#this is her respecting her origins and being fond of the nice things of the era and also having the clarity of mind

[whenthegoldrays]

Kang Seon-hwa can reclaim “I Hate It Here”

[josnhoes]

I love the idea of Reader being in Tav's group but not Tav. Maybe it's your own personal Tav. Who recognizes you by feeling. Leading them to be very protective of you.

None of the group really understand why Tav their friend and leader is so protective of you at first. You're a weird little person driven mad by something speaking of worlds and things too impossible to exist. Lots of distrust at first.

Then you grow on them slowly. It starts with Gale and Wyll.

Gale adores hearing about your world, the marvels you describe. Even if you are crazy the ideas were amazing to hear like a story! He tells you stories of this world too, teaching you, guiding you to help fit in more. You're a bit odd but you are a good sort.

Wyll tries to ignore the crazy things you say though he catches himself at times using your odd slang from time to time. You're someone who needs protecting and despite being crazy you do your best to help the group, you also respect boundaries and have empathy in spades and he respects that. Crazy or not you were a pure soul, and he couldn't leave you to the wolves like some wanted.

Shadowheart, Halsin, and Karlach are the second group to get attached.

Shadowheart pities you more than anything. That didn't stop her from at first trying to insist they leave you with the druids. They didn't have time to handle you and get rid of the parasites. Tav shot that down firmly. Once she is attached she has to admit you were rather charming in your own way.

You end up needing healing more often then the others due to your lack of skills. But you never willingly let it slow the group down.

Halsin much like Tav from the start is insistent on teaching you how to survive. You maybe crazy but that doesn't erase the fact you are kind and a living being. Much like lessons with Gale you soak up what he teaches you. Usually it's what's safe to eat in the wild and not, what to do if you encounter certain animals. Things that would serve you well if you got separated from the group.

Once attached he's a bit more of a mother hen. Making sure you are warm at night and that you know he will keep you safe, himself and your other friends.

Karlach was always friendly with you, though there was a distance at first. You could never tell if it was she was scared of hurting you or you snapping in insanity. She didn't fear you she feared your judgment. You were nice and funny and being judge by the party's crazy one would hurt.

But once she adjust to you she is the best company. She wants to make you smile and after a while she believes you completely. She had no doubt of your origins. Which just makes her want to spend more time with you. She wanted memories cemented for both of you of your time together so no matter what happens both of you could look back fondly on the time together you shared.

Lae'zel and Astarion trust you last. And while it's Lae'zel who grows fond last Astarion gives her a good run for her money.

Astarion believes at first your whole thing is an act. Something you are using to get protection and such. He can't judge you for it, he's doing the same after all...but he can't resent how *well* you keep the act up. Not a single Crack or slip of your mask. It's impressive really.

When he finally let's you in he realizes it isn't and act and is horrified. His proof it wasn't an act was the time he finally tried to feed on you. You tasted vile, like things he'd never tasted before. You said preservatives and microplastics and he just had to believe you. He did laugh when you admitted at being a bit insulted you tasted bad but you didn't judge him. Hell out of everyone in camp you made him feel the most...himself. You respected his opinion even more the Tav did and you showed care with out smothering him or demanding things. It meant a lot to him but he'd never say it.

Lae'zel is insistent for a very very long time at just leaving you behind. There was no room for such weakness in the group. You were touched in the head and couldn't fight, you had no value to her and by extension the group. As more and more of the party start getting attached she gets disgusted.

You go to her to ask questions about her culture even after she insults you and threatens you. And eventually that makes her soften a little bit. You were weak but courageous she'd give you that. She will never outright be kind but she may answer questions with less bite. If she saves you on the battlefield... no she didn't.

[parvulous-writings]

Could I request headcanons for Astarion, Gale, and Halsin realising his feelings for his gn crush?

Warnings: mentions of Astarion's trauma. I added a scene that doesn't technically exist in-game to flesh things out a bit with Halsin.

Notes:  Please, Tumblr... More Halsin and Gale gifs pls My requests are currently open! My pinned post (found here) contains both a list of characters I write for, and a masterlist!  Original character list - please request for these too!

Astarion

As we all know, it takes a long time for Astarion to be able to fall in love properly. His two centuries of having to seduce prey for Cazador have made it very hard to tell where the sultry facade ends, and the true him begins. He was meant to have seduced you for protection, to get you to fall for him and defend him should he ever need it. That was the plan, in any case. To him, it was fool-proof - he had never fallen in love with an object of his 'affection' before, so this should have been easy.

He was very wrong - though your do-good nature really irked him at first, it eventually made him want to be the same. Or, at least, similar. Part of him wished that he could have had someone like you earlier, to save him from the horrors he had seen under Cazador. Your patience with him, and your unwavering kindness got through to him, and he craved more - even if he thought he didn't deserve it.

He realised he loved you - truly, deeply loved you - when you and some of your group had infiltrated Moonrise Towers. You'd encountered a drow who was hell-bent on exploring the Sanguine arts, and had even started to press Astarion to bite her, despite his protests. You had stood up for him, told her to back off, and it was that moment that he had realised that his feelings for you were more than an infatuation, more than seeing you as something to use for protection, that it was love.

Gale

Gale had been fond of you since day 1 - though, being pulled out of a collapsing portal may do that to someone's view of another. Your views often aligned - though sometimes the means to achieve them did not - and that endeared you all the more to him. Even when he told you of the orb lodged deep within his chest, demanding he consume strands of weave, you stuck by him; and he hadn't entirely thought you would.

Being able to travel by your side and see all the good deeds you do is an honour for him - he'll often sit and think about how his life would have been had he not been snatched up by the mindflayers. He'd probably be in his tower in Waterdeep, with no one but Tara for company, and little to do besides wallow in his own self-pity. This was a much better alternative - even with the looming possibility of ceremorphosis.

His feelings first started when you said that you could stay with the group after he revealed the nature of the orb in his chest. It was only natural, after being shown such kindness. But the moment he really knew he loved you, was after Elminster had delivered Mystra's missive to Gale - about destroying the heart of the Absolute by detonating the orb in his chest. When you had gotten so uptight with the older wizard, telling him it wouldn't happen, that Gale wasn't going to die, he couldn't help but find you sweet. Though he had initially resigned himself to Mystra's demands, he couldn't deny it felt nice to have someone on his side.

Halsin

To begin with, Halsin admired you, but was not emotionally available enough to pursue any kind of romantic relationship with you - his mind was focused more on ridding Moonrise of the Shadow Curse. It was only really once that part of your journey had concluded that he could even start to think about that kind of thing.

You had proven yourself to be a person of your word, and that was something that Halsin always held a great amount of respect for. To find someone who followed through with the promises they made, let alone to be able to travel with them, was an absolute blessing - one that Halsin thanked the gods for every day. It was with your help the curse was dispelled, and the lands freed; that was no easy feat, and he couldn't have done it without you.

During the rather small celebration the party and a few others had post-curse, Halsin sat and thought to himself about all that you had done for him - all that you, hadn't quite sacrificed per se, but had given to help him. You'd taken many beatings to help him on his own quest, when it probably would have been more beneficial for you to pursue your own - which was arguably just as pressing, if not more so. Your courage endeared you to him, and it was as he sat there, amidst the celebratory drinking and serenading, that he realised he would devote himself to you as much as you had done to him; following you to Baldur's Gate, and facing whatever it was that was at the end of your journey.

[radioroxx]

da bebes ;-; <3

THE BABIES <3 (link to og fankid post)

using this ask as an excuse to share some thoughts we had about the kids interactions with the others from the party! depending on some disc screenshots to help me lol

hehe!

OK FIRST. MIRABELLE

absolutely absolutely she is the type to spoil the kids. with candy and sweets and late bedtimes she just cannot say no to them ever she is far too fond. and yes she would read to them. she picks out book she especially likes, or ones that she enjoyed as a kid, and totally not as an excuse to talk about these characters she loves so much nooo-

(as long as the books are. age appropriate ofc. not too scary for the youngins,,)

on top of that she would be very easy to talk to! isa and sif do make sure to always be emotionally open with their kids, would never want them to feel like they cant talk about something, but even then. sometimes its nice to have someone else to depend on. just in case. and mira loves to chat with em :)

NEXT. ODILE

odile cares for these kids oooh so so so much. she would never admit it but, much like the rest of her family, she would do horrible horrible things to make them happy. even if she. isnt the best with kids. in general. shes trying her best and the kids definitely thinking her dry humour and sarcastic bluntness is funny as hell

also she is 100% the embarrassing stories one. the kids ask her for the same silly story about their parents again and again eeevery time she visits. they never get tired of it and neither does she. (sif and isa certainly do though fjnf)

BONNIE… we didnt talk much about bonnie,,

doing some very basic math bonnie would be arounnd their? early or mid twenties when the kids are. “born”. (wished into existence). which makes me honestly so depressed and sad to thinking about ohmy god theyre growing up i might die

i think they would bond very easily with the kids though! would enjoy getting to show and teach them things- things that make themself happy like cooking etc. i do think as well bon would be trying very hard, maybe a little too hard, to appear cool and chill around them. so that they respect them. (kinda how i hc sif to have been around bon early on pre-story,, bc nothing is more validating than the approval of an 11yo lol)

OK FINALLY… LOOP…..

i already talked a bit about loop in the original post but i guess i can juuust repeat myself a lil.

loops feeling are complicated. we joked about them being a funny babysitter, the kids probably think theyre so so fun to play with, buut it might take some time to get there. its been years since the end of the loops, working through jealously and learning to be satisfied with what they do have but! this is! different!! and its hard…

… but it gets better

(im out of screenshot space but we also had the idea of the kids putting on plays, maybe if sif ever shared his love of theatre with them, and tbey would absolutely rope loop into it. loop who is reluctant to participate until they realize how much fun theyre having with these two)

[velvet-vox]

Notes of my final Murder Drones rewatch before ep 8

(These thoughts are uncollected and unrevised, proceed with lowered expectations)

Originally, I was about to make a three-part long post before episode eight comes out.

In the first part I would have analysed Cyn's character and showcased her possible depth and ties to N's character arc.

Then in the second part I compared the Doll, Cyn and J trio to Uzi, N and V, showing the parallels between each member of their respective squad, which would then lead to the final part.

Part 3 is my defacto theory on how certain elements of episode 8 would have played out, with J as a main focus in it, due to her being the V parallel, but then, as the day passed, I realised something:

I'm an analyst, not a theorist, and while it could be fun to make a theory on episode 8 to see how right and wrong I was in retrospect, it's not an activity that I'm particularly fond of, plus, while my opinions on Cyn have changed with time (I'm going to get there), the reason why I kind of like her now completely hinges upon head canons that hopefully are going to be confirmed, because otherwise, my opinion on the character could get even worse than what it once was.

One of the main reasons as to why I wanted to realise this project was to see if I could get invested into Cyn in the same way I got more invested into Rebecca with the analysis I've made on her, but why bother doing that when I'm sure episode 8 is (hopefully) going to fill me in on her character?

I'm not finding the time nor willpower that I wished that I had to complete any projects lately, and due to my constant need for perfectionism (need that it's being deliberately ignored in the writing of this post), I just keep shooting myself in the feet.

Anyway, let's just skip the intro and directly segway to the important stuff:

Uzi:

Uzi is a complicated character for me. She was my favourite character in the Pilot and dropped down massively after that, and I never understood why: I came up with a bunch of explanations for myself, such as "her development isn't engaging" and "she doesn't get challenged in interesting ways that isn't just plain torture" and "she's the most enigmatic character in the show, her actions don't make any sense to me", and I was particularly sure of that last one, not in the sense that Uzi was evil all along, but in the sense that Uzi was being written as a twist villain in the same way Goultard from Wakfu had been coded as such before the third season of that series revealed us why;

But this last rewatch finally made me understand what my problem with her was.

Aside from the rushed development, which is something the entire series struggles with, I've realised that there's an extremely subtle layer of complexity to pilot Uzi that her show's self lacks: see, despite Uzi acting like a gremlin at various points in the pilot, one thing that really surprised me about how Uzi was initially characterised is that, aside from her moments of emotional impulsivity, Uzi... is actually relatively chill?

The best way I could describe it is that serie's Uzi to me is a child to take care of; I would act nice, kind, patient to ep 1 through 7 Uzi just to get on her good side so that she wouldn't bother me as much as she bothers her peers, hopefully helping her grow up as an individual and stop acting so horribly, and help her find someone else who appreciates her for who she is, so that I wouldn't have to deal with her any longer, while pilot Uzi is someone I would genuinely like to spend time with as she's secretly a pretty chill gal, even if I would still be afraid of her, just like the rest of her classmates.

The pilot makes it extremely clear that Uzi's angsty teen persona is just that: a facade. It's not the real her. This added a layer of intrigue to Uzi in the pilot, where it felt like there was so much more to her than what we were shown at first;

But nope. The rest of the show comes out and Uzi is just that: a wild, emotionally unstable teenage gremlin-girl, who isn't even at the centre of the story despite all of the screen time that she has.

I always thought that Liam didn't want me to sympathise with Uzi, as I thought his modus operandi was "Make the character interesting, don't make them sympathetic" but as the show went along and it fell down even further into a classical good versus evil plotline (something that requires is own post), it kind of became harder to shrug off how genuinely unlikable she is to me. I like N a lot, and I kinda like V whenever her fans are nowhere to be seen, but I don't really sympathise with either of them, I just find them to be engaging.

I like the Murder Drones cast because they are interesting characters, not because they are good people. Yet, from the way Uzi is written, it feels like I'm supposed to consider her the hero, when in reality, she feels more like an unwilling plumber forced to take out the clog (Absolute Solver) unwillingly.

(Also Doll is a much better foil to Pilot Uzi than she is to canon show Uzi, but that's a discussion for another time)

But that's enough of that. Let's talk about the episodes:

Episode 1 through 3:

I plan to do an in-depth ranking of all 8 episodes of Murder Drones once the ending comes out, so consider these my rapid fire opinions on each and every single one of them.

The pilot is the best aged episode of Murder Drones to me even if a lot of its elements have been decanonised, and it could as well end up becoming my favourite episode of the show when it's all said and done.

Episode 2 is as weak as ever, but one thing that always bothered me about this episode is the ending where Uzi just decides to go back into the colony with Khan.

Now, it's no secret that Murder Drone's everything is extremely rushed, but for most of its runtime, this episode gave me the impression that Murder Drones was going to be a slow burn, long running mystery series, only for the ending to come along and leave me dumbfounded by what the pacing of the show was going to turn into.

Heartbeat is also the only episode where my opinion hasn't changed since first watching it. I thought it was mid at first, and I still consider it to be so.

My thoughts on it are a little bit more complicated than that, but I'm reserving them for the future.

You can slice it however you want, but episode 3 has aged HORRIBLY, it's not even in my top 5 best episodes anymore, and yes, it's exactly because of the focus character of this episode turning out the way she did in episode 7.

Say whatever you want, but to me, the third episode is not an Uzi episode, it's not an N episode, it's barely a V and Lizzy episode and partially a Nuzi episode, and it's certainly not a Khan episode.

For the most part, The Promening is a Doll episode; she's the character the episode is wasting most of its runtime on, introducing her, her parents, making her a mysterious threat; in comparison, the Nuzi and V stuff is mostly secondary, and could have definitely been developed further if the episode didn't have someone else as it's main focus.

Doll:

I never wanted Doll to survive the season; I never wanted her to live, I never wanted her to die, I never wanted her to be redeemed, nor did I want her to stay evil till the end; all I ever wanted, was for Doll to be well-written, and as it stands, I don't think Doll does enough or is explored sufficiently as a character to justify her relevance or existence, especially since a lot of other characters could benefit from some extra screen time, and while a lot of people might think that just bringing her back to life would fix some of her problems, I don't think they really understand all of the underlying issues that come with such a choice:

If Doll were ever to come back, she for sure would get a redemption arc, because what else is there to do? She lost all of her screen presence, she's no longer even remotely threatening, her story is so divorced from our current one to be straight up disposable, a lot of people see her as just a joke after the seventh episode, and in general, she's no longer a credible villain to see on screen.

And yet, I don't think a redemption arc would work for Doll at this point. Her character wasn't built up enough aside from being mysterious for the sake of it, I don't think a redemption arc would work, because it would require too much time for it to work, and time is the one thing Murder Drones always lacked, what makes you think a second season, let alone one episode would even fix?

I'm pretty pessimistic about episode 8, unless it's all one giant ruse and there is, in fact, a second season. The math just doesn't add up, episode 8 can't possibly be a satisfying conclusion or an unsatisfying conclusion done right, I fear it will be one giant clusterf##k.

Cabin Fever, Intermission, and Home:

Episode 4 is about as good as I remember it to be, and aside from noticing a couple of new details useful for my analyses, I don't have much to say about it.

I got the chance to watch @ghoulinfuschia 's Murder Drones Intermission together with the other episodes this time around, so now I finally have the chance to praise it a little bit.

Murder Drones Intermission is a fan made episode of Murder Drones set between episode four and five, made entirely by a crew of fans.

It's an amazing product for what it's worth and by how it was made, and while it's not perfect and I consider it far from possibly being canon, it does fill in nicely into the show's timeline, and improves a lot on some of the weakest story beats of the series. It was definitely a nice break from me while rewatching all of the episodes, and I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who wants to check it out.

It's pretty ironic how episode 7 retroactively managed to worsen episode 3 and improve episode 5, but that's genuinely how I feel about Home now:

I'm about to be real with you, Tessa being dead all along was the only tid bit of major character's death that wasn't wasted, as now that I know why Tessa's wasn't the episode's protagonist, I'm much more accepting of the way in which episode 5 played out; it's clear that Liam never wanted us to get attached to Tessa beyond any simple "she's a nice, abused, teenage girl that treats N nicely" type of feeling, also the tradeoff for her death and humanity apparent extinction was well worth it in my opinion, which is something I can't say for V or... her.

But now it's finally time to talk about the actual main character of this episode:

Cyn:

I'm about to say something that I've never thought I would end up saying for real:

Did you know, that Cyn, is an actually interesting character in her own right?

I never did.

Quite frankly, I kind of heavily hated Cyn up until some time ago.

To me, at the start, Cyn was just a cool visual threat that would have hopefully been fleshed out in the future, but then, not only is she still remaining just a one note villain at this point of the show's runtime (aka the "finale"), but she also ended up killing a far more nuanced and slightly more fleshed out antagonist, while also not really doing anything to fulfill the compelling character void left by the aforementioned character.

Hot take: the fandom's portrayal of Cyn as this unbelievably silly creature of pure autism ruined her character, as well as the general discourse surrounding her.

To me, mass murderers should only be blorbified once their first major focus arc in a story has been concluded. It's why I'm fine with the blorbification of characters such as Qilby and William Afton, and I'm not with Cyn.

The thing about blorbifying is that, you are actively distorting canon for your weird fantasies, which is something that I'm fine with, but only once said characters have received their narrative catharsis.

I don't really view Cyn as a serious or heinous threat at this point in time, and that's all due to how much the fanbase ended up babyfying her to no end, giving her the Jax treatment with the main difference being that Jax has had is funny blorbo illusion already shattered, while Cyn still has it at this point in the show's runtime where she should be at her most evil and intimidating yet.

But that's enough of that; as I've already stated, now that we know that adult Tessa was Cyn all along... Cyn has just become such an interesting character to me, not for the mystery and creepiness surrounding her, but for the ways in which she could end up paralleling N.

... If that's actually what's going to happen.

It all hinges upon Cyn actually being worth the hype and the rushed developments, because otherwise, she could go from being my third favourite character to my absolute least favourite.

Episode 6 and 7:

I appreciate the Jurassic Park section of this episode for being a break from everything going on and for setting up the plot twist in the following episode.

Although her section bores me a little bit, I'm just gonna come out and say it: Alice is in my opinion the best humanoid antagonist in the entirety of Murder Drones, and unless that changes in episode 8 (which I doubt, sorry Cyn but I don't have a lot of faith in you), I'll make an entire post dedicated to her detailing why that's the case.

As for who or what I think is the overall best antagonist of the show...

It's the Sentinels, and it's not even close.

I'm still as emotionless as ever when it comes to V's demise. I believe it was stupid, but there are more passionate V fans to talk about it.

And last but not least, I can finally agree with what everyone else has said: Mass Destruction is the best episode of Murder Drones, and for me, it's all due to how genuinely funny it is.

I've become pretty apathetic to Murder Drone's horror elements due to how excessively prevalent and misused they are throughout the course of the series, so now the comedy actually hits harder, and this episode is extremely funny and comedic, even Doll's death is now hilarious to me, even if for other reasons, and the pacing finally feels appropriate now that the show has completely given up being a mystery adventure and fully embraced the end of the world battle shenanigans.

The episode did feel too fast paced when I first saw it at release, but it was mostly because of how slow the previous episodes were, now after a while the pacing finally feels normal, even if the episode is just bombarding me with lore left and right.

Ah.

.

.....

We're doomed.

[runawaycarouselhorse]

Anime Lillie is not a "spoiled brat," Lusamine's neglect, particularly her emotional neglect, traumatized her too

Lusmaine comes off as a narcissist in the anime (albeit one that actually wants to get better and do right by her kids, I am NEVER getting over Gladion telling her off for initially being more upset Faba hid an Ultra Hole from her than the fact her DAUGHTER was TRAUMATIZED.)

All of those years, she never once questioned why her daughter, who had loved Pokemon in her youth and handled them easily, suddenly became deathly afraid of touching them, while loving them form afar. Sudden changes in children's personalities are usually signs of trauma, but Lusamine was too much of a self-absorbed workaholic to notice or care... for years.

(And notice, her first response is to yell in anger/offense at Gladio when he tells her off, perfectly justifiably, for her neglect as a mother... it's only after that she apologizes and he tells her he's not the one who deserves that apology.)

Lillie in the anime repeatedly has an issue where she tries to legitimize her feelings (in the present time, she tries to diminish and deny her fear of touching Pokemon and later, her fear of crashing while sledding) by claiming her stances are perfectly “logical” (even if it’s based in fear or anything else) and then we see Lusamine wrote off her feelings about not wanting to evolve Clefairy (which Lillie wanted to start her journey with.) Which a lot of people wrote off as silly, because she just wanted to keep her at a "cuter" stage becaue Lusamine thought her reasoning “utterly illogical.” It’s really little stuff that piles up that makes you deny aspects of yourself or try to fit it into your parent’s narrow mindset.

As there is no room for "illogical" emotions in Lusamine's world, Lillie denies her feelings, even her traumas and fears.

If you do not listen to children and respect their feelings about little things, they will not trust you (or, eventually, anyone else) to tell about their feelings about big things.

On one hand, the incident that started this is childish because Lillie was a small child when it happened. But little things are big things for children. There is no distinction. If you write off children and ignore them for the little things, they won't tell you about the big things. The lesson Lillie learned from it was clear and stayed with her until the end of the series: that anything that didn't have a "logical" explanation to justify them (like feelings and emotions) did not matter to Lusamine or, worse, were something shameful that must be denied, hence her quickly hiding behind (often very unconvincing) arguments that her responses are based entirely in logic.

Lusamine’s not intentionally abusive and loves her kids and, unlike a lot of real life abusive narcissistic parents, actually tries to make amends and become a better person, so I’m actually really fond of this Lusamine, she's a very nice in-between of heroic (she tried to sacrifice herself to save her children from Nihilego, to make up for not being there for Lillie in the past, becoming more involved in her children's lives again) and the utterly controlling and cruel monster she was in the original games (which was heightened/exaggerated by the neuroteoxin removing her inihibitions).

Also, Lillie lagged behind the other kids because her mother had become such a workaholic, that Lillie did not know basic life skills like cooking (the last time she cooked with her kids is a very, very distant memory), Lillie also looked uncomfortable with Professor Burnet brushing her hair (likely because she felt it was too much to be shown basic care like this), and watched her in amazement afterwards... Lillie is unused to basic, every day motherly care, because her mother is not around.

[karolinswritings]

Hi!! Could you do an Alphonse Elric X fem!reader that is an historian? Like, they meet during his travels and fell in love. You can choose what you want to write, like his courting, how they would work together, or him presenting reader to his family. I hope everything is ok. Thank you!!

Hi! Thank you very much for your request, I honestly like the idea a lot, as I myself am fond of history. Thank you for giving me so much freedom on what to write too! (I went all out on this one) I think it will be best if Alphonse is around 19/20 years old in this scenario though, assuming that Reader is over 18 to be a historian. Hopefully that is okay. Feel free to tell me if I assumed incorrectly.

Fullmetal Alchemist SFW Headcanons: Alphonse Elric X fem!Reader who is a historian

I can honestly see Alphonse and Reader meeting in one of two ways. Eighter he is doing research on the history of the records regarding the philosopher's stone and he goes straight to Reader's workplace to ask her about it personally, as she is a historian, or he goes into the local library and starts flipping through the pages of every book that might have information on the topic, and him and Reader meet there.

In the first scenario, assuming Reader works in an alchemist university/academy, he would probably feel quite shy and nervous about meeting up with her. Walking around the spacious halls of the academy, filled with top students and respected professors, he would definitely feel a little intimidated and out-of-place. Despite that, as soon as he notices Reader's name on her office door, he would take a deep breath and confidently knock - he came all the way here and he's come for important information too- so he can't back down now. He would take a deep breath, raise his head up and press on the door handle, gathering all of his confidence, filling his mind with positive thoughts:

"She is a historian, that's her job, so she must be pretty well-informed on the topic. I should be thankful I have the chance to meet her. She also sounded pretty nice on the phone yesterday. So I am sure she will be happy to answer my questions. I have no reason to be nervous. I am competent enough myself on the topic about the philosopher's stone, so I shouldn't be so anxious. I know what to say and what I want to know."

As soon as he enters her office though - mind blank. I will stick with Reader being a very well-put-together woman and respectively - her office would reflect that - tall, wooden bookshelves filled to the rim with thick, hard cover books, her sitting at her desk, positioned in the middle of the room, a cup of coffee on her left side, a pile of documens awaiting her signature on her right side, a black-ink pen in her hand and a concentrated expression on her face. Breathing in the scent of old books and hot coffee, as well as her elegant perfume, he would immidiently loose his cool and freeze in his spot, not knowing how to even introduce himself at that point. Nervousness would take the best of him. Despite that, I see the situation taking a turn - her letting go of her pen and moving the documemts to the side, signalling that her attention is now on him, and her welcoming gaze meeting his, along with a soft smile and the following words:

"You must be Alphonse Elric, correct? We had a phone call yesterday at noon. It's exactly 2 o'clock, you came right on time!"

Reader's welcoming demeanor and soft gaze would not only help him instantly relax and remember all that he wanted to say to her, but also cause a new thought pop up in his mind, the last thing he had tought he would think of her. Professional? Put-together? Elegant? Those were all words that popped up in his mind as soon as he walked in, and he was fine with them - they were all reasonable and he very much expected her to be like that. But that one, he suprised himself with:

"Oh wow, she's beautiful.."

Of course, he would ignore that last one immideately - he must focus on what he had originally come for - information on the philosopher's stone.

Despite that, her easy-going personality and friendly demeanour would be of too much help to him - not only is he relaxed enough to ask her all about the stone and its' origins, but to even ask her to meet informally - of course, not romanically (yet), but simply in a more informal setting - like a cafe.

And that is on how they meet according to my first scenario. Now, on the other hand, if they meet at a library, things would take a slightly different turn.

Now, on the second scenario, I can imagine it going eighter like this: Reader notcing that Alphonse is flipping through various books and is visibly struggling to find what he is looking for, and she respectively decides to help him out:

"Looking for something specific? I am familiar with the history section, let me help you."

Or the following: Alphonse noticing that Reader is in the same library section as him and is visibly well-oriented, so he decides to ask for her assistance:

"Excuse me, I appologise for the interruption, but could you please help me find books that might contain information on the philosopher's stone?"

In both scenarios, I see the thought "Oh wow, she's beautiful.." passing through his mind as soon as he lays his eyes on her.

From here on, regarding how he fell in love and his courting, I think after going out with her a few times and talking not only about the stone and alchemy but about various matters, he would fall in love with her pretty quickly - I see him as a love-at-first-sight type of person. But one thing that would make him fall even deeper would be her intelligence. I am sure he would be intimidated by it in the beginning, but would gradually become mesmrised and extremely attracted by how intelligent she is.

He would deffinitely take her out a few times to the same cafe, getting to know what she usually orders - what she likes and doesn't like, and would eventually ask her out on a date to a place he specifically picked out for her - for example a sweets shop if she has a sweet tooth, a specific type of resturant, a park or even on a picnic in the forest if she is into that. He would give his all on their first date.

About asking her out on a romantic date for the first time, he would definitely be nervous. He would be looking in her eyes with all the hope in the world, begging to hear the word "yes".

Now, as soon as they get together, I see him as someone who would let her take the lead. Generally I don't think he is a natural leader, but that doesn't mean he won't take the lead when needed - he willl put lots of effort into making suprises for her or taking her out to a new place, and all of that will be planned and arranged by him alone.

I am sure he would be into praise. Especially considering that Reader is a historian. If she praises his knowledge and the amount of effort him and Ed have put into their research on the stone, he would be jumping from happiness on the inside. On the outside though - keeping it lowkey, a simple "thank you" and a smile, maybe a pink blush.

I think he would become a regular to her office in the academy and his kind nature would make most of the students, professors and personal love him. Most would even start calling him Al.

Now, about presenting Reader to his family, that would mean Edward, Winrey and Winrey's grandma. I honestly see him as not telling Ed about Reader at all. Like, literally, not a word.

"Al, who's that woman you were with today? I saw you two earlier at the town square."

"Oh, she's a historian from the academy. Helps me with research."

Period. Maybe even switiching the topic to something that would catch Ed's attention to make him forget about Reader.

The reason for that is, I think Al would be worried that Edward might embarass him in front of Reader and that is not something he wants at all. Even though he knows she would accept him no matter what, he would want to look cool in front of her. So Edward would be the last to get to know about their relationship. (and would most likely be very suprised)

Winrey and grandma though? They would know every single detail. He would call Winrey at least once a day to ask her for advice on what to get Reader, where to take them and pretty much anything that comes up in his mind. He would want to be sure that he is doing everything right and there is nothing better than the opinion of another woman.

"She would know what Reader will like the most, I should call her."

[omniscientoswald]

Han we get a first meet with Oswald and the 141! :)

Sure thing!

Since I wanted to make a series on this anyways, I'll just put down their original thoughts on Oswald and release an actual story about it later.

Price:

• Price knew Oswald the longest. They first met during the Urzikstan Prison Raid. During that time, Oswald served as a Sargeant under Captain Oscar "Two-Bit" Watts in the Delta-Force.

• Though their meeting was short, they served together again in a joint opperation assist a year later during a Cartel raid.

• Price was impressed with Oswalds Stealth and ability to clear buildings swiftly and precisely.

Gaz:

• He thought of Oswald as another soldier at first. He was shocked about how Price knew Oswald and was so fond of her. Though, that didn't affect him much.

• After hearing about Shadow Company's betrayal, Gaz was suspicious of Oswald, keeping an eye out for any hint of possible hostility.

• After the events of Las Almas, Gaz did apologize to Oswald and they formed a nice friendship while on their way home.

Soap:

• Was confused and curious about Oswald at first.

• Secretly would ask Laswell about Oswald since he didn't really understand her purpose in assisting them. Also wanted to know about the Force she was captain of, but Laswell shut him down on the topic.

• After Shadow Company's betrayal, he assumed Oswald was in on it, till Ghost told him otherwise.

• On their way back from Las Almas, due to how comfortable he became around Oswald, he asked Oswald about the specifics of her job, which he did recieve some answers but was respectful to the classified questions.

Ghost:

• Surprisingly enough, Ghost also knew Oswald previous to Las Almas.

• Met Oswald while she was a Lieutenant. The F-0-Z served as assist to the SAS.

• Wasnt personally assigned with her, but ran into her enough times to understand the gist of her skills.

• Impressed with her stealth and sniping skills.

• They liked to exchange jokes from time to time.

Other mentions:

Farah:

• Met Oswald during the Urzikstan Prison Raid. Was thankful for the fact that Oswald went on the front lines in assisting their liberation.

• Oswald did assist her from time to time in Urzikstan, creating a strong companionship between them.

• During the death of Oswald captain, Oscar "Two-Bit" Watts, Farah did help Oswald however she could with the fundamentals of being a captain.

Alejandro:

• Knew Oswald from previous Cartel missions.

• Alejandro found Oswald as a capable and strong captain and was quick to form pleasantries with her, which resulted in a quick friendship and trust between her and Los Vaqueros.

• Did seperate her from Shadow Company, which she was thankful for.

• Often would talk about Hawai'i and Mexico, which they were shock about how close their cultures were.

Rudy:

• He was thankful for the amount of assistance Oswald provided in Las Almas. Due to her previous assistance in Cartel raid missions, he respected her a lot.

• Did believe she betrayed them with Shadow Company, but after she explained herself, he quickly apologized and moved on.

• Still thinks of her fondly and respectfully.

[sloanerisette]

Digimon Secret Santa 2023 Gift!

So I was @bacomon-art-blog's Secret Santa! I know how much you love Iori and Jou, so I wanted to write something with them for you! I hope you have a merry Christmas, and I hope you enjoy! I had a lot of fun writing this and a ton of fun coming up with this fic!

---

For some reason, Iori felt a bit out of his depth for this celebration. According to Takeru and Hikari, August 1st was a big day for the original eight Chosen Children, being the day that they went to the Digital World and came back. As a result, the eight Chosen Children were joined by him, Miyako, and Daisuke to celebrate. They were Chosen Children now, so they had been welcomed wholeheartedly in the group. But while Miyako was quick to find friendship with Sora and Mimi thanks to her exuberant nature, and Daisuke had already been close with Taichi and had recently become closer with Yamato after a he received the Digimental of Friendship, Iori felt… well, a bit out of place.

It wasn’t that he felt unwelcome by any means, but it was a bit different. Everyone was so much older than him, and compared to the other new Chosen Children, he felt he hadn’t gotten nearly that close to any of his seniors. His own Digimentals were Knowledge and Reliability, and while he greatly respected both Koushiro and Jou, his relationship with them wasn’t nearly as close as Miyako was with Mimi or Daisuke was with Taichi.

Still, he was grateful to come along. The heat wasn’t too bad, they had a picnic together, and he had been enthralled by all the stories of that first trip the others took into the Digital World. He couldn’t imagine the idea of being stuck there for so long… it merely made his respect for them all grow so much more. Every so often that day he looked down at Upamon, each time with a fond, if small smile. He and his Digimon partner had already become incredibly close friends, and Upamon had done plenty to get him to lighten up just a bit more than usual. All he could hope was that their bond would continue to grow and grow.

By the mid-afternoon, the humidity had grown quite a bit, and Iori found himself needing to fan himself a bit more.

“Water?”

He snapped from yet another bout of thoughts about what being a Chosen Child meant and he looked up to see Jou offering him a bottle of water. He blinked.

“Ah, thank you, Jou-san,” he said with a bow of his head before taking it.

“I’m surprised the summer hasn’t been rougher,” Jou said as he cracked open his own bottle and took a long drink. Iori opened his bottle and offered some to Upamon before taking a sip himself.

The group of Chosen Children had split up a bit, with all of them splitting up into their own small groups. Miyako had dragged Hikari over to Mimi and Sora, while Daisuke was listening to Taichi and Koushiro, and Yamato and Takeru were standing next to each other, laughing about something one of them said.

“Don’t worry, I made sure to pass water out to everyone else. You just seemed to be in such thought I didn’t want to interrupt you, but considering everyone else got their own by now, I hope you don’t mind,” Jou said lightly. Iori shook his head.

“No, I appreciate it, thank you.”

Things stayed quiet between the two as they sat down on a bench, watching their friends socialize. It was nice to spend some quiet time, but with the oldest of their group there, Iori couldn’t help himself.

“Jou-san, do you mind if I ask a question?” he asked, voice serious as ever. Jou’s eyebrows raised and he let out a gentle chuckle.

“Of course, fire away.”

Compared to the few times he had seen Jou in the Digital World, he seemed a lot more easygoing now. Well, not necessarily easygoing, considering this was the guy who had made sure everyone was staying hydrated on a warm summer day, but he definitely wasn’t as stressed as he was making sure their friends didn’t die or in helping temporarily stop the Digimon Kaiser.

And, really, there were some questions that Iori floated in his mind. Even if Taichi had been the leader in Jou’s group and Daiuske was the leader in theirs, he still wanted to do his best to help out. Frankly, out of all the people to ask, from what he knew and the stories he was told, Jou was the only person to really ask.

“How did you do it?” he asked. Jou blinked and tilted his head.

“Do what?” he asked as Iori gave Upamon another drink of water.

“Keep them all under control,” Iori said simply, before taking another gulp for himself. Jou scratched his cheek and grimaced.

“Ah, well… that was more Taichi’s job than mind…” he trailed off.

“I understand that, but you were the oldest one. Your crest is Reliability, and I share that too through my Digimental. Mimi talking about how you stayed with her to make sure she stayed safe when you went back to the Digital World a second time, the story about making sure Taichi didn’t get in over his head while trying to rescue Sora, making sure Takeru didn’t get hurt… even if you didn’t lead the group, you still did everything you could to keep everyone safe.”

Jou placed his hand to his chin and hummed quietly, in deep thought. Iori focused his attention on him, waiting for what he had to say. He wanted to do his best to keep everyone safe with how dangerous the Digimon Kaiser was dangerous. Ever since they had to fight Metalgreymon, it felt like the stakes were being raised more and more. It wouldn’t be easy, and they needed to do all they could. Iori had to keep an eye out and make sure they all stayed safe. He wouldn’t let anything happen to any of his friends.

“Well, to be honest with you, Iori… I think a lot of it happened by accident,” he said with an awkward laugh. Iori’s jaw dropped.

“Huh?”

At his bewildered expression, Jou waved his hands and shook his head.

“No no no, don’t get me wrong! I worked as hard as I could to keep everyone safe, even if Taichi took the lead of the group,” he said. He paused again and pursed his lips, trying to best figure out how to better word what he meant to say.

“A lot of our group is pretty impulsive. Sora-kun and Koushiro are probably the only others who could keep as much of a level head, and there were plenty of times where I still needed to do what I could to help them out, too. Working with a lot of people isn’t always easy, especially when a lot of them are so headstrong.”

Iori glanced over at Daisuke and then to Miyako. He could definitely understand that pretty well.

“In a way, you sort of have to be an anchor for your group.”

The anchor for the group…

Iori had a hard time thinking of himself that way. While he had been raised with a good head on his shoulders thanks to his family, being the “anchor” felt like something else entirely.

Jou set a gentle hand on Iori’s shoulder, his own gaze having followed towards Iori’s friends.

“Daisuke and Miyako-kun are both pretty energetic, aren’t they,” he mused with a soft chuckle, “They really are like Taichi and Mimi-kun.”

“Jou-san, you really think I could be the anchor to our group?” he asked. He always appreciated the advice, help, and knowledge he received from Koushiro-san, and the few times Jou-san had offered it had been a boon, too. He still thought about what he had said when he needed to call on him in order to help save the group.

“I wouldn’t say think, I would say I’m sure you could be,” Jou said, offering Iori a smile. To Jou, it was almost funny how different the two were. Here Iori had taken helping out the Digital World in stride, doing everything he could in order to help fight against the Digimon Kaiser, while Jou had been so anxious and hesitant during his first trip there. Granted, they were in completely different situations, but he was always impressed by the boy’s convictions and strength.

“Takeru and Hikari-kun may have the experience from being in the Digital World with the rest of us, but you have an incredibly level head. You know when to take action and you focus on the right thing to do.”

Hearing Jou-san say that… really did mean a lot. It wasn’t always easy being the youngest, but…

“Thank you, Jou-san. Going against the Digimon Kaiser hasn’t been easy. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a battle we can entirely win,” Iori frowned. He wrung his hands together as he watched the others. He didn’t want to see them get hurt. He still thought about how his friends had nearly died, had a few nightmares about it. If it wasn’t for him being able to get Jou-san, then…

“I know we can’t help you all out too much, but we’ll always do what we can. You’ll always have our support.”

Upamon looked up at Iori, with that same adorable smile that he always held. It brought warmth to his chest, and enough relief to cause the knot that had slowly been forming in his stomach to unwind.

“Iori,” Upamon squeaked, “If I get what Jou is saying, then I know you do that for me, too!”

“Upamon?”

Jou smiled in silence as he watched the the pair.

“You always help me out! And if it wasn’t for you, there’s plenty of times I would’ve had way more of your mom’s food than I should!” Upamon said as he wiggled in his place.

And there were a lot of times that he had gotten seconds (and thirds) to give to his partner after a long day in the Digital World.

“Sounds a lot like a seal I know,” Jou said, before pausing for a beat, “Well… a lot less sarcastically than said seal, at least,” he said before adjusting his glasses.

“Thanks. Both of you,” Iori nodded as he held Upamon a little closer. “I hope one day I can be as close with Upamon as you are with Gomamon.”

Jou set a reassuring hand on Iori’s shoulder, patting it a few times before he reached for his bottle of water and took another drink.

“I don’t think you’ll have anything to worry about on that front. You two are just as much anchors for each other as Gomamon and I are for each other.”

“Hey, Iori!” Miyako shouted out with an exaggerated wave, “Get over here! Daisuke is buying us ice cream!”

“What!? I didn’t say I was gonna do that!” he shouted, his voice booming through the park.

“Sounds like you have to now!” Takeru said, his laughter mingling with Daisuke’s continued cries of refusal.

“B-But I was talking to—” Iori started, but was stopped by another hand on his shoulder again.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m sure I can find someone to talk to,” Jou said, mirth clear in his voice as he nodded towards his group.

“And I want to get ice cream, too!” Upamon said.

“Hey, wait! If I start buying ice cream for all you guys I’m gonna be broke!” Daisuke shouted.

“Oh! I want ice cream, too!” Chibimon squeaked out happily as he danced around his partner’s feet.

“Me, too!” Patamon said as he flew in circles.

The two stood up and started to walk forward. “Thanks for all of your advice today, Jou-san. It’s really helped me out.” Iori stopped in place and offered his senior a half bow.

Jou smiled, “I’m happy to help.”

“Hey! If you don’t hurry up then you and Upamon aren’t getting any ice cream!” Daisuke shouted over to them.

“Iori come on!” Upamon said, nearly flying from the boy’s arms to secure his frozen treat.

“Oh, and Iori? I think you’re already on the right track to being the anchor for your group,” Jou said, shooting the younger boy a thumbs up before heading over to talk to Mimi and Koushiro.

“Fiiiiiiiinally,” Daisuke said, putting his hands behind his head as Iori approached, Upamon practically buzzing in Iori’s arms as his little eyes darted around to try and find ice cream.

“I thought we were gonna have to leave ya behind,” Daisuke grinned. Miyako flicked his ear, leading to him shouting “Ow!” and rubbing his ear with a grumble.

“He wasn’t going to leave, I wouldn’t let him,” she said as she folded her arms. It caused Hikari to laugh, putting a hand in front of her mouth to cover it.

“Iori, Iori, how many ice creams can I get?” Upamon asked as he finally popped out of his partner’s arms, bouncing on the ground with Chibimon.

“Just one!” Daisuke said with a huff, pouting out his lower lip, “I’m not made of money.” Despite his grumbling, he couldn’t help the way the edge of his mouth turned upwards into a half grin before he led the charge towards a small convenience store, the rest of the group following close behind.

Despite the fact that Upamon ended up having an extra half a popsicle after begging Iori for some more, the tiny Digimon still ended up scarfing down a whole plate of food he had taken to his room after dinner. Iori watched with a mix of wonder and terror as the Digimon chowed down face first on a large pile of rice.

“You know, I still can’t help but wonder how many stomachs you have.”

“I dunno but not enough! I’m still hungry!” Upamon said between bites.

Iori smiled to himself as he leaned back in his chair. His partner was certainly something else. Not that he would ever complain.

“Hey, Upamon?” Iori asked after a few minutes. Upamon looked over at him, chewing on a piece of fish. Iori reached forward and wiped away a few grains of rice that were on his cheek.

“Yeah?” Upamon asked, finally swallowing the massive mouthful of food he had.

“We make a pretty good team, don’t we?”

“Of course we do! We make the best team ever! Ever ever!” Upamon cheered as he bounced in place. Iori chuckled gently.

“I think so, too. I’m glad and I’m grateful to be your partner.”

Upamon couldn’t stop himself from continuing to munch as he watched Iori with wide eyes and rapt attention.

“I won’t lie, I’m a little nervous about taking on the Digimon Kaiser… it won’t be an easy fight. But I want you to know I’ll always stand by you. As long as you’re able to fight, then so will I.”

Upamon suddenly launched himself into Iori’s arms, the force of which caused his chair to nearly fall backwards. Iori barely managed to get his feet planted on the floor in time while Upamon nuzzled into him. Iori grimaced as some soy sauce started to stain his shirt.

“I’ll be your anchor if you’ll be mine, Iori!”

Iori smiled, closed his eyes, held his partner tight, and gently set his forehead against the top of Upamon’s head.

“I will.”

[symphonic-scream]

biting the bait. tell me abt okujima

Ohohoho yes I shall thank you good friend

So Incase anyone hasn't seen the other posts about this queer little au, Haru is a cis lesbian and Makoto is a trans lesbian and they're as married as people can be without the legal part.

Things weren't always so smooth for them though!

They met in highschool, they were in the same class. Makoto had been transferred to a school on the other end of the city to start fresh, and this was the first time she truly was. Makoto. They were friends for a good while before the feelings got too intense to hide, and well. We know how it turned out

Sae is fond of Haru immediately. How could she not be? A respectable girl that treats her little sister well? An automatic win in her books

Haru's father is, not as easily won over. He originally was trying to get Haru to marry Sugimura, and at first she was just, folding and following his wishes. But, eventually she learns to stand up for herself and comes out to her father

He. Doesn't understand it, not really, but he doesn't want to push his only daughter away. So. He's making steps to understand and accept her and her wife

Like, he gets a little lesbian flag pin he puts on his work blazer. To show his dedication to supporting his little girl even if he'll never really, get it. He doesn't have to. As long as she's happy, and living a healthy life, he can live with that

They had a mock ceremony! Since they didn't get legally married, they still wanted to have, the promises and the dancing and such so they had a little wedding. Haru wore a lilac dress, a hate with the vale, the bright red lipstick-

Makoto in a nice navy suit, the little lily and lilac in her pocket, the inside of her little vest being the trans flag, wearing her big stompy boots, treating their friends and family to an open bar-

And. They danced, a dramatic little waltz, to some song from a spy flick they watched on their first date, playing their parts as the undercover spy and the femme fatale, but it's broken by the goofy smiles Makoto can't hold back, the way Haru can't resist sneaking a smooch every now and then as they dip and swing around the room

Oh! And the mural on the side of their home and Haru's shop- Yusuke painted it! For the sketch, they had to do the pose for a while, but well. Haru was not complaining. Having her wife hold her all tender for that long was like a dream

[grelleswife]

Ooh so you're watching 98 Trigun. What do you think?

I’m really liking it so far! Though I should probably hold off on extensive comparisons with TriStamp until I’ve finished 98, I think these anime adaptations are a prime example of the “two cakes” philosophy: Distinctive versions that each bring something good and unique to the table. It might a bit hypocritical of me to call 98 Trigun’s style “nostalgic” since I didn’t enter weebdom until around 2017, but the animation has this feel of belonging to a bygone era that gels nicely with the western elements. The cast for the English dub give an entertaining performance, especially the voice actors for Vash and Milly.

And, speaking of Milly…Milly Thompson, woman that you are! 😍 A himbo lesbian with keen powers of perception, big guns (of both the metallic and muscular variety), and a heart of gold. If she snapped me in half, I’d thank her, but she’s likely the type to give out warm bear hugs instead. 🥰 I definitely understand why fans of the original were so irate over her absence in Trigun Stampede (barring the offscreen mention in the last episode), because she’s a treasure! 💕 Milly also makes a great foil to her girlfriend Meryl. While I’m fond of TriStamp Meryl, I love how the 98 version gives us assertive, spitfire (complimentary) Derringer Meryl right off the bat. She’s serving fashion and putting outlaws in their place with her coat of many guns, and her complete lack of patience with Vash’s tomfoolery (to the point where she stubbornly denies the possibility of this chucklehead being the Humanoid Typhoon for several episodes) cracks me up every time. 😂 I also like the running gag of Milly and her being insurance agents. Although TriStamp’s decision to make Meryl a journalist worked fine—giving her a plausible motive for chronicling Vash’s misadventures—her original position as an insurance worker places a greater emphasis on the violence and destruction which plague the story (as she and Milly scramble to document the havoc wreaked in Vash’s wake), albeit with a comical twist.

Vash remains my darling babygirl, whether caught up in madcap hijinks or betraying the deep sadness hidden behind that smile. Johnny Bosch does a wonderful job bringing him to life (I mostly watched the sub when TriStamp was airing, so getting to hear his interpretation of the character is a treat!). However, I’m not a huge fan of the stereotypical “sleazy womanizer” bit inexplicably tacked on to Trigun 98—my plant boi drinks his respecting ladies juice, thank you very much! 😤 But perhaps it’s just part of his silly goofy guy act, albeit a distasteful one, so I’m hoping it’ll be phased out as the show progresses.

(Haven’t reached Wolfwood’s intro yet, but I’m looking forward!)

The 98 anime’s more relaxed pace is another point in its favor. As much as I enjoyed TriStamp, that 12-episode limit plaguing so many contemporary anime often left the plot with little room to breathe, which I think might be one reason why the melancholy undertones came through with such unremitting force from the very beginning. In contrast, 98 Trigun can afford to be stealthier, keeping things light in the early episodes, but with occasional somber moments betraying the brutal angst to come. Both approaches have merit, though! Like I mentioned earlier, the two Triguns are a pair of cakes: Different frosting and flavors, but both delicious.

The OP is, as the younglings say, a banger. I’m normally not a huge fan of instrumental OPs, but I inevitably find myself rocking out to this one! 🎶 Meanwhile, the languorous ED evokes lazy Sunday afternoons dozing in the shade; it makes me want to take a nap in a hammock like Vash is in one of the stills.

TL; DR: The ride’s a blast, and I am fully prepared to get hurt again. 😎

[hoperays-song]

Johnny’s Names

Johnny has many different names. While Johnny is his most common one, he also goes by Johns, Jay, John, and so many more.

Johnny’s legal name is Johnathan Demarcus Taylor. 

Johnathan is after his mum’s brother in a way, since his teachers always called him John instead of his actually name. So, she decided that Johnathan would be a subtle nod to her brother’s memory.

Demarcus was actually also his mum’s idea. Since Johnny’s first name honored her family, she felt his middle name should honor Marcus’s, but due to Marcus being disowned, Marcus’s family was just Marcus. It had the added benefit of annoying him due to him having made fun of his brother Lucien naming his son Lucas and now his son was in the same boat.

The last time Johnny was every referred to by this full name was when his dad (temporarily) disowned him in Sing 1. And the only time he heard it before that was by his mum on her death bed. Needless to say, Johnny is not overly fond of this name for that reason and he is never referred to as it. He will start crying 

Johnny’s Hindi name is Jahnu Jiyaan Aarav Sutar.

Jahnu was actually his uncle’s name and carrying the theme from his english name, Johnny’s mum named Johnny after him. It also was a nod to her sister as well, as her name was Jahnaavi.

Jiyaan is the only “original” addition to Johnny’s Hindi name. Johnny’s mum was very sick when he was born, and while she did end up living a bit longer, she knew she would pass while he was still small. Therefore, she choose Jiyaan for his second first name since it meant near heart, symbolizing she would always be with him in his heart.

Aarav was after his maternal grandfather. Family was incredibly important to his mum, and due to her being the only surviving member of her family, she made sure to honor their memories.

Sutar was his mum’s maiden name and was her mother’s last name. It was her way of incorporating her mother into Johnny’s name.

Johnny is mainly called his Hindi name in more serious situations or when he’s in trouble. However, it is also the name Nana calls him (she insists on calling the trio by formal names) as well as his aunties and uncles at the Hindu Temple he sometimes attends. 

Hobbs calls Johnny Kallik.

Hobbs (Nana’s Butler) gave each member of the Moon Trio an Inuk name as a show of affection since the three reminded him so strongly of his own children. Johnny’s name is Kallik and means lightning, due to the lightning shaped markings in his undercut.

Johnny loves this name and has started to learn bits of Inuktitut as a form of respect to Hobbs and all he’s done for them.

Rosita calls him Jonatán at times.

The Spanish form of Johnathan, Rosita mainly used this when talking either to her family about Johnny or her colleges (as Johnny didn’t want to stand out and it helped hid him in her kids’ names. She only really uses it on Johnny if he’s in trouble.

Johnny is pretty ok with this name actually. It was nice for him to blend into Rosita’s kids (at least name wise) as then she wouldn’t have had to explain he was a foster kid. He is also terrified of it though since it means he’s in trouble.

His dad calls him John-Song or John-Bird.

John-Song and John-Bird are both versions of Johnny’s mum’s nickname for him, Songbird. Marcus started calling his son that when he was little but gradually stopped as he got older. It wasn’t until after Sing 1 that he resumed the use of the nickname as a way to be close to Johnny.

Of all the names he is called, this is Johnny’s absolute favourite. Not only does it remind him of his mum but it also the first thing his dad started doing once their relationship started to heal. It always makes him feel happy and loved.

[aradiamaxxing]

Admins

copied these posts from a 4chan thread where I detailed my extensive thoughts on the middle management of pokemon’s various evil teams. thought people here would enjoy it.

The Galactic Commanders are, in my opinion, the gold standard for evil admins. They've got it all: immediately striking and memorable designs, strong personalities, memorable fights, even a unique battle theme. They also further the separation between Cyrus and the rest of Team Galactic. Cyrus wants to eliminate spirit, but the Commanders are all very lively and emotional. Saturn even says he disagrees with Cyrus and was just along for the ride. Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are all a joy to behold and it's a shame BDSP didn't give them a touch-up the way HGSS and ORAS did for their respective admins. And Charon's there. I guess. Kind of odd to add a character who does practically nothing until the postgame and is marginally less interesting than the team's previous leader. 

Speaking of HGSS, the Rocket Executives had the biggest upgrade between versions. In GSC these guys didn't even have names! And I think they did a fine job of slotting their new characters into the available roles. They're different but all very distinctly Rocket-esque, be it Proton's ruthlessness and aggression or Petrel's "nice guy" attitude that reflects all the goofy and self-sabotaging antics of Grunts. The only real stinker here is Archer, who battles you once with a lackluster team and then never appears again. Also, the story of HGSS is pretty uninvolved in general, which kneecaps their screentime. It's a shame, but the Executives are at their most memorable when Gamefreak puts them in Kanto remakes. 

A lot of people don't like the ORAS versions of Team Magma and Aqua, and I honestly don't understand why. The teams from the original RSE were nothing. They were non-characters. The admins specifically were interchangeable between the two versions. Between the two revamped teams, I prefer Magma. Of course, I prefer Magma in any case, but something about them just seems to fit the story of ORAS more. Maybe it's because Omega Ruby was my version of choice but I find Courtney threatening to blow up a rocket and "complete project AZOTH" more believable than Matt doing the same. Probably because they were cribbing the event in Emerald where Team Magma raids the space center, and also because Courtney is autistic. I will give the originals one thing: the designs of the admins not named Matt was a lot better. Come to think of it, I'm not fond of Matt's new design either. I think it's the awkward battle art showing him from a lower angle than the grunts. Also, does this fucker have a beard in Gen 3 or not? I genuinely can't tell. I've rambled for a paragraph about two of the four admins so I may as well keep going. I like new Tabitha. He's got little touches that let you know what kind of work he does and what kind of organization Team Magma is. He's a pencil-pusher in a gang far more organized and professional than Team Aqua, which fits the respective personalities of the leaders. Gen 3 Magma was a gang of thugs with a cause, and they didn't have Aqua's excuse of being pirates so the whole deal was a little weak. It also makes sense that the group who wants to further humanity's devlopment run themselves like a company. And, uh, Shelly. Like I said, I never played Alpha Sapphire so I can't comment on how she was executed. At times I wish I had, though. You see, I like the color blue. And Alpha Sapphire has a lot more blue in it than Omega Ruby, for obvious reasons. I liked her in the Generations short, but that’s about all I can say.

The only thing sadder than how little Rood, Zinzolin, Gorm, Bronius, Giallo, and Ryoku do during BW, is how I can remember all of their names without looking it up. I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but Team Plasma has a glut of characters who don't do anything. And it's more noticeable than usual because BW was very good about giving its characters time to shine outside of their usual roles. I can somewhat understand why they added all of this stuff in. Team Plasma's not so much an evil team in BW as they are a proper social movement. You could even call them a secret society. I can excuse the sages for that, and I can excuse them not battling because they're supposed to be the thinkers and philosophers of the group. The ones who exemplify Plasma's ideals. They're vastly underused, but they make sense. What I can not excuse are the Shadow Triad. They do NOTHING throughout BW. They show up in cutscenes, say some words, and then disappear. They shouldn't have even been in the game. The most impact the triad have on the plot is whisking you across a bridge you were gonna cross anyway. BW2 Tightens up the ranks of Team Plasma significantly, cutting all but Rood and Zinzolin and giving the Shadow Triad something to do. But even they couldn't save Anthea and Concordia, names I also remember without looking them up. Man, what do I even say about these two. They exist. That's about it. I would've cut the triad from BW and given their scenes to these two, because god knows they need it. Team Plasma has the same problem as the Rocket Executives: too many characters fighting for too little screentime. Except unlike the Executives, who were split somewhat evenly, it's always N and Ghetsis who win the battles for relevance.

Team Flare's Scientists are the last ones I can be assed to talk about. They suck. I can't remember their names, except I know the blue on is Mable because that struck me as a relatively normal name compared to the others. Also two of them are Celosia and Bryony., but I couldn't tell you who. Then there's Xerosic, who suffers from Archer syndrome but at least has a somewhat interesting ace in Malamar. The others don't even have that. He's also got a postgame quest, but I played that one time 6 years ago and I'm not doing it again. Not helping, of course, is that you don't start seeing them until halfway through the game. You won't see any of them until both of your starters and likely the rest of your team is fully evolved, because XY's pacing and level curve is fucked. And its distribution. I've had my full team assembled before the 4th gym one time. I don't believe any of the broads have ever done science. But at least their music's cool.

[alynnl]

actually I want to know your thoughts on Legend of Dragoon too. And throw in Legend of Legaia while you're at it!

Oh my. It's been ages since I originally played either one but I'll answer to the best of my ability.

For Legend of Dragoon -

Favorite thing about that game: The dragoon spirits and their different abilities. Each one had different uses in battle and then there was the elemental rock, paper, scissors that led a player to target weaknesses, which is a JRPG staple. Also I thought the dragoon armor designs were cool.

Least favorite thing about that game: I guess it's the fact that I saw the whole deal with Shana coming from a mile away. I recognize both the childhood friend romance and the "person being key to a world ending event" tropes being key parts of storytelling in its time but I don't know. The whole "People as objects" (it's almost always female characters!) - puts me off.

Favorite character in that game: Albert, my man! I will admit to my younger self (14-15 years old) having a crush on him, but all in all he's just a decent person. He wants to be a good king and help others, and he's willing to pick up a lance and do the fighting himself if that's what it takes. Also I liked his bromance with Lavitz quite a lot.

Would I recommend it? Why? I don't know if I could recommend it now. The actual hardware to play it would be hard to come by, and I think a lot of the writing and the mistranslation would date this game quite a bit. But it does remain a fond memory of its time.

Free space to go off about something! Can Legend of Dragoon get a remaster? A remake? Something to bring it into the 2020s? I feel like it's becoming a bit of lost media at this point and it's kind of a shame! I'd like to experience it again with fresh eyes and a new perspective as an adult, but at the moment it's not possible!

Rating out of 10: 6/10. I don't remember hating it at the very least. Some of the characters and plot points were enjoyable but others I could take or leave. It's a mixed bag, but I still think this game is worth something because I do remember it well over two decades later!

For Legend of Legaia -

Favorite thing about that game: I liked the combos that you put in. It's similar to a fighting game (but you're not putting in the Konami code!) It was interesting finding out the different moves you could use, and even better when you added the Seru into the mix. Gameplay wise Legaia was very fun.

Least favorite thing about that game: Some of the battles are tough, especially in early game. You really have to be on your toes all the time if you want to win. This was a game in the era where they did not hold your hand, and it shows.

Favorite character in that game: Noa. I love her first meeting and then finding out her origin story later. And I also like her fighting spirit. She might have a simple understanding of the world because she was literally raised by a wolf/Seru, but she does come to know what love is and she wants to fight for it! I respect her writing for that.

Would I recommend it? Why? For the same reason as Dragoon, I can't recommend it solely because it's so hard to find now! But if money and hardware were no object, I would say go for it? The world building is solid, the storytelling simple but enjoyable and the music is quite nice.

Free space to go off about something! Same as Dragoon above but... can we somehow bring this game to modern hardware? I think that it would be a good addition to other classic JRPG collections that are included on consoles like the Nintendo Switch and the Playstation 4. I know I would definitely play it again if I had the chance.

Rating out of 10: 7/10! Cool world building, nice imagery, and gameplay that shakes up the JRPG formula. I also like the fact there's only three main playable characters, since it gives each of them more than enough screentime and development. (Even silent protagonist Vaan is enjoyable!)

[chidoroki]

Tokyo Revengers S2EP6

aka: season’s beatings!!!

Oh Hakkai lookin’ kinda nice in the Black Dragon uniform though.

Inui and Koko take control over the gang while Taiju is away at church huh? That could either be really good or really bad for our plan.

Yuzuha just chilling at home.. and getting a suspicious text? Should I be worried?

Ahh dunno what promise they’re talking about but I love how the umbrella hid Koko’s eyes in that scene.

Look at my boy Chifuyu walking all serious and confident.

Good lord, he was so violent back in the day, and to his own Toman men! Who hurt you sweetie?

Aaaahh Baji!! I wasn’t prepared to see him during this flashback!! God he looks amazing.

Aw dude come on, I know Chifuyu was being rough but do ya gotta beat some sense into him like that? Gives me Valhalla vibes all over again.

My boy looked up to his captain so much it hurts aahh.

For a dude who respected no one but Baji to now seeing him put that trust into Takemichi is something else man. I’m proud.

Even giving him Baji’s sash.. what a wonderful moment between the two of them.

That is kinda crazy: a big fight coming up and the only people we can trust in Toman are the two new captains we have great dislike for.

Time to put your talk-no-jutsu skills to the test Takemichi.

Ah shit, if Taiju is walking in now does that mean the three outside were completely knocked out already?

OH! Kisaki and Hanma just decided to beat up and tie Chifuyu up!! You damn bastards! Knew you two were up to something! Still dunno what they could gain from this, but fuck! At least it looks like Chifuyu managed to get a couple hits on Hanma.

“Oh, well. I guess the Hanmas team is through.” I hate how I’m still fond of you after you just betrayed my boy like that.

They really just did all that for fun.. well damn.

Hakkai I know you got a hell of a lot of anger inside you, but there’s no way you thought simply charging at Taiju with a knife was gonna do the trick right?

At least Takemichi figured out Kisaki and Hanma betrayed him.. and yeah Taiju isn’t dead at the moment, but I don’t think Hakkai getting strangled is the perfect way to think the mission is complete.

Oh Takemichi this man is gonna knock your lights out for sure.

What do you mean this is only 50% of his power?? And Taiju claims that he punched him with 30% when they first met? Oh our crybaby hero is gonna die.

Um Yuzuha??? What!? No fucking way, she’s the one who stabs Taiju?? Holy shit girl! Right in the back too.

Wait, hold up, pause, stop. This man, who was just fucking stabbed, has enough strength to pick up an entire damn church bench with one hand, lift the whole thing over his shoulder and throw it?? Hello???

I.. huh? She heard about this whole plan from Kisaki? So I did have reason to worry! But why? What’s happening I’m so lost at whatever this dude is planning. Unless he just did that for shits and giggles. Probably the reason to just add more drama and chaos.

Was it really Yuzuha who killed Taiju in the original timeline? Isn’t that different from what Kazutora said? I don’t remember weeks ago.

Oh okay, hello Taiju’s back with more tattoos. Hot damn.

So the wound is shallow because he had enough time to dodge due to Takemichi’s shout beforehand? Sure. Whatever makes sense I guess.

Many kudos for Yuzuha for standing up to this monster but I am so scared for her.

Can you not punch her across the damn church?? But goddamn am I impressed she’s at least still conscious after that hit!

“Dear Lord, why does God always put me through such ordeals?” Sir do pray tell how your life is so bad?

“Why must I kill my own beloved little sister?” You better fucking not man! I don’t care if you even have tears streaming down your face!

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

Break- Aragorn x OC

Aragorn x Issa

Description: With the rebuilding of Gondor, Aragorn and Issa have become burnt out and longing for a break. Luckily a certain invitation from an Elven King helps them with that. 

Word Count: 2.4k

Since Aragorn and Issa's coronation and wedding, things had been…hectic to say the least. There was so much that needed to be done, so much that needed to be built, before Gondor could even begin attempting to thrive. They needed to undo the extensive damage caused by Sauron, and it proved to be easier said than done. 

Both the new King and Queen of Gondor were busy at any and all hours of the day no matter what. Aragorn spent his time rebuilding relationships with other Kingdoms that had been broken during Denethor’s rule. While he did that, Issa decided to aid the people in rebuilding any damaged buildings and/or homes in the city. 

All this work meant that Aragorn and Issa barely had any time to spend with each other unless it’s in a professional setting. It was a rare occasion that they even saw each other during the day. Aragorn would usually be in the palace, most likely his office or a councilroom, while Issa remained outside until just before the sun had set behind the horizon. They even ate dinner apart, Issa grabbing something while in town and Aragorn eating in his office. It seemed like there was just so much to be done and not enough time. And there was only so much Boromir and Citra (who had been promoted to being their respective advisors) could do to help them, the monarchs had to do most of it on their own. 

They couldn’t even spend time together before bed. More often than not one of them would just come in and just go straight to bed because they were just so exhausted. On the rare occasion that they were both awake by the time the other got to bed, they could only get a few conversations in before one of them succumbed to sleep. 

It was beginning to cause them to become distant, which terrified them both. The last thing they wanted was for their marriage to fall apart because they don’t have time for each other. Of course they couldn’t take a vacation or anything. How could they just leave their people in the dust while they enjoyed their time in a faraway paradise? The answer was they couldn’t. Logically they knew that all this stress and strain would eventually end, but they didn’t know how much they could take before it ended. 

Luckily, an opportunity arose in the form of their dear friend’s father: King Thranduil of Mirkwood. Well, of course it was now Greenwood once again since Sauron did not have a hold of the land. Since Sauron had been defeated, nature had begun healing, which meant that the kingdom began flourishing, ridding Greenwood of its original grim name. 

Anyways, the Elven King had sent a letter to Aragorn inviting both him and Issa to his kingdom. It was an easy opportunity for him to meet the new King and Queen of Gondor and perhaps discuss some deals with them that could benefit both kingdoms. Aragorn instantly recognized it as an opportunity to get away from their daily duties without the guilt of going on vacation. He sent a letter to the Elf King accepting his invitation before changing into more casual attire and going out to find his wife. 

She had been helping with the finishing touches of a new schoolhouse when he finally spotted her. She had been painting the last wall that needed painting for the building to officially be completed. Today, and every other day really, opted for more casual attire so she wasn’t working in a nice dress. She wore a tunic Aragorn recognized as one she’d received while in the MapleElm realm on the quest to destroy the One Ring, and one that was getting quite a bit of paint on it with all the children running around excitedly. 

He couldn’t help but smile at that, remembering how fond she had been of it before it was ultimately gifted to her when they left. Wordlessly, he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. Issa tensed up at first as the sudden contact, but quickly recognized her husband’s touch and relaxed into him. 

“What do you think?” She asked softly, referring to the school as Aragron rested his chin on her shoulder. She felt his chin move as a smile formed on his face. 

“I think that my amazing wife did an amazing thing for our amazing kingdom.” 

“So it’s amazing?” Issa teased lightly, turning her head to look at him. 

“Very,” he confirmed, pressing a kiss to her cheek before pulling away. “But I actually wanted to talk to you about something.” At that, the Queen’s brows furrowed in concern. 

“Is everything okay?” She asked worriedly. Aragorn chuckled softly and took her hand in his as he led her away from the many people around them. 

“Everything is fine,” he answered just before they were out of sight. Issa nodded slowly (albeit still confusedly) as her husband took both her hands in his. 

“We were invited by King Thranduil of Greenwood to visit his kingdom,” he said, then watched as her eyes closed. 

“Aragorn,” she started with a sigh. He knew what was coming, she was preparing to say what she’d been saying since they’d had their first conversation about leaving their kingdom for a bit. 

“It is not a vacation,” Aragorn added quickly, which surprised the girl. “It’s technically a diplomatic visit. King Thranduil wishes to meet the new King and Queen of Gondor and perhaps discuss some deals with them that could benefit both of our kingdoms. You wouldn’t deny our people welfare, would you?” Issa sighed again, but this time she looked defeated rather than disappointed. That let him know that he got her, he’d convinced her. 

“Well, when you put it like that…” she trailed off slowly, then ultimately nodded. “Very well. When do we leave?” 

Less than a week later, Boromir and Citra were seeing their King and Queen off. Issa had been going over some last minute duties to fulfill with her advisor just before entering the carriage, and it took Aragorn all but pushing her inside for her to finally get in. Once he wished his two friends goodbye he also climbed in and they were off. 

In total, it took them a couple of weeks to reach Greenwood. It felt weird being in a carriage considering they’d spent most of their lives traveling by horseback. With not having anything to do, Issa didn’t know what to do with herself. Eventually she had to calm herself down by counting any trees they passed. 

Finally, finally, they arrived at the Forest Gate. Because Greenwood was surrounded by thick woods, they would have to continue on foot from there. A small group of guards headed by the Marchwarden Feren were waiting for them. They greeted each other then allowed the guards  to lead them down the trail to the kingdom. Once they reached it they were greeted by more guards lined up side by side along the path to help guide them towards the palace. As they walked, Issa noticed the citizens of Greenwood crowding behind the guards, watching them in awe. She offered them a kind smile before facing forward as they reached the palace. 

They were taken to the throne room and were greeted by Thranduil, who sat on his throne. Legolas was also there, standing beside the bottom of the staircase that led up to said throne with his hands clasped in front of him. Once Aragorn and Issa got to the center of the room, they bowed/curtsied respectfully. 

“King Thranduil, it is an honor to be in your presence again,” Aragorn greeted politely, Issa nodding afterwards. 

“Yes, it is a pleasure to see you again, Your Majesty.” 

“Believe me when I say the pleasure is all mine, King Aragorn and Queen Issa,” The Elf responded regally, standing up and beginning to walk down the stairs. “And it is an honor to have the new King and Queen of Gondor here in Greenwood.” By the time he finished he had finished his descent and was now standing in front of the couple. After a moment he glanced at his son, who took that as his cue to step forward. 

“It’s wonderful to see you again, Your Majesties,” Legolas greeted formally, which Aragorn and Issa returned. The Prince looked at his father afterwards, almost as if asking for permission for something. Thranduil glanced at his son again, and a small smile formed on his face as he nodded once. Instantly Legolas and Aragorn stepped forward simultaneously and embraced each other. All of them were smiling, genuine smiles now, as Legolas let go of the King then pulled Issa into a hug. 

“I’m so happy you’re here, mellons (friends),” the Prince said, much more casually this time. “I have missed you both.”

“We’ve missed you too,” Issa laughed as they pulled away. “You and Alphine.” Legolas smiled at the mere thought of his fiance before his father spoke. 

“Well, I know that the journey here must have been tiring,” he said, already beginning to lead the three of them out of the throne room. “There is a feast awaiting you in the Great Hall, and you can tell us all about it. Then I believe we have a few things to discuss.” 

“Of course,” Aragorn nodded as he walked beside him, Legolas and Issa walking side by side behind them. 

Once they arrived in the Great Hall they got to meet Queen Aster and reunite with Alphine. They spent all of dinner talking about just about everything from the couple’s journey to Greenwood to memories with Legolas and Alphie while Thranduil and Aster listened happily. Afterwards Aragorn and Issa realized just how tired they were and went to bed soon after, promising that they’ll discuss business with the King and Queen tomorrow. 

They ended up spending almost a week there. The first several days were actually about negotiations and making ties between Gondor and Greenwood, but what Aragorn had neglected to remind Issa about was that they’d arrived in the Elven kingdom just in time for Mereth en Giliath- the Feast of Starlight. Of course they just had to stay for it, it’d be rude not to. So, by day they would be doing business with Thranduil and Aster and by night they would be celebrating the moon and stars (plus their new harvest season). 

Every night she and Aragorn would spend the  entire night feasting, drinking and dancing along with their new allies, but her suspicion stayed in the back of her mind. It seemed just a little too convenient that they just so happened to arrive in time for this. Tonight had been the last night of the feast, and it was well spent. King Thranduil thanked everyone for attending and wished them a good night before they separated to go home/their rooms. That’s when Issa took her chance.

“You planned this,” she said to her husband once they were in their temporary room. It wasn’t a question, but more of a statement. Aragorn paused for a moment before continuing to their bed, where their night clothes were. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he answered nonchalantly. The woman rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she followed him. Aragorn still didn’t face her and instead took his time in unfolding his shirt.

“You knew that the Feast of Starlight was coming up and you took advantage of it because you knew that I wouldn’t remember,” she continued firmly. For a moment it seemed like the man was ready to continue his charade, but he ultimately dropped it and looked at her. 

“To be fair it was Thranduil and Legolas’ idea,” he responded. His answer made her sigh as she moved away from him. 

“Aragorn-”

“Issa, you know we both needed it,” he cut off the beginning of her frustrated rant as he crossed the room to reach her once again. Issa attempted to pull away from him as he took her hands in his, but he kept a firm (albeit gentle) grip.

“I don’t care!” She exclaimed, but she didn’t try to fight him this time. “Our people have been working just as hard as us, if not more, to rebuild the city and make things better. You cannot possibly think that we deserve it more than them.” 

“I don’t,” Aragorn shot back. “Neither you nor I believe that, but they also know when they need a break and they take them. Like Boromir and Citra; they took several days off because they knew that they were becoming burnt out with their workload. Were you mad when they did that?” 

“Of course not,” Issa retorted, though there wasn’t as much as a bite to it. 

“Exactly. So what makes us any different?” The man continued softly. 

“They aren’t the King and Queen,” she answered in the same tone. “We are.” He nodded and carefully squeezed her hands. 

“Yes, we are. But we are also human, we need to take breaks or else we’ll just be miserable. And it wasn’t like we didn’t do anything while here; we now have an amazing ally in Thranduil and his kingdom. You can’t pretend like this trip hasn’t been helpful for both us and our people.” Issa considered his words for a moment, then sighed when she realized he was right. The man, knowing that he had gotten his point across, smiled softly and let go of her hands to hug her. She returned it instantly, relaxing into his embrace. A small grin formed on her face as Aragorn kissed the crown of her head. 

“Now, we must start the journey home tomorrow. We should get some rest.” The girl nodded and allowed him to lead her to bed. 

The next morning they said their farewells to the King, Queen, Prince and Princess before they were finally off. Despite the fact that it took the same amount of time to return home, it felt like it took much longer. Of course that may have been because Issa was just so excited to see Gondor again, but she was practically bouncing in her seat as their carriage stopped in front of their palace. Boromir and Citra were waiting outside for them. The former held out a hand and helped Issa out of the carriage, Aragorn following. 

“Welcome home,” Citra greeted with a wide smile. “Your people have missed you.”

“And we have missed them,” Aragorn answered while Issa nodded. As the four of them began walking up the steps of the castle, Boromir spoke. 

“So, how was your trip?” Aragorn and Issa shared a smile before looking at him. 

“Very relaxing,” she answered, and it was true.