#but unless he's mentioned by someone else she's moving forward & not thinking about him

[hallufabrication]

It's a small world

A fic about various things I wanted to write about instead of rambling about them; focuses on Manta and Hannah. The whole thing is under the cut.

Manta didn’t expect his and Hannah’s connection to fizzle out the way it did.

Not that he was expecting anything specific; She wasn’t someone he would really consider a friend. At the same time, though, he couldn’t deny that they weren’t exactly strangers, either. They hung out sometimes, she tried to help him during his illegal race against Corto, and they bonded over how great they thought Teach tech was – something that left a bitter taste in his mouth now.

He would have expected some kind of a lukewarm goodbye, or an awkward wave as they stepped onto the boats meant to take them to their homes. But as the boat steering towards the Solar Sea took off, there was no exchange between them - in fact, he wasn’t even anywhere nearby, instead preparing for his and Shino’s attempt at getting a better life for themselves.

He did think then if he should have approached her outburst the day before the way he did. Back then, he didn’t see it as anything more than a show of weakness; she wouldn’t have lasted a day in what he had to live through on Polaris. Why should she get sympathy for being a double-crosser? For only feeling bad now that it was too late anyway, now that Gavinda’s plan was in full swing?

But it wasn’t too late. Not to her and the Tikis, anyway. And she did her part in fighting against Teach…

Unlike him, at first.

No, Hannah wasn’t weak. After everything, Manta could tell that much.

Maybe he shouldn’t have underestimated how cruel Teach could have been to her. Maybe that shouldn’t have been his last words to her.

“Oh well. Too bad”, he thought, going back to packing his stuff. What’s done is done.

He hasn’t really thought about this, or anything related to the Mirages, for the next few months. He had more important things on his mind - building a new life from scratch with Shino (and Debbie) on an entirely new island was challenging enough to take away any time he could have had for reminiscing about his old acquaintances from the Whale Cup.

They weren’t on his mind these few months later, as he was walking through one of the lesser known alleys of Tortuga to his boat, either - at least not until he saw a familiar looking silhouette walking through one of the streets he’d usually pass.

“Hannah?” He called out instinctively, more out of surprise than anything else.

“Oh– hi, Manta.” She replied, turning around to face him. “Been a while, huh?”

“Yeah, but– What are you doing here?”

“On Tortuga? I came for the Rotor Punch, obviously.” She shrugged. “But, I wanted to see how you’re doing with my own two eyes while I’m here, too.”

“You heard of me?” He asked, squinting his eyes.

“Duh. It’d be harder to not hear of the famous White Tiger, honestly.” She said, leaning on the wall next to her. “You’re taking Aquagram by storm– You know that, right?”

He shrugged and made an indecipherable hum. Debbie did tell him that he was getting more popular day by day, but he never really got interested in how popular he was outside of Tortuga, exactly. His winning streak mattered to him more than whatever she was doing over on her hologlove.

“Wait, but– Rotor Punch? You’re competing?”

“What, you think I can’t handle it?”

“It’s just– I didn’t know if you’d still be racing after… Everything.”

Hannah frowned for a short second, but quickly smirked instead.

“It takes more than that to make me quit, you know. I managed to get into Solar Empire’s drone guard.”

She crossed her arms, still leaning on the wall.

“So, I’m the one representing the Empire this year.”

“Oh, wow. You got yourself a solid position, huh?” He said, walking over and sitting down on the stairs next to her. “How’d you even do that?”

“Eh, turns out getting to the finals of the Whale Cup was good enough of an achievement to sign up. Only had to climb a few ranks after that.”

“Pshf, sounds easy.” He teased. She only hummed in response.

“What about Adam? Is he participating with you?”

A slight grimace showed up on Hannah’s face. Manta wasn’t sure how to decipher what emotion it was supposed to show.

“...No, he’s not. He hasn’t reached out to me after Teach’s defeat.”

“Oh.” Manta said. “...Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Hannah sighed, sitting next to him on the stairs.

“...I haven’t tried to reach him, either. At first I thought I should, since Teach manipulated him, too, but… He was always more invested in her plans than I was. It seems like we both picked our sides.”

“...I see.”

“Yeah.”

A moment of silence fell upon them.

“And you’re…not worried?”

Hannah glared at him for a few seconds before deciding on an answer.

“I… don’t know. I have mixed feelings about it all.” She stated, resting her chin on her hand.

“Teach was cruel to him, too. She’s not going to suddenly do a 180. But, if that was his choice, then–”

She suddenly waved with the same hand in the air, leaning back.

“--so be it! I’m not going to chase after someone who made up their mind!”

She let out something between a groan and a sigh, hiding her face with her hands for a moment.

“...What’s it to you, anyway? I didn’t take you for the type to talk about this kinda stuff.”

Manta shrugged, looking somewhere else.

“You were the one who said it’s been a while.”

“Heh– yeah, that’s true.” She chuckled. “I guess it did a number on you.”

“Hmm.”

They sat for a moment in silence before Hannah stood up from the stairs.

“...Well, I should go. I take it you’re taking part in the Rotor Punch too, right?”

“Of course. Who do you take me for?”

“Yeah, thought so.” She smirked again, turning back to go about her way.

“I’ll see you around, then. Just don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

“Psh, as if I’d need that. But yeah. See you around.” He replied, also getting up from the sidewalk.

As he got back to walking to his boat, he felt a sense of a relief he didn’t expect.

Turns out, he was sorta glad to see her again.

[mixolya]

ᓚᘏᗢ — beneath the stars, we became one: chapter 018.

you sat with ayane and milya at your usual spot in the café after school, stirring your drink absently as their voices filled the space. they were catching up on weekend plans and sharing gossip, but you weren’t really listening.

“alright,” milya said suddenly, breaking through your haze. she leaned across the table, her sharp eyes pinning you in place. “what's going on with you?"

you blinked, startled. “what? nothing.”

“liar.” milya crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed. “you've been spacing out all day. you're never this quiet unless something’s eating you.”

ayane tilted her head, her expression softer but just as curious. “did something happen? is it about rin?”

the mention of his name sent a jolt through you. “what makes you think it’s about rin?”

milya snorted. “because it’s always men sabotaging women these days. tell us.”

you hesitated, glancing between your two best friends. the thought of opening up made you uneasy, but you also knew they wouldn’t let it go until you did.

with a deep breath, you finally said, “we kissed."

ghe words hung in the air for a moment before milya let out an exaggerated gasp. “you kissed rin?! and you’re just now telling us?!”

ayane's eyes widened in surprise. “wait, what? when? how?”

you gave them a quick rundown of what had happened, leaving out the finer details but enough to paint the picture. by the time you finished, milya was grinning like she’d just won the lottery.

“and now you’re freaking out,” she said knowingly.

you nodded, fidgeting with your scarf. “it's just… i'm scared. what if I get attached and it doesn’t work out? what if I end up hurt again?”

milya reached out to squeeze your hand. “i get it, y/n. after kyo, it’s hard to trust again. but rin isn’t kyo. he's not the type to play games or hurt you on purpose.”

“she's right,” ayane chimed in, more blunt. “you can’t keep running from your feelings just because of some jerk in the past. rin likes you, y/n. anyone with eyes can see that. if you push him away now, you’re just going to regret it later.”

their words hit you harder than you expected. deep down, you knew they were right. you couldn’t keep letting fear control your actions. if you wanted to move forward, you had to take the risk.

by the time you got home, you’d made up your mind. tomorrow, you’d talk to rin.

the next day at school, you kept an eye out for him, determined to find the right moment. but it quickly became apparent that it wasn’t going to be easy.

you saw him briefly before class, standing near the lockers, but just as you worked up the nerve to approach him, someone called his name. rin turned away, his expression neutral as he engaged in a conversation with isagi. you hesitated, not wanting to interrupt, and by the time you decided to wait, rin was already walking toward the classroom.

the second time you spotted him, it was during lunch. he was seated by the window with a book open in front of him, looking as focused as ever. you took a deep breath, clutching your tray, and made your way toward him. but before you could reach him, bachira plopped down beside him with his usual energy, dragging rin into an animated conversation.

by the end of the day, frustration began to bubble up. you caught sight of rin heading down the hall, his bag slung over his shoulder. this was your last chance. you quickened your pace, calling his name.

“rin!”

he stopped, but before he could turn around, someone else beat you to him. a girl from his class - kana, if you remembered correctly - walked up to him with a bright smile.

“hey, rin!” she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. she tilted her head slightly, a playful glint in her eyes. “i was wondering if you could help me with something. you're really good at english, right?”

you froze mid-step, your chest tightening as you watched the interaction. rin looked at her, his expression as blank as ever. “what is it?” he asked flatly, his tone polite but detached.

kana laughed lightly, leaning closer. “it's the grammar. i don't understand it no matter what i try. maybe we could go over it together sometime?”

your stomach twisted uncomfortably. she was practically batting her eyelashes at him, and while rin didn’t seem particularly interested, he wasn’t walking away either.

you hesitated, unsure if you should interrupt. buz before you could decide, rin spoke again. “i'm busy,” he said curtly, brushing past her without a second glance.

for a split second, relief washed over you - only to be replaced by a pang of guilt. what was wrong with you? rin had every right to talk to whoever he wanted.

you quickened your pace and called out again.

“rin!”

this time, he stopped but didn’t turn around immediately. when he did, his expression was unreadable, his teal eyes meeting yours for a fleeting second before he shifted his gaze.

“hey,” you started, walking closer. “can we—”

“not now,” he said shortly, cutting you off. he didn’t wait for your response, turning on his heel and walking away.

you froze, your heart sinking. the coldness in his tone stung more than you wanted to admit. was this bad timing or is he actually annoyed?

the rest of the day passed in a blur, the weight of rin's distance pressing heavily on your chest. you replayed his words, his actions - or maybe lack of actions - in your mind, overanalyzing every little detail.

"i fucked up," you mumbled, realizing.

chapter 017 > here > chapter 019

back to beneath the stars, we became one !

my taglist is open <3

a/n: IM SO SORRY THAT I HAVE TO REUPLOAD i forgot the last ch. ...

taglist: @byakgans @bluberrymochi17 @levihanmyotp @x3nafix @etojlee @chuuyalvover @reocidal @syarc0re @azinniyaa @vashyuu @rwbie @idexmids @giaalorine @modxbea @nensi @anqelkoz @sapph1r3x @yuukigyatgyat @morgyyyyyyy @azharyy @chaerinmin @thenightsflower @narcjsistx @totheseok @meekydeeks @aerisevx @imas1mpp

© mixolya 2025. do not copy, remake or edit any of my works.

[nevertheless-moving]

I wrote it. They ask.

"So you're essentially an expert on honor, right?"

Kaladin blinked at Shallan, unsure what to make of the question. The three of them had finished eating, and had moved to a smaller, shared table for drinks, secluded from the rest of the building by a hazy curtain. The conversation had been drifting lazily from the city's latest scandals to squire hijinks.

"What?" Kaladin finally said, slightly confused at the abrupt change of topic.

"Of course you are, you're the first person chosen by an honorspren in thousands of years!" Adolin said enthusiastically.

"I mean—"

"And you always figure out the right thing to do!" Shallan said.

"That's definitely not—"

Adolin nodded. "Never murder anyone in cold blood, even when they deserve it."

Kaladin sighed heavily. "Where are you two going with this?"

Shallan coughed into her freehand. "Well, you see, we've been having a little debate about...honor."

"And we were hoping you could settle it. Impartially," Adolin said, tone serious.

Kaladin squinted at him. There was something off about his expression. "Can't you ask Syl?"

Syl was meeting with some of the honorspren with newer bonds tonight; she had insisted that she could handle it on her own, and that he should take the night off, but he was sure she would be happy to switch places to come by and give her opinion on other people's business; that was practically a hobby for her. He wasn't sure sure where pattern was, come to think of it; he hadn't heard him buzz in a while.

"Actually we did!" Shallan said brightly.

"She was our first choice, no offense," Adolin said. "I don't think she entirely understood the dilemma."

"It's a bit too, well, human." Shallan took a large sip of her wine, emptying the glass, but didn't waive over a server for more.

Kaladin felt dread start to coil low in his stomach, the fragile relaxation of the evening starting to slip away. "...I'm going to regret hearing about this, aren't I?"

Adolin leaned towards him, turning wide, pleading eyes his direction. "Please, Kaladin?"

Shallan matched him. Stormfather. Not so long ago ago, lighteyes looking at him like that would have filled him with derision at most. What had happened to him.

"Fine." Kaladin leaned back in his seat, giving in. He was a little curious, even though he knew he wasn't going to be happy with whatever he was about to hear. "What is it?"

Shallan straightened, as if to give a presentation before the Queen. Storms, I have a really bad feeling about this.

"Well, as you know, I'm a lightweaver, and can change mine or someone else's appearance, such that they exactly resemble another. I can also create an illusion, so that it appears that an individual is present, when in fact, they are not."

"...Yes?" Was Shallan nervous? Adolin didn't kill another highprince, did he?

"Now, obviously, practicing lightweaving by pretending to be someone else, when done entirely in private, I mean just me, myself, and I, practicing my radiant abilities, can't possibly be dishonorable."

"I guess?"

Adolin leaned forward now, one hand gesturing sharply. "But what if I'm there? I mean, no ones suggesting that it would be acceptable for Shallan to assume a specific private individual's form in public."

"Unless it's to save lives," Shallan said.

Adolin nodded. "Unless of course it's to save lives."

"Or as part of my crown assigned radiant duties."

"Or that, can't forget to mention that."

"Or with said individual's consent."

"Naturally, consent makes all the difference."

"Quite a few shades of grey."

"Truly, once you think about it. Infinite nuance."

Kaladin pinched the bridge of his nose, scowling to keep from laughing. "Did you rehearse this?"

Shallan waved her hand in his face, forestalling any other objections. "In any case! Would we be disrespecting an individual, let's call this person 'Lin' for short, would we be behaving dishonorably towards Lin, were I to assume Lin's form, or have Adolin assume Lin's form, or have Lin appear while both of us are present, soley within the privacy of our chambers?"

Kaladin waited a few seconds for Adolin to chime in, but he just continued staring intently at Kaladin.

"...This is about Lyn?"

"No, not Lyn, Lin," Shallan corrected primly. He could just barely make out a difference. "Neutral born unto. Just, we don't want to say her — say their name specifically, but I thought saying 'the individual' would get unwieldy."

Ok, probably not about Lyn. Unless they're using a confusing fake name to make me think that. He started to feel a throbbing at the base of his skull.

"Is there some specific reason you want to look like... Lin?" He dropped his voice slightly, rubbing his temples. "Is it for a practical reason? Or do you want to make fun of her — them?"

"Definitely not to make fun of them!" Adolin said, voice dropping to match Kaladin's.

"Many people would consider it flattering," Shallan whispered. "For their form to be assumed in this specific context!"

"We're just not certain if Lin would think that, and we're worried that it would be worse to ask."

"So we decided to ask you instead, since again, you're —"

Kaladin waved a hand at her before they could jump into another bizarre routine. "Honorable, yes, whatever, fine. I get it."

Adolin put a hand on his arm, expression earnest. "Look. If you think we should just directly talk to Lin then we'll do it. We just...don't want to embarrass them, or hurt their feelings in someway. We genuinely aren't sure how they would react, and I mean. You don't have to ask someone's permission for thinking about them, but this is a step up from that, and it's not like there's many people who have had the option, so...hence the uncertainty, and asking for a neutral, completely unconnected, third party opinion."

"Alright, I...guess that makes sense? In an extremely weird way." Kaladin looked between the two of them. Shallan's expression was open and honest, but unfortunately that didn't mean much. Adolin was earnest, but there was something weird about his posture. Guilty? Excited? "But why do you want to see a lightweaving of Lin in private so much?"

Shallan pretended to take a sip out of her empty glass. "I assume you can guess, bridgeboy. Is it really necessary for us to say it aloud?" She had just a hint of red staining the tops of ears, but she colored easily. It could just be the alcohol.

"I really don't know," Kaladin said, baffled. "Is this a lighteyes thing? Like you want to, I don't know...model fashion on them?"

"Ooh." Adolin suddenly looked far too eager. "That's actually not what we were thinking."

"I didn't think it was a lighteyes thing," Shallan said. "But I suppose it could be. I don't have a significant enough sample size to presume." That was clearly a joke there that Kaladin didn't get.

Adolin cleared his throat. "Well." He made another sharp motion with his hands, letting Kaladin go. "As you know, Shallan and I are married."

"Yes, I was at your wedding," Kaladin said dryly.

"We are married," Adolin repeated, talking over him. "And that comes with certain... duties and privileges."

"Among which—" Shallan was definitely blushing now. "—and I suppose this could be considered an, ah, 'lighteyes thing,' is well. The need to create an heir."

They can't possibly be asking me this. Kaladin looked desperately to Adolin, but the man just gave him a sheepish, apologetic grin.

A small part of Kaladin curled up and died.

Blood Of My Fathers.

"No," Kaladin said. "Absolutely not. You are not asking me about something to do with your sex lives."

"You see," Adolin said. "I know you've said you don't have interest in, well, any of that. But for many the process of creating an heir is not just—"

"ARGH." Kaladin threw his arms up, crossing them over his head.

"— a responsibility but a pleasure which—"

"Almighty's Tenth name!"

"—can be performed creatively—"

Kaladin pressed his head to the table, burying himself in his arms to hide his too warm face and probably disgusted expression.

"Stop. Please. Stop." He knew he was whining in a way ill befitting a Windrunner of his Ideal, but the booth they were in was private, and Adolin and Shallan had seen him in far less dignified circumstances.

"Sorry," Adolin said, patting him on the shoulder. "Just wanted to make sure you understood."

"Well I don't!" Kaladin said, looking up but not lifting his chin from his arms. "And I don't storming want to! Why can't you just look like yourselves! I thought you liked how each other looked! I've literally caught you drooling!"

Adolin frowned. "I don't drool, bridgeboy."

Shallan's face was nearly as red as his face felt, but her expression was significantly more gleeful. "I…there may have been one sparring session I observed…that may have generated a small amount of moisture."

Adolin cocked an eyebrow, and smirked. "Moisture, huh?"

"I hate you two," Kaladin lied emphatically.

"Sorry, Sorry." Adolin patted him on the shoulder again. "So? What do you think?"

"I think Rlain is right and its a storming miracle humans have managed to accomplish anything when most of us are permanently stuck in mateform."

Adolin heaved a dramatic sigh. "About our question, Kal, come on. We know you don't like talking about this stuff but that's exactly why we needed your opinion! You're unbiased!"

"And honorable, yes you said. Have I mentioned before that the rewards for being honorable blow?"

They turned twin pleading expressions toward him and he caved immediately. Storms, he had gotten weak. "Battar and Shallash, fine," he snapped. "Fine, give me a minute, alright. Just stop talking. "

The two waited, Shallan only opening her mouth to make a joke twice, Adolin successfully nudgeing her quiet each time; Kaladin lifted himself up, elbows on the table and head in his hands as he looked down, forcing himself to actually give it serious consideration. Wait, I thought Veil was the one who was attracted to women. Oh. Right.

"Alright," he finally said. "I get that people can't always help what they...think about. That's fine. And I also know that trying not to think about something sometimes makes people think about it more, so."

Adolin and Shallan nodded. "You have no idea," Adolin said. "Seriously, I love Shallan, I've absolutely tried not looking at other women's — anyway. It's so much easier to just forgive eachother the occasional wayward glance or errant thought." They squeezed each others hands.

Kaladin sighed. "Right. Sorry if I came off as judgemental."

"No, no, you've made it very clear that you don't like talking about such things, it's completely reasonable to be unhappy. We are sorry for the times we...overshare in front of you."

"It's fine," Kaladin said curtly. "Really. I know you try. Anyway. I also understand that people sometimes, er, fantasize. That way. About things or people they don't actually want in real life. And. Uh. Sometimes people... act that out."

Kaladin stared determinedly at the table, face hot. There was a swirling pattern in the marble that he hadn't noticed before.

"You do?" Adolin said, sounding surprised.

Kaladin coughed. The swirling pattern kind of looked like a river, viewed from above. "There. Might have been an incident, early on in the army, when I heard a couple and, er, overreacted slightly. They took the time to explain things in... painful detail. It's fine. None of my business."

"That's. Very open minded of you," Shallan said, sounding slightly strangled. "Tell me, when the couple was explaining things — oof." Kaladin didn't look, but he was fairly sure Adolin just stepped on her foot, something he was infinitely grateful for. It had been an extremely mortifying lesson. The pair had said they weren't mad about being interrupted, but he was fairly sure they were lying, considering how much detail they went into in their explanation.

"Honestly, the whole...dressing weird, or calling eachother names or using ropes or whatever—"

Adolin made a choking noise. Kaladin kept looking at the little river pattern in the table. If he squinted there were mountains and farms too.

"—all that stuff isn't more or less...unappealing. To think about. Then just regular sex." Kaladin paused. "That is not permission to talk about that sort of thing with me. Please don't share anything about your sex life with me, ok?"

"Of course!"

"We know."

"So," Kaladin continued, rubbing his cheeks to try and get rid of the blush. "Wanting someone isn't breaking your vows. Neither is thinking about them. Probably talking about them is fine too."

He ran his finger along the small river in the polished stone. He could practically feel two sets of light eyes drilling a hole in him.

"My concern, of course, would be for Lin. If playing around with their image would affect the real person. My main concern is it will impact the way you two interact with them."

"If we thought it did then we'd stop immediately," Adolin swore without prompting. "The real person matters far more than our...baser feelings."

"Absolutely," Shallan agreed softly. "We truly don't want to hurt them. That's why we've been struggling with this."

"I believe you," Kaladin said, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Alright, so you've already been...thinking about them, while together, and it hasn't impacted your interactions with the real person."

"No!"

"Trying not to think of them that way was worse," Adolin said ruefully. "I am...fairly sure they have not noticed any feelings on my part, and even if they had they've ignored them very politely so...like I said, if messing with lightweaveing changes that, we'll stop right away, but I don't think it will. We know who they are."

Kaladin studied the marble some more. He was pretty sure he had flown over somewhere in Alethkar that looked a bit like that riverbend, but he couldn't remember where.

"You cannot do this anywhere someone could possibly see or overhear," Kaladin said, looking up to make brief, serious eye contact with each of them. "Not visiting another city. Not where guards or servants could overhear, even trusted ones. Not in the duelist preparation chamber — yes I know about that. Not while exploring the less used parts of the city — yes, I heard about that too. Not in your sitting room or against the door, where someone passing by could overhear. Just in your own bedchamber, door locked."

"That sounds reasonable," Shallan said, flushing but solemn.

"Very reasonable," Adolin agreed, nodding sharply.

Kaladin grimaced, looking back down at the table. "I think...while part of me says you should ask Lin directly...that also sounds somewhat humiliating for everyone involved. I mean, again, it's more similar to thinking about someone than anyone else, and even if they were, er, flattered... It's not like you would actually be able to sleep together anyway, with your marriage oaths, so it would be a moot point."

"...Right," Adolin said unconvincingly. Kaladin decided not to think about that.

"So... it's alright?" Shallan said hopefully. "With those conditions? Not dishonorable?"

Kaladin forced himself to look up again, and immediately regretted it. They both looked far too eager.

"Not dishonorable," he sighed, closing his eyes and leaning back.

"Thank you!" Adolin said, with way too much passion.

"Thank me by never speaking to me of this again, and never asking me anything like this for the rest of our lives."

"Yes to the first one, no promises to the second," Shallan said gleefully. "Well. Now that we've discussed that matter, how about we get back to talking about—"

"Leave. For the love of all that is good, please leave," Kaladin begged, not opening his eyes. Shallan took advantage of this by kissing him lightly on the cheek. Adolin hugged him from the other side.

There was the sound of spheres tossed on the table and rapid movements, and then they were gone.

Kaladin opened his eyes, shaking his head. One of them had knocked over a glass in their haste to leave. They had, of course, left a small fortune to pay the bill.

He left the winehouse feeling...bemused mostly. Maybe he'd go find Rlain and they could gripe about humans and mateforms together. He would probably not make eye contact for Lyn for the next week, even though he was fairly sure they were talking about Isnah or Beryl. Best not to guess. He kicked off from the ground, the rush of wind immediately clearing away discomforting thoughts or lingering stress of the day.

He smiled, speeding up and feeling his heart race with the exhilaration that only the sky could bring, with no pressing meetings or appointments to get to. Syl had been right. It was good to take a night off every now and again.

[majoryeager104]

I NEED MORE TOUYA HEADCANNONS PLEASEEEEEEEEW

AHHH OK IM ON IT RN HERE U GO <3

Summary: Touya random hcs w and w/o s/o

Warnings: Language, Touya being too precious for this realm

He definitely has a teddy bear from childhood that he stole from the house after he woke up from his coma

It has a few little burn marks on it, but he thinks that gives it character

Can’t fall asleep without it 

Unless he has you, but still

That teddy bear is always within arms reach when he’s trying to sleep

One time Toga found it when she snuck into his room for a jacket cos she was cold

She’s been sworn to secrecy (he threatened to burn up her cardigan collection)

The first time you slept in his room, you asked about it

At first he was defensive

Like “yeah it’s mine tf u gonna do about it”

But then one day he walked in to see you asleep on his bed

Cuddling his teddy bear

He coulda died then and there

Definitely one of the very few pictures he has on his phone

Because he’s barely on that thing

It’s probably not the first one he’s had

I bet he accidentally burns them up on missions

So he just never takes it with him anywhere

Which always scares the shit out of you

Bc what’s the point of having it otherwise

You didn’t get it till he showed you all the pictures he had of you on there, and you realized he just didn’t want to lose them

Bc it’s a burner phone, so he doesn’t use it for much else

He has another phone for work, but that’s the one he keeps for pictures of you

And all the videos and memes you send him

He looks at them like a week after you send them

Yes he’s one of those 🧍

But he does look at every single one 

You make him playlists too, and he DEFINITELY listens to those

Bc he’s music addicted (might be a bit of projection hehe)

But yeah

It’s just a whole phone he keeps just for you

He wants those videos, memes, playlists, and cute photos of you bc he’s scared that one day he won’t have you anymore

But he’d never say any of that out loud

Even though he knows you’d understand 

Bc he’s scared 

Moving on before I cry 

He’d like Taylor Swift 

Hear me out guys

The emotional lyrics? The topic of betrayal? The style? The vibe? He’d love it. (Secretly ofc)

He’s literally “who’s afraid of little old me”

Like I can see him singing “The smallest man who ever lived” while crying in the car

“WERE YOU SENT BY SOMEONE 😭😭😭WHO WANTED ME DEAAD”

He’d secretly adore her country eras too

And you may or may not have dragged him to the Eras tour

And he may or may not have secretly been looking forward to it

He wore all black (he’s literally reputation) and ended up with a shit ton of friendship bracelets by the end of the night

He still has them

Tucked away in a drawer 

never to be seen by anyone else

But you ofc because the two of you trade

Moving on tho hehe

He’d be either a heavy af sleeper, or a light af sleeper

No in between

Like hes either not moving or he’s not sleeping. 

Maybe both

He probably watches you sleep when he can’t though

And if you have a nightmare he’d wake you up and get you water

And if he had a nightmare, he’d either wake up in a panic and just lay on top of you

Or you’d wake him up, and he’d still lay on top of you

You’re his personal pillow now

But he’s your heating pad 

So it’s fair. 

(He’s also this song tbh lmaooo and all the songs I mentioned are from TTPD but that’s because the album is so Touya coded ughhh 😭😭😭)

[seenoversundown]

Come Back For Me : Chapter Two

Danny Wanger x Melody (Fem OC)

Warnings: Fluff, a lot of uncomfortable situations, reminiscing on the past, Josh, Mild Anxiety mentions, and 'One Date Daniel' living up to his name.

Word Count: 3k.

Summary: Danny spends the day relaxing or trying to before having to go a shift at the bar. But nothing would have prepared him for the day he was about to have.

Author's Note: HEHE :) Enter Daniel. (I do love you, just remember that as you read this chapter)

This storyline is much more .. dramatic? and boy oh boy, it is fun to write, read, witness- all of the above! Happy reading!

Someone New - Hozier "Would things be easier if there was a right way? Honey there is no right way, And so I fall in love a little ol' little bit everyday with someone new."

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“Text me later?” She whispers against my lips, glancing up at me. 

My hand holds the base of her neck, kissing her again before muttering back, “Sure.” Feeling her hands slide down my bare chest before backing up, I watch her eyes drift down to the waistband of my sweatpants before she looks back up at me. 

“Bye, Danny,” she says, biting her lip gently as she goes to walk away. I watch her get into her car, sending her a little wave before closing the door behind me, leaning my back against it, and letting my head drop forward. 

“No chance,” I breathe out. 

She wasn’t the worst person I’ve ever gone out with, but there’s no way I’m going out with her again. Maybe hook up with, but nothing more than that.  She was nice, definitely hot, but there was no real connection other than the fact she was more than ready to climb me like a tree. 

I swear I’ve gone out with every last girl in this city and just have not found someone who piques my interest. Sure, it’s nice just to get to know people and at least get out of the house for a little bit, but it would be nice to find someone who was worth keeping around. 

The truth is, I haven’t really dated anybody seriously since Melody. It’s been years since we broke up, and it feels like I’ve been cursed with something because nothing ever sticks like she did. We were friends as kids. She spent a lot of time around Sam and Me, which also meant with his brothers. Growing up in smaller towns in Maine typically meant keeping the same friend group for a while. 

We all spent most of our free time together. She was never bothered by being the only girl unless someone had a girlfriend at the time— but even that was few and far between. It was less than shocking for everyone else to discover that we started dating at the time; I don’t think we were good at hiding our feelings for each other, but to be fair, we were also maybe fourteen years old. 

She was the first girl I ever had feelings for like that. My first real kiss, the only date I had for school dances, who I lost my vir— you get the point. We were inseparable until it came time for college. She had bigger plans than I did, and I wouldn’t hold her back from them. I always wanted her to pursue her dreams because she deserved it. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t last. But it’s fine because I know that even though it took a while to move on, it was probably for the best. I think. I try to not dwell on it too much, despite what Sam would tell you. I should call him. 

“Well, hello there, Daniel,” his voice rings through the phone. We spend a few minutes going on about our usual banter before I fill him in on the girl who just left. Which is really just a lot of humming and hawing from my end about whether or not I think it would be worth it to see her again. 

“I don’t think we would have anything to talk about,” I tell him. 

Sam laughs before saying, “Your nickname is really showing right about now, One Date Daniel.” It’s a fun nickname that they’ve coined over the years—by they, I mean he started it, but naturally, the twins picked up on it, and now I hear it all too often. 

“We’ve gone through this,” I breathe out. “I’m not trying to find the flaws in these girls; they just .. present them quickly.” 

He’s quick to rebuttal with,  “It seems like the flaw is always that they aren’t M—” 

“Shut up, it’s not that,”  I cut him off. 

“Well, it just seems that you find something wrong with all of them, and she was the only one you never complained about.” 

“Maybe I just need to stop trying to date in Portland,” I pitch. “I’m sure there are plenty of options outside of the city.” 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Daniel,” he sighs. “All I know is that when I met Birdie..” 

And then I zoned out. 

I love that Sam found someone and specifically someone who is willing to put up with his shit every day. She’s one of God’s strongest soldiers, for real.  But dear god, the sheer amount of times that our conversations have segued into some lecture where he tells me about how great Willa is and why I should listen to his advice— despite the number of times I’ve heard her tell him to stop meddling in other people's lives. 

He’s convinced that I find problems with any date because they aren’t Melody. I don’t think that’s the issue, personally, but I can’t seem to make him agree with me. I just know what I’m looking for in a woman, and they just don’t typically fit that, which is okay. Today wasn’t my best look. I try not to have too many one-night stands, but what’s a guy to do when he can’t find someone interesting enough to keep around? Sleep with the hot ones.  

“Mhm,” I hum back to whatever Sam told me. I’m sure I’ve heard it all before. 

He sighs on the other end of the call, breathing out, “Well, do you have to work tonight?” 

“I do, why?” 

“I don’t think Bird and I have plans later, so maybe I can swing by for a little bit.” 

Laughing quietly to myself, “If you want, no pressure.” 

Falling back into the couch, I scroll on my phone for a bit, before turning on the TV. Watching whatever mindless thing comes on because it’s too early in the day for it to be anything interesting. 

Me: I should have told you to bring my favorite lady over 

Sam:  you know she’s MY dog right?

Me: she and I haven’t spent time together in a little while, I miss her 

Sam: maybe you can keep her this weekend so birdie and I can go do something 

Penny is the greatest decision Sam has made in a while, besides finding a girlfriend, apparently. She’s such a good dog, and I still personally believe that I’m her favorite human, but I won’t say that to Sam. I’m usually his go-to for babysitting her when he needs it, which I’d like to think is because she and I have fun together, but I’m almost positive it’s because the twins live together, and he doesn’t want to invade their space. 

Regardless of the reason, I love it when I get to steal her for a day or two— not that I don’t enjoy being alone. Sometimes, it is nice to have someone else here, even if that someone hogs my entire bed when we sleep. 

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Once I convince myself to get up, I know I need to run and do a few errands before going to the bar. I pull my hair up into a bun, high on my head. Pulling on a basic outfit since I’ll probably just go straight to work after I’m done. I stare at myself in my mirror for all of a few seconds before I’m off to be productive, hopefully. 

I live close enough to the bar but just far enough away that I typically will drive to just spare myself walking home late at night. Not that the area is terrible, but two in the morning makes for a very tired walk home, especially when it could be a five-minute drive. 

I find a spot close enough to the bar, leaving my car there to just walk to a few places, but starting with the local coffee shop I prefer. Working in this area has been a blessing and a curse because I frequent the same places enough that the employees know who I am, but living around here makes it uncomfortable sometimes. It’s not often that I run into someone I went out with, but every once in a while, they make an appearance, and I can’t even be mad because we both live around here. 

Today is one of those days. 

I keep my eyes locked on my phone as I pretend to look at something, but in reality, I’m just scrolling through my texts with Sam. But a girl that I went with a few weeks ago is sitting in the corner, and I can feel her stare burning a hole in the back of my head. It was another case in which she was very nice, but there just wasn’t anything there. 

I ordered my drink and stood where I wouldn’t make awkward eye contact with her while I waited for my drink. I could just say hello. No, it would get weird. 

Me: you’re not going to believe who’s here 

Sam: 👀

Me: remember the girl from a few weeks ago? 

Me: she was nice but literally nothing to talk about?

Sam: uhhh.. Sure 

Me: she’s sitting 30 feet away from me and these baristas are taking FOREVER

Sam: LMFAO 

“Danny!” one of the baristas yelled as they set my coffee at the end of the counter. Well, there’s no pretending it isn’t me now, grabbing it, glancing over to the set of eyes that I could feel staring the entire time, and shooting her a tight-lipped smile. I watch as she just rolls her eyes as I push open the door to leave. Oops.

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I spent a little over an hour running to a few shops that I need to pick things up from and then running everything back to my car. Sliding my phone from my pocket, I still have an hour and a half before I need to be there. Debating on whether or not I want to grab something to eat, I make the executive decision to stop at the bar; maybe the boys will want food, too.  

Working in this area is definitely more fun than I anticipated. To be honest, anything is more fun than working at the shipyard. Getting to watch people stumble late at night on the cobblestone street across from us is one of my favorite things about having to linger near the door. Those poor girls in their high heels had no idea what would happen to them when they attempted to walk down that street. 

The daytime is pretty calm. We just witnessed a lot of tourists during the summer, which has made a lot of evenings go by with a ton of people coming in because other bars were packed. Not that Jake didn’t do a good job with this one, but it’s not necessarily the most modern bar in the area. The aesthetic being very pirate and a bit dark because we are like half way into a basement doesn’t help. 

 Seeing the sign as I slowly make my way down the street. Pulling open the door to the bar, I immediately stop in my tracks. 

Oh my god. Shit. Why is she here? Maybe it isn’t her. 

I stand there quietly and watch her talk to Jake; everything feels quiet. It had been years since we’d seen each other, let alone spoke to each other. I guess I can’t blame her.  It feels like hours that I stood there just watching them before I could convince myself to move. Walking closer to the bar, Jake looks over at me; his eyes widen a bit, bouncing his stare between the two of us like he’s trying to warn me. I just subtly nod my head to acknowledge it. 

“Oh shit- Daniel?” Melody says as she’s turning around, immediately making eye contact with me. 

I can’t describe the feeling that courses through my body hearing her say my name again. I don’t think anything could have prepared me for it. My eyes are fixed on hers as it feels like time has completely stopped. She looks good. I can feel the blood coursing through me as we stare at each other. The silence was deafening. 

Finally, I uncomfortably choke out, “Hah, yes. How are you?” 

“A little better now,” she tells me, smiling over at Jake. “Nothing like trying to find a job quickly.” No fucking way. Moving my eyes over to Jake, who looks like he’s just seen a ghost and would like to join them at this point. 

“Oh? You uh- live here?” I ask timidly. “I thought you were still in Mass.” 

“Yeah.. I just moved back in with my dad.” She says, glancing at the ground for a minute. Her voice gets much more quiet when she says, “My mom uh..passed away not too long ago, and it’s just not feasible—“ 

I cut her off quickly, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”

“No, it’s okay, why would you?” She waves her hand at me, dismissing everything. She taps the bar a couple of times. “Anyway, I need to get going,” she says, much more lightheartedly, glancing between Jake and myself. 

“Oh yeah, uh-“ I spit out quickly.  “It was nice to see you.” Forcing a small smile onto my face despite the pit in my stomach. 

She smiles softly back at me, saying, “You too.” 

Seeing her smile made me nauseous, but I couldn’t let her know that. My eyes shift to Jake, mumbling, “Josh is here?”

He just nods at me silently. 

I start to walk out back, knowing I need to find him, but hearing her say, “Thank you so much, Jake. You’re a lifesaver.” 

This can’t be real. She hasn’t spoken to me in years, but now we’re going to work together. What the fuck. I can feel my body warm at the thought, fighting the anger that is threatening to come out at this point. Not that it’s a big deal; it’s been so long, and I’ve moved on from it. It just feels like I should have known about this before she just waltzed back into our lives.  She couldn’t get a job anywhere else in Portland, like how of all places she landed here– and then it hits me. 

Josh told her. There’s no other way. This bar is not one to scream, ‘Women, come in!’ I tilt my head, feeling my neck crack slightly, before tilting it the opposite way so I can see the back room door. 

“Josh, why do I feel like you’re behind this?” I ask, rounding the corner into the back room. There’s no chance he can’t tell that I’m irritated at this point. 

He asks, “Whatever do you mean?” The sing-song tone of his voice isn’t going to save the situation this time. 

“What did you do?” My voice is low as I question him. 

He looks over at me, letting out, “She needed a job, and Jake obviously needs more help.” 

My head rolls back as I let out a deep sigh. This can’t be real right now. 

“So, she definitely works here now?” 

The uncomfortable smile he shoots me is enough, but he weakly says, “.. is that a problem?” 

It isn’t necessarily a problem, but we did go years without speaking and ended on not the greatest of terms. It’s a long story. To just resume life as if nothing happened and work together, I don’t know how I’m supposed to just be around her a few nights a week like that. 

“No,” I breathe out. “It’ll be fine; I just wasn’t anticipating seeing her.” 

We’re both adults now, and we should be able to function around each other without things being weird; I mean, it’s been so long that maybe she’s also past it.  

I can hear the sound of Jake walking towards us, his boots will always sell him out; thankfully it sounds like only he’s coming, so that’s a relief. 

“Hey bud,” his voice is just above a whisper. “I didn’t realize what time it was; I would have warned you.” The look on his face alone tells me that he feels incredibly guilty. 

I don’t think a warning at this point would have even helped. 

I mindlessly crack my knuckles, looking over to him, “It’s okay.” 

“If it helps,” he starts. “She isn’t starting until next week.” The smile on his face seems uncomfortable as if he desperately wants to make things better. 

At least I don’t have to work with her right away. 

“Plus, she’ll be bartending with me. So, you won’t really have to interact with her much if you don’t want to!” Josh interjects in an attempt to make things better. 

If I know anything about either of them, it’s that the last thing they want to do is watch a friend struggle. I’ve been close enough with their whole family to know this. I’m sure that whenever Josh spoke to her, he probably just felt for her and knew that Jake wouldn’t say no. I mean, shit, that’s how I landed my job here. 

Even though I realistically don’t need to be here all that often, it’s not that kind of bar. Jake wanted to get me out of the shipyard because it’s a draining job and once he quit, I was left there to fend for myself. He practically created a job for me and managed to pay me enough to keep me alive. It’s incredible how much money you save when you’re single and depressed. 

“That’s true,” I tell them. “It’ll be fine, I’m sure, but..” 

They look at each other and then over to me. 

“But what?” Jake caves, asking for the both of them. 

It’s shocking to me that neither of them are considering the real issue here, and it’s definitely not Melody and I being in the same room. My hand finds comfort on the back of my neck as I look over to him, “Who’s going to tell Sam?” 

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Chapter One

Chapter Three

CBFM Masterpost | Masterlist | Playlist

Taglist:

@gvfsstardust @myleftsock @imleavingyoufornewyork @mindastreamofcolours-deactivate @dont-go-home-without-me

@literal-dead-leaf @lizzys-sunflower @mackalah

@klarxtr @edgingthedarkness @writingcold @i-love-gvf @takenbythemadness

@ladywhimsymoon @earthgrlsreasy @peaceloveunitygvf

@gretavanfan @musicspeaks

@jazzyfigz @smoking-jakelane

@demonrat444 @hollyco @josh-iamyour-mama @wrldabomination @broken0mens

@whereiskeara @gvf-luna @lilbitx @gvfstuddedmajesty @katuschka @chloeshell1219

@scoreofinfantryvines @sanguinebats @anythingforjtk

@brokenbellschipbunkersverion @musicislove3389

@allof--mylove @dyslexicchild13

@nicoleghost18 @monkeylaura627 @fleetingjake

@cheersdannyx2

[phatcatphergus]

Hi, you reblogged me with a lore dump about Q! Tubbo and you mentioned that you'd be willing to do a character analysis? Please, I'm invested at this point

Ahhhhh omg hi! I can't believe you came back for more lol. You shall soon be a qtubbo stan like the rest of us.

I do want to preface this by saying that this is my personal lore interpretation so it's subjective. So many people have great analyses of his character, so I recommend watching a couple streams or looking at the tag for a broad scope as well!

That being said...

I think the best word to describe qtubbo is loss.

He was brought to the island having already lost parts of himself he didn't know. Through his time on the island, he lost respect, credibility, friends, family, teammates, nieces and nephews, penpals, godkids, mentors, and himself. He never had something he didn't end up losing, whether by choice or force. He loses what matters most to him, yet he continues giving his all to everyone he meets.

He came to the island with loss and no sense of who he was or where he came from, yet he spent all of his time for the benefit of others. He worked day and night so that other people wouldn't experience the loss of what he could prevent such as items or supplies. He never wanted anyone to experience what he experienced, even when they were the ones perpetuating it.

No one ever cared about him unless it was for a reason. His relationships were transactional and needed to be because who would ever care for someone with no firm sense of self or where you came from? When he couldn't provide a transaction of care, he made himself useful, he became indispensable so that even if people didn't like him for him, they could use his skills until they didn't need him anymore.

The only time he actually felt that someone cared for him, just to care about him, was Fred. Fred had no emotions, no sense of self, and no past to speak of. Fred was someone who had no reason to hate or use Tubbo because Fred was like Tubbo. Fred was the first person who could care for Tubbo because he wanted to, and not because of his use or someone's sense of responsibility.

Losing Fred meant losing the one person who cared about him without strings attached. Anyone else only cared about him because he was useful, a leader, an engineer, a neighbor, a business partner, a babysitter, someone to steal from, or just someone to poke fun at. Until Sunny.

With Sunny, Tubbo knew better than to expect her to stay with him. He learned from his past that he doesn't deserve something as wonderful as Sunny, that he can only love and wait until she is ripped away too. If he wasn't good enough to keep Fred, why on earth would he be even partially enough for Sunny.

He mourned her loss the day he got her. He knew he wasn't the best for her, he wasn't anywhere close to what Sunny deserved, but he did his best regardless and loved her more than life itself. Sunny became his tether and the only reason for him to stay alive. Sunny needed him like he needed Sunny. Sunny was the only reason he kept himself alive after Fred's funeral. Through the jeers, through the belittlement, through the disregard for his feelings, Sunny was there and provided him with enough purpose to keep going.

Fit and Pac dating made his only sense of security start to crumble. The two people he figured would stick by his side were moving along without him. They wouldn't need him in their life because they would need each other. They don't need his friendship anymore, his usefulness has worn itself out. He doesn't see them extending a hand to him as they step forward because he's too focused on the empty voids in his past where others should be.

He tries to break them up, and even if they hate him, he can rationalize that he did it for the right reasons. They may hate him but they're stuck with him, kicking and screaming by his side. Everyone tells him that he needs to find Fred, that he's projecting his romantic life onto theirs. In reality, he is too scared of leaving the island the exact way he started, with nothing to his name and no one by his side.

His character is such a battle between what he wants to do and what he feels that he needs to do. His entire run through purgatory was fighting others for eggs that weren't even his. He spends his days working on projects for other people and picking apart his failures when others can only see his success. He works tirelessly so that Sunny won't ever understand what it's like to be underestimated, beaten down, mischaracterized, and alone. Even if the world is against them, he will be in her corner to fight until his dying breath.

He loves so deeply and so purely. He tries to compensate for the lack of it that he has received after giving it away to whoever asks. He is depressed, anxious, and on alert. He has gone through trials and events with his head high and carrying the weight of others on his shoulders. He loves and he gives and continues to even when the people he gives his love to throw it to the side.

He has people in his corner, but his fear of them leaving has already made them vanish in his mind. He's a killer and a father. An engineer and a friend. A penpal and an adversary. He is loss and he is love.

[rei-ismyname]

Harvey X's Visions - Uncanny X-Men #5

So, lil' Harvey X sandbagged a whole bunch of mutant abilities, showing up to help Rogue at the most narratively tense time. Let's have a look at his prognostication/precognition. We have two data points indicating that his sight is accurate.

1. Sarah hunting the kids and where Rogue would be. This one is proven accurate by the narrative in the same issue it's introduced, so we're primed to take his other visions seriously.

2. The Endling. He actually made this prediction in issue 1 as he was dying. The Dragon/God-Snake from the same issue said the same thing, so together with #1 he seems pretty trustworthy (aside from lying to everyone etc. Chuck would have loved him.)

The 4 new images

1. Dead Colossus being eaten by fire breathing metal dogs. Pretty straightforward. Cool, I guess? Looking forward to it. I'll be sad for Magik but she'll be okay. The Red Ghost will be the last communist in Marvel, if he's even alive right now.

2. Magneto putting his helmet on. Not much of a prediction there kiddo. He does look a shitload healthier than he does over in X-Men, so maybe he gets his powers back? If Rogue warns the subjects of these two visions, Magneto could yeet the metal dogs, saving Colossus. EDIT - I was wrong here. This has been confirmed by Tom Brevoort as Chuck putting the helmet on. Interesting. I actually considered it, but figured it was an art fakeout and not worth mentioning. Silly me.

3. A feminine-looking figure wearing Cyclops' visor and a 2010s X-Men uniform? Marvel are definitely too cowardly to do trans Cyclops, maybe 3K awaken optic blasts in someone else. Maybe Harvey is seeing *really* far ahead and it's another child of Cyclops, one that inherits his powers. Hopefully they don't get traumatized by time travel. Rogue absorbing Cyclops' powers is another option.

4. Kurt with four arms? Umm, yeah. It could be Kurt moving really fast but that's not a very useful vision. He doesn't seem unhappy about it, but Nightcrawler doesn't exactly wear his heart on his sleeve, especially with misfortunes. Spiral's Body Shoppe? Secondary mutation? Kurt on MGH? I got nothing.

Narrative function

Visions and prophecies are really hard to get right in fiction. Immortal X-Men did a great job of using Destiny's gift as a burden, something that gave her unwanted knowledge and stress. It was something to struggle against and not always reliable. It blinded her and tied her to conflict with a terrifying God. She spent the better part of 200 years nudging fate and dodging catastrophes. Irene Adler had to work very hard to not be miserable and she didn't always succeed, dying to maybe reach a future she wanted. She left her wife traumatised and their child abandoned. She's probably dead again.

Blindfold/Ruth Aldine's visions were all a-jumble, completely unreliable and occasionally outright dangerous. She killed herself because of what she saw, and when she was eventually returned to life Ruth refused her body and the visions it bought her, instead choosing to live in her boyfriend's head/the astral plane as a non-corporeal being.

Both of those instances were primarily character-focused. Sure, they affected the plot, but often it was information that could come from anywhere/useless/untrusted. They were explorations of the existential horror that is seeing the future. Harvey X is dead, and unless he has yet more unseen powers (sigh, not impossible) we won't be seeing him again. He left no Destiny diaries, just jumbled images in Rogue's head and a warning.

His visions bookended the first arc of the flagship X-book, and it would be really easy to assign them narrative weight. The best prophecies are things not worth knowing - a burden and curse, always unheeded - they torment characters as they struggle against tragedy and end up bringing it into being instead. I don't think that's quite what's happening here though. I think, taken together, it's a Rogue character beat. Harvey asked for her by name and she was most affected by his death. When he showed up to save her she said she wouldn't forget him. Ideally, she won't. It's narratively satisfying, especially for a leader, to give them reasons to second guess decisions. I can see Rogue dwelling on what she saw and stumbling into narrative hooks she wouldn't otherwise. I can see conflict coming from whether or not the visions are applicable/trustworthy/interpreted correctly.

Rogue happens to be the daughter of Destiny, so she has a lot of experience with the treachery and confusion visions bring. She generally put stock in Destiny's advice when given plainly and specifically, but didn't sweat the inscrutable. I'd expect her to bring that up herself, especially given her very recent death, but From The Ashes hasn't been great with continuity and connectivity. We shall see - if nothing else it's a bit of fun, half foreshadowing and half nonsense.

[the-heart-of-a-monster]

I’M BACK MUAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAAA COWER IN FEAR FOR I HAVE RETURNED ONCE MORE TO ONCE AGAIN SPEW THE OBVIOUS

Translation: I’m back and I’m making it everyone’s problem

So yes, I saw the new pages, and as it turns out I was right about Sonic! As suspected, he’s hiding how he really feels about his new bodily features, and I think he’ll continue to do so for the rest of the comic. The finale for this series is right around the corner, and this issue is gonna have a lot of Eggman fighting, so based on what we already know… Yeah. Unless Sonic’s development is intended to be kinda rushed or last-minute, I don’t think he’s going to stop faking his optimism. It also has to be remembered that Sonic doesn’t always have to fake said optimism because he is at heart a hero and a snarky little gremlin. During the earlier days of the comic, Sonic was seen being elated at the prospect of Shadow willingly keeping a secret for him. Bro danced and sang all the way home just because someone was being nice to him. But even still, he’ll most likely continue faking his true emotions at least until the very end of the comic when things go back to normal for him. Because at the end of the day, Sonic is a happy little guy who just does what’s best for him and his friends, and that is that.

About the secret base, I honestly find it so funny and so realistic that the Chaotix have to basically beg for new cases in order to pay for their home and the secret base. It’s like families who thought they’d have enough for two homes but then a year or two goes by and they’re like “Oh crap, we’re broke.” It makes so much sense and it’s so funny to me! Meanwhile the others just appreciate the fact that they have a secret base and not the fact that they pay for both homes. 🤣

Chaotix: 🥲 Yeah yeah we’re fine we’re not broke we’re totally alright 👍🥲

OH AND HERE IS SOMETHING I JUST THOUGHT OF. There is of course a reason why the Chaotix have a secret base, and I wondered for a second why they would need it in the first place. They’re detectives, journalists, problem-solvers. In their field of work, it doesn’t take too much effort to become targets of the government. So, in case they got noticed by either GUN or some other important people, they have a back-up place where they could continue their work in secret. I think they specifically anticipated GUN, because they make a point to mention them in their explanation in the newest page. Probably not something SuperEm thought too hard on, but uh. I did. So… Guess I did their job for them???? idk I thought it would be cool to flex my worldbuilding skillz

Now I wanna talk about Rouge here. She, along with Amy, know far more than they let on and I’m wondering if that will have a part to play in Sonic’s story moving forward. In the newest page, we see him standing awkwardly and trying to grasp the fact that his friends knew about him for a while! He figured Tails might have taken the hint a while ago because he knows Tails better than anyone, but Amy?? That’s a different story. The two haven’t properly interacted in a while, almost 2 years (Or maybe 1 year I’m terrible at this) in our time and a week or two in their time. Amy and Rouge have been investigating Dark Gaia and Sonic’s new form for probably a month or so, meaning that they’ve known for a long, long time! I think Knuckles and the Chaotix were the only ones left in the dark the longest. So if Sonic were to find out about this, how would he react?? I’m thinking it wouldn’t be too different to his reaction about Tails and everyone else knowing, but him and Amy have had a rocky relationship status over the years, so it could also be different. I doubt we’ll get to see anything since it doesn’t make much of a difference to the blue blur at this point in the comic, but if we do I’m excited to see how he’ll react!

Now I’m going back to Sonic for a bit because I noticed something intriguing about him in the newest page. In the first panel, we see him standing awkwardly with his hands tied behind his back, fidgeting with his fingers impatiently. Then we see him immediately walk over to Shadow, who’s waiting for him outside. When he opens the curtain, we see him squint upwards towards the sky, a warm light seeping onto his face and his whole stature seeming softer. (For lack of a better word) Thematically, this sequence of movement/expressions is used to indicate a character’s growth, or to just show that they are willing to become better. I mean, that’s my takeaway from that. I’m not a theatre/film professional. All I do is stare at animations and talk about each frame as if I know stuff. But for me that’s the kind of vibe I’m getting from this page, that Sonic is learning or growing, and that he’s willing to step out into the light and be fine with who he is. Earlier on in the comic, he would’ve requested for Shadow to come inside or for him to not be seen by others, but now that he’s been through quite a lot and after being appreciated by the small snowy village, he feels much better about himself and is thus willing to just. Walk outside for a bit and talk to someone. Sonic is learning how to be around people again, learning to trust others with his secrets, and I love that for him.

Again this most likely is not SuperEm’s intention and I highly doubt those were the actual the thematically correct rules, so if anyone is reading this and is a film/comic geek, please Please PLEASE correct me via a reblog or a comment. I need some correction desperately please. I don’t wanna spew incorrect information.

Now, I would go ahead and talk about Shadow because he clearly has a lot going on in his brain, but OH MY GOD THIS THING IS HUGE. PROBABLY THE BIGGEST ASK IVE EVER WRITTEN HERE ON THIS FINE WEBSITE CALLED TUMBLR. So please do yourself a favor and give your eyes a break because holy crap I did not skip any corners for this one. Your pupils will thank you later, I promise. Go read a real book or go outside or something, please.

Anywhizzle, thank you so so so much for reading this whole thing, and have a good day/night!

(Also SuperEmeralds, just know that I adore your outdoor backgrounds so so much and they are not being overlooked. Your background skills are amazing and I’m so hype for what you have in store for the next few pages)

i think it is interesting how split the opinions are on sonic having learned nothing throughout the story and sonic finally having accepted his flaw and adapting. the mirror snap has divided the thoam theory community like no other askfjhasjkfhajk

who says they're paying for that run down place though? trust me i think super hard about literally everything, im sometimes embarrased abt it bc literally no one ever points most of my little details out but it makes me happy to connect dots so i just keep doing it

though sonic already reacted in a way, he knows everyone knew. granted the explaination happened off screen because quite frankly i didnt want the same conversation to happen twice back to back with the end of issue 8 and the beginning of issue 9, its better to just fill in the blanks yourself with everything.

the way i wrote sonic's emotions after waking up hopefully convey everything going through his mind well. there's a whole lot more pages to this so rest assured it's not over! your interpretation definitely makes sense! though i'd def disagree with the idea that in an earlier state of the comic sonic would've called for shadow to come inside? if his secret came out earlier in the comic he would still have reacted similarly and learned his lesson equally. the difference with the way it is in the comic is that he learned more about himself, and shadow, by dragging out the resolution to his (non)problem

thanks btw i love drawing environments and ur gonna get a good view of some really cool stuff soon ^_^

btw i have a name.. u can call me talaka, it's a little awkward to be called by my @ lol

[mathsbian]

CVS pharmacy tech lied to my face today 🙃

Last week, I tried to order a refill of the prescription I’m on for my chronic pain. I had two and half days of doses left. Obviously, Thanksgiving meant maybe I should have ordered it sooner to be sure they had it in stock, but it’s a controlled substance (Schedule 4, I think?) and I can’t order refills til I’m like 3-5 days of being out.

I went in to the pharmacy to speak with someone about it, because the website made it very difficult to place the order and also was not displaying it as in progress or in my order history or anything. I wanted to be sure they knew it wasn’t too early like the website kept trying to insist. One of the techs very dismissively told me it wasn’t in stock and to take the script somewhere else to get it filled. (I didn’t realize she meant “if I wanted it before Thanksgiving” til later). I left feeling a little annoyed but sure that I would have my script by Monday, because surely they would order more when my script wasn’t moved.

It’s Wednesday now. 9 days of no meds. Last night, I tried sending the script back to the CVS pharmacy I normally fill at, by our former apartment. I went all the way over there, freezing my butt off in the car waiting for the heat to kick in and slowly getting more tense and pained. I went inside and went to the counter. I asked about my prescription. The tech here told me he could see the script from October 29, but because it was a NEW script and I had transferred it to the other pharmacy, it was now stuck there unless I had my doctor send another script to my old pharmacy. Great!

So we left, and my partner drove us through rush-hour traffic that was worse than usual because of a wreck that had completely stopped cars going the other way (there were like 8 cops in a line just. Keeping people from moving forward. When there was nowhere to go because the ambulance and another vehicle were in the middle of the highway). We finally make it to the CVS nearest my mom’s. The one she has hated with a burning passion since we started having to use CVS over 15 years ago. The one where I was dismissively told to take my controlled prescription to another pharmacy as if that’s an easy thing to do.

We get to the counter. The same lady who dismissed me before is back there again. Someone says they’ll be with me in a moment in a tone implying that I’m acting impatient when I was just looking at signs and waiting quietly two feet from the window. A different tech comes to help me. She tells me that there isn’t a script at all. I mention October 29 and she says “nope!” without even double checking like the tech at the other, much busier pharmacy took the time to do. She says she has sent another note to my doctor and to call him if there’s anymore problems.

And then a minute later I get a text from CVS automated update line informing me that they don’t have my medication in stock and are ordering more.

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "The Antilles Extraction"

WEDGE WEDGE WEDGE WEDGE!

Hey, they had the budget to give at least one of these Rebel commanders a face!

This opening scene with the unfortunate redshirts serves two major purposes:

Establishes that the Rebellion needs pilots, and not just pilots but good pilots. (Recall the hilarity that in Legends canon they tested Wedge repeatedly for Force Sensitivity because they refused to believe he was just that good, lol.)

And it sets a baseline of the cruelty we can expect from the Empire. They wipe out this whole flotilla, even though the transport surrendered and is unarmed. Call Forward to Saw's Modus Operandi perhaps? At the very least hinting at the kind of blind dogmatic fanaticism the Empire encourages in its ranks.

Important to note: When the tips of a TIE are painted like that... that's an ace. That is someone you do not want to mess with in aerial combat.

Once again, the A-wings get a really raw deal in this show.

Hngh, Ezra's hopeful expression when Sato mentions "Fulcrum", he was so ready to believe that Ahsoka had somehow survived. *cries*

I think everyone in fandom and their dog guessed that the new Fulcrum was Kallus, lol. Once again, really should have gotten to see some of that arc onscreen. Didn't have to be much, just a scene or two here and there showing him researching into the Geonosian massacre or something and then attempting to get in touch with the Rebellion.

Ezra's objections to Sabine going in undercover play a little bit back into his overactive Hero Complex, that the holocron took advantage of to tempt him. Even though he's sworn off the Dark Side at this point, the underlying causes for why he was flirting with it in the first place--to prevent anything else bad from happening to the people he cares about--are still in effect. So having to wait in the wings and surrender control of an uncertain situation that could prove dangerous to his family is still going to be a source of distress for him.

Unfortunately, as Hera points out, Ezra's face has acquired lots more notoriety (at least in Imperial school circles), so Sabine's the one who's gotta do it this time. And she does not sound too eager about it lol.

This show is so good at lovely environments.

Sabine is the tiniest one there lol.

Kanan putting a supportive hand on Ezra's shoulder 'cause he knows Ezra's worrying. <333

"I'm just not a fan of these solo missions." "Unless it's you." That is kind of how his Hero Complex works, he doesn't want anyone else putting themselves in harm's way, would rather take on the dangers himself so that nothing bad happens to anyone else.

("Tari did the fandom have uncharitable interpretations of this moment too?" Ohhhhh yes you betcha. Fandom, please let the boys care about and worry for their women without turning it into some kind of chauvinism PLEASE.)

Oh wow, that was a snippet of Luke's theme transposed to minor key, that was a brilliant musical move.

HI WEDGE!

Officer Prissypants immediately shutting down any attempt for the cadets to maintain their individual personhood, insisting on callsigns only. See fandom, this what actual cult-like indoctrination looks like.

(Probably one of the reasons Wedge was bristling under their control, he's got too big a force of personality to keep under wraps.)

So another reason why I think the hints of Force Sensitive!Sabine in the Ahsoka trailers have to be a big red herring or else a giant-ass dumb retcon? Recall if you will the Empire has methods of testing for Force Sensitivity, if anything about Sabine's skills as a pilot here had pinged them as a little too good they would have flagged her and called for an Inquisitor to come investigate. (Even given that we lost three at Malachor.)

Or you know... just shot her.

Oh look, basically the same in-field situation they just showed us in the opening! Designed as a test of pilot loyalty: Unquestioningly follow these orders to blow up this ship or you're a filthy traitor to the Emperor.

We can see now a glimpse of how the Empire suppresses all individual thinking, personality, creativity, and humanity in its members, turns them into mindless drones to be pointed as weapons towards the Empire's enemy. Also that the Empire nominally has standards that purport to offer a sense of fair play and moral rule, but that it will immediately ignore its own rules when it suits them, again, in order to go after and obliterate its enemies.

Rebels said watch out for anyone who tells you not to ask questions or express doubts or concerns and who operates on Rules For Thee.

Love that they put the Ghost in the simulation lol.

You gotta know Sabine is chafing under this reprimand from Vult Skerris (the ace in our opener), this is her cadet days all over again, being told to sit down and shut up like a good girl and not worry her pretty little head off.

Wedge already admiring Sabine for her guts and dropping narrative hints that he's one of the defectors. We knew this already, of course, because it's Wedge, but still.

HI HI PRYCE! HI KALLUS. :D

Kallus must be so frustrated that ISB sent him personally to root out the sympathizers they learned about lol.

(Unless he volunteered for it himself, to try and cover their escape and help them if he could?)

Lol the stink eye he gives Pryce.

Sabine lucks out and stumbles across the very self-same sympathizers conversing in the hallway and of course no one is surprised to see Wedge.

Really can't praise the environment and lighting work on this show enough.

Sabine carefully feels Wedge out and confirms he's a defector and reveals herself.

Welcome to the Rebellion, hope you're good at Indy Ploys lolol.

Ezra's agitated pacing as he worries about Sabine. <3

And Kanan speaking directly to the insecurities and anxieties and fears that drove Ezra to consult the Sith holocron.

(Once again the parallels to Anakin "I need to be powerful enough to stop people from dying" Skywalker are great. The heart of Jedi philosophy is realizing you are not in control, and letting go of your fear of loss. Per Lucas, it doesn't mean you don't fight to preserve life if you can, but that if it is their time, you accept it. You don't go down into Hades to get them back, you don't break the laws of the universe to spare yourself that pain. You love them, and let them pass away. You let go.)

Ezra's immediate, "Of course I trust her." awwwwww.

Ahhh Kallus went along to be all, "We have investigated ourselves thoroughly and have found we have done nothing wrong." re. the defectors.

Hi Hobbie! Hi redshirt that absolutely bites it because we don't know him from the OT!

Still loving how Sabine is tinier than everyone there.

"These Rebels you say are waiting for us, do you trust them?" "With my life." UNQUESTIONING FAITH IN EZRA TO SWOOP IN AND SAVE HER AWWWW.

Yeah yeah Kanan is there too but Ezra's the one in the command seat LET ME HAVE THIS IT'S CUTE.

"Come on Ezra... where are you?" See, Sabine specifies him too.

The Rebel Alliance fanfare as the CR90 jumps in, yay!

"Sabine? Hope we're not too late." "Right on time." Sue me, I love cute banter.

And I hear the "Shenanigans" cue in heroic horns there.

Pryce reveals herself to be Actually Pretty Clever, having rigged the TIEs with kill switches beforehand.

HA HA HA HA NOT THE LAST TIME SABINE WOULD PLEAD WITH EZRA TO ESCAPE A PERILOUS SITUATION. *weeps in finale feelings*

And he still hates leaving people behind. But Kanan's right, they have to apply some Jedi non-attachment in this case or risk being unable to help her later. On account of, you know, being dead themselves.

:(

Pryce waltzes in being fabulously nasty and effortlessly reveals Sabine. Kinda wonder if the Imps just had this interrogation table on hand or if Pryce brought it with her.

Ooof Sabine's comment to Kallus here about "they found someone to do your job" had to hurt.

Have I mentioned I love Pryce yet? I love her, she's so casually patronizing and cruel and I adore that she's also a pretty effective brawler.

Love this little fight, it's not pretty or civilized at all, all grappling and dirty tricks.

Wedge is not quite skilled enough in the Indy Plot to pull off escapes like Ezra and Sabine yet lololol.

"Tell Garazeb Orrelios we're even." <333333 I love him.

Shades of Poe Dameron in Wedge's "I can fly anything." boast.

We sacrificed speed for durability, a smart decision when up against an ace like Skerris, actually. The bomber takes three direct hits without shattering like a normal TIE would. And Wedge handles it with much more maneuverability that it'd normally be flown.

Ho ho man this hero shot of the CR90 emerging from the clouds. :)

More adorable Sabezra banter. <333

Lol Hobbie not giving Sabine his real name (Derek Klivian btw) so she has to awkwardly give his nickname to Sato.

And congrats, we have successfully completed another Friendship Fetch Quest!

I remember being kind of bored with this episode the first time around (Sabine was kind of the least interesting member of the main cast for me, up until Season Three) but I think I appreciate it a lot more now. The look into the workings of the Imperial propaganda and indoctrination machine is illuminating, Wedge is pretty cute and it's nice to see him before he was a noted Rebel hero, and Ezra's concern over Sabine makes my shipper heart warm.

Amazingly, however, we managed to completely avoid getting any kind of backstory for Sabine out of an episode where she literally goes back to an Imperial Academy. So I guess if I had to nitpick this episode it might have been kind of nice to see her have to struggle a little bit more with being there, besides the one regretful look in the beginning and the bristling at her reprimand in the middle.

But aside from that, this episode was actually a pretty nice one.

[countrymusiclover]

54 - Start Thinking With Your Head

Part 55

Family is More than Blood

@melvia-ito @vavafaure1994

Alina’s pov

Sitting in the corner of the living room coach in the school building. I set down on the furniture with my arms crossed over my chest in a huff. “Lina, please talk to me. Say something to me.”

“What do you want me to say, dad?” 

He stood across the room from me staring at me. We hadn’t talked since the incident between my mother and what she nearly did to me and Jackson. “Anything is better than this dreadful silence.” 

“You want to say something about the fact that you let someone else take over my mothers body and allowed her to nearly torture me and my husband.” 

He slumped his shoulders. “It wasn’t on purpose, sweetheart.” 

“No it just means you were letting your cock think instead of your heart!” I snapped back at him, flashing my werewolf eyes. 

He pointed his index finger at me. “Don’t use that tone with me!”

“Are you afraid that someone else is going to challenge you? That someone finally has the guts to tell you that you let your own children be hurt specifically by their own mother.” 

My father vamped forward but I didn’t get out of the chair I was sitting in. “I am your father. You will not speak to me in that way.” 

“One of us needs to be clearly because you aren’t seeing the signs right in front of you. Our mother is being suffocated by her own dark side.” 

Covering my face with my hands I grumbled. “I have no clue how we can fix this.” 

Footsteps came down the staircase where we turned our heads seeing Lizzie holding the crystal prism that would show a subconscious version of yourself. “This isn't anything like defeating the Hollow, Uncle Klaus.” 

“I'm aware, Elizabeth. So give me a solution to bring her back.” 

Pushing myself up from the chair stomping past my father. “Actually dad I think it’s best if you remain out of this unless we absolutely need you.” 

“What!” He flashed his wolf eyes at me. 

“Dad, I know you're upset but it makes the most sense. You are emotionally attracted and you already let this dark magic twist her mind. You were supposed to be the stronger one and be there for her. Help her fight her demons, but that isn’t the case. If we want our real mother back we have to refuse your help.” 

“Alina! You can't do this-”

“Ossox.” My father attempted to move forward, clearly angry about what I was saying to him but I cut him off, flicking my wrist conjuring a spell to knock him out on the floor. 

His body collapsed onto the wooden floor at our feet seconds before we heard someone else coming up behind us. “Okay I found Andrea, Hope and Missy.” 

“What do we do about him?” Lizzie tilted her head to my fathers body.  

Josie answered, holding a spell book underneath her left arm. “Dad said he’d watch him and make sure he doesn’t do anything if he wakes up.” 

“Okay then let’s get this thing started before we lose my mother to her dark self.” I declared knowing we would soon run out of time to save my mothers life for the second time. 

The three of us returned back to the mansion seeing that aunt Freya standing in the middle of the empty living room. My mothers unconscious body was laying at her feet. Her arms, legs and hair all sprawled out in different directions. “There you three are. We are just waiting for the others to get here.” 

“What about the rest of my aunts and uncles? Are they still in town until we sort this out?” I questioned seeing it was just her there which was odd since dad had mentioned that the rest of his family had come out of concern for her. 

She responded simply. “I told them that there wasn’t much they could do. But your auntie Bex informed me that they were all just a phone call away.” 

Lizzie and Josie moved away from me forming a circle of candles around my mother. Josie laid the book she carried in down on the nearest table. “Did she text back that she was on her way?” 

“She?” I knitted my brows together hearing the front door handle rattling until it opened and some black heels stepped inside the mansion. 

“Long time no see, little Alina.” 

I grinned walking over to the blonde vampire and she hugged me back with the same enjoyment. “Caroline. Ohh I didn't know you were coming to help.” 

“You're mother is one of my best friend’s. I'll do anything to bring her back.” 

Lizzie pressed her hand on the book whispering and lighting the circle of candles. “Incendia. We should be ready to go. Freya will be the look out so that if we need to end the spell we can.” 

“I think we're ready.” Josie replied, flipping through some pages holding her sister’s hand. Caroline and I stepped in the circle around my mothers unconscious body and the pair joined us leaving Freya on the outside. 

Caroline glanced at me, squeezing my hand in hers. “I'll do a head dive on her. You kids just need to keep her dark consciousness away from her normal consciousness.” 

“We understand.” I close my eyes, chanting softly under my breath. “Pontem praesidio. Anchora-” 

“Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus. Per mental mi heavy for anmina. Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus.” The signal vampire watched the three witches beside her chanting before the candles shot up into the air and everyone inside the circle suddenly collapsed onto the floor. 

The next time I flicker my eyes open I see a room full of mirrors and all of us standing in the center of them where they surround our group. Slowly glancing around I heard footsteps coming towards us where I saw my mother come around the corner. “Mom, is it really you?” I asked, searching her gaze that met mine. 

Her familiar eyes locked onto mine with zero darkness visible in them. “Alina, it’s okay. It’s me. But she won’t stay down for long.” 

“Aunt Rae, we are here to bring you back.” Josie sent her a half smile. 

My mother’s whole body shook before the glass room turned into full black darkness and we saw another figure appear behind her. “Did you really think that your family could do anything to stop me? I will always be a part of you.” Dark Rae stands in front of my mother grabbing her by her hair holding her against her chest. 

“Mom!” I cried out in fear. 

“Agh!” She winced at the grip she held on the heretic. 

Caroline glared at the dark witch. “She is nothing like you. She’s good and loving. She’s stronger than you think she is.” 

“Ha! She gave up her magic because she was too afraid of it. I would never do such a thing. She has been hiding behind a fake mask, pretending to be tough and purely good.” Dark Rae chuckles dryly at the four of us. 

Lizzie glanced at her sister. “Can we blast her now?” 

“It’s not that way, Lizzie. This is like how I was with Dark Josie. It’s a mental game.” She explained to her. 

Dark Rae gripped my mother’s shoulder with her fingers turning red where she siphoned off of her and lowered her down onto her knees. My mother winced glaring up at her darker self. “I already gave you control. So what more can you want from me?” 

“You foolish heretic. I want you to be completely gone. Giving me control isn’t enough when I know this side of you still exists.” Her dark side smirked. 

Caroline stepped in front of me grabbing my mothers attention. “Raelyn, listen to me. When I turned off my humanity I was terrified of disappointing my moms legacy and disappointing myself most of all. So I know that you are terrified that this side of you is the stronger side. But you have always been the strongest person I have known with or without your secret dark personalities.” 

“She’s not smart enough to believe what you’re saying. She was afraid of her own magic, afraid of herself with no humanity and now the darker part of her witch side.” Dark Raelyn chuckles, finding the blonde vampire's words to be ridiculous. 

Josie steps away from her sister getting the closest to the dark witches body. “You’re right she was afraid of her darker selves. But she doesn’t have to be anymore.” 

“Josie - she’s too powerful.” My mother sniffed through tears. 

The siphon witch bent down to be eye level with her, reaching her hand out for her to take. “That’s what I thought when I let my darker self take over my body too. I thought that being strong meant being like Kai and I also thought I would hurt Lizzie. Until I realized that I can be more powerful and be good.” 

“But what if she takes over. What if I let my other side on and only make things worse?” Mom asked her with a nervous breath. 

Caroline vamped beside her daughter. “That won’t happen.” 

“We are never going to let that happen, mom.” I joined the pair grasping my mothers freehand in my own. 

Josie locked eyes with her. “Because we are your family, always and forever. You have shown all of us that you can be powerful and have light and darkness inside of you. Both sides are a part of you Aunt Raelyn.” 

“You’ll fail. You aren’t able to defeat me.” Dark Raelyn declares in my mothers ear before my mother spun around and grabbed her in a choke hold by her neck facing her darker half. 

My mother glared up at her, throwing her down onto the ground and hovering above her dark self. “Actually I can defeat you. Because you are a part of me.”

“I am the stronger version of you!” Dark Rae growled. 

My mother dug her fingers into the dark witches neck showing her fangs to her snapping her neck. “I’m the stronger one of us!” She rose to her feet facing us before darkness surrounded us.

Shooting upright in a sitting position on the wooden floor I glanced around to see everyone else was waking up. “Mom?” I noticed that she was still laying on the floor unconscious causing me to rush over to her on my knees. 

“Alina?” Suddenly her fingernails gripped onto my closet wrist when she finally opened her eyes. 

I sighed in relief helping her sit up so we threw our arms around each other. “You’re okay - you’re okay.” 

“Alina!” We barely separated from the embrace hearing my father’s familiar angry voice coming throughout the boarding house. 

Aunt Freya turned her head in that direction slumping her shoulders. “At least your father will be happy she’s back safely.” Rolling my eyes I just hoped he wouldn’t let the dark side of her control him. 

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Helluva Boss S1E3 and S1E4

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Moving forward with Helluva Boss this evening, visiting s1e3 and s1e4. I’m on a timetable now, wanting to get these done before the new episode comes out, but since we don’t know when that will be…just gonna have to hope for the best!

Now, jumping into s1e3:

There’s a detail from last episode that I did forget to mention: in a letter that Fizzbot holds up saying Loo Loo Land isn’t copyright infringement, Mammon calls Lucifer “my friend and ruler,” so I guess my speculation on whether or not Lucifer was King of all of Hell or just of Pride in one of my Hazbin Hotel analysis posts can be put to rest! Lucifer is King of all of Hell and not just Pride, I can move on with my life.

Blitzo singing along to dad rock and forgetting half the words: the greatest Mood.

Blitzo and Verosika’s banter is…enlightening. Lots of little tidbits to pick up on. I am SO excited for the opportunity to get to know more details in Apology Tour (PLEASE), because while it’s grade-A vile bickering, it’s the venom and bitterness that drenches their every interaction that really shows that when things were good for them…they were probably really good. As my Hellaverse friend sagely told me, you don’t hate someone that much unless you loved them that much first. Verosika’s BlitzO tattoo isn’t obvious yet, but notice that she’s the only person in the entire show (except maybe Barbie?) whom Blitzo doesn’t correct on the silent O. His choice of opening salvo is petty and gross, just as we expect, but Verosika’s is biting and weird: “and I should have known you’d be here when I heard the Amber Alerts.” Some people have taken that to mean that maybe Blitzo wanted kids when they were together (which could be supported by his adoption of Loona and how he calls Octavia “sweetie” in the second episode, though outside of that there really isn’t much to go on for building a theory about Blitzo wanting explicitly to be a father), and this could also just be a very crass and demeaning joke about Blitzo’s character (calling him a child kidnapper at best, a pedophile at worst), but. I dunno. It’s the first unusual thing Verosika says, but not the last. The second happens at Ozzie’s so we’ll wait until then to get into it more, but here’s the point I’m driving at: Verosika was way more hurt by their breakup than Blitzo was, and she’s still hurt by it. I may posit, given that one of the upcoming episodes is literally named “Apology Tour,” that Verosika lacks closure from their train wreck of a relationship and Blitzo might need to apologize just as much as she needs to hear the apology. Not to say Blitzo is entirely at fault, because I’m sure she gave as good as she got, but she knows about Blitzo’s sister when none of the rest of IMP, not even Loona, seem to know about her (which is funny because there’s a giant poster of her in the office; it was there in the pilot episode so congrats folks this was always the plan, to bait people in with what I’m told is Invader Zim energy and then wallop us all with feels), she gets away with calling Blitzo by his full/former name, and she was clearly someone important enough to him that he still has pictures of from when they were together on his phone. He does feel BAD about how it went down, even if he won’t even admit it to himself.

And how did it all go down? Let’s listen in: “run off, leaving someone else to pay for the hotel room, steal their car and run three rings to Wrath and max HER credit cards on shitty horse-riding lessons.” Ouch. Let’s look at the layout of Hell, which we don’t know yet but will soon: Pride, Wrath, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Envy, Sloth. Three rings away from Wrath? Lust. Not surprising, seeing as how Verosika is a succubus, but think about it. A relationship that is likely on the rocks (or, knowing Blitzo, maybe getting too serious and he’s uncomfortable either way), so they take a night in Lust at a hotel (maybe after a performance for Verosika?), and maybe whatever Blitzo was doing (I have seen here and there that he was doing bodyguard work for Verosika but I don’t know about that tbh, I’m willing to bet the flashback we get from s2.5 involving Millie and Blitzo fighting might give us some insight there but it’s likely Blitzo was either still working at Loo Loo Land or had just left it) would have allowed him to pay for the hotel room or at least help pay, and Verosika wakes up with him gone along with her car and her wallet. After she got a tattoo of the guy’s name on her arm. Verosika’s behavior towards him might lend some viewers to believe she deserved that, but I’m not so sure, actually; I don’t think she’d be so hurt and Blitzo would feel guilty about it if she fully deserved that kind of treatment. Yes, yes, this is Hell, everyone is shitty, but there’s something about that scenario that goes beyond shitty into just…ouch. Couple that with her Beezlejuice addiction and all of Blitzo’s fucking trauma…match made in Hell would be too cliché here, right? I’m probably better than that?

I’m not. Match made in Hell, indeed.

Dammit. The HR joke makes me laugh every time.

“I wasted so much time with a bag of holes like that.” So this was a relatively lengthy relationship, then. Making the whole…leaving and stealing thing…worse, actually. It feels less shitty somehow if it was a fling or a hookup, but something that dramatic probably only happens after a longer commitment and WOW I want to know all the details of that train wreck PLEASE VIV AND BRANDON PLEASE.

Side note that I have finally noticed the stickers on the back of the van, that’s ADORABLE Blitzo you absolute SAP.

Also Tex is too good for all of us. Appreciate him. Appreciate the HECK out of him.

(Blitzo protecting his employees because he cares about them, nbd, I’m sure this affliction won’t get any worse for him at all.)

(Blitzo having the exact same thought process I have when I realize I use the same notable words too close together and already posted something, it’s FINE)

There’s something about how the banter flows with Blitzo and Moxxie sometimes that makes me wonder if they improvise this stuff, at least in the writing stages, because “Why don’t YOU take an art class?” “Why don’t YOU see how EXPENSIVE they are?” kills me dead every single time. It’s just. It’s such beautifully comedic escalation into further absurdity. This show is poetry sometimes.

So I think it’s been confirmed that the scenes in the 2.5 trailer in a fancy Pride room with the Goetia and the Sins is a trial; there are little hints here and there that some sort of unrest is building, that Blitzo and IMP going topside is causing wider-spread issues that are slow-burning but there. I think this is the first episode where we lay the foundation work, beyond the actual first episode where Stolas reminds them that their use of his grimoire is technically illegal: not only is it illegal, but they’re supposed to be in human disguises on top of that. And they’re not supposed to be obvious about what they’re doing. Or causing giant fish monsters to grow out of the ocean and attack humans. It also makes me wonder if the killing of humans themselves is also illegal, but somehow I doubt that; I think they’re just supposed to not be obvious about it. Pretty sure this will be popping up more in future episodes, which I’ll list as they appear, but I think it’s a good bet that what IMP is doing is not just piddlingly illegal, but actually a big hecking deal.

Also a first showing of Blitzo’s surprisingly strategic and smart mind: they aren’t supposed to be seen, and loose shots will cause a panic. Sensible. Absolutely correct to use Loona as bait to lure away their targets. It becomes more and more obvious the longer the show goes on, but the ways Blitzo’s bizarre brain is actually kind of a genius at strategy and violence to get to his preferred outcome are both entertaining and gratifying to see. Until his care for Loona completely overrides his sense, but, y’know. Can’t win ‘em all, can’t fault Blitzo for being worried about her (especially when she has a YEARLY SHOT that she can get only EVERY FIVE YEARS, that feels AWFULLY POINTED, HEIRARCHY OF HELL).

And, yeah, Verosika has SO much room to be talking, when she’s throwing a flask of Beezlejuice into a crowd of humans, and from my understanding, that stuff is toxic to humans. The thing falling into the ocean and mutating a fish isn’t as discreet as humans dying from ODing on a hellish liquor, but it does seem more like giving them a fighting chance. Additional question: succubi and incubi (unsure if there’s a difference in the Hellaverse or not) in lore, to my memory, get something out of encouraging sexual appetites in humans and killing them for it, dragging their souls to Hell; at the very least, they feed off the sexual energy until they kill their host. What exactly is the succubi’s purpose in the Hellaverse? Because it doesn’t seem to be killing humans. And they’re adept at inspiring lust, but to what end? Probably doesn’t really matter, but I’m curious anyway. Wonder if it’s ever going to be explained (because much like the Envy demon who will be showing up in Ghostfuckers, I assume there is an actual reason for them doing what they do, and I wanna know why hanging around and messing with humans is so beneficial to them. Can’t be for their souls; all sinners go to Pride and they have their own issues to be dealing with, and it seems only sinners can own and barter souls anyway).

Listen, I know Blitzo isn’t nearly that awkward around other people, but something about Loona being so nervous around people and stumbling and being adorable (to us, at least) just screams “yeah this is Blitzo’s kid” to me, somehow. IDK why. Maybe the yearning for connection while being kinda hopeless at making any. Especially with each other. Though in a way, Blitzo managed to do exactly what he wanted: he made a stable, safe place for Loona. She relies on him, she cares about him, and while she’s closer to him than almost anyone else, she does have very much a kid’s view of their parent: he’s always fine, he’ll be okay. It was just a dumb fight. He’ll get over it. He’ll be there for her when she needs him (and often when she doesn’t). THAT’S FAMILY BAYBEEEEE.

(Heeee Drunk Possum Moxxie :D :D :D)

“Would be a shame if anyone found out y’all were behind a giant monster fish in the human world.” “Oh Satan! You’d all be so FUCKED!” …yeah that trial ain’t gonna be a good thing, is it, fam. My gut feeling that IMP, or at least Blitzo, is gonna be on trial for everything he’s doing in the human world continues to gain traction in my own head.

“Let’s get you some friends, girl.” TEX IS TOO GOOD FOR US.

Listen I’m more sensitive these days to fat jokes but sometimes…sometimes the fat jokes are just really funny. “Let’s go park our FAT FUCKIN CAR in our FAT FUCKIN SPACE” dammit why is that funny. Why am I laughing. (Maybe because it isn’t using fat in a derogatory way, more a victorious to neutral descriptive way? I don’t know.)

The fact that the chorus of the song that Blitzo is singing in the credits goes into the tune of HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH BY BELINDA CARLISLE ABSOLUTELY *KILLS* ME. MURDERS ME DEAD. OMG.

So, in my first journey through these episodes, the showing of care between Blitzo and Loona helped me get through this. But the next episode…that one was kinda hard for me to plow through. It’s easier now, so let’s go!

To episode 4!

First things first: heeee Cherub Towne and Imp City. My brain does love its symmetry.

Second things second: wow Collin gets thrown into all the crap situations, huh? I’m so excited to see them again in s2.5 (I KNEW CHERUB AND DHORKS WOULD BE WORKING TOGETHER OKAY I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT. I’M NOT GONNA STOP SCREAMING ABOUT THAT), because even this early, Collin deserves better and already seems kind of at odds with his teammates.

Also interesting how Hell seems to get Heaven’s commercials. Makes me wonder if anybody in Heaven gets Hell’s, and what that might mean if any of them saw the Hazbin Hotel commercial. (Ooh. Wouldn’t that be fun, if the commercial actually does something in Hazbin Hotel s2? Like…alert a certain spider-shaped winner that her twin brother is alive in Hell and attempting redemption? HMMM.)

I’ve been pondering what to call Blitzo’s gun, since I don’t know gun types. “Flintlock” is what I kept seeing most, but that puzzled me, since flintlocks are single-shot firearms that need loaded a specific way and the show doesn’t do that. EXCEPT IT DOES. RIGHT HERE. IN THIS EPISODE. Which makes me kinda happy, because “flintlock” is a badass and kinda sexy word.

Also, Wally Wackford as a recurring background character makes me happy.

Aaaaaand the advent of the Fat Jokes About Moxxie That Make Literally No Sense Because LOOK AT HIM Train. Lovely.

Y’know, on the subject of Moxxie, actually, which I was maybe saving for a later episode but screw it I’m thinking about it now because of the frame I paused the episode on to write the previous paragraph: he doesn’t have any scars. His freckles are there (and freckles and tattoos are also white on imps, though there is every possibility that Moxxie and his mother weren’t freckled, but…scarred…specifically…), but no other white patches on him. I find that fascinating.

OKAY HERE WE GO, 1:41 INTO THE EPISODE: a nice long shot of the poster of Blitzo and Barbie Wire, the Amazing Imp Twins. Clearly made before the accident. What precisely their show was meant to be, I couldn’t say, because Blitzo is the one in clown attire and Barb just looks sort of normal, but it looks like early concept art anyway so we’ll let them have it. Millie later pops up in this empty space, but the fact that we get such a long uninterrupted view of the background makes it clear that this is important information we the audience are supposed to pick up on. HB does this often, actually, and it makes the rewatch rewards SO GOOD.

“I am eccentric and must therefore do eccentric shit!” Mood.

You heard it here first, folks: Moxxie finds eternal torment hot.

Okay, here’s another building block for my “IMP is in deep legal shit” theory; the “three tacky stalkers about to attempt a Murder” scene. Where there are many pictures taken of them. And their disguises are…okay. Humans don’t typically see the imps and immediately think “devils” (see “possum”), but that’s still photographic evidence that at least one earthly agency and any hellish law enforcement could use against them. Which just makes me question the whole “human disguises” rigamarole, how Loona got one, and how far we can plausibly stretch “IMP doesn’t get any” before it becomes ridiculous past the point of humor or belief.

Blitzo losing his cat sock puppet in a holy explosion: the most poignant story of loss in this entire show.

Okay actually who sent CHERUB to save Lyle Lipton? I know they say “on behalf of all the people benefitted by your amazing technological advances” but…like…who???? Who was the poor naïve person who sent CHERUB to go stop that man from committing suicide? Unless it was more calculated than that, but I doubt it.

“Commit die” should be what took off instead of “unaliving.” Only children’s show animated Deadpool gets to say that word. Heck.

“He’s classier than that!” NO ONE IS CLASSIER THAN A KATANA, COLLIN.

The costumes that IMP is wearing all episode are incredible, though. I know Blitzo’s first one is a character by Brandon Rogers, though I’d love to know who/what Moxxie and Millie were supposed to be (more characters by him?). The second round is pretty obvious: it’s Cats. Which is only funnier given the movie abomination. I know nothing about it but Blitzo as Rum Tum Tugger feels appropriate on a vibes level. But the third round…WHO ARE THEY. WHERE ARE THEY FROM. THEY SEEM SO SPECIFIC BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS. IS IT HEATHERS? IS IT MEAN GIRLS? IS IT HAIRSPRAY? WHAT IS IT.

So imps seem about as mortal as living humans, if a little hardier, and it doesn’t seem as though cherubs come packing angelic steel (…Heavenly classism?), so getting threatened by some golden crossbows seems about as dangerous as anything else; it does make me wonder if cherubs have the same mortality rates as imps, though.

Keenie showing her own bloodlust and rage issues and Cletus going along with it feels…foreshadowy, now that we know they’re coming back for sure. Saying it once again: Collin is not gonna be on board with them and how far they’re willing to go for vengeance (though admittedly getting locked out of Heaven because their fight with IMP caused them to accidentally kill the mark is a pretty good reason to go looking for vengeance; however, a human agency outfitting and working with angels to invade Hell is NOT gonna look good for IMP if and when the law comes calling).

Nice to know that Helluva Boss is just as clueless for what gets someone into Heaven/Hell as Hazbin Hotel, only it matters so much less and their guesses for getting into Hell are much more on the mark, I think :P

Also, is this the only episode where the credits aren’t bloodstained? I haven’t been paying enough attention.

And that’s the end of this batch of episodes! Next batch coming soon!

[recoveringdreamer]

TIMING: before van and nora hung out in the mines LOCATION: in the woods PARTIES: @vanoincidence & @recoveringdreamer SUMMARY: while on a hike, van and felix come across a "really ugly dog" in a bad spot and decide to help. CONTENT WARNINGS: mentions of parental death, animal cruelty

Hiking wasn’t really Felix’s thing. Surprising, considering the fact that they’d spent a pretty big chunk of their life living in the woods and were, in at least some sense, a wild animal, but… walking through the woods was a little boring, sometimes. There wasn’t much to do. Unless you brought a friend with you, of course. 

They didn’t think Van was particularly into hiking, either, but she’d still agreed to come. Maybe it was because she was still adjusting to his return, despite the time it had been. Finding someone you’d thought was lost forever was bound to be a little jarring, after all, even if you’d known other members of their family better than you’d known them. Or maybe she was just bored. Felix wouldn’t fault her either way; she was here. That had to count for something, right?

“The path is boring,” he told her as they trudged along, well off the marked trails. “Fuck the path. Right? This is way more fun. Out this way, we can find all kinds of cool trees. Oh! Here’s one!” They jogged up to the tree in question, barely looking where they were going. It was only thanks to the jaguar’s quick instincts that they faltered and jumped back quickly enough to avoid the snapping of a bear trap, looking startled. The noise echoed through the forest, and was quickly followed by another… and a squealch. Felix paled.

Something had been caught in the second trap. He could tell. Throwing a worried glance at Van, he changed course and moved towards the noise, letting the jaguar’s senses guide him.

Van could have and should have suggested that they do something else. It had been years since she’d seen him, and she’d been a kid back when they left. It was a mystery that she even recognized him, but maybe it was the eyelashes she often joked about. Or the fact that she just so happened to have a photo of herself, his sister, and him taken outside of the state park on one of the days that she was being babysat.

Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. Van accepted his invitation regardless of her aversion to the outdoors. She wore the wrong kind of shoes and too much sunscreen. Luckily for her, she’d gotten the kind without the white cast. 

Felix complained about the trail and Van huffed. “You’re the one who wanted to come out here!” But he was veering off of the safe path in favor of something overgrown. Before she could say much else, he was bounding forward. “Ugh.” She followed after him, avoiding a branch to the face, only to jump back in surprise as they leapt back. “What is it?” And then she heard it. That awful sad noise. 

“What is that?” She hadn’t realized she said it aloud, and she looked down at the ground to see a bear trap. Van blanched, suddenly feeling queasy. What would have happened if he had stepped in it? She didn’t want anything else to step in but, but how was she supposed to disarm it? Before she could think on it much longer, Felix was headed in a different direction. “Felix!” She called after them, careful now where she stepped in case there was another trap. 

“Because it’s fun,” Felix insisted, stubborn to a fault. They weren’t having much fun now, but they didn’t want Van to know that. If Van knew that she was right and he was wrong, she’d probably never let them live it down. Felix would spend the rest of their life hearing about how she was right and he was wrong. She’d probably track them down to whatever nursing home they ended up in just to rub it in their face. Nuh uh. No siree. Felix wasn’t risking it.

Besides, it was still pretty fun. Felix felt so much more at ease in the woods than he did in town. Less bad memories lurking around every corner, less anxiety that someone might recognize him from the Grit Pit and… do whatever people did when they recognized someone from something like that. Seek vengeance? They’d probably deserve it. Call the police? They weren’t sure the cops would care, but they didn’t want to risk it.

It was good that they were here, anyway. If they weren’t, would anyone have heard the trap? Or would the animal have been stuck there indefinitely, waiting for whoever set it to eventually remember its existence and come finish the job? Felix knew exactly how long animals could waste away in traps like that. They’d seen plenty who’d died slow, agonizing deaths because the hunters who left the traps only checked them every few days or so. It wasn’t right.

Even if the thing stuck in the trap was probably the ugliest creature Felix had ever seen.

They stuttered to a stop in front of it, taking it in. It took a moment to remember what a squonk was — they didn’t see a ton of them in the woods, but they had seen them before. Their father had told them the name, but not much else beyond ‘they don’t taste very good.’ That was how most animals were sorted in the Mendoza household. Hearing Van approach, Felix held out an arm to slow her so she wouldn’t trip over the squonk. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, all things considered; only its leg was caught in the trap, and the injury looked like one it could probably recover from. “We gotta help it,” Felix said, turning to look at Van with large, sad eyes. 

Van nearly ran into Felix as they came to a stop. He was far too tall for her to look over his shoulder, so she stepped to the side. On the ground and in the trap was one of the ugliest things she’d ever seen. So ugly that it was cute. She refrained from making a joke that it was Felix, even though in part it was because she couldn’t find the words to speak them. She was astonished by what was before them. It didn’t look like a dog, but maybe it had gotten stuck in some sludge and it got melted. Or maybe it was one of those dogs that rich people had that made everyone know they were rich. Van didn’t know. 

“How?” She wanted to help it, sure, but she knew she wasn’t strong enough to pry open a bear trap. She’d seen movies about how they could take fingers off! “How do we help it? Should we call somebody?” She whirled around to look at the direction from which they’d come. “Do you think somebody would be able to find us here?” 

Van running into him from behind sent Felix stumbling forward a bit, though they could hardly blame her for the mistake. They had come to a pretty sudden stop, after all. Plus, the two of them had other things to worry about. She stepped around him to look at the squonk, and Felix felt her soften at the sight. That was good. The last thing they needed was for Van to accidentally upset the poor thing. They got the feeling that she didn’t know a lot about the supernatural, and if this squonk melted in front of her, she’d probably be a little uncomfortable. Plus, Felix didn’t want it to get hurt.

“Um…” They couldn’t pry the trap open without likely hurting themselves, could they? Even with the two of them doing it, they’d probably end up closing the trap around their fingers. But there had to be something they could do. “We take it apart! Yeah. Yeah, we can… find something to undo the screws, right? Do you carry a screwdriver in your purse? Or, like, a pocket knife? One of those multi-tool things? Oh! I bet we could do it with keys!”

“Take it apart?” Van wasn’t sure exactly how to do that. “I didn’t bring my backpack.” Probably not the smartest thing, considering Felix told her they’d be going hiking. “I’ve got a lighter and…” she dug into her cargo shorts’ pockets and produced a sad looking knife. “I’m not actually allowed to have these.” Nobody was telling her she couldn’t have them anymore. Nobody was here to tell her she’d hurt herself by just dropping it. Nobody was here to care anymore. “I guess I do. Never mind.” She jabbed the closed pocket knife towards Felix. 

“I think it’s Nora’s.” She didn’t know if Felix knew Nora, but that didn’t matter. “She probably left it in these, she sometimes wears my clothes. Will this work?” She hoped it would, because the sad looking dog was looking sadder by the second. It was a little weird looking, and a little soggy, but she didn’t know too much about dogs to really judge this one. 

“Yeah. Yeah, take it apart!” That was their only real option here, wasn’t it? Because losing fingers wasn’t an option, and leaving the poor little squonk alone in the trap definitely wasn’t an option. It was either take the trap apart or nothing. Felix refused to do nothing. Reaching out, he took the dull knife Van was holding with a nod. No question as to why she wasn’t allowed a knife; for Felix, it seemed normal. They’d been told what they were and weren’t allowed all their life, first from their father and then from Leo and now from the Pit.

They didn’t know who Nora was, but they were glad she’d left a knife behind. They inspected the knife, then knelt down to look at the screws in the trap. The squonk cried as they got close, and Felix offered it a small smile. “It’s okay, buddy,” they whispered. “We’re gonna get you out of here, okay?” Looking back at Van, he nodded. “I think I can work with this, yeah! Will you, um… Talk to it? Nicely. So it doesn’t get scared?”

Van watched silently as Felix began to work on the screws that held the trap together. “Who’s keeping bear traps out here?” She knew that there were bears in the woods, but that was their home, so what right did people have trying to hurt them for it? It didn’t make sense. She tensed slightly as the weird looking dog cried out. Felix was gentle enough for the two of them, and Van kept her distance, not wanting to stress either the old man or the dog out. 

Until it was being requested that she do so. “What?” Van blinked at Felix, then looked at the dog. “Umm.. yeah, sure.” She looked at it, wondering what kinds of things it might want to hear. It probably wanted to hear kind things about it, right? Even if it was a little ugly, it was cute. In that weird way. Not in a way that newborn babies were ugly, but like, rats and stuff. “You’re going to be… okay.” She looked to Felix for confirmation that this was what was needed, “and Felix is going to get you out of there, and I’m going to stand over here so that I don’t make you worried that there’s too many people.” A brief pause, and then she continued, “because I don’t like being surrounded either, and I’m sorry that someone got you stuck in a trap. It isn’t very fair.” 

“Hunters,” Felix replied, their voice tight. It was funny — shifters were taught, from a young age, to fear rangers. People designed to kill them, hunters whose prey sat next to you at the dinner table. But it hadn’t been rangers who’d killed Felix’s mother and uprooted their entire life. It had been normal, human hunters, not unlike the ones who’d likely set this trap. There were things you should be afraid of that no one ever taught you to fear until it was too late. There were lessons you could only learn the hard way.

They worked carefully, using the knife as a makeshift screwdriver to undo the screws. They knew they were stripping them, but they felt little guilt about it; the trap likely wouldn’t be usable when they were finished, and they’d prefer it that way. He glanced over as Van began talking to the squonk, smiling faintly. When she looked to them, they gave her a nod and shifted their grip on the knife to flash her a thumbs up. “That’s definitely fair.” Hopefully her kind words would be enough to keep the squonk calm until — there. The last screw came free, and Felix carefully lifted the top of the trap up.

“Why would people want to hunt bears?” Van had no clue about much of anything, and it showed in everything she did. She thought about poachers, and that made a little more sense. It was still fucking stupid. How anyone could go and hunt down a bear, and even leave it to die in a trap after bleeding out– it made her feel sick. She swallowed the feeling and watched Felix from over their shoulder as they worked to get the dog free. 

The dog whimpered, or Van thought it whimpered. It sounded like one, at least. And then, the trap was pulling apart as if it’d never been put together to begin with. The screws fell into the foliage they knelt over. The dog’s droopy eyes lowered to the ground, muzzle coming to its leg where it had been caught in the trap, worrying it with its mouth. “Is he going to be okay? Should we take him to a vet?” He looked a little soggy, and she wasn’t sure how she would hold it. 

“People hunt anything.” Bears. Jaguars. People. But Van didn’t know about any of that, as far as Felix knew, and they didn’t really want to be the one to tell her. Certainly not here and now, when they were focused on saving the squonk. “People kind of suck sometimes. You know?” 

The squonk cried as Felix lifted the trap, pulling its leg free and licking it gently. Felix watched, carefully setting the top half of the trap down far away. “I don’t know if it’ll let us take it to a vet.” Or if there was a vet that could handle this. The only doctors and vets Felix knew who dealt with supernatural creatures were at the Pit, and they would never take the squonk there. Somewhere where it would be turned into bait, or forced to fight, or fed to something bigger… that would be even crueler than leaving it in the trap. “I think it’ll heal on its own. If we let it go.”

“Yeah, people definitely suck.” Her stomach turned as she watched the dog lift its leg. She didn’t know how people could be so cruel! It was ridiculous to think that something should just die in a trap. It made her mad, but she knew that being angry in the presence of some sad little animal would probably only make it anxious. They could probably sense that sort of thing, right?

“But what if it gets caught in something else?” She didn’t like the idea of just leaving it in the woods, but she knew that volunteering to take care of it was out of the question. Van couldn’t even take care of herself most days. She paused momentarily, gaze wandering over the soggy looking rolls that were across the dog’s back. “I think you should take it home with you. You have a new apartment, right? Maybe we should look up a vet in town and see if anyone can help us!” Her excitement made the dog squeal and she lowered her voice worriedly, “please, Felix? I don’t want to come back here and see that it got stuck again because we didn’t help it.” Not that she’d ever want to come back to the woods after this, but still. 

It was nice, in a way, that Van agreed with him. She might not know the extent of Felix’s thoughts, might not understand just how much they distrusted people, distrusted humans, but there was something vindicating about her affirmation, anyway. And it was nice that she wasn’t grossed out by the squonk… at least, not externally. Internally might be a different story, he knew.

Her question made their stomach turn a little, and they looked down at the squonk. They were just about to suggest that one of them take it home to help it heal when Van beat them to it… volunteering Felix for the task. They looked down at the little squonk, which was still crying. Felix didn’t know if it was a squonk being a squonk or if the pain was legitimately making it cry. Leaving it here did feel wrong regardless. Sucking his teeth, he thought of Penelope the cat. She’d probably hate the thing, but… “You’re right. We should make sure it’s taken care of while it heals. Um, I’m gonna take off my jacket to wrap it in it.”

Van was glad that it was Felix offering to pick the dog up. It looked a little too big for her to hold, and a little slippery which was still weird. She bit the inside of her cheek as she watched them take off their jacket. The dog looked worried and she wanted to reassure it, but she wasn’t sure what to say. Would it even understand her anyway? 

She sucked in a breath as she watched the not-dog look up at Felix with droopy, water filled eyes. It must have been in a lot of pain to cry like that. She didn’t like it one bit, even if she wasn’t necessarily great with animals. “Do you know any vets who will take it?” Van hoped they could find somebody who wouldn’t be disgusted by it. It was a little ugly, but in a cute way. Van had learned from a young age that things different than the norm were often ridiculed, and she knew that this dog would be no different. She looked up at Felix with a hopeful gaze, knowing that because they were a true adult, they’d surely have the perfect solution. 

Dropping their jacket on top of the squonk was easy enough. Even uninjured, they weren’t a very fast-moving sort. This one, with the hurt leg, definitely wasn’t going anywhere quickly. Felix scooped it up carefully, cradling it in their arms and murmuring to it in gentle Spanish, the way his mother used to do. The squonk didn’t understand Spanish any better than it understood English, but it had always felt a more comforting language.

Looking back to Van, Felix shrugged. “No, I don’t think so.” The only people he knew who took care of supernatural creatures of any kind were associated with the Pit, and he’d never take the squonk to any of them. “But I’ll find somebody. Maybe… an exotic vet? It looks like a pretty, uh, uncommon breed.” If Van thought it was a dog, they’d let her think that. She didn’t need her world expanded today, and Felix certainly wasn’t the best one to do it anyway. What would they even say? The supernatural is real, and also I can turn into a jaguar but don’t ask me to do it because the jaguar that lives inside of me is mean and angry and will probably try to eat you because he’s mad I’ve got us stuck fighting in a supernatural fighting ring? And, by the way, I hurt people every night! Yeah, that would go over well.

Van watched as Felix picked the dog up, cradling it to his chest gently. She was glad that it didn’t seem to want to get away. Then again, the pain in its leg could have been deterring it from moving too much. She looked down at the dismembered trap, chest tightening again. “An exotic vet? Do you think we have those here?” They should, really, with all of the weird things roaming around Wicked’s Rest. But she thought those were just because of the abnormality. Maybe there was somebody who knew about them, anyway. 

Felix looked deep in thought and Van wondered if he was trying to figure out where to take the dog. Probably! After all, she had asked. She’d need to look too, she realized. She couldn’t just let it all lean on them. “Okay. We go back the way we came, we avoid traps, and we find somebody to take care of that dog.” The word dog came out with minor hesitance, but she was none the wiser. She had a good crop of friends that if this were anyone else, saving the dog would have probably gone the same way, but she was grateful for Felix being there, too. “Thanks for saving it, Fe.” She meant it, too. 

[nimata-beroya]

MY THOUGHTS ON THE MANDALORIAN - Chapter 20 "The Foundling"

I loved this episode so much! And not because the same reason most hardcore fans loved it. I didn't recognize Ahmed Best until I saw someone mentioning that he had portrait Jar Jar Binks in the prequels, and we all know how many fans treated him. It's nice he's given a role where he's getting all the love and respect from the fans he always deserved. I honestly don't understand why people can't separate actor from character. It's fine if you don't like a character, but it's never okay to hate and harass an actor because of it.

Anyway, let me tell you why I loved this episode…

This episode gave me exactly what I was asking for. I wanted to see the dynamic within the covert, I wanted to see their daily life. I even hinted at it in a posted I did on this past Tuesday. Because we've only gotten crumbs about it in the 2 previous seasons. We saw a bit of it in the pilot episode of the series, then in chapter 3, and after that nothing until episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett. Then, it was only the Armorer and Paz Vizla, a reunion which didn't go well for Din, as we know. So, I was curious of how they lived together.

I know people are complaining (what else is new! 🙄) about Bo stealing Din spotlight on his own show. That's not happening, for many reasons. We get to see Bo's POV because all that is new to her too as much as it's new to us, the audience. So it makes sense that we follow the character that it's as clueless as we are.

People want to see Din and Grogu every second of the show. I don't blame them for wanting that, but some need to understand that sometimes you need to focus on other characters to move the story forward. It's not just Bo's journey, her journey also reflects Din's, by contrasting or doing parallels to it. This episode referred as much to Grogu and Ragnar as it did to Bo. Everything is revealing pieces of a much larger puzzle.

I think what Bo's journey is about is that she needs to learn that leadership and respect is earned by what you do, not for what you are. She still has a bit of arrogance thinking that she can lead Mandalore because she had the Darksaber once, because she was a princess and was raised for it. Because she's the best, and she can do it alone. Also, it's about finding, or rather, building up her faith again.

In contrast, Din's journey is more about in finding confidence in his own leadership skills and learning not to have a blind faith. In short, finding a balance between traditions and pragmatism.

Watching foundlings training was great. I think that Din putting Grogu to fight against Ragnar was the best. I think it was a bit of integrating Grogu even more to the covert's life, but also it was about Din showing Grogu off. He was very confident in what his son can do, rightly so. And also, I think it's important that Grogu feels comfortable using The Force in a more relaxed environment and not just in life-threatening situations. Or to steal cookies and candy. That he mostly uses the Force when he's afraid is not a good thing. Things can get ugly fast if he's not careful.

I know that that Mandos are used to train for war, to attack, as warriors, but as far as we've seen, this particular covert, when they fight, it's always to protect. So, that's not much different than why Jedi trained.

Of course, we cannot ignore Grogu's trauma, but this is the life he chose. Mandalorians fight, so he needs to learn to. he can choose never attack someone.

I know everyone's first instinct when Din issued the challenge was to say "But he's a baby!" which sorta true, but not quite. First, Grogu is small but not helpless as he demonstrated it. Second, how is this so much different from Jedi training with Lightsabers or the ball droid thingy? The low setting laser bolts hurt more than the paintballs, I think. And Ragnar needed the lesson to drop a peg or 2 to his cockiness, don't you think? God lesson that of "One does not speak unless one knows."

And talking about Ragnar, poor kid! First, he gets his shebs kicked by someone 3 times smaller than him, and then gets kidnapped by a monster and almost eaten alive (that's without counting that he was almost eaten once before when he took the creed in the chapter 17). But I'm over the moon that they confirmed that he's Paz's son.

Order 66 flashback I knew it was coming, but it hurt like always does. I like the parallel of Grogu having it in the forge, just like Din had his back in Chapter 3. And we finally know who helped Grogu escape!! I didn't know about Kalleran Baq before, but I love him now. Instant love!

And my theory about who lend that H-type Nubian ship is that it wasn't Padmé. She didn't know what was happening, and she was busy worrying about her freshly-inducted Sith husband, so that leaves 2 possibilities. It was either one of her maids, Sabé, perhaps, or it was the only other Naboo senatorial representative we know. It'd be great and doubly vindicating if Jar Jar was the one who helped to save the most beloved character in SW universe.

I think The Armorer saw Grogu doing his flip-flops in the morning and said, yep, time for another piece of armor for him. The roundel it's kinda of weird, but I loved that it has the mudhorn sigil!!

As I said before, I'm liking the way Bo is earning respect from everyone in the covert, especially in this episode when she led the rescuing party. This what I mean by to be appreciated by what you do, not what you are. Let your actions speak for you.

But I admit that dinner scene when everyone goes somewhere to eat alone is absolutely depressing. Gawd! That helmet rule needs to go! I know that logistically it won't be as soon as we like, I think, specifically for Din, because of Pedro's other filming obligations, but at some point they need to relax it a bit. I mean, when I heard that rule I interpreted it as "you don't show your face to the enemy" as in the symbol of the T visor is enough to put fear in your enemy, not matter who's beneath it, because whoever it is it's going to kick your ass. But with family and people you trust, you can and should show your face. But what I know?!

I love the parallel of Din and Paz saving the other's son. Their relationship is great, and it's peak sibling energy, like hate you sometimes, sometimes I love you but if you need me I'll be there no matter what.

Very nice touch of the covert to adopt the three dragon-bird babies! I went: OH NO! 😱 when the croc-turtle monster ate the mom. The babies were going to die without her. But of course, I should've known better. Mandalorians will adopt any creature despite their species or age 🤣 I swear they go with a weapon in one hand and adoption papers in the other.

The scene where Bo-Katan confesses to the Armorer that she saw the Mythosaur was great. It showed what I suspected all along. Bo's silence about it was never because of a nefarious motive. It was simply because Bo has a hard time comprehend what she saw was true. I mean, any sane person would be wary. Anyone would doubt their sanity if suddenly they see a creature that was supposed to be extinct millennia ago.

The armorer's response to the confession can be interpreted in many ways. She might've believed Bo or she might've not. It could've been scheming or patronizing, or simply it doesn't matter to The Armorer what Bo saw as long Bo believes it, as the mythosaur is the symbols of what's to be a Mandalorian. I guess we have to wait and see how this goes.

Ok, this turned out to be longer than I expected, so I'll leave it here. I have a couple of thoughts in my head that sprung out after watching the episode, but I'll leave them for another post.

The review for the next episode also will be late because TBB season finale has priority for me, but I'm very curious about what will happen in the next episode. Are we going back to Nevarro, or we're going somewhere else? Because there's a footage around that shows a planet with dome cities?

Is this a flashback to Mandalore of old or a new planet? I need to know what going on!

[morrigan-sims]

1, 6, 9, 16, & 17 for an OC (or OCs) of your choosing! ♥️

Ahh, hi Ash! Thanks for the ask! (and for making this great ask game!!) I'm going to answer these for a variety of OCs, I think.

What memory would your OC rather just forget?

Captain Blackthorne wouldn't want to forget any of his memories, even the most painful ones (such as Rosalynn's death). They are the things that drive him forwards, and make him who he is.

Rook would like to forget his entire time spent with Captain Wolf. It was very traumatic and painful, both physically and mentally, and he would be leaving a lot of trauma behind if he could forget it.

Morana would choose to forge her parents' deaths. It was a very violent thing to see as a small child, and even though the memory is very foggy, it's still painful. A decent part of her wishes that she could just forget her parents entirely and move on without that shadow over her.

Similar to Blackthorne, Asola wouldn't want to forget anything, even her most painful moments. They empower her and motivate her, even when they hurt. She's an Oath of Vengeance Paladin, so her worst memories are the fuel for her Oath.

Fallon would choose to forget a certain something that happens during the course of RTQ.

gonna put the rest of these under the cut, because it's gonna get long...

6. How easily could your OC be convinced to do something that goes against their moral compass?

For Captain Blackthorne, it would be nearly impossible. His moral compass is incredibly strong, and he would have a very hard time turning against it. But he might be able to do it if it meant saving Fallon from harm.

Rook could be convinced, but it would have to be for a good reason, like saving a friend or preventing some great calamity.

Morana barely has a moral compass, so it would be pretty easy for her to be convinced to do something most people would consider immoral.

Asola would also have a very hard time turning against her moral compass. Perhaps if it meant saving the lives of many people, or of a friend, she could do it. But the decision would haunt her.

Fallon would do what is necessary to protect her kingdom and her loved ones. If that means going against her moral compass, she would do it, but would feel absolutely awful about it. There are still some lines she might never cross, though. And if she had the choice between saving her kingdom and saving someone she loved, it might just destroy her.

9. Do you have a specific lyric or quote which you associate with your OC?

For Captain Blackthorne, I don't have one yet.

For Rook, I think the (very over-quoted) phrase "Of course it's dangerous, that's why it's fun." feels fitting.

I don't have one for Morana yet.

Asola doesn't have one either, but I like the phrase "If I can't find peace, give me bitter glory.", though I'm not sure if it fits her character yet.

I mentioned two that I associate with Fallon here, but I also have a soft spot for "Heavy lies the head that wears the crown." when it comes to royalty.

16. What is your OC's pain tolerance like?

Captain Blackthorne's pain tolerance is decent? He could keep going through pain if he needed to, but in general, unless it's absolutely necessary, he knows that giving your body time to rest is the better choice.

Rook's pain tolerance is pretty high. It's the result of 2 years of literal torture, I suppose. He can definitely ignore a lot of things that would at least give others pause. (Which is helpful when you're an adventurer who might die daily.)

Morana also has decent pain tolerance, but not for any specific reason. She just manages to shut out the pain and focus on something else.

Asola has pretty high pain tolerance, which just comes from about a decade of adventuring, and suffering all kinds of horrible injuries and pain. She'll grit her teeth and bear it, as long as she has to. (It's also fitting for her as a Scourge Aasimar, but she doesn't know that about herself.)

Fallon has a lower pain tolerance. She's never really been seriously injured, or experiences intense amounts of physical pain. But she does have a tendency to try and pretend everything is fine, even when it's decidedly not. She wouldn't be very good at it if she were in physical pain, but she'd probably try anyways.

17. What is the worst thing you have put your OC through story-wise?

This question feels hand-picked for me specifically. Goodness knows I love torturing my characters...

For Captain Blackthorne, it was definitely Rosalynn's death. She was his closest friend, and it was his job to protect her. Even though it was in no way his fault, he feels like it was his personal failure that resulted in her death.

For Rook, there's a few options. But I think the most obvious one is being sold to Captain Wolf and spending 2 years as her prisoner. Not only was he betrayed by his own crew, but he was taken away from the only person who had ever been truly a good influence in his life, and he had to endure physical torture. But I have more bad plans for him in the future, including seeing Captain Wolf again...

For Morana, likely her parents' death, even though she hardly remembers it at this point. She's had a relatively calm backstory compared to some of my OCs.

For Asola, it was also the murder of her parents, and her entire hometown, at the hands of (she suspects) werewolves. It was the first and only time her Aasimar powers have been unleashed, and they come out in times of intense negative emotion. Though, I'm hoping I can work with my DM to get to a point where I can give her a reason to unleash them again.... (I literally have a detailed plan of what will happen if it does.)

The worst thing Fallon has been through to date is her mother's death thanks to her father's betrayal. Already reeling from that, and the grief of losing her mother, she was then immediately thrust into a leadership position. Anvia was enraged about Rosalynn's death, and some people were calling for Fallon to resume the war against Oryn. (They don't know about the rebels.) As for other horrible things, well, I have a pretty awful one planned for during RTQ, but we'll have to wait and see...

[bluandtherestlesshands]

Heartstrings

Chapter Fifteen: Restricted

For Mature Audiences

CW: Discussion of miscarriage, Aizen being toxic

Another meeting, this one was simply to touch base with the Espada. Chisei was once again absent, though there was no mention of why. There were glances exchanged among the subordinates, though Coyote simply kept his gaze focused towards Aizen. He hadn’t heard anything in days, unusual for someone like her. Nnoitra kept looking back to Szayel Apporo, silently confirming with one another that the deed had been done. Grimmjow was the most obvious with his occasional glare in the direction of where she normally stood.

”Before we conclude, I must address something.” Aizen said, setting his mug of tea down. “As you all have noticed, Chisei has not been present since our last meeting here. The other night, she suffered a miscarriage and lost our child.” He watched as the Espada gave their own reactions to the surprise. “We do not know exactly why this happened, but it has been discovered that foul play occurred. Because of this, unless it is approved by myself I am forbidding all Arrancar from interacting with her.”

”What’s that supposed to mean?” Nnoitra asked, leaning on the table.

”What it means is that, until I can rule out the idea that someone here would make an attempt on the Queen’s life. There will not be a chance for it to happen again.” He said coldly. “I do not plan to sit idle while my child is taken from us, and almost losing my wife.”

As the room quickly fell silent, Sosuke continued speaking, his tone didn’t say it, but it was that cool calm way about him that was far more intimidating than him showing anger. “If someone comes forward, their punishment will be less severe than if I were to find out on my own. That being said, if someone is found to have done this… The Queen will have her own way of dealing with it before I do.”

Off in another corridor, one of the many training areas littered throughout the palace, the gentle hum of energy could be heard. Chisei kept her form rigid, drawing her bow, firing at the same spot in the wall where someone else’s weapon chipped away at the stone. She stared forward, focused intently on that one spot, changing her position in the room and ensuring she could hit the same spot over and over again. To think when she first learned of the Quincies, she was terrible with a bow and arrow… Now here she was, a hundred yards away and nailing the same target. Sometimes a shot would vary in a half inch or so in either direction, but for what she was preparing for that margin of error would mean little.

I have to find a way out. I need to get back. If Orihime is here, then Ichigo will be here to save her before I know it. By then, Sosuke’s plan will have to be moved up whether that was his plan or not. There’s no way he’s got the Soul Society behind him, so that means something else has to be happening… Karakura Town’s going to turn into a war zone… Chisei’s hands trembled, her vision blurred with tears. Dammit. Don’t do this now. They’ll be safe during this… They have to be. I need to trust that something’s been down to ensure their safety…

“Oh? This is a surprise.” Aizen’s voice pulled her from her thoughts, but she didn’t move to look back to greet him. “You made it out of our room today… that’s good.”

”I’m busy.” Chisei said, though there was a shake in her voice. She began walking to the side in order to get another angle at her target spot.

”I see. So you’ve thrown yourself into training in order to not think about-“

”Sosuke. Don’t.” She snapped, stopping in her place to fire another arrow. Another bull’s eye. “Is there something you need from me?”

”Am I not allowed to show concern for my wife after the events of the other day?” Aizen asked, his composure still cool and she finally turned to look at him. “My, that’s quite the look in your eye. Although very easily read.”

Chisei sighed, releasing her spirit weapon for the time being. “It’s hard for you to show concern when you tried to say I did something to cause it. ‘Exploring every avenue’ how dare you? You didn’t shed a tear, I have half a mind to tell you you planned this.” She said with a vague venom in her words, and yet she didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t scream. She didn’t cry. All she did was stare him down with those green eyes full of hate and hurt, and the grief he couldn’t fully understand.

Aizen sighed and stepped closer to her, tilting her head up to look at him. “That’s enough of that. I only asked in the heat of the moment so that it could be resolved quickly.” He began to lean down towards her. “If it’s any consolation, Chisei, we can always try again.”

That last part hit something deep within her, and the woman jerked her head to the side. He had been coming down to kiss her, but instead came short of her cheek by an inch.

”You didn’t push me away?”

”I never do… If you don’t back away though, I’m going to do something I’ll regret.” She glared at him. “Leave me alone, Sosuke.”

There was a small hum of acknowledgement, before pressing a gentle but long kiss to her cheek. “You have gotten stronger since coming here… I’m impressed, my Queen. I hope by tonight we can talk about this.

Chisei stayed silent, her head still craned skyward, waiting as he slowly took his hand away from her chin. Once she was let go, the woman corrected her neck. She summoned her bow once more, and using hirenkyaku returned to her practice. Aizen smiled as he watched her for a moment longer before walking away.

I’ve got to get out.

I’ve got to get out.

I have got to get out of this mess.