#again ; not really from a shipping point as i've stated before

[spidersins]

i think it's verrry important to note how angel refers to valentino at the hotel

it consists of 'my boss' ( canonically with charlie ), and whenever valentino comes up he shrugs him off with casual dismissiveness, referring to him only as "the boss", "big v" or "overlord." it’s easier that way—easier and less complicated. the closest he gets to admitting it is with husk, referring to himself as val's 'favourite toy'. and still, it's vague, still maintaining the pretence that it's a professional interest.

after all, why dig deeper into something so messy and personal when angel himself doesn’t fully know how to deal with it?

deep down though, angel knows valentino isn’t just his boss. it's more than that—it's always been more than that. he hates how much space val takes up in his mind, how the smallest gesture—an offhanded compliment, a rare moment of affection—can set his heart racing despite the poison in their relationship.

admitting to himself, let alone anyone else, that he once cared about valentino—that he still sometimes misses those moments when love felt real—feels like a betrayal of who he’s trying to be now. the toxic truth of it all makes him sick, and yet there are nights when he lies awake, staring at the ceiling, and remembers the fleeting warmth of thinking he mattered to someone.

he won’t admit to himself, much less to anyone else, how much he cares about valentino—or how much he wants val to care about him in a way that isn’t just transactional. that vulnerability feels like a weakness angel can’t afford to expose, especially not to people like charlie, vaggie, or even husk, who might see through the cracks and judge him for it. so, angel keeps the facade up, biting back the truth and laughing it off with his usual snark and deflection.

[nefastnefertiti]

WHY CHAPTER 431 OF MY HERO ACADEMIA SCREAMS CENSORSHIP

First let's start by the "afterword", the note Horikoshi left after 430 and before the extras, chapter 431.

Original japanese for those who understand.

The best traslation I found and most people are agreeing with.

Key sentences are:

1.The real final chapter is 429, 430 is more like a curtain call.

2. PS: For chapter 431, I turn off the cameras and free the characters from their dramas.

This note being left after 430 and before the extras is so important. . The clarification of "the real final chapter is 429" and 430 is the curtain call is screaming: the show has ended here. This is further stated by "i turn the cameras off" by the man who use to refer himself as the camera man, I leave you with an example.

(They're talking about Vol 37 cover)

And back to point number 2: "and free the characters from their dramas", which could perfectly be understood as "the characters are no longer tied to their previous plots and drama" no longer connected to the main story.

It may seem like a reach until here, we're just trying to convince ourselves that's not canon, right? They´re delusions, right?

The problem is how far away everything about 431 antagonizes the whole story, the characters doesn't feel like themselves, they even regress back all their development, the drawing style looks totally different and there are many irregularities that call for our attention.

Dabi, 431 and by Horikoshi

Toga and Ochaco in 431:

Toga and Ochaco by Horikoshi:

All Might's signature for Katsuki (Horikoshi would never mess this up):

Kirishima with 6 fingers lol, Horikoshi loves drawing hands, he would never.

Katsuki's odd teeth what the fuck. (His hand looks good to me)

Ochaco and Shoto just look, weird. It's clearly not Horikoshi's art style.

And this awful background (center) was the main giveaway.

Horikoshi's backgrounds are so professional:

At this point I'm getting tired since the difference is astounding, don't believe me, just check the manga.

I don't think Horikoshi would've allowed those mistakes had he have a role in the making, maybe he did, there's no saying about that, but clearly if he did his involvement was very low.

Character's development wise now.

Seriously? "Deku"? And Katsuki complaining for picking him up. He cried his eyes out when Izuku lost his quirk and now he's back at season 1?

Izuku would never in a million years turn down that offer. And if he did, it would never be like this, so devoid of emotion and empathy.

430 showed us an Izuku aiming for his dreams again and at 431 this Izuku ¿? It's okay with being a teacher? Ok. And if that's not the problem, why he outright rejects Katsuki out of nowhere? When their rivalry was one of the main points of the plots for 430 chapters and now just um over? Without justification? Ok.

Ok.

Now specifically about that ship canonization and bkdk.

Horikoshi has been doing this for 10 years. The choices he took the whole manga were incredibly intentional, all those romantic tropes given to bkdk, his interviews, all stand in direct opposition to what happened in this last chapter.

I, myself, don't know much about Jump but what I've heard is they end lot of shonens with the same heterosexual formula. I don't think all of this is a coincidence.

Something really important that needs to be adressed to is what happened back in June (I think), when suddenly MHA announced it was ending in 5 chapters could've something to do with this. The manga was suddenly rushed to its ends with unsatisfying resolutions and as if that was not enough, one month later (at most) the same happened to JJK and all of this came accompanied by a switch of one of the heads of Jump.

About 431 again though.

I was just thinking what would I do if I was pressured to write something that ruins the biggest project of my life and goes against everything I was hoping for? Refuse. Tell them to write it themselves. If I can't do anything to stop it and it'll be there, alright, but I WON'T DO IT.

And I think this could be Horikoshi's case.

I've never seen a shonen manga come so close to implying his male protagonist and his male deuteragonist are in love before. Yes, it was not EXPLICIT but it was so fucking clear if you knew how to read, all the way up to 430. All those cliches tropes he gave them, he knew, we know.

I thought I'll die trying to explaineverything that seems wrong with this with nothing to back me up but the fact that he added that note is clear for me. I'm surprised they allowed him to publish it, I thought we wouldn't even have that.

PS:

It's interesting this being posted the same day 431 comes out. Also "heroaca is pretty dark, huh?"

I'll not go into this anyways because it's kind of a reach but the conclusion is: I think it's a "soft" censorship and Horikoshi did his best to relay his message given what he had.

Thanks for reading!

[lorelei-3]

“How Could I Lie to You?”

Taang oneshot because I wanted one for this photo try and stop me.

Okay so this isn't the oneshot, this is Lorii talking. First off if you couldn't already tell, I am a diehard guilty Taang shipper and they are my favorite ship and no one is taking that fact from me.

I've said it before and I will gladly say it again, we need more Taang content. I know a lot of people won't like that, but this is the internet and we have freedom and this is just how fandoms are.

That out of the way, I would've posted this earlier but I didn't get the art done till today (I wanna add the fact that I spontaneously decided to write this oneshot mid-post).

I wanted something for Valentines day, but unfortunately this is coming late, but better late than never I guess.

Enough of my yappering, enjoy the story!

Btw if there r any errors, I’ll go back fix them, this was a rush post💀

<3

Aang felt his heart begin to pound in his chest, followed by the rising of heat on his cheeks. His feet began to pace around the large Fire Nation Palace bedroom he found himself in. Following each step he took seemed to be a new thought of worry tumbling after him.

What if this goes terribly wrong? Am I making a mistake by doing this? Is this the right decision to make? His heartrate only seemed to rise even more each passing moment to the point where he felt his breathing become heavy and sweat begin to form in his palms.

Finally, he forced himself to stop his anxious pacing and to gather himself, as this was most definitely not the state he wanted to be in for what he was going to do.

Aang stopped and stood before the large window in his bedroom overlooking the palace courtyard with the turtle-duck pound as the evening sun's light began to cast it's golden brilliance over the Palace.

You can do this, he told himself. You have to do this.

Suddenly his heartrate spiked again as something, or rather someone, caught his eye sitting beneath the tree by the pound. Aang blinked several times taking a step back from the window reaching for his bed to sit on.

Once he sat, he leaned forward and brought his hands to his temples and began massaging them with his fingers. Stop this! Why is this making me so nervous? I should never be this nervous!

After another couple minutes of trying to relax himself and get his mind in order, Aang stood to his feet and made his way to the door.

The young man took a deep breath and softly exhaled. I can do this. He took a few more moments of relaxation before walking out his room down the long Fire Nation Palace hall.

While he walked, time felt like it was slowing down and yet going by very quickly. Everything around him appeared to blur as he seemingly gained some sort of tunnel vision the closer he came to the hall that lead to the courtyard.

With each stride he took, he felt perturbation trying to grow ever so much more in his head and stomach. But he wasn't about to back down, he was going to face this head on.

A small smile formed over his lips as those words made their way into his thoughts. Those were the things he really needed his mind to focus on. It was words like those that assisted in palliating his mind of what could possibly go wrong, and it only pressed him to go forth with this even more.

He really did wonder though, was it the words that were dulcifying him? Or rather was it the thought of the one who spoke those words?

Toph.

Definitely the person who spoke the words.

Ever since a year and a half ago when the two of them had traveled together for six months dealing with some Earth Kingdom conflicts along with groups of Ozai supporter Rogues, the two of them really bonded and grew close. And though he didn't want to admit it, maybe he felt some way for her even before those six months, but that time had propelled and completely changed the way he saw her.

They had learned to rely on one another and grew together. Figuratively and literally since that was when they were fifteen and they were seventeen now.

In between those disputes, the two would also just hang out being crazy teenagers causing trouble. 90% of the time it was Toph's ideas and Aang would go along with them, but he managed to surprise her a few times and actually had been the one to take initiative with their shenanigans.

Over that course of time, he truly grew a fondness and admiration for the young Earth Bender. He would find himself grinning at her while she practiced her bending, or when they sparred together. Even when she would always pummel him in their sparring sessions, he kept that smile on his lips and joy in his eyes.

There was something about being with her and just being in her presence that brought something alive in him.

And it wasn't until they parted ways when he had to go back to the Fire Nation to assist Zuko with peace keeping in the Fire Nation colonies and Toph had to return to the Earth Kingdom that he realized how much those six months together had impacted him.

The day they had parted ways, Aang felt such a heaviness weighing in him when he watched Toph leave with Iroh, and for the next two weeks after her departure he could hardly get anything done in the Fire Nation.

Aang was hardly able to sleep at night, his appetite was practically none existent, and even meditating was nearly impossible.

Anytime Aang wasn’t in a meeting or helping sort something out, he would be off either lying in his bed unable to get rest because of the aching in his stomach, or outside in in the garden because the rocks and earth reminded him of her.

He felt desolate without her, like some part of him left when she did. Zuko noticed Aang's obvious off behavior and had no choice but to question him about it the fifth time he zoned out in one meeting with the high officials in the Fire Nation. And this had to be around nine days of him being in there.

It wasn't so much the fact they were apart, it was the fact that he had no idea when he was going to see her again.

It could be more than a year when he would see her again and the thought of that quite literally was tearing his heart. So when Zuko pulled Aang away after the meeting to ask him what in the Spirits was wrong with him, Aang didn't even know what to say.

What was he supposed to say to him? That ever since Toph left it sent him into a deep place of melancholia? Then he would be asked why and Aang wasn't up for that conversation at all.

Because quite honestly, he didn't even know what was wrong with him at the time. He hadn't realized he had fallen for the Earth Bender and how far he really had fallen.

So he just chalked it up to a lot going on and it was stressing him out, which Zuko knew was not the whole truth but had decided to let it go for the time being.

It took a couple days after that conversation and an intense mind battle for Aang to realize he was feeling this way because he had fallen in love with Toph after nearly two weeks of denial. And he only wished he had figured this out sooner and maybe he would have been somewhat alleviated from this mental turmoil.

It wasn't until now, a year and a half later that he was seeing her again for Katara and Zuko's Engagement Commemoration.

A whole year and a half. And oh was that year and a half agonizing. Not only because he didn't see her for that whole time and could only reach her through letters and both of them were too busy to even visit each other, but because Katara came around a lot to the Fire Nation to visit Zuko and vice versa, along with Sokka and Suki.

The whole couple thing with everyone was driving Aang crazy because he was either the fifth wheel or was just stuck doing Avatar duties.

Now the reality was that Aang wasn't the fifth wheel to any of them and was more than welcome with them when he wasn't currently occupied with something, he was just aggravated and was wishing he was with Toph.

So as soon as he saw Toph coming back into the Capital with Iroh he went running to her and he nearly knocked her down with the force of how he threw his arms around her. Toph noted how she could hardly breath in the moment while Sokka, Katara, Suki, and Zuko all laughed at their greeting.

It had been only two days since she had came back and the feelings Aang had for her never left and in fact felt stronger. Zuko and Suki had known of his feelings for the past year and a half and were in complete support of him pursuing her.

And not long ago he told Katara and Sokka about it, who also were very supportive of the whole thing.

In fact, none of them would leave him alone about confessing to Toph. Any chance they would, his friends would ask about when he planned on telling her to which Aang's response was always 'soon'. Never actually knowing how soon.

But Aang knew he had to tell her.

He wasn’t about to let this slip away from him again because this time he knew how he felt, and he had to take this chance with her.

Adrenaline was now pumping through his blood as he the warm air of outside hit his skin. His eyes fell to his left where the courtyard opened up and saw the tree beside the turtle duck pond he had seen from his room, and Toph lying on her back with her hands behind her head.

The sun is wasn’t overbearingly hot this time of year since it was fall in the Fire Nation, and Toph must have taken advantage of that and decided to bask in the evening sun.

Spirit's, she looked so beautiful in that state of rest. For a few moments Aang stood there just admiring her before snapping himself back into reality. Okay, now go over to her and tell her!

The young man took in a deep breath and began to make his way over to her.

His eyes were on her the whole time he walked, and before he even made it beneath the tree, he saw a smirk come over her face.

"I'd know those footsteps anywhere," She chimed. "What's up Twinkle Toes?"

Aang felt his heart begin to race and face heat up again in almost an instant after she spoke. No no!! Stop it! Calm down, calm down!

"Um, you doing alright there?"

"Huh?" Aang said back. "What do you mean?"

"Your heart is going all kinds of crazy like you just got done sparring, you okay?"

Shoot, I forgot she could do that. How could I forget that? Okay, just take a deep breath and relax. Relax.

"Oh yeah I'm alright," He responded back. Lie. It’s entirely a lie, but I'm not going to say too much either. "But I did want- need- to talk to you about something."

Toph opened her eyes and raise a brow suspiciously. Aang stopped himself from letting out a soft gasp as the golden light illuminated her facial features and eyes.

"Oh?" She said as she began to sit up, bringing her knees beneath her sitting on them.

"Yeah and it's kind of important." He lowering himself down, mirroring the way she sat. His eyes fell on hers and he was lost in them for a few seconds. How was it they were sightless and yet held so much emotion gazing back at him?

"Well judging by your heartrate I'd say so." She commented.

"Um, try to ignore that."

"That's gonna be kind of hard but okay."

Aang looked at his hands that were resting on his knees and took in another deep breath, something he found himself doing a lot of in the past twenty minutes. He looked back up at her and calmed himself as best as he could.

"Okay, you remember almost two years ago when me and you were traveling for six months?"

Toph smirked and snorted a laugh. "Hell yeah I do, those were some fun times we had. A lot of kicking butt and causing trouble, why? You asking me to go on another six month trip?"

As much as Aang wished they could go on another six month trip, he knew he couldn't do that. But just the thought of another extended period of time with her made his stomach feel like it was floating.

"Mm no, but it was- something that happened- no- what happened on the trap- that trip!" He stammered. The fire bending side of him must have come out because Aang’s body was burning with embarrassment. He repressed the urge to face palm and walk away, instead opting for gripping the fabric pants on his knees.

"Uh, okay. So it was something that happened on the trip?" She questioned, rephrasing what he said making him sound even more dumb. But it was clear Aang was nowhere near done making himself sound like a fool.

"Well not specifically on the trip, kind of before- but it was on the trip."

Toph gave a confused expression to what she had just heard. "Wait, so it happened before the trip or on it?"

"Both."

Way to go stupid.

Toph sighed and rubbed her forehead with one finger. "Twinkle Toes, I'm not understanding what you're talking about here, mind making it a bit more clear?"

Then Aang did something he had not anticipated doing in the slightest. He had no idea what came over him or what had possessed him to do such a thing (maybe a past life grew tired of his stumbling), but he moved he inched his body closer to hers to where their knees were touching, and he reached for Toph's left hand, and held it.

Aang looked back up at Toph's face to see nothing but utter shock and a rosy coloring flushing over her cheeks and nose.

"Twinkletoes..." Her voice lowered into a quiet and softer tone.

Aang felt a blush come over his own face as he gazed at her softly with a gentle smile. Just for a moment he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to say what he wanted to her, losing his focus to her placid semblance. The way her black bangs had fall over her face but were being blown off her face by a gentle breeze that carried the sound of lightly rustling leaves.

A strange calm had settled over him, and where it came from he had no idea, but he wasn’t going to question it because it needed to stick around.

"Toph, I said how this thing happened before the trip," He looked down at her hand that was in his and rubbed his thumb over her fingers. "I... I say that because the trip only seemed to..."

He brought his gaze back to her and looked into her pale green eyes before going on.

"...It only seemed to enhance what I was feeling before that trip."

"Feeling," Toph breathed faintly. "A-Aang, what are you saying..?"

Aang felt his heart jump again. She rarely ever used his actual name. It was always Airhead, Baldy, or of course, Twinkle Toes.

"I'm saying… I’m saying that I have feelings for you Toph." There it was. He'd said. He just confessed to her. His heart was spiraling out of control and in a way so was his head, yet at the same time he felt imperturbable. But he was not yet done with this conversation.

"All that time we had spent together, growing closer as friends, it made me see you in a different way. I already sort of had thoughts of you before that, but that trip, just you and me… I don't know, something changed."

He then brought her hand up and placed it over his chest so she could feel his heart beat even more. "You changed me."

If Toph's cheeks weren't a burning red before, they certainly were now. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it at a loss for words as to what she was hearing.

Aand blinked slowly at her. "I only wished I had realized this sooner, before you left."

His gaze softened at her yet again as he smiled tepidly.

"For the past year and a half we've been apart, I couldn't stop thinking about you, I even started to think there was no point in even trying to tell you anything because I know how you are. You're headstrong and independent, so I tried to let go, but... Seeing you again brought everything back to me."

Toph let out a small gasp and blinked several times.

"You... You can't be serious." She uttered in disbelief. "I-I don't believe this."

Aang made her hand lay flat against his chest.

"Why would I lie to you? Even if I did you would know."

Toph felt her face burn. There was no way this was actually happening to her. This had to be some sort of dream.

"How could I lie to you?" He whispered.

"You're not lying," She uttered under her breath. "You mean you actually-"

"I mean every word I said Toph. Again I just wish I told you sooner." Aang then felt like his stomach had fallen from a high place. "Well, I’ve told you about how I feel. Now..."

He paused letting the message try and make it’s own way to Toph. Now for how she felt. If he had just ruined everything between them, or just blossomed something new for the two of them.

"Aang, I-I," She stammered. "I don't know what to say."

Coldness rushed over Aang. That was not the answer he was looking to hear at all.

He sucked his lips in. "W-Well, how do you feel? About me..?”

Toph was quiet for what seemed like forever with Aang staring at her face that was blushing red and still as stone. A small grin began to crack over her lips, followed by a sniffle-like laugh as she lowered her head, and then began to actually laugh.

Now Aang was confused. Was this a good sign or bad? He still had her hand over his chest and she hadn't tried to move it away so maybe that was a good thing?

After that she brought her head back up and chewed on her bottom lip and smiled at him. "Sorry Aang, I guess I'm just, shocked, hearing you go so serious like that." She chuckled.

Okay now he was really confused.

"But um," She lowered her head slightly and chewed her bottom lip again. "I mean, I guess you could say I feel the same way..."

Wait. Had he heard that right?

Aang went silent and stared at her dumbfounded.

"Huh?" He queried.

"Aang you dummy! I said I like you too!" Toph retorted, using her other hand to knock him in the head.

"Ow!"

"Jeez you go from serious to Airhead quicker than my willingness to get out my parents house." She rolled her eyes in amusement.

The throbbing on the side of Aang's head began to subside and was quickly replaced with laugher. "You really mean what you said though?"

Toph shrugged, tilting her head to the side and scrunched her nose as she smiled at him. "Would I lie to you?"

Aang blushed because of how adorable she looked doing that but shook his head. "You would, and I wouldn't know because I'm not a human lie detector like you."

Toph let out a scoff. "Okay fair point, but I assure you, I'm telling the truth."

"I'd hope so after pouring my heart out to you like that."

Toph laughed again as both of their facial expressions began to sway back into their relaxed states. Never had Aang felt such a relief in doing this. That weight had finally been lifted off him and he felt amazing. But Aang apparently wasn't done with surprising the two of them just yet.

He took her hand he was holding and moved it so that the back of it was facing him, he looked at her hand as he did. Somehow, as rough and wild as Toph was, he found her hand to be really soft.

He also noted how small her’s was compared to his. He lifted the back of her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it and looked into Toph's eyes.

It was clear he had once again taken her by surprise with the action as she was yet again, struck with shock and appeared flustered.

Then he turned her hand again so that her finger tips were on his lips and he smiled against them, so she could in her way, see him smiling.

Toph blushed more even more somehow and lowered her head ever so slightly again.

"I really could never lie to you, you know." He said as he lowered her hand away from his lips to speak.

She brought her head back up again so he could see her face and a warm smile was what he was met with.

"I know Aang." She said faintly.

Silence passed between them as the world around them seemed to fade, Aang was lost in her visage, and Toph was lost to his touch.

But the moment didn't last too long because Aang was met with another punch, this time into his shoulder which made him drop Toph's hand.

"Ouch!" He yelped. "Again? What was that one for?"

"Sorry!" Toph quickly apologized waving her hands at him. "Force of habit, if I feel myself getting too vulnerable I punch."

Aang rubbed his shoulder and shook his head letting out a sigh. "Fine fine, guess I'll have to get used to it.”

Toph caught onto what he said and scrunched her nose at him as she began to stand to her feet.

"Don't get too cocky Twinkle Toes, you know I'll put you in your place."

Aang got up with her and folded his arms. "Oh will you now?"

"Sure will." Toph retorted and cracked her knuckles. "Maybe I ought to do that right now as a matter of fact, you're rusty on that earth bending too, you're gonna need it."

"Oh is that so?" Aang replied.

"Mhm."

Aang looked at her up and down with a challenging smirk. Gosh she was gorgeous. She was returning the same look he was giving. And that was one of the many things he adored about her. They could just be... Themselves, with one another. Free as flowing breeze, and still as one when it came to it.

Aang was still high on the moments from before, and maybe that was going to interfere with their spar, but that was the least of his worries. He had just told the world's Greatest Earthbender, and more importantly his best friend, his feelings for her, and she confessed back.

That was all that mattered to him right then and there. And though Toph would never come to admit it, but she was feeling the exact same way. Minus Aang being the world's Greatest Earthbender of course.

And they both knew that this was the start of something new for them to endure together one way or another.

"You're on Sifu Toph."

Taang, you have my heart🧡💚

[assassin-artist]

okay, I'll post what I've got for Sindra now. Plus an alternate version for if she were a Viltrumite herself (: lore rambling below the cut

Calling her species 'Vottan'. They're a healer-based society of people with hollow bones, it makes them very fast but also very fragile. Big culture based around worshipping life and birth, which is why being a healer is such a high position of authority. Most Vottan become healers, but only a rare percentage of the people are born with healing magic. Sindra, having been born with the gift, was raised in something like a monastery to become a healer from a young age. They take a vow of silence when they reach adulthood, which is the same time they get their markings that deign them a full-fledged healer (the diamond on Sindra's forehead).

Their healer culture is very judgment free, i think. They believe that it's not their place to judge whether an individual 'deserves' to live or die for what they've done, only that if they are capable of healing, then they will heal. Their fragile physiology combined with their willingness to medically aid anyone who comes their way made it very easy for Viltrum to take their home planet and subjugate the people. Most healers are left to their own devices, but the rare few that are born with the gift of magic in their veins are taken to be personal Viltrumite healers on the Viltrum warships. Vottan lifespans on average are longer than humans, roughly expecting to live to ~150 years before dying of complications due to old age. However, those born with magic have a significantly increased life expectancy, expected to live somewhere around ~2,000 years before old age.

Taking inspiration from hummingbirds here when I say that I don't think they sleep at all - instead they go into a state of dormancy every few hours where their heart rate and metabolism is slowed significantly to conserve energy for a while.

hm.... that's all the lore for her species i've thought up at this point. Let me know if you have any questions (: Now I talk a little bit about her personal story..

I made her mainly to be a Conquest ship, because I like the idea of the big scary strong man having a fragile partner. Her people being subjugated by Viltrum was just the convenient excuse so I could say Sindra and Conquest have known each other for years before the events of Invincible even happen. I don't have a set age for her but I'm thinking at least over a century by now, so they've been buddies for around 50 years or so. Maybe. I'll do the math some other time, I'm just vibing rn. Conquest still doesn't get someone to talk to because his companion is silent, but, despite her inherent fragility and Conquest's inherent overwhelming strength, she has never been all that afraid of him. I think a species that worships life would have a more accepting view of death as well - it's to be avoided if possible, but not something you should fear and dread. Plus, I've talked before on my blog about how I don't think Conquest would actually struggle to be gentle, so I think it wouldn't be that difficult for them to become close. In fact, I dare say I think Conquest would be gentler with her than any of the other Viltrumites would be... i rotate them in my head. my silly aliens

I like the idea that she eventually finds her way to Earth before season 1 begins, but I don't really have a reason for why she left the Viltrumites just yet. Maaaaybe someone lost their cool and attacked her for whatever reason and she just flew away, never looking back? I'm not sure, I'll have to think more on that. I just like imagining her on Earth trying to learn how to get along with humans and interacting with the main cast of the show.. She really just goes where she's told to go and heals anyone she comes across, so she would be a great find for the GDA. I think she would really like Damien Darkblood (:

I think she would eventually break her vow of silence and begin speaking again, but I'm just not sure if it's while with the Viltrumites (her first words would be to Conquest for sure) or while she's on Earth...

that's all the rambling i have off the top of my head. im sure i'll have more soon enough o7

[seangardnerxiv]

Shadow and Maria's Complex Relationship

FOR DISCLOSURE: this thread is going to be discussing the complexities of Shadow and Maria’s relationship based on many different factors. Though I will be including the romantic interpretation (NOT a sexual one – I do not support nor condone sexualizing these two, nor most of the characters in Sonic, as they are almost all minors) as a potential, I will not be arguing to assign a definite label to their relationship – I will, in fact, be doing exactly the opposite (I am also not interested in engaging in shipping discourse over Sonic the Hedgehog characters). I would simply like to disclose that that will be discussed in case the topic upsets you and you would prefer to stop reading now. I accept this post may not be received well by some.

SPOILERS FOR SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS

So I've had to break out my Tumblr for this - my usual haunt is Twitter/Bluesky, but those don't really allow for longform posts. This is also a major departure from my usual FFXIV posting, so apologies to anyone who follows me for that.

Sonic x Shadow Generations recently dropped, alongside the short animations “Dark Beginnings” as well as the (non-canonical) manga “The Jet Black Hedgehog: Shadow the Hedgehog.” With it, discourse surrounding Shadow and Maria’s relationship has kicked up again, largely in two parties – that Shadow and Maria held a sibling relationship, or that Shadow and Maria held romantic feelings for one another (some people have also argued that Shadow is her uncle, or Maria is his mother, but I won’t be discussing those views). There are arguments for both drawn from a variety of sources – I will do my best to present both (if there are others I've missed, please feel free to comment and I will add them).

For siblings:

This Twitter post of artwork for Dark Beginnings has the following alt text: “Shadow and Maria reach out for one another in an infinite abyss (as long-lost siblings would) with the Moon and the Space Colony ARK in the background."

The manual for Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) describes Maria as “like a sister to Shadow.” I have also seen another screenshot of a different manual that states that Shadow as "like a brother to Maria," but I've been unable to find which manual it is. (EDIT: It’s a Prima Games manual, not written by Sega)

Gerald refers to Shadow as “son” during the climax of SxSG.

For romantic:

Maria saying “I love you” in the Japanese version of SxSG uses the kanji “ai shiteru,” whilst her “I love you” in the Japanese version of the manga uses “daisuki.” Whilst it can be used for familial relations, it is apparently very uncommon for both of these to be used outside of romantic intent.

Shiro Maekawa – the original creator of Shadow and Maria – based them (or at least parts of them) off of a romance manga known as “Please Save My Earth” (with Maria sharing the Japanese voice actress for the female lead from the anime), and has frequently supported them together, often retweeting romantic art and posts of Shadow and Maria.

In a recent interview from Sega, Maria touching Shadow’s face in Dark Beginnings was equated to Beauty and the Beast.

For Tanabata – a Japanese festival celebrating the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, and the separation of them as lovers – Sonic Channel posted artwork of Shadow and Maria reading the story beneath the stars. Sonic Channel has also published fanart for Valentine’s Day relating to Shadow and Maria (although they publish a lot of fanart).

Before I go any further, when the topic of Shadow and Maria in a romantic lens comes up, many of the same criticisms arise that I do not believe are fairly levied – namely accusations regarding their age, species, and familial ties. I would like to address – and debunk – these three before we go any further. Keep in mind while you read these – this is not meant to convince you that their relationship was one thing over another, but only to provide validity to a subjective point of view I feel is unfairly stigmatized.

“It’s incest because Shadow is Maria’s brother/uncle(?).”

While there were notions of family stated by both Maria and Gerald, Shadow was grown in a tube with alien DNA and has zero blood relation to the Robotnik family. Whilst there are abstract labels of “like a sister” or “sibling coding” that are only ever applied in a meta sense, neither of them define their relationship in such a way within the lens of the universe. And it is not as if the topic never arises - in Shadow Generations, Maria herself likens young Abraham Tower as akin to her little brother, but she makes no such distinction with Shadow.

“Sibling coding” is ultimately a nothing statement, and unless a proper adoption is made, it does not magically turn romantic feelings towards the two involved into incest. Frames of reference are often informed by what young people are familiar with, and they sometimes lack the proper tools to acknowledge that their feelings towards each other are more complex than they first believe - to say that this is something that potentially occurred with Shadow and Maria is not outlandish, and not a concept unique to Sonic as a series.

Similar examples to this include Clive and Jill from Final Fantasy XVI (Jill is accepted into the Rosfield household and raised alongside Clive and his brother, only to later enter a romantic relationship with him as an adult), Nero and Kyrie from Devil May Cry (Nero is fostered by Kyrie's family and considers Kyrie a sister initially, only for her to become his love interest as adults) and Sidon and Yona from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Sidon grows up perceiving Yona as a sister, only to realize his feelings for her are more complex later on). None of these are incestuous relationships, nor is Shadow and Maria’s were it to be romantic.

“It’s bestiality because Shadow is an animal.”

Bestiality is applicable to regular animals that do not hold human sentience of thought, as they are unable to consent to a relationship, like a dog or cat. Shadow is not this, nor are any of the anthropomorphic characters within the Sonic games - were you to change the anthropomorphic animals in Sonic into humans, basically nothing about the series' content would change. All of them are completely sound-minded beings that are essentially just people who look different. Shadow is not Maria’s pet, he is her fully sentient friend that holds the same degree of thought as she does – given that Shadow’s entire arc is about finding his purpose in life, degrading him to simply a lab animal rather than acknowledging he is a person defeats that entire arc (something the manga also touches upon).

A lot of people also cite Sonic and Elise from Sonic ‘06 (namely the scene where Elise kisses the deceased Sonic) as a reason why Shadow and Maria should not be done - while I think it’s valid if you didn’t like watching a human girl kissing Sonic the Hedgehog, I maintain that a good chunk of that disdain stemmed from two major reasons:

Elise was very poorly characterized in her game. She existed to constantly get kidnapped and be saved by Sonic, and so both the relationship and the kiss came off more like pandering than something earned.

Sonic '06 had a bizarrely realistic artstyle for the human characters, whilst all of the animal characters retained their cartoonish appearances. This clash of artstyles looked its worst when Elise kissed Sonic at the game's climax.

Maria, however, does not fall into these pitfalls. She does not exist to be purely a love interest for Shadow - she’s certainly not someone for him to save, as the entire inciting event of Shadow's character is his inability to save her when she saves him.

For a frame of reference, Shadow is more akin to an alien from Star Wars – a setting where humans also exist. It is not bestiality for a Human to hold a relationship with a Twi’lek, as both races are fully anthropomorphic and sentient. On a similar note, Beauty and the Beast is not considered bestiality either, even though the Beast bears obvious animalistic traits. Some people have also entertained the notion of Rouge and Topaz from Sonic X, even though the latter is human. This is all the same principle, and none of it is bestiality.

“It’s creepy because Maria is young.”

Shadow – while said to be ageless – is not an adult, and to imply that he is one is a fundamental misunderstanding of Shadow’s character – whilst there are many instances where he demonstrates maturity on some levels, he has shown much immaturity since his inception in Sonic Adventure 2 (his desire to destroy the world out of revenge for Maria), and his most recent storyline in Generations involves his naïve desire to change Maria and Gerald’s fates (or rather, an initial indifference to what it will bring). Not only that, but his time on the ARK was mired in confusion over the point of his existence – Maria was the one that helped him field through his confusion, and was arguably the more mature one between the two of them. We can safely say that Shadow is not an adult character, nor is he ever presented as one in the lens of the game.

As the closest thing Sonic likely has to an equal in both body and mind (Sonic holds his own immaturities similar to Shadow), he can likely be placed mentally close to his age of fifteen. This is reinforced by the leaked transcript of Sonic ‘06 that refers to Shadow as 15 (the red squared text in this image).

Maria has no canon age established in game material, but Sonic X lists her as 12. 15 and 12 is the same age gap as Sonic and Amy respectively.

In addition to that, many people have claimed that Shadow is over 50 years old, but this is only true of his chronological existence, not the time he has been conscious and aging. He spent 50 years stuck in cryosleep, and awoke exactly how he was when he was placed in there.

A similar example would be Aang and Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender - Aang was frozen at the age of 12, and awoke 100 years later. Nobody, however, tried to claim that he was 112 years too old to kiss the 14 year old Katara, as Aang was physically and mentally still a 12 year old upon awakening - most people who watched the show were also actively rooting for these two characters to kiss, which they did at the show's finale. It's the same principle regarding Shadow - he is 50 chronologically, not 50 in mind or body.

If we’d like to really get into it, I would point out that nearly every character in the lens of Sonic is in and around Maria’s age range (according to the Sonic Channel). As stated previously, Sonic is 15. Amy is 12, Knuckles is 16, Rouge is 18, Blaze and Silver are 14, etc. Nobody bats an eye at notions of romance between any of these people (not that I’m saying they should inherently).

Romantic intent between minors is not inherently viewed as a bad thing - see the examples of Aang and Katara or Clive and Jill above, or for an in house example, consider the canonical (to Sonic X at least) relationship between the 8 year old Tails and Cosmo - yet for some reason when it comes to Shadow and Maria, a relationship is stigmatized.

To reiterate in the wake of the last point, my discussions of romantic intent ARE NOT SEXUAL IN NATURE. As I acknowledge these are minors, any notions of that are completely off the table, and I do not agree with anyone who would imply their relationship was a sexual one. I want to make that unmistakably clear.

My major takeaway from observing both the Sonic fanbase and those on Sonic Team seems to be that in western circles, Shadow and Maria as siblings is the popular perception, whilst in eastern circles, they are more commonly perceived romantically. But ultimately, Shadow and Maria’s relationship seems to have many contradictory signals that makes it hard to pinpoint a concrete definition, especially in the most recent releases – and I believe that this is fully intentional.

Shiro Maekawa has stated in DMs has stated this regarding their relationship when asked if he saw them as siblings or love interests (translated from Japanese):

“I think they have a special bond that is unique to them that doesn’t fall into either of those categories. Just my personal opinion.”

From the way that the two are written post-Sonic Adventure 2, this appears to be a sentiment that is fully carried forward – their relationship is more nuanced than a canonical label would make it. Maria was the only person who made Shadow feel loved, and Maria unquestionably loved him back. What kind of love that was is up to the viewer, especially given that Maria died when they were both young, before they even had a chance to expand upon their relationship, if that was ever on the table – not that they needed to, given that their bond seems to have transcended both labels. Maria was the only one who acknowledged Shadow as more than an experiment or a weapon, and Shadow was her rock in an environment where she was isolated away from her family and home. Maria was Shadow's person, and still remains that in death.

To disclose for me personally (in case it was not obvious), I have always interpreted their relationship as romantic - or at least having romantic implications - ever since playing Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and Shadow the Hedgehog when I was a kid. I have both a fiancé and a sibling, and the way they treat each other is far more evocative of how I treat the former than the latter (especially in Dark Beginnings – I do not imagine my sibling through a shoujo filter while I wistfully think about cuddling them in a field of flowers). I do not take the awkwardly placed alt text verbiage from the Sonic Twitter account, used to fake-argue with the Wendy’s Twitter account, as gospel for anything, and I think that treating it as a damning disproval is silly. Had she lived, I believed the complex feelings they held would have been identified as romantic down the line. The relationship always just read as too intimately charged for me to perceive as siblings (it still does especially in the wake of seeing how she touches and speaks to him), even before I had a serious relationship. I think that arguing the nitty gritty over Twitter alt text and translations is silly, as all it took for me to takeaway that the relationship was still romantic was to play the game, watch the animations, and read the manga for Shadow Generations - but that's just me.

That said, I will concur that if you are weirded out by romantic notions between the two of them, that is completely understandable, and I would never argue that you should not feel what you feel for yourself. The sibling viewpoint is also wholly valid an interpretation, with or without word from a meta source. Though she had her grandfather and later Abe, she was largely alone on the ARK away from a family that she clearly loved and missed, and it’s not unusual to presume that Shadow filled in the role of a brother for her. I will also acknowledge that many things I have not mentioned - such as Shadow blushing at Maria calling him cool, or her saying "I love you" in general - are not inherently indicative of romantic intent, and can be read as fully platonic interpretations, and I find those that try to state that the romantic interpretation is the objective one just as irritating as those that state the sibling interpretation is the objective.

My intent is only to dispute the idea that romantic interpretations, and the people who hold them, deserve to be scrutinized. The pairing is completely innocent, and the treatment people have received for believing them to be romantic is obscene. Sweeping blanket statements have been made to insult all who do (some going as far as to wish death and harm upon them), all just based on subjective viewpoints held by people who see them platonically. The fact that there is so much discourse surrounding this topic, and that there is evidence enough on both ends to make an argument, means that Sega has intentionally left the relationship up to interpretation - including the romantic take.

Everyone unclutch your pearls.

But with all that said, I will reiterate that this post was not meant to convince anyone of one thing or another, but rather that both interpretations of their relationship are valid, as it is essentially a secret third thing that transcends both labels and is special only to them. Strictly defining their relationship as “siblings” or “love interests” (even as someone who perceives them romantically, I would never want that to be definitively confirmed for this reason) is deconstructing what is perhaps the most nuanced part of a series that does not always tend to be terribly nuanced, and a definition matters far less than acknowledging what Maria means to Shadow in the present – he is who he is because of her, and because of that, he is now living a life for himself. Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) ended in a way that had Shadow let Maria go, and Shadow Generations ends with him carrying her forward with him after accepting her loss. She was, and will always be, the person who loved Shadow - however you define that love is up to you.

Nothing has ever been hard confirmed by Sega, no matter how much either side wants to pretend it has been.

In summary, both points of view regarding Shadow and Maria’s relationship are simultaneously true and not true – it is a matter of interpretation according to the viewer what their feelings towards each other were, yet their relationship in the lens of what it is now after the tragedy of their existence (even before Maria died) is purposefully indefinable, and it should remain that way. Nobody should ever try to say that Shadow and Maria are definitively something - that goes for both points of view. I doubt it will, but I hope this goes towards removing the stigmas towards one of the more nuanced parts of this series, as nuance in Sonic the Hedgehog - frankly - does not come along very often, and it would be nice if that were encouraged rather than smothered.

Thank you for reading.

[paracosm-draw]

I’ve never before sent in an ask to anyone but I just wanted you to know you have been feeding me so good with your art and writing and UGH. I love it all,

if you still want kissing prompts - the one like “if I kiss you , I won’t be able to stop” is one of my favsss depending on how people write it , it can be from angsty all the way to sexy and i’m a sucker for it.

hope you are having a good day/night byeeeeee ✨❤️

Eeeeh I sure took my time but here I am with the last of the kiss prompts ! 😌🤲🏻

I'm truly honored that you chose me for your first ask, and I really hope you'll like what I wrote for you ! 🥹🫶🏻

This is a little different from what I've done for the other prompts and I must admit I might have lost control a little bit at some point (this is around 3,6K words, so much for short drabbles)

Also I started writing this in a very emotional state because close friends graduated last week and I have one more year to go without them (there's a connection with the fic, you'll see) so I hope it all makes sense ehe

Good read ! ☀️❤️

_

The sound of laughter and light chatter is filling the room. There’s music in the background, something bright and loud and modern - noise as Master Obi-Wan Kenobi would describe it with a slightly raised and critical eyebrow. The sweet smell of shuura pie is hanging in the air, freshly pulled out of the oven by Olana Chion. She’s part of the batch of freshly Knighted padawans, along with Keer Stenwyt, Cyruss Okent, D’urban Wen-Hurd, Iskat Akaris, Onielle, Zeeth, Charlin Plaka, Tualon Yaluna and Anakin Skywalker. 

The conditions are far from ideal. Tomorrow, they will all be dispatched to their first mission as Jedi Knights, the weight of responsibilities and other’s lives hanging on their shoulders and their shoulders only. The war is raging in the Galaxy, Jedi scarcely dispersed to its every corner in order to help and protect, fight and negotiate. Olana, like all of them, knows they’ve been Knighted by necessity more than because they were actually ready for it, even if half of the group would gladly argue about that. They will be given no time to adjust. Tomorrow, they will be given ships to fly and men to command. Tomorrow they will be given orders and they’ll have to give some in return, with the knowledge that their choices will more than once make the difference between life and death. Tomorrow, they’ll be on their own, with the Code and their trust in the Force for only guidance. Tomorrow. 

But tonight, they’re still teetering on the edge. Still unsure about their status, still looking out for their Masters but flirting with the irresistible pull of emancipation, of freedom at the same time. It’s as scary as it is exhilarating. 

Anakin’s the first one to share the strange mixture of pride and confusion coming with their precipitated Knighting.

He feels a bit lost, a bit out of it. For reasons. Anakin… is inebriated. Intoxicated, even. It’s his fourth - fifth ? - glass of wine ; a sweet nectar his Master brought back from one of his missions especially for the occasion. The taste of it is thick on his tongue, almost syrupy, the smell strong and flowery and heady and one of the most fabulous things he has ever tasted. Something Obi-Wan took his time choosing because he knew Anakin would like it, because he knows him that well. The thought makes him giddy, unless it’s the alcohol. 

Speaking of which, his glass is empty again. As is the bottle, now. Glancing around, he tries to spot his Master among the crowd massed in the relatively cramped quarters Olana still shares with her Master, Avan Post. Until tomorrow. They will be assigned new quarters soon, in the Knight’s wings, and as his gaze travels over the room, Anakin realizes he doesn’t really know how to feel about it. 

He has shared quarters with Obi-Wan for more than ten years now. Obi-Wan’s quarters - their quarters - is what Anakin has come to consider home over the years. Those four walls hold more memories than he’s capable of remembering. They’ve seen them get to know each other, change and grow old together. They’ve witnessed the storms and the peace offerings, the many misunderstandings and the moments of complicity, the endless lessons, repeated over and over again, the words thrown in anger against closed doors and the ones stuck on the tip of tongues, the silent apologies, the laughter bringing tears to their eyes, the nights spent tinkering over Anakin’s projects and cups of tea left on the cupboard, always by pairs, just as the warm plates of food after a long day of training. They’ve seen them grow from strangers to Master and Padawan to equals. 

He will miss it. 

He will miss Obi-Wan. 

Something twists painfully inside of his belly, making his throat constrict and his vision blurry. The light cloud of joy and delight floating above his head since the beginning of the evening suddenly grows darker and heavier, nostalgia making itself a nest deep inside his chest. He doesn’t want his own quarters, he realizes. He doesn’t want to leave his tiny bedroom, he doesn’t want a whole space for himself, free from memories, too large and too empty and above all, away from Obi-Wan’s side. He doesn’t want- 

“Padawan.” 

A gentle hand lands on Anakin’s shoulder, pulling him out of the haze slowly obscuring his mind and souring his mood. A presence, bright and familiar, softly prods against his own in the Force and Anakin instinctively lowers his shields, pulling it closer until he’s surrounded by it. Only then, curled up in the comforting Light like a youngling on his first day at the Temple, he finds the strength to release his feelings into the Force. 

“Master.”

Tilting his head back against the back of the couch, he looks up at Obi-Wan hovering above him upside down with a concerned frown. It accentuates the furrow between his brows. The one that appeared one day, soon after the war began and hasn't left since. Anakin wants to smooth it with his thumb. He doesn’t like it when Obi-Wan is worried, especially about him. 

“Are you feeling okay, dearest ? You look… distressed.” Obi-Wan says quietly, the fingers on his shoulder burying slightly in the folds of his tunic as he squeezes gently. 

Anakin wants to reply that he’s feeling good, great even. He’s finally a Knight, he can finally cradle into his hands a dream he’s been nurturing since Master Qui-Gon Jinn took him from his home planet and offered him a future, since he promised his mother she would be proud of him one day, for he would fly among the stars and dedicate his life to helping others. He made it, despite all odds. He should be proud, he should be thrilled, he should be chatting and dancing with the others for his last night of freedom. But there, with the last drops of wine lingering on the back of his throat and the weight of emotions settling in the pit of his stomach, all he can think about is Obi-Wan. Or the absence of him. How he will miss him. All of the things he didn’t tell him. How he would like more time. How afraid he is. 

Instead, he summons a smile he hopes convincing and jumps from the couch, turning around to hold out his hand to his Master. The world spins around him. 

“Dance with me ?” 

Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow but takes his hand without hesitation. Anakin pulls him closer in the small space between the couch and the coffee table and Obi-Wan lets him, maybe because he looks like he’s about to fall on his face if he doesn't get immediate support. Anyway, Anakin is not going to waste the opportunity to wrap his arms around his Master’s waist so he does just that, and if he holds him a little too tight, Obi-Wan doesn’t complain. His Master rests his forearms on Anakin’s shoulders and his fingers find the place where his Padawan’s braid had been a few hours before. Anakin observes him as he brushes the tip of his fingers behind the shell of his ear, looking contemplative. It makes him shiver, the look and the touch. It makes him feel hot all over under his clothes. He’d like Obi-Wan to do that again, but before he can think about the right way to voice his thoughts, his Master steals the words out of his mouth. 

“I know I told you countless times, and especially today, but I’m very proud of you, Anakin.” He says in the soft, familiar voice of him, a wave of pure pride and fondness swelling up into their bond. They didn’t sever it yet, by mutual agreement. Not yet. They didn’t talk about when. 

It’s not the first time over the years that Obi-Wan speaks those words, and certainly not the first time today as well, but Anakin feels his face grow a shade darker just the same. He bows his head slightly, to hide his burning cheeks as much as to express his respect to Obi-Wan. 

“Thank you, Master.”

“I truly believe you are and will be one of the best among us.” Obi-Wan continues, then more sternly. “Don’t let it get to your head too much, though.” And Anakin lets out a chuckle. 

“You know me, Master. I’m a paragon of humility.” 

A smile lifts the corners of Obi-Wan’s mouth, his eyes twinkle mischievously. 

“And a better dancer than you claim to be. That’s a shame you never shared your talents before.”

Anakin looks down at where they're awkwardly swaying in a limited corner of the living room. His brain, slowed down by the sweet wine, doesn't immediately take on the grin slowly spreading under Obi-Wan's mustache. 

“You’re making fun of me !” He accuses, though it comes out more like an offended whine. 

Obi-Wan has the audacity to look smug about it and even to laugh to his face when he scowls. 

“I would never, Padawan mine.” He finally says, eyes full of mirth. “You haven’t even stepped on my toes once.” 

And Anakin can’t even be angry at him, not when Obi-Wan calls him like that. Not when there’s a horde of butterflies fighting for their life inside of his belly. Without a warning, a wave of emotions builds up inside of his chest, too massive for the confined space of his body and for a moment he’s sure he’s about to explode if he does nothing about it. He wants- He doesn’t know what he wants. He wants Obi-Wan to call him like that again. He never wants to stop being Obi-Wan’s Padawan. He never wants to stop being his. He wants- He wants…

Tightening his hold on his Master's waist, he presses closer and buries his face against the side of his neck, wishing he could disappear into him and be cradled against his heart for eternity. 

Obi-Wan lets out a huff as Anakin wraps himself around him in a suffocating embrace. One of his hands leaves a shoulder to slip in the short hair at the back of his head, nails gently scratching the base of his scalp. 

“Anakin, dear one.” He breathes out against his temple. “I can’t breathe.” 

Anakin can't breathe either, but not for the same reasons. Tomorrow he'll have to leave everything behind. Everything he knows, all of his marks, the pillars on which he built his life. The person he loves the most in the universe. It’s all too soon. He’s not ready. He’s not- 

He realizes that panic is setting in when Obi-Wan squirms against him with a pained noise. 

“Ah- Anakin. You must calm down. Everything's alright, love.” 

Everything’s not alright but he clings to Obi-Wan’s voice to push past the haze of panic, focuses on the fingers carding through his hair, on the steady weight against his chest and slowly loosens his hold. 

Obi-Wan lets out a little sigh and cups one of Anakin’s cheeks in the palm of his hand. It’s warm and strong and calloused from hours of wielding a lightsaber and it’s another small part of Anakin’s home. 

“Good.” Obi-Wan whispers, softly stroking Anakin’s cheekbone. “Focus on me, darling. What’s wrong ?” 

Everything. Everything's wrong. Everything's out of place because tomorrow Obi-Wan will not be by his side anymore. 

Anakin tries to speak but it’s a pitiful whimper that comes out instead. 

“I'm not ready, Master.” 

Obi-Wan’s features soften impossibly at that. He takes Anakin’s face in both of his hands and plunges his eyes into his. He doesn’t say that he believes Anakin’s ready. He doesn't say that it’s the way things work, that there’s a time when Master and Padawan have to trace their own paths, he doesn’t say he cannot wait to see Anakin spread his wings or how proud he is of the Jedi he’s become. He doesn’t say that everything comes to an end. Instead he says : 

“Well, let me tell you a secret. I don't think I’ll ever be ready to let you go either.” 

Anakin’s eyes widen. He’s so taken aback that he forgets about the ache in his chest for a second. Obi-Wan… doesn't want to let him go ? 

“But…” 

“I know.” Obi-Wan chuckles, almost sheepishly, and looks away. “I’m not supposed to tell you this. This is not what the Code teaches us about attachment. But I can assure you… every Master feels the same way, at least a little bit when the time comes. It’s only natural, when you've taken a child under your care and watched him grow for-” 

“I’m not a child anymore.” 

Anakin doesn't know why he said that. Obi-Wan does know he’s not a child anymore. But a part of him wonders if he really sees it. If he understands it. What it means. For Anakin. For them. 

“I know you’re not, Anakin.” Obi-Wan smiles fondly. “In fact you’re a dashing young man, now. And an excellent Jedi.” 

Anakin cuts him before Obi-Wan tells him how proud of him he is once again. That’s not what he wants to hear right now. What he wants- He doesn't really know what he wants. A proof, perhaps. A proof that everything's not going to end up tomorrow. That he will not be cut out of Obi-Wan’s life like he never existed in it in the first place. That he's not disposable. That Obi-Wan will miss him as much as Anakin does already.  

“You asked me what I wanted as a gift for my Knighting ceremony.” He says without thinking. “I know what I want.” 

“Oh ?” 

Obi-Wan’s hands have left his face, quietly folded around his neck instead as he continues to guide them in a slow dance. He’s looking at him with genuine curiosity and Anakin wonders if he would give him anything he asked for. But there’s only one way to find out. 

“I want a kiss.” He blurts out before all courage abandons him. 

He expects a lot of reactions following his demand, from anger to disappointment, from horror to disgust. Probably a lecture about the Code, or about their status as Master and Padawan, even about age gap and power dynamics and how Obi-Wan will never see him as something else but the little Ani he found on Tatooine. What he’s not expecting is the way Obi-Wan turns his head away with a pained look. 

“You know that’s not something I can give you, dear one.” He says softly, even though the lines at the corner of his eyes are strained. 

“I- “ Anakin opens and closes his mouth several times, not knowing what to do with Obi-Wan’s answer. It doesn’t feel like a rejection, not really. Obi-Wan said he couldn't, not that he didn’t want to. 

“I want it to be you.” He says just as softly. “I want my first kiss to be you.” 

Obi-Wan’s eyes snap back to him at the words, mouth opening slightly with disbelief. He looks disarmed, maybe for the first time since Anakin knows him. 

“You’ve never been kissed ?” 

“I- No.” Anakin blushes and lowers his gaze, flustered and a little bit ashamed. 

He’s nineteen. Most of his classmates had had their share of adventures already. He knows several of them had gone a lot further than kisses as well. He knows he could have had the opportunity if he had wanted to. But he hadn’t. Because- Because- 

“I didn't want anyone else. I- I've always wanted it to be you.” He whispers simply, because it's as simple as that. 

“Oh, Anakin…” 

Obi-Wan looks even more pained when Anakin dares to look up at him again. He wonders why. He wonders if Obi-Wan pities him, or if he thinks he’s stupid. But he doesn’t care to be stupid, or pathetic. He’s the only one who can choose whose lips will grant him his first kiss and he has chosen and nobody would be able to make him change his mind, should he wait ten more years. 

“I can’t do that, Anakin.” Obi-Wan repeats, fingers running along the back of his neck. It doesn’t sound convincing. It sounds like Obi-Wan is trying to convince himself more than Anakin. 

“Why not ?” Anakin asks, trying to swallow the disappointment building in his throat. “One kiss. This is the only gift I ask for.” 

He could wait. He knows he could. He has waited for years already, from the day he had learned what being in love meant. He could wait a little bit more. Except he can't. Because he’s leaving tomorrow and he doesn't know when he’s going to see Obi-Wan again, and he doesn't know if the next time they meet Obi-Wan will remember him. 

“I can’t.” Obi-Wan refuses to look at him once again. He has gone tense between his arms. Anakin tightens his hold around his waist. 

“Why ?” 

He has to know. He has to know before leaving. He has to know what’s holding Obi-Wan’s back. He has to know if it’s duty, if it’s the Code or if it’s something else entirely. 

“Why, Obi-Wan ?” He insists, gently tugging at the back of his belt to at least get his attention again. 

Obi-Wan swallows. For a few seconds, Anakin thinks he’s going to walk away and close the subject but then he turns his head back to him and the look he gives him is devastating in his vulnerability. 

“Because, my darling-” He whispers. “If I kiss you, I won’t be able to stop.” 

There’s still music floating in the air, still people laughing and chatting and dancing and celebrating. There's shuura pie being shared on plates and they're still in the middle of the living room, surrounded by pairs of Masters and their former Padawans. But all Anakin is able to see and hear and feel is Obi-Wan, the rest of it being reduced into white noise in the background. 

He's not sure he’s heard well. He’s sure he’s heard every word, but they don’t make sense. 

“What…?” 

Obi-Wan looks just as lost as Anakin feels. His eyes travel on his face, uncertain but oh so clear. There’s insecurity in them, a good fair of shame as well but also determination. He doesn't close his mind when Anakin probes at it to weigh the sincerity of his words. He lets him in and he lets him see. He lets him see all of it. The years of guilt and adoration, the underlying fear building up with the menace of the war and the regrets of having to free him in this uncertain world, the constant terror of losing him hidden in the back of his mind. 

“Master…” Anakin gives him a look of utter disbelief, heart beating loudly in his chest. There's so much Obi-Wan had kept concealed from him, for all this time. He doesn't even know where to start.

Obi-Wan clears his throat, the top of his cheeks a little bit darker than usual, but he doesn’t look away this time. 

“If you agree, I would like us to talk about all this when you come back.” 

When he comes back ?! He doesn’t even know when he’s supposed to come back. It could be weeks, it could be months. He could get injured, or worse. And how is he supposed to wait for so much time when Obi-Wan just confessed feeling the same way about him ? He had waited for this moment for what seems to be his entire life. He wants to talk about it now. He wants to take Obi-Wan’s hand and drag him back to their quarter so they can spend the rest of the night marvelling about this miracle of the Force. He wants to have his first kiss before leaving so he can take the memory with him and cling to it when things turn dark. 

But Obi-Wan… Obi-Wan doesn’t share Anakin’s excitation. His part of the bond is hesitant, holding back, almost afraid. Even when Anakin leans forward and presses his nose against his temple. 

“Can I have my kiss, at least ?” 

Obi-Wan’s nails scratch him gently at the base of his neck, his beard tickling the side of his jaw when he turns his head slightly. Heart missing a beat, Anakin closes his eyes when he feels the warmth of his breath traveling a little bit higher. 

This is it. 

He’s finally, finally going to be kissed for the first time, and by the man he's been in love with since the age of nine.

His heart starts racing in his chest as he tries to brace himself, but realizes he has absolutely no idea of what he’s supposed to do. Should he keep his eyes closed ? Should he open his mouth ? Is it going to involve tongues ? What does he do with his hands ? He suddenly feels hyper aware of where they’re resting on his Master’s hips. 

And then. 

Then, soft lips press gently against his cheek, staying there the flutter of a butterfly’s wings and then they’re gone, brushing now against the shell of his ear. 

“Patience, dear one.” 

Anakin feels like he’s going to explode. His whole body trembles when Obi-Wan whispers in his ear. This is terribly unfair. He hasn’t got a single bone of patience in his body and Obi-Wan knows it. 

“Master !” He complains - whimpers-, opening his eyes to glare at him. 

Obi-Wan’s eyes crinkle in the corners the same way they do when Anakin is being unreasonable and endearing at the same time. His smile is soft when he strokes the cheek he just kissed. 

“Patience, Anakin. I promise you we’ll have more time after your mission.” 

“What if I die ?” He blurts out.

This is stupid and cruel and he regrets it as soon as the words leave his mouth. But Obi-Wan doesn’t seem offended. His smile widens in a grin as he pats his cheek. 

“I guess you’ll just have to not die, then.” 

[solimavi]

Majima: Love, Suffering, and Dreams

I've still got Majima Gaiden on the mind and really need to ramble about Majima's mental state in this game, the emphasis on dreams and how they fit into the core of Majima's character and his arc in this game, and his relationships with Kiryu and Noah. Spoilers ahead.

When really getting into the meat of this character, something important to take notice of is of course the tattoo choice. To give a brief overview, hannya represent female demons who are driven by very intense emotions. An example of such an entity is the malicious spirit that manifested from Lady Rokujo's jealousy towards Genji's wife, Lady Aoi, in "The Tale of Genji". Bringing things back around to Majima, I often think of Yakuza 2. It's the game where we get the first look at his tattoo and in that game, there's a shot focused on it before he singlehandedly takes down an Omi horde. To bare such a tattoo is to proclaim to be driven by things such as obsession, jealousy, heartbreak, and wrath to the point those feelings overwhelm you and turn you into it a demon. The design of the mask is meant to appear as both dangerous and tormented. As Ugaki put it, Majima is overflowing with love, and he suffers for it.

Majima, as a matter of self-preservation, doesn't often wear his heart on his sleeve, but nonetheless accepts his strong emotions and the suffering that comes with them as a core part of who he is. In fact, the tattoo is him telling us that those feelings and suffering are what he's all about.

With all that said, let's take a closer look at his first encounter with the giant squid and the context of that encounter.

Years of unrequited love towards Kiryu, the devastating revelation of his cancer diagnosis, and a desperate attempt to find a, to Majima, likely not real cure are what led him to this moment. The interplay of love and suffering had reached its peak and appeared to be about to consume him in the form of a mythical-tier giant sea monster. When faced with this situation, Majima, against all reason, eagerly chose death. And I think this is where we see Majima's identity as someone destined to suffer because of love meets with the part of him that's "just a tough dude that likes to fantasize a lot" (Yokoyama's words). To a romantic who keeps their head in the clouds and embraces this sort of suffering as a core part of who they are, dying to a monster because they wouldn't stop fighting for the object of their one-sided love could appear to be the ultimate affirmation of that identity and their love. Majima isn't just standing his ground and going down with his ship. He's been stuck in a feeling of stagnation for years, as far back as at least Yakuza 5. The Tojo Clan is gone, and society has left the former yakuza to rot. And now he's been dealt the blow that he might be about to lose Kiryu. He's in a lot of pain. This was an opportunity to end it and go out with a bang for Kiryu.

But we all know Majima didn't actually die there. Through some miracle, the squid doesn't kill him, and he eventually washes up on shore after passing out on the ship. It's then that he meets Noah.

Majima finds a kindred spirit in Noah. Noah is preoccupied with fantasies of seeing the world while being stuck living a dull and sheltered life on Rich Island. He feels stuck and wants better and more exciting things. Just like Majima.

It's through helping Noah see the world that Majima finds the potential for fun and excitement in life again and two key things happen.

Number one is the second encounter with the giant squid. Before, the squid set the stage for giving Majima the ideal romantic death. The perfect ending to his tragedy. At the time, he was ready to accept that death. In the second encounter, nearing the end of the story, it's the squid that ends up dying at Majima's hands.

Number two is Majima's determination to not die in Madlantis. This comes after seeing Noah's response to Jason's near-death experience protecting him and Moana's kidnapping. To Noah, it was because his dad and sister love him and wanted to make him happy by helping him chase his dreams that they both got hurt. As a response, Noah was ready to condemn himself for having those dreams in the first place and throw them away. Majima was able to pull him back from those thoughts, but what would have happened if Majima had then gone and got himself killed after all of that? Again, Majima and Noah are kindred spirits when it comes to dreaming. Majima gives a lot of value to letting yourself fantasize about better and more exciting things. Noah throwing that away because he blames himself for somebody else getting hurt isn't something Majima can let happen and he's forced to consider how his usual self-destructive behavior could end up hurting the person he wants to help. In 0, Sera stepped in and forced this kind of consideration on Majima by directly calling him out before he could kill on Makoto's behalf. But the games that take place after 0 are indicative of no lasting reckoning with how his self-destructive habits could do more harm than good to the people he loves. In PYIH, he's able to think things through without needing another person to step in and talk sense into him.

Bringing it back around to Kiryu, there was a bit from the Anan magazine Majima interview where his connection with Kiryu was described as especially special amongst all the people Majima has encountered and connected to. He's Majima's dream. He loves Kiryu more than he loves anything else. While Majima was out there trying to cut in line to meet the reaper early because of that love, Kiryu was in the hospital fighting for his life to have as much time with the people he loves as possible after years of running away from them. What would Majima's sudden death had done for Kiryu? How would he feel if he knew Majima had died while desperately trying to find a cure for him?

Majima didn't find the miracle elixir he was looking for. He also didn't die while out looking for something he likely didn't actually believe to be real. No glorious ending to his tragic love story. No saving himself from still being alive to experience the pain of losing Kiryu if and when it happens. He just returns to Japan, ready to find new dreams to keep himself going, and he visits Kiryu to tell him about his recent adventure.

What would have happened if Majima hadn't lost his memories and then met and set sail with Noah? Would he have kept looking for that cure until he either found it or died trying? Majima says Noah saved him and when stepping back and looking at what took place, I don't think this is only referring to the helping hand Noah gave him when he washed up on shore.

Now that I put that all out there. We've got the former yakuza who is going through easily one of the worst moments in his life. He then meets a little kid going through their own struggles and finds himself able to deeply understand and relate to the kid. He takes up a guardian role to that kid, but he ends up being helped by them as much as he helps them. Oh, and there's this very familiar bit around the middle of the story where that kid is abruptly kidnapped. This is really starting to ring some bells.

Majima's story fuses the need to quickly adjust to an unfamiliar environment (the amnesia in a place far from home compared to Kiryu getting out of prison after 10 years not knowing what's going on) and the life changing encounter (Kiryu meeting Haruka who is just as lost and alone as he is) from Y1 with the death seeking behavior resulting from grief over loss of a loved one from Y2. Noah is the Haruka that's there to both save and be saved by Majima. It all rolls back around to rhyming with Kiryu and Haruka's story.

Anyways. Hopefully this isn't too rambly and disorganized. I really like to think about Majima's obsessive side, and I was really thrown a bone to chew on here with him maybe romanticizing those struggles. Trying to find romance or a bright side to your problems is a very real and relatable tendency people often struggle with, just probably not often on the level of "I'm gonna set sail and get killed by a giant sea monster for the love of my life". All of that interconnects with the sad love story with Kiryu, the focus on the importance of dreams, finding the fun in life again, and the parallels to Kiryu and Haruka with Majima and Noah. It's a lot to think about packed into this one five-chapter game.

[novantinuum]

So, one of the interesting meta things I've been thinking about lately with SU: Future is that...

When Steven was wanting to "marry" Connie so he could fuse with her and live as Stevonnie (which, given Garnet is the biggest example of marriage in his life, is genuinely how he conceives of marriage now), he was in fact acting out with the same sort of "fusion lust" that Pearl experienced when she betrayed Garnet in the episode Cry for Help. He felt a surge of belonging and joy and love he probably hadn't experienced in a long while when he got to skate as Stevonnie in the previous episode, and then he just... got fixated on that, I think.

It's... a really good thing that he at least had the sense to ask permission from her instead of resorting to subterfuge like Pearl did, but regardless both Steven and Pearl had a similar brand of insecurities at play causing them to want to become something bigger than themselves.

"No matter how hard I try to be strong like you, I'm just a pearl! I'm useless on my own. I need someone... to tell me what to do." -Pearl, Friend Ship

"Wherever we go I already trust I'd know what to do if it were us I'd know what to say I'd know how to be I'd know your entire syllabus..." -Steven, "I'd Rather Be Me (With You)," Together Forever

Both of them felt directionless and powerless on their own at this point in their lives, and came to the conclusion that a fusion relationship with another person would somehow "fix" them, would somehow bring purpose to their lives they didn't have on their own before. Which, of course, was not the solution at all. Pearl had to deal with her deep-rooted insecurities about her former role on Homeworld on her own, and Steven had to wrestle with his own mental state in therapy in order to once again regain a sense of trajectory within his world.

All this to say though, I hope the two of them had a heart-to-heart about this at some point beyond canon, because I think they would have a lot to connect with on this topic.

[aerialflight]

fic rec list (2025 and all the random fandoms and ships i got stuck in)

It's truly been ages since I made a list and I'm not kidding when I say I've been wildly going back and forth in old and new fandoms. Yes, it includes arcane. It was short lived and glorious and I have so many to share with you now that the fever has passed (somewhat). Anyway! Hope you enjoy! (Also, I think this is the most shippy fic rec list I've ever made, it's fucking ridiculous fnewiofpewa)

-

[Arcane] (i want it noted that i was a jayce fan since s1 and the vindication i felt at the flood of jayce/viktor fics that came in after s2 was unparalleled. so yeah, nearly all the arcane fics on this list have this ship. sue me.)

Balance (this world is a wasteland but we can still grow) by zillac

Ship: Jayce/Viktor

Viktor stays in the Hexcore chrysalis a few more hours. Jayce stays busy falling into the ravine of an alternate dimension and fighting his way back to his partner so that they can invent something new together: a future. ~~~ “What am I?” Viktor asked. “What do you want to be?” Jayce was bearded and haggard and hopeful. “Yours,” Viktor said, a memory and a realization both, like it was a truth that was woven into each of his metal and organic molecules.

(i need fix it fics like i need to breathe, especially for these two. it's not too long and hit the right spot for me when it came to the hurt/comfort, and there were some fucking lines here that legit made me look it up because it was so fucking beautiful and i needed to know if the author really came up with it, goddamn it. also, when i say fix it, i mean in general, not just for the ship. and caitlyn and jayce's relationship was so nice here, i loved it!)

Recourse Pathways by begaydocrimes10001

Ship: Jayce/Viktor

Jayce blinked once. He blinked again. There was the sun, and clouds, and when Jayce ran his hand over his cheeks, there was barely any stubble. (Jayce and Viktor find themselves in the past, just a few hours before a group of Undercity kids broke into Jayce's lab and sparked a chain of events that would later end the world. They get a second shot at preventing it, and, maybe, creating something better in its place.)

Part 1 of State of Matter Changes

(listen, i know that the fandom is bloated with time travel fix its by this point and i'm just as much as a sucker for them too, but i'm more in love with this series because of how much focus it puts on other characters and the chain reaction viktor and jayce's actions have beyond this first fic. truly, after part 1, the series shifts to other characters such as silco, vander, mel, and even sevika more. every fic expands and extends the series of events that occur to make zaun independent and what that actually means. it's so freaking good and the characterization and focus of each character and their perspective is excellent! even if you're not that into jayce/viktor, once you get past the initial part 1 of this series, you'll end up loving the political machinations that happen in the rest.)

Dress me in midnight, feast upon my bones by hexhomos

Ship: Jayce/Viktor

The rocket strikes through the heart. Reality collapses in less than five seconds. Jayce rebuilds Viktor, little by little, piece by piece. And if his partner comes back from the dead a little different, well... what's not to love? Jayce is a quick study. He can adjust himself into a suitable form. He pledged himself to this task a dozen years ago; he's in it for the long haul. * To put it bluntly: this is the one where Dr. Frankenstein runs away with his bride. ( Jayce follows Viktor down to the depths of Zaun, and amid the riots and war-banners, everything changes. )

(*screeEEEEAACH!!!* INSANE. TRULY AND POSITIVELY INSANE. GOD HELP ME I LOVE THIS FIC SO MUCH OH MY GOD FNEIOWFPEWA)(for the LOVE OF GOD the way this author fucking expands the idea of jayce being a goddamn immigrant and what that means, the author just fucking GETS him, AND VIKTOR IS A MAD SCIENTIST AND I STAND BY THIS SO FUCKING HARD HELL YEAH!! i just, god, GOD, the author got them so RIGHT. i know i'm yelling a lot, but seriously, it's so good. it's so so so good nfewofewa)(READ!!)

Forged in Fire by chicandcheesy

Ship: Jayce/Viktor

Jayce Talis has lived in the Undercity since he was eight. Now, he's a blacksmith with more scars and trauma than cash. He’s tired, broke, and frankly, just trying not to lose his mind. Then Viktor—a reclusive scientist who had been expelled from the Academy—walks into his forge one day. Suddenly, Jayce's life is turned upside down. Between questionable alliances, sexual tension, and Viktor’s maddening habit of being too smart for his own good, Jayce starts to think he might actually go mad. But if anyone’s worth the trouble, it's Viktor. - (A Zaunite Jayce AU)

(i am and always shall be in love with the idea of zaunite!jayce. it just, oof, hits me in the gut. the idea of someone so optimistic as jayce being rundown and hardened by zaun makes me feral. i love how you can see how much he's changed yet stayed the same compared to canon. every fic writer has their own idea of what jayce would be like if he lived in zaun and it's fascinating every time. also, it's so funny how much viktor is the same yet the power dynamics between them have been flipped. god, i can go on, but please just read the fic, it's so good fnewiofpnewe)

Run It Back Again by Withercrown

Ships: Jayce/Viktor, Silco/Vander

Sometimes there's nothing you can do except scrap the whole experiment and start over. The worst possible outcome becomes an opportunity for a new beginning. Viktor and Jayce, estranged enemies in a brutal war, go back to the start - and then earlier than that. The key to their salvation ends up being an undercity brat named Silco. He's not quite the person they remember. (Completed. Updates frequently.)

(so while i'm not as into the league of legends lore, i do have a soft spot for the divorce era versions of jayce and viktor. and man, it makes me cackle watching jayce fumble his way into viktor's good graces lmao. and silco!! is a fucking ally cat and i love him in this fic so much!! and the fact jayce has to play nice with so many people who hates his guts fill me with glee lol. seriously, please read if you love time travel, the divorced era, and seeing jayce suffer. it's a good time XD)

Butterfly Nebulas by MalaMari

Ship: Jayce/Viktor

In a whirlwind, one can have everything, nothing, then everything again. In a single night, a near stranger stood at Jayce's side at both his darkest and brightest moments. Sometimes, the presence of a single person can change everything. Aka: Arcane, but focused on Jayce and Viktor where everyone gets more friends and (maybe) a happier ending.

(first and foremost, this fic is very much friendship based and the banter is absolutely what sold me to this fic. it's just so much fun to read?? and the relationship between caitlyn, jayce, and viktor is so heartwarming and believable in how much they care about each other. and while the plot in itself is slow, you can see how the author is building up the canon divergence brick by brick through every relationship and interaction that occurs. this fic is a slow burn both in the ship and in the plot and i appreciate the time and effort the author is spending to do it. please read this fic, i'm so excited to see where it goes!)

Of Memories and Tomorrows by Lieyantosh

Ship: Jayce/Viktor

Instead of dissolving with Viktor like Jayce expected, he gets sent a decade into the past when Viktor didn’t even know him yet. Of course the logical action to take is to kidnap him. Meanwhile Viktor, twenty-two years old, figures that hey, as long as he can research magic, this isn’t too bad of a predicament. Or: Post-Season 2 Jayce and Season 1 Viktor, the grief of having lost your soulmate while having to look at his younger version who doesn’t even know you, the endless exhaustion of being a second-hand love and also science.

(this is hands down my fave fic on this list, no questions asked. just, GOD, jayce is so fucking feral and deranged and insanely in love with viktor, and viktor who doesn't know him from adam just has to Deal with that lmao. but yeah, this fic was both incredibly healing and sad and genuinely unnerving at times because, like i said, jayce is fucking unhinged here lol. i reread this 3 times and i just fell in love with this fic so hard and fast, it's ridiculous. please read, it's so freaking good fnewiofpea)

Men of Progress by Zairielon

Ship: Jayce/Viktor

On a frozen tundra, a mystical figure makes the decision to save Jayce's life. Thus begins a journey of destiny, the indomitable strength of the human soul, and love that transcends death, all bound together by the Arcane. The Mage gives Jayce and Viktor a chance to change their fate. And the two humans push back against the natural order of time. Maybe, just maybe... life is not set in stone. OR, Jayce does not lose their dream. And he will never let Viktor slip through his fingers.

(*YELLS EXCITEDLY* IT UPDATED!! hey, HEY, if you didn't know, you know now. this fic, which didn't update in 2 years, FINALLY UPDATED and finished the fic! truly and sincerely, this was one of my fave fics back when and i fucking YELLED when i saw this got completed. seriously, this is still one of the best arcane time travel stories i ever read! please read!!)

In Loco Parentis by Anonymous

Ship: Jayce/Viktor

The boy blinks a few times, shaking his head before he looks around, his eyes darting from all different parts of the ravine. Viktor instinctively takes a step back when his eyes land on him, grasping his cane even tighter. “Uh hi?” Viktor points his cane at him. “Who-Who are you?” He tries to make his voice sound strong, the way that the men that haggle for money do, but it comes out shaky. “Are you going to hit me with that?” The boy eyes the cane warily. “Maybe.” Viktor juts a chin out. “If you don’t tell me who you are.” “Oh!” The boy brightens. “I’m Jayce! Or: During the rescue with the Mage, Jayce gets transported to the Undercity and meets Viktor instead, and everything spirals from there.

(the fic that started my obsession with zaunite!jayce. i know it's incomplete. do i care? no, no i do not. i reread this obsessively for literal YEARS. also, ALSO, with the context of s2, this fic just fucking hits different now. truly, if there's a fic i want to write fics for, it's this goddamn fic, its HAUNTS me fnioewfewew)(please read, i beg of you!)

If you're gonna be the death of me [that's how I wanna go] by Caspercryptid (FaiaHae)

Ship: Ekko/Jinx

Jinx has loved Ekko over half her life, so she's not shocked when she starts coughing up flowers.

(hey! it's a wild ekko/jinx fic! but yeah, the idea that it's this couple in particular who got hanahaki made me brain spiral like a hamster in a wheel. really love how the author writes jinx and absolutely recommend it!)

the dust inside the rusted souls by MaryaDmitrievnaLikesSundays

Ship: Jayce/Viktor

Viktor is dying. This is nothing new. He’s been dying since he was born, since he took his first acrid lungful of Fissure air, and he accepted his premature expiration long ago. Everyone has to die anyways, right? All the Fissure had done was move up the finish line. That doesn’t make it any easier. —— Or, Viktor never tries Shimmer, and his death is the slow, painful erosion that everyone said it would be.

(so fucking angsty with no happy ending, and yet one of the most beautiful fics i've read in a while. and the way the author wrote viktor was so accurate it actually hurt, goddamn. even though it doesn't end happy for viktor, i still believe this fic ended with some hope and i love that. please give this a chance, it's really good!)

scientist and scientist by milkbird

Ship: Jayce/Viktor

“If this Hextech thing doesn't work out,” Jayce drawls, slow and sweet, head still dangling awkwardly from his neck, except now he's facing Viktor. “You know what we should do?” This is a joke Viktor isn't in on. But now he's intrigued, so he draws up his good leg and rests his elbow on it, letting the quiet hum of music wash over him. “What,” he asks, “Should we do, Jayce?” Jayce is holding in a laugh. “Suicide pact.” (Public appearances are boring. Viktor steals Jayce away, and they reflect.)

(this fic screams neurodivergent and i fucking LOVE it! it's so funny and yeah! these two are mad fucking scientists! let them be weird!! it felt real in a way where i definitely have friendships like theirs where i can be weird with someone and they'll say ditto. it just has that vibe and it's so damn good!)(#Jayce is hot and sincere and also weird as hell)(this is literally one of the tags and it's what convinced me to give it a go. i have no regrets!)

destabilise by antiparticular

Ship: Jayce/Viktor

Jayce was naked and in Viktor's bed. Don't get him wrong - Viktor had dreamed of this happening, both literally and on slow days in the lab when he was feeling particularly self-indulgent, but for it to manifest outside of his overactive imagination? He was half tempted to pinch himself to check he'd actually awoken. Why was Jayce Talis in Viktor's bed? And more pressingly, why did Viktor not remember? -- We've all seen the fics where Jayce and Viktor end up in their past bodies post S2 and immediately get down and dirty about it, but what if their trip to the past wasn't as permanent as they expected?

Part 1 of destabilise

(*cackles like a madman* this was so fucking funny and i NEED people to read this. it truly never occured to me that there would be an aftermath of s2 jayce and viktor hopping around through space when there absolutely would be! of course! and it's just as funny as you think it is! if you need a good laugh, please read!)

-

[The Witcher] (i know, i'm surprised too. why brain, why.)

Songs of War by StarsAreMassive

Ship: Geralt/Jaskier

Life after Oxenfurt wasn't what Jaskier thought it would be. Dull and uninspired, what is a bard to do? Other than drag a half dead witcher back to his room, thus setting off a chain of events that start a war and and pave the way for a new Warlord in the North. Meanwhile, witchers all over the Continent are pushed to breaking point. Geralt wants to know who this fucking bard is who keeps singing about him. And Letho establishes a venomous hatred for lutes.

(so, i read the warlord fic and became so fascinated by the concept. i truly understand why the premise spawned hundreds of fics now, it's such a fun idea to play with. but this fic made me desperately want more in a way that consumed me. it's an origin story of why geralt became a warlord and honestly? it built up to it so well and with so much humor at first, courtesy to jaskier who goes Through It in this fic lmao. it steadily gets more serious and it made me so eager to know what happens next. please give it a read, it's so well written and is such a believable origin story for the warlord idea.)

Standing in Time with You by Sapphire09

Ship: Geralt/Jaskier

Cornflower eyes opened to the sight of a dark wooden ceiling full of holes. He noted the holes absently, a familiar sight he equated to his life while still on the road, wondering where he is. The last he remembered was the tall ceiling of his Oxenfurt chamber. He also remembered the pain. Weird, how the afterlife looks like the room of an inn. ------ Jaskier remembers being dead. That doesn't explain why he wakes up looking like he was fresh from the Oxenfurt graduating class instead of the handsome, distinguished professor he actually is. Nothing is making much sense, honestly. He just hopes he's not just going completely crazy first before figuring anything about what the fuck happened, or is happening.

(time travel! it's unfinished but god! it's so good!! this fic both made me laugh so hard and had me feeling so bad for jaskier lmao. god i hope this fic gets updated one day, but even if not, i hope this fic inspires others to write more time travel fics in the witcher fandom. the possibilities are endless!! absolutely recommend!)

Roll for Initiative by Draco_sollicitus

Ship: Geralt/Jaskier

En route to game night, a beautiful, mysterious woman falls on Julian Pankratz out of nowhere. She mistakes him for a real bard and then starts talking nonsense about "portals," as if they haven't been outlawed on the Continent for half a millennium. She gifts him magical dice, urging him to "save the White Wolf." Julian, playing Dungeons and Dragons as the fabulous bard Jaskier, rolls a Nat 20 while trying to gain an ally in the murderous Butcher of Blaviken - and is instantly transported to a very strange world similar to the Redania of centuries past. There, he meets the real Butcher, a stoic and sarcastic Witcher named Geralt. Julian also quickly discovers that in this world, he has something that other bards don't: Jaskier the bard really does have magic, and quite a bit of it too - something that both interests and worries Geralt. The Witcher and the bard's quest for answers brings adventure, surprises, heartache, magic, healing -- and maybe a little bit of true love.

(*points vehemently* i've been saying for years that i've wanted to read a witcher fic that involves d&d and it's here! i somehow missed it and it's here!! genuinely had so much fun reading this, jaskier having the same abilities as a d&d bard had me grinning so hard. the possibilities!! also, it's reader interactive! the comment section of the fic was just as much fun to read as the fic, i truly could not predict how the plot would go because depending on the roll of a d20, the plot can go anywhere. love this idea and how well the author executed it! seriously, please give this fic a go! it's a fun time, i promise XD)

The Wanderer's Choice by Little_vesuvius

Ship: Geralt/Jaskier

Julian has never been normal. He has a talent, a gift that is both debilitating and powerful. He has always heard the songs of everyone, everywhere, he goes. His mind is never quiet. The longer he stays in a place the louder the songs get. With every passing year in a city, he grows sicker, and no healer can help him against the crushing noise of the songs of every living being in Oxenfurt. So when he has the opportunity to travel, he does so as Jaskier the Bard. In Posada, Jaskier finds an angry, silent man brooding in a corner, with a loud enough song to drown out the world's crush of noise. Curious, he follows the man, only to discover he is the infamous Butcher of Blaviken - but a man with such a sad, lonely song surely isn't a monster. Geralt just wants to know why this fool of a bard is following him on hunts and won't leave him alone, even knowing his reputation. It's not like anyone really wants to be around him. The bard will get sick of the novelty soon, surely. Or his temper. Filavandrel just wants his people to be left in peace. Finding an old elvish legend in the form of a human bard is the last thing he expects when he captures a witcher.

Part 1 of Heartsong AU

(i've always loved the jaskier is not human trope, and this fic was so creative?? it has a part 2 too and i'm just really fascinated by how the author explored this power jaskier has in this fic. it's really interesting and i definitely recommend!)

-

[Star Trek] (another unexpected fandom i haven't looked at in a long time. see a pattern? also, mckirk won me over HARD.)

Hotspur by kurgaya

Ship: Jim Kirk/Leonard McCoy

try. verb. 1. to attempt to do or accomplish; 2. to subject to strain, as of endurance, patience, or tax; 3. to determine the truth of (a quarrel or question) by test or battle [Academy Era]. "God forbid you're a Shakespearean wife then," Bones grumbles, and Jim laughs.

(finished this recently and i swear, i felt ALL the emotions, holy shit. this fic is made to break and fix your heart. jim has a service dog due to Tarsus Trauma and it's accurately depicted with respect and empathy. and Bones is depressed, which i do feel like i need to tag as a warning (please read the fic's tags), it got very Real at times. but man, it explores his depression in ways that hit me right in the chest. definitely brought up things i haven't thought about it a long while. but the healing process absolutely made this worth reading, i definitely cried at some parts. also, as an added bonus, it has a fake marriage trope embedded in the premise that brings a lot of hilarity and warmth to it in very interesting ways! please read, it's such a unique, very funny at times, and undeniably compassionate fic that explores trauma and recovery beautifully, with all the ugliness that comes with it.)

AsQ by laughter_now

Ship: Jim Kirk/Leonard McCoy

It started out as an ordinary day. So ordinary in fact that it took Jim until late in the afternoon to realize that something was horribly wrong. It was unusual that Bones wasn't in Sickbay during a busy shift, but it wasn't unheard of. What was wrong, absolutely and terrifyingly wrong, was that Bones wasn't even on board. In fact, nobody aboard the Enterprise has ever heard of a Leonard McCoy. There is no record of anyone by that name ever serving in Starfleet. In fact, there is no record of him at all. And that is so wrong that Jim can't even find any words for it.

(is it weird if i say that this is the most enraging and heartbreaking fic i've read for jim kirk? not even tarsus made me this pissed off. jim goes through so so much?? yet the catharsis somehow makes it worth it and i don't have any regrets reading this. not gonna lie, this was hard to read at first, but i literally couldn't stop reading due to the twists and turns this rollercoaster of a fic took me on. seriously, if you want a fic that has mystery, tension, and has you yelling out in triumph, this is absolutely for you.)

Quell the Cosmic Tides by SpocksBrainWorms

Ship: Jim Kirk/Spock

Enterprise is safe to fly another day. All thanks to Captain James T. Kirk's sacrifice. He's made peace with his death, even though it breaks his heart one final time to see the hurt in Spock's eyes. Still, the last thing he gets to see is the face of one of his dearest friends... until his eyes snap back open. Not in a hospital. In a shuttle as it lands at the Academy. “Once you exit the shuttle you are free to return to your dorms. Those of you who are new, you’ll follow me to registration and physicals,” a vaguely familiar-looking officer says, and Jim’s heart stops in his chest. Surprising, considering it shouldn’t be beating at all.

(god, GOD, i'm so so in love with this fic, it's ridiculous! THE time travel fic of this fandom other than lullabyknell's. sincerely, if you haven't read this fic yet, for the love of god, PLEASE do, it's fantastic!!)

When the world comes in by bluejbird

Ship: Jim Kirk/Leonard McCoy

Everyone is blessed with a gift, but Jim's isn't as exciting or useful as the rest of his family. His gift is dreaming of his soulmate. As hard as it is to watch his soulmate live without him, the dreams provide comfort during times when Jim would otherwise give up. Or, the one where Jim spends his life dreaming of Bones.

Part 7 of Interconnected

(honestly? you can read any of the other fics in this series, they're all soulmate fics but in different ways and they're all very very good! this just happens to be my favorite in the series XD.)

Not in Our Stars by emluv

Written for a prompt requesting a fic in which brilliant young medical student Leonard McCoy volunteers for a Doctors Without Borders-type organization and ends up helping with the rescue efforts on Tarsus IV, where he meets a teenage, traumatized Jim Kirk, who will, for whatever reason, allow only McCoy to treat him. I have played fast and loose with TOS information about Tarsus IV and its location, making it closer to Earth so that McCoy could feasibly make it there and back in one summer. Title taken from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Act I, scene ii: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in our selves...”

(a gen fic? on this shippy fic rec list? more likely than you think. but yeah, young mccoy hit me where it hurts and i could just see the more grumpy, cantankerous man he'll become. and yet he's still so endlessly compassionate no matter the age. something that this jim definitely needs. the slow building trust between the two and the sheer competency mccoy shows here made me fall in love with this fic. truly, i should've gotten more into the star trek fandom, there's so many fics out there to be read!)

exclamation (not an explanation) by TheWriter2

Ship: Jim Kirk/Spock

"Just before he makes it to the door, Spock realizes that if he is about to throw Vulcan propriety to the wind and embrace his humanity, then he had better do it properly." Having rejected his admission to the VSA, Spock finds himself with very few options. Still angry at his father and Vulcan, Spock decides to join Starfleet and honor his human heritage. There’s only one problem— the Vulcan High Council has banned Vulcans from joining Starfleet, claiming that the organization is abhorrently militaristic. So Spock decides to defy the odds and find a way to enlist. But the road to a starship is full of many pitfalls, and at every turn Spock risks someone realizing his Vulcan heritage and facing a court martial. To Spock, though, it’s all worth it; especially after he meets a bright young cadet who can take Spock to the stars with only a glance.

(this was the cutest fucking fic i've ever read omg!! spock is so! awkward and adorable and i just want to hug him so bad fnewofepwaf. the idea of spock having to pretend to be human mulan au style is fucking inspired, it's so funny and cute! seriously, if you just want a fic that fires endorphins in your brain, this is absolutely for you!!)

-

[Crossovers]

Whatever Can Die is Beautiful by UrieNanashi

Fandoms: The Witcher, Elden Ring

Ship: Geralt/Jaskier

Jaskier is finally free. After so long trapped in a form not his own he had begun to doubt which was his true self. But here he is, unshackled. The betrayals, violence, abandonment- the destruction his family wrought upon themselves and others, all of it left far behind. Jaskier is determined to enjoy this second chance. To bask in the beauty of life and ignore what horrors linger. Then he meets Geralt and things become complicated. ......................................................... “They don’t exist.” “Pardon?” The bard’s brown hair flops as he tilts his head. Geralt bravely doesn’t sigh again. “The monsters in your songs. They don’t exist.” For some reason that gets him a grin, “How do you know?” Geralt stares at him. “I’m a Witcher.” The bard laughs, “So just because you’ve never seen them that means they don’t exist?” “Yes.” Geralt says flatly. “Agree to disagree.” The man says flippantly, “But I would love to hear more about the monsters you’ve fought.” “No.” Geralt takes a drink desperately and finds he is almost at the bottom of his tankard. He contemplates whether it’s worth the coin for another. Probably not.

(truly, you don't really need to know anything about elden ring before reading the fic. i went into it without knowing anything and the fic still resonated with me. this fic feels episodic, with a monster of the week and both characters slowly getting to know each other through their adventures. i love jaskier and how he's depicted here, with all his secrets that he's trying to run from. the ambiance of the fic really seeps into you and pulls you into the story. absolutely recommend and you go into this blind without knowing anything, trust me.)

The Case of Leonard McCoy by AceOfSpades

Fandoms: Doom (2005), Star Trek

Ship: Jim Kirk/Leonard McCoy

The first thing Jim noticed about McCoy, and what started him on this whole messy path, was that McCoy was just a little…off.

Part 1 of Investigations

(listen, LISTEN, even if you've never seen Doom, it's legit one of the most suspenseful, cat and mouse mystery fics i've read in ages. seriously, it's so much fun to read, especially when both characters are so intelligent and every move makes sense and creeping ever closer to the truth. even though bones is also a different character, he's still definitely bones, just multilayered. like an onion! and jim is so persistent and perfectly kirk here, no wonder bones fell for him haha! absolutely recommend even if you've never watched doom, though it definitely helps in understanding what's going on on bones' side and adds to reader enjoyment. please read!)

[ask-nurse-curly]

as stated in the updated pinned post, we are diverging from the canon roleswap timeline starting nnnnnnnow :) ask boxes are open again!

[ Transcript under the cut ]

Hey Curly, I just wanted to check in with you. Things have been a little weird recently with this nearby satellite..

Are you doing okay?

Hey Captain!

Funny business, isn't it? I don't think we've ever had anything like this happen before.

It's okay, though. Sometimes I kind of want to follow Daisuke's example, but most people are nice.

What about you, everything alright on your end?

Me too, there's just so much going on at all times, haha.

Everything is mostly alright. I've got nice people, but some of them.. They're just getting under my skin. I should probably put the phone down.

How bad is it? My worst has been spam messages, mostly. Did you know the Halcyon colonies are reopening admission?

Makes you wonder why they need new people so soon after launch.

Oh yeah! I don't think I'm going to take their offer, I'm pretty content with Earth.

As for the messages.. I don't know. Some of them are just.. Mean, I guess. I don't want you to worry about it, I can handle it, it's just frustrating.

Have you gotten any fun messages though? I got one not that long ago asking about how I felt being a pilot, it was a nice question.

'Mean'? I'm sure you know that sounds worrisome. Are you okay?

Ah, I can't even remember all of them! There is this Martian scientist who gave me the scoop of planetary warfare amongst their kind, someone who is very intent on educating me about possums, and I even reconnected with someone from my med school years, that was pretty wild. Also someone from an actual gunship patched into our frequency, apparently their surname is the same as yours? Do you know a Hideo?

I'm really fine, if I couldn't handle a few weirdos, I wouldn't be on this ship lol

But.. That's very interesting. I don't know if I have any familiar faces on my end, so consider me jealous of you. I can't say that I know a Hideo? Should I?

Now who are you calling a weirdo? :-)

I don't know if you should! If it's a coincidence then certainly an amusing one, guess Musumes are just made to be captains. :-)

Maybe so.. I'll have to start a club then, Captain Musume club.

And I would NEVER call you a weirdo, Nurse Curly, never ever......

Uh huh. I believe you.

:-)

What is weird is just...how much some of these people seem to know. I wonder if our phones were hacked into somehow? Do you think I should be worried about my Meeboo subscription at this rate?

I feel like I should be more shocked but with how much of our data gets sold off and leaked on a daily basis, I can't find myself to be horrified.

You should definitely worry about your Meeboo subscription though.

...Fair point.

Well, if my streaming services are what takes the brunt of exposure, I suppose I could live with that.

Do you think that's how they found out about your nurses calendar? If that's even a real thing.. Did you ever model for a nursing calendar? Lol

Haha!

No, god no. I could never. Can you imagine me in a pin-up calendar? That would be bonkers.

No, I was just joking. I guess the very nature of their, uh, request was too much for my English sensibilities, so I turned to my trusty defence mechanism honed by generations of haughty stuck-ups.

...How did you know about that?

Well we certainly love a modest king..

I was told about it by one of the messages I got, I didn't know if it was true or not but I guess my curiosity was piqued. Sorry, it was inappropriate to ask.

Oh god, are they still harassing you about me? I'm so sorry.

They are strangely...invested.

I hope it's not too much of a bother. And I doubly hope they cease soon.

I don't mind too terribly, I just feel bad talking about you when you're unaware. I certainly try to keep my answers vague so that I can maintain your privacy.

Truly, I don't know if I should be offended or relieved they ask me more about you than they do myself, haha!

I'd go for relieved! Or perhaps even flattered. They seem to think highly of your captaining skills. :-)

They do! I'm not sure how they know about THAT information, but I'll take what I can get!

I can't say i blame them, it's pretty obvious!

I mean

Crew ratings should be public access, right? Based on delivery reviews and stuff. Or could be if they weren't and got leaked too.

I definitely don't doubt that...

I don't know, they seem fairly invested in my love life as well. Which goes beyond the scope of simple work appraisal. I've been asked if I'm single, who my type is. I felt like I was filling out a dating application lol

Haha, funny that

You could lean into that too, if you wanted to, let them do all the legwork. It's worse than the Wild West on those apps sometimes.

I'm not trying to find someone through texting strangers, besides, it seems they already have my ideal love interest picked out for me. They're trying to cause trouble is what they're doing.

And how do you even know what those apps are like? Isn't that like.. Cheating for you?

Oh shoot. Er

It would be! It totally would be if. If I were still in a relationship.

Which I'm not. For the record.

In any case, not that I prowl those apps much, it's not really uh, worth it for me.

What? Since when are you not??

You were just talking about Marie before we took off. Unless.. Did you break up when we got service...?

Yeah, haha, turns out it's not always great when familiar faces text you, right?

But yeah, she... It's not easy, I guess, dating someone who isn't there for half a year at a time at least, you know?

It was kind of a long time coming, so. She just was the braver one out of the two of us to cut the cord.

Sorry, didn't mean to be a downer. It really is okay though. We're good, and. I think I've kind of went through the stages of grief back when we were still earthside.

So. Not a big deal.

I'm so sorry, Curly :( I wish you would've told me. I'm still here if you need to talk, okay? Breaking up sucks, even if you see it coming.

Oh no, I promise it's okay! It really, really is

I'm okay, it's not a big deal.

I mean, it would be, it

But it's not like

I didn't really

She maybe...didn't really...exist?

Curly what are you saying right now

I am a fool is what I'm saying :-(

I'm so sorry.

Any chance we could pretend I never said anything?

How are we supposed to do that? I don't even know what to say.

Why would you lie about that?

...Could we talk?

I mean, in person.

I'll explain everything, just

I'm afraid of how much of this might get exposed.

Please.

Yeah

Are you in the medbay? I'm on my way.

Yes.

Thank you.

[emmabirb8]

My first official venture into a super rare pair, EmmaStan, aka Emma-May Dixon and Stanley Pines!! @cosmo-shell and @slug-ball opened my eyes to the concept of these two, and WHOA the potential really stole my heart. It's absolutely not what they're serving out front, lmao, but the ship has bewitched me body and soul nonetheless. I just fell in love with the idea of these two tortured souls finding comfort in each other during the most difficult periods of their lives. They've been through HELL and deserve nice things. 😊💖 (And Emma-May in particular deserves WAY more love and attention in this fandom!)

My personal interpretation of Emma-May was mainly inspired by this piece by @birdskullz and this piece by @cosmo-shell.

Check out my AU fic for them here if you want! I haven't attempted a multi-chaptered fic in a VERY long time, lol, so hopefully this one will pan out well. First two chapters are up, but I've got more drafted out that will be posted very soon!

Writing out some key HCs about Emma-May and a rough timeline of events I constructed for my AU fic under the cut here:

Emma-May's family moved from Kansas to Tennessee when she was less than a year old, so she was raised in TN

Her mother is black while her father is white, and she has two older sisters

She became friends with Fiddleford and his siblings sometime during childhood

She attended college in New Jersey (went to a school I made up called “Gertrude University,” sort of a ref to the real university of Rutgers), majoring in botany, while Fidds ofc went to Backupsmore somewhere in the midwest 

Met Stan by chance once as a college student about a year after he was kicked out of his house and was still struggling with treasure hunting (probably around 1970 or 1971)

Married Fidds anywhere from 1973-1975 when they were in their 20s – felt pressured from family and society to get married, but they were best friends and did love each other (but the marriage was covertly strained from the beginning bc neither could get what they truly needed from each other – best friends don't necessarily work as a married couple even if some level of attraction is there along with the love)

Had Tate in the early-mid 70s, both love him to pieces and Fidds was a very devoted father up until he started unraveling 

Fidds left his family around the very late 70s to early 80s to work with Ford

Fidds abandoned the portal project in the early 80s, at that point already having started his descent into madness due to his reliance on the memory gun

Emma-May filed for divorce after becoming fed up with his bizarre behavior, lack of calls home, and a big fight they had around Christmas of the early 80s

The “homicidal pterodactyl-tron” attack happened during springtime after that Christmas, and this solidified Emma-May's decision to take Tate someplace safe (to stay with her aunt who lives in another state) while she set off to Gravity Falls herself to try to track Fiddleford down and figure out wtf happened to make him so different and dangerous 

At some point either right before or after the pterodactyl attack, Fidds created the Society of the Blind Eye and subsequently lost what remained of his mind and memories

Emma-May bumped into Stan, once again by chance, the night before he arrived in Gravity Falls upon Ford's request

[odbuoyjemmity]

Wintersea Basement Theory + Five Years

One thing I noticed a few rereads ago was there was an interesting line up between Corvus Crow becoming Chancellor of Great Wolfacre

"That he was enjoying his fifth year as state chancellor despite such a handicap was a daily miracle to Corvus Crow, and the question of whether he could sustain this implausible luck for another year was a daily anxiety"

(Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, Chapter One: The Cursed Crow)

and Jack's permanent residency at the Hotel Deucalion

"'Your chair? You've lived here all of five minutes and you've claimed the furniture? I've lived here five years. This happens to be where I eat my breakfast.'"

(Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, Chapter Twelve: Shadows)

Originally I wrote this off as a coincidence, since I had been of the camp that Jack's parents were dead and nothing more was to be said about it without more information. But! With Silverborn out we have more information, and I'm more interested now about what could possibly be up with Rosie and Arj and where they could be.

Last summer, when the final delay was announced, and AUS paperback/US cover was revealed, Jessica Townsend did a Q&A, with two answers in particular that I found curious [full transcript here and video by @/nevermoor source:

What’s one thing about the direction of the series from Silverborn onwards you can say? This is such a good question, So I remember, one or two books ago, talking to my publishers about kind of the structure of the series and the way that I see it. And I've talked about this before in interviews about how I see the series as being like, it's all one story. It's all Morrigan. It's all Morrigan’s point of view. But thematically they feel to me like three separate “acts.” And I feel like the first act is Morrigan. It's like her immediate world. It's herself. It's her friends. It's finding a new family. It's finding her way in this new city. And books four to six sort of feel like it's zooming out. So we're in quite close on Morrigan and her immediate, like, experiences of the world personally. And it's seen through that lens. And then with four, five, and six, it's like, we sort of zoom out and just see more of the world. We see more of Nevermoor kind of socially and politically and geographically A lot of different parts of Nevermoor that we haven't seen open up. She learns more about the Wundrous Society, more about herself and her own past and origins and family. And then book seven, eight, nine kind of zoom out again. And we see… it's really tricky without trying to sort of give too much away, but, yeah… I feel like I nearly said too much.

Are we getting a realm hopping boom? Well! Definitely possibly!!

In Silverborn, Jack reveals that in the Spring Term, he's planning on accepting the League's offer to join them, with conditions around becoming an officer far sooner, to start his plans around joining the League and immediately going AWOL to look for his parents.

He smiled a disconcertingly vicious smile. 'Because I want them to keep coming on their little fishing expeditions. I always decline to speak to them, but I'm letting them see my resolution waver, and in the spring term I'll finally, reluctantly agree. Then my plan begins.' [...] 'I'm playing the long game. Laying the groundwork for a negotiation. If they want me to enlist, I'm going to be the first person in history to become a ranked officer at eighteen, after my year of academy training. As a lieutenant, I won't have to wait four years to travel to outer realms like the other academy chumps.' His eyes locked on Morrigan's, blazing with reflected firelight. 'And on my very first outer realm mission, I'll abandon ship, set out on my own, and find my parents.'

(Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow, Chapter Thirty-Five: Merriment, Mystery, and Mutually Assured Destruction)

This scene ties into what was said in the Q&A

Is there more of Jack in Silverborn? There is more of Jack in Silverborn. I will be honest to tell you, there's not like a mountain of page time for Jack, but the scenes that he is in are crucial, and they're really important for… I would say that there's a scene with Jack in this book that is probably the most important scene in the book in terms of what it sets up for future, for the rest of the series. (I've probably said too much, that's all I'm gonna say.)

And the final part of the Q&A I find relevant/interesting to this is this part:

Will we see more of the Free State as opposed to just Nevermoor? Not in this book. In future books? I think so.

Now, what am I getting at here? Why am I calling it Wintersea Basement Theory? Um so the name is sort of a joke, like a very hyperbole thing of Rosie and Arj have been in Wintersea's Basement the whole time. Do I think they literally are? No? Yes? No? Maybe? Yes? I functionally think that Jack is not going to find his parents when he inevitably goes AWOL, but Morrigan is either going to ask Squall to help her, and find something nasty about that, either Corvus or Ornella were involved at some level, directly causing Corvus to become chancellor through some shady dealings, or that Bertram did something, or tried to stop it and failed. A big reason I think Morrigan is going to find Rosie and Arj is simply because she is the main character. That is what she does. It's so big that if it happened off screen, I think it would be less satisfying. I could be wrong, Jessica Townsend is a very skilled writer, but if I were writing that, I would have Mog find them. Or find out what happened to them. Why does Wintersea have them? Dunno, maybe they were spying on her and got caught à la what nearly happened to Jupiter when he met Ornella:

"As part of my work with the League of Explorers, I am sometimes required to provide intelligence to the Free State Security department regarding conditions in the Wintersea Republic ... could have made one cry for help, and I'd have been arrested and likely never seen again."

(Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow, Chapter Forty-Four: The Letters From Jupiter)

In Chapter Thirty-Five of Silverborn, Jack says that his mother worked for the League, while his father was an interrealm diplomat. Although Jack says his parents were on an outer realm mission, it's not impossible that they might have lied to him, since that's a lot less vague and scary than "we're going to spy on our enemy nation for a fortnight or so, cheerio", although Arj's occupation wouldn't make much sense here, unless he was doing spy work as well. It's possible too that their gate was interfered with. I think it's been suggested already that Rosie or Arj was a spy for the Wintersea Republic, and did something. Chickened out, or got caught, or were double agents for the Free State. But they're in the Wintersea Republic, and Squall knows where they are/what happened to them, and at least one of the Crows adult had a hand in what happened to them and it's related to how Corvus became Chancellor.

[thewertsearch]

Ask Comp 17/12

Anonymous asked: re: your responsive timeline theory: "There is nowhere, however huge the multiverse is, where Sam Vimes as he is now has murdered Lady Sybil. But the theory is quite clear. It says that if anything could happen without breaking any physical laws, it must happen. But it hasn't… So what people do matters! People invent other laws. What they do is important… It means the multiverse isn't infinite and people's choices are far more vital than they think." - night watch you and pterry seem to be on similar pages about this lol

Oh, nice! That's one of my favorite moments in all of Discworld, and I've brought it up before when discussing Paradox Space.

I'm pretty sure I was thinking about it when I came up with Responsive Timeline in the first place. Having someone reference it in an ask is a fun way to bring things full-circle.

@necrowyrm asked: Welcome Baaaaaaaack!!!!!!!! @whyequalsemexplusbee asked: I've literally had this date marked on my calendar, Act 6 by the new year let's goooooooo! @goldsleeps asked: it's very nice to have your particular pale green showing up on my dash again. @skaiamechanic asked: I am so happy to see your notifications again whenever you post. Welcome back, you're one of the main reasons I'm still on Tumblr, and good luck getting to Act 6! @elkian asked: Welcome back! I'm hype to see you post again :D good luck with your goal, but please take care of yourself! @nebularious asked: On the 1st day of Christmas, thewertsearch gave to me!

Thanks, everyone! I'm happy to be back, and I'm finding I have a lot more energy after taking a little break. Onwards to Act 6, indeed!

@morganwick asked: There literally, actually is a Burger King less than 40 minutes from Rose's house. That may sound simple and obvious, but when fans figured that out after this ran it practically blew their minds.

Her area is fairly remote - but there's a limit to how remote you can really be when you're living in the state of New York, right?

(^ she knows nothing about US geography)

@animation-recaps-by-sean asked: The troll sprites didn't automatically die at the end of the game, it's implied that Jack hunted them down and killed them

Wait, really? I had a little search through the comic there, but I can't find any statements implying that this is the case, unless they're in a walkaround somewhere.

Maybe I missed it - if so, send me a link and I'll take a look!

@catlikeascendant asked: idk if you go here but are there any ships you are interested in/think will be canonized? like it or not, it is a pretty important part of the story!

Thewertsearch dot tumblr dot com is a certified Rosemary nation. That's the only ship I'm really ride-or-die for, and the only one I am absolutely 100% sure will be canonized.

If you're interested, I made a full list of my ships back at the end of Hivebent, which I still mostly stand by - although I might need to rethink the ones involving Gamzee, specifically.

@relaxxattack asked: it’s so crazy that your “jump back in” point is perhaps the most fast paced and high stakes part of the entire comic. i absolutely love this arc, but i do NOT envy having to grapple with it directly after a hiatus!

I know, right?

Honestly, it's probably a good thing. The pacing is really energizing me - I haven't been able to blog at this pace since early Hivebent.

@morganwick asked: "The terms of a God Tier permadeath are defined according to the case of the individual - which implies that Heroic and Just are subjective, even to Sburb. It sounds like there might not be any ironclad rules, and that everyone's ruling works differently." Or as another liveblogger put it, when she got to the line in question: "In other words, 'by Andrew Hussie'."

Heh. That's what it ultimately boils down to, doesn't it?

I can grumble about 'canon' and 'meta shenanigans' until I'm blue in the face - but at the end of the day, the story will go in the direction that Hussie wants it to go. No ifs, ands or buts.

@krixwell asked: I actually think the "no lying" thing is essential to making Doc Scratch as intimidating as he is. He makes it pretty clear that (assuming it's real) it's a self-imposed challenge – he's handicapping his own manipulation just for fun, and he's still massively confident that what he's doing will work out exactly how he wants it to anyway. Normally such hubris would be a surefire sign of a character's imminent downfall, but because he's near-omniscient, we the readers know that his confidence isn't unfounded. We know he has very solid reasons to believe his main designs cannot not succeed, even with dark pockets here and there. I just think it does a fantastic job at selling the idea that his designs are inevitability itself, his guidance hopeless to struggle against, his words the rails on the one way track of the alpha timeline.

Hm. I do like that, I have to say.

It's fun picking away at Scratch's chatlogs, trying to find statements that are technically 'false' - but the fact that he presents himself as truthful and yet succeeds in his manipulations anyway is very strong characterization. And it's that much stronger if Hussie's intention was that Scratch really, truly never lies.

[woodlaflababab]

Thinking about how Zuko seems to understand Aang in some ways better than the rest of the gaang in a very short time. Recently rewatched the finale (finally finished getting my grandmother to watch the whole show, she loved it), and when Aang was having his argument with the gaang and then left, Zuko stopped Katara from going after him and said "He needs time to sort it out by himself."

Something I've long since noticed is that one of Aang's and Katara's conflicts is that they approach problems very differently, which leads to Katara trying to comfort Aang in a way that doesn't help or Aang trying to advise Katara in a way that doesn't help. Now, before I go on, I want to clarify, does this make kataang a bad ship? Not in the slightest. Couples having a disconnect on forms of comfort is very common and the healthiest of relationships are ones in which the two learn to meet eachother in the middle and be who the other needs to be. Their conflict in this is realistic and usually shown to resolve itself as they learn to meet the other where they need them. I am in absolutely no way disparaging Katara or trying to say kataang is bad or worse than zukaang.

I'm saying that because I am going to delve deeper into this dissconnect between Aang and Katara in comparison to Zuko. Again, this is in no way me trying to say Katara is bad for Aang, all couples have their problems and zukaang absolutely has issues that kataang would never have. Please for the love of god do not take this the wrong way.

Now, back to the point, we do see a pattern throughout the show of Katara trying to reach Aang through words. She's a naturally caring person and just wants people to feel better, unfortunately, she's also 14, and thus not exactly a trained therapist, and Aang isn't receptive to that particular brand of comfort. In things like General Fong's pressure on the Avatar state, or Aang's stress after waking up from the coma, or Aang's shut down after Appa, she tries to reach him and convince him to feel better, which doesn't really work on Aang. (Usually. There are some times where it does work, like during The Storm).

She has a tendancy of trying to tell Aang she understands what he's feeling when she doesn't which just pushes Aang away. (A mistake Aang also makes with her, these are Children™ trying their best). Their disconnect comes from the fact that Aang approaches problems with a desire for a solution while Katara approaches problems with a desire to fix the emotion. Both valid, but not matching.

My zukaang brain rot ass has long since had the hc that Zuko would be a bit better on this just because of the way he approaches things. Zuko also approaches problems with a desire for a solution. We see that very clearly in his buddy-cop episodes with the gaang. He connects with each of them by trying to help them solve a problem.

I was not expecting my hc to be verbally confirmed by him though, didn't remember that part, but yeah, Zuko, within only a few weeks of knowing Aang, understands that Aang needs time to sort his emotions out on his own, something Katara still struggles to understand even after seeing it happen multiple times. (Again, she just wants to help, and it can be really hard to watch a loved one struggle, of course she wants to be able to say something that will fix it.)

Throughout the finale we see Zuko meet Aang where he's at.

The first example:

I know you're scared, and I know you're not ready to save the world. But if you don't defeat the Firelord before the comet comes, there won't be a world to save anymore.

He acknowledges how Aang is feeling and he doesn't tell him he should feel differently, he just points out very bluntly that there is a problem. Also, just the fact that he acknowledges that Aang could be scared. It's not really something that acknowledged much. Even during Nightmares and Daydreams when Aang is literally falling apart due to nightmares and fear of what's coming, the others are more concerned with just getting him to stop. Zuko tells him that it's reasonable for him to not feel ready where everyone else constantly insists he is ready for things (like the invasion).

(Of course, again, the others are also encouraging in their own right. When Aang is starting to spiral they assure him that he's not alone and that they can fight the Firelord together)

Then, when they're all having the arguement, Zuko, clearly being on the side of "hey kill the Firelord" still doesn't ever tell Aang what he should feel.

Aang: "But he's still a human being."

Zuko: "You're doing to defend him?"

"No. I agree with you. Firelord Ozai is a horrible person, and the world would probably be better off without him, but there's got to be another way."

"Like what?"

*Gluebending Idea Tangent*

"Yeah, and then you can show him his baby pictures and all those happy memories will make him good again."

"Do you really think that would work?"

"No!"

Zuko asks questions, lets Aang lead the conversation, and when he's arguing against him, does not directly tell him he's wrong, instead tries to get Aang to see the faults in his own thinking. Zuko's approach to arguing with Aang is to get Aang to figure things out on his own, not tell him he's wrong. Even in the beginning when Zuko attacks Aang, he is trying to get Aang to understand that he's not ready and needs more training by showing him, not telling him. Zuko understands that Aang needs to be able to reach his own conclusion, not be told what his conclusion should be.

Meanwhile, the rest of the conversation goes sharply downhill as Sokka and Katara directly just tell Aang that what he says he's feeling isn't correct.

Aang: "I can't just go around wiping out people I don't like!"

Sokka: "Sure you can, you're the avatar. If it's in the name of keeping balance, I'm pretty sure the universe will forgive you."

Aang: "This isn't a joke Sokka! None of you understand the position I'm in!"

Katara: "Aang, we do understand, it's just-"

Aang: "Just what Katara, what?"

Katara: "We're trying to help!"

Which is another one of those situations I mentioned where Katara tells Aang she understands what he's feeling when she does not. She's trying to help, but that is not helpful.

Then, of course, the line I mentioned earlier.

Katara: "Aang, don't walk away from this!"

Zuko: "Let him go. He needs time to sort it out by himself."

Again, Zuko has only been there a few weeks, the water tribe siblings have known Aang for the better part of a year. Yet, Zuko tells Katara with certainty that Aang needs time and space, which he does.

I think there's also something to be said for the fact that Zuko, before anyone else, even Aang, noticed the conflict between Aang's values and his mission. When Aang says violence is never the answer in The Southern Raiders, Zuko asks (notably asks) what he's going to do when he faces Ozai.

Also:

Sokka, in response to Aang disappearing: "It's pretty obvious. Aang mysteriously dissapears before an important battle? He's definitely on a spirit world journey!"

Zuko: "But if he was, wouldn't his body still be here?"

Sokka: "Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

Like, Sokka, honey, baby, you've known this kid for nine months now, come on.

Anyway, there's a lot of subtle zukaang moments in the finale that I may write a post about later. I just really like Zuko's quick and inherent understanding of who Aang is as a person.

[mary-laib]

OKAY WRITING ABOUT JWCT SHIPS TIME:

Sammy x Yasmina

10/10

I love their relationship and how they have come so far throughout cc and ct. Also less to do with the ship but I especially loved how Yasmina was shown in ct to have worked towards facing her fears and has gotten so much further than Sammy, who has been ignoring her problems. There's like nothing to hate about this ship. Everyone agrees they're perfect.

Kenji x Brooklyn

3/10

I've been waiting for them to break up since they got together. She was great for him in the beginning of their relationship, helping him become his own person and becoming less egotistical, but she has refused to change with him, which has made their relationship stagnant. I thing their relationship was good for Kenji and I'm glad they got together if only so that she could help him figure out how to be his own man, but past that, their relationship was pointless and I hope it never gets rejuvenated.

Ben x Darius

8/10

I love them as bros and honestly, despite their obvious closeness and the fact that I would like to see more of their interactions, I see them as more platonic, especially with what Darius said about his crush on Brooklyn. Not because of him liking Brooklyn or girls in general and you'll see why in a minute. But I also wouldn't be mad to see them get together. They're both nerds and I love them.

Darius x Brooklyn

2/10

Honestly, I feel like the same things that caused a rift in Brooklyn's relationship with Kenji would also tear apart her relationship with Darius. And it's stated in the show that it's unrequited. They're good friends, but while he'd probably rate her as his top friend and vice versa, I feel like we can collectively agree that there are other friendships he has that are less toxic. Also the love triangle thing feels so weird when the girl cares less about both the guys combined than either one feels about her.

Darius x Nobody

9/10 The dots have been connected

Now hear me out: I don't feel like his crush has ruined things between him and Ben or Kenji, but some things about what he said regarding his crush and his reactions have made me feel like he is very aroace coded. Which has put a lot of things in perspective for me. Since the beginning of cc, he's been a "power of friendship" guy and rewatching his interactions with everyone, they seem a lot stronger and meaningful as just platonic, rather than romantic. And while everyone around him has been dealing with romance, he's just kind of indifferent to it all until Brooklyn. And his reaction to his crush on Brooklyn just screams repressed aroace with him saying that he never thought he could feel like that (has he never had a crush on anybody before) and how he has completely panicked regarding their relationship. Idk to me, it's giving aroace with a "fake" crush or demi aroace person who has taken way too long to fall for a girl that anybody else would have fallen for after the original bout of mortal danger. He had to be friends with her for YEARS before he could catch a semblance of a crush on her. And it also sounds to me like she was pretty absent in his life before popping in to stay with him for a week, which could also explain why he might he having a "fake" crush (if that is what it is). ALSO: when I say "fake" crush, I'm not trying to downplay his feelings, I'm just referring to something a lot of aroace people experience where you get really close to someone and mistake those feelings for love. And when it happens, these feelings are very intense(speaking from experience). Like how if he's suddenly frequently interacting with Brooklyn again and it's just them, I feel like that kind of situation could lead to an aroace crush. It's all just giving aroace person experiencing their first crush in the most traumatic way possible.

Brooklyn x Nobody

10/10 We love to see a gal feeling herself

I feel like at this point in the story, she has nothing to gain or give by being in a relationship with anybody in the show. Her and Kenji had a decent run while they had it, but it's time to let go at this point. If she does end up with someone, it has to be someone outside the main cast and personally, I'd like to see her with a gal pal. She has bi energy, especially with the new haircut.

Kenji x Darius

7/10

Honestly, I definitely shipped them mid-cc, but at the beginning of ct, I decided I did not want to see them get together. But by the end, I kind of changed my mind. I still think their relationship would be best platonic, but I also wouldn't be mad if they got together. It'd probably be a bit stranger than if Darius was with Ben, but they've also got a strong connection.

Ben x Kenji

0/10

I feel like they've hardly gotten any relationship building in either cc or ct and it needs to happen pronto. There has to be something they can bond over

Sammy x Yasmina and Ben

10/10

I'd like to see the lesbians in a qpr with their hypeman. Ben is just so cute with them and he loves them so much (platonically) and vice versa. It doesn't need to be anything official, but just more of Ben being their third wheel/adopted son would make the show more perfect than it already is.

Ben x His European GF

2/10

I think she's fake, either that he's lying about her so he doesn't lose street cred or that she is lying to him and is a catfish. Maybe we'll see a plot twist relating to the gf, but I'm not holding out hope. She could be redeemed if she was a real girl who was a total kickass and saved the whole group (maybe they meet her at the end of their stowaway boat mission) but otherwise I don't really care about her. Also don't lose hope, people who hc him as gay or aro, there's always the chance that he's bi, lying, or having a "fake" crush like Darius. I know I, as an aroace person have had more online than irl relationships and I'm p sure that's a sign of not being allo, especially when the person you're dating is far away and you have no plans of ever seeing them irl.

Anyways thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[starseneyes]

On Fandom and Shipping

Look, I've not said anything on the whole outcome of last night's 9-1-1 partially because I don't really go here, and partially because I know everyone's emotions are all over the place.

But, just a gentle reminder—the actors don't control the narrative. Yes, there are times that actors can influence it or a Showrunner gives them voice.

The actors went out and did a Press Tour and promised nothing. I mean, nothing. Yes, their natural chemistry was on fire. Yes, certain networks chose to edit pre-recorded interviews in a way that got fans excited and hopeful.

And hope is a dangerous thing when it comes to shipping.

But before I get into all that—below the "read more" cut—let me say this:

Please don't go after the actors.

Don't leave them rude comments. Don't threaten them. They are literally employees doing their job and they promised nothing.

Is their natural chemistry undeniable and sizzling? God, yes. Probably part of why they've been separated in a lot of promotion the past year or so. But they likely had little say in their pairing up for this press push and they handled it as best they could, I think.

Yes, the Press was promoting Buddie in a way that I think we all had to wonder—bait or tease? And there was a healthy dose of skepticism from the fandom, but also a lot of hope.

I've been in fandom forever. I'm old. My first ships were Mulder/Scully and Janeway/Chakotay. I know Ship disappointment and hurt.

And, yes, a different scenario in that we're also talking about the possibility of a MLM romantic pairing that is too often underrepresented on television at a time that LGBTQ+ rights are under attack in the United States.

So, it was nice to surrender skepticism to hope when the signs seemed to be pointing toward something concrete based on the promotion and press.

And, honestly, I love this fandom for its many interpretations of "canon" so "concrete" could mean a million things.

Back in my day, a kiss wasn't even enough. Y'all, if you watch Star Trek: The Next Generation, Troi and Riker are madly in love in one episode and the next he's off-ship flirting with some alien like a lonely bachelor whose only companion has been his hand for too long.

But this fandom seems to say, "Feeling realization? Sure!" "One sided pining, fine!" and so many other variations. The season finale was a big ball of nothing in terms of Buddie, which can feel like whiplash after the feast of 8x17.

I get disappointment. But, please, leave Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman alone.

Yes, somewhere TPTB decided they needed to pair them up for some interviews—the Thirst Tweets, the Spilling the ETea. Their chemistry is electric. Some people just have that. They do. And that fed into the hope.

But, again, they're doing their jobs. Press is part of the job. And neither is in the mood to lose their job right about now.

Hollywood is functioning at a far smaller capacity than it used to. Even before the fires that plagued L.A. this winter, and the excuse of the Strikes that the Studios have used to shrink show-orders and move production overseas for slightly wider profit margins, the industry has been constricting, somewhat.

These actors are happy to have jobs and don't want to lose them, so they do the work. But they both did their best in their answers to manage expectations while on the red carpet—while trying not to give anything away.

The most out-of-pocket bits are just them being them and they didn't coordinate those shoots. Their reps did because some higher up thought it would be a good idea to set it up.

And, y'all, I'm gonna keep that Thirst Tweets video in my rotations for bad days because it just makes me laugh and sometimes I need to laugh at the absurdity of my life.

So, loves, please don't leave death threats and angry messages and all sorts of attacks on the pages of two people doing their jobs who tried to manage expectations while oozing natural chemistry.

Yes, it felt like something shifted with the promotion and open discussion of Buddie. Maybe they're setting the groundwork for next Season. I have utterly no idea.

And please don't misconstrue this as me telling anyone how to feel!

You can feel hurt. You can feel frustrated. You can feel baited. Absolutely!

All I'm asking is that in our collective hurt we don't take those frustrations out on the wrong person/people.