#this is a writing exercise for me

[whumpbby]

You know what?

Lan Zhan is mostly so frustrating as a character to me, because making him interesting and giving him a character arc would be so easy and it wouldn't even require changing his character or the overarching story!

Solution:

Have the Lan kick him out after he took the lashes for Wei Wuxian. No seclusion, straight up blacklisting from the properties.

That will reinforce:

A. That actions thaken in good faith result in unfairly harsh consequences.

B. That Lan are a strict sect that will stick to their rules to their own detriment.

C. That Lan Wangji took on an actual risk by trying to save WWX and it cost him more than he was ready to pay. Everyone lost in WWX's gamble.

Have him be a rogue cultivator that has spent thirteen years trying to earn the right of returning to his sect and family - and that's the reason he's where the chaos is, the reason he's known outside of Gusu and sticking to their creed to the letter. It would give him a valid personal reason to resent Jiang Cheng, because in his eyes JC didn't lose as much as him for doing much less.

It would give him internal conflict separate from WWX - does he want to go back to the sect that abandoned him? Does he want to go back to the sect he doesn't believe in anymore? Can he even allow himself to stop believing in the Rules and their utility - because if he stops, what's left for him? He'll be alone in the world that doesn't understand him and won't allow him to grieve the man he loved. Hell, have him question his decision to help WWX and come to no definite answer.

Give him a crisis of faith when he's one step away from returning to the sect and his brother, and his uncle, and that's when Wei Wuxian comes back into his life.

And the choice placed in front of him suddenly has weight. Does he go back to the sect, something he has been working towards for years? Does he abandon the only light in the darkness of his post-war life, that kept him going through the worst times for a man that died over a decade ago? Can he abandon the chance to get back to his beloved brother who breaks law by speaking to him a few times a year?

Or does he choose Wei Wuxian? Choose him in the way he didn't before, this time with his eyes open and aware of the consequences? Does he break away from the sect that killed his mother and broke his father with their unbent, heartless adherence to the Rules? Can he go back to that life after knowing freedom?

And WWX will do okay without him, it's quite obvious he can just live his dream of being a rogue cultivator with ease.

But Lan Zhan won't do well without Wei Wuxian - because WWX was the symbol of freedom for him from the first meeting. Freedom to feel and to act, and to follow his heart.

And he chooses WWX, knowing that he won't be able to go back home - accepting that the home he remembers only ever fit him when he made himself smaller for it. You can never go back home etc.

And that closes the thread of generational trauma for these two - the thread of crappy 'parents/elders' straddling their kids with their own issues.

Coincidentally, that would merge beautifully with WWX's plight - both of them leaving previous lives symbolised by their brothers, that are appropriately opposite in character to suite their specific emotional baggage;)

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Child's Writing Exercises and Doodles, from Egypt, c. 1000-1200 CE: this was made by a child who was practicing Hebrew, creating doodles and scribbles on the page as they worked

This writing fragment is nearly 1,000 years old, and it was made by a child who lived in Egypt during the Middle Ages. Several letters of the Hebrew alphabet are written on the page, probably as part of a writing exercise, but the child apparently got a little bored/distracted, as they also left a drawing of a camel (or possibly a person), a doodle that resembles a menorah, and an assortment of other scribbles on the page.

This is the work of a Jewish child from Fustat (Old Cairo), and it was preserved in the collection known as the Cairo Genizah Manuscripts. As the University of Cambridge Library explains:

For a thousand years, the Jewish community of Fustat placed their worn-out books and other writings in a storeroom (genizah) of the Ben Ezra Synagogue ... According to rabbinic law, once a holy book can no longer be used (because it is too old, or because its text is no longer relevant) it cannot be destroyed or casually discarded: texts containing the name of God should be buried or, if burial is not possible, placed in a genizah.

At least from the early 11th century, the Jews of Fustat ... reverently placed their old texts in the Genizah. Remarkably, however, they placed not only the expected religious works, such as Bibles, prayer books and compendia of Jewish law, but also what we would regard as secular works and everyday documents: shopping lists, marriage contracts, divorce deeds, pages from Arabic fables, works of Sufi and Shi'ite philosophy, medical books, magical amulets, business letters and accounts, and hundreds of letters: examples of practically every kind of written text produced by the Jewish communities of the Near East can now be found in the Genizah Collection, and it presents an unparalleled insight into the medieval Jewish world.

Sources & More Info:

Cambridge Digital Library: Writing Exercises with Child's Drawings

Cambridge Digital Library: More About the Cairo Genizah Manuscripts

[inkskinned]

i love when words fit right. seize was always supposed to be that word, and so was jester. tuesday isn't quite right but thursday should be thursday, that's a good word for it. daisy has the perfect shape to it, almost like you're laughing when you say it; and tulip is correct most of the time. while keynote is fun to say, it's super wrong - i think they have to change the label for that one. but fox is spot-on.

most words are just, like, good enough, even if what they are describing is lovely. the night sky is a fine term for it but it isn't perfect the way november is the correct term for that month.

it's not just in english because in spanish the phrase eso si que es is correct, it should be that. sometimes other languages are also better than the english words, like how blue is sloped too far downwards but azul is perfect and hangs in the air like glitter. while butterfly is sweet, i think probably papillion is more correct, although for some butterflies féileacán is much better. year is fine but bliain is better. sometimes multiple languages got it right though, like how jueves and Πέμπτη are also the right names for thursday. maybe we as a species are just really good at naming thursdays.

and if we were really bored and had a moment and a picnic to split we could all sit down for a moment and sort out all the words that exist and find all the perfect words in every language. i would show you that while i like the word tree (it makes you smile to say it), i think arbor is correct. you could teach me from your language what words fit the right way, and that would be very exciting (exciting is not correct, it's just fine).

i think probably this is what was happening at the tower of babel, before the languages all got shifted across the world and smudged by the hand of god. by the way, hand isn't quite right, but i do like that the word god is only 3 letters, and that it is shaped like it is reflecting into itself, and that it kind of makes your mouth move into an echoing chapel when you cluck it. but the word god could also fit really well with a coathanger, and i can't explain that. i think donut has (weirdly) the same shape as a toothbrush, but we really got bagel right and i am really grateful for that.

grateful is close, but not like thunder. hopefully one day i am going to figure out how to shape the way i love my friends into a little ceramic (ceramic is very good, almost perfect) pot and when they hold it they can feel the weight of my care for them. they can put a plant in there. maybe a daisy.

[scealaiscoite]

reasons for there to be only one bed ˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🍊 ꒱

¹⁾ they’re undercover as a married couple, and as such need to act like one

²⁾ there’s technically two beds available, but it’s freezing cold and everybody knows body heat works best

³⁾ it’s a camping trip, and one character’s forgotten their sleeping bag

⁴⁾ a character goes to their friend’s house after an emotional upheaval in search of comfort, and ends up staying the night - but refuses to kick the homeowner out of their own bed, resulting in the two of them sharing it

⁵⁾ in a roommate scenario, one character’s bedroom has been rendered unusable - and with the couch being unsustainable in the long run, they proffer sharing the one remaining bed as a solution

⁶⁾ there are two beds, but only one blanket

⁷⁾ a character’s taken ill, and the other party worries too much to leave them alone for even a minute

⁸⁾ in a fit of anger after a mission gone wrong, both characters sleep in the only available bed because no one was chivalrous to offer to take the floor

⁹⁾ a character’s had a nightmare, and needs company to feel safe enough to go back to sleep

¹⁰⁾ the weather takes a tumultuous turn, meaning a late night hangout has to turn into a sleepover when a character gets stranded there for the night

¹¹⁾ it’s a late night at work and when they both grow too tired to continue on, the only option is the lone office couch

¹²⁾ a threat’s been made against one/all character(s) involved, and so under the guise of safety in numbers it’s deemed safest if they stay together - everywhere

¹³⁾ one character joins the other for a late-night conversation, and ends up getting comfortable in their bed next to them - evidently too comfortable, as the char in bed falls asleep on the visitor and effectively traps them there

¹⁴⁾ there’s no bed in the shoddy refuge they’ve found after things went sideways, so when it comes time to sleep the only real choice is to stay close together

and, of course,

¹⁵⁾ it’s the last room available at the hotel after a long trip

[me-writes-prompts]

-:"We just got married!" Newlywed Prompts:-

(Tag me if you write these! || requested by: anon(hope you enjoy!) )

By @me-writes-prompts

Their first morning together

^^"Breakfast in bed?" "Oh! you didn't have to do that!" "Of course, I did. I vowed to be the chef in our relationship."

Making each other new playlists

Leaving little love notes around the house for each other before they leave for work

Surprise dates

Going shopping together for the first time after being married

^^"I should've known you married me for my money :(" "Oh shush! I'll pay next time, promise!" They don't.

They decide to adopt a pet to celebrate!

Now that they're married, they can workout together(and make fun of their partner's stamina)

"We need to get a bigger place, don't we?" "Yeah, seems like it." They say when they see how much stuff their partner has.

Rewatching their favorite show together

Decorating their first christmas tree

[siggiedraws]

Sonic is fundamentally unrelatable and unrealistic - and that's a good thing

I want to address a common sentiment in the fandom that I've seen countless times over the years - the idea that Sonic should be more humanlike. Specifically, the idea that Sonic should have more human traits, such as anxiety or insecurities, that make him emotionally vulnerable in some way.

I have always felt that this sentiment strips away what I love about Sonic so much—that it goes against his character as someone who is meant to be inspirational rather than relatable. From the bottom of my heart, I truly believe that making Sonic more relatable ruins his appeal and misses the entire point of what role he is meant to fulfill. Sonic being the way he is, an inhuman being that is extremely strong and unyielding mentally and emotionally, makes him an inspirational character that is appealing outside of the realm of relatability.

Please note that I am discussing Game Sonic for this essay, not any versions of Sonic from spinoff media.

(Special thanks to @blurredblu for helping me write this essay!)

Relatability =/= likeability

First, it is important to define "relatability" for the rest of the essay, as what is seen as relatable can vary across countless different cultures and lifestyles.

In this case, we are discussing facets of the human psyche. Traits such as emotional vulnerability, insecurity, or trauma are traits seen as humanlike because they imitate the depth of the human mind. They come across more realistic, and thus relatable to people in real life who have generally gone through emotional hardships.

Relatability is also considered with the implied audience in mind, according to Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses.

If relatability were somehow a goal of craft, then the question should be: How can a writer go about trying to make a piece of fiction relatable? If we mean “relatable” as sharing a reader’s experience, the first place to go is audience. We must always ask: Relatable to whom? Which brings us back to the elephant in the room—to call a manuscript “relatable” is really to make a claim about who the audience is or should be.

When writing relatability in fiction, what is important to recognize is who the target audience is. Sonic is a character that was initially created to appeal to a wide target audience, not only meant for young boys but for girls, women, and an older age range in general. When it comes to marketability however, Sonic is almost always advertised towards children, and this demographic is the most pertinent when we look at versions of Sonic written with relatability as a goal. With this idea of the target audience in mind, a character who is portrayed as young and having a childish temperament would be more relatable. The Paramount Sonic movies are a great example of a version of Sonic explicitly written to be relatable to the target demographic on a broad level, heavily influenced by the culture that the movies derive from: specifically a middle-class, suburban, small-town vision of American life. Sonic is portrayed as dependent, inexperienced, and abiding by a nuclear family structure who idolises many elements of American popular culture, such as Keanu Reeves or Marvel/DC superhero comics. Compare this to the games, where Sonic is shown to be self-supporting, wise, and living life as an unfettered vagabond, all without a trace of any pop culture utterances.

In other words, Sonic was created to be the height of unrelatability to his target audience.

It is not lost on me that the prevalent desire for Sonic to behave realistically ties into the idea that the goal of crafting a good character is to emulate realistic human characteristics. A character's relatability is what allows audiences to connect with the character, which is considered unequivocally a good thing.

What is forgotten in this rudimentary line of thinking is that characters in media need to fulfill a role. Characters are not people like you or me, but fictional creations made to serve a particular purpose. There needs to be thought put into what narrative role the character fulfills and why they are portrayed a certain way to the audience. Hence, there must be a reason for the relatability, instead of employing it haphazardly.

To quote Craft in the Real World once more:

"readers’ expectations for fiction are created by their previous experiences with fiction—in other words, by culture."

The desire for Sonic to be relatable can be attributed to people recognizing pervasive tropes present in their previous experiences with fiction, internalizing these commonalities as the correct way to write good stories, and assigning these to Sonic as a result. While I can understand the logic behind this thinking, it is crucial we don't limit our appraisal of media by saying a protagonist ought to abide by a certain limitation, when it's the breaking of rules, however rigid they are, that allow for different methods of storytelling. Sonic breaks the so-called rule that a protagonist must be relatable, and it's this unrelatability that enhances and strengthens the narrative in many Sonic games. In other words, writing Sonic in a relatable way can be a way to write him; that does not mean it is the only or correct way to do so.

We should bear in mind that there are usually financial incentives to cast characters as mentally or emotionally relatable to audiences. To create a protagonist that appeals to all audiences to maximize revenue, the solution is typically to make them broadly relatable. While this can be a successful formula, it is important to not apply it to media indiscriminately. If a myriad of works all prioritise having characters be relatable over what makes them unique, you may end up sacrificing creative integrity for the sake of following a trend. In Sonic's case, you would lose the inimitable appeal that makes him stand out. While relatability can be valuable in certain contexts, it should not dominate all other considerations of writing a character, especially when it is done for the purposes of profitability as opposed to earnestly conveying a character to, ultimately, tell a story.

What makes Sonic stand out

What, then, makes Sonic stand out as a character? His inhuman mental fortitude. In a wide and varied cast of characters such as the Sonic cast, each with their own unique emotional struggles, Sonic stands out as the sole character with no struggle. He has no weak point, no Achilles' heel. Though he is weak to water, that is only a physical weakness. Mentally, he is too strong for anything to affect him long-term.

As stated before, characters are designed to serve specific creative purposes. In Sonic's case, his striking mental resilience is to highlight other messages and characters in the story. This is because Sonic usually plays the guiding or support role in his stories. He is not the sole focus. There is always at least a second character that the story focuses on to highlight that character's problems and struggles, and how that character ends up overcoming that conflict, often with Sonic's help.

With all this in mind, would Sonic stories be improved if Sonic was, instead, a human-like character with flaws and insecurities? Or would this muddy his core concept and require all Sonic stories to be changed unrecognizably to fit this new, different character?

Sonic has no backstory - and that's a good thing

Understand that this section is not an attack on backstories in general. For the most part, backstories provide insight into a character's motivations and personality. They are effective in accomplishing what they were meant to do - creating characters that are meant to be realistic.

Sonic is not meant to be realistic.

Yuji Naka once stated the reason behind Sonic's lack of a backstory in an interview: if you uncover all the mysteries, then the character will become uninteresting.

Very little information of Sonic's backstory has been revealed. We know that he is from Christmas Island (same interview link as above) and it is implied in the Sonic 1 manual that he and Eggman already know each other and have been regularly tussling before the events of the first game. These are vague and unspecific details that are not brought up in Sonic games at all, and for good reason.

Distance is required to portray a character who you are meant to be separate from rather than analogous to. Maintaining a certain level of mystery around Sonic creates intrigue, as a question is begged but never answered or even brought up in Sonic stories. This is because Sonic's backstory has no relevance on the narrative and delving into it is not necessary.

Sonic's motivations are simple and straightforward. He likes to run and go on adventures because it's fun. He likes to help people not out of some heroic obligation but because he wants to do what he feels is right. There is no need for a backstory to explain Sonic's motivations when they are plainly presented to you in such an uncomplicated manner, and what's on the face of it is just wholly what it is.

Sonic is also a character that remains static rather than having a major character arc. While he can grow when it comes to things that don't affect his overall character, such as Sonic learning and overcoming Shadow's Chaos Control technique in Sonic Adventure 2, his personality always remains the same. He has been a fully realized character since the beginning of the franchise.

Compare this to a character like Tails, whose character arc is about him being bullied for his two tails in the past and being inspired by Sonic to be more confident in himself, as communicated in the Sonic 2 manual and his Sonic Adventure campaign. Divulging Tails' backstory is necessary for the improvement of Tails' circumstances and confidence levels to be effectively communicated in the story.

Fictional characters are narrative devices created to tell a story. They are not real. Again, there must be narrative reasons for them to be the way they are.

Providing Sonic's backstory would serve no narrative purpose—none that would serve the themes his stories and character are meant to serve, at any rate.

Sonic has no trauma - and that's a good thing

Upon analyzing Sonic's character in the games for so long, it has become astoundingly clear to me that Sonic does not have an ounce of mental trauma from everything he has been through. This should not be seen as a bad thing, but rather a well-thought-out and deliberate decision that serves to reinforce the role his character serves.

In the face of situations that would be considered stressful or traumatic to the average person, Sonic remains unfazed and even excited. There are countless examples of this: Sonic jumping from a plane with nothing but shrapnel to use as a surfboard in Sonic Adventure 2; Sonic expressing excitement that he's near an active volcano spewing lava in '06; Sonic exuberantly grinding over pits of lava in Black Knight; Sonic burning up with excitement at the prospect of dangerous stakes in Team Sonic Racing while everyone else seems to be concerned.

For Sonic, danger and near-death experiences are not a source of emotional struggle, but rather a source of fulfilment and joy. He lives life on the edge; the excitement of diving off of a plane or nearly falling into lava only fuels his love for life.

Additionally, Sonic also enjoys the simpler pleasures of life. Exploring the world. Reading books. Going on relaxing vacations. Racing through open fields. Life is one big adventure and Sonic is having a blast living it.

The idea of Sonic having some kind of secret, hidden trauma that he hides under the guise of a fake smile can be a fun fanon trope, but, for the purposes of canon and official Sonic stories, there are clear reasons why they should stay as fanon. If Sonic had trauma, it would undermine his unrelatability and make no sense given his role in his stories. Tropes such as Hurt/Comfort and Angst are ubiquitous when it comes to fandom culture, and this could be a case of those tropes appearing in the Sonic fandom simply due to the nature of fandom itself. Enjoying fanon in and of itself is all well and good, but advocating for it in canon will homogenize it by stripping away what is unique about the media we love.

In the end, there is no reason to believe that Sonic pretends or does not behave genuinely when it comes to expressing his true emotions. Sonic simply has nothing dark inside of his heart to hide. This is confirmed in Unleashed, where Sonic's heart is strong enough to resist the negative emotional forces of Dark Gaia without him even realizing. The subconscious nature of the action combined with his humility even leads him to initially think it to be Chip's doing. His heart is so strong and so pure that it is incorruptible by negative forces. This shows how Sonic's resolve is effortless and practically baked into who he is.

Sonic's internal strength is completely unconscious on Sonic's part. He doesn't actively try to be the way he is. He just is.

Sonic doesn't cry - you get the idea

It has become a hot topic in the fanbase in recent years that Sega once provided a revision note for Sonic to not express excessive emotion such as outwardly crying or sobbing.

This idea has generally been met with hostility and aversion from fans. However, this negative reaction has always confused me, and I hope to offer a different perspective to the issue.

Why does Sonic need to cry?

Let's expand on this argument for fairness' sake. A common rebuttal grants that Sonic doesn't usually cry. But in extremely emotionally difficult situations, such as loss or mourning, Sonic should cry because it is only natural to cry in such a situation.

Again, I want to challenge this notion. We could approach it from the angle of human psychology and behaviour—it is far from the case that everyone cries in response to severe adversity, belatedly or otherwise—but instead I want to explore this with respect to the narrative angle we have covered so far. Specifically, with respect to the idea that characters, unlike you or me, are designed and portrayed with certain purposes in mind.

Why would it be natural for Sonic to cry?

To help understand Sonic's handling of loss, let's analyze four examples from the series of Sonic losing someone.

In Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic stays strong and composed right after Shadow's presumed death, paying respect to his fallen ally.

In Sonic Unleashed, after Chip leaves him, Sonic takes a deep breath before moving forward with a smile on his face.

In Sonic Battle, Sonic is desperate for Emerl to live and expresses this openly.

In Sonic '06, Sonic expresses a great amount of despair when Elise dies in an explosion aboard the Egg Carrier.

It is clear from the outset that Sonic is not an uncaring individual - he wouldn't do all the selfless things he does if not because he didn't care about people. He also still feels strong emotion at losing those close to him, but he handles those emotions with a great deal of fortitude. In Adventure 2 and Unleashed, his reaction is more subdued, while in Battle and '06, it's clear that Sonic is upset and isn't afraid to show it. The difference could be due to that in the prior examples, Sonic watched them die in front of his eyes, while in the latter examples, they were already gone by the time we see Sonic's reaction.

Nevertheless, Sonic feels emotion. It is only because he does not express himself in an adequately typical way that this idea is met with so much outrage and pushback. Because Sonic does not cry, and because an expected response in certain scenarios would be to cry, it is perceived as a writing mistake that must be fixed. Sonic is perceived as a bad character because he does not fit into a rigid box of socially acceptable expressiveness.

But why is Sonic acting outside the norm necessarily a bad thing? The fact that Sonic can go through such hard situations and remain positive is a testament to his strength. The fact he doesn't cry makes him come across as superhuman when it comes to mental fortitude. That is not a mistake of his character that needs "fixing." That is the entire point.

The animosity towards the idea of Sonic not crying, that he must express himself a specific way, a distinctly normal and humanlike way, is stirred from the irrational, yet sadly common, leap in logic that Sonic must behave and experience life like you or me.

There is an irony, too, to how localised this demand of realism is of Sonic. I've seen no outrage demanding that he spill blood or break bones like us. But, apparently, he must shed tears to be a good character. Sonic is superhumanly resilient while running, or fighting, or taking on the miraculous powers of the Chaos Emeralds. Chaos is power and power is enriched by the heart. Sonic's is shown to be one of the strongest and purest out there, one that moves ever on from and through the pain of loss, grief, and tragedy. Isn't it bizarre, then, that this is considered a defect to him?

The messaging of Sonic

Sonic's core concept as an inspirational character must be maintained because it is key to the emotional messaging of nearly every single Sonic game.

Right from the very first game, you play as a plucky little hedgehog, fighting against the tyranny of Eggman's industrialization threatening to destroy all life on the planet.

Sonic is small and unassuming. But he fights anyways, determined to stop Eggman. And he does.

This concept remains throughout the franchise. Sonic always remains steadfast in the face of great adversity. From Sonic CD's "You Can Do Anything" vocal theme telling the player to believe in themselves to simple yet motivational phrases—ones that Sonic himself has given to the likes of more normal characters such as Elise: "If you have time to worry, then run!"

There is even a quote on the Japanese box art of Sonic & Knuckles comparing Sonic to the Sun, the far and unreachable star in space that our entire galaxy revolves around.

We look up at the Sun like how we look up to Sonic.

As brought up earlier, Sonic is the antithesis of relatability to his target audience, children.

This is because he is meant to inspire children.

The fact that Sonic remains so popular and successful to this day is undeniable proof that relatability is far from a necessary ingredient for likeable characters. Given the fact that Sonic is such a strong-willed character, that he fights endlessly against adversity with a smile on his face, that he always gives positive words of encouragement, is it any wonder why he is so popular with children? Sonic is a wonderful role model that promotes living life to the fullest. Sonic is deceptively wise, seeming to know simple yet effective solutions to every problem. Sonic encourages you to chase your dreams, to stay strong through hard times, to enjoy life.

Sonic is a friend who is always there for you.

Not only does Sonic provide guidance to characters, he provides guidance in the real world as we navigate our lives and the trials and tribulations that come with them. Each character that presents a problem is the character we are meant to connect with, and Sonic is who we strive to be.

CONCLUSION

I do not hold any grudge against relatable characters. I love them, just as I love all kinds of different characters in all kinds of media.

I believe that coexistence is possible. I believe that you can praise a character for their relatability and realism, just as you can praise a character for being the antithesis of both of those things, and these do not have to be contradicting principles for one to have. It all depends on a character's narrative function and how their character traits – both relatable and unrelatable – serve the story that is being told.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a character whose role in the narrative is to inspire and guide other characters. From a Doylist perspective, he represents the prominent, all-embracing messaging about staying strong and positive despite all odds, inspiring and guiding his target audience.

Every decision put into Sonic's character traits serve his role perfectly. Of course this extraordinary character does not behave like you or I do. Why would he? That's simply not his nature; a gust of wind in the breeze, moving endlessly all throughout the world. A pure and positive heart who has achieved the innate desire of all humankind in a way that we will never truly understand, free from the burdens of human nature. Freedom.

Sonic is unrelatable and unrealistic. And he is an amazing character.

[bisclavret]

you're telling me bbc merlin has an episode called The Secret Sharer where everything revolves around a bunch of characters digging around for merlin's secret identity and gwaine is there for no reason other than to beg merlin to trust him again and proves himself worthy of that trust by turning his back on his knightly duties and doing everything to help merlin even though they might be saving a traitor for all gwaine knows and then merlin literally does magic in front of him and they even kinda acknowledge it by shrugging at each other and this still doesn't count as a magic reveal and they all just go back to their stupid little ignorant lives in camelot after that. do i have that right? ok. so first of all this show is a cheap farce but we knew that. second of all. Gwaine Knows. obviously

[turtleblogatlast]

Small but significant character moments that I actually really adore are from both the times we see the boys as tots. There is a reoccurrence that happens in both of them that I find so incredibly interesting.

For the turtle tot short, Splinter leaves the boys with weapons. In the short, Raph is the one who suggests they do “what Lou Jitsu would do” and Leo is the one who takes point when Splinter comes back to reprimand them. Leo, in taking point, is the one to defend them and get Splinter off their tails.

And then, in the flashback regarding the Kuroi Yōroi helmet, Raph is the one who grabs and throws “Skully” as a way to replace their missing ball which breaks it into pieces, but Leo is the one who speaks for the group and rushes into action to fix the teapot.

I love this for multiple reasons, but the biggest are how it shows that Raph has always been inclined toward the bold and fun and making the plans to include his brothers in what he loves and believes they’d love, whereas Leo has always been inclined to be the “Face” of the group and shoulder the attention even if it’s potentially negative all while coming up with on the spot attempts to fix the situation.

[seiwas]

bakugo swallows a spoonful of food too fast and lets out a small cough.

it's cute, barely there—could even pass as him clearing his throat if anything, but you notice it because bakugo always eats his food carefully, never hurriedly.

you try your best to hide your smile across him, head tilted down towards the bowl of soup you're swirling with your spoon.

"s’your soup funny or what?" he grumbles, gaze narrowing at you.

your eyes widen and the grin you'd been trying to suppress attempts to slip out, your teeth catching on your lower lip to stop it from fully revealing itself. when you look up, he isn't mad, but the expression on his face lets you know that he’s suspicious because you’re acting so weird.

"it's nothing," you smile, shaking your head.

just that you think it's so cute of him—that little cough. how he’s comfortable with you like this, off-guard.

he doesn't press further, but his eyes squint before returning to his food.

"can i taste?" you ask, spoon reached out and begging as you eye his bowl.

"t'spicy," he doesn’t even look up.

you pout, "i wanna try—"

the stare he gives you is flat, a dull crimson that’s rehearsed; the same one he sends you each and every time you ask to taste something he's flagged too spicy for you, yet for some reason you still insist on suffering through.

"—please?"

it’s unfortunate he still hasn’t figured out how to say no when you ask this way.

he pushes his bowl towards you, the liquid in it a vibrant, scary, and very spicy red. you can already feel the insides of your nose burning. he leans back and crosses his arms over his chest, watching as you gulp nervously. anticipating.

you wet your lips once before dipping your spoon into his bowl, collecting just enough to taste but not enough to form a mouthful. you swallow again before taking a deep breath as the cool metal of the spoon pushes itself past your lips.

it's okay.

for a second, maybe.

until it starts to burn, your tongue on fire as dry heat makes its way to the back of your throat. this is the worst coughing fit of your life.

are you crying? or are your eyes actually sweating?

you squeeze your eyes tighter and think, no wonder bakugo had coughed earlier.

.

when you think you've recovered, eyes rid of tears and throat probably extremely fucked from all that coughing, bakugo slides over a glass full of milk and a small, peeled open yogurt cup that he keeps in his fridge for all the others times you've done this already.

[tartagliove]

Tartaglia working out with Reader who is not as fond of exercise as he is looks a little like...

Glaring up at him as he pushes down on your shoulders to make sure you squat down far enough. Your thighs are burning. You want to stand up, but he doesn't let you until you hold the squat for five seconds.

“Screw you, Tartaglia,” you snarl at him after you straighten up.

He just flashes you a cheeky smile. “Five more left.”

You scowl at him but start the next squat anyway, making sure to bend enough. He lets go of your shoulder and circles around behind you as you do another.

The next time you sink down into the squat, warm hands wrap around your waist and slide down to your hips as he mirrors your squat. Tartaglia applies pressure, firmly weighing you down so you keep the right position. When he lets you up, his hands travel with you, sliding back up to your waist, his thumb slipping under your shirt to rub circles across your skin. You shiver.

“Two more. C'mon, I know you have them in you. Make them good.”

You groan at him in protest but squat once more with his hands holding down your hips. Then as you sink into your final squat, he lets go to circle around and stand in front of you. His blue eyes track your every movement as you complete the squat on your own, straightening up with an exhale—just to end up chest to chest with him. “Good job,” he croons, taking in the way you pant for breath and your legs tremble from the exercise.

A whine escapes your lips. “Can I be done now?”

“With squats? Yes.”

You sigh in relief and take a wobbly step back from Tartaglia.

He closes the distance, refusing to let you retreat. “Ah, not so fast. You have weights to do. Time to work on these arms!”

You cross aforementioned arms defensively, glare returning instantly. “I hate you.”

“You love me,” he fires back.

“You’re delusional.”

“And you’re going to complete this workout your boyfriend prepared so he can cook dinner as you take a nice, hot shower.”

That does sound nice, even though you know you’re in for at least another half hour of pain. “Pasta?”

“And garlic bread.”

“Fine. I’ll finish your stupid workout.”

You press a quick kiss to his lips. The fond look that appears on his face makes you turn on your heel and stalk off toward the rack of weights, leaving him before he realizes you aren’t too upset about exercising with him after all.

[frownyalfred]

a what-if scenario, as proposed by @lurkinglurkerwholurks and developed by myself, @audreycritter and lurker over on discord.

The original what-if: You know those delightful scenarios where Bruce is so pressed or scared or in danger that he yells for Superman and Clark POOF appears? Take alllllllllll of those, all that fear and pain and desperation...What would be required in that moment for Bruce to yell Clark’s name instead of Superman?

He’s so so so careful. Would it be an extreme amount of those emotions, like Jason’s death? Or is it something he specifically needs Clark for and needs him NOW? Like how much would that scare the living snot out of Clark to hear?

What if: Bruce finds Lois close to death -- maybe a few seconds away from dying, and it's a sure thing. Her heart is still beating, but she doesn't have long.

It’s kind of like a scene in a movie, where something happens that’s so big, so quietly awful, everything slows down and the rules don’t matter anymore. Internally, Bruce would go really still and hyperfocus to figure out how to fix this, but he’s not stupid.

Bruce sees Lois and knows. He clears the comms, kneels down next to her, and calls for Clark -- all in less than five seconds. Because there's no one else to make those snap judgements right now other than him -- or even knows why they need to be made.

Clark hearing his name shouted like that would make his entire world go staticky with panic. Because hearing Superman’s name shouted like that by Bruce Wayne has always meant the end of the world, and somehow this is so much worse.

He’d hesitate for a second because surely it’s a mistake? Why would Bruce call him that on open comms? Why is Bruce's heart suddenly pounding in his chest?

Bruce calls him Clark for two reasons: 1) Because he's about to give Clark the worst news of his life and 2) to remind him of his humanity. To remind him he's Clark at his core, because what he's about to see will shake those very foundations.

There’s nothing they can do. No medevac, Clark can’t take her anywhere. She will die, and it’s a certain thing. Lois just needs to see Clark. She needs to be able to say goodbye.

Bruce is both their friends and that’s what makes it worse. The weight of that grief -- grief for Clark, but also Lois because she is his friend too. He loves her, too, in a completely different way. And now he’s watching another person he loves die in front of him and he can’t stop it.

[fatedroses]

Finally I can post the comic for Adventurer!Zenos that has taken hold of my brain for the past week.

AKA a man who is currently running off the fumes of the literal souls of the damned being very desperate to be out of the void he was stuck in (and for the first time actually being able to just enjoy something mundane), only to get absolutely overwhelmed but all the stimuli he had just... ignored until now.

[finalgirlgretchen]

another ode to mary oliver

[scealaiscoite]

“i’ll keep you safe” prompts ˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🍊 ꒱

⋆ “i can stay the night, y’know. if it’d make you feel better.”

⋆ “try and get some sleep. i’ll stay right here- i won’t let anything happen to you, i swear.”

⋆ “you should’ve told me this was going on. i would’ve put a stop to it the second i heard about it.”

⋆ “no one gets to treat you like that, you hear me? no one.”

⋆ “either go to bed and get some rest willingly, or i will drag your ass down the hall kicking and screaming. you know i’ll have no problem with either option.”

⋆ “you must be freezing- here, take my jacket.”

⋆ “this place is dicey at the best of times. just take my hand until we’re clear of it, yeah?”

⋆ “anyone touches you, says anything to you, so much as looks at you the wrong way- you come get me, and i’ll set them straight. understand?”

⋆ “i’m not jealous. i just know the intentions that someone like that has for you, even if you claim not to see them yourself.”

⋆ “stay behind me, no matter what.”

⋆ "i know you can't believe it yet, but i promise you can trust me. whenever you're ready to rely on me, i'll be here for you. i swear it."

⋆ “i like seeing you this way. so… at ease. makes me wonder how anyone could ever purposely put you under stress and live with themselves afterwards.”

⋆ “shut up and just let me take care of you!”

⋆ “this isn’t up for discussion. i know you’re used to looking out for yourself, but i need you to understand that you don’t have to live like that anymore. i’m here. for as long as i’m around, i’m going to come between you and anything that wants to hurt you.”

⋆ “no one’s ever going to hurt you again. i promise you that on everything i believe in.”

[bluegarners]

i like jason because you can always sense this intense and deep longing for want, but jason doesn’t really know what exactly it is that he wants. once he finds out though, he does everything he can to destroy it. and i think that kind of dissonance impacts how he views his personhood and physical body bc there is this sort of casual distaste for it in that he knows it’s his body but it’s also a body that he, let alone, anyone shouldnt have or want. and so when his body betrays him, it’s a justification for the distaste, but when his body rewards him, it becomes yet another argument he has with himself about whether the kind of existence he possesses is even real. it’s even more a problem once he begins to realize that there is the possibility that others could want Him, including His Body

[loonsloon]

sleep so i can see you, 'cause i hate to wait so long jegulus microfic, words: 1060

For Regulus, mornings would always start in the same way. Being a light sleeper, he would wake up to James trying very hard not to stir him—fumbling around, knocking over something on his nightstand, stumbling over his own foot, or even cursing silently to himself.

Regulus always tried to keep his eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep. He enjoyed waiting for James to lean over and kiss him gently, ruffle his hair, or graze his cheek with the back of his hand.

“Don’t pretend that shampoo bottle falling in the shower didn’t wake you up,” James would chuckle, making Regulus finally open his eyes with a smirk.

“You know, I just enjoy hearing you suffer,” he would tease him back, voice still thick with sleep, while James brushed his hand over his cheek, eyes softening with so much adoration that even Regulus wasn’t blind to.

“I have to go, baby. We’ll see each other tonight. Go back to sleep,” James would say, followed by a soft kiss goodbye.

And that’s how their usual mornings went by. But today, Regulus could sense that something wasn’t quite right. James dropped his phone with a loud thump, followed by a very frustrated string of curses, not even trying to quiet them for Regulus’ sake. Regulus could hear him getting dressed, the sound of him rushing all over their room and bathroom—too many sighs, too many curses and frustrating noises. But even through all of this, Regulus kept his eyes closed, because surely, no matter what, James would still kiss him goodbye. He wasn’t mad at Regulus; he was probably late or maybe stressed over his shift today. Or was he?

Because when James finished getting ready, there was no kiss. There was no soft touch on his cheek or a gentle ruffle of his hair—just the creak of their bedroom door closing and James’ hurried steps down the stairs.

Regulus’ anxiety took over. Maybe James was actually mad at him. Maybe James finally got annoyed at Regulus’ little games in the morning. Maybe they weren’t as important to James as they were to Regulus. And before he could come up with any more excuses, his anxiety got the better of him, and his feet were already touching the cold floor, covers pushed to the end of the bed. He found himself tiptoeing silently down the hallway, because surely it didn’t have to mean anything, and other people wouldn’t think twice about it, but to Regulus—their mornings and James’ gentle goodbyes were sacred.

Regulus stopped at the top of the stairs, just in time to see James hurriedly tying his shoes in front of the door.

“Jamie?” Regulus asked, voice still thick with sleep, not able to hide his growing anxiety.

James flinched, clearly not having heard Regulus reach the top of the staircase, his head tilting upwards to meet Regulus’ gaze.

“Hey, Reg, sorry if I woke you up. Go back to sleep. I’ll be home later, yeah?” he said quickly, his tone distracted and almost dismissive, gaze returning to his sneakers.

Regulus’ heart dropped. He felt a lump forming in his throat. He blinked, eyes filling with tears, focusing down at his hands as they fumbled with the sleeves of his jumper. He knew James was late. He didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but it still hurt. It wasn’t just about the kiss—it was about the routine that Regulus had grown to love, which made his mornings feel less cold in James’ absence. He wasn’t used to change; he hated it in fact, and James knew that, so that made it sting even more.

“Regulus?” James’ concerned voice pulled him from his thoughts.

Regulus tried to swallow the ache in his chest, but the lump in his throat gave him away. A weak resemblance of “yeah?” was all he managed to say before he heard James drop all of his things on the floor with a soft thud.

“Oh, baby,” James sighed, his voice mixed with realization and guilt. And before he could say anything, James was rushing up the stairs so quickly that Regulus thought he was going to topple them both over.

All of a sudden, he was engulfed in a strong hug, arms wrapped tightly around his waist, holding him as though Regulus would vanish if he let go. James’ breath was shaky, his words urgent and full of regret.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I got so caught up in everything this morning, and my head is a mess. I completely forgot. I didn’t mean to upset you. You know I would never ignore you on purpose like that.”

Regulus gently unpeeled himself from James’ chest to look up at him, tears still in the corners of his eyes as he tried to hold them back. Before he could respond, James’ hands were cupping his cheeks gently, bringing him in for a soft kiss. Regulus felt his anxiety wearing off, replaced with reassurance that everything was okay, even though he felt like an asshole for making such a big deal out of nothing.

As they pulled back, James was whispering against his lips, “I love you.”

It made Regulus smile sadly, knowing that he had made James late because of his own feelings. “I love you too, and it’s fine. I know you didn’t mean to. But now I feel the need to apologize for making such a big deal out of it.”

“Baby, don’t say that. It is a big deal. Forgetting to change out of my pyjamas is not a big deal. Forgetting to charge my phone is not a big deal. Forgetting to put on my shoes is not a big deal. But kissing you goodbye? Seems like a pretty big deal, if you ask me.” James grinned, brushing the loose curl off of Regulus’ forehead, prompting Regulus to laugh and slap his bicep that was back to gripping his waist like its life depended on it.

“Don’t be an idiot. You’re late.”

James stole a few more rushed giggling kisses before he was running back down the stairs, as he reached the door he turned around, gentle smile playing on his lips.

“Go back to sleep, baby. I’ll be home to annoy you in no time.”

“You better,” Regulus threatened with a smirk, adoration filling his chest.