#what i was getting at w the vest comic. where (if. i fail to get these thoughts out too. you get a snippet.)

[moe-broey]

YOU'RE SO RIGHT. YOU'RE SO RIGHT!!!!!!! The thing about Alfonse is that he should be a reflection of everyone he has ever loved, admired, or otherwise is important/had an impact on him.

LIKE MAYBE WHAT HAPPENS IS. He goes from being a reflection to what he thinks people want to see/a reflection of an Ideal Image, to being a reflection of his loved ones. But in there, somewhere in there. He also finds something that Isn't just a direct reflection of something else? It's SUUUUUCH a tricky balance to strike.

.... Full disclosure I jotted that down immediately and that's as far as I got. I got too excited. I just kinda combusted. Been kinda locked up about it ever since. Help.

I do really wanna say though, I love how you world build and factor in Everyone. I kinda get tunnel vision about it! 😅 I feel like you do an amazing job at filling in the blindspots I have. Which is to say, I am just absorbing everything you just said LMFAOOO

I ESPPP ADORE WHAT YOU'VE DONE W SHARENA'S CONCEPTS...... SO REAL SO TRUE........ I am taking notes while sobbing. I need to incorporate that like YESTERDAY. And the progression of it all in general is soooo good! Like, reading it through I'm just saying to myself "YEAH! YEAH!!! That's EXACTLY how it is....!!!!"

Especially, actually -- there are very specific circumstances where it feels like you have to speedrun a second puberty, in a way. Most obvious example is transition (hi. LMFAO), but I think the core idea behind it can be applied more broadly, too. When you said that Alfonse's fashion choices end up feeling juvenile at first, and it takes time for his fashion taste to mature... that's exactly it. This is something that you usually would parse out, during your tweens/teenage years. But due to being brought up in a restrictive environment and feeling a need to carefully curate An Image as a means for protection...... Alfonse never got that, at least not at that age. AND ESP ESP the DRASTIC swing in the opposite direction. THAT'S JUST HOW IT IS..........

Also as a side it will NEVER NOT be hilarious to me, this sort of rivalry Veronica has with Alfonse. The stakes are way higher in canon ofc, but. This specific case is the funniest shit to me. Local teenage girl PISSED that the grown ass man she's decided she has beef with is Suddenly Really Fucking Cool. No. No, he's NOT. He's still annoying as fuck AND a loser. I have to outdo him. Or straight up kill him. Or BOTH.

ALSO. THE KIRAN THOUGHTS. YEEESS... and that's so much of what I think IS really compelling about parsing all this out, actually. The variety of ways different characters may hide in plain sight. By curating a very specific image, by misdirection/distraction, or by literally being buried under there. LIKE getting INTO the characters heads about it... and the extra fun of comparing/contrasting, when you've got two or a handful of guys Doing This. Examining the methodology/mentalities behind it.

Ehhh fuck it I'll post this one too -- I wanted to color it first, but. I'm actually split on redoing Alfonse's outfit completely, or at least making adjustments.

Like, in my head, I think I was doing two separate things between the Askr siblings and it just doesn't feel cohesive to me now.

What, you ask? Well, the first thought behind this, was this is a visit. So, Sharena is straight up wearing Moe's old clothes it never could seem to let go of. I think I got mixed up around Alfonse, though. Literally half and half. He's wearing some of Moe's clothes (esp the flannel, green, band merch), but the idea here is they did have to go out and get stuff that actually fits right.

Which... works. It does work. But I think in the back of my head I was also wanting to design an outfit that's more AU coded. Going from argyle sweater vest ass to mmmmaybe trying to develop his own sense of style. Which kind of directly clashes w the idea that he's wearing some of Moe's clothes. But also. So. SO BADLY. ESP IN THIS CONTEXT. I would LOVE for Moe to have direct influence in the process of that. Another detail you don't even get to see here is Alfonse is wearing a studded belt. Courtesy of Moe.

Lack of direction too many ideas at once. Maybe if it's an AU, the dress could have been a hand-me-down? If you like it, and it fits. You can have it. If you want... (Moe completely dodging just how deeply meaningful this gesture is when doing this). But also, could go REALLY crazy if Moe (previous life) had fashion taste that was close enough to Sharena's that, like. At different points of time, each ended up picking out the same dress. It's such a funny line to balance, actually. Because despite all the parallels I may draw between them, Moe was NEVER what Peony was, to Sharena. Not even close.

Idk idk there's a possibility that I'll get too frustrated w all the details not matching up here that I scrap it completely. Just know that the dress Sharena is wearing is pink and white. Very Princess Peach core. The style of it, though... it's pretty close to something else... a certain Something Else... just enough to scare ya. Which is ALSO WHY this might work better as a visit and unique psychological damage for Alfonse but I DIGRESS. WHAT YHE FUCK EVER. TOO MUCH GOING ON HERE JUST THROW IT ALL OUT‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

[luuxxart]

UR FUTURE EVA HCS ARE SO SO GOOD IN OBSESSED......if it's ok w you could u tell me more

well after consuming any media my brain is always immediately like 👏🏽 ✨future AU time✨

if I were to write anything out i think it’d be funny if it were called like neon revelation evangelion. anyway tho

keep in mind tho I’ve only watched the anime and End of Evangelion and like,,, I skimmed some wiki pages bc I’m not really much of a reader (and I cannot find ANIMA anywhere anyway nor do I have money to spend on comics/manga) so I’m a noob,, and even then there’s stilll prolly a lot I don’t fully understand

but put a dime in and get the 20 minute long song so (and spoiler alert jic) here’s the info dump

in the words of David Byrne, how did we get here?

Post-Human Instrumentality Project failure, Shinji and Asuka form a temporary truce to investigate the ruins of NERV once the SEELE soldiers all clear out

The HI Project failed and all the EVAs (besides Unit 01 I think? but it’s marked missing) are in relative disrepair, so no need to go any further. Best for the SEELE soldiers to fall back and await further instruction.

Shinji and Asuka manage to slip back into the old headquarters after navigating through all the rubble and destruction of Tokyo-3 where they meet back up w Misato and Ritsuko

They girlbossed their way into this I’m sure they can girlboss their way out of it

(and girl what was ritsuko’s plan literally maam why would u come to a gun fight and not wear a bullet proof vest is no one wearing a bullet proof vest???? anyway)

It takes a while, but things sort of get back on the road under Misato and Ritsuko’s leadership. Gendo can stay dead, as a treat.

Shinji finds Unit-01 through. idk some kind of Mom version of the Force. Same with Asuka and Unit-02. They immediately begin repairs in case the military comes back. Angels are no longer a threat, so humanity becomes the main villain. as it should be.

For now, bc nothing ever stays dead.

Rei certainly doesn’t, bc despite the trauma, she’s technically family, Shinji wants her back like stat. And Ritsuko isn’t happy to oblige but she finds the blueprints and gets to work. Perhaps Lilith comes back to possess her. The science is basically god magic in this show so I don’t think it matters. The important part is there are no more clones from this point on, and Rei remakes herself how she wants to look while keeping her hair color and some mild resemblance to Yui. She forces her body to grow up alongside Shinji.

Bc, for all intents and purposes, they’re practically siblings. By god, let them do sibling things.

Misato contacts their sister NERV stations and explains the situation under full confidentiality. They agree to help fund EVA production and repair. They even manage to get Unit-04 out of the Dirac Sea under direction from Misato trying to interpret Shinji’s story about his experience.

I think it would be cool?? If they mayb?? reworked the mass production units. Not that Asuka would go anywhere near them but, it’s an idea.

For a few years, the EVAS are used to help rebuild Tokyo-3 since *large*.

Misato finds the locations of and calls the students from Class 2-A to attain permission for them to come back and potentially pilot EVAS. They’ve still got all this LCL and don’t know what to do with it. Bc really. what are they gonna do. go murder some more moms??????????

Only 3 people come back, and like, they just dip and don’t tell their guardians. It’s Kensuke, Tōji, and Hikari ofc

Tōji can’t pilot an EVA anymore, so he helps monitor EVA pilots with the other scientists. He’s also relatively good at directing them, which Misato takes a notice of.

Kensuke and Hikari pilot for a while, but after a minor SEELE threat, they realize they’re not really cut out for it like The First-Third Children. Kensuke goes through a crisis realizing he kind of hates killing with the mechs and Ritsuko takes him under her wing for mech design instead. Hikari started shadowing Misato from the get-go, but as Class Rep, she takes to the position of Junior Assistant Major pretty well. (And Tōji calls her the JAM which she hates ,,,,, but secretly loves it ;3)

Years pass and Ritsuko, Misato, and the original staff leave NERV entirely in the hands of the kids who are approx. 30 by the time the OG staff leaves.

NGE is already quite a “sins of the father” story, but it becomes more spread out as the main six have to really talk about and cope with what NERV left behind. (like Rei, the angels, the LCL, the true purpose of the HI Project etc.)

And at some point, Shinji sort of falls back into a depressive episode, so Rei brings back Kaworu. Hilarity ensues.

But This Opens The Door For The Angels. Oops.

No idea what happens after that. Actual headcanon time

relationship headcanon time✨✨

The people who stick together most closely end up being Shinji, Rei, and Asuka and then Tōji, Kensuke, and Hikari.

Eventually they split off further as relationships develop. Asuka/Rei, Tōji/Hikari, and Shinji/Kensuke, with the last one only forming bc it suckssss being the odd ones out alone. Might as well be the odd ones out together.

Asuka’s still scarred from the events of the HI Project so she’s not the one to initiate her relationship w Rei.

After being rebuilt, Rei decides to take her life into her own hands, kind of like Anthy. She tries to mend the relationships she never really got to have under Gendo and the HI Project’s control. Ritsuko is like, a bit beyond her, but that’s to be expected, and Rei backs off from that. Asuka is a bit more open to being friends.

Rei, Hikari, and Asuka try having some ✨girl time✨ away from the group and end up forming a little offshoot that meets from time to time.

Through her time spent with the other girls, Asuka realizes she can live for herself and not for the expectations of men and ends up putting more time into hobbies like studying (and eventually writing) theoretical physics, psychology, and engineering to better understand her EVA. Yeah she’s punk but like. she’s a scholarly punk who does not give a shit abt what anyone thinks anymore.

Identity is still very important to her, so that’s why I gave her the “02” tattoo. It’s sort of like mom-heart but for EVA pilots ig.

Asuka and Rei pretty much bond over studying theory, shocking each other with just how smart the other really is. And once Asuka realizes Rei isn’t an emotionless robot, it’s all over. 🧡🤍💖

I guess Tōji/Hikari is just destined to be endgame. I mean, they’re pretty cute in canon. It just sort of continues on a natural path from where they left off. Tōji confiding in Hikari abt his experience w the EVAs, them realizing they caught feelings in high school, dealing with it while working, and eventually becoming partners, Commander Suzuhara and Major Horaki. Just a good old JimPam. Every series needs a JimPam. For Evangelion, it’s Tōjikari.

SO ANYWAY SHINJI AND KENSUKE.

It honestly just comes from like, episode four?? Where they camp together?? adorable. lovely. ten out of ten. would watch again if I was willing to put myself through the angst of NGE again.

Kensuke really tries to understand Shinji. He really does. Tries to be there as much as he can pre-HI Project. Probably has just a tiny crush on him at that point and disguises it as a fascination w EVAs.

After Tōji’s accident, he tries not to show how much it bothers him that being an EVA pilot is not the life he thought it would be. Even still, he wants to be one. And after evacuating there’s not really much to do but mope. As far as he knows, Shinji and the EVAs are as good as dead.

But then his (father? Brother? Undecided, but I like to think he’s related somehow to that guy Misato hangs w in the last eps) gets the call from Misato to come back to Tokyo-3 for the clean-up project. His guardian declines so Kensuke persuades Tōji to leave with him. Hikari wants to come too, bc the Class Rep has to take care of her city ,,,, and Tōjikari :)❤️

Kensuke is overwhelmingly ecstatic to see Shinji again when they finally make it to NERV (as are Tōji and Hikari, to a bit of a lesser extent), but Shinji is hesitant because of the incident. Shinji basically chooses to avoid them at all costs.

This creates a weird bit of tension bc Kensuke wonders if Shinji just thinks he’s weird or hates him for some odd reason (maybe bc Shinji hated piloting the EVAs and Kensuke was so obsessed?) and Shinji becoming a shining beacon of silence as the years go on doesn’t help.

Shinji and Asuka still live w/ Misato until she retires bc they’re practically family at this point. Kensuke lives w/ Ritsuko to study under her wing until she retires. The others have their own apartments.

And then Asuka eventually goes to live with Rei in a part-private study/part-public library kinda joint.

When the old divorced-but-kinda-still-married gals retire to a safehouse, Shinji and Kensuke find themselves alone, and they deal with it for a while, but Misato/Ritsuko really try to hammer in that they should *loud cough* move in together *loud cough* or else die alone.

Kensuke agrees only for the sake of observationally studying Shinji to figure out why he’s the best pilot of the OG3.

Eventually Shinji breaks and admits he’s felt guilty abt the destruction of Unit-03 and that he had no idea Tōji was the pilot. Kensuke never blamed him for it though, so they awkwardly try to rekindle their friendship.

And then what little crush Kensuke had on Shinji comes back and they fall into a sort of accidentally married trope bc “they were roommates!”

Now that that’s settled, they form the Dude Trio w Tōji again,,,, except this time ;) 🏳️‍🌈

Knowing that Shinji has no problem w Kensuke’s obsession w mechs, he becomes a lot more exuberant about them again and is constantly bragging about the upgrades he makes and talks excessively about how EVAs function (which Asuka definitely bonds w him over)

Shinji just kinda listens and is slowly like “oh fuck I like this nerd.”

Kensuke is the first to admit it bc he knows Shinji will never make the first move after *literally everything*.

Then kiss kiss, get married, Angel attack. Oops. What happens next? yes❤️

And that’s about all I got

I haven’t gone so deep as to have like “who’s the cook” or “who always steals the blankets” but I hope you enjoyed reading !! This took all day to compose 😭😭😭 maybe I’ll draw more in the future!!

[otterlydeerlightful]

LazyTown Ship Week #4

I admit, I gave myself the Feels writing this. --------------------------------------------------------

The pounding at his window jolted the boy from his video game. He looked up in surprised confusion, startled to see the long, familiar face of Robbie Rotten, the laziest man in all of LazyTown, looking at him with almost comically large eyes. They stared at one another in silence for a few long seconds before Robbie rapped loudly on the window once again.

“Prickle!” he whined, his voice muffled by the glass. “I need your help!”

The boy, whose actual name was Pixel, lifted himself from his computer chair and crossed the room. He opened his window and watched the tall man carefully. It wasn’t every day that the town’s biggest ne’er-do-well came to a child’s window begging for help. The entire thing was highly suspicious, but Pixel couldn’t quite ignore the uncomfortable feeling that the adult’s panic-stricken eyes ignited in him. Whatever was wrong, Robbie seemed to be genuine in his desperation.

“I really need your help, Pimple. If you can’t help me, no one in this God-forsaken town can. Will you help me? Please?”

He hesitated. This was Robbie Rotten, after all. What good ever came from talking with him?

“What’s the problem, exactly?” the boy heard himself asking.

Robbie’s hiked shoulders relaxed a bit. Only slightly, but the relief from Pixel’s words was obvious.

“I—I need your help. I have this robot, you see, and…and something’s wrong! I can’t figure out where the problem is and you’re the only other person in town smart enough to help! Please, I don’t know what to do!”

Pixel blinked. Robot? What would Robbie Rotten need with a robot? And were those…tears in his eyes? Okay, maybe the guy wasn’t pulling a prank on him. Pixel would feel terrible if he turned Robbie away when he really needed help.

“Okay, fine. Let me get my tools.”

Robbie wet his lips nervously. “And…and a computer, too! A good one! M-meet me at the billboard outside of town. And be quick about it!”

With that, the tall, lanky figure raced off. Pixel leaned out his window, watching the man all but run down the street. He shook his head and blinked in disbelief, watching the fellow LazyTowner disappear down the road.

“Robbie Rotten…running?” he asked aloud to no one before closing his bedroom window again. Pixel shook his head once again. “Now I’ve seen everything.”

*****

“Took you long enough!” Robbie snapped upon seeing the boy walk up the lane to the billboard. “Er…I mean…thanks for coming.” He swallowed, running a hand through his unusually unkept hair. “Really. I mean it.”

Pixel offered an awkward smile at the mixed greeting. “So, uh…where’s the robot?”

“Inside. Come on,” Robbie said, waving for Pixel to follow him as he hurried through a door in the billboard that the boy had never known was there before.

He blinked and shook his head before following the man. Might as well go with the already-weird flow, after all. Pixel closed the door behind him, figuring it would be impolite to just leave it swinging open, and looked around for Robbie. The man shouted something to him before jumping down the opening to what looked like…an underground silo? A land submarine? Pixel rubbed his eyes, yet still the strange purple tube with its lifted lid remained.

“Man, how do I get myself into these things?” he mumbled to himself, walking over, climbing the short ladder and, with a gulp, sliding down into the darkness.

The boy landed on his feet, though he nearly lost his balance once the weight of his backpack hit him. He caught himself, readjusted the straps, and took a look around at…wherever they were. His mouth fell open at the sight of the expansive room he beheld. Did Robbie actually live here? The boy looked around at his surroundings in awe. There was a weird shaggy-looking orange chair in the center of it, a matching lamp beside it. Along the back wall was a series of tubes, all filled with colorful costumes, and some sort of pipe organ attached to them. Probably a control panel, he decided, but what did it do? Before his curiosity could be satisfied, though, his attention was drawn to a series of work tables and benches on the opposite side of the room.

“Oh, wow,” he whispered, approaching one of the tables.

This had to be it. The lumps and parts strewn across it definitely looked like a half-assembled robot, even if it was partially covered by a sheet. A ballerina, maybe? At least, parts of one. Not all the limbs were attached yet, most of the circuitry was exposed, and half of it wasn’t even painted. A partially finished head sat on a pedestal nearby, the expressionless face not yet complete, though a dark wig sat nearby waiting.

“Is this it?” he asked.

“Is what…? No, not her! Don’t touch, she’s not finished yet!” Robbie hollered, though his voice sounded abnormally shaky. “This one, over here!”

Pixel turned toward Robbie’s voice to see the man hunched over something on the floor near the corner of the room. The mass, he quickly realized, looked human. Definitely the robot. Still marveling over the fact that the town outcast was apparently making such amazing, advanced-looking mechanical creations in a secret underground bunker, Pixel trotted over to see what he could do to help.

This robot was much bigger than the first, the size of a grown man, in fact. It...looked like it could be a real man, actually, if not for a few lines at the joints and other minor details. The craftsmanship was amazingly impressive. The face was so detailed, complete with a messy mop of blond hair and one of the weirdest mustaches Pixel had ever seen. Some kind of camouflaged antenna, maybe. It looked real, like it was just a regular guy who happened to be asleep on the floor. What gave it away, though, was the gaping torso. It looked like Robbie had already taken off the robot’s vest and pulled up their shirt to open a few panels to take a look inside.

“Wow…this is amazing, Robbie!”

“It’s not amazing!” the man snapped. “He’s hurt! W-we were running tests on the waterproof casings and…and everything looked fine, but then…” Robbie’s voice fell the longer he spoke. “We overdid it, and…I tried to get him back to the table but he…” He sniffled. “He’s too heavy for me to move him and…I really need your help, Pencil. I don’t know where else I can go. I don’t…I don’t even know if he’s still in there or if he’s…if he’s…”

The boy looked back and forth between man and machine. Robbie was really attached to this thing, wasn’t he? Well, he was here to help, so he would do his best to manage just that. Pixel slipped off his backpack and began pulling out his equipment: a toolbox, laptop, and a bunch of different wires.

“Don’t worry, Robbie. I’ll take a look and I’ll have this thing up and running in no time, I know it!”

Well, he had though he knew it, anyway.

Robbie and Pixel worked together for over two hours before they mutually decided that Robbie needed a mental break from the stress. The man sat in his orange chair, fidgeting with worry and asking the occasional question as Pixel worked. They replaced a few parts and burned out circuits, even taking a look inside the robot’s—“Sportacus! Stop calling him an it. His name is Sportacus. It’s a stupid name, but it’s his!”—head to see what intricacies there might need to be fixed or replaced.

The entire process took the entire day, and the robot Sportacus still wasn’t responding.

Robbie slumped to the floor nearby, unable to stay in his chair any longer. He watched quietly as Pixel tried and failed again to get Sportacus up and running. He sighed and wiped at his eye when it seemed he thought Pixel was busy staring at the readouts on his laptop screen.

“This whole thing was an accident,” he said quietly.

Pixel nodded as he worked. “Yeah, I know. You said you were testing—”

“No, not that.” He swallowed and nodded down at the robot. “Him. I tried to make something that might be able to hold a conversation, that’s all, just a simple one so there’d be someone to talk to now and then, maybe clean up the place so I didn’t have to. I went through nine failures before I finally got one to start up properly without exploding something in the first five minutes.” Robbie gave a weak smile at the memory. “He jumped up right away…wouldn’t stop jumping. I don’t know how, or what I did different, but…he’s not just a robot with a list of responses. He thinks. He has a personality. And I…” The man let out a loud, shaky breath. “I’ve killed him.”

Pixel swallowed, picking his words carefully after hearing the story. “You didn’t kill him, Robbie. It—he’ll be okay.”

“Even if he turns back on, he’ll probably be gone,” Robbie sighed. “Spontaneous intelligence like that wasn’t something I planned for. A wire must’ve gotten crossed or something and...oh, he was alive, Pixel. And we’ve been playing with his brain all day. If he wakes up, the perfect circumstances that made Sportacus Sportacus won’t…” He swallowed. “He may not be there anymore.”

The boy shifted where he sat, unsure what to think about all of this, much less what the best thing to say might be. All he could offer was “I replaced a couple of relays, and the diagnostic test looked okay so…maybe it’ll work this time. Maybe it’ll be okay.”

The man nodded, but didn’t look convinced. If anything, he looked like he may fall apart at any moment himself. Pixel carefully connected a few wires and moved a small switch, sitting back to watch the circuit complete itself. The sound of a fan started up. A few little lights blinked to life inside the robot’s chest cavities and Pixel could hear Robbie gasp with hope as a couple of gears began to turn. And then, all at once, it stopped.

“Wh-what happened?” Robbie demanded, jumping to his feet. “He was working! He was working!”

Pixel’s eyes were wide and frantic as he searched the Sportacus robot’s chest for answers. “I don’t know! It looked like it was—Robbie, where are you going?”

Pixel scrambled to his feet, chasing after the man. He jumped back when Robbie grabbed some tools from a nearby table and, with a mighty grunt, threw them across the room. He kicked over a bucket of nuts, another filled with bolts, and threw a screwdriver straight into the tubes of costumes, causing a small crack in one. Robbie let out a roar of frustration and stomped over to the far table, causing Pixel to gasp, panicked as he realized where the man was headed.

“Robbie, no, don’t—”

Instead of throwing or hitting the pieces of ballerina, though, Robbie collapsed onto the stool beside her, his arms limp and back hunched. Something in the boy’s stomach twisted at the sight of the mechanical genius crumbling in front of him.

“I was going to try again,” he mumbled, reaching out to stroke the half-finished cheek before of him.

Pixel wasn’t sure if Robbie was talking to him anymore or not.

“I wanted to try again. Sp-Sportacus was so excited when I told him. You...” Robbie shuddered, holding in a sob as tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. “You were going to be our daughter if I could figure out how to…to…”

Pixel almost didn’t hear the soft click. He did, however, distinctly hear two others immediately after the first. He turned slowly, the sound of a soft hiss filling his ears as the sight of something sitting up filled his vision. The robot, after plucking some of the wiring out of his chest, closed the panels on his chest and pulled down his white shirt. He sat up, looking down at himself with a look of confusion. The boy began to wave his hand in his host’s direction.

“Robbie!” he whispered. “Robbie! There was a startup delay! It was just a delay, look!”

As if hearing his words, the robot, Sportacus, looked up. He paid the newcomer little mind, though, as his attention was drawn almost immediately to his creator. Sportacus’ glowing blue eyes widened at the sight of the man crying over the pieces of the little ballerina. The robot jumped to his feet, the movement so sudden that Pixel jumped.

“Robbie, what’s wrong?”

The inventor froze for a second before looking up in disbelief. “Sp…Sportacus?”

The robot smiled and quickly closed the distance between them, wrapping the man in a grand hug that was readily returned. Pixel stared, slackjawed, at the sight of the usually grumpy man squealing with joy and hugging the robot so tightly that the boy wouldn’t be surprised to see dents in Sportacus’ casing. Robbie covered Sportacus’ face with relieved kisses and let out a heavy sigh as he all but collapsed in the mechanical being’s embrace.

“I thought you were gone for good. I thought your memory would be wiped and…and I’d be alone again. I never installed a failsafe for that. I never expected…oh, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Sportacus kissed his creator’s cheek. “I learned how to make backups myself,” he reassured the man. “Just in case. Now I’m glad I did! I only lost a little bit since the last one, I think. Did something go wrong with the tests?”

“I’ll say!” Robbie laughed. “You genius, idiot robot, you!”

Pixel smiled while the two of them laughed. While he made a mental list of questions to ask Robbie about the amazing fluidity of Sportacus’ movements and his clearly sophisticated AI basis, he decided that now wasn’t really the time for them. He was just glad that everything was okay. It seemed Robbie was a little more than just attached to his robot, and the man’s earlier terror suddenly began to make more sense.

Robbie, looking over Sportacus’ shoulder, finally seemed to realize that the child was still standing there watching the two of them. He gestured for his mechanical companion to turn and look.

“This...this is Pretzel. I mean, er, Pixel. He’s…without him, we’d…we’d both be lost.”

The boy gave an awkward wave. “H-hi.”

The robot practically beamed. “Is he our new son?”

Robbie snorted. Pixel smiled.

“Not exactly,” Robbie said with a fondness in his eyes.

The robot nodded, leaving his creator’s side to greet the new human. He held out a hand. “Halló. My name is Sportacus Ten! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Pixel!”

The boy smiled, offering a hand of his own. “It’s nice to meet you, Sportacus.”

[twdmusicboxmystery]

8x09: Analysis

Good morning! How did everyone like the episode last night? Today I'm going to talk about broad plot points. Tomorrow I'll do a post about the details.

I thought it was a beautiful episode. A really good send off for Carl. I cried several times.

***Warning: Spoilers for 8x09 about in this episode. Don’t read until you’ve watched! You’ve been warned!***

Carl

5x09 Parallels. I've said several times I thought there would be parallels between this episode and 5x09, where Tyreese died. There weren't as many as I expected, but they were there. The biggest one was seeing Rick and Michonne dig Carl's grave at the beginning, even though we didn’t actually see him die until the end. 

Very similar to Ty’s death. We saw the grave being dug at the beginning of 5x09, but didn't understand whose grave it was until the end. In that case, we had no idea Ty would die (unless we read spoilers) until the end of the episode. The difference here was that we knew Carl would die when his bite was revealed in 8x08.

Carl told Judith that he didn't beat the world, as Lori said he would. I have to say I disagree. He was bitten. Of course he still beat the world in his own way. But he said to everyone, as he was dying, to recognition, especially, showed that almost outgrown the world. It was his own special kind of transcendence. In a way, that’s a parallel to Tyreese too, as Tyreese died thinking about forgiveness and peace.

Huge emphasis on the fact that he got to say goodbye. In the flashbacks, Michonne left him a note saying “I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye” for when she left with Rosita to see the Sanctuary. 

Of course, she DID get to say goodbye because she made it back in time. They talked about goodbyes several times throughout the episode. Remember that Beth hated goodbyes, and no one really got to say goodbye to her because her death was so sudden. Major anti-parallels there. Of course, it's all-important that he got to say goodbye and we saw his burial.

It's important that we saw the flashbacks at all. We have major precedence for this. When they don't show us something, they always flash back to it later. It. For example, in S4 we saw Ricky kick Carol out of the prison. In S5, they showed us flashbacks to what happened to her during that missing time. The same thing is true here. And it wasn't just Carl's point of view that we flashback to. We also saw flashbacks how the Saviors escaped the sanctuary. Before, Rick was imprisoned at the junkyard, and when he returned, he didn't know what happened. So it flashed back to Morgan's point of view as well, showing what happened what we missed.

This is important because it shows that everything we missed with Beth will have to be shown eventually. They ALWAYS eventually show us events that are skipped. There's a lot of unexplained things around Beth, the biggest ones being unexplained stuff that happened the Grady, and of course those missing 17 days after Coda.

I also thought it was interesting that he that they juxtaposed Carl’s words with Morgan's brutality. I’ll come back to this, but we could see Carl's goodness and transcendence and then they put it side-by-side with Morgan and his cold, rage-driven killing.

Carl talked about 3x16! Guys, this is huge! We some of the dialogue in the trailer, so I’ve already touched on this when it comes to callbacks to S4, but him talking about 3x16 is pretty much a confirmation everything I wrote in my Beth Greene was Always Gimpel's Sheriff post, and a lot of the stuff both me and @thegloriouscollectorlady have been talking about lately. Carl talked about shooting the Woodbury kid in 3x16. 

Not only was Beth present, which we would read into any way, but more importantly, it's what led to Rick becoming a farmer and the entire arc in 4a. I'll talk a lot more about this later this week, but we’re seeing major story arcs from S4 come full circle this season. It’s extremely significant and it makes me super happy.

Carl gives Judith the hat. I don’t think I need to tell everyone how significant that was. The sheriff will live on, specifically in the little one that Beth always took care of. I remember back when 5x10 first aired, I noted that Carl took care of Judith. He even used the sheriff's hat to protect her from the rain.

So Beth took care of Judith most of her life. When she disappeared Carl stepped in that role more fully, taking on Judah's care almost entirely while they were on the road. I feel like they tried to have Carl specifically step into that role, which Beth previous occupied. Now they put the sheriff's hat on Judith, who has only ever been worn by few other characters. (Rick, Carl, Beth)

Now Daryl has assumed the role. We knew he would bc of the trailer, but it’s significant that his attitude wasn’t one of sadness about taking Judith. It wasn't something he had to do, it was something he wanted to do. He was very firm and confident about it. He picked up Judith, sheriff's hat and all, and, wearing his vest, walked out with her. I thought it was really interesting the way the camera focused on his back. We can almost see this is a return to S4 Daryl. He's confident and strong, he's got his best back, and he's caring for the "new sheriff." So we don't know exactly where this will lead, but symbolically it's very significant. 

Remember those wings have always marked him as a guardian and protector, which is why, symbolically, he needed to regain the vest before he took over protecting Judith.

Finally, Carl actually died with the sunrise. 

So now we’ve gotten through the night, and we have a new day. There were several parallels to Andrea's death. Carl shot himself, rather than waiting to succumb to the fever. The other thing I noticed is that Rick and Michonne stood outside on the porch and heard the shot. That's almost exactly what happened with Andrea's death. Even though Michonne stayed with Andrea, will the viewers didn't see her shoot herself. We saw Daryl and the others outside the door and their devastated reactions to hearing the shot.

So what does this mean for TD? I hope it means that with this new day we’ll see Beth next episode. I also want to point out that Andrea's that happened in 3x16, which was mentioned here a lot. Almost like they’re trying to align this episode with 3x16. In the next episode, 4x01, we got the Bethyl hug. So I’m really, really hoping, that we’ll get at least the beginning of Beth’s return in the next episode.

Siddiq

Siddiq is a freaking doctor! That, we did not see coming. In the comic books, Siddiq is a fisherman and a construction worker, not a doctor. This is something they are doing for the show. We don't see any evidence that he knows how to cure bites, but he did talk about treating one, at least insofar as reducing the fever and making the patient more comfortable. He’s the first person we’ve ever heard talk about treating a bite at all. That’s a big deal. We need to watch this story line closely.

Honoring Carl. Siddiq talked about honoring Carl. He said because Carl saved him, he would honor Carl by doing whatever he could to help TF. We don't know exactly why yet, but from the trailer, he, Daryl and Rosita go on a mission that takes them through the swamp. So whatever Siddiq is up to, he thinks it will help TF in some. I repeat, I really think something about Siddiq will both bring Beth back into the picture, and perhaps help TF win the war. That's why Carl’s sacrifice will be worth it.

 The last time we heard a lot of talk about honoring someone was right after Beth's death. To honor Beth, Rick wanted to take Noah home to Virginia. And he did. @thegloriouscollectorlady pointed out that while there's definitely a parallel here, it's kind of an anti-parallel. In S5, TF honored Beth by taking a in stranger (Noah) and doing something for them, because it's what Beth wanted. In S8, the stranger (Siddiq) is going to honor Carl by helping TF. So it's the same thing, but in reverse. With that being the case, let's hope we see the reverse of Coda next. Like this represents 5x09 and perhaps were moving backward toward Coda and the opposite result.

Carol and Henry. I had a major epiphany during this episode. In THIS POST I said that in order for Carol's arc to resolve, she needed to figure out how to love and nurture another child as she did Sophia. Last night, I realized I’m missing one big element. Henry kill Gavin, which was disturbing. Go back and watch that scene. Watch the reaction of all the adults. Ezekiel was merely shocked. Carol was so horrified she turned away for a minute. Morgan looked like he might throw up.

While it’s understandable because he obviously holds Gavin responsible for Benjamin’s death, the way the show portrayed this was as something very dark. It came across as a callback to Lizzie, who also had no problem killing the living. It’s like they’re trying to say Henry is straying onto a dark path. Carol wouldn’t be able to help but think of Lizzie when this happened, which is why she was so angry at him, and Ezekiel couldn’t understand. So, it's not just a matter of her loving the child, but her saving him from becoming like Lizzie. She failed with Lizzie. She should've seen what was wrong and didn't, but perhaps she will with Henry.

I’ll talk about this more later in the week as well, but for now, it’s important that Carol, Ezekiel and Morgan were there. We’ve thought since S7 that Carol and Ezekiel will be parents to Henry, but it’s interesting that Morgan is entangled in this too. He and Carol both lost biological children, specifically because they failed to save them (a theme between Rick and Carl in this episode). Now these three adults all saw Henry kill a man. It doesn’t matter whether or not Gavin deserved it. The point is that Henry did it without hesitation and wasn’t as bothered by it as he should have been. That’s not good. So now these three need to figure out how to save Henry in the same way Rick saved Carl in 4a.

The two, final “shocking” scenes we hoped would be Beth. I'm pretty sure the one the blogger referred to is the one that showed Negan at Alexandria. That's what she meant about the future. It was part of Carl’s vision and shows that he wants Negan to actually become part of the community, integrate with Alexandria and have everyone work together.

 Sorry to keep saying this, but I will do a separate post on how significant this is, especially where S4 is concerned. I don't know that Negan will ever actually integrate into TF’s community the way Carl wants, but this will most definitely drive the plot forward for Rick.

The second scene is still very unexplained. Remember that in 8x01, we saw two flashes forward: Rick’s old man coda (which I now have to call Carl's) and then the one where Rick’s eyes are red-rimmed and the plate-glass crosses hang above him. We always figured that might be Carl's funeral. It's not. They buried Carl in this episode, and then showed that scene separately. It’s definitely not the same thing. 

Rick sits against a tree, bleeding from a wound on his ribs. He has blood all over his hand. Honestly, it looks like a scene where he could be dying. (I still don't think he actually will; I feel like they’re trying to make us believe that. I could be wrong, of course.)

I had a somewhat disturbing thought while re-watching last night. Perhaps Rick will try and make nice with Negan to fulfill Carl's best wishes, and Negan will betray him by either stabbing or shooting him in the ribs. Maybe that's what we’re seeing in this scene. That would explain why he says, "my mercy prevailed over my wrath." It sounds like he's very resigned to his own death. It's like he's saying, “well, at least I was merciful, as Carl wanted.” This is just me musing over what it might be. We really have no idea.

I've never thought that Rick would die, and still don't. But remember THIS POST about Dawn's back story and how it's going to relate to Beth's future arc. Dawn actually killed Capt. Hanson. I’ve always said Beth won’t do that, because she's a much better person than Dawn. But maybe it's not about Beth killing Rick. Maybe someone else will either kill him or try to. Whether he's dead or just severely incapacitated, someone else will have to step into leadership. Based on the back story and foreshadowing surrounding Beth at Grady, it will be her. Either way, it would be tied to Carl, Carl's death, and Carl's last wishes. But again, this is just conjecture.

Overall, I really loved this episode. I thought it was beautiful. All the symbolism in it, which I'll go over in more detail tomorrow, makes me as hopeful as ever for TD. What did everyone else think?

[elfstuck]

AR, whose name I have forgotten or never known, one of the impthings in a clownsuit, is trying, and failing, to resist the urge to ride Bro’s rocket board. The picture is ridiculous and I’m not pasting it in here. The text is something something dudebro-esque with cooler-than-thou hipster overtones; the word “shit” is used as a euphemism for “stuff” or “things” or “activities,” and the word “yo” appears in all caps. Subsequent pages have more rocketboard antics.

There we go. I have no idea what’s up with the moon-onna-chain stuff (I think the purplish one is Derse, and this is the one whose name I forget because I don’t own its pajamas), but I like the bold yellow-on-black thing and the looks-like-antennae ball on the chain. WHO CARES ABOUT PLOT I AM LOOKING AT THE PRETTY.

No, I lied; we’re back to plot. PM, who is... maybe Parcel Mistress here? Maybe? is getting ready to head into battle. Also, the gold place is apparently named Prospit.

I will continue to inflict upon you the pictures I find pretty, no matter how relevant or irrelevant to the plot.

... How does that outfit even work? I understand the hat, soft-cone thing with a rolled edge, and probably-decorative buttons on top and a decorative feather that may or may not actually stick into the brim. Elizabethan-style neon collar, check. Doublet/vest, stripey on top, belt in a contrasting color that matches the rolled-up underside of the hat, doublet design changes below that, with more decorative buttons. Fine.

Open bag with a long cross-chest shoulder strap, weapon tucked into bag along with letters. Fine, fine.

Breechclout? Below a bare-midriff cut doublet?

I dunno what’s going on with the chessboard and timey-wimey politics shenanigans and dreamworld and post-apoc survivalist things, but there are CRIMES AGAINST FASHION going on here.

Just sayin’.

And in consideration of those crimes, I will refrain from sharing the next pic, which is much the same only with a pair of clownish hats poking up from the floor-area; apparently she’s being followed on her way to the White King.

Oh. It’s not multiple hats. It’s one hat with multiple tops.

Howcome these are never the outfits I see on Homestuck cosplayers at conventions? These are awesome outfits. The little candy-cane horns and red-blue lensed glasses are boring by comparison.

Okay, you’re gonna get ANOTHER picture. This is what you get for following a liveblog, where I write stuff before I turn the page. I don’t like to take out pictures I’ve already included, even if there’s another one soon that covers the same basic concept. Besides, I like these pictures (OMG BRIGHT W NEON COLORS!) so I don’t mind seeing them several times, so you get to see them several times too. Aren’t you lucky!

This is apparently not Clubs Deuce (note the lack of penis in his fist) but a (the?) COURTYARD DROLL from Derse, who is following the apparently clueless PM, which is probably short for Parcel Mistress in this setting.

I totally want a Courtyard Droll costume. I am short and roundish; I think I could pull that off. Even if I had to also wear glasses. (Because I’m damn near blind without them, and no, I can’t switch to contacts; they don’t make bifocal contacts.)

CD attempts to pick her pocket. It looks less like an attempted theft than a US Congressman imitation.

There’s some inappropriate touching, and she spins around to find him, but he’s quick and shifts to her back before she can see him.

End result: He grabs the White Queen’s ring, which is round with four little equispaced pearls (omg what do these people’s FINGERS look like; that is not a ring that anyone should wear; it looks painful) and PM wanders off, unaware of what just happened.

Tell me the pearls are held there by magnetics/magic, and they spread out to as far apart as they can when there’s no obstruction, but when they’re on a hand, they’re all 4 on top, or 3 on top and 1 underneath.

Lie if you have to; it’s not like Hussie doesn’t.

Anyway. PM gets on a shuttle and blasts off toward the wild blue yonder. CD gets a radiocall from DRACONIAN DIGNITARY who speaks in diamonds but I am apparently no supposed to believe that means Diamonds Droog. I am never sure whether this is clever twisting of character ideas or Hussie just being lazy and reusing the artwork. Anyway, CD is to bring the ring; they’re waiting on news from HEGEMONIC BRUTE who is totally not Hearts Boxcars, and that SOVEREIGN SLAYER who is also not Spade Slick says he doesn’t have to wear the outfit anymore. CD demurs; says he likes the outfit.

Well. That would be a change in direction of the story. This seems to be Prospit Jade, in Super Attack Mode and also looking all stretched-out and ninjafied like Dave the Slayer. She is introduced without words but surrounded by quivering action lines, which you don’t get to see here because I don’t use gifs. (Which are pronounced like the beginning of “gift,” not like the peanut butter.)

Prospit NinJade goes on to clobber some kind of greyimp in a clownish suit, with a club symbol. Oh wait, that’s him. The scene probably didn’t change; he’s just showing up as grey because the lighting changed.

The lighting. In the hand-drawn comic. Right.

Cinematic effects are much, much less noticeable in single-panel comics than they are in movies.

Here, have some pummeling:

I almost didn’t include this because I don’t care for orange. But NinJade being awesome deserves more than a single panel.

Even if I’m not sure exactly what she’s being awesome about. There is something disturbing about this multi-world-perspective jumping around thing, and if I try to think about it, I’ll tie myself in knots trying to decide which is the “real” story.

Fuck that. All real story. Or none real story. The point is, awesome smackdowning is going on, and so you get a few pictures of it.

She catches the ring flying through the air; CD is vanquished, and a couple of people (I use that term loosely) see what has happened.

Oh look; for once Tumblr’s ridiculous resizing shenanigans are useful. Let’s see, that’s CD’s silly hat, and... someone with a jade-green tri-leaf hat. Huh.

NinJade attempts to deliver it to PM, but she’s already left in her bright yellow shuttlecraft. Jade will have to “remember to deliver it later.” Ohghods, more timey-wimey games coming up, and appearance of that ring in some drastically different storyline.

My head hurts just thinking about it.

[lordofthebigtimesupernatural]

Hello! I understand that you are very busy, but I would love for you to write about how Shiro handles Keith going on his very first date ever. I think it would be really cute!

Hello there! I applogize for this taking so ridiculously long to get out. I’m finally done with school and I have more time in between writing my BB and work to get back into this AU! I’ve missed it so much and I’m so sad to have been away for so long. I love how cute this was. We’ve seen over protective papa!bear Shiro in that Klance AU so now we get more of a helpful, but still protective Shiro. Just as a reminder the Klance oneshots are AUs of this AU since I have no set pairings picked out, so in that AU of this AU (AUception) Keith was dating as a teenager but in this cannon AU, Keith didn’t start until much later when he came out to Shiro. I hope you enjoy this! Thank you so much for sending in prompts!

x.V.x

              “Dad,it’s only a date. What do you expect is going to happen?”

              “Idunno. A meteor could hit the planet and then we will all end up like thedinosaurs?!”

              “…I’m abit concerned that you like awake thinking about these scenarios at night.”

              “Keith…”

              “Dad…”

              Keithfirmly kept his gaze on his father, who was just as stubborn in trying tomaintain a firm glare on Keith. However, that glare was soon broken by one ofthe newest puppies coming up to lick his face. Immediately, the glare dissolvedinto one of his goofiest smiles to which Keith chuckled at. His dad was a lotof things, but adorable would always be on the top of the list.

              “Seriously,I’m twenty-one. I think I can handle this date.” Keith continued while Shirobegan to put on the puppy’s vest. Shiro huffed but didn’t argue with his son.“I didn’t even have to tell you, you know? I could have kept this all a bigsecret from you and waited until we eloped.”

              “Oh mygod, I thought you said this was your first date?!” Shiro dramatically put hishand over his chest and almost fell over. Keith snickered, gently toeing at apuppy who was playfully swatting at his shoelaces.

              “I’mkidding. It is and you know that.” Keith muttered, cheeks red, as he playedwith the puppy. Shiro nodded to himself as if affirming the answer andcontinued with his work with the puppy. “I figured I might as well tell youabout my dates, since I came out to you a while ago.”

              “And I’mstill very proud of you son.”

              Onceagain, Keith’s entire face flushed and his chest was light as air with a warmfeeling spreading throughout his body. He still couldn’t help but getoverwhelmed whenever his father praised him or acknowledge his sexuality.

              “Though,I know you know this but let me do this.” Shiro began and Keith resisted theurge to roll his eyes. He could get through his dad’s lectures. Actually, hisdad was doing much better than the Shiro that Keith had envisioned in his headabout this moment a few months back.

              “If atall you need to leave or don’t like how this date is going you call me or Lanceor Hunk and Pidge. We’ll come and help you immediately; no hesitation.” Shirosaid firmly and his eyes flashed with a typical look of fierce protectiveness.Keith bit his lip to stop the smile that was creeping on his lips. “You also don’thave to do anything to this guy. Youowe him nothing. Not a kiss, not a hug and certainly not sex.”

              “Dad!”Keith was almost mortified but his father didn’t even look phased.

              “I’mserious. I know you’re still learning and understanding what your limits are toyour sexuality but you owe nobodysex. Ever. No means no. And if youhave to kick this guy in the nuts you do so.” Shiro continued darkly and Keithnodded with a sigh.

              “Yes.Dad, you know I would never let anyone push me into something I wasn’t comfortablewith.” Keith smiled softly as his dad and Shiro nodded.

              “I knowthat. Some people can be cruel though and very manipulative and if you don’tever feel safe you call me, okay?” Shiro asked softly causing Keith to nod. Hecouldn’t even bring himself to speak sometimes with his dad. His dad neverfailed to surprise him with how far he was willing to go for his son. Even asKeith got older and became an adult Keith neveronce doubted that his adoptive father loved him.

              “Although,what’s this guy’s name?” Shiro then asked casually and this time Keith didsnort with a roll of his eyes. Shiro pretended to be focused on training thenew puppy in front of him but Keith knew better.

              “Why?Just because you now have a Facebook, does not mean you can stalk my dateonline.” Keith said with a grin while Shiro’s body deflated. “Besides, Ialready got all I could on him before I even agreed to this date. I’m way aheadof you.”

              “Shirofelt a single tear roll down his cheek out of pride.

x.V.x

              Shirohummed to himself as he made his dinner. Keith was probably finishing upgetting ready for his date and Shiro was a bit surprised at how calm Keith was.After all, this was Keith’s first everdate. Shiro applauded his son for his calm personality because heaven knowsthat Shiro was a mess every time he went on dates. He still was a mess.

              Suddenlythe door to Keith’s bedroom slammed open and Shiro heard someone racing downthe steps. He barely had enough time to turn around when Keith was clutching athis arms. His shirt was half tucked in; there was a serious lack of pants,though there were boxers on; one sock was rolled up and the other was down, andKeith’s eyes were wide.

              “Oh mygod, dad I’m twenty-one and this is my firstdate.” Keith finally hissed and Shiro blinked.

              “Um, Ithought we already established that.” He scratched the back of his neck with asheepish grin but Keith’s grip on his arms only tightened.

              “I’mtwenty-one and I’ve never gone on a date before!” Keith repeated sharply andShiro blinked again. “I don’t know what to do or how to act!” Ah, here comes the freak-out.

              “Oh,well there’s no need to freak out. Just be yourself and everything will befine.” Shiro tried to gently pat his son’s back but Keith jumped away as ifburned. It was honestly a comical sight to see Keith in a nice dress shirt,boxers and mixed socks. However, Shiro knew that Keith’s anxiety would onlyworsen.

              “What amI supposed to wear? What do I say? Was I supposed to get flowers or somethingto give him? How long is a date supposed to last? Oh my god, what if I run outof things to say? What if there’s an awkwardintermission™? What if he wants to seea show with big crowds and lots of noises? What if he thinks I’m weird? Oh mygod.” Keith paced back and forth and Shiro could see that his son was beginningto panic. All of the amusement washed out of him and Shiro was quick to jump inand sit Keith down into a chair before giving Keith his dog tags to rub.

              “Whoa,whoa, whoa. Slow down there, alright?” Shiro said softly, kneeling beside hisgrown son. “Look, everything will be fine. Will everything go perfectly andgreat? Probably not, but that’s how dates are. Yeah sometimes it can getawkward especially the first few ice breakers but you’ll known soon enough ifthere’s a connection and if there isn’t there’s no harm to either of you.That’s what dating is all about and if this guy isn’t the one, then it’s okay.You’re young Keith and you might go on manydates or only a few but it’ll be okay. If this guy knows you well enough totake you on a date, he’ll be smart to avoid crowds. If not, like I said early,call us and leave. And if this guy thinks you’re weird, then he’s a loser andhe’s lost out on the opportunity with a great and wonderful young man.” Shironarrowed his eyes as if already determining the demise of Keith’s date withoutknowing how the date would go.

              Keithlaughed shakily and Shiro smiled. “I know it’s cliché but just be yourself. Ifyou’re pretending to be someone you’re not then this relationship won’t last.” Keithnodded timidly and Shiro rubbed his thumb across Keith’s knee. “There might beawkward intermissions™ or moments and if there is you can ask questions abouthim or bring up stuff that you like to engage a conversation. But the wholenight doesn’t have to be about talking. With the right people, just beingtogether can be enough at times.”

              “Ijust…Isn’t it lame to be twenty-one and never having gone on a date before?”Keith admitted softly and Shiro felt a heavy sigh leave him.

              “Not atall. Keith, everyone dates at their own pace. Some people have dated a handfulof people before they graduate high school and others don’t even start datinguntil way into or after college. Everyone has their own reasons for dating butthere is nothing wrong with someone who hasn’t had a date until they’re intheir 20s.” Shiro explained quietly. “Everyone is different and there areplenty of people just like you. Your uncle Antok didn’t even have his firstdate until you were about eight-years-old. Well after leaving the military and high school.”            

              Keithgawked at his father with large, round eyes. “Really?”

              Shironodded. “It was his time then, not before. Then you have people like grandmaand grandpa who met when they were both seventeen. Everyone is different andthere’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

              Keithwas quiet for a few more moments before he grinned at his dad and took a deepbreath. He looked up at his father’s eyes, always so calm and willing to helpno matter the situation. I hope I can behalf as good as him one day. “Thanks dad.”

              “You’rewelcome. I’m here for you.” Shiro beamed when Keith blushed again and grumpilyshoved his dad away before standing up. “Though you should probably put somepants on for a date. Basic manners and stuff.”    

              “Shutit.” Keith grumbled without any real malice to his words and Shiro snickered.

x.V.x

              Keith’sdate was not as horrible as Shiro had imagined. He was a kid that worked downat the bar where Shiro and his friends often went to celebrate. He was alwayspleasant to customers and was not afraid to kick out nasty or rude drunks andcustomers who were offensive. He was shorter than Shiro and Keith in height andbody mass but he showed up to Shiro’s door with a single rose and a brightsmile.

              He neverstopped smiling as he listened to Shiro’s rules, while Keith moaned in thebackground and said that he was taking Keith stargazing because tonight wouldbe a perfect night to see all of the constellations that he was studying atschool. Somewhere quiet and peaceful and away from crowds.

              Perfectfor Keith.

              Shiroknew that as hard as it was to let go, Keith was in good hands. Judging by thedopey smile on Keith’s face, Shiro knew this guy was staying for a while.Whether he’d be the one that was amaybe, but at least Keith was happy.

              And thatwas all that ever mattered to Shiro.