#but alas. only in one timeline 😔

[shaykai]

party banter for Wyll and Vat’il?

27. Party banter with Wyll

Vat’il: Wyll. That novel you were reading earlier in camp… Is it any good?

Wyll: The romance novel? I didn’t know you had an eye for such things. It’s cliché, but I find myself passing the time with it more often than not. Have you read it before?

Vat’il: Possibly, though I wouldn’t remember if I had.

Wyll: Ah, right. If you ever feel your curiosity being piqued, I’d be glad to share my library.

Vat’il: I might take you up on that… Thank you.

[lxmelle]

Do you think there's a way/chance Gojo might still return.

I very very very much don't want that but some theories around here started getting to me.

For example the fact that we don't know Kenjaku's technique and how it works, also in the recent fanbook in Gojo's timeline the airport scene was referred as "a certain place" not afterlife.

Also his end was uncharacteristically 'happy' for jjk. Yes, his body is still used but his soul escaped the exploitation.

Soooo I'm curious as to what you think?

Hi, Anon 😊

Thanks for submitting a question - I don’t get many of these! What an honour that someone wants to hear my thoughts 😆 You’ve opened the floodgates of my mind, so proceed with caution 🙈

I’ll preface by saying that I generally feel that people can believe what they want to, so I don’t typically go out of my way to impose my opinion if I disagree with someone about their views. It’s just about being respectful I guess? I kinda wonder what theories there are out there about his revival, because I don’t engage with the content-makers much at all.

I will say I’m not ignorant to them, and do sometimes come across some posts on twitter & Reddit of that nature. Nobara and Gojo seem to be the most popular for revivalists. I get the impression that these posts dissect phrases / how things are described, or focus on the symbolism of specifics like that of lotuses’ regarding rebirth… but I think it doesn’t change what cannot be changed. Gege has hinted at his stance of them not returning for some time with how the story has been unfolding. Correct me if I’m wrong, and I know satosugu fans also do this for their “ship”, the only difference I perceive is that theorists exclude evidence that refutes their opinions (i.e. cherry picking things that become twisted into conclusions) and therefore it becomes a confirmation bias.

For example, the lotus symbolises many things, including purity due to how the blossoms grow in the murky depths of muddy water. Not necessarily rebirth in isolation. The lotus also carries some meaning in enlightenment. Resolve for growing despite its conditions. So... ince again, it’s not necessarily just rebirth.

In terms of the permanence of death… The have been too many reiterations of the narrator and reactions of characters that describe Gojo’s death for it to not be fact. I know this will disappoint those hoping for a comeback, and I think this question wouldn’t be posed if there wasn’t a sliver of hope that Gojo would “return”. I dunno, I guess I have mixed feelings about this because why just Gojo? Because he was the strongest, therefore he “deserved” to live again? His students need him? But… What about Choso? He didn’t get to be more of a human. And Nobara? Was that all her young life amounted to? What about Yaga? Didn’t panda need his dad? And Nanami? He didn’t get to go to Kuantan or retire with his riches he slaved for as a salaryman. Countless others, really. And let’s not forget Geto. He deserved to have a better life too. Did he not? (I, for one, would love for Gojo to come back on scene if Geto could as well... but... yeah. Alas. 😔)

So I guess I naturally have to ask: If it was so easy for the dead to rise again, why was it not possible for others who have died before Gojo? Also, unlike others, Gojo didn’t seem to reject the possibility of his death, so unlike Sukuna who had an interest in becoming cursed objects to extend his life or Kenjaku who body hopped, of Tengen who erased people... Gojo had no such wish, and felt he would “win either way” whether he lived or died in battle. This was his philosophy that was akin to a Military General. He was, to his core, very objective and accepting. It was both a strength and a weakness - just as Gege described in his character book.

Speaking of being a character… within Jujutsu Kaisen, Gojo Satoru was just one person. Gege spoke about his process behind Yuji as the main protagonist over Megumi and how Gojo’s role as the sensei was sealed after JJK0, whereas Yuta could be omitted. What remains true is that Gojo wasn’t the lead protagonist of the series. It would narratively be a disservice to Yuji, Megumi, and Yuta as members of the new generation.

What remains also true is that he was loved as a character. His legacy had been left. He made a significant dent in combatting the biggest threat to humanity. His role has been fulfilled... as fans we can continue to love him and recognise his impact. I think Gege depicting him in so many flashbacks is an ode to him in many ways. I don’t think it would be done like this if he were “returning”. It just does not make sense.

If we also think about what Gojo wanted as a character, or as an individual - I think he also found his own fulfilment. He didn’t want to return. I’ve come across some interesting perspectives of international fans who opened my eyes to a different perspective too: that Geto was happy to support him “as long as he was satisfied” and wasn’t going to urge him to go back - if going back was even possible in the first place. Because Geto prioritised Gojo as a person and not as the role of sensei or role as the strongest. So if Gojo was satisfied enough, Geto was satisfied that he was there to stay in the afterlife.

Let’s talk about directions too. North, according to Mei Mei, seemed to mean... rebirth. To become someone new. No where does it say that returning back to life was a possibility. Was she even right in the first place? Was the plane actually going to take off? So many questions. Whatever it was… Gojo also said he wished that the airport scene was not a figment of his imagination. The strongest sorcerer. Praying? I mean... why shouldn’t he get his wish? 😪 I think Gege said that the airport scene was like a reward for those who died. There is a better word for it but I can’t remember what it was. Will edit this post when I can remember.

I mean, these are my personal views and I guess people will believe what they wish to believe and hold onto different pieces of what’s shown to justify their beliefs. I suppose I wonder what has begun to sway you if his comeback isn’t something you particularly want? Is it a hope that he can continue something that you feel has been left unfinished? Is it out of love for him?

Hmm… I guess I feel like the baton had been passed, and he’d done all that he could possibly do, as the strongest

…even to the point of letting his body be used once he could no longer use it.

I know it is disturbing on many ways. However, within the series itself, it was a necessary strategy from the perspective of those not knowing how things would transpire.

Everyone there experienced a desperation to survive - to find any potential way to defeat Sukuna without the umbrella of safety that was Gojo Satoru. And Gojo cooperated - he never bothered with collaborating with to others since he always fought alone. This was character development too. This was for the next generation too. He couldn’t fight all battles for them. Some things, they needed to do themselves. Just as how he and Geto, as teens, were assigned to a mission that nearly got them all killed. This was the screwed up jujutsu world.

Ultimately, Gojo did his best in the battle. He did his best before the battle. Killing the higher ups included.

We may not know what Kenjaku’s CT is, but only Yuta can body-hop now… Gojo’s body, without Yuta in it, will not have a functional brain. Remember: he was also brain damaged from the fight with Sukuna.

It isn’t possible to survive without a brain. We don’t know how they’re keeping Yuta’s body fresh and how fresh the body needs to be in order for Yuta to return to it. These are the strange questions we can only speculate since we also don’t know how Kenjaku managed to enter the body of Geto in the state he was in, and then regenerated his heart and arm. Gojo’s body was stitched up in preparation for Yuta, for example. Yes it is mysterious. But. As it stands, again, only Yuta can hop. Gojo... I’m sorry to say 😪😢 is lifeless.

I think some theorise that it’s about the soul. But honestly, I believe Geto’s body with Kenjaku in it did not have Geto’s soul in it. It’s not a “Megumi’s soul co-existing with Sukuna” situation. Nor was it “Yuji with Sukuna”. Geto’s body was imbued with his CT and his memories, just like a cursed tool would - e.g. Nanami’s weapon. So Kenjaku can pilot it and receive information from it as part of his CT. It’s like a humanoid mecha.

It reacted to Gojo’s voice like a “dragonfly without its head” - it was merely a physical reaction.

Just like how a human body will twitch and move even after the person has expired.

Like the tail of a lizard that twitches even if detached from its head. It is involuntary. A residual instinct.

Kenjaku’s perspective of how the body and soul is one directly contrasts with Mahito’s view. So I don’t think we should pick one interpretation as more correct than the other when they both agreed that it was dependent on Cursed Technique in the end.

So... I guess those are my views. I really like how you phrased it - as his soul escaped exploitation. I suppose I see this as being true, since we saw Gege describe Gojo in this kind of “afterlife” that he doesn’t try to explain. I mean, this is an afterlife specific to Gojo, so who knows where it is?

Gege is funny like that I think. Multiple characters have been shown to hold conflicting views, and even as the story creator, he doesn’t play God who knows all and sees all that is able to describe a definitive afterlife. It’s both poetic and frustrating at the same time imho.

Honestly, I also find it challenging to accept. A part of me wonders if he wanted it to be an actual delusion, but I’m reminded of how he talked about souls and reincarnation - so I know in the verse that souls exist and that what Nanami said about his death was something Gojo couldn’t have just imagined in his dying moments.

Sorry it took a while to respond! Hopefully it’s... thorough enough? If you have something else to follow up, please drop me a comment or another Ask!

[lupunsus]

another hybrid au brainrot but with Pantalone

hybrid au based on the writings of @cinnamonest

gn Akita Inu hybrid reader, bad writing 😔

I think that Pantalone would definitely have a hybrid whose main purpose is to stand next to him and look pretty. Like a trophy spouse/wife/husband or something along that path.

Of course, with how rich he is, it would be easy to acquire the most expensive hybrid on the market. But where's the fun in buying goods that's already trained? And of course, there could possibly be an issue where being treated so highly because of how valuable one is can lead to issues with dealing with bratty behavior. So, in this timeline, Pantalone acquires a hybrid without spending money.

It's been stated that bear traps are illegal, but who's to say that they weren't modified to be less dangerous? Some people still have issues with actual wild animals getting too close to their property, so if the trap isn't strong enough to cut off a foot, it should be ok, right? Just enough for the animal to be dissuaded, but still walk it off! So it should be fine. There's also the bear traps that were set up way before it was declared illegal and lost due to the weather and nature, so both parties could get hurt. Plus, nobody remembers if they set traps too far from their house, so traps that are set off in a distance to where no house or property is close avoids having to take responsibility and aren't held accountable.

And with snow being able to pile up continuously, it's not long before someone unknowingly steps in it. It's one of the main reasons why Pantalone sticks to paved roads. The other reason is not to dirty his shoes.

So when he's out appreciating one of his many gardens, it doesn't concern him when he hears a scream off in the distance, thinking someone caught themselves in one of the forgotten traps. It isn't until he hears a cry that's between a whine and a howl that he decides to investigate the poor creature that stumbled upon the trap.

He thinks it's adorable how you growl at him while the trap makes itself at home on your leg, even more so when you drop the tough act and whine pathetically for the help of a human.

Now, as an akita inu, formerly living life on its own and fending for themselves, well, history explains itself when his servants are ordered to run a bath. Of course, he removes the trap before bringing you to his abode to show that only he can make bad things go away and even bandages you up to boot. Since it's him, you manage it. But with his servants, it's all struggles and biting. It's fun to listen to their concerns, but he promises a hefty pay to whoever successfully manages to bathe you.

You, who's sitting naked in the middle of a washroom, next to the tub. It would be an adorable sight if your fluffy tail were wagging accompanied by the classic lopsided smile that dogs normally have, but unfortunately, your ears are pinned back and tail swishing dangerously as you bared your teeth to the onlookers and made it very clear that no, you will not be touched by anyone except the person that made your leg feel better.

The competitive atmosphere disappears completely, and everyone huddles together on how to split the money between them. At first, they let a servant with a hydro vision attempt to rinse you off, but alas, they were only compensated for almost losing a hand. Well, at least it was something, but now you have a faint idea as to what people with visions can do.

Well, in your line of sight, you didn't see the vision itself, but it wasn't hard to pick up that some people could spray water on you.

It was impossible to even coax you to eat a treat (that would put you to sleep) as you could smell something was off, and you didn't trust them. "Why couldn't our master bring in a trained animal?" Was what everyone was collectively thinking as they watched you wander around the room, pawing at different things and knocking them over. Some of those things were expensive and hard to obtain, which prompted an unfortunate soul to tell Pantalone that the task he assigned couldn't be done, and there was some collateral damage that would probably affect the surplus of funds he had already.

Of course, having as much money to spare (he funds Dottore's experiments, obviously losing a couple of gold bars and diamonds won't affect him), he orders everyone out of his washroom and takes a look at the mess you made. Training you will be a bit hard, but oh, will it be so rewarding. I like to think that Pantalone has an eye for rare things, so even if you're dirty with mangy fur and looking like some kind of lower breed, he just knows you're worth millions just by appearances alone.

Luckily for him, he saved you from someone who carelessly left out a bear trap, so questions about the legality of obtaining you will be stomped out and replaced with praises of how benevolent and generous he is to have rescued you.

Anyway, he bathes you in 20 minutes.

Of course, not trusting him completely, you growl and snap at him when he touches sensitive areas, and he actually avoids them. But he'll remember for later, when you come to a point where you're eating out of his hand. He decides to let a professional groomer take care of your fur, allowing someone else to muzzle you when you start biting again.

It would seem like he ordered them to do it, but since he comes back with gifts and a worried expression when seeing you all muzzled and tied so you wouldn't scratch or bite anyone, and gently removing them from you, it only strengthens the belief that he is the only one you can trust and be loyal to. After all, he saved you and takes better care of you than anyone else, so he's obviously a good person.

But not good enough to trust with food.

It isn't like he would poison you, but after being used to living in the wild and hunting for yourself for so long, it's hard to accept things that are just offered to you. Especially when handed to you by those suspicious servants. They've been looking your way and pointing a finger, even huffing and moving their mouths to produce weird, low barking sounds. Pantalone teaches you common phrases at first. Basic commands given to dogs, but you wouldn't think they're commands since he always has his eyes closed and mouth all weird when doing it.

Eyes being closed around someone indicates trust, but you don't know any animal that makes a weird curve with their mouth.

But it's easy to repeat small, simple words, and often, you're given a treat for saying the name he gives you, and whenever you call him Master. After a while, he only started to give treats when you'd say "[Name] eat" or "[Name] sleep." Short phrases but positive reinforcement when it comes to speaking works wonders.

It's only when you say a word he hasn't used towards you (because you're such a good dog to him!) that he looks disappointed. And it's scary.

"[Name] is bad?" Paired with droopy ears and an innocent and confused gaze, Pantalone wanted to ask why you'd think of such a ridiculous thing, but hybrids only pick up things said around them. And he's never uttered that sentence even after you almost attacked that lamb Scaramouche adores. It was that puppet's fault for letting such a thing wander around to deliver items for him.

"No, [Name] is good." Along with what you learned was a way to express good feelings (smiling) and ear rubs, you cuddled up to his leg, tail wagging like crazy.

For the servants who have loose lips, they had the choice to end their life or live in debt for 3 generations.

When Pantalone has you wrapped around his finger just the way he likes it, it doesn't take long for him to start training you in how to behave around people. At first, he didn't really mind how overprotective you were when it came to his co-workers' hybrids, but because of his image, he has to at least make sure you behave appropriately for any and all events he must attend.

He's rich, but due to your previous wild nature, he opts to train you with the disposable oversized t-shirts first. If you thought the collar was uncomfortable, the clothes were definitely worse. At least the collar had a soft material on its inside so it wouldn't hurt after wearing it, but the shirt felt suffocating and weird. Weird enough to flop over with a vacant expression and remain that way for a good 5 minutes. Treats were given if the shirt wasn't ruined and you didn't make an attempt to bite at it, but it was still hard to resist the urge.

But the treats were delicious, so you supposed it wouldn't hurt to suffer for a little bit.

But then you saw how that bear hybrid wears jack shit and became really pouty. "[Name] want freedom! Nothing on me!" Ah, how disappointing then. If that's what you want so badly, then Pantalone doesn't mind giving it to you. Of course, this means no more roaming around when he has guests over, staying home when he has to go out, and, of course, not being able to leave the mansion without your collar.

It's okay though! He respects your wishes, and these rules go into effect immediately. Part of him wishes that you'd be more obedient and let him dress you up prettily, but another part is amused and wants to see how long it'll take before you're begging for him to clothe you.

To me, because of how he was born into poverty and became the richest person we know of today, I think Pantalone would have no issue training a wild hybrid into an obedient servant who's loyal and willing to die for their masters. Fortunately for him, akita inus are said to be loyal hunting dogs who do just that.

[pinkpinkmermayyy]

I finally watched Wish. And I gotta say, it's not as bad as people say it is. Don't get me wrong, it's not good by any means. But it's still not so awful I felt frustrated and sick to my stomach after watching it. But it's also not so bad it's good to the point where it becomes a guilty pleasure for me like the live-action Bratz movie. It's just...bad. But not horrible. It had potential. It COULD'VE been good if the writers actually gave a single damn, and knew what they were doing. Or, alternatively, if they simply spent a few more hours on the damn movie. But alas, they did not, and since we're in the bad timeline, this is what we got. The music is what really weighs it down, with just about every song being meaningless, badly-written, and having terrible grammar/confusing metaphors that don't hold up under a microscope or even make any sense at all, really. The only thing stopping them from being completely insufferable is the fact that the actors are legitimately good singers, making it a crying shame that none of them weren't given better material to work with.

The characters themselves, though, are unfortunately very boring, one-dimensional, and contradictory/confusing in their writing. The setting, plot, and worldbuilding are all very bland and haphazard as well, to the point where I actually laughed out loud during the climactic scene at the end where the king brutalizes Asha with his evil magic. It was that ridiculous! The side characters, both human, animal, and star, were all boring and pointless(except for the Star ig) and I really have a bone to pick with Gabo especially. He goes from thinking that Asha killed her family(for no reason, mind you) to shaming Simon for being a bad friend and betraying Asha to the king, both in the SAME SCENE!!! It's like...all of the characters are this inconsistent honestly.

And I don't buy that people would be happy to "forget without regret" when it comes to their wishes. It just makes no sense to me. The writers should've come up with a better excuse for why the people of Rosas put their faith in the wishing system rather than "they forget what they wanted in the first place but are totally all right with that!" especially when Asha acts like this is a new revelation. Like come on, guys, you work at Disney! Give us something! But they gave us nothing. Because they are lazy. A shame.

Also the costumes in this movie were boring and bland af, and everything was really monochrome and lifeless. It definitely fails in comparison to the costume designs in Encanto, The Princess and the Frog, and even Tangled. Everything just feels so dull, cheap, lazy, and uninspired. Though I do like Asha's design aside from her outfit, she is very pretty and it's sad what this movie does to her. This movie in short didn't feel like a Disney 100 Anniversary. In fact, it didn't even feel like a Disney movie at all. It felt like a student film that was inspired by Disney, or like those direct to video films made for really little kids that have a low budget and even lower-quality CGI. Just a massive disappointment. I'm afraid that Disney is no longer the gold standard of animation that it used to be. Oh well. 😔

this is what really ticks me off about wish. I would be fine if it was just terrible if it ended up not being amazing or even good, but it’s mediocre. And that drives me INSANE because I see so much potential in the story and characters and the villains but they just let it bite the dust and left us with this infuriatingly mediocre movie that was supposed to be the 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL FOR DISNEY! That’s supposed to be something fantastical and amazing and have that wow factor but it’s just so bland and it makes me angry. Also the fact that it was originally supposed to be traditionally animated but they changed that also makes my blood boil.

[therealslimshakespeare]

my dearest darlingest marina i need you to know you have broken me quite thoroughly and i might never ever forgive you for it as long as we both shall live ! ❣️

to clarify- ive been saving "let's fall out of love" to read later ever since you posted it cuz i didn't feel ready- didn't think i was emotionally stable enough to read it then. well, tonight ive been clearing out my list of unread fics from last year aND GODDAMN WAS I EVER RIGHT ABOUT THAT.!!!

started getting all weepy and shaky before that first courthouse bathroom conversation and i didn't ever stop 😭 sobbed so hard and for so long at the unfairness of it all (for both of them !) i gave myself an asthma attack and had to stop reading.. what really broke me was e's bittersweet and somewhat detached realization on the courthouse steps that all their kids had flocked to laney during the divorce. couldn't stop thinking abt how badly i would've wanted to tell jesse off for being sharp to his daddy, and the knowledge that elaine COULDN'T, that it wasn't quite over yet and she still had to save face for a bit longer despite how much it killed them both, despite being the only person who could truly understand just how deep elvis was hurting right then and having been the one who'd made a whole life out of loving him hard.......... the idea of him resigning himself to having lost that forever (false) and her having to go against everything in her nature to let him ache a while longer,, oh it just shattered my spirit to bits right then and there. oh god im gonna start crying again just thinking about how lonely they both made each other 💔💔💔

im literally inconsolable, even with the reasoning behind it/ knowing how it ends beforehand, and having those future timeline fics to fall back on did nOT SAVE ME like . dear GOD woman how is that even possible?!?? if i had any shred of humanity left in my body id wax poetic for three more paragraphs abt how that speaks to your truly absolutely outstanding talent as an author and worldbuilder, but alas i think i cried out everything that was keeping me sane sometime in the last half hour and now i have to go lie facedown on the floor in my hallway and die abt it all instead 👍 fantastic work as always i love all your work so much forever etc etc 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

ps: it took me the better part of an hour to type all this out since ive lost the water content of approxinately a small ocean w my tears and am doing physically poorly in response 🫠🫠 so thanks for ur patience in this trying time 😔🙏

I spun around in circles upon reading this like my poor coon dog when she had a stroke -jovially of course. Like this is the stuff every writer dreams of getting for feedback but holy smokes, your talent for screaming? Beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve always told you how much I appreciate your time and enthusiasm to tell your thoughts Mary Hope, and now is no exception. My babe and co-author @elvisabutler deserves the pleasure of reading what we’ve wrought, as well. I’ll be halving all your medical and psychiatric expenses with her. 😏

Tbh, despite knowing both imminent and longterm reconciliation was to happen after this segment, we were just as cut up about tearing them apart as you were to read it. In fact, it was worse than all the lead up fics where the passive aggressive accumulation of grievances came across as hurts but ultimately only aggravations. This is just…PAIN. Funny how what was untenable before a tragedy suddenly appears to have been idyllic after it. Anyways.

Thank you for reading, here’s some Kleenex, albuterol and do know the sequel to this divorce is in drafts, so not finished AT ALL but it is in the works.

Not that it’ll hurt much less than this one. 😈

[imaginespazzi]

Nivi – hey bestie, you’ve done it again – I wasn’t sure it could get more heartbreaking than the last one and yet!

As always, the writing is- well, it’s everything.

The parallels between high school them and college them was immaculate, and I so wish Paige could have fulfilled her dream of kissing Azzi under the confetti, but alas, maybe in another universe 😉

I loved the little exchange about UConn and California, and how that possibility was always there but Paige could just never accept it.

P and UConn winning the natty this year – it had to happen in at least one universe, so thank you for letting it happen in this one.

Side note: Drew and Paige interactions are always top tier, and very much the type of momentary fluff that I needed to break up the sadness while reading.

Side note 2: I love that I don’t even need to imagine what Azzi wearing Paige’s jersey would look like, but I’m glad ucla au Paige got to experience it too 🥹

The celebration with the team was so cute and of course it would be KK that basically helps break the ice (and her lil innocent “you should bring her around more often” 🥺). Also, all the little moments Az got with everyone else in the team was so wholesome, and ofc queen Nika being a loveable menace who’s always just looking out for her twin.

Side note 3: I love love love the two piggyback moments haha, just because that’s so pazzi core to me idk, I feel like there’s been a lot of photos where Azzi is piggybacking Paige irl, like that’s very much their thing so I adored seeing it incorporated here. But then, the ending. I knew it was coming, but it certainly did not make it hurt any less when we got there. “Fuck,” Paige’s voice is still wracked with sleep, “I thought you left.” “That’s more your style,” Azzi says – this was particularly heartbreaking, but I can’t really blame Azzi, even if P is trying so hard to make things right.

Overall, I may or may not have been tearing up throughout the entire chapter, and it somehow hit me even harder the second time I read through it? I think that’s just testament to your writing tbh.

Thoughts on what’s next:

Do things finally start getting better? It can’t get any worse, can it? (famous last words) 😅

I did wonder actually, whether you’d have them win or lose the natty, only because if they did win which obviously they did here (thank you), could that maybe change P’s mind at all on declaring or not?

I’m guessing she obviously sticks to her og decision and stays, and so I’m super intrigued on what might come next for them.

Like will they try going back to being just friends? Even though they’ve already tried and failed and knowing that would never be enough for Paige. But can they really not be in each other’s lives??

Will they try seeing other people again??

Summer’s coming up in the timeline and they’ve never spent an entire summer apart, so what will they do this summer? 😔 Or will we have a big time jump?

So many questions, and only you have the answers, Nivi.

Favourite lines/quotes:

The moon shines against Azzi’s face and Paige thinks that so much has changed, but Azzi’s still that kind of beautiful

“Do you know what my answer would have been?” “Yeah,” Azzi says softly, squeezing her hands, “yeah I do.”

Alternate lyrics that came to mind while reading:

Talk about our future like we had a clue. Never planned that one day, I'd be losing you.

In another life, I would be your girl. We'd keep all our promises, be us against the world.

Oh, and in honour of your love for Taylor, a Taylor lyric that came to mind was specifically this:

And I can go anywhere I want. Anywhere I want, just not home - mainly from the perspective of Paige getting almost everything she’s ever wanted, except the thing she wants most.

PS: I don’t really listen to Taylor’s music much anymore (nothing negative, just a shift in my music tastes these past couple of years!), but if there’s anything you think I should definitely give a listen to from her latest album, let me know!

As always, thank you for all you do for us. Have a wonderful weekend 💗

Much love, -🙋‍♀️

Hi bestie, one thing about me is that I will find a way to make it worse! 🤪

Thank you my sweets, it always means the world <3

I'm glad you caught that because I wanted to hint at the idea that it wasn't just a random decision of Azzi's part to choose UCLA and that she'd always been considering it.

If I can add Drew and Paige interactions, best believe I will find a way to do it. That's another relationship that's so precious to me.

Shoutout to the one anon who asked for Azzi to wear Paige's jersey in the universe as well because I took that and ran with it so I hope they liked it, because I liked their idea (come say hi!)

The team scene was one my favorites to write honestly, especially just in general KK is so fun to write because she's so fun and I need my chaotic family (Paige-Azzi-KK-Ice) to be a thing in every universe.

YES the piggybacks are just so Pazzi-core and I know this is an au but I like to take things from what we already know about them and just tweak it to keep some semblance of realism. Also piggyback are just really cute and Paige seems like the kind to beg literally anyone to carry her anyways

Things will get better because I actually don't know if they can get worse (actually they probably could but it might be hard to come back from lol) but things getting better is gonna take a lot

See if Paige changes her mind and declares, things become easy for them with her going to LA and I'm not in the business of making things easy for them lol

You think I have the answer to these question but truly what I write is just as much a mystery of where my inspiration will take to me as it is to you. So we'll see but we're on the ascent upwards, so no more other people lol!

I LOVE THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY SO MUCH!!

As for Taylor, the new album's pretty good babes if you wanna go listen! Lowkey a lot of the songs work pretty well with this fic lmao. But my favorites are loml and Fortnight I think.

Always love your detailed takes on the new parts and just seeing you in my inbox always makes me smile <3

[birdo-is-here]

ayee this one has a bit of lore behind it but not in the way you’d think!

This is Mary (she/her), she is based off the Mary Sue,,, trend?? stereotype?? idfk whatever Mary Sues were supposed to be Mary is kinda. supposed to be the personification of that

Now I babble quite a bit today so there’s a cut, but i’ve got some stuff to say about her

Now. First of all I want to say Mary is a muuuch older character of mine. I made her probably when I was 11 or 12, that’s at least 4 years ago

Here’s a fun fact about me, I had absolutely no critical thinking skills until maybe the age of 14 or mid-13s, and at the time I of course did not really realise the issues the entire Mary Sue thing had in general

Since those four years i’ve realised that I. really do not like the Mary Sue trope at aaallll. It is a very mean trope, simply making fun of young artists/writers for having fun with their characters, which obviously is not very good. As I stated, it feels very mean

Because of this, I’ve kind of wanted to scrap Mary’s entire base concept because like. well duh I don’t really want to make a character like that that just feels so. mean-spirited yk, i don’t wanna do that!! Art is art there are no rules to art you should be able to do whatever the hell you want with it as long as its not hurting others and that’s that!! Don’t bully people for experimenting with colours and styles and tropes!! That’s called being an Ass!

BUT DESPITE THIS. I could never fully scrap her!! Admittedly she had a counterpart for “Gary Stu” which. did get “scrapped”(in quotations because its a lore thing now wooo) But Mary?? I couldn’t get rid of her!! And very recently I think I realised why!!

For some context, Mary (and Gary) was originally from a story where there was a sort of. “spirit” for every known concept to exist, including the concept of Mary Sues and Gary Stues. That being said, Mary (and Gary,,) were basically the rulers of that universe because. need I say why. And they were also incredibly self-aware and could pretty much do whatever they wanted

Does this sound familiar at all?? To me, yep! Mary (and Gary,,,,,,,) was essentially the FIRST Off-Scripter I ever made!! before I ever even came up with the concept! Now, we all know that, chronologically, Naut’s the first Off-Scripter created but with my stories, we all know that chronological timelines aren’t the only timelines here

I think this is the sorta reason why Mary was never fully forgotten because like. that’s significant yk

So what have I chosen to do instead?? Well of course i’ve decided to lean into that Off-Scripter..ness about her A LOT more. I imagine that Author!Birdo probably had the same realisation that I had and tried to “scrap” her (and her universe, that story is probably gonna be scrapped im just not that interested in it anymore 🤷‍♀️ who knows i might get a burst of inspo tho) But! Mary is an Off-Scripter! And in typical Off-Scripter fashion simply decided. not to get scrapped (unlike her bf rip Gary 😔 haunting the narrative route for you)

And its gonna be a hell of a thing where like. Birdo is HELLA peeved about Mary’s existence because they hate it ygm. Just like me, Birdo doesn’t really want a character that feels so mean of a concept to exist in their universe, but alas?? Off-Scripter magic makes shit complicated again :(

Where we go from there?? I’m not too sure! I haven’t planned that far ahead I only came up with this stuff like. literally a couple days ago lol, but yeah there’s that

[marinerainbow]

IF I COULD I WOULD DRAW THE CRAP OUT IF THIS AU!!! You'd be seeing character and landscape designs, hopefully a more accurate height chart XD and just- AHHHHHHHHHHHH-

But alas, I can not draw 😔😔😔.... But I can write >:3

I imagine that Ben didn't go after Poppy himself at first, but instead sent a knight to try to retrieve her (important to remember about him. He's all bark and no bite. Which is a nice way of saying he's a little bitch-). He didn't want to give up the kingdoms treasure but wanted his wife back. I mentioned this briefly before with a Dragon Lottie imagine and shared this in more detail in an ask to Kit-Ink, so I'll just add a possible outcome.

Despite Poppy calling for her dragon friends, they were too far away to hear her, and now she's been taken back to her kingdom. Ben embraces her and acts all sweet with her, assuring her she's back home, but by now Poppy has lost any warmth she had for him and has nearly given in to just screwing off their marriage, so she's not only heartbroken that she's back 'home' and have lost the real love(s) of her life, but also now has to find a way to keep up pretenses with Ben again, despite wanting to just slap him ('It took you so long to even send someone to come for me, and you still think I'd be happy with you!?')

But that night, or maybe even just later that day, the castle gets attacked once again by guess who? And since one of their own has been taken, I can imagine this attack is far more viscious and non-negotiable than before Poppy was taken. And the best part is that Ben gets a front row seat to watching his wife rush to the beasts as soon as she sees them- both to convince them this violence isn't necessary, and to go home with them.

~

A bit less dramatic imagine now. Remember your Adult Dragon Lottie imagine where she protects her aunt from an angry dragon? One that was pissed off with Smartass?

I'm not sure what you imagine the reasoning and details of their meeting, but what if other dragons come to the Dragon Patrol because they are so notorious by now? For many reasons; to challenge them and see who's the strongest. To make some kind of deal. Or maybe more peace loving dragons asking them to stop doing whatever they're doing. Imagine that now that Poppy is part of the family, she gets to be a part of these meetings.

~

If its some kind of negotiation, Poppy can be right beside Smartass with Greasy, trying to convince Smarty to take the most peaceful option (if Poppy can't unite the kingdoms, than she can at least stop these dragons from making new enemies). She's whispering suggestions in his ear (either Smartass is knelt down low enough for Poppy to actually reach him, or he placed her on his back or shoulder), trying to be a mediator between this new Dragon and her friend, while Greasy is the one who wants to take the deal that best benefits him the group. Even if it's not the one Poppy doesn't approve of.

In a battle... Well she can't exactly fight alongside them, but she does try to at least calm the other dragon down if she can before things get ugly. And that is how that big agro dragon found out about the Dragon Patrols weak spot. If she's not successful, then she can at least help heal any wounds her friends + niece gained.

Either way, not only is Poppy doing her part as a member of this dragon family, they also are respecting her as one; they actually care about her opinion and let her have a voice. Granted they may not listen or agree all the time, but it's still better than what Poppy had to go through in the castle.

In the timeline that Poppy actually tries to escape (either a darker timeline, or Poppy is just sick of everyone's shit) imagine she's trying to climb down the hazardous mountain on her own, and it's basically that scene in Tarzan of Jane trying to navigate the tree XD

Poppy: *hanging on by a flimsy stone, trying to reach the other side without falling* This can't get any worse, can it?

The weather: *decides its a good time to start raining. On the mountain. Where Poppy is*

Poppy: ... Obviously, it can...

And then she makes the mistake of looking down in the ditch she's two seconds from falling down into... Only to see the best climber dragon Psycho clinging onto the rocks better than she, staring right up into her eyes like Tarzan was with Jane XD

~

Thats all I've got right now. Though this AU is living rent free in my head so there's probably gonna be more XD I hope you like these ^^

Ok I swear I'll think if X Reader stuff for the Dragon Boys. But until then, I humbly offer more Princess Poppy and Dragon Weasels interactions

When they grow closer, Smartass actually gives Poppy one of the old rooms in the castle to stay in. By far, she had just slept... Wherever, really, and had to sleep by at least one of them to ensure she didn't escape. And the boys have destroyed parts of the castle to suit their needs. But now that she's proven she's not going anywhere (*cough* now that Smartass is starting to like her), she's offered one of the few rooms that remain in tact for her own.

Poppy finding out how easy it is to bond with Stupid from the very beginning! Sure, he dumbly follows orders, and is terrifyingly large, but he can easily be a sweetheart she finds out ^^ he asks her questions about humans, she tells him all she can and why she believes peace is the best option. She offers him some of her food, and now she's got a big fat dragon by her side. He helps her reach places she can't because of her size, and she likes sleeping against him. He's like a big warm water bottle ^^

Ok Greasy's gonna get two XD let's get the darker imagine out of the way; Greasy trying to catch Poppy alone during the day, when she can wander around the castle. This place is unfamiliar to her, and they've changed the place enough where she can't even use her own castle back home to try to map the place out. The poor princess gets lost and/or stuck easily. And it's like Greasy can sense it.

(*cough* if they do get together, this could turn into some kind of foreplay between them. Ok bye-)

Ok I'm so sorry Pops. Here's the light hearted imagine. Dragon Greasy taking an interest in human cooking! He can't cook himself, at least not expertly like his weasel self can. But it's still intriguing to him how humans find ways to spice up their food. Poppy, since she was a royal, didn't really cook for herself. But she made it a point to get to know the servants, including the kitchen staff. She's picked up a few tricks here and there that she can show Greasy! ^^ it may not easily sway him into getting so attached to Poppy love Stupid... But it's a stepping stone for them.

Initially, Psycho did scare her, just like the others. But now that she's getting more used to her surroundings, she finds herself growing more curious about the insane dragon instead. He just looks so different from the others. He's built different, he thinks differently, just... He's an outcast in nearly every way. Just like how she felt in the royal family. At some point, Poppy finds it in herself to approach him and try politely asking him about himself, wanting to know more about him. And it catches Psycho completely off guard.

WHEEZY AND POPPY BONDING OVER BABY LOTTIE! I'm just imagining Lottie wants her favorite unkle and her babysitter in the same room, so these three are now together a lot of the time. Poppy is happy being around Wheezy; he may not be too nice like Stupid, but he has more integrity than the rest. They have intelligent conversations together while watching Lottie, gaining an understanding and respect for each other, and Poppy starts to see him as the safest to be around; esoecially if Greasy's eyeing her again, or Smartass is in a bad mood. And eventually, Poppy might feel safe enough with him to open up about how she truly feels about her marriage, and her failed attempt to try to maintain peace.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do! XD

I don't even have anything at all to add to this!! These are just so perfect and I am genuinely in love with them!!! I need a tv show of Princess Poppy and the Dragons, and their relationships changing so badly <3<3<3 Here, money! 💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵 Make it happen!!

I cant even pick a favourite! Okay yes I can, Wheezys one and Greasy dark one. They're all perfect.