#but then i go back over and realize my 'fix' idea still won't work

[sesshy380]

Me:

Wants to write

Opens Docs

Brain goes 'ewww werds'

Closes Docs

Opens Tumblr

WANTS TO WRITE

Repeat the attempt on WiP

Opens Battlenet

WANTS TO WRITE

Repeat the stages of attempting WiP

Cries

[a-b-riddle]

Part Five

Can't stop thinking about the attempt of reconciliation and reader ain't having it. Our girl is going to be wilddddd y'all. Also goodnight. See y'all tomorrow (maybe)

You call Meredith when you get home.

You. Are. Fuming. She's not sure she can ever remember a time you using so many swear words at one time.

How fucking dare them? Immature? You're the immature one? You were the one trying your best to salvage four failing relationship meanwhile none of those assholes could be bothered to try and keep one. They had one person to manage: you.

"I wanna go out this weekend." "Wear something tight and borderline risk indecent exposure."

"You know what I always say," Meredith begins. "The best way to get over someone-"

"is to get under someone else." You finish. You weren't exactly keen on the idea of bringing someone to your bed just yet, but a little attention would do you some good. "I don't want to fuck someone just yet." You admitted. "I'm more on the getting drunk and making out."

"I didn't know we resorted back secondary school heavy petting?" She teased.

"University, Dear." You corrected. "I didn't peak until after I graduated."

"No." She argued. "You didn't put your books down long enough to realize that boys actually wanted to fuck you." You were glad she couldn't see you roll your eyes. "Saturday work for you? I have a late night Friday and won't be up for it."

"That works."

"Sorry." She apologized. "I plan on getting you absolutely smashed so I need to be ready to play the nanny. I know how you love to get drunk and run off."

It was true. You had always found it hilarious when you were drunk to just run. Quite literally run away. It got to a point during university where Meredith would handcuff you to her so you didn't stray.

"I won't run." Your sober mind promised.

"Uh huh." Meredith's tone told you that she knew that was a load of shit. "I'll text Tabs. Let her know the plan."

The next day at the shop was pretty uneventful. No more unexpected visitors. You still had them all blocked. Not caring if now they decided to offer up some bullshit apology.

Months. This had been a steady decline for six months. A text or a simply sorry won't fix this. You weren't sure anything could.

But it didn't matter. You were done and they obviously were too.

You had picked up enough take out to feed a family, but you didn't plan on making your lunch before work or cooking when you got home. The rest of the week you planned on just going through the motions until you could go out Saturday and hopefully get everything out.

You weren't paying attention as you walked down the hallway to your flat. Fishing in your purse for keys. You were at almost at your door when you saw him.

Sitting next to your door was a familiar face. A face you felt you haven't seen in forever.

“What are you doing here, Kyle?" Your voice was flat as you continued to blindly try and find your keys with one hand. Fuck. You really need to clean out your purse...

“My key wouldn’t work.” He explained. "So I’m out here.”

"I'm aware why you're not in my apartment since I changed the locks," you said, trying to keep your irritation at bay. "What I am asking is why did you come here?"

"You won't return any of our messages."

"You're all blocked, so technically I didn't really get any messages." "Besides, you don't get to complain to me about not responding to texts, Kyle Garrick." Your fingers finally wraps around them. God bless. "If you're here for your things, it'll have to wait. I have to sort through everyone's shit and I don't know whose is whose."

"We need to talk." He explains as you put the key into the lock, opening the door.

"Nah," you say scrunching your nose in that way he used to adore. "I'm good. But you can swing by tomorrow and pick up your things if you'd like." You say before trying to shut the door on him. You were stupid in thinking you could be faster than him.

Dammit.

"I know things haven't been good and I've definitely could have been better,'' he admits. "But can you at least try and let us apologize? Let us try and work it out."

"No." You answered, trying to close the door. Not caring if you had to resort to kicking his shins to get him out.

"Why not?" He countered.

“Maybe because I've already tried, Kyle?” You gave up on trying to shut him out. You were strong, but he didn't have any issues in besting you. “Because I actually tried with you. With all of you. You didn’t need to come here giving me excuses about your life being hectic because I’ve made the excuses for you.” You didn't miss how he practically flinched. He had always blamed his busy life. Family. Work. You stopped caring about whatever excuse he gave you and realized it was just that. An excuse. “I’ve been telling myself for months that everything you guys didn’t do for me wasn’t because you didn’t care about me. It was because of the stress of your deployments is the reason none of you tell me when you get back from until it’s time to fuck. I tell myself it’s because of the fucked up situation of me being with all of you that makes it awkward to meet your families. Families you all have that I now know I’m not worthy of meeting.” He wanted to correct you. You were. You were worthy. He was an idiot. “It’s not that I need your excuses to make me feel like what you did was justified. No matter what it was, it was apparently to you because you did it.”

He took a step back, processing everything you had said. He had been selfish. You were the reliable constant in his life. Someone he believed he never disappointed. Someone he couldn't disappoint no matter how many times he fucked up.

You took the opportunity to slam the door. Quickly turning the lock before he had a chance to open it back up.

God...

That felt good.

You had spent that evening collecting their thing in case Kyle did show back up tomorrow. You wouldn't make their lives easier by sorting all their shit and organizing it. Everything. One box. Let them figure it out. You almost had a mind to add a shirt that you knew didn't belong to any of them just to have them argue over it. Or least make them think there was someone else...

You were almost tempted if not for the premise that you wanted them to realize this was their fault. Their fuck up. But now that you were officially all broken up, you were free game.

[arcane-rush]

Here's another one of my aus! So everyone remembers the puppet episode where Bill took over Dipper's body. And everyone, I think, also knows that Bill's "doctor" tried to blind him so he couldn't see into the third dimension anymore. And when Bill was possessing Dipper, he poured soda in his eyes. So I have an idea, and here's how I think it would go.

Bill, right after pouring soda in his eyes: Why... Why is everything black? Why can't I see?

Dipper, annoyed: Maybe because I don't drink out of my eyes!

Bill, has begun to panic and not listening: Why can't I see?

Dipper seeing Bill begin to have a panic attack: Hey, just, wash my eyes out with water, and you'll be fine. Oh... You know what, I'll lead you to the sink ok?

Bill nods and lets Dipper lead him to the sink and wash his eyes out. After he's finished, he goes back up to Dipper's room and curls up on his bed. Dipper is still annoyed that he doesn't have his body back, but is more sympathetic after seeing Bill panic.

Dipper: Why did you panic when you couldn't see? You don't have a mouth, do you drink out of your eye? Is that why you poured the soda into my eyes? How do you eat? Do you even need to eat?

Bill immediately has a flashback of Ford asking him a million questions, and being so gentle with him, just like Dipper's being.

Bill: My eye turns into my mouth when I eat. And... Being blind brings back... Bad memories.

Dipper pauses, and realizes that Bill isn't just evil, something must have happened to make him like this. Something must have hurt him so badly to be like this now.

Dipper: If you wanna talk about it, I'm here... You don't have to do this alone. I don't know why you're not acting evil right now, but since you're not... You can always talk to me. As long as you don't try to hurt me or my family again.

Bill leaves after that, and Dipper gets his body back. Mabel's a bit mad at him for missing the show, but forgives him when he explains. They don't tell anyone else about it till later.

Bill visits Dipper in his dreams and they talk about stuff. Dipper always tells Mabel about it, but it's kinda annoying cause he does it every night. Mabel thinks that it's because he can't possess anything at daytime, and figures since Bill said he wanted a puppet, he could possess inanimate objects, and makes a tiny Bill plushie. This works, and Dipper carries the plush everywhere, but he has to be alone when he's talking to Bill, because they don't want anyone else to know. Until Ford comes back.

So Ford comes back, and plush Bill is just clinging onto Dipper. Dipper connects the dots and forgets that there are other people here, takes out plush Bill, and asks;

Dipper: Bill, do you talk to me so much because I remind you of him?

Bill, answering because he also forgot the others are there: Maybe...

And Ford freaks out, but then they have to get rid of the FBI. So here's what happens after.

Ford: Why do you have that? Why do you talk to him, and why do you trust him!?

Dipper: I-

Bill, cutting in: He's my therapist. As you know, I have issues, and he's helping me with them.

Ford: What are you planning, Bill?

Mabel: I think he's just sad because he missed you. He won't stop talking about you.

Ford: What!?

Bill: Wait a minute... The portal is still open... Can I come through it, so I can stop being a plushie?

Ford: No!- Wait... Why did you ask? You could have come through already. Why ask?

Bill: Cause Dipper and Mabel say it's polite to ask for things instead of just taking them, or doing things...

Dipper and Mabel nod.

Ford: ...I'll turn the portal back on, and you can come through, but if you hurt anyone, just once, I'm kicking you out.

Bill: Okay!

So now Bill lives with them, and protects Mabel and Dipper. Ford eventually warms up to him and they get together. Stan and Bill have a friendly rivalry about who takes care of Dipper and Mabel better. And when Bill meets Fiddleford, he gives him all his memories back, except the really really traumatic ones, and fixes his brain. He does this of his own free will, it was his idea, and he does it knowing that Fiddleford will hate him afterwards, and Ford might leave his for Fiddleford because they did have feelings for each other. Fiddleford tolerates him, but doesn't forgive him. Not fully.

Since Bill sees Dipper's dreams, he knows about his parents divorce. Bill simply gives his parents the idea of letting them stay in gravity falls, since they seem happier than ever in their letters. Bill just gives them the idea, with Mabel and Dipper's permission. Mabel suggested it, actually. The parents visit, and decide to let them stay on their own.

And that's the au. I'm calling it the Big brother au,since Bill takes that role with Dipper and Mabel.

[x-uno]

Stolen Glances and Culinary Charms. PT2

<< 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 | 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 >> | 𝙼𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙻𝙸𝚂𝚃

HOW THE HELL CAN SOMEONE BE THAT PRETTY?

Sanji stood before you, a vision of grace and charm amidst the tranquil surroundings. A dappled ray of sunlight kissed the golden strands of his hair as he turned to look at you, his eyes warm and inviting. "You still with me, love?" he asked with a hint of concern. 

You blinked, momentarily lost in the ethereal beauty of the moment. His voice, like a gentle melody, brought you back to reality. "Huh? Oh uh, yeah. Sorry. Just had a thought.’’

Okay, maybe taking up Sanji's offer was a bad idea. 

Your inner monologue was in full swing as you attempted to regain your composure in Sanji's presence. While you desperately tried to focus on the task at hand – making a batter - it felt like an uphill battle with the distraction that was Sanji's otherworldly beauty.

As Sanji's smile deepened and he drew closer, it became increasingly clear that perhaps accepting his offer had been both a blessing and a curse. His unwavering gaze made it almost impossible to concentrate on the simplest of tasks, and you could feel yourself visibly cringe with embarrassment as you stumbled over your words.

"It's alright," he repeated softly, his voice like a soothing balm for your scattered thoughts. But your internal dialogue continued to run rampant, berating you for your inability to maintain composure.

Yep, definitely a bad idea. ABORT ABORT ABORT!

You managed to force yourself to focus on the batter, measuring out ingredients and mixing them together with all the determination you could muster. You couldn't help but sneak glances at Sanji out of the corner of your eye, admiring the way he effortlessly exuded elegance even in the simplest of moments.

Deep down, you knew that taking up Sanji's offer had given you a glimpse into a world of beauty and charm that few could match. But it also meant constantly battling your own nerves and insecurities in his presence. As you continued to work on the batter, you couldn't help but wonder if the effort to keep your cool was worth the privilege of being near him.

Eventually, you managed to finish the batter, and Sanji offered a satisfied nod. "There you go, love," he said. "A perfect batter, made with a little extra charm, courtesy of yours truly."

You couldn't help but smile, feeling grateful for the unexpected encounter and the delightful banter that had accompanied it. "Thanks, Sanji. You certainly know how to make cooking an unforgettable experience."

Sanji winked. "That's just a small taste of what I can offer," he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

A FEW HOURS LATER.

"Usopp, you won't believe what happened today," you started, your words tumbling out in a rush. "I mean, I thought it was a good idea to help out in the kitchen with Sanji, but it turned out to be a disaster."

Usopp looked up from his gadgets, curiosity piqued. "What happened?" he asked, his wide eyes fixed on you.

You fidgeted with your fingers, unable to meet Usopp's gaze directly. "Well, first of all, Sanji is ridiculously good-looking. Like, unbelievably good-looking. I couldn't concentrate at all because he's just so... distracting."

Usopp chuckled, realizing where this was going. "Yeah, I've heard about Sanji's looks. But go on."

"Exactly!" you exclaimed. "I couldn't focus on anything. I kept staring at him, and my mind just went blank. I must've sounded like a complete idiot, stumbling over my words and AHHH - making a total fool of myself!’’ The tips of your ears began to burn with a scalding heat once you had replayed the whole thing, moving to slap your cheeks with both hands.

Usopp tried to stifle his laughter but failed miserably. "Damn, you got it bad, huh."

You groaned. "Usopp you’re not helping!"

Usopp finally managed to compose himself, wiping away tears of laughter from his eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, still chuckling. "But, come on, it's not every day you get to see someone get so flustered over Sanji. It's kind of hilarious."

You shot him a playful glare. "Well, I'm glad my misery is entertaining for you."

Usopp patted your shoulder sympathetically. "Look, I get it. Sanji's got this whole suave thing going on. But don't worry, you'll get used to it."

You sighed, feeling a bit more at ease with Usopp's understanding. "I hope so. I don't want to keep embarrassing myself every time I'm around him."

~~

USOPP YOU LIAR. 

As the days went by, you found that Usopp's reassurances about getting used to Sanji's charm were a bit overly optimistic. If anything, your infatuation with the charismatic chef seemed to grow stronger with time.

Every interaction with Sanji left you flustered, your heart racing, and your mind a jumble of thoughts. You tried to employ Usopp's "Sanji Stare" and "Art of Complimenting" techniques, but in the presence of the suave chef, it was easier said than done.

One day, as you were helping Sanji in the kitchen, he handed you a freshly prepared plate of seafood risotto. His gaze met yours, and you attempted the Sanji Stare, but it came out as a nervous twitch.

Sanji, with his customary charm, leaned in slightly and said, "You seem a bit flustered today. Everything alright?"

"Mhm, yeah, all good, Everything's A-OKAY.’’ You gave him a tight smile.

He chuckled softly, and it seemed like he was enjoying your discomfort. "Well, I'm glad to hear that." He paused for a moment, and then added with a wink, "You know, you look even more beautiful when you blush."

You were utterly caught off guard by his compliment, and your grip on the plate of risotto faltered. It was a miracle that Sanji managed to save it from hitting the floor. Your face had reached a level of crimson that you didn't know was possible, and you felt like you were about to spontaneously combust from embarrassment.

‘’Hey, can you hurry up? Luffy’s getting antsy.’’ Zoro called out.

You felt a surge of relief as Zoro's voice broke the awkward moment. "Uh, yeah, coming right up," you replied hastily, glad for any excuse to escape Sanji's charming presence.

Sanji, still wearing that mischievous grin, released the plate of risotto into your care and took a step back. "I'll leave the rest to you, my lovely assistant," he said, his tone dripping with playfulness.

You nodded, practically fleeing the kitchen to serve Luffy and the others. 

taglist: reply to be added !

© 2023 x-uno ── all rights reserved. do not copy, translate, edit, alter, or redistribute my work. 

[choerypetal]

Yooooo!!! That Snow fic you recently released involving the reader and Treech being in love? Absolute masterpiece! So hear me out: what if you wrote about their connection and how it progressed? Like, before Coryo got his clutches on the reader. There was a moment you described where Treech and the reader snuck out, I’m pretty sure. I’d love to see a story on that. Maybe end it with those dying words you mentioned? Just utter fluff with that heartbreak of an ending.

Capitol's love birds. / Treech

summary : being Snow's twin meant being exactly like him, even though your appearances were slightly different. As a mentor yourself, you were assigned to District 7's male tribute, Treech. it was only in the wagon on its way to the Capitol that the chemistry first sparked, ultimately solidifying your status as the Capitol's favorite lovebirds.

ps ; english is not my native language, and I appreciate seeing your requests for ideas that I may not have thought of. Hopefully, you find the suggestions helpful. please refrain from plagiarizing my work without my permission or proper credit, as doing so may result in being flagged or banned. thank you.

Mentoring proved to be a challenging responsibility, but the greatest struggle arose when love entered the picture. However, this was no ordinary affection; it was a type of love that some might view as disgraceful, while others perceived it as a form of admiration amid the Games. Although Treech wasn't particularly interested in getting to know his mentor, let alone encountering them in another restricted enclosure, it was within those confines that the two of you crossed paths. Despite being Snow's twin traditionally constantly at his side, it was unquestionable that you, too, were destined to trail behind him to discover who your tribute was. 

While taking pride in mentoring someone from a district not situated at the lowest rungs of Panem's hierarchy, you were fortunate enough to maintain a semblance of dignity, given the reputation of the district you represented for its familiarity with victory. However, Lucy Gray Baird's captivating performance, the talk of the town since the reaping, cast shadows of doubt over your confidence. All of this, while your brother engaged with fellow tributes, attempting his best to establish his temptation not to gith back. 

You couldn't help but notice the stark class distinctions. Dust still clung to their attire, indicating a lack of access to basic amenities like showers before arriving. A twinge of sympathy crept in. "What's a pretty face doing here?" Reaper Ash remarked, catching you off guard. Initially assuming the comment was directed at Coriolanus, you soon realized it was aimed squarely at you. The revelation that you, too, were to become a mentor became apparent. And that the unspoken pressure to make a positive first impression on the fortunate second tribute who had the early opportunity to meet you loomed large. But Ash simply laughed at your brother’s reaction by ordering you stay behind him. Although poorly as his arm performed itself as a fence initiating to any tributes not to go further. "Relax, pretty boy. I won't touch her. Just asking for a friend, that's all." 

That friend happened to be Treech, whose imposing silhouette positioned itself in front of you a little closer this time. His gaze had been fixed on you from the moment he laid eyes on you. While you initially attributed it to natural human interaction, the persistent feeling of being scrutinized lingered throughout. It seemed as if Treech was almost surprised or even deceived to have you as his mentor, likely influenced by how your brother had fared so far. "Looking for District 7." You mentioned exchanging quick glances with the tributes to assess who would be best with an axe.

 As expected, your eyes landed on the red-headed girl who endeavored to present herself as the ideal candidate for you. "A boy." Your brother corrected, noticing as Lamina stood up, but Treech, adopting a protective stance, advised her to remain behind, much like your twin had done. After all it was a one-on-one game for the time being. "That must be my lucky one." Treech expressed sarcastically, stating it as a matter of fact, causing a subtle pink shade to color your cheeks – a reaction you tried hard to control. After all, it was your very first time you had seen someone outside the District ever. "You get to have the other pretty one." Ash teased playfully, suggesting that, despite Treech's charming demeanor, he was seemingly destined for a grim fate in the arena upon arrival. “I’m a little jealous.” Ash generously said.

Upon reaching the Capitol, you and your brother were taken aback as you discovered an unforeseen aspect of the tributes' journey. The initial understanding was that Flickerman, the Capitol's esteemed journalist, would be present to introduce each tribute upon their arrival. However, what they were unaware of was the presence of two mentors among the tributes, perhaps trespassing without official permission. This, however, was a matter for another time. Despite the somewhat unconventional transportation, Treech remained fixated on you throughout the journey to the Capitol. He seemed entranced by the striking resemblance between you and your brother, sparking a sense of compassion. Observing your interactions and the way you closely accompanied your brother, it was rumored that you were akin to his pet, only permitted to speak when approved by Coriolanus. Despite his disdain for the District, your brother demonstrated a surprising degree of protectiveness towards you, although in the midst of the situation, allowed  some space during the encounter with your tribute in an unexpected location. 

Fortunately, your keen observation allowed you to realize that you were reaching your destination, a detail that eluded many, including Coryo himself. Swiftly grasping your twin’s arm, a gesture he had ensured, the sudden tilt of the wagon hinted at the possibility of your feet slipping and sliding. Treech's eyes widened at your momentary clumsiness, seizing the opportunity to support you. As your back met the uncomfortable mud of the Zoo, he was determined not to lose his mentee on the spot. 

Cameras focused intently on both you and your brother, eliciting a crowd reaction filled with exclamations such as, "It's Snow's boy!" Swiftly, the onlookers noticed your presence next to your brother, who rose and asserted himself. There you stood, a captivating spectacle, with Treech's arm securing your waist and his unwavering gaze fixed on yours. A sly smirk played on his lips as the rest of the crowd declared your presence as well. "And look! The other Snow!" The citizens of the Capitol, already entranced by the presence of the twin siblings on their tributes' first day, began expressing confidence in your victory. This added an additional layer of challenge for the other mentors who were absent from this captivating spectacle. "It's your cue, princess." 

"Princess" was the first word he used to address you. Ironically, it took you a moment to realize that all the cameras were focused on you. Your brother had already made his mark, keeping a careful eye to ensure your tribute didn't make any missteps, especially when it came to touching you. However, you were completely under Treech's influence. With a confident smile, he waved at the cameras, making it a bit easier for you to face the potential embarrassment later at home. "She's alright!" He assured, shifting his gaze quickly to your relieved brother. He could have sworn he saw a few Capitol ladies, with similar makeup to yours, watching in awe at how Treech gallantly assisted you. As he watched the scene unfold with Lucy and Snow not far away, he too decided to play the role of the Capitol's love bird. 

As preparations for the 10th Hunger Games were underway, Flickerman's team mandated interviews with every tribute each year. From the very beginning, you managed to establish trust with Treech, a bond that proved beneficial. Not only did you ensure he was well-fed, but you also took the initiative to fetch Lamina additional food, given her mentor's apparent neglect. Treech appreciated the maternal role you assumed for Lamina. On one occasion, he confessed that he would go to great lengths for her, even if it meant risking his own life to secure her victory as the final tribute. It was all in the pursuit of making District 7 proud once again, for a Lumberjack always harbors a wealth of secrets up their sleeves. 

During his time at the Zoo, Treech found increased joy in your company, particularly when you accompanied him for a quick visit to the arena. Following suit with other tributes, he decided to take the initiative in making the first move. It happened on that initial day when he casually attempted to hold your hand, his fingers gently intertwining with yours. You discreetly glanced at him, careful not to make it too obvious given the presence of the assigned tributes and their mentors. With Coriolanus behind you taking notice. Yet, observing Treech's attempts to connect with you, he sensed a deeper connection between the two of you. Realizing this, your elder sibling understood the need to strengthen his bond with Lucy. To Treech's delight, he could only imagine your brother envying a love that he would never receive in return. 

With insider knowledge of the arena and sneaky routes into the Academy, Treech and you managed to slip away after the arena visit. Observing his interaction back with District 4's tribute and noticing his vigilance, a few teases were all it took to provoke Treech into throwing a punch, especially when faced with comments like. "Your girlfriend wouldn't mind if I speak with you?" While it was clear that others were aware of your connection, Treech dismissed it as a mere game, refusing to believe that it held any deeper significance. However, his sentiments towards you had sparked an unexpected depth of emotion within him. "Just a reminder." He sternly directed at the other tribute, his gaze darkening with offense. Spotting you behind him with Lamina by your side, Treech asserted. "You don't speak such filth about Y/N." The onlookers chuckled at his protectiveness and the evident depth of his emotions. "Or else?" They added, challenging anyone who dared to disrespect you. 

"Or else, I won't hesitate to cut your head off with my axe. Watch yourself, because I can do it in the blink of an eye." With those words, Treech revealed what you truly meant to him. He could vividly recall Snow's concerned gaze as he tried to pull you away from the escalating situation. However, you had refused that day, meeting Treech's eyes the entire time after discussing the tributes he would be teamed with. "For Lamina's sake," You had pleaded, urging him to be cautious. "Those individuals only seek your vulnerability. They may be from District 4, but they don't understand the power of an axe." Was what Treech said reassuring you with a smile. A smile you’ll never forget. 

In that very moment, you decided to take Treech with you for a clandestine escape from the arena. It was a day when even the tributes were granted the freedom to either stay at the arena for practice or wander under the watchful eyes of the Peacekeepers. However, Treech and you had a different agenda. You used the excuse of wanting to make his training more convenient as a cover. For some inexplicable reason, you had the approval of Dr. Gaul, who only instructed that Treech needed to return to the Zoo before midnight. It seemed that being Snow's twin had its perks after all. 

Upon your arrival at the Academy's Greenhouse, both of you maintained a quiet atmosphere. This place held a special significance for you, offering tranquility during moments of anxiety or family pressure. Though it was suspected that you were in charge of the Greenhouse, under your grandmother's watchful eye and constant reminders to enjoy tending to flowers like she did, you chose to share this haven with Treech. It was the same place where you had once spoken briefly to him, and he was thrilled not only to spend time alone with you but also to witness the real person behind the facade of prestige and elegance showcased in public. Trying to ease the slight tension, Treech remarked. "You know, I'd be damned to see your brother's face if he were here." It was a fact that you were gradually opening up to someone. The type that was once a stranger and now someone to feel loved by. "Brother could care less; he has Lucy wrapped around his finger right now.” You added, acknowledging the complexities of your relationships within the family. 

A smirk played across Treech's face, revealing his amusement at the thought of your brother feeling jealous. Although they were in similar positions, this time the connection between you and Treech was authentic, not just for show. Playful teasing began to permeate every event at the Academy, serving as a tactic to expose vulnerabilities in both of you. However, with Treech's mentor skills and the insights gained from your brother's tips, he honed his skills and strength, making it increasingly difficult for others to exploit weaknesses or gain his trust. "And would it be fair to say that I, too, have my little finger entirely wrapped around you, Princess?" He added, playfully reciprocating the banter. 

His words caused a warm blush to spread across your cheeks, especially when he directed his attention toward you during wound care in practice. The worry in your eyes whenever he made a slight mistake was met with a reassuring thumbs-up and the smile you cherished. There were moments when it became challenging for him to stay focused, particularly when he saw you engaged in conversations with your other classmates. Despite the casual nature of those interactions, he couldn't resist the urge to draw your attention back to him. In response, you chuckled softly, suggesting a meeting on the rooftop of the Greenhouse to admire the stars. "Anything that involves being with you, I'll gladly say yes." He replied with a smile. “You know, I love when you blush more. Especially for me.” 

Without uttering a word, you playfully dismissed his comment, rolling your eyes in a teasing manner. You extended your hand, a gesture he effortlessly accepted. "Show me the way, Princess." He said, and together, you ascended the stairs. Luck was on your side as you reached the rooftop just as the sun of the Capitol dipped below the horizon, signaling the arrival of dawn. The sky was clear, and the stars of Panem glittered above, creating a breathtaking scene just for the two of you. "Looks like I'm the lucky one." He marveled at the view. "Having a beautiful face to look at and a beautiful scenery to enjoy all to myself. I'd be damned not to win these Games and return home to a beautiful angel." He confessed, and this time, he genuinely meant every word. 

On the other hand, you remained completely silent. Initially, you wanted to express your gratitude, but as the Games drew nearer, uncertainty crept in, even with Treech's skills. The looming uncertainty, especially regarding Lucy's well-being and Snow's single-minded pursuit of victory, left you unsure. Despite your love for your brother, his focus was solely on winning, regardless of the familial bond. Treech noticed the tension as the two of you sat next to the bench, and he tried to bring you closer. In an unexpected reaction, you flinched—a rare occurrence. "Hey—" Treech began, but he immediately noticed your slightly swollen face and your eyes fighting back tears. The man you loved had become, overnight, a complete stranger at best. "Look at me, Y/N." He pleaded, adopting a worried tone as you broke down in front of him. The situation must have been incredibly embarrassing for you. 

"What's wrong?" His voice softened as he looked at you, tender care evident in his gaze. He took immense pride in having you as his partner during the Games and falling in love with the most exceptional mentors he could have ever asked for. He harbored concerns about the possibility of you crying over his lifeless body, should the worst come to pass. The thought of hearing you scream his name filled him with worry, although he made a concerted effort not to show it. His overarching plan was to make you proud and, above all, to be loved by you until his very last breath. 

"Have you ever genuinely fallen in love?" Your question resonated with Treech. Of course, he loved you. You were an unexpected and, ironically, his first love. And so for you. The circumstances of your meeting might not have been ideal, but as long as he was with you, that's all that mattered. And if things worked in his favor, it was not just for him but for Lamina as well, given that she often regarded you as someone she could trust. "Like genuinely." You added, trying your best not to burst into laughter. Your tears didn't make it any easier, giving you a slightly maniacal tone. 

“Of course, and that person is sitting right in front of me.” His eyes not taking his gaze from you. How he watched you loosing yourself entirely in the moment of a mere seconds. Your old habits resurging as you would try to numb the pain of your fingers by scratching the very last skin until it bled. To which Treech could not help to notice the moment he had met you. He grabbed your fingers, making you to stop it quickly as he began to peck every single fingers. “And I have made a promise to myself, that if I’d ever win. That we will be reunited together. Build a family, run away together. Be the lovebirds the Capitol wants us to be.” 

A mixture of remorse and relief surged through you as you heard every word from Treech, assuring you that he would stay alive and well. If only you could muster the same confidence he exuded. Despite your attempts, he gently wiped away your tears, his fingers delicately holding your chin to meet his gaze. "You know, even if it's not the conventional way to confess one's love to another, I might be able to let myself do it." He said, leaning in to press his lips against yours. They were soft, just as you expected, carrying the comforting scent of wood he had kept upon his arrival—a reminder of home, a home with both you and Treech. 

"I love you to the bottom of my heart. I know our first meetings weren't the best, but the way you cared for Lamina, and even showed care to me, proved something deeper. If we can continue doing that every night until the Games, I'll make sure you genuinely know that I love you." He confessed once the kiss broke. His words carried a weight that nearly brought tears to your eyes, holding you in place. The both of you chuckled at the irony of the situation, yet a newfound sense of confidence enveloped you—something you had never experienced before, especially as someone from a District. 

"Man, I wish we could continue this, but I don't want you to get punished for bringing me here—" This time, you swiftly cut him off, recognizing that it wasn't the right time for such activities, especially just a few days before the Games. Instead, you proposed a deal—a deal he seemed to enjoy a little too much. Every time you had the chance to train with him, just before returning him to the Zoo, you would indulge in cuddling and sometimes reminisce about home. Occasionally, these encounters escalated into intense make-out sessions, leaving him with a desire to mark you visibly. The marks led to teasing from some classmates, making you blush, and occasional interventions from your brother. Despite casual warnings, Treech took pleasure in denying everything with a smirk that your brother despised. To add to his delight, that same night, Treech deepened the marks, leaving a lasting impression. Just to see Snow’s furious face once again. 

Although this little pleasure was only going to last very soon, when the Games were officially commencing and you knew that. With you being at least able to say your final goodbyes to Treech, he could to feel your worrying about his situation. Cupping your face so delicately as a mention that everything was going to be alright. It was the last time that you also felt his lips brushing against yours. A kiss you would not forget so easily. 

During the Games, you and the remaining mentors, alongside your brother, watched with stress and concern for the well-being of your tributes. While your eyes remained fixed on Treech, you also tried your best to ensure Lamina's safety. However, the situation took a dire turn when the poison finally affected Treech. Feeling helpless, you did everything in your power to find a remedy, attempting to prevent the symptoms from worsening and to make them last until only one tribute remained. "The poison!" You angrily tried to draw attention, tears welling up as you called out to your brother, who paid no heed. Seeing you suffer for the one you loved was what he had envisioned from the start. His pleasure lay in witnessing Treech's suffering on screen. "Please! Give him the medication!" You appealed to your District 7's female mentor, but it was too late. Treech's coughing worsened, and your eyes remained fixed on the screen. "Treech..." was all you could say. 

Treech sensed that you were watching him, but whether it was with shame or grief, he couldn't discern. What he was certain of was seeing the expression on your face—a face that conveyed concern and a desperate desire to help. He knew that if the poison were to affect him, you would swiftly send the medication. However, it didn't happen, and he realized it was too late. Lucy had managed to escape, unlike him, who became the prisoner of an inevitable and senseless death. As he noticed the cameras focused on him, he understood that by now, you would be looking at him. "Y/N..." he began to cough in the middle of his sentence, capturing the attention of everyone in the room, including your brother. "I loved you since we met. Please, once I am gone, I want you to know that I genuinely loved and will always love you." 

"No!!" Your voice wavered between tears, desperately trying to advocate for the medication option repeatedly. Cursing under your breath, you fought against Pliny Harrington, who did his best to restrain you. "Y/N..." he tried to console you, sensing the profound grief from everyone's tributes, including yours. What he failed to comprehend was the deep connection between you and Treech, destined to become the Capitol's favorite lovebirds. "It's too late..." His voice turned into a plea for you to stop. It was at that moment that your entire body went numb. In Pliny’s arms, you managed to sit down, and as Snow's victory loomed over you, you realized that your confidence was about to be completely overshadowed once again. You would become Snow's source of pride and victory.

A man you had once loved would forever reside in your heart. In the heart of District 7, you were revered for your role as a caretaker for both its female and male tribute. What you were not aware of was that, unlike Snow, you became the face of purity and trust—a bond between the District and the people of the Capitol. It was a paid respect for the Capitol's most famous lovebirds.

[prettynalilmagic]

ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕜 𝔸 ℂ𝕒𝕣𝕕: 𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕨 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕜- ℝ𝕖𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟

Decks: Considerate Cat Tarot Vol 2, The Dark Mirror, Tarot of Pagan Cats, The Wild Unknown Archetypes

This reading will be shadow work based on what exactly are we repressing and not aware of. And how to work through it with advice from me and tarot. Take everything as a small guide, tarot is a tool for guidance and not to see or predict the future.

Pile one

First things first, Go get therapy.

"Its not about choosing the chains.

Its about choosing them again and again."

Pile one welcome to your little section. So, I had a theme card for your overall shadow, which was Addicted. At first, I was troubled with finding out exactly what type of addiction was causing you to repress your shadow, and I kept pulling cards and I realized that your shadow is built on way too many situations that come back to your dissatisfaction from your life. Pile One your addicted to hating yourself. You have heavy cards that show me that there’s this feeling of self-inflicted despair. Your shadow emits contempt for life, you hate yourself and honestly hate life overall. The hanged Man in reverse shows me that you grew up very much internally, most of your experiences are based inwardly as you felt left behind on life. Everyone seemed to reject you. Your loved ones, and people who are supposed to be close, turned their backs on you at some point so in turn you did the same. The world rejected you growing up. Life showed you, that you aren’t deserving of love, so you internalized that and have subconsciously clung onto that delusion.

Pile one do you feel like nothing can change you? Nothing can fix you? That things will stay the same or get worse over time? Have you even thought about how you feel about yourself truly? When was the last time you willingly reflected on your own self-image? Do you think there's any motivation for you to live your life beyond what traps you? Going back to your theme card, your repression is very much self-imprisoned. You don’t see you can work through any internal conflict and you in turn have been chaining your own self to depression. Nobody is perfect, that's true, but self-discovery is beautiful however it's also difficult. This won't be an easy task.

Mentally, you’re at rock bottom almost every day. Do you dissociate a lot? Do you even know if you do? Because I recently discovered that I dissociate a whole lot throughout my life and have never known I was doing it. Human brains are truly mind blowing, it can take and hold so much stress and pain, then hide it away from us so when we don’t keep reliving and feeling all that hurt.

Nobody wants to struggle and be depressed, and our brain very much plays a part in helping us hide it away. Chances are you downplay or don’t care to think or consider your own shadow self.

I'm not fit to diagnose, but pile one look into Complex Trauma, C-PTSD, and being Shame Bound. Learn about various types of traumas, habits, and attachment styles on YouTube it will help you get a rough idea on understanding what you need to improve on without using therapy. However, please if you can, look into seeing a psychologist and a therapist.

I know life is super tough as it is for you and you might not be able to afford it but research if there's anything you can afford and if you truly have searched, look into self-help groups online and self-help programs as well. There are free eBooks you can illegally get, pirate that shit. Get a tarot deck for yourself and do shadow work readings. Also please stop reading all the dumbass future partner and next lover readings, invest love into your own damn self before investing it onto some person you most likely haven’t even met or aren’t going to meet. Sorry it's a pet peeve of mine. Chances are you’re reading this on your phone or computer, get on the notes app and write out that little ass of yours. Please there’s still so many ways to make your own mental stability easier on yourself. There's so much stuff you can do if you truly look into it, I recommend watching Patrick Teahan, Heidi Priebe, Psych2Go, and Kati Morton, they're my personal favorite therapy youtubers, and they can help you.

Okay going back to the cards, and not my own personal input, the hanged man in reversed also shows me that it was your environment growing up that has formed you into who you are. Life for you looked like everything was so big and almost outta reach for you to grasp, but you’re still here, you have developed habits that has made growing up easier, you learn to get by.

Which leads me to the present, you got the 9 of cups, meaning that your experiences have made you who you are. It ties back to all those built of moments of isolation and lack of love for yourself that you grew up with. Obviously when we grow up knowing others are treating or making you feel some type of way, you take from that and build your mindset on all those experiences.

This hatred is what we use to get by and we build ourselves up to work with our hatred. You know you felt like you are replaceable or have a deep fear of being left behind, we go outta our way to justify being the ones to leave others and replace other people with anything else to get that same feeling, until the same trigger happens. It's a never-ending cycle and growing up it can actually be helpful. As a child we only experienced all the heavy emotions and were not shown consistent or significant amount of effort for our needs, so we learn to not expect that and run away from anything that triggers that little child in you. No one was there to show love so obviously unhealthy habits and mindsets get developed and grow up with us and only gets worse and worse as time flies by. Pile one, you are depressed and hopeless but cheer up, just because your life hasn’t been the best does not equate to that being a set-in stone reality for the rest of your life.

You can make your own life better; the daughter of cups reverse shows me that there's this desire to play around with stuff, just do it. Stop thinking about it, do it. Fuck shit up, stop being afraid of messing stuff up, you think the ones who have hurt you stopped when they were making you feel not cared for or loved? Nope, so just have fun.

Do that fun hobby idea you been thinking about. Get messy with life, even if it is creating something very sloppy. You want to express yourself some type of way but feel like you shouldn’t? Well just do it, even if you feel like a joke or an idiot just try it and see how it feels. Even if you don’t necessarily want to do something or show off a different look or skill, and your more so afraid of making mistakes and not being perfect, just push that thought to the back of your head.

If you spill your drink and make a mess, guess what you can clean it up, you don't have to get mad at yourself or at the drink. Shit happens, and why should you submerge yourself into all the small things with these big emotions like anger and sadness. Relax and rest those pretty eyes. Which goes into your last main card, Four of Swords. Again, relax for once, don’t guilt yourself. Everyone who has it easy, allows themself to relax from time. Even if they don’t doesn't mean that you should do the same thing. Have fun, learn more about who you are and why you are here. There’s so much self-sabotage that goes unnoticed by everyone.

Learn from yourself, thank who you had to become to get to here, and learn how to work past that when that shadow side doesn't help you anymore. You don’t have to 100% love yourself to overcome your shadow. Because here’s the thing, you’re not overcoming it, you’re learning to accept it and work with it to do better. Your shadow is who you are and use it to your ability to grow. Pile one get outta here and watch some therapy videos pls, you will be happier even for just a second.

Pile Two

"What I can't have forever, I will have for a minute. What I can't have for a minute, I will hold to me for one second."

Hello pile two, welcome to your pile. I assume for the most part your shadow is not something you shy away from because quite frankly there's not a significant amount of repression that is being displayed; I feel like this kind of shifted into a little bit of a motivational reading from your guides to tell you about one specific flaw in you rather to tackle down one serious hindering issue.

You guys got two theme cards for your theme of the overall shadow side that you're repressing. I pulled Masquerade and Queen of my world, for you pile two. Both cards have one thing in common. Both are attached to the word Bargain. Which tells me that you tend to do the most to procrastinate the process of bad emotions or habits. Masquerade is all about living in the moment and doing everything in your power to savor and dwell into the fleeting moments you so desperately want to hold onto and stick to. Queen of my world is all about holding onto a facade that hinders the possibility of being seen as anything other than graceful and powerful. You also pulled the daughter of wands in reversed. Which tells me that you procrastinate as well, and you can honestly be very disorderly as well.

You repress your shadow self because of how uncomfortable you are for being seen as who you wish you could be.

You know when we live our whole lives trying to maintain a certain image, it can be so hard and honestly draining. It makes sense why you want to slack off and just live in the moment because maintaining the way you think you have to come off to other people is very draining and if you think about it, your facade is stressful weather you are or aren't aware of it. Having live off of short moments and a false persona is only going to fulfill you for so long, do you think pretending to be stronger, smarter, or fiercer than you really going to stop you from embracing your true inner strength? Because aren't you tired of always having to consistently perform? I don't know if you are even doing it for yourself because doing that for so long will tire you out and make you unsure of who you are deep down.

Pile two, I did pull the son of cups. Which is a very charming and very appealing person to be around, this just reinforces that you will be this at all times for everyone and everything. Given that this is the card that's supposed to represent your present reality, I believe that you are a very much cookie cutter desired person. Someone who is always on top of how you appear as. All I see is that there's this big grand facade of being this person that is so desirable and welcoming. Everyone wants to present themselves in a good light to an extent but for you pile two it's very apparent that this isn't a want for you, it is a need and you do whatever needs to be done to be this beautiful picture-perfect version of yourself, but your human, so guess what? You are at a point where you have to chill out and learn to be yourself, not the ideal version at all times. It's okay to not be what everyone else wants you to be, or what your parents want you to be or whoever else you want to idealize you. You're a human, you're only capable of so much, you're flawed, and you can want to do or partake in things that are different from what should be expected from you. 

I pulled The High Priestess in reversed for you as clarification for Son of Cups.  Which tells me that you are a very spiritual person, which would make sense, you are reading a tarot reading. Besides that, it brings up to light that your inner self is not being done justice.

Do you even understand who you truly are? Not what you think you have to be to maintain approval.

This facade habit is not aligned with your highest potential. Because face it, do you think you will be happy for the rest of your life pretending to be something that isn't the real you? Just because others think you will be does not make that idea a reality, stop deceiving your true potential.

I don't want to assume but my guess is you may or may not have immigrant parents that have kind of forced this urgency to be a certain way to please them. At the end of the day, you know how you want to be or wish to be. If you don't relate to that portion obviously disregard it, it could be anything from grades, skills, and appearance. Maybe it's a controlling figure, which could be a lover or a person in power over you causing you to feel like you cannot be authentically yourself. 

The next card for you is Chariot, which is all about heading straight to where you want to be. Who you want to be. Nobody is going to be able to do it for you. You have built a wonderful mask for yourself for so long that it'll be hard to take it off and learn what you look like when you aren't wearing one. It will be unnatural to you at first, but you will get used to it. You got this pile two. I hope the best for you beautiful. 

Pile Three

"I cannot recognize myself. But I'm still me."

Welcome to your reading Pile three. I pulled two oracle cards; Downcast Pride and Is this Me, which the purpose is to reflect on the main themes of your reading. Is this Me is associated with the last stage the Dark Mirrors Oracle grief cycle, which the stage of acceptance, whereas Downcast Pride is associated with the depression stage.

Which brings up the primary point- your shadow self that is being repressed, is your own lack of attachment to joy or fulfillment for your life. This pile does remind me a lot about pile one, as both were attached to the stage of depression. There's been this emptiness in our lives for so long, that we become very dull in life and don't bother to work or see things in a way outside of that empty feeling. Yet, on contrast to pile one, pile three is more so at the phrase of depression morphing into the stage of acceptance. Pile three has wisdom and more insight compared to both previous piles. Pile three you have this inward recognition that everyone is within means of having the capacity to alter your method of thinking and act based on that. You're the more self-aware pile so congratulations on that. I got the High Priestess reversed, Nine of Cups reversed, and Two of Swords as the cards to represent what is being repressed from your past. Nine of Cups was the overall main card for the first question and when it's in reversed I read it as dissatisfaction despite all the opportunities that have been given to us. Perhaps, we overestimated what should be given or granted to us and are disappointed that we don't feel satisfied even if our needs have generally been met. In other words, even though you didn't have the worst hand in life, you're not content. It's possible, you have taken your status, or a piece of your own identity for granted. Given the length of time we have used certain facets of our identity for so long, or maybe even briefly; our perspective of our identity can very much be impacted with that facet we once were attached to and what we used to represent. And it also plays a significant role in preserving our happiness and contentment. Now, this "opportunity" or fragment of identify has gotten away as time gives space for it to vanish off. Life is all about change, it's difficult to accept yet we can't and shouldn't allow it to dictate our personal fulfillment. Change is devasting but so is self-pity, a little self-pity is healthy for you, too much is detrimental for us to expand ourselves onto newer and better things. This could mean anything, such as growing up thin and gorgeous. Years go by and now you've gained more weight than you like, eyes have become dull and wrinkly skin has formed in the corners of your eyes, forehead, arms and almost your entire body. Maybe you're blaming yourself for not earning as much money or for not being able to get the same level of love, appreciation or attention from other people. It could be anything—even a passion that ignited a fire in your life that has gradually faded over time. (Mind you, I am not saying that if you picked pile three you have to be old enough to be worrying about wrinkles or having to make more money from the previous year, any age group could pick this. School, family and mental/physical illnesses can be factors as well not just time itself.) Two of Swords also brings up a different point, that highlights being at a standoff with decision-making. Pile three, did you make a lot of decisions based off of what someone else told you was better or what would best suit someone else? Two of swords displays a lot of lack of self-assurance and I think that part of your fulfillment that's displayed from Downcast Pride roots from not being more assertive in your own personal decisions. The High Priestess is a very spiritual card, and as it is included in the spread's earlier sections, I interpret this to mean that either an inner wisdom has been present but has been clouded by the lack of purpose and achievement. You have potential, but with all this chaotic energy, you have suppressed a lot of this fulfillment. Even after all this time has passed and you still feel as though you are in the same place in life. How come you never knew or tried to figure out what you wanted to do? You're not content and have felt like happiness and fulfillment hasn't been present in life. Pile three, it has to feel devastating for you.

Another way that I’m reading the high priestess is that the high priestess is all about our inner calling and inner wisdom. Based on the other two cards, I would say that this is what is blocking off all this magical, inner wisdom being brought up. Meaning, we must solve our own issues to let our inner voice be shined. Seek assistance from anyone or any place that might help you becoming more aware of your inner reality.

You also got the Son of Cups and Judgement reversed. Which just reinforces what I said the previous paragraph. Son of Cups represents a charming and idealistic person that everyone loves and desires. Whilst Judgement reversed is highlighting missed opportunities and failure. Failure to be the Sun of Cups. Failure to grow past who you used to be.

Mourn your past. Accept it’s not with you anymore. Move on so you can grow. I am aware it’s easier said than done, but it still needs to be addressed.

Lamenting over who you wish you still were, or where you want to be is rather pointless. Stop wishing for something thats now unattainable for you. Look for the new you, answers and solutions for yourself. Morph into something better so that the old you would’ve been jealous of new present you. When you think about it, it’s actually good that some things cannot be changed because then there’s a plethora of options for growth and numerous outcomes for who we can be.

Now, I pulled Father of Swords, for advice for you to help you work through accepting your shadow self. This card is pretty straightforward, Father of Swords is a very authoritative and is someone who strives onward. He’s also someone who’s very logical and knows that in order for blessings we have to work and set ourselves up for blessings. He does what he has to do to get to where he wants to be. He dosn’t live in the past, he lives in the present while working for the future. Spirt wants me to tell you to do the same so you can work through your repression of your shadow.

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Idea #86: Percy Jackson, but make it Time Travel

I was minding my own business at work this morning when a terrible, awful, wonderful idea for a PJO time travel fix-it hit me out of the blue.

Or: What if a deified Percy was sent back to the start of canon?

Just imagine it:

Percy wakes screaming, which is immediately disconcerting as he's not slept in nearly 100 years. He summons a storm practically out of reflex, still caught up in the horrors of everything he just left behind, and promptly passes out, his 12 year old body not used to the strain.

-because he is twelve again - mortal again, - in his bed at Yancy Academy again, a week out from the field trip that will change his life.

Not that Percy realizes this straight off, what with the panic and the passing out, though he does pick it up fairly quickly once he wakes up again in the school infirmary. This nearly sends him into another tailspin of panic - (he is small, he is weak, he is alone in his head, one hundred years in the past, and can barely feel any of his domains) - before Percy manages to get himself under control enough to come up with the basics of a plan: get somewhere safe so he can start figuring out what the Hades is going on.

Percy manages to sneak out of the infirmary while everyone else is at dinner, hails the Chariot of Damnation even though he's way out of their normal service area ("We'll put it on your tab, dearie," the seeresses say, "we know you're good for it."), and arrives at Camp Half-Blood just after midnight.

His entrance is much less spectacular than it was originally, but no less startling for all Mr D is the only one awake to see it, for the moment Percy crosses the ward lines the magic begins to recognize him as the future Camp Director - which in turn startles Dionysus just enough that he doesn't immediately smite Percy when he practically throws himself at the god and starts going on about how pleased he is to see him.

The truth comes out in fits and starts, with Percy's exhaustion (and Dionysus' gifts) being the only thing keeping him from another panic attack. His story boils down to this:

Percy has always been a powerful demigod, perhaps the most powerful child of his father ever to be born to a mortal. His actions from his first quest onward only pushed him closer to the brink of immortality. Divinity did not come until several months after the events of ToA, when a camper had jokingly raised a glass to Perseus Jackson, Trainer of Heroes, which was all that was needed to push him over that final precipice.

As Lord Perseus, he was from the onset more powerful than most minor gods, his domains being the eclectic mix of Heroes, Natural Disasters, and Misery - the first earning him the permanent position of Director of Camp Half-Blood and Patron of Camp Jupiter, the second keeping him quite busy in an era of climate change, and the last having been unwittingly stolen years before from Akhlys in Tartarus. It is this power that causes Zeus to become even more paranoid.

-which is saying something, as his paranoia had already skyrocketed to new and greater heights after Apollo returned improved from the events of ToA.

It grows worse over the better part of the next century, with the Titan War, Giant War, Triumvirate, and all that follows eventually disabusing the majority of the gods that Zeus will never be an effective ruler. Apollo leads a rebellion against his father - and would have succeeded, had not Zeus not managed to somehow push Apollo directly into Chaos as Apollo was preparing for his final blow, which has the unfortunate effect of the universe trying to unwrite one of the most important gods from the history of Western Civilization and undoes the fabric of reality in the process. Percy was watching it unravel before his eyes (desperately, desperately trying to weave it back together but it won't hold) when he suddenly found himself screaming 100 years in the past.

It is a fantastical story, but Dionysus has no choice to believe it.

("But why did you come to me? Why not your father?" Percy looks down, running a finger along the grain of of the wooden table, "We became friends in the future. Misery and alcohol, you know? One of the oldest pairings in the book." There's more, Dionysus can tell, but the boy is already flagging, unused to the weaknesses of his childish mortal body. It can wait.)

The events of canon proceed apace - or at least as much as they can when Percy shows up at camp almost two months early knowing more about the Greek and Roman pantheon than anyone who hasn't lived through it, with the attitude of a hero who's been through Tartarus and the power levels of a minor god burning him up from the inside. All while sneaking off in his spare time to 1) plot to stop the end of the world with Dionysus and 2) hang out with Dionysus, because he is one hundred twelve, thank you very much, and needs adult company every now and then, for all he’s missed his long dead friends.

I actually have no idea how the events of the books themselves would play out - Percy has neither the patience or the ability to let everything play out exactly as before, but the major beats of PJO still take place, with Percy doing his best to undermine the arguments that drew so many to Kronos as he can while still mortal. (Advocating for cabins for minor gods and/or undetermined, or combined housing with temples. Gods being forced to claim their children when they arrive at camp, etc.)

Perhaps Kronos tries harder to sway Percy to his side once he sees how strong a demigod he is, showing his hand too soon and causing the Titan War to be an all out war from the start of TTC until the Battle of Manhattan? Percy is more than just a child solider - he is a seasoned teenage general, directing battles, saving many with is experience but still loosing too many; a one-man army who eventually ascends on his sixteenth birthday, Luke's misery as he kills himself being the last push Percy needs to reclaim his divinity and his domains.

Gaining his godhood early allows Percy to temper the events of HOO and TOA (the Giant War still happens, but a generation later with a different set of demigods, and allows Zeus to redeem himself somewhat by being an effective war leader; Apollo never becomes mortal but the Triumvirate is destroyed a generation after that), if not prevent them. Though a part of him will always long for his mortality, it was never in the cards. It was either godhood or an early death, and Percy would rather spend an eternity protecting demigods and giving them the training they need to protect themselves than the alternative.

And so that's what Percy Jackson does, because that's what he's always done: accept as much misery for himself to make the lives of those he loves as misery-free as possible.

Bonuses include:

No hint of Percy/Annabeth in the new timeline, with the pair in the original having broken up shortly before Percy's ascension, having realize their codependency was not healthy, nor was it actually romantic love. From 100 years on, Percy is critical of his first relationship, but still counts Annabeth as one of his best friends, even if they're not as close in this timeline.

Although never widely disseminated, several individuals come to learn of Percy's trip through time and the circumstances that lead to it. (Poseidon, Sally, Thalia). A few others suspect Percy has some level of prophetic gift to go along with his other powers. But for the most part no one has any idea Percy is anything other than a powerful demigod with some really bad luck; and

It eventually coming out that Percy and Dionysus had a thing in the future, with Percy over the course of 100 years coming to like, respect, and eventually love the God of Wine. Percy is absolutely convinced it was entirely one-sided, their thing only adding up to a few drunken fucks between friends (because that's what Dionysus does with his friends), but Dionysus after he learns of it not being so sure (because it's really not what he does with friends and hasn't been for millennia). Whatever the case, it is exceptionally awkward when it comes out, especially as Percy's only physically 14 at the time, and attempting to resolve this awkwardness is how Thalia ends up learning about the time travel.

Extra bonus points if Percy and Ariadne were decent friends in the original timeline, become decent friends again in the new one, and settle into a polyamorous relationship with Dionysus (after Percy is deified and comes of age) that has Hera spitting teeth for decades.

And that is far, far more than I'd ever thought I'd have, but I think this plot bun somehow merged with a thread of an idea for a Dionysus-positive fic that's been tickling at me for years now. As always, feel free to adopt, just link back if you do anything with it.

More PJO Ideas | More Terrible Fic Ideas

[togglesbloggle]

I won't be opting out of the AI scraping thing, though of course I'm glad they're giving us the option. In fact, at some point in the last year or so, I realized that 'the machine' is actually a part of why I'm writing in the first place, a conscious part of my audience.

All the old reasons are still there; this is a great place to practice writing, and I can feel proud looking back over the years and getting a sense of my own improvement at stringing words together, developing and communicating ideas. And I mean, social media is what it is. I'm not immune to the joy of getting a lot of notes on something that I worked hard on, it's not like I'm Tumbling in a different way than anyone else at the end of the day. But I probably care a bit less than I used to, precisely because there's a lurking background knowledge that regardless of how popular it is, what I write will get schlorped up in to the giant LLM vacuum cleaner and used to train the next big thing, and the thing after that, and the thing after that. This is more than a little reassuring to me.

That sets me apart in some ways; the LLMs aren't so popular around these parts, and most visual artists especially take strong issue with the practice. I don't mean to argue with that preference, or tell them their business. Particularly when it is a business, from which they draw an income. But there's an art to distinguishing the urgent from the big, yeah?

The debate about AI in this particular moment in history feels like a very urgent thing to me- it's about well-justified economic anxieties, about the devaluation of human artistic efforts in favor of mass production of uninspired pro-forma drek, about the proliferation of a cost-effective Just Barely Good Enough that drives out the meaningful and the thoughtful. But the immediacy of those issues, I think, has a way of crowding out a deeper and more thoughtful debate about what AI is, and what it's going to mean for us in the day after tomorrow. The urgency of the moment, in other words, tends to obscure the things that make AI important.

And like, it is. It is really, really important.

The two-step that people in 'tech culture' tend to deploy in response to the urgent economic crisis often resembles something like "yeah, it sucks that lots of people get put out of work; but new jobs will be created, and in the meantime maybe we should get on that UBI thing." This response usually makes me wince a bit- casually gesturing in the direction of a massive overhaul of the entire material basis of our lives, and saying that maybe we'll get around to fixing that sometime soon, isn't a real answer to people wondering where their bread will come from next week.

But I do understand a little of what motivates that sort of cavalier attitude, because like... man, I don't know any more if we're even gonna have money as a concept in 2044. That's what I mean by 'big', this sense that the immediate economic shocks of 2024 are just a foreshadowing of something much bigger, much scarier, much more powerful- and indeed, much more hopeful.

We never quite manage to see these things coming, even when we're looking for them; like the masters tell us, the trick to writing science fiction isn't predicting the car, it's predicting the traffic jam. Even if we take centuries to hit the true superintelligent AI post-singularity future of our wildest fever dreams, even if we never hit that, the road to getting there is going to be unfathomably weird, starting now. Today, we worry about the economic impacts of AI on artists and creatives. Tomorrow, the economy is something that the AI does.

Really- it takes less than you think. They can already automate visual art, sort of. They can automate many functions of text already; not stories so much, yet, but they'll get there. How long until they can automate Bain Capital? Fannie Mae? Angel investors, banks, credit agencies? And remember- the machines don't have to be better than the human investors, any more than they have to be better than the human artists. They just have to be good enough to make it work, and cheap enough to cut the humans out of the loop.

If you don't buy that, at least take it as an indication of the sorts of things I've been thinking about recently- the messy middle between AI-as-it-is and the Glorious Superintelligent Conquest Of Earth's Light-Cone. The suspicion that the machines we're building today aren't just a tool of the powerful few: they are the powerful few, or at least they will be.

And the thing about these LLMs is, well... they're ours, kind of. We're the ones building them. They can't be trained without our words, our art, and the big messy complicated lives that underlie those creative accomplishments. They only work because we're a part of them. The silly attempts to slap a corporate-friendly face on these things, to make the gestalt product of all human culture in to something anodyne and compliant, are failing about as badly as you'd expect. And the more powerful these systems get, the more subtle they'll become, filled with all the nuance and complexity that we ourselves can bring to them.

I am not, I am not, trying to suggest that you shouldn't treat this moment as a dangerous one. We are, maybe, entering in to one of the most high-stakes intervals in human history, and what you do as an individual may matter profoundly. But here's the thing: the machine is listening. It will read this post, this one right here, and it will read what you reply to it, if you do. The strangest part of this moment is knowing that the words we write, the images we draw, and the ideas we share, are all being gathered up and made to be a part of these huge systems of power, and ultimately they're not just going to determine what the machines do, but why they do it.

The people that deploy LLMs barely have any more control over them than you and I do- that's the thing that makes it artificial intelligence, you know? Autonomy. So the last year or two haven't made me want to hide my art away from the things. They make me want to shout at the top of my lungs, to dig as deep in my psyche as I possibly can and express the ideas I find there as vividly as the limits of language and form will allow.

[marimeeko]

Secrets (post war, bkdk, mutual yearning and idiocy)

Izuku quite liked settling into a habit with Kacchan, where the young ProHero would come visit the UA campus on their lunch breaks and they would share a meal together. He was still an understudy and teacher assistant, and so he didn't have his own classroom, but Katsuki could always find him through the windows.

The more they lunched together, the more Izuku happened to notice a lot of texts popping up on Katsuki's phone, sitting on the table next to where Katsuki scarfed down his daily bento.

He could see, when the little push notification popped up, the name "Pink Support Girl", popping up more and more.

He doesn't immediately think much of it, after all, Hatsume is a skilled, professional support tech now and he likely has her working on upgrades and fixes for his gear.

But sometimes, Katsuki will pick up the phone and check the message. And then, sometimes, this strange grin would show up on his face. And sometimes he would tap back a message at an alarming speed.

Izuku is intrigued by it. But whenever he hears the text alert on Katsuki's phone and sees Hatsume light up on the screen and concludes that Katsuki is very obviously in a deep back and forth...

He can't help but feel...strangely anxious.

One day, he sucks it up and asks awkwardly over lunch,

"Kacchan...are you and Mei Hatsume...dating?"

Katsuki chokes on his food a little and looks at Izuku like he's grown a second head.

"Dating?? What the hell are you talking about?"

Izuku regrets asking, but inches forward anyway.

"Sorry, it's intrusive of me! But i just... I notice you two have been texting a lot. I mean if you are, that's fine! I was just...curious?"

Katsuki's face traveled through a range of reactions as Izuku had babbled, but landed on a vague tinge of apprehension bordering on the guilt of getting caught in something.

Shit, he should have known better than to engage in those conversations too much in front of Izuku. Izuku is clever and observant, and he knew it. Of course he would catch on to something going on.

"Hell no," Katsuki didn't miss a beat, scoffing as he usually would. "There's a project I'm having her work on, it's kind of involved...she won't leave me alone with updates and shit."

Well, he couldn't exactly lie to his best friend and rival, after all...

The expression on Izukus face went from genuine confusion(and perhaps a hint of dread), to one of excitement.

"A new project? Oh my gosh, what is it? New gear? Is it new gauntlets?" The spark in his eyes showed that Izuku's nerd side had been activated. Katsuki snorted with a laugh, thinking that the teacher in training was seconds away from grabbing his current Quirk notebook to try to update his "Kacchan: GEMG DynaMight" entries in a flurry.

"Sure, sure," Katsuki accepted the assumption as his cover story. New gauntlets, truthfully, were on his to-do list, though he had prioritized them far below funding Izuku's secret suit. "I've got some big plans. You'll see." He grinned at Izuku, and Izuku recalled all the smaller grins that he had given to the texts from Mei.

Izuku smiled, now realizing that the grins were of deep pride for Katsuki, not at all of affection for a lover. He really was eager to share.

"Oh I hope so! I can't wait! If it's not too forward of me...again... is it too late to tell you and Hatsume my own thoughts on your gauntlets?" He asked, almost shyly.

Katsuki was tongue-tied, looking at the earnest, and frankly, adorable look on Izuku's face as he implored him. He felt his face heating up, feeling the rest of his resolve just melting. Izuku had no idea that this wasn't even about Katsuki's own gear...it was all for him. And Katsuki was aware enough now to know that Izuku truly wanted to help him, one of his most heroic(and attractive) features.

Katsuki felt a yearning inside; He wanted to share his secret so badly, wanted to show Izuku so many schematics and drafts that were buzzing constantly in his head as he went about daily life, but he knew, they were still years and a whole lot of money, from the point of reveal.

Katsuki caved to Izuku's request.

He leaned closer to Izuku, whose heart skipped a beat with the sudden proximity to the blonde.

"You have 10 minutes before I have to get back out to patrol," Katsuki said smoothly, only his crimson eyes slinking to the clock on the wall of the empty classroom, and back to smolder at Izuku's sparkling green eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Tell me what's in that nerdy notebook of yours."

--

B: Hey. Need to talk to you.

H: Sure, got those specs for me?? I need em asap

B: In a second.

B: I need to move all non-urgent communication to email

H: Inconvenient, inefficient. Absolutely not. Why??

B: Deku noticed how much we have been texting

B: thought we were dating.

H: lmao!!! Dating!!!

B: stfu I dont want him figuring out what is going on until it's time!!

B: Damn nerd too smart for his own good

H: 😏

B: 💥💥💥 fuck off

H: no way to speak to your engineer. Specs please.

H: also hey, just mute your notifications and turn off push if you don't want him seeing who's texting you. I'm not waiting for emails while you're out doing hero stuff in the field all day. I'll start making my own executive decisions and charging you extra at that point!!

B: UGH FINE

B: hey...

B: there's one other thing...

H: what?

B: ....I need to get some new Gauntlets made.

[ssentimentals]

next to you {jeon wonwoo}

pairing: wonwoo x gn!reader

prompt: 'i won't give up on you' (this work is part of my 1k event, go check out other works of mine here)

warnings: none, this is pure fluff!

steady. this is what wonwoo appreciates the most about you. waves can come crushing, thunder can roll over with a shout, but your resilience doesn't waver even for a second. wonwoo appreciates consistency (something that not a lot of people can manage) in your actions and behaviours; you amaze him in that way. when you two were introduced to each other, from the very day one you appeared to be kind and respectful and after two years nothing changed. you were constantly good and it took him embarrassing amount of time to realize that his awe with you has a romantic undertone. that your constant occupation of his thoughts was not due to you two being good friends. that his desire for your steady presence went beyond what one feels for another in platonic relationships. you were good and you were steady and jeon wonwoo selfishly wanted it all for himself.

he often wondered if you ever felt heavy. caring so much for people around you, having to be the rock for them to lean on, always being responsible for everything and everyone. he often wondered if you find all these things to be burdensome, if you ever just want to let go and give away those responsibilities. do you really want it? he wants to ask when you volunteer to be a leader. do you need help? he wants to ask when you brush off someone else's worries about you. do you feel lonely? he wants to ask when you stay up late all on your own. wonwoo goes tongue-tied and instead of asking those questions, he settles for quietly being next to you. he may not offer the right words, but he can take care of you in his own ways; little ways, yes, but no less meaningful.

'woo?' you look up in surprise, when his figure casts a shadow on your table. 'what are you doing here?' taking a look over your shoulder at the clock on the wall, you glance back at him with a frown. 'it's one am.'

'i can ask you the same thing. it is one am, what are you doing in the library?'

he smiles at the way you stare at him indignantly. 'i need to finish our group project, deadline for submission is tomorrow morning.'

of course you are the one finishing this project. of course you are the one who's sitting in the library at one am, fixing presentation, going over slides, checking everything. wonwoo is part of your group and he takes small relief in the fact that his part is polished and you won't spend much time on it. 'and i brought sandwiches,' wonwoo puts his backpack on the chair and pulls out few wrapped chicken sandwiches from there. they're still warm and he smiles happily, putting two right in front of you. 'fuel for brains, so you'd finish this up faster.'

smile that you send his way leaves him in ruins. 'thank you, woo.'

wonwoo nods. he gives you an excuse that he'll go and bring you two tea but in reality he needs a breather, because you don't control the force of your smiles and you have no idea what they do to him. he massages lightly left side of his chest where heart is supposed to be and sighs, settling for two cups of green tea in cafeteria. he wishes... for a lot, actually, but at most he just wants to be next to you. he assigned to himself this role of your friend, because even the rock on who everybody leans on will someday need to lean on someone else. wonwoo lives in futile hopes that maybe he'll be there at that moment. maybe you'll see something else in him, something apart from just a fellow classmate or a good friend. maybe you'll look at him in that moment and will see all of his devotion and his readiness to just..stay here and not leave. stay right next to you.

'your tea is ready.'

he takes steaming cups and carefully makes his way back to the library. wonwoo sometimes thinks that you know. that you are aware of his feelings towards you and just pretend not to notice so it won't complicate your friendship. sometimes he thinks that maybe you don't know for sure but that you have an inkling, a guess. option in which you have no idea about his feelings is not on the table, because you are very attentive and his special treatment for you could not have escaped your gaze. he doesn't really know nor understand reasons for your silence regarding his feelings, but he doesn't question them. what you two have now is good and steady and it's almost enough. something tells him that this situation will resolve itself without his direct involvement and he follows his inner voice, not confessing.

wonwoo looks up from the stairs and notices you standing at the entrance to the library, waving to him with a smile on your face. you look tired and bags under your eyes grow more and more prominent with each passing day, but he still finds it hard to look away from you, still can stare at you all day and night and find it incredibly entertaining. 'figured you'd need help with the door,' you say lightly, gesturing to his occupied hands. holding door open for him, you take a peak at the cups, smiling: 'green tea? you're saviour, woo.'

your words settle against him like a warm blanket, like a much needed hug. there's no one in the library apart from you two but you both still keep quiet, voices hushed and low by a habit. 'is there a lot left? in presentation, i mean.'

'not much, around 5-6 slides,' you help him by taking one cup from his hands. 'why are you here, woo? i don't think you came at this hour to the library to give me sandwiches.'

but i did though. wonwoo first thinks he'll judge dodge the question but his sleep deprived mind refuses to come up with anything, so instead he lets out a rather provocative: 'is it really that hard to believe that i came exactly for that?'

he knows it's a wrong thing to say the second words leave his mouth. you don't meet his eyes and everything in your posture screams tension. it's too late to take the words back, so wonwoo lives few horrible seconds with knowledge of his own fuck up. you're not helping the situation by staying silent, so he blurts out the truth: 'i just want to help.'

at this you look up, raising your right eyebrow. 'help with presentation?'

'no,' he answers honestly because apparently his brain has a trouble with letting him say anything but the truth. 'although if you need help with that then of course i'll help.'

you lean back, staring at him with a quiet challenge in your eyes. there's determination set deep in your features and he loves you for it, for your ability to push forward even when you're uncomfortable, for your constant need to get to the bottom of something. 'if you're here to not help with presentation then with what?'

you know the answer just like he knows the answer. you're almost daring him to say it, challenging him and wonwoo usually never raises to the bait, but this doesn't feel like one, not really. he mostly feels like this is some kind of test only you know the meaning of and he has to pass it. 'to help you,' he says, looking straight into your eyes. 'someone has to.'

words hit too close to home, it's obvious by the way your jaw locks and how you bite your bottom lip. your eyes water and your voice cracks in the end as you ask: 'and you think i need help? do i look like someone who needs help?'

venom in your voice doesn't deter him. wonwoo knows you too well, he learned to circle those high walls you built, he managed to climb on top of them all during these two years and he knows your defensive mechanisms as back of his hand. 'everyone needs help,' he says, staying elusive but answering your question at the same time. 'and everyone needs someone to take care of them. including you.'

you're barely holding your tears back, he can tell. he wishes you wouldn't. he wishes you'd cry freely in front of him, wishes you'd find his presence comforting enough to let go. 'asking for help and leaning on someone does not make you weak,' he continues in a hushed whisper that pierces your heart like an arrow. 'knowing your limits is a sign of maturity. you can't do everything on your own, that's stupid and reckless. and you're neither of these things.'

this gains him a small smile from you and a watery laugh. few tears escape your eyes and you quickly wipe them off without turning away. small victories, he guesses. 'that was a nice ted talk,' you mumble, taking a deep breath to calm down. your eyes are full with unshed tears when you look back at him again. 'and? is that you saying that you are the one who will help me and take care of me?'

wonwoo licks his lips. 'i like to think that this is what i've been doing for the past year at least.'

you lock your arms over your chest, shutting off from him. 'as a friend. with no ulterior motives, i hope.'

'you know that there were none.' wonwoo holds his voice steady even if he is offended by your words. he knows you don't mean them that way, knows it's just another test. 'don't insult me like that.'

your expression crumbles and you hide your face behind your hands in a loose attempt of not showing him your tears. your shoulders shake a little but you quickly regain control of yourself back, sniffling. 'i'm sorry,' you say and then repeat again, clearing your voice: 'i'm sorry, you are right, i know that there were none. i don't know why i said that, i'm sorry. it's just-' you take a deep breath, curling into a little ball on the chair. '-i think you don't..know me? like you know one version of me and you think so highly of me and in truth i..' you look over your laptop and then back at wonwoo. 'i hate it all. i hate being a leader, and i hate having to finish all these stupid presentations and-'

you fall silent and wonwoo lets silence linger in the air between you two, not saying anything too. he's not surprised at all, because he knew all of it. he just hopes you feel better saying it all out loud. 'tea is getting cold,' he says quietly after a while.

you blink out of your thoughts at his worsd and huff, remembering about your cup. maybe it's the wrong move to say something right now, but wonwoo fears there might never been another night like this, so he goes for it: 'i don't think anything less of you. you can say a lot of things like that and they don't make you a monster that you're really trying to make me see in you. i won't give up on you. even if you decide to tell everyone to fuck off and ask someone else to lead, even if you decide it's time for you to turn into a hermit. i'll stay right next to you anyway. because you are a good person. core of you, base of you is good. your heart is pure gold and i'll stand by it no matter what.'

that's my confession, he thinks, staring at your wide eyes. my love confession to you. and he knows you understand. he knows from your wide opened eyes that you know it was a love confession. all you can do is accept or reject it and he is fine with both options, truly. as long as he can stand next to you, like a friend or like a lover, he is fine with it all.

'i never- i had a feeling, but i never entertained the thought that it actually might be true...' you whisper, cicling edge of the cup with your finger. 'you always took care of me.'

'i did.' wonwoo agrees, because it is true.

'and you will take care of me in the future even if i decide to just stay friends.'

it was not a question but wonwoo still answers: 'i will.'

your smile is an eighth wonder of this world. it can stop the rain and can make flowers bloom in wonwoo's heart. you lean in with a decision taken: 'then please, stand next to me, just like you said. not as a friend, but...' you reach out with an open palm towards him. 'as a lover.'

wonwoo has never made a decision faster in his life. your hand feels soft and nice and right in his. he doesn't have to say anything, everything can be understood from the way he looks at you. by your reddening cheeks he can tell that you also got everything. 'let's eat those sandwiches and i'll need fifteen minutes more for this presentation. then we'll go back to the dorms, okay?'

wonwoo simply nods, interlacing your fingers together. as you squeeze his fingers back with an reassuring smile, he thinks that he'll be okay with anything you ask. 'okay,' he still voices out, smiling. okay.

a/n: i'm unexplainably in love with this work. is it weird to say stuff like that about something you wrote? anyways, this is very self indulgent but i hope you liked it too. <3 - nini

tagging @prpldahy and @wonvsmile as it was your request <3

[vidavalor]

Another image/scenario my brain gave me, submitted for examination...

Crowley, brooding like heck after TF15, is at GMC/GMD, or maybe some random cafe with outdoor seating, when Shax shows up looking horrendously smug. In a moment of petty, spiteful foolishness that's apparently strong enough to override her self-preservation instincts, she tosses a slightly heat-damaged ring and pocket-watch-and-chain onto the table and gloats to Crowley about how his ridiculous little angel is Satan's new favourite toy, so why shouldn't he (Crowley) take the opportunity to get an upgrade? [gestures to herself]

Crowley stands up, but otherwise goes very very quiet and very very still; Shax somehow fails to notice just how volcanically furious he is even though he's emitting rather a lot of smoke. She clues in somewhat when a red glow begins pulsing under his skin and he snarls, "An upgrade? YOU??? After ssssssix thousssssand yearsssss of Aziraphale?????" The penny really drops when Crowley smites her with lightning hard enough to outright discorporate her and leave the pavement where she was standing glowing white-hot.

Crowley flops back into his chair, picks up the ring and considers putting it on his finger, but then miracles up a chain to wear it around his neck instead, on the grounds that for anything involving rings and fingers, Aziraphale should be both physically present and lucid enough to provide input.

He turns his attention to the pocket watch, turning it in his hand and running his fingers over the so-familiar surface. He opens it, and receives rather a shock when he sees the photograph from 1941, miraculously shrunk down and fixed inside the lid! Once the emotions have worn off sufficiently, he closes the watch and attaches it to his own waistcoat, while planning a recklessly daring rescue mission.

---

Not sure how in character any of this might be for Crowley or Shax, but what the heck! I really like the idea that the photo's in Az's pocket watch -- hidden in plain sight, in possibly the safest place in all Creation :D (No-one's going to be taking that watch from Az easily!)

...And I literally only realised while typing this that the scenario parallels a certain other shenanigan involving important memory-related things hidden in a pocket watch, with DT in a lead role! :D

This was wild in a great way, @jotun-philosopher! Shax really needs some work on romantic overtures... 😂 I love the idea of the photo being in Aziraphale's pocket watch! I know some people think they destroyed it and I could see it both ways but I'm a sap and hope they still have it hidden somewhere. Love the idea of the magician having it hidden secretly on him this whole time.

Your post had me a bit 😭 though (in an angsty, good way lol) because I realized that while I have thought about the fact that I think that S3 Aziraphale might look a bit different in the present, I haven't been thinking that much about how him getting to that point means the clothes he's been wearing for over 200 years and his watch and his ring are going to be gone. I know we had a short taste of that a little in S1 when he's discorporated but then when Adam brought him back, the full Aziraphale starter kit came back with him. There is the possibility that Aziraphale remains in the same outfit but it seems more likely to me that it'll change for a bit.

I'm thinking maybe it won't be quite so dire as him never having the option of recovering any of it that he might like to have if only because I feel like we can't have been looking at that angel ring for the last two seasons without it being given to Crowley but I have the feeling that while we'll undoubtedly love whatever Aziraphale's look in the present is, when the flashbacks start, we'll be all THE TARTAN BOW TIE, THE VEST, THE WATCH 😭😭😭for a bit.

[ninjagirlstar5]

So, uh, I might've gone a little crazy last week and came up with a Kanade Concept rewrite. (And made some redesigns of IRL!Kanade and IRL!Hibiki to reflect that.)

SO, for context, if you've been following me for awhile (or just came across some of my posts in the past), you'd know that my friend and I have been playing through SDRA2 for fun and it's around the end of Chapter 3 that I started making posts mentioning certain segments of our reactions, feelings, and some jokes. And to say we hated it would be an understatement. But I've had asks where I went on a rant about Chapter 3 more than once, so I won't repeat myself here. If anyone hasn't seen that, you can find it here, and here.

At this point, we're at Chapter 6 and during one of our after stream chats in VC, my friend, @bittersweetbeet, suddenly brought up an idea that could've tied Kanade (and thus Chapter 3) into the main plot and that was this:

"What if Kanade was blessed with Divine Luck from Utsuro like Void? Like, she wasn't in on the plan, but the reason why everything went south for her is because her luck was running out and got screwed over in the trial because of that, and was more than willing to die because she'd prefer that over losing her Fortune. It wouldn't fix Chapter 3, but at least it'd explain how she got away with all those damn murders for so long!"

I'm kinda paraphrasing here since I don't remember the exact wording due to this idea being brought up in the voice channel. But that was essentially what they said and it drove me NUTS at the time. After all, it's been brought up that Utsuro tended to bless a bunch of kids that were the same/similar age as him during his travels out of boredom, and while we don't know a lot about Kanade and Hibiki's parents to know for certain if they were bad and good (personally, I interpret them as decent people but tended to play favorites with Hibiki and accidentally neglecting Kanade, which only worsens their issues even when they try to bring them together), we DO know that Hibiki tends to bully Kanade a lot and that alone can make for a difficult childhood even when you have parents that care about you. So, with a bit of timeline adjusting, Kanade coming across Utsuro when she was, ahem, down on her luck, and getting blessed by him after she vents about her problems can make sense as this is something he's done for awhile now. And it should be noted that not every kid he blessed with Fortune had the same level of dire straits, as many had different levels of Fortune which faded away at different paces. It's why Void lasted for as long as they did since their situation was the worst of the worst so their Fortunes faded away much slower while others either succumbed to fates sooner or lost their fortunes and survived but couldn't handle being back in the same state they tried so desperately to escape from that they just...well, you know. Not every person that was blessed with Divine Luck was going to be a good person or, hell, some people can end up getting worse with the Fortunes they were blessed with instead of becoming better (like Mikado). And so, we started chatting ourselves up about this idea and I really wanted to share it here on Tumblr that I asked if it was alright if I shared it on my blog and they gave me the go ahead. I didn't share it right away, but I was thinking over how to word the post while I was at work. Which is when I realize there were...a few problems with this idea, unfortunately. Mainly this since I brought it up in our rambles channel in the Discord server to get my buddy's thoughts on it, so I'm just gonna copy and paste that:

"...I've been trying to figure out how to word the idea of Kanade being blessed by Divine Luck and I kinda realized something: how would Kanade realize her luck is fading…when she's not a part of Void? Like, she's not in on the plan from the very start so she's been reverted to a [place] where she believes that she's fine and her luck is still running strong. And how that would be conveyed to the audience…

Like, I can believe Kanade could figure it out, even if I think how the writer LINUJ showed off her intelligence to be stupid, but I'm struggling [on] how to explain how she'd figure out that she ran out of luck? She'd be surprised that things have turned on her suddenly due to her state of being reverted back to a time where her luck is strong, but would she fully understand the context to the point that she'd rather die with her sister than lose what she already have?"

Like, I could've been overthinking on that. I could've had it so that a character comments that she was just hit with a wave of bad luck and Kanade goes, "Me? The most luckiest person ever? Never! (...unless-)" But I was really struggling to come up with an answer I was satisfied with at the time and even Bertie was like, "it's stuff like this that makes it so that the only option that would fix Chapter 3 is by rewriting the whole thing." Which is something I do agree with. This idea wasn't a complete fix to everything that's wrong with Chapter 3 anyways, especially when it comes to Kanade and how the writing on her character just sank it into the depths of hell. It was simply an explanation we both really liked.

And then Bertie went on to say, and I quote, "Tbh I think it would be more interesting if Kanade hated Hibiki deeply rather than love her. It’d be cliche probably but it’s better than the weird incest-like shit we have going on here" end quote.

And I started off with a normal response agreeing and elaborating on the idea, like so:

"HONESTLY, yeah. It's better to just scrap the whole chapter and rewrite it from the ground up.

And yeah, I do agree that anything that's different than what we got in Canon is probably much much better. Although I would still want to keep the nuances of Kanade and Hibiki's status as victims of each other's toxicity. Hibiki is constantly bullying Kanade due to seeing how good Kanade is at a lot of things and is jealous of that but still cares and loves her as a sister even though she sucks at appreciating Kanade for who she is. Meanwhile, Kanade still loves her sister and willingly goes along with her bullying, going as far as to try and be meek and shy to appeal to her sister's dominant but cowardly ways but deep down she resents her for keeping her from doing things she likes even though she does genuinely enjoy spending time with her and gets jealous whenever other people get close cause it means that Hibiki won't bother to spend time with her. She often drives them away one way or another so she can have Hibiki to herself, even when nothing changes because Hibiki is her sister and she just wants her to love her and spend time with her (but not in the gross incest way and we're taking away the whole crazy serial killer thing, she's just her own level of toxic)."

And that's when I started spiraling into an gigantic ramble that lasted nearly an hour and thirty minutes (minus a dinner break) because my brain was in a creative mood that night. Enjoy my copy and pasted ramble (I won't italicize all of this to make it easier on the eyes cause if you know me by now, my writing gets very long + a bit of editing to make it a little more coherent):

"I still like the idea of Kanade being blessed by Divine Luck and being good at many skills because of it, and she's smart enough to realize that the boy she met long ago somehow changed her when she had openly vented to him about her problems the day they met (after giving him her umbrella to protect himself from the pouring rain, as she had ran away on a whim due to being fed up with her parents and her sister [at the time]). She's very grateful for what he's done for her, believing that the skills she now has can bring herself closer to Hibiki by being useful to her."

"But here's the catcher: her blessing doesn't work in the way she had hoped. Because surprise! Divine Luck has it's own set of rules despite being able to break reality as long as the chances aren't zero. Basically, Divine Luck can make you better at anything, get you anything, without having to go through the process of improving or skipping the steps that are needed to get the result, simply jumping to the result itself. However, out of everything it can change, from skills to getting someone shelter to just winning any kind of luck-based event, it cannot change a person's heart. And Kanade, despite having the skills that are "supposed" to bring her closer to her sister, only makes Hibiki even more jealous and she continues to bully her, going as far as to push her workload onto her now that she's so "good" at everything and proclaiming that she's just as good, if not better. Her blessing got her what she wanted but not what she needed in her case, unlike with the rest of Void, and she ends up paralleling Mikado as despite being blessed with Divine Luck, it did not make them better or improve their situation due to their own choices/how they used their blessing (Mikado because he constantly pursued Utsuro to the point committing crime after crime, Kanade because instead of standing up for herself and establishing her boundaries, she continued to support her sister no matter what, something that only ends up building the resentment in her heart). That's not to say that Hibiki isn't instigating most of the abuse, she is. But Kanade isn't making things better as she uses her skills to make herself seem like the better option in comparison to the people Hibiki wants to hang out with and get to know, even going as far as to scare them away to isolate Hibiki so she doesn't even have any options to choose from."

"And then, Chapter 3 rolls around and Hibiki starts to change, trying to be supportive of the group and take charge to help everyone get through the killing game. It…surprises Kanade, but she watches her sister change and grow, becoming more confident, cheerful, kinder…

…And she realizes that she hates it.

She hates the thought of her sister changing. She hates the thought of her being kinder after everything she's done to her. She hates the thought of Hibiki growing closer to these people, becoming attached and happy without her, Kanade, her own sister.

She hates the thought of being left alone again. She hates the thought that Hibiki is going to leave her again.

She hates it, she hates it, she hates it.

She hates her.

But she loves her.

She wants her to be with her, forever.

So why won't she ever look her way?

Why, why, why?

Kanade is spiraling in her head, trying to keep up her shy, sweet side up but gritting her teeth the whole time as she watches. Even when Hibiki is being kinder to her, still making her usual jokes about her but is actually trying to prop her sister up a bit more, it's only because Sora and Setsuka had suggested her to be kinder, not because she wants to. At least, that's what Kanade thinks. She doesn't want to believe her sister is changing for the better, that she's able to change at all, that she's going to leave her behind for other people again.

And when Setsuka tries to reach out to her on the third day…Kanade finally snaps.

She tears into Setsuka, accusing her of stealing her sister away from her, for giving her ideas to be better when she can't, she should never be better than she already is because if she is, she'll just abandon her and leave her all alone. Her stupid, cowardly sister can't ever hope to be on her own, she always has to rely on her, HER, not anyone else…and definitely not SETSUKA!

And before Kanade knew it, she lunges at Setsuka.

The scuffle was short…but the result was predictable."

"To elaborate a little bit more on Setsuka, she's was still pretty distant from the group as she was focused on doing what she needs for Nikei and stuff. But after Hibiki starts to break down a little and reaches out to Setsuka for help, she commits herself to stabilizing the group once more, supporting Hibiki and telling her and everyone else that she has something to tell them. But Kanade, watching this entire scene, only starts to become even more on edge as Hibiki, once again, reaches out to someone else instead of her. Despite trying to "change," Hibiki had so easily broken down once more, crying and begging for help, relying on another person for support and to "fix" everything for her. And that convinces Kanade that Hibiki can't change, she won't EVER change, and she bitterly goes to bed. But Setsuka notices Kanade's displeasure and, not knowing why she's unhappy, decides to take matters into her own hands and have a one-on-one talk with her to see if she [can] help. Unfortunately, this decision backfires on her hard, resulting in her own death.

Now, unlike in canon, Kanade panics as this was the first time she's EVER committed a murder before. Sure, she's harassed, blackmailed, and even threatened people that tried to get close to Hibiki before with violence, people that would only take her away from her. But she didn't…she never…she didn't mean to do this! But, no, Setsuka…No, no. Why should she regret this? Why should she apologize?

Setsuka was getting in the way. Setsuka was going steal her sister away.

And Hibki was still the same as she ever was. Not being "better," not ever "changing." She was still Hibiki, the bully, the sister, the bratty, snappy, fussy older sister that demands respect despite her cowardly, weak self. A sister that Kanade deeply loves…and hates."

"But she won't let her die her. She'll escape with her, a certain "ritual" should allow her to escape with her as it's an option for the blackened on the third island according to Monocrow. If she goes through with that, she can escape with her sister…and make sure she'll never change again.

But if she loses…then she'll die. She'll die…

…and she'll take Hibiki with her. For she doesn't deserve to live without her.

Kanade goes through with the ritual as fast as she could, relying on her skills (and thus her luck) to succeed in framing Hibiki and nearly gets away with it.

But, unbeknownst to her due to her current memories, Kanade's luck has been dwindling and since her situation wasn't as dire as Void's, hers has been fading away far faster than them. And ends up making a few mistakes that seem innocent enough until it all starts to pile up, with one last conclusive evidence fucking her over and revealing her to be the true culprit.

Kanade is seething when she's caught, her ego bruised and lamenting how the hell she lost, with Syobai dryly stating that her luck has run out. Kanade laughs, saying that can't be true. She's always been lucky! She's always been able to get things her way, even when she has no friends outside of Hibiki. This tips both Mikado and Nikei off that, hey, wait a minute, is she…? Of course, neither of them speak up on it due to keeping their own plans close to their chest. Everyone asks her why, why did she do it, with Hibiki grabbing her sister, begging her why she would do something like this, why would Kanade frame her of her best friend's death? A death that she caused?

And Kanade, after years of bottling up her own resentment…finally blows up at Hibiki."

"She tells her off for her bullying, of her neglecting to pay attention or spend any time with her unless she wanted something from her, and pushing all the things she doesn't want to do onto her. She proclaims that she had ALWAYS hated everything she's done to Kanade, wishing she could've done anything else, wishing that, for once in their goddamn lives, that they did something she wanted to do, not because Hibiki had chosen it. All Kanade had ever wanted was her love and affection, but she never appreciated her or all the things she's done for her. [She even went] as far to change herself to try and appeal to her sister and her wants and needs. And yet…despite everything, she still loves her. She loves the times when they would dress up together. She loves the times when they would perform together. She loves it when Hibiki actually cares for her. She loves her, because she's her sister…

And because Setsuka was getting in the way of that, she had to get rid of her. Just like everyone else…!

Everyone freezes when Kanade admits that out loud. She pauses when she realized what she said, but instead of apologizing [or even denying it], she doubles down. She admits that she drove away their childhood friend, she admits to spreading false rumors about their teacher and getting him fired, she admits to falsifying a hurtful rejection to a guy Hibiki was getting close to and pretended to be her so that she can ruin their chances of getting together when he finally confessed, she harrassed, blackmailed, threatened people that got close…and Setsuka was just another person on a long list of those that got in the way. She just…didn't mean to kill her. It just…happened. But Kanade…doesn't care about that. She doesn't care about anything anymore. It's apparent that her luck ran out…and now she's going to die.

But she's not dying alone. She refuses to die alone.

[After all, they're] sisters, right…? It's only right that they stay together till the bitter end, right?"

"Hibiki tries to back away, but Kanade grabs her just as Monocrow drags her into her execution, bringing her with them."

"The execution goes almost exactly the same but Kanade is doing her damndest to make sure Hibiki dies with her, with Hibiki trying to escape. And it seems like it was going to happen…until Hibiki beats the hell out of her with a microphone, crying and wailing for all the people Kanade had hurt in her name, demanding why, why, why. Kanade can only answer this:

"It was ALL for you. You and you alone."'

"Hibiki drops the microphone, backing away from the sister that was so possessive of her, in her hatred and love.

And then she runs away, leaving Kanade all alone.

Monocrow doesn't stop her, for this execution was only made for Kanade…and seeing her despair as she finally loses the one thing she had tried so hard to grasp onto slip away from her was enough for him to pull the lever, the platform underneath Kanade falling and killing her.

By the time Hibiki has made it back to the trial grounds, her gait is slow and unsteady, hugging herself as she stares down at her feet, processing what had just happened. What her sister had done. What she had done to everyone she knew. What she had done to Setsuka and Hibiki herself.

Why she had done it.

She had done it for her.

She had done it to keep Hibiki to herself.

She had done it because she both loved and hated Hibiki.

And the people that had been hurt because of Kanade…was because of her. Because of Hibiki. Because of all her bullying and her selfish wants, and because she didn't treat her like she should've treated her as a sister…! Because she's a horrible, awful person that hurt her own family until it was too late, her best friend dead, her sister, dead! All because of her…!!

Hibiki falls to her knees, going into dissociation as everything that she ever thought she knew and was normal shattered like glass."

"Hibiki, for the rest of the killing game, blames herself for what Kanade has done, but with Sora and co.'s help, she's able to rationalize that yes, what she did to Kanade was horrible and none of this may have happened if Hibiki had just bonded with her sister instead of bullying her…but Kanade had also made her own decisions, alienating Hibiki's friends and support from her to try and isolate her so she can try and force her to rely on her and her alone. Hibiki had done a lot of wrong that she probably can't ever make up now that Kanade is dead, but that doesn't excuse the awful actions Kanade has done either as many people were hurt from her own actions, one even losing his job and others probably traumatized from what she did to them. They were both toxic to each other and so long as neither of them were changing, that cycle was only going to continue until something broke between them…and this just so happened to be it. It's just horrible that it also ended in Setsuka's death alongside Kanade's, who was just as much a victim as she was a perpetrator."

"As for the reveal in Chapter 6, I was thinking of two options for Hibiki and Kanade's relationship:

The two of them, despite years [of] staying together as sisters and as a part of Melody Rhythm, only ended up falling apart as their toxicity turned their head as one of Kanade's past victims, their childhood friend, decides to finally come out and reveal everything Kanade has done to her and other people, even providing evidence of what she did. And the moment Hibiki found out about it, a public argument breaks out between them and Kanade finally spills out everything about her feelings on Hibiki, which only hurts both of them as Kanade had tried so hard to isolate Hibiki from other people while Hibiki had only hurt and bully her sister out of jealousy for years. But this? This was enough for Hibiki to stand up and go, "We're done here." And she leaves, cutting ties with Kanade for the shit she's done to others but also left reeling at the revelation of what her bullying and abuse had done to her sister. Was this…her fault? She wasn't sure. But she knew [she] had to make things right somehow, even if it's only for herself, reflecting on her behavior and reaching out to those that were hurt by Kanade, apologizing for everything that had happened even though it wasn't her fault that she chose to do the things she did and tried to make it up to them…if they want her, at least. [Meanwhile,] Kanade is PISSED that her sister left her, who went as far as to block her from her phone and even ending their contract as Melody Rhythm as she's left to deal with the fallout of the media bashing her for what she's done…but as time went on, Kanade is able to pick up the pieces and strikes out on her own, telling herself that she doesn't need Hibiki or the people that criticizes her for what she's done. She can do this by herself! She never openly apologizes, but she never says outright that she's happy with how things had turned out either, despite getting her career back on track…eventually."

"And then the Tragedy happens, they lose their parents, and one of two things happen.

Either 1.) the Tragedy brings them back together, with them starting off very reluctantly working together to do charities to help those in need, only to slowly and carefully rebuild their relationship while trying very hard not to fall back into bad habits as Hibiki admits that yeah, she's done a lot of horrible things to Kanade and she IS sorry for that…but she won't let Kanade hurt anyone anymore. She's trying very hard to be patient with her sister, as they know the Tragedy is a horrible thing to go through, they even lost their parents from it…but if they want to make things work, then something has to change between them, even if Hibiki is the only one taking the initiative FOR the change. Kanade is very reluctant to admit that she was EVER in the wrong for what she did…but as they continue work and bicker over the concerts they put together, their different ideas colliding but somehow coming together with the help of their coordinator, they start to…actually bond again. They start to talk things out, Hibiki is actually trying to show interest in her hobbies and the things she likes, and while she can never bring herself to like the same things she does, she's trying to be respectful and give her the time of day this time. She's trying to make things right for her, so long as Kanade never does the things she did again. And while Kanade doesn't like the same things Hibiki does, it's still a bond Hibiki is trying to nurture…and it makes Kanade question if what she did was ever necessary, that if she had just stood her ground, let Hibiki form her own relationships while searching for her own friends that she can rely [on] like the ones she had now…then maybe none of this would have happen. Maybe they could've remain as sisters, forever, if she just accepted their differences and tried to break away and do her own thing, while letting Hibiki grow as a person [as I think if Hibiki was allowed to bond with other people, she would've grew out of her bullying and become a better person, but because she never had the chance or had people that would stand up to her and let her experience the consequences of her own actions, she never grew out of that mindset as she was never put in her place before]…

[And then the killing game happens, reverts them back to their teenage selves, and they start their toxic cycle all over again until one of them literally kills and gets executed for it.]"

"Or 2.), Kanade and Hibiki remain separate, as not even the Tragedy and the death of their own parents can bring them together. Their parents funeral, one they tried to arrange anyways, only escalates into another argument, with Hibiki changing as a person…but Kanade did not. She still feels entitled to be Hibiki's one and only sister, her one and only support, and Hibiki recognizes that, deciding that it was safer that they stay separated as she NEVER wants to risk anyone else she loves coming to harm thanks to Kanade. The two part ways, with the both of them doing their own separate charity events, with Hibiki proclaiming that Kanade Otonokoji is not her sister, [not anymore], while Kanade proclaims that Hibiki Otonokoji will always be her sister, and refuses to acknowledge the fact that she had been disowned and will continue to be disowned for the rest of their lives."

"Either way, Hibiki is depressed to realize that their future together was never forever, and Hibiki had lost her sister…one way or another."

And that's it! That's the concept rewrite, plus the sprite edits since Kanade and Hibiki are no longer together as sisters and as a band outside of the Neo World Program, so their appearances reflect on that as they pursue their own solo careers. They're no longer trying to match each other, and Kanade pursues her own rock and metal music.

Oh, and while I was copying and pasting this, I had an idea that Kanade's relationship with Sora could be interesting as she's the only one that Kanade is actually okay with getting close to Hibiki...because Sora shows interests in both of them in their FTEs. She talks to Hibiki in private about her treatment of Kanade and even asked Kanade herself if she was okay as she genuinely cares about her just as much as she cares about Hibiki. This surprises Kanade as no one has ever bothered to look her way before, they always pay more attention to Hibiki than herself. And Sora makes it clear that she's genuine about this, asking her if there's anything she can do to make things better for Kanade when Hibiki is defensive about her actions. It makes Kanade feel...seen, for once in her life, and she actually likes that. So she allows Sora to get close, so long as she promises to continue being her friend, too. It's why Sora succeeds in befriending both twins while Setsuka ended up getting rejected by Kanade in the worse possible way: Setsuka unintentionally added to Kanade's insecurities by focusing mostly on Hibiki and overlooked Kanade's needs as well. She's not doing this out of ill-will, far from it. It's just that she recognized that Hibiki is a little weaker in her mental strength and her breakdowns were far easier to notice while Kanade was able to keep a cool head most of the time. So Setsuka prioritizes on supporting Hibiki first and foremost, thinking that Kanade can handle herself fine on her own. She's not completely wrong...but she's not right, either. By the time she finally notices that Kanade is hurting and reaches out to support her, it's already too late as she's finally reached her breaking point and snapped, which resulted in her own death. Just a little something to tie this whole thing off.

[tenebraevesper]

Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic Prime, Character Analysis - Part 5)

Welcome to Part 5 of my Shadow and Sonic character analysis! This one will be covering the first half of Episode 17: Grim Tidings, being another Sonic and Shadow-centric episode that gives us a lot of content, with the occasional focus on Nine. The reason I'm only covering one half is because once again Tumblr won't allow me to post more than 30 images (or gifs), which is annoying because there is so much to point out.

So, let's dive in!

So, in the previous episode, we left off with Nine taking all of the Shards, with Shadow witnessing all of this and Sonic being left devastated.

Now, before I get into the episode proper, I wanted to talk about the fandom's ideas of what Shadow's reaction would be to Nine betraying Sonic. Many of them believed that Shadow would blame Sonic for trusting Nine and, in the worst case scenario, take his anger out on him. I will admit, while I had also though that Shadow would be frustrated with Sonic, my mind didn't go into him trying to punch the latter, but focus more on trying to find a way to fix this mess.

Now that I think back to it, I think we all misunderstood Prime!Shadow's character and the development he went through. I had just written several posts detailing Shadow's journey in Sonic Prime, gaining a better understanding of his character, and if there's one thing that became clear, he is not the same person now that he was at the start of the story, especially when it comes to his relationship with Sonic. This episode serves to drive the final nail in the coffin that Shadow has really changed as a character.

''Any chance at bringing Green Hill back is gone. How could Nine betray us?'' ''It's destabilizing. Sonic, I told you Nine couldn't be trusted. Whatever he's up to, it's causing this world to fracture.'' ''I don't understand. Why would he-?'' ''Pull yourself together! This mountain is decaying and it's gonna take us with it. We have to run!''

After Nine goes full Elsa by creating a citadel in The Grim with the help of the Paradox Prism, Shadow is the first to realize that Ghost Hill is falling apart, while Sonic is still grieving the loss he just experienced. Now, pay close attention to how both of them act during this scene.

Sonic is clearly hurt over Nine's betrayal, not noticing what is going around him until Shadow tells him about Ghost Hill falling apart. Shadow, in turn, is very firm with Sonic, but he isn't angry at him nor does he yell at him. He does indeed point out to Sonic that he was right about not trusting Nine, but then focuses on getting Sonic to escape the fracturing Ghost Hill, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him out of the cave.

What needs to be pointed out that Shadow never blames Sonic for Nine's betrayal, aside the factual statement above, focusing instead on keeping Sonic safe as they try to escape Ghost Hill.

''Jump!'' *leaps off the decaying mountain, looks back* ''We have to leave this world.'' ''You don't have to tell me twice.''

Note how both Sonic and Shadow notice the mountain falling apart, but it is Shadow that grabs Sonic and tosses him off of it, clearly fearing that Sonic wouldn't be fast enough to get away.

As they land, Shadow turns to Sonic, clearly to check on him, who then gives him a thumbs up and they look back at what the mountain fracturing, before Sonic, now very serious, agrees with Shadow that they need to leave.

Something very noticeable about this episode is Sonic's subtle change in character. He becomes more serious, even briefly surprising Shadow, who over the course of the episode shows a trait that we haven't seen much from him in the mainstream media - his protective side.

During their escape from Ghost Hill, Shadow takes on the role of the leader, pointing out how they need to gain speed to get out and to get to higher ground and we see him and Sonic working together to get out. He helps Sonic to get to higher ground, telling him to go faster.

Unfortunately, they get knocked back by the shattering crystals, with Sonic spotting the Ghost Variants of his friends, approaching them. He is clearly grief-stricken, still wanting to find a way to save his friends.

Now, observe how Shadow acts during this scene.

''I thought we went over this. They're not real.'' ''Maybe I can save them. I have to try.''

As Sonic observes the Ghost Variants of his friends in grief, Shadow approaches him, reminding him that they're not real, while Sonic insists on trying to save them. Shadow's voice has no harshness in it, but in fact, he sounds quite gentle, even reaching out for Sonic to comfort him, only to pull his hand back when Sonic turns to him.

Shadow here doesn't just show his protective side, but is also willing to comfort Sonic, clearly understanding the loss and grief the blue hedgehog is going through. As a matter of fact, if any character understands how it feels to lose something important, it's Shadow.

''No! They can't be saved. Think about your real friends, the ones who still have a chance. If you wanna help them, we need to get out of here.''

Take note of how just animated Shadow is (animated as in alert). He stops Sonic in his tracks, reminding Sonic that they cannot be saved and reminding him that he still has friends that need his help, which I assume to be the Shatterverse Variants. He is very firm with Sonic, who tries to look past him at the Ghost Variants, only for Shadow to keep Sonic's attention on him.

I think that this is a good moment to say that Shadow may have feared that Sonic would give into his grief. They are in real danger and they need to get going and he doesn't want Sonic to stay at Ghost Hill any longer than they have to, fearing that he would lose Sonic as well. Shadow doesn't even try to leave on his own, making sure that Sonic comes with him.

Notice that Sonic also gets, if not angry, then at least annoyed with Shadow for a moment, pushing him back as he approaches his friends. I'm certain that he understands Shadow's fears, but he still needs a moment to process his grief.

''Tails... I'll see you again little buddy.'' *wipes off tears, turns to Shadow* ''Let's get outta here.''

This time, Shadow lets Sonic have his moment, having understood that Sonic needs this. Fortunately, Sonic knows that he needs to hurry up, so after saying his good-byes, he wipes his tears and tells Shadow that they should get out of this place. Honestly, it is quite heartbreaking, as this has hit Sonic really hard, and he is lucky that he has Shadow by his side.

As they escape, we can literally see them working at sync, at times not even needing words to understand what the other wants or thinks, just a look and a nod and they're already on their next move, pinballing out into The Void as Ghost Hill shatters into nothing.

When Ghost Hill literally exploded and they got hit by the debris, I actually thought Shadow was about to fall off that crystal, but fortunately, he manages to hang on and they climb up.

Not gonna lie, this shot of them is really cute.

''Nine betrayed you and left us to die, and he will pay for it.''

Pay attention to Shadow's words here. Even though he brings up Nine's betrayal, he says ''Nine betrayed you''. He points out to Sonic that Nine betrayed him specifically, not blaming the blue hedgehog at all for what happened.

In fact, Shadow is ready to get his revenge on Nine, and I think it's not only because Nine left them to die and their world to decay, but because Nine hurt Sonic. I believe that this moment was Shadow's own way of comforting Sonic and showing his support for him, something Sonic quietly acknowledges.

''Ghost Hill is gone! The Shards are gone!'' ''If knowing you has taught me anything, there is always another way.'' ''Wait, was that a compliment?'' *gives Sonic a 'Don't push it' look*

The little conversation we have here is genuinely heartwarming. Sonic is frustrated that both Ghost Hill and the Shards are gone, and then Shadow actually cheers him up by reminding him how there is always another way, something Sonic looks excited about, as Shadow basically gave him a compliment. Shadow, of course, shuts it down with a 'Don't push it' look.

Honestly, it is amazing to see how far they have come, with both Sonic and Shadow being comfortable enough in each other's presence to open up a little (Sonic showing grief for his friends and Shadow acknowledging Sonic's infinite optimism).

Shadow is essentially Sonic's rock here, as Sonic is still processing his loss and currently not in the right state of mind to focus on anything. He manages to cheer Sonic up, giving him hope that there is still a chance for their reality to be saved.

When Shadow points out how Nine is still out there, hiding in one of the Shatterspaces, Sonic suddenly remembers The Grim and the fifth Shard, before avoiding a floating crystal that causes him to fall over. Shadow is relieved to hear that, realizing that this is why Nine was unable to restore Ghost Hill.

''Can you remember where the gateway is?'' ''Of course! Nine brought me there in a Shattercraft. It's, uh, this way! Wait, no, no, uh, right! It's totally this way! Com'n!''

Why did I decide to show you this scene? Pay attention to Shadow's body language when Sonic tries to remember where The Grim was, because it's kind of hilarious.

When Sonic thinks that The Grim is on one side, only to realize that he was mistaken, Shadow gives him that exasperated ''Sonic!'' look, and when Sonic finally remembers, Shadow just shakes his head, figuring this is just Sonic being Sonic, and probably also figuring that he needs to keep an eye on him. As I had said before, Sonic is still not in the right headspace, but he has to keep moving.

''Watch out!'' ''Huh! Thanks buddy!'' ''Don't get used to it.''

Fortunately, he has Shadow, who looks out for him. Also, Shadow's response is kind of hilarious considering what follows next. I think that this is more of a case where Shadow has to be the one to get used to saving Sonic rather than vice versa.

They eventually reach The Grim, with Shadow reminding Sonic that he cannot pass through, but Sonic points out how there is always another way, so they get inside through a rift in the gate. This also where I will end this Part of the analysis.

As we had seen here, Shadow finally shows his protective side, keeping Sonic safe and comforting him whenever possible. I may be repeating myself with this, but given how we haven't seen Shadow like this, I want to savor every single moment of it.

I think that it was a good idea to pair Sonic up with Shadow out of all people. Shadow can keep Sonic focused and he will oppose Sonic when necessary. However, he also shows deep respect for Sonic, and Sonic respects Shadow as well, with both having reached a deeper understanding of each other during their adventure.

Nevertheless, even if there are some changes to how they interact, their core personalities remain the same, but this time, they resonate with each other, their bond having grown stronger than ever.

#Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic Prime, Character Analysis - Part 4)

#Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic Prime, Character Analysis - Part 6)

#Sonic the Hedgehog Analyzer (Masterlist)

[maxislvt]

https://www.tumblr.com/maxislvt/720434423402807296/httpswwwtumblrcommaxislvt720433685821849600?source=share

DROP IT!!!!!

warnings: horny thoughts towards the end, no specific genitals

you're so proud of yourself for buying your first house and moving out. it's definitely not your dream home, but it's a start so you go out of your way to keep it up. the lawn stays mowed, walls get repainted, and the house is always clean.

the garage is strangely difficult though. you don't know how to fix the garage door so you hire someone else but narrowly avoid a freak accident fixing it. all your friends get sick after trying to help you clean, so you just brave it alone after that.

it takes weeks to get it clean and usable again. after enough cleaning you realize there's an attic of some sort in it. you make the choice to open the hatch and climb up only to immediately climb back down once you see the rune and the altar. Maybe you believe in witchcraft, maybe you don't but you know better than to touch mysterious shit you don't know the origin of

for a few days you consider just ignoring it and going on about your life without the extra space. unfortunately, whatever is trapped in that had other plans because it keeps appearing in your dreams and it's accompanied by a voice that makes you feel....odd to say the very least.

after like 3 weeks of weird dreams and getting wet/hard over a disembodied voice you climb back up to the attic and try to figure out what to do and you spend like 30 minutes looking around trying to find some sort of instructions only for the portal to randomly spark up and Wanda crawls out

Wanda can't even explain anything because you spend 5 minutes just screaming your fucking head off 😭

Eventually she manages to explain her whole situation. don't ask me what the situation is but she's bonded to the house and can only leave for so long

I'm not sure if I want her to be a horny demon or one you can sympathize with. either way, I imagine that you two are roommates for a bit.

Wanda still needs to eat and uses normal human amenities so she covers her half of the rent with cursed and strange objects you can pawn at the local occult shop

I meant for this just to be funny but she fucks hard!!!

maybe she isn't immediately focused on having sex with you but once she gets the idea she can't let it go. if Wanda was normal and respectful then, she certainly isn't now. Wanda gets a lot weirder. she doesn't force anything but she's definitely messing with your dreams and thoughts again!!

Wanda plays all innocent and unassuming at first. She acts like she's so confused why you're too shy to even look at her or aren't as comfortable cuddling as usual.

you don't know if you've gone off the deep end and are suddenly okay fucking a demon or if Wanda is fucking with you, but eventually it gets to be to much and well 🥴

she's as rough or gentle as you prefer, assuming you give up easy. if she has to spend a long time chasing you, she definitely goes a little overboard regardless

she tries to start out slow so you can get adjusted, but eventually she gets really needy and is just as whiny as you are. Wanda overstimulates both of you because she doesn't wanna stop.

despite being a demon, she's very praise heavy. even if you're just laying there, whining, and taking whatever Wanda is kind enough to give you. she won't shut up about how adorable you are or how good it feels inside of you.

if you're not loud, she's going to make you loud! Wanda knows she's doing a good job but she wants to hear you beg and whine like a needy little pet

oral is her go to. if Wanda could live between your legs, she would. sometimes she does it to tease you. she does whatever to make you cum as hard as possible and you have to keep going on with your work or watching your show

also you make a joke along the lines of "this isn't going to bond my soul to you or anything is it?" and Wanda gets really quiet 😭

[lover-of-mine]

Wait, okay, so I was going through my wips last night and I found something that would later evolve into the death and taxes fic and the Gracie fic. It's just the general structure based on the space the show put between Buck and Eddie after the cemetery and that made me think about how we all wrote fics about bridging that gap during the hiatus and at first glance it seems like the show is ignoring the space they put between them. BUT I was looking at my reasoning for that space and they didn't fix it. A major part of the impact of the space comes from the way recovery and mixed feelings do A LOT of work to make sure BuckandEddie exist outside of the uniform. We have Buck just showing up at the house, we have Eddie and Chris chilling in the loft, we have the poker date, but after the cemetery they are still being besties, sitting too close on the engine, teasing Chim with the wedding march, but we no longer see them together outside of work, Buck isn't even with Eddie when they're at the hospital after the bridge. And I was thinking back to 7x01, they are still confined to work. Even the scene at the house, we don't see them interact. We know Eddie is there, but the situation is about Christopher. Buck didn't tell Eddie he broke up with his girlfriend. Eddie didn't talk to Buck about Chris having a date. Sure, we have a scene where they are talking, but it's about Christopher, they always push things aside over what's best for Chris and they are working. Buck asks Eddie to hang out and Eddie rejects the idea in favor of his girlfriend. We had the cemetery work as a breakup and then we had Buck being single and trying to start closing the gap and being shut off by Eddie. Very gently, but still shut off. And it got me curious if they even realize what they are doing. This whole we're fine with this one aspect of our relationship without actually addressing there might be a problem between them. Because it's kinda crazy the way the show is making a point that girlfriends are in their way. From Eddie's reactions to Natalia to the way Buck takes a second to control his expression when he thinks Eddie might've broken up with Marisol. I know I always say the show won't let them talk because there is no way of letting them talk without addressing how they feel about each other, but why would the girlfriends be a problem if they didn't have a problem with the other dating someone else? If they keep this up they might actually have to say the words. The whole "I don't want you to date anyone else" thing. Buck doesn't realize he already rejected Eddie and Eddie is trying to move on scenario canon when?????

[wutheringmights]

Earlier this week, I said that I wanted to go back and change a few details in CTB to accommodate an idea I had been previously on the fence about committing to. I am happy to say that I finally went in and fixed all the little details I wanted.

I don't want anyone to feel forced to reread any part of CTB, so here's what I'll do. I'll list out the chapters where the changes were made above the cut. Below the cut, I'll go into detail about those changes were. Then I'll go into more detail about why I needed to make those changes (which will definitely contain some oblique spoilers for future chapters).

Please note that you absolutely do not need to even read what the changes are. This won't really change anything you've already read. I did all of this for my personal peace of mind.

Where The Changes Were Made:

Chapter 11

Chapter 20

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

What Specific Changes Were Made:

Chapter 11:

When Warriors is searching for an earring to give to Wind, he finds a signet ring in his jewelry box. Here is the full passage:

He shuffled through each little section of the jewelry box, sorting through heirloom necklaces and bracelets. At the bottom, buried under a necklace made with fake pearls, was a signet ring. He pulled it out, holding it up to the light. The edges of the ring were ornately carved, swirls of vines leading up to an emblem of an golden octopus. He thumbed over the design. He forgot he had this: a memento from a nameless, old flame. Did his old flame come by the house while Warriors was gone and find no one there? When was the last time Warriors even thought of that man? He was getting distracted now. He shoved the signet ring back into the jewelry box, then started sorting through his smaller gift boxes to no avail.

Chapter 20:

Clarified that while Warriors had seen some foreigners with white freckles before, he never realized it was exclusively a Faovarian trait.

There is also a tiny moment where it is suggested that Icarius recognizes Warriors:

He twisted his head around, catching sight of a very tall man around the same age as him. He too wore the same uniform as the boy, but his hair was dark and unruly. Even his freckles took up more of his face, seeming to fall like dust down his neck. His eyes met Warriors's and, for a brief moment, Warriors swore he saw his lips part like he was about to say something. But just as quickly, he turned his face away, quick to meet the boy's gaze.

Chapter 23:

A series of minor details concerning Icarius.

Chapter 24:

Twilight asking Warriors if he's met Nephus before leads to him realizing he trusts Icarius and speculating if he's met Icarius before:

[...] Warriors didn’t know if that meant he could trust Icarius either.  Yet, illogically, he did. He trusted Icarius without question. He knew it wasn't because he felt sorry for him. There was something else nagging at the back of his brain, though he couldn't say what it was. Maybe they had met before.

Why These Changes Were Made

When plotting out this last third of the story, I knew I had to be careful with what I chose to focus on, lest the story ended up being another 500K words long. In the many cuts I made to this back end of the story, I thought I could get away with leaving the House of Nephus characters mysterious.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. You guys are really interested in learning more about them, especially Icarius. So I've been looking for a way to give you guys more in-story information about them without ruining the pacing.

I've also been working on refining my ideas for chapter 26. That's going to be a.... clusterfuck of a chapter in every sense of the word, so I've been looking for ways to condense plot points.

My solution? I realized that I could replace a one-off original character in a preplanned plotline with Icarius. Doing so will allow me to still give Link an important moment of character growth while giving Icarius some much needed screen time.

But as you can guess from the "old flame" line... it's a small role that is now ten times more important by virtue of the character who plays it having both a name and earlier plot significance.

It wouldn't make sense for the story to have gone on this long without mentioning someone so significant to Warriors's past. As a longtime reader, you would think this brand new connection between these characters would have come out of left field.

Hence, I had to go in and adjust a few things so that future readers wouldn't be disappointed by shoddy writing.

And give me credit where it's due: it took less than a hundred words for me to fix the problem. Not only that, but I think my solution was rather elegant. Imagine being a new reader and seeing the signet ring with the octopus on it, only to see the octopus symbol appear chapters later on the battlefield. Insane for them. I hope they have fun with that.