#and we are now on our way to a (hopefully) bright future

[starfiresky]

Spoilers for KH2 and 3:

I JUST BEAT KH2. And oh my GOSH Sora and Riku absolutely KICKING trash, riding some hover bike through space together and cutting buildings in half 😱 I was fangirling hard (I was screaming, lol)

Also, I’m dying. I knew what would happen at the end with the door to light and Sora turning into Roxas for a sec and Kairi into Naminé— but holy cow it’s totally different to see it in motion and not just read about it online or through the manga/novels. (Also everyone looked GOOD in those end scenes. Especially Roxas 🥹) I loved the way the way Sanctuary got all soft with Sora and Kairi’s interaction. 😭😭 And then how he kept the lucky charm ❤️ I shed a tear.

Okay okay, but when Sora and Riku are looking out at the waves together, and Riku’s like: “nothing’s changed, huh?” And Sora responds with “Nope. Nothing will.”

BECAUSE I PLAYED KH3 FIRST I JUST BROKE DOWN LIKE— Sora, you have no idea what’s gonna happen to you, you have no idea how much things are gonna change 😭😭😭 and the fact that he’s standing at the same place he’s going to fade at in 3.

Ughhhh, best KH ending ever. It’s a masterpiece.

Just a fragment of my thoughts but yeah— go play KH2 if you haven’t already (and if you have go replay it now!)

[softtdaisy]

“is it okay if i stay at yours tonight? i don’t know if i can stand another night away from you.” with charles

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x female!reader

Words: 1080

A/n: this story is just me being in love with Charles so I hope you will appreciate all my soft feelings 😭💛

To say you were taking your time with Charles was an euphemism.

You two had been seeing each other for a few months now. When you met, it was evidence that something bigger was coming for you. You could tell from the way your heart beat faster, how it felt like nobody else was in the room when he looked at you or how a simple smile from him was giving you hope.

But you were both out of serious relationships and not ready to engage in a new one. Not that you didn’t want to. If it were just up to you, you would already be together. But you both agreed that this wouldn’t be fair to either of you. Plus you needed some time to adjust to the idea of everyone knowing about your relationship and fans potentially posting about you on social media.

Charles being away most of the time clearly helped. You had dates like every three weeks when he was coming home. Or when it was possible. But you didn’t complain.

You were calling each other almost every night. It started as a casual thing, you wanted to know about his qualifications and his race. And Charles would tell you all about it, even about the things you saw on tv. There was something special about lying in bed and listening to Charles’ story. How he laughed slowly like he could wake up people in the other room. How he would yawn but swear he didn’t want to hang up. Or, sometimes, how he would fall asleep and you could hear his peaceful breath.

But to be honest, you did that too.

And from calls on Saturday and Sunday, it became calls anytime he was in another country. And from these calls, it became everyday calls. Five minutes or two hours didn't matter. All you both wanted was to hear your voices.

You might not be together yet. But you were already very much in love.

Hopefully, tonight was a night where Charles was in town. You couldn’t count the number of times you planned that together on the phone. Charles was so excited about seeing you again that he had booked everything two weeks in advance. “I want it to be perfect!” He said one day when you explained how the restaurant kept assuring him that yes it was booked and no there was no mistake. That night would be a special night.

When you opened the door, the whole world stopped turning. The man you love was there, looking beautiful and absolutely amazed by you. Charles took the time to look at you before giving you his bright smile and offering you his hand. “Bonsoir mon amour.”

Like a pure gentleman, he kissed the hand you gave him. Before pulling it to bring you closer and giving you a proper kiss on the lips. You laughed against his mouth even if you were used to it.

“Ready to go?”

“Of course, I don’t want to miss the reservation you keep telling me about.” You replied, teasing him. He gave you a shoulder bump before walking you out. The perks of being in Monaco was that you could do so many things on foot. So you could both telling each others about your day already.

Like you can imagine, the whole night was perfect. Charles chose the best Italian restaurant here and you noticed how anxious he looked. Like he was scared you wouldn’t love it. He wanted everything to be perfect for you, he couldn’t imagine losing you. Not now, before you even started something real. Not ever, now that he knew he was madly and truly in love with you.

“I love it, Charles. I promise!” You told him when he gave you a side look while drinking his wine.

“Well I hope because I plan on taking you here for our future anniversaries.” He said out of nowhere.

Well not really out of nowhere.

He opened the door to your future. Waiting to see if you would follow him inside. So when you put your hand on top of his, he felt like he wasn’t alone on this new path. “Then I know we will have the most amazing anniversaries every time.” You added, with a soft smile.

It felt like a dream. Walking hand in hand with Charles in the middle of Monaco. There was something almost magic about how some people would look at you and give you a respectful smile. One that meant “we see you but we won’t say anything.” Monégasques loved Charles so much they were ready to protect him like their child.

You turned your head to look at him. How the moon reflected on him. How good he looked with his shirt with two buttons open. How you loved to see his necklace hanging against his chest.

“What are you looking at?” He asked with a small laugh.

“Have I ever told you how dreamy you look?” You swear you could see him blush when he heard you.

“I think you did, yes.”

Before you notice, and earlier than you hoped, you were back in front of your apartment. You didn’t want this night to end. You didn’t want to let him go again. You couldn’t handle losing him somehow and wait again to see his pretty face.

When you faced Charles, you could read the same thoughts in his eyes.

That didn’t stop him from putting his free hand on your face to get closer to you. You felt his breaths against your lips before he finally kissed you. It always made everything so intimate and you were falling for this. He left your hand so he could put his on your neck. You loved how some hairs got tangled with his fingers. It was like every part of your body wanted to be connected to him.

Charles put his forehead against yours, sounding breathless after sharing all his love through a single kiss. “Is it okay if I stay at yours tonight? I don't know if I can stand another night away from you.”

It was finally here, the moment when everything changed between you. The step you still had to make. You met his beautiful eyes and all the hope that he had about your answer. Maybe your smile gave away your thoughts. You could feel Charles relaxing before you even speak.

“I thought you would never ask.”

[overalls4all]

Here we see Max, though he is hard to recognize under all that gear. Max had made the foolish mistake of not zipping his coveralls all the way when his Master caught him cleaning up cow stalls. As punishment, his uniform was altered. Max now had to dress in this bright yellow rain coveralls with the hood pulled up at all times. Work boots were a must, as was the gas mask to discourage dissent and speech. The latex gloves were another addition by the Master to further control every last inch of the young's man body. Max had to learn that his body was a tool meant only for work. He was to wear his uniform every minute of every day for the next month. Hopefully Max will learn his lesson and wear his uniform more diligently in the future. How lucky we all are to have Master's who want us working and looking our best. I know I will wear my coveralls with pride, and I hope Max will as well!

[dulltoned]

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three

Branch spends the next few days trying his best to enjoy what time he has left. He stomps down the bitter sting every time his brothers get together to talk about the future and tries to bask in the little moments they allow him. Branch makes breakfast for Bruce and tries to wriggle a recipe out of him that he can cherish during the gray days. He spends an evening with Clay talking about novels and getting as many recommendations as he can so he can know what kind of books his brother likes. He even lets John Dory pick at a few of his projects so they can bond over their shared handiness born from their survivalist pasts. Branch has never gotten to know much about his brothers, he was so young when they left he can barely remember any of the little details, so he clings to everything now. Clay's ears flick when he's irritated over something insignificant, like a bent page in his book or the uneven amount of pencils at Branch's workspace. John Dory sleeps with that stupid glove on, and he cleans off his goggles every night because the routine helps him relax. Floyd hums rock songs in the shower even though he doesn't like the lyrics because he loves the melody. Bruce isn't a huge fan of seafood after so many years serving it back in his restaurant on Vacay Island but he loves Country Troll cuisine.

Branch gathers every little detail he can and he tucks it away because he knows that soon enough these few fleeting memories will be all that he has left to hold on to. Soon enough they'll be on their way and he'll be alone with only their ghosts to haunt him. He thought that he was finally done grieving. He thought that maybe he was finally ready to let go of the family that didn't want him. Now he can already feel their absence like a gaping wound even though they're still here sitting in the next room over.

Today is the day. Branch takes a fortifying breath and brushes nonexistent dust off his vest before slipping out of the kitchen to go gather up his brothers from the living space around the corner. He plasters a smile on his face as he steps through the entryway, leaning up against the arching entrance like nothing could possibly be wrong. John Dory has Clay tucked under his arm and is violently ruffling the younger troll's bright green hair. Bruce is cackling, nearly doubled over, and even Floyd is hiding a few loose chuckles behind his paw. Clay's hair admittedly doesn't look any different than it did before but that doesn't stop him from spewing protests.

"Are you guys done yet or should I give you some more time?" Branch teases, raising an unimpressed eyebrow that's betrayed by the amused smile spreading across his face.

John pauses his assault to look over at Branch and his grip seems to have loosened just enough for Clay to make his hasty escape. "I guess we can cut this short," John Dory shrugs, smirking while Clay grumbles and Bruce wipes tears from his eyes. John looks proud, smug in a way that Branch thinks only an oldest brother could be. His heart aches wondering if this is the last time he'll see that expression and he struggles to keep his smile in place.

"I'm sure the balloon is already set up so we better get this over with." Branch pushes off the entryway and tucks his hands deep into his trouser pockets in a hopefully subtle attempt to hide how they've started to shake. Bruce's laugh is still ringing in his ears and he can't help but ask himself if he'll be able to remember it so distinctly a year from now. He swallows thickly, eyes flicking from sibling to sibling and drinking in the easy smiles on their faces. They look so happy right now, joking and laughing and roughhousing like brothers are supposed to. Branch feels so out of place. Do they even care that they're leaving him behind all over again? Have they even noticed that they're ripping his heart to bits and stealing away the tattered pieces so he could never hope to be whole again without them? Do they think he's being childish because he's so heartbroken over something inevitable?

"I guess you're right," John Dory agrees, stretching out and popping his back. John throws Branch an easy smile and motions for the rest of their brothers to gather up so they can head out. Clay rolls his eyes and helps Floyd up from the armchair while Bruce stands from the couch. This is it. This is really it. Branch's heart flutters pathetically beneath his ribs and dread thrums through his veins. He wasn't ready to say goodbye. Not again. This wasn't enough time. He wanted more time. "Lead the way, little brother."

Branch is helpless to do anything else but swallow down the vile, bubbling emotions climbing up his throat and walk them out of the bunker towards the clearing Poppy arranged for their departure.

The pit in Branch's stomach only grows with each step and he listens with mounting irritation as his brothers chatter excitedly behind him. They're all excited to get back to their lives and Branch wishes he could begrudge them that. He wants so badly to be angry but he can't. They deserve to go back to their lives, their homes, their families. He doesn't want them to be miserable, he just wishes that he could be part of their happiness. He's well acquainted with loving others more than he's loved but the hurt never quite fades.

"Hey, Branch, you're quiet up there." Bruce calls and Branch looks over his shoulder curiously. Bruce smiles back teasingly, his eyes shining with bright mirth that Branch doesn't think the situation warrants, "Got something on your mind?"

"Or someone," Floyd joins in with a playful wiggle of his eyebrows that makes Clay cough a poorly concealed laugh.

Branch frowns, eyebrows furrowing, "What?"

"Poppy's going to be there, right?" Bruce asks like it's obvious and the pieces slot into place. They thought he was distracted because Poppy was going to be there to see them off?

"Oh. Not really," Branch shrugs. He turns back around when he sees their expressions shift, smiles dropping while they share confused glances. Branch figured it would be obvious why he was so quiet but maybe that was a bit presumptuous of him. He's been eagerly spending as much time with them as he could these past few weeks despite how obvious they were about their plans to exclude him. He guesses his silence now could be seen as a little odd, all things considered.

They don't say anything else for the rest of the trip. At least not to Branch. He hears them muttering but he doesn't try to listen in or even turn his head to look back again. He does his best to keep his eyes straight ahead and tune them out. Before he knows it he can see the large burgundy body of the hot air balloon growing steadily larger in the distance and the dread burrowed in his gut spikes. This is it. 

John Dory lets out an impressed whistle, "It's bigger than I expected," he admits but he sounds excited about it. It hadn't even occurred to Branch that his brothers wouldn't really be familiar with traditional Pop Troll transportation anymore. Branch offers a noncommittal hum and scans the area around the balloon's basket for a splash of pink. He spots her quickly and some of the hurt in his chest dissipates. He can breathe a little easier knowing that she's here.

It's only a few moments before Poppy notices them, Viva a bundle of energy at her side. Pink eyes find them from across the clearing and a smile breaks out across Poppy's face like the sun after a rainstorm. She bounces on the balls of her feet and waves excitedly, calling a loud hello instead of waiting the thirty seconds it would take for them to reach her. Branch can't help but chuckle, shaking his fondly with a roll of his eyes while John and Bruce yell back their own greetings. Viva rushes over at top speed, twirling around Clay before falling into step beside him like it was second nature. She's rambling excitedly about something that Branch doesn't have the energy to try and follow but Clay is smiling brightly and nodding along.

"Hey," Poppy greets him softly, sliding up to him and gently grasping the front of his vest so she could pull him in for a swift kiss. Her eyes scan over his face and a frown tugs at her lips, "Are you okay?" She whispers, ducking in close for some semblance of privacy.

Branch tries to offer a reassuring smile but it feels bittersweet and tired, "As good as I can be," he sighs, lifting a hand to rest it softly over hers, "Better with you here." He confesses and bumps their foreheads together. She smiles, though the worried furrow between her brows remains. Branch wants nothing more than to smooth out the creases, chase away the concern she's wasting on him, but he knows that there's nothing he can do to convince her that he's fine. She wouldn't believe him even if there was.

She presses another quick kiss to his cheek before pulling away to properly greet his brothers, sharing a few warm hellos, "So, is everyone all set?" She looks between them, hands on her hips, like she expects them to have luggage despite the fact that they arrived empty-handed. She doesn't wait for a response before she turns on her heel and gestures to the small grassy hill next to the balloon that would give them easy access, "You guys should have plenty of room and there's a bunch of blankets if it gets cold, I also packed a lot of snacks just in case you got hungry. Oh! And there are some games--" "Okay, okay, sounds great Poppyseed," John interrupts, eyes wide when he realizes that Poppy had no intention of stopping her ramblings. He raises his hands in an attempt to slow her down, "What about a manual?" He presses curiously, the shock bleeding away to a fond amusement that made Branch's heart pang.

"Here," Branch reaches up into his hair and pulls out the pilot's manual. He refused to give it back after Poppy'd thrown it out just a few months ago. It's been haunting him these past few days but he hadn't dared to forget it on the way out of the bunker. He steps forward and passes the thick volume to John Dory, trying not to look at his brother's grateful smile, "It's pretty extensive but you only really need to read the first and the fifth chapter for a quick trip." He clears his throat awkwardly, trying to keep up a lighthearted attitude

"I'll take that," Clay reaches over and plucks the book from John Dory's hands with ease, grinning as he completely ignores John's protests. Viva giggles by Clay's side and even leans in to get a better look at the manual while Clay flips through it to see the table of contents. Branch watches the two self-proclaimed Putt Putt Trolls and hopes that maybe Clay will come along when Viva inevitably decides to visit. Branch has come to really enjoy having another level-headed, fact-oriented troll around and one brother would be better than none. If he's lucky, which he can admit isn't likely, maybe Clay will even keep him updated on their other siblings.

"So this thing is all ready to go?" Bruce looks up at the large balloon, admiring the structure with muted curiosity. He doesn't look too interested but rather intrigued by something unfamiliar.

"Yep!" Poppy chirps, bouncing over to stand back and look with Bruce despite being well-acquainted with Pop Troll travel methods. She's already flown out to visit each of the other Kingdoms at least once since the end of the Rockapocalypse. "All the prep work was finished last night so all you need to do now is climb aboard." She explains with a curt nod, clearly proud of herself and her work.

"Well!" John Dory claps his hands together drawing everyone's attention back to him, "Sounds like that's that then, let's get this show on the road, huh?"

"We shouldn't drag this out any longer," Floyd agrees with a sad smile and a small nod. John moves first, stepping forward to ruffle Branch's hair before walking over to climb up the incline. He vaults over the lip of the basket easily and quickly begins looking around. Floyd follows after him, shuffling forward with a clear exhaustion weighing down his limbs. He walks right past Branch without even glancing back, hiking up the hill and accepting John Dory's help into the basket with whispered thanks. Branch swallows convulsively, trying to push down the lump growing in his throat. Did Floyd not even want to say goodbye?

A hand lands lightly on his shoulder and Branch turns around only to be wrapped up in Bruce's arms. Instinctively Branch hugs back, squeezing tightly and nuzzling into Bruce's comforting hold. Bruce's arms envelop him in a warm, secure embrace and Branch mourns the fact that he'll likely never get to feel safe in his brother's arms again. "It was really nice seeing you again," Bruce murmurs into Branch's hair with a soft sniffle.

Branch's own eyes burn but he forces out a small laugh, "Yeah, you too, man." He doesn't think he'll ever forget the joy he felt when Bruce first told them that he was a father. He was terrified and elated at the idea of being an uncle. Bruce pulls back and wipes his eyes, a bright and happy smile on his face before he, too, leaves. It's getting harder and harder for Branch to keep his expression neutral and he finds himself desperately wishing for Clay and Viva to make their leave before he starts to break again.

Clay, thankfully, steps in and pulls Branch into a side hug with the manual tucked neatly under his other arm. Viva detaches to go say her own farewells to Poppy and Branch is pitifully grateful for the modicum of privacy. Clay presses their temples together with a lop-sided grin, "Take care of yourself, okay?" He extracts himself quickly but also reaches out to ruffle Branch's hair like John Dory had and Branch doesn't even try to push him away.

"Yeah, you too." Branch tries to smile back but his world is starting to feel dark and desaturated again. He wonders if Poppy would notice. She insists that she can see his hues shift with his mood even when Branch himself couldn't tell. He wonders if she can see the color draining out of him the way it feels like it should be. Watching Clay turn away and stride confidently over to the balloon stirs something deep and anguished in Branch's chest and he stomps down the urge to reach out and ask them to come back. It was too familiar watching them leave and being powerless to make them stay.

Viva and Poppy wrap up their own muted conversation and share a tight hug before Viva rushes off after Clay. They climb into the basket together, talking excitedly about something or another, and it makes Branch's stomach churn seeing them all so content while his world crashes down around him again. He realizes with sudden and startling clarity that he has to say goodbye. He can't let them leave this time without saying something.

He scrambles forward before Poppy can make her way back to his side and looks up into the basket with wild eyes. Floyd spots him first and his merry expression drops immediately but Branch speaks before Floyd gets a chance to question him. "I know it probably doesn't mean much," Branch starts hesitantly and has to take a calming breath when his brothers' attention shifts unwaveringly to him. "But I'm going to miss you guys." John shares a confused look with Bruce and Clay while Floyd's frown only becomes more pronounced. Floyd moves back towards the edge of the basket with a shake of his head.

"What do you mean? Of course it means something," Floyd assures softly, leaning over the rim to better meet Branch's eyes. Floyd's scanning him over and it makes Branch feel exposed.

Branch tries to laugh it off, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "I guess I wanted to make sure that you knew this time." He cringes the second the words leave his mouth, "That came out wrong--" He immediately tries to backtrack before he ruins any chance he has at ever seeing any of his brothers ever again.

"Back up," John Dory cuts in, appearing at Floyd's side, "Why is this starting to sound like goodbye?"

Branch freezes, dumbfounded, and blinks up at them. His anxiety is drowned out quickly by his confusion, "..isn't it?" He asks only to be met with two startled faces. Branch cranes his neck to look at Bruce and Clay so he can see if they're as confused as he is but they look just as upset as John and Floyd do.

"Hey, Viv, maybe we should give them a second." Poppy chimes in from somewhere behind him and he watches distractedly as Viva climbs back out of the balloon and walks off somewhere with her sister. He's sure he'll be grateful to Poppy for this later but right now he's just trying to get his thoughts sorted. Why were they so shocked? Did his brothers really think that he was that oblivious? He wasn't blind, it was easy to see that they were keeping him away from their important conversations.

John Dory hops over the rim of the basket and lands neatly in front of Branch, "Why in the world would this be goodbye?" He asks urgently. There's something desperate in his eyes that Branch can't quite discern but he doesn't understand why they're the ones making such a fuss about this. He was the one who had a right to be upset but he was trying to let them go.

Branch tilts his head and scoffs, sparing a glance at the hill where Bruce is carefully helping Floyd back out of the balloon before turning his attention back to John, "Aren't you guys leaving?" He raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms to keep himself from fidgeting with the hem of his vest. John Dory gestures to him frantically, making an exaggerated noise of disbelief before turning to the others like they could possibly help him.

"Yeah, for now," Clay looks at Branch like he's grown a second head and it was really starting to piss him off. What right did they have to be so flabbergasted? They were the ones who made plans to ditch him, not the other way around. This wasn't his plan.

"Where in the world did you get the idea that we weren't coming back?" Bruce adds on, asking the question that was apparently on all of their minds as he lowers himself down from the edge of the hill to drop down beside John.

"It's not like you've been subtle," Branch snarls, taking a sick pleasure in how his brothers jump away from the sudden tone shift. Good. If they wanted to play dumb they deserve to face the consequences. "You've been here for almost two weeks and every time I happen to walk into the room the conversation dies. A few days ago you were talking about just how much room Vacay Island and the Golf Course have for everyone without even a single mention of Pop Village. Are you kidding me! Why the hell would I think you were staying?" Recognition is blooming across Floyd's face and he can see the realization dawning for Clay like it was happening in slow motion. The green-haired troll's eyes widen just a fraction and his mouth drops open into a soft oh and it'd be funny if it wasn't because Branch had known all along that they were planning to abandon him again. He was so tired of being thrown away like he was nothing and they had the audacity to think he was too stupid to catch on? Maybe Poppy was right and he should just cut his losses and accept that they didn't want him in their lives. He was better off without them anyway.

"You got it all wrong!" John reaches out and places his gloved hand firmly on Branch's shoulder but Branch jerks back with a growl. There wasn't any guilt on their faces but instead a soft, bitter understanding that was starting to make Branch feel cornered. He was getting real sick of being left out of the loop.

"Branch, please, just let us explain," Floyd implores. Branch huffs, glaring, but some of the tension falls away at his brother's plea. Floyd looks at him with desperate lilac eyes that are starting to fill with rising guilt and Branch loathes to see his kind-hearted sibling so hurt. He doesn't want to cave, he wants them to deal with how they've hurt him and feel the weight of their actions, but it's Floyd who's asking and that's enough to break his resolve. Branch waves a hand with a sharp exhale, silently urging them to continue before he changes his mind.

His brothers sag with visible relief and John Dory quickly scrambles to take the reigns once more. "We thought you were uncomfortable," he tries to explain and his face his twisted apologetically with such genuine regret that Branch wants to believe him. "Whenever we started talking about our plans for after we went home you'd start to get all fidgety or you'd just kind of…"

"Leave," Bruce finishes off. John Dory's eyes flick back to Bruce before nodding.

"We thought that you didn't want to talk about it, which feels really stupid in hindsight." Clay admits with a disappointed sigh. Like he's realizing he should have known better but he'd been so caught up in the moment that it hadn't even occurred to him.

Branch can only stare at them in disbelief, waiting for one of them to laugh and tell him this was some sort of stupid joke. "Are you serious?" He seethes, paws closing into tight fists that shake at his sides. "The first few days you guys only talked about how eager you were to go home," Branch had been a bit flighty at first and, in the beginning, his heart would jump into his throat every time they started talking about how excited they were to go back to their lives. He was scared. Scared to lose them, scared that despite everything they just went through for each other it still wasn't enough to hold them together, and he didn't want to ruin their happiness with his own catastrophizing. "You laughed in my face when you thought I wanted us to be in each other's lives and you think I'm jumping to conclusions thinking that this is the last time I'm going to see you?"

Floyd looks horrified. Branch realizes that there's a decent chance that Floyd didn't know about that part. "Branch, I'm moving to Pop Village." Floyd says in lieu of any empty comforts he could've offered. What's done is done, they couldn't take it back.

"What?" Branch breathes, hesitant joy bubbling up and peeking through the anger still burning bright in his stomach.

Floyd smiles and it's bright and contagious, drawing similar expressions from their brothers, "I wanted it to be a surprise but after everything I really don't want to go back to Mount Rageous. I still need to talk the details over with Poppy but I wanted to move here to be closer to other trolls again. To be closer to you." Floyd looks like he wants to close the distance between them and Branch is glad that he doesn't. There's a tentative trust being built but Branch is still wired from the roller coaster this conversation has become and he's sure that one wrong move will send him tumbling.

"I'm coming back with him to pick up Rhonda but I plan to stop by often now that I know where this place is," John Dory gestures back the way they came towards Pop Village. It's plausible, it's all plausible, but Branch is still hesitant to believe them. He doesn't know what he'd do if all these reassurances were empty and meaningless.

Bruce steps forward slowly, raising his hands in surrender when Branch takes a hasty step back. His face is soft and open when he speaks, "I'm sorry we weren't really thinking, Branch. And we never should have implied that we didn't want to be a family again. We were frustrated and angry and tensions were high but adding everything up it's not too hard to see how you came to these conclusions," Branch wonders if this is what a dad voice is. He never met his father and he never really had the kind of friends that would introduce him to their parents. He imagines that this is what Bruce sounds like when he soothes his kids and tells them that everything is going to be alright and that makes something small and broken buried under his ribs yearn. "We want you to visit too, B. I want you to come to Vacay Island and meet your nephews and niece." "And I'd love to show you around the Golf Course!" Clay chimes in brightly, eyes shining with unshed tears that contrast with the fond smile on his face.

"Have you seen your bunker? You'd be amazing at camping." John Dory agrees warmly.

"We just got you back," Floyd murmurs but it's loud in their close proximity. "I don't think any of us want to say goodbye."

Branch feels the last of his protective anger drain out of him and sucks in a shaky breath. He smiles, uncertain and thin, but it seems to be enough to reassure his brothers. "Okay."

"We're really sorry, Branch," Clay insists, blinking away the wetness in his eyes and staring over at his youngest brother with blatant worry, "We really just weren't thinking, man. We never wanted to exclude you or make you feel like this was it."

"It's okay, really, I have a bad habit of overthinking this kind of thing," Branch sniffs, trying to be casual despite how his heart was still racing. He was already upset that he'd accidentally made a big deal out of nothing but it was admittedly nice to be reassured so sincerely. It soothed his frayed nerves in a way that was strange but welcome.

"It's not," Floyd disagrees quickly and Branch startles, "It's not, not really, but we'll have time to make up for it, okay?" And isn't that everything that Branch ever wanted? He'd wanted more time and miraculously they're giving it to him. Maybe this isn't the end, maybe it wasn't time for goodbyes after all. His heart starts to calm and a fragile hope begins to bloom where the anxiety was nestled under his sternum.

"Yeah," Branch nods, his smile shifting into something lighter, "I'd like that."

John reaches forward and snags Branch by the wrist, tugging him forward before Branch could even think to ask what was going on. John Dory's arms wrap around him in a bone-crushing hug, "I'll be back, got it?" He says firmly into Branch's hair. Branch nods into John Dory's shoulder, arms raised with shocked uncertainty. He gives in after a few beats and hugs his brother back as tightly as he can.

Branch lets the hug linger, grasping tightly to the leather of John Dory's vest until the contact starts to make his skin itch. He detaches himself stiffly, shaking out his arms with an awkward chuckle, "You guys really should get going, though. You're burning daylight." It still hurts to see them go but it feels different than it had before.

"That's probably for the best, huh?" Floyd agrees, reaching out a hand to Clay in a silent request for help that the older troll quickly jumps to oblige.

Branch uses the time it takes his brothers to hoist themselves back into the basket to compose himself. These past few weeks have been incredibly jarring and he thinks that he's seen enough of his emotions for the next few months but… it's also been surprisingly rewarding. He turns to scan the treeline hoping to spot a flash of pink but he doesn't even have to go looking before Poppy and Viva pop into view already making their way back over. They had to of been watching from a distance but Branch is confident that Poppy would have dragged them far enough away that they couldn't have overhead anything so he's not worried.

Viva bounds back over to the balloon and practically tackles Clay in her dash over to him. They immediately start talking quietly and this time Branch can admire their dynamic without any clouds of resentment hanging over him.

"You got this thing figured out?" Branch asks. "Totally. No need to worry," Clay assures, raising the manual and wiggling it for emphasis. Branch is glad that there's someone on that thing who'll actually read the instructions.

"I'll see you around, then, I guess." Branch smiles.

"Soon," Bruce promises.

With that they cut the ropes holding the balloon down and start the ascent into the open air. Branch and Poppy wave with vastly different levels of energy and their siblings wave back. There's no pit in Branch's stomach as he watches them get further and further away and no crushing sorrow when they say their goodbyes. It's not goodbye this time, not really, it's see you later. That makes him feel lighter than he has in days.

"You're looking blue," Poppy admires at his side, slotting her paw into his like it's meant to be there. You're looking happy, she means.

"I am." He admits quietly and is surprised to find that he means it.

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

hii can you suggest any au everlark fic where katniss is taken to capitol instead of peeta during mockingjay? plus point if it’s in peeta’s pov and we get to see how he hard he tries to get katniss to D13. thank you so much for all your effort in maintaining this blog btw! xx

Hello @cicocess!

Below is a list of Captured!Katniss Fics! I've added this to future masterlist topics. Hopefully these are new to you! Happy Reading!

Always-CatchingBlacklistFire (ff) Summary: My version on Katniss being hijacked instead of Peeta. At Any Cost-AlexaBones (ff) Summary: This is my version of what would have occured had Haymitch saved Peeta at the end of Catching Fire. Katniss returns from the capitol hijacked; Peeta and Gale battle for her affection and the revolution draws near. Peeta POV. Becoming Mockingjay-An Unknown Foreign Beauty (ff) Summary: AU. What if Katniss is taken by Capitol at the end of Catching Fire & been hijacked instead of Peeta, then how the things will work? How the relationship will grow while Peeta must struggle with love, hate and all the responsibilities of making her to be the real Mockingjay? Needless to say things are twisted. Blindsided-alisonhendrinks (ff) Summary: Katniss was captured instead of Peeta. She was rescued and now that the rebels have there Mockingjay back. Peeta can see her...but somethings not right...Both Katniss and Peeta's POV will be used burned by her own embers-VanillaCottonCandy (ao3) Summary: She takes a deep breath and nods, still staring right into the camera. She’s still so beautiful, I think to myself, feeling as paralyzed as she appears at the moment. I want more than anything to rescue her from Snow, even if I die in the process. I want more than anything to go back to that last night in the Quarter Quell and never let anyone separate us, never let Beetee and Finnick and Johanna pressure us into splitting up. I’d do anything to take those last few minutes back. Reverse our positions and put me in the line of fire in the Capitol. Let me take her place, no matter the cost. / Peeta was rescued instead of Katniss and is in Thirteen with Gale and co. when Katniss’ interview with Caesar comes on television. Based on Prompt : A small drabble about from Peeta's perspective if he'd been the one rescued and Katniss in the Capitol? / Katniss Captured / Peeta Rescued Mockingjay Role Reversal AU. Caged-Blackandwhite351 (ao3) Summary: Mockingjay, but if Katniss and Finnick were captured by the Capitol instead of Johanna and Peeta. Fire is Catching-Melusine11 (ao3) Summary: ”If you'd been taken by the Capitol, and hijacked, and then tried to kill Peeta, is this the way he would be treating you?" What if Katniss hadn't been the one lifted out of the arena of the 75th hunger games by the Rebellion. Role reversal told from (mostly) Peeta's point of view. Ghosts with Just Voices-monroeslittle (ff) Summary: "I have a secret for you," he says, his breath warm against her cheek. "The top floor," he whispers. "If you hurry, you might be able to stop it." AU. Katniss makes a deal with Snow that changes everything. Golden Cages-LemonLuvGirl (ao3) Summary: Mockingjay reimagined. (Sequel to Burning Bright & Blazing Free.) There's a rebellion stirring, President Snow is out for blood, and everyone wants our heroes to choose sides. Katniss and a number of other victors are captives in the Captiol while Peeta & co. work to free them from District 13. Tough decisions lie ahead. If you put enough pressure on coal it turns to pearls-whats_in_a_username (ao3) Summary: What if instead of Peeta being hijacked by the capital, it was Katniss who was captured? What if Peeta was rescued from the arena and taken to district 13?

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to shoot me an ask!

[sleep-during-a-cozy-rainy-day]

Hey! What are you?

Seelie!Reader Honkai Star Rail

You remember being in your bed having a having a strange dream. You were in a void floating, nothing weighing you down.

Safe and warm... Nothing could hurt you here.

You feel like you could be here for forever.

Wake up.

Hmmn..

Wake up.

Just a few more minutes..

WAKE UP.

You open your eyes, blinded by the bright lights. You're on the floor, you look around and two figures and... Another half-way re-materializing?

What?

You look around frantically noticing that the technology is much more advanced then where your from, and then you notice your much more shorter than before and...

You no long have arms.

Huh.

Nor legs.

Huh.

You can float now.

Huh.

You're now a floating blob.

HUH!?

You squeak loudly, the two finally noticing you or we're they just ignoring you for their conversation with the silver headed person? Who knows.

"Ah, seems like our small friend is awake." A voice rang out.

You look at the pretty lady. You're eyes? Are now wide open in alarm.

Wait... She looks familiar. You're sure seen her from somewhere... But where?

Wait.

No it can't be...

Don't tell me...

That's.

Kafka.

"Sadly, we must leave now... Shame I couldn't have a small chat with you." She said.

"Hmm, maybe next time." Her voice rang out.

Before you can make another noise they leave. Leaving with only you and... The now unconscious person on the ground.

Oh no.

Lmao hope you guys enjoyed this. I plan to make more parts but that might take a while.

Sorry for my hiatus on writing I just had writers and art block and I keep procrastinating, I've just been busy doing cosplay and stuff. So hopefully this is ok for you guys.

To be honest I might tweak this in the future who knows. But I plan to make this yandere but I'm leaning more on platonic than romantic though.

Hopefully I write more since it genuinely is fun to write lil blurbos.

[milesobrein]

After Election Day We Roll Our Sleeves Up.

I won’t lie, I’ve had some kind of hard times (small in comparison to so many other peoples in the world) but in comparison to my hard times, I think Trump being elected has been the hardest. I remember the speeches I made while phone banking most of them sent to voice mail about why Trump never could go to office, about all the people who would be hurt if Trump got elected and how with Trump even the fate of the world we leave behind for future generations is at stake. For every day Trump is in office, when I let my head go silent, my head starts to bring to mind each of the people at stake, each of the ways we are in danger. Everyone’s heart is broken, including those close to me, and I can’t help feeling like I failed them all, and I’m so sorry I didn’t do more to ensure this man didn’t get into office. To all those affected by Trumps legislation, I am so so sorry. I am so sorry I only started trying to make a difference the last few days before Election Day. But. now Kamala in her concession speech was right, she conceded in the election, but the fight for social justice is not by any means over. As she said, (man this woman is a woman of steel) we just gotta roll our sleeves us. Heck, the right is passing an overwhelming wave of conservative legislation, but that’s only in response that we shine so brightly. They are afraid of us, of our beauty of uniting together, and their doing everything they can to demoralize us, so we don’t see our own power. But it’s only because we are so powerful that there is so much anti us e. We are strong and that is why they are fighting so hard to break us down, and that is because we scare them, that is because the world we dream of us revolutionary and it is possible to see it in our lifetimes. But you know what, these next four years we got to do what the administration is not, we have to stand together to fight every person that Trumps legislation will be targeting, we have to stand with Trans people, gay people, queer people black people, native people, disabled people, Palestinian people, immigrants , people with uterus’s who do as a matter of fact have the right to choose, despite the right’s audacity to think otherwise, and if we stand together we person by person can make the country we want. We The People Do Have power, and if the presidents not the leader we want, we have to be leaders and stand for eachother, and our example will burn bright all the way to the White House. And send the message that in four years, the White House will be blue. Tomorrow, despite my depression and agoraphobia I’m going to challenge myself to go to the food pantry. If any of yall share any ways that your going to fight for the people targeted by Drump’s legislation, I’ll do an art peace for them (it goes without saying no charge) and the fighting back can be big or small too, just some personal way of (peacefully) saying fuck you to the president. Hopefully in four years when the nightmares over we will have an art gallery that spans across multiple buildings. With love and great sorrow but also hope for the America of some day, that is good. -Levian

[awenvs3000f24]

Blog post 09

I do not have a plethora of deep interesting knowledge about one aspect of nature that most would not already know about, though I wish I did and someday hope I will. I was racking my brain to think of what the most amazing thing about nature is in my opinion, thinking of all the places I have traveled to and learned about, thinking about unique and interesting species I have learned about in other environmental science classes. I realized the part of nature that I connect to most and think about almost daily is something that is not very impressive as it is not niche but something that is very impressive when  you take a moment to think about its effect on the way we live our lives, the changing of the seasons. 

This week's textbook reading of chapter 10 “The Bright Future of Interpretation” talks a lot about authenticity and awe within interpretation. These are the factors that put the meaning and interpretation into a person's experience with nature that will make an impact on them. If you are authentic in your interpretation and provide the feeling of awe, the audience will leave with a positive lasting impression, no matter what the context of interpretation was, and “in addition, experiences of awe stimulate wonder, curiosity, perspective, purpose, and creativity (Beck et al., 2018).” The simplicity of how our world drastically changes 4 distinct times of the year is the most amazing part of nature to me, and each one provokes a unique feeling of “awe” due to the beautiful setting it presents, and the feelings that come with it due to the weather, the activities that become available, and the significant life events they bring. 

Ever since I was little I have loved the seasons. My love and admiration for them has continued but the reasoning for that love has changed as I’ve grown up and my experience and connection to them has grown with me. In chapter 10, there is a quote that goes “Involvement with nature doesn’t begin in adulthood, but rather during early to middle-childhood (Beck et al., 2018),” and I think this is extremely true. Our experiences with nature as children, builds the foundation for our connection to it in adulthood. As a child I loved spring and I loved summer the most. My reasoning for this aligned with what my life looked like in the specific months that these seasons occurred, and thus when I thought about these seasons, what it looked like outside at this time of year, I could feel how I felt in the memories I associated with nature at that time. My birthday is in April, and I absolutely loved my birthday as a child. I loved to plan it, I loved to be celebrated and surrounded by all my friends and family. I have such great memories surrounding my birthday each year, and it is what I most looked forward to every year as a child. I knew the snow would be hopefully melting and I could have my parties outside and run around with all my friends and cousins. I also had dance competitions in the spring every year growing up which was the most exciting time for my friends and I. It meant we got to travel to different places together, stay in hotels and do what we love. Every weekend at competition we would be running around outside in the new warm weather after being indoors all winter playing capture the flag between our performances. These memories are very specific to me and my life experiences which is what makes the association each person has to the seasons so special. People who were born in the winter might have the complete opposite connection to spring than I do. 

When summer hits, especially while still being in school I feel a sense of ease and excitement, it's easier to get up in the morning when the sun rises earlier and the air is warmer, and there is a free feeling associated with the excitement of school being out. Now, even while still in school and working in the summer, when the air starts to get warmer and the days start to get longer, I feel a weight lifted off of me because of the connection to summer that began as a child. I feel lighter and more free even when I am still busy. 

In my present life, I look forward to the season of fall, and my connection has shifted more to the natural aspects of this time of year, while still including the experiences I indulge in within these months. After a long summer, and especially since our summers have become increasingly hot, I look forward to the first feelings of fall weather every year. The little bit of breeze when you first walk outside, how the air feels just a little crispy and you can almost smell the difference. I go on so many walks and hikes in the fall because it is the most beautiful time of the year in nature. The colorful trees are like someone came along and painted them so perfectly just for us to enjoy. It is getting cooler, but still not cold enough for the animals and insects to disappear so they are still around for admiration. Students do their work outside because it is the perfect temperature of not too cold and not too hot. People collectively start wearing a whole new wardrobe (cozy sweaters and boots)  and watching the tv shows we view as comfortable and cozy (for me that's Gilmore Girls). There are no rules on how we change along with the seasons, yet we do. There is a totally new feeling in life when nature starts to change around us, and it has much more effect than we even realize. As chapter 10 of the textbook says, “Interpretation enriches experiences, advances physical and mental health, benefits the environment [..](Beck et al., 2018)." If we acknowledge natures beauty more often, we will appreciate it more and care for it more. 

[black-arcana]

NIGHTWISH Announces 'Yesterwynde' Album, 'Perfume Of The Timeless' Single

Symphonic metal veterans NIGHTWISH will release their new album, "Yesterwynde", on September 20, 2024 via Nuclear Blast. It marks the band's tenth studio album, following on from the release of "Human. :II: Nature." in 2020.

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen states: "'Yesterwynde' is a fantastical voyage through time, memory, and the better angels of human nature.

"Three years in the making, we're thrilled beyond words to soon share our tenth album with the world!"

The album's first single, "Perfume Of The Timeless" will arrive on May 21.

"Yesterwynde" track listing:

01. Yesterwynde 02. An Ocean Of Strange Islands 03. The Antikythera Mechanism 04. The Day Of... 05. Perfume Of The Timeless 06. Sway 07. The Children Of 'Ata 08. Something Whispered Follow Me 09. Spider Silk 10. Hiraeth 11. The Weave 12. Lanternlight

In January, NIGHTWISH drummer Kai Hahto spoke about the band's upcoming follow-up to 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." album in an interview with Laureline Tilkin of Tuonela Magazine. He said: "At least it's not gonna be the same as 'Human. :II: Nature.', so… Probably, let's say that we go back to more heavy, heavier things on the new album, but also there's a lot of, again, new winds to blow, so to speak. So, different new elements. But, of course, it's still NIGHTWISH, but, of course, we brought back the big symphony orchestra again to the new upcoming tenth album. Yeah, it's gonna be exciting. And quite challenging music to play as well."

Asked if he is "in a way happy" that he doesn't have to play the new NIGHTWISH songs live right now, in light of the fact that the band is taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future, Kai said: "No, no, no. Totally opposite. I would love to go and play it live. But hopefully the time will come when we go back, charging the batteries first. Of course, it's nice to be home with the kids and wife and dogs, but still, of course, I've always been a player, so I also like to play for the people. But I believe I'm not gonna be bored. So I have a lot of things in the back of my head. Even NIGHTWISH is now taking a break. So, I'm not gonna be bored."

Earlier in January, Hahto told Chaoszine that "it looks like" NIGHTWISH won't play any shows in the next two or three years.

In April 2023, NIGHTWISH surprised fans by announcing that the band was not going to be playing any live shows for the foreseeable future and would be not be touring in support of the group's next studio album.

NIGHTWISH's statement read as follows: "As the 'Human :ll: Nature - World Tour' is drawing to a close, we feel now is the time to tell you of our plans for the next phase in our journey.

"After the planned shows for June 2023 we will be 'hanging up our spurs' for an indeterminate time, as far as live concert performances go, and won't be touring the next album.

"The reasons for this decision are personal, but, we all agree, vital to the wellbeing and future of the band. Be assured that we still love working together, and this decision has nothing to do with Floor's pregnancy or our other individual projects.

"However, an album of 12 new songs will see bright daylight in 2024, as will 3 music videos! The band is positively hyped beyond words over this new upcoming musical adventure."

In December 2022, Holopainen said NIGHTWISH's upcoming follow-up to "Human. :II: Nature." will be the third part of a trilogy that began with 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album. He told Metal Hammer: "I immediately knew after getting that album ['Endless Forms Most Beautiful'] done that, 'Okay, we have to do more songs about this, because there's so much more to explore and tell the world. We're not done with this.' And the same thing happened after 'Human. :II: Nature.'; we're still not done. So let's do one more. At least one more.

"In a way, [the next album] is the third part of a trilogy, which started with 'Endless Forms…' and then 'Human. :II: Nature.' There are some major surprises there again, but it feels like a natural continuation to 'Human. :II: Nature.'"

According to Tuomas, NIGHTWISH's next LP will cover previously uncharted ground while continuing in the more cinematic style that has characterized some of the band's recent efforts.

In September 2022, Tuomas was asked if NIGHTWISH's upcoming LP will once again be an exploration of evolutionary science, as was the case with the previous two releases. Tuomas said: "Yes and no. It sails on the same waters, but there's some new surprises there as well."

In August 2022, Tuomas told Rock Sverige that he spent "about a year" working on the music and lyrics for the next NIGHTWISH album.

Asked if he got any kind of inspiration from the pandemic, Tuomas said: "Yeah, lyrically there's a couple of things that reflects the pandemic, but not in the way you would expect."

"Human. :II: Nature." was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

In August 2022, NIGHTWISH announced the addition of Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the previous year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.

In November 2022, singer Floor Jansen revealed that she was "cancer free" after recently undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

This past October, Floor and SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl welcomed their second child, a daughter named Lucy. Jansen and Van Dahl already have a seven-year-old daughter named Freja, who was born on March 15, 2017.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

[stevetonyisendgame]

It’s the fifth day of work reveals for A Second Chance: A Steve/Tony Endgame Mini-Exchange and we have 12 fics and 1 artwork today!

Thank you to all participants - we’re so excited to share all these beautiful gifts with you! Enjoy and remember to leave kudos/comments for our hardworking creators to show your appreciation!! ❤️

A reminder to our dear creators that you can change the publication date of your works now that they have been revealed, so that they appear on the first page of the tags.

Let’s Stay a While for geekymoviemom | ART - M

Some one had to return the stones just with a little company this time around and hopefully a little less chaos. They’d dealt with a life time supply of crazy already as it was if you asked Steve.

2. Sound the Reveille for AirlocksandAviaries | FIC - 2.1k, T

Steve wasn't in denial about his feelings toward Tony but they weren't something he expected to confront on the battlefield, either. Then Tony put the gauntlet on and snapped his fingers, and Steve thought he wouldn't get another chance.

3. don't fear our futures and dreams for captainstars | FIC - 8.9k, T

“Do you accept this chance, Steve Rogers?” There is no trace of laughter in the Keeper’s voice now, only grave formality. “I do.” For the first time since Tony had looked at him in that long-ago-2012 and asked you trust me? and Steve had replied without hesitation, Steve feels completely sure in the choice he’s making. During his journey to return the Infinity Stones, Steve discovers to his horror that Tony is in fact, not dead, but trapped inside the Soul Stone. The Keeper grants Steve one chance to save Tony. He takes it.

4. ever be afraid to say for captainstars | FIC - 1.4k, T

Steve sees it happening a moment just before it does, Tony snapping on the Gauntlet and facing Thanos head-on, eyes bright and ever-defiant. And Steve—Steve’s heart falls to his feet. No.

5. Once More for the First Time for Neverever | FIC - 4.1k, G

It was like clockwork. Get together, do a mission, part ways. Steve wondered what would happen if he asked Tony to stay.

6. Zero to One for lomku | FIC - 2.8k, T

Steve returns the Stones, comes back to 2023, names Sam the successor to Captain America, and sets off on his bike. Life is transient, and grief is all-encompassing, until Steve starts dreaming of Tony every night.

7. you are all I was hoping for for Areiton | FIC - 4k, T

His life had been so much emptier without Tony in it, and he missed him. He missed him so much that he felt better being in his company for even a little while.

8. way to a father's heart for robertdowneyjjr | FIC - 6.8k, G

Steve loves kids, and kids like him. He’s never met one who hadn’t immediately taken a liking to him. He’s good with kids. At least, he thinks he is. But these are Tony's children, and that fact alone makes all the difference in the world. He needs to make sure that he gets along with them. Otherwise, he can kiss his chance to be with Tony goodbye.

9. Right Where I Belong for This_Is_Captain_Handsome | FIC - 1.8k, G

After Endgame, Steve struggles with Tony's injuries. Will he ever recover?

10. Here To Stay for wingheads | FIC - 5k, M

Steve visits Tony (not unscathed but alive) in his cabin, post-endgame, and stays there longer than intended, because they have so much to do and because Tony never tells him to leave.

11. A New Vision of the Future for Thahire | FIC - 3.8k, G

Natasha watches Steve and figures out he's watching Tony - a lot. She watches it all become a mess and watches as Steve never stops pining.

12. Momentum for Thahire | FIC - 6.9k, M

He had said “resentment is corrosive.” He had shaken Steve’s hand, had nearly said more. He wanted to say more, but what was left to say? “Resentment is corrosive and I hate it, but I still feel it, and also I feel a lot of things about you and I don’t know how to untangle them all?”

13. Darling, let’s run for IronChantress3000 | FIC - 1.7k, G

Now, if I were a supersoldier, where would I go? Tony quickly scanned the doors with his glasses for Steve. He spotted his figure behind the door labeled Margaret Carter, Director. Of course. Where else would he be? Tony thought wryly.

Creator reveals will take place tomorrow on June 21st! Get excited to see who created these awesome works!

[steambirdgossipcolumn]

WHO FUCKED THE MELUSINE?

Adoption is not an Option

As Fontanians we have all grown used to the presence of melusines in our daily lives: with their cheerful attitude and genuine desire to help, you can always count on them to brighten your day.

Melusines are indeed, as our Iudex would say, the pride of Fontaine, with their bright colours and wide array of personalities no melusine looks the same.

The most unique case, though, is one that most people will hopefully not meet during their lifetime, as she resides in the depths.

The Head Nurse position of the Fortress of Meropide, Fontaine’s infamous prison, is held by none other than a melusine named Sigewinne: she is a balm on the soul of convicts who struggle to get used to the rough life of the Fortress, with her sweet disposition yet brutal efficiency, she looks like a little fairy stepped out of a book just to give you a spark of hope for the future.

One of her most unique traits that might catch the average person’s eye is that she looks distinctly more human that other melusines: while she does keep some of melusines’ most unique traits such as the wings or the tail, she has a human face, and human hands with five fingers, instead of the usual paws. Not only that, but she also appears to be the only melusine possessing a vision.

It is truly a curious sight, and one cannot help some innocent curiosity about it: why is she different from other melusines? 

Despite melusine presence being widely accepted in Fontaine - thankfully leaving behind us days of hatred and distrust of the past - not a lot about them is known; their origin and way of life outside of the Court is, while not being kept secret by anyone, still quite mysterious.

What makes this one melusine so different from others? Is it possible that she is a result of an evolutionary process of two species assimilating into one due to close coexistence?

There are actually many facts disproving this theory: first of all how is it that in the past five hundred years there is only one melusine who is evolving in such manner? Second is that as of now it would be the fastest example of evolution known on Teyvat, as no other studied species has shown visible change in a period so short as a couple hundred of years. And third, why, if the melusine presence is so accepted and even celebrated, would melusines undergo an evolution process giving them the ability to blend in with the species they’ve been cohabiting with, not unlike some species which use mimetism as a form of self preservation from threats.

If we discard the evolution explanation, then we might consider the possibility of a cross-species individual, a being who is both melusine and human, presenting features of both species.

Even taking into consideration such a hypothesis, a very important question still remains: who are the parents of this hypothetically human-melusine child?

First of all, let's exclude one possibility: none of the melusine that roam the Court is the mother of this child. Melusines have a childlike innocence and personality and nobody should look at them with any type of sexual interest. 

If the Head Nurse was the result of such a tragic case, we wouldn't have the need to ask ourselves this question, for our rightful Chief Justice Neuvillette would not have let the culprit go unpunished.

Either way this does bring us closer to identifying at least one of the melusine parents: Monsieur Neuvillette is notoriously fond of melusines and dotes on them as if they were his own daughters. He's the one who first brought them to Fontaine, he made many laws to protect their rights, and all the melusines greatly look up to him. If you've ever asked a melusine how they feel about Monsieur Neuvillette, you've probably received an answer expressing great admiration and a deep emotional bond between them.

What if we were to take this a little more literally than just an expression of trust? After all, Monsieur Neuvillette is indeed a perfect candidate for the position of one of our enigmatic human melusine's parents.

Monsieur Neuvillette’s non-human nature is somewhat of an open secret in the Court of Fontaine: speculations have kept popping up since our Chief Justice took post - which is over four hundred years ago - but he has neither confirmed nor denied any of the rumours.

Today we want to bring a new theory to the speculation table regarding Monsieur Neuvillette’s true identity, which is carefully kept under wraps from the common folks: Monsieur Neuvillette is actually the only male melusine residing in Fontaine.

Aside from his affection towards melusines, he also shares some unique features with them, such as the rhinophores and his connection to the Waters.

Nevertheless he also looks distinctly more human and also way older than the rest, as if he were an elder looking after his younglings. We also know he uses masculine pronouns, opposite to the feminine pronouns melusine use by law, thus the difference in gender.

Though we cannot confirm Monsieur Neuvillette personally sired all the melusines, he is for now the only individual who fits that role.

As we have previously established, Head Nurse Sigewinne’s other parent is probably a human due to her appearance - the other melusines’ parentage is unknown - which distinguishes her from other melusines.

Who is the other mysterious parent?

The Iudex has always been very private about his personal life and no rumour of occasional lovers or established partners have ever come to our ears. 

Taking a closer look at Head Nurse Sigewinne’s close relationship, though, it’s pretty obvious that she shares a special bond with the Administrator of the Fortress of Meropide, the Duke Incognito of the Murky Depths: first person accounts confirm that their relationship resembles what you would see between a father and his daughter. 

What few rumours exist about the Duke make him out to be an intimidating figure, both physically and as a presence commanding respect, but also do mention him having a soft spot for melusines - almost like a distant father doting on his recently acquired daughters.

Now, of course you might have noticed a flaw in this reasoning: the Duke is a man.

How is it possible for two men to conceive a child?

While it is impossible for a biologically male human to conceive children, we have to consider that it might not be impossible for a non-human species like melusines: after all Monsieur Neuvillette is, allegedly, the only adult melusine we know of, and without another to either confirm or deny this theory it is but speculation.

Both the Duke and the Iudex being paternal towards the Head Nurse is not enough to also tie them together as partners, but it is a known fact that Monsieur Neuvillette has been the one who first supported the new Administrator and made a case for him to be bestowed the title of Duke. 

Both Maison gestionnaires and Meropide guards have described their relationship as cordial and harmonious, going so far as to say they’ve witnessed them meeting outside of their respective office hours. It is also not uncommon for gift packages to arrive both from the Palais Mermonia or from the Fortress, along with a letter detailing business proceedings.

If the Iudex and the Duke have indeed been in an established relationship for years, it is understandable, given their professions, that they would try to keep it as a private affair, as it could potentially create a conflict of interest in the Fontanian justice system, as well as a risk of backlash for the kid born of such union.

What is truly concerning is that if it is indeed our esteemed Iudex that carried on the pregnancy, he did so while he relentlessly kept working, as we never got word of Monsieur Neuvillette taking a temporary leave from his duties in the past century. It is truly a sign of love when a parent is ready to put himself in a very stressful situation like hiding a pregnancy in plain sight in order to protect the precious and fragile life growing within.

After almost five hundred years of steadfast dedication to maintaining total impartiality, there is no doubt in our minds that Fontainian people hold a great deal of admiration and respect for our Iudex and it will certainly not be the unexpected but heartwarming news of a loving family to damage that trust. 

The staff wishes to express their full support for Monsieur Neuvillette and his family if they decide to go public with their relationship, confident that all of Fontaine will be behind them.

[vintagetvstars]

Hot Vintage TV Women’s Bracket - Mod Thoughts

As promised here are my thoughts on what went down in the hot vintage tv women’s bracket! I organized them by round to focus on the ladies I was sad to see eliminated each round and then added my overall thoughts at the end. Hope these are fun and enjoyable to see my internal bias’s and who I was rooting for and screaming about being eliminated throughout the fierce competition 😊. Also I know mod violet is working on getting their own thoughts written down as well so those will hopefully be up in the future as well.

- mod vintage 💚

Thoughts below the cut

Round 1

- I was so sad to see Holland Taylor go out so early! She’s such a delight and it was such a close race! Wish we could have sent both Holland Taylor and Joan Collins through. It was certainly a match up that was hard to make but it fit so well and I must bear the consequences 😔

- I know Rachel Bilson was a controversial person to let in given The OC is barely in our time frame but clearly it wasn’t an issue as she didn’t make it out of round 1. I don’t mind letting people so close to the cut off through if they fit our criteria cause I do think it’s fun to recognize some of those very early 2000’s shows since it was such an interesting period in TV, a real turning point. But also because I had faith that the vintage tv lovers probably wouldn’t vote anyone from too late in our timeframe too far in the competition. Heck we had people upset the 90’s were included and while some of them did become finalists we still ended up with too certifiably vintage queens as our top two.

- Y’all I am so sorry Angela Lansbury fans. I really didn’t want to do it to you but someone had to go up against Eartha Kitt in round one 😔. On the bright side Eartha Kitt can’t compete next year so I certainly hope Angela will make it further next year!

- Alex Kingston Vs. Julia Louis-Dreyfus…y’all….we were not prepared for how controversial this was going to be! This was the beginning of a continual wave of comments every round about how upsetting it was that we included the 90’s in this tournament 🙃. This wave inspired the creation of the FAQ cause we were so tired of it. I don’t mind that not everyone recognizes the 90’s as vintage, that’s fine, you definitely don’t have to. I just wish people wouldn’t feel the need to yell about it in the tags. It wasn’t just disheartening as the person running the blog but like it’s really disheartening for the people that nominated their favorite 90’s star to see comments like that over and over when they just wanted to celebrate an actress they really enjoy. I know because mod Violet wasn’t part of the blog yet and Alex Kingston in ER was their nomination and it genuinely sucked to see them apologizing for nominating her and feeling so awful about that. So please in the future, if you don’t think someone is sufficiently vintage…please try to chill about it. This competition is supposed to be a fun escape and celebration for people and that really was not a fun way to start things off.

- Oh Sherilyn Fenn…I am so sorry we put you against Gina so early, clearly if the graveyard polls are to go by, you should have gone further. I will not put you against Gina in round 1 if you both come back next year 😅

- Joan Bennett Vs. Grayson Hall, I am so sorry Dark Shadows fans…I did not mean to keep putting y’all through it during this competition 😅 it was honestly completely unintentional, I shoulda guessed doing some match ups based on vibes would lead to people from the same shows occasional doing match ups…which I am overall fine with…it just happened to y’all a lot…apologies

- Mira Furlan I am so sorry! I have seen Babylon 5 in its entirety now and I get it! Y’all! Mira Furlan is stunning! She has that energy and presence that completely stops you in your tracks and commands attention! She is powerful and beautiful and elegant and just all around stunning! She absolutely kills it as Delenn in B5 and has certainly earned her spot as one of my all time favorite sci-fi characters! She is as beautiful as a Disney princess with the presence of the moon itself! I love her!

- Lucy Lawless Vs. Claudia Black…okay so I was warned so heavily against this one…I still argue that it was a valid match up…but mod Violet was totally correct to argue against it and I sincerely thank them for giving me the heads up that the tumblr lesbians would NOT like this match up 😅….mod Violet was very correct as usual. If it’s any consolation I do really like Claudia Black…while I still think my match up was valid, I am sorry and I sincerely hope she goes further in the next tournament…I will let mod Violet pick her match up next time 😅

- …I am so sorry Red Dwarf fans that both your girls went out in round one…I genuinely thought at least one of them would win their match ups, they both had my vote

- I’m gonna be honest, I knew Carol Burnett Vs. Elisabeth Sladen would be a hard match up but I thought it would have been much closer. I clearly overestimated the amount of Carol Burnett fans on tumblr and underestimated how many of the Doctor Who fans would show up (and since I’m currently working on the men’s bracket I will definitely keep this in mind as there are a lot more Doctor Who nominees now)

- So we actually had Jennifer Aniston Vs. Courtney Cox originally…would people have been mad about that cause neither of them made it past round 1

- Ah round 1, we only got a taste of things to come with Itatí Cantoral Vs. Audrey Meadows

Round 2

- Looking back this round had some surprisingly tough match ups that were really close…like I know I made the match ups but looking back at some I’m like damn….round 2? Like we had a much smaller group of ladies so it had to happen but…yeah I get why it was shocking now…terribly sorry, had to happen but still, sorry 😅

- Fran Drescher Vs. Jackée Harry…this one hurt so much 😭 I predicted what would happen even as I made the match up but it was a fair match up so it had to happen even though the results hurt so much 😭. I rewatched Sister Sister so much growing up and Jackée Harry was just like the beloved tv mom for me! I thought she was one of the prettiest women in the world as a kid and I still think she is absolutely gorgeous! I adore Fran and I’m glad she kept going on but damn if I didn’t want both of them to move on so badly 😭

- Farrah Fawcett Vs. Eva Gabor this one hurt so much! Y’all it’s Eva Gabor?!?! Have you seen her?!? She is stunning!!!! She was the definition of glamorous Hollywood lady to me growing up!

- Kellye Nakahara Vs. Lily Tomlin, so I didn’t know Kellye Nakahara before this tournament (M*A*S*H has been on my watch list for ages, I just don’t currently have the streaming service it’s on) but boi did I fall instantly in love with her through your propaganda! Not just me but my partner too! He was walking past when I was reviewing the video propaganda for her and stopped in his tracks to watch with me, only saying “I like her”. And yeah! We like her a lot and I can’t wait to see her in M*A*S*H one day!

- Itatí Cantoral Vs. Loretta Swit, this was the true beginning of the Itatí sweep. I am so sorry M*A*S*H fans that both your girls went out in round 2 (I’m rooting for you in the men’s round!) but as I had not previously seen Itatí’s work I had no idea she had such a passionate fanbase on tumblr 😅. However while I was sad to see the M*A*S*H girls eliminated so early, It was an absolute delight to see such a passionate response for Itatí and get to witness the power of her fandom full force! The Itatí fandom certainly won most passionate fans in this competition! Thank you all for so passionately engaging with her polls and letting us know how much you love her! It was so delightful to watch, your joy was contagious! I’ll definitely be rooting for Itatí next competition!

- Alex Kingston Vs. Terry Farrell…oh this one hurt so much 😭 I think this was the first one that elicited the “I hate you” response from my partner when I ran it by him (lovingly of course but he was genuinely upset to see this match up). This one was painful for both me and mod Violet. Like we knew it was a really good match up which is why we went through with it but oh boi was it a win-lose situation 🙃. Alex Kingston may have been one of mod violet’s nominations but they love Terry Farrell too! I am a huge DS9 fan, it is one of my favorite TV shows and by far my favorite trek show and sci-fi series. And I just absolutely adore Terry Farrell as Jadzia Dax in that show! She is so stunning and so talented, like she genuinely makes you believe she actually has lived that many lives, you totally buy she was Sisko’s old man friend a few years prior, and she’s just an absolute delight! I will forever be upset about her leaving the show and the reasons behind that. Mod violet may be a newer DS9 fan (We have been doing a first time watch of DS9 and X-files together both sharing our fav sci-fi shows with one another) but they still love Terry Farrell in that show and boi was this round painful for all of us 😔😭

Round 3

- Ah the round that took down all the golden girls (except Estelle Getty who wasn’t nominated and yes I’m still a bit miffed about that! SHAME! She shoulda been nominated too!). Y’all put up a valiant fight! I’m sorry they didn’t make it further as they were all beloved and stunning in their own ways! I’m so glad they were in the competition tho so thank you to everyone who nominated them and provided propaganda! I adore the Golden Girls and it was such a delight to see so much love for them and all your delightful propaganda! Needless to say I look forward to seeing them again next year and you bet we’ll be blogging about them all in the meantime 🥰

- Carolyn Jones Vs. Julie Newmar we thought this was gonna be the round where Carolyn Jones finally went down but y’all surprised us in the most delightful way! Sincerely thank you all for keeping her in! Carolyn Jones is mod violet’s childhood crush and just so important to them! That crush and watching the Addams Family was a defining moment for them, it’s so fundamental to who they are as a person in the most delightful way so it was so special to have this delightful surprise and get to see their favorite keep going forward in the competition when we thought for sure she wouldn’t. Sincerely thank you for making my best friend smile 🥰 this was one of the best moments in the competition for me and a great example of why I don’t mind putting in the work necessary to run this competition. It makes people happy, and it makes them smile. Y’all made my best friend so happy here and to me that makes the whole competition worth it 🥰

- Diana Rigg Vs. Nichelle Nichols, I didn’t really know Diana Rigg before this competition but y’all made me fall in love with her with the overwhelming amount of propaganda we received for her! She had some of the most propaganda in the whole competition. I was genuinely sad to see her go.

- Nana Visitor Vs. Gillian Anderson, Oh! This one was even more painful than Alex Kingston Vs. Terry Farrell 😭. This one hurt my soul! Neither me nor mod Violet wanted this match up but neither of us could justify any other match up…we had to make the sacrifice and damn was it fucking painful 😭. Pretty sure this was the one that got the strongest “I hate you” reaction from my partner when I showed him (again lovingly but he was just as upset as me and mod violet were and rightfully so). Like this was my impossible choice! This was the hardest match up for me in the whole competition! I am a die hard DS9 fan and Nana Visitor as Kira Nerys is my favorite Star Trek character of all time if not my favorite sci-fi character of all time! Nana Vistor absolutely knocks it out of the park as Kira! She delivers a stunning emotional, real performance, and she’s absolutely gorgeous while doing it! I love her! I adore her! I am a fan for life since the moment I watched Deep Space Nine for the first time! And one of the only people that would make me even consider not voting for her is Gillian Anderson. I am a new X-files fan, I’ve been watching it for the first time with mod Violet as they introduce me to their favorite sci-fi show as I’ve been introducing them to mine. And damn if the x-files doesn’t constantly remind me that I am indeed a bisexual 👀. Have you seen Gillian Anderson and (male co-Star who may be nominated for the men’s round) just….Aaaaaaahhhh!!! I feel like I’m having my bisexual awakening again every time I watch that show! Gillian Anderson is so stunning! And I was already a fan. While it’s not remotely eligible for this completion, I first encountered her in Hannibal and absolutely fell in love! She is a phenomenally talented actress and one of the most beautiful women on the planet! I adore her! I voted for Nana cause she will always have my heart and soul for her depiction of Kira but damn if Gillian didn’t make me think long and hard about it. Couldn’t think of a more worthy opponent to defeat one of my all time favs.

- Alex Kingston Vs. Penny Johnson Jerald, y’all I can’t reiterate how absolutely delighted I was to see that Penny Johnson Jerald was nominated for this competition! I adore her in everything I’ve ever seen her in and she is in a lot (she’s one of those actresses that I feel like I see her in everything!). She is just such a delight and I find myself hanging on her every word anytime I see her. She is a phenomenal actress and just so beautiful! I was sad to see her go but overall I was just so happy to see her included! Thank you to whoever nominated her and anyone who sent in propaganda for her! You made me very happy!

Round 4

- Nichelle Nichols Vs. Carolyn Jones, this was the most painful match up to put together in the whole competition. This was literally pitting my favorite against mod violet’s favorite. We tried so hard to come up with other combinations to see if we could avoid this for a bit longer but any other combination we had just had even worse match ups. It was the fairest match up so even though it was painful to us on every level…we had to go forward with it 🙃. If this isn’t an example of us doing our best to be fair and reasonable and keep our personal bias’s out of it then I don’t know what is. This one hurt 🙃

- Itatí Cantoral Vs. Lucy Lawless, I know this one was controversial but genuinely this one was so exciting to watch! At this point they were both established power houses and it was so fun to get to see them battle it out especially cause I genuinely think they both probably could have been finalists in their own right. I’ll say we were genuinely surprised that Lucy lost this one, I may not run in tumblr lesbian circles like mod Violet does but even I know that Lucy Lawless is tumblr royalty! This was probably one of my favorite polls in the whole competition and definitely the biggest upset we had! Definitely can’t wait to see how things go for them both next year, especially if we reach more of the die hard Lucy Lawless fans cause she’s definitely one I could see winning in a future tournament.

Quarter Final

- Lynda Carter Vs. Gillian Anderson, the round that defeated tumblr’s local celebrity, Lynda Carter. It was such a delight to have her in the competition! What can I say that the rest of tumblr hasn’t? She seems like an absolutely lovely person and she is stunningly beautiful! A very worthy finalist and I definitely won’t be surprised if she wins the crown someday! Also genuinely thank y’all for not bothering her with this. We were genuinely worried that people might tag her in this and we really didn’t want to bother her with our silly lil competition. While we all know that ultimately this competition is about celebrating these amazing performers, we can totally see a competition that is titled with the word hottest being seen as just an shallow objectifying thing and we really do not want to offend her or anyone else with that. It really is just a fun way to show our love and respect for some amazing performers that also happen to be very beautiful. So thank you all for respecting both Lynda Carter and us and not bothering her about our silly little competition. I hope she’s having a lovely day.

- Itatí Cantoral Vs. Diahann Carroll, the end of the Itatí sweep. It was so much fun while it lasted but apparently even the waves of Itatí fans couldn’t stand up to the might of Diahann Carroll! I couldn’t think of a more worthy foe to go out to.

- Gina Torres Vs. Nichelle Nichols, I’m gonna be honest, y’all had me scared with this one but luckily my girl Nichelle pulled through! I was however, sad to see Gina go as I sincerely think she is one of the most beautiful women alive today! She is just stunningly gorgeous, has a beautiful entrancing voice, and is an absolutely phenomenal actress all around! Can’t wait to see her return next year and see how far she’ll go! Certainly a worthy finalist!

Semifinal

- Gillian Anderson, we figured this was as far as she’d go cause at least for us Nichelle Nichols, Diahann Carroll, and Eartha Kitt all could have been the winner. And while Gillian is absolutely stunning and a favorite of both of ours, I think this was a really worthy place to go out! She did so well! Can’t wait to see how far she’ll make it in future tournaments! I won’t be surprised if she wins one year!

- Diahann Carroll, it truly was a complete toss up and luck of the draw with who ended up against Eartha Kitt. And I genuinely think Diahann absolutely could have won! But what a worthy rival to go out against! I would have been disappointed had she been defeated by anyone other than Eartha Kitt or Nichelle Nichols.

Final

- Nichelle Nichols Vs. Eartha Kitt, I mean damn! Talk about a dream final! This really did end up being the perfect final match up! And what a nail bitter of a final it was! It was so damn close! I loved seeing the push to get it for a tie! And I fully would have honored it and given a double crown cause to me this is deciding between two of the most beautiful women to have ever lived! What can one say about Nichelle Nichols and Earths Kitt that hasn’t already been said?! They were both phenomenal performers, absolutely captivating, drawing you in, if they were on screen you weren’t looking at anything but them! They were both extremely remarkable women that made significant contributions to history! Just absolutely stunning women in every aspect! Truly evenly matched and both equally deserving of the crown! I couldn’t have asked for a better final! As a huge Star Trek and Nichelle Nichols fan, she got my vote and I won’t lie, I was disappointed that she didn’t win but I couldn’t have asked for a more worthy person to beat her. Eartha Kitt absolutely deserved the double crown as the hottest vintage lady in all of tv and cinema! And while I’m sad that Nichelle didn’t win, I have a feeling she won’t have to wait too long for a crown of her own, at least I certainly hope so.

Overall Thoughts

What a doozy of a competition this was! It was such a blast! It had its highs and lows and plenty of scandal and drama! Every single one of the ladies nominated are lovely and I am so happy I got to help people share their love for them and shine a spotlight on them all! It was a delight to be introduced to so many new amazing hot vintage tv ladies and the shows they were a part of and I look forward to watching the shows they were on in the future. And it was so delightful to see so many of my long time beloved favs loved by so many others too!

Genuinely thank you to everyone who participated in any way! I knew this would be fun but yall really made this such a blast and completely worth all the time, effort, and extra back pain (I am disabled and some of those long nights at the computer I completely overdid it 🙃 but worth it!)

I can’t wait to see what happens in the men’s bracket! I am bi but I usually have a preference for men or masculine presenting people so I am already going absolutely feral while looking through submissions 😅. Truly a blessing that mod Violet agreed to join the blog cause together our preferences balance each other out and we are able to help keep each other’s bias’s in check. That and while we have a lot of overlap in tv taste we run enough in different circles that we were able to together cover pretty decent ground on knowing tumblrs preferences which helped a lot in trying to make fun and fair match ups.

I really hope even after this year’s tournament is concluded that we can continue this lovely community of vintage tv and media lovers going. It’s been a blast interacting with all of you and hearing how much you all love your favorite vintage tv stars and vintage tv shows! Can’t wait for the men’s bracket and to do this all over again with you all sometime next year after that!

Sincerely,

Mod Vintage 💚

[sophieinwonderland]

https://www.tumblr.com/sophieinwonderland/754022315455545344/while-my-post-was-meant-to-be-hurtful-i-also

i understand. i’m sick of anti-endos. sysmed rhetoric kept me, and my system, in a dark place for years. pushing for acceptance is important for our community and the plural future.

hurting others back won’t do anything. it only fuels the fire. being kind and correcting misinfo is all we can do. and for ourselves, we can take breaks when it becomes too much.

block out their tags, stay in pro-endogenic ones, or logging off even. don’t go to their level of harassment/hate. the plural community is about love and acceptance. that includes for every plural, even the ones who believe in sysmed rhetoric.

we can correct their misinfo, but there’s no reason to hurt them back. i hope you’re doing okay, and taking breaks if you need them.

I mean... there can be value to tossing fuel on a fire. Especially if your goal is getting attention by getting that fire to burn bright enough.

There's a legitimate risk of pushing people to double down on their beliefs. That type of backfire would obviously be bad.

But some people are attracted to the blaze. People are curious creatures by nature. A lot of anti-endos had me blocked before. Now they've taken another look at my blog because of the fire.

There is a value to infamy, I've found. Even being talked about in a negative way can attract more attention to a cause than not being talked about at all. I've actually had multiple anti-endos whose minds I've helped change come to this blog before and tell me it was because of how infamous I was in the anti-endo community and how much they talked about me.

Perhaps I took the wrong lesson away from that and decided that I should actively try to ensure my infamy remains intact.

But I think using and maintaining their perception of me personally can be advantageous since it lets my name breach the deepest chasms of their echo chambers.

While this particular post was driven by a building anger... there has also been an overall goal of making myself enough of a nuisance to keep them talking about me in their circles. Because if people constantly hear how terrible I am, at least some of them are going to be curious and want to check out my blog to see if it's as bad as everyone is saying.

And then hopefully once they've been baited into showing up, that's when their defenses can be eroded away by reality. No, they won't instantly accept it, but hopefully if they can start doomscrolling my blog the same way a lot of us end up doomscrolling r/systemscringe, the information I provide can worm its way past their defenses and wear them down over time.

It does feel, at a certain level, a lot of anti-endos are only willing to engage with endogenic systems who they think will confirm their worst opinions about endogenic systems. If so, maybe making them see me personally as a danger in order to trick them into coming onto my blog and being exposed to resources that would never reach them in their echo chambers is a good tactic

I don't know. 🤷‍♀️

I have no idea if this is actually effective as a strategy. My big worry is that I've been rationalizing a counterproductive tactic because it allows me to speak out in anger, because there's a part of me that does just want to hurt people that hurt us and people I care about, or maybe even because I enjoy the negative attention on some level. And while I know some people who are drawn in by it, I don't know the number people who it pushes away.

All of these things are going through my head.

But by the gods, I'm actually getting engagement from anti-endos! It's not good engagement, maybe. But I provide facts and people block me straight away or ignore whatever I'm saying, then I say something deliberately hurtful that gets publicized in their spaces and now they're paying attention!

I hate that this strategy feels as effective as it does. That it's seemingly successful in getting their attention, where providing information alone kept getting me blocked on sight and causing them to shutdown.

And the fact that this is also conditioning me towards worse behavior is also not lost on me.

[walker-extended-universe]

A Killer by Any Other Name, Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Relationship(s): Liam Walker & Cordell Walker, Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell, Micki Ramirez & Cordell Walker

Tags/Warnings: Graphic Description, Murder, Investigations, Wrongful Imprisonment, Mistaken Identity

Summary: Cordell Walker is accused of twelve counts of first degree murder due to some damning evidence. Problem is, he didn't do it. Liam is determined to prove this so he calls on an old friend, Malcolm Bright, for some help. Meanwhile, Sam Winchester hears of the case and it doesn't take him long to figure out Walker has been pinned for one of their hunts. He can't sit by and watch an innocent man go to jail so he resolves to help in any way he can.

Written for @augustofwhump Day 7: Promise

Taglist: @theladywyn, @ihavepointysticks, @klaatu51, @itsjessiegirl1, @neptunium134

-------------

"So what are we looking at here?" Dani asked.

Malcolm shrugged and settled into his airplane seat. "I'm not sure; haven't had a chance to look at the case file yet." He pulled his briefcase into his lap. "Wanna do that now?"

"May as well; we'll have a few hours to kill."

It was a pretty straightforward case. 12 dead bodies (“Dodeca homicide,” Bright helpfully supplied) and one fateful DNA test tied in with a few witness statements made Cordell Walker, Texas Ranger, their prime suspect. “No one actually saw him do it, right?”

“No,” Bright confirmed. “But the neighbors pegged someone matching his general description being in the area at the time and the DNA is a near perfect match. Plus, he doesn’t have a solid alibi….”

“Seems pretty cut and dry to me, sad as it is. Why are we looking into this?”

“Our suspect’s brother is an old college friend of mine and he’s convinced there’s something wrong with the case. He called me in as a favor to get a second opinion before it gets to court. Just looking at the case, I don’t think we actually have to figure out who solved the case; we just need to prove that it wasn’t our good friend Walker.”

“And how are we going to do that?”

“By creating a criminal profile and proving that he doesn’t fit it.”

“Will that work? I mean, could you convince a jury?”

“I don’t have to convince a jury,” Malcolm said. “I just have to convince the prosecution to drop the charges and return the investigation to the DPS so they can get back to looking for the actual criminal.”

“Assuming Walker is innocent.”

“Yes, assuming Walker is innocent.” Malcolm sighed. “I really hope he is. I’d hate to let down a friend.”

“Hey, if this guy is guilty, then you’re not the one that let your friend down, okay?” Dani said, petting Malcolm's leg. “His brother did that all on his own.”

“I know, I know. I just….” he shook his head. “I just hope he’s innocent.”

“That’s all we can do.” Dani was saved from any further useless comforting by the flight attendants starting the safety presentation. In just a few hours, they’d be in Texas. Then, the real work would begin. Hopefully, they weren’t flying out there for nothing.

—--------

Cordell flipped mindlessly through reality TV channels, trying to find something to distract him from the quiet house. He was lucky to be allowed to come home instead of waiting in a cell, but the drawback was that his family couldn’t be there. Aside from Liam, as his lawyer, and an armed babysitter, he was alone. He was too dangerous to be among humanity and was only given these small comforts by mercy of a few technicalities.

Normally those tiny laws irritated him because they made his job harder. Now, he couldn’t be more grateful. But he knew it was only a small mercy. With no other suspects and some hard evidence against him, he’d likely go away for life, no matter how innocent he was.

Just thinking about where his future was likely heading was depressing. Too bad there was nothing good on TV to distract him.

A knock on the door startled him so badly he almost reached for the gun he wasn’t allowed to hold anymore. He smiled when he saw who was on the other side of it. “Hey, Micki. I can’t believe the guard dogs let you in.”

“Hey.” Micki stopped at the end of the couch. “You look comfy.”

He shrugged. “I’m not going to complain. Could be a lot worse.”

She sighed. “I don’t know about that. I’ve gone over every detail of this case about a hundred times and I’ve got nothing. We might be able to argue against the eyewitness accounts since the crime scene is in such an isolated area but…. It’s hard to refute DNA evidence.”

“I know,” he said softly. “I wasn’t expecting you to pull a miracle. Just- Thanks for trying.”

“Hey, I’m not giving up yet, partner. Everyone knows you didn’t do it. We just have to figure out a way to prove it, that’s all. And I won’t stop until I do.”

“I know. Just- Don’t be too hard on yourself, okay?”

She nodded. “I’ll try.”

They were distracted from any further consolations by another knock on the door. This time, it was Liam- and he had some guests.

“This is Malcolm Bright and Detective Dani Powell. I asked them to help with your case.”

“We already have a team of investigators,” Micki said.

“But do you have a profiler?” Malcolm asked. “That’s what I do. I’ve been talking to Liam and I think if I can convince the DPS that you’re just not the right suspect for the case, that will get you out of the hotseat.”

“You don’t sound very confident,” Cordell said.

“It’s a long shot,” Malcolm admitted. “But I promise I’ll do everything I can to prove your innocence.”

Cordell nodded. For some reason, he believed this stranger. “Alright. Where do we start?”

Malcolm smiled. “Why don’t we start with your side of the story?”

—-----------------

Sam found himself a decent motel room on the outskirts of Austin. If he was going to try to help, he needed a game plan first. This wasn't like a normal hunt, where he’d need to show his face to the cops maybe once and be able to trick them with an ID they probably wouldn’t inspect too closely. A high-profile arrest like this probably already had FBI agents on it and the last thing he wanted to do was attract their attention. He needed a way to anonymously help the investigation without getting close enough that they’d ask questions.

Dean was probably right that he was stupid to even consider this, but he couldn’t let someone else face the consequences for his own mistakes. He needed to fix this, or he’d never forgive himself.

The first thing he needed to do was figure out what went wrong. He got out his laptop and got to work hacking into the Austin DPS case files. There had to be something useful in there. If he could just figure out what evidence he needed to disprove….

After about an hour of poking around their cybersecurity, Sam was able to get in and locate the file for the Ranger’s arrest. And there, he found his answers. Very close DNA match and witness testimony.

Not very easy to fix. Actually, nearly impossible to fix. An eyewitness was bad enough, but combine that with DNA…. There wasn’t much Sam could do to undo that. Not without presenting better evidence that someone else was behind the case, which would be basically impossible.

Unless….

Unless he did get close enough to get involved. Unless he presented himself as a potential suspect. Unless he was suspicious enough to get the blame thrown off of Walker and onto him. Their DNA was obviously close enough and there was an uncanny resemblance.

It was risky, but it would work. He just needed to make sure he didn’t really get caught.

Wouldn’t be the first time he ran out of town by the seat of his pants. What was one more FBI charge?

[ganymedesclock]

okay your idea about your Eggman being more of a Superman villain is very interesting! I'm curious what you think are the characteristics of a proper Superman villain because apart from being selfish I can't really think of anything for that

So with the obvious corollary that anything as long-running as Superman has 'meant' a lot of different things to a lot of different people, my primary footholds in the Man of Steel's mythos are Superman: The Animated Series, and more recently, My Adventures With Superman.

To me, "what Superman is about" as posited by STAS is a kind of optimistic retrofuturism. Not optimistic in the sense that it's a utopia with no problems, but in that it is a story with its head lifted, gazing hopefully at the stars and asking the question, what are humans capable of? What's our potential? What can we become, if we put our minds to it?

This is an ideology that you can find just as well-embodied in that series' incarnation of Lois Lane- madam high standards alpha reporter- as it does in, say, Lex Luthor. The superman villains aren't generally depicted as antagonists of progress- they are depicted as sinister or selfish aspects of progress. Luthor seeing himself as the greatest man who is not opposed to Superman until he realizes Supes can't be bought. It's a battle over what sun will rise over the city of tomorrow.

This is interesting to approach in a Sonic lens, granted, because the Sonic franchise doesn't really concern itself all that much with 'the future' generally speaking, the occasional dalliance in time travel aside. At least where the main characters are concerned, the goal is a lot more grounded in the present, in right now- and only looking forwards enough to ensure that there will be more right nows to enjoy.

Like Superman, Eggman is a character who's meant a lot of different things, (and I'm a lot more versed in different Sonic incarnations than I am with Superman) but one of the guiding throughlines of Eggman is that he is a city-builder. This is a guy with big designs on the future- designs that are so important for him that even his nastiest incarnations can be semi-regularly counted on to help save the day just so there's a future there for him to take over.

One concept I rotate around with my take on Eggman specifically is that he is a "miracle worker" in the best and worst way. He is the guy who can just transcend limits that are holding you back! Why tolerate being shown up by some smug punk who's better than you when you could run circles around him? Your sorry situation has a solution and you can just trust the smartest guy in the world to fix it up for you!

There's a period of time in the IDW Sonic comics where Eggman loses his memory, and what fascinates me about this is that without his memory of commitments, he defaults to fixing everything, and being overjoyed to do it. When that exact incarnation can also be absolutely terrifying- Ian Flynn writes a very scary Eggman- I'm enraptured by this notion of an Eggman who sees all of his destructive, supervillainous, domineering actions as fixes. This is a problem, that's a problem, the people who refuse to agree with him about the right way to do things are a problem, the government is a problem and that damned hedgehog that keeps breaking all his things is the problem. But he'll fix it all! The doctor is in!

This is a guy who is very concerned about a Bright Future guided by science, and depending on the guy, he might actually be onto something... but he also might be mentally casting you as a footnote in his magnum opus.

[jgf444]

Mavericks: Prologue

Ok so this is a story I’m making that takes some inspiration from transformers(The Bayverse and only the good parts), Men in Black, and pieces from The Fifth Element. Basically I’m making a science fiction action movie script. Enjoy!

Prologue

[Visual: We zoom in on a flat screen TV in a dark room. The static flickers a bit before a company logo, I.E.E. Innovative Entertainment Enterprises, appear on screen, with a nice little jingle along with it. The symbol is a cube inside a see through 3D Triangle. The screen slowly covers the entire screen.]

“I.E.E, for the visionary in yoouuuuu!”

[Visual: A blond woman in a white flight attendant uniform walks into a white room and faces the screen with a friendly, almost too cherry smile. Cheery upbeat music is playing throughout the entire infomercial.]

Naya:

“Hello, future citizen! My name is Naya Current, your guide for the day. If you are seeing this digital message on whatever electronic device you have with you, you are currently entering the greatest city on the planet, the one and only, Aurora!”

(the real city is this, but with a lot less plant life a and way up above the clouds)

Naya: 

“Here we have it folks! Your new home for hopefully the rest of your joyful lives! Witness the pinnacle of both technology and nature as Aurora history is a large and grand as the city your eyes are staring at right now!”

[Visual: Little animations appear on screen to depict the history of Aurora. Think The Infographic Show’s animations but with more detail and motion.]

Naya(Voiceover): 

“Long ago, in the year 2006, our great founders Dr Cornelius Bulb and Professor Barter Dixnous were just regular young scientists at Harvard, when they found the remains from a meteor from space that sank an entire island. In the ruins, they found a beacon of the future and changed the world as we know it today, thanks to one miracle energy source: Etheron!”

[Visual: A 3D giant shining white shard appears on the screen.]

Naya(Voiceover): What can’t this little guy do? It doesn't use the remains of dead animals or plants, it’s almost completely self-charging, meaning it sometimes just needs other sources of energy to keep on ticking, and it’s 100% renewable. Even if the Etheron from one shard is used up, it still can be used for strengthening other Etheron! Unfortunately, Etheron didn’t catch on immediately, and soon, in the year 2011, the overuse and abuse of other types of energy nearly destroyed the earth as we know it… 

But, the Etheron both Bulb and Dix underwent a miracle of legendary proportions, as they managed to gather it all together and combine to create the very thing that keeps this city floating: The Ether Core. 

[Visual: A large glowing white ball is shown to be inside the center of the island that holds the city.]

Naya(Voiceover):

“With that, and with the Eneron Core using the same island it destroyed as Aurora’s ground, left the ruined earth below forever  and came to the sky twice the size of Texas and with an infinite energy source to boot! We never really knew what happened too that world we left behind.”

“Now in the year of 2674, you can see that it’s hard to take of a city the size of a nation. But you can rest easy knowing it’s gotten a whole lot easier with our best friends. Robots.”

[Visual: The screen flickers again as a headline reading Robots: The Best Of Us]

Naya (Voiceover):

“Robots do our shopping. They cook for us. Serve our meals. Clean for us. Offer emotional support. They take good care of us.”

[Visual: A bright, animated scene of an orange robot with large clunky eyes on a wheel, washing dishes. The robot then appears unclogging a shiny gray toilet, then sweeping trash from the streets with precision. The robot whirs happily.]

Naya (Voiceover):

“They even help us with things we don’t really want to do anymore.

[Visual: The cheerful robot suddenly gets hit by a speeding car, breaking into pieces as screws and bolts fly in all directions.]

Naya (Voiceover, cheerfully):

“Don’t worry! Even if our robots fall to pieces, they will be treated with the utmost dignity and honor. Theyll be put to rest in the lower world below, with the rest of their brethren.”

[Visual: A garbage truck slowly dumps broken robot debris off the edge of the city, into a swirling abyss below. The camera zooms in on a robot’s severed head, which winks at the camera. A severed hand next to it raises a thumbs up.]

Naya (Voiceover, with a chuckle):

“Rust in pieces, guys. Rust in pieces.” [Cue Laugh track]

[Visual: The screen suddenly turn black out of seemingly nowhere.]

“Now, some unfortunate and troubled robots are not interested in helping this great city grow and helping out their fellow man or machine.”

[Visual: A red warning message flashes on screen: Warning. This real live footage of robbery by android may disturb small children and certain people. Viewer discretion is advised.]

[Visual: We cut to security footage of a bank when it’s business as usual until an explosion blows the doors off their hinges and rocks the entire building. A 9 feet tall dark blue robot with an athletic humanoid shape, really the only thing different was the steam coming out of multiple holes in his metallic body, the multiple robotic details on his body (think Jaegers except not as many lights, a lot more flexibility and leaner design), and the fact that he had a large circular light that changes colors based on his emotions, storms into the building and slams his hands on the desk, cracking it a bit and scaring the bank tellers. His voice was loud and angry, and he sounded like he had a shard of glass lodged into his foot at all times.]

???: 

“WHERE IS IT?!”

Female Bank Teller(Scared):

 “W-What? I… don’t understand-“

???: 

“WHERE….IS….THE….MONEY? UNDERSTAND?!?”

The sound of the very angry robot's voice cracks the glass in front of the bank teller, frightening her even more. A security officer walks up to the robot holding a badge.

Officer:

 “Okay buddy, I understand you’re not very happy. But you’re disturbing the public and threatening our staff, so I’m gonna have to ask you to leav-“

???: 

“SHUT UP!!”

[Visual:The robot’s hand morphs into an arm cannon that charges up and blasts the man in the chest, with the bank teller screaming in horror.]

[Visual: Cut to the same robot stomping through the streets, crushing cars and smashing walls while escaping two  police cars . He turns towards them in the middle of the road and growls angrily.]

???:

“Die, you pathetic skin-puppets!”

[Visual:His left shoulder opens up to reveal a miniature cannon that launches grenades at the cars, blowing them up along with blowing a few pedestrians away. The blue robot laughs in victory before climbing onto a brick building, beating at his chest and roaring at the people below.]

Naya(Voiceover, disheartened:)

“We do not know why these beloved robots go rogue, nor do we think the reason will be found anytime soon. What we do know…”

[Visual: The robot is suddenly sent flying by a missile blast into a nearby ice cream truck, crashing into it.] 

Naya(Voiceover, hopeful): “is that we have saviors on our side. We have Mavericks.”

[Visual: Another robot walks out of the smoke created by the missile to reveal an 8’7 feet tall Cyborg with thick iron legs supporting a large raven black steel chest sporting an orange core in the center with a surprising human head on top of the torso, a white bearded head that was just the right size to be on the of middle age, gruff visage and of slightly flabby features, like he was in a war for the better part of a decade and he was very fond of high fat food. The most striking feature is that he had black sclera and green irises and he had black armor at his neck and the upper part of his head(covering forehead and hair). He also seemed to have a cigar in his mouth. He retracts the rocket launcher from his back and walks toward the crawling blue robot. He spoke with a rough, militant, and passive tone, like he didn’t take the other bot seriously, and looks at a digital screen on his arm.]

???:

“D-5457. Factory Worker Bot. Recently broke out a couple weeks ago and now has gone on a rampage throughout the northern part of the Delta area. Crimes are: Grand Theft Auto, Property Damage, Assault, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Assault Resulting in Bodily Harm, Homicide against both Human and Machine Life, Theft, Murder, and Battery. Apparently calling yourself “Drill-Jaw” now. Good for you.”

[Visual: Drill-Jaw spits out a bit of oil as he get to his feet, glaring at the other robot in fury]

Drill-Jaw:

“Steel-Pack. Heard around town there was a bounty on your head. 500,000 cads, they say. Wonder if they pay extra for bringing the head in.”

Steel-Pack,chuckling a bit): 

“So, you know how to joke. I’m gonna put that on the personal comments. Funny.”

[Cue: Ballroom Blitz-Sweet]

[Visual: Driil-Jaw roars in anger and wipes off an ice cream cone off his head before unsheathing a red blade from his dorsal side on his right hand and charging towards Steel-Pack with it, who morphs his hand into an iron battle axe with bright orange edges and expertly blocks Drill-Jack’s sword before grabbing his wrist and pulling him forward, allowing Pack to break Jaw’s arm, causing him to scream in pain]

Drill-Jaw: 

“AAARGH!”

[Visual: Jaw uses his good arm to morph into a cybernetic cannon fire a dark blue energy blast at Pack, who dodges it with ease as it blows up a nearby car and transforms his own hand into a gun and proceeds fires multiple energy rounds at Jaw, who takes considerable external damage from the attack, bringing him to his knees. Jaw sees a nearby lamppost, rips it off the ground, and attacks Pack with it, who catches the weapon, crushing it and, using tiny thrusters in his dorsal side, gut-punches Jaw, who coughs a bit before falling face first on the ground. Flying police cars land on the ground soon after, and a man in a black suit comes out.]

Police Official Jones: 

“Looks like you had this one handled. Unlike the two men we sent.”

Steel-Pack: 

“Jones, what happened to the reinforcements I requested? Why was there only two police cars in pursuit?”

Jones: 

“Some recent recruits thought they ‘had in the bag’ and that ‘It wouldn’t take long.’ Rookies.”

Steel-Pack:

“They endangered nearby civilians and buildings for their own egos. See to it they get janitorial duties for the rest of the month.”

Jones:

“Already on it. Good work, by the way.”

Steel-Pack:

“Just my job, officer.”

[Visual: We freeze frame on Pack in a black and white filter as a camera snap is heard in the background]

Naya(Voiceover):

“Law enforcement. Warriors. Heroes. Mavericks are the brave men and women, human or mechanical, who have the wills and the skills to protect the people of this great city. But how do we get these great fighters?”

[Visual: An animation depicting the creation of Mavericks is shown on screen]

Naya(Voiceover):

Through a process created in the year 2047, a system still considered revolutionary today, brave individuals can volunteer for their lives to be changed forever as robotic parts and Cores, the engines of these saviors, are transplanted into their already exceptional bodies, minds, and souls, turning them into real life superheroes and protectors of the innocent. They were here when Aurora first was founded, and we pray they will always be here to protect us all.

[Visual: We are shown a silhouetted group of Mavericks in the distance of a sunset surrounded by grass as epic swelling music begins to play. Cut to a black screen. The camera shows the head of a humanoid skeletal frame made of metallic parts, that is slowly covered by pale white sinew reminiscent of real human muscle until it forms a face, captured in detail from side and high angles. A steel helmet with one strip for eyes (think of the robocop) is put on the face, then the visor glows blue. Next, the camera jumps to the low-angle view of the side of the skeletal body, same thing happens, artificial sinews form the shape of the body, then covered by metal plates that glow blue as it's fitted into the robot. The next is the legs. After that the camera zooms out dramatically to show not just one, but a silhouetted line of similar robots (with slight differences) against bright blue lighted letters that spell out the words: MAVERICKS]