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fountainpenguin · 4 months

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Identity Meta

Last June I made a post about asexuality in my FOP 'fics. This year, here's a post about notable ace and aro characters in my MCYT 'fics.

Also, bonus headcanons that aren't ace or aro, but which I'd written up for a Dog's Life author's note a couple months ago that got too long and was never posted. Enjoy!

#Dog's Life spoilers (up through Chapter 36) & #ridspoilers for random additional works, including in the post-Dog's Life timeline

Intro Note

This document discusses attraction. Some characters may not be attracted to someone you ship them with. These are notes for my fanfics; they are personal portrayals. You don't have to agree with them.

If this post makes you uncomfortable, please step away and/or don't interact. Thank you!

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Correspondent System

Soul temperature:

Warm-Cool

Hot-Chilly

In both my Pixels Imperfect and Neighborhood Watch AUs, the correspondent system determines soulmates. All Double Life SMP soulbonds follow the correspondent system.

NW is a soulmate-normative [correspondent-normative] culture. Feeling attraction outside the correspondent system is considered queer. In the Pixels Imperfect universe, soul temperature is usually medical knowledge and not many people have a preference. However, some do (since it can impact the cuddle experience).

In the Pixels universe, many people would find you standoffish and close-minded if you expressed you prefer cuddling some temperatures, but avoid others

In the NW universe, many people would feel uncomfortable if you expressed sensual interest in any soul temperature other than your correspondent match

Also, in the Pixels Imperfect universe, the forehead is a sensitive area to touch. It’s where mobs and players touch each other while on love hearts. They don’t have the millions of nerves in their lips that Earth residents do - they weren’t programmed with that - so although they might be able to touch lips briefly (before phasing through each other’s skin due to lack of collision), it’s not very exciting for them.

It’s kind of like putting your hand on a piece of steak. It’s… definitely something. You can feel you’re touching steak. But not really sexy.

Pixels Notes

Pixels Imperfect is my series about MCYT characters living in a digital world. Grian is a Watcher who swapped places with the Grian who was originally born in this world, so now there's a digital-born Grian surviving a universe of flesh and a flesh-born Grian living in a world of code.

In Dog's Life Chapter 10, Grian got slapped in the face with the realization that sex doesn't exist in this digital universe; everyone is a hybrid who hatches from a dragon egg and they were not coded with the ability to reproduce. Not only that, but his friends don't know what kisses are, and don't really care.

I went through a lot of different concepts while shaping the world. One concept was to have no one address sexuality or romantic preference at all with everyone being aro/ace. I think that would've worked fine for a shorter and less in-depth 'fic, but I chose not to go that route since it meant erasing existing queer characters like Scott.

In mid-Dog's Life, Scott has a sheet of pride stickers that he claims came from Sims 4 players. This is because Sims 4 has a pride flag item with a lot of different colors, and in general, the characters first born into the Sims 4 world have a better grasp of some of those concepts than the characters born into a world where mobs are canonically genderless and sex doesn't exist.

Below, I've given some characters sensual preferences that are similar to sexuality. Some are classed as allo because of this sensuality comparison, but I wanted to explain for anyone who knows sex isn't a thing in this world.

So, here we go!

Grian - Cupioromantic

Grian doesn't feel romantic attraction, but desires a romantic relationship. He greatly enjoys and pursues activities he perceives as romantic (like cuddling and kissing), but doesn't need to feel romantic attraction to enjoy it... in theory. He's still working on that part throughout Dog's Life and, struggling with a lot of internalized aphobia.

I'd absolutely call him cupiosexual since his character crisis is about mourning what he lost by switching universes. By definition, he doesn't feel sexual attraction (because he has a digital body that runs on code instead of hormones), but desires a sexual relationship. He just can't have it and there's nothing he can do about it. It's definitely an important part of his identity.

In a world that does have sex - like NW AU - cupiosexual may not be the right label

I enjoy Grian's Dog's Life character arc a lot. He stresses about his arranged marriage with his wife, cheats on her chronically, burns all his bridges, and won't back down. He's out of control... Breaking up with BigB, begging Scar for a one-night stand, yelling at Scar about how it's rude if Scar doesn't want to be in a QPR with him, before swaying Bdubs (his basing body in their Dog's Life game) into teaching him about the love heart mechanic that does exist in the game.

He gets his one-night stand, then promptly flits back to BigB and begging him to take him back while a baffled Bdubs watches from the sidelines. He's an extremely contradictory and rapid-paced character and I love him for that.

I like writing Grian because he really is just ruining everything in his total desperation to get what he wants; he has complete tunnel vision and that might be his greatest flaw.

In his mind, the ends justify the means- Shrieking at Scar is fine if it means he might beg and guilt-trip his way into a one-night stand. He is having a hard time and it's mostly self-inflicted. There's a good reason why one of Dog's Life's tags is specifically for Cupioromantic Grian, lol.

Grian's aromanticism affects how he's written and what he portrays in his POV. Flirting is not in his default nature. He's the type to trot around and dig in the garbage looking for something, or he'll admire goods in a shop, but he doesn't find people attractive or feel a desire to engage with them physically.

Small exception: he likes cuddling his close friends. He'll walk up to his friends and touch them, but it's non-sexual to him.

All that said, he can be smooth and rizz you up when he wants to. He's not trying to be manipulative or fake: it's just that most of the time, he doesn't notice you, so when he's intentionally trying to flirt, he sometimes comes on too strong.

In Dog's Life, we see Grian struggle with internalized aphobia as well as paraphobia: a fear of sexual perversion (There's limited research, so this particular name might lean more into "having society shun you because people perceive you as gross"?)

For the purpose of this post, I'm using this word to mean "a fear of turning on others and being turned on." I suppose you could call him sex-repulsed... although, I don't think he's sex-repulsed as much as he's afraid of rejection. As you can imagine, this comes into conflict with Grian's cupio identity, but here are some reasons as to why he's like this:

- The Pixels and NW universes are locked in parallel. The Grian currently in the Pixels universe didn't grow up with Yandere High and EVO's suppressive culture, but the Grian currently in NW sure did. That plays into his feelings which - in its circular way - pings back to the Grian in the Pixels universe - Grian grew up in Neighborhood Watch's temperature-themed culture, which impacts engagement with his current peers. This upbringing left him with paranoia; he constantly feels judged. - Grian's paranoia leaves him fearing that the partners he likes (chilly souls) will judge him or dump him if they learn that he's into them. - Grian was manipulated and gaslit during his time at the EVO hub, so he cares very deeply about his ability to trust and understand himself. If he doubts himself, he starts to spiral. In Pixels Imperfect, this is indicated by pacing. Grian feels that if he can't trust himself, he's in danger, so he NEEDS to nail down his feelings or else bad things will happen to him - Someone being attracted to him when he isn't attracted to them implies they know something he doesn't, that they're thinking of him (stalking him? planning to hurt him??), or it places them in a position of perceived power over him. - Grian gets flustered when people imply he's into someone. If he denies it and the joke continues, it makes him feel like his friends don't believe him and will let people take advantage of him; we see hints of this in Dog's Life when he tells both Martyn and Scar that he hates others making assumptions about his interests. His identity is something he wants to figure out himself, and it's scary if you feel like your friends won't believe you when you say "I don't like this." - See also, Grian was betrothed to Scar in NW AU (because they were soulmates). He was already struggling with feelings of attraction (because Scar isn't a chilly soul), and that folds into his anxiety about his friends wink-wink, nudge-nudging him when Scar enters the room - In Dog's Life Chapter 27, Grian hinted that he pushes Scar away because he "can't trust Scar's mind not to wander," he "doesn't trust Scar to respect his boundaries," and that he might be into power fantasies because he likes the idea of saying No and being 100% confident that his partner will respect that. As you can imagine, it would hurt Scar's feelings to hear this. Grian deals with that by simply not having that uncomfortable conversation with him. #Best Solution (It is not) - Grian's self-defense mechanism is shoving things (or people) away. This often goes hand in hand with casting blame on them. Ex: He doesn't feel guilty for allegedly cheating on Scar with BigB, and if you confront him, he'll simply say his relationship with Scar was never defined, and as far as he's concerned, neither was Ren and BigB's. This is a subtle nod to his procrastination and avoidance tactics (i.e. not finishing his bases). If something gives him anxiety, he'll avoid it, but he does know the logical thing to do is confront the thing head-on. - Grian gets so defensive that he tends to overcorrect, leading people to believe he IS into Scar since he denies it so much (and again, not being believed is scary for him) - Basically, if he experiences any inkling of interest, his immediate response is "oh no, I feel cringe and scared." And if someone expresses interest in him, his self-defense mechanism is to either convince himself he liked them FIRST and they're not taking advantage of him, or swing in the other direction and furiously deny he likes them at all. - I write Grian with anxiety and he's prone to panic attacks (Messy childhood), which doesn't help

Paraphobia doesn't bring up a lot of search results. In fact, it's mainly just one page, and the research I found claims this fear of sexual perversion "occurs almost exclusively in men." I find that doubtful, so if there's anyone out there who knows more (or who knows a better word for what I'm describing), I'd love to learn more about this topic.

NW Grian - The funniest part about this for me is that, again... Grian swapped universes with another Grian. The Grian who's now in the Neighborhood Watch universe wasn't exactly flirty in his trauma-filled days as a Yandere High foreign exchange student, and reproductive talk was a no-no in EVO's restricted walls.

What I'm saying is that the Grian in the NW world also probably doesn't know sex isn't a thing in the Pixels universe. However, he does struggle with one thing that Dog's Life readers just learned about in Chapter 36:

Grian is non-correspondent. He's a warm soul who's exclusively into chilly souls, and not his correspondent match: cool souls.

Neighborhood Watch is a very correspondent-normative world, so Grian's considered queer in NW and struggles with that. In Dog's Life, Grian confessed these feelings to BigB, who was confused because... in the Pixels universe, soul temperature isn't a big deal. Grian shifted into a high anxiety mode and made statements like "I thought I was going through a phase and would grow out of it."

There's a whole talk we could have about how if Grian had roleplayed attraction to Scar in Double Life, that would've made his soul (which is connected to the NW universe) feel attraction to Scar... and by that logic, he's now added "I am attracted to Bdubs" to his body's canon (as he's about to roleplay attraction on-screen in a season that's canon in the NW world).

Or was he already attracted to Bdubs because this was always going to happen? Food for thought.

tl;dr - Grian is "Attraction makes me anxious, but it's the umbrella embodying the intimacy I want, so I desire it." But if you put him in that situation and took away his anxiety, he'd be delighted to engage in the behaviors he enjoys (and receive the romantic affection he desires) and would probably stop fussing about it.

I think his fatal flaw is that he knows this is exactly what will happen - Grian is very aware of his anxiety and the effect it has on him, and he's familiar with breaking through those walls to obtain what he's after and finally be at peace - and that's what leads him on this self-destructive course of scrambling to get there, even if it means infidelity and begging along the way.

"Done is better than perfect" could be his motto, and that's not the kind of attitude you want to bring to your relationships.

Grian's past trauma may possibly influence his identity, but even if it does, he's valid.

TwoMuchGrian - Arospec

TwoMuchGrian's identity is a lot less detailed, but it's fun to talk about. Two is Grian's twin brother. He has a fluid, undefined relationship with Joel's twin LazyBeans26, AKA PiglinMyNose. Here are some excerpts of their relationship from my meta doc:

- Flirt regularly, but don’t cuddle as much as you’d think. Lots of hair brushing, preening, and just hanging out to do crafts and have pajama parties - Probably some kind of QPR, but if you asked them if they’re dating, married, friends, etc. they would just say “Yes.”

Two and Pig definitely see each other as "special" or each other's favorite. I'd say their relationship is similar to whatever Grian has with Mumbo: a dear friendship that tumbles into fixation sometimes. Two is probably just as weird about Pig and probably builds shrines to him too.

Other meta notes I find funny:

Acts like BadTimeWithScar disgusts him - they’re rival captains in the competitive camming field - but they work together a lot and are good friends. They hang around MumboDrone a lot and sometimes pull him in for cuddles

- See “Here’s to the Health of Married Men” (BadTime asked Two to dance and Two got huffy, but agreed) & “No One Likes the Opening Band” (Sports captain rivalry) - Cuddle and carrot more than you’d think. Possibly some kind of “friends with benefits” hate you / I don’t actually hate you rivalry - Two will get huffy and deny associating with BadTime in his private life and will instead treat Pig as his closest companion (Holding his hand, staying over for sleepovers, spending holidays together etc.) - Two is captain of the Jade Jaguars on the competitive camming field. He takes care of his fellow cameras. - Was briefly in a polyamorous relationship with Pig and WellsGlazes. Glaze backed out after a few weeks because she found it exhausting to keep up with two people. Technically that relationship was never dissolved between Pig and Two, so “they’re in an amorous relationship” would probably define their otherwise unlabeled affection - Once invited SnifferMyFeet to join the ambiguous relationship since Sniff is buddies with Pig, but Sniff turned him down

To me, Two embodies this idea of chasing sensuality without romantic attraction. Grian cares enough about the romantic side of things that cupioromantic feels like the right label for him.

Two likes the physical presence of a person. He's less content with long-distance signs of affection and he's really into things like hair brushing, cuddling, and flirting, with emphasis on teasing. He and Pig are really into cosplay and I'm just waiting for the perfect opportunity to have someone walk into them dressed fancy or silly with zero context.

Mumbo - Quoiromantic

Quoiromantic: Not being able to distinguish romantic from platonic attraction and therefore feeling unsure if you've experienced it. It may be used by those wishing to express they felt something strong, but their instinct isn't to call it romantic; nonetheless, it's too notable to wave off and pretend it never happened.

For Mumbo specifically, I think all the lines of his platonic, romantic, and sensual attraction blur.

I previously spoke about how I arrived at Mumbo's orientation in the end notes of One and a Half Birds Chapter 11, so you can check that out if you like.

To me, Mumbo's the perfect example of goofing around and living his life, letting the chips fall where they may. Marriage to Martyn? Sure! He loves to play with his friend and he'll follow bits like breadcrumbs.

Mumbo looks at Grian's cuddly nature and covers it under the umbrella of "This is what my relationship with Grian is like." He does that with each of his friends, so each person ends up creating their own dynamic with him. He doesn't really sort his friends by relationship type, but by their personalities and preferences.

Possibly, this is a result of jumping from a loner life into a social group of physically affectionate friends at a young age. Pixels Mumbo is a wandering trader and I feel like they're quite a social species, so that may play into it as well

Martyn found this very annoying when they were married, which was a small plot point in One and a Half Birds. Mumbo focused on Martyn's behavior, which was a lot of Martyn snuggling him in bed for a night, but leaving by morning (Possibly because phantoms are active at night and wandering traders are not).

In that 'fic, Mumbo implied several times that he saw Martyn more like his friend with benefits than his husband, which frustrated Martyn, who valued the husband title and felt like Mumbo was brushing him off. Martyn offered to share souls with Mumbo and he meant it. For all his trickery in the Life series, Martyn considers himself an honorable man and was planning to follow through. Mumbo was uneasy, feeling that Martyn couldn't commit.

To a degree, I feel Mumbo and Grian have similar interests: they're both likely to enjoy gestures and activities that are commonly viewed as romantic (like kissing, flirting), but these situations don't make them feel like they're experiencing romantic attractions.

Like Grian, Mumbo also struggles with trauma in his past that may impact his relationship with intimacy. This is discussed in One and a Half Birds; one of the things Mumbo confesses to Martyn is that he feels like he's better with long-distance relationships, but that he greatly appreciates Martyn for letting him take the lead.

Fun Fact: In NW AU, Mumbo is soulmates with Lizzie: the other Life series member who plays in the same seasons Mumbo does, and doesn't when he isn't there.

I enjoy Double Life, so one thing I like doing throughout my 'fics is, I try to hone in on what makes each soulmate pair feel like soulmates. Double Life was the wrong environment for some of them, but I wanted to emphasize that they were paired and they vibe well with their partner.

Lizzie and Joel are a little unconventional in their relationship, in that they really enjoy chasing and killing each other... the inherent intimacy of taking someone's life. I feel like Mumbo and Lizzie would connect well there.

In One and a Half Birds, Mumbo flirted with Martyn by urging him to chew on his soul. Martyn and Mumbo weren't chasing each other around, but it's a similar way of trusting your partner with your safety.

Lizzie is curious and clever. In Last Life, she set aside hidden storage chests, she rigged traps around her base, and iirc, she also set up the teleporting lever that brought her back to the Fairy Fort. She likes honing in on artistic details. I think Mumbo would've loved having a base that blended beauty and redstone.

In the Pixels Imperfect universe, they have no reason to believe they're soulmates (since neither participated in that season), but I have a draft where Mumbo takes Lizzie on a minecart ride and it makes me happy. Even if they don't know it, they vibe.

Mumbo is a cool soul and Lizzie a warm; they're correspondent. Joel and Lizzie are a warm-warm pair

BONUS: I made this post about Ahasbands (Mumbo/Martyn) and I find it very funny that several people reblogged and tagged it with variations of aro/ace Mumbo. Correct!!

I love platonically married Mumbo. Does he know what's going on? No. Is he committed to the bit? Absolutely.

Scar - Recipromantic

Scar is recipromantic (and/or reciprosexual in a relevant universe).

He feels attraction only after someone has expressed their feelings to him. Or, if they haven't expressed it verbally, they've heavily implied their interest.

He heavily implies this in Dog's Life Chapter 22, when Scar says he never minded Grian wasn't romantically interested in him (but that he would've accepted and responded if he was, or if he wanted to roleplay a relationship).

In a recent 'fic comment, I said Scar's attitude makes him perfect for the lekking behavior I'd already given the vex hybrids. A lek is a group of animals that display for their mates (It's often a male displaying for a female, hoping she'd choose him). Scar's like that: he'll make himself available, but he wants someone to take an interest in him.

In that comment, I also mused that in the Pixels Imperfect universe, mobs are genderless and either one might have the baby, so they might be divided into groups like "one who approaches" and "one who receives or rejects advances." In the wild, this would mean one mob produces love hearts and the other one decides whether they want to engage.

I feel like Scar tends to see the world using this view... He'll look at people, smile, welcome them, and fan his wings, but he won't get up and pursue. He waits. If he feels your interest is genuine - which could take many weeks or just half an hour - he'll probably accept your advances. But if he senses you're ingenuine, he'll kindly turn you down.

Above, I said Grian tends to wander around and he doesn't usually approach people to flirt. Scar definitely clocked him as "not interested" early on (and thus removed Grian from his list of suitors). However, if Grian started flirting with him, Scar would put him back on the list.

Scar is passionate - and keen to explore romantic and sensual opportunities if he wants to - but it's important to him that his partner enjoys his company. He's not big on one-night stands, though he might enjoy one with someone who'd wooed him for a while.

Obvious conflict... Dog's Life Grian begging Scar for a one-night stand so he can experience romance.

It's important to me that Scar always tries to support Grian as best he can. For example, he may experience a bit of surprise or sadness that Grian prefers flirting with BigB to flirting with him, but he will always support Grian loving whom he wants.

Scar is my fix-it for anything I've ever read that villainizes a character or IRL person (often a woman or aspec person) for not returning someone's affection. I love drama, but I do feel uneasy reading about a character who loves their friendships, but a friend develops feelings for them and decides the friendship can't continue, and/or becomes aggressive.

Scar is allowed to have a range of emotions - and sometimes he gets quite upset or feels like things are unfair - but he will never bash Grian for not being attracted to him.

In Dog's Life, there are multiple times that Scar tells Grian (and even SnifferMyFeet, unprompted) that he "isn't mad about BigB." This tends to be a thing Scar fixates on when Double Life comes up in conversation- In fact, he even said this to BigB in a recent chapter, also unprompted.

I think "I don't hate you" is a thing that Scar really clings to. He clings to this idea that he's doing the right thing even if he feels like others are being cruel or unfair.

Scar would be a great partner to someone who wanted to be with him (and he's had some lovers in the past) but Grian isn't into him and Scar doesn't want him to think he has to be.

tbh, even though I often portray Scar as lonely or stressed throughout the BigB arc, I think some part of him is grateful that at least he knows Grian's not pretending to be attracted to him.

On occasion, Grian's antics or words will really push him over the edge... but despite their conflicts, Grian and Scar are soulmates. They connect well when they're both communicating. Unfortunately, they both try to suppress their issues with the other, leading conversations to be a bit explosive when those things come out. They do have issues, but they're also great at coming back to each other and supporting each other.

The meta doc I'm drawing from has this note: "Grian's cupio-, Mumbo's quoi-, and Scar's recipromantic. They don't know what this means and probably never will, but they're learning more about themselves as they experiment, which is where Pixels Imperfect's complex stories come in." I think that about sums it up.

Pearl & Gem - Aroace

Pearl and Gem are my aroace gals. Not only do I love aroace characters, but they were a good fit in my early outline days since I was aware their creators don't enjoy romantic/sexual ship dynamics.

One thing that was very important to me when designing Pearl's character in my 'fics is that I really wanted her friends to be aware of her aroace identity and respect it. Here's a detail I enjoy (Pixels universe), but may not be obvious unless you think about it:

Everyone in New Star Station [who has their own room] has roommates, except for one. That one is Pearl. In other chapters, we hear that New Star is short on rooms, yet Pearl has a large space all to herself. Scott gave her the same amount of kitchen and living room access that all her friends gets, but she gets to live her dream loner life.

Throughout Dog's Life, we see hints of conflict between Scott and Pearl that seems to revolve around Scott wanting to move in with her (to express he's fond of her and enjoys her company) while Pearl would prefer he doesn't (because she sees this as Scott not respecting her space).

I have a WIP called "With Acid In Your Eyes" where Pearl and Scott live in the NW world in a queerplatonic soulmate marriage (because... divorce quartet should be married if they're going to claim they went through divorce; #change my mind). I specifically set my first chapter up to imply that Scott's gay identity is often acknowledged (in-universe), but Pearl's isn't.

i.e. Pearl's sister told Scott he was queerbaiting the entire neighborhood because he's in a straight-passing relationship, but she didn't say that to Pearl, who is the other half of the straight-passing relationship

It may not come across perfectly in future chapters (since it's not the main plot,) but Scott and Pearl are not in a QPR "just because Scott is gay and Pearl's a girl." They're in that QPR because it's what they BOTH want; Pearl could be straight and they'd still be in that QPR.

They are two soulmates who love and support each other, but they're also very aware that they have different interests, so they have an open marriage. Nonetheless, Chapter 1 depicts Scott and Pearl cuddling and discussing their relationship boundaries again.

Specifically, Scott cites a rule that he's allowed to flirt with his crush Jimmy, but Jimmy stays out of the bedroom he shares with Pearl. NW Scott is very big on respecting Pearl and assuring her that he cares deeply for her and I love that for him.

It's very important to me that Pearl's friends don't flirt with her because they respect that she doesn't want them to. And not "Because that's my sister" or "Because she feels like a sister to me."

I recently went through my blog and removed the Skyblings tag from my stuff because it made me uncomfortable to imply a sibling relationship when I portray those characters as unrelated friends.

I don't mind if other people like this tag. I greatly enjoy Grian and Pearl as siblings, but because they're not related in my fanfics - and I specifically portray Pearl as aroace - I don't like tagging my posts with it. I want Pearl and her aroace identity to stand apart from the other characters and potential sibling connections.

Also, the other characters should be allowed to think she's sexy.

Etho - Diagnosed with QPR Awkwardness

During Dog's Life, Etho isn't sure what his identity is. This is a nod to his NW self, whom I'll discuss below.

It may not be stated outright in Dog's Life (depending on where it goes, though I 100% see him having this conversation with Cleo), but Etho is correspondent-normative; he's a cool soul exclusively into warm souls.

But... he hasn't noticed. At the moment, Etho will just admit he likes cuddling. However, he gets shy and avoids admitting much more.

Etho's soulmate is Joel, a warm soul. Etho fixates on Joel because a surprising number of people in Etho's life are the three other soul types: hot, cool, and chilly. Joel is the first person Etho ever cuddled with who was specifically warm, and it flipped a switch inside him he didn't know he had.

In Dog's Life, Etho struggles with his attraction to SnifferMyFeet, which makes him feel weird because logically, he knows Sniff and Joel are separate people and he feels guilty for projecting his feelings of Joel onto Sniff.

But... Sniff is also a warm soul, and he's playing into the same patterns Etho saw with Joel... Very confusing for Etho.

In-universe, Etho wouldn't be considered queer. Or at least, he wouldn't be seen as queer in NW world, which doesn't really care about gender and really fixates on temperature. It's very funny to me that he's the equivalent of straight while he's pining over men

In Scar's section, I mentioned Scar's worldview of "approach vs. accept or reject." In the same comment where I brought this up, I also mused with the commenter that I think Etho's the same way: he will also wait for someone to flirt with him. Joel and Sniff are both people who will approach, so they're very good at drawing Etho in.

Hilariously, I think Cleo is also this way - as in, they're open to offers but would rather wait than pursue - which is very funny in the context of Secret Life. Cleo (iirc) stated her alliance with Etho was platonic. I feel like romance-chasing, will-make-a-move-if-he-wants-to cupioromantic Grian walked into that dynamic and was immediately exasperated.

Grian POV: I can't believe neither is making a move, especially when there's already married life roleplay from Limited Life they can build on. They clearly both want each other :| Cleo and Etho POV: /chilling like two cats on a chair

In Arsenic Waltz (NW AU), Etho and Cleo meet when they're on Red life. They pal around for a while and later conceive Scar Clocker... while still on Red. It's only after Etho gets up to Yellow life that he realizes there's a disconnect in his feelings for her. Nonetheless, Scar's existence ties him to Cleo, so Etho sticks around and tries to be a good dad (later fathering Bdubs too).

You could describe the Etho-Cleo relationship as platonic or possibly queerplatonic, but Etho would probably struggle to wrap his head around those ideas.

NW society would love holding up the Clocker divorce drama as a warning for "all the bad things that will happen to your life if you go against the correspondent system." This probably plays into Etho's guilt, leading him to stay as long as he does, trying to make their life seem quaint and perfect on the outside

In Cleo's section below, I discuss how I feel she chooses partners logically. To me, Etho is someone who would think he's logical, but he tends to follow his heart. I have an upcoming draft where Etho suggests someone seduce their partner for information, and when everyone gives him weird looks, he mutters, "It would work on me."

Coincidentally, Etho kept avoiding SnifferMyFeet's questions about his past with Joel for most of Dog's Life, up until Sniff flirted with him in Chapter 33 and Etho finally spilled the things Sniff kept asking about. Yeah...

If you get him comfy, he will just talk. He loves cuddling and pillow talk.

Bonus Etho info:

- In Dog's Life Chapter 28, Bdubs heavily implies Etho wants kids... or at the very least wants something to cuddle. Throughout Dog's Life, it's noted that Etho is touch-starved. His bedroom features a large collection of plushes that he cuddles when he's lonely - In Chapter 31, Etho tells Sniff he likes his rings because they made him feel excited, like Sniff is expressing interest in him (circling back to that bit about how Etho tends to wait for someone to approach him and flirt) - In "Canadian Idiot," Etho daydreams about sneaking back to his singleplayer server without rinsing off the Double Life mod, allowing him to feel Joel's pain even though Joel rinsed his half of the mod off - In "The Man He Sets His Spawn With" and "I Love You (You're Obsessed)", Joel finds out Etho's been secretly wearing the Double Life mod. He's not happy - In "No One Likes the Opening Band," SnifferMyFeet plays the sport of competitive camming with Etho as his partner (i.e. Etho does the combat and Sniff does the camera work). Sniff wears a white ring representing Etho and a striped ring representing PiglinMyNose. We don't know what this ring means for them, but presumably Etho likes when Sniff wears it

I really like the songs for Etho's two early Dog's Life chapters (in my 'fic playlist): "Surface Pressure" from Disney's Encanto and "Never Blue" by Maggie Jean Martin (particularly the moment in the latter song where the singer breaks and screams).

I feel these embody his character really well: he desperately wants affection, but especially cuddles and commitment. He feels like everyone around him gets swept up in romance, but he doesn't quite get it or isn't allowed to have it. He's constantly torn between trying to be so cool that someone asks him out and also feeling uncomfortable, like people are only interested in him due to perceived social status.

Joel really swept Etho up, in the sense that Etho really connected with someone who was willingly spending time with him, getting to know him, and might even like him. SnifferMyFeet plays into that vibe too, with the "added bonus" of not going home to Lizzie at night. And the added con of, y'know... Sniff not wanting to be Joel 2.0 even though he has all Joel's Double Life memories and enjoys Etho's company.

Man, I love Dog's Life... I love goofy Snetho drama... it's so silly.

Martyn - Funky Identity (Cool, Chilly, Feminine)

Martyn's an allo who greatly admires femininity. In the Pixels Imperfect series, I play him as very sensual, in that he would undeniably be feeling sexual attraction if he lived in a universe where that was a thing.

- Compare Grian's fairly tame mental/external response to almost kissing Cleo in Dog's Life Chapter 20 to Martyn's strong physical/internal response to Cleo texting him in Chapter 21. - Grian did react with interest and excitement, but his strongest response was grabbing his hair and leaning back, which he only did after he fed Cleo bread from between his lips, which was very close to kissing her: something he's very much interested in, but probably perceives as more romantic than sexual. ^ Martyn kept taking time-out breaks to pace and talk himself down from his piqued interest. Grian - Dog's Life poster child for pacing - didn't even do that when having a flirty face to face conversation with her. Cleo's texts definitely elicited a sensual response in Martyn. They talk about this in Chapter 26 when Martyn asks her to stop texting him stuff if she's not interested in him... to Cleo's confusion, as she didn't think her texts were sensual). - I feel like it's also worth pointing out that in Chapter 21, Martyn sent shirtless pictures of himself to his husband (Mumbo) in a blatant attempt to rizz him up. ^ Grian is the type who would send Mumbo a picture of his chest because he saw a splotch on it and wanted to ask for advice (or because he spilled sauce on it and it made a funny picture). Mumbo would cough and splurt because Grian just sent him a shirtless pic. It would take Grian a while to remember that there's a sexual connotation if you send stuff like that to your friends

Martyn's queerness is that he's exclusively into cuddling cool/chilly souls in a universe where temperature preference is uncommon (Grian, Joel, and Etho are the only others confirmed to care about temperature, and they prefer chilly, warm, and warm respectively). He's also into femininity.

Ex: Martyn probably has a crush on Ariana Griande even if he knows she's Grian in drag (and that Grian is a warm soul )

Martyn's attraction to femininity is a mirror of Martyn's IRL gynesexuality, though it's played in a way I thought was fun. Specifically, making Martyn interested in cool and chilly souls lets me play his marriage to Mumbo as something that involved attraction. Martyn is attracted to one side of the temperature spectrum... He likes a wider range of people than "good, proper people" do, but he's not crossing over that center line the way Cleo is.

Cleo favors extremes in the temperature scale over mild temperatures (i.e. they prefer hot and chilly souls, though they may be interested in some warm and cool souls... especially those close to the hot or chilly ends of the scale), paralleling their IRL bisexual identity.

Martyn still flirted with Mumbo and enjoyed his company, and he was sad when the Ahasbands relationship ended (even though it was probably for the best since Martyn tended to put a lot more into that relationship than Mumbo was).

In Dog's Life, Martyn is faced with the moral dilemma of continuing to wait for his betrothed (NettyPlays) to return from her offline world, where she's been cut off from him for about 4 IRL years, or hitting the dating scene again.

Netty woke up with a betrothal ring on her finger while Martyn didn't (Implying his creator didn't see reason to give him one).

Over time, we learn Martyn struggled with his attraction to Netty and told her that he wasn't rejecting her forever, but he needed more time to think. When he did ask her out, she went offline (due to IRL Netty removing herself from the YouTube space to care for her and Martyn's daughter around that time).

Knowing what we do about Martyn, it's likely Netty is a warm or hot soul, which isn't what Pixels Martyn is into.

- There's a very real possibility that Martyn is fascinated with Cleo because she has red hair. In NW AU (where mobs are gendered), female phantoms are red, which would definitely line up with Martyn's gynesexuality. [Phantoms were red in their OG color concept] - Pixels Martyn wouldn't know that's the feminine phantom color because it's not sex-linked in his world. It's possible he's picking up interest from his parallel universe counterpart, who definitely views the color as feminine (and finds Cleo very attractive). - Is a redstone-covered Mumbo also perceived as feminine and perhaps attractive to Martyn? The world may never know

In NW AU, Martyn was once a high-profile individual (the Red King's hand), so he risks more backlash about his non-correspondent identity than Cleo does. Arsenic Lace is my upcoming 'fic about Martyn meeting his soulmate, Cleo Clocker: divorced civilian mom with two teen kids.

Martyn has very high hopes that Cleo will accept and love him. Although he identifies as queer, he tends to keep his head down because he's essentially "straight passing," especially when he's with his soulmate. He's still under the queer umbrella, but he doesn't always talk about it... Yeah, I think Cleo - who is very open about their identity - is looking for someone who's more open about theirs.

Pixels Martyn is the same way: he's into cool and chilly souls, but not interested in warm and hot ones. BigB is a chilly soul - Grian's interest - and the correspondent rule means Ren is a hot soul. Ren finds Martyn attractive because he's an undead monster who could eat him. Martyn sees Ren as an aesthetically attractive and super fun BFF.

In the Pixels universe, Martyn and Ren embody a relationship that's supposedly prevalent, but isn't always shown: the on-and-off relationship culture. Sometimes, Ren and Martyn are QPPs for 100 days, which is usually defined by them taking stronger notice of the other (i.e. stopping by for visits daily instead of infrequently) and being more touchy-feely. Sometimes they describe themselves as friends who are not currently in a QPP.

This drives Grian nuts. He's a foreigner to the culture and is still coming to terms with the fact that this on-and-off relationships are quite common in the Pixels world

On a side note, cool and chilly souls aren't tied to femininity. Martyn's identity is just an example of things that are similar. You could just as easily spin him to have an interest in warm and hot souls, or in only the mild temperatures (mild and cool), etc.

However, it wouldn't make sense for him to be into, say, cool and hot, because those are opposites that don't fit in a category like "both mild" or "both extreme." Martyn's identity encompasses similar things.

He definitely has a type and Cleo definitely checks a lot of boxes:

Temperature? Chilly

Femininity? Long red hair, commonly wears fashion associated with femininity such as dresses and jewelry

Undead, like a phantom? Yes

Likes to dig and/or roleplay being buried alive? Yes

Large, sexy wingspan? While wearing elytra, yeah (See also, "Mum's the Word")

Prone to pithy one-liners? Absolutely

Loud with him, which is also in line with the courtship behavior of a famously noisy species? ... Hey man, I'm just saying Double Life was very confusing for him.

Cleo doesn't play well into the phantom courtship behavior of letting him provide for her, but you can't win them all.

Cleo - Aspec

Pixels Imperfect Cleo is an interesting case in that I specifically... don't delve into her aspec identity. I think on some level, Cleo is in the same quoiromantic boat that Mumbo is. She's ambiguous, mostly because IRL Cleo is bisexual and I don't want another identity to take too strong of a precedent.

That said, I really enjoy playing aspec Cleo off allo Martyn. As mentioned in Martyn's section, NW Cleo is into a variety of soul temperatures with a preference for hot and chilly.

I feel Character Cleo prefers logic when it comes to partner selection. For all his faults - like risk-taking and blame deflection - Martyn can be very sweet. He gives many gifts... but Cleo's not going to fall head over heels for him. He needs to work hard to prove he's a good match.

Martyn is also a logical person. He tries to paint himself as a good partner by providing gifts and resources, but this isn't enough to impress Cleo. Cleo would rather have someone who's there for comfort and emotional strength (or at the very least is humble and doesn't push blame on them).

Ren is another person who flirts with Cleo, but doesn't get much of a response even though (like Martyn) he's a hot soul and therefore falls within Cleo's "extreme temperature" interest category. Cleo just hasn't seen something that wins them over, and/or maybe Ren is flirting at a time they're interested in someone else.

Etho is another person who flirts with Cleo a little, but his ways are more subtle (and/or don't meet expectations); he's also within the mild half of the temperature scale and not the extreme half, so theoretically less attractive to Cleo than Martyn or Ren.

NW Cleo is committed to Scar and Bdubs... probably more than they're committed to Etho, who's perceived as flaky (despite his frequent attempts to be a good dad). They get along okay, but it's a rocky relationship to be sure.

I also play Cleo as trying to avoid polycules, which is a nod to their comment from a Decked Out 2 stream where Scar asked Cub if he'd be the new Clocker dad and Cleo's response was "We are not forming a polycule." Every now and then, the opportunity for a poly relationship comes up in 'fic, but she's not into that.

Bonus - Sniff (He/They)

Here's an end note I was going to include in Dog's Life Chapter 34, when SnifferMyFeet struggles to select a Pride sticker from Scott's sheet and Scott finally tells him to take one that "means he likes dating multiple people":

There's a polysexual pride flag in Sims 4; that's Sniff's sticker. There's a bigender flag too. I spent too much time wondering if you can identify as bigender when you feel you have two he/him personas duking out in your head. I don't see why not and this is Sniff to me. I considered they/them pronouns for Sniff when he was introduced, but felt other characters would interpret this as "I am speaking to someone who embodies both Grian and Joel" and that would make Sniff uncomfortable. So, there's some meta for you: Sniff is nonbinary - probably bigender - but uses he/him and will actively shut down they/them usage due to trust issues. Only Pig is trusted to use they/them (it's more he/they in practice). Pig is genderfluid and uses different pronouns in different situations with different people. He's even roleplayed as someone's husband and someone else's sister at the same time. Sniff adores Pig and holds him on a pedestal as the coolest person ever... Pig is just so cool and inspiring and Sniff wants to hang out with him all the time. He just shows that affection by killing him and laughing about it. Two and Pig have an unlabeled relationship… they "Yes, And" off each other 24/7. They are each other's gay best friend and wife and boyfriend, you feel me?

Sniff already has issues with people calling him Grian or Joel, so he's definitely not ready to put he/they pronouns on the table. But he does connect with them and uses them privately in the future. Maybe publicly someday.

Also, bonus shout-out for Etho trying to explain his relationship with Joel at the end of Dog's Life Chapter 33 and Sniff says "Oh! You're like me and Pig!" I think it's cute.

And one more bonus shout-out to Joel and Lizzie, who adore each other and show that love by hunting each other down in the woods. Cuddles are more for brutal murder aftercare than "the main event," I think.

Thanks for reading! If you'd like to share your thoughts or ask for elaboration, you can send me an Ask.

Asks stating you dislike this post's content will be ignored. Positivity and fandom fun only, please!

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droolingvenus · 27 days

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Enter Here:

Hello, and welcome to my little corner of Hell! You can call me Venus, I'm not new to this hellsite by any means and I finally decided it was time to carve out the niche in the Star Wars fandom that I always dreamed of someone else making.

On this blog, I will be posting various headcanons, blurbs, quotes, fanart, possibly fanfictions of my own writing, all relating to what I consider to be my favorite ships, including rare pairings and a variety of ships that I think I came up with because I am single IRL and would really rather not be.

I personally write a ridiculous amount of self-indulgent fanfiction that I don't post anywhere and only write for my own enjoyment, but my preferred pairings and AUs are very rarely anywhere near canon. I always hoped there were more people with uncommon interests in the fandom, but after years of no luck, I've made the decision to find them myself, or convert some people...

My main ships that I enjoy writing about/am interested in exploring are:

Quinfox/Foxquin/Vox (Quinlan Vos x Commander Fox)

Codywan (Commander Cody x Obi-Wan Kenobi)

Blyla (Aayla Secura x Commander Bly)

Quinobi/Obiquin (Quinlan Vos x Obi-Wan Kenobi)

Rexsoka (Extremely wary of this one, I would only explore the concept post-Clone Wars Era as Ahsoka is... A child before the end of the War... Yeah, none of that please)

Kanera (Kanan Jarrus x Hera Syndulla)

Dinluke (Din Djarin x Luke Skywalker)

Wreckme? (Padme Amidala x Wrecker? Weird one that I think ONE SINGULAR PERSON has art of and now it lives in my brain dumpster and I've been toying with it a bit)

I'm curious about Kit Fisto x Aayla Secura a Commander Bly, but I haven't actually explored it much, so if you've got any thoughts or favorite fan works, feel free to send them my way!

These are the ships that I currently find myself interested in and writing about, but I'm open to hearing about what other people might like, my only boundaries are non-familial/platonic ships between clones, that's not my cup of tea, and any Master/Padawan ships, something I'm not interested in and would prefer to not engage with, you do you, of course.

I also enjoy at least two AUs, one that I believe pre-dates my use of it and the other is a very common one: Sith AU (Duh) and Victory Ball AU (In which the Clone War ends in a Republic-Jedi victory and things are all made right, Palpatine will always die, usually in increasingly hilarious or vengeful ways, depending on how my day went)

I am a SUCKER for the Soulmate trope/AU, and if anyone ever wants my thoughts on a specific ship being soulmates, ask! I will gladly babble my nonsense to any who wish to hear it!

I will forewarn that I am likely to post about ships + reader, for example, I'm already planning for my first real post to be a Quinfox x reader headcanon, so if you're like me and are polyamorous or LGBTQ+ in another way, you're welcome to send things in too! There's room for everyone around here, my little deal is that no one can be harmed and it can't be an illegal relationship (Examples include but are not limited to: Non-Con, incest, underage/of age partners, abusive dynamics/themes, coercion,) in our standards. As long as it would be legal here, I can usually give it a chance, though if you want me to write about a ship committing crimes together... That's a different story, I have access to Google and no respect for my search history, if you want to hear about being Codywan's assassin/lover, shoot me an ask, I have thoughts ;)

Lastly, I will post NSFW and suggestive content at some point and while I will do my best to add many tags and warnings, if you can't handle that risk and/or you are under 18, GO AWAY. I'm not sorry that I'm an adult and that I enjoy adult content, and anyone who doesn't want to see it is more than welcome to leave.

Ageless blogs and blogs run by minors will be blocked, and it will not be warned or nice, I don't want you here and if you're truly mature, you should be mature enough to respect that this space is not for you.

Asks are open, requests are open, ranting in the asks is more than welcome, feel free to send any questions in and I'll get to them ASAP!

~Venus

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prumanoenjoyer · 5 months

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Doing this thing because I got blorbos on my mind

A - Current OTPs/OT3s etc.

It may not come as a surprise but I am absolutely rotting on PruMano at all times and have been doing so for basically a year now. It's beginning to melt into my personality and nothing can be done about it. Whenever I'm released from the iron grip of PruMano rotting I enjoy GerIta and FrUk like the normie that I am. The BTT are definitely getting together for threesomes when they're all single and I like them as well.

B - Pairing I initially didn't consider

This might shock you after reading the first bit but. PruMano. See I'm not new to this circus, I first watched Hetalia in 2015 but focused mostly on the Nordic 5 with SuFin and DenNor. This was before PruAus 9/11 (Hima suddenly announcing they're cousins) so I think I was on the PruAus rot.

Other than that I got a friend who I dragged into this hellhole (you know who you are) who has infected me with Frain and TurFra. I have some Thoughts about TurPru but uhh. let's leave that for now.

C - Ships I never liked and never will like

All the ones where there is an unbalanced power dynamic (age gaps, having interacted when one was a child and the other way older etc, former colonies and oppressive states, having a relationship that implies being related etc). I am a seasoned hater of these and I do my best to block anyone who as much as reblogs it. I do not care if it's "just fiction" you guys are weird and not in a good way xoxo

D - Ships I just can't get myself to like

Due to the aforementioned PruMano rot I just don't feel seriously interested in any other pairings I fear. Nothing against PruCan or LietPru for example, I am just so rotted on PruMano that it doesn't make me feel anything lol

E - My crack contributions

I may just be the only person who has even considered TurPru and I have done it in the most unbearable fujoshi way possible </3

Other than that I'm helping out with spreading unrequited GerFra, Frain and TurFra which I do also enjoy on the side.

F - Longest I've been in a fandom

I wanna say this one?? Not actively so, I jumped ship to other things such as Love Live and JJBA in early 2019ish (Love Live even earlier in 2017), but even during my longer breaks from Hetalia I've always ended up rewatching it at some point or posting about it.

G - First OTP

For Hetalia it's definitely been GerIta from day one. Do I even need to say anything? To me they're canon.

H - Favorite way of consuming fandom stuff

It's mostly anime series and TV shows I'd say, I do sometimes read but am a bit too busy to properly sit down and do so.

I - Has Tumblr made me dislike fandoms

I think it would take less time to list the fandoms Tumblr HASN'T made me dislike tbh. I try to keep a tight knit circle for my own sanity and rarely interact with the fandom part of stuff apart from my own and my friend's contributions. Highly recommended btw.

J - Fandoms I didn't notice until Tumblr

To be honest I'm not really browsing Tumblr at all. I like to upload here because the image quality is way better than on Instagram. I suppose I highly associate some fandoms with this site (Undertale for example)?

K - Say something nice about someone

You should all go like and subscribe to fruktual on Instagram for more FrUk and Frainposting

L - Say something nice about a mid character

Lithuania I'm sure you are way more interesting than I give you credit for and I care about you the most out of the Baltic Trio (which I honestly forget exists at times)

M - Something nice about a ship I don't like

I'd honestly rather pull a tooth out than say a single word of praise for things such as UsUk or Spamano 🤢🤢🤢🤢 And that's on periodt!

N - Things I wish to see more of in the fandom

More PruMano please please please please please pl

O - Song that reminds me of a ship

Til There Was You by The Beatles makes me think of GerIta, as well as Kingdom Come by Red Velvet

As for PruMano it would be Tales Of Great Ulysses by Cream because I had that on repeat writing my Ancient Rome PruMano AU lol

P - New AU

I'm working on/will be working on a Frankenstein PruMano AU where Gilbert is a much more empathic Victor Frankenstein and Lovino is too traumatized from dying and being resurrected to be out killing people. Look forward to that...

Q - Ship I've abandoned and why

PruAus because Hima came in with a warhammer and bludgeoned it to the cousinzone R.I.P </3

R - Pairing I think no one else ships

Again with TurPru, I seriously wonder whether it's been considered at all. Most likely not.

S - Personal headcanon

Okay more or less true I guess if you bother to read the source material but Gilbert is just a silly loser guy. Like, he's a total himbo. I love him and need to gnaw on him.

T - Headcanons I'll die defending

That Gilbert and Lovino who share a passion for chivalry and knights would definitely go visit museums and LARPing events such as medieval weeks and whatnot. Just warms my cold little heart <3

U - 5 faves from 5 different fandoms

Oh boy. Forgive me for what I'm about to share.

(Hetalia) Gilbert Beilschmidt

(JJBA) Dio Brando

(Madoka) Kyouko Sakura

(Love Live) Yoshiko Tsushima

(Gakkou Gurashi or School Live) Kurumi Ebisuzawa

V - 3 OTPs from different fandoms

(Hetalia) PruMano (shocker, I know)

(Madoka) HomuMado

(Love Live) YohaRiko

W - 5 ships ft 5 kinks for said ship

So obviously gonna skip over the ones featuring minors.

PruMano - Verbal degradation, sadism, masochism, somewhat fear aspect, leaving marks

I do also just think they love each other and have normal sex and that's fine too, but I did write a fanfic where the abovementioned happens

X - My top 5 babygirls

1. Gilbert, I bully him a lot but don't you ever seriously say something mean about him because I will be so sad </3

2. Lovino, he's a flawed man and some of you are MEAN to him for having it rough

3. Rome, some people who haven't read source material claim there's some favoritism going on, he does visit Lovino as well okay? The allegations are canonically false!

4. Ludwig, I think most of us agree he's a good person but for the rare few who claim he's "verbally abusive". Go outside and touch grass no he isn't. GerIta has always been them antagonizing one another, the battlefield is even or perhaps even in Feliciano's favor. Ludwig will never be able to escape the nightmare and I don't think Feli wants him to. They're bound together forever and love it.

5. Roderich, gets slack for various Chibitalia related things, does not deserve it at all, it's all whining and he and Feli are on good terms in modern times. Relax.

Y - Fandoms in-law

My current close friends are into Baldurs Gate 3, Watch Dogs, Dishonored, Evillous Chronicles (Vocaloid), Utena and more. But these are the primary blorbo shows in-law.

Z - Rambling time

Okay if you've gotten this far down I admire your attention span lol thanks. I don't really have all that much to say that is concrete and comprehensible but I am thinking of PruMano and of warm days by the Mediterranean Sea and skies later lit in vivid shades of red and orange as the hot sun sets and the cities come to life. I am also thinking about them cuddling, which I do quite a lot.

Anyway that was all for me bye

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pearl484-blog · 1 year

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Well, That Went Suspiciously Well Adrien AUGreste Entry 2: Truth

After all the revelations from the Season 5 finale, Ladybug tells Adrien the truth. Adrien doesn't react as expected. Link to AO3 story. Link to Adrien AUGreste 2023 series.

Cards on the table, I originally made this as a joke, but my stupid writer brain can't resist adding character drama in there. Fire Opal says it detracts from the joke, but I say it adds to the plot so it's staying. After all, a joke MIGHT be funny one time if it lands well, but a sincere story can be enjoyed for awhile.

Like last time, this is an entry for Adrien AUGreste, but unlike last time, I can actually post this on time. Whoo! Considering my schedule, that's will probably going to be rare. As per usual, this was not Beta'd, so if you see errors or if anything is unclear, please let me know. ~*~ Ladybug took a deep breath as she tapped lightly on the window to Adrien’s bedroom. She had to do this. She needed to do this. It was the right thing to do, she told herself, even as her heart practically screamed at how wrong it was. She was going to have to tell Adrien the truth, even if it shattered him completely, and she had to do it tonight.

Ladybug knew Adrien wouldn’t take it well. He’d just lost his Father, and things were…complicated after Monarch’s defeat, but after her fight with Monarch, the truth had begun eating Marinette alive. So, she’d done the only thing she could think of. She’d told Alya, and that had kicked off a massive argument that had lasted for weeks.

Alya was insistent that this truth was way too big for Adrien not to know, that he had a right to know, even if it wasn’t a problem anymore since he had his amoks on him at all times. Alya had fought hard to get Ladybug to confess, and she’d pulled out all the stops.

Alya had called Marinette a liar. She’d demanded to know what would happen if Adrien figured out the truth from someone else. She’d told Ladybug that she had crossed a line. She reminded Ladybug how all it took for evil to win was for good people to do nothing. She pointed out how Monarch had terrorized the city, and Marinette had just given him what he wanted, and as much as Ladybug hated to admit it, Alya had a point.

But, Adrien was still at a fragile point in his life. He’d just lost his father. He’d just narrowly escaped being shipped off to London, and he’d been pushed to his limits again and again. Ladybug didn’t know that Adrien could even survive this, but Alya didn’t understand that.

Instead, Alya had given a final ultimatum. Either Ladybug told Adrien the truth tonight or Alya would tomorrow. So, Ladybug had caved. It would be easier coming from her, especially if he had an entire night to process it before he went back to school, and she could stay with him throughout the whole night if she had to.

It barely took a minute for Adrien to notice her tapping and rush over to let her in. It almost physically hurt to see the happy, innocent look he gave her as he invited her in.

“Hey, Ladybug,” he said, smiling at her just a little starstruck -Adrien starstruck, with her!- as he helped her get down from the window gracefully. It felt like all the times that he’d helped her out of the car on those dates like a true gentleman, and Ladybug tried to stop her traitorous heart from beating too fast and hide her blush.

This was serious, and Adrien didn’t know he was dating her. No matter how cute he was, she absolutely, positively could not flirt with her boyfriend now. It was time to get down to business.

“It’s nice to see you, Ladybug,” Adrien said, with that infuriatingly adorable smile of his. “Do you want to take a seat?” He gestured to his couch like it was an offering to royalty, and Ladybug really had to fight back a blush. Dang it. Why was her boyfriend so friggin cute?

Focus, Ladybug, she told herself as she took a seat. This is about to really hurt Adrien. You have to be sensitive. Scolding herself internally, she immediately gestured for Adrien to sit beside her. This was going to be a shock, and he’d want to sit.

Thankfully, Ladybug was able to wait until Adrien was sitting before she started talking, but unfortunately, her mind was running too fast to wait much longer.

“You're a senti-monster,” she blurted out before wincing at the tactlessness of her approach. Yeah, that was how to be sensitive to her boyfriend. Just throw it out in the open with absolutely no warning whatsoever. No build up, nothing to soften the blow, just go straight for the throat. God, Adrien must hate her.

Yet, instead of being shocked, Adrien kinda frowned, confused as he asked, “Me, a sentimonster? Are you sure?”

Mutely, Ladybug nodded her head, meekly averting her eyes as she waited for the truth to settle in.

“That’s pretty cool,” Adrien said instead, and Ladybug opened her eyes to see that Adrien looked genuinely excited. “Am I super-strong? Invincible?” He gasped. “Do I have powers?”

“No, no no, you’re perfectly normal,” Ladybug said, before correcting herself, “I mean, you’re amazing, but you’re not, you know, superhuman. You should be completely perfectly human, or like a human, I guess, except you can be controlled by a ring.”

“Oh, that’s it?” Adrien deflated before he straightened up in surprise. “Wait, did I hurt anyone? Did I do something without realizing it?” In a quiet voice, he whispered, “Did I hurt you?”

“No, but your dad controlled you,” Ladybug admitted. “I don’t know what all he did, but from what I know about him,” Ladybug fidgeted anxiously, “it wasn’t nothing.”

“Oh,” Adrien nodded, taking a deep breath. “Okay, wow. That-that explains a lot, actually. I-”, Adrien laughed, a little self-consciously, “I thought I was going crazy, really. I thought I was just weak, you know? Everyone said I was a coward, but he had my amok.”

Adrien sighed, looking… relieved? Ladybug marveled at her boyfriend’s resilience as he muttered, “All this time, I thought I was a coward. I couldn’t understand…but it wasn’t my fault. It was his.”

Adrien laughed, and Ladybug wondered if this was it, this was the moment her boyfriend lost it before he relaxed completely into the sofa, running his fingers through his hair. He almost seemed satisfied, like Chat Noir did when one of his puns actually made Ladybug laugh.

“Oh my God,” he said with a crooked half smile on his face that didn’t look happy, but it didn’t look sad either. “I want to say I can’t believe it, but he would, he totally would. All my life, he wanted to control me, and he found a way.”

“You’re taking this really well,” Ladybug said, a little worried since she’d gotten this far, and Adrien had actually managed to take this a little too well. It shouldn’t have been possible. How was Adrien, the sweetheart of Paris, the one who had been made into a puppet by his own father, taking this better than Ladybug, an actual superhero?

Adrien shrugged, as if he’d heard news this life-altering all the time. "Well, yeah,” he said. “Mind-control akumas are a dime a dozen. It's not the first time I've been mind-controlled. Heck it’s not even the first time someone I cared about mind-controlled me. I've been through this like a bazillion times. It sucks, but,” Adrien shrugged in a ‘what can you do?’ way, “that’s life.” He paused for a second before he asked, “Do you happen to have my amok?”

Ladybug could’ve facepalmed. Of course Adrien would want his amok back. They were the things that could control his very existence. Who wouldn’t? Thankfully, that had already been taken care of.

“It’s your parents’ wedding rings,” Ladybug said, grasping Adrien’s hands and holding them so they reflected the light. “The ones your father wanted you to have. Your amok’s in those.”

“Huh,” Adrien said, staring softly at the rings. “I guess my dad really did love me, in the end.”

“Of course he did,” Ladybug said. “Trust me, his last thoughts were of you.”

Adrien was quiet for a minute longer before he finally said, “Thanks, for giving these back to me.”

“Yeah, absolutely,” Ladybug said, “It was the right thing to do.”

“Are you sure though?” Adrien asked, still staring at the rings. “We don’t know if I still have to obey any of the commands people gave me before I had these, and I know Felix hurt you when he took the Miraculous last time. If you’d kept them, you would have had someone you would’ve known you could trust, who would never disobey you or hurt you. You would’ve felt safe with me.”

Ladybug shifted uncomfortably, not liking how the conversation was going. “It’s your free will, Adrien,” she said. “How could I have kept it and still been a hero? How could anyone have kept and still seen themself as a good person? This is yours, Adrien, and nobody else’s. There is no one else that I trust with this more than you.”

Adrien still looked doubtful, and so Ladybug grabbed him by the hands, careful not to touch the amoks. “You’re a good person, Adrien,” she told him. “Yeah, Felix hurt me, but there was a reason I gave you the Dog and the Snake Miraculous in the first place. I trust you, Adrien. I know you’d never hurt me.”

Adrien fidgeted again, weighing something in his mind, before he said, “My father never approved of my relationship with Marinette, my girlfriend, and he didn’t exactly keep it a secret. Near the end,” Adrien frowned, “a lot of the weird things that were happening messed with my relationship with her. I couldn’t do the things she wanted me to do, be there when she needed me to be.”

Adrien sighed, staring towards Marinette’s house. “I really hurt her,” he said, his voice cracking under his sorrow, “And I never wanted to do that to her. I just wanted her to be comfortable with me, but if my Father was using my rings to make me do that stuff, what if I still do it? What if I can’t undo those commands? What if I hurt her even more?” He rubbed the amoks. “She’s scared of me, Ladybug. Scared that I’ll break her heart. Do you know how hard it was for her to tell me that she loved me? Maybe if I gave her the amoks…if she knew that it was okay…”

“NO!” Ladybug cried, before she realized how harsh that came out and corrected herself. “No, Adrien, you can’t do that. You shouldn’t do that. Listen, I know what it feels like, worrying that you’re going to hurt somebody, but it’ll be okay. Now that you have your amok, no one can make you do anything anymore. All those orders are in the past now.”

Or at least, Ladybug hoped so. She hadn’t exactly had the chance to confirm it with Duusu before Felix left with him, but that had to be how it worked. It worked for Senti-bug. It had to work that way for Adrien. It just had to.

“This is your choice,” she told Adrien. “It’s your future. You can’t let anyone, and I mean anyone else have those rings, no matter how much you trust them.”

Seeing that Adrien was still hesitant, Ladybug stared him in the eyes. “Promise me you won’t let anyone else have your rings, Adrien. Promise me.”

Adrien nodded, averting his eyes. “Yeah,” he said. “I promise.”

“Good,” Ladybug said, letting out a smile. “I hate to have to beat up your girlfriend just to get it back for you again. Can’t let just anyone wander around with that sort of thing, you know what I mean?”

Adrien nodded, giving her one of his least sincere smiles. “Yeah, thanks, Ladybug.”

“Anytime,” Ladybug said, her smile only just a little forced.

They sat together for a minute, staring at Paris’s skyline before Adrien looked at Ladybug.

“Do you think,” he asked hesitantly, “that there’s another me around?

“Another you?” Ladybug repeated dumbly. “What do you mean?”

“You know,” Adrien shrugged, “did I replace anyone? Did something happen to the real me,” Adrien stopped and corrected himself, “the human me, and that’s why Dad suddenly started being so nice to me before he died? Because his real son-his human son- died?”

Then Adrien frowned, shaking his head. “No, wait,” he said, “that doesn’t explain..” he trailed off, lost in thought. Ladybug wanted to ask what he meant, or why he thought that he wasn’t the real Adrien, but Adrien had already pulled himself out whatever reverie that he’d gotten stuck in and started pacing agitatedly.

“Unless,” Adrien said slowly, “the other me left or something and then something happened to him, and Dad got scared.”

Ladybug grabbed him by the arm, holding him firm. “Adrien, you are the real deal, and you’re irreplaceable. I’m pretty sure that you were born a senti-monster.” Ladybug took a breath as she decided to strike the lethal blow. “I think your mom making you with a broken Miraculous is what made her sick.”

Adrien stopped pacing, thinking for a moment, before he simply said, “Huh. That explains so much.”

Ladybug blinked before asking, “It does?”

Adrien nodded. “I always wondered why Father avoided me all the time and why he was always so over-protective.” Adrien hummed thoughtfully. “He must’ve felt really bad because Mom died. I get why he’s upset, but in a way I guess that we were lucky.”

“Lucky?” Ladybug repeated in disbelief, unable to believe that Adrien -her sweet little drop of sunshine- could be so calm about this whole deal. His mom was dead because she’d made him, and now Adrien was saying that he was lucky? Did Adrien not understand what Ladybug was telling him? Was she doing this wrong?

Adrien suddenly realized that he was being a bit too insensitive and his face flushed as he avoided Ladybug’s eyes. “Yeah,” he said, suddenly sounding much less confident. “I mean, I guess. Look, all I’m saying is that if you’re saying having me is what killed her, then I got lucky to have 13 years with her. Not everybody gets that.”

Adrien must’ve seen the skeptical look on Ladybug’s face because he continued, “I mean, look at Chloe. Her mom left her when she was really little, and she didn’t come back till the akumas drew her back. Plus, there’s Mylene’s mom, or Jagged Stone, or what about the people whose moms never even make it through childbirth. Some of them would’ve killed to have one day with their moms. I had 13 years.”

For a minute, Ladybug stared at Adrien, looking for a sign that Adrien wasn’t really as calm about this as he seemed, that he was just putting on a strong front for his sake, but in the end, she had to admit defeat.

“I don’t get it,” Ladybug said, shaking her head in disbelief. “How are you so calm about this?”

Adrien hummed, thinking about it for a moment before he finally said, “I guess it’s because I came to peace with Mom dying a long time ago. This doesn’t really change much.

Then realizing how awful that sounded, Adrien backpedaled hastily, “I mean, I'm glad I finally know what happened. It's not GREAT news, but she was sick for awhile, and then when she disappeared, I mean, I wanted for her to be alive, but,” Adrien shrugged, “after awhile, I knew she was dead. There was no way that she would’ve been gone for so long and not be dead, you know?”

Adrien shrugged helplessly, and Ladybug wanted nothing more than to hug him, but she didn’t know if that would be crossing a line. Adrien was Marinette’s boyfriend, not Ladybug’s, and they weren’t exactly friends, or were they? Ladybug didn’t really know, and she didn’t want to push it.

In her hesitation though, the moment ended, and Adrien forced himself to relax as he sat back on the couch.

“Besides, it’s not like I chose to be born,” Adrien said blithely. “Mom said she'd always wanted a kid, and she called me her little Miracle all the time. Mom wasn’t the sort of woman who let anyone make her do anything. I think she knew what she was getting into, but she still chose to have me anyway. She never regretted it, and I dunno,” Adrien hummed. “I guess I don’t either. I’ve had a good life, a good career. I’ve made some mistakes, but…I’m happy with who I am, I guess.”

Ladybug didn’t know what to say to that. She’d always known that Adrien was mature, but she’d never thought that this entire thing would go so smoothly. It was just such a relief. Honestly, it was silly that she’d be so worried about it. This was Adrien, probably the calmest person that Marinette knew.

As if to prove that point, Adrien spoke up to say, “Thank you, Ladybug, for telling me this. I know this must’ve been really hard for you, but it means a lot, coming from you.”

With that, Ladybug’s mind was made. “Adrien,” she said, laying her hand over his, “About your dad,” she took a deep breath. “He was Hawk Moth.”

“WHAT?”

Ah, there was the reaction Ladybug had been expecting.

#AdrienAugust #miraculous ladybug #miraculous lb #fanfic #adrien agreste #fanfiction #sentimonster #AdrienAUGreste #miraculous season 5 #recreation spoilers #ml recreation

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elevenelvenswords · 10 months

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20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @curufiin- thankies <3

How many works do you have on AO3?

Only 8 so far.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

20,718 apparently

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The Silmarillion- it's been an ongoing obsession for approximately 7 years now lol.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Fretting, which is my first ever published fic, is at the top. I'm not super proud of it if I'm being honest but I'm glad others enjoyed it :P Then we've got Inside Out, Unbridled sword and passion, Take a chance and Stutter.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do try to reply to every comment! The fact that someone made time to tell me something nice about my works means the world to me.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably this one? None of my fics are fluffy so...

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

My recent Curufinrod fic, I think? It's less... gnarly and angst-driven?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Fortunately no.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Considering that 6 out of those 8 fics are tagged as explicit, you can draw your own conclusions :P I write various flavours of kink :)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nope!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but certain fics that I wrote were inspired by conversations I had with other fandom members :3

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

I'll go with the good ol' Angbang. I've recently become deeply invested in Curufinrod though, and I'll (hopefully) write for more pairings over the Christmas break.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

There's a very old draft of a multi-chaptered Angbang fic that's been gathering dust on my laptop for a year xD I might polish it up and post it at some point IF I find the motivation for it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I guess I'm fairly good at descriptions and metaphors?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Good pacing and finding the right balance between dialogue and narration are both pretty tricky for me.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've never tried this but I find it exquisite in other people's fics :D

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Probably The Hobbit? But what I wrote is between me and god lmao.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I tend to be very critical of my own works, especially after I post them. I don't really re-read them so it's difficult for me to choose a favourite one when I can't recall half the things I wrote lol. But I was pretty proud of Beyond the pale back when I wrote it! My writing style changed over the years, I believe, so I'm pleased to see the improvement :)

Tagging @polutrope, @crackinthecup, @gardensofthemoon, @havenotwillnotreadthebooks, @i-did-not-mean-to and whoever wants to give this a go!

#tag games

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lynne-monstr · 9 months

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Fic author interview! I was tagged by the fantastic @glorious-spoon. thanks, this was so fun!!

No-pressure tagging: @afincf-tirwer @shadaras @undead-robins @tka-trashfire @hils79, @nyelung, @vampirenaomi, @prince-of-elsinore

How many works do you have on AO3?

As of yesterday, 202!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

678,560 words. which i have mixed feelings about because. i'm proud i've managed to write so much but at the same time, i've been at this for over 10 years i wish the number was higher for all that time.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Things Best Kept Between Three People (Leverage, Eliot/Parker/Hardison) - 1,389 kudos

Escalation of Commitment - (Leverage, Eliot/Parker/Hardison) - 1,360 kudos

I say goodbye but mean hello - (Leverage, Eliot/Parker/Hardison) - 1,283 kudos

This is the Place Where I Sit - (Leverage, Eliot/Parker/Hardison) - 1,006 kudos

In Possession Of - (Leverage/Supernatural crossover) - 715 kudos

looking at these fics, it's very obvious that another way of asking this question is: "what's the most popular ship you've written." though i am very amused that an actual crossover made the top 5, considering how deeply those have fallen out of favor in the past twenty years.

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try my best! some years i am better at it than other. but even if i'm in a low energy moment, i appreciate every single comment <3

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

The leverage theme continues, apparently.

Just One Last Time (Leverage with Highlander elements. Eliot is immortal. Parker and Hardison are not).

I'm not usually a sad ending person but every one in a while I indulge.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Basically all of them lol. But I guess I'll say that ghost story fic because it got really sad before the happy ending.

This is not a ghost story (The King's Avatar, yuhuang, magical realism)

7. Do you write crossovers?

Yes! They are my original fandom love and such a wonderful self-indulgence. I should try to write more of them in 2024.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not on a fic, but I got plenty for my silly ramblings back in the shadowhunters fandom, sadly.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes! yay smut. I prefer mine with some kind of kink in order to hold my interest. (not that i don't enjoy non-kinky smut but when i do i tend to enjoy it for the emotional payoff rather than the sex itself)

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! How cool is that!? Love fandom translators and the amazing work they do <3

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. I don't think co-writing is a thing that I would enjoy. Trying to merge my writing style with someone else sounds stressful and also i think i might be too much of a control freak for that kind of collab.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Whatever my ship of the moment is!

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I'm pleased that all my big recent wips have been finished! I've been working on a little "troubling rain is cursed" fic for a couple years now. it's only a few thousand words long so not sure it qualifies for wip status, but i would like to finish it so I can post it!

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think characterization and silly jokes.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Description. Despite my efforts I will never be one of those beautiful prose writers.

I think of my style as very "what you see is what you get" and I consider that to be both a strength and a weakness.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

It's a hard no almost 100% of the time. And something I will likely use the back-button on.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

My first posted fic was hetalia (germancest) and I had such a wonderful time in that fandom!

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

Still really want to try and wrangle my onmyoji ot3 ficlet thing.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written

That question is cheating! But I'll go with my de-aged ywz fic because I never thought I could write a story over 10k words and I'm still very proud that I managed something nearly 70k!

Means of Transportation (The King's Avatar, yuhuang, de-aged ywz)

#meme things #oh no it's me #what a fun thing to think about. yay writing!

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ryuichirou · 11 months

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Replies!

Good morning or evening! Here are some more replies.

A couple of them are related to our comic from yesterday, but there’s also a bunch of random ones. At this point this is our regular menu hehe.

Anonymous asked:

your latest art has me giggling because Sebek seeing Malmal and Lilia go at it is World Shattering And Unforgettable!!! He will Never be able to look at them the same way again!!! Meanwhile Silver would accidentally see Lilia railing the prince and go "oh. hm. well, anyway." LOL <- actually got me thinking about it more seriously, and now I'm imagining Malleus doing it in front of Silver on purpose, getting weirdly jealous and possessive of Lilia spending so much special time with his new human son... And it backfiring because Silver would just take it as some sort of unique learning experience hgcffghjgfd

Anonymous asked:

Oh no the baby’s traumatized now or he might be turned on who knows

Thank you, guys! :D Yes, this is definitely a life-changing experience for Sebek. Or is it? I honestly like the idea of Sebek just erasing this image from his memory, not necessarily because he saw two people having sex, but because his young impressionable mind couldn’t compute the fact that one could do such things with his beloved Malleus, and Malleus would seemingly enjoy it. So Sebek’s desires awakened and then were immediately put to sleep by his own consciousness lol

But maybe he did remember… maybe he really couldn’t look at Malmal and Lilia the same way after this. Maybe the image is so engraved in his mind that he won’t be able to focus on anything after this lol

Oh SILVER THOUGH!!!... Yeah, he wouldn’t think much of it. Whatever Silver sees, he just considers it the norm, as long as it’s Lilia who does it. He definitely wouldn’t get affected in a way that our jelly king Malleus intended, but yeah, see it as a learning experience instead. Which is sooo much worse… Malmal is definitely petty enough to try and passive-aggressively attack a poor child, though <3 He’ll like him soon, though

Anonymous asked:

May we please have some Sebek x Malleus thoughts? I absolutely adore them together!

We do have a couple of hc posts with them!

They are really good together. One of our most favourite ships 😔

This would be fair to say about every Diasomnia ship, but their ehh situation is quite unique, and that makes it interesting. Not only because Sebek is Malleus’ guard; he worships Malleus, he uses Malleus and whether Malleus likes something or not as a radar for his own reactions. But it’s not like this is the way Malleus wishes to be treated: he gets annoyed with Sebek sometimes (and sometimes he gets amused and enables him to continue, but, again, this is just amusement he gets from this silly young man). But Sebek is so completely delusional that he’ll put all his passion and energy into something if he believes that it would make Malleus happy. Even if it annoys Malleus so much that he runs away lol This is both fucked up and hilarious.

Anonymous asked:

Hey, i was wondering which pronouns do you and katsu have? I didn't see anything mentioning it on your card.

Of course, you guys don't have to answer if that's sensitive or if you don't want to publicly share it. I apologise if my question made you uncomfortable. you can delete it if you want.

No worries, Anon! It’s nothing sensitive at all. Thank you for being so considerate! :)

Neither of us really cares about which pronoun people use for us, so feel free to use whatever you want.

Anonymous asked:

any dark/whump/dead dove tropes your into? …anything you’d want certain characters to go through?

If it’s okay with you and if you’re really interested, you can DM me about it instead, Anon, I’ll name everything I can remember.

People really like to take things out of context and make a shitshow out of it sometimes, even if it’s just someone mentioning that they enjoy a trope and not even a visual depiction of it, so I’d rather not entertain them.

Anonymous asked:

Well hard to think of any hcs regarding Crowley given he is too mysterious. Although there is a certain theory about him but I wouldn't say much given it is a Chapter 7 spoiler and you might get it once you learn in the latest last two parts of Chapter 7. Once you know about it, you might think of Crowley's hc sexuality.

Yeah, I feel like I know what you’re talking about (still haven’t read Ch7 and don’t know for sure though), and I don’t know, we’ll see! To be completely honest, a big part of me really wants him to just stay mysterious lol

Anonymous asked:

So if/when you do the overblot ship with anyone, who will be next?

Like I said, we’re not planning anything for now. So we haven’t thought about who we would draw next. It depends on my inspiration and energy; once again, overblot boys are difficult to draw and take a lot of time.

Realistically, it may be AzuIde. But one can’t predict anything when it comes to stuff like this. Definitely not KaliJami, since that’s where you’re getting, they’d probably be the last on the list.

#replies #lilimal #lilisil #sebemal

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neon-moon-beam · 3 months

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Just a reminder, if you followed me for Submas content:

1. I do not consider myself in, nor do I want to be in, the Submas fandom. You will not see fandom posts here such as headcanons, aus, etc. At most I might reblog some non-PLA art, but that's getting rarer and rarer for me.

2. Most of my Submas posts amount to occasionally posting plush out somewhere or like they're doing something, and I'm hesitant to tag such content. Previously I made a lot of reassurance posts regarding PLA, but that was back in early 2022. Right now there isn't anything new to add to any of them. I do not expect to add anything new to them.

3. I do not like PLA and Warden Ingo, to the point of not wanting to see content about them at all. Previously in early 2022 I posted screencaps from my own PLA playthrough, but I don't post them anymore because my entire experience was marred by neither the game nor anything else conclusively telling us that Ingo went home. I haven't played PLA since early April 2022. If you're a fan of PLA and Warden Ingo and want such content, my tumblr isn't for you. I was a fan of Submas before PLA, and I miss this time.

4. My tumblr is definitely NOT for you if you are a bl*nkshipper. Please don't follow me AT ALL, not even from a tumblr where you don't post that kind of content. Finding out later someone does something I set a specific boundary towards and tried to hide it from me is a bad betrayal. Please don't follow or interact if you are OK with bl*nkshipping even if you don't ship it yourself.

5. Please don't follow me if you create/like a lot of Submas angst, and especially not if you want Ingo to be left in Hisui, like/create fanworks where he dies anachronistically, like/create fanworks where he, Emmet, or even Volo are "unhinged" or "feral" or not human in some ableist way (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and similar scenarios where everyone is a Pokemon is OK, but not where Ingo and/or Emmet are singled out as nonhuman because of what essentially amounts to neurodivergent traits), and please don't follow me if you ship tr*inwr*ckshipping or cr*zytrainshipping. I've seen enough ableist stuff of Submas and Volo that I don't ever want to see them interact again.

If any of this is a problem for you, tough cookies. These are boundaries I am setting so I can enjoy part of a franchise I've been enjoying since late 1999. Self-care for me is not engaging with a fandom that has proven time and again to be a place I very much do not want to be.

#this is both a before you follow and a dni sort of thing

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salamanderinspace · 2 years

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10 Best Ship Pairings in the New Pokemon Game

Here's ten pairings of named NPCs in Pokemon Scarlet / Violet, with some prompts and headcanons on what might make a good story for each! This post is rated M (but like, a softer, milder M) and will have some minor spoilers. No one is being shipped with a pokemon and there are no adult/minor relationships on this list (I think? It's hard to know some peoples' ages.)

Eri / Carmen - These two are obviously very close. Carmen is the only one who can talk Eri down and yet is also willing to put her body inbetween danger and her leader. It's adorable! They seem to be in the 16-18 range but I can see them getting married and running a business together and raising a whole family of baby Riolu. It might not be all sunshine and rainbows though--they do have a fraught backstory which would be interesting to explore.

Arven / Katy - They share a real passion for food! Katy appears to be a couple years older, which is fine, because Arven clearly needs a bit of mothering to be his best self. With Mabostiff in their supporting cast, these two cooking anime protags could share a fluffy romance that would be a delight to read about.

Raifort / Saguaro - He gets pegged. Ok, I'll expand on that. These are, like Barbie and Ken, two people who are so gender conforming that they tumble right over the bar into queer camp. Saguaro talks about struggling with the performativity of his masculinity, and I can see him wanting to experiment with a (incredibly gorgeous) strong woman like Raifort. She's very in control of her classroom, isn't she? Now, the way people act outside the bedroom is not necessarily indicative of the way they act in intimate moments. However, consider: he gets pegged. Argument made.

Geeta / Nemona - Big "notice me sempai" vibes between these two. Nemona is clearly at the end of her education, probably around 17-18 years old, and Geeta's face and frame puts her in her twenties--though her butch confidence and sharp fashion sense maybe makes her seem older. At any rate, the tension is there! A real power couple.

Mela / Iono - A crack ship in that they don't interact in canon, however, these two would be absolutely perfect for each other. Mela's snarky attitude would interact perfectly with Iono's cheerful personna and SPARK. They share off-the wall fashion styles and high energy combat styles, each prefering to be in charge of their own little realm. The fights would be epic. The make-ups would sizzle.

Clavell / Rika - I know what you're thinking. "Rika is clearly a butch lesbian." You are correct. This isn't about attraction and it certainly isn't about love or romance. It's about two people in positions of authority who clearly enjoy power and structure. It's about mind games and taking on different roles. It's dark and it's cruel and no one needs to know (except me. I need to know everything.)

Tulip / Dendra - Dendra lost a bet and now has to do whatever Tulip wants. This is classic fanfic trope territory. Please, I beg you.

Penny / Cassiopeia - Without getting too much into story spoilers, there is potential for something intricate and dark in this pairing, a sort of psychological exploration. Penny is always on her own and she needs someone who understands her. She can be nervous where Cassiopeia is decisive. And they have a lot in common. There's potential for love, hate, angst, and maybe even peace. Someday.

Hassel / Brassius - Two high drama art-gays who get overly emotional about EVERYTHING. If you haven't been through all the classes yet, I suggest doing so--these two have a passionate friendship and are practically proclaiming love in the scene they share. They inspire and aggravate each other. It's beautiful.

Jacq / Grusha - They don't have a ton in common except for being around the same age, being successful, and being underexplored in the story. I suspect Jacq is the one who gives you the Shiny Charm (not there yet, but I'm guessing) and I can see Grusha being interested in that. And I like the snowy aesthetic. If I was writing it, it'd be set at Christmas. <3

#pokemon scarvi #pokemon sv #pokemon scarlet violet #eri x carmen #arven #nemona #headcanons #prompts #meta

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thevelaryons · 1 year

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What do you think of the Velaryons in the main books? We barely know anything about them between Lucerys who was the lord of Driftmark during Aerys ii’ reign to Monford and later Monterys. Any headcanons? 👀

I talked briefly about the main series Velaryons in this post. I think they'll just continue to exist on the fringe of the story, with maybe Aurane playing a role going forward. My speculation on how Aurane may rejoin the plot, this time in allegiance with a Targaryen monarch. It's hard to say anything about the current lord, Monterys, as the books don't provide many details beyond the mention that he's 6 years old.

As for headcanons, well I do like the idea that Lucerys was the father of both Monford and Aurane. The books don't give Monford's age but his half-brother Aurane is mentioned as being in his early twenties (born in either 277 AC or 278 AC). So, in all likelihood, Monford must be somewhere in his 20s too in the ASOIAF timeline. That means Monford would have been around 5+ years old in the years preceding Robert's Rebellion (282 AC).

Parents in ASOIAF are known to take their young children to visit the royal court, as evidenced by this quote from Stannis:

"I remember the first time my father took me to court, Robert had to hold my hand. I could not have been older than four, which would have made him five or six."

Steffon Baratheon was known as an old friend of Aerys' and he had his children visiting the court. I see no reason why Lucerys, as the Master of Ships and one of the people in the Mad King's inner circle, wouldn't do the same with his son.

Some more headcanons, which then put this quote into perspective:

The Myrmen swapped jokes as they enjoyed the warmth of the fire, but young Lord Bar Emmon had turned a splotchy grey, and Lord Velaryon was watching the king rather than the conflagration.

In the scene where the burnings are happening on Dragonstone, as per Stannis' orders, everyone watches the conflagration, but Monford watches Stannis (and Davos watches Monford lol). I've always interpreted this scene as indication that perhaps little Monford might have witnessed those public executions by fire that were common at Aerys' court.

Lucerys, who was Aerys' Master of Ships, does not seem the type to care about much beyond his own political advancement. I doubt he would care what effect witnessing such things could have on a child.

The Mad King could be savagely cruel, as seen most plainly when he burned those he perceived to be his enemies, but he could also be extravagant, showering men who pleased him with honors, offices, and lands. The lickspittle lords who surrounded Aerys II had gained much and more from the king’s madness and eagerly seized upon any opportunity to speak ill of Prince Rhaegar and inflame the father’s suspicions of the son.

Chief amongst the Mad King’s supporters were three lords of his small council: Qarlton Chelsted, master of coin, Lucerys Velaryon, master of ships, and Symond Staunton, master of laws. The eunuch Varys, master of whisperers, and Wisdom Rossart, grand master of the Guild of Alchemists, also enjoyed the king’s trust.

So when Monford watches Stannis instead of the burning conflagration, he might have been thinking back on the Mad King. The books repeatedly make note of the fact that Monford does not want to be there, as he's not overly supportive of Stannis and even hostile to him at times. It's only because he's directly sworn to Stannis, who is Lord of Dragonstone, that Monford is obligated to serve him (especially with Driftmark being right next to Dragonstone).

And while Monford would certainly have the typical classist mindset of a Westerosi noble, I do also consider him to be someone willing to at least look beyond the social hierarchy enough to acknowledge the merits of a commoner who rose high. This is based on the fact that he's mentioned as being one of the few people who bothers to acknowledge Davos' existence:

When Davos arrived at the Stone Drum, a dozen highborn knights and great bannermen were just leaving. Lords Celtigar and Velaryon each gave him a curt nod and walked on while the others ignored him utterly.

Not to mention, Monford's bastard half-brother Aurane being part of the Velaryon retinue. You'd think he might seek to keep the bastard away as some other lords might do, in order to avoid the shame to their family, but Monford does no such thing. Also, when Aurane makes known his intention to Cersei that he wants a castle of his own, he never sets his sight on Driftmark, presently ruled by his nephew (Monford's son). Aurane (despite being a manipulative conman) shows no desire whatsoever to usurp his own family, which seems to suggest a positive relationship between the brothers.

#whew this post turned out quite long #asoiaf #monford velaryon #monterys velaryon #lucerys ii velaryon #aurane waters #ask

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smokeys-house · 2 years

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Puukko’s Travel Log 1 & South, for What Ails

(See this post first!)

A leather bordered journal with a wrap closure. It's clearly quite old but not yet well used, and the cover is embossed with a sailing ship. The front page has an anchor sketched on it with an ornate border, beneath it reads "Property of Puukko"

Passage from Puukko's Travel Log

Used to be I'd just wind up on an excursion like this. Fell into trouble like one falls overboard, soaring through the air and into the drink with a splash. A rare treat to start one voluntarily, if poorly planned. I'm headed down through the valley toward the old Moominhouse. Kind folk down there, gon' stop by for a cup o' something warm and t' exchange words of the same if they'll have 'em.

I intend to stay with the moomins a while and charter a ship to head southward. Not rightly sure on the where, but I do know the when. Wond'rin' if they'll remember me down there. Moominmama and her husband were always some that I'd considered friends. At least since I came to the valley anyway. Feels like they've always been here.

Day 1

Signed Puukko

(Full story under the cut!)

The leaves scattered along worn footpaths, carried haphazard and carelessly by a crisp autumn wind. Moominvalley was as peaceful an idyll as it ever was as Puukko made her way to the home of the Moomins. There waiting on the veranda was none other than Moominpapa, enjoying his coffee and a well-deserved break from his memoirs.

"Ahoy there!" The old moomin woman cleared her throat. It had been some weeks since she'd spoken to someone other than herself, and some years since she'd met with anyone in the valley.

"Well would you look at that, I was just thinking of you! Mama had mentioned paying you a visit just the other day, but I was convinced you'd taken to the seas long ago." He stood and smiled brightly. "Won't you come in for a visit?"

He took her bag and set it by the coat rack, ushering her into the kitchen area. It was warm and inviting, though the chairs were a little small for the likes of Puukko. Still, she made herself comfortable as Moominpapa mused about the comings and goings of the valley inhabitants.

"I'd been meaning to pay you a visit myself as well, my son's old pocket knife has seen better days. After all, he's not got pockets!" He chuckled aloud. "Mama! Might we have some more coffee please? An old friend has come to visit!"

Moominmama rounded the corner. She hadn't changed much over the years, still with her classic handbag and apron. "Oh, Miss Puukko! I thought I had smelled smoke, but Papa's pipe is still on his desk." She ribbed gently. It wasn't normally like her to poke fun, but she was well accustomed to her guest's sense of humor.

The Moomins had a way of making it feel as though no time had passed, their welcoming attitude and general hospitality created a comforting atmosphere. Moominmama prepared a fresh pot of coffee as her husband delighted in his endless story telling. The three swapped tales of recent times, remarks on the weather, and other pleasantries for a time before getting to the reason for such an uncommon visit.

"I've plans to venture back onto the high seas. Been sittin' too long. I reckon I'm fit to burst should I not feel some wind in me sails again." The old pirate stared into her mug, paws wrapped around its sides.

"I do hope you're not thinking of going back to your old job, dear. I very much doubt you'll find today's ships to your liking, anyhow." Moominmama's eyes betrayed her words, she made it clear with a look that she'd rather have a friend in the mountains than one on the run.

"Nothing quite like that, worry ye none!" She gave a hearty chuckle. "I'm just lookin' t' see her again. The sea, I mean. A taste of salt, nothin' more."

Moominpapa passed the table salt over without a word, pleased with his joke regardless of whether the other two took note. "Not to dissuade you, I am partial to a journey, especially one by sea, but you haven't got a ship, have you?" He was very clearly suggesting something, and eagerly so.

"Cunning as ever, Moominpapa. I'd hoped to 'ave you and yer l'il craft ferry me to a port where I could charter a ship."

"Ah, an excursion at sea with a real pirate, how exciting!" He stood on his chair and struck a gallant pose.

"She's not a pirate anymore, dear." Moominmama was quick to correct. "Where is it you're heading, Miss Puukko? I'm afraid it's a little late in the season for a long journey."

"Italy, I think. Ne'er been, always wanted to. Knew someone what were tossin' that idea about, lifetimes ago."

Moominpapa put aside his excitement and scratched at his snout. It was always obvious when he was thinking, he carried a familiar look of determination. "You could borrow The Adventure, if you could promise a safe return." He didn't seem thrilled at the prospect of losing his own vessel.

"I'd be leaving her at port, and I fear I do not trust to leave her by her lonesome so far from home. Perhaps it's best I wait fer Spring afore I head out." Puukko tried to hide her disappointment. She couldn't fault the Moomins for hibernating, after all, she too was at the mercy of the seasons. She had only just awoke from her own hibernation at the arrival of Autumn.

"Do you know the Snork?" Moominmama offered reassuringly.

"Clever feller with those glasses tied 'round his ears? Aye, made him a lovely l'il folding knife couple'a years back. Redwood and gold. He got a ship?"

"He's quite the inventor. He's just finished work on his flying ship."

"Flying as in it goes real fast?" Puukko shot a perplexed look at both of the Moomin parents.

"Flying as in it sails the sea of the skies!" Moominpapa delivered poetically, and with much gusto. Moominmama reflexively rolled her eyes with affection at her husband's playful nature. She laid her paw gently across the old pirate's wrist, assuring her that they weren't just playing a prank on her.

"It flies? In the air?! I've heard tell all kinds of tall tales but ne'er once a ship with wings!"

"Well this version doesn't have wings, but she is seaworthy– er, sky worthy? Perhaps it's best to let the Snork show you himself. I'm sure he'd be eager for another voyage." Moominpapa's excitement returned to him as his taste for adventure grew. Moominmama wordlessly packed a few things in a basket for the Snork, and the three headed out to his workshop.

Along the way, Moominpapa told the story of Snork and the many trials he faced in building a flying ship. He told of all the help the people of the valley gave in building the workshop, then rebuilding it after it exploded in an incident with the Muffle, and the first flight tests. He left out mention of the witch so as not to diminish Snork's accomplishment.

"Ah, here we are. We're in luck, it would seem the Snork is already here, and working rather hard." Moominpapa opened the door without knocking, much to Snork's bemusement. The Snork's workshop was quaint and open, with no shortage of tools and equipment covering the walls in an organized fashion. Its rustic appeal did much to abate the otherwise proper order of its owner.

"Moominpapa!" The Snork scrambled to hide the pages he had been working on at the drafting table, pencils and tools clattering to the floor. "This is the workshop of an inventor, you know! Many people might like to steal any secret designs within."

"Perhaps you ought to consider locking the door, dear." Moominmama teased.

"And who's this you've brought with you? And into my private workshop no less!"

"Check yer pockets, sonny. My name's on the inside of the grip o' yer knife. To my mem'ry, yer exact instructions were 'simple and efficient, but not without class'. Redwood and gold, convex edge, and no thumb stud." Puukko set her bag down by the door and took a lean against the wall, took out her pipe and chewed on the stem.

"Ah, Miss Puukko! How nice it is to see you. I had meant to contact you about servicing said knife, but I've been so busy with my flying ship, you see."

"Seems a trend in the valley. The meanin' t' come see me, I mean. Perhaps I ought to start makin' regular maintenance trips down here..?" She scratched at her snout in thought for a moment. "Anyhow. So it's true that you've got a ship what can fly? And I'm supposin' this mightn't be it. She motioned to the airship, which was taking up most of the room in the work space.

"Indeed! I invented it myself and now I'm both an inventor and the first ever skyship captain. Or, pilot, I suppose." He puffed out his chest slightly with his paws on his hips. Puukko walked around the ship, running her paw along its hull. She inspected the planks and admired the craftsmanship.

"She's a fine vessel. Permission to board her, captain?" She chuckled. She was still dubious towards the idea of a flying ship, but her excitement at the prospect won out over her doubts.

"Permission granted, but please do be careful around the levers!"

Puukko boarded the ship and began looking around as Moominpapa explained the situation, and what brought them to his workshop in the first place.

"-and you see, going to Italy is quite a long trip. Mama says it's too late in the season to be out at sea even just to take Miss Puukko to the nearest major port. And my thinking was, it might be a bit faster as the Snork flies er- I mean as the crow flies."

"Quite right Moominpapa, but I'm afraid you and your wife would have to stay here. My flying ship can only hold one passenger at a time." Snork patiently reminded him. "I'm working on a new version large enough to take many more but it's going to take some time and rather a… lot of.. supplies…" Snork's cadence slowed as an idea hatched in his mind. "Miss Puukko?"

"Yes Mr. Snor– ack!" Puukko hit her head on the doorframe of the ship's control room as she stood to face the Snork. She swore under her breath, collected herself and sighed. "What is it, my dear short inventor friend?"

Snork did not follow the "short" comment and chose to ignore it.

"I imagine you intended to pay for the trip in your usual odd fashion, what would you say to waiving your payment and return trip in lieu of me picking up some supplies when we make our landing?"

"I believe I'd be amenable to that Mr. Snork. Need an excuse t' be at sea anyhow. Talkin' o' ships, how's about you tell me how this tub gets up in the sky with no wings?" She shot him an incredulous look.

"One of the keys to the success of my flying ship is in its round flight balloon. My first flying ship was a flop, wings simply aren't as efficient when dealing with a ship of this size. A round balloon was the solution, the idea was all thanks to a dream Moomin had."

"Why are you saying 'round' like that?"

That evening, Puukko stayed with the Moomins. It was a pleasant change of pace for her, having company. The house was mostly quiet, save for the boisterous and hearty laughs of an old pirate and the jovial expressions of young Moomintroll. She told him tales of the sea, omitting of course many of the harsher realities of piracy. He'd begged her to drop by and visit again soon to teach him the proper way to use a sword. She of course agreed, provided he asked his mother's permission. Despite the time that had passed, Moomintroll still seemed to be a cheery and eager youth with a taste for the dramatic. The fact that not much ever changes for long in the valley filled Puukko with a complex feeling. She couldn't quite parse it at the time, but it was both a comfort and a curse. After Moomin headed to bed, Puukko delighted in the simple presence of Moominpapa and Moominmama. It was both the longest and the shortest night at once, with laughter and stories, and the aching melancholy knowing it would soon end. For Puukko, being lonely wasn't the same as being alone. She'd always liked to spend her time by herself, but that made the company of others all the sweeter.

Morning brought with it the cool breeze of autumn, and for Puukko, a tangible excitement she hadn't felt in decades. She felt the thrill of a new adventure climbing her back and the anxiety of something new altogether in her stomach as she made her way to the launching ground near Snork's workshop.

"Ahoy there!" Moominmama smiled with her eyes and gently waved her paw. "We thought we'd come early to help Snork get things set up. Did you see the pancakes I left for you on the table?"

"That I did! And the lovely note. Yer hospitality leaves none to be desired Moominmama. A fairer maiden there's ne'er been." Puukko put aside the thought of one other woman.

"Ahem." Moominpapa coughed.

"And her fine husband, o'course." Puukko placated him with a playful eye roll.

"Have you got all the things you need for the trip, Miss Puukko?" The Snork exited the cabin of the flying ship, wiping oil from his paws with a rag.

"This'un here's me an' mine, and all I'm bringing along." She gave the bag at her side a hearty slap. "Seems a might bit heavier today, though I'm sure that's just nerves." She winked at Moominmama, who in turn looked away coyly.

"Well if you're all set, climb aboard!" Snork re-entered the control room. He returned shortly with a rope ladder, and tossed it overboard. The balloon atop the ship was full, and the hoses used to fill it cast aside. Though it was still for the moment, the lift provided by the balloon made it seem lighter than air, as if it would be blown away by the wind any moment. Puukko trusted the Snork's capabilities and the word of the Moomins, but she couldn't help but feel a little timid now that it was time to take off. She boarded and set her bag down in the control room.

"Wait just a moment." Snork's expression narrowed. He adjusted some levers and knobs, much beyond the ken of the old pirate standing just away from him. "You know, my first design was intended primarily as a proof of concept, which meant cutting out additional weight such as quarters and storage. Which means…" He spoke as if not to his passenger, but aloud for the room. He stretched his arm above him, reaching into a space replete with various complex parts of the ship.

"Hey, watch it!"

Someone was hiding in the small chamber. Snork lowered his arm, revealing he had found a small girl dressed in red.

"Well if it isn't Little My. I would've thought by now you'd have grown tired of stowing away. You've made multiple trips aboard my flying ship by now! I knew you'd be in here, you may be small, but there aren't many places to hide in he– yeowch!"

"Don't go interrupting other people's naps!" The uninvited guest shouted with a voice much larger than herself. Little My had bitten Snork's finger, loosening his grip on her. She bolted through the open door and over the side with a pitter-patter of little shoes all along the way. Puukko, bewildered by the sudden appearance of a strange and violent child, still laughed aloud at Snork's misfortune.

"'ave ye a problem with stowaways often?" She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, catching her breath from her laughter. Little My's cackling continued to trail off into the distance as she made her escape.

"It's usually just the same stowaway every time." He nursed his paw. "Would you mind pulling up the ladder?"

"Aye aye, captain." She continued to chuckle. She rolled up the ladder and tossed it onto the deck, waving her goodbyes to Moominmama and Moominpapa. The two smiled and waved in return.

The ship began to lurch, and the propellers to each side spun up. The whirring was loud and unsettling to Puukko, who had little to no experience with machines.

"Strike me pink!" She shouted over the wind as she dug her claws into the railing, ducking down somewhat. She watched as Moominvalley began to pass by her faster and faster, at first just the empty patch surrounding Snork's workshop, and then the whole valley itself. The speed and intensity of the wind coupled with the climbing height was both thrilling and terrifying.

"Well I'll be scuppered! We're actually flying!" She continued to muse and laugh in disbelief as the world below grew further and further away. "Snork! Can ye pass by me homestead? I should like to see it from above!" Once the ship had reached a steady altitude, Snork stepped out of the control room to meet with his passenger.

"It's a long way to Italy. I imagine we won't be seeing each other for some time. This isn't goodbye, is it?" Snork grew concerned, wondering if he'd set off too eagerly before anyone had the chance to say a proper farewell.

"I should think not, cap'n. Though I fear I might be gone awhile. My yearnin's keep me wanderin', but me heart belongs in Moominvalley." Puukko never once looked over to him, staring off at the great expanse below. "Bless me tail! I still can't believe we're flying…" She thought on how this would make for another good tale to tell, if only the beginnings of one, and at last, she thought of one person she'd like to tell it to more than anyone else.

#moomins #moomin oc #whetstone's whispers #pls forgive me if I'm bad at writing canon characters #moominmama moominpapa and snork are all supposed to be like their 90s versions btw #this is actually my first time writing canon characters i think! o:

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