#and then rebuilt me to be a better person somehow

[katzkinder]

Since Mukuro and Tsuna are still weirdly connected, Tsuna’s sometimes gotten glimpses of things he wasn’t ever supposed to, and vice versa on Mukuro’s end. He usually shoves Tsuna awake once he notices Tsuna’s accidentally plopped into one of his memories, but

If it’s one of Tsuna’s, he’ll let it play out without interruption. It’s never anything of note, anyhow, so expending energy to wake him would be pointless >liar mc liar face

Eventually this gets him more than he bargained for

There’s also a lot of stuff in Tsuna’s mind that, once he’s aware of it, it makes him go okay hold up

Because it’s not like he ever assumed that Tsuna was some happy go lucky idiot, but he also assumed he wasn’t actually thinking about much in that head of his he’s sure is more fluff than brains

Gokudera-kun is going to be disillusioned with me any day now. I’m grateful to him but I feel bad for somehow tricking him like this. I shouldn’t let him get too close but I don’t want to hurt him, either. What should I do? I’m sorry, Gokudera-kun. Please don’t hate me when you figure it out.

Yamamoto is such a nice person; he shouldn’t be stuck around someone like me. He’s like Kyoko-chan like that. Nice to everyone, even useless, no good me. I wouldn’t be surprised if she fell in love with him. Of course the two nicest people in the whole school would date, right? I’m so worried about him… I don’t know how to handle the way he lights up when he sees me. What should I do? Don’t try and hurt yourself again. Don’t get hurt for my sake, either. I’m sorry I’m so weak…

Hibari-san doesn’t treat me differently from anyone else. He’s super scary but he still bothers to treat me like I’m normal. I think if even he began to act like I wasn’t worth his time I would seriously just give up and call it quits. Things have gotten so messed up. I’m relying on a psychopath like that kicking my ass to reassure me I still mean something. If even someone who values strength above all else still has hope for me what choice do I have?

Reborn’s going to give up on me. Reborn’s going to give up on me. Reborn’s going to give up on me. Don’t go. Don’t go. Don’t go don’t go don’t go don’t go don’t go don’t go don’t go don’t go— It would be just like me to be so useless I beat the world’s greatest, huh?

The only words he ever found in relation to himself, and words that shake him to his core, are very simple ones

Please wait for me

One time, though, he managed to dive deep enough to find the source of Tsuna’s Dying Will, and he keeps going back despite knowing it’s a pointless, silly thing to do.

There are still the broken remnants of a cage around it. If he sits near it like this, he can almost pretend he isn’t in Vindicare. The cage is still red hot. He’ll burn his fingers if he tries to handle them. The flames reach out to him but don’t touch.

It is not a soft, warm home.

It is something which, if he allowed it to, would consume him right down to his marrow.

This is how Sawada Tsunayoshi has always survived

One day he sees that flame guttering, and he feels panic swell in his throat, because what could possibly, after all this time, be dimming that roaring inferno

There’s ice at the base now

Tsuna made a binding vow to destroy Vongola, that rotten, shambling corpse of a man’s ideals puppeteered by someone with a face a lot like his.

He knows better than anyone that when you make that kind of vow, if you don’t fulfill it… There are consequences.

The mafia has practically deified Vongola Primo’s will into its own separate entity.

The ring, rebuilt and no longer fit for any other, past or future, weighs cold on a young boy’s finger, demanding he make good on his promise

Mukuro wants to destroy the mafia. He’ll get his wish. He’ll make sure of it.

Sawada Tsunayoshi… Is too kind for that life, anyhow.

[topazy]

Tomorrow’s promise

Pairing: Daryl Dixon × reader, Rick Grimes × sister reader

Swearing: Swearing, blood

4.04

“Everyone, get back into your cells now!”

In the blink of an eye, everything had gone to shit. One minute you and Sasha are helping Hershel put a dead body onto a trolley for it to be taken away, and the next the prison block you’re in is full of walkers.

You shove Mika and Lizzie, two sisters under the age of thirteen, into a cell with you and slam the door shut just as a walker approaches. It tries to grab you, but thankfully the metal bar keeps it at bay.

“Y/n,” the youngest sister says. “She doesn’t look so good.”

Turning back around, you see Sasha slumped against the wall and coughing heavily. “Shit, keep her sitting upright and don’t open the cell for anyone else. I need to get Hershel.”

Using your blade, you stab the walker in the head, and do your best to not think about how this was a person who greeted you every morning, you’ve laughed with them, and survived alongside them.

As you navigate through the block, stepping over dead bodies and dodging walkers trying to rip you to shreds, sweat drips down your back.

You reach the far side of the upper floor and find Hershel attaching a resuscitator to Glenn. Maggie was standing guard at the cell door, shooting at the dead to keep them from getting to her dad and Glenn.

“Y/n behind you!”

The sound of shuffling feet echoes closer, and you spin fast and stab the person in the head. Henry. You feel sick; Henry was just a teenager.

Walker or not, you just stabbed a teenager, a kid.

You somehow manage to hold back the urge to vomit. “Hershel,” you call back. “Sasha’s not looking so good. You need to help her.”

The block is full of nothing but screams and gunfire, but you somehow manage to make out what Hershel is explaining, and you take over from him and start squeezing the bag of the resuscitator, inflating Glenn’s lungs.

You’re unsure how much time has passed, but when night comes, the walkers have been dealt with, and the sudden silence is deafening.

—

There was still pain in your chest whenever you took deep breaths, and your throat still felt dry and scratchy, but at least you were now able to go outside as long as you kept your distance from the others.

At least outside, the smell of death wasn’t so strong.

One of the fences came down the night before, and a horde would have gotten through if it wasn’t for Rick and Carl shooting the walkers down. Now that the rotten bodies had been moved further away, you were attempting to block up the gaps until the fence could be rebuilt more securely.

Maggie notices what you’re doing and comes over to help. “You should be resting.”

Since you’ve already been in close contact with Maggie, it didn’t matter if she was beside you. “I need to do something,” you say while wrapping a wire between a pole you stuck in the ground and a wooden crate. “Glenn is looking a lot better.”

“I know, thank God.”

“Thank Hershel; without your dad, more people would have died. Me included.”

She gives you a sympathetic smile, “Hopefully we can join the others in a couple of days.”

“Hopefully.”

You doubted things would feel normal for some time. Rick told you Carol murdered David and Karen in an attempt to stop the flu from spreading, so he banished her. You cared for Carol but couldn’t help but wonder if she would have done the same to you, Glenn, or Sasha if she saw how sick the three of you were.

“On the bright side, we got plenty of diapers and formula now that Daryl’s back from the supply,” Maggie says, making conversation.

You let out a deep sigh; you hadn’t seen Daryl since being completely conscious. He had taken a few other members of your community on a supply run, and they had only returned less than an hour ago.

Seeing you become teary-eyed, Maggie rests her hand on your shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“I miss Jace.”

You wanted nothing more than to hold your baby and kiss his chubby cheeks and hold his hand. Beth has brought him to the viewing room once, but all it did was distress him; your poor boy didn’t understand the plastic barrier keeping the two of you apart.

“I can’t imagine how hard it is not being able to take care of him yourself, but at least you know he’s well taken care of.”

Following her trail of sight, you see Daryl holding Jace on the far side of the courtyard; he was pointing at the birds sitting on the fence. All you wanted to do was run to them, but you stayed back so as not to upset your son again. But seeing them together gives you peace of mind.

—

After helping scrub the remaining blood off the cell floors, you go back outside to watch the sun set. The atmosphere inside the block was becoming too much for you to bear—too many grieving parents, brothers, sisters, children… nothing you say would be able to help them.

Hershel says it should be safe for those not showing anymore symptoms of the flu to rejoin the rest of your community; you were equally as nervous as you were excited. Being able to take care of Jace, Carl, and Judith again was something you couldn’t wait for, but the fear of the virus spreading to them was still fresh in your mind.

The smell of tobacco fills the air. Looking over your shoulder, you see Daryl with a cigarette between his lips.

“Those things will kill ya.”

He grunts between exhaling smoke.

Sitting atop one of the metal benches, you bring your knees to your chest. “Thank you, Daryl, for always taking care of Jace.”

He takes another puff of the cigarette before dropping it on the ground and stubbing it out with his foot. “Ain’t nothing to thank me for,” he says, coming over to the bench and sitting beside you. “It’s just what we do; we dare for each other.”

Your heart races as you fully take in his appearance now that he is closer to you. Daryl’s eyes were heavy; his body, face, and hair had traces of dirt and blood covering them.

You sit in a comfortable silence for some time until Daryl suddenly turns to you and says, “Doncha, think it’s weird you ain’t ever seen me without a top on?”

“I’ve never really given it much thought; why?”

All of your time was usually spent surviving or looking after Jace, and since you hadn’t had sex yet, not seeing Daryl completely topless hadn’t even crossed your mind.

Daryl turns his head to see if anyone else is around, and after seeing there’s not, he looks away from you and pulls up the back of his top, revealing multiple deep scars on his back. After a moment, he pulls it back down and faces you just as a single tear rolls down your cheek. He wipes the tear away with the pad of his thumb. “Both my parents were alcoholics, and after my mom died, my dad became a complete asshole.”

“Daryl…” The thought of him being a frightened young boy in pain was almost too much to bear.

“It’s why I hated my goddamn brother for so long. Merle left to join the army as soon as he could, leaving me alone with him.”

You link your fingers with his; Daryl wasn’t the kind of person you could pry info out of. He only shares things when he fully trusts someone, so for him to share this with you was a big deal.

Shyly, you start to lean into him, unsure how he will react, but Daryl wraps his arms around. You bury your face into the crook of his neck. “I’ve really missed you.”

“If you're broken, then I’m broken.”

[xixovart]

assigning my favorite pjo characters songs based on vibes :))

ignore the lyrics in these. it’s vibes. all vibes. rythm, melody, motifs, instruments

this somehow (unsurprisingly, because it’s me) ended up becoming a psychoanalysis of certain characters but the motif is essentially the same so enjoy!!

NICO DI ANGELO

my all time fav. love him so much.

there’s somehing so gentle but real about the melody in this. the way it feels like early winter at dusk. the way it feels like gentle solo dancing in the kitchen to a melody stuck in your head. the way it feels like braiding a loved one’s hair and talking.

WILL SOLACE

my beloved underrated child

now this one feels like a summer in the suburbs. like puzzles and cheap juice from the market. like the sun blazing on your skin and you’re laughinh and running. like playing that game on the road with chalk. it feels like nostalgia, like longing for an infantile giddiness that is long gone.

ANNABETH CHASE

the woman you are 💗💗💗💥💥😍😍

there are probably better options, but this one can be interpreted as either calm and nostalgic or melancholy and painful. “everything reminds me of you” but do the memories hurt or heal?

HAZEL LEVESQUE

please show this woman some love. she really deserves it

i have no idea why. maybe it’s the way it’s so upbeat? not saying that hazel is a “sunshine character” as the fandom usually puts it, cause she isn’t, it just reminds me of how much she overcame and how much happier she is now than before. she got her happy ending despite literally every single odd. ugh i love her so much.

JASON GRACE

stupid little amnesiac. gotta love him.

again, i dont know why??? maybe it’s the instruments. it’s probabl6 the instruments. but jason is just such a beautiful and kindhearted soul and i think this song embodies that. this song reminds me of every time jason told leo he was important. every time he somehow made reyna laugh before everything happened. makes me think of how he was the first person to unconditionally support nico and the first to make him feel like he’s not the person he’s made out to be. makes me think of how he and leo were the first to actually see and recognize piper. how he made temples for every minor god(dess) he could think of because he understood what it’s like to be forgotten. im not sorry that this turned into a jason grace appreciation post btw.

KAYLA KNOWLES

pls talk about her more plsplsplsplspls

you know im right. you know im right. i dont think i even have to elaborate. this song was written for her. the beat? the instruments??all her

REYNA RAMIREZ-ARELLANO

she. 😍

the feeling of letting something—maybe a person, an era, maybe your whole life in her case it’s all—pass you by because you took it for granted. a melancholy and quiet regret and longing something that is burned and can never be rebuilt, no matter how much you try. it won’t feel the same.

ALEX FIERRO

el mapache humanizado

i have no idea why i said that in spanish but alex is latino so it stays

it’s so? alex?? pls tell me i make sense. becuase like some parts of the song are like just pure teenage dirtbag shenanigans and the prime of your life, but others feel like screaming underwater and pleading for help. ykwim?

anyways yes i never shut up and i love all these songs and i really should go to sleep now because it’s 12:15 but i’m gonna continue reading the odyssey because time is an illusion. see ya losers. love ya.

[bibibbon]

MHA chapter 425

Iam not really sure how to feel about this chapter. Well I can definitely say that I still think that the entirety of the second war arc especially the last few chapters weren't my favourite and ruined the series for me but we have the power of rewrites on our side so not to worry

So we finally have a 1A member that left. It's surprising that it took a total of 425 chapters for someone to finally leave the hero course. This low-key makes me question if 1A just all has neglectful parents that don't care about them because I think any sane parent would of took their kids out of UA a long time ago and the first war arc should of been a wake up call. Now that yuuga has left it does make me wonder what he will do. I mean he has to continue his education somewhere 🤷‍♀️

Shinsou joins class 1A and Iam surprised his parents let him. I get that shinsou was due to join the hero course in their second year but like this series sometimes make me question if any of these characters have sane parents because why would you let your kid join in such a dangerous job?!?! Also I respectfully think that shinsou is heavily underdeveloped and didn't get any moment to shine in the war arc. Also there isn't much of a relationship between 1A and shinsou so it does feel a bit off I guess and maybe this is just me but I always thought that he fit in better with 1b

Pacing is hella fast! How are they going back to school already and throwing a graduation ceremony. It hasn't been a week and somehow everything is rebuilt like that, we get little to no information from what they plan to do in the future. We do get a tiny speech but we don't get them starting to do such things and personally I would of at least enjoyed a panel seeing some heroes help rebuild and clean the damage caused. Plus I think everyone can tell that the MHA society is flawed so saying that they want to go back to their old ways seems very iffy to me. I also would of liked an acknowledgement in what actually happen in the war arc but considering that not many people died they weren't gonna do any type of memorial thing or anything.

Is that shigaraki?!?! Or kurogiri?!?!?!? Who is it!!! Iam totally unsure of who it is but I don't think it would make sense if it was shigaraki because he literally died unless hori is actually going along with the plan of separating Tenko and shigaraki and thats not shigaraki but the innocent and crying Tenko type of bs (I absolutely hate this idea tbh) also what happend for tenko to come back as a child I suppose? Or is this someone completely new who has been effected by society and we're supposed to be like well evil is still brewing as society hasn't changed type thing? Maybe it's kurogiri idk I just want to see kurogiri again.

Enji is in a wheelchair (don't really care for him). This makes me question if endy is even a hero anymore and if he ain't who is the number one then? ( I still think they're going by that system because they said they wanna go back to the old ways)

Wait are we gonna see Dabi next chapter!!!!. Enji is facing somewhere with a ton of wires and all so maybe it could be where Dabi is being held at? I mean we don't know if Dabi is dead and we didn't get todoroki talking about it at all

I need Izuku's old hair back!! I miss the fluffy hair and I get that the convo was supposed to be lighthearted and all but I would of enjoyed the pages being used for something else like them actually checking up on eachother. Is tokoyami quirkless? How did they spend their time? Questions like that would of sufficed but I hated Izuku's hair at least he has some people telling him it's cool even if they might be lying

This chapter didn't give us much clarification on much to be honest. Yeah I was expecting this chapter to have huge focus on other villains and characters yet it didn't. I know I have to be patient blah blah but the last two panels of 424 did give us ochako and Todoroki but we got the least focus on them this chapter. I was hoping the villain situations might start to get addressed but I guess that will be next chapter with maybe Tenko making a comeback?

Also I love how we got Toruu's quirk glitching but no one acknowledges it or helps her with it (sarcasm if you couldn't realise)

I also hate whatever convo that was between Izuku and ochako, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth for some unknown reason

Why the hell is a third year In charge of something a teacher should be!!?!?!! Poor fuwa UA corruption and hypocrisy goes deep.

How are children still joining ua?!?! Like yep society moves on like nothing happend even though Japan was turned upside down in chaos

In conclusion, it was ok I didn't expect it to be amazing because it was a chapter that was gonna expand on stuff I didn't like 🤷‍♀️.

[goosewriting]

Hi!! Hope you're doing good, this is for the prompt request, raph with number 10 on color blue (miscellaneous), where reader lives near where the turtles live (not in the sewers lol), and everytime he goes on a mission or just walk close to their house, he starts to crush on them, so when his brothers found out they try to perform a date, but since raph is some shy, it doesn't go as planned (even that reader is really charmed by raph personality and in some time they start to crush on raph too and more time later they start a relationship), sorry if is really long, just some fluff for the raph boi <33, I really love your writing and i hope you do good, thanks for your time and also that if you don't feel like doing this you can pass for it, don't worry :)) (forgot to mention thst this is situated after the kraang situation so reader don't get a little freaked out about raph)

A very special mission (rottmnt Raph x reader)

prompt 10: "Abort mission, I repeat abort mission.” “What? Abort what mission? All you were doing was introducing yourself to your neighbor?” “Yeah, and they’re too attractive. I can never speak to them again.”

summary: Raph gets a crush on reader and April sets up a meeting.

relationship: Rise!Raph x GN reader

warnings: none, fluff!

word count: ~910

A/N: i have to admit this one was one of the more difficult ones for me, it’s been in my wips for so long! i ended up changing the dialogue slightly to fit the scenario better. hope you still like it!!<3

(english is not my first language. constructive criticism and grammar corrections are very appreciated!)

— — —

It had been around 3 weeks since the Krang invasion and the city was recovering slowly but surely. Many buildings that had been destroyed by the aliens were almost done being rebuilt. With every day that passed there were less and less construction sites and scaffoldings to be seen.

After the invasion, the everyday routine resumed fairly quickly. You kept going to class and your part-time job as always. But lately you couldn’t shake the feeling that you were being watched. You tried to shrug it off and went on your way.

Above you on a roof, from within the shadows, a certain ninja was keeping an eye on you.

Raph had been watching you for some time now. Because of the repairs after New York’s partial destruction, the turtle brothers had to change their patrol route, and that’s when he had spotted you talking to your friends on the street.

It had been like love at first sight for Raph. Ever since seeing you that day, he couldn’t stop thinking about you. Even after the repairs were done and he could have gone back to their normal route, he’d always make a quick escapade to your street, hoping to see you.

One night he was escorting you home from afar (unbeknownst to you) after work, and you ran into April on the street. You two greeted each other like you were friends and had a quick chat, then went along your way.

The next day, Raph basically interrogated April about you. It turned out you had actually been friends for a long time, but you had moved away for some years, and now came back. She just hadn’t had the time to catch up with you yet and introduce everyone.

Hearing this, and knowing that Raph had a massive crush on you, the other turtles all but begged April to set you up with him somehow. It didn’t take much convincing at all, because she was actually planning on doing so sooner or later. She was convinced you’d get along really well, with all of them.

So when April asked you if you were up to meeting a friend of hers, you said yes. You were kinda intrigued at how mysterious everything was about the meet-up. She wouldn’t tell you much about this person other than his and his brothers’ names, and that he was a really good guy.

You were told to wait on a street that wasn’t busy at night-time. If April hadn’t been there waiting with you, you would have had second thoughts about meeting a stranger in a deserted place like this. But she was confident that you’d like her friend, so you waited expectantly.

The turtles were waiting on a rooftop across the street, and Raph was half-way down the fire escapes when he suddenly stopped. He clenched and unclenched his fists in annoyance at himself, trying to calm down his pounding heart. Isn’t this what he had been waiting for for weeks? To finally meet you face to face and talk to you? All his pining came down to a boil within him, evaporating immediately, leaving him only with uncertainty.

Looking around, you turned to look at either side of the road, your form illuminated by a streetlamp. Raph’s breath hitched when he noticed that you had actually chosen a nice outfit to come out here; it wasn’t your usual clothes you wore to go to work and back.

You had dressed up for him and he was too much of a coward to go say hello.

With a groan, he buried his face into his hands.

April was starting to wonder why Raph was taking so long. She gave you an apologetic look and was about to contact him with her turtle comm, when it beeped in her pocket.

"Abort mission, I repeat abort mission” came a voice through the device.

“What? Abort what mission, Raph?” said someone else. “All you were gonna do was introduce yourself to April’s friend?”

“Yeah Leo, and they’re too attractive. I’ll never be able to speak to them.”

What Raph had forgotten was that April was also connected to their call, so you had heard everything.

Heat rised to your cheeks at Raph’s comment. But you did like his voice, it was kind. So with a sudden burst of confidence, you took April’s device from her hands just as she was about to reply (probably reprimanding him about leaving you out here when he wouldn’t even show up).

“C’mon Raph” you called to him, then switched to a more flirtatious tone. “Let me see you… I don’t bite.”

You heard a clatter somewhere on the building near you, where Raph was holding onto the railing for dear life after almost falling down, face as red as his bandana.

– – –

Bonus: (a couple of weeks later, after you two started dating)

“Hey, remember when you were too scared to come meet me for the first time that night?” you asked Raph with a playful tone, lightly jabbing your elbow into his side.

“Ugh, yes” he responded, looking to the side for a second with flushed cheeks. “I was scared out of my shell to be honest… I still don't entirely understand how I managed to snatch you but I'm glad I did.”

You merely smirked at him. He sighed.

“You’ll never let me live that down, will you?”

“Heh, nope” you said, leaning up to place a smooch on the tip of this beak.

[demigod-shenanigans]

Hi I’m super stuck on the “Nicknames/Wilderness”  prompt for Day 1 of Lost Trio Week, and for various reasons I only have a week to write something. If you could be so kind as to drop a few hcs/thoughts that might get me inspired to write, that would be very much appreciated! (The writer’s block is real)

Laughing a little bit because that’s the prompt I’m also stuck on

I will share headcanons, too, but a general gentle reminder: if it’s too much or you’re not feeling a certain prompt, you can absolutely participate in lost trio week without participating in every single day. Also not sure how you’re doing it, but personally, I’m not writing these in order. I started with Day Four because that was the one I felt most inspired to work on

That being said:

-If we’re talking Wilderness as in Wilderness School, Leo and Piper clicked the moment they met. I’m not sure what it was, exactly—maybe he made a stupid joke and she was the only one that laughed. Maybe she caught him trying to play a prank on someone and wanted in on it. Whatever it was, they’ve been inseparable ever since. It could be interesting to explore some of those memories, or how they looked like with Jason added, or maybe what it would have been like if Jason had actually ended up at the school with them somehow.

-When it comes to Wilderness as more of a general concept, one of the specific silly things my brain just went to was camping trip. Piper has little to no skills when it comes to that stuff. She’s lived in mansions and had private chefs for most of her childhood. The closest she’s ever come to camping has been missions and the time her and her dad camped in the yard of her grandpa’s old home when she was ten, but that wasn’t real camping. Jason has lived in the woods before when he was very little and probably has skills based on that and some stuff he picked up from survival classes in that context, but living with wolves is very different from regular camping and if he’s ever had to apply his theoretical Camp knowledge, he cannot remember it. Leo has the most practical skills when it comes to sleeping outside but he was just kind of making shit up as he went and didn’t really have equipment. —This is all to say they take like an hour failing to set up a tent. Leo has never been more frustrated in his life because he rebuilt a celestial bronze dragon from scratch but is somehow being foiled by a tent instruction manual. Jason keeps bringing up that sleeping under the stars at age three wasn’t that bad. Piper goes from frustrated to laughing hysterically because this being the thing they fail at after every ridiculous impossible task they’ve mastered is objectively hilarious. The whole trip is a disaster for a variety of reasons but I feel like they end up having a great time

-I’m not very good with Nicknames (neither as a prompt nor as a general concept honestly, I’m not really someone who gives people nicknames a lot), but one of the things that comes to mind there could be these changing over the years? Leo and Piper go from strangers to friends and use nicknames for each other for the first time, and it means something, because Leo’s not stuck around another person for long enough to come up with a nickname in years. Jason getting a nickname from Piper and Leo and not really being sure why it feels as strange as it does since he doesn’t have his memories—Reyna doesn’t feel like she’s the type of person to really use nicknames, and since everyone at Camp Jupiter saw him as a leader, I don’t feel like they’d casually call him by some nickname either. Jason hearing that nickname and it being meaningful because for the first time in ages he feels like a kid instead of a leader. Jason getting to use a nickname for Leo and/or Piper for the first time and it feeling significant for the same reason. Jason and Piper post-breakup trying to figure out what to call each other now because they’re objectively better as friends but it’s still weird and new and everything is different and it’s too strange to keep using the same nicknames they did when they were dating.

Hope some of this was helpful!! Please feel free to use however much or little of it as you’d like! Writing this out actually helped me massively because it made me realize I’m a massive idiot and do have a concept I want to use for this prompt (not any of the above ones so again please feel free to grab them if you’d like!) so thank you for that haha

[craftymakerland]

Why the wait?

A Luisa x female oc

I had just turned 19 last week and didn't really celebrate it, but the only person that actually cared was my best friend Luisa. We have known each other for a while now and my parents don't even know I talk to her. I like to keep my social life More private.

"AVA!” My mother called.

I slowly took a deep breath, and made my way downstairs to see my mother in frustration. She waited for me in the kitchen with a cigarette in her hand and a spoon in the other. I just happened to see my dad on the couch while walking by.

"What did you need, mother?" I asked.

"I need you to go out and get some food for tonight, it doesn't matter what, just make it good." My mother replied.

She gave me a list of other things that she needed besides what she wanted me to get.

I hurried to slip on some shoes and left the house without a sound. I could feel my mothers eye staring at me as I made my way out. Without looking back I walked out with a smile. I made my way down to the village where the market was located, it was my go-to place for anything. I peacefully go about my day and I couldn't help but hum a sweet toon. It was one that Luisa always hummed towards herself while she worked. It was so peaceful that I had always listened to it and over time I learned it, not that it's stuck, but it's something that always calms me. While making my way, I heard a familiar voice.

"Hey I recognize that hum from anywhere." You turned around to see who was talking behind you. I was so happy to see it was my dear friend,

I was relieved that it was here, because she was the only person that I knew and she was the only one who knew that hum. After all she came up with it. I did jump a little when she approached me though.

"Luisa, you startled me, how have you been?" I said with a smile.

Something about Her smile made every problem disappear, it was nice.

"Haha, well so far my days have been alright, but working all the time gets really boring and tiring and boring. Now that you're here it's so much better!"

Luisa screamed with excitement.

"woah someone's in a good mood."

I saw her smile to herself when I made that comment, it was cute when she did as such. I continued my walk and loved that she started to follow me.

" Yeah I don't know, ever since we rebuilt castita, my life changed somehow and I like it a little more!"

I liked seeing her so happy, it's been some time since I've seen her in such joy. Seeing her beautiful smile and laugh was enjoyable to watch. I couldn't help but smile at her, it's like problems have drifted away when she is around. I snapped out of my train of thought from her voice.

"So what are you up to?" Luisa curiously asked.

“You've been following me and yet have no clue what I'm doing?” I laughed

I watched as she giggled to herself.

“Well if you must know, I'm going to the market.” I answered

"Oh fun, do you mind if I join you? No, not at all." Luisa asking and answering her own question.

“It's not like you were following me or anything.” We both laughed.

We were about there at the market, it was just a few blocks down. The whole time we laughed, talked and had such a wonderful time together. After a bit, we finally made it, and I pulled out the list first so I wouldn't forget anything that she needed, then I was gonna get some things for dinner after. I went over to grab a basket and Luisa saw me grabbing the ingredients for pasta.

"Hmmm, looks like you're gonna make something good, what kind of pasta are you making?" Luisa said while leaning over your shoulder.

"It's pesto, I'm making something for my family, it's something that I would like to do. Usually happens on every Wednesday.” I Answered.

“They must be lucky, cuz I heard that you're an amazing cook.” she smiled

“Yeah, lucky.” I whispered to myself.

I paid for the things, but had to wait on Luisa. She wanted a mango to snack on. We then both left the market and started to walk some more.

“Hey I still have some time left, do you maybe wanna hang out some more?” I asked.

I know that I was pushing how long I was out but I couldn't help myself.

“Yes! I have some time. How about we go to the lake and chill there?” Luisa said with excitement.

“Yes, it will Be fun.” I replied

With my basket in hand, we make our way towards the lake, located where the two moutians split.

"Well here we are." Luisa said as she was walking towards the lake.

It was a beautiful sight, let alone really peaceful. I sat my basket down and and went next to the water. There I saw luisa lift her dress just enough to put her feet in the water, ofc she had taken ber shoes off before hand. I decided to do the same thing. Taking my shoes off, I stood right next to her along with relaxing my feet in the water. I looked at the sunset and close my eyes, the sun felt so warm agiant my face.

“This feels nice.” Luisa spoke.

With my eyes still being shut, I agreed.

“You wanna know something?” Luisa said with a smile.

She took my hand and we sat down near the water.

“I used to come here all the time, for peace and for the lovely view, very few people came up here, which is why I found myself very calm.” Luisa spoke

She started to face me and gave me a warm smile. I felt my face getting alittle warm by her embrace towards me. I got alittle closer to her and rested my head on her shoulder.

“You always found a way to keep me at peace, I don't know how you do it, but when with you I feel, loved.” I said with a smile.

She looked at me and I could see her eyes wide opened and her cheeks a rosy red. I raised my head up from her shoulders and I couldn't help but have the same reaction. Silence filled the air, I leaned in without a second thought. She leaned into me, lips inches apart from each other. There was one thing that I wanted to do, and I felt that she wanted the same. I hurried to stop myself though, I had completely lost track of time, and I had to stop the moment that we had. I could tell that she wanted to continue.

“It's getting really late, I have to go before my parents get worried.” I said in a panic.

“Hey, hey, it's okay, I'll walk you home so you don't have to worry About Any Creeps bothering you.” She laughed off.

The look that they had after, had my stomach drop. I didn't want to stop what we were doing, but there's a reason why I had to and I don't wanna Lose my friendship with her.

We both grabbed our shoes and took our feet out of the water. I saw that she had grabbed the basket for me.

“you Don't Have to do that.” I said with a smile.

“But I want to.” She gave me an even bigger smile.

I couldn't help but get so red from her. We both walked down to the village, and it had gotten quite dark, we really did lose track Of time. It took about 20 minutes to get back, usually it took a lot sooner, but we couldn't help but talk and take our sweet time coming back.

“Well here we are.” I was beside my house as she handed me the basket.

“Hey, I really had fun with you today.” She grabbed my hand and kissed it.

“And I can't thank you enough for it.” She smiled at me.

I looked at her and sat there in silence. She hurried to let go of my hand and panicked.

“I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!” She spoke worryingly.

Tbh I didn't hear a word she had said, I was Mostly thinking about what she had done. She turned around with a slight frown and started to walk off. I snapped out of my train of thought, and hurried to grab her arm. She turned around towards me in confusion.

“Is everything okay-”

I pulled her down to me and gave her a kiss. She was in shock, but in a good way. It took her a little bit to comprehend what happened. She finally caught onto it and kissed back immediately, she wrapped her Hands around my waist and pulled me In. I didn't want this moment to end.

After a moment we broke the kiss and all we did was look at eachother, so I couldn't help but go in for another. This time just a quick peck.

“I'll see you tomorrow.” I said Happily.

I rushed towards my house and went inside. I could tell that she had the biggest smile on her face. When I went inside I heard A big yelp of joy from outside, it made me giggle a little.

“Hey mom, I'm sorry it took so long, but I got the things that you wanted and food for tonight.” I spoke.

“Thank you baby, and don't worry about fixing anything, I'll make it.” She responded.

“Is everything okay, you love it when I make dinner.” I asked

“Yeah, everything's fine but there's something that we need to talk about.” She said with a frown on her face.

My stomach dropped when hearing those words from her mouth, usually when she ever had anything to tell me and she had to sit me down for it, it was never good.

“I'll go ahead and tell you now while your father is out. We both know that you're an adult now, and well your father doesn't like that you're not married yet.” She spoke.

“Wait, what are you saying?” I said as I could feel my stomach starting to drop.

“Your father had arranged a marriage for you.” She said very disappointed in herself.

“WHAT?!” I was furious.

“He doesn't have the right to say who I get to marry.” i was modified about all of this.

“Calm down hun.” She spoke gently.

“ I am Calm!” I spoke out of rage.

“Who is it that I'm getting married to?” Even though I didn't want to be in an arranged marriage, I still wanted to know who it was. I was interrupted by my father barging Into the room.

“So I'm assuming that your mother had told you what's Happening yes?” he spoke to me.

“Sadly, but why don't I have a choice who I get to marry? It should be my decision, not you!” I yelled.

He grabbed my face and looked at me with a glare.

“Well that's too damn bad, you're going to meet him tomorrow and you are gonna like it.” he jerked my face back and left the room and went back out to wherever he was before he barged in here.

I couldn't look at my parents anymore, so I ran up to my room and refused to look or talk to them for the rest of the night.

The Next Day…

I couldn't sleep at all that night, all I kept thinking was what my mother had said as well as my father. sitting Up from the covers I see a dress hanging up from my door. I couldn't even look at it, I will say that the dress was quite pretty, but the Occasion for it is what made it ugly. I heard my mother knock then slowly opened the door.

“Good Morning Ava.” My mother greeted me.

She leaned against the door with her Arms crossed.

“Look I know that you don't wanna do this, and frankly I don't want you to either, but your father is old fashioned and the man of the house, so whatever he says goes.” She said sadly.

“I know.” I felt a tear run down my face. I felt my mothers fingers caress my cheek.

“ Is there someone else? Might I ask.” She questioned.

“Well I wouldn't say that but, getting there.” I said quietly.

She gave me a little smile and nudged My shoulder.

“So who is he or she?” My mother chuckled.

“How would you know it's a she?” I said in a panic.

I felt her hand on my cheek.

“One thing that you must always know is That a mother always knows, no matter how hard you try to hide it.” She smiled.

I was at a loss for words.

“I'll tell you what, how bout you do this “date” with this boy, just to make your father happy and we will see what happens after, and I can see what I can do to try to get you out of this marriage.” She spoke.

I had to give it some thought, but she was right, I'm gonna do this just to get it out of the way and go from there.

“Ugh fine.” I replied.

“That's my girl, now hurry up and get ready, he should be waiting outside in 30 minutes.” she hurried to tell Me.

She went out of the room and made her way down stairs.

I screamed into my pillow to get everything out before having to get ready for this stupid date.

The dress was a pink strawberry dress, with a long v-neck in the front and with puffy sleeves. I did love it. I won't lie about that. I put the dress on, and let my hair down, it looked really good on me. With the dress I decided to wear my black slip on with it. Now I was ready, I stead of thinking about wearing this for some date, I decided to think of it as wearing it for Luisa. Now I started to feel even prettier now.

“AVA!” My mother screamed.

“He's here, hurry!” She yelled.

“I'm coming!” I yelled back.

I ran downstairs and really wasn't ready to open the door.

“Hello.” The man spoke out to me.

I looked at him with an uneasy look.

“Uh, hi.” I responded.

I didn't like this not one bit.

“You ready? I asked.

“Oh, I'm sorry, lady's first.” He said politely.

I will say he was nice but I already had my heart set. We both walked out and I just walked alongside him, not really Making conversation. He was quiet the whole time. It was kinda boring. From a distance I saw Luisa doing her everyday chores. I wanted to say hi to her, but I didn't want to ditch him. Yes I didn't Want to go out with him, but I wasn't gonna leave him stranded. I was raised better than that, so I just went about my day with him. As the day went on, we actually had a good time together. His name was Alex. He was fun to hang out with, he acted more like a brother that I never had before. We went to the Cafe that was a couple of blocks away from my house and sat down for coffee.

“So, what do you think of all of this?” I questioned.

“In all honesty, I never agreed to this, let alone I already have someone in mind,” he replied.

Him saying that gave me hope. Maybe if our parents found out that he already loved another girl then this can be all over and done with. I was way ahead of myself.

“Can you keep a secret?” I asked

“If it deals with murder then no.” he laughed.

“Nothing like that.” I laughed alongside him.

“ What If I told you that I had someone in mind as well?” I replied.

“oh?” He sounded curious, but in a good way.

“Alright here's the deal, if I tell you who mine is, you have to tell me yours, deal?” he pointed out.

“deal, now tell me!” I snapped excitedly.

He grabbed my shoulder and pointed my head towards where his love was at.

“ do you see that person, in front of that big blue house over there?” he asked

“ The one that's holding a flower?” I questioned

“Actually it's the one holding the shovel,” he corrected.

“Omg, you like him?!” I said with a grin.

I watched as he started to sink down the seat.

“Oh, so it is.” I teased.

I watched as his face turned red.

“Well in that case.” I told him to rise up on his chair to where he was sitting. I got a little closer and grabbed his shoulder like he did mine.

“You see that girl over there?” I asked.

“Which one?” Alex questioned.

“No, the girl, that is, picking up the church.” I said with excitement.

“Oh you're talking about Luisa.” He teased me.

“You know she's one of my friends and she does not stop talking about you.” He spoke.

“Wait, she does? What does she say about me?” I questioned.

“She tells me how cute you are, how pretty you are, how smart you are, like there's a whole list of things she says About You, like yesterday, she wouldn't stop telling me how much she wanted to make a move on you.” He said.

I sunk in my chair as he did before and covered my face with my hands.

“She did Ahhhh.” I whispered.

“What did She do??? Tell me everything!” He questioned.

Well before She Took me home, I wouldn't say she made the move, I did, I grabbed her arm and we shared a kiss.” I replied.

“That is way too cute , omg!”

“And speaking off, Look who's coming over this way now.” He teased me.

“Oh shut up.” I shushed him.

“Hey Ava! And hey Alex, whatcha you both up to?” Luisa questioned.

He turned around towards her.

“So you know that arranged marriage I was telling you about, yeah, she's the person that my parents wanted me to marry, this was her first time knowing about it.” He explained.

I looked down In shame for not immediately telling Her about this.

“My father kinda forced me to do this, and I'm stuck and don't know what to do.” I tried to hold my tears back.

“How about I go over there and talk to him while you and Luisa spend Time together.” Alex kindly interrupted.

“That sounds really fun.” I started to cheer up.

“Then you two love birds should Get going.” He spoke.

And with that me and Luisa went off together.

“So how are you handling all of this?” Luisa questioned.

“To be honest, I don't Like it at all, but, can we focus On the moment between us both?” I didn't want to be rude, but the marriage thing was really bothering Me and I just wanted the moment to be between us two.

“I completely Understand, and in that Case you should Follow me.” Luisa said in understandment.

She took my hand as she ran into the woods with me. It was a place where me and her could be together without anybody bothering us.

“Alright, now close your eyes.” She whispered.

She helped me walk wherever she was taking me.

“Now open.”

It was so beautiful, the sunset was shining from the water and everything was the best lighting.

“It's so beautiful Luisa, omg it's a perfect spot.” I looked at the sun.

“So uh, wanna try that kiss again?” She said teasingly while grabbing my Waist.

I wrapped my arms around her neck as she tightened the grip around my waist.

“I would love to.” I giggled.

We embraced each other as we shared a long kiss. Out of surprise she Picked me up in bridal style and kissed me once again. She kept swinging at me as she giggled her heart away.

The kiss broke and we looked at each other with such compassion.

“I never want to let you go.” She said with a smile.

“ I want you to be mine.” She blushed.

She kissed me all over the face and stopped once again to look at me.

“I've been Wanting to ask you something for a long time now.” Luisa said.

I looked at her as she put me down. She placed her hands on my cheek.

“Ava, will you be my girlfriend?” Luisa spoke in a shy tone.

A smile crossed my face without hesitation and I jumped onto her causing her to tumble to the ground.

“yes, a thousand times yes!” I screamed out. I kissed with passion and we laughed in-between kisses. Nothing could be better than this.

Time had passed and it started to get dark. We laid under the moonlit light with our hands locked together. It was a beautiful night and very peaceful.

“It's getting late, shouldn't You be home by now?” I asked.

“Yeah, but I wouldn't have been able to hang out with you for the rest of the night.” She pouted.

“You'll see me tomorrow though.” I said in a loving voice.

She rolled her eyes while laughing.

“I guess you're right.” as she still pouted. It was too cute.

She got up and helped me up from the grass. I was a little itchy from it, but it was worth it. She twirled me around as she helped me up, and caressed my face. She looked at me one last time before we had to part ways. I kissed hers before we left.

On my way home I kept on repeating that night over and over again. I felt blood rush up to my face. It was the best feeling ever. I finally made it to the house and took a deep breath upon Entering.

“Hi mom you would never believe-”

“Mom?” I called out.

I looked around wondering where she was. It was unusual to not see her in the house, it was rare that she ever left. I started to get worried and searched the whole house, not a sign of her. There was one more room that I haven't checked yet, and it was their bedroom. I was never allowed in there but I was desperate and didn't know where she was. I knocked and to my surprise The door opened, as if someone opened it for me. There I saw my father sitting down on the bed, with a look that was sinister look, he look furious.

“He-y, dad.” I struggled to say.

“Is everything okay?” I asked again.

“How was your date?” he Asked In a calm, demanding way.

“It was fun, we had a lot in common.” I tried to lighten the vibe.

He got up from the bed and looked me dead in the eyes.

“So you really had fun, didn't you?” he said once more.

I couldn't tell where he was getting at but I didn't like it.

I couldn't keep my eyes off of him, from the fear of him doing something if I did.

“Where are you getting at?” I managed to say.

“I think you know.” He said with an unsettling Smile. I watched as he grabbed his belt off the bed. He grabbed my arm with force and pulled his other hand back where it looked like he was gonna Swing at me. I screamed for A short second, and hurd the front door slammed open. He hurried to let go to see what the noise was. Only to back up when seeing a 6ft figure on the wall. He started to back up even faster when it looked like the figure was charging at him. There were too many things going on at once so I backed up alongside him. I ran into a corner and put myself into a ball, covering my eyes and holding my head close to me, hoping that whatever it is that's coming would soon leave. I heard muffled screaming, which sounded like my dad. So I still continued to curl up, and not look up. I heard my name being called from a distance.

“Ava, Ava, AVIANNA!” someone called.

I looked up to see Luisa bent down towards my level. She had tears rolling down her face, and my first instinct was to hug her. I didn't know too much of what was going on. All I could think of is that my mother was gone and I kinda went bat shit crazy on me. Luisa broke the hug slowly and looked at me to make sure that I was okay.

“Dolores hurd everything and alerted me as fast as she could, so I sprinted down here in seconds. Dolores and the others are still making their way down here.” She said in a worried tone and she was trying to calm herself from all the tears she was producing.

“I'm okay, don't cry, I'm okay.” I hugged her once again as she hugged me right back but slightly tighter.

“I think they are in here !” a voice called.

I looked to see the whole room filled with her family making sure I was okay. Luisa let go of the Hug once more.

“Why didn't you tell us that your father was doing bad things to you.” Dolores asked.

Luisa looked at me even more worried.

“He did bad things to you?” She turned back to dolores.

“Why didn't you tell me?” Luisa said a little More upset.

“I didn't know what to do.” Dolores said in shame.

“Hey everything's okay, I'm okay, look at me.” I demanded gently.

I had gotten Luisa to calm down Bit. I then saw her mother come running towards me.

“Are you okay, are You hurt?” her mom questioned.

“I'm not hurt, it's fine.” I said in a calm voice.

“Come on, let's get you up.” Felix and pepa came to get me up and standing once again.

They all left the house and on the way out I saw my father tied up to a chair and mouth covered with tape. I left him there, he put me through Hell my entire life. I held Luisa's hand in front of him and kissed her in such a loving way, her family was In awe at the scene and my father Looked furious. The whole family walked back to Casita and I hesitated at first but walked Alongside them.

As we walked in, the whole family gathered around me to make sure that I was okay and if I was hurt in any way. After a little bit they went off to bed after it was so late, and Luisa held my hand and guided me up the stairs into her room. As the door opened, it was massive, there was a huge Bed, I was in complete shock.

“Do you like it?” she asked

“It's huge.” I giggled a little to myself.

I could tell that what I had said put a big smile on her face. I went to sit down on her bed and kept replaying what happened.

“here.” Luisa had given me a shirt and sweats to sleep in. I took them and went into her bathroom to get dressed.

I knew they looked big when she gave them to me, but I didn't know it was this big. I went out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom. All I could see was her blushing and laughing at the same time. She thought that it was overly cute but hilarious at the same time. I couldn't help but laugh with her. After she had calmed down she looked at me with a huge smile.

“Did you want to borrow some of my sister's clothes? She asked.

“I should be good, I'm gonna go to sleep soon anyways.” I laughed to myself.

“ Well if you change your mind, her room is down the hall from mine, she should still be awake.”

she spoke.

She went into her bathroom to get changed. After a bit she came out with a surprised look on her face.

“So you decided to change huh.” She smirked.

I do admit that Isabella’s clothes fit better and we're more comfortable than Luisa’s. She made her way to the mirror and I watched her take the red ribbon out of her hair. It was so long, it's been a while since she had taken her hair down, it was pretty. I came up from behind her and combed my fingers through her hair.

“That feels good, don't stop.”

I smiled at that remark, she liked the feeling of my fingers through her hair, it was relaxing. She loves head rubs even more. I have her a kiss on the cheek

And made my way towards the bed, I watched as she laid right next to me and hugged me from behind. I could feel her big arms around me, I felt so warm and safe in her arms. And with that we slowly drifted to sleep.

Hours Went By…

“SHIT, MY MOM!”

Ava♥️! Luisa 💖!

Made little portrait of themm,

I really hope that you like it 🥰!

[thefirstknife]

(This is a theory based on the previews shown for Prism and the most recent TWID, so there may be other recent official communications that I've missed and should consider, apologies if that's the case)

Prism looks really fun but also seems like a significant jump forward in terms of powercreep, and especially the exotic class items, seem like they'll be a long-term balancing nightmare. The impression I got from the showcase reveal was that previously, it was an idea that got shelved as being not great for the long-term balance of the game, but then was brought back online in response to underwhelmed backlash.

Similarly with the Brave Arsenal, it feels like they looked at the perk pools and said 'screw it, let's make them all obscenely juiced up' again a jump in powercreep, and they don't seem to be overly concerned about that right now.

Today's TWID said that legacy gear will be re-enabled for infusion, undoing the last current mechanical implementations of sunsetting, and that a lot of it will be re-introduced and rebuilt for the current sandbox.

We're on the way back to a sandbox where everything goes, in a game world that seems broader than it was when the DCV was introduced, with way more power than we had before with 3.0 classes and weapons with ability verbs. Looking just at the PvE side of things, it seems to me like the game is going to be in the same state it was when Luke Smith announced the huge changes in Beyond Light. (We also keep getting more vault space when they had told us not to expect more vault space)

I see this as a path with 2 branches on it. The first is they aren't worried about powercreep because the game is not 'bloated' the same way it was when they developed Beyond Light i.e. it's not a nightmare to keep a laundry list of activities balanced against guardians more powerful than we imagined we ever would be. Prism will have a rough patch but come in-line with everything else within 6-8 months. Gear will also get equalized again via consistent tweaking. Episodes will continue the story in cool ways, new gear will cycle between cool and less cool, more reprised raids/missions, maybe we get new permanent destinations, maybe another (or more) major expansion in the future, but right now I expect Episodes will probably be a lot like what we've seen from the beefier seasons with custom locations and activities that wont be permanent.

The other branch is that they aren't worried about powercreep because some amount of time after the first 3 episodes, destiny 2 will go into stasis; playable but with no major updates or expansions while they work on Destiny 3, which will have another hard reset for character progress/gear. Destiny 2 stays free to play with a huge library of campaigns, raids, dungeons, and exotic missions but the 'gear chase' and all the 'forever game' mechanics get moved to destiny 3 or whatever it'll end up being called. This game will be built based on all the hard design lessons and problems they have had to crack for D1 and D2 with the expectation that they won't need to do this again for a D4 (and maybe they'll even be right).

Thoughts?

Honestly that sums up my thoughts on it too.

I know there's been talk about them allegedly already working on D3. I generally don't have a strong opinion about it; my personal only issue is the loss of all cosmetics. But outside of just me, I think D3 will do the same as D2 did, which is split the fanbase and piss everyone off. People will need an exceptionally strong incentive to be okay with restarting their characters once again, years after TFS, and to re-grind everything and wait years for the game to have more than vanilla content.

A lot of people think that D3 will somehow drop and magically be better in every aspect, but what they fail to realise is that it will take years, again, to populate the game with content. Like, D3 will launch with 1 raid and will have 1 raid for a year. We're used to a selection of much more than that. I can't imagine a lot of people will have the patience to wait 4-5 years for the game to have the same amount of options to play with. It's a big risk overall. Not to mention the cost of keeping both D1 and D2 still alive.

Anything is possible! These things are still years away from us so genuinely who knows what they're planning long-term. I do think that eventually they will have to move away and update the engine and probably stop supporting old gen consoles, purely for technical reasons.

As for the possible powercreep, I don't think it will be too much of a problem. As it usually is with any new abilities/supers, things will be wild at first, but probably reigned in fast. Same with unsunsetting; a lot of the old weapons are simply not that good anymore given their lack of updated perks. I'm more interested in them saying that they will reissue most if not all of the old stuff and update it to modern standards, but even then, we already have a lot of weapons. There's only so many types of legendary hand cannons to make feel unique and useful. Most of the old stuff will just be for nostalgia's sake. Still, it will probably super wild at launch and until things settle, but powercreep can be dealt with over time with changes and content being made to account for new options.

We'll have to wait and see! I am not opposed to the game being refreshed with a full restart, though I do have personal gripes that are mostly based on the fact that I really don't want to wait years to have my characters look like I want them to rather than wearing gear that doesn't fit my aesthetic because there's only 4 armours in the game. A new game will simply not have enough options for years to come and I think that a lot of players will be incredibly put off by having to start again. I'm not sure if they would risk this again, given how vanilla D2 went. But also, it's been so long since then so with all of the experience, maybe things can go better this time. Third time's the charm?

[pivoineprune]

Piece of advice for the next days:

Pile 1:

Ok, this pile indicate that you need to take some time alone, and somehow rebuilt a relationship with yourself. To me here, the 7 of swords indicate that you are too hard on yourself, you need to regulate your thoughts. Write that down or say it out loud and record it and listen later. You will realise that you can't keep going like that. It's a terrible habit, be gentle to yourself. Just take some time alone and do nothing for 1 day or 2, and do not feel guilty for it. I think that there is a whole mess around you, seek for quietness.

Pile 2:

There is homework or maybe at work you need to check the details. Review everything before send over before saying you done. You might think that everything it's alright, but last verifications won't hurt. (Put that file on a usb key on different format for example.)

Pile 3:

I think you are going to fight, or currently fighting with a family member, a masculine energy, someone whose is controling and a bit all over the place. He has the tendency to think that he knows better than you, is not the case here. Move in silence my friend.

Don't share your dream or desire with this person, he's going to try to win over you even if it's insignificant. I think it's the type to enjoy seeing you disapointed. Hope that you find some answers.

Thank you for reading, hope it help. Good night, good day.

[spongebobafettywap]

Hi I'm a Mystique fan. I feel like I'm part of a small minority here but I absolutely hate what they did to her in the new origins.

Like the Draco had her be easily tricked, heartbroken, used as a womb but at the end of the day she chose herself to get back at Azazel by nearly killing Kurt after his birth took everything from her and put her in grave danger at a rather vulnerable moment of her life (she just went through excruciating labor and right after that got chased by a mob for hours). She then went on and rebuilt herself, choosing on her own to never think about either of them again, and happily raised a child with the love of her life after meeting once again, being given some peace at long last.

These new origins had her be easily tricked even harder, even more heartbroken, used as a Goddamn printer and semen syringe by Destiny, hoe herself with people she wasn't even interested in or picked herself, build her entire hopes up of raising this child with the love of her life, expose herself as a mutant after "just seeing kurt", knowingly be put in direct danger by Destiny with a mob while she was trying to save their child, tricked into abandoning their child that apparently only she wanted, weeping alone by a cliff after doing some useless back and forth between a tree and a castle for someone who turned out to have bailed on her, spend 5 years tracking down Destiny to get back at her only to give that up because she chose to let her talk, presented Rogue as a consolation prize by the very person who tricked her into raising a child together in the first place, given the lamest explanation and excuses under the damn sun to justify everything (which with only a lick of knowledge on the situation would have made her realize those were more lies), convinced to forget about it with a full mind wipe she only agreed to do partially, .... She then went on to unknowingly remain with what could be best described as her life long abuser, devoting herself fully to her, placing her on a pedestal and as her main priority contrary to any children she's had even the one she raised, do everything in her power to resurrect her back to life and go back to doing exactly everything the same as before her death, be forcefully mind controlled by a telepath after said abuser gave the okay for him to do that if she didn't follow her along after she's shown some reservations and aversion to her last demands, go on to loudly mention her abuser as the other mother of the child said mother abandoned and chose to completely forget about... in the middle of active gun fight with their enemies aka for no damn reason (Kurt : "[Mystique] is my mom.", Mystique : "One of your moms!"), ...

I can't believe I'm saying this of my own volution but if I had to pick the better poison, I'll take the Draco.

Some people argued with me that through these new origins, Mystique had been given her agency back but ? I don't see how or where that is the case ?? Seems like she lost more of it and got left with none ???

Might be missing something here, maybe you can see something I don't ? What do you think ?

I'm guessing its a case of they for some reason like Destiny more so if she does more manipulative stuff they let it slide. They have some type of view where they have a higher tolerance for manipulative things women do compared to men. Or they let it slide because Mystique was in a long term relationship with Destiny. Or the other thing is they somehow think this whole thing adds to Mystique and Destiny's relationship... Nightcrawler being related to Destiny a character he barely has any dialogue with.. lmao. Honestly even if you hate the Draco at least it wasn't full of mindwiping retcons and more of "wow well you know everything of Kurt's life was planned!" It's also so bizarre that Xavier now apparently knew of Kurt's existence since he was a baby and at no point did he think "huh maybe i better reach out to this mutant kid who doesn't look like other humans"

[skaruresonic]

It’s not "schizoposting" if you’re replying to other people talking about Ian Flynn.

The term itself is ableist.

I'm not schizophrenic; I have garden-variety depression and anxiety. But even if I were schizophrenic, that wouldn't make it okay to act like I'm frothing at the mouth for stating opinions on my own blog.

I've noticed this habit amongst stans: they'll paint you as mentally unwell in order to discredit you. We've been called "conspiratorially insane" and "retarded" before. I've been told to seek therapy for being angry at the harassment I received. Hell, Kyle once told Greeny "I hope you get better soon" in response to her pointing out that Metal stated he rebuilt his body with his own two hands in the Metal Overlord fight, something that contradicted a claim Flynn made. It's just our old buddy ad hominem again, but ableism flavored.

And it's like, yeah, I am mentally unwell, no shit Sherlock, you've cracked the code. But regardless, I can still be mentally unwell and make a valid point. It's not like the mental illness completely short-circuits my ability to think.

Apropos of nothing, while I'm at it: people get really touchy if you say anything that can be skewed as "Flynn lies" or "Flynn is a liar," to the point of making sweeping grandiose claims that they'll automatically lose respect for you if you insinuate as much. (Which ofc begs questions of why.)

Lying isn't some binary yes/no type of thing. People can lie partially, lie out of ignorance, lie by omission, lie by implication, lie by obfuscation, or lie in spirit but not in letter. Not all falsehoods are capital L Lies, but by the same token, that doesn't mean they're no longer falsehoods. People can bend the truth without breaking it. Flynn projects a certain image by being noncommittal to the point of obfuscation. It's called talking out both sides of your mouth: where you say a lot of things that seem to address the question without actually having answered the question.

He doesn't lie outright. That's why I said it's annoying, because in a way it'd be easier to put his claims on blast if he were.

Instead, he drowns out the truth with verbiage. He hems and haws and doesn't offer a clear answer but instead usually winds up giving a sort of verbal equivalent of a Rorschach test so that he has plausible deniability in case his employers ever press him on his claims. Notice, however, that despite how tied his hands are, and despite knowing how people take his word dead fucking seriously, he seldom passes up the opportunity to run his mouth.

For example, "Eggman never, ever has a solid plan." The quote whose infamy earned it a spot on a TV Tropes page. He said it with his full chest, too, one of the rare answers that left no room for misinterpretation. Yet when someone relayed his own words back to him roughly a month later, he couldn't remember having said them, implying he either didn't really believe what he had said or else he has a poor memory.

More interesting than that, though, is when he proceeded to add, "But if I did [put it like that], then I was wrong."

IF I did. As if the existence of the words he recorded for the entire world to hear and posted for online posterity is debatable.

That's the kind of thing that skeeves me out at the end of the day. When you get caught in 4K and somehow it's others' ontological reality that must change to fit your presupposed narrative, not the other way around. And by that, I mean it would be somewhat easier to overlook if the matter began and ended at simple ignorance---but it's this constant evasion of blame and the underlying revisionism that creeps me out.

Flynn looks like he's admitting he's wrong while also casting subtle doubt on the notion that he said what he did. It's not just an "oops, guess I misspoke" or an "oops, guess I forgot" kind of thing, either. He pulls this sort of rhetorical trick all the goddamn time.

I'm personally on the fence about whether he does this deliberately or if it's the unfortunate byproduct of being a poor communicator: I feel like subconsciously, some part of it may be, given how BK built its name on speaking on behalf of Sega while simultaneously allowing him a platform to not-so-subtly shittalk them behind their backs. At this point I find it hard to imagine he's not doing this without some sort of agenda in mind.

And this isn't even getting into all the times he's been caught in blatant contradictions, which wouldn't be nearly so bad if everyone didn't take the man's word as gospel.

[one-way-dream]

A Lack of Essence (One-Shot)

Rating: General

Words: 3100+

Media: Danganronpa, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Pairing: Aoi Asahina/Sakura Ogami, Minor Hajime Hinata/Nagito Komaeda (Mentioned)

Tags: Post-canon, Hurt/Comfort, Depression, Pining, Feelings Realization

Warnings: Descriptions of an anxiety attack.

Chapter: 1/1

Link to the original work

AO3 Summary/Excerpt:

Undoubtedly, it’s one of the best, no— maybe the best she’s ever had in her life. It’s a perfect technique, it’s a perfect balance, it’s… it’s…

…But it’s not the same.

--

Aoi tries to make donuts like the ones she made in the past, but she feels like there's something missing.

Author's Notes:

i love sakuraoi and i've never written them before so here's a little brain dump before i forget that i ever wrote it and it rots in my computer forever fdjshfksdfsdf asahina aoi my oomfie ❤ as always, this is not beta-read

thank you for reading and i hope you enjoy!

Aoi doesn’t like the taste of the doughnuts being made nowadays.

Sure, the ingredients were much fresher, – at least compared to whatever Junko had arranged for them during their days trapped in the school – but something about the taste was… inadequate.

Whatever it was, it frustrated Aoi to no end.

With every passing year it felt like something was slipping away. That ‘something’ twisted deep in her chest, gnawing away and taking parts and pieces of her until she gave in to tears. Until she felt hollowed out from breaking down time and time again, however far and in between it may happen.

Despite the kind words Makoto shed time and time again, she never really considered herself a strong person. Sometimes Aoi wondered what she would think of her moments of weakness, years after their escape, years after her sacrifice.

A heaviness weighed on her shoulders, bringing her back to the present, where she absentmindedly leaned over a shallow pot of oil gone lukewarm – which subsequently meant that the test batch of doughnuts she’d set to the side had definitely gone cold while she was lost in thought. She blinks, clicking her tongue in irritation as she stares down the pastries, wondering how she was careless enough to even forget setting a timer on her phone.

Well… better off a little cold than burned to a lump of coal.

Aoi takes the plate off the edge of her kitchenette counter and sets it on the breakfast bar. She pulls the curtains apart to let the evening light fill the shadows of her small but tidy studio apartment. A sleepy marmalade sun has yet to rest behind the silhouette of the rebuilt city. Somehow the light begins to fill the shadows in her mind too; not completely, but just enough to pinch her cheeks and huff out a determined breath.

“This is it,” she whispers to herself, furrowing her eyebrows in concentration. “This has to be the one.”

Nimble band-aid covered fingers dart across her phone screen before she even considers taking a bite, sending a text message to Makoto, hoping that he wouldn’t mind Aoi sending her seventh consecutive message of the day.

>[7:08 PM] Heyhey, Naegi! I’m about to try out the new recipe you got from Hanamura-san! Wish me luck. :)

A quick tap on the paperclip icon and then a few more before the image is delivered to him. She smiles down at her phone a little at the picturesque scene of her evening snack neatly plated on her favourite porcelain, the paper towel beneath it splotched with oil and stray bits of cinnamon sugar shimmering in the sunlight. Everything looked perfect.

The arrangement feels awfully nostalgic; memories overtake her of large but gentle hands working side by side with her, the other insisting that ‘food tasted better when presented with care’. It’s nostalgic to the point where familiar feelings begin to rouse in her heart at the memory – but she pushes it down. The grip on her phone gets tighter until her hand starts to tremble. 

Not yet.

Not now.

Aoi quickly sets the phone down and swallows thickly, though she finds her mouth drier than usual despite what was supposedly a perfect rendition of her favourite food lying before her. Even during the killing game, her appetite had never dwindled at the sight of doughnuts. She smiled brightly for herself as encouragement, as if practising in front of a mirror like the many times she’d done on her worst days before stepping out for work.

Why… did she feel this nervous? And why did she feel so afraid of disappointment?

Finally, she reaches out and picks up a doughnut by the edges, where the caramel-esque sugar just barely grazed her fingertips. Surprisingly it’s still a little warm, and truthfully, it's unbelievable that it’s this soft even after cooling down. 

The numb buzzing still clings to Aoi’s mind, and while it usually wouldn’t be an appetite killer, today nothing really feels right. But as soon as the sweet and spicy aroma reaches her nose, her mouth waters instinctively, eager to partake in old indulgences. With a bit of optimism, she leans forward and takes a small and hesitant bite, careful not to let her thoughts sour the experience.

Even though her mind wasn’t quite swayed by the thought of doughnuts, her tastebuds immediately gave into the familiarity. The first thing that she notices is that it’s just as soft and light as it feels, almost unbelievably so, as it melts in her mouth in an array of flavour ranging from a delicate mellow sweetness to a hint of mild spice. The taste coats her tongue without being overwhelming somehow – without a doubt, the recipe is a decadent masterpiece. Simply pure art.  

Aoi reigns herself in and manages to wolf down the last quarter of it without inhaling any topping sugar by accident. Eventually, as she chews, she comes down from the high and her mind wanders again. If she were her younger self, the one before the killing game, she could have died peacefully knowing that this was the best that she’d ever get.

Undoubtedly, it’s one of the best, no— maybe the best she’s ever had in her life. It’s a perfect technique, it’s a perfect balance, it’s… it’s…

…But it’s not the same.

Aoi’s own voice echoes the words she didn’t want to admit in the back of her head, so strongly that it makes her flinch.

It pulls her out of the delight by drowning it in the frustration she’d feared time and time again. It’s disappointment that finally settles in her mind despite everything; as sticky, heavy, and gross as the bitter kuromitsu her mother was so fond of. As she swallows down the last bit of the pastry clean from the side of her cheek, she finds that there is a flaw to it after all: there’s a stale aftertaste.

For something so seemingly perfect, even this had its flaws. It lacked something. Or maybe there was too much of something? 

But… just what was it? Aoi’s brows scrunched together as she mulled it over, wiping the grease and crumbs off her fingertips onto the clean parts of the paper towel. No distinct taste from a lack of ingredients? No, probably not, given that it called for cinnamon and the barest hint of clove and spices she’d never even heard of. Maybe there wasn’t enough sugar? Oh, but the cinnamon sugar dusting should’ve covered that base as well.

It just… wasn’t enough.

It wasn’t enough. It’d never be enough.

She just had to accept the facts – nothing she will ever make from here on out could ever be the same as the ones she and Sakura made together.

But the question was: could she live with that?

Aoi sighs deep and forlorn, leaning back against the barstool as her gaze veers out the window overlooking the growing shadow of the cityscape, eventually trailing back to the remaining three doughnuts.

Old feelings come back with a vengeance at the sight, thrashing in her chest like a small bird trapped in a cage. She clenches her knuckles white and then relents, at long last – she doesn’t want to fight the feeling anymore today. At least for today, even if she knows the cost is that it won’t end well.

She takes a deep breath and smiles, genuinely this time, wondering how Sakura would look like bathed in the light of sundown like she is now, sharing a meal together like they used to every day. She never saw her in the sunlight before - and even if she did during their school years, she wouldn't know anymore. She would never get to know.

And that’s all it takes for the seams of her composure to be suddenly torn to shreds; for that weird mixture between swelling affection that made her heart soar only to be shot down by unbearable, crushing grief. It held her at a deadlock, stasis, as sobs wracked her body. It was so unlike her, ‘sooo unlike’ the world-renowned star athlete and Ultimate Swimmer Aoi Asahina, as she’d chastise herself after a thorough cry.

Aoi had always considered herself lucky that her good days and neutral days far outweighed the bad compared to the others, but it was never like she was ever immune to despair in the first place, not even after all that her friends had done for her. Especially not after all that her friends had done for her. The guilt is a snaking hairline fracture in her favourite and otherwise perfect ceramic mug - the one that reminds her of home and of family and loved ones. 

The guilt is something she finds hard to douse; it’s a constant reminder against calloused palms and one might even say that, despite her go-getter personality, the fissure is reminiscent of her own being. It’s seemingly harmless, and it won’t shatter to pieces, but it’s there. 

Thinking hard on things was never her forte, and neither was sweating the small stuff. Even so, bitterness claws at her throat, constricts her breathing to nothing more than a desperate rhythm.

It was really unlike her.

The muted sound of a ticking wall clock is all that resounds in the living room, in between shaky breaths, in between the unsteady pulses of her heartbeat. Vaguely, she's aware of the pace of it, of how the ticking tries to punctuate all the other sounds, except–

Everything is off. Her heartrate speeds up and it's thrown off even more. it's all lost to a moment's hesitation, and suddenly she's wrenched back into the depths of a swimming pool. Her coach spits out demands; that she needs to pick up the pace. It's off rhythm. It's grating. That she's off rhythm. She's grating. It's all wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. 

Until she catches the single beat where all three align at once. They blend together into a single startling click, folding into one like flour and sugar and yeast. Her head feels heavy, but clear for a moment; just enough to stop thinking. 

A pillow stays close to her chest as she calms down, as she buries her face just enough to muffle the sound. Just enough so that she couldn’t hear her own voice – her own weakness that she so despised. How could she not when the person she cared for was the very definition of the strength she always strove for?

The thing is, Sakura Ogami was never just physically strong.

Sure enough, the others had seen both her physical strength and her strength of character back in those days but… Aoi had seen it all. Sakura is Eden; she’s all the nurturing resilience of sanctum and all the grace of it too, right down to dew-soaked grass blades and tree roots buried in rich soil. 

Aoi had seen it with her own eyes; what it means to be in paradise. It was when she lay side by side with her, peeking a single eye open every now and then to see if the other was awake – if she was okay. She’d be met with a small smile, but her gaze always wavered, as if it was the smallest tell that she, too, might’ve been a little afraid. But instead of a confession, what she’d get in return was a promise that the first person she would turn to if she was ever in trouble would be Aoi – no one else but her. It made her heart soar, so much that she was afraid she’d never be able to sleep again from the way her pulse hammered against her chest. 

But still, she’d force her eyes shut, hoping, praying for it to be one of the nights where her run-of-the-mill luck favoured her. But eventually she realized that she never had to wish so hard to begin with, because each passing night it got easier; Sakura would stroke a gentle, warm hand down the side of her head whenever she figured Aoi was asleep anyway. She’d hum a gentle melody to her anyway, and each time, she fell a little more. Each time, she woke up a little braver and stronger, just like Sakura – like she was lending Aoi her strength. 

She wonders if Sakura ever figured her out. 

She wonders if she ever had herself figured out back then. 

But she doubts it, she’s never been the perceptive type. If she was then she would’ve known to help Sakura sooner. If she’d known then she could’ve saved her from her fate. Aoi knew well enough that ‘what-ifs’ and dwelling on the past never helped matters, but sometimes it felt easier to let it catch up, let it trip you by the ankles – even if only for a reality check. It’s her only companion within the lonely confines of her house, no matter how well she decorated, no matter how homely she made it; nothing would fill the space quite the same. 

The sound of a notification jolts her out of her thoughts, quickly picking up her phone to catch Makoto’s name in the preview. She unlocks the phone, holding her breath as she looks over the three messages.

>[7:39 PM] It looks great, Asahina-san! :) I’ll let Hanamura-kun know the next time I see him. I know you're busy but, if you get the time, maybe we could make some together for everyone?

>[7:40 PM] Sorry, I can’t talk a lot because I’m still working, but Hinata-kun came by and wanted me to pass along that he’d like all of us over for dinner this Saturday.

>[7:40 PM] Is that alright with you?

Her breath escapes through her teeth as she starts to chew on the skin of her bottom lip, clicking the phone off once more. She’d turned off ‘read’ notifications a few months ago when the pressure to respond immediately got too much; stewing in her own thoughts might not have been healthy, but neither were donuts – she could afford to cut loose a little sometimes. 

Now the trouble was those last two messages. 

Aoi loved her friends, she really did. She was always the first to celebrate them, and always the first to push them forward in the right direction if Makoto didn’t beat her to it first. But unfortunately, she was still every bit as human as she was an airheaded cheerleader.

She still distinctly remembers how she would always smile, shove down the sharp and ugly jealousy she felt when Hajime’s gold engagement band glistened under fluorescent lights before the guilt smothered her in its place.

Aoi once nodded along enthusiastically when Hajime fondly spoke of how he loved the fact that Nagito’s ring matched the silver of his eyes – and she wondered faintly, with her chin resting on her hand, whether he knew that she could relate wholeheartedly.

Nothing in the world could compare to the thought of Sakura wearing a wedding ring as silver and bright as her eyes, except maybe seeing her in a kimono that would undoubtedly look elegant on her. The feeling rocked unsteadily inside her chest, making her fond and unbearably lonely all at once.

The plate of doughnuts lay in front of her on the coffee table by the vase of fresh flowers Komaru and Touko had dropped off in the morning. And with the sun dipping into the horizon, she knew that her food would only get colder, and the room would only grow darker.

Frowning, Aoi reached into the drawer of the table, pulling out a box of matches and striking one against the strip as it flared to life. Her cherry blossom scented candles would do; they would keep her company, keep her surroundings bright, keep her warm despite how little wax was left. Something about that last part made her feel sour.

She leaned forward, tearing off a piece of a doughnut and ignoring the stickiness and grease that clings to her skin in favour of living in the moment. Maybe a little indulgence would be just fine, even if it wasn’t the same. 

So maybe Aoi wasn’t the only one to see Sakura in her moments of vulnerability.

And it's a selfish feeling, the hope she felt when Aoi caught a flash of guilt in Sakura’s eyes when she spoke of her boyfriend on the outside, when she caught her staring at her more and more with each passing morning. She wanted it to mean something.

She wanted the gradual transition from ‘my dear Asahina’ to ‘my dearest’ to mean something.

The silence in the room was heavy, but strangely enough, not in an oppressive way. 

What was stopping her from remembering her words? What was stopping her from letting Sakura’s life, her sacrifice, mean more than a push forward towards hope? 

After all, from the casual touches while they made donuts for the first time to her final heartfelt words, wasn’t it all an act of love from start to finish? 

Aoi blinks the mistiness in her eyes away, swallows thickly and leans back on the old couch, tracing the threadbare edges of it with her left hand; a well-loved part of her home that cradles her aching heart after a tiresome day. The remote rests easily in her hand, TV flickering to life with a single button, as the face of her high school swimming idol grins brightly at the camera. It's like she can feel the droplets running down her face, remembering how free she felt doing what she loved. She finally picks up her phone with a small smile, bordering on bittersweet, wondering if there was ever a missing ingredient to begin with. 

> [8:34 PM] Tell him that we're on for that group dinner date. 

Her fingers pause, hovering over the next few keys. With a sharp exhale, she settles on her words. 

> [8:35 PM] And yeah, let's finally make those doughnuts together for everyone. It'll be fun! <3 

Aoi lets out another determined huff, trying not to let her wobbly yet courageous smile fade. She’d just have to find a way to make her own secret ingredient. 

-x-

That night, Aoi dreamed.

She dreamed of doughnuts and picnics under a cherry blossom tree in full bloom and a world made for two people.

She dreamed of her beloved wearing the summer dresses Aoi always thought she’d look like a goddess in, even though she was always more than enough in her ripped sailor outfit.

She dreamed of a fond smile and husky voice humming, their bodies close enough that she could feel the rumble of her voice in her chest; large, protective, and warm hands enveloping her own, and the steady rhythm of silver bands clicking against each other as they walked hand in hand.

For once, Aoi dreams and ignores the dull ache in her chest in place of something far stronger, far more wonderful.

Love, and love alone, until the end of her days.

[galactic-pirates]

I just posted this in my favourite Trek discord but I am going to post my ramble here as well for posterity :)

I still haven’t seen this weeks episode of Picard. Give me a couple of hours.

BUT I have seen some gifsets and it appears the era appropriate Enterprise returns. Between that and the ready room scene I am half convinced that getting those fanservice shots of “look they are back together just how they were!!!” is the only point of the season and whatever crap they had to fling at the wall to get those shots didn’t matter to them.

Anyway I would like to propose an alternate season 3 pitch that would achieve those exact same shots.

It’s Frontier Day. Between the synth ban reversal (and now being a synth! The first human to synth?), and of course the new Borg showing up/narrow averting the Galaxy catastrophe of the season 2 finale Picard’s star is on the rise again. He is enjoying a resurgence in reputation. Therefore it’s only natural, especially with Geordi in charge of the museum that as a special show (for the kids maybe as some kind of living history?) they put the Enterprise-D crew back together. It is supposed to be a performance. Perhaps for StarFleet recruitment even. A little reenactment of one of their famous missions.

But then. Something plotty happens like maybe the Borg watching over the new wormhole thing sound the alarm as “something is coming through” duh duh duh. All hands on deck. No time to change ships. Picard isn’t about to sit this out so they warp into action. More plotty stuff like maybe to beat whatever comes through they need to understand it, so to explore/negotiate etc. they go through to learn things.

Anyway the Enterprise-D and crew are on mission. Alone in a strange new part of the Galaxy dealing with this new threat.

So stakes are high check. Have to work as a team check. Everyone is back and on the Enterprise check.

A plot like this would have

a) allowed the characters to express discomfort at having to adopt roles that haven’t been theirs for 30 years. Show how they have grown, but also allow for nostalgia and what remains the same.

b) drawn on previous seasons of Picard, for better continuity

c) who has experience in a Federation unknown part of the Galaxy? Seven from her time on Voyager allowing her to both have her own nostalgia trip, and also have something really concrete to contribute.

d) allowed for some interesting conflicts because if Seven and Raffi had been deployed as the “starfleet officers kinda ‘in charge’ as they are active StarFleet and none of the Enterprise crew really is (they got the gig due to working with Picard so closely before) then with this unexpected adventure what’s the chain of command? What’s the protocols? Especially if said regulations had changed over the years.

e) finally it would break some new ground and give future Trek new plots to explore. Maybe introduce a whole new alien type. It could also do some heartwarming Federation stuff about ruefully acknowledging past mistakes, at the same time as trying to do better and show these new people the best of who the Federation can be

Worf and Raffi could have still teamed up for ‘away missions’ as two of the fittest/most able crew members. I still remember what Riker said about his knees 😂

Riker and Picard still could have butted heads over how to handle stuff. Like I said with the discomfort of having grown away from the roles they are now being forced back into.

Deanna’s abilities could have been vital. I’m sure all of them could have had a chance to shine.

The only kinda question mark as to whether this could have fitted in somehow is Data’s resurrection. I guess perhaps they could have rebuilt him and then ‘unveiled him’ as part of a “look a Federation hero has returned” as a Frontier Day celebration cue Picard’s horror that they are treating Data like a prop not a person, that they had revived him potentially against his wishes, and maybe even allow Data to consider his future and what he wants from his newfound life. Does he still want to be StarFleet/their poster boy synth? Does he want to explore other aspects of life? Will they let him go if that’s what he wants?

Anyway I think something like this could have ticked the boxes and egotistically I think it’s a better premise than the season 3 we had. So thought experiment time!

If you were a Trek writer how would you have written season three? What direction would you have gone given the parameters of the nostalgia TNG focus?

[xanthiccircuitry]

From the Emotionally Intense Prompts post, here's

"How bad is it this time?"

Fandom Megaman X -> Megaman Zero; Pairing: ZeroX; Words: 2,339; Status: Complete; Happy ending tag

Summary: X wakes up, which is confusing considering he was dead. It would take time and considerable resources to resurrect him, something that he didn't think anyone would have when he died. There could really only be one reason for that.

Story under the cut!

Light flooded in, a flash of a booting screen, a quick runthrough of primary objectives, and then the view of a lab ceiling snapped into place.

X blinked– blinked.

He lifted his hands and stared for a moment. His original hands– or a replica of them. He shut his eyes again, he was awake, alive, and in a body that appeared like the one he lost. There really could only be one reason for that.

"How bad is it this time?" He spoke aloud, his voice was smooth, this was a brand-new vocalizer.

"Oh, well…good morning, X." The person sounded surprised that he wasn't more confused or asking different questions and he sat up and had a look at who'd rebuilt him.

"Good morning." He stood up out of his pod and couldn't help but take a moment to stretch. Ugh, it felt great to be in his original body. There was so much room. Before the "new" new generation of reploids after the Cyber Elf War, he wouldn't have considered himself a big reploid, but he definitely was in comparison. He settled and flicked his eyes over the person standing by a holoscreen.

While small, they seemed almost "normal", which was a bit of a shock. How long had it been? Better yet, why would they look as they had before rather than continuing along the path of refinement? He guessed they were still smaller than him, but not nearly so much.

"So? What's wrong? Why did you rebuild me?" He asked, firm and serious, he'd satisfy his curiosity later, right now he needed to focus on whatever was bad enough that someone had taken the time and considerable effort to rebuild him.

They flushed.

"Oh, um, uh…" They nervously looked down, turning a darker, hotter red, "I'm sorry– I thought you'd be less intense than Zero but you think there's something wrong and you're so serious!"

X tilted his head, he didn't quite understand what was going on but he recognized that his "mission mode" was scaring the smaller…uh, reploid (?).

"Sorry, I can be stiff at times." He put on a smile and reached out his hand, "My name is X, what's yours?"

They looked from his hand up to his face and turned an even darker red before they tentatively reached out and shook his hand.

"My name is Sakura. I'm, um, I'm part of the Legend Restoration team. There's, uh, not a crisis. Gosh, there hasn't been a crisis in… Uh, definitely longer than I've been alive.. you're back just to…be back. That's what we do, we restore old reploids and robots– mostly famous ones, like you, because it's easier to get a hold of the necessary memories to reestablish– oh, sorry, that won't make any sense to you." Sakura explained and X lifted a brow. Really? That sounded amazing, but…

"So you brought me back just so I could enjoy a peaceful world?" He asked and she brightened with a nod.

"Essentially! You're a Legend! Everyone will be so happy to be able to see you!" Sakura said brightly and X felt uneasy with the wording.

"Am I a.. showpiece?"

Sakura's mouth hung open for a moment and then shut.

"Um, no, not like that. But everyone knows the legend of X and, of course, there will be some desire for publicity… The museum has a place for you to stay and there aren't Maverick Hunters anymore so I'm sure you'd like to keep busy.." Sakura kept talking and X was somehow more and less confused as she did– but he was getting the idea that he was in fact a showpiece, or maybe an exhibit.

His powercore throbbed a bit, being a showpiece probably wouldn't be so bad, he was a public face and liaison before, the attention wouldn't particularly bother him, he didn't think. But what he really wanted to know, what he was hoping for, what would make it worth it was–

"Zero too?"

Sakura looked at him and then down and away.

"They said that you might ask about him… He's another reploid on the Legend project, yes." She said and X's brows quirked. There was something wrong.

"The soul has to be willing and he isn't?" X asked, his gut clenching, reploids having souls was a whole debate for another time but he himself had always had a desire to see peace, but he had always known Zero to reconcile his decisions before he made them, setting all conflicting feelings away– when he was ready to lay down his life, he did it while at peace.

Sakura's eyes went wide.

"Oh! No! That's not the issue! The issue is– well, I don't– we don't– uh…" She looked down,

"He's not great with waking up." She fiddled with an object she pulled from her pocket while X calmly watched.

"Can you explain?"

"Well he's been rebuilt into his "version two" body but has been known– from his legend– to wake up fighting and we–we're not, um, fighters. I don't think even our biggest security guard could do anything close to stand up to him long enough to try and calm him down. We've done everything to try and mitigate the response but the calculations still indicate that he'll wake up aggressive." Her voice was small and X couldn't help a small chuckle coming from his chest, shaking his head.

"He's been through a lot, leaping into combat mode wouldn't be a leap of logic to make– but Zero is just calm as I am." X said, "He woke up poorly once, but after that he only fought when he had to."

Sakura looked like she didn't believe him in the slightest.

"Dahte is rarely wrong." She said measuredly and X did his best to hide a pulsing desperation in his chest. He wanted Zero. He wanted him more than anything else he could think of.

"If you're concerned, I'd be glad to be there. I can handle him if he's upset, he–."

"We're trying both Iris and Ciel to see if the familiar faces will help, there's data suggesting that he had intense and possibly romantic feelings for them." Sakura said, looking at a smaller holoscreen and X strangled back a sharp reply and merely smiled.

"I've known him longer and, with all due respect, neither of them could handle if he was violent." He leaned into the fears of Zero's violence a bit, feeling hot irritation and maybe some intense prickles of jealousy flush through him.

He shouldn't be jealous, he knew what they had was strong, even if Zero forgetting he ever existed was intensely painful. Zero's memories had been a bit like when you damage a computer and salvage it back into a stable state, everything was there but the details were…lost. His strongest memories would be those of the events after he woke up in the future in his new body. But Zero had known him by the end, he was sure Zero had loved him then, too.

Zero had been the last thing on X's mind when he'd died. Unfortunately…X didn't know if he'd been the last thing on Zero's mind.

But

But he was sure that his relationship with Zero was deeper and longer than absolutely anyone else combined. Sakura considered him and smiled.

"Of course I want you there, you two are a 'Pair'! People will be ecstatic if they get to see the two of you together." Sakura said and X nodded.

"Let's go then, it's– I want to see him. I've missed him." X didn't mention that he also missed touching him. Not being able to do so had almost killed him before.

It didn't really matter that Zero was locked and sleeping in a pod, it still made him happy. For a moment it was like nothing had ever happened at all– well, except maybe Zero detonating himself to save him– and they could pick up where they left off back when they were just a pair of relatively low-rank Hunters.

"Oh, wow, X." X stiffened up and turned around to see Iris and Ciel.

"I've never seen you like this." Ciel remarked while Iris chuckled.

"Long time no see." Iris said and he nodded to them.

"Yeah."

"It's nice to see you smile." Ciel said kindly and he nodded again.

"Same to you." He said, a bit stiff. He'd wanted to be alone with Zero.

"In hindsight, X, you were right. It would've been a lot easier to just go into Maverick Hunter HQ and answer questions than have the whole Repliforce be considered Maverick. …And to not fight Zero." Iris said softly, a bit of an awkward topic. Because what else did they really have to say just on sight?

"It's always easier to see mistakes after they've happened. You were distraught." X replied and she nodded.

"You always were really nice. I guess you're here to see your partner wake up, huh? They said he might be aggressive, I'll be glad to have you nearby." Iris said cheerily. She was trying to be nice but it grated against his nerves. He had to breathe out the irrational jealousy while Ciel watched the whole exchange with her large eyes.

"It's good to see Zero's sacrifice come to fruition." Ciel said, also stiff, seeming upset and X wondered what had happened to her. What had happened at all since the last time he was conscious? How'd they get here?

"Yeah." X had to say, it was a bit infuriating for everyone to gloss over the fact that he had also sacrificed himself and done a lot. It didn't really matter now. All there was now was a future where he was alive, there was peace, and he was about to have Zero again.

"Is everyone ready?" Sakura called from where she was with another person with 'Layla' picked out on her white coat. X straightened and went to Zero's side.

"I've been ready."

"Here we go!"

The pod flashed and beeped a few times before opening and revealing Zero to the open air. He glowed for a few moments before it faded and he saw Zero twitch just the slightest bit.

He opened his eyes slowly, that bright, summery blue unfocused and almost sleepy. X lifted his hand to take Zero's, opening his mouth to say something when both femmes bounced up with big smiles.

"Zero!"

"Your eyes are so bright like this!"

The blond lifted his head and looked confused, brows pinching together as the femmes started chatting him up, both immediately regaling him with memories and cheery welcomes and how they were glad to see him. He propped up on his elbows, glancing between them and actually looking…a bit uncomfortable, his expression never shifting from his standard, stoic frown save for his brows being pinched.

X shifted to the base of the pod and Zero's attention was suddenly caught by him. He lifted his head to look at him and his brows lifted, then he smiled.

Smiled.

Not just any smile. The same smile he used to get when Zero was shy but happy to see him–one he hadn't seen in hundreds of years.

Zero got up, heedless of the others, and stood just a mere few inches from X.

"It's been a long time since we looked like this." Zero said, his voice low and soft. X nodded, lifting his hand, where Zero caught it and held it with a squeeze.

"Glad you decided to remember me this time." X said and Zero chuckled– a warm, beautiful sound coming from him. It made X all soft on the inside when Zero did that, rare as it was.

"If I had the choice, I'd never have forgotten." Then his hand was warm on his jaw and a familiar pair of lips slid against his own and his chest ached with love. It melted into these stars and sparklers of joy as Zero slid his arm around his waist and he wrapped his arms around the blond's neck.

He sighed out through his nose as Zero squeezed him extra close, trading soft kisses back and forth before a long, deep one that made his boot tips numb.

"Y'know, I did always think X and Zero were awfully close." Iris commented to Ciel, who nodded.

"This makes a lot of other things make a whole lot more sense."

"Oh. When they said to restore the Legend Pair X and Zero, I don't think this is what they meant." Layla said to Sakura, who hid a laugh.

"Somehow I don't think they'll mind."

They broke and pressed their crystals together, glowing warmly.

"I love you and I'm sorry." Zero murmured and X rubbed their crystals together, sharing some soft electrical pulses.

"I love you too." X replied, "We did everything we could and it worked. You don't have to apologize for that."

Zero pulled back and cupped his jaw, blue eyes sad.

"You say that, but I know what I did. And I know you were lonely for a long, long time." He murmured and X swallowed down a tidal wave of words.

"Everything is over. We've been resurrected as part of a restoration project of some kind. We're "Legends"; sounds like we're a museum exhibit." X said instead of anything else and Zero nodded, accepting it without question– or maybe he had a lot of questions but he wasn't asking X, not when he was able to hold him and not have to worry.

"Yes! (Well you're not an exhibit per se) You two are actually a "Legend Pair". There's other notable pairs that we've 'restored' already– you might know "Rock" and "Roll"– especially you, X, since you're 'Megaman' too!" Layla said excitedly.

"Mmm, yeah I don't think they're listening." Sakura said with a soft laugh at the mechs looking into one another's eyes and nothing else,

"Guess my data was wrong." Sakura hummed thoughtfully and Layla elbowed her.

"So was Dahte. He didn't even breathe aggressively." Layla grinned, "And you owe me a tea for you both being wrong."

"Fine. Rose or lavender?" Sakura sighed.

"I think we're being stared at." X said softly and Zero's lips pulled into a little smirk that he was familiar with– just from a long time ago.

"I don't care if the whole world watches." And then X was being kissed again.

[insufferable-talkstuck]

Redoing this here [sorry for doing it on the main blog] [basically copying and pasting the one I already did but this time im taking it more lightly and also adding stuff 🔥🔥🔥

I am a very stubborn person , one who basically just goes "fuck it we ball" , "do whatever the fuck you want" , is pretty much an hater , and i get really close to people. I also get angry easily , but still somehow manage to keep an "happy go lucky" persona online. Also , I always feel like the world sucks. More specifically, like there are too much bad things to hate , and hating them all and knowing they are happening makes me even more mad. I also have always want to know everything about everyone , and i am almost always seeking out knowladge , even right now. Im also mostly a lurker , due to having a thing about having to keep a "good reputation". I've always wanted to be famous , but just so i could not be forgotten after my death. And I've always thought myself as some sort of attention seeker , which is why [unless present with an anonimous identity] i basically never vent , becouse i know that people have problems worse than mine. Also , due to [as i mentioned earlier] getting really close to people , I've gotten in a lot of toxic friendships , and have only like 5 or 6 true friends. Lately , I've been going through a phase of self reflection. Especially about how I used to act or think in the past. And even about current me. Im very impulsive and uhhh yea i guess thats it 🔥🔥 [btw i am sorry for asking on the main blog but i am not sorry for basically spam liking your posts 🔥] [holy shit i just realized how much of an edgelord i sound]

Prince of Hope

you share a classpect with Eridan ampora.

im not sure how to excuse this assumption of you properly, but as soon as i read your submission the exact thoughts that went through my head were "mind.. rage! HOPE." * so you'll just have to believe me as much as you can muster

Hope revolves around belief, religion, courage, and a black and white view of the world. as a prince of hope you are more afflicted with rage, a powerful aspect that can bring down an entire session

* i thought you'd be a mind player because your wording makes it look like you're concerned with justice, or at least have a strong sense of what you believe is the right thing—but that can better be assigned as hope, the way your beliefs may not seem correct to those around you but you're stubborn in your way

you talk about getting angry easily, don't think i have to break down why that's rage pilled as fuck, but specifically rages description of ‘ a rage player may tear down an entire system if they deem it wrong, and rebuilt it themselves ’ ( highly referenced but not exact quote, cant look it up rn ) really reminded me of you.

If you'd like more closure i suggest looking at Eridan as our prince of hope, this is not my finest most detailed work but I do believe it suits you best, and when a classpect assigner gets a gut feeling you don't question it

[st-peculiar]

The Ouroboros Cycle

Part 1/2

A Wolf 359 & Time:Bombs AU where Warren Kepler survives and is given character development that makes him only slightly better of a person.

Okay I’m finally getting around to this

For obvious reasons spoilers for Wolf 359 and Time:Bombs below the cut

Remember when Doug was in the weird middle place when he was sucked into Wolf 359 and met Bob? That’s where Bob transmits information (on a “need to know” type basis) to Doug, including that of the origin of that extraterrestrial race. There was mentions of a second race they came into contact with, and that’s where they set up the inter-species trade system or whatever it was called, I’m paraphrasing from what I remember okay

So, hypothetically, what if Kepler’s body was plucked from space by these extremely powerful extraterrestrial beings? For the sake of realistic space happenings (though I doubt anyone really cares about the realness of these scenarios), Kepler definitely, 100%, did die. With my brief research period, I know that first; anyone put into space with zero protective gear at all (aka Kepler) would have passed out within 15 seconds from lack of oxygen, and gone braindead within three minutes. The fluids would have then boiled inside his body, then freeze, and overall, would have deteriorated the majority of his insides.

Then, here’s where the aliens come in. I don’t wanna hear ANYTHING about my interpretation of this because these are ALIENS and I also don’t give a fuck if you don’t like what i have to say. We’re all aware that these aliens are stupidly powerful, based off of the canon information we were given. So, I don’t know how this would go specifically, but somehow, the remains of Kepler floating through were taken by either of the alien races we know of (or, for worldbuilding reasons, an entirely different species (which is an idea that I like a lot because then I would get to create an extraterrestrial society and the nuances and such)). And they put Kepler back together. Bit by bit, Warren Kepler is rebuilt by foreign hands, parts of him are replaced, or he’s given a new body in its entirety. And let’s be honest, the aliens have little personality databases loaded with the personality of everyone that ever came within the proximity of the star. So, canon-wise, it’s pretty possible that beings can be put back together.

Now, with this new and improved body, Kepler is sent back to earth. I haven’t decided how exactly it’s done, but it fucking happens because I say so.

In my mind, between the end of w359 and the events of t:b is about 3-4 years. This is the time traveled back to earth (by the Hephaestus crew), a readjustment period (healing from the effects of living in zero grav for so long, mental processing, etc), and then the reintegration period, putting themselves back into society, some under a new identity, namely being Lovelace and Jacobi. Lovelace becomes Tatiana, a reporter, and Jacobi becomes Mark Midland, a member of team 214’s bomb disposal crew.

To me, it kinda makes sense, yeah? Lovelace knew nothing about what was going on, right from the beginning. Her crew was dying all around her, and she couldn’t do anything to stop is, even though she was the commander, the person her crew looked up to for guidance. Then the original Lovelace died, and the Lovelace we know, the “alien” Lovelace, replaced her. And even then, she still didn’t know. She didn’t know that she wasn’t even the original Lovelace, just some near-identical but offbrand stand-in and a tool that was being used by the aliens to collect information for them. Then, she gets a second chance, back on earth. She becomes a person whose job is to know things. She becomes someone that people look to for the facts.

And Jacobi. He finally gets to grieve. He finally gets the time to shut down for a while, and get out of the mindset of soldier and survivalist. He’s tired of taking orders from everyone. But what use is an explosives expert in this world he comes back to? Objectively, it really isn’t that different. Same concrete buildings. Same people around every corner. Sometimes there’s some good people, people who are good to him. But they never stick around for long. And he’s okay with that. Everyone that Jacobi’s ever trusted, loved, had died. Alana Maxwell. Warren Kepler. The people closest to him. His family. Maybe, for a while, he goes anywhere he can. He sees places, he meets those people who were good to him, and he moves onto the next. And eventually, he stops. He finds a place where he can use his talents. He excels. And that’s how we find Mark Midland on the last day of his probation time in time:bombs. The team he works with isn’t anywhere close to being the same people he once worked with, those years ago, but it’s nice.

And unlike before, he questions and pushes back. He doesn’t just take those orders, but he says, “what if we could do that better?” And, “I don’t agree with how that’s done.” He changes things for himself, and he’s better because of it.

Kepler returns to earth just months before time:bombs. Everyone thinks he’s dead, and if he’s honest with himself, he almost wishes he were still dead. He became the very thing that he hated. He wasn’t human anymore. Remember that quote? “And that means I’m on Jacobi’s and Minkowski’s side, even if they don’t think I am.” It purposely leaves Doug and Lovelace out of it. He knew from the beginning that Lovelace wasn’t really human, and Doug is just fucked up enough that, in Kepler’s mind, he isn’t quite human either. And here he is, still alive and kicking, somehow surviving his body being put back together in ways he can’t even begin to imagine how, by those same non-humans he was against. He doesn’t know who he is anymore, really, or even what he is. All he knows is that he is back. Everyone he knows hates him, so where can he really go? For the first time, Warren Kepler is well and truly alone.

He, too, wanders. But this is running. Somewhere inside him, he knows he’s running, from himself, the things that happened to him, what he’s done to hurt the few people (the very few people) he’s actually ever cared about.

So it’s a while before Kepler finally stops. He finds himself in New York, (Do we see where this is going?) and he finds people who should have been lost to him, those who should have been permanently rid of his presence the moment he was sucked into space.

Oddly, he finds Minkowski first. It’s an utterly ordinary occurrence, and, in a very different scenario, could have been something regular. Maybe it’s a grocery store, or in a cafe, your choice, but it happens somehow.

Minkowski, the moment she could move normally back on earth, went and found her husband, who had thought her to be dead for around 3-4 years (I’m roughly guessing here, so do correct me if I’m wrong). I think, for a while, she and her husband tried to make it work between them, but Minkowski would have been too changed, so different from the person she was when she first went into space in 2013. They eventually agreed to an amicable divorce. No hard feelings, but there was of course a little bit of grief. But it was for the best. Through that time, Minkowski, Doug, and Lovelace kept in contact with each other. They tried to keep Jacobi in the loop, but he got as far away from his past as he could, which included separating himself from those three.

(Just to add some more world-buildy things, I think they would have figured out a way to have Hera’s personality database loaded onto some other technology, and it allowed all them to stay connected. Those devices have an advanced connection and they could access one another from very large distances. No, I know nothing about technology. No, I do not care. My AU, my rules.)

(Also if anyone wants to hear my thoughts on post-canon Doug I can make a separate post because I have some thoughts on that guy)

Because Doug had all his memories drained from him, Minkowski couldn’t truly have her best friend (and as much as she would hate to admit it, Doug probably was her best friend) be there for her in the rough time after her divorce, but she still had Lovelace. They grew closer, blah blah, and then post-canon Lovekowski! Yay! Sapphics! Everyone cheered!

By the time Kepler accidentally finds her, she is doing a lot better. She’s happy, she has a pretty good life despite all the shit she went through. Then, some of the progress crumbles the moment she catches a glance of Kepler. We know that in canon, multiple characters experienced hallucinations during their time in the Hephaestus, so it’s not unlikely that Minkowski had them too (I can’t remember if she did have those hallucinations or not so lmk if she did or not). Obviously, she’s real shaken when she goes back to her apartment where she’s living with Lovelace. Lovelace tries to assure her that maybe it was just a similarly built man, not a hallucination, and certainly not Kepler. “He’s dead, remember? Jacobi said so.”

“But we never saw his body, Isabel. And even then, death was still an unstable subject up there.”

(I mean just imagine how that conversation could go. My mind is going a million miles a minute here and I’m on a roll)

This post was getting really long, so I split it into two parts. I’m almost done with the second, and I’ll reblog it under this one after I’m done, which should be soon.

Does anyone want to hear about my Warren Kepler lives crossover w359xtime:bombs au