#we debated for a while on who they'd pick for characters

[momomallowart]

He misses his dad.. 🥺

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Random thought I just had in my hospital bed, but what if Alice had immediately called Rosalie/the Cullens after seeing Bella is alive? And then continued to talk to Bella?

Which scenario are we in?

We're in the "Edward gets really really really pissed because no one does what he wanted and EVERYONE IS RUINING EVERYTHING!!!"

But Let's Back it Up

Before Rosalie has a chance to call Edward?

Rosalie goes "ugh" and is very pissed off that Bella is still somehow causing their family a bunch of drama over nothing, that Alice apparently has false positives now about people fucking dying, and is so done with this bullshit.

But Edward is not told that "Bella is dead, come home and stop this".

However, the Cullens don't get to sit on their hands too long as, "news, everybody!" it turns out Victoria has been picking off people in the Forks area, held out by teenage shapeshifters, to get to Bella so that she can kill Edward's mate as a part of her revenge for the death of James.

Remember Laurent? The guy Irina's stupid in love with? He was one of them!

And wow, it sure seems like this is kind of the Cullen's fault for refusing to keep even small tabs on the town/Bella because Edward was so determined to be a dramatic diva and tear himself out of her life.

I imagine the Cullens (sans Edward, he's still moping in Rio) have a meeting and while it's going to be a tough call (Rosalie wants nothing to do with this, Jasper is torn as he wants Victoria dealt with but also doesn't want to put Alice back on her radar) ultimately I think they'd vote to go back to Forks for as long as it takes to deal with this problem.

And erm, we'll see about Bella (there's no Volturi 'thou shalt' yet nor Edward's attempted suicide, so it's not as dire as it was canonically).

The question is...

Do they tell Edward? On the one hand, he'll be pissed if he finds out they went behind his back because his lady love/Forks was in danger. He'd be beyond pissed, he'd feel betrayed on an unheard of level.

On the other hand, Edward will throw a massive fit (much like the one he threw to get them out of Forks in the first place), and when he realizes his "leave Bella" plan has had unintended side effects, that placed Bella in even more danger... a) he'll despise himself which is the last thing Edward needs b) who knows what the fuck he'll do in response to this.

There's a very tempting option here where, maybe, they can take care of things quickly enough in Forks that Edward never even realizes they went back.

This is an even more heated debate, and I imagine it's very 50/50 and "... Alice, er, how does he take it?"

Ultimately, they probably decide to tell him. He has to know what's happened, they can't keep this secret forever, and he deserved to know exactly what has happened, both the good and the bad.

Rosalie does not get to tell Edward, as that's a very bad idea, and I imagine Carlisle gets to tell him.

And so, Edward gets a phone call in Rio telling him "you done fucked up, son", not only that, but remember how he was chasing Victoria and he pathetically lost her in Mexico and kept going south for some reason until he landed in Rio? Yeah, she went all the way back to Forks where she's been trying to eat Bella this entire time.

Laurent nearly did.

And the only people protecting her are those temperamental shapeshifters who it turns out are back in full force.

And so, Edward loses his goddamn mind.

Edward: The Eclipsining

Edward comes racing back and acts similar to how he did in Eclipse. The carpet was pulled out from under him, this Jacob Black character has moved in on his territory in a way Edward did not expect for all he thought he wanted Bella to move on. Worse, Bella's in even more danger than before, has picked up very dangerous habits, and now he has to crawl back into her good graces.

Trouble is, Edward also hasn't quite been convinced that he can't live without her yet/he would have broken eventually. He knows he was having a shit time in Rio, but he didn't have that moment of her death where he concluded there was no purpose to his life anymore. Oh, he still plans to nobly kill himself when she dies, but he sincerely thinks he can leave her alone, she can live her human life, and he'll kill himself off screen.

It's just... when he leaves her alone she doesn't live that idyllic human life he wants her to.

If Bella puts it to a vote, I imagine she'll still win as Carlisle will probably side with the majority, even though there's no threat of execution/Edward's imminent suicide on the table. In which case Edward smashes the Korean TV, but I'm not sure would ask for marriage.

He wants to marry Bella, but he also doesn't want her to commit her precious human life to him/he still wants to extract himself. I imagine Edward would plan to be with her in the short term, so that the family doesn't go and turn her, but is always looking for Bella to a) change her mind about turning into a vampire b) extract himself from the situation.

And Jacob Black would be great for that. In fact, while Edward fucking hates him at first, he proves himself a worthy advisory, he's brave and noble, and Bella clearly cares deeply for him.

... Edward is suddenly Team Jacob.

Edward deep down is Team Edward, but he can't be Team Edward, because he has to leave Bella as soon as possible without turning into a vampire. But Team Jacob means Team Human means that Bella won't asked to be turned and will live a normal human life... with a shapeshifter but at least he'll be able to protect her.

I imagine Jacob has very little idea what to make of Edward. He hated this guy, still hates him but why is Edward saying, "Yes, Jacob, we must make you as appealing to Bella as possible". And leaving them alone together, on purpose, so that Jacob will have opportunities.

Jacob... doesn't want to think about weird vampires being weird.

But it all ends up being moot point.

The Volturi

Due to the lack of Volturi meeting, I imagine the Volturi do come to Seattle much faster to wipe out the vampires. If they do, and they do stop in on the Cullens just to see what's happening, then depending who visits they will find out about Bella.

And, "hm, are you turning her anytime soon?" It's clear she's very gifted, so most likely death is off the table (Jane wasn't there by herself canonically, she doesn't get to call all the shots). So, probably they're looking to take Bella back to the mothership.

Depending who's there, Bella is turned immediately. If it's Aro... he may be persuaded by Alice as he was in canon, to let it happen on its own time, or he may turn her ther himself because these people clearly aren't going to and "she should join the guard".

But most likely, Bella gets turned and kidnapped to Italy for at least a year while she's in her newborn phase. After which she's 'free to go', if she still wants to after Chelsea of course.

After that...

Well.

A lot of bloody nonsense.

[somewhereincairparavel]

If Jason's character had been written to its fullest potential, as you and many others have discussed several times, do you think that there would still be a large amount of favouritism towards Percy or do you think there would just be people arguing over who's better?

Personally I like to think that if we had gotten a few books documenting Jason's time at Camp Jupiter prior to the release of The Lost Hero, people would've had time to warm up to Jason a bit more and develop a fondness for his character and then the second option probably would've happened but what do you think?

my inbox was sort of jammed w asks so I'm sorry this took so long anon! i wanted this post to be more in-depth and not lazily written so I waited for a while to get my motivation recharged again, i hope this post reaches you somehow haha

my take on this, is that yes, jason would've gained more support than he did originally, and there wouldn't have been an agressive bandwagon of people jumping on the slander train, but he would still be somewhat disliked/suppressed imo.

from what I've observed the hate doesn't just stem fom him being uninteresting, it's combined with a lot of people's attachment towards percy, that they gatekeep him and are agressive to anyone who even alludes that other characters have a chance of being more interesting/powerful if rick hadn't played favourites. (like hazel, nico, thalia, etc)

i think you'll get a better perspective with this example I'll be giving you from one of my observations (i sound like a philosophy professor pfft)

I was on the r/camphalfblood reddit once, and a post came up on my feed, the person went on to rant about how jason shouldn't be 'trying so hard to suck up to nico by being so overbearing' and that they 'wished it wasn't jason with nico in that scene, it should've been someone else' and that rick shouldn't have made jason so nice and understanding about it. they were outright bashing him for being supportive?? idk it was clear they favoured percy over him and had some kind of prejudice against jason.

i didn't even understand what op was so pressed about. that jason wasn't being homophobic and was being a supportive ally? lol thankfully the comments went off and a few of them said 'you're saying this but you would be bashing jason if he wasn't comforting nico as well, jason can never win in the fandom' and that was VERY true.

I've seen people say that jason shouldn't have been written to be a very handsome heartthrob either and that they were very annoyed that rick kept emphasizing his good looks, making him 'too perfect' but that person failed to acknowledge that rick emphasized percy's attractiveness way more than he did jason lol but that was apparently completely alright (to me it just translated to 'how dare rick make jason as good looking as percy, only percy is allowed to be hot, jason deserved to look like an ugly rat' LOL)

so you can see how people pick on him about the most trivial things ever to 'defend' percy from imaginary arguments/rivalry lol

if jason was written well, they'd still find a way to hate on him, probably tossing the 'hes such a gary stu he has no flaws' in there aswell

funny thing is that they hated him for being too perfect and not making mistakes, but proceeded to SHRED him to pieces during MOA when he said he was suspicious of nico. didn't you just claim that he needed flaws? but the moment he displays it you are driven off of the handle??

I do have an interesting perspective that works in jason's favour tho, where I'm willing to bet that atleast 80% of the fandom would've been sympathetic to his struggle and he would've become a fan favourite, even going as far as to rival percy's fame, where, like you mentioned, there would've been equal percy and jason stans and it would've become a debate as to who is better. (hint: villian jason grace) send me an ask if you want me to elaborate on this ;)

[starry-907]

thanks to a few posts in the community and a sonic au, i've started vaugely thinking abt a possible musician/band/idol au for ava, with a dash of "hannah montana" for intrigue.

more under the cut cuz i already have some thoughts abt this sdfkljjkjddffr

so! this au is essentially taking almost every main character in ava/avm and giving them some level of ties to music.

most of what i have is character thoughts atm so! let's discuss the hollowheads and the colorgang!

second/orange

the main character is second, who performs as an idol under the alter ego of orange (a measure that their siblings suggested to keep them safe from paparazzi and fans outside of performing). i don't have designs for the two outfits quite yet cuz i just came up with this, but as orange they wear a mask on their lower face and take a lot of measures to make their idol look different from their casual look.

one day they accompany dark to an open mic night and bump into the color gang, an aspiring band, and wind up helping them perform. and it's really fun performing without pressure, and none of them recognized second so...

(they wind up doing keyboard for the group. their voice is fairly recognizable so they don't wanna risk it)

"orange's" real identity is a hotly debated topic among their fans, folks often try to piece things together going off of the vauge details they give in interviews

vic and chosen

vic and chosen were an idol duo years before second took the stage. in this au they're twins, so that wound up part of their appeal. however their manager, alan, was still inexperienced with managing, and wound up pushing the duo too hard and ignoring concerns, leading to vic having a bad accident during a meet and greet, leading to the two retiring shortly after (vic due to trauma, and chosen out of solidarity with their sibling)

when second told them about becoming an idol, both were concerned. chosen helped come up with "orange's" look, while vic was more unsure. (and both still weren't ready to forgive alan yet which, fair.)

chosen occasionally joins dark for performances (and to make sure he doesn't blow out his voice), while vic moved to produce for a quickly growing group called "the mercs" (they'd be such a boy band we know this)

dark

dark is attempting to become an independent artist, not wanting his style to get muddied up by record labels or producers (plus he was older than second when vic had their accident. he remembers better the events that led up to it). he's picked up a bit of a following.

dark does mainly a strange mix between heavy metal and breakcore (and risks destroying their vocal cords every performance, nuch to their siblings' chargrin). they've gotten chosen involved in a few songs, and has offered to let vic sing on a song if they ever get comfortable enough again. for the most part with second he's content just taking them to some of his performances, he doesn't wanna risk them getting recognized.

the color gang!

an up and coming band known for it's style of music. a bit strange sometimes, but in a fun way.

green is the defacto leader, as well as lead guitarist and singer (with the rest of the cg providing accompanying vocals as needed). he's also the one who invited second to play with the group (still dunno exactly why but it does occur). is a fan of orange, but unsure abt the speculation on their identity.

blue plays standing bass, providing an interesting contrast. she's the quietest of the group in interviews and in songs as well, but provides a lovely sounding supporting harmony with her instrument and when she sings. has the most eclectic style of the group as well.

yellow handles percussion! she has one of those midi fighters with all the buttons that has a bunch of different percussion noises saved (also a drum kit if needed). she also tends to help with soundchecks. she's also a fan of dark's music

red provides supporting guitar or really any other needed instrument. no do not ask why they needed a triangle for a song. he also tends to be the most energetic on the occasion they get interviews. keeps trying to convince green to let his pig ruben be the band's mascot (it goes about as successfully as you'd think).

[daily-rayless]

Tear for the character meme, if you’re still doing that :)

Definitely!

Favorite thing about her:

There's a lot I like about Tear. She's the sort of serious, knightly figure (with a secret emotional side) that I often gravitate towards. I think the game does a good job positioning her between the hero party and the villain party -- primarily through her relationship with Van, but also through her connections to Legretta and Mohs, and even Yulia and the Score that everyone's fighting over. Early in the game, she's very much on her own side, not really aligning herself with Luke until after Akzeriuth. But I'd say my favorite thing is her character design. I think she's just beautiful, the contrast of the ashy brown hair (and so long and sleek) with her piercing blue eyes. I really like that her costume is predominantly brown -- a color that often feels underused in character design -- and her dress variously suggests a sorceress' gown, a knightly tabard, maybe even a nun's habit. (And of course a cello.) You can see at a glance that she's a serious, mature character, but she also loves beauty, which we initially see through her music.

Least favorite thing about her:

I know there's some debate in the fandom over this, but I feel like her English voice actor didn't get the best direction. Tonally, I think the voice is a good fit for her, and it makes sense for Tear's performance to be downplayed and subtle. But I feel like she sometimes sounds a little too lifeless -- maybe if they'd voiced the skits, where Tear gets her more funny and emotional moments, the performance would feel more rounded.

Favorite line:

Having just said that, I think there are some moments where her VA does bring it. Her first scene at Fabre Manor, when she shouts that she's going to kill Van, that's a great moment. I also think the scene in Daath's library before the Tower of Rem, where she tells Luke that she'll hate him if he becomes a hero, the VA does a good job of making her sound both stern and deeply shaken. Her "I love you" is also well done, emotional without sounding sappy or forced. I could pick any of those, but I'm going to go with her screaming "Luke! Stop!" at the Tower of Rem. I love that we've had this build up of her refusing to interfere with his choice, being logical, being his composed, mature mentor -- and then at the crucial moment, she can't do it. She breaks down and tries to stop him because even for her, her heart is stronger than any number of logical arguments.

brOTP:

I've never really considered this. I've always assumed (and the game shows) that she's really close to Natalia and Anise, and I think she always would be. If asked who her best friend was, she'd probably say Natalia. They have a good, contrasting chemistry, Natalia wearing her heart on her sleeve, being very forceful and even naive at times, while Tear probably needs a more upbeat person to bring her out of her shell; despite that, they still have a lot in common, fighting alongside each other, both of them being motivated by a strong sense of service and altruism. But thinking outside the box, it's sad that we never really see her interact one on one with, say, Jade. What's their dynamic like, when none of the other party members are around? I also think it would be really fun if, after the game, she became close to Peony through their shared interest in rappigs. She would shake her head at his eccentricities and (unsuccessfully) try to reel him in from time to time. But I would guess that out of anyone in the game, Tear would be the most enthusiastic about his amazing pets. I'd love to see them going to a rappig show or something together, or maybe picking a new rappig for the imperial pigpen Peony's bedroom.

OTP:

I wouldn't say I have an OTP for her. I like LukeTear -- I know not every Abyss fan enjoys it, but I think it's a compelling, character-based slow burn. They seem drawn together because of each others' personalities, not just circumstances; they operate as friends as well as a romantic couple; they seem to bring out each others' good traits. And I've always liked how Abyss takes the idea of the stern, professional soldier protecting the softer, untested noble, but flips the typical genders. And of course Luke grows until he's strong enough to protect her in turn. But while I like it, LukeTear doesn't rise to the level of an OTP for me.

nOTP:

Nothing too fancy for this one, not her immediate family or anything. Thinking over the fandom, it's a bit surprising there isn't more variety when it comes to shipping her.

Random headcanon:

I don't have one. Though in turning the question over, I realized I'd love to know what was going through her head when she was standing with Luke in her garden and he asked for a knife. She's surprised by what he does, so what was she expecting? That could be an interesting character moment to explore.

Unpopular opinion:

As much as I like her costume, I think it looks kind of bad when animated. It's so stiff, all these weird flaps and angles sticking out. It looks great when she's standing still, awkward as all get out as soon as she goes faster than a walk.

Song I associate with her:

"Let Her Feel the Rain" by Tara MacLean. It's more about the mood than the lyrics. (Though some of them do feel Tear-ish -- they say when she cries her teardrops turn to ice; you will kneel before her at her altar imageries.) Ages ago, I did one of those memes where you had to randomly pick ten songs and draw a fan art during each song's duration. "Let Her Feel the Rain" made me think of Tear, and ever since then it always has.

Favorite picture of her:

Oh, there are so many good ones, her basic character portrait from the original booklet, art of her in new outfits from escort titles... How about this one from one of the light novels?

Thank you for the ask!

Meme taken from here.

[temtamtom]

Any thoughts on Seborga?

Ohhh I love love love him. He's my little guy. My rotten soldier. My sweet cheese. My good-time boy.

I didn't care about him all that much until I visited the town of Seborga last year (I was in the area and wanted to drop by). I started thinking about him a lot more after that, and here we are now. I can't have modern Itabros or Itafam content without Sebby, it just wouldn't be the same 😔

This post might get a lil' lengthy as usual, so I'll put my headcanons and thoughts under "read more":

I feel like he's under-utilized in the brother/family dynamic, which is a shame. He's an interesting contrast to his brothers, who've been around for thousands of years and experienced so many hardships. He's very young and still a little naive to the reality of nationhood. His brothers kept him sheltered throughout his upbringing so he could have an easy, happy childhood. Lord knows it was messy for Romano and Feliciano. They didn't want that for Sebastiano.

Since Seborga is in the region of Liguria, I think he was given to Genova(/Liguria) first as a baby. Genova, who isn't very good at caring for others and knows it, immediately called up Feliciano. One thing led to another, and Seborga soon became part of their family. Sebby and Genova have a relationship but not as brothers. Maybe Sebby sees him more as a close family friend/"zio" type of person. Someone he can turn to for advice when he doesn't want his brothers to get involved in his problems.

The first few years of his life were very nerve-wracking. I have a headcanon that he aged scarily fast for a nation, on par with a human. They weren't sure if he would keep aging and eventually die off, and they didn't calm down until the late 70s/early 80s when his growing slowed to a halt. There was also a lot of debate about what sort of relationship they should have with Seborga. They were raising him from infancy, so were they his parents? Is one technically more of a "parent" than the other? What about just being brothers? Yeah, brothers sound better. Brothers but with more Nuance(TM).

Romano and Feli received an extensive education as children, so it felt obvious that Sebby should attend school as much as possible. Due to their living and working arrangements, Seborga went to school in Rome and consequently picked up a lot of Roman mannerisms. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Genova every time he saw the kid ("Look at what you've done to this Ligurian boy! He's Roman!")

Onto one of my favourite dynamics within the family- Romano and Sebby's dynamic. Grumpy boomer big brother and his baby brother who likes getting on his nerves at every opportunity but, goddamnit, that's his weird baby brother and he still loves him to pieces. I'm a big softie for some loving-big-bro-'mano content. That man will look out for his family I just know it. His doors are always open for Seborga and there will always be food on the table for him, no matter what. Even if Seborga likes to grind his gears.

Seborga grew up reading a lot of comics! He started with the more kid-friendly ones like Disney comics (Paperino, Topolino, etc.) and soon graduated to things like TEX (one of Romano's favourites) and Dylan Dog. As a child, he'd draw his own little comic strips and characters- a hobby that Feliciano actively encouraged.

One of his closest friends is Monaco. Seborga is very close to the French border, and while I was in the area, I got the chance to visit Monaco for a day. The drive was quite easy and relatively quick, so it's not hard to imagine that they would've struck up a friendship since they're quite close! One thing that I enjoy about this friendship is the Uptown Girl/Downtown Boy dynamic they'd have ❤️ I don't know, I just think they're lovely

I'll stop here, but. Yeah. I just think he's neat! A lovely fella

[soulsoffairlight]

1: Anime girls are not real people, they are drawings, they are costume ideas. Since there is no real minor to protect, it is that character's LIKENESS that anime-Karens are trying to restrict. To restrict her likeness in that way means we are forbidden from being attracted to anyone that even looks like her.

1.5: Calling everyone "pedophile" willy nilly only makes the word lose it's status. Pedos are supposed to be the most despised minority, even the scummiest criminals hate pedos. But when 9/10 of the population can be labeled pedos over stupid reasons like anime girls, pubic hair, 18-year-olds, young-looking adults, etc then that word will mean nothing.

2: Anime girls do not age like us. We get older but they don't. Most of these "underage" drawings would be well over 18 if you added the # of years since their show came out. So if a character is permanently underage that means nobody is ever allowed to have the hots for her? Nobody can even age her up?

2.5: If I find a drawing of a beautiful girl attractive, that is a compliment to the artist's skills, not a condemnation of my character. If someone like Komi or Shirahoshi is SUPPOSED to look super-attractive & we fall for her, that means the animators did a great job.

3: They resemble adults. In anime for every loli, there's a girl under 18 who looks like an adult (Komi, Momo, Evergarden, Eliz Liones). So if an artist draws a beautiful naked woman & a bunch of horny straight guys find it hot, they become pedophiles the moment the artist decides she's under 18? Isn't that a form of entrapment? If a drawing resembles an adult, she should be treated as such.

3.5: What real 16-year-old girl has natural pink hair & pink eyes? or green hair + green eyes? These are shows where Japanese people look like Nordic white people. Stop taking it so seriously.

4: If having the hots for underage heart-throbs like Reimi, Momo, Komi, or Nagatoro makes them a "Pedophile", then by the exact same logic, anyone with the hots for anthro girls like Lola from Space Jam, Gadget from C&D R.R, or Amy Rose from Sonic MUST be labeled as Zoophiles. "Buh Lola looks human enough so it's not beastality" Then these anime minors look adult enough so it's not pedophilia.

5: Anyone crying "pedo" over barely-underage drawings would have a heart attack if they went to an anime convention. Vendors there openly sell pillow covers & obscene mouse pads of young characters. By their logic, every vendor selling any sexual merch of non-adult characters is equal to a child trafficker.

5.5: Is it pedophilia for an adult woman to cosplay an underage character? Or for a man to be attracted to an adult woman while she's dressed like an underage character? Most popular cosplayers have done sexy cosplays of Asuka, Sailor Moon, Bunny Bulma, Jinx, & other fictional minors. How about the dub voice actresses? Many VAs have signed or sold sensual drawings of underage girls they've voiced. If a VA is cool with men calling her (16 yo) character a waifu is she a pedo accomplice?

6: The ones screaming "pedo" CANNOT DEBATE IN GOOD FAITH. Don't let these bullies fool you. Anyone screaming "pedo" over mature anime girls is 100% doing it for corrupt power-hungry reasons. These people are lowlife abusers, they just wanna pick on someone. They are WEAPONIZING the ages of these drawings, they see Momo's age as a free pass to bully anyone who thinks she's hot. If they truly thought you were a danger to kids, they wouldn't be talking shit to you at all, they'd be quietly gathering evidence or calling the police. If you debate them as to why simping for waifus is not pedophilia, they will pull every dirty trick from the narcissist handbook to paint you as bad as possible.

7: There is no correlation between real life pedophilia & anime """pedophilia"""". Anime Karens/Antis have argued that normalizing the sexualization of fictional minors will lead to the normalization of real life pedophilia. This is EXACTLY like the argument that violent videogames will lead to more shootings. You know what else is normalized in anime? Training & exercise! Yet alot of anime fans are still morbidly obese or horribly out of shape. Anyways people know murder is wrong, even when it's depicted in fiction, so the same logic applies to fictional teens being sexualized. Most sane people know the difference between a fictional minor being sexualized & real kids being sexually exploited. If someone doesn't know that, they were already a creep, just like how if a gamer doesn't know that violence is wrong irl, they already had issues. There is no "can kinda blur the line between real & fake." Most people know the difference between real & fake. The human brain isn't gonna start finding real kids attractive because it enjoyed Highschool DXD or Cat Planet Cuties.

Womp womp keep crying I'm not reading allat. Go outside

[leporellian]

there's this Idea about research- especially in the arts world- that it's done only by people who specifically Do Research for a living. like, there's artists and performers... and then there's dramaturgs and historians, with the occasional director among their ranks. which i think is very harmful, because while there are people specifically geared to research for a living- look at me, i'm one of them!- everyone does research and should be encouraged to do it.

dramaturgy is everywhere! have you ever idly read an interview with stephen sondheim or a quick biography of moliere? that's dramaturgy! have you ever compared the two west side story films against each other or done a character improvisation? that's dramaturgy! put together pinterest boards, make character fanmixes, debate who was the best choice for the lead in that broadway musical or pick out where the tritones are in a number or read the book something was based on just out of curiosity- it's all dramaturgy. it's everywhere.

a lot of performers are sort of dissuaded away from research because it looks so daunting or because 'that's somebody else's job', but really it's everybody's job in some way. performance is dramaturgy because, in order to truly perform, you have to walk through the steps of interpreting something.

and i think people also have this idea that research is pulling away the man behind the curtain, revealing the illusion- i was talking to a singing student a while ago, and they told me that they don't like doing research on composers because 'they'll just find out they were bad people' ... which perplexed me so much it made me feel sad; the idea that one would be so scared of finding out the nuances of something that they'd skip out on knowing exactly what it is they do. it's almost like people seem to think knowing the monster takes something away from it or tarnishing it, when in reality knowing it will bring you closer to understanding it from multiple perspectives. it puts you into the understanding of our world and our place in it.

a work of art is, by definition, a gap between its creation, its representation, and its modern reinterpretation. and in order to truly do that gap justice and address its every side, research is not just a bonus point but a necessity, and it's something we as a curious species are inclined to do by design. if you love something, you have to research it.

and that research is everywhere.

[alj4890]

In Times of Comfort

(Thomas Hunt x OC) in a Choices Red Carpet Diaries/The Royal Romance Crossover drabble.

Thirty Kisses in Thirty Days Challenge with the prompt: a kiss to the forehead, meant to soothe.

A/N Thomas Hunt x Amanda after Maxwell's death in *While We're Young AU*) as requested by @twinkleallnight This is shortly after Amanda and her daughters move to California in an attempt to get away from reminders of Maxwell and his death.

Rating G for angsty fluff

Trigger Warnings: mentions of character death and grieving

@hopelessromantic1352 @trappedinfanfiction ​​@flyawayboo ​​ ​​  @sophxwithers @twinkleallnight @tessa-liam @choicesficwriterscreations

Masterlist

"I don't know." Emily Beaumont mumbled. "It doesn't feel right to go to a party."

Amanda sat quietly as her daughters debated on whether or not to go out for the evening.

Her older daughter, Nicky, had become Addison Sinclaire's assistant. Working with the famed costume designer allowed her to meet and mingle with many of the actors who graced the theater screens.

Since Hollywood was a town where one needed to be seen, there were numerous parties nearly every night. It made sense that the invitations were beginning to roll in for Cordonia's beloved Beaumont sisters. They were young, beautiful, fun, and incredibly sweet.

Their party loving nature came from their late father. Amanda knew how much fun they used to have in going out before his death. She hated that they felt like they had to remain away from everyone and grieve. She knew Maxwell wouldn't have wanted that for them.

"I think you should go." Amanda told them, picking at the food on her plate.

"But--" Emily was about to argue.

"We've been here for two months." Her mother pointed out. "We finally finished unpacking and I think you girls should celebrate that accomplishment."

Nicky reached over and placed her hand on hers.

"What about you, Mom? Would you like to come with us?"

Amanda shook her head, keeping her eyes lowered. "No, I think I'll stay in."

The girls shared a glance.

That's all their mother did. She rarely left the home they'd settled in. She refused invitations to meet friends for lunch or dinner. She only went out if they needed something from the grocery store or if Thomas asked for her help at the studio.

They knew that she was still in complete anguish over losing their father. Her once bright, sunny personality was shuttered away. She'd still smile at them and try and be her old self, but they knew it was an act.

Nicky and Emily could hear her muffled sobs late at night. Amanda would usually go to bed early, claiming she was exhausted, and lock herself away with the memories of her beloved husband.

The girls were still grieving, but nothing like how their mother was.

"Okay." Nicky got up to clear her and her sister's plate away. "We'll leave in an hour Em."

Emily pushed back from the table. She didn't want to leave her mother alone but she knew if she put up an argument, she'd end up upsetting both her and Nicky.

She knew her sister needed a break from the sadness. They all did. But Emily's heart hurt more for their mom than for her own loss. She couldn't imagine losing someone who was not only a best friend but also one's true love.

She paused on her way to go upstairs and swooped down, engulfing her mother in a hug from behind.

Amanda blinked back tears over it.

Maxwell used to do that, she thought to herself.

He was always coming up behind her and wrapping her up in a hug. She wondered if her Emily even knew how many traits she shared with her father.

She reached back and gently patted her daughter's cheek.

"Love you, Mums." Emily said softly.

"Love you too, angel." Amanda replied, kissing her cheek. "I want you to have a good time tonight." She smiled at her. "Dance for me, okay?"

Emily nodded.

"Good. Now go put on that new dress Nicky picked out for you. I know you're going to be a knockout in it. Hollywood won't know what to do with you once they see you."

Emily snorted on a giggle. "I don't know about that."

"Trust me. My girls are nothing but gorgeous." Amanda got up to get rid of her barely touched plate. "Just try and prove me wrong."

Emily beamed at her then ran upstairs.

Once she was out of sight, Amanda went into the kitchen.

"Leave those." She ordered. "I'll clean them."

"But you did the cooking." Nicky argued. "Beaumont's always split the chores."

Amanda briefly closed her eyes. Maxwell used to tell their daughters that every time they did something together.

"I know." She managed to say without crying. "But, I want you to go dress up. You deserve a night of carefree fun after all you've been through."

Nicky averted her eyes. She couldn't imagine a worse time in her life. Not only had she lost her beloved father, but she'd also lost her own, what she once believed, true love. She would be lying if she said she didn't need to go out and get her mind off of things, even if it was for a few hours. She needed a distraction to stop thinking about life without her father and life without Lord Jackson Nevrakis-Walker.

Setting a dishtowel down, she hugged her mother tight.

Amanda held her, gently smoothing her daughter's hair. She wished she could take all of her pain away. It killed her to see her Nicky like this.

Nicky sighed and stepped back. "I'll do my best to be carefree."

"Good." Amanda shooed her out of the kitchen. "I want you to smile and enjoy everything tonight."

"I'll try." She promised.

*****************

"How do we look, Mums?" Emily twirled around.

Amanda nodded, forcing a smile. "Gorgeous. Just like I knew you would."

"We'll be back early." Nicky promised.

"You'll do nothing of the sort!" Amanda followed them to the door. "I don't want to hear you coming in until the sun is rising."

"Yeah, but--" Emily tried to tell her they didn't want her left alone.

"I mean it." Amanda said in a firm tone. "Have a night of pure fun."

Nicky looped her arm with her sister's to tug her out the door.

"We'll do our best." She told her.

Once the door closed, both girls finally gave in to their worries.

"We can't leave her alone!" Emily grumbled. "You know what she's going to do while we're gone."

"I know. But she won't stop worrying about us if we don't go." Nicky slid into the back of a waiting town car.

Emily followed her, brow furrowed as she looked back at the place they were currently calling home.

Nicky chewed on her bottom lip while trying to think of what to do. If they were in Cordonia, she wouldn't be as worried. She knew her parents' friends would be there, drawing her mother out of her grief.

If only they had someone close by who could do the same--

"I'll call Uncle Thomas." Nicky told her sister. "He'll go check on her for us."

"You think he's home?" Emily asked, hope tinging her voice.

"I know he isn't at a party." Nicky teased.

The girls leaned their heads close together as they waited anxiously with each unanswered ring.

"Hello?" Thomas said on the fifth ring.

"Uncle Thomas?" Nicky greeted with a great deal of relief. "It's me and Emily."

"Is everything all right?" He asked.

"Kinda." Emily replied.

It didn't take long before the girls shared their worries with him.

"I'll go over there." He promised. "Don't worry, I'll make sure Amanda isn't alone tonight."

"Thank you." Nicky said, fighting back tears.

"We knew we could count on you to help her." Emily added. "Maybe she'll open up to you. Mums is keeping everything inside and won't talk to us about how she's feeling."

"I know she's doing it to not upset us." Nicky explained. "She's trying to make everything normal or at least as normal as things can be right now."

"I see." Thomas reassured them again he'd go over there.

When the girls ended the call, he sat back in his chair as he debated what to do. He knew if he called and gave Amanda any warning that he was coming over, she'd probably do her best to talk him out of it. Deciding that he wasn't going to put her through that type of stress, he got up and grabbed his car keys.

He wasn't entirely sure what he should do once he got there, but he was determined to try and help someone he deeply cared for.

****************

As soon as she knew the girls weren't coming back for anything they might have forgotten, Amanda sank down onto the couch and allowed her depression to finally be set free.

Tears began fall in steady paths down her cheeks as she stared at the wall. She pulled her knees to her chest, rested her chin on them, and thought about Maxwell. How could she possibly go on without him? He'd been everything to her. Her entire world revolved around him and the family they'd created.

She didn't have him here reassuring her with the decisions she'd made. Did she do right in taking the girls out of Cordonia? With Nicky's infamous breakup, Emily being publicly cheated on, and Maxwell's death; she couldn't see a way around it. They needed to get away from so many memories.

But...

She had so many here in California with Maxwell. With each of them writing and their novels being used for movies and series, they'd spent a lot of their time together in Hollywood. Perhaps she shouldn't have accepted Thomas's suggestion to come here.

Her breaths became audible as she began to think about her past. Romantic moments with Maxwell began to go through her mind. All the anniversaries where he went above and beyond what most would deem normal struck hard. She could recall each outrageous gift, the kisses, the moments alone, his words of love...everything.

She realized why those were haunting her tonight. Tomorrow would have been their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

*****************

A few months earlier...

"This is a big one." Maxwell teased. "We have to really think hard about how to celebrate this anniversary."

"What did you have in mind?" Amanda asked, looping her arms around his neck.

His lips curved as he pulled her close for a kiss.

"Definitely a whole lot of that." He winked at her. "I think we should do a second honeymoon after a Beaumont Bash that puts all previous bashes to shame."

"Isn't that what you say about every new Beaumont Bash?" She teased.

"Yeah, but this one is for my all-time favorite love story." He explained, kissing her deeply. "I can't think of anything more important than celebrating you and me."

"Neither can I." She sank into his embrace, feeling all the thrills his touch still gave her after all these years together.

"Good. I'm thinking for our second honeymoon, we go somewhere where we can be alone." His eyes closed when she kissed his neck. "After all our travels with the girls and everybody, I need you all to myself for a while."

"How long's a while?" She asked, loving his ideas as usual.

"A month." He decided. "If we go longer, I know you'll get tired of me."

"Impossible." She smiled up at him.

He grinned. His dimples she adored deepened with her saying what he hoped was still true.

"There's that reason why I married you!" He laughed when she playfully pushed him away.

Maxwell snagged her hand, twirling her back within his arms.

"I love you so much, Lady Beaumont." He whispered in her ear, hugging her tight.

"I love you too, Lord Beaumont."

***************

Amanda buried her head against her knees as her body became wracked with sobs.

***************

Thomas was relieved he had a spare key. When his knock went unanswered, he quietly slipped inside. Before he could even take a step over the threshold, he could hear Amanda crying.

He shut the door and followed the sounds into the living room.

His heart ached at the sight of her curled up on the couch. Her shoulders shook with each hoarse cry for Maxwell. All the tears had turned her hazel eyes gray.

Without a word, he sat down beside her and gently pulled her into his arms.

Amanda clutched tight to him, burying her face against his shoulder as she continued to cry her heart out.

He sat there, occasionally rubbing her back and allowed her to simply grieve.

She needed this. She needed someone to remain quiet and not speak the usual platitudes of time healing. She didn't want anyone crying with her. She didn't mean to be selfish, but she needed her grief to be front and center. Anyone else sobbing beside her would have made her feel like she had to stop her own sorrow to comfort them.

With her daughters, it was different. Their broken hearts broke hers in a different way, thus making her be the strong one. She knew she had to help hold them while the onslaught of slashes from depression struck their tender hearts.

Maxwell had been the one to always hold Amanda and simply let her cry. For their entire life together, she knew she could turn to him without hesitation or worry over what he might think. She allowed herself to drop all her barriers and simply be the timid little girl who feared losing loved ones she thought she still was.

She'd lost her parents when she was twelve. Her uncle, when she was barely twenty. And now she'd lost the one man who had been by her side throughout all those deaths that had nearly broken her.

How could she possibly recover from losing Maxwell without him here to hold her?

Her sobs eventually quieted. The tears still fell as she simply remained in Thomas's arms. She was exhausted from this harsh episode and didn't even have the strength to apologize for crying so hard on him.

Thomas rested his head against hers and continued to hold her tight as if willing his strength to give her comfort.

Amanda swallowed, eyes closing when she felt him place a kiss on her forehead. She didn't realize how much she needed that tender reassurance that she was not alone.

On instinct, she curled more against his side, selfishly taking every scrap of comfort he was giving her.

He gently brushed her hair back that was sticking to her damp cheeks. With one arm around her waist, he began to run his fingers through her hair, slowly soothing her back into a calm state of mind.

He wasn't entirely certain how long they sat like that with neither saying a word. Thomas only knew he would stay there for as long as she needed him to.

When the clock chimed one in the morning, he knew Amanda had fallen asleep in his arms. He carefully eased away from her to find a blanket to cover her up with.

He paused when she grasped his hand.

"Please." She pleaded in a hoarse whisper. "Please, don't leave me. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't ask it of you but--"

Her red rimmed eyed held his. They revealed the deep well of pain that threatened to consume her once more.

"I'm not going anywhere." He promised. "I'm only going to retrieve a blanket for us."

Her head jerked in a nod of understanding as fresh tears pricked her eyes once more.

He found a blanket in a hall closet and sat back down beside her. Before she could even move, he pulled her back within his arms then draped the blanket over them both.

Thomas pressed another kiss to her forehead once she rested her cheek on his shoulder.

"Rest." He whispered, his lips brushing her skin with each word. "I'll be right here the whole time."

Amanda hugged him close to her. Exhaustion won out before she could stay awake long enough to thank him.

Her last thought before sleep took over was that she didn't know how to move on from Maxwell, but having Thomas here made the notion of having to do so a little less painful.

[archaictunic]

🖤

munday meme — x.

🖤 — what was one of the worst/most depressing moments you’ve had in the rpc?

okay i've been. debating on answering this for a bit bc there's really only one answer but it is UPSETTING. so hey! i might delete this one later, but in the meantime! content warnings for: stalking, kidnapping, pedophilia, grooming & general abuse/manipulation! ( i was experiencing these acts, not committing them)

so, my dark secret comes out - before link, and back before i actually dropped out of the RPC entirely, i had a mipha blog! she didn't last very long, but i was super passionate about her. and at the time, i was friends with someone who had a revali blog! i won't give out anything more identifying than that. we'd known each other irl for a while, and he was... 22? 23? and i was 15-16? point is. too young.

but they'd been pressuring me into a relationship since i was... 12?? but the stuff that happened during my stint as mipha was the Last Fucking Straw - because they ended up kidnapping me twice in a short period of time, resulting in having to panic call my parents and beg them to come get me, while the other person was at work. it was honestly horrifying!! and like. part of the reason i fully left the rpc for a handful of years, among other things. this person had convinced me that they were Correct and Right in all things, and like. would follow me around from blog to blog and purposefully make ocs and characters that would 'match' mine so we could ship, but they'd do it all under a fake name so i didn't know it was them! not until i got ahold of one of their old laptops while i was trying to figure out a way out of their house and found ALL the art and graphics and psds and whatnot made by the "other person". it... man. it's still got me traumatized to be completely honest.

the whole situation made me put down botw for a long time, until i eventually picked it up again ( - then had to stop, again, because of joycon drift ) so i'm really happy that totk finally like.. broke through that trauma, and let me be happy and go back to my favorite comfort activity (roleplaying) again ♥

[farer-dreamer]

Entry 2

Rough Ideas and Main Character

(9/3/24) - There's art in this one I swear

Planning… Scheming, even

Because I admittedly don't have a lot of concept artwork done for this project, my informal pitch presentation I'm gonna put together for class is mostly going to consist of my mood board images, games I've taken inspiration from, and a rough idea as to what levels I'd like to make and the "storyline" of this game (aka, Doc just wants to go outside and touch grass). I may also get into some of the NPCs I hope to include in the game that the player can talk to, but I also don't want to bite off more than I can chew.

Anyways here's my rough ideas thus far, this is gonna be more of a ramble/brainstorm as opposed to something put together super neatly lol:

Story…

Farer Dreamer is a game about a character named Doc who felt their life was too stagnant and wanted to go out and explore the world. They board a magical subway car named Ferri who takes them to various places.

Gameplay and Mechanics…

The player will have basic movement controls, as well as a jump (…maybe a double jump?), and maybe a dash/sprint… honestly this is super subject to change as I get the levels put together and all of that but the primary focus of this game is exploration. The player will also be able to interact with NPCs they meet during their journey, usually chatting, sometimes giving items they'll pick up during their travels

Items! yeah! I think it'd be neat if the player could gather items from specific levels and then use them elsewhere/gift them to NPCs as mentioned before. Maybe some of these items can be used on the player and have differing effects. I do plan on having a health system/death state in Farer Dreamer, so some of these item effects can play a role in that. Speaking of that, when the player dies they'll lose whatever items were in their inventory at the time. Before entering a level they'll have the opportunity to talk to Ferri (the AI running the subway) and from there they can store their items on the train car. I think this can add more a risk/reward mechanic to the gameplay, even if this game is more exploration based.

The basic gameplay loop I have in mind is you start on the subway car, arrive at a stop and exit the car, enter the level and explore/survive, re-find your way to the subway car (completing a level or just re-entering from the entrance of the car if it doesn't disappear), rinse and repeat. I think that I'll also include a mechanic where the player can reset themselves back onto the subway car, but it would be similar to dying so they'd lose their items.

I think another mechanic I might add is the ability to sell items on the train for currency. See I kind of want to add shops that you can visit in the random levels, but I'm not entirely sure how I want to go about obtaining currency… but I feel like this would give the items more of a purpose and also add to that risk/reward thing (heck maybe if I decide to be real mean you can lose your coins when you die to. We'll see how evil I feel when I start polishing all this rambling)

Visuals…

Visually, I envision this game looking similar to the Paper Mario games, with the environments being 3D while the characters and some items are 2D. I plan to use a billboarding effect for the characters that'll follow the camera.

Speaking of, I am still debating on if I want to make the camera static or not. I guess it could be one of those things that depends on the level you're on. Like for some of the more open and explorative levels I think it could be cool to have a toggle for first person to third person view (controlled by the scroll wheel on the mouse). I suppose that's a bridge we can cross when we get there, I know that for the main level hub (the subway car) I want the camera to be 3rd person and static.

So, who are we playing as?

Now lets talk about Doc! The character the player will be playing as. They're a character I've had lingering around since 2020ish, originally starting out as my own take on what my player character in Sky: Children of the Light looked like at the time before eventually evolving into their own thing. They don't really have much of a backstory, as all that I had really written down for them in terms of characterization is that they enjoy traveling.

// Pictured above is various art I've made of Doc from around mid 2020 to early 2021, yes that last picture is technically miitopia fan art as I decided to put them on my team during my playthrough of the switch release hehe

Doc's Updates

This is the first time in awhile they've received any major updates design-wise as for the past couple of years I have been focusing in developing on my other characters and universes. But given their affinity for travel and not already belonging to any set universe of mine, I thought it'd be fitting to plop them into this project as our main player character.

I decided to give them a bit of a redesign for this project for several reasons:

The biggest reason was making them easier to animate. While yes on one hand there is more fabric to have to work with now, I find this new design is easier to break down into basic shapes compared to their old design. The changes made to the arms, hands, and feet will also hopefully make them easier to animate as well.

I also wanted to make them a bit more cartoonishly stylized? In my recent sketches and doodles of them I've found it easier allow myself to be more expressive and silly with them as opposed to their old design where they were more, I guess, "accurately proportionate"

I also wanted to further divorce them from the thing they were originally inspired by, and pulling more from the plague doctor aesthetic they have going on with their new appearance.

I still might tweak some things with their new design, mostly in terms of where some colors are placed, but I think build-wise I'm pretty happy with where they're at! The most relevant row of designs pictured here is the first row as that's how they will appear in-game. The other rows are more for my own reference/to try and make sense of how their clothing is layered on them and whatnot.

// Doc's updated turnarounds!

I think if anything winds up changing in the near future, I may wind up fully closing their little cape thingy… I'll decide once I draw them more probably.

With Doc's redesign mostly out of the way, in the coming weeks I plan to really lock in with figuring out what my level environments look like and how they'll be structured. I also might hop into Unity to test out some gameplay elements and get a movement script going.

// Old Doc meeting new Doc......... new Doc is not actually that teeny

[papermachedragons]

why are the knights - any of them - made out to be in the wrong if they choose merlin in a magic debate/reveal??? OP doesnt say this, they say the opposite, in fact - and I thank them for their service - but I've seen posts treating the knights choosing merlin in a magic reveal as something negative and bad. as if 'oh poor arthur no one is siding with him' or as if it is morally wrong to choose one friend over another, especially in a situation such as this one, where Merlin's life is forfeit under law for SOMETHING HE WAS BORN WITH as opposed to 'eeerrrr arthur feels entitled to this information because he is the king..???' (which is simplifying Arthur's side of it a bit, I know, but I'm tired of reading fic after fic where the fic justifies Arthur in his entitled reaction and anger at Merlin over keeping his magic secret)

This post puts it so eloquently. The entire thing about Gwaine, or some of the other knights, choosing between Arthur and Merlin when it comes to his magic and any magic reveal. It isn't about friends, not entirely. Some of the knights are loyal to Arthur through shared principles and shared morals, not as friends (loyalty through duty). Whereas they are friends with merlin, loyalty through mutual love and a deep connection. (I would argue that is the case with both lancelot and gwaine but i havent looked closely at lancelot thats just off the top of my head) and them 'siding' with merlin (or as i would put it choosing merlin) when it comes to his magic and a magic reveal isn't about which friend they love the most but putting love for a friend above duty to a king and that dynamic and conflict and display of love is SO MUCH MORE interesting rather than making them ALL out to be as close friends with Arthur as they are to Merlin. It also opens up a beautiful chance to examine each knights relationship with the law that they are bound to uphold as knights and how far they'd go for their king vs how far they'd go for their friend. Gwaine and Leon would be beautiful opposites in each camp to examine more closely. Leon with his deep loyalty to his King, but who could be conflicted because he knows his life was saved woth magic. In opposite to Gwaine, who would put Merlin above all else, including his chosen king

Also there's no debate, why the fuck would Lancelot and Gwaine be like 'you know what Arthur's got a point' when it comes to Camelot's stance on magic after finding out Merlin has magic. 1 no they would not are you out of your mind. 2 Gwaine would be out in the courtyard burning his camelot cloak in 0.5 seconds flat while threatening mutiny, if Arthur doesn't come to his senses within the hour of a magic reveal and you cannot convince me otherwise. There's no universe where Gwaine would be caught between the two in a magic reveal. he'd be with merlin faster than the speed of light. the ONLY way gwaine would be caught between the two is if arthur keeps being a nepotism crybaby and starts acting the victim about merlin betraying him and owing him the truth. one word out of Arthur's mouth and Gwaine's thrown his gauntlet down at his feet dont you test him. (Im joking but also not.)

As op said, Gwaine's loyal to Arthur through duty and shared morals but he's loyal to merlin through love and saying that it is unfair to arthur for any of the knights to be picking Merlin in a magic reveal or that they are in the wrong for doing so is greatly overstating their friendship with Arthur (at least some of the knights) and does a disservice to their actual character. Both Gwaine and Lancelot have stated directly in the show, that when Merlin called for them (to help arthur) they came, not because it was Arthur in trouble, but because Merlin asked. Granted, Lancelot's was a deleted scene, but we're all taking it for canon anyway, aren't we?

Gwaine (or anyone else) choosing Merlin in a magic reveal, is not a bad thing and it is not unfair to Arthur and I'd wish people would stop treating something, which is essentially love for a friend, as a bad thing

Some people don’t seem to get the gist of Gwaine’s character so let me break it down:

Gwaine deciding that Arthur is worth defending as a king and wanting to repay him for saving his life… does not mean that he loves Arthur the way he loves his literal best friend. Gwaine is deeply bound by his sense of morality, and his moral compass points him to Arthur. The anger with which Gwaine responds to threats against Arthur is identical to his response when, say, the Cailleach laughs at the knowledge that innocent people are dying because of her own inaction. Gwaine posits himself as a defender of good, and Arthur proved himself to be “noble” in his eyes. Ergo, he protects Arthur, as he protects civilians.

All in all, there is nothing really personal to their bond, just as there is little personal about Gwaine’s duty to the people of Camelot. Gwaine and Arthur have a begrudging respect for each other, and both have a sense of duty to ensure that the other does not come to harm. This dynamic does not need to be construed as anything other than what it is, but since we have been conditioned to believe that people can only act altruistically given a motive of friendship, romance, or family, their actions are subsequently read as such—contrary to the onscreen evidence.

I cannot stress this enough: this series is based on Arthurian legend. The knights are meant to display chivalry. That is the bond between them.

This differs greatly from Merlin and Gwaine’s dynamic, wherein Gwaine’s attachment does not stem from a sense of duty but, rather, his own personal feelings. He is drawn to Merlin from the start, finds an understanding and emotional support from Merlin that he’s never had with anyone before, and is stunned touched that Merlin hasn’t grown tired of him, despite the burden he’s placed on Merlin’s shoulders since his arrival in Camelot. By contrast, Arthur grew sick of Gwaine… almost immediately, and their dynamic was established as one of mutual duty the moment Arthur said, “He saved my life… He’s to be given anything he needs.�� This is very much a discernible difference. An important one, too.

This is the reason that, despite how he is willing to lay down his own life for Arthur as early as 3x04, Gwaine explicitly does not consider him a friend afterwards in 3x08, but does for Merlin.

Furthermore, given Gwaine’s moral code—the very same one he used to judge Arthur as “noble”—Gwaine would indeed side with Merlin over Arthur in the case of a magic reveal (not to mention the fact that Merlin is his friend, he knows that Merlin is good, and he doesn’t want Merlin to be hurt). Gwaine believes that one’s actions determine their goodness, rather than their birth circumstances. Therefore, Merlin being born with magic is not proof that he is corrupt.

Outside of magic reveal scenarios, and despite his sense of duty to Arthur, Gwaine is still shown to put Merlin first. There is nothing wrong with Gwaine placing Merlin above Arthur. It’s not “unfair” to Arthur that Gwaine cares more about Merlin, and it’s not something that needs fixing. Arthur is not entitled to Gwaine’s love or loyalty. It’s beautifully satisfying, both emotionally and narratively, that Gwaine’s loyalty is to a servant first and a king second. That is the entire crux of Gwaine as a character. It is a deliberate choice on the part of the writers, and it’s perfect as is.

[sargassostories]

Yennefer's Rinde Orgy

Okay team let's do this. By the request of at least two people, this post is intended as a recap of discussion points about That Scene in "Bottled Appetites." In the months immediately following season 1's release, this scene was debated hotly. It was one of the very first scenes some folks pointed to to vilify Yennefer's character.

As a preamble I'll say:

It is definitely important to be wary of depictions of sexual activity in art, because for too long a single, white cis-heterosexual male perspective has been the dominant lens, and in the mediums of film and television, has often included men who are literal rapists or sexual assaulters creating these "sexy" situations. This last part is fortunately not the case with Netflix's Witcher adaptation!

Some people who watched this scene questioned the consent, or had a very strong reaction and felt people were under the influence of magic, and therefore raped. Others did not have this response to it and felt it was a consensual group sex scene.

Okay, now a brief breakdown of the text, i.e., the events of the episode, and some fan reactions to them.

1) We see Yennefer helping a straight couple struggling with erectile dysfunction. She clearly listens to their concerns, offers a solution, they agree to pay, and she administers the charm while telling them exactly how it's used, and lets the wife choose a word that ends the spell. Remember, these are two heterosexuals in a marriage eager to have sex! Not something anyone would think of as kinky. They leave happily. Then we see the mayor of the town enter, declare that Yennefer is doing disgusting, perverted magic, and that all magic has to go through him.

2) Geralt and Jaskier show up at a mansion where they expect to find a mage. They're told they need to pay a fee to get inside. We don't yet know what's inside, or why they'd need to pay, and Geralt knocks that guard unconscious with a sack of money. (A guy later pretty enthused to have some retribution on him).

3) Geralt and Jaskier discover a man we know to be the mayor naked and clutching a jug of apple juice. Geralt seems to chalk it up to wild mage activities, like those we saw at Stregobor's. Remember: he's still kind of assuming this is going to be a man.

4) Ok orgy time. There's a lot of slow-motion, lofi beats to study to going on as Geralt and Jaskier are overwhelmed by the costumed, masked people going at it and Geralt meets Yennefer for the first time, fully clothed and not partaking in the orgy. Lots of people have lots of different reactions to there even being an orgy! Is it gratuitious? Does Netflix think we can't pay attention for twenty minutes without nip-nops? Is it cool that Yennefer runs a sex club?

Then Geralt makes his ask and Yennefer snaps her fingers. Everyone stops and stands up. I think this is where most people's reactions strongly diverge: some see it as a spell broken. And if that's the case, at this point, we don't know what the spell was intended to do, or if people consented to it. Was it to puppet these people into fucking? Loosen inhibitions? Others see this moment as the lights going on in the club at the end of the night and you realize you're not attracted to the person you've been grinding on. After some confusion, the people pick up their clothes and leave.

5) Later, Geralt asks about what happened, assuming she has enchanted these people as he saw Stregobor with his illusory tits-out girls. He literally asks her the question we're posing here: did she enchant these people? Yennefer denies this and tells him she was helping the repressed people of the town, providing a service and a space for them to express themselves.

This last scene is really it, and her earlier scene is directly in line with what she says here. Earlier the couple have a problem with their sex life, she provides a service to help them, and then discovers why they don't have a mage in Rinde already helping them: the mayor. So in this scene, if you believe Yennefer is telling the truth to Geralt, that she's providing a service (with a door-charge to get in, and masks and costumes, which we've seen), and removing the mayor so people can do what they've really wanted to, you will think this is a completely consensual orgy.

If you don't believe Yennefer, if you think she's lying to Geralt, you might think this is rape.

And again, because this has been discussed at length, someone even asked showrunner Lauren Hissrich-Schmidt about the show's intentions with the scene:

I doubt this will "sway" anyone who already hates Lauren, and I will, personally, happily agree with anyone who feels this isn't completely clear in the show. But I do think Yennefer clears it up for us, whether you believe her or not.

(And though some have and will continue to come up with a laundry list of horrible things they interpret Yennefer to have done, Yennefer does actually do something very questionable in this episode, which is (like the orgy) original to the short story. Her mind-controlling Geralt to spank and ridicule her opponents as "payment" for helping Jaskier, then leaving him in prison, is the most important to the narrative as it clearly shows Yennefer as equally morally complicated and dangerous as Renfri. Geralt's choice to go back and save Yen, which Jaskier rightly questions, is still narratively connected with his tragic murder of Renfri.)

As a final word: we have to notice, validate, and process our own feelings in reaction to art (that's one of its greatest gifts), but also come back to the text.

[limetameta]

Okay I have an honest question as someone new to the FMA fandom. Why do you ship Kimblee and Riza? The only vibes I got from their interactions were he wanted her to suffer. And he, as a person, os a power hungry sociopath with no regard to anyone but himself. I’m not trying to be mean, tho I know my words kinda seem that way, that’s just legit the ideals I picked up from watching the show. I’m all for hearing the alternative/something I missed!! But rn I’m really confused. Thank you in advance, if you decide to answer this!

Howdy, friend! Nice question you got here, hopefully you'll get a nice answer in return lmao. First off, manga Kimblee's way different to FMA:B Kimblee (I didn't know that either, I only read the manga like two weeks ago) In the manga, dare I say, he's a lot more human and capable of empathy (let's go Arakawa, queen, you make fictional characters so detailed and three dimensional). In FMA:B you can't unfortunately feel this because some of his scenes were cut for pacing (I hear FMA:B has this problem, also, with Maes' scenes that were cut in order to get the plot going faster)

Kimblee's an incredibly fascinating character to me because he's the most aware character in the series (from the veterans).

Now as for why I ship Kimblee and Riza. I'm primarily focused on Kimblee and who he'd mesh with well. For me that's Riza. It's a good point already that in the canon material we have Kimblee respects Riza Hawkeye. And she, in turn, respects his ability back. Goodness, neither agree with each other's view on the world but they respect one another's ability. That's a start! More people have shipped ships with less potential for shipping than this.

There is a level of inhumanity that's given both Riza and Kimblee. A sort of myth build up around them. She's the Hawk's Eye- the greatest sniper from Ishval, she never misses, she's an Angel of Death, a Death Machine. Kimblee's the Crimson Lotus Alchemist, the Ishval Bomber, etc etc. Not to mention that both characters are extremely intelligent. They'd gravitate towards one another. And Riza grew up with an ingenious alchemist. Her being ignorant of alchemy never sit well with me and I think she could hold her own very well with Kimblee in his debates (Kimblee's love language lmao, he just traps you in a conversation and doesn't stop)

And I don't ship Kimbliza because I'm anti Royai (Roy/Riza) I love my boi Roy and Royai is a very beloved ship for me the first time I saw FMA:B. Roy's just so overdone and the market's oversaturated. Besides, if I had hyperfixated on Riza instead of Kimblee I might have shipped Royai more. However I ship Kimbliza because Riza's the one that goes BEST with Kimblee imo. I'd get the most enrichment seeing them together. (Riza No Emotional Intelligence Hawkeye and Solf Way Too Aware Of His Own Self Kimblee makes for a hilarious pairing imo)

However, NATURALLY, this is all self indulgent fanfiction. I'm not saying they could have been canon, I'm not saying they should have been canon. I'm just toying around with them in my canon-divergence universe because my god wouldn't it be soooo cool if they had interacted more? If these two clearly struggling individuals found some sort of peace after war in each other? If they looked at each other, saw Ishval stare back at them, and know without a shadow of a doubt that they'd survived it and come prosperous out of it.

Riza Hawkeye is a deeply, deeply traumatized individual. Even from her childhood, what with what her father had done to her with his alchemical notes. Roy Mustang, and I hate to say this, will forever be tainted for her because of their history with Berthold Hawkeye and Flame Alchemy. In canon, she doesn't ruminate much about what had been done to her, because FMA wasn't Riza's story to begin with, but as one of the main characters I write about I want to put a magnifying glass on her trauma and say: Girl, you good?

That's another thing that I utilize while writing Kimbliza. Kimblee has no hero-worship, he has no feelings of nostalgia tied to his time with Berthold Hawkeye (Flame Alchemy creator, Riza's father, Roy's mustang/father-figure) and he's much more invested in Riza. Roy is forever going to be tied to Berthold because he is the Flame Alchemist. His entire identity is tied with Berthold. He loves Riza deeply, irrevocably, but he also can't even begin to understand Riza's complicated feelings towards her father and the betrayal he dealt her. A father is supposed to protect his daughter. Not hurt her like he had. Berthold Hawkeye chose alchemy over Riza. And Roy would never dare say that to Riza. Kimblee would. Kimblee would validate Riza's feelings on the matter. Because he'd listen to her and he'd understand it. He'd be objective and in these situations you really need someone objective who wasn't there to validate your feelings.

Kimblee's a much more perceptive individual than Roy is. It's been shown in canon that Kimblee first and foremost utilizes his skill of cunning, conversation and debate, reasoning, observation before going to blow someone up. So, like, he's a good listener lmao.

Also, Kimblee is an incredibly self-aware individual in canon. I keep mentioning that, but this man literally doesn't understand that he's so self-aware, I think. Because he looked at all of these shell-shocked soldiers in Ishval and was like: But how did you not expect you'd have to kill the minute you put on this uniform? Why are you all surprised? Shouldn't you take pride in your capabilities? (Because he takes such pride in his alchemy, in his creation, he thinks it would be the same with everyone else's skills)

Since he was prepared for this, he doesn't understand why anyone else couldn't be. But to others this was more or less him starting a fight.

Let's talk about his Alchemy and how much effort Kimblee must have put into devising it, carefully designing and researching the arrays on his palms. You see, scientists and researchers want to see their alchemy go to the very, very limit. And imagine Kimblee's reached that limit. Imagine he's shipped off to war and told he gets to test it in a whole new medium with a completely never before seen amplifier (philosopher's stone). In the manga, during the Ishval chapters, it's honestly so much more visible that Kimblee's not elated that he's killing people and that he's taking such enjoyment out of it but that he can't believe how much his alchemy's been elevated.

THE SOUND of his alchemy, the SYMPHONY, the research he's conducted and brought to a whole new level. It's mesmerizing to him. He's never before thought it possible. Killing people is a job. He put on that uniform like all the rest of the soldiers there. But my god, did you see how FAR that blast went? How many buildings did he completely collapse??

The beauty about the veterans in general is that nobody is worse than anyone else. They all served in Ishval, they all committed genocide. You can't claim Mustang's any better than Kimble if we're going to be looking at what they did in Ishval. Catastrophic things, countless deaths.

And that gives this pairing something that you can't find in many pairings in different fandoms: it gives Kimblee and Riza equal footing. Neither party is without blame, neither party is irrevocably evil. They are both war criminals through and through.

My favourite line that keeps replaying in my head which I wrote down a couple of weeks ago was Kimblee's no worse than any of the other veterans, he goes to the grocery store like everyone else.

Also, Kimblee's not an island. He's not a homunculus. He's a human being and all human beings demand social interaction. This man has been shown many times in the manga that he is very polite and friendly when he wants to be. He can be very empathetic, and he is when he talks to Winry about her dead parents because to him he's learned that this is a good opportunity to be empathetic so he is. But aren't you supposed to be able to turn that off when you're a soldier, to compartmentalize? This man's a walking disaster, true, but have you looked at the other veterans?

Ah, but Kimblee's a sociopath, he doesn't feel empathy! My dude, FMA:B Kimblee definitely. I agree. I watched FMA:B and I was like this man's a cunt and I wanna punch him in the face but fuck he's so cool and basically playing some sort of greek choir role in FMA. In the manga he's a lot more visibly neurodivergent than he is meant to be some callous sociopath hellbent on killing everyone for his own amusement.

Most of the time what I'm posting about is tied to my AU where Kimblee returned the stone and never went to prison. He's got PTSD. He's struggling after war without the philosopher's stone. And I think that's one of the main additions that make Kimbliza all the more easy to digest in Metallic Crimson (my fic, my world, my newest blorbo amusement park).

TLDR: I think they're neat. :)

[c-m-li]

First of all, you all need to get better at reading the whole question because a lot of you seemed to miss the part where I said no powers.

Second of all, to the person who reblogged this poll with the tag that there's something wrong with you if you only read ya fiction *deep breath* STOP BEING ELITIST and don't disparage people for their preferred genre of entertainment. Karking haran.

Third of all, I will not be taking any hate about my opinions on the ranking below, but feel free to debate the shit out of it.

In my ranking, I mainly focused on training, experience, and their willingness to be ruthless/cheat to win.

That being said, without further adieu:

7. Victor Vale coming in at dead last. He has no kind of training and he relies almost entirely on his powers to win his fights for him. He can definitely be ruthless, but any kind of fighting experience he has is what he picked up in prison.

6. Four/Tobias. I can already hear the screaming. While he is a good fighter, until the end of the first book the only experience he had was fighting his students or other trainers. Most of the fighting scenes we get for him are training scenes. It could be argued that fighting in a rebellion could be like fighting in a war, but I never really got the sense that he was fighting for his life. (I also read these books over a decade ago so there is that)

5. Peeta Mellark. I feel like a lot of people sleep on Peeta because he's a soft male protagonist, especially when he's standing next to Katniss. But he actually survived two different Hunger Games while multiple people were trying to kill him. I also feel that it's forgotten that they didn't just throw the tributes into the arena first thing but actually spent some time training them so that they'd last longer.

4. Prince Po. He's actually an expert combatant who has been trained all his life to fight and he actually fought Katsa to a standstill whose grace was surviving/winning. He gets points docked though since he relies so heavily on his grace of specific empathy/telepathy to give him an edge in any fight.

3. Kaz Brekker. This is where the training part comes into play, because Kaz is an excellent fighter. He wins pretty much every fight he gets into and outsmarts his way out of the others, not to mention his completely ruthless nature and willingness to take a hit. However, Kaz has had exactly zero formal training and he fights like what he is - a canal rat who has had to fight to survive every day. I still would never cross him in a fight though.

2. Percy Jackson. Now, this is where the no powers comes in, because of course Percy wins in a landslide if he can use his powers, he's literally half god. Without his powers, he still has an enormous amount of experience on his side as well as a lot of training. He's fought in two wars against gods and titans, as well as years of guerilla warfare against any monster on his tail. However, he's mainly been trained with other teenagers and while he's led armies they weren't the most organized military systems.

1. Will Treaty. Will wins out with training and experience. He's been trained from a young age on how to fight multiple opponents bigger than him, and he has participated in large scale warfare as well as other military excursions. He's been trained in military strategy on how to defend everything from a small party to an entire kingdom, and I'm of the firm opinion that no one can fight in an actual war without cheating because there is no such thing as cheating in a fight for your life, and the Rangers base their strategies on subterfuge. There's a reason that the King doesn't send more than one Ranger for anything less than a full scale invasion.

(at least 18 people said that they didn't know any of these characters)

[addictofsupernatural]

Dating a Freak

Boaz Priestly x reader

Summary: You reminisce over the course of your amazing relationship.

Author Note: I'm so sorry this took long.

Requested by: @forest-rav3n

Word Count: 2445

The time spent with Priestly has been the best time of your life. Every day was amazing. It was filled with filled with laughter and love, and it was an adventure. It made you remember how you fell in love.

You first met when you applied for the job at Beach City Grill, with your novelty movie t-shirt and a bubbly attitude. "She's gotta pass the interview first." Piper said.

"I'm cool with that." You smiled.

"Okay then," Priestly then leaned on the counter. "Elvis. Dead or alive?"

"Easy, alive. Next question."

"You're hired." He said. You chuckled and looked at Trucker, who smiled and shrugged.

You then helped with cooking the meat, as well as baking cookies for the kids meals. Priestly would constantly make jokes to you, and you always laughed. Sometimes when he was doing one of his random debates with Trucker, you'd hype the both of them up, just to get a kick out of Priestly getting more excited and energized over whatever they were talking about.

Regulars loved you. You would always make extra cookies for the two old people who would come in, as well as the kid who came in weekly. He was an adult already, but was autistic. He looked uncomfortable when he first walked in since everybody was staring at him, so you couldn't help but smile at him and give him some cookies. He smiled back at you and would come back every Tuesday during lunch.

Sometimes guys would try to hit on you. You'd ask for their order and they'd try their best to get you to come with them after work. Usually your roll your eyes and say, "Tish, you have a customer."

Sometimes you'd just turn them down flat. Either way you handled them, it always put a smile to Priestly's face. Not that you knew.

But there was one day where Priestly wasn't at work yet, and these guys walked in. One of them tried to get you come home with him, and you told him that you weren't like that. He scoffed. "C'mon, you won't get this opportunity all the time. It's not like I'm asking for your face. You just happen to have a nice body."

You threw his order at him. "Just fucking pay and leave. Learn how to take a damn rejection."

He paid and stormed out with his friends. One of his friends stayed behind and told you, "He's right, y'know." and left.

You don't know why their words hit you so hard, but they did. What if they were right? "You alright angel?"

"Um, yeah, yeah," you said with a smile that you could barely muster up. "I just need some time alone for a bit."

You then sat in the storage room and silently cried. Priestly walked in and announced himself before asking where you were. They told him what happened and he rushed over to the storage room. He saw you on the floor, with your face in your hands. "Y/n." He kneeled down.

"Do you think I'm ugly?" Your voice was quiet, and your face was still buried in your hands.

He took away your hands from your face, and you looked up to see his worried face. "You shouldn't have to worry about artificial crap like that. You're awesome in everyway. Like the way you defend yourself from jackasses, or how you make extra cookies for the special needs kid that most people like to make fun of. What matters is that you're a pretty fucking amazing person."

You wiped your eyes and chuckled. "Thanks Priestly. You're always so good to me." You gave him a hug, which made him tense up for a up before relaxing and hugging you back.

"And to answer your question, no. I don't think you're ugly at all. You're actually think you're pretty hot." You giggled.

You then began to develop feelings for Priestly. Though you kept it to yourself, everybody else found out about it. Tish teased you about it and made comments on how it was a mystery that anyone could crush on someone as weird as him. Piper, Trucker, and Jen told you that you'd be good together and to go for it. Jen would make the occasional joke about Priestly. Zoe told you that she could sense the same feelings in Priestly as well. Though you were grateful for the support, you weren't confident in what he thought about you enough to do anything about your feelings.

Then there was the whole tampon run. You figured that he would need help and came with him. You kept making jokes when he was panicking on what to get. After you helped him pick one out, you went to grab different items while he stood in line.

You heard people making fun of him, and him retaliating with a speech about having a girlfriend and getting laid. You figured that it'd be the right thing to help him out, and although it was embarrassing for you, it was for Priestly.

You took out the hair tie in your hair, letting your hair fall down your shoulders. You tied your shirt up from the back into a crop top with the hair tie. You walked up to Priestly and gave him a long kiss on the lips. "Hey babe. Got everything?"

He looked at you with a shocked expression, but quickly recovered to get into character with you. "Yeah. I got your tampons for you."

"Aww, thanks babe. But you know I'm not on it anymore this month, right?" You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed his neck.

"Hell yeah I do. Let's go home." He slapped a 20 on the counter.

"Whatever you say." You grabbed the bag of items and Priestly put and arm around your shoulder.

"Keep the change. Peace." He said before giving them the peace sign that turned into flipping them off. Once you got out of the store the both of you started laughing together. "Well now, we got ourselves an actress."

"It isn't really hard to act that way with you." You said absentmindedly, instantly regretting it. His facial expression changed a bit, and you looked down in embarrassment. Of course he'd feel weird about that. How could he even like you like that? "Um, anyways, we should head back to the grill."

As you and Priestly cleaned up that night, he tapped your shoulder gently from behind. You turned around looked up to the tall nervous looking man standing in front of you. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to ask you something important. Just, y'know, don't laugh or anything." You smiled and nodded for him to continue. "Would you, like to, accompany me on a date tonight?" He asked slowly.

"A date?" You asked. He nodded, and your lips went into a wide grin. Holy crap, Zoe was actually a witch, and you loved her for it. "I'd love to."

"Really?" He asked, smiling.

You giggled and nodded, wrapping your arms around him. "Can you give me a ride home so I can get ready?"

He put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "So lazy." He then walked outside and held the door open for you. Once you got to your house, he put his hand over you before you could leave the car. "Wear something nice."

"Like what, my cleanest hoodie?" You teased.

"As much as I'd love to see the hoodie I got you for your birthday, nah. I mean dressing like you're going to a fancy place." You nodded and kissed his cheek, walking up to your apartment number.

You put on a white long sleeved shirt and a flowy peach mini skirt. You'd never really had a reason to put this on before, but wearing it made you feel nervous on what Priestly would think of the outfit. What would he be wearing? Maybe his quilt, and the two of you would both have shirts on. Maybe he did his hair in a different style. All you knew was that you couldn't wait for him to come.

About an hour later you heard a knock at the door and excitedly ran to it. You answered it, and wasn't ready for what you saw. All of Priestly's piercings were out, and the hair color was washed off. He was wearing a nice black blazer with a light blue button up. He looked shy. "Holy shit." You laughed out.

"Would you care to accompany me on this date Miss y/l/n?" He offered his arm.

You hooked your arm into his. "Of course." He smiled and looked down. "You look very nice, by the way."

"You look gorgeous." He opened the car door for you. You smiled at him and gave his cheek a kiss before going in the car.

"You cleaned the car." You looked around.

He shrugged and smiled. "I cleaned the car."

He took you to a nice restaurant, where the two of you talked about anything and everything. Though Priestly tried to remain a civilized gentleman, his true unfiltered jokester self was shining through, and you thought it was the cutest thing ever. Afterwards the you two walked together along the beach, where he put his blazer over your shoulders and listened to you ramble on.

He then took you home and kissed your cheek. "Aren't you just adorable tonight?" You teased.

"Well, do you like me better like this?" He had a nervous smile.

You chuckled and shook your head. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Just because you dressed differently doesn't make you a different person. You're still my Priestly that always puts a smile on my face."

"Your Priestly?" His face was now covered with a wide grin.

"Well, as long as I can be your y/n." He went in for a passionate kiss. Once you pulled back for breath, you asked. "Do you wanna come in?" His facial expression changed to nervous again. "Not for that reason, dumbass. I just don't want this date to be over. I made brownies the other day." He smiled and came in.

You woke up leaning on Priestly as a pillow with the TV still on. You checked the time and saw that your shifts start in ten minutes. In a panic, you shook Priestly awake and told him about the time, hurriedly brushing your teeth and putting on your shoes. "You don't have to worry. I'm always late." He said groggily from the couch.

"Okay, just cause you're cute when your sleepy, doesn't mean we don't still gotta go to work." You said.

"Wait, I have to put on my hair color and get ready."

"Then let's go to your place real quick." You handed him his shoes and pushed him out of the apartment.

As you were driving to his house, he said, "You fell asleep on me." You turned to see his adorable smile.

"You wouldn't let me leave your arms." You smiled back.

"And you're still wearing your clothes from last night."

You looked down, still in the skirt and shirt. "Crap. Can I borrow a shirt?"

"That'd be pretty hot." You both later came in together. Priestly was wearing one of his regular outfits, and you were wearing his Tip me or DIE shirt tucked in under your skirt and a flannel. "We're here!"

Everybody stared at you while you walked behind the counter. "It's not what it looks like." You said before you went into the storage room, with the other three girls excitedly running after you.

After that you two were unbreakable. He would always make sure you were feeling loved, from a simple squeeze on your arm to a passionate kiss. And most of all, he just couldn't help but praise you.

He would try his best to make romantic dates and be a gentleman, but sometimes it was too easy to provoke his playful side. At times he would take you on regular dates, like the movies or a carnival. You would take him on dates as well, from picnics to watching one of his favorite rock bands.

You were the first one to say that you love him. You knew that he was shy when it came to his feelings, so you were okay with saying it first.

It came naturally. The two of you had waited for a while to have sex. It had to be perfect, and he didn't want you to think of your first time with him as a cheap hook up. He wanted it to mean something.

That's why when he took you to a fancy restaurant, and had a walk in the park with Priestly and you acting like children and hopping on the big stones by the walkway. He then took you back to his apartment, where the two of made love.

When you woke up the next morning, you felt him kiss the top of your head before getting off the bed. He told you that he would make you some eggs, and you rolled onto your stomach. You smiled. That's when you said it. "I love you."

He stopped in his tracks, and ran over to the bed, kneeling down. "What?!"

"I love you." You bit your lip to hold in your laugh. You knew he felt the same way, and watching his innocent looking face was almost too adorable. "Do you have something to tell me?" You joked.

He gave you the biggest smile before excitingly jumping onto the bed and smothering you with kisses. "I love you too!" He laughed out between kisses.

After a few months of bliss, Priestly had a plan. He had a plan to watch your favorite movies, to cook you dinner, and to have you feel special. He had a plan, which was in a little black box on his top drawer at home. He had a plan to ask you a question, so you two could go on amazing dates forever.