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cuddlytogas · 3 months

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So I accidentally almost got into an argument on Twitter, and now I'm thinking about bad historical costuming tropes. Specifically, Action Hero Leather Pants.

See, I was light-heartedly pointing out the inaccuracies of the costumes in Black Sails, and someone came out of the woodwork to defend the show. The misunderstanding was that they thought I was dismissing the show just for its costumes, which I wasn't - I was simply pointing out that it can't entirely care about material history (meaning specifically physical objects/culture) if it treats its clothes like that.

But this person was slightly offended on behalf of their show - especially, quote, "And from a fan of OFMD, no less!" Which got me thinking - it's true! I can abide a lot more historical costuming inaccuracy from Our Flag than I can Black Sails or Vikings. And I don't think it's just because one has my blorbos in it. But really, when it comes down to it...

What is the difference between this and this?

Here's the thing. Leather pants in period dramas isn't new. You've got your Vikings, Tudors, Outlander, Pirates of the Caribbean, Once Upon a Time, Will, The Musketeers, even Shakespeare in Love - they love to shove people in leather and call it a day. But where does this come from?

Obviously we have the modern connotations. Modern leather clothes developed in a few subcultures: cowboys drew on Native American clothing. (Allegedly. This is a little beyond my purview, I haven't seen any solid evidence, and it sounds like the kind of fact that people repeat a lot but is based on an assumption. I wouldn't know, though.) Leather was used in some WWI and II uniforms.

But the big boom came in the mid-C20th in motorcycle, punk/goth, and gay subcultures, all intertwined with each other and the above. Motorcyclists wear leather as practical protective gear, and it gets picked up by rock and punk artists as a symbol of counterculture, and transferred to movie designs. It gets wrapped up in gay and kink communities, with even more countercultural and taboo meanings. By the late C20th, leather has entered mainstream fashion, but it still carries those references to goths, punks, BDSM, and motorbike gangs, to James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Mick Jagger. This is whence we get our Spikes and Dave Listers in 1980s/90s media, bad boys and working-class punks.

And some of the above "historical" design choices clearly build on these meanings. William Shakespeare is dressed in a black leather doublet to evoke the swaggering bad boy artist heartthrob, probably down on his luck. So is Kit Marlowe.

But the associations get a little fuzzier after that. Hook, with his eyeliner and jewellery, sure. King Henry, yeah, I see it. It's hideously ahistorical, but sure. But what about Jamie and Will and Ragnar, in their browns and shabby, battle-ready chic? Well, here we get the other strain of Bad Period Drama Leather.

See, designers like to point to history, but it's just not true. Leather armour, especially in the western/European world, is very, very rare, and not just because it decays faster than metal. (Yes, even in ancient Greece/Rome, despite many articles claiming that as the start of the leather armour trend!) It simply wasn't used a lot, because it's frankly useless at defending the body compared to metal. Leather was used as a backing for some splint armour pieces, and for belts, sheathes, and buckles, but it simply wasn't worn like the costumes above. It's heavy, uncomfortable, and hard to repair - it's simply not practical for a garment when you have perfectly comfortable, insulating, and widely available linen, wool, and cotton!

As far as I can see, the real influence on leather in period dramas is fantasy. Fantasy media has proliferated the idea of leather armour as the lightweight choice for rangers, elves, and rogues, a natural, quiet, flexible material, less flashy or restrictive than metal. And it is cheaper for a costume department to make, and easier for an actor to wear on set. It's in Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings, King Arthur, Runescape, and World of Warcraft.

And I think this is how we get to characters like Ragnar and Vane. This idea of leather as practical gear and light armour, it's fantasy, but it has this lineage, behind which sits cowboy chaps and bomber/flight jackets. It's usually brown compared to the punk bad boy's black, less shiny, and more often piecemeal or decorated. In fact, there's a great distinction between the two Period Leather Modes within the same piece of media: Robin Hood (2006)! Compare the brooding, fascist-coded villain Guy of Gisborne with the shabby, bow-wielding, forest-dwelling Robin:

So, back to the original question: What's the difference between Charles Vane in Black Sails, and Edward Teach in Our Flag Means Death?

Simply put, it's intention. There is nothing intentional about Vane's leather in Black Sails. It's not the only leather in the show, and it only says what all shabby period leather says, relying on the same tropes as fantasy armour: he's a bad boy and a fighter in workaday leather, poor, flexible, and practical. None of these connotations are based in reality or history, and they've been done countless times before. It's boring design, neither historically accurate nor particularly creative, but much the same as all the other shabby chic fighters on our screens. He has a broad lineage in Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean and such, but that's it.

In Our Flag, however, the lineage is much, much more intentional. Ed is a direct homage to Mad Max, the costuming in which is both practical (Max is an ex-cop and road warrior), and draws on punk and kink designs to evoke a counterculture gone mad to the point of social breakdown, exploiting the thrill of the taboo to frighten and titillate the audience.

In particular, Ed is styled after Max in the second movie, having lost his family, been badly injured, and watched the world turn into an apocalypse. He's a broken man, withdrawn, violent, and deliberately cutting himself off from others to avoid getting hurt again. The plot of Mad Max 2 is him learning to open up and help others, making himself vulnerable to more loss, but more human in the process.

This ties directly into the themes of Our Flag - it's a deliberate intertext. Ed's emotional journey is also one from isolation and pain to vulnerability, community, and love. Mad Max (intentionally and unintentionally) explores themes of masculinity, violence, and power, while Max has become simplified in the popular imagination as a stoic, badass action hero rather than the more complex character he is, struggling with loss and humanity. Similarly, Our Flag explores masculinity, both textually (Stede is trying to build a less abusive pirate culture) and metatextually (the show champions complex, banal, and tender masculinities, especially when we're used to only seeing pirates in either gritty action movies or childish comedies).

Our Flag also draws on the specific countercultures of motorcycles, rockers, and gay/BDSM culture in its design and themes. Naturally, in such a queer show, one can't help but make the connection between leather pirates and leather daddies, and the design certainly nods at this, with its vests and studs. I always think about this guy, with his flat cap so reminiscient of gay leather fashions.

More overtly, though, Blackbeard and his crew are styled as both violent gangsters and countercultural rockstars. They rove the seas like a bikie gang, free and violent, and are seen as icons, bad boys and celebrities. Other pirates revere Blackbeard and wish they could be on his crew, while civilians are awed by his reputation, desperate for juicy, gory details.

This isn't all of why I like the costuming in Our Flag Means Death (especially season 1). Stede's outfits are by no means accurate, but they're a lot more accurate than most pirate media, and they're bright and colourful, with accurate and delightful silks, lace, velvets, and brocades, and lovely, puffy skirts on his jackets. Many of the Revenge crew wear recognisable sailor's trousers, and practical but bright, varied gear that easily conveys personality and flair. There is a surprising dedication to little details, like changing Ed's trousers to fall-fronts for a historical feel, Izzy's puffy sleeves, the handmade fringe on Lucius's red jacket, or the increasing absurdity of navy uniform cuffs between Nigel and Chauncey.

A really big one is the fact that they don't shy away from historical footwear! In almost every example above, we see the period drama's obsession with putting men in skinny jeans and bucket-top boots, but not only does Stede wear his little red-heeled shoes with stockings, but most of his crew, and the ordinary people of Barbados, wear low boots or pumps, and even rough, masculine characters like Pete wear knee breeches and bright colours. It's inaccurate, but at least it's a new kind of inaccuracy, that builds much more on actual historical fashions, and eschews the shortcuts of other, grittier period dramas in favour of colour and personality.

But also. At least it fucking says something with its leather.

#everyone say 'thank you togas' for not including a long tangent about evil rimmer in red dwarf 5x05 #Our Flag Means Death #Togas does meta #and yes these principles DO fall apart slightly in s2 and i DON'T like those costumes as much #don't get me wrong they're fun and gorgeous - but generally a bit less deep and more inaccurate. so. :(#I'm not sure this really says anything new about Our Flag but I just needed to get my thoughts out #i hate hate hate Gritty Period Drama costumes they're so boring and so ugly and so wrong #god bless OFMD for using more than 3 muted colours and actually putting men in heels (and not as a shorthand for rich/foppish villainy) <3 #looking at that Tudors still is insane like they really will go to any lengths to not make men feel like they've got bare legs XD #image descriptions in alt text #and yes i DID just sink about two hours into those so you'd better appreciate them

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rosvyy · 5 days

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Disgraced by your own followers, betrayed by your loves

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maudiemoods · 6 months

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Reblog to kiss sun and moon fnaf !!

#AUGRHRHHR I NEED TO KISS THEM WWAAAAAAUYGRGGRGGRG!!!!#ren won't shut up #they mean so much to me (its more the community of amazing people and wonderful works of art that they graciously share with us)#also whenever i see their canon design #i implode #cute aggression but more like #silly goofy aggression #aurh anyway ignore me

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ruporas · 1 year

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i’ll find you again in every universe. let us be a little more honest, let us have a little more time.

#vashwood #vash the stampede #nicholas d wolfwood #trigun #despite it all though badlands rumble is like. the only universe where we get wolfwood thinking vash died first... and i think that means a #lot to their relationship and how it may bloom if there was more to badlands rumble considering vash literally saw wolfwood carrying a piece #of vash after his supposed death. u know! despite the short time they were together vash still meant so much to wolfwood that he couldn't #just move on or forget him in anyway. needed to keep a piece of him for himself and the rest of his days. but ofc vash lives and wolfwood #was like ill beat ur fucking ass into tomorrow. there's just so much honesty in vash being able to see that gesture bc he wouldnt know #otherwise just how much he might mean to him. ANYWAY. trimax with with the eternal pining featuring the two chapters where imo #where the both of them really fell for each other... i wrote my thoughts about this on another comic i did before #but vash solidifying his feelings during the hospital arc -- ww solidifies his when he realizes his allegiances are permanently with vash #98 my lovelies but also to me they are so one-sided bc ww pined like no tomorrow and vash only realizes after ep 23?24? his heart did tickle #whenever ww complimented his smile though #and tristamp vw my beloveds. it really just feels like they get the chance to be closer and closer and more honest with each other #with every version that comes about. in trimax they knew how little time they had but struggled so desperately to get closer. in 98 ww felt #more willing to forsake for vash. in badlands rumble theyre Angry but as mentioned earlier ^ more blatant truth... due to circumstances #mainly but has the chance to lead to discussions and tristamp literally. first day of knowing each other ww saves vash - 2 days later vash #saves ww like. Man. AND NOW THEY MAY POTENTIALLY GET EVEN CLOSER!!!! with s2....#ruporas art

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ministarfruit · 8 months

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for AASiblingsWeek23 day 4: free day!

#AASiblingsWeek23 #ace attorney #lana skye #ema skye #THE SKYE SISTERS #they mean so much to me. I love them #today I remembered they're orphaned and lana had to raise ema #and I'm like. oh. the game needed to expand on that bad #ANYWAY THEY'RE SO GOOD. MORE SKYE SISTERS CONTENT

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moderndaypandora · 3 days

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i recognize that simon and edwin meeting and parting in hell is narratively very good and provides closure for all. but imagine if simon had agreed to try and escape with edwin. and charles doesn't have time to really question it, because anybody who likes edwin is aces in his book and it's hell, they need to leave. (edwin, out of courtesy to their third companion, puts his plan to confess on hold until they've escaped.)

suddenly the edwin harem of "supernatural boys who all hate each other but are attracted to that negative rizz" gains another member, and at some point edwin is going to have to mention that simon was the boy who sacrificed him to hell.

the chaos. crystal's bitchy commentary. charles going from friendly smiling to clutching his cricket bat. niko's whispering "200k slow burn schoolboy rivals to lovers" with heart eyes. it'd be chef's kiss good. edwin fleeing to his books and praying that nobody, but especially not the cat king, finds him because there has been SO MUCH emotion already. hysterical.

#dead boy detectives #edwin's milkshake brings all the boys to the yard #and he's like 'this is incredibly inconvenient. we must be getting on with our investigations'#charles: is there a convenient sea monster around? that solves all my unwanted guest problems #jenny: nobody expects me to be a queer role model to them right?#jenny: because fuck you all if so #niko: i have so much manga that can do that for you #jenny: ... you know what? it's fine. i'll do it #jenny: first things first #jenny: do NOT treat niko's manga as a how to be gay guide #jenny: do NOT let her matchmake #jenny: and do NOT think that means it's fair game to be a bitchy old queen at her #edwin in the background: i would never! niko is a delight and a gift and i'm happy she's here #jenny: because unlike you free-loading fucks niko pays rent on time and in acceptable currency #simon: why are all the cats glaring at me?#crystal: i need popcorn for this #night nurse: [full scottish outrage] why are the lost children multiplying? i sent you to hell not a bloody football pitch

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soft-cryptids · 1 year

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They are just so father & daughter, your honor.

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theminecraftbee · 5 months

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okay, so in a rare moment for me, there's a discourse thing i want to bring up, and that thing is. okay. so on iskall's stream there's this thing that can happen where someone brings up a criticism of his content or vault hunters. frequently it's self-evidently wrong, but sometimes it's not. and then iskall spends the next thirty minutes shadowboxing this guy, explaining himself, and completely derailed. and this is an iskall trait we all know and sigh bemusedly about, because he cares about the community and wants people to understand his intentions! he wants the community to understand his decisions!

however, it's not the community as a whole he's fighting; he is in fact, arguing with One Guy, who often doesn't represent the wider community, and who normally won't have their mind changed. hell, sometimes it's believable that they're satisfied having just managed to upset iskall, and they'll leave, no change to their mind, perfectly pleased that iskall's responding at all (that's what i firmly believe the people who poke at the 'you don't upload enough and that means you're falling off and a bad person' wound are trying to do, at least).

in the vault hunters community, we refer to this as iskall getting One Guyed, and it's typically viewed as bad, because it ends up focusing an entire moment on a single guy's negative opinion as opposed to on the larger picture. and it's an understandable thing to have happen! but it's frustrating to watch from the outside.

and so now i am looking at that cat poll. and the way everyone is still shadowboxing someone who has since apologized. and the way i would have never ever known about any of the negative comments about jellie if it weren't for fellow mcyt fans constantly putting them on my dash to dunk on them. and it's like. if you look through the notes most of them are just... normal? it's only a tiny few of people (and the pollrunner, who has since apologized) who were being dicks. it's a very, very ignorable demographic.

but. well. there was One Guy. and we had to correct them.

and folks, i don't know how to say that i almost never see "lol mcyt is cringe" type comments unless one of you puts it on my dash. both because i don't go looking through the notes of things that are likely to have them or go looking for reasons to be upset and because it's just... not that common! very frequently these days it is, in fact, One Guy!

i have almost never seen that poll on my dash without at least one instance of the One Guy. instead of being for fun, it's mostly become about explaining ourselves to someone who will not listen and will not change their minds, and treating this as a the whole of the Other Side of that poll, when most people are being... fine. they're fine! the majority of the people voting for the other side are doing it for perfectly normal reasons that don't require fighting about.

and man. let me tell you. after spending as long as i have watching vault hunters development? it can be just as frustrating to watch a fandom get One Guyed as it is to watch iskall.

#discourse #i am immediately turning notes off for this post as a heads up because i HATE discoursing but #man. i feel like i need to point this out.#sometimes you'll be happier if you go 'that was One Guy huh. better just block them and move on. i won't change their mind.'#one day this fandom will learn.#cat of the year poll #<- for those also trying to block it #also i know in many ways this is just me contributing i'm aware of my flaws #but sometimes i think this fandom needs to step back and realize it doesn't really need to fight the world.#sometimes someone says a mean thing. that sucks! you do not need to fight them for two days about it though.#and we do this with polls but also other people's innocuous comments SO MUCH.#so here i am.

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cosmicdreamgrl · 11 days

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you gave me the best of me, so you'll give you the best of you 🩵 [ cr: namuspromised ]

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abernthyss · 7 months

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Let’s appreciate this picture tho!! The hand placement! The proximity! The way in which they literally look like their eating each other’s faces!!! The way Jordan is leaning her WHOLE BODY into Marie. The way Marie is holding onto Jordan like they’re the last people on earth. Like their her lifeline, her anchor.

I can imagine the sounds, how Jordan must have sighed so loudly when Marie kissed them in her fem form and proved all her insecurities wrong. Marie’s heavy breathing because she’s been traumatized and forced to lead this small group of supes who are her friends/girlfriend/boyfriend/themfriend and must feel so stressed out so kissing Jordan must just make all the tension leave her body and relax her.

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uhbasicallyjustmilex · 1 month

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“hold on to your heart” // do me a favour live at forest hills stadium new york 08/09/23 ♡

#i miss the car era alex so badly 🥺#god help me i’ve been comfort watching 2023 shows to comfort myself today bc i’m stuck in bed with the worst period pain #but all it’s done is made me nearly cry over that video of alex with the little toy car and miss them all so much my heart aches 😭😭#i wish i had a time machine so i could go back and relive my show all over again #they’re just… absolute magic 💗💗💗#also #can we please talk about alex’s fluffy little lion mane of hair during the car tour??#i know it gets a lot of love but imo still not nearly as much as it deserves #i mean #just look at him?? 🥺#okay i need to stop now before i reduce myself to tears again #i’m too emotionally fragile for this today 😩#alex turner #arctic monkeys #the car era #alex gifs #my gifs #lulu posts

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kitamars · 10 months

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listen. hijikata has TWO HANDS

#this started as just a fun little concept like ‘awwww that would be cute’ but like #now i feel ill over them they are just lounging in my brain with no regard for my mental state its CRAZY #how hijikata managed to snag two pretty sadists is INSANE but honestly good for him #in return mitsuba got two constantly yelling idiots #and gin-san gets nightmares everytime they decide to get food #hm.#spicy sweet mayo #nevermind chjfngnrnfjf #but yes i love them and i think hijikata deserves all the love possible #this is absolutely entirely wish fulfilment don’t look at me like that #its fun #do join me in appreciating this trio i need so much more of it #okay now tags #i can’t use okita in the name bc like. it’ll come across and meaning sougo and. No #uh #ginhijimitsu #ginhiji #hijimitsu #ginmitsu #im having quite a time #? i guess #sakata gintoki #hijikata toushirou #okita mitsuba #gintama #ok bye

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twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat · 18 days

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one thing i really wish people wouldn’t forget when it comes to suguru’s character is that his core desire is just to have a family. not in a nuclear family way, but in a “i want a place where i belong / i want to protect the ones i love” way…… literally everything else is just an extension of that desire. a means to meet that end. he broke down after being forced to realize that staying with his family meant having to watch them die, so he left and made a new one. and he got stronger. and his core wish was always, always always to create a world where he’d finally be able to protect them :(((((((((

#don’t get me wrong geto is absolutely twisted and deluded and downright cruel #and that’s not something you should or could look away from when analyzing his character #but i also think it’s wrong to look away from this part of him because it’s in EVERYTHING he is and does!!!!!#one of the big tipping points for him was the realization that being a sorcerer meant choosing civilians over his family #he just wanted a place where he belonged. he just wanted his loved ones to be safe #suguru is very very selfish at his core and a big part of that selfishness is connected to those desires #he protects His People. his family.#he loves them so sincerely and protects them so fervently #idk it’s just . easy to forget i think. because cult leader geto is bitter and sad and pathetic #but he also has such a sincere love for those he keeps close and i think that makes him sooooo much more interesting #like yes his goal was stupid but that goal was never the actual point. he just needed it to keep himself alive #he needed something to give his actions Meaning #and the something he ended up settling on was the idea of a world where he could protect his loved ones .#and that says soooo much about him…..#sorry i woke up thinking of him </3 #my princess 😔😔#ari noises ✩

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starry-bi-sky · 24 days

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okay a few more danyal al ghul au memes because i think they're funny to make. with bonus yaelokre danyal memes!

yaelokre! danyal 🤝 threes! danyal: being five years older than damian

yaelokre danyal comes from my oneshot right here. however, i would frankly recommend reading the version i put on ao3 because it's been edited and includes more content! shout out to my boy, he's got amnesia </3

Do i think that the LOA has technology in it? Absolutely I do. LED lights but in 3000k warm white instead of the jarring bright sterile white, if they've got glass windows they're those solar panel glass panes my college natural science building uses that detects sunlight position, which in term controls the lights, which in turn saves energy. Amber lights for outside, solar panels. Just. anything environmentally sound and friendly, they've got it, they use it.

Do i think they've got computers and tvs lying around for casual recreational use? ....that i'm not so sure about. For this au? I'm gonna say nooooottt really. That stuff is typically reserved for like, mission planning, debriefing, research, etc. Frankly danny probably does know how to use a computer, however i thought it was funny if he didn't. so the meme is staying in lmao.

If they're not training, they've probably like, got a greenhouse or two somewhere on base they can help with. The LoA's whole thing is balance, harmony, restoring the natural world with extreme environmentalism. All that jazz. Probably plenty of ponds, recreational areas outside, gardens, just, stuff to do that's not technology based. My most basic understanding is that these people are the world's deadliest hippies. They can't be training all the time, that's neither good for morale nor for their bodies, so when they're not training... they're off doing shit. If Ras has kept this thing running for thousands of years then it’s gotta be pretty lit enough that nobody’s revolted lmao.

#dpxdc #dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #dpxdc crossover #danny fenton is not the ghost king #danyal al ghul au #danyal al ghul #amnesiac danyal al ghul au #yaelokre danyal al ghul #hey i finally came up with an au name for my main danyal al ghul au! oh man i have so many posts to reblog. its called #things in threes au #im a good mom talia truther nobody @ me. the villanization of her character stems from post 9/11 racism that's slowly being undone #and there's not enough good mom talia aus in danyal al ghul aus. not ones i've seen at least.#Ras is not an idiot if he's kept this organization running for millennia. If he wants his warriors to be in top shape they *need* breaks #they need high faith and good morale to prevent dissension. Which means good food. things to do. socialization. things to keep them *happy.#Too much exercise is just as bad as not enough and your body will forcibly shut down if you do not do it yourself. Ras can't have that.#of course there's always ruling with an ironfist and dictatorship. but the league would not have lasted as long as it has if that were the #case.#ras may be a shit grandfather in threes but its still up in the air for yaelokre #we’ll see where the wind blows for him. the au is still young

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