#there's so much with the elements in keeper

[bookwyrminspiration]

There is a little part in the Stellarlune short story that I think everyone skipped over because marelinh (I forgot how to spell their ship name) but the part says something along the lines of “she had already figured out how to set linh’s rain on fire, and she couldn’t wait to do that when the neverseen showed their faces again”. Shannon has a thing she does where she’ll foreshadow things that will only be revealed books later, she also had Stellarlune’s storyline figured out by like, the time she was writing exile, as evidenced by a post during the Stellarlune writing process that said something along the lines of “no pressure, just got to write out scenes that have only lived in my head for the last 10+ years”. Do you think the rain thing will come into play later?

I certainly hope so! Shannon's been hinting for a while about combining elemental abilities specifically with Marella and Linh (since Marella's pyrokinesis was first introduced in Nightfall)--so whether we see it specifically as fire rain or not, I do think we'll see the two of them teamed up in some future/final fight.

With all the comments we've seen about how elemental abilities are especially volatile, it'd seem a waste not to put the two of them to use. If only they had a guster to complete the trifecta

But since she's already specifically mentioned the fire rain, it does make sense she'd use that in the future. So I'm going to go with a probable yes :)

[softantlers]

something that is so fun about taivan is that, yes, they are a small town queers scarcity ship. not to be an asshole but it is very possible that they may have never dated each other if they had been in an environment with more options, not because they are not suited to each other but because that's just how it goes-- what initially draws them together is the scarcity of wiskayok, which we know is not affirming (especially in the 90s) due to the way all the queer characters navigate anxieties around the closet.

but what is so fascinating about taivan is that you take that small town and make it EVEN SMALLER by putting them in the wilderness. they become codependent in ways that parallel the experience of being some of the only queers in a small town but are incredibly magnified because of the intimacy they develop in surviving the wilderness and being each other's secret keeper about other tai. they truly become a "no one else could ever understand" ship, beyond what initially brought them together.

also, other tai in of herself is such an excellent insight into tai's psyche, since she is invariably experiencing small town scarcity differently from van because she has to move through added layers of marginalization in being biracial and Black. the idea that the wilderness may be a place she finally feels comfortable coming out as gay in but not as one she feels comfortable having the other girls know about other tai in is SO INTERESTING.

i don't know if i have the words to capture what i mean and maybe there is some projection going on here, but i will talk to most people about being queer but the intersection of my queerness with my relationship with race & being mixed often feels less speakable. i don't mean to connect other tai to race in this same way (more that it's an echo of otherization). what i do mean to point out is that tai, unlike van, has to negotiate which slivers of herself can be shared with other people because she has more identities to move through and frankly more room to be misinterpreted, treated poorly, and harmed by other people's perceptions. other tai, i feel, is an example of that conflict-- able to share some things but having to keep other parts of yourself tied up and hidden because the entirety of You is not something you feel anyone can truly hold.

and that isn't to say that van does hold everything but without tai's choice or consent van DOES KNOW about other tai and even as their connection is tumultuous and they don't always get each other, i do understand why "you saw and didn't run away" becomes another scarcity element to their relationship... also also, van desiring someone emotionally intimate at the end of her life is a representation of scarcity, one that is deeply human but that also compromises her own morals about tai's relationship to simone and sammy. scarcity brought them together in the first place and brings them together again, and it is so INTERESTING and MESSY. don't let anyone tell you that they're a boring or (frankly) healthy ship. omg they are not, and that's fucking real! there's so much going on there and it's rich and deep and hurtful and human!

[corazondebeskar-reads]

of rage and ruin - chapter one

of rage and ruin series

chapter one

series masterlist | next chapter

werewolf!alpha!Joel Miller x f!omega!reader

word count: 3.1k

summary: Joel Miller made it twelve years into the apocalypse without getting bit. He turns into a much different kind of monster than he expected, though.

chapter warnings: dark, dead dove do not eat, a/b/o, alpha/omega dynamics, omegaverse, captivity, torture, canon-typical violence, genre-typical violence, horror themes, graphic violence, suicidal ideation, gore, abuse by captors (not by either joel or reader), death, murder of innocent people, typical raider/hunter behavior, mention of cordyceps, angst, no y/n, reader is able-bodied and afab with no specific descriptions, viewer discretion is advised

also on ao3

dividers by @saradika-graphics

This is a werewolf omegaverse fic that uses traditional and non-traditional elements of the genres. It largely ignores TLOU canon.

DISCLAIMER: A plotline of this story involves unethical medical care and human experimentation re: vaccines. It may give anti-vax vibes. This is NOT an anti-vax story and I do not want any related discourse please and thank you. This is about FEDRA being the absolute worst, not about the real world in any way.

In a rare moment of lucidity, he thinks he used to be human, once. 

He’s partially transformed more often than not. Almost never fully, unless he’s under the sway of the moon. His real keeper. 

These raiders may think they own him, but he knows the truth. 

But lucidity is rare, and most of the time, Joel Miller is more beast than man. 

Most of the time, he doesn’t even know he’s Joel Miller.

No matter what, though, he’s a nearly uncontrollable force of nature. 

That’s why they keep a shock collar around his neck and tasers at their waists. That’s why they never turn their backs or leave him unrestrained. He fought like hell for a long time until he broke. 

No shame in it, he knows. Everyone breaks eventually. 

As the years have gone on, though, he’s been getting restless and snippy, less cooperative. And the pain doesn’t really matter anymore. 

Nothin’ really does when you’ve given up.

On the last new moon, when the wolf was quiet and the man was loud, he’d tried to refuse. He sat, buck-ass naked, on the gritty wood floor of the house they were raiding. 

He did not sniff out treasure like some fucking metal detector. He did not tear the humans limb from limb. He did not feast. 

He paid for that night and had the receipts to prove it, laid into his back from the silver-tipped whip. 

He should have tried harder to die at the start. 

He hadn’t understood right away, when they took him. It, frankly, didn’t even cross his mind that they’d know. Laura, the woman in the woods, had been so sure it was secret. 

He got it when they shot him in the leg with a BB gun, though, and the silver shrapnel burned. They were prepared. Silver-coated chains and cuffs, silver-tipped batons and whips and knives. Cattle prods and electric collars. 

They’d been hunting him. 

They tried to break him easy, first. They were looking for a wolf; didn’t know they’d find Joel Miller. They left him chained in an abandoned suburb, giving him just the minimum food and water to keep him alive. 

It worked to weaken him, but they didn’t want him weak forever. Not a very good guard dog or weapon if he can’t lift his head. So when that didn’t work, when he didn’t beg and plead or bend the knee, they gave up and bulked him back up slowly. 

So they tried pain next. 

He came to know the healing as a curse. They avoided the silver, at least at first, since it’d leave damage. But when they found out they could break his bones over and over and over?

That’s when he started to wish he was dead. What was the point, anyway? He couldn’t go back to Boston. Couldn’t risk himself around Tommy and Tess. 

Couldn’t kill himself if he tried, but they could, with their arsenal. 

Didn’t matter what he wanted in the end; his brain wouldn’t give in. It overrode his silent pleas, and it fought and fought and fought.

So they took him on a raid. Starving, chained under the full moon, and they waited. He couldn’t go far, but he didn’t have to. 

They brought the food to him.

“You’ve no control over it, huh?” Cheryl said after, leering into his “room.” They send her to play nice, but he knows she’s the worst of them all. They just think he’ll smell pussy and roll over. “We didn’t need you to kill them. You just need to scare them and help us find what we’re lookin’ for.”

They had him. He knows, he knows, he knows. He’d have done anything to stop it from happening again. From devouring tied-up families who dared to say “no” to Jim and his crew. From throwing up blood and bones and bows. 

He can’t kill himself. They won’t kill him. He had no choice. 

He broke.

This new moon, they don’t take him out to scavenge. No, instead, they drag him outside and spray him down with the hose. This, in itself, is not unusual. But when they force the muzzle over his snapping teeth to scrub at his skin with precious lye soap and a rag, he starts to get concerned. 

His suspicions are confirmed when they take him back inside. 

The only time he’s left unbound is here, in his room. Well. It meets the vague requirements for a room, but it’s also reinforced with silver-plated steel and concrete. Cheaply so, but enough to mute his senses and hopes. 

Usually, they wait until the grate is shut to unclip the lead. They wait until he kneels and offers his hands to unlock the shackles. When he’s been good, of course. 

But not today. Today, they chain him tight to the wall at the far end of the room. 

They’ve had this theory that he hates to admit is not without merit. Looking for another way to control him, they’ve tried to find him an omega. 

The first few times, they just forced him on them out wherever they’ve raided. Usually, he’s too out of control, and they don’t survive the encounter. 

The most recent time, they dumped one in his cell. But the poor thing still smelled of his alpha, having only lost them hours earlier. 

Joel didn’t react well. 

They’re trying something new, now. 

That he’s here while they clean his room is deliberate. He knows this. They’re purging all his scent from it, and they want him to watch, want him unsettled.

He growls when they remove his mattress completely. It’s a pathetically small, thin, hole-ridden thing, but it’s his. 

Before they drag in a new one, a flat pack of grated metal is tossed in the corner. Two of his captors go to work on assembling the contraption, and another leaves for a while, only to return with a sawed-off portion of his mattress. 

It fits neatly inside the cage. For that’s what they’ve constructed. It’s silver-coated, of course, but pathetically weak otherwise. If he truly desired, he could snap the bars as easily as bone. 

He’s not keen on having burnt hands, though. 

Just inside the front of the cage, they clip up a bit of cloth. He doesn’t need to be told what it is, knowing immediately after it’s extracted from the airtight glass Tupperware. 

They tell him anyway. “Got a new toy for you to try, if you’re good. For now, this is all you get.”

The heady scent of omega soaked into the panties permeates his room. 

He’s salivating a little by the time they finally release him, but he waits until the heavy footfalls echo from down the hall to give in. 

They smell divine. He can’t resist tasting, lapping at the tiniest hint of musk and omega under his elongated tongue. 

“Told ya he would have shredded her,” Jim says to Cheryl when they come in the morning with his breakfast. Joel’s in his mind enough to feel a little shame, back of his neck burning, when they see the tattered fabric. 

It’s clear they anticipated it because, along with his tray, he’s given a new pair. 

They’re not so appealing this time. The sweet scent is cut by acidic fear like vinegar through molasses. He ignores them in favor of his meal. 

He eats better here than he ever did out there. He’s worth more rations to the raiders than to FEDRA. Robust meals full of meat and eggs and potatoes. 

They need him strong, after all. 

It’s not until a few hours later that he’s drawn back in by the underwear. It’s not so acrid anymore. Or maybe it is, and he’s just in the mood. Either way, he buries his face in them while he strokes his cock and uses them to catch his cum when he finishes. 

There. That’s better. The mix of him with… whoever you are. 

When they bring him lunch, they make him put the panties on his old tray before pushing it out to them. He doesn’t burn with shame this time; no, he almost feels proud. Like a peacock fluffing out its feathers. They know now. They must. 

Whoever you are, you’re his. 

The next day, they bring back the same pair. He wolfs out a little at the fresh layer of you over his cum. It’s all fear and tears and disgust, but it doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter at all, not to him, not to the wolf. 

All that matters is how his head fills with static when he licks across the gusset and howls. 

Cheryl’s looking pretty smug on the other side of the door, but for all that she’s pleased with the results; they still threaten to turn on the collar if he doesn’t eat quickly.  

He’s nearly fully wolf, gobbling down the food and returning to his treasure. He snarls as he strokes his cock, the head angry and purple as he tugs. He doesn’t spill onto the panties this time, not wanting to cover up the perfect combination of your scents. In the end, they’re shredded anyway, as his fingers stretch and break into claws. 

In his full glory, his senses are even sharper. Sharp enough that he can hear a faint sobbing across the building and Cheryl’s sharp laughter. 

“I don’t know,” she’s drawling when he tunes in. “He sounds pretty excited to meet you.”

The soft sobbing turns raw and cracked. He can smell the salt and phlegm, can practically taste it in the air. He’s aware of Cheryl, but nothing is louder than the way your heart is tripping over itself.

When Cheryl’s words sink in, when he realizes he might actually get to have whatever delicious creature they’ve gotten him, he howls again, a long, aching sound that creeps down your bones like frost.

Later, when he’s a little more present, he realizes they didn’t shock him either time he howled. It’s usually a guarantee. 

Whatever game they’re playing, it doesn’t bode well for you.

Joel Miller made it twelve years into the apocalypse without getting bit. He wasn’t even worried when it happened. They’d been heading back to the QZ, him and Tommy and Tess, when a wild dog attacked them. 

Or, well. A wolf. 

Tommy had gotten a bullet in its head, but it had Joel’s arm in its jaw at the time. Its teeth had rent through his jacket like a spoon in a banana split. 

FEDRA would shoot him without a second thought, so they doubled back to the little cabin and hunkered down. Figured they’d lay low long enough for it to be hideable before sneaking back in. 

Tommy went out at daybreak for the carcass—it’d be leagues better than what they had in their bags. When he came back, he was faint and empty-handed. 

“...don’t make any sense,” he kept muttering, pacing the tiny kitchenette. 

Joel and Tess exchanged a glance. 

“Probably a bear took it,” she suggested.

Tommy ran his hand through his hair, shook his head, and did it again. When he looked up at them, it was through wild, unpredictable eyes. “Wasn’t a wolf. It was a man.”

“What’re you talkin’ about?” Joel said.

“C’mon.”

They followed him through the thicket, and sure as shit, in the same place the wolf’s corpse had lain was a man with a bullet through his skull. He was completely nude. 

“Gotta be a coincidence,” Joel muttered.

Tommy turned to him, eyes wide and hands shaking. “What kind of fucking coincidence is this?” 

There was a rustle, and they all turned, guns raised, as a woman peeked from behind a tree. 

She put her hands up and waited. Tess jerked her head to one side, and they lowered but did not stow their weapons. 

The woman was in a ratty cotton dress with no shoes; autumn leaves crunching underfoot. 

“That’s, um. That’s my husband,” she said softly. 

“Apologies, ma’am,” Tommy said, his face soft and sad. “But—I think he attacked us.”

Her green eyes grew wide, pupils dilating and breath catching in her chest. “Did you get bit?” 

Tommy and Tess instinctually looked at Joel. 

“What’s it to ya?” he said.

“Did you get bit?” she repeated.

“Was he Infected?”

“Not with cordyceps, no,” she says. She avoids looking at the body but flinches when she brushes a foot against a blood-soaked leaf. 

“What does that mean?” Tommy said. 

“I think it’s best we go someplace and talk.”

Against better judgment, they follow her through the words to her home. She claims to have two kids alone there, four years and six months. 

It turns out to be true. She gets them both down for a nap and serves hot stew. They try to refuse, but she insists. 

Tommy feels a little sick eating the food of a man he killed. They all listen, rapt, as she begins to speak.

“It happened a year ago. But it wasn’t an accident.”

When the full moon is two days away, Joel is nearing the furthest from himself. Same shit, different month, but his reactions to your scent are getting, well, feral. 

They’re bringing him strips of cloth, now. He gets a new one with each meal. He doesn’t destroy them anymore. Oh, no. When he’s clearer, he wishes he did. 

But no. He smells and licks and then jerks off with them. If only that were the worst of it. He’ll come to be mortified during the waning, but he starts to add them to the cage. It’s fairly saturated with the smell of him from his old mattress, but it pleases the beast within to line it with the sweet mixture soaked into the torn sheets. 

You’ll understand, then, the wolf thinks. You’ll know it’s safe for you. Somewhere he’s made, a den all your own where he can keep you. 

But you won’t know, because what you know is very little. 

When FEDRA started asking for volunteers to test vaccines, you didn’t hesitate. You knew the risks. And the rewards—room and rations for the length of the observation period, anywhere up to a year in length. You knew there would be a catch—probably many, but given that you rarely had a room or rations, it wasn’t a hard choice.

But this was the end of the world, and “informed consent” was not something that survived the outbreak. 

They worked in batches. A truckload of live bodies at a time. Sterilizing showers with the barest trace of privacy, dressed in stiff starchy scrubs, and led into little cubicles where nurses with needles sat in wait. 

A quick jab to the upper arm, and then you were off. The hospital was an old correctional facility, but again, for someone who hadn’t had a bed on a reliable basis, you felt only relief. 

Until the deaths started.

They didn’t even try to hide it. Within 24 hours of arrival, a fourth of your group was gone. Carted out in black bags marked with β and nothing more said. You watched through your window like everyone else. 

Someone came around the next day and drew blood from every remaining subject, and the tagging began after that. You could see the symbols on other’s doors, but not your own. α or Ω. What they meant, you couldn’t begin to guess. 

It started not long after. 

The changes.

At first it was so subtle, you may not have noticed, but a nurse came by each day to ask you a series of increasingly embarrassing questions. 

What do you smell? What do I smell like? What does your sweat smell like? How sensitive are your breasts? Describe your vaginal discharge. How aroused are you on a scale of 1-10? 

They began weekly tests. Blood draws once a week and daily urine samples, of course, but also hearing and vision. They made you run on a treadmill hooked up to wires. 

And then, one day, after six months of intensive observation, they moved you.

Or. They tried to.

You were exhibiting a specific set of side effects, they said. You were to be transferred to another facility for subjects with the same side effects for further observation. 

Raiders took out the truck halfway through the ten-hour journey. It was… it was a bloodbath, actually. For the FEDRA officers, anyway. 

When they had you all lined up, grippy socks soaking in the ankle-deep mud, well, that was when you all learned which symbol was on your door. They couldn’t keep the word out of their mouths. Omega. 

Not that it fucking explained anything.

One by one, a short blonde with a bob went down the line of you and shoved something up to each omega’s face. That’s it. It seemed to have no greater purpose.

But for some reason, when she pressed the cloth against your nose and mouth, she smiled. And they separated you.

Whatever that was had a deep, oaky musk, like the illicit brewery operating out of the warehouse you often slept in before the trials. 

They tell you nothing.

They make you sleep on strips of cloth, so you roll around in the pile as you toss and turn, rubbing your sweat and slick and pheromones all over. 

They don’t bring you anything of his, but you catch faint whiffs of him (him, always him, they never call him by a name), of those aged, liquor-soaked barrels, but all it does is make you nauseous. You don’t understand how you know it’s him; you still don’t understand any of it. 

You learn very quickly not to ask questions. 

They take him out on the night the moon is full and bloated, hanging over him like a searchlight. See, it whispers, I can find you anywhere. Anywhere. It doesn’t matter. If it didn’t, the wolf would find it anyway. 

He is not himself.

He is his truest self.

He is two or one; neither yet both. A monster movie mashup of fur and teeth and roughshod science experiments conducted by a doctor who wasn’t a doctor at all. He’s the monster’s victim. He’s the monsters’ monster. 

He’s the wolf and the wolf is him. 

He’s The Wolf and he’s swallowed Joel down. 

He’s the man, the weak link, buried so deep he can’t see the light of his celestial mistress 

He’s Joel Miller. Sometimes, sometimes. 

Tonight, he is gone. There is only the Wolf. 

And the Wolf knows. As soon as they cross the threshold, he knows. 

Dawn is rising, the hunt is over, but he’ll be the wolf for a while longer. And he knows that fuckin’ smell. 

It’s the saccharine sour mix of you. Heavy on your sweet apple undertones, and oh, he knows. 

You’re in the cage.

next chapter

*title from "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

😬 I've been working on this baby for a long, long time, so I will be drinking your likes and comments desperately. thank you for reading and i love you.

[purplephloxpress]

Another year, another Fanfiction Writers Appreciation Day!!!! If you are a writer of fanfic, please know just how appreciated you are!! Fandom would be such a different space without your creativity and labors of love. 💜

Holidays are all about making traditions, and the bookbinding friends with @renegadeguild once again came together to bind copies of fics for their authors as a show of our appreciation. This year I had the absolute joy of binding Emergency Help Wanted by the wonderful @piyo-13 and even got to collaborate with her on some of the design elements! It's a Modern AU Jiang Cheng/Lan Xichen fic that starts with a "help wanted" ad.

EMERGENCY HELP WANTED

I lied when I got my job. I told them I had a kid so I could leave early from work to pick him up from daycare, take him to doctor's appointments, and occasionally miss a day when he's sick. Long story short, I'm in too deep. I didn't think it through. Looking to rent a kid for bring your child to work day. Must be a boy ages four to six, longish dark hair, likes soccer. Must also be artistic as the macaroni noodle paintings I made seem a little advanced for his age. Also, I will pay extra for someone willing to play the role of husband when dropping him off. He's a prosecuting attorney who often brings his work home. Message me for further details. Serious inquiries only.

Ok. So. I may have gone a little feral with this one. Online "help wanted" ad spiraled into loading wheel scene dividers, spiraled into fake Google search result headers, spiraled into FULLY committing to those authentic looking text messages. In full color. (There are so many. I typeset in MS Word. It was SO worth it, but god what a struggle at some points.) And don't forget the "recent searches" title page! Or the computer cutout on the cover! (It's bluescreening, just like Lan Xichen through this entire fic!) Also that cover/title page image that I just kept adding details to. (It's supposed to be Lan Xichen's desk, so it simply didn't feel right until it had sticky notes on the computer, #1 dad on the mug, scissors and measuring tape, scribbles on the sticky notes) Did I have a ton of fun designing this one? Perhaps. Couldn't say. Maybe just a tad. (This is a lie I had an ABSOLUTE BLAST!)

Historically, I've waited until I finish at least the typeset before reaching out to the author, but not so with this one! I got the idea for the fake google search results from Piyo's authors notes, teasing the contents of the next chapter. But! Those didn't start until about chapter 4! So I reached out and asked if we could collaborate and I'm forever glad I did! Not only does this have teasers for each chapter, I also got to bounce design ideas off of her, including what shade of blue and purple for the text messages. Because my friends, that is a serious matter and changed SEVERAL times throughout the process.

Also shoutout to all my Renegade friends who gave input and encouragement over the past year while I worked on this (what endpages to use? how to make this shade of green perfectly Nie Huaisang? how do we feel about this text message design? or how about this one?) - I love you all dearly and appreciate you so much for putting up with my nonsense at all times.

Binding details below the cut!

Fandom: The Untamed/Mo Dao Zu Shi

Pairing: Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin / Lan Huan | Lan Xichen

Bookcloth: Aqua/Purple Dubletta from Colophon Book Arts

Endpapers: Craft Consortium Ink Drops - Ocean pack

Textblock paper: short grain cream from Church Paper

Titling: We R Memory Keepers foil quill

Endbands: leather cording core, DMC embroidery floss for the bands

Body Font: EB Garamond

Title Font: Berlin Sans FB

Text Messages: Roboto

Additional fonts: Times New Roman, Kunstler Script, Magis Authentic

Title page image from Rawpixel and designed in Canva

Various computer graphics from The Noun Project

Tumblr insists on eating and doubling text in this section at its own whim, so if there's something missing that you're curious about, feel free to DM me an ask!

[anonymous-dentist]

Genuinely? I think that trFoolish embracing the spread of the Corruption and risking the safety of his kingdom is kinda just like. The kind of wake up call that the kingdom’s members need?

I’m not saying he’s some crazy tyrant or that the kingdom is a cult or anything, I’m saying that their blind faith in him and in Yellow itself has led to genuinely so much alienation and hatred from so many characters from all different factions. The only people willing to join Yellow these days are the people who haven’t experienced them before, and even then it’s like. A coin flip, really, because all of Yellow is so close with each other that even new members can see red flags.

So when the king is just fine with one of the kingdom’s members being a literal Harbinger of the Fourth, one of the literal actual horsemen of the apocalypse, and when he’s chill with said harbinger spreading the Corruption everywhere, it’s like. Okay. Why?

But that begs the question of whether or not any of the kingdom members would actually question their king.

But that also brings to mind the one thing that actually unites a majority of the most active Yellow players: trPangi. trRos has unwavering faith in her king, but she’s seen firsthand how the Corruption can destroy a person down to their very soul. trZam is trPangi’s oldest and closest friend who is willing to do anything to get Pangi cured. Even trSneeg, who hates trPangi for the most part, acknowledged the dangers of the Corruption and tried helping find him a cure.

But does that mean that they’ll go up to Foolish and ask him to kick Ace out of the faction? For Zam, maybe, he’s loyal to a fault, but he also knows danger probably better than anyone else on his team; he’s seen apocalypses before. Maybe Ros, who already didn’t want Ace around anymore even before he started Harbingering all over the place. Possibly even Sneeg, who would want Ace gone for reasons besides the whole Corruption thing (being mean to Ros, maybe, or just because he’d see Ace as a threat to king and kingdom.)

And then that brings to mind Foolish himself, who is an immortal being literally affiliated with the element of Chaos and who makes a hobby out of seeing shit go down. He and Bad are two sides of the same coin: life versus death, yes, but also shared immortality and shared boredom. He cares about his mortals, but he also really wanted a war to happen. Like. Really wanted it. He Needs Enrichment!

Foolish wants the Keepers to suffer. He already hated them from the beginning- he was the first person they ever appeared to!!- but time only made the wounds deeper: Ros being taken and returned sick and traumatized, and then the Ordeals about not letting Zam and Sausage into the faction for waayyyyyy too long, and then the Keepers being way too hesitant in letting him give a life to Ros after the ball. And then they made him build. A. Statue!!!

The real question here isn’t necessarily if the kingdom’s members would confront or question Foolish about Ace and the Corruption and everything, I think the question should be whether or not he listens to them. He cares, of course, but he’s also the Totem of Death. He chose the Chaos room on Quesadilla Island. He thinks wars are fun. He’s immortal, and he isn’t infallible, and it’s quite possible that his beloved subjects might finally realize that in some capacity

[sunshinereani]

The Jester and his Lore

✨ First of all, this is long. I highly recommend watching Owen’s stream – it’s very detailed. Title "My last stream - Discussing The Realm Lore!". Timestamp roughly 00:57:00.

✨ Secondly, he flipped a lot between CC!Owen talk and TR!Owen talk. I will try my best to make that clear by referring to TR!Owen as The Jester, CC!Owen as Owen.

✨ Finally, important to note here that part way through Owen said if you take nothing else from the stream, take this: Why do people care about The Realm so much? Tubbo has let the conflict stem from the cast, rather than there being an outside force pushing in. The admins are good, but that’s not what the community talk about. The admins help to move the story along. Because no one runs anything by anyone else, it’s not a lore server but rather reality tv.

People care because it’s real and that sucks because when the community is toxic – it’s the CC!s feelings that are being spoken about, not anyone’s writing. Purgatory, for example, pulled the numbers it did because it was real. The Realm has facilitated deserved growth for CC!s but there needs to be checks in place. Owen is leaving for real-life reasons and because his story has finished, nothing else. The admins help to facilitate a healthy environment by having OOC events, such as April Fools.

✨ On to the lore:

The Jester is not immortal. He ages regularly and is called in to entertain over an extended time as monarchies take time to form.

 He started as a regular Jester and experienced what a corrupt monarchy could do, until he killed the whole court.

He’s never killed a queen before, only because he’s never come across one before.

His promo video is the original kingdom, and the hand holding the cup at the end is the original king.

[take this with a pinch of salt] The lore as The Jester understands it is that The Realm is a pocket that people are pulled into. It’s a loop in that when you die, or try to leave, you just get sent straight back.

The Jester didn’t know The King is immortal, but he suspected.

The Jester doesn’t know the names of The Keepers, that was a bluff. He does know Stultus, but not by that name, that’s the deity that puts him into stasis until he’s needed. However, he has told Stultus that he doesn’t want to return to The Realm specifically.

The Jester was never a physical threat to anyone, he’s intentionally a psychological villain. It’s a massive game of chess to him.

The issue is that for there to be a villain, there must be conflict. For there to be conflict there must be a character flaw. The most seen character flaw is lack of communication, but if communication happens, there’s no story.

The Characters need to stop communicating everything that happens, it undermines the conflict. Every plot hook that The Jester set up was resolved quickly (obviously no hate at all to the CC!s).

!Ros being kicked from the kingdom should’ve been a longer plot thread. Questions asked here are why was Owen not informed of any decisions happening around his character being killed, why are the characters communicating so openly if they want conflict. After this happened, every plot point Owen did was cleared with CCs before it happened.

The spy element: Foolish is thought to be playing a character that can pull strings and please people but that’s Foolish the CC recognising that Owen is building to something, this is why he let The Jester become a spy.

The Jester’s goal has always been to get The King in a room and kill him. The original plan was to build a theatre and drop dripstone on him, but after the !Clown !Pili fight it was clear that the cast are paranoid and would’ve found traps easily.

The Jester was perhaps hated more than he should’ve been as, really, the only things he did were: be mean to !Ros twice, said everyone was peasants, and kill !Krow in the name of the king.

!Bekyamon has true jester privilege – she writes the paper and is very messy but no one is bothered by that because she’s done an amazing job of building her character and he’s very glad she gets away with it.

It would’ve been insane (in a good way) if The King had let The Jester off and not kicked him out of yellow after he said it’s just a lark.

After !Ros had made The Jester apologise to !Aimsey, there was a monologue planned where The Jester was going to tell !Aimsey that he’s very much not sorry and would rip !Aimsey and !Ros apart, purely for the fun of it.

The Jester could’ve killed Coursfire quicker, he did it by slitting his throat whilst brushing his hair. He continued to brush his hair after that. Quicksilver lore is left open on purpose, but he was the oldest and longest reigning monarch in The Jester’s story.

The Jester killed The King in the manner he did because he’s a performer. It’s all a show for Stultus, it’s a chapter in the axe he’s writing.

Owen saw Foolish on the cast list and thought “The King of Fools”. He made the cinematic, introduced himself to Foolish as The Jester. Foolish then declares himself king. The perfect setup and execution. Owen didn’t know Foolish likes to be king everywhere he goes.

!Clownpierce was a day 1 op. There can only be one jester.

The Jester will never show his full face and is inspired by the jester from Darkest Dungeons.

The Jester gave his hat to Lukey, because CC!Lukey is what got Owen to come back to The Realm, so why not give it to him.

In an alternate timeline that was too main character, war arc would’ve ended in one of two ways, both with yellow dissolved – The Jester goes to The King after !Ros’ death, find the confession book and says !Ros is a spy. Yellow have a meeting where the book is presented, !Ros says no, I didn’t write that but !Sneeg and !Zam say she’s betrayed them. !Ros is kicked from yellow and escorted out by !Sneeg and !Zam leaving The Jester and The King in the room. The Jester would’ve killed the king and then inevitably been reset. !Sneeg and !Zam would apologise to !Ros but she’s set on staying out of yellow. Because there’s no king in yellow, it would be dissolved to purple.

Alternatively: !Sneeg and !Zam believe that !Ros didn’t write the book but The King doesn’t. !Ros, !Sneeg and !Zam decide to leave the kingdom, still leaving The Jester and The King in a room alone, The King still dies. The Jester would’ve then asked to be removed from yellow, leaving the faction empty. Yellow dissolving leaves a power vacuum that blue or orange could fill. (Neither of these would’ve ever happened, but they would’ve been cool).

The Yellow Green conflict needs a resolution, The Jester wanted to facilitate that but not main character it.

The death of The King needs to have an impact beyond “Let’s kill Bad, or Lukey”, what could be more interesting that death? Owen suggested a prison and immediately retracted that, chat panicked.

Owen gave a shout out to CC!BadBoyHalo for letting The Jester kill The King, his spin of !BBH enjoying watching The King engage in the game The Jester set out was appreciated.

CC!Owen and The Jester couldn’t be sure green wouldn’t snipe The King the second the peace treaty was over, which is why he hurried everyone along.

Closing things Owen said: Take the opportunity to be the first to bow out when you can as you get to see the impression your character leaves on the story. Even if it’s completely ignored that The Jester killed The King, he still did it, time cannot be changed.

[chipmunkfanno1love]

Sonic 4 - Amy Rose's Character (*Warning* Sonic 3 Spoilers Ahead)

One element I'm most looking forward to seeing in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is the character of Amy Rose.

I was very impressed with the character's introduction in the post-credit scene of Sonic 3.

Though what we saw of Amy was limited and she doesn't even speak, we already can tell she's a strong and capable warrior who can take down a whole army of Metal Sonic's via use of her Piko Piko Hammer. It's a big change from her original Sonic CD appearance who is portrayed as more of a damsel in distress for Sonic to rescue. Here, she's the one rescuing Sonic, and with a lot of style I might add.

Even her little raised eyebrow shows me that she's got a lot of spunk and self-confidence. I can definitely see her as someone who can keep up with Sonic in terms of quips and bantering.

I've heard a lot of Amy Rose theories including ones via fan art and fan videos (some of which I'll reference and share links with you here), but I thought I may as well share my own thoughts on the character and what role I believe she'll play in the upcoming Sonic movie.

I've only just gotten into the movie franchise and my interactions with other Sonic media are limited to clips I've seen on YouTube and other places online, so my knowledge of the Sonic characters is limited. If I get something wrong, please be kind to me.

Backstory Ideas:

Where Amy's from:

One popular theory for Sonic 4 is that it will take inspiration from Sonic CD. If this is true, I'm going to assume that Amy Rose is from Little Planet, which is located above Never Lake in a mysterious location on earth.

Considering the franchise doesn't say what part of Earth Never Lake is on, I'm going to assume that movie version of Never Lake will be located in New York State as that's where Sonic ended up in the post-credit's scene. Maybe Never Lake itself is not visible on human maps as its hidden with a cloaking spell or it is known and visible to humans in this universe, but Little Planet itself is hidden with a cloaking spell and can only be revealed with magic. Maybe it orbits to Earth once every few years, decades or even centuries.

Little Planet is said to be home to the Time Stones, which gives the inhabitants the ability to travel through time. In games the stones can't leave Little Planet, but I wonder if that may change for movie version of them. Maybe Amy is the Keeper of the Time Stone's or is currently keeping them safe for the Keeper (e.g. she's the guardians protegee and/or child/adoptive child).

Apparently Little Planet is said to be like earth only it has more mystical qualities to it, which sets up nicely for my head canons about Amy and her past. There has been debate that Amy Rose may be from a distance future or perhaps an alternate universe. While I'm certainly open to those theories, I prefer that she's from the present time but has the ability to time jump via the use of the Time Stones and perhaps the Travel Rings.

Amy's history:

As other fans have speculated, I do believe that Amy could come from a warrior race much like Knuckles the Echidna, though unlike Knuckles tribe who relied completely on brute strength and used more primitive weapons like bow and arrows, Amy's tribe has use to more magical properties as a gift from the planet they inhabit. They can either wield the magic from their internal selves and/or the magic is wielded via their weapon of choice. Nonetheless most and/or all the inhabitants of Little Planet have some access to magic in some shape or form.

There's also the possibility that Amy may just had a simple life as a child rather than being raised as a warrior (though I still believe she was raised with a magical ability and/or was around others who had magical abilities). There are many who speculate that she may have known Sonic as a child and perhaps was inspired by him to become a hero herself like in the games. I personally like this theory and plan to go more into it in another post.

Amy's family:

I believe that like Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, Amy could possibly be an orphan. If they write the Resistance storyline in the movie, I imagine that perhaps Amy's parents were part of a resistance against a tyrannical enemy, e.g. Metal Sonic, Nega Eggman, Mephiles the Dark, etc., but were sadly killed in battle when she was a child (her child self could definitely be inspired by Classic Amy's design).

As a result, Amy was raised instead by other living relatives and/or perhaps an unrelated guardian like Longclaw raised Sonic before he came to live with his human adoptive parents, Tom and Maddie. Considering that Longclaw is considered the last of the Owl race, it's not likely that Amy will be adopted by another owl (unless of course the information about Longclaw being the last of her race is proven to be false). It's more likely her guardian will be another alien hedgehog or perhaps some other alien animal species.

In the Pre-Super Genesis wave of the Archie comics, Amy actually had a cousin named Rob o' the Hedge (the Mobian hedgehog version of Robin Hood) and an uncle named King O' Hedge. While I'm not sure if they could adapt these characters for Sonic Cinematic Universe as they are now no longer considered canon after the Archie comics scandal, they could possibly be the inspiration for a whole new character/s who could possibly fill in as a parental/family role for Amy:

There's also the possibility that Amy Rose has no guardians or relatives and has been living on her own since her parent's death. Maybe she's roaming around on her own for a while now and basically taken care of herself. She may be similar to Sonic in that sense.

I read some theories from fanfiction writer @ficsinhistory on Amy's character and backstory. I'm certainly open to some of the writer's theories, including the similar backstory to the Terminator franchise. I also like @bunnystarhop's idea of her possibly already having an adoptive earth family already.

Amy's role in the story:

Amy's role in Sonic 4 could be quite similar to Tails in Sonic 2 and/or maybe she is a less intense and family-friendly version of Kyle Reese's character. I imagine she's either there to protect and warn Sonic and/or she's there to help him discover his destiny in becoming the Hero of the Universe. Knowing Amy, I believe she'd be a lot gutsier than Tails and would want to play an active role in helping Sonic in his journey rather than simply warning him. I believe she has her own motives and/or something to prove in this story as well.

I could see Amy's backstory going several different directions:

Amy starts out as an optimistic but naive young warrior in training for the Resistance, who eager to prove herself as a protector for others, whether it be fighting in battle or even helping an innocent baby bird find their family. Unfortunately, she is not taken seriously by her peers as they feel she's "too young", and "too innocent" to be considered helpful to the Resistance. Perhaps she has a vision of a dark future of Metal Sonic taking over the universe, including both Earth and Little Planet. Despite others doubting her gifts, her mentor sends her to Earth to guide Sonic on his mission and to protect him from Metal Sonic. Despite Sonic also having doubts about Amy's gift, he decides to trust her for the sake of protecting his home and helping her protect hers.

Amy's home is attacked by Metal Sonic's and at the last-minute Amy's guardian (who may also have the gift of visions) tells her that she has to find Sonic as he's the only one who can stop Metal Sonic from destroying the future. Maybe Amy has her own goals of rescuing her mentor and/or people who are being held hostage by Metal Sonic and/or she hopes to fulfil her guardians' dying wish and prevent others from suffering the same fate as her mentor. Also, she may harbour guilt if she feels she's responsible for her family being captured or killed. It would give her empathy for Sonic's plight with Longclaw.

While I prefer Amy to be from the present and be a time-jumper, there's a possibility she could be from the future and travels to the present to prevent the dystopian future she lives in from happening. This could be a reference to the Terminator films, though I hope if they do these references that a romance between Sonic and Amy will not have the same tragic consequences that Sarah Conner and Kyle Reese had in their relationship. I hope Sonamy can make a future together, whether she stays in the present or continually time jumps between present and future to visit Sonic.

I've read plenty of other theories from others which could also work. Either way, as much as I want to see Sonamy romantic hints and for them to eventually become a couple (if Sega is willing to let Jeff Fowler and the SCU crew to make it happen in their films), I want Amy to have more of purpose to her story rather than simply being a potential girlfriend for Sonic. I want her to be fully fleshed out and independent character who has her own goals, desires and plans. Finding love will simply be a lovely subplot for her and Sonic. The icing on the cake if you will.

Abilities, talents and skills:

For me personally, I could see Amy with the ability to talk to animals. It could be treated as a joke where she has a conversation with animals like a human or alien creature and others look at her like she's crazy. Over time though, Amy can prove her gift to talk to animals is real and uses her gift to help Team Sonic in their missions, as well as build stronger relationships with animals like Ozzy.

A cute idea I thought of for Amy could be that she can speak some Japanese. I thought this would be adorable if Kimiko Glenn gets the part (she's not fluent in Japanese but did she speak a little for her role as Peni Park in the Spiderman universe films). Considering Sonic's source material has anime roots, I think this would be another great way to reference Japan in the film. I thought the Tokyo Chao Garden scene in Sonic 3 was just adorable and I imagine Amy speaking Japanese would be another cute anime reference.

One trait of Amy's in different Sonic media is her use of making predictions via tarot cards. This personally isn't my favourite trait of Amy's. I do not condone the use of tarot cards in real life, nor do I believe they can tell the future.

From a fictional standpoint, I can acknowledge that this is just a quirky part of Amy's character and/or she may have the ability to tell what's going to happen in the future in the Sonic universe. I honestly feel that Amy's having the ability to tell the future could work very well in Sonic 4 (especially if time travel is used in the story). Still, here are some different ways of portraying Amy's use of fortune cards that I would feel more comfortable with:

Perhaps Amy has the gift of visions and the ability to see into the future. Unfortunately, her abilities are limited to flashes of which are hard to interpret herself. Maybe her cards are not regular tarot cards, but instead are fortune cards that work in a similar fashion to Bruno Madrigal's tablets where her literal visions come up on the cards and can then be interpreted visually afterwards.

I definitely could see Amy's eyes/pupils going fully pink like Bruno's go fully green when she has visions.

I reckon like Sonic and Knuckles; Amy's eyes go an electrified pink during intense emotional moments and moments of anger as well.

2. I could see Amy's use of tarot cards purely being used for the comedic effect where she depends on them for every decision she makes and is afraid to make her own choices. Maybe Sonic could teach her to learn to take chances and to not rely on tricks said to tell her what the future holds. As a result, she decides to throw her fortune cards away and chooses to take her own chances rather than worrying what the future holds.

This fan animatic made by @spegadysquitzy on YouTube is a wonderful example of what I'm talking about:

Amy's Piko Piko Hammer:

I'm very curious about the history and backstory of Amy's Piko Piko Hammer and how it works.

From what I've seen of it in the Sonic 3 post-credit scene, it appears to be made with metal and could possibly be wielded via the use of chaos energy. I'm thinking it could be considered a sacred object, or it was a weapon personally made for Amy, and she spent a bit of time training in order to get the strength to use it properly.

Some people believe that the reason Amy has no spikes is that she removed them and used them to power her hammer. I'm open to this theory, but I also believe it could simply be that the animators haven't added her spikes yet as it's still an early design for Amy. It could also be that Amy's spikes are simply thinner and softer for a more feminine appearance. I guess we'll need to wait until Sonic 4 to get confirmation about these theories.

I wonder if Amy chose the weapon herself or perhaps it magically chose her to be its wielder. I wonder if they'll throw in the "worthiness" trope like with Thor's hammer and we'll see others struggling to lift the hammer like Sonic (I've seen fan-art of this, but I can't remember which artist did it). Maybe she's telepathically linked to her weapon, which therefore enables it to levitate to her and/or it will appear out of thin air like in Sonic X.

Either way, I'd love to learn how Amy got her famous hammer.

Personality:

Amy's personality in the Sonic Cinematic Universe has been the topic of hot debate in Sonic fandom pretty early on. There are a number of people who want her to more like her early incarnations while others are hoping for her more modern personality (e.g. Sonic Boom, Sonic Prime, Sonic Frontiers, etc).

From what I've heard, both the characters of Tails and Knuckles have a mixture of elements from both their earlier and later adaptions, e.g. in early adaptions Tails was "the kid" of the group and a Sonic fanboy and Knuckles is the serious guardian of the Master Emerald and Sonic's enemy turned ally. In later adaptions, Tails becomes a more capable gadget genius and while he's more relaxed around Sonic, remains his best friend and little brother figure. Tails manages to be a good balance of both these versions of himself.

Knuckles has had various adaptions currently, but his Sonic Boom counterpart is known as a bit of a "dumb jock" stereotype. Movie Knuckles is more intelligent than his TV counterpart but can be a bit slow on some earth knowledge and is "literal-minded" much like Drax the Destroyer from the MCU films. Therefore, he also is a good combination of both his earlier and later adaptions.

As such I believe Amy being a combination of both her earlier personality and her more modern personality is a good win-win personality wise. Maybe we could see more of her Classic Amy personality in her younger self via flashbacks but slowly see her grow into her more modern self with time progression. Maybe we could literally see her maturity growing through the use of flashbacks and character growth. Nonetheless, she still maintains some of her earlier traits in regard to her energy, enthusiasm and bubbly personality.

I honestly like how @echidnapowers explained Amy's character development in the Sonic games and hope they show Amy's character growth and maturity throughout the movie like he explained it. Hopefully they'll portray it in a natural way and not forced. The artwork belongs to his partner @hollylu-ships-it by the way.

There have been theories that Sonic 4 might have a "perfection vs imperfection" theme to it in regards showing the importance of being yourself rather than being what everyone else expects of you to please them. As such this might be demonstrated in both Sonic and Amy's storylines. I'm thinking they'll take one of these two options:

Amy is repressing parts of herself that make her the special person she is, e.g. her passion for life, her optimism, her belief in the goodness of all creatures, etc. Maybe because she was criticised or even bullied by others in Resistance with them calling her a "naive child" and "too unfocused and emotionally driven" to possibly be a good Resistance fighter. Maybe she hopes in repressing these parts of herself that she'll be taken more seriously and/or the bullying causes her to repress her true self out of fear that others will treat her just as badly. Perhaps Sonic brings out her out of her shell and she realises that her passion, love for life and her desire to protect others is the reason she wanted to fight in the Resistance in the first place. She decides to embrace who she is to the fullest, realising that it's important to be herself and that the love she feels for others (especially for Sonic) is not a weakness but a strength. She's therefore not going hide that part of herself anymore.

The other option is that she is unapologetically herself in spite of others dismissing her as a naive child and believes with all her heart that love and seeing the best in others are the makings of a true hero. Perhaps she could eventually inspire Sonic to be himself rather than acting like the flawless hero she was expecting. It's Amy's support in showing she loves Sonic just as he is that helps him to truly embrace himself as he is and therefore helps him in defeating Metal Sonic.

The main attributes I hope Amy will show:

Her endless compassion for others.

Her passionate, never give up attitude. She'd never let Sonic, or the other boys take things easy on her as she wants to be seen as their equal and doesn't want to get special treatment just because she's a girl.

Her love for nature and animals.

Her protective maternal nature. She's a true mama bear and mother hen wrapped in one.

Her hot temper: Maybe not quite at Sonic X level. Plus, she isn't as bossy. Still, I do believe she'd give Rachel a run for her money if you tick her off. Let's just say the Beware the Nice One's trope would fit her to a T.

Her belief in the power of love and her romantic side.

Her feisty, bubbly and girly personality. Though I imagine she's a Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak because as girly as she is (she loves shopping, accessorising, cooking, gardening, etc) she's still treated like one of the boys. She possibly enjoys watching wrestling and loves getting involved in different sports like baseball (with some practice she becomes pretty good at batting).

Her love for Sonic - Whether they go the traditional route of her crushing first or the Reverse Sonamy option, I definitely believe her crush on Sonic and commitment to him should still be there. I personally hope they go for the mutual falling in love option for the two of them in a slow burn fashion.

I could definitely see her personality being a good blend of Maddie's and Rachel's. Like Maddie she's kind-hearted, has strong maternal instincts and has a strong bond with animals. Like Rachel, she's temperamental, strong and sassy. Like both she's feisty and is very protective of the ones she loves. I believe these 3 ladies would make an excellent team battle wise.

Characters who match movie Amy in my mind:

Rapunzel (Tangled):

Whenever I think of what I believe movie Amy to be like, immediately Rapunzel pops into my mind. I imagine her to have the same energy, passion and innocent femineity that Rapunzel has. Like her she's rather naive about the world but proves herself to be nonetheless tough and capable of taking care of herself. She's strong believer in teamwork and proves herself unstoppable when she fights in-sync with Sonic and her new friends.

Like the long-haired princess, Amy is endlessly compassionate and always looks for the best in others. Nonetheless she's no doormat and won't hesitate to give you firm word if you step out of line, and if you threaten her or her friends, she'll knock you out swiftly with her precious Piko Piko Hammer like Raps does with her frying pan.

She also has special soft spot for animals of which I'll expand upon later on.

I also imagine that like Rapunzel she's determined to make her dreams, hopes and wishes a reality and doesn't let difficulties hold her back from attaining this.

Starfire (Teen Titans cartoon version)

Cartoon Network's version of the DC superheroine, Starfire is another excellent personality comparison. She's a wonderful blend of innocence, naivety and compassion blended with ferocity, passion and power. Like Starfire, Amy is endlessly kind and compassionate, but if you get on her bad side, she's a force to be reckoned with.

Just as Starfire is unfamiliar and naïve to earth customs but is also quick to embrace it as a potential home and is excited to experience all the opportunities it has to offer, so do I also imagine this to be Amy's attitude as well. I definitely imagine her becoming endlessly excited to all the things the world has to offer like shopping malls, fashion accessories, graphic novels (like anime and manga), plus the excitement of practical technology, music and movies which Sonic is only too happy to introduce her to.

I could definitely see Amy's strong belief in the power of friendship and love being akin to Starfire's. As I mentioned earlier, I could see her having powers (even powers connected to her hammer) which are powered by her emotions. Her passion for adventure and belief in the power of love are definitely the feelings and emotions she most strongly believes in.

Whether they go the traditional route of Amy crushing on Sonic first or they do a Reverse Sonamy where he crushes on her first and then she later falls for him after they get to know each other, I imagine both platonically and romantically, Amy is devoted to Sonic as Starfire is to Robin, and even in the worst of times will stand by him. Overall, I definitely see Amy as the one who is more open and less awkward with sharing her feelings.

Kira (The Dark Crystal)

While I don't think Amy is that much like Kira, she may be like her in her connection to animals and nature. I imagine Amy can possibly talk to animals like she can.

While Kira is more mild-mannered and gentler than Amy, both girls have a determined and feisty side. They'll put the greater good above themselves and will do anything to protect the ones they love.

Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender):

Katara is the wonderful blend of strength and compassion that I imagine for Amy. Katara is brave, compassionate, maternal in nature and will never hesitate to help those in need, just like Amy. They both are similar in their physical and emotional strengths yet also have similar flaws like their hot-temper and stubbornness.

Katara's strong belief in hope matches well to Amy's belief in love. I also believe that Amy will have the same amount of faith in Sonic as Katara has in Aang, especially if they go for the save the future trope in Sonic 4.

Astrid (How to Train Your Dragon):

Astrid is probably more like Amy when comes to fighting and battle. Both women are feisty, passionate, determined, have hot-tempers and are pretty fierce with their weapon of choice (Astrid with her axe and Amy with her Piko Piko hammer), but can also be quite kind and understanding and often show that softer side with the men they love. While Amy is a million times more open to showing her softer side than Astrid is, if she ever were to start a romantic relationship with Sonic (officially becoming boyfriend and girlfriend) I imagine that the level of romance and trust between them would definitely be like Hiccup and Astrid's relationship. Best friends as well as lovers.

I will give some credit to @nightfurylover31 for their idea of movie Amy having some personality traits to Starfire and Astrid. I'll mention and refer to their link in my Sonamy discussion post.

Relationships with other characters (her relationship with Sonic I'll talk about on a different discussion page):

Knuckles: I can see both Amy and Knuckles sharing a mutual respect for each other as warriors, especially if they both came from warrior clans. While Knuckles may doubt Amy's strength and fighting prowess at first, Amy is quick to prove him wrong in the challenges they face against each other or even with each other as a team.

I definitely see Knuckles acting as a big brother figure to Amy in the sense that while he respects her as an "honourable pink hedgehog warrior" and knows she can take care of herself in battle, he nonetheless has a protective instinct of her as he does for his newfound adoptive family. I'm sure he'd be very protective of her if anyone tried to harm her.

I could see the two bonding over rom coms together (along with Wendy Whipple) and perhaps wrestling matches. I could also see them matching each other well in terms of strength as they train together. While it may take Knuckles some time to trust Amy with the knowledge of the Master Emerald, I'm sure once she proves herself trustworthy, I'm sure he'd gladly welcome her to the Team if she decides to join.

I could see him as Shipper on Deck with Sonic and Amy and I imagine him being most vocal in teasing Sonic about his crush on her. He'd also be the most vocal in terms of encouraging Sonic to prove to Amy his love for her and show himself to be worthy of her love.

Tails: As I've heard from other Sonic fans, I definitely imagine Amy and Tails having a close "big sister and little brother" type of relationship. I imagine Amy would very doting and maternal to Tails, while Tails makes Amy feel welcome into the group. I could see them working well together as they've been portrayed in games and TV shows. I do see them being very affectionate towards each other, e.g. enjoying lots of hugs and pep talks. I also see them working together on Tail's gadgets during battle plans.

I could see Amy and Tails trying to share the role as peacemakers of the group when Sonic and Knuckles start to butt heads. While Tails is always trying his best to remain calm, Amy will certainly have her more outspoken moments as she's not afraid to put her foot down. Unfortunately, poor Tails may have to try his best to calm Amy down if she ever starts to lose her temper.

I reckon that Tails (along with Knuckles, Tom and Maddie) are Shippers on Deck for Sonic and Amy. As well as him and Knuckles teasing Sonic for having a crush on Amy, I could see Tails teasing Amy as well, maybe not so differently from how he did in a Sonic Boom interview podcast. I don't think Amy would deny having a crush on Sonic, but whether she's as open and excited about it as her earlier counterpart or simply acknowledges it but says the mission comes first, I'll leave that up to the writers to decide.

This might sound out of character for Tails, but I considered the idea of the young fox possibly becoming jealous of Amy if he sees how well Sonic and Amy work together and them sharing comments like "We make a great team." Being a young child maybe he'd be fearful of Sonic leaving the team to make a new one with Amy, which I'm sure would cause him a great deal of distress. Then again, jealous or not, I trust he has enough faith in Sonic not to break up their team and I'm sure Sonic would reassure his little brother figure that this will never happen. Overall, I'm sure he'd make Amy feel that she's welcome to the team and would also make her feel like she's part of the family.

Birdie:

Tumblr artist @d3lly1000 had this head canon that Amy would have a little bird friend.

Canonically, this makes a lot of sense as Amy has a Flicky bird friend that she helped find their siblings in Sonic Adventure. The flicky bird, Birdie has also appeared in other Sonic media, including numerous versions in Sonic Prime.

A Flicky is obviously a fictional bird species made up for the Sonic franchise, whether a Flicky could be written as an alien bird or perhaps a rare Earth bird species not yet discovered (or possibly just considered very rare) by humans could be left up to debate. It really depends on whether they want to use a cartoon style bird, a photorealistic one, and/or possibly even use a real bird.

Either way, I definitely love the idea of Amy having a special little bird friend (I don't mind adding that little Disney Princess trope to her character). Maybe she saved it from being killed and a developed a strong bond it, and/or maybe it's looking for its lost family like in Sonic Adventure and Amy is keeping her promise to help them find their family, much like she could possibly be looking for her own (if say they were kidnapped by Metal Sonic or another main villain). I believe that having Birdie by her side will best show off her loving, protective and maternal nature alongside the strong warrior side shown at the end of Sonic 3.

I imagine she and Birdie are very protective of each other and are loyal companions through thick and thin. Maybe Amy can appear to understand what Birdie says, which appears to be both comical and shows their deep connection to each other.

Birdie might be wary of Sonic at first but eventually warms up to him when he proves that he's trustworthy and the little bird sees how fond the two hedgehogs are of each other.

Maybe the two will have a bittersweet goodbye if Birdie is reunited with his family, or Birdie continues to journey with Amy across the universe and instead watches her have a bittersweet goodbye with Sonic. Either way, Amy's bond and connection to Birdie is definitely a strong and unbreakable bond.

Maddie: I believe that Amy will develop a special bond with Maddie, not too different to Sonic and Tom's relationship. These two lovely ladies have a lot in common as they're both compassionate yet feisty women who will do all that they can to protect their loved ones. I could definitely see them teaming up to save the boys if they needed to, especially the men they love, Sonic and Tom.

Maddie would especially love to have a girl to dote upon and give advice to. I can definitely see the two of bonding over girly things like shopping, getting facials and spa treatments, and I reckon they'd enjoy doing Pilates and Yoga together (I reckon that Amy could match well in terms of flexibility with Maddie to the point where Sonic nicknames her "Pretzel Lady Jr.")

Though early Sonic 3 concept art show Amy Rose in her iconic red dress and therefore suggest she could be wearing it underneath her cloak (if say they re-use deleted concepts in Sonic 4), I personally love the idea of Maddie taking Amy shopping for a new outfit. This fanart comic by @risenhoku is similar to what I have in mind, though I imagine that Maddie would have to take Amy shopping to get her clothes in her size (unless she wears some hand-me-downs from Jojo or Maddie's clothes from when she was little). Either way, I definitely imagine Sonic having an awestruck "Wow!" reaction to seeing how beautiful Amy looks in her new outfit and I'm sure Maddie would notice. 🤭😏🥰 I imagine she along with Tom will be Shippers on Deck for Sonic and Amy, saying things "They're so cute together!" and "That's our future daughter-in-law."

One thing that Amy and Maddie definitely have in common is their love of animals and their strong desire to protect them. I could see the two girls embarking on their own "wildlife warrior" adventures together, e.g. them going up against poachers to protect the local wildlife and/or starting a protest against hunting for sport.

Perhaps Maddie goes looking for a vet assistant and Amy applies for the job. I imagine Maddie being very reluctant at first due to Amy's young age and lack of experience and qualifications, but Amy is not one to give up so easily. It's Amy's passion, enthusiasm and her natural talent with animals (particularly with Ozzie and her little bird friend, Birdie) that eventually win Maddie over to the idea of making the young hedgehog her assistant. Though she does insist that Amy gets the right qualifications and helps her to apply for online vet assistant courses.

I definitely believe that Amy and Maddie would make a great team and share a beautiful bond with each other.

Tom: I'm not entirely sure what Tom and Amy's relationship would be like, but I imagine that it would be start off like @risenhoku's comic where at first, he's anxious about Sonic bringing a girl home as he's not sure about how to approach the idea of his adoptive son possibly having a girlfriend. Nonetheless, he tries to be welcoming to Amy with encouragement from Maddie and the rest of his family and makes her feel at home.

Over time, Tom comes to be very accepting and even fatherly towards Amy (like a future father-in-law). He believes that the pink hedgehog is a perfect match for Sonic and even calls Amy "Sonic's Maddie" because of how much she reminds him of his wife and his own relationship with her, especially when they were younger and had just started dating.

Ozzy:

Much as Ozzy has a fondness for Sonic and his team, I definitely believe that the Wachowski's dog will have a special soft spot in his heart for Amy Rose due her natural talent and bond with animals. I imagine her relationship with Ozzie is firm (see the Tangled video from 0:42 to 1:13 and the Toy Story 2 video from 0:42 to 0:48) but also incredibly affectionate as she showers him with lots of cuddles, pats and belly rubs. I imagine Ozzie is like putty in Amy's hands, which amuses Sonic and the group.

These videos are great examples of what I imagine Amy and Ozzie's relationship being like. I could imagine Amy saying to Ozzie "Who's a good doggy?! Who's a good doggy?! Who's a good doggggggy?!" (see Toy Story 2 video from 0:48 to 0:58) as she vigorously rubs Ozzie's belly, and he lays down and wags his tail with absolute ecstasy.

I imagine with Amy's encouragement that Ozzy would embrace his braver streak and as he would protect his family, I also imagine that Ozzy would get very protective of Amy if anyone threatened her harm. 

Rachel, Jojo and Randall:

Amy and Rachel may butt heads at first, but eventually I could see the two of them developing a mutual respect for each other. Both can relate to each other as headstrong and occasionally (the occasional part being for Amy, lol) temperamental women, but Amy also has a softer and more compassionate side that reminds Rachel of her sister, Maddie.

I believe Amy will be only the alien that Rachel actually warms up to and in time I could see her becoming very protective of the young hedgehog teen. Let's just say that Rachel's attitude towards Amy's possible relationship with Sonic could be very similar towards her attitude towards her sister and brother-in-law's relationship. She'll be like: "Stay away from, Amy! You're not good enough for her!" or maybe she could be more tolerant of a relationship between the two hedgehog teens but isn't shy about making threats to Sonic like "You break that girl's heart, and I'll break every bone in your little alien body." I could see Sonic turning to Tom nervously and asking, "Is she like this with you and Maddie?" and Tom responds with, "She's worse, buddy. Much, much worse."

Amy and Jojo would have a great relationship and would love and treat each other like sisters and best friends. I definitely imagine the two of bonding over girly things and Jojo would show Amy the latest earth trends. Unlike her mother, I reckon Jojo would be a huge Shipper on Deck for Sonic and Amy. She may even be the first (or perhaps the only person) within the movie franchise to use the shipping term Sonamy. Maybe she and Amy could even start a Sonic fan club together, which either gives Sonic a big ego boost (not that he needs it, lol) and/or it could make him feel a little uncomfortable, but he soon warms up to the idea. Tails could help them in setting up a website for the club. Perhaps the fan club could even be used as alien activism in promoting for the rights aliens on earth. Sonic becomes the face of the activism page along with his friends and allies. Jojo's mother and stepfather may not be so supportive of her outspoken views at first (she becomes more outspoken with Amy's encouragement) but eventually come to respect and even agree with them with time.

From a pragmatic standpoint, I imagine that Randall would have reason not trust to Amy being that as a G.U.N agent he's supposed to see aliens as threats and capture them. While Randall might adapt this untrusting attitude towards Amy at first, with time, he not only realises that Amy is harmless, but he also finds that the two of them have a lot in common with their loving and high-spirited personalities. I could see the two of them bonding over sports (I personally imagine wrestling, baseball and martial arts are Amy's personal favourites) and possibly play some sports together.

In time, Randall may come to question G.U.N's beliefs about aliens after getting to know Amy. He may even become a defender for aliens on earth as a result of his and his new family's love and protectiveness for Amy and to lesser extent her new friends.

The Whipple family:

I imagine Amy becoming friends with Wade through her friendship with Knuckles. I believe she'd have a soft spot for the slow-witted but sweet and sensitive deputy and would always try her best to lend him a hand. In time they may build a big brother and protective little sister dynamic. They may even become closer than Wade's relationship with his biological sister, Wanda.

"Amy, you're like the sister I never had." - Wade

"Ah, Wade, don't you have, Wanda?" - Amy

(Giving Amy a deadpanned look) "Where I am losing you?"

I could personally see her helping Wade get a date with a lady he has crush on. Knuckles and Sonic may offer to help as well. I could imagine Amy saying something like this:

"I love my Sonic, but when it comes to women, he's totally clueless."

I could see Amy standing up for Wade when Wanda starts bullying him. I definitely see her putting Wanda in her place, which either gets on the FBI agents' bad side or wins her respect. Either way, I imagine that Amy and Wanda would have a complicated relationship. Maybe Amy agrees with Wade that Wanda can be "the worst" but she may also respect Wanda's devotion to being seen as a capable FBI agent (even if she often makes an idiot of herself in the process).

Wendy, I'm sure would be very welcoming to Amy into her home. The both of them would bond over their love of rom-coms and martial arts. Amy shows interest and respect for Wendy's Jewish faith and customs. I could see the two of them cooking for Shabat dinner (which I know as Sabbath) together.

I'm sure Wendy would respect Amy for putting both her children in their place when they get out of line. Over time she may even come to love Amy as a daughter and perhaps eventually a member of the family (whether it be adoptive or honorary member is open in possibility).

Agent Stone: I imagine that Amy would be kind to Agent Stone despite disapproving of his criminal actions. I'm sure she'd comfort him over missing Dr. Robotnik and be willing to help him make better decisions for his life without the doctor in it.

Amy's fate at the end of Sonic 4:

Here's a poll of the options I considered for Amy's fate at the end of the 4th movie and the most popular options that my viewers voted on:

I'd like to further discuss these options in more detail and the pros and cons of them.

Amy lives with the Wachowski's:

Amy could go live with the Wachowski family. Considering that Tom and Maddie happily invited Sonic into their home and then later added Tails and Knuckles to their household, I don't think they'd be against the idea of adding another alien to their home and family. Maddie, I imagine would definitely love to have another girl around for support when her boys get a bit much for her and she needs some girl time. I definitely could see Amy sleeping on the Wachowski's couch at least short term.

Unfortunately, I also see a few issues with Amy living with the Wachowski's:

If Amy joins the Wachowski household that would make her an adoptive sister to Tails, Knuckles and, yes, even Sonic. Considering that Sonic and Amy are hinted to have feelings for each other in various Sonic media and the SCU writers have also hinted to Sonamy being written into Sonic 4, it would be rather inappropriate for Amy to become another adoptive member of the Wachowski family. Though it's unclear if Sonic and Amy will officially become a confirmed canon couple in the movie franchise or if they are kept to the level of other Sonic media (e.g. Sonic X, Sonic Boom, Sonic Prime and Sonic Frontiers) where they simply hint to them having feelings for each other, I certainly hope that they keep an opening for Sonamy to happen in some shape or form. From the Doylist (real life) perspective, I believe it would be wiser that Amy doesn't officially move in with the Wachowski family so she can remain open to being Sonic's potential girlfriend rather than his adoptive sister.

If I gave a Watsonian (in universe) excuse for why Amy staying at the Wachowski's long term is a bad idea, it would have to be that Tom and Maddie simply don't have the room for her. I know from recently watching the Knuckles series that Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are currently sharing the attic as their bedroom. Being a teenage girl, I don't believe Amy would feel comfortable sharing a room with three boys (two of them being teenagers) and I don't believe Maddie (who understands Amy's plight) or even Tom would feel comfortable with her bunking up with their boys either. It would be a better idea that Amy has her own room for space and privacy's sake, and I'm not sure that the Wachowski's household can provide that.

Amy goes to live with Rachel, Randall and Jojo:

Another option I considered is the possibility of Amy going to live with Rachel, Randall and Jojo. As I described Amy's possible relationships with the family, I imagine that they could come to love and care about her so much that they decide to make her a member of their family.

While I really like this idea for the sake that it could help both Rachel and Randall to overcome their prejudices towards aliens in them making one a part of their family and therefore giving Jojo an adoptive sister, I also see the same issues that Amy living with the Wachowski's could have. If say, Rachel and Randall adopted Amy, it would technically make her Sonic's adoptive cousin, which could once again cause problems for Sonic and Amy in terms of potentially starting a romantic relationship in this universe.

I remember in Alvin and the Chipmunks movies they tried to find ways overcome this loophole by having Dave legally adopted the Chipmunks as his sons in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip while the Chipettes eventually moved out of the Seville household to pursue their career as hosts for American Idol, hinting that they were merely housemates and "sort of" live-in girlfriends to the Chipmunks. I do believe they could do better than this storyline as the viewers still found the setup to be rather sus as the Chipettes didn't have any other known parental figures in their lives besides Dave in this universe (in the 80's to early 2000's cartoon universe they have an adoptive elderly mother in Miss Miller).

A smarter idea could be that we are given proof that Amy still has a parental figure in her life back on her home world, but seeing how attached she's grown to earth and a certain blue speedster hedgehog who lives there, her parental figure gives her permission to stay on earth, but only on the condition that she keeps in contact with them regularly. With the help of Tails' technology Amy is able to regularly video call her parental figure and let know she's okay. This set up would therefore look more like Amy's taking part in an exchange student program and therefore isn't an official adoptive sibling or cousin of Sonic's. It could leave more of an opening for a potential romance happening between them.

Still, if either of these options don't work for Amy, here's few more options that could work.

Amy lives with and is possibly adopted by a member of the Whipple family:

I believe Wendy could be a good mother figure to Amy as they are both strong but kind warrior women who both have strong maternal instincts and a love of rom coms. I personally like the idea of Wendy making Amy her adoptive daughter as I'm sure she would make wonderful company for her now that both her biological children are grown up and out of home.

I remember @kaijuworld1954 commenting on my poll that maybe Wade could adopt Amy, especially if he has Tom to look for advice from. While I suppose that Wade could be a potential adoptive or foster parent for Amy as he's close in age to Tom (in real life Adam Pally is nine years younger than James Marsden) and could possibly look to him and Maddie for advice in raising her (Maddie in particular could step in as Amy's female role model), I personally think Amy would more see Wade as a lovable but immature older brother rather than a father figure. Of course, those are just my thoughts.

Amy returns to her home world and/or goes exploring other universes:

A more bittersweet possibility for Amy at the end of Sonic 4 is that she doesn't stay on earth and maybe either goes back to where she came from or continues exploring other universes if they make Amy an explorer of worlds like some fans have guessed she may be.

I definitely believe that this will create an absence makes the heart grow fonder connection between Sonic and Amy. It will do nicely if the writers want to create a steady slow burn for the two hedgehogs which builds up over the course of several Sonic films, which I believe is a smarter idea than making the two a couple immediately. It will certainly build up the romantic tension between them as the two miss each other while they're going on their own separate journey's and the two can also reunite for adventures and visit each other regularly.

I imagine their parting words being inspired from the Sonic Frontiers quote:

Amy: "....I know what I saw: a love that transcended time. I believe in that power. When this is over, I want to share that love with the world. Even though... it may take us far apart.” Sonic: “I know you'll do great. I want to hear all about it when you come back.”

Maybe they could change it up a bit with Sonic asking Amy if she really has to go, to which Amy replies with:

"I don't want to go, but their other planets and dimensions out there that are in need of a hero: a hero that can teach them about the power of friendship, family...and love (looks fondly at Sonic who shares her look). I believe in that power, and I believe in my heart that I need to share that power with the world. "Still... (takes Sonic's hands in her's) I'm really going to miss you, Sonic."

Sonic: "I'll miss you too, Amy."

The two hug and Amy may plant a passing kiss on Sonic's cheek which surprises but also delights him. The two promise to keep in touch and Sonic says he looks forward to hearing about Amy's adventures when she comes back to visit.

Amy lives on Earth with a totally new guardian:

These are not so much my ideas but more of a shout-out to @bunnystarhop's theory of perhaps Amy already having a friend and/or guardian that she's staying with in New York. It certainly would make things less complicated for her in terms of where she's going to live, but they've also got to introduce a brand-new character, who I hope will fit in with the rest of the human cast. Either way, I'm open for this option happening.

Shout-outs:

I'd love to give some shout-outs to theories, head canons and fan art/fan videos from:

@lucidheart3, @bunnystarhop, @daisytheflower21, @d3lly1000, @ficsinhistory, @Kexyy, @nightfurylover31, @the-sinful-voice-witch, @iwasbored777, @actionlulu, @essycogany, @palepaintersweets, @swagbonkoperaweasel, @risenhoku, @echidnapower, @hollylu-ships-it and anyone else whose name I forgot to mention.

They've got some great head canons and theories themselves which I encourage you to check out. A few of them are pretty similar to mine.

Be on the lookout for more theories from me soon. Next up will be all about Movie Sonamy.

[fatcathappycat]

#Larry is a good friend,

#Narumitsu fic recs

Or, 10 fic recs in the defense of writing a good Larry Butz

Ahem, I have been known on occasion to go on a bit of a rant within the comments when I come across a story that turns Larry into a sexist, obnoxious, stupid and hate-worthy character. The reason why this upsets me is because to me, in the games, he's like that ADHD kid that no one understands, bouncing off the walls and making his presence known. Yeah, he's loud and makes some questionable choices, but he's creative, and fiercely loyal to his friends (when it counts ;p )

More than once, he arrives in a cloud of chaos to save the day like the god-damn eagles in Lord of the Rings. And despite all his friends constantly mocking him, he refuses to let it get him down. If he fails at something, he tries again, or something else. I know that there are some elements of his personality that are problematic, but I don't believe he deserves as much hate as he gets. Dude is the living definition of *resilience.*

So here are 10 of my favourite Ao3 Narumitsu fan fics that either have been tagged with "Larry Butz is a Good Friend" OR feature a wonderful Larry moment. As usual, these are in no particular order, because I, like Larry, may be a chaos agent.

1. Stories by AuthortheGatekeeper

Rating: T Words: 14,057 Read time: 60 mins

"Larry is not about skill and precision. He is a boulder dropped suddenly and without warning. Larry is enough to divert the course of a well trenched river."

This is seriously one of the most creative fics I've come across. Really cool take on our favourite narrative in an au where stories are creatures.

--- ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ---

2. A Turnabout Toast by ideny

Rating: T or M Words: 68,313 Read time: 4.5 hours

Larry is a good friend, and this is a damned good fic. Months later and I’m still thinking about this fic. Required Narumitsu reading, honestly. "The one with the 'Flopsy Bunnies'"

--- ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ---

3. Treehouses by prospectkiss for MyLittleEdgey

Rating: E Words: 9,062 Read time: 40 mins

Sweet first kiss, then years later, tender and hawt first time smut. Heh, I guess you could tag this ‘Larry is a good friend’ too ;-)

--- ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ---

4. Perennial Pursuits by DeiRyuu

Rating: G Words: 3,145 Read time: 15 mins

“Somewhere along the line in their long history, Larry had gotten the impression that Miles was Phoenix’s keeper, destined to swoop in to the rescue whenever the defense attorney was in distress.

He wasn’t exactly wrong.”

--- ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ---

5. Phoenix Doesn't Know by AbstractKittens

Rating: T Words: 26,164 Read time: 2 hours

College au. This thing was a frickin’ delight from beginning to end! I wrote in my bookmarks to "reread this when I want to feel young and hopeful again." European road trip filled with sweet moments of de yoots bonding, with lots of good Larry moments.

--- ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ---

6. Troublemaker by Collaberal Damage (collaborational)

Rating: G Words: 1,207 Read time: 5 mins

A short ficlet about nine year old Larry Butz and his penchant for getting himself into trouble. I cherish stories like these that are empathetic and sympathetic to Larry. <3

--- ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ---

7. The Friend That's Always There by team_stepladder for Azalea_Scroggs

Rating: G Words: 3,769 Read time: 15 mins

"It’s lonely being alone on Christmas Eve. To fill the silence while looking for his lost Steel Samurai balloon, Larry Butz turns on a familiar radio program..." It's not necessarily Phoenix that Edgey owes his life to!! Just saying!!!!

--- ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ---

8. An Insecure Turnabout by Red_Acted (96percentdone)

Rating: T Words: 2,178 Read time: 10 mins

I gotta admit, that my favourite Miles BFF pairing is with Maya Fey. However, Larry and Miles as BFFs is a magical combination that deserves more fics like this one {:-) ;-)=

--- ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ---

9. Our Troubles Are All The Same by TheHomestuckWhovian

Rating: T Words: 7,732 Read time: 35 mins

One of the best Larry Butz stories I’ve read. Everybody would be so lucky to have a Butz for a friend <3

(i just read that out loud. and died laughing. sometimes I wonder about myself)

--- ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ---

10. Cherished Cherries by lilacSkye

Rating: T Words: 3,927 Read time: 15 mins

Another 'Miles is surprised when he learns something from Larry' fic that contains some honestly sweet moments and wonderful characterization.

--- ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ---

BONUS previously shared in another list but including it again because it makes me so happy and you should read it fic:

A Little Gift From Me To You by SapphireWine

Rating: T Words: 4,725 Read time: 20 mins

This short and sweet 3 chapter fic surprise is just... so Larry. Just brilliant and so funny. It's written by SapphireWine after all. Literally made me laugh out loud obnoxiously in public. The one with the candle. It is part one of a two part series. Read part 2 to find out what happens with the candle ;).

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And thus concludes my power point presentation. >Thank you< for coming and if you have a good Larry fic, please share in the comments or tags!

[jaijeijayjei]

Mel/Jayce/Viktor in the Tinkerbell universe

As others have said, Mel is basically Queen Clarion, or at least one of the Ambassadors. She has governing talent (which I think would be symbolized by a scroll?)

If she did have an elemental talent I think it would be light, for obvious reasons. (I’m pretty sure her abilities in league are listed as light magic…?) Plus gold and sun imagery suits her design so well.

Jayce shares a lot of similarities with Zarnia, so I hc him as a dust keeper fairy obsessed with dustology. They both experiment with an ultra powerful shiny blue magic thing against their mentor's advice, slack on their responsibilities because they're busy doing research, want to revolutionize their society with magic, gets in trouble for accidentally causing a disaster, is/almost is banished.

Or, he would be fire talent and he uses it in blacksmithing (very resistant to heat so he can mold it by hand, using controlled jets of fire to make more elaborate designs, etc.)

Viktor would be a tinker fairy! He's inventive and wants to improve lives with technology. Also, the classism against tinker fairies in the original movie as inferior to the other talents mirrors the challenges he faces as a Zaunite. (I also get strong Viktor vibes from Bobble)

If he had a nature talent it would be caring for animals because of how much he cared about Rio. Also, if his wings are too weak to fly for long periods, having a bird companion that helps him get around would be cool (like Lord Milori)

Is it too much to ask for a universe out there where they’re all happy, healthy, and fairies!??

Possible relationships:

Mel/Viktor- Light Fairy!Mel and Animal Fairy!Viktor go on a mission to the mainland to save animals from being hurt by light pollution in cities. OR Queen!Mel supports Tinker!Viktor’s efforts to make Pixie hollow more accessible to disabled fairies.

Jayce/Viktor - Dust Keeper!Jayce and Tinker!Viktor work together on creating Pixie dust alchemy, combining Jayce’s knowledge of magic and Viktor’s talent for inventing scientific equipment. Cue misadventures with two highly intelligent individuals who also have zero common sense

Mel/Jayce - Light Fairy!Mel and Fire Fairy!Jayce work together in maintaining forests, with Jayce doing controlled burns to clear space for new growth and Mel ensuring the newly plants have enough light through the thick foliage. (When they kiss little sparkles fly around them- ew who said that)

For MelJayVik, just mash any of those story lines together lol.

[brittle-doughie]

The ask you answered about Seaweed Cookie vs The World reminded me of Scott Pilgrim vs The World. So on that topic, who would be y/n cookie's seven evil exes that any cookie would have to battle to win y/n cookie's heart?

League of Evil Cookies

It was completely intentional with Scott Pilgrim Takes Off fresh on my mind. While not necessarily exes, these cookies would still be obstacles in Seaweed’s (or any cookie’s) goal of having a relationship with you.

Croissant Cookie would be incredibly confused, she thought you and her were getting along very well. It made her wonder if she shouldn’t have hesitated in making a move on you before you were scooped up by this literal who. Maybe she can get a certain keeper of time to help settle the score with this hurdle?

Pomegranate Cookie would be one of the more aggressive of the seven, insulted that this complete stranger in her eyes would just take you from her, she’d have such a bitter attitude towards them that it can be seen from a mile away. Pomegranate is dabbling into as much curses as she can to see what gets your partner out of the picture fast.

Those that smell the scent never leave alive and that especially applies to your partner when he comes after them. Lilac Cookie doesn’t think they’re capable of protecting you, seeing you hurt is something he doesn’t want to see in his lifetime. That might just occur if this…annoyance continued being your partner, so he’s taking matters into his own hands..

Kumiho Cookie is sensitive when it comes to any form of loving relationship development, given her history with you…she would up the charm and flirting antics with you as her attempt to swoon you over to her. She’s ignore your partner at first, seeing them as irrelevant. But when it was clear her tactics won’t work, she’s not afraid of an actual fight if that’s what it takes to bring you into her arms…

White Lily would have a heart attack if she learned of your recent relationship upgrade with this cookie she was not familiar with. It would crush her, the dreams she’s had of one day being wed to you are beginning to fall apart. She’s not going to risk a physical fight, she’s not exactly Hollyberry Cookie level strong. She’d rather use whatever she can get her Soul Jam to do instead…or just beat your partner to near death with her staff, anything to stop this relationship between you and them!

Scorpion Cookie isn’t going to be as brazen or obvious with her challenge to your partner once she’s made aware of their existence, something they will regret. Poisoning attempts or sneak attacks are possible forms of elimination Scorpion Cookie, which can change at any point during each attempt. Paranoia is another element Scorpion will bank on to eventually get your partner to leave you from fear, making comforting you her next plan..

Black Pearl Cookie would be the type to take the lead role of the League, your partner should VERY MUCH fear the water. She’d make every day and night a living hell for them, behaving nothing but nasty towards them until they leave you. Your partner should not even try to confront them, her power far exceeds theirs in every capacity, making it certain death if a face to face fight ever occurred. Oh? You’d think she’s above getting help to help deal with your partner? Well…let’s just say that she’ll even bring in some mercookie friends of hers to help rescue your pure soul from this filthy piece of dough that calls themselves your partner...

But there’s no need for you to worry about anything, she’s only vengeful towards that cookie unworthy of your love! Remember, White Pearl Cookie loves you so much!

[broodwoof]

Mythal’s Design in Veilguard

Sections: Female Characters and Sexual Appeal “They’re Pajamas” Mythal vs. Elgar’nan But She’s a Goddess! Practicalities, and Mythal on Worship Conclusions

Instead of having a few piecemeal posts floating around, I’m going to dig in properly.

Mythal’s outfit in Veilguard is good, actually. I know a lot of people dislike it, and to each their own, but this is a post in favor of it; if you’re going to be shitty about it, trust me, there are other posts about her outfit that would love to have your input in agreement with them. 

Accuse me of trying to create an echo chamber if you want, but it’s pretty much common decency to not go onto a post in favor of something and trash it or say someone is wrong for liking the thing they obviously like.

The New Post button is right there.

Female Characters and Sexual Appeal

So, this is a big part of the issue I have with fandom's perception of her outfit in Veilguard being “bad,” because it is notably modest. And I have to wonder how much of the opposition to her outfit boils down to “she lost her boob window and this is bad design, actually,” which is, at best, a questionable argument.

Obviously there are people who are fine with modesty, just not this outfit. Or they wanted some other aspect to her design, or whatever. This is a generalized statement, but it’s a point I think is worth making.

“They’re Pajamas”

I don’t even know what to say to this one honestly. What pajamas are y’all actually wearing because I for sure don’t wear layered cloth robes complete with soft pauldrons… I’m assuming a big part of this commentary is a joke based on the initial casual outfit Inquisitor’s wear also being called “pajamas” by the fandom (again, personally, I wouldn’t wear something like that as pajamas… but you do you!)

To be clear, I don’t really care about the joke. I’m just acknowledging that as a potential source for this commentary. But addressing it as a real, intentional comment, I truly don’t get it. They’re cloth robes. Are the Circle mage outfits also pajamas? Are Anders’ robes? Keeper robes? Everything Solas wears? Are all cloth armors pajamas…?

Mythal vs. Elgar’nan

This is a crucial piece of it, to me. I’ll be the first to admit that my creative background is in writing rather than visual art, but I know that visual art often pairs characterization with appearances, because that’s very effective. 

When I’ve seen people discuss Mythal’s design, it’s often with Mythal as a stand-alone figure, unrelated to any other in-game figures, which is, I would say, a very limited perspective on it. The designs interrelate when they’re in the literal same game.

So, let’s look at Elgar’nan. His design is one of great wealth, of luxury; he wears medallions that hearken to real life military badges. Everything he wears is absolutely exquisite, a mastercraft, and it creates an imposing, regal overall effect.

Elgar’nan is someone who wants to rule. Who wants to rule. Desires it. He’s a tyrant, and his aesthetic design is that of a grand king or powerful military figure. Again, this is clearly intentional. The design elements tie in with and support his characterization.

So, Mythal. If she looked as grand as Elgar’nan, as regal, then the aesthetic design would be setting her beside him in intent. It would be drawing a comparison between the two of them. “See, they’re the same!” I wouldn’t have liked that, and I think it would do her character a disservice to have been presented that way.

“But She’s a Goddess!”

She’s a spirit. She’s an Evanuris.

You know who else is a spirit? Cole. Should Cole be dressed in extremely elegant, grand, regal clothing? No? Then why does Mythal being a spirit necessitate it?

“No, no, it’s because she’s an Evanuris!” Okay. You know who else is an Evanuris? Solas. Should Solas be dressed in extremely elegant, grand, regal clothing? No?

“No, no, it’s because she’s royalty!” Sigh. You know who else is royalty? Cassandra. Should Cassandra be– well, you get it.

“No, no, it’s because she has a huge impact on the world!” You know who else has a huge impact on the world? The Inquisitor. They have a huge effect on politics in Thedas. They’re given immense power during DAI. And while you can wear some very fancy armor, it is, ultimately, armor. You can also run around in simple leathers. Or cloth robes.

She’s literally not a goddess. She’s just not. That’s made clear time and again. She’s a spirit, she’s a woman, she’s an Evanuris. She’s a ruler. But a goddess? No. She’s never been a goddess, and never will be. She does not need to be larger than life, because she never has been.

Back to the prior section, you know who presents himself as larger than life? Elgar’nan.

Practicalities and Mythal on Worship

This is the fragment that’s been trapped for thousands of years. Why, why, why would she be worried about fashion? Especially when we see, clear as day, that Flemythal uses fashion to achieve her own ends? Her presentation in DAO differs dramatically from her presentation in DA2, which again differs dramatically from her presentation in DAVG.

Who is she performing for, trapped there by herself? Who is she convincing? Rook? Rook? She doesn’t care about Rook, she has no reason to. Rook has to convince her to care, even a little, about what they are doing; but Rook as a person? Mythal has absolutely no reason to make a show of herself, and she doesn’t.

Morrigan says that Mythal dislikes praise, worship. She desires respect, not mindless obedience. So even if she was putting on a particular show for Rook, why would she choose to emphasize her position through fashion? What would that achieve, for her?

Conclusions

I know that ultimately people just wanted to see Mythal in something epic. That’s fine, of course; and even if I disagree, it’s still fine. But these are my thoughts on the matter.

I really, really don’t think her design is a “failure” or an “accident.” It might be a disappointment to people! I get that! But me and the other people who see value in her design aren’t just making shit up for funsies, either. We’re seeing something that’s there. It’s fine to have it not to your personal taste, it’s clear that a lot of people are disappointed with aspects of Mythal’s character, but me?

I’m not.

I’m happy.

Delighted, even.

And I’m tired of the overall conversation that I’ve seen being one of disappointment. It’s been an absolute pleasure to see some people valuing her design lately and I didn’t realize at first how badly I was wanting to see that.

[honest-moth-of-silver-grove]

Yan! Alucard post season 4 with a targaryen reader and has dragons like daenerys from game of thrones or house of the dragon, how would they meet and interact? Would the first meet when the trio see the dragons flying over the village and think it is a threat or a attack, sorry if I'm ranting I just think the idea has so much potential and I can't write to save my life so I'm passing it to you❤️❤️

A/N: Okay so full disclosure, I’m not the hugest Game of Thrones fan, but I did watch a fair amount of the series (mainly for Khalessi lol, they did her so dirty in the finale!). And sorry for being MIA, just lots of real-life crap I’ve been dealing with. 

Yandere Alucard (Post S4) w/ a Targaryen Reader

When our Targaryen reader first hears of a village founded under a famous monster hunter's name, yet supposedly run by the Alucard operated out of Dracula’s castle, she decides she has to see it for herself. 

Much like Trevor Belmont, she is the last of her kind, the bloodline ends with her, and as such, the dragon(s) in her possession are her utmost responsibility. If she cannot find someone worthy of continuing the Targaryen line, then she will have to settle for her family’s legacy existing solely as one more relic in the Belmont hold. Without any remaining relatives to marry to keep her lineage pure, she sets atop her noble dragon steed and sets out for Village Belmont, determined to find a worthy successor, and if not, then at the very least, a worthy grave. 

When she first flies over the village, it is a cloudy day; her dragon’s looming shadow initially goes unnoticed. But soon enough her dragon’s large wingspan wafts the gray skies away, leaving her and her majestic beast very little coverage. 

At first sight of the beast, villagers cry and scream out, as they mistake her dragon companion for yet another wandering night creature, hellbent on eating their children and pillaging their livestock. 

They alert Greta, who arrives on the scene at the same time as Alucard, his heightened vampiric senses having heard the loud thwap, thwap of the dragon’s wingspan long before the villagers could see it. 

Greta organizes her troops to gather their weapons- pitchforks, swords, scythes- those sorts of things and stand ready at the entrance to the castle while at the same time, the less athletically inclined villagers are ushered inside to safety. 

As the Targaryen descends with her dragon, she gives clear instructions not to harm the humans gathered before her, even though the mob before them has their weapons drawn and ready. 

Descending from the sky, our Targaryen reader looks like a goddess, some sort of mythical queen, the elements of both wind and flame at her command. Alucard is immediately drawn to her, her presence, and her power. Although, he is weary of her as well. Too many have come to claim the power vacuum left by his father’s death, and he will not tolerate any vampires or supernatural beings staking a claim on his childhood home, his new village. Even if they are both insanely beautiful and a dragon rider. 

Sypha and Trevor make it outside by the time the young woman dismounts. As she does, she raises her hands in surrender. 

“I am not here to cause anyone harm. I am here to ask a great favor of the keepers of this Village Belmont.”

The trio approaches her, Greta staying behind, her army of villagers at the ready. 

She explains who she is, how special her bloodline is, and how she, the current mother of dragons, is the last of her kind. She speaks mainly to Trevor, as he is the last of the famed Belmonts which angers Alucad greatly, although he doesn't understand why. All he knows is a rather impudent voice inside his head insists that she should be talking to him! Not that stupid Trevor! After all, it’s his castle and his hold, Belmont gifted it to him for safekeeping! 

The young Targaryen asks Trevor if he would accept the privilege and the honor of keeping her dragon eggs safe deep within his hold until the time is right for them to be called upon. Of course, Alucard interrupts, saying that while dragon eggs would certainly be a first for the Belmont hold, he should like to examine them, as well as her and her dragon before making any commitments. 

There’s a tense moment. Behind her, her dragon’s nostrils flare as it heavily breathes out. It seems she doesn't like to be questioned, and neither does her rider. 

Alucard must be careful here. Yes, he’s smart and manipulative as a yandere but we are talking about a Targaryen here. Make no mistake, if he steps out of line enough, or causes her enough harm, he and his whole town will get barbequed. (Despite the threat, this incredible amount of power is one of the things about her Alucard finds the most sexy lol.)

I imagine the group forms a fragile allyship at first. The Targaryen teaches the villagers about her people and dragons. The orphaned children of course fall in love with her dragon, who to their credit, is very patient with them, but also lets them know when to back off with a shake of their large head or a deep growl from within their belly. She wants them to experience some bonding with the creature but she also doesn’t want them to grow too friendly and become complacent when encountering wild beasts outside of the village. Dragons are not to be trifled with, and should they encounter any one of them in the wild they are to react with wisdom, but more importantly fear. 

Alucard, of course, watches all of this very interestingly, in awe of the Targaryen reader's fortitude and dedication to her companion and her role as mother of dragons. In watching her interact with the children, he can’t help but feel a swell of pride, and a longing in his heart loins for her to perhaps bear his children so that they can become keepers of dragons too. 

He can't stop fantasizing about it, how perfect it would be, how incredible she would look housing their combined legacies. Their offspring would be unstoppable. With his vampiric abilities and her draconic bloodline… Not to mention his mother’s medicinal knowledge and Belmont’s collection knowledge within the Hold… By god, they could form an empire! One for creatures and humans alike, all who wish to live in peace and choose knowledge over ignorance. If only his mother and father could see him now…

Alucard knows though he must tread lightly. The Targaryen reader is smart and cunning. She did not come to be the last of her kind by being naive, no. She’s hardened, and she’s been through a great deal. She will need time to adjust to his affections. 

Alucard doesn’t mind though. He has all the time in the world. 

[accio-bagel]

Bagel! I would love some Ellie quidditxh lore if you have any knocking about... 👀 *finger guns my way out of your ask box*

@celestial--sapphic *finger guns my way into the answer* 👉👉 thank you very much for asking, Celeste! I have a few more things to share about her and a couple relevant Imelda headcanons to sprinkle in too 💚

Yaps below the cut!

✧ Once Black announced Quidditch was to be reinstated in 6th year, Imelda wasted no time in recruiting Ellie since she had beaten all her broom racing records the previous year and had proven herself to be both a good sport and a good friend

✧ Sometimes a challenging personality to coach, but Imelda is a strong captain who Ellie respects, so she can motivate her to do her best

✧ She and Imelda had a little ✨tension✨ on the pitch while she taught Ellie how to play 😏😘🤫 but I HC that for the sake of staying focused on her ambitions, Imelda self-imposes a strict no-dating rule for herself and they remained just friends

✧ She's a fast learner and an agile flyer who loves to be active, so she picked up the sport quickly and determined the Keeper position suited her best (the humor of which was not lost on her). She also discovered the atmosphere on the pitch and the elements of danger involved in Quidditch appealed to her too

✧ Ellie wasn’t sure how she’d fare on a team at first, but she brings a fun presence to the group, does her best to add some lightness even during tough training sessions, and gets along well with the others

✧ Quidditch is also one way she vents her rage in a healthy way, and while it's by no means a cure, doing physical activity helped a bit with her depression and insomnia after barely making it through everything the previous year

✧ Despite seeming cool as a cucumber outside, she was a bit nervous about her first match and needed a little pep talk beforehand

✧ Ellie is a practical girlie who wears her hair back to keep it out of her face while playing (despite the lack of short up-dos in available to me in-game)

✧ Generally acts like she doesn’t care that much about the outcome, but her competitive side really comes out in matches and her actions speak louder than her words (perhaps a bit too competitive at times, as you saw in my previous Quidditch Ellie post 😅)

✧ She's got a keen eye, a strategic mind, and she’s in position to watch out for her team as Keeper, so if one of Imelda's strategies isn't working (unlikely, but still) Ellie can think of alternatives on the fly and suggests them (tactfully) to her captain because she's confident her ideas will work to benefit the Slytherins

Thank you again! 💚💚💚

[hrizantemy]

If the Dusk Court still existed alongside the other courts, what do you think it would look like? As well as its clothing and architecture. What would you want its culture to be like and what language do you think they would have?

If the Dusk Court still existed alongside the other courts, I imagine it as one of the most culturally profound and symbolically layered courts—the bridge between light and dark, life and death, change and permanence.

The Dusk Court — The Realm of Twilight and Transcendence

Dusk is neither day nor night—it’s a threshold, a liminal space. I see the Dusk Court as a place that thrives on balance, introspection, and reverence for the in-between. It’s a society that embraces ambiguity, transformation, and cyclical patterns—where nothing is static, and every ending is honored as a beginning.

1. Architecture: Inspired by Ancient Petra, Moroccan Riads, and Byzantine Influence

I picture the Dusk Court as a city carved into nature itself, much like Petra in Jordan—rose-stone facades, seamlessly blending into cliffs and canyons. The structures wouldn’t dominate the landscape, but emerge from it, reflecting the Court’s philosophy of harmony and transience.

From Moroccan architecture, I’d borrow the idea of hidden beauty—plain exteriors that open into stunning inner courtyards (riads) filled with fountains, tiled mosaics, and shaded gardens. Privacy and inner reflection would be key values, so homes and public buildings would focus inward, designed for contemplation and peace.

The spiritual heart of the court could resemble Byzantine basilicas, with grand domes, intricate mosaics of twilight skies, and soft light filtering through stained glass in muted golds, purples, and blues. The Hagia Sophia comes to mind—an architectural testament to both earthly grandeur and spiritual transcendence.

Key Features:

Sandstone cities glowing at sunset.

Reflective pools and labyrinthine streets, symbolizing life’s winding paths.

Open-air temples honoring celestial cycles, with no roofs to separate them from the skies.

Use of geometric patterns, similar to Islamic art, representing the infinite and unknowable.

2. Clothing: Rooted in Desert Cultures, Byzantine Luxury, and Japanese Minimalism

The Dusk Court’s fashion would blend practicality with philosophical symbolism.

Inspired by North African and Middle Eastern garments, they’d wear flowing robes and light, breathable fabrics—perfect for climates where days are hot and nights are cool. Think djellabas, kaftans, and abayas layered in soft gradients, echoing the shifting colors of twilight.

From Byzantine culture, I’d imagine intricate embroidery—threaded in gold and silver—depicting cosmic motifs: setting suns, crescent moons, stars, and cyclical patterns.

But there would also be a hint of Japanese aesthetics—a respect for simplicity, impermanence, and nature. Perhaps elements of wabi-sabi, where beauty is found in imperfection and age. Faded fabrics, hand-stitched repairs (like boro), and heirloom garments passed through generations would be common.

Color Palette:

Muted violets, soft ochres, deep indigos, dusty rose, and shimmering golds—colors that shift depending on light, embodying the transient beauty of dusk.

3. Culture: A Society of Philosophers, Mystics, and Keepers of Balance

The Dusk Court would be deeply philosophical—drawing from traditions like:

Taoism: The belief in balance and the flow of natural forces (yin and yang). They’d reject extremes, favoring harmony and the acceptance of life’s dualities.

Sufi Mysticism: A culture of poetry, dance, and music as forms of spiritual expression. Imagine whirling dervish-like rituals, where movement becomes a meditation on the cycles of life.

Ancient Egyptian View of Ma’at: The concept of cosmic balance, truth, and order. The Dusk Court might view themselves as guardians of Prythian’s metaphysical equilibrium, ensuring no court tips too far into chaos or tyranny.

Mesoamerican Calendar Culture: A deep reverence for time and celestial events. Festivals would align with equinoxes, solstices, and rare astronomical phenomena. Every citizen would know their place within cycles of renewal and decay.

They would embrace mortality—not fearing death, but seeing it as a sacred passage. Funeral rites would be grand, but not mournful—celebrations of completion.

4. Language: A Blend of Arabic Poetics, Sanskrit Philosophy, and Indigenous Symbolism

The Dusk Court’s language would be highly metaphorical, designed to convey layers of meaning in few words—similar to how Arabic or Persian poetry can express vast emotional landscapes through symbolism.

They might have untranslatable words akin to:

“Tarab” (Arabic): The ecstasy from music.

“Saudade” (Portuguese): A longing for something lost.

“Ikigai” (Japanese): A reason for being.

Like Sanskrit, their language could be tied to philosophy and ritual, with precise words for spiritual concepts and cosmic forces. Perhaps they use pictographs or glyphs in writing, resembling Mayan or Egyptian scripts, where a single symbol encapsulates complex ideas.

Communication wouldn’t be rushed—silence could be as important as speech.

5. Political & Economic Structure: The Court of Mediators and Memory

Politically, the Dusk Court would serve as Prythian’s neutral heart. A place where courts send emissaries to settle disputes, guided by ancient laws older than any High Lord.

Leadership might not be a singular ruler but a council of elders—chosen not for power but for wisdom and life experience. Perhaps titles aren’t inherited but earned through deeds reflecting balance, insight, and service to the community.

Economically, they’d thrive on:

Artisan goods: Glasswork that captures twilight, enchanted scrolls, and twilight-blooming plants used in rare potions.

Knowledge trade: Selling maps of ancient ley lines, star charts, and philosophical treaties prized by scholars of other courts.

Hosting diplomatic summits and neutral trade agreements.

Final Thoughts:

If the Dusk Court still existed, it would be the soul of Prythian—not the most powerful, not the richest, but the wisest. A court that understands that strength isn’t just about armies or magic, but about knowing when to let go, when to endure, and when to stand as the quiet force holding everything together.

It would draw from cultures that value introspection, balance, and spiritual depth.

[feralfangirll]

Currently getting my nails done and I can’t stop think about how much Katsuki fucking haaates going with you to get your nails done. But also… he wants to come with. He always wants to come with.

He’s bored out of his mind immediately. Looking around the overly glam decor, shiny marble tile floors, sparkly wallpaper, gaudy chandeliers. There’s some old white lady cooking with what seems like exclusively butter on all the tv screens. It’s… not his element and he hates it. But he loves you and he wants to spend time with you. So he shall endure. (Dramatic ass)

He always does. What a trooper.

He follows you to the seat you’re given at a couple of little tables, grunting a thanks at the old lady who tells him he can sit in the rolly chair next to you. It’s… oddly very comfortable. He crosses his arms, his usual scowl creasing his brows as he watches you pick out a color. It takes you way too long like it always does. (You secretly just like when he gets annoyed and picks the color for you.)

“I like the pink.” *he says. It’s literally a book of pinks. You look up at him in bewilderment and his big, thick finger pokes at the bunny nose pink he’d had his eye on.

The aunties all LOVE when he comes in with you, too. They flirt and fawn over him, bringing him drinks, giving him a hand massage while he waits for you. “Such a good man!” “Coming to the salon with your girlfriend! So sweet!” “A keeper!”

He sips at his free fruity little frozen drink and watches your pretty little hands be pampered and painted with the color he’s picked just for you.

He sure seems to be enjoying this for someone who hates coming to the nail salon with you.

[elumish]

so i believe you said you were aiming to complete the reading challenge by the end of pride month. did you manage it? any books you particularly recommend?

I did not!

Since my last post I managed to read exactly zero new books, so I still have nine to go. (Actually while writing this I realized it might be 10 actually beause I repeated an author.)

I do have some recommendations:

If you want gay urban fantasy:

The Tarot Sequence by K.D. Edwards is one of the best series I've read in a really, really long time. The first three books are out so far and act as a complete trilogy, and then the next set of books is in progress.

The Soulbound series by Hailey Turner is much more classic urban fantasy and really gave me Ilona Andrews vibes.

Small Gods of Calamity by Sam Kyung Yoo is a horror/paranormal urban fantasy mystery set in Korea that gave me a flavor of urban fantasy I rarely get to see.

If you want fantasy romance or fantasy with strong romance elements:

The King's Weaver by Novae Caelum is a fun and interesting romantasy with a genderfluid princess and a bi king. I had a really good time reading it.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows gave me the arranged marriage book I was looking for, which is saying something because I read a ton of arranged marriage books.

The Phoenix Keeper is about sapphic zookeepers and also phoenix husbandry, and it's cute and a fun read.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland has some interesting worldbuilding and a slow burn.

The Stolen Court by Megan Derr has really good ace representation, which just scratches the surface for the queer representation in Megan Derr's books. I particularly recommend this series (Unbreakable Soldiers) and the Tales of the High Court series.

If you want fantasy with little to no romance:

The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard feels like one of those 20k oneshot fanfics that hits that really specific way, except it's 800 pages long. I've read it 4-5 times in the last few months.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is a Sherlock Holmes-y fantasy mystery with some really creative worldbuilding and some dyslexia representation.

If you want sports romance:

Time to Shine by Rachel Reid is a fun gay friends to lovers hockey romance with what read to me, at least, as ace-spectrum representation (though it's not explicitly stated).

If you want contemporary romance:

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is a largely contemporary romance with a hint of fantasy, and it's also a book I put off reading for yours and then I read it in one night and cried a bunch.

Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao is a cute trans sapphic roommates to friends to lovers romance about labor organizing that I immediately recommended to one of my friends after I finished it.

In the Long Run by Haley Cass is a sapphic romance about a woman returning to her hometown after a long time away. One thing I really liked about this one is that both characters are late 30s/early 40s, which is a nice change of pass for romance novels.

If you want romantic suspense:

The Honor series by Radclyffe is one of the quintessential sapphic romantic suspense series. I didn't love book one when I first read it, but I actually jumped forward to the last book in the series (which has a genderfluid character as one of its POV characters) and really enjoyed it, and I've been working my way through it since.

Criminal Intentions by Cole McCade is a dark romantic suspense series with a really interesting setup, where the series is organized into "seasons" with short novels or novellas essentially making up each "episode."

Tallowwood by N. R. Walker is a tight, well-written standalone romantic suspense novel, and it's set in Australia so I got to learn some stuff too, which is always a plus.

If you want historical romance:

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall is a great regency romance novel with a trans main character who reunites with her best friend who thinks she's dead.