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atopvisenyashill · 3 months

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connections between naerys and sansa?

There’s plenty! She’s very much in a Naerys/Aegon scenario in ASOS & ACOK, where she has no ability to leave the capital, no one doing anything meaningful to protect her, and a King that is obsessed with sexually humiliating her. There’s a lot of romanticism and chivalry surrounding her character and how other people react to her character, the same as Naerys.

But also, Sansa makes the comparisons to Naerys herself, and she does it before she realizes what kind of person Joffrey is! In fact, it starts with her very first chapter where she compares Joffrey interrupting Ilyn Payne & Sandor Clegane to Aemon demanding a trial by combat against Ser Morgil:

A whole day with her prince! She gazed at Joffrey worshipfully. He was so gallant, she thought. The way he had rescued her from Ser Ilyn and the Hound, why, it was almost like the songs, like the time Serwyn of the Mirror Shield saved the Princess Daeryssa from the giants, or Prince Aemon the Dragonknight championing Queen Naerys's honor against evil Ser Morgil's slanders.

She will compare Joffrey to Aemon and herself to Naerys again later, to Ned:

"Father, I only just now remembered, I can't go away, I'm to marry Prince Joffrey." She tried to smile bravely for him. "I love him, Father, I truly truly do, I love him as much as Queen Naerys loved Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, as much as Jonquil loved Ser Florian. I want to be his queen and have his babies."

(lowkey she’s so fucking funny for that “i only just now remembered” comment, idk how ned kept a straight face for it)

She then uses Aemon (and the Cargyll twins) to make Tommen feel better and dunk on Joffrey:

Prince Tommen sobbed. "You mew like a suckling babe," his brother hissed at him. "Princes aren't supposed to cry." "Prince Aemon the Dragonknight cried the day Princess Naerys wed his brother Aegon," Sansa Stark said, "and the twins Ser Arryk and Ser Erryk died with tears on their cheeks after each had given the other a mortal wound." "Be quiet, or I'll have Ser Meryn give you a mortal wound," Joffrey told his betrothed.

Again, there’s a focus on Aemon’s romantic relationship with Naerys because that's what appeals to Sansa. But when people say "Sansa sees the world through stories" it's not just about how she romanticizes or idolizes knighthood, nobility, and chivalry - she thinks through information by comparing it with similar historical events or stories and analyzing it. She clearly sees the problem with Loras protecting Margaery from Joffrey by comparing him to the Toynes instead of Aemon, and Joffrey (once again) to Aegon the Unworthy:

She is so brave, Sansa thought, galloping after her . . . and yet, her doubts still gnawed at her. Ser Loras was a great knight, all agreed. But Joffrey had other Kingsguard, and gold cloaks and red cloaks besides, and when he was older he would command armies of his own. Aegon the Unworthy had never harmed Queen Naerys, perhaps for fear of their brother the Dragonknight . . . but when another of his Kingsguard fell in love with one of his mistresses, the king had taken both their heads. Ser Loras is a Tyrell, Sansa reminded herself. That other knight was only a Toyne. His brothers had no armies, no way to avenge him but with swords. Yet the more she thought about it all, the more she wondered. Joff might restrain himself for a few turns, perhaps as long as a year, but soon or late he will show his claws, and when he does . . . The realm might have a second Kingslayer, and there would be war inside the city, as the men of the lion and the men of the rose made the gutters run red.

She’s also not wrong in her assessment here because the Tyrells (my guess is Garlan and Olenna) are so worried about this outcome they just murder Joffrey and install Tommen; like Bethany Bracken, Margaery is groomed (with all the implications that are included in such a loaded term) to be sexually available to the King because her father wants power and doesn't care if his daughter is sexually abused to get it. Like Terrance Toyne, Loras is considered attractive, skilled, and has several brothers more than willing to start a war to avenge his death. I think it's incredibly intuitive that Sansa ultimately comes to the same conclusion as two seasoned political players like (presumably) Olenna and Garlan come to, and she makes this judgement call very quickly!

And Sansa also hits on a lot of (correct) similarities when she makes these comparisons between Joffrey's court and Aegon the Unworthy's court; Aegon and Joffrey both have wild, violent temperaments while being notoriously difficult to control. It’s not just Naerys that attempts to get Aegon to stop marital raping her; Aemon’s useless tears aside, Viserys does do the bare minimum here in sending Aegon away so Naerys can heal from her miscarriages, Daeron got shitty with the Brackens about being tacky over Naerys' marital rape and ill health, Baelor fasts himself to death over Naerys’ miscarriages, etc etc. All of the “authority figures” around Aegon think his behavior is wrong but Aegon proves stubbornly difficult to control or kill. Joffrey falls along these same lines - Cersei, Robert, Tyrion, Tywin, and even Varys all struggle to get some control over Joffrey but like Aegon, he knows once he’s of age and has that crown he doesn’t have to answer for SHIT and stubbornly resists every attempt to curb his behavior. Joffrey is a hell scenario waiting to happen because like Aegon, he’s petty and petulant enough to pull the stunts Aegon pulls like pitting his true born kids against his bastard born ones and causing another violent succession crisis. I say this as like, the ultimate Joffrey Apologist here, lmaooo, he has reasons for being a nasty piece of shit but the Tyrells are right to look at him and go “oh that’s trouble” because he is a ticking time bomb. And the crazy thing is, it’s not just Sansa who compares Joffrey to Aegon the Unworthy:

"A king can have other women. Whores. My father did. One of the Aegons did too. The third one, or the fourth. He had lots of whores and lots of bastards." As they whirled to the music, Joff gave her a moist kiss. "My uncle will bring you to my bed whenever I command it." Sansa shook her head. "He won't." "He will, or I'll have his head. That King Aegon, he had any woman he wanted, whether they were married or no."

Joffrey makes the comparison himself. He's a piece of work just like his hero and he is directly threatening to rape Sansa the same way Aegon raped Naerys and poor Bethany Bracken. He is directly admitting he is "unworthy" and practically daring all of KL to overthrow him for it because he thinks they'll blink before he does (and he is unfortunately deadly wrong in this assumption).

And when you extrapolate out from there, you can see other, similar patterns between Naerys' life and Sansa's, beyond the Joffrey-Aegon, Margaery-Bethany, Loras-Terrance, and Sansa-Naerys parallels. Tyrion himself aspires to be a sort of Viserys II type player (see: "It should have been called the Lives of Five Kings" rant he gives to Oberyn); a power behind the throne directing his crazy family to do what's right or smart or proper. There's an interesting echo in Viserys taking direct action in sending Aegon away from Naerys and Tyrion stopping Joffrey in his assault of Sansa - like Viserys, he can see the monster in the king he is raising, makes an attempt to stop it, but fails because he underestimates just how dangerous and erratic his little king has become. Like Viserys, Tyrion is suspected of poisoning his own nephew in an attempt to get closer to power and the throne (and Viserys, like Tyrion, is probably innocent - the sort of fasting that Baelor was doing regularly is hard on the body!).

I don't think any of this is coincidental or accidental either, because of that haunting scene where Joffrey destroys the gift Tyrion got him. Here's the scene, excuse the wall of text, but it's important:

He plays the gracious king today. Joffrey could be gallant when it suited him, Sansa knew, but it seemed to suit him less and less. Indeed, all his courtesy vanished at once when Tyrion presented him with their own gift: a huge old book called Lives of Four Kings, bound in leather and gorgeously illuminated. The king leafed through it with no interest. "And what is this, Uncle?" A book. Sansa wondered if Joffrey moved those fat wormy lips of his when he read. "Grand Maester Kaeth's history of the reigns of Daeron the Young Dragon, Baelor the Blessed, Aegon the Unworthy, and Daeron the Good," her small husband answered. "A book every king should read, Your Grace," said Ser Kevan. “My father had no time for books.” Joffrey shoved the tome across the table. “If you read less, Uncle Imp, perhaps Lady Sansa would have a baby in her belly by now.” He laughed … and when the king laughs, the court laughs with him. “Don’t be sad, Sansa, once I’ve gotten Queen Margaery with child I’ll visit your bedchamber and show my little uncle how it’s done.” Sansa reddened. She glanced nervously at Tyrion, afraid of what he might say. This could turn as nasty as the bedding had at their own feast. But for once the dwarf filled his mouth with wine instead of words... [Joffrey gets a Valyrian sword and figures out a name for it, Widow's Wail, it's a few pages, it's not relevant here] Joffrey brought Widow’s Wail down in a savage two-handed slice, onto the book that Tyrion had given him. The heavy leather cover parted at a stroke. “Sharp! I told you, I am no stranger to Valyrian steel.” It took him half a dozen further cuts to hack the thick tome apart, and the boy was breathless by the time he was done. Sansa could feel her husband struggling with his fury as Ser Osmund Kettleblack shouted, “I pray you never turn that wicked edge on me, sire.” “See that you never give me cause, ser.” Joffrey flicked a chunk of Lives of Four Kings off the table at swordpoint, then slid Widow’s Wail back into its scabbard. “Your Grace,” Ser Garlan Tyrell said. “Perhaps you did not know. In all of Westeros there were but four copies of that book illuminated in Kaeth’s own hand.” “Now there are three.” Joffrey undid his old swordbelt to don his new one. “You and Lady Sansa owe me a better present, Uncle Imp. This one is all chopped to pieces.”

God I love that passage so much. There's a lot there but what's relevant is a) both Oberyn and Garlan are trying to get a measure of who Joffrey is, and have some child murdering plans potentially in the works during this scene. Watching Joffrey destroy a priceless tome of history given as a well thought, well meant, incredibly generous (and pointed) gift from his uncle is more than enough proof for either man to decide Joffrey is not worth the headache, and please note Garlan is the only person to call Joffrey out to his face, and Oberyn is a few pages later the only person to acknowledge this was a fantastic and kind gift from Tyrion that Joffrey reacted absolutely deranged towards for no reason. and b) Tyrion is almost literally saying to Joffrey "I can be your Viserys, I can make it so you're remembered as a great king the way Daeron II or Baelor are, or a great warrior like Daeron I, but you have to understand the reason why I'm worried about your behavior" and Joffrey does the most destructive, unworthy thing he can possibly do - he quite literally destroys priceless, useful historical knowledge and wisdom with his bare hands, in favor of senseless, petulant violence. As Catelyn would say, Joffrey's real bride is not Margaery, but the war he's fighting and the crown on his head.

All of this to say - there's a lot of parallels between Sansa's situation in KL and Naery's life and these parallels are drawn not only by Sansa herself, but also by several people around her. However, I hope for better things for Sansa than what poor Naerys got - I hope for an Aemon the Dragonknight that will do more than just cry while she's raped, but actually step into that room and defend her, or else give her the power to defend herself. Despite the long wait for The Winds of Winter, I also think it's likely we will get some sort of Dragonknight, devoted sworn sword for Sansa and this person will help protect her, and Sansa will have agency that Naerys could only ever dream of.

#valyrianscrolls #sansa stark #naerys targaryen #aemon the dragonknight #aegon the unworthy #joffrey baratheon #tyrion lannister #margaery tyrell #loras tyrell #olenna tyrell #garlan tyrell #terrence toyne #bethany bracken #i'm not knocking tyrion for not quite seeing how dangerous joffrey is. *no one* sees it bc Systemic Patriarchy and Feudal Violence.#whether its brienne arya jon bronze yohn fucking podrick i do believe we will get a knight for sansa tho!!!#once again sorry this took so long. i had a lot more to say than i expected.#also. thank you so much for this ask this was sooooooooo much fun to write out. we are analyzing themes babeeeeee #getting on my soap box #knighthood and chivalry #true knights #fuck i think that's all my tags #i had another section about how the show really styles her to look pale and sickly during season 3 and 4 but i had trouble phrasing it #so i just cut it. but that scene where margaery gives her the red and yellow rose and sansa looks like death? naerys vibes fr!!!

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lit-in-thy-heart · 9 months

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[ID: the train hitting a school bus meme. In the first panel, an empty school bus edges over train tracks and is labelled 'writing planned angst' with a train approaching. In the second panel, the train crashes into the bus and knocks it off the tracks. The train is labelled 'different angst suddenly writing itself'. End ID.]

#and you'll never guess who it's about!!!#(lancelot. it's lancelot again)#like #gwaine i set out to break #lancelot just leaks angst without me having to think too hard about it #like the main angst that was planned for this fic is a kind of fucked up dynamic but i'm 1.5k in and have not even scratched the surface #instead it's all been the implied trauma of the s3 finale #i think it's going to be another long fic lads #but i am getting quite excited to write this now #already have a substantial playlist a list of plot points to include and tags to put on ao3 #and i feel like one has quite succinctly summarised what i'm aiming for:#'what if you get into a relationship for the wrong reasons but you genuinely love the people you're with huh what then'#i don't often write actively doomed relationships mostly bc canon does it for me #mainly it's they're hoping they've got time and think that they do but it's canon compliant so the readers know they don't #but with this one they're actively making poor choices and things are just getting more fucked up #it's going to be SO much fun #lit talks #lit writes

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sysig · 2 months

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Anime good :) (Patreon)

#Doodles #MP100 #Shigeo Kagayama #Reigen Arataka #Ritsu Kageyama #Forgive the anglicized name order lol #MP100 was another one of my breakfast anime! Admittedly I did not Just watch it during breakfast tho lol #It was too good ahhhh I kept finding my thoughts returning to it throughout the day!#I probably ended up watching an additional episode or so per day over however long it took haha - drastically cut down the number of days!#The lead ups to the finales especially got me - there was no way I could for the whole next day to see them through!#Plus getting to see those beautiful EPs gosh <3 What could be better than some absolutely stunning animation ♥#I was quite impressed the whole way through :D The cast was great and the animation was beautiful and fluid and impressive #And the technical ability that went into the painted animation! Gosh!!#But most of all - of course - it's just a good solid story <3 Of course it's beautifully expressed but it's just - good down to its bones #I love a story like that :) Mob is such a wonderful character and he's surrounded by good people ♥ It made my heart happy to see #He's loved and he loves <3 That's my very favourite!#Unsurprisingly to me I was most enamoured by the brother relationship who could've seen that coming lol me? Siblings? Pfsh ♪#Ritsu's a sweet boy as well <3 I cried at him crying from Mob not even considering forgiving him because there was never anything to forgive #Not me shorter older sibling feeling exactly the same way hhghghh I'm fine ;;#Reigen is such a fun deadbeat supportive adoptive dad haha ♪ He's hard to pin down! Loved his redemption arc(s) :)#Flawed individuals my beloved <3 #Such an enjoyable cast and set of circumstances! I might actually have to give OPM a proper go sometime soon if this is the writing quality

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manchasama · 4 months

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Self-indulgently, this final chapter is nearly as long as the first four chapters combined. :> I am very proud to have finished this mini series! Now to work on those big stories! Here's hoping for mooore~

Hard to Swallow Part 5 (Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4)

Returning to his proper station had been one of the scariest things Ingo had done in recent memory. Not that his memory was to be trusted. That was the heart of the issue, after all. Akarei had come to him one balmy afternoon, and while he'd anticipated an exciting battle to be had, instead they had told him they had a way to send him home. If that wasn't shocking enough, apparently his home hadn't even been in that time.

It had explained a lot, of course. Why he never felt quite like he fit in with the others, no matter how much they opened their hearts to him. Why the pokemon never seemed correct to him, even though he had such an instinctual knowledge of how to handle them. Why he felt so alone.

Still, it had been a step into the dark, trusting that Akarei would guide his travels, that there was truth in what they said. Ingo had believed in them, and within a few short weeks, he'd not only learned of his true place in the world, but he'd been reunited with the missing piece of his heart.

Emmet, his beloved twin brother, had been overjoyed at Ingo's return. Part of Ingo had shied away at the knowledge he'd forgotten his own brother, a twin at that! How could Emmet be satisfied with the shell of the man he'd lost? Ingo hadn't magically regained his lost memories, though some of them were returning slowly with the familiar stimulus of Nimbasa city.

Despite that, despite his doubts and worries, Ingo couldn't deny the simple fact that he felt whole for the first time he could remember. Everywhere he turned, Emmet was there. The unasked for support was offered at every turn, and Emmet seemed to have a supernatural ability to sense what Ingo needed. That was, he supposed, because Emmet remembered the roots of habits Ingo had only by muscle memory. Small details that were obvious to him, that Ingo no longer had access to.

It made him hope that he provided even a fraction of that comfort to his brother. Emmet was adamant when he told Ingo that his return was more than he could have asked for, that nothing in the world made him happier. Ingo had to accept that as truth as well.

Today, Emmet and Elesa were on a mission to reintroduce Ingo to some of his favorite sites and tastes of Nimbasa.

"It's kind of neat, actually," Elesa was saying. "You get to experience your favorites like new all over again. There's a special zing to those kind of experiences!" At her side, her Zebstrika plodded along placidly. His back was overflowing with the packages they'd already purchased on their trip.

"Yes," Ingo agreed seriously. "And with you two as my conductors, I'm sure you won't drive me down the wrong tracks." He winced after he said that, aware it came across as rude to people who were only doing their best to help him. He hadn't intended it to be that way of course, but he knew if he did not watch his words, with his stiff face it would come across as criticism.

Before he could apologize, however, Emmet was leaning into his side with a delighted laugh that brought a lightness to Ingo's chest. "Do you believe we would feed you food we know you hate? I am Emmet and I am offended you would think so poorly of us!"

Elesa let out a dramatic gasp, leaning into Ingo's other side as she put the back of her hand against her forehead. "To think, here we are, out of the kindness of our hearts—"

"And the bottom of our wallets," Emmet interjected.

"--taking you out for a nice night on the town, and we are rewarded with such suspicion!"

And Ingo realized that he needn't have worried at all. These were his beloved friends, his family, and he didn't have to worry about being misunderstood here. A chime above him made him tilt his face up, and he was greeted by Chandelure pressing her glass against his forehead. He felt a swell of affection at that, his hand coming up to cradle her body. Chiming again, she backed off with a twirl, then resumed her floating from above. He rather thought she fashioned herself as their guiding light, despite the bright daylight around them.

"In fact," Emmet said, pulling away and striding toward one of the nearby food stations. Ingo watched him go, absently clutching Elesa tighter to his side as he resisted the urge to stop Emmet. He couldn't do anything about the need to keep Emmet in sight though, and he lifted slightly on his toes so he could continue to keep and eye on the white hat as the crowd moved around them.

He startled and looked down as Elesa's hand pressed against his chest. Habit kicked in and Ingo was quick to release his hold on her. Friend or not, it wouldn't do to make her uncomfortable. She didn't move away, however. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, squishing her face against his shoulder as she rocked them in place. It...didn't seem like she did it for any reason other than she wanted to. That fact alone made warmth fill him from his head right to his toes. This time he didn't hesitate to wrap his arm around her back, relishing her grounding presence at his side.

"I expect a full apology," Emmet popped back up at their side, continuing as if he'd never left, "once you have tried this!" He thrust a pastry in Ingo's face, the golden crust poking out of the paper sleeve. One side of it was covered in a sauce of some sort, with little flecks of white and oddly enough pink on it. It didn't look like soy sauce, or anything of it's equivalent, but Ingo was having a hard time bringing to mind what it was.

He took the pastry gently from Emmet's hand, holding it up for a closer look. From here he could smell the sweetness. Oh, not soy sauce, but chocolate! The colorful bits were sprinkles! This was a dessert! Eagerly, Ingo took a bite out of it, and was immediately greeted by a burst of fruity sweetness on his tongue that blended smoothly with the chocolate and pastry. Eyes wide in the unexpected joy, he flapped his free hand at Emmet, grabbing at his coat and tugging it in excitement. It was pecha flavored!

Emmet's laugh was delighted as he squished in to the hug Elesa had not yet released Ingo from. "Is it bravo worthy?" he asked, looking at Ingo with a far too pleased-with-himself expression.

As soon as Ingo was able to clear his mouth, he bellowed, "Super bravo! Emmet, this is amazing! The crust is so flaky, and the chocolate is not bitter at all. The pecha jam is fresh and full of little chunks of fruit. I cannot remember the last time I had something so delicious!"

Ingo paused in his gushing at the odd look on Emmet's face. It wasn't a bad look, and Emmet was quick to quirk his mouth up in reassurance. Still.... "What is it Emmet?" He wanted to know. He didn't think Emmet would mind him asking.

"You're smiling," Emmet replied. And oh, oh. Ingo self-consciously raised a hand to touch the edge of his mouth. It had taken him so long to be able to do the bare minimum of the expression. Now that he knew what had caused the look, he could recognize the fond wonder in Emmet's eyes.

"I am happy," Ingo said simply. He let his smile widen, laughing a bit as Emmet's face lit up in response.

"And I am hungry," Elesa cut in. She was beaming at Ingo just as widely as Emmet was. "We still have at least five more places we need to hit up before we head back. Roller has been a champion in carrying around all our bags, but we shouldn't linger too long right?" Roller leaned over to nuzzle Elesa in agreement. The Zebstrika had been very patient in allowing them to pile their bags of foodstuffs across his back. He looked more like a pack pokemon than a battler at this point.

There was a scuffle at their feet, and Elesa pried herself away from Ingo's side to look down. Their adorable Durant had returned from his foray, a parcel tied securely to his back. He was tugging insistently at Elesa's pant leg until she crouched down. With a little wiggling and a few dexterous clicks of its mandible, the package was untied and Durant offered her one of the dumplings he'd brought.

Elesa's hand came up to her face as she cooed at the offering. "Oooh, thank you Ran-ran!" She bit into the dumpling with a happy hum, before offering the rest to him. Ran-ran took it delicately from her fingers, waving its antennae in thanks as it ate. Then Elesa reached out to gather the rest of the dumplings back up, wrapping it back into its packaging with a few deft folds. "Let's get the rest of that packed back up for home, okay?"

"Isn't this a bit excessive?" Ingo asked, somewhat rhetorically. He's asked the same question five stations ago. He took another bite of the pastry, eyes closing in pleasure as the taste burst over his tongue again. How marvelous!

Emmet added a bag full of more pastries Ingo hadn't noticed to the pile on Roller's back. "Nope!" he chirped. A sleepy echo of the sound announced one of Elesa's Emolga—Sparker, Ingo thought—waking up as Emmet nearly squashed him with the bag. Emmet gave it a quick face scratch of apology, and was seemingly unbothered by the small zaps of electricity the pokemon gave off. It quickly burrowed itself back under the pile and out of sight.

Elesa was a little more careful as she added her package to Roller's back. "Come on Ingo, let us have an excuse to celebrate," she cajoled. "There will be enough people there to eat all the food, and if not, at least you'll have leftovers!"

"I hardly think reminding me of what food I eat needs to be celebrated," Ingo stated with an eye roll. "But far be it for me to spoil your fun. What is our next destination?"

Emmet didn't answer verbally, just grabbed Ingo's hand and pulled him along down the busy road, expertly weaving between people in his single minded determination. Ingo quickly popped the rest of the pastry in his mouth and grabbed Elesa's hand before he could be pulled out of range, and the three of them made a merry train through the crowds.

Durant and Zebstrika followed more sedately. Chandelure was hovering above them, too far to be buffeted by the crowds, but close enough that her constant happy chimes echoed in Ingo's ears. Eelektross came winding his way from where he'd been off exploring, twisting happy spirals around Emmet without bothering where his and Ingo's hands were joined. Ingo marveled at the fact that not only was no one worried that the large pokemon were out in the open, but that people trusted they meant no harm, even without a pokemon trainer overseeing them. Just another wonderful thing about the future that he forgot he was missing.

It took them another hour for both Emmet and Elesa to be satisfied with their selection. Ingo had wondered briefly if they were going to come to blows over a taco stand. Elesa was insistent they needed a variety of entrees, while Emmet was equally insistent that the food was too messy, too crunchy, and too soft all at once. Elesa won when Ingo had admitted he wanted to try the little wraps of meat they were selling. Suddenly Emmet was all for ordering a little bit of everything from the menu. It was endearing, if a bit ridiculous.

By this point, Haxorus had come out of his pokeball to assist with carrying the packages to give Zebstrika a break. He was overjoyed at being included, his tail wagging in long sweeps across the road. Many people had avoided the happy dragon with indulgent looks, and a few children had followed them for a while, playing a skipping game over Haxorus' tail.

So it was with a light heart that Ingo and the absolute menagerie around him finally made it back to his and Emmet's house. Inside was already bustling. Drayden had arrived early in the morning to oversee this gathering. Furniture had been moved about to make space, some folding tables Ingo was unsure they even owned had appeared to line the walls, and soon enough Drayden had shoo'd them out the door so he could finish setting up. So Ingo had certainly expected to return to a fuller house, but he was still surprised by the tables already full of plates and dishes, and more people than he could actively remember were already milling about the large living room, spilling out through the open doors into the back yard.

"We return!" Emmet announced loudly as he pushed through the door past Ingo, flinging one hand wide as if to present Ingo to the room.

"We also brought the goods," Elesa sang out, Zebstrika and Haxorus proudly marching into the room behind her with their loot.

A slender body came sprinting across the room, as Iris threw her arms around Ingo's waist. He caught her with ease, marveling again at how free with affection his family was. "Welcome back!" she said, releasing him and spinning around with a laugh. "That means we can finally start eating, right?"

"Soon," Drayden rumbled as he approached. He reached out a hand to squeeze Ingo's shoulder, eyes crinkled up in a smile. "Welcome home, Ingo."

Ingo's throat tightened unexpectedly, and he had to clear it to be able to speak. "I'm home, Uncle Drayden." He would never get tired of that.

Drayden, never a man of many words, merely nodded and stepped back. "It's nice to see Haxorus looking so well these days."

"Yeah!" Iris cheered, raising a fist triumphantly. "I made sure we brought lots of Mago poffins for Zephyr! Hey, can I go play with him now?" She turned sparkling eyes on Drayden, who gestured her right back to Emmet and Ingo. "Pleeease?" she added, changing target.

Ingo was strong to many manipulations, but this was not one of them. "I don't see why—"

"Not until we have had a battle!" Emmet interrupted, apparently not moved by the wobbly expression on the girl's face. "I know you. You will talk with Zephyr to get our training secrets. We will not be thrown under the tracks by your tactics."

Iris stomped her foot, but didn't look too put out. "Aw, you're too good at this Emmet. If I promise not to ask about any battling, can I?"

Emmet leaned over to get right in her face. She stared back, unbothered by his closeness. Whatever Emmet saw there, he straightened up with a nod. "Very well. But I will be watching you."

"Not if you're watching Ingo the whole night!" she retorted gleefully.

Even as she skipped off to Haxorus' side, Emmet called after her, "I have an extra set of eyes just for your shenanigans!" He turned back to Ingo with a huff. "You are lucky she is being nice today. She missed you."

Ingo wasn't quite sure what 'being nice' meant in this situation, but took his brother's word for it. "I may not yet remember all our routes, but I am quite sure that I missed her as well. I will have to apologize later."

"None of that," Drayden chidded gently. Emmet nodded emphatically in agreement, lips pressed together tightly. "We don't care if you remember or not. You are family."

"I am Emmet. Why are you apologizing? She will be angry if you apologize."

Ingo regarded his brother, noting the unhappy lilt to his smile and the way his fists were clenched at his side. "Does it make you angry as well?" he wondered out loud.

"Yes," Emmet responded immediately. "You do not need to apologize for being Ingo. Memories or no memories."

Ingo hummed, but nodded hesitantly. "I see. I am...unsure of the route to take. I feel the distress caused by my absence needs reparation. Yet that very act may not bring the comfort I wish."

Drayden let out a loud huff, though his eyes were fond when Ingo looked to him. "Well, that has always been your ideals, I suppose. I will leave you to your brother to see if he can't hammer a bit of our truth into you."

"Full speed ahead!" Emmet said with a snappy salute. Drayden let out a soft laugh, before turning and following after where Iris was hanging off Haxorus' tail.

Three young men were also converging on Zebstrika and Haxorus, quickly taking over unloading the pokemon of the food they'd been carrying around. Ingo had been quite unsure of how to react when he'd been reintroduced to the triplets. Chilli and Cress had been pleasant and cordial, but Cilan had been beside himself in expressing his joy and relief at Ingo's return.

Emmet had been been very amused to inform Ingo of Cilan's hero worship after the fact. Despite that, though, Ingo found the three very fun to talk to. Cilan especially had an enthusiasm for trains and the rail system that he and Emmet had spent hours talking with him about. It wasn't hard to see why they had become friends.

"Ingo." Emmet's voice drew Ingo's attention back to his brother. "It is okay to be unsure. These are tracks in need of maintenance. But even if they end up at a different destination, we will travel that road together."

Ingo nodded. His time in Hisui had left it's mark on him. In his habits, in his posture, in his memory, and more. He needed to keep that in perspective. Emmet would remind him as many times as it took, he knew. "Thank you, Emmet," he replied, gratitude thick in his voice.

Emmet beamed, reaching out a hand toward Ingo. As easy as breathing and with as much thought, Ingo's hand was there, gripping his brother's hand tightly. They stepped further into the room as a unit, Emmet with his left leg, and Ingo mirroring with his right. He let out a little laugh as a memory bubbled up, of two boys sitting at a table in their backyard, swinging their legs together. Emmet turned his head inquisitively, but Ingo shook him away. He would tell him later.

"Ah, good, you got the Qualot berry sauce," Chilli was saying as they passed the little group. He slipped the bag holding that onto his shoulder. "I'll be able to finish the skewers now."

"Don't go changing the stuff we bought," Elesa warned. She rubbed Zebstrika's nose with a smile, before turning back to them. "Next time sure, but Ingo needs to try the original recipes first you know. I didn't just walk all over Nimbasa for nothing!"

"We won't!" Cilan protested. His arms were overflowing with bags, though he managed to look contrite despite that. "We just whipped up a few more dishes we thought he'd like to try."

"You can't object to good cooking," Emmet said, nudging Ingo's side with an elbow.

"I cannot imagine how you expect me to try even a fraction of this food," Ingo admitted, looking around. He paused as his eyes caught a plate full of white dumplings. A memory bubbled up, but not one of his forgotten past. He turned away, trying not to let his face show any of his chagrin. "Though I suppose it's a foolish endeavor to stop such a runaway train."

Emmet was looking right at him, and Ingo knew he'd seen his reaction. Part of him hoped that Emmet couldn't tell what it was for. Another part of him was sure that Emmet had not only seen it, but was now conspiring on how to keep the dumplings far away from Ingo that evening. It was written in the tightness of his smile and the narrowed determination in his eyes.

"You're no fool," Emmet agreed easily.

A yelp drew their attention as Cress snapped his hand back, shaking it as if it stung. Elesa's pair of Emolga had risen from their napping spot as it was disturbed. They chittered in annoyance at the triplets, before flitting into the air to glide to the corner where Galvantula had her web spun out. They landed on her back, snuggling in and disappearing from view as they decided to continue their interrupted nap. Glavantula barely flicked a mandible at their arrival, content to oversee the area. Some of the Joltik were strung about her like little ornaments, though Ingo knew many more were all around the house.

Elesa appeared out of nowhere, a plate piled high with many different kinds of food in hand. "Alright you two, I got us started! Let's head outside where's it's not so stuffy." She manhandled Ingo around and gave him a shove in the direction of the sliding glass door to the back yard. It was fully open to allow easy passage for even the largest of the pokemon, resident or visiting, so there was plenty of room for the pair of them to step through side by side, Elesa bringing up the rear.

Almost as soon as he'd stepped outside, a purple and white blur attached herself to his free side, and Ingo was greeted by Lady Sneasler's tongue swiping a deliberately annoying streak up the side of his face and into his hair, knocking his hat askew.

"Lady Sneasler!" he protested, staggering into Emmet's side. Emmet was too busy laughing at his brother's plight to offer any assistance, the ingrate.

"Snart!" she said, radiating smugness. "Snear laur"

"I offered you to accompany us," Ingo grumbled. "It does not serve me right for abandoning you, when you were invited!" He wiped at the wet saliva on his face, pulling his hat back into place and hoping it covered whatever atrocity she'd done to his hair. She just snickered at him behind one clawed hand.

"The girls are fiiighting~" Elesa crooned. She had the audacity to laugh at the annoyed look Ingo sent her. "Come on, come on. I wasn't lying when I said I was hungry! Are you going to join us, Lady?" The last part was directed at Sneasler, who shook her head.

"Sneas, snelaur ease," she chattered, gesturing across the yard. Clay was there, one hand tilting his hat back as he looked up the towering face of a rock wall. In his other hand, a notebook was held open. It was obvious he was referring to it as he examined the structure. Ingo could see Hilda and Hilbert's Emboar and Samurott lounging around the base of the mini mountain, though there was no other sign of the teenagers. They were probably already climbing around out of sight.

The twin's house had always had a lot of space, both inside and outside, for the myriad of large pokemon they owned and their needs. It wasn't the same as the vast wilds, but having a small portion of their home designed for their needs ensured all of their pokemon were comfortable at home. As such, Ingo and Emmet had insisted on having a rock formation built for Lady Sneasler, where she could climb and perch as her heart desired.

Clay had insisted on helping with the endeavor. However neither he nor Lady Sneasler ever seemed satisfied with the results, always adding and redesigning every chance they had together. Today was no exception.

"You spoil her so," Elesa said as Lady Sneasler sauntered off.

"Says the queen of treats!" Emmet protested.

"Hm, guilty!" She bumped her hip into Emmet to get them moving again toward a folding table that had been set up in the shade of a tree. "Time to treat ourselves!"

"It is hardly spoiling her. It is important to fulfill a pokemon's needs, especially if you have removed them from their home environment," Ingo said. They settled themselves at the table, Elesa putting the food in the center before passing around plates. "A responsible trainer must ensure that their pokemon have enough enrichment, along with having their food and training needs met. A pokemon in an unsuitable environment is just as bad as an over trained or underfed pokemon!"

A fork was pressed into his hand, a portion of something steaming and mildly green on the end of it. Ingo rather thought it was a spinach puff.

"Eat," Emmet insisted, a fork of his own waving around in emphasis.

Elesa placed a glass in front of him, full of something colorful and fruity. It was orange at the bottom, gradually lightening to yellow at the top of the glass. "Drink! And be merry!" she cheered. "Lemonade for the sourpuss," she added, putting another drink in front of Emmet. He wrinkled his nose at her in annoyance, but pulled it closer to him to take a sip, ignoring the straw in the glass.

Ingo did not ignore the straw, and used it to take a sip of the sunset concoction. Despite half-expecting it, there was no bitter alcoholic taste to the drink. Just a strong tangy taste of Sitrus berry, with a sweet aftertaste of Pecha. He took another, longer drink in delight. It was so refreshing!

"Eat," Emmet repeated. "You cannot survive on drinks alone, yup!"

"I can try," Ingo insisted, but dutifully popped the food he'd been provided into his mouth. He couldn't keep the hum of pleasure in, reaching out and gripping at Emmet's coat in his free hand. It was a flakey and savory as its appearance suggested, though he didn't think it was spinach as he'd first thought. He made a mental note to get the full rundown on what these dishes were later from Emmet.

"Ah, there you are!" A new voice, loud and boisterous startled Ingo into twisting around. Emmet turned with him. Somehow Ingo knew Emmet only did so because Ingo had moved, not because he wanted to see who was behind them. It was, he recalled, one of the things they'd do. Always mirroring their twin to move in unison.

Burgh gave a merry wave as he approached, coming around to the other side of the table to sit next to Elesa, across from Emmet.

"Nice to see you, Ingo, Elesa," he greeted. Then he set his elbows on the table and folded his hands, resting his chin on them as he grinned at Emmet. "So, I heard you are looking for a certain pair of pokemon, that I might be able to help you with."

Emmet's grin was all teeth. "That's right! Who better to ask than the gym leader who specializes in bugs, after all!"

Burgh leaned back, waving a hand dismissively. "Says the one who has filled his subway with adorable little Joltik. Rumor is you bred them yourself."

"Of course," Emmet agreed. "I would not be satisfied until I had the perfect partner. But I would never abandon all my little darlings along the way."

"Ah, so I can see why you didn't want to start another colony, and instead came to me," Burgh said in satisfaction.

"Yup!" Emmet agreed. "I want a Shelmet and Karrablast. I do not want already trained partners. It is something for me and Ingo to do. They must be good battle partners. I would prefer them as eggs, but if not, newly hatched is good too."

"A well-bred pokemon lineage is not cheap, you know," Burgh countered.

Emmet narrowed his eyes. "How much?"

Ingo caught Elesa's eye, and they both exchanged a grin as the two bug enthusiasts continued their discussion? Bartering? Whatever it was they were trying to accomplish. There was delicious food to consume, so Ingo was content to leave Emmet to his scheming.

He took another sip from his straw, and was surprised when he got a gurgle of air instead of the sweet tang of his drink. He clamped his teeth down on the straw in annoyance. He hadn't realized he'd already finished it. Chewing on the straw, he sighed, letting it go then pushing the empty glass away from him. Well, he'd get another one later. For now, he was content to enjoy the company of his brother and friends. Plus, there was still plenty of food on the table for them to get through before another round would be required.

His eyes swept over the offerings, and he settling on a slice of fruit, topped with a soft cheese and wrapped in some thinly sliced meat. It was a baffling combination, but somehow the flavors blended well into a tasty treat. He chewed slowly as his attention was dragged back to the conversation.

"You've participated in Elesa's modeling shows before! Why is that so different from posing for a portrait?"

"Elesa is my oldest friend. Who has many blackmail material."

Burgh's eyes gleamed. "If that's all it takes—"

"—Nope!" Emmet crossed both hands in front of him. "I will not give in to the dark side this time!"

It took a moment, but Ingo realized he'd stopped chewing. Once he'd noticed, he was suddenly uncomfortably aware of the food in his mouth, and the way his throat was rebelling against the thought of swallowing. No, not again. Not now. Everyone had gone through so much trouble for this gathering. Ingo was not going to ruin it—

A drink was pushed into his hand, the straw slipping to one side as the ice in it moved around. Ingo looked up at Emmet, who didn't even pause in his conversation with Burgh, just slid over on the bench to press his side into Ingo's. The grounding feeling of the pressure against him settled Ingo's nerves.

Hesitantly, he raised the cup up, managing to get the straw between his lips. A quick sip later, and it was like his brain fuzzed out for a moment. He no longer felt like his throat was going to rebel, no longer noticed the texture of the food in his mouth. It was so easy to swallow along with the drink.

"All good Ingo?" Elesa asked, drawing his attention. She didn't seem bothered. Had she not noticed?

"Yes," he said. "I apo—"

"Nope!" Elesa said, actually making a motion with her hand as if she were shutting his mouth. His teeth clicked together as he obeyed the demand.

"More?" Emmet asked, tilting his head at the fruit snack. "Or is it too much?"

Ingo looked down at his plate in consideration. The episode had been so brief, and other than the brief spike of panic, he didn't feel at all bad. The fact that Emmet had known exactly what to do warmed him at his core. That, and he was still hungry, and still wanted to try all the variety of food his friends had gotten for him.

Instead of answering, he took another piece of fruit and popped it in his mouth. There was no feeling of distress, no sensation of his throat closing up or his gag reflex being triggered. It was as delicious as the first bite, all the better for it not having to mix with the lemonade drink as he swallowed it down.

"Hm, bravo!" Emmet said, taking one for himself. He nudged the plate across so Burgh could take one as well.

"Yes indeed, an excellent choice," he gushed once he had taken a bite. "So Ingo, you'd be willing to be my muse for a new art piece, wouldn't you?"

"Do not try to finagle my brother into your schemes!" Emmet protested. He snagged his drink back from in front of Ingo, taking a sip before returning to a spot between them. He jabbed a finger accusingly at Burgh. "I know how you art people work. First it's 'oh it will only be a few pictures', then it turns into 'but Emmie, you must wear this outfit or the scene won't work!' Nope. I am onto you. I will pay money, time, services, but I will not pose for a picture!"

Ingo sighed wistfully. "A shame. I came to appreciate having a recorded record of my time in Hisui, since I could not trust my own memory. We will need to find another way to keep such memories."

"One picture for each bug!" Emmet said, once again pointing at Burgh. "And no weird costumes! Me and Ingo!"

"Done!" Burgh said, reaching over to shake Emmet's pointed hand gleefully. When his eye caught Ingo's, Ingo winked mischievously. Burgh let out a delighted laugh, but did release Emmet to flop back in his seat.

Emmet elbowed his side. "I know what you are doing, brother."

"Then don't fall for it, brother," Ingo retorted easily.

"Incoming!" A new voice interrupted their groups as Skyla came whirling in. She settled a tray on the table, then starting taking the plates of food off and distributing into the empty space. "And of course, a new drink for Ingie," she added as she took the sole drink off the tray and depositing it in front of Ingo.

"Ah, thank you." Ingo tried to sound appreciative and not as baffled as he felt. Skyla noticed though, and rolled her eyes good naturedly at him.

"You always finish your drink first. One of these days you'll remember to save some, or at least get a new drink before you chow down again," she teased. She leaned into Elesa side, batting her eyes up at the model. "Feed me," she demanded.

As Elesa (looking utterly besotted) catered to her girlfriend, as Emmet turned back to Burgh to continue working out the details of their trade, as all around them family and friends and pokemon mingled, Ingo realized something.

This gathering was so unlike those he'd attended in Hisui. There, they had been more festival-like, in celebration of some event, or a seasonal milestone. The Pearl clan's celebrations were more formal, quiet affairs. It was where people could make the more complex traditional foods, and where the bounty could be shared by all. The Galaxy Team festivals were loud, boisterous affairs, but very impersonal. Everyone would gather for the celebration, people would mingle, but it did not have the same sense of closeness that Ingo craved. He had avoided those more, because of that. He could deal with the quiet of the Pearl clan, but the noise of the Galaxy Team made him feel more alone afterwards.

Now he realized it was because he was missing both aspects. The house was full of people and pokemon, and it was such a loud and lively gathering. The people here, however, were people dear to him. People who had helped him on his journey in the past, who were here to be with him on his journey into the future as well. It was such a warm, welcoming feeling, so bright and full of joy.

It felt like home.

(Ingo had been driven to near tears from laughing when Emmet had intercepted someone offering him one of those buns, by lunging forward to eat the dumpling directly from their hand in one bite. The angry, muffled noises he'd made as he'd tried and failed to tell them off for the offense had been the source of teasing for many weeks to come. Ingo knew, for whatever and however he could, that Emmet would always be there for him.)

#fun times ahead #pokemon #submas #pokemon writing #hard to swallow #it's dooooone!#this is such a long chapter for such a simple concept #but i was having fun adding more people in #and im honestly quite satisfied #one reunion down #a bunch more to write!#i kept it akarei on purpose lol #hopefully people get some good feels from this

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anantaru · 1 year

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hello sweets, 💕 next work of mine will be a p with plot one-shot with estimated 3.5k+ words and you guys will NEVER guess who it is about!!!!!!

#like genuinely you won't because it's quite ?? you don't see me write about this character a lot #but this idea came crushing down on me and I didn't expect the fic to actually get this long and it's still not done #might be done until tomorrow because p with plot one shots usually take me a lil longer #BUT ITS A FUN RIDE YK #SBAHAHAHAHAHA #I'm gonna watch buddy daddies now i think and head to bed !!!! goodnight everybody ily all dearly #💕💕💕💕 you‘re amazing and you‘re great #never forget this!!!!💝#ଘ( ິ•ᆺ• )ິଓ announcements'

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armulyn · 1 year

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Four months ago, listening to dark and epic songs such as I See Fire and Battle Scars and with the Wingfeather Saga on the mind, I opened a doc and wrote, as you do, just to let off some steam. What came out was a weird amalgation of different AUs of the saga that I'd plow through five pages of each and then switch tacks.

None of them are complete, seeing as the Wingfeather Saga is so wonderfully (and infuratingly) written that any attempts to make things better usually end in the utter decimation of the plot, characters, and/or themes of the saga.

Now, a month and a half post my last edit to them, I decided quite elegantly and maturely, what the heck? and decided to try letting one out.

So, what if Artham actually did find the way back into the Deeps after finding the water from the First Well?

Fun fact, this is the 'The Warden and the Bear King' WIP from that ask game a while back.

[SPOILERS ABOUND. THROUGH BOOK 3 I THINK.]

Artham finds the cavern back into the deeps of Throg about two months after exiting, and rushes in without hesitation. Maybe it's the same one he left from, maybe it isn't, but either way it's twisting, unwieldy, and difficult to get the seed-husk of water from the First Well through unspilt. Hours he winds through passages, through burrows, and through endless doubts and shrieking voices warning him to go back.

He makes it to the dungeon eventually, and he freezes at the sight of it. Music is playing nearby— he'd thought he'd heard it ten minutes ago, but he'd told himself he was imagining it!— Sing the song the voices start, and against his will his lips start to move a bit... Terrified, he flees like mad, and he might have reached the surface once more had not a clatter from behind startled him.

He'd dropped the seed-husk.

Sprinting back, he frantically picks it back up, but nearly all the water has drained away, only a few drops left. He paws at it, trying to push the trickle of water back into the husk, the useless talons scraping awfully on the stone like nails on a blackboard. It's hopeless, so eventually he gathers his strength and tattered courage and presses on with what few drops he has left. He has to find Esben now, he tells himself, refusing the voices that press upon him at the name, for it is only a matter of time before he loses the rest of the water, the only thing that stands between him and utterly failing the High King yet again.

Back into the dungeon, closing his ears forcefully against the pulsing music, ducking behind cages when a Fang wanders through, searching for Esben. When he finds him, the king is in a newly reinforced cage, further back from the exit than it had been before. They've taken precautions, but precautions are nothing to a properly motivated Throne Warden, and the cage door cracks open within seconds.

"Esben," he chokes, and his brother starts. Esben's face is as he remembers it— bearded with fur, grey bubbled skin breaking out in patches, dazed pain in his eyes— but a wonder in them as well. "You... came back." he croaks, and Artham has to dash away tears to see the chains properly. He'll break them in a moment but first— "Aye," he says, "Now drink this."

He holds the battered seed husk gently to Esben's mouth. He watches carefully as his brother drinks the few drops eagerly— they probably haven't given him water for days, he fumes— and then leans back against the cage wall, exhausted by this small exertion. But there isn't time for rest or to wait until the water takes effect, and Artham hauls him to his feet. They stumble together from the cage, through the dungeon, Artham supporting almost all of Esben's weight, and thinking that if they happen to trip and fall then they would never manage to get up again. He prays with breath he can't spare that they won't trip.

Artham has always been tall, and his strength had been renowned in years past, but he has languished in a dungeon for— years, surely. He is stronger than Esben, but two months of frantic wandering, eating whatever he can and constantly moving hasn't improved his strength so much as his endurance. Thankfully, by the time the dungeon turns back into winding caverns and tunnels, Esben seems stronger, and can walk on his own. Neither of them speak in the pitch darkness, each moving as if in a dream with only each other to remind them they aren't. Artham holds tight to Esben's hand with his left arm, and the other wraps around Esben's side, even if his brother doesn't need his support any more. He doesn't want to imagine losing hold of his brother, here in the darkness. They stumble past a patch of blooming flowers and vibrant grass sprung from the cold rock where Artham had dropped the water from the First Well.

Under a pitch-black sky they stumble from pitted stone onto night-darkened grass.

They spend perhaps a week in the Blackwood, journeying west at a stumbling pace. They grow stronger, with daylight, food, water, and companionship. Sometimes other cloven shamble past them, but always wild and untamed. Artham and Esben don't have any water from the First Well left, nor anything else to envy, and so they're left alone for the most part. In the bright sunlight, Artham can see what he'd missed in the dark of the deeps. Throughout their steady trek, the water was working upon Esben, and his face seems clearer, the grey mottled skin gone and the patchy fur a golden-brown color that matches his hair. He looks a little odd, a little bulkier and more bear-like than before, but he has come back to himself, he is Artham's little brother, and he is not broken but healed.

The brothers have a lot of time to talk on their westward journey.

At first, Artham has trouble keeping back the high-pitched gibbering his voice and words keep trying to become, especially when Esben is quiet or contemplative or otherwise not talking. Esben is alarmed when it starts, which sets Artham off even more, which turns Esben’s alarm to worry, and it all ends in a mess of I’m sorrys and heart to hearts and confessions.

Once the brothers lose each other for an entire six hours.

Artham had gotten panicked, and in his sleep-deprived state he’d run away from the familiar man who called him by name with the blue eyes that filled with pain and memories at times— his fault, it was his fault—

Esben trails him at first, tracking his brother’s panicked flight through the loamy soil, but it isn’t safe to journey alone in the Blackwood, even in broad daylight, and soon he stops to consider his options, perched high in a tree where he had fled from the reach of a toothy cow. Artham would calm down soon, and probably panic and retrace his path. Esben was on said path, and if he kept shouting his name from the tree where the many creatures of the wood couldn’t reach him…

Artham refuses to stray more than ten feet from his little brother’s side for the rest of the Blackwood.

In the original story, Artham had stowed away on a Fang ship to Skree, following a tiny pinprick of light that told him the children of the king were there. He had nearly starved in the hold, but made it to Glipwood only five years after the fall of the Shining Isle. Now, with his little brother at his side, he has more to think of than himself.

They take refuge in an abandoned cottage a few hours from the edge of the Blackwood, shifting through debris for anything useful. Artham finds an intact glass vial in the kitchen, but the last of the precious water had gone toward Esben’s healing, and so he tucks it, empty, among their scant belongings in the hope it might be useful.

Esben had decided, in the first clear-minded rest after their exit from the deeps, that he was not going to ask Artham about what happened to Nia and the children. He barely remembered anything about that day, beside sitting down to lunch to the sound of Nia’s laughter as she tried to coax little Kalmar to eat. Janner had been excitedly relating some epic adventure from his day to his Uncle Artham, whose strained face of the past week eased somewhat while he listened.

Then the Fangs had come.

After Esben had been taken captive, ripped away from the room of the Fane of Fire and force-marched to the dungeon, he had caught sight of Artham being shoved into one of Rysen’s well-kept cells. Seeing the fear in his brother’s eyes, the Throne Warden had shaken his head, mouthing they’re safe. That was the extent to which they had communicated for the four years of captivity in the deeps of Throg, for Esben had not been bound for the cells but rather to an interrogation room, and they were kept separate on the march to Throg. In the deeps, they had not spoken at all, both consumed by the dreadful music and their own demons.

Esben had been given a front-row seat to his brother’s breaking, though they had only glimpsed each other once in a blue moon. He could hear the Stone Keeper taunting Artham with food, with freedom, with a snatch of sunlight. He could hear his brother shouting his name, and receiving no answer. He could hear his brother muttering in his sleep, in his waking hours, mumbling and shrieking as if the voices in his mind had taken over his speech.

Artham was the one they focused on, for they knew they could count on the king to break. What had the king ever done, besides rule from the protecting shadow of the Warden? What had the king ever done to protect the kingdom, while the Warden waged wars with his own strength and the strength of those loyal to him? What had Esben ever done, besides falling to the Fangs the moment he tried to fight without his brother by his side?

The Stone Keeper came and went from Artham’s side like a scuttling shadow, but she never paused by Esben, for which he was shamefully grateful. The dark of his cell and the silence was never broken save by what peeked in from without, as the days turned and his brother went mad and Esben began to think he was forgotten by even his captors. His only companion was the music that echoed in the dungeons and crept into every forgotten corner, and filled his head to chase away the silence.

His brother, Esben decides, has gone through enough. He isn’t going to ask and possibly bring back bad memories. He isn’t going to ask about the tears that had watered Artham’s fierce eyes even as he was shoved into a cell, even as he mouthed they’re safe. He isn’t.

Sitting at the dilapidated table of the abandoned cottage, Artham tells him anyway.

#the wingfeather saga #wingfeather saga #artham wingfeather #esben wingfeather #although forever incomplete i actually had fun with these #and quite like them #so here's one of my favorites #there's like. at least five separate AUs. that are literally all #'how many ways can I mix up who gets off the burning Anniera and how and how long does it take to find each other???'#also the Crack Armulyn Theory We Don't Talk About #wingfeather spoilers #present tense and pseudo-bulletpoint because weirdly that's the format that Works for AUs #don't ask me why #my writing #writing #the wip title for this (before the real one) was 'wingfeather bros' because i am abundant with imagination obviously

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safyresky · 1 month

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Crystal Springs: The Call

Mother Gaia's intervention had been the last straw for the Goddess. When the other deities had agreed to help her make this world for all their people, they agreed on one thing: minimal interference once their people had established themselves. The Goddess's people had adapted very fast; she'd been hands-off for centuries. So of course that's when the Fae War had started. She had given her people this fresh, new world; away from the darkness that had claimed all their planets, away from the death and destruction, and it had followed them here. With the darkness at risk of returning, encroaching upon them all again, and her dear Gaia a sobbing mess below the source of all the magic she had gifted to her people, The Goddess decides that enough is enough. For too long her people had lived and lived and lived. It was time they knew what that meant. It was time they knew death.

Part I: Lost (read it on ao3 | tumblr)

After months of planning, Mother Gaia brings Tara to Roseterra to trigger The Call. Magibeans scramble to say their final goodbyes before being forcibly removed from this plane of existence. Life is about to take a startling, powerful turn for four very young sprites...

Preview and musings below the cut!

"Tara, come here dear. This is the place." With a sigh, Tara picked herself up and made her way to what looked to be the centre of the valley. A pile of stones that looked remarkably plinth like for something that purported to be natural stood in front of Gaia. The space on the top of which was shaped exactly like the stone she had tucked away in the boughs of her skirt. Gaia had refused to carry it; she didn’t want to tarnish it. Tara didn’t think she would. She hadn’t argued, though, and had grown a little alcove in her skirts to hold the stone. Gently, she lifted her hand; the branches around her legs creaked. One bough slowly poked out between the branches. In it, the stone sat. “It’s glowing,” Tara realized. “Then it is finally time. Place it on the plinth please, dear.” The branch didn’t move. Deep in her chest, Tara felt a horrible warmth. Her hands seemed to drift up of their own accord to cover her mouth; her vision blurred. “Tara?” Gaia turned away from the plinth. “Oh. Dearest." She was trembling. Her cheeks were wet. She choked down a sob. Gaia reached up to cradle her daughter’s face. She wiped the tears off of her dark, sparkling cheeks, rubbing her thumb against her warm skin gently. Tenderly. “It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.” “How do you know?” she managed to choke out, her voice heavy. “What if it doesn’t—what if I don’t—I’m not ready!” “You’ve had my mantle for centuries now, Tara. You’re ready.” “I’m not ready to lose you!” she yelled through her tears, inhaling heavily through her nose. “I know I’m ready to take over for you. Please. I’m gonna rock being Mother Gaia. I just. I don’t want to lose my mom. I don’t want to lose you,” she admitted, wrapping her arms around the frail woman who had been there from the moment the elements that made her began to stick together. The woman who had made sure everything was in tip top shape before she gifted her a life light, giving her humanoid form. Who had shown her the ropes; helped her master all of the elements, all of the parts of every season. Had slowly given her the reins, guiding her through her first few judgment calls before she became an expert at it herself, mastering balance alongside her as they tried their best to keep their home safe. “I will always be with you, dear. I won’t be very far. I’ll be here,” she said, gesturing to the rocky, dead, expanse around them. “What terrible curb appeal,” Tara choked out. Gaia looked stunned for the briefest of seconds. Then she laughed. Then she snorted, which only made her laugh harder through the tears that had started to slip out. She snorted again; now Tara found herself laughing, too. The two women stood at the end of the world and laughed their guts out.

The preview was longer, but for some odd reason, tumblr was very mad about saving the longer version? So we went with the first half after a VERY HARD decision!

You can check it out HERE on ao3 and HERE on our lovely HELLSITE (tm)

Some musings for you:

I tagged it as original work instead of The Santa Clause bc let's be real here. The only character from the franchise here is Mother Nature and even then, she is fairly far removed from movie events/how we see her in the series.

SHE IS. BUT A BABY. DURING THE CALL. (not actually a baby. metaphorically)

I posted it on hellsite as a private post because this settled my internal AI trawling distrust vs want to post on tumblr

I've opted out, obvi. But who says that corporations are actually going to listen and take that into consideration?

And sure, maybe a private post can still be read by an AI trawler. But given that only I can see it and share links for people to see it?

IT GIVES ME SOME MEASURE OF PEACE, OK!

Okay so PROPER musings now:

AGES!

While all four Season Sisters came to being around the same time, they were given different forms when they got leggies, as Summer says.

The only age I know for certain is Winter. She's about ~400ish when The Call happens. She's LITTLE. So we can assume all the seasons have existed for around the same time. That is, these personifications of them, lol.

Winter is toddler sized

Summer is pre-teen sized

Spring is child-sized

Autumn is awkward child-to-pre-teen sized

The Twin Princes are about ~700ish when The Call happens

So Blinter age difference, for those interested, is about 300 years (equating to about 3 years for ordibeings/magibeans who DON'T age at the exceptionally slow rate sprites do!)

PARENTAGE! I think it's fairly clear what magibeans helped create each season, but for what it's worth (and also reference):

Mother Gaia created Mother Nature/Tara; that's her MOMMY.

Winter's parents are the Snow Queen (Bianca) and the Winter Warlock (Winter sr.).

(He's actually based on a LOT of wintry beings I have seen, lol. Primarily the Winter Warlock from Rankin Bass's Santa Claus is Coming to Town. He also gives Merlin from Sword in the Stone vibes, generic wizard posting vibes, and sometimes ice king adventure time vibes, lol)

Summer's parent was Sol, the sprite in charge of the sun/sunshine/sunlight. THAT'S HER DAD!

Autumn's parents were Harvest, the personification of the harvest, and Hollow Eve.

Hollow's are charged with ferrying souls; they can traverse planes very easily and this is why the goddess enlists their help when she creates Rosehaven. "Hollow" is their title; they place it in front of their names always.

Hollow Eve is how Autumn named Halloween >:)

Spring doesn't have a parent or two parents. She has multiple sprites who helped to create her. She's collecting parents the way Steven Universe collects Moms, lol. Her parents include: Gaia, Tara, the sprites in charge of flowers, the sprites who did rain, and the winds.

All of these sprites, and probably more actually! Frequented the Garden and offered wisdom and advice to Spring, some of them without even knowing!

She ✨🌞 PHOTOSYNTHESIZED 🌞✨ to gather all the bits that made her spritely self, and sealed the deal when Mother Nature finds her and gives her the light life Gaia gave her at the end of part 1 :)

UPON REREADING BEFORE POSTING IT: Winter obvi freezes. We be knowing that for forever thanks to Meet the Frosts, I think.

But did you know that Summer also freezes? Well, her heart hardens, and for summer sprites that means it's stony. Or maybe ashy? and stony would be if a spring sprite's heart was hardened? I've yet to pick a term for spring sprites, lol.

I THINK that covers all my musings that AREN'T covered in Part 2. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this piece! It's not, per se, a DETOUR from my usual stuff? It's just. You know. Pretty much original work? It feels different--which I suppose checks out, given that it's a whole other era in CS History that is about 2 eras removed from where they are now :)

#enjoy!#long post #dani writes #original writing #crystal springs #writers on tumblr #cs posting #smile shots #sorta lol #the call #the call: lost #the call part 1 #the call part 1 lost #i'm sure I'll remember at least ONE of those tags #fun fact! part 2 has the very first time winter and blaise meet and this scene in particular #has been living rent free in my head since like. 2018 #so i am very excited to finally write it and share it with you all!#i can guarantee that you will NOT guess how it goes >:)#though you're welcome to try!#if someone guesses it right I'll straight up drop it on tumblr. assuming it's written. bc i haven't gotten there just quite yet lol #crystal springs: origins #cs origins #THERE WE GO THAT'S THE TAG TO USE!#ANYWAY k helped me test the link for the tumblr version #that one SHOULD WORK if not dm me #i'll send you to it like that lol

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lesbian-kyoru · 2 years

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on suo and taichi

the period of time that suo and taichi spend playing karuta together, as well as spending a lot of their non-karuta time together, is genuinely fascinating to me. while i love so many of the relationships and dynamics in chihayafuru, suo and taichi’s is without a doubt my favorite in the series.

they come from very different backgrounds (with regards to class, location, family, how they’re perceived socially, etc.). they are almost diametrically opposed within the karuta world, too—suo is a five-time meijin, a genius to whom karuta came naturally, whereas taichi continually struggles with being unable to catch up with chihaya, arata, and the other players around him. even with these differences, it’s the striking amount of qualities that they share, both positive and negative, that allow them to form one of the most unlikely yet deep connections in the story.

while suo initially comes into taichi’s life in a sort of mentor/teacher role, imo calling their dynamic strictly a mentorship would be reductive. setting aside their in-text denial and/or acceptance of the nature of their relationship (truthfully, i don’t think either of them fully knows what to call it LMAO), their relationship actually subverts the typical mentor/disciple dynamic. their innate similarities, as well as their ability to see through each other’s pretenses, allow them to reach an equal ground that you wouldn’t expect. taichi is able to reciprocate the way that suo invested in him, making just as much of an impact on suo and helping him accept himself in turn.

what gets me the most about their dynamic is that taichi, a person who spends so much time trying to escape himself and disguise his shortcomings, is able to be the most real version of himself around suo. the caveat to this statement is that, yes, taichi has pretty much hit rock bottom when he starts spending time with suo… but that rock bottom version of taichi is a part of the real him, and it’s suo’s understanding and acceptance of that part of him that even allows taichi to start playing karuta again, albeit with a new and arguably disingenuous playstyle. getting rejected by chihaya sent taichi into a self-destructive freefall which starts with quitting the karuta club, torpedoing his friendship with chihaya, and throwing himself into his studies. he is absolutely Doing Bad, and he has deeper reasons for believing that he hates karuta, but i’ll get to that in a second.

while most of the emphasis initially is placed on suo becoming taichi’s new light house, suo is also not at a good place in life. he’s very aware of his retinal disease (it’s the reason he hasn’t visited his family in eight years), and he’s fallen into a very nihilistic mindset. while that mindset of letting everything go and not caring is what allows him to demolish his opponents in karuta, it’s something that he’s allowed to seep into his personal life as well. he’s terrified of not making anything meaningful of his life, about not being able to become an outstanding person or someone to be admired; his solution is to project an attitude of total apathy. if he pretends that his goals and pursuits don’t really matter, he won’t have to think about what it would mean to lose them. with his worsening eyesight and losing the ability to play karuta looming on the horizon, he avoids the future at every turn.

textually he’s in his eighth year of college because of a german class that he can’t pass, but i’d argue that his avoidance of graduating is also by choice. college is comfortable, routine, and allows suo to stall his future in a tangible way. he also plans to retire after his fifth meijin win because he “doesn’t like karuta,” and he would’ve if arata hadn’t begged him not to. because again, it’s easier for him to not care—and there’s no better way to demonstrate not caring than to preemptively quit. his inclination was to quit while he was ahead (and before his eyesight got any worse), rather than confront the pain of potentially losing his title that he actually did value.

this is broadly speaking the set-up we’ve been given for suo and taichi before their paths cross in a meaningful way. it’s not difficult to notice that there are a ton of parallels between them, but the first one that’s acknowledged by the characters themselves is that suo and taichi both “hate karuta.” it occurs in chapter 141, when taichi follows suo after running into him at dinner. suo tells him that he thought taichi was admirable for pursuing karuta around people who were so passionate about it, even though taichi didn’t share that love.

this is a very loaded scene to tackle, because neither taichi or suo actually hate karuta. this is explicitly revealed when taichi loses in the challenger match and during the meijin matches for suo, but that doesn’t render this entire scene a falsehood. in fact, taichi’s strong emotional reaction to suo’s words (he cries and then chases after him) conveys that suo was 100% on the mark in understanding taichi’s feelings, despite their limited interactions up to that point.

the key to understanding what taichi “hating karuta” actually means is in the same chapter. he reflects back on harada’s words about spending his entire youth on karuta. this comes after suo’s lecture on words holding power, and taichi decides that harada’s words, which had motivated him for so long, have become a “curse.” in this moment where he’s hit rock bottom, taichi believes that harada’s words trapped him into a futile pursuit of karuta. i wouldn’t go as far as to say that taichi was miserable for the two years he was in the karuta club; those times were absolutely precious to him, even if it’s hard for him to see that in his post-rejection depressive spiral.

rather, the reason taichi ended up seeing karuta as a “cursed” was because he felt he lacked the passion that everyone else, particularly chihaya and arata, innately had for karuta. he didn’t actually lack this passion, or else literally most of his actions in the story wouldn’t have happened. but imo taichi, who is normally incredibly self-aware, has a huge blindspot: he prioritizes others’ needs and dreams ahead of his own, which he does realize, but he doesn’t recognize how that causes him to unconsciously strip his own dreams of their value.

it’s a bit of a cyclical problem: because he doesn’t think his own goals matter, he has to push himself to prioritize them. but because it doesn’t come naturally to prioritize himself, he sells himself short and assumes that he must not want to win as badly as everyone else. especially since his two best friends have been so single-mindedly committed to karuta (and more skilled than him) since they were kids, taichi undermines his own love for karuta and then feels isolated by that self-perception.

this is where suo comes in and helps taichi make a breakthrough with some well-intentioned nihilism. there’s a lot of nuance to suo and taichi’s relationship in general, but particularly in the way that they meet. suo and taichi truly meet when they’re both in a toxic and dark place, and you could argue that they enable each other to both lean into that darkness or toxicity—and hear me out, they do, but it’s in a way that ultimately impacts them both for the better. even though they both experience a lot of joy and mutual understanding in their time spent together, it’s through being at their worst together that they’re able to move forward at all.

as much as suo is regarded as taichi’s mentor and teacher, he is far from a wise sage teaching taichi the ways of the world. for one thing, that is really overselling suo’s grasp on being a functional person—he has just as many toxic coping mechanisms as taichi, if not more. second, that is overselling how much suo taught or influenced taichi.

coming back to their first substantial conversation in chapter 141, suo doesn’t actually tell taichi anything new. it was all beliefs that taichi already held about himself, but refused to admit about his own self-perception. he already had internalized that he didn’t love karuta like the people around him, he already was predisposed to preferring to give up and not care rather than potentially fail, he already felt different and unable to go on playing karuta the way that he was.

therefore, what actually happens in this scene is that suo immediately clocks these insecurities that taichi prefers to not think about, and he voices them. he sees taichi and the secret he’s tried to hide from his friends—that he doesn’t love karuta like they do—with startling clarity. and then suo accepts that about him. what’s more, he tells taichi that that’s okay, because he’s the same: he also doesn’t like karuta. this accomplishes a few purposes narratively.

at his absolute worst, taichi is seen for exactly who he is, the most real and undisguised version of himself (again, this is complicated by the fact that taichi and suo both loved karuta all along, but in the moment suo is exactly on the mark about how taichi views himself, regardless of what becomes of those beliefs later), and he receives acceptance. taichi spends so much of the story wishing to be someone else, anyone else, because escaping himself—becoming someone else entirely who doesn’t have his flaws—sounds easier than overcoming those obstacles. but as taichi grows, he develops a desire to strive for self-improvement and becoming the best version of himself. in chapter 108 he expresses this: he doesn’t want to be a coward anymore, but he also doesn’t want to run from the person he is.

thus, the acceptance that taichi receives from suo is a huge step on that winding path towards accepting himself. for someone to immediately see through his carefully constructed facade down to the very core of who he is—not to mention, to be told that suo finds him admirable—is distressing and shocking to taichi. however, it also serves as a breakthrough for him. this isn’t the first time taichi has dropped his pretenses around suo, either—earlier on when he lied about being chihaya’s boyfriend, he felt compelled to come clean about it the next time he saw suo. we get the sense that for whatever reason, taichi feels like he can be an honest version of himself around suo (this is huge for a character like taichi), and that suo admires taichi’s ability to let his guard down around him.

the second purpose this scene on the staircase serves is that, after acknowledging and accepting taichi at his worst, suo tells him that they’re the same. after finding this out, taichi looks up at suo in awe; even though suo also dislikes karuta, he’s “invincible on the tatami.” up to this moment, taichi’s image of a good karuta player was someone who loved it immeasurably. he’s never been presented with a different type of player. what’s more, he’s never considered that someone like him could reach the meijin’s level. that, when all is said and done, is what held taichi back, more than any perceived lack of skill. that’s the reason he’s able to go back to karuta training with suo. their huge gap in skill doesn’t deter taichi; what matters is that they both feel no passion for karuta, and with that commonality, taichi no longer thinks it’s impossible to reach suo’s level.

the period of time where suo and taichi train together is tricky to break down because, even during taichi’s self-proclaimed villain arc which is spurred on by suo��s nihilistic tendencies, taichi experiences a lot of growth and does reach a better place—just not in the way you’d expect. he grows in a nonlinear way, almost getting way worse before he can get better.

the visual emphasis on darkness and light in suo and taichi’s dynamic extends to the narrative as well. their relationship and how they behave around each seems self-contradictory, paradoxical in nature. through a shared “apathy,” they play karuta together for hours, for days, for weeks at a time. taichi reflects on how he assumed being by suo’s side would feel painful due to his genius, but again, the ways that they’re similar make taichi feel more at home than ever before. even if it’s only with the intention to mess with the other players, it’s in large part due to his practice with suo that taichi is able to become the eastern representative at all. in a twisted way, obfuscated by the pretense that they both don’t care about karuta, suo is the reason taichi is able to fall in love with karuta again (and later, taichi bringing suo’s family to the meijin match is a catalyst for suo to do the same).

during one of their practice matches in chapter 150, taichi thinks to himself “now that i’ve separated myself from the team, now that i’m alone and on my own, for the first time in my life i’m actually having fun playing karuta.” this line is pretty layered, but ultimately i do think that taichi is being sincere here. the line about leaving the team is evidence of him still working through a lot of his insecurities. obviously, he loved chihaya and the karuta team a lot and is trying to stomp out the pain that situation caused him by pretending he always hated it.

even so, taichi genuinely enjoys playing suo or else he wouldn’t be there. in fact, at this point in the story taichi has inaccurately internalized that he only pretended to love karuta in order to stay by chihaya’s side. if that was true, nothing would’ve been able to bring him back to karuta after he was rejected and quit the karuta club.

imo, suo also wouldn’t waste his time playing against taichi if he didn’t truly want to. he’s drawn to seek out taichi in part because he also hones in on their similarities. even more, suo has a reputation for making other players hate karuta, leaving him with very few people that want to play against him consistently. since taichi also “hates karuta” like him, losing against suo doesn’t deter taichi; he can’t grow to hate something that he already doesn’t care about. this ends up being incredibly freeing for taichi.

in fact, earlier in chapter 150, hyoro thinks as he’s playing against chihaya during nationals, “come back, mashima. i’m lonely. being by the talent’s side is so painful”—but that doesn’t appear to be a feeling that taichi shares. in direct juxtaposition, the next page has taichi reflecting that he “thought being by meijin suo’s side would be more painful,” with the implication that he hasn’t found his time with suo to be painful at all. it’s clear from their playful banter, from taichi’s relaxed, open body language around suo, from the ease with which they ask each other personal questions (and then never answer them). even though taichi constantly loses against suo, he genuinely wants to be there with him. this is actually huge for a character like taichi, who will avoid losing at any cost. taichi’s uphill karuta battle against suo just doesn’t seem to phase him at all, because again, regardless of their gap in skill, their similarities and shared lack of passion have given taichi all the hope and satisfaction he needs to keep playing right now.

that’s ultimately the point i’m working toward with regards to the paradoxical nature of suo and taichi’s relationship: even though their deep bond is forged through apathy, through pretending to not care, through reveling in the worst parts of each other—they still find immense understanding in each other, and a lot of happiness and joy in playing karuta together.

as i was writing this, i actually thought of something i’ve heard in therapy a lot: it’s unhealthy to continually lie to yourself about your own emotions. it’s a lot healthier to let yourself be honest and feel what you feel, even your most negative emotions—and that’s what i think suo gives taichi the space to do in this arc. although taichi (and eventually suo) both come around to acknowledging that they do love karuta, in his post-rejection depressive spiral it was actually very important for taichi to let himself feel his feelings, especially when it came to karuta. he had formed such a complex about his self-efficacy, hinging his worth on whether he won or lost, but imo he never really let himself acknowledge those darker feelings because the people around him loved karuta wholeheartedly.

in the time taichi spends with suo, the unconditional acceptance that suo gives him is what frees taichi to start being a more honest version of himself. truthfully, if taichi hadn’t encountered suo and started playing with him, i doubt he would’ve started playing karuta again at all, at least not in high school. even if his villain era contained its own falsehoods and missteps, it was still an important step. this mindset was crucial for taichi to work through so that when he did come back to loving karuta and holding it dear, it wasn’t something that he forced himself to do. it was a conclusion he came to on his own, because he truly does love karuta and always has—but he was only able to reach this point because he played alongside suo. alongside someone who didn’t trigger his self-imposed inadequacies about not caring enough, or constantly make him feel that he wasn’t passionate enough. taichi ends up finding a karuta that isn’t solely harada’s, nor is it just a copy of suo’s nasty style; it’s taichi’s most authentic karuta, the honest version of himself that he always hoped to grow up to be.

writing this is making me emotional LMAO but it’s really reaffirmed to me how, as convoluted as their dynamic is, as much as suo and taichi sidestep around what they really feel and communicate in very guarded ways, the bond that they form is so unconditional. they understand each other for exactly what they are, and they push each other to be more truthful—but they also let each other exist in that bitterness, that indifference when they both need to. they hear each other in the quiet, and they live in the same shadows, and it’s that quiet understanding that lets them pull each other towards light.

taichi felt like suo could see the darker parts of his personality, his flaws and insecurities, and still accept them. taichi could play a karuta with suo where he didn’t feel like he had to be more like the people around him. through this experience, taichi was able to admit to himself that he did love karuta after all. furthermore, because suo helped taichi reach this realization himself, taichi was able to help suo come to the same realization.

a lot of why their relationship is so powerful, and why they’re able to impact each other so profoundly, is because taichi and suo both loved karuta so much all along, but they didn’t, but they did. even though they played karuta together under the pretense that they both didn’t like karuta, they did. that’s why that time they spend playing together, in spite of its blatant nihilism and mutual toxicity, feels like a genuinely happy and special time that they share.

while i selfishly would’ve loved to get one last scene between them in the final chapter of the manga, there’s actually something incredibly poignant to me in the way they don’t speak. taichi never gets the chance to plainly tell suo that he in a way saved taichi, as dramatic as that sounds; suo never gets to thank taichi for bringing his family to the meijin match, for giving suo just as much as suo gave to him. i love that this final cathartic moment is left entirely unspoken, because it’s so true to them.

i also love how utterly selfless this lack of a final scene renders their relationship as a whole. suo, who never seemed to care about much of anything, invested so greatly in taichi that he was able to become a karuta player who could challenge arata; taichi, who struggled with acting selflessly and then resenting when he didn’t get anything in return, goes to nagasaki behind suo’s back because he knows suo wants to see his family. the fact that there’s no “thank you,” no direct acknowledgment of these acts (particularly in taichi’s case) is incredibly powerful to me. in chapter 150, we learn that taichi said, “he can now hear suo-san’s quiet voice loud and clear”—and to me, these selfless acts of quiet care between them, an unspoken and understated connection, truly exemplify that idea.

suo and taichi absolutely hold the time they spent playing karuta together—their convoluted mentor/disciple dynamic—as dear, regardless of how they act like it doesn’t matter. it takes a long time before they can acknowledge that karuta, and by extension the time they spend playing together, meant a lot to both of them. they went through their worst together, but they absolutely changed each other for the better.

#chihayafuru #mashima taichi #suou hisashi #chihayafuru analysis #chihayafuru spoilers #sorry if there are any errors or typos here!! i tried my best to reference the manga very closely while writing #this is quite a long one and i think i got a little muddy with what my thesis even was lmao #but i haven't written a long form essay on tumblr in so long and waaaah it felt so fun to do that again!!!#also disclaimer which everyone already knows: i do also ship suotai but tried to take off my gay glasses to write this analysis #suotai #i'll tag it anyways lmaoooooo #zoe meta #zoe.txt

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