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bettsfic · 10 months

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Betts,

Would you be comfortable in showing us what your messy first drafts look like? Not for a whole story but maybe an excerpt and noting how it changed in revisions. I’ve been looking for first drafts by writers and either found they look almost identical to finish printed version or I can’t find them at all.

i can show you what a messy first draft looks like but i don't think it'll be very illuminating. for me, the down draft is mostly about developmental work. i'll write ten scenes and the final draft will be chunks from six of them. so on a small scale it looks like i don't do much editing, but big picture i write over twice as much as i end up keeping, and what i keep has usually been completely rewritten. so if i do a side by side comparison of a scene, what you're not seeing is the stuff that didn't make the cut, or all the ways i wrote in the wrong direction for a long time, or the hours of research i had to do for a single detail (an example of which you'll see below).

i wrote an issue of my newsletter about my drafting process, so that might be more helpful. i also answered an ask recently about ways to develop a scene if you're stuck.

unfortunately i don't have the brainwidth to do all the research here, but the new yorker published an early draft of raymond carver's "what we talk about when we talk about love" which as originally called "beginners," and somewhere there's a detailed comparison of the two and the changes his editor, gordon lish, made.

but! you asked to see a draft comparison. so here's a draft comparison.

so this got a little crazy and i ended up making a gdoc for scene 2 so you could see them together. see link at the bottom. conclusion: comparing drafts is very hard and i don't think this probably helps at all but i tried.

"final" draft

these are the first two scenes of a short story i wrote called The Group W Bench. we begin in 1970 and then move into present day-ish. i've bolded the small things that were actually big things, and i'll explain why they were big things at the end.

"final" is in quotes because there is a different final draft of this story that goes in a completely different book.

scene 1: past

They didn’t hand out 4-Fs in St. Louis. Supposedly it was the worst draft office in the country. I didn’t know anyone who’d gotten out of it, but in my hometown they didn’t seem to want to. Most everyone was proud and eager to get shipped off.

My number was 66 and it’d been pulled just after I turned nineteen. On the bus to the induction center, I tried to come up with a plan. My only options seemed to be mutilating myself or flat-out running. I was too much of a coward for the former and I couldn’t wrap my head around the latter. There were only a dozen of us on the bus and I had my whole seat to myself. Out the window, cornfields blurred past; it was August and the stalks were head-high. I tried to imagine myself out in the jungle holding an M16, but I couldn’t. I’d graduated high school with a C-average, only kissed one girl one time, was raised by parents who’d had no parents of their own. My mother grew up in an orphanage. My father rode the rails. They fucked up my brother Tommy, did a little better with Wyatt, but by the time I came along, they’d given up. Sometimes I felt feral, raised by wolves.

Across the aisle, a guy was playing the harmonica. He had shaggy black hair and stubble around his jaw, big nose bent at the bridge. He caught me staring at him and I looked away quickly. He crossed the aisle and sat beside me.

“You look like you don’t want to be here,” he said.

He didn’t sound like he was from Missouri. He sounded like an actor on TV, all hard Rs and round vowels. I didn’t respond to him. For all I knew he was a plant, some kind of spy trained to sniff out potential defectors.

He ran his thumb over the shiny surface of the harmonica. The movement reflected the sun into my eyes. “Buddy of mine got his arm blown off.”

“My brother died,” I told him. I’d been the one to answer the door that day. I was only sixteen and the boy who delivered the telegram couldn’t have been much older. He handed it over, touched the brim of his hat, and said, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

There were no remains. Nothing to bury. Just a bit of yellow cardstock telling me Tommy was dead.

“Sorry to hear that, man.” He held out his hand. “Jack Ward.”

I shook it. “Birdie Mills.”

Jack smiled, a deep dimple carved into each cheek. “Hell of a name, Birdie Mills. Where you from?”

“Here. Couple hours north.”

“California. Riverside.”

“What’re you doing here?”

“Just got out of film school. Can’t get student deferment anymore. So I started bouncing around, you know, changing my address. They finally pinned me down.”

I hadn’t thought of that, transferring draft centers, delaying as long as possible hoping the war would finally end. It was a relief to meet someone as reluctant to go as I was. I felt crazy sometimes, surrounded by men who wanted nothing more than to die for their country. I couldn’t imagine loving anything so much I’d be willing to give my life for it.

“You have a plan?” I asked.

“Nope.” We turned into the induction center lot. “I’m gonna wing it.”

early draft

according to my document, i wrote this on november 8, 2022, so almost exactly a year ago. at that time, this was one chapter of a novel that had alternating POVs in third person. i had about 90k of this novel written. which turned into a short story. which turned into a different novel.

scene 1

Birdie’s number was 257 and it was pulled shortly after he turned nineteen. His draft office was in St. Louis, notoriously one of the worst in the country. There were no 4-Fs in St. Louis. He didn’t know a single man who’d gotten out of it, but then again, they didn’t want to. Most everyone in his town was eager and proud to get shipped off.

On the bus to the induction center, he tried to come up with a plan, but nothing came to him. Out the window, cornfields blurred past; it was August and the stalks were head-high. He tried to imagine himself out in the jungle holding an M16, but he was just a coward from Missouri who graduated high school with a C-average, who had only kissed one girl one time, who was raised by parents who’d had no parents of their own. His mother grew up in an orphanage. His father rode the rails. They fucked up Tommy, did a little better with Wyatt, but by the time Birdie came along, they’d given up. Sometimes he felt feral, raised by wolves.

Across the aisle, a guy was playing the harmonica. Birdie couldn’t pull his eyes away from him. He had shaggy black hair and stubble around his jaw, big nose bent at the bridge. He caught Birdie staring at him and kept his gaze, some recognition in his eyes, and a moment later he was slotting the harmonica into his jacket pocket and coming to sit next to Birdie.

“You look like you don’t want to be here,” the guy said.

Birdie didn’t say anything. For all he knew, the man could be some kind of spy trying to sniff out defectors.

“Buddy of mine got his arm shot off.”

“My brother died,” Birdie admitted.

“Sorry to hear that, man.” He held out his hand. “Jack Ward.”

Birdie shook it. “Birdie Mills.”

Jack smiled, a deep dimple carved into each cheek. “Quite a name, Birdie Mills. Where you from?”

“Here,” Birdie said. “Couple hours north.”

“California. Riverside,” Jack offered.

“What are you doing here?”

“Just got out of film school. Can’t get student deferment anymore. So I started bouncing around, you know, changing my address. They finally pinned me down.”

Birdie hadn’t thought of that, transferring draft centers, delaying as long as possible hoping the war would finally end. It was a relief to meet someone as reluctant to go as he was. He felt crazy sometimes, surrounded by men who wanted nothing more than to die for their country.

“You have a plan?” Birdie asked.

“Nope,” Jack said, pulling his harmonica back out. They were turning into the induction center lot. “I’m gonna wing it.”

changes and why i made them

lotto number 257 was pulled in 1970 but only numbers under 125 were drafted. it took an entire afternoon to figure out how the selective service lotto even worked.

turning this into a short story, the sentence "They didn’t hand out 4-Fs in St. Louis" was a stronger opening.

as a chapter in a book, at this point the reader is familiar with birdie and knows him only as a scoundrel-type character seen from the perspective of his son who despises him, and his daughter who reveres him. so in the old version, it was satisfying (or intended to be) to get to his POV and see him from his own perspective. as a short story, i tried to organize the opening in such a way that you get grounded pretty quickly and see birdie as a scared kid before you get to the scoundrel days (see below).

the brief "my brother died" flashback was the first part i wrote in his POV, and that was back when the structure of the narrative was a series of short, titled vignettes. so on one hand i was glad i got to keep it but sad i had to shoehorn it into a different scene instead of allowing it to open the piece.

the novel was written in third person but when i tackled it as a short story i decided to change it to first person because i like first person better, and birdie is a very fun narrator.

the "I couldn't imagine..." sentence was added in the short story version because in the present timeline, birdie's about to get shot to save his daughter while they're robbing a bank together. so in one sentence, i managed to condense an arc that before took a VERY long time to establish.

this got kind of out of hand. i tried to do the same thing with scene 2 but it was hard in the text window so i did it side by side in a google document. if you want, you can add comments asking why i did certain things and i'll answer you there. i'm sure i missed stuff.

sorry if this isn't helpful!

#writing advice #bk #rabbit's blood #revision

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iris-writesx · 1 year

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gallivich fandom intro post 🎉

first of all i just wanted to say how lovely of an idea it is that @callivich made an intro post and tag for everyone to use, i think it’s super nice :) i’ve been lurking on ao3 in the ian and mickey fics for a while and thought it was time to finally come to tumblr and post some writing of my own! but i’d love love love to make friends in the fandom too, so here i am lol

Name — iris (or amber if you come from my old account @heytherejulietx , all follows or likes will come from there as it’s still technically my main i just won’t use it as much lol)

Age — 18+ (not too comfy saying my actual age online but i am over 18 akdjwjd)

What made you fall in love with Gallavich? i’ve been binging the show for a while now and i’ve always just loved the more complicated characters i guess. both ian and mickey’s stories really tugged at my heartstrings, and to see them be able to fall in love with each other throughout the show is really kind of beautiful. i’m such a sucker for ships where they both end up healing each other.

How long have you been a fan? i’ve been watching the show for a good few months and lurking on ao3 for a couple of those, and i’ve read so many fics that my brainrot for them has completely skyrocketed. i haven’t even finished the show yet (i’m on s8 and i know what happens for the most part) but i just wanted to join the fandom now i’m impatient akdjwkd

Favourite Gallavich moment/scene — like i said i haven’t finished the show yet, but i think the ones that really are heartwarming and show just how strong their bond is has to be when mickey is helping ian through his bipolar (as much as s5 hurts), i also adored the scene where mickey came out to everyone in the bar so that he didn’t lose ian :( though i’m excited for domestic gallavich in s10 and 11 so that’ll probably change akdnwdk

Favourite Shameless character apart from Ian and Mickey? honestly i am completely in love with kev, i think he’s funny as fuck and i just adore him so so so much

Do you write or draw or make edits? i write! so far i have literally only written one drabble but more are going to be posted soon. i’d love love love to get some requests :)

Favourite type of Gallavich fics? i’ve always been a sucker for hurt-comfort, though i also adore domestic, sometimes even dad!gallvich fics

Favourite Gallavich quote? my favourite genuine quote is probably “ian, what you and i have makes me free” because :((((( but other than that, literally anything that mickey says in his pimp era is sooooo fucking funny

Anything else you’d like to share about yourself? i took a long long break from my old tumblr account (i’m staring fresh here with a new fandom <3) and i can’t wait to get back into writing again. i’d honestly just love to make friends in the fandom and get some requests and interest going for fics. everyone i’ve seen here is super super lovely so far and the fandom seems like such a lovely place i really can’t wait to get into it on here :)

please feel free to dm or fill up my ask box or literally anything loves <3

#gallavichintro #gallavich #ian gallagher x mickey milkovich

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therealvinelle · 4 years

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Hello! Why do you think Carlisle likes Aro? (Love your meta btw!)

This blog lasted 25 days before becoming an Aro/Carlisle blog. The sanity was nice while it lasted, I suppose.

Oh well, I embrace my trash ship.

(Anon is referring to this post)

(This one is also relevant)

So, while on Aro’s end it was a case of “did the gods just give me my very own Enkidu?”, for Carlisle we must look at the circumstances. The Carlisle Cullen who walked into Volterra is not the Carlisle Cullen who works at Forks General.

Carlisle was a demon-hunting priest who brought his religion into his new life. Having no idea what he’d just become, apart from the obvious things like “I desperately want to kill people for their blood” and “I sparkle?!”, many of the things that are obvious to us would not be at all obvious to him. His only experience with other demons was the slum-dweller that killed him. It was brutal, and three other people from his parish were murdered as well. He’d been able to track the vampire down, something I can only take that to mean that the vampire used his parish for hunting grounds. He’s so horrified by what he’s become that he tries to destroy himself. This fails, and instead he finds a way out that lets him live without having to kill, and with that comes to the realization that vampires retain their souls (which is for another post).

My point being, Carlisle wakes up as a demon, and has no way of knowing how any of this works, nor of how to explain the fact that he is able to retain his soul. It’s telling that even after centuries of being a vampire he still thought something might be fundamentally different about him, as he chose to turn Edward by simulating his own transformation, even though it meant more pain for Edward. In other words, Carlisle was not guaranteed that his experience was universal. By the time we meet him in canon he’s wonderfully friendly to everybody regardless of what they eat, but I strongly doubt he got from point “Demons are monsters and I’ll rally a mob to lynch them!” to “Vampires are people who sadly eat other people.” right away.

So, you have freshly immortal Carlisle Cullen wandering around Europe with no way of knowing that other vampires are as (for lack of a better word) human as he is. How can they be, when they choose to eat people? (My personal headcanon is that he went by a Persephone theory, and figured that by resisting human blood he’d remained a man.)

It was this Carlisle who met Aro and the other Volturi. According to Edward (I unfortunately don’t have Twilight with me so I can’t quote his exact words), they were the ones who showed him that vampires can in fact be sophisticated.

Sophisticated. Not just as in Aro, Marcus, and Caius eat their virgins with some fava beans and a nice chianti, but as in they’re civilized and intelligent beings. Carlisle was no longer a one lone freak who somehow retained his soul while everyone else went full Buffy vampire, or any other such theory. I can’t even imagine the impact that must have had on a young Carlisle who would have been even lonelier than the Carlisle who found Edward in Chicago. That Carlisle at least had friends, this younger version had absolutely nobody.

Aro changed that.

More than being sophisticated, Aro turned out to be a kindred spirit, an absolutely brilliant mind and a generous host. Carlisle chose to live with him for decades, leaving only because of their dietary differences. And even if people disagree with me with all of the above, I don’t think anyone can argue that this one isn’t huge.

Of all the people Carlisle knows in canon, Aro is the only one he stayed with just for Aro’s own sake. Carlisle loves the Cullens dearly, but the cornerstone holding them together is their shared diet, and the fact that Carlisle turned four of them, the other two joined. He did not happen upon them and then like them so much that he decided to move in. As for his other friends, he cares for them all, but he didn’t share decades of his life with them.

Regardless of how we’re interpreting their relationship (as in, platonic, UST, or raging homosexual affair), I don’t think anyone can dispute that Carlisle and Aro are each other’s best friends.

But beyond proving that vampires aren’t all sewer-dwelling, priest-eating rascals, what exactly made Aro so special?

I’ll just list his qualities in no particular order.

Sophistication This guy is a lover of the arts and of knowledge. His gallery and library must have been the most extensive and diverse in the world, and it probably still is. I can’t even begin to imagine the wealth of knowledge and treasures that Aro must have collected over the years. If the Holy Grail exists within the world of Twilight, Aro has it. Where I’m headed with this, is that not only would Aro’s collection be the coolest thing ever to Carlisle, but also that this was a time when the number of books and an art collection was a sign of high class, of intellectualism, of all things fine and noble that was considered virtuous. Aro acts very much like wealthy European nobility, he even lives in Italy, the cultural epicenter of the Western world of old. He physically could not have been more impressive to Carlisle.

Kind of a continuation of the previous point: Aro is from Ancient Greece (well, he’s Myceanaean, but same difference to a “You predate Homer?!” starstruck Carlisle). Ancient Greece was the ultimate, perfect, civilization to Europe, and Carlisle got to Volterra just ahead of the Enlightenment. This alone would have made him so unbelievably cool to Carlisle.

Nerd I think this one speaks for itself. Carlisle is an unbelievable nerd, an inquisitive mind who’ll study anything and everything, and in Aro he found someone who also has an inquisitive mind and will study anything and everything. They’re both very intelligent. Carlisle went from being that sad whale that sings on a frequency no other whales can hear, to having someone who just got it.

His gift So you’re all gonna have to stay with me on this one. Aro’s gift is one most people would find very invasive, which as I touched upon in one of the posts linked above must be very isolating. And yet we know from canon that Carlisle has no problem at all with Edward reading his mind all the time, and more, if Aro reading his mind was a problem then Aro and Marcus would both have known, and I doubt their friendship would have worked out. So, I think that Carlisle not only didn’t mind having his every thought read, but that this was an actively good thing. Because what is less lonely than the company of one who knows you as intimately as you know yourself? To be friends with Aro is to be truly understood, known more deeply than anyone else can ever know you. And to someone who seeks companionship as much as Carlisle does, I imagine this is an extremely attractive feature.

Offer of friendship Carlisle would have been hopelessly lonely when he met Aro. And as no one else is mentioned as being close to him, Jane hadn’t even met him which I find pretty telling of how he interacted (or didn’t interact) with the Guard, and he wouldn’t yet have any of his other friends that he later made, he only had Aro.

He enforcers a law that keeps the known world from descending into chaos Human civilization wouldn’t last a day without the Volturi. There would be nothing stopping vampires from taking out entire villages in one go, immortal children would be everywhere, and the newborn armies would spread like wildfire. In the world of Twilight, the Volturi are a necessary evil. And Aro is their leader. The fact that he not only keeps the world together, an ungrateful task with no end in sight, but had the idea to create a law in the first place would make him all the more amazing to Carlisle.

And I’m sure there’s more that is currently slipping my mind.

Just, Aro is on every level the most impressive, awe-inspiring, and dare I say dazzling, that anyone can be to Carlisle. And he came into Carlisle’s life at the best possible moment. If he’d agreed to do the animal diet, Carlisle would have stayed. If he wanted to seduce Carlisle, I think he’d succeed. I also think that their time together was far more formative for the person Carlisle became than anyone gives Aro credit for.

(And if Carlisle had never found anyone who’d share the diet, he would eventually have returned. I imagine Aro thought the same, but that’s for another post.)

Oh, and last bit - in Breaking Dawn we get this beautiful moment where Carlisle learns that Aro robbed the British royal family, and he just goes, “yup, that’s my guy”. Even after Eclipse, he remains fond of Aro. I mean, there’s also the fact that he’s been lugging around this giant painting for centuries, even at a time when he didn’t have a house and I can only speculate as to where he was keeping it.

Of course, over the course of Eclipse and Breaking Dawn everything goes to hell, but that’s for another post.

TL;DR, Carlisle went from a priest’s son to living with an evil vampire overlord for decades because he’s just that great, in the present he keeps a giant painting of him in his office. I feel it’s safe to assume he likes the man.

(Edited on the 13th of April to fix some phrasing and add a link)

#this is... not my most eloquent production #OH WELL #the last time i thought as much was the bella is doomed post and that one took off so maybe that's a good thing #carlisle cullen #aro #aro/carlisle #twilight #twilight renaissance #twilight meta #my glorious ship #i just don't know what to make of people who want to insist it's one-sided and carlisle ran away screaming from that evil aro #you guys have to bend canon far more than i do to arrive at that conclusion #is it because he's a threat to carlisle/esme?#Anonymous #ask #long post

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thevictorianghost · 3 years

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You said in your finnrey/zutara post that studio meddling was involved for both. I knew that this was the case for finnrey because of racist cowards. But I never knew that was the case for zutara? Tbh I just assumed from the get-go that aang and katara were the main ship and I thought it was cute for them to end up together in the end. Though it is really interesting to learn that zuko and katara could’ve also been a serious thing and I think they could also work together rather nicely. What happened behind the scenes that caused it not to happen? Was aang originally gonna be set up with toph or have no love interest?

Oh hello! Hi! My first anon. Welcome :)

Before we start: I’m going to write Kat/aang, A/ang and Bry/ke like that so it doesn’t appear in the tags and I’ll bold some sections for emphasis.

I don’t think the writers even considered Toph as a love interest for A/ang. It was always about Kat/aang vs Zutara.

It’s no secret at this point that Dante Basco and Mae Whitman, who voiced Zuko and Katara respectively, ship Zutara. Dante Basco is known as the “captain of the Zutara ship”. They’ve written multiple times about Zutara on Twitter and Dante Basco said in an interview that he really thought, at one point, that Zuko and Katara were going to end up together, that he thought it was going that way, and that he loved the idea of fire and water together.

As for the writers, it’s a bit more difficult to find information, since the show ended 15 years ago. But Aaron Ehasz, head writer of ATLA, has come out and said there was supposed to be a fourth season and it was dropped in favor of the movie. He said it on Twitter on April 1rst, 2019 (while also saying sorry for picking that date, it wasn’t an April Fools!). He said that M Night Shyamalan wanted them to focus on Book 4, but Bry/ke (Bryan Konietsko and Mike DiMartino) “wanted to focus on the movie”. You can find those tweets here. Not about Zutara per se, but it does show not everyone was on board with how the show was going to end behind the scenes.

Speaking of the movie, when asked about The Last Airbender, M Night Shyamalan also gave his input on the situation. He talked about how, by the time Book 3 came around, he wasn’t sure if the series was supposed to end there or if there was going to be a Book 4. He said to Bry/ke: ““Dudes, I gotta know this. This is critical! This has to end. This has to end. If it doesn’t end, I’m not on board. But if you don’t want to end it - it’s all good.” They were like “no, we saw it as three seasons for each element that he has to learn.” And I said “great.”” This is where it gets interesting, though: “At that time they hadn’t even decided where things were going to end, even like who Katara was going to end up with. All of that stuff hadn’t been figured out yet.”

It’s interesting to me how he mentions this is who Katara will end up with. Not A/ang, not Zuko. It’s always about Katara.

Someone who interned on ATLA has been quoted as saying that “If you check out the I.P. Bible then you’ll see a Kat/aang endgame was never planned from the start, it was supposed to remain a one-sided crush throughout the whole show.“ and that “The actual decision to make them a couple came about much later at Bry/ke’s request, largely because they were frustrated at the popularity of Zutara.“ Of course, not everyone in the production was full on one side or the other, as the post says some were neutral about it. “Some of the crew liked Kat/aang, I know Joaquim [Dos Santos] was a big Kat/aang supporter but more of them were neutral about it, Ehasz was not fond of Kat/aang but he didn’t mind too much since he’s a mature adult and all that.”

Avatar Extras (special events on Nicktoons where episodes of ATLA were shown with fun facts) were released where it was said that Zuko was supposed to be Katara’s love interest. It was said two times at least. I’ve only ever found screencaps of these, but I found these here on Tumblr.

When asked about these in the Avatar Extras, Bry/ke said that it was just a joke and that Kat/aang was always in the DNA of the show. But if you’re here to tell fun facts to your audience about your show, maybe put a disclaimer that says some things might not be as truthful as they think they will be?

And the intern mentioned earlier also said that “No one was having full-on ship wars in the writer’s room but we did joke about it, and we toyed with the idea of Zuko and Katara falling in love a couple of times.“ So that goes well with the Avatar Extras.

Meanwhile, other writers, like John O’Bryan, have been quoted talking against Zutara in favor of Kat/aang. EDIT: Thank you to @exhaustedhope for giving me a source for this quote! This link also has a few images for the quote, so I’ll add them here.

Thank you again! And also the use of Zutara fanart to badmouth the ship in favor of Kat/aang? Dude.

If this was the way people behind the scenes were thinking of Katara and A/ang’s and Katara and Zuko’s relationships... well that doesn’t really make me think “Kat/aang was in the DNA of the show” either, huh? Zuko was never officially her love interest, Katara never actually “went after that guy”. But the thought that she might made them uneasy.

(Btw, let’s not forget Zuko actually does care about Katara, enough to put his life on the line for her in Book 3, so that mischaracterizes Zuko.)

This comment by John O’Bryan fits with this vision of Zutara Bry/ke has, where Zuko is nothing but a broody, emo “bad boy” who doesn’t care about Katara at all. It’s shown pretty well in their dreadful “joke” made at Comic Con in 2007. You can find the video here. Here, Katara ends up with A/ang and “should have never doubted the will of Mike and Bryan!” (yuck). So Kat/aang was always the “right” way for them to end the show, right?

But then! Even Bry/ke themselves have said that Kat/aang was forced. They said it in 2014 when Korrasami became canon in Legend of Korra. On Korrasami and Kat/aang, they said this: “Originally, [Korrasami] was primarily intended to be a strong friendship. Frankly, we wanted to set most of the romance business aside for the last two seasons. Personally, at that point I didn’t want Korra to have to end up with someone at the end of series. We obviously did it in Avatar, but even that felt a bit forced to me.“

So they admitted that Kat/aang was forced. They even mention the ATLA ship wars in the post. “Either direction we went [about Korrasami or Makorra], there would inevitably be a faction that was elated and another that was devastated. Trust me, I remember Kat/aang vs. Zutara. But one of those directions is going to be the one that feels right to us, and Mike and I have always made both Avatar and Korra for us, first and foremost.”

Okay. So what’s real about the behind the scenes of ATLA and what isn’t? Was Kat/aang in the DNA of the show, or did they go back and forth between Kat/aang and Zutara like they did with Korrasami and Makorra?

There have been conflicting informations scattered across the Internet over the years. Some people say one thing and others react, saying the opposite and that the first thing was false. Some people lied, or joked, to mess with the audience and toy with Zutara - or not, or maybe, or perhaps... What I think, though, is that not everything was set in stone. Some people were for Zutara and some people were for Kat/aang. And even after all of that, the big takeaway for me was: the end result that Bryke wanted so badly was lackluster in and of itself.

#zutara #anti-bryke #anti-kataang #atla salt

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handsmotif · 4 years

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The Queercoding of Pinky and the Brain

This originally was just me infodumping to my friends on discord, but I decided it might be interesting to some people on here, so I polished it up and made it an actual essay lmao

To start, we’re going to break this into 2 sections -- the relationship between the mice, and Pinky’s relationship with gender, because queercoding doesn’t just mean gay!

For a 90′s show, Pinky and the Brain (and its mother show, Animaniacs) was very progressive for its time! But there were still lots of things that they couldn’t slip by censors, and thus, that’s where we have to read between the lines. And that is something I wanted to clarify here before we dive in, the actual meaning of queercoding. It’s NOT the same as queerbaiting. Queerbaiting is when the people producing certain media purposefully dangle the possibility of queer representation to lure in audiences (most prominent examples are BBC Sherlock, Riverdale, and Supernatural I GUESS? who knows abt that last one anymore), but never follow through, purely for profit. Queercoding is when media producers WANT to write in queer representation, but can’t, usually because the censors won’t let them. So, they must resort to subtext. (example: the policemen from Gravity Falls) It could also be unintentional, simply assigning certain characteristics associated with the LGBT community to characters. (example: Bugs Bunny, many Disney villains) Either way, it heavily relies on the audience picking up subtext, but whether it’s malicious or not varies, depending on the media. Bugs Bunny is an example of positive accidental queercoding, while a lot of Disney villains are negative examples.

Now, to actually discuss the gay little mice! Pinky and the Brain, whether it be intentional or not (based off comments from Maurice LaMarche, Rob Paulsen, and Tom Ruegger, signs strongly point to intentional, but it’s never been explicitly confirmed), is an example of positive queercoding.

There are many moments that I could pick out to discuss here, but we’ll start with some VERY on the nose gay metaphors.

Remember Romy? If you don’t, that’s their actual biological son! Romy came about due to a cloning accident, where their DNA got combined and spat him out.

There’s SO many things I could say about Romy. Every appearance he makes has an overarching gay metaphor as the plot. His first appearance in the episode Brinky (yeah it’s literally titled their ship name), it deals with his dads (WHICH I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT, he DOES call them both dad, and they do both call him their son) disapproving of the fact that he wants to leave home and not follow in their footsteps of taking over the world. Brain even goes as far as disowning him whenever he tells him, which is certainly something a lot of queer people can unfortunately relate to. Also seen a lot in this episode is Pinky and Brain arguing even more than a married couple than usual, which pushes Romy away even further. Later, when Romy eventually does leave, and Brain starts to regret chasing him away, he tries desperately to reach out to him, but Romy doesn’t want anything to do with him. They end up tracking him down to an apartment building, where Romy is now living with his human girlfriend. When questioned about their relationship, the girlfriend, named Bunny, goes off on a tangent about how people shouldn’t judge others based on labels or relationships (hello?), and that Brain needs to be more tolerant. Brain apologizes and Romy forgives him. Happy ending.

Romy’s only other appearance is in the comics. Essentially, the plot of this one is that Brain wants to become the president of the local high school’s PTA, but he needs Romy’s help to make it look like he has a normal home life. He also enlists the help of Billie, the obligatory Woman introduced to make sure Brain doesn’t look as gay as he actually is, that he has a crush on. She pretends to be his girlfriend, and Pinky pretends to be Romy’s uncle, while they make up the story that Romy’s actual mother was lost at sea. Because if the organization found out that Brain has a son with a MAN??? THINK of the controversy! Anyway, the plan works, and Brain actually manages to get elected as president. Throughout this though, Pinky gets WEIRDLY jealous that Brain keeps brushing him aside for Billie. To the point where during Brain’s inauguration, Pinky actually dresses up as the wife/mother lost at sea and storms into the room.

[ID: Comic panels of Pinky, Brain, and Romy on stage at the inauguration ceremony. Pinky busts into room wearing drag, saying, “Yoo hoo! I’m back from years lost at sea to be with my son and ungrateful husband! Narf!” He then hugs Romy, while glaring at Brain. He goes on to say, “I’ll stand by your side, even though you left me behind!” The people in the audience begin to question this, saying, “Oh great fuzzy bangs!”, “What’d she say?!”, “He deserted her to be with that other woman!”, “What kind of monster is he?!”. Brain then rips off Pinky’s wig and says, “This isn’t my wife! This isn’t even a woman! It’s my roommate, Pinky.” Pinky replies, “Well, yes... But Romy really is my son! Poit!” And Brain responds, “N-Nonsense! He’s my son!” More people in the audience angrily speak up, saying, “What’s that?”, “He lives with a guy who likes to dress up in women’s clothing and the both claim to be that kid’s father!”, “Grumble! Mutter!” /END ID]

Needless to say, this doesn’t end well for them. What we can conclude from this is that homophobia exists in the Pinky and the Brain universe, and our characters are directly affected by it.

Moving on, And-There-Was-Only-One-Bed is a pretty common occurrence with these two. Their cage is big, they have plenty of room for two beds, but? They choose to sleep together? Even in some times where this has been inconsistent and they DO have separate beds, they’re always RIGHT next to each other. (what if we put our minecraft beds together ❤😳)

I would like to mention the episode, You’ll Never Eat Food Pellets In This Town Again! This episode is interesting to say the least. Deals with a lot of the meta of the show. Anyway. In this episode, Brain has a nightmare that he’s in a loveless marriage with Billie. You know, the woman he’s supposed to have a crush on. In the end, he wakes up from the nightmare in the same bed as Pinky.

Speaking of female love interests, Pinky is seen having multiple relationships with characters of different species. Any time this is brought up by Brain, Pinky counters with Brain being too intolerant. An honorable mention with this is in Wakko’s Wish, when Pinky is with Pharfignewton, and Brain’s constant pestering about their relationship could be read as jealousy. Pinky needs a mousy date, after all!

Something else I would like to mention is in one episode (I forget what it’s called, I’ll try to look it up later and edit this), Brain is applying for a job. The employer asks Brain if he’s married, and Brain hesitates before saying he “has a roommate,” but that he’s occupied with his own things, which then cuts to a shot of Pinky applying lipstick.

Leading into part two of this essay, Pinky’s relationship with gender! Pinky has always been very gender nonconforming, and loves to wear dresses, do his makeup, and make himself look pretty. For the most part, this is played pretty straight, and not as a gag, like a lot of shows tend to do! It’s just a casual fact about him that he likes to present femininely sometimes.

This does play into their taking over the world plans pretty often, where Pinky wears drag, usually either to sneak into somewhere. Like in one of their earliest appearances on Animaniacs, Noah’s Lark, where they pose as a couple to board Noah’s, and I quote, “love boat.” After boarding, Noah says to himself, “Who am I to judge?” Okay. Yeah. Alright. Anyway.

I actually had less to say on this than I thought I did, but I wanted to make sure to emphasize that Pinky at the very least is coded as being Not Quite Cis, and that he’s played a key part in helping a lot of people watching the show figure out that they’re also Not Quite Cis.

Wrapping this up because I’m hungry, but I want to throw in some more honorable mentions that I really do not see any type of cishet explanations for:

They literally go on a romantic date at a very fancy restaurant in Brain’s Night Off. This is played extremely casually, and the only remark from anyone that they receive is that they are “much smaller than the usual clients.”

Pinky, on at least one occasion, daydreams about him and Brain being a married couple, and wanting to be a housewife (the original malewife ❤)

There’s an issue in the comics where Pinky has a crush on another male mouse, and when Brain gets annoyed, Pinky reassures him that he thinks Brain is cute and quite the catch too

Brain attempting to kiss Pinky in the reboot??????

Brain actually did conquer the world once in the Halloween special, because Pinky made a deal with the devil for it, and thus Pinky got sent to hell! Brain actually went to hell and gave up the world to bring him back

Brain was extremely close to conquering the world once more in the Christmas special, but after reading what Pinky’s feelings for him were (nothing romantic, just Pinky basically just praising Brain for being so hardworking and an amazing mouse, and lamenting that he never gets anything for it), he gets so emotional that he sabotages himself and wishes everyone a Merry Christmas instead

TLDR; these mice are very queer and need therapy, and are probably the most heavily queercoded characters that I can think of in children’s media.

#animaniacs #pinky and the brain #patb #brinky #FLOPS ON THE FLOOR this took a long time to write

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dinosaurtsukki · 4 years

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haikyuu!! + things they were doing on the internet when they were like... 12

a/n: is this also a call-out post for myself and a way to make fun of things i did? yes

Hinata: playing those free to play weird-ass games on y8.com when he’s not fighting over the computer with his sister

Kageyama: watching ‘top ten best sets in volleyball games with slow-motion’ again and again until his sister taught him how to use youtube

Tsukishima: writing long essays that he posts on facebook about how much twilight sucks and how much he hates it. definitely had a twilight phase

Yamaguchi: secretly writing twilight fanfiction and posting them on wattpad. he got pretty famous for them but he’ll never talk about it

Ennoshita: played Feeding Frenzy a lot. like, a Lot. this man was a literal god

Tanaka: MAKING PUNK/EMO EDITS OF HIS FAVORITE CELEBRITIES. his masterpiece was punk harry styles feat. 6 earrings and a neck tattoo

Nishinoya: watching american ninja warrior compilations but the ones with ‘eye of the tiger’ edited over them to make them extra awesome

Daichi: coming up with his own inspirational quotes that are kind of terrible like ‘even though i’ve been beaten down, i’ll always get back up’ and posting them on facebook thinking that he’ll inspire people somehow

Sugawara: watching ‘Hetalia Ep. 25 VIETSUB|SPN|ENG subtitles pt. 2/28′ on youtube. either that or ouran high school host club idk this guy had a phase

Asahi: taking a whole bunch of those ‘what your fashion says about you’ quizzes until he eventually made one himself as well as a polyvore account

Oikawa: reading and writing doctor who fanfiction before eventually getting into sherlock and supernatural. yes, he shipped destiel. yes, the destiel canon thing on november ruined him

Iwaizumi: he was really into looking up random animal videos like ‘tarantula vs. scorpion fight’ and stuff like monster bug wars from animal planet and when oikawa made fun of his search history he figured out how to delete it

Hanamaki: vibing to the Phineas and Ferb songs playlist that he made on youtube (of course the aglet song is his favorite one)

Matsukawa: a true tumblr child and was there when this hellsite was first birthed. he remembers the tumblr wars between the fandom and the hipster blogs all too well

Ushijima: didn’t know what the internet was until tendou realized he didn’t have a skype so he made an account for him. until now, ushijima’s status still says ‘hi, wakatoshi here’

Tendou: watching a whole bunch of minecraft song parodies on youtube before eventually making them himself

Semi: either learning guitar through youtube videos or looking up ‘how to play lucky by jason mraz EASY VERSION | NO BAR CHORDS’

Shirabu: he used only Google+ as his social media and wondered why he wasn’t getting any friends

Goshiki: this kid was blessed to be twelve years old when the lego movie came out so he most definitely just used the internet to listen to ‘everything is awesome’ again and again

Kuroo: definitely a fandom kid, one of those from the six major book fandoms (hp, pjo, hg). used to run a fricking roleplay group on tumblr and his oc’s always have a Dark Backstory

Kenma: youguysaregonnacomeformebut--- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG FANFICTION OKAY BYE

Yaku: playing Pet Society on facebook. is it such a coincidence to see him so decked out and rich now when his pet had the same lifestyle? nO

Lev: playing those papa louie games (papa’s pizzeria, papa’s burgeria, etc) and trying to force the game to crash by serving customers 500 chicken wings

Bokuto: as soon as he got a skype account, he’d pretty much voice call anyone and everyone he saw had an ‘active’ status on but his friends didn’t have the heart to switch their status to ‘inactive’

Akaashi: was the king of making ‘which ___ character would be into you (for girls and gays only!!!)’ quizzes that are very detailed. he’d even make a whole character profile with a ‘how you met them’ at the end

Atsumu: used to secretly watch episodes of ‘boys over flowers’ and ‘meteor garden’ on the computer when he was alone at home. eventually got into girl’s generation and super junior

Osamu: a master at playing poptropica and even had a whole gig making poptropica walkthroughs for other people. sometimes he’d play club penguin and get himself kicked out for swearing just for fun

Suna: looking up ‘demons by imagine dragons with lyrics’ on youtube and just playing it on loop. his desktop wallpaper says ‘don’t get too close, it’s dark inside’

Kita: didn’t know what the internet was until suna and aran took pity on him and helped him create a facebook account. until now, his profile pic is still a picture of his jersey number and he has 99+ unchecked notifications

Sakusa: his cousin introduced him to sims. except, sakusa doesn’t play ‘for fun’ but to vicariously live the average salaryman life through his virtual character (he named him steve)

▸ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ◂

taglist (check out my post for details on being part of my taglist):@montys-chaos @miyumtwins @strawberriimilkshake @pocubo @sugawara-sweetheart @akaashisbabydoll @laure-chan @therainroguefanfiction @atetiffdoesart @stephdaninja @oikaw-ugh @charliefredb @dramaqueenweeb1469 @tremblinghearts @applepienation @doodleniella @haikyuu-my-love @waitforitillwritemywayout @kattykurr @atsumusdomain @goodfoodxoxoxo @ah-kaashi @guardianangelswings @definitely-yours @amberalisa @whootwhoot @liz-multifandom-hotel @kac-chowsballs @procrastination-lady

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nanowrimo · 4 years

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When Should You Worldbuild for Your Novel?

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. World Anvil, a 2020 NaNo sponsor, is a writing software that helps you develop and organize your characters, plot and world setting. Today, World Anvil Director Janet Forbes shares some tips for worldbuilding at all stages of your novel:

As a writing and worldbuilding expert, and the director of the award-winning worldbuilding and novel writing software World Anvil, I get asked this question a lot: at which stage during the novel writing process should you be worldbuilding? Should you be worldbuilding as you plot, as you draft, or as you edit? And—I see you out there, you glorious pantsers—what if you don’t plot? When should you be worldbuilding?

A quick disclaimer & explanation:

EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT! (Isn’t it beautiful?) This post is full of suggestions. If in doubt, try things out! But not everything will work for everyone. Experiment with these ideas, and develop a novel writing process that works for you!

Some of the best worldbuilding articles are only a few sentences—just long enough to document your ideas! You’ll probably expand them a bit through the drafting process as you discover or decide more details. But don’t feel you have to write the entire “Silmarillion” for your world! Longer articles often just mean more to read through when you’re in a hurry.

When to worldbuild as a Plotter?

Are you a plotter? Prefer to take a run at a first draft with a solid plan? Then here are some of the best places to work worldbuilding into your novel writing method!

Worldbuild the big stuff during the plotting phase

As a plotter, a lot of the big worldbuilding ideas probably come as you plot your novel. You’ll need characters who live in settlements, and were probably educated in organizations. They may or may not adhere to certain traditions or religions. You might add magic systems, supernatural powers, and/or futuristic technology (which you’ll need to know the limitations of!). Writing down your ideas NOW means that you have them safe, and won’t lose them!

Worldbuilding your organizations, like Nations, Religions, Jedis, Police Forces and Universities, will help give them more impact, and make your world feel more dynamic and real!

Image Credit: Davina, made on World Anvil.

If your novel is an event novel—aliens invade, the Earth quakes, or a zombie virus is let loose—then write a bit about the nature of the threat. If you’re creating a character novel, make sure you have some notes on your main character’s background, mentors, relationships, education and skills.

Worldbuilding these elements of your plot—even in just a few notes—before you start the first draft will really help you down the line! You can plan all of these out using the worldbuilding templates in World Anvil. They give you the freedom to create WHATEVER you want, help you connect everything together, and make everything searchable when you need it!

Worldbuilding during Draft 1—character experience and juicy details!

So, if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably find that something magical happens during your first draft. You start to consider your world through your character’s eyes! This means adding a lot of details to your worldbuilding—both SHOWING rather than TELLING, and sensory detail.

For example, you won’t tell your readers that an organization is evil. Instead, you can show a poor man in the stocks because he couldn’t afford his tithe or tax. Add that punishment to the worldbuilding article about the evil organization, so you can remember it for later (or for book 2!).

Also, as your characters interact with places and people, they’ll feel, smell and hear (and maybe taste) details which heighten the experience. This makes your writing more evocative, and invites readers to feel they’re living in your novel, too!

Add these details—you can even copy-paste relevant paragraphs as quotes—into your worldbuilding articles. Some Plotters prefer to do this scene by scene as they write their first draft. Others (like me!) prefer to do this as a separate stage, once the first draft is done. Read through the first draft, and add quotations or details into your worldbuilding articles. Future-you will thank you!

A fantastic example of a quick character profile! Hotlinks (shown here in red) help you link everything together in your world, so you can find things easily!

Image Credit: ShyRedFox, created on World Anvil

Worldbuilding as a Panster!

If you’d rather fly by the seat of your pants than plot out each step of your novel, then congratulations—you’re a Panster! You probably love the exciting feeling of discovering your story as you write your first draft. So here are some ways you can work worldbuilding into your novel writing process!

Characters are worldbuilding too!

Most pantsers I know love to craft characters, even if they don’t know what will happen to them over the course of the story! And characters are full to the brim with worldbuilding opportunities!

For example, the places your characters were born, went to school, travelled—they are all important locations to worldbuild in a few sentences. Which country is your character from? Do they fit in and, if not, which traditions or view points do they chafe against? These are all excellent places to start your worldbuilding, even before NaNoWriMo has started. You’ll still be pantsing—just Pantsing with Purpose!

And remember, none of these ideas are set in stone - you can always change them later. It’s just a jumping off point, to give you inspiration.

Characters are worldbuilding too! Writing out a detailed character profile is a great way to discover more about your main character. World Anvil provides prompts to help you flesh out your characters even more.

Image Credit: Dhelian, created on World Anvil

Plan worldbuilding using the “Jot, Bin, Pants” method!

The Jot, Bin, Pants method (originally developed by Cassandra Lee Yieng) is a way to plan without plotting! Once you have those scenes, scan through them quickly. You’ll already spot elements you can write short worldbuilding articles about! If a scene takes place in a ship, a smart townhouse, or an abandoned castle, write a few sentences about that space. What material is it built from? What feelings does it conjure up?

Now you have a few notes on that location, you’ll be able to recapture the feeling much more quickly during crunch time, and get your words written!

Keep worldbuilding notes during Draft 1

Another helpful moment to make notes is at the end of each writing session during Draft 1. Try spending 5 minutes documenting the people, places and things you came up with. World Anvil’s tree layout can give you a lot of inspiration when you’re glancing over your setting to decide what should happen next! So if you mention a creature, a character, a location or a technology, scribble down a few notes about your ideas. You never know - it might save your character’s life!

With World Anvil’s novel writing software, you can easily reference your worldbuilding and update your series bible either AS you write, or after each writing session!

The worldbuilding review phase

Regardless of Plotterism or Pantitude, you should eventually have Draft 1 of a book! Granted, it probably needs some tweaks right now. But there’s a story there, characters, ideas, and an ending. Congratulations!

Now is a great time to take stock of your worldbuilding. As you read through your novel, build up your world bible or series bible. Make sure you have articles for each major character, for the places and things you’ve introduced - just a few sentences is fine. But as you edit and flesh out your novel, these will be great references to have, and it’ll speed up the next phase no end!

Worldbuilding and Structural Edits

During structural edits, i.e. re-editing the actual story and big ideas of your book, you’ll find that keeping an updated version of your series bible is really useful! You can do this as you edit (which is what I prefer) or at the end of each draft.

By the time you’re at line edits, you’ll be done with your worldbuilding… and ready to get on with your novel’s sequel! And I can promise you - you’ll be thanking past-you for keeping such good worldbuilding notes in your Series Bible!

If you want to keep your worldbuilding organized and instantly available in your novel writing software interface, then check out World Anvil! We’re recommended by Writer’s Digest, as well as bestselling authors like Brian McClellan, Chris Fox, Jenna Moreci, and literally a million other writers and worldbuilders! You can also pick up a 25% discount with the coupon code NANOWRIMO!

Become the ultimate writer and worldbuilder : NaNoWriMo participants get 25% off World Anvil!

Whatever you’re writing, and whenever you worldbuild, World Anvil will help to develop and organize your characters, plot and world setting, link everything together, and write your novel in our integrated novel writing software!

And right now you can bag 25% off 6 & 12 month memberships of Master Tier and above, using the coupon code NANOWRIMO on checkout!

Janet Forbes (pen name J.D. Blythe) is a published author and the Director of World Anvil, the ultimate worldbuilding and novel writing platform! This award-winning software helps you organize, store and track your worldbuilding as you’re writing your novel. Our novel writing software, accessible from anywhere, integrates stunningly with your worldbuilding. And when it’s time to publish, you can export, or publish directly on the World Anvil platform and monetize YOUR way! Check it out at World Anvil.

#nanowrimo #writing #amwriting #worldbuilding #nano prep #by nano sponsor #janet forbes

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doreamu-san · 3 years

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An analysis of SolKy

Hello! Thank you so much for clicking on this. A while ago, I was asked to do an essay explaining why people ship SolKy other than the whole rivals/opposites attract reason, and I got a lot of feedback stating it was useful for newcomers to the ship! As a result I’ve decided to post this on tumblr, but just on the ship’s tag as to not bother uninterested people.

A couple of disclaimers before I begin. This is firstly just my own opinion, so whilst it makes sense for me, other shippers may disagree with my points. I’m also not claiming they are canon because they are not. But I do hope it’ll give some insight into why some people like me enjoy them together.

Even once you’ve read this essay, you can still dislike SolKy. This isn’t an essay stating you have to ship them.

This will be extremely long as I basically cover every single interaction they’ve ever had with each other since I know some people sort of gloss over their dialogue, so grab yourself a drink, get comfy, and I hope you enjoy reading!

(Last edited: 09/05/2021. This will be updated again when Strive releases!)

How this all began

If we’re starting right at the beginning, it’s common knowledge that Ky and Sol weren’t exactly on great terms and often clashed most of the time due to their conflicting beliefs. Ky saw the world in terms of black and white, and had very strict rules on what constituted as right and wrong. Sol seemed to think differently and went against that, which was a stark contrast compared to the other Order members at the time.

Considering that they were in fact, in the middle of a war, you would think that generally people would be willing to put their differences aside and work together.

But Sol wasn’t like everyone else, going off and doing his own thing instead of actually listening to orders, so it’s understandable why Ky found him rather irritating.

However, Ky did grow curious of Sol. Obviously curiosity does not equate to love, but it is the basis of Ky wanting to become more friendly with and know more about Sol. There seemed to be something that Sol knew but Ky didn’t, but how was that possible..? As a result, despite how infuriating he could be, Ky sought to seek out the truth and so fought him for answers.

In regards to why exactly they fight (aside from the fact that this is a fighting game), Ishiwatari wrote something called ‘Hostility is Akin to Love’ right above a picture of them fighting:

Hostility is akin to love Thinking of your opponent’s actions to fight, Reading your opponent’s inner thoughts to fight, Planning attacks that will hit your opponent to fight, And then transmitting your thoughts with those attacks, The more you think of your own advantage, at the same time you think of your opponent, In the instant you mix with your opponent, a passionate feeling arises, and blood boils, Reality is hurt, and you wound your opponent, Hostility is akin to love. — Guilty Gear Isuka Mook

It states how fighting someone can be close to feelings of love because you have to think about what your opponent is doing, as well as how you’re going to respond to your opponent. Overtime, you start to memorise how your opponent thinks, and as a result you’ll know them on a deeper level.

So considering the above, this explains how even though they weren’t on friendly terms, they still formed a bond with one another.

Now we’ve established how exactly their relationship started, and why Ky was curious about Sol in the first place, let’s look at things from Sol’s perspective.

Sol’s attitude towards Ky

We know that Sol was also pretty annoyed by Ky, which was totally justifiable given the extreme way in which Ky thought the world worked. But Sol didn’t exactly dislike Ky.

In order to provide some evidence that Sol cares about Ky, let’s cover that infamous scene everyone likes to reference which shows Sol crying over Ky’s dead body:

Sol: "I came to pick you up." Ky: "Always coming late... you never could fix that..." Sol: "You..." Ky: "As to be expected... until the very end... I could never beat you..." Sol: "Don't say anything!" Ky: "I have... a request..." Sol: "I said shut up!" Ky: "After Commander Kliff... carry on... the Holy Order..." Sol: "Stop it... that's your job!" Ky: "Please... promise me..." Sol: "Dammit..." Ky: "If it's you... you can do..." Sol: "Hey.... what's wrong. Hey! KYYYYYY!" — Guilty Gear XX Drama CD Side Red, Battle of Rome — Deathmatch

A lot of people bring this quote up when discussing SolKy and yes, it does show Sol cares about Ky considering how Sol never really cares about anyone in general, but the fact that Ky’s death managed to make him emotional shows what an impact Ky had on him. There are however more quotes that show Sol’s feelings.

There’s this scene in the GG Xtra manga, Ky and Sol get attacked by a mountain-sized gear. In order to save them, Sol rips off his limiter and Dragon Installs. This scene is very poignant when you take into consideration what Sol said in After Story A:

Sol: "Back during the Crusades, before we met... Kliff told me this rumour about a prodigy swordsman." Sol: "If you couldn't guess, that was you. I didn't give a shit at the time..." Sol: "But then I saw you on the battlefield." Sol: "I saw someone out there who surpassed all of my expectations. Or perhaps I should say 'something.'" Sol: "No openings, no wasted movements, no carelessness, no hesitation, no embarrassment, not even any honor. No chivalry or mercy. A being unaffected by emotion." Sol: "You were a killing machine. Taking down gears with brutal efficiency." Ky: "...That was a long time ago." Sol: "I'm not done talking. I've seen the face of the 'serious' Ky." Sol: "Then one day, you challenged me." Sol: "You wanna know what I thought right then?" Ky: "..." Sol: "I was afraid. Hell, I was scared shitless." Sol: "'He figured out that I'm a Gear, and he's come to kill me.' That's what I thought." — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, After Story A

Sol admits that he knows just how scary Ky can be. Since Ky was extremely against Gears, if Ky found out that Sol was a Gear, then Ky would have most likely attempted to kill him. But Sol knew this and was willing to die for Ky’s sake, and transformed anyway:

Ky: "Sol..." Ky: (Really... that's really..) Ky: (That's really you!?) Ky: "SOL!" Sol: "Shut it..." Sol: "I didn't do it..." Sol: "To help you out—...." — Guilty Gear Xtra, Chapter 5: Unspeakable Thoughts

Going off on a bit of a tangent from Sol’s feelings, but I just want to point out Ky’s state of mind at this point. Ky in this time period was still very anti-Gear, as it was only through this moment and his encounters with Solaria and Dizzy later that made him change his way of thinking. It took a long time for Ky to accept Gears, and he still had the remains of that mindset in him when he had Sin, as he refused to make eye contact with him because Ky was ashamed of having a Gear child. So the fact that Ky knew Sol was a Gear, believed all Gears were evil, but still decided to accept Sol into his life and wanted to support him regardless of that, is interesting.

Back to Sol, another small quote that manages to show Sol’s feelings towards Ky is this:

Sol: (Maybe I'll finish them off while I'm at it...) Sol: (But that would mean breaking my promise to Ky...) — Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, Sol Badguy Path 2

Now, Sol doesn’t care about 99% of what other people do as long as they don’t get in his way. The fact that he intends to keep his promise with Ky suggests that he holds Ky in somewhat ‘high’ regards compared to others.

There’s also this quote that shows Sol is thinking about Ky in Overture:

The frustrations of the man wielding a giant sword were piling day by day, and a familiar face appeared in his head. What’s he up to right now? “Hmph, whatever…” With a feeling of self-contempt, Sol Badguy shook his head. What am I getting sentimental for? — Guilty Gear 2: Overture, #0 “Noise”

And when Sol encounters Raven later on after seeing Ky incapacitated, Raven points out how he can tell Sol is upset, meaning Sol’s not really doing a good job of pretending he’s still indifferent to Ky.

Raven: "You're as ruthless as ever, huh, monster?" Sol: "Look who's talking." Raven: "Can you not put down your sword and talk? I understand you're upset with Ky Kiske defeated." Sol: "I'll ask your corpse for answers." — Guilty Gear 2: Overture, #5 "Gaze of the Chronicle"

Sol’s thoughts about Ky become even clearer during his confrontation with Sin when he’s under the influence of Valentine, where Sol defends Ky’s actions and tries to make Sin understand Ky is not 100% at fault:

Sin: "Can you see it? Can you feel it? This is my real power. This is my mother's strength." Sol: "But it's light. It must be from your father." Sin: "Shut up! Don't ever mention him!" Sin: "He abandoned my mother and me using justice as an excuse!" Sin: "Who cares about the King!? Who cares about the people!? That man, and that Kingdom, not one of them can protect a damn thing!" Sol: "I don't give a damn about your family." Sol: "But you know what, Ky may be a stubborn idiot, but at least he's true to his beliefs." Sol: "A punk like you is still alive thanks to his justice." — Guilty Gear 2: Overture, #15 "Roaring Compass"

Okay, that’s the pre-Xrd era for Sol done, now to focus on Ky’s pre-Xrd’s emotions.

Ky’s attitude towards Sol

We’ve established earlier that Ky was annoyed by Sol and disliked him in the Crusades. However, afterwards it seems as if Ky saw himself as friends with Sol:

Ofc1: "All of them seem to have been destroyed by... fire?" Ofc2: "Yeah... why could that be?" Ky: "........" Ky: "Change our course!" Ky: "Head towards the Eastern United States!" Ofc1: "May I ask why, Chief Ky?" Ky: "To meet an old friend." — Guilty Gear Xtra, Chapter 4: Former Friends

We know that Ky outwardly expressed his first signs of liking Sol when Sol stole the Fuuenken and Ky chased after him, only for Sol to win in their duel, and Ky says this:

Ky: "Promise me one thing..." Sol: "..What?" Ky: "We'll meet again." Sol: "Hmph... Well, if fate brings us together..." Ky: "..That's fine." — Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, Sol Badguy Path 1

It’s pretty interesting that Ky wanted to see Sol again despite how Sol never used to listen to his orders, and how Sol never even tried to act like what the Order expected their men to act like (chivalrous, putting the people first, etc). It at least shows us that Ky saw possibly the potential of becoming friends with Sol. And Sol didn’t even say straight up ‘no’ or ‘in your dreams’ or whatever Badguy-esque notion he usually would’ve done, so we can assume he doesn’t mind seeing Ky again either.

Then they don’t speak to each other properly for 5 years until the tournament that Testament holds, though they have probably ran into each other a few times within those years.

A common misconception people have is that during those 5 years, Ky was obsessed with Sol and would constantly try to find him. Obviously, this is not true. Ky was busy with IPF stuff and Sol was hunting Gears down.

However, it’s not as if Ky completely forgot about Sol — he was just probably at the back of his mind, and Ky does admit that he has been chasing after Sol the most more than anyone else:

Ky: (Waiting outside for me when I left the ship... burning red flames. Soon, they seem to take the shape of a man... and he appears before me. Yes... it's him. The one I've been after the most... it's him.) — Guilty Gear X Drama CD, Vol. 1: Track Seven — Crater

There’s also these two other quotes:

Ky: (Sol...) Ky: (Why are you so stubborn about doing things alone?) — Guilty Gear Xtra, Chapter 5: Unspeakable Thoughts

You can interpret this in two ways: either Ky wants to help Sol out and/or he’s curious as to why Sol always does stuff alone.

And then there’s this:

Ky: "Maintaining peace, law, and order. That is my duty." Sol: "Whatever..." Ky: "You and I, we are cut from the same cloth." Ky: "How long are you going to keep that facade?" Sol: "..." Ky: "Answer me Sol!" — Guilty Gear Judgment, Sol and Ky Ending

Being ‘cut from the same cloth’ is quite a strong statement. The phrase means that Ky thought he and Sol were similar somehow, and that he shared something with Sol. Regardless, the ‘how long are you going to keep that facade’ at least shows that Ky knows Sol is intentionally acting distant/rough/etc. and that its not actually who he is.

Jumping to pre-Overture, just before Ky gives Sin to Sol, Ky is in a really depressive state due to all of the stress he’s been going through. This leads Dizzy to contact Sol. The fact that Sol is called means that Dizzy knows that Sol is possibly the only person who can help Ky at that point, which puts some emphasis on just how much Sol means to Ky or at least affects him.

Before I move onto Xrd, there’s this part where Ky gives his son to Sol. This proves he trusts Sol so much considering he was asking him to take care of Sin for a long period of time.

Ky: “Sol....I want to request something...” Sol: “...hnn?” Ky: “My son....Sin..can you take care of him for a while?” Sol: “...what did you say?” Ky: “I know it’s unreasonable but...I still want to ask...” — GG2: Overture Story, Sol's Story

The Xrd era (because it is so long, it needs its own section)

The Xrd era is extremely interesting to me, because Sol and Ky have some more in-depth conversations, and boy, do they have a lot of conversations.

Focusing on Sol first, theres a scene in REV where Sol asks Ky why he isn’t interested in his past:

Sol: "Why don't you ask me already?" Ky: "Ask you what?" Sol: "About my past." Ky: "I can ask you?" Sol: "I guarantee, it won't be interesting." Sol: "Every other word that came out of your mouth was 'Duel me,' or 'I challenge you!' You were so eager to fight and..." Ky: "........" — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Story Mode: Chapter 03, Sense A

Given that Ky was constantly pestering Sol about his background in the past, it makes sense why Sol is suddenly a bit confused about Ky’s sudden change in behaviour. But it also shows that Sol wants Ky to know about his past. After ~170+ years of being alive, Sol wants to finally open up to someone again, and he specifically chose Ky for this. It shows in the very least Sol trusts Ky and knows him well enough to decide to let him know about who he used to be.

And then Ky says this, which is basically him just showing Sol how much he cares and understands him:

Ky: "Sol. Of course I have an interest in your past." Ky: "But wanting to understand someone and trying to understand everything is completely different." Ky: "Right now, Sol Badguy's future matters much more to me, than Frederick's past." — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Story Mode: Chapter 03, Sense A

There’s also this scene in SIGN:

Ky: "I don't know your history." Ky: "I don't know if you had friends once, or if you fell in love, or why you burn with such hatred for That Man and the Gears..." Ky: "I don't even know your real name." Sol: "..." Ky: "But I do know a great deal about a man named Sol Badguy." Ky: "Blinded by vengeance, he lost sight of himself, and now he runs from the truth that frightens him." Sol: "...Say that again." Ky: "Tomorrow always comes, Sol." Sol: "..!" Ky: "If tomorrow promises to be cold and dark, I cannot stand idly by... even if I know my efforts will come to nothing." Sol: "... The self-righteous apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Ky: "I don't expect the world to change tomorrow, but I do hope that, today, perhaps my words will reach you." Ky: "Sol..." Ky: "I'll be waiting for you. We'll all be waiting for you. Sin, Dizzy..." Ky: "Once all this is over... come home." — Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Story Mode: Chapter 04, Kaleidoscope B

Three things to take away from this:

Ky admits that he doesn’t know anything about Sol’s background, but that he knows a lot about the current Sol, and then goes on to explain how Sol acts. Which to expand on, means that although Ky used to care about Sol’s past, he doesn’t really mind about it anymore because Sol’s past won’t really change much who Sol is to Ky now. Also, the part where Ky explains how Sol was ‘blinded by vengeance,’etc. shows that Ky knows Sol’s current personality well enough in order to be able to distinguish his behaviours. Which is interesting because nobody has been around Sol long enough to be able to know him really well unlike Ky (Aria and Asuka count too, but they were around Sol when he was Frederick, and Sol seems pretty adamant on the idea that he’s a separate person from Frederick.)

‘Come home’ is pretty significant, as it implies that it’s almost like Ky is saying home is with Sin, Dizzy and the Valentines, and so when Sol is done getting revenge on That Man, instead of letting Sol just wander off alone, Ky wants Sol to be a family with them.

The fact that says Ky says ‘I’ll be waiting for you’ separate from ‘we’ll all be waiting for you’ implies that either Ky’s want to wait for Sol is somehow different from everyone else’s or it’s just for the sake of being dramatic. I interpreted this in both ways, as it seems like Ky knows that Sol treats him differently compared to others. So in a sense, by Ky emphasising that he’ll be waiting for Sol, it might make Sol more likely to ‘come home’.

There’s also a scene that shows Ky knows Sol’s personality well:

Ky: "When I look at you, Sol, I see a man who is afraid." Sol: "... What?" Ky: "It became clear when I watched you caring for Sin." Ky: "You work very hard to keep everyone at arm's length." Sol: "..." Sol: "I got Gear blood in my veins, and it ain't friendly. It's always there in the back of my head, whispering that I oughta just destroy all of this." Sol: "The only way I'm gonna get some closure is tracking down That Man and beating some answers out of him." Sol: "And if he doesn't have 'em..." Sol: "Then maybe there really isn't a good way to live." Ky: "That's why you close your heart off." — Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Story Mode: Chapter 08, Hope A

There’s also this:

Ky: "Not all people have the strength to stand on their own." Sol: "..." Ky: "If only life were simple, and the right path was laid out before each of us..." Ky: "But even then some would leave it, and some would struggle with walking it. Such is human nature..." Ky: "The truth is that no path will ever be 'right' for all people. Each of us must find the one we are meant to walk--and sometimes that is where none exists." Ky: "That is what I learned from you." — Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Story Mode: Chapter 08, Hope A

This just shows that Ky actually learnt something from Sol. Which I think is important because Ky is someone who always used to be very strict to his ideals. The fact that he learnt something from Sol that had an impact on his mindset means that Sol actually managed to have a great impact on Ky.

There’s this scene where Sol finds out that Aria isn’t dead when he confronts That Man, and he has somewhat of a mini mental breakdown. So Ky excuses them from the room, and goes outside to talk with Sol:

Ky: "Sol. The grudge you hold is certainly not something that can be taken lightly. And, whatever answer you think you've found, I doubt any of us will be able to stop you from seeing it through..." Ky: "But we have very little time left. Right now, we need the Gear Maker's help." Ky: "So, I'm begging you... Just for now. Why don't you stay outside with me." — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Story Mode: Chapter 06, Cause A

The last line that Ky says is interesting because it’s obvious that he’s just trying to calm Sol down, and Ky thinks that if he stays with Sol outside for a bit, he’ll be able to help him calm down. Furthermore, Ky thought it was more necessary to pause everything and help Sol out rather than keep listening to the plans of what their next course of action would be.

Ky does have the habit of comforting Sol. One of the more significant moments is whenever Sol refers to himself as a monster:

Ky: "Yes, he took away some of what makes you human, but that doesn't mean he altered your mind or your soul." Sol: "So what?" Ky: "I want to believe that you'll fight for the people of this world." Sol: "Are we seriously having this conversation?" Sol: "Look, kid. I'm a monster. I'm here to do two things: Destroy That Man, and kill all the other Gears." — Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Story Mode: Chapter 04, Kaleidoscope B

To expand a little on Sol’s mindset, it’s common knowledge that Gears were generally in the past regarded as akin to monsters. Now we don’t have any solid proof Sol is referring to himself as a monster because he’s a Gear, or because he feels guilt about the whole Gear Project, etc. But we do know it’s something he’s affected by given that he constantly refers to himself as one.

So the fact that Ky constantly reassures him that he’s not one, and that Ky didn’t treat him differently after finding out he was a Gear, must be comforting to know.

Then at the end of REV, there’s the scene where Daryl is about to shoot Sol, because he (quite rightly) doesn’t trust the fate of the world to be left to Sol. And so, the kids get beamed up, but Ky asks to be left behind:

Ky: "But, if you plan on targeting Sol, then you must leave me behind, as well." Daryl: "What!?" Zappa:"60 seconds until impact..!" Sol: "What the hell are you doing?! Stay with Sin!" Ky: "I am well aware that this is a one in a million chance..." Ky: "But, if I survive at the expense of my dear friend, then there is little reason left for my ruling this world as king." — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Story Mode: Final Chapter, Fireworks

This was a really odd moment because Ky’s life was never in danger at that moment. If he had been sent on board Daryl’s ship as originally planned, he would have been safe. But Ky intentionally chose to risk his life, and its kind of startling because Ky has always put his people above everything. There were times when he put the people above his own family, like when he kept his family a secret instead of coming out with the truth about them in order to remain as King to protect his people.

So Ky suddenly going ‘I would rather die with Sol than take care of my people’ is really extreme. Also Ky was willing to leave his family behind, which is even more extreme. So this just really proves how highly Ky regards Sol considering how he would rather die with him than live without him.

Some concluding notes

I think Sol and Ky’s personalities do work really well. Perhaps not in the Crusade era, but if we take a look at the Xrd era, they have shown to get along and have deep conversations with one another that they both enjoy. They know each other extremely well; they know how to support one another when life gets a bit too much and they’re also capable of telling one another when the other is wrong.

Sol teaches Ky that life isn’t as simple as it seems, and that (figuratively speaking) he shouldn’t stick exactly to the textbook. He’s able to see under that perfect image Ky puts up about him being able to cope with everything, acting as a source of stability when you consider how Sol has been the only person who’s been around Ky since the very beginning.

Throughout all of Ky’s life, he’s been under so much pressure. From being Commander in the Crusades, to becoming the Head of the International Police Force, to becoming King. In every situation, people are constantly relying on him, and his environment is changing rapidly. But despite everything, Sol has always remained the same. He looks the same, acts the same, etc. Ky can rely on Sol and trust Sol. He’s like a source of stability for Ky in those hectic times.

And Ky provides something similar to Sol too, given how often he ran into Sol time and time again. When you’ve been alive for so long, it’d feel reassuring in the very least to see a familiar face. And Sol does seem to get less annoyed each time they meet each other again, considering like how in Overture he voluntarily went to go see Ky after seeing himself on a wanted poster.

Ky also gives Sol the chance to open up to people again and form connections with them, something that Sol has been reluctant to do. Sol needs someone to care about him, and Ky proves that by constantly reassuring him and never giving up on trying to help Sol, even though he kept getting pushed away.

They may not be canon but I really do love how they work together. Yes it’s true some people may like them because they are ‘rivals’and seeing rivals get together and bicker is great, but actually I think when people focus more on how much they support and rely on each other, as well as the fact that they do get along, them being in a relationship is more convincing.

Whilst this essay focused on their canon interactions, there’s plenty of other great material out there. For instance, the Guilty Gear 4KomaKINGS manga provides plenty of great SolKy interactions (like the time Ky wanted to have a friendship diary with Sol, only to get rejected and start crying about it. Of course, take these interactions with a pinch of skepticism considering the frivolity of the source material.)

And that, was my very long SolKy essay. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading! Though you may not have agreed with everything I have said, you still continued reading, and I am grateful for that. Thank you for showing such enthusiasm and loving this franchise.

#solky

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muqiing · 3 years

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#showyourprocess

From planning to posting, share your process for making creative content!

To continue supporting content makers, this tag game is meant to show the entire process of making creative content: this can be for any creation.

RULES — When your work is tagged, show the process of its creation from planning to posting, then tag 5 people with a specific link to one of their creative works you’d like to see the process of. Use the tag #showyourprocess so we can find yours!

Thank you so much for tagging me @lan-xichens, I’ll try my best to explain how I made this set from start to finish hehe ♡ and also a big thank you to @suibianjie @highwarlockkareena @nyx4 @aheartfullofjolllly and you as well Kris for putting this all together! Content creators get a lot less recognition than they deserve for all the time they put into their content, so getting everyone to see the (sometimes excessive) process we all go through to put our content in our blog, I hope it creates a positive change!! 💖

1. Planning

The set in question was actually requested by someone so they could celebrate their friend’s birthday! At first I wasn’t entirely sure if I was going to be able to finish it on time (college is very hectic right now) but I was able to finish it three days before the deadline which was may 1st! ^-^

The first thing I did was decide what characters I wanted to use in the set, I first reached out to the person who requested the set if there were certain characters they wanted me to use but they said they didn’t know enough to really give me any directives outside of the quote. I decided, since the quote is applicable to the entirety of the show, that I would try to put in as many characters as possible.

Thus, of course, came the hunting for scenes. Those of you in the net discord surely know I came into the content help channel a few times to ask for certain scenes here and there, and eventually I had to download an additional 10 episodes to the back then 20 or so episodes I had in my CQL episodes folder.

As you can see I have 30 random episodes of CQL downloaded (slowly but surely getting to the point where I have all 50 episodes downloaded) and I think I ended up using scenes out of at least 20 of those episodes.

I planned out beforehand what characters I would use per gif. I knew obviously I would start out with Wangxian, them being the main characters of the show, and then would work my way down the list. The second gif consists of Nie Huaisang, Nie Mingjue, Jin Zixuan, Jiang Yanli, Wen Qing, and Wen Ning. They’re all family pairings, two being siblings and one being a married couple. The next gifset consists of the Yi City characters, then the fourth gif consists of the juniors, and the final gif has Jin Guangyao, Mianmian, Jiang Cheng, and Lan Xichen in it.

I have to admit though that when I had made the first four gifs I’d forgotten who I would put in the last gif and the when I thought about it the first time around I could only think of Lan Qiren and the very cursed Yaoyang ship 😭 it was only at dinner time that same day that I remembered I hadn’t put Jiang Cheng in my gifset yet and that’s when I thought of the other characters as well.

I had already made my first two gifs when I went to check Hanyi’s blog for layout inspo and eventually I decided I wanted to try a triangle-ish layout, which I doodled below. I eventually ended up changing the layout of the last gif in the final design. It was also the first time I would work with a triangle-ish layout so I was a bit nervous as I was scared it wasn’t going to work out...

2. Creating

I use Avisynth 2.5 and Adobe Photoshop 2021 (the paid version, unfortunately, I need it for school except I didn’t need it this year but I wanted it so I paid for it with my own money ouch) to make my gifsets! I always start out with trimming down all the scenes I’m going to use into three to five second videos and putting them through Avisynth. This time around I did it separately for each gif I made, simply because I needed so many scenes. I would include a screenshot of my “gif vids” and “temp” folders but I’ve already deleted all the videos, which is what I usually do immediately after a set is posted.

I’ll try my best explaining this gif by gif since each one had a different layout!

2.1 Wangxian

I think I had up to five different designs of this gif 😭 it started out with the gif on the left originally being more centered and the quote right smack in the center but somehow it felt a bit too... empty? I changed up the design and pulled the gif over to the right and put the two closeups on the left, the exact opposite of the gif I eventually ended up with. I switched things around one more time and saved the gif as you can see it right now, except I didn’t include the lines yet. It was only as I finished up my fourth gif that I decided this gif needed lines as well so I added them ^-^

2.2 Nie Huaisang, Nie Mingjue, Jin Zixuan, Jiang Yanli, Wen Qing, and Wen Ning

I got the inspiration for the font layout on this gif from this Wenzhou post! I hadn’t tried it before and when I did for this gif I was very happy with the way it turned out :D I wanted to portray that life is a pile of good and bad things, as the quote says, in CQL by mirroring these happy scenes side by side with the sad scenes

2.3 Yi CIty

My first time working with the triangle layout!! Putting in the lines and making sure they would line up with the second gif took me the longest of all actually 😭 I think once I got the line on the left in I just copy pasted it and flipped it horizontally so I didn’t have to fiddle around with angling it anymore :’) my original idea was to get a happy Song Lan scene and a sad A-Qing scene, but when I stumbled upon this A-Qing scene in ep38 I just had to put it in there because her smile is so precious 🥺 Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen in the center are also supposed to be mirrored, with Xue Yang embodying the “bad things” and Xiao Xingchen the “good things” ! I also think the Yi City characters fit this part of the quote very well!!

2.4 The Juniors

Ah yes, the junior quartet!! :D I had this planned out from the very beginning, that I would include happy versus sad juniors in the “vice versa” part of the quote, and I think it worked out quite well! My first idea was to put the “vice versa” completely in the special font and have it typed out over the gifs like I did with the “vice” but as I typed out the “versa” I realized it had one letter too much to be able to do that 😭😭 it took me a while to come up with how I would position the “but” and “versa” and after some moving around I decided to just place them the way I did in the final gif! For the font, I duplicated the “vice” and added a stroke to the duplicate, then I changed the fill setting to 0% so I could slightly drag the duplicate away from the original layer to create the effect that’s in the gif — also, finding a scene in which Jin Ling smiles is really difficult.... he barely even smiles in the scene I ended up using :(

2.5 Jin Guangyao, Mianmian, Jiang Cheng, and Lan Xichen

The final gif!! I feel like this might come a little across as “I promise I didn’t forget these characters” because they’re a very odd quadruplet to put together, but they were the most important characters left to put in the set! I was thinking of putting Nie Mingjue in here together with Jin Guangyao and Lan Xichen, but I did feel he fit more with his brother up in the second gif. Mei @mylastbraincql cheered me on making this gif for which I was very grateful :D <3 the layout came to be after I googled “how to evenly split a rectangle in four” because I didn’t want a repeat layout in the set (*/∇＼*)

2.6 Coloring

For the coloring I pretty much did all of the tweaking on the first gif and then copy pasted all of it onto the second, third, fourth, and fifth gif. This is usually the way I go about my coloring, I will always edit certain gifs if necessary but I don’t think I had to change the coloring much on any of these gifs? Maybe I added in a curve layer here and there, but nothing major! This is really one of my preferred coloring styles, even though I try to step outside of my comfort zones with other sets ^-^

3. Posting

I will always upload sets into my drafts and edit the caption in there as well, clicking on “preview post” a couple times to check everything looks good on my blog as well, before I post a set. However, this time, since there was a deadline and I finished before the deadline, I put this set in the queue so it would automatically post on the 1st of may! Knowing myself, I would’ve forgotten to do so </3

Whew that was... a lot 😭 did it make any sense? Probably not, but it was fun to ramble （ ´∀｀）

I’ll tag

@blinkplnk with this set !

@wuxien with this set !

@wendashanren with this set !

@wanyinxichen with this set !

@yibobibo with this set !

@mylastbraincql with this set !

@sugarbabywenkexing with this set !

@yiling-recesses with this set !

@jiancheng with this set !

Please feel totally free to ignore this if you’ve already been tagged and don’t want to do it again!! <3

#showyourprocess #tag game #this got so long i'm sorry ;-;#very curious to see everyone else's processes!!#thank you for the tag kris <3

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goddamnalientourists · 4 years

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Random bits of Lorien Legacies fandom history I remember:

- Everyone thinking Five was going to be a girl before The Fall of Five came out and people living their truth writing all those self inserts and oc girl fives who always ended up smooching Nine (who didn't love a good self insert?)

- all those anti Five memes after TFOF which were like "i am number four fans counting to ten 1 2 3 4 not you 6 7 8 9 10"

- that facebook game about mark james that may or may not have been a fever dream

- everyone calling setrakus ra mousetraps for some reason. I don't remember why.

- the fandom making Eight's sole character trait pizza because he referenced it one time. Also whitewashing him with Robert Sheehan edits.

- that time I was really into crack ships and someone took one look at a Nine/Marina fic I wrote bluescreened and did a whole essay on how ridiculous ships made them quit the fandom and everyone called them out on it

- Sam/Six ship being named Stormchaser

- When John/Six/Sam love triangle was going on and everyone went out of their way to hate on Sarah (and also that time everyone thought she was a traitor?? I forgot how that worked out my brain is telling me Setrakus shapeshifted into her but i haven't read it for ages so idk)

- the iconic fic I read once where the fic author didn't like Sarah so they included a scene where her head exploded and she was secretly a robot the whole time to get her out of the picture go bold or go home

- the time everyone started liking Sarah and making critiques of John's character and the series shitty writing #SarahHartDeservedBetter

- the time @officialpittacuslore rocked up, pointed at John and Nine and said "yes, I'll have some more of whatever those two have going on", dug a pit, labelled it 'Stohn' and everyone jumped in overnight (gay alien pit throwback uwu)

- astohnymous sending everyone in the fandom incorrect quotes on anon

- Six/Marina rising in popularity. Sirina supremacy. There is no heterosexual explanation for dreaming about seeing a girl on the beach that's soulmate energy right there.

- sandor/devektra/crayton/lexa fics and edits were a big thing for a while and devektra was always taylor swift

- the period before the revenge of seven was released where there was a countdown centred around celebration of fan content creation where everyone wrote fics and did art and edits for a certain theme!

- the time I got so annoyed by this random guy named Devdan just disappearing and never being mentioned again I made a whole detailed theory involving alternate timelines to make it so Devdan is Eight from a bad!future. I still think this is a cool theory and better than the actual explanation, bad and lazy writing.

- one time I ran a secret santa for the fandom and legend says I still haven't removed the page from my blog because I just forgot to for years. Literally. It's still on my blog. Wth?? Shameful 😔 my blog is terrible but what do you expect i dont get paid

- the shittacuslore and setracrapra RP blogs

- also I have a Malcolm roleplay sideblog I hardly ever used don't know if that counts as a significant moment of fandom history but I just find it funny how out of all characters I could have RPd I chose him. Could have picked a character with cool powers and telekinesis but I pointed at the local traumatised amnesia dad and was like "yes, I will be him", made 3 posts and never used it again.

- I've been an Adam stan since I first joined this fandom and the first thing I contributed to this fandom was a coloured pencil drawing of One wjth a surfboard, and it's been glorious watching Adam rise from 'character people are vaguely aware of but most haven't read the side-stories so they don't know about him to care enough' to 'fan favourite who deserves everything in the world and also look at him he's depressed and queer' (no I am not projecting ok maybe i am but can you blame me) anyway shoutout to Knave for all the Adam content over the years it feeds me

- The time people were coming up with shipnames for fun and I said Kevy for Kelly/Five and everyone rolled with it but it was actually a typo the whole time and doesn't even make sense when you look at it but it was too late to go back no i don't remember why we were discussing shipping kelly/five

- That solid week and a half everyone aggressively shipped Malcolm and Henri

- when legacies reborn came out and there was a resurgence of energy and theories around all the new characters

Anyway I joined the tumblr fandom ~2013 but I've been in this fandom since 2011, before The Rise of Nine was even released. Also what the actual bleeping heck it is 2021 and 2011 was TEN YEARS AGO?? A WHOLE DECADE????? Help

#lorien legacies #i felt like i had to make this for important historical record #also for fun :)#i've been in this fandom a decade hoo boi I'M OLD

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just-the-hiddles · 4 years

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Writer’s Spotlight | Nildespirandum

This week I am spotlighting one of my favorite writers, @nildespirandum! She is the Adam writer that made me both scared and brave enough to write Adam myself. She is the weaver of worlds, the creator of characters so real you think they are sitting next to you. Smart, funny, and an amazing writer!

Catch all of Nildespirandum’s stories here.

What other names do you want people to call you?

I use Misreall on AO3.

How long have you been writing fic?

I am on this current round for about four years, but I did write before though that was a decade ago.

What fandoms and/or ships do you write?

Tom Hiddleston characters, though not RPF. Primarily Loki, but I have written for Thomas Sharpe, Adam from Only Lovers Left Alive, and Conrad from Kong: Skull Island. For all of them I have written OFCs.

How did you get started writing fic?

I had ideas for a fics for a while, but it wasn't until I started commenting and then talking to @caffiend-queen that I decided it was time to do something about it.

Story Recommendations

Which of your stories are your favorite?

I hate this question, but if I had to pick it would be the cycle of stories called Loki and Nora's Infinity Stone Playlist, both because it is my first, and because I think the relationship between the characters - not just Loki and Nora, but the cast that has build up around them - allows me to tell so many tales.

Which story are you most proud of?

Either Perfection - my Crimson Peak AU, or Reigning in Hel - A JotunLoki series.

Which of your stories do you think is the most underrated?

Probably At Hel's Edge, which is a historical mash-up of MCU Loki, with MythLoki. The people who read it loved, it but it never found much of an audience. Possibly because of the style I wrote it in, or maybe because the MCULoki character was a bit abstract from his origin. But I am very, very lucky that it is getting a second life as a Webtoon drawn by @rauko-art, who is incredibly gifted and has worked so hard to make something really beautiful.

Someone is new to reading your stories, which story/stories should they read first?

For Loki, the Infinity Stone Playlist. Otherwise, maybe Perfection.

Which story did you do the most research for?

Perfection. I can tell you how much a yard of silk cost in 1910, both in England and the US.

Which story was the easiest to write?

Probably my Incubus Loki first series. It was so over the top and goofy that it was effortless. Rapacity - my vampire Loki story - is also quite easy. There may be a trend here.

The Writing Process

What is your favorite part of writing?

To quote Dorothy Parker, "I hate writing, but I love having written." With that said, I love the moment when I am lost in the process, and the characters are narrating and I am taking dictation.

What is your least favorite part?

Editing, which is probably why I hardly ever do it. That said, I am fine editing other people's work.

Describe your style in 1 to 2 sentences.

Breezily conversational when it isn't breaking your heart.

Who are some of your writing idols and/or influences?

I don't have time, and you certainly wouldn't have the patience, for my full list but a few key choices are Jane Austen, Anthony Bourdain, Ian Shoales, Alexander Dumas, the Brothers Grimm, Neil Gaiman, Louisa May Alcott, Balzac, Mary Roach, Bebe Moore Campbell, Douglas Adams. But all of that said it was probably Howard Pyle, the D'aulaires, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Winifred Madison, and Ruth Chew whose books I read over and over to the point of them falling apart are probably the writers who made me, not only on the page, but in life.

What programs do you use to write and/or edit?

I do all of my writing and editing in Google docs. I'm a Luddite at heart.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

A pantser. I might have some of a story in mind when I start, but usually I start with an image and let fly. The entirety of my Bottom of the Hourglass story came from my seeing a folded bookcase leaning against a basement door.

Do you write RPF or not?

Years ago I wrote an RPF as a gift for a friend. For the future, I never say never.

Who is your favorite character to write and why?

Loki. Loki is the gift that keeps on giving. While I could flippantly say that all of that emotional and mental trauma is fic writer catnip - and I wouldn't be lying - there is so much more. He is a character of such wit and imagination, powerful, funny, wise, and a complete idiot. The Trickster is such brilliant architype, playing both sides of the fence, fooling and being fooled, capable of great good and true evil. He is vastly entertaining, and achingly sympathetic. I can go on, but I will spare you.

What do you think are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, for one. I am proud that if you read the dialogue alone from my stories you can tell who each character is, that they all have a distinct voice.

What do you struggle with?

Plot. I get so very bored with plot.

Favorite Trope?

That's like being asked to pick a favorite anything, I can't do it. Ok, fine, enemies to lovers.

Favorite word to use?

Delightful. Or Really.

What is the best piece of writing advice you have heard?

Make time for your writing. Even when you think you can't.

What would you say to a new fanfic writer starting out?

Don't be afraid, don't shrink and hide and diminish yourself, you have to be your own first, best audience. Also, always remember, art doesn't apologize and neither should you, as long as you feel you have given the best you can at any given time - which will not always be the same, EVERYONE has off days - then be proud of having written, of having added to the world.

What is a random bit of research you have not managed to work into a fic yet?

I did so much research on boats and ship to ship combat for my pirate story that I will never use all of it. Generally I am pretty efficient with my research, mostly because I already have a brainful of useless knowledge that I am still trying to make pay off.

What is your favorite random detail from one of your stories?

I love that in the later Infinity Stone Playlist stories Loki's various lounging robes have magical pockets that always produce cookies.

Any goals or WIPs you want to share?

I am determined to finish both The Frost Queen and The Tales of the Golden Horn this spring, and I have decided I am going to commit to the sequel to Perfection about Thomas and Alice's grandson that I have had in mind since I finished their story.

This or That

Fluff AND Angst

Smut AND Fluff

Reader or OC

One shot or Series

Canon Divergent AND AU

Coffee or Tea

Sweet or Savory

Anything else you want to say or share?

There is a tendency in fandom these days to see things that do not have a moral dimension as being good or bad, to only look at the most extreme edges of things and pass judgement on the whole. Life is hard enough, let people enjoy things.

Until next week!

#writer's spotlight #nildespirandum #loki #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #olla fanfiction #olla fanfic #loki x ofc #adam x ofc #crimson peak #writer's interview #writing advice #fanfiction writing

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whatiwillsay · 4 years

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off topic - let’s talk about gaylena 👀

selena gomez is one of taylor’s oldest and bestest friends and given that she is in the 22 liner notes, a huge part of taylor’s life, and maybe fruity herself it seems like possibly we don’t talk about her here at the blog enough!

i don’t want to do a timeline of selena and taylor’s friendship - you can read more about that here, but they met back in the day when they were both dating jonas brothers and to me this idea of finding a real friendship in the midst of these contrived promances is pretty adorable.

ofc most of y’all think taylor is a fruit basket but i think there’s a good chance that selena is too! i’m not saying she is for sure but y’all know me. i’’m here to make a compelling case that everyone and their dog is gay so let’s gooooo!

Part I - At least one fake rs!

Selena “dated” Taylor Lautner in 2009 and he’s definitely gay. Of course, that doesn’t mean she is, it could just be PR, but y’all know I gotta note everything! We stan our fruity bffs dating the same gays 😍

Part II - Selena x cara delevingne

i feel like there’s a chance they met through taylor but everyone in that squad adjacent circle knows one another. cara dated michelle rodriguez for the first half of 2014 and then got with annie clark in March 2015 but it feels like it’s possible something has gone on between her and Selena from summer 2014 - early 2015? ...maybe something casual on and off a bit?

August 2014 - Steamy pics surface in Saint-Tropez, France

Selena and and a freshly single Cara vacation together in part to celebrate Selena’s 22nd birthday.

They party together and look cozy!

Pictures such as this surface and spark rumors around the two:

Selena apparently loves the rumors and gushes about being shipped with Cara.

Quote:

You say Selena drag queens were the true measure of success for you. But isn’t it true that you’re not truly famous until you’ve been the subject of a gay rumor? And last year, the tabloids had a field day with photos of you and Cara Delevingne. I’ve made it!

How did you react to those rumors? Honestly, I loved it. I didn’t mind it. Especially because they weren’t talking about other people in my life for once, which was wonderful. Honestly, though, she’s incredible and very open and she just makes me open. She’s so fun and she’s just extremely adventurous, and sometimes I just want that in my life, so I didn’t mind it. I loved it.

Notice she doesn’t deny them? Now of course she could just be being cool, if she freaked out about it that might be even weirder but hey, it’s still kind of interesting.

Then she admits to questioning her sexuality???

Have you ever questioned your sexuality? Oh, I think everybody does, no matter who they are. I do, yeah, of course. Absolutely. I think it’s healthy to gain a perspective on who you are deep down, question yourself and challenge yourself; it’s important to do that.

(Selena btw, this is cool and all, but not everybody questions their sexuality, maybe you’re just gay 👀)

November 1 - LACMA Art + Film Gala

they even left the event together 👀

and they hung out earlier that day as well:

They were seen the next day partying for Kendall Jenner’s bday singing to her:

a few weeks later Cara tweets Selena’s lyrics!

In December 2014 they are travelling together in texas:

in january 2015 they get cozy at the golden globes together!

and they leave together again:

January 19th/20th a bunch of gay nonsense happens

They post this gay shit with matching shoes and linked fingers:

then they say this to one another:

Enty says they were hooking up!

then we don’t get any more content that i can find for about six months! perhaps they had a fling from summer 2014-jan 2015 and then it ends, Cara gets with Annie in March? Then after half a year apart Selena and Cara resume a friendly relationship? Perhaps! Selena is seen with Justin a bit off and on during this time but this was in their Style/Heat Death Era imo (tbh i probably shouldn’t give a hetty pairing including Justin that designation 🤢but y’all get what I’m saying - it’s fully possible Selena was hooking up with both of them!

Now I’m not super familiar with Selena’s discography so y’all lmk if I’m missing anything major - lyric wise that point to her not being straight.

Selena’s album Revival that comes out after this relationship has a few songs with some vibes, even though I get the feeling a lot of it is probably about Justin, allow me to reach. The title track could be translated as someone coming to terms with their sexuality (among other things):

I feel like I've awakened lately The chains around me are finally breaking I've been under self-restoration I've become my own salvation Showing up, no more hiding, hiding The light inside me is bursting, shining It's my, my, my time to butterfly

Good for you, imo, is too sexy to be about a man even if it’s not super queer lyrically it’s a vibe ok?

Me & My Girls might be a bestie anthem a la 22 (oh wait, no 22 was gay too) but I mean...could be about a girl gang of lesbians too!

And if we want it, we take it If we need money, we make it Nobody knows if we fake it You like to watch while we shake it I know we're making you thirsty You want us all in the worst way But you don't understand I don't need a man

Quinn Fabray indeed!

Nobody feels probably like a retrospective on Justin 🙄but...there is a hint of sapphic craving in there! Saying this particular lover loves them differently than everyone is a bit 👀 plus this stanza:

No oxygen, can barely breathe My darkest sin, you've raised release And it's all because of you, all because of you And I don't know what it is, but you've pulled me in No one compares, could ever begin To love me like you do And I wouldn't want them to

Is Perfect about some bitch Justin started dating? Probably but bear with me here this song is actually pretty fucking gay. Gay enough that I’m gonna add it to one of my gay playlists. Could this song actually be about Cara moving on to Annie?

Ooh, and I bet she has it all Bet she's beautiful like you, like you And I bet she's got that touch Makes you fall in love, like you, like you

I can taste her lipstick and see her laying across your chest I can feel the distance every time you remember her fingertips Maybe I should be more like her Maybe I should be more like her I can taste her lipstick, it's like I'm kissing her, too And she's perfect And she's perfect

Part III - Selena x Julia Michaels

Julia Michaels is a singer/songwriter known for her song Issues. I don’t know her sexuality but she at the least has gay vibes! It seems they met around this time perhaps because Julia wrote on Revival.

They have a friendly enough friendship for a few years, liking one another’s posts on IG from time to time, posing for a photo a time or two and then they seem to get swept up into this very intense friendship in 2019. They write some music together and Julia goes whole hog in promoting the shoe brand Selena is hawking this time 😭

2019 - The Superior Sapphic Jelena Timeline:

It starts, for some reason with a lot of shoe promotion:

chill, chill

more shoes

but more gayness?

this homo shit

ok...

Then we go into the REALLY GAY NOVEMBER OF 2019:

Then they perform together:

And...actually kiss...on the mouth on stage???

Sure it’s just a peck but still...if that were a guy people would say they were dating.

Somehow kissing on the mouth isn’t the gayest thing these girls do over this period because these fucking dykes got matching tattoos. I’ve read enough Larry blogs to know this actually means they’re secretly married. All jokes aside this is fruity behavior.

From their IG stories:

Selena gets Julia a very nice christmas gift:

Covid sets in and content drops off but god damn! It’s possible they just had an intense friendship but if a man and a woman collabed on music together, kissed in public, and got matching tattoos everyone would say they were dating!

Selena, as far as I can find, didn’t have any public boyfriends around this time so who are some of these love songs about?

Rare comes out in January 2020 and perhaps has some gayish songs?

Don’t tell me why but boyfriend lowkey, has a gay vibe. Don’t ask me to explain it but it’s just the musicality of it.

Crowded Room could be a love song for Julia? (or by Julia for Selena, since they’re collaborators?)

Baby, it's just me and you Baby, it's just me and you Just us two Even in a crowded room Baby, it's just me and you, yeah

These are general gay vibes, our secret moments in a crowded room tease

It started polite, out on thin ice 'Til you came over to break it I threw you a line and you were mine

It would have started out polite between them, since they worked together for years before whatever 2019 was happened. And throwing someone a line first of all makes Selena sound like the aggressor but also “throwing someone a line” could be a reference to writing songs together.

Yeah, I was afraid, but you made it safe I guess that is our combination Said you feel lost, well, so do I So won't you call me in the morning? I think that you should call me in the morning If you feel the same, 'cause

Lots of people are afraid at the beginning of a gay rs. Treacherous tease 👀

In summation!

Selena does gay stuff like fantasizing ab kissing other women in her music, getting very touchy with famous dykes on vacay, hangs out with Taylor Swift, has chronic mental health issues, dated a jonas brother and a twilight gay, has admitted to questioning her sexuality, and loves being shipped with women. Is she gay? I don’t know! But all she’s missing from her celesbian bingo card is a suspiciously intense friendship with a Glee Cast member! What do you guys think? Selena fruity or just weird?

Edit to add: so apparently I missed an entire ship and Selena supposedly acted really gay all the time with her backup dancer Charity Baroni. Exposing SMG has posted a lot about all that.

Also Selena has been cast in a gay role! edit to add: @bisluthq went and found this for me - julia is indeed a fruit queen

#selena gomez #gaylena #taylena #gossip #cara delevingne #julia michaels #lesbian #sapphic #of interest #taylor's fruity friends

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xiaonesis · 3 years

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Ghosts We See // Chapter 4

A/N: Repost! Chapter 4 has been edited here and on AO3!

Rating: M (following AO3 rating guidelines)

Pairings: F!Reader X Kuroo/Bokuto/Suna/Atsumu/Osamu/Kita/Oikawa/Ushijima

Genre: Reverse Harem, Slow Burn, Isekai, College/University AU, Fantasy AU, Worldbuilding, Angst, So Much Slowburn The Whole Forest Is On Fire

Summary:

When a volleyball was spiked into your head, you did not expect it to be powerful enough to send you into another dimension completely.

As you look for a way to return home, the powers and politics of this new world are each intent on keeping you for themselves for their own gains, purposes, and motivations. Everyone wants something, and you are at the core of it.

The line between the world you know and the world you are discovering blurs, affecting not just you but the two worlds too.

As you hold on tight to the ends of the strings that keep everything together, your mind, body, and heart unravels at the seams as the two worlds begin falling apart.

This must be how Spider-Man felt in Homecoming as he tried to keep two halves of a breaking ship together.

All chapters can be found on AO3; link on my pinned post. I recommend reading on AO3 as Tumblr messes with a lot of the text formats I use in many of the chapters.

Chapter 4: The Nekoma Dominion

"Perhaps you’re not listening?"

It has been several days since you woke up in Hyquile.

You barely slept, managing only a handful of hours each night, if any. Despite knowing you are safe and taken care of, the distress of being in a place completely separate from what you knew, and the lack of certainty that you would be able to return home, is taking its toll on your mind and body.

The daily and always bright “Good morning! Did you sleep well? ” of Energetic Kenma, with a jug of what-is-now-a-usual-for-you relaxing milk tea, helps you remain sane, even if it feels like you are walking on the set of a fantasy movie with a plastic wrapper sealed around your head.

Did you adjust to life here in the last few days? Somewhat.

The fact of the matter is that no matter how many times you pinch yourself under the soft fur blankets in the dead of the night, you are indeed not waking up from what you still hoped to be a very long and powerfully lucid dream.

Stop expecting. Start accepting. Life becomes easier.

You read that on the internet once.

On the third day of waking up in the same cavernous room and not your Tokyo bedroom, you began to take that typical but sensible quote to heart. After all, there is truth to the simplest and most basic of words.

Look on the bright side, you’re in a different world! Might as well enjoy it and get into it; you always wanted to go to Middle-Earth, didn’t you? Well, your wish reaaally came true this time.

The clothes you wore when you first arrived had been switched out to garments that the people of the Dominion wear. The ratty band t-shirt is now your sleep pajamas. It and the few belongings in your bag - mainly your phone, wallet, some books, and stationery for class - are the only things that tethered you to your world; they provided you with immense relief during the moments you are left alone in your room.

You never thought Business Mathematics & Statistics would ever bring you comfort. When Majestic Kuroo finds a way for you to get back to your world, you’re going to put more effort into that class. You’re going to make your professor proud in return for his support during these hard times.

You’re worried about your family, and you’re starting to miss the twins, wondering if they are losing sleep looking for you, too. Probably not.

Would Kuroo be asking Kenma where you were? And Oikawa pestering Iwaizumi if he has seen you in class? Maybe when you got back, your face would be plastered all over campus and the new.

Energetic Kenma believes that Majestic Kuroo can find a way to send you home, and if he believes so, so will you. Believing was all you can do.

But in the meantime, you made it a point to learn more about your hosts and Hyquile in general, during the last few days. In all honesty, the history and geography of this world interest you more than your own.

‘The grass is always greener on the other side,’ you supposed.

Hyquile is made up of several kingdoms and territories, each realm and its people having their own distinct features and affinity.

There is the White Eagle Empire up in the north and the State of Date, a loyal vassal state of the Empire, famed for constructing and defending the Iron Wall that protects the borders of the Empire. Alongside them is the Kingdom of Aoba, also known as the Blue Leaf Province. Then there was the Crow’s Nest Coalition, a lesser power made up of ragtag groups - marauders, bandits, mercenaries - that joined forces in rebellion and have been growing stronger in recent years as diplomatic relations between The Empire and The Kingdom of Aoba continue to deteriorate. There have been rumors that civil war might break out soon in the north.

To the west are a multitude of minor states all vying to be the largest power on their side of the continent, and battles regularly break out between the different powers as they try to sabotage and best one another. The largest threat on this side is the Inarizaki House, fox-folks infamous for their shapeshifting abilities with a talent for illusion magic.

Everyone is everyone’s enemy and no one is a friend, but if a fox is present, then we are brothers-in-arms.

A famous minstrel once wrote that about the foxes in the west. He has not been heard from since.

Like the west, the east is in a similar state of disarray, with various houses and families jostling for control. The ones that stand out amongst them are the ones who control the area around Mount Weasel. Not far from them on the south-east side is Owl Vale, the realm of the sky-folks, that is under the leadership of the Bokuto Koutarou of this world.

There used to be a long and bloody war between the land-dwelling cat-folk and sky-flying avians, but that was put to a stop when Kuroo came to power and extended an olive branch to Owl Vale. It was rocky at first, but both leaders worked hard to ease the decades of blood and hate between their people. Although it is not always friendly between their people, relations have vastly improved to the point where even trade is possible.

Lastly, Nekoma Dominion, which Kuroo oversees, lies to the south of the continent, its people possessing an affinity for earth magic and the ability to transform into felines.

Their lineage traced back to when a human male from the State of Date first fell in love with a female cat-folk, and their love resulted in the first mix of the two races. It was a union that was denounced by both humans and pure cat-folk, leading to rising tensions that strained an already rocky relationship that later culminated in wars between the two races. The overwhelming numbers of the human race eventually wiped out the cat-folk, and a purebred cat-folk has never been seen in Hyquile since. The lovers and their children that were never accepted by either side had disappeared to begin their own family, but the stigma that came from their love remains to this day, and the cat-folks are still widely looked down upon, particularly by humans.

The cat-folk nowadays are believed to be descendants of the ill-fated couple and their children’s children, but as generations passed, their line gradually diluted, and their descendants started to look more human and less feline.

In turn, their affinity for earth magic - which the origin human male excelled in - grew stronger, inheriting the talent for magic that humans naturally possessed compared to other races. Through the channeling of this evolved gift, they are also able to channel the spirit essence of their cat-folk ancestors, granting them the power to shapeshift and transform into felines.

Each cat-folk is capable of morphing into one type of feline that is revealed to them the first time they succeed in a full transformation, after which they are able to control how much of their body they wish to shift.

Energetic Kenma in particular likes to keep his cat-ears out, as he claims he hears better with them, but he still struggles to maintain his form, especially when distressed. In his full transformation, he took on a form that was akin to that of a house-cat though his size is far from one, standing at your height when he stood on his two hind legs, with a body of white fur and patches of golden brown.

You had gushed and babbled excitedly about how ‘amazing, and cool!’ that he can do that, but he claims that it is nothing compared to others like Kuroo or a fellow named Lev, a friend of Kenma’s, whose full transformations are one of the largest amongst his people. When Lev had graciously shown you his transformation at your curious request, you tripped and fell on your ass when a massive snow leopard appeared before you.

Curiosity about what Kuroo turns into gnaws at you, but you never dared to ask. You noticed that alternate Kuroo never displayed any cat-like features apart from his eyes, with sharper slitted irises than the Kuroo of your world. Sometimes, you think they even glow in the dark.

You lament how mundane and ordinary your world is.

Despite the rough history of cat-folks with humans, the people of the Dominion are an accepting bunch for the most part. They never give you any trouble when you wander the mountain network or districts. There are still those who sneer at you but the presence of Kenma, Kuroo’s right-hand, ensured no harm came to you.

You often explore Moggie Boroughs, the city below the mountain, with Kenma as your escort.

Sometimes, Lev and a cat-folk named Yaku would join you. Lev and Yaku are far from sociable when compared to Energetic Kenma but they are nice. They often ask you questions about your world and life there.

The trio seem to think that technology in your world is magic, which only has you scoffing in bafflement, claiming their version of ‘ magic’ is significantly more marvelous and fantastical.

It is also of note to you that they balked when you first mentioned that cats in your world are domesticated animals kept as pets by humans. After which they made you swear to never say that out loud ever again during your time in Hyquile.

At times, you wonder what they are like in your reality.

Most of your time in Moggie Boroughs is spent exploring Cat Alley, the entertainment district in the Boroughs. Cat Alley is perpetually bustling with life, the entire district built on an expanse of hills with many steep, narrow slopes and stairs weaving between the plethora of low buildings, like the rest of the city.

During the day, children would play on the outskirts of Cat Alley, running and play-fighting amongst themselves as they weave between the crowds, their cat ears, nose, tails, and even paws appearing and disappearing rapidly in colorful wisps of smoke that hang in the air, painting the streets in color. Their worried parents would always howl for them to get back on the outside of the district area as ‘it is no place for young children.’

Come nightfall, food establishments would pop up on the streets, roofs, and even balconies, their chairs and tables lining the building walls, making the already narrow streets even narrower. Hawkers would yowl out, enticing customers to visit their stores. The scent of grilled fish permeates the air, and lanterns hang on lines threaded above the streets would light up, a finishing touch of low hanging stars to a nightly festive atmosphere.

Fully shifted cat-folk can be seen jumping across roofs and railings, using their gift to quickly maneuver otherwise difficult-to-pass areas. It almost makes you feel bad that Kenma and the others have to resort to walking and suffering the crowds because of you.

At the district center, the area’s highest point, tall buildings tower over Cat Alley. That particular zone is a district within a district, also known as the red-light district of Moggie Boroughs - Pussycat Square.

How fitting.

Kenma never takes you there, but you are so damn curious. Who wouldn’t be curious about a place called Pussycat Square? He says that it isn’t safe to visit, especially for a female human. Your mind was quick to assume that perhaps they enslaved humans there, but he vehemently denied that. Kuroo would undoubtedly shut down a place immediately if it was discovered they ran anything dubious, but it doesn’t mean that there won’t be establishments that will try.

There are, of course, humans - both male and female - that willingly work there alongside folks of other races, catering to every taste imaginable out there. The folks who work there are mainly wanderers, loners, outcasts - those who were unable to build a life for themselves in their society, those who had lost everything to war, or those who lost themselves somewhere along the way. They congregate at Pussycat Square from all over because they never turn anyone away.

You begged Kenma to take you there, just for a quick peek. It doesn’t even have to be at night, when the place really comes alive. You want to know what a place of sin and debauchery looks like in this world.

“Curiosity may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back!” you had said to him with a wag of your finger as Lev and Yaku looked on, both with a brow quirked.

Somehow, you managed to convince Kenma to take you there. Though a part of you knows that as amiable as this Kenma is, he too had a limit, and agreed only because he wanted you to stop asking. He made you a deal that you will not ask again in exchange for taking you there during the day

Barely able to contain your excitement, you walk beside Kenma as the three of you climb flight after flights of stairs to reach the square. Yaku is, unfortunately, not joining your group today, claiming he had to go on patrol. Lev hadn’t been too interested but he tagged on regardless, trailing slowly behind you and Kenma.

It is a lot less... sinful than you had been expecting. Then again, it is morning and the sun is beating down brightly on all of you from clear, blue skies. Doors and windows are closed, and elderly folks are out cleaning the streets, sweeping away trash, propping up young ‘uns that passed out where they were, and washing away the remains of someone’s half-digested dinner.

Honestly, it just looks like Shibuya at 6 am on a Sunday with the occasional stray underwear.

You are a teensy bit disappointed, but it could not be helped. The agreement was to go during the day, and Kenma fulfilled his end of the promise so you will not bother him with it any longer. As you were about to tell them you wanted to go back to Cat Alley again, screams and shouts erupted from a building up ahead.

Before you could even ask what was going on, Lev sprints ahead in powerful bursts of his long legs, leaving you and Kenma to run after him.

“Oh wow,” you could not help but gasp as Lev disappeared in mere seconds behind a corner, “-he is fast.”

Kenma chuckles beside you, turning down the same corner as Lev did and making sure you were not left behind. “He is our strongest not just in name.”

Both of you come upon a crowd of people surrounding the front of a building, and you see Lev’s tall figure speaking to someone at the center of the crowd. Kenma flashes an emblem he pulled from his pocket, and you recognize it to be the same as the one Majestic Kuroo wore on his front. The crowd immediately makes way for you and him to pass through at the sight of the emblem, proof that one is a member of the Dominion’s High Council, the governing body of the Dominion and the closest confidants of their leader, Kuroo Tetsurou.

“Lev, what’s going on?” Kenma asks as he stops by the tall male.

“H-He has it! I’m sure of i-it!” A young female cat-folk is trembling and speaking hysterically to Lev.

“And how do you know this?” Lev questions her calmly, motioning for her to not move when she tries to approach him further, the surrounding crowd also taking several steps back. “Did he touch you?”

She stops in her tracks and pulls her arms across her body, shivering. “I-I...no, I don’t think so.” She looks so terrified, and your heart goes out to her, even if you do not understand what is going on. Her grey ears are flat on her head and her paws digs into her arms, drawing blood.

“I w-went to clean his room j-just now. H-He was collapsed on the floor, and he was having trouble b-breathing.” She swallows, eyes trained on the ground before continuing. “When I went to h-help him, he suddenly w-went mad! He started screaming and b-breaking all the furniture. So I fled and l-locked the d-door, but I don’t know if it will hold him...our walls are old...”

Kenma frowns, a knowing look on his face. “Did you see any signs? What did you see?”

She nods her head fervently at Kenma’s question. “H-He had these thick, dark veins on his neck...as if some parasite was moving underneath his s-skin…”

Suddenly, there is a loud roar, and a body tumbles out from the building, the door falling off its hinges and landing below the writhing body. Painful howls erupt continuously from the cat-folk thrashing on the ground, his clothes disheveled and torn, eyes rolled back in his head, leaving nothing but empty white in his sockets. The tail and ears on him disappear in a swift cloud of dispersing black smoke. When it clears, you see bulging dark lines crawling across his skin, slithering up his arms and neck. The skin around the veins had turned grey and dark, akin to a decaying corpse. Similar black veins creep down from his hairline and across his forehead, and you gag as it moves into his flared nostrils.

Your eyes widen in horror as he starts foaming thick crimson-black ooze at the mouth. Without realizing it, you start taking steps towards him, screaming out to the stupefied crowd to, “W-We have to help hi-”

“Stay back!” Kenma flings his arm in front of you, stopping you from approaching any further.

The people that surrounded you until moments ago scatter in flurries of cloth and shrieks, fleeing as far as they can behind walls and closed doors.

The grey-eared female gasps and sobs, skittering away quickly, leaving only you, Kenma, and Lev in the immediate vicinity.

And even then they do not approach the cat-folk, watching tensely as dark foam and crimson bubbles spew from his mouth endlessly, choking to his death on spit and regurgitation.

“Kenma!!” you frantically cry, trying to reach him even if you did not know what you would do once you did. Kenma’s arm turns to latch onto your shoulder, barring you from moving.

“Don’t. You mustn’t approach him. It’ll be bad if you touch it.”

“But he’s dying!!”

“It’s too late. He’s beyond saving,” Lev speaks slowly, piercing green eyes never moving away from the cat-folk as he watches him choke to death. “Kenma, we will have to contain this area…”

“But you’re not even trying!”

You couldn't believe it. Why aren’t they trying to save him? He’s one of their people, isn’t he?! Your body trembles in disbelief and anger, unable to accept that even Kenma, who has been nothing but sweet to you, isn’t lifting a finger to help. Someone is dying right before you.

It is then that you realize that the trembles wracking your body aren’t coming from you, but from Kenma.

You look at him and are shocked to see despair, anger, helplessness - all painted across his face that has always shone bright. Kenma bites down on his lips in deep frustration. The hand clutching your shoulder shook, and his hold had tightened to the point of bruising. Gone were his adorable ginger ears.

Several steps away, Lev is in a similar state, with his fists clenched at his sides as he refuses to turn his eyes away from the cat-folk, forcing himself to watch to the bitter end the last horrible moments of this stranger, one of his people, as his life gradually left him in excruciating spurts of ooze before he went limp on the ground.

You realize then that Kenma and Lev are probably more horrified than you, having to watch one of their brethren helplessly die before them. The painful ease at which they did it told you more than you wanted to know, that this wasn’t the first time they had to be helpless.

You reach one shaky hand to grasp Kenma’s hand on your shoulder, holding onto it silently until the shaking stopped.

It would be silent in the red-light district that night, and it would continue to be silent for the next several nights as everyone stayed away in fear and mourning; the area was shut down for inspections and decontamination by Lev.

You did not know what happened to the man or what it was. Lev had immediately moved to prepare the proper steps to safely remove the body, as Kenma quietly leads you to return to Nekomata Mountain, leaving Lev there on the street with the body.

You do not dare ask Kenma the questions burning on the tip of your tongue, not with the way he looks. When he escorts you to the point where he knows you would be able to find the rest of your way, he instantly takes off, and you are left on your own.

Immediately, you run over to a cluster of bushes and hurl, heaving out last night’s dinner of fish stew, your breakfast of fruits and veggies, and Kenma’s calming milk tea. You threw up until you were dry-heaving air.

Your eyes and throat burn, and you clamp two hands over your mouth, resisting the urge to dry-heave.

You just saw someone die right in front of you.

A life, gone Right in front of you.

You could use another cup of that milk tea right now.

Moving away from the remains of your regurgitation, you drag your feet away to no particular destination. In your head, you send a remorseful apology to whoever has the misfortune of cleaning it up.

When you come across a small stream, you wash your face and mouth and scrub your eyes furiously. As if that will get the image of that man - spasming on the ground, dark ooze spewing and spurting from his mouth, his tattered clothes fluttering in the wind, Lev as he watched on with determined and regretful eyes, Kenma’s shoulders as it shook - out of your mind.

This is the first time you have ever seen death.

Your grandparents are alive and well. Your relatives are all alive and well. Your pet cat is alive and well. Your life has been so blessed. You didn’t want to be alone right now. You wanted the relieving presence of Kenma, the safe presence of Lev, or even the stern presence of Yaku- someone, anyone! But how could you ask any of them to comfort you when it is one of their own that died?

How could you bring yourself to rely on them for comfort right now when they surely needed it more than you? How do you forget that someone just dropped dead in front of you? People don’t just die in your world. Outside of accidents and disasters, which are always far-removed from you, playing on a tv screen- they just don’t. And this man, he just came tumbling out of a building and painfully spent his last moments in a street full of people who only watched. No one helped him.

No one tried.

Unwilling to return to your cold, empty room, you roam around carelessly for who knows how long. But it must not have been very long because the sun is still high in the sky and its rays do nothing to ease your discomfort. So you slink into the cool shadows of the caves, slumping down against the tunnel floor with your knees pulled to your chest.

And you sit there, images of the cat-folk - his open mouth, the specks of black blood splattering in the air, red bubbles running down his jaws, the black veins and his greying skin - playing on a reel in your head.

Your sniffles reverberate in the tunnel.

It is sometime in the late afternoon when you hear footsteps echoing and then stopping in front of you.

“So this is where you went off to.”

Barely lifting your face from where it has been hiding in your knees for the past few hours, you peer up at Kuroo from underneath the hair draping across your eyes. He looks down at you, impassive as ever, trademark red coat draped on the back of his shoulders. More than ever, he feels impossibly tall and you impossibly small, crouched before him.

You want to reply, but you don’t trust your voice, which is surely hoarse, and your throat hurts from how dry it is. There is the tingling of pinpricks on your forehead where you imprinted them onto your knees for too long. You must look horrible.

A barely audible sigh leaves Kuroo, which you only heard because of the absolute silence reigning the tunnel.

“Come with me.”

The same words he had said to you when you first arrived, right before he revealed to you an earth-shattering revelation. Will he show you another life-changing event?

You hope not; your quota for the day has been filled.

He hardly waits for you before he walks out of the tunnel exit from where you entered hours ago, and you scramble to your feet, stumbling at the static that assaults your legs. Kuroo walks at a slow, almost leisurely pace, as if he knew that would happen, giving you ample time to catch up to him.

Following after him quietly, he leads you to a pagoda slightly removed from the others scattered mainly at the front of the mountain. This pagoda is less loud in colors, constructed mainly from wood with the occasional glass and metal. It is more refined, quieter, unlike the mesh of bright colors the ones on Mt. Nekomata displayed.

You follow him up several flights of stairs, arriving on a floor that opened up into a wide room.

Two connecting open-walls bare the room to the outside, where a spacious balcony made of fine wood stretches. Wood-curtains were drawn up to let the mountain air in. By the balcony, a tall tree growing up from below caresses the banisters, pieces of leaves fluttering down to rest on the railings before the wind takes them away.

Bamboo sheets are laid across the floors. A large circular shelf lined with paper books stands on one side of the room. Next to it is a table stand, decorated with a live miniature tree, its roots dangling off the side of its holder. On the other side of the room, a low hearth is sunk into the floor; a pot hangs over it, with various utensils and clay jars arranged neatly in a small cabinet nearby.

A low table is placed by the edge of the open walls with cushions around it; one would be able to enjoy the sunlight and breeze flowing in. There are two floor-chairs with high backs by this table, facing out to the mountains beyond.

It is to these chairs that Kuroo walks over to, motioning for you to take a seat. “This is my pagoda.”

You quietly shuffle over, wind nipping at exhausted eyes as you approach. You remember Kenma telling you that Kuroo had his own private pagoda that he used. Only he and his High Council members are allowed in freely.

As you make yourself comfortable as best you can, Kuroo walks off and you can hear light shuffling and things being moved around behind you before he reappears, a round tray with a teapot and two cups balanced on one hand. Setting it down, he sits on the other chair next to you, crossing his legs.

You suddenly feel very nervous, yet he gives you no reason to be.

It was just his presence. Every movement, every stride, every glance Kuroo makes is filled with a purpose; there is no redundancy in his motions. His steps are filled with a certainty that made you feel inferior, wishing you were just as certain of yourself. The commanding aura he naturally exudes due to this constantly impresses on you a pressure that your mind created as a reflexive defense, submitting itself to avoid bringing unwanted attention from someone superior.

The Kuroo Tetsurou of this world is a leader with every fiber of his being.

The capable leader of a mighty realm is now pouring tea into a cup for you .

Is this what it would feel like to be served tea by The Queen of England?

You mumble a quiet “thanks” as you take the offered cup from him, nearly dropping it when your fingers accidentally brush.

“Chrysanthemum tea. It’ll help you relax,” he simply says as he pours his own cup.

The two of you sit there, accompanied by the sounds of soft sipping, the whispers of the wind, and the brushing of leaves. You begin to relax; the tension that you didn't even notice up until now dropping from your shoulders and neck.

“I heard of what happened today from Kenma.”

You lick your lips, taking another long drink of your tea, emptying the cup.

“I...am not used to it.” You pause, unsure of how to put your thoughts into proper words.

Kuroo picks it up for you easily. “To seeing death?”

You nod hesitantly. “I never saw...it was my first time...seeing someone die. No one helped him...I…,” you take a breath of air and continue, shivering hands gripping the cup, “I wanted to help him but...I did not even know what to do.”

Your gaze falls. “I felt so useless.”

Large hands gently remove the cup from you. You lift your gaze to watch as Kuroo fills it with more tea before he places it down on the table.

“There isn’t anyone that will ever acclimatize to death. Not even the most battle-hardened warrior,” he speaks, steady voice blanketing the rustling air between you. “If there should ever be such a person - one who does not flinch at the end of life...then I lament for his soul.”

He glances at you from the corner of his eyes. “You, Kenma, Lev, and all the other people there this morning shall not bear the burden of his death.”

Kuroo looks back out at the horizon of mountain greenery, the dimming afternoon light caressing his face with a heavy veil in his eyes that you never noticed before.

“That is my responsibility.”

You barely hold back a muffled choke, and your eyes misting at his words. For all his impassiveness, Kuroo is carrying on his shoulder a weight you will never come close to understanding.

As a university student struggling to pass your classes and the frivolous dance training that you were so proud of, your daily struggles seem so trivial compared to what he goes through. What could you understand of his troubles, of his responsibilities, as the leader of an entire nation in a tumultuous world?

And here he is, pouring you tea and effectively comforting you with only two sentences when he has more pressing issues that demand his time and attention. Time that he is also dedicating to finding a way for you to get home.

Kuroo is indeed a good leader, and you fully understand now why Kenma and the others follow him with such fervor. You felt ashamed of the initial thoughts you had of Kuroo, for thinking he was terrifying

It was not terror at all; it had all been your own nerves, the result of your weaker spirit in the face of his unmoving one - calm and dense like a still mountain. He is not very different from the volleyball-loving Kuroo Tetsurou, the senior student that is always looking out for his juniors, his teammates, and his friends. The same Kuroo Tetsurou that went out of his way to speak with you just to make sure you are alright because he heard Kenma mention that you looked tired. The one who always helped you and Kenma with your work when you hit a wall. You smile to yourself, wistfully wondering how the other Kuroo is doing.

Looking up at him, you had to ask, “Why...why didn’t they help him?”

“We call it The Rot.”

Kuroo stares at the flower petals floating at the bottom of his cup pensively. “It’s a disease. A magical disease. We do not know much about it as those who attempted to study it up close end up turning mad and dying prematurely, like the man you saw in the square.”

“A magical disease?” Your brows furrow, trying to grasp his words. Your own understanding of how magic works in this world is terrible, despite the excitement you listened with when Kenma explained it for the first time.

“All living beings have some form of magic in them. Even the smallest of fishes will have bare traces of magic essence because magic comes from the soul.”

“Kenma explained to you that the souls are made up of ten parts, correct? Three ethereal and seven corporeal.” He watches as you nod in understanding.

“I won't go into detail, but from what we can understand so far, The Rot attacks these parts of the souls, tainting and feeding on the magic they harbor. Some turn mad, some grow weak. How The Rot affects each person is different, but the end is the same: death.”

“And there is no cure?”

“No.” His lashes lower in disappointment. “Those who attempt to cure it need to be able to study it but-”

“-they catch it and before they can find a cure. They…” you finish for him, trailing off on words you rather not say.

You are beginning to understand the situation, somewhat. It is like a virus that spreads through direct touch with that ooze. You recall the events of this morning when Kenma told you to not approach any closer, understanding now why they did what they did. And it only wrenches your heart further when you remember their anguished faces, unable to imagine how infinitely helpless they felt.

A small tug pulls at Majestic Kuroo’s lips at your quick understanding, one you would not have caught if you weren’t already looking at him. He looks so much nicer with a smile. Kuroo always had one of the best laughs too…

You could not help but recall the volleyball player as you look at his alternate, unaware of your own staring.

Unphased by your stare, Kuroo removes the chrysanthemum flower that was used for the tea from within the cooled pot. He holds the drenched flower in his palm, rivulets of tea running over his hand and onto the table.

You watch in awe as a soft golden light that reminds you of his eyes emit from his hand, gathering and concentrating around the flower.

The petals of the flower that were once wilted and wrinkled, flopping under the weight of water, suddenly begin to quiver. The wrinkles that covered each individual petal begin to even and smooth, and the entire flower that was drooping mere moments ago is now tilted up and bright, the water no longer weighing it down and instead sparkled under the sun like dew on the flower.

It looks alive.

“This is healing magic, propagated by my earth magic,” Kuroo explains, lifting the flower up to you, the glow continuing to envelop his hands. You cup your palms out and he places the flower in them. You can feel the warmth of the magical glow caress your fingers. Or is it Kuroo's own warmth?

With wonder, you gingerly brush your fingers on the damp petals.

“As it is a flower, my earth magic is capable of healing it to a limited extent. However, it is far from effective, unlike nature magic which would work better on plants.” The glow subsides and several seconds later, the flower begins to droop and wilt in your hands again..

“Why did it…?”

Didn’t he heal it?

“Like I said, limited.”

He picks up the flower from you and places it on the table. “The plant was already dead when it was cut off from its stem. I was only pushing my earth magic - which comes from a part of my soul - through it. As long as that is circulating in the flower, it will heal and live, but as soon as it is cut off, it will return to the state it is meant to be in.” He pauses. “The dead should remain dead,” he finishes softly, and it is quiet until he speaks again.

“Healing magic does not work on The Rot.”

Kuroo turns to look at you with an intense gaze that makes your heart pound. You do not understand why he is looking at you like that, when his emotions are usually kept well-hidden, schooled behind a cool facade. “It spreads through touch, and we cannot heal it with known conventional healing magic because it attacks magic itself. If there is a healing spell that will work on it, we have yet to find it.”

The intensity flickers and disappears from his eyes, and he turns to the horizon as if the answer to his many questions lies there. Looking down, you see that his hands are gripping tightly onto his thighs, even as his face remains blank.

You have many questions you want to ask Kuroo about The Rot, but you could not find the courage in yourself to do so at this moment. Even if he does not show it, you sense that Kuroo was suffering, the fleeting breaks of his impassiveness and tension of his arms a bigger sign than any words that could come from him.

“I have lost many good friends, brethren...and even family, to The Rot,” he says, gaze on the distance and his eyes even farther away, as if remembering a distant memory.

‘Who?’ You want to ask, want to know more about this enigmatic man that seemed to be hiding so much more. You see that now. But you stay silent, waiting for Kuroo to speak as much as he would allow you to hear instead.

“Even now, as I look for an answer to the cure, the best I can do for my people is to minimize the spread.” His throat moves with a hard swallow. “It was not an easy choice, choosing to abandon those who have already been tainted, forbidding everyone from approaching them. But at least that way, only I will be responsible for their deaths. It is by my orders that they are to be left for dead.”

The fingers on his thighs curl, clenching into a fist that shakes imperceptibly, something you would not have seen if he was not right here, close beside you, and the shadow of his limbs did not quiver along their length.

Yet his face remains impassive as ever, and you wonder when was the last time he allowed his emotions to show, how long he had kept a tight lid on his own feelings.

He has to remain strong - no, the strongest - as the leader of his people. They all rely on him to navigate them out of the troubles plaguing the realm, be it politics, wars, calamities, or The Rot.

He isn’t impassive, cold, or detached at all. Far from it.

The leader of Nekoma Dominion, Kuroo Tetsurou, feels more than anyone else in his entire realm.

It is all locked away behind that detached, vacant wall of a facade he put up, a dam to clog up the waterfall of emotions that he could not allow to show.

You could not hope to understand the depth of his feelings. You have barely seen the tip of it: the few words he spoke as he recalled that memory that placed the far-off glaze in his eyes, his order to not approach any of those tainted, his stern but lenient ways with Kenma, him looking for you today and serving you tea, him offering to let you stay in his realm as he looked for your way home...they were all glimpses of his thoughts, his care, his consideration for the people around him.

He really...isn’t different from that snarky volleyball player at all, who, behind the provocative attitude and snide remarks, is a thoughtful and reliable senior and friend.

Kuroo looks down when he feels soft hands reach for his clenched on the top of his thigh. They are hesitant at first, but then they move forward to cup his hand with gentle courage. He turns to look at you sitting beside him, a flush on your cheeks as your eyes waver in embarrassed uncertainty, but you remain resolute.

“It m-might not mean much but…” you say, pausing as you search for the words to express what you want to say. “I believe that you are doing the best you can with what you have. And for those that look up to you...that is more than enough.”

The radiance of the sun strokes your skin, casting light around you similar to the healing glow of his magic, and a nervous smile lifts your lips. “I...I can’t help you with your magic, or research, or anything complicated like that but... I am here for you if there is anything you need.”

Something deep within his chest, the ocean surface that has remained as still as a mountain ever since he took over the leadership from his grandfather as a young boy, stirs at your words.

They are simple words, words that would not change the tides of anything, coming from a stranger from an even stranger world, one without the knowledge or abilities needed to survive in his world but...it is more than enough.

His people love and respect him. Kenma constantly worries over him alongside the rest of the High Council. They will carry out his commands with no hesitation, loyal to a fault, and would lay down their lives for him without a thought.

His grandfather, when he was still here, loved him and raised him to be the great leader he believed he would be; that he is still trying to become.

And he, in turn, has been giving his all and more to that end, to live up to the expectations of everyone, including himself.

But when was the last time someone actually told him that they will be there for him? They, as a person - no rank, no label, no allegiance, no relations - but just they, themselves, will be there for him, as just him, and not the leader of the Dominion.

They are simple words from a simple girl from another world.

For the first time in a long, long time, Kuroo Tetsurou allowed himself to smile.

When you woke up later that evening, having dozed off from fatigue and the lack of sleep without realizing it, you find yourself lying on the floor of the tearoom you spent the afternoon with Kuroo in, cushions arranged neatly beneath your head and body.

And over you, a red velvet coat is draped across your body, shielding you from the cool night air. Sitting up, you held the coat in your arms, blinking down at it in pleasant surprise.

It smells like the cool mountain forests with a hint of chrysanthemum.

Yawning as you make your way down the mountain steps, you make your way to Moggie Boroughs. After a refreshing morning bath in one of the mountain springs, you look for Kenma and even Lev or Yaku, but they are all busy after the events at Pussycat Square yesterday; you have not seen Kuroo since waking up at his pagoda the previous evening either.

It was understandable and could not be helped. They likely have many things they needed to do to ease the fears of the people, especially when a case of The Rot had gotten so close.

You have been to the city and back many times already; you were sure you could go and come back on your own. Maybe you can even look for a nice spot to do your stretches and dance practice. Just because you were stuck in another dimension did not mean that you could just forget all about maintaining your skills. When you return, things will go back to normal, and you will be back at the studio and performing before you know it.

As you reach the outskirts of the city that started at the base of the mountain, someone bumps into you from the back, the person in a hurry for whatever reasons.

“Hey!” you yelp, and they stop in their tracks to look back at you.

It is a girl with short, ashy hair and dull grey-colored eyes. Her figure is small, about your size, and maybe a little bit shorter than you.

You expect her to apologize, but instead, she just frowns, a scowl crossing her pretty features. And just as quickly, she ignores you and continues on her way, running faster than you would have thought a girl of her stature could run.

You gawk, unable to believe her rudeness.

“Maybe if you weren’t walking so slowly, she would not have bumped into you,” someone mocks with a drawl above you, the hints of a sneer lining his words.

You stiffen, turning to look up into the tree beside you.

Piercing golden eyes leer down at you, and distinctively streaked silver hair glimmers from under the shade of the trees.

Lounging on a branch is Bokuto Koutarou, with the same wide eyes from many nights ago, staring at you.

And you resisted the urge to run away just as fast.

"Please try to listen."

The Rot: A magical disease of unknown origins. Efforts to study and understand it have been hindered by the fact that those who tried usually succumb to it before any progress can be made. The effects it has differ depending on its victims. Currently, it is only known to spread through touch, and conventional healing magic does not work.

Souls: A soul is made up of ten parts; three ethereal and seven corporeal. But what are these ten parts exactly?

Magic: The essence of magic comes from the soul. All beings that have a soul have the potential for magic, be it large or minuscule. Some races are more adept at it than others, and humans are the most adept at using magic.

If you enjoyed this, please do check out the other chapters on AO3 and spare a reblog <3 It will be very much appreciated TwT;

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