#the characters popping into existence at one side of the screen at one point

[amethystarachnid]

MUTANT BODYGUARD - part III

⤷ JAMES LOGAN HOWLETT

ᯓ★ Pairing: James Logan Howlett x fem!reader

ᯓ★ part 1 | part 2 | part 3

ᯓ★ Genre: fluff and spicy (I mean, it's Logan...)

ᯓ★ Story type: short story

ᯓ★ Word count: 8.3k

ᯓ★ Summary: Your life with Logan was going just fine, but fine doesn't last long in celebrities' world: first rumors of a break up, then of him having an affair, Logan can't stand to see you so upset and decides to take matter into his own hands with a livestream.

ᯓ★ TW(s): mentions of cheating

ᯓ★ Timeline: doesn't follow a timeline in the x-men movies

ᯓ★ Request: I would love to read more of this. Can you imagine Logan's reaction if the tabloids spread crazy rumors of a breakup or an affair like they do to celebrities all of the time (especially if it's about him). He'd be so confused and probably annoyed if the reader teased him about it (@needz1nk)

ᯓ★ From: Marvel Bingo, Bodyguard romance x Age Gap

ᯓ★ Comment if you want to be added to the taglist (specify if you want the everything taglist or for a specific character)

ᯓ★ Songs & Superheroes tales - The Game (to make a request, follow the rules on the link!)

ᯓ★ MARVEL Multiverse - choose an AU, pair it with your favorite character and make a request!

ᯓ★ MARVEL Bingo (requests open)

ᯓ★ My Masterlist

ᯓ★ If you are a Charles Xavier lover click on this link!

ᯓ★ English isn't my first language and this isn’t proof read

In the weeks following the premiere and the much-talked-about bathroom incident, the media whirlwind surrounding you and Logan only intensified. What started as a curious whisper in celebrity news quickly exploded into a full-blown frenzy, with headlines splashing your relationship across screens and magazine covers everywhere. The story of an A-list actress and her bodyguard falling in love had the public hooked, and as the details trickled out, interest only grew. Some saw it as the ultimate fairytale romance; others found reasons to criticize. But the one thing that everyone seemed to agree on was that they couldn't look away.

To your surprise, the publicity sparked an unexpected wave of support from fans, old and new. Overnight, you gained a whole new group of followers who adored the idea of a love story that defied Hollywood norms. Your existing fans were thrilled to see a new side of you, one that was raw and authentic, and they rallied around you, excited to see you so visibly happy. They shared clips from interviews, fan edits of you and Logan on the red carpet, and screenshots from the infamous bathroom encounter. The comments flooded your social media: "Finally! She's found someone who treats her like a queen!" "They are SO cute together, I’m obsessed!" "This is real love. Logan’s the best thing to happen to her!" These fans painted your timeline with heart emojis, hashtags about true love, and affirmations that they’d “ship” you and Logan forever.

But it wasn’t just your fans who were excited; Logan found himself with an entirely new fan base of his own. Almost overnight, he was propelled from being a low-key presence in your life to a reluctant but undeniable celebrity in his own right. Fan pages popped up dedicated entirely to him, featuring candid photos of Logan at events, his brooding glances at premieres, and, most frequently, the rare, disarming smile that he would flash only at you. Girls who had likely never noticed Logan’s existence before were now obsessing over his rugged looks and quiet confidence. They analyzed his style, dissected his every movement, and swapped theories about his background. Despite his straightforward nature, Logan was an enigma to them, a new kind of celebrity who neither wanted the fame nor cared about the public adulation. The mystery only added to his appeal.

Social media was brimming with Logan-related content, much of it filled with admiration and even longing. Comments like, “If I can’t have a man like Logan, what’s the point?” and “Forget actors—I want a real man like him!” filled his unofficial fan pages. People shared photoshopped images of themselves with him, fan fiction imagining scenarios where they were in your place, and “Logan appreciation” threads discussing every aspect of his appeal. Some even went so far as to analyze the subtle possessiveness he had towards you, swooning over how protective he seemed. To many, he was the embodiment of an old-school romance hero, a modern knight who had swept in to protect and claim his woman in a world where that felt rare.

But as with anything that reached this level of fame, not all of the attention was positive. Alongside the supportive comments and fan accounts, there were plenty of harsh, critical voices determined to tear you down. Many people were quick to question what a successful actress like you was doing with someone like Logan, a bodyguard whose life had previously been so removed from the glitz of Hollywood. They called you names, some implying that your relationship was a publicity stunt, a bid for attention rather than a genuine connection. Others criticized Logan, saying he was just another “bodyguard boyfriend” trying to capitalize on your fame and insinuating that he was only with you for personal gain.

The hate was worst on social media, where anonymity often emboldened people to say things they wouldn’t dare voice in person. Comments like “What does she even see in him?” or “She’s just desperate for attention” littered your posts. Some were even more malicious, accusing you of “using Logan to stay relevant” or “replacing real talent with a guy she pays to protect her.” A few particularly harsh ones left a bitter taste in your mouth, claiming things like, “He’s way too good for her. She’ll chew him up and spit him out like every other guy.” Or, “This relationship won’t last—she’ll move on when something better comes along.”

As more and more of these comments appeared, you found yourself drawn to reading them, almost obsessively. Logan noticed, of course. He was perceptive enough to catch the flicker of hurt in your eyes when you looked at your phone, and he’d quietly reach over, pulling you close or brushing his hand along your back, grounding you in the simplicity of his presence. He didn't bother with comments himself, brushing them off like flies, reminding you time and again that the opinions of strangers meant nothing to him. But for you, it was harder to ignore. You were used to some degree of online criticism as an actress, but this—people questioning your worth as a person, as Logan’s partner—felt different. More personal.

Logan’s attitude was almost infuriating in its calm. "Why are you letting this get to you?" he’d ask in his straightforward way, his tone gruff yet gentle as he brushed a lock of hair behind your ear. "We know what’s real here. We know us." And, for the most part, you tried to hold onto that—his certainty in the face of so much noise. But as the relationship continued to grow in the public eye, so did the backlash, and it felt relentless.

One evening, after a particularly long day filled with work obligations and negative comments online, you finally snapped. You were sitting on the couch, phone in hand, scrolling through the endless barrage of insults, unable to look away. “I just don’t get it, Logan,” you said, your voice tinged with frustration. “Why do people hate that we’re together? Why does it matter so much to them?”

Logan took a seat beside you, his arm draped over the back of the couch as he looked at you with that steady gaze. “Because it’s easier for them to tear down what they don’t understand. They don’t know us—they only know what they see through a screen. And that’s their problem, not ours.”

He took the phone from your hand, setting it aside. “Let them talk,” he said simply, his hand reaching out to cup your cheek. “We don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Not them, not the press, no one.”

You looked into his eyes, and something inside you calmed. There, in his gaze, you saw a reminder of why this was worth it—why he was worth it. Logan’s love was fierce, unwavering, unbothered by the noise of the outside world. His grip on you was steady, grounding, reminding you that while the world might be relentless in its opinions, your relationship was a world in itself, untouched by the chaos outside.

In the following weeks, you began to focus more on the people who supported you, on those who cheered you on. Fan art, letters, and messages poured in from people who felt inspired by your relationship. There were stories from fans who saw your romance as proof that love could be found in unexpected places, that there were still people in the world who loved fully, openly, and without pretense. You shared little glimpses of your life with Logan—a cozy coffee date, a lazy Sunday spent reading together, the way he cooked you breakfast, often burning the toast but always insisting on making it himself.

The support grew, and eventually, it drowned out the negativity. You learned to scroll past the hateful comments, ignoring them in favor of the warm messages of encouragement and love. Fans sent you photos of their own relationships, shared stories of how they met their partners, and thanked you for showing a love story that felt real and grounded. You and Logan became symbols of something rare, a reminder that even in the glamorous world of Hollywood, love could be simple, honest, and unbreakable.

And though Logan still brushed off his fame with a gruff indifference, even he couldn’t ignore the sheer number of fans who now adored him. He’d laugh and shake his head at the fan edits, the swooning comments, and the declarations of love from girls around the world. It was amusing to him, in a way, but he never let it distract from what mattered most to him—you.

On one of the quieter nights, after the frenzy had calmed a bit and life had settled into a new rhythm, Logan pulled you into his arms, his gaze soft and tender. “They can say what they want,” he murmured, his thumb tracing gentle patterns along your hand. “I don’t care about the fans, the reporters, the hate. I care about you. Just you.”

In that moment, you knew that nothing could shake the foundation you had built together. You’d face the public scrutiny, the fan obsessions, and the media circus as long as you had Logan by your side. His love was your safe haven, an anchor in the storm. No matter what the world threw your way, you’d face it together, knowing that what you had was stronger than any headline, truer than any rumor, and more resilient than the relentless opinions of the world outside. And with that knowledge, you finally felt at peace.

But peace never lasts long.

The morning sunlight streamed softly through the blinds, casting a warm, golden glow over the room. You blinked awake, still heavy with sleep, finding yourself entangled with Logan, both of you cocooned in the soft sheets, the remnants of the previous night still lingering in the gentle aches and comfortable mess you lay in. Logan was tucked against you, his face nestled against your chest, arms wrapped securely around your waist. It was one of those rare, quiet moments where his usual stoic, protective demeanor softened completely, replaced with something vulnerable and at peace.

You reached up, gently running your fingers through his messy hair, savoring the way he leaned into your touch, almost nuzzling closer with a content sigh. He was still half-asleep, his breathing steady and deep, and you took a quiet moment to simply enjoy the closeness, the peaceful warmth of his body pressed to yours.

Trying not to disturb him, you carefully reached over to the nightstand for your phone, scrolling through notifications and messages that had piled up overnight. A headline immediately caught your eye, its bold letters practically screaming back at you: “Hollywood It-Couple Split? Inside Sources Say Y/N and Logan Call It Quits.” Your mouth twisted in frustration as you read the so-called “insider scoop,” filled with baseless claims and invented reasons for your supposed breakup. There were even theories about a “rising actor” who had “come between you,” speculating wildly about drama that couldn’t have been further from the truth.

The words clawed at you, stirring irritation—but then you looked down at Logan, blissfully unaware, relaxed and vulnerable in a way only you ever saw. A mischievous idea sparked, and you carefully angled your phone to capture the scene, framing his face nestled against you, his arm looped around your waist, both of you tangled together beneath the sheets. You barely stifled a laugh, sure that Logan would have rolled his eyes if he were awake.

After double-checking the photo, you typed out a quick caption: Woke up to some…interesting headlines this morning. We’re fine, thanks. Adding a winking emoji, you hit Post and set your phone aside, the grin still playing on your lips.

The post took off almost instantly, notifications flooding in as fans and friends alike chimed in. Most comments were thrilled reactions, with fans sending heart emojis and playfully chiding the tabloids for trying to mess with “the ultimate couple.” Others were friends and fellow actors tagging Logan, with messages like “Better watch out—she’s got the receipts!”

As the notifications rolled in, Logan stirred, blinking awake and looking up at you, a sleepy smile tugging at his lips. ��Morning,” he murmured, his voice rough with sleep, as he stretched and tightened his arm around you. His eyes shifted to your phone, catching a glimpse of the notifications lighting up the screen. “What’s going on?”

You bit your lip, barely holding back a laugh as you handed him the phone. “Just correcting a few tabloid rumors.”

He squinted at the screen, his expression shifting from confusion to a smirk as he took in the post. “So…we’ve broken up, huh?” he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Didn’t realize that’s how I spent my night.”

You snorted, shaking your head as he looked back at you, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Guess they think I dumped you or something,” you said, wrapping your arms around his neck. “But, you know, I figured I’d let them know I’m still kind of attached.”

He let out a soft chuckle, leaning down to press a slow kiss to your lips. “Good. Maybe now they’ll back off.” He nestled closer, resting his head back against your chest, his hand finding yours beneath the sheets. His thumb traced gentle circles on your skin, and he took a long, contented breath, settling back down beside you. “But if they keep it up…maybe I’ll give them a real reason to talk.”

You laughed, the two of you lingering in the warmth of each other and the morning, the world and its noise fading completely into the background.

The decision to go public that day felt more like a playful challenge than a chore. After the tabloid drama and breakup rumors, you and Logan wanted to make a statement—and what better way than a casual, romantic date in broad daylight? The plan was to keep it simple: a quiet brunch in one of the city’s more charming cafés, followed by a relaxed walk through a nearby park. It was your kind of day, one that would be easygoing… at least in theory.

As you strolled into the café, Logan’s hand resting firmly on your waist, you couldn’t help but feel a slight thrill at the curious glances that people threw your way. Some recognized you immediately, eyes widening as they connected the dots, their gazes shifting from you to Logan. There was something invigorating about the excitement, the quiet murmur of onlookers exchanging theories and tidbits of information about you two. Logan, however, seemed undeterred. He wore that calm, collected expression, the slightest smirk on his lips as he leaned down to ask, “Are you sure about this?”

You laughed, giving him a quick nudge with your shoulder. “Just relax. If we don’t play into it, maybe the rumors will die down, and everyone can go back to wondering who the next big rom-com couple is.”

Logan chuckled softly, but the humor didn’t mask the possessiveness in his gaze as he looked at you. “Let them look,” he muttered, his voice low and more serious than before. “They’ll get the message.”

You ordered your coffee and pastries, taking a seat by the large window, where sunlight poured in and gave the whole scene a warm glow. Logan stretched an arm along the back of your chair, his fingers tracing idle circles on your shoulder. You leaned into him, savoring the intimacy. His touch was protective, almost territorial, a statement to anyone paying attention. And given the covert snaps you noticed from a couple of phones nearby, people were most definitely paying attention.

As you sipped your coffee, you felt the heat of his gaze on you, and when you looked up, his eyes were smoldering, hinting at the simmering tension between you both. His thumb traced light patterns on your skin, a touch that seemed innocent to anyone watching, but you knew better. You raised an eyebrow, trying to keep a straight face.

“Behave,” you whispered, just loud enough for him to hear, grinning.

“Trying to,” he murmured, his lips twitching into a smirk. “You’re making it difficult.”

Just then, a group of young fans approached your table, their excitement barely contained. “Y/N, we’re so sorry to interrupt, but could we maybe get a picture with you?” one of them asked, her voice shaking slightly as she held out her phone.

You smiled warmly and stood up, nodding. “Of course! No need to apologize. It’s great to meet you all!”

Logan remained seated, watching with a mix of pride and amusement as you interacted with them. You could feel his eyes following you, as if even this brief separation was pushing the limits of his patience. When a few other fans spotted you, they hurried over, and you ended up signing a few autographs, sharing laughs, and answering quick questions. But all the while, you couldn’t shake the feeling of Logan’s gaze—protective, possessive—burning into you.

When you finally returned to your seat, you found him leaning back, a smug grin on his face. He reached out, taking your hand in his, but instead of his usual steady grip, he laced his fingers through yours, holding you close, and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to your temple. His thumb traced along your knuckles, his eyes gleaming with a mix of pride and heat. “Missed you,” he murmured, his voice low.

You bit your lip, the warmth in his touch sparking a subtle thrill. “I was only gone for a minute.”

“Yeah, well, felt like longer,” he replied, his gaze slipping down to your lips. And with that, he shifted closer, so close that his arm practically enveloped you.

As you exchanged glances, you noticed movement outside the café window. A few paparazzi were hovering, cameras clicking as they angled to get the best view of you two. You suppressed a sigh, your fingers giving his a light squeeze.

Logan noticed them too, and a smirk tugged at his lips. “They’re going to have a field day,” he said, voice low, almost amused.

“Well,” you replied, leaning back in your seat and resting your hand on his leg, “let’s give them a reason to talk.”

Without hesitation, Logan slipped his arm fully around you, his fingers gently tracing up your spine, leaving a trail of warmth in their wake. He pulled you in a bit closer, his other hand finding its way to your knee, sending sparks through you. His touch felt like a secret promise, an unspoken agreement that this day would end much differently than it started.

For a while, you both stayed there, the casual intimacy you shared made even more tantalizing by the audience beyond the glass. The café staff seemed oblivious, while the other patrons either pretended not to notice or tried unsuccessfully to hide their intrigue. But Logan’s focus was solely on you, his gaze dark and hungry. When he shifted his hand slightly, trailing his thumb along your thigh, you felt your breath catch. His fingertips pressed into your leg with a subtle possessiveness, and you found yourself pressing closer to him, drawn by the warmth radiating between you.

After what felt like an eternity of heightened tension, you finally looked up at him, the simmering heat between you both almost unbearable. “Maybe we should head back?” you suggested, your voice a little breathless.

Logan’s smirk widened, and he nodded, eyes gleaming with anticipation. “Good idea.”

You left the café, his hand resting on your lower back as he guided you outside. The paparazzi didn’t miss a beat, following as you both made your way down the street. Logan’s arm slipped around your shoulders, pulling you closer, and he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head, his touch protective and intimate. You felt the heat of his body against yours, the silent promise in every gentle graze of his fingers, and it made your pulse quicken.

Once you were out of the immediate view of the photographers, Logan’s pace quickened, his hand firmly grasping yours as he practically guided you through the bustling street back toward your penthouse. The urgency in his touch sent a thrill through you, and you matched his steps, the excitement building with every block closer you got.

By the time you reached the front door, he was practically pressing into you, his hands slipping to your waist as he leaned down to capture your lips in a deep, searing kiss. You fumbled with your keys, finally managing to open the door, and Logan wasted no time as he swept you inside, shutting it firmly behind you. His hands found your waist, drawing you close as he kissed you again, his touch heated and demanding, all traces of the earlier restraint gone.

In the elevator up to your penthouse, the air between you was charged, every glance and touch laced with unspoken desire. When the doors finally opened, he pulled you through the hallway, neither of you able to keep your hands off each other. You finally reached the bedroom, and Logan wasted no time, pressing you gently against the door as he captured your mouth in a kiss that was fierce and full of promise. His hands roamed your body, drawing out every shiver and gasp as he reminded you exactly why you were his and no one else’s.

Hours later, the two of you lay tangled in bed, your skin still warm and hearts racing. Logan’s arm was wrapped around you, holding you close as you traced lazy patterns on his chest, both of you basking in the afterglow. His fingers trailed along your back, grounding you in the quiet intimacy that followed the rush of your passion.

You looked up at him, finding his gaze soft and content as he watched you, the earlier fire replaced by a gentle warmth. “That was some date,” you murmured, a playful smile tugging at your lips.

Logan chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “Best one yet.” He wrapped his arm tighter around you, his hand resting on the small of your back as he held you close. “You think they got the message?”

You laughed, leaning up to kiss him, savoring the way he responded, his touch possessive yet tender. “I’d say so. But even if they didn’t, I think I did.”

Logan’s smirk softened into a smile, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he gazed at you. “Good,” he murmured, his voice low and full of promise. “Because I’m not letting you go.”

And you believed him when he told you that, maybe it was a mistake.

Logan's departure that morning had been straightforward enough, or so you thought. He’d given you a warm kiss, his hand lingering at the small of your back before he told you he had to step out for a meeting with his boss at the security company. He looked over at you with a reassuring smile, promising to be back soon, and you smiled back, content to spend a few hours on your own, catching up on your script and maybe even indulging in a bath while he was away. But as soon as the door closed behind him, you felt a pang of loneliness tug at you, surprising you with its strength.

Settling into your routine, you tried to distract yourself. The penthouse was quiet, bathed in soft, early-morning sunlight, and you could almost convince yourself to relax as you flipped through the pages of your script. But then, only half an hour after Logan left, your phone buzzed with the first notification, and then another, and another.

With a quick glance, you saw a string of messages, each one loaded with concern—or worse, nosy excitement.

“Did you see?!” “Is it true? I can’t believe it!” “Are you okay, Y/N?”

A frown creased your brow as you scrolled, your stomach sinking. It wasn’t like you to entertain rumors, especially when they came from gossipy texts and half-informed messages. But curiosity, and a rising dread, got the better of you. Taking a deep breath, you tapped on one of the links a friend had sent, dreading what you might find.

The headline blared across the screen: "Hollywood Bodyguard Logan Hunter Seen Entering Hotel of Y/N's Onscreen Rival—Secret Affair?"

You felt a pang in your chest, an ache that spread like ice through your veins. The article went on to detail how Logan was supposedly spotted entering a high-end hotel known for housing out-of-town celebrities. It even specified that just last night, the actress playing your onscreen rival had checked into that very hotel, sparking an avalanche of speculation. Photographers had apparently captured Logan, his head down, wearing his usual serious expression as he slipped through the hotel doors.

Scrolling down, you were greeted with low-quality images that only seemed to confirm what the article suggested. Your stomach twisted as you looked at each one, desperately searching for anything that might tell you it wasn’t him or that this was just some ridiculous, elaborate misunderstanding. But there was no denying the figure in the pictures, no denying his familiar stance and his unmistakable gait.

The words blurred on the screen as tears pricked at the corners of your eyes. You wanted to dismiss it as another fabricated rumor, but you couldn’t shake the sick feeling churning inside. Why hadn’t he mentioned meeting anyone else? And why had he gone to a hotel—especially one that you knew was currently hosting the actress you’d been cast against?

Your phone buzzed again, breaking you from your spiraling thoughts. It was a text from your best friend:

“Are you okay? I’m here if you need to talk.”

The floodgates opened, and you wiped at a tear slipping down your cheek. The logical part of you wanted to believe there was some other explanation, that this was all just some twisted coincidence, but doubt gnawed at you. How many times had you seen stories of relationships torn apart by the pressures of Hollywood, of people you thought you knew falling for someone else?

The hours ticked by slowly, each minute dragging as you paced the penthouse, your mind replaying the images of Logan entering the hotel over and over. You tried distracting yourself, tried focusing on the work in front of you, but everything felt meaningless, drowned by a painful insecurity that left you feeling hollow. Every time your phone buzzed with another notification, you felt a jolt of dread, bracing yourself for more damning evidence, more messages laced with pity or curiosity.

By the time the sky had darkened, you’d grown exhausted from waiting, from the endless battle in your mind. Just when you were beginning to think you couldn’t handle it any longer, you heard the click of the front door. Logan stepped in, looking tired but offering you that familiar smile. But one look at you, and his expression softened, worry instantly replacing the calm he’d walked in with.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, his voice gentle as he crossed the room toward you, brow furrowed with concern.

You swallowed, the hurt in your chest making it hard to meet his eyes. But you forced yourself to look up, forcing out the words. “Where were you today, Logan?”

He blinked, clearly not expecting the question. “I told you—I had a meeting with my boss. It was… it took a bit longer than expected.”

You took a deep breath, trying to keep your voice steady. “Why did I see pictures of you going into that hotel? The one where…” Your voice trailed off as you struggled to get the words out. “Where she’s staying?”

Realization dawned in his eyes, and he reached out, but you took a step back, needing space to breathe. The last thing you wanted was to let him see how deeply his absence had hurt you, but you couldn’t help the hurt and confusion that flashed across your face.

Logan’s gaze softened, his shoulders slumping as he realized the depth of your pain. “Y/N… I can explain everything. But please believe me, I would never hurt you. Never.”

His words were soft, sincere, and they tugged at your heart, urging you to believe him. But the images, the articles, and the words of everyone who’d reached out to you that day weighed heavily on your mind.

“Then tell me,” you whispered, your voice barely audible.

Logan took a deep breath, looking down for a moment before meeting your gaze again. “I was at that hotel, yes, but it had nothing to do with her.” He took a step closer, hands raised in a calming gesture. “My boss, he’s in town for a security conference. He booked a suite there for some meetings, and that’s where we met. I didn’t even know she was staying there, Y/N. And if I had, I would’ve told you.”

Your heart ached as you listened, torn between relief and residual doubt. “But why didn’t you tell me you’d be going somewhere like that?” you asked, the words spilling out, carrying with them the vulnerability you’d tried so hard to hide.

Logan’s expression softened, and he stepped closer, his hand reaching out to cup your cheek. “I should have. You’re right. I didn’t think twice about it because it was just a meeting. But I never meant to hurt you, and I certainly didn’t mean to give you any reason to doubt us.” His thumb brushed gently along your cheek, his touch grounding you, and you closed your eyes, leaning into his palm.

He tilted your chin up, forcing you to meet his gaze. “You’re the only one, Y/N. I don’t care who else is around, or what anyone else thinks. It’s you. Always.”

A tear slipped down your cheek, but this time, it was from relief. His sincerity, the warmth in his eyes, and the quiet conviction in his voice slowly chipped away at the walls you’d built up over the course of the day. You let out a shaky breath, nodding as the tension in your shoulders began to dissolve.

“I was scared,” you admitted, the words spilling out in a whisper. “I didn’t want to believe it, but… seeing those pictures…”

Logan’s arms wrapped around you, pulling you close, and you buried your face in his chest, letting the warmth of his embrace soothe the ache that had settled in your heart. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “I never wanted to put you through that. I should’ve thought it through, should’ve told you exactly where I was.”

You pulled back slightly, looking up at him through damp lashes, a weak smile tugging at your lips. “I guess I’ve just gotten so used to having you here, with me, that even a few hours apart feels… different.”

He smiled softly, his fingers brushing along your cheek as he gazed down at you. “And I’m not going anywhere, I promise.” His voice was steady, and you felt the weight of his words settle over you, anchoring you in a newfound sense of security.

As the evening continued, the doubt that had clouded your mind all day finally began to dissipate, replaced by the reassurance of his presence. You knew there would always be whispers, rumors, and challenges that came with dating someone in the public eye, but standing there in his arms, you realized that together, you could weather anything.

For the rest of the evening, Logan held you close, his touches soft and gentle as if to make up for the strain you’d endured. You knew that while today had shaken you, it had also strengthened your bond, reinforcing the trust that lay at the heart of your relationship.

And as you fell asleep that night, wrapped securely in his arms, you knew that no matter what headlines the world threw your way, you and Logan would face them together, grounded in a love that was real, unwavering, and stronger than any rumor.

As the gentle rise and fall of your breathing softened into an even rhythm, Logan watched you, a small smile tugging at his lips. You looked so peaceful curled up beside him, your face nestled in the crook of his arm, completely unaware of the world—and of the storm of rumors that had swirled around you all day. The day had been rougher than he’d anticipated; the flood of doubt and worry on your face when he’d walked back into the penthouse had hit him harder than he wanted to admit. And now, with you safely sleeping, he wanted to reassure you and everyone else that he wasn’t going anywhere.

As his eyes drifted toward your phone on the nightstand, an idea crossed his mind, one he hadn’t considered before. Logan wasn’t exactly tech-savvy—social media wasn’t his thing—but he had watched you do enough Instagram lives that he thought he could probably figure it out, even if he wasn’t sure why people watched them. Maybe if he said something himself, directly to the people spreading rumors, they’d get the message. He carefully leaned over, stretching for your phone without disturbing you. Punching in the familiar digits of your anniversary date, the screen unlocked, revealing your Instagram feed. The notifications were relentless: messages, comments, and tags, all seemingly tied to today’s hotel incident.

Taking a deep breath, he found the camera icon, hesitating as he checked the lighting. The room was dimly lit by the soft glow of your bedside lamp, which cast a warm glow over your face as you slept soundly against his chest. He shifted the camera angle to show you snuggled against him, and after a moment of deliberation, he pressed Go Live.

The screen suddenly transformed, displaying a timer and a small notification telling him people were beginning to join the live stream. His brow furrowed as he stared at the screen, suddenly feeling a wave of nerves he wasn’t used to. Hundreds of comments began to flow in, and he squinted at them, trying to make sense of the tiny, fast-moving text.

“Alright, uh…” he began, his voice low and gruff, though he kept his volume low to avoid waking you. He fumbled for a moment, adjusting the angle so more of his face was visible, along with a glimpse of your peaceful form. “So, yeah… I’m not sure exactly how this works, but I think I’m doing it right. People are watching, right?” He squinted at the screen, realizing there were now thousands of people in the chat.

OMG, is that Logan? Is Y/N asleep?! This is so cute! What’s going on? He’s using her phone?!

“Okay, yeah, I see you guys commenting.” He cleared his throat, glancing down at you to make sure you were still fast asleep. “So… I’m here because there’s been some… well, garbage circulating today about me, and I didn’t want you—any of you—to get the wrong idea.”

He ran a hand over his face, clearly uncomfortable but determined. “Look, I’m not the kind of guy who does this ‘social media’ thing. I leave that up to her because she’s got that… influencer magic touch or whatever.” He let out a small huff, almost laughing at himself. “But there’s one thing I won’t tolerate, and that’s people thinking I’d do anything to hurt her. That’s not happening. Not today, not tomorrow. Not ever.”

The comments poured in, filled with everything from declarations of support to playful teasing:

Protective Logan is everything. Never thought I’d see this man on IG live. Logan is going OFF and I’m here for it. Who else is already recording this?

Logan sighed, glancing down at you with an unmistakable softness in his gaze. “She’s everything to me,” he said, his voice dropping to a gentle murmur. “I know you all see us together on red carpets or in the news or whatever, but what you don’t see is this.” He adjusted the phone so it framed you perfectly, curled up in his arms, the corners of your lips turned up in a peaceful smile. “This is her. My girl. She’s got the softest heart in the world, and today… today she was hurting because of something stupid. Something that never even happened.”

He paused, as if collecting his thoughts, then let out a breath. “People are saying I’m seeing someone else. They got pictures of me going into some hotel, and yeah, I was there, but it was for a meeting with my boss. That’s it.” He emphasized the words, his eyes narrowing as if daring anyone watching to argue. “She knows now; I explained it to her, and she trusts me. That’s what matters. But just in case any of you want to keep talking about it… remember this.”

The camera shifted slightly as he moved his hand, gently running his fingers through your hair as he looked down at you. “This is the only place I want to be. Right here, with her.”

The comments exploded.

THIS IS THE CONTENT WE DESERVE Is he really doing this while she’s sleeping? Protect them at all costs, pls. Logan, you absolute legend.

Logan squinted again at the comments, clearly struggling to keep up. “There’s… a lot of words on here,” he muttered, looking slightly flustered. “Not sure I get how you guys read all this so fast. Anyway, I just wanted to set the record straight. I’m not seeing anyone else, I’m not cheating on her, and honestly, if you keep saying it… well, I’m not gonna be happy about it. And you don’t want to see me unhappy.”

There was a beat of silence as he scratched his head, visibly uncomfortable but pushing through, clearly determined to make his point. “Look, I don’t care about fame, or fans, or what any of you say about me. I’m here for her. I want to protect her, to take care of her. If any of you really care about her too, then… then don’t buy into this nonsense. Don’t let them tear us apart with stupid rumors.”

Another wave of comments flooded in, and he leaned forward, trying to read a few.

Can we talk about how soft he looks rn? Why is this the cutest thing ever? Logan’s angry rants are kinda romantic?!

“Yeah, yeah, I see some of you making jokes,” he grumbled, though his lips twitched as he read the reactions. “Think I’m soft, huh? Well, maybe I am—maybe I am a little bit soft when it comes to her.” He looked down at you, his features softening again. “She deserves it. She deserves everything.”

He paused, scratching his head again, then sighed in defeat. “Alright, how do I turn this thing off? Seriously, does anyone know?” He squinted at the screen, tapping at random buttons and muttering to himself. “I swear, I’m gonna break this thing if it doesn’t—”

The comments came to his rescue:

Top right, Logan! Hit the ‘X’! Someone help this man before he deletes her whole profile.

“Right, thanks,” he grumbled, following the instructions. “And if any of you save this video or… or make this into some kind of meme, I’m gonna find out. Got it?”

With one final glance at you, Logan ended the livestream, letting out a long exhale as he set the phone down. He looked down at you, his heart swelling with relief and affection as he watched you sleep peacefully, blissfully unaware of the emotional monologue he’d just delivered to thousands of fans.

Unbeknownst to him, the livestream was already gaining traction, clips of his soft, protective words flooding the internet. By morning, #LoganProtectsY/N and #SoftLogan were trending, with fans dissecting every second of his heartfelt speech. They praised his loyalty, laughed at his awkward attempts at using Instagram, and swooned over the way he’d looked at you, sleeping in his arms.

But for Logan, all that mattered was knowing that he’d done everything he could to protect you. He’d cleared the air, shut down the rumors, and, hopefully, sent a message to anyone who dared question his commitment.

When you woke up hours later, snuggled in his arms, you had no idea of the viral sensation that had taken place while you slept. Logan greeted you with a quiet kiss, a content smile on his face as if nothing had happened.

It wasn’t until you reached for your phone and saw the thousands of notifications, trending hashtags, and tags of Logan’s accidental “love confession” that you looked up at him, wide-eyed and stunned.

“Logan… what did you do?” you asked, a mix of amusement and surprise in your voice.

He simply shrugged, his expression calm as he held you close. “Just told them the truth.”

It didn’t take long for Logan’s unexpected livestream to become a global sensation. In the days following, clips of his heartfelt speech continued to circulate, with fans clamoring for more of his accidental charm. The two of you were trending for days, fans flooding the comments with supportive messages, heart emojis, and endless excitement over Logan’s protectiveness and gruff sweetness. You couldn’t resist laughing when you saw the #SoftLogan hashtag popping up alongside video edits and reaction memes. And as soon as you showed Logan, his eyes rolled, but his cheeks flushed, a telltale sign that he secretly loved it.

So, when the holiday season rolled around and you suggested going live together—on purpose this time—Logan didn’t put up much of a fight. A Christmas-themed livestream, with baking and festive lights? He pretended to be indifferent, but you could tell he was secretly looking forward to it. The idea of spending the holidays together was already a dream, and now, getting to share a cozy, lighthearted moment with fans made it even better.

And so, a few days before Christmas, the two of you set up in your kitchen. The decorations were up, twinkling lights wrapping around the windows and mistletoe hung strategically above you—an idea Logan had teased you about at first but eventually grew fond of himself. The flour, sugar, butter, and other baking ingredients were all lined up on the counter as you set up your phone on a tripod.

You hit the Go Live button and waited as viewers began flooding in, the comments coming in almost immediately.

OMG they’re back together in a live! Are we getting a SoftLogan Christmas special?! Y/N, girl, blink twice if you’re safe with Logan in the kitchen! Does Logan even know how to bake?!

You glanced over at Logan, who was already eyeing the ingredients with a mix of curiosity and mild apprehension. “Alright, everyone,” you began with a grin, addressing the growing audience. “We’re going to attempt to bake Christmas cookies today. And by ‘attempt,’ I mean Logan has promised to help, even though he has very limited experience in the kitchen.”

“Limited?” Logan scoffed, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow at you. “I’m not that bad.”

“You burn toast,” you shot back, laughing. “So, yes, we’re going to attempt baking Christmas cookies, and I can already tell this is going to be… interesting.”

The comments were rolling in faster than you could read them:

Logan is definitely the guy who thinks ‘preheating’ is optional. We love to see Y/N dragging him; the dynamic is everything! CAN WE PLEASE SEE LOGAN IN A SANTA APRON?!

You grinned at the last comment and nudged Logan. “The fans want to know if you’re willing to wear the Santa apron.”

Logan rolled his eyes, but you noticed the small smile on his lips. “No way am I wearing an apron with Santa on it,” he protested, but he reached for it, putting it on with exaggerated reluctance. “Only because it’s Christmas,” he muttered, the red apron looking unexpectedly charming on him.

As you got started, Logan reached for the flour, spilling an unnecessary amount onto the counter in his attempt to pour it into the mixing bowl. You couldn’t hold back your laugh as you tried to rein in his enthusiasm.

“Logan! We only need a cup of flour, not the entire bag,” you teased, wiping some of the flour off the counter.

He shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Can’t make cookies without flour. I’m just… being thorough.”

You shook your head, adjusting the camera slightly to catch both of you as you attempted to salvage the flour situation. Your fans were in hysterics in the comments:

We love a man who’s thorough, Y/N! Does Logan think flour is the only ingredient?! Imagine calling this thoroughness ‘baking skills.’

“Next is sugar,” you continued, holding the measuring cup out. “And we need half a cup, half, Logan. Not ‘one heaping mountain,’ just half.”

He gave you a look of pure innocence, his hand hovering over the sugar as he tried to pour it carefully. But his definition of “half” was still far more than necessary, and you bit back laughter, shaking your head. “We’re making cookies, not cement, Logan!”

Logan chuckled, a soft laugh that brought a twinkle to his eye. “Look, this is harder than it looks, alright? You just tell me what to do, and I’ll follow.”

You shot him a skeptical look but continued with the instructions, going step-by-step as he did his best to keep up. Between his overly generous measurements and your frequent corrections, the kitchen was quickly filled with laughter and playful banter.

When it came time to roll out the dough, Logan took the rolling pin in his hands, looking at it like it was an alien object. “How hard can this be?” he muttered, pressing down on the dough with way too much force, causing it to stick to the counter and flatten beyond recognition.

“Logan!” you cried out, laughing so hard your stomach hurt. “You’re supposed to be gentle with it, like… like when you’re putting your arm around me or something.”

“Oh, like that,” he said, his tone teasing. He softened his touch, rolling the dough more delicately, though it was still sticking in awkward patches. You tried to help him, guiding his hands, and by the end, the two of you were a flour-covered, laughing mess.

“Okay, now we’re going to use these cookie cutters,” you said, holding up a few shapes: a snowman, a reindeer, and a Christmas tree. “Pick your favorite.”

“Easy.” Logan grabbed the reindeer cutter, pressing it into the dough and proudly holding it up. “Reindeer cookies it is.”

The two of you cut out the rest of the shapes, arranging them on the baking sheet and finally putting them in the oven. As the cookies baked, you read through more fan comments, laughing with Logan at the endless string of humorous observations and questions.

Please tell me Logan won’t be in charge of frosting. This man is dangerously close to ruining Christmas cookies. But seriously, they look so cute together. I’m calling it now: Logan doesn’t even know how to use an oven timer.

Logan furrowed his brows at the last comment. “Wait, we need a timer?”

“Logan!” You let out a laugh, immediately setting the timer yourself. “Yes, we need a timer. Otherwise, we’ll just have burnt reindeer shapes instead of cookies.”

When the timer finally went off, you took the cookies out, laughing together over the misshapen but somehow adorable treats. The two of you set about decorating, Logan’s hands steady but not quite precise as he attempted to pipe frosting on a reindeer. The result was… less than impressive, and you both burst out laughing at his attempt.

“Alright, alright,” he muttered, trying to hide his embarrassment as the fans commented enthusiastically.

Logan’s reindeer is questionable, but we stan his effort. I’d still eat it! Best rom-com scene ever.

Finally, with the cookies decorated, you turned back to the camera, holding up a plate of your (very creatively decorated) creations. “Well, here you have it, folks. Our version of Christmas cookies! We may not be experts, but we had fun, right, Logan?”

“More fun than I expected,” he admitted, his gaze softening as he looked at you. “Thanks for making me do this.”

You smiled up at him, and for a moment, you forgot all about the livestream. That was, until the comments started rolling in faster than ever:

OMG did he just look at her like that?! THE SOFT LOOK, I CAN’T. Guys, please tell me you saw that too. He’s going to propose. He has to.

Logan read the comments, his face shifting to something both nervous and determined. He glanced at you, taking a deep breath as he reached into his pocket, fingers grazing over something small and shiny. You looked at him, curious, as he took your hands in his.

“Y/N,” he began, his voice suddenly a little rough. “These last few months… they’ve been everything to me. I didn’t think I’d ever be the guy doing Christmas cookie livestreams or… any of this social media stuff. But I’d do it every day for you.”

Your heart was pounding as he knelt down on one knee, pulling a ring box from his pocket and opening it to reveal a beautiful, sparkling ring.

The comments erupted into chaos, but you barely noticed, your focus entirely on him as he held your gaze.

“I don’t know if this is the way you imagined it, but…” he smiled, that soft smile that had become your favorite. “Will you marry me?”

Tears filled your eyes as you nodded, not trusting yourself to speak. You threw your arms around him, laughing through the tears as you whispered a quiet, “Yes.”

The fans went wild, and Logan chuckled, holding you close as you realized that the whole world had just witnessed your engagement. But in that moment, nothing else mattered. You were in his arms, right where you belonged. And as he slipped the ring onto your finger, both of you covered in flour and frosting, you couldn’t have imagined a more perfect, hilariously romantic proposal.

The comments from fans cheering and congratulating the two of you were endless, but Logan just looked at you, a gentle pride in his eyes as he whispered, “Merry Christmas, love.”

it's November so it's basically Christmas I don't make the rules I'm sorry, maybe at December I could start a new game where you can request any type of fanfics set in Christmas? Or something like that? let me know in the comments If you have other ideas! <3

if you liked the story don't forget to like, reblog and drop a follow if you want to read more!

[eveetheartist]

NABBY KNOBBLE

Recovered Fragments

The material we’ve salvaged so far is in worse shape than expected. The illustrations and scant information are worn, requiring more time to restore. The team is determined to recover what we can.

Design

Among the discoveries is a folder of sketches, each depicting a redesign of the enigmatic Nabby Knobble. This peculiar character underwent various changes before vanishing from the show without explanation. His time on screen was brief, and reasons for his sudden removal remain unclear.

Elimination

All we know about his removal points to an internal issue involving one of the puppeteers. Nabby appeared in only a handful of episodes, leaving behind minimal trace.

Story page

Nabby’s tricks often involved startling unsuspecting neighbors, popping out from the ground unexpectedly. Despite his playful nature, he carefully avoided those who might not handle his surprises well. Julie and Frank seemed to tolerate his antics, though the exact nature of their relationship with Nabby remains unclear.

There is no clear documentation of Nabby’s interactions with anyone beyond Julie and Frank. Whether his character was intended for more, or if his removal was always planned, is still unknown. No official record exists of how many episodes he appeared in, though it’s evident that his time was short.

First observation

This story page reveals a curious trait of Nabby's: the ability to bury his turnip body underground, leaving only his large leaves visible. He would use this to ambush and scare anyone who came too close, hinting at his prankster nature. Although he appeared kind and innocent on the surface, it was just a facade to hide his mischievous side. This glimpse into his personality suggests a much more complex character than initially presented, adding to the mystery surrounding his brief time on the show.

So far this is the little information we were able to gather about this particular character, We will keep you informed with more information...

Olly Olly!

I've been excited to post Nabby's existence for a while, I've been in an internal struggle whether to delve deeper into this character or just create him without having any backstory... but I decided to do it!

I'm still working with this turnip con su cabello de chetos, But now I have a clearer idea of what his story was like before this sudden elimination in this ARG. I hope this little work grows over time even if it's just temporary, but I'm proud to create this character for now. :]

I'm probably just getting carried away by this puppet show...

[xhollandlilsx]

Interview Shenanigans - (Bella Ramsey x Reader)

Summary: Set after TLOU2 has been made and released, Reader plays a character in Dina’s spot. (Sorry Dina).

Warnings: N/A

“Hi I’m Y/N” I smiled at the camera, as I held a bunch of question cards in my hands.

“And I’m Bella, and we are here with moviefone” The brunette next to me beamed holding a set of cards themself.

“And we are gonna be answering some questions, that you guys sent in on instagram and twitter, and then we’re gonna go unscripted and ask our own questions” I nodded looking at them and tilting my head to ask if they were ready, to which they mocked what I was doing and tilted their head too, “I guess we’re ready..”

********

“From Nina W, on Twitter, great question, ‘Did you learn any archery for the role of Ellie?’” I read it aloud, looking at Bella at the end, tapping my non existent nails on the cards in my hand that we had previously written down our unscripted questions.

“I tried, I mean you tried to teach me” Bella laughed slightly at the afternoon I tried to teach them what my dad taught me, and how badly it went, “But no, it’s just.. no.”

“Yeah, I remember you snapped it against your wrist” I laughed holding the cards up to hide it.

“Moving on” They groaned rolling their eyes, “From, Daniel H, on Instagram, ‘Did you manage to steal anything off set Y/N?”

“…” I just let out a laugh before composing myself, “Everything on that set is so expensive, so I think if I were to steal anything, I would get shot. That said… I might’ve taken a certain bracelet…if you know you know.”

“You heard it here folks, Y/N is a thief” They told the camera bringing their lips into a thin line, before looking at me and shaking their head.

“Don’t even pull that one Bella, Ellie’s converse are literally in my wardrobe from when you stole them” I pointed at them, my rings clinking together.

“Wow! Way to out me.” Bella laughed and adjusted their rolled up sleeves.

“We go down together darling.”

***

“Ooo unscripted, let’s be having it, ask me anything Bella.” I challenged turning my body to face them.

“Hmm okay, I actually wanna know this one, when did you realise you weren’t heterosexual?” They asked, before moving that card to the back of the pile.

“Damn, loaded question, I honestly can’t even remember, there’s a lot of women to thank for that,” I smiled, “But I think I was about 13 and I was watching ‘Bend it like Beckham’ and I saw Kiera Knightley or Jade West… has a uh, special place in my heart”

“I’ve actually never seen that film, but I have seen her in Pirates Of The Caribbean and I don’t blame you” They laughed slightly and shrugged.

“We’ll watch it.” I told them and nodded, “Okay, okay, from Mason M on Instagram, ‘What was your favourite non action scene to shoot?’”

“Wow, I like that one, hm, maybe the weed room scene” They mumbled scratching the back of their neck and side eyeing me, to which I let out a laugh, “No no, I think….I think the farm scenes were quite fun, they were cute, or the scene where Ellie finds out Maisie is pregnant”

“Aw I liked that one too” I smiled, and bounced my knee, something I usually did in interviews due to how uncomfortable cameras made me, ironic isn’t it?

“Yeah, the ‘Don’t worry it’s not yours’ always gets me” We both laughed and mumbled to eachother, stuff the camera definitely isn’t picking up on.

“I did like the farm scenes though, especially the one where they’re dancing in the kitchen” I smiled and looked at them with a knowing look, knowing the two of us do that quite alot, randomly dancing around the kitchen to Alexa, while the other is doing something.

“Yeah, that one’s cute” Bella nodded and saw another unscripted pop up on the screen to the side of the camera.

“Unscripted.” I smiled and picked up my cards flopping through them and sighing at how none of them are exciting anymore, so I put them down and brought a hand to my bottom lip messing with it like I usually did while in thought, “See I already know everything about you, so I’m really only asking this for people watching.”

“True true”

“Okay, if the apocalypse were to break out tomorrow, who would you want with you and why?” I asked with a shrug, knowing the question wasn’t good but giving up.

“You. Probably” They squinted closing one eye as they looked at me, messing with one of their earrings.

“Really? Why?”

“Well I mean, you’re good at archery, and you’re pretty much a real life version of my character so I think my odds are better with you, plus, as corny as it sounds I don’t think I’d last without seeing you” They smiled with a shrug laying the cards face down in their lap now.

“Aw that was so cringy but I loved it. And love, you are giving me way too much credit” I laughed.

“Okay who would you not want to be with if it happened?” They asked crossing a leg over their other one resting their ankle on their knee.

“Ki, probably” I scrunched my nose up, knowing he would probably agree but still pretend to be hurt.

“Yeah, he’s not apocalypse material”

“He’s really not. If you don’t know Ki plays Jesse in the show, who is a badass yeah, but Ki is the total opposite. No hard feelings though, love you bro” I laughed as Bella did too both of us covering our smiles with the cards, “Dude cried watching Mamma Mia.”

***

“Last question for both of us here. ‘When did you realise you were interested in eachother and who made the first move?’” They read it out to which I just bought my fingers to the bridge of my nose, Bella and I were quite open about our relationship, but I was an expert at showing the fans everything but nothing, never truly showing them anything other than a random photo here and there.

“When did you realise you liked me?” I asked, a question I already knew the answer to, a question I asked months ago while we were half awake in bed.

“The moment I met you” They smiled slightly eyes trained on me now, from my hair in a messy bun with curled pieces hanging down and framing my face, and falling out of the bun, to my dark green waistcoat, down to my rings and my matching trousers.

“Go on”

“We first met a day before we had to film the snowball fight scene, and we had to do that bonding thing, and you came over and introduced yourself to me with so much confidence and I remember just thinking ‘this girls so cool’ and I was just infatuated” They cringed.

“I acted confident but I was so nervous” I told the camera.

“Why were you nervous?” They asked me looking at me like I had two heads.

“Because I thought you were cute” I replied tilting my head and looking at them, their brown eyes I could get lost in every time.

“I swear I hate you sometimes” They groaned as they rubbed their cheeks to hide the smile that just wouldn’t go away from the camera.

“No you don’t” I winked and we both looked back at the camera.

***

“Thanks to Moviefone for having us. I now want a McDonalds so I will meet you in the car” I told them before standing up and walking off to grab my bag from the chair behind the cameras and directors of the interview.

“I…” Bella watched me walk away leaving them on their own in front of the camera, to which they let out a laugh, “She serious?”

Once they said their goodbyes, they walked over to me shaking their head and nudging me.

A/N: Using they/them pronouns for a fan fiction is still new to me, so please bare with me, and if there’s any gendered pronouns in there please ignore them. Anyway I had this idea, that sounded better in my head but here you go none the less.

[phoenixcatch7]

Just finished oracle of ages!!! Good game, good game. I have Thoughts.

I actually really enjoyed the story and characters! I figured going into the oracle games that it'd be a simple, cliché story, not much nuance or depth, and with Seasons that's basically what I got: din gets fridged in a crystal at the start of the game -> go get her -> you need a set of maguffins to do so -> fight big monster.

Admittedly it was the first game, which meant less story, but even if I hadn't linked (heh) the games for extra end game content Ages just did so much more.

Unlike din, naryu has someone else willing to help her. Ralph (the twinkiest twink to ever twink) was a young man who was her devoted friend (there was a weird crush triangle thing going on with him, Link and naryu, I always felt like I was missing subtext) and, spoilers for a 20yo game?? I guess?

He was the dethroned descendant of the ancient queen Ami. His family definitely still have big money though. He was pretty clearly supposed to be a comic relief character with a twist, but I ended up really liking him! He was over enthusiastic and over confident, but not unintelligent, a decent swordsman (I think) who was incredibly loyal to his friends and held some deep rooted responsibility for the people his family used to rule. Kind, determined, good with kids and people in general, he was terrified but willing to sacrifice his very existence to save the people.

The world building was also great! I don't think I've ever played a zelda game without gorons, but hylians were in short supply. To be expected outside of hyrule, I guess? Anyway, there were also lizard people on an island (tokay!) whose entire deal was.. A bit outdated? Rude, brazen and aggressive to outsiders, they lived in crude huts, worshipped things they didn't quite understand and were generally the old Hollywood stereotype of an isolated jungle tribe.

There was also, like, zora racism? There's a zora village underwater, and one of them was like 'us sea zora are nothing like those river zora 😒' which handily solved both my question of if the river/ocean zora divide was canon or fanon and the relationships between the two. Are they even the same species?? It just makes the rito even weirder but hey lmao. In all honesty I was pretty sick of the river zora at that point too, I swear there were two of them popping up in every screen that had even a sliver of water deeper than the knees and they CONSTANTLY shot fireballs istg they were such a pain. They were literally everywhere and so hard to kill.

On the plus side mermaid suit ^u^!! A dungeon item (the mermaids cave), the item had a desc like 'the skin of the mythical beast' which raised SO many more questions than it answered. The zora were delighted to see a young mermaid! The use of 'maid' implied either a) the zora all thought link was a girl and he didn't correct them (eyo genderqueer androgeny) b) the zora don't subscribe to gender the way humans do (eyo genderqueer androgeny) or c) all fish people look like mermaids regardless of their specific gender (eyo genderqueer androgeny). It literally could have been all three who knows. Maybe one day we'll actually meet a mermaid in zelda.

Also, there's a mini game in Seasons, which I played first, the subrosian dance. It's a pretty popular part of their culture, it's got music, it's got professional dancers. In Ages, you find the gorons doing the exact same dance! Rosa, a subrosian performer you meet in Seasons, is also there, saying her people's dance is better (tbf it is), but if you go to the past you'll find the gorons actually invented the dance first, as part of their love of games and entertainment, and you can talk to two subrosians who are talking about bringing the dance home! It's so interesting to see little details like this, where the travelling subrosians visited their fellow cave dweller lava eating people centuries ago, brought it back home where it exploded in popularity and centuries later became refined as a whole folk dance with spinning and everything, with the people forgetting where it came from, where the gorons keep their dance exactly the same (having to do a rhythm game without rhythm is hard).

Actually, there was so much political fantasy drama going on in the past?? Like, you've got the childless queen taking care of her people, a budding village and a few more settlements across the kingdom. Early in her reign she tried to build a tower to act as a beacon to her fiancé lost at sea, which is a romance story all on its own, but it was cut short (maybe because of funding?). Centuries in the future, it's just ruins. You've got people living on an ACTIVE VOLCANO starting a symmetry cult around a artifact called 'tuni nut' which, presumably, stabilises the volcano? And it's entirely cut off from the outside world. The goron elder is crushed under rocks and their economy is failing. The zora king got poisoned and he's about to die without an heir because a witch turned the fairy queen into an octorock, but the man in charge of the only cure refuses to hand it over until someone passes his tests.

Most of it is solved relatively easily by link and a copious amount of time travel, but the thing with the ruling queen only gets worse. When the evil witch invades the kingdom, she possesses the oracle of ages, naryu (who's a little implied to be the Actual Creation Goddess Naryu reincarnated) and travels back to the past to bring about an age of despair in the present. She does this by slipping into the royal court and befriending the queen as a serving girl, rising up the ranks to become her closest advisor and corrupting her (pretty sure mind control magic is used a li'l). She convinces her to restart the black tower project, pouring all of her and the towns resources into it - forcibly conscripting every able bodied worker and working them to the bone, all while monsters start to circle the tower. With all the fear and resentment, it quickly becomes a beacon of dark energy, a perfect focal point to perform black magics.

Link (and Ralph) end up in the past and get hauled in front of the queen, with possessed naryu at her side, who basically jeers at them and ensures the queen won't listen to their untrustworthy lies. The townsfolk are getting increasingly stressed as their village fills with rubble and their men are worked to the point of collapse. Armed guards start to appear to keep the workers under control. Eventually, Ralph uncovers a hole in the guard rotation, and he and link sneak into the palace through a secret entrance Ralph oh so casually knows about. Link and naryu fight, but with stupendous timing the queen walks in to see naryu collapsed on the floor, Link standing over her with a sword. She calls for the guards, but before anyone can react, the witch, banished form her first vessel, leaps into the queen herself instead. Ralph shoves past the arriving guards and into naryus arms, while link moves in from of them. The queen orders the guards to attack, but naryu, reawakened, pulls them back to the present in the nick of time. In the present, the black tower is magically growing, reaching higher and higher into the sky, terrifying the people of the city.

Then! Ralph, who at this point is suspiciously invested now his actual goal is completed and naryu is safe, vows to go back into time again, away from naryu, to live under the now evil queen and bring protection and comfort to the villagers as a direct act of resistance, because the witch is feeding on their sorrow to power an unknown ritual (link knows. Link, canonically, has told nobody). So this teen in fancy robes and cape goes back to the oppressed, poverty stricken town under the thumb if someone who wants him dead and lives there for weeks if not months dedicating himself to supporting the village and bringing people's hopes and spirits back up, presumably while living out of someone else's wooden hut. In the middle of a literal depression inducing miasma that's sapping everyone's joy and will to live.

That just. Takes insane strength of character. That's a feat of pure, distilled, compassion as anarchy.

Link's off bouncing between past and present doing dungeons and solving easier issues through either sword or magic item, but Ralph is out here doing the long hard slog for little reward.

Link finally returns to the black tower completed, affecting even the people of the present, and, preparations complete, rushes to the past. Ralph is nowhere be seen. Talking to the villagers reveals several have a crush on him, but an old man saw him running for the tower, sword drawn. There's a man pacing by the entrance, who saw the kid run in, tried to stop him. He said Ralph said that he no longer cared what happened to him. That the man realised that Ralph had quietly succumbed to the same curse of despair they all were under. Link fights his way up to the top of the tower, where Ralph confronts the evil queen, sword at her heart, but every step she takes into it, he steps back. The witch laughs. She asks him if he's really willing to write himself out of existence - being the queens descendant, and all. Ralph leaps back, into links chest. He's shaking and stuttering, but he lunges, and is knocked out in one blow. The queen now asks link the same question: is he willing to erase Ralph? If he strikes her, kills her, the queen will die, childless, and he will never live. She leaves, and link rushes to Ralph. He's awake but unresponsive, defeated. With a heavy heart, Link leaves him to chase the queen. It's naryu who finds him, brings him out of the tower.

When the witch is defeated, the curse is lifted, and Ralph is once more energetic and kind. He's a little quieter now, though, sticking close to naryu. For all he was a loud and headstrong kid, I gotta say I was very impressed.

He would have made a good king.

[strqyr]

sorry to spring this on you. Never think about Adam much because I never thought about him as a complete character, just an obstacle for Blake and to some extent Yang to overcome. That would bring the overzealous types from both sides out and I don't wanna deal with them. That being said I don't hate him because there really nothing there for me to hate. It's more like I nothing him. does that make sense? sorry for rambling

makes perfect sense to me, at least. tbh, i was pretty much in the same boat as you, but with long enough hiatuses i ran out of things to think about and unexpectedly. adam happened. and now he won't leave lmao

i'm like, running through multiple tripwires with this one, but being real here for a sec: adam really was underutilized while also being too many things at the same time. unfocused. like, he really came across more as a plot device than a character in his own right, popping up every now and then to be menacing and then disappearing until it was time to be menacing again, inexplicably developing off-screen like it's not exactly explained why he "didn't seem well", he just did. the thread is practically non-existent there; sure, i could make an explanation for it, but it wouldn't be satisfying (to me) based on what is actually on screen, etc.

which is a shame, because there's plenty of interesting stuff in canon that could be taken further with him, given more focus and all, but as he was written, at its core adam's character is being pulled in two different directions: is he a former, branded child slave with tragic story you're supposed to feel sorry for, or is he blake's abusive ex you're supposed to hate?

at some point, you need to commit to the bit, and with adam, that never really happened, and his character suffered for it.

[kieraelieson]

I'm not sure what kinds of asks you were searching for from your tss ask game, but here is one! have fun writing your fics!

Thank you!! This kind of ask is excellent 🥰

~

Thomas had become engrossed in a new game. Now Janus was all for this normally, a time of fully fulfilling one’s desires was something he greatly advocated for. However. In this particular situation, Thomas hadn’t eaten for upwards of twelve hours, and Janus’s self preservation instincts were beginning to set off alarms.

Janus appeared next to Thomas in the living room. Thomas’s eyes were fixed on the tv screen, his tongue poking out in concentration, a sense of fervent determination emanating from him. Something in Janus’s chest warmed with pride and adoration. But now there was something more important.

The ‘core four’ sides were all sitting on the couch with Thomas, watching just as intensely.

Janus leaned on the television, intentionally obscuring a portion of the screen. He cleared his throat loudly.

Thomas’s eyes darted to him, but in that same instant Virgil yelled “Behind you! The orc is gonna kill you!” And his attention was snapped back to the game.

Janus sighed. So much for the subtle approach.

“Thomas, you are in need of food and water. It is time for a break.”

Janus looked to Logan for assistance, but Logan was muttering under his breath, scribbling details into a notebook faster than a human hand could have. Ah yes, he would be caught up in memorizing the crafting system, maps and directions, and quest objectives of the game.

“Patton? Shouldn’t Thomas take care of himself?” Janus tried.

“Oh, ah, of course! But first we have to save the man’s daughter!! She’s in this dangerous part and we can’t let anything happen to her!”

Janus groaned. Roman, fully decked out in the gear of the point of view character, and practically vibrating in place while cheering on Thomas with every kill, would be no help at all.

Thomas’s stomach rumbled rather obviously, but it seemed Janus was the only one aware of that fact. He had to do something to shake Thomas out of his fixation so he would become aware of the state of his body.

“Mmmmmmm… Thomas, I have a final request for you to pause your game and care for your body before I will be forced to act more… intensely.”

It was as if he didn’t even exist. No one looked his way. That was frustrating. Janus wouldn’t even feel bad anymore for using extreme tactics.

“Remus, would you assist me?”

Janus stepped fully in the way of the screen, blocking Thomas’s view, which allowed the enemies to gain a significant advantage over the character. Remus waited until an opportune moment to pop out of the tv screen, shifted into the shape of one of the more gory looking monsters, and leap at Virgil.

Virgil shrieked, as did Patton, clutching at each other. Roman startled, and then began slashing wildly in Remus’s direction with his sword, yelling about how he would ‘kill the beast’. The yelling of the three of them made Logan look up from his notebook, blinking in confusion at why they were all so alarmed at a clearly imaginary monster.

Finally the character in the game died, and Thomas frowned. He set the remote down and stretched his arms over his head.

By now, Remus’s apparition was a fleshy pile of mess on the ground, and everyone was realizing that there was no real threat, and beginning to assess their safety, which included assessing Thomas’s safety, and would reveal the issues Janus wanted dealt with.

“Boy, kiddo, we’ve been playing for a long time,” Patton said, as if he’d just realized and Janus hadn’t been here saying it. “We should probably get some food or something.”

“Indeed,” Logan agreed, setting the notebook aside. “Food, water, even sleep are all necessary for you right now.”

Thomas yawned and stretched with his whole body. “Yeah, you guys are right. Maybe I’ll order a pizza or something.”

Janus rolled his eyes. Of course he’d be ignored after all he’d done to orchestrate this break.

Remus splorched over to him. “How was that?” His voice came from him generally, though there was no longer a discernible mouth.

“You did excellently, Remus. I appreciate your assistance.”

The mass of Remus wriggled in a happy way before sinking into the floor.

Well, at least now Thomas would eat. Janus also sank out, his work done.

~

Wanted to be tagged in this ask game:

@apricotbuncakes

@mimssides

[shannendoherty-fans]

March 1993 - US magazine

Interview by Margy Rochin, photos by Lou Salvatore.

The Us Interview: Shannen Doherty (part 1)

Brawling brat or maligned innocent? Amid a stinging backlash, the '90210' actress defends her reputation.

THOSE WHO WANT TO believe the worst about TV star Shannen Doherey might enjoy her split-second screen debut in 1982's Night Shift when she brained a nebbishy Henry Winkler with a box of cookies. But sho much brouhaha has surrounded the Memphis-born actress of late that most seem to forget her existence pre-Beverly Hills, 90210. By the time the former child actress landed at the Fox network, she'd already wound her way through television series like Little House: A New Beginning and Our House as well as several film roles, including Heathers. In it, Doherty seemed to be polishing up her signature moves — the imperial flounciness, the unexpected flashes of vulnerability, the narrowing of her hazel eyes to show when she is seriously ticked off. All these mannerisms would later resurface in her breakthrough role as Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210.

At this point, everyone knows that Brenda and her cute twin brother, Brandon (Jason Priestley), started out as 90210’s moral center, two do-gooding émigrés from Minneapolis, drifting through a high school hallway full of “indulged brats and future Zsa Zsas,” as the Los Angeles Tinies put it. But the centrifugal force of every evening soap is a dark-hearted character. And somewhere along the way, the baton was passed to Doherty.

Soon enough, Brenda’s perky mood had curdled (although ar least one 90210 writer would suggest that it wasn’t the dialogue, but the flinty backspin Doherty put on her lines). Lately, television watchers have wearied of watching her behave like a sourpuss. So much so that two enterprising, young pop-culture hounds tapped into the zeitgeist and published an underground antifanzine, the I Hate Brenda Newsletter, consisting mostly of semiasthentic-sounding gossip about Doherty's real-life excesses.

The American public seers to forgive ungovernable male stars, but has lite tolance for obstreperous women; Roseanne Arnold, Cher and Cybill Shepherd could have told Doherty that. And almost from the very beginning, word had filtered back from the 90210 set that Doherty was an unapologetic headache — demanding and prone to temperamental outbursts. Offstage, her reviews weren't much beter. There was her last-minute walk from the 1992 Emmys, for which Emmy producer and director Walter Miller crowned her “a colossal pain in the ass".

Some flip remarks of hers on The Dennis Miller Show cost her months’ worth of monologue put-downs. Last summer, those many liberals among her 90210 following her were aghast to discover her, hand over heart, leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the Republican National Convention. She followed that with a well-publicized fracas involving Bonita Money, an sping actress, at a Los Angeles nightclub. Even Doerty wasn't surprised when the utterance of her name at the 1992 Billboard Music Awards elicited boos from the audience.

Yes, it’s true that Brenda wins back her whispery-voiced ex-boyfriend Dylan (Luke Perry). Yet the word on the Fox lot was that Aaron Spelling, whose company produces the show, was fed up with Doherty, thinking of terminating her contract or at lease exiling Brenda to a far-off college. When contacted, no one, not Spelling, not the show's producers, not any of Doherty’s 90210 costars, were available to defend her.

What seemed most conspicuously missing from the newspaper accounts was the twenty-one-year-old's assessment of her deteriorating state of affairs. So the agreement was we'd lay out the reports – some believable, some almost mythically overripened – and let Doherty tell her side of the story. We met at a photographer's studio in West Los Angeles, where Doherty lived up to her end of the deal. She answered every single question forthrightly and without a trace of self-pitty, chain-smoking and looking far too young to be so reviled.

Why do you suppose that people want to assume you're a bitch?

I don't know. I think one of the main problems is that my character searced off very sweet and gradually she became sappy. She takes everything too seriously and feels like she's being f---ed over all the time. [People] aren't separating Shannen and Brenda Walsh. They hate the character, so they automatically hate me.

Let's talk about the "Billboard" awards. Did you have any premonition that the crowd would not be with you?

Yeah, I warned all my representatives that I shouldn't do it. But they said, "You're already committed, you can’t back out because it will look like the Emmys. They'll blow it up into a big thing." So five minutes before I went on, I looked at my manager and said, "I'm going to get booed. I know it's going to happen. And you're responsible, because you put me on here."

What happened backstage? I was very, very upset. | was crying, saying, "I can’t believe you put me out there." I mean, it was horrible. I've never been more hurt in my entire life. Then this guy that was hanging out with Arrested Development came over to me and said, “Let me tell you something: You'll dic, they'll die, we all die sometime and the world keeps on spinning. They don't know you. You're talented, you're beautiful, you're a great girl. So just forget it."

Why do you think the audience booed you?

Everybody thinks that I punched some girl at a bar.

Did you? No.

You're referring to the December incident with Bonita Money. What happened?

To cut to the chase, there was tension between my table from the beginning, because they wanted to sit where I was sitting and the owner of the club had sat me there. My friend – I'd rather not give his name, but it wasn't [90210 costar] Brian Austin Green – stepped on a man's foot and apologized, and [the man] didn't really accepted his apology. Then Brian thought my friend said that he had stepped on this man's foot and Brian apologized. By that time we were standing in front of their table, as we were leaving the club, I bent down and said, "Excuse me, what's going on?" This man looked at me and said, "I don't like you, that's what's going on." I saud, "All right," and tried to pull away, but he grabbed my arm. My friend had my other arm and was trying to pull me away. I started to stand up to leave, and out of nowhere, Bonita Money, who I've never laid eyes on – never had any talk with at all – just hit me in my left cheek. Just hit me right here.

"It's ridiculous that somebody can be so attention-starved that they can hit a celebrity [and] get away with it..."

Did she slap you or did she punch you?

Kind of closed fist. I just looked at her, and I was crying. My friend and brian grabbed me, took me into the bar. Security was called. The police arested her, took her downstairs. they asked me if I wanted to file charges, I said yes. When they told her, sge said, "Well, I'm pressing charges, too".

[Bonita Money responds, in part: "I think most of that's right up until the point of [my friend's] grabbing her. [He] never grabbed her. Money also claims she did not hit Doherty and adds, "She just kind of grabbed me. Then I grabbed her and threw her away from the table."]

It's ridiculous that somebody in this world, somebody in L.A., can be so attention-starved that they can hot a celebrity, get away with it, and get so much publicity. She did A Current Affair, she did Howard Stern... I find it upsetting that all these people actually let her on their shows. We went to [the hearing], and the [hearing officer] couldn't really male a clear-cut decision, so she said that all the charges were dropped against both parties. It's over.

Do you feel satisfied with the outcome?

No, I'm not satisfied. It says something about our judicial system, I think. The D. A.'s office should press charges against her. She got free publicity at my expense and made me look very bad... It did a lot of damage to me. I had advertising companies drop me. I lost money.

Do you have a bodyguard?

I do now.

How has that affected your life?

It's a major drag not to be able to go out and just hang with your friends and stuff. But I guess fornow I have to.

Is the lesson, then, that it is sometimes better to back down?

I wasn0t really raised that way, that's probably my problem. I was raised to stand up for myself, if I feel I'm in the right. Maybe it would have been best if I'd just gone home with my swollen cheek... She has a mean left hook.

(Part 2)

[michelleelizabethtanner]

17 (Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…?) pretty please? If you don’t like that one, how about 11?

Hi Anon! Ty for the ask ❤️❤️

17. Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…

This is a tough one! Would it be bad to say that instead of a disjointed, nonsensical plot I would have focused more on fleshing out the existing character setup and plot points until the story came to a satisfying and natural conclusion? 😂😂 Too simplistic? There was just SO much wrong. I’m not even opposed to most of the plot as a whole. It’s just that the emphasis of each beat was misweighted. (Is that a word?) Like, WAY too much time and attention was spent on things that we didn’t need a whole lot of time on. We already got that Annie makes bad romantic choices, for one. We didn’t need literal hours devoted to pimple popping and post-coital vaping that ultimately led us nowhere. That time would have been better spent focusing on fully fleshing out her history and downfalls as a parent in more concrete terms. Similarly with Vance. Why did we need literally any detail about him and his home life? A single, momentary glimpse would have been more than sufficient. Kinda like they gave Mick a single momentary glimpse into his history, when he mentioned his little girl in Cincinnati. That single line told us more about who he is as a person than Vance’s entire unnecessary screen time. That’s all just poor story pacing and it drove me insane. Still does. What I would have liked instead was more humanization of Rio. Since they started down that path and since they allowed him his own POV time, they should have leaned into it more. Given him a last name! Given him a bit more history. By making him a narrator, just like each of the women narrated their POV sections, the show elevated him to “main character” rather than “side character.” And main characters have humanity. Again, it is poor storytelling to never flesh out a main character. Using them strictly for the advancement of the plot is poor writing. Rio was already a multidimensional character based on just inference and good acting. Leaning into it and showing more about why he is like he is would have enriched the plot with minimal effort, and made Rio a fully formed character who didn’t just exist solely to be a counterpart to Beth.

11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Oh gosh. Are you gonna get out the stones and pitchforks if I say Dean again? He’s just such a perfect villain!!! Ok, to not be redundant, I’m gonna say Mary Pat. I liked her a lot, actually. She was basically Beth, without the Beth privileges. While Beth was able to immerse herself in her picturesque life as a WASPy housewife, Mary Pat didn’t have similar advantages. She and her husband appear to have already been financially insecure, based on how small and cluttered their house is and how disheveled her children look in comparison to the Bolands. She didn’t have the pretty privilege Beth was able to weaponize all her life. But she is certainly intelligent and scrappy, without the self-denial Beth was so steeped in, because Mary Pat had no room for such luxuries. The world had just been harsher to her and there were fewer places to hide. So I enjoyed her. I think she would have made a really good rival for Beth in the long-term, had they continued her character. Or even an ally maybe! Heck, I even ship Mary Pat and Mick over Annie. (Put away the pitchforks omg!) She was suited for crime and ambiguous morality and I really like her.

[telomeke]

MOONLIGHT CHICKEN – DIRECTOR AOF'S CAMEOS (AND SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT)

It's now a tradition with GMMTV series directed by Aof Noppharnach Chaiwimol (and sometimes in those produced by him as well) that you can expect cameos from the directors/producers somewhere along the way.

(above) A montage of GMMTV producer/director cameos

At first I thought these appearances were purely for laughs, but now I think there's also a measure of tacit messaging going on whenever producers, directors or assistant directors pop up on screen (see this link here).

So after Assistant Director Au Kornprom's cameo in Moonlight Chicken Ep.5 [2/4] (see this write-up linked here), I was on tenterhooks waiting for Director Aof's own cameo. And sure enough he showed up later in the same episode: 👀

(above) Moonlight Chicken Ep.5 [3I4] 14.48

But remembering that their cameos aren't always in person onscreen (e.g., Producer Aof's and Director Au's cameos in My School President) – Director Aof has actually had four cameos in Moonlight Chicken. The one above is his sole live appearance in the series, but he was also referred to by name at three other points:

Ep.3 [1I4] 2.11;

Ep.3 [1I4] 2.17; and

Ep.7 [3I4] 6.35.

The following are screencaps of the scenes where his name was mentioned, for reference:

(above) Moonlight Chicken Ep.3 [1I4] 2.11 – "Nop" has been used before to refer to Director Aof (it's probably derived from his formal first name "Noppharnach", and was first seen in his cameo as Tutor Nop in My School President Ep.10 [2/4] 1.05)

(above) Moonlight Chicken Ep.3 [1I4] 2.17 – Also in the same scene, "Aof" is of course also Director Aof's informal nickname (his ชื่อเล่น or "chue len" – see @absolutebl's explanation on Thai naming conventions linked here)

(above) Moonlight Chicken Ep.7 [3I4] 6.35 – the text on the funerary display board at the left (below the metal tray/plate and above the radially-arranged metal spoons) translates to "Condolences from the Chaiwimol Family" (ขอแสดงความเสียใจจากครอบครัวชัยวิมล), where "Chaiwimol" is also Director Aof's family name

Maybe I'm just being pessimistic, but when read together these appearances don't signal quite the same upbeat positivity of the cameos in other series. Part of it is surely contextual – there isn't much levity at all in Moonlight Chicken (except when Saleng is around, perhaps) and Director Aof's cameo scenes are all ponderous with suggested import.

Looking first at the scene of the Marina Food Court project meeting in Ep.3 [1I4], we see that Director Aof's name is used for two key players on the team.

(above) Moonlight Chicken Ep.3 [1I4] 1.28

The parallels with real life are striking – we have team leader Aof who is project director, just like Khun Noppharnach is often in the director's seat for GMMTV shows, and team member Nop who's in charge of the presentation slides, just like Director Aof is also someone who controls the visual storytelling onscreen.

Remembering that the Marina Development threatens the existence of Jim's diner, livelihood and his found family – it's highly unusual that Director Aof's cameos here should be aligned with the forces that loom portentously over the story's protagonist, instead of on his side. 🤔

So this is what I think it means – the characters of Nop and Aof holding influential positions on the Marina Food Court team may be a nod at Khun Noppharnach's other role at GMMTV, on the side of management – he's also Senior Director of Content Production (at least according to his MDL page, at time of writing):

No disrespect to GMMTV – they've given us a whole raft of amazing shows – but as a commercial entity I'm quite sure their focus on profits doesn't always align with Khun Noppharnach's more activist visions, especially when it comes to greenlighting shows that go heavier in pushing LGBTQ+ rights (e.g., The Eclipse and Not Me).

It's sometimes a weird and uncomfortable mix, when shows with a serious social conscience lean against a backdrop of blatant commercialization. I'm thinking of series-associated merchandising, in-show product placement, fan meets and pair branding (e.g., the fanservice couples such as FourthGemini, BrightWin, OffGun, PondPhuwin, ForceBook, FirstKhao, EarthMix and JimmySea). There is no doubt in my mind that there must be constant pressure to dial back the political messaging in favor of more traditional BL storytelling (i.e., lighter and with more focus on romance), that's easier to spin out into various income streams targeted at the teen and young adult market.

With the characters Nop and Aof, I think Director Aof is calling out the inherent paradox of him being part of the machine that commercializes queer love and queer relationships, often forcing it into certain shapes and flavors for maximum saleability to straight audiences, while he and his team of writers (I think) would prefer to be championing LGBTQ+ rights instead. (Sometimes the mixing of the two does work, as in Bad Buddy, but I think that's more the exception than the rule.)

Anyway, things take a darker turn when we look at Director Aof's in-person cameo at Ep.5 [3I4] 14.46. He's cast in the role of a restaurant server, dressed in funereal black, who is unsuccessful at lighting the fire that must have been burning at some point between Alan and Wen. He's also told that his services are unnecessary (when Wen says "No need to" in response to his offer to rekindle the burner):

(top) Moonlight Chicken Ep.5 [3I4] 14.46; (bottom) Moonlight Chicken Ep.5 [3I4] 14.48

Director Aof then leaves the scene, but he doesn't do this by slipping quietly off to one side – instead, he loops around and foregrounds his departure as he crosses between the action and the camera before exiting screen left:

(above) Moonlight Chicken Ep.5 [3I4] 14.55

OK, so a lot of this is conjecture, but the ominous undertones here are unmistakable. The fire having gone out between the (erstwhile) BL couple, and Director Aof's inability to relight it, could be signaling that he's no longer fired up for the BL genre, or maybe thinks he's no longer needed for it. And his crossing the screen to exit also suggests that he might be making a change or departure of some sort. It may be signaling just change of role though, not entirely a change of job perhaps (so let's not lose our heads over this quite yet).

I'm further propelled along this line of thinking by the general themes and plot reveals in Moonlight Chicken, where the ideas of rebirth and new beginnings may also be pointing at the same for Khun Noppharnach (noting that Moonlight Chicken's protagonist Jim is also a middle-aged gay man who finds his way to new beginnings later in life).

Jim giving up the diner for a life of greater freedom, selling khao man gai from a mobile food truck instead, may also be communicating Director Aof's desire to return to smaller vehicles for his craft (bearing in mind that his great love is directing queer dramas, about which he's posted on Instagram before – see this link here).

With this in mind, I'm also getting a sense of Khun Noppharnach having handed over some key duties to the next generation (which I think is also part of the messaging behind Au Kornprom Niyomsil's cameo in Moonlight Chicken – write-up linked here). This is further underlined by Au Kornprom's second cameo in Moonlight Chicken when he passes the bubble tea redemption card to Jim (a stand-in for the current generation, i.e., Director Aof), to hand over to Li Ming (the next generation):

(above) Moonlight Chicken Ep.7 [1I4] 15.33

As for the Ep.7 [3I4] funerary display carrying Khun Noppharnach's name (among all the other wreaths at Mrs. Hong's wake, written up here) – it's a message of condolence from his notional family, so it's in keeping with the somber and serious tone too.

(above) Moonlight Chicken Ep.7 [3I4] 6.33

Funeral wreaths are meant to offer comfort to those left behind, but another way of looking at them is that they are also a send-off for the departed, a final Bon Voyage so to speak (if you believe in an afterlife beyond the present one that is). And if the messaging thus far is that Khun Noppharnach may be looking to broaden his horizons with other endeavors, perhaps the subtext underlying his cameo in this scene is that Mrs. Hong isn't the only one embarking on a new journey – it looks like his cast and crew are bidding him farewell. 🤔

But what might those "other endeavors" be? It could be he's stepping back from his GMMTV management role to focus more on directing and/or indie filmmaking. That's one possibility and I think it's the most likely, since it parallels Jim in Moonlight Chicken shifting his life's work to a smaller, more nimble vehicle, no longer tied down to a fixed edifice (his diner, standing in for GMMTV perhaps) and its heavy attendant responsibilities.

Then again, this being an election year (2023) – my mind is reeling with juicier possibilities. Could it be that Khun Noppharnach is eyeing a stint in politics perhaps, just like Director Golf Tanwarin's previous turn in Parliament? 👀

I know it sounds a little farfetched, based on only one appearance and three mentions of Khun Noppharnach's name in Moonlight Chicken.

But there have been signs of heavier political messaging in recent GMMTV shows. Not Me and The Eclipse were both commenting on the oppression of existing power structures on the LGBTQ+ community. Meanwhile, My School President and Moonlight Chicken separately also spoke of dinosaurs in positions of authority that need replacing in order for LGBTQ+ rights to move forward:

(top) My School President Ep.12 [1I4] 13.10; (bottom) Moonlight Chicken Ep.7 [2/4] 7.58

And Moonlight Chicken itself also has embedded themes that nod at the political (see this write-up linked here), while Wen himself has spoken directly about the need to have queer MPs defending LGBTQ+ rights at Ep.7 [2/4] 8.04, saying "I may become an MP candidate. If I'm chosen I will write a new draft bill."

If a political future is really what all this is hinting at, it seems a little strange that Khun Noppharnach would choose to announce something this momentous in such a veiled manner, so I'm not entirely convinced myself that this is where it's all going. (And even if my guesses are off the mark, which they probably are based on track record of previous predictions, hah! – I'm still convinced that significant change of some kind is in the offing.)

But then again – given the love Khun Noppharnach has for his craft – if he was going to make an announcement of this magnitude, what more heartfelt way is there to do it than via his beloved medium of film and drama, in a series with queer love and awakening at its heart? 💖

I would if I could, Khun Noppharnach! 👍

[newmoonwastaken]

Alright so. I have a theory about ENA.

(Spoilers under the cut.)

So basically, in the trailer we see 3 different "Ena"s. One of them has the form that we are used to, half red half white, probably the playable one.

Then there's a more humanlike one, who appears very sick (which is fair because there is a large hole in her torso)

And then there's one like the first but without any arms and also with a bright green and cracked-looking face.

So I have a theory that they're all the same Ena. *wow shocking* BUT bear with me

Later in the trailer we see a screen showing (probably) game footage in which Ena's red arm is throwing about her white one. This is the same arm that's missing in the video showcasing the track "The Purge Event". And if we look closer under her hat in that video... it's green.

So I reckon the cracked-looking Ena is the playable Ena but just in the future. Some bad things could happen to our playable Ena and she might die like in the trailer.

But what about the humanlike one? where does she fit in? Well here's the thing - she might be the past version of our playable Ena. Here are the logical leaps I made when coming to that conclusion:

So in Temptation Stairway (bear with me here) there is a QR code above the mannequin expanse which translates to "forget your past". This implies that one or more characters have some sort of past that they are meant to forget *wow shocking*.

What if this "past" is a life as a human? With the future already taken up by the cracked Ena who presumably dies, and the present by the playable Ena, that leaves humanlike Ena to be in the past.

"But Newmoon," I hear you ask, "how could the humanlike Ena have undergone such a drastic transformation into the playable Ena?" WELL I'M GLAD YOU ASKED BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA EITHER. But I have some vague speculations as to the specifics, tying into some established stuff.

So in Temptation Stairway, it's pretty well established that S1 Ena had some sort of "debt", which was cleared at the end in accordance with Moony's bet. This was likely portrayed by Ena's blue side turning yellow.

Here's my speculation: since deities are a clearly established part of canon, what if one or more of said deities could pick up a dying human stranded in their world (for example, the humanlike Ena) and turn them into an Ena in exchange for a debt in the form of one side of their personality? For DBBQ Ena, this debt could be her salesperson side, and she attempts to pay it off using what sales she makes.

"But Newmoon," I hear you ask, "how does this character connect to S1 Ena?" Well here's the thing: she doesn't! The Shepherd implied that there are multiple Enas in existence, presumably sufficient to cause a significant annoyance to her. "Ena" is not a name so much as it is a species, perhaps, and S1 Ena and DBBQ Ena were previously entirely different people.

"But Newmoon," I hear you pestering me with questions get on with it, "what about Power of Potluck? After Temptation Stairway, S1 Ena's sad side came back!" Well that's where you're wrong - I believe that PoP happened before the events of Temptation Stairway. Here are two reasons why:

Number one: In Extinction Party and Temptation Stairway, Ena has an additional horizontal strap on her clothes, which is not present in Auction Day. Nor is it present in Power of Potluck, which eliminates the possibility of it being a last-minute design change. Since the time in S1 is likely linear, and Temptation Stairway is considered a "season finale" by Joel, PoP likely happened in a time-frame outside of the series, before or after Auction Day but not after Extinction Party.

Number two: Moony's form appears to have reverted back to how it was prior to the result of her wish. "but what about the hand?" how else do you think she got things into her geometric inclusion.

"But Newmoon what would be the point of Ena's sad side being her debt? she can't use profits from it to pay any deities" idk maybe the deities are cruel stop asking questions.

And there you have it! My theory that is almost certainly wrong! Please correct me on anything and please also dump your own theories in the comments/reblogs/whatever I did not sleep anywhere near enough last night

[ingoldendreams]

It’s dangerous outside. I hear my god say when I try to peer out the window.

I pause in my action, too-human curiosity warring against my faith.

Finally, faith wins out and I step away from the curtains.

It is dark outside, no shred of light entering my room.

It has been that way for a while now.

I open my closet and take out another cup of instant noodles from the never-ending stash. It is warm in my hands. I open it and place my lips to the side of hard plastic. I down the contents.

It is too salty, as instant food often is.

I lick my lips and throw the cup into the trash. It enters and joins the rest of the cups I had downed.

I turn back to my computer, starting it.

Idly, I count the seconds as it whirs to life, age taking its toll on the old machine. The lights flicker.

Ten minutes later, a bright screen pops up. I open a blank document and start writing.

The Lord of the Mysteries fell into slumber, my god dictates.

Fingers run across keys. I don’t say a word, even when my god speaks too fast for me to follow. My god will not slow down for me, I have learnt this. I fill in the gaps with my own imagination. My god has said nothing, a silent agreement, I would like to think.

And within the cocoon, a young worm breaks out of its shell.

I type on, my mind dull to the strange words strung together on the screen.

So begins, my god croons, the tale of the Lady of Misfortune.

Beginnings are always an end. I have learnt this from countless stories I have scribed.

Without waiting for my god to say so, I save the document and close it.

My god does not say a word. I stand up from the rickety chair, leather peeling off it in bits and pieces. I stretch, bones cracking and popping in a way anyone who has ever worked an office job would feel.

I glance at the curtains, what was once a bright yellow now washed to a dull grey. It hangs still, not a single movement to it.

My fingers itch for the edges of the worn cloth. I resist the temptation.

“When will it be safe outside?” I ask.

Soon, I hear my god whisper lovingly like a parent to their child, very soon.

I glance at the thousands of documents stored in my endless storage.

Soon, I think, and cannot help but doubt.

-

I haven’t left my room in a while.

Reaching for the doorknob sends palpitations in my chest, beating and drumming like a balloon squeezed tight to the point of bursting.

The thought of drawing the curtains would set a nagging god upon me.

I sit blankly on my bed, looking at my computer, blaring out a song. It is staticky and cuts off at the most inopportune times, a sign of its age.

Unable to bear it any longer, I stop the song and open up a game instead.

It is an old game, but still widely played.

I enter the server and kindly ignore the glitch in its name. It still works – there was no need to complain about cosmetic issues.

My avatar appears in a town square. I open up my friend page.

Most of my friends had stopped playing a while back, but I had found a few more friends within the game. They were odd characters, but when there were no more than a hundred players left remaining in the game, beggars couldn’t be choosers.

Everyone had a unique title. I had gained mine from spending time within the in-game library, penning down – certain fictional works that certainly had no relation to any existing player, widely received by the thousands of players there once was.

‘Library of Babel’

A popup from a chat caught my eye. It was from one of my friends, a presumable-woman (you never knew who was behind the mouse of a character) who always insisted on using the full title given to me instead of the shortened ‘Babel’ or ‘Babe’ my other friends had taken to calling me.

‘What’s up, Matron of Chaos?’ I typed. It was a pain, having to type out her full title, but she got upset if I did otherwise. She never really said so, but I figured it out after I had died to her summoned creatures one too many times.

I still died to her creatures every now and then, but it never hurt to please her more.

‘The Red Mist has infringed once again upon my property. As per the rules, you will be the judge and arbiter in the absence of the Black Pharaoh.’

Not this again.

As of late, the Matron of Chaos had been picking a fight with the Mother of the Red Mist. It was around the time the Red Mist’s title changed.

Still, with the Black Pharaoh missing, I had been dragged in to witness their fights and arguments – if it could even be called that. As annoying and arrogant the guy had been, I couldn’t help but miss his presence now.

I watched numbly as my avatar died and respawned, caught in the aftermath of some powerful AOE attacks, resting my cheek on my arms as I yawned.

In the depths of my mind, I could sense my god watching this petty squabble with great interest.

I turned my attention away from the battle and to my friends list instead, scouring through the still active players.

‘Master of Dimensions – inactive’

Huh. That was one name I hadn’t thought would go off. Master of Dimensions, or Scammer, as I liked to call him had been planning something or the other against his perpetual feud with Formless Chasm.

I scrolled down the list and confirmed that Formless Chasm was inactive too.

I leaned back into my chair and sighed.

More people dropping out of the game.

Absently, I reached for the curtain.

It’s dangerous outside, my god hissed. I obediently withdrew my hand, looking back at the computer screen.

The screen flickers, the game closing and making way for a new document.

I sigh, but wriggle my fingers and prepare myself for another writing session.

 -

A person walked through my door.

I turned to look. The person had no face. And not in the way that meant the person had no features – I saw through his head, like there was nothing there, much like a badly rendered image filter.

“How did you get in here?” I asked. “It’s not safe outside.”

The person stood right at the doorway, facing me – or I assumed so, it was hard to tell. The person didn’t answer – not that it could without a face.

“Who are you?” I asked again. “Do you not remember who you are?”

My computer screen flickered, then bluescreened on me.

ERROR

RETRIEVING USER DATA…

USER NAME CORRUPTED

USER PROFILE CORRUPTED

ERROR

RETRIEVING BACKUP DATA…

USER NAME RETRIEVED

USER PROFILE RETRIEVED

The screen flickered again, and the screen was restored.

The person’s face was also slowly retrieved and pieced back together, pixel by pixel.

“Do you remember who you are now?” I asked. “Who are you?” I asked again.

The person didn’t reply.

I waited another minute before it became too late to wait for a reply.

BACKUP FAILED

DELETING USER DATA…

USER DATA DELETED

The person crumbled, body changing into 1s and 0s that could no longer be sustained.

I sat back as the person disappeared, leaving me to my lonesome once again.

-

“Who are you?”

I kicked the floor, turning my chair around to look at the person standing in my doorway. This time, I wasn’t the one who had spoken.

��Do you remember yourself?” I asked.

The person before me had a face – a sense of self, no matter how blurred it was.

The person was silent for a second, then replied, “yes.”

“Come in,” I said.

The person stepped inside my room cautiously.

“I am the Library of Babel,” I said, “are you worthy to be my god?”

[fellshot]

I am not really looking forwards to the Ashoka Tano series for a few reasons.

First I don’t like the character that much. But it seems like I’m really supposed to. On the surface, I feel like I should like a woman Jedi badass. But I don’t and considering how often she pops up in other characters’ story arcs and that each time she supersedes the other characters rather than taking a back seat, it feels like Rose Tyler from Doctor Who all over again. The “I’m a Jedi, but only when it’s convenient” is very frustrating. I feel like if you have a Light Side Force adept who isn’t a Jedi, you should really lean into it because it sounds like an interesting development for character and worldbuilding.

Second, I haven’t been able to get through Clone Wars partially because the Tartovsky series exists and I have it in its original narrative format, but also because who in their right mind would ever give Anakin Skywalker, walking disaster a padawan? For me, it is beyond my suspension of disbelief. I can’t do it. It doesn’t help that people tell me that the first 3ish seasons are rough going. That is emphatically not encouraging. Rebels season 1 was rough going too but at least it was funny and at least one of those idiots (usually Hera) had a working brain cell at any given time.

Third, it kind of looks like they are going in an Heir to the Empire direction. Which is okay I suppose, but feels like overly eager fanboys who never bothered with any Thrawn novels after the first three, if they even read past the first one. Later there’s an imposterThrawn storyline that seems like it would make a hell of a lot more sense in the current canon (such as it is). But it also seems like we are approaching a major point of no return divergence between bookThrawn and tvThrawn. Timothy Zahn has done a really awesome job of reconciling the two as much as possible, but I don’t think that Filoni is up to continuing it at all. Zahn made a very clear and fundamental difference between Empire/Republic space and the Unknown Regions and how they see their Force sensitives which I find very interesting and great, but given how Ashoka is usually written will probably get overlooked or hijacked to grow her journey to being something or other. Does she have any personal goals at all? To be fair, this seems like a generic Jedi character issue, but I don’t see it getting addressed on screen in any meaningful way.

Fourth, Ezra deciding that he had to stay to help someone (or several very young someones) in the Unknown Regions makes way more sense for his character than hers. A large chunk of the Rebels storyline is him fighting to free his home from Imperial control. Ashoka doesn’t have that kind of connection to place or people and it would be fine for her character if it was left that way , but it very much looks like Ezra’s motives (and Sabine’s) are being hijacked and reassigned to Ashoka. Which is really frustrating if you want to have development for both characters that is different. She needs to do her own work and not crib off someone else’s.

All that being said, if I end up hearing that Ar’Alani shows up and kicks all of the ass (as she fucking should), I will probably give the Ashoka series a shot. There will probably be another delighted squeefest of “it’s Chissmas!!” on social media if such a thing happens. I am totally here for that.

[randomnameless]

Seeing how badly sothis/byleth get treated by intsys makes me feel really badly for them and their fans. I thought self inserts were meant to fawn over the player but instead I see the company retcon them, replace, and low but high key shitting on them. I don’t think I would ever see this with characters like Link or Persona or the little pokemon kids so I’m not sure what intsys is trying to tell us about sothis/byleth if this what we see done to them, “they’re just a mindless beast”

As I realised thanks to talking and exchanging with people around and after years of discourse...

Fodlan suffers from "self-insert worship" but in a batman 5D chess gambit, from doylist wise, "player worship". Earl Grey must sell, thus the character who always loves the player and was made, designed, as the player's love-interest (Billy's), Supreme Leader's worship takes the cake.

As already pointed out, Fodlan games try their damnest to erase or not give any figs about Flamey, the "War" is just a background buzz and units are on snow class, and if something is to blamed for the destruction and deaths caused by the war it's deflected on the mole people, "Church/Kingdom BaD because they don't offer their heads on a platter" or the world and its systum - and the worst offender, on "crusts", aka, blood from a genocided race that mingled with "humanity" and is used as the scapegoat for everything wrong in the world. The "alien blood" is to blame and the real responsible for why Miklan tried to seduce people who didn't want to be seduced, or why classicism exist.

I exaggerate a bit, Heroes tried to poke holes at this smokescreen and it ended up with Supreme Leader running away from Lissa (the most persuasive character in the franchise?) because, hey, in her verse, no one told her 1+1 = 2, or no one she couldn't introduce to Aymr I guess.

(of course we have the lol!supports from the besf, but any opposition is resolved with a teaspoon in the following supports, there's no disagreement nothing, it's always "and John realised off-screen Supreme Leader was right and he was wrong", ultimate kuddos to the Ferdie support though, the biggest joke - but again, FE16's supports kind of suck).

With that in mind, Billy was always intended to be the SS Lord, and to opposed Supreme Leader (that's the gravitas and main steak served when you order Fodlan : "u will feel bad bcs u turn against ur precious student sad uwus").

And yet, not to prevent the irl players from, idk, buying Supreme Leader merch or routes or being engaged, even if it's through foolish fan-faction wars, Billy takes a backseat as Nopes fully embrace the core of the Fodlan games : Hresvelg Tea.

Player must feel bad for siding against Supreme Leader - so Supreme Leader must somehow be right, and make people at least some of them surface-level wonder if the ends justify the means, right?

Billy, when they are their character and not a self insert UI, thus must bow down to this rule - everything must be thrown in a blender so Supreme Leader's steak will look appetising, even if you have to destroy the tastiest risotto ever done in the process.

Rhea cannot have spotlight else we will be in a Lissa situation again - so if she has any, it'll play in the red herring already debunked 10 chapters ago "Church BaD Rhea BaD maybe she should have ruled over the world instead of letting HuMaNiTy rule itself". In Nopes? Conveniently, Uncle pops up so Rhea's goal changes, and she will prefer to save the world instead of putting the person who wants her out of Fodlan by tomorrow morning because her ears are pointy to the sword.

Dimitri? "BaD" as long as he wants to kill Supreme Leader, but when he'll become the Saviour King, he'll try to spare her and regret having to kill her - fuck to Baldo, Waldi, and the "creatures masquerading as humans" I guess - in FE16 ; in Nopes, he'll also join the "Church BaD" gang, thus isn't "really" opposing Supreme Leader, right?

Clout became a thing.

And Billy? Well, Barney's existence is their nemesis, so to prop Barney they should shit on Billy, right?

But to shit on them to this point - throwing them with the other Nabateans in Nopes in the "dgaf" trashcan but also, confirming the worst theories from FE16 (Jerry's not the best dad ever) hurts. Billy was, this time, sacrificed to make place for the new self-insert, but also, imho, to showcase how the damn space lizards are evil (and not only because we're playing an agarthan game/route, but also because it checks a certain someone's agenda).

So while I think it's less something of "the devs hate Billy" it's more like "the devs want you to buy Hresvelg Tea".

[mannatea]

The World Could Be Beautiful, a Tales of Symphonia ‘fic (Chapter 6)

Word Count: 29,384 Summary: After a chance encounter in Izoold, Raine and Regal both get a lot more than they bargained for. (A one-night stand 'fic with consequences.) Chapter Summary: Raine gets new clothes and there's uhhh consummation of the marriage? Pairing/Characters: Regal/Raine, Genis, George, and assorted OCs as the story requires. Lloyd, Colette, and Zelos all show up later. Warnings: Blanket warnings for the entire fic: pregnancy (and all that comes with it), discussion/mention of abortion, power imbalance, fantasy racism. Rating: Explicit. (This chapter does have sex in it. It's not very explicit though.) Genre: Romance/angst/friendship vibes.

The title is the link to Ao3 for Chapter 6!

Notes (to be read after the chapter) under a cut:

This chapter made me rage, not because of the story, the characters, or anything related to ToS or fanfiction at all. Rather, the word processor I was using decided to do the most asinine update a couple of days ago, implementing AI shit (in a pop up on the screen you can't get rid of in a shiny graphic) and a "paragraph handler" on the left hand side that lets you format paragraphs super easily on-the-fly. It annoyed the shit out of me. So I had to switch back to Word or lose my sanity. ARGGHHHH. I literally wasted two hours dealing with this shit.

--

Raine is definitely the kind of person who can't sleep well if there's just too much to think about/if she has too much on her mind.

Regal doesn't care that much about what Raine wears because they're in Altamira and there's no reason to dress up. I don't think he would ever be 'controlling' about his spouse's manner of dress, but he would definitely be pickier if the situation called for her to dress nicely (a party, meeting with someone important, et cetera).

"Half-elf culture" is probably something that exists in Exire since it's so separated from the rest of the world, but they're just using the ignorance of others to their advantage right now lol.

--

Love the idea of Raine struggling a little to feel like this place is her home, especially when she didn't choose any of the fixtures/furnishings and it's not set to her taste. Fortunately for her, Regal's taste isn't bad...but also she's had like just a couple of days to get used to the idea of living here for the next half-century or so, which would feel SO weird.

--

Something something Regal is a lingerie appreciator. Not that a pretty nightgown is really lingerie/negligée, but the point still stands that if he thinks she looks good in something he might be properly appreciative of it (and not just with the express intention of removing it).

We don't really get Raine's perspective here at all but just imagine she woke up with a goal in mind and while she is NOT a patient woman she did wait patiently. LOL

Also, achy boobs suck. IYKYK, and if you don't...be grateful.

[vilevampire]

Hi! I don't think this is really gonna be a proper question, I've just got Iruma on the brain rn and my favourite part of it is the characters. I just love (nearly all) of them sm. Is it ok if I rant abt them? You can just ignore this ask I don't want to be a bother adlfslfwnkffhd

My top 3 in no particular order are Kalego, Opera and Purson. Everytime I see them I just get excited I love them sm. Kalego's got probably my favourite design out of everyone, I love how cool he is, I love how he treats the Misfits harshly but he does actually care about them and wants them to succeed. (When I was watching the episodes I somehow skipped on the one where he visits all the student's houses. I didn't notice until I finished S3 aha)

Opera is also really cool. I love that even though Kalego acts tough all the time he's kind of scared of Opera. (that whole thing was a lot clearer after I watched the skipped episode jhljkdsbgk). Not sure how else to put into words how much I love them atm but I do. They're great. Just got to the bit in the manga where they're a teacher at Babyls and teaches the misfits non-verbal magic.

And Purson, I liked him before I even read his story. Only really started to notice him in the intro of S2, but didn't pick up on every time he was on screen. I rewatched a bunch of clips now and it's fun seeing him in the background. I relate to Purson so much it's agh. I always was quiet in my class and rarely anyone interacted with me or noticed me. I liked that most of the time, but there were times I wanted to be noticed for what I can do, but at the same time I don't want the spotlight directly at me. Also Purson being really quiet all the time then when talked to he just talks a lot about so many different things at once is just me. I was so mad when that evil demon guy popped both of his balloons in the heartbreaker arc he was working so hard I so wanted him to get through aslnsdfdfsg

I know you've posted a lot about a lot of different characters, but who'd you say are your top favourites? or does that change a lot?

rambling is always welcome here !!! especially if it's abt mairuma. make urself at home

I love the characters sm too, especially the misfits. (on the topic of the kalego visiting the misfits' homes episode, everytime I think abt that episode I rmr how allocer's scene was the ONLY ONE that had NO dialogue. it was just a still frame sliding across the screen. fml)

opera is a pretty popular character, I mostly appreciate them for their nyanbinary catperson swag, and how sweet their found family relationship w/ sully and iruma is.

I think I picked up on purson's existence early on in s1 (it's funny to re-watch and spot him in the crowd). he's a favorite of mine too. though actually I think most ppl in the fandom love purson and the music festival arc. like everybody unanimously agrees that it's the best arc hghjhughj side note abt purson but this mf is the most not-nonbinary nonbinary character I've ever seen I s2g I kept almost accidentally they/them'ing him sooo much when I joined the fandom a while back like he just does not register to me as a boy. the no biney vibes r just off the charts

ngl I barely rmr shit from the heartbreaker bc I read most of it over a year ago while those chapters were still coming out, the most I rmr is jazz being tortured on the cross (what does nishi fucking have against him to make him suffer so much THE OTHER CHARACTERS DON'T GO THRU NEARLY AS MUCH SHIT AS HE DOES) and then winning bc of allocer and not even getting a rank up for the LITERAL TORTURE he went through. like r you fucking kidding me what the fuck was the point of all that then ?????? fucking rigged

I was so sad for purson too aghhh he tried so hard my boy did his best but he got fucked over by atori >:((

as for which characters r my favorites, I think it's pretty easy to tell just from looking at my acc but robin and jazzy r my top tier faves lmao. though funnily enough neither of them were immediately my favorites. it kinda happened over time after I finished the anime (which only had 2 seasons at the time) and the manga. robin I never paid much attention to until he suddenly took over my heart but jazz was always a character I was fond of just because of how similar he is to me JHGFHJNGF

but my faves have changed around quite a lot since I've gotten into mairuma. my first fave ever was actually kiriwo, which maybe is a bit surprising considering I never post about him and I've never drawn him either (though I plan to), he's what made me fall in LOVE w/ mairuma when I first watched it. fucking love a little guy who is fucked up beyond repair. then later my #1 fave shifted to iruma, then robin followed closely by jazz, and now robin and jazz r about equal (though I am kind of hyperfixating on jazz atm so I've been posting more abt him and drawing him more often)

other characters I adore include:

kalego, for completely heterosexual reasons

lied. I used to dislike him (I hate his pervy jokes, though he's not nearly as bad as kamui) until I watched s3 of the anime and it singlehandedly changed my opinion on him, even though it was all content that I had already read in the manga, I just think the anime did the scenes better. now I'm a lied stan

allocer. a character I completely ignored for like a year UNTIL I watched his sukima from his episode w/ jazz in season 3. like seriously before that point I couldn't even rmr his name consistently, but then I watched that sukima that converted me into a jazzllocer shipper and he slowly grew on me as a result. but the REAL turning point was when I sat down one day and went "okay, I want to write jazzllocer fanfiction, but it's really fucking hard when it's so difficult to get a grasp on allocer's character. he barely has any scenes focused on him, he's missing for an entire major arc and we know absolutely nothing of his backstory. I'm gonna analyze the few scenes he's in very carefully and then come up with my own hcs to make up for what he lacks in canon." after that there was just no going back. allocer is practically my oc now bc of how much shit I've made up about him in the past month or so. also, nishi, allocer arc when ??????? I'm waiting bruh when will my boy get the focus and fleshing out he deserves

furfur. again … for het reasons. I just really like characters that r absolute bastards HGFGHGFGH

among others, but really I like most of them. I'm also fond of dali (similar to furfur he's kind of a little shit. imagine being the most important teacher at babyls and u never fucking do anything), kerori and gyari (lesbians frfr), sabro (autistic king), etc.

[trixcuomo]

Whats the most challenging part of writing in a 'modern wow' setting? Where do you draw inspiration from?

That is an excellent question! Long answer to this, so I do apologize...

I've been writing fanfiction for years, but writing for Trixany was a challenge because I wanted to parody (of course lol) modern influencer culture, which can have its toxic side. I actually strongly dislike some aspects of it. I write Trixany as a hungering character, desperate to fill a void by seeking all this attention and fame. That's her biggest flaw; wanting the fame so badly is her blindspot. The void inside her? That is the wound caused by the attack on Quel'thalas.

So! As for the biggest challenge in translating influencer culture into a Warcraft universe? I guess... suspending belief. You can use "comm" or "scrying orb" instead of the word "cellphone" or "television/screen." A lot of us roleplayers say something is of Goblin or Gnomish make if it seems sort of modern, as is already the pattern in Warcraft. That's how we fill in the blanks. That's easy. But how do you get people to go along with there being a celebrity gossip show, based in Dalaran? How do you convince readers that there are rival Warcraft girl bands that vibe like the Pussycat Dolls versus Destiny's Child? Without it seeming so ludicrous, you get thrown out of immersion and can't enjoy it?

I fall in love with these ideas, and then I NEED them, and they have to happen. So I have to streeetch and reach into the furthest extremes of the Warcraft storytelling spectrum. Maybe the wild-ass Goblin aesthetic is on the far end, and something most familiar to fantasy, with Human/Elf/Dwarf interactions, something Tolkien, is on the nearer end. Somewhere on the Goblin end, we have Kaja-Cola and that maybe feels like a modern company that would have a Fanta-esque girl band to promote its soda. Haris Pilton is barely, scarcely lore-abiding. But as an Elf, she probably falls in the middle? And I can draw a line safely from Warcraft Goblins to Haris (if she even really exists), to Trixany.

I find these Warcraft touchpoints and build them out. Haris Corp has become this huge, scary company with Goblin modernity and Elf sophistication beyond what Trixany can even imagine. So anything Trixany does as an influencer now seems normal by comparison, I hope. More believeable.

Usually, whatever makes me laugh really hard or that I become occasionally obsessed with in pop culture is my inspiration. I usually don't tell myself, 'No, that can't happen' when it comes to stories. IRL I may get nervous about trying something new, but when it comes to writing, which I love so badly, that's my moon shot. I will take the moon shot every time and imagine a way to make a cool idea with real potential happen, no matter what. Writing is one of our few spaces where we can set ourselves free and really be ourselves, so of course you have to try!

The Cody Rhodes post happened because I was following that, and I'm a WWE fan. I've been falling down a PubLIZity rabbit hole, so that might inspire something soon, too? If I can see it, I'm gonna try to reach it because that's exciting and you might make someone belly laugh, smile, brighten their day! Writing is so fun for me.

Oh, and I'll say my favorite modern-day Warcraft writing I've done on here was inspired by Lady Gaga's Marry the Night music video. If you read the Dalaran City Clinic post and play the YouTube video in there simultaneously, almost the entire post actually hits right in synch with the narration as a parody. I love Lady Gaga so much, and that music video is incredible. I really wanted to honor that and combine it with my Warcraft fangirl side.

Also, I just love Kael'thas showing up in that post as the nurse. It works so good; it cracks me up. That post just captures Trixany really well and how I translate modern-day pop culture into Warcraft writing. Guess the First Aid trainer in Legion Dalaran was the touch point on that one, lol!!

I usually have asks turned off, but I'm pleased you reached out. I seriously enjoy your writing too Nix, so that was cool of you! Nice ask.