#i love her possibly too much considering shes been dead the whole time in canon

[reegis]

I rlly want to give your Orpheus a big hug and a kiss on the forehead please be nice to him😭😭 (side note I’m spamming you again I’m sorry)

ok fine…. ill be nice to him for Once….

kisses for him, from his lovers Narcissus & Eurydice, everything is totally fine.. how could this possibly go wrong…….

[neverenoughmarauders]

In defence of Remus Lupin

On behalf of James Potter who is unable to come to his aid on account of being dead.

I don’t for a second believe James would blame Remus for not checking in on Harry.

Firstly, Sirius proves in the way he questions Harry in POA that he believes Harry to be reasonably happy with his aunt and uncle (which is odd given Sirius sees him run away but nevermind). Why would Remus think any differently? He will have believed Harry to be well taken care of. Remus also trusted Dumbledore like nobody else. If Dumbledore believed Harry to be taken care of, why would Remus doubt it?

Remus should still have checked you say, and yes, had he been healthy, I’m sure James would have agreed.

Which brings me to secondly. Throughout the series we see how little Remus values himself. He doesn’t truly seem to believe it worthwhile to fight to keep his position as DADA teacher, when Harry and his class does. Remus believes that his wife and unborn child would be better off without him. And I’m sure he believed Harry to be better off without him too.

I’m sick of people not understanding how real this feeling of people being better off without him feels like to Remus. He’s shunned all his life for what he is. Even the more progressive people don’t want their children or loved ones around werewolves (as proven by Molly in OOTP at St. Mungo’s). Tonks becomes a target to the woman who does eventually kill her because she married Remus. (There’s a real question whether Tonks could have survived the battle of Hogwarts if Bella hadn’t been so set on murdering her). Would running away have helped Tonks or Teddy? No, but that’s missing the point. Remus believes it would. And Remus would have believed Harry was better off without him.

I can’t possibly know what James would have felt but from what we see of James and Sirius’ friendship with Remus, I think they knew better than anyone how inferior Remus felt, how dangerous and contaminated he believed himself to be.

This assertion is not completely unfounded because so did everyone else. As much as I hate the HBP scene when the whole room talks Remus into marrying Tonks, and as much as JKR does an awful job at selling their story as anything other than a doomed, random and forced relationship - the idea is meant to be that they are both in love with each other. The idea is meant to be that the other adults aren’t pressuring Remus into doing something he doesn’t want to do. It’s meant to be them knowing how much Remus will not date or marry the person he loves because he does not consider himself worthy of it. It should have been a scene that was one more data point on how much Remus’ condition affected his self-worth and life choices. A scene in which in the absence of Sirius and James and Dumbledore, the other people in Remus’ life step up to remind him he’s good enough!

In my view it fails to deliver this completely (and it’s a real tragedy as JKR finally takes time to elaborate on just how affected Remus is by his condition), but ignoring the execution for a second - if Minerva, Molly, Arthur and Tonks could see how much Remus would never believe himself good enough, then James and Sirius would know it a thousand times more.

Of course the confident fanon version is a different story. He should have and would have checked up on Harry. But hating canon Remus for not checking up on Harry shows a lack of empathy in my view. Rewriting the story so that Remus was forbidden to see Harry takes away from the tragedy that is Remus’ life: this idea that he believed the world would be better without him - when so many people know it would be infinitely worse.

[my-pjo-stuff]

Do you know WHY Luke even killed himself just to DEFEAT Kronos? He was going to sacrifice himself so that Kronos could rise again, and that was HAPPENING! If he'd sacrificed himself, he would probably have thought that there was a chance of the gods going back to their original system, but there was a possible CHANCE of Kronos establishing a better system!

It just drives me MAD every time I think about it. Luke's 'redemption' arc was unnecessary since it only served to make him look better in the eyes of the protagonists who were actively upholding a cruel system, though they were manipulated children too.

Also, the thing about Luke being a pedo and Annabeth's reply, it's always so annoying to me, because Luke was NEVER a pedo-he simply wanted to know if she still loved him after everything that he'd done and honestly who WOULDN'T?

I absolutely LOVE some of your posts in this blog. I haven't read the PJO books in a long time so I was just wondering if you actually knew why Luke sacrificed himself

I mean imma be frank with ya, I talked about the whole Pedo thing so much I'd just repeat myself. So in story canon Luke sacrificed himself for Annabeth after he realized how horrid Kronos actually is and she managed to get through to him with her iconic "Family, Luke, you promised!" line. Out of canon? My honest belief is that Rick just had no idea how to get rid of Kronos, so he pulled Luke's "redemption" outta his ass. Because not gonna lie? Even as one of the most hardcore Luke apologists you can find, I still think that his "redemption" was not good and shoehorned in. A good Redemption Arc needs to be, well- an arc. It needs proper set up, execution and aftermath. All that simply didn't happen with Luke. The entire "arc" basically happened in TLO where he was already possessed by Kronos. Now where there signs of him not being totally fine with Kronos and his methods? Yes, most certainly. But he still went along with them, even if he wanted an out. Luke still chose Kronos over the gods. In every single one of his appearance Luke has been characterized to completely despise the gods above all else, to the point of him actively choosing the cause over those he loves (which, btw, in this case is something I support). At the same time has the whole Kronos possession been set up as final ever since it was introduced. Luke get's possessed and Luke is dead. Dead dead. No coming back from this.

So for Luke then, in the last possible second, be "snapped out of it" by Annabeth? When Kronos was already possessing him for a considerable amount of time and very close to gaining his full titan form? Yeah, that doesn't make any sense. And if you now consider that Percy and co. literally had no way to really defeat Kronos without at least Percy dying due to the prophecy, it really makes you think wether Luke's whole sacrifice was actually planned out for the story or just a way for Rick to wrap it all up nicely without having to merk his MC.

[sepublic]

I do wish they brought back Al’s identity crisis when the Homunculi’s nature as failed resurrections, and their imperfect memories, was brought to light. Because in 2003, Al’s crisis is also foreshadowing to this, so it’d come full circle.

I understand if the writers felt like they would’ve been retreading old ground in doing so. But there’s so much potential in Alphonse considering the possibility that he’s a homunculus soul attached to a suit of armor, and the kicker comes in meeting a homunculus who wants to be bound to armor, just like Al, because of Al!

It doesn’t matter if Edward intended/realized this (which would absolve him in Al’s eyes at least), it’s possible that Alphonse genuinely died from the transmutation of Sloth, given his body was obliterated completely. And so what Ed did was create a second homunculus, attempt a second human transmutation, but because he didn’t have the materials to make a new body (or didn’t consider using Sloth as those materials), he had to bind the new soul to armor for it to be tangible.

Of course, Alphonse has memories that Ed doesn’t; Does this mean that both him and the Homunculi are real? Or does it just mean that somewhere within the Gate is the original, and the Gate copied their memories to produce a homunculus? If Alphonse is real then so is Sloth, meaning Edward can’t kill her. Or maybe they have to anyway, for the sake of self-defense because Sloth would still be in denial of her past regardless.

What would it mean for Lust? Would she believe Alphonse is real, and thus consider herself that way, without a doubt? Would she still desire her original body, regardless of an identity crisis? Tbf I’d hate to have been literally whitewashed, and would indeed want to reconnect with my community.

It’s sad because Alphonse has a third party in Winry that he can cross-reference his memories with to affirm he’s the original. But the isolated relationship the Homunculi have with Dante makes it basically impossible to do that; Lust might’ve had the chance if she got to talk with Scar about it, at least. Envy seems to consider himself the original regardless. The rest don’t seem to have much anxiety, tbh…

But with Sloth? She might want to cross-reference, if only to prove to the Elrics she’s not real. But what if she is? What if the verification proves it? They’d never stop harassing her either way; Either she’s their mom and better go back to it, or she’s not real and Edward does what he does in canon.

Mayhaps memories don’t mean much if Homunculi are born with different personalities, because nature vs nurture, two people with the exact same experiences might choose differently because of genetic personality traits. Or maybe it’s proof that Trisha actually felt this way all along, and this is the real her.

Trisha had kids at a really young age, maybe she regretted committing to that life so quickly (or even, at all). That could’ve been a secret she took to the grave… Only to not be so secret after all. Maybe Sloth felt empowered to say how she truly felt by pretending she wasn’t Trisha anyway, because if she said that while thinking of herself as Trisha, it’d mean betraying her sons and she loves them too much to do that either. It’s complicated.

But, back to Alphonse; Given 2003 was always planned to be divergent and the writers did work to establish this early on with Sloth herself, it makes me think that I dunno. They could’ve pushed Al’s identity crisis to this later part of the story, if they wanted to avoid repeating the same conflict? But if you apply Al’s proof that he’s real, then it might answer the ambiguity of the Homunculi and thus ruin that uncertainty.

That, or you’d have to end the series implying that the Al in flashbacks is dead, and the one we see is a different character. When Al gets his body back, he doesn’t retain memories of everything that happened when he was a suit of armor; What if Ed had created a clone the whole time, while the real Alphonse was trapped beyond the gate? And that clone used up his soul as part of the Philosopher’s Stone to save Ed, who then unwittingly brought back the real Alphonse? That could be too bleak, even for the writers of 2003. Obviously Conqueror of Shamballa clears it up but man.

[stormofbats4224]

This has been sitting in my drafts for a month bc I WAS gonna draw examples (and I’m halfway done with them, so they might still come) but if I leave it I’m Going To Explode

So

LETS TALK ABOUT TEEF

Side note: I’m using design and place ideas from several different continuities for two reasons: I like those versions best, and not all of these bastards are in RiD or Prime.

Other side note: some headcanons were built from reading specific fics, either by roundabout or directly correlated to, and will be credited at the end of the relevant section. Highly recommend them all, tho they are all just straight up porn😅

As it stands, there’s five groups I like to put fang types in (six if you count combined outlier types like Tarn and my Jeep Axle, but we’ll get to that later): Tetrahexan, Velocitronian, Warframe, Rodionite/Dead Ender, and Beast.

These are just where the style is seen most prominently, and most fanged bots from other places fall into one of these categories so it didn’t make much sense to split them any further. If there’s any offshoots you’re curious ab, feel free to ask!

Starting off with the smallest group, we’ve got:

Tetrahexan!

The nearly dead warrior race with a single canon representative gets its own type, why? Bc I gave him and my gal Cross Brace really cool teefers, and I think it separates them very nicely from the rest in more ways than one. Double why?

DOUBLE FANGS. AND SELF-SHARPENING.

Double fangs? Like, a set on top and a set on the bottom?

NO

Four true fangs on top, none on the bottom, made for the sole purpose of ripping through heavy armor with brute force. All four are thick and slightly hooked to better do their job, and so well sunk into a bot’s “gums” that it’s more likely to tear their own helm off than break one.

Thinking comparatively on the self sharpening, the other types of fangs are like needles or swords —needing some kind of outside source to keep them from going dull— but Tetrahexans have their own built-in sharpeners attached to their lower jaw.

Depending on the bot, it can either be a set of false lower canines that sit neatly between the front and the back fangs when the mouth is closed (Cyclonus, his false fangs are decently worn and curved outward a bit), or a set of indents that the teeth rest in like a knife block (Cross Brace, she’s absolutely terrible at not getting her lip stuck between her teeth and the slot). Both sharpen the fangs naturally as the bots open and close their mouths.

Like I said, there’s really only Cyc and CB to use as examples, but it works out bc they have the two different types split between them.

<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/54813724">Listen, they deserve a ridiculous amount of Teeth</a>

Moving on, we’ve got:

Velocitronian!

Bc I believe the zoom zoom bastards deserve them, as a treat. Also bc KO exists. He will be lending his service to us today alongside my lovely, spindly asshole, Coast.

The main thing that sets Velocitronians apart is they are what we would consider the baseline. They’re your average two on top, two on the bottom set that most would assume when thinking of fangs. Except that they’re really, really fucking sharp, and the rest of their teeth are basically just incisors, making their whole mouth like one of those guillotine paper cutters.

If guillotine cutters were made to chomp through as much thin plating and tubing as fast and clean as physically possible, which they Are Not, but these bastards are!

The fangs themselves are catlike, fitting together like scissors, and about average as far as fragility goes. Their purpose is simple: take as big a chunk off in as little time as possible without sacrificing momentum.

While most speedsters are built to be light, they’re also made to be aerodynamic and even, most importantly. Chomping off even a little too much from a competitor has the chance to give someone an edge, and while it’s technically not a legal move in racing circuits, you’d be hard pressed to find a bot that doesn’t do that shit.

Knock Out, unsurprisingly, is the textbook for Velocitronian fangs, well-maintained, sharp to the touch, and neat; my little whack job Coast, on the other hand, is all the way on the other end of the spectrum: crooked, chipped, and she doesn’t care as long as they’re sharp.

Moving away from city categories, we have a build type instead:

Warframes!

You love ‘em, I love ‘em, they’re great for size differences, and who better to use than THE Warframe, Megatron? Also, Blitzwing is here because this hc is ENTIRELY his fault.

Unlike Tetrahexans and their cannibal rumors (they weren’t), or the measures Dead End Rodions turn to for survival (more on that later), Warframes are actual bot-eaters. Or, at the very least, they’re designed for it.

Paired with a tank system that can break down just about anything and convert it into fuel and frame repair, Warframes have teeth that are built to kickstart the process.

Like molars mixed with sharp gears, Warframe teeth crush without care and interlock neatly for maximum crunch and proper mouth fit. Their teeth sacrifice sharpness, but it doesn’t really matter in the end when even the strongest plates crumple under the highest psi and thickest teeth of any other fang type (teeth tend to make up almost or more than half of a Warframes mouth).

While Megatron was the textbook average for Warframe fangs at the height of the war, years of getting his aft beat ended up warping his helm just enough that they never quite sat right, and after the war he ended up getting the edges flattened down to a less intimidating shape, though they’re no less dangerous.

Blitzwing, on the other hand…

Blitzwings teeth are just weird. The front’s fine, there’s nothing wrong there, but where the molars would be on a normal set, his teeth move. They’re set on a short track that churns them backwards like tank treads, adding to the level of rip-crush-tear he’s capable of.

<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24332080?view_adult=true">The Inspiration</a>

Shifting back to cities, we’ve got:

Rodionites!

Plus their Dead End counterparts! Bc this is the best example of circumstance changing the fangs use. Drift was obviously first pick for examples, and Sweeper ended up tagging along bc I wanted more lore to give him.

By far, Rodionite fangs are the weakest type one can have. They’re long, thin, and shallow-set in front of the canine position like vampire teeth, more for show than anything. They tend to be so long, in fact, that it’s not uncommon for fangs to need special pockets in or below the lower gum line to properly fit. Due to their removability, they’re seen as highly customizable frame parts, sort of like body jewelry.

The one thing they are useful for, though, is piercing lines.

I’m sure you can see where this is going.

Dead End Rodionites do what they can to survive, and if it means sometimes siphoning energon from the already deceased (or still alive, depends on the bot) to keep going, it’s a price to pay. Other than that, most will either sell their fangs for a quick shanix, or lose them in any number of ways (fights, deterioration, thieves, what have you) over the course of their functioning.

Drift was one that managed to keep his —abnormally long— fangs from the start, and not even he is quite sure how that happened, considering both his history in the Dead End and the frame rebuilds, but he’s appreciative nonetheless. Sweeper, by contrast, quickly replaced his fangs with a shorter pair. He found long, needly teeth more a pain than anything (plus dust kept getting lodged in the resting holes) and changed them out not long into his first job.

Lastly, we’ve got my personal favorite:

Animal Based!

Not only does this encapsulate beastformers, but also whatever the RiD ‘Cons had going on, and will be explained as such by my beastformer and a RiD ‘Con, Richter and Steeljaw.

The main trait of this category is that it’s far more fluid than the others. If their frame is animal-inspired, their teeth will imitate said animal within reason, and with few exceptions (the exceptions are usually bug based). Their purpose is the same, function changing with the animal, and it’s all around a rather simple category to wrap one’s head around.

With Steeljaw, he’s got the standard teeth that a wolf might have and uses them in a similar fashion, they’re just more compact and human-looking to fit better in his mouth. Likewise with Richter, though his Sabertooth fangs are the ones he uses in alt, and stick all the way front to back through his helm instead of ending in the gum (they’re also technically removable, but leave an uncomfortably large nightmare hole through his head).

The unofficial Mixed category is a group of bots that, for one reason or another, ended up with two or more kinds of teeth in their mouths. Representative species are Tarn, bc I wholeheartedly believe that man would reshape his mouth hole to better imitate Megs (his original Velocitronian-type fangs and Warframe everything else, but it was a little shoddily done, so they don’t lock together properly.), and Axle, who…technically kept their —normal-sized— Rodion teeth, just added Warframe teeth to the mix in an attempt to ensure a meal at the cost of their frames nervous system and a few non-life-sustaining bits and bobs, but they’re fine. Probably.

I wish I could say my reasons for spending so much time on this were warranted, or that the length was reasonable, but no, all this shit came from a late night fic binge and my longstanding fascination with teeth and fangs. If you read this entire thing, know I am extremely appreciative ❤️😅

[deerabigailhobbs]

Ever since I found your blog my mind has been plagued with thoughts of adamgail-siblings (in the best way). Sooooooo, what if Garret Jacob Hobbs was so freaked that he started killing at the thought of his daughter moving away was because he's already had a child leave. He's a perfectionist so maybe his family becoming imperfect was what brought him to such extremes?

We know that Abigail is 17 at the start of the show and that the killings started 8 months ago, meaning that she was probably 16 or just 17. So say that older brother Adam left around the same age; Hobbs would see his daughter reach the age that he had one child leave never to return, and panic starting the spree. In the original script Adam gets a call from his mother stating that his father isn't angry anymore. Something happened to make Adam leave, maybe this was his father's anger at some supposed imperfection in his son, or it was a build up of things that caused Adam to leave - and that was what caused his father's anger.

But whatever it was he left, knowing that he would leave his sister in a mess, or maybe he thought it would be better for her with him gone. Either way he gets put in the trap, at the time his parents are still alive, but there's a good chance that 7 out of 8 girls have gone missing already. He tells Lawrence that he wants to spend more time with his family, maybe just spend time with a family that he might not have seen in years, does he consider them all his family anymore? His relationship with his father certainly isn't good.

Abigail is left without her brother from a young age, and when she reaches the age he was when he left and her father snaps- does she resent him for leaving, or for not taking her with him? Is she glad that he left and won't get dragged into this? What would happen if he showed up again, would his father pull him aside as soon as possible and make it so he could never leave them again? Otherwise it could end in another fight and trigger Hobbs killing his whole family without a phone call from Hannibal. Of course things could just go the same way as canon with just the addition of another corpse, Abigail regaining her brother just to lose him just as fast.

If Adam gets out of that bathroom does he head home and meet a horrible fate at the hands of his father, or is he barely finished with recovery when he gets a call from the FBI? Telling him that his father killed his mother, and tried to kill his sister, and was then shot dead by an agent. Could he bring himself to become his sister's guardian after the ordeal he just went through, and would she accept it? When he shows up, do they know who he is? Do they think of him as Adam 'Hobbs' who had changed his name to Stanheight in order to distant himself from his family? Or have they heard about the Jigsaw Killer and know of Adam Stanheight who turned out to also be Abigail's older brother? How do things go down from there? At least Abigail will have someone to rely on and stay by her side, preventing her from killing [INSERT NAME OF GUY WHO'S SISTER GOT KILLED], and preventing Hannibal from getting his claws into her. Or will Hannibal try and pull something to get him out of the way...

First of all, it truly warms my heart when someone says they like my Adamgail siblings AU. I truly didn't expect much of a reaction to it but to know others have fallen in love with their dynamic makes me so so happy :D

Secondly, connecting the dots between Adam's mother saying his father isn't angry anymore and Garret Jacobs... Genius. Jaw dropped. I never even thought of that and I love it.

Adam going through his trap around the same time that Abigail was almost killed is great too. Just imagine going through the most traumatic experience of your life and finding out the sibling, the one person you could trust the most, was hurt and here to see you. Their interactions would be so interesting. Familiar strangers to one another.

And boy, would Adam change the way Abigail's life went post throat slashed. He'd literally be stuck to her side like glue. I can definitely imagine him not being fond of Hannibal and especially Will. I would think Hannibal would try and plan a way to kill him, though I'm not entirely sure how.

I think an interesting way to view it would be that Adam shows up after Abigail kills Nick Boyle. Perhaps he hears about it through the news at a later date and rushes to Minnesota before he can even wave Lawrence goodbye. In that way she's indebted to Hannibal, but she now has someone in her corner, who truly has her best interests at heart. And once Abigail starts to lean into the company of her brother more, that's when Hannibal decides Adam has gotta go.

Or, even if he doesn't show up at all. If, in Mizumono, Abigail doesn't walk towards Hannibal because she knows she has a brother out there, perhaps still has his number stored away in a coat pocket. Abigail followed Hannibal's orders because she had no other option, but with Adam she does. She walks up to Hannibal, appearing docile, then grabs the knife and stabs him sloppily in the neck, just enough time for her to bolt from the house and to a payphone far from the house. That's when she calls Adam, praying that he hadn't changed his phone number all those years, and when he does answer, she's so relieved to hear his voice and asks if he can come get her. And without a second thought he's already asking her where she while rummaging for his car keys.

So many scenarios, I love them <3

[eriyu]

Ehryu Raav

B A S I C S

Name: Ehryu Raav (don't mind that all the paperwork spells it "Ehriyu") Nicknames: Yu (to her family only) Age: 26 (at the beginning of ARR) Nameday: First Sun of the Second Umbral Moon Race: Keeper of the Moon Meracydian Miqo'te Gender: Female Orientation: Bisexual, greyromantic Profession: Adventurer :)

P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C  T S

Hair: Bubblegum pink, 2A, medium-long Eyes: Right: light blue. Left: light purple, pinker after rejoining with Ardbert Skin: Medium-light grey Tattoos/scars: No tattoos, miscellaneous scars (a couple from Endwalker, the rest from when she was younger and half her friends weren't absurdly accomplished healers)

F A M I L Y

Parents: Kinoh and Tavh'li :) Siblings: She's the oldest of five! There's Dyaala (1 year younger), Yuhl (6 years younger), Mhet (7 years younger), and Kinoh'a (10 years younger = the twins' age). Grandparents: ...around, I'm sure... I have vague ideas of a large extended family, but they're staying vague until I know more about her home. In-laws and Other: She's adopted the twins as additional little brother and sister if that counts. Pets: Her family had miscellaneous creatures around when she was little, but none of particular note. I don't think chocobos are considered pets.

S K I L L S

Abilities: The big (obvious) ones are fighting, singing, playing instruments, and dancing. Is "inspiring people" an ability? Beyond that she's a jack of all trades — loves picking up every skill she can, but doesn't usually dedicate enough time to them to become a master. Hobbies: Again, everything she can get her hands on, at least briefly. It's a bit difficult to categorize things separately as "hobbies"... like she doesn't really put aside time to do certain activities; she just starts going in a direction and keeps going until she stops lmao.

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Selflessness :) (alternatively, unflagging optimism) Worst Negative: Selflessness (: (alternatively, failure to think things through)

L I K E S

Colors: Years ago, Yuhl told her that purple was "her color" and she ran with it, but honestly she loves all sorts of bright colors. Hot pink and yellow are up there. Smells: Grass, and rain. Streets full of different kinds of restaurants. Fresh laundry. Textures: Silk. Grass again. Marble. Not a whole lot that she dislikes, though. Drinks: Water with lemon or mint. Anything she's never had before. Whiskey.

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes: Nah, zero interest in it. Especially since she values her voice so much. Drinks: Socially. She'll enjoy getting completely trashed on special occasions when she's quite certain the end of the world isn't nigh. Drugs: Anything with significant health effects is off the table immediately, but she could be tempted to try anything that's fairly harmless by a friend. It's also possible that she and Thancred got super fucking high on their first trip to the Great Work due to a slight miscommunication about dosage differences between Arkasodara and smaller races... Mount Issuance: Her black chocobo and Argos are canon. Other MSQ-relevant ones like Maggie and the Yol are still around but probably not really "on call." Everything else is nebulous. Realistically does she own a flying car? Probably not. Can I still say she loves blasting the stereo on the Regalia? I sure can!!! Been Arrested: If she managed to avoid it from the bloody banquet all through Heavensward, I'm gonna say she's avoided it everywhere else too.

Tagged by: Nobody, I stole it from a long-dead blog :)

Tagging: @gatheredfates @lilbittymonster @tallbluelady @starrysnowdrop @calico-heart @nhaneh @wildstar25

[relicsongmel]

Now that I'm done with the main story I'd like to take some time to explain a small part about why Pokemon Scarlet (and Violet) mean so much to me—and why they were the first games in the series to make me cry in several years. (warning for discussions of parental death under the cut)

Generation 9 was the first time I was playing a brand new generation after my mom had passed from cancer a year and a half prior. I wasn't expecting to have this fact be relevant to my experience with the game, but one of the first things that struck me not long after booting it up was the design of the player character's mom. She looked so much like my own mother that I genuinely had to take a step back from shock for a bit. But it was surely just a coincidence, right?

That initial double take moment aside, I continued through the game fairly normally, enjoying it quite a bit despite its fairly obvious graphical limitations and occasional glitching. I loved exploring the wide open world of Paldea; I'm very meticulous about being thorough in games and seeing what every area has to offer, and while I wasn't quite able to get to everything considering the sheer size of the map, I still did my damndest to clear out as much of it as I could. I loved the colorful cast of characters and the stories that accompanied them; Nemona was a bundle of joy (and I quickly claimed her as my lovely autistic daughter because that's what she is), Penny and the Team Star storyline were well thought-out and compelling, and Arven's quest, despite me being spoiled on a few details, was heart-rending and I was invested the whole way through.

Speaking of spoilers: I knew going into the game that Arven's mom/dad was canonically dead depending on which version you were playing. But that didn't stop the emotional impact of the final confrontation with the professor from hitting me the way it did.

As I said, my mother passed away due to complications from breast cancer; she spent an agonizingly long week in the hospital dealing with sepsis (among other things) before her condition took a turn for the worse and she was taken off life support on June 9th, 2021. During that time, I never got the opportunity to talk to her or even visit her—I asked over and over, but she was only allowed a limited number of visitors which were being taken up by other family members. My last in-person conversation with her was while helping her to bed one night, in which she told me she would have my dad take her to urgent care the next morning. At the time, I didn't even consider the possibility that she might not end up coming home. When that fact finally hit me a few days later, I wrote a letter making some promises to her (that I wasn't able to keep because the grief ended up hitting me like a truck) and telling her I loved her, but it was too little too late: my mom was on life support and only semi-conscious; my letter was read to her by my sister when she went to visit and I will never know if she actually heard my words. The day I was finally able to see her was the day she passed, where I held her hand for one final time and was met with.....silence. Obviously. But just because something is to be expected doesn't mean it won't hurt.

Long story short, I was not only dealing with the grief of losing her, but also the pain of not having proper closure; of being able to talk with her knowing for sure it would be the last time. So imagine my reaction when I realized that Arven was going through the exact same thing with his own mother—having been left behind without so much as an explanation, and then said mother dies before she ever has the chance to set things right with him. And his situation is compounded even further by having to contend with seeing the AI professor looking and speaking exactly like her, finally getting the acknowledgement from his mother he's wanted for so long relayed by the AI but finding himself struggling to accept it given how much it's too little too late, and then she leaves him behind too (albeit for more understandable reasons), meaning he essentially loses his mom twice over—all this while pushing through the trauma of revisiting a place that wounded the only companion he had so badly that he thought he might end up losing him, too. My relationship with my mother was not nearly as tumultuous as Arven's—but I could still relate to those feelings of loss and powerlessness and thus found myself shedding tears after the AI professor's final farewell. Because I saw myself in that grieving kid who just wanted closure.

Scarlet and Violet are by no means perfect games. But I would be lying if I said they didn't have a profound impact on me and helped me feel a bit less alone in my grief. And for that they'll always hold a special place in my heart.

[overthinkingtaleblr]

youre doing your part to bring attention to niche taleblr characters that need more love <3

I SURE AM!!!

Thank you so much anon i wanted to answer sooner but i decided to have fun with it— Anyways let me use this as an excuse to show off designs (headshots?) for some characters I consider pretty niche that I’ve done a lot of stuff with— Maloney and Maxwell are only here for comparison, they’re actually pretty utilized characters. So. Some details (these will include my headcanons) below the cut—

~ Details and HCs ~

- Poppy Soup, granddaughter of Chakalata Soup and close friend of Sally Acachalla, only 1/4th-ghost and is basically a living person outside of not needing to breathe and an immunity to some things— including fire and radiation.

- Goober, friend of Poppy’s, employee of Chakalata’s, sibling of Katrina and J.Roast— worked for Chakalata in life and died at an incident at Chakalata’s restaurant, his death was basically the last straw for OG PIE’s patience for the ghost chef. Only about 19 when he died

- Ronnie Boast, Early PIE member and the youngest on the team— managed to last a little while with just him, Ghost, and Toast before suddenly going missing. Ghost and Toast assumed the ghost hunting got to him, but he was actually abducted by Prince Fang, who he managed to piss off. He’s a dragon now and is honestly just as confused as everyone else

- Johnny Roast, Early PIE member and brother of Katrina, because Kat and Ghost would do stupid things together, Roast heavily believes he was with her when she died and is keeping it secret because he played some part in it. He’s mostly just mad in general and lashing out at anyone he can justify… he just really needs therapy.

- Gregory.Gregory, father of James Maloney, but not Sam… also an alien. Separated from Maloney when he was too young to remember and has been trying to reunite with him for ages. Skilled with devices, bad with people.

- James Maloney, borderline a main character, there’s a whole arc where he’s temporarily dead after sacrificing his life to prevent the world from ending. Sally’s cousin!

- Sam Maloney, James’s younger brother through adoption and employee to Darth Calculus. Unlike many people in his employ, Sam recognizes there is something severely wrong with DC and is actively working against him. Has a son!

- Princeton Quagmire, ex-fiancée of Kermit (Acachalla?) and “arch nemeses”/former member of the Acachalla gang, also allegedly a time traveller. Honestly, you’d think a time traveller would do a better job at not working with a future mass murderer, but no one said he was smart I suppose. Canonically possibly has a daughter he doesn’t know about.

- Jose x4, boyfriend? Husband? Of Papa Acachalla from almost 200 years ago, very dead. He sees his dead as being the fault of Papa and is actively working to spite him, a true vengeful spirit.

- Maxwell Acachalla, borderline a main character, constantly haunting the Acachallas— in my canon, Maxwell is not a vengeful spirit, and he doesn’t actually know why he’s still around and not in some afterlife. Been just saying things for so long he’s actually started believing himself.

- Jeremy Acachalla, Papa Acachalla’s older brother, if you’ve seen Everything Everywhere All at Once, what happened to him is basically that but worse and harder to deal with. Either way, he previously had a dangerous responsibility, failed, and is facing the consequences of that.

- Kermit “the Claw”, cousin to Papa and Maxwell, in my canon he was a previous victim to Jimmy Casket who wasn’t as lucky as ghost as to have times where he had complete control of his body and mind. Originally a survivalist without much mind toward theft outside of necessity, he slowly became consumed by bloodlust (bc Casket) to the point where he no longer distinguished friend from foe and starting attacking innocents. Currently very dead.

I tried to hint things with the eyes— people who are normal have pupils, people who are in some way undead but not fully a ghost have irises but no pupil, Maloney and Gregory have fully black irises bc birds, and something else (like cracks perhaps) represent like. Basically, they’re a ghost and something is wrong. They’ve been cursed, they’re losing themselves, yadda yadda something like that. Princeton is an exception here bc i forgot what i was doing haha…

[c0rrupted-mov]

dr3 chiaki for the ask game?

CHIAKI CHIAKI CHIAKI CHIAKI CHIAKIIIIIIIIIII

i kinda don't distinguish dr3 and sdr2 Chiaki becuse I close my eyes at the part of the canon that says she's dead lol. it's my world and my rules she's alive and well ok

favorite thing about them

Her passion to her hobby/talent. I relate to that a lot and also find it a very interesting quirk of hers. Like other ultimates don't really lose their sleep and food to do more photos or cooking or else. Other than Ryota and that's why we kin him too. Idk makes me wonder why Nanami is the way she is

least favorite thing about them

Here's two 1) The way fandom treats her. She gets SO much hate and for what? She just wanted to play her silly games all day and have friends :( The "mary sue" treatment like yeah she's not the best written character in the series but she's fine! It's not a crime to not have a detail backstory or character. it's sad we don't have it, but it doesn't make her awful. Oh and I HATE the "waifu bait" thing!! The fact that Kodaka said in the interview that he made a character with similar hobbies as him is not the same as waifu bait! I can relate to this feeling of his and see nothing bad with it. She's not just a pretty looks and "uwu gamer girl" (she doesn't fit the stereotype at all imo) and those who think otherwise didn't really pay attention to her. And 2) How little focus she has despite her role. I wish dr3 spent some time developing her character and story. We know very little about her life before the events! And it's sad! Her behavior gives a lot of food for thought of why she's the way she is and I would love to see more canon material about it. Esp if we consider that in canon it's the real Chiaki. Not focusing on her as a person was a big mistake

favorite line

From sdr2: "Nagito can you please be quiet" like yes girl!! So epic of her. AND THE WAY NAGITO IMMEDIATELY SHUTS UP FDKGMJ. And "How should I lure out Nagito? No, acting sexy won't work..." like girl why was it the first idea you had huh?? Huh?? huuuh??? 👁👁👁👁

From dr3: "I wanted to play games with you... One more time..." and her whole near death speech in general. like GIRL YOU'RE DYING AND YOU THINK YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SHOULD SAY SORRY?? Let me hug you T^T I had to rewatch that scene for this and it breaks my heart everytime. ON A BRIGHTER NOTE it's not a line but a k.o she gave Hanamura even tho she was affected by the soup. It was so badass of her like YEES GIRL SHOW HIM!!!! #HanamuraSlander

brOTP

So many honestly... Hinanami and even komanami, her and chihiro and her and sonia... I feel like she would get along with a lot of people

OTP

Komanami 100%. Nanami canonically has always been the only person in their class who didn't hate Komaeda at every point of the story. She has always shown compassion and support to him. While also not approving of his wrong actions and doing her best to show him that there's other way. That he can be their classmate and friend too. There's part in her dr wiki page that says "Even self-deprecating Nagito Komaeda understands that Chiaki would always invite him even if no one else would" LIKE?? And people still say that they canonically hate each other??? I'm sure they were friends in dr3

nOTP

Hinanami lol. Sorry to every hinanami lover here but I don't see the chemistry at all. And I just feel like the impact they had on each other hits stronger if you think of them as friends. At least it's the way I see it lol. Don't think it's bad tho, it's definitely nice. Just not my cup of tea

random headcanon

Autistic!! It makes SO much sense, the most making sense thing possible ever. Gaming is also her coping mechanism and a way to hide from outside world, that feels too unpredictable and scary to her

unpopular opinion

Things i said in "least favorite thing about them" and also does headcanoning her alive and giving her more character traits and more detailed story counts? idk. Also there's no way she's as skinny as in canon

song i associate with them

"Apparently there's a cheat code for happiness" eng cover by Milkychan. Because I heard in a first Nanami edit I saw back in 2019 by an editor that since long deleted their videos... They greatly inspired me to edit too. Other than that it also fits her. The way she also interprets things in life as in video game. I can see her understanding key elements of happiness at life as some video game achievements or boosts klhgbn

favorite picture of them

One apple tall

[savedpeople]

I haven’t talked much about dead city for the last couple weeks, but here’s some thoughts on tonight’s episode all in one place instead of making separate posts as we go. As usual, spoilers ahead:

SAVIOR NEGAN MY BELOVED. Legit got emotional seeing Lucille again. Savior Negan’s mustache hurts my soul a little but idc he still looks Good. but also gives the possibility of him and Simon having semi-matching mustaches at one point which is extremely funny

Negan designing the walker fence, maybe? That’s kind of what that looked like. If it was, then the walker fence was a relatively new thing when we saw it in the main show, since he already has the Kingdom working for him at this point.

Good to see Simon’s arms have doubled in size since we last saw him, jfc. But seriously, I had the Simon cameo spoiled a while ago but it was so cool to see him again

I love that Neegs is a canon nickname for Negan now lol. How long has the fandom been using that, especially the comic fandom?

Negan wearing two gloves in the flashback implies he either 1. lost a glove at some point, or 2. decided to start only wearing one for The Aesthetic. I’m gonna go with the second option lmao

The hall/room we saw during the flashback scene with the croat is in the sanctuary but isn’t a space we’ve seen before. the basement, maybe? i never considered the factory might have a basement. was way too big to be one of the cells we saw in the main show.

glad they confirmed the croat didn’t “just” kill the kid, but tortured her.

Simon being all “KIDS is a line we don’t cross, we all know that” is hilarious given the entire Oceanside situation. Big possibility is the writers just kinda... forgot about that (especially if they didn’t write for the main how, idk who the writers are), but my in-universe explanation is going to be that Simon is big time sucking up to Negan after being given a second chance. Make him believe he believes that. etc.

Anyone else think the Croat lowkey looks like Simon?? A little bit?? might just be certain facial expressions

Y’all had the opportunity to make my stupid harmonica headcanon canon and and you DIDN’T DO IT. but it’s not not canon, either.

Please not the miscommunication, “if you’d just let me explain” trope. We only have two episodes left there’s not enough time for that

It’s not important but I wonder what the Croat’s real name is

Now why was Croat’s reaction to hearing Negan’s whistle/seeing him again kinda cute

Why do I kind of like the Croat. Only a tiny bit tho

NegaAAAAN

I actually really do like this group Negan and Maggie are with, especially Tommaso and Amaia and the scavenger lady. I forgot her name.

Aaaand that was scavenger lady that just died, wasn’t it

Tommaso definitely got bit, there’s no way he got out of that unscathed 

DID MAGGIE BURN THE DINO PLUSH OR NOT. i’m gonna guess the way ginny’s looking at her + her “i have to tell you something” to Negan is implying she did?

Perhaps I’m stupid but why did the Croat send all those walkers into the arena? Did he know our group was coming? edit: the preview for next ep suggests he did

“Where’s Lucille?” “She’s gone.” 😭😭😭

Did I just add Jerome to my Excel sheet of Saviors? Yes. This tells us that the Croat’s not the only ex-Savior that’s ended up in NY

I like that Negan saved Armstrong. Disappointed but not surprised about Armstrong’s actions once they were alone. Looks like they might have to work together next ep though? I’m hoping Negan tells him why exactly he killed those people.

Eli saying that the Croat was, in a weird way, “Negan’s first kid” despite being older than Negan is soooo idk but it does add something to the way Negan might be feeling about the whole thing

[rocksanddeadflowers]

(First off my laptop is uncooperative today and Tumblr is being very glitchy on my phone so this was hard to write...) a master post thingy sounds like a good idea!! This thing is a mess lmao ...

Okay okay very hard to scroll around to read and response with my stuff being glitchy atm but I am gonna try!! Brian being sensitive to touch - yes!!!! I feel like a lot of mechs fics do Brian being unable to feel touch or it being very dulled down because of his being made of metal and all, which works well in the canon material to me. But Carmilla in this AU trying to keep his functions as human as possible (even if she has to use magic all over to ensure that) which includes him being able to feel touch. It's just that it ends up being almost too sensitive at times!! So he gets overwhelmed easy- I love it.

Everything about the west wing scene !!!! :')

Also Lyf totally steals Marius's shoes out of spite after that

GARDENING BRIAN YES!!!!! (Also works to me bc I feel like him being good at medical stuff translating to witchcraft can often include herbal/plant usage a lot) (Also Lyf LOVES the gardens btw that's their safe space.) Consider: Nastya adored tending to the gardens as they're part of Castle Aurora and all and it's just therapeutic for her. Upon returning expecting everything to be overgrown or dead- but finding places that have clearly been recently tended to and absolutely melting. She totally finds out it's Brian and is so happy he did that and those two and Lyf tend to the gardens consistently afterwards!

Dude!!! I really do love your writing so much............. shit talking like that about someone's art is just ridiculous to me. Cause even if you don't like it specifically if doesn't mean it's bad and you should trash it?? Idk probably shouldn't ramble about that just hate it when people dump on any artist's work like that it's so ridiculous... Also I don't like, out up with autistic stuff I fully vibe with any autistic stuff you think you do bc I'm pretty sure I'm autistic and trying to get a proper diagnosis for it atm. Anyways your writing is awesome as it is and the more you do it over time the better it'll get too!! Art is cool like that :) don't let anyone convince you otherwise either as long as you don't overwork yourself (not saying you've done that just noting it).

Also okay I have a few rambles about other stuff for this au too

I feel like there's needs to be more clarification on how or why Carmilla ends up at the castle? Firstly I assume the town is close to the castle but not immediately next to it? (Maybe a full day on horseback? I mean, when I watched the movie I was easily confused bc it seemed like Belle's father was gone a whole day before winding up there but everyone lese managed to talk there in less than a couple hours I think? Maybe it's cause he got lost and turned back weird tho. So maybe closer than I said.)

Carmilla seems, to me at least, to have wanted to avoid the castle, but living close by gives her the comfort of an easy return? (vs Nastya who I think got as far away as possible, for her safety and to travel wider, but mainly bc she knew if she stayed too close she might not be able to stay away.) Maybe she even regularly checks in on the castle in secret. Not enough to make any differences, but enough to note any possible chances (good or bad).

Maybe lost on her way to the inventor's thingy (<- could say routine check in - if she does those - but there's the thing with Brian gifting her the cane) (also Brian having a rose from the rose gardens earlier on before the story bc of one of her checks!!) she only finds her way again when stumbling across the castle. But something - fate, destiny, narrative flow - gets her caught by Jonny when snooping around on the grounds (either trying to get her bearings or find a safe place to wait out the night/possible storm or something). To Jonny, while he thinks Nastya directly cast the enchantment, he clearly considered that Nastya learned it from Carmilla somehow, indirectly or not. Also, I think he feels betrayal the she left. That with him finding her randomly wandering the grounds, he's pissed and grabs her and tosses her in a cell. While Carmilla could probably get her way out, she doesn't want to hurt Jonny or Aurora in the process, and almost plays dead just going along with Jonny. Maybe she'll find an easier way out when he's not looking- besides, Brian thinks she'll be gone for a few days, she has time (<- has no idea someone is gonna find her cane yet)

Jonny might even grill her about lifting the enchantment, and she explains again and again how it's impossible. He must break it in his own. (He doesn't like that answer.)

When Carmilla hears Brian's voice calling for her barely even a day later her heart fucking drops. He's not supposed to be here it's not safe. The whole exchange between Brian and Jonny happen so fast and Brian won't let her object- something deep inside her shifts, as the actual caster of the enchantment she knows. Brian might be Jonny's last hope. This sudden knowledge running deep in her core shocking her so terribly that by the time she's even got a chance to register it Jonny is already sending her away with "she's useless to me now, anyway." Everything is wrong and it hurts- she's never once felt as helpless as she has now.

Even possible that, frozen in indecision, shock, and all the realizations and magic relations could make her somewhat genuinely ill, making it harder for her to find her way back and motivating Brian to return to her. Considering he might stay up to one to three months before looking into the mirror, and seeing her downward spiral sends him out after her.

Still not as cleanly written out as I was hoping, but I just needed more clarification for Carmilla's castle stuff to kick off the plot so there's my toss in!

Also on a lighter note: there's that bit in the audiobook thing we're the enchantress turns Belle's sisters into sentient but immobile statues to be stuck forever watching their sisters joy and fortune they may not obtain. My only issue with that bit was, it sounds uncomfy for Belle knowing her sisters are there watching the whole time? Their vibes are so sour I feel like it'd be weird. But!! Imagine Carmilla doing that to some of the people most directly responsible for Brian's witch trial execution and then selling the statues to other towns. Just as like, as a neat little reference. Well, she either sells them, or keeps them all somewhere to smash up rage room style lmao. ("I wonder if you'll be aware of all of this, the whole time....")

I also brought up Fae Lyf stuff in that other post... I don't think I can get into the war details for them atm (trying to hurry this up cause I gotta go + am losing brain power) BUT i love wild Lyf, and Fae stuff is the perfect excuse/explanation for here.

Like, you know how Tim and Bertie has this aura of like, intense violence and menace? Lyf has an aura of ethereal wildness- it's calm and maintained for the most part, with Lyf's personality you might not even guess it. But being near them, you can feel a call to the forests. Their energy is like running around in the woods after a rain, still cloudy but everything is overgrown and deeply saturated a bright green, and moisture holds in the air curling your hair and filling your lungs with the smell of rain. You look into their eyes, close enough to reflect your face, but instead of your reflection you see the woods, and a stream running down the middle. There's a wild air to them, felt most intense as they tend to the garden (Lyf falls into a bit of a depression over being unable to during the curse). There's something so natural about them that it's unnatural- so of this world that they're not of this world at all. It's easy to picture their hair wild, full of leaves, running about barefoot in the woods, so full of energy and life and joy. Yet, here they are, a servant in a castle, subduing that part of them. Is it shame? Habit? Self preservation? Maybe they're not even sure why they do. Maybe if feels easier that way, even if it hurts...

Anyway hope that made sense but I really gotta get off soon so bye!!

Beauty and the Beast, but it's the Mechanisms.

Jonny must be the beast because feral Jonny and the whole heart thing... prove me wrong.

Tim or Brian is Belle.

Rest of the Mechs are the servants in the Beast's house. With an exception for Marius as Gaston cause I can totally fucking see it. He would suck at it though because it's Marius. And also, short Marius HC.

This is probably not new. But it's been brewing in my head for a good few months, ever since I put my Mechs OC in the iconic Belle dress.

[doves-fandomstuff]

Who I want see joining the ADA

Basically, I'm going to talk about the characters I want to see them joining the ADA. After all, with more people they will be even stronger. These are my opinions by the way, you don't have to agree or disagree. Anyways let's start! Spoilers warning ❕

Katai

I know he's been and is a part of ADA but I want to see him more often in the agency. He's very underrated to me. So in his case it's not 'joining' but rather 'being more active'. Or at least that's what I think and say.

Lucy

She got that character development so well! And it's especially nice to see her working with Atsushi and Kyouka. I liked that trio so much in the casino arc. And she's been helping them for a while, thanks to Atsushi. So it would be even better to see her as an official member. Even though I consider her already as a member she hasn't taken her entrance exam yet (which is understandable after we all know what's going on the whole chapters lol).

Poe

But you know his case is just like Lucy's. He's been helping them for a LOT. He deserves to be an official member. I love how he pops out at the random times to show his novel & talk to Ranpo. And again just like Lucy, he also didnt take an exam. But along with her I'd like to see them joining. It would also kinda be funny considering how they were co-workers once in the Guild.

Aya

I know she's just a kid lol. But as shown in the manga, she has that heart to save people and current chapters show it pretty well. When she grows up, she will be a great candidate for them. And also seeing her work with Kunikida, yes that's gonna be so chaotic lol.

Chuuya

I think apart from the others I've mentioned, Chuuya joining ADA is a very more popular thought. I think we can say that many people wants him to join there. After all Chuuya is a selfless character whom can risk his own life to save his city and its people. Which is pretty much proven in the Dead Apple. And not just this, he is good in heart. He treats his subortines well, cares for people around him, his loyalty, treats animals great etc. And it's even canon that Asagiri mentioned this in Beast. I'd like to see him doing good stuff because we know he isn't a bad person. He had to be violent or he was gonna lose Sheep and now Port Mafia. And again seeing Dazai and Chuuya in the same agency would be some funny shit lol.

Possible Higuchi???? Tho i bet if Aku doesn't join then she won't too lol

----

Yeah, pretty much them. Which characters would you like to see them joining the ADA??

[humanwheatleyslefttoenail]

why do you ship chell and glados if glados is basically her mom

Okay this is actually a pretty common misconception in the fandom that unfortunately a lot of people have taken as canon, but I’m feeling nice so I’ll answer your question.

Basically, anon is referencing a theory from around 2012 that Caroline is Chell’s mom. The evidence for the theory is as follows:

- The turret opera calls Chell “bambina”, which means “little girl” in Italian

- Chell’s name can be found on a Bring Your Daughter To Work Day science project

- GLaDOS references the possibility of Chell being adopted multiple times

- GLaDOS is significantly nicer to Chell after discovering she’s Caroline 

And, anon, you’re right, it does sound like a pretty good argument at first glance. The problem is that a lot of these points don’t actually hold up to scrutiny.

For example, although “bambina” literally translates to “little girl,” it’s often used in the same way “baby girl” is used in English - it can mean child, but contextually it’s usually a flirtatious term. (Source: Cambridge Dictionary)

For Chell’s science project, it doesn’t work as evidence for the theory because GLaDOS killed the scientists around 1998-ish, when Caroline had presumably been uploaded several years earlier and Cave was already dead. Also, Chell’s in her 20′s, and since we know from Lab Rat/Portal 2 that people don’t age in stasis, and that Doug put Chell at the top of the test subject list only weeks after the takeover, Chell was 28 at the time of the takeover. The science project is really only an Easter egg and doesn’t actually fit into the canon timeline let alone prove anything about Caroline and Cave. 

GLaDOS talking about Chell being adopted is a pretty strong point, I’ll admit, but also it’s important to remember that maybe half of what GLaDOS says is true. And even if we take what she says at face value, she also says there’s a man and a woman in stasis with Chell’s last name, which could not have been Cave and Caroline because they were already dead at that point. And the official book Final Hours Of Portal 2 confirms Cave and Caroline were not married and could not have shared the same name anyway. It was also the 50′s, an an unmarried couple of two likely famous people having a child would’ve been scandalous, and yet we see no hint of something like this affecting their company. 

Also, although GLaDOS is nicer to Chell after the Caroline reveal, that’s not necessarily indicative of a mother-daughter relationship, and neither is any of their interactions. It’s just. GLaDOS being friendlier. 

Finally, when this theory was made (and let’s be honest - it still is happening) Chell was constantly whitewashed to hell and back. 

Chell is Japanese-Brazilian, and Cave and Caroline are white, so it would be a near impossibility for her to be their biological child (and insisting otherwise is kinda. just. whitewashing). And although people will cry “adoption!”, based on what I’ve previously proven, that’s pretty much impossible. This theory that somehow she’s Cave and Caroline’s daughter erases an important part of her identity. [Disclaimer, I am white, but this is what I’ve heard from around the fandom]

With all that said, the idea that she’s the daughter of Cave and Caroline really doesn’t hold weight when you really analyze the canon. It’s surface level analysis that doesn’t hold up. And honestly? The idea kinda cheapens the story. It’s much more powerful that GLaDOS learns to care about Chell and becomes kinder than just. Oh, she remembered she’s related to Chell. 

But to actually answer your ask. 

Why do I ship them?

Well, they aren’t mother and daughter, I think that’s pretty obvious now. But if you actually look at a lot of subtext in Portal 2, without the lens of the mother theory, it’s actually pretty romantic! 

I know that sounds ridiculous, but bear with me!

Now - it’s totally okay if you don’t ship them. I get it. Their interactions in Portal 1 and the first half of Portal 2 are toxic if not outright well. Y’know. Murderous. I completely understand why that turns people off from shipping them, and ultimately, shipping is a personal thing. To each his own. 

But before you judge me, let me present my case.

Exhibit A: Portal 

Portal is kinda gay. No, really. Chell and GLaDOS are enemies in this game, but the entire focus is on their relationship (good or not) and the power struggle between them. They are opposites, two sides of the same coin, different representations of opposite ideologies. People have analyzed Portal as a relationship metaphor, or as a metaphor about women’s role in society - either way, the heart of Portal is the complicated dynamic between Chell and GLaDOS. 

That’s not necessarily enough to code a romance, but a lot of popular (and especially popular queer ones) ships begin with opposite ideologies, symbolic powers colliding. Portal cements their relationship as a toxic one, something on the verge of falling apart and hurting both parties in the end. The ending image, of Chell and GLaDOS side by side after the battle, reinforces the symbolic parallels between the two. 

The companion cube is also pretty symbolically important to this interpretation. It’s literally a representation of someone’s heart, and you are told to protect it and preserve it under GLaDOS’ orders, and then you have to destroy it regardless of how you actually feel about doing that. You are destroying GLaDOS’ heart, so to speak. 

There’s also the ending song, Still Alive. The lyrics speak for themselves.

They hint that GLaDOS’ feelings about Chell are more complicated than they may appear (if she’s not being sarcastic...) and she literally talks about Chell breaking her heart (also, think back to the companion cube. Yeah.). The entire song is structurally similar to many a breakup number, with the laments of “I’m glad it happened, but also leave.” 

At the end, we also see that the long promised cake GLaDOS was supposedly lying about was real the whole time. Before Portal 2 came out, it was mostly interpreted as a stinger ending (along with the nicer lyrics of Still Alive) to make you question GLaDOS’ true motives and intentions.

She actually did have a real cake waiting for you. (Side note - not really evidence, but in Argentina, “torta” means cake in Spanish. It’s also a slang term for lesbians. So. Do with that what you will). The cake is what GLaDOS offers you to lull you into the sense that she cares about you, so discovering that “the cake is a lie” wakes you up to the realization that she doesn’t. Except then the idea is subverted one last time, at the very end, showing that the cake is real and at least some of what she said she meant. 

You also see the companion cube. You know, GLaDOS’ symbolic heart?

Now, okay, you might be thinking I’m extrapolating a bit too much. And you might be right. But Portal is not the only game in the series, and if you’re asking me about Cave and Caroline you obviously know about Portal 2.

Exhibit B: Portal 2

If you thought Portal was gay, Portal 2 turns that up to 11.

Even before GLaDOS wakes up, you’re treated to some visual subtext. A few of Rattmann’s drawings representing the events of Portal 2 focus a lot on the relationship between GLaDOS and Chell, with more of the cake symbolism.

In this, you can see a face layered on top of GLaDOS. This could be foreshadowing about Caroline, and likely is, but also resembles his other drawing of Chell. It insists that Chell is a part of GLaDOS, or reinforces parallels between Chell and Caroline, hinting at something either way. 

In this picture, we also see Chell standing on top of GLaDOS, in the same position where the overlay of the feminine face was, again referencing the parallel. It also presents them as opposites, fundamental parts of the same thing and both connected to the same basis, but on opposing sides. 

When GLaDOS wakes up, she returns to her antagonistic role, but there are more hints to something deeper just like in Portal. 

Here, in her awakening lines, she references Chell not unlike an estranged ex. Also worth noting that GLaDOS is pretty much the personification of testing (in a sense, she is testing since she can control all of Aperture like an extension of her body), and insinuates that Chell loves to test. And that she reciprocates that feeling.

In test chamber 10, she says this:

It’s supposed to be threatening, but it does read as almost... sentimental. 

There’s also another chamber with companion cubes in Portal 2. I already talked about their symbolism in Portal, and the same pretty much applies to them here. However, GLaDOS says something interesting about them during this level:

Once again, meant to be intimidating, ends up coming off as “well, GLaDOS, why were you going to give Chell a heart shaped representation of yourself that says ‘I love you?’” And you might think I’m stretching the GLaDOS’ heart metaphor thing a little far here, and I might agree, if the companion cubes didn’t literally sing Cara Mia for you. 

Cara Mia is the turret opera from the end of the game, which is all about how much GLaDOS cares about Chell. More on that later. But the companion cubes play a song called Love as A Construct, and when you get close to them, they sing a specific part of the song that has the tune of Cara Mia. These things literally exist to sing about GLaDOS’ feelings. 

Which makes this line a lot more. For lack of a better term. Tsundere-ish.

Then, right before the escape, she starts talking about the confetti from her fake surprise. 

I really don’t have to explain this one. What else does GLaDOS consider an inconvenience but might miss anyway? Or, more aptly, who else?

Then, during the escape, she teases a (fake) final test chamber in front of you, and forms the panels in the shape of a heart. No, really. 

Up to this point, a lot of the points I’ve presented are interspersed with a fair amount of antagonization on GLaDOS’ behalf, more Foe Yay than anything actually hinting at something deeper than GLaDOS being conflicted about whether she loves or hates Chell. But things really ramp up after Wheatley’s betrayal, when the two of them are forced to team up. (I should also note here that “enemies to lovers” is a pretty classic queer romance trope.)

Here, GLaDOS is put on an equal level with Chell and they have to rely on each other if they want to survive. For the rest of the singleplayer campaign, GLaDOS becomes a lot nicer and even friendly to Chell. There comes a point where she starts referring to Chell as a teammate, calling them “we.” She begins to consider them one unit, two opposites unified. Here’s what she says after the lemon rant:

You can not only see her using we, but actively talking about how her and Chell are going to fight Wheatley together. There’s also that last line - “let’s explode with some dignity.” GLaDOS has fully accepted the very likely possibility that she and Chell might die together. That she might die on the same level, and the same team as Chell. And she seems... surprisingly okay with that, as long as she and Chell go together. 

It’s during the Old Aperture levels that Chell and GLaDOS also discover that they have a lot in common. This is the part of the game where GLaDOS figures out she’s Caroline, that she’s human. Or, that she’s like Chell. And Chell discovers (from what we can tell anyway) that Caroline is kind, that she’s funny and smart and so many of these things she never noticed about GLaDOS before. Now also with the knowledge she is fighting alongside another human being. 

You can also draw parallels between Chell and Caroline, both intelligent women ultimately betrayed by their seemingly innocuous male friends before being trapped in Aperture and forced to team up with one another in a way that will free both of them. We see that really, GLaDOS isn’t that different from Chell - she too has been imprisoned in this place against her will, but in a completely different way. Once again, the idea of two sides of the same coin applies here. 

I’ve written another meta about this before, but I also think the whole idea of repressing a part of your identity and hating it, before bonding with another woman and then realizing that it’s okay to be like her and to be on her side. It’s okay to be yourself and meeting her is what helps you discover this new part of yourself. Is kinda inherently gay. GLaDOS’ discovery of her own humanity just fits so well into a queer realization narrative, to me at least.

Then, Chell and GLaDOS escape Old Aperture and have to get through Wheatley’s tests. 

Here, GLaDOS isn’t just begrudgingly on Chell’s team. She’s actively helpful. She wants to help Chell solve tests, defends her from Wheatley’s insults, and makes jokes to lighten the mood. Things that can really only be explained by her caring about Chell, especially the part about the insults. See below.

After the two escape Wheatley’s testing track, right before the boss fight GLaDOS has a few other things to say.

GLaDOS is not going to betray Chell, because of some kind of conscience. But she could easily ignore that back in her body, and yet? Here she’s deciding not to, and for no good reason. She didn’t have to say that to Chell, but she did, because she cares and she wants Chell to live.

And then, moments before the fight:

The final lines imply that GLaDOS does not think of Chell as an enemy anymore, and that it doesn’t matter what Chell thinks because they are in this together and they are getting revenge together. It’s pretty heartwarming to be honest, to know that even in a fight that will almost certainly kill you, she is there rooting for you and caring about you, even if you don’t feel the same way about her. It no longer matters to GLaDOS whether you even reciprocate - you staying alive, you making it through is enough for her.

So Chell fights Wheatley and sends him into space, all well and good, and at this point, GLaDOS has the option to kill Chell. But not only does she not, she actively saves Chell, and holds her hand in the process. If you don’t believe me:

And not only that, but when Chell goes unconscious from her injuries, GLaDOS sits and waits for her to wake up. It’s also implied that GLaDOS carries her to the elevator, since it’s where she wakes up but not where she passed out. In the scene where Chell blacks out, you can also hear the part of Love As A Construct that sounds like Cara Mia. Yeah. Yeah.

If you think that this cannot possibly get any gayer, you are wrong again, because then GLaDOS makes her final speech. Which is really just a love confession, let’s be honest.

The “surge of emotion?” Do you mean love, GLaDOS? And the idea of GLaDOS considering Chell her best friend, despite everything these two have done to each other? The idea that GLaDOS, out of all people, forgives someone?

Except this isn’t even Chell’s final send-off. GLaDOS writes her an entire opera of turrets, that sing a literal love song. (Note what I said earlier about the use of the word “bambina”).

It really can’t get any more obvious than that. “My (affectionate romantic term here), my dear, I adore you.” How. Is. That. Heterosexual. In. Any. Way.

So Chell goes to the surface, set free by GLaDOS (think of the saying “if you love something, set it free), and you think that’s the end. Until GLaDOS gives you a companion cube so you aren’t alone on the journey, and from the burn marks, you know it’s your first companion cube. Her original heart, her first gift to you, a piece of her that she wants you to carry with you to remind you that she does care about you after everything. It also gives the lyrics to Still Alive a much more genuine meaning. 

Portal 2 ends, and then the ending song, another GLaDOS number plays. Just like Still Alive, Want You Gone is structurally a break up song and very obviously about GLaDOS missing Chell and “counting on” (read: caring about/loving) Chell’s tendencies and quirks. 

She’s accepted Chell completely, and yet also given Chell the one thing she wants most. Only wanting Chell gone can mean GLaDOS not wanting Chell in her life anymore, but can also mean she wants to give Chell the freedom she’s wanted for so, so long. It’s the best thing she can give.

In the co-op campaign, GLaDOS also references still caring about Chell.

And that’s the end of the Portal series. Except. Brace yourself. Despite the games being over, there is STILL more subtext somehow. It gets. Even gayer.

Exhibit C: Supplemental Evidence

Valve has made a lot of extra/cut content for the Portal series, and I’ll be looking at some of it below.

This official valentine from Valve shows GLaDOS offering a romantic partner cake, which as we’ve established before, is very symbolic of GLaDOS’ feelings about and/or relationship with Chell. 

There’s a lot of other concept art and official art that emphasizes their relationship too. See below.

There’s also some cut GLaDOS lines that are even gayer than the source material and again, sound like confessions or references to a breakup:

The idea of “discovering things about someone”... how much more obvious can it get?

The developers have even confirmed a lot of my commentary on Chell and GLaDOS’ relationship in The Final Hours Of Portal 2. See these quotes from the book/this post:

The devs literally describe it as a romance. They use terms like “cheating,” they wanted to write a romantic duet, JoCo purposefully wrote the endings like love songs. It is literally, blatantly said by the creators of the game that their relationship is interpreted romantically. By the creators of the game. 

And if Word of God confirmation isn’t enough for you, have a song written for a cut alternate ending by GLaDOS’ voice actress, Ellen McClain. The song is literally nothing but GLaDOS talking about caring about Chell, about not wanting her to die/leave GLaDOS alone, about wanting to bake a cake with Chell, about waiting for Chell to wake her up. It’s so genuinely sweet and sad, and really, really romantic in the most heartwrenching way possible. 

JoCo also came back for the Portal levels in Lego Dimensions, writing one final breakup song for GLaDOS to sing about Chell. It comes off as GLaDOS not wanting to admit she misses Chell even though she obviously does, trying to replace their relationship but failing, and even explicitly forgiving Chell/wanting her to come back.

Also, the “finally I understand,” as if only now GLaDOS understands just how deep her feelings for Chell are... What else can I say?

In Lego Dimensions, GLaDOS also outright rejects anyone who isn’t Chell.

In Conclusion:

Why do I ship Chell and GLaDOS? 

Well, ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether I ship them. 

Because I think it’s glaringly obvious Portal does.

[bonefall]

For the dead warrior thing, how's about the non-ThunderClan dead meddies from arc 1? Mudfur, Barkface, and Runningnose.

(And on the note of fleshing out StarClan-as-deities, I'm curious, do you think Clan cats would pray to specific cats for divine intervention or to StarClan as a whole? If the former, who would the cats get in contact with for, say, good luck in romance or help conceiving a litter?)

a) Mudfur

Mudfur joined StarClan at the worst possible time, and spent his first few years agonizing over the fact he couldn't get in touch with Mothwing. Once he could rest assured that Willowpaw could receive the visions for her, he was so done with stress and responsibility that he turned down several prestigious positions around StarClan.

He would have made excellent signs, he could have been excellent at crafting newborn spirits, and he would have been able to blow the clouds away with a mighty breath. Instead, he likes to nap in the dappled starshine, and spend time with his beloved mate and kits.

He's ready to fade now, actually, he's made his peace with his life and would like to move on; but he wants to be the last to go. Since Leopardstar is so venerated, he won't fade for a very long time.

b) Barkface

Barkface is a natural at dreamweaving. Like a spider, he can lace together memories, wishes, and desires, and gently unravel them into the minds of sleeping cats. Of course he's called on for very important prophetic dreams, but more than anything, he loves to grace the minds of elders with images of their glory days.

He lived a long life, and he's been reunited with many lost friends in StarClan. He also loves what he does, so it will be generations before Barkface decides that he'd like to pass on.

c) Runningnose

(in my rewrite, runningnose is actually a very different person and also a dark forest cat, so this one's for the canon Runningnose fans out there!)

Runningnose is still trying to find his peace. He went through a lot in life and had to make a lot of hard choices, he was even a cat who went through a trial (though it was unanimous in the end that he was worthy of StarClan). He joined StarClan as a weary spirit.

He was pretty quiet at first, not having the willpower to do very much, but with the help of his friends he's found a place in growing herbs. They don't make him sneeze anymore, and he defies a StarClan stereotype that Medicine Cats are usually bad at floramancy.

This is because he's patient and humble, he won't resort to pointlessly chasing away clouds and making perfect weather. He will gladly lay, wait, and coax the smallest stem through the thickest snowbank, as long as he knows it will help at least one clanmate through leafbare.

When Littlecloud joined him, it was like he suddenly had a burst of great energy. He's still not the vibrant soul he was in youth, but he has all the time in the world to regain his spark.

d) Do the clan cats worship individual spirits, or StarClan as a whole?

Answered below the cut

I hadn't considered it before, but, sometimes yes. Overall, StarClan is a shifting clan, full of cats who are relevant to the living. Cats fade away when they're ready to rest, so bothering a random spirit would be fruitless or perhaps even rude. Generally, if the cats are praying, it's to StarClan as a whole.

There are exceptions of course. Leopardstar will pride herself as an avatar of battle and gladly bestow favor if she's contacted. Firestar will show up if you so much as think about him too hard. But sometimes, a cat will pray to a direct ancestor, or a friend will "lend" one of theirs.

"My grandmew had NINE kittens, if you ask her she'll totally help you have a litter!"

"My grandpaw's brother died at sunningrocks, dragged down TWO RiverClan warriors with him! He'll help me claw their ears off tomorrow!"

"Remember the wisdom of Tallstar the wanderer, who visited many lands and guided his clan across them. Pray to him tonight, and he will protect you on your journey to the mountain."

[introvert--weeb]

Hello Can we talk about your talent girl you're shinning ❤💅💅

But seriously you're work is awesome

Tell me plz if I can request this:

Takemitchi coming back to the past not understanding what is missing for the future

He is in one of toman meeting waiting for the "talk" but he hear some noise behind the tree 🌳and when he go to see he find micky and his gf(s/o) kissing and being lovey dovey and then he understands that she is the reason of mickeys dark implusion (dk if i wrot it good)

Like her dying in his arms so like takemitchi want to save both of them (I'm sucker for this type of angst 🤧)

Sorry if this is too much 😅you don't have to do it just wanted to cry

Love 💘😻💜💛💚🧡💘😻💜💛💚🧡

Oh my god! I'm so glad you are enjoying my writing and thank you so much! You have just made my whole week with that! ❤️😭❤️

Of course! I am a sucker for angst (if you couldn't tell from my posts) and this is just amazing!!

Thank you so much for requesting and I hope you enjoy this @kimrena-stuff

--

Mikey X f!reader (fluff with angst)

TW: mentions of death, sadness, blood, violence, canon divergence, alternate timeline

--

The future still wasn't perfect in Takemichi's eyes. Sure, most of the people he tried saving survived but there still was no happy ending for any of them. And once again, Hinata had been killed.

It was confusing him. Surely he had made sure that everything was fixed in the past? What was he missing that could have caused another bad future. The blond had even asked Chifuyu about any events that could be coming up that would cause Mikey to turn out the same as he had every other future. Was it Kisaki? But Kisaki had been fired from Toman.

Chifuyu could not offer much information, after all, he did not know the future and Mikey hadn't declared a war on any other gangs since last time Takemichi had gone back. So there was no luck in that department. Maybe they were both overlooking something small that would be massive in the future?

Takemichi was sort of thankful that he had been called up about the Toman meeting that was happening that night. He could find his answer there, he was sure. After all, each meeting he had gone to so far had provided him with an idea of what was going to happen.

He had arrived at the shrine earlier than most other members. The only ones he really knew that had arrived were Draken, Mitsuya and Chifuyu considering that was who he hitched a ride with. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary except Mikey wasn't with Draken as he usually would be.

Curiosity had gotten the better of the young Toman, he had went to ask Draken where the captain was. Draken simply pointed over to a gathering of trees, explaining that Mikey could usually be found there before meetings start. That seemed to only make the boy's curiosity worse, wondering what Mikey could be doing in the cover of the trees.

He couldn't be meeting up with Kisaki still, could he? Is that why the future was not getting any better? Panic filled Takemichi as he approached the trees. If he was talking with Kisaki then that could be his only chance to stop it and create the perfect future he wanted!

It was as he was getting closer that he heard what he thought was two voices talking quietly. Not quiet enough where it could be considered whispering but enough where Takemichi couldn't make out the words being exchanged. He could tell one of them was definitely Mikey but the other could have been anyone. Had Mikey decided to ally himself with someone even more dangerous than Kisaki was proving to be? After all, nobody in Toman had been able to see Mikey in the future so it could be possible.

Trying his best to hide himself from Mikey, Takemichi peeked his head around to find a sight that made his cheeks flush a dark red. Mikey had both hands against a tree trunk with an absolute hottie between them. At first, it seemed a little alarming for the younger blond until he had noticed the soft smile and blush that dusted your features.

It was only when Mikey leaned down to press a kiss to your lips that Takemichi had felt he was overstaying his welcome. Especially since he wasn't really welcome in the first place. He was simply a creepy peeper at that moment. Why did he keep ending up in these types of moments that made him look like a creep?! First it was with Emma and now he was essentially watching his captain make out with his girlfriend.

"I love you, Mikey." Your voice was breathless from that kiss, your eyes sparkling as they stared into your lover's dark ones. It was obvious to anyone that you were both so in love with each other. Hell, you were sneaking off together at any moment you could find just to be all lovey dovey with each other.

"I love you more, Y/N."

Takemichi had caught that small snippet of your conversation as he was trying to silently walk away. He really didn't want to be caught by the Invincible Mikey staring at the loving exchange after all. But it did get him thinking. Had you ever been mentioned in the future? Surely if you were this in love, you would remain by Mikey's side forever?

The Toman meeting started as it usually did. You would be sat on the stairs while your boyfriend would address the issues related to the gang. Everyone knew who you were, you would always be at the meetings after all unless you had to attend to other business. That would explain why Takemichi hadn't seen you. You must have been attending to other things every meeting that the blond went to. All throughout the meeting, Takemichi could only try and recall if you're present in some way in the future. Surely you would still be hanging around with the same people 12 years later.

He would have to contact Naoto in the future as soon as he could. After all, if there was something big that was going to happen then he would want to find out as soon as he could. And so, as soon as the meeting was finished, he made his way to the Tachibana household to find young Naoto.

"So, how did it go? Were you able to change anything?" That was the first thing Naoto asked once Takemichi had woken up. It was the same routine each time. Naoto would ask if he had changed anything, knowing that it wasn't enough since Hinata was still dead. But maybe if something had changed, they were a little bit closer to finding out what was causing this chain of reactions.

Takemichi shook his head and then dived headfirst into his question. He had asked if you were ever mentioned in one way or another. Maybe if you were still alive, something must have happened between you and Mikey which he could prevent from occurring. Just thinking back on how in love you both were with each other, he was beginning to doubt that it was a simple break up.

It had taken the two males a full hour until your name had popped up in their searches. It really didn't help that Takemichi only knew your first name and that you would hang out with Toman. The news article had filled the computer screen, a photo of you smiling in the top corner of the page. It gave off a vibe that didn't match the contents of the article.

You had been stabbed 15 times in the chest and stomach during a gang brawl between Toman and a gang Takemichi hadn't heard of yet. You were rushed to the hospital but had died before the doctors could reach you. It stated that it was a boy named Manjiro Sano that had brought you in.

It all started to make sense now. You had been caught up in the brawl and had sustained injuries that had ended your life. So Mikey had lost himself when you had died in his arms as he tried his best to save you.

Takemichi checked the date on which you had died. 2 days from today. Why wasn't this brawl mentioned at the Toman meeting?! Did Mikey keep it a secret or was it a spontaneous confrontation? Takemichi could only guess it was the second option. Especially since the brawl would take place at Toman's meeting spot at the shrine.

"I need to save Y/N from dying. That is what we were missing! If she survives, Mikey won't lose another piece of himself." And with that, the handshake that activated the time leaping had taken place.

Takemichi had explained his plan to Chifuyu. Explained how there would be a brawl the next day at the shrine and how that is possibly the trigger for the bad futures. After all, Mikey might stay sane with you by his side. Chifuyu couldn't believe what he was hearing. A gang would have the balls to enter the meeting place of Toman just to start a fight? They must either hold a huge grudge against them or were just plain insane. No gang was to ever enter another gang's meeting spot as it was seen as sacred.

The blond had vowed that he would do anything he could to protect you from harm and ultimately save Mikey from his dark future. Even if he had to glue himself to your side, he would make sure nothing happened to you. He would make up for the time he had failed to save Baji.

You and Mikey continued with your routine. Enter the tree clearing and spend some quality time together. You both exchanged kisses, splitting the dorayaki you would keep on you for your boyfriend, and joking around. Everything a couple in love should do.

The day of the brawl had arrived and so had the rival gang. It was in the middle of Mikey addressing his gang that the opponent's had arrived. The shock was quickly erased as the fighting began. Mikey had made sure you stayed close behind him so he could keep you safe, even though you could fight. Maybe not as well as most of the Toman members but you were capable of keeping yourself safe.

Takemichi scanned the entire shrine area in search of you. Relief had briefly enveloped the middle schooler. After all, if Mikey was with you, nobody could touch you. Or that's what everyone had thought. You had been separated from Mikey as soon as the gang members discovered you were cared for deeply by him. They had thought that if they got you, they could win the fight.

It was if the world was entering slow motion. Takemichi tried to push his way to where you were being dragged, the determination to save everyone being his main driving force. Mikey had yet to notice you were no longer behind him, too focused on taking out the leader and winning the brawl so he could take you home where you would be safe. However, that plan was quickly becoming less likely.

"Shit! Move out of my way!" Takemichi had panic pumping throughout his veins. If he couldn't get to you in time, there was no second chance. It was times like this that made him realise just how human he was. He was one boy, not a God. He could only do so much. But he was sure as hell gonna try and save you.

"Y/N!" Takemichi's voice carried across the entirety of the battlefield. So much so that everyone had frozen, especially Mikey. He turned his gaze to behind him where he thought you were only to find you were missing. Frantic, his dark eyes scanned the area until they rested on you being held against your will. The boy who held you had his arm across your neck, squeezing so you couldn't call out to your boyfriend. However, it was the knife that he pointed to your chest that had Mikey scared.

Takemichi was the only person who didn't freeze, pushing his way past the bodies that stood like statues. He could make it! He could save everyone with this one action! He was convinced that this was why Mikey had given into his dark impulses and why no-one could get their happily ever afters.

He was too late. The knife had pierced through your chest, narrowly missing any vital organs. This had seemed to spur the younger blond to increase his speed, trying to keep in mind that you could survive if he kept the stabs to a minimum. After all, the news article had explained how you had been stabbed 15 times. One was fixable. One he could deal with.

Mikey couldn't seem to move. His love had been stabbed. For no other reason than they were there and sticking by him. This wasn't fair. You had nothing to do with what the problem was and you shouldn't be paying the price for it either.

It felt like an eternity for Takemichi to reach where you were. His legs were screaming at him to stop and his heart was beating a million miles a minute. In the time it took him to get to you, you had sustained another two stabs in your stomach and chest. The person doing it was nothing short of a monster. He didn't care that you were innocent or that you were a girl. He just continued his mission.

The sound of skin to skin contact echoed, a sickening crack following along. Takemichi had landed the hardest punch he could muster against the side profile of the monster. The crack was the jaw breaking underneath the force. You were released as the perpetrator stumbled backwards, falling as he lost consciousness. Takemichi had made it but he wasn't confident that it was in time. He couldn't help but watch as you smiled and fell sideways. Fueled simply by the adrenaline, he had carefully picked you up in his arms before starting his journey to the hospital.

Draken had been the one to snap Mikey out of his daze, telling him to get his bike. There was no way that Takemichi would get there in time if he was simply thinking of running. And so that's what Mikey did. He fired up his precious bike, ordering the young blond to climb onto the back before speeding his way to the closest medical facility.

Due to all of this, you had survived. Takemichi had succeeded in saving you and thus saving Mikey. There was a possibility that the future would be good this time.

Once he had heard you were alive and doing well, Mikey had finally let himself react. Tears fell one after the other down his cheeks and relief had lifted his heart. He wouldn't lose you. You were alive because of Takemitchy. That is something Mikey couldn't thank the younger blond enough for. He had saved your life when Mikey could do nothing but watch.

Everyone expressed their gratitude for Takemichi. After all, they couldn't imagine what Mikey would turn out like if he had lost you during that fight. Takemichi had an idea but wasn't about to spill what the future he knew was like. Speaking of which, he did wonder how this had affected his future. Would everyone finally have their happy endings? He sure did hope so.

As soon as Naoto had shook his hand, Takemichi had found himself sitting at a table with a can of beer in his hand. Confused on what was going on, he glanced around at his surroundings. He was currently in a home that looked nothing like his apartment. Photos of a couple he vaguely recognised littered the walls, there was the scent of takeout wafting in the air, and the noise was loud yet joyful.

A few days later, Takemichi decided to head back to where he belonged. 12 years in the future. You had been discharged from the hospital and probably on a date with Mikey as he approached the Tachibana residence. Thinking about it, Mikey had seemed to brighten up more ever since you had been allowed out of the hospital. Takemichi laughed as he recalled Mikey buried under a large bouquet of your favourite flowers and a giant plushie of your favourite animal on that day. You had simply laughed before peppering the Toman leader's face in kisses. You had also planted a peck on the younger boy's cheek as a sign of how grateful you were to him. After all, if Takemichi hadn't done any of that, you wouldn't be able to spend anymore time with Mikey. You owed him your life.

That's when Takemichi realised he had done it. Hinata was chatting happily with Yuzuha and Hakkai about their experiences in Europe; Mitsuya, Smiley and Angry were laughing about some inside joke no-one knew about; Pah-chin and Peh-yan were discussing business relating to the real estate agency; Kazutora and Inui were drinking in the corner, simply observing the festivities; and Draken was chatting away happily to Mikey, his arm around Emma's waist as she tried to soothe their baby. Takemichi had saved them all. They were all OK. Most of all, Hinata was alive.

"Anyone needing any refills?" your voice trailed in from where you stood in the doorway connecting the living room and kitchen. You looked almost the same except for a few features. Takemichi knew at that moment that this was the perfect future for everyone, especially when Hinata had come over and kissed his cheek. The discussion around the room had suddenly become one as everyone spoke about the upcoming weddings between you and Mikey as well as the one between Takemichi and Hinata. For the first time in a long time, Takemichi could let go of the weight he had carried around and enjoy his life with his friends and his fiancé.