#thanks folks its been a blast

[fivedayslater]

Part 27: Apprehend Law

Dinner and a Murder: A Mr. Prince Mystery Masterpost

“Just on time,” Sanji says as he nods towards the door, “You ready?”

Law gives him a wry smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes, “I suppose there’s no point in me trying to resist, is there?”

“I am sorry,” he says as he puts his cigarette out in the nearby ashtray, “I know your circumstances were tough, but you have friends you could have asked for help. There was no reason for anyone to die.”

“I know,” he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opens them again, he stares at Sanji with a new resolve, “My actions have consequences. The least I can do for both Nami and Ace is face them.”

He steps forward and follows Sanji out the door.

Zoro follows after them, he’s unsurprised and delighted to see.

“You don’t have to-” Sanji starts, but Zoro quickly cuts him off.

“I know,” he says, an almost shy grin on his face as he grabs his hand, “But we did this together. We should end it together.” 

Sanji flushes at the contact and the words, but holds his hand tight as they all step outside.

He’s not shocked to find Zeff here, since the old man has a habit of sticking his nose into Sanji’s business, and immediately turns to him, “Geezer.”

“Eggplant,” Zeff greets with a stern look as he puffs on his cigar, “What do you have for me this time?”

He eyes his and Zoro’s joined hands, but doesn’t comment. Sanji squeezes Zoro’s hand, and likewise doesn’t explain.

Instead Sanji’s eyes dart to Law, as he thinks about how best to explain to the old man exactly what happened tonight. The more he thinks it over, the more he realizes that punishing Law won’t be enough to truly bring justice for Ace and Nami.

There was someone else pulling the strings behind everything, someone who has been alluding justice this whole time.

But maybe, with the events that played out this evening, with Law’s help, with all the evidence they’d gathered, they can finally do something about him.

“It’s a bit of a doozy this time,” Sanji admits, “But if we play our cards right, we should be able to take down a dangerous scumbag known as Blackbeard.”

Law and Zoro both turn to look at him, faces stunned. He gives Zoro’s hand a squeeze, and hopes the look he gives him is enough for him to trust him. It must be, because Zoro squeezes back and nods for him to continue.

“Blackbeard?” That has Zeff raising a curious brow, “Been after him for ages. What happened?”

“There was a double murder here tonight,” Sanji explains to Zeff, “The first victim, a young man named Ace, was killed by his friend Nami, who also happened to be working as Blackbeard’s bookkeeper. Blackbeard has had a vendetta against Ace for a while, so it’s no wonder he got angry when he found out. However, Nami’s work with Blackbeard was coerced. She wanted out, but in order to do that, she had to take advantage of some of her other friends.” He nods to Law, “Like Law.”

“So you killed this Nami, I bet,” Zeff concludes with a sigh.

“Yes, sir,” Law admits, regret clear in his voice.

“But Blackbeard was the real villain tonight,” Sanji continues, “Everyone here is a victim of his terror. With all the evidence we’ve gathered tonight and Law and the other guests’ cooperation and testimony, I’m sure we can finally put him behind bars.”

“It’ll be tough, Blackbeard’s not one to go quietly,” He chews on the end of his cigar for a bit as he mulls it over, then gives Sanji a slow, easy smirk, “But damn if you don’t make me want to try. Alright kid, I’m game. What have you got?”

-

The court cases surrounding what the media quickly dubs as the Great Blackbeard Conspiracy are, unsurprisingly, long and complicated.

But in the end, after Usopp, Zoro, and Law give detailed testimony about the years and events leading up to Ace and Nami’s murder, after Nami’s sister gives a heart wrenching account of just what Blackbeard put her sister through that has half the jury in tears, after Luffy give detailed testimony about the years and events leading up to Ace’s accident and murder, after Sanji’s meticulous and thorough account of his and Luffy’s entire investigation, both that night and beyond, Blackbeard and his cohorts are found guilty on all counts.

“I’ll be seeing you real soon, Mr. Prince,” Blackbeard laughs, his smile wide, but his eyes are full of malice as he’s taken away, “I’ve got a long memory, and thanks to you, plenty of time.”

Sanji sighs as he watches him go, just thankful that there’s one less terror out there in the world.

When it’s all said and done, he finds Zoro waiting for him.

The affection and attraction he’d felt for Zoro that first night hadn’t faded with the lengthy trials. If anything, with Zoro being the sure, sturdy rock they’d all needed to lean on throughout the whole thing, it had grown.

But he hadn’t done anything about it, hadn’t said anything to Zoro. He’d been so focused on the case and taking down Blackbeard, he didn’t want any distractions, or for Blackbeard to use Zoro against him, or worse, to devote anything less than his full attention to Zoro.

Zoro deserves nothing less than everything Sanji can give him, after all.

He knows it won’t be easy, he knows his job will get in the way more than not, but through whatever else life throws at him, he knows he wants Zoro there by his side, helping and supporting him in the way only he can.

“Mosshead,” Sanji says in lieu of a proper greeting.

Zoro turns to look at him, that brilliant smile of his on his face, “Curly.”

“It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, well,” he shrugs as he turns completely, “You’ve been busy.”

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

“Oh?” He tilts his head, “What?”

Sanji’s heart races as he swallows any lingering doubts. He takes one more step forward, putting himself right in Zoro’s space, grabs his hand, and says, “I love you.”

Zoro blinks at him, and his smile grows even wider somehow as he laughs, “Damn, beat me to the punch.”

It’s Sanji’s turn to be surprised, “What?”

Zoro shakes his head as he rubs a gentle thumb across his knuckles, “I love you too, Sanji. I’ve wanted to tell you ever since the night we met. I just didn’t want to distract you from what you had to do here.”

“We’re done now,” Sanji’s heart is soaring in his chest as he steps even closer, “You can tell me now.”

“Then I will.”

He brings his hands to his lips and kisses his knuckles, “I love you, Sanji. I love the way you solve mysteries, I love the way you throw yourself into everything you do. I love how your hair glows in the sunlight, I love your smile, your face. I love everything about you.

“So what do you say?” Zoro leans in close, his lips hovering tantalizingly above Sanji’s, “Will you be mine?”

Sanji answers by closing that miniscule distance between them, claiming Zoro’s lips, and Zoro’s love, and Zoro as his own.

“Yes,” he says when they pull apart, “I’ll be yours, as long as you’ll be mine.”

“I’ll be yours forever.”

Sanji doesn’t fight the temptation to kiss him again, to hold him close as he kisses him back, too lost in everything Zoro’s offering to care about witness.

“C’mon,” Zoro says when they finally separate, tugging his hand as he guides him away, “The others want to celebrate.”

Sanji takes his hand, and they walk off to the rest of their lives together.

END

[rubyroboticalt]

QBLR QUARTERLY part 2!

That's right, this report needed two whole posts. Onto the news!

Who let wizards on the server? Zpca's laboratory is discovered in far-off salt flats. Ruby terraforms a black sand beach and takes possibly the worst screenshots of it ever. My liege, you have advanced darkness on. Cheez returns home after a long while away.

And now, a reading from r/malelivingspaces. Orange acacia walls. Shroomlight peeking from above the ceiling and on the lower wall. Orange sandstone ceiling. Meaty red floor. Large desk on the right wall. Single acacia chair at the desk. Unidentifiable orange metal in the wall. This has been a reading from r/malelivingspaces.

Brie reaches a milestone of over 500 deaths, only 1/4 of which are the result of player kills. Dollie participates in a magic ritual with friends! Hivi crafts every single attainable plushie thrice. Ladel has some family bonding time.

Glitch finishes their gardens. Splat and their family convert an airship into a spaceship with airlocking and amenities! On the last two days of play, the Void Worm is unbanned. Residents jump at the opportunity to kill such an elegant beast. Berry organizes a room full of all the flowers in the game.

The mysterious salmon receives some hugs and love from Appie and the bog. Sweetpea tries and fails to go to heaven. Gummy shares the longest playtime of the server, totaling over 45 and a half days. Moo finishes a chapel for their religion.

Inc finishes a tower with which to escape impending apocalypse. Apple finishes the portalfolks garden and invites guests to leave a note in the guestbook. Popcorn celebrates a birthday in the last day of server time.

Oh my lord, audience, do you remember the call to keep a lookout for Spamton after the court case special? It's a good thing we did -- he tries crashing Popcorn's birthday party! And who is there to stop him but WD Gaster himself! I don't believe it!

In the last hours before the end, residents make final arrangements to escape to other worlds. Chunks begin to be consumed, as the Dark Magician harnesses the magic power and energy put into this world for one final clearing of things.

And with that, I'd like to thank Grace, Levlies, Crow, Lim, and Qrth for being an all-star admin team keeping the server running smoothly. Thanks to Ven, Vern, Angel, Cand, Elli, Jay, Mack, Neon, Niko, Percy, and Val for being a super-attentive super-supportive mod team making sure bugs got fixed and lost items were returned. Thank you to Mira, Danny, Jace, Inc, Roy, Glitch, Solaria, Appie, and Cassi for being an amazing bog commune. Thanks to all the other players I haven't mentioned for making the server such a beautiful, lively place. And thanks to you, humble viewer, for coming on this journey with me.

link to part 1

[barrenclan]

Not ashamed to say that the end of the latest issue with asphodelpaw, and slugpelt and redstar talking about her, and her warrior name, Made me cry a few real tears! but god, what a testament to how amazing and well written this story is!

ive been following this comic since the very first clangen video you posted, and i can't believe it's almost over, but at the same time, thank you for seeing it to its conclusion and putting so much care into it that so truly paid off.

things are already so satisfying—redstar stepping up, becoming leader with confidence, but also knowing that barrenclan can't and shouldn't last past her—cootstorm displaying a hurt and emotional side i didn't think she had but makes perfect sense for her to have LOL—everything! good luck on the last issue and everything else you do from then on!

This issue seemed to get a lot of people emotional, which makes me very satisfied haha! It always means a lot how much this series has meant to folks. I'm very honored you've stuck with the story for so long, it's been a blast to work on and a real treat for so many people to engage with it like they have.

Thank you! :]

[ogrepoppenangleaksofficial]

this isnt a question but instead a Love Letter to all the wonderful souls of the ogre poppen gang. i wanted to say thank all of you for the hard work that goes into making htp and for introducing me and many others to the world of vtm, its been such a blast!!! you folks have given me lots of inspiration for my own characters and world building, and i cant wait to see where the htp story goes!

much love from your friendly neighborhood bean :)

[yuurivoice]

Hi Yuuri I just wanted to say I miss Howell. That’s all I hope you have a good day😊

I do too! There's still a lot about him I want to know and figure out. I was able to delve into him a bit more (and get some much needed closure) with some friends. I don't think he's really a character that I want to do various iterations of in different worlds and campaigns, because it's that specific story of his that I love. If it's removed from that world and story, I'd rather have another shot at a new character.

I was able to salvage a couple of relationships out of the rubble from the entire ordeal surrounding TnD, and I've got no beef with anyone who wasn't literal human trash, so Howell's place in my heart is unscathed in terms of being attached to a really shitty time and situation.

Reflecting on those days, that shit was a nightmare scenario. Obviously my own emotional turmoil pales in comparison to the literal criminal and victim in our midst, don't get that twisted because those most directly impacted by one asshole's actions should be the primary concern. It is a hell of a pill to swallow having something that dear to you go up in flames in such a public and grotesque way.

I don't blame anyone who feels any type of way about how it was handled and the aftermath of it. The truth of it all is, one person's really fucked up actions had widespread effects on a lot of people. The radius of that bomb was no joke.

Howell is very dear to me, and those Sundays were genuinely the favorite day of the week for me over that time. The backlash, anger, resentment, and then emptiness of it all really took its toll, as I'm sure it did on everyone caught in the blast zone.

The bad guy got got in the end, and I'm thankful for the folks who made sure that happened.

That year as a whole was really difficult. That wasn't the only heavy thing I had to work through that year. There was a stretch of six months that were probably the worst of my adult life in terms of interpersonal turmoil. The universe really took a bat to my kneecaps.

Saying ALLLLLLLL of that to say, if I had lost my love for Howell, it would have taken a significant toll on me creatively. I would not so freely share the parts of myself it takes to create the stories and characters I do now. I can pretty confidently say that something like Echoes or Shattered would never happen.

I struggled mightily with BitterSweet Chapter 3 for that reason. It was hard to want to carve out pieces of myself to share with the world, and certainly very difficult to work with anyone else out of fear that their bad actions could rob me of my passion even more.

But I learned a lot, and over that time I also think I was able to show my community how serious situations get handled while I'm at the helm. I hate that me and the team have been on the frontlines of a few really serious community PR nightmares, but I do think we've been able to exhibit an ability to treat things with maturity, respect, and direct action.

So Howell means a lot to me. We've been on two journeys, one fictional, and one real...and boy we've gotten our asses kicked more than a few times.

There is a chance, albeit a small one, that there's a DnD story to be told with Howell and some friends, for the world to partake in. Don't know if it'll happen, but the chances aren't 0%...

[daisyrb-gvf]

Cruising Into Love

d.r.w. x f!reader

My first post on tumblr, but definitely not my first fic. Danny's cruise picture had this story pouring out of me, so I hope you all like it! I thought this first chapter would be longer than it is, but the next part of the story deserves its' own chapter.

Words: 3.2k

Summary: After 3 mundane months of working on a cruise ship, you're met with the most gorgeous man you've ever seen.

Warnings: plenty of swooning, language and brief mentions of f masturbation.

You sigh as you zip up the back of your fitted black dress. Another night, another performance. You love being an entertainer, and sitting behind the keys is as close to home as you can get on this ship, but after 3 months of your 8 month stretch, it is starting to feel so redundant, and there are only so many songs that are approved to perform at the piano bar. The boss wasn’t too pleased with your medley of LL Cool J songs with an audience consisting of mainly 50-80 year olds. Tight ass. 

“Just three more nights and you get a break,” you reassure yourself as you touch up your makeup in the pathetically tiny mirror that looks huge in this shoebox of a bathroom. 

“Alright girl, I’m off,” you say to your slightly-less-than-pleasant bunk mate. It could be worse, but it would have been nice to bunk with someone who actually seemed to give even half a fuck about you. At least she wasn’t mean. Just…distant. 

“Kay,” she replied with enthusiasm akin to a corpse, not bothering to look up from the sketch she was working on. You sighed again, feeling like you’ll never be able to chip away at that wall. You didn’t come here to make friends, but damn, a little human connection would be nice sometimes. 

– – –

Your body shuddered as you threw back a shot of tequila at the bar. “Thanks, Chris,” you said to the bartender-one of the few people who will have an actual conversation with you. He winked before flicking his eyes over to a young, classically hot dude. Boyish features, blue eyes, sandy blonde hair…you get it, but definitely not your type. 

“Down boy,” you say with a chuckle as you wink back at him. 

Settling down at the keys, the audience gives you a small applause as the chatting dies down. 

“How’s everyone feeling tonight?” you ask the small crowd, mustering up as much enthusiasm as you can. You get a small cheer, and a few whoops from the more inebriated folks. “You mind if I play a few songs for you?” A louder cheer encourages you as your hands start to dance across the ivory keys. 

Ooh you can dance

You can jive

Having the time of your life

Ooh, see that girl

Watch that scene

Digging the dancing queen

The crowd sings along with you-definitely one of the more tone-deaf groups you’ve played for, but at least they seem to be having fun. Dancing Queen is always a good opener, and one of your favorites, so you prefer to start the shows this way. 

The crowd cheers as you segue into your next number. People are getting tipsier with each song, and you have to admit, it is pretty entertaining. Drunk crowds are typically great audiences unless they get belligerent. 

“Alright, it’s been a blast playing for you all tonight,” you say as you start the intro to your final song.

I needed the shelter of someone’s arms

And there you were

I needed someone to understand my ups and downs

And there you were

WIth sweet love and devotion–

Holy shit. Who is that guy? A tall, dark, and handsome man emerged into your view after an elderly couple left the table in front of his. You miss a note and snap back into focus through the chorus. What the hell? Why is some random-admittedly gorgeous-dude throwing you off? That’s new. You make it through the second verse, but after that it’s impossible to not steal another glance. Your knees get a little shaky as you drink him in, thankfully keeping your shit together in your performance. You watch him sing along as he drums his fingers on the little bistro table. You realize you glanced a little too long once he smirks at you, locking eyes. You blush red and avoid the entire corner of the room where he is sitting for the rest of the song. Oh God, how embarrassing.  

The crowd cheers as the song ends and you take a bow before immediately walking back over to the bar…which, unfortunately, is far too near the gorgeous man in the corner. 

“One more tequila, please, Chris,” you say anxiously as he chuckles. 

“Little flustered there, aren’t you? Wouldn’t have anything to do with that yummy Greek statue of a man there in the corner would it?”

“Shut up, Chris,” you whisper, your face turning redder by the second. 

“Mmhmm, okay. Whatever you say,” he says with a smirk before walking to the other end of the bar serving the influx of post-performance guests. 

Walking out of the room, you make it maybe ten feet before realizing you left your phone behind the bar. 

“Shit,” you mutter to yourself, debating on walking back now or waiting until the crowd clears in hopes of avoiding the gorgeous creature who made you pathetically weak in the knees. 

“Oh, come on, he is just a man. Get the fuck over it,” you mutter again, rolling your eyes at yourself. You turn around and make it one step before slamming straight into someone. 

“I’m so sorry!” you both say in unison as large, warm hands wrap around your shoulders, steadying you. Of-fucking-course. 

“Oh, no worries!” the insanely beautiful man replies, dropping his hands from your shoulders. The summer breeze feels colder than it had before as your whole body flushes. 

“Oh-um-yeah, okay,” you sputter out with a nervous smile. Good God, get your shit together. 

He chuckles, “Your performance was great. We loved it,” he says warmly as a beautiful, tall, brunette woman walks up next to him. Of course. There’s no way this man could be single. It only makes sense that he would have one of the most staggeringly gorgeous women on his arm. 

“Yes, it was lovely!” she chimes in, hooking her arm through his as she reaches out a hand to shake yours. 

“Oh, thank you!” trying to stay as cool as possible and not show your disappointment, you shake her hand and flash a smile. 

“I’m Josie, and this is my brother, Danny,” she introduces. 

Oh. Brother. He’s her brother. The relief you feel is embarrassing and you hope it doesn’t show on your face. You sense it does, based on the tiny smirk Josie is clearly trying to hold back. 

“Nice to run into you,” Danny says with a chuckle, reaching his hand out to shake yours as well. He holds your gaze for just a moment longer than you expected. Just long enough for your breath to catch as you get lost in his dark hazel eyes…flecks of gold, brown, and green-the warmest eyes you’ve ever seen. He flashes a bright white smile that makes your chest tighten. 

“Yeah, uh, you too,” you reply with a nervous giggle, your voice barely shaky. Oh my God, you are so fucking embarrassing. 

“Come on, Dan. We’re late meeting mom and dad,” Josie says, leading Danny down the hallway. “Nice meeting you!” 

“Yeah, you too!” You stay glued in place for a moment, watching them walk away. Damn, the back looks just as good as the front. Danny turns around at that moment, catching you staring. He smirks and winks before turning back around, disappearing as they turn a corner. 

“Real smooth, you idiot,” you sigh, tossing your head back before walking back into the bar. 

– – –

You got almost no sleep that night, and it infuriated you. Losing sleep over a man you barely met. Get a grip…but, those eyes-such a warm hue, long lashes, smooth, tan skin, he had a little dusting of freckles on his cheeks and angular, almost avian, nose. His features were masculine and sharp, with a jaw that could probably cut glass, but his kind eyes and heart-melting smile made him seem so…soft. You could tell he was a man who wasn’t afraid to do some grooming and pampering. With skin like that and shiny, dark brown, perfect ringlets of hair long enough to barely brush his shoulders…yeah, he put some effort into his appearance. His demeanor didn’t seem cocky or vain, though. Confident, sure, but not full of himself. Ugh, and then that body. 

“Oh, come on,” you say exasperatedly to yourself as you roll over for what was probably the 20th time, trying to relax. “You’re not 13 years old. For God’s sake, you are 25. Act like it.” 

You take a deep breath and relax one muscle at a time, feeling the gentle rocking of the ship lulling you to sleep. You start to drift off and the image of Danny turning around to wink at you jolts you awake again. 

“What the hell? May as well just stop fighting it,” you say defeatedly, letting your mind drift off to Danny with no resistance. You close your eyes again as you try to remember every detail. His sun-kissed skin, broad shoulders, slender hips and legs, but you could definitely see the muscle definition under those tight black jeans. You let out a little giggle as you remember the cheesy little shark tooth necklace dangling on his collarbone, just above a small patch of black hair dusted on his sternum. His short-sleeved top was unbuttoned just below his pecs, leaving the rest of his torso up to your imagination. You find yourself imagining how it would feel to run your hands over his warm, undoubtedly hard, stomach before smoothing them around to his back, running up to his sturdy, broad shoulders. You know what would help you sleep, but even alone in your bunk, you’re embarrassed that seeing this man for a few moments would cause you to slip your hand into your shorts. You wonder if you had met him earlier in the day it would have given you time to shake it off. Maybe take a run around the 7th floor track that wraps around the ship on the deck. But for now, you need sleep, so you do what needs to be done. Thank God your bunkmate is working the overnight shift. It only takes a few minutes before you finish with a soft sigh, drifting off to sleep seconds later. 

– – –

Hard as you tried, you can’t help but feel a slight pang of disappointment when Danny doesn’t show up at the next night’s performance, and you feel pathetic for that. This is a huge ship. It’s impossible to do even half of the activities offered, so why would he come to the same show twice? To see you? Come on, girl. Get real. The self-loathing is bubbling up inside you as you attempt to exhaust yourself by running seven miles. Does it work? Absolutely not. You’ve never felt so electric and energized. Any other time you would have been grateful, but not now. Not when, despite your exhaustive efforts, you still find yourself relieving that ache in your core before drifting off to sleep. 

Rolling out of bed the next morning, you feel a bit better. The exhaustion from your run the day before caught up to you, and your legs feel like they are on fire. Thank God. Despite the pain, you brush your teeth, throw your hair in a bun, and slip on a tank top, shorts and running shoes, making your way to the 7th floor. Maybe after today’s run you won’t even think about him when you fall into bed tonight. 

A small smile forms on your face as you close your eyes, feeling the sea breeze enveloping you as you step through the double glass doors onto the deck. Most people you know prefer to run out on forest trails, feeling the crunch of leaves and soft dirt under their feet, seeing the sun filter through quaking aspens, hearing songs from morning birds harmonizing together. You love it too, but the power and energy that the ocean offers can’t be beat. You start off with a slow jog, warming up your aching muscles, before finding your stride. You feel as if the ocean is running alongside you, the waves matching your pace. You finally start to feel like you’ve found your footing again-literally and figuratively. After your first lap you see a few more people making their way onto the deck. Most come out for a nice walk, just enjoying the view they don’t get to see often. You see a sweet old couple, moseying along hand-in-hand. Just walking silently. Comfortably together. This is a common sight around here, but you feel a bittersweet sort of heartache for just a moment before someone whizzes right past you. 

Long legs, narrow hips, mess of dark chocolate curls tickling those broad, tanned shoulders with each step, the navy blue muscle tee giving you a much better view of those shoulders as they flex and move in tandem with his strong, lean legs. Legs that he clearly enjoys showing off based on the yellow shortie-shorts he’s sporting. You increase your pace with a surge of adrenaline, but also so you can get as close as you can to the view. As he reaches the curve of the track at the front of the ship, he looks over his shoulder at you, grinning before picking up his pace. Is he…challenging you? Oh, it is so on. You weren’t an all-state track star for nothing. You grin and take a deep breath, pushing yourself faster, the excitement dulling the burning pain in your thighs. Danny hears you round the corner as you catch up to him, chuckling through his steady, heavy breaths. You’re not letting those long, sculpted legs have an advantage over you. Ignoring the burn in your chest, you surge forward faster, eventually passing him. Looking over your shoulder you catch him staring at your ass. He quickly looks away and out at the ocean. If you weren’t puffing and panting so hard, you’d probably giggle, but it’s all you can do to stay focused and not let him catch up to you. You both run another lap, taking turns being in the lead before you both give up and just run at a steady pace next to one another. 

“Okay, I give up,” he says, holding his hands up in surrender. “You’re good! How long were you running before I came out?” You couldn’t help but shiver slightly hearing the deep timbre of his voice between his panting breaths. 

“Oh, just barely over a lap,” you reply, doing your best to not sound like you’re dying, and failing miserably. 

“Safe to say this is something you do often?” He runs the back of his hand down his neck, wiping off a bead of sweat that rolled from his chin down over his prominent Adam’s apple. 

Taking a big gulp of air that had nothing to do with your exhaustive run, you wipe sweat from your brow and try not to stare at his neck and shoulders glistening in the sunlight. “No, this is my first time,” you say as seriously as you can manage. 

“Are you joking?!” he asks incredulously. 

A laugh bubbles up at the sight of his adorably confused and surprised expression. “Absolutely. I’ve been running basically my whole life.” Your breathing is finally starting to slow along with his, the rise and fall of his chest and shoulders still exaggerated, but not as fast. 

“Oh, thank God,” he replied, flashing that bright smile, your breathing picking up again ever so slightly. 

“Bit competitive, huh?” You walk over and grab a couple of towels and water bottles from the recently restocked shelf. 

He chuckles, “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” You hand him a towel and bottle and he immediately chugs half of the water, a tiny bit of it running down his chin, the small stream of cool liquid mixing with the sweat on his neck, traveling down his protruding Adam’s apple again. “Thank you,” he says, wiping his brow with the slightly scratchy fabric of the generic beach towel. 

“Oh, yeah..uh, you’re welcome,” you awkwardly sputter, yet again embarrassed by the reaction this man is getting from you for basically just existing. 

He drops his head, clearly trying to be a gentleman and hide his knowing smirk. After a brief awkward moment he looks out at the water. “Bet this never gets old, does it-getting to run with the waves every day?” 

“Never,” you reply, with a contented sigh. “The ocean is the best running buddy I’ve ever had, no offense,” you giggle. 

He chuckles back at you, “None taken. I totally understand. I wish I could do this every day.”

You both saunter over to the railing and lazily lean over the smooth, wooden bar. 

“Well, they’re basically always hiring here. Want a job?” you ask with a chuckle. 

“Don’t tempt me,” he replies, his large hands gripping the rail as he leans back slightly, enjoying the breeze. His damp curls already drying from the salty air. 

“This sea breeze is really the only thing that could do any tempting. Cruise life behind the scenes isn’t very glamorous. I’m sure whatever you’re doing now is better than this.” 

“Maybe so. Depends on the day.” 

“So, what do you do?” you ask, turning around to lean your back against the railing as you take another sip of water. 

“Danny! I thought you said you were going to wait for me?” Josie bursts through the glass doors, looking irritated. “Oh hi!” she says, flashing a bright smile-very similar to her brother’s-at you. “It’s good to see you again. You want to join us on our jog?” 

Josie is so bubbly and bright. She has that magnetic energy that people are just naturally drawn to. Matched with her staggering beauty (that clearly runs in the family), you imagine that there are plenty of unsuspecting people out there who have been left in a haze by her presence. You find yourself just a bit jealous of whatever genes run in that family.

“Oh, thank you for asking, but I actually just finished up here. I don’t think I have another lap left in me,” you chuckle, finishing off what’s left of your water. “Not after kicking this guy’s butt,” you giggle nodding your head in Danny’s direction. 

“Excuse me?” he retorts, “I do believe that it was a tie,” he laughs. My God, he has the most adorable laugh you’ve ever heard-kinda dorky, actually, and you are so glad this Greecian god has been humanized a bit, even if it did make your heart ache more for him. 

“I believe you,” Josie loudly whispered to you with a wink, “and thank you for tiring him out a bit. Now I can outrun him,” she laughed before bolting down the track. 

“Oh come on, sis! That’s not fair!” he called out, running after her. After a few strides he slowed down and turned around, running backward, “It was good to see you again!” 

You watched him run down the track, frozen in place again, until he turned the corner. 

“Guess I’ll be losing more sleep tonight,” you mutter with a sigh before walking inside to take an ice cold shower.

LOTS more Danny in the next chapter, I promise. I'm a slow-burner.

Go to Chapter 2

@spark-my-nature

[a-couple-of-notes]

OKAY what a finale, folks! Deliberately not reading everyone else's thoughts until later (although I did chat briefly with @kshaar -- thank you for enduring my walls of Discord text), but I'm beginning my processing by writing this out.

I have a few issues with how all of this played out, as I'm sure many of you do, but I mostly really liked this finale. I'm so, so aware that it's hard to stick a landing--especially in a fandom as theory-heavy as Marvel, with the dedication of the queer fanbase on top of it. I think it's commendable how much they executed well, and how deliberately they aligned it with their vision of the show, not the one that would make everyone happy (if there is such a thing).

To the stuff I liked: unpopular opinion, but I like the order of the episodes as it is--final big boss fight first, quiet intimate flashback as the finale. Or, at least, I see the vision--I'm still iffy on whether the pacing actually feels good, but that probably needs another rewatch. This show has always been about unpacking Agatha, peeling off her masks until we get to some kind of truth, ugly or beautiful or both. Of course the ending is the truest thing we've ever gotten out of Agatha--the real story of her son and his death.

I loved everything about Nicky, Rio, and Agatha in the flashback. It is so beautifully mundane. A mother's love. A natural death. Selfishness. Grief. Anger. It's gorgeous, and the version of the ballad we got felt so, so fitting.

Everything about Jen! That unbinding spell...whoo. Sasheer Zamata knocked it out of the goddamn park with her performance--the joy, the sorrow, the agony of relief. Man. Even if the rest of the finale flopped on its belly (which it didn't), that alone would have been worth the price of admission. (Also ALSO: Agatha hate-flirting with Jen over confession of horrible traumatic action that fucked up Jen's whole shit! The Jen/Agatha truthers win!)

Alice. Alice my beloved. Ali Ahn, you do so much with the little screen time you have and I applaud you for it. I'm very grateful their cap on her arc was "I could make my life mean something/you're a protection witch. You died protecting someone" and not "you get to see your mother again" because, as I pointed out in the tags of one of my previous posts, that's the real tragedy of Alice. Her life, her freedom, her potential.

To the things I'm mixed on: that final battle, man. I think they did an admirable job of focusing what could have been a generic Marvel magic-blast-y slugfest into distinct character beats, but there was a lot going on in that fight. And compared to previous Rio and Agatha interactions, their big climactic one felt a little...weightless. Those factors make it much less clear why Agatha and Rio are fighting--like, on an emotional level; I understand intellectually why--which means that what also feels unclear is...

...The not-a-sacrifice. I like 90% of this. I like that Billy is finally able to communicate with Agatha via mind powers, because he's started to accept how alike they are. I like that Nicky is once again Agatha's turning point. I even can get behind the sacrifice as the creators' intention--not what I would have preferred, but a solid narrative choice nonetheless. Still, I am super unclear what, exactly, Agatha is thinking when she turns around. Is she just remembering Nicky himself--how much Billy is like him and how ashamed she would be if she left? If so, it feels odd that Agatha's version of sacrifice is kissing Rio so honestly. Later, we learn that Agatha was taking a risk to become a ghost. So when Billy asks how Nicky died, is Agatha remembering how Rio gave him time--the kiss as a fucked-up version of recognition, the risk being Agatha relying on Death's special treatment once again? That would be a better end to Agatha and Rio's arc, but there's no expository line, no echoing "I can only offer time." And Agatha and Rio. DON'T. TALK. IN PRESENT-DAY EPISODE 9.

This is my main gripe. I am aware I am griping with Megalopolis and FFC, not the show or its creators. But goddamn if more Aubrey Plaza would have fixed almost everything in that finale--and I mean this in a narrative sense, not just because I love Aubrey Plaza. It would have clarified where Agatha is ending re: her relationship with Rio (and Nicky), and it would have bookended the first episode so well (the three-player drama returns!) I am actually irritated about this.

Ghost Agatha looks so goofy. Like, I understand the vision here--the parallels to her mother, and of course Agatha would find a way to piss off Rio in her own domain. It's iconic. Still. There's something about Ghost!Agatha that's so much harder to buy into on a gut level, a kind of emotional distance created in such an emotional, tactile show.

Billy. Oh, Billy. I like your arc. I like its execution, while heaving a grudging sigh of "yeah, that makes sense for this story but I'm still kind of disappointed" re: the creation of the Witches' Road. I love the idea that Billy's ultimate arc was to accept the darkness in himself, and all the things he's capable of. But I really, really wish Agatha had had one more conversation with...not you. (Agatha naturally falls into a mentor-type role for Billy, which isn't necessarily bad or not part of her arc, but does at least lead to me feeling like we don't get an endpoint for Agatha in present day that's entirely her own.)

And I suppose that's the crux of my mixed feelings: the show began with Agatha asking who she was, before Billy even came into the picture. The viewers get to see a glimpse into Agatha's real self in the Ep. 9 flashback. But at the end of episode 9, Agatha is still running from it. She's barely touched her own grief (yes, yes, insert joke about Rio here), and we don't see her making that choice. I emphasize that because I am not categorically opposed to Agatha not completing her grief arc; god knows 9 episodes would have struggled to do that. I'm fine that they left some threads hanging. It's just that something in between Agatha (not-)sacrificing and Agatha coming back as affably-evil Casper is missing, and it feels like a gaping omission.

Other notes: Billy dramatically charging up the hex to create a memorial was great--another way the finale lets us into the beauty of the mundane. It's not to bring everyone back, or go down the Road again. But it's important, this act of remembering.

Though I'm disappointed we didn't get found family coven true, I'm at peace with how that thread wound up. This was a show about Agatha; the coven as individuals act as foils and reflections of her. They break and succeed in similar ways as Agatha. And they were a coven--a messed-up, broken coven who tried their best. It wasn't enough to save them, but it was enough for them to grow closer to the people they wanted to be. Agatha using something from every witch in her coven--Alice's protection spell, Lilia's divination, Jen's healing--in the fight was truly poignant, and tells me she'll remember them and carry them forward. (Also, the contrast against the flashback! "I cannot heal, I cannot protect you from what's coming, and I cannot divine when she'll come for you." Agatha needed them to be her coven! And they were. And they were.)

Final thoughts: (This is a misnomer; I'm still digesting.) Agatha All Along became a more complex, difficult show than I thought it would be pre-Episode 5. Occasionally this meant it disappointed me, had places where its budget, scheduling, Marvel-ness, and decisions regarding exposition struggled to connect things, but overall, it's a damn good show. And I would rather see a funny, challenging, ambitious show made with love for the craft than a safe, big-budget, chopped-up Marvel movie in a blender. And hey, it was super gay! (Please don't come near me with the "Bury Your Gays" stuff. Please. It's not that, I promise you.)

[sonics-atelier]

Blooms of Friendship: Thorin and Bilbo's Garden Challenge

For @bagginshieldweek24 Day 6 : Single Parents/Uncles AU + Gardening

Summary: Mr Gamgee has a gardening competition, Thorin doesn't have a green thumb so frodo helps, cue fluff.

a/n : I had a blast writing this, btw if anyone cares Sam and Frodo went frolicking in the Forest later.

In the peaceful heart of the Shire, where the hills rolled gently under a sky that seemed perpetually blue, Gaffer Gamgee announced a grand gardening competition. The rules were simple: whoever could grow the most beautiful, vibrant garden in a month would be declared the winner. The competition stirred excitement among the hobbits, and even more so for Master Baggins and Master Oakenshield.

Bilbo, ever the lover of nature, had always kept a flourishing garden. His flowers bloomed brightly, their colors a vivid tapestry that delighted the eyes. Thorin, on the other hand, was a dwarf of stone and steel, more accustomed to the cold beauty of gems than the delicate life of plants. Yet, never one to back down from a challenge, Thorin decided to participate.

For the first two weeks, Bilbo’s garden thrived as expected. Flowers of every hue and fragrance filled the air with a sweet perfume, and Bilbo took great pleasure in watching them grow. Thorin, however, found himself in a different predicament. Despite his best efforts, his garden was a desolate sight—wilted plants and dry soil that seemed to mock his determination.

It was during one of these frustrating afternoons that Frodo, Bilbo’s young nephew, noticed Thorin’s plight. With a gentle smile, Frodo approached the dwarf. “Uncle Thorin,” he began, his voice encouraging, “I could help, if you’d like. Gardening just takes a little patience and understanding.”

Thorin looked at Frodo, surprised but grateful. “I’d appreciate that, Frodo,” he replied, nodding. “Perhaps you can teach this old dwarf a thing or two about the Shire’s secrets.”

And so, Frodo took Thorin under his wing, guiding him through the basics of gardening with the wisdom that came so naturally to the hobbit folk. Together, they tilled the soil, planted new seeds, and tended to the ailing plants with care. Under Frodo’s patient instruction, Thorin began to see the subtle changes in his garden. Slowly but surely, green began to spread, and small buds appeared, promising blooms yet to come.

As the competition drew to a close, Thorin’s garden was not the most vibrant, nor the most extravagant, but it was alive and blooming—a testament to his perseverance and Frodo’s guidance.

The day of the competition arrived, and the hobbits gathered to admire each other’s hard work. Samwise, acting as the judge, made his rounds, carefully inspecting each garden. Bilbo’s garden was, of course, a sight to behold—full of color and life, just as it had been from the start. Thorin’s garden, though more modest, held a charm of its own, with sturdy flowers and a sense of quiet resilience.

When the results were announced, Bilbo secured a well-deserved second place. Thorin, to his surprise, was awarded third place, his efforts recognized by Old Gaffer Gamegee, who appreciated the effort and care that had gone into reviving the once desolate plot.

Bilbo laughed warmly when Thorin’s name was called, the sound full of mirthy. Thorin, however, had eyes only for Frodo as he handed the boy the bronze medal. “This belongs to you, Frodo,” Thorin said sincerely, “You’ve taught me much, and this is as much your victory as it is mine.”

Frodo beamed, clutching the medal with pride. “Thank you, Uncle Thorin,” he said, his face alight with joy.

As the crowd began to disperse, Thorin placed an arm around Bilbo’s shoulders, drawing him close. The two of them stood together, watching as the evening sun cast a golden glow over the Shire. Bilbo leaned into Thorin’s side, a contented smile on his lips.

“You know,” Bilbo said teasingly, “I never thought I’d see the day you’d take up gardening, Thorin.”

Thorin chuckled, his gaze soft as he looked down at Bilbo. “Well, I never thought I’d enjoy it, but it seems the Shire has a way of surprising even the most stubborn of dwarves.”

Bilbo grinned, tilting his head to meet Thorin’s eyes. “It certainly does.”

Without another word, Thorin leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to Bilbo’s forehead, a simple gesture that spoke of quiet affection and shared contentment. In that moment, there were no grand declarations or flowery speeches—just the peaceful understanding between two souls who had found a home in each other, in a land where flowers bloomed as brightly as their love.

- @sonics-atelier 2024 , do not repost or reuse in any way , shape or form.

[deedala]

☀️ weekly 🌴 tag 🌴 wednesday 🌊

hello it is thursday!! not wednesday, alas, we persist. big thanks to a one lil miss ✨🌟🌙 @celestialmickey ✨🌟🌙 !!!! for writing this weeks game and for tagging me!! + @gallapiech @blue-disco-lights @heymrspatel @jrooc @mmmichyyy @too-schoolforcool @lingy910y @crossmydna @energievie @palepinkgoat 💖💖💖

name: deanna 🌱

pronouns: she/her

what year did you graduate high school? lets play a game actually, what do you think? did i graduate in 1998, 2002, or 2006?

tell me where you live without *telling* me where you live: woody harrelson and i know the same amusement park like the back of our respective hands

tell me what you do for work: digital coloring book

caffeine source of choice: brew my own hot coffee in which i pour oatmilk and french vanilla dairy-free creamer

do you have a skincare routine? super sensitive skin, had to do accutane in my 20s *and* back in 2019. dermatologist has me on a very strict routine of gentle salicylic acid facewash and oil-free fragrance-free sensitive-skin formulated facial moisturizer. nothing else allowed!!

how often do you do laundry? every single fucking day of life and if i dont i will be overcome and i will suffer

favorite flower: poppies!! (iykyk) but dandelions are a close second

your go-to karaoke song: i've never gotten to do karaoake for reals but i think it would be an absolute blast (and hysterically cringey) to sing wuthering heights by kate bush!!

what kind of phone do you have? mint green iphone 12

do you wear contacts/glasses? i wear a single contact lens because i had to have a bunch of surgery in my left eye in my 20s and one of them involved replacing my lens with an implant (hi im bionic, i have a serial number) that is a corrective lens giving me 20/20 vision (apart from the blind spots where my retina is destroyed) SOOOO i literally can only wear that one contact lens in my right eye to fix my (extremely bad) vision on that side. glasses dont work when you've got 20/20 in one eyeball and -7.25 in the other.

what color is your hair right now? its a 10

you’ve just been handed $10,000 cash, what are you spending it on? theres a lot of shit in my house that needs to be fixed. or maybe we can use it as a down payment for buying a new house? (probably not the market is so insane in my city because of the university and the landlords) but i guess...in fantasy world where this happens...yeah we use it to help ourselves buy a new house lol.

how many pets do you have? none

have you ever been on a train? many many trains! some in america, most of them in europe

and finally, tell me something about yourself people might be surprised to know: god im so uninteresting... i love olives and pickles and cilantro and mint but not garlic and i cannot taste spicy things (i deeply wish i could, ive tried so many times and all i get is like bitter charcoal numb tongue)

and now i'll tag some folks under the cut who maybe?? havent played yet?? maybe want to play????? if not consider this me handing you a dandelion + poppy 💐 under the cut!!

@darlingian @spookygingerr @mybrainismelted @creepkinginc @suzy-queued

@sleepyheadgallavich @thepupperino @iansw0rld @gardenerian @ardent-fox

@catgrassplantdad @whatwouldmickeydo @gallawitchxx @wehangout @captainjowl

@the-rat-wins @loftec @spoonfulstar @callivich @sam-loves-seb

@howlinchickhowl @rereadanon @softmick @burninface @sickness-health-all-that-shit

@sleepyfacetoughguy @transmickey @lee-ow @themarchg1rl @vintagelacerosette

@xninetiestrendx @michellemisfit @steorie @samantitheos

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[aweirdlisa]

Generation Loss thoughts/theories

Okay I had to return from the dead to post about Generation Loss because decoding the Founder’s letter is something I am still proud of (it took me about 4? hours) and it got Genloss to grab me with its claws to pull me right back in! I’ve been a big webseries and ARG fan since like 2009 so I’m happy there is still some awesome content being made to this day.

First of all, Ranboo, the founders game website is phenomenal, absolutely sick work, I’m thoroughly excited and terrified to see what is next!

Second of all I rewatched and re-read pretty much everything of Genloss since the start and I’ve got thoughts I want to spill in one place to have them all together, so here goes (thanks for reading if you do!) I will try to keep it chronological:

In “T_1”, the very first video, we are introduced vaguely to a world where history may have been tampered with through generation loss which appears to be some sort of psychology/principle/scientific method probably founded by the Founder, which is taught and used to alter or censor certain events, effectively changing the world with it

With what we know so far I believe this generation loss movement isn’t just the editing and reproducing of versions of media to the point where they’re deformed or altered, but they can actually alter the things people see like our Hero and the other people did within the Social Experiments, to the point where even extreme things like gore can be censored (Charlie on the operating table for example), people can be “brainwashed” or “hijacked” in a way, we also see a brain shape in one of the images with the Genloss logo near it

In opposition to the Genloss party, we have Red Text Person, who seems to be against the whole principle and wants to kill the Founder of this movement

The inauguration in T_2 is either for us the viewer to see how readily available we are to killing other humans through choices on a screen, or it was a procedure that the folks in the Social Experiments went through to become “worthy“ and thus ready for the show

In “Connecting…” we hear that they are looking for individuals and to call if we spot them

In “Connected” we hear about Showfall media for the first time and how they have a missing person’s hotline

In “Connected” we also see a tunnel which I believe to be the use of transportation to either other universes (“One to another”, “one of many”, “look into infinity”) aka generations or simple time travel to other generations

In “Connected” we also have another influence of Red Text Person trying to warn us that we shouldn’t watch the show

In “Announcement” we learn that the missing individuals are all caught by “It”, “everyone but me” according to Red Text Person

Red Text Person at this point seems unsure where their signal is ending up, which is with us

The Social Experiments air live, where I thought Hetch was Red Text Person, but they turned out to not be on our side, having been given a role by the Founder (however voluntarily that may have been)

Ranboo aka the Hero and the others were the “missing individuals” mentioned in the earlier videos, ending up being caught as they are needed for the experiments, perhaps because they were a threat to the founder, rebels against the Genloss movement, or simply cannon fodder to test out what is possible with “infinity” as the Founder says

In “A Message From The Founder” the Founder announces he is creating the Founder’s cut, a “perfect” version of the story

In the meantime we are introduced to Zero’s journal snippets which start surfacing on twitter, however they were written somewhere in the 1900s, despite this we somehow affect her world/time through polls, where we end up blasting happy birthday through her radio

Zero started keeping this diary as result of a treatment / therapy she started due to something that happened 8 months prior, in addition she starts tracking the wild dreams she has as per suggestion of her friend “Jay” who is into the supernatural

Her dreams consist of a field with red sky, an unnatural cave/chasm, a sky rippling like water and crashing into her, a hospital turning into a hallway with a creature chasing her and eventually seeing herself with a wreck against a tree in the same field as before, the tree has a certain symbol etched into it, presumably the Genloss symbol

The wreck could imply the incident that occurred 8 months prior

Zero notes how she hates the uncertain future and how she wishes she could just control everything

Zero works for a store fixing VCRs and helping customers among other things

All shown entries are implied to be written between July 30th - Aigist 15th 19XX (probably late 1900s due to radios and VCRs being a thing)

In “Coming_Soon” another tease of the Founder’s Cut happens, yet notably the Founder mentions that what we are about to see actually happened live, but “just not here”, implying the possibility of a multiverse rather than the time travel situation

In “Again” the Founder clarifies that they made the Founder’s cut by replaying the Social Experiments over and over again until it became a perfect, pure version

The Founder’s Cut is released on YouTube, at the end we are shown a conversation between Miss Roads, aka Zero and her presumed therapist who tells her to keep a journal which is how we learn about Zero’s name and how she started her journaling

In “From The Founder’s Desk” we are introduced to a code in the form of a substitution cipher using newly created symbols that seem to be based off of the Genloss logo, this could be one of Four keys to the Founder’s door as mentioned on twitter, though what the keys are isn’t clear yet

Once translated, the message appears to be a letter from the Founder directed at an unnamed “you”, speaking of how the Founder watched and watched until noticing “you” and how special “you” were, but how “you were not perfect” and how they can and will create something beautiful and perfect

The letter could be referring to some final goal of creating a perfect “story” as mentioned before

In “Welcome to Generation 0” the Founder tells us about being ready to see the real story, the one from his generation, Generation 0 (an alternate universe or timeline?) we only need the keys and the door to get to see it, which will be provided to us in time

In “T_3” we hear the rumblings of a machine and see a red door which we now recognise from the Founder’s Game, Red Text Person shows up again, testifying of having seen people who shouldn’t exist yet do, implying they may have been displaced from their own timeline/universe or censored through generation loss, yet Red Text Person saw them

Red Text Person also refers to an “it” and “not knowing what it is for but I have to stop it”, the it in question could refer to a machine that the Founder uses to do everything they have been doing, or to the principle of Genloss itself

Lastly Red Text Person implies something is coming, but they will try to show us what “they” have done and to who

In “The Fortune Teller” we hear a voice speak of the future being a beautiful thing and then mentioning “the door” asking us if we know what lies beyond it and if we really want to open it, so far this video stumped me as to what it really means, the short sentence of hidden code also hasn’t been decoded with a 100% certainty but we will get there !

In the meantime VHS tapes of the Founder’s cut arrived to those who ordered them, where we were led to the Founder’s Game website, the “beginning” that was planted in our generation being the password to the website

The first part of the Founder’s game has us walk through a hallway, where we encounter the person from the T_2 video before they were killed when you make the “You vs Them” choice

We also see someone vigorously watch and rewind a tape in a room, this could possibly be the founder as they’re working on the Social Experiments at the time as they had not happened yet while T_2 person is still alive

Lastly we are given the option to choose between a Laboratory and Holding Cell B, which we will found out in a week whichever was chosen

Whew this was long! To recap my thoughts a bit concisely, I believe the Founder was the one to introduce/invent the technology used to alter people’s minds using generation loss to replace memories and influence the world they live in. It’s possible that Showfall was created as a company to apply their technology to spread and control media as they liked. If used on a large enough group of people they could effectively control entire worlds. On top of that it is possible time travel or multiversal travel takes place when we see the tunnels in the videos. People are taken “from one to another”, where they were “one of millions”, and get their brains messed with until they “are worthy” to participate in one of the stories.

What could possibly be the goal? Perhaps total control of everything we know, some sadistic story that will be “perfect” to the Founder’s vision. Maybe the freedom to create as many stories as they like. He mentions that the Social Experiments were a literal test to see what is possible with infinity, and that the rabbit hole can go deep with infinite generations, infinite stories. We are shown “his” generation up next and what will be the home of the “perfect” story, so it could be that he just wants to fix his own reality to suit his wishes.

How does Zero fit into this? She experienced some sort of incident leaving her troubled, which leads to her journal entries. She experiences strange dreams and talks of wishing how she could control everything. She deals with VCRs on the regular so she could become the Red Text Person who ends up witnessing “Generation 0” and tries to stop the Founder before things go to shit even more?

That or if you want to go full tragedy, she could somehow become the Founder in an attempt to fix her reality, where she could undo the incident that caused her so much trauma, but needs to practice on other realities first?

Zero is pretty much the biggest question mark to me at the moment, but the scale of the Founder, Showfall media, and their power are getting clearer and clearer, to a terrifying degree!

The timeline is a little wonky now that we are going from “generation 1” to 0 and that we are interacting with things from the past in the Founder’s Game, but I’m sure things will fall into place once it’s all over.

Anyway I could be incredibly wrong about all of this, but I am having an incredible time with all the lore and cannot wait to see where it all leads up to!

See ya!

[crazylittlejester]

I think a rarely seen angst idea is the main hero learning that the villain is related to them in some way. So...

- Legend learned probably during his first or second adventure that he was Ganon's nephew. The mere thought made his blood grow cold and bile rise to his throat. How could he be related, by body and blood, to that thing he has fought time and time again. He's thankful that he wasn't tainted by his malice, but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow.

-Hyrule didn't realize until much later down the line, possibly by Aurora. Maybe they were looking through old records from the eras long before theirs, only to find the bloodline that belonged to Ganon. He was sickened and disturbed, and by both his decision and hers, they burned the scroll. Hyrule hated him enough as is, they would hunt him down if they ever knew.

-Sky always knew that something was slightly off about himself. He had abilities that the others didn't, and upon learning that the Master Sword didn't burn the other heroes when they wielded it was a little strange. Fi always hinted that he wasn't something mortal, but he always brushed it off as his own paranoia. Sun knows, deep down. She knows that he is the bastard son of Demise, and that is a secret that will go with her to the grave.

-Time's mother would have been considered a lucky woman by a lot of people. To be chosen by the king of the Gerudo of all people to marry would have been an honor, and she considered it so. She would birth him a son, one with a pointy little nose like his and eyes as blue as hers. Time knew after connecting the dots during his adventure. The similarities he had with the king of thieves was far to many for any denial. It's a secret only Wars and Malon knows. The shame he feels is something beyond all else.

-Four was blessed by the winds, that's what his grandfather told him. He could easily tell if a storm was coming or if the winds were trying to lead him somewhere. That's how he got around in his journey to help the minish and when he drew the four sword. He, just like Sky, is unaware that Vati was his grandfather's brother. Wizards age much slower than non magic folk, which could easily make anybody none the wiser. He simply inherited a little bit of magic from that side of the family, that's all.

-Warriors was told outright by Impa that he was the son of Volga. He was given two options by his commander, renounce the man and deny any relations to him, or be killed for being an accessory to his war crimes. He wasn't foolish, and took the former. It didn't soften the blow after the war that his father was killed in the final battle against Cia, but what's done is done. He does often wonder if he could've harnessed his draconic side if he had betrayed the kingdom instead, but dwelling onwhat ifs never helped anybody.

-Twilight, being Time's decendant, makes him related to Gabondorf as well. Unfortunately, it seems he inherited that cruel man's tendency to lean into magics and weapons that belongs to that of darkness. The dusk could easily claim him as its own, and the shadow that plagues them all seems to have an easier time replicating his very form and personality. If he were to adorn the blasted armor Ganondorf wore during their final encounter, it would look as if made for him. Another Link who likes to pretend he knows nothing.

-Wild was born many eras before Hyrule was truly the empire it is (or once was, after the Calimty struck) today. Born between a simple human woman and the first Gerudo male to be born, he was a bright little angel. But, all good things must come to an end, and after the Imprisoning War, the young woman sought for anything to prevent her child from being executed for his father's crimes. A kind woman, Zelda, she called herself, offered to help. The young boy was swept away to an era out of reach, and the woman slept easy knowing her little boy was safe. She does wonder what happened to that kind woman, maybe it has to do with the beautiful dragon that now lingers in the sky?

-Wind is the luckiest in terms of relations. He was so far removed from Time that one could simply say that they were to distant to be proper relatives. His Ganondorf knew that the boy was somebody who could've been the heir to his throne so many ages ago, and he reminded him so much of how he was back when he was younger. He might have been blessed to not be closely relate to him, but Wind was the only one of them all to be seen as family by him.

yo dude, you put a lot of thought into these, these are cool! i don’t usually headcanon things like this but it’s such an interesting idea and definitely adds a whole new layer of angst and suffering 😭 ESPECIALLY THE WARS AND VOLGA ONE LIKE DAMN? AND WILD?? OUGH.

[digitaldoeslmk]

I apologize if you're not the right person to ask but I've been wondering this for a while and since you both enjoy (but are critical of) lmk and also enjoy/know a lot about jttw I figure you may be a decent person to ask. And I mean this is as an entirely genuine question.

Jttw has so many different adaptations and parodies and, for lack of a better term, spinoffs, why is it that LMK in particular seems to get so much more criticism? How is it different from any other story that uses jttw as a base?

I was under the impression that while a lot of events and chatacters have been changed or tweaked in some ways (looking at red son in particular, as well as seemingly replacing Buddha with the jade emperor, I could go on) it was still relatively faithful at least in spirit. It has a lot of callbacks and mentions to the book, even if it's more or less an AU of the original story.

So why is it that its adaptation in particular seems so...disliked I suppose? Or at least takes a lot more criticism than other adaptations. I could take a few guesses (fandom (and its lack of knowledge of the source material) being a big one, or otherwise being more western than the story probably should be) but as someone who was introduced to jttw by lmk (reading the book now and having a blast with it) I'm curious and confused as to why it seems to be disliked when there are so many other jttw adaptations that also change fair chunks of the story, and those don't seem to garner the same level of criticism.

And I apologize again if you're maybe the wrong person to ask, but I wasn't sure where else to start, if you know anyone who can maybe answer this better I'd love to hear from any of them as well, I've been so curious about this for a while.

no worries at all, and i appreciate the ask!

i do wanna preface this by saying that i have very little interaction with the LMK fandom, and mostly heard the horror stories through the grapevine or by others telling me their own experience with it. and make no mistake, this sideblog is very much me laser focusing on the few stuff i enjoy of the show and expanding on those and filling in the rest with a lot of plaster and spite ajdhawjhbdh

i will keep most of my vitriol to myself though, and that the opinion i'm giving is my own. there's a lot of good folks who are more than welcome to pitch in with their own criticisms here, for a larger poll of voices.

read more cus this is long xvx

as you have said, JTTW has an overwhelming amount of retelling, rewrites, sequels, prequels, adaptations, what have you. trust me, there is a JTTW adaptation for everyone out there and it's part of the beauty and appeal of it. and equally, everyone has their pros and cons for each of them.

one major point to keep in mind is that LMK has a very online fanbase, and it's an abnormally large one. it also has fans on the west and in china, and the language barrier tends to keep both rather separate, for better or worse. so a larger fanbase means a larger pool of criticism simply by law of averages.

another thing to keep in mind is that, because it is so large, a lot of people are getting into JTTW thanks to it, and it's exactly those changes that make it even more of a hurdle for people to meet JTTW where it's at. and by that i mean, a very different worldview and belief system than known in the west.

i've been in the JTTW fandom properly for, three months now?? three and a half lol and the amount of reading and studying i've been doing to just scratch at the depth of centuries of cultural context is not insignificant. and i'm only just starting! it's a wonderful experience, but not many in the LMK fandom are as eager or willing to learn all that, much less listen when people correct them on things that they believe, that are factually false. and that can be deeply frustrating for those who simply want to share in the joy of learning.

it's incredibly demeaning and patronizing, to have such an old and rich culture reduced to a single adaptation that rly lambasts the roots of its entire premise for existing. no other fans of other adaptations have that kind of attitude that i've come across; those are all understood as AUs and not to be taken as gospel, but some of the fandom treat LMK as the end all be all of JTTW media and it's, infuriating.

beyond the fandom leaving one hell of a bitter taste, there's the fact that LMK is a very westernized view and parody of JTTW. it breaks not only with the lore of it, but with the very fundamentals of Buddhist and Daoist cosmology. those changes you mentioned, like the JE replacing Buddha and then the guy getting killed, the absence of several concepts and deities, and sometimes the very change of them, are incredibly disrespectful on their own. it's very hard to remove JTTW from its religious roots (it can be done but those usually read more as "inspired by" rather than proper adaptations), and to do so by filling the empty space with a Greco-Christian view of cosmology is... A Big Ol Yikes.

while we in the west might be okay turning stuff like Christian, Norse, Greek, etc. mythology upside down for our stories, it comes off as disrespectful to do the same for an overall dismissed and ignored religion in the west like Daoism, and even more so for such a sprawling one as Buddhism. that attitude does not translate well at all, and to be faithful only in spirit is simply not enough. you wouldn't (i hope) say that about people who appropriate Indigenous or closed faith beliefs for their own use; it's 2023 surely we don't need to revive the W-nd-ig- debate again, or the Lilith one. (i can for further context but i'd rather not, but you're than welcome to google it)

at the end of the day, an AU is just an AU until you're using it to sell toys and it has turned into a massive entry window for many western fans into a foundational piece of literature for an entire country that has been and still is routinely degraded and discriminated against.

i hope this hasn't come off as too harsh, but this is smth that rly grinds my gears and i tend to be a bit stern when discussing it. none of it was aimed at you anon, i know you're just trying to understand the situation and i do appreciate the effort you're making!!

[loemius]

im too like fuzzy from cough syrup to answer YOUR question-- Hephaestus is associated with copper specifically from my understanding, but I know a lot of modern helpol folks associate him with stuff like computers, the internet, metal in general. Hephaestus needs some love, whats some other things you associate him with, either upg or historically (I kinda like thinking of him as the god of disability aids like wheelchairs and prosthetics)

OH BOY I LOVE THIS QUESTION!!!!! i love hephaestus and i am so glad to spread some love for him. thank you for this fantastic question <333 historically speaking: -cranes! paper cranes are really fun and easy to make and would be an awesome votive for him. -donkeys! i think about this one a lot and his myth with dionysus where he'd been cast out of olympos and dionysus was the one who came after him and was able to convince him to return, and he rode back on a donkey: "One of the Greek legends is that Hephaistos, when he was born, was thrown down by Hera. In revenge he sent as a gift a golden chair with invisible fetters. When Hera sat down she was held fast, and Hephaistos refused to listen to any other of the gods save Dionysos--in him he reposed the fullest trust--and after making him drunk Dionysos brought him to heaven." [theoi.com, Pausanias 1.20.3] i mean just look at him on his steed. i love it. [also sourced from theoi.com]

-this is a weird one but chains. he's got a lot to do with chains, from the aforementioned binding of hera to the net of chains to capture ares and aphrodite in their affair to the binding of prometheus. i havent quite developed my thoughts on this yet, but i think it's very interesting. -hammers. he's often seen depicted with his hammer, and of course he helped zeus give birth to athena by using his hammer to split his head open. having experience in metalworking really made me appreciate this more, because there are SO many different kinds of hammers and using the wrong one can completely change the outcome of your work. also, its hard work! makes me think more about just how strong lord hephaestus is to make such grand works. -i think about him a lot with jewelry making, since he's got quite a few historically attested pieces of jewelry that he's made. upg: -i also associate him with mobility aids of all kinds. i also think about him and apollo working together to make medical technology, which means a lot to me as someone who's had health struggles. -i also associate him with computers too. i pray to him when my technology doesnt work LMAO -tobacco. i liked to smoke a cigarette with him before id go into the metal shop (dont smoke please its terrible for you) -the smell of metal. weird one but id go into the metal shop and take a sniff and be like :') ahhhhh hephaestus. i worked a lot in copper and bronze bc theyre soft and cheap metals, and the smell of copper on your hands after spending hours on the jewelers saw... like nothing else in this world. -soldering. when i learned to solder i would pray to him to help me do it well and get a good solder. it is harder than you think, especially when working in silver which can and WILL melt if you're not careful enough. it really made me appreciate how diligent and patient he must be. on a similar note, annealing metal also made me think of him. annealing is the process of heating and quenching metal to strength it once it gets too soft and you are quite literally just blasting it with a torch until it’s red hot. takes so much patience and carefulness. -open flame cooking. he's associated with fires after all and just. tossing something on the grill or over a campfire always makes me think of him. i also think of zeus when i grill things but i dont have a reason for that other than grilling is dad behavior and he is the ultimate dad. -LEGOS. any time i play with legos i am thinking about him. its the building aspect and the creativity. -really i think about him, athena, and apollo a lot when i'm creating, especially 3d works for hephaestus. i'm pursuing a bfa so i make a lot of things, and i think a lot about his skill and dedication to the craft when i make them.

thank you so so much for this ask!!! i loved answering this and would love to hear others thoughts on this <3 gods bless you with health and happiness!!!

[theladyofshalott1989]

hey corinne just wanted to pop in an say i really love your 'corinne learns how to draw' posts!! its really lovely to see you sharing your art development (& specifically drawings of damien and seb, the MLM icons of this fandom IMO) i think it is just really wonderful to see someone try something new and share the journey with folks ❤️

Celeste! OMG, hi! What a lovely message to wake up to on this rainy Saturday morning <3 Thank you so much! I've really been having a blast learning how to draw, so I'm glad you're enjoying seeing my progress. Just for fun and a little insight into my ~mental~ brain: I have a blank wall behind me in my office and I've been glomming all my drawings onto it from left to right for my own personal "timeline" of drawing progress. One of these days I'll take a photo and share with y'all. <3 And your comment about Sebastian and Damien is so kind and made my heart soar. I adore my little guys who've grown into grumpy yet still irresistibly lovable old men 🥹💕 (The Sebastian in my brain just shouted at me for calling him 'old,' but he can deal.) 😂

[robthegoodfellow]

New ask game for writers:

Very low-pressure rules: Tell me which fic of yours was the MOST FUN TO WRITE (if you want to). Like, which one did you have a BLAST writing? Feel free to share, to rec, to tell us WHY they were fun, etc etc—Thanks for the tag @ihni and @shieldofiron 💛

Recency bias almost made me say the demon Billy fic, but then I remembered that every chapter made me cry at least once 😅 Cathartic, tho!

For pure batshit bonkers fun, I guess it'd have to be That's All Folks! where I gave Vecna's victims the powers of Looney Tunes and make Billy their Bugs Bunny trickster god. I'd never tried world-building or Mungrove to that extent and I loved it.

Sideways was a different kind of fun—I spent that whole summer in this weird adrenaline rush, high off my own invention. It was the first time I'd written anything in ages, which was its own thrill, and the first time I'd been active in a fandom. Started meeting some amazing people.

zero pressure tags to join in: @fizzigigsimmer @spaceofentropy @house-of-chant @imsodishy @passivenovember

[bitbybitwrites]

Wanted to say thank you to the lovely folks who have been tagging me for Six/Seven/Several Sentence Sunday and WIP Wednesday for the past few weeks: @porcelainmortal , @annepi-blog , @daisyishedwig , @sunnysideprince , @itsmaybitheway

, @nocoastposts , @getmehighonmagic , @onthewaytosomewhere , @forabeatofadrum , @iboatedhere ,

@wordsofhoneydew , @duchessdepolignaca03 , @taste-thewaste , @14carrotghoul , @rockitmans . . . Thank you for thinking of me! 💖💖💖

Haven't written too much lately ( damn you Real Life getting in the way as always), but here are bits from two WIP ( one Klaine and one RWRB) for you all!

1.) From my final chapter for Falling For You (Klaine Secret Santa 2023 Fic) (Psst . . cc @mynonah)

“Good lord, Cooper, “ Blaine said as he tried to walk into the living room with the tower of precariously balanced, yet beautifully wrapped boxes in his arms.  “Did you buy everything in the store?” “It is the holidays, “ Cooper announced loudly.  “And if I wish to spoil my family, then so be it.” He removed his winter coat, handing it over to Kurt.  “You may find a little something under the tree for you too, as the newest part of our jolly crew. “  Cooper winked at Kurt.  “Just think, when you two becomes official, then I can really start some fun gifts.  But if nothing else, I think you and Squirt will both have fun with what I'm giving him this year.” Kurt blushed at the thought of “officially” becoming part of this crazy Anderson-Lopez clan in the future. Blaine stared at one of the presents in his hands and then at his brother.  “Wait.  Cooper, is this gift something that should not be opened in the presence of a 6 year old?” Kurt’s eyes widened as his head whipped around to stare at Cooper, who looked like the cat who drank the proverbial cream. “Maaaaaaaaybe . .  .” Cooper sing-songed gleefully as he sauntered away towards the kitchen. “Batteries are included.” He chirped happily over his shoulder to them. Kurt and Blaine both glanced at the shiny box warily, half expecting it to start vibrating on its own at any minute. “Should . .should I ask? Do I even want to know?” Kurt whispered. Blaine sighed as he placed it down among the presents around the tree, nudging it around to the back where it was hidden well.  “No, no you do not.” he muttered.

2.) From the phantom touch of your hand (RWRB Fantasy/ cursed tattoo! AU)

No one dared approach the hooded figure who appeared in the doorway of the inn that night.  As he entered, a hush fell over the room while everyone watched the stranger shuffle across the room to sit alone at a table closest to the fire.  His eyes were ice blue, his stare hardened, and his mouth set in grim line. The visitor's clothes bore witness to many a rough day upon the road. There were mud-caked boots upon his feet as well as a worn leather jerkin and breeches upon his frame. He sat hunched under a faded cloak that looked like it was once a thing to be coveted, but was now near threadbare in patches: it’s fine metallic embroidery dulled and its rich color faded. The stranger scowled at anyone who dared look his way, a thin scar that marred his fair skin rippling along his jaw as he did so.  There was a sword strapped to his waist which gleamed bright as its razor sharp blade caught the the reflections of the flames - its presence a visible and deadly warning for all to stay far enough away. A brave small boy scurried over to deposit a bowl and some bread in front of the visitor.  The swordsman tossed the child a coin for his trouble. “Ale, sir?” the boy inquired. Henry shook his head.  He had to keep his wits about him.  There would be time enough to drown his sorrows at the bottom of a tankard.   Later.  Once he and Alex made sure this blasted curse was lifted.

Tagging ( but no pressure of course) : @kirakiwiwrites , @madas-ahatters-world , @little-escapist , @gleefuldarrencrissfan ,

@gleefulpoppet , @hkvoyage , @esilher @datshitrandom @myheartalivewrites ,

@madas-ahatters-world , @spaceorphan18 , . . and open tag for anyone else who wants to share any projects their working on. 💖💖💖