#i love finding new writers

[djarins-riduur]

You truly have some of the best encouragement 🥰 I love seeing you in my motifs and on my dash. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on everyone’s stories— I know I especially appreciate it 💕💕

I am so sorry for finding this so late, but thank you thank you thank you! Reading fics here is my full time job sometimes and I strive to show as much appreciation for writers as possible! You guys absolutely deserve it.🖤🖤

[leonardburton]

the thing is. juno & nureyev's relationship has been such a major guiding thread throughout the podcast and the major drive of season 5, and the fandom has built itself so much (as fandoms often do) around shipping the two of them.

and yet nureyev doesn't show up at all in the last episode! or, he does, but it's only implied (for all we know it could be like. alessandra strong)(i know it's not but it would be really funny) and we don't hear his voice.

and it's so important to me that despite the room that their romance has taken in the plot and in our hearts, his absence reinforces that the point of juno steel's story wasn't a lady getting his man, it was about learning to grow as person for himself and for his friends (and not just his love interest), and it was about finding his footing in life and being at peace with himself and his place in the world. and he did! his growth and relative serenity is so apparent and just. a balm to the soul

and the fact that his man is back is just a nice add-on, not a necessity for his happiness

[eywaseclipse]

Now just Jeytiri in bulk 🤗💙

[violettierre]

My haitani father Shio headcanon is just a bit too funny cuz of how well it works that it sounds like a waste of perfect canon idea and crossover for both of wakui's works.

Aside from the obvious physical features very very obvious, identical eyes, nose, blonde eyebrows, rindou's face form, ran's hair color palette and (arguably) bonten hair style, blah blah i mean just look a the pictures below, you can also bring up any fact from either manga and add it to the hc and it fits in just SO WELL, i'll give the first example, The Haitanis are very obviously rich spoiled kids like have you seen their apartment? They have a fucking dj set, only rich kids with neglective powerful parents will have no problem paying for that, just saying, and even though i love him let's be real Shio is the type to be that parent, i mean cmon he's rich like crazy rich (filthy yakuza money yum yum) he tots would give his children WAY more than enough allowance so they can leave him alone, also the way they act, i've always the Haitanis were the type of kids that think they own the school cuz their dad is rich .

Nvm if this never becomes canon or both universes don't collide, it's just so entertaining to keep connecting the dots that were likely never there, like how Rindou is a heavy drinker cuz his father drank alot with the rest of the Yotsurugis and he tried to imitate him from a young age that it became an unhealthy habit or if you want to add more drama he only drinks cuz he looks up to his father but Shio favors Ran cuz he can posssibly succeed him (canon power complex) so Rindou resorted to drinking cuz it's the only thing like his dad that he can do. Heck yeah i made it angsty!!!

You can also add great context to his fear of Yakuza, picture this, when he was a kid he got up in the middle of night after hearing a loud noise to search for his parents and witnessed Shio (canon Yakuza) pew pew-ing some poeple and surrounded with scary men, that probably scarred him for life that he was so terrified when Kakucho got them interfering with some, OH OH something just came to mind, if he's the son of a yakuza yeah he didn't wanna clash with other yakuza families cuz it can end in a blood shed and risk his and his family's lives.

And i'm gonna add this one not very small detail and i swear i'll shut up (for now), i know it's just a stupid headcanon that is very far from becoming reality and i don't have to take it this deep but hear me out, why their last name is Haitani and not Yotsurugi like their dad, Shio is powerful and have many enemies right ? So he simply decided to protect his children and their identity by giving them another last name likely their mother's (yk like minato with naruto style plan ?) So Haitani is actually their mom's family name. I rest my case. Thank you for coming to my useless ted talk.

[raineandsky]

#121

The barrel of the supervillain’s weapon turns a bright white as it charges. The villain is ready for this—they’ve planned it, they’ve imagined it, they know that this has to be the thing that redeems them.

The supervillain laughs as he turns to face the weapon towards them. The heroes never really believed they’d changed. Why would they? A villain once is a villain for life. Whispers followed them, hard glares burned into their back, the odd ‘accidental’ shove followed by laughter that could’ve been as cruel as a villain’s.

The supervillain says something, but they’re not listening. Well. The villain’s about to show those stupid heroes what change looks like. They’ll die here, the hostages will have that extra time to escape, and the heroes will finally see the villain as one of them. As a person.

The villain closes their eyes. The machine in front of them whirs excitedly. This is it. This is it.

Something hard collides with their side, sending them crashing to the pavement. No! their mind shrieks. Gravel digs into any bit of skin it can find, the sharp ache of future bruises under their clothes. Painful, but not as much as this was meant to be.

The supervillain grunts in frustration as the villain risks opening their eyes. A hefty crater is smouldering in the concrete where they were just standing, puffing smoke into the air like a grim image of what they’d have ended up as—ash, at best. They can’t move; somehow, seeing the destruction that could’ve so easily been them is paralysing.

“Oh, god,” someone says from behind them. “You’re not dead, are you?”

The villain finally notices the tight hold around them and manages to wriggle out of it. “Wh—” They push away from the hero, incensed. “What are you doing?”

The hero lugs themself to their feet. “Making sure you don’t die?”

The villain follows them up, ignoring the hero’s hand held out to them, as the supervillain tuts irritably. “Heroes cannot save you, [Villain],” he calls with a cold smile. “You really think you are anything more than a stain to scrub out to them?”

The villain lurches back towards to supervillain, the hero grappling for them and missing. “Then give them something they’ll physically have to scrub out of this road!”

The hero appears next to them, their hand around their arm. “[Villain], stop.”

The villain shrugs their hand off, but it’s back immediately. “Go away, [Hero]. Let me do this.”

The supervillain’s weapon lights up. “No,” the hero snaps stubbornly. “Why are you so set on this? What is dying really going to do?”

Whirring hums in the air again. The barrel turns that heavenly white. “Because maybe then you’ll see me a little more as a person and less as a mindless criminal.” They shove the hero away. “There’s hostages, you know. Go be a hero and help them.”

“The other heroes have that sorted,” the hero says coolly, “because I’m a bit busy trying to save someone else right now.”

The villain doesn’t get a chance to pull away from the hero this time. Their hand tightens on the villain’s arm, and before they can react they’re pushed to the side and out of harm’s way a second time.

“Stop!” the villain cries, their voice barely a rasp. “You think I’m blind? You think I can’t see that all of you would rather I was dead?”

“Maybe a few of the nastier guys, sure. They don’t like anyone,” the hero says sharply, “but I promise you, [Villain], not everyone wants you dead.”

The supervillain’s weapon clicks. The villain recognises the sound; a reload, a brief respite in the war. The hero pulls the two of them behind a slab of upturned road, out of the weapon’s line of sight. Not that it wouldn’t blow this thing to smithereens if the supervillain wanted it to.

“You are a fool to think the heroes will ever think of you as one of them,” he says with a grim smirk. Another click, another bolt in. “But if you do not want to accept that, I am happy to erase the thought from your mind.”

“I need this,” the villain snaps. The hero’s still clinging to their arm. “Let go of me.”

“No you don’t,” the hero says shortly. “You need redemption.”

“This is redemption.”

“No it’s not.” The hero’s hold on them tightens, almost painfully. “This is sacrifice. For nothing.”

“I’m— I’m buying time, the hostages—”

“You realise,” the hero cuts in, “you can buy more time if you don’t keel over.”

The villain stares at them. The supervillain’s weapon clicks one final time. “Come out, [Villain],” he says brightly. “Let us relieve the heroes of their moral duties. I’m sure they’ll thank you for it.”

“Dying doesn’t fix anything,” the hero says lowly. “Don’t make amends by avoiding what you’ve done. Surviving—living with your mistakes—is the biggest atonement you can make.”

“Come on, [Villain],” the supervillain says again. The smile is audible in his voice; coy, knowing, confident. “I’ll make it nice and easy for you, I promise.”

The villain’s stare has long stopped focusing on the hero. They’re well beyond looking at anything. “Okay,” they say weakly. “Okay.”

When the shot of the supervillain’s machine crushes their hiding spot to pieces, the two of them are long gone.

[liiontai]

binged all of chaos theory in one go... it was awesome!!! i love jurassic park!! i love dinosaurs!! i love the nublar six!! i love gay people!! more please!!

[atalienart]

I don't know what I'm doing with my life, don't mind me. I guess I'm procrastinating writing another chapter. Do you know any similar memes for procrastination purposes?

[nubimera]

Me, waiting patiently for new content about Ezra

[sciderman]

howard the duck (1976) #10

[astranauticus]

stultifera navis rerun AKA thinking about Iberia hours again because a lot of the Iberians have such fascinating relationships with the concept of home but specifically Thorns and Lumen are eating at my brain. like where do you call home when the place that is your home Just Fucking Hates You? Elysium's rewinding breeze specifically makes a point to hammers home how differently Iberia treats its Liberi and its Aegir

(which is especially interesting since this comes right after a conversation where Purestream commented on how despite Leizi being a high ranking government official, there are still some experiences that are universal for all Yanese people - because the experience of what Iberia itself is like isnt universal for all Iberians)

But all that being said, Thorns also straight up states that Aegir is not his home, and yeah, how could it be? How could a place you've never been to, never truly known, ever be your home? How could it ever feel like a home?

so where do you go when the place that you are from hates your people and the place your people are from is completely unfamiliar and alien to you? Thorns' answer at the end of the conversation with Aya is: my home is where i chose it to be. my home is where there are people I care about and people who care about me

in the complete opposite direction, Lumen's oprec asks: why do you still stay in a place that wants you gone? because the people of Gran Faro like Jordi well enough but when push comes to shove, they will want the only Aegir in town gone

and yet, when Rald the messenger offers him a chance to leave Jordi turns him down and when he's forced to escape Gran Faro after the people there literally try to send him to his death (or worse) at the hands of the Inquisitors he keeps trying to go back because like everyone in stultifera navis, Jordi is clinging to his own dreams of a golden age

but the shape of that dream is unique to every character and for Jordi, his dreams are deeply, inseparably bound to the Eye of Iberia, the legacy his parents left behind

and it's this dream of becoming someone great, of bringing about that golden age that his parents devoted their lives to help create that ties Jordi to this nothing town because despite everything, despite the mistrust of the townsfolk and the hostility of the Inquisition and the danger from the ocean, he simply cannot leave it behind

(or, because i personally dislike the official translation,)

"I just see this place as my home"

so yeah. not sure what overall point i was trying to make here i'm just. deeply in love with these stories about chosing what is and isn't your home, of saying you will not call a place your home because it has given you no reason to or saying you consider a place your home even though it has given you every reason not to. deeply unwell about them <3

[revasserium]

write. it doesn't have to be good, it doesn't even have to be a story. write a sentence, a fragment, a phrase, a thought. write something. write anything. write.

and be proud of yourself that you did.

[rmbunnie]

Another little inconsequential red hood thing and I'll admit that I'm decently biased but it irks me to see the whole "Jason can't shut up about his death/he makes his death everyone else's problem" take really frequently because he simply does not do that enough for it to be a thing in like any actual Red Hood story.

It's a thing you see sometimes in modern annuals/comics with large casts, particularly if a writer doesn't seem super confident with writing all of the characters that they're working with or if he's just a background character in this one, because with comics it's quicker to reduce a character to recognizable landmarks than to try and work out a whole new complex voice if you don't really need to, so it's tire iron, Jane Austen, Joker, and death, and it's all written out in dialogue because every character in a group event can't have their own internal monologue, but like. That's pretty much it. UTRH is the establishing event for Jason Todd post death so of course a lot of it is about his death, although it's arguably about the lack of response to his death more than his death itself, and he certainly makes it Bruce's issue but one beef doesn't make a trend. Plus if his death is anyone's issue beyond his own Bruce and Joker are like the number one guys whose issue it is. He THINKS about his death a ton in Lost Days, but it doesn't really reflect externally on any of his interactions besides with Joker, which again, that's justified and relevant beef. Teen Titans 29 is more about his place in the hero community/feeling like he was an outsider even before the bomb/Tim being the new robin than about his death, and side note, that being counted as an attempt on Tim's life also bugs me. He beat him up and then left of his own volition. That's not an assassination attempt its called a fight, albeit a sneaky and unfair one. But anyways. I can't speak on Battle for the Cowl because i haven't read it, both that and Batman and Robin 2009 don't really compel me, but it's entirely possible that's an outlier to my point seeing as I kinda sorta haven't read it and don't care to lmao. Even New 52 (although HIGHLY unpopular) and Rebirth/Dawn of DC/Whatever we're doing now Red Hood content don't really have him talking to people about it besides the occasional little quips. He might make stances that were developed because of his death other people's problem, like in the Mia Dearden Green Arrow situation with the "getting involved in other people's business" issue, but acting like he makes specifically his death everyone else's problem is ignoring all of the perfectly valid actually canon things he makes other people's problem. Most of the unpleasant traits he brings to the table are a result of his death and the sense of abandonment and betrayal that came with it, but that doesn't mean he's bringing his death into it when he acts unpleasantly any more than he's bringing his birth into it when he shows up in the first place. The consequences do not equal the event. All this to say it's irritating when people say the character is grating because he doesn't stop whining about his death when that kinda just indicates to me that they're working off fanon based on fanon based on kinda mid batman annual.

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

[CN] Victor’s R&S: Unknown Return Date (Eng Translation)

After all, in a world devoid of time, he wasn’t even allowed ‘death’.”

⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a R&S, 无所归期, that is yet to be released on the global server. ⌚

[Note]: The R&S covers the events from S2 CH 44 - CH 49, and contains crucial details inlaid with knives that set the premise for CH 49, so the R&S needs to be read before the chapter itself~ (⁠｡⁠ﾉ⁠ω⁠＼⁠｡⁠)❤️‍🩹

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•  

[Subbed Video: Fully Voiced]

──────────

Victor’s dialogue’s will be in bold and italics, and the others’ dialogues will be only in bold.

【Chapter 1】

As the curtain of evening hung low, the colorful lanterns adorning the eaves illuminated the entire lantern festival with brilliance. 

Victor’s gaze swept to the end of the sea of people, where the girl’s form had just disappeared. He gazed in that direction for a long time, as if afraid that he would forget something. Eventually, he simply released a heavy sigh, and his breath transformed into a delicate white mist, veiling the barely perceptible hesitation in the corner of his eyes. 

The time he had bought for himself by reaching an agreement with Zero is nearly up. 

Throughout these two months, he did everything he could possibly think of, mapped out a long-term strategic plan for LFG, entrusted Souvenir to Mr. Mills... everything seemed to be perfectly arranged, except for her. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

Victor lowered his gaze to his wristwatch, where the hands quietly advanced to the next scale, wordlessly announcing the imminent moment. He hesitated for a moment before taking a tentative half-step forward, only to come to a standstill amidst the surging tide of people. 

She had no inkling of what was to happen, and for now, it might not be a bad thing after all. 

Sure enough, the black vortex appeared on time, and the sensation of space-time distortion enveloped him instantaneously. He turned sideways and stood there, watching quietly, with the vortex signifying the path he was soon to confront. When it came to the unknown, no one could remain entirely unshaken, but Victor displayed no hesitation and even leaned into it before the magnetic force set in. 

He must ensure not to leave any room for error – this was a pledge he had made to himself in the deepest recesses of his heart. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

When Victor opened his eyes again, an endless white desert sprawled across his vision, commandeering every color under the sky. 

“Now you’re finally being well-behaved.” 

The fiery sun was beating down upon the crest of the sand dunes, where an oddly dressed little boy stood, gazing down at him from the height. Victor knitted his brows and turned his gaze to the boy who was waving at him. He felt as if he had met this little boy somewhere before. 

“How about you just stick around here for now? You’ve got loads of time anyway.” 

Without leaving Victor any chance to inquire, in the blink of an eye, the white sand dunes stood utterly empty. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

Victor glanced at the billowing sand and dust in the distance, and he fell into a brief moment of contemplation. The information obtained from the other party was far less than he had anticipated. But he didn’t remain paused in place for too long, turning around and heading toward the tallest nearby sand dune. 

Climbing to the highest peaks in the world often serves as a fast track to gain a comprehensive understanding of the entire picture, a feeling he had known from experience countless times before.  Even though, in his heart, he knew full well that there might not be any such thing as an “exit,” just like no one would leave the key to their shackles inside the cage. 

Nevertheless, Victor knew he must return, not only for his sake but also to honor the promise he had made to her. 

He was acutely aware of the girl’s nature, and Victor didn’t want himself to be the reason for her venturing into danger. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

Victor lifted his foot and stepped beneath the sand dune, and the soft sand instantly swallowed his lower leg. Yet he merely paused for a moment before his other foot stepped onto the sand dune in the same fashion, only this time he was a bit more careful. 

As he stands now, he didn’t have the capacity to concern himself with these inconsequential matters. The sand dune at the top of his sightline was his singular focus right now. 

And by the time this goal was achieved, Victor’s palms had long been ravaged by the swirling wind and stand. Nonetheless, he unconsciously furrowed his brows, as his bright pupils seemed to mirror some kind of non-committal fact—— 

The farthest end of the horizon still held an endless expanse of white. 

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•  

—

【Chapter 2】

In the desert, there are several things that you’re prone to lose effortlessly: hydration, the perception to gauge distance, and the concept of time. 

Victor was well aware of this fact, especially when he found himself in a barren desert. Losing the sense of time could plunge a person into a quagmire of emptiness, much like having one’s soul being trapped in the quicksand. 

He could only silently engrave the feeling of time passing in his mind, and this was his way of combating this thing otherwise known as “deathly silence.” Yet, even so, his consciousness instinctively began to blur, and “time” gradually became a noun distant enough to be elusive. 

The blistering gravel imprinted searing scars on his body, and the bone-crushing pain began to become numb, but Victor never once considered giving up. After all, in a world devoid of time, he wasn’t even allowed “death.” 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

This place was akin to an infinite cage, imprisoning him relentlessly within its bounds. After enduring this repetitive cycle for who knows how long, Victor drew two obvious conclusions. One of which was, this world wasn’t just composed of sand; it also held various peculiar objects. 

There were vintage radios, sharp swords, casually discarded water cups... they lay quietly buried amidst the gravel, as if they were abandoned garbage left here by someone. 

He glanced down at his own feet trapped in the sand. In this space, the way he was being treated was no different to theirs. 

A fierce sandstorm blew in from afar, streaking pale traces of blood on his lips that had long been cracked. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

Victor cast a sidelong glance at the vortex behind him, and this was his second discovery. He wasn’t sure when it had materialized or what it symbolized. However, his intuition told him that he must not allow this vortex to catch up to him; otherwise, it could trigger events he was unable to predict. 

The blazing sun shone on Victor’s face, and the dripping sweat had already soaked his clothes countless times. His toes forcefully lifted from the scalding sand, only to plunge heavily into even deeper gravel. Even though every step demanded his entire strength, Victor continued pressing on relentlessly, heading toward the next sand dune in search of a way out. 

At this moment, he had lost all scales of time, and no matter how deep his footprints sunk, their trails would eventually be obliterated without a trace beneath the veil of shifting wind and sand. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

The scorching sun continued to burn, and his pace gradually became sluggish. Beads of sweat constantly dripping from his forehead blurred his vision. Layer upon layer of memories projected before him like a kaleidoscope, occasionally flashing dribs and drabs of moments spent with the girl, only to disappear in the blink of an eye. He relied on the physical pain to remind himself that everything before him was merely a prolonged tug-of-war. 

Yet another sand dune, and he climbed to its summit once again. 

The distant landscape showed no signs of change, and it was still an endless expanse of white. He silently gazed up at the sky, feeling as though his body had been frozen in place by some force. A sentence floated to his mind, “Eternity is the greatest adversary of plans, not fleeting moments.” 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

But this “long-term failure” was also destined to be solved by long-term means. 

Victor felt the willpower he had been holding onto for so long quietly slipping away beyond his control, accompanied by sweat blurring his vision. He drew a deep breath, planning to take a short break and trying to regain some physical strength. 

This was the first time he had stopped in his footsteps, and he came to regret it soon enough. 

When he woke up again, what greeted him was the scenery of Loveland City projected in the sky, the sights that he couldn’t be more familiar with. 

His throat quivered slightly, and the sensation of being torn apart coursing throughout his body rendered him unable to move. He was left with no choice but to silently gaze at the sky. 

–  

[Tidbits]: Taking a break b/c I just want to commend Li Zeyan’s writers for such microscopic attention to detail. The long-term failure, though there’s no need to explain it but I love how it’s a clever call back to the exact phrase (长远的失败) from S2 CH 31, when we first saw the “oblivion” taking effect! (T⌓T)

–  

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

Even though Victor clearly knew the difference between reality and illusion, even though he was aware it was a fleeting glimmer of light not worthy of clinging to, he still couldn’t help but pause, even if it was for only a moment. Victor couldn’t help but self-derisively smile at himself— that he would actually be distracted by such a thing. 

Nevertheless, the scenery before his eyes etched an indelible mark in his heart, and at the end of that crevice was her image. Within an instant, the moments of the past gradually faded from his mind, reminiscent of sand dunes drying out in the wind. 

The girl’s silhouette kept appearing in his mind, and it was both vivid and hazy. At the same time, another question occupied his thoughts. 

She... who was she? 

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•  

—

【Chapter 3】

He gave a reflexive nod when the girl offered to purchase some things for him while they were taking a break. 

He couldn’t fathom where this natural acceptance had come from, as if everything was inherently meant to be this way. 

The girl had also given him a name, “Vic-Vic.” Even though he was somewhat reluctant to accept it, compared to that peculiar name “Mr. Benevolent Enigma,” “Vic-Vic” always sounded nicer to hear. 

And what’s more, this name evoked an indescribable sense of familiarity within him. 

Until now, he never felt a need for anything. After all, in his memory, the concept of “possession” had never appeared. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

But as he thought back to how that tireless girl joyfully gave him nicknames and passionately introduced the city, he didn’t find it displeasing. On the contrary, it was the girl’s occasional daring and imaginative actions that made him irresistibly pay more attention to this person who had suddenly appeared before him. 

He shook his head, catching a glimpse of the girl’s busy figure through the store window. Toothbrushes, pajamas, even socks and razors... she didn’t leave anything out, stuffing her shopping basket to the brim. 

The corners of his lips formed a subtle curve. It seemed that just by looking at her, an entirely novel emotion surged up in the depths of his heart, something he’d never known before. 

Even he himself couldn’t put a finger on the reason; this girl always seemed so magical–– miraculously, she brought him out of that place, and miraculously, he was allowed to embrace “life” once more.  

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

He turned his head, taking in his surroundings. Mottled branches were sprouting tender, jade-green buds, and the area was crowded with people in a rush. 

Thump– thump–– 

Suddenly, the crisp sound of a soccer ball drew his attention. 

It was a very young boy, appearing to be at the age of having started elementary school recently. 

The boy was exerting himself to swing the soccer ball under his feet, but his amateurish footwork denoted that he was still relatively unaccustomed to instep control. 

If he keeps up with this level of force, the next kick will probably send the ball flying out— Victor subconsciously made this assessment to himself. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

Sure enough, as the boy’s toe tapped the soccer ball, an overly vigorous pull at that instant caused his body to lose its natural balance. The ball, previously under control, drew a distant arc through the air following his touch, flying directly toward the middle of the road. 

“Ah, my ball!” 

As the soccer ball soared toward the center of the road, the boy could only stand there with his mouth agape, helplessly watching it move farther away from him. 

“Stopping a ball like this might not be that hard for you.” 

As this thought suddenly crossed his mind, Victor’s body reacted as if by reflex. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

He nimbly chested the ball in front of him, and then his thighs moved up and down in fluid and graceful movements as he steadily controlled the soccer ball at his feet. 

“Here you go.” 

He gently passed the ball back. 

But the young boy simply froze in place after he caught the ball. 

“Whoa! I actually kicked a ball that had a curve! That’s so cool! I have to show everyone!” 

The young boy excitedly ran off while hugging the ball in his arms. But Victor simply remained rooted in place, gazing in the direction the little boy dashed. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

It was a small park. There were swings, seesaws, a slide, and a sandbox teeming with children. Tiny little figures huddled in the sandbox, crafting a multitude of unique sand formations using their shovels and imagination. 

He found himself taking steps toward the sandbox. He couldn’t explain why; he just felt like he was following some sort of subconscious judgment. He squatted down and scooped up a handful of fine sand from the sandbox. The solid, fine grains slowly trickled through his fingers, creating a tiny cascade of sand in the air. 

He kept his eyes downcast and watched in silence like this— until the reflection of fine sand in his eyes unexpectedly rendered him somewhat lost in thought. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

In a certain sense, his world had once been nothing but a boundless expanse of sand and illusory goals. He had grown accustomed to silence, accustomed to facing the future with action, and had never once considered stopping. But now, for the first time, he felt the urge to pause, as if the surging tide of time had unexpectedly encountered a minute moment of stillness. 

Suddenly, the girl’s shout reached him from a distance, akin to a gently turned gear, propelling his time forward with force. 

Everything felt so strangely familiar, as if he had already lived through all this before. But he knew for sure that he had never been through any of this in the past. Even so, in this moment, this sweeping sensation, reminiscent of a tidal wave, bestowed upon him something he had never had before. 

“Memories.” 

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•  

—

【Chapter 4】

Countless shimmering starlight danced on the floor, and underneath the gigantic clock face, two small chairs were placed. It left one wondering whether it was a courtesy to welcome guests or the setting for some sort of interrogation. 

This is the place the man named Zero brought him to. 

“Victor, I think it’s been a while since we’ve had a chat like this.” 

...Victor. 

He silently repeated this name to himself, which felt unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time, and sunk into a sudden contemplation. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

Even though there was no indication that he had found the answers to his questions, it didn’t matter at the moment; the clues were already laid out before him. 

Seemingly picking up on the wariness in Victor’s eyes, Zero attempted to change the topic. 

“You seem to be much more cautious than the last time we met.” 

“Is that so?” 

“However, apart from caution, I also see something else in your eyes.” 

“Unknown.” 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

The stifling air reverberated in the space as the two locked eyes, each seemingly filled with an element of probing. 

Zero carried on with his line of words, as if he didn’t intend to give Victor too much time to ponder. 

“I hope this doesn’t affect the deal between us.” 

Faced with Zero’s words, Victor had no plans to hide anything. He slightly straightened his posture, and his gaze held no sign of evasion. 

“You should know very well that currently, I have no idea what the deal you’re talking about is.” 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

In Zero’s probing and evaluative gaze, Victor gleaned certainty and confirmed his conjecture. 

During the brief, tense silence, Zero lifted his gaze, but his eyes were sharper than they had been moments ago. 

“But that won’t have any impact.” 

He paused, 

“For the Space-Time Bureau, the existence of ‘Victor’ in and of itself is enough.” 

“Since you can use your Evol, it won’t hinder the normal progress of the plan.” 

Victor never broke his eye contact with Zero. He was well aware that what the other party had revealed was merely the information he wanted Victor to know, and what he was purposely holding back was the crucial point. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

In any case, he had to find a breakthrough in the conversation. Suddenly, something flashed in his memory: the girl’s astonished expression the moment she saw Zero. Did she also know this person? He firmly held onto this seemingly inconspicuous lead, and a notion sprang to his mind. 

It’s highly likely that his existence is connected to Loveland City. 

Victor pondered for a moment, and his mind had already formulated the next strategy. 

“Tell me about the deal you mentioned.” 

“You have to use your ability to bridge the gaps in time.” 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

“You have my word.” 

Victor’s sudden lightning-speed response caught Zero off guard. 

“However, I too have my own conditions.” 

Victor straightened his posture and cast his gaze toward the doorway. He was taking a gamble, betting that Zero wouldn’t dare to let him walk out of here, betting on his own importance in this deal. And he won the gamble. 

It seemed as if Victor had Zero’s lifeline firmly in his hands, and Zero’s expression gradually began to sink: 

“What do you want to know?” 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

“The execution of the deal will depend on what you’re willing to offer in exchange.” 

Victor cast a sidelong glance at Zero, then sat back down in the seat opposite Zero and lifted his head. 

“I want to know everything about myself.” 

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•  

—

【Chapter 5】

The corridor was silent, and it was so spacious that it felt like observing the infinite expanse of deep space with the naked eye. 

Aside from the darkness of the faraway cosmos, nothing else could be seen. The clear and crisp footsteps echoed from afar, reminiscent of a tiny speck of light descending from the distant starry sky. 

Victor came to a halt at the entrance of the Space-Time Bureau, and the doors behind him silently opened. 

“Remember, do not try to use your ability to probe time.” 

“After all, your existence itself is already wrongly placed. At least, that’s what it appears for now.” 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

Victor lowered his gaze in acquiescence, while his feet had already taken a step forward. He had already been delayed here for too long. 

Although during this time at the Space-Time Bureau, he had finally managed to find some leads in his quest for finding himself, it was far from enough. He had never forgotten everything that happened in the disordered space, and that voice still echoed in his mind. 

Move forward, and then go find her. 

The girl’s visage appeared before him once again. He wasn’t sure if it was a hint of some sort or simply a lingering imprint of his own thoughts. Nonetheless, he had already firmly decided on his next destination: Loveland City. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

When Victor returned to Loveland City again, he found himself standing on a bustling street teeming with vehicles and pedestrians. 

The hurrying crowd brushed past him. Just like before, everyone was oblivious to his existence. He took a step forward and blended into the stream of people, heading in the direction he had planned. It was all thanks to the girl’s incessant chatter back then, which had left him with enough clues. 

“Next stop: Loveland City Center.” 

Victor remained silently in place, not letting a single passing figure escape his gaze. The days continued to follow the nights, but the girl still hadn’t shown up. He brushed off his shoulders, dampened by the drizzle, and proceeded toward his next destination. Loveland City wasn’t that big, at least not as vast as the desert he had walked through. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

In the garden of the central hospital, the setting sun beneath the distant overpass... and in the park where the stars adorned the sky time and time again. 

These were all the places mentioned by the girl, but Victor still hadn’t found a trace of her. 

Victor always kept thinking back to the girl’s chirping, her excited manner as she introduced these places to him, and how she would insistently clamor to have him experience them fully – and the way her eyes overflowed with sparkles when she spoke. 

Victor couldn’t help but lift the corners of his lips. He had etched these seemingly insignificant memories into his mind without missing a single detail, and it was through them that he had solidified his next goal. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

A lofty building stood in the distance. 

“Loveland Financial Group (LFG).” 

He quietly murmured the signage in front of him, recalling what the girl had previously mentioned about her connection to this company. 

What appeared to be a vague hint now held a substantial hint.  “If you go there, you should be able to see her.” 

With this thought, Victor took a step forward, leaving the bustling crowd behind him. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈ 

Clack, clack, clack. 

His ears caught the hurried rhythm of footsteps, contrasting with the composed demeanor of the other people in the hall. Victor instinctively lifted his head, and in a trance, he caught sight of that familiar figure. 

His time, which had been suspended, resumed its flow forward in this very moment. 

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

[Translation Update Notice]

—

[stardustinthesky]

Will you marry me?

[prosebushpatch]

In my humble opinion, the successful retellings of Snow White take the relationship between Snow and the Wicked Queen and really dig into why the queen is so desperate to be beautiful and why Snow is still the fairest because of her kindness.

My favorite examples of this are Gail Carson Levine's Fairest, and the movie Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarves. In both of these retellings, Snow White is conventionally unattractive. And how society views Snow White in these stories is drastically different from how they view the Wicked Queen. There is a privilege to being beautiful. Both Snow White and the Wicked Queen know this. But the Wicked Queen will do anything to have that privilege--that power--over her subjects. Whether it's to use her beauty to manipulate people or because she's desperate for love is what makes her such an interesting character. Snow White, on the other hand, gets a taste of how people would treat her if she was conventionally attractive, at least in these stories. And when she realizes that people are finally able to appreciate her or praise her or HELP HER because of her looks, she's forced to ask herself the question whether she'll choose to keep being "beautiful" or if she'll go back to being herself because society's definition of beauty isn't worth the cost.

Snow White and the Wicked Queen are foils. They represent how conventional beauty standards can pressure woman and pit them against each other. They represent how a mother, related by blood or not, can become jealous because the simple act of growing older makes her less attractive than her daughter in society's eyes and that means she's going to be treated differently as a result.

All this to say, if you turn Snow White's story into Snow White becomes a "Strong Independent Female Who Doesn't Need Any Prince And Is Growing Into the Leader She was Born to Be" then you lose that commentary about what true beauty is. You lose the chance to ask what makes someone the fairest and why. If you aren't asking why the Wicked Queen wants to be the fairest to the point of having a huntsman cut out a child's heart, then you're missing out on the entire point of the fairy tale.

[tani-b-art]

((my very distraught Avanine recap))

When people have a connection like this, ain’t a thing you can do to stop it! Even Ava couldn’t stop that.

Ava, sweetie, I am so, so sorry. It’s too la—. Janine and Gregory has happened!

Ava wears purple a lot and that color represents part of the LGBTQ+ community so I’m gonna tentatively say she is a part of the rainbow!

Janine has a cardboard cutout of Allen Iverson, who Ava dated. She didn’t get a cardboard cutout of any other 76er (I mean Allen is the most famous Sixer of all time) but she doesn’t have one of Andre who Ava is/was dating. I feel she got this post Ava revealing this. She pays attention.

Janine brought her cousin to her party for Ava — obviously to be a distraction and to keep her out of her hair for the night. Is it because she knew she’d maybe be distracted by Ava and didn’t want that to happen? Ava saying “we’re like sisters”…so we’ve gone from friends-acquaintances and now “sisters”. We took a L, Avanites.

((now for the real))

Ava noticed Janine and Gregory’s chemistry while she was dancing with the cousin and physically attempted to position her body between that and was extremely vexed about it! And before she did that, she gave such a glaring stare to Janine when she noticed something was happening beside her. Her hyper-awareness & sensors for Janine is unmatched! [Ava gave Gregory a livid look]. And to say, Ava was very much preoccupied with Janine’s cousin and paying zero attention to Janine until this happened.

It was kinda funny seeing how unbothered Janine and Gregory were with Ava shooting eye lasers their way! And then it crushed my feelings because the ball was rolling from that moment onward.

So Ava obviously HAS feelings for Janine and it hasn’t stopped. So they want us to know that (or to remember if some forgot or thinks that Ava has stopped liking Janine just because we all witnessed the snail-paced progression of her and Gregory eventually becoming a thing).

Ava is probably going to be unbearable towards Janine and Gregory come next season now that they’re together unless Ava amps it up higher and flirts harder with Janine out of frustration OR they’ll have her the complete opposite, which would be awesome, and make her sad and despondent and lovesick with the new couple and she’ll be less picky towards them both which will shock Janine because she’s expecting Ava to tease her more than before.

WRITERS, what are y’all doing to us?!?! They wanted us to know Ava has feelings (still has) for Janine because why would y’all have Ava be so visibly bothered with Janine’s moment with Gregory?? (Then they zoomed in on Ava realizing what’s going on). Why have Janine dance right beside Ava too when this happened? But then have Janine bring her boy cousin specifically for Ava AND make Ava declare “we’re like sisters”? Unless this “sisters” statement was purely under the guise of Ava just being instantly excited for an attractive guy and it was sheer surface-level. Conflicting, testing, twisting and unreadable Ava+Janine story arc.

Ava seemed so dejected. Like the rug was pulled from underneath her. And while it’s very charismatic to see her unravel when it comes to Janine because she’s longing for something with her and is that attached and interested, I’m also sad for her because it’s yet something else that’s disappointed her as far as relationships are concerned. It doesn’t seem like she’s had much success with relationships.

I get it…Avanites will simply have to suffer till the end of Abbott time with their unrequited love! I feel queasy lol!

I think I set myself up way too high with my Avanine delusions and now look at me…I’m all undone about them being done (when it is clear they weren’t ever). I blame all the Tumblr Avanites for pushing me here - jk! Y’all are awesome! We’re awesome!

All is fair in the world of delusions.