#I know why... Probably it happened like.... Using my puzzle pieces and my own theory but

[mrfoox]

Me: haha, I'm over that thing that happened over a year ago, lol, I don't think about it and-

Also me: -suddenly talks about it and gets hit with the same feelings as back then- aa, shit /:

[gojos-thot-patrol]

Happy birthday love!! (Or belated birthday)🩷🩷

Satoru gojo, funny, "You landed in jail how?" (Maybe featuring nanami)

Ryomen sukuna, funny, "You look really thirsty, have you considered drinking water?" 🌶

Whichever sparks your interest 🩷

thank you so much!!! 💙💙💙 For this one, I went with the Gojo Nanami request, only because another person gave the exact request for Ryomen (Which, Is coming I swear!) Also, because the idea of Gojo bailing Nanami of all people out of jail is so funny to me.

Now Presenting...

Starring: Nanami Kento and Satoru Gojo

“Come on Satoru, pick up..” You muttered softly, nervously tapping your own shoulder. “I only get one of these..” The ringing of the phone seemed to go on forever, until finally,

“Hello?” Satoru answered, though, questioned is the better verb to use here. The man was more confused than a boomer trying to use twitter.

“Hey, Gojo! How ya doing? I hope I didn’t wake you.” You laughed nervously, trying to ease our way into what you were about to say.

“Y/n why the fuck are you in jail?” He asked, passing at least half of his confusion onto you.

“Wait, how did you know I was in holding?!” you asked, pulling the bottom of the receiver close to your face and stepping closer to the phone booth, as if sharing a secret.

“The operator told me the call was coming from the prison, I had to accept the charges.” He informed you. Oh.

“Huh, I didn’t know it did that.” You admitted.

“That's why they asked you to say your name Y/n. so they could tell me who was calling from, ya know, jail.” Oh. 

“Is that why they had me say my name? I thought it was so they had a record of it to prove I got my call.” Which, is not a bad theory to be fair!

“You’re so drunk.” Satoru almost laughed, starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together. 

“Yes I am!” You proudly announced, “And I have to pee really bad, there is no bathroom here, just a toilet. You should come get me. Fast.”

“You want me to come bail you out?” Satoru chuckled, finally starting to wake up, “With what money?”

“The money from the bail fund you keep for when shit like this happens!”

“I regret telling you about that, you know. It wasn’t an invitation to get locked up!”

“If it’s not an invitation, then why have it?” You challenged. Satoru shook his head even though you couldn't see it. He was grinning though. He knew who his friends were. 

“Whatever. I’m going to call Nanami and pick him up on the way, he’s probably the guy you want dealing with the cops.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it! Kento is here with me!” You cheerfully announced. 

“Hi Satoru!” Nanami yelled in the background from the holding cell. Gojo expected a lot of things when he got the inevitable ‘I’m in jail’ call from you, but a Nanami Kento guest appearance was not one of those things.

“What?! Why is Nanami there?!” 

“He punched a cop.”

“He what?!”

“He. Puched. A. Cop.” You said, loudly and slowly, being sure to enunciate every word. Sometimes you really had to spell it out for the strongest. “Hey Satoru, I gotta go- this pig is oinking at me to get back in the cell-”

“Wait, I-”

“Byyyeee!! Please come soon!” You sang, the line going dead before Gojo could answer any of the questions he had. Kento Nanami Punched a fucking cop?!

🚨🚨🚨

“Are you here to pick up the two drunkards!?” A particularly stressed cop asked as Satoru walked into the station, startling him out of the script he was writing for this encounter. 

“Um…Probably?” Gojo asked.

“Thank god.” The policeman exhaled, scrambling to grab out the bail paperwork for you and Nanami, “They haven’t shut up since they got here. The blonde one keeps trying to unionize the other inmates, and the other one keeps offering doughnuts in exchange for freedom.” Yep, those were Gojos' friends. Is this what it was like to be the responsible one? He hated it, Kento could keep this job. As Satoru finished up the paperwork, the tired bastard from behind the counter went to retrieve his two delinquents.

“For the last time, you can not unionize prison inmates!” Gojo could hear the arguing before he saw anyone’s faces.

“That union busting and it’s illegal.” Nanami said, “But, I’m not surprised. Cops break the law all the time.”

“Yea, what he said!” You added, “Keep this up and piggy wont get a doughnut!”

“I don’t even like doughnuts!” The cop snapped, “I have a gluten intolerance!” 

“Weakling,” Nanami scoffed as the three came around the corner, “How are you going to be ruined by a protein? Just tolerate it.” Satoru noticed a darkening bruise on Kentos cheek, and a cut on your lip. Jesus, what happened?

“Gojo!!” You yelled happily as you saw your friend, running into his arms. “My heroine!” 

“Yea, I think you mean Hero,” Satoru quickly corrected you, not wanting any of the feds to get the wrong idea. “Come on, let’s get you to the car.” He said, giving you a quick hug in return before ushering you and Nanami to the car. 

“Can we go to Ihop?” You asked as you crawled into the front seat.

“Sure, as soon as you guys tell me what happened.” Satoru said as he started the car.

“We got arrested.” Nanami said as he buckled up. Gojo rolled his eyes. 

“You landed in jail, how?” Satoru clarified. 

“Oh, easy!” You laughed, “Kento and I went out for a drink after our mission, and some guy thought it would be a good idea to try and get handsy with me. So we got handsy back!” You smiled.

“He called me a Ken doll!” Nanami snapped, “A ken doll! I am very clearly a barbie!”

“Buddy, I don’t think that was the insult you were supposed to take from that.” Satoru giggled.

“What else could he have ment?”

“He was calling you dickless Kento.” He explained. You could see the math flashing and flying before Nanami's eyes as he tried to process the words coming out of his friend's mouth. He finally shook his head.

“No, I don’t think he was trying to fuck me.” He said. You nodded in agreement.

“Yea, he definitely had homophobic vibes.” You added. 

“No, that's-You know what? It doesn’t matter, let's go to Ihop.” Gojo shook his head. He just wanted to get some carbs into his drunken friends, and thankfully they seemed to want the same thing, as they howled in joy at the idea.

[thiaquiche]

Feedback Fest 2024

Since the @transformativeworks is holding a Feedback Fest in honour of International Fanworks Day, I figured I’d join in the fun and put together my own reclist for the occasion! So, in no particular order, here’s ten fics I love and why you should read them! I’ve got a wide spread of fandoms here, so hopefully you’ll find something interesting. I have all of these fics downloaded, so if you’re seeing this in the future and a link to something you’re interested in ends up broken, just let me know and I’ll gladly send you a pdf.

Something’s Wrong with Danny Fenton Vol. I by Perfectly_Inconspicuous

Danny Phantom. Mature, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Gen. 55 065 words.

Danny Fenton.

The enigma of Casper High.

It's the first day of the winter semester when she notices him.

She notices him for what feels like the first time. Maybe because at this point he's the only alternative kid other than her.

Or maybe because boom, there he is: the locker next to hers.

--

A No One Knows AU where Danny transfers from a different school to Casper during Junior year and ends up befriending Sam and Tucker. Written for Invisobang 2021!

Why you should read it: This fic packs a wonderfully creepy, unsettling atmosphere that really makes this horror!Danny premise come alive (ba dum tss), and makes the development of his friendship with Sam and Tucker feel all the warmer by comparison. It’s incredibly gripping.

Soldier, Poet, King by Stargaze_Sunflower

Ducktales 2017. Teen and Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen. 104 510 words.

Dewey has always felt like something was missing from his life. Something big. And really, it's just like him to get caught up in a kidnapping plot and stumble across the puzzle of his life on complete accident, and now he's got more pieces than he knows what to do with. Luckily, he's got help in the form of new friends, his moderate skills with a sword, and the determination to believe in the impossible.

This gives a whole new meaning to 'Found Family'.

Why you should read it: This fic is an awesome medieval fantasy romp, and it’s just plain fun.

Friendship Games by WhiteBAG

Milo Murphy’s Law. Teen and Up Audiences, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings, Gen. 42 662 words.

Milo and his friends enter the Friendship Games. Dakota and Cavendish time travel to fight the monster.

Why you should read it: Without saying too much, the way the time travel plot winds back on itself is just so much fun. Even now that I’ve left the fandom, and haven’t read this fic in a long time, I still find myself thinking about it.

More Than Legacy by PanellaDePonce

Pokémon. General Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen. 11 637 words.

It was time at last for the 150th Annual Convention of Pokémon Sciences to begin. Every year, the brightest minds in the field would gather together to present their findings to an eager audience of burgeoning scientists and casual enthusiasts alike. 150 years ago it started in Jubilife Village, and today, the conference is held in Jubilife City.

Before the conference begins, however, many of the leading researchers gather together to argue and debate, verbally slap fighting and throwing around their theories and ideas. Lucas found this tradition tiring, annoying, and most of all, incredibly boring.

Little does he know, something very interesting is set to happen at the meeting. Something he wouldn't want to miss.

Why you should read it: This thing made me BAWL. I was fucking SOBBING. Waaaaaughhhhhhhhhhh

Give Me Healthy Coping, or Give Me Death by Prince_Enby

OMORI. General Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, F/M (past Hero/Mari) and Gen. 5420 words.

There was something weird about how Kel was acting, Hero thought. Hero's thoughts were all over the place these days, though, so that observation probably didn't mean anything.

Still, though, he was curious about that glint in his brother's eyes. It was the look of a man on a warpath - and all over a bowl of soup.

Weird indeed.

Why you should read it: This fic is chicken soup when I’m sad, and I wanna share the comfort, plain and simple.

Mari Suzuki’s Overly Busy Afterlife by ShardOfHope

OMORI. Teen and Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, M/M (Basil/Kel/Sunny), F/F (Aubrey/Kim), and F/M (Hero/Mari). 127 480 words.

Mari never left Sunny after the accident. She forgave him and promised she would stay until he was ready to tell the truth. Until he was strong enough.

Four years of staying with her gremlin shut in brother has made her slightly regret that promise. Well, more then slightly.

A retelling with a ghost, and a brother with no survival instinct.

Why you should read it: This fic is riotously funny. Like, wheezing on the floor funny. Rolling around, falling down the stairs and breaking your neck funny. (Yes I did have to force a stairs joke in there. Sue me, but sue me after you read this fic.)

Coming to Light by Candyland1030 [DeviantArt]

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. PG. 2819 words.

What goes around comes around. Sooner or later, everyone has to pay the piper.

Why you should read it: This is my favourite fic for seeing Bill Hawks get his comeuppance. A delicious dose of justice for a guy who got off far too easily in canon.

Theo’s Surreal Mountain-Climbing Adventure by CelestialHorizons (TerminalMiraculosis)

Celeste. Teen and Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen. 5519 words.

Madeline has been able to dash her whole life. She thinks this is rather mundane. Theo disagrees.

Why you should read it: Extremely funny depiction of speedrunning, also Theo is simply best boy. You agree. Read it.

An Empire of Ice by TimeCloneMike

Frostpunk. Mature, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Gen. 4621 words.

The Great Frost has come and gone. That was the easy part. Rebuilding human civilization? That's when things start to get difficult, even with automatons to do all the heavy lifting.

Why you should read it: Both oneshots are great, but I especially recommend the second chapter. The story of Project Legacy saving New Manchester in the actual game has always been touching to me, and this fic’s depiction of the rescue of New Manchester’s last scout gives me warm fuzzies every time. Both parts of this fic add a human element to the game’s more zoomed-out storytelling that I deeply appreciate.

Marital Bed, by MadameReveuse

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask. Mature, No Archive Warnings, Multi (Randall Ascot/Angela Ledore/Henry Ledore). 3526 words.

A comedy in two parts.

The Masked Gentleman imagines all the ways in which Henry and Angela Ledore might have backstabbed him. Later, Randall sees it all with clearer eyes. Maybe his fantasy can still come true - in an altogether better, lovelier way. With himself included.

Why you should read it: I don’t normally talk about, let alone recommend, sexually explicit fics, but I read this one recently and just fell in love with the characterization. Considering sex in the context of Randall’s misguided hatred and Angela and Henry’s deceptive marriage adds an interesting layer to their whole *gestures* everything, and I found all of the headcanon ideas presented very plausible. However, warning for Azran Legacy spoilers offhandedly mentioned right at the beginning.

Bonus:

This awesome Miracle Mask AMV that has been so stuck in my head lately, lol. Editing’s great, song’s great, all around great. (Don’t watch unless you’ve finished Miracle Mask though, it’s spoilers.)

[quarterlifecrisis-activated]

So I’ve been thinking about my earlier post (idk how to link posts 🤷🏻‍♀️ so it’s the one about Zheng) and I’ve been trying to figure out her character arc. Because she’s not in the show a lot and I know there’s more there that got cut for time. I’ll be honest and say I never fully understood why she went to Ricky for her plan or what her full motivation was. I have some theories but I’m trying to piece together an arc using the gaps in said arc so it might be rough. So if you disagree please let me know because I’d love to discuss this more.

I love Zheng and I think she deserved more screen time in season 2. I tend to believe that Zheng does operate with good intentions overall, but when the point was raised about some of her totalitarian tendencies I had to restructure my view of the character. Because we don’t see much of her I use the little we do see and what other characters say about her to form my opinions. But there are different ways to interpret things and I go back and forth on what is actually going on. For example, her “join me or die” line is interesting. I took that line as a woah harsh, but that’s just piracy. We as an audience have to adjust our standards of acceptable behavior towards what is common for pirates. On the other hand that line indicates that Zheng doesn’t let people walk away from the table. And her recruitment of the Republic of Pirates is in a similar vein. Again, as a viewer I took what she was doing as kind of a pirate union, because of her demand for a livable wage as well as Olu, Jim, and Archie’s positive reaction towards it. Of course it’s also extortion by a powerful crime boss, which is far less wholesome. (Even though extortion of the British Crown is rad as hell.) I believe that these two opposing views are in a way both true and intentional of the writers.

Which brings me to Ricky and Zheng. I was caught off guard originally when I saw them meet together and initially brushed it off as “plot stuff that needed to happen”. But I think there’s something there. In many ways there are parallels between Zheng and Ricky, they’re both in charge (kinda for Ricky) of massive fleets and they both are striving for even more power. In Impossible Birds they have similar lines Ricky calls people rubes who don’t know the puzzle chest is valuable. And Zheng in the same episode says “you people know so little” in reference to the same chest. While I believe Zheng’s statement comes from her years of experience, Ricky’s is very obviously classist. She’s a character that is on the path to becoming like the people she hates. If she got that power she could very well turn into that authoritarian leader who only cares about power. But it’s her interaction with the crew and her relationship with Olu that is going to pull her back. We see her appreciation for Stede and the crew grow throughout the season, whereas she rejected and mocked it at the start. The destruction of her fleet was necessary and I don’t think it’s going to come back.

Which leads me to season 3 predictions. Cause the shows coming back and no one tell me otherwise. Zheng’s goal is to get Ricky and rebuild her fleet. I think Jim is going to play into her arc a lot during this season. They understand wanting Revenge and will probably push Zheng to appreciate the people around her, like Olu. Her ultimate arc (fitting with the theme of the show) will be about realizing the error of her ways and understanding community and softness. My theory on kind of how this happens is they’ll meet Captain Henry Morgan. I’ve been listening to Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates at work and it gave me ideas. Captain Morgan has a fleet to rival Ricky’s and I can see them enlisting his help to get revenge. He also is a piece of shit. He stole money from his own men and fucked off and is still regarded as a great pirate. I can see him being like a Mr. Beast type, where he’s a cult of personality that cares little for other peoples safety but he still has a rabid following. It’ll be a great parallel as to what Zheng does not want to become. We’ll also get to see how pirates typically operate (Stede and Zheng are the exceptions) which will provide more context to Ed’s Kraken era. It’ll be a great way for the show to say how different Ed was truly operating in regards to pirate culture. I think it’ll be similar to his Kraken era but the confirmation will be nice to get.

Anyway, let me know what y’all think cause I’m spit balling her and I’d love to discuss.

[with-my-murder-flute]

Further adventures in TLT brainrot

(Like, hyuuge spoilers for Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Go read them, then report back here for indoctrination.)

I've got a theory about the missing days between GTN and HTN, why Harrow instructs her future self to use blood on the sword, and how Blood of Eden ties into everything.

Two puzzle pieces that have been rotating in my brain nonstop since last September:

We Suffer saying they had thought Wake's mission to the Ninth House was a failure, "Until the posthumous contact a year ago."

Pyrrha saying, "Why the hell did John let her bring the kid’s body? He must have known that Blood of Eden would go apeshit the moment they saw it."

So here's my theory:

Wake hitched a ride to Canaan House with Harrow and Gideon, in the sword Gideon put so much effort into smuggling there. (I also have a theory about Wake and Gideon before that, but that's its own post.) Much plot happens, and Gideon's soul ends up in Harrow's body.

Wake has, I would argue, strong thanergetic ties to Gideon's body. She was the thing Wake died for; her survival killed Wake. They fell together, Wake dying, Gideon living. So going by Revenant 101 from HtN, one of the most sensible things Wake would go back to is... Gideon.

So, what if Wake, in the sword, suddenly goes, oh look! Gideon's body is empty! And she possesses Gideon's body. Gideon "wakes up", which Harrow would absolutely 100% know is not her. But Wake-in-Gideon goes and finds some form of communications device (maybe that Cytherea brought, since she warned BoE that the lyctor trials had been announced), and contacts Blood of Eden.

Blood of Eden that lost her twenty years ago, being contacted by someone who is the spitting image of Commander Wake, and was convincing enough that Blood of Eden came to the First House with some kind of transport vehicle.

In the time between Wake making that call, and the shuttle arriving, Harrow took her steps to keep Gideon partitioned in her brain, but she also orders her future self: Wipe [the sword] down with your arterial blood nightly. Coat the blade in the ash which regrows. Do not cut flesh with the naked blade. Do not cut bone with the naked blade. Even this may not prove enough. Treat the sword as your promised death, and act according to the first guideline.

What that says to me is: Harrow (and maybe Ianthe or Judith) worked to yank Wake out of Gideon's body, and stuff her back into the sword. When they split up, Harrow took the sword, and offered it blood on a regular basis, the way Abigail would when calling a spirit. Or maybe "offered" isn't the right word--she might have been forcibly binding Wake's soul to the blade to keep it out of Gideon, which fed some of Wake's enormous fury towards her. (Along with like. Years of Gideon telling her dead mother all about Harrow being a giant bitch to her.)

And then, I feel like it's practically textual that Wake begins haunting Harrow, then makes her sleepwalk in her first night at the Mithraeum and drive the sword into Cytherea's body, so that Cytherea and Pyrrha can have their little trysts.

But meanwhile Blood of Eden showed up and grabbed the three non-lyctors and Gideon's incorruptible body. Not Cytherea's, which was presumably easy to find; just Gideon's.

Blood of Eden aren't experts on weirdo zombie wizard shit, and their new captives probably weren't eager to share information. What if they just thought: this body was Wake, Wake was somehow alive in this body, but she isn't now, and if they only woke her up, they might get their leader back when they desperately needed her.

(Some of them might also have known about Wake's pregnancy, and have interest in Gideon as herself, since she is related to some of them. Thus Pash's extreme repugnance towards sitting in a truck with Prince Kiriona)

[sadrichie7]

Richie’s insane rambling time: VTSOM ⚠️SPOILER⚠️ edition

Ok, I feel like I’m the only one who is super curious about this fact? What is the “accident” Victor got into that caused him to loose his arms and eyes and why did it happen? I’m sorry but knowing what we know about this world there is no way it was just a simple “accident” there has to be more factors at play. I’ve been developing on my own theory on why and what could have possibly happened. (Keep in mind this is just a theory about what could have happens in why that have been formed in my tiny reptile brain based on the limited time I’ve known about the game, so knowing me it’s all probably completely wrong and I’m doing Olympic level mental gymnastics, but hey, that’s the fun of theories to me)

We only really get one instance about him talking about his accident (and by talking I mean dodging the question). It’s when Vanora first wakes up without her memories and we see him in the guest room with her. If the player chooses to ask about his arms and eyes, he gets noticeably uncomfortable by the question before replying “Well what can I say? There are things in our lives that won’t always go our way huh?” then shrugs off the question. Now he could have very well just been caught off guard by such a personal question and didn’t want to talk about something that brings back traumatic memories with someone he just meet or he knows is an enemy to Vincent, sure, but I still think that interaction says something

Ok, so my main theory is going off of the “Victor is the Chaser” theory. However I don’t think Victor would willing be able to betray Vincent in such a horrible way. From their college memories and flashbacks, their bond seems very genuine in my opinion. So why would Victor willing work for the person that ruined his “purpose in life’s” life. Now he could have been with Myers from the very beginning, has never cared about Vincent, and is just a very good actor. However that would mean he was like 18-19 at oldest when joining Myers and was told to keep an eye Vincent (whom was in college at that time to, he wasn’t a threat to Myers yet, he wasn’t even hired by them yet). I also doubt he would forfeit his memories to make Draco if he didn’t care about Vincent. So why then? I think he’s being forced to be the chaser under threat of something (if it’s his own life, Vincent’s, or something else entirely). I believe Myers had something to do with his “accident”. If Myers wanted to use him as a guinea pig to test the robotic limbs and eyes they may have fabricated an “accident” (similar to Vincent’s car crash), or they could have just called him into a room before brutally mutilating him and threatening him with something (like his life or someone else’s). So now he’s trying to help Vincent get his revenge on Myers (whom also wronged him as well) while reporting back to them against his will, likely trying to keep information as vague as he can. He may feel that his is in debt to the Myers corporation (to me it’s the most likely place that would have made something so advanced) for his arms/eyes and also follows for that reason. If I remember correctly he had his new arms/eyes before the G4 incident as we see in the flashback with Winston. Therefore his “accident” happened before Vincent was turned into a cyborg and had a reason to hate the Myers corporation. So he may have just been someone Myers tested on before then he was made to become the chaser to keep an eye on Vincent.

Again i may post a more clean and properly formatted version is this insane rant (I wrote this during a four hour car ride so I was pretty delirious lol) and going on my past luck with theories in works of media I like, it’s probably completely off and I look very dumb to everyone right now, but like I said, I think that’s the fun of theories when in comes to things like books, shows, games, ect. Putting together little puzzle pieces yourself and seeing if you happen to be right, and if your not, oh well! Theorizing about works of media and it’s world/plot says to me that you really do enjoy it! It’s just another way to show you’re so passionate and interested in it.

So moral of the story……. Theorize all you want about media and don’t be discouraged if your wrong! The fact you have so much thought to your theory in the first place shows how much you love that piece of media! Part of the fun of puzzles and mysteries is learning along the way, and it’s especially true with works like VTSOM. Don’t think your “not a true fan” or something if you didn’t subscribe to a certain theory or your isn’t correct. Hindsight is a powerful! So yeah that’s my rambling, it’s probably full of spelling mistakes and bad grammar but that’s how I do thing lol.

[bonesandthebees]

Chapter 23:

More of Tommy being tense, which is why he snaps so fast at Jack where he otherwise might have stayed calm(er). It shows how much he’s hiding how he truly feels and how stressed he is. He’s probably also angry in general, but he can’t really fight Clara. He can, however, fight Jack when he becomes the focus of his anger.

Wilbur and Niki’s truce is also a lot of fun. It’s this limbo of ‘we want to be friends, but our best friends are fighting and we both no now what side we’ll be on when the battle comes, but we’ll stay together at the sidelines for as long as we can’. Wilbur keeping a mental score to keep it even is fun too.

And poor Phil, he’s dealing with so much shit and most Deathlings don’t even know about half of it. Every time Phil has to step in you realise just how young all these characters are. They are basically children and it feels like the teacher having to step in during a playground fight.

Tommy’s frustration at Sam for not being able to fix his lungs is both because that’s what he blames for getting cursed (via the stuttering getting him caught by the police) and because he’s probably afraid that it’ what’ll end up killing him. Also, he’s still mad about the cafeteria confrontation and Sam is not helping (because he’s still mad at the Pythia for trying to exploit Tommy’s lungs (and angry at himself for accidentally giving him that information))

I already send a different ask talking about the Tattoo, but I still love it. I just love how excited both Wilbur and Niki are about it. It’s currently still their little secret (did Wilbur tell Tommy this chapter?). Anyway, it’s just cute friendship moments even when the house is burning down around them and I like how considerate they are of each other.

Also, Wilbur asked Niki to call him by the name she knows him once during a panic attack, and then didn’t realise she would take that a confirmation that she can now always use it when it’s just the two of them. In Wilbur’s defensie he wasn’t thinking much at all. Also, he’s not telling her to stop, because he actually likes it.

Then there’s Wilbur and Tommy being invited to go along for the next meeting. More food for the theory. Also, giving that Tommy’s now cursed there’s no reason to bring him if they don’t need him. Though my theory is that they just need Wilbur, but know they can’t just leave Tommy behind for both of their comforts. Wilbur will feel safer if Tommy’s there and Tommy will want to be there. (And maybe, subcontiously, they don’t want to leave the boys behind since last time was a disaster.) Also, Wilbur is about to get a lot of questions he doesn’t really want to answer even though he does want the government gone.

And lastly, Tommy asking if Wilbur’s ever been able to change a vision and the answer being no. First of all, we get the usual ‘Wilbur shoving that crisis away for another time’. Secondly, is this confirmation that he literally can’t change the future? Like I think I’ve thrown that theory around and I’ve definitely seen other anons mention it, but this sorta feels like proof. A small piece of the Puzzle at least.

Oh I almost forgot: Tommy is getting so much joy from Wilbur finally getting mad at Clara and shit talking the government and what was done to him. Tommy has been waiting for this for soooo long and it’s finally happening.

-🌲

yuppp even if tommy is doing a good job at hiding it he's really stressed about the whole being cursed thing, and it manifests in some ugly ways like we see with jack. jack antagonizing him just gives him a place to direct his fear and anger

wilbur and niki are walking on a tightrope rn between their two best friends and their friendship with each other it's very fun to balance

phil is so fucking tired someone get this man an advil and a beer

yeah tommy's anger towards sam is more related to his own frustration with his lungs and the limitations his own body keeps giving him, and how that's nearly caused his death twice now and it very well could be the reason he dies for real. the fact that sam wronged wilbur in the past though and is still being a bit of a dick to him only adds fuel to the fire

I love the tattoo scene it's a very sweet private thing between wilbur and niki right now :) I'm gonna have to go back and check but I'm fairly sure wilbur hasn't mentioned it to tommy. he will eventually of course. but for right now it's just his and niki's thing

yeah even though he didn't realize niki would take that as blanket permission (and a part of niki knows it wasn't blanket permission he was giving her but she wants to use his name and figures he can tell her to stop if he doesn't like it) he's very relieved she did. that way he doesn't have to voice wanting her to call him by his name again, because if she had called him the pythia in that scene he probably would've been freaking out a bit more

at this point wilbur and tommy are a package deal and phil and techno know that lmao

tommy was literally just watching wilbur rant internally thinking FINALLY HE'S NOT BEING A DUMBASS THANK FUCKING GOD HE GETS IT

[science-lings]

Local resident Zonai knower, I have no knowledge about the Zonai and I've tried to engage in the theories but it's a complete and utter rabbit hole. I presume you know about the Zonai theories so I have to ask either where can I find the basic info or what is the basic info? I recently got the Barbarian Armour Set (I do agree it's very odd they're referred to as war-like and barbarians but setting that aside) and I've been looking at the ruins in Faron so an interest has been ignited within me.

pffft, I do not consider myself much of a Zonai expert, I haven't studied the theories or anything, but the thing about the Zonai is that we really don't know much about them at all. What they looked like, why they made mazes all around Hyrule, or what even happened to them. But, coincidentally, I am working on my own interpretation of them for my Priestesses AU and that involves a little bit of studying what we do know about them on my part so, without further ado, onto the lore and theories!

First of all, let's start with what we can infer directly from the game, they are often described as 'savage' and 'warlike', (which seems like Hylian racism if you ask me...) but that doesn't mean they were primitive or anything, they were had strong magic and invented rubber, a technology that was lost with them. (Though that's only implied as it's an 'ancient material' with the ability to create it being long lost and all the parts being found in Faron... it's not a hard inference to make.)

The statues that are scattered around Faron correlate to the pieces of the triforce or the golden goddesses, implying that they were what was worshipped instead of Hylia. There are primarily owls for Nayru, suggesting that they greatly valued wisdom, the dragon around the spring of courage and generally decorating a lot of their stonework, and a few boar heads here and there, though they seem less important and are much harder to find. (also creating a champion states that they worshipped a water dragon, and we've seen a water dragon in Faron before... cough cough sksw cough) Anyway, they seem to be a very spiritual people ignoring all the synonyms of 'savage' Nintendo shoehorns into their descriptions.

One of the most popular theories about the Zonai are that they are connected/ evolved from the Twili. This is mostly derived from the fact that the MIRROR OF TWILIGHT (or a replica) sits broken into several pieces around Palmore Ruins, the fact that Typhlo exists surrounded by an eternal shadow, and the idea that they have a very similar black and teal aesthetic going on. In Zelda we've seen races evolve over time, Kokiri into Koroks, the Zora just in general, all the monsters. So it's not crazy to think that some Twili had to adapt to live in the light world, at least they found a bunch of trees in a rainforest that has frequently overcast weather to help them avoid the light.

The idea that they were 'warlike' really bothers me though, you can see fragments of the Zonai everywhere but especially with the Sheikah and the Koroks. Those little metal blocks that the Koroks use for puzzles? they have the Zonai crest on them. A bunch of Zonai ruins surrounds so many ancient shrines, their labyrinths are probably made to house some of these shrines. They have towers far outside what would've been considered their domain. They clearly got along with at least a few people.

In any case, they were heavily associated with being magical 'savages' who disappeared suddenly, with no one really knowing what had happened to them, or if they did, it has long been lost to time. Knowing how well religiously centered monarchies treat indigenous people, it's likely far grimmer than just ditching the light world you know? (I have a feeling that with their connection to the sheikah, they could've been made an example out of by the King, as they were more resistant to stopping their technological advancements, with their histories erased and villanized by the royal family, but there isn't really much evidence for this, just my own ideas until more info comes out, the 10k king does seem threatened by entire races of people who are advancing the world...)

Side note: It's also possible that the descendants of the Zonai moved to Lurelin, as their little swirly icon can be seen in the beach town, slightly augmented over time but still recognizable. Perhaps they kinda just merged with the Hylians nearby.

I'm sure we'll get more information about them once TotK comes out, it seems to be pulling from the Zonai aesthetic a little too much to not include more lore about them.

Here's the Zelda Wiki about them if you want it

[asoiafcanonjonsnow]

#yeah both pieces of the puzzle (Jon's unknown mother and lyanna and rhaegar running away) are well known in westeros#i dont think its going to be that difficult for people to connect the two and believe it#also because it would explain why ned of all people had a bastard: he didn't Tags by @wedonnotcare

#add to that the very public fight ned had with robert when he saw what happened to elia's kids#and everyone will be calling themselef an idiot for not having guessed it before#if it's true and it comes out obv Tags by @chidorambles

#YEAH LITERALLY#jon's existence was THEE hottest gossip when he was a baby and thanks to the unpenetrable mystery of his mother's identity he has#REMAINED hot gossip throughout the years in a way he wouldnt have if Ned had just named some random name and said she was a#camp follower. the fact that he's known as the most honourable man in the kingdom but he had a tryst with a woman he refuses to name that#resulted in a kid he raised alongside his trueborn children ---- that shit is SO FUCKING JUICY.#the enduring mystery of his mother has ensured that practically every noble in the land knows of his existence even if they only know him as#''ned stark's bastard'' rather than ''jon snow'' specifically. sure those in the north know his name but the nobles in the westerlands/#crownlands/dorne especially probably just know him as Ned's Totally Mysterious Bastard Whose Mother Is Rhe Mystery Of Our Time#if word went around that - surprise!!! hes actually R&L's then every single noble would immediately be like ''oh my god that makes so much#sense.'' everyone would buy it immediately. young griff on the other hand? no one is buying that claim straight outta the gate. no way.#HOWEVER i gotta say: i found a youtube channel which posits that GRIFF is lyanna and rhaegar's kid and that jon really is ned's kid and#ashara dayne is his mother and i gotta say: its an EXTREMELY well reasoned theory. and it would be SO like GRRM to let us all believe that#R+L=J only to pull the rug out and be like SIKE NO HE ISNT!!!!!! i mean i think it could still go either way -- R+L=J is the leading#theory for a reason -- but i was super surprised at how well the ned/ashara=jon and rhaegar/lyanna= young griff theory fitted in with the#known facts. and tbh the N+A=J fitted the known facts with far fewer gaps than the R+L=J theory does. but tbh id be happy with either answer#ANYWAY back to the point of this post if jon IS R+L's kid and word got out then the nobles of the realm would believe it without hesitation.#they all know of jon and theyre all dying of curiosity about his mother; if they hear that ned (who famously had a blow-up argument with#robert over the fare of Elia's kids) had claimed his sister's kid as his own to protect the baby from robert then everyone would buy it in a#HEARTBEAT. No hesitation; just universal gasps of sudden understanding. Tags by @bundibird

The thing about Jon that a lot of people forget is that he is actually a rather well known figure all around Westeros. I don’t think it’s incorrect to say that he’s Ned’s most famous kid by a large margin, and perhaps even one of the more famous teens in Westeros; especially now that he has become Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch and his reputation has began to stretch to a different continent. Because of his very unusual origin - being honorable Ned Stark’s bastard son by an unknown woman - his name has been passed around in noble houses across the entire continent. He’s not some random kid from the North that no one has heard of. The majority of people may not have seen him, but they have at the very least heard of him.

I bring this up because people tend to act as if Jon would be automatically scoffed away by just about everyone if his true parentage ever came to light. After all, they say, why would anyone believe that some random kid from the north is a Targaryen prince? But this is not really true. Jon is not a random kid. His father was one of the most powerful men in the entire land. And not only that, but Ned’s reputation as an honorable man with no fault ensured that the scandal of begetting a bastard was known by everyone who is someone. The thing is, readers tend to ignore a very large gaping hole in the story when it comes to public perception of Jon’s parentage. People all over Westeros have been talking about Ned and his bastard, but no one can agree on the mother - this is actually important!

Most people would not have questioned Ned to his face, but they too want to know who Jon’s mother was, even if it’s just for a little bit of gossip among nobles. Jon’s parentage is a mysterious puzzle that a lot of people have tried to solve themselves. Catelyn hears one answer in Winterfell, but Davos hears another on his way to White Harbor. Edric Dayne from Dorne says a different name to Arya, while Cersei and Robert (who both live in KL) hear different things. That there’s so much variation all around Westeros is actually proof that a lot of people are talking about this one issue. And Ned’s refusal to name a woman may actually end up having unexpected consequences when someone finally mentions the name “Lyanna Stark”.

So I would like to push back on the belief that no one in Westeros would care about the R+L=J reveal or that they would immediately write Jon off. GRRM deciding to keep Jon’s mother an in universe mystery that is the topic of constant conversation will have major payoff. While I could see some being incredulous, it’s absolutely not a foregone conclusion that most people will choose not to believe it. And it’s not a foregone conclusion that this reveal will only matter to the Stark kids and no one else. Sure GRRM is playing with fantasy tropes, and Jon squarely falls under the hidden prince/king. But something that makes Jon quite different from a lot of his genre counterparts is that he’s not an unknown figure who shows up at the last minute to claim the crown. Jon is not an unknown entity. He is well known, it’s just that very few people have dared to think too deeply about the very large elephant in the room regarding his origin. But I’d imagine that if R+L=J was to be revealed, it wouldn’t be too shocking for a lot of people. It’s not so far fetched that honorable Ned Stark actually chose to protect his sister’s son.

And in regards to GRRM playing with fantasy tropes, Young Griff always comes up in conversation as Jon’s foil. People say that he will be the one to be believed because he looks the part of a Targaryen, whereas a random kid from the North won’t be believed because of his brown hair and grey eyes. Jon doesn’t look like some random unrecognizable Northman. He very specifically looks like a Stark! And anyway, is Jon’s story - that Ned took him in after his sister died and raised him as his own under the protective banner of House Stark - any less believable than Young Griff’s - that Varys had the foresight to save him and whisk him off to Essos before the Mountain bashed his head in? Until now, people have never heard of Young Griff so they’ve never had the opportunity to ruminate over and gossip about his origin story. But they know Jon. And they know about Rhaegar and Lyanna. And Jon looking so very undeniably like a Stark (like Lyanna Stark!) could perhaps work in his favor.

[x-nicoganxnicotine-x]

istg its gonna be revealed that we all came together in this life to watch tv while in the same body or some shit. we need to practice doing that again. but like. i would rather chill with these fuckers on a couch irl. we'd all have our own dvd shelves or some massive one. god DAMN we need a break to just chill outside of reality for a bit after this to recover....

ideal rules for reality is just having life be secondary, like a game u go play, then u can come back home to ur personal dreamhouse inbetween sessions. everybody needs breaks man. then u go back to continue whatever life ur feelin. and also u can get all the souls u meets numbers so u can hangout inbetween or plan to meetup in a reality.

like ik a lotta souls value the concept of living genuinely, without knowing ur playing a game, but that choice is needed or else ur just trapped there. like, ig u could have it so when u dream u remember about how it is, choose to leave or not, then forget when u wake up, or get replaced with another similar soul who wants to keep going. but souls really get put into a different state like that. when u view all the pain and discomfort as an outsider, it seems like fun.

shit i just remembered we got asked that once. when dreaming. i cant find the journal about it, only the one talking about it. but the previous ones are about begging god to tell us how to leave and being incredibly suicidal. which would add up. fuck. OK FOUND IT!!!thank fucking god ok i'll transcribe it here⤵️⤵️⤵️

"june 29th 2021

i didnt do shit. 5am again. here i am again. husk. how do i even start? my brain is so fucked. no one can fix me and thats what frustrates me the most. i stay put. still. stand still. i may have lost my DID, but 98% of my thoughts still are talking to someone else but me (lmao if u look at the other entries its so fucking obvious the DID is still there, we were just really blurry for several years). i live in comfort of my hypothetical daydreams. i had a dream last night that i remember being impactful but i dont remember what happened. at one point some being kept asking if i was ready to let my memories be given to someone else and die. i kept saying NO last second bc some part of me didnt want to go. to be fair, dream worlds are better so why would i (want to stay). but i still think i would probably act the same here. all people have of me are my posts, my "memories" to remember me by. its different if im in the room with them for real. i want people to experience me as a person before im ready to die."

then the next entry on the 27th is a 1 and a half page rant on our theory at the time about soul collectives that we didnt know was about soul collectives (we do now). used to think all our past lives fueled a demon who wanted to experience being human but couldnt, so he fed on the memories of our human life cycle, and our current life was the last puzzle piece. which is kinda accurate. all lives serve a purpose to fuel a collective of souls, which now we know pyramids up n up all the way to the whole Source. as far as we understand it anyway.

[torgawl]

thinking about yuki acknowledging geto despite talking to kenjaku and kenjaku claiming he started acting like him against his will. besides the emotional scene with gojo, to which gege said not much of original geto was still in there and that the moment 'it’s like when a dragonfly, whose head was ripped off can still move a bit', these two scenes seem to also point out to the possibility of geto's return. yuki is a powerful sorcerer, there's just no way she would start talking to geto out of the blue when encountering kenjaku if she didn't think geto was still in there somehow, right? gojo also talked to geto as if he was still in there. foreshadowing?

I really believe geto will somehow meet the conditions to take over his own body again and that it might have to do with mahito's idle transfiguration, which is able to alter the brain of others (like what happened to tsumiki). and we know damn well who is known as 'the brain' and how he took over geto's body. I don't know exactly what puzzle piece is lacking for that to happen but I think it will be a big part in dealing with kenjaku and/or sukuna. all the information we got so far from gege regarding mahito's cursed technique, souls and their relation to the physical body, especially the brain, and both geto and kenjaku's powers have to serve a purpose.

when mahito talks to nanami and asks him what he thinks on what came first, the soul or the body, he ends up saying the soul comes first and that the shape of the body will always depend on the shape of the soul.

but much later, during the shibuya arc, kenjaku denies this by claiming the body and the soul are one. to which mahito asks 'does it have to be the same for everyone?'. they proceed to talk about cursed techniques and imply that this is the main factor dividing curse users in groups to which the rule applies. mahito's conversation with nanami is still interesting. why would he tell him that? if there is indeed a difference, then could it be that that explanation was the one compatible with nanami's cursed technique or the one compatible to him, a human, opposing to mahito's, who is a curse? still, considering what kenjaku said, in his specific case, it seems to indicate that because geto's body is still intact then his soul is too. and because the body is the soul, after kenjaku obtained mahito's cursed technique (by ingesting him with geto's technique through maximum uzumaki), it might be possible for geto to use idle transfiguration and alter kenjaku's brain. in this case, geto would come back even if that wasn't his own brain because he can gain access to his soul. but for this to happen a trigger or specific case scenario is probably necessary. maybe a great ammount of cursed energy so he can reshape the soul? I keep thinking about the culling game and kenjaku's plan of merging tengen with the people of japan. especially after what yuki said when talking to kenjaku before he left with the prison realm. I think this might be the key peace that I was referring to.

which means for this to happen the culling game would have to go through according to kenjaku's plan. I think shamans can possibly win with geto's help but I also imagine that would bring great losses. we know gege and we know how he liked to explore the story and characters. I really do believe we are in for quite a tragic ride once the culling game starts. but yes just wanted to write and explore a little more about this because it is something that has been cooking on my mind for a while and something I believe might actually happen.

if someone else has opinions or theories on this please share!!

(sorry for any mistakes didn't proofread)

[ptergwen]

web of lies

take a leap. if you start to fall, the net will appear to catch you.

photographer!peter x journalist!reader || masterlist

w/c: 7.1k

warnings: swearing, one drinking mention, descriptions of anxiety, and angst if ya squint

summary: peter can’t stop holding your hands, betty and ned are the modern day bonnie and clyde, ned is a terrible guy in the chair, the osborn’s are up to something, and mj hates you all

a/n: y’all i’m super excited about this series like i haven’t had an idea i’ve really loved in months? so it’s good to be back !!! there are tons of things i have planned and i can’t wait to share them with all of you hehe i really hope you enjoy part one <3 happy reading

to be honest, which is what you do best, you’ve had a thing for peter parker your whole time at the daily bugle. you actually almost told him once.

a couple months ago, peter walked you home on a night you worked overtime. he’d came in last minute to leave some pictures on your boss’s desk. no one else but you was there, hunched at your computer in the dim office lighting. peter was pleasantly surprised to see you, yet concerned for your well-being. you had to put your finishing touches on a story.

he didn’t feel comfortable letting you travel alone at that hour. so, he went with you when you were ready. his company was more than welcomed. you told peter about your article while you two sat on the subway. he’d listened intently, your head resting on his shoulder and his arm around you. he made sure you got to your apartment building alright as well.

“hey, peter?” you’d asked, halfway up the steps. he was waiting until you were inside and safe to leave. “hm? you good?” he’d smiled sort of expectantly. “yeah. i... i wanted to say...”

your words got caught in your throat when he gave you the softest puppy eyes you’ve ever seen. you couldn’t do it. for some reason, you were too scared to confess how you felt. “thanks again for walking me home,” you’d settled on. he’d seemed disappointed that was what you wanted to tell him. nevertheless, he said not to worry about it before taking off.

that one moment perfectly captures it all; how yours and peter’s narrative plays itself out.

—

“we’ve got an update on hydra v. the people!”

“those freaky giraffes escaped the zoo... again.”

“shoot one more spitball and it’ll be your last.”

“does anyone have an aspirin?”

welcome to the daily bugle, where the chaos never ends and the calm never starts. you’ll find new york’s finest writers, publishers, and creatives of all kind right here. that would include you. you’re one of the top journalists in the whole building, according to mr. norman osborn. he’s the brilliant and slightly insane man who runs this place.

although it’s rare for someone in your field, you were hired straight out of college. norman read a few pieces you’d written and loved them so much that he offered you a job. full time, full benefits, no questions asked. there was something special about the way you wove your words together. your writing had its own voice. a strong voice, one the paper was severely lacking.

you’ve been with the bugle for just over a year now. it’s not the quiet, nine to five gig you were initially expecting it to be. you’re each very unique individuals in your office, and there’s never a dull moment because of it. your coworkers can be found hosting debates on the riskiest topics or tackling each other for blueberry muffins, and that’s just a regular tuesday. the place is stranger than strange. but, it’s become home.

thanks to mr. osborn being so accommodating, you actually settled in rather quickly. another big help has been the friends you’ve made. your first was michelle jones, who prefers to be called mj. she’s a fellow journalist with a wickedly dark humor that trickles into her writing. if you had to describe her in one word, it would be blunt. mj is as real as it gets, and also eternally loyal. she keeps her circle small, so you’re honored you get to be in it.

mj sits right next to you, which means you’re always talking through your days. that’s due in part to the way your office is set up. there aren’t any cubicles, tables and swirly chairs taking up their space instead. norman heard it was more progressive, probably from his son harry.

harry is about your age, only a couple of years older. he hangs around quite a lot, but doesn’t do much with his time besides that. according to norman, he’s still seeking out his passion. he’s banking on him finding a suitable career at the bugle. he’d like to pass this all on to harry some day, hopefully sooner than later. either way, you don’t mind having harry here. he’s super funny and friendly with everyone.

there’s also ned leeds, who’s an editor and reviews most of your pieces. he’s sweeter than candy, even when he’s ripping your grammar to shreds. on the rare occasions you’re not discussing breaking news, you two talk about movies. ned is a film buff and gives you the best recommendations. you’re convinced he was a critic in his past life.

last but so from least is peter parker. he only works for the bugle part time, since he’s still in school. you both graduated from your respective colleges the same year. peter wants to get his masters degree, though. he’s a photographer who’s aspiring to be a cinematographer. him and ned have their passion for the industry in common, and that’s what makes them such great friends.

you learned this and more from the times you and peter have partnered up on stories. he’s one of your best friends not only at the bugle, but in your entire life. the many long nights you’ve spent collaborating have brought you close to each other. they consist of drinking and deep talks, along with some actual work. he takes the pictures, you do the writing. you’ve been told you make a lovely pair.

peter says it himself, too. you’d like to believe he means it as more than coworkers. he’s so caring, and smart, and pure, and peter. yeah, you like him an awful lot. you can hardly stand the feeling of it sometimes.

the fact that you you haven’t come clean already is ridiculous.

“goddamn. not again,” you mutter out. “em, you better come look at this. it’s bad.” mj wheels over to you in her chair with a puzzled look. her eyes follow yours, landing on your computer. “leeds just sent this? to everyone?” she questions, your reply a short hum. you’re both staring daggers at the email your screen displays.

ned is responsible for assigning each journalist their own topics to cover. he’s been lacking a bit recently, having you write up think pieces on fluffy things. in other words, stuff that no one cares about. he asked you to compare oat milk and almond milk just last week. you’d hoped this week would be better, but here you are.

“this is ass. who does he think we are, buzzfeed?” mj scoffs at her own words. the daily bugle prides itself on being a reliable news source, on paper and tv. you’re starting to stoop down to the low level of your competitors. “he assigned me some tiktok dance trend. i’m not writing a single word about that app.” she sets her elbows down on the table, head in her hands.

“aw, why not? grandma mj isn’t down with the kids?” you tease and click out of the upsetting email. “i don’t write for kids,” mj deadpans. she pushes her glasses up on her nose. “what’d you get?” “the evolution of memes,” you gloomily reply. you’re surprised norman has been approving these topics. then again, ned is the head editor. he can do whatever he wants regardless of approval.

mj glares over at the kitchen, where betty brant currently resides. she’s making two hot chocolates instead of her usual one. “i blame her,” mj mumbles to you. your eyebrows furrow. “dude, what? betty is an angel. she doesn’t even work in editing.” betty is the bugle’s highest rated anchorwoman. her and her news team are on people’s televisions every night.

“no, but she has been spending a generous amount of time with leeds,” mj grumbles. she’s admittedly very nosy. the upside is that she tells you any juicy office drama there is. “my theory is betty’s making him give us crap stories so she can report the good ones.” she glances over at you to see what you think. “no way. that can’t be allowed... or legal,” you laugh back.

as if on cue, ned appears next to betty in the kitchen. he takes the extra hot coco that’s piled high with whipped cream. betty tucks a sheet of paper into his suit pocket and kisses his cheek, then he’s gone. you can only gasp as you watch this unfold. what has she done to poor, clueless ned?

“not such an angel anymore, huh?” mj smirks in satisfaction. “suddenly, she has red horns and a pitchfork,” you bitterly agree with your tongue in your cheek. betty waves to you two on her way back to broadcasting. mj gives her a fake nice finger wave, you ignoring her. “we can’t sit back and let this happen, em. we have to do something,” you decide. “let’s tell norman.”

uninterested, mj takes off her glasses and starts to clean them. “like he’ll believe us. yeah, golden girl betty brant is sabotaging the writer’s room,” she rewords her previous statement to put its stupidity in perspective. you throw your hands up. “she is, though! we literally watched it happen!” mj puts her freshly wiped glasses back on and sighs.

“i doubt norman would care, y/n. every newspaper to ever exist is corrupt somehow.” your pessimistic old pal has a point. however, you’re not so willing to accept it. “why can’t we be the first one that isn’t?” you offer a small smile. mj snickers, wheeling back to her own computer. “those are words of the innocent.” she’s already tapping her fingers across the keyboard.

“i thought you weren’t doing the tiktok piece,” you say under your breath. you’re slightly pissed mj turned you down, since she’s the reason you know about betty’s meddling. “i’m not,” mj answers sharply. “i’m gonna email quentin and ask if we can change our topics. happy?” quentin beck is another editor in the building. he’s not bad, but he is intimidating. no one typically goes to him as their first option.

“i’m thrilled,” you confirm and grin at mj to emphasize it. “thanks for stepping up. you’re forgiven.” “i didn’t realize i had to be sorry,” mj notes, this time in a playful manor. she shakes her head as she begins writing. “you and your morals.”

what you value most in your career is honesty, under any circumstances. of course, the other daily bugle writers are the same. norman strictly prohibits clickbait and crazy headlines because that isn’t real news. you leave that to companies like buzzfeed. you’re honest in the sense that you say whatever has to be said, what everyone else is too afraid to. you’ll speak your truth no matter who tries to stop you.

it didn’t used to be that way. there’s some childhood trauma that remains deep in the back of your mind. you’ve left that behind you now, having over a decade to cope with it. hey, they say the past is in the past. what’s important is your takeaway, that you would never let yourself or anyone else be silenced from there on out. never again.

quentin ends up giving you the okay to write different stories. he lets you and mj choose choose your own because he’s got “better things to do” and you’re “big girls.” what a peach he is. mj goes with how capitalism is continuing to provoke global warming. she has something to say about every major world issue, and you admire the hell out of her for it.

you’re a bit stuck when it’s time to write your article. it’s terribly ironic because you pushed for this. you aren’t too worried, though. the city is crawling with material, so you’ll find what you’re looking for eventually. lucky for you, some much needed inspiration comes skipping out of the elevator.

“morning, peter,” you hear liz greet him at the front desk. she’s your floor’s receptionist. her wisdom and patience keep this place going. “hi, liz. how’s it going?” he asks. “things have been quiet... mostly. can i do anything for you?” liz peers up at him. peter sports a shy smile. “uh, yeah. mr. osborn wanted to see me?” “right. hang on.” she nods, dialing his office phone number.

it’s endearing how peter calls him mr. osborn, seeing as the rest of you go with norman. he’s probably the politest guy you’ve ever met.

grinning, liz puts down the phone. “you can go in whenever you’re ready. good luck!” peter laughs nervously and turns to leave. “thanks, you too.” his face falls when he realizes his mistake. “wait, i- i didn’t mean to say that. that was stupid. you’re not-“ “it’s fine, peter,” liz reassures him. his anxiety makes him trip over his words sometimes. that, and he’s a bit dorky in general. you find it rather adorable.

you also wonder what exactly he needs good luck for. he’s not even supposed to be working today, so your curiosity as to what’s going on has been piqued.

“um, i’m gonna go now. bye!” peter rushes off, his face tinted pink from the embarrassing encounter. you’re hoping he’ll stop and talk with you for a little while, but he heads straight to norman’s office. your whole body deflates at that. mj notices from her peripherals.

“what’s the matter? missing your hubby?” she coos, her words dripping in sarcasm. “no,” you lie. “i’m... i don’t know what to write about.” ok, there’s some truth. mj gives you a couple pats on the shoulder. “ask parker for help. you two work... well together. don’t you?” this must be the zillionth time you’ve heard that.

“we do,” you murmur and glance at norman’s closed door. peter is hidden behind it. “i just don’t wanna bug him. he has finals soon, and whatever norman is putting him up to. it’s my job, anyway.” mj pokes your arm. “those sound like excuses to me,” she concludes, still jabbing at you childishly. “you really just don’t wanna tell him you like-“

“can you keep it down?” you hiss, yanking your arm back. “he’s literally right over there.” peter stands up and shakes norman’s hand. you catch it through the blinds on his window. “y/n, you were drooling over his mere presence only minutes ago,” mj prefaces, a smile pulling at her lips. “you can handle three little words. i like you, that’s it. spit it out already.”

you’ll never admit this to mj, but she’s right. you lost your momentum after your first failed attempt to say the three little words. you’re still not sure what stopped you. you’d shared the details of that faithful night with her, and she’s been pushing you to try again since.

the door to norman’s office opens, and out walks peter. he’s beaming after their conversation, which seems like a good sign. harry passes peter on his way in to pay his dad a visit. he claps him on the shoulder, peter happily accepting before continuing his stride back into the main office. it takes a moment to register that he’s coming towards you.

you quickly set your focus back on your computer so he doesn’t think you’ve been watching him. even though, you definitely have.

“y/n!” peter calls your name. he’s on the opposite side of your table, in front of you. “peter!” you match his tone. “i was just dropping by. i thought i’d say hey while i’m here.” he’s still grinning. “what’re you doing?” he looks cute as ever in an oversized and cream colored sweater. his curls are slicked back with a tad too much product, cheeks rosy. you gaze up at him when he rests his arms on the table.

“pretending to be productive,” mj answers for you, pressing her lips together. peter cocks his head to the side. “pretending?” “ignore her. she’s being a shit stirrer today,” you explain. “like every other day,” he jokes, earning a laugh from you. mj just tuts and keeps writing. “talk about me like i’m not here,” she mumbles to herself, then gets back into her article.

“anyways, i thought you didn’t work today?” you ask to take the attention off yourself. also, because you’re curious. “oh! get this.” peter perks up even more, if that’s possible. he has energy like no other. “you know alex in broadcasting? betty’s camera guy?” “what about him?” you wonder. “he called in sick earlier this morning, with the flu or something.” he’s oddly excited to announce this. that prompts you to make a funny face.

biting back another smile, peter elaborates. “mr. osborn needed someone to fill in for him, so he picked me. i’ll be here all week.” it makes sense, since peter knows how to work a camera and does so wonderfully. you give him a celebratory push at his chest. “peter, that’s amazing! this is the perfect way to transition from pictures to film, right?” he’s nearing his finals at school, which consist of more movie-like projects. the news will be great practice.

then, he’s off to hollywood. you’ll put that out of your mind for now.

“exactly! i think it’ll be a good place to start. the pay isn’t bad either.” peter wiggles his eyebrows at you, you giggling once again. you do a lot of that when he’s around. that’s going to be more often now. “plus, i get to see you. everyone wins.” he squeezes your hand that was just on him. your heart begins to thump. “except alex,” you challenge, playing with his fingers. “but, for real. i’m happy you get to do this and that we’ll be spending more time together.”

“thanks, y/n/n. me too.” peter grins and leans over, taking a peek at your computer screen. there’s a blank word document on it. “you never told me what you’re up to,” he chuckles. “guess mj was right... nothing.” “i’m always right,” she chimes in from next to you. you look between the two of them with a scowl. “i haven’t found my story yet. i don’t know, this never happens.” peter nods as you share your dilemma. “no good ideas are coming to me,” you murmur.

“they will. you have a way of attracting things.” he licks his lower lip, your heart completely stopping this time. “well, i gotta go set up for rise and shine with betty brant.” he waves his hand like he’s presenting his words. that’s what betty calls her morning news segment. “be careful with her. she’s being really sketchy these days,” you warn peter, mj grunting in agreement.

confused, peter purses his lips. “really? ned says she’s a sweetheart. they’ve been going out for a while.” mj pops her head up and adjusts her glasses. “did ned also tell you she’s bribing him to give her all of our scoops?” she’s asking rhetorically because she already knows the answer. of course he didn’t. “it’s one thing to not like her. you’re just making things up now,” peter huffs.

mj kicks your foot under the table. “i told you no one would believe us. not even peter gullible parker.” “it’s benjamin,” he corrects her. “whatever,” she brushes it off, resuming her work.

peter does tend to be sort of naive, to only see the good in things when there’s plenty of bad. you’re the same in that way, unless you hang around mj for too long.

“is that true? betty’s stealing your stories?” peter turns to you and asks. you gesture to your screen. “i don’t have one, so you do the math.” he hums sympathetically. he’ll listen to you, never mj. “i’m sorry. thanks for telling me, y/n. i’ll watch out for her.” he bends his fingers to look like goggles, putting them around his eyes. you sigh lightheartedly.

“are you twenty two years old or twelve?” mj remarks, but not without a comeback from peter. “you’re, like, eighty five. worry about that.” they’ve had this type of banter for as long as you’ve known them. it’s equal parts amusing and exhausting. “don’t be late on your first day.” you snap peter out of it with a knowing smile. he returns it.

“i hope something crazy happens so you can write about it.” he’s walking backwards now, towards the elevator. “see you later, pete,” is all you say back, yet another laugh threatening to escape you. “see you. bye, michelle,” peter says just to bug her. “it’s mj,” she groans without looking up. he shrugs. “not so fun, is it?”

after peter is gone, you try to get back into work. or rather, you try to start your work. what he said about you having a way of attracting things keeps ringing in your head. was he flirting? no, he couldn’t have been. peter parker doesn’t flirt. words aren’t his strong suit, and you have countless memories that prove this to be true. earlier with liz, for example.

you’re probably reading way into this. peter was simply doing what any good friend would do and gave you advice.

it’s late in the afternoon when anything worth mentioning happens again. peter is still with betty, as far as you know. they’re probably preparing for the nighttime news now. all you’ve done since seeing him is nibble on snacks and bug mj, who’s almost done with her story despite your distractions. this is really bad, considering your deadline to submit is at the end of today.

you’ve never missed a deadline.

mj emails her work to quentin while you repeatedly bang your head on the table. she hits send before deciding to entertain you. “whatcha doing over there?” she cautiously prompts, powering off her computer. “trying to get an idea. i’m desperate, if you couldn’t tell.” your voice is muffled. “i could.” mj grabs your shoulders and pulls you back so you’re sitting up. you childishly pout.

“y/n, the only thing that’s gonna give you is brain damage,” mj says sternly, then softens her tone. “why don’t you ask for an extension? norman gives me them all the time.” whining, you slump down in your chair again. “yeah, but you’re you! we do things differently, have different expectations put on us.” she’s back to cold mj after you say that. “alright. at least i did something today besides pine over that little-“

mj’s insult for peter is interrupted by harry. “ladies, what’s shaking?” he comes up to you two with a the hint of smirk on his face. you manage a nod to acknowledge him. “oh, hey... harry,” mj unenthusiastically replies. she’s the one person who isn’t really a fan of him. “not much. y/n was just having a tantrum.” “she was not,” you dismiss her. “it’s work stuff. you know your dad.”

harry clicks his tongue in a teasing way. “yep, the grind never stops in this joint. boss man is...” he does the sign for cuckoo with his finger. you laugh a little at that. “in a good way,” you add on. mj only watches you two, blinking blankly. harry gives you a definitive pat on the back. “before i forget, he wants to see you.” that gets mj talking. “norman?” she questions. “your dad?” you choke out at the same time.

“who else? he said you two have to talk.” harry flashes you a weary smile. “have fun in there, old sport.” you’re too busy biting the skin off your bottom lip to respond. “mhm... she will,” mj speaks on your behalf. even she sounds worried. saluting you both, harry leaves to go pester your other colleagues. you’re completely and totally fucked.

“that’s it for me!” you grin sarcastically, freaked out by harry. “i’m fired, aren’t i? i’m definitely about to get fired, and it’s all because-“ “relax!” mj cuts off your rambling. she reaches down and grasps at your wrists. “get it together, y/l/n. you’re the best we have, okay? you aren’t going anywhere.” your grin becomes a frown. “then why does norman wanna talk to me? and, why don’t i have a story?”

mj always has the answers, but this time is the execption. she lets out a breath. “i don’t know. you’ll go find out and tell me what happens.” there’s no use protesting. you’re going to have to face whatever you’re about to at some point. “ok,” you give in, defeated. “i’ll be back soon, i hope.”

the walk to norman’s office feels like a walk of shame. mj can do nothing but sit back and observe it. if this ends the way you think it will, you’ll be collecting your things and won’t ever return. norman is a kind man, and he’s usually pretty understanding. he doesn’t mind the workplace shenanigans as long as you get your job done. unfortunately, you haven’t today.

you hear your boss’s booming voice when you approach his door. inhaling deep, you knock on it, and the room goes silent. “come in,” norman responds after a few seconds. mustering up a smile, you open the door to be met with your doom. “hi, am i interrupting something?” you check. “not at all! you’re just the person i wanted to see. sit, sit,” he beckons you over. he’s not using his angry voice, so maybe you’re in the clear. you enter the room as told.

you’re shocked to see a terrified peter is already in one of the chairs. he visibly relaxes a bit now that you’re here. what the hell is happening? whatever you were expecting, this was the last thing.

taking the armchair next to peter, you sit facing norman’s desk. you nudge his arm to get his attention. his big brown eyes lock with yours. “what’s going on?” you whisper. “no idea,” peter whispers back. the two of you turn to norman again when he claps his hands. he’s plopped down into his cushy leather seat.

“so,” he begins, gaze flicking from peter to you. “you kids know why you’re here?” “is it because i missed my deadline?” you blurt out. you’re once again a nervous wreck. peter doesn’t speak, just winces. “not that. although, i did hear from ned that you turned down his assignment.” norman flicks at a post-it on his desk. “i asked quentin for one instead. me and mj,” you explain, peter’s eyes going wide.

“you talked to quentin? that guy’s bad news,” he murmurs to you. “how so?” norman questions, since it’s his employee. “he- he, um,” peter clears his throat before answering, “he’s super critical, you know? hates all my pictures.” “i love your pictures,” you assure him, the corners of his lips turning up. “your style is so cool. yeah, though. quentin’s pretty bitter.”

considering this, norman drums his fingers on the desk. “i’ll look into that. but, that isn’t why you’re here. i’m letting you off the hook this time.” your whole demeanor changes and a huge weight lifts off of you. “really? you are?” “i have a scoop of my own that i want you to cover,” he continues, peter bumping your knee happily. a toothy grin takes over your face.

“since peter will be sticking around for a while, i want him to join you.” norman waits a beat in case you have any questions. it’s been a minute since you last worked together. peter laughs in disbelief. “you want me to take over for alex and do this?” norman nods proudly. “y/n will need the extra hands, if you have them.” “yes, sir. i do,” peter immediately confirms. “my last class is next thursday, so i have the time.”

“wait, so you’re almost done? that’s awesome!” you bump peter’s knee this time. “yup, all that’s left is finals... and studying.” he mindlessly takes your hand, lacing your fingers together. you’re enjoying his gentle touches. “thank you so much, norman. seriously, i appreciate this a lot,” you tell him and mean it. “hey, no problem,” he chuckles at your eagerness. you grip peter’s hand tighter.

“what’s the story?” “ah, yes. the most important part,” norman starts, peter sharing an excited look with you. “how familiar are you two with spider-man?” his excitement fades at the question posed. it’s unbeknownst to you, caught up in the moment. “uh, same as everyone else, i guess,” you casually reply. “how come?” “he’s your subject.” norman points at you both. “you’re gonna study him over these next few months.”

peter’s hand goes limp in yours, and he gulps hard, throat feeling dry. “you mean, like, an exposé?” “no, no. there will be no exposing,” norman clarifies. “i’m sure he wears the mask for a reason.” that settles peter only slightly. you’re not sure why he’s so tense all of a sudden. “what’s our aim here, then?” you steer the conversation.

“see what new york’s favorite hero gets up to every day, how his life is beyond the crime fighting,” norman further describes your task. peter exhales a shaky breath, shifting away from you in his seat. the golden sun hits his face and reveals a bead of sweat dripping down it. you stare at his figure in worry. “you okay, peter?” “fine. i’m just... hot,” he murmurs back. his sweater does look pretty heavy, so you concede.

getting back to norman’s story, you grimace at the idea. “do you really think people will want to read that? for lack of a better term, it sounds kind of...” you pause. “basic.” “i thought the same thing at first,” he surprisingly agrees with you. “harry pitched the idea to me this morning. you won’t believe it! the other night, he caught spider-man hanging outside his window.”

“harry... harry saw him?” peter squeaks out. he uses the wool material that feels like it’s swallowing him to dab at his forehead. “he stopped on his balcony. must have been pretty late, the kid’s a night owl,” norman says about his son. your face lights up as you listen to him. “he took some shots of spidey in action, when he swung off. i saw a few. they were pretty great.” he’s grinning at his son’s success.

“maybe he’ll get into photography with you, pete,” norman suggests. peter gives him a weak smile in return. “we’d be happy to have him.” he usually has a lot more to say about his career than that. his behavior is starting to genuinely concern you. “anyway,” norman gets back on topic, “it got me thinking. how much do we really know about this guy? we’re supposed to blindly put our trust in him?”

you’re beginning to see the appeal now. you’ve written your share of pieces on the avengers and their methods, tackling the same questions norman just asked you. spider-man shouldn’t be overlooked, especially when he operates so close to your home. this could be another revolutionary superhero story in the making. and, you get to bring peter along for the ride.

“you know what? this has a lot of potential,” you smile at norman, then peter. he has his phone in his lap, fingers flying across the screen. it must be something important. you’ll discuss with norman while he takes care of that. “we could make it a weekly thing, about spider-man’s adventures. find out what we can about the man behind the mask...” peter shoots up in his seat. “without taking it off,” you finish, putting his mind at ease.

“see, i knew you were gonna love it! it was a blessing in disguise, you missing that deadline.” norman bangs his fist on the table with a hearty laugh. “what do you say, peter? you still in?” peter slips his phone back in his pocket. his tongue pokes out to wet his lips. “oh, of course. i can’t wait to work with you, y/n/n,” he speaks in a monotone voice, adding on, “again.”

something is definitely bothering him, and it isn’t the weather.

“i gotta go. betty needs me upstairs, so,” peter moves to get up, his body stiff. you assume that’s who he was texting. “thank you again, mr. osborn.” he’s rushing out of the room just like that, until you call after him. “um, don’t you wanna set a time to meet up? so we can get started?” you reasonably ask. “i... i really gotta go. find me later,” peter tells you, giving you both a tight lipped smile and running off.

“the dynamic duo is back!” norman announces to you. you’re disappointed you can’t share that sentiment with peter.

he’s absolutely booking it down the stairs, not bothering to wait for the next elevator. this is bad. this is a nightmare.

peter went from having one of his best days in a while to the worst in not even a full round of work. today started off fine, and got better when norman promoted him. it got way better when you came along. he saw your smile that makes his insides tingle, heard your laugh that’s the prettiest sound to grace his ears, held your hand that he never wants let go.

things went a bit downhill after that. betty was pushy and yelled at him a lot, demanding he only film her good angles for the segment. you and mj weren’t wrong when you told him to be careful.

later on when he saw you again, everything was okay. he was physically shaking as brad told him mr. osborn requested to see him. brad is mr. osborn’s assistant. a try-hard for sure, but good at his job. why did mr. osborn call him in? did betty complain already?

they’d been sitting in mostly silence, save for small talk until you came knocking on the door. simply being next to you was enough to ground peter and his racing thoughts. it was enough, then it wasn’t.

the whole day had gone to shit after he found out you were going to be writing stories about his alter ego. not only that, but he was helping. during the pitch, he’d texted ned to meet him in the bathroom. he was really anxious and needed a friend who understood why.

ned accidentally found out peter is spider-man last year. it’s a long story that involves peter hiding from some bad guys in the building and ned shrieking so loud the lights flickered. they’re cool now that peter talked things through with him. his secret has been kept, from what he knows.

pushing open the men’s bathroom door, peter is a mixture of sweat and ragged breaths. he’s panting from his fast descent down the staircase. he takes in his disheveled appearance using one of the mirrors. his styled hair is now damp and undone, hands trembling and palms sweaty, chest heaving. here’s his daily reminder that anxiety is not cute. as if he didn’t know.

his stupid, gigantic freaking sweater is only making things worse. it’s suffocating him. no one else is in here, so peter pulls it over his head and tosses it to the ground. he’s got a t-shirt on underneath that happens to be black. what a convenient day for him to wear the hottest material there is.

peter splashes his face with some cold water next to try and cool himself down. that doesn’t do much for him. his face still feels like it’s on fire, but now it’s wet. he takes his hands through his mop of curls, backing away from the sink.

“fuck. fuck, fuck, fuck,” peter repeats to himself. he’s silent for a moment, then rage overcomes him. he kicks open a bathroom stall. “shit! i can’t do this. what am i supposed to-“

the door creeks open, so peter shuts up in case it isn’t ned. it thankfully is, and he wears a deep frown at the sight of his best friend. “dude, what happened? you look...” “terrible. i know,” peter finishes for him. he tugs at his locks in another attempt to tame them. ned approaches him carefully. “you’re not, like, dying... are you? because betty was telling me you have to-“ “of course you were with betty,” peter exhales in frustration. “no, ned. i’m not dying.”

in ned’s defense, the text he received was very alarming. all peter wrote was, ‘EMERGENCY. SOS.’

“i mean, yeah. it was my break.” ned sits on the ledge by the window, close to peter. “you do the same with y/n.” the mention of your name upsets peter all over again. he hides his face in his hands as ned watches. “if you’re not dying, then what’s the problem?” ned finally asks. “me and y/n...” peter removes his hands from his face, meeting ned’s worried eyes. “mr. osborn wants us to do a project together.”

“uh, peter? you’ve been saying how much you miss her forever, dude! you’re not excited?” ned snorts at him. he means well, but he has no clue what he’s talking about. “no. it’s supposed to be about spider-man,” peter answers angrily. this isn’t the support he was hoping for. realizing the severity of the situation, ned gets serious.

“oh... but, you’re still doing it?” he questions. “i didn’t have a choice,” peter scoffs out. “i can’t let either of them down.” “you’ll expose yourself!” ned escalates things further. “it’s not like that. we’re gonna follow spider-man around and post updates on him,” peter says, technically in the third person. he’s given an are you insane? look from ned.

“you are spider-man! and, no offense, but you’re not so good at hiding it,” ned refers to himself finding out. “how are you gonna be in two places at once?” damnit, peter hadn’t thought about that yet. he can’t be taking pictures of spider-man and swinging from building to building simultaneously. “i- i’ll figure it out,” peter stammers, unconvincingly.

ned looks him over in a disapproving way. “jeez. you’re really putting your life on the line for this girl-“ “woman,” peter interjects, not loving ned’s attitude towards you. “have some respect.” unfazed, ned gets up from the windowsill. “speaking of women, remember betty? you’re still on the clock,” he changes the subject. peter nearly forgot he has to go film her segment.

“i’ll head up to her now,” peter gives in. he scoops up his discarded sweater, not bothering to check his appearance again. ned follows behind him to the door. “we wrote her script together, you know,” he gladly informs peter, who already knows from you. “not really a flex,” peter mumbles his response. “peter, lighten up.” ned hits at his shoulder. the two of them exit the bathroom.

“you’ll figure this out later. i can always help.” he shoots him a sugary sweet smile. “thanks, ned. for talking with me and everything.” peter doesn’t smile back. they do a quick bro handshake, then they’re going their separate ways. “have a good show, dude!” ned yells back, to which he doesn’t get a response. peter doesn’t have it in him.

he allows himself to take the elevator back up to broadcasting. he’s so drained from the several anxiety attacks he endured. while peter waists for the elevator, he contemplates all the issues he’d better solve. it’s a relief to hear it ding because it brings him back to earth. that doesn’t last long because both you and betty are there when the door opens.

you’d each had the same idea, to find peter. unlike betty, your intentions were good. you asked liz if she saw peter leave. she told you he went downstairs, so you did also. betty was already in the elevator when it got to your stop. she was looking for him because, you guessed it, he had to record the news. the small space was filled with tension as you and betty occupied it.

“perfect. we’re going right back up,” betty beams, motioning for peter with her index finger. “hop in!” “coming,” peter does as told, going to stand between you and betty. she presses the button for your floor and theirs. the doors close. “pete?” you speak up, voice soft. “you kinda ran off earlier. i thought you were with betty.” “clearly, he wasn’t,” betty sneers.

you’re less concerned with her and more with peter. the sweater he looked so huggable in is now folded in his arms, his face splotchy and jaw clenched. he must have gotten triggered by something back in norman’s office.

“are you sure you’re okay? you... you can talk to me about it.” you take a step closer to peter, your doe eyes searching for his. he meets them with a tiny smile. at least, it’s real this time. “i’ll be fine, y/n/n. ‘s nice that you came to check on me, though.” “don’t mention it.” your arms loop around his neck and bring him into a hug. peter hugs you back by your middle, chin resting on your shoulder, breathing out in relief.

you keep your hands on his shoulders when you pull back. his stay on your sides, a lopsided grin now crossing his features. “spider-man...” you quirk an eyebrow. “how are you feeling about that?” “should be cool,” peter somehow maintains himself. “i’m mostly looking forward to doing it with you.”

listening in, betty joins the conversation. “what’s happening with spider-man? anything i should know?” her hand reaches into her bag and emerges with a notepad. does she ever think of her own content? “she’s nothing if not persistent,” you grumble to peter. chuckling, he pulls you into his chest. if he didn’t hold you back, you would’ve pounced on her.

“we’re gonna do a piece on him,” peter tells her. “you can’t copy or steal this one because it’s already been approved,” you contribute, smiling smugly as peter holds you tighter. betty is taken aback. “are you accusing me of stealing? who said i-“ “ned ratted on you... sorry,” peter says in a sing song voice. squealing, you jump away from him. “he did? we were right?”

“mj’s never wrong,” he reiterates. “mj knew about this? oh my god, i can’t believe her!” betty stomps her foot. “we got you on candid camera.” you make a clicking noise with your mouth. peter mimes taking a picture to back you up. “alright, alright. i won’t do it again,” betty mumbles, turning away from you two in annoyance.

“finally!” you hold up your hand for a high five, which peter gives you. “we really do make the best team,” he hums. your fingers intertwine with peter’s, and he lays his palm flat against yours. he prays extremely hard you don’t notice that it’s sweaty. you do, but you couldn’t care less.

“i was wondering when you’d wanna start our... research?” peter asks you, his lip between his teeth. “you were saying something earlier. maybe we could make a schedule.” “how elaborate of us that would be,” you tease. that earns a breathy laugh from peter. with a knowing smile, you put your free hand back on his shoulder.

“what are you doing tonight?”

-

peter parker taglist

@saturnpeter @tpwk-grande @itstaskeen @missyouhollnd @becicamina @dummiesshort @zspideyy @watchitimreadinghere @my-patronus-is-mabel-pines @dpaccione @karispotters11 @theofficialzivadavid @thehumanistsdiary @kelieah @aayaissaa @petersgroupie @annab-nana @tayyx @swtltlmrvlgrl @magicalxdaydream @haoluvver @kjune113 @captainamirica @marvel-dork98 @emmastarz @killingbxys @viriditie @misshale21 @veryholland @liliswifts @tommydarlings @rebelemilu @peterspideysense @cr-uelsummer @dreamy-clousds @quaksonhehe @quxxnxfhxll @blackbat2020 @babyblue19 @falconxbarnes @zachary-s @dirtytissuebox @dracoswhore007 @heavenlyholland @thsquad @etheralholland @dhtomholland @awh-lilies @tomshufflepuff @multifamdomfan12

-

if i forgot you please lmk!

[ganondoodle]

ok im sorry, i usually try to be respectful of other people theories and such and mind my own business, but this just irks me on a personal level

if you HAVE to connect the darn timelines its

-> 'old timeline with all the old zelda games' -> enough time for everyone to forget and outlive anything of the old timeline -> totk (past) -> 10 000 years ago calamity (the hell is that time frame anyway) -> botw -> totk (present)

any other argument doesnt make a lick of sense and i never thought it would have to think about it; totk (past) map and the present one are literall 1:1 copies, the only thing that changed was surface level built structures, hell, no zoras nor ritos NOT EVEN GERUDO existed in sksw, but you know who didnt change even a little bit in over 10 000 years? zoras and ritos and gerudos from past and present totk! there would have been multiple ganondorfs and ganons (and DEMISE) in the meantime if you cram totk (past) into the old timeline fuckery (which also isnt possible bc we know urbosa said there hasnt been a male gerudo in any recorded history despite it being said there should be one, bc gans been sealed by rauru so no new one can be born), hyrules beens changed and destroyed, newly founded multiple times again in between that and yet it looks like a literal copy of botw?? what??

rauru and sonia founding THIS hyrule makes them the FIRST king and queen of THIS hyrule, who knows how longs its been before that happened, all other history that might have happened in the past (old timeline) has long since been forgotten, they probably dont even know theres been other hyrules before and came up with that name on their own even, and while its fun to theorize around with all the extra amiibo stuff in totk its very clearly just all neat things to find with no deeper meaning attached to it the totk past being called the imprisoning war isnt something unique either, just bc its called that doesnt mean its meant to be the one they mentioned somewhere before, you could call the war with demise and hylia imprisoning war, you also do the same to the one from twilight princess if you wanna same principle as 'hyrule' being a NAME before a place, if you are warring to imprison some evil entity ... why wouldnt you call it imprisoning (or sealing as its in german) war?? we know the zelda franchise operates on completely different timeframes so of course theres stuff thats gonne get lost to history, how would you know there was an imprisoning war before? you got one now so you call it that now

all similarites to skyward sword should be treated as such as well imo, its the 'new' beginning of this 'new' timeline long long after the others (if connected at all), bc why wouldnt you reuse themes or neat ideas of the old games; the forgotten temple and the springs too, they got stuff in botw/totk from all games bc they wanted to reconnect it all so this whole kuddelmuddel is finally not something they have to argue with over and over

whatever they are messing up now is an entirely new mess and whatever references are in this new mess should either be treated as purely references for nostalgias sake, theme reuse, or as a "hey we wanted to realign it all so the timelines merged, a long ass time has passed since then and no one remembers any of it, not does it matter, this is a 'new start' without erasing the past and while some remnats might exist here and there they are there more for your enjoyment than any timeline placement (please leave us alone) have fun with this new game"

if you have to cut off all the lil knobs on a puzzle piece to forcefully fit it into and already finished puzzle chances are it shouldnt be there

wait does the thing that some people think totk (or the stuff in the past) takes place before all other zelda games really just come from rauru and sonia founding hyrule??

hyrules been newly founded and switched places multiple times tho, plus this is an entirely new ""timeline"" anyway

botw + totk are their own thing with lots of references to other games bc funney referenceeee really, i doubt there was supposed to be any kind of deeper connection

(lets ignore the fact that they made botw to be a sort of soft reset and connect it all back together and then made its sequel do time fuckery AGAIN messing it all up again considering the continuity problems with them both .... and causing people to think they have to cram totks past parts into the old timeline somehow)

[aspiringauthorintraining]

Sands of Eon (1/2)

(A/N): Buckle your seatbelts, cause this is a long one! Read with sad music to really get in the mood. Cause I wrote this with sad music playing in the background lol.

“Do you have a wish, Xiao? I’ll write it on your lantern.”

“No need. I don’t have a lantern nor do I have the desire to make one.” He quickly shut down your offer, no sound of amusement or humor found in his tone. But unfortunately for him, you were used to his constant rejection and came prepared this time.

Grabbing another lantern from under the table, you pushed it towards him with a smile.

“Well, lucky for you, I already made you one.” you laughed, seeing his surprised reaction at the lantern in his hands. “No need to thank me.” you added.

“I don’t-”

You interrupted him before he could say no. “I already made it, and I don’t need two wishes. And like I said, I’ll even write it for you if you want.” Seeing his hesitation, you offered him a deal. “I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours.”

Xiao, knowing you weren’t going to give up until he relented, nodded reluctantly.

You clapped your hands happily at his defeat.

“My wish is to become someone who can protect the great and mighty Xiao!” you exclaimed, showing him your lantern.

    To become someone who can protect the great and mighty Xiao.

                                                                                 - (Y/N)

The adeptus gave you a puzzled look after confirming for himself that you had indeed written the same wish verbatim, onto your lantern.

“Well, you protect Liyue, right? But who protects you?” you asked the yaksha. And you predicted that he would say something along the lines of “not needing the protection of a mere human” or what not, so you chimed in again. “Of course, I’m not as powerful as you are. So my protection will mostly be in the form of Almond Tofus and my company. And I'll always be here for you, whenever you need me.”

“I have no need of you, nor your company.”

You tried not to smile at the fact he didn’t mention not needing Almond Tofus.

“I’m lonely. You’re lonely. So we can be lonely together, then.” Shrugging, you changed the subject before he could retort back. “So, what’s your wish then?”

At the conversation returning back to the topic of his wish, he let out another sigh.

“Hand me the brush, I’ll write it.”

As he silently wrote down his own wish on his lantern, you wondered whether he insisted on writing it himself because he was embarrassed to say his wish out loud. Or was it because he didn’t like your handwriting? You figured it would most likely be the latter. But upon noticing the slight blush dusted onto his cheeks, you couldn't help but second-guess yourself.

And after a short moment later, he handed the writing utensil and lantern back to you.

“You sure you don’t want to come with me to release the lanterns?” you asked him, hopeful that maybe this year would be the year to finally convince the recluse man of joining the festivities. “We can release it on the mountain, instead of in the city if you would feel more comfortable?”

“I would feel more comfortable staying here.” he replied firmly. His tone didn’t give away any leeway of changing his mind, so you decided that the lanterns would have to do this year. But hey, at least he participated.

After gathering your things, you made your way down the steps of the inn, and into the direction of the road leading back to the city. You waved a goodbye up to Xiao, who just watched your retreating figure. It was only when you stopped walking to frantically wave at him, that he gave a half-hearted wave back. He probably breathed a sigh of relief at your absence, once you left his view. But still, the half-hearted action brought a smile to your lips, and it remained with you the rest of the way home.

Once the Lantern Rite festival ended, the Xiao lanterns disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.

You had been tempted to keep Xiao's lantern after the festival, knowing it was the first, but you hoped not the last, lantern Xiao had written a wish on. But the lanterns were meant to be released, not kept. And it wasn't hard to keep the wishes written on yours and Xiao's lanterns to your memory.

In the following days after the Lantern Rite festival, you spent your time contemplating how to go about making your lantern wish become a reality. But as you wracked your brain, continuously pondering over the problem, you were left with one resounding question.

What really could you do for Xiao?

You didn’t have much to offer the yaksha. You were neither rich nor someone with immense power that could rival his. Your company, which you weren’t even sure whether he enjoyed or not, was the only thing you had going for you. Well, that and making him Almond Tofus.

So then, nothing, it seemed.

You sure talked big for someone who had nothing to back it up with.

That was until one day, when you came across a certain object in a treasure chest in your adventures.

“It’d be best if you destroy that, and forget you ever saw it, (Y/N).” the archon responded to your question.

“Why? Isn’t it just another hourglass artifact?”

You figured asking Zhongli about the item would be your best bet. With how old he truly was, the Geo Archon had an immense knowledge of everything, and if anyone knew what the artifact was, it would have to be him.

“That’s one of the artifacts that was lost during the Archon War. It’s far more powerful than any used these days.” The funeral parlor owner took another sip of his tea, before continuing. “It’s infused with the raw power of a god, so it has special abilities.”

“Like?”

The man should've known that you weren’t going to follow his advice from the start. He let out a defeated sigh, before elaborating further. “There were rumors that the god who created that specific artifact had received the Sands of Eon from Time itself.”

“Time is a person- I mean a living being?!”

“Again, just rumors.” he noted. “And supposedly, by infusing the artifact with his own power, it could bend the laws of time.”

Your eyes grew wide at the new information. “So you’re saying this artifact could, in theory, turn back time.”

“In theory, yes.”

How could such a powerful artifact have washed up shore and land into your hands?

You decided to ask him one last question, already getting a slight headache at the information just revealed.

“What happened to the god?”

“It was said that the first and only time he used the piece was after watching his people massacred during the Archon War. He used it to save his people; warning them of the future events beforehand, buying them enough time to flee. Consequently, the price he paid for saving all his people was was at the cost of his own life.”

He left you with some parting final words as you left the funeral parlor, to sort out your thoughts.

“There's always a price for changing the past, (Y/N).”

Your first thought had been to give the artifact to Xiao, allowing him to go back in time to when he made a contract with the evil god, Kubira, who used him as a bloodhound. But remembering the fate of the original owner of the artifact prevented you from doing so.

It was then you were reminded of your lantern wish.

To become someone who can protect the great and mighty Xiao.

This was the answer to your wish.

You could use it yourself, and stop Xiao from forming the contract with whatever means necessary. You made a promise to protect him and by doing this you would be able to. There would be no pain or suffering for him to endure if you were successful. And once you realized that this was the the only way to truly protect your friend, you knew there was no turning back.

You gave yourself a month to prepare. Reading up on everything there was to the Archon War to prevent a change into the outcome, with your sudden appearance in the past. It was also meant a month of pestering Zhongli; asking about anything that wasn't recorded or lost in Liyue's history. You researched everything you could about the evil god, Kubira, as well, in order to prevent the infamous past contract that sealed Xiao's fate.

And it was, perhaps, the first time you were ever thankful to have grown up alone. No close ties with anyone, no family to miss once you left. Sure you had friends, but they could continue to live on without you.

The only one person you realized that you would truly miss and regret leaving behind, was the same person you were going back into the past for. You wondered if he would be okay once you left. You were the only one who pushed through his constant rejection and intimidating demeanor to truly get to know him and to be able to call him a friend.

But if you were successful in changing the past, would he even be able remember you?

The night before your departure, you visited Xiao at the Wangshu Inn, with a bowl of his favorite dish.

The adeptus who didn’t know a word about your plan, paused at the forlorn look you had as you watched him eat his food. It was already strange to him that you were just watching him, instead of asking him how his day was or telling him who you had met on your way over like always. And the forced way you nonchalantly brushed off your watering eyes as seasonal allergies confused him even more. Something was off about the way you were acting. And the question you proceeded to ask him was the icing on the cake.

“Hey, Xiao. If I went missing for some time, would you miss me?”

If you had asked this in the first year you met him, he would’ve probably responded with a relieved no. But currently, he remained silent at your question.

Had your efforts to befriend him pay off? Did you actually manage to squeeze into his heart, and make yourself a little home?

“…I would miss your Almond Tofus.” he replied after a long minute, paired with a straight face.

Well, it was better than a no.

During the early stages of your "friendship" with Xiao, the words, "get lost" were thrown in your direction every time you had come to visit. So to you, his current answer was certainly an improvement.

“Is it really that hard to say, “Yes, (Y/N). I would miss you so much. Don’t ever leave me” ?” you drawled, trying not to laugh when he briefly choked on his food at your choice of words.

Gulping down his water, he cleared his throat loudly. “Ehem. F-fine, I guess I would notice your absence.”

Sure, it wasn’t the confession you were hoping for, but you would take it.

You gave him a small smile, turning your attention to the view from the top floor balcony.

Taking in a deep breath, you gathered up the courage to speak your next words.

“Hey, Xiao.”

You looked at him with another smile, this one not quite reaching your eyes. You took a silent moment to memorize his face, down to every detail. When you reached his eyes, you tried to keep yourself from getting lost in the amber pools. But with one look at them, you failed miserably, falling straight into their depths. And with your undivided attention given to his eyes, you failed to notice the slight reddening of his cheeks.

“Thank you for protecting Liyue. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being my first love. And most of all, thank you for always being there for me.”

You stood up quietly, holding onto the same bittersweet smile on your face as you neared him. And before he was given the chance to register your words, you quickly left a soft kiss on his cheek; disappearing down the stairs without another glance back.

Regaining his conscious a moment later, he was about to chase after you, knowing you couldn’t have gone far. But a folded letter on the table in front of him distracted him momentarily, giving you enough time to escape.

Xiao,

I thought long and hard about what I could do for you after saying those big words about protecting you. And I think this is the best way to do that. 

I know you won’t remember any of this once I come back, if I come back. You probably won’t even remember me. But that’s okay. I’ll be fine, being the only one who remembers, if it means you’ll have a better future. So don’t let my efforts go to waste! Eat something other than Almond Tofu and snow. Make and surround yourself with friends. I hope I showed you that humans can be worthwhile friends too. And don’t ever think that you deserve solitude, because you deserve so much more than that. 

Thank you again for everything. I never felt alone when i was with you. I’m still not even sure if you consider us friends, but your friendship meant the world to me. So I’m going to have to insist that we are friends.

I don’t have any regrets leaving. I lived and I loved thanks to you. So now it’s your turn. 

I hope you can live your new life without any regrets or burdens weighing you down.

Love Always,

(Y/N).

Part 2 here!

(A/N): i made it into a two part, because it was taking too much scrolling to read everything lol. Also why is Xiao’s story so sad? I did some research before writing and like I’m crying dude.

Like, comment, subscribe, ring the bell for notifications for more videos. jk lol, this isn’t youtube. Just play some Genshin.

[bluefox4]

I know that the Hunter is actually a Grimwalker is a popular theory but I’m not entirely convinced that this is the case. So, I’m going to ramble a bit about why that is along with some thoughts about what else could be going on with Hunter.

We have all kinds of puzzle pieces and some of them don’t seem to fit together. I get why the Hunter is a Grimwalker theory took root, Hunter’s eyes and nose in that book on the page next to the page about the Grimwalker. But what I keep going back to with that book is that everyone is reading it from right to left

when we know that the man behind this book writes left to right.

So, it follows that we should be reading this book similarly, right? From left to right like this.

But we also know from Elsewhere and Elsewhen (EaE) that these eyes are important to whatever Phillip’s plans are.

So, he’s been working on whatever is going on with Hunter for a while now. The order of the pages seem to suggest Hunter is an ingredient rather than the end result. But there are those pieces that don’t fit with the idea that Hunter is an artificially created being. The main thing is that Hunter seems to not have always been with Belos.

The following lines from Hunting Palismen (HP):

Luz: What made you want to join? Hunter: Sigh. You were right before. I'm a powerless witch, a lot of my ancestors were. I never thought I'd have a future in a world like this. But then Belos found me and gave me a staff with artificial magic, said the Titan had big plans for me.

Why would Hunter be on his own for a period of time if Belos made him? If he’s an important piece to his plans there would be other ways to make sure that Hunter would be loyal to him if he made him that would be simpler. If he messed with Hunter’s memories to make him think he had a life before Belos why not go with something else? Why not just think make him think that he was taken in as a baby?

Hunter had a life before. Long enough to know what it was like without Belos involvement.

Another interesting line came from Any Sport in a Storm (ASiaS).

Hunter: What if I told you that all your dreams could come true, and you just have to leave your home, friends, and family forever.

And he repeats that thing again same episode

Hunter: There won't be any delay in branding you with coven sigils and taking you away from your friends and family forever! Hooray!

It could be just something he knows happens, but given that he talks the same way about things he did experience like the mountain and labyrinth I suspect that this probably means that Hunter had family other than Belos. People that he knew were his family. That he was forced away from when Belos took him. And that we have hints that Hunter didn’t want to join the Coven but has come to accept that this was for his own good.

Once again from HP:

Luz: At least you have your future figured out now. Hunter: At least you can figure out your own.

And then Flapjack hops onto his arm, showing that he wants to be free to make his own choices and its his strong desire.

And again from ASiaS.

Skara: We don't care. None of us want this. Hunter: You will eventually. Trust me, I'm your friend now.

Which seems like something that he could be repeating that was told to him by Belos.

We know from Eclipse Lake (EL) that Hunter projects onto others. And I think that the fact that being taken away from family isn’t the thing that makes him realize that it is bad for people but taking their palismen is shows just how young he probably was when Belos found him. He probably can’t really remember his family beyond having one. And over time he just learned to accept his new life. He was young enough that whenever Belos found him, it was easier to adjust to. He remembers just enough to know what life was without Belos but not enough that whatever family he had he can’t emotionally connect with losing them. He might have been alone for a while between losing them and being found. Or Belos arranged things to take his family out with Hunter being the sole survivor while framing Wild Witches for it.

I do wonder if Belos’s brother broke ties with him because of a fallout before he died. Because if his brother settled down with a witch he would view that as a betrayal of their upbringing. And if he had a kid, maybe the eyes are the things that mark them as being a hybrid. A unique trait. Or maybe it shows that the kid won’t be able to do magic on their own. Like genetics can be tricky but some traits just end up coming together. What if for a hybrid witch/human purple eyes like Hunter’s are a sign that they won’t be able to do magic. So other branches of his family that don’t have that trait might be able to do magic. And I can see Phillip being vindictive enough that if he had a fallout with his brother to use his descendants as a way to get back at him. The reason that it would be hard to find a replacement is that tracking down branches of that family is tricky and finding a magicless kid that he could trick would be a lot of effort that he doesn’t want to use if he didn’t have to.

And then there is the theory that Hunter is a Clawthorne because “bird palismen are a Clawthorne thing” according to Dana Terrance. And in the show itself, well other than Hunter we haven’t seen anyone else with a bird palisman. EaE we saw Dell’s, Lilith’s, and Gwendolyn’s palismen: all birds. It seemed like it was trying to drive home the bird theme that the family has. And this was an interesting line before Dell showed up.

King: I get to meet my grandpa? Gwendolyn: Yes. You know the Clawthorne Clan was once known for their Palisman-making skills? And Dell? Whoo, he was the best of them all.

Clan is an interesting choice of wording instead of family. Especially since one definition of clan is: a group united by a common interest or common characteristics.

If Hunter is a Clawthorne, then he could be from another branch of the clan that isn’t directly related to Eda and Lilith’s side. They might not even be family by blood in that case. It is interesting that both Eda and Hunter did the long extended “Bye” in the episode that he was introduced. I don’t think that was done without the intention of making us make some sort of connection between them. If he was simply created, he wouldn’t be a Clawthorne.

My theory is that Hunter is a decedent of Belos’ brother, who Belos recognized by his eyes. Once he knew who he was, Belos took Hunter from his family for his Grimwalker plan.

[lilover131]

Chapter 56 Analysis+Theories

AHHHHHH CHAPTER 56 AHHHHHH!!! <--Chrissy every time a chapter comes out

I wasn’t as hyped up about this one as I was for the last one thankfully, seeing as we didn’t have a super long wait, but I certainly don’t want to diminish in any way the importance of this chapter!!!

I won’t waste any time and will get right to it, so buckle in, cuz’ the theory train is coming! More under the cut!

 So I’ll start by saying that when I first read the chapter, it was 2 AM where I was. I had been sleeping and just kinda magically woke up right when the chapter just came out, so I like to think there was some fate there. But when I opened that chapter on my phone and the first thing I saw was that Syaoran color spread, I audibly gasped and instantly woke up a bit.

 I woke up not because it was absolutely stunning to look at, or even at the fact that we haven’t had Syaoran in a color page for a while. No, the thing that caught my attention was the serious atmosphere it contained and the tone that it seemingly set. To me, this was one of CLAMP’s subtle ways of saying “Prepare for the final battle”. I could be reading into it too much, but I was right about what I believed the Syaoran and Kaito color page insinuated, so I’m gonna stick to my guns here.

 We start off the chapter without a moment’s pause where we left off last time. It continues right from the last point of the conversation where Sakura dropped the bombshell that she had seen Kaito use magic. She seems to think that they may not believe her at first, but Syaoran interrupts her to affirm that he 100% believes her and that he even already knew. Sakura is naturally confused by this, but he finally FINALLY gets to tell her what he’s been dealing with this whole time, and it definitely seems to be an uncomfortable topic for him. But at least this time he got to tell Sakura truthfully that he hadn’t ever intended on keeping this from her but was physically not able to. Despite not needing to feel guilty about this, Syaoran seems uncomfortable for the simple fact that someone else had that much control over him, and he was unable to do a thing to stop it. It’s also important to keep in mind that Kero and Suppi were hearing this for the first time themselves as well (about the silencing at least).

 Not much time passes after this before Kero and Suppi fess up to also knowing about Kaito, but they admit that theirs was a conscious decision rather than force, but that they believe they too would have been silenced like Syaoran was had they attempted to speak. One could say that since they didn’t know Syaoran was silenced in the way he was that this is not entirely truthful or was just a bad decision, but in reality it still makes perfect sense why they thought to be more careful. They saw Kaito’s magic first hand violently take down Eriol, and if he could shut down a magician of that caliber from halfway across the world, then he could easily do the same or worse to the guardians. And since they also weren’t yet aware of his true intentions with Sakura, it would have been likely seen as dangerous to provoke him and possibly put Sakura in harm’s way. I guess the only thing that doesn’t make much sense to me is why Syaoran and the guardians didn’t collaborate and put together what they knew sooner. Even when Yue went to Syaoran’s apartment, the topic of Kaito or Eriol never came up, and since they both clearly had Sakura’s best interest in mind, I’m not sure specifically why they chose to keep their information to themselves when they both knew they had the same goal. This, I would say, was actually a bad decision on their part, but when it comes down to it, they’re not perfect and everyone makes mistakes (I think Cinzia made the same point here, so I apologize if it seems like I’m copying here! I just also agree when it comes to this).

 I’m actually going to pull in a little thing I learned from my counselor not long ago when I felt guilt over a particular decision I had made long ago, and that is that you can only work based on the emotions and information you have at the time. And because we don’t know the future, it is not possible to always make the right decisions, but there is also no telling if our decisions would have changed things for the better, so it is best not to dwell on them. I believe truly that based on what they knew at the time and through the experiences they had, they were likely only trying to protect each other, but missed that they could have probably helped each other. It’s easy to miss things when you’re on the defensive.

 What I love about Sakura after this is that she forgives them immediately. This is not the first time she’s had things hidden from her for her protection, and naturally it’s upsetting to not feel like you can be trusted to deal with the serious information. When Syaoran told her how he’d been hiding what he knew before, she was upset but more because she thought he suffered as a result. This time around though, they concealed things from her not because they were worried about how she’d handle it, but rather out of fear from what Kaito would do if they tried, so it’s a completely different reason and much easier to forgive. Sakura is able to differentiate this, because she is a very emotionally intelligent girl and a lot more observant than she gets credit for when it comes to reading people. She’s grown a lot and isn’t as ‘dense’ as she was in Elementary School.

 Then we get a precious gift of seeing Syaoran show off how smart he is, working out how Kaito managed to make them forget about said confrontation at the botanical garden. He’s probably thought about it a lot already, considering he mentioned before that he felt like someone made him forget something. But this time, he had additional information that Sakura was able to provide, and this was the final piece of the puzzle he needed. The most important detail that Sakura gave him was the location in particular, the botanical garden. He knew that that was where they intended to go, but that they had yet to go there. This prompted him to check his phone and see how much time might have passed without them realizing, and because he knew what time he had arranged to meet Sakura, 9:30 AM, he was able to observe that it was impossible for them to meet, go to the botanical garden, have this encounter with Kaito, and both get back to their houses in only 16 minutes. This meant it was not just a mere meddling of memories but rather time magic as it was the only explanation for the time discrepancy issue and memory loss. I can’t say how freaking proud I was of Syaoran for working this out. He’s such a smart boy, but I know that Sakura also would have been able to come to the same conclusion had she had more knowledge about the magical world. Sakura is running on pure instinct right now, which is super strong, but Syaoran really helps fill in those gaps where things don’t make sense for her, making them the perfect magical team!  

 The scene changes to Momo, who appears to be keeping tabs on the conversation (though it’s unclear if Kaito is aware while they are under Siege). And this part is perhaps the most worrying of the entire chapter, and I’m not talking about the line where the English translation says “Into the final act of your story”. That line in particular is a gross mistranslation cleared up by @meimi-haneoka​, who graciously gives us translation notes each month in comparison to the Japanese version. The actual line in fact says “Into the final act of THE story”. This changes the entire tone of that page as the first translation implies it is leading to Kaito’s death, whereas the Japanese translation actually more implies that we’re nearing the climax of the story. Momo’s facial expressions also match the wording of the Japanese translation better, as we know she does not seem to want Kaito to die, so she would certainly look more upset here if she were speaking of such a thing. Also, I have to speak up about how pretttyyyy Kaito looks in that panel. The way CLAMP designed that page is just stunning as always.

 HOWEVER

 Back to what I was saying before! The most concerning part of the chapter for me is the page right before that, where Momo says “Once a spell’s been seen for what it is, it all comes crumbling down. Particularly, where time magic is concerned. And that’s to say nothing of your target’s considerable power. Now everything you’d turned back time to undo. Everything you’ve succeeded in freezing…is beginning to move again”. So here comes Chrissy’s big crazy theory and possible overthinking, but bear with me here!

I think…that what they are saying here is that these moments that were frozen in time and turned back were cut off from the timeline and now floating in a separate space. And now these scenes, which were all intense in their own way and incredibly frustrating for us, are about to move forward.

….all of them….

….at the same time….

This concept isn’t exactly new in CLAMP series. It happened with Tsubasa where Syaoran turned back time to go back to a moment where he could take Sakura’s hand and keep her from being cursed, and to keep that moment ready until he could return, it was in its own separate dimension, cut off from the rest of the universe. Eventually, once he got there, time started to move forward again. Turning back time is a taboo in the magical world for a reason, and Kaito has done this over and over and over again. But also, wouldn’t it be so like CLAMP to say “Hey, we know you’ve been frustrated that all these scenes were seemingly amping up to a big confrontation, but then Kaito rewound time over and over, so how about we give those back….ALL AT THE SAME TIMMMMEE?”. Can you even imagine the consequences of such a thing? At least three of the occasions where Kaito turned back time, Akiho went into what I call ‘book-mode’, where she is no longer herself and tries to absorb Sakura along with her magic (and even succeeds on one occasion). Then there is also Syaoran and Kaito’s battle and Syaoran having his outburst about Kaito being a magician right in front of Akiho. It would be absolute utter chaos, and honestly I’d be living for it. Lmao.

If you believe that this line Momo said was simply to state that his time magic won’t work anymore and that things will continue to progress in this timeline, that would make perfect sense as well, so I don’t want to discount that. I’m just throwing out theories here based on what I know about CLAMP and concepts that are not out of the realm of possibility.

The scenes from here on out bounce a little bit back and forth from a continuation of the conversation with Syaoran and the guardians and present time with Akiho at school. I kinda like the way they did the transitions here, and it didn’t really feel awkward at any point but rather pulled up the relevant information when it was needed.

When Akiho comes in to the classroom, Sakura recalls how the topic of Akiho came up in the conversation from the day before. It’s natural for everyone to question at this point what she knows and if she is someone to be concerned about too. Syaoran mentions that he can’t detect any magic from her, which was something he had looked into from the very first day Akiho arrived at Tomoeda Middle (he knew literally nothing about her, but you know how transfer students go in this town. Lmao). Sakura drops another bombshell here by saying that she actually senses something in Akiho, but she is unclear of what that is and why she feels that way. It’s completely likely that she’s strong enough now to sense the suppressed magic spell the association and her clan put on her. I also noticed Syaoran seemed to tense up when Sakura said this, and I’m sure that this new information probably made him feel very uneasy. Sakura’s instincts are never wrong, and if she feels something, that means there is something, but to think that it’s something even Syaoran can’t sense would definitely be concerning.

 It is then that Syaoran decides to approach the idea of addressing Akiho directly about Kaito’s magic to see what she knows. Maybe at this point in time he is thinking “If she possibly has some sort of magic in her, then she might know already about Kaito”, but like Sakura, he has seen Akiho’s behavior as a person and probably believes that she is not doing anything malicious of her own accord. Perhaps he thinks that Akiho might be able to talk some sense into Kaito and put a stop to things. But the way he goes about it doesn’t push Sakura, but rather just offers it as a suggestion as something a bit more direct.

 Before we see Sakura’s response to this, we are back to Akiho in the classroom and she is very cheerful from having gone out with Kaito the day prior, and OMG CAN I JUST GUSH FOR A MOMENT ABOUT HOW FREAKING PRECIOUS SHE IS? She is seriously adorable, and the more I see her smile, the more it makes me want to burn her whole clan down to the ground for being so awful to her. But also, it reminds me how strong she is to have gone through everything she did and still smile and hold no hatred in her heart. I can’t honestly say I would be the same in her shoes, so it’s really admirable. For those My Hero Academia fans out there, remember Eri’s smile? You know the one I’m talking about. That’s how I feel every time Akiho smiles.

Anyways, back to Sakura’s response. She decides, in a very Sakura-like fashion, to avoid the subject with Akiho for now. It is true that they don’t fully understand who Kaito is and what his intentions are, but the one thing she does know is that he is considered precious to Akiho, and that at least says something about his character. Akiho herself also isn’t an idiot and is perceptive to Kaito’s feelings. Even when he’s smiling, she can tell when he’s actually hurting inside, so if he had bad intentions at all, that likely wouldn’t go unseen either, so Sakura decides that she’ll wait for Akiho to come to her first if the discussion between them needs to happen. I think this is a very mature decision on her part but also continues to show how much she considers the people around her and cares for them.

Back in the present, Akiho apologizes for talking so much, and Sakura tells her that she doesn’t mind and will listen to whatever she has to say. More than just trying to show good will as a friend, I think this is also her way of opening up the door to tell her “If you want to talk about more serious things, I’m here to listen as well”. That way, when the time comes, Akiho will feel comfortable having that conversation with her.

The scene moves on to Yukito’s home where all the guardians are having a nice little get together in their true forms. It’s not entirely necessary for all but Yue to do this, but I love it as we haven’t gotten to see much of them in these forms in the series so far, especially Spinel and Ruby Moon. Ruby Moon is surprised that they decided to go along with what Sakura said, which I suppose makes sense considering they’ve been kinda doing their own thing up until now. But it turns out that it was Syaoran who made the final decision, and the others just took his lead.

 I love that Syaoran was so comfortable just trusting Sakura and realizing that this time, they needed to let her make some choices, especially since it concerned her the most. Moreover, I love that Kero, Suppi, and Yue just basically caved when Syaoran agreed. This shows how much they respect the opinion of not just Sakura, but Syaoran too. They could have easily gone off and continued to work secretly without Sakura, but they didn’t do that. It obviously didn’t work well for them before anyways.

 I cracked up when Ruby Moon mentioned how much Syaoran has grown a lot and used to be a ‘pouty brat’ back when they were in Japan the last time (in his defense, Eriol was screwing with him a lot, so he had a lot of good reasons for the bratty attitude. Lmao). But Kero and Yue’s responses are just precious. They both have the same expression initially, but their actual responses seem to differ quite a bit. Kero states that he will always be a brat to him and that he’s only grown ‘a little’. This is classic Kero essentially saying he agrees that he’s grown a lot, but he won’t admit it yet, hence why Spinel calls him childish. Hahahaha.

Yue’s response however makes me absolutely melt. He states he’s not upset about the mention of Syaoran’s growth, but that that he doesn’t think they “should be in such a hurry to grow up”. He sounds just like a freaking dad here who is happy to see his children grow up, but is also wanting to them to slow down and stay children simultaneously. I am absolutely living for it, and I love seeing how soft he gets when it comes to them. -squeals-

Despite how lighthearted this scene is, I’m gonna put out another theory here that might seem like I’m overthinking and perhaps makes this appear a bit darker than possibly intended. My thought was “Why did CLAMP put such focus on this subject right now?”. They could have simply stated that they decided to go along with Sakura and been done with it, but the made a point to talk about the children’s growth as human beings, particularly Syaoran. Now where am I going with this you ask? Perhaps it’s the Tsubasa PTSD speaking, but when CLAMP has dialogue like this, it usually it done quite purposely at times, because it is meant to enhance our emotions when a particular moment comes later on. So when I thought “Now, why would they be talking so much about how Syaoran’s grown emotionally and how much Kero and Yue care about him?”. I think they are trying to emphasize how much people in general care about him. CLAMP showed it again recently with Touya, who threatened Kaito and purposely included Syaoran in his statement, and again when Kaito pointed his staff at Syaoran and Sakura reacted. CLAMP is pointing out right now how much people care about Syaoran, and I think this is once again a signal that something bad is going to happen to Syaoran, and I think it’s going to be soon.

 Now, Cinzia actually recently found my reaction to spoilers of chapter 1 of Clear Card (that’s right, chapter 1 from all the way back in 2016), and from the very beginning, I have been screaming at the top of my lungs that I had the worst feeling that something bad was going to happen to Syaoran. I imagine some of you are probably tiring of hearing it from me. Lmao. So here we are, 55 chapters and numerous bad dreams later, and I finally feel like that time is really really close. I’m calling it right now that it will probably happen within the next 4-5 chapters, and if I’m wrong, I will eat my words, but them even putting Syaoran on the color page all by himself for this chapter gives me more reason to think that “that time” is approaching.

 That is a good transition for me to talk about the last part of this chapter. We are finally getting some progress on this play Naoko has been writing, and the moment she mentioned it was about “Twin Alices”, I thought to myself “this is going to be where the climax happens”. The pieces are coming together for it, and we’ve finally gotten to hear the premise of this play. We all knew Naoko would ask Sakura and Akiho to play the main roles, but it’s unclear what the role she wants for Syaoran will be when she inevitably peer pressures him into it. Lol. But I’m telling you, I really think this play is where shit is going to hit the fan and we’ll finally get some real answers.

I can’t wait to see what happens from here on out, but it’s very clear to me that things are just going to get more and more intense from here on out!!