okay happy to give a prompt because I need alerudy like I need air they are so underwritten. I’m too Latino and too gay to not need them. Beware because it’s fluffy.
Dance lessons! I headcanon Alejandro as coming from a big family where Rudy might have only had one or no siblings, and you might think that means Ale had more opportunity to dance, that would be wrong. Alejandro got lost in the mix of family and by the time he’s like 15 he 1) can’t dance a basic cumbia because everyone figured he’d just pick it up and 2) is old enough that being bad at dancing is embarrassing rather than endearing. Rudy, by contrast, has been his single mom’s dance partner for years, right up until she got re-married (and he danced his ass off at the wedding too).
So Ale sucks it up and asks Rudy to teach him how to dance because it’s quinceañera season and he can’t go another year claiming he twisted his ankle. So the lessons begin. In secret, late at night on top of a roof near the bar district, where they can hear the music from below. Where no one can see two boys dancing. Rudy has him start by following, then by leading, and then they switch off. Dealer’s choice whether Rudy is dying inside because he’s wanted to dance with Ale for years, or if this is a Gay Awakening, but either way. They’re feeling Something.
I have no idea where this ends which is why I’m giving up custody to you!
how could you possibly know i am currently writing a cumbia fic with alerudy
how.
*How*, Nonny?
Alright. *cracks knuckles* Let's have at'er. (note: I'm going with Alejandro's mom is Rudy's madrino, and vice versa. Because idk about you, but my nina was treated like my second mother, no questions or argument allowed.)
No CWs, just fluff of teenage boys with crushes dancing.
~~
"Alejandro."
"Rodolfo."
Rudy rolls his eyes at the way Alejo parrots back, defensive. "Si se puede, Alejo."
Alejandro's refusing to look at him, frowning deeply, and it's heartbreaking how beautiful he is even now, gripping his own elbows, hair hanging in his eyes.
It was Alejo's tío who originally showed the boys this spot. The bright lights of the mercado cast its long flat roof into shadow; the strangely blinking red lights on its sign left it feeling private and alone. It hadn't been what Rudy had been looking for at the time. He'd heard there would be a meteor shower, and his mama was working that night. He knew Alejandro would go with him, he just had to find a place dark enough to see the stars.
They never did see the stars falling, but Alejandro held his hand as they watched the grey clouds cover a red-tinted sky and that was enough.
Tonight? The sky was clear and they could hear the distant but cheerful beat of the bar in the alley below. Rudy hoped it'd be loud enough to dance to.
Alejandro never liked failing, grouchy and embarrassed even as Rudy tried to model the steps.
"Alejandro, ven. Por favor. ¿Bailar conmigo?"
Rudy held a hand out, waiting. It was rare that Alejandro would deny him anything he wanted, a fact his mother had pointed out to him with a sly smile. He'd asked her once why she never went out dancing. She had cupped his cheeks and squeezed. "Mijo, there is nothing better than dancing with someone you love with your entire heart. Dancing in a club? You can go with your friends and have fun. Take Alejito, he needs the fun. But I am happy, here, dancing with you."
He was tall enough now that it was easier for him to lead when dancing with her, but she'd taught him both skills. “You never know who you will want to dance with”, she'd insisted.
He was pretty sure she knew who he wanted to dance with.
And that person didn't want to dance with him.
Rudy sighed. "If you want, Tía Lucía is probably still awake. I can—"
With an angry snarl, Alejandro stomped over, holding his arms out stiffly. He still refused to look directly at Rudy now that they were standing so close together under the aging neon sign. Rudy couldn't help but feel a whisper of hope that the tint of red across Alejandro's face was the blush his mama swore was there when he wasn't looking.
"I'm not asking Tía Lucía to teach me to dance for her own daughter's quinceañera. She'll know why I didn't dance at Letty's."
"Okay. You sure you're not going to punch me? It's easier to learn the steps at first if you follow."
Alejandro's shoulders dropped, the frustration leaching out of him with a heavy sigh. He looked around again, taking in the soft echo of the music from below, the flickering light, and gestured for Rudy to come closer. "Not going to punch you. Not your fault, I—"
Whatever he was going to say was startled out of him as Rudy took his hand to pull him close, the other hand on his waist. "Relax."
Rudy shifted him gently, and Alejandro panicked, tightly gripping his shoulder, glancing down at their feet.
"Don't look. Just trust me, okay? Count with me."
Rudy counted a quiet beat, letting Alejandro slowly relax into the rhythm. He was good at it, once he relaxed. Rudy encouraged him around, into a small circle, before the song changed again, a bouncy, cheerful song that Rudy recognized from his mother's small, crackly radio.
"You try leading now." Rudy shifted their joined hands, rubbing his sweaty palm on his thigh before reaching up to clasp Alejandro's shoulder. He desperately wanted to wrap both arms around his neck and press close, but he was fairly sure he couldn't get away with claiming it was part of teaching him to dance.
Alejandro approached it like he did everything else new to him. Brow furrowed, concentrating. Rudy doesn't know exactly when Alejandro managed to get taller than him, but it took his breath away to look up, the bright glow reflecting in Alejandro's dark eyes that met his, studying him so intently.
He tested, his fingers gently pressing, guiding Rudy. His confidence grew as the song went on, and Rudy surrendered to the warmth of Alejandro's arm around him, hand gentle on his back. "Not so hard, is it?"
Alejandro's wry smile as he ducked his head was answer enough. It wasn't a difficult dance, at least not the basics. Alejandro lifted a shoulder at Rudy's questioning eyebrow. The movement shifted Rudy’s hand, and it was excuse enough. He took the moment to curl his hand around Alejandro's neck, feeling the knobs of his spine and tangling his fingers in his long, dark curls.
"Plenty to learn still, besides just the basic steps. Unless this is enough for you?"
Alejandro's voice cracked slightly, eyes wide as he pulled Rudy closer, both of them moving slower as the song faded out. "Might need more practice. I've seen you dance with Nina Antonia, there's spinning involved."
"Then come over tomorrow, after school. You know my mom won't make fun, and we've got the music. She's making pozole anyway, you know you want to."
"Fine," Alejandro huffed, pretending it was a hardship like they weren't always at each other's homes for dinner anyway. Tomorrow was a rare day off for Rudy’s mom, but he knew she wouldn't mind. "One more song first?"
Rudy shifted close again as Alejandro's too-warm hand gripped his ribs and they moved with the rhythm of the drums. Rudy had always enjoyed dancing with his mama, but he thought that maybe she had a point. Dancing with her was very, very different than dancing with Alejandro, especially with the way his eyes glittered in the dark.
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there are a lot of bad takes in the atla fandom (like, atla fandom may as well be a bad take generator) but something that has really been pissing me off lately is the assumption that you can categorize the fire nation royal family into good guys and bad guys. first of all, obviously, they're all bad guys. they are imperialists. but the idea that "sozin ozai azula bad" and "iroh lu ten ursa zuko azulon(?!) good" is actually insane.
lu ten died attempting to conquer the earth kingdom. lu ten was there because his father, iroh, was leading the siege. ursa laughed when iroh joked about burning ba sing se to the ground. zuko laughed too, mirroring his dear mother who taught him about the wonders of imperialism. and the fact that some people think that azulon was a good guy because he favored iroh is crazy. he favored iroh because iroh was the better imperialist, was more charming and tactically savvy as he bent the world to his will. people who think that azulon didn't like ozai because ozai was cruel literally have it backwards. ozai was cruel because azulon didn't like him. sozin shaped azulon, and azulon shaped iroh and ozai. azulon reigned for most of the war, and he was responsible for decimating the southern water tribe and colonizing the earth kingdom.
iroh only realizes the error of his ways well into middle age, after spending a majority of his life colonizing the world. he only stops to reconsider once he experiences the adverse effects of war for himself through the loss of his son. likewise, zuko can only gain empathy for the victims of the war by being one himself, as a refugee in the earth kingdom, and bonding with people who have been hurt by the fire nation. azula doesn't get that chance. ozai doesn't get that chance. azulon, lu ten, and ursa are dead, so they will never get that chance. but it's not like there is some ontological moral divide separating azula from zuko. zuko was a sensitive child whereas azula was better at embodying fire nation values of power and cunning. zuko was punished for his outbursts whereas azula knew how to keep her mouth shut. therefore, zuko experienced circumstances that led him to disavow fire nation imperialism.
but that doesn't mean that azula is ontologically evil. azula was the iroh of her generation to zuko's ozai, and iroh (eventually) disavowed conquest as well. there is no inherent divide between good and bad, monster and human. ursa was a warm and loving mother to zuko, just as iroh was a warm and loving father to lu ten, but they both laughed at others' suffering. their values were shaped by their circumstances and experiences. their ideologies do not make them less human, or less capable of change, just as their interpersonal behaviors do not negate their abhorrent ideologies.
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I do gotta say tho, even tho I’m mad at aziraphale because he’s being a terrible boyfriend like what you said about the “I forgive you like” because WHAT. But also I really like the way the show really demonstrates the underlying cruelty of heaven and it’s angels. Really shows the hypocrisy of a group of beings who are supposed to do good, especially aziraphale who really buys into the heaven propaganda, who hurts people, particularly the person who means the most to him. Because like you said he fully just takes advantage of that devotion Crowley has for him. Insane, this shwo makes me INSANE
I missed this anon and yeah! The angels were one of my favourite parts of the season, and I think the strongest element aside from Neil Gaiman deciding he's just a simple man who wants to put his otp in situations. They are deeply awful and I kind of love them. They are the exact kind of moralizing hypocrites who are callous and cruel precisely because they think being on team good means everything they do is justified and it's actually impossible for them to be in the wrong (they're angels! is it even possible for them to do the wrong thing?).
but!! To me, they also seem like they're basically kids? Obviously they're not literally children, but there is this very consistent reoccurring joke about how childish/sheltered/immature they are. Muriel is the most obvious example, but the archangels come off like bratty twelve year olds to her sweet little kid.
Gabriel is basically teenager in love flipping off his family as he runs away with his backstreet guy. Uriel is constantly picking at Michael, Michael is playing at being in charge like it's a game, and it's ridiculously easy for both Aziraphale and Crowely to trick them obvious half assed lies. They're not allowed to ask questions! The Metatron treats them like badly behaved kids out past their curfew. At any point an old man with a beard may pop up to scold them and send them home, and they're all scared of doing something wrong by his standards and getting in trouble with this guy who is pointedly not God but who lines up exactly with the pop-culture idea of god the father, and who offers Aziraphale, among other things, a respite from the hard work of figuring out what the right thing to do is for himself. It's fine! You don't have to question the belief system you were born into or make a painful break with everything you've ever known! Aziraphale has had six thousand years on earth to grow up, but the other angels have been sitting in a sterile white box playing "i'm not touching you" games with each other and filing paperwork.
And I think that's extra interesting because this season also really emphasizes:
Heaven has Institutional Problems
Aziraphale isn't the only angel who's unhappy in heaven. Gabriel and Muriel were both completely miserable. They just didn't understand that they were unhappy because they'd never experienced anything else.
Angels who aren't Aziraphale can change and grow! There's very explicitly Gabriel being changed by love and Muriel growing up a bit on earth, and from a more fan-theory angle there's also Jimbriel, who I think is probably basically Gabriel minus the war and six thousand years of playing referee for Michael and Uriel while unleashing an assortment of plague and calamities on earth because that's God's will! Buck up champ.
We also get Gabriel and Beezelebub talking about how their underlings basically live for Armageddon, "if you can call that living." This is so bleak. They've all been on a six thousand year time out just dreaming of the day they get to beat the shit out of each other until they feel better, but it won't work because eternity is just more of the box.
Anyway I think it's going in a distinctly eden adjacent direction. Aziraphale is going to tempt those angels with knowledge and the capacity for change. I have veered so far from your ask anon i'm sorry you're right heaven really went all out on sucking this season & while Crowley and Aziraphale are both fucking it up Crowley refrains from being spectacularly cruel to Aziraphale about it and Aziraphale should learn to return the favour. I forgive you!! I forGIVE you. I forgive YOU. "you can be an angel again" is actually a worse thing to say than "you're a demon. i don't even like you." when he finally picks crowley over heaven i'm going to lose my mind.
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Beat DMC5!
What I got from the ending is that Dante and Vergil went to honeymoon in hell while Nero took over the family business. I'm fine with that. Seems like a happy ending all around.
I am, however, now utterly baffled by fandom acting like V is a whole new character in spite of the fact that he's literally just Vergil. The new circumstances he's in due to being human make him come off a bit differently, but he's still Vergil. I've never seen anyone refer to Urizen as if he's anything other than Vergil, but for some reason V gets treated like something entirely separate and different and unique, and it's…confusing.
I feel like the canon dynamic is much more interesting, the concept of Vergil actually coming to trust and rely on Nero without knowing who he even is, trying to hide his identity from Dante and knowing that it's not working but also knowing that Dante isn't going to call him out on it. As it turns out, a dramatic dork by any other name would still be Vergil, and I really love that.
Based on what I'd seen randomly come across my feed I'd assumed there was some clear delineation between them as characters, like a Sephiroth and Kadaj situation, but that's not it at all. There is no delineation, there is no division, V is just Vergil. His name is, in fact, Vergil, he's just going by "V" because he didn't want to explain the truth to Dante and risk not being able to put himself back together.
Also it's not lost on me that the three demons V used in battle were manifestations of Vergil's trauma under Mundus, and the fact that—for some reason—the only one able to defeat them and allow him to finally cast that trauma aside was Dante. That sure does a number on my heart.
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here's one for you, olive: cym as animals? (i wanted to send in cym as cities first, but i'm pretty sure I already sent it someday, because my brain can only hold like 2 thoughts at the same time asjsjsbd).
MUTUALS — let me know if you want to be included or taken off!
i don't recall the cities cym though i will have you know i know other capitals and cities as like,,,,,,,, Very Vague Concepts and so if you decide to send it in it's going to be like,,,, the most inexplicable casting ever asdfghjgf vaguest vibes only. but!!!! feel free to send it in lololol!
ALSO! i’ve decided these cyms are going to be Vibes Only, no explanation, we die like men. so,,,,,,,,,, take this for whatever you want lololololol
@musicallisto — koi fish
@scvrllet — crane
@mirclealignr — greyhound dogs
@swanimagines — moose
(my gut reaction was a swan though i cannot lie)
@ughgclden — humpback whale
@donnakenobi — just a really big, fluffy, black cat
@amortensie — foxes
(though the desire to say cat was my first impulse, i will say)
@anthonysharmaa — orangutans
@davey-in-a-minivan — horses, but like,,,,,,,, the shire horse? i think? like the one in brave?
@heliads — sea turtles
@oceanspray5 — koalas
(though it does feel criminal to not choose one from the ocean asdfghjhgf)
@noesapphic — the white tigers
(is that their like,,, official name? i honestly can’t remember.)
@champagnesupernxvas — wombats
@teaand-dreams — camels
@the-radio-star — coyotes
(though i think it’s telling that my first impulse was to say the chupacabra asdfgjhgfd)
@moonlit-imagines — galago bush baby
@brokenandheadoverheels — pangolins
(also known as one of my favorite animals just lOOK AT HIM—)
@biqherosix — bees
@locke-writes — python
@missameliep — addax
(i think that’s what they’re called? you know - the white antelope?)
@permanentreverie — bison
(though my first thought was haha canada = mOOSE)
@juliastrojan — scarlet ibis
@murswrites — black footed ferrets
(though fossas was a close second, those things are just,,, incredibly cool)
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back in your inbox again sorry lovely but 🖊🖊🖊 + illyria PEAS i rlly love her name 👁
HII AJ DEAR you are always more than welcome to pop into my inbox <3 WAHH ty ty her story, name and concept and design and everything of her means the world to mee!!!! ty ty for the ask!
SEND ME A 🖊 + I'LL GUSH ABOUT MY OCS
🖊 - oh the daughter of destiny my dear girl. her blood can be traced back to the time of the great empire of the dawn, as she is the descendant of the bloodstone emperor. the one who in belief was the bringer of the long night. so not absolutely not unas mother (and iovannas mother had foretold of her as well hehe <3) had seen of the birth of the child of prophecy, the eye of blood and the dragon of death, alluding to of course her heterochromia with one eye being a scarlet red matching her dragon ahzidal’s. And ahzidal having a dragons breath that was not of fire.... but a death miasma hence one of his names being the soulsiphon? her birth marked the summoning of the long winter, the death of the dragons.. and her and her descendants bearing the eye of blood will bring either salvation or ruin when the long night arrives.
🖊 - her mother iseul was the descendant of a scarlet emperor of the golden empire, who in the time of the valyrian freehold married a woman of an unknown house (that gives me IDEAS hehe <3 more ocs <3) and this is likely where illy had the natural inclination to be a dragonrider. her mom thwarted court life as long as possible taking to the seas under an assumed identity, which is where she would meet valarr. in seeing a prophecy, the same una and iovannas mothers foresaw, but with a sense it would be him to be the harbringer the father of this daughter of destiny. he uh..... annulled his marriage and left his wife and three children with a fourth on the way to fulfill the prophetic vision. for power or for reverence of prophecy or both who can say. after illy was born on lys, iseul sailed on her ship to vilemyr to the tower of myrwatch. the isle and seat of house ilmestys to hold a wedding for them (they had a wedding in lys but wished for one in westeros as well). UNFOORTUNATELY and much so, assassins attack the ship and she is fatally wounded. the ship is stranded outside of asshai by the shadow, and with her last breath she leaves the girl by the shore. illyria is found by nurellia and keeps a watchful eye on the girl until her mothers sworn protector, irus of norvos, finds the girl as this was her mothers dying wish. illy from there to age four would reside by the shadow. and strangely enough, not a soul bothered the girl! she would be found by irus at the side of her dragon ahzidal who would keep a watchful eye when the girl ventured into the corpse city. and that is how illy's origins began!
🖊 - following her harrowing-ish childhood, she was brought to vilemyr where she would be raised by irus and his wife (and valarr's older sister) vergelle. valarr was not to be revealed as the illy's dad for reasons reserved to be known by valarr alone ig nsakjns. and she was also brought to kings landing when vergelle was requested to teach the princess helaena how to understand dragon dreams (as she and her niece urgelle are both dragon dreamers!). she was childhood friends with aemond! illyria would leave westeros again at age six on the back of ahzidal. it is presumed that she sought out the three eyed raven if there was a three eyed raven that did exist in this time. when she returned to westeros in 129 ac she expected aemond to not remember her at all, and was surprised to learn he never did and in fact asked irus of her all the time when he and vergelle visited. they have been inseparable since. blah blah red string of fate blah blah twin flames and setting the world on fire for each other etc etc <3
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