#when will my motivation return from the war lmao

[highbrasshighkass]

every day I open my notebook, write two and a half more sentences spread across four different wips, strike out said sentences, sigh, and close the notebook

[ssparksflyy]

BELLS' 500 FOLLOWER + BIRTHDAY EVENT ! ✷༉‧₊˚.

HEYYY POOKIE SHMOOKS THANK YOU SOSO MUCH FOR 500 FOLLOWERSSS ♡ i seriously appreciate every single one of you, you keep me motivated and i thank you for allowing me to post my silly little posts and for supporting me sm :) i meant to do this event when i reached 400 followers.. but when i reached it, a lot of people were announcing events so i decided to wait a bit so they could get the attention they deserved :) now with 500 (nd my birthday coming up) i decided to finally do this event as a way to get me up a running again after the break i took :D i hope you enjoy this event and once again , thank you so much !! ily !!!

CERAMIC UNICORNS —

ill make you a moodboard based off your blog, a character, a ship, anything you'd like !!

CMON BLONDIE ! —

(moots only !) where we would go on a friendly date ♡

FLOATING LANTERNS —

ill write you a short blurb (romantic or platonic) for whoever u wish

FLYNN RIDER EUGENE FITZHERBERT —

(moots only !) what duo do i think we are most like ?

FRYING PAN —

ill assign you a random poster from the many i want to hang in my room >ᴗ<

HERE COMES THE SMOLDER —

ill give you an outfit based on you blog's aesthetic ! (include clothing preferences if u want something a little more specific ♡)

MAGIC HAIR —

ill give u a random animal crossing villager i think ur most like (cause i recently started playing again hehe)

MAXIMUS' APPLES —

ill tell you what taylor swift era u remind me of most !

MOTHER KNOWS BEST —

ill give you a 10 song playlist (on spotify) based on your acc, a character, a ship, whatever you'd like :)

PASCAL'S PALS —

ill assign you a plushie i think best fits you ♡

THE LOST PRINCESS —

ill give you a ts song + lyrics that best fits ur vibe !!

THE SNUGGLY DUCKLING —

i'll tell u what pjo cabin i think ur in !! ( warning: im stupid :) )

JULY 26 —

(moots only!) ill give u a small love letter to send overseas to you while you fight bravely in the war and i stay home with our two children hoping and praying you'll return safely (its just a love letter lmao)

i literally copied my 200 follower event layout which was inspired by @flowers-for-em so credits to my lovely lovely emma !!

i ask that you keep it to 2 requests per ask please :)

this event will be ending august 15 !

i try to complete requests as quickly as possible but i do ask that you remain patient ( this has never been an issue on my blog but i thought id still mention it ♡♡ )

i hope you enjoy !!

ah yes. the tagging of the mutuals. ( in no particular order but lmk if u wanna be added or taken off !! )

@mqshido @riordanness @hope92100 @jgracie @hopelesslyromanticshark

@flowers-for-em @pinkdiorluvr @lastolympus @s1utlvr @brodieland

@over-the-oceancall @sunnitheapollokid @cinemaconrad @chxcolatefrogs @pumpkinbxtch

@kozumesphone @satelitis @stvrlighttgabss @juneberrie @waitingonher

@maybxlle @alexwritingspot @missedyour21st @leovaldezluvr @jvpiterzs

@aezuria @puffoz @mqstermindswift @aryxchse @colettesonpluto @starrynightmovietheatre

[bobus]

ok ive been busy with schoolwork but heres a few more doodles lmao

here's mac, and of COURSE he had to be a ranwing/nightwing hybrid; aka the most self absorbed motherfucker in the world. im not settled on his design because he looks lowkey bald rn, but the general idea i had was that hes basically just some asshole with an animus touched object (earrings and lantern) that give him magic similar enough to his lmk shadow powers. he definently tries his best to make his scales stay dark and edgy all the time even when the emotive tendencies of rainwing scales make him randomly explode into bright colours when someone trips over and eats shit in front of him. he was still killed by wukong and revived by lbd because that gives me an actual motive and potential plot for his character and development beyond being a piece of shit (lovingly). and yes i do enjoy drawing the scar eye that's why i only drew his head from that side :]

and because they're my favourite character of course i had to do mayor, so heres a go at a chief design lmao. i'm still churning possible mayor designs in my brain but ill prolly have it done soon so heres a shitty doodle of an possible one for now, but i do have kind of a story planned out ? they were a general of the ice kingdoms army during a war and were incredible at it for a few decades, though eventually they met their match from a rivalling parties leader who outsmarted them and ambushed their troop mid flight when returning from a scuffle elsewhere. most of the chiefs men died from falling to the ground after having their wing membranes slashed or being skewered by the dragons that dove down into them. chief themself was fatally wounded but managed to crash down somewhere on the outskirts of the ice kingdom where they were found by lbd as they died. cool forehead star scar yippee !! also somewhat happy with how the armour turned out so yay.

[eriyu]

my thoughts about zoraal ja

originally this was meant to be tags on a reblog of another post, but it ended up getting really long and being pretty negative and i don't want to inflict that on OP lmao.

one of the biggest criticisms i have of Dawntrail (maybe THE biggest) is that Zoraal Ja's heel turn felt completely senseless. i genuinely like the points OP made in the post this was responding to, but i think the execution was SO lacking. it needed to be foreshadowed better, or it needed more exploration before we get to Heritage Found, or just... treated with more care. there's so much that's just lacking for a major antagonist, and one with deep personal ties to Wuk Lamat no less.

we don't get to see him fail the rite. we're told he attacked an elector after the fact, but there's no chance to show off his thoughts or emotions in that moment. that could easily have been the point at which we see the weight of expectations come crashing down on him.

we then don't get to see how he got from storming off to knocking out Ketenramm for his keystones... i guess that's sort of a separate issue, actually, but how he even found out about about the keystones feels like a very odd omission to me.

we don't discuss any of that??? Zoraal Ja goes MIA, and we mostly just forget about him until he returns with an interdimensional army. there's like a casual one-off comment about him not showing up for Wuk Lamat's ascension. during that intervening time would have been a great opportunity to dig into his motivations, or his childhood, to understand how the family grew up with views him snapping like that.

he keeps repeating his aim of "uniting the world through war" and then the whole idea is just dropped hard. obviously plans change when you become king of another reflection, but there's no acknowledgement of it at all. not even a disdainful "so all that talk about unity was just a pretext for conquest after all."

then we just get people speculating about his motivations after his death. Gulool Ja, the Wandering Minstrel, they're just like "well maybe he felt this way..." but that's something we should have gotten earlier! show his motivations through his actions; don't just tell me what i'm supposed to get from the story after it's over.

the other post made a point about Gulool Ja Ja not being the father he needed, but it's not a point the narrative acknowledges: from beginning to end we just see Wuk Lamat's view of him as the best dad ever. i think it would have benefited not just Zoraal Ja's, but even Gulool Ja Ja himself's characterization (adding nuance!) for the script to have been more critical of his parenting?

overall, Wuk Lamat decries Zoraal Ja from the beginning as a warmonger, and Krile sees that he's full of darkness and malice... and after the attack on Tuliyollal, Wuk Lamat (whose entire thing is reasoning with people) declares that there's no reasoning with him; he just has to die. i guess the intention there was to emphasize just how serious this situation is, that not even Wuk Lamat is willing to reach out to him, but it really does not work for me. if you can reason with hundreds of years of bloodshed driven by entrenched cultural values, don't tell me you can't reason with your brother. that you won't even try. or at least show that you've tried and failed in the past! that would work too! but instead, we just write Zoraal Ja off as irredeemable and call it a day.

i just... see people calling Zoraal Ja's characterization "subtle" when it feels to me like it's not the writers being crafty so much as it's players patching the holes they left behind. i just find the writing frustrating. o|--<

[mejcinta]

HOTD S2 Episode 4 Review: OK, let's do this.

1.“I love my grandsire!” Lil Oscar Tully you are PRECIOUS!

2. “The only reason we know any of this is because of Baela’s efforts.” Look, I might just be slowly becoming a Jace shooter, lol. Especially if he continues justifiably challenging Rhaenyra’s reckless political choices idk.

3. “That castle is more crippled than I am, Your Grace.” Larys can be funny. I find it very interesting that he speaks of the ‘sapping’ nature of Harrenhal that takes up people’s mental faculties, which he supposes is already happening to Daemon. I wonder if this is a setup for what Aemond will sort of be unable to escape when he takes Harrenhal????

4. Aegon and Aemond tussling like siblings at the war strategy board was kind of adorable. On a serious note, however, it is BAFFLING witnessing how absolutely everything happens behind Aegon’s back and everyone undermines his authority. The council is rudderless and it quite frankly never felt that way for me in the book. This is overkill. I cannot suspend my belief.

5. Poor green council members always have to suffer Aegon and Aemond’s bratt-offs on the daily. It’s comical.

6. Aegon really cared so little to learn of his Targaryen heritage because for the longest time he felt disconnected and hated by Viserys who should’ve no doubt walked him through it using love, approval and attention as a means. He understands High Valyrian but bothers little to speak it. He is rebelling against his oppressors by not cooperating while Aemond rebels by perfecting and showing off. It really shows how they coped with Viserys’ neglect, their rivalry aside.

7. Daemon following Aemond’s phantom and encountering Alys Rivers. Very interesting! She definitely already knows about Aemond and the role he will play in the near future. Taking my Alysmond crumbs and running with them.

8. “YOU BORE ME. YOU ALL BORE ME.” Kingie, please. Chill!

9. “Do simply what is needed of you. Nothing.” Alicent does realize that Aegon isn’t pliable, submissive and passive like Viserys was, doesn’t she????? Aegon actually wants to DO something, not to be held captive by the designs of people in the shadows. And while his view might seem naïve it does show more initiative and drive than sitting and waiting to be controlled the way Viserys was with Otto. Also, you’d expect this amount of desperation from a father that’s grieving after his CHILD’S murder!!!!

10. “Grown tired of living?” Gwayne continues to make me laugh.

11. And Criston has been surreal as a hands-on, experienced battle commander so far. Love that for Fabien. I feel like respect is finally being put to Criston’s name.

12. Jace and Aegon both being their momma’s firstborns sons and being underestimated by them because of their youth, naivety and inexperience. I’m loving these parallels!!!!

13. SUNFYRE and Aegon playing in the dragonpit was so cute to watch. He’s like a golden retriever and Aegon pats him like a doggy. Sunfyre’s pink flames...amazing!! We’ve lost them way too soon, saw them for so short a moment!!!

14. Aegon really seems to be ‘stumbling upwards’ like Steve Toussaint once said. Charging into war unannounced so that he literally appears as protector of the realm, almost successfully killing his rival when he permits Arryk to impersonate Erryk, buying the approval of the smallfolk by offering free drinks in bars, surviving dragon fire… He is building something of a reputation for himself and it’s all by accident lmao.

15. More of this stupid prophecy shit from boring Rhaenyra uwuuuuuu.

16. LAENA cameo. I won!!! I love seeing Daemon acknowledge her importance and effect on his life.

17. I can’t believe they are they making me feel sorry for Rhaenys. I wonder what motivated her return to faceoff with Aemond: his heinous kinslaying/lawlessness OR the fact that the council would not appreciate her returning with no good results (i.e not having dealt the Greens a blow) or BOTH!

18. I demand to KNOW how Vhagar hid in the woods without House Staunton detecting her presence. Also her popping up out from under the RR castle to attack Rhaenys…wish I’d see how Aemond got there, you get me. I love observing the logistics. Ewan/Aemond is so PERFECT on Vhagar. That’s some serious dragon riding.

19. Aemond was straight flying  back to the crash site to finish Aegon before Rhaenys came after him. The fact that he didn’t care she was getting away is crazy to me. Allow Aemond some military intelligence, please.

20. Sunfyre fighting with every shred of strength he has to land on his belly so that Aegon won’t be crushed, and cradling him. Oh, my heart!

21. Was Sunfyre crying out for meemaw Vhagar as she was falling or am I insane???

22. Dad Criston was great. I cannot imagine the drama that lies ahead after this and how his relationship with Aemond and Aegon will be affected.

23. Alicent, girlie, you about to find a new thing to make you guilty and suicidal all over again! No worries, though, because you are STILL a million times more interesting than boring, righteous girlboss queen.

[adracat]

G Witch episode 17 thoughts

The one where everything goes wrong (but I like angst so we're cool gwitch, I luv u)

It's late, I'm braindead and emotionally everywhere with this episode but that's just an average Suletta Sunday. Let's go!

We saw this coming a mile away but it's still tough to watch Mio fall right into Prospera's machinations, even if she's aware. She just loves Suletta so much and wants her free, striking a deal with this metaphorical devil to do it. But faustian bargains never come without a heavy price.

Already posted some of my thoughts about this on twitter but there's more room to ramble here so you all will suffer for it. It's so clever and painful for these two to be having two separate convos happening at the same time; a common theme with them like we see in ep10. Mio seems resigned but still checks if Suletta will voluntarily cede Aerial without a duel. Suletta, believing she's being tested after their previous conversation, states firmly she won't. Her desire for Mio''s approval is so blatant, with the added subtext of 'Yes, there are precious things I can't give up.' Aerial is one of them, and I think we'll see Mio is the other. Her little shy looks at Mio are so cute ;-;

Shaddiq is being... Shaddiq. I am wondering what his end goal for gundams will be considering as far as we know, Aerial is the only one that doesn't take a pilot's life. Is he so convinced they're the future for Earthian liberation? It's a quick but interesting bit of intrigue.

LMAO GET WRECKED 5LAN. This was hilarious and a long time coming. I was getting really sick of his predatory antics. Looks like he well and truly burned any lingering fondness. Interesting he lets slip he's not the same Elan though. I wonder if she caught that? Guel coming in clutch for the save was a neat callback to ep1

Too bad for Guel, Suletta is completely down bad for short sassy girlbosses. This convo was quite endearing though since Guel accepts her rejection without a fuss. He even seems to support her feelings for Miorine and vice versa, as we see later. I suspect it's this exchange which prompts Miorine to bargain with him; her support of Jeturk/hand in marriage in exchange for his company backing. It was a tough decision for her to make, returning to a man she despised over love, but the Guel here is very different from ep1 Guel.

GOD, If this doesn't sum up her motivations in a nutshell. She wants Suletta free and happy. Away from her manipulative mother, from gundams, from Benerit; everything Mio does is for Suletta, including trading her own freedom in return and marrying a man she doesn't love. There's something to be said for her martyrdom blinding her to the truth that Suletta loves her just as fiercely. I imagine Mio thinks she's doing what's best for Suletta, that she can move forward without her. Of course, we know the truth. I'm weak for them ;-;(There's also a deep irony when you realize she's effectively doing the same thing as Delling)

I was wondering if Guel would have ptsd after earth, and the answer is OH YEAH. He was a mess. War does a number on you, even if logically you know this is just a duel. I felt bad for him, but I'm glad the show depicted this.

THIS. WAS. SO. RUDE. You can't just reveal Suletta was daydreaming about their future wedding while the godforsaken BIRTHDAY SONG plays. I had to watch that multiple times because of the sheer audacity. And Mio's shaking hands as Suletta basically proposes?? It was too much but hurt so good.

This was interesting though. Before Mio cuts Aerial's power, Eri apologizes. Did she know and was complicit? We read in Cradle Planet Eri wants Suletta to be free of Prospera's revenge, so did she allow this plan because it would give Suletta freedom? I like to think so, tragic as it is.

I knew that visor had something to do with GUND. Something tells me this will be the catalyst to getting Miorine an eye implant. (The ED told me)

Utena parallels aside, this moment was telegraphed from the first conversation between them this episode. I've seen many malign Mio over this, completely ignoring she's making what she *thinks* is the best decision for Suletta.

Is it hypocritical? Unfair? Sure. But it's hardly nonsensical or sudden. She's overly harsh because she believes it'll free Suletta from her entirely. Suletta won't fight for her if she thinks Mio never cared. We the audience know she's being played - Mio knows it too - but she still thinks this is the only way to sever Suletta from her mother. She was faced with a terrible choice and is deciding to be selfless. My heart aches for them both.

This was masterclass in heartbreak, gotta admit. She was twisting that knife. I understand the anger somewhat, but look at the bigger picture here. We can still see Suletta return cool-san, maybe on one knee?

I can't wait until next week when... whaz tha? you say it's TWO WEEKS?! 🫠🫠🫠

[many-gay-magpies]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @babyseraphim! Thank you lovely, yk i love this kind of thing <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

17!

2. What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

94,685

3. What fandoms do you write for?

These days it’s pretty much all Dead Boy Detectives, but before this I was writing a lot of Teen Wolf stuff. I’ve also written some BBC Merlin fics, some for the Sandman (although those were both BBC Merlin crossovers), and one The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance fic!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Circular Entrapment - BBC Merlin/Sandman crossover

A Dream of Avalon - also BBCM/Sandman crossover

The Curious Tongue - DBD

Where Primroses Bloom - DBD

To a Grave Dug for Fear - DBD

5. Do you respond to comments?

As often as I can, yes! I absolutely love responding to comments and do my best to respond to every one I get, but I think some of my older fics (mostly the Sandman/Merlin crossover ones that got pretty good traction) might have comments I’ve forgotten about.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I think it would have to be that short little Teen Wolf Scisaac goodbye fic I wrote, Nothing Wrong With a Little Space (But not Right now). That one ends (and is overall) decently angsty, but I’m allergic to solid angst so it’s still somewhat open/hopeful.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably Where Primroses Bloom lmao; that is, like, THE sappiest shit I’ve ever written, the ending included. Like I said I’m allergic to solid angst so most of my fics have happy endings, but that one is definitely the most tooth-rotting level of fluff I’ve yet committed.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not as of yet; like Nimm I’m guessing I haven’t been writing for long enough/haven’t written ENOUGH yet to get a big enough audience to attract hate. I am okay with this

9. Do you write smut?

Once upon a time I would have said a solid no but I have been dabbling lately! Idk how much I’m gonna do, and I don’t think I’ll ever consider myself a smut WRITER, but it has been quite fun :>

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yes! Not any recently, but my first (and only) two fics for the Sandman were both crossover with BBC Merlin, and I have, like, an insane amount of crossovers with Merlin and other fandoms just rotting in Scrivener lmao. Doctor Who crossovers, a Tales of Arcadia crossover, more Sandman crossovers, Good Omens crossovers, Dead Boy Detectives crossovers (though those are barely written), the concept for a Teen Wolf crossover… I love to but that twink wizard in situations

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Also nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Triple nope—although I might be, maybe, at some point, soon-ish, if my and the other writer’s motivation for the fic ever returns from the war TT (mostly mine unfortunately). It’s definitely something I think could be fun!!

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Right now Payneland has consumed me mind body and soul, and they seem the type to stick for years to come, even if my overall DBD interest eventually fades. Merlin and Arthur are my eternal beloveds, however, and I will never NOT be a Merthur lover at heart. Even when my BBC Merlin interest is at a low (like it is right now), Merthur remains in my heart.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

SO MANY MERLIN WIPS DEAR GOD. As I mentioned before I haven’t had my Merlin interest surge in a while, so there are, like, five different half-written crossovers where I just yeet that wizard at other fandoms, and a lot of them are REALLY REALLY GOOD, but like. I can’t fully commit to them without reawakened interest in the fandoms involved, so. For now they shall be left to rot in my fanfiction doc. Also that one fucking 24k Merlin fic I fully wrote, like to completion, and want to rewrite now that my writing is better and I have the ideas more fleshed out, but haven’t yet due to lack of interest/motivation.

I do have a bit of hope though that one day my Merlin interest will return from the war, so in the interest of sharing some WIPs with less hope: the Triptych series for Teen Wolf. I have a fourth part of that in progress, and I think it has like 11k of it or some insane number written, and I want to finish it SO BAD because my girl Allison deserves some time to shine, plus that is the first and only time I have committed to a serial project in a fandom, believing I would follow through, but I. Very much have not. Triptych readers if any of you still follow me I am sorry, the Teen Wolf interest did not last as long as I hoped it would—but at the very least, the way the series is formatted makes it so the ending now is still a nice, solid, if slightly open ending, so if you didn’t know there’d been a fourth part planned you probably wouldn’t assume anything was missing.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I feel like I’m generally good with prose, dialogue, and emotional and atmospheric description! Which is like. Quite a bit actually. But I feel like I’m generally a pretty good writer, and I enjoy all the different processes a lot! I’ve gotten a lot of compliments in comments on my fics about how I get the characters’ voices and vibes down really accurately, which is EVERYTHING to me because that feels like one of the most challenging parts of fic—actually making the characters read LIKE THE CHARACTERS. So, that is a point of pride for sure kjshdkfjhksjh

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Run-on sentences. I am so, SO guilty of abusing the em dash (—) and semicolon (;) to hell and back, my goodness. Half my editing process is going through and shortening sentences, reordering clauses, etc etc. I also feel like I could definitely improve in the actual plot-driven area, at least when it comes to fic—pretty much all my fics are emotion and character-focused oneshots, which isn’t a bad thing and certainly has its place in fandom, but I so enormously admire the fic writers who think up whole plots for the characters and put them into so many situations… granted I did do that with Circular Entrapment, and I’m in the process of doing it with my (finally-named!) post-canon casefic, but I want to do it MORE. Also, committing!! I pretty much only post oneshots because I’m terrible at committing to longer-form stuff!! A big part of it is that I can’t exactly control the whims of my brains and its interests, but god just for ONCE I would like to commit to and actually FOLLOW THROUGH WITH a longer-form project, like a serial or a multichapter.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I mean, I’m not sure what exactly this is asking. I have one unposted ficlet where I use my very intermediate French knowledge to write Isaac Lahey speaking very rudimentary French, so I think it’s fun? I think generally if I ever used another language for dialogue I’d put a translation in the end notes, and like. I don’t see myself doing it that often? It can be fun to read though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

If we’re talking first fandom I wrote fic for ever, in my life, that would have to be either My Little Pony or How To Train Your Dragon. If we’re talking first fandom I ever wrote fic and POSTED the fic for, that would be Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

20. Favorite fics you’ve written?

Aughhhhh. I think at the moment I’m super proud of The Curious Tongue, because it was just so much fun to write and I’m super proud of the results! It was my first foray into posting slightly more nsfw writing, which was a bit nerve-wracking, but I really just adore the character dynamics and emotional vulnerability in it. Exploring the same events from two separate POVs and seeing how DIFFERENT they were was so fun, and the great reception it’s received has been a big plus!

I’m also really proud of To a Grave Dug for Fear, because I really love the ideas, intrapersonal conflict, and emotional/character dynamics explored in it, and I feel like I did a good job for it being my first fic for the DBD fandom! But on a non-DBD note, Circular Entrapment. It’s still just such an entertaining concept and execution to me, and seeing how those two incredibly different characters meshed together was so much FUN.

For this I will zero-pressure tag my usual writer mutual tag, @blusandbirds, and also @edwinspaynes, @wordsinhaled, @shadowquill17, and any other writers who see this and want to participate! As usual, if you are tagged and DON’T want to, just consider it a notification that I’m thinking of you :3

[gaymer-hag-stan]

[Tekken 8 Spoilers]

Now that Jin got rid of his and Kazuya's devil gene, and Kazuya was still a raging asshole, can we finally drop the "KAzUyA iS MiSunDerStOoD, He'S OnLy EvIl bEcAuSE Of HeihAcHi AnD The DeVil'S iNfluEnCe" narrative?

From the very moment Kazuya learned he has a son, all he wanted to do was kill him to take his powers for himself, he then positioned himself as a fake hero to mankind when Jin started his war but his only motive was that Jin, and then Heihachi, couldn't have absolute power, because that's his thing.

Kazuya is an extremely one-note character, he only wants power for the sake of having power and being the strongest. It's no wonder he and Paul, the self-proclaimed strongest man in the universe, were initially rivals. His only character development, ever, was switching from the "hero" in Tekken 1 to the villain in Tekken 2. He doesn't care for anything or anyone else. He only cares for having control over everyone.

My questions about Reina's father being indeed Heihachi and not Kazuya were also finally answered, although that is, once again a retcon regarding how one possesses the devil gene and also renders Lars' mere existence as a character completely useless lmao. But it's still quite interesting that they found a way to introduce a new secondary, or possibly main, villain besides Kazuya.

Jun's return was... Interesting? She's not a ghost after all and even though she did not canonically fight she is indeed alive. Just like Nina and Anna and Ivy before her, Namco found yet another way to keep a woman for aging past her 30s and left her looking young through the power of... Alchemy, this time... Whatever, at least she's actually back and this is not a one time "ooh I'm a spiritual guide" type of thing. She genuinely believed Kazuya could be somehow saved (I fail to see why) so maybe she will attempt to "fix him" in Tekken 9. Honestly if they do to Kazuya what they did to Heihachi in Tekken 7 and make up excuses as to why "yeah he wasn't so evil after all" it will be hilarious 😂

Most interesting of all perhaps is Jin switching back to his old Heihachi-taught Mishima-style karate, and even older Jun-taught techniques, my goodness! And with Devil Jin officially gone, that means that they can't use him as an alternate Jin fighting style anymore so I guess we'll get a Tekken 3+Tekken 4-8+Kazama Jin from now on? Excellent work on the music choices once again, with his Tekken 3 theme playing when he switched back to his Tekken 3 playstyle and Tekken 2's ending playing when he started using Kazama moves!

[machihunnicutt]

I would like the sons and bowlers thoughts please

Under the cut bc it’s soooo long lmao

Things in sons and bowlers that make me crazy (in no particular order)

1)The idea that daniel pierce shields hawkeye from things that he thinks will hurt him psychologically and actively tries to distract him with kindness/good things i.e. making him elaborate breakfasts while his mom was dying in the hospital and downplaying the extent of her illness. I think this is so interesting bc we’ve often seen hawkeye deflect with jokes/go out of his way to help people inside and outside of OR and make sacrifices to do so/ downplay the extent of his own pain/trauma in order to avoid inconveniencing people and the idea that this is a behavior he learned as a child, way before the war is a major clue to the events in GFA

He doesn’t deal with his trauma, he minimizes it to the point of repression and convinces himself things are alright! He’s become his father! That blows my mind idk

2) hawkeye just has his dad and his dad just has him! We saw in where there’s a will that he leaves everything to his father but this really drives home how much hawkeye loves his dad. Like i think part of why this makes me crazy is that i have daddy/mommy issues but i feel like for hawkeye this is a big character beat that people overlook. He’s not like the others at the unit in that they all have families/career aspirations/grounded support systems to return to and for hawkeye all he’s got is his dad and he really finds his support system in the MASH…and yeah he’s a workaholic and a brilliant surgeon but he’s also the kind of person who thrives on human connection and cannot live without his connections to those around him. Like hawkeye is all heart AGH what happens when someone like that is removed from a place where they formed deep connections?

Also the fact that he’s like iv’e said ily but what if he doesnt know i mean it like man u really don’t expect people to listen to what u say

3) back on daniel, sorry but i love food/mealtime/cooking themes with hawkeye too and the fact that shared, homemade breakfasts were his father’s symbol of love and protection just makes the absence of good food at the MASH even more devastating. I also see hawkeye as someone who can disassociate from his body easily (the drinking, the sleeping around, the constant sniffing of food/not eating if it isn’t appetizing/ going long periods without sleep and insomnia, the manic episodes/psych problems) so the reconnection of family to food is important here too! Like i’m going to get to charles but the fact that he tells the story about feeling tested at dinner and his related food associations, i think it’s really telling that in contrast we get hawkeye and daniel talking about the good times they had eating dinner together

4) brief margaret tangent i like that this is a reversal of the early seasons trope of her sleeping with someone for some plot/ulterior motive and now when potter asks her if she’ll do that she’s like fuck off and then uses the guy for bowling tips and not sex lol i just think it’s a succient way to show her development over time and i also love when she gets to do sporty/more traditionally masculine things and not be dunked on for it

5) bj and charles scheming idk i love this in any episode i like that they bring out the evil asshole in each other i find it funny and charming they’re my faves for a reason i think dos and mike are both soooo talented

6) the contrast between charles’ home life and hawkeye’s and how thats shaped them. i ‘m really interested in the similarities between charles and hawk i think they have similar backgrounds and similar drive/talent/pressure to be surgeons and be the best at what they do/similarly desperate desire for connection with people/to art and music and theater etc. and they can be similarly overconfident/stubborn it just manifests so differently in their behaviors. I feel like this is one of the few times we see them acknowledge each other as people and put aside their differences in order to support each other idk u know i love a charles plotline im human

7) speaking of supporting people! Also crazy about bj’s progressive loss of the ability to provide hawkeye with emotional support and here he doesn’t even know hawkeye was struggling bc hawkeye’s like don’t tell anyone ! he doesn’t want to tell his best friend his problems bc bj doesn’t help him with things like that. And in fact telling bj might be something that sets bj off further like every day this man’s mental health is crumbling he’s hanging on by a thread and hawkeye knows this, more finale set up that’s so subtly done i love it

7.5) also the fact that if daniel’s surgery had gone badly this would be another hawkeye doesn’t get a real goodbye situation (.i.e his mom, trapper, henry, carlye, tommy, kyung hee, bj etc.) whyyyy do they do this

8) there’s bowling like come on are u serious i love bowling and they’re so cute bowling

[asteria7fics]

i would love to hear a full breakdown of the correlation to the original text!! (*＾ワ＾*）

-still stalking man ˙˚ଘo(∗  ❛ั ᵕ ❛ั )੭່˙

Now THIS is what I'm talkin' about!!

I LOVE TALKING ABOUT THIS AHAHA °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

MAJOR spoilers for TSOB under the cut, so if you haven't read it yet, read it here first and come back!

So I think it's kinda obvious who of the kids correlates with which Trojan War character, but I'll list the important ones here:

Cartman: Agamemnon

Kenny: Menelaus

Kyle: Achilles

Stan: Patroclus

Wendy: Hector

Heidi: Paris

Butters: Helen

Craig: Odysseus

Bebe: Priam

Ike: Neoptolemus (adding him was such a goofy move lmao)

All other correlations I made were pretty arbitrary and I didn't really follow them outside of using them when deciding who would be in the horse at the end.

But I know what you're really here for. Here's a breakdown of the events of the war, and how I South Park-ified them!

Paris steals Helen - Obviously, this was Heidi going to Kenny's house and stealing Butters.

Odysseus tries to avoid being drafted - In the original text, Odysseus acts insane and nearly murders his infant son in an effort to 'commit to the bit'. I struggled with this chapter the most and rewrote it a couple of times to make Craig nearly killing Stripe almost make sense, though idk how successful I was truthfully. Easily the weakest part of the story.

Achilles tries to avoid being recruited - Again in the original text, Achilles hides out by disguising himself and living among women away from his home. Having the enemy be the girls made this challenging, so I settled on having Stan and Kyle dress as girls together to try and get Wendy out of the war.

Agamemnon sacrifices Iphigenia, his first born daughter - RIP Mr. Kitty (ಥ﹏ಥ)

Greeks camp on beach & capture many small settlements around Troy - Had the boys camp across the street from Bebe's and raid the surrounding houses to bleed them of supplies.

Agamemnon takes Chryseis - I knew early on I wasn't going to have the boys take women as prisoners like they did in the source text, so I settled on having them take the next most valuable thing; video games. This is Cartman taking the first Switch he gets!

Chryseis’ father prays to Apollo; plague hits camp until she’s returned - The inspiration of The Crappening. I made the decision to not have the Gods be a real factor in the war, so the girls had to take things into their own hands with this one. It was convenient too, considering how dirty Cartman did poor Jenny in Bass to Mouth. Made for great motivation for the girls to give them those laxative-laced cookies, though!

Agamemnon takes Briseis from Achilles - Cartman taking the Switch from Kyle. That bastard! -`д´-

Achilles refuses to fight - Kyle's subsequent hissy fit. He's so Achilles coded it's wild.

Menelaus battles Paris solo - Kenny and Heidi's fight! Didn't have to do much with this one, honestly.

Patroclus wears Achilles’ armor and is killed by Hector - You guys know what happens. Stan dresses in Kyle's armor and gets his leg broken by Wendy. By this point I was able to follow the source material pretty closely.

Achilles kills Hector to avenge Patroclus - Kyle gives Wendy the big chop (ง •̀_•́)ง

Achilles is killed by Paris (bow lead by Apollo) - Heidi takes Kyle out with a lucky shot to the nuts. I never really explored if she was assisted by anyone on this, but I like to think she believed the Gods were on her side, guiding that condom!

The Trojan Horse - I mean, kinda explains itself doesn't it? Though I have to say, using the condom boxes to construct the horse may have been my single greatest idea in the whole fic.

The Greek’s emerge from the horse and torch Troy - There was really no way the story could end without the boys committing arson, was there? I mean, what was Cartman supposed to do? We all know how the story's supposed to end!

This was so fun to FINALLY share with you all! I worked through a lot of these ideas with my irl friends, and the laughter I got out of them really kept me invested in finishing this story. I hope I was able to make some of you chuckle, too!

Thank you so so much for this ask!! ♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡

[ladymorghul]

There's been another leak from a guy that's known to be unreliable (although he did get a few things right in S1?) and this time it was about Helaemond and antis have lost their minds about it lmao. Apparently it will be revealed in S2 that they've been having a relationship and the kids are implied and basically confirmed to be his but, before leaving for Harrenhal, Aemond will be ending their relationship and this will apparently play a role in Helaena's suicide which will happen at the end of S2. Now as it's been pointed out it's far too early in production to say if this is accurate at all but the reactions this stuff is getting are out of proportion…and, if accurate, I think some are intentionally pretending not to understand why Aemond would end the relationship: first of all he would blame himself for B&C and Helaena's descent into madness and grief and secondly he would obviously believe he isn't worthy anymore of her love given that he's the one responsible for her suffering. And maybe he himself believes he's likely to die in the war and never return back to her, it's possible he thinks he would be sparing her if he ends whatever affair they may have had. I have to mention that one would've expected her to be the one to end it (because he caused her son's death) but if you think about it, it also make sense if he's the one to do it as well.

(this is the leak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDayqrXZEL8 )

i'm gonna be honest with you my attention span cannot handle that guy talking for 10 minutes so whatever he says, i'm taking your word for it, even if it's helaemond related

but before i say anything, i wanna say i especially distrust youtube leaks for some reason

Apparently it will be revealed in S2 that they've been having a relationship and the kids are implied and basically confirmed to be his but, before leaving for Harrenhal, Aemond will be ending their relationship and this will apparently play a role in Helaena's suicide which will happen at the end of S2.

ending their relationship sounds very vague to me. it doesn't speak of motive, it doesn't tell you what happens exactly, it doesn't speak to helaena's response other than it plays into her su!c!de later, which his death will likely play into it as well to helaena losing all hope but this does depend on when they decide to have helaena khs

imo if helaemond is real in the story, it will be a very fucked up dynamic post b&c, just like helaegon. their entire relationship will be drowned in grief + aemond's guilt and desire to take revenge. i think that's part of the tragedy, that aemond, even regardless of the romantic aspect of helaemond, is probably gonna be consumed with seeking revenge for what was did to his sister.

plus, we have to take into consideration helaena's prophecies. maybe she knows to a degree what happens to aemond since ewan or ryan did talk about aemond knowing some stuff. maybe part of her knows what will happen if / when he leaves, which adds to it. plus, let's be real, even in a scenario where helaena would be angry and disappointed by aemond post storm's end (which is a possibility), at the end of the day, he's still her brother. she wouldn't want him dead.

and if this were true, i doubt it's a "omg helaena i'm breaking up with you" sorta conversation. it's probably more of a it's better if we do it this way, i have to do what i have to do because of what happened, goodbye.

aemond's character will definitely suffer some changes in s2. in this hypothetical scenario, the breakup comes before he leaves for harrenhal so by that point b&c AND rook's rest happened. he's not gonna be the aemond we see in episode 8 for example.

Now as it's been pointed out it's far too early in production to say if this is accurate at all but the reactions this stuff is getting are out of proportion…and, if accurate, I think some are intentionally pretending not to understand why Aemond would end the relationship: first of all he would blame himself for B&C and Helaena's descent into madness and grief and secondly he would obviously believe he isn't worthy anymore of her love given that he's the one responsible for her suffering. And maybe he himself believes he's likely to die in the war and never return back to her, it's possible he thinks he would be sparing her if he ends whatever affair they may have had. I have to mention that one would've expected her to be the one to end it (because he caused her son's death) but if you think about it, it also make sense if he's the one to do it as well.

yeah, i can see both playing this part in a breakup. i don't see it as totally unrealistic for aemond to end things before he has to leave, especially taking into consideration what i said earlier.

the only thing i disagree with is that he is the cause of her suffering / that he cause her son's death. daemon, rhaenyra or mysaria, whoever sent blood and cheese into the castle, to do whatever, even just to kidnap, is responsible for her suffering. aemond may feel responsible for it and helaena may blame him for it, but ultimately people make their own choices in how they respond and if anything in that war was ever an unfair response it was b&c.

[selkiebinch]

pokemon sumo for the fandom ask game if you'd like 👉👈

Okay it's been so long since I played these games, like maybe 8 years ago or so? So I'm a lil rusty

Fave male character - Guzma 😍💖 he's a great new spin on a "villain" type in Pokemon, and his motivations totally make sense. Also, he's a great big brother for his Skullies!

Favorite female character - hmm, I think Professor Burnet? Her design is super fun and I love how she debuted in a pokemon mini game on the 3ds, or was it DSi, I don't remember lol

Also her and Kukui are precious 😍

Plumeria is a bad bish tho and I love her, too

Least favorite character - this may be controversial, idk, but Sophocles always annoyed me 😭😅 I'm glad in PoMa he and Cyrus are friends, that's kind of cute, but him by himself is just annoying and I'm not a fan of his design, despite the fact that hooray plus sized ppl in Pokemon exist! We def need more plus sized designs. I get he's just a kid but I still feel that way

Favorite ship- okay so like. Polycule ship of Burnet and Kukui being married, then Kukui dating Guzma, then Guzma dating Plumeria.

Guzma gets all the love from Plums and Kukui and mellows out post Skull, and Burnet and Kukui keep having their wonderful marriage

Favorite friendship - okay this is def queer coded but!! The MC and Lillie!! I love the journey they go on together and MC helping Lillie open up, very cute and good

Favorite quote- first thing that comes to mind is the very memey Y'ALL ARE STUPID from Guzma LMAO. That rly was a great moment, especially in Pokemon when they don't normally talk like that 😭 there's probably some deep quote that I also would love if I looked it up tho

Worst character death (if any)- this is Pokemon so deaths are just implied but UMM THAT SLOWPOKE ETERNALLY ENCASED IN ICE OMG 😭😭

"this made me so happy you have no idea" moment- COLRESS RETURNING AAAA!! My mans!! Also I am obsessed with the "I am wanted in Unova for war crimes" meme

Saddest moment- the tragedy of Lillie and Gladion's upbringing?? Oh my God the trauma these kids will have to unpack in therapy.

Also Guzma being so insecure that he let Lusamine's honey-worded manipulation get the better of him and team up with Aether, putting himself and all of Team Skull in danger. And then he cries when he realizes he was just being used omg?????

Favorite location- okay there's so many pretty locations in SuMo but I love the peaceful top of the snowy mountain near their new Pokemon League. 🥺 I remember going there a lot for the Vibes

[cosmicdreamt]

[[ Your muses should drop in our ask box what they like about Neff. First impression, what they noticed most about her, what drew them to her, whatever they wanna say uwu 

This is ofc for both platonic and romantic.

And even if we haven’t interactd yet, if your muse wants to just make a comment about what they think of her THROUGH a first impression go right on ahead! Consider it an ice breaker lol ]]

[dyketectivecomics]

@prxttybird shared xir next gen DC OCs with me. And i fell in LOVE so here’s Stevie Trevor holding her tiny gf June Roth (& 🅱️lease pardon the sketchiness bc I wanted to ink this FAST)

[lilac-5ky]

Dating Joui-era Takasugi Headcanons

A/N: It’s that time of the year when people want to feel a bit cozy and they write Christmas headcanons and all that jazz. BUT Joui-era Shinsuke is what makes me feel all cozy, and so, instead of Christmas headcanons I’ll opt for this :3 (unless y’all want me to actually write a christmas special with him LMAO sounds wacky af)

Warning: It's late. Idk what I've written. Random delirious thoughts I'm afraid. and also it gets a bit SMUTTY with the details

Let’s start with the period of “crushing” and namely “crushing” from his side. Chances are Takasugi had his eyes on you long before he decided to make a move. Something about being on war, something about being a tsundere, something about knowing that if he shows interest then Gin will DEFINITELY force his way in to get on his nerves; all those reasons were enough to make him reluctant.

He thought that crushes were like the common flu. Terrible at first, but it will go away if you ignore it. Eventually. Some day. Oh well.

Months have gone by and you are still living rent-free in his mind. Even when they are stationed far away, he can’t stop thinking about you and hopes he gets to outlive one more battle, just to see your face again.

He is always on the lookout for news about you. Whenever someone mentions your name, or anything that remotely resembles the first syllable of it, his ears perk up. He wants to know you are safe and doing well, but more importantly, he wants to hear that you are still not involved with anyone and won't be until the day he makes it back. Because, secretly, he hopes that when that day comes, he'll get to make you his.

Once, you sent him a letter. Nothing memorable or grandiose. Just you congratulating him on a victory, wishing a safe return and telling him you'll be waiting to see him soon. He never told you, but he treasured that letter, so much that he carried it inside his vest everywhere he went. The content itself wasn't as important, but the fact that you were thinking about him was all the motivation he needed.

At some point, he might start to write back. He’ll talk about the places they see, the fights they win, the petty arguments between Gintoki and him, how Tatsuma tried to buy out an entire red light district and how Zura rejected the advances of a general’s wife for a widow.

He mostly tries to keep his letters lighthearted, presenting you with the pretty side of things. He keeps the real ugliness of war to himself, and doesn’t really vent about his struggles. All he wants is to be close to you, but not too close as to be vulnerable. Not yet, at least.

I’d imagine him indirectly suggesting that some day you revisit certain places together. It’s more of a promise to himself, than an actual suggestion, hoping that one day he can actually deliver on that.

One would expect that when he finally comes back, he’d start interacting more with you and open up. WRONG. He reverts to his quiet and stoic self, acting as if you are no more than an acquaintance. It’s not that he isn’t interested. He simply prefers to let his eyes do the talking, when in company of the others.

If you catch him looking, he doesn’t immediately look away. He loves watching you and he loves how every time your eyes cross, you seem more flustered than before. The sight alone is enough to make him smile, that soft and nearly innocent smile he reserves for you exclusively.

I actually have this scenario in my head that involves camping around the fire with Joui 4. There’s laughing, there’s drinking and there’s talking, and during the entirety of it, you keep gawking at one another (lowkey eye-fucking one another OOPS) until everyone else falls asleep. When that happens, you sit side by side, Shinsuke adding more wood to the fire while you snuggle up to him, resting your head against his shoulder. A very warm, quiet and intimate moment you share together.

At this point, everyone knows something’s going on between you two, and naturally, they start to mess around by calling you “chibi’s girlfriend”. By “they” I most definitely mean Gintoki, though Zura and Tatsuma make sure to contribute with a chuckle. Shinsuke HATES this kind of jokes and is quick to dispute their claims, which in return leads to them suggesting they should get it on with you instead, considering how you’re single and all.

Gintoki because “How could a shrimp ever please you with his tiny shrimp dick”, Tatsuma because “bRoS beFOrE hOEs” and Katsura because… actually Katsura is the one who’s least likely to say that. Unless you are a widow. (auto correct made it window at first and I died at the idea of being window-sexual)

The jokes soon lose their momentum, and become sort of this daily routine he chooses to ignore. That is when it’s just the four of them. However, if Gintoki dares bring them up in your presence, then Shinsuke loses all self restraint and attempt to murder him by repeatedly stomping on his head, saying something along the lines of “You don’t need to carry an empty shell on your shoulders if you’re never gonna use it”

The only consolation is that you found his reaction so entertaining that you burst into laughter. Not at Gintoki’s attempted murder, but at Shinsuke’s adorable grumpy expressions.

When it’s just the two of you, Shinsuke feels much more at ease. He’ll probably offer to accompany you to places or join in on a task, considering how rare it is to spend some quality time together. Long walks through the woods, hitting up convenience stores miles away from the camp and Gintoki , “accidentally” hitting up all sorts of romantic hidden spots is definitely his thing.

He wants to thoroughly get to know you, and there’s no better way than sharing conversations without any disruptions. You can really talk to him about everything and he’ll listen without complaints, though expect him to tease you at any given time. It’s his way of flirting, and even if he calls you stupid, it’s just a term of endearment to him. When he is alone with you, he gets to forget all about warfare and tactics, becoming just a regular boy courting the girl he likes.

Honestly, even after all that, don’t expect a confession from him. He’ll either force you to say it yourself, or muster up the courage to straight up kiss you when the moment feels right. Going with the first one, he’ll insist to show you his most charming self until you can no longer exist around him without acting like a complete mess. That is when you blurt to him that you can’t wait for this war to be over, which has him all smirking and asking you what for. He really wants to hear you say it.

However, supposing that things don’t really go his way then he’ll be forced to make a move. He’d find an excuse to get you far away from everyone else, and when it’s clear, he’ll lean forward and press his lips against yours. He is not very experienced with romance. Correction: He is not experienced with romance AT ALL. For him to kiss you, it means that he likes you so much that his impulse takes over and he can’t help it anymore.

The kiss itself is forced, but oddly hesitant. It’s as if his eyes seek confirmation in yours, and when your lips answer him back instead, then you know it’s game over. In the blink of an eye, he has you pressed against his body, gloved fingers studying over the details of your face, hoping to somehow imprint the softness of your skin upon his pads. He is firm and intense, but gentle in a way that has you completely melting into his touch. That’s when both of you inaudibly decided that you won’t wait for war to decide your outcome.

Dates with him aren’t exactly dates in the traditional sense. Between relocating, battling and keeping your relationship a secret, he doesn’t have much time to take you out on fancy dates, but you knew that before mixing it up with him. Things will remain unchanged; secret meetups in the dead of night, strolling around stranded beaches and nearby woods, or, if he’s daring enough, his tent. What does change is the quality of said dates. (wink wink)

Like I said, he spends a lot of time away from you. Even when they go to Yoshiwara, he isn’t touching any woman because he can’t think of another woman the way he thinks about you. He wants you and you want him, and it doesn’t take long for things to boil over.

But let’s get more specific. If you find yourselves in the forest by the camp, then he most certainly has you back against a tree, knees around his waist, slowly thrusting into you with a hand over your mouth to muffle all sounds. It’s risky and anyone could spot you, but that’s what makes it even more fun. Sometimes he can’t help but groan against your ear, letting you know just how good you make him feel, right before replacing his hand gets with his lips. Deep kisses turn sloppy in between lovely grins and quiet chuckles, till you both climax as one.

When it’s not for a quickie, and especially for the first time, he’ll make an effort by either bringing you into his tent or taking you to the sea. It’s not so much about the place itself, but about how he’d much rather have you spend the night lying in his arms. It doesn’t matter how bleak and grim reality is. On those nights when the world quiets down, he really feels as if he has a chance of winning. As if by next dawn, the war will come to an end and he won’t ever need to say goodbye to you again.

Lastly, speaking about goodbyes. It becomes a habit between you to make stupid pinky promises about things. It can be something as silly as “I pinky swear to bring you a croquette sandwich tomorrow”, or something as profound as “I pinky swear I’ll come back alive”. He doesn’t want to make promises he can’t honor, but at the same time these promises bring comfort to you both. No matter how silly, a promise is about the future and as long as there is something that binds you to a shared future, then you have nothing to fear.

A/N: Sigh, you can’t tell me that Shinsuke in love isn’t a huge romantic. He might be a bit too cynic and sharp tongued at times, but that doesn’t prevent him from being an actual sweetheart. Plus, back then was when he was happiest. He’d be free to joke around and share a laugh without much guilt, and he’d be far more susceptible to falling in love T-T

[messrmoonyy]

Have you seen that popular post of tonks going to Remus class after the war and taking teddy with her? cood your write something with that? Please 😃

I sure have anon! I loved this. Some happiness amongst all the angsty asks I have lmao.

I took some mild creative liberties with the conversational abilities of portraits and the timeline is slightlyyyy wobbly. But enjoy

Read my other writing in my masterlist and feel free to drop me a request

Pairing: Remus lupin x Nymphadora Tonks

Warnings: none

When Tonks woke up Remus was already gone, her fingers reached around blindly on his side of the bed and found nothing but cold sheets and she groaned. In the year that they had been living at Hogwarts with Remus back teaching again, she had gotten herself into the habit of waking up with him. But Teddy had simply refused to sleep last night so she had been up for hours with him so that Remus could sleep. She opened her eyes and saw there was a steaming mug of tea on the bedside dresser with a little note propped against it and she reached over to grab it.

'My dear Dora,

Don't be mad at me for not waking you, you needed to rest. I checked on Teddy before I left. I have a class of 6th years 3rd period so feel free to come down if you want to. I have a free afternoon too, so tea in Hogsmede?

Yours always, Remus'

She smiled and sat up in bed stretching her arms up above her head with a yawn, grimacing slightly as her arm popped. It was one of the main reasons she still hadn’t gotten back fully into working herself, an injury from the war that still hadn’t recovered. The curse still that had hit her making it seem like it might not ever recover properly. Madam Pomfrey saw her once a week to help with it, but it wasn’t much better really.

She felt quite useless some days. She was desperate to get back into working again. She was never one for just lazing around doing nothing. She had been offered her job back at the ministry when ever she was ready to return to it, a hefty promotion waiting for her too. She still dis small things for the ministry, Kingsley has worked very closely with her and Remus on getting equal rights for Lycanthropes, made wolfsbane much more accessible. But for now she didn’t really mind that much, it meant having plenty of time with Remus and Teddy. Now in terms of work she she just helped out around the school where she could, because they didn't mind if she brought Teddy along with her. Some days she helped out in the hospital wing, her extensive knowledge on healing coming in handy. Other days helped with Minervas homework study groups, helped Remus plan his classes, she kept busy.

Teddy started to fuss and she got out of bed with a roll of her shoulder to try ease the morning pain. She peered into his cot to see him wide eyed and awake. He had Remus’ eyes. Big and brown and beautiful. He looked so much like Remus, she knew the older he got he’d simply be a double of his dad. Minerva was already joking that with them looking so identical now she would resign the day he was old enough to attend Hogwarts. With Remus and Tonks as his parents he was certain to have a mischievous streak in him for certain. It was practically fate.

" my silly boy huh " she said as she saw he’d managed to completely change ends he was sleeping on. She smiled, rolling her eyes with a smile and picked him up. His hair was a vibrant shade of red today, like the phone boxes back in London. His hair was the one of the only thing that seemed to change about him at the moment but he was already starting to control it. He had seemed to have learnt how to change his hair to match who he wanted to be held by when he was particularly grumbly. Which made things particularly difficult if they were staying at the Weasleys. But also quite cute when they would visit Harry and a little scar would appear on his head. She didn't even mind that just lately it would go brown more often than pink because seeing Remus and Teddy together was one of the greatest feelings in the world. Seeing Remus happy was one of the greatest feelings in the world. Because he so often would wake up in the night in a cold sweat as his nightmares replayed all the trauma of the war back to him. But work kept him distracted. And Teddy did. And she did. And though he would never admit it, the fact that he was sole income for the family now kept him motivated too.

She carried him over to her bed and sat down with to feed him, knowing that must be the reason he was fussing. It was quite peaceful sitting there in her room with him, it was raining outside and the rain hitting the window panes was almost melodic. Remus loved the rain and she’d grown to love it as well, sometimes convincing him to go out dancing around in it with her. If she listened closer she could hear the chatter of the children, she glanced at the clock and saw second period would be starting in 5 minutes so they were noisily moving between their classes. Even though there were no classrooms by the teachers wing in the castle, she could still hear them.

When Teddy had had his fill she propped him up on her pillows as she opened up his little wardrobe to get him something to wear. There was a quidditch friendly later on the evening, so she pulled out his little hufflepuff quidditch jumper ready. Molly had knitted it for him and it was an almost perfect replica. Even though Harry had tried to convince her he should be wearing Gryffindor. But even Remus agreed Teddy would be a hufflepuff. Through and through.

" wanna go see daddy teach later, hmm? You like being in his classroom don't you? Mummy does too because daddy looks very handsome in his teaching robes doesn't he? He does " she said as started to get him changed, unhooking his foot that he had shoved into his mouth “ are you going to be a good boy whilst he’s teaching? My good boy huh? “ Teddy gurgled an answer and went back to trying to get his foot into his mouth again.

With a half hour or so to go until his 6th year class she left their quarters and took Teddy down to his second favourite place in the castle. In one of the corridors off the main entrance hall a long row of portraits of those that had been lost in the war had been hung. Including one of Sirius. The first time they had seen it both Remus and Dora had cried only to have had the painted Sirius tell them both to grow a pair. But getting to introduce Teddy to his family was worth it, even if it did still make her emotional to see his face and hear his voice again.

When she reached Sirius frame he wasn't in it and she rolled her eyes knowing exactly where he would be. She walked down a couple more portraits to Fred Weasleys. And there was Sirius. Turns out even painting Sirius and Fred were mischievous and Sirius acted like the marauder he once was around Fred as they tried to play pranks on the others in the hall.

" do you ever actually stay in your frame?" Tonks said with a smile, bouncing Teddy lightly on her hip.

" Tonksie! And my little man! " Teddy started laughing as he heard Sirius voice and made grabby hands towards him. Tonks held him to the frame and Sirius pulled stupid faces at the little boy making him laugh even more. She wished Sirius was still around to truly play with Teddy. To make him laugh and turn him into the little prankster she knew he would grow up to be. But a portrait would all she was going to get nowadays. So she took what she could get " where's moons? Teaching? "

" yeah. We're going to see him now. Arent we Ted? Gonna see daddy? “ Teddy’s hair shifted brown at the mention of his dad and with a slight worry he would start crying and disturb classes, she said a quick goodbye to Sirius and made her way down to Remus’ classroom. She was a little early but Remus tended to let his class go early if he knew she was coming down.

And as exactly as she had suspected he had let his 3rd years go early when she arrived and they were piling out of the room. They all smiled as they saw her, all of Remus’ students knowing who she was.

" morning Mrs Lupin! "

" hi Ted! Hi Mrs Lupin! "

" good morning Mrs Lupin, oh hiyya Teddy! " some of the children greeted her as they left the classroom and she smiled at them all eagerly still just loving the sound of ' Mrs Lupin ' as she stepped into the classroom Remus had his back to her, tidying something on his desk and she snuck up behind him, wrapping her free arm around his waist.

" hi " she said softly and stood up on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. He turned in her embrace immediately, a smile gracing his faces the sight of his family. He leant down to kiss her only to be disturbed by Teddy yanking on his hair.

" oh I'm sorry, does someone feel left out? " Dora said with a laugh and handed him over to Remus who kissed his nose and both his chubby cheeks.

" kisses for both my favourite people " he held the baby boy up in the air and playfully tried to bite at his little feet making Teddy squeal in delight. Remus was well and truly in his element as a father. He had taken to the role so well and it warmed Doras heart watching them together. He may have had a rocky start. But he was more than making up for it now. He doted on his son, spoilt him completely rotten and showed him all the love and affection she’d known he’d had in him from the start.

Teddy soon became disinterested and far more interested in the model of some small creature on his desk. Remus handed it to him and sat him down on the floor as he gurgled to himself, inspecting the skull as if it was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen.

“ did you catch up on your sleep? “ Remus asked turning to Dora then as she watched Teddy with a smile “ you look tired darling “ he pulled her into, his hands on her waist. She gave a small shrug and looked up at him. His face was mildly concerned. He always worried too much. Always.

“ a bit “

“ you should’ve stayed in bed. Gotten some more rest “

" I’m fine Remus. Honestly. Besides. I like watching you teach " she said with a smile and hopped up to sit on his desk after a look towards Teddy. He was still babbling to himself as he investigated the small skull, still insanely amused by it.

" people aren't allowed to sit on my desk you know " Remus said and moved to stand in front of her, his hand reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“ if I recall we’ve done much more than sit on this desk Mr Lupin “ his cheeks flushed and she couldn’t help the giant grin on her face. After all the time since they’d first met she could still get him flustered. She loved it.

" you're a tease you know that? " he murmured and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

" I'm well aware. But you married me didn't you? You signed up for it " he smiled and she brushed her lips against his with an smile to match his. Though he’d barely kissed her for a second when there was the sound of children in the corridor, his next class arriving. Dora gave a small sigh and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before hopping off of the desk and picking up Teddy.

“ you’ll stay? “ Remus asked, straightening up his desk and pulling her back in gently before she could go “ it’s mostly just a study lesson, you won’t be a bother darling “ how could she say no to him when he was looking at her like that? He made her melt. She gave a nod and pressed a kiss to his cheek, before retreating to the back of the classroom so she and Teddy wouldn’t get in the way “ in you come class! “ the children piled in, some stopping briefly to talk to Tonks and Teddy before finding their seats.

She’d attended so many of his classes by now and she’d never seen any children really misbehave. They all seemed to love him, all listening with pure interest in everything he had to say. And maybe it was his parental instinct, but he was practically a father to some of them. They went to him for advice, just to talk, some of the more quiet students would even seek him out at lunch break so they didn’t have to eat alone. There were the odd few that were still coming to terms with the new easing of laws regarding werewolves, having grown up around people always saying they were bad. But everyone quickly grew to love him.

Just like she’d said they would.

He’d been a little hesitant to take on his old job after the war and had declined twice before finally accepting. She’d had the joy of watching him flourish after returning to work, he was truly in his element. He was happier. More confident than ever. And she loved him even more for it.

Teddy remained quite as Remus started teaching, always looking at his father almost in awe. He only became a little restless when Remus set the students off to do their own working, a quiet chatter filling the classroom.

“ Mrs Lupin? “ Tonks turned her head as she heard her name and smiled as Ravenclaw girl looked at her expectantly “ could you give me a hand with this one? “ she happily walked over to the girls desk, crouching down to help her with her questions on the behaviours of Pukwudgies. Teddy continued to wiggle around as she tried to help the student so placed him down to sit by her feet.

She had only taken her eyes off of him for a few moments , but Teddy took his chance and wiggled out of his mothers grasp and crawled away to sit at Remus foot who was stood a few desks away helping a student himself.

" oh- Teddy " Dora hissed and went to snatch her child back to their place in the back of the classroom. But Remus simply bent down and picked Teddy, not even stopping his explanation to his student , and placed him on his hip which made Teddy clap his chubby little hands excitedly. Tonks finished helping the girl before hurrying over to Remus, ready to relieve him of their son. But Remus declined with a smile.

“ it’s okay. Have a break. He’s fine sweetheart “

He held him for the rest of the lesson , even when he brought the classes attention back to the front for the final part of his lecture. He held Teddy in his arm and acted as if it was a perfectly normal thing to teach about the life expectancies of dark creatures with a small child on your hip. None of the students seemed fazed by it either and Dora sat at the back of classroom with a smile so wide it hurt her cheeks. Nothing would ever come close to the sight of Remus happy. So at ease with being a father now, so at ease back in front of classroom. Helping. Teaching. Shaping small futures as he has always dreamt of doing.

And of course the cherry on top. His family. Something he had never thought he could have. He was finally living the life she’d wanted him to have since that first meeting back when she joined the Order. The war was over. He had lived most of his life in war. And now he was finally free. Free with her. And their son.