyes capering over the man holding his hand as if he hadn’t long-admired the Lieutenant’s almond eyes and heart-shaped jaw and, well, his quite strapping arms. He coveted the features of his second-in-command every day, never bored of beholding them: the pointy tips of his ears, the brown stubble that lightly scrabbled beneath his skin, and the sculpture of his lips.

Something - or things - had changed within the Captain, gradually. Then the other night, in the shed with his Lieutenant, marvelling at their limpet mine, revelations had rained down all at once like comets falling across the sky above. He could no longer ignore the younger man standing before him, already providing serendipitous companionship and neat ends to his beginnings. He’d come to accept what he felt was more than a mere fondness for Havers; he wanted his heart to decide on his idolatrous fate, though his head wanted to know if Havers was receptive to more. Above all new revelations, it was that ‘if’ which hurt most to think about.

Briefly recalling Officer Jones’ enigmatic words on New Year’s Eve, and luckily not those of his father, he conceived that he was hurting himself. He could fend off his family’s expectations from beyond their graves for now. They had served their purpose, they meant well, but his new life at Button House had demanded he had to change. Perhaps too quickly. There was no time to unpack all that; there was a War on, after all.

They had a restrictive space to move in, shutting down the opportunity to practise dancing in any traditional styles, so Havers led them to the centre of the floor’s open square feet and decided the song deserved a slow-pacing movement. He instructed the Captain to place his free hand on his waist, where his uniform belt sat, while he held the Captain’s shoulder.

“It’s in four-four time, so start by stepping outside foot outside, inside foot outside, repeat, together, then change direction,” Havers demonstrated in small steps.

Eye to eye, it was initially much harder for the Captain to concentrate on how to move, enamoured by Havers’ easygoing guidance. In spite of this, he copied the instructions, mirroring his movements. The Lieutenant drifted between stages of the dance self-assuredly, ignoring every mistake and continuing on. Fairly soon, the Captain got used to the rhythm and lost in the song, though his heart stuttered where words would fail should he have had to speak. The proximity was dizzying.

Havers was soon happy enough to introduce another part to his lesson.

“Like a circle, then together, apart,” he reassured as they turned around in the office together.

It was a little clumsy at first, with almost every step nearly causing a twisted ankle, until the Captain had steadied his arms and strides. The song didn’t demand more creative actions so they switched between the two gaits. The Captain nervously laughed once they had successfully changed direction, but he kept his head up like he was told. Havers always carried himself with governing conviction which continued into the dance; the Captain enjoyed being subordinate for once.

The orchestral Serenade ended with a melodic coda of wind instruments which they matched with smooth, gliding pivots.

As the song faded into another instrumental piece, this one somehow slower, they didn’t let go of each other. They kept watch of the other man, looking for the slightest hint that they should call it off and step back, but that never came.

“Hold me closer,” Havers directed soothingly, “the song… it’ll suit it better.”

The Captain moved his hand, almost paralysed from being held so still on Havers’ waist, around the man’s back until it could nearly cup the other side of his torso. There, he let it relax, and slowly his body melted from its previous rigidity. Their hips were almost pinned together, in fact when they started moving it was hard to keep any distance between their bodies.

Havers was nearly in raptures when he felt the Captain take on the leading role. When they pulled in their still-interlocked hands close to their chests, the rest of the room dissolved away into a shallow blur.

“Are there any more moves for this sort of song?” the Captain asked, trying to cover his drying throat and scratching vocal chords.

“Not exactly. By this point, couples would rest their heads together, maybe the woman would place her head on the man’s chest or shoulder. It’s meant to be a sensual moment. Some songs, like this one, are meant to be heard by only two people at once. Together.”

As Havers’ friend, the shared intimate space was sacred and Orphean. In uniform - as the Lieutenant’s CO - he suddenly felt disturbed. Thoughts intruded on his serene moment, biting at his contentment with guilt-ridden rhetoric. It was in his own voice, his father’s voice, every superior’s voice, that these thoughts flooded his working memory.

How could you be so selfish? How could you betray your rank? Your country? Your sensibilities? How dare you abandon hierarchy and the War and proper priorities? How could you allow your mind to be corrupted? Are you that weak?

Again, the friction in his mind overwhelmed him easily. “Sorry, I think the tiredness has hit me all at once,” the Captain said as he broke off their embrace.

But Havers kept him close, holding the Captain by his waist then quickly moving his hands to a more appropriate grasp on his biceps. He held the Captain’s gaze, unwavering. “Something has been troubling you for a while now.”

(They need to have many difficult conversations; but locked in the arms of the other it is a bit easier)

[sun-marie]

2, 4, 21, 31, 43 for the oc asks! c:

thank you for the ask!!

2. Do you have a personal favorite among your OCs?

I think they're all kind of on rotation for my #1 favorite at any given time! I definitely have some that are more developed than others, but most of that comes down to the amount of time I've had them. I'd say currently, my favorites would be Lydia Laidir and James Trevelyan (since i'm still in DA Hell), and Zephyr Skybreeze (one of my BG3 Tav's, I have a soft spot for her since she's the first OC I had to build her background out from the ground up)

4. A character you rarely talk about?

I had to think about this one for a bit, but I'm gonna go with Maya, my Pokemon Violet kiddo! No real reason for that, beyond that my love for Pokemon Violet comes in waves and is more often dormant. That, and most of what I talk about w/ my OCs is shipping related, and she's literally a child so. Not a lot to say there lol.

BUT I love her quite a lot! Violet is the first Pokemon game I ever felt like I was actually creating a character who had traits and personality (rather then gens 1-5 being pre-built and gens 6-8 feeling kinda blank). The classes helped a lot with that, I think! Her favorite teacher is Jacq, she's really good at math/science and anything related to Pokemon Battling, is kinda bored in Art Class and struggles with History and Languages (which is like the polar opposite of my academic experience lol). She shares Nemona's passion for battling but takes an analytical approach to it, and I think in the post-game I could envision her as a Pokemon Battle Professor when she's an adult <3 (though I haven't played the DLC yet so idk if that's in my canon 👀)

Also honorable mention to Marco, my ME Andromeda boy. I have so much love in my heart for this guy and literally no idea what to do with him ✌🏻

21. Your most artistic OC

Viola, my Dark Urge! I've mentioned it before but I like the idea of her sick and twisted urge fantasies lending themselves to an innate understanding of human anatomy, and sometimes when she wants to kill kill kill kill, she draws....killing, instead lol. It's therapeutic for her, I think in a similar way her faith is, and I like the idea of art being such a strong positive outlet that it's able to ground someone in reality.

31. Pick one OC of yours and explain what their tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything really)

Hm! Well seeing as how I barely maintain my own blog I'm not super sure how to answer this 😅 but I'll do my best!

I'll go with Zephyr, I think. I think she'd have one of those really fancy layouts with the small buttons and the small text and a cherry blossom overlay with constantly falling petals. She'd reblog a lot of academic literature, poetry, positive affirmations, and moodboards! She'd be intensely active for like two weeks and then ghost for three months, and rinse & repeat

43. Do you have any certain type when you create your OCs? Do you tend to favor some certain traits or looks? It’s time to confess

Physically: Ponytails for days, followed by long braids. Idk what it is, but multiple of my OCs (Sabina, Zephyr, James, Ruathym, Maya, Anwen, Vanessa, AELON even in Inquisition literally remembering some of these ocs have ponytails as I type this sentence lmao) pull their hair back into either a midlength ponytail, a braid, or transition between the two. It's a good look, what can I say~

Character-wise: I have noticed a theme starting to pop up my last couple OCs, of having wild periods of Young Adulthood before mellowing out by the events of the story (James, Lydia, Sabina). Other than that, I have a few characters who are begrudgingly bound to Not Be an Asshole by their moral compass, i.e. they're rude in almost every conversation but they make good Big Choices (Ruathym, Aelon, Vanessa, Act 3 Anwen)

some OC questions <3

[saiahseesstars]

☆~These are my personal headcannons about the main six as human with a little bit of redesign. I wanted to keep them relatively similar to the show. They are all young adults like in the show, not high school students like in Equestria girls.~☆

~Fluttershy~

~the second tallest only shorter than Twilight(after she became princess), when she was a filly she was tall and lengthy why didn't they keep that into her adulthood.

~she's lean but has muscle from working with animals each and everyday.

~Her outfits are simple, I imagine she would change into work cloths when she goes to the sanctuary, but she always has on work boots.

~Always covered in bandaids from getting scratches, bruises, and scrapes.(she lives near everfree and works with animals)

~cutie mark place ment is her earings and hair clip.

~They hinted at her still being a bat pony but never explored it soo she's still a bat pony

☆Pinkie Pie☆

☆decora fashion.

☆when I drew her I had only one thought "make her an animator's nightmare!"

☆I think I gave her a pear body type.

☆she sew a patch, that just so happened to be her cutie mark, onto her shorts.

☆I actually didn't like that her full name, Pinkamena Diane, it didn't match her family at all. Her twin is Marble, why not call her a rock or crystal that has a marbled affect to it like Pink oples.

×Rainbow Dash×

×She broke the sound barrier, she has hearing aids.

×she's all about speed so she's a runner. Didn't she broke her wing once? Leg brace.

×to busy to shave

×you can't tell me she wouldn't ask Rarity to make her custom merch that she would wear constantly.

○Apple Jack○

○I wanted her hair to be wavy.

○bigger muscular build.

○injuries on her arms and legs from working at the orchard her entire life.

○wears hand me downs from her dad and Big Mac.

○She won't cut her hair because it reminds her of her mom.

○Eye bags from working long hours.

*Twilight Sparkle*

*I can't stand the blue streak in her hair so I changed it to yellow. Have you seen a Twilight sky the sky looks gold and pink.

*Why does Sci Twi have glasses and not pony Twilight have glasses, moon dancer is a highly magical unicorn and has glasses.

*She from Canterlot she went to a prestigious school. She rich!

*The youngest princess other than her niece.

*She was really snobby when she first moved to Ponyvill but mellowed out as she Progressed.

◇Rarity◇

◇the most mature

◇She's a business woman she wears practical but gorgeous cloths.

◇leggings

[fallenclan]

Since we're sharing stories, let me tell you the most heartwarming one that's played out in my clan. It revolves around two sisters, Beetlebud and Bluewhisker.

When they were kits they had an interaction where they vowed to both become the greatest warriors ever, Beetle being adventurous and Blue being shameless. While both mellowed out as they grew older, with Beetle learning there was more to being a great warrior than glory (turned loving despite being a formidable fighter) and Blue discovering a passion for history, they remained close through adulthood.

At one point Beetle had become mates with a daring female former rogue (named Tinyhowl) whom Blue also had a crush on, and when Blue eventually confessed Tiny was interested and Beetle was willing to share. They went on to adopt and raise 5 kits across 3 litters together.

Cut to many moons later, and the current leader dies. Both sisters were close to her, and are grieving. Beetle is the current deputy, but had a broken bone. I checked her relationships and there was no one who wasn't retired that she had higher regard for than her sister Blue, so Blue is appointed deputy to keep the clan running.

Only Beetle never recovers. Two moons after becoming the acting leader she dies from her injury before ever having the chance to commune with Starclan for her nine lives. Blue spends the vigil staring at the stars and wondering if her sister was one of them.

But sure enough, when Blue travels to receive her nine lives, Beetle is the last one to step forward and proudly give her a life "for endurance in the face of any hardship," and leads the cheer of Starclan cats in hailing her sister by her new name.

And when they finally meet again, they'll both have been stars. These two live in my head rent-free, I stg 😂

BRO THIS IS SO SAD WTF. the siblings :(((

[campy-mccampface]

With Lazlo and Dave being together, and Edward and Ping Pong being together, how do Lazlo and Edward interact with each other since they're brother's in-law? Little curious with Lazlo/Ping Pong and Edward/Dave as well. Do the 4 get along well in their adult life?

1. Edward has… somewhat mellowed out towards Lazlo in adulthood. I wouldn’t say they hang out one on one despite being in-laws, (much as Lazlo wants to, but he’s also gotten better at respecting Edward’s space!) He’s much more civil towards Lazlo but there will still be the little quips, calling him “primate,” “monkeyboy,” etc. Lazlo of course takes this all in stride, but Dave and Ping Pong reeeally don’t like it and wish he’d cut it out.

2. Lazlo and Ping Pong meanwhile get along very well, and hang out one on one very often. Ping Pong’s less chattier than Dave but wittier, and he’s perfectly capable of holding a conversation with Lazlo while reading a book at the same time. Lazlo also loves dropping in on Ping Pong’s music practice, (for the uninitiated: Ping Pong becomes a badass classic rock star in adulthood in my canon,) and Ping Pong never disallows it. He’s also perfectly happy and patient answering Lazlo’s millions of questions about the loons themselves, or hearing Lazlo ramble about Dave and what they do, etc.

3. Edward and Dave don’t hang out one on one much at all either. I’d honestly go so far as to say Edward reserves the majority of his attention for Ping Pong, having hardly any friends, (well, many such as Lazlo and Dave consider him a friend, but he disagrees because he’s Edward and he’s odd that way,) and that’s how he likes it. Dave respects this but he and the platypus will occasionally butt heads over something Ed said about Lazlo, (and it’s always only Dave who gets offended; Lazlo is always 100% unaffected by whatever the remark was.) So… they’re fine, mostly, when they do see each other, but hardly what you’d call “on good terms.” It’s a learned tolerance that often falls apart.

4. They tend all to be the most peaceful and friendly when it’s all four. They do double dates once a week, sometimes more. In this atmosphere, Edward’s at his most social and receptive, considering Ping Pong is there and nobody has a better hold on Edward’s temper and worst instincts than him. If you see Edward in times like these, you’ll think he’s had a couple of drinks to loosen up (or has simply been replaced by a much kinder body double) but it’s not the case; he’s just genuinely nicer when it’s this way.

[mochidom]

Finances and Horoscopes (Fairies Heirs)

Masterpost here!

Kiera Redfox moodboard here!

In which Kiera Redfox just needs reassurance. A lot of it.

For as far as she remembered, Lucy Heartfillia-Dragneel’s generation was not one that followed the mantra of “the early bird gets the worm.”

Quite the opposite actually, most of her guild-mates, when they were all younger, would not arrive at the guild before 11am and some would even have the audacity to take a nap upon their arrival at the guild instead of going to work.

In fact, the only time Lucy, who lived so close to the guild that it was embarrassing to arrive after 11am, even considered waking up before 10am was when the first of the month was approaching and she still didn’t have the money for her rent. The need to get a job and earn money suddenly took priority over her twelve hours of sleep knowing that by default of earning said money, her sleep would now take place under the canal.

Now, many many years later, after kids and everything that came with adulthood, any minute of sleep past 5am was considered a win.

Lucy Heartfillia-Dragneel was in her bed, enjoying her sleep when she suddenly found herself awake and confused as to what woke her up.

She hadn’t heard any notable noise and to honestly, after living with her son and her husband for the last decade and so, she could now sleep through a dozen natural catastrophes without any problem.

She  looked at the clock on the other side of the room. 5:09AM. 9 more minutes of sleep than usual.

Unusual but not surprising considering the fact that Natsu was still out on mission with their two kids and that none of would come back before this afternoon. Maybe, she could take advantage of this rare vacation and sneak a few more hours of sleep.

Lucy snuggled again in her bed, feeling content and forgetting the reason for her awakening.

She was drifting back to Dreamland again, when she heard it and recognized it, the sound that woke her up. She thought it was the wind moving the bell that Natsu insisted on keeping as their doorbell. But it was clear as day now. It was the unmistakable cling and clang of someone trying to break in her house through her locked bedroom window. 

The celestial mage awoke instantly again without moving. She didn’t want the intruder to know she was awake yet and waited patiently until he finished fighting with the lock.

She sighed to herself, today would have been such a good day to sleep in if she wasn’t being robbed.

The sudden breeze flowing through the room a few minutes later warned her that the window was now open and the sound of steps told her exactly how close the intruder was to her bed.

Lucy whirled around when the intruder’s foot thudded against her bed frame, throwing her bedding, zodiac keys in hand, ready to fight when she locked eyes with ruby pupils. 

Ruby pupils that belonged to, she realized, none other than Kiera Redfox, her goddaughter.

She was wearing one of her usual flowy long skirts and bright blue rain boots. Her green-blue hair was in two lopsided ponytails that she was sure Levy put great effort in... the day before.

Her outfit was completed by the green bag that seemed to never leave her back.

If Lucy wasn’t in the room when Levy gave birth, she would swear Kiera came out of the womb with it.

The blonde woman sighed, the hand holding the keys dropping to her side. “Kiera, you scared me baby, what are you doing ?” She asked the girl.

The green-haired girl smiled at her, almost sheepishly, her showing missing tooth instantly mellowing any anger Lucy had. “Auntie Lu!” She yelled more than whispered. “You’re awake !”

Lucy chuckled, laying back down in her bed. ”I am now, indeed” She tapped to the empty space beside her. “Get down that window and come here. What are you doing breaking in at such an early time ?.”

As opposed to the afternoon, Lucy wanted to add but she simply smiled at the girl waiting for her to get off the window frame.

Kiera sat down next to her in the bed, suddenly looking very serious. “Auntie Lu. I’m afraid time is of the essence. I need your help and it’s urgent.”

Lucy frowned. “Okay…” She started. “What’s happening ?” The Heartfillia heir kept the panic at bay despite the seriousness in her goddaughter’s voice. Knowing Kiera, it was certainly not that serious. The girl was just always that dramatic.

“It’s supposed to be a secret. Can I trust you ?”

Lucy gasped dramatically at her. “Of course, my love. What is it ?”

Kiera retrieved a notebook from her green backpack and opened it at the last page. Inscribed in the worst writing imaginable was what looked like a contract ? Contract as in there was a single clause and two signatures.

“I have been proposed to participate in a business venture and I need Virgo to tell me my wealth horoscope before I decide if I want to invest in it.” Kiera explained.

”Can you summon her, please ?” The tween asked , her expression solemn.

Lucy could not begin to imagine what type of business venture an 9-year-old could be approached about but she was also looking at Gajeel’s child.

That was enough for her to simply mumble her approval, not ask any follow-up questions and grab her keys to summon her spirit.

Virgo appeared in her usual maid dress and accompanied by the sweet sounds of her chains clanking against each other.

Kiera waved enthusiastically at the spirit. “Hi Miss Virgo! Can you…”

“No.” was the only thing Virgo proposed to the conversation before disappearing in pink smoke, leaving both godmother and granddaughter in disbelief.

Lucy stifled a laugh and did an apologetic shrug. “ I’m sorry Kiera, I think we called her too many times this month. We can try tomorrow if you want.”

“At a later time, it’s early in the spirit world too.” She added quickly.

The Redfox progeniture looked at her pensively. “No need for that. Auntie Lu ?”

“Yes ?”

“I lied when I said I needed Virgo before making a decision.”

“I actually already made the decision to invest and I used Uncle Natsu and Uncle Grey’s bet money to do it.” She continued, seemingly not aware of the mistake she made. “I just needed reassurance that it was indeed a good idea because I don’t think it was.”

Yes, Gajeel’s child alright. Who could do something that will upset both a Dragneel AND Fullbuster other than a Redfox. But no, Lucy did not think it was a good idea either and she was about to say just that in big euphemisms when she suddenly felt her husband approaching their house at quite a fast pace.

Knowing his super dragon ear and assuming he heard the conversation and ALSO considering the fact that he was counting on that money to go on that flying fish trip that Lucy forbade, she turned very calmly towards her goddaughter. “Kiera, let’s bring you home now.”

[skysometric]

A Special Bond

this one's extra hard to write.

we lost a second cat this year: our beloved Lily, the last of her family after her brother Smokey passed away in August. she died of kidney failure, a cat's equivalent of old age, on the day before Thanksgiving. much like with her brother, we loved her dearly and gave her the best care we could – no regrets.

Lily had a more serious demeanor compared to the rest of her family. born the runt of the litter with three brothers to fend off, she wasn't much interested in playing. instead, she preferred the thrill of a real hunt – catching all manner of bugs, mice, and birds to bring to our doorstep.

then she would proudly curl up in someone's lap and purr louder than anyone else in the house, leaning into every pet, asking for chin and tummy rubs. this is where she most showed her silly side, as she would clean herself and then forget to put her tongue away, sporting a big ol blep 💖

Lily started life as a very skittish and anxious cat, but mellowed out as she got older, growing more comfortable with being around other humans. but the one human she was never scared of… was me.

see, one day when i was a kid, a tuxedo tomcat showed up at my family's doorstep. you know the story – sometimes, a cat decides to adopt a human family, rather than the other way around. we named him Oscar, and when he grew more comfortable with us, he brought his girlfriend along; we named her Butterscotch.

by comparison, Butterscotch was less friendly, more wild. she would hide under our house, only coming out when we fed her, rarely but cautiously allowing us to pet her.

before we could afford to have them fixed, they had kids. and when they did, a miracle occurred.

we rushed outside when we heard the sound of Butterscotch giving birth. and when we did… she brought us each of her four kittens, one by one. despite her cautious nature, she trusted us!

my brother and i each grew attached to one of the kittens, and got to name them. he bonded with Smokey. i bonded with Lily. and our lives were changed forever.

we loved the other cats too, named them and took care of them. Butterscotch taught them how to hunt, Oscar taught them how to be friendly with humans. we had a big family of six wonderful cats!

but most of them didn't survive when we moved. two of them ran each other off before we moved, one ran away after we moved… and our new house had no space underneath, so Butterscotch was not happy with her new home, passing after a year or so.

the only two that survived, stayed with us through multiple moves, lived past 7 years old… were Smokey and Lily, who each lived to 16.

and now, in less than a year, both are gone.

it's hard, you know? these two cats defined my childhood. when i needed comfort before bed, they were there to cuddle. when i visited home from high school and college, they were happy to see me again. when i struggled with my parents' divorce, they were still my family. when my partner moved in with me, they treated her as family too.

we still have two other cats, both unrelated to the original family. but the house is so much emptier now.

now that Lily's gone, the weight of both of their deaths is fully sinking in. i know grief is a part of life… but i'm not sure i've ever had to carry so much grief at once. this is new to me.

and it's more than just the cats. this is symbolic. my entire family has moved on; my parents have divorced, my brother lives across the country. everything i knew from my childhood is now just a memory, and my memory isn't very good anymore. that's why i write things down.

i'm finally in a place where i can reckon with all of this loss… for so much of the last 10 years i've had to be in go, go, go mode to survive. here i finally am, with all these losses behind me, and i'm only now able to process it. all at once, my childhood has faded, and it's my turn to move on.

…so i want to build a new adulthood to be proud of. for how much they helped me grow, i think Lily and Smokey would be happy to see that.

[gracesshelves]

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

            The first time I watched anything related to The Lord of the Rings was last year when my friend made me watch the extended editions of the first three movies, so I was glad that I had some context while coming into The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012). However, I have not read any of the books, which I think made it harder to watch this movie in particular. I would rate this movie a two out of five, which is the lowest rating I’ve given in class so far. One of the most important things when consuming media is the ability to keep my focus. I’ve watched some really poorly made movies, but they kept my attention throughout the whole thing, something I cannot say for this movie. I sat and watched this whole thing and I cannot remember half of what happened because it dragged on for so long. Connecting to our discussion this week on the dangers of alienating potential fans through adaptation, I do think this movie kind of does this. If I’d read The Hobbit before, I would’ve been more invested, but since I had no context of where this was going, it was very hard to pay attention.

            This movie follows Bilbo Baggins sixty years before the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Despite his adventure-filled youth, Bilbo mellowed into adulthood and thought he was content to live the life of a simple hobbit. However, this illusion is shattered when Gandalf the Grey invites a bunch of dwarves to his house for dinner in an attempt to convince Bilbo to join their quest. Their goal is to reclaim the Kingdom of Erebor, which was captured by the dragon Smaug 171 years ago. Despite some pushback, Bilbo eventually agrees to join their group. In this film, we follow them on the first leg of their quest. Honestly, I think Martin Freeman was the perfect choice for this role. He’s kind of developed a type cast as the cautious, reluctant, sarcastic protagonist/sidekick, but he plays it so well. His personality got me through the lulls of action during this movie.

            I promise I have some nice things to say! I really enjoyed the whole Rivendell scene because I got to see some characters I actually knew. I also think it did a nice job of establishing Gandalf's philosophy, which makes his choices of protagonists make so much more sense. My favorite scene in the whole movie was, of course, the scene with Gollum. This section had the most tension and highest stakes of the film, in my opinion. I was folding clothes while watching the majority of the movie, but I had to stop what I was doing during this part because I was so invested. Andy Serkis does an amazing job of making Gollum creepy, yet sympathetic. His performance always draws me in, and I think the movie would have suffered without the inclusion of this scene.

This week I don’t particularly have any comments on themes, because I have a hard time recalling what the plot was in general besides getting from point A to point B, but I did appreciate Gandalf’s whole speech about why he picked Bilbo specifically. He says: “Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love” (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2012). I think that is what stuck with me the most walking away from this movie. Will I finish the franchise? Probably not. I have a lot of diehard LOTR fans as friends, and they loathe this trilogy so I don’t feel the need to watch it, but I might consider reading the source material. Unfortunately, the studios kind of shot themselves in the foot with this one. I would’ve had the patience to sit through a four-hour-long movie if it covered the whole book. Making a trilogy out of a book that is shorter than any of the The Lord of the Rings books was not the best idea.