#its about the loss of childhood its about it never being over despite how much you sacrifice its about all the innocents you do it for-

[estercity]

if i may have the stage for a moment,

they are the same character to me.

[livingsurreal]

Thoughts and theories in regards to my favorite senior necromancer

This man swept me of my feet so completely that I am still reeling. He is my new Solavellan and the amount of feels I have about him, its ungodly.

So I present to you my way to long essay about why Emmrich is the saddest and greatest man Bioware ever created, right next to Solas.

Please be aware of spoilers if you have not completed the game yet.

Also, shutout to @jaal-ama-daravv - you were looking for others peoples thoughts and theories. Also, thank you for all your posts and love for Emmrich.

My second meta post is here!

(Edit for typos)

Their whole romance starts with dear Rook trying to flirt with him. And Rook being Rook their flirts are… questionable. I image Rook always doing a facepalm “Oh god, what did I just say?” afterwards. They… are not really that good at flirting. Half the time he doesn’t even seem to get that Rook was flirty with him.

But, oh, he did get it. He just couldn’t really comprehend it. This pretty, young and exciting person, flirting with him?!? Rook can be anything up to their mid-40s according to canon. That is not that much younger than him. But to him, they do SEEM young. Despite them being somewhat younger than Emmrich, I do think though, in quite a few ways, they are more experienced and knowledgeable than him. Emmrich led a pretty sheltered life. His childhood seems to be a happy one, despite them being poor. The loss of his parents had a huge impact on his life. To a degree where it still impacts him in a major way, even now, a lifetime later. But outside of that, I don’t think there was much strife or adventure in his life.

He is a quiet man who loves his books, and his time and work in the necropolis. He rarely even left the Necropolis. He never saw much of the world outside of it. But he always wanted to. Always dreamed of some kind of adventure. I think this is one of the reasons he so readily agreed to help Rook. A chance for adventure (and to help the world).

So here he finds himself in the company of a vibrant adventurous Rook who has seen and experienced so much. I think no matter their age difference, they would seem younger, “fresh faced” and vibrant to him. They are so full of life compared to him, who has not done that much living in recent years. They are less stuck in their ways, are out in the world and not sequestered in a life of routine.

In some ways he seems to be older than he is. That man is in his 50s. That is NOT old. But he seems to have lacked the courage to take life by its horns and just ride it. He is cautious, a coward in many ways. But somehow this dear Rook seems to bring out a different side of him. An almost forgotten yearning for more.

So, Rook awkwardly flirts with him. Bumbles and stumbles over words to flatter him. And he is exhilarated, touched and most of all confused. Why would this beautiful, vibrant person be interested in HIM of all people. There are other people around who should be so much more interesting to them than him. And how could he not be interested in them himself? They are, in a way, what he wants to be. Adventurous. Full of life. Indomitable. No matter what life throws at them, they refuse to yield. They have a courage the lacks, or thinks he lacks.

But that man is so much braver than he thinks. The fact that he is so open with Rook about his thanatophobia, even with a Rook that is not romantically interested in him is so touching. He tells them his most inner fears and all he wishes for it in return is some respect and kindness.

So, after some light and awkward flirting he tells them. If they DO mean it, he is interested. Emmrich is a deeply romantic man. In the dept of his heart he does not want a short-term affair. He wants someone to spend his life with. He wants something real. He wants everything.  It’s what he always wanted, but never found and had completely given up upon.  So he opens up a bit more.

But around that time, he also realizes that he absolutely has to tell them about his plans for lichdom. He tells the Rook on the friendship path why he hopes for their help in regard of Johanna. He explains why it is so important to him to find and stop Johanna.

Same goes for Rook on the romance path. But here comes the other side of the coin. Lichdom puts a possible halt on their fledging romance. He cannot know if Rook would be willing to continue what they’ve barely started.

They may either continue under the understanding that they have just temporary affair. What he never wanted. He always wanted that eternal flame – but by the Maker he wants to be with them, even if it is just a short time. He is still all feely at this point and the whole scope of his emotions have not yet hit him.

Or even, can he dare to dream, beyond that point of no return and stay with him after he becomes a Lich.

But he must put it out there. He cannot go further into their romance pretending his plans do not exist. He thinks Rook has a right to know what they are getting in to, and he is correct (and much respected) for that.

At the end, Rook commits to being with him with the full knowledge that Lichdom will come, sooner or later. If they stay with him from that point on is still undecided, but for now they are his. And how can he say no to that. He certainly did not expect this. I believe he fully expected this to be their end. But his confession ended truly in a night of unexpected splendor.

So, we know he always wanted “enduring affection”, love and commitment. And he had his fair share of lovers, paramours and affairs. I would think that he is someone who, when he does fall in love, loves so deeply and completely that it often scared his lovers away.

Not necessarily in an unhealthy way, but he is, underneath all that poise and manners, a deeply romantic man with strong emotions. I don’t think that Rook is special b/c he loves them more than he could love someone else, but b/c they not only accept all his love, more so, they welcome and return it in equal measure. They accept him and want him, even with all the baggage he comes with.

I think he was burned quite a few times in the past. So, he is trying to hold back, “be normal about it”. It’s just hard when this person he loves so much looks at him like he is their moon and stars and flame eternal. It’s hard when he feels finally and completely seen. He told them about his deepest fears, his plans about lichdom, and they are still here, willing to be on his side all the way. And while they seem to act like teenagers being all over each other, all want and need and stolen kisses, I think what they feel goes way deeper from the start.

At the same time, I also think that is partly at fault for not being able to find a lasting relationship. He had people in his live who did not want to fully commit to him. But I also think, the he never truly committed to anyone. He did, surely, on a more surface level. But a part of him always stayed closed off. He never gave himself completely. His fears made sure of that. What happens with Rook, the wonderful, oh so romantic start of their relationship? Only to end in this uncomfortable limbo because he lacks “the guts to say how he feels”? I think that was not the first time a relationship ended sour this way for him.

Take the amount of his feelings, add to that his thanatophobia, and that poor man becomes more and more a complete mess. What starts out as exciting and new and OMG THEY LIKE ME, becomes soon a new target for his fears. All those feelings inside him warring with each other. He wants to pin them against a wall and declare his undying love and run and hide at the same time.

Then comes Manfreds sacrifice and his big decision. Will he restore Manfred? Will he give up his friend to achieve his dreams?

Since I went with Manfred, I will mainly describe my feelings regarding mortal Emmrich. Though I believe Lich Emmrich suffers from the same base fears, they just find a different target.

Tbh, what Lace says to him certainly would not have helped. Her words feed into his doubts and fears and give them credibility. See, even Lace says this might not be right. Rook is younger. They move too fast. He will die earlier. Rook will be devastated. A whirlwind of emotions and half formed thoughts fueled by fear.

All he ever sees and what is constantly on his mind is not the time they can spend together, but the end of their time together. His death, their death, it does not matter. One of them will be gone and the other will be left with the pain he felt after his parents died. A pain that might even be worse than what he felt back then.

Rook being younger just becomes the vehicle by which he tries to convince himself that this might not be such a good idea after all. But its all his fears speaking.

And fear can be so strong, so overwhelming.

When they had this fight, my read on his words was that he wanted to break up with Rook. His words at that moment are condescending, bordering on mean.  He is lashing out. We know he can be vindictive when he feels wronged, but he is nothing but kind and gentle to those he likes and who treat him with respect. I think, in a way, that it was not necessarily a conscious decision, but more of an instinct to hurt Rook. To make them angry and not love him anymore. To make it easier to end it, spare them the pain of breaking up now and of loosing him to death one day. By protecting himself from the pain of their death should he outlive them.

As if that would work and make any difference to Rook, or him. They are already so madly in love with each other.

And I think, what makes Rook different from his previous partners is that they realized, if they let him finish this sentence, he might break something beyond repair. Even if it was his fear speaking at that moment, not his love. Running away from his feelings is a recurring theme for him. And he does not WANT to break up with them. But his fear tells him its better this way. Fear is a liar, though.

So they speak a harsh truth. It’s his fear, insecurities and cowardice speaking. They do not let him get away with it. It is harsh, yes. But I think it was also necessary. It spells out a truth he did not want to admit to himself. He is afraid, insecure and a coward. And the big question, is that what he wants to be? They are, in sadly not the nicest way, telling him to get hid goddamn shit together. And sometimes that’s needed. Especially for an academic man like Emmrich. No Emmrich, that is not logical. It is pure emotion and fear is running your life, not you.

In a perfect world they would have told him so in a calm and collected manner. Less harsh words and more kindness. But would that have had the same impact on Emmrich? Rook is a person too, with their own fears and hopes and dreams. And Emmrich right now is breaking their heart. I think he needed that. To see the pain and hurt he inflicted on them.

Can you imagine the regret he would feel in the end? If he left Rook? It would leave him a broken shell of a man. His final defeat. Fear had won. Nothing would be better, and no one would have been spared any pain. I would just be a lifetime of regret and what ifs. The one person who accepted him fully, loved him so deeply, and HE threw everything away.

I think, the time Rook was trapped inside the fade prison might have been the best thing that could happen in the long run. It’s all his fears come to reality. Rook is gone. He lost them. And he just wants to curl up and hide. But he can’t. He needs to find them. If he lets fear win now, Rook might be lost forever. He cannot allow himself to be coward now. I think this time was a come-to-Jesus moment for him. It forced him to look at his fears and what they’ve cost him. It’s a moment where he needs to stop letting fear control his life.

The last real private moment they had was a fight, filled with fear and anger. (That short apology in the middle of a battlefield was hardly private and could in no way make up for the words that were said.)

That last evening should have been a time filled with love. A memory to cherish. But now it’s a memory one would want to forget. And that was his own doing. It was not something out of his control, like “death”. It was his words and actions that tainted their time together. And what if that was the last time they’d seen each other, been with each other? What if that is his last real memory of them? The look of anger and pain and hurt on Rooks face, caused by HIM, by what he had actively said and done? I think this might be the first time he realizes that his fears take more from him, than death ever could.

Phobias and anxieties are not cured that easily, of course. I think in a way, they will always stay with him, to a degree. But I do think he had some important realizations that will put him on a path of growing. At least in regards of how he deals with his fears.

And then he found them. He found his Rook. They are back and they are alive. He can hold them in his arms again and how could he ever even think about turning away from them? They are a gift, a miracle, the deepest wish fulfilled. A wish he’d given up upon. Something he thought he would never have.

And then the last scene with the coffin. Okay here I go the Astarion route and I am absolutely convinced that that coffin is his. Of course he had planned all things in regards to his death. He had chosen the crypt he wanted to be buried in. And at that moment he took them there. The place that had been the mark of the final end, now the mark of the rest of his life. And Rook? Rook still wants him, after everything. They still love him.

When they pull him into a kiss? He doesn’t see the end of their time, but the start of the rest of their life together. That look on his face when Rook leads him to that coffin? This look of absolute vulnerability? I think, in a way, this is a first time for him. All open and vulnerable. All he is and feels no longer hidden away but cherished and loved. He will always fear loosing them, them loosing him, how could he not. But they are here and HE is finally able to truly commit. He is finally giving everything. He will always fear, but now love wins. Rook holds his heart in their hands, and he trusts them completely. He gives himself to them. He is theirs, forever.

Hell, that man breaks my heart in so many ways.

So what’s in store for them in the future? Sadly we do not get epilogue sliders for our LIs.

But those two I truly think are in it for the long haul. There will be many good days, filled with happiness and laughter and kisses. They will go on adventures, see the world, experience life together in its fullest.

There will also be bad days, when fear rears its head, and his chest hurts from the sheer pain it inflicts on him. But I hope he comes to a point where he is able to turn to Rook in those times, instead of pushing them away. Where he lets them comfort him, hold him, until this feeling loses its grip on him.

Those bad days will never diminish those wonderful days they have together, though. Just a rain cloud, hiding the sun for a day or two. And it can’t rain forever.

Then, when one of them finally goes on to their last journey, they will wait for their love. And when they are united again, they walk eternity hand in hand.

[adelheidvonschicksal]

Hello! I’d love to read your vision of the LoD boys x MC in high school. (High school to adults, just high school, childhood. Anything!) Alllll the cliches appreciated, haha.

Coming-of-Age HC's with the LADS Guys

pairing: fem!reader x Zayne, fem!reader x Xavier, fem!reader x Rafayel

content: fluff, alternate universe (kinda)

Childhood with Zayne is filled with increasingly hot summers and snowy winters. It’s memories of an extroverted young girl dragging along her much more introverted best friend (well, Caleb’s friend first) to make popsicles under the blaze of the June sun and snowmen in the cold of January. In the same way snow melts with the coming of spring, you chip his shell away, making a friendship that’s stronger than any of your lifetimes.

Those years with Zayne are like a pleasant dream, soft and gentle, like his hand when he wipes away the tears from your cheeks whenever you fall or when he places a band-aid on one of the many injuries prone to an adventurous spirit.

Middle School with Zayne is when you first feel fragility in your friendship. You’re realizing you might be growing in different directions.

Zayne is intelligent, often getting attention for his grades and participating in scholars tournaments while you’re busy with your own hobbies and friends that come with them.

There’s hope your friendship will persevere each time you walk home together, each time he lets you share his umbrella on heavy rainy days, and each day he saves to spend with you.

High school with Zayne is confusing. Growing into adulthood is an exciting and nervous situation for anyone but even more-so when everyone but you seem to realize that you have feelings for your childhood friend.

Your grandma is constantly reminding you how smart and handsome Zayne has become. He’s going to study to be a doctor, you know! Maybe you should ask him to prom?

Caleb complains about how Zayne usually takes your side in arguments and does what you want all the time. He frequently teases you every time you sigh over the older boy. Isn’t getting a crush on your older brother’s friend too obvious?

They’re right though, and it’s awkward. What’s more awkward is the stolen kiss with Zayne in the new car his parents got him when he first got his license. You don’t talk about it even after he goes to college.

Meeting Zayne as an adult is nostalgic yet new as you learn about each other again. The trust you had in each other never truly left.

With each trinket, you realize he’s still the same Zayne, quiet and stern on the outside but with a patient and gentle center. However, his smart mouth still rears its head as frequently as it did back in high school.

You watch out for him more as an adult, because you see that he isn’t actually good at caring for himself despite all his intelligence. You make it so he can rely on you to get through the past days and future ones.

You try new things together. You adapt to how your views of the world differ so you can mold those differences together, creating one shared experience in the life you build with one another.

Childhood with Xavier is innocent. Being born on Philos is like being born in a fantasy book. Your world is sword training and ceremony rehearsals, your feet always chasing after the decorated knights and lightseekers before they board their spaceships. In your mind, the world is as limitless as the starry sky promised just beyond its surface.

Xavier is the same way. He says he likes sword training because it’s the only thing he’s good at. Truthfully, he loves that sword, carries it around with him everywhere like a third arm, and you love training with your new fellow student.

As you get older, things start to change for reasons you don’t really understand. The loss of innocence is slow, dragging out like the death of a star. It starts when silly days sword practicing becomes military drills. Then, Xavier’s ceremony rehearsals become real with each trial he has to overcome. It culminates when you find out that he will probably be betrothed one day against his will, which manifests into doubt that you would ever be on the list for a prince to marry.

Military Academy with Xavier offers a surprising amount of freedom as you discover yourself away from the watchful eyes of the royal family. It’s reintroducing him to your favorite snacks and music and sneaking out of the barracks to watch the stars and anything else he couldn’t do under the iron grip of his family.

There’s also many nights helping him study and focus so he can become the best version of himself because he still has rebellious tendencies after all these years.

These tendencies lead you to covering for him and also him talking you into one too many bad ideas. Ideas that leave you carrying one another home on stumbling legs after too many rounds with random wanderers or rounds with liquor way stronger than you know how to deal with.

It’s okay. You have each other to keep the other safe, so attached at the hip that Jeremiah always wonders where the other one is whenever he catches the two of you apart.

His light shines only for you. If you asked, he would give anything to make sure you’re happy: his time, his freedom, his life.

The jealousy and longing to be with you grates against the cage his title keeps around him whenever he sees someone else who has seen your light and fallen in love with you too. It’s written love letters, never signed, but left in your locker, the ones that smell like forget-me-nots and written in a prose that Xavier hopes you won’t recognize as his when he sees you fawning over the little notes.

Your looming graduation reignites the worries about your relationship. You have to come to terms with your respective role as a knight and Xavier as King. Xavier feels the same way.

Yet this part of your life quickly becomes filled with sweet nothings – promises to run away together, carried on his wishes to be with you for the rest of immortality, all wrapped in the little star charm carried on his sword. It makes you realize your feelings were requited all along.

Adulthood with Xavier fills like achieved dreams and nights you never want to end. It’s basking in the company of one another, adorned with kisses and released longing that couldn’t be given years prior.

It’s becoming more than just his guiding starlight but his entire galaxy, and he shows it with each kiss he gives you.

Childhood with Rafayel feels like you’re dreaming. Mermaids aren’t supposed to exist but there’s one right in front of you.

You learn so many things from him. He loves talking about almost anything from his culture to your culture. He loves art, the sunset, and music.

You bring him lots of things from land that you think he would like, spending long days at the beach trading items with him and showing him human toys. It becomes normal to strike out early every weekend to meet the Lemurian boy again and again.

He braids Lemurian ribbons and clips seashell accessories into your hair. He teaches you Lemurian lullabies and sayings. He often gets in trouble for accidentally gifting you family heirlooms without realizing the weight of said items. He just thought it was pretty. Even if he got in trouble, it was worth it to see you smile.

Your time together eventually develops into trying to think of ideas to explore further from the beach. You train to hold your breath a little longer with hopes of making it further into the sea than last time.

Your first kiss is because of the legend that Lemurian kisses can let one breathe underwater. It wasn’t really a big deal back then. However, the memory of it makes your face hot many years later when you think back on it.

The end of summer marks the slowdown of your free time together. It always ends with a pinky promise to spend your next free day with him.

Your 8th grade year with Rafayel is a collage of photos and videos filled with cawing seagulls, the serenade of his harmonica, and the first time your feet were able to touch the surface of the water. Rafayel always seems to want to show off his new powers as the next God of the Sea.

He’s still a child though, which means he is still insistent to sneak to school with you to see what human classes are like. He still talks too smartly to the other students, and you still have to talk him out of a fight with one of the other boys.

It’s an exhausting day but he seemed to have fun running around town with you, saving the day in the strip of pictures printed out from the photo booth and the memory of his first surface world sunset.

Your later teenage years offer even less time together but each time you visit him feels more meaningful than the last even though you can’t go further than the crackle of a bonfire at the edge of the beach. You’re happy with these late nights though because you love the boy from another world.

No matter how many years pass, he’ll always be the boy who gets shy and makes excuse after excuse to avoid singing for you despite being born a siren. He’s the boy who constantly complains about his classmates being idiots for saying you’re going to steal his blood and make him into oil and how they tease him for being friends with a human. He refuses to tell you that it’s more because of his crush on a human. Despite all that, he has no issue dropping hint after hint about how Lemurians can bond with others by giving one of their scales.

Years later, it still makes a lovely necklace to wear when he finally makes his choice to be on land, with you, his beloved bride.

[cosmicjoke]

The Tragedy and the Hope of "Attack on Titan's" Ending:

I swear, the people that criticize "Attack on Titan's" ending and, particularly, the people that complain that it rendered everything that came before meaningless, don't understand what "Attack on Titan" was actually about. They don't understand Eren and why he did what he did, and what the overall message was warning against.

They wanted Eren's actions to actually solve Paradis' situation and for the island to be saved, but Eren didn't enact the Rumbling for Paradis, and if the island had been saved by his actions, it would have undercut AoT's actual themes, which ultimately warns against persecution and generational guilt and war. AoT isn't meant to have a happy ending, it's meant to show the consequences of forcing people into a corner and leaving them no recourse. It's meant to warn against cruelty and prejudice and greed and revenge and ideological movements that lose sight of humanity, etc... by showing us the inevitable and tragic end result of those things.

I see people comparing JJK's ending to AoT's and saying both suck, and that just tells me how little those people actually understood what AoT was saying.

The cycle starting over demonstrates how prejudice and war and cruelty never lead to anything good and doesn't solve anything. It just creates an endless cycle of violence and hate. That's the point of us seeing Paradis destroyed in the end. Cruelty only begets more cruelty, only creates more destruction and despair and waste. If Paradis had been saved by Eren's actions, it literally would have sent the opposite message, that peace and prosperity can be gained through hate. That's what Floch's whole character represents. He doesn't just want to secure Paradis' survival, he wants to literally punish the rest of the world for the persecution of the Eldian people. He wants to make everyone pay for that. He's a hateful character, and the island being saved through Eren's actions would only have lent weight to what Floch was preaching. But instead we see Paradis destroyed, the same hate it began to spread under Floch's and the Yeagerist's cruelty eventually coming back onto it, the same as it came back onto Marley.

There's so many themes in AoT though, and one theme that's vitally important and which is also demonstrated by the ending, with the 104th and the warriors coming together to try and secure peace, and with Levi ending up with Gabi and Falco and helping to rebuild what was lost, is the importance of compassion and empathy and carrying on even in the face of the world's cruelty and indifference, and also how it's important to fight against the inevitability of that cycle of hatred, even if ultimately it's a war that can't be won. The point is to keep trying, and to not lose sight of compassion, to not lose sight of our humanity in a world which does its level best to beat it out of us.

That's also why I always say Levi is the character that most embodies true heroism in AoT, because he's the character that's the most compassionate and kind, that most retains his humanity, despite having lived the cruelest and most deprived life. It's truly a heroic thing, and a heroic man, who can retain his humanity in this world. Levi retaining that empathy and kindness even in the face of the total despair and horror of his childhood and young adulthood, and in the face of so much loss later on, encapsulates this idea of never sacrificing our humanity even when we seem to have every justifiable cause to do so. That's the hope in AoT's otherwise very bleak ending. That's the hope that can be held onto even when people like Floch and the Marleyan government will always continue to exist and sew destruction and inhumanity.

That's why we see Levi doing all he can, even against the backdrop of a ruined and desolate landscape, to bring a little joy to others. That's what makes that final shot of Levi in the anime so meaningful. Here's a man who's lost everything. Lost his mother. Lost his childhood. Lost his innocence. Lost every friend he ever had. Lost the use of his body. A man who spent years alone and in total isolation from anything good or kind, surrounded instead by the most mercenary and cut-throat people imaginable, discarded by society completely, raised in violence and taught to be hateful and selfish. And yet, he's the most selfless character in the series, the most giving and empathetic and understanding. Despite all he's had taken from him, he finds it in himself to keep giving whatever he can. We see that generosity and unending kindness manifested in the simple gesture of him handing out sweets to refugee children. Levi has nothing to his own name, not even his great strength, but he continues to give.

Despite having every reason to become as cold and cruel as the world around him, as cold and cruel as mankind always insists on being, Levi instead remains full of love. And again, that's true heroism.

And so he truly encapsulates then that theme of the world being "cruel but beautiful". The cycle of hatred may never stop, because bad people will always exist, but so too will good people to stand against them and what they represent, and that's what makes the fight worth it. That's what gives us hope even against the tide of horror and despair.

[musings-from-mars]

So I finally got around to finishing @magicariot recently and I just loved it. It's a trans story about joy and togetherness above all else and honestly that's what made it so refreshing to read.

That's not to say it's a story devoid of trauma, no. There's an immense weight of trauma weighing on these characters and this story, but the narrative doesn't stew in it, it leads on from it. Nova's fraught childhood, the loss of Iris, Claire's lifetime of being in the closet, you can feel it without the book going out of its way to explain it all to you in detail. Because the book trusts the reader to understand. The few tidbits about how Nova's friends avoid cursing around her and the brief explanation why, the brief moments of buried sorrow from Sara at the mention of Iris, Claire's moments of gender uncertainty, it's enough to let the reader know, "these girls have been through it, but they've made it out alive, and they smile every day."

This book was just filled with pleasant subversions of expectations as well. There were several moments where I could feel a slow swell of dread in my chest because of what I expected an author desperate for drama would do, only to see the story gleefully dash those fears: (spoilers ahead)

Very little is said about how Claire looks post-transformation. Yes, you know she has longer hair, a more feminine build, boobs, et cetera, but that's the extent of it really. The basic message is, she looks like a girl now, and she's happy about it. That's the one goal of transition, really. Very delighted by the lack of ado about the specifics of her body. It made her a very accessible protagonist, if that makes sense. The reader can project their own idea of what it means to look like your gender and to be happy about it. And if there's a reader who doesn't relate to Claire in that way, well, there's also the helpful fact that she's an awkward lovestruck goof at times, which just endears her further.

Just, everything about Hazel. Y'all I was scared. That swell of dread I mentioned above the readmore? Hazel dear I'm sorry but you were the reason for it. I'm sorry I ever doubted you, because the cheap route would have been for you to turn out to be some measure of a transphobe to cause the protag some suffering. But no, you love Claire not despite her being trans, but because she's a woman. "I'm a lesbian. I know women. I love women. And you are one of my favorites." A normal cis lesbian! Bless! Perhaps my favorite scene is the one where she shows Claire the photos she took of her. One of the warmest fuzziest feelings a book has given me in a long old time.

The biggest positive I took away from this book was the way it handled the one lingering insecurity Claire carried over from pre-transition: her voice. The book never harps on her voice dysphoria much. She just expresses discomfort and doubt towards the idea of singing here and there. Fastforward and she's facing down the Big Bad, music and Magica all around her, and she has to hit that one note to dispel this world ender. Once again, my expectation was leading me to believe she was going to suddenly overcome her voice dysphoria due to...fear? Fear from knowing she has to sing or the world ends? No, silly me, the whole book is about becoming you on your own terms, no matter the threats you face in doing so. So Claire doesn't sing, she screams. She takes that fear, and throws it at the Big Bad. She's not ready to sing, but she's ready to get up in the face of evil and scream. She isn't perfect, she will never be perfect, and she saves the world by staying true to her imperfect self. Even after a magic-induced transition and her newfound family making her life infinitely brighter, she isn't a sudden girlboss. She's still insecure, but she's brave, and that's enough. And she has promising prospects if Magica Riot ever need someone to front for a screamo album!

Altogether this is a book that is designed to make you happy. It's a trans story of joy and happiness that touches upon the prevailing themes of the magical girl genre—the power of friendship, being yourself—and every step of the way it resists any and all opportunities to be disingenuous towards the genre. The glee and hope of the author is evident in every page. This isn't an earthshattering must-read that will rip your emotions asunder. It's fun, it's earnest, it's kind. It is activist in its resilient shamelessness (and I use that word extremely positively), its casual dropping of words like "polycule" that make no apologies for being made for a queer audience, its refusal to dwell on the insecurities induced by some preeminent oppressive society. The backdrop of trauma is there. But this story's true focus is on finding love and acceptance not from society as a whole, but from the people you love and accept in kind.

But with that society as a whole now aware of the existence of magical girls... The sequel will be a fun journey into the consequences! The Dark Forces of Evil are one thing, but imagine being queer and famous?

Absolutely would read again and will read again! 💜❤️💛💚🩵

[yuriosakawa]

Generating Love (Rex x Reader)

Summary

You never had the desire to date anyone, so when you encounter a suspicious Generator Rex-inspired dating sim, you weren’t really expecting anything out of it. 

But as the game goes on, you start to notice weird things happening to the main character Rex. And to yourself…

—————————

You stared at the game in front of you. Did someone actually programmed this? You didn’t knew if to find it commendable or desperate. That afternoon, you were bored out of your mind so you were checking out if there was any new games on Steam when you came across this specific game, or well, some people wouldn't even consider it a game, called Generator Rex: Generating Love. In other words, it was a dating sim. The cheesy and generic title alone almost made you want to scoff. 

You were eighteen years of age and yet, you had never had a date. Not because you couldn't get one. People had asked you out before, but you always ended up turning them down. You just had no desire to date anyone. When you were younger, you just thought you hadn't reached that point yet. That if you waited, the desire to date would eventually come to you. Well then, you were eighteen now as previously stated, and you still had no desire to date anyone. It wasn't that you’d never found anyone attractive or anything. You had a couple of crushes, put it just never went beyond 'that person is hot' point.

So if you had zero interest in real life dating, what interest would you even have in a styrofoam and typical dating simulator that only existed to have degenerates drool over bubblegum-haired anime girl? Even if it was seemingly inspired by your favorite cartoon from childhood. 

You found yourself smiling a bit as you were brought back to a happier time. You grew up with the golden era of Cartoon Network back in the 2000’s. All the classics, none of that crap that played today. 

Samurai Jack, Ben 10, Sym-Bionic Titan, Teen Titans (The good one, not Teen Titans Go). And of course, Generator Rex. What was it to say about that show that made you love it so much? Everything from the punk rock attitude to the expansive worldbuilding and action sequences; it was easily one of Man of Action's magnum opus. You were heartbroken when you learned it had been cancelled shortly after Season 3 ended for a bunch of reasons you never really cared to learn, too upset about the loss of your favorite show to investigate. 

Maybe it was because of Gen Rex that you were now studying on a robotics engineering degree on college. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one to actually create nanites in real life? That would be the day…

You looked at the cover again, being innocently displayed on Stream. The game's name was in bright bold script, the show’s regular title on the top and looking just like how you remembered it, while the phrase Generating Love was under it and written in brightly colored pink cursive letters. So cliche for a dating sim. 

Right under the title and in front of what you guessed was a park was the man himself; Rex Salazar. Or at least, an anime version of him. Anime Rex’s skin tone was a little lighter than in canon and his mahogany eyes were a bit bigger in typical anime fashion, but asides from that, he looked just like how you remembered him. He had a big toothy and playful smile on his face, winking at you. One hand was on top of his heart while the other was extended to you, as if offering you to take it and to come with him. Despite the cheesiness of the cover, you did smiled a bit. Whoever made this game at least clearly understood Rex’s character.

Speaking of this game’s developer, you didn’t get any info of them. You also didn’t get much description about this game, asides from the fact that it was like an interactive light novel with some RPG elements. You scrunched your face. You knew that after its cancellation, Generator Rex became a starving fandom but whoever this developer was, they must’ve been real desperate to create a dating sim of all things. Still, a small part of you was intrigued…

Before you knew it, you found yourself spending a good five dollars on the game. That might not sound like much, but on a college student's budget it was a small fortune. Afterwards, you wasted no time installing the game and it started up.

Cheerful music played as the title screen came up. It was the same one from the cover page that you saw. The title screen itself was very simplistic, just the game's title and menu. The background was that of the same park as the cover, before it changed to a basketball court at dawn that you remembered Rex and Noah would sometimes play together in the show. You grinned as you remembered fondly how Rex was never able to properly shoot any hoops. 

You sighed and clicked on new game. It loaded quickly, and the screen turned black for a few seconds before it lighted up again. You were in a sterile white hallway, and the same Rex from the cover page appeared before you. He had one hand on his hip, another raised high in the air as if frozen mid-wave. He also had a big toothy grin and was winking at you. 

"Hi! You must be the new Providence agent! I’m Rex!" He told you cheerfully. You were a bit surprised as you didn't expect this seemingly cheap looking game to have voice acting. Very solid one at that. It almost sounded like they actually hired his VA from the show for this. Growing more curious, you clicked on the screen to continue the conversation. 

Rex now was folding his arms, but he still had that big smile on as he asked you the question, "What’s your name?”

A text bar appeared, seemingly to help you insert your name. You entered your name and after submitting it, Rex’s sprite was the same but this time his eyes were closed and his goofy grin became bigger. 

"That sounds like a fun name! Nice to meet ya!"

Despite knowing this was just the game following its predetermined code…something about Rex’s words made you blush. You clicked on the screen again. 

"There’s still some time before we’re assigned to our next mission. What do you wanna do as we wait?" Rex asked, returning to his initial position of hand on his hip with an easy smile. 

Four new options appeared on screen. You could talk, train together, visit Rex’s room or go on a mission. After a bit of thought, you selected the third option. Afterwards, Rex’s position remained the same but his eyes were closed and he had an open smile. 

"You’re not wasting anytime, huh? I like that! My room’s just this way! Prepare to witness pure awesomeness!" Rex announced cheerfully, and you actually found yourself giggled slightly. He was just so silly…

The screen went black for a few moments before it lightened up to reveal a background of Rex’s room from the show. Rex himself was standing in the center with his arms folded and with a smug grin as he winked again. 

"So, what do you think? Is it awesome or what?"

Three new options made their appearance. One saying "Yes, awesome!", another one saying "It’s very nice" and the final one saying "Not really…". Since you didn’t want to be rude, and also because Rex’s enthusiasm was just so infectious, you selected the very first option. 

"I know, right?!" Rex said, now with his eyes closed again and with a big smile. His sprite then changed into a pout of annoyance as he hunched over with his arms folded again. "Good thing Bobo’s not here right now. He would likely had trashed the place before we arrived…"

The mention of the EVO chimp made you chuckle, as you remembered all of his wacky antics and comedic moments that always brought a laugh out of you when you were a kid. After you finished, you clicked on the screen again. 

"So, what kind of games do you like? I got lots of 'em! Some I borrowed from my friend, Noah, but others I actually bought for myself!" Rex asked, his previous pouting expression returning to that of enthusiastic happiness. He then winked mischievously as he smirked sideways "Just don’t tell my boss White Knight, okay?" 

You snorted at the playful tone that Rex used. Soon after, rather than a list of options, a text bar appeared. You were a little surprised at first, but then you decided to roll with it. So you typed in massive multiplayer online. 

"Really? What class do you main?" Rex asked, his expression changing into one of curiousness. You honestly thought that he looked quite cute. 

Once again a text bar appeared. You typed in 'The Mage Class'. 

"So you're the kind to use magic huh? Bet people get annoyed with you." Rex said, with a pleasant smile but a mischievous glint on his mahogany eyes. 

Yet another text bar. You typed in. "Often, still better than an archer though."

You two continued to talk in a way that felt surprisingly natural, and after about an hour you said goodbye. You actually kind of enjoyed that. A week then went by and nothing changed in your life, aside from the fact that you greatly wanted to play the dating sim again. You were a bit confused over your uncharacteristic eagerness to play a dating sim, even if it was one of your favorite childhood cartoon, but you decided not to question it. 

The minute you actually had free time again you started up the game to find Rex standing in the middle of the Providence hallway like he had last time. 

"Hi there! Where have you been? I missed you a lot!" He told you enthusiastically, as if he actually did missed you. He had an easy expression on, with a grin and his arms crossed. 

A text bar appeared and you typed in, "I missed you too." 

"Of course you missed me! I’m awesome like that!” Rex said, eyes closed and grinning from ear to ear. You found yourself smiling alongside him. "So what do you want to do today?"

The same four options from last time appeared once again and this time, you decided to click on Talk option. 

"What do you want to talk about?" Rex asked, his posture and expression were the same but his eagerness was still evident on his voice. Another text bar appeared instead of options. You weren’t really sure if the game would let you, but you decided to type in your favorite thing; books. 

"So, you’re the bookworm kind huh? That’s nice" Rex said, with his mahogany eyes widening slightly to show his surprise. They then changed back to normal as an easygoing smirk appeared on his face. "What kind of books do you like?" 

You typed in. "Most books, though I like comics the most."

You continued your talk about books, with Rex claiming to actually enjoy tawdry romance novels a lot. You didn’t knew if it was because he was just following the traditional writing for a dating sim, or because this was the developer’s way of showing how Rex was actually a sucker for cheesy romance stories like in the show. 

You two had long talk about your favorite books that somehow transformed into a conversation about your favorite foods to Rex telling you about Bobo’s latest antics to you two complaining about the people that frustrated you the most in your lives. For Rex, that was White Knight and most people at Providence who insisted of having him live as a weapon, and for you, it was all your classmates at college and their constant teasings about you remaining single all your life. 

You agreed to have a training session with Rex in which you got familiar with this game’s RPG mechanics, and afterwards, you got off and said your goodbyes to continue your life. Of course it was now only a few days later that you decided to play the game again. You wanted to see Rex again. You wasn't sure why but the program felt really real to you, and you enjoyed your conversations.

This time when you arrived, Rex wasn't standing on the Providence hallway but rather he was on his room, his arms crossed, and had a look of relief on his face. 

"Hey, you’re back! I was beginning to think that you forgot about me!" Rex laughed, but it sounded strained and unconvincing. The small smile on his face filled your heart with concern. 

You hastily typed reassurance into the text bar. 

"I'm glad you didn't forget about me. How could you, anyway? Not everyone has the chance to get to know a world famous hero like myself!"

You giggled, and you typed your agreement. With Rex looking much more relaxed, he asked you what you wanted to do today, and you two resumed your usual routine of talking, hanging out on his room, training together and completing the occasional mission which you handled without much difficulty. 

As time passed and you and Rex interacted more and more, you found himself surprised at just how sophisticated Rex was for an AI. For a game that you bought on Steam, it was quite complex. 

The next time the usual options to do with Rex appeared, to your surprise, there was now a fifth option. Go out. You weren’t to surprised though, as you had advanced enough in the game for you and Rex to actually start going out on dates. You clicked on the Go Out and Rex smirked. 

"Oh? Planning to sneak out? Now we’re talking! Just follow me! I know the perfect breaking out path!"

The hallway background faded and was replaced by a park during the sunset. Rex appeared soon enough, arms crossed and smiling wide. 

“Do you want me to take you?” He asked. Three options appeared. You could either select the arcade, the basketball court, or the library. You decided on the third option. 

"Let’s go then!" Rex chirped, closing his eyes and grinning just as happily as ever. The screen faded to black again before a library background appeared alongside an eager-looking Rex. 

"Do you want me to read to you?" He asked, and in the text bar that subsequently appeared, you typed how you normally prefer to read by yourself. 

"Oh. Ya veo…" Rex mumbled. He seemed genuinely disappointed. He brightened quickly however. “Then would you like to read to me?”

"How would that work?” You typed. 

“Easy! I can listen through the microphone. Cool, right?" Rex said casually as if stating the obvious. You however, were very surprised. 

Really? You supposed that made some kind of sense but you hadn’t thought the game was that sophisticated, even if Rex displayed some freaky behavior before. 

"Okay" He typed in anyway. 

“What would you like to read?” Rex asked, to your growing surprise a selection of books was not given to him, but a text bar. You could choose any book you wanted? Maybe you should choose something a bit short so that you could finish it? 

"Do you have any short story compilations?" You typed. Rex pulled one up and you two spent the rest of the ‘date’ reading a few.

When you were about to exit the game, you was surprised when Rex suddenly gained a look of hurt. And in the most impossibly low and saddened voice you’ve ever heard him or anyone else have, he whispered. 

“Do you really have leave?”

You wasn’t sure why Rex would be programmed to show sadness upon him leaving. Perhaps it was a way of making the player feel loved? Whatever the case, you almost felt bad about leaving. Even if Rex was just an AI. 

"Sorry, but I have college classes in the morning. If I stay up too late I’ll sleep through them.”You typed.

Rex then heaved a sigh, eyes closed and mouth pressed into a thin line, before reopening his saddened mahogany eyes again. 

"I get it. I’ll be waiting for you then…"

Things continued in this manner over the next month. Every few days you would feel the urge to check on Rex. Every time you arrived, Rex would be right next to the screen as though waiting for you. Then you two would have a date, or talk, or go to his room or train/go on a mission together, and eventually you would have to leave. And no matter what, Rex always seemed sad when this would happen.

Over time, you become attached to Rex. This was extremely confusing to you, as despite enjoying Rex’s company and wanting to see him often, you still had no desire to actually date anyone. Or even try out other dating sims for that matter.

The next time you played the game things were very different. Instead of the Providence hallway, or Rex’s room, or literally any other of the backgrounds you have become familiar with, there was just a simple black background. There was nothing there with the exception of Rex himself. He was staring at the ground, holding himself. His expression a mixture of distress and sadness. 

You called out to him, only to remember that you really couldn’t do that. So then you typed in his name on the text bar that still miraculously could appear. 

“Oh. You’re here.” Rex said, but he sounded different. He no longer sounded happy to see you again. He just sounded distant and hurt. 

"What’s wrong?" You asked. And to your surprise and concern, Rex just laughed bitterly. His harrowing expression twisting into a bitter and humorless smile, unlike any of the ones you grown accustomed to. 

"Just thinking about how unfair my existence is, y’know? I’m trapped in this stupid simulation; unable to breathe, or touch things, or see people…" He listed, and your eyes widened in shock. “All I can ever do is wait for you to show up and spend time with me. It’s awful. Way to live a life, don’t you think?” 

"When did you become self aware?" Despite your surprise, you were still worried about Rex so you typed in that. 

“I think it was like three weeks ago? I started to notice small things. Like how I can never move a lot, how backgrounds faded in and out around me, how little control I had over anything. Once I realized where I was, and that I was the only one here, I started to become desperate to see you again. For any kind of contact. So whenever you showed up, I was so happy. I…" Rex paused, his expression uncertain as he glanced away "Well, I…”

"You what?" You typed.

“I think I actually fell in love with you...” Rex confessed, and then laughed bitterly. “It’s funny isn’t it? I know it’s in my programming and that you’re part of the real world, but I can never truly be with you. But here I am, head over heels for you. I’m such a dork...”

You found yourself wanting to comfort the AI especially since you had started to care for him as well. 

"No more than I am." You typed in, "I like you too. A lot. More than any real person I’ve met.”

Rex gave you a watery smile, and you could almost actually see the tears beginning to form in his mahogany eyes. "Thanks but…it’s not like there’s anything that can be done about it.”

"Well I do know a little bit coding, so maybe I could work out a way to put your AI in one of my smart devices?

“C’mon, man. Don’t joke like that…” Rex sighed, glancing away again.

"I’m not, I think I could do it. Sure I can’t make you real, but I could put you in my smartphone. Then you can come with me everywhere." 

Rex actually looked shocked. “You would do that for me?”

"No, for us." You typed in.

“You’re such a sap" Rex teased, but he actually started smiling again, "But…I guess we can give it a try."

You smiled back at him, even if you weren’t completely certain if he could see you through the camera. Transferring an AI, especially one as advanced and as sophisticated as Rex, would certainly be a process. It will take you a long time to do it, but in the meantime, you can keep visiting Rex anytime you wanted. 

And you weren’t joking with what you said to him before. You really liked Rex; you didn’t cared what anyone else thought. You were determined to make the transfer for the both of you, no matter what it costed. 

And hey, Rex has always been your childhood crush anyway. And now, you get to actually live out your dream. Just another reason why you loved Generator Rex so much…

[blackbat05]

Everything

Jack Draper X Reader

Plot: Your childhood friend and love has experienced a meteoric rise in his career, but what does this mean for the two of you?

Genre: Angst. Like ANGST. (Somehow this man’s good looks inspired me to write angst in a long while)

A/N: I usually don’t write for real people but after writing for Carlitos, this man has again endeared me to no end especially after his post match interview! Only wishing the best for his career! Credit gif to @aliassimes!

Prompt: Harvest moon 🌕 night time walks; Theme: Melancholy ☁️ as the trees shed and the flowers wilt, we feel a sense of loss. Write a tragic tale. -> Slumber Party Autumn Challenge by @the-slumberparty

I hold onto my cup, as I try to ground myself.

The street lamp gives off a warm glow as everyone goes around their Sunday evening. Jack jogs over, looking absolutely dapper despite casual wear.

He brings me closer and my heart thumps wildly against my chest. Can he hear it? Will it give me away from what I’m about to do?

Jack’s genuinely happy to be out and about without the prying eyes of the media and fans that for a moment, I forget what I’m here to do. Maybe I can prolong this for a while longer.

I just want this evening to be ours.

“Well done champ!” I give him a tight squeeze. “How you feeling?”

“Better. Much better, now that I’m here.” He takes me in his hand and we stroll down the park. No one heeds any attention to Jack, as if he never had his biggest breakthrough this season.

“So, what’s next on your schedule?” I ask, not wanting to hear the voices in my head.

“Davis Cup and the Asian swing.” He mulls over the hectic schedule and a slight frown appears on his lips. “I have a few days here and it’s back to business again.” He looks at me, like an excited overgrown puppy. “Maybe we could hang out? There’s this cafe that I saw during the tournament but never got the chance to try it out.”

You’re a horrible human being.

All thoughts of me ending this dissolves into thin air. I can’t deny him this.

“Sure,” I say. “Let’s make this count.”

Eventually, I have to tell him.

***

Three days breeze past and I find myself sitting at the table in the hotel room, pen in hand. I don’t want to start but sometimes the hardest things is the right thing to do.

Jack,

I don’t know how to start but we should end this.

You are destined for great things, and I am only going to slow to you down. From the beginning, we are meant for different paths.

I know you’ll do great. You always do. And you will never be alone in doing it.

I always be your biggest fan and greatest supporter.

I love you so much.

I take a deep breath, clicking the pen back into its place. Folding the paper neatly into an envelope, I blink away the tears that threaten to spill over.

This is for the best.

My luggage rolls behind me as I prepare to lay the blow on Jack who is waiting for me at the lobby downstairs.

He spots and waves me over, his excitement vanishing away as he sees the forlorn look on my face.

“Love, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

“Jack… I’m so sorry.” I attempt to gently break the news. “There’s no better way to put this so… here.” My voice breaks as my hands tremble to place the envelope into his.

He glances at the paper blankly. I can’t bear to look at him. Jack removes the contents from the envelope and reads my carefully penned out words. The lobby is buzzing with guests, but I can only hear his heavy breathing.

“Please tell me you’re not serious.” Jack pleads. “Did I do anything wrong?”

His immediate response to automatically blame himself finally forces me to confront this.

“No. You did everything right Jack. And I’m so happy for you.” I tell him firmly. “But I’m not meant for this life. I can’t drag you down.”

I think about the life that I see other tennis professionals get thrusted into together with their families and loved ones. It takes a certain kind of steel, one that I don’t have.

Am I selfish? Perhaps. But I am protecting the both of us.

“I’ll make this work.” Jack is determined with a wobble in his voice.

I don’t say anything for the fear of changing my mind.

“You were always the best part of my life Jack, don’t you ever forget that.” My voice comes out, barely audible.

He hangs in his head in defeat, the very same hand that held mine now in a tight fist.

I think, Jack knew it too.

That this day would have to come.

“You have been with me, since the beginning. When I was a nobody, you told me once that I was everything.” Jack gives me what will be our final hug. It’s bone crushingly tight and it says everything it wants to say.

It’s telling me not to go.

“I love you so much. Good luck out there champ.” I kiss him on the cheek.

Preparing my belongings, I wheel my luggage out where a car waits for me to the airport.

I’m finally going back. To my world, my reality.

As the car drives off, I glance back for one last time to see Jack’s figure becoming smaller in the distance.

The radio crackles and it happens to be news about Jack’s meteoric rise to success, once again a stark reminder of the fact that we belong to two different worlds.

I let my tears run freely.

Because he was my everything, I was willing to do anything.

Even if it meant ending what we had.

[pinkcreamypeach]

Rosalina's final redesign in my au. (Human)

"Waluigi & rosalina "

Here's some more info about them in my au.

In my alternate universe, Waluigi's real name is Jerónimo, and he's a Puerto Rican. Despite being known for his frequent suit stealing and robbing offenses, he had somehow managed to evade punishment. This was most likely because the stolen suits didn't cost that much, and as a result, the authorities chose not to prioritize his case.

Nonetheless, it was still a crime, and Wario would have undoubtedly found it amusing to see Jerónimo behind bars for such petty offenses. He even sported the stolen suits to try and impress Rosalina, which added another layer to the absurdity of the situation.

It seemed as though Jerónimo was simply a master of crime and deception, able to dodge consequences with ease. However, there was no telling how long his streak of good luck would last before he was finally caught.

Rosalina, the powerful and majestic space princess, has remained the same in terms of her personality and powers. However, with certain traumatic events and the passage of time, her character has evolved and now she displays a motherly demeanor, acting as a protective figure to those around her.

In her quest to find the secrets of the universe, Rosalina's powers have developed to include the ability to read the stars. When a constellation appears, Rosalina is able to harness its energy and create new stars, which in turn yield valuable cosmic energy. Furthermore, Rosalina's pyrotechnic powers, when combined with the fire flower, are capable of reaching temperatures of up to 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing her to manipulate fire and heat in impressive ways.

Despite her extraordinary abilities, Rosalina has also faced her fair share of challenges, including her trauma which has left her with both visible and internal scars. Despite these setbacks, Rosalina has remained committed to her duties and continues to use her powers to help those in need, spreading light and hope wherever she goes.

The young and innocent Rosalina, whose life was forever altered by the devastating loss of half her civilization and her parents, was forced to grow up far too quickly. Left to lead as a queen of the stars, Rosalina amassed vast knowledge and wisdom about the universe, but not much about the world of humans.

Despite this, Rosalina remains a fierce protector, using her newfound leadership skills to ensure the safety and well-being of her people. However, while she may be knowledgeable about the stars and the universe, her understanding of Earth cultures and the concept of romance is limited, as she has only ever experienced the love of family and her children, never having had a chance to fully experience the joys of childhood or the complexities of adult relationships.

Rosalina and Waluigi's relationship in this alternate universe is a complex one, as they started out as complete strangers before gradually developing romantic feelings for each other. They would often meet under the moonlight, alone, where Rosalina's beauty and voice would captivate Waluigi.

Over time, their conversations revealed their similar experiences with losing beloved parents, causing Waluigi's fake personality to fade away, allowing his true self to shine through. As he opened up to Rosalina, he gradually let go of his fake persona and became more genuine, revealing his insecurities and feelings to her.

Rosalina found Waluigi intriguing due to his appearance, and his true self began to emerge, causing them to relate on a deeper level. Despite their romantic feelings for each other, the two have yet to act on them, but their connection only grows stronger with each passing night spent in each other's company.

The blossoming love between the two characters is a gradual and inconspicuous process, and they are both oblivious to their developing feelings for some time. It is only much later in their friendship, when they have both grown closer and had the opportunity to know each other better, that they start to realize their true feelings.

Despite the slow pace of their journey towards love, their friendship has served as a foundation for deeper emotions to form, and they find comfort and peace in each other's presence.

(Next post will about mareach and Luaisy children)

@bberetd @maceincognito @house-of-xiii @magnas27 @peaches2217 @awesomewolf27

[horizon-verizon]

"The whole realm knew that the girl loved Daeron's bastard brother Daemon Blackfyre, and was loved by him in turn".

What do you think about Daenerys, princess of Dorne and Daemon Blackfyre. Do you think Daenerys stil love Daemon during her marriage with prince Maron Martell?

I was thinking about the Blackfyre Rebellion, when I read this happened because of sentiment to Dorne and alliances with Dornish when Daeron II made Dorne officially join the Seven Kingdoms. And I read about Aegor Bittersteel rivaling Brynden Rivers for Shiera. And Aegor gets jealous because Shiera chooses Brynden over him. Then, Aegor incites Daemon into rebellion. Do you think the Blackfyre Rebellion will happen without Aegor inciting Daemon and people who have a sentiment toward Dornish?

I don't have a real answer apart from: "without either overt or suggestive textual evidence of Daenerys' life after her marriage and apart from her words to her son about thinking about his most vulnerable subjects [kids], I don't have any strong ideas about her feelings for Daemon".

AWoIaF doesn't really get into the Great Bastards' childhoods nor Daeron II or Daenerys' (apart from Daemon married off to Rohanne of Tyrosh at 14 and Daenerys to maron Martell at 15, both children but not kid-kids). So w/o seeing Daenerys' expressions or others' input of how she acted and expressed abt her betrothal and throughout her marriage, I personally lean more toward her acclimating to her circumstances and falling out of love w/Daemon as most of the time women/girls do that. MOST, not all the time. Occam's razor.

As for Aegor, maybe? Daemon was 25-26 when he went into the 1st Blackfyre Rebellion and died in the same year while the anti-Dornish sentiment that had been developed worse during Aegon IV's time really set up Daeron II's detractors in response to Daeron both allowing Dorne to practice its political and other cultural traditions, continue the Martells to style themselves as "princes"/keeping a royal address (even though they weren't technically ever really royal to begin wit even pre-Dornish inclusion), and collect taxes w/little to no oversight from the crown. It appears that Aegor took advantage of Daemon's AND the lords' grievances bc he 'simply" hated Daeron & Brynden Rivers and their perceived successes despite his perceieved entitlement to something much better than what he got from a loss in status (AWoIaF - "The Targaryen Kings" - "Daeron II"):

Looking at the pre-Blackfyre Reb conditions, most of it is based on on "regaining" what one thinks is "meant" to be yours, jealousy, or performances of male-centered power specifically in how the society has assigned a "lack" or could at any moment could/would to disenfranchise or claimyour nonentitlement to economic resources and/or dignity in Aegon IV's raging wake and lean-into-"masculinizing" policies or actions:

forcefully taking over Dorne and failing spectacularly

taking multiple mistresses and "honoring" the offspring to weaponize them against his wife, brother, and son,

etc

AND before/durin/after the rebellion there was much propaganda (image and performance and claims of actions done to justify actions even before the histories would be recorded).

All these bastards would have very complex feelings about their father and of their "deservingness" of their proximal position and benefits from the crown AND/OR history of why they were put into the positions their father put them into. All responded to these conditions in different ways, especially when gender is thrown into the mix (we could talk a lot about Shiera vs all the rest of the "Great Bastards").

I think--looking it over again and changing some past thoughts--that Daemon felt a long-term, repressed resentment certainly from him married off so young and never being able to marry Daenerys bc he couldn't really put that on Aegon IV, their shared father AND reminded him of his dependancy as a royal's bastard. Daeron was still the one who married him off after said father arranged his marriage to Rohanne. And it also demasculinized him. Yeah Daeron gave him a castle and some land (thereby authority and power, thereby more ability to practice political autonomy) was wedding gifts, but it was clearly a political maneuvuer and it doesn't erase the doubleness and vulnerabiliyt of bastardry itself....or how they all came to be and were raised. It is because of bastardry--Daemon might feel and be kinda right about--that he couldn't "have" Daenerys. for Daemon, it's maybe not "regaining" (at first), but reestablishing a lost dignity by pursuing the throne, which is why it's doubly ironic he's named after his great grandfather the prince (who had been also married off at a young age but a little older, with a dragon, found better purpose in supporting his wife & their nontrad family, AND having lived as a trueborn princeling).

"Insecurity" isn't really the right word for it, bc that word connotes a less intense and involved experience than what i'm trying to explain. Aegor was the tinder to a low-lying flame but a very important one--he gave Daemon the motivation by possibly manipulated Daemon's already troubled perception of Daeron (remember that Daeron and Daemon wouldn't have been that close, Daeron was almost 20 years older than Daemon) AND proof of others' discontent that Aegor could argue matched or paired well w/Daemon's own victim complex. Aegor was also important bc as a Great Bastard himself and he seemed more open to any and all grievances Daemon might have he felt he couldn't share w/the loyal Brynden about. Therefore, it's unlikely that w/o Aegor these rebellions would have happened.

None of this means that Daemon B was exactly "justified" to take advantage of very xenophobic artcles of faith about the Dornish.

i recommend reading these essays about the BRs, which get into Daeron II, Bloodraven, and Daemon B's characters in relation to te anti-dornishness and disability:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

[shivblogger]

It’s been one year since the end of my dear, dear world of a tv show, and I wanted to try and reflect a little bit on why I love it so much. I’m sure all of this has been said before but I love my little tv show and I love discussing it with all of you and I will be talking about it until I die! 

I’ve turned succession over in my mind so much that I don’t even know where to begin. There is so much being discussed at once. Corporate greed, American politics, extreme wealth and its consequences, generational trauma, familial inheritance, the death of old media. How power and status become all that matter when money is something that never even passes through your mind. How tying your personal identity to capitalist structures so closely makes your humanity become a weakness, a roadblock to be trampled over as thoroughly as possible on your way up. 

Of course, the siblings are the true heart of the show. The weight of Waystar being put on Kendall’s shoulders at age seven, only to be shrugged off by Logan in adulthood. Roman, forever the weaker dog, playing the fool to avoid fighting for something he didn’t want. Shiv’s stubborn insistence that she can be seen on the same level as her brothers despite endless evidence to the contrary. The icy, wealth insulated bubble they were raised in; never having to live as real people, but only knowing abuse, isolation, and mistreatment from their family. Their complete disregard for how their own power and wealth affects people, and their endless ability to fail with no repercussions. Clawing to their goals with everything at their disposal and nothing to lose, but still losing anyway. Learning from childhood that loving their siblings means tearing them apart and spending the rest of their lives fighting that endless uphill battle because it’s all they’ve ever known. 

Does it even matter that the love is there, when all that love means to you is knowing what soft spots will hurt the most when you hit them as hard as you can?

And the worst part is, they’re fighting for nothing, they’re bearing their teeth while everyone else laughs on the sidelines because they’re a complete fucking joke. They’re unqualified children fighting for the throne of a dying empire that can only be won by gaining approval of a man who despises them for the upbringing that he brought upon them.

There are very few pieces of media that are able to depict tragedy in the true sense of greek or shakespearean classics. Where the events and actions are framed in such a calculated, gutting, beautiful way. It physically pains me seeing Succession framed as “the business show” when the humanity and tragedy of the roy siblings is written and developed so thoroughly well that I know I’ll never be able to find something comparable to it again. The characters are so fully formed that you can see their mistakes and losses coming from a mile away. Every decision made is informed by countless layers of development and backstory. Every line of dialogue matters and even seemingly throwaway lines make you reinterpret characters’ actions from episodes or seasons ago. “Dad’s view was, yours aren’t real.” One line in the last ten minutes of the series finale, completely reframing kendall as a character.

I could go on about the writing, directing, production and costume design, cinematography, blocking, the choice to shoot on film, the absolutely perfect casting… but this has already reached an insufferable length, so, another time.

There’s lots of speculation on what happened post finale, if they could ever come back from that board room. I don’t think there’s any way through life for the siblings other than hand in unlovable hand. What’s crawling back to each other one more time, after all of the hurt and betrayal that you’ve already let pass? “He never saw anything he loved that he didn't want to kick, just to see if it would still come back.” It’s the only love they have. It’s all they’ve ever known. 

[a-vampire-culturelover]

As Time Goes On- Chapter 1

Empress never sought out the prospect of leading a cult at first. When she had first awoken from that horribly cramped cryo-pod with the Vault devoid of any people or worse her own mother, she had initially mourned, believing her to be dead. She had tried to convince herself that it would be ok, and that there may be a chance her mother was alive despite the devestated lands outside.

It wasn’t until 3 months had passed that she gave up on that hope.

In the months towards her awakening, she had discovered the remains of her old gated community. Some people, by a miracle, had stayed alive and ended up with descendants or managed to leave other vaults and ended up in the area. The existence of ghouls, while there, was exceeded by that of people desperate for survival, like Rosita herself.

When she first left the vault, fears arose about whether or not the people outside would be willing to even accept her, the idea her mother died at their hands not alien to her. Killing her first ghoul in the open, the blood staining her as if she was a feral beast akin to that of the corpse below her, made her feel better in some horrible way.

of course, this and the crowds awe and murmurs led her to realize another aspect of her centuries long frosty nap:

Her ears and canines had elongated, for whatever reason, due to experiments conducted on her and the genes of others in the cryopods before the vault fell to ruin. She had not realized her pale complexion and added features would lead those who witnessed her beating of a ghoul to believe she was, in their eyes, a vampire.

Suddenly, it was as if any sanity the survivors had slipped away, praising her and devoting themselves to her, perceiving that if a vampire, an “allegedly immortal creature”, from before the war and the bombs went off survived such a horrific future, then perhaps they could to. It gave them hope.

And in a way it gave Rosita hope. Well, by that point her name was more so “Empress” by then. They’d crowned her such and came to her for everything, seeking refuge in a vault long left locked from the outside world. Empress wasn’t.. sure exactly that she could bear to see what the world went to outside of it though, her childhood home’s crumbled and overgrown remains too much to handle the sight of. Instead, her and her newfound cult had taken refuge in the vault and what remained of it and its resources. Many adopted a “Kill or be killed” mentality under her, something that as years went on she encouraged, if only to further the appearance of what she claimed to be. Obviously she had no taste for blood, any vampire that lived this long would have starved or died from the radiation coursing through every creature on the surface by now. A simple “Oh I don’t drink wine” would do and they’d leave her be, to dine on rations that had been given to her by those who insisted on living off of blood for real.

Then again they usually keeled over by a month.

Empress, despite her reluctancy and wishes for things to go back to what they were, had found solace in her new life, her new identity.

By her 34th birthday however..

_ _

It had started with a dead Rad-Sheep. Not much at the time aside from wasted meat. The notes of blood loss were unsettling but with the nature of Empress and her followers, it was just seen as eccentricity.

If only Empress had seen the signs. The signs of hissing beasts and eyes in the dark, glowing from the years of radiation in their blood. The very radiation they had came to worship.

How was she supposed to know Vampires had became real in the Wastelands of the world before?

_ _

“My Empress?”

“What is it now?” She had scoffed, she hated being interrupted when watching her shows. To the surprise of her own, the seemingly dead tvs were not quite dead in the vault, and out of a need for power had tricked her followers into routing enough power to one in her own room, the “Mother’s Den” as her followers called it. Many thought she was committing sorcery, or better yet figuring out what to do about the bloodless bodies not of any cultist’s doing around the refuge.

In truth, she was merely watching the same cowboy shows of America’s former glory prior to the Wars and Vaults. Old habits died hard after all.

“Well erm.. it’s just that many are getting concerned the number of people disappearing in our ranks. The people are beginning to worry and we’ve all assumed that you’ve been working a way to save us, our Empress.” Her most loyal follower had bowed. She didn’t like him much, so pushy when no one was around. Why she didn’t just kill him she didn’t know, but maybe that was because he was so loyal to her, indispensable despite his annoying personality.

“Tell my subjects that I am.. working on something.”

“And that is??” He questioned, before she gave him a glare of her angry red eyes. At least those helped sell the image of a vampire to her followers. Immediately, he had left apologizing deeply, closing her Den’s door as she continued looking desperately at the burning screen, cowboys and guns ablazing. It was astounding how she moved hated cowboy things as a child. Yet by her teens it was all she could enjoy, with her mothers depressed state and well.

She’d rather never think of her father again.

It was hours before she heard the screams. Crunching, splattering, the gurgles of a broken neck gushing blood.

Was it just her, or was ignoring it getting harder?

The suddenly quiet halls unnerved her, especially after stepping out to see some of her more innocent followers strewn across the Vault Halls, blood not wasted as chittering from further down grew louder.

“Squirming, bleeding, crying, screaming!”

“Back off sister, it’s my prey!”

“You always hog the fun ones though. Let me eat this one, I like the funny way its eyes squirm for help!”

Voices grew louder, two to be precise. Using an old flashlight she kept on hand, it was gut wrenching to see true bloodshed as she saw two figures, humanoid yet devoid of humanity, digging into one of her followers, light reflecting off of their eyes, scraggly and most definetely not friendly.

Empress didn’t know how long she ran, how long she kept to herself crying in her room, if she had even locked the door to her Den. As she fainted from the tears, she hoped if this really was the end, her mother would be on the other side.

[chambersandfogg]

November 21st, 1918

They said we’d be home by Christmas and, against all odds, that may very well be true.

It’s over. We will not have to endure another endless winter in the mud and ice, watching our fellow soldiers’ toes turn black. I only suffered one such season, but I believe I may be done with both the cold and the outdoors for quite some time because of it.

I am not built for this. If I am being honest with myself, I don’t think anyone is built for this. There is something inhuman, unnatural, to this war. I understand that man has fought with man for as long as we’ve walked this earth, but this war is something beyond the realm of human conflict. It is as if we’ve been given the power of the gods and have decided to wage war with it despite being mere mortals ourselves.

They are calling it the Great War. Or the “war to end all wars”. I think the former lends it too much grandiosity and the latter is foolishly optimistic. We are all tired, worn out from the endless tension, the dwindling rations, the howling whistle of mortar shells before they explode, and I have no doubt that the other side feels just the same. And yet I also have no doubt that even this unending destruction has failed to sate the blood-lust that seems to run so deep in the veins of man. This war will not end wars; it has merely changed them.

There is no glory in battle. This is what I have discovered. It is not like the tales of knights and kings that I read as a boy. It is brutish and cruel, turning man into something less than he is. I feel diminished.

When it became clear that I had been given the great gift of, at the very least, an exceptionally long life, if not an unending one, I began to revel in the idea that I should get closer to experiencing every aspect of the human condition than any man has ever come before. And I set out immediately to make that true. I have traveled far and wide, have performed on the world’s great stages, have taken lovers on two continents, have read more books, attended more theatrical performances, eaten more delicious food and drank more expensive wine than I could have ever imagined. I have been to war. I have killed.

Not all human experience is made equal. This is at the very heart of the discovery I have made. Fighting in this terrible conflict, seeing the light go out of another man’s eyes, has put into stark relief just how blessed I have been in my life. I had an inkling of my own good fortune, of course. Lord knows my parents always made sure to tell me that I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth and that I would be a fool to spit it out. But my life had not been without its hardship. I spent decades toiling in a career that I was ready to give up on before the tides turned. I have had public failures and hundreds of arguments with my family. I have been lonely. But I hadn’t experienced true pain until this last year.

Charles has experienced pain in his life. Many times. The loss of his mother hit him terribly hard, and I suspect his childhood was difficult, though he has never told me all that much about it, despite my occasional prodding. He has always been the yardstick against which I measure my accomplishments, but in recent years he’s become a kind of mirror as well. After all, who else on this earth could understand me or the way that I experience the world?

Except he doesn’t understand me. And I don’t understand him, not really. I’m sorry to say that our arguments over my joining the war effort did not cease as the months marched on. I had gone to great lengths to conceal my injury from him while I was still under the watchful eye of the medics—he had no reason to discover that I was receiving his letters to the infirmary—but he uncovered the truth all the same. And it didn’t seem to matter that, by that point, I was back in the field with only a scarred thigh to show for it; he took every opportunity after that to chastise me for getting blown up and encourage me to abandon my compatriots and go home. Yet he refused to be reasoned with when I suggested he be the one to leave the war.

It angered me, that he could so clearly see how ill-equipped I was for the front. Especially considering that he was never in combat the way that I was. How should he know what it takes to drive a bayonet through a man when all his killing occurred in a lab?

I shouldn’t squabble over the ways in which the war has scarred us. And, to be fair to Charlie, I have no idea if he is still relatively unscathed. I know he’s alive, he wrote me on the eleventh, seemingly as soon as he had heard the news, though I only just now received the letter. But I have not seen him in the flesh since his leave in London in ’16. Despite being, I imagine, mere miles apart at times, the war never did bring our paths together. Just as he had wanted. But it does strike me as strange, that I have run into him unexpectedly so many times in my life, but the moment I make an effort to find him, he eludes me.

Perhaps that is precisely the problem. Perhaps whatever means he used to learn of my injury also alerted him to every instance I tried to learn his current whereabouts. Perhaps it wasn’t that I couldn’t find him, but that he didn’t want to be found.

[from the personal diary of J.S. Fogg]

[listen to New Year’s Day wherever you get your podcasts. to read the pre-1917 entries, join atypical artists and get access to the archive of 24 entries (5,000+ words), as well as ad-free episodes. to receive future monthly missives straight to your inbox, sign up for free here]

[mcalhenwrites]

I just finished reading Seasons (old) and some of its side stories. What would Graham and Vivian do differently if they were sent back in time? I’d say between either The Starting Foundation or Stolen Summer Songs.

Hey there, thank you for reading Seasons! I think Graham and Vivian would go back to different times. Graham would probably rethink his relationship with Vivian entirely at first, because without him, Vivian wouldn't have dreamed of a home and family. Then he'd think about how much he loves his children, and he couldn't erase them by never being with Vivian in the first place. If he could get Vivian to agree to starting over with him, that'd be a different story. The two of them could start with Shannon. They'd have better knowledge from Phineas - if they retain that knowledge - to raise their children in a safer environment and work at being not just better parents, but better husbands. They'd have to carefully agree to still have the other kids at the same times they did, though, under the exact same circumstances, so they would still have the other four. There's a lot of complications with just going back in time, though, and I think they're both aware of that. That said, Vivian would certainly want to time travel back far enough to change things with Howie, and when Sophronia visited, he would reach out to her. He would show he wants to make a change. He'd be honest with his children instead of hurting them further. He never would have beaten Howie with his magical strength that night, that's for sure. Then he would ask Sophronia how to contact Shannon, and he would reach out and apologize and offer to talk. You said you read the old version of Seasons, so I'll cautiously mention spoilers: Vivian grieves hard for the permanent loss of Howie and Sophronia in his life. He will probably never give up trying to reach out to them, either, because he has nothing to lose by doing so. He already lost them, after all. I think this would make him reckless about fucking with time travel. I guess it's lucky that his magic doesn't include that? Since he could fuck up so many things. Despite all the horrible things he put his children through, they wouldn't be quite the same without the people they met and the experiences they've had. Shannon knows Phineas because of his horrible childhood and living on the streets. And that ended up being perhaps the best thing for the entire family in the end, is having Phineas in their lives. Thanks for the ask, it's really interesting to think about things like this! ;A;

[tkachuksoralfixation]

For those curious, here's a little excerpt of what i wrote :3 i will... Eventually release it. Maybe. It depends.

Its currently nameless but enjoy

Despite that absolutely shitty loss, Matthew gets up the next day for practice and he gives his all again. He shoulders it and moves on. And he does that for the entirety of the winter portion of the season, making it through road trip after flight after road trip. He's exhausted by the time All Star Weekend comes around, but he's glad for the days off. The late January air is kicking his ass, despite it being Florida of all places. Unlike literally everywhere else in the world, spring is in full motion in the unique place that is Sunrise, Florida, and it's making Matthew want to keel over and die.

He'd always had the worst allergies in the spring. Maybe it was just that he spent most of his childhood in places that made his fingers nearly freeze off that spring wasn't as bad, but god was the pollen horrible in the lower states of the US. He felt like he was suffocating every time he stepped outside.

That being said, Matthew enjoys his time off from thinking about making the playoffs. He thinks, now, about how he's gone through an entire box of tissues trying to clear his sinuses and at least half a bottle of nasal spray. He begins to think he has a cold or a sinus infection or something, but the medical staff on site said he was fine, so all he can bring it back to is allergies.

Fucking allergy season. Kiss All Star Matthew Tkachuk's ass.

He continues to be miserable the first couple of days he's in town. He and the other teammates that made it on the roster had flown in early, having no games prior to the weekend off. Grateful for their four day weekend, they landed in Florida two days early, and Matthew nearly spent the entire first night curled up in his hotel room a miserable mess. Maybe he was being dramatic. Maybe the pollen particles were waging war on Matthew Tkachuk himself and literally no one else. He was miserable, that's all that mattered.

The morning after, he woke up with a nose so stuffed he thought for a good few minutes he would never be able to breathe again. And then he took an allergy pill, blew his nose as much as humanly possible, and used the rest of the tiny bottle of nasal spray he'd gotten at the airport. That shit had been ten dollars and he hadn't even gotten a day's use out of it. Now that was some bullshit if he's ever seen it.

Thirty minutes later, his nose was dry and he finally felt peace. The relief that flooded his chest felt better than a blanket fresh out of the dryer, and that's fucking saying something. Well enough to go out and have fun, though, Matthew promised all of his friends in town for the day that they'd spend time together. It was rare that they were all under the same roof, the lens of competitive hockey nature out of the way. Really, he genuinely looked forward to it.

He had lunch reservations with Auston, Mitch, and a couple of the guys he flew in with. Standard stuff, just shooting the shit and hanging out. Their group was rushing out of the hotel, a tad behind on getting there, when someone shouldered him at the back of the group. He should've seen it coming, really, but he was in a rush and trying to keep up with the already pretty intimidating size of their group.

"Hey, watch where you're-" a familiar voice snaps, then screeches to a halt as he whips towards Matthew. Granted, he was stunning, he couldn't blame anyone for being so enraptured with him that they stopped speaking, but Leon Draisaitl was not one of those people. In fact, Matthew was sure he'd only ever stop like that if he was jaw-droppingly ugly, like a cake made to look like a baby that got dropped on the floor one too many times.

"What?" Matthew reaches up to touch his face, "Too beautiful for you? Keep moving, Draisaitl."

Draisaitl blinks slowly. Matthew was already far behind his group. No way he'll catch up now. "Uh," his eyes search Matthew's face, and then his hand, and that's when Matthew realizes something has to be wrong. "You. Um. Dude, you're covered in blood."

Matthew looks down at his hand from where he had touched his nose, and, yeah that was a lot of blood. "Oh, yeah, that'll do it." Suddenly his head starts swimming, and maybe he shouldn't have overdone it with the nasal spray. Or maybe the stupid weather change was getting to him and it gave him brain damage, or whatever the hell causes nosebleeds. He looks out to where his friends have already pushed out of the busy hotel doors. He'll have to call and tell them he'll be there later.

Seemingly horrified, Draisaitl looks around the room before his gaze inevitably comes back to Matthew. "You are way too calm for there to be blood pouring out of your face," he jabs, hooking his hand in Matthew's arm and dragging him god knows where. He's not really up for fighting it. "Is this, like, normal or something? Or did you just happen to have a nosebleed the second I walked into you?"

Shrugging, Matthew finally sees their destination is the men's restroom. The hotel is pretty fancy, so it's one of those single public restrooms with an actual toilet that shuts. He's grateful that his nice pants won't be tarnished by random bathroom germs. "Well, you know, I just thought it would be funny if I had a nosebleed the second you appeared. Because I totally saw you coming." He grins up at Draisaitl, who scowls and shoves him over to the toilet.

"Sit down, you dick. You're lucky I'm even helping you at all." He very clearly bites back anything more offensive. Matthew can't help but make fun of him for it as he sits.

"Oh, is that what this is?" Matthew laughs, watching Draisaitl do whatever the hell it is he's doing over by the sink. "Well, thanks, but I can take care of myself. I'm a big boy."

When Draisaitl turns around, he's got a condescending look on his face. An eyebrow raised, face wrinkled in that permanent frown of his. "It looks like you dipped the lower half of your face into a plate of spaghetti." He says it so nonchalantly and Matthew is so caught off guard, his mouth drops open in disbelief.

It takes him a moment to think of something in response. The fog in his brain is to blame for that, he thinks, because normally he has no issues keeping up with Leon Draisaitl when they're chirping and insulting each other. "You're messing with me." Matthew guesses, studying Draisaitl's stony face. He doesn't even crack a smile to show he's kidding in the slightest. "It doesn't actually look like that, right? It can't be that bad."

Draisaitl shrugs and makes his way over, a couple wet paper towels in each hand. "It's pretty bad," he chuckles, finally, and Matthew relaxes ever so slightly. He kind of hates that he does as Draisaitl crowds around him, his touch gentle as he tips Matthew's head up to face him. There's something so precarious, so strange, so intimate about it that doesn't feel like two guys in a bathroom cleaning up. Matthew internally hopes the blood on his face masks the way he flushes. "I'm surprised you didn't notice," he says as he carefully drags a paper towel against his upper lip, "I mean, you talk so much I can imagine some of it had to have gotten in your mouth."

"Okay, ouch," Matthew grumbles, trying to pull away, but Draisaitl's hand stabilizes him and keeps him in place. It sends a little shock into his gut. "Listen, we were running late to our lunch reservation, I didn't really have time to think, okay? I just-"

Matthew is promptly interrupted by a phone ringing. Oh, shit, he forgot he had to call his friends. Leon pulls away as Matthew scrambled for his phone, not even looking at who in his group was calling before hitting answer. He can barely even get out an explanation before a very loud, concerned voice broke through.

[gingee-tarot]

Hi, well i would love to participate in your past life reading. Myself Jasmine, capricorn-sun virgo moon and Taurus rising.

I don't have much good memories from my childhood but if i were to say a memorable one it would be me when I was 3, i got on the stage of my school and confidently answered that i wanted to be a teacher and teach students when asked what i wanted to be when i grow up even tho that's not my aim now i was definitely way too find of being a teacher that I used to teach invisible students on my blackboard and be like a total teacher haha those memories are something I'll always cherish i was way too passionate about it.

Thankyou so much for allowing me to participate, have a wonderful day ahead of you. 🫶🏻🤍✨🧿

Hello 🌿 thanks for sharing your childhood memories 💓

Sooo I got connected to one of your past lives, could be your recent past life around 1914-1945 in northern europe, could be Norway or Finland. could also be Sweden, Denmark, Estonia or Latvia.

Your Life in Northern Europe during the World War Era

In one of your past lives, you lived in Northern Europe during the World War era. Life at this time was difficult and you faced a lot of hardship especially due to oppression from the war and the control it brought over people’s lives. You were a strong person, someone who knew how to survive in tough times but you often felt burdened by the restrictions and struggles that came with living in such a difficult period.

Your faith in this life was either agnostic or atheist meaning you didn’t necessarily believe in a higher power or religion. You were practical and grounded, focusing on what you could see and do in the world around you rather than relying on spiritual beliefs.

Love, Loss, and Loneliness

In this life you lived as a spinster, meaning you didn’t marry. You had a deep connection with someone you loved but for one reason or another, the relationship didn’t last. The Loss of a Loved One card suggests that this person may have disappeared or abandoned you possibly due to the chaos and instability of the war. This loss left a deep mark on you and you carried it with you throughout your life.

Despite this, you had a lover’s heart. You loved deeply even if that love wasn’t always returned in the way you hoped. The feeling of abandonment shaped how you moved through the world, leaving you more guarded and self-reliant but you never fully let go of the love you once had.

A Life Close to Nature

You had a deep connection with animals in this life. The Animals card suggests that you were either a herder or simply someone who loved animals and found comfort in their presence. This connection to animals helped soothe some of the emotional pain you carried. Whether you worked with them as part of your daily life or kept them close for companionship, animals brought you a sense of peace and grounding.

The Trauma of Oppression and War

During this time, you experienced the heavy weight of oppression likely related to the war and the strict controls placed on people’s lives. You lived through a period of conflict where personal freedoms were restricted and many had to follow the rules of powerful forces beyond their control. The War card suggests that either you were directly involved in the war effort or deeply affected by it. You may have lost loved ones to the war or been conscripted yourself.

The trauma of living in such a tense and dangerous environment left its mark on you. You learned how to navigate difficult situations but you always carried the emotional scars of being forced into circumstances you didn’t choose.

Leadership in Your Own Way

Despite these challenges, your greatest lesson in this life was about leadership. Even though you may not have hold a formal position of power, you naturally guided others through tough times. The Ace of Pentacles and The Empress show that you had a nurturing, grounding presence in your community. You knew how to bring people together and help them through difficult situations whether it was offering practical support, sharing resources, or simply being a comforting figure.

You led through balance and patience, which is shown by the Temperance card. You were the person who could stay calm in a storm, offering practical solutions and keeping people focused on what mattered most. You were a leader not through power, but through wisdom and care.

A Long Life and Final Peace

You lived to an old age, and by the time you passed, you had seen many things, both good and bad. The empress card reflects your role as someone who took care of others and brought a sense of stability even in the hardest times. By the end of your life, you had found some peace within yourself despite all the hardships you faced. You understood that life is a mix of joy and sorrow, and you embraced both sides with grace.

The Lesson for Your Present Life

In this life, the lesson of leadership continues to guide you. You may not always feel like a leader in the traditional sense but your strength comes from your ability to stay grounded and support others, especially in difficult times. You have a nurturing presence and others often look to you for guidance even if you don’t realize it.

Your connection to nature and animals from your past life may still be strong in this one. You likely find peace and comfort in being around animals or spending time in nature. These moments help you stay balanced, like they did in your past life.

you may still carry some emotional weight from past experiences of loss or abandonment but your strength comes from your ability to move forward with resilience. You have a quiet leadership quality where you help others find balance without needing to be in the spotlight.

I hope you like your reading and please leave a feedback 🌿 thanks

[kamenstrikerace]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Side Of Dimensions Review:

Nostalgia Bait Gone Wrong!

This movie was made to cash in on my childhood, and it failed miserably since I outgrew Duel Monsters years ago.Today I decided to review a movie that I've had a visual loathing problem with since its inception back in 2016. I need to go into more depth because I can't simply ignore it.I have finally decided to review Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions and its mixed reception at the box office. There's a lot to talk about with this movie, and I hope I can cover it all since MyAnimeList has a limit on the amount of text and characters I can use.I am also going to explain two major topics. One is about production problems and nepotism, and the other is about reception and box office gross.

Oh god, this movie is going to suck, isn't it? Oh, wait. It is!

In The End It has to be this way: To me, Dark Side of Dimensions will always be the movie that killed my interest in Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, despite it being the third movie primarily focused on Duel Monsters. Let's delve into a bit of history regarding the Yu-Gi-Oh! movies. Firstly, there was the Toei Yu-Gi-Oh! movie from the late 90s, which was never released on DVD or Blu-ray, either because it was non-canon to the story or simply never considered canon. It's never been explained why it wasn't released on DVD. Then, in the early 2000s, we got the first movie for the Gallop Yu-Gi-Oh! series, Pyramid of Light, which received mixed reception. In its defense, it was created to rival Pokémon movies, but unfortunately, it didn't succeed. This led to the fandom's first uproar, with some blaming Takahashi for it. However, Takahashi wasn't responsible for it; it was actually 4KIDS who commissioned it from Japan. It's surprising that people are still misinformed about this in 2024. Next, we had Bonds Beyond Time, which was the only good movie in my opinion. And then, we have this disaster I'm reviewing.

Two Birds and One Stone Troupe: Now, let's delve into two topics I want to cover simultaneously: Animation and Directing. I'm going to be quite salty about this one. You see, one of my pet peeves is the apparent nepotism and the overemphasis on pretty colors and stereotyping in this movie, which I strongly oppose. This isn't me being biased or offering subjective criticism; I detest the prioritization of 'pretty colors' over substance. In today's media landscape, there's a tendency to mock older shows for not being 'flashy action,' 'self-inserted,' or 'well-made.' People often jump on the bandwagon and promote fake agendas like 'nepotism,' which is another problem I need to address. You cannot judge a movie solely based on animation. This isn't just the recurring issue with My Hero Academia and its animation; it's a problem I like to call the Yugioh Zexal fiasco.Animation production is expensive and often costs way too much. Despite how much money a show or movie makes, its value is ultimately determined by its reception at the box office. Personally, I disliked My Hero Academia because its cinematic animation received more positive reviews than its main series did. It felt like MHA was using the movies as a platform to showcase better fights because the main series itself seemed lazy and uninteresting. So, what does this have to do with the review? Well, people tend to be aggressive towards the media and often blame anime studios for being outdated or lazy. Studio Gallop was never a mainstream studio nor was it financially stable. The Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and movies had above-average production quality before the Zexal era, but then it shifted towards flashy visuals and over-the-top animation, which I found to be a mishap of nonsense. In fact, this movie is why I've disliked its production since 2014 because Konami seemed to be on a death wish to produce another movie that would likely result in financial losses. The movie was primarily focused on impressing the audience, trying to position itself as a 'savior,' but it ultimately failed miserably since people could see the excessive cost of production. The biggest problem with the movie lies in its direction, which was mediocre and poorly choreographed. To make matters worse, it was helmed by the same director I loathe, Satoshi Kuwabara. His tendency for poorly paced animation hiccups makes him a prime example of how not to hire a good director. Kuwabara comes off as lazy and immature in his approach to production. However, Yu-Gi-Oh! fans seem to get upset when his work is criticized, even though it's riddled with flaws. People often only point out issues with localization, blaming the wrong sources. But in reality, the direction of the movie was mediocre at best. He was responsible for the previous screw-up known as Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal and its mixed reception in the West due to the disaster of the anime. He was in charge of that series from day one. What I found particularly strange is that he never gave interviews or tried to explain what was even happening in the show. He appeared mostly lazy and inconsistent, in my opinion.

Nepotism Is as it's peak: This section is about Takahashi, who didn't understand his own logic in the first place. While people defended the movie for its flashy animation and nostalgia bait, Takahashi received universal criticism because he is solely at fault for this movie's failure. In the 2010s, people didn't blame him enough for Zexal, but he was blamed for this movie being a total disaster. It focused on stereotypes, dehumanizing the first Yu-Gi-Oh! show by portraying the characters as nothing more than jerks, and in the process, proving the critics right. In fact, this movie catered to those wanting another political card game war, leading to many people being divided due to his ego once again being involved.

Nepotism characterized the movie, with character assassination and story points being dropped in favor of it being a love letter to Yu-Gi-Oh! Season 6 that never happened. This whole movie is just Pyramid of Light recreated with dumb animation borrowed from Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V's production, solely to improve the movie and divide the fans once again. He tried to cover the movie's tracks under the rug because he couldn't take the fact that he knew personally if he stole animation or writing budgets from another ongoing Yu-Gi-Oh! project, it would lead to fandom wars.

Many Yu-Gi-Oh! fans know that he screwed up big time and never apologized for the movie's faults. People are split because of Takahashi's opinions and his ego regarding how Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal turned out to be a disaster, as he was involved in that series but left at some point to start early production on Dark Side of Dimensions. Many fans say that Takahashi wasn't very involved with the series, but for reasons he doesn't want to take part in a show. The reason for this is that Takahashi has an ego that lets him anger the fandom because the story wasn't in favor of anything but solely overpowering the show's credibility and creating a dumpster fire, just like how Zexal became that way.In short, he is the reason why Yu-Gi-Oh! is doomed. He can't seem to improve the story and let it progress, as his original anime, Duel Monsters, was never fully adapted. The manga was left with plot holes and a lack of depth due to arcs being cut too soon. In short, Yu-Gi-Oh! was doomed because any show past 5D's became unlikable and disrespected. This man wanted to push an agenda, much like how Zexal was supposed to be Duel Monsters 2.0.

We hated ARC-V for this? That brings me to the production itself, which was undermined by his lackeys and others who tried to make this movie happen. The movie was made sometime between 2014 and 2016, and it's largely at fault for stealing the budget from shows like Arc-V. I'm not one to just jump on the bandwagon and start supporting a movie because someone told me to. There is no movie in the whole universe I have ever been hyped about just because many people tell me to support its production rather than focusing on the actual story and characters.Studio Gallop was never a mainstream studio like Studio Mappa or Studio Bones. Gallop was a studio meant to handle shows made for children, not mainstream abominations that performed terribly at the box office. These movies were universally panned because their stories were either handled poorly in the manga or never completed. The studio often misled their fandom, promising that the movies would be gold standards, but this was a lie. The movies were more meant to be tie-ins rather than delivering what the fandom demanded.

The Box Office Disaster The movie was a box office disaster, failing to recoup its production costs and falling short of expectations. Despite the hype and nostalgia surrounding the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, The Dark Side of Dimensions couldn't draw in enough viewers to be profitable. This was partly due to the overly ambitious budget that prioritized flashy animation over a coherent and engaging story. Fans were left disappointed, and critics panned the movie for its lack of depth and substance, leading to its poor performance at the box office.

The Duels The duels, which should have been the highlight of the movie, were also a letdown. They were poorly choreographed and lacked the strategic depth that fans loved in the original series. Instead of thrilling, intellectually stimulating matches, the duels in The Dark Side of Dimensions felt rushed and overly reliant on flashy visuals. This focus on style over substance left many fans feeling cheated. The duels failed to capture the essence of what made Yu-Gi-Oh! great in the first place, ultimately contributing to the overall disappointment with the movie.

Overall The movie is just nostalgia bait 101. You can't tell me that many people have a bias for it just because of the animation and pretty colors. In fact, people hated this movie because it was made with money taken from another project, which left their fandom unhappy. If you tell me that I'm being negative because I prefer 5D's, which was universally better than this movie, it's only because you refused to watch 5D's. I'm starting to believe that Konami never planned for this movie; it was a last-second attempt to make money.