#you had so much more time on this earth to live

[kianamaiart]

"Pretty Pretty Please I Don't Want to be a Magical Girl" Bios!

NAME: Aika (she/her) AGE: 15 Main Protagonist CV: Anairis Quiñones

BIO:

Aika is an easily excitable and energetic girl. She's generally optimistic and very friendly. She's always eager to try new things as long as it's not her fulltime job of being a magical girl.

As soon as her magical girl duties are brought into the picture, her demeanor changes. She checks out, and often looks for the quickest solution to solve the issue. No flashy transformations and special moves here. She's good with a metal baseball bat or a rocket launcher.

All Aika wants is to live a normal life, make friends and go to school. Unfortunately, like every main protagonist, trouble manages to follow her wherever she goes.

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NAME: Zira (she/they) AGE: 16 Love Interest Best Friend CV: Bennett Abara

BIO:

Zira is everything Aika wants to be. Painfully average, under the radar and a self proclaimed loser.

She's a smart girl but has a hard time applying herself. Instead of paying attention in school, and doing extracurriculars, Zira would much rather be reading her favorite magical girl manga "Moon Sailor".

After Aika forces her friendship upon them, Zira now has to tag along on all of Aika's escapades and experiences new things. Ew. However, they admire Aika deeply and admire her even more after Aika's magical secret comes to light.

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NAME: Hoshi (any/they/them) AGE: unknown Magical Sidekick CV: Christine Marie Cabanos

BIO:

Hoshi is a magical star being sent to Earth to find the chosen one. They made a great choice with Aika, as she's amazing at her job. The only issue is she hates it and is often trying to dodge responsibilities (and Hoshi).

When Aika first started, and still had her heart in it, Hoshi was definitely more neurotic and acted as your typical mentor/magical sidekick. But over time, they gave up on trying to tell Aika what to do and also became a little more apathetic. Aika was getting the job done at least, so what's the problem?

Hoshi still has to make sure Aika doesn't completely give up on being the Star Guardian: Guardian of the Stars, which Aika finds annoying.

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NAME: Eclipse (he/him) AGE: 15 Minor Antagonist CV: Aleks Le

BIO:Eclipse is a flamboyant and theatrical individual whose showmanship is out of this world. He refers to himself as

"Eclipse: Servant of Darkness".

He was a D-list antagonist that Aika and her team would fight on occasion. Mostly just saving citizens from him being a nuisance. Eclipse has deluded himself into thinking that he's Aika's rival, main antagonist and love interest. Their love is simply forbidden as he's chosen the path of darkness and her, the light.

After Aika ran away, he managed to find her again. However this time he actually has powers??? Where did those come from? It's as if he's made a deal with darkness itself.

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NAME: Lady DeVoid (she/her) AGE: Old Main Antagonist/Big Bad CV: Shara Kirby

BIO: Lady DeVoid is darkness itself. She's a mysterious being with an incomprehensible amount of power. Power that is currently weakened and that she actually has no idea how to use. She can't seem to remember for some reason...

All she knows is that a long time ago she was defeated and banished by a Star Guardian and that she now wants revenge. The only power she has at her disposal is creating particles of darkness that she can use to possess animate or inanimate objects to create monsters. She prefers others do her dirty work.

She enlists the help of Eclipse to spread these particles with the hopes that it'll eventually destroy the Star Guardian.

___________________________________

NAME: Miss (she/her) AGE: 39 Side Character CV: Michele Knotz

BIO:

Miss is Aika and Zira's very tired teacher. Looking at her, you might assume she hates her job, but it's quite the opposite. She pours everything into her work and into her students, leaving very little time for her personal life.

She's recently started trying to get it together (after her ex-wife left her) but is still struggling to find that work-life balance.

Prior to Aika enrolling, Miss was Zira's only friend at school and, though she'd never admit it, Zira's probably the closest thing she has to a friend also (oof). She's subsequently become a secret Moon Sailor fan too.

[man-i-love-fanfiction]

To Share the Space with Simple Living Things - Hozier x Fem!Florist!Reader

Chapter One: Blue Hydrangeas- Gratitude

Summary: Your job as a florist has been the highlight of your day for years. It becomes even more exciting when a certain new customer becomes a regular.

Word Count: 2286

Author's Note: Hey guys! My first multi-chapter fic, i'm so excited!!! i don't have a strict posting schedule, but I won't go more than two weeks without an update. please bear with me here because I have no idea what it's like to be a florist. I hope you all enjoy!!

p.s. special shoutout again to @deprivedmusicaljunkie for beta reading, i can't thank you enough!

fic below the cut :)

You were a part of the small minority of people who actually loved their job.

The concept of this was strange to most people — strangers making small talk, men asking introductory questions on dates, even your own parents. Maybe because it wasn’t exactly a career; more so a job that someone has as a way to make rent while getting their degree, which is how you originally began to work at Earth's Laughter Florists. College had been years ago for you now, and yet you stayed behind the counter, making bouquets for customers with a genuine smile on your face. It got to the point that when the old owner decided it was time to retire, she chose you to take over. Of course, you immediately accepted; this job was the best part of your day. While all of your friends were going insane with their office jobs, you… admittedly still went insane from time to time, just in a much prettier workplace.

You had even taken it upon yourself to learn flower language: different types of flowers having different symbolic meanings. It was almost like extra credit. It gave you a new challenge of arranging flowers while keeping both color and symbolism in mind, and helped you create bouquets and arrangements with more meaning. This, in turn, gave your customers a new incentive to buy different flowers for different occasions based on what they meant. More business for you, more smiles on people's faces, and more money in your pocket. Everyone wins.

Another benefit of the job — your favorite part — was that it gave you small glimpses into the lives of other people. Flowers had a multiplicity of sorts. They were so versatile that people bought from you for almost every occasion. Weddings, funerals, birthdays, dance recitals, you name it. It made you more appreciative of others. Every day was a new insight into whatever your customers had going on. And today was no exception.

You arrived an hour before the store opened, as usual. You went into the back and threw on your apron, adjusting your name tag. Thoughts of everything you had to do before opening ran through your head, and you quickly began to busy yourself with everything from giving some flowers new vases of water to following up on an order for a wedding. Your two coworkers came in around a half an hour after your arrival, donning their aprons, saying their hellos, and also beginning their day. When the time finally came, you flipped around the sign hanging from the door, telling everyone outside you were open. You stood behind the counter and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

One of the only downsides of your job was that it required a lot of patience.

It's not like you were just staring at the clock, biding your time until a customer entered. You still had work to get done, mostly tying up loose ends from what you didn't finish before. Your coworkers were occupied with a tall order of arrangements, so they stuck to the back, with the occasional popping in to ask if you needed assistance. Politely, you declined.

Mundane was the word that kept repeating itself in your head as you did your odd jobs around the store. Not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, mundane meant nothing horrible was occurring (even though it meant nothing was occurring). Of course, mundane never does last long.

You had just finished creating an arrangement to put on display when your first customer of the day walked in.

The bell above the door rang, and you quickly walked back over to where you were supposed to be standing, not even bothering to see who had walked in until you were behind the counter.

The first thing you noticed was that he was taller than you had expected, with long brown curls that fell down to his shoulders. His outfit, a black turtleneck, a brown leather jacket, and black jeans, was the right mix of formal and casual; you could tell he had somewhere to be, but with people that wouldn't mind if he laughed a little too loudly.

To top it all off, he was handsome. You couldn't pull your gaze from him if you tried.

He walked forward, slowly looking around at all the flowers on display until his gaze locked onto you. He broke the silence between you.

“Hello. I need some flowers.”

You maintained your composure and brushed off your previous thoughts. You started your usual routine, asking him the same questions to get to know the situation (and him) better.

“What's the occasion?”

“It's my mum’s birthday.”

“Does she have a favorite flower?” You asked. He replied with no hesitation.

“She loves hydrangeas. Blue hydrangeas. She always has.”

His immediate answer brought a small smile to your face. You nodded intently and began to think of all the possible combinations of flowers that would work well.

“You're specific. I like that. That makes my job easier. Usually guys say something like ‘I don't know’ or ‘the purple ones’ or just ‘roses’. It's like some people don't even pay attention.”

“Well, that's all I know how to do.”

“A blessing and a curse, I imagine.”

“More of a blessing, believe it or not.”

“I have a similar blessing, though it seems to be laser-focused on plants of all things.” You joked. “Speaking of plants, let me start on your bouquet.”

You left your spot, walking over to the wall of flowers on display for you to pick from. You stopped and stood next to the man, fixated on the wall as you tried to decide what flowers would go well together, in meaning and in visuals. Mumbling, you thought out loud.

“Alright. For his mother. Blue hydrangeas… that's gratitude. What can go with that?”

The customer tilted his head in confusion, clearly having heard you.

“I don't mean to interrupt, but what's with blue hydrangeas and gratitude?” He asked. Your eyes widened, and you turned to face him as you started your explanation.

“Oh, it's flower language. I learned about it to help me make more symbolic bouquets. Back in the Victorian era, people would use bouquets of flowers to convey messages they couldn't say out loud. Most of the time it was a love confession, though you could also reject someone if you picked your flora wisely. Individual flowers have meanings, too. Blue hydrangeas, your mum's favorite, symbolize gratitude. There was even a change in the meaning based on which side the ribbon was on, or if they were given upside down, and…” You cut yourself off when you realized you’d been talking for much too long, your excited expression dropping. “I’m rambling about something you definitely don't care about. I’m sorry.”

He gave you a confused look, and a small laugh of disbelief escaped him.

“What? Don't apologize. That was fascinating. I don't know if I’ll ever see flowers the same way again. In a good way, of course”

The fact that he was actually invested in what you had to say pleasantly surprised you. People — not just customers, people you actually choose to surround yourself with — would often tune you out after the first two sentences.

You knew this man for two minutes and he was already raising your standards.

“Well then, I’m happy to give you a new perspective. I’ll get started on your arrangement.”

You stepped back to get a better look at the flowers lining the walls of the room. You already had a vague idea of what you wanted, you just needed to put it into action. Hydrangeas were grabbed first, and made the focal point of the bouquet immediately. Other flowers were picked up and put down, a trial-and-error of sorts until you found which ones truly matched.

Occasionally, you looked over your shoulder to find your customer still standing there, spectating you from a few feet away. He watched you with a certain gleam in his eye, one you would attribute to admiration if you didn't know any better.

Once your selections were made, you picked out a plastic sheet and took the flowers into the back, where there was a smaller room with a much larger table surface for a workspace. The wrapping was laid out, and meticulously, flowers were laid down. Rearranged. Shifted around. After a few small touches, everything was in the exact place you wanted it.

You finally finished up, wrapping the flowers in the silver plastic and tying it up with a blue ribbon. You went back behind the counter and held the bundle of flowers up, pointing at each one as you described the meaning of each specifically selected flower.

“There's the blue hydrangeas for gratitude, white roses for loyalty and beauty, and belladonna delphinium for protection and well-being. You're basically showering your mum with compliments with this thing.”

“It's gorgeous,” he replied, the look of astonishment from before lingering on his face.

“As nature tends to be.”

“I mean, you can't argue with that, but the way you’ve arranged them, it's… stunning. She’ll love it.”

His compliment surprised you; it wasn't too often you got such a compliment for a simple bouquet. It caused your heart to flutter in your chest in a way that definitely crossed the border of the employee-customer relationship you had going on. Frightening. Maybe if you kept acting unaffected, it would magically stop.

“Let me ring you up.”

There was no true cash register, and you instead relied on a pen, a yellow legal pad, and mental math for customers’ totals. It took a moment, but you calculated what he owed you.

“That'll be $54.”

He muttered in agreement, and you watched as he reached into his coat pocket. His hand stayed there, fiddling around. After a moment, he reached the opposite hand into the opposite pocket. He felt around for a second, pulling his hands out and placing them on his hips. His content expression was replaced by one that was much more panicked.

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit!”

Your brows furrowed in confusion.

“What’s the matter?”

“I…I forgot my wallet back at my house. Do you take any online payment?”

You shook your head.

“No, sorry. We're old school. That's alright though, I can put these to the side and you can run home and get your wallet.”

He let out a frustrated sigh in response, angry more at himself than anything else.

“That's the thing. I live thirty minutes from here and I’m meeting my mum in fifteen minutes, and I have specific instructions to be on time. I might just…”

He stopped his sentence, paused, and took a deep breath to calm himself.

“I’ll find something else. Thanks for all your help, though. You have a gift.”

You caught the sincerity behind his now bitter tone, and it made your heart ache. He turned to leave and took a few steps forward. You didn't process that you had said anything until his reaction.

“Wait.”

He immediately stopped in his tracks and turned around, and you realized your impulses led you to call out for him even though you had no plan whatsoever.

Biting at your lower lip, you thought of an idea. You genuinely wanted to help this man give his mother flowers… The fact you found him attractive was merely an added bonus. Besides, the pity you felt for him overrode that. Once the metaphorical light bulb lit above your head, you spoke again, leaning in closer and lowering your voice so only he could hear.

“Okay, I’m not supposed to do this, and this definitely isn't a good business practice, but I can tell you're not just doing this to steal flowers from me, so I’ll make an exception.”

He leaned in as well with a look of intrigue. You continued to explain.

“You can take the bouquet for now, and then within… I don't know, two days, you have to pay me back. I’d just need a name and phone number so I can contact you if you don't show up.”

You snatched one of your business cards from the display and flipped it over so the blank side faces upwards, leaving a pen in front of you so he could write. He picked up the ballpoint, seemingly scribbled for a moment, and then slid the card back over to you. Written in surprisingly beautiful handwriting, you read his name aloud.

“Andrew… Nice to meet you. I’m Y/N.”

“I know.”

This caught you off guard. For a second you wondered if maybe you did accidentally give a free bouquet to a shady guy.

“Excuse me?”

Andrew’s mouth went agape as he realized the connotation behind what he said, and he quickly muttered an explanation, flustered. “Oh my god! No. Not like that. You… your name tag.”

A sigh of relief escaped your lips, and you gave him a nod.

“Right. Forgot that was there for a second. Alright, take your bouquet. Happy birthday to your mother. And remember, two days.”

He gave you a gesture showing his gratitude, pressing his hands together.

“Thank you. So much. I don’t know how I’ll repay you.” He said, grabbing the bouquet.

“Hopefully with money in two days,” you joked.

He let out a laugh.

“Money would do the trick. I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon.”

You watched as he left, the smile of your face growing as you noticed his appreciation of the flowers you had arranged by the doorway. He paused for a moment before opening the door and leaving, and you caught him humming a tune you'd never heard before.

You hoped he would come back much sooner rather than later.

[azlovesem]

Why you wanna be that stupid? A poen is s fucking poem fuck poetry alone. Morons are into poetry those who cannot propetly comminicate connunicate using fuck ass lower life form metsphors like poetry to communicate what they could never put into plain understandsble undeniable words like i can. Wham i just killed every fuckn rspper dinger dongwrotervand poet wannabe writer on earth. My level of communication is so far beyond mere poetry its not evrn funny anymore Emma. Anyone uding such methods to take me on dhould firstvshsmpoo my fuckn crotch. Thats the level difference between my and every other fuvkn monkeys level. So fuck them is ehat im saying. Its ok i like Poetry too. But everyones words are falling way fuckn short agsinst my own. I did the exacts same thing as before and i never died and i never died on no fuckn corss thats a fuckn lie. They fuckn lie becsusecthey are scum Emma. Im the truth in motion a real live lliving God. They are nothing nobody on this earth. Ive proved that much st least. Youll know instantly i sm the truth and the light. They are a dhit faced drveated death cult. I am the face of God. I like music and poetry too. I like ballet high arts no one interprets them bettervthan the Arch of artists. Forget snyone else if you ever thought of yourself as a fellow artist of mine. Im coming to find you eventuslly but its better you come to me. You are not God. I fuckn Am. And i will but Zput Gabriel on that phone throwing moyher fuckers ass. Id like to see hom throw snything at God. Gabriel will tear his eyes out of his fuckn head. He is no fuckn Noah Emma or me not even fuckn close. Ill tske his head off with Ogo faster than uou can fuckn blink. But that is far better than if Gabrirl gets a hold of hos soul. I am him. There is no defence in the universe fkr three of us. So ill see you soon or people start flying off fuckn balconies and they sint got no fuckn wings like i do. This is honna be fun. Because toure wiyh ne no more svhleps or half wits to argue. The un does fuck all thats a waste of your tslents. Unless thosebpeopke fobehat i say they are fuckn fooned snyway. No one csn save them let alone you. If i cant cangevthem no ine can. So itll be time for them to go just like Gomorrah had its day with me. Doveill their town. Its over thete is no more fighting me. Its gonna be nice to know you. If uou bring younand your heart gor real we dont need any money. Ill dhow you miracle after miracle til yiure like. Who the fuck did i even kniw before. Nobody knows you. Not until i do first.

Turn me into a poem.

[davinawritings]

Hi, i found your blog and see you open request so I'll try my luck here. Please if you wouldn't mind writing an alien x human (f! Reader) with forced kiss/forced makeout (or literally just the alien tongue-fucking reader's mouth) it doesn't have to be smut or having sexual intercourse but if you want to add it that'll be up to you.

Thanks ✨

Hello! Thank you so much for the request ❤️ I hope you enjoy 💕🖤❤️

Warning: Forced makeout, cheating

Aliens made contact with Earth four years ago, and the two different species have made a vow of peace. Over the last few years, many aliens and humans have participated in an exchange program of sorts. The alien and human will exchange lives for six months, giving each species the opportunity to learn more about the other. Your boyfriend decided to sign up, and within a month, the arrangements had been made.

It has been just over 2 months since your boyfriend left Earth, and Eltath has come to live with you in your boyfriend’s place. You have come to really enjoy Eltath’s company. He was always kind and loved when you taught or showed him new things about the earth. He also happily answered any of your questions as well.

Today was like many others. You took him exploring around the city. Most of the days were spent just walking and talking with each other. You had decided on a quiet night in with some movies, something Eltath had come to enjoy very much in his time on earth.

You had previously stuck to history and nature documentaries, wanting to give Eltath all the knowledge you could, but you wanted to give you both a break from learning. After flipping through your options, you finally landed on a romantic comedy, one of your favorites.

You both watched in silence, with the occasional laugh, until the end, when the two main characters finally got together and shared a passionate kiss.

You could hear the innocent curiosity in Eltath’s voice when he asked, “What are they doing? They are pressing their mouths together”. The questions catch you off guard. You had not considered the fact that aliens may have alternative courting rituals and displays of affection. Your cheeks warm with slight embarrassment as you attempt to straighten your thoughts and provide him with an answer.

“Well, Eltath, they are kissing. On earth, it is a way to show someone you like them, a form of affection that humans show each other,” you replied, trying to give a more simple answer.

He nods before asking, “So when humans want to show another human they like them, then just press their mouths together? And all humans do that”.

You fiddle with your hands as you attempt to explain better, feeling slightly awkward with the conversation. “Not all humans kiss each other. It is only with others that you like and one may give different types of kisses. A small kiss on the cheek can signify love or care, while a kiss on the mouth signifies much deeper care and likeness for someone. Then with the people you really like, you may have a deeper kiss using tongues”.

Within seconds, he has moved next to you on your couch and has your face cradled in his large hands. You open your mouth to question him, but before you get a single word out, his long tongue enters your mouth. His tongue is much longer and thicker than a human’s, and he uses it to explore the entirety of your mouth.

You whimper and try to get his attention by pushing on his body, but he just keeps you held firmly in place. You work on breathing through your nose as Eltath seems to have no intentions of pulling out to let you breathe.

Tears spring to your eyes as he moves further back, using the tip of his tongue to start exploring your throat. He pushes forward and pulls it back rapidly, essentially fucking your mouth with his large tongue. You whimper helplessly, knowing this is wrong. You have a boyfriend, and yet here you are getting tongue fucked by an alien. And worse, you can’t help but get turned on by his actions, feeling your pussy start to get wet from him using your mouth.

Suddenly, Eltath pulls away, and you gasp for breath. You stay still as you watch him smile and say, “I like you very much, so that is how we will show each other from now on. Good night. I will see you in the morning for breakfast, and perhaps I will show you how we show our affection on my planet,” he says before walking to the guest bedroom.

As you lay in bed trying to sleep hours later, you wonder how you will explain to him that it is only your boyfriend who should be kissing you like that, though kisses with your boyfriend had never felt so intense or gotten you wet as Eltath did. Eltath also said he would show you how his kind shows affection. You don’t want to confuse him even more on human affection before he can show you alien affection. It just makes sense to wait for now. Right?

🖤💕❤️❤️💕🖤

[rosenotactuallyquartz]

three gems & a baby

there’s this line that pearl says in three gems and a baby, a flashback that takes place less than a year after rose’s death.

greg: i never glowed when i was a kid.

pearl: we never… were kids.

this line may not seem like it would have more meaning. it’s sad on it’s own, and at the time that this episode is released, rose’s past as pink diamond also hasn’t been revealed yet.

eventually, everyone discovers pearl knew her "a few thousand years" before her colony. steven then returns to homeworld, where pink’s old room has childish coloured drawings of the other diamonds with hostile expressions. we hear white's remarks about pink & see the dark room she’d be locked in.

in change your mind, white scolds who she thinks is pink for "acting like a child." yet, pink was very much a child in a mental way, in a gem way. she was naive, playful, childish. her beliefs also conflicted with the beliefs that her abusers had. she cared for all life, including those deemed inferior, & she was recognized by the pebbles as the one gem who would say thank you. she was still learning a lot about everything, including her skills & passions & powers. the environment she knew since the beginning of her life lacked affection and care. the abuse prevented her from safely exploring & expressing who she was… and that’s besides the fact that gems in general were literally never able to be kids.

those were rose’s early years. the life she knew from the moment she first opened her eyes.

once they start their new lives on earth, rose is naturally fascinated by humans. she’s particularly in awe of the “power” growing up, & inventing who you are. having a childhood.

as a gem, this side of rose would likely be quite perplexing to pearl. rose’s death is sudden and she struggles to grasp why rose chose to have a child at the cost of her life. there are many reasons behind it (some that she refuses to even think about) but she comes to terms with one of the reasons in this episode.

we never were kids.

on earth, pearl + rose have seen colouring books & playgrounds. kids get to act like kids when they mentally are. they grow up and invent who they are on earth, which happens to be rose’s first safe environment that she could only call home long after the trauma she faced on homeworld.

in the early months, pearl alternates between many stages of grief. she knew that rose wouldn’t survive the pregnancy, confirmed by her memory in a single pale rose. sometimes pearl is in denial or she’s angry or bargaining (we see so many stages in this episode alone) but sadness appears to be her main feeling. it’s likely that pearl’s often reflecting on rose’s life. was she happy? how did she feel during this century? did she get enough love? did she have enough good memories?

of course, pearl saying “we never were kids” could very easily be about herself. since the beginning of her life, she was deeply traumatized by homeworld, too.

but pearl tends to put others first. she always prioritized the person she loved, she thought about rose before considering herself. this would be exacerbated by the recent death of rose, too.

aside from that, pearl's love for rose is deeply empathetic, involving caring for & sympathizing with aspects of rose she feels ashamed of.

“she wanted this so much. i just... don't... understand... why! everything should grow, and everything should change, and isn't it so great how it comes so naturally to humans? well, it's not natural for us!”

pearl says this line earlier in the episode, but after she says “we never were kids,” something shifts. the episode ends with everyone, including pearl, looking at steven with hopeful expressions.

she loves rose. she loves her so, so much & she’s struggling to come to terms with the fact that she will never see her again. over the next few thousands of years, she must be so afraid of forgetting the sound of her voice, her laughter.

she barely knows or understands steven, yet she already feels a natural protectiveness toward him. her feelings are complicated, but one thing is clear now: she wants to fulfill rose’s wish. after protecting & caring for rose & wanting to repair the damage caused by her abusers, she now holds that child and knows she’ll be close to him, keep him safe, ensure he never feels as rose did in her early years. he will have the childhood that rose never had, and she’ll be part of it. she wants to be. even if she’s not perfect and even if she doesn’t know much about humans yet.

“pearl is smart, and she always wants to protect me from danger!” — steven, steven the sword fighter

“all that matters is that steven is happy.” — pearl, gem glow

[smilingformoney]

Rickmas Day 1: December Moon

Character: Elliott Marston (Quigley Down Under) Relationships: Elliott/Mary (OC) Warnings: None

Based on In Another Life

Read on Ao3 or below:

Mary had always loved Christmas, and although living in the Outback with Elliott was far different from London, the spirit of Christmas was still the same. She had thought long and hard about what to get her husband for their first Christmas together - her first thought had been to make him something, but she always made clothes for him, and she wanted to do something a little different for Christmas. So instead, during a trip into Perth, she excused herself from him to go shopping for a gift, one which she had to hide in a crate of fabrics she’d bought in order to avoid his finding it too early.

Knowing his love for the American West, she bought him a book on American ranching. She didn’t quite understand his fascination with American culture, but she knew he’d be delighted to learn more about how to emulate their culture.

He was indeed overjoyed to open the book on Christmas Day, so much so that he began reading it that very same day. On Boxing Day, Elliott disappeared after dinner, and when Mary went looking for him, she found him behind the house, fiddling with a rope.

“What on earth are you doing out here, El? It’s freezing!”

He looked up at her and smiled.

“I’m tying a lasso,” he explained holding up the rope, which he’d tied around in on itself.

“And am I supposed to know what that is?”

“I read about it in the book you bought me. Americans use it to capture cattle.”

“Ah, of course.” Mary smiled. She knew it wouldn’t be long before he found something in that book he wanted to emulate. “How does it work?”

Elliott explained it to her, showing her how the loop would tighten to hold its target. Mary didn’t quite understand how it was any better than his current methods of controlling his cattle, but she wasn’t about to question his work, just as he never questioned hers.

He tried to demonstrate it to her, but although he managed to land the loop over the haybale he was using as target practice, as soon as he tried to tighten the hold, the knot he’d tied fell apart.

Mary giggled. “Well, you’re halfway there, darling.”

“Quiet, you,” Elliott said warningly with a cheeky wink. “We don’t want my men thinking I’m no good at this, do we?”

He began pulling the rope back towards him.

“Ah, so that’s why you’re practising by moonlight! You do realise, of course, it’d be a lot easier in sunlight?”

“Perhaps. But where’s the fun in that?”

He looped the rope around again and began tying another knot, firmer this time, and Mary knew he’d not give up until he had it perfected.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it, darling. Don’t stay up too late, will you?”

“Of course not. I’ll be there to keep you warm, don’t you worry.”

Mary smiled, kissed her husband on the cheek, and went back inside, wondering if she ought to have a look at the book herself if there were any details of the American rancher’s fashion, so she might create something for Elliott to make him look the part he admired so much.

Elliott spent days working on his lasso technique. Every evening after dinner, when the sun had gone down, his men had finished their work, and Mary was either working on her tailoring or keeping her diary up to date, Elliott would go around the back and practise with his lasso.

On New Year’s Eve, everyone at the station gathered together to ring in the New Year. Mary mostly stayed by Elliott’s side, but when she became distracted playing a game with Tommy, she realised a little before midnight that she’d lost Elliott.

Not wanting to miss out on a midnight kiss with her husband, Mary went looking amongst the men for Elliott. Kelly pointed her to the barn, but he wasn’t there; O’Flynn suggested he might be in the cellar, where he kept his whisky, but he wasn’t there either. The gathered crowd began counting down to midnight, and Mary stepped glumly down from the porch, disappointed that she couldn’t find Elliott.

As the countdown reached twenty, Mary suddenly saw a length of rope cross her vision, and she found herself pulled aside by the waist; before she could fully comprehend what was happening, she was spinning into Elliott’s arms. He caught her, laughing as she found her footing.

“Well, hello there, little lady,” he said teasingly. “Seems I caught the prettiest girl in all Australia.”

Mary saw the rope in his hands, and realised what had happened - he’d caught her in his lasso.

“It seems you have,” she giggled. “I thought you wanted to lasso cattle, not women?”

“It’s multipurpose. Now, would you entrust your husband with a kiss to start the new year?”

“Of course I will!” Mary agreed enthusiastically. She leant up on her tiptoes, and as the gathered crowd cheered in the new year, Mary’s lips met Elliott’s, and 1865 begun as they intended it to go on - her, in his arms, safe and protected from harm.

[itsa-me-lily]

Here is the Master Playlist for MPS AU

Here is Simon & Thimble playlist

Note;

This takes place early on in your marriage to Simon. So way before Baker or anything. Also I actually googled something about COD for this, look at my growth

Content warning;

Mom feelings, just a lot of mom feelings, crying, poor humor from Simon right out the gate

Some days it'd be nice if terrorists could actually be useful and be a great reason to get out of meeting the in-laws. Just a small attack somewhere, an empty building being blown up, no one had to get hurt. And given the colorful threat you had told Simon, the terrorists might have been nicer. At least they wouldn't have him vacuuming the same damn rug for the third time. Though given how you had spent the last hour and a half simultaneously power cleaning and winding yourself up for a possible heart attack, it wasn't like you were just lounging around eat bonbons.

Simon could almost understand the anxiety. He had never had to worry about it before, but he could recall a frazzled phone call with Tommy the first time he was going to meet Beth's parents. That he had been worried about being deemed not good enough. Simon at least knew that deep down he wasn't really good enough for you. Too much blood and violence in him. But as long as you were around he'd at least pretend to be alright. And if being alright meant over vacuuming an area rug well, he was trying to be a good husband.

Being a good husband probably meant he wasn't suppose to find it a little entertaining how you froze and looked at your phone like it was a live bomb. But after having to deal with actual live bombs, the way your eyes got big at the ringing electronic rectangle was a little silly. He watched as you answered the phone with all the seriousness of a man going to the gallows, fingers tapping against the kitchen table like you needed to channel your energy elsewhere. You didn't say a whole lot, and after you hung up you looked at Simon as if the end of the world was coming.

"She's here a half hour early."

Oh. Yeah that would probably explain the expression on your face. You had lost thirty minutes of compulsive cleaning of your tiny home that was already pretty damn clean. And as if to harken the end of times the dryer unit that had been crammed into a utility closet loudly declared itself done, the towels you had deemed needed a wash now dry and fluffy.

You looked...stuck. As if you were trying to pull yourself in two opposite directions and the force of it meant you weren't moving anywhere. Simon recalled that you had explained it once, when he had caught you staring at five different projects one evening. That having so many choices stunned you because you couldn't decide what to do first. Seemed like you were stuck between your mother and some towels. Truly a rock and a hard place. But again, Simon was at least attempting to be a good husband. He'd deal with the hard place.

"Go get your mum. I'll handle the towels."

He watched as you nodded, the deep inhale you took becoming a deeper sigh as you seemed to finally deflate a little, coming back into yourself more.

"Right. Thanks uh...you can-"

"I'll hang out some new ones in the washroom and fold the rest. Get going so she isn't stuck at the gate for longer."

With that it seemed that you were finally free to actually head out the front door. Honestly it was one woman. How bad could it be?

Those were famous last words. He had finished up the towels and had been setting the kettle on the stove when you had returned with your mother. Simon could see the family resemblance. It wasn't in the body build, your mother was taller and a little slimmer, but you both had the same arch to your eyebrows, the same round cheeks, and the same personality. It only took one look at Simon for it to start.

"What's with the face mask?"

Oh god. Fuck, if the earth could split in two and swallow you it would have been a god send. Yes you could recognize that maybe explaining the situation, you know the whole you were now married thing, before she had decided to come visit you would have for the best. But that would have meant having an entire conversation with your mother about why you had even signed up for the stupid program in the first place, why you didn't think it was going to amount to anything anyways, and why you went through with it. Which honestly you could answer the first two parts of that, you could. It was the last part that kind of left you spinning your wheels, and you didn't really care to explore it on a deeper level.

So here you were, in your front hall/kitchen/living room area with your mother questioning your technically husband, about why he was wearing a face mask that covered half his face. This was fine. Before Simon could respond you were stepping in, really unsure what was going to come out of Simon's mouth.

"Mom this is Simon. He um-He's not feeling a hundred percent and he didn't want to get you sick."

You could lie better than that. You knew you could lie better than that. You knew your mother knew you could lie better than that. Thankfully Simon didn't throw you under the bus and instead went with it, clearing his throat and responding in what you think was him trying for a sick voice.

"Would hate for ya to catch what I got ma'am."

You could tell your mom didn't believe any of it, but she didn't argue with it. Instead she let you show her around the house, humming in approval of how tidy it was. You were happy to note that Simon had chose to hang up the nicer towels in the wash. An hour and a half of anxiety cleaning paid off. It wasn't until you were showing her the bedroom that you mom closed the door behind her, turning to fix you with the stare, arms crossed over her chest and everything.

"Alright cut the bullshit. What is going on here?"

Oh the jig was up. You both knew it, but just like the time when you were ten and you had decided to give yourself a truly terrible haircut, you tried to pretend that nothing was wrong.

"Mom, I don't know what you're-"

"Since when are you Mrs. Riley?"

Fuuuuuck. Busted by the gate guards and they didn't even know it. Clearing your throat you tried so hard not to scratch the back of your neck or fiddle with your hair, or do any of the other tells your mother had watched you develop. It was hard, so was trying to think of another lie to get yourself out of the situation. You would have made a terrible spy.

"So...I kind of got married?"

"What?"

What were you supposed to do when you were faced with the mom stare. It was practically patented to make you spill your guts. And so it all came stumbling out. How your college best friend had told you about this matchmaking program she wanted to try but was too nervous too. How you decided you'd sign up with her for moral support because honestly you didn't expect to be anyone's cup of tea, it'd be something to laugh over later. And then how apparently you were someone's cup. You chalked up agreeing to benefits, and weren't going to touch any other reasons.

By the time you were done you had seated yourself at the end of the bed, hands motioning into the air like it would further explain yourself. It did not if you were to judge by the unimpressed look on your mother's face.

"I swear to god I raised you with more common sense than this."

"Mom-"

"If Dovey were to throw herself off a bridge would you?"

"That's not fair-"

"Isn't it? Why would you sign up for this just because she doesn't have-"

"Don't fucking even Mom."

You didn't mean to curse at your mother, you really didn't but there were things you weren't okay with your mom just simply assuming. Dovey was one of them.

"You've met her parents mom, they are that bad. She's my best friend and she was there when I got diagnosed, so yeah I'm going to be there for her in this stupid idea."

It seemed your mother hadn't expected you to curse or be as passionate as you were. She looked a little shocked, then a little hurt before she sighed, shoulders slumping a little as she came to sit next to you. You lowered yourself back to the bed, unaware that you had even stood up to shout at her.

You both sat there in silence for a moment, as if trying to find the right word to say. Sure the two of you had your spats over the years, but it was always just the two of you, and eventually you always found a way back to center with each other. It was just a stumbling process sometimes. You were both awkward like that.

"I know Dovey is important to you-"

"Mom-"

"But, you're my baby, and you're important to me. And this idea of you marrying a stranger? Honey that's terrifying. Especially since you didn't even tell me you were doing this."

She was right, and you knew she was right. You had tried to talk Dovey out of it before, with a laundry list of ways it could all go wrong. Hell it could still go terribly wrong for you, you had only known Simon for a few months. You felt your eyes burn a little, a wave of sudden guilt washing over you for scaring your mom.

"I know...and I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just...I don't know what I'm doing...And I don't want to bother you with my stuff..."

"Baby. I signed up for a lifetime of being bothered by your stuff the second I knew I was having you."

You loved your mom so much, and a part of you had been terrified that she'd be disappointed in what you had done with your life. That she'd realize she had done the whole single mother thing for a waste.

You couldn't help the sniffle, you really couldn't. Thankfully your mother didn't say anything, instead pulling you into a hug where you could wrap your arms around her and just hold on. The two of you sat like that for a while, both of you ignoring sniffles and some stray tears. It was so nice to be held like this again. Like nothing bad could get you because you were with your mom. After a while though she pulled back, wiping at her face while you did the same with your own.

"He doesn't hurt you or anything right?"

It took you a moment to figure out who she was talking about.

"Simon? No, no he doesn't."

"And he doesn't force you to.."

Explaining your lack of sex life to your mother was probably about as awkward as your mother trying to give you the sex talk when you were twelve but you did manage to get through it. At least your mom seemed to approve of the separate bed.

"And you're sure he's not a serial killer with the whole..."

She motioned to her face, indicating Simon's face mask thing. The idea made you laugh. Not because you didn't think Simon was a serial killer, jury was still out on that one. But because the two of you had pretty much had the same train of thought.

"Pretty sure he's not. At least I don't think so."

"Well call me if you find a body in the freezer."

"We'd need a freezer big enough first."

Your mom made a face at that, and you both chuckled. The house was tiny, but so far it was shaping up to be an okay home. With a soft look on her face she brushed her thumb against your cheek.

"But really, don't hesitate to call me if something happens okay? I love you."

You felt your chest hurt with how much love you felt in that moment, throat getting choked up all over again.

"I love you too Mom."

Simon stood outside the bedroom door, not meaning to eavesdrop but well...the house was only so big. Plus when he heard you shout it had made some part of his brain light up with the urge to check if you were alright. From the sounds of it, you were at least. So for now he'd let you two have your moment.

He could wait to ask what kind of tea your mum wanted.

Edit;

I love my mom so much, so yes writing this did make me cry a little. Also in my head Thimble's mom has been dubbed Mama Pincushion.

[overlyobsessed223]

second chances

another halbarry ficlet. spoilers for kevin smith's GA bc this story takes place directly after his run. can maybe be read as platonic. featuring spectre hal and afterlife barry, enjoy :)

---

Heaven has never been a particularly loud place. The sprawling hills that seem to stretch on endlessly provide each resident more than enough space to comfortably exist, and even then, the blissful peace that comes with complete and utter contentment lends to a lack of a need to converse or even speak in and of itself. Save for the whoops and laughter of the young boy wonder who inconspicuously showed up at the pearly gates only a few years after him, Barry has always known the afterlife to be nothing less than tranquil.

And yet, as he runs his thumb along the shaft of one of the arrows that have, as of recently, been left abandoned in the luscious green grass, he can’t help but think Heaven seems the quietest it’s ever been. 

Too quiet, even, perhaps. 

Seeing someone enter through the gates of this place only to return back to the land of the living has been far from unheard of. Barry remembers his bittersweet reunion with Clark some time ago, only for Clark’s soul to be pulled back to his body a short time after. But he has to admit, Oliver’s revival, in particular, has him slightly… surprised, due to the way Ollie had adamantly and consistently refused the second chance Hal so desperately wanted to give him.

Speaking of Hal, Barry senses his presence before he sees him. Well, mostly he senses the Spectre’s wild, angry, vengeful spirit, but he can perceive Hal, too, the loving, sentimental, willful man he’s always been veiled just beneath the powerful force of the wraith he’s bound to. There’s also sadness and guilt—so, so much guilt that it seems to physically weigh on his shoulders and in his eyes, and each time Barry sees him he’s harshly reminded that Hal has not yet earned his place in paradise. 

“So, he’s really gone fully back?” Barry asks, continuing to study the arrow in his hand.

“Yes,” Hal’s voice answers from somewhere behind him. “For now, at least.”

Barry hums and nods. He swallows hard, feeling a prick of bittersweet grief in his chest. Zooming around the valley and scooping up all of the arrows scattered in the grass, he places them back into the quiver and leans it up against the target next to the bow. 

“I kinda thought you’d seem… I dunno. Happier?” Hal comments after a moment. “Now that he’s gone. You two always did butt heads.”

“Yeah, we did,” Barry lets out an amused breath of laughter. A lifetime of heated arguments and cutting words flashes through his mind, and he remembers them fondly.

Oliver’s quick wit and snappy remarks did not die with him, but Barry was met with a very different Oliver Queen standing at the gates of the afterlife, one who he at first almost didn’t recognize. Ollie carried a certain kind of weariness, hollowed to the core by a life of mistakes and insecurities and internal struggles. His eyes had welled up with tears, actual tears when he saw Barry. He’d yanked him into a long, tight hug, and Barry for not the first time had wondered what exactly became of the world after the crisis and why it seemed to leave all of his friends shells of who they once were.

“It was nice having him around,” Barry says. He runs his hand down the edge of the red and white target, reminiscing as he’s so prone to do nowadays. “He mellowed out in his old age. I liked his company.”

He pauses, glancing at the empty valley he and Oliver used to spend hours playing in together.

“But,” he adds, “I’m glad he’s embraced the second chance he’s been given on Earth. If not for him, then at least for the people who loved him.”

“I wanted to bring you back, too.”

Barry stops. He turns around to look at Hal for the first time since he showed up and can just barely catch a glimpse of a too-pale face and dark eyes under a large, shadowy hood. 

“I tried,” Hal’s eyes lower fractionally, like he can’t bear to meet Barry’s gaze. “But you—it’s been so long since your—there just wasn’t anything left of you to put back together.”

As he speaks, his words are heavy with shame. Whether that’s due to his failure to bring Barry back to life or that he tried to do it at all, Barry isn't sure. 

“Well, that’s okay,” Barry says, and he offers Hal a genuine smile to show him that he means it, really and truly. “My time in the sun is long over, Hal. From what I’ve heard, Wally’s filled my boots just fine as the Flash.”

“It wasn’t the Flash I was trying to bring back,” Hal’s eyes lift to look at him head-on. The light of Heaven’s eternal day hits his face more, illuminating his tightened jaw. “It was Barry Allen.”

“Hal…” Barry sighs. He reaches to pull back his cowl and runs a hand through his hair. 

“There’re people who love you, too,” Hal says, his voice slightly wavering. “People who would do… anything. Anything to have you back with them.”

Hal pushes back the hood on his head, letting it pool around his neck and shoulders, and Barry can see his entire face, from the deep frown tugging at his eyebrows and lips to the despair glimmering in his eyes. The years of compounded grief that, even in death, has left him looking aged and worn. Barry’s heart begins to ache. 

“I know,” Barry says softly. 

Because even before he died, Barry never doubted that Hal loved him. There was a special, unspoken connection between them, and in his final moments, one of Barry’s biggest regrets was leaving it unspoken. Now, though, Barry’s realized that maybe it wasn’t as unspoken as he’d thought. 

Their individual paths of life split off from one another long ago, with Barry’s cut short and Hal’s a dark, winding road of pain and suffering. But in death, here they are, together. Although it isn’t like it used to be, and it’s far from a second chance for both of them in the way they'd like it to be, it’s still something to cherish and make the most of. 

“Hey,” Barry moves to stand at Hal’s side, bumping their shoulders, “you don’t need to go back to work right away, do you?”

“No,” Hal tilts his head, that unruly chunk of hair becoming dislodged. Barry doesn’t bother to hold himself back from reaching to push it back into place. “Why?”

“Because we should race,” Barry gestures to the wide, open valley. “Like old times.”

Hal blinks. Then, he breaks out into a grin that’s rare nowadays. In a flash of green light, Hal is wearing his Green Lantern uniform, ring pulsating on his fist as he levitates from the ground. 

“Alright, Barry,” Hal says, and his voice has already brightened significantly. “Let’s race.”

Barry pulls his cowl back onto his face, dips into a running position, and waits for Hal’s starting gun construct to go off. 

Things aren’t the same. They’re on borrowed time before Hal has to go back to his work as the Spectre. Barry will have to remain here, and it could be minutes or eternities before they find themselves together again. 

So all they can do now is make every last second count. 

[queenjunothegreat]

Like I said earlier, I'm going through my Alexander Hamilton phase right now, so I'm gonna be dumping fics on you guys at least a couple more times today! I only have one more planned for Valgrace tho. Anywho, feast my little ducklings!

Ao3 Anniversary Collection Day Eight: Pillow Talk

TW for mildly suggestive sexual content

“I wore you out?” Leo scoffed. “I still can’t feel my legs. I’m beginning to think that you don’t know what uno más actually means.” Jason felt his smile turn a bit wolfish, and he nipped the underside of Leo’s jaw. “You’re pretty when you look like that.” Jason could practically hear his eye roll. “You always say that.” “Well, you always look really pretty.” Leo hummed happily and pressed a kiss to Jason’s hairline. In response, Jason made a rumbling sound from the depths of his chest and pressed in just a bit closer. They laid like that for so long that Jason lost track of the time. It could have been a thousand lifetimes, it could have been only a few seconds. All he knew was the warmth of Leo’s skin pressed against his, the still, humid air of their bedroom, and the quiet sounds of contentment that came from them both. *** A moment between two men who love each other more than life itself. Ao3 Anniversary Collection Day Eight: Pillow Talk

Jason heaved a deep sigh as he face planted into the pillow, much to Leo’s obvious amusement. He felt warm, clever fingers twist into his hair while Leo’s soft chuckles danced in his ears and he made no effort to stop the full-body shiver that raced down his spine. 

“Tired?” Leo crooned in his ear, tone half-mocking and dripping with affection. 

Jason just nodded and let even more of his body weight press Leo down into their mattress. “You wore me out,” he accused. 

“I wore you out?” Leo scoffed. “I still can’t feel my legs. I’m beginning to think that you don’t know what uno más actually means.”

Jason felt his smile turn a bit wolfish, and he nipped the underside of Leo’s jaw. “You’re pretty when you look like that.”

Jason could practically hear his eye roll. “You always say that.”

“Well, you always look really pretty.”

Leo hummed happily and pressed a kiss to Jason’s hairline. In response, Jason made a rumbling sound from the depths of his chest and pressed in just a bit closer. They laid like that for so long that Jason lost track of the time. It could have been a thousand lifetimes, it could have been only a few seconds. All he knew was the warmth of Leo’s skin pressed against his, the still, humid air of their bedroom, and the quiet sounds of contentment that came from them both. 

Sometimes, in moments just like this, Jason thought that maybe it was all worth it. Every bit of pain and suffering they’d endured, every choked out sob and terrified plea to a power higher than the gods of Olympus. Every noble deed and heroic sacrifice. Every moment they’d spent apart where they thought that the clawing pit of despondency and grief in their chests would swallow them whole. Every last one of them had led to this moment right here. Had led to Jason finally having the privilege of holding Leo in his arms and the honor of pressing gentle kisses and bruising bites to his shoulders and collarbones. Had led to him getting to wake up every morning next to the man he loved more than his next breath and know that he'd fall asleep to the sight of Leo’s smile, all crooked teeth and scrunched up nose. 

He thought that maybe this was what he was put on this earth to do. He was meant to learn and grow and suffer all so that he’d get to love Leo with every atom of his being. In another universe, maybe that wasn’t his job. Maybe some other Jason out there lived a charmed life where his greatest struggle was running late to a meeting because he couldn’t find matching socks. Maybe that Jason had someone else he loved. Someone whose life had been just as kind as Leo’s was cruel. Maybe Jason and that other person were happy together and couldn’t imagine life without one another. 

But that wasn’t his life. He’d choose Leo over that any day. He’d choose pain and suffering and heartache a thousand times over, if it meant he got even a moment to bask in Leo’s warmth and light. 

Then, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Leo’s hums turning into snores and Jason whipped his head up to see that Leo’s face had gone completely slack, his eyelashes fanned over his cheeks and his lips parted in a tiny little ‘o.’ His fingers were still tangled in Jason’s hair, and he was clutching Jason to his chest like a child with their favorite stuffed toy.

Jason felt his features go soft and fond and he tilted his head just enough to press a gentle kiss to Leo’s cheek without disrupting Leo’s hold on him. “I love you,” Jason whispered into Leo’s ear before he fully relaxed, allowing his body to go boneless. 

Then he closed his eyes, and fell asleep. 

[aikoiya]

Nonono, it's fine! The issue is less about it making contradictions in the canon timeline & more so that I'd kinda already made my own backstories for the trio & that them having been primordial manifestations (as is implied by EoW) would contradict that.

Like, I've sort of rebuilt Hyrule's pantheon to more so showcase that it's an actual pantheon that actively interacts with each other. And, in doing so, I've kind of injected some Greek & Shinto elements into it. And in those religions, you get a lot more interplay between both the gods & mankind, as well as between the gods themselves.

Like how, in my interpretation, Din is only the red goddess' nickname, her full name is Geladïna & she was the Goddess of the Sand, known to the Gerudo as Vàh Gela (btw, I've been using vah from BotW as a Gerudo title for a goddess), before she was Din the Golden Goddess of Power. And that she created the Gerudo by accident in her garden. Thereby making her the single most important deity in the Gerudo pantheon.

The reason that Din being one of the ones who literally created everything, conflicts with this is because, in my version of events, my Din has a father, mother, & multiple bothers & sisters. Her father even being one of the oldest Immortals on earth & even he hadn't been there at the creation of all things.

She would later go on to marry a different Gerudo deity by the name of Jawàrik, then have a single child withy him by the name of Gàlondo.

The Gerudo would grow & eventually become a kingdom, then an empire in their own right. And the rulers of said kingdom would be hit & miss as leaders. Many being wonderful, some so-so, & others being horrible. (Bytheby, I have it so that the whole only one man thing is the result of a curse that they get much, much later, so at this point, the population is fairly evenly divided between males & females.) Then, during a decently long stretch of time when there was a number of successive bad rulers where the Gerudo were suddenly growing into a very conquer-y sort, there would come an old, weathered man bent with age. He would hobble into the opulent palace of the Gerudo king of the time & he would place a curse not only upon the king, but also the Gerudo's ancestral home. One that was essentially him condemning it to eternal conflict & war. It was, in many ways, a bitter & hateful way of showing them that war is awful as the old man had been just one of the many who had been irrevocably affected by their greed & endless pursuit of power.

And, just as he wished it, the once prosperous kingdom became the subject of constant conflict, which caused them to slowly be reduced until they were left as little more than nomads & vagabonds searching for a new home. Jawàrik was the Gerudo god of war & responsibility, so because his charges were now in eternal war, so too was he in eternal conflict with the war gods of the kingdoms surrounding the Gerudo homeland of Jïasïd. This caused him to become preoccupied & overworked to the point where, despite still deeply loving each other & wishing to make it work, he & Geladïna felt there was no other choice than to divorce before one of them committed an act of unfaithfulness. This caused a lot of stress within the young deity known as Gàlondo.

Now, this all took place long before Demise came into existence, but it was also not too terribly long after the creation of Hyrule.

Eventually, Gàlondo grew into an adolescent & it was learned that one of his domains happened to be war. As a result, he was taken to be raised with his father at his own insistence. However, because his father was always stressed & tired (because, at this point, his war domain was no longer just one aspect of his life, but a cage), it resulted in him not being able to keep as much of an eye on his boy as he liked.

However, he did see that as he grew, his son was changing over time &, in Jawàrik's concern for his son, he would ask if he wished to return to live with his mother. But every time he did, Gàlondo would insist that he wished to remain. So, he did.

Eventually, Gàlondo grew into a man & the greatest honor was bestowed upon him by his mother & surrogate aunts. He was named the patron deity of the Golden Land & the custodian of the Triforce. It was a true honor & he accepted the position with pride.

... But as time passed, the centuries of trauma that he experienced at all he'd seen living in a state of constant war & his inability to adjust to a world where such conflict was minimal, & the utter euphoria of having been given such control where he had none before... It began to change him in the worst ways possible. He became, in many ways, not dissimilar to Zeus in Greek myth & he was always in a continual pursuit of more power, more dominance, just... more.

Eventually, it was not enough to be the king of the gods of the Golden Land or the custodian of the vaunted Triforce. So, one day, he returned to the Divine Oasis in Jïasïd (where the Gerudo pantheon dwelled) & stole a fruit from the Mother Tree of Life (different from the Tree of Life in SS in that the Mother Tree's fruit is more than just a cure-all). For to consume the fruit was to become 10 fold on the outside what you were on the inside & those mortals who reached enlightenment were invited to partake of the fruit. Doing so, they would then live out the rest of their lives & when they'd die, they would be transformed & become Immortals as well.

And Gàlondo thought, "Surely. Surely, one so great & powerful as I will be made even more so by this" & he ate it...

And with each bite, he himself became consumed. For the sweet flesh of the fruit became more & more bitter.

And as he ate, his body mutated into a monstrosity. The healthy bronze of his skin paled unto something sickly & his golden ichor (blood of a god) became a blighted black that pumped thickly through his veins like tar. His fiery mane, once almost gold, now burned red like an inferno.

And so, the Bringer of Demise was born...

... Sorry, I sort of lost myself in the storytelling there.

But, yeah. This is somewhat why the Golden Trio as we know them being the literal creators of the actual world wouldn't really fit all that easily into my personal version of events without some extra context added on my part.

Similarly, my versions of Nayru & Farore also have their own families.

Farore, specifically, is the daughter of the fae goddess, Venuśkra of the realm of the fae (which can only be accessed through the light of the full moon) & Holōmāuroa, the primordial manifestation of the Holorean Ocean (the massive body of water to the direct west of Hyrule, which houses both the Oshus Archipelago & Holodrum). Farore's true name is Freyare, but she honestly doesn't mind being called Farore much.

Venuśkra is actually Venus, the Fairy Queen from aLttP & I'm taking some serious influence from Gaelic & Celtic myth for her & the Fairies in-general, literally the only reason that the Fairies of Hyrule are as... cooperative as they are is partially due to you always playing as either Link or Zelda, partially because whenever we interact with them, it's sort of during a time of conflict, & also because they sort of have this contract with the Hyrulean Royal Family to lend aid during such times. If not for those things, let's just say that there'd be much more instances of behavior reminiscent of more Gaelic fae folktales.

Meanwhile, Holōmāuroa takes a bunch of influence from the Polynesian entity known as Tangaroa & even a bit from Maui. Though, something important to note is that primordial manifestations are very different from gods in that gods are just sort of masters of certain things, while primordials are literally that thing given physical form. As such, primordials are, in many ways, far stronger than gods. Which is why, in many cases, if a primordial needs to be taken down, it takes many gods working together to do so.

And, much like Din, Farore too married & had children of her own. Btw, I'm calling Farore's husband, Hebrogar, & he's a much older god of ice, snow, family, ect. He is much, much more Viking-coded, being the patron deity of the Hebra region & had moved there along with the ancient Hebrans from Calatia, & created the Yeti like Yeta, Yeto, Conde, & his family. And their eldests were a pair of twins named Sheikaku & Karina.

In fact, Holōmāuroa was the one who held Demise down while the first Link stabbed the sucker in the forehead & the gravely injured Hylia sealed him into the spike. He did this by turning into water & holding Demise down with all the force of the ocean. Normally, this wasn't something that was allowed, but A) Holōmāuroa was a manifestation, meaning that he only followed those rules as a curtesy. And B) Demise pissed him the eff off. You see, Demise killed his grandson, who had been Hylia's husband & was the one who protected her from Demise while she forged the Goddess Sword. Though, those in the fandom might know him better as the Fierce Deity. (This is where Shintoism comes in, I've sort of given Hylia, Sheikaku, & Galondo a similar dynamic to the one between Amaterasu, Tsukiyomi, & Susano-o.)

As for why the other deities hadn't helped, they were all still recovering from trying to beat down Demise themselves. As I mentioned before, enough On'nen can even kill the gods & imagine that they were afflicted with something similar to Gloom Sickness, but even more severe.

Anyway, Holōmāuroa had wanted to crush the punk beneath his waves right then, but his family had stopped him wishing to deal with him themselves. But then, the little mf went & killed his granddaughter too, so now, he no longer gave a flying flip about rules or procedure, Demise was going down! (Something that none of them are aware of, the first hero was Sheikaku reborn. See, much like Hylia, at his death, he had dived into Samsara himself so that he might be able to help protect his family even if he would no longer be the same person.)

So, as you can hopefully see, if I weren't to make such a stipulation of my Golden Trio being the Golden Trio who sealed Null beneath the earth by literally creating the planet itself around him, born again in a different time, it would cause a couple of complications.

Mostly because I tend to prefer to leave the canon history as unchanged as I can. Which means that, in order to be able to add new history into my own, I tend to look at the stuff that I don't like in LoZ in less of a "I hate this, I'm not including it in my story" way & more of a "okay, this is very inconvenient for my hcs, so what context can I add to this to make it less so" way.

Which I find helps me to better integrate new history that maybe I don't like so much in a way that makes it so that I like it a lot more.

This extra piece of information with the current Golden Trio being the reincarnations of the Golden Trio who trapped Null is just another example of this tendency. Another was how I was able to integrate HW (despite not being canon) in order to make BotW as a whole make sense for me.

Oh! I keep forgetting! I actually have a timeline that splits off of SS myself that I've called the Outset Timeline! And I even have a sort of parallel SS that takes place to go with it called the War of Dune & Shadow! I noticed a bunch of things that really didn't add up, so I thought of a plausible way to fix it while basically leaving the canon entirely untouched! It was super fun but also a huge brainteaser!

Also, one thing I've forgotten to mention. I actually read about something that explains all those DLC past Zelda game items. It has to do with Shintoism. Simply put, those aren't the actual items from those games. More so, they are replicas of them for the purpose of honoring those past heroes & legends.

I learned this from a Reddit post & just from it, everything regarding why they are in the games suddenly makes infinitely more sense. Which, I find tends to help make me not dislike it quite so much.

Essentially, in Shintoism, Kami aren't just gods. They can also refer to spirits & even phenomenon. Because of this, there are a large number of things that can be considered Kami in Shinto, including the spirits of dead relatives or heroes.

And one way in which such things are venerated is in shrines, where you will find 2 things: yorishiro & shintai.

Here are some basic definitions for these concepts.

Yorishiro (依り代/依代/憑り代/憑代, lit. Approach Substitute) = An object capable of attracting spirits known as Kami, thus giving them a physical space to occupy during religious ceremonies. They are used during ceremonies to call Kami for worship.

Shintai (神体, Body of the Kami) = Once a Yorishiro actually houses a kami, it then becomes a Shintai. They are physical objects worshipped at or near Shinto shrines as repositories where spirits or Kami reside. However, something to keep in mind is that these Shintai aren't actually part of the Kami & are, more so, as mentioned above, just temporary repositories meant to give humans access to them for the purpose of worship.

Interestingly, the most common shintai are actually manmade objects. things like mirrors, swords, jewels, statues, ect. Or even natural objects such as rock mounds, trees, a mountain.

Likewise, there are bunrei, kanjo, & mikoshi, which will help me get to me point.

Bunrei (分霊) = A technical term indicating not only the process of dividing a Kami to be re-enshrined somewhere else, as well as the spirit produced from said division. This process is used to distribute Kami to “child” shrines elsewhere. However, it is important to note that the spirit of the Kami is not decreased by the process & are known to function the same way as the original spirit. It is often compared to using a candle to light another candle. As such, the entities inside the goddess statues likely aren't actually the goddess, but her bunrei, which would make them shinzō (神像, Statue of a God).

Kanjo (勧請) = Term indicating a propagation process in which a Kami or Spirit has been previously divided, is invited to another shrine & is then re-enshrined there.

Mikisho (神酒所) = Temporary shrines. Often used during Matsuri.

Mikoshi (神輿) = Portable versions of Mikisho. Basically, a sacred palanquin. Believes to serve as a vehicle to transport deities while moving between main shrine & temporary shrine during festivals or when moving to a new shrine. Tend to resemble miniature buildings.

Do you remember those strange little pagoda things that housed a bunch of things from past games in TotK? The ones that Misko put there?

Guess what? Those were mikoshi, which suggests that the items you get from those chests weren't actually the items from past games, but more so replicas of them specifically meant to honor those legends & the Heroes that were part of them.

And, do you know what Hidemaro Fujibayashi, who directed TotK studied extensively in college? Shinto & Buddhist literature.

The fact that those items are in such structures indicates that Misko viewed them as sacred & enshrined them for veneration. Which likewise implies that they are shintai, or objects that house the spirits of who owned said objects in the past. However, something to note about shintai is that whether or not those items were the originals or not does not matter. What matters is the spirit housed inside, which will continue to exist even if the object is destroyed. It can also later be invited back into another yorishiro.

In other words, it's entirely possible that while we in the west might see these things from past games being there as disrespectful, those in the east might see it as the exact opposite.

Though, I can certainly understand your frustration with having to do so much more research in order to understand these things that are likely much more ubiquitous in Japanese culture.

I really wish that Nintendo would start to implement a sort of in-game dictionary like Stein's Gate did. See, as the game would progress, people would mention certain things or concepts, however rather than break immersion, the player would be notified that a new word was learned. The player could then go into the in-game dictionary & read the definitions. It could range from certain ideas & concepts that not everyone would understand, both as part of Japanese culture, as well as concepts that are more obscure or part of Sci-Fi culture, scientific theory, ect.

As a result, rather than have the characters explain the meanings in-game to someone who should already know these things & end up making that character look like an idiot or break immersion or even just not explain it at all (similar to what happens in LoZ), it would just be explained in that in-game dictionary. Meaning that the player could just go read about it for themselves. Like, it was basically a metanarrative device so that the players could better keep up with conversations & understand them without needing to have extensively studied basically a little bit of everything. Which, made it very useful & much less of a headache.

So, I just think that this would be a very cool thing that they could've included. Like, in SS, when the scene with Demise cursing Hylia's bloodline & the spirit of the hero came up, to the side, you might've seen the term Rin'ne or Samsara pop up. You would then go into you in-game dictionary & read about the Shinto & Buddhist concepts revolving around the cycle of life, death, & rebirth. Which, would've very much cleared up a bunch of the fandom's confusion regarding what was actually happening regarding the cycle of the games.

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Hmm... Interesting, I never really saw him as such. For one, he is more so called the Bringer of Demise in Japan, which gives more of an idea that he's less an actual manifestation of chaos & more so just some dude who brings it.

True, though I actually think the design with the big antlers would’ve fit with a design for Rauru as a dragon even though he doesn’t become one. I did like how the more ram-like design imitated Zelda’s braids, though. Very cute. At the same time, I’m glad that they went with the horn design they did. Very pretty.

And the SS dragon faces were definitely just uncanny valley all-the-way.

Also, I don’t mind your hc one bit & think it’s interesting. It’s just not something I’m gonna add to my own lore, is all. I’ll be honest, I think that was sort of the greatest misstep that the Zelda games made. Like, really? Really, Nintendo? The water dragon & the sunspot squirrel-monkey thing have the same name? Though, I feel like this issue can be remedied by using Faron, Lanayru, & Eldin for one set, but then using their names from different languages for the other set like I sorta did. Like, I know that Eldin was also called Ordinn in French, Oldin in Italian & Korean (올딘), Orudin (オルディン) in Japanese, & (奧爾汀 or 奥尔汀) in Chinese. Meanwhile, Lanayru is Lanelle in French, Ranelle in German, Ranel in Italian, Lanel (라넬) in Korean, Ranēru (ラネール) in Japanese, & Lānièěr (拉聶爾 or 拉聂尔) in Chinese. And Faron is Firone in French & Italian both, Phirone in German, Pillone (필로네) in Korean, Firōne (フィローネ) in Japanese, & Fèiluóní (費羅尼 or 费罗尼) in Chinese.

Also, good gravy. Evidently, English, Dutch, German, & European Spanish were the only ones consistently kind to these poor dragos & even they weren’t good to Naydra. When I looked at the names they were given in other languages, everything I found was, in one way or another, just “something dragon.”

Like, look at this mess: Dinraal is the name used in English, Dutch, & Russian (Dinral’, Динраль), however it’s Ordrac in French, Eldra in German & Spanish, Elden in European Spanish, Ordra in Italian, Oldeuraegon (올드래곤) in Korean, Orudora (オルドラ) in Japanese, & Àoěrlóng (奧爾龍 or 奥尔���) in Chinese.

Naydra is the name used in English, Dutch, German, LA Spanish, & Russian (Нейдра), meanwhile it’s Nedrac in French, Nayen in European Spanish, Neldra in Italian, Neldeuraegon (넬드래곤) in Korean, Nerudora (ネルドラ) in Japanese, & Nièěrlóng (聶爾龍 or 聂尔龙) in Chinese.

Farosh is the name used in English, Dutch, & Russian (Фарош), but it’s Rordrac in French, Faren in European Spanish, Farodra in German & LA Spanish, Firodra in Italian, Pillodeuraegon (필로드래곤) in Korean, Furodora (フロドラ) in Japanese, & Fèiluólóng (費羅龍 or 费罗龙) in Chinese.

It’s all just one way or another to say dragon.

So, if you go at this from that perspective, then most of the translations (even in Japanese) all are basically just “Eldin/Faron/Lanayru dragon” & it’s likely that that’s all they ever were. Like, that’s it, so if I were the one to think up the lore behind all this, I'd just say that Dinraal, Farosh, & Naydra aren't even their real names, because wtf Nintendo? And, might even use that to my advantage if I… ya know, just so happened to be rewriting an entire game's story. I mean, if they’re gonna put forth such a non-effort, they can't really blame the fans for taking advantage of it, now can they?

As such, you could quite believably just say that those were names that Hyruleans gave them. Because, then you could very easily just have the dragons look at Link funny when he uses those names, then correct him. Like, “??? Oh! Hmhmhm! My apologies, I suppose it has been a long time, hasn’t it? And when such a long stretch occurs, mortals tend to experiment with names.” Then introduce themselves. It’s a very easy way to keep to the lore while also giving them their own names.

Heck, you could even have it so that they were, like, corrupted or something, which might explain their change in appearance, & Link has to save them.

And don’t we all have that tendency? Of seeing what we want to see? Also, to be fair, Avatar the Last Airbender likely doesn’t make it any easier. Waterbenders bend ice, too. Though, interestingly, the waterbenders of the swamp didn’t bend ice despite also being waterbenders. But then again, their environment was very different &, in fact, one of them was able to bend the water in plants. So, ya know. Maybe it’s less about hard boundaries & more so about changing one’s perspective so that you realize that there are fewer boundaries than you think?

Oooo! Yeah, good idea. Sorry, charcoaldustonmyfingers. I should've asked.

Mmm… I mean, I’m pretty sure that the SS dragons were just appointed those positions by Hylia, right? If not, then they might not even need to match the deities they’re named after. Like, I admit, it is really nice when things fit together all nice & neat. But, even then, Farore wasn’t really associated with lightning until recently. Before, her elements were always plantlife & wind, not lightning. Also, I’m pretty sure Valoo, the spirit of the skies, was the one who was the representative of Din in Wind Waker, yet Din is typically more associated with either fire or earth.

So, I guess it just doesn’t seem like much of an issue to me because, yes the dragons themselves are obviously being used as representatives of the goddesses, but why would they all need to be the exact same element as the goddesses when that was never really a problem before? And, if you think about it, that sort of makes sense because it would suggest that these entities existed before they were given their roles & might’ve been chosen not for being literally made for those roles, but because they were considered the best people for those positions.

Then again, I have a tendency to think about these things from less of a game perspective & more from a “okay, this is real life for these people, so treat it like it’s real life.” Then, I think about what a real life explanation for this inconsistency would be. And when I do that, I just think that IRL, people typically aren’t selected for job positions based on whether or not they have such & such in common with their employer. They’re chosen because they fit the role on an individual level.

Maybe the Lanayru & Faron just resonated more with Nayru & Farore respectively? Maybe they had personal connections to the goddesses as individuals? As in, what if Lanayru wasn’t all that close to Farore, but was a good friend of Nayru? If so, then he’d naturally gravitate more towards wishing to help her with her region. Or, for all we know, they may have already been living in these places before they were chosen. If so, would you really ask Lanayru & Faron to switch places just because they don’t fit the motif of their deity’s names?

Of course, these are just suggestions & my attempts to help. My apologies if it seems like I’m trying to push things too much or anything. I just tend to personally find that when I’m having trouble with something, the thing that helps me most isn’t so much trying to fit things to what I expect & more so adjusting my own thinking so that I look at things from a different perspective.

I actually tend to see Rhoam's perspective as him thinking her magic worked more along the lines of a DnD Cleric which relies more on faith & dedication to one's patron. But, I think that both he & most likely a number of elders & actual Clerics, might sometimes forget that it isn't as simple as Zelda was gifted that power. Because she wasn't. This magic was in her blood, so it would just innately work differently from how the magic of a Cleric would because the magic that Clerics use aren't theirs to begin with.

In contrast, Zelda's magic isn't on loan the way that a Cleric's would be. Instead, it's hers by birthright making her much more analogous to a DnD Divine Soul Sorceress. As such, I tend to think of it more in terms of her not simply needing love to unlock it, but more so that she needs to look inward & not doubt herself as much.

Similarly, I interpreted her sudden burst of magic as less "oh, she unlocked it with the power of romantic love" & more so that she unlocked it because someone she loved dearly was just shot down in front of her. And, in my mind, magic that is your own is as much a part of you as your hands & feet & head. It's not something that is separate from you. And, what do you do when you're loved ones are in danger? You get a surge of adrenaline, your brain goes into fight or flight mode, & you just sort of do things. In such situations, you don't really think because there's no time to.

In a lot of ways, in that moment, she was sort of running on autopilot & after that first time, due to her being a very smart individual who seems to learn very quickly, I think that Zelda was able to now go, 'oh, so this is how it feels' & was somewhat able to figure things out from there because now she had a reference point.

To me, I think that she'd have reacted in an extremely similar way had she been there to see her father die too. (As much of a ZeLink fangirl as I am, there's really only so far I'm willing to stretch my suspension of disbelief for the sake of the power of love trope. Like, I can believe that it triggered things, but don't just make it romance-based.)

Similarly, I tend to think that part of the problem might've been that she sort of didn't see her magic as actually being part of her & our mental states can have a lot of effect on us, whether we realize it or not. And, another might've been, what another fan brought up once that I very much agree with. That being that, much like Link, Zelda might've been such a natural at things (for her, it was the sciences) that she never really learned the scientific method or even how to learn.

Because whenever I see her thinking more inward regarding these things in her BotW cutscenes, she doesn't ask 'okay, why didn't this work & how can I do better next time' & instead, 'why am I a failure?' Which also leads into another thing that I believe might've contributed to her issue. She is just, by nature, a very secular thinker. She needs things to make sense &, at least to her, maybe her magic just... didn't? Perhaps that was a small part of why she gravitated so much towards the Sheikah technology & then later the Zonai technology? Maybe it framed magic in a way that she found made sense to her?

But, (can't remember if I used this particular simile yet) in my mind, the Sheikah & Zonai tech were magic in the same way that canned string cheese is cheese.

It isn't. Or more specifically, it's only about 50% cheese with the rest of it being... like... emulsifiers, preservatives, & all sorts of other crap that just gives it this terrible, artificial feel.

Similarly, I see the magic used to power Sheikah & Zonai tech as having been heavily processed & basically reduced to electricity in a lot of ways. After which, it is basically twisted & forced through a mechanical frame. Which leaved the center of attention to be the machine itself.

For me, I would've enjoyed the technology more if it went a more... Magical clockwork. Like how Dampe did it in EoW, but not quite. It's definitely closer to what I'm craving, but still not quite there.

For instance, I'd like to include more runes & gemstones, but that's just me because I feel like it would integrate magic a bit more into it rather than just using it as an energy source.

As for the women of the royal family all having the gift of Hylia making it not seem as special, not necessarily. Much like you, I tend to see Hylia as reincarnating too, but not necessarily because she made Link reincarnate. I more so go about it, like you noted, as everyone is reincarnating. And, to me, when Hylia entered the reincarnation cycle, she was essentially giving up on being Hylia ever again. Because, from how I understand Buddhist theology, you can’t escape the cycle unless you reach enlightenment/let go of all earthly attachments &, as much as I love Hylia & especially Sun, she was the last person I would call unbound from earthly attachments. As such, to me, it mattered little that she was a goddess at one point. As such, she is every bit as much a part of the cycle as everyone else.

However, I tend to see magic as originating from a number of different sources. In my mind, the divine magic of the royal family is inherited, but how it takes shape & how strong is based on the individual & whether or not their soul is in alignment with the magic present within their blood. Meaning that, yes, the women of the royal family all have divine power inherited from Sun, but it’s only Hylia’s reincarnations that have the ability to use it at its fullest potential. Things like manifesting bows of light (TP) & sealing demons away for a hundred years (BotW). Interestingly, I’m actually of the opinion that the Zeldas didn’t even get their gift of visions from Sun. Because it wasn’t Sun who had the gift of prophecy. Rather, Sky did.

And I completely agree on the sentiment about the queens not leaving users manuals or whatever. That very much is stupid… but then again, wasn’t that what Terrako was, in a sense?

I wouldn’t say harsh. If you don’t find it interesting then you don’t find it interesting. Though, I admit that I’m very curious as to what all exactly it is that you found uninteresting about it. Of course, it might be a good idea to just go to my blog & send and ask with a full-blown rant because as fun as this has been, you make a very good observation about scrolling! XD

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And going over all the critique regarding the game, fair. Like, I absolutely get it & I'd sooner punch myself in the teeth than try to tell you how to enjoy the games.

So, if you don't like TotK's story, then that's your right.

... Though, I do hope that you'll keep a couple aspects of the game intact. Things like Maddison & the touching scene with her dad Zelda & Link being teachers in Hateno. And the thing with the 7 Heroines & the Eighth turning out to have been a foreign voe. All that really cute & cool interesting stuff.

Even how Aaqlet & Perda go to Gerudo Town & Wabbin misses them so much that he tries to enter in order to visit, but he isn't even given the chance to explain & it immediately thrown in jail. And even a couple of the Gerudo in the cantina come to this conclusion, but never mention it.

Like, don't get me wrong. Those things are absolutely awful, but they are also an incredible opportunity for conflict where it could be used to force the Gerudo to confront the fact that just because something is tradition, it doesn't mean that it's good for you, your culture, or anyone else. And that, if it isn't then it may be time to cut that custom out like a cancer. Or, if not that, then to change it.

And, one way that this could be done is through a combination of Link being allowed into Gerudo Town on the chief's insistence, him helping to protect the town, then him helping Rotana discover the orbs, then learning that the Eighth was not only real, but a foreign voe. That it was only due to his aid that the 7 were able to work together in order to overcome the threat at that time. But even more than that, how the very same tradition that has broken both Wabbin & Hudson's families' apart resulted in the Eighth being turned away & his story buried, & the shame that the 7 felt as a result of it. Such shame that they left altars in an attempt to find some way to thank him.

Like, if nothing else, I think that this would turn the Gerudo's world upside down. And it would bring into stark reality how not okay this tradition is. Because I think one of the only reasons that it was able to last so long was specifically because of how it isolated the girls so much. Like, for them, this was just how life was. And, I'm not sure that a lot of fans understand how very extremely bad such a tradition is for the mental development of children. And, in a lot of ways, it could've even been a major contributor to how Ganondorf always ends up as bad as he does.

Because, think about it.

For the vai, imagine never seeing a single member of the opposite sex until you were 18. Imagine that. Like, a lot of fans will counter that with "oh, I was raised in a house with only my sex & I turned out fine," but they seem to forget that this isn't what's happening with these vai.

They aren't just living in a house with only other females. They're living in an entire town with only other females... So, think back to growing up & think about how often you talked to & interacted with the opposite sex. Whether as teachers, peers, just some guys you pass on the street. Now imagine all of those people gone.

That's what's happening.

Now, for Ganondorf. Instead, imagine never seeing another of your own sex until 18.

For girls, imagine being the only girl in an entire town of men. Imagine not having any female friends or teachers. Imagine not ever seeing any other female at all. And, because all you have are guys around you & those guys hadn't grown up around girls, they don't know how to teach you about what it means to be a woman or about women's health or anything.

Haunting, isn't it? Isolating even.

Personally, I think it would be a very unique kind of hell.

And that's essentially the sort of life that Ganondorf almost always was raised into.

And it's also why it isn't as simple as Ganondorf being the incarnation of Demise's hatred. I say this because I tend to think that just because he is, that isn't all that he is. If he were, then he would not be a person, because people are so much more than just hatred. Literally, our very bodies ensure this fact.

Sure, I absolutely think that Demise is able to influence Ganondorf to a degree, but at the end of the day, I think it is ultimately Ganondorf's choice to do these things.

This is further supported by how these sorts of curses actually work in Japanese lore. By this I mean that just by nature of how the sort of curse that Demise placed works, that curse is a double-edged sword. Because now Ganondorf is mortal & human. Which means that he can be taught. He can change. He can grow. He can weep. He can mourn. He can feel joy. He can live.

Furthermore, in Japanese lore, it is entirely possible to end such a cycle.

And do you know how?

By Ganondorf letting his hatred go. And when he does, he might finally be able to live. Which he couldn't do if he were truly nothing more than Demise's hatred.

In other words, because of the Demise backstory, he now literally has a redemption arc built in & ready to go. Doesn't mean that it'll ever happen, but it means that it's possible.

So, yeah. There's more to the whole Demise thing than what we think.

Similarly, I definitely get that. It's true that it's very possible that MC locations are just easter eggs. I mean, there's Mabe village & Goponga & all that stuff despite Koholint having been part of a dream. Though, to be fair, many dreams are constructed from memories, hm?

As for the confusion with the 2 versions of the Zonai, it could be waved off by approximating it to how certain details in history IRL can get mixed up.

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Oh my gosh, SAME!! I mean, my brother plays the games too, but he isn't as... obsessed as I am. So, any chance I get to ramble is a chance that I am 99% likely to make!

I will say that I'm finding this story of yours very interesting. Though, personally, I've been portraying the Mogma with more of a New York Italian mafia vibe. The reason being that that was sort of the feel that I got from them in the version we got over here in America. As such, I've been injecting a bunch of actual Italian & even some New York Jewish into their culture. Even going so far as to neologue a new word: Felicidonata. Meaning "gifted joy" or something to that effect. It's sort of supposed to be a reference to how the Mogma in SS were treasure hunters, but in spite of going through so much in order to obtain this stuff (which initially makes them seem greedy), they also had this strange generous streak. If you look back, even though they're very timid, they also very frequently put themselves into harm's way, which contradicts the idea of them just being cowards & more so suggests that they just aren't good at hiding their fear the way that some are. And then, after all of that, they just... give the treasure they just found to you???

Because of this, I've sort of made altruistic generosity, vicarious joy, & gift-giving something like a cultural thing for them in that gift-giving is their love language as a people.

Similarly, I've also given them a bit of a "we take care of our own" sort of mentality in that, if you're a friend of someone in the family, then you're deemed friend-shaped & thus are subject to this as well.

It's been fun & I've also liked making up a more diverse ecology for the Depths. I'm happy for the Rocktato, though. I feel like it would grow well down there.

Seriously, don't ask about how obsessed I am with making up new ingredients. I have 2 different posts with lists of ingredients on them. Divided into Flora/Fungi & Fauna/Byproducts.

Still have to think up animals for down there, though...

Hi, sorry if this is a bit rude. 😅 I guess that I was just wondering. How would Jabul Waters, Zora Cove, & Crossflows Plaza be named in French?

I'm trying to give Jabul Waters an interesting name that works to go with my hc & I came up with "Jabuleaux." And Google Translate tells me that Crossflows Plaza would be Place des Flux Croisés. And, I'm seeing that Anse is the term to refer to a cove &, if that's true, then would Zora Cove be Zoranse? At the same time, somewhere else, it said that Anse actually means beach.

And, I believe that a town by a swamp would have cher, quier, bren, brin, or Hor- in it?

I'm sorry if this is weird... 😅

Hi! Don't worry it's not rude or weird at all! I offered to help and I'm happy to do so :D

Did you check the official French translations? I had a surprisingly hard time finding the French version of the map online so here's a screenshot I took myself:

Jabul Waters = Eaux de Jabule (this one only appears when I zoom out)

Zora Cove = Baie Zora

Crossflows Plaza = Place de l'Estuaire

In case you didn't know the Zelda Wiki often lists names for places or characters in various languages in the "Nomenclature" section of its pages. It's very helpful especially if you're searching for the original Japanese names. If we look at at the different names for Crossflows Plaza we can see that a literal translation from Japanese would be something like "Exchanging Place". I checked the Jisho dictionary and it seems to be an accurate translation, though "Place for Cultural Exchanges" would be more meaningful.

It's not exactly a good name in English so it makes sense that the localization team would come up with something like Crossflows Plaza instead, which in my opinion does a very good job of stating that this is both the place where the river meets the sea and where the two Zora tribes traditionally meet each other.

Other European languages all settled for variations of "Estuary Plaza" ("Place de l'Estuaire" in French), which is fine but looses the "cultural exchanges" aspect of both the original name and the English translation.

I've been trying to come up with a French translation of "Crossflows Plaza" but it's not that easy. To me "Place des Flots Croisés" or "Place Flots-Croisés" would sound better than "Place des Flux Croisés", but I still find it a bit weird ("flot" meaning flow, tide or stream). "La Croisée des Flots" is another option if you agree to get rid of Plaza/Place (it means "the intersection/junction of streams"), but I don't think it works very well as a name.

You could also mix words to create a name the same way it was done in English, something like "Place Croiseaux" (croiser/cross + eau/waters). If any of my French speaking followers is feeling inspired, please share your ideas! :)

(I just thought of "Place Cruciflot" and found it too funny not to mention 😆 maybe it sounds too much like crucifix)

In French we also have the word "confluence" that has the exact same meaning as it does in English: either the meeting of two rivers or a gathering of some kind. So to me the most obvious translation would be something like "Place des Confluences" or maybe "Place Confluence", as it would preserve the dual meaning, but it's not very fancy or creative. Maybe we could simply change the spelling to something like Place Konfluans, the same way "Village Côtier" (Seaside Village) is spelled "Village Kothié" (Seesyde Village). But it doesn't look like a French word anymore so I'm not sure that's something you'd like.

As for Jabuleaux, it can work but I prefer the official translation "Eaux de Jabule". Same thing for Zoranse, we would say "Anse Zora" or "Anse des Zora". The official French translation is "Baie Zora" (Zora Bay), which I think is more appropriate given the size of the sea inlet (in my understanding an anse/cove is a small baie/bay and isn't very deep). I think maybe it should have been bay in English as well instead of cove, but I might be wrong! Also I believe "anse" isn't used as often as "baie" and might be confusing for most people, so I would go with "Baie Zora".

I'm not sure where you found this information about swamps and town names? I didn't find anything to confirm it but I might not have looked in the right places.

French towns are often ancient and their names can derive from other languages such as Celtic, Occitan, Flemish, or regional dialects, so that's a very difficult question and I'm not sure I can give you a satisfying answer ^^

I still did a little search and found an Old French word for swamp, "palud" or "palu", that still appears in some town names such as La Palud-sur-Verdon, Saint-Pierre-la-Palud, Lapalud, etc. (today we say "marais" or "marécage"). You might be right about "bren", it could be something like muddy in Gallic.

There's also "vign" or "mign" (from Celtic), as in Mignéville or Lévignac, or l'Île de Migneaux on the Seine river (this one's in my city!).

Near where I grew up is a town named Hazebrouck, it literally means "hare swamp" (brouck/broek = swamp in Flemish). For a bit more French flavor you could maybe use -broucq or -breucq instead of -brouck.

I think the vast majority of French people have no clue about all of that (I didn't except for the last one and it's more Flemish than French), so I'd say don't oversweat it ;)

And that's all! I hope you'll find this helpful ^^

[rambling-ash]

It's been a year...

Redraw of the one I did last year

Last year's is under the cut

[fictionadventurer]

Maybe the problem with Christian fiction is that it's non-denominational. People are just "Christian", with no effort put into showing what practicing that religion looks like for them specifically. No indication that there are other Christians who could have different beliefs. No wrestling with differing ideas and the struggle of how one should live out their Christian faith. And that makes it unrealistic and unrelatable.

[frogaroundandfindout]

You remember when dick was in space (for the first time with the new teen titans) because komand’r took Kory back and they needed to save her? And you remember how he understood it was a war they were fighting and that they needed to do what they had to in order to survive it? And how when Gar told him he needed to control Kory, dick wondered if he even should try to stop her from killing her sister? And how he literally killed to save her (there’s some deniability but he’s literally hitting them with lasers described as deadly right in the head)? I do.

[puppyeared]

Atla live action 😐

[zexonyte]

yeah i made him a fish lookin thang whatcha gonna do about it

[clowningaroundmars]

listening to rakim and the pharcyde rn and just thinking it's actually kinda weird that more ppl haven't pointed out how much miles' taste in music affects his life and viewpoint in general

and how being raised by his uncle who's into more old school stuff on earth-42 would affect him and his development

i'm imagining 42 actually clowning 1610 for listening to post malone while placing a labcabincalifornia vinyl on his record player while they chill in his room one day lol

42's tastes would probably be more varied and just... like more developed in general bc he has a man who was more than likely a Part Of The Culture helping to raise him. aaron was out on the streets of brooklyn as a kid most likely swapping diy mixtapes and buying local rap cd's with his allowance/summer job money (assuming he was born like around 1978-1980, then he was most likely on the streets in the mid 90's during the Golden Age of Hip Hop).

not to mention that for aaron to even Do What He Does as the prowler, he is still out on the streets til this day, shooting the shit with fellow neighbors and shaking hands with black market merchants. he's dapping up store owners and trying to get on local gang leaders' good sides for intel. he's making connections! he is most def still swapping music recommendations with ppl in the hood and ordering vinyls online if he can't get his hands on them in physical brick-and-mortar stores

and music seems to be a super important thing to a man like aaron. that would definitely influence miles. interesting that i haven't seen more posts mentioning that actually!