#but i think they're more prominent then

[seidenbros]

Eddie Munson Headcanons - Late 20s Edition

Slightly nsfw here and there, just some things in my head that came up while plotting for fics and stuff

He may have moved into his own apartment, but he visits uncle Wayne at least three times a week to make sure that he's doing alright and eats properly (and because he misses him, but shh)

He’s really good with kids, and an excellent babysitter for his friends. He talks on eye level with them and with his imagination, he’s the best at telling stories. He can captivate a whole group of little kids with these stories. He’s the nice version of the Pied Piper, because children just flock to him - and of course he answers all their questions about his tattoos and his wild hair.

He wants kids himself, always has, he’s just too scared that he will end up like his own father (cue The Amazing Devil with “I will be the man my father never was”), but everybody tells him that he will be a great Dad, especially because he had uncle Wayne as a role model, who took care of a child that wasn’t even his own and showered him with love.

Eddie loves his job, no matter what he ends up doing. Of course, there will always be bad days, but that happens in every job. Still, he is happy at the end of the day, because he gets to do something that he loves.

Mechanic!Eddie comes home from work all greasy and more often than not ends up dragging you to the shower immediately before he gets the whole apartment dirty. This way, he just gets you dirty and gets to clean you up as well, taking his time with soaping you up, because he can’t get enough of touching your body.

Tattoo-Artist!Eddie loves spending time drawing his ideas on your body. Like a phoenix on your back, delicate flowers on your arm, but he especially enjoys drawing on your thighs, draping them over his own legs, and letting his hands travel where they don’t need to be in order for him to paint on you, but you don’t mind at all. It’s therapeutic, the ways he cherished your body.

Rockstar!Eddie misses you whenever he’s on tour, because you can’t come along most of the time. You give him a shirt of yours to take along, while he leaves his favourite sweater with you to wear at night, when you miss him most, especially during the cold months. (I have Hedley’s Sweater Song in my head all the time) At least these nights spent apart lead to both of you learning the joys of phone sex, only for Eddie to drive back after their last concert to get to you instead of waiting till the next day.

Record-Shop-Owner!Eddie (probably my fave) enjoys a few moments of silence once he gets home after being surrounded by music all day. He knows just the right album/single for everyone, and you’ll catch him singing along all the time. The shop is neatly organised so that he finds whatever he’s looking for immediately, and over the time, he’s collected a lot of polaroids with the people he loves and musicians as well that, and these photos are all over the wall behind the counter.

Eddie loves teaching kids to play the guitar (whether it’s in his free time or he makes it a part time job). These kids are just so eager to learn, and Eddie is extremely patient with them, because he would never stop someone from learning something new. He’d the encouragement they sometimes need, when they do not get that from their parents.

Whenever he sees you after you’ve spent some days apart, he’ll hug you close and not let you go for at least five minutes, burying his nose in the crook of your neck, breathing you in, mapping your body with his hands as if he might have forgotten what you feel like - which is ridiculous, because he could never forget, but he always likes to remind himself of how perfect you feel beneath his fingers.

He’s insecure about his scars at first, and that insecurity bubbles up all the time, but you always manage to take that insecurity away, when you use his own words. He always tells you that your scars are just telling the story of your life, that they are a part of you. That your stretch marks are tiger stripes, proof of how strong you really are. So you tell him that, that his scars are a part of him just like his tattoos, that they show what he’s overcome, and as soon as you kiss them, Eddie doesn’t care about them anymore, he only cares about you.

He whispers the most inappropriate things in your ear whenever you’re around your friends, because he knows how much that riles you up, and that you’ll pretty much jump into his arms the moment you’re alone. He knows just how to push your buttons, but so do you.

Eddie loves learning how to cook from you, and in his late twenties, he’s become quite a good cook, so that he surprises you with a home cooked meal when he has a day off work. It doesn’t always work out in his favour, and sometimes, he still burns this or that, but you still love the effort he puts in, because he puts so much love in everything he does for you.

He enjoys it even more when you cook together, all the domestic little things, because it brings you closer together. Arguing over which colour to paint the wall - because black wasn’t an option, but you let him talk you into getting a dark blue kitchen - or which sofa to get for the living room, but in the end, most of these decisions were easy.

Eddie is someone who tried to fix everything himself at first. Leaky faucet? He’ll try his best. The lamp keeps flickering (and no, not because of Vecna or some other creepy shit), he’ll check it out. He wants to do all of this himself, and he’ll pout when you call someone to fix it, because he couldn’t or would have probably electrocuted himself. But you always make it up to him and quickly take his mind off things.

Eddie doesn’t mind using toys in the bedroom. He’s not one of those people who get intimidated because you have a vibrator or anything, no, he’s actually quite interested in everything. Apart from the “show me how you do it” part, and loving to watch you, he also loves to use them on you himself, use them while you two are having fun, because he knows that these toys are not his enemies, they are his friends.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x you #stranger things 4 #eddie munson headcanons #mechanic!eddie #rockstar!eddie #tattoo-artist!eddie #record-shop-owner!eddie #staffi talks #not all of these are strictly late 20s #but i think they're more prominent then

[starry-bi-sky]

I'm in A Mood™ (stressed) so im going back to my roots of melting two character together into one person. So bruce wayne!danny fenton. Danny Fenton who, for eight years, grew up in a beautiful gothic manor with his mom and dad under the name "Bruce Wayne". Playing piano with his mother, running around the manor with his father.

Then when he's eight it's ripped away from him. There's blood on his hands and pearls pooling at his feet, and both his parents are dead in front of him.

And he gets shipped off to distant relatives "the Fentons" shortly after, Alfred close on his heels because someone needs to take care of him, someone that knows him. Bruce goes to the Fentons for the safety of anonymity. Gotham's press wants to sink its teeth into him.

Danny misses his city even if it took everything from him. There are shadows in his eyes and he's pale as a sheet even beside his distant cousins, and they change his name to "Danny Fenton' because nobody should know that their newest child was illustrious orphan Bruce Wayne.

They call him Bruce behind closed doors. Danny prefers it that way, he clings onto the name -- the one his parents gave him -- like a lifeline. He makes friends with Sam and Tucker. Tucker takes one look at the willowy, morbid little boy standing in the corner like a shade, ghosts in his eyes, and drags him out into the sunlight, and takes him over to Sam.

When Danny is twelve, he's still not over it -- and he's a little obsessed with the Fentons' research, with the morbid. He has books upon books on death, murder, detective work. Anything he can get his hands on. And stars. He loves stars.

Alfred owns the apartment next to them and comes over regularly. Danny clings to him.

When Danny is twelve, he's still quiet, meek, a shy little thing prone to being bullied. Freaky little Fenton with the night in his eyes and too-cold skin even before he put one foot in the grave. in a sleepover in his room with Sam and Tucker, he tells them the truth. They're his friends, he trusts them.

"My name is Bruce." he murmurs, voice quiet as the breeze, always quiet. he's staring at his star-covered sheets.

"Like Bruce Wayne?" Tucker asks, a joking tone in his voice.

Danny smiles a little, lamb-like with insecurity. "I am Bruce Wayne." And he takes them down to the lab, disrupting Maddie and Jack, to prove it. Sam tells them of her own wealth then shortly after. They start calling Danny "Bruce" in private too -- its trust. Thats what it is. It's trust.

Sam goes to media functions and comes back with aching feet and complaints on her tongue -- and Danny soaks it up all like a sponge, splayed across a beanbag chair with Tucker in her room. He's not envious of her, he used to go to events with his parents and they kept him safe from the ugly of Gotham's Elite. For the most part. He's had comments made at him, he doesn't miss them.

Alfred returns to the manor semi-regularly, Danny goes with him. he wanders the hallways and helps Alfred clean, the last thing either of them want is for their home to fall into disrepair. He brings Jazz with him next time, then Tucker, then Sam. They all help him clean, and he shows them his room. The one across from his parents', it feels strange.

When Danny dies when he's fourteen, the first adult he tells is Alfred. He and Jazz go over to his house more often than they stay in the Fentonworks building. At least at Alfred's, the food doesn't come to life. Alfred sits at the kitchen table and weeps when Danny tells him, Jazz is upstairs, and its just the two of them.

Danny's ghost form wears pearls around his wrist and the gloves look stained with some kind of black substance. He looks like a child who died in a lab accident, but he also looks like a child who has shadows dripping off his shoulders, curling at his feet, hanging from his eyes.

because amorphous blob batman has my heart always and danny/bruce will not escape it even in death even if that IS the only reason im giving him Mild BatBlob Vibes...so far

when they go to the manor, alfred helps danny make a pile of stones between Martha and Thomas' graves, nobody but the two of them (and sam and tucker) will know what it means. (not even bruce's children later down the line, not for a long, long time)

danny dives into ghost fighting on shaky feet and not half as witty as he once was in one world. he's skittish, skittering between blasts from shadow to shadow and clumsily making his way through each battle. but helping people lights a fire in him. he still has shadows dripping off his feet but there's a purpose in his eyes.

and god help him, he's going to help people.

#dpxdc #dp x dc #danny fenton is not the ghost king #dp x dc crossover #dpxdc crossover #dpdc #dpxdc prompt #this is just me torturing danny for a little bit because im stressed and i cried for an hour while i was driving so im taking it out on B #thanks for being my little stress ball danny #aha my old middle school habit of frankensteining two characters together is resurfacing again :) yall should've seen my wattpad drafts #in middle school. i had 50 of them and most of them were me combining two characters together to make one person and putting them in one au #my most memorable being skydoesminecraft and harry potter. THAT was a fun worldbuilding experience #do i think that growing up with the fentons would fix bruce/danny completely?? hurm. no. dont kid yallselves jazz is not a licensed #therapist not even at like. nine when she meets danny. she's not helping him through his trauma in the slightest. she's nagging. #she's his sister or sister-like figure before she's his therapist. would he be #*entirely* like canon bruce tho?? no. dannybruce is a mix of the both of them. but this is still the first post of the au and is more so #just me doing the equivalent of popping a stress ball so nothing is smoothed over. mostly im just trying to keep bruce's trauma prominent i #danny's character because he IS Bruce. i dont want him to just be 'danny with bruce's backstory but without any of the ugly bits'. #danny and bruce is used interchangeably because they're the same person but sorry if his personality feels imbalanced i came up with this o #the spot. was going to type more but the stress has left me. for now. watch ur back danny 👀

[hood-ex]

World's Finest: Teen Titans #4

#lmao he sounds like a mother hen #also i'm still getting used to the titans being depicted this way #i mean it's not like they're completely ooc or anything #but it's just like their characteristics from the og teen titans comic and teen titans year one being amplified #and it's weird to regress to those versions of them in my head when i'm used to how they are as older teens/adults #but honestly refreshing to see them address their personalities and flaws more uhhh... prominently? in this way #like roy being an asshole toward garth #but also getting the revelation that roy is lonely and such #and yeah anyway things are more pronounced to make way for character development #i'm still not 100% sure about donna though but honestly think it's bc i'm comparing it to her tntt self #Dick Grayson #Donna Troy

[wonder-worker]

"[Elizabeth Woodville's] piety as queen seems to have been broadly conventional for a fifteenth-century royal, encompassing pilgrimages, membership of various fraternities, a particular devotion to her name saint, notable generosity to the Carthusians, and the foundation of a chantry at Westminster after her son was born there. ['On other occasions she supported planned religious foundations in London, […] made generous gifts to Eton College, and petitioned the pope to extend the circumstances in which indulgences could be acquired by observing the feast of the Visitation']. One possible indicator of a more personal, and more sophisticated, thread in her piety is a book of Hours of the Guardian Angel which Sutton and Visser-Fuchs have argued was commissioned for her, very possibly at her request."

-J.L. Laynesmith, "Elizabeth Woodville: The Knight's Widow", "Later Plantagenet and Wars of the Roses Consorts: Power, Influence, Dynasty"

#historicwomendaily #elizabeth woodville #my post #friendly reminder that there's nothing indicating that Elizabeth was exceptionally pious or that her piety was 'beyond purely conventional' #(something first claimed by Anne Crawford who simultaneously claimed that Elizabeth was 'grasping and totally lacking in scruple' so...) #EW's piety as queen may have stood out compared to former 15th century predecessors and definitely stood out compared to her husband #but her actions in themselves were not especially novel or 'beyond normal' and by themselves don't indicate unusual piety on her part #As Laynesmith's more recent research observes they seem to have been 'broadly conventional' #A conclusion arrived at Derek Neal as well who also points out that in general queens and elite noblewomen simply had wider means #of 'visible material expression of [their] personal devotion' - and also emphasizes how we should look at their wider circumstances #to understand their actions (eg: the death of Elizabeth's son George in 1479 as a motivating factor) #It's nice that we know a bit about Elizabeth's more personal piety - for eg she seems to have developed an attachment to Westminster Abbey #It's possible her (outward) piety increased across her queenship - she undertook most of her religious projects in later years #But again - none of them indicate the *level* of her piety (ie: they don't indicate that she was beyond conventionally pious) #By 1475 it seems that contemporaries identified Cecily Neville as the most personally devout from the Yorkist family #(though Elizabeth and even Cecily's sons were far greater patrons) #I think people also assume this because of her retirement to Westminster post 1485 #which doesn't work because 1) we don't actually know when she retired? as Laynesmith says there is no actual evidence for the traditional #date of 12 February 1487 #2) she had very secular reasons for retiring (grief over the death of her children? her lack of dower lands or estates which most other #widows had? her options were very limited; choosing to reside in the abbey is not particularly surprising. it's a massive and unneeded jump #to claim that it was motivated solely by piety (especially because it wasn't a complete 'retirement' in the way people assume it was) #I think historians have a habit of using her piety as a GOTCHA!' point against her vilification - which is a flawed and stupid argument #Elizabeth could be the most pious individual in the world and still be the pantomime villain Ricardians/Yorkists claim she was #They're not mutually exclusive; this line of thinking is useless #I think this also stems from the fact that we simply know very little about Elizabeth as an individual (ie: her hobbies/interests) #certainly far less than we do for other prominent women Margaret of Anjou; Elizabeth of York;; Cecily Neville or Margaret Beaufort #and I think rather than emphasizing that gap of knowledge her historians merely try to fill it up with 'she was pious!' #which is ... an incredibly lackluster take. I think it's better to just acknowledge that we don't know much about this historical figure #ie: I do wish that her piety and patronage was emphasized more yes. but it shouldn't flip too far to the other side either.

[mad-scientist-pod-bracket]

Congrats to all of us for being so normal about super normal characters. Enjoy these out of context highlights from the form.

I wanna finalize and post the bracket in the next ~24 hours so if you want your favourite ethically dubious intellectual on that bracket, it's your time to shine!!!: https://forms.gle/FvQ2MMEGagwo5tzg9

#there are 15 unique responses rn so... if u nominate someone they're basically a shoe-in #if i don't get another unique nom im still going to go ahead with it i'll just pick the 16th contestant #part of me wants to go with like carlos (wtnv) #or lukas miller (taz) #but i worry about the sheer difference in audience size overwhelming the poll. i'll probably just end up going with #Dr. Gossimir from ars paradoxica #or Jedidiah Martin from camp here and there #i think they're both excellent mad scientists and more prominent in their source material than the first 2 anyway #BUT FOR THE LOW LOW PRICE OF ANSWERING THE FORM YOU CAN MAKE THE 16th CONTESTANT WHOMEVER YOU LIKE #audio drama #fiction podcast #radioplay #ty betteridge #woe.begone #tbs #w359 #red valley #archive 81

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Breath of the Sky Ch 13 (Skyward Sword meets BotW)

Summary: When Princess Zelda goes to the Spring of Courage to pray, accompanied by her appointed knight, a giant magical cog spitting out a goddess is the last thing she expects, but it is what she gets. Meanwhile, the Spirit Maiden Zelda is trying to figure out what the heck is happening and where her missing chosen hero is.

AO3 link

Chapter 13 - The Failure

They needed to talk. They needed to plan.

Despite the overwhelming despair and uncertainty, despite the fear and pain, Zelda found herself growing motivated the longer she held the princess. She felt the fire returning, the stubborn determination that made a goddess let herself die and be reborn, the steadfastness that pushed her to seal herself away for thousands of years, the protectiveness that had led to the creation of Skyloft.

And so, after wiping the princess’ tears, Zelda had told her they were going to talk to Link. Both of them.

The champion had been easy to locate. He had been hovering outside, trying his best to look calm but easily giving away his concern with the way his eyes lingered too long on the princess, the speed at which he walked to her. Zelda had explained quickly that they needed to find her Link next, and they set about that goal quickly.

The conviction of a goddess mixed with the nervousness of a teenager, though, and Zelda fell into her habit of worrying when it concerned those she cared about… particularly Link.

“Okay,” she said as she marched ahead, nearly dragging the other two with her. “Okay. So. The plan—the plan is to seal him away. We can sort out killing him after. We can do that. We just need to figure out what’s going on with your ability to seal him away. And you—” here she turned to the champion, finger pointing with enough ferocity to be a dagger “You get to kick his ass, but I’m helping do that too because I want to punch his stupid face. I’m sure Link—my Link—uh, Cloud can help with that too, but we need to find him. This is just—this is fine. This is fine. We don’t need the Triforce yet, it’ll be okay. This is fine.”

The look exchanged between the princess and the champion implied that her ramblings were not, in fact, fine, but Zelda ignored it.

Her anxious energy began to grow frustrated as they wandered the castle. Link’s plight of constantly chasing her down was becoming extremely relatable at the moment. As they rounded yet another corner, Zelda felt relief at seeing a familiar colorful uniform with sandy blonde hair peeking out of the navy blue cap.

“Excuse me!” Zelda called, running towards the familiar guard. He genuflected when he turned and saw her. “Have you seen Link? My Link?”

“I know his location, Your Grace,” he answered. “I was actually heading his way. Would you like me to take you to him?”

Given all the information she’d been dealing with, and given all the running around she’d already done, the sheer comfort and happiness at not only hearing that someone could help her locate her husband, but that it was the one person who reminded her of Impa, made Zelda laugh and fall to her knees to be at eye level with the guard. She hugged him tightly. “Thank goodness! Thank you so much, I would love that!”

The guard stiffened under her hold, just as Impa had the first time she’d hugged her, but she didn’t care. Goddesses she needed some kind of stable rock to rely on in this place, and she didn’t have one, but this guard came close. She saw the reflection of the window ahead of her that he was looking at the princess and the champion, the former holding a hand over her mouth to cover a gasp while the latter watched the guard worriedly.

Honestly, these people. How did any society develop to be so emotionally stifled, anyway?

“I need to teach all of you that hugs are a good thing, good grief,” she chuckled as she pulled away. “But anyway, please do show us where Link is.”

The guard took a deep breath, nodding and rising. He guided them in silence, though the sights of the castle kept Zelda preoccupied – they were heading somewhere she hadn’t been yet, and though the stone walls all blended into each other to create a massive maze, she saw light from outside and grew hopeful. It seemed Link, just like her, didn’t care for being cooped up in this stone prison of sorts, as beautiful as it was.

Zelda had to admit that, though she wanted to help her people grow on the Surface, she was a child of the Sky nonetheless.

They wandered a path that seemed vaguely familiar from their expedition into the nearby large town, though the guard guided them down a road that Link and Zelda had pointedly avoided due to the place flooding with people. Eventually, they wound up near a tower farthest from the castle, overlooking a good portion of land and the town below. The sun was high in the sky now, and Zelda turned to the guard as they approached the tower.

“Is there somewhere we can get food in town?” she asked. She was well aware the castle had food too, but she… didn’t want to go back there.

“We can arrange to have lunch brought to you here, if you wish,” the guard replied. “But yes, there are many places in Castle Town where you can get food.”

Upon their arrival to the structure, the guard dismissed the two colorfully clad knights who had been standing post in the entranceway. He turned to face the group. “The Hero is inside, Your Grace. I’ll ensure no one enters.” His gaze moved beyond her, settling on the champion, and he spoke with a softer tone, “When time allows, Link, Princess Mipha wished to speak with you.”

With that, the knight moved aside to let them pass, standing guard. Zelda looked back at the other two, temporarily distracted—was there another princess? Did Princess Zelda have a sister that they hadn’t met yet? She shook her head, returning her focus to the task at hand. She could only gather so many people together at once, after all. It had taken half the day just to get to this point.

Motioning to the two behind her, she walked into the cavernous structure, hearing Link’s footsteps scraping the stone up above. They climbed a ladder to reach the upper level, the bright daylight dazzling Zelda’s eyes for a moment, and she saw the silhouette of her husband pacing back and forth, clearly agitated.

“Link,” she called with a smile, relieved they were all finally together. Her smile fell, however, at the distressed look on her husband’s face.

Link froze, facing away from her, holding himself with trembling hands. She approached him slowly, worry eating away at her already weary heart. When she was close enough to touch him, she wrapped her arms slowly around him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. “What’s the matter, Dove?”

Link felt tense under her arms, but then he draped his arms over hers and squeezed her wrists lovingly, stroking her hands with his thumbs. She shifted so she could stand beside him, peeking around his arm with a curious glance. His expression was soft, enchanted by what he saw, but his eyes were dark and stormy. He glanced at her, his heavy brow relaxing a little. “We started all this.”

There was wonder and a quiet timidity to his voice, awe and disbelief and acceptance settling into him. Zelda squeezed him reassuringly, cocking her head to the side and giving him a soft smile. “Yeah. We did.”

Link let out a shaky breath, and then he let her go, looking down. Zelda’s arms fell to her sides, and she grew worried as she watched him ruminate.

His mouth became a thin line. “And I… I screwed it all up. I cursed everything, everyone. I cursed them.”

“Link,” Zelda said, caught off guard. Although the guilt was gnawing at her as well, she wasn’t entirely blaming herself in such a manner. Demise had outplayed them, and it made her angry and scared and mournful, it made her question how they could actually defeat him if she hadn’t been able to as a goddess or with the Triforce, but she’d still placed the majority of the blame on the demon king himself, not her or Link. Her husband’s worries were clearly eating him alive. He hadn’t even noticed that they weren’t alone.

“Don’t,” Link immediately hissed, growing stormy. “Don’t even try it. You did everything right, you did your part, you trusted me to finish things and I didn’t.”

“What are you talking about?” Zelda asked, putting a hand to his cheek. “Link, you defeated him. We had no way of knowing—”

“I did,” Link spat, pulling out of her reach and turning away, his hands shaking as he clenched his fists. His shoulders hunched and his entire body was so tense it was ready to snap. “He said it himself. I thought—I was such an idiot, Zelda, I—I thought—he started speaking about how his hatred would follow my spirit and your bloodline, and it sounded like the dying words of a monster, I—I didn’t realize it was a promise, a curse, that he was—I didn’t—I d-didn’t—”

Link’s body stiffened even further as shuddering gasps and hiccups interrupted his words, and he bowed his head, hugging himself. Zelda immediately rushed around him to face him fully once more, dragging him into the tightest hug she could muster, willing all of her love into it as her mind whirled.

“You had no way of knowing,” she repeated as she processed what he’d said. What promise was he speaking of? Did it even matter? “And who’s to say it was a curse right in that moment? Who’s to say it wouldn’t have happened whether he spoke it or not? Who’s to say there was any stopping it? Link, I was a goddess. I was a goddess and I couldn’t stop him. You did everything you were meant to do – you solved the puzzles, you tempered the Goddess Sword and made it into the Blade of Evil’s Bane, you traveled through time, you got the Triforce and used it to kill him. You beat him. It was Ghirahim who screwed everything up.”

Ghirahim. It was Ghirahim.

Was that truly why they were in this mess? The realization struck her as she spoke the words, because they were true – she’d exited her slumber because Demise had been killed, after all. Ghirahim was the one who sabotaged it, but Link had ensured that…

“What exactly did he say?” she asked, pulling away to look her husband in the eye.

“He said… he said his hatred never dies. That it would be born again and again, that those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero would forever be bound to this curse: an incarnation of his hatred would follow our kind forever, dooming them to darkness and bloodshed.” Link said slowly, refusing to look at her.

Zelda stared at him, dumbfounded. Why… why hadn’t he ever mentioned this before?

As if reading her mind, he stepped away from her, shaking his head and saying, “I—I thought—he was defeated, Zel, I stabbed him in the chest, I thought it was over. The amount of times Ghirahim would give some speech or another despite being defeated, the words were meaningless at that point. Just some other enemy spouting hatred while he bleeds to death. The sword… Fi told me to raise the sword, that it would absorb the remaining evil, that she would seal him away as designed. I didn’t—I didn’t realize—what did I do wrong?”

The trembling of his tone tore at her heart, and Zelda tried to walk towards him again. She couldn’t fathom why Link wouldn’t have mentioned this, but at the same time, his words made sense—and brought so many more questions to mind. How many times had he fought Ghirahim, anyway? The more she considered it, the more she realized she hadn’t really asked much about his adventure. Their time after that journey had been spent recovering and then pointedly avoiding the topic altogether.

Goddesses above, this was all a mess.

“Impa was right,” Link said suddenly, his voice no longer trembling, but so, so dark. “You were wrong. Hylia was wrong. I’m no Hero. Even Fi has decided that! She already chose a successor, after all.”

“Link,” Zelda tried to argue, immediately growing agitated. This sort of talk wasn’t going to do them any good, and she hated seeing him like this. “This isn’t—I know—”

Link’s eyes narrowed at her as if she were an enemy. The look stole her voice from her throat and made her blood freeze. She’d never seen Link this upset. “Yes, you know. Your Grace knows everything. You always did, stringing me along without ever telling me everything until it was too late to even stop you from—from—How does it feel to not have all the pieces until it’s too late? You were wrong.”

Zelda took a step back, her breath sucking in like a gasp as if she’d just been smacked. Link sighed, sensing the change in atmosphere, immediate regret flashing across his face before he finally seemed to notice the other two, who at this point were practically trying to disappear into the walls.

Link’s eyes fixed on the champion, and then he shook his head. The fight quickly drained out of him, but so did any desire to continue talking. He moved quickly towards one of the openings and leapt out of it. Zelda didn’t follow.

The champion ran across the way to peer over where Link had jumped. The princess slowly walked towards Zelda, who was still trying to catch her breath.

There was silence for a long time as the princess hovered near her, as she tried to catch her breath, as Link’s words played over and over in her head.

“Your Grace…?” The princess began hesitantly, a tenderness and shyness to her voice.

Zelda burst into tears.

You always did, stringing me along without ever telling me everything until it was too late.

Guilt sprang forth anew, revitalized by her husband’s accusations, having been squished again and again by both her and Link. It reared its ugly head, reminding her that the fact that Link had been dragged into all of this was very much her fault. Despite being the best fighter among the knights of Skyloft, Link was a softhearted young man through and through. She should have never—but—what choice did she—

Zelda continued to cry, bending over and hugging herself and falling to her knees. Her hiccups and sobs echoed in the area, lost to her own whirling mind but very much laying heavily on the other two occupants.

Link, Champion of Hyrule, felt very much out of place. But he also felt very desperate to try and help. He made his way to the goddess, crumpled on the floor, and his heart hurt to see her like that. He knelt carefully, gently resting a hand on her shoulder, desperately looking at the princess for help.

His own mind was whirling as much as everyone else’s likely was. The words that had been spat out by the Hero of Myth and Legend no longer held the same sting to them. Instead, they rang with such a heartbreaking familiarity, all the way down to the misplaced vitriol.

Zelda. He’d sounded like Zelda.

Never in his life had Link considered that if he ever met the Spirit of the Hero, it would act exactly as his dejected princess did.

He wanted nothing more than to reassure the weeping goddess that it wasn’t her fault at all, just as it wasn’t his fault that Zelda struggled to fulfill her destiny while his came easily. He wanted to tell her that the Hero just needed time and help, just as his princess did. But he was in absolutely no position to do so – he didn’t know what words he could say to reassure Hylia herself, nor could he brainstorm such a conversation with the princess as she herself was just as much a culprit of such behavior as the Hero was. Though, to her credit, she was trying to improve that, hence their budding friendship. But…

Desperate, Link looked pleadingly at Zelda, motioning to the goddess with his head. Do something.

The princess held her hands in front of her chest anxiously, one hand playing with the her wrist. “Your Grace… I… I’m sure he didn’t…”

Hylia continued to cry, not acknowledging either of them. At least she wasn’t upset that Link was touching her. He really wished he could do more.

Link thought of suggesting that they get lunch, but he had a feeling his own love for food would not help the matter. Hylia didn’t seem like the thought of a delicious meal would cheer her up.

The champion was quickly running out of ideas, just as his friend seemed equally clueless. However, Zelda finally knelt down as well, ignoring the dirt she was getting on her dress, and placed her hand on Hylia’s other shoulder. “Your Grace, I’m… I’m sorry.”

Hylia glanced up, eyes puffy, tears staining her flushed cheeks. It was… not a look Link would expect from a goddess.

He supposed he had never thought a goddess could get upset like this. He remembered her radiant smile and eagerness to befriend earlier in the day, and his heart ached even more.

He opened his mouth to speak, but still found himself choking on words. He didn’t know what he could say to help her, what would be appropriate, what would be helpful. Hylia’s gaze was fixed on the princess instead, and Link hesitantly pulled away to give the two some space. Zelda’s eyes quickly darted to his, pleading for support, but he didn’t know what to do.

Hylia stole Zelda’s attention anyway as she hiccupped and shook her head, her gaze dropping to the floor again as she squeezed her eyes shut. The princess shuffled a little closer. Link stepped further away, trying to figure out how he could help, what he could do. He could at least maybe get them some food, giving Hylia and her descendant time to regain composure, and then he could help them in that regard.

Sliding down the ladder, Link continued to hesitate as he dragged his feet to the exit of the guard house. His father was surprisingly missing, despite having been standing guard, leaving Link a little disappointed. He doubted his father could give him advice on the matter, but it would have been nice to at least see him. Instead, Link fumbled to follow through on his decision, feeling like it wasn’t helpful but not knowing what else to do.

“Oh, Link! There you are!”

Startled, Link turned to see his friend, Mipha, approaching, looking relieved. She smiled, red scales glowing in the noon sun, and Link felt like he was drowning in the ocean and just finally saw a lighthouse guiding him.

Link strode up to her immediately, hands gesturing frantically with words he couldn’t piece together, and his friend quickly noticed his distress. “Link, what’s wrong?”

“He—she—” Link spat out, his chest about to burst, trying desperately to hold the words in but unable to do so. He wasn’t sure this was appropriate to share, but by the goddesses he needed to say something. “He’s just like Zelda.”

The words flew out of his mouth like an arrow released from a bow, and he nearly collapsed onto the nearest bench, overwhelmed and exhausted at holding it in for so long, at the sheer relief that nearly drowned him and screamed he doesn’t actually hate me. Mipha slowly sat beside him, watching him hesitantly. He shook his head, leaning over until his face was buried in his hands. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Well…” Mipha said slowly. “You… could start by telling me what you mean.”

Oh. He supposed she needed context.

“The Hero,” he started slowly. “He… feels bad about himself. Like… like the princess. But he… and Hylia… he made… she’s crying, and I…”

Mipha jumped a little. “Hylia’s crying?”

“I don’t know what to do,” Link shook his head. “Mipha, what am I supposed to do?”

“Why is she crying?” Mipha asked.

“She—he—” Link stopped himself and took a breath to reorganize his thoughts. “The Hero. He… he got upset. Really upset. Like… remember when I… when I mentioned… I mean, you kind of dragged it out of me, but…”

Mipha, bless her, remained patient, knowing how Link could struggle to express himself. He’d barely spoken to anyone these last few months, but he’d finally started opening back up to his friend, even if it was just a little. She was the only one who knew that Zelda had yelled at Link in their first weeks together, although the other Champions had clearly sensed the tension.

“He got angry at her,” Link explained slowly. “He got angry. He’s… he said he was a failure, that he wasn’t worthy of being the Hero of Legend. Mipha, it’s… he sounded just like Zelda. But he… he got angry at Hylia about it, and now she’s crying.”

“Oh, my,” Mipha said softly, hand over her mouth. “I… didn’t realize a goddess could cry. That’s… awful.”

“It is awful,” Link agreed, the words spilling out of him now as his emotions mixed with them. “Mipha, what do I do? How do you cheer up a goddess?”

His friend was quiet for a long time, ruminating the matter. “Well… I suppose the same way you cheer anyone up. She cries just like the rest of us… perhaps she just needs kindness like the rest of us too.”

Link thought about the words, remembering all the rituals they did for the goddess. But then he remembered once, when he was very little, when he’d offered flowers to the goddess statue in Hateno, to the warmth that had filled his heart and soul when he’d done so, to the smile that always pulled at his lips whenever he saw silent princesses ever since.

Silent Princess. Zelda’s favorite flower. It always put a smile on the princess’ face too.

Link’s eyes lingered on the one garden that had tried to cultivate the flower, the only one that had succeeded so far, though herbalists hardly called it a success as only one or two flowers grew from the entire batch, and one was wilting already.

Filled with relief and hope, Link dragged Mipha into a hug. “Thank you.”

His friend was stiff under his embrace, and he felt her heart fluttering against his chest. Suddenly, the embrace felt too intimate, too personal, too close, and Link felt his own cheeks blush as he quickly pulled away. Before either party could speak, he hastily made his way to the flower bed, fingers reaching for the healthier of the two specimens.

“Link, wait, isn’t that endangered—”

The silent princess yielded easily to his fingers as he pointedly ignored how the tips of his ears burned, but as he reoriented to his original excitement, he stared at the beautiful, delicate blue-and-white petals with determination.

He turned and smiled at Mipha, nodding in gratitude, before rushing back to the guard house. By the time he reached the top, Hylia’s sobs had evened out, though she was still crumped on the ground. Zelda was on the floor beside her, arm halfway across her shoulders in a hesitant but heartfelt hug. Link took a steadying breath and walked towards the pair, kneeling in front of them. When the two looked up at him, he offered the flower quietly, eyes trying to convey everything his mouth refused to speak.

Hylia stared at him a moment before her gaze lingered on the flower. She reached out slowly, carefully taking the plant from his grasp and turning it in her own calloused fingers.

Her eyes watered, but a smile pulled at her trembling lips. The heaviness of the air seemed to dissipate, and Link smiled back at her.

“It’ll be all right,” he finally said softly.

“We’re here for you,” Zelda added on, growing bolder. “Just as you are for us, Your Grace. I… I may not… I may not have my powers, but I…”

The princess sighed shakily and continued, “I will still do my duty, and I will support you just as you’re trying to do for us.”

Hylia let out another sob, brow pulling together, but the way her face glowed, the way her cheeks puffed and lips pulled conveyed it for the emotional, relieved laugh that it was.

XXX

Abel supposed it was time to break protocol.

He ignored the anxious words warding him away from his goal as he walked down the stone path towards the city. He could practically hear the drill sergeants from his youth telling him to listen to superiors at all costs, to respect those in charge, to fulfill his duty and never question those above his station.

He could hear his heart telling him to do otherwise, his mind set in stone in his path, his beloved wife encouraging him to keep walking forward.

The Hero of Myth and Legend sat on the wall dividing the castle from Castle Town. Abel leaned against the stone beside him, staring out as the sun began to descend from its zenith.

The Hero glanced at him, startled, and moved to get up, but Abel ordered immediately, “Stay put.”

Oh, how his decades of training balked at ordering such a figure around. But mostly, it felt familiar, like when he was talking to his son. Perhaps the fact that they shared a name and a destiny helped.

The Hero slowly resumed his previous posture, bolstering Abel’s confidence on the matter. Now the captain of the guard just had to figure out what to say.

He’d honestly tried not to listen to the conversations in the guard tower. It wasn’t his business – his son, the princess, the goddess, and the mythical hero were all far above him in importance. Although he would always cherish Link, he respected the role his boy had to play, and he wasn’t going to interfere or be so immature as to eavesdrop on important discussions.

It was hard not to hear it, though, when the Immortal Hero was shouting.

Words of a curse, of a demon king, of blame and failure and guilt – they’d all spilled down into Abel’s ears as easily as rain. And it was hard to get them out of his head once heard.

Abel once again found himself wondering what the benefit was in having heroes so young. He still had plenty of strength and endurance in him at the ripe age of thirty-seven, and he didn’t have the emotional issues he’d had when hew as a teenager. Experience was as good a weapon as any.

Not to mention it assisted in cutting through drama and getting to the heart of the matter.

Of course, it still didn’t prepare Abel for such a conversation. It hadn’t prepared him for any of the conversations he’d had with his son once Hyrule had noticed a Hero had arisen. The words the Hero had hissed rang in his ears once more, thoughts of demon kings hunting down his son buzzing before he pushed them away. His son had been preparing for years had the support of all of Hyrule, and Abel would double his efforts in protecting the castle. This one, on the other hand, was a soldier in an eternal war, and Abel and even Link were simply another battlefield on which he had to fight. It seemed he was only just realizing that too, which was... odd and... heartbreaking.

He really had no frame of reference for this person, young and ancient, magical and so unbelievably normal. But he could speak to what he’d seen, and… he dearly hoped it was enough. He hoped it was enough and would be taken in the right spirit. The fact that the—the boy had listened was a promising start, after all.

“I don’t understand what it could possibly be like, being created by the goddess Hylia for the sole purpose of fighting off a demon king,” Abel started honestly, bluntly. “You look as Hylian as anyone else.”

The Ancient One glanced at him, tired and hurting and confused all at once. “I… I don’t know what that is.”

He didn’t know what a Hylian was? Abel supposed he wouldn’t. He was created to fight. Yet he was just like any other teenager. It still made no sense to the captain, but… a boy was a boy. Abel motioned towards the boy’s ears, small and curved like leaves, unique and honestly a little cute. It had always been said that Hylians’ ears were the way they were to better help them hear the goddess – perhaps his were shaped so differently so only he could hear her whispers, so only he could be privileged to her song. It… honestly made Abel’s skin crawl a little. He wished the Hero didn’t look so young – the thought of a child being molded to fight and married off to the goddess… it felt…

Abel didn’t dare say the sacrilegious word, but the ill feeling in his stomach lingered nonetheless. He tried to remind himself that this strange figure was ancient and not actually a teenager, even if he seemed to act like one.

“Your ears,” he commented. “They’re as Hylian as anyone else’s.”

The Hero instinctively reached up to touch his own ears, staring at Abel with wide, genuinely curious eyes now. The traces of guilt and sorrow were fading away in wake of his bemusement, and in that moment he really, truly looked like a kid.

Abel swallowed, trying to get to his point. “You’re… different, perhaps, but you still seem pretty Hylian to me, if you’ll pardon my ignorance on the matter. And if that is the case… then it seems such pressure that you’re putting on yourself is unrealistic.”

Hylia’s Chosen stiffened, though he didn’t comment.

“Calamity Ganon is a scourge that has plagued this land for millennia,” Abel said carefully. “And each time it has come, it has taken all of Hyrule to fight it. Though the Spirit of the Hero and the power of the Goddess are required to vanquish it, they have never fought alone. It seems… unreasonable to expect any different of yourself.”

The Hero bit his lip, his hands falling to his lap as he looked down. “But I was supposed to.”

“Did you defeat him?” Abel asked.

The Hero glanced at him, and though he held guilt in his gaze, he nodded.

“So you defeated him alone, which no one has ever accomplished before or since then,” Abel pointed out. “Yet you blame yourself for his return? If you fought him before and won, this should be easy, should it not?”

“But I—”

“But what?” Abel pressed on. “You can’t change that he’s here. Only that you’re here to stop him. Are you going to fight him or not?”

The Hero stared at him for a long while, eyes growing weary. Abel recognized the look, the exhaustion of war, the scars hidden within. He faced the boy fully.

“You won’t be alone this time,” he told him firmly. “Link will fight alongside you, as well as all the Champions, the guardians, and Hyrule’s army.”

“Sounds rather like I’m not needed,” the Hero said softly, a sad smile pulling at his lips.

“I am not one to waste resources,” Abel replied perhaps a bit too curtly, but he was tired of the adolescent’s moping. This was what the ancient child had been created for, after all, was it not? “You defeated Calamity Ganon long before any army ever could be raised against him. If you fight alongside our forces, if you support Link, then it makes the likelihood of actually killing it all the higher.”

Hylia’s Chosen perked up at the idea given to him, though he still looked a bit uncertain.

“Will you fight alongside Link?” Abel prompted. “Will you help him? Or are you going to drown in your sorrows instead while the rest of Hyrule tries to fight?”

“I’m the only one who can,” the Hero muttered, eyes darkening once more, shoulders set in resignation. “That’s what he said. That’s… what they always say. It’s my destiny.”

Abel waited, unsure what to say to such a remark. The ancient one’s words held a pain and exhaustion to them, but also a bite, and the captain of the guard was suddenly reminded that he was a nobody speaking to a legend.

The Hero of Myth and Legend stared out at Hyrule, sitting up straighter. “I won’t let him destroy this place. I won’t let him hurt Link, or Zelda. Or the princess. I promise.”

“I thank you for your protection,” Abel said genuinely with a bow of his head, catching the Hero’s attention.

“But I…” the Hero continued hesitantly. “I shouldn’t have said what I did. She’s… I know I upset her.”

Abel hadn’t heard Hylia’s reply to any of the words the Hero had said, but he supposed accusing her of being wrong would be upsetting. She seemed too kind to get angry, though, and the hurt on the magical boy’s face implied it as well.

Well. This was certainly a topic he could relate to. He was rather short tempered compared to others, after all. “We’re not perfect, Hero. We will say things that hurt those we love. What matters is that we apologize for them.”

Hylia’s Chosen watched him with a look so eerily similar to Link’s own when his son had been younger—so eager for wisdom from his father, so desperate for guidance—that it almost made Abel falter. Then the boy sighed and nodded in agreement.

Abel smiled as best he could. “Now, I believe Her Grace is waiting for you, great Hero. And if I may be so bold as to say… as a married man, I advise you be quick – our wives don’t like to wait for long.”

The smile that broke out on the Hero’s face was unexpectedly soft and sweet, his eyes glittering as if he was coming back to life, and the Immortal One leapt off the wall, much to Abel’s shock. The captain reached out hastily before seeing the Hero deploy some sort of paraglider, and he sighed heavily, realizing that now he had yet another hero who was going to give him heart attacks on a regular basis.

Oh, how he wished he could hold his son in that moment. But duty called, and he had strayed from it for long enough.

XXX

Admittedly, despite how his heart warmed at the thought of being with Zelda again, Link felt guilt crushing him the closer he got back to the structure he’d run from.

He knew what he’d said was hurtful. He’d chosen his words very particularly so that they would sting. He hadn’t wanted Zelda’s reassurances because he’d known they’d be empty, and suddenly hurt and resentment that had been long forgotten and shoved into the dark recesses of his mind had snarled into the light.

Link was ashamed to even get near his beloved. But he’d be damned if he didn’t own up to it.

And he missed her. He missed her smile, he missed her warmth, he missed her embrace. He was drowning and he wanted nothing more than to hold on to her. He supposed after what he’d said earlier it was a selfish thought at this point, but… if there was one constant in his life, no matter the storm, it had always been her.

He wasn’t going to be the one to lose her again. He wasn’t going to be the one to push her away.

The walk felt like it took an eternity, even though it was only a few minutes. Link hesitantly stared at the ladder leading up to the top, and then he climbed it, steeling himself.

When he got to the top, he found only a couple guards.

Link didn’t bother to speak with them, sliding down once more, and nearly jumped out of his skin as he was met with one of the stranger looking people from the festival. Their skin was red and shimmering, eyes nearly the same shade of amber as the crystal that had held Zelda in a trance for millennia. Their fingers were delicate but held sharp claws, and a blue sash was the only clothing they wore, though their body was adorned in glimmering jewelry.

“Hello, Hero,” the person said in a soft, feminine tone.

Wait, he’d seen her before. She had been sparring with the new Hero that morning.

“Do you—do you know where Zelda is?” he asked quickly, nearly laughing at the irony of such a question given his history with it.

“The princess is with Her Grace and Sir Link,” the woman answered. “They decided to head out into Hyrule Field, I believe. They were going to pick up lunch on the way.”

Hyrule Field? “Where’s that?”

The woman pointed back to the direction where he’d just come from. “It’s just beyond Castle Town. If I were them, I would go to the Sacred Grounds. It’s a pleasant place for a picnic. It’s close to the center of Hyrule Field, you can’t miss it. Would you… like me to take you there?”

Out of a nearly gone habit, Link nearly said no, as if he would find it on his map and could dowse for Zelda beyond that. Goddess. He shook his head, and then hastily said, “Yes, please.”

The strange looking woman—girl? Woman??—smiled and asked him to walk with her. Link tried to ignore the people staring at them as they progressed, feeling the number of eyes on them grow as they entered the big town he and Zelda had explored a few nights ago.

The joy of that exploration felt so far away now. He felt so empty, so unbelievably alone. But the guard had promised he wasn’t, and he…

He just wanted to go home. But it was just like his original journey, wasn’t it? He hadn’t wanted the weight of the world on his shoulders then. He’d just wanted to find Zelda. Headmaster Gaepora had said that the destiny of the world was his to bear, and his alone. No one could know.

Just as now, it was his destiny to fight Demise once more. But… the guard had said it himself.

Link wasn’t alone. Even if he deserved to be, after somehow managing to mess this up.

He would be alone if he continued to push everyone away, though, and he knew it. He remembered just after the world had nearly ended, remembered how isolated he was, and how Zelda had been the only one who could reach him in those dark moments.

Link hardly noticed that they’d reached the fields, hardly noticed that the woman he was with kept glancing at him to make sure he was okay. She seemed to understand he didn’t want to talk and was somehow blessedly fine with it, making the occasional remark about the weather or anything else to ensure it didn’t get too awkwardly quiet.

The awkwardness did linger, though, when Link realized he didn’t know her name. When she stopped and pointed straight ahead, he said, “Thank you… I… didn’t get your name.”

The woman’s eyes widened, suddenly embarrassed. “O-oh! I’m—I’m so very sorry, I—my name is Mipha, Princess of the Zora. I beg your pardon for my lack of manners!”

Another princess? Link stared at her, curious, but then smiled. “Thank you, Mipha.”

The woman’s shame faded, and she nodded, heading back towards Castle Town. Link took a fortifying breath and walked towards the Sacred Grounds. The trees hid some of the area and his approach, allowing him to see the new Hero sitting on the ground alongside Zellie and his wife. His successor was eating away cheerily, garnering a chuckle from Zellie, and Zelda… picked at her food quietly. She smiled when acknowledged, but didn’t seem to have much of an appetite.

Link wanted to kick himself. He also kind of wished the other two weren’t there.

Miraculously, Zelda alone seemed to notice his approach. She paused from holding her food, watching him with a little trepidation. Her eyebrows wrinkled together, and the hurt and worry on her face made Link want to melt into the earth. Zellie seemed to notice something was up, but before she could speak, Zelda rose and walked slowly in his direction.

She paused just out of his reach, and the pair watched each other quietly. A wind stirred between them, trying to push Link away, and he nearly gave in to it, shaking like a leaf.

“Link…?” Zelda called quietly, almost timidly.

Link wasn’t sure if it was the stress of everything catching up to him again, or if it was the way his own wife was scared to approach him as if he were shatter or explode on her… all he knew was that he was crying.

“I’m sorry,” he immediately said, shaking his head, taking a frightened step away. “I’m sorry, Zelda, I’m sorry I’m sorry—”

Zelda’s eyes widened, and she immediately covered the ground between them, nearly tackling him in a hug, carrying him with strong but trembling arms, easing him down to the earth as the world spun around him. He couldn’t get anything else out aside from apologies that stumbled over each other, words only stopping when he hiccupped or gasped for air, his tears endlessly staining her shoulder.

“It’s okay,” she soothed, tightening her hug.

“No it’s not!” Link sobbed. “None of it is, I’m so sorry, I’m—”

Again and again the apologies came forth until he’d exhausted himself, until he found himself clinging to her with as much desperation as he had when she’d awoken from her trance months ago.

He heard Zelda take a shaky breath, her exhale tickling his ear. “I am too.”

The words were raw, the sentiment so genuine it ached. Link didn’t have the emotional energy to reply, couldn’t defend her after trying so many times to reassure her and then eating his own words due to his outburst. He had nothing left to offer except himself, broken and worthless and idiotic as he was, and he just held her all the more.

The sun shone brightly on the pair as the other two slowly rose and watched in silence.

#writing #breath of the sky #zel: this is fine this is fine THIS IS FINE #zellie & champion: *concerned side eye* #abel needs a pay raise guys that's all I'm saying #I did not expect him to become this prominent in the story but SOMEBODY had to knock some sense into these teenagers #and Abel and Mipha were perfect for it #Mipha and Link are more fun to write than I thought #she has good gentle energy and a history with him which helps him actually feel more comfortable and talk #RIP to the last silent princess #don't worry there's probably a few out in the wild still #the horticulturist is just gonna have a mile aneurysm that's all #it was for a good cause #Champion automatically thinks eating makes everything better but he wasn't sure offering Zel food was a good idea #I love being able to write these guys when they actually COOPERATE #Y'all can thank Abel for getting this chapter together #He doesn't have time for teenage drama even if it's understandable drama #again this guy needs a raise #Zel and Cloud happily put the stressors from their journey behind them because why address them? :) Especially Cloud #they're fine #at least Champ doesn't think Cloud hates him anymore #I'm rambling way too much in the tags lol #breath of the wild #breath of the wild link #botw link #breath of the wild zelda #botw zelda #mipha #abel #skyward sword link

[unproduciblesmackdown]

pics from the first readthrough of summer stock

#=) #will roland #summer stock #occurred to me to check if goodspeed musicals has an instagram....lo: behold #think that's gilbert l. bailey ii in the first pic; cast as phil filmore; not a name from the movie but if i had to guess #it's the phil silvers / herb something role of [other funny guy] #i can Guess that's the actor playing margaret wingate in the second pic; a role i can Guess is orville's mom instead of dad #also seem to have replaced the older farm like housekeeper w/just the falburys' dad. sure thing #definitely expect changes like there's room for sure to completely add stuff; ofc to tweak or swap around / remix preexisting stuff #which speaking of; they also helpfully have all the songs they're using on their website which similarly isn't just the film's soundtrack #truly intrigued by everything like let's get that lore; surprise prominence of jimmy armstrong in panic of '29 all over again #which; anytime max friedman wants to update his site to have pics from that production.... #and like even just in the film like orville's as or more solid a part as anyone else's (save for the singing & dancing lol) #so w/what they'll shake up around here like Tell Me More....

[lord-squiggletits]

I know there are as many religious good guys as there are religious bad guys in IDW, but I think I pinned down the reason why it feels like the most prominent religious figures are all bad guys and it's pretty much due to the worldbuilding.

Maybe my memory of the comics is just really bad, but the religious worldbuilding in IDW is....kind of trash honestly. I'm not sure there's a single religion or religious custom that doesn't exist solely to further the plot along. Like, it's one thing for the Camiens to worship the Primes and that causes a lot of stuff in exRID/OP, but what does that worship actually look like? What are their holidays, customs, religious texts? What about "spectralism" which basically the only thing we know about is the Festival of the Lost Light and some hippie color coding and aura shit? Like sure, there are characters who are religious and their beliefs come into play sometimes, but it honestly feels (especially in MTMTE) more like their religiousness only exists when it's relevant to the plot and it's just kinda. Disappointing eh. Lacking in worldbuilding. Plus the more religious a character is the more it's written as their entire personality and the driving force making them evil so it just kinda made me cringe to read honestly.

#squiggposting #i think there might be more 'religious moments' than i remember since it's been a hot minute since i read #but i remember during my first read/while liveblogging it was something that disappointed me #i know it's probably unfair or whatever but it still makes me cringe so hard #that the reason tyrest suddenly became a religious zealot was because he got shot with a brain altering bullet #and his religious fervor is almost literally just a product of him being brain damaged and delusional #like oooooooooooooooooooooooof it's so fucking cringe lol #i'm not sure if i'm making sense honestly. it's not so much the NUMBER of evil vs non evil religious characters #but it's more like. the more prominently religion is part of a character's personality or motivation #the odds of them just being an evil guy shoots up to almost 100% #also then there's dr/ft who's a fucking clown and 'spectralism' is just some half baked hippie shit i can't take seriously #guess my problem isn't with IDW so much as it is with JRO lol #anyways not an objective analysis i might be wrong on some counts that was just my feelings as i read #and also i just don't like it when the worldbuilding around culture only exists when it comes to plot related stuff #it really makes the world feel less lived in/realistic when it's established that there are multiple religions #but then as far as actual customs- beliefs- texts- philosophies- etc there's hardly anything #so the good guys may be religious but there's not much about what their beliefs actually entail and how they impact their daily life #and on the other hand the bad guys are screaming about how they're god's chosen all over the place

[solarisgod]

Micah can generally tell when one tries to lie to or manipulate xem, have selfish intentions with xem, etcetera. It's not meant to be like a "hahah yeah, my character is so smart and powerful than yours", but, it's simply realistic based on the experiences that they've gone through with them having many toxic friendship across xyr life, got into nine relationships which most were abusive, had a lot of horrible foster parents, and the Starwake System as a whole have faced all forms of abuse across their time. In addition, Micah was a private detective when xe was in xyr mid to late twenties, and xyr position as a Saint continues to place xem in positions where xe interacts with dangerous people, so xe had a lot of experiences and knowledge in interacting with dishonest and manipulative individuals. Phobos and especially Philos are great liars and manipulators that they had to be so the system can manage or retreat potentially dangerous situations successfully, so Micah learnt a lot of things from them as well.

A lot of people are easy to underestimate Micah and view them as naive and foolish, taking xyr love and hope and kindness as xyr ultimate weaknesses, but xe is so much more analytic and observant and wise than one can ever think of them to be. There are infinite aspects in how one present themself and perform to others that Micah could take notes of and would connect with xyr personal experiences and knowledges: Speeches, body languages, demeanors, gestures, expressions; how long one have known another, how much one knows another, where they met and why they're still in touch and how they maintain contact; so forth. Micah is so painfully aware and in tune with everyone and everything and everywhere xe's in contact with.

The scariest thing about this whole information, Micah is willing to let xemself be lied to and manipulated with so xe can see how long the other party would attempt to take xem as their advantage while gathering more evidences against them. As well as part of Micah hopes the other will eventually see a fault in what they're doing and be better. Micah isn't the kind to be outspoken and confrontational when managing these sorts of cases, xe's quiet and passive to keep that oblivious nature, but when there is a case when the other party is clearly attempting to harm xem physically or mentally / emotionally, then that's usually when Micah will confront them or simply leave them, depending on who the individual is and what they've been doing to xem.

Still, Micah remains kind to the end because xe just doesn't like to be disrespectful and aggressive, it's draining and even terrifying to xemself ( xe's more scared for them than of them or xemself ), even if the other doesn't deserve xyr kindness, but regardless, Micah will be beyond disappointed if the other continues to try to use xem. Not sad or angry. Just disappointed, which is worst given how much xe xemself tries to be most patient and understanding with another, only for this sort of treatment to continue anyway.

#ASK TO TAG CW #/// #// #/ #𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ STUDY . › #𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ MICAH . › #[ ngl this is just as much of a psa as it's a study khsdbhsdbgk ] #[ and quite frankly? I am quite selective when it comes to Micah interacting with muses who are prominently known to be ] #[ deceitful and manipulative 'cause - really - the Starwake System has been through so much since even as a toddler ] #[ that I don't like the idea of them being more used / tricked on than they are in their original canon vs. roleplay version ] #[ it doesn't matter how easy one may think their character can hide from the system ; they will find out one way or another at some point ] #[ and to be honest? they should! ] #[ and again it's not meant to be like godmodding or character showing off contest or whatever ] #[ but it's just realistic with what they learnt and experienced ] #[ that would make them be more aware and in tune with who and what they're interacting with ]

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

y'know, I've been seeing a lot more posts talking about how fanfic, specifically, puts characters into boxes and takes away the nuance of them, and while I think that's an important discussion to have, I also find it quite perplexing? Like, these posts seem to come from people who don't even, or maybe very rarely, consume fics in the first place, and I say that because, if you do consume fics semi-regularly, you kind of learn? how to gage what the stories and characterisation are going to be like based on the tags and summary? Sometimes, you do have to step into the fic to figure it out, but it hardly takes very long to realise if it gels with you or not. Idk, it's not anything serious or important, but it does give me... "girl, what were you doing at the devil's sacrament" vibes, you know?

#this gets posted here because my main has mutuals (whom i still love v much) who are part of the girls suspiciously at the sacrament #fanfiction #ao3 #i feel like the post doesnt properly address what i mean. i understand that these posts arent talking about fics exactly but rather how #mischaracterisation in fics permeates into how characters are portrayed in the fandom at large but even then it's a bit. like i dont think #you can put that all on the fics/writers (and these posts usually do) alone?? like yes the mischaracterisation is more prominent in fics #by virtue of their medium but if it's resonating with artists and other creators then that's clearly indicative of a general #cognisance issue in the fandom??? and like. maybe it's because tumblr is the only socmed site i use but i dont find it difficult to curate #my fandom experience. people generally know how to use tags and while the sudden influx of x reader stuff for every single character isnt #something im fond of either they're generally good at tagging their stuff. it's annoying but you can blacklist that. you can. #also fic isnt like art where you look at it and you've seen it. you have to engage with a fic to understand so then it /really/ feels like #girl what were you doing at the devil's sacrament to me. idk this post isnt complaining about fandom mischaracterisation in general #i complain about that all the time but more so the inclination to put it on fics & their writers. because if you know how to move through #fic spaces and read the summaries and tags #you can generally find works that are really really good. could you argue they're rare? sure. but saying all fics propogate #mischaracterisation is just... a lie? #this got so long. im not even really bothered or annoyed by it im just confused #these are also often the people who espouse rhetoric about being unafraid to post cringe and embracing your weirdness #and it's like. okay do you want people to post unabashedly or do you want them to shut up. #anyway. back to our regularly scheduled programme now

[bunn-iiii]

I know people like to headcanon the killjoy as having certain physical disabilities but like. as a physically disabled person they wouldn't do as well as you think they would out in the zones. I mean some will but like. it's not like you can just go running around in the sand if you're in a lot of pain and I know for sure pain mess aren't a thing in the zones because the only medication is the stuff that makes you basically brainwashed.

#like i know you guys want to add more rep #but sometimes the rep just doesn't fit with the story in the way you want it to #like dr death that makes sense for his job he can be in a wheelchair because it fits. #but like. party poison is the leader of a very prominent killjoy gang that runs around the desert killing deacs and protecting a child. #they're not gonna have the mobility to do that bud. #it just makes me feel weird #like I'm in mass pain just by waking up or walking around my school #i don't think i could survive in the desert #and of course I'm not all disabled people it's just. the stuff i hear from other disabled people. like what are you talking abt they have #chronic pain and are completely fine without any pain meds or physical therapy or anything

[todayisafridaynight]

mine face model comparisons

yakuza 3 (2009) -> kiwami 1 (2016) -> ishin (2023)

#snap chats #the kiwami model is from unused assets within the game's files btw #i tried to get the most equatable shots but i cant tell if its angels/mid speech or they really did just squish mines head over time 💀 #i think they did just make his head more square over time- i always did think his jaw was kinda long in Y3 #they even style his hair differently- i cut it off for comparison reasons #but for his Y3 and kiwami model his hair just goes straight back with the little ahoge #but in ishin it sort of sweeps to the side? its hard to explain #one thing i noticed like. Immediately was how they redid his lips #they feel more even in ishin but they're still full #while beforehand mine had a more prominent and pouty bottom lip #either way before/after he's still handsome <3

[desiredcrescent]

feeling nauseous and cant get on my puter to make a fully fleshed out post just yet but there's something to be said abt my bg3 characters and their relationship to home as a concept (Feeling loved, safe and secure) vs home as a place

#like idk i think its so prominent throughout the three of them its inch resting #they all have different views and such on this and it impacts ultimately how they all navigate the world #and their willingness to play along with the grander schemes at play #daeris blindly following with no concept of a home to own... his oath being his only security + that's already wavering (more on this later #Cress who is homesick so so bad they'll follow reckless choices to get a semblance of approval outside of their home. #They're learning that they can have multiple homes (one that travels with them in their friends they're having so much fun btw) #And Farryn who was driven out of his home. has nothing to return to after the game and spends the whole game lost. #even as far into act 3 as i am he's still uncertain as to what's to happen should they survive. #they dont really want this to end. what will happen to their home theyve found in companionship?? farryn doesnt want to be a hero anymore : #there's more to it than even these tags but yeah #and i'll make a post after ive finally made an introductory post to my guys <3 #Daeris (durge) #Cress (Tav) #Farryn (Tav) #my ocs make me so unwell

[birdmenmanga]

birdmen fans all over the world rejoicing because I've slowly stopped posting about the queer metaphor but little do they know edits of the manga with excerpts of the communist manifesto are just on the horizon

#just thinking thoughts... #stray bird thoughts #I feel like people have less of a right to frown upon this though like the communism is like. VERY prominent in-text. #like it is more explicitly discussed than the queer metaphor stuff. which I think is deeper in the foundations of the story but isn't SAID #prologue is very obviously eishi lamenting the fact that he is only going to school so he can become a laborer in a society #which doesn't actually care about him #and once again. barbara's castle speech. #like this makes barbara and guang feng's stance of 'destroy all humanity' make more sense #because what they're REALLY saying is 'destroy the bourgeoisie' #however because humanity also represents the cishetallos tanabe can't actually go through with the extermination #see I respect the effort and why bm is the way it is makes even more sense now #but like. now despite all the efforts to push for communism you have this milquetoast halfway stance of #well communism can coexist with the bourgeoisie actually <- I don't think this is true???? #but see that's why I think the queer metaphor thing is actually the number 1 thread tanabe wanted to follow #because the ending doesn't make sense from a bm are communists interpretation #'the bourgeoisie can choose to become proletariat at any time and if they choose to do so we will support them'???? #so you're still in the basic framework of capitalism then. your revolution changed nothing. am I crazy #oh my GOD is takayama saying 'let's go to a time where capitalism never happened' and eishi's saying 'nooo suck cock fallacy' #'we fought so hard for communism in this timeline and failed(?) but I don't want all this work to just vanish #'so no let's not remake the world with true communism' #what's wrong with you eishi #i get it now. arthur and takayama were right. #but also he's a middle class boy. what did we expect #(and also it's being published in shonen sunday. one more time what did we expect)

[shortfeather]

still can't write bc wrists still hurt but what i CAN do is daydream an entire star system's relationship to ritual combat and fighting prowess that will be relevant to only two people in hermnautica

#geminislay vs wels 'just leave me alone pillagers pls' knight. they're both Saiph ancestry #and both with very prominent positions (ambassador and her bodyguard) #you KNOW i had to make the two with the battle motifs from a star in the orion constellation #maybe i can do some character posts instead of like. proper writing that will kill my tendons #still debating switching hypno and wels but i think hypno suits the planetary evaluator role better still #he's quieter and more into exploring from what i know of the two of them so far #even though i also know hypno is a decent fighter whereas i know approximately ??? about wels #hermnautica #except helsknight. i really want wels as the bodyguard so i can have fun with helsknight and kharaa. #similar to geminislay and vex cub and red king ren. i want them all as h-2 survivors #for the Torments

[cybervigilante]

hi, I'm gonna add irey park-west to my muse list (maybe to the on request list cause she's so specific to certain characters) and I need everyone to see the vision of lian, irey, and mar'i being reflections of their fathers (roy, wally, dick) not only in taking on their individual behavioral/personality traits but also in the mirrored oldest (lian), middle (irey), youngest (mar'i) and mar'i being the one who really leads them

#except they don't have the messy ego-driven 'why are you leading us you're the youngest' discourse prominent in the wallydickroy dynamic #lian I feel like would be a second in command willingly in that older sibling I have to watch over these two dutiful kind of way #and bc she has more experience but irey does retain some of Wally's middle child woes #Also I just think it's funny in the boys situation bc they're at most just months older or younger than each other #Roy @ dick when they form the titans: you're still twelve come back when you're an /actual/ teenager (in like 4 months or whatever) #˗ˏˋ ⋆ communication breakdown . ooc #kayla uncle dick threads when