#VERSE. after the fall

[voracem]

gale doesn't know how to feel about the fact that he still thinks about katniss daily. he hasn't seen her in almost a year now, and in truth, he's not sure he'll see her again. some part of him knows that's a good thing, deep down. not that he doesn't want to see her. of course he does. there was a time in his life when katniss had been more than just a part of his daily routine. she had been an inevitability. that he and katniss were a team, partners who gave and received in equal parts, had become second nature to him long before he had ever looked at her with any romantic interest.

on the contrary, it was what had given him the peace of mind to even consider something as luxurious as falling in love with his best friend. it's not as though he was unaware of his own good looks, and the attention it afforded him with the girls of district 12. it's not even as though he had never been interested in someone other than katniss. after all, she was a child when they'd met, at least in his eyes. at fourteen years old, he already felt like a man ready for the mines, and twelve was a lifetime ago. but the girls who caught his eye at school -- even the ones who charmed him, flustered him in a way he'd never admit to -- were never given serious consideration. gale couldn't afford to spend his time dating; he had mouths to feed. it's not as though he was ever so arrogant as to believe he was the only one in a position of responsibility, but from a completely practical standpoint, even the girls from the seam would want a kind of leisure from him that he could not allow himself. gale has spent his whole life weighing the costs of his actions, trimming the fat as efficiently as possible. even befriending katniss was a calculated risk -- better to hunt together and split the catch than risk his brothers going without by having a rival in the woods. he hadn't really expected to enjoy her company. he hadn't expected hunting to feel like free time, rather than a strictly necessary crime. before katniss, gale would never have considered having a partner, really. he could never risk his family's welfare for anyone who might slow him down, and it wasn't arrogance to acknowledge that there were few, if any, in the district who could match his skill. but katniss carried on her narrow shoulders the same weight gale walked with every day. they were PROVIDERS. they were skilled not because of talent or passion, but because of the constant, leaden weight of necessity. if i don't do this, my family will die.

in retrospect, he wishes katniss hadn't shared that trait, hadn't needed to. it was a relief to him at the time, knowing she would take hunting as seriously as he did, knowing that his family would have a resource if something happened to him. these days, he would willingly give back all those treasured days hunting in the woods with katniss if it meant she could have spent those days with prim.

his stomach still turns sour when he thinks about prim. fuck. FUCK.

he is torn between hoping a day will come when he doesn't think about katniss, or prim, or any number of painful what-ifs, and knowing he doesn't deserve to ever forget what he's done, what he's lost. katniss was the only person who ever made him feel SAFE. he spent so long being hurt that he wasn't the one to do the same for her, which feels so backwards to him now. he'd been jealous of peeta ( is he still? his feelings surrounding katniss are so twisted and confusing these days, it hardly matters ) and it had made him unable to appreciate that she had found the kind of respite he'd always wanted for them both. he'd felt like she was leaving him behind.

and she was, in a way. before the games, gale knew katniss better than anyone. it was easy; they shared so much in common. there was a time when he'd believed they were almost exactly the same, and even now he doesn't think he was entirely wrong. if katniss had never gone to the games, if prim's name had never been called, they likely would have ended up married. not that it would have been born of any romantic attraction, at least on her end, but he'd known that from the start. for katniss, it would be a contact, another measure of protection, a way to ensure their families would both be taken care of. in truth, gale always knew that love was different to katniss than it was to him. he'd accepted it almost as soon as he'd realized he had feelings for her, because hoping for something she couldn't give would only hurt them both.

and it had, hadn't it? when she had tried to give him the kind of love he craved, it hadn't made him feel better. in fact, the trying was the worst part. he mattered to her enough that she tried to give him what he wanted, and she always seemed so lost when it only hurt him further... explaining that it wasn't about the affection or the attraction had seemed too complicated then. of course he was jealous, watching her kiss peeta in the games, but that was a jealousy he could overcome. it was the TRUST they shared that felt like a betrayal. he and katniss were partners. they understood one another, they had gone through all the same awful things together, and they were each the other's most trusted ally.

he had lost that to peeta. yes, of course it's petty to be jealous that peeta had, of all things, the goddamn hunger games to share with her, and he's always known it. but his bond with katniss was built off of the absolute surety that they had one another's back, that they were each other's top priority, aside from their respective siblings. and he'd lost that place in her life.

to add insult to injury, he was so painfully aware of what peeta gave her that he never could. there was an ease to her when she was with peeta, something other than solemn determination. he and katniss had once shared a sort of grim acceptance about the realities of life, and yet somewhere along the way, in the depths of the most hopeless situation imaginable, katniss had learned to have hope. he knows now that the biggest difference between the two of them, the difference he had not been able to see during the height of the rebellion, and the difference that had cost him prim and katniss both, is that although she was bitter, katniss was able to maintain a deep-rooted sense of kindness. he doubts she realized it herself; she was always so careful to be practical. maybe it was having prim at her side that kept her from becoming every bit as angry and cynical as him. he wonders, not for the first time, what their lives would be like now if he had listened to her any of the times when she'd insisted he was going too far.

he feels sick. he has to stop thinking about this.

he takes a breath and agrees to cut himself off. he has plenty to get done, and katniss wouldn't want him brooding over her anyway. he allows himself one last indulgent though, which he says aloud, like the sentiment might reach her all the way from district 2.

" be happy, katnip. "

[weirdmamagnet]

Did some doodles for the Mind Electric AU I have with a friend. :) (aka bill doubled down)

[froggieetmblr]

Hes so pathetic (affectionate)

[bugsinshoes]

please don't bother trying to find her, she's not there

[bloodybellycomb]

love horror as a genre because it always manages to give me a plethora of new and completely irrational fears. it's so delicious and horrible, like, yes! good! instill anxiety in me over something I didn't realize I even had to worry about in the first place. yay!

[nellandvoid]

to celebrate the pines twins birthdays, i’m gonna make them miserable!!!!!

jkjk i just want to show a wip of my better world au designs for mabel and dipper, a (r o u g h) sketch that just so happens to be (semi) done on their birthday!! (it’s still the 31st. shut up/j)

lore dump under cut cause man am i gonna yap

the main thing i wanna do with these two is keep their fundamentals while still realistically changing their external personalities based on how they were raised (especially since their great-uncle ford is head of the institute of oddology and an estimed scholar in cryptozoology)

design-wise, i wanted to show how mabel's a bit more insecure while dipper's the opposite, so her sweaters don't all have designs on them, her hair is pulled back, and she has shorts and tennis shoes instead of a skirt and flats - dipper, on the other hand, doesn't have a hat since he doesn't care if people see his birthmark, and he has the space tee and button up combo that he was wearing in the valentines flashback in weirdmageddon pt 2 since he wouldn't be as self-conscious about showing off his interests

personality-wise, dipper has probably changed the least: still socially awkward, still has an undiagnosed anxiety disorder (same), still considers mabel his best (and only) friend - the main difference, though, is that growing up he wasn't bullied as much for being interested in the strange and unusual. kids are still cruel, of course, but he always had his great-uncle's reputation to look up to whenever someone made fun of his birthmark or obsession with ghosts. and now, getting to finally spend a summer with his idol, he's more than ready to finally be accepted for all his weirdness. he can finally be loud, be weird, be himself, and not get those looks people in piedmont give him when they think he's not looking. the few times he's met great-uncle ford growing up, the few times he slipped up and said something weird, his great-uncle never gave him the look like everyone else did. he'd just smile, always softly, always distantly, and always tell him to never change.

on the other hand, mabel is much more reserved and self-conscious, especially when she arrives in gravity falls - weirdness has always led to genius in her family, so when she let her mind drift away her parents would always drag her back down to earth, telling her she's just as capable as her great-uncle and brother, why doesn't she just take homework, take school, take life seriously like they do? and so she tries to, and tries, and eventually she learns about the look: the one people give her when she tells them about the time she swallowed a whole bag of gummy worms without chewing, or about the sweater she knit last week that's scratch and sniff, or about anything not serious. she hates the look, and starts to do anything she can to avoid it. especially when she does something silly in front of her great-uncle ford. the look he gives always hurts more, like something she did reminded him of a nightmare or a bad memory. and she didn't want to hurt him.

[kiledra]

There seems to be a not so secret anymore ingredient to producing the best movie of the year

(Besides handling the theme of a multiverse in a absolutely mindboggling, entertaining, mastermindlike way)

[fullsaw]

terry and fiddleford :]

[shhhsoftnwet]

Sometimes all a bad bitch want is a silly little short king 👹❤️‍🔥

[scandals-r-us]

Did you know peppermint oil is in all natural insect repellents? I mentioned in an earlier post since Miguel is literally 50% spider, and spiders are repelled by peppermint... I bet it WOULD get his ass

GET MINT-BANGED IDIOT

To be fair though migs, no matter the scent we all have experienced the mist of doom

[coyotetatertot]

Promotional for Tate's company in my interp of A Better World AU.

FULL TEXT BENEATH THE CUT‼️‼️

God, I love exploring what he can do if he hadn't suffered through his father abandoning them and then YEARS of caretaker burnout as he tried in vain to heal his dad. What if he hadn't learned to fear his intellect and skill. What if Appalachia hadn't been cut out of him by being raised in the Bay Area. What if his abilities and cultural identity were both nurtured and encouraged by loving parents and a strong educational support system. What then. 👁️

I think he definitely still has his issues, because public figures often do lol. Fame causes so many problems. But fuck if I don't wanna let this lil scruffy genius out of his mental cage of repression, burnout, and depression. I think he's wild, enthusiastic, and has so much heart and spirit underneath all those layers of bullshit. 30 years of suffering and he is in his 30s, the divergence of the AU puts him on a radically different path from childhood and that makes him a TOTALLY new person.

On the highest peaks in the world, the strongest tethers aren't your rope, but the emotional ties which unite your climbing team and keep you connected to those waiting for you back home. Whether it's by blood or by choice, Tater Higgs McGucket understands the importance of family. Son of revolutionary inventor and co-founder of the Institute of Oddology Fiddleford Hadron McGucket, Tate describes his father as his closest friend, collaborator, and mentor. In collaboration with family friend and other co-founder of the Institute Stanford ("Ford") Pines, the three first designed their renowned supplemental oxygen delivery system after an expedition studying anomalies in the Himalayas.

"Our investigation took us to Camp 1 of Manaslu," Tate described in an exclusive interview with Mountaineering Monthly last week, "And I was shocked by the amount of traffic. This was some of the roughest terrain on the planet, but we saw more people out there than on some of my hiking trips back home in Oregon. . . Ford was our interpreter, and after talking with the locals, we realized that there were all these companies selling tickets to the top — with sherpas puttin' themselves on the line just to ferry tourists to the summit."

The influx of inexperienced climbers has had disastrous consequences, as Tate witnessed firsthand. "A lot of these people, they're physically and mentally capable of makin' that kinda climb, but maybe they don't follow best practice. You can summit without any oxygen, if ya stop and acclimatize along the way. But that takes a while, so it can be really temptin' to ignore your body and throw an oxygen bandaid at the problem. But then you're puttin' yourself in an emergency situation if it fails. While we were there, one of those climbers ran out, and a sherpa had to run more oxygen up there. I told him there was a storm a-comin', but he went up anyway. And we ended up losin' 'em both."

Tate's growing twang was underscored by a nervous bouncing of his leg, and he took a moment to collect himself before resuming the interview.

"Dad and I had a look at these open circuit breathing apparatuses. While they were reliable, we saw they were plum wasteful. Knew we could make somethin' better. There's a growin' culture of risk-takin' 'round them mountains. And maybe we cain't stop the industry that's causin' these problems, but we can at least make it safer for them climbers. 'Cuz at the end of the day, regardless of what ya think about these people? With an accident like that, there’s people left behind that're a-hurtin' somethin' fierce. Partners, friends, kids without parents. I mean, just the thought of losin' my dad like that is enough to break my heart — but that's reality, for both the families of that climber and the sherpa who died tryin' to save him. . . Naw, I reckon we can do better."

That was how the youngest McGucket, who had become a household name in the 1990s for his work in designing personal computers with his father's company, first ventured into the world of alpinism. But what he hadn't expected was to fall in love during the process.

"I always needed nature," he explained, "I get overstimulated awfully easy, and so I go out there to clear my head. Been hikin' and fishin' since I was a kid. . . And so, after workin' with climbers to test this equipment — I saw a lot of them eight-thousanders up close, right? And one day, I just knew I had to see it from the top."

But having become familiar with the dangers involved, Tate knew that preparing himself for such a climb would be no easy task.

Luckily, he found a trainer in Ford's twin brother, Stanley Pines.

“Stanley is a stand-up guy. Real old school. Throws a hell of a punch, catches a hell of a catfish.” Tate said of his mentor, “He’s a fighter. So I knew I needed him, because all it takes is one slip up or act of god for these expeditions to turn life-or-death. And he’s been great. Neither of us knew much about rock climbin’ or mountaineering before all this. But we’ve learned together. And having summited a few eight-thousanders now, I can tell ya, I wouldn’t be here without his help.”

Also aiding in his expeditions were his prototype real-time weather and vital monitoring systems, which have since become standard issue in all McGucket brand protective wear. But Tate is most proud of his high-frequency beacon system, which allows climbers to communicate with their partners and first responders — even from inside perilous crevasses.

"The danger of avalanche or serac collapse is real. There are times when your life just ain’t in your own hands. Our systems allow climbers to communicate when they’re entering or exiting a perilous area, and can send out an SOS. They’re also constantly pinging, so in the event somethin’ does happen, they’ll help your climbing partners or first responders find you.”

But high altitudes aren’t the only place you’ll find the twin peaks of McGucket Mountaineering. Tate’s inventions have seen heavy use by first responders of all stripes, from firefighters to wilderness search and rescue — and he has recently signed a contract to manufacture respirators for medical use.

"At the end of the day, it’s all about making it home safely.” Tate concluded, “You gotta prioritize what matters most. You can do incredible things in this world, but none of it matters if you can’t share them with the people who love you.”

[mom-fren]

okay here me out in the kitchen is so everlark coded like line after line could totally be about them (minus the bridge) but more specifically “cause it’s real once everyone knows” like that’s katniss breaking down her walls and realizing she’s undeniably in love with him and peeta seeing it in her that it’s no longer what the capitol wants or what the people in their life tell them like she’s in love with him and he’s in love with her and it’s real because the people who’ve been blind to it finally see

[glimpsesofeuterpe]

ppl are saying stolas is no longer allowed to see via (and thats the main reason why he is so sad; he obviously doesn't care about his status that much what he is upset of is he realized he lost his paternity etc- also i am pretty sure he knows/has guesses that was the plan stella and andrealphus managed by now) ....... but isn't she turning 18? soon-ish? and isn't she capable to decide if she wants to talk to her banished dad or not??

[mxchineherald]

ooc :: Making the fix it au sad a bit but then cool again, actually.

Okay so, set the scene. Ambessa is dead. Mel is in charge of the Noxian forces. Caitlyn is down with a gooped eye. Vi and Jinx are dealing with Vander/Warwick. Viktor and Singed are missing (Healing Orianna). The anomaly needs to be deal with, and powering down the Hexgates didn't just make it go away. Ekko knows what needs to be done and explains it to Jayce. The Z-Drive is the anomaly in reverse. It needs to be thrown into the anomaly to reverse it into non-existence.

But the Z-Drive has to be thrown into the anomaly by someone, right? Jayce would take that job, feeling responsible for Hextech. Ekko would walk with him to the doors, then say, "Sorry man, but you gotta stick around." and hits him in his bad leg to grab the Z-Drive and run into the Hexgate chamber. He locks the door behind him and says goodbye to everyone, then throws the Z-Drive into anomaly.

Boom.

He thinks he's dead, but as he discovers, he's actually traveling to different universes every 4 seconds. He appears in each universe he's already in (Star Guardian, League Prime, etc etc) as a second Ekko for 4 seconds. He does NOT inhabit the body of himself in those universes, but rather keeps his own body, because he's separated from the timelines. He appears back in his home timeline every 44 seconds. He needs an anchor to get him to stay in his universe, so he finds Jinx to help him.

Jinx TOTALLY thinks he's a hallucination until he writes something on her chalk board, and drops the chalk, breaking it. She then starts to help him and the two devise an anchor through Hextech to permanently pull him back into his own universe. By traveling so much through the timelines, however, he's gained the natural ability to travel back in time by 4 seconds, without the Z-Drive.

[heireign]

also I’m thinking lotr rhaenyra is a descendant of fingolfin, finwë’s eldest son, and most specifically his second son, turgon, who’s second child and first son with his wife elenwē sired her father.

[starsandpigs]

@sixersigned / rev!mabel starter call.

mabel gleeful is one girl that has never been one to question her own drive for something that she wants. the amulet in her hair is glowing its steady blue as she steps to ford's office, knocking with all intent and purposes. a soft, almost amused smile pulls at her lips. power had a way of drawing her in, an irresistible pull she’d learned to embrace over the years.

she doesn’t wait for an answer before pushing the door open, eyes scanning the room. the dim light dances off the shelves lined with old tomes, strange relics, and things her own twin brother would be too smug to appreciate properly. mabel’s fingers brush against the door frame as she steps inside, her smile curling into something far too knowing for a girl her age.

"great uncle stanford," she started, her voice smooth yet cutting the area a bit too harshly as she looked around his office, "you've always been the smartest, haven’t you? the one who really understands how this world works, how to bend it to your will."

mabel leaned against his desk, tilting her head as the blue glow from her amulet illuminated her face in the dim light of his study. "mason thinks he’s untouchable with the magic he’s been collecting, but… i see through him. he’s not the only one in this family with potential. i’m tired of being in his shadow. . . honestly and truly. it's sad to see how he thinks he's so important! "

her eyes meet ford’s, unblinking, unrelenting. “i want to learn from you. i want more.” there’s a pause, her voice dropping lower, darker. “i want what he can’t even dream of. i’m ready to be your apprentice, to have the power i deserve.” her gaze hardens, the amulet’s glow pulsing in sync with her words. “mason? he’s soft. always has been. but i’m willing to go as far as it takes.”

the room falls silent as mabel leans back, watching him with that same hungry glint in her eyes. “so… what do you say, uncle ford? ready to teach the one gleeful with some real ambition? ”