#then who's to say others can't do the same to his friends?

[saintclay]

1) the first thing that you find strange (other than this whole dimension hopping thing) is that your chat isn't actually visible. they're not audible either (except for when someone sends a TTS message. those are audible inside your head). instead it feels like you're just... aware of everything that your chat is doing and saying.

its a strange sensation, but you get used to it.

2) from what your chat tells you, you surmise that your stream is still being broadcast. you're not entirely sure what would happen if the stream went down, but you're not super eager to find out. your gut tells you that the answer is 'nothing good'

you're not fully sure exactly where the stream is actually being broadcast from. you're also not sure if you want to know the answer to that question.

3) before you dimension-hopped your streams tended to average around 20 viewers. from what you've gathered, that number seems to have stayed the same. from what your chat says, you've deduced that they see you from a fixed point about a foot behind your head (diagonally). 4) people tend to think you're a lot more observant than you are. you don't notice shit half the time, you just have the advantage of a few dozen extra eyes on everything you're doing.

after the first few times you got sick enough of explaining it to people that you bought some costume jewellery and started telling people that it was a family heirloom, attuned to you by blood, that let you run multiple streams of thought at once. anyone who cares enough to ask normally buys that.

5) chat convinced you to join a low-level adventuring group. your cousin used to do archery professionally, so you bought a crossbow and agreed.

turns out, you were NOT cut out for adventure. like, at all. at least, not when you started. but you could cook a decent meal (thanks to chat's help), so the group let you stay until you actually got decent with your crossbow.

you still didn't like it very much. you parted ways with your group after the tavernkeeper who hired them found out that the reason his barmaid wasn't coming into work was because she got mugged. they stop by every now and then and it keeps re-affirming your decision to bow out of that whole 'adventure' thing. last you heard they were going off to fight a dragon.

6) it isn't uncommon for you to wake up and have your chat inform you that they researched things while you were asleep. it is, however, rare that you can actually do anything with that research.

you keep telling chat that it doesn't matter if they know how penicillin was made if you're not sure if penicillin can grow here. you've made trying to figure that out into a side project to get them to stop hassling you

7) your stream had (and still has) three people who have mod status; BlueLuna, Devilsound, and taiLwhip (yes, spelled like that). they're the only ones where you can tell that they're talking. the rest of chat feels almost like a single entity to you.

(you chose your mods for a reason, Luna and taiL because they're your friends, and Devil because they've been in your chat since day one. from what you can tell, they've been keeping your chat in order)

8) you want to go home you want to go home you want to go home you want to go home you want to go home you want to go home

as far as you can tell, there is no way to get home

9) someone in your chat apparently brews alcohol as a 'hobby'. they seem intent on teaching you, with the reasoning that, at the very least, fermentation can't be too different here.

you'd rather not know if there is a different way of making wine here, honestly.

10) you keep waiting for it to get better. for the homesickness to fade

it doesn't.

[chocobje]

How I like to characterize Sprout is that he’s great talking with the ones he’s close with (Cosmo, Astro, etc.) But incredibly socially awkward with others. He comes off as brash, but he’s trying his best.

What guidelines do you try to follow when writing Sprout? I’m just curious.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to yap about one of my favourite characters hehe..

You asked for guidelines I gave you a character analysis instead.

(Don't mind the images I didn't want this post to look naked)

ALSO NOTE THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY THIS IS MERELY MY INTERPRETATION OF HIS CHARACTER. EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN!! Don't take my post as a mandatory guide to follow.

Let's talk about what's canon:

I like checking the Wikipedia for his dialogues every now and then to make sure he's not too out-of-character.

Sprout comes off as blunt, he does not sugarcoat his words when he has something to say.

Not even an excuse or a reason as to why he doesn't want to join Teagan for tea; It was straight up a "no" until Teagan told him Cosmo will join them too. (Also I want to point out he doesn't immediately say yes when he's told Cosmo will be there, so for all we know he'd still decline even if his best friend's joining Teagan).

Dandy's dialogue when you purchase Sprout. I think about it a lot. Out of all the character dialogues, the one with Astro is what I feel like is an example of his overprotectiveness coming across as "pushy".

He'd definitely be the type to scold his friends. Especially after Gardenview's shutdown with all the Twisteds wreaking havoc and whatnot. I don't think Sprout is fond of going on runs, but only does so he can watch over everyone and keep them safe. He makes sure everyone is focused and on high alert, he doesn't want anyone to be reckless.

He prioritizes safety over answers. His dialogue with Rodger shows that. Maybe he's also curious as to what has happened, because in Vee's dialogue he tried talking to Dandy only for Dandy to walk away. I assume Sprout just wanted to check up on him rather than knowing what's going on with Gardenview and the Twisteds.

Another thing I don't really see often is how Sprout is actually pretty forgetful and impulsive.

For a Toon who's constantly keeping watch on everyone he surely does not apply the same kind of attention to himself.

He talks before thinking about his words, but once he realized that he immediately apologized to Vee. I don't think he always notices when he comes across as rude though.

I actually think he's actually quite reckless when he bakes. I obviously can't show it in this post but if you look at that animation with Cosmo and Sprout baking they're not even measuring the ingredients. I mean what. 😭

The way he bakes feels so impulsive and it just looked like they were winging it. Somehow despite that their baked goods still end up great and that's honestly impressive.

Okay now for that dialogue between Bobette and Sprout, I was getting there-- I've never made a gingerbread house but from what I've seen from other people it requires a lot more patience and carefulness.

Sprout is neither.

According to him, his gingerbread house fell apart immediately and then he stopped trying afterwards. It's honestly funny.

I feel like this also shows through his stats. Both his extraction speed and skillcheck is 2 stars. His stamina and speed is way higher. He prefers running around, probably to make sure he can watch over everyone during their runs. That or because he has long legs.

Anyway to recap; Sprout in canon is blunt, pushy, overprotective, and impulsive. But he genuinely has good intentions and means well. He cares for his friends, which is why he scolds them because he wants to make sure they're safe.

Now for some headcanons:

Okay this is the part where I make stuff up. So it's just my take;

• He has ADHD.

I'M STARTING WITH THE NEURODIVERGENT HEADCANON.

This is not a unique headcanon. I've seen so many people who headcanons this too so it's relatively popular. Personally, I only see him with ADHD. (I'm projecting).

He's forgetful, impulsive, and quite socially awkward in a way aswell. He's easily distracted. He keeps forgetting about the oven. He's impulsive when baking. I'm a very impulsive and reckless person myself, I constantly make mistakes when I draw, yet somehow they end up okay 😭. When I'm not able to draw something right, I give up immediately. (I projected this onto the gingerbread house thing earlier).

• He comes across as intimidating.

You know in Kids' birthday parties when there's a mascot a lotta kids go run and hide? I based it off of that. I remember when I was like, 6 or 7, when a mascot came in I cried and hid under a table. They were tall.. <\3

I feel like there was a concerning number of kids who were actually afraid of him, despite how friendly he appears both in person and in the show. Maybe it's the RBF when he's not smiling..

I also like to think he's taller than some of the kids who comes to Gardenview which plays a factor to the whole "intimidating" thing. The way Sprout deals with this is giving the kids cupcakes or other sweets. Once the kids actually talk to him they're immediately comfortable.

• He was one of the very first to become "Twisted".

I don't have a concrete idea on how the story of the game goes, but I always imagine the Mains being the first victims. Sprout is a healer and he keeps an eye on everyone, so he had to go first.

–

Okay, I think that's all now. If you read all of that wow thanks, this took me hours to write 😭. I love overanalysing characters.

[ventique18]

🐉🌸 with one-sided ❤️🌸

🍎: "By the way Ace, didn't you say the other night that you were into the prefect? What happened to that?"

❤️: "About that... Yeah maybe you should just forget about that."

🍎: "Ehhh? Why? Did they reject you?"

♠️: "That's because he's a coward."

❤️: "Shut up! I ain't no coward! You know you'd do the same in my shoes."

🐺, snickering: "That's exactly how a coward is, you know."

❤️: "No! They're just... Not worth the effort."

🐺: "So you're a jerk who can't be damned to put in the effort."

❤️: "I resent that."

🐺: "You gotta fight for what you want, you know. Nothing's over until it's over."

🍎: "What he said! You're already close friends so it's kinda a waste, isn't it?"

❤️: "BECAAAAUSE."

Saying that, he put up two index fingers on either side of his head; as if to motion the image of a devil.

🍎: "They're a bitch?"

❤️: "This stupid-- no. It's their other option."

The other boys stared at him blankly.

❤️, rolling his eyes: "Dragon."

The first years mouthed a slow "ahh".

🍎: "So sorry."

🐺: "My condolences."

❤️: "Hey! Where's the faith you put in me earlier? And here I thought we were friends."

[sheeple]

Okay so is this kinda inspired by my own wishfull thinking? Yes absolutely. Do I give a damn? Absolutely not. Warnings? Age gap (reader 23/John 35) / Reader lives at home / kinda rushed because I want it out of my system :)

Ever since covid you and your friend had a Tinder Night every two weeks, to help you with your never-ending singleness. And when she moved across the country to move in with her boyfriend, the Tinder Nights got digital. And by now you've also broadened your horizon to Hinge.

But one evening bored out of your mind by the selection of boys, your friend — plus her boyfriend who tries not to be invested but is failing very badly — and you decide to up the age to 30 to 40, for shits and gigs of course.

And after an evening of swiping and giggling about the creepy dudes who put their minimum age to at least 23, you kinda forget to put the age back to your five-year rule. Until you get a notification of Hinge a couple of nights later.

John has liked your photo! Match to continue the conversation.

You hesitate at first. From the small picture, the notif gives you you can see that the guy isn't 25 of something. Opening the app, you scroll through his profile.

He's... handsome. You're not going to deny that with short brown hair and a pretty mighty moustache and beard, he kinda gives you puppy vibes as his eyes radiate kindness.

His profile says he's 35 and in the army. Pretty tall too. And his prompts are pretty hilarious too. At least... you think so.

You send a screenshot to your friend of his answer to:

I'm totally obsessed with: Sleeping in a freshly washed bed.

You: Oh he's... like ADULT adult Your friend: That answer comes across as if he is going to give you tips about the airfryer

And against your better judgement... you match with him.

The conversation is awkward at first (from your side at least) but slowly and surely you start to warm up. His jokes are horrible and dad-jokey but make you smile anytime he sends them. He's the first person you text and the last one from whom you check if you have a message before going to sleep.

After a week he asks you out to dinner. He wants to meet you and see if you match each other in real life. And you agree.

So that Friday, after work, you get all dolled up and you ask your mother to drop you off so you can drink a cocktail or two and don't have to worry about driving.

When you walk into the restaurant your breath hitches. There he is, waiting patiently for you. He's wearing a simple white button-up with the sleeves rolled up his arms and dark slacks. Effortlessly handsome.

John rises from his seat when you approach and hugs you, a wide smile on his face. He pulls the chair out for you, like the gentleman he is, and asks about your day.

To your surprise, this is the first date you truly enjoy. John is attentive and seems to really pay attention to you and what you say. He asks about you, your job, and your life. Of course, you do the same. he's a very interesting man and his job is just amazing. He explains he's a captain in the British Army but that he's on desk duty until his injury from his last deployment has healed. He can't say a lot about his job as a Captain, but what he tells you sounds all so brave.

Without even realising hours have passed and the restaurant staff is not so subtly urging you to pay and go home. You want to grab your purse to split the bill. But John gives you a stern look and pays instead.

"You really didn't need to do that", you say as he drives you home, feeling kinda guilty that he paid the bill.

John gives you the same look as before. "Darling, my mother raised me right. And she would give me a stern talking to if she knew I would let a lady pay on the first date."

"Fine", you huff, "but next time I pay!"

"Next time huh?" He gives you a cheeky smile.

You feel your face heat up and choose to say nothing, opting to look out of the window.

John stops in front of your house and gets out to open the car door for you. He walks you to the front door and you hesitate for a moment with the key in your hand.

"I would love to invite you in for tea but..."

He nods understanding. "But you have roommates that are probably asleep by now. I get it."

Pursing your lips, you embarrassingly scratch the back of your neck. "No... I still live with my parents."

John's eyes widen with shock for a second before he masks it. "Ah. I see."

This is it, you think, I've blown it.

"It's a bit too early to meet the parents, isn't it?", he jokes and you let out a sigh of relief. You nod in agreement, a smile forming on your face.

Standing up on your tippy toes, you press a kiss against John's cheek. His beard prickles your lips but you don't mind it.

"Thanks for tonight. And thanks you for driving me home", you smile softly. "Text me when you get home safely?"

John nods and you wait before entering your home until John's driven away. Once inside you sigh deeply.

How are you going to explain to your parents that you're dating a guy who's seriously twelve years older than you?!

[daisysbike]

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5:17-20

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

John 3:16-21

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one; 11     no one understands;     no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;     no one does good,     not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave;     they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14     “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16     in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

...for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

Galatians 3:26-28 (emphasis mine)

God distinguishes mankind based not on race, sex, or earthly station, but on whether or not we have accepted the gift of grace which is Jesus Christ. Read John 8 (specifically 38-47), and see that the pharisees were called children of the devil because of their rejection of Christ. That is where we all start, dead in our trespasses. But God came to the world to save us from ourselves. Yes, the Jewish people have done bad things. That does not make us any better. If you think that you are better than someone because of something you think is important (like race/ethnicity), then check again friend. Isaiah 64:6 likens our "righteous" deeds to filthy rags. I promise that you can't even live up to your own standards, let alone God's. What do we deserve then? Hell. We deserve, I deserve, eternal separation from a God who we rejected in continuing in sin and looking to ourselves as our savior.

But Christ came, and He fulfilled the Law, which was God's standards! He suffered and died on a cross in a humiliating death at the hands of His creation. He took the wrath that was set against up for violating the commands of a thrice holy God. And He did not stay dead. He rose on the third day, conquering the power of death (which is the separation from God) forever. When you put your trust in Christ and repent of your sins, you will be granted eternal life with the God who loves you.

So when you are blatantly showing the sin of pride by comparing yourself with your neighbor and declaring him unrighteous (because deep down you think you are righteous), seriously consider the transgression against God you are making.

*Side note! Matthew 21:43 was taken wholly out of context. Jesus was talking to and about the pharisees (i.e. religious hypocrites) who were adding to God's law, and thus making a man-made religion. In the parable before (Matt 21:23-27) he makes this very clear. The following parable (vs. 28-46) begins with the words "Here another parable," which implies that the two parables are working together to emphasize the point further. A Bible verse taken out of context is a pretext for a proof text, so always check the surrounding verses to make sure the person is telling soundly exegeting.

I confronted a fellow Christian for being openly antisemitic and they proceeded to use the Bible, ya know, the book full of Jews, to justify antisemitism. It was surreal.

[hotvintagepoll]

LAST POLL OF ROUND 4

Danny Kaye (The Court Jester, The Inspector General)—Danny Kaye, idol of my childhood, maker of the weirdest faces! This man SETS HIMSELF ON FIRE and then puts himself out in a bucket in a movie based on a Gogol short story. In the same movie (Inspector General), he flirts by playing a carrot as a musical instrument. In Wonder Man, he's brilliant but struggles with things like riding buses. I have been envious of his fake Italian/French/German/Spanish monologues in The Court Jester for the past three decades. As Walter Mitty, he is SUPREMELY SILLY yet also somehow manages to be a comic foil for none other than Boris Karloff. All this is to say nothing of The William Tell Song (TV, thus not linked, but great.) I adore him.

Donald O'Connor (Singin' in the Rain, Francis, Call Me Madam)— LOOK AT HIM. Those giant blue peepers. Those tappy tappy little feet that don't quit. The ears that stick out like little wings, ready to lift him up to goofy heaven. The way his face contorts into the strangest yet most endearing expressions. His ability to sing and dance alongside the hunk that is Gene Kelly and yet pull all attention away with his big-eyed buffoonery. The way his energy is unmatched in songs like "Make 'em laugh" - bouncing off the walls and tumbling through the air straight into my cold cold heart. Who else but a true scrungly lil guy would sit upon the witness stand and defend a talking mule with all the love and affection in the world - staring out into the court room with his bright wide eyes and eternally mouse-like expression, openly admitting that the mule is his best friend?!??! I see him and I want to pull him from the screen into my hand and just squiiiiiiiiiiiiish with all my might. I want to pinch his cheeks and have him bat those eyes at me. He just makes me go "eeehehehehehe" every time I see him and his silly little self. He is pure chaotic, ridiculous, scrungly perfection!

This is round 4 of the contest. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. If you’re confused on what a scrungle is, or any of the rules of the contest, click here.

[additional submitted propaganda + scrungly videos under the cut]

Danny Kaye:

He's so stupid. I love him.

Donald O'Connor:

My silliest little guy. My funnyman. My horsie. I have watched many a bad movie for this man. The scrungliest fact I know about him is that he was supposed to star as Danny Kaye's role in the iconic White Christmas (1954), as he had known Bing Crosby since he was a child, but couldn't because he caught a mule disease while working on those Francis the Talking Mule films Universal endlessly made him do. I wouldn't exactly recommend those movies, but Don's character getting psychologically tormented by a sardonic mule does make for quite a good movie night, if you know what you're getting into. Are You With It? is another one I don't exactly recommend, but it does open with Donald as a math genius actuary who is about to kill himself over a displaced decimal point before getting taken in by a traveling carny instead. His more well-known and beloved roles have plenty of scrungliness too, in my opinion. This man slapsticked so hard he wound up bedridden for his physical exertion! Rather than submitting Make 'Em Laugh, which the electorate has likely already seen (I hope), I'm submitting an underrated dance number of his, where he explains maths through tap dance. That movie is Not good, but god do I love him in that role.

I think it's arguably very scrungly to seemingly be a real life cartoon character made out of rubber, as proven by how slapsticky the list of scrunglies is so far. In which case, Donald O'Connor? He scrungles supremely. He even played Buster Keaton in a movie (that apparently can't be recommended, but still).

[yv0nn1e]

"we were born to a world with dead ends."

gravity — rafayel

summary: to be betrayed in one timeline, to find out the truth in another, and now, to seek revenge in the current.

pairing: rafayel x non!mc fem!reader

cw/tw: angst? mean reader, some twists from the myths and the actual lore itself.

note: an alternate version of my backburner rafayel fic where instead of falling in love with rafayel, reader gets angry when she realizes lemuria's fall is actually because of rafayel.

word count: 2k+

non!mc reader who remembers the excruciating pain of losing her life in every single timeline where rafayel was involved.

non!mc reader who, in the current timeline and at eleven years old, starts to get flashbacks of her past lives, not knowing what they were until the memories fill each other in as she matures. the older she gets, the more refined those visions become, until she reaches the age of fifteen where a rough vision of rafayel, her beloved, gives up his heart, and lemuria for this strange yet certainly unforgettable girl. non!mc reader who, realizes that she might have died at rafayel's hands— that lemuria fell under rafayel's sacrifice and love.

non!mc reader who, at fifteen, decides to walk away from the sea and from her dearest friend who, she now knows, had betrayed their people in their past lives. she goes to land with her aunt, finding solace in her passion for acting and the dramatics. rafayel had tried to stop her, or at least, get him to accompany her yet he could never forget the underlying anger that had filtered her eyes.

"you're really leaving? but why?" rafayel asked. he wasn't sad, not exactly. perhaps just a tad bit melancholy at the thought of his truest friend walking away, leaving him all alone to face the pressure of the sands and seas all by himself.

"i can't achieve anything here." she replies, the duality of the meaning behind her words floating above rafayel's head. she can't achieve anything if she stays right where she had always been after all these years, after all these lives: right next to rafayel. she will be bound to the same ending if she stayed any longer.

they bid each other goodbye, and non!mc reader was more than ready to start a new life. perhaps, if she stayed away from rafayel, if she had stayed away from lemuria, then she cannot befall the same painful fate that she would during her previous lives.

non!mc reader who physically and internally experiences the actual pain of the lemurians' sufferings in her past lives whenever she would get a vision despite the fact that she had already stirred far far away from the sea.

her aunt talia looks at her worryingly as non!mc reader sits on the plush of the luxurious couch, her hand in her chest as she took in deep breathes— each and every inhale activating that painful tightening in her chest, the same sensation of internal stabbing.

"did you get another vision?" talia asks, her soft and delicate fingers rubbing non!mc reader's back. the girl could only nod as she takes one last deep breath before slumping her back towards the headboard of the couch.

"how much longer will i have to endure this? do you even get visions like mine too?" non!mc reader chokes out as she takes a glass of water. her aunt talia visited her on set today. it had been long since non!mc reader had decided to live above water and join the humans. she's an adult now, in her twenties, and a successful young actress at that.

"dearest, you know i don't. we've spoken about this. you're— you're different." talia says in a hesitant tone. these two have tried to figure out the root of non!mc reader's visions, how do they happen, and why they're happening in the first place. but nothing. they have nothing. the only thing they were certain about was the fact that the visions are highly implied to be true. the tales and myths about lemuria align with the visons and flashes.

"perhaps, there is a reason that you, out of everyone, has been bestowed such gift." talia comforts, a gentle pat glides over non!mc reader's shoulder blades.

she could only scoff. "this is no gift. this is a curse."

non!mc reader who falls into shock as she stumbles upon a familiar purple set of hair on a tall figure during a banquet. could it really be— "yn!" her name rolls off his tongue so softly, gently. all so familiar and nostalgic that for a second, non!mc reader forgets that the man whom her love transcended one life over another for had been the cause of her impending doom.

"rafayel?" she minds his presence. he looked a lot older than she'd last seen him. he was a lot taller, his lean figure built stronger with grown muscles, his aura being more elegant and confident. and yet, she questions whether or not he had changed. "what are you— why are you here?"

he tells her that he's settling in linkon for a while. he says that he's got a lot of business advocates and opportunities to stumble upon the city as he pursues his artist career. he then reveals to her that he too had left the sea not long after she had gone, saying something about how the sea's weight felt a little too heavy under ground.

"does it really get easier up above the water?" she throws the question out rhetorically as they find themselves in a secluded seating area of the banquet.

rafayel wasn't dumb. surely, he felt the venomous tone in her voice or the unwelcoming glare from her gaze. he wishes it would be his mind playing tricks on him but the more he stares deeply into her eyes, the more he feels as though something was not right between him and his dearest friend.

"i don't really think so." he replies to her rhetorical question.

one thing about non!mc reader is that she isn't entirely certain that her snarky remark wasn't applicable to her. over the years, she often doubts whether or not trying to escape her home was better for her.

the both of them stare at each other. one pair of eyes gazing at the other's figure filled with confusion and nostalgia. wondering where he went wrong or if he had done something wrong. the other set of eyes staring in regret, unsure of whether or not joy or anger should control her thinking as of the moment.

the silence was louder than ever, until it was interrupted with that even louder ringing in non!mc reader's ears, that stabbing pain becoming stronger— probably the strongest she's ever felt as every fiber of her being was aching.

and yet she was too stubborn to let a slither of her vulnerability and truth slip past the cracks of her facade.

"i have to go." she tries to say confidently or rather, in a more composed way as she stood up, grabbing her purse and clenching her chest with her free hand which earned her a concerned and confused gaze in rafayel's face.

"are you okay? i can take you—"

"im fine, rafayel." she insists, pushing past him as he stood up to reach her.

"it was certainly something to see you again." she coughs out a fake scoff as she takes one step forward, only for a gasp to slip past her lips when her ankles bend, cause her whole body to not only pulse in excruciating pain, but to fall.

she feels the pain take her away from consciousness, a flash of white turning into a silhouette of a younger boy, his hair the same shade of violet as rafayel's, his voice more playful, as the image of her childhood in the prosperous kingdom of lemuria in a previous life takes place in her mind for a while, but the realization did not go unnoticed.

no, it does not get easier above water. as long as gravity exists, the weight of the world will always pull you down to the ground where one must acknowledge the truth.

non!mc reader who realizes that the pain she feels whenever she gets visions started when she left the sea.

she finds herself waking up in a bed of soft silk and fluffy pillows. this wasn't her home, the ambiance was rather softer and cleaner as the sun's rays painted dawn against the windows.

"you're finally awake." she gets taken out of her trance as she turns her head to the doorway, a smiling rafayel leans against the frame of the door. "you good now? maybe next time, don't insist that you're fine when you're not."

"what?" she's confused. she's never passed out from a vision before. sure, at first the pain was unbearable, but years of endurance has built her some kind of immunity or rather, suppressants that makes the ache less painful.

"you had a really high fever last night. what's worse is that, the tides weren't even low. we don't usually get that sick but i guess you're just a bit helpless without me, yeah?" rafayel teases as he brings her a tray of food and medicine. she stares at him in awe, that buried affection for him attempting to break past the cracks, but she does not let it go.

non!mc reader starts to see clearer visions now that rafayel is back in her life. with the added age and maturity, the flashes are longer and less vague. so when the moment a full vision of what happened during the sea god's ceremony played, anger resurfaces her mind.

non!mc reader who swore to avenger herself and lemuria, her beloved land. which is why, when rafayel introduces his new bodyguard, she immediately knew that she was the sea god's bride. that rafayel's miss bodyguard had his heart. literally.

and if it was what's needed to restore lemuria, she would stop at nothing to have it in her hands.

non!mc reader who is staring as the main lead in a new linkon tv series that depicts a tale about an ancient underwater civilization called lemuria. she could only laugh hysterically at her role. was she really playing the role of the sea god's bride? the sole thing she could never be in whatever universe or timeline she was in? oh how destiny loved to mock her.

non!mc reader who asks rafayel for help, feigning vulnerability and saying that she needed his bodyguard too, saying something about her old bodyguard going away for a while, even offering to pay double what rafayel was paying her.

non!mc reader who takes this chance to let her suppressed anger over the centuries and lifetimes that have passed out. it started with complicated coffee orders to fetch then upgraded to delivering her wardrobe, only to accuse miss bodyguard of practically sullying the dress with her reckless actions. in general, just treating her like the worst. miss bodyguard could quit whenever she wanted but rafayel had asked her so persuasively to induldge in non!mc reader's request since she was one of his closest friends.

non!mc reader who gets attacked by one of her visions, the pain stronger than what she assumed was the strongest attack when she met rafayel in that banquet before. what's more severe was that she could practically feel and hear the screams in her more recent visions.

non!mc reader who is sick and tired of suffering the regrets of the past, tired of carrying the weight of a future that is clearly telling her to take responsibility. so, one day, she flat out says to rafayel to do something about lemuria. to take his heart back, to end his people's sufferings. and yet, rafayel, like in all those visions she would see and remember, only replied with the same thing: that there would be other ways.

non!mc reader who damns it all, never stopping at one ask to convince rafayel to take his heart back. every chance she could, she would try to bring it up with rafayel which results into the man questioning his bestfriend's eagerness. she wasn't usually like this. she was never this insistent. despite the rejections, non!mc reader is thankful that rafayel was asked to be an illustrator in her new project because it makes it easier for her to bother him to own up to his responsibilities.

yn lets out an exhausted sigh as she looks at herself in the mirror. this costume was ridiculous, she thinks, as she analyzes the decor of the dress— the director said it would be a close-to-accurate replica of lemurian bridal attires. her top, a delicate yet structured piece, bared her midriff, emphasizing her poise, while bands of gilded accents traced the contours of her shoulders and arms. a flowing sash, transparent like morning mist, hung from her waist, its shimmering fabric embellished with ornate patterns that mirrored ancient symbols of wisdom.

fuck, they were right. it was close to accurate. so much so that non!mc reader starts to pity herself, thinking that the only moment she would have gotten to dress up like a true lemurian bride would be in a show, a fictional, unrealistic series that depicts the story of her beloved and the other woman he had chosen and would choose in every other life.

she steps out of the dressing room, the staffs getting the scene ready as the director yelled out orders. rafayel was with his bodyguard in a corner, discussing with the other illustrators what to do or add into the scene to make it more vibrant.

"it's a wedding scene, it's supposed to be colorful." he rolls his eyes, his bodyguard chuckling in amusement at his sulking. non!mc reader wonders how the producers even got the rafayel to agree to being part of the project. initially, she would've thought that rafayel thinks they would sully the lemurian culture and tale itself and yet, here he was, ever so passionate in the intricate coloring of the set.

"honestly, these people look like they're trying to disrespect the lemurian legacy—" rafayel stops speaking as he turns around, only to be met with non!mc reader in that traditional wedding gown. she looked certainly beautiful in it, he could not deny that. in fact, it looked rather fitting on her, as if she was meant to wear it.

she was currently distracted, practicing her lines with her partner in the show so rafayel's gaze goes unnoticed.

non!mc reader who has to poorly go through a physical and actual demonstration of how the end of lemuria was met because of this stupid show that somehow, got every detail accurately correct.

the way her limbs trembled at the set, the lines, and the impending remembrance of what was to happen after the ceremonial scene in the story. her terror was so obvious that her stutter and shaking figure immediately warned the director and everyone else that something was wrong.

the recreating of the scene in a different perspective terrified her so much, the trauma of reliving that kind of pain and watching it replaying in her mind. the fear was strong enough to trigger another vision, clearer than ever.

"excuse me. i'll be back." she manages to speak, immediately running back to her dressing room to handle the pain all by herself.

non!mc reader who has never told rafayel about the visions. the only person who knew about them were talia and herself. so one could only imagine the feeling brewing in rafayel's guts when rushes to open the door of her dressing room, only to see the actual pain his yn has to go through. all alone. all by herself.

it only then hits him. this must be why she had been so insistent on taking his heart back. this must be why she had left. why she had been so distant— why she acted the way she did.

she was angry at him. albeit, she was literally hurting because of the actions, the bond, the devotion he had sacrificed and given away.

his beloved yn was suffering because of him.

in every universe, he would give his heart to his love, causing him the loss of his kingdom and his entire being. in every universe, non!mc reader has to endure the physical manifestation of the regressing feeling of neglect and abandonment from the one true person that holds her protection in his hands.

in every universe, they were always bound to be met with dead ends.

[judysxnd]

Proofs that Pedro Pascal & Y/n Y/l/n are dating, (part five)

As requested, here's more!

Not going to lie, I don't really follow closely Pedro's life anymore, so I don't really know what he is up to or where he could be and stuff, so this is a bit approximate

———————————————————————

(a while back, can't remember the dates)

Pedro was on SNL a few times, not only to host but sometimes just to appear in a few sketches. Guess who appeared in at least one sketch when he was here too? Y/n. This is a huge coincidence, it's actually not a coincidence anymore. She did host one time, and Pedro appeared too. This is so weird..

10.11.2024 morning

Pedro and Y/n were seen having a coffee (date?) in some local coffee shop where they were. They were sitting in front of each other in some corner, trying to have some privacy. They were eventually seen leaving together. They were apparently very close to each other, and Y/n even held Pedro's arm as they left. That's cute.. but not enough, come oooooooooon

14.11.2024 at 9:17pm

Gladiator is premiering and, well obviously Pedro is here because he literally is in the movie. But, wait- who is that on the carpet just a few meters behind Pedro? Is that Y/n? Oh yes that's her! Wearing a very tight red dress with some gold lines, matching the topic of the movie. But what is she doing here? During one interview she said that the cast invited her. We do think it was one particular person who did.. Luckily enough we got a picture of them together. They do look good together.

21.11.2024 at 4:13pm

Pedro published a photo dump when he was on the set of Gladiator, and we couldn't help but notice a certain woman in the background of one of his picture. It might seem like a simple landscape picture, but further in the front, there is.. Y/N??? Yes that's her! To connect this, a while ago, might have been when they were actually on set, Y/n posted the same landscape on her story. We did not forget. She apparently visited him on set! What a coincidence

23.11.2024 at 7:20pm

Guess who posted another photo dump of his time on the set of Gladiator? Yes, mister Pedro. Guess who appears next to Joseph in one picture when they're in town? Y/n. Maybe she is in the movie to be there that much? I've seen, she is not. Come on guys, you keep dropping hints, just make it official now!!!

24.11.2024 at 10:29pm

Now it's Y/n's turn to post a photo dump of her "memorable moments" she had these past months. The pictures shows a wedding of one of her friends, a beautiful landscape in New-York at night, a picture of an arena with people dressed as gladiators, a picture of dogs- wait, did you say a pic with gladiators? Is there Pedro in this picture? Wa- Yes ! He is in the picture. There is also a picture of two hands holding, but of course it's her left hand and his right hand so we can't see Pedro's tattoo! Ugh this is getting so frustrating.

[maple-the-awesome]

Another Link Crushes On You || Part 2

Part 1 ||

Pairings: Legend, Twilight, Wind x GN Reader

Overview: You've known Link for years - Well, a version of Link. Neither of you have seen yourselves as being anything more than friends, although it seems not all Link's think the same, in fact when you're introduced to the Chain, one of the boys falls pretty hard for you. I spun a wheel to let fate decide upon random pairs this time. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun with some of them😁

Zelda Masterlist 💚 Fandom Masterlist

Legend isn't a big fan of Skyloft which is something he decided rather quickly upon arrival - and no, it has nothing to do with the cold, thin air or hair-raising heights, although he’s also not a big fan of either. His problem lies solely on the cheerful atmosphere created by this village’s inhabitants. It’s all too easy going and mundane to fit an adventurer’s heart. Too familiar and painful, to boot. 

The others may think of him as aloof and, quite frankly, Sky might be a little offended, but Legend has no interest in exploring these islands or making friends with the locals. Never again. Instead of joining any guided tours or trading stories with inquisitive knights, he sinks into his own isolation, finding a quiet place to sit amongst the shore of Skyloft’s only large water source.

All by his lonesome, he’s free to find a good boulder to hide behind and tear away at his hair in a desperate attempt at calming his unsteady anxiety…That is, until he hears a sound - No, not a sound, a voice. A beautiful voice that doesn’t speak, but rather hums a delicate melody he’s certain he’s heard before, probably from Sky who has a habit of mumbling certain songs to himself while plucking his harp.

…And there you are, blissfully unaware of anyone else's presence by the lake as you approach the water's edge. Dropping a laundry basket in the sand, you carefully roll up your pant legs and kick off your boots, prepared to step into the cold water until you suddenly halt.

As if having developed some sort of sixth sense, you glance over your shoulder, quickly spotting the pink haired boy peeking at you from beside a boulder. The sight understandably startles you, yet despite how awkward this situation might look without context - what, to catch a total stranger apparently 'spying' from afar - you give him a kind, that be it nervous smile. People in Skyloft truly are too trusting for their own good.

"Oh hello there! …So sorry, I don't think we’ve met yet."

Legend sighs, realizing it would be creepier if he were to just ignore you. With his place of solace now ruined, he stands and dusts the sand off his tunic, "...That's because I'm not from around here."

"Oh?" You tilt your head cutely, likely confused as to what he could possibly mean, after all, where else would he have come from if not Skyloft? Looking him over, you take notice of his outfit, “Are you a knight? I see you have the uniform of one.”

The angel on Legend's shoulder begs him to be honest, after all there's no reason not to be. Naturally, Sky seems to be pretty well known around Skyloft, so maybe you wouldn't be too surprised to learn your local hero has become ensnared in another adventure, bringing home a handful of other heroes. You might even find Legend more interesting if he were truthfully, awed by the rare chance to meet someone outside of your own timeline...yet staying true to his own bad habits, he decides to dig his own grave instead:

"...Yeah, I’m a knight. I'm just usually really busy, so that's probably why you haven't seen me around, you know,” He explains boldly.

You furrow your eyebrows while finally stepping into the water, taking a handful of clothing items with you, "...Huh...I still could've sworn I knew everyone here, what, with the island being so small and all."

Legend cringes. He can't tell if you're simply speaking on your confusion or slyly catching him in a lie, although the uncertainty isn't enough to deter him, "W-Well, I don't live 'here' exactly. I live on one of the...outer islands - And I spend a lot of time there instead of here which would make it easy to miss me."

You give him a strange look that feels as if it could burn right through him, however you fortunately turn away before his heart can ignite, "...May I ask your name?"

"My...name?" He blinks as if that’s the strangest question you could’ve asked.

"I just feel a bit rude for never having noticed you before, but if I were to learn a name to put to the face, I doubt I'll ever walk past you again without a smile," And oh, how deadly your smile is, flashed over your shoulder so innocently, yet those eyes - They hold mischief behind them.

 "My name is Li - Ravio. That's my name," Another needless lie...

"Li Ravio?" You repeat, not looking very convinced, "That's certainly...a name, alright."

"W-Well, I didn't pick it!" Yes, yes he did...

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any offense. It's a unique name, that's all, but that will make it easier to remember," You laugh at his misery, your eyes crinkling with the action. You then introduce yourself, your name sounding vaguely familiar, although Legend's in too much of a daze to think of why, "It's nice to meet you, Li Ravio."

He bites back a grumble, already regretting his life choices up until this point. Seriously, if he was going to give himself a cover name and story, couldn't he have picked something a little better? You probably think he's a weirdo, just showing up out of the blue with some half-assed backstory that sounds totally fake - Wait, what does he even care? It's not like he knows you! You're a random civilian from a timeline that comes generations before his own. If he wanted, he could march off and never see or think about you again...but does he want to?

Despite his previous desire for isolation, Legend remains standing there dumbly in the sand, entranced by the song you go back to humming while carefully scrubbing away at your laundry. You take no shame in your singing - which is good, because there's no reason to be. You sound nothing short of holy, and quite honestly, you match the look, practically glowing in the beams of sunlight. Even your movements are graceful, so much so that as you wade out of the water, you hardly disturb the water lilies around you.

"Where'd you learn to sing like that?" The question slips before Legend can help it, but there's no taking it back. You stop mid-step onto the sand, eyes quickly darting up to look at him in surprise. It's as if no one's ever been smart enough to give you that compliment before...or perhaps no one has ever sounded quite so astonished while saying it.

"My cousin and I sing every evening at the Lumpy Pumpkin," You explain, bashfully tucking a strand of hair behind your ear after dropping your laundry back into its basket and picking it up, "You should come by sometime. It’s on an island south east of here - Very cozy, and a great place to get to know new people, too.”

"I'll, um...think about it,” Legend answers awkwardly with a cough. Will they even be staying in Skyloft that long? How would he even get to another island, especially without anyone else following - Wait, why is he even considering this?! 

You seem to have lost some of your cheer. Perhaps that wasn’t the exact answer you were hoping to hear, however Legend, once again, has no way of taking it back.

“...Well, I, um, should get going. These clothes won’t dry themselves,” You mumble, gesturing to the basket you keep against your hip. Without waiting for any goodbye, you make your way up the shoreline, only stopping temporarily to shout over your shoulder, “Oh, and Li Ravio? I should probably tell you that Link was looking for you earlier! He wanted to make sure all you boys knew not to get too close to any edges! It’s quite the fall!”

Legend doesn’t respond, too stunned to form words as you chuckle to yourself before skipping off on your merry way. So you were aware of his lies the entire time!

Faced with tired bones and a sinking sun that plummets the world into night, the Chain has no choice but to call it a day (not that they have any objections towards rest). They practically collapse where they stand, taking a few greedy minutes to catch their breaths before picking up the work once again.

Setting up bedrolls, sparking a fire, organizing supplies, and chopping vegetables, the heroes are kept active for a decent hour or two until they can take another breather. Gathered around a wonky circle, their conversation is light and mostly focused upon their hunger which is only fueled by the pleasant smell of soup until it can be dished out.

About half the boys have bowls in their hands before a sudden snap of a twig causes them to trade their meals for weapons, senses on heightened alert especially when a stranger soon steps out of the shadows. At such a distance, the fire's light only barely outlines their silhouette, but that’s apparently all it takes for someone in their group to realize this is no actual stranger who's stumbled across them.

Hyrule's face lights up as he exclaims your name. Your own reaction is quite similar, switching from caution to excitement within the same second that you remove the hood from your head. The way you both move to greet each other, holding the other's arms with bright smiles and disbelief is quick to calm the other heroes. If you're a friend of the wary traveler's, then you'll be a friend to them.

"I thought it was your voice I heard from the trail, but then again, I haven't heard you in ages! And to find you in such a large group of companions? Never before! Where have you been for all this time, old friend?" You seem to go through several emotions all at once - a steady flow from relief, confusion, sorrow, and joy. Hyrule is hardly any better.

"It's a long story, but I haven't exactly been around to be seen," When you give him a bewildered look, he’s quick to brush it off, "I'll tell you all about it some other time - Hey, why don't you join us for dinner? There's plenty to go around!”

Your eyes instantly widen as you wave your hands in front of yourself, your smile suddenly strained, "Oh, no - no thanks! That's a kind offer, really, but I, um, ate not too long ago -"

"- Pss! He's not the one who does the cooking here," Someone whispers. At that, your shoulders visibly relax.

"...Oh...Well, uh, now that I think about it, it was really more of a light snack earlier. I suppose I could stand to eat something more."

Hyrule beams at this, clearly happy to have someone he knows so well stick around even if only for a night. It's then that he finally introduces you to the group, explaining that you're a fellow traveler he often crossed paths with during his own adventures. Seeing how dangerous this time can be, you had a habit of sharing supplies, camps, and stories to feel less alone in the world, so it's no wonder that you'd be so relieved to see each other safe again.

"Mind if I sit by you, stranger?" You ask, peeking around at Twilight while Hyrule grabs you a bowl of soup. Despite your tired eyes and worn expression, you still manage a friendly smile that causes the rancher to nearly choke on his spoon.

With a cough and blush, he scoots to the side, probably making far more room than you actually need, "...Not one bit."

"Thanks!" Fortunately, you don't seem to think anything of his reaction as you gratefully take a seat nor do you take any notice of the way he steals another curious glance at you.

Seeing as you're a new face within the group, it's only natural that you become the center of attention. Questions are thrown your way left and right, many interested to know your story which you modestly tell with little fanfare. Apparently, you've been a traveler for the last few years, wandering from place to place while making a living off trading the resources you collect throughout your journey. Before then, though, you used to live at your family's ranch.

"You grew up on a ranch?" Twilight asks a bit too eagerly once the topic's mentioned, earning himself a lot of strange looks including one from yourself, although you at least seem more forgiving than his friends, quickly letting your confusion go with a gentle nod.

"I did - For most my life, actually," That's all you say before going back to stirring your soup which you're thankful not to find any bone fragments in.

"What made you move on from that life?" Perhaps it's an out-of-line question a gentleman shouldn't be asking, after all he's no more than a stranger to you, but learning a pretty thing such as yourself may have a similar background to himself makes him forget all manners.

"...It was destroyed by monsters some time back," You answer simply while taking a bite.

Twilight bows his head, shame burning inside, "...Oh. I'm real sorry to hear that."

Despite his fears of having caused offense, you merely shrug off any discomfort, “My family made it out alright and we make do with what we have now. Can't go complaining about that."

"...I'm from a farming village myself - From Ordon,” He goes on to tell in a quiet ramble, “I’ve worked there as a ranch hand practically all my life, overseeing the goats we’re famous for. It’s quaint, and about as far from the big towns as you can get, but homely. And the people there - Why, I don’t think you’ll find anyone more kind and welcoming. Like livin’ in one big family.”

Once again, this probably isn't something he should be saying. If it were him, he'd be beyond distraught to lose the ranch to the point that any reminders would send him spiraling, yet to his continued good fortune, you take his story for what it's meant to be, setting down your spoon with a comforted smile.

"I'd love to see that…" Orondian, how you enchant him with such a soft gaze, taking him hostage in the sea of your sparkling eyes. If Hyrule's tales are any indication for the horrors of this broken world, you must be a true diamond in the rough to be from a place so cruel. Any less personal control and Twilight wouldn't hesitate to ask you to join them - to come along on this adventure and see how beautiful life will someday be. He could take you to Ordon and show you all he’s come to adore - let you breathe the fresh air scented like hay and pine while overlooking the familiar green fields you’ve dearly missed. Who knows? Maybe you’d even ask to stay. 

“I’d love to show you…”

"...Is this still a group conversation ooor?" Wild pipes in awkwardly from Twilight’s side, seeming to speak on everyone else’s discomfort as the poor, stricken young man loses himself to this yearning in his heart. This might be a long night and an even longer day tomorrow if they get stuck listening to him fawning over you...

You’re starting to doubt this shift will ever end…

It feels like you’ve been stuck in here for hours with nothing to do aside from sit at the counter and beg the sun to set just a little faster. You've already restocked inventory twice, organized stock to perfection, and swept the floor until your broom broke…If this keeps up, your sanity might just break, too.

Ringing from the front door’s bell gives you at least something to do as you sigh your typical greeting: "Welcome to Gia's General Store, where we have all your - LINK?!"

With a complete shift in mood, you happily leap up from your stool and race around the corner to meet your friend halfway in a tight embrace that you've both gone far too long without, "It's been ages! How have you been? Where have you been?"

Four chuckles at your eager questioning, "It hasn't been that long."

"Really? Because I swear five years have passed from this shift alone…" You groan dramatically before breaking away from the hug to get a solid look at him. Despite the months that have passed, he looks no different than when he had first set out. Good. You like him just the way he is anyway. 

"Please tell me you're planning on sticking around for a bit. I’ve been dying for something interesting to happen around here and your stories are just the salvation I need! I only have an hour to go until I can close up, though I'm afraid I might stab myself with a fire arrow before then. It’s been terribly boring!” 

That, Four doesn’t doubt. Your home village is as serene as they come which isn’t always a favorable trait in the judgement of two teenagers with more energy coursing through their bones than they know what to do with. Of course, he’s probably done no good helping matters by always filling your head with envious dreams of adventure and mystery. 

“We’ll probably be spending the night in town,” He tells you, much to your relief, “In the meantime, we have quite the list of supplies that we need to restock on, if you don’t mind.”

"We?" Somehow you only just notice the group of young men who managed to sneak into the store after Four. A few of them are already looking around at the items you have to offer, while others wait patiently with the hope that they'll be introduced to...Well, whoever you are to their dear friend.

"I would introduce everyone, but we all share the same name."

"All of you?" You look at Four in shock, yet he nods as if it's the most normal thing in the world to him...Then again, it probably is at this rate. Honestly you shouldn't be that surprised yourself. This is Link you're talking to.

"...Huh...Well, feel free to have a look around, I guess, and let me know if you need anything in particular. Arrows are buy one get two free right now, and fully in stock, too, since Link - Er, this Link, hasn't been in town to buy us out,” You explain to the group, jutting a thumb towards Four who rolls his eyes.

Now, usually you become a bit overwhelmed whenever large groups enter your shop, but seeing as these guys are Four's friends, you feel comfortable letting them wander freely. It helps that they seem to know exactly what they're looking for, too, making your job all the easier.

For the most part, the group allows Four and you privacy to catch up, only interrupting your conversation occasionally whenever they have questions about your prices or the quality of your goods, however you aren’t blind to the curious glances they spare you even in silence. No doubt they’re wondering how deep your relationship with Four goes, finding it endearing how at peace the young hero has become in your simple presence.

Most of these glances are quick enough, although you can’t help noticing that one of the boys seems to lack the same subtlety as his friends. Each time you steal a peek through the corners of your eyes, you spot him staring in your direction with an awed look overtaking his face. Whenever someone else nudges him to ask a question, he blinks rapidly with a stammer before bashfully looking away.

‘Cute…’ You’re tempted to think, but then you take notice of how young the boy seems to be. He must be at least a few years younger than Four and you - still a just child, at least by your standards which is an upsetting thought since context clues point to him being a hero, too. If that’s true, that must mean he was as young as Four was when he first set out on all this hero business himself, if not even younger. Poor kid…

Soon enough, Four confirms your suspicions about his traveling companions’ identities, telling you all about the strange portals they’ve traveled through and the journey they’ve been on up until this point. It was mere hours ago that they found themselves this close to home and, well, he couldn’t bear to pass by without seeing you or his uncle.

“Smart. I would’ve been livid had I found out you were in the area and didn’t stop by,” You elbow Four who pushes you back with his shoulder playfully before suddenly glancing behind you. Following his attention, you find the youngest hero standing there shyly, a minish feather necklace in one hand and a small pouch of rupees in the other.

Wind startles, seeming to have not expected your turn, “I, uh, wanted to know how much this was - um, is…So that I can buy it, if I may - for my little sister!”

You notice Four hiding his smirk behind his hand, yet you elect to ignore him for now, instead giving the younger boy your full focus with a kind smile, “How sweet of you. Consider it on the house, kid.”

“R - Really?” He brightens with possibly the widest eyes you’ve ever seen.

“‘course. Think of it as payment for helping my friend here find his way home safely.”

“Wow, thank you miss!” Oh goddesses above, his smile is adorable! He reminds you of the village children who often come here seeking sweet treats, such a simple delight to create lasting joy in their hearts. How you wish you could return to those days yourself - to no longer bear the weight of the world and its troubles in your thoughts. Alas, you could never so skillfully rewind time, but at least you can help protect that same innocence in others, even if only for a moment.

And protect it you do. Even late into the evening, Wind still cherishes that necklace in hand, carefully inspecting its details while kicking his feet giddily in memory of you, the pretty shopkeeper from Four’s Hyrule.

Sure, it probably isn’t that big of a deal. You gave the entire Chain a rather generous discount on their supplies despite their protests, but he was the only one who received your kindness personally without having to share. No one else aside from Four had the joy of seeing your beautiful smile directed his way, your expression soft and comforting like a warm breeze on the summer’s beach. 

He hadn’t lied. He does plan on giving the necklace to Aryll once this journey is over, but until then, he’ll probably admire it a little longer, at least until this crush of his settles within his heart.

[ros-sauce]

Ough my god SPEAKING of Mizuki's hyper-cheerful exterior, I was thinking about something recently!! When you compare her to the other Genki Girls of Project Sekai, there's a certain vibe difference between her and say, Emu or Saki. The vibe difference is, of course, that Mizuki is making an active effort to be as palatable as possible. But I noticed something more specific about that, that is, to me, equal parts cute and OW OW OW OW OW OW:

Mizuki totally acts like a kids' show character. Specifically, a Precure leader. (Which makes sense, given that Precure's almost certainly what MiraMagi Definitely Isn't, in the same way that TrickTrick Definitely Isn't TikTok.) Every kids' show protagonist is going to be niceys, obviously, they need to be good influences. But! There are still differences in the brand of niceys that each little kid franchise character embodies. And Mizuki's mask matches the Precure flavor just about perfectly...

What's most significant to me is that she's like, pushy about doing favors for her friends. Refer to her bullying Niigo into Going Out And Doing Stuff Because It's Good For Them. "Helpful to a fault" is a trait that Toei loves to give lead cures. You will have your pink cure who runs around helping everyone with a smile 24/7 (I am looking directly at Heart and Lovely especially), and you will have one of the other characters off to the side sighing something like "There she goes again, wearing herself thin because she is Just Too Nice. She doesn't know when to quit!".

There's also a second brand of "'helpful' is her one negative trait" cure, and that's the one who continually kills The Grumpy One with kindness, while the grumpy one in question thinks "Wow what a weirdo. Why are you so nice." (This time I'm looking directly at Peach, Heart and Lovely again, Miracle, and Star)

In general, she really often chooses to show her emotions in a very simple way, and it totally reminds me of how characters in anime for younger audiences tend to talk. When she's displaying 'really happy', she often takes a tone more akin to "announcing to the viewer" than "normal happy person". There's like, a lot of energy, and a sort of singsong tone, it makes me think of the recaps that tend to happen at the start and ends of Precure (and baby anime in general) episodes. The like, "Hi, I'm Firstname Lastname! I'm in 8th grade and this is my favorite thing! One day, a mysterious power turned me into a Precure, and now I fight bad guys!" thing. When she's displaying 'sad', she becomes a comical degree of mopey, and then bounces right back after a few seconds (refer to the "WAHHHHH MEIKO HATES MEEEEEE :(((((" card lol.) She also loves herself a good Noise No One Makes In Real Life... the breathy "a-haha..." sort of laugh when she's embarrassed, "Kyaa~!" when something cute catches her eye, drawn-out "Eeeehhhhhh?!" when she's shocked.

There's also a little bit of like, "irresponsible, but so cute about it that you can't get mad at her". Like in the Ena5 aftershow, where Ena's like "I'm glad you're here to make MVs again but don't demand a million drawings from me ok?", to which Mizuki is like "It's fiiine you can just pull an all-nighter for me :) can't you :)?". It reminds me of how half the lead cures are either Bad At Their Homework or Forget About It, and then wetly and pathetically and cutely beg the rest of the main cast to help them.

I dunno I just think it's. Extremely Mizuki to select the type of character whose worst flaw is "annoyingly nice and happy" as the basis for how she presents herself. If the person you pretend to be around others is totally perfect, it's weird and offputting (hi Mafuyu), so she has to display some kind of flaw. But being imperfect also opens her up to harassment, so of course she goes for the most hard-to-hate imperfection she can think of as her One Failing. And I also think it's Extremely Mizuki to have so much love in her heart for characters primarily designed to spread messages like "always be kind", "do the right thing" etc etc.

Mizuki is a little dweeb who likes cute low-stakes anime about peace and love on planet earth. And also she is not doing well mentally and all she wants is the peace and love on planet earth that her animes show. God. I love her

[jrsktx]

Your past with Ellie

P2

Listened to this masterpiece as i wrote this. Kinda inspired me for the next part🤫

!!!! In this version Abby did not try to kill Joel. Joel did not kill Abby's father. Nobody at nobodys throats. But the two girls can't stand eachother. And the 2 dads both were near being 💀 (Abby lives in the same town as reader and the others)!!!!

!!!SPOILER!!!(Ellies biggest safe place was their house,that's why reader wants to go back over and over again)

Abby is a little bit nicer in this version then she actually is(srry not srry)

Mention of: uuhhh nothing comes to minddd angst,fluff,comforting

(A little explanation to readers and Abby relationship. They kinda friends. Abby and Dina are best friends. You and Abby know eachother for like 1 and a half months. She knows about what happened between you and Ellie bc she's always at Dina's house)

You were at Dina's house. Again. Well... if you think more to it, you live with her now. It's been a month since the last time u tried to sleep at ur actual so called home. Waiting (again, who is shocked) for ur girlfriend. Nothing. Again.

When you told Dina the next day she wasn't surprised. U tried to play off that ur not hurt. That it didn't surprise you... even you did not believe that. It hurt as fuck. You wondered where even is she? Where she could been? Is she cheating on you? Living w someone else?

These were the thaughts that played in your head nonstop.

Not officially,but you moved into Dina's house after she told you maybe it's better to leave that place a little. To breath. You moved some things. Not all of them. You couldn't. (you went to get all of ur things but then you returned with a few things bc you couldn't pack all ur things like this is the end)

And that was more than a month ago. And here you were. Talking with Dina about this. That you shouldn't be the one drowning in this,she should be the one crawling back to you.

This shit again? Really? This is like the 100 fucking times you guys talk about this. Do you guys talk about anything else?

You and Dina snap ur heads to the door. Seeing Abby leaning into the door frame. Jesse behind her as he opens his mouth (you and Dina took a big sigh at that bc you knew he is going to mock everything)

Agree I didn't hear the full conversation but I can tell it started with "Ohh Dina do you think she's well? Even tho I'm the one drowning in depression? Do you think if I go back to that shitty house for the 101 times she will be there?" He said while mocking ur voice

"Ohh well I don't know (name). I think you should try it. It's gonna hurt u even more. Even tho both of us know she isn't even near the house but alright. Yeah this is the smartest idea on the earth." Abby says sarcasticly shrugging her shoulder while mocking Dina.

"Ohh alright thanks than I'm going already. And secretly I'm gonna search other places hoping she is there. And definetely I am not going to be surprised that she is no where. I 'm not going to cry about it for weeks. Nuuuh none of that right?"

"Hmm thinking about that,yeah you definet- you throw a pillow at Abby making her cut off the sentence. Making her catch the pillow.

Are you done? You say glaring at the both of them.

Yeah this isn't so funny as you guys think it is. Dina agreed with u, glaring with u at the both idiots.

Wha- Well, excuse you, I think this was our best perfomance yet! Abby said while she walked to you and Dina,sitting next to you.

Yeah, this was our best,and we don't even get a cheering from the crowd.. Jesse shakes his head while sitting next to Dina.

So? What is it this time? Did you realise you need to search her and officially break up with her? To be healthy and all bubbly again?

Dina pinched Abbys arm at that

Ouch- what the? I'm saying what I'm thinking about this. This is the best for her! Like you guys ain't thinking the same. But I'm gonna be the bad cop than.

You sit up more comfortably,as u push ur knees to ur chest,hugging ur legs.

But,maybe me and her could fix thi-

Abby cuts you off

Nuh-uh none of that bullshit. I don't wanna hear anyting like that

Yeah don't be stupid! Your the only one who tries to fix thi-

Dina cutsh him off

Exactly. It's clear she does not want you to find her. So stop it. This is unhealthy now. I love you but please. This has to stop.

But-

Abby cuts you off again

I said none of that bullshit. She snaps at u. Glaring at u

You say nothing as you burried your face into ur knees. Hiding ur face away from them. Your teary eyes. Because. You loved Ellie. You truly did. So how could you just leave her? Break up with her just because she isn't well? You could help her. Fix this. Right? Right.....?

You need a brake. Not the hiding away in my room crying secretly. You need to go out.

Jesse and Dina are both nodding while Abby speaks.

Theres a new bar. We should try it. And before you snap nobody expects you to find someone new alright? Just a little break. We get drunk and shit. I heard back than u reaaalllyy liked getting drunk.

You slightly giggle at that remembering those parties where you outdrinked everyone.

So? What do you say? Dancing to the fine ass(it was not) music while drinking like theres no tomorrow? And then throwing up at the nearest dickhead we find?

You Jesse and Dina giggle at that.

But could you? Could you go out and pretend ur well? That this didn't drown you down into the darkness? Pretend you aren't going through a break up even tho u guys didn't say it out loud? Could you?

Sooo that's all for today. I can't choose that reader will end up with Ellie or w a specific someone else. I really like both storylines in my head,and both of them are my fav characters so I can't really decide😭

Hope you liked and enjoy it. Please send a feedback if you liked it,or have any idea. 🫶🏻

[sirius-crowley-immortaltwinks]

IDEK what to say about this

After a few shots of vodka, my roommates and I came up with a chaotic fancast for the marauders. I have notes but there's literally no context besides random shit written down and I figure it would be criminal to not share this absolute trainwreck with everyone so here it is... Chaotic Marauder Fancast brought to you by drunken thoughts.

Marauders

Tom Hiddleston as Sirius Black

Tom Hiddleston would be a good option to play Sirius Black. He has the capability of having a boyish attitude and sass that Sirius has become known for. Also, Adam. Nuff said.

Rami Malek as James Potter

Look at him. He also has the capability of coming up with that sass and attitude. Imagine him riding a broomstick in a quidditch uniform and that is all.

Robert Sheehan as Remus Lupin

This man could play all of the characters, but he is best suited for Remus Lupin. Unkempt look but in an attractive way. Looks like he could be a werewolf. A lot of the same Remus Lupin mannerisms.

Andrew Scott as Peter Pettigrew

A short little Irish man with a very good skill for acting a villain that's cunning and sneaky and that's why he would be a good option. He would be a very good actor to portray the change from friend to enemy.

Slytherin Skittles

Aidan Gallagher as Regulus Black

Aidan Gallagher has the capability to play an angsty character who's a little bit evil and a little bit good all rolled into one. He's also just got the look and the vibe that Regulus is kind of become known for.

David Tennant as Barty Crouch Jr.

This is partially because when he played Barty in the 4th movie, he didn't get nearly enough screen time in my opinion but the other part of it is because, after watching lots of his filmography, I seriously can't think of anyone better to play it. Unfortunately we would need to make him like 30 years younger and we don't have a time machine.

Michael Sheen as Evan Rosier

I told you it would be chaotic. Maybe it's because I can't see David Tennant without Michael Sheen anymore after GO and Staged but he's also quite similar to Evan in my mind and I think he would play the character very well. Unfortunately... still no time machine tho.

Lisa Kudrow as Pandora Rosier

I mean I was watching Friends and she kinda just stuck out to me and that is why she is now Pandora. I think Lisa has the capability to play someone as wonderful, beautiful and quirky as Pandora. Also I think it would be so sweet and interesting to watch Michael and Lisa play siblings.

Valkyries

(I will admit and say that I don't know nearly enough about the Valkyries so my roommates were the ones that came up these)

Florence Pugh as Marlene McKinnon

I don't really think this one needs explaining but I do think she would be best to play Marlene McKinnon. She's got a fabulous look that would suit Marlene well especially with the fanart seen of her. I mean just look at her.

Nina Sosanya as Dorcas Meadowes

Nina's got the spunk and the attitude that Dorcas has. Mainly pulling from her performance in both GO1 and GO2, I think she is just the most fitting to play Dorcas and would act very well alongside David and Michael (as we've seen) but I think would act very well alongside Florence and Robert.

Emmy Raver-Lampman as Mary MacDonald

Has the capability to play a sweet character but could turn deadly and horrible in 0.5 seconds and that's stunning for her and would work very well for Mary. Also the depths from her pain and everything of her friends dying and then eventually obliviating her memory.

Scarlett Johansson as Lily Evans

Scarlett has the attitude of Lily Evans in real life and honestly she would be stunning. I could totally see James falling in love with Lily if she looked like Scarlett which is one of the main reasons we've cast her as Lily.

Now, we all think that the original fancast that is the most popular is perfect and stunning. This is just some brainrot. Anyway, that is all.

[mqriuss]

05 | Now playing: Over And Out / Look Here

from 'bad girls that haven't been caught' series

note: highkey projecting myself onto rindou in this chapter and the next LMFAO like this is literally how i am with a crush

playlist | series masterlist

this sucks. everything about this sucks.

rindou had no idea he'd feel sick just from looking at you, but you weren't exactly the reason. it's fumio. he shoots lasers into his figure every time he sees the both of you in the hallways, bickering like you always do—except this time he knows what the two of you really are to each other. don't even get him started on the way you'd write notes on a paper, crumple it and throw it in his direction playfully, watching as he smirked before doing the same.

the icing on the cake was that everyone in the classroom actually ships you two. they have for a while now, but to that, you always answered, "ugh, i'd never date fumio."

"in her dreams," fumio would say.

"i never dream of you," you'd shoot back.

and rindou knows that you're aware of the pissed look on his face, but you sure are good at ignoring him now that your boyfriend was giving you attention. when did you even start dating? do you even like him all that much?

rindou hates that he can't compare himself to fumio. ultimately, fumio is the guy you talked to more. outside of academic rivals, you were basically friends. but you and rindou? what even were you to each other besides classmates? he's always had a crush on you and thinks you're cool, but you two never really spoke before that homework incident.

he just doesn't understand what's going on. one day, you stop meeting up with him after school, then he finds you with your academic rival. you then proceed to tell him that you're dating said academic rival, and all of a sudden rindou's invisible to you.

why was your relationship with fumio a secret, anyway? it's not like you'd get any disapproving looks. your parents would probably love for you to have the perfect boyfriend—tall, handsome, educated, straight As, athletic, perfect attendance, won countless medals and trophies, has a good reputation among teachers, dark hair and not a single tattoo on his body.

rindou lets out a sigh. as much as he hated to admit it, he's got nothing on fumio.

the lyrics to the love song playing in his earphones only add to his misery, and he has to resist the urge to delete the playlist he made dedicated to you. instead, he makes a new playlist with different songs. he's going to move on for sure.

-

here is ran's guide to moving on from a girl who doesn't like you back!

1. stop making playlists of her. even if it's full of sad and angry songs, they're still playlists about her.

2. stop showing up just to see her, you already skip class often anyway.

3. stop wearing flashy jackets to school to get her attention, she doesn't give a fuck and you look stupid.

4. try cleaning your damn room for once to distract yourself from thinking of her.

rindou had failed to follow the guide. days passed and he has made five playlists about you, his attendance is perfect just to see you (which scares even the teachers), he is barely even wearing his uniform—replacing his blazer for designer jackets, and his room is actually clean, but he's still thinking about you.

everyday is dreadful, seeing you is dreadful, and as always, you ignore him. it hurts, but it was kind of addicting in a way. despite not trying hard enough to move on from you, he thinks he surely will with each passing day.

and he really does think he can forget about you, until hamada sensei comes in during your break to return everyone's homework from last time. not everyone was in class but shimoda, the guy who paid you to do his homework, was there and fuming.

"the hell is wrong with her?" he exclaims, throwing the paper onto the floor. "she wrote all my answers wrong on purpose!"

while shimoda was busy yelling while pointing fingers to your empty seat, rindou looks over his own answers. you had answered only four out of ten questions wrongly. he smirks and chuckles to himself, ignoring the way his heart was doing somersaults.

"i fucking paid this bitch to do a simple task, and she-"

a fist comes flying to his face in a motion so swift that he had no time to react. shimoda stumbles backwards, hitting his chair and then the floor. the classroom falls silent. with a bloody nose, he slowly looks up to see who punched him.

"if it was so simple, you would've done it yourself," rindou says through gritted teeth whilst bending down to grab him by the collar. "and you've got some nerve calling someone a bitch while they're not around. i'd like to see you try that again later, dumbass."

he harshly lets go of shimoda's collar and as if on cue, you walked in to the classroom—your gaze completely fixated on rindou. his heart jumps when you finally speak to him after days of ignoring him.

"bet you didn't know we have a quiz next week that will significantly contribute to our grade for hamada sensei's class," you announce right off the bat, no hi or hello whatsoever. you weren't even going to acknowledge the injured shimoda.

rindou, in fact, didn't know about the quiz.

he quirks an eyebrow at you. "i didn't... but i'll just cheat."

"no, you won't," you interrupt and decide for him, confusing him further.

"what-"

"i'm gonna tutor you after school."

← prev chapter | next chapter →

[backtothedrawingboard]

Pulling Through

The weight of Jax's situation settles deeper every day, and his walls are starting to crumble. Luckily, he has a friend who wants to help!

Lee!Jax x Ler!Reader (Platonic)

CW: Angst and fluff. This is a tickle story, so if that's not your thing, move on by!

TW: Mentions of suicidal ideation, panic attack. Continue at your own discretion.

It had been...Who knows how many years. Time didn't seem to move the same in the Circus. Everyone found their own ways to cope, even if it was going mad like Kinger. Jax had...the most annoying method, to say the least.

Nobody in the Circus particularly liked Jax. He was rude and arrogant and seemed to find joy in tormenting the others. His lack of empathy only added to the cast's ire. He especially loved harassing the newest member, Y/N.

The new member frequently awoke to a spatula hitting a pot above their head or tripped over the rabbit's foot while walking through the halls. Whenever they confronted him about it, he just snickered and brushed their irritations aside.

But recently, it was...different. He was more snappy and short over stupid things or ignored actual irritations. Y/N found themself being able to get a full night's sleep without waking to some terrifying sound. It was...suspicious.

After an irritating adventure of working at a fast food joint, Jax slunk off to his room without a word, his ears drooping slightly. Zooble looked over in confusion.

"What's his problem?" they questioned.

"Erm. I kinda put him through a lot..." Gangle answered.

Everyone stared at Jax until he disappeared, and then got back to chatting casually. Y/N looked around a bit.

"Wait...What about Jax?" they interrupted. Ragatha shrugged.

"He'll be ok. He goes through slumps every now and then. He always bounces back." She made a face. "Ugh. And he'll be twice as obnoxious when he does."

As everyone got back to chatting, Y/N remained silent, still unsettled by the rabbit's subdued behavior. They quietly excused themself and headed down the hall to Jax's room. They stopped in front of the door and stared at the logo of the rabbit.

They sigh. "What the %#!? am I doing...?" They knocked hesitantly. "Jax? Are you in there?"

There was a silence before Jax answered. "Get lost, loser."

"I'm coming in."

"Hey, I said-!" He cut off as they opened the door and stepped inside. They were shocked to find Jax sitting on the bed defensively and quickly wiping his face with the back of his hand. As they looked around, they saw a pile of keys in a corner and what looked like crumbled papers with- maybe maps?- in the other. He did not look good at all.

Jax snarled a little in frustration. "I thought I said 'get lost.' What do you want?"

Y/N took a shaky breath and stepped in a little further. "I just...wanted to check on you. You seemed a little quiet after we got back."

The rabbit huffed and turned his back to them. "I'm fine. Just tired." Based on the way his voice wavered a little, he was clearly lying.

They slowly walked over and sat next to him on the bed. Surprisingly, he didn't deck her in the face with a fist. "I'm worried about you, Jax. You've been spiraling a few days now, and I don't want you to...you know..."

Jax stayed silent a second, staring at his lap with a look of pure hopelessness. It was the most vulnerable Y/N had ever seen him. They both sat in silence a few minutes before Jax finally spoke up, trying to sound defensive.

"I can't remember how long I've been in here," he muttered. Y/N hesitated before setting a hand on his shoulder, causing him to stiffen a little.

"I'm...I'm sorry..." Y/N whispered. Jax shrugged a little.

"It's fine..." Silence fell over the room again for a long several minutes before he spoke up again. "I just...How am I supposed to keep hanging on when there's no hope of escape whatsoever? How can I...how do..." He goes quiet and shakes a little.

Y/N rubbed his shoulder gently. "I know...I'm sure it's hard, but I'm here for you..." They frowned when they got no response. "...Jax?"

The rabbit was shaking intensely and covered his mouth, starting to hyperventilate. Y/N's eyes widened and they stopped rubbing his shoulder. "Jax..."

"I can't...I'm abstracting..." he gasped out. He gripped Y/N's sleeve. "Help...I'm abstracting...HELP!"

Y/N jolted and put their hands on his shoulders to steady him. "You're not abstracting. You're panicking. Focus on my voice," they said soothingly Jax pressed his face to their shoulder and panted in fear, trembling. His companion carefully wrapped their arms around him, making sure it didn't cause him to panic more.

The two of them sat in silence for several long minutes, Y/N occasionally muttering soothing words. Jax's breath finally evened out and he sighed deeply.

"Feeling better...?" Y/N asked. The rabbit nodded against their shoulder.

"Yeah...Thanks." His voice started showing a bit of defensiveness again, but he didn't stop leaning against them. Y/N smiled a little and ran their hand over one of his ears comfortingly.

"Anytime, Ja-" They cut off as Jax made a weird noise, something between a yelp and a squeal. Curious, Y/N ran their hand against the back of his ear again.

"H-hey! Don't do that!" Jax snickered. Y/N grinned.

"Oh? Are you ticklish?" they asked in amusement.

"No. Shut up." There was a moment of silence as they stared at each other. Then suddenly, Y/N pounced on him and dug their fingers in his ribs. He squealed and let out some involuntary laughs.

"I knew it! You are ticklish!" Y/N declared.

"S-Stop it! Y/N! Get ohohoff!" His legs started kicking out as they skittered their fingers up to his armpits. "NO! DON'T YOU DARE!"

Y/N snickered and teasingly wiggled their fingers up under his arms. "Oh? Why's that? A little ticklish here?"

Jax threw his head back with hysterical giggles, slamming his arms tightly against his sides. His legs kicked at Y/N desperately.

"YOHOU %#?!ER!" he cried. "Nono wait not there NOT THERE!" He let out a loud squeal as Y/N found the sweet spot just under his armpits.

Y/N laughed. "Oh? Not here? Why not? It sounds like you love it?"

Jax went red and covered his face. "I doho nohohot! Shut uhup!"

"Oh yeah? You look awfully red there. Coochicoochicooo!"

The rabbit squealed and twisted in an attempt to escape the fingers skittering up and down his ribs. "Please! Please! Stahahaaaaap!" His eyes were watering from laughter.

Y/N finally let up with a giggle, sitting up next to him. "Fine. I guess I'll let you go." They smiled down at him, noticing the look of genuine happiness on his face as he panted for breath.

"Never...do that...again," Jax panted. Y/N raised an eyebrow.

"Hmmm. I dunno. We'll see," they answered. Their smirk became a gentle smile. "If you ever need to vent or blow off steam, just let me know. I'll never tell anyone about it." Jax blinked in surprise.

"Hm...Ok..." he muttered. He crossed his arms and looked away, putting up a defensive front again, but he still sounded a little amused. "Just...I swear, don't go doing that again."

Y/N grinned and wiggled their fingers in his direction. "We'll see...we'll see"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This was my first story, so I hope y'all like it! <3

[purrincess-chat]

Cat's thoughts on the state of the fandom

(So take them for what you will)

Saw an interesting take yesterday about the people genuinely complaining that Adrien looks ugly in the new animation and how his character is "ruined," and the take was about how a lot of people in the fandom are the same as people in the show, boiling Adrien’s character down to his appearance and only valuing him for his appearance. And it got me thinking because, in another vein, I've personally seen a lot of people in fandom over the years infantalizing him as being a poor sad cute little meow meow, and when Marinette does anything but pity him for being a poor sad cute little meow meow she's nasty and awful and just as bad and abusive as his father (🤢). But I wonder at what point does the fandom allow him to have autonomy and think and feel for himself? At what point do we recognize his depth? He's a character with a lot of nuance and backstory, and in this new season especially, for the first time he is capable of making his own decisions without anyone forcing his hand now that he has his amok. S6 is for all intents and purposes a blank slate for him. He can finally figure out what he wants to do with his life outside of just being in a relationship or doing what his parents want. And personally I'm curious how they will develop him this season now that he does have that freedom. But maybe I have just always seen him as more than just a pretty face. 🤷‍♀️

Fandom is so quick to denounce change, including change they've begged for. We begged for seasons for an end to the will they/won't they aspect of the love square and for development to happen. Development happened, and now in the eyes of many, the show is completely ruined. Now they want to go back to what we had. Now they want them to break up. Now Marinette is horrible and awful and undeserving of Adrien, but for some reason, being with Chat Noir is perfectly okay and fine and not at all different. Because in their eyes, the narrative lives to serve Adrien and Adrien only. And if the narrative isn't serving Adrien, then it's bad.

I even consider the response to the salt this go around in comparison to salt in early s3. Back when people (including myself) felt that Marinette was being slighted by the narrative, we were looked down on and salt was treated as taboo. Now that people feel like Adrien is being slighted by the narrative, well, suddenly now it's different and okay and no, no we aren't like those other icky salters from before. We love the show. We just are disappointed in it. And as someone who was part of the s3 salt movement (and who wrote probably one of the most famous salt fics during that period), I can say that the people salting on the show now are no different than we were back in s3. Everyone I knew back then started out loving the show. We all loved the characters and the world. But the writers made certain decisions that we didn't quite like at the time, so we gathered to talk about it. We made salt blogs and wrote fic and vented in discords and blog posts. And overtime, some of that eventually spiraled into what it became, and I'm not going to argue that some people went too far. But I see all of the exact same things happening now, and people are insisting that it's different, but it isn't. Instead of 'Marinette changes schools bc her classmates would rather believe a lie than trust their friend', it's 'Adrien and Marinette break up because she's keeping secrets and is awful and doesn't deserve him/we don't like that they were the ones to get together instead of our favorite side. 😤' And in a way, I can't help but notice the undertones of sexism in these arguments. Why are people who defend Marinette icky and wrong and gross, but people who defend Adrien are champions of justice? Haters with "hearts of gold" as it were. Salt is salt. Hate to be the bearer of bad news. It's not different. Just slapped a new label on the same old shit. But this fandom has always had sexist undertones in my experience.

Why when Marinette makes obvious narrative mistakes that the show is obviously setting up to be a source of conflict and character growth do people compare her to an abusive middle aged man? Why is it that in this episode Marinette needs to be sensitive to Adrien being orphaned when she herself has been traumatized over and over by the narrative? To a point that she desperately tries to control everything so her world doesn't fall apart around her again. Why is the fandom able to empathize with Adrien’s trauma and not Marinettes? Why is it that her trauma is downplayed and treated as lesser when we have watched her consistently break down and panic across the seasons? We've watched her exhaust herself and sacrifice her happiness for the fate of the world, but that doesn't matter as much as our poor little kitty cat. And I'm not interested in comparing their struggles or participating in the trauma Olympics because the truth of the matter is they've BOTH been through it. But I've been seeing a trend over the years but also a lot lately of villifying Marinette specifically for every single action she takes. Calling for her to be 'punished' and dumped by the boy she loves because she isn't ""deserving"" enough whatever that means.

Idk. I guess just I just wonder at what point do we just sit back and let the narrative unfold? I reached a point during my salt days when I looked around and saw nothing but bitching and moaning about the same old shit, and I had to ask myself if that was the view I wanted. And ultimately I determined that it wasn't, and then I had to make the decision over whether I wanted to continue watching the show and learn to enjoy it again or if I wanted to just be done. And I think a lot of people in this fandom would do well to ask themselves those same questions and decide. Because at this point I'm just tired of every post being filled with some kind of rancid take on how the show is ruined or Marinette is an awful person or they hope Adrinette breaks up because they were the "wrong" choice (*cough* "It's not my personal favorite side therefore I'm butthurt" *cough*).

Personally, I think we all need to adjust to the new animation and changes and let the story be told. People were so quick to immediately denounce Adrinette just because it wasn't the side they personally wanted to see get together, and instead of giving them a chance, they immediately took up pitchforks and started saying it was bad. But having watched s5 and now the start of s6 with my own two eyeballs, they've modeled a lot of important and healthy aspects of being in a relationship. Communication, patience, benefit of the doubt, meeting halfway, taking things slow, fighting for each other. And it's been sweet. It's not boring or bad. It might not be YOUR taste, but if that's the case, go watch something that IS to your taste. Why waste energy here? The truth is, we don't know what's in store for the rest of the show. We don't know why things had to happen the way they did yet, but as a writer who ya know writes stories, I think a lot of people just need to chill and watch what happens. Because this season just started. We've barely scratched the surface of the story moving forward. How can you honestly say it's bad? You don't know. New and different doesn't immediately mean bad. Change is not automatically harm. Take some deep breaths. Be patient.

I'm just tired. I just wanna watch two kids bumble around and hold hands and fight bad guys. Damn. Some of yall make fandom really un-fun. And I would like to petition to bring the fun back in, please.

[aulostheremin]

Forefather

a silly and short fic of Old Monkey and Shen Monkey. not much will be going on here, just two old monkeys talking to each other. Also I'll sometimes call Old Monkey as The Elder.

The winter season still kept pushing on Mount Huago with signs of ice and snow melting, revealing the sight of greenery slowly coming back to the forests. A slender fragile figure clad in white carefully walk up some rugged steps at the foothills. it didn't take long to find a familiar face laying to the side, as always, surrounded by gourds, various kinds of unique brews and other young monkeys, who are either sleeping or walking about in a groggily manner.

He was wondering where they went off to and has the suspicion they all be here. "Shen. not inviting me again?" The Old Monkey tsk in front of the grey monkey's face that keeps dozing off from his standing hand to level his head. "Hah, who would want an old coot ruining the fun?" Shen Monkey laughs. He rolled on his back and stretched his body to get up.

The Elder walk in a pace, making Shen Monkey dizzy from looking at him. "Hey, sit down will ya? one blow of wind would knock you down any moment." Shen taps his hand at a spot beside him. The Elder only huffs. "funny how you say that yet you always boast your rank of birth is the longest from all of us." Old Monkey push away an empty gourd from his foot to continue his pacing. "at least my body don't age poorly like you." Shen picks up a coconut wine and drink it up.

"It was daring for you to take my children away. I was worried all night! this mountain area is riddled with celestial soldiers. who knows what will happen if they saw you wander aimlessly around these parts." The Elder proclaimed, but Shen isn't fazed as he heard the same lecture from Old Monkey dozens of time before.

"Just to let you know, they came to me. I thought I could have all the drinks to myself last night. but well, you can't say no to those cute faces now, could you." Shen wipes his mouth dripping in juice. "I know you missed dearly to your Great Sage. but how many younglings do you have to send to get him back..?" Old Monkey stops and stares back at Shen. "What if.. this time.. you let it all go this time.." Shen mutter, but suddenly the Elder hiss. "Do not say that... this is what he would've wanted. all he wants is to live in peace with us. and you know this. you know their plans up there. why else would they kill my kindred those years ago? you said as if I didn't care for that One, but I do. and it breaks my heart every time he has to suffer through each journey."

Shen looks down in regret for what he said earlier. "Forgive me, old friend." He gets up and stands beside Old Monkey, looking at the wide horizon. "I missed him too. so do my other friends. we tried our best to help the One along the way. perhaps we aren't enough to make him succeed." He sighs. "Do not underestimate yourself. we all have our part to play in this gamble of theirs." The Elder reassures Shen. Both of them stood in silence for some time, resting their eyes on the endless seas of trees.

"I've heard.. he has reborn again.. is that right?" Shen Monkey asks the Old Monkey. "Yes. he's too young, still clinging onto his mother, but give it time.." Shen nods and looks at the clouds. "While I do enjoy a nice shade from the sun, it's soothing to feel warm breezes up here. it's a beautiful place." Shen pats the Elder on his shoulder. "Well, I best be on my way. you can gather up your brats. They're your responsibility now." The Elder deep in thought prior before, tells Shen to wait for a moment. "If you like, do come stay at our haven once in a while." Shen smirks. "That's not a bad idea. could be good for my diminishing social skills. Hmm, perhaps another century. Gotta wait in the wings for Destined One." With that, Shen Monkey leaves the mountain, waving a goodbye to the Elder before descending down back to the Bamboo Grove.

I never wrote a proper fic before. so I hope this turns out well and you guys enjoy it. also tried my best to make it fit into the game lore from my knowledge of it. if there's anything I missed or got mixed up, let me know! @blackknight-kai thanks for encouraging me to write this.