#you absolute legend may you thrive

[002yb]

I don't know, I just really like the idea of a reverse!robins au, you know??? Just little baby Dickie being an absolute menace to a slightly older Jason, and just being completely obvious with his little (huge, enormous, really) crush on Jason, and just Dick being a possessive and jealous little shit as a kid, before they started dating just cracks me up. And like everyone knows about his crush, but they all think its so cute and innocent, and it'll probably go away, right???? Right???? Something like this probably

https://www.tumblr.com/mlim8/691663407306440705/i-want-to-say-how-much-i-love-your-reverse-robins?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/mlim8/681971460563140608/jaydick-week-day-3-reverse-robins-soulmates?source=share

So I think I may have answered an ask with similar vibes here. (: Here's some thoughts inspired by the first link though! Super cute vibes, kudos to mlim8!

Dick emulating Kon because he genuinely believes Kon is the definition of c o o l g u y. Like, how else could Kon land Tim? The man is playing out of his league; he's a legend. Peak aspiration. Of course Dick is going to be smitten with his older brother's cool boyfriend; Dick needs to learn all the tricks of the trade. He's got his own babygirl to win over. C:

(The term 'babygirl' comes from an overheard conversation and while Kon laughs about it, Tim gets so embarrassed. Despite how he tells Dick to not say that, Dick refuses).

Anyway, Kon? Thriving. Some might call his moves cringe, but Dick is so earnest and hopeful and Kon feels like fucking superman no one can touch him. ;U;

Damian nagging both Tim and Jon about Kon's influence on Dick because Dick won't listen to him; he can't be deterred and Damian is losing his mind over how Dick keeps winking and finger gunning and throwing out these truly terrible, punny lines at Jason and ahhhhhhhh

Basically Damian not liking Kon because of the impact he's had in Dick's life. It's created a hassle for Damian, but more than that? Big brother might be a little jealous. ;3;

Extra detail: Damian didn't like Kon even before Dick came into the picture because he became a distraction for Tim. It's an ongoing argument between Damian and Tim, actually. Damian is convinced Tim keeps Kon around for the sole purpose of annoying him (this isn't the case, but Damian is convinced)

Tim scoffing about it and telling Damian that his envy is showing. Just get laid, damn.

Which Damian gets indignant because no )<

To which Tim smirks a bit and purposefully badgers, 'Alright, Brother Complex (affectionate nickname), if you're threatened by our baby brother stealing Jason from you, then—‘

And Damian hisses because shut up, Drake. Fuck forbid father hear such crass speak omfg Damian will bury Tim himself.

Jason does have a crush on Damian though. The brother complex goes both ways. Or rather, it's a transference sort of deal for Jason that lingers big time because in this verse, Damian chose to save Jason from Joker, consequences be damned. The point stands, Jason is very sweet on Damian.

When Dick realizes this, devastation. Betrayed by his own partner!? Because...maybe Damian would have a similar batman stint where Dick was his Robin?? Yes.

Anyway, Dick refusing to talk to anyone, even Jason. Which is how they all know Dick is distraught.

So despite how it pains Damian, they send in the b i g g u n s: Kon. (:

Who hypes Dick up so hard. Just a bro looking out for his little man, y'know? Kon might hype Dick up a bit too much though because when Dick finally leaves whatever high nook he's sequestered himself away in?

Dick walks right up to Damian and challenges him for Jason outright and the family is caught in a perpetual state of ∑(ﾟﾛﾟ〃) because omfg Bruce is right there watching this play out and Jason is his babygirl, first and foremost.

But Damian accepts the challenge if it means having his brother back. And Damian, the sap, kneeling and drawing Dick in for a hug because fuck, having Dick be mad at him? Someone so happy and hopeful and wonderful? It was like a stab to the heart ngl.

And yes. While Damian's brother complex persists, there's zero intent to act but he still plays into this challenge of Dick's because it's highly motivating for the little punkass twerp.

Meanwhile Jason is just...there. Dumbfounded after Dick winks and shoots finger guns his way with a declaration of: 'you're gonna fall for me some day, babygirl.' But don't worry, Dick will catch him.

And Tim groans because Dick, please.

[salubriwrites-blog]

A Weird Dive into my favorite ships

This started as an answer to an anonymous question but... it grew a little bit. I have no forward except to please drink water today! Love you!!!!

I'm actually pretty new still to writing fanfiction. I've been an avid writer since I was 10 and was even working on getting my own book published. From there I springboarded into TTRPG design where I wrote world building, lore, and characters for IPs like Call of Cthulhu and Vampire: The Masquerade. I only really just got into writing *fan fiction* in the last 2 years.

My first fanfic/ship was actually pretty silly. I was on the Encanto hype train when that movie first came out (can you believe its been 3 years???) and I loved, loved, loved Bruno Madrigal. He was the traumatized, distraught uncle living in the walls of Casita trying to fix the internal damage that came from Abuela's treatment of La Familia. His intentions were pure, and he obviously had gone through a lot to drive him to the point where we see him in the story. This was the first branch I would hit falling down the "I can fix them" tree.

The story is cute and has a happy ending, but as we all know in the real world, unlearning toxic behavior and overcoming life long trauma takes time. So I wrote a BrunoxOC story about it. I ended up orphaning it because I veered the story off in a direction I didn't like because the group I was part of were heavily influencing my creative choices. Boo, hiss I know, but I was still pretty new within the fanfiction genre so I buckled.

Moving on!

My second fiction that I put a lot more love into - sorta I may go back and rewrite parts of it now - was my YorickxOC fiction.

Yorick was my first ever League of Legends love. Fucking love that haunted beef cake. The Ruined Event did him dirty, the Ruined King Game did him dirty, and the book probably did him dirty too (I haven't read it). My Gravekeeper needs ALL THE LOVE because he is absolutely going through it in sheer solitude (though the Illaoi story where he goes to help destroy Viego's amulet gave me hope that now he gets visitors sometime on the island).

Remember Yorick Mori: Before the Ruination This was my first completed and quite hefty fiction weighing in at 153k words: it followed his story where he starts out on a lonely little fishing island called Portia (it doesn't have a name in Lore). He ends up on a slightly busier island that is situated off the coast of Helia (Blessed Isles capitol) and begins his journey to understand why he can communicate with the Dead. He meets a cast of charming monks that want to both see him thrive and maintain status quo. He even meets the owner of the bakery that barters with the Order of Dusk - whom he naturally falls in love with immediately. Rosalie McKahn is not a self insert. I don't make self inserts when I write OCs because I hold myself to a weird standard - also I don't see myself being compatible with most of these characters. Would I still like them to do unspeakable things to me? Oh shit yes. But from a story standpoint, I don't do self inserts. So Rosalie was not one of those. The story follows a young Yorick through his years of servitude to the Order of Dusk, uncovering dark secrets, finding confidence to become the man that he will need to be when the Ruination comes. Rosalie was not the only person who helped to build Yorick up in this story, but their love is what gives him the strength to keep fighting when the rest of it was bleak. This love eventually passes on to the Maiden of the Mist in the epilogue I have yet to write ^^;.

Then we got into the Heartsteel arc, and this was where I really found my love for the "I can fix them" dynamics. I have no shame in saying that I wrote all of "Making of Paranoia: Off Script" in a week's time while the music video played on a loop on my second monitor. I'm just not. That was where the neurons wanted me to go, and off I fucking went. I knew I liked Aphelios when he first debuted in League, but I was scared of him because he's an ADC with 5 guns. Skill Expression was not something I was confident enough in to pursue that character. But he was hot! He ha a backstory that excited me and had a lot of potential. I really wanted to explore Aphelios' dynamic with his sister and the Lunari elders - pigeon holing him into being a weapon of faith only.

I also knew I liked Yone, but was fearful of him for similar reasons. In the end I just nutted up, typed /mute all in game chat, and hit my head against the wall until I got M7 on Yone. His story is by far my favorite of all the League characters (rivaling Yorick's, of course). A man who spent his whole, short life trying to save someone who he thought was in danger of falling off the path of virtue? Only to come back and KEEP DOING IT but with extra steps??? WAITER ANOTHER PLEASE.

But I didn't really anticipate putting these two characters together within the canon sense. I didn't see a way that they could meet (though one of my friends has since written a beautiful fiction where it shows how they do meet, and how they do connect! https://archiveofourown.org/works/52384363/chapters/132517315 )

BUT THEN. BUT THEEEEN.

I was watching Paranoia for the 69th time that day and I saw THIS VERY SPECIFIC CLIP where the only person who looked the most remote bit of concern for Aphelios' well being was YONE. Boom, Off Script was born.

Off Script was definitely the first FanFiction where I really jumped into my current dynamic. It follows after the filming of that day, cut short after Aphelios fell into a water tank with one of the drones. Yone is going to check on him, and Aphelios is lamenting that no one else has come to see if he's alright. Not even his boyfriend, Sett.

This infuriates Yone because that's just not good boyfriend behavior, and he promises Aphelios that - should he be given the chance - Yone would treat him 10x better than Sett has, is, or ever will.

Also who wouldn't want to be treated like a princess by this specimen? Let's not fool ourselves. Anyway - Paranoia gave me a chance to explore this dynamic in a new way. Yone had issues of his own - I had to find a way to implement his Arzakana nature into a modern AU so I opted for "intrusive thoughts" that encouraged him to do some generally not nice things. In Yone's backstory he was a toxic person, used people up, whored his way through most of his opportunities, and was a bad brother to Yasuo. Yone initially followed Yasuo into the music making industry because he wanted to help his baby brother succeed - and he didn't really know what he wanted to do with his own life. Yone then got it into his head that maybe he and his brother could make music TOGETHER. Yasuo didn't want that because True Damage was doing it's own thing and - for just once in his life - he wanted something that only he had made, not with his older brother. Yone takes his poorly, and being the toxic brother that he is, makes a scene at an industry party and gets booted out. Yasuo cuts him out of his life. On his drunken, staggering tirade through the streets of Valoran City, Yone gets into an accident. He dies. But then suddenly gets resuscitated! I'm not a doctor so I just literally chalk it up to a freak accident that Yone comes back. While Yone believes that it's a second chance. He wakes up in the coroner's office in a cooler, and bangs and screams at the door the whole night until the coroner ME comes in the next morning to fetch the John Doe. Yone doesn't know who he is anymore, but he knows he can't be the asshole now cause that's what got him killed. So he spends time reflecting, soul searching. He knows he still loves making music, and though he gets a desk job and lives this semi-stable life, he still dreams of making music.

Enter Heartsteel.

Aphelios' twin sister is already a multi-platinum artist who runs her own record label - Lunari Studios. Aphelios is on the other side of the story - he's just kind of following Alune around and standing back as she shines. He knows he's talented - he knows a million instruments and helps Alune with her production, but he doesn't think that he could do it all by himself. When he and Sett start dating, it's more of the same. Sett is big and loud, people are drawn to him and his style, and it gives Aphelios someone to latch onto that isn't his sister for once. In Off Script, Aphelios' fate would have been the silent lyricist and musician for the band. He would have told himself that he was happy with standing back.

Except after the events of the music video, Yone won't let him. Yone encourages him to sing, to write bolder lyrics, to voice his opinion. Yone helps Aphelios find confidence, and in return Aphelios lets Yone help him. All Yone really ever wants in any AU is to help, but helpful people can be toxic too. Aphelios allows Yone to do that, but with his own confidence can help draw boundaries on when Yone is being too supportive, or investing too much of his own energy. In the Heartsteel AU I wrote, they are happy together ^^

I finished Off Script around the time of Worlds 2023. Which was when they announced my Babygirl!

And boy what a journey THIS CHARACTER HAS BEEN.

Hwei has it all. The trauma, the growth, the setbacks, the hips, the style, the potential. Surprisingly though - I am not a huge fan of the JhinHwei ship. Maybe cause I see too much of myself and who I used to be in its dynamic. I've been both of those characters in my past relationships, but this isn't the place for that kind of deep dive.

Hwei is neat because he introduced a new idea to my ship dynamic. He's not broken, just lost. He's looking for himself and every person he meets is just a stepping stone on his journey to peace of mind.

I wouldn't call Hwei self assured, because he doesn't know who he wants or what he wants to be, but he knows he has all the tools to reach that end. I like shipping him with multiple characters with Hwei in different stages of his self-realization because he is an inspiring character. He can terrify and and awe in the same breath, depending on which version of him we're visiting.

For this last one we're departing League completely.

I got into HSR after Genshin got a little stale for me. Also I got a fancy new phone that I could actually play Hoyo games on, and HSR is the best for mobile play.

I got into HSR in the middle of the Penacony story, but my friends warned me that I'd love Aventurine when I met him. I spoiled myself by looking at pictures of him and OOH BABY

You can fit so much trauma in this baby.

Aventurine is another fun one because yes - he has a tragic fucking story and I would single handedly help him repopulate Sigonia if given the opportunity. But once again, Teeeechnically not broken.?? He has ghosts he faces throughout the story, and must address each aspect of himself before crossing the river, but by the time he's come out, I like to think he's at peace with who he had to become in order to survive. From fighting in pits, murdering his former owner, tricking the IPC, I don't think Kakavasha would have done any of that stuff. Aventurine, on the other hand-

It's a common theme when you are in survival mode because of trauma. Is he fully cured? Fuck no, but will he continue to strive to be the kind of person he wished would have saved him when he was a kid? Fuck yes.

Which is why we need to impregnate him.

My friends warned me I'd love Blade. I was determined to not, but then I went through the Jingliu story and learned about the High Cloud Quintet and it was over.

I just think this guy's hot. I know a lot of people ship him with Dan Feng and Jing Yuan (it's pretty hot, ngl), but I kinda like Blade/Kafka or Blade/Stelle. The Kafka angle is not so much romantic as it is a mutual understanding that they are both going down this journey together and it can get lonely sometime. So more convenience than romance.

I'm working on a Blade/Stelle story right now where - Best I Am, Prey You Become. It explores Stelle abandoning the trailblaze to join the Stellaron Hunters, and as part of her initiation Blade if voluntold by Kafka to train her. Their relationship is mentor/student and she is obviously hot for him, but Blade is an immortal, tired old man who doesn't have time for that. Except Elio has other plans, as Blade's script reaches a conclusion - he finds something worth dying for. When it comes to HSR Fanfictions I take a lot more creative liberty because I didn't follow the lore to the letter. Also I love world building so!!!! I also built Sigonia-IV for that story, I just gotta get the neurons to activate x.x

[bronson4444the2nd]

So... I started playing palworld.

Bad start I know.

I've sunk an good amount of time into it,collected an good amount of pals, not far enough into it for the firearms or mass production stuff but whatever. But I've played enough of it that I think I can say my stance on it.

This game is thriving,because pokemon refuse to inovate or improve.

It designs (wether they are plagerized,inspiered, or other) are not important to me,the more mature "parody" elements are not important to me, the graphic's are not important to me. What IS important to me is the fact that this early access, open world survival game is infinitely more fun then any other attempt to "inovate" on the creature collector genra of video game.

Because it's actually trying to be something different.

Temtem, cassette beasts, nexomon, hell even shin migame tense(Wich was the literal protigener of it) have tried and failed to gain a foothold in the monster collector genra due to the absolute monopoly Pokemon has had on it sense the 1990's, mostly because the earlyer games mentioned have all stuck to the slow, repetitive turnbaised combat that pokemon has dominated and continues to dominate. Palworld is just ARK with pokeballs slapped in,and it is infinitely better then what others have tried to be, because they are so afraid to actually change anything major about it.

You know Legends Arceus? One of the most popular modern pokemon games? How people were super exited for the trailers cause it showed the player ducking & weaving around pokemon's attacking,but then they showed that it was just the normal pokemon combat system of them just standing in place & waiting for each other to attack? Palworld feels like what Legends Arceus should have been.

That would definitely explain why it is the 2nd highest played game on steam & outsold legends Arceus within the first week.

I may love pokemon,but I can't fucking STAND how stale it's become,they refuse to make good games anymore because they both don't have the time to. and know that everyting they release will earn them millions, cause regardless of quality,we will all buy them anyway.

I'm so fucking tired, and Palworld gave me a breath of fresh air that I desperately needed.

So tldr: the pokemon company sucks and these are my favorite designs in palworld

[malkaleh]

Anyway my brain gave me an idea and I need to share it with @nocompromise-noregrets - so in the universe of the ROP fic I am apparently writing now + some Hobbit Movie Canon because Lee Pace is Amazing is that I absolutely do think Thranduil would have less pride around actually talking to Elrond and oh my gosh that conversation.

(Listen not that Elrond doesn’t have canon trauma but also I think you know, he’s Elrond. Kind and wise. Gentle and strong. Everyone’s favourite. And that can be really hard, especially because Elrond has so many reminders of people people have lost in his face. And like an Elrond who survived being a captive of Sauron with his mind etc intact is maybe even more of a legend but also everyone knows what happened there)

(Also Elrond’s father as the great dragon slayer in the War of Wrath).

(Thranduil is understandably not talking to a Feanorian).

(Listen unfortunately Celebrimbor may not make it out but he is re-embodied in Valinor, drinking cocktails with little umbrellas on a beach. He’s actually adopted all the little kids who love crafting in Valinor including baby Maia. He’s thriving. He’s healing. Grandpa Feanor is absolutely spoiling him lbr*)

*I love Feanor as a character and also he’s The Fucking Worst and oh wow absolutely not winning the parenting game but I do absolutely believe he spoiled the fuck out of his only grandchild and if he’d had an inkling of what Sauron was doing he would have broken out of The Halls and whaled on him.

(One day I will ponder whether Feanor would claim Elrond as a grandson as well because my feeling is yes. Elrond is just like ‘…..’)

[ghost-proofbaby]

Some more headcanons for you 😌

- Eddie is not a "You like that band? Name 3 of their songs 😠" kind of dickhead, he's actually super thrilled when people like the same music as him. And when someone he has a thing for likes it, he's so excited to have something to connect with them on, and it makes them just that much cooler to him.

- He's an absolute expert at the "Quick, pretend to be my boyfriend so this creep will leave me alone!" game. He'll do it for his friends, for a total stranger, for a girl, a boy, anything, and at the drop of a hat. He gets real theatrical about it, too, the dramatic little shit. But he never forgets to make the person he's helping out feel safe.

- (this one is really indulgent self-projection but) Eddie l o v e s a good Renaissance Faire. Strong chance he would work at them when he grows up (just trust me on this, it's where the Eddie Munsons of this world go). And yes, he absolutely wears a kilt as part of his costuming.

- He is a raging bisexual, and I am prepared to die on this hill. The crush he has on Kirk Hammett can only be matched by the one he has on Elvira.

- He is incredibly impressed by any kind of home-cooked food. He doesn't know how to cook (although I bet he'd be good at it if he learned), so he mainly subsists off TV dinners and takeout. Someone could make him box brownies and he'd think it was the best thing ever.

- When he reads to someone (of course he loves to read his favorite books out loud to people), he always does the voices, and sometimes he gets excited and he acts a scene out.

- This is a cat man. He loves cats, and cats love him. There are a bunch of strays, I'm talking at least 6, that he feeds around his trailer. He can't bring them inside because his uncle has allergies, but he makes sure they all have flea collars, and he sets out nice boxes and soft pillows and blankets for them to sleep on. They all have names. His favorite, the one he would bring inside if he could, the one he'll probably take with him if he ever moves out, is an old, scraggly orange boy with like one eye, ⅔ of one ear, a mouth full of snaggleteeth, and a cropped tail. He calls him Tom Sawyer, and he CLAIMS it's after the Rush song, not the Mark Twain character, but he's lying.

- He's a switch and a verse. And he's all about service. I said what I said.

- He's an absolute sucker for a classic cheesy fantasy movie. Dark Crystal, Willow, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, The Last Unicorn, all of that stuff. I know people think he's a horror movie enthusiast, but they simply don't understand his love for Legend 😩

- He loves vegetables when they're still crunchy, hates them when they're cooked into mush.

- His uncle had more of a hand in raising him than his parents ever did. *Sally Field Aunt May voice* He is HIS boy!!

That's all I've got for now. I could keep going forever tho 😂😂😂

honestly i'd let you keep going forever these are GOLDEN

all of these are so near and dear to me, but that ren fair one? as someone who is going tomorrow again - you're fucking right. all i do when i'm there is think "this is eddie core, that's so eddie core! oh, EDDIE CORE!" he absolutely would go, and he absolutely would work there. he'd be amazing at it. it's also the one place where he's not worried about bullies. there was a fic once i believe that pointed that out - it's too nerdy for him to worry about bullies showing up there because they wouldn't be caught dead attending! he'd love dressing in character and would find it all so endearing. he'd be a sucker for all the girls in corsets, for all the little stores and all the neat attractions. at mine, there's a little attraction where there's 'mermaids' and i just know he'd probably be besties with the mermaids, hanging out with them and bugging them nonstop. he's cool there. he's respected there. i just know our boy would thrive.

[obiwanked]

My Star Wars Fanfic Recommendations: Part Three

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

walk by faith/tell no one what you’ve seen - After the end of the war with the Empire, Obi-Wan wakes up in his twelve-year old body. Now all he needs to do is convince everyone he's psychic, trick his Master into taking him on before he's sent to Bandomeer, redeem a few bad guys, and try not to have a nervous breakdown. Pretty easy. It's not like the Sith are lurking on the horizon, waiting to devour the Jedi Order.

and the world tilts upon its axis - “You never told us.” Anakin’s words pierce directly into Ahsoka’s heart; she can’t imagine what they do to his master. That stricken feeling flits through the Force again before Obi-Wan can wrangle it again. At least it gets Anakin to look up. He looks torn, agonized, pained, but repeats, unsteady, “You never told us.” “The past is not an easy thing for me to speak of.”

Teach the Padawan - The man that was once Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, GAR General, knew that his death was finally here. Just as he was struck down he made a wish. As he disappeared from the mortal plane, he didn’t realize the Force had been listening. When he opened his eyes, with a younger body and in a time long past, it was apparent that the Force took a somewhat creative interpretation of his last thoughts. However, the man that was once Crazy Old Ben, Wizard of the Wastes, wasn’t going to squander this second chance. After all, he had a padawan to teach and the galaxy to save.

so old they were, and wise - Obi-Wan's arm had tightened around him to the point of squeezing. He felt sick swoops of nausea. "Anakin," he said urgently. "I don't care what the circumstances are or who you're with, if anyone tries to bring you to the Chancellor, stars forbid leave you alone with him, do not allow it. Do whatever is necessary - cry, scream, fight, use the Force, run - run to find me. Stay away from Chancellor Palpatine. Do you understand, young one?" Wide-eyed, Anakin nodded.

stars sing my name, scars tell my story - Anakin wasn’t sure how to ask, so he didn't. Instead, he waited until Master Kenobi fell asleep and stayed up to tinker in the dark, building his own scanner out of parts stolen from the trash. The chip was in his right thigh.

The Legend of Liob - The Republic sends a combat photographer to be attached to the 212th until further notice, citing the need for a morale boost. The clones make up a fake clone, citing the absolute fact that it is very funny. Somehow, these two things save the galaxy.

Care What It Cost - Five years after Naboo, Obi-Wan becomes aware that things between Anakin and Qui-Gon have become... tense. The obvious solution is to mediate their difficulties if at all possible. That is not what happens.

In all your wanderings - Passion, yet serenity. Shmi leaves Tatooine with Anakin and goes to the Jedi Temple.

Gra’pa - The tyrannical Empire is thriving, the young Rebellion is striving. Exhausted, Obi-Wan Kenobi needs a Hug, and gets two, not one, from his favorite set of twins in the entire universe.

Obi-Wan Declares Himself Dad Shaped - “Hello, there!” the probably-Jedi sumbitch says, completely ignoring the fact that he’s in cuffs, and being paraded in with great suspicion by a squad of six. He sounds more like he’s some politician asking for directions in a palace. ”I’m afraid we appear to have had something of a misunderstanding. I don’t suppose there’s someone I could speak with to get this straightened out?”

everything I have ever learned- Skywalker, the deep hollow voice of the desert says, echoing like a heartbeat in his bones. Do you know what your name means?

Hope and Ekkreth - how Anakin may not have been able to free the slaves on Tatooine, but he could do this. He could do this.

If You Ever Come Back - After Obi-Wan Kenobi's return from Melida/Daan, it is discovered that the Jedi Council and Qui-Gon Jinn have very different definitions of the word probation.

What Have We Become - One of Feemor's greatest regrets, was that he never had the chance to get to know his brother-padawan, but the Force is willing to give him one more chance. And maybe, if he's lucky, he can finally make amends with his former master and save them all in the process.

there you are (you’re there with open arms) - "You're alive," Ahsoka cries. And he's holding her head with one hand, pressing her head into the crook of his neck. "I'm here, dear one," Obi-Wan whispers. And she can't believe that Obi-Wan is here. And he is alive and breathing and he is holding her. "I'm here."

[adammbakri]

Kindergarten

I was particularly enchanted by my new brown sandals that day. I don’t recall where we were walking home from, my mother and I, but I knew we were homeward bound. So all was good, and my sandals were the best!

“Hey, do you want to check this out?” my mother said, unintentionally snapping me out of my reverie. I looked to where she was pointing and saw a playground! “YES!” I thought, or maybe I said out loud. I can't quite remember. So my mother carried me over a little wall that separated the street from the playground, and we strolled straight to what was probably the Disneyland of the village: a count of two miserable swings and a rusty slope. My mother must have put me on the swing for a bit or let me slide down the slope a few times before she said “let’s go.”

She held my hand tenderly, like she always did, and walked me towards a small building just a little distance away.

She knocked on a blue metal door. A lady must have welcomed us into what looked to me like a sea of kids! I did not recognize a single soul. The kids were crying, some more intensely than others, some shrieking like it was the end of the world. I was mesmerized by the new spectacle, flabbergasted by the fact that there were more kids like me and adults like my mother! For up until then, and throughout my long life of three and a half years or four, I thought that it was only me, my mom, my sister Yafa, and my brother Ziad (I have no idea why I had no memory of my two other brothers and my father back then). So for a minute that seemed eternal, I entered another reverie, totally forgetting about the new pair of sandals, which I came to conclude years later that my mother had bought for this very special occasion!

I guess my reverie this time was about trying to mentally and emotionally receive what I was forced to meet for the first time in my life: reality, or so it seemed.

I must have become tremendously confused and in desperate need of security. So I reached out in an attempt to hold back my mother’s hand for reassurance, for warmth and safety, for home, for my own version of reality up until then! But to my complete horror, she had disappeared. Absolutely evaporated. Gone. Transformed into the ether. Teleported somewhere else infinitely far from the place and the moment in time I needed her the most.

Obviously, I went straight to the door, but I was too short to reach the handle. The door was locked, and so was I.

It would be an extreme understatement to say that I cried or screamed or banged on the door. I did all that and more. But the worst of it all, the most harrowing, most spine-chilling aspect of the whole experience was the following: nobody seemed to care! The new world I met outside my mother’s lap, AKA heaven, was loveless, strange, and indifferent to my suffering. At least that is how it felt in my barely four-year-old heart.

Later in my young adult life, through years of self-therapy (thanks in part to the above), I learned the following: there are certain events that happen to us as children that seem to define who we are as adults, our outlook on life, the way we see the world and interact with it, how we EXpress and what we are IMpressed by.

Simply put, as children, we are blank pages that one can easily draw upon with whatever colors they want and in whatever shapes they want. The final result of the drawing might - MIGHT… it IS a possibility - miraculously come out just beautiful! The monumental work of the century! An exquisite piece of art! A legend in and of itself! But for the most part, and it is the sad truth: it's a mess! A mess that, at some point in our life - mainly our young adult years or youth - we are faced with the task to sort out, whether we like it or not.

For us to grow, heal, and thrive, we have to be able to grab hold of the page that was used without our invitation - our own page, our birthright! We may not be able to erase what has already been painted, but we can certainly choose our own brush and add the colors we want, give shape to what might be an incoherent, amateurish drawing, straighten a line or curve it, or simply take a moment to observe our personal portrait and breathe!

Breathe…

And contemplate upon what might have been the masterpiece that demanded our attention inward... homeward towards Light.

Maybe… just maybe that was the journey that made Rumi discover that “wounds are the place where the Light enters you”.

Side note: In defense of my beautiful mother, I have to say that she was the best, most loving and kind mother in the world! Never for a second neglecting me or making me feel unloved. This story represents a natural event in every child's life. This "parting" between mother and child happens on every first day of kindergarten. Its impact, however, is naturally different on children and is associated with many other elements that I am not versed in.  

Adam

[shes-a-badkid]

Thoughts while reading “The Blood of Olympus” with my nephew-

1. Jason sending out a message to his dad asking him to look out for Nico- I just want them to be besties

2. Oh shit- Jason got stabbed and with imperial gold! (Although I love that Annabeth is the one to panic a little and Piper is being the clearheaded one- because Piper has to be clearheaded and Annabeth can afford not to be)

3. Seriously- I am obsessed with how much Jason is worried about Nico

4. I don’t like Juno/Hera, because she’s caused a LOT of issues, but also, I love the drama. Plus, Jupiter/Zeus is the worst and if he’s mad at her, then I know who I stand with

5. My poor sweet Nico just working his poor butt off with this shadow travelling

6. Do I ever find out what happened in Albania? Because I need to know

7. I’ve said it several times and I’ll probably say it several times more- Octavian is the WORST

8. Seriously, I love Leo and Calypso and I want him to find a way back to her so bad. I just want my boy happy

9. I love that Percy physically can’t not be sarcastic to just every god/goddess he comes across. No restraint, only sass

10. “Change the plans and then stick to it.”

11. Clarisse still manages to be angry and caring all at once and I adore her, also I’m obsessed with Hedge leaving his pregnant wife in her care

12. Hades, my love 🖤 (I may or may not be influenced by my love of the Disney-Hercules version of Hades… 🤷🏻‍♀️)

13. Nico’s concern goes from Hazel then to Jason then Percy and the rest! My Nico/Jason best friendship is thriving

14. Hades wants his boy to be happy! This chapter is killing me

15. Piper and Frank are kind of sweet together as friends- just chill vibes until they need to fight

16. Buford the wonder table- an icon, a legend

17. “Piper McClane, that was without a doubt the dumbest risk I’ve ever seen anyone take and I date a dumb risk taker.” Annabeth- you think Piper taking a literal leap of faith into that pit was dumber than any risk Percy ever took? Girl, you must be blinded by love because I’m pretty sure dumb risk taker is one of his defining traits

18. I really like Piper and Annabeth as a combo- Annabeth is all plans and logic, while Piper is all about her emotions. Plus this whole chapter with them fighting with Mimas and Piper having BIG Percy energy- love it

19. Reyna is a badass. That’s it, end of thought.

20. Orion is an incel- makes sense

21. Hylla is also a badass- gotta love the Ramirez-Arellano girls

22. “I’m breathing Dylan!?”

23. Nico may say that Hades isn’t the best dad or whatever, but of the gods/goddesses- he seems alright. Like most of the others are indifferent at best, but Hades actively has tried to help his kids. Poseidon only seems to care about Percy and maybe a smidge about Tyson, but then we learn about Kymopoleia. Ares is… Ares, and only seems to care if his kids win/fight. Aphrodite seems like she’s just there for the drama. Of the godly parents we have seen more of he’s doing okay. (My love of Hades popped out full force here)

24. My son, Nico, is the best and I adore him and Bryce got what was coming to him, the little psycho

25. Hedge may always be ready to throw down and be just over the top all the time, but he is a real one- he cares so much for his charges 🖤

26. As much as I am team Nico/Jason besties, Reyna/Nico friendship is dear to my heart. Plus team Parthenos (as I’ve dubbed them in my head) is wonderful

27. Apollo is ridiculous and emotional and I love it

28. I don’t know why, but Asclepius prescribing Jason glasses amuses me more than is should

29. Rick… what the fuck?! Why my sweet son, Leo?? And he’s just so accepting? Fuck you!!

30. Tyson, my love 🖤🖤

31. Reyna continuing to be a badass and I love that she gets to kill this absolute incel of a giant

32. YES! Bringing in Pipers indigenous heritage! The song of the snakes! I love it 🥰

33. I may have complained previous about Piper in “House of Hades” but I see she was saving all her badassery for this book, because she has just been killing it the entire time- being the most emotionally intelligent, being an incredible team with Annabeth. This is the Piper I missed in “House of Hades.”

34. YAYAYAYAYYAY HEDGE MADE IT FOR HIS BABIES BIRTH!!!

35. Will just stepping up and telling Nico no to his shadow travel so he doesn’t do himself more damage- okay, get it [yes I have been spoiled about the future of Will and Nico, but I love that the first scene of them together is Will being all medic guy and stubborn about Nico not doing himself more damage with his shadow travels, telling Nico that his feeling about the campers thoughts about him are in his head, and just in general being a little shit]

36. I’ve said it so many times and here is one more- Octavian is the WORST!

37. Hell yeah- God fight!

38. God fight seems done, giants are all destroyed and Leo is still okay, but Gaea is awake and I still have like 8 chapters…

39. And we are talking vaguely about Leo’s death again and I DON’T LIKE IT

40. RIP Argo II and questioning what happened to my boy 🥺

41. I love the insane differences between the Romans and the Greeks fighting- Romans are so organized and just proper. Greeks is just chaos and enthusiasm.

42. FESTUS! And my boy right there with him! 🖤

43. Oh no….. Jason and Leo are fighting Gaea… I don’t like it

44. And I’m crying and plotting my revenge on Rick

45. Bye bitch! (Me to Octavian)

46. And I’m crying over Leo again (still- my nephew is only slightly concerned)

47. Awwwww! Hedge is so proud of his baby! And Clarisse is the godmother 😊

48. Okay, seriously- Renya/Nico friendship reigns supreme (sorry Jason/Nico besties- I still love you)

49. Nico teasing his sisters boyfriend should happen always

50. And once more crying about Leo- fuck you, Rick

51. Ooohhhh Nico trying to suppress his crush on Will- I see you

52. Just when I say Reyna/Nico friendship reigns supreme, Jason comes along and talks with his bestie and even gets a hug and is so excited that Nico is staying at Camp Half Blood! (And they are besties and NO ONE can change my mind on this)

53. Will scolding Nico for not stopping by to say hi while he was busy in the infirmary and then telling him he is getting at least three days of rest in the infirmary 🙌🏻

54. Percy’s brain processing in the slowest possible manner over Nico telling him he used to have a crush on him, but that he’s not really his type is kind of precious

55.. Piper once again with the emotional intelligence!

56. Leo 😭

57. HELL YES FESTUS! My wonderful, beautiful dragon!

58. And he gets to find Calypso! (Okay, Rick, you are forgiven- a little)

[leonopods]

Blog and Species Information

Hello! Welcome to the official Leonopods blog!

My name is Buck, and Leonopods are my original and completely OPEN species! Feel free to create your own as you wish!

There are a few design guidelines to follow, but other than that, you're free to do what you please!

Detailed information below the cut!

Disclaimers:

I do not claim ownership over this concept, simply over the species itself and its lore. Characters with similar traits can be made entirely separately from this species. I do not own the concept of a lion-like creature with hooves and tentacles. It should never be assumed someone is trying to "rip off" or "off brand" my species. Some people simply do not want to participate in this species for their own reasons, and I do NOT support harassing anyone over this.

I cannot control who makes a Leonopod or what one does with their Leonopod after creating one. I will say that I do NOT condone the use of my species to promote hatred, bigotry, harassment, and/or anything abusive, illegal, or exploitative. I will absolutely denounce anyone who uses my species to promote bad stuff, however, I am NOT in control of who decides to participate to begin with.

Rules for this blog:

I will NOT reblog nor support any Leonopod designs that are hateful, bigoted, culturally insensitive, used to promote anything illegal, immoral, or exploitative, or anything along those lines.

While I'm okay with ADULTS making NSFW art of this species (so long as you're responsible about how you post it if you choose to do so publicly), I will NOT be reblogging anything NSFW here. Anything involving nudity, gore, or mildly suggestive content will be tagged.

I will NOT tolerate harassment, character/art/design theft, AI "art," N/F/Ts, or bullying.

Please don't harass me to reblog your art. If I don't reblog it immediately, I'm probably busy.

What is a Leonopod? What is their lore?

Leonopods are an anthropomorphic land and sea-dwelling species believed to be created by a sea goddess many centuries ago.

Legend says this goddess was exiled from her undersea home and traveled to land. Upon traveling the land, she fell in love with the many land-bound creatures and decided to combine her favorite animal traits to create her ideal creature.

The goddess blessed them with sapience and consciousness so that they may mingle and communicate with her. By all means she was a kind, loving goddess who cherished the creatures beyond all else.

No one quite knows what happened to her. Some legends say that she returned to her home in the deep sea. Others say the years of living on land took a toll on her, as her true home was the sea, and she died; her body peacefully turning to seafoam as her beloved Leonopods wept beside her.

While these legends are unconfirmed, many Leonopods believe in this legend to this day, and they often worship the goddess known to them as "Laguna'ana" (sometimes shortened to just "Laguna").

Mannerisms and Environment.

Leonopods can technically live anywhere, as their intelligence level is the same as humans and other sapient life forms. So bundling up for winter, or creating a fire is no problem for them. However, the easiest places for them to thrive are oceans, beaches, lakes, jungles, and generally anywhere lush with lots of water preferably. Clothing is common in this species, although not all Leonopods wear it.

Leonopods' personalities vary between individuals, but in their society, pride in one's work, loving one's family (found or otherwise), and being courageous, hard-headed, and strong are uplifted.

Appearance.

Appearances also vary, but there are four constants: 1). Lion-like head. 2). Tentacles. 3). Anthro. 4). Hooved feet. All Leonopods MUST have these four features visible. Other than that, everything else is free game.

While you can make your Leonopod look like anything, so long as it follows the four main rules, here is a trait guide to what is most and least common in the species:

Very common: manes, horns, bottom tusks, pupil-less eyes, tentacle arms.

Common: fangs, tentacle tails, slit pupils, regular pupils, regular arms, no mane.

Rare: beaks, mismatching arms, top tusks.

Any of these traits can be added as you wish, of course. Keep in mind that in-universe your Leonopod may be seen as unusual for having certain traits, however.

Species Change Log.

-Leonopods can no longer be quadruped/feral as of December 29th, 2023.

-Leonopods are no longer required to possess double ears.

-Leonopods are now required to have hooved feet as of December 29th, 2023.

Trivia.

-Leonopods were originally a closed species, but I wised up eventually, realizing that not only was I not dedicated enough to keep up with a closed species, but I was also not fond of closed species in general.

[romilly-jay]

COSY CATASTROPHE: What and why?

Cosy catastrophe is a description I found late last year in a history of science fiction (Roberts, 2016, p.482).

I felt an immediate tug of recognition. It sounded like what I was trying to achieve with my WIP: a narrative with a broadly dystopian framework but which, in the detail of the storytelling, remains tonally upbeat and optimistic, even though every main character experiences at least one loss, tragedy, or painful reversal.

From a Guardian feature by author Jane Rogers (2012), I discovered she had also experienced an initially positive response – that ‘click’ – only to find that the phrase was absolutely not a compliment.

Rather, it was coined by Brian Aldiss in his 1973 history of science fiction as a critique of John Wyndham’s heroes who, Aldiss felt, had too good a time as unlikely survivors of systemic level devastation.

As per science fiction author and critic Jo Walton: Cosy catastrophes are science fiction novels in which some bizarre calamity occurs that wipes out a large percentage of the population, but the protagonists survive and even thrive in the new world that follows. They are related to but distinct from the disaster novel where some relatively realistic disaster wipes out a large percentage of the population and the protagonists also have a horrible time (2009, n.p.n.).

Thing is, I think there's something important - relevant - zeitgeist - about that uff of recognition. There are many sad and terrible things happening in the world, there's suffering, stress, and existential threat in most of our pasts and - we fear - many of our futures...

I believe this leads to a number of responses but one is a longing for cosiness - hence the massive popularity of Danish hygge and the trend towards the 'cosification' of many genres. Cosy crime - of course. Cosy fantasy (just read Travis Baldree's Legends and Lattes and really love his pitching this as 'high fantasy and low stakes'*). Cosy - um - horror? Apparently, yes, it's being considered.

Yet also, for some, not all of us, perhaps what we want is not *just* cosiness - because the multiple sources of disquiet are too close and too loud. You know what, cosy horror is starting to make sense to me.

Presumably this whiplash reaction, the huh, what? is why some people have the ICK reaction to cosy catastrophe - and some of us identify with it, own it, want to embrace it.

This sense of identifying with cosy catastrophe and wanting to 'own' it is the golden thread that goes through the presentation I'll be making at City, University of London's postgraduate conference and which I'll be sharing, a bit at a time, here.

[*BTW, Travis Baldree discusses the creative and administrative choices he made in taking Legends and Lattes to self-publication in 2022 in the below Medium article - he also notes that he hasn't updated the article for everything that happened subsequently i.e. with the book being picked up and traditionally published at Tor.]

References:

§Aldiss, B. (1973) Billion year spree: the history of science fiction. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

§Baldree, T. (2022a) 'Self published book launch A-Z', Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@travisbaldree/self-published-book-launch-a-z-39ec6f9257e1 (Accessed: 30 May 2024).

Baldree, T. (2022b) Legends and lattes. London: Tor.

§Macfarlane, R. (2019) Underland: a deep time journey. London: Hamish Hamilton.

§Roberts, A. (2016) The history of science fiction. 2nd edn. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

§Rogers, J. (2012) ‘Jane Rogers’ top ten cosy catastrophes: the author of The Testament of Jessie Lamb lists her favourite great books where the safe, happy world as we know it comes to grief’, in The Guardian, 05 July. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jul/05/jane-rogers-top-10-cosy-catastrophes

§Walton, J. (2009) ‘Who reads cosy catastrophes?’, Tor.Com, 14 October. Available at: https://www.tor.com/2009/10/14/who-read-cosy-catastrophes/ (Accessed: 5 December 2023).

[thebleedingeffect]

If you’re still up to talking about him

AHHHHHHH of course I'm up to talk about him!! Sorry that it took a lil bit to reply, had to go do work >.< !! BUT I spent most of the shift thinking about my lil guy and by god, I love this guy so damn much.

SO first of all, my personal interpretation of gods in the loz universe is that there are six main gods in total: The Golden Goddesses, Hylia, Demise, and the Fierce Deity. The Golden Goddesses are above them all, but they're more of the... ambivalent, distant sort of gods, the kind of higher power that watches everything at a distance. They have no moral standing, they do not rejoice when the day is saved nor do they mourn when their people die, they simply are. They control the tides of the cycle and pick their heroes when the time comes that the story must repeat once more, but they don't do it out of maliciousness or any sort of human need.

The Golden Goddesses simply are, they watch and control the earth, the tides, and have shaped very life itself, but are very distinctly not human.

Hylia, Demise, and the Fierce Deity are more human than them, and for that reason, they're the ones who came to embody Hyrule itself.

But I'm getting off track, for the Fierce Deity!! So, my personal interpretation is that he's the most human between both Demise and Hylia. Demise understood the feeling of being trapped with too much power in his palms and the urge to tear down the world that had sought to strangle such divine power from his hands. He understood revenge, resentment, the darkness of men's hearts that the Goddesses themselves had gifted him to understand like no other. In this part, Demise understands, but he does not understand nor want to see anything more of their creations as he resents the Goddesses for dooming him to such a role. If the Goddesses wanted a monster, had forged a monster with their own hands and released him onto the world that they just created, than he would destroy as he pleased.

The Goddesses must not have cared much for their creations after all, Demise believes, as why would he have been created for such detestable reasons otherwise?

Demise cannot truly understand what it is to be human, as he has no want nor need to. He inspires the part of Hyrule that thrives and festers off the blood of its own people, that is all he needs to know. That's all he was ever meant to know, and when tried to know more, he simply tasted what true anger was.

Hylia is not human, no matter what legends and myths may tell you, she is and never will be human. Hylia was made to be the great stabilizer of the land, to cultivate and hold the seeds of Hyrule in her own hands. She sees humans, she sees their struggles, how they worship her, how they whisper their names during times of peace and joy throughout the land.

Hylia hears her name on the lips of dying men in vast fields, in near empty cathedrals, between clenched hands hidden in the dark. She hears it all and more, hears how they call out for her protection and mercy in their time of need. Hylia knows, but she doesn't truly understand the desperate need to survive when she is not mortal and after all, all of the suffering is for the greater good. The blood of Hyrule's people will call the hero from across the fields, the suffering of her people will inspire the princess to take up arms, and the sacrifice is worth the price. Whether that price is placing terrifying visions in little princesses head, scaring them awake at night with a scream on their lips. Whether that is not answering a desperate princesses call over all the years, even as the world begins to burn around her. Hylia is not human in the same way that the tides of the ocean are not human, her judgment and mercy are absolute, as is her condemnation and silence.

Hylia hears the desperate prayers of a boy who does not wish to be chosen on a battlefield, wielding a sword that was crafted for his hands alone.

She ignores him, as his suffering is the perfect sacrifice for the greater good and after all, his suffering will never even be a footnote in the great expanse of Hyrule's history. Not when her name must be used to inspire even more heroes and princesses in the future.

The Fierce Deity... is human in all of the ways that they aren't.

So, my interpretation is that the Fierce Deity fought alongside Hylia during the war with Demise, but he was originally just a normal man who rose to the occasion. His courage, his resilience, his hands that were originally meant for lush fields but now wielded a sword, a normal human that had managed to drive the newly forged master sword into Demise's skull. As the war settled, the first hero found that he wasn't human anymore, as Hylia had decided that he would forever be her hero. The Golden Goddesses held no objection to this idea as it meant the wielder of courage had finally been chosen, and the forces of the cycle were finally ready to begin. The first hero had died, but the Fierce Deity had been born in his place. Time went on until threads of unease and suspicion began to rise as the Fierce Deity was more than simply the wielder of courage.

The Fierce Deity had once been a human, and as such, he possessed an understanding of people's suffering, their joy- just how fragile their lives were and how easily their dreams could be dashed away. So, he became not only the wielder of courage, but the very embodiment of the need to protect others no matter the cost. The willingness to bend himself down to evils' depravity as he is willing to destroy himself, to feel both the festering anger and indiscriminate hope of humanity, to feel it all, and to protect above all else.

But, because he was a human first before god, he doesn't quite share the same godlike qualities that Hylia and Demise both wield.

It's because of this and furthering tension that one day... the Fierce Deity finds himself banished to a land so like the one he used to protect, but completely empty of anything divine. He soon comes to realize that the land and its people had been completely abandoned by the goddesses that had created them, left alone to their own survival. No goddesses to listen to their prayers at night, no goddesses who linger in the embers of fire, no giggling goddesses who thrive in the forest, no goddesses in the reflection of the water- nothing. He finds himself trapped in a world that does not know what it lacks, what has been taken from it, and he himself is trapped with no way out.

It's then that the Fierce Deity feels complete and utter betrayal, sorrow and the kind of anger that licks up his sides with the urge to tear down the barriers that hold him. But he can't, not with the mask holding back so much of his power, so much in fact that he can barely feel the world that he was stolen from. For a time, the Fierce Deity is consumed by anger and the lingering taste of abandonment. The goddesses? He somewhat understands, despite the deep-seated sorrow at how Farore had agreed to throw him inside the depths of her own land to rot. But Hylia? The goddess that he had spent countless years protecting? The goddess that had looked at him and saw something more, saw something that was worthy to become something more. The very same goddess that had seemingly come to regret her decision, because he was simply not a hero, he was still a human. The goddess that he had swore to protect and follow all those years ago, and then was the one who watched as he was sealed away.

Needless to say, the Fierce Deity feels extremely betrayed, and it doesn't help that he knows the cycle will continue with or without him. There will be someone who will have his face, who will be his in all but blood, but they'll never know that they're missing something. There will be no gentle hand to guide their hand on the sword, no one who will help protect them, no one who will answer their pleas at night when there's so much responsibility on their tiny shoulders. He knows this, and he becomes so much more infuriated because he feels like he's abandoned his own kin. His own reflections left to wander a land that will use and abandon them, left to live in a history that will live off their sacrifice and blood. More than anything else, the Fierce Deity mourns for them, because he knows the Goddesses never will. He hopes that they will one day forgive him for not being able to escape this cage to protect them properly.

Time passes, of course, but one day the Fierce Deity finds himself strangely endeared to Termina. It is a land that has been abandoned and holds no symbols of the goddesses that has created them. It is a land that has been given a turned eye, a cold shoulder, abandoned to all but the deepest recesses of a cursed forest. The Fierce Deity sees himself in Termina, in its people, and that how he begins to care for the people despite the sorrow still clinging onto his heart that refuses to stop feeling. He hears their dreams, their anger, their sorrow, their hope- he hears it all- and he answers in kind.

He promises that he hears them and will protect them.

That's how the Fierce Deity becomes the patron saint of Termina! He sort of becomes the god known for protection, for justice dealt, of the moon itself, and courage :] a cute little detail is that most people wait to pray until nighttime as it's said that the moon can hear better that way! And their prayers help him feel better, just a bit.

Another detail is that most are pretty quiet of their worship of him, but it isn't uncommon to see people with moon and triforce pendants :] and during the winter solstice, people will paint red and blue markings onto their face to welcome the longest night of the year, or the longest time that the Fierce Deity is free to roam Termina!

I have more thoughts about him but hrm, this is already super long,,,, okay I just love him alot okay-

[gust-jar-simulator]

Okay. So. It is time. I've had cookies and alcohol and therefore the real crack AU idea has been unlocked.

I've been obsessed with the idea of a Witchblade AU for LOZ, and particularly in the context of Linked Universe for maximum embarrassment for all involved parties. So! In order to get across the idea, I need to define what I mean by Witchblade for the audience.

The Witchblade is a sentient weapon in the eponymous comics that takes the term "bikini chainmail" to a ridiculous extreme. I don't care what the worldbuilding says, the Witchblade exists to rip its wielder's clothes off under the pretense of stabbing things. It takes the form of living armor that actually covers very little, though it can expand to cover more under extreme circumstances. It can also grow stabby bits like claws or even actual swords and spears. When it's not being used, it takes the form of a bracelet.

So I present to you: What if the Master Sword functioned like the Witchblade?

In the context of the LU boys, we have:

Sky- Full Witchblade treatment. I'm sorry. It explains way too much about Ghirahim and absolutely nothing about Fi. His version comes with metal wings that function like shields until he figures out what fighting for his life actually entails. He also learns a bit of ballet dancing from asking the sword to puppet him a few times, which helps.

Four- Mercifully, he never dealt with her. He's got a perfectly good enchanted sword and he is both judging the Master Sword and intensely intrigued by the concept of living metal. Not enough to try picking her up though.

Time- The sword is rated at minimum T for Teen for good reason. She gives a respectful nod to his Kokiri origins by changing the avian elements of her previous armor design to curling vines and leaves. He's less embarrassed about this than he should be, but everyone around him is mortified enough to make up for it. The Kokiri might wear clothes but they don't exactly have the Hylian concept of nudity either. Once he properly grows up and is socialized Hylian he definitely thinks the Master Sword is fucked up though.

Legend- He's got so many fucking questions. Who thought this was a good idea, and fuck them actually. Thankfully, he also acquires magic armor that's good enough to not be instantly shredded by the Master Sword, so she just incorporates it instead with some elegant gold accents courtesy of Legend's own smithing. She grows on him, especially once he realizes how the Master Sword and enchanted gear can play together, but they have a rocky beginning. In his personal opinion his version of the Master Sword is the prettiest.

Hyrule- Never wielded the Master Sword and frankly is not sure he wants to. He's got a Shield spell to cover... everything she doesn't, true. But his world is kill or be killed, and he may not have a concept of shame, but he's very concerned about being stabbed and the Master Sword can generously be described as stabby lingerie. The others reassure him that she's very effective but really he's fine with his Magic Sword and leather.

Twilight- I'm very sorry but Midna definitely isn't. Twi might have the kind of werewolf powers where he can keep his clothes, but it's infinitely funnier to give him the double tap of werewolf powers AND a clothes destroying sword. She also generously accommodates his need to get used to wolf attacks by augmenting his body with claws and a bladed tail in human form every time he calls on her. Midna's thriving. Twilight is a little cold, actually, and wishes he could wear a towel or something. He'd rather perish than admit to being the Hero because the rumors got back home and his family is fully aware the Hero runs around with his buns out in combat. It's giving the kids bad ideas. He's suffering.

Wild- Literally living his best life. In Wild's opinion you need a decent amount of time naked in the woods to be healthy. He likes shiny, he likes aesthetic over practicality, and the Master Sword seems determined to accent his scars like a threat and a warning to whatever gave him those in the first place. She'll also give him cool exoskeleton stilt things for jumping up cliffs and trees, and claws for climbing. What's not to love? ...okay, the burning pain of drawing her and also the fact that she powers down and disintegrates off of him sometimes, but hey. It's not a wardrobe malfunction. It's a wardrobe opportunity.

Wind- He's the one who essentially held HER at gunpoint, not the other way around. Wind genuinely took the Master Sword by surprise and she didn't know how to handle him. Wind's not her master but he needs her and didn't take no for an answer, and she wasn't entirely sure how to handle the needs of a pirate anyway. The compromise: he got a gauntlet. A really cool stabby gauntlet. The only time she so much as ripped his shirt was during the fight with Ganondorf, where she gave him TWO gauntlets and some extra armor, plus foot claws for stability. He thought the legends of the Hero riding out to battle naked were thus extremely exaggerated.

Warriors- I am VERY sorry. Cia definitely isn't. However, the Master Sword responds to genuine emotional distress, and I think Cia's... everything constitutes enough of a threat that the Master Sword actually gave Warriors something approaching full plate. Weirdly organic and beautiful plate armor, but even so. By the end of the War of Ages he was very used to walking around in nothing but a layer of living steel. It was safer than anything else, anyway. If it helps, nobody remembers the early days when he and the Master Sword were figuring things out, since he wished it all away with the Triforce.

I hope you enjoy this look into what could be. Maybe I'll write something for this, I don't know. It's just been stuck in my head and I can't stop laughing.

[moonlightonice]

and if i may add to your wonderful observations with something else

besides all the interactions in the foreground with the tkachuk Father and SonsTM vs the wunderkind like you so apptly called him, and the warmth and ease of the one vs the distance and almost stiltedness of the other there were two other things that really stood out to me surrounding that

the comparisson and sharp contrast within that comparisson of both of them being raised in hockey, both of them openly talking about how it's their happy place but the very very sharp diference in how they both occupied that environment growing up. In one you have connor and leon and his family talking about the preasure and the horror of the media and the stress and being perceived and on the other hand you have matthew basically living in the rinks, being babysat by the trainers and the staff and following his dad around, also being perceived by thousands, both of them having left home at 15. i just found it so fascinating how connor and leon talk about that aspect of it as something they absolutely wish they could remove -keep the sport leave the entertainment idustry/ spectacle aspect of it, because the only relationship they have with it is being put under a microscope and having immense preasure put on you with a spotlight that burns you. while on the other hand you have matthew who to quote someone on it "hasn't met a camera he doesn't love" and which to be completely honest hasn't met a camera who hasn't loved him back who doesn't just accept the spectacle or simply thrive on it but actively persues or even often invites and instigates it in a "growing the sport" mentality that also grew up with media and in crowds but with a very very keen difference of having that spotlight shine and love on his dad and 100% approaching it as something he absolutely wants for himself preasures and expectations be damned

to tie that in with the growing up and also your very very keen food/family atmosphere observation what stuck out to me where the throwback kid videos. you got connor at rinks being very small playing with bigger kids only being shown in competitions or in intense training or talking to the media throwing the occasional smile but mostly showing dread or playing at home alone vs matthew tkachuk's goddamn baby home videos cuddled up on daddy's chest being fed and pet and held, being the big kid pushing his baby brother to play as hard as him, watching dad's games and playing with the staff who are trying desperately to wrangle him in the stands or held by his mama or having his dad and actual baby brother by his side while he's getting ready to go out there all smiling and excited

i mean if their intention was to depict the man the myth the legend and the isolation that surrounds that with his number two having his back and his parents being caring and proud but not necessarily knowing how to actively you know, support the kid vs the family legacy of the Father, the Sons and the Holy goddamn Stanley Cup who not only know how to show up for each other but the very active support can verge on overbearing they did a great job

i just felt a little bit like for how big a segment they focused on the relationship with the media and the being preceived by it and how tough and hard and hurtful it is to be labeled boring and a robot for connor, to the point of like joking about it in the locker room, if the goal was to like, make him more warm or approachable or open him up to the general public who doesn't know a lot about hockey, well. It kinda maybe missed the mark a little??? what with the personal chef and cmon everybody say thank you chef yes miss thank you cheeeeef of that meal vs the DON'T LIGHT MY HOUSE ON FIRE OLD MAN/ SHUT UP WHILE I FEED YOU YOU LITTLE BASTARDS of kieth tkachuk living with his son to the point of chirping and videos of bottlefeeding the guy

also the parallel coincidence that aboslutely murdered me was the injurieswith the abdominal injury being treated with accupuncture in a sterile environment litterally being hooked on electric wires connor being told to give himself a hug vs matthew teasing and being teased and being groped and manhandled everywhich way and brady saying i gave him a bear hug to lift him up and aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

you can't make this shit up, the narratives and the invincible lines and the parallels where giving it their all and feeding us sooooooo well

What I found very interesting after letting "faceoff" a little sink in are the choices they made regarding food & relationships.

On the one side we have Keith grilling outside for Matthew, super chill atmosphere, Keith and Matthew chirp each other, Brady and Matthew chirp each other - all around it conveys a warm atmosphere.

On the other side we have a professional chef prepairing something (we try to avoid dairy), seated dinner with his fiancee and friends, the ketchup phobia (honestly why throw him unser the bus like that?), it all feels a lot less warm and a lot more stilted. Also the interactions with Leon seemed a lot more uptight than the Tkachuks (though I think they're really each others ride and die and just can't bring it across that well).

Bet they did that very intentional too - family legacy vs wunderkind legacy who is more alone.

Just strange that they didn't even mention Matthew's fiancee ones or let a Panther speak, like Sam or Sasha or literally everyone.

[fearsmagazine]

IDW Debuts the Haunting Cover Artwork to May’s Dark Spaces: Good Deeds #1

Since its initial announcement at San Diego Comic-Con last summer, Dark Spaces: Good Deeds—the second comic book miniseries in New York Times best-selling author Scott Snyder’s curated line of IDW original projects—has been shrouded in secrecy. This eerie historical thriller of obsession, power, and redemption carefully kept from the public, waiting for just the right time to surface…and that time is now!

In anticipation of the series launch in May, IDW unveiled the ethereal cover artwork for the first issue of Dark Spaces: Good Deeds, giving the first tantalizing taste of the six-issue miniseries written by Che Grayson (Batman: Urban Legends), with art by Kelsey Ramsay (Joan Jett and the Black Hearts, I Love Rock-n-Roll), and colors by Ronda Pattison (Dark Spaces: Wildfire). “The most rewarding part of overseeing Dark Spaces is watching the ascendant talent of newcomers evolve from ideas into incredible new comic books,” says Snyder. “Che and Kelsey have crafted a pitch-perfect, soul-searing mystery in Good Deeds. It’s the perfect story to expand the Dark Spaces line to visionary new creators…and it’s only the first of more to come.”

The unifying theme of Scott Snyder’s Dark Spaces line is the exploration of decisions made—and irreversible actions taken—by desperate people in desperate situations. Each character-driven entry in the Dark Spaces anthology series is a fully contained, standalone story written or curated by Snyder, championing the new generation of comic creators.

As testament to Dark Spaces’ commitment to up-and-coming talent, Good Deeds #1 features evocative covers from a gifted handpicked team, including series artist Ramsay, Elizabeth Beals (Star Trek: The Next Generation—Terra Incognita), Hayden Sherman (Dark Spaces: Wildfire), and Martin Morazzo (Ice Cream Man) with colors by Chris O’Halloran. In Good Deeds, teenager Cheyenne Rite and her mother, Rebecca, move to St. Augustine, Florida, in search of a fresh start. They cross paths with Jean McKnight, a disgraced big-city journalist determined to rebuild her career, starting with a fluff piece on the town’s upcoming 450th anniversary celebration. When the quaint community’s festivities give way to bloodshed, Jean begins an investigation, and the women find themselves at the heart of a supernatural conspiracy linked to St. Augustine’s sinister colonial past.

“I’m incredibly excited to get this into the hands of horror fans who are searching for a story that will be scary and thought-provoking in equal measure,” says Grayson. “I’ve always been drawn to stories where flawed characters find themselves thrust in the middle of a mystery. But the only way they can uncover the truth of that mystery is if they face their own dark secrets. I hope that readers find Jean’s journey really satisfying as she searches for meaning in the world and in her own life.”

“It’s been such an effortless collaboration with this absolute powerhouse of a team,” says Ramsay. “I am beyond excited for when Good Deeds reaches readers, and I can only hope our story spooks readers into loving it!” “Scott and I are thrilled to see Che and Kelsey thriving in the Dark Spaces spotlight. They ran with the challenge of following Wildfire, and their work in Good Deeds exemplifies the vision for this line. It’s a razor-sharp and unsettling story told fearlessly by creators on the verge of becoming the industry’s next household names. The mystery of Cheyenne and Jean’s unusual partnership haunts every page, and we can’t wait to share it with readers,” says senior editor Maggie Howell.

For information on how to acquire Dark Spaces comic books from IDW, please contact your local comic shop or visit www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you.

About the Creators Che Grayson is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker, writer, and TED speaker whose work is heavily inspired by their love of folklore and horror. Che has written comics for Image, IDW, and DC. A graduate of New York University’s MFA film program, they wrote and directed the award-winning film Magic Hour, which premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. Che has worked as a writer for Netflix, Nickelodeon, and Skydance Animation and is currently in development for a new animated TV series.

Kelsey Ramsay is a comic artist and illustrator from London, UK. Her work is featured in Joan Jett and the Black Hearts 40x40: Bad Reputation/I Love Rock ’n’ Roll (Z2 Comics) and Fab Breakout Book: Mad World (StoryWorld Media).

[a3-memes]

BABY DON’T HURT ME

[phoenixyfriend]

SW Suddenly-Omegaverse AU: Surrogacy, Worldbuilding, Obi-Mom

Truly the main irony of all this is that everyone considers Obi-Wan the Better Omega but Anakin is the one who's actually 👀👀👀 about pregnancy

Obi-Wan: I have the deepest respect for those who do it, but the idea of growing another person inside of me is weird and gross, no, thank you.

Meanwhile Anakin is like. Immediate baby fever. Someone actually approaches him like "hey... there are forms you can fill out to request an exception for pregnancy, and like... regulations" because he's that obvious about it.

I assume that if they've got safety nets for accidental pregnancies, then they're probably aware that there are people who want to do it on purpose? I feel like in an omegaverse where 'biological imperative to procreate' can be so much more intense, then maybe there's old precedent that stuck around even after suppressants got most of those hormones under better control.

Bit torn. Just know I want Anakin to Make Baby.

"Anakin, what are you--" "Do you think offering to be someone's surrogate would be acceptable to the council as a way to be pregnant without getting attached." "...what." "They'd probably accept that as a way to practice not getting attached, right?" "N...no, that's not... what?"

Anakin approaching Bail and Breha and being like “Do you... still want a kid? I would provide a kid. Do you want one here*?”

* in this dimension

Great way to give up the baby as a parent because he'd still be able to see them once in a while but also like... it's not HIS kid, technically. He can be a cool uncle who happened to give birth, which is distant enough to not be 'attached,' but close enough that his Tatooine-raised 'must ensure family is safe whenever possible' background doesn't flip out. It helps that 'Core World Royalty' is like... a top-tier family to be raised in.

(It would have to be post-war because he probably shouldn’t be risking his life while very pregnant. He needs to be reminded of that sometimes.)

Bail/Breha is an alpha/alpha relationship and while a pregnancy is still possible,* it’s a whole lot more difficult, and that's on top of Breha's canon medical issues that resulted in her heart and lungs getting replaced.

* AFAB alphas can get pregnant, and AMAB omegas can inseminate, but the success rate on that angle is much lower than the 'traditional' alpha/omega roles, as is any attempt at reproduction outside rut/heat. They're low-fertility overall for the non-dominant aspect of their reproductive system, which... ha, Anakin and Obi-Wan try to get explanations for why the senary system works the way it does, but it's a very longform history lesson that comes down to 'idk this got cemented so long ago that nobody really knows why anymore.'

AKA "why do you title these roles male omega and female alpha instead of intersex omega and intersex alpha since both parties have both genitals."

ANYWAY

Anakin: I want to make babies. But I don't want to get kicked out of the order. But I don't want to give up my own babies for adoption. But I can't keep my own babies if I want to stay a Jedi. So basically I want to have someone else's babies? Anakin: ...wait shit that's just surrogacy.

Anakin, calling up Obi-Wan: Hey are the Organas still struggling to have a kid? Obi-Wan: ...not really your business. Anakin: You're friends with Bail again though, right? Obi-Wan: I am, but-- Anakin: Do you think they'd want me to be a surrogate? Obi-Wan: What.

I can't decide if it's funnier for the Order to be like "I mean... technically there's no rules against this?" or if this is a precedent set by at least three omegas every generation because that's just how a/b/o manifested for omegas in a biological and cultural sense.

Bail: Wait, your former apprentice is... volunteering... to be our surrogate. Obi-Wan, exhausted: Yes. Bail: He barely knows us. Obi-Wan: He respects you and you're the closest people he knows that want a child and would be good parents. Bail: And he's just... volunteering? Obi-Wan: Yes. Also, you did say your primary worry was that a surrogate might be targeted for assassination and you couldn't ask someone to risk that, right? Anakin is very much able to avoid assassins, and would be staying primarily in the Temple anyway. Very safe, and not particularly scared of assassins in the first place. Bail: Your words say you approve, but your tone says otherwise. Obi-Wan: Anakin considers me his father. I'm not old enough to be a grandparent. Bail: Ah.

Anakin is a surrogate and enjoys it and everything is fine and then like a year later he's accidentally pregnant with his own and Rex's kid, and nobody knows how to ask if it's actually an accident.

A suggestion from @gelpenss:

OH MAN i.... have to drive home. But I just had a thought about like. I always want to poke at Betas in A/B/O like are they “normal” or different from our standard or.... but ANYWAY assuming they have a pheromonal thing I just think it would be neat if betas had the ability to be the Bucket of Cold Water. Like if caught early enough, and with the caveat it’s not permanent, a beta could arrest a rut or heat in its tracks until a more ideal time. Like. They aren’t birth control. But they are the remind me later button.

Okay done driving I am Returned to bring up why I brought up betas and it’s this: well okay 1. It plays nice with a popular but inaccurate dog breeding urban legend that female dogs will like, delay heat cycles? so that the bitches above them in pack hierarchy have first choice of mate selection. And I think in omegaverse it would be cool if that was a Bio Fact, and also historically enforced by the third designation. 2. It gives me an excuse to have betas have the Most Sensitive sense of smell because it’s their “job” to pick up on things before they go too far to be put on pause. 3. I’m just thinkin ‘bout a beta clone [...] just hovering around Obi-Wan because they found out how much stress his heat cycle causes and they’re like “okay cool I will help make sure it does Not”

I want to like a/b/o verses but betas niggle at me. I want to give them a hat and a Function that woulda helped before modern medicine.

I'm not sure how I feel about betas being able to delay heats, but I do like the idea of them having a more sensitive sense of pheromone smell than most. Most aliens assume it's omegas with the best sense of smell, and betas with the worst, but it's more complicated than that because they all specialize: Alphas are actually less attuned to pheromone smells, but more attuned to things that were useful back when humans were still a hunter-gatherer species. Omegas tend to be heightened towards danger smells like fire or aggression, and pheromones relating to children/care. Betas, as suggested above, are very sensitive to pheromone changes relating to mood and behavior of the community around them.

I like the idea that betas were historically the ones that ended up taking care children, unmated omegas, and so on during people's heats and ruts, because they kept their heads about themselves long enough to do things like cook and clean while someone was reeking of hormones. The checks and balances work out that betas may have lower fertility, but it makes them better able to support the network around them.

It works in with humanity's general collective history of thriving the most when working as a community.

Given that I decided that this is Jangobi, the clones might all subconsciously view Obi-Wan as Mom. Not intentionally, but, you know... Obi-Wan the not-evil stepmother. He doesn't know how he got into this situation, but he sure is here, and he sure as hell doesn't know how to get out.

Obi-Wan "I don't need to get pregnant, I have three million stepchildren" Kenobi

I definitely love "clones all want to make Obi-Wan's heats less stressful" but like in a different way from Whatever The Fuck Anakin's Got Going On.

Obi-Wan using the force to dull the pain in a Shiny's broken leg while the medic works on it and the Shiny just mumbles "Thanks mom" and everyone gets very embarrassed and pretends it didn't happen.

But then it happens again. And again.

Obi-Wan asks for an explanation from Cody and gets a halting response that, since Jango is technically their father, and his scent has been all over Obi-Wan recently... and Obi-Wan puts in a lot of effort to take care of them all.......

Anakin overhears the clones calling Obi-Wan "mom" and just. The most judgmental eyebrow raise.... Mostly in the sense of "You never let me call you dad" "Thought you said you weren't anyone's parent." "Hey, hey, Obi-Wan. What the fuck."

BOBA. BOBA ABSOLUTELY CALLS OBI-WAN MOM WHENEVER POSSIBLE. IT'S DEEPLY FRUSTRATING.

Obi-Wan eventually manages to admit that he's uncomfortable with it at minimum because of the gendering the word has for him, can they at least use the neutral 'buir' instead?

Word spreads like fire, takes like two days max for everyone to switch.

(Anakin demands cuddles as compensation for not getting to call Obi-Wan any true parental term for years.)