#can you tell that quincey is one of my favourite characters

[ash-tree-eyes]

I absolutely CANNOT get over how amazing Giancarlo Herrera’s voice acting as Quincey in Re: Dracula is. There is just so much love and kindness and honesty poured into how Quincey speaks and it makes it so wonderful to listen to. We really have been blessed with this podcast. I love this cowboy so darn much

[lifenconcepts]

Here's that List of Names I talked about.

Please tell me If you can't read something, also Ignore the shitty Sebastian ((Yes, me and the Roblox Fish Guy share a Name)) Sketch In the Corner.

I LOVE YOUR HANDWRITING AND I LOVE THE FISH GUY AND I LOVE YOU AND I LOVE THIS ACTIVITY! Hope this helps :3 I tried to define it as best I could but I just translate the names into “yeah that totally fits the character” and not actually expressing it in words 😿 (also this litterally is just my assumptions from the names and it would be scewed if you said what sort of character you were going for so I guess this is as genuine as it gets, feel free to go off this if you need to).

Austin - reminds me of some teen who keeps to themselves and yet has a never ending hand in some very obscure topic, like, you’d never come across an Austin but randomly in some odd town you’ll come across one and they have an official job in something like UFO engineering or frog marriage or science of fire or something.

Aaron - Reminds me of Orion :3 (in the nicest way possible, it’s my favourite constellation), but also seems to belong to a very specific sort of character, possibly to a competitive guy who peaked in high school. At first thought it said Auron lol!

Andrew - I expect this to belong to someone who is either soft spoken or loves debates, doesn’t seem to anger easily but can stand up for themselves, possibly even having a niche interest without an audience (like what I wrote for Austin) but in a more creative sphere, like making mosaics or origami or maybe art from trash. (Also funny how a single word can change something, like trash art vs art trash vs art of trash vs art from trash)

Arie (I think I read it right) - Seems very sweet, almost like a cosmic child, and has a very calm atmosphere to it :) would be fitting for someone who has a connection to something mystical or fantastical!

Cade - gives me cyberpunk/steampunk vibes for some reason and I’m not entirely sure why.

Caiden - bwuhhh.. reminds me of big guy. Gentle giant. Would bite the ankles of.

Casey - Mixed feelings about this and i can’t exactly tell you why. Seems like it’d belong to one of those “popular girls” at school who’d act all nice and then talk rudely about you behind your back.

Clyde - Cloud. Muahahhaha! No but a very nice name, I’d even assume them to be well-mannered and formal sometimes while also having something usually not thought about as a hobby but somewhat respectable, like training birds of preys like hawks and facons or fixing up motorcycles or hosting a game show. Very nice in my opinion.

Prince - oh hey that’s me! XD but has plenty of different connotations depending on who you ask. For me, seems to be very similar to the stuff i put for Andrew. A somewhat soft person yet one who isn’t afraid to defend what is right or weaker. Would expect them to have a certain theme driving them forward but what it is varies from individual to individual. Possibly a bearer of some unfathomable trauma but I guess that’s up to how merciful you are to them.

Quin - Nonbinary real estate 🔥. But reminds me of a very young yet mature person who probably expressed themselves through unappealing to the public eye but is actually a sweetheart at heart.

Quincey - Makes me think of a ferret for some reason. A ferret personified. Just like a fucked up cat running on human somewhere. Charming yet orange cat coded. Bro runs around the room like a trapped horse.

Reed - Gives me such big detective-like feelings, I would trust them with my court case and yet hold almost no hope in them making my name innocent. Rather, they’re so damn hilarious in how desperately they try to announce someone not guilty that they accidentally do the opposite, and that’s entertaining enough to go to jail for. “Your honour!!! My client is INNOCENT because Even though they did some bad things and own a gun tHEY WOULD NEVER harm anyone! They own a very cute German Shepherd and spend lots of time with it bevause they love it and- th.. the suspect died from a dog bite? … ah- well I meant to say- ..”

Rhett - Bro sounds like an airplane company. No but very interesting although it bares the kind of vibe as some sort of folklore creature youd only hear about in stories then come across in a swamp like “what the fuck.. - it’s real?!”. Quite nice.

Fran - isn’t there an old lady snack that’s named something of the sort? Similar to flapjack? But basically is awesome and gives me that badass grandma vibe of seeing an elder in a sports car and thinking “you go, gram-gram!”

felix - the god tier of all names. Litterally fits everyone and anyone without even trying yeahg!!

Francis - was my grandma’s cat name :,) .. he was an absolutely sweetheart and a very nice gentleman.

innocent - quite ironic if the character is fucked up. But has a good ring to it, although seems a bit too “out there”, you know?

Lance - God tier name. Makes me think of a protagonist of some bad ass action movie, would follow the story of, probably disappears from home for weeks or months before looking at a picture of his family sadly like “ah.. I’ve never seen my child grow, I’m practically a stranger to her..”

Lawrence - Probably a hard worker and yet at the same time slacks off, somehow managed to get a promotion but every time you see them they’re doing jack-shit, probably has a good understanding of marketing just because he spends so much on his phone. But seems like the guy to carry around a cute little dog in a handbag.

Layne - aaarrggghhhhh amazing it reminds me of a road in the middle of the night and as if they’re that shadow that moves beside the car/bus that I can’t seem to lay my eyes upon and yet know they’re there. Probably into space exploration or Atleast the museums.

Lewis - the name’s tainted by a loser from my school in the past. But it’s a nice name. Reminds me of a toad stuck in a pool to be fair.

Lowis - petah, the horse is here. Lovely name.

May - Very sweet, probably super kind and constantly makes others gifts or cakes, likes has a garden they tend to often, probably owns a cat, likes to sit in the garden and look at the sun’s warmth.

Maxie - A dragon lover, has a dog, likes mist and fog, probably dances in the rain, probably wants a cat, loves king car rides, had cool headphones, would wag their tail if they had one.

Mc Kinley - Is bro from a child’s story? This is a compliment. Makes it seem like he’s about to lead someone into a barn before revealing some horrible secret and is like a father figure to some guests.

Jody - Probably likes some sort of sport like basketball or volleyball, sweetly competitive, unassuming but probably quite smart.

Sage - Gives a very flowery/herb loving feeling and that they’d live in a Cottage, like a vintage nature loving presence, maybe even a ghost.

Serton - Very much giving Butler vibes, like he’s about to greet me at a mansion and welcome me warmly before offering me homemade bakeries despite having a rough looking exterior.

Silas - this fits you! Has a very few sea underwater creature feeling to it, makes me think the character has some underlying secret to them that could make or break the entire world or something.

Sincere - Would fit a personal in the business field, I’d say. Soren - Eye of Sauron frfr (the sun except it’s burning harshly)

Starling - BIRD AND SPIES YAYAYAYYYY ahem I mean it’s a very professional sounding name which also has soft connotations which I adore.

Sylvian - like a silver goddess beckoning the swans to bask in the moonlight beside a bridge in France, purring sweet lullabies of tea and peace into the air.

Taylor - I really like this name, it’s quite calm but also reminds me of America specifically those massive stores which sell cotton.

Terrance - has a good ring to it, but reminds me of a reclusive individual, one that may find comfort within themselves and take on something akin to a security job before they get dragged into something they could have never expected.

Trace - Bro likes tattoos and disapear ring without a trace (not meant as a play on words but just so happened to be). Probably have beat up shoes and hand-dyed jacket with patches they made.

Tristan - Bro probably goes to rooftops to get a break from life but then finds a friend there who’s doing the same and slowly but surely get a connection and create a platonic bond for life.

Tuna (?) - fish go 🍣 :))

Vincent - Very professional version of this and my personal favoruite. Not a neccesity but could assume for a fictional character that they have some deformity or maybe a golden tooth here or there and maybe some implant in their spine or something, maybe a missing finger. Probably tall and holds alot of experience in life but is haunted by certain decisions they made.

Vin - Short, to the point. Probably has a short complex and tries to make up for that with big,loud cars and being loud & obnoxious, like those untrained shitheads of chihuahuas. Has at some point broken a bone. Probably has a lot of metalic decorations in their home.

Vince - probably is a butcher or atleast own a carnivore. Have tried yoga at some point wether it be teaching or learning. Likes colouring but looks like an individual whose main source of excersize is chasing people off their property with a gun.

walter - has a verrryyy specific style to them that you only find in the duty free zone of airports, like you look at them just chilling - probably on their laptop or watching their gate and think “yeah, that’s a Walter”. They also probably have live television at home and happily watch the ads and just whatever show is currently on, while trying to defend “7 princess vs a million toads” is a great show to watch and deserves the 80 episodes each 1 hour long it has.

winston - Similar to the below :3

Winto - likely lives in some Scandinavian or Canadian city and has a knack for knowing random bits and pieces of street smarts/life. Probably has no clue how to deal with a glitching TV but definetely has gotten out a possum from their car engine or put anti-skid tires on their bicycle. Probably has lots of small lights around their home (like little ones outside, some lamps on pedestals inside, maybe a lava lamp here and there, maybe a soft-lit chandelier in their living room or bedroom, probably also barely opens their curtains but is very welcoming of people).

zac - Probably had a “I’m a gangster” phase before they realised that it was just a cover to not look soft when they infact like some characteristically “feminine/weak” activity such as knitting. Prolly likes to go for joyrides every other day and goes for walks without informing others.

Zachary - Bro probably wears specially tailored clothes for themselves. Also likely owns or owned a bird. Probably secretly keeps flowers on their table or in their garden as it makes them feel loved. Mommy issues? Likes snacking.

Zehe - probably traumatised, that’s all I got to say.

my suggestion is to try come up with a “Mr. -so and so-“ name, it has so many potential!! Like “Mr. Basil” for example, or “Mr. Trison.” Or “Mr, Wrapper” or or or “Mr. Sheep” or “Mr, Ear.”

[gellavonhamster]

monthly media recap: june 2023

read:

Blood of Tyrants, League of Dragons, and Golden Age and Other Stories by Naomi Novik - books 8-9 in the amazing Temeraire series (the beginning of which I wrote about last month) and a collection of short stories and drabbles (yep, using precisely this terminology) set in the same universe and based on fanart, including even a Pride and Prejudice retelling in which Elizabeth Bennet is a dragon captain. You can really tell the author is one of us <3

The Romance of Tristan and Iseult by Joseph Bédier - love finishing a book and then finding out that was an abridged edition :))) well, whatever, I didn't like this one enough to look for a full one. But the illustrations in this one were lovely

La Tavola Ritonda - now this kind of Tristania (i.e. where everyone is a bit of a dick) is more to my liking. A very chaotic but entertaining text saturated with pranks and violence. Touches upon some other Arthurian plots too, such as the quest for the Holy Grail. I wrote about it here - 1, 2, 3, 4

The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy - a beautiful rural tragedy that kept me very invested in the lives of these people. Greatly enjoyed the writing style and the old traditions seeping into the 19th century life. Eustacia Vye you will always be famous

De ortu Waluuanii - a Medieval Latin romance about Gawain's childhood, very unlike most of the Arthurian texts I've read. Also contains a most insane recipe for making Greek fire? And Guinevere is a prophetess? Fascinating

+ currently reading the second book in the Angélique series - accidentally started it last year by finding the first book at a bookcrossing stand, and now I gotta finish or at least read until it becomes too cringe if it ever does. This will be my Bridgerton, idc

watched:

Sirens (1994) - shy wife of a progressive priest goes with her husband to visit the scandalous painter Norman Lindsay, befriends his models, experiences kind of a bisexual awakening. A simultaneously horny and strangely sweet movie with weird Australian fauna as a bonus

Jawbreaker (1999) - dark teen comedy in the same vein as Heathers. Lots of fun, cool soundtrack, enjoyed it

A Field in England (2013) - very strange. Kind of feels dragged out as you watch it, but then makes you think and think about it when you're done. Not quite my cup of tea, but definitely good

The Return of the Native (1994) - not as good as the novel but still pretty good, and young Catherine Zeta Jones is perfect as Eustacia

The Three Musketeers (2011) - this place has everything: clockpunk, airships, d'Artagnan's cringe horse, flamboyant villain Buckingham, Mads Mikkelsen with an eyepatch, PLANCHET. Wish the dialogue and Constance were more interesting; still, very silly and entertaining

The Phantom of the Opera (1989) - the slasher horror one with reincarnation, wow. Valid in my eyes if only for doing what Coppola's Dracula should've done (i.e., making the reincarnated lover trope creepy). Also, final girl Christine Daaé just feels right

The Phantom of the Opera (Rosen & Schierhorn) - turns out there's more than one POTO musical, and at least one of them is a comedy. It felt like too much comedy to me at times, but overall it's pretty enjoyable plot- and dialogue-wise. Totally forgettable music, though. I watched it because the Persian is there and having the Persian as your favourite POTO character is even worse than having Quincey Morris as your favourite Dracula character, dude is literally nowhere ever.

[lifeofkaze]

Omg, the ending was SO sweet, and Dawn's friends hilarious, and I'm just so happy for my two new favourite idiots.

Seeing as every long + completed fic I've enjoyed usually gets a proper review, and A Christmas Prince has been my equivalent of a warm and fuzzy Christmas drink, let's jump right into it!

Characters: I haven't known Quincey and Dawn for long, but they've already grown so very close to my heart. And what's more, I feel like that this story was crafted and worked so well, that even without knowing Dawn and Quincey in their canon/their canon concept, their personalities came across here so well. A special shoutout goes to my favourite gal Olympia, who made me grin in basically every scene she was in.

Concept: Okay, listen, I *know* this was supposed to be a Hallmark movie parody - and you can tell all the way through - but omg, I was *so* invested into the plot. I cheered and suffered with the boys, and just like in a good chick flick, you completely tune out the lovely ridiculousness (in the best way) of the plot and just let yourself get roped along. All the silly-but-fun romcom features were there in this story, but reading, I never questioned a thing at all and that's something that makes for very good entertainment, imo.

Writing: Let me tell you a little secret - I'm incredibly picky when it comes to writing styles. I get annoyed so easily, but this story never did so once. I have to admit, it's been a hot second since I read something from you, but I feel like, compared to those things I read ages and ages ago, you have grown so much as a writer. Also, the slightly self-aware and ironic tone of Dawn's was absolutely perfect for this genre. I def had more than one good chuckle reading.

POV: Lastly, a major shoutout to you for going the hard story-telling way and making a character your main-narrator who isn't yours. That's something that is always a little frightening to do, even if you know them like the back of your hand (or, at least, that's what I find), and takes some skill and a lot of care and dedication to pull it off properly.

Thank you for gracing us with this incredibly fluffy, cute and ott-in-the-very-best-way story for Christmas. Leaning back in my chair with a cup of tea and reading about these two lovely idiots really has been such an end-of-year highlight for me.

Well done! 💛💛💛

HPMA AU; A Christmas Prince

Chapter 11: Bristol

Summary: Dawn’s spending New Year’s Eve in Bristol at his father’s, but his friends surprise him by coming over. He has a few more surprises in store before midnight, too.

A/N: Here we are! The last chapter<3 Thank you everyone who supported this AU, reblogged, liked, and left lovely comments! Couldn’t have asked for a better gift this Christmas. Thank you also to everyone who let me borrow their OCs for this project. Hopefully I was able to portray them in a way that shows how much I love each of them! Most of all, thank you to @potionboy3​​, my co-author and partner-in-crime, as without you this would never have even happened.

Words: 2.2k

Characters:

Dawn Harvelle, Jimmy Crouch, Maxim Raeburn by @potionboy3​

Rocky Weasley by @magicallymalted​​

Pandora Lovelace by @gcldensnitch​​

Beginning | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter 11: Bristol

It was New Years’ and Dawn was sat in a pub in Bristol with all of his mates. He wasn’t feeling particularly festive though. After returning, he’d gone to Kerry and quit. He’d given a few pictures from the charity benefit to Pandora, so she had put together a small profile on Quincey’s charity work. Then he’d packed up and gone to say at his dad. Rocky, Pandora, Maxim, and even Jimmy had all shown up to celebrate the New Year with him, which was nice, but Dawn felt like he was bringing the mood down a little.

Pandora was recounting some uni-story but Dawn wasn’t paying attention, and she sighed.

“Cheer up, Dawn,” said Rocky. “I’m sure next year will be better, but you have to ring it in in good spirits!”

“Marvellous adventures of unemployment ahead,” said Dawn.

“That’s it,” said Pandora. “It’s supposed to be a party, let’s get you something to drink.”

“Yeah,” agreed Rocky. “You’re starting to seem a little bit too much like Jimmy.”

“Hey!” said Jimmy.

“I meant it with love,” Rocky said.

“Sorry guys,” Dawn sighed. “I’m just really not in the mood to celebrate this year.”

“Then get hammered for the sake of the angst,” Rocky suggested.

Weiterlesen

[pellicano-sanguino]

There’s a small movie theater in my parents’ home city that shows recordings of operas and ballets. Went to see a Dracula ballet there yesterday with my mother. It was...   an interesting experience.

This is the same ballet but the characters look different, so maybe this was a different casting than the one we saw.

Dracula isn’t an easy story to tell with just mute dancing. I should have sat next to my mother so I could have whispered to her plot explanations along the way. It was also a bit hard to tell all the male characters apart, they all dressed the same and looked equally bland and ugly (with the exception of Dracula and Renfield of course. They were ugly too, as they should be, but they were very recognizable). I was sad they left out Quincey (what do people have against him, he’s always left out). Come on, why would you miss an opportunity to have a ballet cowboy?

The dancing was very beautiful and imaginative. I was especially impressed with all the clever, athletic, almost acrobatic lifts. I wish I could see more lifts like these in zuka, instead of the same old pick-you-up-and-twirl-around lift, but I understand why they probably don’t want to try these. Despite many zuka actresses having history with ballet lessons, professional ballet takes the dancing to a whole new level and requires such extraordinary muscle work and precise skills, actresses in zuka simply can’t put that much time and energy to perfect their dancing when they also have to take care of acting and singing.

Which brings me to the unintentionally comical side of this ballet. The acting. Or more honestly, the lack of acting. The same problem I’ve had with the few operas I’ve seen. Opera singers are singers first and foremost, they are not actors. Ballet dancers put all their energy to perfect their dancing, they don’t do acting. The dancing was incredible and the body language was very expressive at times but if I happened to look at the dancers’ faces, they tended to have silly, exaggerated expressions or a dull, soulless, blank stare. Jonathan in particular was like a lifeless puppet all through his visit to Dracula’s castle, staring into space, very much Not There. The opposite of the soulless stare was the Temper Tantrum. Whenever a character was angry, scared, anxious etc. they twisted their faces into grotesque grimaces and wrung their hands like a toddler having temper tantrum. I know it was supposed to look dramatic but seeing an adult behave like an infant was just silly.

They had two separate guys performing the old-as-a-mummy Dracula and the rejuvenated-by-blood-drinking Dracula. The first one was impressive for his lively dancing. He jumped and leaped and climbed and crawled all around the floors, walls, furniture and Jonathan like a rabid squirrel. It was cool to see the scene where Dracula lizard-crawls down the castle wall, I’m always disappointed when the movies leave it out (which they do way too often). I suppose the latter must be sexy by het standards (I don’t see the appeal, but they make him remove his shirt quite often and I’m sure that’s for fanservice reasons). 

My favourite in this show has to be Lucy. She is an amazing dancer and gets some really cool numbers. In many adaptations Lucy becomes bedridden once infected by Dracula’s bite, but here she remains active while slowly transforming into a vampire. And that means her dance style changes. This version of the story has a rather sexist view of the curse of vampirism, that the proper, graceful and dainty ladies will be corrupted by it and become fierce, strong-willed and arrogant (god forbid women be anything but silent, sweet little decorations). Lucy’s new dancing causes quite a scandal in the ball room. Eventually she does calm down and fall ill, and the gentlemen try to save her by blood transfusions. I really like that they included Lucy’s blood transfusions, those get cut in many versions and it’s a shame because it shows the compassion Lucy’s suitors have for her (trying to save her even though she turned them down) and it makes Lucy’s death so much more sad and hopeless (they give her new blood again and again, getting their hopes up for her recovery, but the parasite preying on Lucy is insatiable). 

As usual they try to set up a romance between Dracula and Mina. I’m sorry but this just doesn’t work, ever. I mean, yes, you can definitely see some kind of chemistry between them, a fascinating relationship between a brave heroine and a heartless villain, but trying to make it romantic kinda doesn’t work when Dracula just murdered Mina’s best friend. Mina is just not the kind of person to overlook all the horrible shit Dracula has done, excusing everything just because he’s sexy. The only way for there to be a romance between them would be for two reasons - 1. Dracula brainwashes Mina by vampire hypnosis. Not very romantic. 2. Mina is actually a horrible person willing to throw all of her friends and loved ones and all of humanity under the bus just to bang a handsome vampire. 

This stupid romance feels especially wrong when they turn the scene where Dracula drinks Mina’s blood and then violently forcefeeds her his own into a consensual and sexy bedroom scene. In the book, it was a terrifying and disturbing scene, but every adaptation wants to make it romantic. I don’t mind them making it sexy, let’s face it, vampires today are sex symbols and blood drinking has been used as a sex metaphor for ages, so I don’t mind that, really. But why must there be romantic music playing while it’s happening, as if this is a “It’s a nightingale, Romeo, not a lark.” type of scene. The music used was actually the same music that plays in Lucifer’s Tears when Lucifer dances with Lilith (it’s some classical song, don’t remember its name) and that distracted me greatly. 

I was also disappointed that they made Mina suicide herself after Dracula has been killed. Mina’s recovery, the return of her humanity, should have ended the story with a hopeful note, that though some truly scary things exist in this world, it is worth to have courage and fight the monsters who seek to prey upon innocents. With Mina dead, it all feels hopeless and meaningless. Sure, they saved Dracula’s future victims by killing him, but the monster’s corruptive influence reached Mina even after his death, convincing her that she can’t live without the monster than killed her best friend. Dracula dies, but he still wins, taking both Lucy and Mina down with him.

Yes, vampires can be romantic heroes. I am a huge fan of romantic vampire stuff. But Dracula is not one of them. I’ve said it before and will say it again; Dracula does not aishiteiru.

[lacnunga]

due to the recent attention quincey and my strange love child has gotten, i’ve decided to do a post of my ‘character building’ aka ‘me just aimlessly rambling at Q in tumblr chat and getting overly invested in our hopeless little loser’. enjoy (or dont idk idc)

Naruto oc Gear

·         platonic bff w/ kankuro

·         i feel like they deserve a mullet. they're completely oblivious to why other people Hate it. they think it's cool.

·         "it feels swishy kank. kank. feels like Wind Country style. kank why are you laughing?"

·         nobody understands why someone 'cool' like kankuro hangs around with this dork

·         its like kakashi and gai. kankuro just shrugs - "dude is a good listener. and they write valentines cards to karasu. they're a weirdo and i love them so back tf off'

·         gear:: nyah

·         kank: what?

·         gear, staring at him through their souless glasses: you know, nyah *makes kitty motions*

·         *gear proceeds to be drop kicked all the way to fire country border*

·         also, nobody know whether gear is male or female or...other?? except their doctor, who enjoys keeping it a secret from a frustrated kankuro.

·         gear has promised him a years worth of buying hi hamburger steaks if he manages to find it out, so kank has some incentive

·         its been nearly ten years...no luck

·         temari doesnt understand the friendship, but its not the weirdest thing her fam is involved in so

·         gear is v scared of gaara though, especially when gaara, in a bid to 'understand his family better' tries to get to know him. gear tries to avoid gaara, but he's. always. there.

·         kank in the end tells gear to Just Talk to Gaara, there's like a 50% chance he won't kill them (if only for kank's sake)

·         wind forwards to a v awkward interrogation session where gear tries to explain the appeal of fireworks and the concept of second hand embarassment

·         no wait

·         i just had a brilliant idea

·         gear is the pioneer of light up ninja sandals

·         are they practical? no way

·         are they weirdly satisfying? hell yeah

·         (when too many shinobi got caught in the field bc their sandals lit up, by decree of the kazekage they can only be worn in the village

·         and preferably never, according to Temari)

·         also gear is a big fan of shino. why? (because I love shino) but Actually because kankuro is still bitter about losing to him

·         so when gear meets shino they make it their mission to become Great Friends, aka the Hoopiest of Froods

·         Rub In That Salt. Can You Taste It Kank? All That Salt.

·         their name is now Gear, or in the japanese version, Giya ギヤ (aka just Gear in katakana - hell, if it works for Lee.) fter visiting konoha kank is sulking bc gear went on and on about how shino was a Cool Guy and had Flair and a certain je ne sais quois ( doesnt know what that means, but it sounds adoring and he Hates it. Gear is his friend, not Shinos)

·         Especially when he remembers that Shino kicked his asssss

·         eventually gear gets ticked off and commisions a cake with big writing on it 'STOP SULKING, KITTY'. kank is weirdly frustrated that gear has remembered his favourite flavour cake

·         gear makes him sarcastic friendship bracelets

·         though gear and shino bond over the fact that nobody knows what their faces/eyes look like. its sort of like an Achievement Unlocked.

·         Gear is then integrated into the Aburame family as a honors member

·         Gets home made pies when ever they visit

·         Kankuro is jelly as usual but does not argue over the pie

·         when shino demonstrates his kikaichuu technique, gear waves their arms around making obnoxious buzzing noises. shino sniggers.

·         hell most things can be forgiven for pie

·         gear actually becomes very good at mimicking the kikaichuu noises so when they go back to suna gear makes the noises when kankuro is least expecting it. the suprised punches to the nose are so worth it.

·         I can just see kankuro just spazzing out before just decking this nerd in the face!

·         Ok but Kin adopts them and loves them but just...just hates their fashion sense more then anything in the world

·         she just eyes their mullet with a twitching brow. gear is holding onto their visor with all their might and watching out for any kunai that might come close to his fabulous mane.

·         lets face it, if shino and gear had a bit of a 'snip snip' training accident, kin wouldn't be disappointed

·         and of course if gear becomes friends with shino, they gotta get along w/ team eight as well. kiba is eyeing their hair with a strange mixture of envy and incredulity. hinata draws gear up some new face-masks. they love them, even the pink floral ones.

·         hinata, handing over the masks: d-do you like them?

·         gear, choked up and holding back sobs: they're fine

·         Gear has a habit of coming to Kank in the middle of the night with the weirdest shit. They knock on his door at three in the morning looking like they're about to cry.

·         G: Kank I've done something awful I'm a murderer

·         Kank is basically ready to help bury a body

·         K:okay okay don't panic what did you do?

·         G: *whispering* I eat eight spiders a year kank. EIGHT SPIDERS. HOW MANY SPIDER ORPHANS HAVE I LEFT TO GRIEVING SPIDER WIDOWS KANK. I'm a MONSTER.

·         K:...go home.

·         K: Spends the night googling 'is it true you swallow eight spiders a year?')

·         i have the idea that gear was a really plain child. you know the kind that never really got noticed and people just realised they were there when they tripped over them.

·         and they finally got sick of it when they graduated the academy like

·         'well now im just going to be so Extra you wont have a choice but to notice me fuck you'

·         now thats not to say they realise the mullet is a bad idea, however it does have the extra incentive of people going 'oh hi- DEAR LORD WHAT'S THAT ON YOUR HEAD'

·         plot twist, they look so completely ordinary under the glasses and mask that even the people who saw their face don't remember it the second they look away

·         surprisingly gear makes an excellent undercover operative

·         Just take off the mask and goggles and visor, fashion their hair a lil, and put on a plain kimmon and BAM Gear is an under cover cop

·         exactly. kankuro is really weirded out by the idea that any of the sort of twenty yo people he passes on the street could be gear

·         Kankuro was terrified of gaara but boy o boy does Gear just raise the steaks a lil

·         They could be anywhere

·         Behind that bush, near the bush, IS THE BUSH

·         one time gear was on a mission with their team and they got separated. in the fight, gear lost his mask, broke his glasses and his visor got tossed. when they returned to their team they had to spend the whole journey back convincing them that 'YES this is me i swear see? im wearing the same underwear!' 'how would we know what underwear you started out wearing?' 'I THOUGHT WE HAD A BOND'

·         they meet kankuro on the way into town and gear is just like 'here, kank is my buddy, he'll tell you im me'

·         'well kankuro-sama, is this Gear?'

·         K:...im gonna be honest i cant fucking tell

·         K:but are they wearing blue boxers with ducks on them?

·         Squad captain: WHY DO YOU-???

·         Kankuro: THINGS HAPPENED OK THEYRE WEIRD AND JUST- DO THEY OR DONT THEY?

·         Gear: *shit eating grin*

·         Temari actually thought those two were together for a long time and they both just missed her euphemistic references to their ahem 'friendship' until Gaara mentions they couldn't put romantic partners on a team together and Kank just

·         ucking falls off his chair like

·         K: Wait what? Since when have we been romantic partners?? News to me??

·         When he talks to Gear about it they seem unfazed just straightfaced tell Kankiro that 'you make my kokoro go doki doki'. Kank doesn't speak to them for a week

·         Aka Gear is once again relegated to the sofa

·         Gear seems to say 'so worth it' a lot

·         Most of the time it really isnt

·         Gears surprisingly good a dancing, specifically the fancy pants type dancing.

·         So bc Kank is the kazekage's brother he's invited to a fancy do somewhere and he brings along Gear as his +1 bc hes a loser w/o a bf/gf. before the do he's just pointedly asking Gear like 'look do i need to teach you how to dance? because there will be dancing. fancy dancing. it will be Expected of You. do you want a dance tutor. are you sure? Are You SURE?'

·         Gear is just waving him off 'Relax kitty, its cool' Kank is just mentally preparing apology speeches for Very Important Peoples' crushed toes

·         the night comes along and Kank is making awkward small talk with some girl who roped him in when suddenly he's yanked away from the convo by Gear

·         before he knows it they're on the dancefloor and SURPRISE gear is waaaay better at dancing than kank's stiff penguin shuffle

·         gear takes great pleasure in dipping him really low at the end

·         and they never let kank forget about it

·         so i dont know if kankuro went to the ninja academy but lets assume he does

·         *did

·         so he and gear are in the same class

·         but gear is of course always forgotten

·         until one day kankuro notices them because IDK he runs into them and knocks them over or something

·         so somehow they hang out that day and kank realises 'yeah this kid is a good one i could hang out with this dude like forever. mine now.'

·         and the next day kank tries to find Gear except

·         the fucker is so Unnoticable

·         kank is just standing in the middle of the room scratching his head trying to figure out who the fuck he was talking to yesterday. gear of course doesnt have their sparkling personality yet and so is too shy/embaressed to go up to kank and remind him that 'hey this is what my face looks like'

·         eventually they do hang out again though

·         and the same thing happens

·         kank gets fed up and brings in his face makeup and like draws reminders on gears face

·         gear is fine with it, just wandering around all day with purple paint on their face

·         except ppl keep making fun of them so kank wears the paint as well as like a solidarity thing

·         of course gear finds his own look at the end of their academy days but kank carries on wearing the paint from then on(also gear used to be the kind of person who cried really easily and the paint showed it ALL up. they weren't too keen on walking around with tear tracks and smudges on their face, so mullet it is lol)

·         sad idea

·         gear is kankuro's first and best friend

·         sure, kankuro has other friends, but no real Friends outside of his fam later on, bc when he was smaller every interaction with other kids was coloured by him being related to the Sand Demon

·         kids didn't want to be friends with him bc they were scared for their lives (and kank threw himself into his puppet making for something to do bc puppets werent to emotionally fickle as kids)

·         so he latched onto gear and they became integral parts of their lives without even realising it

·         one day, gear leaves on a mission. they dont come back. they're declared MIA

·         it varies between villages but generally its one-two months before a MIA ninja is declared KIA

·         kank isnt worried about gear. gear is a tough dude, they'll come back.

·         a week passes and kank isnt worried

·         two weeks passes, and he's getting twitchy, spending more and more time hunched up in his studio, tinkering with his puppets

·         three weeks passes without a sign from gear, and he's wrecked seven puppet prototypes in senseless death battles and he doesnt want to think about why he's become so snappy and easily frustrated

·         (temari pops in on him every so often, forcing sandwiches and energy drinks on him even as he ignores her, whittling down a wooden ball joint with singular concentration)

·         the fourth week draws to a close and kank is visiting the mission room every day, lingering inside the doorway, scaring returning genin teams with his impatient aura. he's making trips around the hospitals in case they had an unidentified body turned in (he knows gear by their scars even if their face just wont stick)

·         saturday rolls around and kankuro is dragging himself down to the morgues, the crematoriums, clamping down on the threatening waves of despair - he asks by name, by description, by the rate of decay on any bodies returned by scavenging teams sent out across the sandy oceans

·         there is no sign of gear, not a peep as the fourth week draws to a close, the deadline for Suna mia operatives

·         he goes to the records office to bear witness as they change the status on gear's paperwork, and he feels hollow, like karasu as the red ink is drawn through the status box

·         he returns to his house, silent. temari is there, waiting, with a worried furrow between her brows (he thinks he even saw gaara, who was so changed since the chuunin exams, peer at him through his bedroom doorway opened just a crack, that emerald stare assessing, before retreating again)

·         he closes the door to his workshop with a calm firmness, blocking out temari's questions

·         kankuro stares at his puppets, propped up on various stands and in the corners, half assembled carapaces that seemed to mock him with their glassy stares

·         he snaps

·         kankuro thinks this is what gaara must have felt like, pulled under by the whirlwind of emotions as he rampages, trashing models and ripping up drawings and smashing incomplete headless, armless bodies. it feels like there isn't enough destruction to match the hole gear's death has left in his own chest and he only stops when his fist pulls its punch instinctively, barely an inch to karasu's face, those lovingly sanded planes and features carved with years of practice and patience

·         now karasu is left, his friend before, during, after Gear, and he never thought there would be an 'after Gear' - gear was only a chuunin, they didn't leave the village on any dangerous missions, not like the sand siblings

·         kankuro doesnt leave his workshop for three days

·         on the third he comes out, with karasu and gathers his supplies. he leaves for the funeral, to send off his friend

·         when they had visited konoha, he's seen their Memorial to the dead - a great stone slab, with their names carved into it, the oldest names almost worn away with time and touch. suna doesnt have a memorial - the souls of their shinobi are memorialised at the Oasis

·         the spirit oasis lies a few hours run outside of the city of suna, towards the east - once, or so the tales go, the oasis was part of a giant aquaduct that fed the blooming gardens of a wealthy empress, a long time before the establishment of the hidden villages. now, the oasis is a forest of crumbled stone and faceless statues, a giant pair of stone legs, broken at the knee marking the entrance. past there runs a river, mysterious in its crystal clarity - many suna scientists have tried to find the rivers origins and where it disappears to, but it remains one of the sand's greatest mysteries

·         it became known as the spirit oasis by the first kazekage, who saw the electric blue lights bob and weave above the rushing waters at night - he took it as a sign, and saw, from the top of the tallest ruin, the great crater that he would build his village in.

·         it is to the oasis that the suna shinobi go to remember their dead, and to let them go. it is where kankuro went. it is where he ended up kneeling beside the gently gurgling river, amongst the offerings of food and sake left behind from the visits of other shinobi. bells tinkle melodious in the soft winds, accompanied by the flutter of the shimenawa papers. he looked into the water, so clear he could see the mosaic tiles on the bottom of the aqua duct, and tried to imagine the corpse of his friend, buried somewhere under the grains of sand, lost, decaying until only his bones are left, to be collected one day many generations down, or simply to be forgotten until the gods reclaimed their peoples. kankuro imagines gear's spirit, their soul, instead, bobbing along in this river, laughing and dancing in the night, blue, bright, electric

·         "I- Geez, I can't believe you're making me say this, you idiot. I guess, I miss you. It hardly feels like you're gone. It's been, huh, i don't know how long. For me, weeks, since you've died, but I guess it only really hit me some days ago. You- urgh, you really always need to have the last word, don't you, G-"

·         Kankuro froze as the wind moaned. It was the wind, right? He knew the reports from the shinobi who had visited this place - odd sounds like groans and moans of the deceased spirits, and the embittered jounin who simply waved the tales off as the sounds the wind makes as it howls through the archways and pillars of the ruins.

·         he strains his ear for any other sounds and- there, again. It doesn't sound like the wind, he decides. it sounds like a person, a flesh and blood person. he rises to his feet, slowly pulling a kunai silently out of his pouch. he's ready for an attack as he makes his way through the labyrinth of ruins, following the sounds of grunts and pants of pain. he turns a corner and finds his quarry.

·         a fellow suna shinobi, judging by the tattered dull flak vest. brown hair matted to the head with crusted blood, the shinobi is slumped over a large piece of the ceiling that had fallen down centuries ago. as kankuro approaches, the shinobi gestured weakly with their own kunai, dripping blood onto the weeded tiles.

·         "who..." the shinobi rasps out

·         kankuro doesnt have to hear any more than that word - he recognises the voice, knows it because it's been cycling around his head with endless quips and puns and sarcastic riddles over the past few days. it was a voice he didnt think he'd ever hear again, and now that he has-

·         he dropped his kunai with a metallic clutter and swiftly crouched in front of the shinobi, casually brushing away the brandished knife that couldn't have speared a paralysed mouse. slowly, his hands grasped the drooped chin and he straightened the slumped head, so he could look the shinobi in the eyes.

·         they were brown and bruised around the edges. they stared back at kankuro for a moment, almost dead, before a spark of recognition lit up in them, and they crinkled up. the blood-tinted mouth stretched up too, showing a set of battered teeth. one hand come up to tug at kankuro's hair.

·         "...hey kitty. was the service...good?"

·         kankuro laughs and leans forwards, so his forhead touches the other.

·         "you're- you're a fucking idiot. you asshole-"

·         Gear just grins.

·         ………..

·         also i had an idea about gear's family

·         since they're hoity toity ima imagine they're an Old Clan

·         they were maybe friends of the first kazekage, and howsabout they built the water delivery system for the village

·         sooo even though they're not really relevant anymore (especially with the rise of more modern technology etc) they're still trying to regain that 'friendship'/allience whatever they had with the first kazekage

·         they consider themselves one of the village founders bc of their water systems but they're Not Really. basically the family is pretty stuck up and gear's parents are pretty peeved that Gear doesnt care more about his family history/doesnt conduct themselves with dignity

·         Gears parents are snooty plumbers

·         family name = 水瓶座/mizugameza

·         aka Aquarius/water bearer

·         not their original name but they rebranded themselves all fancy like after doing the village plumbing lol

·         gear is actually kind of embarassed about their family's attitude which is well known (and sometimes mocked) around the village

·         they prefer to just be known as Gear minus family name hence Kankuro didn't actually know which family Gear was a part of until quite a bit into their friendship

·         Gear ur a beautiful child I'm glad u were made

·         gear deserves all the happiness

·         the only reason im glad they're not canon is so they're spared the boruto ending

·