#maybe one of these days i'd like to arrange a great big “My View Of Sonic 06” thing. but that'd take a lot of work.

[blindrapture]

I was extremely tired and rambled to a friend about Mario and Sonic as mascots.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:01 PM] also. I am marginally upset that Yoshi in Mario Wonder is playable but only as a Nabbit-style character, with no power-ups. but at the same time I am kinda happy as Nabbit is my preferred way of playing NSMBU, so I'll get to do that as Yoshi now. but. best world would have been if all characters were the same as each other and there was just an Easy Mode toggle.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:03 PM] I am always gonna be curious about trying to play through a Mario game as intended. and admittedly the fact that I am forced to play as Mario or Luigi (or a Toad) has been a significant reason why I could never commit to it. getting a choice to play as Yoshi is a big, embarrassingly substantial, incentive.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:03 PM] if I could play as Yoshi in all Mario games I'd play them a lot more, I think.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:05 PM] I think I actually secretly don't care about Mario. or Luigi. as playable characters.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:05 PM] they fall into the Sora trap for me.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:06 PM] where, like, Kingdom Hearts would probably appeal to me way more— it has, as a franchise, everything in its favor for my tastes— but for the fact that you have to play as FUCKING SORA

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:06 PM] and this isn't a "oh, it'd have been cooler if I could have played as some goofy mascot character," this is a "oh that's a shame, I don't want to play this"

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:07 PM] like Playstation Exclusivity, which is also a "oh that's a shame."

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:07 PM] ("Playstation Exclusivity," to me, is exactly the same as "game didn't release")

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:08 PM] (it's a shadow-cancel. game still has marketing. still gets talked about. game was finished, by the developers, is entirely playable. you just can't play it.)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:09 PM] (and this is coming from a guy who didn't have VR when Half-Life Alyx came out!!! VR exclusivity is not as much a dealbreaker to me as Playstation exclusivity!!!)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:09 PM] (but the Playstation point is beside the point.)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:10 PM] (the point is, Sora and Mario are both a really specific kind of Regular Guy character I am turned off by.)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:13 PM] (they would be fine— they would be immensely hilarious and compelling— if their Regularness was played up. I mean, they are Regular Guys in a world of Cute Mascots. in Sora's case it's even more so, the whole point is Kingdom Hearts brings a charming amount of Seriousness to a world of Cute Mascots. Sora being there makes Goofy more serious, makes Donald more serious, and that makes the tone fucking surreal and Amazing.)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:15 PM] (but they only went halfway. Sora still looks just slightly cartoonish. I mean he looks, frankly, fuck ugly and awkward, but I can tell he's not supposed to, he's supposed to look charming and representative, appealing to kids. if Sora looked like…. like the humans in Mario Odyssey's Metro Kingdom!!!!! then I'd be okay with it!!!)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:15 PM] (and the same with Mario!!!!)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:16 PM] (fans often wish the humans in the Metro Kingdom looked more cartoony. I'm the opposite!!! I sincerely wish Mario looked like them!)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:18 PM] (it's a tonal thing!!! Mario's a human, a Regular Guy in a wacky world!!!! if he looks cartoony then that takes away from the fact that he's a Human!!!! he's not a Human, he's just a non-mushroom Mushroom Kingdom Fella! he fits in! which is alright if the story says that!!! but it doesn't!!! the story is, Mario is a Human!!!! but the art style and presentation says he's not!!!!)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:19 PM] (this is the core of why "story doesn't matter in Mario" gets as much mileage as it does!!!! this is why Miyamoto can get away with it!!!! it is rooted in this fucking tonal dissonance!!!)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:20 PM] (because it's only a dissonance for the story!!! it's otherwise professionally-executed aesthetic consistency!!!!)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:22 PM] (but it doesn't win me over!!!! I cannot unsee it!!!! I can forgive and excuse it, there is so much about Mario games that I can love, it outweighs it!!!! but then when I have to play as Mario…… that's when it becomes a factor!!!)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:24 PM] (and for the 3D games, I am usually looking at Mario's back, and how my brain works is really I'm "playing as" the camera. Mario's just a means to an end, I move him so I can move the camera. so I can look at everything else.)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:24 PM] (but 2D games, Mario is front and center in a different way.)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:24 PM] (also Mario 3D World.)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:25 PM] (I can forget Mario in the sandbox 3D games. I haven't yet figured out how to forget Mario in the 2D-based games.)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:27 PM] where was I going with this one.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:29 PM] well I can stress here that I'm feeling out my own tastes. I cannot claim any of this is actually objective. not even the bit about "this is WHY story doesn't matter in Mario." I am not coming from a rigorously analytical point of view here. I can very easily be off the mark on all of this.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:40 PM] thinking about it, I may be onto something with Mario. the Sora thing is much more just my personal taste.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:44 PM] but Mario. Mario isn't average-looking enough for the Idea of him to appeal to me. the Mario movie on the other hand, that handled it well. Mario was an outcast to the humans. he was mocked, he was clearly doing his own thing. that's why he still looks goofy, for a human.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:44 PM] if the games follow the movie's approach, I can warm up even more to it.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:45 PM] that adds context. that tells me why Mario stays in the Mushroom Kingdom. it's not just "Peach is in danger and Mario has a sense of Duty," Peach being kidnapped becomes a pretext for "Mario gets to spend more time in this crazy world, and he likes being here, he feels it fits him in some way."

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:47 PM] just. y'know. up until now, with just the games to work with, I've had no reason not to see it as "Mario is The Everyman. he is the Average Dude who doesn't fit in here, exploring the wacky Mushroom Kingdom, in over his head."

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:47 PM] which just. that doesn't…. feel right!!! with how Mario looks!!!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:48 PM] (and acts!!! Mario isn't in over his head!!! he is the hero we count on!!! he is the reliable savior!!! he runs and jumps in a world that requires running and jumping!!!)

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:51 PM] …..and that also gets into my view of Sora. Sora isn't in over his head. he looks like he belongs there. yeah, he doesn't fit the art style of the Disney worlds he visits, but guess what, it's a mega-crossover, the art style changes frequently, you get used to that mismatch!!! Sora's "difference" blends in!!! because he still fundamentally looks like a cartoon!!!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:51 PM] contrast all this with Yoshi! or Sonic!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:52 PM] Yoshi is the ideal Mario game protagonist, because Yoshi is from the world he's in! Yoshi has an excuse to look cute and goofy!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:53 PM] Yoshi in real-world situations then looks funny! Yoshi in the realistic Mario Party games! that's funny! a wholehearted laugh! Mario in the realistic Mario Party games looks funny at first but then you start thinking about it and it's like, hey, he's supposed to be a human, this isn't supposed to look funny!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:53 PM] and Sonic!!! Sonic is just… aesthetically on-the-ball!!!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:55 PM] his own world is all cartoon characters and cartoon animals! he fits in! the Adventure games have realistic humans, Sonic looks out of place, but he's supposed to! and then Sonic 06 takes it to an extreme but that game's story is Actually A Fucking Masterpiece and the more you put thought into it the better that mismatch gets!!! Sonic becomes a walking metaphor! the story isn't about Sonic, it's about everyone else!!!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:57 PM] what about Eggman!!! let's contrast Mario with Eggman, as that's more relevant! Eggman looks strange next to realistic humans, so why does he get a pass? Eggman gets a pass because he's a well-defined villain character! he's such an extreme example of a human! he's fucking nuts and if he looks ridiculous then he comes packing heat and forces you to respect him!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:58 PM] if Mario carried a gun and acted edgy, that'd actually be better, aesthetically!!! he'd be a lot less popular a mascot, but as a character, I think he'd be seen more like Waluigi!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:59 PM] who is also Legit!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:59 PM] …………Waluigi has never carried a gun, no, and he doesn't ever act like a serious villain, no

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 4:59 PM] but Waluigi is closer to Eggman on this "ridiculousness spectrum"

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:00 PM] put Waluigi in the Metro Kingdom and the mismatch makes more sense! people will laugh at Waluigi looking so different from normal humans, but then they'll laugh harder and say "well, he's Waluigi."

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:01 PM] Mario gets less of a laugh!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:02 PM] maybe what I'm trying to say here is "I find it difficult to care about Mario because I can't help but feel like Nintendo doesn't really care about Mario. Mario is just a mascot, an excuse, an enabler."

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:04 PM] and that ultimately brings me back to Sonic 06 again. my theory of why the story is so fucking good. Sonic looks jarring next to Princess Elise, everyone knows that, but most people just stop there because it was a rushed game, they don't feel they should put more thought into it. I do. I mean, I don't even think Sonic Team intended for the extra thought I see in it, but that doesn't matter, because the line of thought makes the whole game better without requiring fixing the game.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:08 PM] that is. Sonic looks jarring to Princess Elise, in the same way that Mario looks jarring next to Metro Kingdom humans. because that's what it is. it isn't Mario And Peach. it's Mario And Some Metro Kingdom Woman Who Was Sheltered Her Whole Life And Mario Is The First Person To Ever Care About Her So She's Developed A Naive Infatuation With Him. imagine that scenario. Mario doesn't reciprocate, but he also doesn't not reciprocate. he doesn't do anything. he's not a deep enough character, and that's Okay, that's his Thing. he's literally just a Mascot. he would say platitudes like "You Can Do It, I Believe In You" and "If You Have Time To Worry, Then Run!" and she'd treat it all like he's Prince Charming saying completely personalized things to her.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:10 PM] imagine that. in that scenario, the point of the story isn't Mario. the point of the story is the One-Sided Infatuation. a good story would go above and beyond, go out of its way, to explore that Infatuation, not through giving us tons of examples of it, but through showing us where it comes from, what it's a side-effect of, what the consequences are of that greater Reason. Sonic 06 does exactly that.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:11 PM] Sonic 06 shows us a goddamn tragedy in Princess Elise. it brings gender into it, it brings class into it, it even brings religion into it.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:14 PM] Sonic 06 is all about a Realistic Woman who has to bear the responsibility of never crying, whose entire life shapes itself to keep her away from things that might cause that. and she FUCKING DIES. she tries to count on Sonic to save her, and he LITERALLY CAN'T, he FAILS, she DIES and Eggman dies too!!! how the FUCK do people not find this INCREDIBLE??? imagine Mario!!!! imagine it!!! imagine Mario doing that!!!!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:15 PM] then Sonic himself becomes a greater point about Mascots, about Fiction, about the Responsibility That Corporations Have.

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:17 PM] Sonic has a responsibility to protect Princess Elise, to let her be infatuated with him, to brush that off and just run in a field with her and let her have that moment. he looks ridiculous doing it, and he knows it won't work out because he's always gotta run off somewhere else in the end, but Sonic has a responsibility to live in the Now, to Protect people in the Now! that is the position a corporation is in when a corporation creates a Mascot!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:20 PM] and in the end, in the very end, the end of the story, the only actual way out of the nightmare Hate-God time loop is…. to make the whole story never happen! to forget it! it's like Sonic Team knew the game would be a failure, knew gamers would hate the story, so they gave us an Out! "hey. this game isn't canon. we're cutting our losses and will try something else from now on. the game just didn't work out. but in exchange, you've gotta let us have this moment Here and Now, you've gotta let Sonic 06 exist in its own little space. you've gotta let us run in a field with Sonic."

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:21 PM] "because we still put a ton of work into this game, and we had ambitions with it, and it's perfectly fine for you guys to forget that, but we can't. so let us have this moment."

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:22 PM] that's!!!! that's what I get from the game!!! just from Sonic's story specifically, at that!!! Silver and Shadow each have their own themes and they're fucking brilliant too!!!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:22 PM] that's what I see in it!!!!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:23 PM] that's what Mario exists in the shadow of!!!

Jordan Dooling, [9/2/23 5:23 PM] raaaaaaaaaaghhhhhh!!!!!! I fucking rambled!!!!!!

#my rambles #sonic #mario #maybe one of these days i'd like to arrange a great big “My View Of Sonic 06” thing. but that'd take a lot of work. #and i have spent my whole life scared of how people aren't gonna accept it anyway. #but i have *thoughts* about mascots. sonic spoiled me for them. sonic raised the bar to the moon. #and odyssey can't lie to me. mario can't reach the moon yet.

[sneakyparsnipslicer]

A New Lease On Life

Have you ever felt like being yourself limits you in a way? Like being born to a particular family or culture limits your potential and often how the world views you?

My name is Dr. Kurpreet Singh. I'm 27, single and longing for a life other than my own.

It's a well-known fact that Indian culture gives little freedom to the children. Great expectations from parents, often using the success to flaunt in others' faces. Despite being a well-studied and successful man of medicine, I must be causing my mother and father a great deal of disappointment. They keep setting me up for arranged marriages, but I know it's all for their gain, and whilst I've been introduced to some absolutely beautiful women, they're not exactly what I'm looking for.

During my education, I was envious of the other boys, they could laze about, talk anything they'd like, date anyone they'd like. My life was pre-determined, focus on my studies, ace every test. I love my parents, but the life they forced upon me doesn't exactly offer the freedoms that many of my peers take for granted. It seems clear to me my life was mapped out in their eyes even from conception; create a child prodigy, marry him into a wealthy family, have some beautiful children, die securing a promising future for their grandchildren. A noble plan I guess, but what about what I want?

It took some persuasion, but I was able to move from my parents' home into my own flat. My mother of course always hit with the obvious comments. 'Why are you settling for a flat? You need a mortgage for raising your family!' 'A single bed? No, you need a big bed to share with the right lady when you find her!' 'I don't like this place, too small. Where is the family supposed to sit for Diwali?' 'This is not a nice neighbourhood. You don't know anyone on your street. What you need is a good community, please come back and live with us Kurpreet, you'll be happier!'

Honestly she's not been happy with my flat since Day 1, saying I need to change this and that, chastising me on finding the slightest speck of dust. At least she never stays. When I'm alone, that's when I truly feel free of the pressure and expectations I have had placed on me.

Now, in the time I've had in my flat, I've been able to enjoy all kinds of freedoms, particularly conducting my own research into arcane topics. It's crazy to think that some things we dream of can infact be reality, through the right methods of course. My researches led me to discovering the likes of body possession and bodysuits, methods to change a person's entire likeness! There were stories of people documenting their transformations from their old bodies into new ones and I wondered if I could do the same. Through a few contacts I was able to obtain a small glass container of powder.

To anyone it looked like some kind of seasoning, it really wouldn't have looked to out of place on a spice rack. According to my supplier, it was a powder that numbed the nerves and extracted the soul. More or less, anyone I sprinkled the powder on would become a bodysuit, and I'd also be able to undergo a transformation much like the stories I'd become enamoured by. I kept the container on me, you never know when I might find the right person to become the vessel I need. Of course I went about my usual life at the local clinic as the kindly Dr. Singh, but beneath the surface, an almost inhuman hunger was growing inside me.

It happened on one evening, as I drove home from the clinic, I parked my car in my usual spot in the carpark and made my way towards my flat's front door. Even as I locked my car door I could hear people talking from the direction of my door. Sounded like a bunch of rowdy men. I got my briefcase out of my car's boot, cautiously pocketing my glass container as a precaution. 'I'm just going into my flat' I told myself under my breath. Taking a deep breath I began to make my way to my door. The voices seemed to be sluggishly singing some chant. Maybe they were on their way back from a pub after a football match. I turned the corner and saw four men in tracksuits sitting on the steps leading up to my door, beer cans littered all over the floor. I stopped in my tracks looking slack-jawed at the sight.

'Oi, the fuck you looking at?' demanded one of them when he noticed me looking. The rest stopped singing and turned their attention on me. I cleared my throat. 'Pardon me, Gentlemen. Could I possibly get to my front door?' I asked politely. It took a moment then they started laughing. 'Did you boys get any of that?' asked the one closest to my door. 'Nah man, all I heard was 'Oh deary, deary me!'' said another one imitating an Indian accent. 'Welcome to my Kwik-E-Mart, please come again!' said the one that addressed me at first, and they all broke into outrageous laughter. I wasn't about to let a bunch of racists make me lose my cool. 'Look, you're in my doorway, haven't you all got somewhere better to be?' I demanded sternly, folding my arms. It was at that point the one who hadn't said a word yet stood up. He glared at me and began to walk menacingly over. He was a fair bit taller than I am, quite bulky too. I backed away a few steps, subtley reaching for my little glass container. 'Why don't you fuck off back to India, Curry-In-A-Hurry?' asked the man, staring me down. The other men started laughing again. I mustered up my courage, removing the cork behind my back. 'I was born here in England, my family's been living here two generations' I replied smartly, looking him in the eyes. The man lifted his head from my breathing space, seemingly impressed. 'Well look at that boys, guess he's one of us!' he shouted, turning to the others. I was stunned. 'What, really?' I asked curiously. 'Nah, fuck off!' he said, turning back and aiming a punch at me. I anticipated this and ducked to the side, spraying the contents of the container in his face. He coughed and shook his head, wiping the powder out of his eyes. 'You dirty little…little…' he slurred, gradually losing consciousness and slumping down on the ground. His friends looked on shocked. 'Terry?' asked one of them, getting up to get a better look. 'Guess your friend has had too much to drink' I said shrugging. 'Nah nah nah, you threw something on him!' cried another one, standing up and pointing accusingly at me. The first one approached Terry's body and shook his shoulder. Terry's whole body wobbled like jelly. 'Shit, you've killed him!' he said, looking at me. At this point I looked darkly into his eyes. 'You wanna take your chances with me or are you gonna go?' I asked calmly. The guy shook his head, inching along the wall. 'Fuck no! Let's get away from this Voodoo creep!' he yelled staggering off. The other two ran off after him, leaving me and Terry alone. I gave his body a little kick with my boot, then lifted his arm up, which flopped back down as I let go. 'Well then Terry, looks like your check-up's due!' I chuckled, unlocking my front door and hoisting him over my right shoulder.

Getting into my living room, I placed Terry on my sofa and placed my belongings on the counter to the side. Getting a better look at the man, he looked to be roughly the same age as me, short brown hair, clean-shaven. Dare I say kinda cute. I removed his clothes to get a better look at what was on offer, I was met with the sight of some nice biceps and muscles, a very nice chest and abs. I had no doubt this guy probably could have actually knocked me out if he'd had a decent shot. 'Nice body Terry! Shame about your awful mouth and problematic mind' I said tutting condescendingly. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and took a good, long look at myself. Slim built, soft black hair, a tidy goatee and the glasses I always wore. Not bad, but there was room for improvement. It occurred to me this might just be the last time I see my face like this, but I was ready to give it all up. Staring at myself I began to unbutton my shirt, revealing my flat chest and stomach, my skinny arms and slightly hairy chest. I began to smile, this was like a dream come true. I undid my belt, unlaced my boots, pulled off my trousers, socks and boxers and stood there fully nude. I looked at myself one last time and nodded, turning my attention to Terry. I pulled him off the sofa and placed him carefully on the rug. Nervously, I prised open his mouth, the stretching sound of elastic filling the room. My cock twitched and a grin spread across my face as I looked down into the darkness within his body. It was time.

I began by placing my right foot into his mouth, pushing down my foot and shin began to disappear past his lips. I thought it best to sit down for this, so I did just that. Placing my left foot inside, the rubbery squeaking continued as I pushed my legs down, Terry's mouth seemingly consuming my kneecaps and upper legs. Looking further down his body, I could see his own legs were swelling and darkening slightly, going from pale white a delightful tan. I could only imagine what the outcome was going to look like and my dick began to harden in delight. I began to move my thighs inside, I took care to push my erectifying penis into Terry's mouth too, seeing it further down stretching his length out and amazingly restoring my foreskin. I'd been circumcised as a child, so I'd never really known what it was like to have an uncut cock, but I guess that was going to be something for me to explore in good time. Hands on the floor, I began to slide my belly and chest into the mouth, seeing them firm up and darken Terry's body, I moved my arms inside too and they filled out his arms and hands too. I let my new hands explore my body, this was nice. Like REALLY nice. I stood up and walked over to the mirror, checking it out. Abs, ass, I had it all going on. I bit my lip and locked eyes with my reflection. My old face atop this new body looked back. I took off my glasses and put them on the counter, and through blurred vision I matched up Terry's lower jaw with my own and pulled his head over mine. I could feel my face contorting as I stood there for a moment, eyes shut, letting the transformation finish. I felt my face and hair, with one hesitant breath I opened my eyes. My new reflection looked back at me, clear as day. Terry must have had good eyesight, I could kiss those glasses goodbye. My black hair was still there, my goatee had survived the transformation too. I looked good, Terry and I had created one gorgeous guy. I gave my new cock a playful tug with my left hand and my new ass a squeeze with the right. I could finally leave my old life behind and enjoy any man I wanted, be anything I wanted. Ruffling up my hair and massaging my biceps I remembered, I had kept an outfit aside for this occasion. I hurried to my bedroom and flung open the doors, searching through my coat hangers I found it; a plaid shirt, skinny jeans with chains on them, a G-string to perk up everything on offer, and a leather harness, for later. I'd see about officially leaving the flat tomorrow, for tonight I'm hitting every gay bar in town and getting me some long-desired action. Dr. Kurpreet was gone, any remnants are getting fucked out tonight. From here on out, I am Hari, a cute guy in a big town with big dreams of being the most lustful male stripper around!

#transformation #bodysuit #gay

[theflashdriver]

Out of Body, Out of Mind: Chapter 1 (A Silvaze Fanfic)

"Next time you two visit, it better not be to stop another Eggman attack!" The crushing bearhug of one Amy Rose served to emphasise a point that she had already made a half dozen times today, "Or an ancient monster emerging or aliens invading... or a wizard's mind control, or evil doppelgangers, or a ghost tornado, or-

"Amy, I think they get the point. Squeeze them any longer and they won't live to leave, let alone return," Sonic piped up from somewhere out of view.

"I'm just making sure they understand, darling," A singsong tone entered the pink hedgehog's voice, "To see my blue blur turned green with envy; if you wanted a hug that badly you only had to ask."

Blaze stumbled as she was released, straightening her jacket as she steadied herself. Her companion within the hammer-wielder's vice-like grip wasn't quite so prepared, only just psychically catching himself before he could tumble to the ground. The cat couldn't help but smirk as he wobbled to right himself and land beside her; this past week had certainly been one to remember.

What had begun with her and Silver crossing space and time to fend off a surprise attack from an empowered Metal Sonic had stretched into a two week long stay with their friends. While the initial days had been focused on recuperating following the battle, soon the pair of them had been dragged into hijinks ranging from movie nights to visits to Twinkle Park and museums. From sharing Amy's pull out couch to overnight stays in hotels, these past days had brought with them a certain undeniable freedom. It'd all ended with a final campout up on Angel Island. She was glad that she'd allowed herself to relax, even if it had taken a few dozen pleading looks from the time traveller to her right.

"Hey, Knuckles! Stop letting Rouge distract you, we need to get them home before there's some sort of multidimensional fallout or something!" Sonic called as he raced past, Amy still in pursuit.

"I really don't think that's likely," Tails piped up to strike down Sonic's teasing, "As long as Blaze keeps-

"She's not distracting me; she's trying to steal the Master Emerald and none of you are helping!" The echidna roared.

"Aww, come on Big Red, don't be like that," Blaze turned to find the bat hovering, elbows atop the great green gem as she stared down at the flustered guardian, "I just love watching you work, that's all."

"Get off, I'm trying to perform a ritual!" Knuckles insisted from his cross legged position before the Master Emerald, "If I mess this up, anything could happen; to them or us."

"If something goes wrong, we'll be able to handle it," The psychic hedgehog reached out a hand and Sonic came to a sudden halt, only to be immediately leapt upon by Amy.

"Yes, we're more than prepared to face whatever comes our way," Seizing the moment of stillness Silver's juvenile choice had induced, the cat raised her voice, "Thank you for the time you have afforded us to recuperate. I swear that when we next return it will be under less troubling circumstances."

"That's a pretty stiff way to say you'll visit sometime the world isn't ending," Sonic snorted, now swept up in Amy's arms, "But a promise is a promise; we'll take it."

"Or maybe we could visit your world instead," That idea seemed to put a sparkle in Amy's eyes, "We could have a beach day, or go sailing!"

"I will see what I can arrange," Blaze swallowed, trying not to think about the great social barrier which was her royal status.

"I'd love to visit the future sometime and see all the new technology," Tails proposed.

"Oh, um, sure, maybe at some point," Silver not so subtly floundered, plainly trying not to remind the young fox of the various apocalypses he endlessly faced in his time, "Knuckles, are you ready for us?"

"I think I am," He called down, "Come on up, push away batgirl if you can."

"Fine Knuckie, I know when I'm not wanted," The bat rolled her eyes, taking to the sky.

"Whatever," He grumped, "Have a nice flight."

"Try not to miss me too badly," She blew a kiss his way as she took off higher, "I'll be back before you know it."

The grumbling of the red echidna continued, even after she was out of view and the pair of them had scaled the altar. Despite his bashfulness, the guardian lowered his head and reached out toward the great stone with open palms. His muttering had turned from the topic of Rouge to that of prayer like chanting, calling upon the great gem's power. A green tint began to fill the cat's vision, she saw sparks crack to crease the air and felt weightlessness spread across her body. The moment was almost upon them.

"Guys! That's us going, I think!" Silver called down toward the giggling hedgehog pair and fox tinkering with his tablet, "Try to stay safe, keep an eye out for the next attack!"

Blaze elbowed the hedgehog's side, subtly really wasn't one of his strong suits, "Until we meet again, I-

"Knuckles, you need to stop!" Rouge's shout cut the cat off.

"What is it now Rouge, I'm almost-

Blaze's ears spiked high but energy had already encased her, both she and Silver were floating against their own wills. The cat tried to turn but found herself unable to do more than peer over her shoulder as Sonic, Tails and Amy began to run up the altar toward them. Blaze only managed to see what happened out of the corner of her eye. Rouge grabbed Knuckles by the shoulders and flew, forcing him away from his work just as a shadow cast over the master emerald.

The once green energy around them flared a blinding white as their transportation was interrupted. A giant metal mass, like a grasping yellow and red claw, crashed onto the massive emerald and reduced it to shards which flew straight past them. The last thing Blaze saw was an orange Eggman insignia before her vision became a blur of white and blue. The cat felt herself falling; endlessly tumbling head over tail in a swirling void like intangible foamy seawater!

She held onto her breath for fear it would be her last. Fingers desperately clawed out into the space around her, hoping to grasp onto anything! This sight wasn't uncommon, she'd been tossed like this when travelling dimensions before, but usually it lasted mere moments. This was more, how long has passed already!?

Something touched her hand; she couldn't see through this endless swirl but something had brushed her right hand! The guardian flailed out in the hope that it was her partner, reaching and stretching with all her might in an attempt to latch onto something. Fingers met her wrist and hers coiled onto another in kind. She knew that feeling, calloused fingertips and a chunky metal bracelet. It was him, she had-

No, he wasn't holding her right hand, he was holding her left. Was she just so imbalanced in this tumbling space that she'd lost track of right and left? Regardless, she had him- they had each other. This couldn't go on forever, they'd arrive somewhere, they had to land somewhere!

She tried to focus on the Sol Emeralds, tried to harness her inherent connection to them, but her head started to ache. Everything felt wrong, from her left to her right to her tongue in her mouth and the weight across her body. This was all going wrong and her lungs were burning, she had to take a breath but there was no hope of air.

As she gasped the world around her began to darken. First the white faded from amongst the sky blue it was mixed with, then that blue faded indigo. Whether it was her body now failing her or the end of their travels she had no idea; but she held tighter onto Silver as that indigo faded to black.

Then, with no more than a blink, Blaze saw white again. Her whole body felt heavy and her mouth felt dry, it took a few more moments of just lying there and blinking to recognise that the white above her was no void. It was a cloudy sky. There was grass to her back. A cool wind was blowing.

She shut her eyes, her shoulders and back were aching, had the fall agitated the wounds from the fight those weeks ago? Blaze was certain she'd fully healed, that she was ready to face whatever came next. Well, regardless of her state, they had to get back and help their friends. That surprise attack could easily have been the next calamity set to destroy their world.

Blaze clenched her left hand and did still feel that she was holding her partner's right. No matter where they both were, whether they were still in Silver's past or they had made it to her dimension, they were still together. They could get out of this. They could fix this.

Wait, no. Something was wrong. Silver's fingers weren't as slender as the set she was feeling now. There was no thick metal band at the wrist of this hand. She felt a psychic static as their palms creased over each other's but something felt different, something felt wrong. Regardless of who she was lying next to, they weren't moving. Something had to be-

Blaze rose from her lying position, sitting up and turning, only to find herself staring down at a white furred muzzle on an otherwise purple furred face. A red gemstone was centred on the form's forehead and their hair was in a tall raised ponytail. The lying figure wore a purple long coat, white tights and heeled shoes. That form was her own body; Blaze was looking down at herself.

A hand was holding hers; a hand attached to a white furred forearm, itself wearing a great golden cuff. Silver's hand. A hand she had just raised before her face, the one she was seeing out of right now, and looked to find it was attached to her body. Something had gone terribly wrong, but she had to know the full story, she had to confirm it all.

Leaning over, feeling stiffness in her shoulders, Blaze pushed a hand to the neck of her prior body and felt a pulse plainly beating. Amber eyes flickered open as she leaned over, a daze marred that form's face followed by a rather uncouth bellowing yawn. By that alone Blaze had her suspicions but she had to confirm it; it wasn't safe. Her hands came down heavy and hard against her own body's shoulders, jolting the recently unconscious form into a more awake state.

"Silver, is that you?" She barked down.

"I'm Silver, yes... but you're..." Realisation seemed to grip the individual, panic entered their eyes, "Who are you? What are you doing-

"No, that's not enough. Eggman attacked as we were leaving, I need to be certain that you are you," Anything could have happened while they were falling between dimensions, whether that was part of the doctor's plans or otherwise.

"Blaze?" The imposter blinked, perhaps putting this together as she had, "Okay, yes, I am Silver... how do I prove I'm Silver? How do you prove you're Blaze?"

"We have time together we can draw upon that no one else should recall, there would be no records of it. If we use that, then I will have every confidence that you are Silver in my body," The form beneath her still looked unsure, so Blaze opted to open, "Ask me a question from that time, one which only I would know the answer to."

This had in itself actually been a ploy, an effort to get some extra affirmation through not letting this potential imposter use her question to scramble for one in turn.

"How did you explain the Chaos Emeralds to me when we first found one?" The form beneath her asked.

"I told you they were good luck charms," That question was sufficient, a clear moment with an obvious answer... but Blaze had to be sure, "Where did I find you after we were first sent to the past, when Mephiles separated us?"

"By a dock in Soleanna, on some stairs near the water," Blunt regret entered her prior body's eyes as the tale continued, "There were boats there, I was looking out over the water. It was after I'd tried to kill Sonic for the first time. Amy had stopped me..."

Blaze slackened her grip as relief flooded through her, "I'm glad it's you in there Silver... but I don't know what we're going to do."

"Where are," His speech came to a sudden stop, his brows furrowed, "Ow..."

"What happened, are you okay?" Panic for both her partner and her body swept through Blaze as she scanned for the source of the pain.

"I'm fine, I just bit my tongue," He grumbled, "Your teeth really are sharp..."

As he raised a hand to his cheek, a flash of orange and fresh terror swept over the now hedgehog. Flames were dancing along feline fingers as a cheek was rubbed- the very power Blaze had spent so many years learning to control and hone were now in the hands of a total novice. Ever so quickly the monarch pushed the cat's hand from his face and pinned it into the grass next to him, mirroring that manoeuvre on the other side. Remembering what Silver himself had done in times before, she concentrated on the burning hand only to watch as a cyan pulse blew the flames away. Had it always been that easy for him?

"We need to get you somewhere safe," She insisted, eyes now flickering to her surroundings, "Then we can figure this out. I'm certain we can find a way to fix this."

Blaze quickly recognised just where they were; great twisting shaped topiaries were to their left and a large glass greenhouse to their right. They were in the middle of the royal gardens, they had made it to the right space... but had they made it to the right time? The only way to find that out would-

"Oi, mates, you're back!" Blaze looked over her shoulder only to get an eyeful of quill, she had to really turn to see Marine approaching, "And closer than ever I can see, not back for a moment and you're already all over each other, strewth. What, were Sonic and Amy's eyes on you the whole time? Need to make up for missed snoggin'?"

"Marine, it is imperative that you listen to me," Blaze quickly rose from atop her partner, stomping in boots that felt overly heavy, "When did we leave here last, why did we leave?"

"Oh um," The raccoon looked even smaller than usual, her current unfamiliar shadow cast over her, "About two weeks ago? To help save Sonic's world?"

"Be more specific than that, to save it from what?" The pyrokinetic turn psychokinetic insisted.

"Umm... was it the ghost tornado?" Blaze's eyes widened for a moment, "No, no, that was last time," The raccoon started to bounce her leg, deep in thought, "Don't tell me mate... Metal Sonic, it was an upgraded Metal Sonic, final answer!"

Relief swept through the guardian. They were in the right place at the right time, just in the wrong bodies. It wasn't as though they were completely-

"Um, help?!" Blaze turned to find that Silver had risen to his feet but was wobbling, struggling for balance with burning hands flailing at his sides.

Blaze raced over, zooming around behind the cat to catch him by the wrists. It was strange to look over a shoulder that was hers, let alone to find herself taller than her own body. Gently, the hedgehog allowed her psychic power to leak and sooth over his burning hands. It was a strange sensation, like water running off of her palm and into the air; yet she still felt all that the output energy touched. She was the breeze coiling around his wrists and snuffing those flames.

"Easy, take deep breaths, you can control this," Blaze whispered into his ear, gently bringing his arms to his sides as she allowed their fingers to interlock, "We need to fix this as quickly as possible..."

"Sorry, I got excited to see Marine and it just... it feels like I'm overflowing, is this really what every day is like for you?" He was hot to the touch, burning up in a way Blaze couldn't remember physically feeling while in her own body.

"What's goin' on? You two are acting real weird," The youngster rubbed her chin, "I mean, weirder than usual."

"Blaze got sick in the other dimension. It's impacting her sense of balance, which in turn is affecting her control over her pyrokinesis," Blaze said, hoping Silver's inability to lie was a personality trait rather than a physiological one, "We need to move her to the palace courtyard; that way she won't risk burning anything or anyone."

The feline in her grasp stiffened but didn't speak up, clearly trying to go along with the plan.

"Oh strewth, sounds serious," Marine panicked as the lie worked, "Well hurry up then, sweep her off her feet and cart her to safety mate. If you fly her there you'll save the roses, and have a chance to smooch among the clouds."

Right, flying. This was going to be difficult. Silver's look of recognition, worn so plainly exaggerated on her own face, confirmed that worry. Lying had seemed like the right idea, both to keep Silver safe but also to prevent panic throughout the kingdom. If word spread that the guardian and her closest ally were both out of commission then uproar or even an invasion could occur.

Releasing the feline's hands, she allowed the heavy grasp of her new body to drift across her old one. Her right arm wrapped around Silver's shoulders while her left slipped beneath his knee to lift him off the ground. As it always had, the cat's form slotted flush against the hedgehog's chest- his head was against her shoulder. Was she really this light... or was Silver stronger than she'd been giving him credit? She had been noticing this body's shoulders in her peripheral vision a lot more than she had her own...

"Wait, this... feels weird," Did she look like that when she usually blushed? She hoped she wasn't usually so beet red, let alone volcanic to hold.

"Try not to think about it, that's what I usually do," She muttered under her breath, "How do I fly?"

"Oh, um," Silver leaned up, whispering into her ear, "You want to let the energy flow over your whole body and then just sort of... think in the direction? The harder you think, the more significant the force. Try to be gentle with your thoughts, too much and things will get dangerous. Maybe try to just hover first?"

Blaze closed her eyes and felt the coolness of psychic energy wash over and encase her body. That was the easy part, she'd managed that much already. What on earth did he mean to think in a direction? Silver didn't always look where he was casting his power, so it wasn't as though he meant to focus on a point in front of them. Did he mean to imagine an arrow? She didn't think he was constantly doing that in the heat of battle. What-

Something smacked Blaze's knees and made her eyes open wide; she looked down toward the ground and very almost plummeted directly into it! With so little thought, so little effort, the new psychic found herself rocketing through the garden; battering her way through bushes at a breakneck pace and barely feeling them smash against the psychic shell around her.

She commanded her body to stop and came to a neck wrenching halt, still hovering around half a metre off the ground. A glance backwards showed that a not so insignificant portion of the garden had been torn apart in the wake of her movement; it was lucky they hadn't been facing the greenhouse. Much further though and they would have hit the palace wall...

"Maybe try to think less?" She looked down to find her own face cringing up at her, "Gentle thoughts, light thoughts, try not to push too hard."

"I understand that now," She grumbled, throwing one more glance back to a rapidly approaching Marine before looking to the top of the palace wall, "There really is no chance we'll fall, is there?"

"No," Silver shook his head, "If you start to feel tired or lightheaded we should land as quickly as possible, but I know my body, I can handle way more than what you just did," Blaze felt his arm on her back, right where she had held him so many times, "I trust you."

"I don't like hearing that in my voice," Blaze harrumphed, turning her gaze skyward, "Let's get this-

Before she could even finish that sentence they were far higher than they had any right to be. By the time they finally made it to the courtyard the new hedgehog was both lightheaded and tired. This was going to be long and arduous, but they could make it work. Couldn't they?

#silvaze #blaze the cat #silver the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog #sonamy #knuxouge

[mbti-notes]

INFP. I've struggled at and haven't enjoyed any type of job I've held. I think I'd be good at being a sahm, I like kids, cooking, and doing things at my own pace rather than having to meet deadlines for a boss. Two main problems with that, the first is that I wouldn't have any financial independence and would have limited options if I tried to enter the workforce later in life. The second problem is that I'm asexual and I don't think most men would be ok with having a housewife they can't bang. What other options should I consider? Part-time work? Professional nannying? Try harder to learn how to fit into the workforce? Find an ace man who also wants kids and has a high-paying career?

To sum up, in order to achieve your version of a good life, you require 1) an asexual male partner, and 2) a partner with the means and desire to support a sahm. The first point sounds quite possible as long as you plan out your search properly. Asexual people are a minority, but there are enough out there that finding a good partner isn't just a pipe dream. When it comes to matters of great importance to you, you owe it to yourself to give it your best shot.

The second point is more difficult because of economic conditions that don't really support single-income households. And modern social norms encourage both partners to be financially independent. However, remember that, at the end of the day, the best arrangement for a couple is the one that both can agree is fair, so you are only limited by your own powers of imagination. You can prioritize finding a suitable partner first and then work out the details of who contributes what later. Perhaps I'm a romantic, but I don't think it's a good idea to give up on finding a life partner. Intimate relationships are an essential aspect of human fulfillment.

I can empathize with your job struggles. Not everyone is well-suited to the kind of labor that the economy makes most available. Specialized professions require time and money for education and training. If you want to have your own kids, you also have to face the reality that time isn't on your side. You have to prioritize and make some trade-offs in order to achieve what's most important to you.

You say you haven't been able to find a job you enjoy. It's normal that INFPs want to do work they are passionate about. But reality doesn't always cooperate. You can look for opportunities to change your circumstances and move on to greener pastures. It wouldn't hurt to try out a job caring for kids just to see where it goes. But there are times in life when change is quite difficult due to lack of opportunities, and the best path left to you then is to change your perspective. Maybe you can find other ways of appreciating work, outside of Fi and your personal passion for it.

For example, one FP friend of mine doesn't looove his office job, but he does enjoy a lot of little things such as: the pride of being independent, feeling challenged by problem solving, the chance to pick up and improve specific skills, the chance to meet new and interesting people, the feeling of accomplishment when he meets a big goal, etc. He could easily walk into work with the attitude of "ugh not another day of meaningless labor", OR he could choose to be present and commit fully to all the tasks he's doing. Whenever he chooses the former, he soon gets depressed. Whenever he chooses the latter, the job seems fine and dandy.

The point is that you have a lot more control over situations than you realize. A small shift of perspective can significantly improve your overall outlook and mood. When your view of things is too small or narrow, you have far fewer chances to discover joy. But when you broaden your mind, you'll have access to more possibilities of getting something valuable from the situation.

An important part of INFP development is learning how to use Ne properly, which involves choosing to focus on the positive aspects of situations rather than wasting energy hating on the negative. When circumstances don't go your way, you have to make the most of what you already have. It is through openness and resourcefulness that NPs become highly adaptable people. Perhaps this is something you need to work on.

#infp #auxiiary ne #adaptability #career #ask

[iisuya-simps]

A Kings Coronation (Royal au – Otoya x Reader)

A/N: I've been trying to write this since his birthday celebration card came out

Klab please let me marry this man ~ I will give him my s o u l

God, I wish this were me...

Enjoy~

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Word count: 2458

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The day of Otoya's 18th birthday. Today he would be crowned king and take over the kingdom. You woke up early and rode all morning from your country to see him. A few hours later you woke to the sun shining in your eyes, seeing how you slept most of the way.

It was crowded when you got there. Guards lined up at every corner. People came far and wide to witness the crowning of a new king. You had to push through the crowd to even get close to the main balcony when a hand touched your shoulder.

“There you are! I finally found you!” You feel someone's arms wrap around your waist. It was him. “Otoya!” You turn and give him a hug, he squeezes you back. “Thanks for coming.”

“How could I miss my best friend's 18th birthday/coronation??” “Haha, this place is totally packed, huh? Just getting over here to you was crazy.” “They're all here for you.” You give a warm smile.

“Congratulations, King Otoya Ittoki.” You curtsy. “Gosh... Hearing you say it all formal like is kinda embarrassing.” He scratches his head. “Well, I'll answer as the birthday king should.” Otoya puts his hands on his hips puffing out his chest. “You have my thanks, dear Y/N.” Then bows. “Maybe that wasn't so regal...” you both laugh.

“Well, today is about to kick into high gear so stick close to me, ok?” “I promise I won't leave your side.”

“Still, I'd find you even if you vanished into thin air. We'll have lots more time to talk if we stick together, plus everyone can know about us right?”

“Know about us?”

“Let's go!” You follow close behind him but find it challenging with all of the people. You hesitate to grab his hand but he takes yours first. You look up and see his bright smile and wink as he guides you through the crowds of people till he sneaks you inside.

“Hey, there's something I'd like to show you.” “Oh?” “Close your eyes.” “Otoya...” You whine. “Come on it's a surprise!”

“Fine.” You close your eyes and he takes your hand guiding you slowly down the hall.

“Don't peek, ok?” “I wouldn't dream of it.” You go down a few halls then Otoya puts his hands over your eyes. “It's just up ahead, so put your trust in me. Keep walking straight.”

Continuing down the corridor you approach some steps and a large door. “There's a small staircase so watch your step.”

“Shouldn't I be the one surprising you?” “Maybe. But it's not often we see each other. Just a few more steps and we're here!” He takes his hands away from your face. “Open your eyes!” Revealed to you is a grand balcony with a gorgeous view of the land. “Ta da!”

“Wow, Otoya!” “Are you surprised?” “This is amazing! I've never been here before.” “This is the prettiest spot in the whole castle, so I had to show you! There's even an awesome view of the ocean!”

You can see every corner of the courtyard. You walk up to the railing and lean forward taking in the sights, Otoya joins you from behind.

“Beautiful isn't it? Wonderful weather, and a beautiful princess.” You giggle. “And a charming prince, soon to be king.”

You both heard a commotion from below. “Uhh, it looks like everyone is looking for me. They won't check here right?” He scratches the back of his head. “Maybe we should go back.” “Nah, it'll only be a few minutes, no harm done. Besides look!” Otoya shuffles in a bag behind his back.

“I brought us some cake for us to eat together!” You cross your arms. “Otoya isn't that for the reception?” “Well yeah but I want to eat it with you now... And it's my birthday so anything goes!” You shake your head and laugh. “Alright then, let's dig in.” “Yay!”

He places the plate on the table to the left of the balcony. “After you, princess.” He pulls out a chair. “How kind of you your majesty.” Grabbing two forks from his bag he sits across from you unwrapping the cake. “Waah, this looks sooo good. Itadakimasu!” You both took a bite savouring the vanilla cake and fluffy buttercream frosting.

“Mmm, I knew it.” “Knew what?” “That this cake is way tastier being here with you than at the party.” “Uh-huh.” “What? You don't feel the same way?” He pouts. “Everything's better with you, Otoya.” “Really? I think so too... With you I mean!” You both gobble down the rest of your cake not saying a word but simply enjoying each other's company.

“Ahh, that hit the spot. Shall we go?” “You have cake on your face silly. You'll look like a fool if you go out like that.” “Hmm? Where is it?” He licks around his lips. “No on your cheek, here.” You laugh stepping closer to wipe the icing with your thumb from his cheek. Sticking it in your mouth you then clapping your hands together.

“That's better.” “T-thanks...” He blushes but quickly recovers. “Well, the party's just getting started.” You place your hands on his shoulders. “Let's make this the best day ever!”

You and Otoya go back down to greet the people outside in the crowd. Staying closely by his side he never let you out of his sight. “Otoya there you are! I swear you have no sense of time. The ceremony is about to begin!” The queen crosses her arms. “Already?” “Yes, now let's go.” “But Y/N...” “I'll be fine.” You smile. He takes both of your hands in his. “I'll come to find you after, ok?” “Alright, now go get your crown.” You wink.

The crowning ceremony was lovely. Otoya took the coronation oath and made a speech. Afterwards, everyone gathered in the main ballroom then the celebration really began. You were wandering around near the edge of the ballroom when you felt a hand pull you around the corner.

“Hey.” “Oh hi.” You smile and fix your eyes on his crown. “So what's next, king?” “Hehe, come with me.” You spend the rest of the day greeting more people, enjoying the food at the banquet and listening to the royal orchestra. When nightfall came Otoya leads you away from the dwindling crowds to his bedroom to retire for the night.

“Wow, that was a blast.” You jump on his bed and sink into the duvet. “We hung out all day huh?” “Yup seems like it.” “Time flies when I'm with you. Oh! And did you hear the band? They were all like bweeh daa daa doooo.” Otoya mimics a violin shaking his head around.

“Ah! My crown is gonna fall!” He juggles it between his hands leaning over and catching it before it hits you. “Gotcha. Whoa!” The carpet slipping from under him he fell on top of you anyway. “S-sorry y/n!” There was a moment you stared into each other's eyes. You blushed a bright red then laughed.

“Cmon... no laughing. I just let my guard down a bit...” he pouts. “You're just a clutz, Otoya.” You scoot off to the other side of the bed. “Am not! I always act like a king should...” “Uh huh. So what does it feel like to be a king anyway?” He places his hand on his chin and ponders.

“It's not much different than being a prince yet I don't think. Though I guess a big responsibility falls on my shoulders now that I am a king. I have a whole kingdom to look out for after all. And you.” “I can look after myself.” “But you don't have to.” Otoya twiddles his thumbs together.

“Anyway... Today is special! After all, you're here with me.” He raises a brow. “Hey, why are you so far away? Didn't you promise not to leave my side? Come sit by me. You're making me lonely...” He pouts again. “Promise you won't fall on me again?” “Not on purpose.” “Haha.” You move closer and the both of you talk about the day's events. Though the whole time, you couldn't help feel butterflies dance in your stomach.

“I had a great time today, Y/N.” “Me too.” “Everything was so wild during the day, but now all I hear is you.” His hand caressing your cheek. You gaze, getting lost in his eyes. “Those lips hold the voice I cherish most.” His thumb brushes over your bottom lip. Leaning forward his lips meet yours as they come together in a sweet kiss. You stay like that for a moment, then part. You turn away embarrassed. “Wait what's wrong? Don't turn away.” He giggles. “You left yourself open for that.” You laugh too.

“Look at me.” He turns your head and your eyes meet once more. “I'm sorry I guess I just wasn't expecting that...” He places both hands on the side of your face slowly pulling you into another kiss. “Were you expecting that?” “Hehe.” You wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him back. You melt into each other drawing out each kiss for as long as you could. “I don't know, were you expecting that?” You both laugh and he pulls you into his arms.

“Oh, Y/N...” He sighs. “I just want you all to myself.” “So selfish, your majesty.” “Hey, a king's orders are absolute you know. That being said, I order you to stay and talk all night to me.” “I guess I cant disobey direct orders.” “Hehe, no you can't.” You lay back and chat in his arms, steadily getting more sleepy you yawn.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” “I did arrange to stay for a few days.” “Really? He beams then suddenly gets nervous. “W-what is it?” You ask, both looking serious and sit up.

“Y/N, would you stay longer if I asked you to marry me?” Your eyes widened. “O-Otoya I-”

“I know it's sudden, I just can't wait. I want you to be mine.” “Are you sure? There are plenty of other princesses that are dying for your hand in marriage.” “Well of course there are other princesses, but you're the only one I have my eyes on. You're too special not to be my beloved.”

“Otoya...” A happy tear slides down your cheek but he wipes it away and holds your hands. “Hows about I ask you again tomorrow? More formally.” “Okay.”

You're unable to hold back the grin from your face. Marry Otoya? Being his friend is one thing but this is a dream come true.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” You get up and grab your purse shuffling around. “Close your eyes Otoya.” “Ok ok... You take the little box from your purse and open it to place a small wooden triangle in his hand. “You can open your eyes now.” He looks down at his hand to see a small triangular pick. “A pick?” He studies it. “For your guitar!”

“Wha-” reaching under the bed you pull out a brand new redwood guitar. “Wow! For me?! Are you sure?!” “Of course! Otoya takes the guitar running his fingers over the frets and strings. “Happy birthday Otoya.” He sets the guitar down by the nightstand beside him. “Thank you Y/N!” He tackles you to the bed holding you tight.

You spend the rest of the night giddily talking about your goals, dreams and aspirations for the future. Eventually falling asleep next to each other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the morning you wake to a blushing Otoya combing his hand through your hair and your eyes flutter awake.

“Good morning, Y/N.” Otoya presses a kiss to your forehead. “Morning.” You yawn. “Did you sleep well?” “That was the best sleep I've had in a while.” Otoya beams. “Good, are you hungry? Would you like breakfast? I could have the cook bring us something.” “That sounds lovely.”

“I'll be right back!” Otoya rushes off to the kitchen and has a special breakfast made. He returns with the cook serving both of you a buffet.

“Otoya!! We cant eat all this!?!” "That's ok, there's plenty of variety so just pick what you want!” You share a large breakfast together in bed. Otoya insists on feeding you dessert, but after the feast you just had you couldn't possibly take another bite.

After a quick rest, Otoya leads you on a stroll through the garden. It's early spring and the flowers are just starting to bloom. You're walking along when you pull Otoya to a stop.

“Hibiscus!” You wander over to the colorful display of red, yellow, white and pink flowers. “Hibiscus is my favorite flower.” You hold back your hair and take in the sweet almost fruity fragrance. “Y/N.” Otoyas hand takes yours.

“We've known each other since we were kids. As the years have gone by I've realized how special you are to me as a friend and something more. I promise to love and protect you as I will my kingdom. With you by my side, I feel as if I can do anything. I will give you each and every one of these flowers and more.” Otoya kneels down in front of you.

“My heart belongs to you and only you.” You gasp as he opens the velvet box to reveal a dazzling yet subtle ring. “Say you'll be mine, forever and always.”

“Otoya...” You tear up once more. “Yes, of course I'll be yours!” He stood and took the ring out of the box placing it on your finger. You leap to hug him almost knocking him over in the process. This was better than you could ever imagine.

"Otoya, I love you." Your heart pounds as you pull back to look him in the eyes.

"I love you too, Y/N." You share a very heartfelt passionate kiss.

Otoya plucks a flower from one of the branches and tucks it in your hair.

“There, for my beautiful bride to be.” You plant a gentle kiss on his cheek and walk hand in hand back to the castle where you greet the queen.

You feel quite foolish when you realize that it was your parent's plan all along to get you two together, but it worked out so naturally you didn't care. You were getting married to the guy of your dreams, and that was a miracle within itself.

Your wedding was celebrated with your family and civilians from far and wide.

But with Otoya by your side, this truly was a dream come true.

#uta pri #uta no prince sama #shining live #otoya ittoki #starish #otoya x reader

[iplaymatchmaker]

Hi there, me again, if I read the rules correctlyyou said we could do a separate ask for a separate game. If I read incorrectlyplease just ignore this, if not if my first ask wasn't to much I'd love to ask for an ikerev matchup as well! I'm bi, female (she/her) sagittarius sun, virgo rising, libra moon, ENFT. I'm 5'2, chubby/curvy w/ great boobs, I have longer  brunette hair w/ peekaboo highlights (they've been every color, but currently pink), brown eyes, glasses/contacts, 7 piercings & 26 tattoos. I'm very empathetic (sometimes to a fault) and have sever anxiety and depression. It takes me awhile to warm up around new people and be myself. I often feel intimidated in big social settings, such as parties, and often use alcohol for some liquid courage to help me let loose and be me in those situations. I've suffered some emotional and mental abuse at the hands of a step parent which has left me with some trauma and triggers; people raising their voice at me or making quick movements toward me or in my direction usually result in me crying and secluding myself for awhile. Oh and I have daddy issues, thanks absent father. That said I also don't do great with authority, I hate being told what to do, and I hate being told no. I can put up with a lot of shit, but eventually it usually becomes a 'straw that broke the camels back' situation and I fly off the handle and then break down. I am also extremely generous and do all I can to help my friends and family when they need it. I have some self confidence issues from weight gain, and I usually feel my best when I'm dolled up with my makeup on and hair done, usually with a dress and heels. I'm a Ravenclaw thats hates to read, but I love learning & know tons of trivia; like I know so many random facts about so many things from history, to movies, to graveyards, and much more. I often correct people on things, which some perceive as me belittling them, but its never my intention I'm just trying to share my knowledge and trying to help them. I am very creative I love crafting; resin art, macrame, cross stich, those are just some of my favorite things to do art wise, I also enjoy coloring books. I love to laugh and think I'm pretty funny, I usually have a dark sense of humor, if you don't like humor we won't vibe together, and if you can't make me laugh we will not be a good relationship match. I like to go to the bar and do karaoke, it's one thing I've learned I'mvery good at. It took me about 2 years, but I've since learned to be confident with my singing and now its one of my favorite things to do. I drink, obviously, gin and tonic is my favorite. I also smoke, I love my hookah, and I've had my medical card for about a year and it's done wonders for my insomnia and cramps. For about 2 years I've been getting severe cramps and stomach pains, and after 5 er trips in a month they didn't find anything, its still a mystery but at least the bud helps the pain. l'm very into the witchy aesthetic; my style is either very Stevie Nicks, pinup, or 2009 emo/scene depending on the day. I collect animal skulls and bone, taxidermy, crystals, and plants; I also practice the craft & love to make spell jars for people. I love tarot and really enjoy doing it. I live for Halloween & enjoy all things macabre! My favorite show is That 70's Show and if I could live in a replica of the Forman's house that would be my dream. I am also very sex positive and rather adventurous in bed. I'm a brat and a voyeur, I'll get down with just about anything. My love language is giving and receiving gifts. I put alot of thought into holidays like Christmas, I plan months in advance to make sure I get everyone the perfect gift; but I also will sometimes see something that just reminds me of someone and have to get it for them. That is all I can think of right now to add about myself. I'd love 4 and/or 10 for the prompt part. And again thank you for doing these, I'm such a ho for them, and again I'm sorry its long.

I match you with

Edgar!

Thank you so much for requesting 🥰🥰! I’m sorry this took so long, but here it is! I hope you enjoy it ❤️! I Hope you don’t mind the sprinkle of angst in the second ask.😅

I was thinking Ray at first, but I ended up going with Mr smooth, since Ray is too predictable after Nap.

Edgar is known among the red army officers as the person who will make you feel safe, especially during your first encounters with them, before you find out they’re all dorks.  What he doesn’t expect is how at home he feels when the two of you are together. He never feels like he’s being judged when he’s around you and he lets himself go, despite the indoctrination by Claudius that he should always keep people at a distance to avoid being viewed as weak.

Not long after the two of you met, he decides to take you out along with Kyle for a drink, to help you get more accustomed to Cradle and its people. When you realize how much Kyle loves to drink, you follow suite, the two of you very quickly getting tipsy. Edgar laughs at the two of you for a bit, happy to see a new side of you as you allow yourself to grow more comfortable with them. Eventually he leads the two of you outside of the pub and arranges for a carriage to take you all back to headquarters, trying his hardest to tame the both of you.

He absolutely loves it when you sing to him, especially after a particularly hard day of work. He relaxes at the sound of your voice, often drifting off. It touches him more than he would like to admit when he finds you’re still there when he wakes up.

You are a light in his life and he wants to give back in kind, often dedicating his days off entirely to you. He loves giving you gifts, or surprising you with a romantic dinner to show his appreciation to you, for being there and understanding him.

While he doesn’t have the creativity to participate in most of your hobbies, he loves to watch you do it. The amount of passion you show for your art, the way your eyes light up when you’re working, is a picture perfect moment that he could look at for hours.

Prompt 4: Meet cute:

You couldn’t stop fidgeting as you stood outside the Red Army Headquarters, waiting for Kyle to fetch someone to help you. After you told him about burglars breaking into your house he insisted he get one of the officers to help you, despite you doubts. It was hard not to worry as you considered the prospect of having to turn to Jonah for help, knowing how hard he could be to communicate with, capable officer or not.  

When Kyle finally emerged, it wasn’t Jonah walking next to him, but a man you didn’t recognize.  

“Sorry for the wait. He’s not easy to find.” The man stood a few heads higher than you but his softer features and aura helped to make him quite welcoming. You begun to relax at his presence, wondering if he was as smooth as he seemed.

“Edgar Bright, at your service.” He offered you a gloved hand, a soft smile playing on his lips. His grip was soft but secure. He was smooth.

“Kyle filled me on the details but I’ll need a statement from you as well.” You tensed up, the idea of an interrogation being especially daunting considering you didn’t know much more than they did.

“No need to worry, it’s simply protocol. You can trust we will find whoever did this without any turbulence.” There was something very reassuring about him. Something that makes you think everything will be all right.

“Thank you.”

 The two of you left Kyle behind, retreating to Edar’s room to discuss the details of the investigation. After he poured two cups of tea he took the seat opposite you, as if the two of you were about to chat about the weather.

“Could you give me the details of what happened? It would be very helpful to hear it straight from the source.” You took a sip before starting with your statement, hoping to calm your nerves.

“I don’t know much more than you do. I was out for work most of the day and when I came back the place was a mess and many valuables were missing.” he seemed to have switched to work mode, completely focused on you.

“What time did you leave for work that day? And when did you return” he scribbled down on a piece of paper, his hand practically moving on its own.

“I left around 8 and came back around 6, I think.” When he put the pen down his attitude returned to relaxed gentleman status.

“I will start with asking the people who might have been present at the scene. I’ll get back to you once I’ve made some progress.” The conversation was over but you found it hard to leave. It didn’t feel right letting one man do the investigation on his own, despite it being his job. It was your house that had been rambled after all.

“I want to help as well. I know my way around the area, I can get in touch with some people.” His eyes widened, seemingly taken aback for the first time that day. He quickly composed himself, smiling again. You noticed something different about it now. Something in his expression told you he was more interested than before.

“I wouldn’t say no to a lady.” You smiled for the first time after the incident.

“Let’s get going then.”

 Prompt 10: Admission Of Feelings.

You continued working on the investigation for the next few weeks, the two of you growing closer by the day.

“There don’t seem to be any witnesses, but it’s unlikely no one was present. The break in happened in the middle of the day.” He rested his head on his chin, not touching the parfait sitting in front of him.

“Maybe they were there but didn’t notice anything. It’s not hard for a professional to pick a lock discreetly.” They two of you sat in silence for some time, both lost in your own theories of what happened that day.

He must have realized your worries, turning on his comfort face.

“We’ll find them. Don’t worry.” Usually you found his words comforting, but you couldn’t keep the frustration from your voice when you looked up at him.

“Realistically speaking, it’s probably not going to happen. They made a clean escape and left nothing behind. You don’t need to baby me, I can put two and two together.” Despite the harshness of your tone, you found him smiling, after the initial surprise wore off.

“You never cease to amaze me.” He opened his mouth to say something, but the words never left him, his eyes turning to the window. He was up and out of the café before you could ask what he had seen.

“What the-“when you looked in the direction of the culprit, you shot up, following after him.  

A man stood outside your door, seemingly fighting with the door. When he noticed the two of you approaching him, he dropped his bags, taking off before you could reach him.

“Stop!” Edgar run after him, his speed taking you by surprise, making it hard to catch up.

The man took a sudden turn, heading towards the narrow alleys of Central Quarter, giving you an important disadvantage in the chase.

Your legs ached and your heart was threatening to burst out of your chest. When you thought you couldn’t keep going, you rounded a corner to find Edgar, sitting on top of the man, pinning him in place. If he was tired from the chase, it didn’t show.

“I suppose I don’t need to ask if it was you who broke in a few weeks ago?” his gaze was cold and his grip was tight on the man’s shoulders.

“I- I just- I-it wasn’t me!” Edgar ignored him, turning towards you. Something flickered in his eyes, but loud footsteps coming your way didn’t let him act on whatever it was.

“The Jack? Sir, what happened? We heard the commotion and came to investigate.” A handful of Red Army soldiers stood in front of you, their eyes switching between Edgar and the man under him.  

“Take this man back to headquarters. I will interrogate him later.” Edgar pulled the man up, pinning his hands behind his back.

“Yes sir!” when the men led the thief away there was silence. Edgar’ kept his head low, not looking you in the eye as he tried to calm his breathing, the adrenaline of the chase slowly fading away. You knew you should be happy the man had been caught, but something was wrong in the atmosphere. You weren’t sure if you should speak up, or let him ride whatever it was out. He didn’t give you time to think on it, finally walking toward you. His hands were shaking when he reached out to touch your shoulders, a mixture of frustration and worry in his eyes.

“You…. Why…” you weren’t sure what to say, so you put your arms around him instead, hoping it would offer him some comfort. You stayed like that for some time, until his hands stopped shaking.

“I didn’t want you to see me like this.” His words were muffled by the fabric of your shirt. When he lifted his head again, something inside him seemed to snap.

“You shouldn’t have followed me. What if something happened? You could have gotten hurt.” He looked away, his eyes shut tight. You wondered what image was going through his head to cause him so much pain. You cupped his face, forcing him to face you.

“Edgar, look at me.” And he did. The sight of you seemed to calm him down.

“Nothing’s going to happen to me. I’m right here.” It took some time for the words to register, but when they did his face moved closer to you. You encouraged him, pulling him closer, your lips connected in a brief kiss. When he pulled away he took a step back, as if scared he had hurt you.

“I-I’m sorry.” You moved closer, smiling up at him.

“There’s nothing to apologize for. Except maybe pulling away.” You laughed. When he realized you might feel the same way he took your hands in his.

“You’re an amazing woman.” He paused to gather his breath before meeting your gaze again.

“If the thought wouldn’t be appalling, could I see more of you, outside of work?” you couldn’t keep the laughter inside.

“Appalling? Edgar, do you think I would kiss someone I find appalling?” you pulled him back in, hoping to get your point across.

“I’ll never get enough of this.” His smile was brighter than you’d ever seen it.

“I’ll hold you to that. Because we’re just getting started.” The moon was bright above you as you laughed, your happiness overflowing.

#ikerev #ikerev edgar #ikerev matchups

[bushybeardedbear]

So I've been considering writing and posting this little issue I've had with something. Sorry to anyone following me who doesn't care about MLB. And sorry to anyone who doesn't want discourse on their dash. I will tag accordingly...

So, all that said...

The Native American Miracle Box

Is it just me or is it a little problematic?

So, on the surface it's great to see it. It's using Native American symbolism and mythology. It's establishing that other cultures communed with and harnessed the Kwami. (Though, one could argue the Miraculous in general actually enslave these god-like beings but that's a whole other can of worms I don't want to open...) Jess being a Native American hero, wielding the Miraculous of Freedom. Its all superficially really encouraging, inclusive and nice.

But, this is a big but.

There's a huge period of Native American history where one would assume access to Super Heroes might have been a little useful.

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on the historical events, because I'm not. I'm not going to pretend I speak on behalf of or in replacement of anyone anyone else, because I don't. If anything, my ancestors may well have been complicit in the acts I'm referring to. So if I'm wrong, call me out on it. If I'm misrepresenting anything, do the same. I'd much prefer other more relevant voices than my own be talking about this and to be listened to. I'm only saying this because to my knowledge, nobody else seems to be talking about this.

This isn't an easy topic, but America is founded upon genocidal colonialism. There's no two ways about it. Indigenous populations were murdered on a vast scale. The effects and marginalisation that resulted are still a part of people's everyday struggle. I'm fully aware that something like a cartoon talking about genocide and the lasting effects it has might be a little outside its remit, but there seems to be something inadequate about the way Miraculous Ladybug simply removes the Native American Miraculous from the equation and in a completely dismissive way.

So, based on what little information is out there, we are to believe that at some point in human history, some Native American people became aware of, communed with and created tools to harness the Kwami. In the centuries that followed, nothing was done with them. And then in around about the 16th century, these ancient powerful artifacts were just for no given reason or cause scattered around the world somehow. Then, it wasn't until the American war of independence that one of these artifacts were first used. By a white man.

Tell me its not just me that sees this as somewhat problematic?

Imagine if this was for example a hypothetical Jewish Miracle Box. Arranged in a box shaped like the Star of David and with Miraculous forged by Moses to free his enslaved people. And somehow, let's say around the 1920s, the box and its contents just conveniently go missing just before a major historical event involving Jewish people.

Wouldn't that be rightly seen as a bit messed up?

Even writing that hypothetical makes me feel a little uncomfortable.

So, isn't the Native American Miracle Box a very close parallel to the scenario I just laid out? Disappearing just before the colonisation of America happened? Or am I being somehow unfair and over-analytical? Please, if I'm talking nonsense, tell me so.

So, to my mind it feels a little like these new Miraculous have the trappings and essentially superficial decoration of Native American Culture. The most recent hero to weild them, also Native American. On the one hand that should obviously be applauded. But in the context of the Canon ignoring or marginalising the struggles of Native Americans and essentially using the peoples and cultures as decoration, isn't that a kind of clueless cultural appropriation? A kind of Colonialist attitude to the various Native American cultures as a kind of way to score points for appearing superficially inclusive?

Did Thomas Astruc or any of the Miraculous staff ask any indigenous peoples or groups for input before including this, for instance. I don't think for a moment it was actively malicious. Just, honestly a little thoughtless.

Though I suppose it's easy enough to argue that the integration of these super heroic power items into world history is in general not a great idea. Is this actually part of a larger trend of lazy world building written from the point of view of someone far removed from the historical horrors he's pushing his magic toys into?

It's one thing to argue maybe Sun Wukong, Robin Hood, the Pied Piper or other apocryphal and legendary figures held the Miraculous. Legends don't have a real world impact beyond the imaginations they spark, their place in the cultural zeitgeist. But when real world history is an issue, maybe you should have made an active choice to make your entire setting into its own historical reality based in mythology?

A similar issue to the historical problems of the Native American Miracle Box popped up in earlier episodes. Whilst not explicitly stated, it was strongly implied that during WW2, Master Fu guarded the Chinese Miracle Box from The Axis Forces. Preventing them from falling, he says, into the wrong hands.

So, why would Fu at no point consider that choosing heroes at this critical point in world history might not have been wise? Was it somehow morally wrong to intervene in defeating an ideology that threatened millions of people? Could any of the Miraculous in the hands of the Allied Nations have been considered the wrong hands given the enemy they were facing?

The issues are only compounded when you consider the Miraculous have existed in one form or another through all of human history. Yet its only now that they factor. We have to consider that either the Miraculous are always conveniently not available when certain conflicts happen or that they were indeed used but changed nothing meaningful.

If you're going to say these ancient relics have existed and been used for centuries, why not go the extra mile and examine how they've changed history? If you don't want to ever deal with the real world history, then perhaps only have the items show up in the modern day? It's the Half and Half response of "they only matter when it's easy to say they matter" that invites discussion of odd choices in the writing.

Maybe my willing suspension of disbelief for MLB is just shattered after season 3 was so... Unsatisfying?

Whatever the case, I'm just wanting to vent, put my thoughts out there and say that maybe attempting to insert new mythology into the existing world history and YET not having any impact on world history seems like its poorly thought out and best and deeply insensitive at worst.

#Discourse #miraculous ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug Discourse

[lilacsolanum]

am I correct that you once mentioned being able to talk forever about the breakdown of Animorphs team dynamics at the end of the war? please... if so... i'd love to hear your thoughts...

YES, YOU ARE VERY CORRECT. HERE WE GO.

Cassie and Ax are the only ones whose books straight up lay down the law on this. The Sacrifice has Ax straight up talking shit about, like, everyone but Marco. Marco he’s cool with, because Marco’s clear headed and not worried about getting his hands dirty. Marco’s like “Man, drop a nuclear bomb if you GOTTA, like I don’t LOVE the idea but what’s an intergalactic war without a ‘lil nuke here and there? Makes it EXCITING.” But he starts getting disenfranchised with Jake - “I wished now not for Jake, but for an Andalite commander. An experienced soldier. Someone who better understood when to fight and when to watch.” He is OVER how Rachel is terrifyingly violent and should have been removed from fighting a while ago (the scene where Ax chooses to forgive and free a Yeerk-moprhed-bird who is just trying to become a nothlit — only for Rachel to thoughtlessly murder the Yeerk on a rampage — is one of the most chilling moments in Animorphs. I gasped and had the set the book down when I first read it, and I first read it as an adult.) While He even straight up calls Tobias out on getting trapped in morph on purpose - “He stayed in red-tailed hawk morph for longer than two hours. I suspect he did it on purpose.  It was his way of escaping the complexities of human life. Although he exchanged them for a new set of complexities.” When he finds out Cassie gave away the morphing technology, he says “I could not stop looking at Cassie. I was not exactly sure what I was feeling. But I was sure it was very close to hatred.” Later he says “Perhaps the real menace lay at the other end of the continuum - represented by Cassie. Humans who were softer. Kinder. Well-meaning. And, ironically, infinitely more dangerous.” He eventually does forgive Cassie and start to understand her choice, but it takes him a MOMENT. Ax is TIRED in this book. The Sacrifice is just Ax talking shit about everyone, it’s amazing. “My hatred for Cassie began to extend to them all. They were fools. They would never prevail. They were too soft. Too sentimental. Too childish. Too stupid and ignorant.” - Aximili in The Sacrifice, pouring out some tea.

Ax ends up in this really sad place at the end of the war where he’s resigned to dying on Earth, to dying with his human friends, and he sees honor in that but he does not want it. Ax is easily the least developed characters in the series, especially once he’s given to the ghostwriters. He’s either The Funny Alien Bro or he’s the writer’s voice of political commentary. VERY RARELY is he treated with respect. Because of this inconsistency, it’s hard to say what Ax does immediately after the war. Does he just peace out to Andalite immediately? Does he take time to decide what he truly wants? Does he decide he truly wants to stay on Earth with humans but goes back to Andalite out of duty? Does he reach out to Tobias? Does he quietly accept Tobias’s decision to isolate himself and feel secretly relieved that he no longer has to care for this neurotic bird? Does he feel guilty about being secretly relieved? Does he not care he’s relieved? There are a ton of ways to interpret Ax and view his post war decisions. The only thing we know from The Sacrifice is that he’s pretty fucking DONE.

-

Cassie talks a ton of shit, too. (”The truth was, and it hurt me to admit it, Jake just wasn’t Jake anymore.” - The Ultimate. “Rachel’s voice, on the other hand, was firm and unhesitating. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m thinking it’s time to explode a big ‘ole bomb.” “And you couldn’t be happier,” Cassie said bitterly to Rachel. “Could you?”” - The Sacrifice.) Cassie always has sweetly-snide things to say about everyone in her narration (homegurl is always like “Marco is funny, but only to cover up his own fear.” “Yeah Tobias DEFINITELY trapped himself in morph.” “Rachel is a mess.” Cassie is a southern church lady and a master at shade and I love her.)

Cassie and Ax are basically just. Done with everyone. Cassie has already realized all her friends are way too war-touched to ever be healthy, and knows, on some level, that she’ll retain enough stability be able to elevate herself past the PTSD. In her last book, she makes this sad, desperate last chance grab at retaining what was left of Jake’s humanity. After that, we don’t see many people really connecting with Cassie and honestly, it’s not because she gave away the morphing cube. It’s because the Animorphs agree to blow up the Yeerk pool. I think that is a defining point for Cassie, the equivalent of Jake losing his parents. Her fate is sealed when she is forced to participate in destroying the Pool. She doesn’t like herself and she doesn’t like these people. She completely gives up on Jake and knows they have no future, which you see plainly in her reaction to Jake’s proposal (I don’t know what I expected her answer to be, but I didn’t expect her to start crying. And not tears of joy, either. “I would like that … eventually,” she said. “ But. But what?” She sighed. “But, Jake, what are you going to be? What are you going to do?” “Guess I thought I’d go to college,” I said. “And study what, Jake? Me, I’ll go to college, I’ll become a doctor. never forget what’s happened, I’ll never even try, but I’ll be able to slip back into a normal life. But you, Jake?” ) She is straight up aggressive toward Rachel in The Ultimate (”“Why do you have to be so horrible?” Cassie exploded. “You are, you know. And you get worse every day. Your own mother can’t even stand you.””) Cassie is maybe not consciously aware that she is the only one who will truly survive the war, but she knows SOMETHING, and she starts to distances herself and gives up on her friends at the end of the war. It’s another one of Cassie’s bright clear lines.

-

Marco doesn’t really comment on things falling apart, but I also don’t think Marco approaches exactly HOW falling apart things have become in the same honest way Cassie and Ax do. Listen: homeboy has abandoment issues. Which I guess is extrapolation, as I can’t really think of any example where he’s directly like “Everyone Leaves Me Eventually Fuck ‘Em And Their Little Dog Too”, but the text DOES tell us 1. Marco’s mom died when he was 11, which is a very big thing to happen to a very tiny child; 2. His dad mentally checked out immediately after and 3. After the war, Marco awkwardly tries to keep the band together. He admits to spying on Jake in his free time in The Beginning, AND I MEAN. “Marco lived half a mile from me, in a house about seven times bigger than mine. We’d started hanging out again. And after awhile he’d given up arranging dates for me with whatever starlet happened to be willing.” (Jake, The Beginning). Some of that is Jake giving back to Marco, but one can ONLY ASSUME from Marco’s weird spying that Marco pulled every drop of Jake’s friendship out by sheer force of will. He also apparently invites Cassie AND HER BOYFRIEND to his Hollywood parties (I spoke to Cassie every couple of months. She was seeing some guy … actually, a good guy. I had met him at one of Marco’s parties.) and is in general all up in her shit. He does this crazy detailed run down of every step Cassie has made post-war in Chapter 10 of The Beginning. Like bro why do you even know Wal-mart tried to get Cassie to sign a deal with them? Because you’re not as cool as you think, and you miss the fuck out of the Animorphs. His defining character trait is also “Cares about no one unless he adopts you as as family, in which case he will walk right into hell and personally bitch slap satan to ensure your safety.” I honestly don’t think it OCCURS to him that they won’t all be friends after the war. He comments a bit on people falling apart, but I swear he thinks they’re all going to fall apart together. Marco is arguably in a better position when the war ends than when it started. He brings his mother back from the dead, his dad is functioning, he is rich and famous, everything is great (save for the inevitable trauma of his parents and the existence of Nora and the fact he deliberately put her in harm and all the other terrible realizations we’ve all had about that family). But I can’t help but feel that his abandonment issues are part of what lead him to The Rachel. He sacrifices a pretty bomb life to go on a suicide mission without question, because Marco doesn’t have much family, and he adopted the Animorphs as a family, and now the only way to get that family back for even a moment is to go on The Rachel.

Basically, at the end of the war, Marco is something close to happy and hopeful. The last book he narrates is a fucking romp with tanks and ducks and bondage jokes (”” ICONIC). He’s focused on his parents, and he’s not really seeing the looming aftermath of war.

-

Tobias is sort of in the same situation. He’s dealing with a lot. He’s got a Loren now, and he’s awkwardly morphing human for her. He has been disenfranchised with Jake ever since Jake manipulated him into volunteering himself for torture. He’s kicking it with Marco and Ax and they have this sort of unofficial club going on, but he never mentions particularly connecting with Marco on the same level he does Rachel or Ax or even Cassie. Which, don’t get me wrong, I am 100% a huge believer in Team Finesse as disgruntled roommates who care for each other deep down, but it’s ultimately not enough of a connection to keep him around after Rachel’s death. That’s the thing with Tobias. He was always sort of detached from everyone but Rachel and Ax, and Ax was somewhat circumstantial. We all love the shorms, shorms are real, but there’s definitely a reading where the two of them bonded because they had to. I also definitely think Tobias never truly believed in Ax’s love for him. That’s the thing with Tobias, he can joke and he can bond and he has a nice time with the other Animorphs but he doesn’t believe in a universe where they hang out without the Yeerks, ya feel? He can go on a tank joy ride with Marco, but underneath it he’s thinking “This hilarious class clown wouldn’t give me the time of day if it wasn’t for Elfangor.” He can listen to Ax call him shorm, but ultimately he’s going to feel “Ax is only here because he has no other option, we wouldn’t be friends otherwise.” That’s why as soon as Rachel dies, Tobias is out. When Cassie says, “He doesn’t hate you, Jake. He never did. His heart was broken, that’s all. And you know, Tobias never had anyone. No one before Rachel. No mother, really, no father he could ever know. Rachel was the first and only person who ever loved Tobias.” (The Beginning), I think she’s speaking from Tobias’s POV, because she knows of all people that Tobias was loved and loved fiercely by many. It’s just that when Rachel said it, he actually believed her. (This is a line I’ve been sitting on for a minute and will use in a fic, so anyone who reads it again later, act surprised okay?)

-

And Jake and Rachel have isolating incidents that are pretty clear on the page. Rachel’s descent into extreme violence addiction isn’t super well done, but these ARE children’s books. As dark as these books are, there’s something so incredibly disturbing about watching a child find joy in a shower of blood that it’s not really well touched upon. All we know is that she’s out of control, to the point where when confronted by an armed but currently peaceful group of soldiers, she ignores orders from Ax and attempts to ram through the human shield by physically stomping on her mother’s foot and forcing the gas pedal. No one wants to hang out with Rachel by this point, not even her family, not even Cassie. Well, we can assume Tobias is still kicking it with her, but we never get a scene of them together which is a SHAME. And Jake is, you know. I’ve rambled enough, but anyone who has read the series knows that Jake withdraws from his friends when he loses his parents in The Diversion. Marco and Tobias are too preoccupied to help, Cassie tries to the point where she hands their only leverage over to the enemy but eventually gives up on EVERYONE, and Ax is too exhausted to care. I don’t think it would have mattered much if Jake had gotten a ton of support though. He’d given up by then.

ANYWAY you asked for my feelings on the kids drifting away from each other and I gave you 2K because I am extra.

#animorphs #animorphs meta #long post #i'm so sorry #i'm not sorry #I'm full demi lovato in this moment #pretty-rage-machine

[coletteleeblog]

Lamai Beach, Surat Thani Province, Thailand

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Yesterday was a lot of fun, overwhelming beauty, so much to see.

We hired a nanny to come to our house and look after Hailey. And as most of you know ,that was way more exciting to Hailey than climbing a mountain to see waterfalls! We arranged with the nanny that we would meet her on our front street under the McDonalds sign, as there are no street address here. In our communication Thai/English there was confusion. I went to wait for her under the sign and phoned her again from my cell . She said she was waiting for us at the McDonalds restaurant ,which us about a mile from the sign at the corner! So I told her I'd come there, and started jogging down the street. Thankfully along came Saksay on his scooter and picked me up. We got to the restaurant and we still couldn't find her. So I called again, she said she went to the sign!!!! I got Saksay on the phone he spoke Thai and told her to stay there, we were coming back again! Success! Back to the sign we went and found her, finally! Hailey loved her day with the nanny "Fon" and had a great time when we were gone.

We hired the owner of the house to give us a ride to the waterfalls. The wife said 300baht each way, the husband drove and charged us 500 each way. We are definitely learning we have to be more firm with these people when it comes to prices and negotiating. They'll up the price any chance they get, as common practice here. He was a good driver and quick to come get us when we were ready to leave the mountain though ,so we were happy about that.

It was SO much fun on the mountain at the waterfall site! It was very well maintained "Disney style" , just beautiful. The elephants were so fun to watch. Saksay bought a couple bunches of bananas for us to feed them. They offered rides as well of coarse, but we are going to do that another day. When we were leaving the mountain for the day, we happened to see an elephant get real mad , and was roaring fiercely to try and get the people off his back! The trainer was then hitting it with a thing that looked like a pick axe! It was obvious to us the elephant just wanted a break. If we go elephant riding it think I'll research it a bit as to where. As some places treat the elephants better than others. And I'm not interested in going for a ride on an overworked, overtired elephant any time soon!

We started climbing the paths to get to the waterfalls. The kids were so exited as the surroundings are breath taking. At one point Lettie excited started running ahead down the hill. Well....there happened to be a fork in the road at the bottom. On the left there was a sign that said waterfall 1, on the right no sign and another hill. Lettie was no where to be found when we came over the hill! There are two main waterfallI sites on the mountain.( Our group was going to waterfall 2 first) the rest of our group continued on to see if she went right, and I went looking on the left path. As I continued along the left path it came to the most rustic looking drawbridge. I thought there is no way Lettie would have continued on and crossed this bridge by herself. So I went back looking and calling her name,over the side of the mountain, thinking maybe when she was running she tripped and fell off the path down the mountain. Horrible nasty feeling. I hiked back up hills I had just climbed sweating profusely trying to find her . (It was likly a matter of 10 minutes, that seemed like half an hour). I go back to the fork in the road again where we last saw her and thankfully, there she is, saying "what's taking you guys so long?its so beautiful,come see, come see!" Ugh! So thankful to find her, and annoyed at her at the same time! I was exhausted. We continued on up the hill to the main waterfall #2 and found the rest of the group.

The views, lush vegetation, landscaping, flowers, pathways and rocks all combined was like a tropical paradise. I hardly wanted to keep climbing because I just wanted to stand and stare, mouth open wide in awe. Such a fun, fun, day. Some of us swam in the water at the bottom of the falls too. Another unbelievable, unforgettable, experience. Id love to go back there again.

Saksay has been taking the kids in turns for half day trips to different locations, touring the island. That same day, later on, Emma went with Saksay on his scooter for a trip to see the Big Buddah. They all come back so exited to tell us about their adventures with him and all of the neat stuff they did and saw. When the Madeline & Emma got home that evening they both put together absolutely excellent videos. Madeline's I was able to share on Facebook. Emma is 10 minutes long, so I'm trying to figure out how to download & send it out to share with everyone.

This morning, Saksay picked up Erik, and they went to a tour company and booked our next adventure day, for this Monday. We are going to do the Samui Island Tour, Angthing National Marine Park. It includes a boat tour, kayaking, snorkeling, sightseeing, breakfast and lunch buffets. The tour starts at 7am and gets back at 5pm, and Saksay negotiated us a great rate of $60 each (instead of $85). Looking forward to the adventures ahead!

There are tons of videos and photos from the day on Instagram , thailand_adventure_2015

All for now guys