#char: arc

[suntails]

echo

[bandtrees]

such an awful memory, will i ever sleep again?

[v1nsmoke]

wake up guys we have offical scenes of shanks tryna recruit people to his crew

from onepieceoffical on youtube

@stargirldelight

[hestzhyen]

Sunken Ships and SoRiku

Hi internet void. I went feral and maybe you'll read the result.

KH has made a lot of choices around SoRiku from a narrative perspective that, in isolation, wouldn't amount to much. A heart-to-heart here, a questionable line there, and so on. The usual things that one would do to court a queer shipping audience in an otherwise het or unromantic work. And SoRiku circles have painstakingly documented every instance to show something that looks more like a consistent and intentional effort rather than a few dollops here and there to keep shippers engaged. There's... a lot. But one stupid, insignificant thing really shook me up and made me a believer in SoRiku Endgame, Actually.

Silly as it is, it's Nomura's reaction to people shipping RikuNami that gets me the most.

Generally speaking a writer doesn't want to interact with fandom shipping unless it's to urgently course correct. As in it would be catastrophic to the narrative if the fandom had the wrong idea. Otherwise it's best to just take note of how people are interpreting things and adjust the next installment accordingly, or live and let live. Keep distant and don't risk accusations of retconning/bad writing/queerbaiting in bad faith. So the normal reaction from Nomura seeing people get excited over RikuNami would have been to just do nothing. But instead, the scene was patched to downplay the smile, and Nomura went on the record to clarify that it's not a setup for a romantic relationship between Riku and Namine.

That's insane.

Why is it so important that Riku remain romantically uninterested in a girl he'd have a natural connection to, huh? What about accidentally implying RikuNami was so detrimental to the story that it was changed and explicitly addressed like that? Even if it wasn't meant to be, surely letting it play out like AkuRoku did would be enough. Just gently clarify and move on with the story (which pretty much sunk the ship on it's own anyway). You don't wade into fandom shipping and launch nuclear warheads like Nomura did against RikuNami unless you want to leave no room for doubt.

Torpedoing RikuNami also doesn't help them keep up appearances in terms of straightness at this point. Leaving it intact would only help the case of Riku and Sora being bffs with the strongest bond 5ever- a huge boon for the writing team if they wanted to avoid things looking too gay. Nomura et. al. are absolutely aware of the impressions and jokes about how gay KH is. And KH definitely would not be the first series to play in to queer ship teasing for the lols until it's time to pair everyone up at the end.

But they did the one thing you're not supposed to do if you're just aiming to queerbait: undermining the plausible straight ship. You don't eliminate the only straight option for your character like that for the sake of "he so gay" jokes! Having a straight option available vital to make the bait; they don't have to be compelling or important to the story, they just have to exist. Yet at this point, Riku's only option is Sora. They went out of their way to ensure we wouldn't think anything else makes sense for him.

Holy. Shit.

[koobiie]

my one piece oc <3 <3 <3 her name is camille and she works at galley la

[feragon-dingbat]

Loved the ending of fhjy but I definitely feel like there were some loose ends and plot points that I do want closure for. Does Fig still owe her last record label money for not putting out her sophomore album in time? Is Gorgugs house/soil still infected? What was the relevance to his tree being a warden? The timeline inconsistencies between the 7 and this season with Zelda? I’m sure there’s more O: I need like a 4 hour long adventuring party immediately.

[chaosnojutsu]

Who *Should* Have Died From The Konoha ~12 Instead Of The One Who Did

rules:

we’re assuming they die under the same circumstances as the other guy

each one listed would have a complete storyline and their death would further the immediate plot as well as the overall narrative

i’m not “just picking characters i don’t like”

i do not condone killing characters for the sake of shock value but am considering shock as a legitimate tool in generating impact of a character’s death

miss me with “[redacted]’s death was a tragic result of the shinobi system” because no it was not. if that were true you could sub out [redacted] for any other child soldier and get the exact same impact. we know exactly why they were chosen and it’s got an (insufficient) explanation irl and in-universe.

#3. Sai

Motivation: Friendship

First of all, imagine the shock value from killing one of THE Team Kakashi members.

Cool. Now imagine Naruto’s shock at Sai sacrificing himself for him.

Sai overanalyzes normal human interaction to the point of not understanding it. He reads books about how to befriend people. He still doesn’t understand it all the time but friendship is coming more naturally to him these days. What he does understand is that Naruto is the only chance of winning this war, and he’s down, and the enemy is aiming for him, and Hinata is trying to stop them but she’s on the ground, the spears are in the air and so is Sai, and Naruto is his friend.

He doesn’t need to think about it much deeper than that.

Now imagine Sasuke “What Does ‘Friend’ Mean To You” Uchiha witnessing this, witnessing Naruto’s reaction, and the further effects this may have on his character. After all, Sai was his replacement. If Naruto feels this strongly about losing someone who was decidedly not him but his friend and teammate nevertheless then… maybe.

#2. Rock Lee

Motivation: Youth

Regardless of *how* this one plays out, no one wants to watch the determined, precious, comedic relief die; no one who’s watched this far into the show wants Rock Lee specifically to die. Huge impact already. But we can make it super duper sad because he deserves a memorable death. I see it going one of two ways.

One: Hinata doesn’t even have the time to try to shield Naruto because Rock Lee is faster. Ten-Tails barely launches the attack and Lee’s already taken/attempted to counter the hit. Perhaps this is his eight gates moment. Similar to Sai, Rock Lee would cite the power of friendship in his dramatic death speech, but he also was just… doing his duty. Truly, if you’re in the “Neji was just another tragic child soldier” camp, Rock Lee is the prime example of what I mean when I say you could sub in any child soldier, which I know sounds paradoxical but stay with me. Rock Lee’s entire personality is training harder than anyone else to benefit a system that will ultimately result in his death. If you want to make a point about child soldiers and needless lives lost, Rock Lee is the one to kill.

Two: Rock Lee doesn’t shield Hinata. He shields Neji. But not necessarily on purpose. The scene plays out exactly as written up to the moment Neji activates his byakugan, and the next frame isn’t him falling to the ground, it’s Rock Lee. The usually-somewhat-reserved Neji is devastated, probably in tears, demanding to know why he would do something like this. Rock Lee coughs up a bit of blood. “I was faster than you.” Smile. “I finally beat you…” Serene eyes fall shut. “…rival.”

And now imagine Naruto’s reaction to losing Bushy Brow. Imagine him watching Gai be brought to his knees by a blow that didn’t physically touch him. Imagine Madara incorrectly perceiving that. The implications. The foreshadowing.

#1. Shino

Motivation: Legacy

I’m gonna be real, the writers were never gonna kill off Rock Lee like that, which is the biggest reason Shino has taken the crown as Most Worthy Of A Tragic Death in my book.

This dude has a connection to both Naruto and Hinata (making him equally as good a sacrifice as Neji if that’s the canon criteria). However, unlike most other (male) characters, Shino isn’t shown to have a particularly close friendship with Naruto. The one recurring joke around Shino is that he’s so irrelevant even Naruto can’t remember his name.

But he is good friends with Hinata. And he knows she’ll spend the rest of her life miserable if Naruto dies, and that if she dies right now she will never have gotten her life’s greatest wish.

So Shino goes out in a blaze of glory, and we’ll probably insert something about how Naruto has somehow secretly inspired him all along— or maybe something cynical about how he always wanted to be included by Naruto but never was unless Kiba or Hinata were around, so he’s sacrificed himself to maintain the livelihood of everyone else while not “losing” that friendship himself— and we of course get the touching moment with Hinata (oh just imagine the drama if Shino lay dying and told Hinata “Why did I protect you? It’s simple. The reason is… for the same reason you protected him.” and we find out that the huge secret crush of the show was not Hinata toward anyone, but Shino toward Hinata, never confessing because he knew it would be futile).

Good luck forgetting his name now, Naruto. Now no one will ever forget about Shino Aburame.

[tacticalgrandma]

I just think it’s so fascinating how the manifestation of Darkness the Witness gave us, that it viewed as this ultimate enticement, as “salvation,” was Stasis. Beyond Light associates it with control and obsession. And then in Lightfall we find Strand and it’s about letting go, accepting, moving. Osiris and Nimbus talk about how we were drained using Strand when we tried to grasp it tightly, how it only truly came to us when we let ourselves flow with the river. And the Witness did not know about Strand! It literally destroyed its defenses!

Just man. The Witness valuing control above all else, chasing and obsessing over the Traveler to finally control it. After an expansion where Nimbus and Osiris learn to grieve by not fighting the current, not trying to force themselves to be healed when they’re not. Where Caiatl watches her father’s obsession finally consume him and makes her peace.

Anyway just thinking about Savathun saying the Witness “gives [Darkness] a wicked shape” and appreciating how she read this eldritch horror for filth a whole year ago

[o-i-w-u]

GOD FUCKING DAMMIT RUIN NO FUCKKKEHGRNSOSHHSHD BDJNEMSDHRN WHY AHHHHHHHHH

KRILLMYSELF MY BRITISH BLORBO MY GUY MY LIL BABI MY SILLY FUCKING HELL NOOOO

bangs my head against a wall the innocent babi is not so innocent and i'll cry about it

(i've been in denial idc how obvious it was LMFAO)

[redux-iterum]

Charred Legacy: Chapter Ten

(AO3 counterpart here.)

Fireheart was left to ponder that vision for the rest of the night. Even more confusing, he didn’t see Yellowfang or Cinderpaw go to Bluestar with this news. He caught sight of Yellowfang speaking to Speckletail, at least, but he had to be content with that by the time he went to sleep. Maybe Bluestar would be talked with tomorrow.

But Yellowfang didn’t talk to Bluestar. In fact, no one did. She didn’t leave her den. Fireheart and Whitecloud were the only ones to see her for a couple days; any time they checked in, she was curled up and asleep, often with half-eaten remains of the prey they left for her lying near the entrance of her den.

“Do you think she’s sick?” Fireheart asked Whitecloud one night.

Whitecloud’s answer was delayed and quiet. “I can only hope that’s the case.”

Speckletail, at least, was pulling her weight admirably. She only had to be told once that Bluestar was feeling unwell for her to double her efforts, recruiting Whitecloud to help her schedule patrols and decide on where the night’s hunters would be sent to level the prey supply. Fireheart did his best to show his appreciation with thanks and not bothering her with questions about Bluestar.

Not to say that Bluestar didn’t come up. A couple nights after Fireheart’s question, he went for breakfast to find Speckletail tiredly pawing around the pile, her ears poorly resisting folding back and her tail twitching. Her cream-and-brown coat had lost a bit of its usual shine, dull with exhaustion.

“Good evening!” Fireheart said brightly, coming up to the side of the pile across from her. He tilted his head, concerned. “You look like you didn’t sleep. Are you alright?”

“Evening.” Speckletail gave him a weary blink. “I slept, don’t worry. It’s just been a busy few nights.” She barely managed a huff of what failed to sound like amusement. “Seems like I’ve got to do everything myself lately. I haven’t gotten Bluestar to come inside and do her job.”

“Oh…” Fireheart nodded, valiantly hiding the immediate spike of worry in his chest. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Do you want me to talk to her for you?”

Another attempt at a chuff, slightly more energetic than the last, and she shook her head. “You don’t need to worry about that, Fireheart. You’ve been taking care of Bluestar like she was Yellowfang. Don’t think I didn’t notice—bringing her prey and making sure she’s alright.” Speckletail gave him a warm look. “I appreciate you trying to help, but it’s not your concern.”

Fireheart almost squinted at her in bafflement. “She’s the leader of ThunderClan and my mentor, and suffering with something she won’t talk about. I would darn well think it’s my concern.”

The deputy’s whiskers twitched. “Right. I forgot I was talking to you.” She sighed, her eyes turning in the direction of Bluestar’s den. “Well, I won’t order you to, but if you think you can get a word out of her, or even get her out of her nest, you have no complaints from me.” She looked back at him. “But perhaps eat first.”

Fireheart obeyed with a head-bob and quickly took a mouse while Speckletail continued to look through the pile. He ate with no ceremony or thought, shook out his fur and trotted out of camp with a tail-flick to Speckletail, who had finally found a squirrel she wanted.

Fireheart took a breath as he approached Bluestar’s den. It was deathly silent out here, a particular void of sound seeming to coalesce specifically behind the lichen curtain. A moment of hesitation, and then Fireheart quietly pushed past the lichen and stepped into Bluestar’s den.

As before, he only saw his mentor’s back, the fur of which was more ruffled and stiffer than usual. She was tightly curled up, breathing so slowly and softly that Fireheart had to watch her side rise and fall to be sure she was still alive. The prey she’d tossed aside, at least, was mostly eaten, but it had gone stale and was starting to stink a little. A few little prey-bones were scattered around where Fireheart or Whitecloud had missed them in scooting the remaining meat outside.

Carefully, Fireheart cleared his throat and spoke quietly. “Bluestar?”

Her head did not jolt up as it usually did; instead, she lifted it with groggy surprise, looking around blearily and slowly twisting from lying on her side to on her stomach. In a voice creaky with disuse, she said, “Who’s there?”

“It’s me,” Fireheart said, stepping sideways to get into her view. “I didn’t meant to interrupt your sleep, but I wanted to check on you.”

Bluestar did not meet his eye, or even really look at him beyond a glance as she turned her head this way and that. Fireheart could swear he heard her whisper, “Where…?” before she shook her head like she was clearing away flies and finally looked at her apprentice, though their eyes still didn’t connect.

“Er…” Fireheart cleared his throat again and took a step closer. “Well, I was thinking—you’ve been in here for a few nights now, and the Clan’s a little worried, so I thought maybe you could come in and order a patrol. And, um, get some food, too.” He nudged the mostly-eaten prey with his paw. “This is a little old to finish now.”

“Oh—” Bluestar blinked like she’d been hit in the head and slowly got to her feet. “Yes. Right. Patrols.”

Before Fireheart could say anything else, she walked past him, her tail sticking straight out. Fireheart caught sight of a few bits of dry moss clinging to it.

He hurried out after her, trying to match her pace to stand at her side, having some foggy notion that she was about to fall over and he needed to catch her. She didn’t, obviously, but he was still reluctant to let her walk in front of him as they went through the entrance to camp.

Her arrival was welcomed with many heads turning her way and sparks of conversation and greeting. Fireheart caught up to her, some small part of him relieved at the warm reception for reasons he couldn’t name, and turned to speak to her.

Then he stopped. Watched her eyes roam over camp, mouth ever-so-slightly opening and closing, posture stiff. She was staring at everyone like they were strangers.

Why does she look so confused?

Before he could follow that line of thought, Bluestar vigorously shook her head again and her eyes cleared. She straightened up and, with steps that had a bit of forced regality, made her way over to Speckletail, who had stood up from her meal to greet her leader.

Bluestar got to the point. “Have you sent out a patrol for Sunningrocks’ border?”

“Not tonight,” Speckletail said. “I was busy with the hunting patrols. Should I—”

“No, no.” Bluestar waved her moss-spotted tail. “I can do it. You’ve been working much more than you should have to.” She looked around again, inspecting her Clan distantly, then looked to her apprentice. “Fireheart, will you take…” Again, a scan of the clearing. “Lizardtail and Willowpelt, and their apprentices, to Sunningrocks?”

“Sure!” Fireheart nodded, eager to help. “Should we have someone else come with us, since we have apprentices?”

“It… should be fine.” Bluestar’s eyes fogged for an instant before she blinked the fog away. “Swiftpaw is nearly a warrior. He can count as an adult for this patrol.”

Swiftpaw, sitting by his mentor, brightened up, looking at Lizardtail excitedly. Lizardtail purred and flicked him with his tail.

Willowpelt nudged Brackenpaw and stood up, the golden-brown apprentice jumping up after her. The pair of pairs trotted up to Fireheart, who turned and nodded to Bluestar.

“Get something to eat, too,” he said to her in a low voice. “And please eat all of it.”

At this, Bluestar’s gaze swung over to the prey-pile, and without responding she walked past him and to the scattered animals. Barely holding in a sigh of relief, Fireheart gestured with his tail and led the warriors and apprentices back out of camp.

All in all, it was a rather peaceful walk. Swiftpaw and Brackenpaw hung at the back of the patrol, Swiftpaw telling a story about his first encounter with a deer and Brackenpaw hanging on every word, staring with big-eyed awe at the older apprentice. Fireheart half-listened in, but mostly enjoyed the breeze wafting towards the patrol and winding around them. With the lack of foliage to block it, scents from much further off in the territory greeted him. He was so caught up in trying to identify which particular plant he was smelling, however, that he didn’t notice Willowpelt picking up her pace to catch up to him until she whispered in his ear.

“Is Bluestar okay?” she asked.

Fireheart flinched in surprise and looked at her. “Huh?”

“Bluestar.” Willowpelt glanced back at Lizardtail, who was walking a little faster after them with his ears perked. “She was… well, she felt off. You’re the one who’s seen her the most, so you’d know what’s up, right?”

“Oh,” Fireheart said, scrambling for a satisfying answer. “I have a feeling she’s ill with something. She’s just been sleeping these past few nights. She ought to get better soon.”

Willowpelt nodded, though she didn’t look entirely convinced. Lizardtail, now very close behind, shared an expression of scrutiny with her.

“Just give her time,” Fireheart whispered to them both. “She’ll be okay.”

The faces were much more doubtful, though Fireheart didn’t miss that glint of hope in their eyes. They said nothing more, just walked along their way, the unaware apprentices still talking.

Sunningrocks came up quickly, announced far in advance by the rush of water. Fireheart let himself feel that stab of grief as the thought of Silverstream came back to his mind, and it dutifully drifted away once he found something else to think on. His nose twitched at the faintest smell of fish that grew stronger as they closed in on the stretch of flatland. RiverClanners were near, it seemed.

Good thing Greystripe isn’t with us, he thought. They’d all try to kill him.

Why just him? a mean little bite of an idea snipped. They’re the ones that let Silverstream die. All Greystripe did was love her. He didn’t scare her enough to make her starve herself.

Fireheart unconsciously clenched his teeth on that snip. Don’t. It’s done.

Even with that firm rebuke, he could feel the thought tapping around in the back of his mind, muttering anger. He tried to breathe it out, didn’t succeed, and chose to file it away to consider later.

“You smell that?” he asked brightly of the other warriors. “There must be some RiverClan cats by the water.”

Lizardtail sniffed. “Then we’ll have to remind them where the border is.”

“RiverClan?” Brackenpaw’s voice popped out of the quiet of the forest. “Do I get to see them now?”

“You should, yeah,” Swiftpaw said. “You’ll think they’re funny. Big heads and short tails.”

Brackenpaw’s eyes sparkled. “I bet I’m taller than all of them already.”

Swiftpaw chortled. “You’re at least a better fighter than them.”

“Really?” Brackenpaw tilted his head. “I thought when you guys fought them, you lost.”

“That was a fluke,” Lizardtail said quickly. “They had the element of surprise and more cats.”

“We really ought to go for Sunningrocks again,” Willowpelt muttered, seemingly to herself. “That land will be useful in winter.”

Fireheart sighed, grateful that his head was now turned forward so they couldn’t see him roll his eyes. He’d been happy about the lack of comments about the stupidest quarrel in the territories for the past couple of months, but now that prey was guaranteed to run thin, he expected it would come up again. Fabulous. Exactly what he wanted on this peaceful walk.

“Don’t you sigh like that,” Willowpelt said, more warm than annoyed. “We’re going to need all the prey we can get.”

“There’s no prey on that land, Willowpelt!” Fireheart looked back at her. “It’s a bunch of dumb rocks no one sits on, who cares who owns it?”

To his relief, Willowpelt just crinkled her eyes and shook her head. Even Lizardtail seemed amused by Fireheart’s frown, rolling his own eyes more jokingly than seriously. Fireheart himself just turned forward again, curling his tail good-humoredly.

That cheery mood lasted about as long as it took for a new scent to hit Fireheart’s nose—one that he was very familiar with by this point, but stronger and more disgusting than usual.

“Anyone smell blood?” he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Lizardtail picked up his pace to catch up and walk by Fireheart, his nose in the air. His eyes narrowed. “I do. That’s not prey blood, that’s…”

“Cat blood,” Willowpelt finished. Her tail bristled. “Someone’s hurt.”

The apprentices fell quiet, sniffing too. In unison, the patrol broke into a run. Fireheart lost his lead to Swiftpaw and Lizardtail, choosing to hang back a bit to block Brackenpaw’s view from whatever it could be. The scent of blood, and now raw meat, strengthened enough to make the mouse in his stomach curdle.

They all skidded to a halt as they reached Sunninrocks’ border. Fireheart poked his head out of the treeline and stared at the sight before him in horror.

A crowd of RiverClan cats were clustered in a pair of groups, the larger one surrounding a large streak of bloody grass and the smaller by the water, where blood joined with the river and melted into it as it was carried downstream. The cats were blocking most of the view, but tails, legs and a familiar warm brown head could be seen, the head with its jaw nearly disconnected and the eyes faded and empty.

“Is that Oakclaw?” Fireheart said, his voice almost cracking.

At his voice, the broad heads shot up and turned the patrol’s way. Fireheart recognized the pale grey calico Pansyheart, and she in turn seemed to realize who he was and relaxed, though her face lacked any of its usual merriment.

“It’s Fireheart and a patrol,” she said dully to her Clanmates. “I’ll talk to them.”

A few cats nodded and looked back down at their deputy and the smaller cat by the water. Pansyheart walked slowly and lethargically up to the treeline, not even seeming to have the energy to twitch her tail at the intrusion.

“You all wouldn’t happen to have found evidence of any dogs in your forest, would you?” she asked when she was standing across from them.

Willowpelt had the good sense to be professional. “We’ve scented them on our border near the neutral grounds, but we haven’t spotted them ourselves, no.” She tilted her head. “What happened here?”

“Take a sniff,” Pansyheart sighed. “Once you get past the dead cats.”

Obligingly, the patrol all lifted their noses, Fireheart opening his mouth to taste the air. The stink of dog was there, just under the meat and blood.

“That’s awful,” Fireheart said softly. “I’m sorry. Who’s been killed?”

“Our deputy and his apprentice, Burdockpaw.” Pansyheart hung her head. “They were out here to mark the border. We thought… we thought, with our land being flat, we could see the dogs coming from far off. I suppose that wasn’t the case.”

“Or it didn’t matter,” Lizardtail said, and to Fireheart’s surprise (and relief) his tone was solemn and empathetic. “Dogs are faster than we think, usually.”

Willowpelt nodded and asked, “Did you see them at all? Where they could have gone?”

Pansyheart gestured limply with her tail behind her. “Across the river. We can smell them on our side.”

Hesitantly, Swiftpaw came forward. “Is everyone else alive?”

“For now, thank the stars,” Pansyheart said with no enthusiasm. “I assume you all came to mark the border. Feel free to. We’ve got this handled.” Her eyes lowered to the ground. “I suggest you all be careful, in case they swim back this way.”

Before anyone could respond to her, she turned around and dragged her feet back over to her Clanmates. They didn’t greet her as she rejoined them, instead just looking back to the bodies in silence.

Fireheart looked at the rest of the patrol and whispered, “We can put off marking, can’t we? They don’t need that right now. It’d be in poor taste.”

Willowpelt looked at Lizardtail, the two communicating silently. Lizardtail tilted his head in thought, then sighed, saying, “Fine. But if they come over here, I’m tattling on you.”

“They’re not going to,” Fireheart said firmly. “Don’t assume that of them when they’re like this. Let’s get prey and go home.”

Swiftpaw and Brackenpaw were giving him highly surprised looks as he turned away from the clearing and walked deeper into the forest, the older warriors following him and the apprentices quickly coming along.

The entire patrol was silent, but Fireheart was more quiet out of a horrible, nauseating ice in his stomach. He’d have to report this, and of course he would. That was just facts.

But how do you tell your ailing leader in a kind way that her former mate is dead?

[quattroqunt]

[shummthechumm]

bumble wc is just a piece of writing from this series that TRULY astounds me. like the characters do not acknoledge that shes a living person whatsoever once she becomes a "nuisance" (she is fat and a house pet). and on top of that, to have turtle tail turn her back on her as well??>?? because gray wing has it bad for her and so we have to exterminate the "obstacle" in the way of their straight romance???

like i expect gray wing and clear sky to be dicks but..why would TURTLE TAIL rationally allow her friend (who lived through the same abuse as she) be shunned away from the moor group??

its some of the most mean spirited shit in this entire series and it only exists as a plotline...for what reason??? cause "kittypets are bad you dont want to be a kittypet"?? its not like you remind us every fucking arc erin hunter. because we're supposed to like gray wing and they really wanted him to serve as an adoptive parent to turtle's litter?? like..what???

i dont even have a real point to this post i just want to express my confusion cause what even was the goal. it does nothing but make the entire cast abuse-enabling discriminatory assholes who are willing to send outsiders to easily preventable deaths. and we're supposed to agree with these jackasses??? ERIN HUNTER WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY TO YOUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AUDIENCE???

[ask-meowscarada]

Blackjack: "...Hey, Char. D-do you have a minute?"

One explanation later...

Blackjack: “I don’t—I don’t—I don’t know what a crush is supposed to feel like. I’ve never had a crush on anyone before.”

Charade: “Never ever?”

Blackjack: “Never ever. I-I’ve never even been in any kind of relationship. Obviously you have, though. What… What’s it like?”

Charade: “Hmm… For me, when I like somebody, the next step is finding out if we’re… este, how’s it called… Compatible! Compatible. I’d like to have a long-term girlfriend eventually, so for me, dating someone is about making sure we agree on important things, and communicating well.”

Blackjack: “Tricky’s parents should’ve done that.”

Charade: “It’s okay to want something casual too, though! Let me ask you this: can you picture you and Tricky being together for a really long time? How would you feel if he started dating someone else?”

Blackjack: “That—that’s the thing. We’ve been through everything together. I really can’t imagine a future without him. But… You know? I don’t feel jealous or anything, thinking about him dating someone else. If anything, I’d be happy for him, if it worked out!”

Blackjack: “I’ve tried asking myself. Could I see us getting married? Raising a kid together? Sharing a bed? But there are a lot of couples who don’t do any of those things, so, that’s not a reliable way of knowing…”

Blackjack: “…Hey, Char. Is it alright if I ask you something personal?"

Charade: “Do it.”

Blackjack: “When you and Riddle were dating… What made you realize you weren’t "into" him?”

Charade: “Hm. So what happened was—when I was in training, my superiors would tell me, that I was going to find a man and that we should have kids. Gross, right?”

Charade: “When I met Riddle, we became friends very quickly. And I think... We thought we were supposed to be dating, because we thought that’s what boys and girls do when they like each other.”

Charade: “And! He was really fun to be with! He still is. I love his ideas, and hearing about how he sees the world. He did make me really happy.”

Charade: “But eventually, I started feeling… like there was something missing. Like I should have been feeling something that wasn’t there. We never even kissed, because I thought I would only want to after being together for a while... But it never happened.”

Charade: “Much later on, when I met my first girlfriend, I finally felt all those things that I didn’t with Riddle. I do love him; he’s my best friend. And our relationship is still important! Important relationships don’t always have to be romantic.”

Blackjack: “N-no, of course not. And I appreciate you telling me all that."

Charade: “Always! You’re my best friend, too, you know.”

Blackjack: “Going back a moment, here… What did you mean when you said you felt like something was missing?”

Charade: “I don’t know if I could explain it better. You should try asking someone who is asexual.”

Blackjack: “Asexual? …I-I’ve—somehow, I’ve never heard that term.”

Charade: “Well! Now you know where to start.”

[ask-sarah-and-co]

Wyvern touched down just outside of Rose Tower.

Sarah checked her phone as the four dismounted, 7:30. They were right on time, then.

She patted the aerodactyl. “Rest up, buddy. We’re headed elsewhere after the party!” He trilled back, as if to say that the flight didn’t wear him out at all, before she returned Wyvern to his pokeball. She checked the clock again, for good measure. 7:31.

“Why’re we so early?” Silver glanced over her shoulder and scowled at the time. (At least, she assumed it was the time. He could be scowling at her super cute wallpaper of Sparkle.)

His boyfriend rolled his eyes. “Common wedding courtesy is arriving 15 minutes before the set time.”

Silver exchanged a look with Hugh.

“The elevator to go up also takes a while.” Sarah’s eyes trailed up the tower, the very same one where many things happened 4 years ago. Or was it 3…? She could never remember.

“Well then,” Hugh lightly shoved the two guys in the direction of the entrance, “We’ve stalled enough out here. Let’s get going.”

— 💎— 🎸—

She fidgeted, tapping her foot as the elevator slowly moved upwards. Sarah could remember going up with Hop like it was yesterday. She glanced at the other three, still thinking to herself. Would Hop be there? Would Bede and Marnie?

Sarah thought again, probably not. Galar’s hero or not, Leon probably wouldn’t want Hop going. And Piers, Marnie. Would Bede even want to go?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. She glanced at Gladion, who gestured to the standing display that signified they were near the top of the tower.

“Brace yourselves.” Hugh looked at the other three somewhat seriously, but Sarah could see the excited twinkle in his eyes. “We don’t know what we’re in for.”

— 💎— 🎸—

The first sight was a green haired man standing in front of an elegant door. Was that door there 4 years ago? She still couldn’t remember.

“So. We meet again.” The man smiled at Sarah and her boyfriend. “Hugh,” He nodded and handed him a large, crisp envelope, “And… Sarah, right?”

She nodded, and he handed her an envelope too. Her full name was inked out in a rose gold script on the front. Just above Team Rocket’s R and Marco Cosmos’ emblems.

“N!” The girl studied the man who had (inadvertently) saved them from Ghetsis. “It’s been a while!”

“Indeed it has.” 

“Is your outfit based on-?”

“Reshiram?” He smiled, “It is.” N glanced at the other two. “Names?”

Silver only stared. “If you know them, then what’re you doing working here?!”

N only smiled. “Well, officially? Chairman Rose pays well. But if you truly must know,” His expression shifted to a more serious one, “I’m keeping an eye on Ghetsis.”

“He’s here?!” Hugh’s eyes widened.

N deliberately looked away. “You two. Names.”

“Gladion.”

“Silver.”

He handed them the envelopes. “Please read through everything. The seating chart is also in there.” He gestured beyond the doors, “The ceremony will take place straight ahead, soon. Sign the guest book along the way, if you have time.”

“But-”

N ignored Hugh’s protest, opening the doors and gesturing them inside. “Please enjoy the experience!”

— 💎— 🎸—

Sarah glanced around the “chapel,” which was just a large portion of the tower’s top floor walled off. The view of Wyndon at night was beautiful. At least the two villains had taste.

She glanced at the chairs set out, not too many. She then spotted a few people she recognized, “Leon!”

Sarah noticed that he was wearing his battle tower suit instead of his champion outfit while running over to him. She glanced back at the other three, who took their assigned seats, before tackling the champion.

“Sarah!” Leon hugged her, then ruffled her hair. “What’re you doing here?”

“I was invited! As one of Galar’s heroes, of course!” She looked around for Hop.

Leon chuckled, like he could tell what she was thinking. “Oh, I wouldn’t let Hop go. Him and the other two.” Leon shook his head, “I feel like they’re up to no good, Rose and Giovanni, but I know you’ll be alright. You’re a brilliant battler, at least!”

Sarah shrugged, “Figures.” She then looked at the other man standing with him.

“Ah, so this is the protégée you’ve been speaking of, Leon?”

Sarah excitedly grinned at the Kan-Joh champion. (She noted that he chose a simple suit with darker versions of the signature dragon-type colors.) “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lance! My name’s Sarah!”

He extended his hand for a shake, which she eagerly returned, “You too, kiddo. Shame you fought the league while I was on vacation.”

“Oh yeah! I did.” Was that really 3 years ago? Or 2? “Karen’s pretty strong, though!”

“She is.”

— 💎— 🎸—

Sarah wandered back to her assigned seat, watching as guests arrived. A man, who looked like Rose, arrived with two girls- one she thought might be about her age. A man who had wild orange hair (was that the Lysandre guy from Kalos?) arrived with… Professor Sycamore? What was he doing here??

When Ghetsis arrived, she kept glancing at Hugh. He sent her a reassuring smile, as if to say, “Don’t worry, I won’t make a scene. But I still hate him.”

Giovanni’s executives arrived together. She couldn’t remember any of their names except Proton’s, who sent her a friendly wave which she returned.

She stopped really paying attention when a portal shimmered open from the floor, which Cyrus stepped out of. He took a seat, but the ghost of a chain on his ankle still shimmered in the air.

A few other people arrived, but she didn’t fully recognize them. Maybe they were from other universes, haha.

To the left of the altar, she and the others sat with Leon, Lance, and some of the people she didn’t know.

Everyone took their seats at 8:15, as the executives moved to the front. Proton stood with the blue haired guy on the left, the purple haired guy and the red haired woman on the right. (From her appearance, and the way Silver kept glaring at her, Sarah guessed that she was his mother.)

When the lights dimmed, she snapped out of her thoughts.

— 💎— 🎸—

Giovanni walked down the aisle (pre-decorated with rose petals) in a black suit and a red tie, done in Rose’s signature style.

He was soon followed by Oleana, who stood behind him. Was she really qualified to be the priest?

When Rose walked down the aisle, his suit a brilliant white and his tie matching his fiancée’s, she barely spared a glance at him. Neither did her friends. They stared at the woman walking him down the aisle. Her dress was a pale yellow with splotches of color shimmering at the bottom, and her blonde hair styled back elegantly. She walked him up to the altar, and sat down next to Cyrus.

Lusamine smiled at her niece and her son, turning back to the altar when Oleana cleared her throat.

— 💎— 🎸—

“We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Galar’s own Chairman Rose Azalea, and Kanto’s Giovanni Rocket.” People clapped politely, which Oleana silenced with a dramatic hand flourish.

“Gio.” Rose smiled, “We’ve known each other for quite some time…”

The chairman kept talking, but Sarah zoned out. She wondered what moments of her life led up to this moment. She really should have just not come.

Giovanni started speaking, but she didn’t listen to that either. Hugh could probably just tell her what they- oh wait, no. He was too busy glaring at Ghetsis behind her back.

When Oleana started talking again, she tuned back in.

— 💎— 🎸—

“-Rose, do you take Giovanni for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

“I do.”

“Giovanni, do you take Rose for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

“I do.”

Oleana nodded. “The rings?” Everyone turned as Giovanni’s persian confidently walked down the aisle, a pillow with the rings in his mouth, before sitting at Lusamine’s feet. (Because of course he did.)

The two each took one and placed them on each other’s hands.

Oleana smiled as she stepped to the side, “Now you may kiss the groom.”

— 💎— 🎸—

“Cocktail hour sucks.” Silver scowled at no one in particular, “We can’t even drink.”

“These hors d’oeuvres are good, at least.” Sarah plopped down her plate, which had a bunch of deviled eggs, cheese cubes, and a few sausages.

Hugh shook his head, “The limit was two per-”

“Pffft.” She popped a cheese into her mouth, “It’s the least Rose can do.”

Gladion chuckled, “Sarah-”

“Shhh, wait. This is the best part of Galarian weddings.”

They turned to the center of the room, where the center of the floor sunk in and revealed a battle court.

Giovanni and Rose walked towards the center, where they sent out their nidoking and copperajah respectively.

“What are they-”

“Part of the Galarian tradition is that the couple has their first battle at the reception!”

They kept watching as the two pokemon exchanged blows, but copperajah eventually fell.

Rose healed his pokemon as someone passed Giovanni a microphone.

Silver smirked. “Heh. Looks like it’s the Kantonian part of the wedding, then.”

“Huh-”

“My dear guests,” Giovanni grinned at everyone seated, “Let the battles commence. Whoever beats me and my husband the swiftest shall receive a… reward we’ll say.”

Sarah glanced at Hugh. “You wanna-?”

“You didn’t even have to ask.” They grinned and exchanged a fist bump.

Gladion grinned at his boyfriend, “Guess that means-”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Silver’s smile didn’t match his tone.

— 💎— 🎸—

Sarah grinned while watching the two girls fight. One had a tyrantrum and the other a sylveon. She couldn’t help but feel bad- based on type matchups alone, they were screwed. The thought must’ve jinxed something, because the second she turned back to the court, both pokemon were being returned.

“Ooh, that means it’s our turn!”

Hugh grinned in return, “We mop the floor with ‘em?”

“You know it!”

— 💎— 🎸—

“Sparkle!” Sarah then did a weird… gesture? Dance? Giovanni and Rose exchanged a look, eyes widening when energy shimmered around her. “Extreme Evoboost!”

Her eevee channeled the Z-Power, and a blue aura shimmered around her.

“Bouffalant, Psych Up!” The bovine copied Sparkle’s double omni boost.

“But that shouldn’t be possible-”

Sarah grinned proudly. “Cobalion taught him! My Cobalion!”

Giovani chuckled to himself. “Of course they did. Nidoking, Megahorn. Target the eevee.”

“Copperajah, Iron Head! Follow nidoking.”

“Sparkle, use Freezy Frost on nidoking!”

“Bouffalant, hit copperajah with your strongest Close Combat!”

— 💎— 🎸—

The two plopped back down at the table.

“That must’ve been record timing!”

The duo turned to Silver, who showed the timer on his phone- 5 minutes. “And most of that was just me dancing!”

“Speaking of time,” Silver turned to Gladion with a scowl. “Hurry up.”

“I’ve gotta pick the right disk.”

“They don’t share any weaknesses.”

“Ooh, water might be good. Resists steel.”

“Hah!” Gladion plucked the blue disk from his case, “Knew I could count on you, cuz.”

— 💎— 🎸—

“Think they’ll beat them?”

“I think they’ll take out nidoking, but I don’t know what they’ll do against Coppera-”

“Silvally, use Flamethrower!”

“Weavile, Brick Break!”

“…I stand corrected.”

— 💎— 🎸—

“Congratulations, Sarah. And your boyfriend too.” Rose handed her a 300P gift card for Smoliv Garden.

“…Thanks Rose.” She pocketed it.

“That’s Chairman Rose to you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” She grinned, “Thanks Rose.”

She watched as Rose and Giovanni left the room. Likely for pictures. She checked her phone again, 10:25. Dinner was at 11. There was still a while to hang out…

— 💎— 🎸—

“Sarah.” A voice called out to her, and also patted her shoulder.

She looked up from her arms and very eloquently blinked at Hugh. “Huh.”

“Dinner.”

“It’s 11?”

“Yup. You fell asleep.”

She shook herself awake, still disoriented. “Did the others-”

“Yeah, they’re already in the dining hall.”

“Alrighty then, let’s go!”

— 💎— 🎸—

“…Serving Kantonian and Galarian food is a weird choice.”

“You’re telling me.”

Sarah and Hugh sat with the others, each picking up a menu. 

“Wow. They’re really going for legit stuff.”

Sarah’s eyes widened, “This is like, four separate caterers!”

“You gonna get ramen?” Gladion glanced at his cousin, who was going down the menu. 

“Probably.”

Gladion nodded, “Figures. I think I’ll do the same.”

“Might try the curry.” Hugh smiled at his girlfriend, “Won’t be as good as yours, though.”

She grinned proudly as Silver rolled his eyes.

“Think I’ll get seafood.”

Sarah skimmed the seafood menu. She then shook her head, she was never fond of fish and was allergic to shellfish. There was no point in even looking. About to flip back, the small logo in the corner caught her eye. She smiled slightly to herself as she realized that the caterer was the same resteraunt as the one he’d taken her and Sonia years ago.

They typed their orders into the screen on the table.

— 💎— 🎸—

When the lights dimmed and the couple strutted through the doors, sitting at the head table, Sarah knew they would start droning on again.

“My dear guests. I thank you all-”

She was close to putting her head down and falling asleep again, but decided to just zone out. She snapped back to reality when she saw Lance (who also seemed to be zoning out) peek up out of the corner of her eye.

“-and a thank you to our special guests: Champion Leon, Champion Lance, and Champion Sarah! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here and celebrate with us!”

The three looked at each other from their respective tables, before all three grinned awkwardly at the polite applause.

“And to that, I toast you my friends!” He raised his glass of champagne and everyone followed suit. (The minors only had water in their glasses, but still obliged.)

“Cheers!”

— 💎— 🎸—

Sarah wolfed down her food when it was served.

“I didn’t starve you, did I, dear?” The other three turned to Lusamine, while Sarah kept slurping.

“She’s just like this, Mother.” Gladion frowned, “Now tell us what you’re doing here.”

She only laughed, “Rose has been a dear friend of mine for forever. Not attending his own wedding would be quite rude, especially after he attended mine.”

Before anyone could reply, Sarah dug into her bag, pulling out the envelope and two luxury balls.

“Since you’re going to the gift table, could you put these there for me?”

“I’m regretting the pokemon-as-a-gift decision,” Silver frowned. “How do we know they won’t mistreat them?”

Sarah shook her head emphatically. “They seem alright. And they’re definitely not those two.” She jerked a thumb in the direction of Cyrus and Ghetsis.

Lusamine nodded in agreement, took the three objects, and walked away.

Hugh shook his head, “What was even in that envelope anyways-”

“A check for like, a billion P, probably.” Gladion frowned as Sarah nodded.

Silver only shook his head. “Rich people.”

— 💎— 🎸—

The night commenced with dancing. A lot of dancing.

Sarah wasn’t big on dancing, but even she was dragged on the floor for one slow dance.

The finale of the event happened as the walls lowered into the floor, making the space open once again. The windowed part of the roof opened up and a corviknight taxi flew in. The couple boarded it, calling out “Arrivederci!” and “Bon voyage!” as they showered rose petals and flew off.

Sarah glanced up at the sight, “Is it finally over??”

— 💎— 🎸—

They stalled for a bit, but soon everyone cleared out. Sarah and Hugh also changed, handing their clothes back over to the Aethers. 

The quartet stood outside Rose Tower, “…Guess this is goodbye.” Hugh sadly looked at his two friends, as Sarah moved to the side slightly. They needed their own moment.

“Blueberry’s not gonna be the same without you.” Gladion smiled sadly, as Silver nodded.

“Now we might actually have to hang out with Drayton for company.” Silver mimed throwing up, as the other two chuckled.

Gladion and Silver glanced at each other, before each exchanged an arm. Hugh hugged them both tight.

Sarah smiled slightly when Hugh and Gladion extended arms to her too. The four hugged for a while, knowing that breaking apart would mean they were closer to separating.

When they separated, they stood awkwardly.

“…I’m gonna miss you, Gladdy.” She hugged him tight, which he quickly returned. 

“I’ll miss you too. I’m… I’m glad we got to spend time together this summer.”

“Me too, cuz. Me too.” If she blinked back tears, that was between her and her eyes.

“You sure you don’t need Wyvern?”

“No. We’re going back with Mother via the flying taxi.”

“And you have everything?” 

He nodded.

“Okay.” She turned to Silver, “It was nice meeting you.” She smiled genuinely at him, “You’re good for Gladdy. Thanks for keeping him company.”

He blushed and turned away, but still muttered a thank you. He awkwardly patted her on the back, too.

“Well, you guys should get going.” Hugh frowned slightly.

“Yeah… Aunt Lusamine’s waiting for you.”

They glanced back at the corviknight taxi, like they both forgot she was there.

“Right.”

“Well,” They both started jogging backwards. “Arrivederci. Or whatever.” Silver grinned.

“Well keep in touch. Promise.” Gladion and Silver fully turned and ran to the taxi.

Gladion, Silver, and Lusamine waved from the taxi as it disappeared into the night.

— 💎— 🎸—

“Sarah. Wait.” Hugh placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her from running off.

She turned to him, confused.

“I, uh.” He took out his love ball and released applin, also taking out the tart apple she’d given him months ago. “I- We talked it over.” He gestured between himself and applin, “He’s ready.”

Sarah let out an excited gasp, cupping both his hands with her own. “Really?”

He nodded, and applin trilled in agreement.

“Consider it a… a salud to new adventures, yeah?” She nodded excitedly.

Applin touched the apple and they were surrounded in a blue glow.

Flapple filed around their heads, as they each gave him a pet. Hugh returned him to his pokeball, and pocketed it.

Sarah tackled her boyfriend in a hug, “Dawww, you getting all romantic on me, Hugh?”

He laughed, “Are you tearing up again?”

“No,” She wiped her face, “I got, uh, apple. In my eye. Yeah.”

He laughed again, cupping her face. “C’mere, you dork.”

She pulled him close, kissing him.

They pulled apart, noses touching.

“You ready for whatever’s next?”

His smile was soft, “Anything.”

Prologue fin.

— 💎— 🎸—

Cameos:

Sean from @tallgrassghosts Meg and Kyo from @askthewhiterocket and finally, @kuixotic’s Cooper! (he didn’t have a blog specified lol)

Thank you for letting me grab your chars! Hope I didn’t butcher the back of their heads too bad hehe.

[morocorra]

thinking of scrapped Blue Sargent plots… the og draft where she had empath powers… the way I definitely feel like the tapestry with the women with Blue’s face in BLLB was obviously meant to foreshadow Gwenllian, a woman with Blue’s powers being found showing she’s not alone in her type of power, but also feel like in context of td3 this might have been where Maggie first started thinking about playing with the doppelgänger trope… are the women Blue’s doppelgängers? are they Blue’s ancestors since Artemus is old enough that he knew Glendower? Gwenllian telling Blue that they’re witches? none of it going anywhere…

[chaosnojutsu]

What's a scene you Desperately Wished happened in Naruto?

um only a singular scene?? can’t pick, sorry, have a few <3

- naruto changing the hyuga clan

- where the hell was team gai during the pain arc

- shikatema wedding (i’m a nerd and wanna know about all the politics and intercultural stuff okay. i’m also trash for them but we knew that)

- neji tsukuyomi vision

- shino telling iruka he wants to become a sensei

- live ino reaction to sakura coming back to the village after galavanting with sasuke with a whole ass daughter (but only if sai is the one holding the camera, i need to hear his voiceover as this plays out)