#I started it as a joke at the lowest point in my life. but now I get it. this is my story

[todayisafridaynight]

no one understands the whiplash i get sometimes looking at chairman daigo fanart cause sometimes he's really pale or his hair's messy and drawn a particular way and i think its masato but nay .... im so sorry sixth chairman please forgive me i dont mean to compare you to that freak

[rockets-and-raccoons]

2016: Draft 1 - Wow this bitch is suicidal and extremely traumatised and is writing the most fucked up horror but doesn’t recognise what it is she’s really writing

2019: Draft 2 - Wow this girl is traumatised and depressed and is absolutely pretending that’s not what this is about, and trying to claim it’s about something else

2023: Draft 3 - Wow this is someone who finally understands that this story is about trauma and depression and how it effects different people. It’s core message is one she’s spent years struggling to accept: that everyone heals differently and that’s okay

[widevibratobitch]

.

[adyophene]

lucifer x husk is something i never knew i needed and as a multishipper im screaming

literally. king of hell x some alcoholic furry guy

i love them i need to know how they wouldve met, fallen for each other and started dating. and how much thatd piss alastor off

Ooh I am so happy other people are enjoying this pair as much as I am! I've gotten a few asks about my headcanons for them, and I am happy to blab on and on. Fair warning. This is gunna be a long and rambling essay.

I'm gunna put it all under a readmore, just cause I want to insert the art I've done of them so far, since I've been half-heartedly trying to tell a visual story through the doodles.

Okay. On we go!

How they met;

We did see them technically meet in the show, where they shared their singular canon piece of dialogue, which was just Husk saying 'hey'. And then in the finale where we see a literal split second moment of Lucifer holding Husk's arm.

(also seeing the sweet looks huskerdust is giving each other here just makes me feel so delulu for writing this all, but crackships are silly by definition, so lets get back to the lucihusk) For me, what I imagined, is after the Hotel is finished its rebuilding, that is when Husk and Lucifer finally actually meet in a proper manner. I think Lucifer would be trying to make a good impression on all Charlie's friends at this point, endeared to all of them from their actions during the finale. Unfortunately, I think he is also the King of Bad First Impressions.

[Note. I think at this point Lucifer wouldn't even remember Husk's name quite yet. I think he would call him 'Keekee' ( by accident) or 'Dusk' (confidently incorrect) or just be like "Hey!.... Uh... You?" until Charlie or Vaggie finally corrected him. ]

Husk, on the other hand, I feel like maybe wouldn't gel with Lucifer right away. Wouldn't hate him, but also maybe not be enamored with him right away. Same as Lucifer, maybe he would have sweetened on him a bit through the hotel's rebuilding, but I think they'd start out at very neutral feelings. Maybe a vague sense of 'He's okay, but I don't know if we will really get along.'

Despite this, Lucifer is persistent, and he's going to be everyone's (except maybe Al, unless they start getting along by s2) buddy. He'd start hanging around the bar and participate in the redemption exercises.

Now, we know Lucifer struggles with depression, and I think he would be trying real hard to mask anything going on during this time. They defeated Adam! They rebuilt the Hotel! He believes in Charlie's dream, and he's more involved with her life and other people than he has been for years.

His only issue being Husk sees right through it, both because Husk is perceptive, but also because even the King of Hell can't help but have a lonely night or two at the bar where he ends up venting about his divorce and subsequent lingering loneliness.

[snapcube ref aside, )I really do think Husk would start to feel more positively toward Lucifer after Luci would drop the act somewhat. That they could bond over feeling both at their lowest of lows, while also being to admit that things seem to be getting better!

This would be about the point that I imagine Lucifer developing more romantic feelings! Husk would be a bit less prickly, and Luci would just absolutely eat up any and all positive interactions they'd have. I like to picture a lot of little shows of care at the this point, like Husk memorizing what Lucifer likes and even making up 'fun' drinks just to try and cheer the guy up. And Lucifer would fun a fun game in trying to get the grumpy cat to smile, and just, lighting up himself any time he was successful.

And that culminating into the two of them making each other laugh, with Alastor being an easy butt of the jokes, and a good way for Husk, himself, to finally get a chance to vent. I think Lucifer would be one of the only 'safe' options for Husk to do that with, in just so far as Al can't really threaten Lucifer, and Lucifer already sees Al as a bit of a manipulative bastard.

Falling for each other; At this point, Lucifer would start being a bit more caring toward Husk, though with that wonderful, oblivious flair of his. I don't think Lucifer himself would realize he'd have a crush up until he'd start feeling protective or jealous over Husk, and it would really throw him for a loop at first.

Because fake dating is one of my all-time favorite tropes, I have always had a idea for a fanfic (or comic) that I haven't gotten around to yet, based around Lilith coming back, and Lucifer panickily asking Husk to pretend to be his boyfriend, so he can appear well adjusted/completely over her. Of course the whole thing would backfire, as Lilith would see through it (as Lucifer wouldn't be as good of an actor as he'd think), and that Husk would end up kind of feeling hurt by the whole thing.

Husk, who'd go along with the plot with an eyeroll, would find himself seizing up through the whole fake date/encounter. Would find weird, sudden emotions bubbling up and absolutely hating it.

I don't think that man would think about the class difference between him and Lucifer up until someone would say something about it, maybe Lucifer himself trying to rationalize the (at this time still fake) relationship to Lilith. Now, Husk feels uneasy about the whole thing and ends up drinking heavily the whole night so he doesn't have to think about feelings. (Blitz and Stolas who? Ahaha. fuck.) Meanwhile, while the date would be fake, I think Lucifer would really rather like having Husk on his arm and feeling like he'd have a love-life again, while also not really getting why Husk's mood would be getting worse throughout the night. I think they'd still end up on good terms, but both of them would have their feelings in a jumble, and Husk would not like it. (he thinks he's lost the ability to love, after all)

I think somewhere at this point, as they are starting to develop feelings for one another, is when Lucifer finally starts really realizing how tied to Alastor Husk is, and he starts to make it everyone's problem. I do think Al and Lucifer would stay snarky at each other this whole time, but that it'd only get worse, as Al would poke back since he'd find Lu's over reactions funny.

I also think Al would be maybe the last person to realize anything romantic would be brewing between Lucifer and Husk, and he'd just think it'd be a purely platonic thing.

Beyond just bitching about Alastor, Lucifer would really be ramping up his attention towards Husk too. Fully in that 'puppylove/crush' stage, and trying his darndest to make Husk feel good and special. Husk would be resistant to it all, thinking it would just be Lucifer rebounding hard, and not wanting to get wrapped up in Morningstar family drama when he could happily (miserably) keep his head down and just keep drinking the days away.

But then Lucifer would find out about Husk's love of stage magic, and his history as a performer, and it'd be all over for the catman. It would become Luci's new pet project to rope Husk into some joyful self-expression, and after a song and dance number's worth of convincing, Husk would start to come around. I have to post all these images now cause- I drew them with the intention of mimicking a musical number! Husk starting off as a bit resistant before jumping in whole heartedly, and Lucifer overexcitedly dragging him along throughout the music number, hyping him up and just all around being smitten.

And this is where Husk would start really falling. Getting swept up in indulging his favorite, least destructive hobby, and having someone who absolutely loves it to bond with. Especially when it would be over. When they would just settle down and talk, and laugh, and bond over what they love about performing. The spectacle, the audience, the love of the craft. Its about the comradery!!!

@belladonazeppole wrote a wonderful series of fanfics based off these pictures, as well as the songs from 'The Greatest Showman' that really fit the ship! I would be remiss to not mention them here, because Bella and their fics are just wonderful!

How they started dating;

Now. Don't think just cause they both caught feelings for each other, that they'd immediately admit to it. No. I think both of them would drag their heels. I don't think Husk would admit to them at all, without some outside force effecting it. I think he'd stubbornly try to ignore the crush or drink it away, rather than let his heart become vulnerable to anymore damage.

Meanwhile, Lucifer would be struggling between his feelings for Husk and Lilith. (In the actual canon, I do think they might try to rekindle things, depending on what kind of person Lilith turns out to be, but I digress.) Part of him would be so swept up in a giddy kind of excitement, while the other would be set firmly in the camp of 'this is a bad idea, this won't work out, just look at what happened to your last relationship'. It wouldn't stop him from being outwardly more and more affectionate, but it would be weighing on him.

I do think Lucifer would end up being the one who would be thinking; "What am I doing. He'd never like me back." While Husk would be just sitting there (echoing what was said in the ask- sorry I went all wild and wrote this much about the ship dear god)- "I'm just some fucking furry alcoholic, what the fuck would the king of hell see in me??? Am I delusional? What the fuck is going on??" And I feel like this stage would go on for MONTHS and drive everyone else nuts. It would be clear to everyone (except Alastor, who again, would be just this meme

Though that wouldn't stop him from getting a little pissy about it) And then it would all come to a head during something benign, like a board game night. There would be flirting, there would be jealousy, there would be arguing, and then finally, loudly and with a lot of feeling, Lucifer would shout his way through asking Husk out on a date. A real Date. A capital 'D' date out on the town, dressed to the nines and a real good time. The board would be knocked over in the fray, game pieces raining down upon them while Husk would just stare blank faced, trying to process what just happened. An awkward half-minute would pass before he'd finally, trying to play it cool, shrug out a 'sure'.

How much it'd piss Alastor off;

In the aftermath, a radio static would just lowly grate everyone's ears as Alastor would be slowly coming to terms on how just annoying it would be to have his friend (/Unhealthy co-dependent pet friend possession??) romantically involved (ew) with the King of Hell (double ew)??? Then, either it would be something light hearted like 'he keeps trying to break them up but failing cause he hates interacting with romance' or a darker route where 'he keeps trying to manipulate them into breaking up by preying on all their worst insecurities in the relationship'.

And that, my friend, is all I have in mind so far for this delusional crackship au! There is more I could flesh out, of course, like Angel's role as a friend or potential third in the relationship, or what I imagine as Husk becoming like a stepdad to Charlie, but I've typed enough for the whole month. Hope any of that was coherent! I did not bother to edit or proof read it. Just pure stream of consciousness.

[inbarfink]

Goddam, just seeing Simon in these last two episodes is really flooding me with so many conflicting emotions.

Because, on the one hand, after his lowest point in Episode 4 - resigning himself to death in the hands of the Scarab - he’s clearly finally doing better. Just look at him making plans

And showing off his smarts

And finally genuinely smiling and feeling happy

And being so glad to meet the alt versions of his friends

And getting excited about his nerdy shit for the first time in glob-knows-how-long

And cracking goofy geeky jokes

And offering others the same grace and kindness he was given when he was trapped under the curse of the Magic Crown

And trying to be comforting and fatherly and give Fionna advice and cheer her up

He’s so clearly doing a lot better now, he’s rediscovering aspects of himself that his depression has torn away from him, he found a meaning and purpose in his life again. And it should warm my heart, and on some level it does....

But it also sends a chill down my spine knowing that this purpose that brought back the light into Simon’s eyes, the purpose he finally found is sacrificing his mind and identity again for the sake of Fionna’s happiness and her world.

He’s throwing himself right back into the miserable existence and the trauma he tries so hard to move forward from. He’s dooming himself because he honestly believes now that he’s always going to be miserable and lonely and fucked up so he might as well have be the kind of miserable and fucked up that is not lucid enough to know how miserable he is all of the time. The kind of misery that at least fits into his world.

Because he started to romanticize being the Ice King in a twisted kinda way, and now he has found the excuse to turn it into a selfless, noble act. Because the only way he feels like he’s useful and like he has worth is by protecting and helping and sacrificing himself for the sake of others.

(And like, especially in light of how he was trying to resign himself to death just moments before coming up with his plan. Not to get extremely dark, but.... suicidal people often seem to ‘get better’ just before the try to kill themselves. Because they feel like they’re finally ‘doing something’ and their misery is almost over. That kinda feels what Simon is going through right now? Becoming the Ice King again is not literally death, but it is a sort of death for Simon Petrikov’s identity.)

And this new sense of purpose in saving Fionnaworld by dooming himself is clearly blinding Simon to so many obviously telegraphed signs that this is a horrible idea.

He saw hints of just how badly Farmworld Finn has been dealing with his own Magic Crown Related Trauma

and maybe if things would’ve been different this could’ve been something they could have commiserated over. Simon could’ve had someone who understood a bit of what he has gone through, and seeing a version of Finn, of all people, face similar struggles - maybe could’ve helped him feel a little less Uniquely and Irredeemably Fucked Up. (For bonus points, they're ALSO both dealing with the grief of losing their Significant Other)

But his newfound obsession that Everything Will Be Better Once He’s Cursed again was making him totally ignore all of this.

And then there’s their little adventure in the Winter Kingdom. Which had both the Candy Queen/Princess Bubblegum as a perfect reminder of the suffering and pain involved in being trapped in the Madness of the Magic Crown

And the Winter King as a reminder of the harmful and twisted things he was capable of doing as the Ice King.

But instead he basically refused to learn any lesson from that Universe that’s not just ‘Fuck That Version of Me Specifically’ and tried to advice Fionna to do the same.

But well, while I am still worried about Simon’s mental state, his improved disposition does give me a little bit of hope. Hope that maybe he himself will notice that he is doing better and won’t be quite so eager to sacrifice his own sanity. Or maybe more likely, hope that now that he’s not just a miserable sadman screaming at their faces

Fionna and Cake are growing to appreciate Simon Petrikov for who he is and will simply refuse to let him sacrifice himself for their sake. Because, yeah, Simon tried to tell Fionna to not worry about all of that Winter Kingdom stuff, that it was just that Simon was ‘messed up’ - but since when does Fionna Campbell do what she’s told?

[avoxrising]

The Feral One • Epilogue

Finnick x Y/N

Series Masterlist Link

Prequel is coming in a few months! I haven’t made a Taglist yet and probably won’t start one till I’m closer to publishing. I’ll make a post tagging this series’ Taglist when I’m starting the next one.

Content Warnings - Mentions of fertility issues/miscarriage; death; the end of this series (don’t worry it’s a good ending imo)

Dear Brielle,

A lot has happened in seventeen years. I’ve now lived half of my life without you, mom, and dad. I’ve been thinking about you a lot so my husband Finnick (yes that Finnick lol) said I should write you a letter of all the things I wanted to tell you but never could.

A little over ten years ago we killed President Snow. The districts rebelled and won. The war was brutal and there were times I nearly died, but Finnick pulled me through.

We got married a year later. We never really did the whole dating thing, our friendship just evolved into a beautiful romance overnight. He was there for me after you left and he has been here ever since.

The years since the war have not been easy. I’ve had bouts of seizures that leave me bedridden and ill for days. The doctors said my condition should be worse so I should be grateful. Countless medications and treatments have made slight improvements to my health but the pain will always be there.

Two years after our wedding we almost hit our breaking point. Finnick and I had been trying to start a family for over a year but nothing was working. It was the most frustrating experience of my life post-war and I do not wish those struggles on anyone.

Three years after our wedding, Mags passed of old age. Although we were sad, we were all glad she got to live out her last few years in a free Panem. Johanna decided to move in with Annie afterwards so she wouldn’t be alone. We are still neighbors to this day.

Four years after our wedding, I got pregnant, only to lose the baby a few months in due to a bad seizure. This was Finnick and I’s lowest point to date.

It’s now been a bit over 9 years since I married the love of my life and the father of my child. We were finally blessed with a baby boy, Neptune, 4 years ago today. He is everything I could have asked for in a child; rambunctious, kind, and adventurous. He looks just like his father but acts like his mother.

Two years ago, Neptune’s best friend arrived in District 4. Annie and Johanna adopted a little girl, Jodie, from District 7. Neptune and her do EVERYTHING together. Finnick keeps joking that we should build a tunnel between our two houses so the kids can hang out all the time.

All in all, it’s been a very painful 34 years of existence. Part of me is glad you didn’t have to witness what happened. The other part of me still hopes you’re out there, even though I know you aren’t. I hope that wherever you are, you’re at peace.

Love, your dear sister,

Y/N

Taglist:

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*if the tag didn’t work please check your settings to make sure other blogs can tag you

[fbfh]

Hey! Then in hoo it is mentioned that Leo has dealt with a lot of bullies and horrible people since Esperanza died, I could ask for something like him and his s/o going to do something normal like shopping and end up running into one of these people And they keep making fun of Leo so his s/o defends him and comforts him or something like that(sorry if it seems confusing, English is not my first language haha)

first of all your english is great babes!! not confusing at all <33

ah yes. the bitchy girls. the asshole mean girls who have a fucking superpower for sniffing out adhd and autism and other neurodivergent traits like fucking blood hounds. the devils in lululemon leggings and nike sneakers who worship the ground hailey bieber walks on and keep their marc jacobs tote bags full of knives to stab anyone and everyone in the back with the moment the see an opportunity to.

those girls.

Leo's been able to avoid them for a while. Drew was the worst at camp, but she was a watered down version of them - Leo realized at some point that Drew adopting those traits was her own way of dealing with shit, and the more time she spent at camp since Piper became head of cabin, the more chilled out she's gotten.

There were barely any mean girls at MIT, none he had trouble avoiding at least. But now he's here, back in the real world, shopping for groceries for your little apartment you have together. And in the real world, fresh out of nursing school, is Emily. The exact same Emily from the school he went to before camp half blood. At 15, Leo went through a lot of shit. School was hell, his foster family was so bad he ran away enough to be sent to the wilderness school, and he was at one of the lowest points of his entire life.

You don't know who she is, but from the look on Leo's face, the sudden, sharp drop in his energy, the way he starts picking at his hands and gets all jittery. He hopes he can get away with it, hopes she won't even recognize him.

"Oh my god... Leo Valdez?"

you grimace at her voice, the way she mispronounces his last name, and your hackles rise. She looks at you in shock, seeming to hold back a laugh.

"Wait, is he your boyfriend?"

She says it like it's some joke, like this whole thing is hilarious.

"He used to be so awkward!" she giggles, "Wow, you look exactly the same."

Leo can read you like a book, and he knows you are SO pissed off for him.

"Yeah," You say with an equally sarcastic smile, "I had no idea you guys were the same age, you look so much older. I never would have known you guys were in the same class."

She blanches a little, and you double down.

"Leo actually just graduated top of his class at MIT. He has, like, a dozen job offers already." You smile at him proudly. "So how about you, are you... doing anything?"

"Mhm." She nods, the humor suddenly gone. "Nursing school. I just started."

"Oh," you nod, glancing over at Leo and sharing a subtle look with him, "well, we better get going, we have some open houses to get to."

As you walk away, still close enough for her to hear, you mutter to Leo, stifling a smile.

"Wow. The mean girl to nursing school pipeline is real." You chuckle, "And like, she does know it's not 2016 anymore, right? Cause her eyebrows don't seem to..."

He's so surprised that after an interaction with her, after all these years, he actually feels... okay. Outside the shithole of high school, with you by his side, she doesn't seem nearly as intimidating as she had. He's not sure how you got him to realize that so quickly, but he realizes that there's nothing that feels that intimidating when you're by his side. And you're right, her eyebrows are just as awful as her personality.

[protagonistically]

Like, I get it. DC had a vested interest in making Bruce and Tim have a father/son dynamic because that's what they knew would work. That's what Bruce and Dick (though I think Dick fans will argue that they're more like brothers, which makes sense to me) have and that's what Bruce and Jason had/have. They thought, hey, we'll just rinse and repeat because that's what we know works with Batman and Robin.

But that just isn't the natural dynamic for them? Tim had a family for 13 years, a mom and a dad with their own issues, for sure, but in theory, we know that Tim loved them a lot. They were his mom and his dad. And I do think Tim was probably a pretty lonely kid and that's what makes the bond with Dick so cool. Like now he's got that big brother that he probably didn't know he was missing. And in Helena, a sister that fills that space. You'll never convince me that Tim didn't constantly ask his parents for a baby brother or sister for Christmas or Hanukkah.

Tim doesn't have a missing Dad space! And that's good! It makes him different and it honestly it creates a much more interesting dynamic between Tim and Bruce. Because now you get to play with different roles, like a gen-x boss with a gen-z employee! Fun! You get to puzzle through how they feel about each other as their relationship grows from how Tim started off, a distraction and support during the lowest point in Bruce's life, to a mentor/mentee relationship to them becoming friends and then colleagues.

And that brings me to my next point, DC really isn't utilizing Drake family lore enough. All jokes aside about Jack giving Dana the ugliest haunted medallion as a wedding gift, the Drakes had kind of cool jobs. There's so much potential there for family angst, and adventures and side quests. And that's just with Jack and Janet!

DIG DEEPER DC D:

[tyrantisterror]

Wherefore Art Thou Clownfucker?

A while back I made a post explaining why vampires appeal to me, and while it was mostly in a more general sense, there was a specific focus on why I find them, you know, hot. And it was that was in part because I had recently discovered that I'm apparently surrounded by Werewolf fuckers on here, much to my dismay as a Vampire fucker. It's like being the only goth kid at a rockabilly concert or something. I felt defensive, is the point! I needed to go to bat (heh) for my pale ladies (and Astarion.... and Spike)!

And now, because Muncher compels me to do so, I'm doing the same for Clowns. My other pale ladies.

Now, keep in mind the fact that I'm a monsterfucker first and foremost, and that my clownfuckery is really more derived from my monsterfuckery. I imagine the middle section of the Clownfucker/Monsterfucker diagram is pretty big, but I also know there are some clownfuckers who are very much NOT monsterfuckers, and vice versa. This is not the case for vampirefuckers, who are nestled firmly within the monsterfucker circle, because while all vampires are monsters, not all clowns are monsters. I bring this up because while I'm gonna try to explain clownfuckery on its own terms, there is likely going to be some monsterfucker bias in my explanations and defense. That's just how it is on this bitch of an earth!

I'm gonna get real pretentious here and talk about the historic role of clowns for a moment. From Comedia del Arte harlequins to medieval court Jesters, the clown's role has always been that of Comic Relief. They are, simply put, here to be tonally dissonant - when everyone else is serious and dramatic, a clown comes in as this weird, silly, incongruously hilarious element that contrasts the gravity of everything around them. "Relief" is really the key word here - a clown's job is to provide levity when otherwise there would be none. When everything is dark, they provide a little light.

That's the core emotional appeal of clownfucking - a clown is/should be someone who can make you smile when you need it the most. Kingdom's at war, family's fighting, your life's in shambles? The clown will make you laugh. Everything feels dark and gloomy and depressing? Here comes a silly little goofball wearing bright, clashing colors and jingling with each step because they're covered in bells, and all they want to do is tell jokes until you start laughing. Clowns are, by intent, that sweet sweet hit of dopamine personified.

Clowns are here to make you smile.

Another important historical detail about clowns is their unique place in the hierarchy of society - namely, being entirely outside of it. A jester was in some respects the lowest person on the totem pole, a fool that had power over no one and nothing, living to be laughed at. Yet, because they had no power over anyone, it was generally poor taste to take offense to anything a jester said, which meant they could talk more freely than anyone else - when everyone else acts like a butt-kissing sycophant, a jester is free to talk shit and speak their mind.

The traditional attire and appearance of clowns plays into both of these traits: the bright, gaudy clothing and makeup is silly, yes, but it's also a sign that the clown does not give a single shit about fashion and other social norms. A clown is, by nature, an anomaly, a misfit, a rebel.

Nowadays we have another word for people with that attitude. Clowns are punk.

Weird makeup, crayola red hair, patchwork clothes...

I would say the very fact that "normal" people look at clownfucking as some sort of inexplicable fetish is, in fact, part of the appeal. It's a form of xenophilia, of attraction to things that are different and othered, a love for outsiders and misfits and oddballs. To fuck a clown is to show love and adoration for something outside of the realm of what is socially acceptable - something silly, goofy, and weird, yet also often harmless. After all, a clown's main purpose is to make you smile.

That's not to say that clowns have to be harmless to be attractive, mind you. Tons of people, many much smarter than I, have talked about the cultural shift of our perception of clowns that began somewhere in the 1980's. Clowns went from being viewed as genuinely fun and cute to primarily being figures of fear and terror - if a clown shows up in modern media, even if it's innocuous, there will always be at least one character who vocally talks about how creepy they think clowns are.

That may in part be due to the fact that clowns have such a benign mission statement - a lot of people, especially nowadays, do not trust a person who claims they just want to make others happy. Anyone who acts like that MUST be up to something - there must be something nefarious going on, some evil plan, some lurking danger.

Which is where you REALLY bring the monsterfuckers in.

You really don't need to do that much with a clown's design to push it firmly into monster territory - "a pale person with sharp teeth" is the bare minimum it takes to make a vampire, after all (and even the pale part can be downplayed).

And a clown's dedication to making things "funny" can make for a very enjoyably-scary persona for a monster - hell, half the appeal of the Addams Family is that they're a bunch of freakish inhuman monsters who react to a bunch of scary shit with absolute delight and adoration. Again, the tonal dissonance element is at play here, albeit in a different way - even when Clowns are the darkness in your world, they still bring light in the sense that they view it that darkness as funny in of itself.

(hell, the word "harlequin" means "five horns," and may be rooted in folkloric monsters like Herne the Hunter depending on who you ask, so in a way clowns have always been monster-coded)

I think all of this is pretty well exemplified in the current Patron Saint of Clownfuckers, the goddess of Clownfuckery if you will, Harley Quinn. Hailing from a story whose main setting is such a Gothic Horror-inspired nightmarish shithole of a city that it's literally called Gotham, surrounded by characters who are at least 60% gothic horror archetypes by volume, opposed by a hero who literally dresses like a Dracula, it is inarguable that Harley Quinn is surrounded by darkness that's both literal and figurative.

But she's always smiling, and not in an ironic way.

Harley Quinn suffers intense abuse, she's drawn into wicked schemes, and in the way of most modern clowns, she causes no small amount of mayhem and suffering herself. But even at her darkest, she's always smiling, always trying to find the bright side.

She's a rebel, she's a punk. Almost everyone thinks she's beneath them. Almost all of those people get proven they're wrong. In a world full of tyrannical hierarchies, she steps outside of them.

She's an outsider, a misfit, an oddball. And she wants to make you smile.

I think you can probably see the appeal of that.

[keldae]

Art done by the incomparable @aevari, and I could not be more delighted with this! They do such amazing work!! <3

---

Mother wasn’t joking when she said that Waterdhavians like an excuse for a party, Devi mused as she stood back, watching the ongoing chaos in the expansive room. It was still so surreal that all these people in the room had gathered to witness her wedding to Gale. Laughter echoed through the building as Devi smiled, playing with the ring on her left hand – a match to the one that Gale wore. 

She felt a hand on her lower back, and knew without looking that it was her husband – her husband! – standing at her side. “Ahh, look at it all,” Gale chuckled as he gazed out over the room. “So many people who’ve come to witness our union, my love.”

“I never thought this day would happen,” Devi confessed, shifting to lean against Gale’s side. “If I did ever get married, I had expected that it would just be an exchange of vows before some overworked priest in the Stormshore Tabernacle, maybe with a couple of friends to witness it… and it probably would have ended poorly.” She looked away from the gathering of friends and family to smile up at Gale. “I never could have imagined a day like today, with everyone we know and love here.”

Gale smiled and leaned down to nuzzle her nose with his own. “Today has been perfect,” he murmured. “I got to stand before our friends and family, and profess my undying devotion to the woman I love… my wife.” He breathed out the last words, as if still awestruck at the realisation that Devi was married to him now.

“My husband,” she whispered with a fond smile, reaching to set her hand on his chest, over his heart. In the peek of his chest that his elegant robes offered, there was no sign of the cursed Netherese orb that had nearly killed him – Mystra had cleansed Gale of the damned thing as she’d promised. Gale was whole and healthy again, and Devi couldn’t be more grateful.

His eyes full of love, Gale set his hand on top of Devi’s, keeping her still against his chest. His other hand came up to caress her cheek. “My beautiful Devi, who stole my heart and gave me back my will to live…” he murmured. “How did I get so lucky as to be loved by you?”

Devi smiled as Gale tilted her face upwards. “I’m still trying to figure out how I was so fortunate as to find you and be loved by you,” she softly answered. “My wise, intelligent wizard. You cast a spell on me without even trying.”

“You saw me at my lowest point, and you still chose to love me,” Gale whispered. “You gave me hope where I had none.”

“You saw the parts of me that I tried to keep hidden,” Devi responded. “You gave me a reason to trust again.”

With a fond smile, Gale bent his head to gently kiss Devi’s lips before he pulled back to look at her. “You would have been beautiful even in rags, my love,” he murmured. “But in this… you are a vision of beauty and grace, Devi. And I am the luckiest man on Toril, to call you my wife.”

Smiling, Devi reached her hand up to gently tuck a stray lock of hair behind Gale’s ear. “And you, my breathtaking wizard… you are magnificent. You were gorgeous even covered in mud and blood on our adventure, but today… you make a work of art pale in comparison.”

Gale chuckled and kissed her again. “My perfect, beautiful wife…” he murmured. He looked up as Alfira, who had volunteered her services as a bard for the celebration, started strumming a song on her lyre. “Ah, one of our favourites,” he said with a smile. “May I have this dance, Mrs. Dekarios?”

“You absolutely may,” Devi answered, laughing as Gale took her hand and led her to the floor to dance in his arms.

This, she thought to herself as she let Gale lead her in one of the Waterdhavian dances that he had taught her, was indeed a perfect day. She had been made to feel more beautiful than she ever had in her life, and she was celebrating with everyone she loved, and she could finally call the man she adored her husband.

Today was the first day of the rest of her life. And she was eagerly looking forward to it, with Gale at her side.

[honeyjars-sims]

Chapter 3 Prologue: This Must Be the Place

Johnny’s eyes were fixed on the mirror as he clumsily attempted to knot his tie. “Ugh, I can't get this right,” he mumbled.

"Let me help.” Solomon took the ends of the tie from his son's trembling hands.

“Feeling nervous?”

“A little,” Johnny admitted. “I don’t know why, though.” The feeling was more similar to excitement than anxiety but he was still surprised at how jittery he was. “It’s a big day!” David interjected. “I think everyone gets a bit nervous when they get married.” “I know I was a mess!” Solomon laughed at the memory. “Remember how I could barely get any words out during our vows?”

“I do." David placed his hand on Solomon's cheek. “You were so cute.” “Well that makes me feel better.” Johnny was relieved to know he wasn’t alone in having pre-wedding jitters. “You have nothing to worry about, son." Solomon smiled. “You’re about to marry the love of your life.”

“Everyone decent?” Chantal’s head appeared around the door frame, her hand shielding her face. “As decent as we can be! Johnny replied. “I was told to give you this." Chantal handed him a letter.

“Who’s it from?” Chantal rolled her eyes. "The President." “Oh, great, I was hoping he'd get back to me.” Johnny recognized the print on the envelope as the same one used for the wedding invitations, which he knew wasn't by accident.

He and [redacted] had squabbled over which design to go with for weeks before Johnny finally relented. "Fine, you can have your boring-ass white invitations if you want them that bad!" He'd yelled, and after a few seconds of silence they'd both dissolved into fits of laughter. Who could have imagined he'd be so passionate about stationary of all things? It was such a silly disagreement that it became a recurring joke anytime they had a difference of opinion during wedding planning.

“We’ll give you a moment,” Solomon told Johnny as he and the others exited the room. Johnny began reading the letter:

John, my love, Words can’t express how excited I am that today is our wedding day. When we first met I never would have imagined that we'd end up here, but now I can't picture anyone I'd rather have standing by my side. We've both grown so much since then and I know it's because we bring out the best in each other. There's so much more I want to tell you, but I'm saving it for my vows. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to use this envelope one last time! With all my love, [redacted]

“Johnny.” Solomon leaned against the door frame. “It’s time.” As Johnny made his way to the ceremony, he couldn’t help but think back to how it all began. How he had gone from one of the lowest points in his life to the highest in what seemed like such a short amount of time.

He wasn’t the same man today as he’d been back then, but he was grateful for where the journey started. He didn’t know it then, but all of that pain led him right here where he needed to be.

To the one he was meant to be with.

Previous | Beginning of story | Beginning of chapter | Next

This Must be the Place (Naive Melody)--The Talking Heads

Home is where I want to be Pick me up and turn me round I feel numb, born with a weak heart I guess I must be having fun

The less we say about it the better Make it up as we go along Feet on the ground, head in the sky It's okay, I know nothing's wrong, nothing

Hi yo, I got plenty of time Hi yo, you got light in your eyes And you're standing here beside me I love the passing of time

Never for money, always for love Cover us and say goodnight Say goodnight

Home is where I want to be But I guess I'm already there I come home, she lifted up her wings I guess that this must be the place

I can't tell one from another Did I find you, or you find me? There was a time before we were born If someone asks, this where I'll be, where I'll be

Hi yo, we drift in and out Hi yo, sing into my mouth Out of all those kinds of people You got a face with a view

I'm just an animal looking for a home, and Share the same space for a minute or two And you love me 'til my heart stops Love me 'til I'm dead Eyes that light up, eyes look through you Cover up the blank spots Hit me on the head

[bomber-grl]

Enemies to lovers with Nico Di Angelo

Pairing(s): Nico Di Angelo x Male Reader

The worst honestly

I mean there’s obviously underlying reasons as to why you’re hostile towards him but the main one was mostly petty…

You were walking around camp as usual, tending to whatever it is you need to.

If you’re being honest, you thought he was kinda cute so ofc u approached him

You couldn’t have been aware that Nico was going through a lot and his response to you? It was silence

He ignored you and usually you’d leave it be but you decided to be nice and ask what was up

And him? He insulted you to your core and you didn’t even know the man

Like damn, take me to dinner first…

At that time you were just shocked but later on, well you became furious

Nico didn’t even remember you until you began purposefully doing things to irritate him

From then on all the antics just snowballed into this huge thing

To the point where others were affected too

It’s not like either of you cared tho, no not at all

Nico even went as far as getting annoyed when other people complained

That was the closest you’d get to agreeing, even then you were constantly at eachothers throats to the point where everyone knew to make sure you were paired or near eachother

It was until, well you were forced to go on some mission

You honestly could care less

Just get it over with and live the rest of your life

That’s all you wanted

But of course things just had to go wrong

You had unfortunately intruded in on Nico’s privacy

Aka his traumas due to some monsters magic or something

You don’t even care or remember

Afterwards it was so painfully awkward

Not to mention that the trauma seemed so raw that whenever you slightly mentioned it he’d snap at you

Honestly understandable

Eventually tho? He sighed and just caved into telling you

He became so painfully distant afterwards too

Not that you cared

But just that it made things even more difficult

You’d do things for him to ease it

So ofc you decide what else can I do besides open up and tell him my traumas too?

How idiotic…

Welp you tell him and he surprisingly understands

From then on it’s still awkward cuz you guys were so passive aggressive to each other

But mostly now cuz you’ve seen each other at your lowest

Albeit through visions/words

I mean at some point you thought you made peace

You’d talk and even joke with eachother

He seemed comfortable

And you’d also admit that you felt comfortable around him too

Until you didn’t

Out of no where he started being weird

You’d be slaying some monster and then after saying something in approval about the fight

He’d shrink in on himself and shy away

It was like this for so long at some point you’re by the fire you set up that you just snap

I mean you were being nice and bro didn’t seem to want to talk

But he never did

So you tried

And when he shooed you away?

Well you lost it

You snapped at him and began going off on all you pent up feelings the last couple of weeks days

And him? He didn’t take it well either

He started yelling at you too and tried to harm you

Although he mightve just lost control-

Anyway you weren’t having any of that so you pushed him against the wall in the cave you were in and ofc started going at him

Yelling at him, I mean

What’d u think I meant, you pervert 🫵🤨

You even shook him for good measure 🙄

Ofc u forced him to spit out his reasons

“I LIKE YOU OK???”

🧍he yells that so suddenly you don’t got any words to say

Like damn

Nico immediately freaks

I mean look at Percy

He scared you might think badly of him and you sorta gotta smack some sense into him or else he’ll self deprecate and get lost in his head

So once you do you just gotta go through the most awkward thing ever and mumble out a “I like you too” while kicking a rock non chalantly

Yall both just standing there all awkward too

Then you talk it out

It’s all cool and when you return back to camp everyone’s shocked at the fact that you left camp as enemies

And returned as lovers 💀

If you ever mention it to Nico he’ll just giggle and think it was funny/play off your past grudge against eachother

[ankh-morporkianpostalworker]

Anatomy of a Hero - Samuel Vimes

He wanted to go home. He wanted it so much that he trembled at the thought. But if the price of that was selling good men to the night, if the price was filling those graves, if the price was not fighting with every trick he knew... Then it was too high. History finds a way? Well, it would have to come up with something good, because it was up against Sam Vimes now.

Terry Pratchett, Night Watch

Fantasy has created some truly remarkable characters, and it's fair to say that Samuel Vimes of the Discworld series is among them - and he's a personal favorite.

This is the first in a (sporadic) series of posts analyzing my favorite fantasy protagonists and what I think makes them work as characters and how they fit into their stories.

Samuel Vimes is the protagonist of eight of Terry Pratchett's seminal Discworld novels - specifically, Guards! Guards!, Men at Arms, Feet of Clay, Jingo, Fifth Elephant, Night Watch, Thud!, and Snuff. These novels make up what is colloquially referred to as the City Watch series, and they answer the question "what if the city guard in a fantasy series got stuff done?"

Vimes is the head of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch and starts off as a parody of the drunken watch captain, literally waking up in a gutter at the start of Guards! Guards!. While it's obvious from the start that he has a sense of justice and a desire to see justice served, years of being beaten down by a city that doesn't need him anymore has left him at his lowest point. In fact, Guards! Guards! is about him getting her proverbial groove back and solving his first real mystery in ages.

We then see Vimes grow into a respected member of the community, transforming the City Watch from a joke (at the start of the series, it's four people) into a pillar of the City, an institution in its own right.

Vimes himself struggles with addiction throughout the series with the help of his wife, Sybil, and members of the Watch (especially his right-hand man, Carrot), going from alcohol to cigars to bacon sandwiches by the end of the series.

We also see how Vimes fits into the central theme of the City Watch - social inequality and the importance of overcoming it. Sam starts the series with a... not-great view of the non-human residents of the city of Ankh-Morpork (although this view is better described as general misanthropy than racism, with him distrusting anyone who isn't his wife or a member of the Watch). This view is changed as the series progresses - between the first two novels, a coalition of minority groups successfully sues the city of Ankh-Morpork for employment discrimination in government positions and Vimes is forced to allow non-human people into the Watch. He comes to recognize that these people are, well, people with value not only as people but as law enforcement officials. Twice, Vimes uses his social power to advocate for downtrodden species to be treated as people, with full rights and protections under the law - for golems in Feet of Clay and goblins in Snuff, and the City Watch becomes the most diverse organization in the entirety of Discworld.

The last thing I'll talk about is Vimes' aforementioned desire for justice. Night Watch gives us a view into the life of an early Sam Vimes (Vimes is sent back in time to just before the Glorious Revolution, a now-forgotten struggle against a despot) - indeed, in his youth Sam was a revolutionary, inspired by Sgt. John Keel (whom Vimes takes the place of after finding Keel dead). During this Revolution, young Sam Vimes witnessed a number of things that would impact him for the rest of his life, including the torture chambers of The Unspeakables, a secret police force who committed horrible crimes in the name of the public good and who act as the antagonists of the novel. The quote that started this essay comes from near the climax of the novel, and I think it really encapsulates that desire for justice and why Sam Vimes works as a protagonist - one of the best in fantasy.

[breadraccoon]

I’m trying to watch season 4 of TUA. It’s painful. I’m struggling to get through right now. I just hate how they’re treating Diego, Lila, and Five

I just want to throw my fix-it season 4 idea into the ring. Why couldn’t we get a season of struggling but happy new parents Diego and Lila. That still can be interesting plot line. They both lived very action packed lives. I can see why the transition to domestic life would be a struggle. So why can’t Lila’s family play a bigger role in them figuring out their family dynamic.

One, how did they find out Lila’s family is still alive? They just kind of showed up. That really bothered me honestly. Anyways Diego always talked about struggling to find his place in Lila’s family. But what about Lila. There could have been a huge discrepancy between who Lila’s family think she is and who she actually is. Lila didn’t grow up with them. She doesn’t know them. But she wants to learn how to navigate and be a part of their lives. She could talk learn to open up more and that it’s ok to rely on others. Maybe she could talked to her mom about her insecurities of being a mom.

And Diego. He came from a really broken and abusive family. He’s never had relatives who try to look out for him. I guess Pogo counts, but it would have been nice to show him trying to bond with Lila’s newly alive family. Maybe during Diego’s lowest point in their marriage, Lila’s Dad comes out to help him. Or maybe Lila’s parents come to Diego because they don’t understand why Lila is so different. I would have love to see Diego awkwardly try to make small talk with her very judgmental aunties. Maybe he could learn to be less hash on himself. He’s doing his best. He thinks he needs to be this picture perfect father, husband, and a hero. But maybe Lila’s father goes and sits down with Diego. He look at Diego and say he is enough. He can’t see anyone better than Diego to be Lila husband. And for the first time in Diego’s life he gets a father figure who see him and sees how big his heart is. Lila’s Father heals a hole Diego didn’t know he had.

My outline for this little subplot:

Lila’s parents aren’t there from the start. Lila and Diego are trying to wing it on their own. They are struggling to make means fit. There is a growing distance forming in their relationship.

Lila is struggling to fit into the life this Timeline’s Lila was apparently living. Maybe she is a botanist(I just want to make a Lila can’t stop getting her plants killed joke. Her parent did own a flower shop). Diego is still working a life draining job.

Maybe Diego family is still around like they are in season 4. It’s still awkward though

For Lila’s parents, Lila just went straight missing. One days she was around and then the next she was gone. For six years they’re left wondering where she went

Her family hires a detective to find her and that detective’s snooping around freaks Lila and Diego out. Why is this person following them around? Are they a spy?

Hijinks ensue :)

Eventually they capture the detective and they quickly tells the couple why they were hired.

Lila is floored. Her family is alive and has been looking for her. She immediately wants to find them. Diego agrees. He understands the importance of this to her.

They find Lila family and Diego talks Lila out of backing out. She scared and doesn’t know how to act around them

The first meeting is awkward and goes horribly. Lila and Diego come up with an amnesia excuse for why Lila is so different. Lila and Diego are quickly overwhelmed by her family.

They still joke about them meeting in a mental asylum, and it doesn’t land. Not everyone believes Diego’s intentions are true. The timeline of their relationship is not great. And the cracks in their relationship are showing

But they spend the night, and Lila gets some time way from Diego to defend him in front of her family. She explains why he’s so important to her and her family decides to give him a chance(especially since they have a kid together)

Oh yeah they only have one kid. Why have multiple kids if you just call them the twins? I hate when writers give pairings kids and then give them no personality. Kids are people too.

Que montage of Diego trying and failing to impress Lila’s family. Diego is really upset. He wants so hard to be able to fit in to Lila’s family. But he doesn’t know how to turn off his tough guy act.

Diego’s family show up and they are no help. The in-laws are all side eying each other.

Lila had to go do timeline shenanigans with five(NO CHEATING SUBPLOT) maybe five has a one side-crush on Lila. Lila turns him down. But Five does take an active roll in protecting Lila’s family. You know positive healing (Everything doesn’t need to be so depressing)

While Lila is gone, Diego is primarily looking after grace. And Lila’s family see how good he is with their kid. Lila’s father has a heart to heart with Diego. They talk about how Diego can potentially fix the distance slowly coming between him and Lila.

Lila comes back. She hugs the shit out of her family. She comes out with full honesty of who she is and why she is so different. Five helps explain too

Her family is stunned, but they still see Lila as family. They want to help her. They are very wary of Five. They embrace Diego’s weird family though.

No one dies in the end. And they all go on breaking the cycle of abuse.

I get why they potentially couldn’t do this kind of subplot. Six episodes is a really short run. This kind of plot line would have been really condensed, but I feel like this would have been significantly better for their characters.

This is me just making up ideas off the cuff. If you want to use this idea, go ahead. I’ve got too many fics I’m already working on right now.

[deuterium51614]

Boueibu Rewatch Part 1

I've been working on transcribing Crunchyroll's subtitles to use on my bluray rips (to be able to watch the Definitive Version™️of Boueibu lol) but I only just started working on the second episode last night.

("Definitive" because of the pink and blue bars with extra text, filters for bright lights and some ghost frames being removed, changes like the summer uniforms, the ED at the end of the first episode, etc.)

So, for my rewatch today I opted back in to the lowest premium tier so I could watch the episodes on the big screen without having to rely on my laptop.

Something to note is that Crunchyroll has changed some subtitles from when it first came out, and I'll bring up the ones I remember. No idea when they were changed, since I tend to watch it offline. (Last time I watched on my TV was 2021, and it was definitely on Crunchyroll because we kept joking about the repetitive car dealership ads, back before they removed the ability to watch Boueibu without a premium membership.)

If they're recent changes, could it be part of the Funimation merger? Or could they be updating subtitles to be closer to an English dub?? How often does Crunchyroll go back in to old shows and make changes, anyway?

Episode One

In En's chikuwabu speech, I could've sworn that they changed the subtitles from "it rejects others and denies its wheat-based origins" (because wasn't the point of the line that it "stays as wheat flour mixed with water," as he says in the previous line?) but apparently it's still there. Maybe I'm thinking of the Funimation subs? (Which used to be available for free on Tubi, but aren't anymore. RIP the Enny/Kinny/Atsu nicknames)

Anyway, something I never noticed before: when Wombat is tackled by Yumoto in the first episode, he's got rice around his mouth.

For the first episode, like I said above the bluray has the OP before the title card and the ED at the end.

During the line "I miss you," it's En on the screen, pointing.

So that, combined with:

the fact En is in the seat behind Kinshirou

you don't know necessarily who Kinshirou is looking at when he turns

it hasn't been established yet that the Defense Club wears their Battle Lover colors for casual clothes (because of the flashback in the ED)

...it could be said that up until the previews for episode four, the viewer could assume Kinshirou was childhood friends with En, and he's mad at Atsushi for taking him away. And now I'm thinking of a different version/cut of Boueibu where the episode four flashback didn't happen (or Atsushi's face isn't shown), and it's a big twist that the viewer thinks En was the childhood friend for the entire show until the final battle.

Episode Two

This is where I noticed the most changes in subtitles (because I was just transcribing it last night). Entire lines are different! Some have big effects on the tone or meaning, while others are easily swapped. (There's so many I'm literally just watching them side by side now, and also skipping some of them.)

Io's line "Anyway, can we ask Wombat about the aftermath now?" has become "Anyway, can we talk about why Wombat appears to be dead now?"

En's line "We can't take these things off, can we?" became "These things won't come off."

Tawarayama's "Now you shall not worry" became "Now you need not worry."

Ryuu's "'Shall' in this day and age..." is "'Need not' in this day and age..."

Atsushi's "I can't believe you're touching him, Yumoto." -> "I don't know how you can touch him, Yumoto."

Wombat's "It's a 'joint life'!" -> "We are 'living jointly'!"

Atsushi's "I've never heard that one before..." -> "I don't know where you pulled that one from..."

Wombat's "I had no choice but to run at full speed!" -> I had no choice but to run with all my might!"

"You made it done."/"Truly done." -> "You did it, all right."/"Really did it." (I like this one because it matches the previous lines "You did it, huh?"/"You sure did it.")

"Am I to shoulder all the responsibility by myself?" -> "Is the responsibility truly mine alone to bear?"

En's "You're a creepy guy." -> "You're so creepy."

Ryuu's "That's fishy!" became "Talk about corrupt!"

"It's okay to have various definitions of love." -> "It's fine that everyone has his own definition of love."

Ibushi's "rustling the leaves" became "rustling young leaves," though I think that's something that was in later episodes' subs and they just went back and made it consistent.

The chopstick monster's "Multiply!" became "Multiply further!"

"That's a more [insignificant -> unintelligible] reason than I was expecting."

"It's true that it's nice to have a matching set." -> "It's true that it feels more complete that way."

"I knew they'd react like that." -> "They're right to react like that." (They made it funnier lol)

"Your images and voices have been altered to protect your [privacy -> personal information]."

Wario's "Green..." -> "Eco-friendly." (Funimation subs iirc had him say "Eco.")

Episode Three

Don't think there were any changes to the subtitles, though it's been a while since I've watched the version I have offline.

My dad came into the room for parts of this episode. "Talking teddy bears?" he asked when Wombat was sitting on the desks, raising his hand. Said Ryuu looked more like a princess than a prince. And when everyone was falling in love with the monster: "Bestiality??" Also commented that he felt like he was losing brain cells watching it, and kept giving me concerned glances lol

I've always thought it was funny how the guys' plan was to get more votes for Ryuu so he could beat Akoya, but...two of their plans don't involve getting votes for him. Maybe the wrestler and urinal guy were going to vote for Akoya before they were convinced otherwise? That's the only way it makes sense for me.

[bubble-popping]

day 10! more roleswap au :) this time c!dteam actually have good communication? crazy stuff

George followed the pacing netherborn with a bored gaze. Black hair was ablaze with tall flames, lighting up the entire ravine with its intensity. Even so far back, George could feel the heat, but he'd long grown accustomed to his friend's explosive outbursts.

"And he was totally clueless! He acted like he didn't just murder like ten people! Then he just-poof! Gone! What kind of coward does that?!"

"I think you're totally overthinking this, Sap-"

"And you!!" The panda hybrid abruptly spun around to point at him. "How are you so calm about this!? He just killed you!!"

"Me and several other people, yeah. That's kinda how firework rockets work."

"Aren't you mad? Aren't you pissed off?!"

"I mean, at first, yeah. I don't really care now though."

"WHAT?? How can you just let go of something like that?!"

George shrugged. "Look, Bad was being weird. He was pressuring Dream to do it, and Dream didn't even fire at me. Firework rockets are just that OP. And... Sapnap, c'mon. We know his past."

"That doesn't excuse the fact that-"

Heavy footsteps interrupted their argument, causing Sapnap's fire to cut out. They both looked up at the criss-crossing paths created to better traverse the two sides of the ravine. A familiar figure trudged down cobblestone steps and wooden bridges.

They watched as the hunched silhouette lumbered to the lowest level, cape and tail dragging along the ground. Green eyes seemed to glow in the torch light despite being half-lidded with exhaustion. "Hey, guys."

A tense silence followed.

Then, like a proper inferno, Sapnap blew up again. "THAT'S IT??? You kill George-you kill a bunch of people, actually, and that's all you can say!?"

Dream visibly flinched, grimacing. "I just, I wasn't sure what to say-"

"How about, oh I don't know, AN APOLOGY?"

"You're right." The ender hybrid nodded and glanced to the brunette before hesitantly approaching him. George watched him get closer, and tried not to let it show that the blood--his blood--staining his friend made him feel more put off than he expected. "George."

"Dream."

"I..." The taller tried, only to get promptly choked up. Tears started to build on his lashes, just when he thought he'd run out of those. He clenched his hands into fists, needing something to hold now more than ever. "I'm sorry. I didn't, you know I would never hurt you, or Sapnap, or Sam or-ya know, you guys are my friends and I-I love you guys, I just-" He had to stop again, throat closing as his tears started to run.

"Hey," a soft whisper came. Gentle hands slipped between his, and when he looked, George offered a warm smile. "It's okay, Dream. I forgive you."

"You-you do?"

The shorter nodded. "I could see something was off. You weren't yourself out there."

"Yeah, somethin'... something like that."

"This server tends to have that effect on people. Besides, I got more, ya know?" The Brit joked. Thankfully, it finally got Dream to smile.

"Yeah," he agreed, then looked to Sapnap who had his arms crossed and gaze downcast. Dream reluctantly pulled away from George to stand before the netherian. "Sapnap?"

"Why'd you do it?" Sapnap asked without looking up.

"I didn't want to. Bad was..." Dream sighed as he tried to find the words. "I dunno what he was trying to do, but he mentioned my past, Sap-"

"That's my dad you're talking about, ya know."

"I know. Your father, who exiled you from your own country, Sapnap." He didn't miss how Sapnap flinched, clearly wrestling with that knowledge himself.

"You promised you'd never hurt us, Dream. You said that life was behind you."

"And I felt terrible when I realized what I did. I killed George, I almost killed you, I... I felt like I'd betrayed you guys. That's not what I came here to do, and I'm sorry. I understand if you don't forgive me. Regardless, I'm going to do better. I'll be someone who protects you guys with my strength, not hurts you."

Finally, Sapnap looked up to meet Dream's gaze, and found only steely determination.

"I believe you, Dream. I know you can do good. I've seen it. And, honestly, some of it's my fault too. I should've stepped in sooner. I should've been there to back you up."

"What's done is done. Only thing we can do now is move forward."

"So, friends?" Sapnap held out his fist.

"Best friends." Dream grinned and bumped his own fist to Sapnap's.

"Great, now that we're all friends again, can you please take a bath, Dream?" George piped up from behind them, causing Dream to jolt and fluster with embarrassment.

"R-right. I'm gonna go do that."