#verse: main

[stageplayhero]

Continued from here | @fearlesscxptain

Arms crossed, Asher watches Mark with narrowed eyes and clear skepticism. Mark never smiles that much when he doesn’t have something planned. For celebrations, as well, but as far as Asher is aware, there is no celebration at hand, current or imminent. No, it’s clearly because Mark has something up his sleeve.

They sigh. Of course he has a plan.

“ … Let me grab my jacket, ” they finally grumble, stepping back into the apartment and leaving the door ajar.

Returning, coat slung over their shoulder, they don’t even spare a look at Mark — they don’t particularly want to see the smug smile that they’re certain has appeared. Occupying themself with locking the door behind them and ensuring they’d pocketed everything they needed, they finally meet Mark with a poker face.

“ You get two hours, and no gloating. ”

Success! The difficult part is over with. Well, fitting everything into two hours may be a little difficult, but he's not concerned about that just yet.

"Gloating? Me? I would never dream of it." Except the smug smile Asher had expected clearly present.

At least it's swept away by genuine excitement, not one bit discouraged by their expression. Mark's seen them play poker before.

"First order of business: cocoa. There's a new café near your apartment building." You have to have a warm drink for a wintery outing. There's a style to follow.

They don't have their skates, but, of course, he didn't ask them to grab their skates. Well, hopefully he can fit retrieving them into the schedule. Telling them now would ruin it!

[2winstars]

for a moment, there is naught but silence that greets the guardian upon his return, as though nor the witch or the little stars that have since begun to run around were there. until, suddenly, there is a tug on the hem of genesis's sleeve. akihiko is standing there behind him, hair messily tied back ( a product of his sister's efforts ) and a small smile on his face as he looked up at his father, nearly shy. before the boy could speak, however, seemingly out of nowhere, ryoko appears from the shadows with a triumphant laugh and collides against the back of genesis's head and sits on his shoulders, grinning down at him as she wrapped her arms around his head to keep herself stable.

❛    surprise, papa!    ❜  ryo laughs while she looked down at him, her smile never once wavering, ❛    did i get ya? i bet you were so shocked!    ❜ 

aki watches amused, shaking his head as his little hand moved to wrap around his father's finger, ❛    mama said you'd be back today. you'll stay for longer this time, right, papa?    ❜ 

@poeticphoenix , ☆

[ravensroleplays]

Baby Steps--Open AHIT RP

It had been a couple weeks since the baby girl had crashed into Subcon Forest and, for reasons that escaped him, Snatcher was still holding onto her. Bouncing the baby a little in one huge paw as she cried, the specter reached for a jar of baby food with the other.

"Alright, alright kiddo calm down--there ever been a day I haven't fed you?"

He froze, then, sensing that a new soul had entered the forest. And, while he again wasn't entirely sure why, Snatcher pulled baby Hatty closer to himself, protectively as he floated outside to get a look at the intruder.

[thebigshotman]

The receiver jingles back onto the receptacle on top of the phone, resting soundly for only a few seconds before starting its steady pattern of rings again.

His smile back to its usual, happy form-although there’s something tainted about it-Spaul starts moving away from the receiver. While talking to the Voice that’s still clicking away somewhere in his head.

*S0…YOU [[did you hear?]]. [Hazelnut]s F1NE W1TH THIS. YOU [[-know what time it is!]].

*Spaul…n-no. No, you can’t do this! You didn’t give Eileen the full story, and besides it’s 3:30 AM! Do you expect ANYONE to give you a straight answer at that time? At least think about it and-

*N0!!!!! I 4M [sick and tired] OF [go on, go on!] T0 YOU!!!!

With the sound of someone screaming incoherently, he picks up the blunt edge of the Broken Sword from earlier. It’s fairly obvious what he intends to do with it.

*GOING ON 4ND 0N ABOUT [[your safety is important to us.]] WH3N YOU D0N’T KNOW A DAMNED [interesting fact] 4BOUT ME!!!! YA KN0W WH0 DO3S???? E1LEEN!!!! I [[trusted you…]] A H3LL OF A LOT MORE TH4N YOU YA [loser]!!!!

*Spamton…

He shuffles over to the phone, raising the sword. Moving in half-frames. Eager, tired marbles appearing in his glasses.

*G1VE ME YOUR [Hyperlink Blocked]. [[Administrator Access]] T0 TH3 [[exercise tape]]. N0W!!!!

There’s a moment in his head where there’s completely and total silence, for the first time in 25 years. And during that time, he wonders if this is the right choice after all. His form glitching sporadically as he does. But then, in a burst of noise, everything returns. And he gets his answer.

*…Ok. Access has been granted. Whatever happens next is out of my hands.

*Just…be careful, Spaul. Whatever happens next, just—

She doesn’t get to finish her thought. With a mighty crash, the sword punctured straight through the rotary dial again and again, smashing the phone beyond repair. There is no more clicking or tapping now in his head. Just the garbage noise, static, and his own thoughts.

The sword falls out of his hands, and he raises them to look at them as he jitters and glitches. Finally noticing the thorns in them from before. He plucks them out without a second thought.

Finally…silence. He looks down at the remains of the phone.

*WH3N U [[gamers don’t die]]…1’VE G0T A [leave a message at the tone] TO LE4VE. D0N’T T4KE [[-lasts forever!]], OK?!?!

His grin returns to form as he walks away, busying himself by cleaning up the tattered remains all over the floor of his shop until the phone repairs itself.

Gifting Eileen a stone and tinfoil…what was he even thinking? This was going to be the greatest gift of them all.

[jacesvelaryons]

The Reluctant Empress (Jacaerys Velaryon x Female!Reader)

Act II. Burgeoning

(19th Century Imperial Austria AU)

summary: crown prince jacaerys gets to know his prospect betrothed and future bride whom he has been arranged with to marry, your sister helaena targaryen, but true to your wild spirit, you cannot help but wonder what awaits in the world behind gilded castles and royal splendour.

word count: 2.4k words

a/n: i'm so sorry this took an entire year before an update but it is finally here! i apologize as I had some health things to settle, and with brain fog and got more distracted by other fandoms but here we go! once again, please comment and share what you liked, what you'd want more for me and request and let me know as my inbox is always open <3 let me know if you want to be on the taglist or not getting tags!

series masterlist

previously: prologue | act i

masterlist

requests OPEN

“Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” ― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

Seated between her mother and sister, Y/N eyes roamed around the dining hall in the palace that hosted the royal family and her covey. Changed into an emerald green gown, wearing the necklace and earrings her father gave her on the last name day before his passing, she paid no mind to the significance of the occasion and was just glad to be there, surrounded in the splendor of the castle walls.

She knew that it was Helaena’s time to shine, and she would not want to rob her of her light, of the opportunity that would change their fortunes and not have Alicent scrabbling and worrying over the last penny of their expenses.

Twirling her fork on the pesto noodles in front of her, Y/N remained silent and just patiently listened to all the conversation around her, between her mother and her childhood friend the Queen, who inquired about Helaena’s well being, her lifestyle and assessing on how she would adjust becoming the next consort upon wedding Jacaerys.

Dazed out in a world of her own, Y/N did not hear Jacaerys reverting his attention to her aptly, until her sister nudged her ankle with her shoe, repeating her name on his tongue like it was the sweetest honey, curiosity and amusement on his features.

“Lady Y/N, what do you do in your free time, my lady?”

Stammering like a cat bit her tongue, she cleared her throat as she gathered herself and make her look and sound presentable.

“I ride horses, my prince. I hunt and I have picked up the sword a few times.” Lady Y/N bluntly replied, already feeling the burning glare of your embarrassed mother. Queen Rhaenyra only watches in amusement, how her confidante could have a daughter who was nothing like her mother.

Jacaerys was intrigued, leaning forward to hear Y/N better and scooch closer over to Her. A curious smile on his handsome, chiseled face, his curly brown hair starting to grow out and neatly groomed behind his ears.

Plates and utensils remained untouched as Y/N and Jacaerys were engrossed in an engaging, animated conversation, passionate replies to uncontrollable laughter.

The older women present at the table watched with trepidation, Lady Alicent’s habits of digging into her fingernails returned while the silver-haired queen’s expression turned unreadable.

Helaena swallowed her wounded pride of being ignored and not found as an interesting companion, playing with her knife and fork, digging at the roast beef the same way her young daughter would.

As the servants gather the finished main course meals and replace them with fresh fruit and lemon cakes for dessert, Rhaenyra swiftly suggests for the elder Targaryen sister to read out some of the poetry her mother praised earlier.

“You must share with us your talent in verse and poetry, Lady Helaena.”

Relieved, the indigo hued girl stood up at the end of the table, grabbing her little booklet hidden in the pockets of her skirt. Flipping through its parchment pages, she settles to a recent entry close to the end of the worn out leather bound book, covered with an embroidered beetle.

To want is the most natural thing Inherent in the blood through our veins The very primal urge of our being Yet we will always want, and want With no end like a black hole What better to want what is not ours? To covet what the other possesses To take away what is given as easily as it was owned?

Her raspy voice echoed through the halls mellifluously in perfectly rehearsed High Valyrian. Yet you could not help a guilty perception weighing on you, blossoming at the pit of your stomach and you could not shake it off. You were doing nothing wrong, you told yourself, wanting to believe in it but it felt wrong.

Y/N’s fears arose to the surface when she could feel a burning stare on her face intensely, as if memorizing her very form and that she would disappear into nothing anytime. You were listening as intently as you could, yet when you turned, Jacaerys did not pay mind to a single word Helaena said as his focus was fixated on you.

No, no, no. Nothing was going as planned. Everything was going wrong. She praises whatever gods intervened when the heir’s brother Prince Lucerys gracefully diverted the topic into the new cuisines created by the cooks of the Keep with the freshest catches of seafood from Driftmark.

…

“Y/N, what do you think you were doing out there?! Do you think I do not notice your need to always be the centre of attention?” The shrill shrieking of her mother’s voice pierced through her ear drums, yet Y/N was unsurprised and used to such altercations with her mother.

Following the uneasy supper, the three ladies from Dalston Keep returned to their chambers to change midday in preparation for the tour around the gardens with the queen and her heir again after a few hours of respite.

Silently humiliated as they reconvened in private, the illusion of propriety that Lady Alicent carried in front of the queen and prince ripped away, unleashing a ferocity unrestrained like never before.

“I did nothing, mother. I was polite and engaged in a conversation when I was spoken to.”

“You did more than that, you foolish girl! It was about your sister. All of this was about her, not you! Is it so difficult for you to tone down your tendencies for once so we can go according to the arrangement? You put our fortunes up to be desolated. You are as careless as your father!” The sting of her final words hung in the air, salt over the open wound for such a loss. Y/N knew her mother did not love her father, who was older than her own father, and only did her duty to her ailing, troubled, aging husband.

“Mother, that is enough! Do not bring father into this.” Helaena countered exasperatedly, holding onto her sister by her shoulders in defense. “Y/N did nothing wrong. It was..it was me. I should have engaged with the prince more. She did me a favour.”

Y/N gasps in disbelief, astonished her beloved sister would keep taking her side when it was clear she was the wounded party.

“Do not worry about it, mother. I promise I will remain silent from now on. I want this to be Helaena’s night.” Y/N swears sincerely, wanting to defend Helaena and stay away from any trouble from now on.

Alicent does not fully believe her youngest, but nods solemnly as she seeks to move this behind them, returning to her dignified, contemplating gaze with her perfect posture and arms clasped at her waist.

Subsequently, a drove of maids and seamstresses poured in, as Alicent went to her solitary room while the sisters shared a larger room. Each stepped on the raised wooden platform. Taking lush gowns from the closet, they plucked out a rich emerald green gown with fitted sleeves for Helaena.

Meanwhile, a muted seafoam gown was placed on Y/N, as maids scuttered behind her to tighten the corset and laces. Y/N whimpered quietly in discomfort, never finding any gratification in restrictive court dress upheld by centuries of protocol and conduct. It barred her sense of freedom, clipped off her wings from flight and reminded her of a bird in a cage.

Heirloom pieces of emerald silver lined jewelry were given to Helaena, designed to accentuate her beauty and prepare her for her upcoming role and ascent into her duty. As the daylight trickled in through the lace curtains and open windows, she looked like a future queen. A role she was raised to be. Otherworldly and ethereal, while Y/N was grounded to the earth, locks like flames and soil.

Y/N beamed in delight for her older sister, squeezing her hands in reassurance. Helaena reciprocated not as enthusiastically, the nerves still getting to her as her palms were sweating and shaking.

“You have nothing to worry about, Hel. We would not get this far if he did not consider you his bride already.”

“Truly, do you really think so?”

“I do. Without a doubt. You already look the part. It is only the formality left we are waiting for at the ball.”

The elder genuinely chuckled this time in relief, her joy finally meeting her eyes from the comfort and encouragement of her sister.

“Now, all that is left is for you to step into your destiny.”

…

Manicured gardens flourished in the peak of spring, cicadas chirping from the branches of oak trees. Lilies and carnations in hues of apricot and blush, while the outlying paths were paved in blue hydrangeas and violet peonies.

Queen Rhaenyra adorned a lapis lazuli blue gown adorned in gold trimmings and sapphires sewn onto her bodice, matching the stone necklace of the color on her neck and matched her tiara, a reminder of her late mother and former queen.

She pleasantly strolled with a natural confidence, carrying herself with an ease afforded by one who has known privilege and power all her life. Guiding a tour around the Red Keep at the height of its social season, Rhaenyra proudly showed off her domains, and subtly if so, the lands that Helaena would take care of as its hostess after she marries Jacaerys and becomes his queen when the time comes.

Behind her was her eldest Crown Prince Jacaerys, always without a hair or trivet out of place, the picture of perfection that she had groomed since his birth. Dressed more casually in teal with the seahorse emblem on his chest, he honoured his late father Lord Laenor Velaryon, further dispelling any rumours or uncertainty around his paternity.

Although he did not directly resemble his father, he has begun to share features with his paternal grandmother Princess Rhaenys with her Baratheon colouring, and the shape of his nose and chin mirrored her father, who was another Prince of Dragonstone, Prince Aemon the Pale Prince. As rider of Vermax, it was undeniable he was the prince long awaited by the realm, whom millions of hopes and dreams were instilled in.

Standing beside him was Lady Helaena Targaryen, his expected betrothed in everything but formality. Raised with the intention of becoming a princess consort, she was demure, shy, obedient and trusting, exactly what the people of Westeros wanted of their model future queen. Proven in her success of childbearing, onlookers examined her critically on baited breath as they wanted to know who will bear the next generation of Targaryen rulers on the Iron Throne.

Their chaperons trailed behind them, Lady Alicent arm in arm with Lady Y/N, in the same shade of muted green, but her mother had visible symbols of the Faith of the Seven from her necklace, her dark headdress and veil, and on the cuffs on her wrist and belt. Y/N distractedly took in her sights, studying every nook and cranny of the storied palace with eagerness and pursuit.

“This garden still follows the design plan created by Queen Rhaenys the Conqueror herself, yet it was only finished years after her passing in Dorne.”

The queen continued the tour of the keep, while she discreetly eavesdropped on the conversation between her heir and his expected betrothed. The two were engaging pleasantly yet amiably on the surface level, their dialogue not reaching too far. Unaware of a figure parting at the fork and heading another direction.

…

When she is assured she’s clear and no one can find her, Y/N Targaryen smirks victoriously as she heads straight and turns left towards the barn, near the dragonpit, where the horses and grazing animals were located.

On nimble footsteps, through the mud and manure, she makes a run for it as two stableboys turn the corner and miss her, as they forgot to close the stables and she sneaks in.

As the afternoon light trickles in, Y/N looks around curiously, before her attention is caught by this white mare, with its freshly brushed mane and shining horsehair, an anomaly among ebony and hickory. Not wanting to startle the majestic creature, she prances until she’s in front of the horse, hushing and cooing at them as she latches onto the reins.

She holds the mane by her reins, tugging gently as she walks through the barn and the empty backwaters of the ancient castle. It is quiet, with most servants resting for their annual nap and their morning duties finished, so Y/N is able to ride the stallion undiscovered.

The lingering scent of the manure and greenery turns into salty waters of aegean and spruce and the earthy, musty petrichor from the rain on the fir and cedar trees earlier in the morning.

A hint of the cool breeze tingles through her skin, a dress and not proper riding gear in its leathers and furs, but she brushes it off, as King’s Landing in the spring at this time of the year has turned warm and the rain from earlier is long gone.

She rides as far as her companion will allow, until the peripheral view of the Red Keep grows distant from over her shoulder. Y/N stops at the fork of the road before it joins the greater Kingsroad, diverting by the forest with towering trees and fallen logs. Sitting by the foot of a trunk, Y/N pauses for some stillness, her back pressing against the hard trunk as she closes her eyes, before grabbing an apple and vial of water to share with her stallion.

As she and the mare finish the fruit, she stands up to brush off any leaf and dirt on the back of her skirt, about to mount once again before she hears echoes of confrontation growing closer. Y/N has barely begun to leave the forest and return to the artery before she is surrounded by hooded, disheveled men with smug expressions.

Unable to avoid contact, she politely acknowledges them and pulls her cape over her flaming locks before she is stopped from moving in either direction. “Good morrow, sirs.”

She yelps as she’s grabbed by her wrists by the men, struggling to stay on her saddle as the mare turns skittish. “Not so fast, my lady. We need something from ya, and you gotta pay up for our silence. Comes with a price.” The men smirk, distant galloping approaching them.

Y/N yelps as she is knocked off her horse, hitting her head against the rock and all turns into darkness around her. She hears a distant echo of another mount heading her way, furious yelling and clattering swords. Her head throbs, feeling the blood dripping down her nape, as her eyes flutter closed.

[overthattwilight]

Information for the official TWST soundrack

Today the official soundtrack list has been revealed. The soundtrack is consisted with 4 discs, and has a total of 149 songs from the game. The release date is May 29th, costing 4620 yen(including tax)

The discs are consisted of what is written bellow

Disc 1 - Basic BGMs you can hear throughout the game, and Happy Ending

Disc 2 - Main story BGMs from the Prologue to Chapter 4

Disc 3 - Main story BGMs from Chapter 5 to Chapter 7, and event BGMs from Beanfest 1 to 1st anniversary

Disc 4 - Event BGMs from Beanfest 2 to Playful Land, and Piece of my World

Through the soundtrack list you can check the song titles of the bgm which isn't in the guest room shop, like the bgm for Chapter 7 and also other events. Strangely, Neige's song from Chapter 5 is nowhere to be seen...or I have a bad eye sight

Also, there is a teaser video which you can hear some of the soundtrack in advance(Japan only)I HAD TO USE VPN GOD DAMN YOU ANIPLEX FOR BLOCKING OTHER REGIONS

Through this video there was two things I noticed

1. Meleanor's lullaby is called "The Dawn of a Dream"

To be precise, this is the no vocal bgm version, not Meleanor singing. Therefore it might be just what the bgm is named, not what the lullaby is called, but for now I suppose this is what we can call the lullaby

2. Piece of my World might be in full version

The final track of disc 4 is Piece of my World, and listening to it I noticed the music doesn't stop after verse 1 being finished...which means this version in the soundtrack might be the full version

I guess this is all I can say. I'll also leave other links which are related to the soundtrack. Hope they'll be helpful

[merakimagic]

Multi Mutant Verse Part 7

First | Previous

WE DID IT!!!

It only took a year but the prologue for Multi Mutant Verse is finally done and now it’s time to jump into unknown possibilities and brand new worlds. I’m so excited!

While in the process of making the final my art monitor completely broke and I had to get something new to draw on and a whole new drawing app. I’m still figuring it out so it does look a bit different from some other parts of the comic but I love it.

This prologue has been a lot of fun and really taught me a lot about comic designs and storyline’s. I hope you all have enjoyed it and despite how much fun this prologue part was I am really looking forward to moving into new worlds that constantly will revolve around some random new idea for the turtles boys.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported this part of the comic and I can’t wait to interact with more of you in the main comic which will officially start next month✨

Love you all💖

[bettyshoweduptotheparty]

What is the ‘Thesis’ of Tortured Poets? (+ Fortnight Deep Dive)

After 4months of listening to TTPD I was recently wondering what the 'thesis statement' of this massive album is, if I had to give it one. Is it "Female rage: the musical" as Taylor has named the TTPD set on the Eras tour? Anger is certainly evident in the album a lot, but, no, I wouldn't say that's quite it (that's just the parts she's picked for the tour set). I would say it's more than that, and usually a good clue is the lead single and music video. Anti-Hero (and the mv), the lead single for Midnights, made it pretty clear what Taylor's main message for Midnights was: Taylor Swift™, you're the problem. Lover's lead single was Me! and then YNTCD, which for a lot of people seemed like a dumb choice when Cruel Summer was right there, but we know that for what that album SHOULD have been, it needed to be those two. That was the statement. So what is TTPD's statement? And what is Fortnight as the lead single telling us about it?

Fortnight single and music video

The first line of the first verse immediately connects to where Midnights left off: They were coming to get her to take her away in Hits Different and now she was supposed to get sent away but they forgot to come and get her. So we are still very much circling the same issue as Midnights: The duality of Taylor Swift. And I am now fairly certain that Post Malone is also portraying a different version of Taylor in the music video, just like the two Taylors from Anti Hero. When she wipes her face, the same face tattoos are revealed, they are both writing the music/poetry together and they face each other like a mirror image in the pile of papers that make up Taylor's silhouette.

Though while Taylor and Postie are writing together here (Postie perhaps as the 'male POV') and their creations join together, the two Taylors in the Anti-Hero mv are less unanimous, one creating the music and the other one destroying it. Otherwise I find these two scenes very similar:

The setting has also notably changed: She's not in her house anymore, she is in this government institution, kept chained in a cell and only allowed out when medicated to do her work. And there are other people there too, seemingly with the same fate. (A not so subtle hint at the music industry...) The first verse continues

I was a functioning alcoholic 'til nobody noticed my new aesthetic.

This strongly reminded me of the In Summation poem which comes with the album leaflet, but kind of like an epilogue rather than a prologue. And also the introduction post that Taylor posted with the album release.

Confirming yet again that this album, much like Midnights, is a debrief/a rewinding. And she even tells us for what reason: a warning. Are you afraid? You should be! (Yes I think that could easily have been the lead single too). And what is she reflecting on? A “fleeting and fatalistic moment in time”, a sensational, yet sorrowful one that led her to having to tell her saddest story to be finally free from it. So in this context, I think the line about new aesthetics and alcoholism is a throwback to the summer of 2019 and the failed Lover coming out/masters heist. A lot happened and had things gone differently she’d be an out queer woman now. It must feel like a strange parallel universe to still be closeted at 34 years old. And losing your life’s work and your relationship (at least temporarily) in the process I think qualifies as someone’s saddest story. If you’ve seen any of Taylor’s performances from July/August 2019 dressed in all black, you’ll probably agree that it felt like a woman at rock bottom. When she couldn't get out of bed (loml) but still did it with a broken heart. THAT is the context and thesis of TTPD: This twist of events that led to her still being in the closet five years later, and everything that she reflected on when she thought she'd lost everything. The regret, the anger, the heartbreak, even the resentment towards your family for the path they guided (pushed?) you down when you needed someone to fight your corner. "Blood is thick, but nothing like a payroll" is one fucked up thing to say and I'm still shocked seemingly everybody moved on from that so quickly. Those are sentiments that Taylor, the people pleaser, would never have put out into the world before, but this is a debrief, an exorcism even. She needs to get her ugliest truths out before she can move on.

The Fortnight pre-chorus continues with

All of this to say, I hope you're ok but you're the reason And no one here's to blame, but what about your quiet treason?

Now there's a 'you' coming into the picture, and I know there are varying opinions, and maybe multiple possible interpretations of who the you is. Remember, this is the lead single, the thesis song, so to speak. And in that context, I don't think the You is another person, it's another version of Taylor, perhaps the one from the Anti-Hero mv, or the one she hoped she'd be after 2019 if everything had gone to plan. You (brand Taylor) are the reason I'm feeling unstable and I don't blame you but you betrayed me by leaving me here in the closet (similar sentiment to Peter).

She goes on say how she and the 'you' were together for only a short time (a fortnight), the loss has turned all her days into depressing Mondays and that no "miracle move-on drug" can fix that. It sounds like her bemoaning the what could have been, the you being the public persona that she was hoping to merge her true self with by coming out. And I think, yet again, the music video supports that interpretation with Taylor and Postie being the same person but not looking the same. She could have easily played both parts herself, but she cast a different person, a man no less, to play this other side of her, maybe to highlight that she has to take a man's perspective (James/The Man, etc.) to express her true feelings.

Taylor and the You then go on to sing the line "I love you, it's ruining my life" to each other. So they're both feeling that way. And it is a very key sentiment, because it was also one of the first we ever read from the album during the roll out and it's written on the dress during the TTPD set on the Eras tour. The separate existence is ruining both of them. It then changes to "I touched you for only a fortnight" and these two sentences alternate through to the end of the song where we end on "But it won't start up till I touch (touch, touch) you". So, uniting with this other person/version seems to be the key to Taylor's happiness. And we've seen this before. It's exactly the same outcome as the Anti-Hero mv: As everybody is fighting, Taylor finally manages to make peace with the other versions of her and share a bottle of wine. Just like when Postie steps out of the phone box in the final scene and joins Taylor in the rain to touch her hand.

That's my interpretation anyway. as always, feel free to disagree or share your interpretation in the comments.

[girlygguk]

fame - jjk (two)

pairing ; idol!jk x idol!oc.

synopsis ; aera; the main dancer in one of the biggest k-pop groups in the world, Siren. debuting in 2014, it was nothing but immense hard work and perseverance (and being on the absolute verge of disbandment), but she and the four girls that grew to become her sisters pulled through. they did it. now they're performing at some of the most significant arenas and stadiums worldwide. meeting a cheeky, flirtatious and annoyingly gorgeous fellow idol that threatens to break down every wall of protection she's built around herself was not part of the plan. her career has always come first, having sacrificed and jeopardised many relationships and friendships in her journey to debut. so why does this time feel different?

story warnings ; smut, explicit language, violent & possibly triggering scenes.

chapter warnings ; explicit language

word count ; 2200+

a/n: genuinely can't explain what their as i told you performance did to me. life. changing.

previous parts ; prologue | one | two | drabble1 | three | four | ...

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

♫ siren's performance song♬

☽ aera's stage outfit ☾

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

📅 MARCH 2016

📍MBC Gayo Daejejeon 2016

The members of Siren were huddled backstage, the audience's screams for the current artists performing blared in their eardrums. A bottle of water is being passed around their semi-circle, the girls clambering for a final spout of hydration as the time to infiltrate the stage nears. Aera fixed the microphone taped to her left cheek, a smile gracing her lips as she stared at their maknae that was currently jumping on the spot. "I'm so nervous," Ha-Joon cried out, her jumping in place developing into a stationary jog.

Moving towards the youngest, Aera began to copy her actions and jogged lazily in circles around her. They both couldn't stop giggling, and it wasn't until Nali bumped them softly with her elbow to gain their attention that they pulled to a halt. A stage director hurriedly worked towards them, ushering them with sweeping motions. "Let's go, girls; you're next!" He hollered, and they all but began sprinting in his direction.

The automatic stage door illuminated with their group's signature colour, and Aera's brow raised in surprise as she tried not to be shocked. Their company director barely splurged on stage decoration when they performed, usually apologetic to the girls as they often had to settle with the default decoration given to all groups. She brushed it off, figuring the music festival organisers had taken pity on them and given them some pretty lights or something.

The MC's voice blared over the speaker, announcing their group's name, and smiles covered the girl's faces when they heard sparse cheers in the crowd. Then, finally, the doors opened, and the lights dimmed slightly as they walked onto the stage. The intro to the song played over the speakers, and the adlibs they had recorded in their own voices echoed throughout the atmosphere. The audience clapped while they migrated into position and surrounded Hanna for the opening verse.

"Nunan neomu yeppeoseo. Namjadeuri gaman an dwo." Han-na sang sultrily, the movements of her members enveloping her as they revolved around their leader during her line. The girls floated around the stage as they sang, taking their moment in the limelight as they each stood forward while singing their parts.

Nali belted the last line of the pre-chorus, and Aera moved from the outer edge of their formation to the centre, their footwork aligning. The crowd erupted into high-pitched screams as her hand fell into her pocket according to the choreography, hips swaying with the beat, her other hand moving in figure eights around her waist. "Replay, replay, replay", Aera sang, their adaptation of the choreography not going unnoticed by the audience as they burst into cheers.

Aera's head snapped swiftly towards Grace as they transitioned into the next verse, and they both swapped positions, the rest of Siren dancing in unison as Grace moved to the centre and serenaded the crowd.

Joon had finished her line in the second chorus, and the girls had reached the bridge. The crowd was still going wild, cheering at their performance in glee, and it didn't help Aera's pounding heart as she sang her adlibs over Hanna's line. Her dance break was in the final chorus. Aera prided herself on not getting nervous when performing. She didn't break a sweat during their debut stages. She didn't even bat an eyelid during the final stages of their trainee debut elimination. Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that this stage was different, that this performance of theirs could make or break their career. Siren had acquired a few, very, very few, dedicated fans that they could always count on to support them over the past almost two years since their debut. They just didn't know if they'd get another chance to perform at a place like this again, and she didn't want to be the reason they kissed that chance goodbye.

"—maeumeul badeul su eomneunji",Nali sang the final note of the bridge, and the lights flickered; the other members of Siren maneuvering backwards as Aera sprung to the front. The instrumental remix blared through the speakers surrounding the stage, and the audience erupted into the loudest screams the girls had ever heard. The enhanced instrumental that Han-na had spent an entire day perfecting bounced off the walls as their main dancer fell to her knees in part of the choreography. Gripping her hair, she hit the ground on the beat, and her fellow members fell to their knees in unison. Feeling the vibration of the music through the stage, Aera lifted her upper body and rattled with every beat. The audience chanted on every offbeat, and Aera made sure to jolt her hips in motion with their screams.

Hanna slammed into the chorus at the instrumental break's end, and the supporting girls stood as she sang. Aera leaned back, her thighs flat against her calf, positioning her feet on the ground and lifting upright without using her hands. The crowd was going ballistic, and she almost let her smile peek through but refused as to keep her stage persona active. The five girls twirled into a line, leaning over each other as they harmonised on the last chorus, Ha-Joon leading it vocally.

Moving into a triangular formation, the members of Siren started to shuffle back and forth while they hummed the outro, a tribute to the original Replay choreography, and they relished in the cries of the crowd as they spotted the familiar moves. "Jinsildoen sarangui maeumeul", Aera sang the song's final line as the members fell into their ending pose.

Loud cries flared from the crowd as the last syllable left her lips, submerging the noise of her and her sisters' heavy breathing. Aera's chest heaved as she looked around the audience while they jumped and applauded. A few moments passed, and Hanna was the one to snap the girls out of their daze, standing straight and grasping the hand of Nali, who was on her left. The rest of the members followed suit and conjoined hands, giving the audience a bow and big gummy smiles before yelling back thankyous as they jogged backstage.

Han-na held the curtain once the members had made it down the stairs to exit the stage, and they barrelled through, jumping up and down in exuberance. Aera and Ha-Joon were caught in a playful punch-up, trying to exert some of the exhilaration coursing through their bodies after performing.

Five heads turned to the left, vision fixating on the same stage director from earlier approaching them. He had just finished ushering another act onto the stage that Siren had just dismounted, and it wasn't long before he reached them. "Amazing job, girls, you killed it! This way, we need to get you seated." He praised, clipboard in hand as he used it to wave them toward the stools perched along the edge of the stage. A unanimous cloud of shock blew throughout the members, not realising they were organised to watch the rest of the acts perform tonight.

Han-na recovered first, nodding in gratitude and leading the flock as she followed the man clad in black attire, the rest of her members following hastily behind. They looped through the equipment and workers backstage until they reached a side door leading to an area with seats set up in bunches parallel to the stage. Aera's eyes widened a fraction of an inch as she spotted so many familiar and famous idols already seated, whose gazes were transfixed on the artists' mounting the stage.

The director was in front, leading them past the rest of the groups to get to their assigned seats. The members of Siren were in awe, bowing to every single person as they passed, receiving cheesy smiles and bows in return. "Well done!", "Hwaiting!" and various other soft praises filled their ears as they migrated through the walkway, making Aera suddenly worried about not choosing the water-proof version of her mascara.

They reached the brightly coloured seats and chimed a chorus of "gamsahabnida" to the stage director as they situated themselves. Aera swore she heard a subtle "cute" being muttered to her right, and as she turned, her breath caught in her throat. There, sat confidently on her right, were the five members of Shinee, their godly features causing the saliva in her mouth to dissipate. Losing all her ability and sense of sound, she could only continuously bow in her chair with wide eyes and raised brows. The laugh of Taemin caught the attention of the rest of Siren, and when their focus turned to the right, Nali's loud gasp echoed throughout the tiny shared space. Following their leading dancer, the girls looked like lunatics bowing in unison, elatedly greeting their seonbaenims.

"You guys were awesome. Better than the original." Taemin cheesed, the rest of his group nodding in delight as they watched the gob-smacked women furiously shake their heads.

"Never. Never." Ha-Joon croaked, still taken aback that a group that she and her sisters idolised were even attempting to converse with them, let alone compliment them.

"We're honoured that you chose to cover one of our songs. You girls are so talented, truly. Hwaiting", their leader spoke with sincerity and a breathtaking smile, and that was the knot on the noose for Aera. The spotlights in the stadium started to flicker green, blue and white slides spreading over the stage screens, and it took the ear-piercing screams of the audience to shake Aera out of her daze.

Making a mental note to profusely thank the gorgeous men to her right and maybe wail a long speech about how she idolises them and loves them dearly later; her focus is now on the stage in front of them as the following group piles on. The audience, and even many idols, were going crazy before the act had even sung a word, and it didn't take long for Aera to realise why—watching as the six men instantly took over the entire room. Her eyes scattered around them, confused about who to focus on. She did not have control over her vision when they fell to their knees. She couldn't stop staring at the guy in the middle, the large orange J on his sweatshirt blinking back at her.

She knew of BTS; of course, she did. All her sisters and, without a doubt, everybody in this room knew BTS. Aera was a dancer, and J-Hope and Jimin were some of the greatest dancers in their industry. She fucking knew who they were. She admired their journey, struggle and story, knowing they worked extremely hard to get where they are now and deserve every loud, god-awful screech in this stadium.

Her eyes fixated on J-Hope; watching his seamless and perfected movement on stage satiated her inner-dance self. She tried not to lose focus, but her eyes trailed to the stupid orange J again and again. She watched as the scruffy brunette serenaded the crowd, earning himself cheers and cries that weren't helping her fixation whatsoever. He slid across the stage, executing every line and every move with confidence like he knew he had the gaze of everybody in the room.

Jimin moved to the centre, his blonde hair swaying as he grooved along to the music, the rest of his members following suit after a beat. Aera exhaled as she focused on the blonde in the middle, dancing along to the song in her seat with her sisters. The dance break was sultry and addicting, and the girls clapped along with the crowd chanting 'BTS' wholesomely.

It was when Aera finally settled and could watch the other members for once when orange J looped through to the centre. She cursed as her eyes focused back on him like they had been waiting for it all along. "—nan hangsang jejarie", Jungkook polished their performance with a final note before spinning and dropping to his knees.

The crowd went absolutely insane, Aera almost lifting her hands to her ears before deciding against it and standing with her sisters. They cheered for the six members as they held their pose, claps and whistles floating throughout the stadium. She watched as they thanked the audience with big, humble grins before dismounting the stage. Aera's gaze never left orange J as she saw him glance towards the right, where she and the other idols were situated, but not letting his eyes reach the direction fully. Climbing to his knees, he joined his hyungs as they scattered backstage in glee.

"They just had to fucking go after us?" Asami snivelled, still clapping as she watched them disappear. Her members cackled, Han-na delivering a soft wack to her arm before sighing and nodding in agreement.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[lilliesofinspirationvalley]

Thoughts on Hollows and Ether Corruption

What We Know Canonically (So Far)

Almost anything can experience ether corruption when inside a hollow, whether a living being or inanimate object

Those with high ether aptitude can stay in Hollows for longer periods of time without worrying about being corrupted, while those with low aptitude have anti-ether equipment that can help protect them. Ether aptitude tests are common

Artificial intelligence (androids, bangboo, smart machines, etc) are vulnerable to corruption if they pass the Forbidden Fruit test— which we don’t have specifics on atm, but presumably marks when an AI has become fully sentient like a person. This corruption is likely referring to ethereal mutation rather than the crystals that form on inanimate objects. Or perhaps even both! Ouch.

People who have been in Hollows for “too long” are susceptible to cognitive corruption syndrome (CCS), which is essentially a dementia/alhzheimer’s-esque disease that causes memory regression

Inferences (and/or Assumptions)

Living beings (humans, thirens, sentient ai, etc) presumably have their corruption levels “reset”/scale back down after exiting a hollow. I’m taking it as a similar situation to blot in Twisted Wonderland, where accumulation naturally decreases with enough time outside the hollow, and can be sped up with proper health maintenance (eating, sleeping, etc).

Corruption only really becomes a concern based on if you can leave (hence why proxies and carrots are so important), and if you stay in the hollows for extended periods of time. I think the threshold for “too long” starts at about maybe 2-3 hours??? Most commissions, including story events, take nowhere near as long as that in real time, I’m sure. I think the longest we might’ve gotten was about 75-90 minutes with the Cunning Hares in the prologue.

That’s the case for those with high ether aptitudes though. Lower aptitudes will experience effects much faster. Red Fang Gang’s Miguel Silver had to have practically zero ether aptitude for his mutation to be so instant.

Coming into contact with ether as an element/material (crystals, Nicole and Zhu Yuan’s shots, etc) won’t immediately cause high corruption levels/mutation (it’s likely everything in the ZZZ verse has in-world increased durability, given players and enemies alike can take bullet shots, burns, freezing, electric shocks, etc without dire consequences). Ethereals are often the most affected by other ether attacks— like ghost or dragon type being super effective against itself from Pokemon

Ether-tipped blades and other melee weapons have got to be a thing (I already have some ocs with this in mind for their weapons), and I don’t think it’s inherently dangerous to get hit by/wield them. You just gotta keep them covered when not in use, and be mindful/intentional of where you hold them (as you already would be with blades of any kind). The material used for weaponry (melee and firearms alike) is probably diluted a significant amount compared to the original crystals?

When actually harvesting ether crystals and other material, it’s highly recommended (often required) to handle with as much caution and protection as possible. The main thing being proper containment and coverage like gloves and stuff.

If there are more gradual effects to Hollow exposure, it’s likely not well known at the time of ZZZ’s main story. CCS could potentially be such, but it’s probably more susceptible if someone stays in hollows for about/longer than 2-3 hours in a single period of time.

Rapidly entering/exiting a hollow back and forth doesn’t count as a “reset”

Inanimate objects, overall, have significantly higher resistance against corruption. Specific levels can vary depending on material rates of corrosion/erosion/decay, quality and handling of the item, how deep it’s located in the hollow, etc. Time-space warping could also be a potential factor, but it’s probably difficult to test logistics for that.

As a general rule of thumb, buildings and infrastructure are usually the most durable things within a hollow. If you stay inside a building within the hollow (such as the Ballet Towers in Ch 3), you can stay inside for much longer (the threshold increasing up to 5-6 or even 7-8 hours, hence why Victoria Housekeeping could do their maintenance checks in the Ballet Towers without endangering themselves). Of course, if ethereals are able to access the building, that will naturally cause interior and/or exterior corruption mainly if hit with ether itself)

Understandably, artificial intelligence has far more resistance to (physical) corruption than organic beings, given they often house mechanical bodies. Though mental capabilities are still vulnerable from potential damage to processing units and such. But that takes about the same threshold as organic beings (~ 2-3 hours outside, 5-8 hours inside).

Unknown (As of Now)

Corruption effects on vegetation (plants/fungus), along with non-sentient animals and/or robotics.

[stageplayhero]

Asher may have already decorated the manor, but their Christmas quest was not complete with only that. Not at all — the most important part hasn’t even been done !

Luckily for them, they have an in through Benjamin, who lets them inside the manor without much of a question. From there, they can easily leave a small box on the desk in Mark’s study, being sure to leave it in a spot that’s clearly visible. Stealth mission complete, they leave as quietly and quickly as they had arrived.

Within the little box is a thin, folded book. A tiny envelope sits on top. Within the envelope, a note —

Merry Christmas, Mark. Hopefully this isn’t too big to be taken on your next trip. - Asher

The book, able to be held easily by hand, when opened, displays a collection of photographs and news clippings, of napkin doodles and tiny notes, and a final page bearing signatures and messages from the entire group of friends.

Asher’s been collecting to make that for quite a while. The knowledge that Mark would be leaving more frequently for projects merely gave them a reason to finally gift it to him.

[ merry chrysler, mark ! ]

The annual Christmas party at the manor is nearly upon him, and Mark loves organizing it. Truly, he does. But there's only so much he can get done before his energy runs dry and he dramatically collapses from exhaustion, in this case, at the desk in his study.

With his face pressed into his arms, he frowns. There had been something there. Something new. He sits up to puzzle over the package, and discover its contents.

Asher. Of course. They've been on some sort of secret Christmas-ify the manor mission lately, and perhaps he should be more concerned over their ability to sneak in whenever they want, but he isn't, really. Whatever is in this book is clearly more important.

Each little scrap they collected is poured over, allowing him to revisit the memories one by one. He smiles at photos and clippings, and laughs at napkin doodles, surprised that they would have kept them.

It's obvious they poured a lot of care into this gift.

The signatures and messages at the end are even more of a surprise, and if Mark hadn't already taken a long break to look through the book, he would have still spent a decent amount of time simply reading the last page. Asher had given him a small slice of home to take with him wherever he may need it, and with his upcoming projects, he certainly will need it.

Too big? It's just the right size. Thank you, Asher.

[2winstars]

TAG DROP ☆

[bobbinfire]

I went and watched Transformers One last night…

(don’t worry no spoilers)

My brain is still processing what I watched. It wasn’t bad, in fact it is my new favorite animated film. The Lighting played a key role, the Environments were for more than just establishing shots and were used for actual story through world building, the textures I could feel just by looking at them, the voice actors actually voiced acted and were not just their celebrity identities, and the Animation was breathtaking.

And none of this even goes into the story itself. This movie managed to cover the entire prologue of a 4 Million year long war in its allotted time without rushing a single beat. Each character had a purpose and went through the process of a well planned out character arc. The telling of this story was the equivalent of a slow burn romance, but specifically designed in reverse. We get to watch the best relationship melt like an ignited candle before our very eyes and we can do nothing but feel sorrow as our hearts crumble in our chests. As an animation student it is my obligation to say Spider-Man Into/Across the Spider-verse is the best animated film both in animation and story. Even if I wasn’t an animation student I would agree. That was what I would say… until last night. I know I will make people mad when I say this, but the fact is that Transformers One is an animated film that has managed to surpass the Spider-verse movies as the greatest animated movie I have seen. I watched it with two other animation students (one who had never seen anything transformers previously) and they both concurred.

I can say if I die tomorrow I will die happy with no regrets. Especially if Heaven is where I get to watch this movie on repeat while staring off into a Cybertronian sunset from the film.

Safe to say if you follow my page this is going to be the main focus right over Gravity Falls.

If for some weird reason you want to hear me do an in depth analysis as an animation student on this film I guess let me know. I will be pleased but genuinely surprised

now if you need me I need to go finish my presentation on this film to shove into my animation professor’s face against his will on Monday with my friends I mentioned previously.

[inamindfarfaraway]

In the first Ever After High novel, The Storybook of Legends, the show’s theme song is referenced in a scene where Raven starts to sing the school’s official Legacy Day song at a party after not signing the book and sings the first verse:

Believe that everything is waiting for you

Accept that everything is set in stone

It’s time to step into your promised tale

And become the person you’ve always known

She then realizes that this propaganda is the opposite of her current philosophy and sings a faster version using at least some of the theme song’s lyrics. I wondered what the full original song would be like. So I wrote it, with an original chorus melody. The framing device is the prologue of that book, the Legacy Day before Raven’s. I’ve also inserted my personal worldbuilding headcanons about how the legacy system began. But this is only a prologue, because the main event…

is Raven’s rebellion! I leaned hard into the ‘the Rebel movement is a human rights one in defiance of institutional oppression upholding societal inequity’ side of the story that Mattel really didn’t explore as much as they could have, resulting in a much more serious and even aggressive tone than the theme song. This features Rebel solidarity, Maddie being the best friend ever after and a duet section between Apple and Raven.

Here's the theme song for comparison.

Feedback and comments are very appreciated!

Other EAH song lyrics I’ve written:

“Live For Today”

“To Tell the Truth”

“Such Wonder”

@eahravinqueen @emotionalsupportcartoonschools @my-middle-name-is-xylophone

[necromancyandtendrils]

"Tainted Licorice"

[ Main verse / Starter with @milk-and-trickery ]

--------------------------------------------

"You could do so much more.. you know that, right? Dark Enchantress Cookie may have the means, but she lacks the method. But you.. you want power. Do you truly think she will give that to you?" A testing voice, eyes of blue peering between the cracks of shadows in the Laboratorium.

Even in the aftermath of Matcha Cookie's tantrum, work was proceeding apace once more.

And there was a certain, very awake beast who was reaching his tendrils out across the land. To latch onto anything while the heroes were distracted by the little 'big' mistake born from this lab.

( From @milk-and-trickery )

~Prologue~

It had been a long day for him. He had not only had to deal with the aftermath with Matcha Cookie, but the mission with Pomegranate Cookie was also stressful. Which was originally a recon mission, turned into a scuffle with a strange cookie with weird jelly magic.

After all was said and done, he was exhausted, but he wanted to return to his research. He was hungry for power, wanted to be stronger, and wanted to prove further that he wasn't weak! His fight with this Candy Eye Cookie wasn't a fluke! She yielded to HIM.

As he continued to read over his books, taking notes, he felt his eyelids slowly feel heavy. He attempted to shake himself awake, trying to focus harder, but eventually, tiredness took him over...

Licorice Cookie found himself in the lab, making sure nothing else exploded again while he was gone. Gods forbid Matcha Cookie lost her temper again or something.

Then without warning, a voice that seemed to be emanating from the walls called out.

"W-what?! Who?!"

Licorice looked around, he was startled by the voice. As he became more observant, he saw eyes peeking from the cracks of the walls, he stared back before looking up at the ceiling.

"Heyy-HEY! Don't you DARE talk like that about Dark Enchantress Cookie!" He snapped back

Power? Power?! Of course, he wanted power! But not give him any? No of course she would give him power! R-Right?

Unless...

Pomegranate Cookie-!... No no no! It's his turn! it's his time! He will prove to her that he is the better one! HE-...!

He stopped himself with his thoughts and shook it off. He then took a deep breath and raised up his hands, attempting to play it cool with... Whatever this thing was. It hasn't quite clicked just yet to whom Licorice was actually talking to.

"W-well what makes YOU think you know her better, HMM? Just who are you anyway? What kind of big shot thinks he can do better than the great Enchantress Cookie herself?! You must be mistaken!"

He scoffed crossing his arms, he wasn't going to easily give in to... Whatever this was.

"What do you know? NOTHING! That's what!"

[majorasnightmare]

Inevitable Gerudo Headcanon Posting

i spend too much time thinking about the gerudo like genuinely theyre one of my favorite recurring tribes in the zelda series, which as we all know is a form of suffering because god forbid nintendo stop relying on racist tropes and caricatures.

keeping in line with this nintendos portrayal of the gerudo tends to either be 1) why theyre bad, and/or 2) how a culture of all women has kids. like thats an oversimplification of ALLL the problems present in the gerudos portrayal but thats a different post for another time. in general i bring this up because it means, for me as well as any others interested and invested un the gerudo, that there is a kind of generalized lack of pre botw characterization or cultural concepts to work with, esp when compared to the other tribes of hyrule. (looks pointedly at how theres no gerudo in the gerudo desert but there is a prison slash execution site where their king was held. LOOKS AT WHO SURVIVED THE PROLOGUE CUTSCENE IN WINDWAKER)

ANYWAYS. botw was really fun because, while it had plenty of its own issues with the gerudo, they were at least non hostile! so with that in mind, the headcanons and worldbuilding i write primarily apply to the wilds era gerudo, which spans the timeframe between ganondorfs reign as king to totk (suspending disbelief because that timeframe is. by all accounts. longer than recorded human history. friendly reminder ganondorf does All That before we even get sheikah wifi towers. christ.)

anyways. second verse same as the first, core assumptions and then a readmore

Some core assumptions:

The BotW branch of the timeline is chronologically set AFTER the previous timeline, ie the events of ToTKs ancient past is set AFTER the last event of the Hyrule Historia timeline. essentially they all come back together to form one line that makes up ToTKs ancient era

The biggest effect on Hyrules topography was the flooding in Wind Waker. after an unknown point, the flooding ocean receded leaving behind the ruins of ancient Hyrule. at some point after that, the zonai settled parts of it and made the buildings wed see as ruins by the time of BotW. slowly the various tribes of hyrule immigrated back

all peoples within the setting of hyrule are loosely grouped into categories called tribes. in this sense, tribe refers a collection of peoples with shared traits, without anything concretely set in stone (for example, hyrule includes the tribe of hylians, the tribe of gorons, the tribe of koroks, etc etc). the main six who show up repeatedly can be considered the sage tribes (gerudo, hylian, sheikah, rito, goron, zora), and the various types of enemies can be considered the monster tribes (the blin tribe of bokoblin, moblin, bulblin, etc)

so. starting at the beginning. near entirely headcanons

in ocarina of time, we see the spirit temple, where Nabooru awakens as a sage. this temple features a MASSIVE statue of a woman adorned with a snake and its primary mechanic centers around mirrors and reflected light. while the mirrors return, we dont really get that same kind of implied spiritual/religious focus again. so instead im going to make a mountain out of a molehill and position her as the primary spiritual figure here. im running low on name ideas tho so suggestions are much appreciated. for right now ill refer to her as the serpent goddess

the gerudo are culturally a people of function over form, practicality over whimsy, but when circumstances allow for it, are drawn like any other to arts and music and decoration. they have a long history of bloody, brutal battle, and while the war has long since ended, its kings buried and its warriors naught but ghosts, the desert remembers. its sands haunted by the bloodstains of conflict past, and echoes of ancient tragedies. the gerudo here in the era of wilds may have lost their records of their ancient history of conflict, but some aspects, preserved by the sands, have managed to survive the onslaught of time

surviving all this time is the ancient creation myth of the gerudo people. as legend tells it, long ago in the time before myth, there existed a goddess whos power was transformation. she was possessed of two forms, one a proud humanoid figure, the other a striking serpentine form twisting through the heavens with ease, her scales glittering with mirror sheen. to shift from serpent to human, she would shed her skin, and grow it back again to embrace her serpentine form anew

seven times she shed her skin, and from these shed skins rose the first gerudo, each embodying a key aspect of their sacred mother. the serpent goddess's scales are each a nascent soul of a gerudo, and when those scales are shed and fall to the land below, a new gerudo is born. likewise, when a gerudo dies, their soul returns to the scales of the serpent goddess, to await until they would descend again and reincarnate once more. the seven daughters of the serpent goddess led these gerudo as their guardians, leaders, and protectors. but, away from the seven heroines and their new people, the goddess shed her skin an eighth time. this daughter was born alone, and while her sisters embodies the strengths of spirit, flight, endurance, knowledge, motion, skill, and gentleness, the eighth was born with insatiable wanderlust. learning of this, the seven sisters cursed her name for leaving them and their people behind, and despite their shared ancestry, the eighth was forbidden to be spoken of. this suited her just fine, and the eighth was free to walk the land and learn all of its hidden paths

in time, war came to the gerudo, as it often does. though they were united, and strong, they were a small collection of people, and thus despite their proficiency were threatened nonetheless. it became clear at last that they could not stand and fight, and that to survive, they could not remain in place for long. but the enemy had pushed them deep into their home, and knew all the paths back. as hope seemed lost, as if summoned by call, the eighth sister at last wandered home. calling her seven sisters to her, she proclaimed that every hidden step was known to her, and while she lacked the power to guide them on her own, together they would escape unseen into the night, their enemy none the wiser. thus, skillfully guiding the skills of her sisters, the eighth heroine led the gerudo into safety, and the seven were humbled from their pettiness. seeking to apologize to the sister they had banished and forgotten, the seven sought to make amends, but the eighth was content merely to have a place of remembrance among them. to wander is not a sin, as long as one remembers where their home lies.

the eight heroines have long since passed and returned to their mothers scales, but the virtues they embody are cherished by the gerudo family they left behind, seeking to hold their memory close even as the years wear on

to the gerudo was bestowed the blessing of the element of Spirit, embodied by their iron wills and manifesting as crackling lightning. this spirit lightning is the gerudo's will made tangible, arcing out towards their target as an extension of their focus and sheer determination. to a gerudo, nothing is impossible until one has devoted themselves entirely to it, giving it their all, and only then may it be conceded

a long history of persecution has resulted in the gerudo being increasingly insular and isolationist. their admiration of the art of combat and how it can bring forth an individuals talents, achieving a perfect harmony between body and will as the weapon became an extension of ones limbs, was often perceived as aggression by outsiders, who would react as if to defend their own interests. the gerudo have suffered much at the hands of hyrule at large, and have pulled further and further away.

as the gerudo pulled away from hyrule, and hyrule from them, they devoted most of their attention to themselves. cooperation amongst themselves is seen as paramount to their survival, and familial affection often extends well past ones blood relations.

the gerudo value family, and loyalty, alongside independence and cooperation. everyone should have the opportunity to pursue their goals, but if someone is struggling, it is the responsibility of everyone to help. children are raised by as many people as are available, and even in the times of monarchy, the palace was less a formal dwelling place belonging to the gerudo ruler and more a public forum that the ruler simply happened to live in

most of the palaces amenities are fully public, a tradition that has carried on to riju's time. meals are communal and the kitchens open to all, and the palace has no strictly dedicated servants, merely a collection of amenities the gerudo people are free to use at will and often do so together. what this means is that there is no servant, for example, dedicated to preparing riju's meals but instead a collection of people willing to cook and willing to eat making meals riju partakes in, and this applies to most other menial tasks as well. the throne room is where the leader of the gerudo engages in their job as public servant, attending to the needs of the gerudo at large and responding to crises as they arise.

as nintendo is keen to point out, the gerudo are a people that are predominantly "all women", and thus spends plenty of time going over dialogue wherein people wonder how they have children and including a plethora of sidequests in the wilds era about acquiring partners. im ignoring all of that and instead going by lizard rules, in part because here theyre descended from a serpent dragon goddess, wherein a population of all female lizards were able to successfully maintain a stable population and have children without major issue. gerudo like ganondorf are the equivalent of a rare genetic mutation that flips some other genes on and has a different result, that really doesnt affect anything besides this one kid and doesnt have any major effects or differences in their life. two gerudo are perfectly capable of having kids together, having relationships as usual, and on the topic of "how do the gerudo have kids", thats all i really feel like exploring that topic

with an insular, isolationist culture that appeared for all intents and purposes to be all women, the gerudo were often a source of major culture shock when interacting with the other tribes of hyrule, most notably hylians

bonus hylian lore: hylians experience an even greater lack of sexual dimorphism than irl humans do, so gender presentation is near exclusively presentation based, with a heavy emphasis on clothing. showing skin is considered an act of emotional intimacy, and most hylians opt to cover as much as they can. the intensity of presentation scales upwards with their role in society, with the royal family having the most extreme form of gender presentation. gender is presented through clothing style and hair length, with ornamentation, jewelry, and piercings serving as a kind of intensifier, and hylian culture at large tends to operate on a sliding scale of masculine to feminine, with the middle androgynous zone being a weird gender spot for them

the gerudo, by contrast, never really developed a concept of masculinity versus femininity. gender pronouns in gerudo are based on personal proximity, occupation in society, and familiarity. these barely translate at all into hyrulean.

as the gerudo, by circumstance or by choice, interacted with hylians and the tribes of hyrule more and more often, some kind of understanding had to be reached with regards to translation. as relations were already terse, making an attempt to fully translate the gerudos understanding of gender to your average hylian was considered a fools errand, and thus translation was done in broad strokes, giving hylians the simplest root form of gender pronouns (and none of the increasingly specific declensions). loosely, the term vai is closer in concept to "us" and voe is closer to "not us" "foreigner" "outsider", and has taken on a connotation of " forbidden" or "taboo" (leading to wilds era gerudo secret clubs often imploying translatable Adult Puns regarding their catering to voe and the overall titillating atmosphere they tend to put on for customers). with regards to hylians, the feminine princesses and queens had more in common with the gerudo and were thus "vai", but the masculine kings and soldiers, who were often the main figures pushing aggressive efforts into conquering or otherwise absorbing the gerudo into hyrule, were "voe". this was then distributed in various guides to understanding the gerudo language as " vai" meaning "woman" and "voe" meaning man

gerudo town, as the capital of their people and general hub, has a law banning the entrance of voe. at the time if its writing, this was a fairly obvious law, because most "people who are forbidden" are forbidden from entering. as time has passed, hostilities cooled, and relations warmed, this law has been the subject of a long struggle of interpretation. it doesnt translate well into nearly any other language, and thus who counts as "voe" and "vai" is subject to endless debate. the differences in gender perception are most clearly on display with the admittance of the gorons. one might assume that the gorons, being a monogendered people who typically use masculine terms of identity and endearment in hyrulean, to thus qualify as voe, but the gorons cooperative nature, near uniform monogendered culture, and emphasis on hard work and independence has enough in common with your average gerudo that considering them as vai is a no brainer

ganondorf thus is also, clearly, considered vai. the specific pronouns he uses in his native gerudo include declensions regarding his position as royalty (one that has since gone out of use and is fairly archaic now, only really being used as a kind of neo-pronoun by current era gerudo as a rebellious self identification thing), his relation as the only child of koume and kotake, and are conjugated based on relation between the speaker and him. in the ancient era, calling ganondorf voe would be so confusing as to not even read as an insult. if one really wanted to refer to ganondorf with a tone of insult, theyd substitute the declension of familiarity with one used for strangers

ganondorf achieved his position as king the old fashioned way: a gift from his moms. ancient era gerudo practiced typical monarchy with a line of succession, and koume and kotake named him as the next royal of the gerudo as their heir. the hyruleans, seeing a masculine gerudo of royal birth, referred to him as "king", and correcting a culture of people he had little respect for was just a waste of ganondorfs time. after ganondorfs sealing, the gerudo changed to the current system of chiefs, wherein the current chief names a successor, or by default passes it onto their living heir. a system is in place to democratically install a new chief if the current one passes without naming a child their heir, or naming a successor in their place, a system drafted and then used in ganondorfs absence. riju thus inherited the mantle from her mother, but could opt instead to force a vote, or have such a vote forced on her due to her age, leading to much of her insecurity seen in BotW. this system has proven to be relatively stable, especially coupled with the continued tradition of keeping the palace an open public forum

the first chief of the gerudo was nabooru, advised by the sage of lightning we see in totk, following ganondorfs sealing

the gerudo are very familiar with the souls of the dead. poes, souls lost and aimless, wander the desert after millennia of bloodshed. thus their funerary customs have persisted, even as the folklore behind them fades in and out of memory.

a person perceives reality through their body. they know the sky is above them both by craning their neck up, and by the sensation of ground beneath them. in death, one is bodiless, and sensation becomes a confusing, directionless onslaught. it is so easy for a spirit to become lost, unable to orient themselves. the gerudos funerary rites seeks to aid these souls in their journey towards returning to the serpent goddess, as without guidance they are liable to become poes. the body after death is merely an empty receptacle, and on a practical level is a potential draw for dangerous desert scavengers seeking an easy meal. the shifting sands and hard soil makes burial difficult to impossible, so instead the gerudo burn their dead. smoke is ephemeral and thus able to be seen by spirits, and even as the wind rushes, smoke will still travel upwards towards the heavens. a spirit will linger by its body for a time, and thus cremation helps provide guidance to the dead. unable to feel the earth beneath them, the dead can follow the trails of smoke to orient themselves upwards, and dispel lingering confusion

as the body is burned both to guide the departed's soul and to ward away scavengers, the gerudo inter their belongings into gravesites instead, usually one or a small collection of items that the deceased valued or were considered emblematic of them. having a proud history of warriors, many gerudo consider their weapons extensions of themselves, and thus many gravesites will consist of a single weapon.

the sage of lightnings temple served as the primary gravesite for many gerudo, and in its heyday was decorated with love and care as befitting its role. torches burned bright in its sconces and the walls painted with care in massive sweeping murals. here in the temple, a foreigners idea of the gerudo as austere and practical would fall away, as the halls shone with warmth and color, taken from their desert home

lost souls that become poes often end up becoming consumed by their regrets and despair at their inability to find their way back to reincarnation through the serpent goddess's scales, and from there turn to rage and aggression. the sunlight glinting off of the goddess's mirror scales will blind and disorient the dead who have lost their way, as they try in vain to rely on their half forgotten senses, and thus poes eschew the day in favor of the cover of night. though incorporeal, poes move as fast as the desert winds, and try all they can to cause mischief and havoc. usually the end result of their shenanigans is light injuries and scratches, but it isn't uncommon for a waylaid traveller or adrenaline seeking youngster to suffer fatal consequences. despite this, poe hunting tends to be the go-to act of rebellion for antsy teenagers with a taste for danger. in general, one of the only things fast enough to strike a poe is a fired arrow

as the sands grew and the desert expanded, it grew more and more difficult for the steeds of the gerudo to gallop across the dunes, and they were driven further and further back until the gerudo phased out their horseback traditions entirely

and as an AU specific trivia tidbit

after ganondorf's sealing, nabooru grieved the loss of her childhood friend by constructing a dedicated tomb to house ganondorf's gravesite. even though he wouldn't die, nabooru would never live to see him again, and in traditional gerudo fashion, his gravesite is marked by his signature trident, further imbued by nabooru's blessing of lighting (in a similar fashion to urbosa's fury, despite urbosa not being a sage).