#I can’t imagine the stories from them one day in the future after they’ve all retired talking about debuting

[stari-hun]

Being a girl group stan is gen so horrid sometimes cause why are the fans so much more foul than male group stans. I know it’s the misogyny but damn I thought we all liked women here

[puzzleglum]

How will Frankie's false death potion come into play?

It's an important question. It might be the only thing that could save Hyde from getting arrested in the next chapter.

Le Sommeil de la Mort, The Sleep of Death, induces near death experiences. Rather dangerous, obviously. But if Hyde can use it to trick the peelers into thinking he’s gone, they’d finally stop looking for him.

So the question is, where is it now?

Jekyll had confiscated it, along with other equipment from the Society’s attic. He hid it all in his own lab, behind his house, because the Lodgers know every inch of the Society building.

When he left it there, we got another close-up panel, implying it’s an important item that will be worth remembering for the future.

After the Exhibition, during the celebration party at Jekyll’s house, the Lodgers finally got their things back. That was last night, in the comic’s present time. Jekyll let everyone into his lab.

But the thing is, we didn’t see the potion in this scene. The very last time we saw it was when Jekyll first put it there, in that close-up panel.

Does this mean the potion is still at his lab? No, not really. Here’s what I think happened:

My theory is simply that one of the Lodgers took it back to the Society off-screen. Whoever this Lodger is, they’ve been holding on to the potion since.

Why don’t I think it’s still at his lab, even though it’s technically possible? Several reasons. Enough to provide a list:

1: If they had to go all the way back to the lab to get it, it might bog the story’s pacing down too much. Having it already present at the Society is more economical storytelling.

2: It seems clear to me that the peelers have already spotted Hyde inside Jekyll’s office. They know he’s there. I don’t think there’s enough time to get the potion if it’s not already at the Society. They have to act now, to prevent Hyde’s arrest as quickly as possible.

(Sidenote: Hyde’s poses and expressions in these first two panels might be some of my favorite in the whole comic. XD It’s just funny!)

3: This little nugget of info from an update post by Sage implies we’re not leaving the setting of the Society anytime soon. Or at least, that the main cast will remain there.

I'm betting Hyde, Lanyon, Jasper, Rachel, and Frankie are all staying right where they are for the next two chapters. Inside, or just outside, the Society building. (Also, the Society will probably get attacked by the angry mob outside, soon. Don’t think I forgot about THAT. But I’ll talk about it more another day. Promise!)

But there’s a deeper reason why I think it’d be more interesting if the potion was already at the Society, in a mysterious Lodger’s hands.

It means Hyde would have to ask for help. And/or accept help when it’s offered to him. From the same people who know his secret, now. Jekyll and Hyde’s secret.

It would be juicy. Just imagine it. Hyde having to work with the people he revealed his true identity to, if he wants to have ANY HOPE of survival. The tension would be excellent for the narrative progression! It would provide such a great opportunity for character development, too.

Why would they help him? Because I think they’ll want Jekyll back, too. Can’t try to do that if Hyde’s in jail.

And besides…I don’t think they hate Jekyll or Hyde, after the reveal. It was a big shock, of course. But Jekyll IS their leader, and after the Exhibition’s success, they were clearly grateful to him for everything he did to make it happen. Doesn’t that mean anything, anymore? Perhaps they’d just need a reminder. Perhaps Lanyon or someone else can give it to them.

Also, the potion will likely not even occur to Hyde, on his own, as a solution. Because he’s currently having a panicked, desperate breakdown that makes it impossible to think logically. That breakdown is fully earned, if you ask me, since he lost the literal other half of his soul, but yeah. Either way, he wouldn’t know the potion’s location.

Somebody else has to bring up the potion as a way to save him from the peelers. There’s three options: Frankie, Jasper, or any of the Lodgers who were present during Frankie’s demonstration. Lanyon doesn’t know about it, and neither Rachel.

I theorize that they’ll all have to brainstorm solutions, and one of the Lodgers will mention they have the potion, or somebody will ask everyone if they know where it is. That’s when it will FINALLY resurface.

Hyde needs a lot of help if he wants to get out of this desperate situation, and somehow get Jekyll back. And it starts with the first, most urgent step: preventing his arrest.

:D At last, I wanted to mention that it could be a funny, or at least thematic callback to this little moment from Chapter 4, from a different time when Hyde needed help from any Lodger:

On a more serious note, it would make for a great parallel if Hyde is on the verge of giving up completely, and it’s the Lodgers who rally him up, this time. A reversal of when Hyde rallied the Lodgers to defend the Society from Doctor Moreau and his beasts. Maybe it’s just me, but I can really picture it!

That’s all for now! Thanks for reading!! :DDDDD

[angstydisaster02]

An analysis about why Bakudeku is one of the most inspirational relationships. (Manga spoilers)

First part : my thoughts

Tbh, I really have this impression the manga is coming to an end very soon, which breaks my heart because I don’t know what I’ll do without my daily leaks. However, I trust Horikoshi about the rest of the story and I do think he’ll make an open ending about which “ship” is canon, even if we all know that the biggest and most developed relationship in the manga is bkdk.

It would be interesting to see the “after” of this war, the hospital beds, the tears because they lost people, the relief because it’s over and the final conversation beg the ending. Knowing Horikoshi until now, never made things randomly because everyone is thinking in advance, including the conversation between Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo.

You can’t tell me the author of this manga who always did things with a smart brain will put aside such an important detail about the dynamic between his characters.

A part of me hopes we’ll have the bkdk talk at the hospital or somewhere else because there’s no way these two idiots keep living their lives as if nothing happened. I have high expectations due to the fanfics, but I’m pretty sure I’ll never be the same once the chapter with the bkdk talk comes.

Second part : the analysis feat manga panels

looking forward, it’s incredible how Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki’s relationship started in the worst way (I’m not including the childhood memories) and…Ended up being something like that.

I’m emotional when I think about everything they’ve been through, the many realizations about losing each other, the development of their relationship after an emotional scene such as Deku Vs Kacchan 2, the way they need to push each other’s up to be the best version of themselves in any situation.

It’s not a surprise if these two are mean to be canon (in a platonic or romantic to way, depends about your opinion !) and each little moment highlights this statement.

Think about it : they all learned one of few important things with the other’s presence by their side, on purpose or not. Their dynamic is something unique you can’t find in others shonen or mangas, because they have this specific bond, the one getting stronger though the years because their mistakes became a reason to improve and be a better person for this childhood friend they knew since the early days.

Izuku Midoriya needs Katsuki Bakugo like Katsuki Bakugo needs Izuku Midoriya.

You can’t take away this part of their soul, and even when people like AFO tried, they ended up paying the price by revealing how much they care about each other.

Don’t startd with the Heroees rising thing because I can write an entire novel about them, but this is another proof of how they’re made for each other. Their relationship improve though the years and it’s only the beginning, I can’t help but imagine how future bkdk will have an amazing relationship once they figured out everything and untold truths.

They’re each other’s pillars, holding the other up to do the best and watch from afar their other’s improvement.

That’s why the hospital conversation might be the peak of their relationship: the moment when they’ll both break their shield, welcoming the tears and listening how life is a fragile line on a thread.

None of them refuse to break this meaningful thread, because this is something they’ve built for years, and it’s their biggest strength (and biggest weakness like Shigaraki pulled out)

In conclusion: they’re driving me crazy and I have no regrets following their journey because it’s probably one of the best relationships I’ve seen (and I watched a lot of anime/manga, read a lot of books and they’re still superior !)

Thanks for reading my analysis because it’s one of my guilty pleasures when I’m passionate about something, especially my comfort ship ! Take care of yourself <3

[zukosdualdao]

i promise i'll do better (i will soften every edge)

zutara month, day 11: "mom and dad are fighting again", @zutaramonth

summary: kya interrupts an argument between katara and zuko.

warnings: reference to (implied) abuse/domestic violence, wrt to ozai's treatment of ursa.

other notes: lyrics from 'light' by sleeping at last. don't ask me how timelines work idk. yes there is a zutara daughter named kya here (separate entity from the lok kya.) she wears her hair in a southern water tribe braid and zuko calls her firecracker and it’s very cute. not really relevant but in this story i’m imagining she’s a nonbender.

“Katara, you know I agree with you.”

Across from him, she crosses her arms, and Zuko sighs. The throne room is empty, save for the two of them, and Zuko feels trapped, claustrophobic in the walls. They’ve made a point of opening up windows in the castle, letting light filter in, getting rid of old, haunting portraits, and making something new and beautiful together. 

But the throne room doesn’t have windows to open. On a day like today, at times like these, it’s all too easy to remember the staunchly severe figures both his grandfather and father made here, walling themselves as they did behind high, towering fires.

Maybe they shouldn’t be having this talk here. It's too late now, but something to note for the future.

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

“Of course I want to increase reparations soon,” he insists. “That’s the plan, and that’s always been the plan. But we have to be smart about this,” he tries to remind her. “We can’t do it all at once, or people will try to block—”

“Oh, so now you’re all about thinking things through! Those instincts could have served you well years ago, you know.”

Zuko closes his eyes and runs a hand through his hair. The words are biting, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. Things have been tense again in the Fire Nation lately. Better than ever before in some ways. Worse in others.

The first years after the war were a turbulent time in the Fire Nation—riots from those not happy with the changing of the old guard, strikes from workers contesting the need to pay reparations to the other nations, whispers of loyalists to the old regime plotting to get either Ozai or Azula back on the throne. A few assassination attempts, all handled efficiently but reason enough for concern.

Ten years past the end of the war, though, and things have started to stabilize. The plan has always been to increase reparations once the Fire Nation’s economy has improved, and Zuko intends to keep his word. But part of the system he’s trying to build means that there are representatives from all over the Fire Nation, as well as the other nations, and they each have their own agendas. It’s a tricky thing to navigate; he has to take all of their concerns seriously, of course, but also act according to his own principles. To live up to the promises he made years ago, and that he’ll continue to make for years to come.

Katara looks at him with a combative raise of her eyebrow.

It’s taken a strain on their relationship. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, they’re both a little too good at lashing out, both a little too good at saying the thing that will hurt, even if they immediately regret it.

But usually, by the end of the day if not before, they can remember they’re on the same side, for all that their perspectives might differ.

“Can we pause?” Zuko asks of her, and her features soften. “Just—try to hear each other out? Katara, I understand…” but before he can finish, the large door to the throne room creaks, and Zuko watches as one of the serving maids guides their daughter into the room.

“See?” Kya points to them, eyes wide with alarm and lip quivering. “Mom and Dad are fighting again.”

Something in Zuko’s stomach drops. He doesn’t want her to worry about this. About them. He’d had to worry about his parents, to worry about his mother, Ozai looming over her, and sometimes Zuko was pretty sure he saw fear in her eyes where there should have been love, and then—

She’d been gone. And he’d drawn his own conclusions, quietly and with little reason to question them.

“She coudn’t sleep,” Hina says apologetically, and Zuko only waves a hand. “She was asking for you both.”

“Thank you for bringing her.”

“Oh, sweetie, don’t worry,” Katara says, walking over and lifting Kya up onto her hip. “Things are just tense right now,” she says, with a guilty sideways look to Zuko, who smiles weakly. “It’s not anything for you to worry about.”

“Promise?”

Zuko walks over to join the huddle and places a kiss atop her dark hair, which is twisted in a braid. “Promise, little firecracker. Mom and Dad are just trying to figure out the right way to handle something.” He meets Katara’s eyes and tries to impress the sincerity of his words on her. “But we will figure it out. We always do.”

Katara smiles at him and uses the hand not keeping Kya secure on her hip to touch the small of Zuko’s back in a gentle gesture. The three of them stand huddled together, and for the first time in… weeks, probably, Zuko feels his body relax, just a little.

He smiles back, a little exhausted but a lot relieved—to have Katara with him, there to both challenge and support him, to have Kya with them, creative and funny and quick as a whip as she is, and at only age four. He’s glad to have his family.

They are okay. Right now, they are okay. Whatever else may come.

[montymollusk]

“kids are so stupid these days, the ipad babies are ruining the world, ten year olds skip school and goes to sephora—“ do you have any idea what it’s been like to go to american public school within the last 15 years? can you blame a child for not wanting to spend 8 hours a day in a place where their safety and autonomy aren’t just not considered, but are blatantly denied?

mass shootings every day. funding being cut. school lunches— which were already the bare minimum in terms of nutrition— being removed. those alone would give anyone trauma, but even without those things the power structures inside of the average public school are designed to wring the individuality out of a child. (and that’s not even mentioning the way that neurodivergent kids are left out to dry by the school system, or how any marginalized kid can be tortured by their peers with no repercussions!) it’s designed to be miserable, and yet somehow people are surprised that kids don’t want to be there.

sandy hook happened in 2012, and nothing changed. uvalde ten years later, and still nothing. kids were forced back into overcrowded, unsanitary classrooms while covid was still killing thousands every day— most after having missed critical social development during lockdown, which there was no support for recovering from. children are being forced to see politicians debate the “ethics” of feeding them, letting them express their gender identity, allowing them to access accurate information about history as if their futures are just hypothetical. along with that is the social media boom, where marginalized people can create communities like never before, and those same kids are realizing that the systems they’ve been shoved into are broken. they’re being showed how awful the situation really is, and still completely powerless to change anything.

can you imagine having to go through all that and still pass your standardized fucking tests? my god, it’s a wonder that schools aren’t completely empty by now. we’re getting there though— i can’t count how many stories i’ve heard of kids dealing with truancy charges because of how many days of school they’ve “skipped” due to extreme anxiety or burnout. i’m one of them! i barely graduated in 2018, and the conditions were leagues better then!

people bitch about the “decline in intelligence” between generations, as if it’s the kids fault for the state of the world, as if this isn’t the inevitable conclusion for the public school system in this country. it feels deliberately ignorant— have you not watched the news recently? does it not evoke any empathy, does it not fill you with rage? how in the world could you pin the blame on kids here?

everyone says protect the children, and yet. fuckin sickening.

[fieryanmitsu]

I’m sorry I can’t be normal about this event 😭😭😭. Just going to cry and word vomit some more over Same Age Group ajwbrkfkskakwkngnfkakaknks!!! LOOK AT THEEEEEM! 😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭

I have so many feelings about these three and their friendship. Just look at how relaxed and buddy buddy they are with each other in this image! 😭 I know they’re all tipsy, but it’s still a fact that they’re great friends and their badge for this event is literally along the lines of “today, at the usual place”. It just makes me so warm and fuzzy that they regularly go out to eat and drink together. Like every time I see them talk about it in voicelines, etc. my heart just clenches and now we get a whole card, song and event about them?!?! I die.

And also the fact that the event teaser description is “The "now" that was unimaginable back then is here.” absolutely destroys me (in the best possible way—I’m being bombarded with all the good feels 😭😭😭). For Tasuku and Tsumugi, they’ve finally reconciled after their fallout and now are acting together when they thought it would never happen again. And, more significantly, the fact that Itaru is part of their group now… when, before Mankai, he never would have thought he’d have friends like this. 😭

And it hits even harder when we look at their gacha cards!!

LIKE WTF?! I wasn’t ready for this?!?! What do you mean Itaru is in the background and implies that these three were so CLOSE to being in each other’s lives during their high school years?!?! I daydream constantly about the “what ifs” of Itaru meeting them earlier in life (like I think about it so much I wrote a whole damn AU series about it 😭) and here it is dangling in our faces 😭😭😭. I just love that the theme of their unbloomed cards is all of them in high school, but then when you get to their bloomed cards…

It’s so obvious that they all have such a presence in each other’s lives! 😭 If we look at that event description teaser especially from Itaru’s POV, he never would have imagined he’d be regularly rubbing elbows with two buddies at an izakaya let alone being so comfortable with people that he would TIE HIS SILLY LITTLE HAIRTIE ON TASUKU’S HAIR and DRINK OUT OF A DUMBBELL BEER GLASS (which he is probably doing out of jokes to Tasuku or maybe just straight up got it as a gift from him).

I’m just so happy that Liber obviously found this friendship so important and significant that they gave us this content and I’m here for it 😭😭😭.

Also the song is SO GOOD?!?! It’s so chill but catchy!! I will cry if they ever perform it at a future Blooming Live concert!! I don’t understand the lyrics but the title of the song being “accord” also just hits me in the feels! 😭 It’s such a positive word to describe their relationship!

I really hope someone will translate the event story, event cards and the song lyrics one day!! If anyone sees the translations somewhere, please hit me up!! Or if any translators wants the raws for translation I can totally supply them!

As a side now, I swear SSR Tsumugi gacha cards are always so hard for me to obtain 🙃. It only took 1,595 gems (11 whole 10-pulls) for me to get one copy of him 🫠🫠🫠. I’ll stop talking now and go back to desperately grinding the rest of my unread content for more gems to try and bloom him 😭😭😭.

[timotey]

Ficlet: Behold the Gods

The Sign. Phaya/Tharn. Future fic. Unbeta'd.

Nee's big brother is an annoying, pigtail pulling idiot. And she misses him so much...

(Another what-if ficlet! I love imagining all the ways this could end! This time, a little more mythology...)

*.*.*

The Naga creature takes Tharn away and now Nee’s big brother is shattering to pieces.

Phaya’s always been an annoying, pigtail pulling idiot - but he’s also the bravest and strongest person Nee’s ever known. And now he’s down on his knees, unashamedly falling apart in front of all of them, sobbing so hard he can barely breathe.

Nee doesn’t know what to do! She just found out that all the legends were true, that there was actual magic and Nagas and Garudas in the world, that all that actually existed and that her big brother’s been smack in the middle of some crazy star-crossed love story of reincarnation and godly beings for several lifetimes now and it’s killing him, the loss of his lover is killing him and Nee just doesn’t know what to do, how to help!

And then, all of a sudden, there’s a golden streak and the sound of chiming bells, and between one blink and another, there's a woman standing in front of her brother, a beautiful woman in traditional attire, adorned with gold and precious stones. 

“King Sakuna,” the woman greets Nee’s brother in a formal, respectful tone of voice.

Phaya looks up, eyes full of tears. “Wanwisa…” he whispers. “He took Tharn. Chalothon took Tharn.”

The woman, Wanwisa, nods. “I know. That’s why I’m here. I can take you to Wansarut,” she offers. “I can't help you fight Lord Chalothon. I can’t, he’s my lord and master and I can’t raise my hand against him, it’s forbidden. But I can take you to Wansarut… if you want.”

She reaches out and Nee’s big brother, her stupid and reckless and hot-headed - and sweet and kind and loving! - brother doesn’t even hesitate. He takes Wanwisa’s hand and they both disappear in a whirlwind of golden light.

“Phaya!” Nee screams.

It’s the last time she sees her brother.

***

It’s the 15th day of the 11th moon again and Nee is back in Nongkai once more. 

It’s been an eventful year. Her grandma moved to Nongkai, she moved in with Tharn’s grandmother to wait and hope and pray for their grandsons return. They’ve been praying every day ever since Tharn and Phaya disappeared, trusting that one day, somehow, the two of them will come back to them.

Nee returned home and started school, a business school, intent on taking over her family’s business and helping her grandmother now that she is the only one left. The only one…

It hurts, this knowledge, and the pain never goes away. She’s always adored her brother but she’s never realized just how big a presence he was in her life until he disappeared. 

His colleagues from the special unit searched for him, for Phaya and Tharn both. Nee and the others couldn’t have very well told the police that a Naga king took Tharn so they ended up altering their story a little, telling them that Doctor Chalothon took Tharn and Phaya went after them. No, they didn't know where they went. No, neither Phaya nor Tharn contacted them again. The cops didn’t find anything, of course, only that no Doctor Chalothon actually ever existed, it was just a fake identity the man set up to get close to Tharn.

They came up with their story with the help of Yai, Tharn’s best friend, and the only one in the know. Because his wife, Sand, was there when it happened. After Tharn and Phaya’s disappearance, Yai left the special unit and took the position of a superintendent at the police station in Nongkai to be close, just in case, while Sand started working for Tharn’s grandmother, taking over for her at the sawmill, both doing their best to take care of Tharn’s grandma in his stead.

And now the anniversary of Phaya and Tharn’s disappearance is upon them. A whole year has gone by but the void left behind in everyone’s lives is nowhere near closing, it still hurts so badly that oftentimes Nee can’t stop herself from crying.

The 15th day of the 11th moon, a Naga Worship Ceremony.

Fuck the Naga!

***

They set up the altar on the lower terrace in the back of Tharn’s grandmother’s house, just like the year before, but this time, there’s no statue of a Naga on the table. Nee doesn’t think they could stand to even look at it. Still, they burn incense and they bring offerings and they pray, they pray for their loved ones to come home. 

And so they’re all there, Nee and her grandma and Tharn’s grandma and Yai and Sand, praying and holding hands and trying to comfort each other, when it happens. At twilight, they appear in a whirlwind of golden warm and fiery red magic, simply there all of a sudden, stealing everyone's breath away.

Phaya and Tharn, hand in hand.

They’re dressed in traditional attire, Phaya in red and white, adorned in silver and snow white feathers, Tharn in shades of green and gold. Their hair is longer and styled differently and their faces are made up, their skin is shimmering as if dusted with gold and they wear jewelry, bracelets and anklets, silver and gold set with precious stones. They look so unlike themselves from before but it’s them, it is them. And they’re alive and healthy and… there!

“Hello,” Tharn greets them a little timidly, a little uncertainly, as if unsure of their reaction, glancing up at Phaya who smiles down at him and nods, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. 

And then they’re hugging. All of them together and then passing Tharn and Phaya between them and the grandmas are crying and Yai is yelling and pounding his friends hard on the back and Sand is kissing their cheeks and Nee…

“I hate you,” Nee sobs into Phaya’s chest as he wraps his arms around her shoulders. “I hate you so much. How could you? How could you do this to us? To me? You’re the worst, the worst brother ever, and-and I h-hate you!" And she's hugging him and crying hard because he’s her big brother and she loves him dearly. So much!

And he’s whispering into her ear, head bent down to her, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I had no choice but I’m so sorry.” 

They’re all so happy, so deliriously happy to be together again. It’s perfect and glorious…

Until it isn’t.

“We can’t stay,” Phaya says unexpectedly when Yai starts talking about calling the guys, already planning a big get-together. 

And their little gathering falls silent, all the merriment from just a moment ago stolen again.

Phaya wraps his arm around Tharn’s shoulders and pulls him close against his side. He smiles down at Tharn and takes Tharn's hand in his, running his thumb across his knuckles gently. “We would love to but we really can’t,” Phaya says, looking each and every one of them in the eyes, one by one.

“But why?” their grandmother asks with heartbreaking despair.

This time it’s Tharn who replies and his voice is soft, his eyes full of regret. “There were... things we had to do to defeat Chalothon. We had to change ourselves, who we were, to match his powers. And those changes cannot be undone. Not anymore. The gate between the worlds opens only once a year. Once it closed, we were stuck. And now it's too late.” 

He drops his eyes to his and Phaya’s clasped hands and squeezes a little harder. “We aren’t human anymore,” he explains and he sounds so sad that Phaya pulls him even closer and kisses the top of his head tenderly.

“What are you saying?” Yai asks, stepping forward.

Rubbing Tharn’s upper arm in comfort, Phaya says, “We had to go back to what we used to be, before, at the beginning. Back to being Sakuna and Wansarut to defeat Chalothon, to gain our powers back, even though it meant losing our humanity. It was either that or die. But it means we can’t stay here, in the human world, or we will end up like Chalothon, becoming a warped versions of ourselves.”

Tharn looks up at them again. “This isn’t our world anymore,” he says, his voice apologetic.

“So... what? You just came to visit? You just dropped by to say hello and now you’re going again?” Yai asks, sounding angry. 

But Nee knows that Yai isn’t angry, not really. He’s just sad, heartbroken. Because she feels the same way. It hurts and if she opened her mouth now, her words would come out just as cross, just as belligerent. It would be that or start crying.

Phaya gives him a sad smile. “Basically, yes. The gate between the worlds opens only once a year, on this day, and it stays open from sunset to sunrise. Then it closes again. Only on this day, every year, can we come back to you, for a little while.”

“If you will have us…” Tharn adds softly, hopefully.

They’re all quiet for a little while, letting sink in what they just heard, trying to overcome their shock, their hurt, their disappointment. Their heartbreak at losing what they only just thought they got back again.

Then Yai steps forward and pulls Tharn into his arms, hugging him hard; Phaya lets Tharn go with a little smile. “Of course we will have you,” Yai says harshly, his voice breaking a little, and there are tears in his eyes. “We love you, you fool. So much! Just tell me… tell me that you’re happy. There. Wherever you are. Tell me that you are living a good life. That you’re good.” 

Slowly and with a little smile, Tharn hugs Yai back and nods into his shoulder. “Yeah, we are, we're good and we're happy,” he replies in a thick voice. “And we’re together, that’s all that counts.”

And Nee realizes that it’s true. It hurts, being separated from her big brother like that, being unable to just pick up her phone and call him and annoy him and complain to him about school and life and the unfairness of the world in general, but as long as he’s happy, as long as he’s living the life he wants and with the person he loves, nothing else matters. She loves him and so she wishes him luck.

***

They spend the night talking. And laughing and hugging and simply enjoying each other’s presence. And when the time comes to say goodbye, when the sky in the east starts to lighten, they’re at peace. 

Nee whispers to her brother, “I love you,” and he smiles down at her and whispers back, “I love you, too,” as if they’re sharing a secret.

And when Phaya and Tharn walk down the stairs to the lower terrace where they first appeared to them, Yai yells after them, “We will see you in a year. You promised and I’m holding you to that!”

They both turn back and smile, waving to them.

And then, then they let them see, just for a moment because human eyes aren’t meant to behold gods, they let them see their true forms, the sinuous loops of a Naga, scales the color of polished emeralds, and the wide span of a Garuda’s wings, their feathers a warm shade of golden brown. It takes their breath away.

The gate closes, taking them away, and when a moment later the sun comes up, there are a single scale and a single feather left lying there, on the polished wood of the lower terrace, keepsakes to remember them by.

[tar-maitime]

found you, I'm not alone

Rating: T Characters: Maedhros | Maitimo, Fingon | Findekano Relationships: Maedhros/Fingon, fem!Maedhros/Fingon Additional: War of Wrath, reunions, angst, making plans for the future WC: 1.3k

Direct follow-up to "if you stay by my side"

Maedhros drifts in and out of consciousness. 

Or maybe they’re dreams. She’s not sure. Some of it definitely can’t be anything but a dream - the moments when she thinks she registers Fingon beside her holding her hand, or talking (or shouting) at someone. That can’t possibly be real, can’t be anything but her mind having finally cracked. He’s dead, he can’t be here. Even if he were alive, he wouldn’t want to be here with her.

She thought he was there with her on the battlefield, but she must have hallucinated it in the midst of her pain. It’s impossible that he could’ve actually been there.

When she finally comes awake fully, she’s a little surprised. She’d really thought, when she first passed out, that that was it. It wouldn’t have been such a bad way to die.

Ah well. She’ll do whatever’s in front of her. She always does.

As she catalogues her body - the usual aches and pains, dull throbbing where the spear got her, much less of a sleep deficit than usual - she becomes aware that someone is holding her hand.

It’s impossible, but she would know that warm, firm grip anywhere.

She pries her eyes open and lets her head roll to the side, and he’s there. Finno is there. He’s perched on a camp stool next to the cot she’s on, hunched over and with both his hands wrapped around hers. He’s wearing clean clothes, not what she remembers from the battlefield, but he looks like he hasn’t slept in days.

The moment she moves, his focus sharpens on her. “Russë! You’re awake, are you all right?”

“Finno.” That’s all she can manage to say at first.

“Yes.” He’s holding back tears. “It’s me. I’m here.”

“...How?” Maedhros gets out. “How? You died, you were dead--”

“I came back,” Fingon says earnestly, squeezing her hand. “I came back for you. I got out of Mandos just in time to come over the Sea with the new army. I’ve been trying so hard to find you.”

Some of this is starting to sound familiar, like maybe it came up in that encounter on the battlefield that she apparently didn’t imagine, but Maedhros is still unclear on one point. “Why?” she asks. “I...I killed so many people, Finno, I killed people who used to be yours...”

“I know. I saw. I still love you anyway.” He says it like they’ve gone over this before, but Maedhros still doesn’t quite understand.

“How...why...Finn-Fingon, you shouldn’t have to. I’m not - this isn’t like after Thangorodrim, I’m not some broken little thing you can put back together; I’m a murderer. I’m the monster the Sindar tell their children about to make them behave.” She knows this for a fact. She heard some of the stories Elrond and Elros had been told about her, even though Maglor tried to shield her.

But Fingon’s jaw has that familiar determined set to it. “We went over this after Alqualondë, Russë. We’re both killers, and it’s terrible, but we love each other anyway. Do you really think my love for you is so little that this could stop it?”

“That’s not fair to you,” Maedhros murmurs. 

Fingon pauses a moment. “If it had been you who fell in the Nirnaeth,” he says finally, “and I had somehow ended up joining in with your brothers, if I had done all that you have - would you then stop loving me?”

The mere thought is enough to make her recoil. The mental image of Fingon covered in elvish blood is nightmarish, world-rattling, but even so, it is unimaginable that she could ever cease to love him.

He seems to read her thoughts on her face, and gives her a soft smile. “You see,” he says, “it is not unfair at all.”

Maedhros considers arguing, but is too tired and in too much pain to do anything but accept it.

“What’s going to happen, then?” she asks, since now that they’ve established that Fingon’s love for her makes even less sense than it ever did, that seems like the next most important topic. “What happened with the battle? Wait - where are Kano and the children?”

“Maglor should be back soon,” Fingon reassures. “He only stepped out for a few moments, under great persuasion, so I don’t doubt that he’ll return any time now. We sent the twins to get some rest; they insisted on helping the healers who worked on you, and wore themselves out pretty well. And Ereinion hasn’t been by yet today, he’s been nearly run off his feet--”

But Maedhros interrupts, barely daring to believe the unspoken implication. “Gil-galad came?” she asks. She hadn’t meant to include him in “the children”, when he wouldn’t want it.

Fingon’s smile is warm with understanding. “Yes. He’s come to see you at least once every day, more often if he can manage it. There’s been a lot going on - well, actually...” He pauses, like he’s not sure how to phrase it. “The battle we were in ended up making it all the way to Angband. And the Valar showed up. And so did Earendil, they say he fought a winged dragon. And...it’s over, Russë. The war’s over. We won. It’s over now.”

Maedhros can’t blame him for having to take a moment to find the words. She can hardly believe what she’s hearing. War, in one shape or another, has defined her life for centuries. That, and...

“What of the Silmarils?” she finds herself asking, hating herself for it. “Do you know what has, what will become of them?”

Fingon grimaces. “They were recovered from Morgoth’s crown, I will say that much. Who has them now, I will not say, because I want you to stay resting in that bed and not leaping up to go chase after the accursed things. We are working on a plan to deal with them, with the Oath. Once you are stronger, we will bring you into the conspiracy.”

For a moment, Maedhros tries to picture a world, a life without the war and the Oath. She almost can’t. She hasn’t really believed she would live long enough to outlast them both since the Union fell apart around her. The last version of her to actually live in peace died in Angband.

“That’s good,” she says anyway, because it has to be. Then, “What will be done with us, with Kano and me? Uncle Finarfin might have been lenient thus far, but I’m sure Eönwë and the Valar will want to see justice meted out for the kinslayings.”

“They may want to,” Fingon says with a slightly dangerous calm, “but I will not let them. You deserve to rest, Russë, in whatever fashion you wish. We all do.”

“What if the way I wish to rest is in chains, as would be justified, or cast into the Void?” Maedhros asks, half-meaning it, but that’s less than she would have been before.

“Then i will simply have to talk you out of it.” Fingon squeezes her hand. “You would never truly rest in captivity or bonds, love, and you know it.”

He’s frustratingly right. Maedhros sighs. “What, then?” she asks. “Are we to go larking off into the wilds, settle down in some peaceful valley and build a, a little house and live off the land and hope that the ghosts of everyone we’ve killed and failed to save stay away?”

She means it sarcastically, but Fingon nods with full seriousness and says, “If you want to, then yes. Personally, I think it might be fun to try.”

And as much as she wants to, Maedhros can’t bring herself to disagree. She can’t quite picture that warm scene, a home for the two of them and maybe Maglor and the children if they want it. It’s almost entirely impossible. But she’s alive and the war is over and her once-dead husband is sitting here holding her hand and making her believe in things again - so maybe one more impossibility wouldn’t be such a stretch after all.

[artsy-hobbitses]

TTB Opening themes by season

Because my head goblin got riled up from that last ask and I am but a mere flesh jaeger. Thought went into this, goddamn thought went into this. 

SEASON 1 (PRE-WAR) Opening: Link by L’arc en Ciel (FMA movie)

Do you remember? Ever since we were kids there was a door we couldn't reach Even on tiptoes Forgetting about time Exhausted with endless wandering This maze we walked Always seemed to be there I can't stop unconsciously Searching for your smile. Not a single thing has changed I would bet on that Even if we were separated by a thousand miles, These memories will connect us Even if we should be fooled by the cruel tricks of fate It won't break us I wish that someday I could see with my own two eyes Our world born again

- Chosen because the MegOP as childhood friends vibes were TOO STRONG look at those fucking lyrics holy shit. Also, it sounds a LOT like OP speaking/singing to Megs! And. very sadly attempting to reassure himself/Megs that yes, they can still be friends despite everything they’ve gone through. He wants to hold on to that hope. 

SEASON 2 Opening: I am just feeling alive by Umi Kuun (Young Blackjack)

I am just feeling alive! The tears… the scars… from that night, Change to new vows in this moment.

This simple heart has simply gone on making decisions, Thinking there’s no way justice could ever exist. But nonetheless, I’m searching for it somewhere in my heart, (Give me Give me One More Chance!)

We only really need one thing we can believe in, always Hey, don’t you think?

I am just feeling alive! It’s a patchwork destiny But I want to try betting on that future! I just want you to survive! In the space between a cruel world and hope, This dreaming heart flaps its wings!

- Chosen for the ‘alive’ theme since OP has basically returned from the dead last season with the Matrix giving him ‘new life’. Also OP still seeking for a better day despite the shit he’s gone through AGAIN, and shifting his priorities from Megs to the team he now has to lead, who he’s determined to keep alive. - Thematic support from Prowl, who’s also learning how to live as a free man for the first time and is likely realising the mountains he’s willing to move for Jazz (and his shifting mindset). 

SEASON 3 Opening:  Unlimited by Nanase Aikawa (Samurai 7)

To understand each other And to share your feelings with each other Those things are like bubbles

Hiding themselves in the grains of time So I have lost all hope Believing it would be impossible to grab them Until I met you

How long have you been carrying This pain inside you? How long have you been hiding That sadness in your eyes when you smile?

If we now embrace the miracle of our encounter And look into each other's eyes, we can become stronger If this is not what is called love Then what is love?

- Female vocals chosen as this season introduces Windblade, Chromia and Lightbright as the Camien Valkyries, as well as Sari. - Fourth and fifth stanzas relating to Ratchet with Drift (defects to Autobots this season), Sari with Isaac (introduced this season, both are part of the main arc) and Windblade with Starscream.

SEASON 4 Opening: Missing Link by Novels (Tiger & Bunny)

I could have reclaimed that torn page Now I don't remember where I dropped it Yet what bothers me most is that there's no beauty looking forward After all, I did have a dream as my spell

What can I hate? My past? Myself? I only wish it could be someone else

We imagine such a future But even if we lose it We'll still be the heroes of our story

And even if the future is bleak So long as we have the present We will write as many chapters of this dream as we need

- The talk of past and futures plays into the Time Travel/Functionist Universe episodes which features as this season’s main arc.  - First two stanzas relate to Megs coming to terms with who he’s become (and the torn page he dropped, ie. his old, hopeful miner self). Also concerns Sunstreaker, who leaves the Autobots after a massive crisis of self.  - Last stanza concerns Prowl/Functionist Universe Jazz, basically Prowl telling F!Jazz that as long as they have the present, there’s still hope even if the future looks bleak. 

SEASON 5 Opening: Rain by SID (FMA: Brotherhood)

The new morning we've finally found Is being hampered by the past What we chased after wasn't the future But the past so full of remorse

The ruthless memories won't stop playing They won't be forgiving us for a long time

It's now that a teardrop Begins to roll down my fatigued cheeks

Will this rain ever stop? I've been freezing for a long time Why does the rain continue to fixate on me? I wonder if it could embrace me

Today the rain falls again Endlessly it falls, knowing no end We nestle close to each other to share the warmth Under this umbrella you gently held out to me

- Chosen because EVERYONE is a little fucked up and tired by this point.  - First two stanzas concern the 12 Primes, the reveal of what Unicron is and how they tie into all the terrible things the the system has done finally coming home to roost in an apocalyptic manner, so to speak.  - 0:28 to 0:32 played similar but much more benevolently w/the 10 Primes choosing their avatar/champion for the final battle.  - 0:13 to 0:18 for massive cast shot which combines Autobots AND Decepticons loyal to Megs who are, once more as they had in the beginning, fighting side by side. 

[transgaledekarios]

General 4, 7

Story 7, 12, 17

Romance 1, 6, 7, 11

Hi friend!! Thank thank you 🧡🧡🧡

From this post

General

4. What sort of general actions raise or lower their approval?

Generosity. Acts of heroism. These raise her approval. If you’re good, kind, and show people mercy.

She doesn’t like thieves or people who lie without a good reason. If you’re lying to avoid bloodshed, that she can understand, but if you’re lying to rob someone. She will disapprove.

7. Do they have their own personal quest that spans the course of the game?  Can it take different branching paths depending on the choices the Player Character makes?

Cordelia does have her own personal quest and explaining it all might require its own post. In short: Cordelia was essentially a prisoner in the city. Her parents kept her magically stuck so that she could never leave Baldur’s Gate on her own. The nautiloid and the prism allow her to have some freedom, so she has conflicted feelings about the tadpole.

She’s also a huge nerd who wants to understand her own sorcerous magic and its origins. Following the threads for that converge with the threads of her family.

There aren’t any branching paths before act 3 (short of dying), but in act 3 you can make some big choices that determine how she feels about you, herself, and whatever relationship you two have

Story Specific

7. Already answered :))

12. Is it possible for your Tav to be kidnapped and replaced by Orin?  How is Orin's deception revealed?  How do they react to the PC rescuing them in the Temple of Bhaal?

I think so, yes, but Orin won’t have a fun time pretending to be Cordelia. Actually, she might have a really hard time. I haven’t finished a durge run so I’m no Orin expert, but Orin seems to assume that everyone is a little bloodthirsty. Her insisting she understands what you need when you talk to her pretending to be that blacksmith suggests that.

Cordelia is genuinely a kind, sweet person who feels bad anytime they’ve had to hurt people.

She develops nightmares and ptsd from the people they’ve had to kill.

I think Orin would have a difficult time pretending for so long, she might get fed up and reveal herself.

Cordelia is a hugger. She would hug them for saving her and try really really hard not to cry lol

17. If romanced, how do they react to the Dark Urge trying to kill them in Act 2?

Oooo I haven’t gotten far enough in the durge run, so honestly I haven’t thought about it. My first, initial thoughts? Badly. She would react badly, and even if she could be convinced to stay in a relationship, I can’t imagine she sleeps easily for awhile after that.

I don’t see that going well, no.

Romance

1. Already answered 🎉

6. How do they react to the player character breaking up with them, or choosing another character over them?

Depends. I think flagging her romance requires more than just flirting. You would have to have pursued her for awhile before getting a kiss and more.

If you get that far and then romance someone else, she would be hurt, because by then it would’ve been clear that she’s monogamous. She wants a big romance, to be and feel special to someone.

If you break that trust, good luck getting it back. You can convince her to stay in the party, she still needs your help, but she’ll have very little to say to you.

11. What are Tav’s plans for the future?  Do they propose to the PC, or is marriage not something they’re interested in?

This might depend a bit on how you influence her in her character arc.

She is for sure interested in spending the rest of her life with you, but how that looks like can change.

If you encourage her to be heroic and to prioritize other people, she will want to continue adventuring, and will want you by her side. She would be delighted by a proposal of marriage (and if you went with her, she may even propose on her own one day)

If you encourage her to think of herself that can go in more than one way.

You get married, take over her family’s social place in Baldur’s Gate. (And if Wyll stays as Duke, she works closely with him as a friend and advisor).

OR. If you prioritized her power and chipped away at her sense of morality, she follows you in wtvr dastardly plans you have. However, I think she remains in her core a good person, and she will grow increasingly unhappy and traumatized. It doesn’t go well.

Alternatively, if encouraged to balance her priorities, she wants to marry you and will want to settle down somewhere quiet and peaceful. She just wants you and her friends, and to not worry about everything anymore.

[sleepysaltuna]

I used to hate Vince, very much, but your fic and how you write him gave me another perspective of the character (and now I do like him). Also, that same fic made ship him with Jack, like ship hard. If this doesn't count as possible spoiler for the fic, can you give us some hc for them?

Aw, thank you very much! I’ve always really liked Vince though I wished he had been more three dimensional, but I guess that’s a little too much to ask for from a show that mainly focuses on the aliens and their problems instead of the humans and theirs, which makes sense though it’s disappointing at times. 💔 I’m glad my fic helped you warm up to Vince more! It means I’m doing something right as a writer. 😊

As for headcanons, I’ve got more than a few! I’m not really sure if these will be spoilers for the fic, as I actually have no clue how far it will actually go, but I’ll share some general headcanons that I don’t think will be touched upon in the story!

- Vince is the worst at cooking. He’s banned from the kitchen and Jack will not hesitate to tell him that he can’t cook a gourmet meal to save his life. Vince accepts this. However, that does not stop him from trying whenever Jack’s back is turned. He just wants to make his boo a nice breakfast in bed, is that too much to ask for? Yes, yes it is.

- their ideal date is going for a leisurely drive around Jasper and the surrounding area on a nice sunny day, with the likes of bands like Linkin Park and Daughtry playing on the radio. Vince has made it a personal mission to get Jack into rock music. It is working, though Jack will deny it profusely whenever Miko is within earshot. They also like getting ice cream together, and indulging on said frozen treats during the drive.

- after, y’know, being knocked out by an ex-friend, Vince loses some of that confrontational attitude that he had, as he’s afraid that if the same mistakes are repeated, he will not get so lucky a second time. However, if anyone messes with Jack or his loved ones, then he will unleash the beast, but he will not if anyone bothers him. So Jack is the one who usually comes to Vince’s rescue when needed, which everyone else has mixed feelings about because he will not hesitate to take a nearby fire extinguisher and hold it threateningly.

- they find comfort in just each other’s company. They don’t need to talk in order to comfort the other. All they need to do is hold each other and cuddle for a while and that’s all it takes to realize that everything’s okay, that they’ll be okay, that they’re safe and well. Vince especially needs this; Jack’s affection keeps him grounded and anchored to the earth, it keeps him from doing something impulsive and possibly dangerous.

- much to everyone’s surprise, Vince is the most affectionate, especially verbally. He’s got a new pet name for Jack every other week. The one he uses the most, though, is “Bunny” - basically, he took Miko’s “Jackrabbit” and modified it to his liking. Jack will never admit out loud that he’s fond of the nicknames but the way it makes him blush is a sign that he does like them.

- also surprising to everyone is the fact that Jack is a literal thief. Vince’s clothes, especially his jackets and his sweatshirts, go missing almost all of the time and when he finally one day decided to actually look around instead of brushing it off, he found every. Single. Lost. Garment. neatly organized in Jack’s closet. After Jack is busted, he shamelessly wears the clothes when he goes out for school and to base instead of just wearing them at home.

(It has been a while since I’ve last drawn the humans of TFP, so I’m out of practice. This was also a quick doodle just for fun, so Vince and Jack don’t look perfect here!)

Bonus headcanon for the future:

- eventually, they will get married, some day in the distant future after they’ve completed college and have gotten stable jobs. They are deeply devoted to each other and very much in love, and neither one of them can imagine life without the other in it. They complete each other. They are two halves of one whole. They are perfectly capable of surviving apart, but they are much stronger together. They bring out the best in each other. There is no one in the whole universe who could ever compliment these two lovebirds more than they do for each other. After the rough patch in high school, and after they’ve worked out their issues and grown as people, these two get along so much better than anyone could have imagined. Sure, they have the occasional argument still, but they now know how to work it out so things get resolved quickly.

[actress4him]

The Shadow of Death - Soldier Boy AU - Part 1

This is the start of another Kamaria and Bruno (aka Brumaria) AU set in modern day. Not to be confused with the College AU, this one is my attempt at sticking a human Kamaria into something as close as I could get to Bruno’s canon story.

As always, the lovely and fabulous Bruno (aka Soldier Boy) belongs to the lovely and fabulous @painful-pooch , and is used with permission.

If anyone else wants to be tagged in the other parts of this AU or in other various future Kamaria fics, lmk!

Contains: lady whump, guns, dead body mention, mild blood, dislocation mention, restraints

.

.

Part of her knew it would happen one day. The sudden bangs of doors being kicked in, the shouts and screams and staccato of gunfire. People in uniform spilling through the hallways of the only place she could call home, hunting down every last member and either putting them down or leading them away in cuffs.

But if Kamaria had given the idea any more thought, she would have imagined herself out among them, having to decide whether to throw up her hands or put up a fight. She’d never have envisioned herself listening to it all happen through a locked door, while she dangled from bleeding wrists with only her bare toes brushing the floor.

She probably should have. Sometimes it seems like she spends more time in this room than anywhere else.

Soon enough they inevitably discover the basement rooms. It’s only the footsteps in the hallway that keep her from jumping too hard when the door flies open with a sound like an explosion, slamming into the wall and bouncing back almost closed again. The man’s eyes widen with surprise when he sees her. She can’t help but automatically glare back at him.

She’s too helpless like this. Too exposed. Her tank top mocks her from the other side of the room, folded neatly next to her boots and a row of her knives. Roderick had insisted that she strip down to her sports bra before he’d taken the strap to her, and now this man is staring at far too much bare skin for her liking. And she doesn’t know if she has the energy to try and fight him from this position if he starts coming too close.

“It’s okay, you’re safe,” the man says after stepping further into the room and pointing his gun into every corner. He’s white with a tan from working outdoors, with blue eyes and a scruffy brown beard. More importantly, though, he’s wearing military garb.

They’ve caught that kind of attention, hm?

“I’m here to help you, okay?”

Oh. He thinks she’s a victim.

He definitely won’t be helping her if he finds out who she actually is.

“I’m gonna get you down from there.” He holsters his gun and circles around behind her, giving her a wide berth, but she’s still anxious about not being able to see him anymore.

A moment later she hears the clank of the pulley being released, and she’s lowered slowly onto her feet, arms finally allowed to come down in front of her. Her shoulders ache, but at least they both stayed in socket this time. Immediately she turns to face him, though he’s already coming back around to the front.

“You alright? Can you stand okay?” He looks her over, hands slightly outstretched as if she’s about to fall and he’s planning on catching her. When she continues to simply stare at him, obviously standing just fine, he nods and looks around the room. “Okay, I’m gonna find the key for those cuffs, just give me a minute.”

The room is littered with chains and ropes and various tools of punishment. Unless he gets lucky, it’ll take him far more than a minute, and she can’t really go anywhere until he does.

“They’re right there.” Lifting her manacled hands, she points to where Roderick dropped them.

“Ah.” He gives her a sideways glance, expression unreadable, before crossing over to where she pointed and scooping up the key ring.

It takes everything in her to silently hold out her hands and let this stranger - this soldier - unlock the cuffs. As soon as her wrists are free, though, she snatches the keys from his hand without warning, bending to release her own ankles. He makes some small noise in response that might simply be surprise, but almost sounds like a laugh.

“Are you injured anywhere?”

The inflamed skin on her back burns where she’s stretching it. Straightening, she deposits the keys back in his hand without a word and walks past him to the bench where her belongings are waiting.

“How long have they kept you here?”

She can feel his eyes digging into her from behind. Whether he’s taking in the red welts the strap left behind, or the myriad of old scars beneath them, who knows. Her back is one of the few expanses of skin that remains untouched by ink. Any tattoos she put there would just get ruined. Her back has always been Roderick’s canvas, not her own.

Before he can look any harder, she yanks the shirt off the bench and quickly pulls it over her head.

“You might not want to put that on, you could aggravate -”

She tugs the hem down to her waist and moves on to her boots.

“Right.” He huffs what is definitely a laugh this time. “Okay, Miss ‘I Don’t Need Any Help’, you obviously don’t want my advice. But you’ve just been through something traumatic, so I’m not gonna just leave you alone. As soon as you get dressed I’ll take you outside, there’s an ambulance waiting where you can get checked out, see if you need to go to the hospital.”

If she doesn’t take any of these knives with her, it’s the last time she’ll ever see them. This place is now a crime scene, and everything important in it will be confiscated by…whoever is heading this operation. She can’t load all of them up without Soldier Boy getting suspicious, though, so she slips one into each boot as she puts them on, plus one more into a hidden pocket in her pants. The rest will have to stay. They’re clean, at least, she’s confident of that. There won’t be anything to trace back to her.

“After that we’ll need to get your statement. We knew that Alaric Greaves was guilty of a lot of crimes, but I personally didn’t know that kidnapping was one of them. Not sure anyone else did, either.”

Kamaria hasn’t worked under the thumb of a crime lord for fourteen years without learning her rights. Finished lacing the last boot, she turns and faces him with a sigh. “You don’t need my statement. Obviously you already have enough on these guys to raid the place and arrest them, so I’ll be going now.”

Maybe it’s because she’s finally speaking more than three words, or maybe he isn’t used to women contradicting him, but the man looks taken aback. To his credit, he recovers quickly. “We don’t need your statement to arrest them, no. But the more charges we can bring against him, the less likely he is to walk. Besides, don’t you want justice for what they did to you?”

“No.” She’s seeking justice for something far more important. What happens to her in the meantime is of little consequence.

Pushing past him, Kamaria exits the room. Her own tiny little bedroom is right there, conveniently located next door to the punishment room, but she has to pretend that she doesn’t live here if she wants to continue leaving freely. There isn’t much in there, anyway. A couple of changes of clothes, a few more weapons. Nothing personal.

The soldier hurries out right behind her, which, while a bit annoying, is probably a good thing. She’ll need an escort to make sure she’s not arrested or shot on the way out, and with him eager to help she won’t have to go through too much trouble pretending she isn’t familiar with the layout of the place.

“Here, we can go out this way.” He ushers her forward and she strides away, reluctantly making sure to pause at each junction until he can tell her which way to go. Soon they start passing other soldiers, most milling around and digging through the various rooms, a couple still finishing up cuffing the people they’d taken down. In one room she sees two dead bodies out of the corner of her eye, blood pooled around them. She can’t tell from the distance who it is, nor does she really care.

Though if one of them is Roderick, she’d be more than okay with that.

It’s a strange sight, coming out into the sunshine and seeing military vehicles strewn all over the street and yard. She’s basically watching everyone’s worst nightmare unfold. Somehow it makes her want to laugh aloud, even though her plans are crumbling around her just as much as the rest. Disbelief, she supposes. Sometime later today this will all sink in and she’ll be left floundering and trying to figure out what’s next.

“Can you tell me your name, at least?”

She pretends not to hear him, skirting along the edge of the building, trying not to openly stare at the van where one of the lower cronies is being loaded. Her father might already be in there. Or maybe he got his own, personal vehicle and was quickly whisked away. She’s pretty sure he was present for the raid, at least, and he wouldn’t have tried to fight.

Soldier Boy has fallen behind, talking to one of his comrades, probably explaining how he found this poor, hapless victim chained up in the basement. He probably fancies himself a hero. Whatever, if he wants the ego boost that’s no real harm to her. She doesn’t plan on ever seeing him again in order for him to rub the ‘rescue’ in her face.

“Look.” He grabs her arm to stop her and she whirls around, jerking it back out of his grasp, just barely refraining from pulling a knife on him.

His hands go up and he takes a step backwards. “Sorry. But you really need to come let the paramedics take a look at you, at least. And I know you don’t want to talk about what happened to you, it’s tough. But you could help make sure he’s put away for good.”

There’s so much about his spiel that’s laughable, she wouldn’t even know where to start. She has no plans of indulging him with a response, anyway, if for no other reason than she’s already lingering too long. She can’t help another sideways glance at the van. Are they watching? Are they wondering why she’s walking free, why she’s talking with the enemy?

She needs to shake this man and get out of here.

He must follow her gaze, because he looks at the van, too. His expression creases, then softens. “Are you afraid they’ll come after you?”

The question is so startlingly close to the truth that she immediately blurts out, “No.” Scowling, she takes a step back, arms crossed, hoping to make it abundantly clear that she wants him to leave her alone. “Listen, I don’t need anything that you’re suggesting. All I need is to go.” She takes two more steps away, eyes narrowed, daring him to keep following her.

He heaves a sigh, crossing his own arms. “Fine. I can’t force you. But I’ll need your name in case they need to get in contact with you for the investigation. I can’t let you leave until you give me that.”

“What are you going to do if I don’t…shoot me?”

The man starts to say something else, but she doesn’t bother listening. Spinning around, Kamaria walks quickly away from her home, her father, and the people who finally brought him down.

For now.

[op-sys-chaos]

I’m now imagining Jazz showing up to the Watchtower to yell at the heroes.

No one’s sure how this polite young redheaded girl got here (Dan brought her at her request) but she has something to say about Danny and Dan and they’re in the middle of trying to figure out what to do about it so they’re gonna listen.

“Here’s the deal. You all ignored the countless apocalypses my brother stopped and tried to imprison him for one he already dealt with. That tells me that you all are either very misinformed or horribly incompetent. I’m choosing to ignore the possible assumption that you’re all villains and just hiding it but the thought has crossed my mind.”

Geez, had they screwed this up that badly?

“So. Here’s a full list of every single apocalypse my little brother has stopped. There’s one page on each incident.”

Why was this packet thicker than Superman’s hand when both were laying on the table side by side?????

“And while you read through it, let me clarify something. Dan only exists because of a very, very specific sequence of events that involved his actual literal humanity to be violent ripped out of him moments before he merged with one of the villains Danny deals with a lot. Danny now knows exactly how to avoid that sequences of events, and he fought against Dan when the older version of him traveled through time. The only reason Dan still exists in this universe is because of said time travel creating a paradox. It’s a long story and I won’t go into it now. But basically, he still exists despite his timeline being long since erased. And after spending a long time locked up in the tower of the guy who’s basically god of time, he learned humanity again. He didn’t get his physical humanity back, but enough of a conscience remained in him that he was able to relearn empathy and kindness. And it took a LOT of work to do it. But he did that work. So. In summary. The threat you were worried about doesn’t exist and will never exist anymore, you imprisoned and tried to destroy someone who’s stopped a lot of apocalypses with no help from any of you, and the only link to that no-longer-existing timeline is no longer evil and has actually started helping stop those apocalypses.”

The heroes stared at her, mouths hanging open by the end.

“Oh!” she added a moment later. “I almost forgot. You also tried to permanently destroy a child. Danny is 14.”

Holy shit. They’d fucked up. They’d fucked up bad.

“So! With all that said, do better. Have a nice day!” Then she turned and walked out of the room, pressing something in her pocket as she did (those with enhanced hearing heard the click). Moments later, Jazz was gone.

The Flash quickly sped through reading the entire document, and when he sat back down, he looked shell shocked.

“Flash?” Batman asked.

“It’s… the kid’s dealt with over a hundred apocalyptic level threats in the last ten months. He died shortly after his 14th birthday and has been dealing with this stuff alone ever since. He’s… he’s just a kid, and he regularly fights concepts of reality to save us all. His “small fry” villains are more than powerful enough to kill the Justice League. And he deals with them in a daily basis. To the point that instead of detailing individual incidents, there’s just a page about their power set and a number of times they’ve attacked, as well as listing any specific notable incidents in detail.”

“Holy shit. And we…” Green Arrow began.

“Tried to destroy an incredibly powerful, insanely heroic child permanently because he might become a threat in the future, without doing any research into the matter whatsoever. Yeah. We fucked up. We fucked up bad.”

From that point on, the JL tries to reach out to help Danny, but Dan starts shooting at them any time they come near because “I’m not letting you assholes try to kill him again!”

They can’t even get a word in. But how well he’s defending his brother, without so much as permanently injuring the JL, further proves to them that Dan is reformed (and that they fucked up).

Eventually, the JL sends in someone like Nightwing, a hero who isn’t officially a member and is great at stuff like this. Nightwing manages to get into Amity as a civilian and talks to Danny, handing him the letter that the JL drafted sincerely, deeply apologizing. After Danny reads it, Dick pulls out a small communicator. He tells Danny that if he ever needs help, the JL is a button push away. And if the JL ever encounters a ghost, Dick asks if they can call Danny for help. He agrees to the deal, but only on the condition that they JL get properly educated about ghosts from a source Danny actually trusts. Dick easily agrees.

Jazz shows up again at the next JL meeting, this time as an invited guest, with a 600 slide PowerPoint on all things ghost. Then, at the heroes’ request, she gives the same PowerPoint to the younger hero groups like TT and YJ. Then, with her permission, the post the PowerPoint and the speaker notes on the JL website so anyone who wants reliable information can access it.

The Phantoms now have backup from the JL (and a permanent IOU if they want anything. Danny uses his for, among other small favors, regular visits to space). Danny is no longer hunted and Dan only has to deal with Thawne, who Flash often shows up to help him with. And the JL has easy access to some real heavy hitters when they need them. Though they do try to avoid calling Danny considering he’s still a kid. Dan eventually gets an official JL membership.

It’s not a perfect apology, but the JL is trying their hardest to make up for their mistakes. And the Phantoms eventually forgive them

Reformed Dan but misunderstandings suck

So, Dan has been Reformed for Years at this point. You could go with the Fandom Typical version of just chilling out, or you could go with the AGIT version of the Redemption. Either way, Dan is fully reformed and trying to find his way in the World.

Unfortunately, not everybody knows/believes him.

You know all those Time Traveling Heroes who came back to stop some great catastrophe? That was Dan.

Impulse is fucking terrified of this guy, cause he Grew Up in the Central City Stronghold and saw Phantom tear down the Walls protecting the City in person.

Booster Gold grew up in the Metropolis Stronghold, so while he never really saw Phantom in his timeline he still did know of him. I mean, obviously, he murdered every hero on the planet and subjugated most of the world, but he doesn't have much personal stake in that.

Eobard Thawn hates Phantom. Thawn himself grew up in a world where Phantom killed every Hero in the world, and he was terrified that Phantom would track him down when he tried to become the new Flash. But once he became a Walking Paradox he saw as Time itself changed to erase Phantom from existence, he got really jealous. Why did Time decide Phantom was bad enough to erase, why not him!? He's Evil! He's a Terror on the Timeline! He deserves Clockworks attention dammit!

And then, they discover evidence that Phantom has come back in Time,

So now, any and all Time Travelers are trying to find the guy who single-handedly was the Apocalypse, and want to kill him to save the world. Or out of Jealousy in Thawns case.

Either way, no matter where Dan goes to try and settle down, a bunch of annoying Heroes always find him and attack him, yelling about "Stopping his Plans" and "Saving the Timeline!" And "It should have been me dammit!"

Honestly Thawn is the most annoying one, he just runs in and rants at him about how he is jealous of how much attention Clockwork gave him. Dude, just sdmit your crush already and leave me alone. (I'm not sorry)

[vaguely-yandere]

imagine girly yanderes,,,

girly yanderes who get away with much more than a regular yandere could because theyre just so friendly and cute. No one questions the sugary sweet, loveable popular person when people go missing. No one questions it when they see them dragging something big and heavy to the dump, in fact, they offer to help because a sweet young thing like them shouldn't be doing any heavy lifting!

girly yanderes who tremble a bit when they do your makeup because they can feel your breath on their face, tickling their peach fuzz, able to finally appreciate your beauty up close without looking weird, feeling barely able to breathe because your just so close, so trusting, so vulnerable, it makes them want to do horrible things. you're just so close, just one slip and they'd finally be able to feel your soft lips against theirs... (you have no idea what you do to me..)

girly yanderes who borrow your chapstick and instead of giving it back to you, they just hand you a replacement they bought weeks ago for this exact moment. (i got an exact replica of the one you gave me, just with a bit more of my DNA on it.) hyperventilating later at the indirect kisses being exchanged without your knowledge, replaying the image of your lips coming into contact with the chapstick they covered in kisses just. for. you.

girly yanderes who use their social status to ruin the lives of the people who even glance at you for a second too long. “I heard she has herpes.” “Doesn’t their dad always stare at girls?” “Well, I heard he fucked his cousin!” “I saw them following some kid home, next day they were covered in scratches. I wonder what happened...”  "I passed her during gym and she smelled like rotting, sweaty cheese.. I threw up after words!" "Just don't tell anyone I told you about this, okay? I'd hate for their reputation to get ruined.."

girly yanderes who listen to pop music, humming along while they scrub the blood off their jeans, makeup a little runny and smudged from the humidity and sweat of a fresh fight, muscles aching, fresh bruises and scratches all over their body. They silently relished in the idea of you frowning when you eventually saw the wounds and eventually taking care of them, those gentle hands of yours applying a bandaid on the scratches, gently kissing the bruises, hugging them to comfort them. They wouldn't even have to tell you the truth! You would fill in the blanks with some sob story and they wouldn't even have to say a word. (i don't enjoy making you worry, really, but it's hard to correct you when you keep looking at me like that...)

girly yanderes who lay in bed, legs swinging, giggling as they scribble your name over and over into a notebook with the pen you gave them when you first met. Pictures of you surround them, covering their walls, clothes you’ve lent them covering their pillows and stuffed animals, your favorite deodorant sitting on their dresser along with every small thing you’ve ‘gifted’ them. the toothbrush you used when you slept over, locks of your hair they took when you asked them to trim your hair, every single chapstick they’ve taken from you, socks, underwear, hair ties, notes, anything you wouldn’t miss too much. the underwear and socks were a low move but they were old and worn out and seeing your flushed face when you stepped out of the locker room, awkwardly adjusting yourself in your clothes, it was just so worth it. (you were so cute, so worried someone would notice you didn't have underwear on but don't worry. only you and i knew, i made sure of it.)

girly yanderes who can’t ever sleep when you sleep over, eyes wide and unblinking as they watch your stomach slowly rise and fall with each breath. they had put just a bit of melatonin in your last drink, had an entire crisis about it before you came over. ‘I won’t be able to have late night talks with them but I rarely get the opportunity to watch them sleep, see them so unguarded.. And I wouldn’t be a good future lover if I ruined their sleep schedule!’ In the end, they decided to ‘drug’ you later in the night, after a few rounds of truth or dare, never have I ever, a few movies and obviously a couple of emotional late night talks where you admitted to some of your deeper secrets and they admitted to having a massive crush on someone but refused to reveal on who. "You know who.."

girly yanderes who do cheerleading, developing durable, strong muscles and enough endurance to run down and cut the throat of the football player who winked at you, suffocate the nerd that flushed when you smiled at them, bash the head of another cheerleader who stupidly admitted to having a crush on you after a game. they only felt a little guilty because those poor people didn't understand what they were getting into when they fell for you but a warning had to be sent.

You belonged to someone else xoxo &lt;3

[sulkybender]

learn it all again

He treats Jayce like any other person.

During the day Viktor speaks softly to him, never losing his temper, no matter what Jayce does, no matter how brutally he lashes out.

At night Viktor sleeps next to him, his hand on Jayce’s waist. This is when he feels closest to Jayce, to what’s left of Jayce; to his soul. Jayce huddles against him, needy, something like his old self. He rests his massive head on Viktor’s chest. Sometimes he says Viktor’s name, which is always enough to make him cry.

It isn’t easy to love a beast.

—

Viktor recognizes him as soon as he sees him, led on Singed’s rope. It isn’t hard to tell. He knows Jayce too well, all his tells, his little sounds and gestures. He’s wide-eyed now with fear, with anger, but Viktor knows that too; you can’t share a lab for years without recognizing panic.

He holds Jayce before anyone can stop him. They all expect him to be torn to shreds; a part of Viktor expects it too, and accepts it. Jayce, he says, his arms around that massive neck, and Jayce nudges into him, wailing.

The moment they touch Viktor can feel it, exactly how much pain Jayce is in. The shape of it enormous, like a bloated planet.

“I’m here,” he says, stroking Jayce’s tangled hair. “I won’t leave you.”

—

The story comes out slowly. The murdered child. The violence of his grieving mother. And Singed, with a perfectly functional specimen, promising.

Viktor considers thanking him for saving Jayce’s life.

The words stick in his throat, like thorns.

You’ve destroyed him, he thinks. You’ve ruined him.

He holds Jayce’s paw a little tighter and says nothing.

—

He works so hard to relieve the pain in Jayce’s mind. Every moment of his life he’s in agony. His body was never meant for this, certainly not his mind; these were never shapes his Jayce was meant to take.

He kneels at Viktor’s feet, heavy head in his lap, and Viktor, cradling him, tries to heal him. Winding tunnel after tunnel, crenellations, twists of blood. He nearly collapses with the energy he loses. There’s so little left of himself at the end of each day.

He can imagine a nightmarish future where there’s hardly anything left of him, and barely more of Jayce than when he started.

He can imagine it, but cannot tolerate it.

He closes his eyes and starts again.

—

He draws a hot bath for Jayce and cleans him, until the water is black with filth and clotted with fur. Jayce rests his head on Viktor’s lap again, stinking of wet dog, and it occurs to him that this is probably the closest Jayce can get to telling him he loves him.

“I’m here,” Viktor says. “Jayce, I’m here and I will take care of you. I will always take care of you.”

Jayce looks up at him with his wounded eyes. The wound in them so large Viktor doesn’t know how to touch it.

“Always,” he repeats, his voice trembling, and rests his hand on the ugly mess of Jayce’s head.

—

He remembers when Jayce was beautiful.

—

One night he wakes up to the sound of Jayce crying.

It’s hard to bear, nearly impossible. He’s bent-backed and weeping, with his paws plastered to his head like it hurts.

At the same time, Viktor knows this means they’ve come closer to his humanity, shaved the beast away by small degrees until what’s left is Jayce, horrified, aching. It makes him feel something like hope.

“Jayce,” he says, touching that huge shoulder. “My Jayce.”

He weeps beastly tears into Viktor’s chest, hot salt and the stink of sulfur.

—

He’s softened now, docile. He creeps behind Viktor, hunched, as if he’s ashamed of himself. He holds Viktor’s hand with a twisted paw, like a child anxious around strangers, clinging to its mother. In bed his clumsy hands are gentle. He cards his claws through Viktor’s hair, cups his face, noses his cheek carefully, like a kiss.

“Jayce,” Viktor breathes, and holds him.

It’s so hard to be so close to Jayce and separated from him all at once.

He has dreams where they kiss, in their old bodies, their old uniforms, and when he wakes up Jayce is still looking at him with the same yearning eyes. He feels so sad, a little repulsed.

Then again who knows what Jayce would think of the body Viktor lives in now.

—

As close as they’ve ever gotten. Jayce speaks with difficulty, with a mouth never made for speaking. “Love you,” he says. “Love you, love you.”

“I know, sweetheart,” Viktor says. The ache in his throat is painful.

“Don’ cry,” he says, squeezing Viktor’s hands. “No. No.”

Viktor buries his face in the beast’s chest as tries to learn it all again, how to breathe.

—

They talk about it, the Herald’s dog. The monster who kneels at his feet, head on Viktor’s thighs, whimpering. It’s obvious to everyone that the monster is in pain. The Herald refuses to admit it.

“He’s fine,” he says. “A few more healing sessions. There’s so much left to try.”

And at night the Herald admits there is nothing left to try, and the beast—infinitely patient, very much in love—nuzzles his master’s face, holds his skinny body tight. He can’t fault Viktor for being unable to let him go, or unwilling.

Left to his own devices, the monster would always choose a world where he gets to stay by Viktor’s side.

He chooses it now, and now, kissing Viktor’s ear.

I do want an au where Jayce is the beast and Viktor has to save him/find him in there

[insertmesoftly]

Eridan x LowBlood Knight Troll

Eridan x LowBlood Troll that revels him as royalty and appoints themself as his Knight. Ready to be commanded without question.

They met young, maybe even before he met Feferi, and they’re fucking best friends. They’ve lived together in separate hives on the same island, the Knight’s being a small little hut that they only ever go to sometimes sleep in. They truly mostly live with Eridan. It’s one of the reasons he’s stayed above ground too despite being a sea dweller. His knight can’t be underwater. And he needs his servant.

Now I’m thinking of cute shit. Like secret cuddles that only happen when they’re alone in his hive. Nights when Eridan gets too dramatic for his own good and starts crying, and the Knight knows just what to do, how to hug him, how to stroke his hair and what compliments to tell him to bring his ego back up. Eridan lets it, melts into their touch. And it’s just a normal thing for em that Eridan would never let anyone know. Not even Feferi.

There’s no one that knows Eridan better than them and no one they have time for other than him. And even with this, Eridan's feelings are just, "Feferi is my best fwwiend uwwu My moiwwal <3". But it’s been fine with them.

The way I see the Knight, they are completely fine with their place in Eridan’s life. They bought into the caste bullshit and even through their blinding love for him, never once saw it as red feeling. They just saw it as their 'duty' to their prince and never thought of anything romantic with him. They just want to help. They just want to make him happy. This is all they want.

Still, their relationship is part of what made Feferi so uncomfortable and led to her leaving him, because whatever he did, wherever he was, she knew his Knight was there too, even contacting her and giving her advice on how to deal with him when she had trouble. She tried using this to her advantage, during all his genocidal ramblings, Feferi would remind him how there’s trolls he doesn’t really want to kill, friends he enjoys. Like his Knight. it’s the perfect example, but the idiots always wave it off as a problem of the future. Eridan doesn’t want to think about it. And the Knight… pretends to be the same. But they know. They’ll probably die one day. This drives Feferi MAD. She liked the Knight, and she liked Eridan, but she did not want to be stuck curbing off a genocidal maniac and his enabler forever. It’s extra work!

The break up, honestly, is hilarious. Eridan’s first thought was to yell for his Knight and as the knight stumbles into the room, having to run from where they were, he has the most pathetic face and screams, "SHE BROKE! UP! WITH! ME!! "

The Knight comforts the shit out of him after this. just imagine it. It becomes a whole thing for the whole night, them giving him ice cream and snacks and letting him cry it out in their shoulder. Suffering through whatever the fallout is (that I don’t know about because this is where we stopped in my friend reading Homestuck to me lol) But in the future.

Their story will end in tragedy. Imagine Eridan losing his Knight during something climactic. It can be spicy with 1. the Knight dying protecting him, and/or 2. Eridan had to make the choice to save their life or Fef’s. And Eridan is shaking. Crying. Frozen in fear, instead.

Think about him holding the Knight in his arms as they bleed out.

They were hit in their vitals. They’re in incredible pain, even slurring blood as they talk. But they must. They have to apologize for dirtying his cape with their 'ugly blood.'

They’ve had a COMPLEX over their blood color. Never wanting to bleed in front of Eridan for fear of his look of disgust.

And yet for all their caution, here they were, bleeding out all over him. And in their final moments, they think the reason he looked so shaken was because of that. Their horrible, cursed blood. Not because they were his everything. Not because he’s in pain for them. The thought that they were loved did not cross their mind.

Eridan will repeat those last words in his brain forever. Realize that his talks got to them in a way he never intended. Crumble under the guilt as he internalizes that they wasted their last breath, their last words, for something so idiotic. And it was his fault.

He will cherish their blood color from then on.

I’m gonna indulge in the fucking pain Eridan will feel once their Knight is gone. For the first time in his life. He is truly alone. Just in a daze. Unable to properly take care of himself because he was so used to their helping hand for everything. A sad little pampered fish boy, having to learn how to live on.