#worlds greatest polycule

[yuyurui]

i postedthat to the wrong blog. hes still so ikemen here like woa middle schoolers got hands?

[shitpostingkats]

What people think I mean when I say "the Wheel of Time polycule": Rand al'Thor and his three girlfriends.

What I actually mean: Rand al'Thor and his girlfriends and his boyfriend and his girlfriends' girlfriends and his boyfriends' boyfriends' girlfriend. Friendly exes and platonic bonds and casual partners and the shrimp colors of relationships. The most complicated web woven around a single load bearing dumb bisexual of a chosen one. An amino acid. A polycule that stretches from the Spine of the World to the Aryth Ocean.

[fagmolloy]

just took psychic damage thinking about michael sheen ever being called someone's boyfriend let alone TWO people ONE of them being david tennant

[nebulazenithstorm]

so, in my reality Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji are all dating each other and its wonderful

equally in my reality, Shanks, Mihawk, Buggy, and Crocodile will end up all dating each other, and some pairings have happened in the past, but they just have to talk out their issues

comparing these polycules we have:

-a famous straw hat wearer with a simple outlook and positive attitude

-one of the if not the world’s greatest swordsman who is also edgy af

-a guy with a funky nose who thinks himself a captain even if its a little bit of a delusion

-and a cool as a cucumber guy in a suit with a smoking habit (who’s also trans, they’re just both going in different directions)

so, what im saying is this: generational polycules

ZoLuSanUso is probably a lot healthier than MiShCrocBuggy but the younger generation often has to help the older learn to communicate, yknow?

[rosiedawsons]

if not for cowardice, a spider-gwen movie has the potential to be the most unapologetic gay superhero movie ever. scratch superhero, just movie in general. that girl is gay, her whole band is gay, everyone in her universe is gay. earth 65 is that one youtube video "a world were being gay is the norm" where straight kids get bullied. earth 65 gwen, emjay and glory could give us the greatest toxic codependency lesbian polycule of all time

[couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name]

benoit blanc gets hired to solve an ongoing lover's quarrel that's turned deadly. he quickly deduces that the killer is the husband's girlfriend, but then, as they're wrapping up, another murder occurs. the girlfriend's girlfriend is killed, and there are no immediately obvious first suspects. but slowly all clues start to point towards the original murderers husband as the killer! as he's being led to the cop car, a sniper takes him out! so now benoit has to investigate that murder! it ends up coming out that his wife's girlfriend's wife took him out for revenge. but while she's in the confession room, her husband mysteriously dies! blanc investigates and learns he died by arsenic poisoning- and his boyfriend happens to work at an arsenic factory! not the most clever murder, but blanc is confused as to how it has seemingly nothing to do with the previous string of murders. he fixates on this long after the police are willing to write it off. after deep, DEEP digging he learns that the arsenic factory worker was being blackmailed by his girlfriend's girlfriend's boyfriend's husband, and had no choice but to tragically murder his boyfriend- he made it obvious on purpose because he wanted to get caught. as blanc moves in to apprehend the blackmailer, the man in questions wife is tragically murdered. benoit and the cops arrive to arrest him only to find him sobbing over her broken body, her other boyfriend holding his hand. what on earth! as they investigate they learn she had a girlfriend with an extensive criminal record- but she has a rock solid alibi and seems genuinely heartbroken. you know who doesn't though? her best friend that's in love with her and has been jealous this whole time. after MONTHS of this nonsense benoit blanc, greatest detective in the world, traces thread after thread and discovers the original murder victim hired this best friend to kill the blackmailer's wife because they were political rivals and she thought he'd be too distraught to run against her if he was grieving. her own murder was completely unrelated and lead to the rest of the strings of death, but ultimately the woman she hired to kill didn't receive notification of her death because there was so much going on and it's hard to get news circulated to you when you aren't in the polycule yourself.

"foyer fuycks sake," beniot exclaims at the end of this mess, "Ah am nevah, evah, comin' baahck tah seayattle evah a-gayn!"

[u2fangirlie-blog]

Good Omens Still Belongs to Terry Pratchett

Deadline announced on Sept., 9, 2024, "Good Omens Production Paused on Amazon Drama from Neil Gaiman."

Good Omens season 3 production is delayed. That's an obvious and natural consequence given the allegations of SA against Neil Gaiman.

(See Sept. 11, 2024 update below.)

Since the first week of July 2024, when the allegations came out in the news, Good Omens fans have been ripping each other to shreds over how to respond. Fans are being horrible to one another. They argue over what to think, how to feel, whether or not to boycott everything Gaiman ever wrote or produced or had his name on, or if fans should destroy their books and delete their Tumblr blogs and unpublish their fanfiction on AO3, or whether or not the artist can be separated from the art. In the court of social media, you can't still like a work of art or literature if the creator is an alleged sexual predator.

YES. ALLEGED. THAT'S CORRECT. Saying someone is guilty of a crime before they are found guilty in a court of law can lead to legal consequences for writers.

Other than denouncing SA perps and saying it's objectively terrible and wrong, I don't know how to respond to allegations of Gaiman committing SA for decades. Does anybody know?

But I will say my piece about Good Omens. Neil Gaiman didn't create it by himself. Terry Pratchett co-wrote it with him. Everyone is overlooking the most obvious reason that Good Omens season 3 might continue - Pratchett's estate is involved in production. Narrativia is the company started by Pratchett, and it continues with his daughter Rhianna Pratchett at the helm. Rob Wilkins, Terry's representative on Earth, also works with Narrativia.

So before everyone throws up hands and yells and throws out season 3 of Good Omens because it's got Neil's name in it, remember: One person didn't write Good Omens. Terry and Neil wrote it together. Decades before Terry died, he and Neil worked out the conclusion to Good Omens. They planned a sequel called 668: The Neighbor of the Beast. Terry's finale deserves to be told.

It's possible for Amazon and Narrativia to finish season 3. Look at the writing credits for seasons 2: John Finnemore, Cat Clarke, Jeremy Dyson, and Andy Nyman. It's possible to complete the series without Gaiman. Before July 2024, Gaiman said he wrote the final episode and had worked out the plot for everything. I don't recall how many episodes he finished before he vanished from the public. Michael Sheen and David Tennant both said they read the final episode script.

Remember that without the Good Omens series, Michael Sheen and David Tennant might never have met or worked together. The world could have been deprived of the greatest real life best friends forever relationship. Together with their wives, they might never have formed an ersatz polycule that everyone loves to see on social media.

We know how much David and Michael love Good Omens fans. That love is real! We know they would continue with the series to conclude the story for the fans.

In conclusion, before you take a dump all over fans because they still want to see season 3 of Good Omens, take all these facts into consideration. It's still Terry Pratchett's story. It deserves to be told.

UPDATE: Reported by Deadline on Sept. 11, 2024. Here is the inevitable news: "Gaiman has made an offer to Amazon and producers to take a back seat on the latest season so that it can continue amid crisis talks over the Terry Pratchett adaptation’s future."

Actually, this is good news for Good Omens fans and the future of season 3. As I previously posted, Good Omens was co-written with Terry Pratchett and his estate's production company is involved with the Good Omens series. It's what's right for the people who work on the series - including all the amazingly talented crew members who deserve to keep their jobs. And it's what's right for the fans. This is a smart move.

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Sword gays showdown, round 3 of bracket one

Propaganda:

For Alucard:

He has a sword that he can command to fly around. He's bisexual. He's depressed. He's both the direct opposite of his father and too much like him. He's part of the most disastrous polycule to ever exist. He's a jerk. I love him, he's very important to me.

Symphony of the Night has too much of a cultural impact to not have him be included here. He’s an aroace icon with a huge sword collection (he’s bisexual in the animated series). He has a flying sword familiar and a sword he can hold in his hands. Loves taking naps.

For Zoro:

Literally training to be the greatest swordsman in the world. Has a special three swords technique (one blade in each hand plus one with the handle held in his teeth). I haven't read the manga or watched the anime but the live action adaptation gives me extremely gay vibes and based on the fandom things I've seen I'm not the only one

bro uses three swords. has one in his mouth. dont ask how the HELL he manages that. one day he will be the worlds greatest swordsman....after he beats the current greatest for both the titles of greatest swordsman and fruitiest swordsman. he's dramatic as FUUUCK like bro what the hell. has homoerotic fights with the local twink like everyday. directionally challenged, can and will get lost in a paper bag, doesnt know left from right...he probably cant read, too. hes too silly ngl

First of all, im in like episode 250 and so far he hasnt been shown attracted to any woman at all during the whole show so far, not even when one changed clothes in the same room as him and this is anime so you know there were other characters with bloody noses and shit. With that out of the way he wields three swords at once [two in his hands, one is his goddamn mouth dude. Its cool af trust me.] When he was little he made a promise to his best friend that he'd be the best swordsman in the world. Later she died in a tragic accident and left her sword which he still uses today. He also carries a cursed sword but he overpowers the curse with a combination of skill and sheer luck. He got stuck in a chimney. While his crewmates sail their ship he takes naps. He learned how to cut through metal by fighting a guy who could turn his body into metal blades. That's metal. He refuses to fight this liberal marine officer because she looks like his childhood best friend and its just understandably really awkward for him. He's autistic. He's a he/him bisexual lesbian. He's a gay man. He's ace/aro. He's whatever you want him to be babey!!

he has 3 swords, wields one in his mouth sometimes, his dream is to be the greatest swordsman in the world

three swords and big aroace-spec gay vibes

He not only has a sword he has *three* swords. He's absolutely gay there's no way to see this man as straight. Also one time he licked his sword for no reason and that was really funny to me so I had to mention it

Look, this man thinks about three things: Swords, His Captain, and Booze. He’s on a quest to be the worlds greatest swordsman. The Live action has a scene where he declares his undying, unwavering loyalty to his captain WHILE reaffirming his promise to be the worlds greatest swordsman. At this point His dream and his Captain are so intertwined it’s crazy. Man is so sword-y he’s got three of them. When one of his swords broke he carried its empty scabbard until he was able to give it a SWORD FUNERAL. He hears a sword is cursed and takes that as a challenge. He will literally tell his swords off for “bad behavior” when they “act up” due to being straight up cursed. He tests one by throwing it in the air and sticking his arm out to see if it is so blood thirsty and ill tempered that it will cut him. Even though he’s literally the first mate if you ask him what his role is he’s going to answer Swordsman.

He's dedicated his life to two things: becoming the greatest swordsman in the world and his captain, Luffy. 

He mastered the three sword style. Its his style. It would've been more swords but he could only fit one sword in each hand and one in his mouth. He wants to be the world's greatest swordsman, a deal he made with his childhood best frenemy (before she died falling down the stairs). He thought he was All That at the start and was almost completely decimated by the actual Worlds Greatest Swordsman. Now, after two years forced training with that guy, he's probably in the top tier no-doubt, and honestly could already be the best but we just don't know for sure yet. Also, did I mention: he's got the whole demon/devil imagery going on at times. And he has absolutely no sense of direction! plus is a total softie when it comes to Chopper and all the children who somehow gravitate towards him. And he loves naps!

One of the guy's main goals in life is to be the best sword fighter and he fights with three swords which I think is telling enough of his skill.

[loonashifter]

list of my drs !! based on this post by @ogprettyprincess

music

loona ; (1) ivy yeoreum monroe. 11112002. s/o: suhyeon (billlie). trope: friends -> lovers. lead vocalist. sub rapper. fotg. subunit: copycat (w yeojin). nation's little sister. former twice member. (2) mimi minseo monroe. 09092000. s/o: hyeju (loona). trope: black cat golden retriever. lead dancer. main vocalist. subunit: none. korea's ballet princess.

stray kids ; ivy yeoreum bahng. 16052000. s/o: hyunjin (skz), changbin (skz). trope: friends -> lovers -> secret relationship. danceracha's leader. 3racha's honorary 4th member. channie's baby sister.

little mix ; eimear byrne. 16051994. s/o: niall horan (ex), partynextdoor (ex), victoria monet (ex..?), suga (ex?). femme fatale of the music industry. little mix's main songwriter. jesy nelson's biggest hater. solo music released: hit me hard and soft (billie eilish), b2b + sympathy is a knife (charli xcx), supersonic (fromis9).

taylor swift ; taylor swift. 13101989. s/o: taylor's exes (minus matty healy), irl bf (in this reality he's an nfl player). trope: destined to meet. the greatest musician there's ever been. america's sweetheart since 2008. basically where i release taylor swift's music except im a nicer person + im loved by everyone.

tv + movies

ever after high ; (1) bianca whiteford. s/o: none. destiny: the white queen - alice in wonderland (familial destiny) / odette - swan lake (post-legacy day destiny change). bunny's cousin. wonderland's swan princess. (2) eleanor gale. s/o: sierra crow. trope: childhood friends to lovers. destiny: dorothy - the wizard of oz.

spider-verse ; maura jayde (mj) watson. spiderglitch. s/o: miles morales. trope: soulmates. glitch (sudden, barely under my control interdimensional and space travel) powers as well as spider powers. earth 1111's friendly neighbourhood spider. home time period: early 2000s. bit by a futuristic spider at midnight on y2k. real life jennifer check + gretchen weiners.

teen titans ; stella, heir to the throne of the star kingdom. supernova. s/o: titans polycule. energy + light powers. crashed out of the sky into titans tower and right into victor stone's heart. vic's sweet girl. kory's pookie. future mrs dick grayson. the fluffy bunny to raven and gar's black cat golden retriever.

tangled ; rapunzel. secret heir to the throne of corona who has been locked in a tower for 17 years. s/o: irl bf (in this reality his name is flynn rider and he's on the run from the law). trope: the plot of tangled idk.

other

f1 ; aoibh byrne. 14022003. s/o: my irl bf (in this reality he's an ireland + leinster rugby player). trope: friends -> distance -> reunited -> lovers. 2019 rookie. paddock's little sister. the best irish driver there's ever been. the youngest ever gp winner and world champion. musician on the side (its more of a hobby for me).

wrestling ; sirena o'leary. 16051996. s/o: wheeler yuta. trope: strangers -> friends -> friends with benefits -> lovers, she falls first he falls harder. ring name: rena (wwe), sirene (aew). the killer horsewoman. the bcc's first female member. wwe and aew's first grand slam women's champion. gimmick: assassin / femme fatale / dark goddess.

american high school ; kenzie cunningham. 16052008. s/o: irl bf (he's the captain of the football team in this reality). trope: two halves of a whole, mutual pining. smartest, sweetest, most popular girl in school. the girl everyone aspires to be.

2000s teenager ; [in progress]

[composeregg]

Polythieves Mug Collection (Part 2)

Last time, on the collection of mugs at the phantom thieves' household: it was very sweet and sappy, with themed choices for their code names.

You can find it here

THIS TIME

It's time for more gifts, memes, being silly, and finding weird mugs

This is absolutely one of Akira's favorites

Yusuke, meanwhile has this set of mugs

(The coffee goes in the one labeled "paint water" while "not paint water" is, in fact, the paint water)

Yusuke and Ann both have matching "Hot Chick" mugs, as well

The thieves love to fight over this one, Akira gives it to whoever has done Hot Girl Shit the most recently. He likes giving it to Sumi, but the others all compete to win it

Someone outside the polycule mistakes Ryuji for being straight, and soon enough he gets to be the DILF holder. They have 0 children when he gets this mug

Another popular one! Akira hands it to anyone else with the joke "I've never had anxiety in my life" and then it's promptly that person's turn to smack him for such a bold-faced lie

Makoto. It's very true.

A gift for Ryuji, another favorite of his

Yusuke finds the jug (jean mug) at a qaint roadside market and instantly falls in love with it. He knows exactly what do to with it. He presents it to Futaba.

Futaba (very much a trans girl) goes "Well it would be nice to finally have jugs" and Yusuke completely missed that implication until then

This one goes to Yusuke. Obviously

And another for Makoto!

A joke spiraled out of control ends up with Akira being the sexy senior citizen, after Yusuke jokingly calls him "grandfather" once

Often given to Haru, or whoever has commited the most recent Women's Wrongs

Another of Akira's favorites. He lets Morgana steal it sometimes

It's very important to note that certain mugs can be chosen and used to send messages to other thieves depending on circumstances, for instance:

Dick. Either Akira is mildly pissed at the person, or he's flirting. Potentially both!

if he is VERY annoyed, they might face this mug

Though the one with the bee movie script is a good indicator if he's annoyed. Or if the person he's giving it to is Yusuke. Yusuke loves literally every weird mug ever

When Goro Akechi is around, especially early on after he shows back up, Akira gives him the "Guess I'll die" mug. He might be a little mad about the constant deaths.

Which, however, is not as bad as THIS ONE, a favorite, that Akira was holding when he encountered Marki one time. He does throw it, it does hurt, it does break on the ground. He's justified

(They get a new one later)

Morgana also gets Catmander in Chief

Akira passive-aggressively drinks from this mug when Goro is around

Shrek mug. No one will admit to buying it and placing it there. (It was Sumi, she's so proud of not being caught yet)

This one OFTEN goes to Ann

A VERY fun one for Haru

They actually get Akira this during that period of time where he's legally dead

This one is just so funny it has to be there

Goro gets the Official Left Handers mug

This one for sure goes to Futaba

Sometimes you do not question the mug. It says run, you run. It goes to Ryuji

And Of course, last but CERTAINLY not least,

World's greatest slut.

(Akira always tries to keep it, but SOME PEOPLE demand their turn)

Most mugs taken from @shiftythrifting or like, the internet at large.

I am at image limit and currently out of mugs to share but if I find more then more may come! If others want to contribute PLEASE do so!

[allbluedepths]

This was originally part of the ship bingo post, but it spiraled out of control and became a very large pile of thoughts. So instead, the Wings of the Emperor AU is getting its own ship dynamics post for Shanks, Mihawk, and Benn because it's sorta its own thing, and I'm having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to even tag for it because none of their relationships fit in neat boxes very well.

(Wings of the Emperor AU is my early Red Hair Pirates era AU where Mihawk chooses to not become a Warlord and ends up not joining, but semi-sailing with the Red Hair Pirates. It mostly focuses on Mihawk's early dueling years with Shanks, his interactions with the Red Hair Pirates, and eventually getting swept up into their sailing shenanigans. TL;DR: I had the thought of "who would Mihawk be if forced to answer the question of 'who am I beyond just being a swordsman'" and it all spiraled from there.

For the record, some of the earlier posts aren’t 100% accurate anymore — big one being that I traded the “Mihawk was almost Shanks’ first mate” bit for something else — but this is an indulgent ship post, not me correcting my own lore post LOL.)

So, here’s a pile of thoughts to get my brain in gear to actually write more of the fic itself, haha. : )

This AU is… complicated? I'd say it's endgame Mihawk/Shanks/Benn triad in a very non-traditional relationships way. For example, by the time Mihawk semi-joins them and turns down the Warlord position, even Shanks and Mihawk don't have a concrete romantic relationship, and theirs is still the closest to that, haha. I guess it's best classified as:

Shanks and Mihawk: close relationship bordering on romantic; there's mutual interest, but their definitions of romantic also don't match "standard" definitions of romance, so it doesn't always read as that to others. Rivals/partners with a romantic flair?? Since Mihawk turning down the Warlord position and choosing to join them comes with a good chunk of other upheaval, there's a conscious decision to not really label anything, but they're on the same page of being mutually interested.

Shanks and Benn: hellooooo complex intertwined captain-first mate relationships. The fun duality of being both incredibly simple and incredibly complex. I'm team "many working captain-first mate relationships basically become life partnerships", and they're probably the prime example of that. Inconveniently for tagging purposes, it's smack dab in the middle of "&" and "/" relationships for AO3, so… eh, the vibes are vague. The details past the fact that they're basically each other's most trusted person stop mattering at a certain point.

Benn and Mihawk: Complicated, haha. By far the side of the triad with the most development to be had; right now, it's more like they're separate sides of a V polycule, rather than a triad, but the foundation's there. An odd, unexpected friendship turned an even more unexpected camaraderie as the years go by and Mihawk's around more and more. Absolutely no one outside of them (and occasionally Shanks) can really parse out what's going on here. Again, just over the line of what I'd tag as "&", and develops veeeeeery slowly over the years in its own undefined way.

…That ended up as a whole ass wall of words, haha. Shorter summary if you're looking for general relationship shifts:

Mihawk sails with the Red Hair Pirates (~6 years after the RHP start): only Shanks/Mihawk are semi/almost-romantic

Sailing time until Dawn Island: Shanks/Mihawk slowly get their shit together; Shanks/Benn inch toward maybe another realization or two, Benn/Mihawk "two introvert cats" bond starts really kicking in

Post-Dawn Island: Shanks/Benn get their shit together (thank you, realizations about mortality)

The decade-ish between Dawn Island and current canon: It's a polycule between an Emperor, an Emperor's first mate, and the World's Greatest Swordsman. Who cares if it makes sense to anyone else; it works for them, lol.

If you read this far, thank you, and I hope you enjoyed an unexpectedly long analysis drop for an AU I haven't posted for in a while and mostly exists in my brain right now, haha!

[markantonys]

I'm thinking about Rand's ending in the books and I hate both the bodyswap and that he abandons everyone but at the same time I get that his sacrifice has to mean something so the world forgets him/lets him fade into myth. And him actually dying would undermine the entire point of his arc. So I'm curious how you think the show might tackle this? I'm sure there's a few options

i hate it too! but yeah, rand needs to be forgotten by the world at large and needs to get a new face so he won't be recognized, or else he will never know peace. so the way i would do it is have him fade into myth among the general public, but still remain part of his loved ones' lives and they all just keep secret the fact that this guy is rand al'thor. his whole arc is about learning to stop self-isolating and to instead let himself lean on his loved ones for support, so i felt that him ending the series by fucking off into the mist all alone was totally contrary to that and did not make emotional sense as the endpoint of the journey we'd been on with him for 14 books. i can certainly understand if he needs to take a lil sabbatical and have some time to himself in the immediate aftermath, but that should not have been the very final concluding note of his whole arc! for my own sanity i have to imagine he just took a 2-week vacation and then went to caemlyn to be with his family (and told tam, nynaeve, and perrin that he's still alive, and rescued mat from the seanchan and incorporated him into the polycule, and bargained with the creator to bring egwene and gawyn back to life........okay i'm getting sidetracked)

as for what the show might do, i'll brace myself for them to adhere to the book version, but from what we've seen in the first 2 seasons, i think that ending would make even less sense for show!rand than it does for book!rand. in 1x08, we see that his greatest dream is to live a quiet, peaceful life with his family, and now we're going on a journey of watching him be forced to give up that dream for the rest of the series. what better way to end the show than by having rand finally get to live out that dream now that his duty to the world is done? the tears i would weep if the final scene of the show was similar to his 1x08 domestic AU, but real this time! plus, the s1 ending & s2 already did the whole thing of rand fucking off into the mist all alone, making his loved ones think he's dead, and trying to start over in a new town with a new life - AND HE LEARNS THAT THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE because he can't help but get attached to new people wherever he goes AND because he can't keep himself from remaining attached to the people from his old life and wanting to help them when he learns they're in trouble. and it also showed how his loved ones suffer because of him making them think he's dead and took a pretty hard stance in saying "no, no one is better off if rand fakes his death, not rand and not his loved ones." so i especially think rand's book epilogue scene would ring hollow in the show since s2 has specifically proven that that scenario doesn't work.

some people will harp on about happy endings being uNrEaLIsTIc, but i Do Not Give A Shit!!!! and so far the show has also shown that it's not interested in grimdark for grimdark's sake and that, like the books, it doesn't shy away from showing trauma and tragedy and yet still chooses hope & togetherness over cynicism & isolation at the end of the day, and so i think it feels very plausible for the show to give rand a bit more hopeful of an ending. (i guess the books TRIED to give him a hopeful ending what with him thinking happily about how he can travel around by himself and not be recognized, but it just felt false to me that that's the sort of thing that would make rand happy - in large part because show!rand was the first version i ever met, and i subconsciously carried his homebody caregiver stay-at-home dad-ness with me into the books even though he wasn't REALLY like that in the books in the way he is in the show. so that feels like further evidence that book!epilogue wouldn't work for show!rand.)

now as for the bodyswap, that's so tricky to imagine what the show might do. on the one hand, rand cannot fade into anonymity and be allowed to rest and set down his duties if he keeps his same body and will still be recognized wherever he goes. on the other hand, imagining rand's final moments in the whole show being portrayed by some random new actor instead of josha is so freaking sad! sad for us and sad for josha! it's fine in a book where we're in rand's head and can feel that he's still him even though he tells us he looks different, but in a visual medium, spending up to 8 seasons with josha as rand only to have his final moments be portrayed by a completely different person..........the emotions just wouldn't hit the same, it wouldn't feel like a proper sendoff for rand. granted, if moridin's actor had been in the show for several seasons already (and whether they would cast a new actor as moridin or bring fares fares back and just have the character still be called ishamael is another question i can't predict) then we'd be attached to him too by the finale, so maaaaaybe it could still feel emotional, but never as emotional as if it were josha doing that scene.

so i'm stuck here because story-wise it makes more sense for rand to get a new face, but TV-wise it's not sensible to have one of the main characters played by a different actor in their final scene(s). the potential solution to this would be, no bodyswap but have rand disguise his face with an illusion when in public so that he doesn't get recognized as the dragon reborn and get hassled.

so, okay, here's what i would do: rand wakes up in the healing tent still in his original body, but then he disguises himself and leaves the tent. he passes by his own funeral going on and slips away into the night, after exchanging a meaningful look with his partners who can sense that this stranger is him thanks to the bonds. then, cut to a proper epilogue scene of josha-as-rand undisguised in the privacy of his own home, watching his kids play with his partners by his side (and maybe all his friends and tam too if they REALLY feel like spoiling me haha) just like he told us in 1x01 he always dreamed of :')

[keirawantstocry]

Yet another yuri polycule request simple cause i can never get enough of them ever.

With some hurt/comfort

If you are the same anon from every other time then i love and appreciate your amount of dedication!

-

Mouse loved her job. She loved being a general. Leading one of the greatest armies in the world was an incredible honor and she was glad to serve her rulers. But it was hard. Her eyes watched time and time again as she cut down soldiers and their life bled into the dirt. They had families, children even. Parents who would receive letters weeks from now informing them that their beloved child would not be coming home. 

She refused to talk about it, no one else should have to handle the horrifying depths of her mind. But they begged her. When she got home from a long battle, a few months long ceasefire allowing her time with her girlfriends. 

Bagi and Tina laid curled together on the floor of their living room, looking up at her with matching tearful expressions. Niki sat by her side, head against her shoulder while Mouse stroked her hair. Baghera sat on her other side, arm tossed protectively around her. 

“Something is bothering you. We can see it in your eyes,” Jaiden spoke in a soft, careful voice. The one she used with children. 

Mouse let out a long sigh and against her will a tear slipped from her eye, trailing down her cheek. Baghera reached out to wipe it away. 

“I don't want to bother you.” 

“You are never bothering us!” Tina exclaimed and the rest of them murmured their assent. “Amor, we are here for you.” 

Mouse sighed and it turned into a sob as she collapsed into tears leaning into the two girls holding her. “It's so hard guys. I know war is needed but it is so hard to watch them die.” 

The rest of the girls got up quite quickly and ran over to wrap their arms around her as well. They held her as she cried until the sobs subsided into quiet gasps. She sniffed, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand while Niki pressed kisses to her cheeks and hands. “It'll be okay,” she soothed in that soft calming voice of hers. “We've got you, Mousey. We've got you.”

[noa-de-cajou]

Day 29 : Fire

Little guessing game for my polycule! Lysara only~

_____

Fire is not something we're allowed to manipulate. Fire is the manipulator. It's something we must let ourselves be forged by, yet among my scars, very few are burn marks. I suppose I didn't like being molded as much as I thought.

To me, fire is a scenery. The decor in which I discover the impaled, mutilated body of the one I loved. The stage above which I was dangling, lava a hundred meters down, as far as our eyes could see. Fire was the final carpet of ashes she left in her wake.

Fire never gave me warmth. People did. I felt it under my palms, on my skin, fire that kept me safe.

But now, the sky is burning. The entire world burns, and I'm dying.

Yet it doesn’t feel cold, to die. Because you’re holding me. I'm glad I have someone to hold me. I’m glad I’m not the one holding, for once. Even if it’s selfish. Fire will consume everything, soon.

I'm sorry. I’m sorry for throwing myself into the fire again. I'm sorry for not keeping our promise.

I love you.

________

Flame. It’s all they ever talked about. Flame, our goddess, the greatest there is, the only one worth mentioning. Here to light up our way, here to lead us. I used to believe it, blinded that I was by their words and the light they promised me. Or maybe I just wanted to believe it, to forget the torch dancing in the night, the torches I knew were after us. But either way, I nodded along. A slave has no opinions. A slave only listens, if he’s lucky enough to be taught anything.

A slave should be grateful to simply be alive.

I thought I should be grateful to them.

I was wrong.

I was so wrong, and I happily admit it now.

The fire in your eyes is the one I want to follow. The one I want to believe in. I want to feel warmth from your hand, if you’ll let me take it. If you’ll let me stay by your side.

Why would I need a goddess to light up my way, when I have you? When I have all of us?

You weren't who I was searching for, yet I found you. And I see it now.

Fire can't be enslaved.

And soon all of us will be free.

________

The air smells of charred flesh and wood. My mouth feels like it’s coated in ash.

There’s screaming all around us, I try to cover it by shouting directions as loud as I can.

“This way! Run! They’ll be onto us soon! Don’t go into the main building unless you want to die with the rest of them!”

It's hot. Getting hard as hell to breathe, too. Someone grabs me by the arm to pull me far away from this place. My ears are ringing, I can barely hear them speak.

“.... got out with her unit, they saved most of the food and left your letter! Told ‘em to scatter since there’s nothing more to do. C’mon, we gotta move!”

We’re getting further and further away now. It should be silent. It should be silent, so why…

No. No, what's done is done. We did what we had to, to finally be heard, to finally make them understand.

All I did, all I'm doing, was for this moment.

After everything they put us through, after all the people that died to their hands, how could History ever pretend that we were wrong?

“... You okay?”

He’s staring at me. Shit. I can’t worry him. I’m the one who dragged him and everybody else into this. I can't falter now.

“Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Let’s just go and celebrate a job well done, eh? Everyone else should be waiting for us at the church.”

It was worth it.

It was worth it.

It was worth it.

It was what we had to do.

I… No, we did the right thing.

Even if I don't think I’ll ever stop hearing the screaming.

Even if I hear him muttering under his breath

Saints, if you can hear me, have mercy on them, have mercy on us.

It’s too late now to put the fire out.

_______

The air smells of charred flesh and wood. My mouth feels like it’s coated in ash.

I've seen this before.

I’ve witnessed it through the stained-glass windows of a church, through the bars of a cell, at the edges of a fallen village that was once a haven, now I witness it again. This time, there’s no windows and no eyes that aren’t mine to shield me from this, from the flames rising so high into the sky we can't see the stars anymore.

No matter where I turn, all I hear are screams.

This can’t be worth it.

This can’t be worth it, Idalia.

This can’t be worth it, Wotjech.

This can't be worth it, Mi’Arach.

This can't be worth it, Cernunnos.

This can’t be worth it, Kaspar.

This couldn’t have been worth it, Bazyli.

How could this be worth it?

How could we look at all of this, once it’s all over, and decreed that victory was worth it?

Fire is uncontrollable. Fire is aimless. The suffering it brings doesn’t discriminate, nor does it forgive. There’s no fairness in fire but there’s still injustice.

My melody isn't fair, either, when I reach out towards you.

Maybe saving you means making all you did useless and maybe you're a murderous monster, but then that makes two of us.

This might be worth losing you.

But if I'm allowed to live, then shouldn’t you be too?

Maybe it’s not worth it.

But the last wish I throw your way is worth everything to me.

Saints, if you can hear me, please have mercy on him.

Even if it’s too late, don’t let his fire go out.

_______

It's my secret. My mother never found out. I hid the powder and the guns and all the materials somewhere only I knew. It makes me feel like I'm in control of something, like I have power. I'm having fun, fiddling with it, putting everything together.

Including my plan.

It's simple, really, it didn't take a lot of thinking. Just blow everything up and watch the fire devour this disgusting place to the ground.

But something went wrong.

She shouldn't have survived this, yet here I am, on my knees, and she walks towards me with a red hot iron poker as my mother pleads for her to stop.

She doesn’t hit me. She just presses the tip against my head. For a long time. Too long.

I won't describe how much it hurt. You'd have to live through it to understand it. I almost cut my tongue holding back my screams.

Yet nothing burns more than the humiliation, the exile, like I'm not worth killing, the shame every time I see my reflection in a window, the horrified or pitiful stares I get from every single passerby.

Fire was supposed to be my tool to freedom, now it’s just branding me as a failure.

Yet it’s the only thing I have left.

How ironic.

_________

I don't like using fire. Don't get me wrong, it's really useful to cautherize wounds and to feel warm on cold nights out and to cook food and in general to not die.

But have you ever seen a victim of a fire, the way the marks redden and sometimes blacken and how the skin sticks to the clothes in a mass of burnt nerves? Have you ever tried stopping a hemorrhage with fire? Have you ever seen someone’s face contort in pain as they scream and yell and beg you to kill them instead? Well I have. More than once. But hey, sometimes you do what you gotta do to save a life. I always used fire when it was needed.

… I guess I just didn't think that I could produce it directly.

But now everything around me is going down in flames and my palm is burning hot and I know that I did this. I just don’t know how.

Instincts kick in and so I run, against the tide of the crowd, I run like I never thought I could run until I'm safe. Well, as safe as I can be, anyway.

I overhear later that there were no victims and the relief I feel is short-lived. There could have been victims, dozens of them, with a deflagration this huge. All because of me. All because I…

All because I saved myself.

I never liked using fire, but at least I could control it.

Just how… how am I supposed to deal with being the fire?

_______

I’m good at making people want me.

It sounds like I'm bragging, but I swear I'm not, that's just a fact! Kind of an annoying one, if I'm honest, but I guess it’s in my nature. Wind tends to stir fire more than it blows it out, and who am I to go against what I trained for?

My art doesn’t have any seductive purposes, most of the time. My only goal is to entertain. Should be to entertain. Can’t stain the clan’s reputation too much by giving myself over to every pair of eyes hungrily watching my movements. Can't make them think I'm an easy lay. So all I give them is a glimpse of what they could have. I use wind as temptation and protection, as a weapon and a shield.

Don't you always want more what you can't have?

It's not often I'm the one left wanting.

Yet as I exchange pleasantries and platitudes in my usual tone with the two women in front of me, my opponents, something in me shifts. Like a little spark lighting up the dark, for a brief moment. It only grows as we fight. It only burns brighter as we speak.

Aah, just my luck, I think as a loud voice yells encouragement at me and a flick of white hair passes by my vision before pushing me out of the ring.

I burned myself trying to play with that fire, yet all I want is to throw myself into it and stir it until it swallows me whole.

It's no good, really, to want something you can’t have.

[aj-moment]

I know everyone's been talking about it, but I think the way they've been handling Rex in the recent Xenoblade content is absolutely hilarious. Every time something new comes out he gets hotter and hotter, growing 1 step further to being the world's greatest Gigachad. By Xenoblade 7's 4th DLC expansion his jawline will be sharper than any knife, his abs will be harder than diamond, I will not mention his dick, and his polycule will consist of 70% of the xeno extended universe's women and 30% of his men. He will be unstoppable. Godspeed.

[kriscr0ssed]

GUESS WHO GOT THEIR II18 CRUMBS. WORLDS GREATEST POLYCULE (theyre running so they wont die) (again)