#i don’t really like using the ii spoilers tag

[another-day]

time for another lovely EPISODE IN REVIEW!!! and boy, do we have a lot to discuss for this one

!!!SPOILERS FOR II EPISODE 16!!!

oh my gosh

that episode was insane, i’m still reeling from it, but let’s start from the beginning

i remember seeing a post somewhere where someone was saying 3gs would most likely have a very ‘army general’ type personality, and i think that still holds, just not to the degree i intially thought

he’s someone who focuses on motivation and praise to not only please but get people to follow through. this is not in the way of manipulation, just in order to get what needs to be done, done. expanding on his personality like this was so interesting, especially interspersing his moments of fear with his moments of joy because he hadn’t seen other people in years. it really goes to show how cobs can negatively affect other characters than mephone 4.

trophy has really grown as a character in the sense that he can now see the fundamental flaws in the persona of knife, though i do feel he’s still heavily guided in this by his own values. he has this firm belief that knife is similar if not the exact same as him; angry and violent. he breaks down all of the cracks in knife’s facade, but incorrectly so, which was interesting.

alongside this, knife is shown to still be perceived incorrectly to how wishes to be by many of the contestants. considering he’s trying to make such an effort to change and become a good person only for trophy to treat him like this is clearly dishesrtening to him. as much as he likes to build up his whole tough guy persona, in this episode and the last, we’ve seen that the words of others, especially those he considers allies, can really affect him. granted, trophy is no ally of his, but it still has an impact on him to be so shamelessly called out, even if a lot of it is assumption.

i love that they make everyone’s attempts to comfort suitcase feel so condescending in order to emphasise her confusion and disarray in terms of the situation. this feels like a circus, where suitcase is realising she’s a clown for being fooled. i love her reaction to realising nickel and balloon are friends because she has that underlying anger, yes, but more than anything else she’s confused and upset. soooo cool.

i nearly screamed but it was two in the morning when i was watching this so i did not.

but oh my gosh, the idea of “deleting” a character is horrifying. as taco put it, seeing “the life drain out of him” must’ve been horrifying for her. this, oj’s, and nickel’s deletion are only amped up by this prospect of having people around to see the life drain out of someone they were once friends with.

also why did it have to be pickle. literally what did he do.

also also, now we know what happened to toilet i guess.

forshadowing cobs being able to see wherever they go, alongside how everything of theirs in under control, even if not by cobs.

cobs is meant to parallel mephone 4 in this scene. his advertisment is very “brainwash”-y, and it emphasises what a hold he used to have on people and the control he once held through his creations. similarly so, through the reveal at the end, WHICH I’LL GET TO, we see that mephone similarly has control over all of the contestants, whether direct or otherwise. so very peculiar really.

depicting the death scenes like this was brilliant. a persuing entity, sounded by alarms that only the person who is to be killed can hear is a horrifying concept, and something so horrifying from an outsider perspective.

imagine this from paper’s perspective: you’re arguing with your best friend about the amount of tasks you’ve been given for so little credit, and you finally admit everything that’s been bothering you. instead of the reassurance you usually receive, your friend stands there in shock before asking “do you hear that?” you hear nothing. the fear on his face grows and he backs against the door, crying for something you can’t see to ‘stop’. you’re confused, but before you can question it, he’s dead, spilled. any semblance of life in him as disappeared, and everyone is terrified.

this was so masterfully executed all the times it happened; taco’s incoherency when she was found with pickle, the hotel’s reaction when oj spills, and baseball’s silence and shock as he re-enters after nickel’s death. it sets up a tone of horror, and shows just how unaware everyone truly is. soooooo very cool.

it was so cool seeing the purgatory crew again because i really missed these goofy guys. but it really gets you thinking about what role they’re going to play.

unlike bow, all of the “deleted” contestants have had their melife icons completely removed, so that begs the question; will they be turned into ghosts at purgatory mansion? bow states in the episode that it took her a while to appear in the mansion, so it gets you thinking if deletion counts as a perma-death, and those killed will be turned to ghosts.

knife’s very impersonal handling of this situation versus suitcase’s gentle assurance and questioning really brings out the difference between these two.

this scene is meant to make knife seem foolish for wanting to rush by all this, but that’s not what knife intends to look like, again bringing back this idea of misunderstanding his actions. knife doesn’t like focusing on what’s around him when he’s been given a clear objective, getting information to find cobs in this case. alongside this, he doesn’t have the same understanding of what 3gs has been through as suitcase, yet he tries, to a degree, to understand this individual. when knife isn’t given the information he needs, he looks for his own means of finding it, and moves ahead.

suitcase on the other hand is shown to want to take it slower. unlike knife, she’s more invested in the story than the lesson or outcome. this is something normally detrimental to someone in a finale, but due to their working together, knife doesn’t really get too far ahead of her. she wants to understand motivations for actions so that she can figure out how to respond, whereas knife just wants to, for lack of a better phrase, cut to the the chase. very interesting.

now, the titular reveal of the episode, “the reality of the situation”, if you will.

despite how of guard i was caught, this makes perfect sense.

though i don’t really like season three, cabby has a scene where she freaks out when questioned about her parents. i initially thought this had something to do with her memory issues, but this explanation makes much more sense. bot knew about theur parents because their parents actually exist, cabby’s did not.

no character ever talks about their past, nor their parents, nor their motivation to join the show. it all quite literally starts from the first episode, and picks up from there. that is why mephone can regenerate them. that is why when mephone dies they can’t be regenerated, because as their creator, he was the only one capable of REcreating them. its an incredible reveal, and a very well working one.

all in all, this episode was phenomenal. the chracter work and development and storyline were all so well done and i totally adore it. episode 15 was very character focused and took a step away from the plot. this episode on the other hand took the plot and bolted with it, scattering all slrts of bombshells on the way.

i love this episode because it shows unity and disharmony and everything really feels like its coming together and i’m so excited for the next episode.

till next time lovelies!!!

[anundyingfidelity]

I'M A RUIN — Soldier Boy/Ben (Part VII)

Series summary: After the events of the Seven Tower, you present Grace Mallory a new secret project you're working on already to develop a cure to Compound V. The only problem? You need Soldier Boy for that.

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x female reader.

Word count: 3.2k.

Warnings for series: set after S3 (spoilers), some OOC!Ben, some depressed!Ben, angst, hurt/comfort, eventual smut, slow-burn, language, PTSD, reader has Compound V (she's no Vought supe tho), Soldier Boy being an usual asshole, reader is a fucking liar.

Warnings on this chapter: sexual tension, suggestive stuff.

Notes: bonding chapter of this slow burn aaaa thanks again for reading :D

this fic tags: @k-slla @syrma-sensei @mostlymarvelgirl @cheynovak @drasticemotions @soldirboy @deans-spinster-witch

☕ if you like my writing, support me with a ko-fi !

get yourself in the taglist!

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII

GEN MASTERLIST! — SERIES MASTERLIST!

Part VII: No More Doubts

When you left the motel early after a quick and dull breakfast, Ben was a pain in the ass as he kept asking question after question on the road. You knew he could just leave you alone but it wasn’t really something you’d like him to do. He was a fugitive, so were you. Soldier Boy knew better than that and he only had to stay by your side as much as he hated the idea. The only thing you could truly answer was that you were driving to a safer place. At least you were hoping it was. When you pulled the car after driving hours between the grove, Soldier Boy was waking up from his nap. You thanked heaven for that.

“We’re here,” you announced, turning off the engine.

Ben stirred on his seat, taking in the view of the house and nature and got out of your car, following you to the front door. He couldn’t help but to look around in somewhat awe. It was a large cottage-style house decorated with earth tones, great walls and columns. The place was surrounded by countless trees, making the weather bearable and somewhat nice due to the hidden location. The leaves climbed on some of the windows and the plants and flowers rested on the ground perfectly neat. He assumed you came here often. But it wasn’t really the place you used to come by and sleep every single day. It was too far away from the facility. As you unlocked the door, Ben followed inside, not without taking a last glance at your surroundings. No homes were near, nothing was to be seen. Only you and him inside this big fucking house.

The indoors were no different from the impression he got first. The decoration, the expensive sofa where you threw the sports bag, and the paintings and pots all over the place were saying you were rich. Of course, a fucking rich whore you were, he thought to himself. And he wondered where your real place was located.

“So, I’m gonna show you a guest room and then around, please don’t screw my house,” you said, giving him the sports bag.

“Got something to drink?” he asked, a smirk plastering on his face as he stepped closer to where you were standing.

“Water I do.”

Ben chuckled for a bit, eyes not leaving your face. “You’re so fucking boring, you know?”

“Yeah, well, alcohol is not really an important supply. Just follow me and maybe I’ll get you some later,” you said, turning around to get to the stairs.

You knew he did as you asked when his big steps echoed around the place. Once you were on the second floor, you motioned him to the next room a couple of feet away from yours and gave him directions about the bathroom and the manners. If he was going to be in your place, then he had to behave.

“I told you already, I’m not a fucking animal,” he complained after hearing your orders.

“Sure,” you dragged the word, eyes narrowed. “Because last night you were so civilized in the bathroom.”

He scoffed and then chuckled. “Did I get too loud?”

“You fucking tell me,” you replied with a much annoying smile on your face to match his own.

“Could’ve joined me. We’re not patient and doctor anymore,” 

“No.”

Just as the last word fell off your lips, your phone rang. Quickly you took the call, realizing it was Grace. You left Soldier Boy in his room and walked down the stairs a little too fast.

“You made it?” she asked on the other line.

“Yeah, arrived just minutes ago,” you answered, checking the stairs in case he followed. “Where are you, Grace?”

“That doesn’t matter. I have something for you.”

“Okay, tell me.”

“I will text you an address and an hour. Today. Don’t miss it.”

Your phone buzzed, announcing the information had arrived.

“I won’t.”

“I’ll keep calling through different phone numbers. Do what you have to do to complete the cure,” she said, like if she knew what was happening between both now.

Soldier Boy was unbearable but you had to keep him on track. Luckily, you were back home again and you’ll be working on the Anti V soon, praying the last bits of information and results of the last test were there for some reason.

“I’m doing my best,” you sighed.

Grace hummed.

“Good.”

“Any updates so far?”

Ben’s smooth voice woke you up from your daydreaming while you sat together in the dining room.

You had been able to make something quick for lunch after Grace called and you found yourself all jittery and tense, hoping Soldier Boy wouldn’t notice. But he did sense something different from you. So he kept insisting on what was going on.

“I don’t know,” you whispered, taking the last sip of water from your glass. You avoided his eyes, looking away.

He rolled his eyes and narrowed at you. “Has your office contacted you?” 

You shook your head.

“So they’re dead,” he said. Not asking, but affirming it.

A heavy sigh left your lips, your eyes going back to his harsh ones. “Leaving was the best.”

“Who’s that you keep in touch with?”

“What?”

Ben groaned slightly before snapping back with a low voice. “C’mon, Y/N. You called yesterday on the road, and now you receive a call. Who the fuck is it?”

His question is not just an inquiry anymore. He’s demanding to know. But you also know he hated Grace Mallory for putting him to sleep again, confined to a chamber where he’d be a trophy for the government to do whatever they wanted, how they wanted. Until you appeared, offering him empty words. Just like everyone.

“My superior.”

Your answer hit him like a truck. He knew it was Grace, but he didn’t like hearing it from you. 

The truth was, Ben didn’t like you… Not that much. Sometimes he did, sometimes he didn’t. Sometimes he wanted to kill you, sometimes the small common sense he still had on his head would say you’d be better alive. He had been thinking of going away, but not he didn’t really want to. He knew you had been working with Grace, he was no idiot. So maybe staying close should get him even closer to Homelander and Vought. He also thought of Ryan back in the cell you had put him in. He was so damn afraid Ryan would become like his father. And since the brat has been protected before by many people, finding would not be easy. That’s where your contacts and network would be a help to him. He was hoping to find something at your place to find them and the information he craved.

“Right,” he said, alarmingly calm and quiet. He took the last bite of pasta on the plate and swallowed down in silence under your gaze. You didn’t know what else to say.

“So, these powers of yours,” he continued, drinking the last sip of juice. “How’d you get them?”

“Why do you want to know?”

He shrugged. “I mean, they’re pretty fucking useless against me,” his words made you chuckle. Of course you knew that. “But I’m just wondering if you’d be with them.”

Your face turned back to a somber demeanor. “The Seven?”

He gave you a nod.

“Well, it’s not like all supes dream of that,” you uttered. “I just wanted to be normal.”

Ben raised a brow at your sudden confession. “Someone exploded everyone’s heads at the CIA. Sorry to say, sweetheart, but you suck at being normal.”

“Yeah, details I have to work with.”

“I take it you never went to them,” he continued and saw confusion on your face. “Vought.”

The word made you shudder for a slight moment, and you quickly tried to collect yourself to avoid him noticing.

“No, I never did.”

He scrutinized your eyes, hearing the poor increase of your heartbeats. They were enough to tell him something was wrong. But he decided to play along, so he nodded and gave you a rather compassionate look.

“Must be thankful they didn’t fuck up your life then.”

He had no idea.

You had parked the car outside an abandoned gas station; it was one of the nearest grocery stores to your home years ago. The now wasteland was almost two hours away, with a gas station around ten miles elsewhere. You had been waiting for Grace outside the car, leaning against the hood. Bored, you checked your phone again. When you arrived it was already past three o’clock. When twenty minutes went by, you wanted so badly to drive and get inside the next store you see and buy yourself food and supplies enough to survive a week or two with the idiotic supe now staying at your home. Grace said would be calling through a different phone but you received no calls so far. You’ve been waiting for more than an hour and the drive home wasn’t going to be shorter. Suddenly another car came into sight, pulling over near yours. Two men came out of it.

“Doctor Y/N?”

The stranger with the unknown voice and a weird accent caught your attention. Soon, you found the two tall men standing in front of you in the parking lot.

“We’re here on behalf of Grace Mallory,” the man continued.

He wore a long dark trench coat, looking rough and intimidating. The total opposite to the younger one, who gave you a kind smile once your eyes settled on him.

“How-”

“We have something for you,” the younger man continued. “I’m Hughie. Hughie Campbell,” he introduced himself, giving you a hand and fixing the backpack on his shoulder with the other one. You took it after a moment of hesitation. “He’s Billy Butcher, we’ve worked with Grace before.”

You nodded. “I thought she was the one coming.”

“She’s not in shape for that,” Billy answered. He realized your face changed at his words and quickly explained himself. “Vought’s cunts are looking for her, not safe.”

“Fuck,” you mumbled under your breath. “Great, awesome. So what do you have for me?”

“We, uhm, we made it to your facility and thought these could do some help,” Hughie took out a pouch and gave it to you.

With trembling hands you opened the pouch and sighed in relief. Five test tubes of the Anti V prototype were laid there. “You found them.”

“And we found a little bit more,” Butcher continued. “Victoria Neuman exploded the heads of your employees back there. We believe Vought had been sneaking and getting spies for themselves.”

“Victoria is a supe,” you voiced out. “A supe is running for vice president…”

“Yeah, long story,” Hughie commented. “She’s obviously linked with Homelander and Vought. Everyone was dead when we arrived; lab assistants, guards, agents, the supes… We believe her mission was to just let you and Soldier Boy out, besides stealing information about the cure you’re working on. Probably to give it to Vought.”

“Anything weird happen there before the attack?” Billy asked, not giving you time to swallow Hughie’s words.

“Uhm, yeah. Actually my lab assistant… She tried to warn me and, well, she was crying and asking me to leave. I didn’t know why until her head just- you know…”

You choked a little with your words. The picture of her body and the last seconds of her life were all you got. Everything was equally horrible that day.

“I’m sorry,” Hughie whispered.

“It’s fine,” you cleared your throat. “And I assume you didn’t find anything else? Information? Files?”

“Computers were destroyed. No files. No info. Nothing,” Butcher answered. “Grace says you’re the leader of the project. You have copies, right?”

“Why everybody keeps fucking asking me that? Of course I do!” you almost yelled, eyes full of rage staring at him.

“Easy there, doc,” Butcher lifted up his hands in surrender. “We just wanna get rid of those cunt supes as much as you want. Nothing wrong to make sure.”

“Well, I do have them,” you replied with a cocky smile. “Thank you very much for your concern, Adele.”

Butcher rolled his eyes, sharing a look with Hughie before switching his attention back to you.

“Yeah, sure you do, luv.”

It was already seven o’clock when you arrived home with supplies and food. Ben, as usually, acted like a fucking caveman claiming he was hungry and you had to act like the housewife, serving him a fucking hamburger and a glass of wine. That was the only liquor you bought. Despite his complaints, his hunger was greater and he devoured the greasy food with no table manners at all.

“You could chew your food like a fucking human being, you know,” you said, eating the last french fries you had. 

He turned his eyes to your face, pointing with his finger. “You were gone for like five hours.”

“So? There’s fruit in the fridge.”

Ben narrowed his gaze, like if he had been offended.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know how to serve something for yourself,” you teased. He didn’t say a word, and you giggled. “That’s fucking pathetic.”

He leaned towards the dining table, eyes locked on yours. “No, you just don’t know your fucking place, woman.”

“I just saved your life, Ben. At least say thanks,” you beamed, having too much fun by seeing him upset for mundane things.

“No, you didn’t.”

You rolled your eyes and took a sip of your wine. “Fine. I didn’t. Let’s go past this and start over. If you’re gonna live here, for now, then you’ll have to learn how to respect me.”

His brows raised. “I thought I already did.”

“Offering yourself to fuck me in a cheap motel is not respectful, Soldier Boy.”

“Well, I didn’t try anything, did I?” Ben finished his sentence at the same time he finished his dinner.

He waited for a smart comeback from you but it never came. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and a stupid grin appeared on his lips. “Unless you want to.”

“No, we’ve been through it. My answer is still no.”

“Then, mind to fucking tell me if you found something by now?”

He changed the topic swiftly. His playful demeanor switched immediately and you sighed, knowing he might have to hear anything to keep him down.

“You’re in danger.”

“I’m the strongest supe ever, that doesn’t make any damn sense,” Ben scoffed.

“Listen, we need to hide from Vought. Hide and not leave a trace, because now I’m involved with you and they’re absolutely looking for your ass,” you gave him a stern look as you went on. “If I fall, you go with me. And if you fall, then I don’t know if they’d still want me. But you’ll be fucked anyway.”

Ben nodded. In his mind, it didn’t sound like a bad plan. In the end, that’s what he wanted; to get closer to Vought and Homelander to get over with them. The world didn’t deserve those fuckers. And as much as Homelander was created with his own DNA, he knew better than to let a scum like him walk around the planet. You already gave him something, a clue. He had to play along for now. If they took you in first, then he might probably bargain to be him instead. It was only fair. He was the one that mattered anyway.

“Okay, I get it. I’ll stay here. But I don’t want those fucking therapies anymore,” he expressed, his gaze not moving away from the surprised look on your face. “Understand?”

You blinked a couple of times, shifting on your seat and chuckling under your breath. “It’s fine, believe me. I can’t stand you more than you do.”

Ben held your gaze, daring you to try something else. Instead, you smiled and got up and took your empty dishes to the sink. His eyes followed your moves, focusing on your small shorts and the softness of your legs. And you knew he was definitely checking you out when you talked.

“By the way, you’ll have to help me wash the dishes.”

He stood up, plates on his hands and walked behind your figure, putting them on the sink as you opened the faucet. His arms surrounded you once he did so and you flinched a bit. Ben smirked, feeling the reaction of your body trapped against his.

“Get away,” you ordered in a whisper, unable to move.

“I’m helping you, Y/N,” he breathed your name against your neck, his hand wrapping on yours gripping on the edge of the sink.

The only sound now was his hot breath on your skin and the water flowing. You quickly turned the faucet off, but you didn’t try to push him away.

It was the second time during the day he had said your name, ever. And you wouldn’t deny it sounded fucking delightful. He had only addressed you as his ‘doctor’, but now it was different. Though, you didn’t want to give into him. He was a huge douchebag and you were basically forced to spend time with him, in your home, without really wanting him there. You felt his lips ghosting over the sensitive skin of your neck, and the primal part of you yearned for his touch, but the rational one won over and you freed yourself from his arms.

“Stop doing that,” you warned once you were face to face. His eyes were dark already and had a sparkle you knew too much since the day before.

“Alright,” he nodded.

“Just- let’s just wash these. I want to sleep.”

With a tired sigh, you walked down the basement. It was already midnight and Ben was locked inside his room, probably jerking off or something since you, once again, rejected him in your kitchen. Inside the dark room, you found the metal door that let you inside the bunker and unlocked it with the code. When you stepped in, you made sure to turn on the power and lights that illuminated the room and the small lab in the back. The computers started to run and you sat down on the main monitor, leaving the pouch with the Anti V tubes on the side of the desk.

Yeah, you might have told Butcher and Grace you had copies of every detail of the project. But you were afraid of the last stuff you discovered just before the attack. You knew well how the information was protected and encrypted, but it didn’t really assure you the profile of Solaris would be there. He was the first and last supe who had his powers off for a couple of hours at least and the feeling of losing it all had been eating you the last few hours after meeting with Grace’s messengers.

It took you a while to decrypt the system, something you had been already used to doing every time you got there to keep working on it, just to make sure no one would steal it. Hopefully, Vought hadn’t discovered it before destroying the facilities, you thought. And after a while, you found the last updates of the last test your team ran. Solaris profile and test was there. Not just in written letters, but the footage of the test and the exact formula that was used too. Now, you were so lucky.

“Well, thank you, Bianca. Wherever you are,” you whispered to yourself and took a tube from the pouch the men gave you earlier. You had a busy night ahead.

[edgarbright]

Caleb = Sylus theory

And if that turns out to be incorrect, then renamed as:

My thoughts on Caleb and Sylus!

tl;dr my heart wants Caleb back as a LI and my brain continues to report that Caleb being Sylus makes a lot of sense

General spoiler warning for any game content released up until June 18, 2024. Long post is long and has pictures.

So first things first! I’m going to need everyone to think about Caleb beyond being just our sweet and teasing childhood friend. Because if we viewed the other male leads as plainly as Caleb is often viewed, then Zayne is just a workaholic doctor, Xavier is just a narcoleptic hunter, and Rafayel is just a playful-personality artist.

But we find out Zayne has done work in battle zones as a military medic and we hear how his morals and ethics are held high when organizations like Ever Group try to recruit him. We discover that Xavier is an immortal who has flown across the galaxy in a spaceship and regularly goes toe-to-toe with criminal syndicates and wanderers alike. We learn that Rafayel is a Lemurian, the God of the Sea, and an assassin who carefully and cleverly deals out bloody revenge.

While we don’t have a lot of Caleb content in the first eight chapters and side pieces, there is still a lot of information to work with! Because we know he has been around for years and must be doing something with his time when he’s not talking with MC about coming home.

And one of the clues we’re given is that he is a busy guy. In the character notes, we read that MC doesn’t see Caleb outside of holidays after he became involved with the Aerospace Academy at Skyhaven. He has since become a pilot for the Deepspace Aviation Administration. Then there is their last argument about how they are adults now and they don’t need to keep secrets from each other. But just when Caleb is about to open up, he locks it down. And then he’s gone.

The End? Except I don’t think that’s where his story finishes.

I. Official game descriptions

Caleb: "My childhood friend. Grandma took us in when we were young. Now he works as a fighter pilot for the Deepspace Aviation Administration. Ever since he went to Aerospace Academy in Skyhaven, we don’t often see each other. But we always visit Grandma during the holidays. While he loves teasing me, he’s actually a reliable person whom I trust."

Sylus: "The leader of Onychinus is said to have built his empire on illegal Evol weapons and Protocore deals. He’s the most influential, dominant figure in the N109 Zone. However, he hasn’t been seen for a while."

II. Caleb as a love interest: Brother vs childhood friend

Stating the obvious to get it out of the way: that Papergames had to give Caleb a completely different relationship role with MC in the English-speaking market is akin to a public statement that he is going to be a love interest. They would have saved themselves the trouble by leaving him as brother if he was never going to play a more intimate role with MC.

III. Caleb and MC's lingering connection: the necklace

The “When U come back,” apple-and-dog-tag necklace picked out in a style MC really liked as a present for Caleb before he left for Skyhaven.

The necklace where, in chapter 4.06 ‘Saying Goodbye,’ MC and Caleb share a Kindled moment as we take the necklace from his hand and he leans forward to let us put it on him.

The necklace that Caleb was wearing under the bulk of his jacket when he entered Grandma’s house before the explosion.

The necklace that is nowhere to be seen after the explosion, but suddenly appears on the ground in front of us when MC looks back down. Caleb was wearing that necklace when he entered the house, but here it is now, completely intact. MC’s hands are covered in dirt and ash while the necklace is in clean condition.

Caleb is alive in one way or another. And the necklace, now back in MC’s possession, is a tie that still binds them.

IV. Official Announcement of the Next Male Lead

(Disclaimer: I am only able to go off the English fan translation and google translations so my interpretation is at the mercy of missed nuances from word choice and mis-translations. But we’re just here to be delusional have fun, so play nice!)

During the CBT in 2023, Papergames released this announcement:

Then on February 24, 2024 as part of an apology post to angry Chinese players, Papergames provided a follow-up and official confirmation that hunters will get to meet the next love interest, Qin Che/Sylus, in the next big story update coming this July 2024.

This February announcement does not mention Caleb, but then the original Q&A was clearly only referencing a question regarding a single pre-mentioned person. So between CBT and now, my understanding is that we have only ever been promised one new male lead to top us off at a quartet.

And in that initial announcement in CBT, it continues to strike me as strange that they talk about this mystery man Sylus and then they bring up Caleb. They first talk at length about someone we don’t know at all and then about someone the CBT players were already interested in: our doting brother/childhood friend, someone who clearly likes us, someone whom the MC obviously likes in return, someone with a unique personality from the other LI, and someone we have lost and grieved over and want back.

But the official name of the next male lead is Sylus.

“His identity and your relationship to him,” however, could also suggest that the name “Sylus” may not be his true name. Is there just some guy named Sylus walking around Linkon City or does he become Sylus when associated with Onychinus and when he enters the N109 zone? After all, his identity is a question, it is a mystery, he is mystery, and our relationship to him is a question. Our true relationship to him is in question, because perhaps it is someone we thought we knew but didn’t truly know at all.

V. Sylus: a powerful persona in the N109 zone

As the main story plot progresses and MC sets her sights on entering the N109 zone, she learns that the acquisition of a bold fake identity is a key part to her safety. By the sound of it, even someone like Xavier doesn’t enter as Xavier, but instead as Lumiere as it was Lumiere who was rumored to have caused a mess there recently.

Therefore I’m further encouraged that the name “Sylus” could just be a new identity for someone we already know. Even more so, once ‘Caleb the fighter pilot from the Deepspace Aviation Administration’ has officially been declared dead, the only identity left to him is Sylus.

But strangely enough, after Caleb is gone, even the character description states Sylus hasn’t been seen for a while, either…

VI. Symbols: the jacket and the crow

Caleb is wearing a Deepspace Aviation Administration (DAA) jacket before he begins attending the Airspace Academy at Skyhaven, as seen in the flashback scene. He is still wearing the same jacket on the last day we see him in chapter 4.

Of interest, in chapter 3, we see a crow in the forest watching MC and Xavier after they destroy the developing Aetherwyrm and taking Onychinus's modified Protocore.

Note the diagonal orange bars on the mechanical feature on the crow’s left wing and the design on the jacket on Caleb’s left chest:

The bars mirror one another. The crow seems to have four bars but only three are full whereas the jacket shows four full bars.

Note as well on the jacket's left arm: the crow-like head triangle with the curved wings.

With MC currently entangled in tens of thousands of years of history with three other men, I don’t think this is a game that deals with mere coincidences.

But considering this crow symbol existed on the DAA jacket before Caleb went to the academy teases all types of connections and, most appropriately, spacetime considerations rooted around the Deepspace Tunnel.

VII. The Deepspace Aviation Administration

After completing his training at the Airspace Academy, Caleb rose up to become a pilot in the Deepspace Aviation Administration. His whole job involves flying around and near the Deepspace Tunnel.

The same Deepspace Tunnel that the Linkon broadcaster speaks of so frequently regarding possible Wanderer appearances.

The same Deepspace Tunnel that appeared at the time of the catastrophe.

The same Deepspace Tunnel that Xavier and the Backtrackers took to travel from Philos to Earth.

Just as MC is learning new and weird things about the world while working as a hunter, surely Caleb has come across some new and weird things, too.

MC states that the DAA is secretive but Caleb takes it a step further: it’s not just secretive, it’s spooky! It’s creepy! It’s mysterious! It’s shadowy!

Whatever the DAA is dealing with isn’t, necessarily, normal!

Because while the DAA is of course focused on the Deepspace Tunnel, we have also heard that some of their interests lie in the Lemurian ruins…

So we shouldn’t take the Deepspace Aviation Administration at face value. Honestly, nothing in this game appears to be as good and pure as it seems! It’s suspicious that MC works as a hunter in the Unicorns division when Unicorn was also the code name for her as an experiment. The public face of Ever Group has them seeming to work medical miracles and conducting revolutionary science, but we know they conducted cruel experiments on MC, we have clues they experimented on Lemurians, and it’s revealed they have dark dealings with the Backtrackers.

Note that while Sylus is the leader of Onychinus and built it up as an empire, that doesn’t necessarily mean he is the founder. The Deepspace Aviation Administration could easily have criminal ties of their own or be a cover for a front for their true reason to exist.

But whatever is going on with the DAA, Caleb has been involved in it for many years and has kept it secret from MC this whole time.

VIII. Male Lead Introductions

It feels too strange to think that Sylus will be an entirely new face because not only would that put him at a disadvantage, it would neglect a lot of clues and game features laid out for his association and arrival.

For starters, Xavier, Rafayel, and Zayne are all introduced to MC in the very first chapter. They get faces and little encounters to go along with them.

Meanwhile Caleb is faceless. He is just a voice in chapter 1. But to the MC, it’s the familiar voice of someone she obviously knows and loves and is excited to see again. She has history and memories and a developed relationship with this person.

But even through the teasing affection shared between MC and Caleb over the phone, his face and expressions are left in the dark. He is a mystery to us.

Except… maybe we do see a face of Caleb? In the face of the all-seeing-eye of Onychinus that appears a moment after MC gets off the phone with him.

So, going back to that CBT announcement, Papergames asks if the players found any clues regarding Sylus in the main story… right before they bring Caleb into the conversation, who for all intents and purposes is dead? Whether they were making a hint or not right there it’s too suspicious.

IX. Lore: The Eye in the Sky Watching Over MC

We spot the red eye watching MC on at least three occasions:

[Top left image] At the end of chapter 1: After MC has completed her first day as a hunter and Caleb bids her goodnight after their phone call, she sees the eye for a moment outside her window as the weather begins to turn bad.

[Bottom left image] In chapter 3: MC recalls a reoccurring nightmare when her 7-year-old self was running blindly in pain and fear during the Chronorift Catastrophe. While she initially thinks it is the moon, when she wakes up she realizes it was actually the same eye she saw in chapter 1. Of interest, notice how her description of the eye’s arrival is portrayed rather positively:

Rusty-red rain falls from the sky and seeps into every nook and cranny of the city. I step over the puddles, running away. I sense a powerful force. It's about to burst from my heart. Then the moon appears. Magnificent, it descends before me. It flickers. It seems to be blinking at me.

[Right image] At the Nest in chapter 8: the eye is in a robotic contraption watching events unfold on Hunting Day and when MC is captured.

So it seems this eye has been with her since she was seven years old and it found her before even Xavier did. As an observation vessel, however, it was not able to help her. All it can do is watch. So the question is who has been watching her from the other end? Ever Group? Onychinus? The Backtrackers? Caleb in some form?

X. Caleb is never doing what MC expects

On the phone call in chapter 1, MC thought he would still be in-flight, but he brushes it off by saying they finished early. He uses this surprise “free time” to call her right when she returns home and asks how her first day as a hunter went.

When MC arrives to Grandma’s house in chapter 4, she thought he wouldn’t arrive until the next day at the earliest, but he was already home. He uses this surprise “free time” to cook and have dinner ready for her right when she arrives.

He just always seems to be a step ahead of the MC… for the sake of doting on MC!

But it’s still rather odd that lower-level military personnel would get early clock-outs so conveniently when activity in the Deepspace Tunnel and appearance of Wanderers are on the rise…

And what is he doing that is making him so sleep-deprived?

XI. FM News vs Caleb: Deepspace Tunnel Activity

For the record, all of chapter 1 takes place over a single day. MC starts her morning by receiving her badge; spends the day hunting Wanderers, meeting Xavier, and getting her placement in alpha team; spends the evening with Tara before she meets Rafayel; rushes to her 6pm check-up appointment with Zayne; has a nighttime phone call with Caleb; and spots the eye outside her window before bed.

And from morning to night, the news report and Caleb’s report are complete opposites.

“Hello, Linkon City. DPSC FM here to greet you on this early morning. Did you sleep well last night? Weather's nice today with winds at 5 km/hr. Certain areas have a higher Metaflux index due to the Deepspace Tunnel. Expect Wanderers to appear more often. We would like to thank the hunters in the city for allowing us to live a normal, peaceful life. Next, a detailed report for each district. Areas that are at a "high risk" of being attacked by Wanderers-- All medical personnel, today is going to be another busy day.”

Compared to

MC: "Did you guys encounter any Wanderers in the Deepspace Tunnel? Was it dangerous?" ... Caleb: "All right. It's been peaceful. The field within the tunnel is as stable as it can be. Very few Wanderers. Don't worry." MC: "Really? Every time you tell me not to worry..." Caleb: "Everything else is top secret. My lips are sealed."

Now, it’s entirely possible that he’s lying about the danger in order to make MC feel better, but if he was lying and the situation was more severe, he wouldn’t have gotten off work early and been able to call her.

Which also brings up the question: is he even at Skyhaven or with the Deepspace Aviation Administration at this time...?

XII. Theory Speed Bump: the Exploding House

During the phone call in chapter 1, Caleb sounds very relaxed about MC having become a hunter on her first day. He asks her how it went and when she starts talking about having had some trouble, he teases her to stop--because he knows she did well! They go on to tease each other about when he’s going to next visit and he says a very sweet good night. He doesn’t sound worried for her safety or anxious or anything of the like.

The visit at Grandma’s house in chapter 4 is a little different. He seems more worried.

Caleb shows up a day early—and if he is Sylus, leader of Onychinus who are wildly in-the-know, obviously his connections would have alerted him to the moving activity posing a danger toward MC and Grandma. But considering how well Xavier stays off most radars, the other Backtrackers are quite good at moving in secret, too. Knowing there is danger isn’t the same as knowing where or when exactly it will hit.

From the World Underneath files, Ever Group appears to have lost track of experiment subject “Unicorn,” but they still had tabs on Josephine as one of their former researchers. The files the Backtracker acquired after the explosion that he delivered to the Ever Group’s Raincoat appears to be their confirmation on MC’s identity. Although we’re left listening to the lackey’s discussion, it doesn’t appear that Ever Group intended to do MC harm just yet, but that doesn't mean she couldn't have accidentally been caught up in the explosion, too.

While MC and everyone are at the table eating, the story about the multiple metaflux explosions are shown on the TV.

When MC excuses herself from the table in order to go scout the neighborhood, Caleb, who just voiced concerns for her safety, jumps up and follows her.

Caleb very obviously lies about going shopping (my guy has empty hands when he reappears). He continues to follow her, albeit from a distance as he is not quick enough to get involved in MC’s encounter with the sneaking Backtracker (note how the MC observed that the man sounded much older than he looked).

Although it’s interesting how, after Caleb knows she was attacked and how he stuck by her side as often as he could while they were outside, he enters the house first and leaves her alone outside.

But the only reason he entered the house first and alone was because MC told him to go inside first. He was the one who suggested they return home before Grandma got worried. Whatever danger Caleb was on high alert for, I’m left conflicted if an exploding house was something he considered since it was his idea to return.

His necklace magically appearing in front of MC after the explosion, however, suggests he was involved in the necklace placement in some way.

Also we don't know what his Evol is exactly. Some players have suggested telekinesis or gravity based on how he was able to take the necklace from MC in the flashback. Magnetic force should also be considered, I think, but I won't open that can of worms here. The question is still: how deep does this rabbit hole go? Was Caleb caught in an explosion he was prepared for and escaped or is another force at work here? We know there have been many Rafayels and Zaynes in the timeline. Maybe there are many Calebs, too.

XIII. Grandma's records have no mention of Caleb

Before she took in MC, Josephine states in the World Underneath files that she has never had children before. Meaning Caleb was not in the picture before MC.

In the game character notes, MC says Grandma took both MC and Caleb in when MC was seven years old.

So where did Caleb come from? And what made her take him in, too?

When we are at Grandma’s house, we also see just one picture frame. The only ones in the picture are MC and Grandma.

In all of Grandma’s notes, there is not one mention of Caleb. There is just one instance where it looks like his name ought to be, but the notes trail off instead with an ellipsis.

Did she herself exclude him from her records or was his name purposefully removed?

Nonetheless, I'm sure the leader of Onychinus would value such anonymity, if it were him.

XIV. "A decisive man as always"

At the family meal, MC expresses concern regarding Grandma’s health. Caleb speaks up and shares that he has taken care to see that Grandma is cared for.

When MC, a little peevish-sounding in English, asks him the when and why, all Caleb does is let out a small laugh and goes back to eating.

Grandma notes that she didn’t know about this plan either. "A decisive man as always," she says with a troubled expression.

And thus Grandma has thrown an interesting character trait into the mix as Caleb always seems so laid-back with MC like he’s simply going with the flow of things. Except it’s clear he’s decisive, determined, and taking care of things behind the scenes. And surely that includes taking care of MC.

XV. Sylus's Character

We have two points of concrete information about Sylus.

The first is the game description, which I’ll repeat here: “The leader of Onychinus is said to have built his empire on illegal Evol weapons and Protocore deals. He’s the most influential, dominant figure in the N109 Zone. However, he hasn’t been seen for a while.”

The second is an observation made by Captain Jenna in chapter 3:

"We speculate it’s not about money, given Sylus’s track record," she says.

So Sylus "is said to have built" a whole empire on illegal sales but apparently he’s OK with his sales taking a loss because it’s not about money. We see in several news reports in-game about the amazing medical progress made due to the use of Protocores. Modified Protocores, especially such revolutionary ones made by Onychinus, should easily be worth more than their weight in gold. The one that MC and Xavier take from the forest is even powerful enough to start the revival process of the strongest type of Wanderer.

So we have this mysterious Sylus who has prioritized power and influence over wealth, but what can he possibly do with those if he’s gone AWOL…?

But such a decisive man who has gained authority over the N109 zone likely has everything under control, right?

XVI. Grandma Josephine vs Caleb

In chapter 4 under the title “Secret,” in part due to the mysterious locked box MC receives, we the player (not MC) learn that Grandma had entrusted MC to Zayne if the “worst-case scenario happens.”

But what about Caleb? We know that he is away from home very often so it’s highly unlikely anyone should consider something bad happening to both her and him. The “us” she uses could mean them both, but it seems more likely she meant Zayne’s promise to Grandma and MC (as MC is the beneficiary).

Let’s go back to that family meal conversation and see the follow-up reactions that show some interesting motives:

We have Caleb taking responsibility for family matters, MC and Grandma caught by surprise—then look at what Grandma does: she doesn’t argue with his decision, but instead turns to MC and immediately encourages her to get back in touch with Zayne.

Caleb’s response to that in turn is to suggest that instead of Zayne and MC meeting alone, Zayne should come for a family dinner. Caleb’s reaction feels rather sarcastic with the emphasis on “looong time.” Zayne is given the treatment of, rather than being a family friend, he is more like that kid they used to know back in grade school. Which is true. Zayne has been absent in MC and Caleb's lives for the past 10 years. Zayne hasn’t been in the picture since MC was about eleven years old and it’s been Caleb looking after MC as her childhood friend/brother this whole time.

So it’s no surprise when MC and Caleb are walking back home together that their conversation turns out like this:

"If not me, who could you possibly turn to for…" he begins, then stops. He smiles bitterly, shakes his head, and plays it off.

Is this him choking up on his yearning? Is this him realizing what Grandma tried to do earlier by bringing up Zayne, and realizing there are other people MC can turn to? Is this him realizing MC is right, that he really can’t protect her forever? Is this him realizing he can’t protect her as just Caleb? Or is there something else going on in that head of his?

It seems to me that not only are Grandma and Caleb not working together at this point, despite them both prioritizing MC's safety, Grandma might not consider Caleb outside of being the family cook!

What does Grandma know about Caleb that would make her turn to Zayne instead?

XVII. What Onychinus knows about MC's Aether Core (spoiler: everything)

Summary: This all happened in the immediate aftermath of the Chronorift Catastrophe. Dr. Noah was bought into the picture shortly after Grandma took MC into her home. Around that same time, one of the researchers who experimented on MC joined up with Onychinus. From that point on, all the other researchers started dying or disappearing—except for Grandma Josephine.

Grandma, however, is eventually killed by the Backtrackers hired by Ever Group, who had been looking for details about their missing Unicorn.

MC notes that Grandma didn’t leave any work files at home. Therefore Caleb wouldn’t have learned anything at the home.

But because Onychinus knows everything through that researcher, Sylus also knows everything that happened to MC. He knows what Josephine did. He knows about MC’s condition. He knows about her special heart. He knows about the Aether Core. He knows what dangers might pursue MC.

And what is Onychinus’s main project? Modifying Protocores.

MC learns that the frequency of her heart matches that of the modified Protocore she found in the restricted zone with Xavier. Both her heart and that modified Protocore had been effected by an Aether Core.

The crucial part I’m getting at is that Onychinus already knows about MC before she ever went to the Nest. They have known about her for around 15 years and during all this time Onychinus have never, ever approached or harmed her!

In this Sylus = Caleb scenario, he already has MC (trust me! he pleads), he already has her Aether Core, and he's trying to keep it secret, he's trying to keep her safe.

The other researchers had to die to keep her safe, because the knowledge they held of her would die with them.

"If not for me, who could you turn to for..." Caleb had once started to say, because if not for him, who else could have protected her all this time? Who else would work so tirelessly and decisively to do what needed to be done?

XVIII. Onychinus is not our enemy

One of the reasons I love Love and Deepspace is because the world building and lore are incredibly interesting. But we must use critical thinking because they are also deceptive. So many characters keep treating Onychinus as dangerous, as deadly, but we not only don’t know their true motive, we have no information on what bad things they’ve actually done besides existing outside normal society.

Both Jenna and Xavier tell us that Onychinus's most famous achievement is modifying Protocores. There is no word of Onychinus ever doing direct or indirect harm using these modified Protocores. We don’t even know to whom, exactly, they sell these Protocores—and we know that it’s not about money.

Onychinus is a mystery! What anyone knows about them is all speculation!

Ever Group, meanwhile, has conducted experiments on Lemurians as explored in Raymond's situation and experiments on MC when she was a child. These actions directly resulted in the "death" of MC numerous times and the probable death of at least one Lemurian if not more. In the World Underneath we discover that Ever Group also knows about the Backtrackers and about Philos. Ever Group hired the Backtracker that destroyed MC’s family. They also use Xavier and are plotting to, for lack of a better word, enslave him once they figure out the chemical compound of the medication he and the other Backtrackers use as injections.

It’s not a mistake, however, that Ever Group is praised by the public for their ingenuity and medical advances for the sake of a better society while Onychinus is treated as dangerous renegades.

Then there is also the Deepspace Aviation Administration who are "unraveling the unknown" at the Deepspace Tunnel while fighting Wanderers.

XIX. I promise you’ll see me every day when you wake up ;)

For the longest time I read Caleb's final promise at face value. He was coming back home to visit, so every morning when MC wakes up at Grandma’s house, she’ll see Caleb.

And I know I’m not the only one who shouted OBJECTION after the explosion (All Men Do Is Lie)!

Except waking up doesn’t have to be literal.

In the pre-registration announcement video released November 1, 2023, Zayne says the following line:

“When you and the world wake up, I hope we do not meet again.”

Perhaps MC just needs to wake up to the truth—the truth of what happened to her before she met Caleb and Zayne and Rafayel and Xavier, the truth of what Grandma and the scientists did to her as a child, the truth… of what she might find in the N109 zone, where Onychinus is, where the question to Sylus and her relationship with him will be answered…

When MC learns the truth, when she opens her eyes to the real world, she will see Caleb again.

(She will get to see him every day just like he promised.)

XX. Theoretical consideration: we’re in a time loop with possible time travel

If there are multiple timelines, it’s possible that the Sylus-Caleb we eventually meet isn’t the Caleb who entered that house before the explosion. They could be the same but different. Perhaps Caleb in one timeline died in that house while a Caleb in another timeline did not. Perhaps the necklace we picked up belonged to a different Caleb.

Because let’s be real, everything is a bit of a mess now: Dawnbreaker and Zayne sharing dreams, Xavier as an immortal alien on a completely different planet, and Rafayel has a millennia of emotional baggage to unpack and a lost civilization he has yet to revive.

There are also the rhythms in which the characters are living in their respected timelines. We have Xavier the immortal who has witnessed the many lives of MC living and dying tragically and being reborn again and again. We have Rafayel who is in a matched reincarnation cycle with MC where he seems to meet her in each life, but she has forgotten him while he may or may not have forgotten her. We have Zayne who is in an unmatched reincarnation cycle with MC where he may or may not meet her in each life, but he sacrifices himself for her sake at each end.

Let's not overlook the possibility of an actual time traveler with Sylus. Perhaps even one who has been looking for a timeline where he can keep MC safe. After all, coming late into the game, Sylus will need to have a new spin to his myth and connection with MC if he's going to compete!

Plus Caleb is also represented by the apple, the forbidden fruit: take even the smallest bite and be banished from paradise. But a bite of the apple also wakes one up to the truth, to the sense of shame, to desire, to sin, to love…

"I promise you’ll see me every day when you wake up," he said.

(And I’m a fool who wants to believe him 🍎)

[alieinthemorning]

Self Sacrifce [Xiao | Alatus]

Spoiler Warning: Archon Quest: Interlude Chapter: Act II: Perilous Trail

Content: Angst, (There was supposed to be a happy ending. There is no happy ending)

Pronouns: None

Reblogs: Let me know that you enjoy my work and want to see more, so don’t forget to like and reblog (and comment in the tags. I love seeing people’s rambles in the tags)!

This work’s concepts, plot and original characters are my own which means I do not allow any sort of creative theft nor do I allow my work to be entered into any sort of A.I. bots. Thank you for respecting my space and boundaries.

He was struggling.

You all were.

But you refused to lose him, as you almost had before.

When he returned to you, sliced up, and oozing karma. And as much as you wanted to bring him into your arms. The look he sent you kept you rooted in place. You knew it wasn’t one of anger, but of concern. He didn’t want the karma to affect you,

But when he stepped away from the Fantastic Compass, a pit dropped into your stomach, and your body turned cold.

So at the very last second, did you capture him in your arms. Held him tight, like you should have done before.

And by some grace, or perhaps Rex Lapis himself, were you both saved. Everyone was surprised, and relieved.

But before they could get a word in, you grabbed Xiao’s hand and whisked him away. You teleported to a familiar place, one that was far away from the Chasm.

“Why would you do that? You would have died!”

You flinched away from him. Not out of fright,

but hurt.

You kept your head down, fists balled. The pain of your nails digging into your palms being the only thing that kept your voice from wavering.

“…do you really have that much disregard for yourself?”

“I’m not the one who—” You held a hand up, silencing him.

Archons, you loved him, but when will he learn—

“But you were! You were going to save us at the cost of your own life!”

“To save you— yes! So why are you—” His voice caught in his throat.

Because although your head was still angled away from him, the droplets that fell from your eyes told him enough.

“I love you… so much. And I couldn't bear moving on without you.” Finally, you lifted your head up. Tears be damned. “Your sacrifice would have killed me, Xiao.”

“I’m… I apologize.”

“You can’t keep existing like this, Xiao. Throwing yourself at the enemy until you’re staring up at the sky, waiting for death.”

“Zhongli won’t be there to save you every time.” You sucked in a sharp breath. “Nor will he have the power to.”

Zhongli was without a gnosis after all. Who knows how much power it took to save the two of you.

“…you’re still alive for a reason, Xiao. And I may be overstepping but…”

From those glimpses of Bosacius’ final memories, then—

“They would have wanted you to live on. Not to succumb to the karmic debt.”

He didn’t respond.

Not for a long while.

You sighed deeply. “You know where to find me.”

And with that, you quit the area, leaving him with his thoughts.

Just as you were left with yours.

Ko-Fi | Commisson | Masterlist

[borreloadsavagedragon]

11, 16, and 20

oh god, I’ll do my best!!!

11. number of fandom-related words you've filtered

3! And they are all names for the same one ship bc this community loves to make new names out of nowhere for everything omg

I’ve mentioned this one in particular before vaguely in character ask games but I don’t wanna always bring it up, the tag and filtering system does all it has to for me and ygo is one of the few communities that actually does tag accordingly usually, Twitter is the raging exception but Twitter rewards witty captions versus tags and I love obstacle courses 

I’ve gotten vagued about and subtweeted enough for sharing the ships I do like, I’d hate to be someone who bashes something of value to someone else and make them feel insecure about their favorite things by subtweeting them because I do know many who do love the pair 

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

I had to think on this one bc the only things I could honest to god think of were a handful of ships and I really don’t wanna go that route dbshhsjs

I will literally read anything that isn’t like… too much into dead dove territory 

BUT

Some Fanon inside jokes can be annoying once they’re super overdone, ygo jokes I come across aren’t too bad outside of the TCG (ygo players reading jokes and draw good card memes are so bad, stop making them 733627472738 times) but like… even in our small franchise corner, some of them are overplayed

Like Yusei drank milk once and now his figure has to have a glass of milk, we did that

NSFW for literally ten seconds but

(also stop making the stereotypical rival characters into domineering or nasty tops, it’s weird)

20. part of canon you found tedious or boring

oh my god ok, here it is, the one question I can go full hater on

Ok so I LOVE protags usually, I'm rarely a protag hater, but I hate when shows go out of their way to make protags solve EVERYTHING even when it’s really not appropriately theirs, like shows that need to find reasons to keep protagonists in the episode or in the frame, or to remind us that it’s the protag’s world and the cast is just all living in it

Like it’s definitely my fault being so involved with Shonen shows that I don’t get to see the latter happen a lot since Shonen is like the BIGGEST offender of this trope but I still wanna complain!!!!!!

God I lowkey wanna talk abt Arc V for this but we’re just gonna… *brushes show off of desk into a lock drawer* 

That’s a can I cannot open

So let's talk Zexal II, aka the part where I get to talk about the worst duel in the entire franchise because I can’t even rewatch these episodes for my analysis without wanting to slap my computer shut, it makes me that angry 

Uh

Some Spoilers since I know you're still watching

😭😭😭

Like this comes from a place of someone who fights off Yuma hate in the TCG community regularly

But in my whole ass I feel like Heartland and Kaito’s duel is an actual disaster

It's also honestly a little bit of character assassination as a treat for no reason but we'll touch that in detail in the paper

And letting Yuma and Astral take this duel over is just an egregious slap in the face lmfao

Especially how the show chooses to handle Kaito passing out and everything following when he finally returns to consciousness that just makes him essentially a step up from background character

Yet people deadass have the nerve to say Kaito has the most favoritism, bitch where lol

Extremely unsatisfying to watch someone who's been an established threat for the ENTIRE show not be able to dismantle the last standing figure in their life who’s been a source of great pain to them and someone who has never dueled up until this point at that! And not only does he NOT get to take the dub, it's literally his second last duel in the entire show and while the last duel is INCREDIBLE, making this a moment of glory for the protags is weird!

Idk, I stand firmly that this part is unwatchable, just a very badly done way to backseat Kaito to shift the focus onto the original duo, and that in theory is cool, but there are so many better ways to do it

But shonen isn't shonen without some dramatic hero comeback

Shonen is such a love/hate relationship

[gremoria411]

I kinda want to do a post about my feelings on Mobile Suit Gundam Code: Fairy, but I’m just gonna start off with the MS designs, since I’ve got a lot to say on those relative to everything else.

First up: the Earth Federation Forces

I do like the Black and White Riders. Of course, they’re pale rider variants (prototypes in-universe), but I think they do a good job of looking and acting good. They both continue in the theme of the early rider units being patterned after the Four Horsemen of the apocalypse, being pestilence (the white rider with a bow and crown) and famine (the black rider with a set of scales). Though I don’t really have a favourite of the two, (the white rider has a wonderfully Gundam-like face and the crown is gorgeous, while the black rider actually kinda nails the whole “tacticool” look with its faceplate and arms) I will admit that the black rider opens up a whole can of worms because it has an actual stealth system. Not like, just weapons suited for stealth or sloped armour to reduce visibility like the Efreet Nacht, a genuine cloaking field.

For context, those (to the best of my knowledge) just straight-up are not really a thing in Universal Century. Minovsky particles kinda nix most long-range weaponry, hence why mobile suits are a thing. If you want to be stealthy, you typically go the route of removing emissions (as the Efreet nacht does with its lack of heat weapons) or having camouflage to reduce the chances of visual detection. Spotters are a big thing in lots of UC works. So the Black Rider being able to just “*poof* invisible” is a really odd thing in context. I can only assume (in-universe) it wasn’t practical at all, or it only worked early on, and improvements in technology eventually made it infeasible.

Even putting that aside, they’re not perfect. Heat weaponry is…. Basically nonexistent on Federation suits, so it’s inclusion here is a little odd. But the main flaw with the suits is that they’re just not well utilised. They essentially function as expendable grunts for the main villain. They don’t even have named pilots. Furthermore, Rider units are kind of a big deal, being very rare and quite powerful. So this one random force just having them - even if they are former prototypes - is just kinda odd, and it’s never addressed why they have them.

Note: I am aware that the Manga has put a face to the pilot of the white rider. But that and the fact that the manga exists are literally the only facts I know, so I’m not counting it.

The GM Spartan’s then.

Honestly, they’re nice, but they’re not really my thing. I do love a lot of the Fukuchi Mobile Suit Station designs, but I honestly prefer the original artwork (below) to the design they went with here. It’s not bad, but it’s obviously taking just as much influence from the GM Sniper II (if not more) than it is from the original artwork. It’s not equipped with any specialist weaponry in-game however. The unit on the left is the RG version, customised by use of the Game’s villain, Renato Germi (I would spoiler-tag that, but it’s very obvious). I actually like this design, since it could’ve been a very effective use of visual storytelling - Gundam-style parts are higher-quality than regular ones, so could have been used to signify that Renato has friends in high places that can get him fancier equipment. Or it could’ve been used as an effective contrast to the other Gundam pilot in the game. However, unfortunately, neither opportunity was used. It does however, remain a nice design.

The Gundam Pixy/Pixie is, has and always will be, one of my favourite designs in Gundam. Granted, I have a lot of favourites (as I’ll get to later), but the Pixy is just wonderful. Something about a close-quarters focused, lightweight, light cost version of the RX-78-2 with a decent weapons loadout just appeals to me.

The problem with variations on your favourite designs is that you tend to be a lot harsher on them, since they’re trying to improve on perfection. The Gundam Pixy Lilith Aiden Custom is very very good. I wouldn’t say I prefer it to the original, and I do think it’s a smidge overarmed, but the design of the mech itself I think was handled very well. It’s easier to see when comparing them in-game, but the entire chest and head area has been remodelled and a small shield has been added to the arm. It’s really very well-done, giving the impression of adding armour to something that was originally lacking it. The fact that it makes it look slightly closer to the original art is a bonus in my book.

The original Pixy is armed with Vulcans, two beam daggers, then either a bullpup machinegun or two 90mm machine guns that look like Uzis. It’s a very light armament for a suit that specialises in getting in close. The Pixy LA is armed with Vulcans, two beam Sabers, a twin beam spear (shown in the above image), a rocket bazooka and a handheld beam gun. Two of those weapons are quite large and unwieldy, so I don’t really think such a machine can still be called lightweight. This is the first of a trend of taking established, specialised designs and making them more generalised, which I’m personally none too fond of.

I don’t really think it needed to be red, since honestly the pilot has very little in common with char, so it only serves as a “rival” unit.

And with all the unique Earth Federation units out of the way, let’s move on to our protagonists in Zeon in the next post, because I ran out of pictures.

[mrbexwrites]

Find That Word Tag Game

I was tagged by @sarahlizziewrites and have to find the following words:

settle, wiggle, stone, years, firm, sleeves, framing, guests

Some trigger warnings for abuse, violence, death and trafficking.

And, so, behold snippets containing those words below-

Settle- From Memento Mori Part I: Morgana is bonding with a ghost of a murdered woman, who was trafficked and sold into sex slavery. Ylena is opening up about the Loverboy Method of how she was trafficked by her ‘boyfriend,’ Vasily. Morgana has reluctantly agreed to help her solve her own murder.

“Sounds boring,” Ylena looked at her nails. “Anyway, Vasily and his friends were talking about moving to the UK, and how much money they were going to make there. He was always away on business, which seemed really exotic. He was always flying away somewhere. He was going to settle down and live in London, and grow his business from there.There were way more opportunities in the West and the UK was the best. So I practised my English, watched the BBC and got ready to come here.I told him that he couldn’t leave me behind.”

Wiggle- From Memento Mori Part III: In the almost 100k in these novellas, I’ve not used ‘wiggle’ once, only ‘wiggled’, so you’ll have to excuse a slight deviation from the rules! We’ve jumped in time, and Morgana has (spoilers) caught up with Vasily and *finally* managed to keep her promise to Ylena. Her non-binary sibling, Avery (Codenamed ‘The Bacchanal’) is planning a ‘small’ party to celebrate.

The elevator doors opened, and Arty rushed to meet me. 

I knelt and scooped the excited ball of fur into my arms. 

“Hey, little dude,” he licked my face and almost wiggled out of my arms. “It’s good to see you too. Uh...what the hell?” 

“Deathkins!” Avery waved at me from the snug they were curled up on. They toasted me with a daiquiri. “Congrats on conquering your evil little human trafficker. Don’t mind the Help. They’re just helping me set up for a little soirée I’m planning to celebrate our success.” 

“A little soirée?” I let Arty down, and he scampered off. “Ave…”

“I promise...just friends and family, and a few people.”

“How many?” 

“A few….honest! Cross my heart!”

“What is your definition of ‘a few’?” I had learned that Avery’s ideas of numbers and mine very much differed wildly. To me, ‘a few’ was no more than ten people.

Stone- From Memento Mori Part II: I’m not even sorry, folk! Yes, I’m not normally this chaotic, and regretting my decision to do these in the order of the words as they were given in the game, and not chronologically in the story itself. It’s been one of those days, and you’re just going to have to accept that I’ve deviated from my actual personality. Matisse is a Millenium Citizen, like Morgana, but with healing powers. This is just a snippet from a filler scene to a) build the character a littler, but also, to help me hit that sweet, sweet 50K NaNoWriMo word count, baby!

I made my way back to the store room that was my makeshift bedroom, kicking a small stone with my shoe. Not looking where I was going, I bumped into Matisse. He sported a black eye, and a cut across his nose. 

“Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine in an hour or so,” he pulled the bloodied bandage away from his nose, a blood clot falling away from his nostril. “Nothing that I can’t handle.” 

“You don’t look okay,” I peered up at him, the worry must have been etched clearly on my face, as he waved me off. 

“Yesterday took a lot out of me,” the bandage went back to his nose, stemming the bleeding. “I just need something to eat . Time heals all wounds,” he chuckled to himself. “At least it does for me.” 

I handed him my half-eaten cereal bar from Clay. 

Years- From Memento Mori Part IV: Last year’s NaNoWriMo attempt that I wrote whist battling a kidney infection and enjoying the codeine that the NHS prescribed me. Needless to say, it needs a lot of work and some tough-love editing/major re-writes. It’s a darling that refuses to die, mainly because I was trying to write a happily-ever-after-fluff peice, which is essentially fanfic for myself.  This is some context for a couple of new ghosts that Morgana has ‘acquired’ on her journey to New Mexico and the made-up town that I invented to base some story events there!

August had tried to arrest Jeremiah, after he’d fled Arizona, having held up a bank, stealing two hundred dollars of cash, and several rings and necklaces off of the ladies who were in with their husbands, and according to him, some stolen kisses were also exchanged. He’d double crossed his own gang to ensure he got away with the money, and crossed into New Mexico, not realising that August Washington, the son of a freed slave, was hot on his heels. 

They’d gotten into a firefight, each man taking six bullets to the torso. Jeremiah had taken a bullet to the neck, ending his short life; he had been twenty four years old when he bled out on the sand not far from where Halo Rock had been founded.

Firm- Back to Memento Mori Part I: (I’m not even sorry any more guys!) Morgana is getting deeper into her investigation into Ylena’s murder, and her own police work is starting to intersect with the detectives’ from Police Scotland, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as Morgana has an excuse to see West a bit more (bow chicka wow wow!)

West led me over to his desk, and offered me a seat. I sat clutching my bag to my chest. He had dark circles under his eyes, and dark stubble was taking over his face, and his sandy hair was ruffled. His shirt was crumpled, as if he’d been asleep in it. 

“It’s been a long night,” he sat his coffee down and sat back against his chair. “Got assigned to a suspicious fire in Drumchapel.”

“The NCA safehouse?” 

“I would ask how you know about that, but having seen your starring role in the Skeptikz video, consider me a firm believer in your skills.” 

“You’ve watched it?” I groaned. 

“Tell him to deal with my case,” Ylena demanded, perching on the desk with her arms crossed. 

“After meeting you the other day, I wanted to see why Samuels recommended you. I mean, we all know about you, but it’s just been stuff from the papers. But the guv, she trusts you, so there had to be more than just what the press say.  So, it was good timing when I searched for you online, and the newest video for those guys was the first hit.” 

“I thought you looked familiar,” Cammie called from his desk. “Ghost Girl! You sure gave that guy the heebie jeebies!” 

Sleeves- From Part II: Okay, so I’m going to try to stick with some semblance of chronological order now. This is me trying to give some world-building/Lore for the Millennium Citizens. I like the idea of not having to explain everything (Like Robin Hobb and the Elderlings- they just are) but that said, in-world context is necessary, especially when you accidentally form a plot along that one bloody thing you didn’t want to focus on.

I thought of the Aon, lurking somewhere deep in the Beyond, its blue eyes hunting for me. 

“The old gods,” Rizwan chuckled and shook his head. “They weren’t omnipotent, all-knowing beings. They were fallible. They were human. They weren’t separate from their people. Sure, they might live in a high mountain, but if someone was brave enough, they could climb up and steal from them.”

“Like Prometheus,” I picked up and studied the clothes that Aisha had brought me. She had leant me one of her dresses; black with red flowers embroidered on the sleeves and hem. I pulled it on over my head. 

Framing-From Searching for Starlight, my attempt at Sci-Fi. A small snippet from a party, that’s about to become a bloody coup attempt.

A band with musical instruments that were foreign, yet familiar, started to play. Everyone’s attention turned to the small stage, and Rashmi saw Sekhmet’s lips twitch into a smile. 

Asase, her dark, curled hair framing her features like a halo stood before the microphone. Her voluptuous figure was shown off by the purple sequinned dress she wore, a high slit up the side gave away a hint of skin, that had it gone any higher, would have been scandalous. 

Waiting for the music to reach its crescendo, Asase started to sing, her voice low and husky, making Rashmi’s arms tingle. Whatever spell Sekhmet had cast on the room was broken, and all eyes turned to the singer, transfixed. 

Guests-Further on in the scene from Searching for Starlight.  Rashmi has been trying to avoid Riassa, but now the Councillor has managed to get her in her sights!

“Perhaps, then, you would care for some company,” a tall woman, over seven feet tall stood next to her table. She wore a high collared dress that ran all the way to her feet. It was cinched at her waist, and her head was covered in a semi-circular hat that reminded Rashmi of a crescent moon. The woman didn’t wait for an invitation, but pulled out the seat Kai had vacated and sat next to her. 

“Bright One,” the woman bowed her head slightly, and Rashmi felt her stomach sink. She had never met the Luminarian Councillor, but Riassa’s reputation was well known to her. “I hope you had a chance to read what I passed onto you. It is such a shame that Corporal Alonic was taken away and placed on a cruiser headed for Harbourage. Due to his redeployment, he wasn’t able to pass on your response about meeting.”

“I’m afraid that I’ve been busy,” Rashmi tried to keep her voice even. 

“Yes, you have been so very busy lately, being asked to crew the Windjammer with Switchpace and her crew of odd-balls. But yet, here you are, without an escort, and in public for the galaxy to see. Why do you think that is?”

“Because my commanding officer was awarded a medal, and invited me along. And a contingent from my home world are here as guests of the Assembly?”

“Oh! That is darling!” Riassa laughed, a soft tinkling sound that reminded Rashmi of chimes in the wind. “No, my dear. You’re out in public, because you’re not that special, and no longer worth hiding away.”

I'm going to tag @thecatsgrave, @lindira @angelicminds, @thelemoncannibal and anyone else who wants to join in!

Your words are: Steer, ghost, scarf, protect, flaunt, slight, fingers, cackle

[randomshipperhere]

Can I SAVE Markiplier? Notes

You can find the vid in GTLive

I’ll be writing down stuff I found interesting. Also he should read up some theories on tumblr, 

Right off the gates he uses the darkiplier tag and I- you made me look Theory Crew. You got me smiling good from behind the screen with that.

It’s already been speculated but he confirms he’ll have more scenes in part 2. Also even if fans joked about there being a possible 3rd part, looks like we really will only have 2.

He likens his experience to the marvel actors where he’s a part of it but doesn’t really know much outside his role (don’t worry, we don’t blame ya)

The theorist brain is hard at work! He immediately took notice of the Invincible II

Being amazed at how smart Mark was in making sure they could cut on the cgi bits by closing the blast doors and laughs at the next line.

No Mat, the M2702 is just a reference to the tesla video. We also see that as his inmate number in heist. I’d be surprised if there was heavy lore implications.

Pam being a recurring character. Is going to take note of her. As he should honestly. Kinda surprised he didn’t make a wkm connection already from Mark and Celci’s first interaction.

Chica appreciation

He had to be in one of the cryopods for a while. Cozy and lots of smoke.

He thought Mick’s outfit was one of the coolest.

Cameraman appreciation! FUCK YEAH! More preesh! There was apparently a point where they had to use their teeth to carry it. God damn. Hmmm, are the head tilts or shakes done with the teeth cam?

He liked the lore door~ y’know with the whole don’t wake the captain notes. lmao he went the long route when he could’ve gotten there much faster. First routes truly are special. Timeline merging seems to be the most logical conclusion, he and I can agree on this.

Dang you lore enthusiast you missed it. Well, when theory crew makes his video I am so sure he’ll go through it again because you can’t just not talk about Dorene when talking about lore in part 1

Man I really didn’t watch everything because all these send Mark in options are so new to me and it makes me feel bad :) I am not going to send him in. Head engineer Mark is my cute puppy 🥺

Pam apparently had to have ice packs in her suit.

I can’t believe he paused and missed the Warfstache was here

Hey, he’s right in his assumption! It is like the box from Heist. More like it’s the same crystal

Do most people really do the jump in again option first time through? I’ve seen a lot of reactions to iswm where they do that.

Mat thinking that there's more to the loop reminded me of the tweet Mark did. Oh no he's fallen prey to it and he doesn't even know it!

He thinks Gunther is right in how someone may have tampered with the Invincible. You are correct sir. Old Man Mark has a few things to say about that

He thought Dorene looked like Future Pam :D That’s a score for you Pam=Dorene theorists because you got him on your side

Yeah Dark is reserved for part 2

He picked up on the “you always were stubborn” line. Good on you~

Actually if he's working on his theory right after there are a few things he has things he has to keep in mind. WKM AHWM Dorene route, the website, and Mark's latest videos. A few posts like the character dossiers too. Maybe even WMLW and Stan the water man if you want to stretch it out further. ADWM doesn’t have that much connection to part 1 for now outside of the date line and what we assume, Stan holding the romance and horror book (but that’s a part 2 spoiler).

[azurestarsiii]

TWST HCs | Pt. I | Pt. II

Here’s one of the drafts! More incoming in the queue @egocentricspice

Azul & Vil

Nothing can beat the bond Azul, Jade, and Floyd have. They’ve known each other since kids and have stuck by each other through everything that’s happened. I won’t go too deep into the dynamic of the Octavinelle trio but I do think they show some form of friendliness outside of that trio. Like Jade and Trey or Floyd with Riddle. Jamil and Azul is on that can definitely be seen from Azul’s side but I equally think Azul and Vil have some potential for interactions

Azul doesn’t have a lot of confidence in his appearance and to some extent, his own achievements. His childhood experiences meant that even after he’s achieved so much, put in all the hard work to prove everyone wrong, that he doesn’t hold himself in a high regard because other people’s opinions of him effected him that deeply. If I could, I’d give him a hug.

Vil’s experience has been more or less the exact opposite. He’s the son of an actor and grew up as one, he’s used to hearing the praise but equally has heard the critics. He puts in hard work for his image and is careful to maintain it, similar to Azul in a way.

Vil and Azul’s interactions in Azul’s CR card in a positive note for them, at least. And they clearly have respect for the other and share similar traits.

Vil noticing Azul’s skin being better than the average person, then actively asks for his help for making a special toner. Azul acknowledges Vil’s achievements in the Pomefiore chapter, including the amount of followers he has as an influencer.

Azul singing and being a part of the VDC team would’ve been good content for me but that’s mostly my bias. But imagine Azul singing in class and Vil overhearing from the hallways.

Going back to the influencer point, in the anthology, there’s the mini comic of the octotrio and their Monstro Lounge Magicam account and Azul once more, mentions Vil. And Cater’s the one that inspires them with an idea to improve their account.

Just imagine Cater revisiting the lounge after it gets more popular for a Magicam worthy pic of one of their specials and makes a posts on it.

Vil’s scrolling through his account and sees Cater’s post, tagging the octatrio through the Monstro Magicam account. He doesn’t really make trips to eat at their cafe, even if he’s made a deal but that wouldn’t stop him from being curious enough to check the account.

And there’s just candid photos on the page. One photo is of Floyd in a good mood, taken while he’s on his shift and the caption hints Jade took the photo. A selfie with a grinning Floyd holding the camera, Azul presumably dragged into the frame, mysteriously embarrassed over something; it’s a rare moment of seeing him genuine and the photo doesn’t give away too much. A shot of tweels + Riddle at a table and Riddle looks a little exasperated but not surprised. However Trey’s in the comment section surprised and the ADeuce duo has a whole conversation voicing whether or not they should save their dorm leader (Spoiler alert: they don’t). And just more moments like these, with other staff members and the occasional food promotion pics in the mix.

There’s not much on their Magicam account but after a few more pics, there’s a clear difference in quality. The first few pics reminded him of ones taken from their menus and while good quality, bland for a Magicam post. Vil wonders about the change.

Azul and Vil partnering in an alchemy assignment in a rare moment their classes joined. Jamil’s relieved, he gets a break from both Kalim and Azul that day. And unlike him, he notices Vil doesn’t seem to mind whatever conversation is between them which is a surprise to him. He figured Vil would make some sort of beauty comment against Azul or Azul’s talk about deals would drive the other away but neither happen. That’s how their interactions with most people are like after all.

If they ever got close, I’d like to see Vil support Azul. Maybe not in an obvious way like how he helped Epel’s family business but still in his own way of showing he cares. Azul had a lot of bullies growing up and Vil showing respect to Azul and the occasional compliment would mean a lot.

Vil doesn’t come from the same area as Azul so if he were to see his octopus form for the first time, it would be different from how his classmates would see him. Cephalopods are rare in the ocean and while Azul’s classmates dislike him, I’d like to believe Vil would show a more positive reaction. I just want Azul to have someone to compliment him.

[quirklessidiot]

Title: first meetings [ii. the small pink-haired boy] Genre: just angst, drama, romance, historical fiction Pairing: Sorcerer!Sukuna x gn!sorcerer!reader (heian era; pre-curse sukuna)

Synopsis: in which you befriend the slave boy you’re supposed to spy on.

Warnings: not canon stuff, future dark themes,, smoll manga spoilers, slavery, whipping, mentions of rape, language and violence Notes: im kinda back i guess skksks also these are pretty much random au’s of my own take of sukuna’s back story uwu, theyre arranged in no particular order and you can read them in any order. This started out as a random one shot and i couldnt get it out of my head lol ksksksks, def not canon btw but it is canon that sukuna used to be an all powerful sorcerer before he turned to the dark side or smthng.

lil dictionary: non-person-  usually what they called slaves during the heian era.

masterlist [for other parts] ;; taglist 

“That’s beautiful.”

Contrasting to your rather clean and prestigious appearance, the young boy was dressed in rags and had dirt painted on his face. You could tell by his uncommon red eyes that he didn’t want you here nor did he even want to be associated with you.

“...the boy is rather prideful.” your otosan recounted a few nights before, you’d usually have conversations like this since you were quite close with him and he did like to confide you with these things,“but he has spirit, he’d be good for a ward.”

“What are you doing here?” He spat, being a part of and the sole heir of your family meant you were also treated with dignity and respect, it seemed like this boy wasn’t afraid of anything or anyone, this made you grin wildly much to his disdain, “Oi, stop grinning like that. You’re creeping me the fuck out.”

“I’m Y/N.”

“And I don’t care.” 

“Has anyone told you that you’ve got quite the temper?”

“Well, has anyone told you that you’re being an annoying bitch?” he bit back, five minutes into your first meeting, this strange boy seemed to want to get furthest away from you. He seemed to be rather ignorant to his overflowing cursed energy, your father was right, this boy was definitely no joke. 

“That’s sad.” You pouted, “All I wanted to say was how beautiful that Kimono is.”

“I was at a store, looking for some clothes that best suited you when I saw a young boy of your age…” your otosan narrated, “Who had a rather high cursed energy, he seemed unaware with it. He works as an errand boy, I believe, he carries heavy clothes and silk… His looks are hard to miss Y/N, so I’m sure you won’t miss him...try to talk to him…”

The boy looks up to you, completely annoyed, “Well, you said it. Now fuck off, yeah?”

You chose to ignore him and just bend down to his level, you had no training for today so you might as well join the boy for a moment since you had time to kill, “You know, if you keep keeping that attitude up, you might scare the customers away.” you mumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

“Yeah?” he clicked his tongue, “Looks to me that you aren’t even here to buy anything.”

“He seemed rather…” Your otosan described, “perplexed...so you might as well go in my stead…”

“Ah.” your grin doesn’t seem to fade despite his rather rough way of speaking, “You just seemed around my age so I got interested.”

“No shit, now buzz off. I got no time for kids like you.”

He talks as if he was older than you, it’s no surprise. Boys like him tend to think they know quite a lot.

“Do you wish to tell me your name now?”

He was silent for a moment.

That’s when realization dawned upon you, why he seemed perplexed around your otosan, why he thinks you were an annoying buzz, and why he couldn’t reply when you asked for his name. You feel yourself inwardly cringe at your mistake, it seems like the boy your father took interest in is a slave with no name, “Twenty.” he mumbles, shrugging nonchalantly.

“What?”

“They call me twenty.” he recounts, his voice is still rough around the edges, remaining uncensored by his identity.

“Right…” you tilt your head, “Twenty…”

“You’ve got silks to bring to the next town, boy!” a loud voice calls out, cutting you short, making the pink-haired boy put the pretty kimono down and back for display. Without even sparing you a glance or a word, he retreats to the back and you’re left squatting there alone. You watch him from behind, specifically at the bandages that peeked through his wrists.

The boy had piqued your interest to the point that you made it your weekly agenda to visit him and a-some-nights agenda to watch over him. He still ignores you and seems to be annoyed by you every time but he doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it so you just sit there. 

You were also still in awe by how much raw energy he possessed, you’d ask your otosan if he knew any sorcerers with lost children because it surely seemed as if this boy wasn’t ordinary.

“Just keep an eye on him,” was all your father said as you watch the boy close up shop late at night from on top of a roof, “He might make a great sorcerer and shift the tides.”

Your otosan was not one for gambling on people but it seemed like he made a large bet on this boy. 

As usual, you’re watching over him close up. It’s late and the owner of the place walks out, a pipe on his lips. Right then and there, he slaps the pink-haired teenager right at the face, “You should’ve joined the customer awhile ago in the dressing room, boy.” he growls, “It would’ve been quick…”

You feel the negative energy emit stronger than ever and your grip on your knife is tight, “Don’t get involved, Y/N.” your otosan’s warning echoes in your head, yes your otosan may have been interested in him but he was never one to dwell in human affairs, saying they were annoying and a mess to clean up.

“...It seems like the lesson a few nights ago wasn’t enough.” you snap back to reality and watch his boss stretch out a whip with its pointy ends and you feel your blood run cold. 

‘Don’t get involved-’

You ignore your otosan’s words in your head and throw a stone right at a nearby sign, resulting in a booming clang, making the cat nearby yelp outloud. The pink-haired boy jumps on the spot and so does the older man at the sound.

“Ah fucking-” the older man curses, tucking the whip back in, “No food for you for three days. Know your fucking worth, non-person.”

Your grip on your nodachi lessens as you let out a sigh of relief, whatever legal terms your father must be talking about needs to be done quickly.

On the next day, you’re on your way to visit him again. Carrying the bento box that you know he’ll refuse again because of his ‘pride’ yet you stop dead on your tracks when you find his owner and an older man talking, Sukuna seems to be standing behind them, looking quite uncomfortable.

It didn’t take two and two to guess what was going on, the amount of cursed energy leaking on him was strong so you could only guess this was the man who wanted to get his way on him yesterday. Your nose crinkles in absolute disgust, “Don’t get involved-”

Once again, you ignore your otosan’s words.

“Hey!” You call out, you see his red eyes widen, “What are you doing?”

The older man frowns at your sudden appearance, “None of your business brat. Now go home-”

“I said,” You repeated, your voice dangerously low, “What are you doing to him?”

“He’s a non-person, kid.” his ‘owner’ growls, you notice his hands dangerously close to his whip, “A fucking slave in simpler terms, now get the fuck out before I beat him and you.”

“You don’t scare me.” Your eyes are narrowed, truthfully, no one ever scares you. You were the heir of your clan. It was to be expected and drilled since your curse energy manifested when you were five that fear would come last, “Now unhand the boy.”

“This bitch-”

“Now, now.” The other man smiles, cutting the pink-haired boy’s ‘owner’ off,  “Maybe I can take that young child with me too. After all, they seem to be good friends. Two is better than one…”

You watch the other older man snake an arm on the young boy’s shoulder and you could feel the fear leaking out, it was harder to mask and hide now. 

“Is it alright to put a little scar on’em? So that they’d know-” He gets ready to take out the whip while your fists are clenched, this would be easy. You could get away with this later, at least you’d take the boy away from this place and help him control his energy after. 

Yet before you’re able to land a blow, the pink-haired boy yells at you to move as his ‘owner’ takes out a whip to whip you.

For someone who didn’t seem to like your presence, he was rather quick to defend you, having his face get hit in the process by the sharp whip. Your eyes widen in surprise, “Ah, shit… Y/N, run!” he yells but you’re staring at his very bloody face.

It would obviously leave marks like the wrists and who knows which parts since he was always covered by that very loose raggedy kimono.

You clench your fists tightly and look up from his blood features, the ‘owner’ stops on his tracks when he meets your very cold gaze, “Do you know who you just messed with?” you asked, “You really think I won’t tell my otosan that you planned to make me your prostitute?”

“Y-Y/N, jesus christ just fucking run-” he tried to stutter out, any evidence of the prideful and strong boy who tried to shoo you away was now gone.

Yet like the stubborn child you are, you ignore him and instead take out your family seal and drop it in front of them, ignoring the pink-haired boy’s plea’s and watching the two men in front of you turn white as a ghost as they see the nameplate, “My name is Ryomen Y/N.” You stated, voice loud and clear, “And you better hope that I’ll let you out here dead or me and my otosan will hunt you down for the rest of your life.”

taglist [if your name is crossed out, i cant tag you!] @shinhiromi ;; @hcn421 ;; @airybnb ;; @coldbookworm ;; @kristineyoshaii ;; @frankenstein852​

@iguessimastannnow

[buckyswintersoldiermask]

The Super Soldier and His Friend

Part 7

Bucky Barnes x friend!reader

(Bucky x Sam, Sam x reader, Sarah x reader)

⊙ Bucky Masterlist ⊙ Main Masterlist ⊙ TSSAHF Masterlist ⊙

Summary: Bucky tells Yori the truth, and tells you that you’re his family. Bucky invites you to go with him to Louisiana for a cookout with Sam.

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: spoilers for FATWS Episodes 5 and 6

A/N: this is the final part of the series, I hope it’s to y’all’s liking :)

I don’t want FATWS to end :((

“You weren’t amending, you were avenging.” Those words rang in Buckys mind. He truly wasn’t amending, so he knew what he had to do.

“So you’re going to tell Yori today, are you sure today is the day?”

“I’ve waited long enough, he needs the closure (y/n) and it’s one step closer to me making amends.”

You patted his shoulder and gave him a warm smile, “I’ll be at my place, come over if you want, when you’re done.” He nods before you both leave his apartment. You went into your apartment just hoping the best for Bucky.

He’s had so much growth since you’ve met him, he’s finally getting closer to peace. Something he’s wanted since you met him.

Bucky didn’t take long. Bucky knocked on his door, Yori surprised to see him, he let him in. They sat down and Bucky told him straight up,

I, uh, have something to tell you. About your son.

Yori was confused to say the least, what could Bucky know about his son? Bucky and Yori sat down as Bucky slipped off his glove.

He was murdered. Bucky said, making Yori even more confused.

By The Winter Soldier. And that was me. Bucky finally spits out, as his voice shakes. Taking everything in him not to fall apart.

“Why?” Yori asked, Bucky inhales, trying to compose himself, “I didn’t have a choice.”

Yori showed Bucky out after that. Bucky took a little walk afterwards, before showing up at your door.

Once he knocked on your door and you saw his face, you knew he had told him. He had tried to tell Yori multiple times, but this time he stuck with it. You let him in and he sat down on your couch.

You stood just a few feet away from him, wanting to know if he’s okay. “So how did it go?”

“I told him, he asked why, and I told him why.”

“I know that was hard and I’m proud of you.” Bucky nods, as you pat his shoulder.

“Do you want to stay for a bit?” He nods again and you grab a bunch of delivery menus from your kitchen. “You’re lucky I don’t have work tomorrow.”

“Your hours are never consistent. Why do you even work there?”

“Well some of us aren’t a World War II veteran and need to work to have a roof over our heads.” You retorted, passing him a menu. “Order us some food, and if I didn’t have a job I wouldn’t be able to pay for our food.”

He smirked before ordering the food as you brought 2 sodas to the table. Setting them down, before sitting down across from him. “Do you want to talk about it?” He shook his head, popping the lid on the soda off.

Trying to lighten the mood you say, “Well I know what we could talk about.”

“And what’s that?”

“Sam’s new suit.” You say, before opening your own soda.

“I’m not following.”

“That’s a nice suit. The Wakandans did good.”

“How did-“

“Just a hunch. Now let’s talk about your suit.”

“My suit is fine.”

“I mean it could use some tweaks.”

“We are not doing this.”

“Sam’s suit is better than yours.” You blurt out, teasing Bucky more. His mouth drops open in fake shock.

“Take it back.”

“He has wings and a shield. You just have a jacket and some pants and a gold and black metal arm.” You exclaim, making Bucky roll his eyes.

“And here I thought you were my friend.”

“I am, and as your friend I’m saying your suit needs an upgrade.”

“Alright, fashion expert.”

After some more light bantering between the two of you, your food arrived, you paid for it then brought it inside.

You noticed the bag being extra heavy than usual. “Geez, Bucky how much did you order?” You asked, taking containers out of the bag.

“Enough.”

“Yeah enough to feed 6 people.”

You and Bucky ate as he told you about him and Sam stopping the flagsmashers. It was nice to hear Bucky and Sam working together and not being a pain in each other’s sides. You saw Sam’s speech on TV the other day, it was beautiful and inspiring. Sam is Captain America.

It was way past 12am and Bucky decided he should go home. Even though you didn’t mind him staying, he insisted. “Will you be alright tonight?” You asked, making sure he’d be okay after that day's events.

He nods, “if not, I’ll come over.” You give him a tight hug before he leaves.

It was quiet and calm in your apartment as you were getting ready for bed. Bucky seemed fine after talking to Yori but he knew he’s always welcome at your place anytime. Which you always expressed. You were getting ready for bed and was interrupted as you heard a knock on your door. You groaned as you trudged to your front door.

You unlocked it to see it’s Bucky. You let him in and close the door behind him, “why didn’t you just use your key?”

“I didn’t want you to think someone was breaking in.”

“Good point,” you sat down on the couch and patted it, telling him to come sit down. “You okay, Buck?” You asked, remembering what he said earlier. He sat down beside you as you got ready to listen to what he had to say.

“Yeah, I just wanted to ask you something.”

“What’s up?”

“Sam invited me to a cookout in New Orleans and I wanted to know if you’d come with me.”

“I’d love to, only if Sam and his family are okay with it. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“I asked him if it was okay. He said you’re welcome to come.” You smiled, “well if it’s okay with him.”

“I got us plane tickets.” He says, handing you a plane ticket he bought.

“You just knew I’d say yes, huh?”

“I just want all of my family to be there.” You stare at him for a moment, with a jaw dropping expression on your face.

“You’re family (y/n/n). I thought I had nothing when Sam gave up the shield, but I had you. Even though we are an usual pair of friends, you’re very important to me.”

“So that’s why you came here at almost 2am? To tell me I’m your family.”

“Yes?” Bucky answered, unsure of how you were taking this.

“I love you too, Buck.”

You glanced down at your plane ticket to see the date you’re supposed to be leaving.

“We’re leaving in 2 days?!”

“Yes..” you glared at him as he slouched in his seat avoiding eye contact with you.

After about a 3 hour flight, you and Bucky landed in New Orleans. You rented a car and you were on your way to the dock, where the cookout was.

“Wait.” You said, making Bucky stop the car abruptly.

“What happened?”

“We have to bring something. We can’t show up empty handed.”

“What should we bring?”

Bucky drove to the store and the both of you settled on a cake with buttercream icing and 2 liters of soda. You pull up to the dock and Bucky puts on some shades and his jacket. You shook your head as you grabbed the drinks and Bucky got the cake. Music was playing, food was being cooked and everybody was just having a good time when you walked up.

The first people who greeted Bucky were Sam’s nephews, Cass and AJ. Bucky pretended to fight with them for a little bit before walking over to the table and placing down the cake. You came behind and placed the drinks on the table as well. Bucky glanced around looking for the man of the hour. He was getting hugs and pictures from people in the community.

Bucky brought you over to Sam, giving him a hug. Buckys come a long way from ignoring his messages to hugging him, you thought. Bucky glanced over to you, introducing you to Sam.

“(y/n), this is Sam. Sam, (y/n).”

“Nice to meet you in person, Sam. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Anyone who’s friends with Bucky is a friend of mine.”

You met a lot of really nice people that day. You talked to Sarah and offered to help her cook. And man did she put you to work. After you were done, you sat at a picnic table, enjoying the atmosphere.

You watched as children played on Bucky's metal arm as he talked to Sarah, which warmed your heart. Bucky’s arm being a bar to play on for kids. It was nice to see him happy and peaceful there in Louisiana.

Bucky excused himself before coming over to you, “you okay, doll?”

“Yeah, I’m just taking it all in. You fit right in down here.” Bucky nods, agreeing with you, he does fit right in. “Why don’t you come over here with me, Sarah and the kids?” Bucky questioned as he grabbed your hand, leading you over to them.

“I know you two have met.” Bucky smiled, as you sat down at the table.

“Yeah, (y/n), helped me with the food earlier, she’s the one that deals with you in New York.” You laugh, before nodding at Sarah’s comment, “that’s me, though, I feel it's a mutual thing, we deal with each other.”

“Thank you for being so welcoming.” You said as a big smile appeared on your face.

“Of course.”

The music continued to play as everyone danced around, chatted, and ate. The sun began to set. Bucky went to talk to Sam for a moment and Sarah went to go talk to some more people. You stayed there watching the kids play, such innocence and beauty. You glanced over at Sam and Bucky as Bucky nudged his shoulder, a huge grin on his face. You had never seen him smile as much as he smiled that day.

Sam and Buckys moment was short but sweet. Bucky came back and sat next to you, still smiling.

“You’re really enjoying yourself.” You said, turning to him, making eye contact.

“I am, I’m really glad you came (y/n/n).”

“I’m glad I came too.”

That day Bucky realized something. He had a family and he was finally happy.

A/N: tell me what you thought about this part! Might make an alternative ending or something idk.

Bucky Tags: @ragnaroqk @mollysolo @mogaruke @whothehellisbuckybarnes @amelia-song-pond @fredweazleyswh0re @tinylumpiaa @i-reblog-fics-i-like @weenersoldierr @stephthepeach @sammypotato67 @ttalisa @mxltifaves @supremethunda @hanniebee33 @gamerartisy @afraid-to-be-me @qhbr2013 @kidswhofightmonsters @bahama-mama-llama @teti-menchon0604 @jbreenr

TSSAHF Tags: @nialeesato @marvel-ousnesss

Taglist

[stanning-reyna]

Her Future - A dark Annabeth fic

Chapter 5

AN: TBM spoilers in this chapter! Also, the entire fic takes place the summer after toa, about a year after hoo, in case anyone was confused on the timeline.

The rest of Annabeth and Percy’s interactions with the minor gods went as planned. Nike was difficult, as expected. She still remembered the time the demigods had kidnapped her and forced her onto the Argo II, but the temptation of a victory got her on board. All of the divine pieces were falling into place, just as Annabeth had imagined. She once again found herself giddy at how far she had come, about how much control she was gaining over the situation. It was a lovely feeling.

“Piper! I’m so glad I ran into you, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” Annabeth said, running up to her friend who had just returned to Camp for the summer. The daughter of Aphrodite was catching up with her siblings she hadn’t seen in nearly a year, and a smile spread across her face as Annabeth approached.

Annabeth led her away from the group so they could speak privately. As they walked, she ran through the words she had rehearsed a million times in her head. Jason was dead, it was Zeus’ fault, etc. What Piper needed to hear to get on board. Annabeth felt a sour nagging in the back of her head telling her that she shouldn’t bring up such a tender topic just for persuasion. This won’t matter once I make everything better, she reminded herself. She had to push away the guilt. It would only stop her from doing what it takes to fix the world.

They arrived in the strawberry fields and sat down next to each other on the dirt. This was the spot they used to spend their free time in the spring that Percy was missing, watching the satyrs in the field and Annabeth filling Piper in on everything and anything about her missing boyfriend. Now he was back, and it felt strange to be sitting here again.

Their conversation started casual enough, asking about the school year and so forth. Annabeth waited patiently till the subject she was waiting for came up.

“The school that Jason an- the school that I went to in October was miserable. You should be glad you didn’t plan a visit,” Piper said. She tried to cover it up in her words, but her body language gave away the grief she felt at the mention of Jason. Annabeth knew she should feel sad about what had happened to him too, but where there should be the pain of loss in her chest she found nothing. She was sure she had experienced that feeling at some point- probably when her own Grace sibling had died 8 years ago- but now she couldn’t quite recall what it was like. 

Annabeth turned to Piper and faked the best empathy she could. “Listen, I know I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry. I don’t know how you’ve felt, but I do know that it didn’t need to happen.”

Piper stared at the dirt ground in silence, tears forming in her eyes. Finally, she spoke. “I know it didn’t. It wasn’t even his quest for crying out loud. Sometimes I think that…. call me crazy, but sometimes I think Zeus wanted it to happen.” 

The daughter of Athena nodded in encouragement. Piper was making her job too easy. 

“I agree. After all the things we’ve been through, after Jason spent years serving the Legion, being killed by a Roman emperor seems like a cruel joke only the gods would find funny,” Annabeth said. 

Piper let out a dry laugh that lacked any real humor behind it. “I know. I’ve spent too much time thinking about that, and I keep coming to the same conclusion: there’s absolutely nothing any of us can do about it.” Her voice wavered slightly and Annabeth could tell some charmspeak was seeping through as it tended to do whenever Piper was really upset. 

“Maybe not alone. But the gods aren’t invincible, especially to charmspeak. Together, we could make Zeus pay for what he did. Don’t you want that?” Annabeth asked. She had gathered up all the emotion she could muster and put it into her voice, hoping to convince Piper that this was a fight they could win together.

“Do you really think we could stand up to them?” Annabeth nodded. That’s exactly what she had spent the last year thinking about. “Then it’s worth a shot. I’m in,” Piper said, a sad but hopeful look in her eyes.

AN: Dark Piper was suggested and so here she comes. I am once again bringing up how Annabeth’s desensitization to death is a huge part of her going dark. Thanks for reading! All chapters are under the tag ‘her future annabeth’

[doctorwholover01]

Hello, hi wow it's been a while since I've posted on the tag. Then again there is really nothing to post about it really speculate about. Anyways, we got the episode names which is fun and some photo bare minimum. With this though I wanted to make a post about the episode names and the synopsis of episode two of s11 I wanna talk about specifically the part of;

' Daryl is in his own intense hellish situation trying to find dog and finding more than he expected '

Like many others who I have seen on here and on Twitter my mind went ' it's Leah '. We knew she was coming back and specifically them using dog as a way of leading Daryl to Leah as it sounds in this is very remanist of in Find me where dog leads Carol and Daryl to the cabin. Now as I said we knew Lynn was coming back as Leah we suspected as much. But I want to talk more on how the importance of the Leah is a reaper theory comes into the episode names in my mind. To break down:

11×01: Acheron Part I

11×02: Acheron Part II

- Acheron a river in Greece and known in Greece mythology as the ' river of woe ' and one of the five rivers of the underworld. This river would be a passage for the newly deceased into the underworld. I thought it was interesting that they are naming a two part episode after Greek mythology and especially the river of woe, of sorrow of distress. This could possibly be the inevitable end to Alexandria or something more. There is a need for food and a need to rebuild to survive could this be why they used this myth as well as in episode two having to fight walker. So basically all in all this two parter will possibly be sorrowful. With the return of Leah though the next few episode names is where I thought of what the writers may or may not being doing.

11×03: Hunted

11×04:Rendition

11×05: Out of the Ashes ( if this isn't a Caryl EP I will riot )

11×06: On the Inside

11×07: Promises Broken

11×08: For Blood.

Okay these episodes right here their names I really like them and my brain may be making up shit or thinking up a possible dream story but heres what I thought may happen when I read after ep1 and 2 names.

So episode threes name for me went for two things 1. Being Daryl being hunted by Leah and the reaper's ( I'm not so sure about that one ) 2. Daryl being hunted by his past of Leah so her presence being there as well as the group being hunted by the reaper's specifically Maggie her story to this and how Leah being a reaper will make the story that more interesting. Because of whatever hold she has on Daryl can be used to her advantage.

Episode four being name Rendition I thought was interesting in two ways in story wise. Rendition is a performative piece of music so a performance is being performed from Eugene group possible to get to the commonwealth. And as well as Leah to get her way into the group and get to Maggie to preform as a defensively, alone in order for that hold on Daryl to be held. A performance is going to happen in each way.

Out of the ashes episode 5 like I said will fight if it's not a Caryl episode. I'm joking... Kind of. Out of the ashes to me sounds like a big phew moment maybe the group find food, find Connie, get in contact with Eugene group. All of that to me is what I think this episode may be a kind of relief but not really. Cause it's TWD and we haven't known relief for years. Like episode one and two this episode I don't really have a lot to say expect that.

Episode six, On the Inside, now from I think it apparent filming spoilers of Norman filming as Daryl with reaper's there has been this theory going about that Daryl will actually be a reaper because of Leah which I'm not going lie to me just sounds like bad story telling if it goes through. Daryl character had found his place in where he belongs which is with team fam he says as much to Carol in find me. To me On the Inside would be where Leah found in EP 2 would come into play with her reaper story line. She is on the inside of the group now possibly part of it she is inside there walls and she has infiltrated the group which in order for her possibly maybe being a reaper leader gives her a head start on how to get to Maggie to know the group and the bring it all down and burn it, pillage and take everything. I don't think Daryl is working with the reaper like I said it would be a horrible 360 on his character now but infact Leah infiltrating on the inside. As well as Eugene group getting a feel for the commonwealth scooping it out. Seeing what that life is.

Promises broken this episode is why I think it's Leah working on the inside of the group to infiltrate. She has most likely told Daryl she doesn't have a group in order to get to Maggie since the reaper's seem to be her storyline and now Daryl possibly with Leah. Like I said I think Leah from the inside of the group will try to burn it all down like with the Whispers expect Leah will be smart about it hitting already weak points like alpha did but not showing her hand too quickly. Remmber the hold on Daryl I said about she will try to use that break him down more against the group possibly reminding him of his time in the woods. Maybe he's sees through it through the lie hence a Promise broken. She is break that hold on him promise of his past of which he left and felt guilty about where he thought he belonged broken. Which would tie into.

The half way point... I think. For Blood episode eight. The reaper want blood as we've seen a little in the extra episode specifically Maggie groups blood and now it will be all of Alexandria who is Maggie group. I feel in this episode as it is the half way point Leah will show her true colours to everyone making Daryl feel at blame as he has let her into the group and now put HIS BLOOD his family at danger to the reaper's. I think a fight will pan out in this episode and as one of my friends said maybe Daryl will have to chose to either still feel this hold Leah had over him and sacrifice Leah For Blood, for his family to feel he has right his own wrong.

Yeah so basically tada. This is all been stuck in my head for about two days now and I thought I'd share. I'd like to know others opinions on these episodes as well. So I'm just going to peace out again and not post until the trailer comes out.

PSA I do know this has little to nothing to do with Caryl but the Caryl tag is where I post most. I am a Caryl account this is also where I seen the most speculation.

[randomfandomimagine]

Hi! Love your stuff. Could I request a Last of Us headcannon for being Ellie's younger sibling who she is protective of? Could it be for both parts 1 and 2?

I wrote a similar headcanon for this here, but since that once was only for part 1, I will write this one for part 2 now that I’ve seen the game. I followed the game’s storyline imagining the reader being Ellie’s younger sibling in those scenarios. Hope you like it, lovely, thanks for requesting! 

BEING ELLIE’S YOUNGER SIBLING 

WARNING: Spoilers from The Last of Us Part II!

You and Ellie are inseparable, always have been, always will be

Joel understood this and he grew fond you just like he did of her

The three of you moved to Jackson together, like a family

However, you did notice Ellie had distanced herself from you

After everything that happened with the Fireflies, Ellie was a bit off

You didn’t know what had happened with Joel, but she isolated herself

He had been like a father for the both of you, so you didn’t understand

Still, you noticed how distant she was, even from him

Whenever Joel was around, even if she smiled, she wasn’t being real

“What happened with you and Joel?” You asked one day

“Don’t worry about it, tiny” She smiled at you, and you rolled your eyes

She had used her fond nickname for you, but you saw through her

Something was definitely bothering her, so you insisted

“Talk to me, Ellie, we’re siblings...” “I... I think he lied to me”

She then told you about what happened after the hospital

What Joel said to her when she woke up, about the cure and all

It really weighed down on her, so you tried to comfort her

After that, things only got worse, starting when she ran away

Ellie wasn’t planning on taking you with her, and you knew why

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust you, she was trying to protect you

Being older than you, Ellie had allways felt responsible for you

So she didn’t want to drag you to an abandoned hospital

In the middle of the night while everyone slept too

But you were awake, so you confronted her about it

“What the fuck are you doing?” “Go back to sleep, Y/N”

“No, I’m tired of seeing how my sister runs away from me” “Y/N...”

“Just let me help you, Ellie...” “It’s dangerous” “Stop with the bullshit”

“It’s not bullshit, and you shouldn’t swear” “Yeah, neither should you”

“I need to check something” “Then move your ass, I’m coming with you”

When Joel found the two of you in the morning, it was tough

You were there to comfort Ellie when he finally admitted the truth

Things settled for some years later, almost enjoying life

You got matching tattoos with your sister, both on the arm

It was another excuse to hide her bite mark too

You began dating someone and so did she, things were calm

After that, when Joel died, you felt his loss as much as she did

Everything changed, you felt something break in Ellie

Because you knew the complicated relationship she had had with Joel

And that she would never get to fix now that he was gone

You and Ellie and Tommy were really close during those days

You insisted on going with her on her mission looking for Abby

Being there for her like you always had, even if you were the youngest

It felt like the perfect way to reconnect, to try and cheer Ellie up

You also got along really well with Dinah, so that was nice

Ellie felt a bit more relaxed then, almost forgetting the destination

You got back to teasing Ellie and being playful like you used to be 

Mostly saying how she and Dinah were adorable together (which they are)

Ellie is very pigheaded, though, so you can’t always reason with her

When she started tracking down the people that’d get her to Abby

Seeing how she killed her, something stirred in you, it was harrowing

You tried to talk her out of that, knowing that she was losing herself

“El, I know you’re the big sister, but that doesn’t mean I can’t protect you”

“From myself?” She rolled her eyes. “I have to do it, Y/N, she killed Joel” 

“I know, and he was like a father to me too, but...” “But what?”

You never replied, unable to tell her what you really thought

Then you started drifting apart again, because you couldn’t agree with her

Seeing that violence only caused more violence, it felt wrong

That mission wouldn’t bring Joel back, it would only hurt Ellie

Dinah slowly began siding with you, seeing what it did to Ellie

Despite it all, you stayed by your sister’s side at all times

In the end, Ellie finally realized you had been right

She apologized, feeling horrible and guilty for everything

“I’m so sorry, Y/N... For everything I put you through”

“I’m the big sister, I’m supposed to protect you and... I failed you”

“You haven’t failed me, El, you just needed to do something”

“It was Joel... I couldn’t just stand still” “I know, Ellie...”

You both got emotional, feeling tears in your eyes

You hadn’t seen Ellie so vulnerable in a long time

“Please forigve me... I can’t lose you too...” “I forgive you” “Thanks, tiny”

You hugged like you hadn’t in a long time, feeling like siblings again at last

Things started getting better after that, little by little

You got back to the things you both used to enjoy

Ellie with her comics and space stuff, you with your own things

And excitedly sharing them with each other, like when you were kids

You used to play guitar and sing together before but now you couldn’t

Despite it all, Ellie slowly started getting over Joel’s death

The most important thing was that she would never be alone

Not as long as she could be your big sister

Tag list: @call-me-harley-quinn / @wonderlandfandomkingdom // If you want to be added or taken off the tag list for these fandoms or characters, send me an ask!! // Feedback and reblogs are appreciated!

[useyourtelescope]

fic writer interview

I was tagged by @burninghoneyatdusk @andromedabennet and @mylifeiskara & @arysafics - thank you! 💕

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 58 (15 of which were added this year!).

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

715692 - though about 40% of that is just from my 3 longest fics. 

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

My AO3 page lists 27 fandom tags so I’m just going to list a few, rather all 😂

The fandom I have the most AO3 fics for by far is T100/Bellarke with 22 fics posted for them. Tied in 2nd place are Brooklyn Nine Nine (Jake/Amy + some genfic) and Sanditon (Charlotte/Stringer) with 6 fics.

My current active WIP is a Polin work for Bridgerton and the fandom I most recently started writing for is the Nancy Drew CW show, as I just posted my first Nace fic last week.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Unsurprisingly these are all Bellarke, mostly older stuff with the top 3 being my longest fics.

#1 If The Right One Came Along [modern AU, celebrity!Bellamy, librarian!Clarke, old friends turned FWB, 80k]

#2 The Wonderful Mess We Made [arrowverse-esque superhero AU, superhero!Clarke, lawyer!Bellamy, WIP] 

#3 Hearts Are Only Strangers After All [historical, magic and mystery AU where Bellarke are in a marriage of convenience, 88k]

#4 Intimacy [historical regency period AU, arranged marriage, 8k]

#5 birds of a feather [modern AU, clothes sharing, 6k]

I do have to give an honourable mention to my Bridgerton-Polin fic Slow Hands though, which is in 6th place by the tiniest margin. This came as a big surprise to me since BOAF was posted way back in February 2015 and SH has only been up since March 2021!

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes, I do most of the time. I really enjoy responding to comments, especially when people have taken the time to pick out different aspects of the fic or throw out some theories to what happens next, it’s fun to discuss those things with them - without giving away spoilers of course!

There have been a couple of times in the past in between hiatuses from writing when I felt like maybe I’d left some comments so long it might seem weird to get a response so I have left some of those without responding. Otherwise it’s usually only if comments are odd or rude then I don’t respond - and if it’s very rude I just delete them.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I’m much more of an angst with a happy ending person. Delicate (a Clarke-centric/Bellarke modern AU that’s about her becoming isolated from her friend group) is probably the angstiest thing I’ve written in recent years, but that still had a positive ending. 

That said, I do remember writing a couple of fics pre-AO3, that did have angsty endings. The angistest of those is probably a little piece I wrote for the BBC Robin Hood show looking at the characters post s2 (and I fully blame the canon for the angsty feels in that one). 

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

A few years ago I wrote a crossover fic called The Sculpture, which was for Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Parks and Recreation. It was a one-shot, my idea being what if the squad at the 99 had to deal with Ron and Tammy II’s hijinks (as per the Parks and Rec 3.04 ep). The summary was this quote from the fic:

"Rosa, Jake, you’ll be taking the case. You need to discover if their apparent insatiable sexual chemistry is merely a smokescreen to distract us from the details of the theft, or if…”

“They’re just total horndogs?” Jake supplied.

“Yes, exactly.”

It has some of my lowest stats but I laughed a lot while writing that fic and it made me realise I could write more B99 shenanigans fics so no regrets. 😊

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not quite hate, but I have received some rude comments. As per #5 I tend to just delete them rather than engage, though I was quite tempted to reply to a recent particularly rude one on my current Polin WIP, If I Ever Dared. However, some nice readers had already replied and said what I was thinking so I didn’t have to.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, though it’s a smaller percentage of my writing - on AO3 I have 8 Explicit fics and 4 Mature ones. The fics are probably evenly split between ones where the smut is more of an addition to a plot-focused story and ones where it’s just about the smut, written for kink memes and such. 

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I had the same thing as Sam in that someone took one of my Bellarke fics and changed the names to suit another fandom and posted it on asianfanfics.com. (Not a website I’d heard of before so thanks to the reader who noticed and messaged me about it!) The person had done it with a bunch of other people’s fics too but the account was removed after being reported. The thing I found most weird was that in their author notes the person was freely saying they hadn’t written it but instead claiming they had ‘converted’ the fics and therefore seemed to think what they were doing was okay! I’m hoping there aren’t a lot of people out there who have the same idea.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not. When I get a fic idea I usually have a very specific way I want it to go so I can’t imagine feeling comfortable co-writing something like that - however, I do think it might be an interesting experiment/writing exercise with things I’m not as sure about or less attached to. (Not that I have time for experimentation until I get my prompts done lol.)

13. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Ahh honestly I can’t just pick one. If this is purely based on the quantity of stories I’ve written for a ship then there’s a clear answer, but I get different things out of writing different ships and storylines - and there’s plenty of ships that I love and have never written for as well.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

So neither of these are posted WIPs but in 2019 & 2020 I started writing two fics: a) T100-Bellarke modern AU secret relationship/co-worker and b) Sanditon-Charlotte/Stringer regency AU take on FWB (I guess secret relationship also applies here lol). 

I had them both planned out plus a lot of key scenes written and I still really love the ideas for the fics but I don’t know that I have the energy to write fics as long as these would have been anymore. Tbh they’re both so AU from the original canons that I have been toying with the idea of reworking what I’ve already written into some shorter original pieces just for myself but that’s something to think about next year.

As for posted fics I never like to leave things unfinished if I’ve started sharing them, but I have had to start thinking about the likelihood of me finishing my Bellarke WIPs on AO3 after I’m done with my prompts and tbh I’m not sure! Some were just one short chapter so I’m not that attached to them and I don’t think anyone would notice, but I would really like to finish TWMWM as I posted so much of it already. I do have a pretty detailed outline for the rest of it as well, but the plans were made well before the last few seasons of the show soured my feelings about some of the supporting characters/dynamics in the fic, so I have to decide whether a) I follow through with the original plans and deal with writing more for characters/friendships I’m so-so about now, b) come up with a new plan for it that still works with everything that’s already happens and gets to the Bellarke ending I’m still attached to, or c) leave it unfinished. This is very definitely a problem for next year!

15. What are your writing strengths?

I like writing dialogue, that usually flows quite easily for me. And I also like to think that I’m good at comedy as well as foreshadowing the big moments in medium/longer fics.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I’ve always struggled with description, which is why I find fanfic much easier to get started with because everyone knows what the characters and canon locations look like, their backstories, etc. I also sometimes read fics where I feel like the authors phrase things really beautifully, almost lyrically even, and I don’t know how to do that. I feel like my style/phrasing, particularly in modern fics, is quite basic.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’ve never done it myself. I like it if the translation is included or if the lack of translation is intentional (e.g. both the reader and certain characters don’t know the information and it’s important to the story) but if you’re just supposed to know what it is/you have to go looking somewhere for what the dialogue means it can take me out of the fic. 

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

On AO3 it was a one-shot for the show Life as part of the Yuletide small fandoms exchange. In general it was for the old Roswell show, back when that was still on the air but the less said about that fic the better 😂

19. What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

This changes a lot, depending on my mood, so I’m going to pick one Bellarke and then one overall.

For Bellarke it’s my Regency slowburn/prank wars AU It Had To Be You - I had a very up and down relationship with this fic partly because I worked on it for a year and partly from lack of response, but enough time has passed now that I can be genuinely happy with what I wrote and ignore the stats.

Overall, atm I’m coming back to Borrow My Heart, my Sanditon-Charlotte/Stringer regency fake engagement fic. It was just such an indulgence of my fave tropes, which is probably why it is the fic of mine I enjoy re-reading the most. 💕

——

Tagging/saying hi: @carrieeve @bookwormforalways @excuseyouclarke @sparklyfairymira @writetheniteaway @fericita-s @jake-amy

[rhetorical-ink]

Haikyuu!! Ship Analysis: OiHina

**SUNSHINE SETTER SPOILERS BELOW**

With all the negative in the world, Furudate really said, “screw you, 2020, I’m giving everyone some good food” with Haikyuu!! coming into this year, and with the manga concluded, I want to go back and examine some popular ships and why we love them/why they work. 

The 2020-2021 Haikyuu!! calendar just dropped and I was pretty excited to see the month of August highlighted with this image: 

So, this calendar image, followed by the cover of the Haikyuu!! Light Novel, volume 12, has really screamed, “Oihina rights!” to many fans, myself included. But...why has this ship grown in popularity? What has Furudate given us fans to fuel the flames for this pairing? Well, let’s find out, with this analysis!

Part I. Setting Up A Rivalry...

So, it’s been established early on that Oikawa views Kageyama as a threat, and has been constantly working to make sure he stays superior to his rival setter. But from Chapter 14, there was the faintest inklings of rivalry established between Oikawa and Hinata -- starting with this famous scene from Chapter 14, “Versus the Great King”: 

Despite Oikawa looking frustrated they lost the game, this is his reaction immediately following the moment in Chapter 15. He seems to get over his initial shock, as it’s replaced with some...other...emotion, it seems: 

And later, we can see the foundation of the dynamic Oikawa establishes with both Hinata and Kageyama. Notice how in this scene he offers Hinata polite praise for his winning move, while immediately challenging Kageyama, who clearly did not sign up for this barrage of taunts. 

It’s interesting, because it kind of sets Oikawa up as a rival for Kageyama...just like Hinata. We’ll talk more about Hinata and Oikawa’s similarities below, but I love how this weird “Rival Triangle” has formed between these three and carries on into both matches of Karasuno vs. Aoba Johsai later on.

PART II. Oikawa’s Not-So Subtle Focus on Hinata:

While there are hints in the practice match that Oikawa recognizes Shoyo could be a threat, we don’t see Oikawa really focusing on Hinata until later, when Aoba Johsai shows up to watch Karasuno’s game before they play them in Chapter 39, “The Return.” I like how Oikawa is not at ALL impressed with Asahi,

But seconds later, is all-hungry-eyes on Hinata’s “god-mode” set: 

And then there’s Chapter 48, “The Conductor.” I love this chapter.  I saw this image on Twitter, and I about fell out of my seat laughing:

Seriously. Think about it. Oikawa sat like that for over an HOUR, listening to Hinata screaming “Bring it” and “Give it.” No, no, we’re fine over here...

Of course, we see how Oikawa views Hinata as a threat during their first match up against them in the Inter High Prelim Qualifier match in Chapters 61-63:

His reference to Shoyo as a “Monster” is consistently brought up in the series, and then, waaaay later on in Chapter 189 at the end of the Shiratorizawa match, acknowledges how Hinata is indeed the type of hitter you WANT to throw the ball to, foreshadowing Inarizaki and Atsumu Miya literally 100 chapters early: 

PART III. “We’re Not So Different, You and I”

So, this leads us to the dreaded Chapter 365 and onward into the now-infamous “Rio Mini Arc.” I’ve noted it in a previous post, but during Takeda’s lecture to Shoyo in Chapter 365, and then later on in chapter 368-369, any time the words “defeat” or “hurdle” are thrown up, there’s an image of Oikawa beside them. In this moment, we are to meant as readers to liken Hinata’s hurdles and obstacles with those that plagued our main antagonist, Oikawa, all those chapters ago. You may be wondering why Furudate would set such a thing up...well, in Chapter 371, we get this reveal:

Ah, yes, of all places and of all people -- Shoyo wasn’t the only one crazy enough to trek across the ocean to South America to improve his game. Oikawa did too, only going to Argentina instead of Brazil. Yes, as Kindaichi and Kunimi kindly observe, Shoyo and Oikawa may have more in common that we the readers gave credit to, originally, as we see in the precursor to the best damn selfie in the whole series and possibly manga history: 

But it’s below that’s kind of the crux of this whole OiHina ship for me -- It’s not just that Oikawa and Shoyo are so alike...it’s that Oikawa and Kageyama are so alike, too:

Oikawa, whether he wants to admit it or not, has a lot in common with our blueberry setter...the difference, as we can see in these panels, is that unlike Kageyama, Oikawa is GREAT with communication. His ability to communicate with his team and connect with them is his hallmark as a player, right? 

Take for example, this situation below. If it’d been Kageyama, he’d probably fluster around, call Hinata “boke” and they’d bicker and carry on -- Oikawa, though, rightfully takes the compliment and runs with it, even adding in that flirty little tag there at the end. You’re not helping matters, Furudate...

Back to similarities with Hinata, though, and showing just how much Hinata has GROWN to Oikawa, we have this conversation below. Oikawa started out this manga literally calling Shoyo and Tsukishima “dumb.” Now, 300+ chapters later, he’s acknowledged that Hinata is “thinking” ahead...doing very much the same kind of crazy tricks to improve himself that Oikawa has chosen as well.

Also, good to know that Hinata initiated wanting to get Oikawa’s contact info; plus, Oikawa having to deal with his own teammates just giving him a hard time 24/7, when Shoyo’s offering open praise? No wonder he latched on...

But seriously, go read Chapters 373 and 374 in their fullest -- there are TOO many amazing moments between Shoyo and Oikawa to count, but they all show this forming friendship that I’m just in love with, like this one from 373: 

And while I LOVE the moment Oikawa calls our ray of sunshine straight-up “Shoyo” and shakes his hand, acknowledging their friendship and respect for each other, I really love this final shot of Oikawa before we see him at the Olympics. That panel of him walking away, reminding Shoyo that he has a looooong way to go, but showing his sudden motivation to get even better: 

Seriously, in the anime, I have a feeling that one episode is going to end with the ending of Chapter 371, and then they’ll probably just have one episode encapsulate Chapters 372 - 374, which I will be sad if it’s one episode in the anime...but MAN, I’m going to be watching that episode on repeat for a while, just to see these chapters re-imagined in animation.

PART IV. To The Olympics...and BEYOND!

The final chapter of Haikyuu!! graced us with the reunion of our ray of sunshine and our sassy trash king setter, and let’s be real -- we all need this animated...and to have Atsumu and Kageyama’s reactions on display in this moment, just for the fun of it.

And ya’ll wonder why there’s so many Rio/Brazil Fling fics out there?!

I think, besides this hug, what cements this ship after this last chapter is the following: 

* Even if it’s just a platonic friendship, it’s still one of the most fun and freshly developed friendships in the series, and makes sense going back from start to finish in the manga.

* Even if it’s just a fling, it’s flirty, fun, and could be the stepping stone for shippers that want to spice up their Iwaoi/Kagehina drama/angsty fics by adding in a little “fling” for Oikawa and/or Hinata to go through before reconnecting with their soulmates, if that’s your ship.

* And even if you want to view it as something more than platonic friendship or stepping stones into other ships, it still works. I mean, after all, Hinata went to play for Brazil after the Olympics. And Brazil’s a stone’s throw away from Argentina...so...who knows what could have ended up happening, right?

Furudate definitely doesn’t confirm many ships (with the exception of Tanaka and Kiyoko), but he definitely lays out some crumbs for us the fandom to nibble on and speculate with endlessly. OiHina may not be my OTP for Hinata, but I will never deny that it’s fun, spicy, and presents a VERY nuanced way to view the relationship between one of my favorite manga protagonist and antagonist pairings. Furudate, you are a genius. Thank you for the food!