#it fits a very specific version of them i have yet to explain or put to paper. thank you for being a genius

[cacw]

oh my god i’m so sorry for saying this i feel unwell. do you know the song mother stands for comfort by kate bush. i think you’d like it 🥹

oh please never apologize... ive never heard this one in my whole life i am so glad you sent this. i really do like it i might even love it bad ive listened 20 times already and frankly im not sure how much more of this i can take. it is so hauntingly beautiful i might be listening forever. mother hides the madman. heres some unrelated characters as ponies

[bluegekk0]

Finished designs for the FPK Dragon AU! Very happy with how they turned out, I'm definitely going to draw more art for this side AU in the future

Some short info and close-ups below

General AU stuff:

I don't have many story or world details yet, but in general it would be quite simplified and changed in a lot of ways

The vessels are not a thing, though The Radiance does exist and the infection would still happen in some shape or form (I haven't thought of the details yet). Holly's purpose would still be to put a stop to it, but the whole aspect of emotionless void beings is not included

Humans don't exist in this world, so the one above is simply to get an idea of their scale. The dragons in that world are sapient and live in communities, a lot of them can use magic and similar powerful abilities

More info to be added as I brainstorm it, and I might design more characters for the AU in the future

Character specific stuff:

Vyrm - a lot of his backstory is very similar to the main AU, his kind is considered extinct (the reason would most likely be different), though he never changed his form to be smaller, which means his large wyrm form does not exist here. His relationship with WL was also basically the same, as was his journey of discovering his love for Grimm. And just like in the main AU, he ended up losing his status as a leader and hibernating. Unsure whether he would also lose all his powers, since I want to keep his workshop hobby and I like the idea of him having powers that he learned specifically for that purpose (not to mention, doing any kind of precise engineering would be difficult with his dragon anatomy). So we'll have to see.

Grimm - once again a very similar backstory to his main AU counterpart. He is one of the most powerful dragons to exist, and The Radiance is still his sister in this AU. He was banished from his homeland and stripped of many of his powers, losing his status as a higher dragon as a result. I'm still brainstorming how NKG comes into the AU, as of now my idea is that it would be closer to a god-like beast form than a being in another realm, but it may still change. And I'm still thinking how to reconceptualize the ritual to fit this version. Even though he's much weaker than in his prime, he's still more powerful than an average dragon, especially in the NKG form (if that is the direction I take with him).

Lewk, Asta and Milo - basically the same as in the main AU. Lewk and Asta can fly just fine, Milo however is incapable of it (and will likely remain that way even as he gets older, with his wings being too small and weak for flight).

Hornet - in most aspect she's the same, though her half-spider origin would be changed to something else; Herrah is not a spider in this AU, though she would still be quite beastly and unique in her appearance. She has two pairs of wings, which are a trait inherited from her mother's side. She knows silk magic, which she learned as a young dragon.

Zote - he's the most unique here body plan wise, I based his design on pterosaurs. I loved the mental image of him being this annoying, bird-like dragon. In basically all aspects he's the same as his main AU counterpart, though being a dragon I imagine he would have a more impressive lifespan than an average bug in the main AU. He's a herbivore dragon, his mouth resembles a beak, and he has no powers, only a nasty attitude.

Holly - as mentioned before, they are not a vessel in this AU, nor a void being. Instead, they're a hybrid of Vyrm and WL, who is a powerful higher dragon, and were trained to stop The Radiance and put an end to the infection from the day they hatched. Though they did end up learning void magic to aid them in the fight, I think that would be a nice way to preserve at least some of that aspect and it would explain the color of their body in this version. They have a mouth, though they are still mute, likely as a result to battle damage. Like in the main AU, they lost one of their eyes and a limb, and I'm considering designing a prosthetic wing for them at some point to mirror their counterpart.

[cantsomeoneelsedoit]

Ch 59: Tetsuzanko

Little Shen negotiating his demands with his teacher is just so wholesome and pure. Here's this kid who is wearing rags and robbing adults for money all while telling his sister that he's the strongest in the world, and he enters a tournament and gets beat, thus proving he's not the strongest, but it doesn't affect his self-confidence at all.

He's still so confident that he proposes conditions for allowing someone to teach him, and it's not that he's being egotistical or delusional, because he admits he got beat at the tournament.

His leverage in this negotiation is offering the opportunity to train the boy who will become the world's strongest. That's how sure he is that he'll achieve his dream!

Shen: "Do it for the exposure! It'll look great in your portfolio!"

It's still not clear what kind of person Shen's teacher is at this point. We know he's interested in strong students and that he's smiling at Shen, but he seems eager to push Shen to his limits.

FENG?! That Feng?! It all makes sense now!

Feng is waiting on his student to surpass him and needs him to get as strong as possible so that he can have a fitting opponent someday. You know, like a certain other "Best in the World" from another series:

Each of them promises to wait as long as it takes for their student to reach their level, too! Feng has an even more Mihawk-ish quote later in the story, one that almost matches word for word.

But unlike my beloved Mihawk, Feng specifically promised not to age, which is a bit of an odd thing to say unless it's related to his negation ability.

Back to the battle, Shen immediately uses Untruth as he and Feng charge at each other with the sun shining over both of them as in the panels from the previous chapter.

Oho.

Feng is surprised, but Untruth doesn't seem to throw him off his game too badly. Narration boxes explain how Shen's ability isn't foolproof. He has to keep in mind everything he knows about his opponent's skills, tendencies, mood, and the chances of his ability backfiring--all in real time during a fight. He basically has to think for two people during a battle.

That last panel is so pretty!

Shen realizes that this guy is going to be more trouble than he'd thought! He begins to put the puzzle together:

Andy and Fuuko hadn't had a chance to tell Shen about Life Is Strange and its anti-aging abilities because the battle started almost as soon as they arrived.

Feng's style name is written on his outfit. It has the Under symbol and then 八极 "baji" in simplified Mandarin.

Baji is short for Bajiquan, a Chinese martial arts style. Feng has his own variant style of baji, but we haven't yet learned its name. When Feng uses the Zhen Jiao step-in, Shen recognizes it as one of the fundamental moves of baji and it adds to his suspicions that this mystery opponent has the same fighting style as his old master.

It's a quick, explosive, close-quarters kind of combat that's honestly terrifying:

After escaping with the step-in, Feng soars high above and shields himself with one of the jiangshi. Shen remarks that using a "human" shield to block attacks is something his old master would do--we're slowly learning more and more that Feng might not have been a very caring teacher...

Feng, wearing a hooded robe the entire time and concealing his identity from almost everyone in the series: "Heh, I suppose it's no wonder you don't know who I am!" Yeah, no shit. That's how disguises work!

Shen proves once again that he has no sentimental reservations about punching the zombified corpse of his former rival, but Feng spins away from the punch and lines up for his next wicked sick move.

Bajiquan's most famous move is the tetsuzanko 鉄山靠, "iron mountain lean," a kind of shoulder check/throw/battering ram. Feng's version is called hakkaizanko 捌廻山靠 "eight cycle mountain strike/lean."

It's a well-known baji move with Feng's own spin on it. He hits Shen so hard that he has a flashback!

"Aren't schools supposed to be free of dummies" is hilarious, but in just a few pages, Shen says that he can't go to school because he's a dummy. Poor kid! He doesn't even think he belongs in school! He has a lot of confidence in his strength, but not in his smarts. It's especially sad because we know that Shen's actually not dumb at all! T.T

Was Feng really joking though? He's so hard to read!

The siblings go outside to train under the full moon. Mei learns the tetsuzanko and appears to master it in a short time-- but the sfx covers up her joyful moment in the last panel, and it continues across each panel of the flashback as Feng's true nature is revealed.

"Rather than having three disciples, what if I just have one extremely traumatized disciple?"

Feng was never interested in training Shen for Shen's sake. He wasn't trying to get all the glory for himself, either. I mean, he could've won that tournament hands-down if he wanted to, but he didn't even try (and we see here that he could easily beat the current champion). All that Feng wanted was to train someone who could get strong enough to give him a good fight, and he was willing to hurt that person as much as he could in order to make them into a meaner, stronger version of themselves.

The story cuts back to the present and we FINALLY see Feng's face! Noooooo, he's handsome! How can I hate him now?!?!

I don't think we've ever seen Shen look like this before. He has the same wild look in his eyes as he did when Feng first recruited him! Now Feng is hoping to use that wild side of Shen to create his ideal opponent. Is Shen just taking the bait?

Masterpost

[resident-problem]

I really wish that they'd made the Qun more obvious in Taash's story. It's never really specified, but I think it's the driving force behind a lot of what's happening/happened.

When Shathan brings up Aqun-Athlok, it feels like there was room for a dialogue about how even that is binary. I really wish that they could’ve engaged in a discussion there, so Taash could say something to Shathann about not fitting into a binary. They could even use Qunari ideas to talk about it! Like Taash loves to fight ("male" role), but they also have an extensive knowledge of dragons and study them ("female" role). But it doesn't seem like Taash was even aware of Aqun-Athlok before Shathann brought it up, so I'm immediately ringing alarm bells there.

(Break because this is really long, but that's the really short version of what I wanted to say, lol)

On that note, it seems like Shathann has either been blissfully unaware of Taash's struggle with their role/gender, or (and I think this is more likely) Shathan has been deliberately ignoring Taash in that regard. She's seen her child struggling with their identity and knows that it's specifically gender/role related because she's brought up the fact that her "daughter" seems to act more like a man. She's so comfortable with her feelings that Taash is somehow "wrong" that she's willing to bring it up to Rook, a complete fucking stranger!! Right in front of Taash, as if Taash is the one in the wrong here! She doesn't even seem to have brought up the concept of Aqun-Athlok before. When she's informed by Taash that they're non-binary, only then does she mention it. It's especially vile considering that Shathann is a scholar (ashkaari?) and would almost definitely know about it. Not that it's a solution, but it's at least an acknowledgement of Taash's feelings, instead of a complete disregard for them.

Which is also why I think that ending chosen for Shathann makes no goddamn sense. The last time we see Shathann is the dinner scene. Where, yet again, she's trying to put Taash in a tidy box. She's not willing to try and understand Taash's perspective outside of her own understanding of the Qun and how that informs her worldview. When she's (sort of, it's not outright) called on that by Taash (who's also having trouble expressing themselves at all because of how Shathann raised them) she just leaves, with no further attempt at dialogue. Time and time again, she refuses to listen to Taash and continually demeans them in front of Rook. You'd think this is ridiculous because Shathann is a scholar, and as a scholar, you're also supposed to have a healthy curiosity to learn? New? Things? Which is when the Qun again comes into play, but subtly. In a society that demands strict roles and absolute obedience, there is no room for anything other than just that. So obviously, Shathann expects that from Taash as well, leaving no room for any understanding of the world other than the Qun.

Knowing that, it also frames Taash and some of their behaviours (which I've seen being misinterpreted as being rude or disrespectful) in a whole new light. Shathann has continually forced her own beliefs onto Taash. Forcing them to see the world through Shathann's interpretation of the Qun, so when Taash leaves and sees a new world that is accepting and understanding, it would be very hard to go back to how things were with their mother. They've found themselves and been accepted for it, so why can't their mother also be like that, too?

Shathann is also a terrible teacher. From the way Taash talks about her, it seems like there wasn't much room for questions, which then led to Taash having some misinterpretations of their own. For example, the concept of Shokra Toh Ebra seems to have been poorly explained if Taash's interpretation was "you must struggle with yourself" rather than "you must struggle to find yourself." The scene where Taash quietly says that they misunderstood the Qun stuff again and makes it sound like it was their fault broke my goddamn heart man. Like that's not your fault!! It just isn't!! That's on your teacher who, again, probably would have known you misunderstood it and should've corrected you! But Shathann didn't because she expected obedience rather than understanding.

I think it would've been more narratively fulfilling to have that conversation between them. Have the SCHOLAR LEARN something from TAASH instead of her telling Taash what is right. Maybe they have that discussion earlier. Just when they've fixed things between them and they're both happy for a while, that's when the Dragon King comes in and destroys everything. That way, when Shathann makes that final statement, it means something. A final "I love you" rather than finishing an unfinished story at the last possible second and moving on.

So why, then, does Shathann just accept everything out of nowhere? We never see any growth from her whatsoever! She's just magically accepting of Taash at the last fucking second and then she dies. You could make an argument that it was a last second thing and that all she cared about was letting Taash know they were loved, but I don't like how that lets Shathann off the hook for all the crap she did. This is usually how this style of sacrifice is used. So she died, and all is forgiven? Using the heroic sacrifice here makes no sense because Taash's is a story of growth and not letting other people define them. So why have Shathann die here? It serves no purpose, it's not a driving force for something, and it's not fulfilling to Shathann's story, which is not only about keeping her child safe, it's also about her being a scholar and how she sees the world through the Qun. It takes away her agency as a character. We never get to see her growth beyond her dying declaration. We never get to see her learn.

It really feels like they had no idea what they were doing with Taash's story and just gave up last second because having Shathann die was easier than doing literally anything else. She has this big declaration that she accepts Taash, and there's nothing for it. It leaves both Taash and the narrative off balance because both they and the player never get to see that growth from Shathann.

[tyrantisterror]

Woah, that’s pretty heavy, dude. I’ve never seen anyone analyze the series that way, but now that you brought those themes up, they seem pretty damn obvious. Can you elaborate on this interpretation of the shorts and the series? As well as each version’s respective symbolism? How do you think the main cast gaining new colors at the end of the original, only to lose them for the new series factors in to this interpretation. What do Roy and Lesley represent?

Each of the original shorts puts the three main puppets in the role of students and has a different teacher force a "lesson" upon them.

In Creativity, the teacher keeps telling the students how great creativity is, while constantly shutting down their attempts to actually express their own thoughts and feelings, whether it be by questioning the purpose of her arbitrary rules for what they should do or by making artistic choices she doesn't approve of - "Green is not a creative color" isn't just a funny joke, but the whole point of the short and how education often fails when trying to teach art. Because schools put so much emphasis on "objective" evaluations of student progress, they often fail to truly teach inherently subjective subjects like art and creative writing - you can't let people express themselves freely if you have to force them to fit a super strict rubric. "Be creative, but only use the colors I allow you to, only do the activities I've assigned, only think the way I think" is inherently contradictory advice, and by the end of the short the students are so frustrated that they express their creativity in a way that gets them banned from doing it ever again - "let's all agree to never be creative again" is where the short ends.

In Time, the teacher tries to explain the concept of time in an inherently over-simplified and often borderline inaccurate and nonsensical way, to the increasing frustration of the students. The teacher specifically puts a big emphasis on 1. being punctual and 2. believing that the past was generically shitty but it's done so we don't have to worry about it, and the future will be great so don't worry about it. All of these "lessons" are designed to make the students think about time only in the sense of it being a rule they have to obey - a schedule to stick to. When the students actually ask insightful questions about time - "Is time even real? Does anyone know?" - the teacher gets angry and punishes them by forcing them to contemplate their own mortality, all to reinforce the idea that time is just an arbitrary set of rules they have to obey or else.

In Love, the yellow puppet is given lots of empty platitudes about how great love and compassion is and how he should value them, only to then have a bunch of arbitrary rules about how and when one should love heaped on him once he agrees that love is important, with the rules eventually saying his love should be to some nebulous authority figure - "Our king" in the cult imagery of the episode is very much a stand-in for authority in general. We're shown how education can make even the most wholesome-sounding of lessons twisted for a purpose of controlling and manipulating students, forcing them to believe in things that aren't real for the benefit of a select few.

I feel I don't need to explain the Computer episode to anyone who's been in a public school's computer class in the 90's/early 2000's, it kind of explains itself. But a huge problem in education to this day is the persistent belief that you can make students teach themselves by throwing shitty yet expensive "cutting edge" education programs at them - it's what 90% of school budget increases go into because it makes the politicians who buy them look like they care without actually putting any work into understanding what education really needs.

The nutrition episode makes fun of how goddamn mercurial nutrition education has been over the last few decades - one minute eggs are good for you, then you're having too much of them, then you need more of them again, it's fucking madness - and how ultimately all nutrition education does is give you so much anxiety about the foods you pick for yourself that you just buy whatever's advertised for you the flashiest, even if it's really bad for you (like canned meat from one of your few remaining friends).

In the final episode of the original shorts, the Red Guy, having escaped his teachers, finds himself in the dreary adult world, and despite everything actually pines for the simpler days of being a student. He decides to look into the nature of his education, and sees not only how shitty and half-baked a system it is, but also the true root of it: that it wasn't made for the benefit of students, but for the parents who made those kids and want them indoctrinated so they behave better. That's what Roy represents - the parent who doesn't really care about their child learning anything useful beyond "obey the people in charge."

As for the show being about the horrors of the mundane adult world, well, I think that's pretty obvious. One episode is literally about getting jobs. Another is about confronting your own eventual death. They're not subtle about it. And hell, it builds off the finale of the original shorts - Red Guy already transitioned from childhood to adulthood, it's only fitting his pals came with him.

[my-mt-heart]

Where's Daryl?

This was very difficult to write. It opened up a lot of old wounds for me, so if you read this, thank you. If my thoughts on this show haven’t been your cup of tea, that’ll most definitely be the case here as well, so maybe just move along. ***Trigger warning for discussion of childhood abuse***

For about a year and a half, Caryl fans asked Where's Carol? as a pointed reminder that the spinoff was always meant to be hers just as much as it was Daryl’s. Even though she's back now, her fans didn't always know she would be (nor did the EP's 🙄) so her absence during filming and promotion of the first season was a heavy burden to bear. The irony is, though “Daryl Dixon” sticks out like a sore thumb in that ridiculous font, he's the one who feels absent sometimes, as if important parts of his character development were lost when he washed ashore while other parts come and go as the plot demands.

Zabel talks about swapping Daryl's iconic vest for "old man" suspenders as a matter of pragmaticism i.e. they were the only clean clothes available. Norman says it was a choice he wanted for some unclear reason, but neither of them seem to consider the intelligence of their audience, particularly Carylers, to see it more symbolically. The costume change is our visual reminder that Daryl isn't himself. In some scenes he's chattier than he should be, far more trusting of strangers with personal details, and far more theatrical. Then in others, the differences are even more alarming. He calls a child cruel names, puts his hands on him, and feels conflicted about returning home to his family, to the woman he said he loved.

I mentally prepared myself for retcons, but the one I'm struggling with a lot right now, which I haven't seen anyone bring up yet, is the retcon of Daryl’s childhood abuse. Daryl tells Isabelle that he and Merle had to take apart engines and if they couldn't put them back together, their dad wouldn't let them have dinner. It's a milder version of the stories the scars on his back tell us, though I can buy Daryl omitting the worst of it like he did in the pilot. What I can't buy is Daryl saying his dad was "hardly ever" around and emphasizing it as the main source of his pain growing up. It feels contradictory for one thing. When we see Daryl's scars for the first time in S3 of the flagship show, it's implied Daryl was trapped in an environment that enabled his dad to physically hurt him often. Presumably that's why Merle felt guilty about leaving him behind. The revelation also seems like it's only intended to highlight the consequences of an absent father figure, explaining Daryl's fear of not making it home, but also justifying his "close" bond with Laurent. The best stories allow a character's emotions to drive the plot, but this just does the opposite, twisting Daryl's backstory to fit the current narrative.

Daryl's backstory made so many people root for him in the first place. It allowed Carol to see him when nobody else in the group could. It helped me process my own childhood trauma. The ways I got to watch him overcome his violent past gave me hope that masculinity could mean more than what I grew up around—more than anger, shouting, and swinging fists. Daryl taught me that men could still be tender, kind, and loving even if those closest to them in their childhood never showed them how. I imagine Daryl's representation has been important to boys and men too, specifically to those who were afraid to speak up about their abuse because of the stigma around it. The implications of this scene may not be easily noticeable to some, but they are to me, and I'm deeply offended by it.

I’ve talked at length on this blog about how it takes a village to make or break a show, though it’s usually the showrunner who has to answer for it. I've already mentioned that I do blame Zabel. His knowledge of French history has no value when he obviously didn’t bother to study Daryl’s history aside from reading old scripts and (maybe) watching the first couple seasons. That's incredibly irresponsible and terrifying for S2. I also blame AMC for their short-sightedness and their determination to save face no matter how much it costs them. I blame Gimple for his pettiness. I blame Greg Nicotero for his insensitivity to Melissa and her fans.

As for Norman, he's hinted very loudly that he wants credit for the show being "different," so in theory he should be prepared to take some of the blame too. I can't name all of the decisions he specifically made, but no matter what they were, I can blame him for not speaking up about the shipbaiting, Daryl's wavering loyalty, and the childhood abuse retcon, all things that hurt his character and hurt the fans. I genuinely don't know what else to think other than Norman didn't give either the consideration they deserve. The show has been treated like nothing more than a vanity project, and it’s unfortunate when you think about what he and AMC had to gain from the original Caryl spinoff.

I love the version of Daryl I knew before this whole mess, I love Carol, and I love the relationship between them. I want them to have the story they deserve in S2. At the moment, I don’t know how to reconcile that with the agony I feel over the damages to half of my two favorite characters. If Carol is going to cross the Atlantic ocean to find Daryl, I want him to be the man who threatened to punch holes in all the boats so she couldn’t leave and the man who told her he loved her before—ironically—leaving himself. I need to hear Daryl admit he hasn't been completely honest with the French characters, not because he was afraid of getting too close to them, but because he didn't want to face the pain of potentially living without Carol and TF. I need to hear him say that he can't be Laurent's father, which is okay because the kid has plenty of other family to take care of him. I need to hear him say, out loud, that he could never love another woman romantically because he's already in love with Carol. That's what I need to feel better about this story. That's where my investment is. I feel like Carol is safe in Melissa's hands, but I don't feel like I have anyone to rely on for Daryl. That’s a big problem because their stories are so intertwined. There’s no Daryl without Carol nor Carol without Daryl. If you ruin one of them, you risk ruining both of them, and that’s a possibility I really can’t bear.

[gumjester]

Where do you think Alice is in EAH? What's up with her? What do you think of her? Basically do you have any headcanons about her? ;)

oh alice!!!!!! yes, i have thoughts about her, which i think are quite unconventional, as i have a highly specific (and maybe convoluted) imagining of what exactly she has gotten up to in her life.. i think this is going to take some explaining.

ultimately i have had alice serve as a developed, largely tragic reason 4 alistair to be involved with wonderland the way he is. i remember watching spring unsprung all those Years ago and asking myself: why is alistair the same age as the other wonderlandians? shouldn't he b an entire generation younger than them to fit the story? why is he still there, anyway, now being very obviously not a little child?? and we've seen every other wonderlandian parent, so yes, where on earth IS alice???

so, i started there, and worked backwards!

most of this is clarified (or at least said slightly better) in my work 'alistair's fall', but i didn't think alice would end up remaining in wonderland and i never thought of her living in ever after, mostly because i couldnt think of another reason she would not be seen nor mentioned in the show at all! i always considered her an inhabitant of the 'mortal world' [working title], which is different 2 both ever after and wonderland in that it is.. our world i suppose? but fictionalised. normal human dimension, regardless..

this always made the most sense to me, as the separation of the fantastical and the regular is such a fundamental aspect of the original alice story, and if alice hailed from ever after, a place where dragons wandered around and wolves could speak, i dont think it would end up meaning quite the same thing... theme-wise.

so, she is from common old london, and it is there that she returned after her story! unfortunately things get more depressing from here.

alice is quite a sad character in my headcanons.. she loved wonderland very much as her accidental visit provided a refuge from her exceedingly troubled home life, and actually didn't want to leave at all. when it happened anyway (wonderland's stories work more like patterns in nature. a child comes, a child goes. its just what seems to happen) she refused to let her experience go, maintaining that wonderland was not a dream, like most alices decide, but instead a real place that she could return to one day. her life continued as a series of misfortunes, and she grew obsessive, detatched, and quite ill. most of her worldly thoughts and efforts were directed towards getting back to the rabbit-hole and returning to wonderland where she would be safe and happy again. she was never successful.

in her early twenties she ended up alone, still ill, with a child, who she named alistair. giving him a version of her name felt like ensuring his luck that he, too, would get to go to wonderland someday (and she was right).

to make ends meet, she took several odd jobs for several unsavoury people, and ended up on the bad side of someone who believed in extreme measures. she ran from them, with alistair, to the now-derelict house she grew up in, and when inevitably she was found she knew what she had to do.

alice sent alistair out quickly and secretly from the house, and down to the stream where she knew the rabbit-hole must be (if not for her, then surely for him. wonderland is kind like that; if a child is in need, it will open itself to them). alistair found the rabbit-hole. alice stayed behind and met her consequence.

of course, this is a pretty gratuitously miserable thing to put her through, but i was about 17 when i thought of all this and my taste has remained edgy enough to think it effective!!! to this day i have no idea if she ought to be alive in the mortal world, or dead.. maybe one day, if i write a sequel to alistair's fall, i will actually have to make this decision!.... but not yet

[onskepa]

I see DJ'Otxang as a bad bitch who can do rap, trap, street dancing and many more. Can she show the sully some street dancing or hip hop??

I like to imagine O'txang teaching the na'vi kids how to spin their feet and spin on their heads. Gonna try with street dancing! Hope you and everyone likes it!

DJ O'txang in the house! , Rhythm of sound

-------------------

DJ O'xtang: Hot Feet

O’xtang has gotten some fame from the young na’vi. Being able to make human music while crafting something new from it, music soothing and up beat for the na’vi to dance with. Can even form interesting sounds with her vocal chords. Sounds that no one can ever recreate. Her talents have made her stand out and be popular. The youngsters always hear her music, her sounds. Isnt there anything else O’xtang can do? Is there any other talents she is capable of? 

And the answer is: yes. 

What other talent would that be? 

A little thing called street dancing. A form of dance still holding strong and still being free of any form of control.

“Ok, 3, 2, 1-�� 

“What are you doing?” 

“HOLY SHI-DONT SCARE ME!” 

O’xtang put her hand on her chest in a dramatic way as she looked at tuk who scared the living crap out of her. Tuk just giggled at her behavior as she held Kiri's hand. Everyone stood watching O’xtang doing….whatever she was doing. 

“Yeah, what are you doing?” Lo’ak repeats the question. 

“Street dancing” Spider replies casually as he passes by them. The sully eyes were on him since he was wearing regular human clothing. “Wait, what is going on? O’xtang you are swinging your legs and spider is that human clothes you are wearing?” Kiri asks in bewilderment. 

Both humans nod. 

“Why?” Neteyam asks. Such an odd day already. 

“Well O’xtang has been teaching me how to street dance, getting the hang of it” 

“Eh not really no” O’xtang answers honestly. 

“Ok hold on, back up. What is this ‘street dancing’ you keep saying?” Lo’ak asks. Spider stepped aside and turned on the music player, a familiar version of musical beats escaped the speakers. But new waves of deep vibrating sounds came through, and each thrust of a beat, O’xtang started to dance at the exact timing of it. 

Her hands sway in smooth motions but also sharp and quick. Thrusting her body side to side, lowering down and rising back up. But the most impressive part was laying down and swinging her legs in a circular motion, almost as if her legs had minds of its own. Spinning around and around. Her head on the floor spinning as well. 

O’xtangs moves were oddly hypnotizing in a way, Nothing like the siblings have seen before, yet it somehow fits with the rhythm of the music. And just as the music started, it ended with O’xtang hand standing like nothing. 

An immediate applause broke from the kids. Praising her for the fun entertainment. 

“And that is street dancing, one of many versions” O’xtang says while catching her breath. Wiping the sweat off of her brow, she take a seat. Everyone gathered around her, intrigued of what they just saw. 

“How did you learn it?” 

“Why is it called street dancing?” 

“How do you spin yourself like that?” 

“Don't you get dizzy?” 

So many questions at the same time. O’xtang hand to shush them. 

“Ok how about a few videos? I think watching it is better explained than describing it” the dancer offers. Everyone nods so she sets up the projector and looks for specific videos to play. 

There were a mix of feelings. 

Grossed out, excited, confused, curious, intrigued, horrified, baffled, etc. 

It is odd how and weird how humans can contort their bodies to move certain ways. Almost as if they don't have any bones. And the speed of it, very fluent yet quick. And dance battles to see who can dance better? The most peaceful fight they have ever seen. 

“And that is street dancing, any questions?” O’xtang asks as she turns off the projector. There was a few seconds of silence until lo’ak raises his hand, “can you teach me?”. Everyone turned to his direction, eyebrows raised. 

“You? Street dancing?” Kiri asks, almost not believing it herself. Lo’ak nods enthusiastically, “why not? Looks fun” he reasons. He looks back at O’xtang, almost a pleading look. Spider and O’xtang shared a silent conversation between their eyes and shrugged. 

“I don't see a problem with that, spider is just learning two so you guys will be on the same level. But lo’ak, are you absolutely sure? Because I won't give you baby steps” O’xtang says, giving the full warning to lo’ak. However, being too excited, he nods, either not hearing or not caring about her warning. 

“Ok, the rest of you guys can sit wherever on the cushions. This might take all day” 

Neteyam, kiri and tuk sat where the pillows are as they get ready to see lo’ak perform those silly human dances. 

“Ready? 5, 6, 7, 8!” 

“HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!” 

“Oh my god…” 

“Just give up lo’ak” 

Everyone was either laughing or cringing at lo’ak’s silly actions. 

Lo’ak’s face was planted on the cold floor, his legs tangled in themselves as well as his tail. Grunting, he gets up and glares at spider who was having the time of his life by laughing at his failure. O’xtang did her best to hold back her laughter. But clearly she thought it was funny too. 

“I don't get it, I followed your exact instructions. Spider did it well, how come I didnt?” Lo’ak asked more to himself rather than to O’xtang. She stood in thought until she snapped her fingers. 

“It's your tail,” She points out. 

Lo’al looked at his tail, his siblings also looking down at theirs. “How?” He asks. O’xtang walks over to him to observe his tail and rewind how he was moving in her mind. “When swinging your legs around, you were too low to the floor, thus dragging your tail. Me and spider don't have a problem since we don't have a tail. But It will be tricky to do some moves with your tail swerving around. Not only that but when making a sitting position, you almost bent the base of your tail. However you were able to do the rest perfectly since you have extra fingers and toes. Helps a lot with your balance” O’xtang explains. 

Lo’ak listened well and thinks of how he can learn to dance. “Maybe we can make adjustments. Figure out a style that doesn't require hurting your tail” O’xtang suggests. 

“Maybe lo’ak can cut off his tail!” Tuk says happiled. Everyone turned and looked at her with horrified expressions as she smiled ever so innocently. 

“No” was what everyone said. 

“Wait, how about a mix of hip hop with freestyle? Yeah that could work, the style is different but it's flexible” O’xtang says while putting a finger on her chin. Liking the idea more, she changes her music settings to set the mood. 

“Ok, this spider will show you some examples and see if you can replicate it, ready spider?” O’xtang asks, spider nods, “ready!” 

“Ok, in 5, 6, 7, 8!” 

“That's it! You are getting better!” O’xtang cheers for lo’ak as he posed perfectly after his dance. He was breathing a bit heavy, street dancing does take the breath out of you. Wiping off his sweat, he sits down and spider pats him on the back. 

“Not bad for a beginner” Spider teases, it earned him a small side push from lo’ak. 

“Shut up, you are a beginner too” He replies. Both chuckle as they drink huge jugs of water. 

Tuk claps rapidly and runs over to O’xtang, playfully tugging at her arm, “can you teach me too? Please please , pretty please??” she begs. O’xtang looks at tuk, tilting her head slightly. Well tuk technically is tall enough and has the energy to keep up. 

“Sure, but with you, I will go baby steps” O’xtang accepts. Tuk cheers out happily, already making silly moves as to copy lo’ak and spider. 

“You know what? I want to learn too, "Neteyam says as he gets up. Seeing spider and lo’ak dance seemed a lot of fun. Wouldn't hurt to join them too. O’xtang nods in approval and turns to kiri, “and you kiri? Want to learn too?” she asks. 

Kiri shakes her head but smiles, “no thanks, I am good just where I am, laughing at my brother's foolishness”. 

After a 10 minute break for lo’ak and spider, they all got in line waiting for O’xtang’s instructions. 

“Alright, now the music I used for lo’ak is a mix of hip hop and freestyle rap. A good combination to let the beats flow within and move with the sound of each note. You don't move with your mind, you move with the music. It guides you to the flow. The music is your dance partner. Now there are many ways to dance, there is no limitation. Creativity is key. But since tuk, neteyam and lo’ak have tails, we are going to keep that in mind”. 

It wasnt an easy task, but it was a fun one. O’xtang managed to teach the sully’s some interesting moves, no tail injury necessary. 

“Ok now follow me lead, careful, cause I got hot feet, now 5, 6, 7, 8 lets go!” 

Aaaaaaaaaand that is all! I did my best with this one. Hopefully it is to everyons satisfaction! Until next time! see ya!

[shoopsthereitis]

asks:

- what's a jegulus scenario you would love to read/write?

- fave wolfstar dynamic?

- if you could only read one fic for the rest of your life what would it be?

- top three remus pairings and the lore behind them?

- a rarepair you haven't tried yet but want to?

- if all of the marauders were an animal that WASN'T their animagus, what would they be?

- and lastly, if james had a theme tune, what song would it be and why?

hello, ily.

Ive been craving older divorced jegulus second chance, like make them in their late 30s early 40s and falling back in love (are we surprised about this one? I love second chance sm)

I actually love wolfstar miscommunication, it fits them so well and I never get tired of it. the absolute RUSH of yelling at my phone for them to just fucking talk?! theres nothing like it

The Mystery of the Pears by sonwar. if you know me you know how much I love this fic and how I never pass up an opportunity to gush about it, its everything to me

okay so obv wolfstar, then wolfstarbucks bc idk this one also feels like a DUH to me? those three make so much sense in my mind and I love them together. and then remus/evan if were going rare pair bc they scratch a very specific itch in my brain that I can't really explain

BARTYLILY my beloveds. I have so many thoughts on them, ive been yapping about them a bit more lately, and I'm working on a fic with them and I just think they're so fun. especially when you're considering barty as the highly intelligent ravenclaw who still has some edge to him and can bring out a wild side of lily also she bosses him around for sure I just love them sm

!!!! IM EDITING THIS TO ADD RINGSLEY i need people to put more respect on my man Kingsley Shacklebolt. He is everything to me. and so underrated. i want him everywhere, and him and regulus are SO interesting of a dynamic.

Peter: porcupine Sirius: Fox James: golden eagle (I have no basis for any of these tbh)

James' theme tune is Fearless (Taylors Version) I feel strongly about this and I feel like @rabidlittlestrawberry will agree

[im-not-a-l0ser]

The Michie Playlist

Click Here to listen to the playlist on Spotiy Click Here to listen to the playlist on youtube Click Here to see my opinion on the og (@wildrottingworms) playlist recomendations Click Here to see my opinion on other song requests (@24-guy, @milgram) for the playlist

Okay, so I analyse these the same as the others because I added these just with the 'oh, i think this'll be good for them,' thought, I didn't listen to them and then add them.

My Strange Addiction: I already talked about this song being michie, so this is actually the only one that I listened to and then added, and the reason this playlist exists.

Ocean Eyes: Do I... Do I need to explain this choice? I feel like I don't.

A Million Dreams: Yes, absolutely, super cute for childhood friends michie, adult reformed Richie; perfect.

Rewrite the Stars: Okay stick with me. For most of the song, Max is Zac Efron and Richie is Zendaya— except the very last by Zendaya, that is Max. Okay, do you see? Do you see my vision?

Tightrope: I really do love this for them, but I. I don't know why it makes me think more of Swedish Barbeque. Realistically its more lautski, but in either case, i still really like it for Michie. It's staying

Teen Idle: Okay, so this kinda breaks my rule. This song is about Richie, so it should be on the Richie playlist— but it's only under the context of Michie, specifically childhood friends Michie. It's about Richie regretting not following Max's path by his side so they could be together. Do you see? Do you... am I wrong? And then that slow verse is Max I think. Listening to it, I think that's Max.

Under My Skin: This one's a bit more loose, I think I'd rather have yall's opinion on it. Listen to it and get back to me.

Love Me, Normally: If you've seen my Will Wood post, you knew this was going to be on here. I don't think I need to explain this.

Lemon Boy: This is major childhood friends Michie vibes. Unfortunately, him and Lemon Boy still grow apart ;(

Blue Eyes Like Devil's Water: I added this on a whim, I'd never listened to it before, but it reminded me of Ocean Eyes in the title, so I added it. The guy singing this sounds so stressed out, which is mood wow. I can totally see it as a shifting pov song. I think I'm going to keep it? I'm very torn. If you don't like the voice cracky thing that McCafferty has going on, I definately don't blame you if/when you take it off. I'll probably skip it sometimes for that reason, because his anger is making it worse than usual.

Bottom: I was kind of surprised not to find it on the original playlist. It feels very them. Although, that may just be because I'm writing a thing I think it's fitting for, but I haven't published it yet.

A Thousand Years: Yes, this means a son from Twilight is on the Michie playlist. I am aware of this. I don't care, it's very good and very good for them. I'm keeping it, you can fucking fight me (/lh)

I Won't Say I'm In Love (Mashup): I am so glad this one won. I think the extra love songs give it depth, and the inclusion of "there might be something there that wasn't there before" is what really got me to want this version specifically on this playlist. There's technically still 15 hours left on this poll, so if the og or both end up wining, I'll put it on here too.

[trashboatprince]

Fourteen becomes convinced that the Bentley is the Tardis whose chameleon circuit has somehow fixed itself and/or another tardis and takes it for a joyride?

More misadventures of 2023 DT characters getting into other 2023 DT characters' modes of transportation.

Warning: again, ignore that the show version of Doctor Who exists in Good Omens canon. This isn't tied to the other fic, this one is just if the situation was reversed.

On with the fic!

--

The Doctor stared at the beautiful, shiny Bentley that had honked at them, yet there was no driver in sight. No one was hiding in the back seats, nor down in the area when your feet go.

"Hello there." The Doctor greeted, and jumped when it honked at them in reply. They blinked, then felt a grin grow on their face. "Oh ho! Friendly, aren't you?"

They had never seen a car react to them before like this, and it had them curious. They put a hand on the hood, gently patting it. There was a strange feeling coming from the metal, a sentience, which most automobiles do not have, at least no in this time period.

Was this the TARDIS? Had her chameleon circuit finally decided to work correctly again? Or had the old girl decided she need a change and allow the circuit to work?

"Look at you, you're a real beauty like this! Didn't take you for a fan of the classic cars! Is this because of Betsy? Mind you, she was a reliable, ol' car!"

The Bentley honked again at the Doctor, making a grumbling sound at them from the engine even though it wasn't weren't running.

"Ah? Not my TARDIS then? Hmm, I see, I see." They nodded and walked over to the driver's side. "Mind if I have a look inside?"

The door unlocked and they grinned. "Much obliged!" They patted the top of the car before slipping inside, finding it miraculously well adjusted for their current height, with no uncomfortable issues of having to pull their long legs up to their chest in order to fit!

The inside of the Bentley was well kept, very clean, everything looked original, minus the CD and cassette player that clearly shouldn't be, but seemed as if they had been built into the dashboard when she was first produced.

Was she a TARDIS? Seemed like only a TARDIS or a really good shimmer could pull off that trick. "Let's see, how do we go about checking your..."

There was a click and the lights of the dash came on, and so did the radio, as the engine started to purr. The Doctor laughed as the song Starman by David Bowie began to play. "Outstanding! Loving the music choice, aren't you a clever thing?"

There was a happy rumble from the engine.

"Now, can you give me any information on who your pilot is? Not every day I find a sentient vehicle in 21st century London!"

The music seemed to change and now the Doctor heard Queen begin to play, specifically Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy. How... odd?

"Hey! What the heaven are you-!? Get out of there!"

The Doctor turned their attention away from the radio to look at the approaching figure. They stared at them in surprise, it was like looking in a mirror!

A mirror that favored putting you in a retired rock star's outfit, but that was made up for by that brilliant shade of red hair the stranger was sporting!

Ooh, they always knew they could pull off ginger!

"That's your pilot, I take it?" They asked and the Bentley honked. "You're not a TARDIS, are you?"

Another honk, one that sounded like an apology.

"Ah, it's alright, you're just as lovely, and just as fascinating as one, you beauty!"

There was another happy car sound as the stranger stopped at the door, throwing it open. "Out. Now."

"Right, yes, apologies. Sorry, I thought she was my TARDIS and then she let me get inside and poke about, fascinating set up in there! What sort of-"

"Shut up and explain to me how the heck you got her to be blue!? You're as bad as the angel with his yellow!"

"Blue?" The Doctor turned and looked, oh! "Oh, look at you!" They grinned.

The Bentley was now a gorgeous shade of TARDIS blue, how curious!

--

I think Crowley might like Fourteen's company, but isn't too pleased about a stranger getting into the Bentley and her changing color. Again.

Also, I just realized you asked for a joyride, whoops. Maybe next time? :D Fourteen drives the Bentley, Crowley drives the TARDIS?

[naffeclipse]

So, about that specialty as a fanfic writer post! I've been thinking about it a bit and wondering what to say that isn't just repeating all my gushing I've already done about your writing in general, but then I realized the post says fanfic author specifically so I'm gonna focus on just that! (thinking about fanfic as its own kind of genre in a way, even though definitions like that can get pretty complicated on what constitutes what but I digress and it's just the start of the ask fkjghskjdgh)

So anyways! I think your specialty as a fanfic author, regarding what I know about fanfic, the communities, and all the shapes it can take, is the construction of a story and the way you put the characters of the source material in it. And I know this might sound pretty general for fanfic (your writing is so good in general after all XD), but I'd explain it like this:

You are incredibly good at creating a world, a plot, with its own rules that might be completely different to the source material, and yet the way you build the characters is very recognizable. Of course when it comes to Sun and Moon, there really isn't that much that canon offers to us, but the few aspects that we do have, the fandom has kept secure and transformed, analyzed, subverted and played around with them to create many wonderful scenarios! And I just absolutely love the way you play with all of them! And not just Sun and Moon! You clearly know a lot about fnaf in general and you apply that to make the AU you are working on all the much richer! The way afton is always this looming evil figure, in whatever version you are using (glitchtrap or the man himself), how you have had different versions of Vanessa, from a vicious antagonist, to a friend trapped by the circumstances (just like it's up to interpretation in the games!) and how there is also glimpses to such a wider story whenever you mention characters like Michael or Charlie, or even Freddy.

But then you are also very good at sticking to your plot! Fanfic is, of course, a medium to have fun and exploring all sorts of branches to a story is fun (and you do that a lot in your blog too, which I absolutely love and will always be excited about!), but when it comes to a world you have planned, the specific fanfic you are writing, I'm just so impressed how you can choose what to focus on, and while you imply things, you know what is relevant to the story you want to tell, and how to stick to it, even though worldbuilding about all the rest of the source material tends to be very tempting, but might not be what the story requires from a technical standpoint. Again, I feel there's no wrong way to go about fanfic! It's just the method you use is very, like, precise? And for what you want to achieve i'ts just perfect! You figure out what your structure is, what your plot needs, and the fun thing is that if we wonder about the rest, what goes beyond the story or little details you feel might not be able to be included, we can still send asks about them! So it's not like it's lost or anything. You have your beginning, your middle and your end and you nail them every time! It's so cool!!

So yeah! I think your specialty as an author of fanfic in particular, is your way of figuring out what you want to do with your story, structuring and building it really well, and knowing how to make the characters fit the world while maintaining all those little references to canon, no matter how different the world is to the source material!

Sources (aka fanfics I had in mind while writing this XD): Deep Dreams, Sleuth Jesters, and Cryptid Sightings.

Chaotik, I've been rereading this over and over and I am completely melted. I'm just a puddle now, thank you ♥ You are so sweet and kind, ahhh! I'm gonna smooch you on your head *smooch*

[bookshelf-in-progress]

The Six Swans for a fairytale retelling?

I finally filled this prompt by writing "Without Words" as my story for the Four Loves Fairy Tale Challenge. Since I put the story in a separate post, I'm going to self-indulgently use this ask to provide some author's notes.

For quite a few years now, I've had the idea to retell the ending of this fairy tale from the prince's point of view. It's so dramatic! He's protected this woman for years, and had to be deeply in love to do so, and now he's faced with enough evidence that he has to put her to death. How do you deal with that? I fully intended to use his POV to fill this prompt, yet, every time I tried, I couldn't make it interesting enough to hold my attention.

Then a few weeks back, I had the image of the prince begging his wife to speak, while she had to stand strong and refuse, despite the pain it causes both of them. This became much more interesting (and easier to write as a short retelling), because the prince's conflict comes from not knowing, while her conflict comes from fully knowing what's going on and having to make the hard choice not to save herself.

From the first spark of this idea, the couple was named Eliza and Christian. Eliza because of Andersen's fairy tale, of course, and Christian because Andersen's tale is Danish, and Denmark has had ten kings named Christian. His name became even more thematically fitting when I decided to write this story for the Inklings Challenge.

I debated whether I should retell the "Six Swans" version where the heroine is accused of killing her three children, or the "Wild Swans" route where she's just accused of witchcraft. The witchcraft charge is enough to condemn her to death, is more directly related to her task, and makes her story parallel her stepmother's better. However, the missing children angle made this much more painful and implied a stronger bond between the two of them. They're not only married, but they've had three children together! He's protected her against two different accusations of murder! The fact that he's been so supportive up to this point makes it even more dramatic when he finally is forced to execute her.

It does seem a bit ridiculous that he's let this go on long enough to lose three children, but that just adds to the drama of the moment. Christian knows Eliza well enough that he doesn't believe she could kill their children, but after three murders, the evidence is getting harder and harder to explain away, and even the king has to obey the law, so he signed the execution order to prevent rebellion from his government.

If I hadn't written that opening scene, I'd probably be rolling my eyes at some of the language--"the way our souls entwine"? Really? Who talks like that? But sometimes you just gotta write something very, very sappy. It's good for the soul. And I have a good excuse because I posted on Valentine's Day.

On a structural level, my favorite line in the story is probably, "Does the prisoner have any last words?" I was struggling with how to transition between Eliza musing about Christian and her brothers to the moment of breaking the curse, when that line of dialogue occurred to me, and the scene fell into place. It's a standard line for this type of scene, while tying in perfectly to the specific conflict here. Plus, it stops the guards from tying up Eliza long enough to keep her arms free for shirt-throwing.

This story taught me a lot about how to strategically use telling vs. showing. The standard points of the fairy tale--the breaking of the curse, the reunion with her brothers, the mother-in-law's crime, and the recovery of the children--are all told, rather than shown, because this story is about the bond between Eliza and Christian, and stopping to show anything else distracts from that. Like, I had tried to show the brothers explaining about the curse and the lost children, but that tangled me up in the logistics of the scene, and made me drop the thread of Eliza and Christian's relationship. Reducing it to summary allowed me to keep the focus where it needed to be.

I am sad I had to push her brothers so far into the background. That family bond is such an important part of the fairy tale, but the story's focus means I only get to name one brother.

Usually, one of the youngest brothers is stuck with the swan's wing, but I gave it to the eldest, because 1) I wanted to be different, 2) In the limited space, it allowed me to feature both her eldest brother and the swan wing brother at the same time, 3) giving the wing to the crown prince creates much more interesting conflict.

Retellings that give the youngest brother the wing usually go on and on about how he's torn between his ordinary human life and the freedom of life as a swan, and that's so whiny and boring to me. Giving it to the eldest brother, however, has concrete political consequences. He's crown prince! Will the people accept a king with the permanent mark of a curse? Can he leverage this imagery to his advantage? Now that he's lost his dominant hand (I made sure to make it as inconvenient as possible), he can neither write nor hold a sword, which could have profound effect on his reign. Giving him the wing could be a bit like Rabadash's curse in The Horse and His Boy--something that forces him to prioritize peace--especially since I've written him as a bit of a war-monger. Even with his limited amount of page-time, he fascinates me, and I'd kind of like to see where his story goes.

With the brothers so blithely talking about going home and taking Eliza with them, I imagine that in the interim of seven years, events have transpired that have eliminated the stepmother as a threat. Going home is just going home to a beloved father, not going to war.

Initially, I had wanted Eliza's first spoken word to be her husband's name. When that proved to be impractical in the execution scene, I considered giving her no dialogue, to prove that she doesn't need words to be a force in the story. Making her one word of direct dialogue be her husband's name felt like the perfect compromise.

In offering to let Eliza take the children, Christian is really being reckless. He blithely talks of transferring the crown, but any one of his kids--who he's offering to let grow up in a foreign country--could one day decide to take advantage of their valid claim to the throne to try to take over his kingdom. He's really lucky that Eliza forgave him.

Portraying the final kiss as "I let my silence speak for me", was not intentionally inspired by Gaskell's habit of referring to kissing scenes as "delicious silence", but I'm kind of pleased by the connection.

I'm proud of that final line. Ties everything up so neatly and concisely.

[formula-fun]

Ah! (lightbulb) we definitely have very different understandings of angst, or I was more thinking about relationship-wise because the current fic feels like the story of them coming together despite everything on themselves and between each other. And internal and external perception of gender roles, external expectations and judgment hahahaha is simply part of the “everything”. I definitely is not expecting fairytale happily ever after (not that my expectations should matter).

It’s not pretentious at all hahaha, maybe it’s just even though world-building is very important for me even in fanfic (I get stuck thinking about logistics a lot of the time) , I still looked past the heaviness of gender roles, expectations and judgement because it feels like something jumping on the back of their minds and the story constantly, but when I am way too focused on “how they are feeling” instead of “how they are going to make this work” it’s kind of shoved out the way.

Though now typing this out is really making it like I’m just ignoring the elephant in the room ha. I do really like the “huge fucking mess” though, besides the glorious horse metaphors, your way of writing and very smooth incorporation into personality and interactions make the underlying discussion so much more interesting. Like it’s a very important part of the story but not center-staged with neon flashing lights, instead has the constant lurking in the shadows air to it. It is technically heavy but both of them thrive on challenges don’t they!

Oh! Or maybe I have always associated the heaviness in the background for Max in the story with his father which is being counterproductive to him embracing himself, and Charles with embracing himself, this actually is the more specific version of “gender roles, expectations and judgement”.

Forgive me for thinking that even if the plot is trying to gender stereotypes into mush they could still get ostentatious diamond engagement rings hahahhahah, maybe it’s just me thinking this would be funny, especially during the time they would literally be facing media judgement about how the “omega wife” should be home with the child not out fucking f1 with his greatness. It could (or not) be in line with Charles change in dress style!

Sorry I pretty much just wrote down my very nonlinear thought process.

Happy Wednesday! (At least we are pull through half the week now right?)

Xxxxxxxxxooooooooooxxxxoo

Hi hi again!! mwah

Yeah I think that probably explains it!! i mean it'll probably all result in some tension in their relationship but you know...it'll be fine. idk. we'll have to wait and see!! once again i am answering your ask too early in the morning and dont have the braincells i am so sorry

i do completely get you about worldbuilding too, I tend to think about writing in a really mathematical/analytical way in terms of how people and relationships fit together so i know it's easy to get caught up in logistics!! theres a lot of worldbuilding cmoing up now for me as well though because the last chapter has to do with like how mating works vs how weddings work and things like that. like mating ceremonies were already mentioned and they're different than beta weddings, but im still working out what exactly they look like. Also how gender works for kids since gender and biological sex don't really have anything to do with each other in this universe? I think i've figured out what its going to be like but i dont know for sure yet. fun fun fun

but yeah anyway i like the way you put it because they themselves exist kind of in an internal relationship and that's where the story is being told, but everything else is an external pressure that's guiding them in certain ways or making them feel certain things. Without all of that they'd probably be fine, but there's a lot going on outside of just them and we're not so much seeing those things as we are seeing how it changes them as people. So 'how they're feeling' is really what the story is about, but it's all a direct result of those things that are lurking in the shadows.

and hashshahd i'll get back to you about diamond rings!! i guess it all depends on what exists in their bubble vs what exists in the external bubble!! at this point they're starting to prioritize only what makes them feel good and completely put aside things that please external forces (max finally told his dad he needed space, charles wants to court max, charles is exploring his own self-expression in ways that make him happy--all of these things directly contradict what other people expect or want from charles and max, but they're both doing them to make themselves feel happier or more secure, which in turn makes their relationship more secure), so going forward that will probably be what they continue to do. if they want to get beta married and throw a big celebration then they'll do it, but they probably won't do it just for the sake of appearances/to show off! it's more about doing what makes them happy

but also my brain was like melted the other day from this stupid academic paper about public vs private life and i think that is now unforutnately influencing this fic. the public/private life academic paper is an external pressure on my internal relationship with my own fic. this is why we cant have nice things

anyway sorry for this long ass answer, thank god its wednesday tho and i hope youre having a great week!!!! sorry if none of this makes any sense but please know i enjoy your questions so so so much <333

[binniesoob]

Heyo Jo, I drop another thing into your ask box because I recently watched the Sugar Rush Ride (Japanese version) MV and I've fallen in love with this frame in particular

I LOVE IT 😭

It's so aesthetically pleasing that it can be used in a moodboard or something 🥺

But it also made me wonder in which part of the timeline we are here. In this one it seems that TxT have come back into Magic Island after "ages" so I was wondering if they're hinting the next chapter (get it? 🤣) into their storyline or not. The amount of butterflies I saw here makes me think so.

Also maybe it's a little obvious but Yeonjun keeps having that little scar/wound on his nose and he looks so adorable 🥺

I remember he had it in other previous eras so I was wondering if there was a connection to it (maybe his characterization?) or it's just a simple aesthetic detail that the visual directors keep adding on him because it's appealing.

Also I listened to Hydrangea Love too.

A soft cute ballad from them I CAN'T I love them 😭 idk if it can be included into the lore because it's an OST 🤔

Also I tried to at least finding some meaning behind the title because we don't have an official translation yet (and I think we'll get one only when Sweet will be released completely) and UGH, they should have choosed another flower instead of the hydrangea, that flower has so, so, soo many different meanings my head exploded when I tried to do some research about it.

Maybe they hinted something in the concept photos by putting some hydrangea there but I suck on recognising flowers so 😅🥲

End of this stream of consciousness for now, I think some of this rambling can help a little for the future posts about the lore ig

I tried to be vague because I don't remember if you like being spoiled of things or not BUT if you don't mind spoilers maybe next time I might come back on your ask box and making longer ramblings 🤣

finally answering this too!! 😭

MOOD!! THAT FRAME IS GORGEOUS!! they made a very good use of the CGI!! also perfectly delivers how txt are inside an illusion crafted by the devil!!

for the timeline, in the beginning we see yeonjun in his car that got away at the end of gbgb jap ver! he has an incident and gets transported to magic island/neverland. all of the others get transported too from wherever they are and they are able to reunite. so i think srr jap fits after gbgb jap that goes after loser=lover 👍

yeonjun with that scar on his nose is indeed adorable 😔 this frame especially is majestic likeeee look at that 🤯

tbh i think both? it's like the aesthetic of having a band-aid over your noise bridge! but yeah, it's also an occurring theme for yeonjun 😮 honesty i didn't investigate if having a scar on your nose has a meaning 🤔 (if anyone knows feel free to explain it to us <3), anyways, the fact that he always has scars connects to his impulsive and risk-taking nature. and he's also a fighter! in the star seekers his weapon is a sword so he is definitely more exposed to being injured in combat than soobin for example, who is an archer.

Hydrangea love is such an heartfelt song 🥺 it's so pretty!!! soft rock too!!! i love it!!! i honestly didn't have time to analyse the lyrics and see if i connects to the lore 😭 but i have a feeling it does 👀 it sounds like a goodbye song to their first love from freeze and minisode 2..

i suck at recognising flowers too lol 😭 if you found out anything about this pls let me know 🙏

all the ramblings and asks and comments ALWAYS help for the lore so thank you so much!!! and it makes everything more fun and interesting 🥰 it's my fav part eheh

i'd love longer ramblings 👀 and spoilers are okay, anyone can drop them anytime, at most I will reply later if at a specific moment I prefer to see something with my own eyes first and try to understand it ;)

sorry again for answering this SO LATE 😭😭😭 and thank you so much for sending this ❤

[ravio-rants]

Raide and 5 for the OC asks, blease!

"what kind of abilities and power level does your oc have? why did you give them powers? what is the in universe explaination?"

alright so to answer this i have to get a tiny bit nerdy world buildy so i apologize:

twili are innately magical to some degree, which is where they get their glowing birth marks. in my version of the twilight realm: if its colorful, its probably magical.

almost all twili, including raide, have telekinesis (although its usually pretty weak. think like. carrying a few books, not moving cars.) and can make small light sources.

Raide is pretty average, powers wise. he has powers that make him fit for the job of a royal guard, like her moms, but they arent particularly powerful. just simple stuff like basic shield magic and the ability to summon a weapon(the caveat being the weapon has to already exist and be put away for her to summon it. cant just Create magical weapons, but they do have a sort of "hammer space" type thing they can summon his weapon from)

he has telepathy, which is a somewhat common twili power, but it doesnt have a very long range, unless its a pre-established connection. idk the exact specifics of it yet but she has to have spoken to them before, and they have to like. both choose to maintain the connection for it to work lomg distance.

as for Why i gave them powers? because in the canon my twilight realm is based off off, Legend of Zelda twilight princess(video game specifically, sorry manga enjoyers), the two twili we see do anything interesting (sorry to the random dudes who stand around outside the palace lmao) have magic, and its fun. so i gave them magic. i just gave them less strong magic bc both Zant and Midna are like. high ranking and or royalty, so they're probably a bit stronger.

in universe explaination for raide's specific magic? the magic types you usually get are somewhat genetic, so like, for example, since she comes from a long line of royal guards, she has magic that most royal guards have, like the basic shield and weapon stuffs. i say basic shield because it isnt like.. a force field that surrounds, its more of just a curved wall that can take a few hits or be pushed forward to confuse and disarm. its not particularly strong, unlike other shield magic.

telepathy is, again, somewhat common, so that ones self explanatory i think.

hope this makes sense, feel free to ask for clarification on anything :D