#been thinking about them as brothers recently

[muffinlance]

Consider: Post-canon Zuko wakes up in the body of his childhood self, the morning of That War Meeting. Would he still speak against the plans, knowing his fate? What do you think he would do differently the second time around?

"Turned away at the doors, Zuzu?"

"Shut up, Azula," her brother sulked. But sulked weirdly, after staring at her too long and too wide-eyed, not like she'd surprised him but--

But like he hadn't expected her to be there. At all.

He turned away. ...He turned back. "Hey, Lala? Do you think you could help me practice that one set?"

He didn't meet her eyes.

She narrowed hers. "Which set?"

"The one I'm bad at."

She scoffed. Pushed away from the wall she'd been leaning against. "That's all of them, Dum-Dum."

He didn't shout or stomp or yell about the nickname. His lips twitched.

"It's okay," he said. "If you're afraid you won't be a better teacher that my instructor..."

It was the most obvious manipulation ever.

Perhaps if he proved an adequate firebending student, she'd work on his courtly survival skills next. Honestly, it was good that not even Uncle Gets-Cousins-Killed had been fool enough to take Zuko into that war meeting. She could only imagine how terribly that could have gone.

"Keep up," she said, and turned her steps towards the training grounds.

He did. There, and during the katas she ran him through.

Azula kept her eyes narrowed.

"Hey," he asked, "do you know how to bend lightning yet?"

As if he could have missed it, if she'd been able to get more than sparks. "I will soon," she said.

"You will," he agreed, and flowed through his next set. The one she'd only just mastered.

Father didn't notice how weird Zuzu was being. Uncle never noticed anything. Zuko ate dinner and asked a servant for seconds and didn't stutter or flinch or lose his appetite when father asked, coolly, what he'd done with his day. Azula's shoulders tensed, because one mention of how she'd squandered her own training time teaching him--

"Azula hogged the training grounds. For hours," Zuzu scowled, exactly like a petulant thirteen year old.

Exactly like he hadn't been acting all day.

By the time Father was looking her way, Azula had her usual smirk in place. "I'm sure there would be room for both of us," she said, "you're not afraid of a little friendly fire, are you, brother?"

Zuko sulked. And ate his seconds, like he was enjoying each bite. There was something in his eyes, like a joke no one else was getting.

---

Father died that night. A heart attack. There were the faintest of burns to either side of the treacherous organ; the royal physician hypothesized that he'd grabbed at his chest, fingers burning hot in his final moments; so hot they'd only exacerbated the problem.

The royal physician would never have been brought any victims of lighting strikes. Those that occurred in the capital did not generally require a doctor in the aftermath.

Zuzu ate a hearty breakfast.

He didn't order seconds. Azula gave him points, at least, for not being tacky.

---

The sages named Iroh as regent.

They named Zuko as Fire Lord.

"No," the tiny Fire Lord in his perfectly miniaturized Fire Lord robes said, sitting at the head of his war council. "We're not doing that. And I'll be reviewing all recent battle plans, as well. What's this I hear about a division of new recruits being deployed to the front?"

He did not mention how he'd heard of the 41st Division. No one asked.

"Prince Iroh, surely--" one of the generals tried to appeal.

The young Fire Lord's regent was looking as startled as the rest of them, for a moment. Then he sipped his tea, and smiled.

"Your Fire Lord is correct, of course. A change in our leadership--a change the other nations may mistakenly view as weakness--will necessitate a change in our strategy."

"Now," said their lord, "what, exactly, is our overall objective in this war?"

War, the new Fire Lord decreed, was not an end unto itself.

---

The new Fire Lord continued to have time, to pretend to be trained by her. Azula watched him. Adjusted her footwork. Did not tolerate, and was not offered, any commentary on who was teaching who.

"What did you do with my brother?" she asked, as they flowed from one set to the next. As her hands, poised to throw fire, just so happened to be pointed his way.

He missed a step. It didn't look like an act.

"I'm, uh. Right here?"

She didn't bother to dignify that.

He didn't bother to look worried about her hands, one movement off from a true attack.

He looked around, then grabbed her sleeve, and tugged her further from any walls that may hide ears. The royal family's private training grounds were wonderfully large, and wonderfully open.

"It's me," he said. "It's still me. Just. More of me? Longer of me?"

She narrowed her eyes. A familiar expression, by this point. "Explain."

"...I found the Avatar," he said. "And this is definitely his fault, but--but I guess it started at a war meeting, when I was thirteen."

Azula listened. It was a very Dum-Dum story.

[cameforstuff]

Alternate for Stan getting his memories back, where he actually thinks he is Stanford. It's almost impossible to convince him otherwise because it makes just enough sense.

Not only are his most recent memories him pretending to be Ford, but he also has the memories of them as children. They were always together, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch. These two sets of memories would be remembered the quickest. (The drifter years are lost for a while without anything to remind him.)

Since he had to learn a lot for the portal, he believes himself to be smart enough to be 'Stanford who has forgotten things.' Imagine they try to convince him by giving a math problem, but he can actually do it.

People in town would not be helpful. To them, he has literally always been Stanford Pines.

To make it worse, he has had self-loathing for most of his life, so imagine him saying something terrible about himself to Ford. Ford has to grapple that this is what Stan thought Ford thought. (And he's a little right)

Oh god, what if he thinks 'his brother Stanley' is actually dead because he remembers being Stanford at the funeral. He cries when he thinks Ford is his 'dead brother.'

[llamabois]

TO LOVE AND HATE, ENDLESSLY

Synopsis: You and your twin sister (MC) have been spending time with your parents. They decide it would be fun for you guys to play dress up and guess who is who. Caleb ends up joining in to your dismay.

No warnings are needed other than a bit of swearing, lol.

Side note: tried to use some pilot terms, but I might've failed lmao.

Taglist: @justpassingdontworry @macaronnya @itsmekalou @caramelizedpopcirn @xiaorixx

You are your own worst enemy. Not that you'd ever have expected that. It's been two weeks since your mirror reflection has come back into your family's life, and while you're happy for your parents, a part of you wishes you ate her in the womb.

Her eyes crinkle in the same way yours does, a smile a little lopsided. When she gets nervous, she plays with her fingers as if doing so will make a spell to banish away her fear. Just like you.

The first fear you've ever faced was your own reflection, so now you've learned to put two fists up to face your inner demons. You try bonding with her. Asking her about her childhood.

She tells you about how she grew up with her amazing childhood friend Caleb. Told you how he was almost like a brother to her. Almost, but not quite. Her eyes stir with a muted desire that matches your own when you look into his beautiful purple irises. She doesn't acknowledge this. Neither do you.

Shadowboxing is not an art you are unfamiliar with. For you were your first enemy. And you will be your last. Until you break bread with the parts of you that your heart has never understood; You will break bones and wreak havoc on your own psyched up psyche till nothing but the two of you are left breathless yet still attached.

Yet you still choose not to face him. Not until you're forced to.

Your parents have decided to take some time to do all the things they've always wanted to do with both of you but never could. And this time, you two were playing dress up.

Due to the fact that your hair was long (even though you've been thinking of cutting it recently,) you both sported the same bun with a pretty extravagant dress. How your parents got them, you'll never know.

"My goodness, you two are identical!"

Your sister laughs at this comment and turns towards you. "I've always felt like there was a part of me missing. At least I know it wasn't because my heart went dumb."

You want to feel warmth in your chest. You want to feel sorry for your dear twin who suffers from a heart condition after you lost her. You want to love her. Yet your fists are still up, and your heart is hidden on your sleeve.

And to think you're feeling this way all because of a damn man.

There's a ring at the doorbell, the two of you had changed again to match into some more casual clothes. Your mom excitedly goes to open the door. You pay no mind as you look at your sister and smooth out her hair that looked a little frazzled.

She looks at you intently, shocked by the sheer awe of looking at yourself outside of your body yet still within yourself.

She knows you're not all too happy to see her. And she has a feeling she knows why.

"Girls," your mom calls excitedly. "Guess who's here!"

You both look to the entrance of the living room, and your stomach does flip when you see who is standing there. His frame large against the small door. His eyes, some what in awe.

Not for you, of course, never for you.

"Caleb, dear, would you like to play a little game with us?" Your mom asks with a clap of excitement.

"Guess who is who between the two of them."

"We've got 3 out of the 6 times, right? Not bad, huh?" Your dad chimes in, proud.

As if not being able to tell which daughter you've held in your arms and taken care of the past 23 years of your life is something to be proud of. You digress.

You were identical.

"Sure," Caleb says as he takes a seat on the couch. Casually, he leans into the crook of the chair away from your parents. Manspreading like he owned half of the chair with just his presence. Purple eyes watched you both intently as you both switched positions a few times.

You tried to keep your expression neutral. But you knew that Caleb would probably be able to tell right away who his beloved Pipsqueak was and who was just a Bandit.

You both continue to circle each other. As you look at her, you look at yourself. A yin yang behavior. To circle each other endlessly till parts of you bled into who you've hated to be. To both be exactly alike, yet nothing at all the same.

To be yourself is to love and hate endlessly.

"And stop." Your dad says, clapping once.

You both look toward Caleb, who gazes intently at you. His eyes are heavy on your body. You want to look away, but everything within you wants to fight for a stupid victory. So you don't.

"This is pipsqueak, and this is my angel." He says, pointing at your sister and then you.

"Angel?" You question. "How did you come to this conclusion, Colonel."

"Well first," he smiles. "Pipsqueak doesn't call me Colonel. So you just proved my point, my dear mechanic."

Dammit.

"Okay, what else."

Caleb gets up from his spot on the couch and makes his way towards you, as if she wasn't there. As if no one else was around.

"Well...my dear angel often as a really defiant gaze when she looks at people. Especially me. Sometimes it borders on hatred I think." He smiles. "Unless it was something else." He whispers.

You look away.

You choose to run from his words rather than listen to them. How could he know that you wanted to jump into his skin, and carve a piece of yourself into him permanently? That you wanted the weight of his body on top of yours. The warmth of his chest, the desire in his eyes, the whirling of the mechanical arm that was never going to be a part of him yet still held a part of you every time that you tinkered with it in your workshop.

How you wanted the sound of that robotic arm to lullaby you to sleep as he wrapped himself around you brought his real arm to your stomach and caressed it gently.

He truly knew nothing.

Son of a bitch.

"True," you chuckle with a dark gaze. "But it doesn't border on hatred. It is."

"Oh, you know that isn't true."

"What i know is that there are somethings you don't come back from, and if you don't step out of my fucking face, I'll make sure that you face a death you don't came back from." You fake a gasp, "Oh damn, I should say, again. Shouldn't I."

Your sister watches your back and forth. At first, with amusement, but then also a sense of wrongness.

Like she wasn't supposed to be here.

She could tell there was something between you two. Something that was more than hate. It was desire. A language is so often hidden between the lines but felt so easily.

She had no place between that. After all, she was just Caleb's childhood friend, right?

Maybe she did feel something for him, a sense of belonging like no other. To have someone take care of you and treat you as a precious jewel when the world was determined to crush you. Caleb did that. He treated her as if she were a jewel. A diamond.

She shakes her head. She would be fine without him. Afterall, when this bastard blew the fuck up, she had to do everything on her own. And she'll continue to do so.

Or at least... she has her family still there with her.

"Oh angel, you wound me deeply." Caleb jokes sarcastically. But you're not having any of it.

"Would you like another fatal wound? I think we can make that happen."

At this point, your mom and dad left, and your sister also took her leave. Something about going to go change.

Caleb chuckles as he deepens the space between you two. His warm hand caressing your face. You want to throw something at him. Whether it's a chair or yourself, you can't decide.

"How did you know it was me." You asked again.

He comes closer, enough to feel his breath hot on your face. Enough for your eyes to linger at his lips a bit too long to be just friendly.

"Because," he whispered. "I'd know your little eyebrow quirk anywhere."

His hand traced your leg.

"The way you favor your right leg over your left when you stand, because of a classroom mishap you had when you were still studying at the DAA."

"The way you quirk your head to the left when you've been waiting for too long." His hand traced the nape of your neck. Then, he cupped your face and tilted your head towards him.

"The way your lips quiver with unspoken words. Your eyes, hungry."

How could he not know. It was the same look he gave you.

Not because you looked like her.

But because you were just you. Beautiful, utterly brilliant, bright-eyed, and amazing you.

He presses his lips to yours. The dryness of them, ticklish against your moist ones. His hands in your hair, as he breathes you in like you're the last bit oxygen he has left in deepspace.

You throw your arms around him. Your body flush against his, this moment, a dream. An endless yearning fulfilled like you've finally caught the sun after riding into the sunset.

Was this desire? Was it love? You don't know.

But you wanted to explore what it felt like to be loved.

Like a word lost in translation.

"Ay! I know yall are lovey dovey but no pda in my living room!" Your dad calls from the other room.

"Sorry, dad!"

He didn't want you to be her. He wanted you to be yourself.

And to be yourself is to love and hate endlessly.

[mandoriana]

One day, Obi-Wan and Anakin take Ahsoka and the clones to Dex's Diner, and one of the clones starts crying while drinking.

Obi-Wan: Five, what's the matter, friend?

Five: My boyfriend left me, General 😭

Anakin: Oh, buddy, don't cry, sometimes bad things happen for a good reason. Did this happen recently? Is that why you're crying?

Five: No, General.

Anakin: Wow, but if it was a long time ago, why are you still crying? Good grief, how long has it been?

Five: It was in March, sir. 😢

Anakin: Damn, he must have been really good for you to be suffering this much until now!

*Obi-Wan nudges Anakin to make him shut up*: And were you guys seriously dating?

Five: Yes, General.

*Anakin serves two mugs of drink for Five, Obi-Wan, and himself*

Obi-Wan: Wow, how long?

Five: We were together for about 2 years.

Anakin: 2 years! And you haven't dated anyone else since he broke up with you?

Five: No.

Anakin: And didn't even want to try again?

Five: No. 🥺

Anakin: Come on, Five, he didn't deserve you.

Obi-Wan: Why did this happen? Did he give you a good reason, at least?

Five *shakes his head*: He said I was overweight.

*The other clones fall silent, indignant*

Cody: That jerk called you fat, brother!?

Anakin *also indignant*: That son of a bitch! And you're sad about him!?

*Obi-Wan tries to pull Anakin to sit down and calm down*

Obi-Wan: Dear, sit down...

Anakin: Seriously, screw that guy, Five, you should be happy you got rid of that trash! *turns to Ahsoka and the clones* Right, boys?

Ahsoka and Clones: Yesssss!

Anakin: See? The boys are on your side, Five!

Ahsoka *laughing*: You guys just came to drink, Master, and now you're doing couples therapy 😂

Anakin: Take notes, Ahsoka, soon you'll learn that gossip connects you with your men. After all, what is a general without a special connection with his friends and soldiers, right boys?

Clones: YESSSS!

Anakin: See? 🤣

*Obi-Wan rolls his eyes affectionately at Anakin and turns back to Five*

Obi-Wan: So, Five, doesn't your ex-boyfriend have any friends? You know, for you to get with one of them and make him jealous?

*Anakin turns to Obi-Wan, shocked, and Ahsoka gets excited to speak too*

Ahsoka: Yes! You need to forget this guy. I mean, you've been upset for... *doing mental math* 25 months already!

*Anakin and Obi-Wan look disbelievingly at Ahsoka for getting the math wrong*

Anakin: 25 months, Snips? 🤔

Ahsoka *ignores her master*: Do you still see him?

Five: Yes.

Ahsoka: Great.

Five: He is my neighbor.

Obi-Wan: Even better! Are you neighbors?

Five: Yes, General, we live in the temple, he is one of the Jedi.

*Obi-Wan nods wisely*

Anakin: Wow, Five, you need to get with someone and moan loudly as soon as possible. Right, boys? 😏

Clones: Yessssss!

Ahsoka: And you, Cody, I know you're Five's friend. Why don't you help him out?

Cody: I tried, Commander.

Anakin: Do you know his ex-boyfriend?

Cody: Yes.

Obi-Wan: Was he a jerk?

Cody: Very much.

Obi-Wan: Was the way he treated Five a surprise to you or not?

Cody: Not at all, General.

Anakin: Of course, everyone expected it, except you, right, Five?

*Five drinks his drink and dramatically bangs his head on the counter*

Five: Not everyone can have the perfect relationship like you and Obi-Wan, General 🥺

*Anakin and Obi-Wan stare at each other, surprised*

Anakin: Are we in a relationship?

Obi-Wan: Maybe, but I'm not sure. I think I just found out.

Clones and Ahsoka: 🤣🤣🤣

[atopvisenyashill]

I'm not debating dark!Dany, because I think there's a lot of things that point towards that as well as a lot of things that don't, so I could easily see it going either way at this point. But I don't understand people characterizing Dany killing Mirri Maz Duur as "she burned her slave to death" because that had zero bearing on the situation? She doesn't burn her because she's a slave, she burns her for murdering her son, and if any other character had murdered her son, it seems pretty obvious that she would react the exact same way. And personally, that's a fully understandable and reasonable reaction to someone killing your child.

I've been seeing this characterization a lot recently, and you're someone who's takes I really enjoy, so I wanted to ask you why you specifically see it that way because it's a very confusing viewpoint to me.

A boy came, younger than Dany, slight and scarred, dressed up in a frayed grey tokar trailing silver fringe. His voice broke when he told of how two of his father's household slaves had risen up the night the gate broke. One had slain his father, the other his elder brother. Both had raped his mother before killing her as well. The boy had escaped with no more than the scar upon his face, but one of the murderers was still living in his father's house, and the other had joined the queen's soldiers as one of the Mother's Men. He wanted them both hanged.

I am queen over a city built on dust and death. Dany had no choice but to deny him. She had declared a blanket pardon for all crimes committed during the sack. Nor would she punish slaves for rising up against their masters.

“mirri killed her son” is devoid of the context that mirri is a slave though. that boy in the above text is a child, younger than dany. the slaves are adults, like Mirri. and like Mirri, in their anger, when given the option to harm someone who enslaved them, they chose harm, and they killed his family. if you were to describe it out of context “he doesn’t hate them because they are slaves he hates them because they murdered his family and raped his mom” it sounds awful. but when you factor in the power dynamic at hand it suddenly becomes uncomfortable and much more complex as a situation.

mirri, just like those slaves, is only in this situation because she is a slave. dany has the power to order her burned because she is a master. it’s absolutely relevent to the situation because the only reason this situation exists is because dany owns slaves and mirri is one of the slaves she owns.

let's take a comparison here - jon isn't a classist prick to pyp, grenn, small paul, and all the other boys, they're bullying him. that sounds like a wild thing to say but it's not wrong. they are bullying him, they are making fun of him because he is a bastard who should "know his place" underneath the people like alliser thorne and they enable alliser's behavior towards him with the repeated use of the "lord snow" nickname. but as tyrion points out the bullying is not devoid of context - in fact the context is more important because it explains the aggressive behavior. in reality, pyp, grenn, and small paul don't really care that much about jon being a bastard, they just don't like being made to feel like they're idiots and jon's prickly behavior does just that. it doesnt really matter that jon is being prickly because thorne is purposefully antagonizing him over being a bastard because ultimately, what the boys see is jon's class status and an attitude that strikes them as arrogant. the moment he starts using his prickliness in defense of them rather than against them, that trio becomes his devoted friends - and while people like chett and thorne really do care about the fact that jon is a bastard, as we see in chett's prologue chapter, chett is also very bothered by the fact that sam is immensely privileged and can read better because of it. is it sam's fault that he was born privileged? no. and yet his privilege results in a loss of station for chett and it leads chett down an abysmal and dark path. yes chett is responsible for his own decisions. but you cannot divorce chett's bitterness from the fact that he is lowborn and sam is highborn. it's not about "well chett is mean" it's about one person having immense privilege and one person being born in the dirt. it's not about "well dany would have killed mirri even if she wasn't a slave" it's about how dany was born with a fancy last name and mirri is raped repeatedly and watches everything she has built be destroyed directly because of something dany wants to do.

beyond that. i think that rhaego’s death is actually much more complicated than a cut and dry “mirri murdered dany’s son so dany burned her alive.” mirri does not act maliciously towards dany until after everything is said and done - because she does not have ill intent. no she isn’t selflessly helping dany. rather she is hoping to alleviate the humiliation and danger with being a slave by making herself useful. this meta here is a good breakdown of the entire situation from mirri's pov but look at what mirri is doing and saying, what she's actually doing, and not just dany's confused thoughts.

One of them, a thick-bodied, flat-nosed woman of forty years, blessed Dany haltingly in the Common Tongue, but from the others she got only flat black stares. They were suspicious of her, she realized with sadness; afraid that she had saved them for some worse fate.

“Silver Lady,” a woman’s voice said behind her, “I can help the Great Rider with his hurts. " Dany turned her head. The speaker was one of the slaves she had claimed, the heavy, flat-nosed woman who had blessed her.

Mirri Maz Duur studied Drogo, her face still and dead. "The wound has festered."

Mirri Maz Duur came with her, eyes heavy from sleep. “Drink,” she said, lifting Dany’s head to the cup once more, but this time it was only wine. Sweet, sweet wine. Dany drank, and lay back, listening to the soft sound of her own breathing. She could feel the heaviness in her limbs, as sleep crept in to fill her up once more. “Bring me …” she murmured, her voice slurred and drowsy. “Bring … I want to hold …” “Yes?” the maegi asked. “What is it you wish, Khaleesi?”

“You knew,” Dany said when they were gone. She ached, inside and out, but her fury gave her strength. “You knew what I was buying, and you knew the price, and yet you let me pay it.” “It was wrong of them to burn my temple,” the heavy, flat-nosed woman said placidly. “That angered the Great Shepherd.”

“It is not enough to kill a horse,” she told Dany. “By itself, the blood is nothing. You do not have the words to make a spell, nor the wisdom to find them. Do you think bloodmagic is a game for children? You call me maegias if it were a curse, but all it means is wise. You are a child, with a child’s ignorance. Whatever you mean to do, it will not work. Loose me from these bonds and I will help you.”

i don’t think she poisoned drogo. i think she attempted to help him to appease dany, because she doesn't want to be resold, & drogo doesn’t follow her directions. i think she’s actually very upset as it starts to sink in that drogo, to steal a tyrion line, is not just vicious he’s a vicious idiot.

and then dany asks her to do some pretty serious and dangerous magic. mirri gives dany very clear instructions.

“The time for that is past, my lady,” Mirri said. “All I can do now is ease the dark road before him, so he might ride painless to the night lands. He will be gone by morning.” Her words were a knife through Dany’s breast. What had she ever done to make the gods so cruel? She had finally found a safe place, had finally tasted love and hope. She was finally going home. And now to lose it all … “No,” she pleaded. “Save him, and I will free you, I swear it. You must know a way … some magic, some …”

Mirri Maz Duur sat back on her heels and studied Daenerys through eyes as black as night. “There is a spell.” Her voice was quiet, scarcely more than a whisper. “But it is hard, lady, and dark. Some would say that death is cleaner. I learned the way in Asshai, and paid dear for the lesson. My teacher was a bloodmage from the Shadow Lands.” “You must. Once I begin to sing, no one must enter this tent. My song will wake powers old and dark. The dead will dance here this night. No living man must look on them.”

jorah does not listen.

dany is right, mirri is trying to teach her but while mirri certainly sets a trap and knows very well if it goes off people are going to die, i think framing her as an evil conniving witch who got killed ONLY because she is partially responsible for rhaego’s death, completely ignores mirri’s frame of mind and the precarious situation she is forced into by dany herself. she is a slave. she is dany's slave. you cannot divorce that from what dany does to her or what she does to dany.

[writingtraumaforever]

Uncontrolled Chaos: Chapter 42

Notes: WARNING: This chapter contains some.. ~spicy~ conversations between Shads and Alt. Sonic. Read at your own risk. And Happy Valentine's Day. ;)

Summary: Sonic considers and overhears a new side of Shadow the Hedgehog he never even thought could exist.

UC Masterpost!

Link to my AO3!

Start:

Talking things out with Shads was one thing. Sure Sonic wasn’t angry with him anymore for keeping his alternate world relationship a secret. He understood the reasoning behind it and knows Shads was simply trying to spare his feelings. But that didn’t change the fact that knowing this information made things.. different now.

There had already been some sort of tension between them ever since Shads showed up in their world. The long, deep talks into the night. The lingering glances and even touches now and then. The way Shads would always keep close to Sonic and didn’t like if they had to stray far.

It all made sense now.

And that left things.. awkward.

It was one thing when Sonic could just blame it on the fact that there had always been some sort of tension between him and his own Shadow as well. The way when they were forced to be near one another, they were always bouncing off one another. Sonic would try and initiate some sort of banter, Shadow would either counter or roll his eyes at him. Sonic would make an off comment about how Shadow is always so grumpy to tease him and try and break the ice, Shadow would tell him he isn’t serious enough and can’t help he isn’t a fool like Sonic or some shit. Despite their seemingly constant conflict, they always came together when it counted. A silent understanding between the two of them that when it came down to saving those they care about, they were the only two capable of carrying the weight.

Sure, they more often than not tried to sacrifice themselves so the other wouldn’t have to get hurt.. Shadow was particularly good at doing this- though, Sonic thinks the most recent occurrence was likely with the Paradox Prism incident.. And that was a good few years back.

Neither of them ever talk about it..

Like they have an unspoken pact not to speak of what happened to them..

But at the end of the day, when the two of them teamed up, they were unstoppable. And they felt that. Shadow hating him or not, Sonic knew that even his darker counterpart couldn’t deny that there was a connection there..

The hero always dismissed it as them simply being the only two alive to possibly match and understand the other. That maybe there was intimidation there from Shadow.. That perhaps he partially hated Sonic because Sonic was on his level. That perhaps it wasn’t just hate, but also a form of respect. 

He thought perhaps that simply carried over a bit differently into the world Shads came from. That because the other version of him and Shads were closer in that world, it was more of a brothers-in-arms kind of bond than a rivalry like his and his own Shadow’s. That perhaps due to their closeness, Shads and his Sonic were nearly fully linked through whatever connection their chaos energy created..

Little did he know it was so much more than that.

And now that he does know?? The tension is different. It’s not easily dismissed or played off. It’s loud and demands attention and Sonic isn’t sure what to do with it.

The other Sonic already got pissed at just the thought of Shads being a little too close with Sonic..

How would he feel if he knew they were sharing a bed??

When they had gotten back to Tails’ place, everyone had found their places to sleep. Sonic honestly thought about taking the couch, but Knuckles had already perched himself there and was snoring. Gaia forbid Sonic wake him up and receive a knuckle sandwich. He assumed Rouge was still in the guest room, and Amy was likely still in Tails’ room.

Tails was in the garage.. Working on the radio. Go figure.

Much to both Sonic and Tails’ shock and slight amusement, it was Shads who approached the kit when they found him nodding off at the workbench. Tails flinching when he felt a palm touch his shoulder and jolt him from his almost-asleep state, the kit sighing a quiet, “I’m fine, Sonic, I don’t–” only to look up and find it was Shads’ hand there and not his older brothers.

His ears had folded back, eyes widening slightly as he muttered a simple, “Oh..”

“You need rest, Tails,” Shads had spoken, brows knitting with a soft smile, “Can’t be much of a help if your brain isn’t awake enough to even think properly.” Sonic approaches then with an amused little smile, watching how the fox relaxes a bit upon his approach, “He’s right. Need to sleep, buddy.”

Tails rolls his tired eyes, reaching a fist up to rub them as he yawns out, “M’not even that tired..” “Bed,” Shads says softly and yet firmly. As if this isn’t his first rodeo arguing with the kit on the matter, “Now.. you can get back to working on this in the morning..” 

Baby blue eyes look between the two hedgehogs a moment, a bit bloodshot from exhaustion. He hesitates.. And then sighs in defeat, knowing when he’s beat. He nods and slowly stands, “I can sleep in the hammock–” “Nonsense,” Shads shakes his head, a hand gently resting on the fox’s back to usher him towards the blue brother, “You and Sonic can take his room. You need to be able to sleep well, not in some crummy swing.”

Sonic’s hands reach out to pull Tails to him, one hand wrapping around his brother in a sideways hug while the other rubs his fur on top of his head playfully. Tails just groans and pushes Sonic’s hand away, leaning into him nonetheless. Sonic looks over his shoulder to Shadow when he turns to leave, silently questioning if Shads is sure. If he’ll be okay sleeping in the hammock..

“It’s fine,” Shads nods, reading Sonic’s mind. What’s left unsaid is in his eyes: it’s probably for the best anyway given the circumstances.

Don’t need to be giving alternate Sonic more reason to get upset.

Sonic offers a small and grateful smile before nodding and looking back to Tails as he leads him away, “C’mon, buddy. Let’s get ya to bed..”

They do. Sonic ending up simply resorting to carrying Tails on his back when they get to the stairs, not patient enough to wait for the kid’s lazy and slow steps. Tails falls asleep on his shoulder before he even makes it all the way up.

Sonic snorts at this, rolling his eyes and moving to carry his little brother to his room, laying him in bed and taking his shoes off before tucking him in. He watches him sleep a moment to make sure he’s out cold, and then he’s moving to the bathroom to allow himself the luxury of a shower. He needs it after these past few days.

As the water runs down his body washing all the dirt and sweat, he can’t help but think of how Shads had spoken to Tails.. Smiled at him. Cared for him.

Looking at it from the perspective of them all being roommates for so long in the alternate world was one thing.. But now that Sonic knew Shads and his Sonic were more?? He wondered if Shads felt more like the other Tails’ big brother, too. Or maybe it was something deeper..

While Sonic would never call himself a father to the kid, he did raise him. And when Tails was just a toddler, he did once call Sonic ‘dad’ only for Sonic to correct him and tell him he wasn’t ‘dad’, he was ‘bro’. And it stuck ever since.

But that thought had hit Sonic heavy way back then.. And it’s something he still often thinks about now. Whether he considers himself Tails’ brother or not, in certain terms, he had adopted him. Had taken him in, sheltered him, nurtured him, fed him.. He was a parental figure in some aspect for his little brother.

He couldn’t help but wonder if Shads had that sort of role with his Tails too..

It certainly seemed that way.

He had so many questions now that he knew about Shads and his Sonic, honestly. It was like his vision was widened, and he was seeing things more clearly. Getting more.. perspective.

It all still sort of stung.. Thinking about what could’ve been between him and his own Shadow had he gone looking for him..

Not that Sonic wanted to be dating Shadow! He didn’t.. But..

In the deepest and most personal parts of his mind.. the bits he’d never admit or voice aloud, not even to himself.. he can’t help but consider the conclusion that he and Shadow could.. be more. Him understanding or accepting or whatever you wanna call it-... that he wanted that with Shadow.. it didn’t matter. That wasn’t something he was even considering currently since he knew it to be an impossibility anyway. But he does wonder if.. if he had looked for Shadow after the ARK battle.. Would it have been the same as Shads’ world?? Or were he and his own Shadow’s fate simply doomed to be conflicting.. Was it simply not meant to be for them in this world??

As impossible and crazy as it may seem, would he and Shadow be.. in love??

All these thoughts had him climbing out of the shower and drying off only to begin making his way back down the stairs rather than climbing into bed next to his brother, grabbing a spare blanket on his way down.

He just really wanted to talk to Shads..

And was that such a crime?? Why shouldn’t he want to talk to the guy. Who cares if he’s in a relationship with an alternate version of him. He’s still a Shadow. And he’s still come closer to making Sonic feel more like himself than he has in a long time with anyone from his own world.

Why wouldn’t he want to be around the one person who can actually understand him while he still can?? Because eventually Shads will be gone.. And Sonic will be alone again.

He should take every second he can get, right?? Maybe Shads won’t mind.. it’s not like they’re having an affair or anything. They could both just chill in the hammock and talk some more and–

He stops at the garage door, hearing talking on the other side.

Frowning and furrowing his brows, he presses his ear to it to listen..

“Feel better?” ‘Fuck.. much, mhm.’

Sonic’s eyes widen.

Shads is talking with his Sonic… the other Sonic who currently sounds a bit wrecked.

“Good..,” Shads chuckles low, voice carrying a certain edge that makes Sonic shiver involuntarily behind the door, clutching the blanket folded in his arms a bit tighter to his chest.

“Don’t get too carried away, though.. Not without me there.” There’s a long whine that comes from over the radio, Sonic barely recognizing it as his own voice.

‘I don’know if I can wait that long, Shads..’

“You can,” Shads says firmly, “And you will.. Be patient.” ‘That’s not exactly where I excel, darling–’

Shadow snickers at this, “I’m aware.. But I also know how good you can be for me..” Sonic’s ears fold back.

“How good you like to be for me..”

Sonic’s tail perks straight up and stiff, curling up behind him without his consent as if to present and–

Oh Gaia, what’s happening???

The Sonic over the radio seems to be affected just as much, if not more. His voice sounding a bit breathy and pitiful.

‘Fuck you, Hot Topic, I need some sweet relief. And if I can’t get it from you, then–’

“Watch your mouth,” Shadow growls low, warning his lover not to say anything he can’t take back. Then Shadow sighs, taking a moment to gather himself, and then speaking, “You wouldn’t do that, would you, sunshine? Wouldn’t go looking for attention somewhere else., You’re too good for that..”

There’s another long whine, Sonic’s lips parting and teeth biting into his lower one as he listens.

‘No.. no, I can’t. Could be surrounded by a billion versions of you, and I’d still only have eyes for you, Shadow..’

“Good..,” Shads hums, a smile in his voice, “That’s my sweet boy.. See? It ain’t hard not to be a pain in the ass.” The other Sonic snickers over the radio, but there’s still some poutiness to his tone, ‘Wanna talk about a pain in the ass, that’s your job, baby..’

“And don’t you worry, love.. I’ll take good care of you when I get back. Won’t even be able to walk..” Sonic’s body is quivering, his knees uncomfortably pressing together.

“Gonna have to just lay in bed with me for days.. Let me love on you.. worship you like the god you are.. serve you.”

The other Sonic can be heard breathing a bit heavier through the speakers, and Sonic himself isn’t far behind.

“And I know you’ll take it.. so prettily and perfectly just like you always do. Ain’t gonna run that stupid mouth of yours or nothin’. You’ll just be dying for it.. Begging. Will open up for me so sweetly and show me just how much your poor little hole has missed my–”

Sonic drops the blanket with a quiet gasp, eyes wide as a very uncomfortable heat forms between his legs. He quickly moves to catch the blanket on reflex only to smack his head against the door to the garage with a grunt. That’s when he hears the familiar swish of something cutting through the air at ridiculous speeds, the doorknob to the garage twisting.

Sonic is out of there before he can even think the word ‘chilidog’, leaving the blanket he had been bringing to Shads behind on the floor.

Zooming right back upstairs to his bathroom and shutting and locking the door behind him.

Eyes wide.

Pupils huge.

Breath heavy.

And a major problem if he looks down.

Uh oh.

Shads, meanwhile, slowly bends down to pick up the blanket he found on the ground outside the door, brows furrowed at it as he looks around the inside of the home to find no one there..

But he knows good and well who it was. 

‘Shads?? Shads you still there??’

Uh oh.

[homestuckreplay]

take me down to the pesterlog city where jade’s text is green and john gets all petty

(page 1394-1406)

It’s pesterlog time!!!! In a 12 page spread (1391-1402) there are seven pesterlog pages representing five characters. I feel like I am a medieval peasant attending my first palace banquet. The rich offerings of character moments and variety of colors on display is blowing my gruel-fed brain.

The art also kicks ass this update! Tbh I am going to make a post about the art more generally as I’ve noticed some big changes recently (and some slow changes that are very apparent when jumping back) so for today I’ll just say: look at this super cool art of John exploring LOWAS on page 1395. He’s so clearly questing in a way that the sprite just can’t represent. I would get this framed for my wall.

I’m delighted to get a longer conversation with CG, who I’ve named Reggie. They’re actually fun and creative with their trolling techniques here, and knowing what they look like means I get to imagine this little grey kid grinding their fangs as they tap away on their keyboard furious at a comparatively sweet and clueless guy. They look like a goofy nerd whose bark is way worse than their bite.

‘IT WOULD MAKE ME SICK TO MY HUMAN STOMACH IF I HAD ONE OF YOUR HUMAN STOMACHS’ is VERY funny. Reggie feels similar to the Felt and Midnight Crew in being so over-the-top in their violence that it loops back around to being funny. And John’s reactions are good too – he’s not upset at the trolling like Jade is, he’s hilarious and willing to turn Reggie’s snark back on them. Their willingness to play off each other definitely increases the ‘enemies to lovers’ feeling of this Valentine’s Day conversation.

It is interesting that Rose accepted GA’s offer to be friends (p.1093), and now Reggie is telling John that they’re friends in the future (p.1394). So suddenly the trolls, who act and look textbook malicious at first, are trying to play nice. Are the trolls setting this up in order to double cross the kids in the future? Or are the trolls trying to incorporate the kids into their group and get them to follow some sort of dark trolling agenda? Or are they also just outcast alien kids who troll people because they’re lonely and want some attention? Hard to say when we have only heard from three of them.

There is something amazing about PM’s sword previously being used for vengeance (p.844, 870) and this time when she tries to do similar, she’s interrupted by WV who convinces her to use it to open cans and share food instead. WV may be from the dark kingdom but he feels like a peacemaker between the light and dark sides, refusing to fight against either PM or AR. I mean he is literally followed around by the light of serenity. And now he sits between PM and AR and shares his food and Tab and they all become friends, which honestly, is amazing mayoral work. Solving disputes in the town already. I really think he could build a town just like Spades Slick did.

This view of Dave’s city is cool too, I love the color of the sky! He straight up lies by saying ‘i always keep birds in here its sort of my thing’ (p.1400) and calling it sincere, considering his earlier bird-free room (p.312). He is on way too many layers of irony to decode (i.e. he just says whatever bullshit comes to mind that might be funny with no regard for whether it’s true or false). Which is soooo great for getting to know his character (also he should stop saying slurs).

However, I can see why Dave is annoyed by Rose here. Like he does kind of bring this all on himself by being so ironic all the time and talking about how ‘cool’ his brother apparently is, but, it’s gotta be hard when he’s been telling Rose about fighting his brother on the roof and she’s dismissing that he went through a lot to get the beta to save her, when Jade had it literally handed to her. Rose doesn’t know the details so I’m not mad at her, but it still can’t be easy for Dave to hear that dismissal from a friend.

I do feel like Rose and Jade have this alliance in seeing themselves as the two who know what’s going on, with the combined power of Jade’s visions and Rose’s perceived high intelligence. This whole update is very gender roles but this does evoke page 838, where Rose is far more aware of Jade’s powers and the type of information she has access to than John or Dave are.

Meanwhile in Dave and John land...

TG: i should probably text him soon TG: see whats up TG: because TG: i love him

Straight up adorable. Don’t even pretend to me that there’s a shred of irony in this. I love how close these guys are. This is sort of the first declaration of love in Homestuck unless you count John’s telling Liv Tyler on his Armageddon poster that he loves her (p.223).

We specifically don’t get to see Rose’s conversation with a troll (yet), but I think we can assume she’s talking to GA, probably the only troll she respects enough to prioritize over Dave. We also don’t see where in the Medium Rose is; John assumes that she’s also in the Land of Wind and Shade, but according to Rose, ‘It’s hard to say for certain. But I think I like it here.’ (p.1402). If the Medium has four planets in between the light and dark (p.703) (holy shit half the story ago) then it makes sense for the players to all start on different planets and have to find each other, so we could be getting ANOTHER super aesthetically cool land within the next few weeks. Or teased repeatedly until the end of the act, who knows.

The puppets (including a wizard puppet) clinging to the totem lathe on page 1403 is a very good gag. Also, ‘eggy loking thign’ (p.240) spotted here in the menu?? Implying a limited set of Sburb entry items?? Also 2,000 starting build grist for Jade to use compared to 20 for Rose, and a bunch more gizmos and gadgets available to deploy, including a disc with a piece of green grist (?) and two devices shaped like captchalogue/strife cards; a further tease of what’s to come.

Finally, I’m so glad Hussie agrees with me that there’s no fucking way Jade knows how to clean a house. Even if she has absorbed gender roles and sees cleaning as a woman’s activity (p.1405) she definitely was not taught to do that and designed some kind of robot to do it for her.

[foolsocracy]

cheeeese

[clowncarbrain]

How I look telling my friends all about witchcraft in hopes they’ll take an interest and be my witchy buddy:

[arthursfuckinghat]

"Why doesn't John talk about Arthur that much in the epilogue?"

He admitted to Mary-Beth that although he doesn't talk about Arthur, he still thinks about him a lot, even eight years later. John was grateful for Arthur's sacrifice and tried to honour that by killing Micah, but he was determined to put the past behind them so they could focus on the new life they had built for themselves. Here, he doesn't say that he wants to forget Arthur, he just doesn't want to dwell on what was a painful time in their lives.

[sunkillerlovechild]

the worm segment was actually the most exciting thing ever

i actually saw the worm, with my own eyes, on the surface PHENOMENAL

[chasingthewesternsun]

Pls accept my doodle annotations from the first ascendancy book v_v

(Ch. 13)

[babygirlhaljordan]

look. i know a lot of ppl prefer cyborg in titans… but i think it’s hilarious to imagine college-aged vic stone in the justice league. trying to figure out his powers AND adulting shit. all the while he’s surrounded by grown ass adult men (~25ish) who’s seen the world already. meanwhile kid is still getting used to the concept of seeing his own medical history by himself and determining whether his family has access to it

[ceramicbeetle]

kind of astounding how innocuous conversations with my younger siblings can make me feel like dogshit... what are the good things about being the oldest kid supposed to be again??

[pigeonclaw]

I spent this week drawing what felt like a million refs for various characters from my own warriors stories that have been living in my head for the past couple of years, and I feel a bit like I'm going mad lol.

[toxooz]

ALSOOOOOOO i Finally got to ride a skateboard at the skatepark with bf n friends for the first time ever yesterday and i feel so 👀👀👌👌👌💯💯💯 i managed to be able to balance and push around and stop without falling and it was fun tbh!! i can see getting muscle memory and improvement by doing it consistently 😤 i just hope this aint too short of a phase for everyone so i can hopefully get me own board soon 🙏