#boy groups can coexist together...

[kimsmingyu]

sorry seeing bts stans foam at the mouth whenever seventeen does anything and then say carats need to stay in their place or whatever is so goofy 😭

[sflow-er]

Henry and Simon’s dynamic over the three seasons

For YR Faves Fest 2024 organised by @youngroyals-events Prompts: 2. Favourite teen side character (+ 7. Favourite not-quite friendship)

In one of my replies to the recent side character ask game, I briefly mentioned being partial to the dynamic between these two. So for this Faves Fest, I decided to elaborate with an analysis post (featuring screenshots of variable quality)!

I want to preface this with a brief acknowledgment of Henry’s privilege and classism. It is not my intention to diminish them. I do, however, feel that it’s a bit apples-to-oranges to compare them to Simon’s views (citrus pun intended). 🍊 is politically active and has put in the effort to form his own beliefs, while 🍏 shows us time and again that he is ignorant of the world outside the elite bubble and not inclined towards deep reflection. He is largely a product of his upbringing and the (liberal conservative) values imparted by his parents.

While Henry doesn’t grow enough to change his core views and values in the canon timeline, he does change his views on Simon. This isn’t enough progress for them to become actual friends before we leave off (I doubt Simon could be friends with someone who only exempts him), but I would still argue that they end the show on amicable terms.

And yes, I mean that in a mutual sense, even if Simon doesn’t soften towards Henry quite as much as Henry softens towards him!

So, let’s dive in!

Dialogue taken from the English CC and [abbreviated or corrected].

1.01: the tax debate

Henry: “Take my dad’s estate, for example. They’re struggling to make ends meet because of the high taxes.” [Simon chuckles and explains his views] Simon: “Like your dad. [Do you know how much he gets in EU subsidies every year]”? Henry: “And what the fuck does your dad do?”

Like most viewers, I find it a lot easier to relate to Simon’s views than Henry’s here – but I do think Henry often gets judged quite harshly for insulting Simon at the end. His comment does not come out of nowhere (cf. Stella’s unprompted dirty look at Simon and Sara when she talks about welfare scamming).

Henry only knows that his father has said their estate is struggling, so of course he won’t take kindly to Simon suggesting that they are actually getting undeserved subsidies instead. It’s also important to note that this estate isn’t just any old farm. It was granted to one of his ancestors as a reward for their services to the Crown, which makes it a core part of his family history. As we learn in 1.04, Henry is a Society boy and very proud of his noble ancestry, and Simon’s comment likely feels like an insult to his entire family. So although his retort is unquestionably rude, it is understandable that he lashes out.

Also, Henry has no way of knowing that Micke is a deadbeat. He is just applying a common stereotype (and potentially making assumptions based on the views Simon just expressed on welfare).

1.02: parallel but separate experiences

Early in this episode, we see Simon side-eye Henry and Walter for the paid tutoring. He decides to follow their example, but as we know he can’t actually afford it, we can already guess it won’t go as well for him as it did for them.

Next, we see Henry in the group as the rowing team ignores Simon at morning training. The camera also pans to him and Walter when August gives that bizarre speech about Simon’s class journey.

These moments highlight how different life at Hillerska (and beyond) looks for Henry and Simon. They are technically coexisting and even doing the same things, but their experiences are nothing alike.

However, there is also some potential for development here. August’s words about rowing bringing people together (and also about the class journey) should absolutely be taken with a heap of salt, but as we no longer see any open animosity between Henry and Simon, we can still wonder if rowing played a part.

Being on the same sports team is an entirely new frame of reference for these guys. They are no longer just the sosse and aristocrat who have been going to school together since pre-canon and clashing over their views; they are crewmates. They may be able to ignore each other for most of the time, but they may also have to do some team activities or even cooperate on occasion. At the very least, they will be around each other several extra times a week from late September/early October to Christmas break. This could definitely help to put them on more neutral ground.

1.05: Henry pays attention to Wilmon

In this episode, Henry learns more about Wilmon than the average Hillerska student knows. He is present when August tells the Society that Wille and Simon “hang out”, and also when Wille changes the plan from Simon to Alexander.

What’s more, he actually looks fairly thoughtful leaving that last meeting. We don’t know if it’s just shock over Wille’s ruthlessness, if he’s thinking about the plan to set up Alexander, or if there’s something else on his mind.

Now, this may veer into overinterpretation, but for the sake of thoroughness, let’s also include the blink and you’ll miss it moment before the Lucia procession where Henry notices Wilmon texting each other. In this cropped screenshot, you can see him looking at Simon, who has just put his phone down and is looking over at Wille.

1.06: Henry shows restraint

As we know, Henry is the only classmate who tries to treat Wille normally after the video, asking if he “saw the match yesterday” (he absolutely knows Wille didn’t). What is perhaps less noticeable is that he also shows more restraint than most of his schoolmates when the rumour mill gets going.

In this scene, Henry is pretty dispassionate reminding Walter that Wilmon sat next to each other at movie night and the two of them talked about it. There is a stark contrast to Walter, who absolutely pounces on that bit of gossip.

This one quick scene could just be a coincidence, but the same thing happens again when Wilmon return to school. Instead of engaging with the others who are all eagerly talking and whispering, Henry is already sitting at his desk minding his own business when Wille arrives. His only reaction to Simon showing up is this quick look, which is immediately followed by his show of kindness to Wille:

So the restraint does look very intentional.

As an aristocrat, monarchist and Society boy, Henry is loyal to Wille, who he now knows has been carrying on with Simon for a while already. He also knows how far Wille went to protect Simon, despite the fact that Simon had actually supplied the drugs, so he is going to side with Wille.

What’s more, Henry’s behaviour in these scenes also confirms that he isn’t hostile to Simon. We can surmise he probably doesn’t think Simon is the most appropriate choice of partner for the crown prince, but he is willing to take his cues from Wille. We never see him sneer, joke, or say anything nasty about Wilmon as a couple (cf. Stella and Fredrika joking about surrogacy).

We are also shown his reaction to Wille hugging Simon before we move on to season two.

2.02: the floorball hug and walk-by

The first interaction between Henry and Simon in S2 is them celebrating a floorball goal with a spontaneous hug, as seen at the top of this post. What a difference a term makes!

Now, I don’t think this moment is meant to signify that they are friends all of a sudden, and I do feel it comes slightly out of the blue. I suspect it was included as a nod to those who already liked Henry after S1, but I for one would’ve preferred to actually see their reconciliation.

But then again, if their initial antagonism was always class conflict rather than personal beef, maybe there was no need for apologies…? Maybe each of them just accepted that the other was going to be around and decided to try and get along (potentially aided by their shared rowing team history)? Henry is following Wille’s lead as we already saw – and as for Simon, I doubt he would be hugging Henry even in the heat of a game if he held a grudge. Whether we saw it or not, they have moved on.

In the same episode, we also have the locker room scene.

Contrary to popular opinion, I don’t believe Henry actually overhears the entire conversation, but he may have still heard something about them having to wait two years (as Simon did raise his voice for that). It’s also possible he comes out of this scene assuming that Wilmon still “hang out” in secret. In any case, he probably assumes that Wille wants to keep the whole thing quiet, as per the usual “policy” on queer relationships among the upper classes. In addition to his monarchist ways, he also seems to be casually friendly with Wille in S2 (keeps inviting him to do stuff, from coffee to pranking Sprucewood). So it makes a lot of sense for him to keep whatever he overhears or suspects to himself.

2.03, 2.05 and 2.06: book report scenes

While Henry must be a nightmare to have in the group, he and Simon are nice to each other in all the book report scenes. This is further proof that they are in a place where they can talk civilly and even work together.

They start the project before the rowing race and only present it the day before the gun range scene, which means they had these group sessions for at least a few weeks (the timeline is a bit wonky here).

2.04: Henry snitches on Wille and Felice

The lunch scene at the start of the episode starts with this bit of vicarious interaction, as Henry and Simon (and Wille too) are amused by the nonsense Walter is spouting about girls:

Also, Walter's monologue feels more comphet every time rewatch it, but I digress.

As this post is focused on Henry and Simon, I’m not going to dig too deep into Henry’s role in spreading the story about Wille and Felice. Suffice it to say that he did tell his canonically gossipy bestie Walter, and it was recently pointed out to me that he seems to have let something slip to someone else as well. In the common room, Walter goes “det var du som sa till…” [you were the one who said to…] just as the focus shifts to Wille and Nils, which suggests that Henry either purposely told someone or misspoke without realising it. The latter would explain why he seems genuinely appalled when Wille confronts him, but it’s not a hill I’d be willing to die on!

If Henry did spread the story on purpose, I assume it was because getting with Felice was considered a credit to Wille and also “fair game” to tell, unlike the relationship with Simon that Wille wanted to keep hidden.

Still, Henry and Simon are definitely on better terms in S2. Even though Henry inadvertently causes pain to Simon with his part in the Wille and Felice thing, they still keep working together on the book report without any animosity.

Insofar as Henry’s lacklustre effort can be called working. Simon is a bigger person than I am for not blowing up at him when he announces right before the presentation that he won’t be taking any questions because he barely read the book.

3.01: background Henry

We start S3 off with this one-sided interaction where Henry reacts to Wilmon kissing with a mild smirk. No more waiting or secrets to keep.

3.02: double standards on the camping trip

It’s not entirely clear what Henry is thinking when he says the infamous line about gay couples being allowed to share but not straight ones. I think some people read it as him deliberately putting Wilmon on the spot, but personally, I doubt he even realises it’s going to make them uncomfortable. He’s just noticing the double standard and pointing it out to mess with the teacher.

While Simon is very clearly not pleased with Henry for the comment (glares at him while saying to Wille that people are going to think they plan to have sex), he does not seem to hold that against him. Because what we do see them doing soon?

Sitting next to each other by the fire, even though Henry could’ve easily sat with Walter and Simon with Wille:

Also, it seems Henry isn't new to camping, as he tells Wille that part of the fire is too hot to grill a sausage in.

The part where things get interesting is when Henry acts classist towards the Marieberg students.

Henry seems to be down with meeting Rosh and Ayub, who are there as Wille and Simon’s friends. But after Fredrika brings up New York, he agrees that the situation turned “stiff as fuck.” That stiffness was entirely Fredrika’s fault (I think she is at least semi-consciously trying to mark herself as the most compatible partner for Stella there), but Henry seems to feel it was more about Rosh and Ayub not fitting in.

He also sneers and makes nasty comments when the other Marieberg students get into an altercation with Malin, which elicits a frown from Simon.

And yet, Simon does not condemn Henry as strongly as he might have done in the past.

Importantly, Simon tells Wille “it wasn’t the right time for everyone to meet.” This indicates that he could’ve imagined them all getting along at a better time, and it’s pretty clear that includes Henry. Furthermore, “you [meaning Wille and the others] don’t realise how privileged you are sometimes” is actually a pretty neutral way of putting it. Simon would have been entirely justified if he had called the others classist pricks, but he blames their privilege and lack of understanding instead of their character.

All of this forms a backdrop for my interpretation of the scenes in the next episodes.

3.03: First of May

Simon: “You do know that you’re not off so you can party the day before, right?” Henry: “Uhh…what?” Simon: “It’s the First of May.” […] “The day of the labour movement?” Henry: “Okay, so what’s their style? How do they celebrate?” Simon, scoffing: “You don’t celebrate. You demonstrate.” [Henry and Walter share a chuckle]

This may be a controversial take, but I don’t think Henry is being particularly nasty to Simon here.

He actually looks and sounds quite sincere asking how the labour movement celebrates. When he and Walter laugh, it reads more as “there he goes again, our very own sosse, saying wacky things!” than the kind of disdain he expressed towards the Marieberg students in the last episode.

Simon also doesn’t take the laughter as an insult; he’s just stupefied by their ignorance. Also, note that he already scoffed at Henry’s question, marking it as silly.

This exchange is immediately followed by Vincent attacking Simon for his beliefs, which feels like an intentional trick to create contrast between his and Walty’s treatment of Simon.

3.04: the lollipop

In this scene, Henry starts out asking quite nicely and seriously if Simon has another lollipop, as if they had that kind of rapport. Simon makes a face, but then he just shakes his head and nicely says no. It’s only then that Henry switches to offering money for the already half-eaten lollipop, to which Simon reacts with disbelief.

He does not, however, get snarky with Henry. He settles for exchanging a look with Wille as Walty go on to complain about the hunger strike. Only when Henry isn’t present anymore does Simon point out to Wille how ridiculous he was being.

In a sort of parallel to the lunch scene, Simon and Wille now share a chuckle at the wacky thing Henry said:

Feel free to disagree, but I actually wonder if this could be a common pattern between Simon and Henry. They have accepted that they aren’t going to see eye to eye on many things, but instead of getting into conflict, they just roll their eyes/laugh at how the other can seriously believe/say such things. Then they let the conversation move on to something else.

Which is a perfectly valid dynamic. They can acknowledge that their outlooks on life are wildly different without hating each other for it.

3:06: Henry includes Simon

Look, I dislike the library scene as much as the next person. The talk that Henry interrupts between Wilmon was so much more important than anything he could possibly say. It was just a moment of comic relief that didn’t add anything to the story.

Except… Now that we are tracing Henry and Simon’s “not-quite friendship” arc, this scene does give us a conclusion.

Henry: “Hi! Uh, what are you wearing tonight?” [He rambles on about clothes] Wille: “I don’t know if… If I’m coming.” Henry: “Okay…?” Simon: “I don’t know if I can come either.” Henry: “Oh come on, you two have to come!” [He rambles on about how much fun it will be] Simon: “Yeah, we’ll see. I have to go now.” Henry: “The point is that we have to be together! This is the only night we have together, maybe ever. [I mean, we are brothers!]”

In Swedish, Henry goes “vi är ju bröder” just as the music starts. This has been translated to “we are like brothers” in the English CC, which is already quite something, but the little word ju makes the original even stronger. It means that something is true, so instead of just saying they are like brothers, Henry is saying that is what they are.

(In the dub, there is an audible pause after like, so Henry is actually using it as a filler word. They should have put a comma in the CC to denote that.)

Given that Henry prefaces this ramble with “you two have to come” and barely stops to acknowledge Simon’s exit, there’s every reason to assume he is still talking about all of them. He is saying he considers himself, Wille, and also Simon part of the brotherhood that will be disbanded indefinitely come morning and wants them all to have one last night of fun together.

Simon never hears the brothers part and is of course frustrated with Henry for interrupting, but he still takes his leave on a casually friendly note. He gets that Henry wants him to come and have fun (Henry is likely unaware that Simon doesn’t drink when he tries to persuade them both by talking about the alcohol). Thus, Simon politely says “we will see” even though he has zero intention of going.

We do not see them interact at the party when Simon turns up after all, but we do hear Henry being ushered away when Simon comes to talk to Wille. We don’t see it’s Henry, but someone insists that he wants to stay just as we see Walter and Alexander leave, and all three of them were there moments before:

I’m tempted to end this with a parallel to Wille’s initiation party.

Way back in 1.01, Henry and Simon were explicitly shown discussing the first party with their friends. They never talked about it with each other or interacted there – Henry attended as part of the in-crowd, and Simon only got to go because he supplied the alcohol. But for this last party, Henry is the one to get the alcohol, and he specifically invites Simon to come. They still don’t hang out at the party as they are both there with their respective friends, i.e. in their own bubbles, but those bubbles do bump into/brush past one another without clashing.

Kind of like Henry and Simon’s lives.

Thank you for reading this marathon post! I hope my take on these two brings something to your next rewatch, whether you agree with me or not!

[justjudethoughts]

The reason Catholic Lockwood works so well as a concept is the Catholic "both/and." A Christian world view is one of the only places where the tension of two opposing emotions felt at one time are not only allowed to coexist, but actually encouraged to coexist. We refer to the sin of Adam as "O Happy Fault" because, while it was a bad thing, in God's infinte mercy we are better off in Christ than we would have been in Adam. Our King wore a crown of thorns. The day humanity brutally crucified God we call "Good Friday." Christ's wounds are visible in His glorified, resurrected body. We preach "Memento mori" and "Tal'itha Cu'mi" in the same breath. The world is a fallen, broken mess, and simultaneously a masterpiece, teeming with transcendental beauty pulling hearts heavenwards. "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."

That tension, that dichotomy, is the world of Lockwood and Co. A world where a lonely orphaned boy is the human embodiment of sunshine. Where a death glow saves more than one life. Where the main characters fight ghosts every night, and then come back to laugh around a breakfast table. Where the love and light of domestic life keeps the darkness at bay. The way the wrenching grief of each of the characters leads to a found family. How they wouldn't have been brought together without their deep suffering. Nothing will make Lockwood stop missing Jessica, but there was a beauty in her life, and a redemption in her death. Nothing will make Lucy "get over" her old team, but their loss brought her to her best friends, to an emotionally safe home. Kipp's can't regain his talent (besides the goggles), but suddenly he matters to a group of people because of who he is, not because of what he can do. The loss and the joy coexist. The darkness and the light. The life and the death. The suffering and the consolation. The mourning and the dance. Bliss and Blunder. They are all a broken hallelujah, stained glass windows made from shattered hearts.

That's why Catholic Lockwood works so well.

[asher-agere]

BSD agere headcanons (Part 1)

Like I promised I have more agere headcanons! This time BSD! I’m doing BSD separated by groups since there’s so many characters, part 1 is the Armed Detective Agency! Please enjoy!

༉‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ADA ༉‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

Atsushi is definitely a regressor. That boy had no childhood. Maybe regresses to like 4-6? I feel he’d be a big kid. He always likes helping out, wants to feel useful. Also gets really attached to things. Like if you give him a blanket once, he’ll demand that exact blanket every single time. Loves loves loves milk. He can use a cup like a big kid! Sometimes needs a sippy cup but he doesn’t like bottles much. He loves teether’s and just generally carrying things in his mouth. Like he’ll crawl around holding a stuffed animal like a momma cat with her kitten. Also he definitely crawls even though he’s a big kid

Fukuzawa is the best father figure, but is he a good caregiver? The answer is yes of course! Fukuzawa always has some kid friendly snacks and supplies in his office. He isn’t an official caregiver (He was for Ranpo at one point and enjoyed it, just not a full time thing for him), but he loves to babysit. When everyone else is busy they’re always safe to leave a little one with then president, he’ll take care of them. He’d really good at a comfortable silence and sense of normalcy. He’ll give the little one some paper and crayons to draw while he does paperwork. He’ll make himself a cup of tea alongside the babies milk. His soothing voice is perfect for bedtime stories but he isn’t very good at doing fun voices

Yosano I can see either way. I feel like she’d mainly be a caregiver. Always plays doctor. She’s really good at spotting an overwhelmed or sick baby. One symptom and she’s onto them. Her office is a lovely place to destress. Quiet and away from everything overwhelming. When she does drop she’s a pretty big kid like 4-6. Loves loves loves candy, which only increases her relationship with Ranpo. She can be a brat, always thinks she knows what’s best. But when she isn’t bratty she’s pretty polite

Kunikida is definitely a caregiver. He’s very strict with everything. Lots of rules. Bedtime, mandatory naps, limits on snacks, no bad words. If needed he will use a time out, but he much prefers giving rewards when his little one behaves themselves. He’s good at finding solutions, for example if his baby is scared of being alone they can take a stuffie friend to time out, or he’ll go hold their hand. He doesn’t mind. He makes them a regression schedule, nice and consistent, how often depends on the little one. He handles all worry factors so they have nothing to stress over

Tanizaki is a baby, 2-4. He loves oversized clothes making him feel even smaller than he actually is. He isn’t very clingy, gets overwhelmed quickly. He loves being taken care of but sometimes less is more. He loves babbling, he wants to talk even if he doesn’t make any sense. He just wants someone to coexist with, watch cartoons together, compare next to each other, he wants the simple life. He’d very easy to fluster too, the simplest nickname had this baby red in the face

Kenji I feel like is a caregiver? But like he isn’t fully trusted alone with a little. Kenji is like a big brother more so than a parent role or something. Kenji easily gives in, no argument needed. Baby wants a puppy? Sure thing! Someone must watch him. As long as someone’s in the same room he’s good to take over though! He’ll take the little one to his farm if they feel comfortable with that and show them all the cute animals! Maybe even have them help with farming! (Picking fruit and vegetables, no hard work)

Kyouka I can see regressing really young, like 1-3. She loves to color and draw, specifically bunnies. Also loves stuffed animals, bunnies nice again. She loves clothes that feel soft and fluffy, gentle pastel colors. She doesn’t want anything bright and colorful, no catch phrases or characters on her shirts. Just a gentle pattern for her. She’s almost completely non verbal but she’s very compliant. She’s good at hand gestures or drawing pictures to show what she needs

Dazai is a regressor. That man is so messed up in the head- He desperately needs it. I feel like he regressed from 2-5, fairly young? But he can still be a big kid! He’s the biggest brat you’ve ever seen. Fake crying is a perfected art. He loved making deals. His caregiver wants him to eat? Fine, but he expects a stuffed animal in return. He has a sweet tooth, it’s an easy way to get him to eat when he’s trying stubborn. The less effort he has to put in the better, but he also gets bored easy. His caregiver has to be prepared to keep him entertained or they’ll have a meltdown on their hands. Suicide attempts do not stop, he’s just more unreasonable. He knows it won’t kill him, but he still wants to try. He also feels uncomfortable regressing around Atsushi, he’s supposed to be the boys role model, how can he do that while acting like a baby?

Ranpo is absolutely a regressor, around 3-6. Poor boy had a miserable childhood. Sweets are the golden ticket. For everything. He knows how to get what he wants though. He can easily deduce if there’s a way to make his caregiver budge. If he throws a tantrum it’s beside he knows it’ll work. Gets overwhelmed easily. NEVER insult his intelligence. It doesn’t matter if it’s a light insult like calling him “dummy” he hates it. Loves puzzles and Rubik’s cubes and anything of the sort. He’d intelligent enough to easily solve things, however his motor skills decrease. So like he knows how to solve the Rubik’s cube, his hands just won’t do it

Naomi I can see either way? As a regressor she’d have a wide range, like 2-6. Very very clingy, always wants her brother. She gets easily attached to items, overall she’d just a giggly happy little baby. Loves playing with her caregivers hair, doing makeovers, silly girly things. As a caregiver she’d be very dotting, always praising her little and giving them affection, meeting their every possible need. Loves dressing them up in cute clothes and she has a picture folder dedicated to cute pictures of them (With there permission only of course)

I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts! Next up I’ll be doing the Mafia I believe, but not completely sure yet. Have a wonderful day all of you!

[dwellinginsilence]

Chapter 50 is up on AO3 or below.

Input is always appreciated.

Being our second to last year, we’re encouraged to take elective classes that correspond most with our hopeful future careers.  Along with our core classes, we are required to choose at least two electives.  I know Haleigha is taking Care of Magical Creatures and she’s in my Ancient Runes class.  I couldn’t care less what Garreth Weasley is taking but he’s in my Arithmancy class and I’d put money on him taking Alchemy.  Considering all the different electives and possible schedules, the only class all three of us share this year is Defense Against the Dark Arts.

I hate Defense Against the Dark Arts.  It used to be my favorite class but I dread it now.  Since it’s the only class that I share with both Haleigha and Garreth, it’s the only class I have to watch them talk and flirt and touch and by the end of each class I feel damn near homicidal.  And having actually killed someone, I’m well aware how that feels.  

I’ve been in a bad mood for what feels like weeks, but I woke up more irritated today than I have been.  The fact that I need to spend the next hour of my life watching Weasley court the woman I’m in love with only adds to my foul mood.

Hecat doesn’t care where anyone sits as long as we pay attention.  That’s the only saving grace I have because I can sit in the back corner where I can’t clearly see Haleigha play with his hair or lean on his shoulder or watch his lips touch her ear when he whispers something that makes her face light up. 

She just spent the night with me last week, but now she’s back to giving Weasley all her attention.  It wrecks me.  I haven’t tried to weasel back into her life, but I’m not swooning over another girl, either.  Does she not notice?  Maybe she doesn’t even care.  Has she ever looked at me the way she looks at him?  The intrusive thoughts keep coming.

I’ve got my head down, taking notes mindlessly, when Hecat announces a project where she’ll be pairing up students and for the next few weeks we will be creating possible scenarios where Dark Arts use is probable and creating strategies to escape.  Not only will Hecat be assigning our partners, but she’ll also be assigning the curse each group will study that will be the basis of our projects.  

Hecat has assigned about half the class, but I haven’t paid attention to any of it.  I’m perfectly content tuning everything out until I hear my name.

“Master Sallow,” Hecat announces-and there I am.  I raise my hand so she knows I’m listening.  She nods and points somewhere in front of her.  “Haleigha O’Hehir.”  My heart jolts at this development.  We’ll be forced to talk and spend time together.  I try to stay calm, but I’m fairly certain I look like a little boy in Honeyduke’s for the first time.  Haleigha doesn’t even look in my direction.  

I shouldn’t be happy about this, it’s going to disrupt the distance I’ve put between us and undo all I’ve done to give her a better life.  I’m constantly at war with myself.  I want her to live a happy, carefree, easy life, but I also want her.  The two cannot coexist and I’m stuck between what’s best for her and what’s best for me.

A throat clearing interrupts my spiraling thoughts.  “Um, excuse me, Professor Hecat?”  Garreth raises his hand as he interrupts Hecat pairing the class.  The stern professor looks at him with a raised eyebrow but doesn’t say anything.  If she gave me that look, I’m not certain I’d continue with my inquisition, to be honest; Weasley never has been the smartest in our class.  “I was really hoping Haleigha and I could work together.”  He gives Hecat his best charming smile, which I have to admit is incredibly effective.

“Oh,” Hecat looks at her notes and my heart falls.  “Well, in that case,” she flips a piece of parchment over and writes something.  “Haleigha, you’ll be working on the Imperius Curse with Master Sallow.”  

I have to duck my head so my laugh isn’t noticeable and forces Hecat to change her mind.

She clears her throat and flips her paper back.  “Master Weasley, you’ll be working with Master Prewett.  Unless, of course, you have issue with this, as well?”

Garreth Weasley slouches in his seat.  “No, Ma’am.”  I actually feel a little bad for him.  I know what it’s like to watch Haleigha with someone else.  It’s soul crushing.

“Good,” Hecat says, curtly, and nods once.  “Babbling charm.”

After she finishes pairing off everyone, she tells us all to sit with our partners and for one person from each team to come grab a book on each curse.  Haleigha finally makes eye contact with me and motions that she’ll get the book.

While she does that, Garreth takes the opportunity to sit next to me.  He looks friendly enough, but the closer he gets, the more I notice how tight his smile is.  “I’m warning you, Sallow, keep your hands to yourself.”

I sigh because I just don’t have the energy for his insecurities or to placate his weak sensibilities.  “I like you, Garreth, I really do.”  I pinch the bridge of my nose to massage away this headache coming on.  “I truly believe that Haleigha deserves better than me and I also truly believe that you are, in fact, leagues better than I am.”  I finally meet his eyes.  “And I would never force myself on her, but don’t think that if she mutters the quietest plea for me that my hands won’t be all over her in two seconds flat.  There is not a damn thing in this world I wouldn’t do for her, especially if she asked.  So, I won’t touch her, unless she wants me to.  And since I’ll be respecting her every second, you might want to have this little chat with her.”  I raise my eyes just as Haleigha waltzes up behind Garreth.

He notices my attention’s been taken from him and shifts his own gaze to the floor quickly, probably seeing Haleigha’s shoes.  “I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”  He steps back, wraps an arm around Haleigha’s waist, and places a peck on her cheek.  “Enjoy class.”  He says it in her direction, but it’s clearly meant for me.  ‘Enjoy class because that’s all you’ll get’, is what he means.  I’m aware.  And I have no doubt I will enjoy this class immensely. 

Haleigha looks between us, then slides into the seat next to me.  She rests her elbow on our desk, her head in her palm after she fluffs her hair behind her.  It’s almost like a curtain blocking everyone else’s view of us.  “Hi.”  Her voice is so soft and quiet, like when she’d wake up from a nap.

I mimic her position, which makes her smile.  “Hi,” I say just as quietly.  

“So the Imperius Curse?”  She purses those lips and I think that not touching her is going to be much more difficult than I’d anticipated.  “You’ve never heard of that, have you?”  So, serious.  Her sarcasm and playfulness is so unexpected that the laugh rushes up from my belly and I couldn’t stop it even if I wanted to.

Haleigha’s eyes get so wide I can see the whites all around them.  She covers my mouth with both hands and shushes me, then looks to Professar Hecat. Not only is she staring at us in exasperation, but so is the rest of the classroom.  Haleigha’s face turns as red as the strawberries in her Room and sinks into her chair.

Hecat returns to explaining the project.  Neither the Cruciatus Curse nor the Killing Curse were given as samples, but she got permission from the Ministry for every other spell to be learned and cast, except the Imperius Curse, of course.  In our scenario, we have to explain it without using it.  I’m mildly annoyed that we’re expected to learn how to protect ourselves from a curse without it being cast on us.

After class, Hecat asks Haleigha and I to stay behind.  Garreth waits at the door, but Hecat shoos him away.  He obeys but clearly unhappily.  “You are my most advanced students,” Hecat begins, walking back to us.  “I hope this won’t be a problem, you working together.”

Haleigha and I both shake our heads.  “I’m sorry about causing a scene earlier,” Haleigha adds.

Hecat waves her off and continues as if Haleigha hadn’t spoken.  “I do not encourage the use of Dark Arts and I definitely don’t think anyone should use Unforgiveables.  I do, however, believe that you cannot learn how to resist a curse without being subjected to it.  I begged the Ministry to allow the use of the Imperius Curse for this class.”  Her eyes squint, but also seem to be lit from inside with rage.  “They refused.  The Unforgiveable Boundary will remain enforced.  I apologize that you are at such a disadvantage with this assignment, but I figured if anyone would succeed, it would be you two.”

“We appreciate your faith in us,” Haleigha answers for us both.

We take a few steps before Hecat clears her throat.  “The Boundary doesn’t include hidden rooms since no one knows where they’re hidden…if there are such rooms, that is.”

Haleigha and I look at each other before turning to stare at Professor Hecat.  None of us say anything to each other and Haleigha and I rush from the classroom.  

Once out of ear shot, I lean over Haleigha to whisper to her.  “Did she suggest we use the Imperius Curse in the Room of Requirement?”

Her eyes are wide and excited.  “I think she did.”  I step back from her to consider this new twist to our assignment.  Haleigha looks behind me, then adds, “Meet me there after curfew.”

I can hardly wait to meet Haleigha, I’m a jumbled box of nerves.  I can’t even eat dinner because my stomach keeps flipping over and over which makes me nauseated.  As soon as the prefects call “lights out”, I’m practically sprinting to the astronomy tower.

Jack greets me with a quick chirp then trots to his nest just as Haleigha comes up from her garden area.  She offers me a smile in welcome and I stumble, thankfully I don’t think she notices.  

“I didn’t see you at dinner,” she says as she puts a plate full of greens near Jack.  Lucky little niffler, managed to rank number one above all Haleigha’s animals.  When I don’t respond to her statement, she looks me square in the eye.  “Did you eat?”

I swallow the lump in my throat.  I don’t want to tell her the truth, I don’t want her to worry, not that she’d worry about me; but I also don’t want to lie to her.  With that thought, I shake my head.  She doesn’t even look at me, not with judgement or pity or exasperation, and I’m not sure if I’d rather her look at me in those ways or not look at me at all.  I don’t have much time to think about it because Haleigha is back with a covered plate.  She tilts her head as a sign to follow her, so I do.  She leviosas her chess set to the other side of the room, then sets the plate in her hand on the table.  She sits down and motions for me to do the same, so I take the chair next to her.

The second she lifts the cover off the plate my stomach growls.  Chicken, rice, green beans, and sponge cake covered with berries.  A knife twists in my gut because I can pretend all I want she’s mine, but, in reality, I lost that honor.  “Why are you taking care of me?”  With all the horrible ways I’ve treated her, she really should just castrated me.

“Someone needs to.”  She steals one of the berries off the cake and watches me as she pops it into her mouth.  “Now eat, so we can discuss this project.”

I take a bite and relish in the warmth of her presence, this room, this food.  “Did you get a kitchen back there?”

She giggles quietly.  “No, I brought it from the Great Hall when I didn’t see you at dinner.  Now, stop talking and eat.”

I hate sitting in silence.  I really hate sitting in uncomfortable silence.  And I really, really hate sitting in uncomfortable silence with Haleigha.  So after eating about half the food on my plate, I say the first thing that comes to mind.  “How are your classes?”  Even as the words come out of my mouth, I realize how dumb they are.

She obviously tries to hide her smile because her lip twitches and her nose crinkles.  “Creatures is so easy.  I know all the information we’re being taught because of all the creatures I’ve rescued.  I wish I could test out of it, but at the same time, I love being around them.”  She shrugs and goes back to the book she opened when she sat down, effectively telling me to shut up.  Without even looking up, she casts a spell and her phonograph begins playing Chopin.

“Did you know that he’s my favorite,” I ask with a mouthful of chicken.

She eyes me over the top of her book.  “Chopin?  You never said.”

I nod.  “He’s my favorite to play as well.”

Haleigha actually drops her book onto her lap.  “How did I never know you play piano?”

I shrug.  “I honestly don’t know.  I guess we had other things to worry about last year.”

She doesn’t say anything, but she also doesn’t pick her book back up, so I raise my eyes to her.  “Will you play for me sometime?”  The sweetest pink covers her cheeks.

“I’ll do anything you want.”  I probably shouldn’t have said that, she doesn’t want to be with me now that she has Garreth, but maybe I want her to know how desperate I am for her.  Even though that isn’t fair to her.

She blinks and takes a deep breath then brings her book back up to cover her face.  I definitely shouldn’t have said that.  

I’m almost finished with my dinner, all that’s left is the sponge cake, and Haleigha takes another berry.  “Do you just want it all?”  I hold it out to her in a teasing manner.

Her cheeks flush.  “No, I’m good now.”  

I eat the cake, quickly, and save the last berry for Haleigha, because I always do.  And she takes it with a sweet smile like she always does.  I wonder if she steals Garreth’s berries…and now all my dinner sits heavy in my stomach.

“I think you should teach me Imperio,” she blurts.

I furrow my brows.  “You didn’t want to before.”

She nods.  “I know, but if I can learn how to resist it, I should carry the responsibility of knowing how to use it.  Plus, how will you learn to resist if I don’t cast it on you?”

I stand beside her so she can see the movement and she copies me perfectly.  “Now say, ‘Imperio’ at the same time.”  

She does as I say and a few blue sparks come from the end of her wand.  

“Good, do it again,” I command her.

She adjusts her stance, squares her shoulders, and casts Imperio perfectly.

I move from beside her to in front of her.  “Cast it on me.”

Her lips part and eyes widen slightly, but otherwise she doesn’t move.  That is, other than her entire body shaking, she doesn’t move.  “I’m scared,” I whisper to her.

“I’ve got you.” I hold her arm steady.

She nods, flicks her wrist, and whispers, “Imperio”.

I’m entirely carefree.  I think maybe I was upset earlier, but now I feel nothing.  Nothing at all, completely empty inside, a blank slate.  Everything has this wispy feel to it, as if I’m floating through clouds.  There’s a pleasant tingling near the back of my head and top of my neck.  

In the next blink, I’m sitting in the chair Haleigha had been earlier.  I look all around me but I can’t tell if she made me do anything other than sit down.  “What happened?”

“I had you under Imperio for 15 minutes.”  She sits next to me and leans over the chair arm, closer to me.  “What did it feel like?”

I shake my head.  “Nothing.  Like sleeping?”

Her eyebrows crinkle together.  “Do you remember anything?”

I shake my head again.  “No, just that feeling.  What did you make me do?”

“Run down the halls naked.”  She chews her a fingernail.  “You may have gotten a detention or four.”

I stare at her, completely dumbfounded.  “Are you serious?”

“No, of course not.”  She laughs so hard she almost falls from her chair.  “I had you eat some peas and play with Jack.”

I frown at her.  “I hate peas.”

She’s still laughing and my comment only adds to her fit.  “I know, isn’t that the point?”

I groan, suddenly tasting peas.  “Is that all you did?”

“Do you really not remember anything,” she asks, innocently.

I’m half tempted to lie to see what she says, but I don’t.  I simply shake my head.

She bats her eyelashes at me.  “Then I guess that’s all I did.”  And maybe I’d believe her if her eyes weren’t red.  What the hell did I do?  What would she make me do that would make her cry?  “It’s getting late, continue tomorrow?”

“Let me walk you back to your room.”  I can’t be too controlling of her safety with someone crazy walking around.

She doesn’t even argue with me.

[ourtearsofrain]

Chapter 14- In An Age Of Darkness Light Appears

Pairings: Danny Wagner x Sam Kiszka

Genre: angst, not quite fluff but they’re coexisting

Word Count: just under 2.7

Warnings: AU typical events/threats/violence, hunting again

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Danny

Friday, July 15th

“Rise and shine, 7. We have work to do.” Danny feels a swift kick to his thigh, immediately ripping him from his unrestful sleep as he tries to focus his eyes in the light of the day.

“Was that really necessary?”

“Yes. Get a move on.” Without even waiting for him to get up, Hazel walks away from him, the sound of her boots on the river rock growing quieter by the second. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he finally notices Samuel near his feet, packing what little resources they had removed from their bags back up.

How is it morning already? I slept through the whole night. Noticing the dark circles under Samuel’s eyes, confusion riddles Danny as he tries to put two and two together. “Why didn’t you wake me to swap shifts with you or Hazel?”

“You looked tired. Figured you’d hunt better with more sleep.” Samuel shrugs before moving to his side and helping him sit up as the ache in his abdomen flares up. “Just don’t tell Hazel, she thinks I swapped with you while she was sleeping.”

“Oh- well, thanks.” That was almost… nice of him? To let me sleep instead of waking me up. I don’t know if I believe his excuse but it’s no use to press the topic. Danny tries to keep his mind under control as Samuel unwraps the bandages around his abdomen, his breath hitching unintentionally as he brushes his fingertips gently across the remains of his wound.

“This healed up nicely. It’s almost no more than a scar. How’s your shoulder?” Samuel looks up at him as he asks, causing Danny’s mind to go completely blank momentarily.

Why is he looking at me like that? How can he look at me like that? He looks- he looks beautiful. Realizing that he hadn’t responded, Danny snaps himself out of his daze as he moves his left arm around, testing the limits of his shoulder. “Barely hurts now, I should be able to hunt just fine today with the bow.”

“Good. Otherwise, we’d kill you.” Hazel’s interruption reminds them both that there was in fact another member of their group, that they weren’t just alone together. “C’mon, boys. Let’s get moving.”

Pretentious bitch. Danny stares daggers at Hazel as she walks away, somewhat thankful that she couldn’t see it. As he stands, he realizes that he still wasn’t wearing any shirt, remembering that Samuel had thrown the scraps of it into his bag after cleaning it as best he could.

“Oh shit! Sorry, I forgot to give this back. Here.” As if Samuel could read his mind, he holds Danny’s jacket out to him with one hand, his bag in the other.

“Thanks.” Unable to keep his eyes from the bag in Samuel’s hand, the other man finally notices, holding it out to Danny as he zips the jacket up.

“You can have this back now. And this.” As Danny takes the bag, Samuel offers the bow and quiver of arrows next, holding tight to it as he tries to take it from him, their eyes locking in an unblinking stare when Danny realizes he wasn’t letting it go. “I am trusting you to take this, ok? Remember I defended you from Hazel when we were trying to decide if we wanted to risk giving it to you.”

“I know. I promise, I won’t kill you. Hazel, can’t say the same but-” Fuck. Why did I say that. Regret fills him as he looks to Samuel with wide eyes, awaiting his response. To his surprise, Samuel only snorts out a laugh as they start in the direction Hazel had gone.

“Yeah, me too.”

“Oh? You guys don’t get along? Thought you were besties, dynamic duo you know?”

“As if.” Samuel scoffs the words out, looking around to make sure she wasn’t within earshot as he continues. “I honestly can’t stand her. Couldn’t stand her in our district and especially can’t stand her now. I just know she only volunteered because she wanted to be in the arena with me. I swear, she’s obsessed and in love or something, has been for years.”

“And you don’t like her that way back?” Danny guesses, watching Samuel’s face for his reaction. “Is that why you can’t stand her? She won’t stop making advances?”

“Pretty much.”

“So, is she not your type or something? Or is it just her… general personality.” Why the fuck are you asking? Why do you need to know? Seriously, Danny, what use does knowing this information do for you? And what was that thought earlier about him being beautiful? Where’s your head at? You need to focus on staying alive with them, not on how pretty your new ally is.

“First of all, why do you care? Second, you could say that. I don’t really… swing that way if you know what I mean. Yeah, sometimes I do but,” Samuel grimaces as if the thought of him and Hazel together as a couple disgusted him. “Not for her. Never for her.”

“Oh my god, took you two long enough.” Hazel appears seemingly out of nowhere, her tone an exasperated huff as she looks between the two. “What were you doing back there? Seriously, it doesn’t take that long to get ready.”

“Why don’t you do us all a favor and get off your high horse?” Samuel shoots back immediately, his frustration evident in his tone as if he was upset Hazel had interrupted their conversation.

“Fuck off!” Neither say anything more as Danny’s eyes flit between Hazel and Samuel, wondering which would be the first to crack under the angry, yet awkward shift in the air.

“So… hunting. Yeah?” Real smooth. When Hazel sends a death glare his way, Danny can’t even find it in himself to disagree with her annoyance at him, but he knew he would have been the one to get their group back on track no matter what.

“Fine. Let’s go.” Just as Hazel turns away from Samuel and Danny, she whips towards them again as if she had forgotten something. “Wait, what is this? You guys expect me to walk in front of you with no weapon, while you two have a sword, axe, and bow? What shit are you trying to pull?!”

“Oh my god if I give you the machete will you shut up?” Instead of snapping back like Danny expected she would, Hazel only pauses for a moment, visibly thinking through it before stalking back to them.

“Fine.” Danny watches wordlessly as Samuel hands her the machete, his stomach twisting at the look of disgust and fury she sent his way. If she tries to kill me, will I be able to fight her off? I mean, of course, I think. But whose side would Sam choose?

“Daniel, care to take the lead? You are the only one that knows where we’re going after all.”

"Uh, yeah. No problem.” As Samuel had suggested, Danny takes charge of their group as he passes them, trying to ignore Hazel’s look of fury still directed towards him. Danny’s grateful that they remained quiet as they walked through the trees and undergrowth, both because he didn’t want to deal with their arguments, and because he knew that if they made even the slightest sound, it could scare any game near them away.

After walking for what felt like hours without seeing anything, Danny’s ears perk up as he hears a soft rustle in the bushes about 15 feet in front of him, raising his hand to stop the other two. Before they can question him about why he had stopped, he raises his pointer finger to his lips, gesturing in the direction of the sound with his other hand. Silent understanding passes over their faces, and he walks a few paces towards whatever was still rustling around in the bushes, his steps quiet and calculated. I just need to get close enough to see some part of it.

He spots a flash of brown amidst the deep green and immediately ceases his movements, raising the bow with his left hand as his right blindly finds an arrow from the quiver on his back. Nocking the arrow, he allows himself a moment to steady his arm as he waits for the perfect opportunity, finding it quickly. The arrow cuts through the air and finds its target in the blink of an eye as the rustling stops. He wastes no time in getting to whatever he had killed, pulling the arrow from the bushes to find a large rabbit at the end of it.

Removing the arrow, he wipes it on his pant leg and replaces it in his quiver before making his way back to the other two, who had watched the entire event go down in silence. “Hold this, will you?” He hands the rabbit to Samuel, trying to ignore the look of slight awe on his face.

“How did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“That. I didn’t even hear it, and I don’t know how you could see it through all the leaves and shit.”

Danny shrugs, resuming their path knowing the other two would follow. “Practice.” He chooses to ignore Hazel’s scoff, knowing better than to call her out for it. Jesus Christ, I can’t do anything around her, can I? Ignoring her, he continues on, his eyes scanning their surroundings for the slightest movement.

It isn’t long until he finds some, a soft scamper of a small creature in the bushes to his left grabbing his attention. With how close he already was to the animal, he nocks his bow immediately, watching and waiting to see some flash of the creature’s pelt through the leaves. His body freezes as a small weasel, an ermine, scurries out onto the path before him, stopping just in front of him as it looks up. Oh my god. Daphne? His heart breaks a little more each second that it stays, seemingly unafraid of him. His sadness quickly transforms into rage, understanding the more likely reason he had come across the creature. Those bastards in The Garden were listening in on our conversation. They put that here to test me, to see if I’d crack. I refuse to give them the pleasure.

“What are you doing?! Shoot it!” Hazel’s voice rips Danny from his thoughts and effectively scares the animal away as Danny watches it disappear into the undergrowth. “What’s wrong with you?!”

“There are better animals for meat. I refuse to kill any of them without reason. Let’s keep going.” Danny keeps all emotion from his tone as he resumes his path, praying that if his tears fell, he wouldn’t be close enough to Hazel for her to see them.

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

This is fine, you can do this. Just find the cavern and be alright being back in that place without-

It had taken their group a couple hours to make their way to the fire section of the portion, and Danny had easily found the small “canyon” that Daphne had only days before. They now walked through it without a word, the results of Danny’s hunting held by Samuel and Hazel as he led them towards where he hoped the cavern would be. It doesn’t take him long to find the path into the cliffside, that same soft orange light emitting from within, although somewhat dampened in the dying light of the day. Venturing into it first, he hopes that Hazel and Samuel would follow. What if this was all a set-up? They have food and now know where to cook it, what if they kill me or run? His fears are cast aside as he enters the cavern, the sound of Hazel and Samuel trying not to stumble over rocks echoing against the walls from behind him.

“Holy shit.” Danny turns to see Samuel looking around the cavern with wide eyes, a smile on his face as Hazel emerges from behind him. “How did you find this place?”

I didn’t. He only shrugs as a response, making himself busy as he clears away the burnt remains of his and Daphne’s fire and replacing it with the sharpened wood from his bag. No use for these now, I guess. Thank god the supports and roasting sticks are still here. I didn’t even think about getting new ones.

 “We need to leave, someone else has been here.” Hazel’s voice is sharp as she looks around them in what Danny could only describe as fear, as if she expected to be ambushed by other tributes hiding in the rocks. “They could come back, it isn’t safe here.”

“Daphne and I stayed here for the first day and the first two nights.” Danny shoves the reminder out of his head the second he feels tears come to his eyes, knowing he couldn’t risk Hazel seeing him cry. This is wrong, it feels wrong. Being back here with them and not- and not her. “There’s no one else here, we’ll be fine for a day or two. Trust me.”

“Fine.” Hazel stalks over to join Danny by their makeshift firepit, dropping the game she had been carrying quickly as if she didn’t want to be touching it any longer. “You two start roasting those and I’ll go access our surroundings. See if there’s anything useful out there.”

As much as he hated taking her orders, Danny says nothing as she leaves them again, grateful that he would have at least some break from her. As Samuel joins him, watching Danny’s hands as he starts a fire, he could tell that the other man felt the same. Around Hazel, Sam seemed to have a slight, permanent frown on his face and his shoulders were always tense as he refrained from snapping at her.

“How many did I get? I lost track.”

 “Uhhhh looks like 4 rabbits and 3 squirrels.”

“Not the best I could have caught but it’s good enough.”

“Better than what Hazel or I could have done.” Danny gives him no reply as he sets in on skinning their game, the repetitive motions allowing him to turn his brain off momentarily. Samuel seems fine sitting in silence until Danny sets in on spearing the meat on the roasting sticks before finding a spot by the fire to cook them. “So, how did you find this place?”

“I didn’t.” Sparing a glance over, Danny can see slight confusion present on Samuel’s face, and he quickly continues his explanation. “Daphne did. She’s the one that figured out the arena is split into elements, too.”

“What?”

“Elements. This is fire, she thought the forest area was earth, there’s a water area too, and then the mountains are air.”

“Huh. Well, if that’s true, we’ve already been to the water area, we aren’t good fishers, but the sea is freshwater so that’s a plus. And wait, wouldn’t the mountainy area be earth, and the forest air?”

A small smile graces Danny’s lips at the comment. “That’s exactly what I said. I guess it really doesn’t matter in the end though, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Samuel goes quiet, allowing Danny to finish roasting all the meat, moving on to the organs next. “Hey, thanks for doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“Hunting for us, showing us this place. I know Hazel isn’t the best ally to have, and she isn’t going to thank you for it, but I will.”

“No problem. Thanks for you know, not killing me. And making the time spent around her a little more bearable.”

“No problem.” Samuel laughs the words out, sending unexplainable butterflies to Danny’s stomach. God I could listen to that for hours. He really is starting to make this alliance worth it. Don’t get too attached, Danny. Don’t let what happened with Daphne happen again. There can only be one victor.

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Taglist: @jake-whatthefisgoingon-kiszka @milojames16 @gretnavannfleet @aioba1503-sdm @sanguinebats @cheersdannyx2 @musicislove3389 @holdingup-fallingsky @freyjalw @Maddie-Rae

[t1oui]

hc that james potter and mary macdonald are best friends

like obviously they have their own friend groups too, james has the marauders and mary has lily and marlene but these groups have always sort of coexisted

mary and james are childhood friends and grew up in the same neighborhood or something

they’re the it boy and girl of gryffindor

they’re both bi. james first complained to mary about how sirius and remus were so obviously in love and just couldn’t see it and then he realized he was so obviously in love with regulus and ranted to her about that too

meanwhile mary talks to him about being in love with lily

mary keeps james and his mild insanity when it comes to pretty people (regulus) in check

meanwhile james pushes mary out of her comfort zone and eventually helps her ask lily out (he’s so proud)

james is usually really happy and sunshiny and so when he’s upset (like really upset) sometimes the marauders don’t know how to deal with it and they get mary

mary and james can get each other to open up when no one else can

james insists he brings out mary’s “inner quidditch fan”. mary insists this is not a thing.

(it is.)

everyone finds out she is a liar when she paints her face red and gold for the end-of-year match and cheers herself hoarse after gryffindor wins the quidditch cup.

mary gets along pretty well with dorcas once they’re in the order together and james fangirls about it b/c he loves seeing regulus’s friends getting on with his friends

(dorcas, mary, and reg all call him a sop for this)

mary is usually very very chill but when she and lily kiss for the first time she runs into james’s room squealing

mary and sirius competing to be the better sibling to james (they take it very… siriusly.)

their birthdays are within a week of each other but mary’s is first and she will not let james forget it

she’s the cool aunt. to who? idk. teddy maybe. whoever it is, she’s the coolest. (james is very jealous.)

mary and regulus are also friends, because as scary as she may seem, she’s a good ally, and reg knows not to turn that down.

mary and james are just as related as james and sirius are, and together, they’re gonna kick voldemort’s ass.

hi again. i just wanted to tell you all that most of these headcanons (except marylily 0_0) appear in one of my fics, and while mary hasn’t shown up a lot yet, she will later! if you’re interested, feel free to go check it out :)

[gaymer-hag-stan]

Literally remembered just now. A few years back when CL brought the other girls to Coachella, I found a few angry GZBs, angry that she brought them on instead of having a full set. They where mad, calling the rest of the group "old hacks" and calling CL an idiot for making this decision that "goes behind your fans backs" who "have always been there for you when the rest if the fandom turned their backs on you". Her final say at the time was "this is why you aren't taking off in the US, it's cuz you keep trying to take care of these old hacks". Looking through the replies and their account, they seem to be always fighting with some other Bom fans. I just wanted to hear your thoughts on these kind of fans, because while I'm not a fan of other kpop groups (2nd gen only really) I've *never* seen kpop fan in-fighting for hags as bad as for our girls. I feel like this contributed to such a bad group exit for Minzy cuz the individual stans where just waiting for her to slipup cuz at the time Minzy was practically spotless, it helped YG make a clean throw under the bus because the fans helped. I'll leave it at this cuz boy is this long I didn't mean it to lmao

I actually didn't know about this? I was serving in the army at the time so I (thankfully) missed it.

But yeah the infighting between 2NE1's individual fans in general has been annoying. I would argue f(x) had it worst out of the 2nd gen girlies but 2NE1 are definitely right up there.

I have no respect or regard for this type of fans whatsoever. If you can't see that CL and the other girls are CLEARLY happy whenever they're together and WANT to do this and are not forced by a manger or a company to coexist with each other then you're terminally stupid. Nothing can be done

[laulink]

Just finished watching Hirogaru Sky Precure and I think it's the most solid series of the franchise so far. It didn't feel like there were a lot of purely filler episodes, unlike in some previous series where you could pretty easily skip 5 eps and not miss anything in regards to character or plot development, the overarching story itself is better paced and less redundant than some older series, and there were a lot of cool things done regarding the characters :

- first adult Cure ! We've already had "older sister" types in the series, but they were all still in high school and therefore still had similar problems and arcs to the other, younger Cures, so it was nice to have someone who is a bit older in the group because Ageha truly brings a new perspective and different dynamics to it : she has her life figured out, no familial conflict regarding her future, she often plays the role of the gentle hand guiding the kids in figuring things out regarding their own dreams and relationships, and even when she wasn't a Cure yet, she helped by providing technical support, information, strategies, protecting Elle-chan... A real adult !

- first boy Cure ! Not only was it nice to see a boy join the group, it was even nicer that he wasn't treated any differently from the others, be it by the group or the supporting characters. No one, in the series or all stars movie, pointed out that he is the first male Cure, which I appreciate because yes, the lore of Precure never stated that only girls could be Cures, but when you see big companies patting themselves on the back for including gender or racial diversity in their productions and making a big deal of it in the production itself, not just in articles, by having characters point out how unusual and amazing this is, I am happy to see that Toei Animation goes all the way with the message it sends ("boys can be Cures too and there's nothing weird about that") instead of making remarks about how unusual it is and therefore undercutting the message. I also love that they made the biggest recurring Precure fan of the series a fanboy, who specifically loves Cure Wing the most (before his beloved teacher becomes Cure Butterfly right before his eyes). A little boy is a fan of and wants to be like the male Cure : representation matters !

- the pairs : of course there are some clearly defined and favoured pairs in the team, as is often the case in Precure, but, where most series with a larger group tend to keep these characters in those specific pairs, to the point of rarely showing meaningful interactions or dynamics outside of those pairs, Hirogaru lets multiple pairs coexist at the same time, with very specific dynamics : Sora makes a pair with Mashiro (the lovers), but also with Tsubasa (the himbos, because seriously, look at their scenes together) and has a recurring gag with Ageha (the hugs, which is even included in the movie) while Ageha, who is Tsubasa's partner, is also Mashiro's childhood friend. And Elle ! In Hugtto Precure, Hugtan had a relationship with everyone, and I believe there even were some special traits to most of those relationships, but Elle takes it to a whole other level : Sora and Mashiro are clearly her main caretakers (without that impacting or taking away from Elle's relationship with her parents btw) with Sora being a bit more strict and stern, like her father, while Mashiro is softer and more willing to let things slide, the archetypical image of a mother, but Ageha is clearly the one who understands Elle the best and most often knows how to cheer her up when something is wrong, and Tsubasa is her sworn knight, who Elle tries her best to reconnect with when she starts to feel like Tsubasa is getting more distant. The different pairs also have a specific dynamic as Precures : whereas Sora often feels like she depends a lot on Mashiro and is ready to accept her help and be her friend as soon as she meets her while Mashiro often struggles with feeling like she isn't good enough, Sky is initially opposed to the idea of Prism fighting because she's worried for her safety while Prism knows and will show Sky that she is a dependable partner who is her equal and can fight by her side. Similarly, while Tsubasa often follows Sora in her antics or has overall similar reactions to new or surprising things, Wing is less hot-headed than Sky and has more than once pushed her out of harm's way when she charged headfirst into it. Ageha wants to do everything by herself and Tsubasa has trouble making her rely on him, but Butterfly and Wing's partners power up is the mixing colour palette that lets Ageha support everyone by powering them up while she apparently can't power herself up with it. Mashiro has never tried to hold Elle back from doing new things, but Prism tries to protect Majesty in a fight to the point of putting herself in danger. Sora has always protected Elle, but as soon as Majesty showed up, she and Sky got in sync acting as the team's powerhouses, often giving ennemies a double punch. It's just beautiful to see so many different and nuanced dynamics !

- the future : while Ageha and Sora know what they want for their future, things are more tricky for Tsubasa and Mashiro and I appreciate that the writers didn't take the easy options there. Tsubasa can't fly with his wings and has already studied aerodynamics and planes for a year when we officially meet him, so it would have been easy to simply make him decide to be a pilot, but they didn't take the easy path and made him realise that, now that his first dream had been achieved, he had developed a taste for knowledge and would become a sage. Similarly, Mashiro is gentle, wants to make people happy and is good at cooking and baking, so making her decide to be a cook would have been easy, but they went the picture book author way instead to give her more depth. I particularly like this because it reflects the reality of people being good at or having an interest in multiple things and career choices being about more than just taking what one is good at and finding a job making use of that.

Of course, the series isn't perfect : some bits are rushed, others feel a little out of place, some dynamics are less explored than others, Dark Sky deserved a whole episode instead of the two minutes of screentime she got, but overall, I maintain this is the best structured, best constructed, most solid Cure series I've seen thus far and I hope the quality stays at this level or keeps improving going forward because it's nice to see a franchise this big being treated as more than a money bank and getting increasingly better instead of degrading over time.

[hupla222]

Rarus Gang

The gang. The gang is here at last, done by @xabi0407. I'm a huge Pokémon fan so it should be no surprise that I have my own Pokémon region, well two actually. These guys are from the first of them called Rarus. Rarus is far from a traditional region, more like a spinoff game. Its a small region, barely even noticeable on the map. And its a region where Pokémon are far more feral than elsewhere. As such civilization is sparse, being only six small villages in the whole region, each one protected by a guardian Pokémon. But enough about Rarus for now. I bet anyone who is actually reading this wants to know about those guys up there, so let's get into that. Absolutely feel free to ask about this one its been my brainrot since elementary school.

Ava (16): She's the first girl up there. She comes from The Village of the Pyroar, the smallest of the six villages located in Sector Six. She's an adventurous soul, never one to stay still and always looking for a thrill. She's egotistical but she has a king heart, desiring nothing more than to join the Rangers (no not those rangers), a group of people dedicating to protecting people as well as educating the public about Pokémon and helping the two groups coexist. All of the Sectors have a Ranger, all except hers. And she's going to do whatever it takes to become one and protect the people she loves. Her partner Pokémon is a Litleo, one of the children of the Lady Pyroar herself.

Alex (13): This boy is Ava's younger cousin, so close that they are practically siblings. At the age of ten he was thrown out of the village by an angry villager who believed his bloodline was cursed (the people of Rarus are very superstitious) since he can under the speech of Pokémon. As such he has spent the last three years living in the woods learning medicine from a local Sylveon. Aimed with his late father's camera, he travels with Ava after reuniting with her determined to photograph the whole region to show the people of Rarus that it isn't as scary as they've been told. His main partner Pokémon is a shiny Swampert, one that is a runt.

Julie (12): And finally we have Julie, the little cutie pie on the right. She's a very cheerful girl that Ava rescued right before she set off on her journey. Wanting to support her new hero, Julie travels with Ava while also furthering her own goal of becoming a dragon tamer. She's the daughter of the leader of The Village of the Noivern and as such has a deep connection with dragons. She wants everyone to know how wonderful it can be to work together with Pokémon and to not fear them. And she's going to start by befriending the scariest ones of all (except the Zoroark that is). Her partner Pokémon is a Deino that she hatched from an egg.

[titantroopers]

Top 10 Most Underrated Anime

Top 10 Most Underrated Anime You Need to Watch: Unleash Hidden Gems

The world of anime is vast and ever-expanding, overflowing with popular titles that dominate conversations and streaming queues. But beneath the surface lie hidden treasures – underrated anime gems waiting to be discovered. These shows offer exceptional stories, captivating characters, and stunning animation, yet haven't received the widespread recognition they deserve.

So, if you're a seasoned anime fan looking for something fresh, or a curious newcomer eager to dive deeper, this list is for you! We've compiled 10 phenomenal anime series that deserve a place on your watchlist:

1. Shouwa Rakugo (Showa Era Rakugo): Embark on a historical journey through the captivating world of rakugo, a traditional Japanese form of comedic storytelling. This emotional masterpiece explores themes of mentorship, perseverance, and the power of storytelling across generations. (Keywords: historical, drama, slice-of-life)

2. Yakitate!! Japan: Calling all food lovers! This hilarious anime throws you headfirst into the high-pressure world of competitive bread baking. Expect outrageous scenarios, wacky characters, and a surprising amount of heart as our protagonist strives to become the ultimate baker. (Keywords: comedy, sports, food)

3. Beastars: Dive into a world where carnivores and herbivores coexist in an uneasy truce. Beastars is a visually stunning anime that tackles mature themes of prejudice, identity, and the struggle to find your place in a complex society. (Keywords: drama, mystery, social commentary)

4. Ping Pong the Animation: Don't be fooled by the seemingly simple premise of table tennis. This anime is a masterclass in animation with a unique visual style. It delves into the competitive spirit, the pressure to succeed, and the delicate balance between teamwork and individual drive. (Keywords: sports, coming-of-age, psychological)

5. Yuri!!! on Ice: Get ready to lace up your skates and be swept away by the beauty of figure skating! Yuri!!! on Ice is a heartwarming sports anime that celebrates passion, dedication, and the power of mentorship. It also boasts a vibrant cast of characters and stunning animation sequences. (Keywords: sports, figure skating, LGBTQ+)

6. Mushishi: Take a break from the high-octane action and immerse yourself in the serene world of Mushishi. This atmospheric anime follows a traveling doctor who encounters strange occurrences linked to nature spirits called "mushi." Each episode is a beautifully crafted story filled with wonder and quiet contemplation. (Keywords: fantasy, slice-of-life, mystery)

7. Princess Jellyfish: This heartwarming comedy follows a group of socially awkward otaku women who live together in a quirky boarding house. As they navigate the challenges of daily life and pursue their passions, Princess Jellyfish celebrates friendship, self-acceptance, and the importance of finding your own community. (Keywords: comedy, slice-of-life, josei)

8. Hinamatsuri: Prepare for a laugh riot with Hinamatsuri! This hilarious anime throws together a yakuza boss with a telekinetic alien child. The ensuing chaos is a side-splitting exploration of family, responsibility, and the unexpected bonds that can form between the most unlikely characters. (Keywords: comedy, science fiction, slice-of-life)

9. Silver Spoon: Trade cityscapes for sprawling fields in Silver Spoon! This charming anime follows a city boy who enrolls in an agricultural high school. As he learns the ropes of farm life, Silver Spoon offers a heartwarming and educational look at the world of agriculture and the importance of hard work. (Keywords: slice-of-life, comedy, agriculture)

10. Run with the Wind: Calling all sports anime enthusiasts! Run with the Wind is an inspirational underdog story that follows a ragtag college team striving to qualify for the prestigious Hakone Ekiden relay race. This anime beautifully captures the camaraderie, struggles, and triumphs that come with pushing yourself to the limit. (Keywords: sports, drama, inspirational)

These are just a taste of the incredible anime waiting to be discovered. So, grab your snacks, settle in, and get ready to unlock a world of hidden gems! https://titantroopers.com/top-10-most-underrated-anime-you-need-to-watch/

[softranswolves]

Derek x Theo x Jordan

Ship It

What made you ship it?

Ohhhh boy(s). I'm a slut for soft x rough ships in general, as well as redemption as relationship builder, so already I've shipped Derek x Theo and Derek x Jordan. Putting them all together is *chef's kiss*.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

Derek and Theo both made life-changing mistakes in their youth, and they carried the guilt until it became a part of who they were, however consciously or subconsciously. Derek became closed off, angry, scared. He lost his family and couldn't bear to tell Laura or Peter (from what we are shown, at least). Theo lost his sister, and honestly his family too, even if that wasn't explained. His parents are terrified of him in 5x02, making it clear that he has done something to them in the past, whether himself or allowing the dread doctors to. Already I love Derek x Theo because of this - by the time we meet Theo, we've seen Derek go through so much character growth and learning. Seeing that interact with the chaos of Theo, seeing himself in the kid, would be fascinating, and Derek who we know by the time of season 5 would likely have sympathy and want to help Theo because he sees himself there. He may not be able to relate to taking his sister's heart, but he can fathom being responsible for a sibling's death.

Enter Jordan. We get Jordan somewhat in the middle of Derek's evolution, with him first really popping onto the radar in s3, which is also the time after Derek has not only once again lost part of his family (Erica and Boyd, almost losing Cora too) but also is sitting with making another big mistake in trust (Jennifer). He still can't fathom the damage possible when it becomes clear Stiles is the Nogitsune. He's afraid of that potential for someone to make a slip in judgment or misplace their trust and make a life altering mistake. Jordan isn't. Jordan rolls with the punches and actively seeks more information, wants to learn about himself and the supernatural. He's one of the first to just shrug when faced with it via Lydia, who he just assumes is a psychic and doesn't question it.

Come seasons 5 and 6, Derek is an evolved wolf - literally can change his shape to that of a wolf, and grew enough to be able to push past some of his trauma to embody the inherited full shift (we see so few full shift werecreatures and two already have Hale blood so inheritance rather than luck of the draw is the conclusion I take). Theo begins as a masquerade, someone we do not know once we see the end of 5x02 and understand everything he has told us, and the pack, is a lie. He doesn't even know himself because he has put on the mask too tight, repressing everything else except ambition and what a group of pseudoscientists told a literal child. Of course he believed them, just like Derek believed Kate and then Jennifer. Throughout season 5 we think we know Theo, but then Kira sends him to Hell (or teen wolf's equivalent) and he later gets a speedrun version of therapy via his sister repeatedly confronting him with what he's done. His greatest trauma face to face. Just like Kate in season 1 constantly taunting Derek (just with less heart-ripping-out. At least literally/physically.) This speedrun for Theo continues once he's resurrected and sees the fallout of what he did, as he is forced to interact with the pack once more, this time without his mask or the dread doctors shielding him.

Finally (sorry for the ramble lol) we have Jordan. Jordan, who is at war with his own supernatural side, the Hellhound that likes to think of its host as just being gone. The man who wasn't born or bitten but was saved and lives in coexistence with violence and death. But Jordan himself is softer, has love and care and patience. Patience that Theo and Derek haven't really had, at least not as unconditionally as Jordan provides. He doesn't take their bullshit, ever a realist, but he also doesn't hold the weight of what they've done over their heads. He understands. He sees them as they are and takes what they give him and he knows when they are being genuine. He shows them a better example than what they had forced themselves to be after their decisions cost people their lives.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

After an unintentionally long explanation on shipping, I don't think so lol

[schoolcraziness]

The New Dawn**

**Setting:** In a world transformed by technology and environmental consciousness, the year is 2035. The air is cleaner, cities are greener, and humanity has learned to coexist more harmoniously with nature. This is the era of Generation Beta, children born after Generation Alpha, who are known for their exceptional adaptability and innovative spirit.

**Character:** Meet Luna, a 10-year-old girl navigating her world with a blend of curiosity and creativity. Born in 2025, she is part of the first wave of Generation Beta, a generation shaped by the lessons of the past and the wonders of the future.

---

Luna sat cross-legged on the soft moss of Central Park, her favorite spot under the ancient oak tree, which had been preserved as a symbol of resilience. It was a sunny Saturday, and the air buzzed with the sounds of laughter, music, and the gentle hum of drones delivering packages overhead. She loved watching the cloud-shaped drones dance through the sky, delivering everything from books to plants, all while powered by renewable energy.

Today, however, Luna’s attention was focused on her portable holo-projector. With a flick of her wrist, she activated it, and a vibrant 3D display lit up in front of her, showcasing a virtual garden she had designed. Her fingers danced through the holographic interface, adjusting colors, plant types, and layouts. It was her dream to create a sustainable garden that would help the community grow fresh produce, and she was determined to make it a reality.

“Hey, Luna!” called out her best friend, Kai, as he approached, his electric skateboard zipping silently behind him. “What are you up to today?”

“Check this out!” Luna beamed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I’m designing the community garden for our school project. I want it to be eco-friendly and full of biodiversity!”

Kai leaned closer, his own holographic interface appearing beside hers. “Whoa! That’s amazing! But what about the bees? We need to attract them to pollinate the plants.”

Luna grinned. “I was just thinking that! We can add bee-friendly flowers and install a small water feature to help them thrive.”

As they brainstormed, Luna felt a surge of inspiration. Their project wasn’t just about creating a garden; it was about fostering a sense of community and connection to nature. In a world where technology was intertwined with their daily lives, they were determined to honor the environment and learn from it.

Later that afternoon, they gathered their classmates and presented their project. The school had embraced a new curriculum focused on sustainability and collaboration, and the students were eager to contribute. Luna’s heart raced as she watched her peers engage with their ideas, suggesting improvements and sharing their thoughts.

“Let’s make the garden a place for everyone,” suggested Aisha, a shy girl with a passion for art. “We can have workshops to teach people how to garden and create art from nature.”

With each new idea, Luna felt a sense of unity forming among her classmates. They weren’t just classmates; they were a team, working together to create something meaningful.

As the weeks went by, the project blossomed. They secured a small plot of land near their school and began planting seeds, learning about composting, and creating a space for hands-on workshops. The garden became a vibrant hub of activity, attracting students, parents, and even local residents who wanted to get involved.

One evening, as Luna watered the newly planted seedlings, she noticed a group of children gathering around her. They were curious, asking questions about the plants and how they could help. Luna smiled, her heart swelling with pride. This was what she had envisioned—a community coming together to nurture life and learn from each other.

“Can we plant something too?” a little boy asked, his eyes wide with wonder.

“Of course!” Luna replied, kneeling down to show them how to plant seeds. “We’re all in this together. The more, the merrier!”

As the sun set, casting a warm golden glow over the garden, Luna realized that she was part of something much larger than herself. The garden represented hope, collaboration, and the promise of a better future. In a world that had faced its challenges, they were creating a new narrative—one that embraced innovation, sustainability, and community.

Years later, as Luna stood at the helm of her thriving garden, now a beloved landmark in her city, she couldn’t help but reflect on how far they had come. Her generation had inherited a world that was constantly evolving, and they were determined to shape it for the better.

With a heart full of dreams and a spirit ready to embrace the future, Luna knew that this was just the beginning. Generation Beta was here to create, inspire, and lead the way toward a brighter tomorrow.

[worldofrobots]

Mechanica

In the 22nd century, humans and robots once coexisted and worked alongside each other. However, an unspecified disaster has caused an ecocide, turning Earth into a wasteland. Humanity had taken several surviving animal species and evacuated to the terraformed moon and Mars, leaving Earth’s civilizations to the robots. Ten thousand years later, a robot named Alice lives with several other robots in the abandoned Tokyo City.

One day, the robots’ routines are broken by the arrival of an Utsuro Bune-like pod which drifts onto the nearby beaches; Inside, they find an android boy who can’t speak. Since Alice was the first to find the android, Andromeda, the leader of the robots' community, gives the former the honor of looking after him, with Alice and the other robots giving him clothes and a voicebox. As Alice and the android begin to connect, Andromeda's assistant, Bel, inspects his data and learns that his memories were wiped; A disc also found in the pod contains a recording from his creator, Hideto Akasawa, the last of the few humans who remained on Earth. Akasawa, revealing the name of his “son” to be Silico, urges him to protect the wind-up key he wears around his neck from the rogue AI Master, who is responsible for erasing Silico’s memories.

Master’s robotic forces, the Drones, led by the fighting robot Argos, arrive in Tokyo to track down Silico, forcing Alice to escape with him before they can abduct him. Now fugitives, Alice and Silico decide to find a safe haven for the latter. Meanwhile, upon learning that Silico evaded capture, Master orders Argos to pursue him and Alice. Feeling betrayed by his creators who abandoned him, Master secretly plans to use the key to eliminate humanity.

Meanwhile, the two robots, upon entering a junkyard, are captured by the Lurkers, a group of obsolete robots who intend to use Alice and Silico’s body parts to replace their own. Silico’s built-in defenses activate, allowing the pair to escape in a repaired jeep with another captured robot named Lago. Argos is also attacked but manages to destroy many of the Lurkers. Driving across a desolate highway, Alice, Silico and Lago stop to gather supplies from the old wreck of a fallen airship, only to find two more robots, the twins H-1 and H-2, who accompany the trio on their journey. After they are carjacked, they follow the thief to a dive bar for retired combat robots, where H-1 and H-2's presence causes a scene, but the group manages to escape with the jeep.

Back in Tokyo City, the robots' community has been occupied by the Drones. With Andromeda having been taken hostage, Bel manages to escape in a cobbled-together hovercraft. Having wrecked the bar, Argos catches up with Alice, Silico, Lago and the twins on a bridge across a crevasse. Forced to abandon the jeep, they bring down the bridge, with Argos plummeting to his apparent doom. The group at last find a safe place in the Oasis, a town built inside a derelict mall, where they meet Akasawa, who reveals that the key, originally stolen from Master, is required to control a superweapon known as the Rapture.

Argos, having survived the fall, attacks the Oasis, injures Akasawa and abducts Silico. Fortunately, Bel manages to find the others and flies them to Master's lair in an abandoned robotics lab. There, they learn the reason for Master's abandonment from old records: Immediately after activation on "Bring Your Kids to Work Day", the untested AI attempted to hack into the lab's system before he was forcibly shut down. The group also learns that the Rapture is a powerful missile launcher capable of firing missiles into outer space. Realizing that Master intends to annihilate the human colonies on the moon and Mars, they confront Argos who, upon learning of Master's true motivations, betrays him by sending a computer virus to each of the Drones, allowing Alice's community to easily fight back, just as the inhabitants of the Oasis arrive to help.

After Alice locates and frees Silico, they attempt to shut down the Rapture, but Master, having been notified of the Drones' defeat, downloads himself into a robotic body to stop them. Just as he steals back the key, a mob of robots led by Andromeda and Akasawa swarm the lab, distracting him long enough for Alice to snatch the key. Silico takes the key and tells everyone else to escape as he activates a secret self destruct mechanism, sacrificing himself to destroy the key, the Rapture and Master.

Afterwards, Alice searches the ruins with her friends and manages to salvage some of Silico's parts. They rebuild and reactivate him, but Silico's memory and personality have been erased. Heartbroken, Alice kisses him, releasing a static electricity shock which restores him to his normal self. Alice and Silico reunite as the other robots salvage and plant the seedlings Master had been hoarding in the lab, slowly but surely turning the ravaged Earth into a paradise. The film ends many years later, as human colonists from the moon visit Earth to witness the planet's rejuvenation, with Alice and Silico resting under a tree.

[thenewnio]

Mechanica

In the 22nd century, humans and robots once coexisted and worked alongside each other. However, an unspecified disaster has caused an ecocide, turning Earth into a wasteland. Humanity had taken several surviving animal species and evacuated to the terraformed moon and Mars, leaving Earth’s civilizations to the robots. Ten thousand years later, a robot named Alice lives with several other robots in the abandoned Tokyo City.

One day, the robots’ routines are broken by the arrival of an Utsuro Bune-like pod which drifts onto the nearby beaches; Inside, they find an android boy who can’t speak. Since Alice was the first to find the android, Andromeda, the leader of the robots' community, gives the former the honor of looking after him, with Alice and the other robots giving him clothes and a voicebox. As Alice and the android begin to connect, Andromeda's assistant, Bel, inspects his data and learns that his memories were wiped; A disc also found in the pod contains a recording from his creator, Hideto Akasawa, the last of the few humans who remained on Earth. Akasawa, revealing the name of his “son” to be Silico, urges him to protect the wind-up key he wears around his neck from the rogue AI Master, who is responsible for erasing Silico’s memories.

Master’s robotic forces, the Drones, led by the fighting robot Argos, arrive in Tokyo to track down Silico, forcing Alice to escape with him before they can abduct him. Now fugitives, Alice and Silico decide to find a safe haven for the latter. Meanwhile, upon learning that Silico evaded capture, Master orders Argos to pursue him and Alice. Feeling betrayed by his creators who abandoned him, Master secretly plans to use the key to eliminate humanity.

Meanwhile, the two robots, upon entering a junkyard, are captured by the Lurkers, a group of obsolete robots who intend to use Alice and Silico’s body parts to replace their own. Silico’s built-in defenses activate, allowing the pair to escape in a repaired jeep with another captured robot named Lago. Argos is also attacked but manages to destroy many of the Lurkers. Driving across a desolate highway, Alice, Silico and Lago stop to gather supplies from the old wreck of a fallen airship, only to find two more robots, the twins H-1 and H-2, who accompany the trio on their journey. After they are carjacked, they follow the thief to a dive bar for retired combat robots, where H-1 and H-2's presence causes a scene, but the group manages to escape with the jeep.

Back in Tokyo City, the robots' community has been occupied by the Drones. With Andromeda having been taken hostage, Bel manages to escape in a cobbled-together hovercraft. Having wrecked the bar, Argos catches up with Alice, Silico, Lago and the twins on a bridge across a crevasse. Forced to abandon the jeep, they bring down the bridge, with Argos plummeting to his apparent doom. The group at last find a safe place in the Oasis, a town built inside a derelict mall, where they meet Akasawa, who reveals that the key, originally stolen from Master, is required to control a superweapon known as the Rapture.

Argos, having survived the fall, attacks the Oasis, injures Akasawa and abducts Silico. Fortunately, Bel manages to find the others and flies them to Master's lair in an abandoned robotics lab. There, they learn the reason for Master's abandonment from old records: Immediately after activation on "Bring Your Kids to Work Day", the untested AI attempted to hack into the lab's system before he was forcibly shut down. The group also learns that the Rapture is a powerful missile launcher capable of firing missiles into outer space. Realizing that Master intends to annihilate the human colonies on the moon and Mars, they confront Argos who, upon learning of Master's true motivations, betrays him by sending a computer virus to each of the Drones, allowing Alice's community to easily fight back, just as the inhabitants of the Oasis arrive to help.

After Alice locates and frees Silico, they attempt to shut down the Rapture, but Master, having been notified of the Drones' defeat, downloads himself into a robotic body to stop them. Just as he steals back the key, a mob of robots led by Andromeda and Akasawa swarm the lab, distracting him long enough for Alice to snatch the key. Silico takes the key and tells everyone else to escape as he activates a secret self destruct mechanism, sacrificing himself to destroy the key, the Rapture and Master.

Afterwards, Alice searches the ruins with her friends and manages to salvage some of Silico's parts. They rebuild and reactivate him, but Silico's memory and personality have been erased. Heartbroken, Alice kisses him, releasing a static electricity shock which restores him to his normal self. Alice and Silico reunite as the other robots salvage and plant the seedlings Master had been hoarding in the lab, slowly but surely turning the ravaged Earth into a paradise. The film ends many years later, as human colonists from the moon visit Earth to witness the planet's rejuvenation, with Alice and Silico resting under a tree.

[theroadtoanywhere]

The Road to Anywhere movie plot

The surreal continent of Arc, where humans are considered animals and keeping one as a pet is reserved only for the wealthy, is divided into four territories: the Red Lands, the Blue City, the Green Country and the Yellow Kingdom. The story begins proper with Princess Garnet, who lives with her possessive “momma”, Queen Carmen, the ruler of the Red Lands. One day, after meeting and playing with a strange boy, Garnet saves Poppy, a harpy-like creature, from being served for dinner, and hides her in her room. Poppy tells Garnet of the wonders of the world outside the palace; Intrigued, Garnet asks Carmen for permission to head out to explore, but Carmen refuses, claiming that life in the palace is better than anything in the outside world. Later, an anchor from an airship, the Luminus, crashes into her room. Garnet and Poppy quickly meet three other humans, Hinto, Orrin and the boy from earlier, Blane, who spirit them away aboard the Luminus and inform Garnet that she is not the Red Queen’s daughter, but a pet. She learns that the trio were also once pets of the three other rulers of Arc, Baron Marlais, Duchess Cloris and Count Aneirin; Blane had accidentally discovered the truth of his upbringing, and has stolen Aneirin’s magical compass, which can guide its user to various places in Arc, before rescuing Hinto and Orrin and stealing the Luminus from Cloris. They convince Garnet and Poppy to join them in their search for a new home where they can be free. The five visit several locations in Arc, first coming to a castle whose occupants taunt them, driving them back with a barrage of fruits and vegetables. They concoct a plan to sneak in using a Trojan Cat, but it is flung back out with them inside. Next, they avoid getting devoured by a Hydra-like beast by fleeing while the heads are arguing. Unbeknownst to them, their activities are being monitored by Empress DeVoid, a demon sorceress who is attempting to acquire the compass herself. Carmen, Marlais, Cloris and Aneirin also contact her to consult her for her aid in recapturing the quintet. Communicating to the group through the Luminus’s broken radio, DeVoid convinces them to come to her lair, the “Fortress of Lost Dreams”. To find it, they must first seek the enchantress Sigal, who knows the way to the Cave of Ganamar where the location of the Fortress is said to be written. Using the compass to find Sigal, they fly through a stormcloud, and Garnet and Poppy accidentally fall from the Luminus and land in the superstitious village of Freymere, where Garnet is accused of being a witch and subjected to an impromptu witch trial. However, the other three manage to locate Garnet and Poppy with the compass and rescue them. In a mountainous region, they meet Sigal, who informs them of a prophecy involving “two youths and two maidens” coming together to destroy the “fiends of Arc” and subsequently leading Arc into a new age of coexistence, before she directs them to the Cave of Ganamar, which is home to the Beast of Ganamar. Inside the cave, they find an inscription directing them to the Fortress of Lost Dreams, yet warning them of “great peril” within. As they discuss this, the Beast attacks, but the quintet escape with the help of the compass. After surviving an encounter with a gigantic “skymaid” who wears the Luminus like a hat, they reach the Fortress of Lost Dreams. There, they are lured into a trap by DeVoid, who takes the compass and uses it to summon the four rulers of Arc while the five are imprisoned in a cage at the bottom of a well, but Poppy manages to escape and retrieve the keys to their prison. As they make their way to DeVoid’s laboratory, they overhear her henchmen discussing her plans to combine the compass and a magic wand into a miniature scepter which opens gateways to realms outside Arc, allowing her to dominate the Cosmic Garden, Arc’s spirit world and the realm of the benevolent goddess Lady Alba, who banished her to the Fortress of Lost Dreams. As DeVoid combines the compass and wand before using her magic to fuse with the four rulers, becoming the Black Specter, the quintet steal the scepter, and throw dreams that DeVoid has bottled at the fusion, summoning various warriors, monsters and fighting machines born from imagination. However, the Specter has no trouble overpowering them all. As a last resort, Garnet uses the scepter to open up a portal leading to somewhere as far away as she could imagine: an asteroid in deep space. The Specter is sucked away to its death, and the group are nearly pulled through as well, until Alba appears and closes the portal. She then invites the five to live with her in the Cosmic Garden, but they decline, deciding instead to remain in Arc to ensure that humans will be allowed the rights of citizens, which Alba allows before departing, leaving them the scepter. After leaving the Fortress of Lost Dreams, the heroes meet up with Sigal, who reveals that she sent them to DeVoid deliberately to fulfill the prophecy. Realizing that they have new responsibilities as the new rulers of Arc after its former rulers’ deaths, the group begin to make preparations to spread the news with the scepter’s help, looking forward to their future. They are then seen from above as their figures grow smaller and the scene becomes a map of the whole of Arc, before it is rolled up by Alba.