#and then anonymously post my thoughts about them

[ranchstoryblog]

Ranch Story Community Q&A Volume 3: Igusa Matsuyama Returns!

Igusa Matsuyama, the legendary artist behind the Story of Seasons series since the original 1996 game has once again agreed to a Q&A featuring questions from fans from around the world! A big thank you to all the members of the community who helped make this possible.

Some aspects of the text have been altered to match localization people are familiar with. (Japanese names to English names, for example: Bokujou Monogatari (牧場物語) was formerly localized as Harvest Moon and is now localized as Story of Seasons, etc). Images were not part of the original text and have been added as a visual aid. Though we translated as many questions as we could, we did not include questions involving personal information or regarding unannounced releases. Please understand.

If you would like to read our original correspondence (in Japanese), that will be provided in a separate post.

Additional cosplay photo provided by Foxface from our community Discord.

Translations: @artycharmy (correspondence, outline) Editing and Clean-up: Jerome, @artycharmy, and @regularcelery

——— Anonymous asks: What is the relationship between Jamie and the Harvest Goddess?

Igusa Matsuyama: Jamie was treated as a fairy or spirit. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if there's any points that link them and the Goddess.

Editor's note: the term Matsuyama uses is "妖精."

Tomato asks: I would like to ask about what their inspiration was for the outfits designs in the original release of harvest moon another wonderful life. Since I got reminded of the girl clothing brand Mezzo Piano when looking at the I love Kuma/I love bears outfit.

Igusa Matsuyama: I remember the only thing I thought of was using Spring-like colours! (All designs were made with seasonal colours In mind) When I knew that Daachan, who was planned to be used in a lot of events, wouldn't actually play a big role in the game, I put him on the T-Shirt so he could at least get some attention as a mascot-like existence.

Pansy asks: If you were able to create your own game for the Story of Seasons franchise, with no rules or limitations whatsoever, what do you think it might look like?

Igusa Mastuyama: Since I love dogs, I'd like to try making a Story of Seasons that's set in a world just full of dogs. Though that dream of mine probably won't come true.

Anonymous asks: The look of Story of Seasons has changed a lot over the years! What would you say is more challenging to create - simple designs, where you have to work with very little space, or complicated designs, where you have to consider many little details?

Igusa Matsuyama: A long time ago there were a lot of things you weren't able to replicate in video games. There were constraints for things like the number of colours and patterns for hair styles and clothes. It was difficult to work around those constraints, but at the same time a lot of fun. Nowadays, it's the complete opposite. Now we can design anything with hardly any constraints. And unlike a long time ago, now I'm asked to make more complicated designs, like patterns and decorations. However, if it's a big request, sometimes I run into quite a lot of trouble when designing. They each have had their own difficulties.

Anonymous asks: Hello, Matsuyama! Thank you for bringing the worlds of Bokujou Monogatari to life for many years. Your art has had a huge influence on me!

One of my favorite candidates is “Rock” from “A Wonderful Life.” I’d love to know any particular influences for his character design from 21 years ago, and his new design for the remake.

Igusa Matsuyama: I was told that he was a young, wannabe playboy, so I somehow ended up with that sort of design. For the remake, I made his clothes a little looser without changing his design, so he'd look even more playful. I, too, wanted to avoid changing him as much as I could as there are other people among the staff that also like the original for his “Rockness”. So, he got that makeover after everybody shared and checked their opinions with each other.

Jerome asks: On page 130 of the "Special Comic" manga there's artwork of Super Famicom characters that have never been printed anywhere else. Do you or Marvelous still have these? It would be great to see them in more detail in the future some time.

Igusa Matsuyama: They're all characters that appeared in the SNES version of "Harvest Moon." Nina's parents, Ellen's mother, Ann's father, Maria's parents (The mayor couple). I'm sorry. My SNES illustrations have gone missing...

Raven Bloom, Ryan, and Moth ask: How did you feel when your designs for the men in A Wonderful Life were repurposed to be bachelors? What do you think of the changes made to the bachelors in the remake of A Wonderful Life? I miss the “Bruce Campbell” look Matthew used to have.

Igusa Matsuyama: Matthew (マシュー) is Masshu (マッシュ) in the Japanese A Wonderful Life (Editors note: Charmy made a careless mistake when translating the questions, sorry Matsuyama san 🫣) When I first heard this name, the first thing that came to mind was Evil Dead's protagonist, Ash. You're right. I designed him after Bruce Campbell. I still love Bruce Campbell today. When Wonderful Life was under production, I had heard they weren't going to make a girl version, so I designed him not as a love interest, but as a quirky character. Knowing that he'd appear in the remake as a marriage candidate, I redesigned him as a character that would be liked by many. I hope you can enjoy the game for its nostalgia, as well as for being a shiny, brand new release.

Salmon Axe and Anonymous ask: I personally adore Doraemon x SOS game. Are you interested in working directly with or collaborating with other franchises in the future? And is there a series outside Story of Seasons you would like to work with now as a guest artist? (Could it be Pokemon?)

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved Doraemon manga since I was a kid! Working as a guest artist? Hmm, I'm happier being the main illustrator, so nothing in particular comes to mind. I enjoy a lot of games in my free time, such as Fallout, Far Cry and Border Lands.

Anonymous asks: Even though we never see his face, was there ever a concept of how Woofio would look without his costume?

Igusa Matsuyama: I designed Woofio as the being that is Woofio, so there's no design of him without his costume.

Idris asks: Your style has upgraded a lot over the time to match the trends. Do you think you will ever go for an old school look (early HM) for a SoS game again? What do you think is the secret to your art’s charm?

Igusa Matsuyama: What I'm particular about when designing for Story of Seasons is making characters with head/body proportions and an atmosphere that go well with that release. First, I listen to the client's request then think of a design according to that. These days, game visuals have gotten fancier and fancier, so there's not many opportunities for characters with short proportions to make an appearance. To me, what's important when designing is "playfulness." More so than "pretty" or "cool" and such, I get attached to the character, have fun making the character. I find joy in character creation itself.

MacGyver asks: Yasuhiro Wada has shared some interesting stories about how chaotic the original game's development was. Is there anything interesting you remember from around that time? 

Igusa Matsuyama: Now it's a memory I can look back on and laugh about, but I'm not sure how much I can talk about it so please forgive me. If Wada hadn't been there back then, then "Harvest Moon" wouldn't have become a thing.

Toyberb and Anonymous ask: There’s a lot of different cow designs now, which is your favorite to draw?

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved drawing animals since I was a kid, so I love all of the cows. Although the easiest one to draw is the cow with the big nose.

Anonymous asks: Were there any games where you made designs for protagonists of genders that did not end up available to play as? (Like a girl protagonist for Save the Homeland/Hero of Leaf Valley or a nonbinary protagonist for any game before A Wonderful Life)

Igusa Matsuyama: There's so many designs that got scrapped, but as far as I recall, there's not really many where that character's setting itself was scrapped. (Excluding Thumbelina, mentioned below)

Koharu asks: Were there ever any character designs made for other older SNES characters like Ellen for 64? Some magazines had Marie with blue hair, like the SNES character, so it made me wonder if she (SNES Maria) was meant to also be there at some point.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm not in the position to make settings or scenarios where characters from other games appear, so I can't say, but I like the idea of older characters making an appearance!

Amina/k0iisu asks: Hello! I really love Hiro’s design specifically. Could you tell me a few facts about him/his design that might not be well known information? Thank you so much! I love your art :D

Igusa Matsuyama: Thank you very much! Hiro is a future doctor, so I tried to make them look as much like a doctor as I could. Also, to make him look friendlier, I designed him as your average everyday boy you'd see in the neighbourhood. He doesn't have a flashy face or hairstyle, but he's one of my favourite designs, too. I wrote this in the guidebook too, but what I like about him is the Asian flair I added to his clothes and the spot of colour around his feet.

Bunbun asks: I'm excited for the Nendoroid that was announced of Claire! I hope there will be ones of HM64 designs too. Since you have a lot of figures on your blog, how does it feel to be able to add one of your own characters to your collection? Are there any of your other characters you hope will get figures of?

Igusa Matsuyama: A nendoroid of Claire! I'm looking forward to it too, but when is it going to be released? If it's possible, I'd like one of Woofio.

Editor's note: Preorders are open for Nendoroid Claire now!

Chickee asks: A purple-haired princess character was rumored to have existed in Harvest Moon 64, but she didn't make it to the published game. Did you create a design for this character?

Igusa Matsuyama: That's probably Princess Thumbelina. Wasn't she Incredibly small? What I designed didn't end up being used. Speaking of HM64 characters, I pushed for them to include a pet turtle, but in the end it only appeared as an ornament. For A Wonderful Life, I asked for a turtle to be included again and designed a tortoise with a scarf, but it didn't make it as a pet and appeared only as a wild turtle that walks around the pond. I'm waiting for the day they finally include a pet turtle in the game.

emery flower147 asks: omg  I saw the pics where the AWL girls are in a team and Muffy has a shotgun and stuff? Do you think any other characters would work in a cool team like that?

Igusa Matsuyama: For the Friends of Mineral Town guide book, I had the five girls, Popuri, Marie, Ran, Elly and Karen work hard as Harvest Sprites. Also, for the guide books, I drew Pete (The old male protagonist), Sarah (The GB version female protagonist), and Claire doing whatever I wanted them to. I don't know if you can call it cool or not, but it was fun being in charge of that.

Ixur asks: A lot of the PoOT character designs for the regular villagers seem more popular than the marriage candidates in my region. Is that something that's been noticed by you/Marvelous in Japan? Lars, Clemens, Beth, and Misaki for example.

Igusa Matsuyama: Marvelous doesn't really talk about that sort of thing so I'm not sure if they're aware of it or not. I don't do social media so I'm also not sure which characters are popular. I'm happy as long as the characters are liked. The design on Lars’s shirt is modeled after my beloved dog, so I’d be especially happy if you like his shirt too.

Anonymous asks: What do you think about people cosplaying your designs?

Igusa Matsuyama: It makes me very happy! I'm no good at sewing, so I really admire people who can make their own clothes. It's an honour having the designs I made be made into real clothes, and I think it's great to have fun acting out the characters.

Afro Fae asks: When creating designs for characters, how do you settle on a specific color palette? Do you take color meanings into account with a character's personality or do you go purely off of feeling?

Igusa Matsuyama: I keep in mind the overall colours the client asked for while designing. Sometimes I propose a new colour when I think there's one that fits better. I'm also careful when choosing colours and everyone's traits to make sure it's easy to tell which character is which when seen from a distance. However, in the cases of families and such, I do the opposite and give them all a common colour to give them a sense of kinship.

———

From all of us at Ranch Story, we'd like to thank Matsuyama from the bottom of our hearts for answering our questions again! Whether a fan has only just discovered the series or has grown up alongside it, so many people have loved these characters and worlds that Igusa Matsuyama brings to life, so it feels truly special to be able to have this opportunity. We'll end this article with Matsuyama's own words, as well as a parting gift.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm so glad I could answer your questions again. I'm the one that should be saying thank you. It means the world to me knowing that everyone enjoys my illustrations! I added an illustration as thanks. I'll keep up the hard work!

#story of seasons #harvest moon #igusa matsuyama #magical melody #claire #harvest sprite #marie #popuri #karen #elly #ran #a wonderful life #harvest moon 64 #matthew #cosplay #evil dead #ash j williams #bruce campbell #jamie #harvest goddess #fallout

[mangokabuto]

Proof of Usopp and Nami being Luffy’s vice/co captains? I would (genuinely!) love to see your thoughts and evidence, bc big agree

(Context:)

Hello anonymous tumblr-using friend!

As someone with a lot of knowledge of & a great passion for real-life historical piracy, I have VERY STRONG OPINIONS about how the Strawhat crew would fit into an actual golden age crew structure. When I said "I have proof" I was jokingly referring to my knowledge of historical piracy and how the characters slot into those trends, not any sort of "in-anime/manga proof" of Usopp and Nami being ""co-captains"" with Luffy, so if that's what you're here for then sorry lol.

BUT if you want to learn a little about golden age western-world piracy, (and my "au" of sorts for how each crewmate would be recognized in that context,) stick around! :)

(extremely long explanation under cut LMFAO)

First off, as i said in my heated/j tags, "captain" did not usually mean what Oda makes it mean in OP's world. I am ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN Oda is just as passionate about & did plenty of research about historical piracy, and is clearly pulling a little from wakō history, but mostly from golden-age western piracy (specifically mostly the post-spanish succession period, to my estimation).

That being said. Why he puts so much emphases on Captains and First Mates is BEYOND me, because irl they were not as important.

The captain WAS important, don't get me wrong, but they weren't the sole reigning commander of a ship. They were more like a figurehead, most of the time. This is a sortof flimsy metaphor, but think of Captains like the modern-day king or queen of England; They're hyped up as the #1 leader, they're an important charismatic face for the group, and they technically have last-say on important matters, but they are beholden to two other groups (like the cabinet and the prime minister).

During the golden age of piracy, most crews were commanded by a group of three people. These three people were usually the Captain, the Quartermaster, and the Bosun. Each filled a different role on the ship, and all three were democratically elected by the crew. In all important matters, the three would discuss together how to proceed/solve the current problem, and though the Captain COULD overrule the other two at any time, that typically got him handily shoved overboard via mutiny. By technicality there was a heirarchy of power between the three stations, (with Captain usually being the top dog, then the Quartermaster, then the Bosun just above the rest of the crew,) but in practice they held equal sway in decisions that would effect the entire crew.

HOWEVER, outside of "big crew-wide decision-making moments" where you needed to assemble the three leaders, they didn't always have to coordinate. Depending on what situation the crew was currently in, one of them would be de-facto in charge of the crew, and the other two would step back unless the one currently in charge did something that needed to be challenged, like they made a bad decision or (in a more extreme case) broke the articles.

The Captain was in charge during times of battle. The captain's primary role was as a fighter, performer, and military commander! If the crew was attacked or about to attack someone else, the Captain would immediately take charge. (Now, real pirates weren't actually violent in practice as frequently as pop culture would have you believe, but that's a whole other topic. The reason "performer" is listed in the Captain's "jobs" is that part of their responsibility as a captain worth their salt was to scare enemies into surrendering without a fight through theatrics and reputation.)

The Bosun was in charge when the Boat was damaged or needed upkeep. The Bosun was not always the greatest carpenter or shipwright in their own right (in fact, in larger crews, they usually weren't either of those things), but they would be the one to get together with the shipwright and worksmen and assess damage, organize repair teams, and keep the boat running as well as possible. The crew followed their lead during repairs, and they were the go-to authority on any matters concerning the physical boat.

The Quartermaster was in charge the rest of the time. The way the Bosun is in charge of the physical boat, the Quartermaster was in charge of the crew. They were responsible for enforcing the articles, dealing out discipline, and the crew's general well-being outside of battle. In that same way that a bosun didn't have to be a shipwright, a quartermaster wasn't usually a doctor or cook, but they worked closely with them. Being in charge outside times of battle meant that the Quartermaster was also in charge of headings and navigation, and more often than not they were the ship's navigator, or head navigation/deck officer if their crew was large enough to have more than one nav. They also usually handled the crew's finances/pay and cargo. Is this starting to sound familiar yet.

So. After establishing the roles. I don't think I have to persuade you that while Luffy is most definitely the Strawhat Captain, Nami is our Quartermaster and Usopp is our Bosun. At the VERY LEAST this is true on the Merry Go.

You could possibly persuade me that Franky takes Usopp's place as Bosun once they get the Thousand Sunny, but I would be hard to convince. (I could be persuaded that Usopp loses his position as bosun on the Sunny, but Franky does not behave like a bosun as much as a head carpenter, and Usopp functions like his carpenter's mate. It's almost like, post-timeskip, they don't have a bosun anymore, and Zoro fills the newly empty position on the leadership trio?)

Now, these roles are not concrete, and they didn't always make up the "management trio" on a pirate ship. Some very small crews just didn't have enough people that they needed to single out their three favorite guys; they could just all vote on important decisions together. Sometimes the management trio included the surgeon or the first mate instead of the bosun. There were many crews where the Quartermaster was considered the top-dog highest authority instead of the Captain at all times. Even during the golden age pirate crews varied greatly, but the Captain/Quartermaster/Bosun trio was most common.

As for the ship hierarchy, there was a trend you could rely on no matter who the "three leaders" were. Everyone was generally considered of equal importance on a crew, (hence the elected offices and avenue for mutiny,) but there was a chain of command of sorts? Or at least people who would be shown greater respect and responsibility based on what they provided for the crew:

Captain and/or Quartermaster

Bosun and/or Surgeon/Doctor, and sometimes the First Mate

Everybody else, including captain's other mates.

Speaking of Captain's Mates... On larger crews, every important role on the ship had a "mate," or an apprentice chosen by the person in question to replace them if they should die, or otherwise be out-of-commission. Quartermaster's Mate. Bosun's Mate. Doctor/Surgeon's Mate. Carpenter's Mate. Etc. However, the Captain had MULTIPLE MATES, because his job was front-line combat focused. Ergo, he could easily die and need a replacement. Quickly. And his replacement could need a sudden replacement! So, depending on the size of the crew, the captain could have anywhere from two to eight mates, who were ranked by number. That's why the captain's highest-ranking mate is called the First Mate. Because there was usually a Second Mate. And then some more of em.

The First Mate's job is to be a good ass fighter, and back the Captain up on whatever they're currently doing. They hype the Captain up and enforce the Captain's decisions, no matter what that decision is. This is why they were usually not put in the management trio on most crews, cause you could imagine. The conflict of interest. (There's supposed to be three of them so that no one member has too much sway. Which could be sabotaged if two of the three are captain and captain's favorite soldier LMFAO)

I have no idea why, in the world of One Piece, all of the emphasis seems to be on Captains as the end-all-be-all leaders of their ship and the First Mate as the second in command. Especially when Oda clearly KNOWS about the other roles, since he's written characters that fall into them like perfect puzzle pieces!

...Well, okay, I have some idea. This is a shonen series for teens and being the captain/king/etc is wish fulfillment, and wouldn't be as cool for the projecting readers if you were part of a leading council with two other mooks. But. I can still be salty about it LMFAO <3

#These roles put Usopp's objection over scrapping the Merry in a slightly new light huh? :) /j #i love pirate lore #thank you whoever's here for reading my long ass pirate history rant #i love you for indulging my hyperfixation muah <3

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

I know you are tired of being reminded of the whole mess that’s been going on. I had no idea what was going on until foxyanon told me cause I asked. The shock that went through me when I was reading ems post. I was decent friends with bel and interacted a lot with her. Had no idea how vile those bloggers are, just damn right disgusting and rude. But I told em as well that I have nothing to do with what’s her face. I’m always here for you! This fandom needs some serious work done and rethinking. I’m screaming the biggest f you to her! I love your content even though I don’t say anything much. You’re wonderful and deserve better! 💗💗

Thank you for reaching out, and treating me like a human being. It is more than I currently deserve. I will place the rest of my response beneath a cut, as it will be quite long and I'd like to give people the option to scroll past, as they are doubtless tired of all of this, and rightly so.

Yes, the behaviour of that group is despicable, but I cannot downplay the gravity of my own in that.

I had a longstanding block with two users (I am not going to use their online nicknames, I do not deserve to), arcielee and sylasthegrim, I said disgusting things about both of them - the screenshots of my messages regarding them both on the post you have doubtless all seen are real (so is the final screenshot where I mention an anon I had received telling me to die in my sleep, the rest of the screenshots in that post have been falsified, doctored or snipped heavily out of context to make them appear hateful - the doctoring has been confirmed by two individuals well versed in Photoshop)

I hold my hands up and apologise to both those people, and the people that have seen those messages and been harmed by them. They are inexcusable, indefensible and were guided by a false belief that those two people were being hateful in turn about me, and actively going out of their way to harm and spite me. I am unsure what Bel thought she had to gain by exacerbating the animosity between me and Em and those two women, regardless, we should have done the mature thing and reached out directly to them. I will say, that I have never once sent anonymous hatred to either person. The extent of my vitriol was confined to that group chat.

Bel also used slurs in the group chat (I would like to point out that myself, Em and Fae did not). I won't repeat what these were. I do not want those ugly words on my page. They made me uncomfortable and I called her out any time she used one in particular, but she always laughed off my discomfort and carried on anyway. She is mixed race, I am white, in my mind it is not my place as a white person to tell an ethnic minority what is racism and what isn't. There are enough white voices shouting down others in online spaces. I know better now. I should not let my own discomfort silence me. I will call out hatred, bigotry and discrimination in every instance that I see it. My past inaction is embarrassing, it's offensive and I am devastated by the hurt I have caused to others. I am so deeply sorry.

I didn't speak up for a long time, because I have seen what these people are like when they have a grudge against someone. It's frightening, I was a coward. Yet despite staying silent on all of it, I have been doxxed just the same. I suppose perhaps that's karmic retribution?

I appreciate that people have felt my response has been lacking, however, I was out of the country, away from home, from the 14th until the 22nd, with only my phone at my disposal and with the expectation from my husband that I would enjoy the vacation we were on, and not be online dealing with all of this.

I would like the opportunity to atone for my behaviour, to make amends. Currently, I feel I am not going to be given the opportunity to do that, and understandably so. Emotions are high, people are raw from what they have learned and they do not feel comfortable being around me.

Seeing the screenshots of the people in their group passing around my personal photos and saying incredibly vile things about my appearance triggered a lapse with the eating disorder that I am in active recovery for. I then had another a few days later. I need to take some time away to get myself well, as the fear and anxiety of all of this is taking its toll. I also need the space to deal with the legal action I will be exploring with regards to Chris having doxxed me. I am not running away. I simply need to get myself into a space where I am stable enough to handle all of this, be accountable, and take responsibility without my own emotions diminishing other people's.

I know people hate me right now, but it pales in comparison to how much I hate myself. I am so very sorry for allowing this to happen.

#asked and answered

[jonathanbiers]

Argyle never gets frustrated with Steve when he doesn’t understand something. He doesn’t roll his eyes, or give That Sigh. He explains things patiently, if a bit abstractly, and when Steve is way off base Argyle runs with it. Is Vecna a vampire? Whoa that would be wild, man! Do you think he can’t have garlic? We could just take him out with a gnarly garlic pie, my dude!

the way you're seeing into my mind.... argyle being really soft with steve and taking the time to make sure he doesn't feel stupid when he's confused is something i've considered AT LENGTH (specifically in dms with @himbohohoharringtxn who has the unfortunate luck of being on the receiving end of Most of my argyle thoughts fdjghkdfj)

i would like to preface this by saying that i am firmly in "argyle and steve are both genuinely smart" territory. i think steve is very neurodivergent coded (i see the arguments for adhd/autism/dyslexia/ocd and as someone who might be autistic but is diagnosed with the other three....i see these arguments and i agree on all fronts) and there's also the head trauma of it all, though that's not what this is about. he's not fucking dumb, he just needs things broken down and explained to him in a very specific way. nothing wrong with that!

as far as argyle is concerned - we've literally seen him in action noticing small details no one else has(one of my fav parallels between them), which ends up being the reason the cali group finds nina and el. he's not fucking dumb either, just delivered to us as a comic relief stoner character with little dimension because the duffers need to be fucking stopped

BUT ANYWAY! you're so right! argyle would see the way steve sometimes gets brushed off and spoken over. the rest don't mean it to be hurtful and steve tries not to show that it does sometimes sting (because it's really not that big of a deal to him and it's not like they're being outright mean) but he would ABSOLUTELY "yes and-" whatever steve's off the wall question or idea was, if anything just to make him laugh, relieve some of the tension. AND IT WORKS is the thing.

it's not just, "duuuude, what if we just lure vecna into the sun? he'll be TOAST in five seconds flat, no fighting necessary. nancy, you can put the gun down, we're gonna hurl garlic cloves at him with a slingshot!" in one fell swoop, argyle is 1. making sure steve feels heard and not spoken over; 2. acknowledging steve's input and effort in a way that, let's be honest, the others don't do very often; 3. putting a smile on the group's faces for a while because fuck they're kids in a stressful situation and need a laugh; 4. putting himself in the line of fire so the others can rag on him instead.

argyle would do this when they aren't even dating yet and steve definitely would not be normal about it, he'd be smiling so big and soft and then argyle would catch his eye and smile back and they'd have this little quiet moment between them amidst all the chaos and dread.

after they're dating though? oh, they'd be INSUFFERABLE. they'd be such a pda couple, with the ridiculous pet names("what the fuck did you just call me?" "don't worry about it, my lil sweet potato pie."), and the open flirting until their friends are fake-retching, the whole nine yards. argyle is hanging off of steve's back with his arms around his waist and not even acknowledging it as he makes his argument to the rest of the group that, "no, no, listen. steve is onto something here, i just know. what if-"

and when they're alone, it'd be less of the theatrics and silliness and more of the gentle patience. they're both smart in really different ways and when argyle gets something steve doesn't and steve is getting a little frustrated about it, he'd take his hand or pull him close and just distract him with a little bit of affection to get him to cool down because he knows being frustrated isn't going to help steve figure out whatever it is. conversely, steve does the same when he's trying to explain something to argyle - though he's less likely to get as frustrated when confused, and more likely to pretend to take longer to get it than he actually does because listening to steve explain a subject he's knowledgeable about is fucking hot, can you blame him? they're just soft with each other, okay

#anonymous #just uh casually dumping a bunch of my stargyle thoughts that you didn't even ask for in your original message don't mind me lmao #if i'm honest the reason i haven't been posting many of my thoughts on this pairing is because there have been multiple times when #i've made posts about other pairings (won't say which bc then this'll show up in that tag and it's not about them. i hate when ppl do that) #and like almost immediately or within a day seen people copy my ideas/hcs about them in such a blatantly obvious way that i'm like #'damn if you're going to copy my homework can you at least change the wording my dude or like. cite your sources or smth' lmaooo #so uh. yeah there were also a lot of other things i wanted to mention but i specifically want to include those in fics and i've had enough #of putting my ideas out there as a 'wouldn't it be cool if' only to see a shittier version of it on my dashboard Within The Day so . #also i need you to know i YELLED when i got this ask sorry it took a bit to answer! bad nap brain again lmao coherent sentences are hard #stargyle #steve harrington #argyle

[michaeljoncarter]

I NEED to know what you meant by semi-canon bisexual throuple in regards to that post about the Superfam

early 00s supercomics (and later 90s kinda, but mostly 00s) had john henry irons as clark's superheroing "partner" and lois & clark's really good friend. it's difficult to get across the whole vibe of this era with random out of context panels, but here's some propaganda just off the top of my head:

(Superman: The Man of Steel #100)

(Superman: The Man of Steel #108)

(Superman vs Darkseid: Apokolips Now!)

there was much more focus on his relationship with clark, but his relationship with lois is still notable & arguably implied some sort of (obviously never acted upon) attraction from moment one, seeing as their first meeting was basically a 1:1 recreation of her first meeting with clark

she was also comparing him to clark in RotS, which is also pretty notable because her internal dialogue about pretty much every other superman replacement during this time was some version of "this guy SUCKS, and he's disgracing clark's memory"

(Superman: The Man of Steel #23)

anyway, i say "semi-canon" not because it was ever actually implied that they had something going on but more half-jokingly since in rebirth, they essentially just took exactly his & clark's preboot relationship, gave it to now-superwoman lana instead, and now they're married lol

#long post #ask #anonymous #actually i dont know if they got married yet but last time i was consistently keeping up i think they were at least engaged #ALSO i thought i answered this in the notes of that post #but i guess my replies are broken again and it never went through 😭 sorry about that #i love his & lana's relationship & this is not hating on that btw it's just kinda funny #superwoman 2016 is amazing because despite them being het jimenez the madman #still managed to maintain the bi throuple energy by making her gay for dead alt-lois's ghost on the side #that book was insane in the best way lmao

[tethered-heartstrings]

Id just like to say that I love all your reblogs of yourself coz I don't know if I missed them or if I forgot those posts existed but everytime I'm like "wow, what a banger" and then I look and it's you who's rereblogging your own posts and I'm just like .....AS THEY SHOULD! THANK YOU!

genuinely read this and it made my day tysm on so many levels <33

#wishing you a thousand good days to come #i used to feel weird about rbing my own stuff bc i thought it was annoying and i was like #there is stuff people havent seen #my blog isnt old but i have made a lot of posts #and i have like 1100 memes there is a good chance people havent seen some of them #+ my other posts too #but now idc. i am happy with the stuff i have made and i should rb myself. everyone should rb themselves #imagine though if i rbed 10 memes a day every day it would take like 3.5 months #and that doesn't include the new ones i would make along the way #but seriously ty ty ty anon whoever you are <333 #i had an exam today so this was wonderful <3 #anonymous #the curious clown

[mishapen-dear]

FUCKED UP 4HALO MY BELOVED!!!!

I think Forever should keep asking Bad about the marriage. And then, Foolish convinces Bad to go through with a fake marriage and they'll blow it up to kill Forever! Something goes wrong. They're at the altar, Bad messaged Cellbit to set off the tnt but nothing was happening. Forever doesn't even notice how distracted Bad seems because everything is perfect! And then they kiss and they're married. ^_^

YESSSS i love the thought of the plan fucking up so they end up Married For Real and then we get the angst of bad in a position of semi-power because theyre married now!! :D if bad wants 200 mines placed around the server because it will make everyone happy, what sort of husband would forever be to say no? <3 and then we get a little arc of bad going mad fueled by guilt and disbelief at the nightmare he’s living in and he should really take advantage of the vulnerability to kill forever- (sleeping in the same bed, modicum of trust, access to all of forever’s resources). But. then forever smiles something small and sweet and asks bad if he would like a very big drill, against the regulations special just for him to make him happy because he’s done so much for the island, and bad can’t bring himself to do it. gift giving is his love language. he could cause many many problems with this gift. he is already a problem. forever has the reason of drugs but bad just has the excuse of grief but he still accepts the drill and swears he’ll murder forever tomorrow

#qsmp #dark 4halo #<- will be tagging any asks with this but i WONT remmeber to tag my og posts #but will make sure to do this now so i dont flood maintag for anyone squicked out by this arc #anonymous #mishapen answers #as you can see i have very many thoughts about them #as shown by that Tangent #it doesnt matter to me how the Aftermath ends up tbh i just think its really fucking funny if the fake marriage turned real by accident

[wholesomepostarchive]

the most wholesome thing is seeing that the wholesome post blog runner is probably one of the nicest people ever :3 i’m generally Terrified of sending asks especially to a blog that Does Things like this but seeing you talk in the tags instead of just reblogging and moving on makes you seem very friendly and approachable !!!! and i hope u know i appreciate that :] i hope you have a wonderful day and both sides of your pillow are always cool and that if you see a random cat on the sidewalk it won’t run away from U ♡

woah, META-WHOLESOME!! thank ya for the compliment, i try my best to carry out those kinds of traits i value!!!!! i’m SUPER super glad that ya did!!! THANK YOU THANK U!! always appreciating how much of an impact this lil blog has on top of appreciating u for sharing as much with me :-)

it’s always a TRIP getting to hear that something i do that i wasn’t even really mindfully doing makes all the difference?? i’m just really, REALLY grateful for all the different kinds of posts that get sent my way and seeing cool + uplifting + sentimental + OVERALL WHOLESOME posts that i express my thanks + ramble a bit in the tags haha !!

i ALSO hope you have as terrific of a day as you’re able to! and i hope you’ll enjoy seeing more posts pop up!

AND YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE but i got new pillow cases like a week ago THAT DO JUST THAT! AND THERE’S A NEW CAT ON THE STREET WHO HANGS OUT WITH ME SOMETIMES (i’ve been planning to see if he has a microchip, but i know for a fact that the neighbors who feed all the stray cats on our street already have a cage + are well-versed in TNR, so i’ve been thinking about asking them first because the thought that someone could be out there looking for their pal is enough for me to “do it scared”) !! SO THANK U NOT ONLY FOR THE SWEET SENTIMENTS BUT ALSO FOR THE UNEXPECTED HILARITY OVER THE FACT THAT THEY’VE COME TRUE???

#and i get it!! running a gimmick blog (as i’ve heard it be described) is v v different from the other blogs i’ve got going!! #ik i’ve said it in the past but i genuinely think what makes for the lack of ambiance is the fact that i didn’t really? start this blog out #as a gimmick blog in mind?? it was kind of just for me to ‘archive’ Solidly Wholesome posts in one place #by the dates i saw/read through them + let them flow over me. because there’s already a timestamp ya know? #but the Vision was that i’d go through this blog + see that a year ago on a particular day was Important #which is still something i do when i have the the time BUT now i ALSO get sent wholesome posts!!! which WOAH #became a collective effort whether you’ve mentioned me in one post or climbing up to the triple digits now haha!!! i appreciate them all #TRULY :-) #and i’ll also admit that i don’t really remember if i kept the ask + submission channels open because i thought ‘hey maybe i’ll get one #or two someday from someone?’ or if i kinda forgot to close ‘em because i think i only block Anonymous automatically for all the blogs #i’ve got?? THAT will probs be a mystery for a long time to come if not forever BUT am glad it’s all worked out in ways i never saw coming!! #also APOLOGIES FOR NOT ONLY RAMBLING IN THE TAGS BUT THE ASK!! #Apple Pie is defs a priority for me rn and i’ve done some research + talked to my neighbors about TNR being the best bet in our area #last we spoke anyhow which was some time ago #also my parents apparently got into taking stray cats to a TNR program a few cities over so i’ll ask ‘em too probably??? #BUT FIRST THING’S FIRST: checking for a microchip #10/13/2023 #asks #wholesomepostarchive

[sidhewrites]

maybe you should go to therapy

I have, that’s why i don’t have anxiety or depression anymore. it’s actually some asshole living in my head named Clarence who hates my guts and wants me to feel lonely and shitty all the time. Sucks for him because I love myself and I’m amazing and nothing he ever said is true.

#ask #anonymous #is this because I posted about an anxiety spiral? dude calm down #no amount of therapy will ever stop me from having them but I can cope with them and move on with my life #also Clarence is literally what I call my negative and irrational demonstrably false #thoughts like my friends hate me or I’m abusing my cat. it’s not true and it’s easier to deal with by blaming something outside myself #rather than letting it fester and argue with my own head

[itsthe-tism]

My boy 🥰

He's my first of 3 save files, it's essentially just me as a Harry Potter character (tbh he's more attractive than me lol) the other two are the equivalent of OCs

I've almost completed the game with him though all I have left is the house cup thing but I want to finish my field guide before I do it and get to level 40 at least but I'm at like 37/38 ish so I'm very close

But yea I love him he's my boy I think about him too much and I miss him I haven't played hogwarts legacy for idk 1-2 weeks and I'm going through withdrawal

#my boy #idk why but whenever I see him that's my first thought #just #my boy <3 #I need people to see him #it's a current hyperfixation #so obviously I need to talk about it to everyone as much as possible #closest thing to a face reveal I'll do lmao #I like the anonymity of oversharing but people not knowing who I am #aside from a couple friends #but I doubt anything I post would surprise them so #hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy mc #hufflepuff

[lady-harrowhark]

What do you imagine weddings in the nine houses are like? Do you think they still wear white or abide by any more traditional pre-resurrection customs? Since Jod drew so much inspiration from both Rome and Catholicism (Catholic wedding doctrine is based on the ideas of free will marriage that were tradition in ancient Rome) I think it's likely but there has to be some insane necromancy element too. Maybe a riff on the eucharist from wedding masses? Also, how do you think it varies from house to house? You always have really fun and creative ideas about the world, so I thought I'd ask your opinion about one of my favorite random headcanons to think about. (P.S. I hope the eras concert was fun!!)

Oh gosh, first of all, that is incredibly flattering lol. Second... I actually hadn't given this just a ton of thought before getting this, so it's been fun to thing about!

I think they probably resemble Christian/Catholic wedding ceremonies enough to be recognizable as such, but I would love it if they were like, the funhouse mirror version of that. I LOVE the idea of the Eucharist being involved prominently, but maybe even at a more symbolic level? Like we could obviously tie that to the whole "consume the flesh" thing, but I just feel like Tamsyn could come up with a really cool play on that concept that would never even occur to me lol.

I kind of doubt they wear white; I don't really have a good rationale for this other than vibes. Just thinking about how we see a decent range of aesthetics across the clothing of the Houses, especially in color, it would track that they have differing customs for wedding/ceremonial attire as well. Like, I can't really imagine that the Sixth whole gray librarian thing translates into formalwear the same way that say, the Third does (although using the Third as an example feels like cheating, because I suspect they go over the top for EVERYTHING so no one was gonna be doing it like them anyway lmao).

As an aside, I'm pausing for a moment to push one of my most indulgent AtN bingo card items, which is Harrow wearing white. I know the Lyctor robes are like, iridescent white, but I mean purely white. With Alecto getting so much imagery around light, and how Harrow describes her in the Tomb as wearing wearing "a white shift", it could be a cool parallel. Oh also, now that I think about it, the whole thing about Harrow being a nun, i.e., "betrothed to the Locked Tomb". Plus like, there's something there about the way it would be close to but not exactly like the iridescent white of the Lyctor robes, like, John was trying to emulate that and could only achieve a flashy approximation. And something something Harrow setting aside the black of the Ninth something mumble. But mostly, I'm heart eyes over more wedding/marriage imagery for her and Gideon 🥰 (Idk what to make of that in contrast to the white that the Tower Princes wear, but it's entirely hypothetical at this point, which means that I can ignore anything that doesn't fit my agenda.)

On my last reread, one of the little details that I was actually really taken by was that Magnus is noted to be wearing a wedding ring. So that tradition still stands, at least for the Fifth, and I absolutely melted over it.

I would kind of assume the vibe of a wedding ceremony varies from House to House, maybe along the lines of what we know about the cultures of each and what they tend to emphasize. If that's the case, I would LOVE to see a Seventh wedding; I bet it's gorgeous and deliciously fucked up. I'm really really curious about the wedding that Tamsyn has mentioned being in AtN, especially because she mentioned party dresses, and you know how I love putting blorbos in outfits. I suspect that her saying that is a bit of a red herring... Like if I'm giving my best guess, there WILL be a wedding (an actual one, not just a symbolic Lyctorhood whatever wedding) BUT I don't it will be the focus. I could see it being used really neatly as backdrop for some heisty business, more of a plot device to get people all in one place or as a distraction. I'm not getting my hopes up to see the actual ceremony, I guess is what I'm saying. The real action might be happening in the next room over.

(and P.S. THANK YOU! It was AMAZING and honestly, probably the best night of my life and also I cried for basically the entire thing, I still cannot believe I was lucky enough to be there. I got to go with my best friends, who live quite far away from me and I hadn't seen since January, which made it that much more fun. We went to the second night, and we mostly stayed off our phones/away from any social media so that we could go in and be completely surprised without having seen anything about it, and I'm so glad we did! I wouldn't have held out if we were going to a different date lol.)

#me writing about weddings in the love-and-grief series: 😐 #me adding a post script about the Eras tour: 😭 #no joke though i did tear up a bit. which isn't surprising because i also get teary when i rewatch the videos i took lol #live music in general makes me really emotional but i also get really emotional about Taylor's music in particular #having grown up right along with her (i actually was at one of her first headlining shows in 2008 when only her debut was out) #and how her album releases have magically lined up with a lot of the big transitions in my own life #but anyway now i'm derailing in the tags lol #thank you for sending this! it was super fun to think about and i want to hear everyone else's thoughts! #also sorry i took so long to get to this - my brain has been fried #i still have a few more and i promise i will get to them!!!!! #tlt #my tlt thoughts #ask #anonymous

[napping-sapphic]

dates in Wich you knit/sew your cuddle blanket that's a blanket made especially for you n your s.o. and then watch a movie together while cuddling n playing with each other's hair n outside it's raining n you feel that gently tapping outside the window... Falling asleep on your gf's arms feeling so safe n loved n cozy /having your beautiful gf asleep on your chest, feeling loved n cozy

Am I the only one that's gonna phisically self combust if I don't get a gf to do this with?

Sometimes it sucks not to have a gf n being a super romantic guy/girl/person. I want a gf please lesbian/bi/pan etc side of Tumblr notice mee

Also, hii! Like the date idea?

-💫

Lmao hi! It’s a lovely idea! It’s been raining here for days which always makes me more sad I’m single since I absolutely love the rain lol I want to go sit in it with someone so badly😤

Also queer tumblr (which is probably most of tumblr if we’re being honest lol) are all really nice in my experience! And you’ve got a lot of lovely thoughts so I’m sure people would notice you and be happy to interact with you if you post them!

#asks #the little hi at the end like an afterthought is cracking me up #i love your lil scenario!! it’s very cute!! #also if you’re nervous about posting them you could always make a sideblog for it which is pretty much what i did with this one #turning off anonymous asks also helps prevent most mean people or so i’ve been told #but even with anon on i haven’t gotten too many rude things! #if i misread and you don’t want to be posting or interacting though that’s cool too!! #i love getting little things like this in my ask box🥰 #it just seemed a bit like you might want to connect with people and get more involved with the community on tumblr #so i thought id share the way i do it but still stay comfortable! not that im THAT involved lol #either way i love your little ideas no matter where they get posted :) <3!! #💫

[navree]

lol yeah, it was on Twitter. it was brought up today when someone made a post on how aegon was/is alicent’s favorite. ppl jumped in questioning how alicent can truly love and choose her son when he’s a rapist and then things devolved from there. 🥲

anyways, i don’t want to bother you with my pre-baked thoughts and opinions so feel free to ignore but i feel like the writers are trying to tell two different, somewhat conflicting narratives - one, how it was only the patriarchy that stole the chosen one’s throne, and two, how the throne devours anyone and everyone who seeks it, causing characterization and storylines to clash.

imo the show lacks intersectionality. there are three main-ish characters they could use to explore this: cole, an ethnic minority and low-born (we know he’s not from some high noble home) who holds his knighthood, the epitome of a noble man, in high regard when in actuality they’re all protecting a corrupt system, Larys, who I remember during the hunt episode said he can’t partake in “things of men” or something like that due to his disability, and aegon, who inherited a birthright and role just because he was born male yet he doesn’t want it and doesn’t want what comes with being a targaryen son.

idk, these are just some thoughts. the patriarchy is a tool used to protect power and it affects women and men. all this to say, maybe they should have thought twice about making aegon a rapist (not every “bad” guy has to be a rapist).

First things first, sorry that Alicent feels a deep and unabiding love for her kids even when they do bad things, idk who hurt y'all but my mom once flat out told me that if I killed someone in cold blood she'd still love me even if was also disappointed.

(and also there's something about aegon being alicent's first kid and what he represented in a very lonely time in her life and all the complexities around their relationship and how they'll draw closer but i've discussed that a fair amount already in other posts)

I think you're hitting onto something when it's come to conflicting narratives within the show. I've mentioned this before, but this show has a significantly larger writing room than GOT and nearly every episode has a different writer, which means we've got ten different people telling their own stories in the midst of the overall story and eventually all coming into conflict. There's also just a lot of missed opportunities, like how Criston and Larys have interesting stories (one is an ethnic minority from a place that isn't even a part of the Seven Kingdoms and is at frequent odds with them as well as being lowborn, one is physically disabled and clearly discriminated against in his patriarchal culture due to that) that just aren't being explored, which I think is also due to how they rushed the timeline in this season. It does make the writing disjointed, and you get Rhaenys still bitter about being passed over one episode and then telling Corlys to let it go because she has the next, Aegon the irreverent rapist in one episode and then the guy who is willing to protect his mother from a dragon before she stops him in the next, etc. People can clash with themselves on occasion, that's called character growth, but when it just happens out of the blue because one guy wrote one thing and then the next guy wrote the other, it's just weird.

I'm always a bit leery of "the patriarchy affects men too" takes because, I mean yeah but that's realllllly not the main issue, that's a several rungs down the ladder sort of issue, but the show does have a problem in that it has a very surface level understanding of things like the patriarchy and sexism and how misogyny comes into play with other issues like class divide and rigid social structures and caste systems. That's why there's this odd thing they're doing with the idea that Rhaenya "Chosen By The White Hart Like This Is Actually The Last Unicorn" Targaryen is going to solve sexism just by being a woman on the throne and not delving deeper into that and the complex political power structures that rely on misogyny in Westeros. It's a very shallow understanding and it can make for a shallow story.

Aegon being a rapist meanwhile is just such an incredibly stupid and inconsequential choice that I hate for such a myriad of reasons that honestly? Unless they do something more substantial with that in upcoming seasons I'm gonna start ignoring it the way Viserys ignores his children because it is giving nothing. It's an especially galling choice because a) Aegon should not be "the bad guy", he is the leader of the other major faction in a full civil war, we should be getting his point of view and understanding his point of view and as TGC said, introducing him first thing as a predator turns a lot of people immediately off with no hope of getting them back and b) everything else they've done with Aegon is stuff I've really liked. Aegon wanting love so desperately but feeling like he's never gotten it and how that permeates his every interaction with the world, Aegon needing to be drunk constantly to cope with daily life because of how pained he feels (and specifically apparently needing to get blackout drunk before he engages in any sexual act, as told to us by Helaena, which is just such a wonderfully horrible bit of character information I don't see anyone discussing), Aegon being by and large a bit of a shit person but still feeling his affections deep down, like giving Helaena a present after "cheating" on her and immediately defending Aemond against Luke after he couldn't before and choosing to go along with Aemond and lie for Alicent even when his dad was screaming at him because for whatever else, even beyond bullying and forced incest marriages and feeling like his mom doesn't love him that's still his family and he does love them even if he thinks they don't love him back, his genre awareness, the way he, like Alicent, is doing his duty by becoming king even though he doesn't want it and hates everything about it and is terrififed of his fate. There's genuinely so much they've done with Aegon that's made him such a brilliant character to me, and one that I want to see more of (TGC I wanna see the Emmy winning acting in season 2, I know you can do it). So having this one stupid choice mucking it all up is incredibly annoying and so futile to the story at large, I hate it, I wanna kill it with dragonfire.

#personal #answered #anonymous #it's never a bother getting asks and people telling me their thoughts don't worry!!! #also i know it seems that i dislike the show cuz i keep ragging on writing choices i actually don't #i quite like the show i enjoy watching it and discussing it #but i will talk about their issues #and also the greens who are my children (and man i talk about aegon a lot) #i've got like three separate posts that are just hyper detailed character studies of aegon #and he's not even the focal point in two thirds of them #but yeah there's some Odd writing choices going on behind the scenes and odd is me being generous

[rosicheeks]

🌸🦖🌿?

-🌸

🌸 Best compliment you ever received?

I feel like it had to be something about my personality. Personality compliments are always top tier for me and then singing compliments are probably next 🩷

🦖 Favorite extinct animal?

Dinosaurs???? I’m sorry I’m awful lol

🌿 Describe your favorite outfit.

Right now I don’t think I have a *favorite* outfit. My go to outfit when I want to look cute is usually a skirt and a top that is either a crop top or I crop myself 😂

#I actually have a box somewhere of a bunch of hand written compliments I got when I was in school #some were notes and some was from church #even if I don’t know the person anymore it’s still nice to look back at them #also my school had a Facebook page where you could anonymously post compliments about other students so I wrote those down somewhere too 🫶 #true and genuine compliments really hit me deep #the you’re beautiful or cool or nice or sweet #is nice to hear but it’s nowhere near the feeling you get when someone actually says something from the heart #sad thing is I don’t remember many personality compliments - I remember a few singing compliments but not many and I have a feeling that #my negative thoughts over the years just ended up drowning them out or ya know my memory sucks either way lol #my first thought was dinosaurs and then I was like nah they aren’t animals so I tried looking up extinct animals but then I got overwhelmed #so I was like eh I’m gonna just put dinosaurs but then I thought about it and was like……. if dinosaurs aren’t animals what are they #so I looked it up and I saw two different things saying either animal/reptile (I’m guessing depending on what type but who the fuck knows) #as for outfit that’s a hard one still - I don’t go out much so I don’t wear half of my closet #most of the time I’m just wearing some comfy pants and a some random shirt #but I’ve been trying to go out more so I’ve been going through my closet and trying different outfits #nothing is really *clicking* and tbh it’s probably cause I should get rid of all of it and start fresh #but that’s a lot of fucking money sooooooo not gonna do that lol #anyway thank you for the questions lovely 🩷🫶 #it was fitting for you to do the 🌸 it made me smile 🥰 #ask #🌸 anon

[mattodore]

hi! would it be ok to ask for a link to matthias' pinterest board? thank you

ackk..... my ocs board is private atm bc there are some ocs in there that are still wips... but i can give you a peak at matthias's board for sure. et voilà <3

#river dipping #asks #anonymous #matthias evanoff #matthias core #echthroi #YES my oc board has like twenty-three subsections and over three thousand pins YES it's still a wip #i unprivate it sometimes!! but i have a good amount of followers on pinterest bc i've been there for yearssss #so i don't unprivate it often bc i'm pretty sure that floods all of their homepages with all the pins from the board??? #since like... i reupload almost every pin in the character sections so that i don't have to worry about the op deleting them #plus i also hate the way captions and comments look on pins so when i post them myself i don't have to worry abt 'em #this used to not be a problem before but a few years ago pinterest suddenly decided to make titles and captions always visible #it's ugly fr sdfhnkjkjd now i'll look back at old boards of mine like my old tlou board right #and there'll be a pin in there of just like. a broken down bus and some overgrown grass... and then the caption is something like #''steve x tony'' in aesthetic font like ???? go AWAY. pinterest have made so many changes over the years that have annoyed tf out of me #and yet............... i'm still on there making boards #the man you see reoccurring in matthias's board is jeremy dufour btw... he's the closest faceclaim i've ever been able to find #i've thought abt editing matthias to look more similar to him before... but i'm kind of attached to matthias's current look idk #and i could never part with matthias's little evil villain eyebrows #i wish i could find a faceclaim for theo but it's literally impossible like trust me i've looked

[makiswirl]

ok sorry if this is a silly question but I'm always curious about how post canon edling works? like what is their situation.

did the edwin proposal just never happen or are they exes? are the edwin kids a thing?

does ed live in xing at some point or does he just travel around and sporadically visit ling whenever he can? I think repeatedly traveling through the desert could be painful with automail so maybe only once a year or every couple years?

idk, let me know ur thoughts!! :)

OKAY SO I OBVIOUSLY CANNOT SPEAK FOR LIKE ANYONE ELSE WHO'S INTO THEM but i do have a specific canon for them (exiled) (and like... i don't like the writing of the fics anymore... but my main interpretation still centers around it and follows the same beats so surely that means something right)

ANYWAYS HERE'S THE GIST/RUNDOWN OF I HOW I KIND OF SORT OF MADE THEM WORK:

--

(going to use parts of my personal doc for my ed blog (@alchemsol) that i use to keep track of stuff i've written that's canon for him just for convenience's sake)

so the general gist of the beginning of exiled is that after around four years of rehabilitation and one travelling in the west (what we see him doing at the end of canon, diverging without the edwin subplot since i prefer them being written in a more familial way like the start of canon did), ed travels to xing to visit everybody again along with his brother since he's working as an amestrian ambassador for xing now and living in the palace and learning alkahestry with mei, along with figuring out how to get jerso and zampano's bodies back ^_^

somewhere around this time ed and ling get together

during the span of about a month or two after the main plot ends, ed stays with ling in the palace and essentially accompanies him for a while as his s/o (unbeknownst to the main public). a while after he's called to border city milos to help solve a dispute with an alchemist

it is important to note that ling, despite this having been his entire goal and wanting to help his people and help reform xing, really fucking hates his job more than he thought he would since he's spent his whole life as a free spirit lol. more of ling's character arc involving naïveté it is!

so what ling does is he essentially knows that he can't really help xing much more than he already has in his position, and in a very strong sense of burnout and a horribly poor mental state that can really only hurt his people more than it would serve them, he and lan fan decide to desert, he fakes his death, and they both leave for and arrive in resembool while ed and al are still away in creta.

with mei having already been named his heir at this point in case anything were to happen to him and without any children due to the sudden elimination of the concubine system and lack of a love interest PRIOR to ed, she agrees to assume the throne and do what she had originally intended to do before ling had won the philosopher's stone and mostly continues out ling's work

"bluebirds" (the last exiled fic) essentially centers around ed and ling adjusting to resembool life (especially ling because of how goddamn high-stakes his life has been up to this point) after ed and al return from milos, and also introduces winry and pinako to the series. al leaves to return to xing after it concludes

the tl;dr by this point is that lan fan and ling are now in resembool, and while winfan ALSO begins forming in the background of the story, ling and ed adjust to the whole situation of ling, a whole-ass emperor, having faked his death and randomly having showed up AT THE ROCKBELLS' (and ed's in a more non-literal sense) DOORSTEP, which ed is Very ":/" about bc they didn't talk about this and it could be dangerous as fuck but when are they not known for being ballsy!!!

the other titles listed happen after "bluebirds" and exiled conclude, but are still in the same canon. coulomb arc is a personal project with a writing partner (my boyf) that veers off into this non-canon au ficlet, terrible day for rain and names to call you by are ficlets that i've posted and deleted in the past that introduce nella and leroy who ed and ling end up adopting (along with ollie who they had also adopted shortly after the events of under the apple tree), and the other ed/ling fankids i've mentioned (jingyi, delilah, chao) happen sometime after matryoshka and end up as their biological children

golden years is obviously the end of all that but it isn't really important since it's an unnecessary ficlet i just wanted to write ages ago lmao

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TL;DR: my interpretation is probably really far from what most people would consider in-character or most likely to happen after canon especially since it just ditches parts of the epilogue entirely as a result of it being a love letter to myself and what i like and not really much else because i just felt really silly goofy after consuming fullmetal alchemist content for the first time

however ^_^ ! it's basically just ed and ling living wild in their early 20s and then settling down and basically turning into domestic gay middle-aged men with 9 million kids because i think they deserve better than constant drama for once in their life lolz. i simply think it's good and soft for them to be normal especially given ling especially didn't get a taste of it at all when ed at least got a small sippy

ed ofc still travels from time-to-time because that's just the kind of guy that he is (usually bringing ling along with him to show him amestris), and he typically avoids doing it entirely unless he has a like. VERY important trip where he won't be gone for long after they have children mostly in fear of accidentally becoming like his father even though he's mostly forgiven him and absolutely doesn't hate him at all by now since he knows better than what he used to and why things ended up the way they did. it's just the matter of them getting used to living like actual normal and happy grown people, even with some bumps along the way, and they finally get to heal from everything that happened to them when they were younger together

tl;dr x2: i think they should heal and be shitty little country boys and make out maybe

#-- anonymous #macchi.txt #answering machine #edling #linged #THANK YOU FOR ASKING SJFDSKJAKJSKJS!!!!! i have many thoughts about these guys and they're unironically the only edlings i write mostly #SO SORRY FOR THE RAMBLING I DIDN'T MEAN FOR THIS TO HAPPEEEENN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #i've wrote them for like 3 years it's unbearable. every day i fight the urge to not shut up #long post #is this absurdly ooc for ling especially? yeah #do i care? no #am i taking constructive criticism at this time? also no /j #also minor spoilers for exiled kinda...? idk when AM i gonna finish that series tbh #anyways now you all know the spiel of what goes on in my brain when i mention these guys #still love fma's themes of community so much so even if the way i write them does kind of suck ass i still like including my bestie babies #i do have prompts where ling stays emperor and ed is still his boyf/etc just because it's really fun though #fma