#sally talks: ep 4

[professorhayforbreath]

episode 4 thoughts :)

why is this episode ten minutes shorter than the others?

right off the bat i'm sorry but i'm not sold on the necessity of the opening scene. i get it's trying to inject sally into the story more, but it's not as if they're not constantly talking about her. and why would he be scared of swimming?

"are you asleep?" ".................yes" i enjoy

annabeth saying her home life was great until her stepmother... i checked the book to make sure i wasn't misremembering her dad being awful and yeah she's pretty venomous towards him. what's the motivation for this revision? was frederick in the writer's room

pan and searchers mentioned! finally

annabeth rattling off facts about the arch 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

i really like echidna finding them on the train and them escaping to the arch, it makes more sense than "the train's stopped let's go sightseeing"

continuing the themes from the last episode by referring to the trio as monsters from the "monster's" perspective..... that's good stuff ngl

percy and annabeth's banter was top tier this episode

i wasn't sure about it at first but on rewatch i really like the whole "athena got pissed about medusa's head so she let echidna and the chimera into the arch" thing. it's a good follow up to annabeth's blind loyalty to her mother in ep 3. like yesssss it's time for disillusionment it's time to join the side of fuck the gods they don't actually care about us

making the water come up and grab him is a good way to 1. show poseidon helping percy and 2. correct rick's mistake about the location of the mississippi river in relation to the arch. two birds one stone. also the way that part was shot and edited was sick

i know i praised the show's writing but that was about line level stuff. the pacing feels... off. it's slow in some scenes, and then some scenes fly by so quickly. please tell me i'm not the only one who's felt this?

I Am Still Patiently Awaiting Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl

[pinazee]

Weekend warriors is one of my fave episodes for a multitude of reasons

The way Shawn flirts with Sally Reynolds at the briefing was fantastic. Shes such a memorable one off character and she doesn’t really do much. I credit that to Clair Coffee and her dazzling smile.

One of the best moments of Shawn showing just how amazing his memory is, and the little montage was wonderfully set up. But Gus really shouldn’t be surprised by now. Out of everyone (except maybe his dad) he should be the least amazed by his gifts.

It has my favorite most stupidest joke i still laugh at to this day actually ive been promoted. Its Captain Crunch now.

I have a deep appreciation of this show for never shying away from the fact that Gus is black. It seems like a lot of 00’s shows simply avoided the topic altogether (if they even had a black main). Starting from the pilot when gus placed his hands on the dash when the cop pulled them over. It goes to show how important it is to collaborate with your actors, particularly if your writing room demographics don’t correlate with your acting talent.

The fuck are you talking about henry. It took him 4 months after he was born to smile at you and thats when you acknowledge him??? I mean, i think they both know thats crap, but still lol

Solid Juliet moment. I love that they showed she was scared, but was brave enough to continue. Too many shows try to do feminism by making their female characters not feel fear for some reason? Or like, they’re kind of crazy and seek it out. Idk. Its nice that shes allowed to be afraid and vulnerable. It makes her feel like a real person.

THIS!

That end scene is the saddest fucking thing ive ever seen, and might be the most heartbreaking little shawn moment in the series. Im going to word for word this because i need ppl to share in my awwws

Shawn: Gus, when we grow up, think ill ever be as cool as you?

Gus: You’re better at kickball

Shawn: Not what I asked

Gus: We talking about your dad again?

Shawn: mm-hmm

Gus: Come on dude, the guy respects you

Shawn: Not like he does you

Gus: I’m not his son. I mean, he might like me okay, but he loves you

Shawn: Did he say that?

Gus: No.

Shawn: Well then how can you be sure?

Gus: You mean he’s never said it?

Shawn: Come on Gus, we’re guys.

SO MUCH TO UNPACK HERE but i’m going to do that in my henry analysis ep. Theres just too much to say.

[rose-reveries]

PJO Episode 6 (spoilers)

The good

1. Ok, I do agree that having 4 pearls instead of 3 makes more sense I guess. Because then they have hope that they’ll actually be bringing Sally back.

2. This was a fun episode, but definitely the farthest from the source material.

3. The “Clarissa is the lightning thief” fake out is NICE. Like sure?? I’m down for it (don’t think there was enough about that tho. Like if we had a hellhound scene in ep 2, we would know someone in camp was the traitor but alas)

The bad

1. Why change it to after the solstice instead of the day before? I like the stakes better when they’ve wasted 5 days in the hotel and have 24 hours to fix everything. We’ve learned the gods are assholes. If they missed the deadline, why tf would Zeus care what they have to say after that deadline. His pride is still gonna be too fucking hurt and he’ll start a war over his broken ego anyway. I don’t know, just not a fan, personally.

2. I’m getting kind of tired of the trio knowing exactly what is happening at all times. There was no whimsy and fun in the casino. There was no Percy slowly figuring out something was wrong. In fact, we don’t even really learn that people in the casino don’t age and everyone there are from different decades. Just not a fan of the trio knowing everything all the time. Like they are 12 year old kids. Let them play for a little bit PLEASE. The plastic credit cards, the sims city game, the deer hunting people game, the nice big hotel room, etc etc.

Edit: 3. WAIT WHY THE RANDOM SATYR??? LIKE JUST TO DRAW GROVER AWAY?? Really?? I don’t know, whole thing could’ve been done better. There is no fun in this episode, only s e r i o u s business.

???

1. Why keep the episode title “We take a Zebra to Vegas” when there is no Zebra…? Not to mention there is no Percy talking to said Zebra. Neither of these points are too important and I can live without them. (I’m sure we’ll learn that Percy can talk to horses another time so it’s no big deal but still.)

2. I don’t know, this episode was fun, right? But like, it’s starting to feel less like TLT, and more like a parallel universe.

Week ?? Of me saying TLT is still the closest adaptation of Percy Jackson we’re ever gonna get and that’s funny. I’ve been pretty open-minded about the TV show and I like it as it’s own thing, but as an adaptation I think as it goes on I’m just starting to feel more meh about it. When our characters tell instead of show, they know everything, etc etc there’s no stakes, there’s no suspense, and it gets stale. It’s the same every episode…

[onlythestar]

PERCY JACKSON EP 106 SPOILERS

I don't see anyone talking about this, but I need to share it:

When the nymph told Percy to go back to camp and that the quest was over, Percy still wanted to keep going because it is important. Right after, he's given 4 pearls, and he's like "Why 4?"

He forgot about saving his mom. For the first time, he saw the quest as something important to do, as something that needs to be done, not just a way to get his mom back.

I kind of see this as a way of showing how Percy is going to take the gods' side, he's starting to see the importance behind it all, not quite understanding it yet, but just seeing it. And guys. He. Forgot. About. His Mom. He was there to talk to Poseidon and get the quest done.

At least for a moment he wasn't Percy Jackson son of Sally Jackson, he was Perseus son of Poseidon and the chosen one to get the bolt back and help stop the war.

[vmkhoneyy]

I really love how the pjo show is leaning into fatal flaws from the get go. More for Percy than Annabeth so far- but for new fans it’ll be an absolute lightbulb moment when fatal flaws are actually discussed, and for original readers it’s just. So good.

I’ve noticed it popping up in prev episodes (‘I am Sally Jackson’s son’, picking Grover bc he’s the one person he’s sure won’t betray him etc) but ep 4 rlly cemented it for me. Percy spends the entire episode trash talking his father and the gods, and then immediately sacrifices himself for Grover and Annabeth. Because they’ve helped him.

But what gets me- what GETS ME. Is its more showing the fatal flaws of the gods. Annabeth prays to her mother and honors her and at the slightest hit to her pride, she allows the mother of monsters into her own temple to kill her daughter.

Percy, as I said, spends the entire episode trash talking his father. Poseidons own son sent medusas head to Olympus- his FORBIDDEN son, who has supposedly stolen the master bolt, who tried to refuse the opportunity to clear both their names. And then he can’t even be bothered to pray to him. To say anything good about him.

But Percy is Poseidons son, and he actively chooses to rescue him from falling to his death, regardless.

Percy’s fatal flaw is personal loyalty- he gets it from his father.

[helpallthenamesaretaken]

EP 4 was just mostly talking and conversations, but there was so much depth THAT I MUST TALK ABOUT IT.

I could literally feel the anguish exuding out of Sally trying to teach Percy to swim

Ngl i was a lil skeptical about azrien’s acting but hearing that scream changed everything

“Hey, you still sleeping?” “Yes” she’s so relatable i love it

i thought we were going to wait until the zebra truck scene for the trauma bonding but we got some of it now which is cool and also makes me wonder whether they’re going to take it to a whole level in the zebra truck scene

I kinda like how annabeth knows so much about grover their dynamic in the show is just so chef’s kiss

I dont know if the whole “thalia made me earn it” thing is canon but its an interesting spin on their dynamic

Grover is such a mood pls shoutout to grover (this episode focused a lil more on percy and annabeth’s dynamic)

Its interesting how they changed frederick chase in the show. In the book frederick never wanted annabeth but in the show frederick loved annabeth. It makes more sense now that percy asks her to go back especially in the books, that was very controversial to have annabeth seem like she was overexaggerating about what she went through with them

i was waiting for them to introduce the searcher pan stuff i almost thought they’d erased it, thankfully they brought it up

ANNABETH’S FACE WHEN THE COP CALLED HER A “LITTLE GIRL” LEAH YOU’RE A ROCKSTAR

Medusa>>>>echidna in the show IM SORRY ECHIDNA WOULDN’T STOP TALKING

The architect in annabeth is coming out i hope she explicitly talks about it later on

I don’t think the writers knew what to do with grover when percy and annabeth were talking so they just made annabeth a little unnecessarily rude for some reason?? At least its better than the movies, where annabeth and grover just WALK AWAY from hermes and percy

i didnt expect the random posh voice it threw me off but it was so funny

OK but can someone help me with this? Percy in this scene says “i have a gift” to annabeth? Could someone pls explain? What gift?

Last episode i was cringing at the screen at percy for the “can’t we just call your mom?” This episode i was cringing at the screen for annabeth’s “you wanna say hi to your dad :))))” these kids have no sense of touchy subjects do they

you’ve done so much more to me in the past few days than poseidon has done in my whole life. If i have to stick with somebody, i—“ “be careful, you were about to call me a friend” THIS DIALOGUE IS SO PRECIOUS ITS WORTH A BILLION DOLLARS

Im suspicious about the percabething this series is doing so far, i feel like its too early, its giving me a feeling that there’s going to be some big angst thats going to happen later on to break the world

When Percy fell, i was genuinely thinking he was going to give annabeth a hug lol (“wow annabeth no you are my friend!!” Something like that)

alexa play jump and fall by ts

I love that they’re expanding the consequences that came with sending medusa’s head to olympus, and how it negatively impacted annabeth, which will probably turn angsty later on

Also, percy looks half dead

The plan to push annabeth into the stairs was executed so smoothly wow

i like they are exploring the very concerning side of percy too, the part of him thats like “im the useless one im ready to die no probs” ALSO THALIA PARALLELS THEY’RE DEF GONNA TOUCH ON THAT NEXT EPISODE

i like how the water grabbed percy like a little tunnel

Its so funny how the nereid says poseidon’s name and percy just starts struggling more like “HELL NO”

THE PARALLELS OF THE START OF THE EPISODE OF PERCY TELLING SALLY TO BREATHE AND THE END OF THE EPISODE OF NEREID TELLING PERCY TO BREATHE

What the heck is that throne thing? Why is percy turning golden? What is happening? HUGGGGGG!! (Too early, as i said), oh look ares—OMG ITS ARES!!

[ir3ssa]

so me and my friend were talking about this. you gotta hear us out. ep 4 sally. MEOWWWW MEOWWWWW 🤤

[demontouched]

last night when i was live blogging ep 7, i didn't have the mental capacity to talk about the most devastating line in the whole episode.

"why are you trying so hard to get rid of me? i would never do this to you."

now 1) the car scene before this could be what he flashed back to in the hotel.

2) this is exactly what hermes was talking about.

3) it show cases how much percy really loves sally. even though he felt she was trying to rid herself of him, he knew she loved him. she loved him enough, and he loved her enough, to risk everything to go to the underworld and save her.

and 4) this scene shows how much sally went through, how she endured, how she held fast. if that were my son asking me that, in that situation, i would've cried. there wouldn't have been any walking away or deep breaths. sally is strong. she's an amazing mother. but nobkdy is perfect.

there's probably more i could microanalyze, but i have a dentist's appointment.

[afeastfortuna]

5 Things the Book Did Better

With the end of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, here are five things I think the book did better than the show (To go with my 5 Things the Show Did Better)

1. Smelly Gabe

Most specifically the 'Smelly' part. In the book, Sally marries Gabe to hide Percy's scent. In the show, she marries Gabe because... reasons? It is a huge part of her character to kill her abuser ("I knew I was leaving her in safe hands; her own"), and end the cycle of abuse that she started out of love and a desire to stay close to her son. In the show, she protected her son from monsters by... sending him to boarding school? (even the logic the show has mostly been improving doesn't work as well on that one) It just leaves a lot of plot hole of why Gabe? And then in the final episode, it makes sense Sally isn't the one who kills him, because he hasn't been set up as the archetype abusive step-parent he was in the books, and maybe it was a little dark for a kids show, but it is a huge plot point in PJO of breaking the cycle of abuse, and actively making decisions to prevent that which Gabe accidentally killing himself just gets lost.

2. Charon

WHERE'S HIS ITALIAN SUITS? WHERE'S HIS BRIBABILITY? WHERE'S THE INOPPORTUNE MOMENT PERCY BLURTS "CHARON WANTS A PAY RISE" TO HADES?

I have feelings, okay, and those feelings want to see Charon in his full glory.

(But really, such a big part of what drew me to Percy Jackson as a kid was the fun, new interpretations of mythology adapting to the modern world, and characters like Charon were such a prime example of that I'm really sorry the show cut out on)

3. Humour (specifically past ep. 3)

Something about having narrator!Percy of the books was the constant lighthearted and funny (and confused) comments about everything. The show seemed to discard almost all the humour and jokes for plot halfway through episode 3, setting a much less lighthearted tone for the rest of the series.

4. The Show's Constant Explanations

I get it, it makes sense Sally might think it's a good idea to teach Percy some myths. That doesn't mean every little myth needs to be explained in excruciating detail. Just let the scenes play out, without spending ages talking about exactly what they are going to do and where exactly everything and everyone they meet fits into Greek Mythology first! There's simply no suspense for the audience when they spend five minutes talking through every little thing they do before they do it.

5. Cerberus

Whose a good doggo? Book Cerberus! He's just lonely, and wants someone to play with him! He doesn't need to chase and almost kill the trio in some big dramatic scene, he just wants to play with his ball.

[drooleary]

Thinking about Ep 4 again and wondering if Percy initially mistook envenomation symptoms for anxiety symptoms. Maybe when he felt ill and nearing death, he figured he could get over it as long as he remembered to breathe.

The beginning of the episode shows us little Percy being anxious, then recognizing Sally's anxiety and trying to calm her using breathing techniques she taught him. This means Percy is familiar with the feeling and wants to help when loved ones are suffering the same.

In the arch, he tries to keep things light because his friends are worried about him and the chimera. He talks one-on-one with Annabeth, which tends to give him feelings he's not used to, he's noticed. As the venom spreads, he might attribute his physical symptoms to the pressure of the conversation. Talking about how they can't rely on their parents could also make him queasy.

Of course, it's when he's reminded that they can't be friends that he literally can't stand any longer.

[redlazuly]

so i've just joined the pjo series discourse on sm (i've read all the books) so maybe people might have already said this but i feel like the monster fights are kinda underwhelming ?? the fights themselves but the atmosphere around them too. i'm just going to say it point by point to be clearer :

Mrs. Dodds: she's the first monster and threat of the show. i was waiting for something scary and surprising, that would have terrified percy or something. but instead the "reveal" was slow, and there wasn't even a fight, he just kind of opened the sword (even tho we don't even see him doing it) and she just. dies like that ?? it was really easy and i get that they can't just kill percy in the first ep but there wasn't even a bit of struggle or anything. tbh this first fight really dissapointed me. there was mystery that creates an intrigue but she just wasn't scary or a menace imo (EDIT : I HAVE NOW REREAD THE SCENE AND IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THIS IS EXACTLY HOW THE FIGHT PLAYS OUT IN THE BOOK (extract down below) so forget everything i said in this part, i'm sorry. )

2. The minotaur : i liked this one much more than the first one, the car chase was thrilling and the atmosphere of the scene was really cool. i've only got one little thing to say about it, but i think it's just a me thing and i'm nitpicking (idk how to make gifs so i hope you can picture it in your head) :

when sally takes percy's jacket to lure the minotaur away from the boys and uses it as a red cape like in a corrida, i think it kinds of take the attention away from the fear of the monster in itself by being comedic. AGAIN i know i'm nitpicking here but why not say it.

(also i regret that the last scene was so far away from the camera and from the camp border. i know it's bc it's percy's pov but i loved percy's desperation in the movie (I KNOW IT'S BAD) when he's failing to save his mother and finally sees her (and her emotions) when she is gets taken away from him.)

3. Medusa : i LOVED what they tried to do with medusa and how they tried to make us sympathise with her. however, the fight was REALLY dissapointing to me. it kind of happened from nowhere. it's implied that it's annabeth plan but it really happened way too fast and did not give enought time for the viewer to appreciate the threat that medusa can be. it felt way to easy for them to beat MEDUSA. the fight lasted 5 seconds max and it felt shy in a way, like as if they didn't not want to fuck it up.

+ special mention : 4. Clarisse: I'M NOT SAYING SHE'S A MONSTER, I'M JUST PUTTING HER HERE BC TECHNICALLY SHE WAS A THREAT TO PERCY. i like dior's acting, idk anything about her outside of the show but i'm going to be honest : not knowing the cast at all, at first i immediately thought she was drew 😭. she IS a really pretty girl but for me she doesn't emanate clarisse's ares' daughter vibe. when her spear broke she was so GOOD, but appart from that she's just really chill i think ? like she's not menacing, she just kind of a mean girl bully (which clarisse is ig but she's not a menace enough imo) and tbh i think she's just not as "rough" as i think she could have been.

tldr : i think the fights were not scary enough and did not set a good tone for the series. they were also too easy and fast for them to be enjoyable.

of course i still enjoy this show a lot so i will be watching the next episodes and the rest of it so maybe there will be improvements. please yell what you guys think !!

it's the first time i ever talk so much on tumblr, so i hope it was readable. if there was any mistakes please tell me, english is not my first language.

[serafilms]

thoughts on pjo series so far after episode 6:

(spoilers for ep 6 ahead!! minor spoilers for the books too but nothing much about the plot)

acting SLAYS. slays. i almost teared up like 3 times bc of percabeth in ep 4/5 ALONE. and sally!! and grover!!!! luke and clarisse too ugh!!!!

special effects SLAYYYY. the monsters look really good and just as i imagined, I’ll give them that.

sets and locations are also very accurately pictured and the vibes brought out are just like the book!

script sucks. the writing is soooo awkward most of the time and the conversation just does not flow well. it’s too serious and boring half the time and i can’t keep relying on the actor’s tones even if they’re doing well as child actors.

soooo much exposition in every single conversation my head is spinning. like i feel like there were better ways to contextualise info from the book?

i saw someone say this show could’ve been approached with a fleabag ish narration and while that sort of would be a bit unorthodox i feel like that or just having walker narrate over the top sometimes would’ve been a good way to nod to the books. it’s difficult to bring a first person series alive when the narrator has so much personality and stuff to say that affects descriptions and how we see it, but i think it could’ve been possible.

music is clunky sometimes in that like why r the vibes so heavy for nothing…. like when they were talking in the animal truck and when they were driving the taxi etc.

no action. like i don’t need it to be pumping out adrenaline all the time but they have fr barely done anything i’m sorry 😰 book trio would’ve ate them alive.

cutting grover out at the waterpark likeeee??? yeah maybe him w ares was important but also it was not. they could’ve gotten that info any other time without making him stay w ares.

lacking explanation where it matters. like the eeriness of the lotus casino and why there are people from all different eras. and their RESOURCES like they aren’t explaining where their money and clothes and stuff are like these kids are surviving off one backpack?? it reminds me of in a wrinkle in time (2018) how the kid’s shirt changes like every 10 minutes and it’s just never acknowledged.

speaking of the lotus casino it’s just so like… bland. they’re cutting out the best parts of the story. percy fighting the chimera was so underwhelming and the bus scene too!!! and the lotus casino like yeah ok let’s not promote drugs i guess but they could have and SHOULD have had fun. why did they waste that time on cgi for the roller coaster in the casino at all?? it wasn’t sinister enough bc the whole vibe of the show is just serious so there’s no contrast between them thinking they’ve found paradise and realising there’s something wrong. captured the vibe of the show tbh: they plateau along the middle line of fun and serious business instead of playing with it like the book does.

feels like the character relationships r poorly drawn out. i’ve already forgotten about the weak attempt to build a percy-luke friendship. and annabeth not letting grover talk to hermes in the casino felt badly explained. plus grover’s whole backstory?? why r we straying so far from how the books explained him like they’re separating him a bit toooo much from the others.

generally just too many plot changes like as much as there is good in this show there is also bad and we stray further and further from the plot every single episode (the SOLSTICE WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TIME PRESSURE??).

it’s somehow too low stakes and too serious at the same time. like they’re acting like the stakes are high but i’m not feeling the pressure.

i understand it’s a new iteration and an adaption almost never means it’ll be the same, but that doesn’t mean i like all the changes. i guess there’s probably tonnes of reasons why book to screen adaptions always change so much (actually harry potter and tbosas ate tbh but oh well), and in this case it’s been many years since pjo was released, so rick is just taking that chance to rewrite things as he would if he wrote the books now. and i accept that. but these are just my opinions and some of these things are just plain bad choices for a show 😭

but i do still hope it gets picked up for all 5 seasons + heroes of olympus like i’ll give u all my money i’ll watch it all i swear

[hexesncherries]

okei so new episode today, I have watched and here are my thoughts

hex's take on : PJOTV (ep. 4)

it was short :(((

the first scenes with young Percy and Sally are so so so cute

the DREAMSS GUYS THE DREAMSS

Annabeth opening up to Percy in the train and Grover been grumpy

why is the chimera kinda cute, like it could be a cute (but extremely dangerous) little pet

he would rather stick with her !!!!!!

i love it

greatest and slowest burn to ever slow burn

I am loving Percy's reluctancy to Poseidon in general, I think it is a very important part in Percy's character

the scene where they are sitting in the fountain and they are just soaking percy its so funny

again the pacing is meh but its not baaaad

IT IS SHORT

the nereid talking to Percy and he straight up saying well if my dad's proud I guess I can breath underwater (I would to ngl)

that would be all this week, other than the fact that im sad because there are not that many episodes left, im really enjoying the series

my thoughts abt episodes 1-3 are here

[evilincoperated]

My thoughts on episode 4

PJO EP 4 SPOILERS

-Omg cute Sally and Percy moment!!! I hope nothing will ruin this!!

-Oh.

- Aww him and Annabeth are talking

-Facts Percy preach it!!

-Annabeth you are a gift :(

-Grover literally funniest character ever

-Let him get up Annabeth insult after insult, youre pulverizing him

-Oh... thats not

-Damn that woman just looks evil

-WHAT IS WITH THEM ATTACKING ANNABETHS ABOUT HER MOM 😭😭

-Bro literally got stung by a Chihuahua/j

-"Earthquake proof so Poseidon can't destroy it" "...nice"

-Bro is PALE

-Poor Grover :(

-Aww cute Annabeth and Percy moment!!

-Oh. He's definitely dying

-NAH THEY ARE SHOVELING THAT WATER ON HIM LMAO

-That Chihuahua is taking names God Damn

-Annabeth no you aren't an embarrassment :(

-Damn yall fell for the sword swap 😭😭

-Nah bro let him get up 2v1 and the 1 is poisoned that's crazy

-Destroying some national monuments 👍

-The water came and caught him (totally not disappointed we didnt get to see the dive into the water full force obviously)

-How Percy feels after saying his dad was never there and then being told by a mythological being that he was always there: "🤨😐🧍‍♂️"

-THATS THE END????

[fernegirl]

never coming home | prologue.

↳ summary:

Summoning ghosts, fistfights, shredding on guitar, murders, running from the law, cheap motel rooms, and seeing beyond the veil of the afterlife: what would you do to keep those you love the most? For Sal Fisher, the answer is simple—he'll do whatever it takes, till the very end of the line.

A rewrite of Sally Face's ending beginning at ep. 4, in which some things are different and others are not. Sally and his friends face down the Devourers of God while struggling to hold onto their minds—and one another—despite the odds. This fic reimagines the story of SF while doing its best to remain true to the canon material in terms of lore, tonality, and plausibility.

↳ read it on ao3 here [x]

↳ parings: sally/ashley/larry, todd/neil · genre: canon-divergence/fix-it 

↳ warnings: 18+ ONLY, minors DNI + just as dark as canon, same triggers apply

series masterlist [tba] | next chapter [tba]

The longer she stands outside, her breath forming small clouds in front of her face and the rain creeping beneath the collar of her jacket, the more Ash reconsiders whether coming to this party was a good idea. Sure, at the time that she—well, her roommate—had been invited, it seemed fine. Now though…not so much. She knew it would be big, all of the ragers in the warehouse district are. The promise of live underground music, cheap beer, and substances that she couldn’t spell brings in all sorts of people. 

“Are you sure about this?” She asks, glancing over at Tara who is far more absorbed in her cellphone than the surroundings. 

She glances over at her and nods reassuringly, her blonde bangs bobbing with her head. “‘Course I am. Have I ever steered you wrong?” 

Ash bites back the quick response of ‘yes, absolutely’ but she knows nothing good will come of it. Tara’s sweet. Normal. A  regular girl dipping her toes into a world like this in the name of some boy she’s talking to and she’s bringing Ash along with her. Not that she really minds. The girl is trying. She’s always done her best to connect with her, despite their contrasting interests. Plus, she’d mentioned this being a ‘roomie send off’’ or something like that. A final epic excursion for the two of them before Ash finishes packing her worldly possessions and leaves campus. 

A viking funeral, college-girl-style. 

The gesture had been thoughtful enough to her Ash this far, out this late. Even though now it feels less worth it by the minute. 

“Come on. Didn’t I tell you about the rumors?” 

Tara had. “You did. This is some kind of underground show or something?”

Tara bobs her head again, reminding Ash of a chickadee, golden and fluffy. “Yep. No idea if it’s true or not, but Jared says heard that some band is friends with the guys that are hosting–they might make a special appearance or something.” 

“Any idea who it is?” 

“Sanitary Filth?” 

The name is awful. Perfect for the type of band that would play this venue. “Never heard of them.” 

“Me neither,” Tara shrugs. “Doors should open soon at least.” 

Her phone pings and she returns her attention to it, an excited smile on her face. It’s sweet and thankfully Jared seems to be a half decent guy. She’s happy for Tara, really. Or at the very least relieved that there’s something to distract her from Ash’s departure. 

Really, she’d give anything for the same. It’s not that she’s explicitly not looking forward to her return to Nockfell. She is. It’s been far, far too long since she saw her friends, her family. The familiar trees, cracked streets, and the distinct crooked shape of the Addison Apartments building. 

She misses it. She swears she does. 

Which doesn’t explain why every time she looks at her calendar, at the date next week, circled in red for her homecoming, a pit opens in her stomach. 

Not that she’s looking to self-analyze. No thank you. She’d rather do anything else. 

Which is exactly why she’s here, with Tara, in the pouring-ass rain at nearly midnight, waiting to get into what will no doubt be an underwhelming rock show. 

“This has got to be the stupidest thing we’ve done in a while,” a dry, familiar voice says. 

Ash shivers, skin going somehow clammier. There’s no way that it’s who she thinks it is. 

She stretches up onto her tiptoes to peer over the shoulders of the group in front of her. 

“Really?” A deeper, slightly more nasal voice replies. “Of all the things, this? Come on, man.” 

“Pneumonia no laughing matter, dipshit.” 

“Whatever you say. ’s totally worth it in my book.” 

She knows. In her heart of heart’s she already knows. To see it with her eyes is just a formality at this point because those voices are emblazoned in her memory, resurfacing in her sweetest dreams and most bone-chilling nightmares. 

The crowd shifts and she catches sight of them, her heart stuttering to what feels like a standstill. 

A tall man with long dark hair stands beside a shorter man with electric blue hair.  Fucking hell. They turn, looking at one another as they break into laughter. They’re different from the last time she saw either of them. Both are taller. Larry’s put on muscle and a bit of facial hair. She’s never seen Sally with his hair down before. His mask is the same. Still white except for the pink patched piece. It looks like there’s eyeliner smudged on it, no doubt for the show.

As if it could be anyone but the two of them. She shrinks down, slouching to ensure the crowd covers her, while her mind races to figure out why the actual fuck they’re here. 

Oh. Of course.

“Tara,” she swallows hard, and does her best to keep the shakes out of her voice. 

Tara looks up from her phone, her smile bleached bright under the streetlamp. “Any chance you got the name of the band wrong? Could it have been Sanity's Fall?” 

Her eyes light up wide with recognition. “Yes, that’s exactly what it was, how did you figure that out?” 

“Lucky guess.” 

She smiles again, and is distracted once more in moments. Not that it bothers Ashley. No, she’s grateful that she’s invisible to her soon-to-be-former roommate at this moment. Means that Tara doesn’t notice as she cranes her neck to catch another look ahead.

They don’t notice her. Why would they? The sidewalk is packed. Then again, she doubts that makes any impression on either of them. They’re laughing at a grainy picture that Larry is showing Sally on his phone, their shoulders pressed against one another. They seem…happy. Content. At least more so than the last time she’d seen them. 

Maybe this is why she doesn’t want to go back. Because even in the final days she’d been there, she could feel this…distance. A separation that she couldn’t pretend was either of their fault. 

No. It was her. She couldn’t make the leap of faith into the belief in the supernatural the way that they did. Couldn’t brush off the soul-deep terror that took root in her after she fell into that pile of bones below the apartment building. 

It wasn’t them. The boys were the same as ever. Or maybe they’d grown up. And she hadn’t grown with them, but rather away. 

Still. It’s not as though she doesn’t want to see them. Not as though she won’t go back. She will. They’ll accept her, that much she’s certain of. With warm hugs and dumb stories. Rock music, bean bag chairs, scary movies, and too-salty popcorn. 

She’s just so fucking scared that this time…it won’t feel like home. That instead of a ghost from the past haunting them, it’ll be her. Just a faded version of who she was. 

Her hands shake as she wrestles her cell phone free from her jacket. Fingers numb from the frigid rain, she finds Sal in her contacts. 

To Sally: hey, srry. can’t come back this week, xtra covers at work :( :( 

He might not buy it. She’s told them about her crappy bartending job and what a pain in the ass it is. He won’t question it though, won’t push. 

She stares at the message for a moment before hitting send. She’ll go back. She just can’t tomorrow.  

An obnoxious alert plays somewhere in front of her–a snippet of an overly-loud guitar riff that sounds like it’s been recorded on a tin can. 

She waits, breath held. Nothing good can come from this–from waiting for her message to elicit a response. There is none. Sal and Larry’s conversation about some nonsense involving Gizmo never halts.

Logically, she knows that Sal’s too polite to take out his phone while talking. He’ll check it later, and tell her that it’s alright. That it is too bad, but he’s still so excited to see her the week after. She’ll text the same thing to Larry and get an almost identical response, except with more expletives. 

Like clockwork. No, the boys hadn’t changed. So why is there a pit forming in her chest? 

“Hey, Tara?” She waves her hand in front of her phone to catch her attention. “That boy of yours was going to give you a ride back to ours right?” 

Tara nods, her plastic jewelry clicking together. “Yep, Jared’s driving me.” “Cool, then I might bounce,” Ashley rubs the back of her head, trying to shove down the guilt rising up at Tara’s disappointed expression. “Migraine has been trying to set in all day and I think going to a rock show might actually kill me.” 

Of course, because she’s a good person, Tara’s disappointment morphs into genuine concern in moments, which somehow only makes Ash feel worse. She reaches out, smoothing her hair back from her face, a habit that often makes her wonder if Tara sees her more as a cat than a roommate. 

“Of course, that’d be the worst thing for it. Jared’s almost here. I can ask him to give you a ride ba–” 

“Don’t worry, I’m alright to drive,” she says firmly. “Just don’t want it to get worse.” 

She doesn’t look fully convinced, but doesn’t bother arguing. “Alright, but promise me you’ll text me and let me know you got back safe, ‘kay?” 

“Promise.” She bumps their knuckles in a weak fistbump that makes Tara giggle. “Catch you later tonight, I expect a full report.” 

“Sounds good.” 

She turns, hurrying away from Tara before she can second guess the decision. 

Distance will make it easier–will clear her the cobwebs in her head. Sure, a migraine had been an exaggeration, but she can feel a bit of an ache in her temples that will no doubt bloom into something irritating. 

When her bike comes into view at the far side of the parking lot, it’s accompanied by a rush of relief. She really needs to name it before she sees them, or else Larry will ask and then blurt out something stupid that will stick forever. Just like how Sally’s mask got nicknamed Samuel somehow. 

For a second, she contemplates going back. She could talk to them. It’s not like they’d be anything less than thrilled. They’d hug her like old times–squeezing her so tightly that her ribs would ache–they’d ask about her haircut and her motorcycle. It could be good. 

But she can’t. Not yet. Not tonight, when the perfect moment already seemed to exist in front of her. Without her. 

She pulls her helmet on, exhaling heavily. Nothing left to do but go. 

So she kickstarts her bike and peels out of the parking lot, a little too fast, but it’s not like there are any cars to hit this late.

The rumble of the engine and the rush of the frigid air around her does a good job of driving the thoughts from her mind. 

She’ll go home again. Just not today. 

a/n: thank you for reading the first chapter! i hope you enjoyed it! reblogs are much appreciated and please let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist :3

[the-catmans-offical-2]

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Hello! Welcome to @the-catmans-offical-2 blog!

Primarily what I will post here is art, currently pertaining to a hyperfixation I have, as well as maybe some writings I'll do! I make music occasionally but I'm way too self conscious to post such, the music is basically only instrumentals; I don't sing, after all I can barely speak verbally without stuttering or whatnot.

Here is the art sona I use! It's just a cartoony cat stick figure that can be seen in some of my artworks; Whether it be commenting on certain things, a general doodle out of boredom, or whatever. This also has other information on it, including my birthdate and year, as well as some of the things I do. Anyway, here's the rest of the masterpost:

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Important Tags:

- #chimera ed au / #chimera ed

Chimera Ed AU related things.

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*Sub tag:

#chimera ed fic

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- #au fanart

Fanart I make for AUs I think are neat.

- #mauwat au / #mauwat

Modern AU But With A Twist AU (mauwat AU) related things.

- #modern au / #fma modern au

FMA Modern AU related things.

- #homunculus swap au

Homunculus Swap AU related things.

- #plush al au

Plush Alphonse AU related things.

- #ed ed n ed au / #ed ed n ed

AU with Ed's from all over the series' (brotherhood, manga, 03, the various games, plushes, etc.) interacting. Chaos.

- #sonic au

AU with fma characters as Sonic characters! ; As in like, mobians, humans, robots, etc.

- #wrath lives au

AU where Wrath survives the events of Conqueror Of Shamballa, but not unscathed.

- #wrathed au

AU where Ed and Wrath share a body, Greedling style, as a consequence of the last ep of FMA 2003!

(More will be added soon probably.)

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Interest List:

- Wrath (Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 - Conqueror of Shamballa)

- Fullmetal Alchemist (2003, Conqueror of Shamballa, Brotherhood, and the manga.)

- Radiatology, chemical warfare, psychological research and unethical experiments, self sustaining studies, and other things in those scientific topics.

- Art as a whole, currently into tattoo work (got tattoo shit, let's goo) and digital art but I try to dabble in everything I can.

- Homestuck, not nessicarily currently but I have liked it.

- Fear & Hunger.

- Undertale.

- Alternative universes in the sense of media.

- Cuphead, Don't Deal with the Devil.

- Bendy and the Ink Machine.

- Five Nights at Freddy's. (Primarily all the games up to UCN.)

- The Promised Neverland.

- Dr. STONE.

- Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon

- Pokémon.

- Cats. (Not the musical.)

- BMC (Haven't thought about it until recently, it's been years since I was into it fully.)

- Sonic the Hedgehog.

- Sally Face.

- Franbow.

- Little Misfortune.

- Happy Wheels.

[There is probably more, but these are the top things I remember.]

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Scutes and fur, yet a human still cries - Chimera Ed AU fanfic info:

Below are the names of the chapters as well as links to them!

🜘 — What is alive will not remain, to a memory. ; Chapter 1

🜘 — The claws of a boy, grasp onto what it was. ; Chapter 2

🜘 —Whiskers twitch, the eyes shut, it’s too much. ; Chapter 3

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Important Info:

- Taken by @f15hyw15hy !! (I thought I already put him here, whoops)

- A lot of my art is based on my own headcanons (HCs), but I'm welcome to listening about other HCs that I can adopt into my works!

- Everyone who follows me, and is chill, are buddies of mine. So you're all my buddies! :)

- This is a safe space for most people, so if you need a place to vent to me by all means PM/DM me or talk to me via my Discord! ( @the.catman.giovi.offical ) ; You can also contact me for other reasons! Whether it be just to talk and hang out, discuss random shit from my blog, or just whatever.

- My timezone is EST, however I'm up at odd hours (Typically from 10 AM EST to 4 AM EST, but this can vary.)

- Ask me questions or just talk to me through my Ask box and I'll most likely answer! I'm bored, talking to me will keep me a busy man.

- Commissions will be opened soon! I will edit this post once I get it all in order. I do take simple requests, like lil doodles, for free; But I can turn it down if I don't wanna.

- English is *not* my first language! It's Italian but at the same time I forgot the language. (Raised in America, born in Italy, but I suck at both languages lol. I stick to English.)

- This blog is multifandom! I talk about random shit sometimes.

- @The_Catmans_Offical on AO3!

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And that's that, have fun with my blog! :)