#it probably gets to that point in this timeline

[drchucktingle]

BEING AN ASSHOLE AS A BRAND

lots of authors have been posting great pieces of advice for up and coming buckaroos and i agree with so much of it. GREAT RESOURCES right now so i thought i would add my own. usually i use words like scoundrel but for meanings sake i will just be direct: dont make being an asshole your brand

let me preface this by saying it should be taken with HUGE grain of salt, you can do whatever you want buckaroo its YOUR art and your personal expression. to be honest i often refrain from ‘advice’ because id rather simply tell what works for me, but i feel like this one is pretty universal.

i am in incredibly rare position to have come up in TWO MAJOR CREATIVE INDUSTRIES and reached ‘traditionally published’ or ‘major film studio contract’ level completely separate from each other, without connections between, and this is ABSOLUTELY a massive factor in the buckaroos who trot long term

there is always a sort of incoming class of buds who rise up, and inevitably a few of them will seem to WANT to make enemies with everyone around them the second they have even the smallest voice. i UNDERSTAND in the sense that we have these legendary jerk artists in our culture. HOWEVER

1 those artists generally let their asshole flag fly AFTER they reached the top and 2 if not, it was a different time, there is simply not enough money in the creative fields for major creative entities to tolerate talented up and coming assholes. it is FINANCIALLY a different timeline now

EVEN SO you can point to a few old big timers who are notorious assholes but i would say its important to consider JUST HOW BIG WOULD THEY BE IF THEY WERE ALSO KIND. what if they were that talented AND watched out for their buds? heres what happened to the 'jerk brands' i trotted up with personally

every single one of them got intoxicated by the identity of being mean or ‘just tellin it like it is’ and then fell directly onto their face. the only ones who escaped were those who started that way on the trot up and IMMEDIATELY pulled it together and stopped and changed course

i know it might seem obvious to many reading this but you would be SHOCKED how many buds thinks it is a COOL IDENTITY to cultivate. some will probably subtweet this haha but listen bud, the directors you trash SEE IT. publishers DONT NEED TO TOLERATE TALENTED ASSHOLES ANYMORE THERES NOT ENOUGH MONEY

important reminder that i am talkin on artists who are PUBLICLY assholes, who trash talk their classmates or their fans. the ones who EMBRACE THIS IDENTITY as a sort of flag to wave because it gets them attention. theres plenty of SECRET assholes who find success, unfortunately. that is other topic

it is also important to say that FIGHTING THE POWERS THAT BE or protesting the scoundrels of the world is not being an asshole. KINDNESS CAN BE STRONG AND DIRECT AND POWERFUL. we need kind, strong buckaroos these days. it is not a weakness to love, and you should speak up for those who need it

so what can be done? what happens if you are reading this post and thinking ‘oh heck i can feel myself falling into asshole trap?’ well as a first reminder you can do anything you want bud, HAVE AT IT because i am not telling you this for MY sake, but if you want some actual advice id say this:

just being kind is MUCH easier than it seems, it only takes a little effort to reach out to your buds, to help, to encourage, to assistant, to talk about how much you liked someones film or song or book. jealousy or frustration are NATURAL feelings, but you dont have to let them run the show.

you MAY have to mourn the times an author couldve reached out for a book event that never happened because you turned them into an enemy. or a record executive read the stuff you said in some interview and pulled the soundtrack slot that was waiting for you on their desk. but IT IS NEVER TOO LATE

YOU can turn those feelings into fuel instead of venom, and GUESS WHAT it will genuinely be great for your art. LOVE is such an incredible driver, even when its manifested from anger or darkness. it takes some work, but i believe its worth it for your heart AND your prospects as an artist. LETS TROT

[cat-mermaid]

thats the thing, the knight isn't the the big bad, at least not the version that Asriel is playing the role of

right now my ever evolving theory is that Kris, Asriel, Asgore and Ralsei the darkner homunculus creation, are all staging a version of the prophecy (aka the plot of the game we call Deltarune) for the sake of the soul aka us the player

I'm more and more certain that somthing did go down around 4-ish years ago, when the actual events of the prophecy were supposed to take place, but they were halted by outside forces (Carol/Asgore/whoever) and the prophecy was stalled for the sake of protecting the original intended "heros" from their grim fates. But it has to happen, why i don't know, but this stage play we've been playing out with Kris and the fun gang wouldn't be happening if it wasn't necessary

I've been slowly knocking out a document with my big theory as to where things are going and why, and one of the things i'm really sure of is that right now everything thats been happening has all been to direct our (the soul) attention away from the original heros (who yes i am 100% certain i know who thanks to Undertale's genocide route spelling it out/the music and the secret bosses of Deltarune and their music).

At this moment I theorize (and this can change at any point because i'm constantly updating with new information i come upon) that the goal of the Dreemurr family (minus Toriel) is to act out the prophecy beat by beat, except its their rewritten version that they have complete control over (or so they thought because SUSIE). I think that they knew that the angel/soul/us was coming no matter what and they had to do something to appease it(have a game for us to play) all while keeping the people who were supposed to be our playthings/sacrifices away from our attention

The angel gets it's game/heaven/watever and leaves once its game over, which if we can take the church prophecy windows at their word (which i only 50% do) means that Susie and Ralsei are meant to be disposable. Kris will be fine because more and more it's becoming obvious they don't need us to live, we aren't "their" soul, its just that the strain of caging us is probably really really rough on them physically and thats why they were lurching around so much in the beginning when they'd take us out of them

The thing is tho this is all going to fail, and fail badly

because Susie

no one had any idea that Susie would have so much power, so much freedom from the yoke of the prophecy, and yes i am saying that Kris's friendship with Susie began with the intent to be a siren singing her to shipwreck, but now Kris is having second thoughts because of how amazing and genuine their friendship has become, you can see it written all over them that they really don't want to do this anymore

My hypothesis is that the current plan was to have Kris seize the soul (however that worked) and become the cage. Ralsei is an object belonging to the Dreemurr family that was "programmed" with a tame watered down version of the prophecy, Ralsei is 100% loyal to Kris no matter what, even willing to take abuse or pain if asked to. Then a planned timeline of events, starting with Kris being late to class and Susie showing up on that day, kicks off. Susie is lead down the path of the hero who "has hope crossed on her heart" will take

why? because the reasoning is that the soul aka us will eventually merge with her to create the ultimate hero that will "save the world" (however thats supposed to go down). But this process seems to be implied result in death somehow. But if the soul isn't Kris's to begin with, for them its as easy as just pulling it out and letting it take over Susie

Theres only one problem, well two actually

The soul doesn't want Susie, like at all. It wants Noelle

Imagine being Kris and thinking, back at this point in the story-

-that its in the bag, its happend, Susie is now following "your" (the soul's) orders. This is how its supposed to start, now all they have to do is just act out the prophecy chapter by chapter, dark world after dark world, and soon Susie's mind and free will will be subsumed by the soul

but then oh no oh god, some how Noelle ended up in a dark word and now the soul only has "eyes" for her and oh god how do you stop it now? You're in too deep, you can't stop it now theres no choice but to keep going, and meanwhile Susie only seems to be getting better at shucking off the prophecy. I even bet you that Titan fight at the church was supposed to be the Dreemurr's planned "final boss fight", didn't it feel like one? But instead by then the Soul hadn't so much as tried to control Susie and then mother fucking OLD MAN happened and Susie "Idea'd" her way into fucking nuking the thing!

anyways shit thats alot i just typed for a "brief" response so i'll stop now!!!

just remember this is a working theory and almost certainly be amended and reworked all the way up to chapter 5

............YOUNG MAN

you are supposed to be at colleg

not doing some weird pantomime of your religion's prophecy with your sibling, a girl who was slamming said sibling into a locker like 2 days ago, a weird doppelganger of yourself and your fucking father

....also everyone do themselves a favor and listen to "hopes and dreams" sped up a bit faster then what youtube allows, its litterally "black knife"

[ladydisdain5]

I saw a post pointing out that the Saja Boys couldn't have gotten into the Idol Awards if their debut was the first time we saw them. To be clear, the timeline is something like: Huntrix's last show of their tour; that same night a demon plane attendant reported their failure and Jinu proposed their plan; also that same night Huntrix announces Golden; the cancelled show an unknown amount of time later; the Saja Boys' first appearance, likely the next day; the Idol Awards two weeks after the cancelled show. So a month or two in total? Which leads me to two very entertaining possibilities:

The Saja Boys genuinely did debut the first time we saw them. They got into the Idol Awards purely by demon interference (read: Gwi-Ma found someone involved with it and made a deal with them). Somewhere there is an underpaid assistant screaming because a higher-up added in a band two weeks before the show.

The Saja Boys have been in the public sphere, gaining enough fans to get them into the Idol Awards, for months or maybe even longer, behind Gwi-Ma's back.

I don't know which one I prefer. Probably the second.

[yubinsangel]

I've been seeing a lot of kdh content and polytrix stuff and it just got me thinking about how there's probably this unspoken rule that hunters can't fall in love with each other. they might even be prohibited from dating in general, but ESPECIALLY with each other. because 1) loving anyone but the fans might be seen as a distraction from their cause, 2) being gay is still taboo in South Korea, even moreso within the kpop industry, and 3) idols dating in general is still pretty taboo. both points 2 and 3 would definitely divide fans and potentially weaken the Honmoon or put it at risk, so even if it was never explicitly said to them I think the girls would know that it's forbidden.

all that being said, I feel like it would be so interesting to have a fic that gives a little bit of origin on the creation of HUNTR/X, like how Zoey and Mira joined the team. and I feel like the three of them 100% would not get along at first but gradually came to trust each other and eventually fell in love, but kept it secret. this would be an alternate timeline obvs where the girls knew about Rumi's marks and supported her regardless. I think it would be really important for both Celine and Bobby to find out because I think they'd have vastly different reactions and they're basically the girls' parental figures so I think the contrast would be interesting and necessary in their growth.

anyway, that's as far as I got in my thought process lol but I feel like I should write this at some point because I feel like I'm onto something here 👀

[raginggeeksworld]

13 and 2

Your husband is bullying me again. With bucky as husband and john getting bullied because why not. Also could u make reader call bucky, james or jamie. It is freaking cute.

Hope u have a nice day cutie

Sorry for the delay, I got caught up between switching summer jobs and moving and my laptop also died for a week, so um yeah, here ya go!

These are a few moments where John gets bullied/made fun of etc. Timeline is nonexistent, though the first scene is from TFATWS, while the rest is mainly set after *Thunderbolts

John Walker Hate Club

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x wife!reader

Domestic fluff, John Walker hate kinda

Word Count: 1.4k? (Idk lost count)

Notes: Got a bit too John centered at the end, but oh well :) Not liking this so much, but I hope the jokes weren't too cringe-y, enjoy!

The ride was silent. Y/N sat between Bucky and Sam on the back of the truck, not even trying to pretend she wasn't pissed off.

John Walker, the new Captain America, cocky piece of shit that he is, kept flirting -or rather tried to- with Y/N, much to her annoyment.

She should've felt at least a little flattered, but it was harder and harder to not be annoyed when the pick up lines slowly became more and more daring and... suggestive.

But that silence was short lived when John started talking, his partner chiming in here and there. Bucky and Y/N stayed silent of course, knowing if they spoke the conversation wouldn't be civil anymore. At least Sam was able to keep his cool, a skill they had yet to aquire.

"James?" Y/N asked so quietly only Bucky was able to hear her, thanks to the super-serum.

Bucky turned to her with a softer gaze and Y/N nodded towards his vibranium hand that was curling into a fist and loosening again and again.

"Is it acting up?" Bucky just nodded, squeezing his hand into a fist again.

"Just a little stiff. Phantom pain again," Bucky reassured her and she nodded.

Then John turned to Y/N, who just blinked back at him before turning her attention back to Bucky. "Seriously? You're not even gonna say anything?"

"With the way you talked our ears off an hour ago I would've thought you like to run your mouth," Lemar said with a light chuckle.

She didn't answer. And it could've been left at that, but then John opened his mouth.

"If you ask me, I know another way you could run your mouth, sweetheart," John winked back at her. Bucky's gaze turned into a murderous glare.

"Hm, I've got you speechless huh?" John smiled. Y/N locked eyes with him for a second before answering, her face unreadable.

"Every breath you take is a stunning endorsement for abortion." John's smile immediately fell.

"Woah, Y/N-" Sam started but Y/N wasn't done.

"Do you feel no shame for using the same amount of oxygen as an intelligent person?" Y/N asked with a deadpan look, staring back at him as if actually expecting an answer.

John sat there in silence while Sam quickly started up a conversation with Lemar. All of a sudden Bucky joined in too.

"And what was your name?" He asked Lemar and Y/N leaned back in her seat, satisfied, when John looked away from her, visibly awkward.

"Battlestar," Lemar answered with confidence. Y/N raised a brow at the name.

"Battlestar?" Bucky asked sarcastically, but Lemar just nodded proudly. There was silence for a few seconds before Bucky and Y/N yelled at the same time.

"Stop the car!"

---------------

The mission went surprisingly easy. There was no extreme weather, their mood was shockingly good, but that was probably due to the fact that the boys stayed back at the Watchtower.

Except John. That bummed the mood a little, but oh well.

The church they had to get inside seemed just as abandoned on the inside as on the outside, straight out of a horror movie. Although the still intact glass windows added a little beauty to it in the moonlight.

"Hey, Y/N!" Yelena called out, pointing to one of the figures on a cobweb covered painting. "He shall make a fine groom for thee!"

"Huh," Y/N looked around in thought, the mission now secondary to their teasing game.

"John! Thou'st mother is out for a stroll I see!" She said with a mocking posh accent, pointing to the image of a cow.

"Just shut up you two! We could've been done 10 minutes ago if you stopped being children," John said with a frustrated sigh, walking ahead of them.

"Oh heavens!" Y/N yelled in mock fear, making John turn around in alarm, hand on his gun. "Lay thine eyes on the field in which I grow my fucks! Thou shall see it is barren!" She pointed to the empty space at the altar.

"Ha-ha, very funny. I hope you enjoy being immature," John told them sternly, and Yelena mocked him silently.

"If I was immature I'd make dick jokes, but that's your specialty, and I'm not going to rob you of your only happiness in life," Y/N smiled back at him before joining Yelena at the back entrance.

------------------

>New message in THUNDERBOLTS<

Walker: for once i woke up early and already got done everything i planned for the day, wow, i feel immortal!

Y/N: 04-07-2030

Walker: what

Walker: Y/N what!

Bucky: 10 pm

Walker: what does this mean?!

Bob: what is happening?

Yelena: the newlyweds r planning to kill John

Bob: oh okay

John: DOING WHAT

--------------------

>New message in THUNDERBOLTS<

Walker: i think im bi

Yelena: Which one

Walker: which what

Yelena: bilingual, bisexual, bipolar?

Bucky: I know, a bitch

>Y/N liked the message<

>Ava liked the message<

>Yelena liked the message<

Walker: i sent that as a joke but now i feel offended

Bucky: Good, it means you still have a long recovery ahead

Y/N: And ur a bitch!

Walker: i liked the bucky who didnt know how to use a phone

Y/N: I like every version of my Jamie

Walker: Ew

Y/N: Just say you're jealous of our healthy marriage

Walker: i hate you all

Bucky: we hate you too

>Y/N, Yelena, Ava, Bob liked the message<

>John left the chat<

-----------------------

The common room was finally silent in what felt like an eternity. Alexei dozed off on the sofa, the TV now tuned on a reality show Yelena was showing Bob. Ava was probably in her room, as usual.

It was one of the rare moments where the place felt more like a home, rather than just a place where coworkers lived. That moment only applied to the common room. The kitchen was another case.

Bucky was in the kitchen, making dinner for himself and his wife, making up for the lost time in the past few weeks. It also didn't hurt that his sweetness usually resulted in him being brought to bed by his wife, not that he would ever complain about that.

But John was there.

In the kitchen. Sitting next to Y/N. Talking to her about another identity crisis. He just slided into the kitchen, right when she almost yanked Bucky down on herself.

John looked visibly troubled, a sight that was rare, but not uncommon. "And I've been trying. I realize I've made mistakes, but all of us here did. We've been a team for almost two years now, and you guys still bully me like a dickhead! I feel like nobody here likes me," he said leaning back in his chair.

"You intuition is top notch," Bucky spoke and Y/N had to take a sip of her drink to hide her smile.

"See? Your husband is bullying me again!" John turned to Y/N with an offended look.

"James haven't done anything wrong! Plus, you're a grown ass man, deal with it," Y/N rolled her eyes and instead focused on the muscles moving in her husband's back under his compression shirt. Or at least tried to, but John couldn't shut up.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about! I'm being targeted!" He complained.

"Exceptional observation skills! With an eye like that you could be the next american eagle," Y/N muttered into her drink and Bucky let out a quiet chuckle, disguising it with the clattering utensils.

"Remind me to never go to you with my problems ever again," John grumbled as he got up to leave the kitchen.

"We didn't ask you this time either," Bucky said, but John flipped him off as he exited the room.

And although all of them bullied John -Bucky worse than anyone else- the married couple was still the first people John could count on when his days got darker.

Not intentionally, but it was still Bucky who understood how much effort and hard work it took to put your past behind you, to accept the things you've done and still decide to change despite what the world told you.

It was still Y/N, caring and sarcastic Y/N, who made sure to make fun of him every chance she got, she was still the only person besides Bucky who could understand his pain, without trying to fix his problems for him.

Yes, John was jealous of their marriage, how easy it seemed, how healthy it was. But he also saw the hard days, the dark times where even he didn't want to tease their arguments, because he saw how much effort it took to maintain their marriage.

And maybe that was the turning point for him. That his wife didn't leave him because it was easy. She left because he made it easy for her, because he gave up the effort, because he let himself drown instead of asking for help, like Bucky and Y/N did with each other.

The bullying continued. Sometimes worse than ever before, mainly because Y/N decided to teach Bucky some new phrases and insults, which resulted in some very colorful yelling matches.

But despite the constant "hatred" shown towards John, being with this team of misfits still made him feel at home.

Especially Bucky and Y/N, who Bob and Yelena started to call 'Mom' and 'Dad' -as a joke of course.

[fivewantscoffee]

Alright. So, to preface this, I'm aroace.

I'm a demi/aroace Five truther. I also love aus where Five becomes a husband and a dad somewhere down the line.

Here's why:

I think it's sweet.

Five loves his family dearly. He cares a lot, and he's much softer than he lets on. All those years away from home (spent surviving, then killing for the Commission) couldn't change that. The core of what makes Five Five never changed.

I'm sure he'd have a hard time adjusting to a quiet, peaceful life - would have no idea how to just exist at first - but once he's had the time to heal, I think he'd thrive in it.

And alright, in S3, when Five says, "You know, Lila, I shouldn't even be here. I was... I was out. I was done, and yet here I am again, swept back into the chaos. Why can't I just escape this hellhole?" Lila replies with, "Because you love it. Face it, Five, apocalypse problems are the only things that get your heart pumping."

Girl!! You're projecting!! You're the one who both wants and is also terrified of that life, because what if YOU don't like it? What if you get bored with it? What if it doesn't work out with Diego and the baby? What if, what if, what if.

Also, I disagree. That's not excitement, it's a trauma response! Five's been through two apocalypses in just over two weeks, and this is coming off the back of Five being forced to work for the commission, which came right after 45 years spent in an apocalyptic wasteland.

He doesn't know normal, or peace, or quiet. Of course it would feel wrong to him at first! It's the only thing he knows, sitting still and simply existing isn't something he's ever had the luxury of doing. It's going to take far longer than a day without an apocalypse to worry about to get over a lifetime of apocalypse trauma.

But he wants to.

Five says it himself:

To which Lila says:

And you're right, you're right, he doesn't dispute it! He simply says, "Yeah, well, you're not exactly cut out for domestic bliss either", which sounds like acquiescence, but... hear me out, couldn't that be because deep down Five believes something about himself that isn't true?

Regardless of whether it's the truth or not, people still believe things about themselves that aren't right. I can think everyone I know secretly hates me, but that doesn't mean it's true.

Five knows he wants retirement. He also thinks he isn't cut out for a normal life: groceries, taxes... no world-ending calamity hanging over his head, no need to go back, or save his family. He doesn't know how to live, but how could he? He's been surviving for 45 years straight.

Again, he was retired for ONE DAY. That's nothing! You can't draw any conclusions based on that.

You know what you can give us some hints, though? Five's forty-five years spent in the future.

Delores was all he had in the apocalypse, and while yes, there's a big difference between what Five had with Delores and being in a relationship with an actual person, I don't think it detracts from the point I'm trying to make.

If I remember correctly, and please correct me if I'm wrong, Five never refers to Delores as his wife. There's still a reason why we all call her that anyway: Five speaks to her (and of her) as you would to/of a spouse.

When Five says, "we were together for over thirty years", when he tells Delores, "I missed you... obviously" or "I want you to know that I cherish every single minute I ever shared with you. All twenty-three and a half billiin of them. A lifetime", when his voice cracks when he says "This isn't easy for me, Delores", those aren't the words and actions of someone who hates the thought of being married, or of being in some sort of lifelong companionship not otherwise specified.

That said, I don't think it's something he's ever thought about. Not seriously. Definitely not at length. All that is very far from his mind in the current timeline, so of course it doesn't come up. It probably won't come up for a very long time.

After the dust settles and he gets, let's say, a decade and a half minimum to work through some of his issues, though... I think it could happen.

Like I said, I think Five is ace, but you can be aroace and married. To me, it's about the companionship: being devoted to someone and wanting to spend your life with them, just without the sex or romance.

Now on to the second thing, children.

This one is easy: the Commission Handbook said Five would've been a stay at home dad had Reginald never adopted him.

Deciding he wants to be a dad one day doesn't have to clash with Five being aroace. You can be aroace and want to have children, I know I do.

So we know this: this other, hypothetical version of Five has children. We can assume he ended up with three of them (based on the picture in the Commission Handbook) because he wanted them. That Five is not our Five, though, so the question remains: would our Five want children?

As he is? Hell no. Absolutely not.

But like I said, this is a hypothetical taking place years and years in the future. Presumably, Five's done a lot of healing by then, he's had the time to figure out what he wants to do with his life, whether or not having kids factors into it.

I think in certain cases, if the circumstances are right, he might decide to go for it.

So yeah. Here it is. I'm a demi/aroace Five truther, but I also love aus where he is a husband and a dad. I think they're neat and can make sense for his character if approached from a certain angle. That's my controversial opinion for the day

[dulledtalons]

That post you wrote yesterday (if I call correctly) was SO WELL WRITTEN AND THOUGHT OUT??? anyway I wanted to ask, what do you think Ted’s whole view on the situation is?

Like, I wanna know what his thoughts are as he’s turning the tables on Felix, switching their clothes, plotting to murder the guy. The amount of angst he probably has bottled up is absolutely insane

But then again I need to wonder if he ever feels guilty, he never really seems to but (like you said) if he’s always going to save him and he tells himself he loves his brother and he loves him what changed?

THANK YOU!! i’m really happy to see the love for that post, i wasn’t expecting it kekek

gosh i’ve been writing this response for like FIVE DAYS NOW? so here’s my attempt at unpacking ted’s character. he’s harder to judge, since the bulk of his appearance is in kindergarten 2. 

@choctalksalot cus you’ll probably want to read this too

it’s easier to see why he plots felix’s murder in cain’s not able… but his motivations were less clear to me in kindergarten 3, when ted presumably still hasn’t caught on to felix’s genuine contempt for him. to understand what leads him to his varying degrees of sabotage, we should lay out the foundations of ted’s motivations.

above all else, ted wants his father’s love. this doesn’t change in both games, not that we can see anyway. what does change is ted wanting felix’s love, and how he goes about trying to earn it.

both brothers want their father’s love and approval, but where felix is concerned with his father’s opinion and no one else, ted prioritises both his father and felix’s view of him (and everyone else’s views of him, but that’s not so relevant here). in hitman’s potty guard, he asks the player to not tell felix about his plan, afraid to draw his brother’s ire. at this point, he’s not really focused on upstaging felix — he just wants to prove himself so he can be loved by his family. the same goes for the default cain’s not able route, where he agrees to felix’s plan in hopes that helping him will show that he’s capable and thus worthy of love. 

this version of ted, still gullible and hopeful, could never find it in himself to sabotage his brother, because he loves felix, and doing so would erase all possibility of felix loving him back. this ted probably wouldn’t let felix bruise even his ego.

though when he finds out about felix’s real plan in cain’s not able, i think the realisation crashes down on him that felix never has, and never will return his love no matter what he does for him. with this knowledge, the gloves finally come off. he swiftly plots revenge, spurred on by the fury of betrayal and his long-simmering resentment towards felix boiling over at last. most crucially, he’s driven by the chance to win against felix. as he tells the player, “this time, i’ll beat him.” while he definitely wants felix to get what’s coming to him, retribution comes second to finally winning the brutal competition their father has forced them into. 

is ted ever guilty for betraying felix, even here? i imagine he feels remorse by nature, just doesn’t express it all the time. after killing felix, he’s likely wracked with guilt several hours or even days after the incident. however, in the immediate aftermath of that route, he’s not so much guilty as he is mournful. but the brother he grieves isn’t the one he just buried in the sandbox. he grieves the brother he thought loved him, however weirdly and cruelly, and would love him so long as ted remained useful and servile to him. that version of felix lived only in his head, and ted already buried him that morning.

ted’s motives in kindergarten 3 are a lot more nebulous than they were in cain’s not able. there’s an obvious catalyst for his actions in CNA, but in the canon timeline, ted seemingly never finds out about felix’s plan. ted leaves that school still convinced that felix will love him back if he’s kind enough, if he’s helpful enough. and yet the very next day, he swaps their clothes to offer felix a day in his shoes.

i believe the turning point for ted (unless revealed otherwise in kindergarten 4) is mr. huxley choosing to send the brothers to separate schools. that decision is all but confirmation of the gap between his views of the two. to him, ted lacks any potential worth cultivating in an elite school. in other words, ted is a lost cause. it’s here that ted probably realises that his mere obedience and passiveness isn’t enough for his family’s approval. this epiphany has been sinking in since kindergarten 2, with felix mentioning ted being more out of line than usual, and the huxleys’ dialogue in kindergarten 3 further supporting that ted has been stepping up his game for a while now. because he needs to, if he doesn’t want to be left in the dust. if he can’t earn his father’s love, then he needs to take it by force. his plan to do so is subtle, harmless, but effective. instead of risking his father’s wrath by brutally incapacitating felix, he opts to just take his brother’s place and cheat his way into being mr. huxley’s favoured son. 

with ted finally initiating his own schemes on felix, it makes you wonder how ted’s feelings towards him have changed, but it’s hard to say since most of what we hear about him in kindergarten 3 is incredibly biased against or towards him. again, we’re not sure what happened in the huxley household between tuesday and wednesday, and since ted’s plans are more quietly cunning by nature, the fact that ted wasn’t outright violent towards felix doesn’t exactly clarify how he feels about him now.

it’s possible that mr. huxley sending them to different schools is what breaks ted and leads him to have the realisation he had in CNA, albeit without the added rage of knowing felix plans to kill him. instead ted connects the dots on his own and realises his brother doesn’t love him, thus enabling ted to have less restraint in his treatment of felix. this route feels more likely to be canon since it’s a more straightforward explanation for ted’s actions.

buuut it’s still possible that ted loves felix to an extent. as we hear in CNA, ted has convinced himself that felix has a weird way of showing his love by being cruel and disparaging towards ted. this isn’t a result of ted being purely oblivious, as we see him recognising acts of unkindness like sticking gum in carla’s hair, cindy slapping him while playing house, and breaking monty’s wheelchair. he feels guilty for being mean towards others, and he’s hurt when others are mean to him. yet when felix hurls vitriol at him, ted wilfully sees it as his harsh expression of love. so if ted still holds this perspective, i think it’d be really fun if ted “acting more fiendishly” is actually his gradual attempt at reciprocating felix’s “love”. it’d make sense with ted trying to take initiative while clinging to the hope that felix loves him.

all in all, ted is shown to be a very deliberate person, from his calculating planning style down to the people he loves. ted genuinely loves, or tries to love, felix and their father. he makes exceptions for them and overly justifies their actions, again and again and again, until the truth is kind enough to smack him in the face. even if he doesn’t understand their motives, he has faith in them to be reasonable and aligns himself with them as much as possible. he faults his own naïvete for why he never realised felix’s hatred for him, but i think he had chosen to forgive and love felix so often that it became second-nature. to love his family, ted chooses to trust them, making felix’s exploitation of this trust the highest transgression.

ted epitomises the concept of love as a verb — not a mere feeling that you’re beholden to, but an action that you choose.

[scary-grace]

Woah! Endgame just got Isekaid into a timeline where Tomura Shigaraki is very much still alive and leader of the villains! What's his reaction?

This ask set my brain on fire, and a fic came out of it. This is set between part ii and part iii of ‘the one’ and covers some of your ask. (Please feel free to send another if it’s unsatisfactory!)

Endgame can’t figure out why everyone’s staring at him. Or why they look so scared. It’s not the only weird thing that’s happening — he’s in the United States, not in Japan — but he’s been to America before, and nobody stared at him like that then. He glances down at himself to see if he somehow left wherever he’s been staying naked, but he looks normal. He’s in his normal hero costume, which is subtle but still easily identifiable as a hero costume. The only difference between this one and his other one is the fact that he’s got a hood up and his face is mostly covered, and he’s not the only hero who wears a mask. He doesn’t get why everyone’s looking at him like that.

He doesn’t know where he’s going, either, but somehow he knows how to get there — and he knows it’s important. And he knows something bad is happening. The civilians he passes are nervous, some of them glued to their phones, some of them looking up at the sky. What’s happened? What’s going on?

Someone’s listening to a YouTube video out loud as Endgame waits for the elevator in a nondescript building, and he listens idly in. “The strike, consisting of three tactical nuclear bombs at strategic locations, has been confirmed to be a failure. The League of Villains took to the airwaves to celebrate their victory just fifteen minutes ago. We have been forbidden from broadcasting the entirety of the statement —”

The elevator doors open, and Endgame steps forward, but the people inside press the close-doors button and it slides shut in his face. Endgame feels a familiar flicker of temper, a faint twinge of rejection and hurt, but he’s learned to live with both. He’ll take the stairs. Even if he doesn’t know where he’s going, his body does.

The floor he’s supposed to go to is sealed and guarded, but the guards look him over without flinching and let him through. So it’s the civilians’ problem, not Endgame’s. He wishes they weren’t into making their problems his problem. He’s already dreading going back out onto the street after this is over. Whatever this is.

The sealed floor is active, full of cops and soldiers and heroes. Endgame recognizes a lot of the heroes. Uravity, Ryukyu, Red Riot, Star and Stripe, Mt. Lady, Edgeshot, plus a bunch of heroes from other countries who he’s never met. They’re easy to spot, though. They’ve all got patches on the arm of their costumes with their national flag on them. Endgame checks his own sleeve and finds Japan’s flag staring up at him.

“It didn’t work,” he hears Mt. Lady saying, baffled. “How could it not have worked?”

“You didn’t fight him. I did. It was never going to work.” Star and Stripe’s Japanese is heavily accented, but she gets straight to the point. Endgame remembers that from the first time he met her. “If any of those missiles had hit their targets, it would have gotten thousands of innocent people killed.”

“There aren’t innocent people over there any longer,” Lemillion says. Endgame didn’t see him until now. If Lemillion’s here, Kao probably is, too. “China and Russia have folded. They’re offering an alliance to the League of Villains.”

“To Japan,” Ryukyu corrects softly.

“That’s not Japan. This is Japan.” Red Riot gestures around the room with a clenched fist. “We have to take it back. Isn’t that what we’re all doing here?”

What happened? Endgame must have missed something big. He quits eavesdropping and goes looking for Kaoruko. He’ll feel less stupid asking her than anybody else.

He finds her talking to Centipeder, her voice anxious and breathy like it gets when she’s truly spooked. “What if he comes here? He knows this is where the missiles came from.”

“Multiple countries have targeted him. He’s never retaliated before. Why would he do so now?”

Endgame’s pretty sure any world leader would retaliate to being nuked, but he can’t figure out why America thought nukes were a good idea, again. None of this makes sense in the way Endgame wants it to. Someone took over Japan and exiled dozens of heroes. Whoever it is, everyone’s terrified of them. They’re scary enough that Russia and China want to be their ally instead of trying to fight them. There’s only one person Endgame can think of who has that kind of power.

But Sensei’s dead. Endgame knows Sensei’s dead. He sat next to Sensei’s body for hours, waiting for him to move again, but Sensei stayed still and went cold. It can’t be Sensei. If it isn’t Sensei —

“May I have your attention!” That voice is familiar, too. It’s the president of the HPSC, and they’re standing there alongside some American government official. “As you’ve undoubtedly heard, the League of Villains repelled the tactical strike. Additionally, they’ve signaled that they are receptive to the alliance offered by China and Russia. The terms of this alliance are not favorable. In exchange for avoiding total destruction, the alliance cedes control of both countries’ nuclear arsenals to Occupied Japan, giving its leader the power to inflict untold damage without ever leaving his own borders. This is not something we can allow.”

The American speaks up. “Preventing the destruction of the free nations of the world, as well as reclaiming Japan for its own people, requires an all-out military response. The nations whose heroes are present here have already committed troops to the cause.”

Fucking hell. It has to be Sensei. If it’s Sensei, and Sensei’s strong enough to repel nuclear bombs, they’ve got no chance against him. The HPSC president is talking again, and Endgame forces himself to listen. “The message broadcast by the League of Villains was restricted from public view, but I have it here for you. In case you needed a reminder of why this monster needs to be destroyed.”

Right. A monster. Sensei is a monster, and he can be destroyed — All Might came close, and someone else, maybe Endgame, can finish the job. Endgame breathes deep for a second, relaxes his shoulders for a second, thinks it might be okay for a second longer than that. Then the broadcast begins, and Endgame’s world warps beyond recognition.

It’s him. The person dead center of the screen is Endgame — the same face he sees in the mirror every morning when he wakes up, the same hair that always gets tangled, the same scarred face and red eyes. Except Endgame’s only see that look on his face in his nightmares. The man staring out at him from the screen is grinning like a maniac, his eyes lit up from within. “This is Shigaraki Tomura, coming to you live from what was supposed to be Ground Zero,” he says, “and I want to know how many times I’m going to have to teach you all this lesson.”

The camera zooms out slightly, enough to reveal the wreckage Endgame — Tomura — is standing in. Tomura has something in his hand, something he’s tossing up and catching like a baseball. “I really should come over there and jam this thing back down your throat. Or better yet, Decay your whole fucking continent out from under your feet. That’s what you expect, right? That’s what a monster should do.”

It’s Endgame but it’s not. It’s who he should have been. Who he would have been if All Might hadn’t taken him away from Sensei. This is what Tenko would have grown up to be — Shigaraki Tomura, whose smile screams crazy, whose hatred is oozing out from behind his eyes. What did he even do to destroy Japan like this, so much that the heroes are in exile and countries that are twenty times Japan’s size are bowing down? Does Tenko even want to know?

“But I’m not going to do that,” Tomura continues on-screen. “I’m not playing your game. We’re playing my game now, and it’s still your move. Send more missiles if you want. Weapons-grade plutonium is a cool collector’s item. But if you want my advice? You should come and see.”

Tenko can’t watch anymore. He looks away, around the room, seeking anywhere else, and as his eyes drift over the assembled heroes, he see someone who shouldn’t be here at all. Eri hates heroes. She puts up with Endgame, but that’s it, and Tenko can’t imagine a world where she’d become a hero willingly. So why is she in costume, staring up at the screen with hatred in her eyes? What is she doing here?”

“Come and see,” Tomura repeats onscreen, and Tenko looks back. “See what you’re actually trying to destroy. Believe it or not, you don’t matter to me. What matters to me is here. So when you come and see, you’d better keep your distance. Because if you set one foot on this island, I’ll wipe you off the face of the earth.”

The broadcast should end there. Tomura’s silent, and so is the room. Tenko can’t figure out why no one’s turned it off, until Tomura takes a step back onscreen and points directly into the camera. At Tenko, and everyone turns to look at him. Someone pulls Tenko’s hood down, revealing his hair. Someone else catches his mask and yanks it down to bare his face, and as Tenko watches in numb horror, the expressions of his fellow heroes turn cold and frightened and furious. Eri is looking at Endgame like she hates him, and Kaoruko is glaring, too, her hands balled up into fists at her sides. There’s nothing familiar in her face. It’s like Tenko doesn’t know her at all.

“It’s me,” he says, his voice shaking, and the heroes lunge towards him as one.

Tenko lurches awake, struggling to breathe. For a moment he can’t even move. He can still feel the weight of his friends’ bodies crushing him to death, still feel their hands clawing at him and their teeth sinking into his skin. They were monsters, just like he was a monster — but it wasn’t him. He didn’t do whatever awful things had happened. It was Tomura. Shigaraki Tomura is the monster. Not Endgame, not Tenko. Tomura. Tenko clings to that thought until the weight on his chest eases enough for him to sit up.

It’s three am, according to the clock on his nightstand. Tenko feels like he’s run a marathon or something. But if he’d been running, he’d be too hot, not shivering with cold sweat dripping down his spine. He’s sweated through his clothes, soaking his side of the bed, and as Kao rolls over beside him, one of her hands touches Tenko’s.

Tenko knows he shouldn’t wake her up. Knows it’s the wrong thing to do. But he remembers the hatred in her face when she looked at him in the dream. He just needs to see. To know it wasn’t real. “Kao, uh —“

“You’re all sweaty,” she mumbles. “Gross.”

“Sorry,” Tenko says. “Kao, do you mind —“

What is Tenko even asking for? For her to wake up in the middle of the night and talk him down? For her to hold him and tell him it’s okay, like he’s a dumb kid again? Tenko knows better than all of that, and still, he asks. “Kao, can you just —“

She feels her way up his arm, recoiling when she reaches his shoulder. “Couch,” she says at once, and Tenko’s heart sinks. “Go.”

Tenko’s been spending a lot of nights on the living room couch lately. He takes his phone and a blanket with him and sprawls out, trying not to shiver. He scrolls on his phone for a while, trying to distract himself, but he can tell it isn’t working. He can’t stop thinking about the dream. He needs someone to talk to.

Tenko switches to his messaging app, scrolling past conversation after conversation that he’s already read. All Might checking in with him. Kao asking if he could grab milk on his way home and if he wanted to have sex tonight. Some reporter who’s been hassling him about the rescue last week, the missing kids who get to go home because of him. Tenko doesn’t know how many more times he needs to say it. It’s not because of him. It’s because of you.

You and Eri. Tomura can practically hear you insisting that the idea came from her, that she deserves the credit. The image of Eri in his dream, dressed in a hero’s costume, swims back into focus, and Tenko pushes it away with all his strength. He taps on the next message in the lineup and finds himself looking at his conversation with you. The last thing in it is him telling you to sleep well. You didn’t text back.

That’s nothing new. Every time Tenko tries to get closer to you, to figure you out, you pull back. It’s not the same as Kao shutting down on him. You keep him at a distance as a rule, and he doesn’t understand why he cares so much. He couldn’t talk to you about this, either. So why is he thinking about you? What would he even say?

Before he can think better of it, Tenko finds himself typing it out. Can I call you? I need someone to talk to. No, that’s not right. It’s not someone. If it was someone he could call All Might, who never sleeps anyway. It’s not someone. Tenko deletes it, then types what he really means: I need to talk to you. Can I call you?

He can’t send that. It’s three am. Tenko’s an adult. He can cope like an adult without dragging his friend into it. Tenko sets his phone down, pulls the blanket tighter around himself, and tenses up to stop the shivering. It’s a long time before he falls asleep.

When he does, Tomura’s waiting for him.

[mona-risms]

HEAR ME OUTTTTTT. We know Rumi spent a ton of alone time before the movie timeline, but what if she had a go to cam girl she would drop huge amounts on during that time, and then afterwards flew you out to top her after talking for so long?

Wait shut up wait shut up oh my god your BRAIN wait I have so many thoughts about a camgirl!Reader I'm gonna yap so hard rn

Rumi being left to her own devices in solitude for most of her time, not really being able to join in with other people (whether it be due to her patterns or just bc of her training) gets anyone to end up surfing through the internet for too long. And deeper than they should too, which would most likely lead to her discovery with porn......and you 🫡 a camgirl in some random streaming site she ended up perusing after sheer curiosity took over

She's most likely sexually frustrated, especially considering it's not like she can just go out and hook up or smth, even if she wasn't an idol—her patterns made sure of that—but what she realises is that with camshows, she doesn't even need to worry about showing herself. And there was something that had her drawn to you compared to the other streamers

It wasn't just bc you were pretty to her, though it did help, but it's the fact that you're so nice too, making eeveryone comfortable in chat and even talking like this was just something normal instead of. Yk. A sex stream lmfao. Like, the moment she got on mid-stream, you notice her, someone new, and greet her :(. It was the way you commanded attention, not in the way that she did onstage but in the way that had everyone in chat mesmerised and her body following your every "I want you to...", every "imagine...", every demand and illusion you talked everyone through and set out—she knew you were talking to the audience, but it felt like you were speaking to her

So she donates AUDACIOUS amounts whenever you stream, zeroes that have everyone going "????WHAT" in chat and you with wide eyes. Considering how she's loaded as hell, she knew it wasn't necesarily pocket change but at the same time compared to the money she acc had, it's barely a dent in the digits. But she does it constantly, and I think if given the option, after gathering her nerve, she pays for private shows too. Not just to get off bc holy Fuck she needed it, but also just to genuinely talk to someone without feeling like she has to hide. Repeatedly doing this ends up with the two of you getting to know each other better to the point where you might even consider e/o as friends (though Rumi can't help but wonder if it's fr or she's clowning). Eventually (aka probably post-movie bc this is the only time I can see her being comfortable of being physically intimate and seen) she lets the question slip about whether you wanna visit South Korea—her footing the costs obviously. She IMMEDIATELY backtracks like oh god oh fuck you don't need to that was COMPLETELY inappropriate ohgodohgodshe's gonna get Banned-- wait you said yes? Wh

Cue her waiting to pick you up at the airport, with Rumi being in disguise. Cue the both of you actually meeting each other, with you being extremely puzzled ab why she's completely covered up.......until you see EXACTLY who's behind the account that pays you the most, that you've somehow grown attached to. You got paid. And flied over. By a CELEBRITY. KPOP ROYALTY. But Rumi doesn't want to be treated like that, she wants to be treated exactly how the two of you interacted w e/o online—as friends.....as camgirl and donating viewer........maybe even as something more.............

She wants the feeling that only you could ever give her, even when it was just through a screen. And right now? With you right above her, touching her puffy, pink, glistening clit as your fingers curled in and out of her needy cunt as you gave her praises and talked her through every single movement you made? That feeling was INTENSIFIED. And My God, with the collection of toys she bought the day after you said yes to her (ranging from vibrators to straps that you've probably talked about/used in streams before) she's showing she really really needs more of you ☹️☹️☹️ babyyyyy

[princessofghosts-posts]

Hey, since you’re an Italian PJO Nico Di Angelo fan, you’ve probably read ‘Un Natale Mezzosangue’, right? What’s your opinion on it?

My mind totally cancelled it because of how strange it was. I had to blink twice and ask myself why the title was in italian before remembering and going "Ah. That-",that's how bad it was for me.

So,first off first,I wasn't aware when he wrote it and since I don't buy books outside of the main timeline I had to read it in english online (I couldn't find the original version so I went for the translation). But it's wild that it got published in one of our most famous newspapers,sometimes I still ask myself how it was even possible. It also surprised me that Riordan was able to write a whole short story in italian,since it's a very difficult language to understand. We have a lot of verbs and phraseologies that even native speakers struggle with,and I know he is fluent in it and it wasn't that long but it's still impressive.

Anyway,I don't really understand the timeline with this one. It was published in 2020,a couple of days before Christmas (because it's a Christmas special of course),but I also remember that in the same year,a couple of months before,he completed TOA,so it must have been after the serie ended. If it's canon,of course. But the timeline is screwed anyway because the whole short story was set during COVID-19,while from TLT we can assume the whole story was set during the early years of 2000. Nothing new anyway,since we never specified a timeline and Riordan mixed everything up like always. Guess this happens when you don't establish a real timeline.

The plot? Uncalled for. I'm sorry but going to Florence just to find a gift for Annabeth,while also having Nico helping you? Naaah. I think it was a bit overkill,but maybe it's just me. Percy is the type of guy that wants the best for his girlfriend,and he did say that he thought they were going somewhere else,but going all out (and in other continents too apparently) for a gift that you can find in the US in whatever place you want? Idk. Again,maybe it's just me. Besides,Nico here literally hijacked the original plan.

The most important thing of the whole short story is the information it gave us about their biology: demigds cannot get sick from COVID-19 but they can still spread it. Which is interesting because it was a virus,so this means that demigods are immune to illnesses (as in,even if they are infected they don't feel it and are completely fine) but can still carry them around and pass them to mortals.

What I didn't like is that Percy was fine with shadow traveling before,but now he doesn't like it?? In TLO,in the chapter "My cookies get scorched" he described the experience as the following:

"I don't recommend shadow travel if you're scared of:

a) The dark

b) Cold shivers up your spine

c) Strange noises

d) Going so fast you feel like your face is peeling off

In other words,I thought it was awesome".

But in this short story it's:"he had never liked shadow-travelling". I'm sorry but what was I even reading at this point? Percy was one of the few people that didn't find shadow-travelling creepy at the start,and actually enjoyed it,only to have that trait completely removed??? This is just another reason for Riordan to reread his books or have someone do it for him and point him to any mistakes.

A good thing is that it got hinted that Nico actually spent a bit of time in Florence (even if it's off-screen),otherwise he wouldn't have known where to take Percy,and I'm happy about it. One of my major complaints about HoO is how we never got to see his nationality explored more,especially with the trip to Venice and how Europe (and Italy) got treated as this extremely hardcore survival land. I'm glad to see that he is still in touch with his heritage and is visiting Italy.

Another nonsense in this short story is Charu. I swear I had to reread that part multiple times,and I had to find another translation to make sure I was actually reading it right and there wasn't a mistake,and in fact it was real. Listen,I love how many pantheons Riordan tries to involve in his universe,but the etruscan gods too??? Isn't it a bit too much,especially because there are so many gods already and other than the Greek Pantheon (and a bit of the roman),every other Pantheon is kinda forgotten?? Why add another one??

It makes a bit sense historical speaking,because the Etruscans lived in Tuscany. The region was called "Etruria" at the start,but then it got changed to "Tuscia" because the Romans called the Etruscans "Tusci" and in the end it became "Tuscany" thanks to the roman's influence (the name derives from Latin btw). The thing is,the change started happening in the III century B.C. Italy was (and still is) extremely influenced by both Greece and the Roman Empire,so it's impossible for an Etruscan god to still be around,especially if there aren't any worshipers or believers. Well,I guess that Nico count as one now,but all the centuries before? Especially during the Roman Empire? How did bro survive to tell the story??

Only thing I liked is that he is connected to the Underworld and he and Nico already knew each other because of that connection. If Riordan wants to have a proper crossover,we know what character he needs to use (he will still continue to use Percy even if Nico is right there and can make it possible without any problems. Can you imagine Nico and Anubis in the same room? Because I can). Also,Dante? Really? That one was funny but if we take into consideration the historical era,and the fact that he wrote the Divine Comedy based on Christianity and Catholic theology,then it doesn't make any sense.

Also,why would an ancient god ask about Christmas?? And Percy's answer?? Not that it wasn't bad but I felt like the whole conversation was kinda...idk,useless? Usually when gods ask him some questions there is always something going on,but here is just that.

"Why would I celebrate Christmas?"

"Idk,it's for everyone and we need to be vigilant and optimistic"

"Good answer".

That's basically it. But I think it was more about what was happening with COVID-19 a time,especially with the pandemic and the increasing deaths. Gotta give people hopes in some ways.

Anyway,the gift itself is just a golden bracelet with a lot of keys that Percy could have found in whatever jewelry store he visited. But since it was made by a god,Charu hinted that the keys can open and solve a lot of problems,so I'm guessing they are going to help Annbeth in the future (if it's canon).

I like how they wished each other a merry christmas (given the last one they had together–) but I also don't like the very end,because what do you mean Nico called Percy "Seaweed brain"? I had to double check that part multiple times (again) because,what the hell? I'm sorry,even if now they are a bit closer than before,Nico would never. I refuse to believe that he even said that.

It felt like Riordan tried to write their dynamic forgetting about all the things that happened before. Last time they properly saw each other was when Nico told him he had a crush on him,and Percy was extremely confused (idk if they meet again at the end of TOA since in THO Nico was K.O. and Percy was trying to save the day),so they should be at least a bit awkward with each other. Especially with how intense things between them normally are,even without the factor crush involved. But nope. W the character and dynamic developments for those two,apparently they can still be close friends even after Percy realized he was shitty to Nico in HoH and without having Nico feeling awkward about his crush reveal (not to talk about all the other things-).

Anyway,the whole thing was a fever dream that I often forget happened (thanks to my brain for that) and that I also don't like aside for a few things. This short story is just another example of the inconsistency in Riordan's writing and the necessity he has to go and reread his books. At this point bro will write everything without even checking if it's true or not. If Nico one day ends up telling how much he liked Albania I won't be surprised. The whole thing was honestly unnecessary,especially with the inclusion of another pantheon (fortunately is only just a god and is connected to the Underworld) but maybe I'm more defensive because it's my culture.

[h0wdidig3there]

because Beatrix doesn’t really have any wrinkles and looks fairly young even in present day. I kind of think she’s actually a pretty young ruler, especially since she took over when she was that young also I feel like she would’ve been younger back then because she wasn’t her full height so at that point I like to imagine she was like maybe 14 to 15 and Ras was 16 to 17 since he was his full height, then a few years passed and she reaches her adult height and merge happens and a bunch of other shit happens the creators of Ninjago are not great at giving us a good timeline of things and I’m pretty sure you could make an argument that Lloyd is over 100 years old at the current point of the series and no one would really be able to argue with you because of how ninjago is told especially since I’m pretty sure the creators mentioned at some point that years are not the same in Ninjago as they are here so even if they say oh it’s been a year that could be 10 years for us and we would not know also before you mention the beard that thing has not grown whatsoever since he first appeared, and if we’re going with the assumption that he was 16 to 17 he probably already would’ve grown his full length of fur and would just be waiting for the muscle and a bit of height to build on so that later he could have his signature completely pink set of abs and his braided beard that I still think looks very silly on him no matter what I’m sorry I just don’t think tigers look good with braided beards. It looks so weird and out of place to me I would not be upset if at some point in the series either gets it ripped off or cut off they just means it’s easier to draw and not make it look stoopid

Anyway, do you like my mind? Is it fun in here learning about my perception on how the series moves and how time works? because I spend hours of my days just thinking about this shit because I am mostly unemployed so most of my days are spent just thinking and making head cannons 

Yes, I am mentally deranged. Why do you ask? 

I feel the need to mention that because of either an animation, error or the animators getting lazy I have more reason to believe that Ras is in his 20s

because Tiger patterns don’t change as they age they just spread apart as they gain more muscle and size and sometimes they look thicker or thinner after that or more spread apart and since ras now has not only very different markings, but also has a considerable amount more of muscle I am inclined to believe that when we first saw him, he was still growing, and that now he has finally reached his full potential of being the only full grown adult of his species left

Female tiger is reach full maturity at 3 to 4 years old and males between 3 and 5

Now at the very start of the merge, I imagine it happening when Lloyd is between 16 and 19 and if ras is that old he’s probably around 2 1/2 to 3 years old for tigers

And now currently, I imagine Lloyd as being around 26 and if we again make ras the same age suddenly was it probably a year older for tigers, which would explain not only his stripes being different, especially where most of the muscle spread out, but also him being more muscly in the first place I don’t care if this wasn’t the writer’s or the animator’s intentions, I will take it as another reason for Ras acting like more of a manchild than Lloyd at times  

TLDR: the animators probably made a mistake or got lazy, and I decided based on my knowledge of tigers that this meant, I had another reason to assume Ras is the same age as Lloyd if not younger giving me the ability to have Ras look in the mirror after being called an boomer by someone who might be older than him and become self-conscious 

@nyaskitten here have something that’s mostly just good fun instead of the angst I’ve been hand feeding you since we became mutuals. 

[princess-ibri]

Darkside Disney Princesses: Belle

(Edit-put my original picture for her under the cut)

(So this one does rely somewhat on the backstories made up for my DisneyVerse versions of the parents of both Belle and the Beast. But I think it still has good precedent because of the whole Belle and Rumplestiltskin thing that happens in OUAT)

In the Darkside version of Belle's tale, Felipe never makes it back to the village to let Belle know something has happened to Maurice, either he gets lost in the woods, or the wolves find him again. And so Belle waits patiently for him to return. Waits, and waits, and waits…

Finally a month has passed, and Belle is desperate to find out what's happened to her father. With no way to know where along his journey he went missing though, she has no way to know where to start looking. And the town isn’t too worried about chasing after “Crazy Old Maurice”, gone into the blue.

Her own circumstances are getting dire as well, without Maurice there to bring in their little income from helping repair the villages various items, her resources are running low. She's taken in sewing or whatever small work people might give her, but its a small town after all, and the people are used to doing their own labor, and couldn't pay her much besides.

The kinder townsfolk give her what they can, but with winter coming on they've got to look out for themselves and their own families

Of course, there's always Gaston's ready offer of marriage, but Belle isn't that desperate. Yet.

Her refusals don't stop him from coming over and offering nearly every day, and they certainly spur him into making sure the town gets the idea that Belle is "too proud to accept charity, don't bother giving her any supplies"

So the winter closes in, Belle finds herself colder and hungrier, and her firewood is getting low. Finally, she bundles up as warmly as she can, and braves her way into the forest to gather what wood she can.

And in the glamor of the sudden snow, she too becomes lost within the trees.

The cold closes in around her. Deep and biting. The trees seem to twist around her, and finally she trips and falls, losing her axe beneath the snow that's piling higher and higher. She has no idea where she is or where to go, as the darkness deepens

Then suddenly, a light. Just ahead of her in the trees, flickering like a flame. She manages to stumble towards it. Following the dance of the light as it seems to lead her onwards, almost beckoning. Every bit of her is numb, but at last she makes it to the door of a ruined looking old tower. And inside, lounging by a roaring fire, is someone, something, between a man and a beast. It bears the shape of a man, but it's skin is mottled green, like the stuffed crocodile she'd once seen hanging in a church as a girl. It's eyes are black as coal, save for the irises, which shine-- like it's hair--like burning gold.

"Hello there Dearie", the being says, with a smile that glitters like a row of needles in the firelight. "Won't you come in? What is it that brings such a pretty young thing out into these dark and dangerous woods?"

Too numb with cold to feel fear, too desperate for warmth to think with caution, Belle accepts the offer, and lulled by the warmth of the fire and the being's careful coaxing, she begins to tell her tale. Her missing father, her growing desperation as Gaston drove away those who might have helped her, the dwindling food and firewood. And through it all the being listens, sympathizes, and finally, offers it's aid:

"For a price of course"

Belle is not put off by this caveat. She has read enough to know of Les Fées and the bargains they often make. She knows of the tricks and traps they lay. She also knows that at this point, she has little left to lose.

And so she agrees to make a bargain with this strange Imp

“You don’t know it, but there’s a power in you dearie. Flowing in your veins, deep down, like an underground spring. I can teach you to draw it up, so that you’ll never know weakness nor want again. You’ll be able to do all the things you ever dreamed of dearie, fulfill every wish—even finding your father”

The promise of this wished for dream above all lights a fire inside of Belle hotter than the one she sits by, but she asks warily: “And, what is it you get out of this?”

“Let’s just say that I’ll have the opportunity to pay something forward”

So Belle begins her lessons, she has always been a swift student. Drawing out the latent fairy magic that lies sleeping within her, waiting to be called forth. In another life she might have discovered it with the help of a more benign teacher. But that is not this life. And she learns to call forth her power through the lens of her fear, frustration, and anger over the willingness of that small and small minded town to so easily cast her and her father aside.

Time passes differently within the environs of the old stone tower. When Belle finally leaves, for her months have gone by, and yet as she reaches the edge of the forest, clad in a gown of midnight blue, her eyes dark as the winter sky above her, she perceives that less than a day has passed since she entered the woods, seeking wood to keep back the cold.

She has no need of warmth anymore.

She reaches out with the power she has learned to yield, seeking the bonds of blood and love that link her to her father. She sees them, feels them, faintly running through the forest. She follows them through the trees, unafraid of the wolves that once would have stalked her, and now slink away in fear at her approach.

She follows them to the gates of a vast and terrible castle, echoing with dying magic, a curse reaching completion she thinks, with the new arcane knowledge she holds. But she does not think on that, but on following the call. Through the door, along empty passages,up the winding stairs, to a jail cell atop a tower. Where lies the frozen body of her father, long gone.

Belle’s grief consumes her, feeding the cold flames of her power. She stalks through the halls, seeking the one who locked her father away, who left him to his fate.

She finds him at last, a snarling beast, crouched around a bell jar that holds a rose, with but one petal left upon it. Magic swirls about it, the center of the web that binds this place. Once Belle might have been curious, wished to learn the secrets of this place, and it’s strange enchanted inhabitants.

Now, she wishes only for revenge

The beast is strong and fierce, savage, the last vestiges of human thought quickly fading away as the curse nears completion, for he has never learned to love, nor earn love in return. But for all his brute strength, he is still only a mortal, and once more finds himself overpowered by a sorceress’s magic

When Belle leaves the castle, crumbling into smoking ruins behind her, she holds in her hands a staff, grown from the dying stem of a rose; once the blushing pink of hopeful love, hope that withered as its petals fell, now burst forth into bloom, the deep dark blue of a winters sky, of a heart gone dark and cold.

She walks steadfastly, resolutely towards the small town she had once called home. There are more scores to settle. Somewhere on the wind, she thinks she hears the echo of the Imp’s laughter…

[egophiliac]

A-anime?

you know, sometimes I forget that Twst is actually an isekai that starts with the protagonist getting run over by an inexplicable horse-drawn carriage. and every time I'm reminded is a delight because that's AMAZING.

also. look. okay. there's a lot of very fun stuff in the trailer but I am obsessed with that Crowley surprised pikachu face. me when I spend all my keys and gems literally hours before they announce overblot SSRs and drop the anime trailer:

[makiswirl]

in reference to my last reblog. what do you call this subgenre of 70s-80s manga protag

[fisheito]

When all your housepets are biters

[asgardian--angels]

mage viktor discourse again on twitter and all i can say in my little corner over here once again is, I don't know why the entire fandom takes it as canon that mage Viktor failed to save every world he manipulated.

Canon does not provide evidence of this. This is fanon speculation. It's a fine headcanon to have, but everyone talks about it like it's canon when it isn't. Canon is ambiguous about the outcome of the timelines mage Viktor altered. The little nods we are given point, in my opinion, towards the opposite conclusion, that he successfully averted destruction.

I've written meta on this before but in summary:

1) 'In all timelines, in all possibilities' is worded precisely, it's not 'out of all timelines'; the implication is that every time, Jayce brings Viktor back from the brink, not just in our timeline. 'Only you' doesn't refer to our timeline's Jayce, it refers to all Jayces. Jayce always brings him home. If Viktor continuously put the fate of each timeline in Jayce's hands and Jayce failed over and over, I don't think he'd say those words. And the way he says them matters. His words are tinged with wonder, not sorrow. As if over and over again, he is shown that Jayce saves him, and it continues to amaze him. He doesn't sound defeated, like this is the next in a long line of Jayces he's sending off to die. The feeling is that Viktor's faith in Jayce has not been misplaced.

2) If mage Viktor doomed every timeline, there would be hundreds (or more) mage Viktors. All running around manipulating timelines. I highly doubt the writers wanted to get into that kind of sticky situation. The tragedy of mage Viktor is that he is singular. Alone. Burdened with the responsibility of the multiverse. The emotional gut punch of his fate is ruined if other timelines led to the same outcome, and from a practical standpoint, having multiple reality-bending omniscient mages would rip apart the fabric of the arcane.

There are other points, such as there being only one corrupted Mercury Hammer and our Jayce is the only one to receive it, and the fact that if mage Viktor is as omniscient as he is implied to be, he could easily step back into other timelines and correct course, because it's highly unlikely he could sit still and watch things go down in flames. But these things can be argued elsewhere.

While I love conversations about mage Viktor's motives and selfishness vs altruism, the writers & artbook have expressed that Jayce and Viktor care greatly about Runeterra and want to fix their mistakes to save it, and that their reconciliation is symbolic of Piltover and Zaun coming together as well. Yes, they make disastrous decisions towards each other, making choices for the other or without the other, which has negative consequences for their relationship and for Runeterra - but I think fandom pushes their selfishness even past what's canon sometimes, as if their entire goal hadn't always been to selflessly help the world around them. Their final reconciliation is about bridging the gap that grew between them - the pain and grief and secrets, betraying themselves and each other - to mutually choose each other openly and honestly. Part of the beauty of their story, as expressed by the creators, is that in their final moments, they chose each other and took responsibility for their actions by sacrificing themselves to end what they started, together - and that choosing each other saved the world. TPTB have stated this - that Jayce and Viktor are the glue holding civilization together, and when they come back to each other, they can restore balance. It's when they're apart, when they hurt each other and miscommunicate, when they abandon their commitment to each other and their dream, that the greater world suffers. Their strife is mirrored in the story-world at large.

Mage Viktor is framed as a solitary penitent figure, damned to an eternity of atoning for his mistakes. He paid the ultimate price and now is forced to live his personal nightmare of exactly what he was trying to avoid for himself with the glorious evolution. The narrative clues we're given point more in the direction that he saves timelines rather than dooms them. If Viktor's actions kept killing Jayce, the very boy he couldn't bear to not save each time, it would undermine these narrative choices. Yes, Viktor couldn't stand to live in a world where he never meets Jayce, so he ensures it keeps happening. But in that same breath, he couldn't bear to see a world where his actions continue to destroy Jayce and destroy Runeterra. His entire arc in s2 is born of his selfless desire to help humanity, help individual people. He would not lightly destroy entire worlds. That's his original grief multiplied a thousandfold, and narratively it would lessen the impact of the one, true loss he did suffer, his own Jayce. It wouldn't make sense for him to be alright with damning other timelines to suffer the same catastrophic tragedy that created him. I mean, maybe I'm delusional here, but is that not the entire point? Because that's what I took away when I watched the show.

As I said, I love discussions about mage Viktor, as there's a lot to play with. All I wish is that the fandom at large would not just assume or accept the Mage Viktor Dooms Every Timeline idea as canon, when there is nothing in the actual canon that confirms this. Maybe people need to just, go back and rewatch the actual episode, to recall how mage Viktor is presented to us, and what it's implied we're supposed to take away from his scenes, and separate that from the layers of headcanon the fandom has constructed.