#i have no idea where they all are on the timeline

[hrrtshape]

you can manifest anything in days, hours, even seconds.

you ever think about how you’re shifting realities right now? you just did it. again. and again. and. boom. there it goes. you’re not stuck in one solid, concrete world. you’re a flipbook of possibilities, and every second, a new page turns. the you reading this isn’t the you from five seconds ago. that version of you is gone. poof. never to return. god, i miss her.

so, why do people think manifestation takes time? time is just the illusion that makes reality feel digestible to our little human brains. but you don’t "wait" for things. you shift to them.

LOA isn’t about "forcing reality" like you’re wrestling fate to the ground. it’s about assuming you’re already in the reality where your desire exists. because the multiverse is infinite. every possibility is real somewhere. you’re not "creating" your dream life. you’re just moving to the timeline where it’s already true.

you can literally manifest in milli-seconds. the second you assume something is true, you land in the reality where it’s true. the only reason it sometimes feels "slow" is because you keep doubting it, wobbling between frequencies like a radio that’s not quite locked in.

for example, you want your dream body? kewl. shift to the parallel reality where you already have it. no, i don’t mean work out for six months and hope for the best. i mean assume, right now, that you have it, and live as though you do. time is fake, and you don't need it. your cells aren’t checking their watches. you can wake up in two hours with the body you’ve always wanted, because why not? that timeline exists. people have done it. the only thing between you and that reality is the idea that it’s "too unrealistic."

and what’s more unrealistic? the concept of shifting infinite times per second through an ever-expanding multiverse of possibility, or the idea that one of those infinite realities just so happens to contain the exact thing you want and all you have to do is land in it?

anyways. "shifting" and "manifesting" aren’t two different things. they’re just two perspectives on the same mechanism. you shift every second, every moment, all the time. and manifestation is just deliberate shifting. picking the station instead of letting the static choose for you.

so, no more "waiting." no more "how long will it take?" because it’s already happened. the moment you say this is my reality now. congrats. you just shifted.

　　　. . . you can read more about this here <3

[writing-zelda-brainrots]

It’s time for me to yap more about Return by Death!Reader. I might do more later, but this is all the brainworms I have for now.

Wild and [Name] are kind of like mirror images of each other: both feeling like they failed when they were needed the most, both feeling like they can’t lose another friend, and a metric assload of self-esteem issues. Where Wild’s issues come from not remembering enough, [Name]’s come from remembering too much. Both of them have had to deal with the expectations that people placed onto them, with Wild having separated himself from his past (to the point where he literally regards his past “self” as a different person), and [Name] still learning to deal with everything.

If we’re going with the assumption that Satella/the Witch of Envy is still the one in control of RbD, then Wars would definitely relate to having a lovesick witch constantly watching you. That is to say, if he ever finds out about it. You might drop some hints that someone is very attached to you in a very much Not HealthyTM way. He doesn’t really like talking about Cia, but he will do so if he thinks that his experiences can help you with your problems. He still won’t go into detail, but it’s still enough to know that he cares and pays attention.

And, yes, I do think that Wars pays a lot of attention to their mental state. I mean, at this point how could he not? And being the nosey person he is (ahem, that time he stole Wild’s vai clothes), he does talk to the others about what they think is going on with [Name]. He’s slowly trying to piece things together, but he can’t really test his theory and asking you is a dead end, so his ideas are still kind of half-baked.

One thing that I left out of the original post (because I couldn’t find a way to organically fit it in there) was that [Name] is actually pretty scared of the Fierce Deity. They still don't even know that FD knows about RbD or that he wants to help them.

Their first ‘real encounter’ involved FD killing [Name] at the end of a failed timeline where everything had gone wrong. In FD’s defence, he did not yet know about RbD and it was really a mercy kill to put them out of their misery so they wouldn’t see what had happened to the rest of the group or face a brutal death at the hands of monsters. Also their body was basically already giving out due to prior wounds.

It was only in a later point in time, where Time was showing Wind his masks, did [Name] see the Deity's mask up close and realize what that thing they saw back then was.

I do think that FD would tell Time about RbD, but I personally think that they can’t communicate unless someone wears the mask. And because Time does not want to use it, that secret stays untold. Also there’s the chance that the curse will activate, even if [Name] is not even taking part in the conversation, so I do think that there’s a bit of hesitation there.

[isa-ghost]

✨️ The Philverse Lore Masterpost ✨️

So I planned on making this a while ago and forgot but now I'm doing it.

And the formatting of this post MAY change in the future (like me providing other reference links and such for each Phil), but for now I'm gonna keep it simple.

This post is an explanation of how the Philza Cinematic Universe(tm) works, along with some widely accepted fanon things. It will update as cc!Phil changes things or canonizes new ones.

"Main" rp!Phil

"Main" Phil is Hardcore (hc) Phil, SMP Earth (smpe) Phil, DSMP (c) Phil, and QSMP (q) Phil. This is also the Phil that The Beginning by MaepleTea features.

It's important to note here that rp!Phil is canonically immortal (this is probably true for ALL rp!Phils, not just "main" Phil, cc!Phil has said things along these lines on multiple occasions in the past).

cc!Phil has described rp!Phil has hundreds of years old, though we have no idea how many centuries he's been alive. What we've seen is more or less just the last decade of his life, unless cc!Phil chooses to construct a timeline that says otherwise.

The timeline goes something like this:

HCS2 -> SMPE -> HCS4 -> DSMP -> QSMP -> ???

Obviously it's not linear like that, HCS4 is simultaneously going on during SMPE, DSMP & QSMP. In roleplay, the canon explanation is that hc!Phil can travel to other universes through what is basically dreamwalking. This gets explicitly confirmed in QSMP lore.

In other words, the Hardcore World is rp!Phil's universe of origin. A common headcanon related to this is that all seasons of Hardcore are one universe, which resets itself each time rp!Phil dies. After each reset, rp!Phil retains his memories of the previous iteration and starts over again, but with new knowledge to avoid dying again.

A better way to visualize this timeline would be to refer to IRL dates, like this (click for better quality):

Note: I didn't include HCS3 because it lasted like two weeks. Consider it a blip in rp!Phil's long immortal lifespan, if anything. I also didn't include HCS1 because Phil basically never refers to it other than the way that it ended. Considering there wasn't really any lore about hc!Phil being a historian/explorer prior to HCS4 anyway, this is basically fine to assume.

All of the above being the same guy is canonically confirmed, either explicitly stated BY cc!Phil himself, or with undeniable implications within roleplay.

SMP Earth is the only one of these that gets a little iffy to call confirmed because it's never been explicitly stated and technically SMPE wasn't a roleplay server, BUT: Considering the references and parallels c!Emduo make when they move to the tundra to get away from the rest of the DSMP, it becomes pretty obvious it can be considered canon. There are also multiple occasions where c!Emduo refer to what they did during the Antarctic Empire times. Furthermore, and I'll reiterate this in a moment: q!Phil tells stories to Chayanne & Lullah of things he and rp!Techno did during SMPE.

HCS2 (more specifically Phil's death) obviously gets referred to constantly in and out of roleplay, making it canon whether cc!Phil wants/considers it to be or not. This is one of few deaths we know rp!Phil has experienced, if not the only one. I imply there may be multiple deaths here because I don't remember if cc!Phil confirmed that rp!Phil died at the end of The Beginning before being saved by Goddess of Death or not. If so, that means rp!Phil has died at least twice: then, and in HCS2.

QSMP is actually the key universe to all of these other Phils being connected, since that is where cc!Phil chose to do lore to confirm all of these are the same guy. Prior to QSMP, we only knew SMPE and DSMP were connected thanks to c!Emduo.

QSMP confirmed that q!Phil is hc!Phil formally via the dreamwalking lore. Additionally, prior to this lore being dropped, again: there were multiple instances in which q!Phil told Chayanne & Lullah stories from his time on SMPE. Obviously, if SMPE is canon to both DSMP and QSMP, then those two are also connected by default. These stories were not the only reference to DSMP made during QSMP either. Multiple previous DSMP members also canonized DSMP and QSMP being connected.

And during all of this, rp!Phil is dreamwalking from the Hardcore World to these other worlds.

Origins SMP Phil (o!Phil)

This version of Phil is his own separate guy with a fully unique story from "main" Phil.

While "main" Phil is an immortal historian and explorer from Hardcore that can travel to other worlds via his dreams, o!Phil is an even more avian-coded guy trying his hardest to be a villain but failing at it miserably /aff.

As confirmed by cc!Phil: o!Phil comes from a dirt poor family who didn't want him to suffer the horrific reality of living in poverty, so his parents spoiled him rotten to the point of making themselves suffer. They later mysteriously disappeared (and are likely now dead). o!Phil's story in-rp (eventually) begins with him searching for them.

o!Phil has no idea he's not actually the entitled royalty he thinks he is. He eventually bonds with o!Sneeg, who chooses to be a "villain" with him, and they have a whole riveting, silly, weird ass codependent besties thing going on for the rest of Origin's multiple reboots. Their friendship in OSMP is what inspired 1/3 of the current theories for tr!Phil, who I'll get to momentarily.

o!Phil also canonically appeared in Rats SMP as a guest, as did o!Sneeg. They were searching for each other in the wake of OSMP "ending" (read: dying, again), and this intensified the fandom's interpretation that they're inseparable/codependent. This cameo also confirmed that both o!Phil and o!Sneeg can travel universes like "main" Phil.

Another important note: Some Crows consider cc!Phil's cameo in Aimsey SMP (ASMP) to be o!Phil because they share very similar attitudes and penchants for material goods, especially "shiny things."

Squidcraft Phil (sc!Phil)

The easiest rp!Phil to explain. cc!Phil himself said that sc!Phil is an alternate timeline version of "main" Phil, specifically q!Phil.

This is probably only due to the fact that Missa and several other QSMP members were in 2023's Squidcraft event, and cc!Phil couldn't resist being an angsty little shit with Missa throughout the event until his elimination.

The Realm SMP Phil (tr!Phil)

As of early 2025 when I'm making this post, we have no idea how tr!Phil fits into the Philverse. cc!Phil explicitly states he has no plans or intentions whatsoever to do lore on TRSMP, even if he does roleplay with other players like Sneeg or Fit. Assuming he doesn't change his mind on that, the following is ENTIRELY what the fandom headcanons/theorizes is true.

There are 3 main interpretations for tr!Phil's origin and I explain those in depth in this post here!

If or when we get more to go off of, I will update this section of the post. :)

Bonus Note(s)

MCC

The MCYT fandom widely headcanons MCC as a weird multiverse Hunger Games type thing where Noxcrew and Scott Smajor, whatever kind of higher power they may be, drag MCYTs across several universes into their little liminal space/pocket universe type place and have them to compete in the championship.

There have been references to MCC in SMPs during moments of varying degrees of roleplay were occurring. In rp!Phil's case, it's safe to consider "main" Phil is the one who gets put into MCC.

None of this, to my memory, is considered canon by cc!Phil, just silly popular fanon.

(If/when we get more versions of rp!Phil, I'll add them wherever they belong in this post!)

[vacz]

"Who are you looking at?" Bad End Friends (Comic)

I've spent all day trying to finish this comic! AHHHHH

So I present you an idea of a ship... Hunter x Ice Finn

"Why?" Well, if we think in the fact that in Adventure time's multiverse all the versions of Finn always ends up having a romantic relationship with a version of Huntress Wizard, and we take Bad End Friends as a canon alternative timeline where Finn didn't destroy Ice Finn's crown and so he later joined Bipper, how would Farmworld!Finn ends up with his version of Huntress Wizard as Ice Finn? Well the answer is simple: He doesn't end up with directly another version of her but someone who is similar to her... And guess who is more similar to Huntress Wizard?

That's right! Hun- Beast Wirt. I personally think Beast Wirt has actually more similarities with her since they both are like spirits of the forest who almost have the same personality, HOWEVER, I think Hunter and Ice Finn would have more CHEMISTRY and let me explain why:

They both are insane, they MATCH THEIR FREAK.

Ice Finn wouldn't be weird out for Hunter's appearance at all, like he did with the Lich, so Ice Finn would judge him according to his action and god- he gets it, At first he would hate him because Hunter is literally chopping people! But after getting an explanation of why he does this, Ice Finn would sympathize with the feeling of "wanting to protect your family" and want to help Hunter with his brother. Ice Finn proposed to Wirt the chance to save lives without having to change that much, and Hunter couldn't resist it, he could finally do something good for humanity! Maybe he could even redeem himself!

IT'S A KING AND KNIGHT DYNAMIC WITH SOME TONES OF PANTHERS IN CRIME

Hunter would watch around for people, and if he finds them then he should bring them to Ice Finn so he could freeze them. However, most of the time he spent it around Ice Finn himself, sometimes helping him with spells or other stuff like cooking, and other times just hanging around together. Their relationship is more equal than it seems, Hunter is just as enthusiastic as Ice Finn in saving lifes the way they do, Ice Finn constant joy and quick reactions are like fresh air for Hunter, who misses some real emotion in life, while Ice Finn has someone who actually cares about his safety and it's not manipulating him for his own selfish desires. Hunter loves Ice Finn's madness because it is a constant of movement, life and joy! While Finn isn't weird out at all by Hunter's more creepier madness, and actually finds him pretty cool and charming. They both don't judge each other and they are openly crazy together

Hunter is normally submissive, and has a craving for love to the point that he could fall really HARD for someone who shows him affection, of course Hunter would be protective and very jealous if someone tries something with Ice Finn, he thinks Finn as one of his more precious properties so Hunter would not let go this guy. Ice Finn is not innocent either, he was the one who kidnapped Hunter in the first place, Ice Finn makes him sleep on a cage even, you can say he also sees Hunter as a pet, one he loves so much but a thing at least...

However, even if they have these things that for normal people would be very toxic, for them is living a romance, a strange and delusional romance, where both souls lost deep in madness find each other to be their own guide though the black ocean of insanity

So tell me your opinion, I hope you guys like it! ^^

[sulfies]

IF I Lead (PT2)

Part 1 here

At least The stars looked the same… one common thing the apocalypse and the medieval times had together was the lack of light pollution.

One of the rare things he could let himself enjoy guilt-free.

He had gone into the town in the morning and walked around discreetly.

It was a lot… all the noise and people assaulted his senses but he needed to get the Vanice and to get there he needed to make money. Not only so he could arrive there but also survive once he did. 

If he guessed the timeline right, he had a couple of years till the apple arrived in Italy, which gave him a long time to plan and get his bearings. It was both a blessing and a curse. The thought of having to wait all that time made his skin itch.

He would find a temporary job in Monteriggioni for the time being, till he got his pocket money and no longer.

He could join the mercenaries,

he really didn't like the idea of being a sword for hire but they were paid relatively well and he could fight and with many of them in town he could be forgotten in the numbers unlike becoming a tradesman and people remembering his face. The less bonds he made with the village folk, the better.

They also hired almost anyone and always needed numbers, he could pass off as a seasoned fighter and most likely they would take him in.

He turned to his side, a small shiver crept up to his body. The guard tower didn't really break the winds of the chill night air and he only had his hoodie as a blanket. He had survived worse so he would make do.

Shutting his eyes Desmond tried to make himself fall asleep. He had a lot to do tomorrow, who knew he would be job-hunting again in his lifetime.

—-----------

As dawn broke over the valley Desmond scaled his tower down, he was leaving his backpack behind in the tower since it seemed like no one was going in it for their rounds. 

Walking around the town he was willing himself to stay calm, he had his two-day freak-out but now it was time to focus.

He made his way up the village and to the side street where he remembered the barracks to be.

He came across the two-story building covered in lumbar with some workers outside, it seemed like Ezio had already begun repairs on it.

Desmond took a deep breath before shaking his hands out. God, when did he become so scared of basic conversations…

Licking his lips he walked closer to the building giving some nods to the workers he passed. 

A young man, standing right outside the door leaning on the frame to the side, noticed him.

In a dismissive attitude, the man spoke to him, 

“What's your business here grandpa?” 

Desmond scoffed but put on a small fake grin. He needed to charm them for a way in.

“Missus said I had to get off my ass so was coming to see if you folk got any need for additional men, or is there now an age limit to holding a weapon?”

The man shook his head, turned to his friend with a shit-eating grin “Oh a forward one isn't he?” He turned back to Desmond “We don't just accept any old fart off the street you know?”

“I should hope not, or it would be bad news for the village's safety. Anything I need to prove I can show it to a man that needs the proof, just tell me who and where.”

The young man looked him up and down a bit then sent his friend a look. Leaning away from the frame he turned to the door.

“I'll ask inside but don't get your hopes up if all you can do is to hold a sword.”

Desmond hummed as the man went in.

His friend was eyeing him now.

 “Lost your old job and the miss booted you?”

Desmond chuckled “Could say so, some had promised a job to me but it fell through and now my lovely warden demands coins.” He looked sheepishly to the side. 

The friend smiled knowingly “You guys moved here then?”

Desmond shook his head “Nah, just me. She doesn't like leaving her mother's side, except to come to fetch my purse of course. Left her back in Venice as I get a footing here”

Men his age were usually married in this time period, a fake backstory would come in handy for him too when it was time to go to Venice and if his ‘wife’ was never here… no one could talk about how they had never seen her. It wasn't too uncommon for men to leave their wives back to find work anyway.

They exchanged more small talk till the door opened and the young man returned, head signalling him to come in.

“He said he will take a look at you.”

Desmond walked in after him taking in the scene. He never got to see the inside of his place in the Animus. Construction was mostly on the outside but there were a few people also inside doing some work, mostly replacing some beams and floors.

Some mercenaries were practicing light moves on dummies to the side but most of them were around the tables to the left chatting and… ofcourse drinking.

He got led through another door at the other end of the hall that opened up to a smaller room with a handful of people inside. They were of higher rank than the people in the main room, he assumed. Their clothes were a bit nicer, faces more hardened.

“Iulio tells me you wish to join us?” One of the men steps up to him, short hair with a small scar across his cheek, his gaze judging his form. 

“Marsilio”

The man holds his hand out and Desmond shakes it. “Dominico” It was close enough to his name that he could get himself to respond to it if called out.

“Isn't it a bit late for a career change?”

Desmond chuckles “I’m not new to fighting, worked as a guard on the outskirts of Florance in my youth. Know how to hold a sword and use it too.”

Marsillio taps on his lip, mirroring where Desmond’s scar would be. “A gift from that time then?” Desmond nods “Good, seeing battle puts you above some of the new recruits… but I can't just accept anyone that walks through the door can I?”

Desmond wanted to sigh, maybe he should just steal some money from the Villa.

“You know basic forms?” “Si, and more”

A small hum of approval. 

The man looked him over with more intent, clearly trying to see if his body was built for the job, and a part of Desmond would take offence if he was denied. He was fit for his age, not a bodybuilder but he had been using the same muscles the same way since his 20s.

“Alright, God knows we can always use more men but you can join as a temporary recruit, no pay till you prove you won't throw your back out when you are swinging a sword.”

Desmond held back a scowl, he knew they were basically hazing him at this point but he had to bear it and play this game. “Good with me, but you better not wait for me to die from age to pay me my due.”

Marsillio let out a laugh and placed a slap on his back “Hah! It depends if you can pull your weight”

Desmond gritted his teeth, he could feel a headache coming in.

“I want you here first thing in the morning by the first bell, you will join the training with the recruits, your previous experience doesn't mean shit to me till you show it”

He nodded “Understandable, Thank you, Sir”

“Bah just call me my name, we are the same age likely” 

“All right Marsillio, I'll be here by dawn”

—------------

The training was… barely worth Desmond's time to be honest. He had gotten there before the bell and the group of ten made their way up to the ring below the villa. They ran some laps in the clearing nearby and were now swinging their swords at nothing. It was busy work mostly. Probably meant to bore the unwilled ones so they quit early.

Monteriggioni had not seen combat in a while and it shoved on everyone's skill. Mercenaries weren't meant to be masters of battle but they could have some more discipline. Mario really paid them all these years for nothing.

Desmond sighed and twirled his blade. It wasn't Marsillio seeing over them today but he recognized the man from the day before, he had the same uniform and was in the back room too so he must have some reputation and a rank as well. But not much since he was stuck having to teach the new members.

“Take a short rest people, then pair up, I want to see some hand-to-hand in the ring after!”

Now that was more fun. Desmond rested the sword on his shoulder as he wiped his brow. He didn't know anybody so he didn't bother to find a pair, whoever was the last pick would be with him and he didn't want nor have a need to make small talk.

“Dominico.” Desmond tore his eyes away to look at his senior. The man walked over to him throwing a waterskin, which he gladly accepted with a raised brow.

“You were not lying about the fact that you know your basics.”

He took a sip of water, refreshing himself. “I have no need to lie about that but I understand the skepticism” since he had lied about everything else.

“Mmhm. Paulo tells me your wife is back in Venice?” Ah, that must be Iulio’s friend.

“Si, ser…”

“Names Vincesco” Desmond repeats the name back. 

“What did you need?” “Ah nothing, came to introduce myself, most of the young ones are too bothersome to make talk with, too prideful for how little they know.”

Desmond hummed in agreement. “They have yet to see real combat, it is expected.”

“That is true, we are in peaceful times”

Both watched the bickering novices. Some lying on the grass, some showing each other around rather than resting.

It was somewhat nice to see them carefree. The small amount of youth back in his compound rarely had time to have fun, they had to do their tasks to survive not live…

“I'll tell you what, show me your skills in the ring today and I'll see if I can put in a word with Marsillio and the rest to get you out of this drag”

Desmond turned to Vincesco with a slight surprise, that would help a lot actually. “I was that impressive at swinging my sword left to right?”

The man chuckles “Nah, hard to make the mundane look good. But I can see from your footwork you know your stuff, we need more battle-ready men and I need fewer kids to babysit.”

“I appriciate that Vincesco…”

“Dont thank me yet, If one of them wipes you into the ground I won't have anything to tell at all” 

Desmond shook his head. He would like to see them try.

[anotherbananasong]

ugh earth being able to hit the nail on the head that causes alpha to pull away from his family ;;

did earth know how much it'd hurt alpha, and do it on purpose to hurt him the way he's hurt earth(and air), or did he not know and just got insanely good aim to hit alpha where it hurts?? Does he even know HIS words are what caused it?? Surely as a Fellow Dad, he'd have some form of regret from saying it. Not for Alpha. But for Charon, who almost loses his dad bc of it.

I think Earth was conscious of how hurtful his words were; but it’s Alpha, and he doesn’t care what Alpha thinks or feels. That bridge has long since burned.

I ended up spending more time than I should, but I figured with the recent confusion, I’d break down the timeline of events.

Under a readmore because it’s loooooong as shit..

Without revealing too much, @bloodfin had a lovely little blurb that I definitely agree with; Charon wasn’t summoned. Not intentionally, at least. And when Alpha stepped up to the plate, he was already in love with the kit.

He was excited to be a father, especially if it meant he had Dew there with him. There was about a four-day period where the two (now three) of them hid out in their room, just enjoying this new life they were going to have. Charon didn’t leave Alpha’s arms the whole time.

But then, it was time to meet Astra. And Earth is less than thrilled (he doesn’t want his daughter near that asshole).

Earth says he feels sorry for the kit; Alpha’s ruined his life just by being his father. Air, of course, is the only that knows just how low Alpha got, the nights he had to spend with him just making sure Alpha would make it through to the morning instead of giving in to his misery. Though Air is quick to chastise Earth, the damage is done. A perfect example of how you shouldn’t say something hurtful cause you have no idea what someone is going through, or has been through. And, in Alpha’s mind, Earth is right: how could Alpha have possibly thought he’d be a good father?

So he distances. He can’t ruin this kit’s life with his horrid existence. Charon needs a good father, not someone as worthless and cruel as he is. Charon doesn’t understand why the distancing is happening, and neither does Dew. What changed, that made Alpha not love them anymore? What did he do wrong?

After almost a week, Alpha decides he can’t do this. Dew will find someone better to raise their kit. He’s going to ask to be returned to the Pits; Dew and Charon deserve someone better.

Like I’ve said, when Alpha is about to walk, it’s Charon’s cry that stops him.

While he’s lying with Dew and Charon in his arms, that’s when he decides he can’t hide behind “they deserve better” anymore and actually be what he thinks they deserve. He had to come a looooong long way, but that moment made him realize he had more to offer. His kit and his mate love him, and he loves them. Earth can say and think how he feels; Alpha knows he loves these two fire ghouls, and from here on out he will be exactly what he wants to be to make sure they know how much he loves them.

Alpha makes good on his promise that Charon will never cry because of him again. He’s going to protect him as fiercely as he protects Dew.

Sorry, this was long and sloppy… but I figured I’d throw the timeline out there (I forget people don’t know the things @ashthewaterghoul and I talk about and how much lore I haven’t shared…. eh heh). Yes, Alpha’s insecurities and fear pushed him away from Charon for a moment, but he doesn’t stay there. He doesn’t do that to Charon (or Dew) again. I just tend to bounce around when I draw for the “domestic Charon” tag because I bounce all over the place to begin with. Sorry to those that thought it meant that Alpha bounces around between caring for/neglecting Charon… Alpha only pushed him away once; after he had his epiphany, he never shuts Charon out again. He decides to be the father he wants to be to Charon.

[randomperson0k]

serpentine rising au designs of the early ninja [first few years of being ninja id say? these are their 'early days' designs in my timeline]

oh also the serpentine rising name is a inside joke . its not serpentine focused its just my ninjago rewrite au

you can read all the info belowww if you wanttt toooo swiggly face smiley face.

its still early development so theyre not set in stone and i will change things

ive had this art ready for awhile but ive spent like a week writing the stuff below

general setting info -

im a huge sucker for sloppy overused hollywood tropes and ruining things with my personal preferences in media so ! the ninjas identitys arent known. they keep them secret. and they all go to highschool in the beginning [except lloyd hes too young to be in highschool ] like the ninjago movie. i suck. but also like give those ninja a proper education i do NOT trust wu with doing that he is not reliable

serpentine and oni and all other species that are villains just because they are that species [example - the oni and the serpentine in the early seasons] are no longer villains just because they are born from that species. yay! making an entire species all villains just because theyre apart of that species is super boring so its getting eradicated now. 'theyre all evil unless they learn how to not be evil like mystake did with her being a oni and learning how to be good' booooooo BOOOOOOOOOOOOO TOMATO TOMATO TOMATO 🍅🍅🍅 why does that tomato look so weird what

garmadon isnt the pilot villain [hes only referenced by his skeleton army but he never actually appears or is heavily brought up] and hes a very built up villain and is referenced a lot by others to build up a big image for him before hes revealed and he only appears much later on. ninjago drags his dead corpse around too much let than old man REST. also im tired of season 97 about garmadon and lloyds relationship SNOREEEE .also i find it so funny that lloyd is more upset at misako than garmadon when they reunite like hydrogen bomb vs coughing baby type situation garmadon has probably killed thousands and put mass genocide and ruling the world infront of his priority list instead of putting lloyd at the front whilst misako got flashbanged by her sons radioactive eyes and cried herself to sleep . there is a huge difference here

most species + other established places have different languages. theres no way they all speak the same language i know its just because its a kids show and it needs to be dumbed down but cmon it would be more fun . so yeah most have different languages and they all have more built upon cultures which are explored in episodes like the ninjago mail episodes where you get to see a look into civilian life whilst the story still plays out. its like that but with other places and characters we've seen from them

also im just calling ninjagos language common because i forgot the actual language name

pythor is released first and he releases the rest of the serpentine and sticks with lloyd until all of them are released and then betrays him . and the final battle with the great devourer is the serpentine with the war + great devourer vs the ninja + the serpentine against the war .

im still working on it but i have most of my ideas sorted for the pilot , morro and the serpentine

oh yeah speaking of morro uhhh the ghost realm i forgot the name is MUCH more eldritchy. ive been given a living physical embodiment of a realm of the dead to play around with . what else am i supposed to do with that. not make it creepy and a hivemind like creature that affects every soul it can get its tentacles on ??? cmon. so yeah morro and all the ghosts are corrupted by the preeminent and i want to explore morro and lloyds dynamic more because it has so much potential . imagine seeing your mentor replace you with somebody else and they get to be the thing you dreamed every day to be but theyre just a kid and they dont know and theyre so happy but youre so angry and they took everything from you but they dont know they did but you cant control yourself because theres a Thing in your head and its also Very Angry. ya. so i want to explore that more yes. morro had interesting motivations and i like his character . so when the preeminent is defeated morro comes back as a regular uncorrupted ghost and he gets therapy good on him

since garmadon doesnt come around until much later + im trying to limit down on repeat villains like the overlord and stuff a lot of the season villains are either going to be swapped around and switched or heavily changed. and so far im not considering any to be but if i have to i might completely remove certain villains if i truely cant find a spot for them. basically im just blowing up the entire ninjago timeline

elemental powers work in the way that base level elemental power is being able to manipulate existing material and like final form elemental power is being able to create that elemental power from nothing [something something 'most elemental powers branch from dragons who are the element of creation' etc etc]. depending on the power the stages can be more difficult to reach. like for jay with his element he can make his own electricity without outside assistance [such as elemental weapons, being a conduit or just. fusing with your element like nya did] really easily but the side effect is his control of it is somewhat more unstable because his power is just that strong. whilst for somebody like nya or lloyd creating their element from nothing is extremely hard and would take decades of training to master so they have the weakness of just having to stick to stick to manipulating existing forms of their element instead of creating them from nothing.

~~~~~

lloyd - you annoy me but i love you equally as much

considering making him woke idk i just want to piss off those ninjago fans with theythem lloyd . shoves pipebomb up ur butt night night chat!!! . ]

uhh i actually dont have his age set down yet im kinda unsure about it but hes younger than 10 years old yes. but he looks a lot younger than he is because he ages slower than a normal human

basics we all know hes a oni/dragon/human yah. master of energy yadaaa yadaaa. big changes is the great devourers venom partially passed over to him from garmy dont ask how it woooorks so basically just sometimes goes and maul peoples arms off but then crys about it later

known languages - common [isnt too good at writing common though due to not having a great education from darkleys, hes better at speaking it. ]

lloyd subconsciously shapeshifts to look like his father to be scary and intimidating so people dont hurt him [so his current design isnt what he actually looks like] hes like a pathetic hairball demon demanding you to be afraid of him. he truely thinks this is his true form

lloyd does not know of his actual species despite. not looking human unlike canon. look lloyd doesnt know a thing about his parents or his heritage his parents basically booted him out of the house as soon as he was born and he grew up inbetween houses being raised by people from favours his mom could cash in before he was eventually booted into darkleys

fighting style is much of a mix between what wu has taught him , random angry squabbling with his claws and most important of all. random shank he owns that the ninja have tried so hard to take off him but fail everytime to. hes a rogue style build and is the most sneaky out of all the ninja. short and puntable , knife in hand.

ok . biggest change in this rewrite. HE DOESNT BECOME THE GREEN NINJA UNTIL HES 15-16 AND THE TOMORROWS TEA NEVER HAPPENS TO HIM. dude i swear canon wu has got to be the final twist villain of the series because WHY did he drag that 10 year old toddler onto the battlefield as the green ninja GET HIM OFF ???? THERE????? anyways so yeah wu does try to get him to be the green ninja early on but he gets severely injured in a fight and misako beats wu's ass and he stops being the green ninja really early on and just continues being a student until hes old enough to be on the field

ok edit i might make it so the tomorrows tea does exist because i like it in concept but its only a temporary effect

his elemental power is changed because his power at the moment is just straight up 'green' the movie is right he really is just the green element. anyways so his power functions as it takes energy from something [either himself or his surroundings] and can apply the energy to something else or convert it into a different type of energy and apply it like that. energy cannot be created or destroyed yadayda [he could train to create energy from nothing but that would take like decades to accomplish on his own without outside help cough cough becoming a conduit cough cough ] GOODNIGHT ninjago and HELLO sleep paralysis! anyways he specialises in plants [he LOVES plants] and he carrys a terrarium around with him 24/7 its in a jar hidden under his black hoodie. this is how hes discovered as the green ninja he saves the ninja using the plants and stuff from his jar not whatever that golden weapon glowing stuff is booooorrring

since hes constantly taking energy from himself his body kind of adapted to have an insanely fast metabolism to make up for it

elemental power side effects - either goes in a tired state and sleeps for like a week straight or he jumps around and bounces off the walls for a week and struggles heavily to sleep. also if he takes in too much energy since hes really young and his body isnt strong enough for it he makes a huge explosion of raw unfiltered energy and it blows up everything around him including himself

wu adopts him and he is homeschooled by wu for a little bit before being brought into school

when misako returns i say he moves in with misako and lives there but he spends weekends at wus and goes there every afternoon

clings to kai like a leech . kind of in denial about it and if its brought up he throws a tantrum and does x2 the pranks on that person who brought it up. but yeah hes much more attached to kai and follows him around the most.

in terms of most powerful between each ninja his most powerful aspect is he has the most adaptability and ways of using his element [since his power is really uh... open? in how it can be used? like. theres a TON of things that energy can be applied to. energy is extremely broad] but he restricts himself by only specialising in using raw energy [aka 'power: green'] and flora growth and manipulation . so hes not as strong as he could be if he stopped chaining himself down with just those two useages of energy.

he can see others energy in like a weird way. he could have a blindfold over his eyes and still 'see' others energy and be able to tell whos who and be able to identify things around him.

loves heavy metal music. felt like sharing. he loves cartoons and will hoard the tv remote and defend it with his life

umm note for future me their oni features are gold colors and their dragon features are black. sprinkle some green in there too

all the ninja take turns at babysitting him and training with him. he picks up skills from all of the ninja.

in dragon rising hes still a teacher because i love that for him goodjob lloyd go on and continue the family tradition of turning children into blinded child soldiers who dont know what theyre getting into . but his reunion with the ninja takes a lot longer and the monastery was thrown underground and hidden during the merge . because like. no way the monastrey is out in the open on a mountain and people are saying in the crossroads 'oh we miss the ninja' DUDE THEYRE RIGHT THERE ??? so yeah the ninja monastery is actually hidden and unable to be found properly by anybody else because its in like some random cave stuck half torn apart. lloyd stays there and just mopes and is a big loser in there for awhile

~~~~~

zane - BABYT GIRL!!!! ok general infoooo 😋

any pronouns . doesnt care about pronouns . heh.... the ninja are woke now.... watch out liberals wait hold on no what are they called again whats the opposite one.

basics yeah . nindroid/robot species duuuh. elemental power is ice yadyada we all know this. has very enhanced senses and intelligence but is kind of not self aware of why. they have all the sensor stuff and can see things differently like a robot but they dont really register that theyre seeing things in a robot way. its like shoved to the back of their brain [+ you cant really tell what you experience is not normal if youre a social recluse who doesnt hang around other people]

robot reveal takes some building up to get to since i think crowding it all into one episode is kinda boring nah i wanna drag this on make it hurt yayddaaaa

languages: cant name them all he knows too many.

elemental power - he can just summon ice. but its not normal ice its his ice. when it melts it doesnt create water and it just. stops existing. its magic ice. he can also freeze water and manipulate the frozen water. when he does that then it can melt into water ya

elemental power side effects - makes a horrible squeaking noise from the ice being in contact with his metal body. not much of a side effect to him more so an annoyance to everybody elses eardrums. he also struggles to move his body when hes overusing his ice . it like gets inside his bolts and metal junk so he moves more slowly. he has to like sit it out and 'defrost' if he overuses his power since he wont be able to move or anything

hes very cold constantly . he doesnt feel it but everybody around him certainly does

i genuinely do not know how to approach the ice emperor season why did they just ignore him committing genocide haha guys guys please why did we just ignore that why is everybnody okay with that why did we just brush past that. i still want to include the ice emperor season but it needs to have more impact and consequences than it did and i dont know how to include that

the only ninja that knows how to cook anything properly. do not trust the others with a kitchen. ever.

his fighting build is kind of what i would consider a magic fighter ? hes skilled and follows his teachings very well but also works with his element quite frequently and doesnt rely too heavily on neither his element or fighting and uses them both when needed in combat.

when hes in school / before graduation he was a straight a student who asks if the class can have more homework to do for fun. biggest snitch ever in school [wont snitch if its his friends tho. well he wont purposely snitch. he might accidently though] he always carrys medical supplys and general life stuff with him at school incase anybody else needs them. hangs around the halls of the school the most and just roams them checking on people and breaking up any fights. sometimes gives himself a rest in the library as a treat

lives on his own in the centre of ninjago city

when he reunites with his father he takes him in to his house and they start living together

taught lloyd how to cook and do general chores like cleaning your clothing properly and doing the dishes [since darkleys never taught him how to and he never had a proper parental figure for most of his life to teach him the basics of life]

in terms of power stuff hes the most skilled in combat compared to all the other ninja.

he appears as human for a long time even after learning hes a robot hes still getting over it a little give him some time. when hes older during the whole downloaded to head stuff he gets convinced to stop hiding it though

likes classical music and sloppy tv dramas that are badly made. he will point out how bad the show is with the writing but he'll still watch until hes on season 26 and have his eyes glued to the screen and start mimicking the speaking mannerisms of the characters

kind of big change. him and pixal swap places with the whole downloading to head thing. it just makes more sense for me for the guy who died to be. the one in pieces and needing to be uploaded to survive. also my babygirl pixal deserves it as a treat

i kinda forgot how zane was revealed in dragon rising . but uh while he was stuck unactivated or whatever his body kind of just continued 'fixing' itself and upgrading itself on its own so hes like super advanced and a lot different looking in dragon rising

~~~~~

nya - they did you so dirty in the early seasons nya i love you you deserved so much better

she her they them . Yeah. licks your foot

languages uhh - merlopian, common and has the ability to send general 'vibes' towards sea animals that know no intelligent language. like canon :p

human for now 😋 after recovering from being one with the sea she kinda becomes not fully human and can breathe underwater and she zones out a lot and gets weird visions of stuff that happens in the sea Yay

still loves jay yes i couldnt erase that it would be a crime . im a jay x nya truther its one of my favourite relationships in all media theyre such a 'he makes me laugh :]' type relationship i love them

her being samurai x actually does something and after her identity being revealed she isnt immediately useless . why they do that

also she doesnt use a trident she uses weapons from her old samurai x stuff . all that time fighting as samurai x using a sword only to change to a trident? no way it was that easy of a switch and why would she switch to a weapon she doesnt know how to use as efficiently as a sword which she does know how to use . 'but it looks cool' ok . stab. stab. stab.

she works the hardest out of all the ninja. to the point its very unhealthy. shes constantly out fighting

elemental power - can take water from the air, any surrounding source or from herself and manipulate it. in general she can just manipulate water. thats her power. she can also cause changes in the weather and stuff it but that only happens later on because thats a big step up from 'i move water and change it to be as hard as a knife to be my weapon' to 'water in the clouds is MINE!!!'. she could only summon brand new water and not just manipulate existing water when she was bound to the sea. if she trained hard enough she could probably unlock it again.

elemental power side effects - dehydration [ shes taking water from her body. a tad bit obvious it would remove. the water. and make her dehydrated], overuse of power makes her zone out real bad and her body goes numb and she cant feel anything and sort of just runs on autopilot. her body is also always nagging her for water even if she doesnt need it because it knows that extra water is going to probably be used up on her powers

after seabound she has patches of blue tinted skin on her torso and she gains swirly sea like markings on it too. smiles

also her being apart of the sea takes longer to undo . can you tell i like seabound. have you picked up on that yet. its my favourite season of the og ninjago / before dragon rising

she gets random nosebleeds sometimes

she helps create mechs and gadgets for the ninja alongside jay . stealing this headcanon from my friend . you know who you are .

fighting style is tricky. id say she became really reliant on her powers after retiring samurai x but after seabound she started using her actual weapons a lot more frequently for both her health and because she went a long period of time without using them and kind of grew used to not. using them again. so shes more of a equal usage of power user like zane is but def not as skilled as zane is when figuring out when is a good time to use them and not. she gives me sorcerer / fighter vibes .

she lives with kai in the outskirts of ninjago city . they live in a apartment building where the owners probably slipped a 20 bill to whoever checked for the safety of that place . they also run a shop together

does NOT clean her room and neither does kai. their house is a genuine abomination

taught lloyd some basic tech stuff and would occasionally show him some of the fighting rings she used to go to so they could just observe how the people fight in there and stuff so lloyd could learn a little from that.

when she was in her samurai x arc she used to participate in fighting rings to build up her skills more

she gets into a lot of fights at school . very confident and sticks up for the little guy . likes to hang around the gym at lunch

she cuts her hair short a bit after becoming a ninja

tongue is bioluminescent and so is her blood. also her blood and tongue is blue. why not

she has a lot of scars all over her body, primarily from her samurai x years. she didnt get personal training from wu until later when she became a ninja so she was just fighting with her own fighting style she built up over the years from scuffles and fights in school and fighting rings so she played really dirty in her fighting. she did get a little bit of training from wu but because she wasnt considered a ninja by him until later she didnt get personal training and that training was more to pass the time and do something.

she has a lot of scars and some chunks of flesh missing from her fingers due to not handling equipment properly when doing repairs to her samurai x mech + the others mechs

she doesnt wear any jewerly [doesnt have any piercings either] except for a necklace which has her half of the yin-yang medallion

~~~~~

cole - i like you. ill give you a potato as a gift

oni/human hybrid [oni is distant & from a few generations ago. its from his mothers side] the only oni physical features he has is thick skin and very small nub horns.

his build is much more of a physical hands on tough fighter type build. out of all the ninja he uses his elemental power the least [due to living in a city where tearing up the ground to fight somebody isnt considered acceptable] and he relys the most on his physical strength to handle the job. he uses his power more when they handle work outside of the city and more in the middle of nowhere

languages: common and very small amounts of munce's language which he learnt from geo when they were just passing time and bored. i really need a name for these languages

elemental power - its like nyas in the way it cant just be used to make the element and the element has to be sourced from around him. he manipulates earth from the world around him but he cant summon it. later in dragon rising he learns to create his own elemental earth because manipulating the earth from the merged lands gave him really bad headaches due to the Screaming

side effects - gets very stiff limbs and has really bad muscle pain. his skin is very tough both from his oni genes and his elemental power causing his skin to be 'hard like rock' so its really hard to stick needles in his skin or anything like that so medical assistance that requires a needle has to be handled differently when it comes to him.

doesnt listen to much music at first due to disliking it because of his father but later on learns to love it just to be himself and not follow his fathers influence and connect music with his father. he likes really intense and strong music

plays the drums at school and takes lessons purely because of his father. he skips very regularly and wastes his fathers money a lot lol.

kind of a quiet kid and keeps to himself.

~~~~~

kai - i could put him inbetween my fingers like a worm and squish until he pops

he / him and SWAG

languages: some ancient forms of common that he learnt in class [he liked history class so he actually payed attention and listened] + common . he also knows a bit of serpentine

human ya. resident human of a group full of either non-humans or previously-human-but-no-longer-human-humans

has a little mini arc of feeling like hes not strong enough and cant contribute much to the team etc etc boo

elemental power - can summon fire and it can come from any part of the body [never does it to his hair though. cant ruin that style] he can also manipulate existing fire as long as its not being controlled by somebody else . if it is its a fight for power and whoever is stronger gets control of the fire . his elemental power is a bit of a reverse of how they usually work, he finds creating is own element to be much easier than manipulating existing forms of it

side effects - gets peeled skin and overheats sometimes. he gets a fever too

his bodys internal temperature is much warmer than your average humans

glows at night [his veins and chest are the brightest] hes very warm and acts like a heater to any room hes in when its nighttime.

also resident jock of the group totally. popular in school and used to be on the sports team before he dropped out of it due to not having time for sports anymore because Ninja Stuff.

picked up his parents work in their shop purely for money, he doesnt have much passion for his work. hes good at his work but he doesnt actually enjoy it

his mind wanders a lot and he can kind of spiral really easily sometimes . not that he will ever tell anybody that tho lol . a lot of his fights get to him and he takes them very personally to his character and thinks about them a ton . even if its the smallest fight . he picks apart at each of his flaws in the fight for hours.

all the ninja participate in helping lloyd learn to fight but he out of all of them works the hardest to teach lloyd everything. because of this lloyds fighting style somewhat mimics kais a bit more than all the others [all the ninja have similiar fighting styles even if they dont work too well with their builds or fighting type because they all trained together and learnt off eachother]

~~~~~

jay - YEAAAAAA BABYYYY

might wokeify him and give him blue hair and pronouns [she her privledges]. we'll see. edit ok scratch it yes jay she/her and he/him pronouns woke minions woke me woke woke all ninja woke. only uses she/her after the merge tho

serpentine infected human !!! from the bite in rise of the snakes i think it was called . he just has scales and fangs and a small nub tail and his eyes are slit like a snakes

elemental power - can create electricity and manipulate existing electricity. works best summoned from his hands or a weapon any other surface being used to summon his power isnt too stable .

side effects - severe damage to body if overused or used in too much force. also he like always has that little static shock thing. whenever he touches somebody he gives them a little zap. also her hair is usually always really messy because of her power. she tries really hard to keep it down though because he thinks he looks silly with it all poofed out from electricity

out of all the elemental powers hers is the most unstable so a lot of her personal training is put into controlling it. he had to put the most work out of all the ninja into elemental control training.

his fighting style is much more of a mage build. he doesnt use physical fighting as much and relys more heavily on his elemental power

in terms of power her element is the strongest in raw untrained strength. she trained really hard to slowly perfect her control of it

she has a lot of scars primarily on her hands due to his work. he has chunks of the skin and flesh of her fingers missing and he has a few electricity scars running up his skin [from his left side primarily]

has more of a build made for agility rather than physical fighting due to his fighting style relying less on physical strength. he still has a ton of muscle though. all the ninja do. just he probably has the least amount because out of all the ninja he fights the least with physical strength . still can beat people up without his element though of course

she lives in a junkyard outside of the main city and bike rides to school everyday

works with nya on the mechs

idk how to handle dragon rising jay . i think im just gonna keep him as being apart of the administration rather than joining raz or all of that . ninjago teasing me with the beauty that is admin jay and then just throwing the concept in the trash smh. bring him back . i love admin jay . why did they literally do nothing with that concept dude bring him back. he can be a villain just not for raz instead for the admin

oh but yeah im gonna just completely blow up skybound and tournament of elements characterisation of jay that doesnt exist in here. useless love triangle? incel jay? what are you talking about? never heard of it

she occasionally wears jewerly . her most prized possession on herself is a necklace like nyas that contains his side of the yin-yang medallion

electricity sometimes changes color depending on points in the story . why ? idk i just want admin jay to have red lightning thats why. bites your pinkie finger off your hand.

wears skirts. hit post.

still worrys a lot but doesnt mean she isnt confident in battle. once he has a game plan set up for battle he barges through the door with full force and charges at the enemy . he just likes to analyse the situation and get a handle on it first before barging straight in [unless hes emotional, he might skip a few steps if hes emotional enough]. out of all the ninja theyre the most perceptive

teaches lloyd basic mech stuff alongside nya + brings him to comic stores and buys him stuff

sells her creations at market stalls and gets a ton of money through that.

can you tell that i was throwing beer at the screen when they revealed jay wasnt apart of the administration anymore. have you noticed i dont like raz sided jay yet. im fine with her being a villain but LET HER BE A OFFICE VILLAIN LET HER THROW PAPERWORK AT THE ENEMY!!!!!!!!!

~~~~~

no designs for them yet but still important for story

misako . they did you so dirty i somewhat forgot you existed for a few seasons because they NEVER SHOW YOU . anyways her fake name is koko she uses it when shes in hiding. her battle name is the lady iron dragon

human

she / her

trans because why not 'then who gave birth to lloyd' lord garmadon. next question.

no elemental power just a sword and a dream

ex-warrior. im smashing koko and misako together . yes . i like them both [misako still my fav though] misako met the garmadon brothers when she was fighting on the opposite of a battle [she wasnt really very aligned to them, she just owed some people a favour and fought for them because of that] . she won the battle and kept them hostage before talking a little with them and letting them go . they hit off ever since and became friends .

she was one of garmadons biggest opponents after he went really into the evil side. they sort of became offical enemies a few months before lloyd was born . they had a huge custody battle after lloyds birth [aka a literal battle . its a oni tradition lol] garmy lost but also garmy is like evil as hell and does not care about breaking laws or tradition anymore and only proposed the option because his ego is big and he thought he'd win . next thing after that garmy tried stealing lloyd away despite losing the battle so misako had to give up lloyd for his safety .

she eventually went into hiding going under a different name [koko] and dyed her hair orange so she couldnt be as easily recognised. she still has wrinkles though ninjago movie writers are weak they should of made her old. shes spent a long time looking for lloyd but lost him since she was so distracted fighting garmy

now she just works as a emergency services doctor. her dream job was to be a archaeologist but she did it for awhile and it brought way too much attention to her name so she had to drop it [even though she goes by a fake name and appearance she still doesnt want her fake identity getting any large publicity] . maybe one day when she gets garmadon off her back she can finally live out her dream job.

she reunites with lloyd after he gets severely injured trying to be the green ninja too early. the ninja bring him to the hospital because they cant treat his injurys on their own due to them being too severe and they all meet misako. misako joins the ninja force and semi takes on her mantle as the iron dragon again. not as much anymore, only when her son needs protection and she has to jump in

shes still a very experienced warrior and knows how to kick butt. just she doesnt do it much anymore because it wouldnt work well for people to recognise she has the exact same fighting style as the long missing warrior lady iron dragon.

~~~~~

garmadon [i call him garmy]

oni/dragon 50/50. same as before. his dad the fsm just did mitosis or something to make him and wu idk. they just zapped into existence. if he can make whole realms out of existence im sure he can do asexual reproduction and make two children

he/him

as i said before hes a much longer built up villain . he doesnt get brought back 24/7 because that hurts my brain and it just makes him a less terrifying villain and more like a occasional nuance. throwing beer at the tv when i see the 5th ninjago season centered around lloyd and garmadons relationship SNOREEEEEEEE. give it more of a build up

has red markings on skin due to venom

crys fire because i love that feature in the movie its so cool

so yeah . he only gets referenced more and more and hes built up a lot in image before hes actually finally revealed. hes a lot more intimidating and much more affected by the venom than canon garmy and hes killed a ton of people . hes like a really really bad guy whos fully infected by the venom

he has more dragon features than canon but majority of them are oni centered features.

his human form isnt what he actually looks like 'cured' or whatever its just a human disguise he uses to be accepted by others and seem more friendly and not a bad guy . this happens after the venom is mostly purged from his body ya

non human features aka stuff from being a oni are black and purple with some whites.

~~~~~

wu

oni/dragon . hides his true form unlike his brother garmy who does not give a fauk who sees his true form.

has primarily dragon features not too many oni compared to garmy who has a couple dragon features alongside his more dominant oni ones

non human features aka dragon stuff are gold and white with some small purples.

lowkey kind of a horrible teacher who teaches literal children how to be soldiers but thats just because hes ancient old and not used to new ways + his father wasnt that good . of a father . and didnt teach him very well either. he cares about his students greatly but hes inexperienced and was taught by a bad teacher [aka. his father]

still has a crush on misako lowkey such a loser for her . im a wu / misako truther . she deserves better than that FREAK garmy and im not letting him break her heart

~~~~~

ok im still working on the other characters come back later. also still workin on the ninja

[mistermalaprop]

finished au crosshairs art & talking about the stranded au

continuing from this post! want to start reading? here!

w/ the text and then-

no text! finally, he's all colored and pretty!

anyway, i know this idea is a bit niche and weird but i’ll talk about it here:

the fuck is this idea, mal!?

you don’t have to shout :(

but in summary: the stranded crosshairs au takes place after an alternate timeline in age of extinction (2014) where lockdown + cemetery wind was successful in nerfing almost all decepticons and autobots on earth. lockdown does not get defeated and humans are still assholes, yippie! crosshairs, being crosshairs, nopes the fuck out when optimus prime gets captured and executed— and drift comes with, because literally everyone else is dead… including the yeagers :( i’m sorry, but the government would kill them all.

the two are on the run in space for a couple months or years, but they get inevitably captured by lockdown and— oop! that’s all i’ll say about that.

this incident ends up with crosshairs’ spark being transported via a tear in the well of allsparks and he wakes up in the rid 2015 universe!

ohh okay okay.. but what about crosshairs himself?

crosshairs, in the live action movies, is a fucking jerkwad arse lmao and i know it. due to story reasons, his behavior is mellowed out and he’s not as obnoxious (we still need rid15 sideswipe to be that #1 nuisance) or violent. he hung out with drift for years alone in the middle of space, he picked up a few things!

well, not as violent towards other bots i mean. after cemetery wind back in his own world, he is distrusting of humans to a lethal degree (rip danny and russell) and hates being touched. i wont get into too many specifics, but just know he’s a tired, blunt bastard that just wants to sleep all day (it’s the depression and chronic attachment issues).

he starts off alone in the story but gets picked up into the bee team (against his will).

other info!

i’m happy to answer any questions about anything in this au (characters, relationships, story, etc) via the ask box. i like answering questions <3 other comments and concerns are also not minded :)

also! design wise— because i love designing things and talking about design choices— below is how i’d imagine the parachutes to work. i wanted to keep the paratrooper aspect of his original character since i liked how unique it was!

i hope it makes sense, because it was funny to draw.

i had fun drawing that, it’s silly.

and that’s all i got for now! here is my current poster for this au— in color and black/white! since i’m planning on it being a little comic thing with some writing (maybe).

[astro-vision-au]

Time for some lore on this guy! I'll be going over the lore for both of his components as well as his lore!

So, for starters, yes, Cardinal is comprised of 3 personalities but only 2 people. Cardinal is the result of P-8723 [who I will call PC] and Yellows consciousness working in sync to create Cardinal. If and when they act independently, Cardinal kinda just doesn't exist for a short while until they're both back on the same page.

I'll be going over both of their lore, and by both I mostly mean Yellow bc he's one of my older OC's so he's got a lot of lore going on that translates into Cardinal.

Yellow

Offical cannon

His ref is super old but it's the best I can do JFNENE

Yellow is a species known as a Core, this species were once humans with magical/elemental abilities that cane from the core in their chest. Unfortunately after a mass extintion event where their planet was destroyed their souls were bound to these cores, and they would drift throughout the multiverse for thousands of years, waiting for a host to accidentally stumble across them.

Here are some non cannon pics of him having several other characters as hosts! [Don't mind some of this art is BALLS OLD]

It should come as no surprise to anyone that this mass extinction event was caused by none other then Yellow himself, destroying his entire planet because he was tired of the endless wars that infested his planet, and in his words, "ruined his life".

Over the next ten thousand or so years, he would hop from the universe to the universe, world to world, taking hosts and causing pain and suffering in his wake. He enjoys pain in every form, on himself or others, especially himself, as he has a tendency to rip his hosts apart when he's board of them. After all, when you spend most of your existence not feeling anything, pain feels like ecstasy, at least, that's how he sees it.

Yuy

While he has a long rap sheet of causing damage, his most notable and most terrible experiment was known as the Rainbow Core project. Think the cluster from Steven universe, except it's the fragments of shattered cores, hundreds of thousands of fractured consciousness compacted into one core the size of an SUV. Thankfully, the goddess Unity was able to use the Rainbow Core to defeat Yellow along with several other major villains he had teamed up with at the time before sending the Core off deep into space.

Once defeated, Yellow, reduced to his Core form, would be kept in high security storage by Screen for nearly one thousand years. [As of Astro II: 31XX he does not have a role, so while his story isn't over that's as far as it currently goes.]

Joj eua mkz se skyygmk?

Astro-Vision Cannon

His story In Astro vision picks up from the Astro II: 31XX timeline, meaning that when he spawned on Astronia he was still in high security storage, before eventually being moved to the same Facility as PC. From his perspective he had been dormant for a very long time, so he was extremely eager to have a new host. Using what little power he had, he would call out to PC while he was making his escape, and was able to bond to him when PC picked him up.

Under normal circumstances, Yellow would completely take over his host, but PC seemed to be different. For the first time in his long existence, he allowed PC to have some control, and in doing so, they were able to synchronize, an extremely rare phenomenon that has only occurred once before in SF! Mask. This third personality would be known as Cardinal.

PC

PC, aka Puzzles Clone, was the first to be created by Sag5, however Sag5 was unconscious when creating him, and thus, had no idea of his existence for several years.

nk'y yzorr grobk

He would go out into Astronia, immediately causing trouble, running into a group of government agents sent from the mushroom kingdom to explore the new lands. During the struggle, he would get his hand on an explosive, throwing it and severely injuring Swag and giving Chris minor injuries. Swag would lose his arm and right eye.

He was still taken down by Screen, who came just in time to save the remaining agents before disappering. He would be taken to be held in the government facility for several years. In that time, Screen would merge the Unify Army with the government facility, giving Swag a new robotic prosthetic arm and eye. Screen would also transfer the items in secure storage to the facility, including the Yellow Core.

When the day came that Swag dropped his key card in PC's cell, he took his chance to escape, as he was sneaking through the halls, he heard a voice calling to him. Following it, he found the Yellow core, and from there, Cardinal would be born.

Vxuzkiz noy MURJKT ZXKGYAXK

Cardinal

A third personality, born of two mentally unstable masocistic sadists, yeah, what could go wrong? His first moments of life would be spent ripping and tearing his way through guards until he escaped the facility that held him. For a time, he laid low, learning about his abilities and how they worked. But he had a goal. You see, PC specifically was obsessed with one person, a person that Cardinal would also be obsessed with, Sag5, their Creator.

Cardinal worships Sag5 like a God, their obsession is not entirely romantic, but it can be seen that way to many. Cardinal saw everyone and everything as an obstical, especially Mr. Puzzles. At the end of Pt 4, Cardinal would sneak up behind Puzzles, impaleing him through the head, and throwing his body into the gateway before destroying it. [Puzzles did not die, but he was severely injured, he would, however, make a full recovery in pt 5]

Znke'xk utzu sk, O ngbk zu MKZ UAZ GTJ TKBKX IUSK HGIQ

Unfortunately, he wasn't as sneaky as the thought, as Tari would witness this. He decided it was best to prove a point, and show what happens to those who try to get in his way, by ripping off Taris arm, and dragging her back to the Castle.

Smg4 and Smg3 would attempt to fight Cardinal to protect Tari and the others, only for Screen to step in and protect them. Cardinal would get the upper hand, grabbing her Screen and ripping it from her face, causing her to bleed out and pass from her injuries. [Dw Screen is capable of responding, death to her is just an inconvenience]

After that, Cardinal would make his retreat. And I can't say much after that, as pt 5 and 6 are still under development!

IKGYK EUAX OTZKXLKXKTIK GBGZGX UL ZNK YZGXY

Overall

Cardinal is a massive threat to everyone around him, and will be the main antagonist of pt 5 and probably pt 6 as well. the only person spared from his wrath is Sag5, who doesn't exactly reciprocate his feelings, not that he really cares. Words can not describe how truly evil he is. He kills for the fun of it all and really has no other motive than his own selfish desires. Yet somehow, ppl want this man smh smh.

If there's anything else you want to know don't be afraid to ask!

Vrkgyk lotj nos

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!

Yep, that's right! Puzzles had some things to attend to with his kiddo, so Cardinal will be taking over puzzles spot in the sexyman contest by @alelathedragon! Sorry for any confusion or inconvenience for some people! Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be on the sidelines, still around helping out with the contest!

Yes yes, I know this is bound to ruffle a few feathers but let's be real, we all know I'm the favorite, recent asks have proven that, I'm sure this is pleasant news for everyone! As for my competition, I hope you don't mind, I know you were looking forward to an easy victory with my predecessor, but I'm not going down as easily... see you soon.

[bartholomew-junior]

woe six (five actually) human souls designs be upon you. very fresh designs that will probably be more fleshed out in the future once i’m less busy

[bluerosefox]

That Good Ol' Fenton Charm

Hmmmm

Single dad Danny (to deaged Ellie and Dan) meets his neighbor Selina Kyle after one of her cats get into their apartment and he finds his kids playing with it.

Cue meet cute where Selina at first is just flirting like always but Danny charms her (aka being a bit dense but somehow adorkable, its charming)

[cowardlykrow]

"Hah, dude doesn't even know he's in my tamagotchi."

[novelconcepts]

The more the show progresses, the more I want to see the 90s cast infiltrating the modern timeline. We've gotten hints of it with Shauna and her younger self, her Jackie hauntings. We've gotten a little more with adult Lottie seeing teenage Nat (and Laura Lee), and with Natalie getting teenage Lottie in her final moments. I want more. I want the teen cast to be absolutely invasive on pivotal adult moments, infecting their adult counterparts when least expected. I want Taissa's argument with Van to dissolve into their teenage selves, their bond endless and timeless and inescapable. I want Misty absolutely wrecked by young Natalie lurking around corners, watching from mirrors. I want to see these women unable to navigate adulthood without the specters of their teenage selves cropping up absolutely everywhere, more and more as they let the memories in, as they stop being able to repress the trauma. They didn't grow up. They never could. You are always doomed to regress around your high school teammates. You are haunted by the phantom elements of your misspent youth. It is a comfort, and it is a gift, and it is a trial, and it is a curse. I would love to see that reflected with greater intensity, until the lines blur, until the timelines have no choice but to intersect. They haven't escaped themselves at all. They didn't grow up. They just got older.

[sieglinde-freud]

let it be known that i love prince inigo with my whole soul. however sometimes it is SO much fun to think about owain and his two most loyal-est knights you ever seen: worst guy in the world #1 and worst guy in the world #2. i love retainer inigo and severa so much. retainers who bully you and make fun of you and trash on you but they’d leave behind everyone and everything they ever knew to follow you and protect you in a whole new universe. they love you so much that they’d swear allegiance to total strangers but that loyalty pales in comparison to what they’d do for you. and they were all lovers!!!!!!!

[ki1ldeer]

A (lengthy) oc info rundown post because maybe the best way to showcase my pride and joys is not by vague posting about their lore in the tags of unrelated drawings

✨The main trio✨

Alt text is of the writing in case my handwriting isn’t as legible as I think it is (it’s not, according to the stupid apple photo-to-text feature)

Some more info under the cut. I love to yap about my lore!!

✨the gods that make their lives miserable (mostly Aegis)✨

Info about them: they all will have demigods, but Aegis is the only one who mimics their appearance. Aegis changes the most because uhhh nature is always changing? And I get bored. Philomena is the leader. Aegis and Achlys have a rivalry going on because something something domain disputes. They are all kind of siblings? And they all have more abstract forms sort of like how I drew Aegis here, but idk man I can’t figure them out.

And basic info about what I mean when I call either Liam or Emmeline a “keeper” because I use it interchangeably with “demigod” even though “keeper” is what it is in the lore lol

And I don’t have a nice drawing for this because idk how but here’s the deal with Finn and why I sometimes say he’s “cursed” or “doomed to repeat a cycle.” So like just like how there’s a new demigod every 100 years, every 100 years someone comes along who holds the same spirit (like a parallel or something idk). This person always meets the keeper and they become inseparable, either platonically or romantically, doesn’t matter. And every time that person is destined to die as the final like shebang for the demigod transfer (like cutting the last tie to humanity or something). Finn is the first to break this cycle but he wasn’t supposed to. AND he’s cursed because the person with the spirit before him, Heidi, was such a little FREAK that she got the whole spirit cursed and now everyone who gets it after her and Finn will be cursed. Idk what this curse is exactly but I’ll figure that out eventually. It’s just fun to point at them and be like “CURSED 🫵”

[iamthezip]

So I have more thoughts! Once again, its a ramble. I'm not editing this cause its 2 am. Enjoy! TW: We're talking about grief due to death of a loved one.

Okay, I have to come back to this. Because I looked at Edwin, Charles, and Crystal dealing with the grief of losing Niko. But then I was thinking about Niko's grief. Because Niko is still grieving when we meet her. She's grieving the death of her father, being sent away by her mother, the loss of all other connection. Niko is as cut off as the others - the boys via their deaths, Crystal via her amnesia. She's no less alone and grieving. Her's is just not from some supernatural involvement. But more than just the idea that Niko is grieving is that the grief we see almost flips the grief we see the others go through as a result of her death. 

Edwin freezes in grief, running into a mountain, but I think he'd eventually process the grief and does come to accept the loss at least a little in the bedroom scene - "she has moved on to her afterlife". On the other hand, Niko does try to move on. And the timeline isn't really clear. When I watched the show, I assumed Niko's trip to the dandelion shrine was AFTER her father's death as I don't imagine she was infected when she was home for his funeral. So my analysis assumes that Niko tried seeking courage, not just to attend the boarding school across the ocean but to grieve and be without her father in her life. Niko tries to move beyond the mountain, but ends up being halted, not by her own choice but by others. We'll come back to that.

For Charles, I looked at the idea of grief taking things that are familiar and making them foreign and the continuance of his habit of hiding behind a smile and placing his needs and wants aside for others. Niko is quite literally thrust into the foreign. She is sent away. For her, there is no familiar after her father's passing. She left the familiar, again not really by her own choice/action, but "the sadness came too". That grief, that loss is the most familiar thing she has when the others meet her. She also doesn't hide it and she doesn't set it aside for anyone. She is open about her loss and her grief, open about her sorrow, and about how it has impacted her. She lives with her grief in the open, even if she doesn't quite process it or address it fully. 

Finally, Niko isolates where Crystal connects. When we meet Niko, she's a shut in and she's refusing to read her mother's letters. She dropped out of school. She doesn't reach out to the only family she has left. She doesn't have an friends. And we know later that she was probably pretty social at school or at least had social connections - she knew Brad and Hunter, she knew the rumors about them, she knows the football chants and cheers and happily sings them, even doing the hand gesture. Niko had connections. She lost them when she withdrew and isolated. Now, this is how some people respond to grief. Maybe the loss is too heavy and they get buried under the mountain. Maybe it's fear of losing others so better to cut ties now. Maybe its not being able to look at anyone without wondering if they're gonna die too. But for Niko, this lack of connection, this withdrawal isn't actually due to her own actions, but the intervention of others. 

And I think this is a huge part of grief that the show helps explore. Niko's first loss of connection is her loss of home and her loss of family - her mother sends her away. Her mother may have meant well. She writes Niko and Niko says that her mother tried to "send her away from the sadness". Though, her mother may have sent her away because she is one of the people that responded to grief by withdrawing and therefore forcing the same response on to Niko. Her second loss is her school and her eventual shut-in status, which results from the Dandelion Sprites. Niko says that she left school because everyone kept staring. And its so easy, when your grieving, to perceive people staring as a result of grief. I definitely felt that - this idea that people looked at me and only saw my grief or talked to me and only heard my grief. People would ask me "how are you" always with this tone of assumption, this weird sympathy, borderline pity thing. Like I was glass or needed to be handled with kids gloves. And if I said I was fine or doing okay, they'd get this look on their face like "awe, look at her being brave". And yeah, part of my perception was colored by some initial interactions. Most likely, only some people made that face or had that tone, but I got to seeing it and hearing it in almost every interaction. And I hated it. I wanted for my grief to be left alone. Now imagine that except people won't stop looking. The Dandelion Sprites made people look at Niko, not in pity. Not even at her grief, but at her. Except, she couldn't tell that. All she knew was that her father died and she went to school and everyone kept staring at her - staring at the girl who lost her father, staring at the girl who's mother sent her away, staring and staring and staring. So she fled. That progress she was making with her courage to climb that mountain grief threw at her - the progress came to a shuddering halt and she cut her connections and she isolated. 

But Niko's journey with grief doesn't end there. Because there's a third intervention - the Agency. And not just in regards to the Sprites. They do resolve that for her, which removes that driving force of her isolation. But they also offer connection and support. Niko eventually reads her mother's letter and sends her own because of seeing how much Crystal misses her own mother and wishes for that connection. Niko talks to the others about her loss and her grief on more than one occasion, not just a single one off of "this happened" and nothing else. She even has a bit of "wait, can this new supernatural world help me and bring my father back" but she accepts the answer of "no, you wouldn't want him back that way." Niko doesn't just form connections with the Agency, but due to the Agency's support, she reforms connections with others - her mother, Jenny, the wider community. She even finds new purpose in helping the Agency solve cases and helps the others process their emotions, especially Edwin. She starts moving past that mountain grief created. And its through the support of others.

This is how we compare the grief journey's we see. Niko didn't have anyone. She didn't receive support from her mother. She didn't receive it from her friends or school (again, supernatural involvement, but this mirrors common real world scenarios with grief). People don't always know how to handle someone grieving. They worry about saying or doing he wrong thing, so they do nothing or they do end up doing the wrong thing. We don't often teach how to handle grief - our own grief, let alone the grief of others. So its hard. And for Niko, this inability of others to support her in her grief led to her isolating and being buried under a mountain. And the later support from Crystal and Edwin and Charles helped her move forward and form connections again. And this support is something we see immediately with the others - especially Crystal. She tentatively asks to join the Agency in that scene in Niko's room. Edwin could hold his usual line of "we don't need Crystal" but he doesn't. He accepts her. Charles does to. They are there for each other from the beginning of their journey through grief. They have what Niko didn't.

Dead Boy Detectives - Grief

Spoilers ahead for in series character death.

I received this NGL

I have a lot of thoughts about grief and Dead Boy Detectives. The show touches on grief a bit and there were some things in the show that immediately connected with my own experience with grief. So this question and answer was a bit of an emotional exploration for me. In my usual manner, I ended up with quite the ramble. Firstly, trigger warnings for mention of terminal illness and parental death.

I think Edwin, Charles, and Crystal, in the very small glimpse that we see, show three different aspects of grief and grieving. I'd be fascinated to see how each react long-term, but all we have so far is the scene in Esther's house and the next in Niko's room. 

Grief is a difficult thing to predict. Edwin and Charles have a rather close relationship with lower-case "d" death - they have both lived through their own deaths, spend their afterlife constantly helping others deal with their death in a way, and have capital "D" Death hanging over them at all times, in the form of fleeing from her. Death isn't new to them, and I don't think grief really is either. They both have probably grieved their own deaths. Charles grieves the life he can't live. Edwin probably grieves not just his death but his time away - he didn't get to say goodbye, he didn't get to see what happened to his family. He didn't just die - he had his world ripped away. And we don't what's better - Edwin who suddenly is in a world not his own or Charles who has watched his slowly change and fade away and move on without him. But these are both losses that a person may grieve.

Edwin, with Niko, there is the added layer of connection. Edwin seems pretty determined not to form connections, by choice or false belief in his own inability to do so. He calls the living messy, even saying he'd welcome Crystal if she had died. He also seems aghast at the idea of having a living client in Becky Aspen. Charles is pretty open to befriending Crystal and Niko, so I think he's probably had a few living friends over the years. Meaning, he's probably lost some living friends over the years, either by death or them moving on from the perpetual-16-year-old.

Anyway, drawing it back to the moment of Niko's death and grief in that moment. I feel like grief hits you no matter how prepared you are, no matter how used to death you are. Because grief means you loved something or loved the hope of something or...its loss. Even if its loss you are used to or are prepared for. I see a lot of my own grief in Edwin and Charles.

To explain a little, I grew up with a mother with a terminal illness. She was given year to live when I was born and made it 28 years. She was fucking stubborn. Me and a couple of my siblings have had near death experiences. One of us even being declared clinically dead for a bit. And my father was a soldier, regularly deployed to war zones. Us kids were very aware of the fact that each goodbye when he deployed could be the last. So I grew up with death as a constant potential. It was always there, lurking nearby. And people used to tell me that at least, when someone I cared about passed away, I'd be used to the thought of it.

I wasn't. I don't think you can be, because you don't know the form that loss will take. What things in your day-to-day life it will color and which ones you won't.

I got used to the idea of death much the same way I think the boys have. But I wasn't ready when my mom passed away. And I don't think Edwin was when Niko passed away. That initial loss is like a mountain that's just dropped in front of you, that seems so insurmountable and also makes it impossible to see what's beyond, what life looks like afterwards. In the scene when Edwin, Crystal, and Charles are around Niko's body, it's Charles that grabs the other two, Charles that says they need to leave. This is the first time that is NOT Edwin inciting the flee from Death. Charles's death, the WW1 ghost, the Devlin house, the two Dragons. Each time, Edwin is the one that reminds Charles of the urgency to leave. Edwin initiate it. With Niko, Edwin can't. He's frozen. Not physically, but emotionally. He can't leave Niko. Until Charles makes him. I think this is a perfect example of the effect and weight of grief. Edwin has spent 30+ years running. He is constantly aware of the need to flee Death, the risk to himself and Charles if he doesn't, if he stops for even just a moment. But here, the grief over Niko overrides that decades built survival instinct. Edwin doesn't move. Edwin let himself befriend someone who could die, and even though he knew that people die and is so intimately familiar with death, that actual loss hits and it hits hard. On top of this, we know that Edwin doesn't always process his emotions. He has multiple comments about things being "too much emotion for one day" and again "messy" - grief is TOO MUCH emotion and is way messy. Edwin has started to explore his emotions and feelings, with his love for Charles, but I don't know if he ever actually fully explored grief. And I think he will this time. I think because it's Niko he will. Because Niko helped him explore love and open up and encouraged him in that journey, I think he'd feel he'd owe it to her to explore his grief properly. Do I think he'd do it immediately? Do I think he'd do it openly or well? No. But I think he will, eventually.

Grief also has a way of turning the familiar foreign. Charles and Edwin have been in each others space for 30+ years, and they have their roles. Its established immediately - "He's the brain. I'm the brawn." But its established in other ways, Charles being the smiley ones who charms the clients while Edwin is the fact-gatherer. Edwin again keeps them from Death's reach while Charles acts as the protector. Them moving around each other is familiar. Charles taking care of Edwin is familiar. Charles having to pull Edwin from death is foreign. Charles having to watch his friend lose someone is probably also foreign. When my mother passed away, my brother handled most things - funeral arrangements, phone calls to family and friends, reservations, flowers, everything. I supported him, keeping track of the to do list and making sure he stopped for food and water. My brother being the leader was familiar. Me being his second-in-command was familiar. Him thanking me for making sure he ate food was foreign. Him having to take 10 minutes outside the flower shop before he could drive was foreign. He was always the strong one, the one that couldn't be stopped. And while I was always his second, we never gave that words. We never talked about it. We just did it. And suddenly, these familiar things were foreign. I think this is Charles in that moment in Esther's house, and I think it'll be him moving forward. Charles takes the role that Edwin drops. Its an extension of his normal role, protector, but its still something that is solidly Edwin's job in their partnership. As for long term, Charles hides his emotions behind a smile. And yeah, him and Edwin had a moment in ep 5 about it and Crystal has called him out on it, but Charles hasn't changed in that regard. He hides his negative emotions behind a smile and he sets his own needs aside for others. I don't think grief is new to Charles. Imagine the dozen little griefs he experienced when he was alive - the grief of not having a loving father (he saw it with other kids), the grief of not having a mother who would protect him, the grief of not having any adult step in, the grief of his friends' betrayal. Charles was as used to sorrow as he was to rage and just as used to hiding it behind a smile. I think he does this here as well. I think he'll put his own grief aside, slap on a smile, and do everything he can to care for Edwin and Crystal. I think Charles will lean into the familiarity Edwin and even Crystal offer, definitely dive into solving cases - "all I need is my best mate and a case to solve".

Crystal for me is a third aspect of response to grief - connection. Some people, in grief, withdraw and isolate. When my mother passed, my family became closer. I definitely ignored some relationships, tangential friendships, but I clung closer to family. Crystal I think goes this route. This feels right to me given lack of connection and new connection is such a huge part of her storyline and arc. Crystal is ready to leave, reluctantly, but ready at the beginning of ep 8. She doesn't want to hurt Niko or the boys by staying and potentially being who she used to be, but she also wants to rebuild those connections she lost with her amnesia and with her past behavior. She's seeking connection, and she's seeking it, I think, where she feels she's meant to - her family, her parents. But her parents are the connection she needs, nor the one I think she reaches for after Niko dies. I think she'll still probably try to reconnect with them. After all, she helped convince Niko to reach out to hers and there is that drive there - Niko can't ever talk to her mother again. Edwin's family is gone. Charles can only watch his family in a mirror. Crystal is the ONLY one who can still see her family, so I think she does. But I think, with the grief of Niko, Crystal is also driven back to the boys. At the end of ep 8, Crystal doesn't try to leave again, instead, in Niko's room, she asks "what about us?". Charles offers her the out, bringing up what she previously said about returning to London alone, and Crystal rebuffs the offer, asking to be part of the Agency, to remain with the boys. There are probably multiple things that factor into this, especially considering Crystal very evidently didn't want to leave before but seemed to be doing so out of feeling like she could hurt them. Crystal seeks out connection here, holding on to the familiar bonds she's started to form, and strengthening them by asking to stay and asking to be a part of them. She admits how good they've been for her and her desire to keep that. 

For the second part of this question - how'd they get to Niko's room. I'm assuming this isn't like "practically how'd they get there." Like, did the police show up. Was there an investigation into the explosion at the butcher shop and now a dead teenager also so soon after a missing child and an attempted murder turned accidental death? I assume we mean, "how'd they get to the point of standing in Niko's room and planning what comes next." And really, it makes sense to me and seems like the perfect follow-up to the previous scene. Grief and loss change a lot, but the shocking amount of things that stay business as normal is... a lot. Like I mentioned earlier, some people process by handling logistics and just making sure to get from a to b to c accordingly and keep everything moving and on track. Some people use future plans to help them move forward, to believe there's something beyond the grief and see past that mountain. Charles takes care of the others. Crystal clings to connection. Edwin sets his emotions aside until he can process them. So they move on, in little ways, in that moment - what do they (and Jenny) need to do for Niko. What's next for them. The agency is still running. Crystal still needs to go "home". They are still "alive" and business continues as normal even when its so clearly not. When I went through multiple death in a row, people seemed so confused that I was still going to work, still hanging out with friends, still going about my day. I was shocked too, at times, how a day would go by like nothing had changed. This scene sort of shows that for me - the idea that things keep moving. And we move with them. Hope this made some sort of sense.