#sorry in advance lmfao

[ask-the-sagents]

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BTW there's an updated font chart in the masterpost since the last one had duplicates 😅

[thou-babbling-brook]

Maria Thorpe Character Analysis

Well, I simply can’t disappoint the people – aka, the five of you that will read this, lmfao. I’m so serious about this that I’m actually drafting this on a Google doc before I post this rather than just typing random thoughts on my phone. This is going to be a HUGE ramble that probably won’t make a ton of sense, but I hope it’s entertaining regardless. 

Maria Thorpe – a character that Ubisoft probably spent MAYBE thirty minutes thinking about, but that I have not stopped thinking about for like, five years. What a gal. So glad I was not in this fandom in 2012 to witness how HEINOUS people were about her for simply being a woman “in the way” of a M|M relationship. I hope by the end of this ramble, you, too, will see her for the baddie she truly is. 

In this essay, I will delve into Maria’s character to explore why she is so fascinating to me, the implications of her story, and why Ubisoft can actually catch these hands for dumbing her down in AC Revelations. (I'm putting a cut here because it's so fucking long I'm sorry gang)

First off, to understand Maria Thorpe as a character, you have to understand her background. I’m not going to copy and paste her Wiki or anything, but I am going to outline her life (stated and implied) before we meet her.

For those that don’t know, Maria was born an English noblewoman in 1161 – four years before Altaïr was born (okay cougar). Because she was a tomboy and defied many of the social norms for women in the 12th century, she was ostracized by both her parents and her peers. She mentions in The Secret Crusade that her parents tried to force her to conform, which culminated in her first marriage at the age of 18 to Lord Peter Hallaton. She mentions that he was a decent husband, but he didn’t exactly appreciate her more boisterous nature. After all, in 12th century England (especially among nobility), women were to be seen, not heard. She also failed his expectations as a chatelaine and a wife, as she bore him no children. The Bishop of Leicester granted them an annulment to avoid embarrassment to both Peter and Maria’s family. When she returned, she was “persona non grata” to her family and the whole of Leicestershire, especially when her father had already spent her dowry. With no other options, Maria ran away to join the Third Crusade, where she eventually met Robert de Salbé.

You may notice that we don’t actually know a lot about Maria and her life before AC1, which is probably intentional. To me, though, that’s what makes her backstory fascinating – the implications of her environment and what we can reasonably deduce she went through based on historical context. I think anyone who’s taken a seventh-grade social studies class could tell you women had, like, zero rights in 12th-century England – even more so, noblewomen. Maria was raised to be a glorified broodmare – say nothing, have children (two boys and a girl, as she jokes), and run her husband’s household. Clearly, she was the exact opposite of all of these things. Something interesting about Maria’s first marriage is the fact that while it was an annulment, she specifically mentions in The Secret Crusade it was an annulment to save her family further embarrassment – which implies that the marriage was consummated, but all parties wanted it done with. I don’t think I need to elaborate on how common and horrific an experience like that could be, but I think it fuels Maria’s relationship later on with motherhood, especially since she mentions that she was completely uninterested in childrearing and birth (this is a key point I’ll touch on later).

So what? Why does her background matter? It matters because of how historical and cultural context tie in to help form who she is by the time she leaves for the Third Crusade – a desperate, twenty-two-year-old woman, divorced, ostracized from the only family and society she has ever known, having no other choice than to ditch England and head for the Holy Land unless she wants to become a nun. For many men and women alike in the 12th century, this was their only opportunity to become something more than what they were born as, whether it be a serf, a blacksmith, or a noblewoman. Many who left for the Third Crusade left to “take back the Holy Land,” but also to escape or improve their current standings. To me, Maria falls in the second category, and it is this desperation to escape her life that forms her most notable (and later, tragic) characteristic: her undying loyalty.

As a side note, it is also interesting to me that Maria chose to be a soldier rather than a nurse. This is more so my characterization of her, but I think that’s because a) she’s too damn proud and loud to be a nurse, and b) because if she was a nurse, she would more than likely live and be treated the same way she was at home. Truly, if she wants to escape the patriarchy, the only way a woman like Maria could at the time was to join it by blending in. Girly get some therapy.

We’re now at AC1 in the timeline. Hooray! We don’t know when exactly Maria joined the Templars or when she first met Robert, but we can probably assume it was not long after she joined the crusade. As we know from AC1, AC Bloodlines, and The Secret Crusade, Maria disguised herself as a man (more than likely a young boy since she’s got a voice that would fit right into Alvin and the Chipmunks) and was able to keep up the rouse long enough to rise in the ranks and show promise to people like Robert. For Maria, when Robert finds out she is a woman and yet elevates her further, it is the first time in her life that someone has appreciated her for her masculine qualities. It is why she develops an intense loyalty for Robert to the point of being willing to be his decoy, despite the fact she fully anticipated dying. For Maria, it would be her ideal end – fighting to the death for a cause she truly believed in. Not even really a cause, as we figure out later, but more so for a man she truly believed in – Robert. It would not be through the pain and subjugation of childbirth like most women of her standing, but a brutal fight like any other man.

And yet – she doesn’t. When Altaïr meets her, he’s undergone a whole development arc, whereas Maria (at this point 30, which is SO funny to imagine her fistfighting this 26-year-old frat boy) is at the start of hers. And it starts with Altaïr sparing her – the worst possible fate that could become her at this point in her life. Think about it: the only person who has given her an OUNCE of respect has asked her to essentially die for him by acting as his decoy. As Maria mentions in AC Bloodlines, by this point, she is also a step away from becoming a knight – and at this point, she’s also known as a woman among the Templars. And yet, she believes they have become her family, and she is willing to die for their cause and for Robert. When Altaïr spares her and kills Robert, he’s sentencing her to the life she ran away from and feared – being nothing more than a woman who is looked down upon with condescending snarls and disgust for who she is.

This is why when we meet Maria in AC Bloodlines, she is rightfully PISSED. We literally see her realize that any ounce of respect and power she had is completely gone because Altaïr spared her. She is so pissed, in fact, that she tries to kill Altaïr again. This is even funnier when you remember how much of a BITCH it was to fight her in AC1, but I digress. Altaïr has destroyed everything she has built in her life for the last eight years. He has taken her home, her mentors, her family, and her honor. And bro doesn’t have a clue in the fucking world.

It’s at this point that I’ll also analyze more about Maria’s relationship with the Templars. At first glance, yes, she was a Templar and believed in their cause. Really, though, it goes far deeper than that. It’s not necessarily that Maria believes in their cause – otherwise, it would’ve taken a lot more for Altaïr to sway her to the Assassins – but that she believes in the people. Again, from Maria’s perspective, the Templars (especially Robert) were the ONLY people in her entire life to treat her with dignity, and she is willing to die for them. She is willing to throw her honor to the ground and beg for forgiveness in front of Bouchard because, without the Templars, she is nothing. She is back to square one as a silly little girl trying to run from a life that would only subjugate her. It’s that recurring characteristic of undying loyalty to those who have given her the life she has always wanted.

And for Maria, it is immediately spat back in her face.

When Bouchard takes over in AC Bloodlines, he is a strict Templar Grandmaster. No consorting with women, periodt. And he flaunts this over Maria, taunting her. He is tearing the last ounce of respect she’d ever received and throwing it away. Every sacrifice she made for the Templars for the last eight years meant nothing, and it is crushing to her. She continues to be pissed off at Altaïr, who mentions that she’s more pissed at the Templars than at him. Once again, she is nothing more than a woman – an imprisoned one at that.

This is where one of my favorite Maria scenes (not that there’s many) comes into play. When she and Altaïr are sitting on the ship to Cyprus or wherever it doesn’t matter, Altaïr does something that no person has done for her before: he treats her with unconditional respect. As funny as his autistic ramble about Empedocles and philosophy is, there are so many assumptions that go into Altaïr’s conversation that I think help sway Maria to his side. When he talks to Maria, he speaks to her as an equal. He talks to her about philosophy because of course she would know about philosophy in his mind – to him, she is a soldier and a person first, and a woman second (shut the fuck about The Secret Crusade and him thinking about her as a lioness shut up shut up I low key hate it even though it’s funny). He is the first person in her life to speak to her as an equal and with respect with no strings attached. In fact, when Maria taunts him for leaving her cuffed even as he talks about free will, he lets her go. She may not like him at this point, but after this scene, you can certainly see that she respects him in how she speaks to him. BONUS: she’s not trying to outright kill him anymore! Hooray!

You can see the impact Altaïr and his conversation had on Maria when she confronts Shahar in her courtesan fit. There’s so many layers to Maria willingly dressing in such an exposing, vulnerable, and feminine way (keep in mind this bitch is Catholic, I know her guilt was going crazy), but what I’m going to focus on is her conversation with Shahar. When he speaks to her, he is gross and all but catcalling her, calling her a “little fox” and using a sultry tone. Maria is having NONE of it, and one can only assume this is a tone she has dealt with a thousand times over. This is also where we see the gears turning in Maria’s head. I’ve seen people criticize Maria for how quickly she flip-flopped, but I think that’s overlooking the reason that she WAS a Templar – they were the only people who provided her a home when she had none. If you’re desperate for anyone to treat you with an iota of respect, you’d do whatever they ask. After she talks to Altaïr though, and especially after realizing Robert was simply manipulating her, she is questioning the Templars’ ideologies and realizing this is not what she wants. It low key is like Alicent in House of the Dragons right now – she’s shocked that fighting against women fucked herself over. Maria is similar in that sense – she thought that by being what the Templars wanted and fighting for what they believed, it wouldn’t come back to bite her in the ass. But it did. She’s a woman before she’s a Templar, and the ideology of the Templars would see her subjugated just as she was before. It isn’t until after Altaïr’s spiel about free will and the challenges it brings that she realizes she has other options.

And that’s ultimately what brings Maria to the side of the Assassins – realizing her errors in thinking and wanting a way to redeem herself. The Assassins are her second chance, which is ironic given how many stories after hers would follow this same format of second chances. But it isn’t just the ideology change, either. It’s Altaïr. No, she does not have undying loyalty by the end of AC Bloodlines, but he’s certainly earned her trust and respect. He’s treated her like any other person without ever holding power or loyalty over her head. He does not manipulate her or exploit her – he respects her, and he earnestly tells her of the creed’s ideologies not to lure her in, but because he genuinely believes in the idea of dispelling the illusions of the world and wants to share it with her, whether she becomes an Assassin or not. That is what turns Maria into an Assassin at the end of the day: his respect for her and his understanding of the creed. And despite their issues, Maria chooses to follow him to the ends of the earth.

Now we’re at a really funny part of Maria’s story: we know basically NOTHING about what happens in between AC Bloodlines and AC Reflections. We know that sometime after traveling to Masyaf, Maria and Altaïr became a couple. We know they married in 1195 and gave birth to Darim the same year. Two years later, they would traumatize Desmond Miles by fucking on top of a castle, which is so fucking funny and only supports my characterization of Maria as a gremlin, because who the fuck else would make their husband climb up a giant ass tower for sex? We know she officially became an Assassin and would beg Altaïr to stop looking into the Apple. We know she would join Altaïr and Darim to Mongolia to kill Genghis Khan. And that is all we know for an approximately 30-YEAR PERIOD.

While there’s a lot I could talk about in that gap, like Maria’s relationship with other Assassins, I’m going to focus on her relationship with motherhood. As we established earlier, Maria had ZERO interest in being a mother or giving birth. This is a personal headcanon but I do not care because it’s MY analysis and I can do as I please, but I feel like she would’ve dreaded childbirth, especially given how English nobility acted about it (e.g., how people treated it like a scandal or disease) and how it was the leading cause of death for women until the 20th century. Yet, despite this, she had not one, but TWO children. She was like one away from the goal, and even then Sef had two daughters so really she fulfilled it. But why? What changed that she would be willing to do the very thing she left England to avoid?

I think it goes back to the reason she was disinterested in it in the first place. Like Maria says in The Secret Crusade, she didn’t want to just be a mother or a wife. Her ideal husband would treat her like any other man, taking her hunting or whatever else bullshit medieval stuff they’d do instead of scrolling through TikTok. She never said she didn’t want to be a mother. I think her hesitance stems from the fact that she didn’t want to SOLELY be defined as a mother or a wife. With Altaïr, however, that fear is pretty much gone. Since the moment she met him, Altaïr has always treated her with respect and admired the things she was once shamed for. Her strength is valuable as an Assassin. Her bluntness keeps him in check. Her ideas are admired rather than ridiculed. To Altaïr, Maria is not just a woman or even just an Assassin. She’s a person with her own experiences and ideas and fears and strengths and dreams. He loves her for every aspect of herself that was once frowned upon.

I remember a while ago seeing a Tumblr post from ye olden days (like 2012) talking about how because menstrual cycles were extremely irregular back in the day due to medieval diets and exercise, Maria would have to purposefully chill out to regulate her cycle to become pregnant. What that implies is that she trusted Altaïr so much that she was willing to settle down and have children because she knew it would not influence how he treated or loved her. Personally, I think this is true of Darim, but that Sef was an accident because it’s funnier that way, but regardless, the point still stands. Maria getting pregnant and becoming a mother is the opposite of what she thought she would ever want, but because she loved and trusted Altaïr so much, she was willing to have a family with him because she knew it would not come to define her. I think that is unbelievably sweet.

We also don’t really see Maria interact with her children very often, which I think is a fucking shame. When she does interact with Darim (we never see her with Sef, though we do see her reaction to his death), Maria is always supportive and encouraging. Again, this is more my headcanon territory but I really don’t care because I can do what I fucking please, but Maria low key feels like a boy mom to me, but not in the weird Freud way, lmfao. Like we established earlier, Maria’s key trait is her loyalty. I think this loyalty would be extended to her children. We know she’s loyal to Altaïr (it ends up killing her), but I feel like it would go insane with her children. When she learns of Sef’s death in The Secret Crusade, this woman breaks down in tears instantly. WHERE THE FUCK WAS THE MOTHERLY RAGE WITH ABBAS, UBISOFT. WHERE WAS IT. Anyways.

Masyaf is a pretty cutthroat environment to raise a child, especially when you consider that Abbas is apparently lurking in the background scheming during Altaïr’s reign. Something I wish we learned more about (and something I just find fascinating in general) is the political environment of Masyaf. Altaïr implemented a lot of changes to the Brotherhood that faced backlash, one of the key ones being allowing women in the order again (ahem, Maria). I know Maria said she was uninterested in the politics of running a house, but I do think she’d kind of have to play her hand in politics in Masyaf, kind of how Altaïr realizes he’s not exempt from politics since he’s literally shaping them. If Maria wants her kids to be safe, especially as sons of the Master of the Assassins, she’s gotta play her cards well. This is why I think it does make sense for Maria to calm down after having children to be more similar to the Maria we see in AC Reflections and AC Revelations. She can’t just fight everyone like she did when she was relying solely on herself. Now, she has people relying on her, and I think it makes sense for her character to chill out more (though without losing her spunk) to ensure her family is safe.

For those that have ever watched Magnificent Century, basically think about how Hurrem went from fighting everyone to playing her cards wisely so her kids wouldn’t die or do stupid shit. That’s how I feel like Maria would be.

Something else that’s interesting about Maria to me is her relationship with Altaïr. Duh, you’re probably saying, but hear me out. We know that while she and Altaïr were inseparable during their marriage, there was one thing that strained it: the Apple. It makes sense why Maria would be so pissed off at it. She’s seen Altaïr control men’s minds with it. She’s seen how it takes him away for days at a time with its secrets, to the point she is begging him to throw it away. Back to the point about loyalty to her family, whereas Altaïr seeks knowledge, Maria just wants her family protected and safe because she loves them – including her dumbass husband. It’s ironic that the very thing she fought about with Altaïr is the thing that killed her.

So we’re finally at AC Revelations, and I am truly shocked that you’re still here. Kudos to you. At that final confrontation scene with Abbas, that loyalty for those she loves comes to a head. When Altaïr whips out the Apple, Maria begs and pleads him to stop, because she knows if he uses the Apple to control someone, he will only be proving Abbas’s point, which will only fuck them over. In The Secret Crusade, we also have Malik’s head on top of this scene to make it worse. Maria’s position is again one of desperation. Her son is dead, one of her best friends is now just a head, and her husband is about to go sicko mode. She is screwed and she knows it. What she doesn’t know is that she’s about to be stabbed by Swami (I’m going with the revelations version shut up) in a last ditch effort to stop Altaïr from using the Apple. Altaïr doesn’t listen to Maria, and it kills her. He kills her.

… SO I HAVE THOUGHTS.

I think Maria dying from the Apple makes sense, I do. That’s not my problem. My problem is how AC Revelations basically dumbed her down to this motherly, homely figure which is the like, ANTITHESIS of what Maria is. Where was the feminine rage??? You’re telling me this woman would not be about to SLAUGHTER someone after learning that Sef died?? You’re telling me she would just pull an AltaïR thiS iSn’T yOu???????? Are you so fucking for real right now??? It pisses me off because it nukes her character. While yes, it makes sense for her to be a much calmer woman and 67 compared to 30, this is still Maria. Don’t act like she and Altaïr don’t have fucking anger issues and be so fucking for real.

Here’s my ideal scenario for what should’ve gone down. I think once they pulled Malik’s head out, there should’ve been all-out chaos rather than this bullshit “We killed everyone loyal to Altaïr before he arrived.” Maria should’ve been right there with them with a sword out. Altaïr, in a desperate attempt to calm everyone down, would take out the Apple and try to control everyone. If you’ve seen the long ass discussion about how Revelations fucked up Altaïr’s character arc, this also helps remedy that because Altaïr is pulling out because of his arrogance in believing he can control the Apple. News flash: he can’t. Maria, while fighting for Altaïr, would somehow be killed either by the Apple or like similar to how Swami accidentally killed her. Something along those lines where it is Altaïr’s fault. That’s how she should’ve gone out, not some weird pick me bullshit.

Anyways. RIP Maria Thorpe you would’ve loved Crusader Kings 3.

I definitely missed some points about her character but this is already 7 pages long on Google docs so I am NOT writing anymore. God bless.

TLDR she's a baddie and I need her so so so bad

[theosphobia]

the entirety of that Infinite!Caboose drabble I started... in screenshot form bc im too lazy to transcribe for tumblr or whatever the right word is

[tunnelduck]

I cannot promise I will be normal when Superman comes out

[qprpbj]

kk but how do u think paul and darry fell out? i love thinking abt this. like keeping the madra shirt is vvvv atw10 keeping the scarf type of energy imo bc like did he ever actually wear it?

(this is all musical!outsiders btw i’m not sure how much of it really applies to book)

me and chandler have fr yapped about paul darry for hours everyday for like two weeks straight im so fr they are so serious to me. which is so bizarre bc i am not a big outsiders shipper but idk something abt their toxic ass homoeroticism just hits soooo bad

veering more canon i think their falling out would’ve been more just bc of college after graduating and status differences, i’m not so sure it’d have been something super dramatic — maybe just diff colleges & they stopped keeping in touch?? then ofc paul stays close with bob & the others meanwhile darry had to embrace being a greaser again (no matter if he wanted to or not) bc of his circumstances, they gradually become bigger menaces to the greasers over those couple years bc darry isn’t part of their group anymore to hold them back, then bob has his specific beef w the greasers cause of cherry and ponyboy, then the rumble and bam you’ve got the ridiculous tension they’ve got there

in my parasite ridden brain though (and fully not canon i am well aware)…… lol i love the idea of them both knowing there’s something there that’s like. unusual. like not how they feel abt any of the rest of their friends. then them having some big falling out at the end of senior year over it (bc of paul more aware of being queer than darry who can’t admit it which is notable bc it’s usually the socs so obsessed with labels and status vs the greasers) where paul doesn’t exactly confess but it’s obvious darry doesn’t (or can’t yet admit that he does) reciprocate and. then much of the same.

the madras shirt is so mf interesting. literally wdym “i remember it looked pretty good on you”. gay asses. idk if darry ever wore it again after falling out w paul though, probably just kept it tucked safe somewhere (toilet thing obv just said to rile paul up bc that shit (and whatever else of paul’s he inevitably has) is fs kept on LOCK somewhere deep in his closet (ironic)). also the atw10 reference made me laugh lol thank you

[tetzoro]

good morning && happy thursday friendz !! TODAY IS THE DAY ! its finally time for the haikyuu movie :’) i hope everyone has a wonderful day ♡⌒(>。<) ! !

[btwn2lungs]

"I'm home", Kazuki calls out as he steps into the apartment, a sleeping Miri cradled carefully against his chest.

She had a long day full of running and laughing at the annual fair the elementary school held. Hell, Kazuki had a long day too considering he planned, organised, and baked fifteen different pastries for the damn thing. Really the whole month had been long but he expected as much, what with being head of the Parent Teacher Association and all. But he was happy to be busy and more than willing to be present for any and all of Miri´s school events. He had more time now.

They had more time.

And thank God for Rei, Kazuki thought to himself as he gently laid Miri on the couch, pulling a blanket over her. He sank down onto the couch beside her and closed his eyes, happy to finally rest his back after running around all day.

If it wasn't for Rei´s help this past month, Kazuki is sure he would have pulled his hair out or worse: get premature grey hair. Kazuki liked to plan but between the event, taking care of Miri, and the usual household chores, it was a lot to take on by himself. He was thankful he didn't have to.

Despite his initial eagerness and the overwhelming satisfaction of another successful day, Kazuki was glad the day was finally over. He had woken up before the sun rose to finish some last minute baking and his phone had been ringing nonstop since 7:00am with last minute preparation questions from the moms. If it wasn't for Rei´s help with getting Miri up and dressed, preparing her breakfast and entertaining her with a few rounds of Morio Kart while Kazuki rushed around the house in a frenzy, he's sure he would have been late.

Kazuki barely had time to brush his teeth and put on clean clothes let alone clean up the monstrous mess he had made in the kitchen. Kazuki was a "clean as you go" type of guy but this morning proved to be quite the exception.

"Fuck," Kazuki groans under his breath. "The kitchen."

Visions of the catastrophe he had left behind had been plaguing him all morning but they were soon replaced with the present chaos that was decorations, tables and chairs, children and parents alike milling around like ants through the school grounds.

He kept his eyes closed for a few moments longer, bracing himself for the disaster only a few meters away from him. When he finally stood up and faced the kitchen, he was convinced he was hallucinating. How he hadn't noticed before was beyond him.

There was no mess in the kitchen. In fact, the kitchen, and the living room too he now realised, having whipped his head around so fast he felt dizzy, were arguably cleaner than they had been all month (hey, between this shit, a kid, and Rei having recently started his physical therapy, some things had to be deprioritised. Sue him).

He turns back around to the kitchen (slowly this time) and notices that not only is it spotless, but the dining table is set for three, a bouquet of roses in the middle, and a white envelop placed on his side of the table.

Kazuki had never been so confused in his life. Was this an early sign of dementia? He needed to sit down.

As he was about to do just that, Rei walks in the front door with a box of pizza under his left arm.

"Oh, you got here before me", Rei says, toeing his shoes off at the door.

"Uh," was all Kazuki could manage to respond. He gestures vaguely around the apartment. "What happened here?"

Rei places the pizza on the dining table and shrugs nonchalantly but there's a hint of mirth in his eyes that Kazuki doesn't quite understand.

"I cleaned", Rei says casually. And while Rei has been helping out significantly more in the past couple of years, he cant help the look of disbelief that crosses his face.

"You," Kazuki starts and then stops. "How did you....When did you," he glances quickly at Rei´s right arm, newly freed from its splint, and back up to Rei who is now standing over Miri with a soft look in his eyes.

"You had physical therapy today," Kazuki tries again.

It was still early in his sessions. 90 minutes a day, three times a week. Usually Kazuki drove Rei to and from therapy, more at his own insistence than Rei´s but Kazuki had reluctantly agreed to let Rei manage his appointments for the month. Just for this month, Kazuki had insisted.

It was the reason Rei couldn't join them at the fair today.

"I did," Rei says, looking at Kazuki from the side of the couch with that same amusement twinkling in his eyes. "I had some time."

Kazuki narrows his eyes at him, knowing that couldn't possibly be true let alone physically possibly at this stage in Rei´s recovery but he doesn't push the point.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth as they say.

"That still doesn't explain the flowers or the card or the pizza. I thought we agreed to save pizza for the weekends. I could have cooked us something."

Ah, apparently he will look that gift horse in the mouth after all.

The amusement in Rei´s eyes doesn't lessen, if anything it grows brighter and Kazuki is getting a little frustrated at feeling like a joke is being played on him, at the thought of Rei exhausting himself over Kazuki's mess.

"Do you know what today is?," Rei asks carefully. And Kazuki really doesn't understand what he's getting at. Of course he knows what day it is.

"Its Wednesday. Physical Therapy day, School Fair day, trash day," Kazuki replies matter-of-factly. His eyes have been glued to his calendar since the start of the school year, keeping close tabs on Miri´s school events and extracurriculars and Rei´s physical therapy and doctor appointments.

Hell at this point he probably didn't need the calendar anymore, each event, day and time, so vividly burned into the front his mind.

Of course he knows what fucking day it is, what kind of question —

"Its our anniversary."

And holy shit, maybe Kazuki needed his calendar more than he thought. Anniversary? Of all the things, how could Kazuki forget something as significant as their first anniversary? He felt dizzy again. Had he been standing this whole time?

Rei must notice the internal reprimand Kazuki is giving himself because he walks over to Kazuki and gingerly walks him over to the dinner table, pulling out a chair for him to sit down.

"Rei, I am so sorry. I—," Kazuki tries to explain but stops at the feeling a feather light kiss at the top of his head. Kazuki had been spluttering all night, but that got him to finally shut up. That seemed to be Rei´s intention if the smug look on his face was anything to go by.

"You had a busy day. I wanted to do something for you." Rei takes his hand as he sits across from him at the table. Rei was generally soft spoken but he always seemed to lower his voice in moments like this, barely a whisper; eyes focused intently on their clasped hands above the table. "You deserve nice things, Kazuki."

Kazuki is really at a loss of words now. He did not think he deserved nice things, could barely believe he had any nice things at all: a roof over his head, a family, love. He especially didn't feel deserving of nice things after forgetting one of the most important days of his life. And we wanted to argue that point but the sound of Miri´s voice made the words die on his tongue.

"Pizza!" She squeals running excitedly up to the box that sat at the opposite end of where Kazuki and Rei sat at the table.

"Lets wash our hands first Miri," Rei says as he begins to stand, taking his hand away from Kazuki´s. Kazuki frowns slightly at the loss.

Miri giggles as she runs into the bathroom to wash her hands.

"I got your favourite," Rei offers as he goes to join Miri in the bathroom. "But only on half because pineapple on pizza is gross."

And Kazuki laughs so hard that he starts crying. Of course it's those words that make Kazuki burst into tears.

Maybe for today, just for today, he can believe he was worthy of nice things.

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

Nobody asked for this but @girlboyssing said "Kazurei" and "anniversary" and I became possessed. I hope you like it :)

[la-grosse-patate]

bruh

i figured out the reason why i couldn't access picrew.

turns out my wifi router's config is just weird. and it didn't even cross my mind to use mobile data instead.

and i've been tagged by so many people over the past few weeks and i was sad i couldn't join cuz those picrews were CUTE 😭😭 but that changes today 😈

[blood-ology]

Izzy, Ed, and Stede’s dynamic in season one is just Barry, Vanessa, and Ken from the bee movie send post

[okaystoptellingmetomakeanaccount]

That's it. You've convinced me to watch DT17.

I'm used to the comics and only the comics, and I've always refused to watch Ducktales because I REALLY dislike the artstyle and some designs make my blood boil (oh how they massacred my boy fethry) but you know what? Sure. I'll try it. Your fault if I end up hating it (/j)

C-c-convinced you to watch Ducktales 2017? For real?

…

This is probably my greatest achievement in life ever.

[baekhyunsbestie]

good morning my beautiful besties!!!!!!!! hope your week started off strong <3 i missed u all yesterday ��� 👉🏼👈🏼

btw holy shit this peds!baek fic???? it’s like 20k+ words LMFAOOOO i’m lowkey nervy, i rly hope u guys like it omg!!!!! i poured my blood, sweat, tears, and my entire juicy coochie into this 🙂‍↕️ fingers crossed i can post it later todayyyyyy!!!

[graveyarrdshift]

[wejustvibing]

.🔊

[ivereadthatrec]

I waited too long in my last fandom to start writing and posting fic, because I wanted to get my research right, and regretted it. so I'm going to lean the other way with iwtv/tvc.

[ruporas]

wait. wait. wait. ive been staring at ur latest comic for awhile now and i think i've noticed something about the colors? which are amazing, first of all- just gotta get that out there cuz i adore that soft pink and deep green combo

but i just realized that throughout most of the comic u use both in equal parts it seems. to separate bg + fg and such, to highlight characters/objects, etc.

but then when vash gets back to their room, all the walls are that dark green. and, bit by bit, the pink totally falls off. by the end, it's nothing but constant dark green as vash starts to cry

but then wolfwood slams in and he's backed by that soft pink. and suddenly the comic is nothing BUT pink. soft lines and whites and gentle pink tones EVERYWHERE to just. SO tastefully highlight the little details.

LIKE. WAS THIS INTENTIONAL?! i almost wanna guess that it wasn't since all those green panels w vash crying are all closeups focused on his expression so it makes sense to just put the simple green behind it and all attention on him so the pink just isn't Needed

BUT AT THE SAME TIME THE EFFECT IS SO MASTERFUL THAT I WANNA BELIEVE IT WAS ABSOLUTELY INTENTIONAL

HEHE..... first of all, thank you for looking at my comic so closely, THAT'S LIKE... REALLY SWEET and a huge compliment to hear, thank u thank u

and yes, it was intentional, especially more towards the end!!! in general, the colors are meant to serve as a mood indicator, so a balance of them in a scene would just mean a neutral "okay-ness" and have a functional serve to separate background / foreground / subject matter... deep green signifies introspection or incoming sadness (especially on pg5 when vash cries), and pink signifies wolfwood, which, not an emotion but he is happiness, someone that helps vash lose his doubts in a matter of seconds -- which is why those last few pages are just pink white and lines, and the panels are gone for the majority of it. i wanted to show their unity and togetherness!

while vash still has his issues of just Not saying anything about his loneliness, his feelings are alleviated temporarily with wolfwood's presence and he's just grateful that his paranoia didn't become true, and that wolfwood is genuine, true to his word, when he means he'll be following vash/staying with him. even though it's mission-bound, vash would probably still feel guiltily comforted by that fact.

I'M GLAD IT WAS PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE IN THIS COMIC because i definitely could've pushed it more... i figured it was a minor thing that not a lot of ppl would care for, but more ppl enjoyed it and noticed the colors than i thought, so i'm glad it worked out!!!