#this is a very long winded way of me explaining why she starts the game as chaotic good

[pushingdaisies1]

hihi I am not sure how to submit a request because I have never really done one before but isit possible if u could do a myunggi x female reader fic😓😓🙏🙏 I haven't really seen much ffs about him and I really want to see his protective side being portrayed🙌

➜ ౨ৎ Paz Con Usted.

― ꒰ PAIRING: Lee Myung-gi x Reader! ꒱ ― ꒰SUMMARY: Your last relationship wasn't left on the best of terms. It was a small little fling, only lasting for five months. But the way he left was sudden and abrupt. He told you flat out that he wanted to end things, and that was that. Didn't give you any time to ask why, was it your fault? He had mentioned once or twice about his ex-girlfriend. But after making up this grand charade to your face you didn't expect to be the rebound. But in hindsight... you were. Now you are here, being told that you have an opportunity to abolish your debts. A hefty prize, an amount of money you've never seen in your entire life. This was the worst time to run into your jaded ex-boyfriend. But maybe he still had some room in his heart left for you. You weren't so gullible, fool me twice and whatnot. But him swooping in to stand up for you definitely made you feel those same old butterflies rise in your gut.꒱ ― ꒰WARNINGS: Honestly the biggest one I can think of is you and Myung-gi being messy. Like within the context of your prior relationship.. if that makes sense... yk? Start is kinda angsty!! Woops!! There's no violence (excluding regular squid game violence mentioned) but Thanos is Thanos!! No Jun-hee slander here folks. Mentions of Abortion (Jun-hee.) Consequences of Myung-gis actions with a somewhat happy ending!! yay!!! Like you two don't like reforge a whole relationship but no bad blood by the end of this..... wooo!!! Use of She/her pronouns once for reader. Also this is a tad bit long n may have spelling mistakes , woopsie...꒱ ― ꒰AUTHORS NOTE: Ohh no dw!! Yes ofc , here you go!! I really do hope you liked this!! I tried to stay as in character for Myung-gi as possible. He's very much a 50/50 character amongst fans. His actor's so funny and I honestly like his character. Like you envy him but you cant help but feel sympathy for him in moments. Crypto bro who I wanna dissect/look at under a microscope!! Also like... look at him... he's a cutiepatootie. He has his moments but like bro Jun-hee defender forever lmao. Also, I got this title from a beautiful song. It's by the band Ataquemos!! It's just so sweet and a generally warm song. I think it fits Myung-gis's motivations at heart. I tried to deliver on this as hard as I could, enjoy!!<3꒱

☓﹕You never thought you would see Myung-gi again. After your breakup, it all seemed a done deal. He hadn't truly explained his reasonings to you. About... splitting ties with you. I mean it was utterly absurd? Throughout your entire relationship, you always tried to do and be better than before. ☓﹕Always listening to his woes even if they were a little bit baffling for your tastes. What was his problem? You could tell he wasn't being entirely honest with you about everything. His past relationships, his history. But that was his business and not yours. But your breakup definitely surprised you out of left field.

☓﹕He wasn't answering your calls for a good week leading up to it. You were worried sick about him. Thinking that something terrible must've happened. You were so naive to his true intentions. When he finally answered your multiple texts and missed calls, he only followed with, "I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore. I loved you I really did. But I'm not in a well enough place to continue with this relationship. I hope you can understand. I'm breaking up with you and blocking this number. I'm sorry." ☓﹕The familiar sensation of your chest winding tight took over your entire body. Your hands began to tremble as you held your phone. No tears at the sight. But you were practically blown away. Ghosts you for a week and then break up with you over TEXT?! ☓﹕This was jarring beyond the humiliation and general grief you felt swelling inside of you. Did you mean that little to him? What was his fucking deal? He'd even met with your parents on a couple occasions. You at least thought you were serious enough for him to at least break up with you face to face.

☓﹕You didn't even bat an eye about the fact that he was a crypto-bro! Or, that he never truly got over his last relationship. I mean you at least never thought he did. Throughout your past committed relationships, you valued the honesty in partners about what their dating life had been like before meeting you. ☓﹕ It felt like their openness was full transparency, you know? Even if the relationships they had before meeting you were full-blown train wrecks. But Myung-gi was a whole different story from other previous partners. It was odd but again you never tried to pry at him. Were you truly in love or just blind with infatuation?

☓﹕It had been a month since he had cut you off from his life. It had been a month full of bitter spite and just... sorrow. The amount of loans you had taken out definitely started to pile up. You had teetered on the line too many times at work. Eventually losing your position after you accidentally blew up at a coworker. It didn't take you long for your debt to increase even more after that. ☓﹕With how bad the job market was you stayed unemployed for too long according to the bank. Job interviews weren't pulling through. You were practically drowning in unpaid loans and growing unpaid rent bills. Never were you a person to take handouts from friends or family. You were too stubborn for your own good. It was so isolating as your landlord continued to threaten to kick you out if you didn't have all that money in a week. If he was nice enough, he'd outstretch it to two.

☓﹕It was one humid evening when you were waiting for a train. That a man approached you. He looks clean-cut, a businessman-looking briefcase held in one hand. His faint eery smile didn't falter at all as he slid down right next to you. You had spent the afternoon visiting friends for once and running errands with what little you had. One headphone is looped and tucked around the left ear. Of course, you noticed him. He stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the middle-men office workers office workers, or the families trying to get home and escape from the summer heat.

☓﹕You kept your eyes straight ahead. "Pleasedon'ttrytoconvertme..." you repeated over and over again in your head. All you wanted to do was just rinse and repeat the same routine you had accumulated. The same pathetic routine you lived with ever since Myung-gi broke things off with you. But you were totally moved on now! It's been a month... that's a lot of time... right? ☓﹕ The sharply dressed man beside you broke your train of thought. Addressing you very formally, he offered you the opportunity to play a game. What game? , ddakji - for a cash prize every time you flipped his card to the opposite side. By the time you finally gave him an ounce of acknowledgment, most people had already gotten on their designated train. The station was empty and you still had awhile so why not? ☓﹕Shockingly you had won a majority of the rounds. Your arms shot up as soon as you saw his card flip over. He may have gotten one or two slaps in after you flat-out told him you had no more money on you to pay for your losses. "That's okay, you'll pay with your body.", excuse me? ☓﹕By the time he handed you the money he now owed you, he quickly started to latch up his briefcase. Trying to bring levity to the situation, he stopped you before you could get any other words in. From his pocket, he slipped out a card. A circle, triangle, and square on the front of it. Flipping it over it looked to be a phone number. Examining it with keen eyes you heard him mutter "Have a great rest of your evening." under his breath. Before you could thank him or do such a thing he was already gone. ☓﹕Vanished right before your eyes. Your head spun around, eyes landing on the now arriving train. Time to think about this and more once you finish your trek home.

☓﹕If it was only a little game, how hard could it be? You needed the help desperately. No matter how pathetic it was you called the number. Giving the unknown voice on the other end your name and birthday. Quickly and precisely they explained where and when you would be picked up. ☓﹕Seemed easy enough from your point of view. The place they referred you to was one of the largest shopping centers in Seoul. The time was way after the park's hours. It was odd but guaranteed a spacious and empty environment for the pickup to happen. As you listened you couldn't help but feel a low twisting in your gut. This felt wrong, not right at all. You were too far gone now. So you agreed to the terms and hung up the phone.

☓﹕The day finally arrived. You tried to get your assets in order. Told ones closest to you that you'd be busy due to a "new job offer." It was shocking how they all bought the lie. You just wanted to make a quick buck to lessen your debt, that's all. Your eyes flicked down to your phone as you clicked it on. The breeze rustled your hair. The home screen of your phone reads that it is finally midnight. You had gotten there earlier than told on the phone. ☓﹕Just to shake the impending nerves away. It felt like a bust because right on schedule, a van arrived. A masked man rolled down the window and stated your name. Your eyes widened as that pit feeling got deeper and deeper. The door of the van slid open and you slid inside the vehicle. Getting a feel for the van you right saw the slumped-down bodies beside you. Your throat tightened as you tried to find answers to your questions. Before you knew it heavy gas started to fill the backseat. The car whirred to life as you slowly collapsed, finally unconscious.

☓﹕By the time you awoke, you were met with the sounds of classical music and a bed. The metal squeaked gently as you sat up in the bunk bed where you lay. People who were dressed in similar attire as you, with numbers on their chests and backs littered the beds around you. Some were already starting to climb down and stand around on the main floor of the dormitory. Standing back, you were puzzled by where you now were. You were practically whisked away from your life on the outside. This wasn't disclosed in the phone call.

☓﹕Murmurs could be heard in the wide crowd of participants forming in the middle of the room. Others were scared of what this might entail, while some were dumbfounded by the swift change in scenery. The same masked men with different variations of their masks walked out, one outwardly greeting the bewildered players. Immediately as soon as they started taking questions, people kept on giving and giving. By now you had joined the crowd, standing more by the back wall of beds.

☓﹕All of a sudden your ears get all warm and irritated as soon as you hear a specific voice. The same voice of the guy who ripped your heart out and left it beating on the cold floor. Asking for his phone and wallet for market checking of all things? You were staring directly at the back of his head as he whined in annoyance. If it was anyone else, you would've been remorseful. These "guards", had stripped everyone of their personal belongings and usual clothes. But hearing that prick made your head get all hot and all rationality gets just as fuzzy.

☓﹕On the screen they displayed multiple of the players. Their individual names, and the debt amount they had to their name. Myung-gi's face flashed on screen with his hair mostly hidden with a bucket hat. Playing the same game you had when the recruiter found you in that subway. His face getting slapped, holding his cheek. You especially heard ringing in his ears when you heard he had CHARGES against him?

☓﹕During the time you had spent with him, he never once brought that up. Nor the crypto coin scam he ran on multiple people. Other player's faces followed after his. One person's debt reaching into the billions. But your head was spinning at the fact that maybe you didn't know your ex-boyfriend that well. You weren't judgemental of the fact that he dealt with cryptocurrency. Which was probably your biggest mistake. The rose-colored glasses were even more damaged now. Who really had you been dating for those five months?

☓﹕After the square guards' passionate but monotone speech, consent forms were immediately dished out. Four guards stood at each individual post. Handing participants pens to sign the contracts, the rules all in bold. Your number was somewhere in the middle of the large range of game participants. So let's just say you stood around in that line for a while. You didn't really take the time to strike up a conversation with anyone.

☓﹕An older woman, the same one who was arguing with her son earlier was behind you. She was kind enough to take the initiative. She seemed like a nurturing sweetheart. Her words were kind to you as she asked you why you were here and other small talk. It was the most sympathy you had heard from someone in a while. Finding the time to crack a grin of three as she commented "You look like a respectful kid." It was the most conversation you had... since you had gotten here.

☓﹕You two both discussed how this may work. The entire you mostly listened as she talked about how this all seemed "too bizarre for her tastes." You chuckled, cluelessly shrugging with a "We'll find out soon enough." Her son the entire time was trying to get his mom's attention. But she was determined to keep on talking to you. Until it was your turn to sign your signature. ☓﹕Glancing over the rules your head cocked to the side a little. Already here, it felt useless to back out. Leaving with nothing is worse than leaving with something. Readjusting your hold on the pen you quickly signed the contract. Gently placing the pen back down where it sat before, your mind now clear, you started to walk out and away from the four single-file lines. ☓﹕Until you heard a scuffle at the other side of the room. Chu Su-bong and another player were towering over another player. You don't realize who the victim was until you hear the purple-haired one rather loudly announce the name "MG Coin." You wanted to scoff at the cheesy name. Clearly, if those guys were picking a fight with Myung-gi they must've been the people who invested in the coin. ☓﹕You know what? , serves him right. Facing his comeuppance face-on and head-on. But you couldn't help but feel some odd form of pity as you watched Su-bong almost swing on "MG Coin." Thankfully the other player riled him down. The two walked off and the air in the room stayed as stale as it was before. Something inside of you was eager to approach Myung-gi. Before you could stop yourself your feet were already walking to where he was sitting.

☓﹕He looked so small and so pitiful. His head was in his hands as he rubbed his face. Your steps were precise as you walked towards him. Your arms were crossed as you looked him up and down. "Was I just some joke to you?" You sneered. As soon as he heard you his head shot up. Eyebrows creased and mouth agape. The last time he had spoken to you, he didn't expect you to be here of the sort at all.

☓﹕"What are you even doing here?" He whispered, trying to keep his volume to a low. Not to make another fool of himself again. "I should be asking what you're doing here? Oh wait, never mind, I know. Guess I was dating a criminal. I wasted a lot on you. Supporting you, listening to you, being an above-average decent human being for you? And you repay me by keeping me in the dark about something as big as this?" You snapped back at him. Not holding back any resentment that grew towards him during your mutual time apart.

☓﹕"It's not like that-" Your eyes went wide and your jaw fully dropped. "No, I think it is like that. You don't hide stuff like this from someone Myung-gi! What was I even to you? And by your actions.. clearly nothing." He couldn't stop the scoff escaping him, which just pissed you off even more. "Do you ever stop talking? Everything was always my fault when it came to you. But when I tried to explain myself you'd immediately patronize me." ☓﹕"Patrionize you?! You didn't tell me you were wanted by the authorities! For five months, I thought you were just struggling. That's why I helped you so much. That's why I practically let you live with me after a while-" The realization came to you. Was he just using you to hide from the cops? He put his hands up in between the two of you. "When I met you I was in a rock and an even harder place. I-I was trying to turn a new leaf... I had hurt so many people. But you took me in and I..." ☓﹕"And you what? Found an easy cash grab to live off of until you felt guilty enough in that bitter heart of yours?" Your words pierced every muscle in his body. "I loved you, you piece of shit. I loved you a lot. You met my parents! You saw the best of me. You are acting like our time together was nothing. I for sure thought it was something and guess you didn't feel the same." A sigh left you as you got everything out. Everything that started to slowly form after you got that text.

☓﹕"... Are you only here to scream at me? Right now, here? Gotten it out of your system?" His words were like an even deeper twist of the knife. He clearly could see on your face that his response was the incorrect thing to say. He tried to stammer out an apology but you were already backing away. "I'm here to revel in your misery. I've seen enough... good luck." ☓﹕Turning around you noticed a specific player in the sea of people looking at you. She was sitting by one of the bunks. A hand gently cradled her stomach. Her eyes looked glazed over with unshed tears. Her stare was icy and almost demeaning as you looked back at her. They told a story that you didn't quite understand, at least not now. Shrugging it off you went to go find a place to cool down before the first game.

☓﹕It was comical hearing what the first game was. A children's game you used to play with your classmates when you were young. Shouldn't be that off-putting on the outside. Definitely was more with the larger-than-life doll staring all four hundred and fifty-six players down from the finish line. An older man, the 456th player, immediately ran up before the games even started. Yelling that this wasn't just any ordinary game. That lives were at stake and the doll had motion sensor eyes?

☓﹕You definitely started to believe him along with many others once the first player died. One by one gunshots rang out. Bodies were either piled up at the entrances or littered across the sandy ground. People immediately changed their tune and began to run in a lot more of an ordered fashion. Because the doll would only pick up the first person's motions. In following the orders this stranger shouted you actually made it to the finish line. You shockingly made it out alive... only after the first game. ☓﹕After a good chunk of the players were left, everyone was escorted through that colorful maze of stairs back to the dormitory. People were practically cowering in fear and begging for mercy from the guards. The same stranger who had practically saved the lives of every remaining player urged for a vote to take place. Since it was in the forms and already promised, it had to be done. ☓﹕The bloodshed you saw was terrifying. People dropped like flies even if their hands were trembling. It was mortifying to see so up close. By the time your number was called you immediately felt a sense of determination. You weren't desperate enough to watch others lose their lives while participating in gruesome children's games. Nor did you want to die here and have no one you knew realize you died. You'd rather get your body stripped for parts.

☓﹕It wasn't shocking that Myung-gi went for the opposite side as you. You clearly barely knew the man, so anything made sense at this point. It was neck and neck, practically so close to having your side win. But one person broke that, and the opposing side ended up winning. Their cheers were met with broken hearts and people who had just lost a fraction of their hope. ☓﹕The air in the room was building with tension. As players were given food one by one by the circle guards, the entire time in line you could only think about one thing. The girl who was staring daggers into your soul. You didn't know if it truly was something to worry about. But hell you had a ton of time to kill. So you thought the best thing to do was to try and ask the million-dollar question.

☓﹕You slinked back to the side. Your eyes scan around the spacious area to look for her. You recognized the same head of the older woman you had conversed with. During the first game, you noticed that in a fleeting second, the two had conversed. It must've been something to do with that. Right away you started walking over. Her son giving you the perfect moment to approach player 222.

☓﹕She was eating her food, not noticing your steps. At least that's what it looked like. You gripped the water bottle in your hand. Clearing your throat, you two made eye contact. Her gaze was less hurtful. More hollow, as if she was yearning for something. But you had no idea what. Words were stuck in your throat, you were at a loss. ☓﹕"Can I help you...?" Her tone was cautious as she let her tin of food rest in her lap. Her arms were more closed, resting towards her side. You stammered out a "Here." Your hand offered up the water bottle. Her eyes looked at the hand, and then back to you. Almost as if she was waiting for you to finish your sentence.

☓﹕"I-I saw you earlier in the game ... I know it's impolite but it was all just me guessing I didn't mean to offend you-" You were surprised you weren't cartoonishly slipping on a banana peel here. Expecting her to cut you off, she still kept on staring back at you. "Thank you." She whispered as the palm of her hand opened. You immediately handed her the water bottle.

☓﹕The quiet was suffocating. Everyone's conversation and consumption drowned out your subconscious. "Are you Jun-hee?" You abruptly questioned her. She lost all the color in her face. Instead of responding to you verbally, she nodded her head as she stared down into her lap.

☓﹕You could easily connect the dots. Myung-gi had mentioned her by name once when you asked him about his previous partner. She was here, trying to win to make money for Myung-gis unborn child. You had lived five months blissfully unaware of this, of any of this. "Is that why you were watching me earlier?" You asked with a tremble of your lip. Repeating her prior action, she nodded her head. ☓﹕"Oh my god... I... I'm so sorry." Your words were a mess as your past relationship with this perfect guy broke apart. You had fit each other so perfectly. You didn't expect this behavior from him, how could you? Jun-hee was clearly holding in a lot. But she couldn't muster any anger. You clearly were clueless about his lies. By the way, your eyes went wide and your mouth parted, she couldn't stop herself from feeling pity for you. ☓﹕"When I told him, he originally wanted me to get rid of it. Said that we'd handle it." She spoke up as her tone of voice wavered. "I had already invested into that Dalmation coin and he was being hounded by the cops. By then I found out about its failure, he already left my life without another word. I decided that our child didn't have a father anymore and kept it. It's been six months."

☓﹕Anger burned in your chest. Jun-hee looked like a sweet girl. She was so beautiful, like a little button. You felt wronged and betrayed but also vengeful? She stopped you from thinking any harder. "I don't need him. So please do not feel bad for me. When he left he lost his chance. I tried too many times to be there for him, but he didn't try once for me. He's not a good guy."

☓﹕Your head lulled in recognition as you listened intently. "I-I seriously had no idea. He told me a whole other story." She simply shrugged at your response. "That sounds like Myung-gi." She remarked in a reserved way of speech. You couldn't help but crack a small laugh in defeat because it sure was him. ☓﹕You felt pure remorse running through your veins. You extended a vine of friendship to the poor girl. "I know we know each other for the worst of reasons. But... I hold only anger for that man. If you need anything or anyone, you have a friend in me Jun-hee." You lamented as your shoulders lost some of the tension they held before. ☓﹕She plastered a small but noticeable smile on her face. Either real or fake, you took it as a win either way. "I appreciate your kindness." She politely remarked as her head bowed at you, you did the same. "You are a good person. I hope we make it out together and can form a real friendship." That seemed to lighten her spirits. "I hope so as well." Her words were direct but her tone was soft and gentle. ☓﹕You were already bothering her enough. With a small wave of your hand to bid her farewell, you began to walk away. Opening up your tin of food you spent the next couple of hours picking at the once-enclosed meal. You were too stuck in the past. Every sweet moment you had with Myung-gi rotted and turned sour. The only things that gave you any ease at night were thinking back to your exchange with Jun-hee and the warm glow of all the prize money in the middle of the ceiling.

☓﹕The next morning came as a definite wake-up call. The same classical elegant tune blared over the speakers. You wished you could curl back into bed with the pillow muffling the repentant noise. But thanks to the system in place you were stuck here. People were quickly rising out of beds, no one really stopping to sit.

☓﹕Walking down to stand at your bed post you noticed two familiar figures conversing. Myung-gis bruised face and Jun-hees stern brow. You could remember the fight that broke out in the middle of the room, and the reason why he looked so beat up. The same purple-haired guy, Su-Bong beating down on him with the help of what looked to be his sort of right-hand man. Only until the same player who broke the vote count tie stepped in. Myung-gis and Jun-hees exchange didn't look pleasant but no time to focus on that. Guards were already walking in, ready to escort every current participant through the game hall.

☓﹕After making it through the long and winding staircases, you were brought into a large room. It almost resembled an elementary playground. With the bright colors and two rainbow roads, as well as the back walls resembling a sort of school structure. You were set to make teams of five with ten minutes on the clock. Nobody wasted any time in finding teammates. You were having a hard time locating one to join.

☓﹕Time was ticking down bit by bit. It felt more like five minutes to decide who to team with as you saw people right away strategizing. Your fingers danced at your sides as you cautiously walked around. You had gotten rejected from two groups. One because they were already full, with wishes of good luck as you walked away. The other one was because they were also full and you didn't have "the look." ☓﹕Suddenly you heard someone trying to get another person's attention. When you looked back you saw that someone was trying to get your attention. The same guy who was ready to beat Myung-gi to a pulp if he had the chance. The same guy who was pushing people over in the first game as if they were only dominos. He walked with pride as two men followed behind him, one of them the same person who was also beating up on Myung-gi. ☓﹕"Owww Senorita... you're too cute to be alone. Let's play this game together." He purred as he approached you. His arms were crossed and his chest was clearly puffed up. Player 124 clearly didn't look happy about this. Chewing at his inner cheek with an unpleased look on his face. Player 256 was clearly awe-struck with the guy, practically ready to kiss the ground he walked on. ☓﹕You would rather get gunned down than be stuck with this guy and his lackeys. It was a hefty gamble... that's why you never participated in the act. Besides he may get you killed in the next game, if not in this one. So you flashed on a polite but guarded expression. "Sorry but, I'm alright over here." Player 124 scoffed in relief as Su-Bongs head turned back, almost as if sending him a long and lengthy message only with a glare.

☓﹕"It's only you over here though. Come onnn... I'll protect you the whole game. You don't have to worry about anything when you are in the Thanos world. It's a pretty perfect deal." He smirked with confidence. On accident you let a sheepish laugh slip out. He took that as the initiative to push even harder on your buttons.

☓﹕"Whatever the game is I'll destroy anything that tries to tear us apart." He hummed with a boyishly sinister way of speech. You've denied him multiple times by now. Before another polite "no" could be added to that list, you looked up to notice Myung-gi. He was standing in between you and Thanos. His feet are firmly planted in the ground. The clock just now ticked past four minutes.

☓﹕"Ahhh MG Coin, I'm a little busy over here." Thanos snarked as he took a step back. Myung-gi huffed out a reply, "She said no man. So listen to that and go find two other people." By the way, Thanos's expression appeared; he thought this was humorful. "Are you looking to continue where we last left off, MG Coin? I think your purple and new red would look nice together." He replied with promise laced around every word. ☓﹕Myung-gi wasn't backing down and you were taken aback. His body guards Thanos from approaching close to you a step further. Why was he doing this? The clock on the wall took no pause for this. Clearly, this little confrontation was only wasting time. Thanos backed down but "took it to heart." He placed his hands on his chest in a quick heart rate motion. "You hurt my feelings MG Coin. Thanos never forgets." He emphasized his statement as he and the two other players walked away in the opposite direction.

☓﹕As as the three men leave out of sight he's already turning around to face you. "Are you okay?" His voice was signaturely dry but almost sweet. Outwardly trying to sound as apologetic as possible without saying it. You hadn't seen Myung-gi act like that in a while. It definitely made something in you stir. But you weren't going to say anything of that. He was met with a similar closed-off attitude he was met with by Jun-hee. This time with anger simmering beneath the surface. ☓﹕"Is that your way of apologizing?" You remarked with no remorse. "I-I do feel terrible about what I said. Please... I'll explain it to you after you join me." Your eyebrows creased, your expression reading like he had just dropped a bomb of news onto you. "You don't have a team and the people I partnered with - we need one more person... I'm begging you." His voice was finally filled with genuine emotion and emotion that wasn't him whining about problems he caused. ☓﹕"Fine." Your response was one note but that's all that he needed. He led you over to the group of older men. They were much more friendly faces than some of the participants you had to interact with. The game was finally introduced, more like the game and minigames were introduced. Right away, as soon as the monotone voice on the speakers was done explaining the ins and outs, you all started talking about what games would be your biggest strengths. ☓﹕Watching each team go up was like a game of chance. Either both teams would cross the finish line with triumph and hurrahs of joy and relief. One would have their moment in the spotlight of victory while the other would be mercilessly gunned down. Teams who didn't even make it past the second or third game would be shot without notice by the time the timer was done. You tried to stay as focused as you could, examining the surviving team's strategies for your group's potential success.

☓﹕By the time yours and Myung-gis's team went up, there was still a pretty size-able audience left of players. You kept your hands gripped into fists as a circle guard locked your ankles together. The previous rounds of gunfire from the guards still rang in your ears. But your top priority was to survive all five games and make it out of this one alive. You weren't going to die running around a rainbow road playing some small little minigames anytime soon, that was below you. The five of you felt that same momentum coursing through your veins , and then you were off.

☓﹕The sportsmanship that coursed through the crowd with previous teams was already heavy. But experiencing that yourself felt electrifying. Like the only time players who wanted to leave and those who wanted to stay felt truly equal. It was another asset that pushed you and your fellow teammates to finish every game with perfect precision. Your mind wasn’t focused on your potential demise when your turn arrived. The cheers made you focus on the task in front of you.

☓﹕It was with Myung-gis's final kick that your team made it. You made it with time to spare! Arms quickly locked together, each final step you and your teammates made was quick and firm. Everyone erupted with applause and cheers as your team jumped around with utter relief and joy. You had the freedom to walk out with your spirits still held, being led back to the dormitory by a couple of the guards. ☓﹕Making it back, there were only a few teams in there. You had recognized the same familiar face of the older woman. The same woman who was conversing with Jun-hee and one of the winning teams. Other groups of players were littered around in tight units. Only some looked back to the door to see who arrived back. ☓﹕ It was a lot more quieter now compared to before the second game began. This made sense since more five-player teams still had to compete and make it out alive. The door unlatched open and you were absorbed in the ambiance of whispers and emptiness. You gave gentle nods of recognition as your older teammates boasted about your combined success. You noticed how sullen Myung-gi was. ☓﹕Your stomach contorted as a deep sigh left you. "Hey." He heard you call out to him. You were walking directly behind him. He slowly spun around to face you. His eyes bore into the ground under the two of you. "I-I know I... I know I messed up. Especially with you and I am sorry." He looked up to face you. But you were trying to guide him away to a more secluded area of the multiple bunks. He followed you like a lost puppy. ☓﹕You sat down on the edge of a random bunk, the metal under you squeaking at the sudden pressure. He sat down right beside you, arms hanging low in his lap. You looked to him as to give him the room to speak, to "explain himself." You could hear how tight his chest was while he spoke. Bursts of air left his upper frame at every grating word that left his mouth. ☓﹕"When I met you... I was a mess." Your head lulled in a nod as a sign for him to continue. "I had hurt so many people, so many people I once held close to me. But you didn't know who I was. You looked at me like... no one else had. You were someone who still thought of me with some respect. I-I didn't want to ruin the image you had of me so I was a coward and hid that from you." A shaky chuckle left him. His words were so warm, they reminded you of the good times you two shared together. But you were past feeling pity for him, it was more so guilt now. Guilt for a relationship built on falsities that you participated in. ☓﹕Your head turned in his general direction. But your eyes didn't meet him. "Were you using me?", you bluntly asked. "No... I took the help you offered me. I was happy with you-" Your eyes began to water. "I know about Jun-hee." He almost looked surprised as the two of you locked eyes. "... I didn't know about it. I didn't know she kept it." A sheepish chuckle left you as you wiped away falling tears from your eyes. Dribbling down your cheeks, staining them with your constant reminder of turmoil. You didn't want to cry in front of him, but he noticed. ☓﹕"My life was falling apart. I had people out there who wanted to see me hang for what I had done. Which ... wasn't entirely my fault if you think about it. I met you and you closed up all my wounds. You didn't look at me with shame so many others did. I finally felt good about myself for once in a very long time. But then my feelings just grew too complicated. I didn't want to pop our little bubble.. so... I ran away." ☓﹕"You're an asshole." Your words had so much emotion in them. But he couldn't help himself. "I know I am. I regret the times I could have been better... for you." A long and lengthy pause for silence grew in between the two of you. You rubbed your eyes as you thought of whatever you could say next. You were too tired to argue with him. "Do you promise me that if you make it out of this alive, with her, you'll be a better man..?" It was a dumb question to ask of him. Could men like Myung-gi ever change?

☓﹕"Yes. One hundred times yes." He nodded his head adamantly. Your expression was bittersweet. Your head lulled in a nod one more time before you just sat there with him. He turned his head away from your direction. Staring down into the floor, the silence shared between the two of you was almost comforting. It was a familiar sort of ember that burned in the coldness that was your entire relationship. -> "I hate your guts." He smiled, hearing an emotion that wasn't resentment in your voice. "You have every right to."

― ꒰AUTHORS NOTE: Aghhh I know this one was really angsty I'm sorry!! Guys, I love angst can you tell? The idea seemed so somber like u 2 r so tragic it’s aghhhhhh. I really hope this was an enjoyable read. If you’re interested in sending me a request , check out my currently pinned post<3 Ly all , byeee!!! ( ^ . . ^ )

[itsajollyjester]

yessss that defo answers my questions! ur thoughts on compassion & community intertwined w rebellion definitely show up in ur art lol. something more specific i have been curious abt is ur version of the endings of each specific hunger games & ur characterization/portrayal of the victors at those points! if u have any more thoughts abt any of those characters or their games id love to hear.... im also very not neurotypical abt hunger games

For sure!! But this is a novel and a half so I apologize in advance (also most of this is from memory so anyone can correct me if I'm getting any details wrong)

((TW: For visual depictions of Blood, Gore, and Wounds))

I realized I'd seen barely any art showing what the victors would have looked like when they won their games. They were all just kids and I feel like it can be easy to forget that sometimes

For all of them, I made the background one of their main "weapons" but tried to make it look like its turning back on them instead since there are no victors as Haymitch said.

I'll try to explain them all more in depth individually going in the order I drew them:

Finnick Odair, 65th Games:

His main weapons were his trident and nets that he made with vines. His background is one of the nets ready to trap him.

Finnick was the youngest victor ever at only 14. I really really wanted to emphasize just how little that is. (Especially since we know exactly why the Capitol loved him from the start…) Once I actually drew him looking that little I had to step away for a bit because I made myself too sad…

Outside of just how horrific his age is as a concept, I tried to think about what circumstances would lead to him actually winning when surrounded by older tributes. I think he would have had to avoid any kind of fight he didn't have the upper hand in. We know that he got the most expensive sponsor gifts in the history of the games (a trident), so he probably got plenty of sponsors outside of that as well. Because of that I doubt he needed to go looking for supplies much if ever so it was easy to avoid people there. He was also probably in a career pack, despite his age, due to his training and his popularity, and they would have hunted other tributes down together much like the one we saw in the first book (safer in numbers). Once it was narrowing down and the pack broke is when I think he started catching people in nets. All of that is a long winded way of saying that's why, unlike the other victors I drew, I only show him with minor cuts and bruises.

Originally I was going to draw him with a kind of strained smile like he was acting for an audience from the start. But I decided I actually think its sadder if he believed he was popular because of his skill and strategy as a fighter and only learned the whole truth after he won and that's when he started acting more for the camera. Instead I gave him a more muted despair kind of look, like his world is crashing down. One of my favorite parts about the movies, mainly THG and ABOSAS, is when they give the career tributes at the end a moment of realization about what they've done, and I wanted to give Finnick his. I'm a person that believes Finnick had to have volunteered for his games. I think he would have legitimately believed in the propaganda the career districts were fed and had a bit of a (very middle school boy) ego about his abilities. (I was NOT expecting to write so much about his lmao)

Enobaria, 62nd Games

She's most well known for ripping someones throat out with her teeth. (Her background is her sharpened teeth getting ready to eat her.) This is treated by The Capitol, and by Katniss, as grotesque and terrifying blood lust (Which obviously the Capitol loves her for). However, and I'm not at all the first to say it, that sounds more like a terrified and desperate attempt to survive a fight she was losing and an example of hysterical strength. We know that Career packs have had bloody betrayals in the past and I can see Enobaria being a part of one of them. Enobaria doesn't have a canonical age, but I decided to put her on the younger side (15 or 16.) I can imagine some of the older, bigger tributes deciding she was the weakest link towards the end and that was the result. I tried to make the blood around her mouth and down her shirt look more faded, like she tried desperately to wipe it off (Also I had to step away from drawing again after I drew her little tooth gap)

I think she probably leaned into the bloodthirsty image afterwards as a way to protect herself and (maybe even started to believe it too)

Annie Cresta, 70th Games

Annie's known for losing her mind after seeing her district partner decapitated in front of her. After that, she ran off and hid until the game makers started an earth quake, which made the large dam in the arena break and cause a huge flood. Annie was the only survivor because she was the strongest swimmer. So I decided to make her background dark water that's churning up and over her head. I also think it can work well as a way to show her mental state in the moment (and afterwards) Annie is actually one of my favorite characters in the series and I've been writing out a plan for a possible comic series about her that'll go more in depth about my headcanons for her. (when I say comic series, I mean sketches and oneshots, not a full thing lmao) It wouldn't take place during her games (outside of a few flashbacks when I need more context), instead it would start at her Victory Tour and go into her first (and last) year as a mentor for the 71st Games. Which is a perfect segue to-

Johanna Mason, 71st Games

Johanna is actually first mentioned early on in the first book when Katniss is wondering if the reason Peeta is crying is because he plans to act weak and helpless as a strategy in the games. (Katniss, he just found out he has to fight in a murder tournament with his crush. He's just Sad.) She bases her theory on Johanna, who pretended she was a "sniveling, cowardly fool" in the arena until the final stretch of the games when she proved to be deadly with an axe.

OR….. Katniss is an unreliable narrator and Johanna was actually a terrified kid from a district with so few victors that she was the only name in the bowl for the Quarter Quell… This is totally just a personal headcanon of mine tho lol. I think there would have been a point in her games where she realized she actually had a chance and that's when she seemingly had a huge character turn around. Maybe there was a infighting with the careers that ended in multiple deaths and there was only a few left along with any other tributes hiding away like her. Maybe she poked around what was left of their camp, found the axe, and felt strength from her district.

Her background was a little harder for me. Just slapping a big axe behind her felt cheesy. But them I remembered her saying there was no one left that she loved. So instead I put trees that could represent her loved ones (Two fully grown trees, a younger "teenage" tree, and a sapling) that are in the process of being cut down.

Haymitch Abernathy, 50th Games

Don't worry, I'm almost done. I don't have as much to say about Haymitch since we know SO much about what happened in his games. But his background was probably the hardest for me. His main weapon was invisible after all. I thought maybe the axe that was used, but again, That would look cheesy. I tried (and kinda failed imo) to draw the cliff side the force field was on instead. But the main thing I did was split the three panels I had on the previous drawings into six for two reasons. 1: Because he had to face twice as many tributes in order to win and 2: Being the only victor of a district that's tributes are seen as fodder for the blood bath means he had to meet and watch the death of twice as many kids every year.

[fulgurbugs]

What would the travelers Pokémon teams be?

I can totally see Alfyn having a Blissey. Therion seems like he’d have a Gengar, potentially.

ok. upon literally hours of deliberation and team building (i actually already had ones for the OT1 travelers but decided to revisit them and change a few picks) me and my bestie @snailcruncher have settled on some teams. i will be going in depth on reasonings for these so prepare for a long post lol. im gonna put it under a readmore because really im not joking about how long it is

we also came up with some ideas/lore for why some of these would be picked in a pokemon AU setting, so i’ll be explaining any of those thoughts if they’re relevant too.

Ophilia:

one of the only teams left untouched, I think this is a good batch for her. i’m imagining a scenario where the sacred flame takes the form of a pokemon, and it’s a lampent. frosmoth and togetic felt just like… the right vibe. Lapras and Ampharos both have associations with guiding, so they’re in. Audino is a notable healing pokemon, and it feels in line with her personality as well.

Cyrus:

Alakazam for mr high iq smart guy. duh. oranguru for his role as a teacher, and Runerigus would be a late acquisition to his team in his ch4. Flareon, Glaceon, and Jolteon for the 3 scholar spell types. i also think him having 3 eeveelutions could also be kind of like, they’re really good for demonstrations for single-type stuff, as well as being popular with others. people might come up to him and be like omg you have a flareon i love flareon pleaseeee tell me more (flirtily) which of course would go over his head and he would start telling you flareon facts. I feel like Cyrus would excel in double battles.

Tressa:

Meowth: the pay day signature pokemon. this is as close as i can replicate to tressa randomly finding money. Skwovet (she can now take her pet squirrel with her in a pokeball)

Gyrados for sure. one, she lives along an ocean, so she should definitely have a water type, two, i’m imagining a scenario where she buys a magikarp cheap, seeing the potential in it, then raises it into a real powerhouse. just like her!

carbink: really funny scenario me and the bestie came up with that instead of eldrite the treasure was diancieite. the carbink is from the same cave. tressa did try to evolve it with the diancieite. it didn’t work.

pidgeot… felt like she needed a flying type (wind magic rep) and i feel like she’d gravitate to the humbler normal types… doesn’t get much more straightforward than pidgeot. Dhelmise… maybe it used to be captain leons, maybe she fished it out of the harbor in rippletide herself. either way, she thinks it’s cool

Olberic:

Aegislash: sword form, shield form…. this pokemon itself is the unbending blade. obviously i have given him several other sword based pokemon, too.

gallade, escavalier, and sirfetch’d badically all fit this. they’re knight-like, so they feel fitting i think to him.

as for conkeldurr and garganacl, they feel kind of… solidly built. like him. ( ⬇️ garganacl pick lore)

Primrose:

almost all of her pokemon can learn some kind of dance though their level up. Oricorio is the obvious choice, dragonair reps dragon dance, beautifly reps quiver dance, and lilligant… well they can learn so fucking many. we couldn’t decide on which one to give her, so we ended up giving her both. they’re her backup dancers or whatever.

mawile just feels very primrose to me. its cute or pretty or whatever, and you might underestimate it… but watch out. it bites.

Alfyn:

he feels like a guy who loves a big fluffy dog. and stoutland has also been used in games for its ability to sniff out items, so it feels like it’d be a good pick for an apothecary looking to sniff out herbs and such. Comfey is an obvious pick, i mean its signature move is. floral healing. meganium also has mentioned in its dex entries its healing and calming properties. it’s also a cool as fuck dinosaur so i think alfyn would like it.

chatot. does this even need explanation

we also wanted to give him an ice type, and settled on cubchoo. it has a perpetually runny nose… even Alfyn can’t fix it, try as he might.

as for leavanny, we had some trouble picking the last slot on this team. we were looking through friendship evos, and leavanny caught my eye. it’s dex entries mention that it’s very gentle, it also shows no mercy to foes who target young pokemon. seems fitting… we decided alfyn got it as a swadloon (maybe it could be taught to use its sewing abilities to dress wounds?) and it evolved during his ch3.

Therion:

I think Krookodile, mimikyu, and klefki are quite obvious picks, so i won’t go too in on them. Ninjask and Shedinja…. Ninjask is super speedy, so it felt right to give one to therion, but also i feel like.. he’d keep the shedinja around. even with 1 hp and one billion weaknesses… it’s still a part of his team. it and ninjask were born from the same nincada. he couldn’t abandon it like that.

and applin lol. something about therion gives me “guy who’s going for a cool as fuck hydrapple and ends up with an appletun actually”

H’aanit:

If anyone’s allowed to have legendaries, it’s the hunters. Chien-pao is as close as we can get to a snow leopard. and yeah maybe it’s a little evil but H’aanit is built different. Decidueye feels like an obvious pick, and spirit shackle is a great signature move for the h’aanit vibe. trapinch for. leghold trap. kilowattrel is literally a thunderbird. and ariados… well, it has the ability sniper, to reference hunter’s crit boosting abilities, as well as having some trapping moves like webs. for the Hunters, I’ve left their last spot blank, but this just means like, a “flex” spot that would be different each time you battled them. H’aanits got boxes of options to choose from.

now, onto the OT2 ones!

Ochette:

I’m sure you can see what i’m going for here. it’s just the closest i could get to Akala/mahina and her 3 story beasts. and again, like H’aanit, the last spot is “flex” not empty, so imagine her bringing some different new bullshit to every battle.

Cassti:

i wanted to do a few things with Castti: obviously, give her some healing-y mons, but also a few oddball picks that might have you looking twice. picked Shiinotic because of its ominous dex entries, and then. toedscruel because i realize shiinotic actuallt doesn’t get spore i think? and i think castti “put em to sleep right in the street” florenz should have a mon with spore. (edit. i actually just cant read the bulbapedia tables and shiinotic does get spore. anyways she gets two spore mons i guess cuz what if she’s gotta knock out two people at the same time. or whatever. dustox emits toxic powder from its wings, which seems like it could be something castti would want to keep on hand for poison axe. these three might seem a little weird tho, and reinforce her bad first impression in canalbrine, even though i’m sure they’d all be very well behaved and nice. Blissey and Arboliva are straightforward healing picks. I feel like these would be common for apothecaries to have in general.

and then galar-slowking. poison-activated brain nonsense. i feel like she acquires this one post-amnesia. they feel a kinship with each other.

Throné

Throné’s team is half-blacksnakes dedicated, half catered to herself. Every blacksnake has a seviper or an ekans, as well as probably most of them also having other grunt-esque pokemon, like zubats and such. throné’s taken care of hers, though, and friendship evolved it into a crobat.

chose furfrou because i think throné would like a prissy little dog she can dress up cutely. milcery, which she’s waiting on evolving until she can figure out what alcremie form she wants, and a shade-cherrim.

oh, and zangoose, of course. the natural enemy of sevipers. one appeared to her right after she left new delsta. what a sign, right?

Osvald:

Osvald we had some interesting stuff to work with, I think. we decided that most of his pokemon were newly acquired after his prison escape- not on purpose. they seem to just take a liking to him and start following him around.

the avalugg helped get him out of the frozen water at cape cold, and then stuck with him.

the teddiursa.. also just stuck with him. we wanted to give him something that felt a little oddball for him… so this doesn’t evolve. it stays cute and unevolved forever.

the shuppet was found hovering around the ruins of Osvald’s house. he was reluctant to take it, but if it was formed out of some semblance of his desire for vengeance… he has to be responsible for it.

the Indeedee is the only one of osvalds old pokemon, out of this lineup. since indeedee are so helpful to people, it was kind of a family pokemon acquired after elena’s birth (dex mentions they’re good at babysitting.) Osvald could probably also trust it with simple lab assistant tasks like moving stuff around. was a very beloved pokemon within their family. anyways, following his sentencing, clarissa managed to get ahold of the indeedee and took care of it all this time. when osvald returns, it’s clear it wants him to take her with him.

the drampa was acquired after the events of montwise, having shown up and basically just forced itself to go with osvald. somehow it seems to know what’s going on and who it can trust…

and slowking.. well, smart guy needs a smart pokemon. it’s another one that took a shine to him, though at that point he was getting used to this happening.

Partitio:

Talonflame: partitio’s aptitude for fire magic and the “chickadee” nickname made this an obvious choice for an ace. I can imagine a young partitio’s first pokemon being a fletchling, for sure.

bramblegast. the funny tumbleweed. put it on the team immediately.

Milotic: Paritio picked up a feebas. having a knack for seeing the potential in pokemon, he wasn’t wrong, and now hes got this thing. it’s very popular with other people, though it seems an odd pick for partito at first glance to strangers.

armarouge: ok this one’s a little convoluted so i will explain it later. kind of vibes based pick tho lol. revavroom kind of. uhh. steam engine. (we can pretend)

there ain’t a more partitio pokemon out there than gholdengo. everyone say thank you scarvi for giving partitio most of his team.

Agnea:

hey, it’s another oricorio! i think you can guess why.

volcarona: learns fiery dance, but we thought up even more lore on this one. the larvesta was a family pokemon. mostly belonging to Garud (we ended up deciding that the Bristarnis had a lot of bug types, who help out with the sewing stuff and larvesta does give a little bit silkworm, lol..)

anyways, part of his blessing for sending agnea off was telling her to take the larvesta, who also turned out to be a dazzling star in the end too… after a lot of hard work.

altaria and leafeon rep dragon and swords dance. i just feel like they’re good picks for her energy, too. lunatone reps the moonstep. I’ve also opted to give her a sunny cherrim, which i think would be cute contrasted with Throné’s gloomy one.

Temenos:

temenos has quite the oddball lineup for a cleric. but hes kind of an oddball cleric so i think it works.

Absol. man. a lot of shit happens to temenos. this absol is stressed tf out 24 fucking 7. sorry man.

Clefable: felt like we had to give him a healer-adjacent pokemon and this one evolves with a moonstone. feels fitting for mr night-ability mistral tbh.

Lokix. alright. another scenario based pick. Temenos caught this thing on the pilgrims way as a nymble at like level 2. probably rustling in the metaphorical tall grass, crick is all “get behind me, it could be dangerous” and then. lvl 2. nymble. doesn’t even need to be fought to be caught. and then temenos is all hey crick, it’s a “crick”et pokemon! (we’ll ignore that the dex says grasshopper) he’d keep it just to mess with crick, but it ends up sticking around.

Houndoom. well, temenos is the pontiff’s hound, so we did need to pick a dog for him. it’s a houndour in the beginning, houndoom by the end. probably evolved in a moment of crisis (in ch4?) the yamask is from crackridge.

wooloo. this is actually Crick’s. it wasn’t helping with the little lamb allegations… after the events of stormhail, Temenos takes it in.

Hikari:

Kingambit: i mean. come on. gotta get a kingambit for the future king.

Gardevoirs dex entire mention that it is dedicated to its trainer/cause to the bitter end, and would do anything to protect it. perfect for Hikari.

Morpeko and Zweilous. some literally two-faced pokemon. (maybe he feels a little bit of a kinship with them in that way) i also really wanted to give Hikari a pseudo-legendary, and i think that his zweilous would probably evolve just in the nick of time to kick some ass against mugen. Hydreigons might be notoriously destructive, but something about the personalities merging into one brain in evolution seems to have mellowed Hikari’s out. it’s remarkably personable, for a hydreigon.

lucario: i really wanted to give him a pokemon that learns copycat, and lucario fits that bill. plus, he definitely needed a fighting type.

Cerudelge: formed from bitterness of old cursed armor, but also an extremely skilled sword fighter… one of hikari’s aces.

I also like to imagine that a lot of hikari’s pokemon are quite difficult to deal with (his ceruledge in particular is quite belligerent and mean) but they all have utmost respect for him as a trainer, once they’re on the battlefield. but onlookers sometimes worry… how the hell does he deal with it all?

other notes about some of the picks :

Partitio’s amarouge. Paritio picked up a. charcadet later on, and hikari personally warned him that it might be difficult to deal with. (his charcadet and later ceruledge were super hard to train for him) of course, partitio did end up in possession of the cool nice armor that evolved it into the better mannered and nobler armarouge… but honestly, even his charcadet was far better behaved.

paritio and tressa both get those shitty fish that get cool. must be because they both have an eye for a diamond in the rough.

agnea and throné’s cherrims are best friends. throné rarely got to see her cherrim sunny-form until she left new delsta… she wonders if maybe it was upset about being so nocturnal before, with the blacksnakes.

castti and osvald, team mom and team dad somehow both ended up with slowkings. everyone’s a little concerned about castti’s, though…

after the events of his story, Osvald leaves indeedee and teddiursa with clarissa and elena. the teddiursa and elena in particular take to each other very well… when osvald finally is able to return to elena’s life, the teddiursa is really much more her pokemon.

also. H’aanit and Ochette and far and away the best battlers of both groups. i know i only have them with one flex spot, but you can imagine that they’d swap out a lot more for whatever they need to do to build a good team. they’ve got loads more options than everyone else.

you know that thing about giving someone an applin in galar? therion did trade it over to alfyn at one point. but really they have joint custody of that thing. which definitely ended up as an appletun.

we also had some npc aces sprinkled in there, so here’s some other thoughts, just as bonus!

Malaya: Pawmot (revival blessing), rapidash.

Elena: Abra

Harvey: Hypno, Bacephalon

Pala: Kricketot (formerly belonged to her and agnea’s mom)

Roque: Metagross

Kazan: Husuian Braviary

Ori: Chatot

Trousseau: Glimmora

Cordelia: ….ferrothorn

Erhardt: Aegislash, Hisuian Samurott

Z’aanta: Zamazenta

Juvah: is literally a solgaleo

Darius: Scrafy/Pangoro

Simeon: Malamar

Esmeralda: Mismagius (wanted to give her something with perish song)

Mattias: drifblim? darkrai?

Lucia: Hatterene

Miguel: Grimmsnarl

Werner: spectrier

Mugen: Kingambit. mirror match with Hikari, but mugen’s has supreme overlord while Hikari’s has defiant.

Kaldena: we couldn’t pick but maybe she goes like lusamine mode and fuses with something.

Claude: Cradily. (uh. literally fossil pokemon)

Dolcinea: belive it or not, also an oricorio. also, solrock. but her oricorio is the prettiest.

veronica: she has somehow acquired the worlds first and only female gallade through the power of lesbianism.

Crick: … wooloo….

I do wanna make some drawings for these ideas, but this post was literally already one billion miles long and has way too many images, so it’ll probably be a separate post. thanks for the ask! and sorry for talking so much, but i fucking love making pokemon teams so much it’s insane.

and a big thank you again to my bestie @snailcruncher who helped me with a lot of these picks (and did basically all of the npc picks thank you so much i love you). tysm for pokemon octopath brainrotting with me for like 4 hours.

[questionableratatouille00]

𝓜𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓞𝓷 8

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader

Summary: When the anniversary of Natasha’s passing comes around, Y/n feels another wave of grief coming to knock her down. But with the support of her friends, and a special visit to Natasha’s grave, she knows that she can keep going. And she knows that Nat would be happy for her.

Warnings (Entire Series): This series deals with mature topics, including, but not limited to: death, mental health issues, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, grief, trauma, general unwellness, illness (both mental and physical), and a most likely inaccurate portrayal of group therapy (though it’s much better than whatever was going on in TFATWS.) Please mind the warnings below.

Warnings: cursing, dead romantic partners, death, wind symbolism, graves and cemeteries, way too many references, depression and depression themes, therapy, bad hygiene, and mental health issues. As always, let me know if more needs to be tagged.

🌻Series Masterlist 🌻

𝐈 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧

It had been a while since that...incident. The leaves had changed colors and fallen off the trees, which all turned dark. Snow had began to dust the ground, and the wind had begun to bring shivers to everyone outside.

And with the cold weather came a dreaded anniversary. One you knew was coming, but that hadn’t made it better.

Everyone else could see it too. The way your mood seemed to dampen, the way your smiles began to not reach your eyes, the way you seemed more and more tired each time they saw you.

Snow was on the ground now, but some things stayed the same.

Group therapy was still going on, and it gave you a reason to get out of your house.

“Now, I’d like to talk about support, and why it’s so important to have a support system.” Coulson introduced the topic. “Does everybody know what a support system is?” As the group nodded along, he grinned.

“Great. Why don’t we go around in a circle and share one reason why having a support system is important?” He invited the conversation.

Every session had the same structure. You walk in, everyone shares how they’ve been that week and what they’ve done or whatever, then the topic is introduced and discussed, then you play some kind of game, and then everybody chats a little bit before leaving. You found comfort in the routine.

Clint went first. “It’s important because if you have one, you’ve got people to rely on and help you out with stuff.”

Tony nodded, before beginning to speak. “And people who can tell when you’re having a breakdown.”

Then it was your turn. “When..when you feel like nothing is getting better and nothing is going to get better, having..having people around to talk to, or to..relate with, even….it helps.” You murmured.

“Yeah. And when you’re spiraling, you’ve got friends and family who can pull you out of it.” Wanda nodded along. You gave her a small smile.

“See ya, kid.” You waved to Peter on your way out. He waved back, beaming.

“Bye, Ms. Y/n!” It had taken so long to convince him to not call you Ms. L/n, so you accepted the name.

“Bye, Maria.” You shot a smile at the receptionist.

“Have a good day, Y/n.” She smiled warmly.

“You too!” You called as you walked out the door. You let out a breath as the cold wind picked up outside. You walked down the bumpy sidewalk towards your car.

“Y/n!” Wanda called for you, a smile on her face.

When you turned to look at her, her smile dropped.

“Oh, hey, Wands.” You used the nickname.

“Are you okay? You seemed more..down, than usual.” She noted.

“Yeah, just..tired. Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.” You explained. It wasn’t exactly a lie. You truly hadn’t slept very well. Stupid nightmares.

“Oh. Okay. Uh..do you wanna FaceTime later or something?” She asked. It had become normal for the two of you to FaceTime every so often.

“Sure,” you answered, as you gave her a nod before you began to walk away.

The worst part is when you start losing your sense of joy.

Your favorite meal, which you’d cooked for dinner the night after therapy, didn’t taste as good. And it wasn’t an error on your part—you’d cooked it perfectly, just like you normally would. But when you ate it, it…just didn’t hit.

It was hard to not think your brain was broken. Well, in a way, it kinda was now, but apparently that’s not a good word to use.

You began to fall back into old routines.

You get up. You get ready. You go to work. You drive home. You turn on the TV. And then, you just sit. 

Sometimes you call Wanda.

You turned down the group’s offer to go to lunch that week. And the week after that.

Normally, the group would go to lunch together once a week. You were all really becoming friends. Sometimes it would be right after therapy, other times it would just be a different day of the week.

You were interrupted in your moping by the sound of your phone buzzing. It was Wanda.

Hey! Made some tea and I have some extra water. Feel like stopping by? The text read.

Sorry, I’m busy today. Maybe some other time, though! You typed back.

No worries. I thought you stopped working weekends though?

“Shit.” You murmured as she caught you in your lie.

You sighed, before pressing the FaceTime button. “Hey.” You greeted.

“Hi.” She smiled, her mug of tea visible. You were propped up on something on her kitchen table, so you could see her from the chest up. Her hair was up in a bun.

“I..I’m not busy.” You confessed.

“Yeah, I know.” She admitted.

“It—I just—“ you sighed. “Today’s the uh, the anniversary, so..”

“Oh, Y/n, I’m sorry.” She frowned. “Her grave’s at Dreykov Cemetery, right?”

“Uh…yeah?”

“Can you be there in two hours?”

“The hell—sure I guess?” You were really fucking confused. Was this a normal things for friends to do for each other?

Regardless, you got up off your ass and took a shower. You changed into some clean clothes and brushed your teeth, something you’d been neglecting as of late (much to your shame and embarrassment.)

You grabbed your keys and walked out of your apartment, down the stairs, and to your car. You drove out to Groot&Rocket, a local floristry business. You picked out a nice bouquet of flowers suited for winter, paid for it, and began to drive down to the cemetery.

You found the whole group waiting at the entrance. They all gave you warm smiles, with Wanda rushing up and giving you a tight hug. You wrapped your arms around her, making sure to not mess up the bouquet.

“Oh, I’m sorry Y/n.” She murmured in your ear.

You just rubbed her back in response. You both pulled away after a moment and walked towards the rest of the group.

“Hey, you guys.” You breathed as you stood before them.

“Hey.” Steve replied, a gentle smile on his face. Bucky gave you a tiny wave. Tony gave a nod in greeting, and Thor opened his arms for a big hug as he walked towards you. You passed the bouquet to Wanda, knowing that there was no escaping this.

He squeezed you tight in a massive bear hug, shaking you from side to side ever so slightly.

You laughed a little, and he grinned, knowing he’d done his job right.

“You guys really didn’t have to come out here, you know.” You said awkwardly.

“Relax,” Bucky hummed, clapping a hand on your shoulder, “you’d do it for us. You did it for me.”

Sam nodded in agreement. “It’s the least we could do.” You noticed they each had something in their hands. Flowers, small trinkets, normal stuff.

In Wanda’s were a small bouquet of flowers, not a sunflower in sight. She also had the yellow Care Bear in her left hand.

“Oh, uh, right this way.” You said, awkwardly leading the group through the graveyard.

Natasha was buried beneath a tall and beautiful tree. You looked up at it, its leaves still looking okay, even in the cold winter. You kneeled next to her grave, dusting away the snow gently. You adjusted some things already left at her grave, either from friends or family, before setting down the flowers. Then you stood up and took a few steps back.

Everyone took turns leaving stuff. First Bruce. Then Tony. Then Thor. Steve. Sam. Clint. Bucky. And then Wanda.

It’s gotta be wrong of me, your thoughts echoed around in your head. Bringing the girl I kind-of-maybe-sort-of have a crush on to the grave of my dead former girlfriend.

Just then the wind swirled through, and you watched as Wanda’s hair danced in the wind. She was beautiful.

It felt like Nat was telling you that you were being a stupid idiot. And that she was happy.

That it was okay. Okay to let her go.

No, a part of you wailed. Just like you had in her hospital room. Just like you had when you got home that night. Just like you had when Yelena showed back up.

It’s okay, the wind seemed to sing as it blew through again. Let me go.

And so you let her go.

A/n: hi everybody!! I hope you all had the best and most wonderful holidays. I would love love love to talk about this series, so don’t be afraid to send in an ask!

[reikunrei]

"...the most scared out of all of us."

Several months ago, when I first started playing around with Doctor Who analysis as it pertained to Stranger Things, I decided to watch one of my favorite episodes for fun:

Season 4, Episode 11: Midnight

I posted some screenshots of it because some of the lines/ideas presented in it are very.... y'know. And while I didn't go into the episode with any memory of similarities to st, I found myself surprised by the number of shared details between the two shows. So, I figured... why not make a little postie about it?

So, the episode stars the Doctor and his companion, Donna, visiting a crystalline planet named Midnight. Donna stays behind for a spa day at the so-called "Leisure Palace" that's been erected as a tourist spot while the Doctor goes on a many-hours-long shuttle tour to a sapphire waterfall. The planet itself is extremely dangerous with an entirely uninhabitable atmosphere - there is absolutely no life on the planet, aside from visitors who are in highly equipped buildings and vehicles that stave off the literally vaporizing planet exterior.

Thus, with Donna staying behind, the Doctor is now alone with a bus full of strangers, who tuck in for their long trek to the crystal falls.

Just to get the other characters out of the way for clarity's sake, we have the hostess, a lone passenger named Sky, husband and wife Biff and Val Kane and their son Jethro, and Professor Hobbes and his assistant Dee Dee. There's also a driver and a mechanic on board who are in the cockpit.

The driver explains to them all that they're taking a slight detour, as part of the usual path has been obstructed by debris, and they begin their venture into totally uncharted territory.

While normally the bus has myriad entertainment for the long trip, the Doctor, using his Sonic Screwdriver, shuts down the overwhelming number of devices, which results in all of the passengers talking and getting to know each other better. We get several short scenes of everyone talking and laughing, sharing stories and such. Most notably, the Doctor sits with Sky over lunch and they chat about why they're there. The Doctor explains he didn't come here alone, he's with Donna, but she didn't want to come along the tour. Sky explains that she's recently become single because "she (her partner) needed her own space" and is still getting used to traveling alone.

Prof. Hobbes even gives a brief presentation on the planet Midnight. It's his specialty, and he's been on this exact tour to the falls 14 times now.

This is emphasized a lot through the episode: there's no life on the planet, no one has ever set foot on it or touched it in any actual way, and they really don't know what's out there, aside from the general agreement that there shouldn't be any life that can exist on its surface. As I said earlier, they've even taken a path different from the normal route, so they wind up in places that literally no one has ever been before.

While it's confirmed that both the UD and Dimension X contain forms of life in the shape of the democreatures and the Shadow, the sentiment reminded me a lot of Vecna's whole "unspoiled by mankind" thing; and Henry's exclamation in the VR game that "there's life" in the UD, as if it's a surprise.

Then, suddenly, the bus stops. It shudders, the lights flicker briefly, and they come to a halt for seemingly no reason. Everyone is immediately concerned, especially Sky, who snaps that there's "no point in denying it" when Prof. Hobbes explains that the buses never stop on these tours.

The Doctor weasels his way into the cockpit to talk to the driver and mechanic to see what's up, and they all confirm that nothing is actually wrong, they've simply stopped. As they're stopped, the Doctor goads the driver into lifting the screens on the windows (as seen in the last screenshots) just to get a glimpse of the planet in the few minutes of safety they have behind the glass. However, the mechanic spots something strange.

No further comment necessary.

When the Doctor returns to the other passengers, Sky is still agitated. Dee Dee probes him on his explanation that the engines are "just stabilizing" because they're "micropetrol" engines that don't stabilize. When Prof. Hobbes further asks what's wrong, the Doctor gives a non-answer. Someone throws out the question of how much air they have; Val and Biff overhear and ask, frantic, what they just said. Even the hostess gives a non-answer when asked if they're running out of air, what's going on, etc. etc., until everyone, frightened, begins yelling over one another. The Doctor quiets everyone down and Dee Dee explains that these buses are designed to filter air so they won't run out, shutting down that fear. However, they still don't know why they've stopped.

Then, something bangs on the outside of the bus - two knocks. Prof. Hobbes and Dee Dee try to explain it away with the metal of the bus cooling/settling or rocks falling on the sides. However, the banging happens again and again, moving down the length of the bus. Again, it's (allegedly) impossible for anyone to be outside. The knocking even moves to the back emergency exit, where it begins trying to rattle with the door handle.

"It" is what "Henry" calls the Shadow in TFS rather than "he."

The banging moves to the roof of the bus before trying the main entrance. Biff knocks on the door three times, and the mystery knocking returns the three knocks. The Doctor knocks four times, and it returns four times. Now it's confirmed that it's something sentient. Sky is especially freaked out by this.

When the bus finally settles again, Jethro notices that Sky is sitting, crouched, on the floor at the front of the bus with her hands on her head. The seats around her have been ripped off the floor, as if by some unnatural strength. The Doctor approaches her to comfort her, telling her they're alright and the wall of the bus is still intact, though horribly dented inward.

The hostess can't get ahold of the driver, and thus tries the door to the cockpit, only to find that it's been entirely ripped off of the front of the bus. They slam the door shut before anyone can get sucked out. Thankfully, a distress signal and their location had already been sent out, but the driver and mechanic are dead, "reduced to dust." Like they were...... dematerialized......

The Doctor re-approaches Sky in an attempt to get her to come out of hiding. Jethro comments that the knocking has stopped, but what if that means it's now inside? "It was heading for her," he says as he nods toward Sky, who the Doctor is finally pulling out of hiding. However, when she turns to look at them all, she's unnatural. Her gaze flicks rapidly between everyone as she stares, wide-eyed and blank, like she's studying them. The Doctor cocks his head at her, and she cocks hers back. He asks her name, and she repeats it back to him.

He begins asking if she's hurt, etc., and she repeats the same questions and phrases right back to him. When the others start speaking, she whips her head toward them and echoes their words as well.

Again, no further comment necessary, aside from a quick link to Em's post about doppelgangers and making a special highlight of "when One kills, he consumes."

This continues to frighten everyone, who begin talking over each other and yelling at Sky to stop copying them when she, obviously, continues. Jethro gleefully begins shouting silly things to get her to repeat, specifically yelling "666." Ah, Victor Creel, emo kid Colin Morgan would've believed you when you said it was a demon.

Only when the backup power system kicks on does everyone get startled out of their panic, but as the hostess is telling everyone to calm down, they find that Sky's condition has progressed...

Here I also want to point out the growing change in Sky's physical demeanor. At first, as seen in the previous set of screenshots, her expression is fairly blank. However, as seen above, she starts to appear almost smug. And this continues through the episode; even the cadence of her voice is almost sing-song-y and smarmy. This isn't actually pointed out in the show, nor is there any clear explanation offered, but in my opinion it's likely due to the entity feeding off of/finding glee in the fear its behavior instills in the passengers, and likely beginning to pull from the actual personalities of the people on board to form something other than a blank slab repeating words.

The Doctor speaks with to her directly again, asking if it's really Sky, asking how she's doing this, and pondering what the "next stage" is. When someone asks if it's not Sky anymore, the Doctor says he doesn't think so and ushers everyone to the back of the bus, as far away from Sky as possible (though this doesn't stop her from echoing them).

The Doctor urges them to not even look at Sky, and Dee Dee quotes Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market," specifically the lines, "We must not look at goblin men, we must not buy their fruits: Who knows upon what soil they fed Their hungry thirsty roots." I don't quite have the bandwidth to delve deeper into this whole poem, as it's quite long, but shout out to the word "roots."

Another shout out to the word "sick" here, especially when we were told earlier in the episode that Sky is queer. Thank you Stav for your words in the words show analysis.

Much like how the Shadow was confirmed in TFS to feed off of fear/is triggered by fear, this entity clearly sought out the fear in Sky and found her a suitable target. It's never outright confirmed or explained, but this is a fairly easy assumption to reach based off of how frantic Sky was, more so than anyone else on board. As for "monster" getting struck down in favor of her just being a woman... well, no further comment necessary, once again.

The Doctor speaks to everyone about how while there's a consciousness inside of Sky, she might still be in there and they have to help her. However, everyone is too afraid to get near her, to the point that the hostess suggests they throw her out instead. Val cries about how she can't even look at Sky's eyes (a sentiment that's been stated already and comes up again; they're frightened by how she's looking at them, which reminds me of the weirdness with eyes and eye-color changing in ST that James and Em have spoken about).

There's a lot of back and forth, with most people hesitantly then enthusiastically agreeing that they should throw her out, because maybe if they kill the physical body, it'll remove the threat, but the Doctor pleads with them not to kill anyone. He asks if they really want to meet this new life form and show they're just a bunch of murderers, or will they decide they're better than that?

Ultimately, all fearful, they, one by one, agree that they could, in fact, throw her out with no remorse.

So much good st2 language, mwah tasty.

When people still don't back down, the Doctor says they'll have to go through him first if they want to throw out Sky, and everyone sorta just goes "...okay." The Doctor asks, again, if any of them could really grab hold of someone and chuck them out the door. His insistence begins making them suspicious, and they all start to turn on him. The Doctor insists he's frightened and confused just like them; he isn't in on this, he's not "working with" Sky, but he, trying to hide his identity and being naturally fascinated by this never-before-seen lifeform, only makes them more wary of him. Val even says that "his eyes are the same as hers... It's a symptom!" and he's accused of lying from the very start of their trip. They all begin to believe that he's somehow involved with what's going on with Sky and threaten to throw him out with her.

Then, Jethro, again, notices a change.

She's latched onto the Doctor alone, likely because of his heightened fear due to having his life threatened. Val once again uses this as evidence that they're working together, but the Doctor ignores her and crouches in front of Sky. He asks her why she's "captured" his speech. He wonders if the entity has picked up that he's the smartest one there as a Time Lord rather than a human, and maybe it's chosen him because he's the only one who can help, whether it be giving the entity "life or form or consciousness or voice," and insists she doesn't have to "steal" it. However, he also sees the look in her eyes, and gets the feelings it's not help the entity wants.

He promises to help her, asking "Do we have a deal?" But the words come out of Sky's mouth first.

When the others ask the Doctor what's happening, Sky answers first, saying, "I think it's moved. I think it's letting me go." As they speak to Sky, they all come to the conclusion that this entity has moved from her and into the Doctor instead. Dee Dee, however, seems unconvinced. She's ignored, though, in favor of listening to Sky as she expresses that she's "coming back to life."

When they get Sky back onto her feet, this conversation ensues:

It's a lot of similar language to stuff about the UD and the flayings, especially irt Will in st2 and Henry listed as being "possessed" in the Weekly Watcher and possibly having an exorcism. I continue to be shocked by how so many episodes in Doctor Who revolve around concepts that are so akin to the Shadow.

Sigh. Once again, no additional comment necessary, aside from another Stav post about blood.

I want to emphasize the change in pronoun use. Throughout ST, most often the Mind Flayer/Shadow and Vecna have had "he" used for both of them, as they've become conflated. However, in TFS, "it" is solely used to refer to the Shadow. Throughout this dw episode, "it" and "she" were used quite interchangeably when speaking about Sky, and same here, we get this use of "it" and "he" for the Doctor, starting out separate with "it went into him" until he just becomes one whole entity under "he." It's conflating things, narrowing it down to be "easier to understand."

Dee Dee shouts that it's not the Doctor who's doing it, he's "just repeating." However, that's what it did the first time, so it's the same this time, right? Dee Dee disagrees, saying that this seems like the progression the Doctor talked about earlier; this is the next stage, not the entity having moved to a new host.

Val, frustrated, insists that she saw it move from her to him, despite none of them having seen such a thing, simply assuming it instead. Even Jethro is hesitant to agree with his mom, but ultimately does so when she pushes him. Everyone begins arguing as Dee Dee continues to say that it's not inside the Doctor, and Sky smugly says that, "That's how he does it. He makes you fight. Creeps into your head... and whispers... inside." It's all very “Henry” being goaded into killing animals by the Shadow in TFS, and the Shadow and Shadow Brenner talking to and taunting Henry in the VR game.

Being egged on and having their assumptions confirmed by Sky, Biff grabs the Doctor and begins dragging him toward the door to throw him out. The Doctor, now frozen due to being controlled/taken over by the entity, cannot fight back and simply continues repeating what Sky says.

However, Sky begins saying things that, through the episode, were established as being things the Doctor specifically says (the phrases "molto bene" and "allons-y" being common catchphrases in this episode and through David Tennant's three seasons). The hostess takes immediate notice of this, since she was present for the times he used these phrases, and she finally really realizes that Sky has taken his voice. Under the clamor, Sky is saying that, "The starlight waits! The emptiness. The Midnight sky."

Acting fast, the hostess rushes Sky and grabs her, hits the button to the emergency exit door, and throws out herself and Sky. The door automatically shuts behind them before anyone else can be affected by the atmosphere, instantly cutting off the Doctor from the entity, and he falls to the floor, muttering that, "It's gone, it's gone..."

Golly, did I say this post would be little? Sorry, I am incapable of making these posts without listing out the entire plot of the episodes so you guys have full context! Anyway.

What I really wanted to talk about irt this episode was the immense focus on fear, and specifically fear of the unknown and how that makes people behave in illogical, dangerous ways. It's a lot of knee-jerk reactions and wanting to swiftly remove the threat before fully understanding what the threat actually is. We don't even know if Sky could have actually been saved! She very well may have still been alive underneath the entity, but in the mess of everything, they couldn't take the time to figure it out and actually try to save her.

Obviously, all of that made me think of things with the Shadow, and especially of Will in st2 when he fully changes as a person/seems to be entirely taken over with everyone else being hard-pressed to break through to him.

However, more specifically, everything else about it just screams the situation around Henward, and specifically what we see in TFS.

"Henry" is dealing with something unknown having taken over his mind and body, feeling urges that do not belong to him that he's being pushed into anyway. But what drives the mess deeper and deeper is the fact that people (Virginia, Patty, etc.) are frightened of him. They think it's him and not something else making him do these awful things. They refuse to actually help him, or even listen to him to figure out what would actually best help him, thus condemning him... essentially to death, just like Sky, all because they simply don't understand and are scared of that.

They listen to their own fear instead of understanding that Henry is scared too. This is also an issue with the fandom at large, but we won’t get into that rn.

Similarly, the Party and the rest of our main cast are, understandably, scared of Vecna. However, it’s clouded their judgement. We all know I’m a huge proponent of the “there’s more than one guy” theory, and thus this issue of conflating people and things leads to poor decisions when it comes to trying to fix the issue, ultimately resulting in a worse outcome.

In Midnight, the rest of the passengers, terrified and frazzled, believe the first and simplest solution presented to them: the entity has left Sky and instead entered the Doctor. Therefore, if they throw the Doctor out of the bus, the problem will be solved; they'll be safe. However, obviously, this isn't the case, and due to their misunderstanding, they would turn a completely innocent man to dust and still have the entity residing among them.

Similarly, in st4, we're presented with a "new" villain: Vecna. Our team has discovered that the source behind everything that's happened to them is this one guy locked in another dimension, hidden in (more or less) plain sight. He is wreaking havoc and boasting about it, but it feels like a very big, flashy way to cover up another, more long-existing villain that's been present since the start of the show: HNL and, specifically, Brenner.

Take a victim -> Push him into unsavory acts -> Mold him into a villain, whether in real life or in retellings (lies) of his existence -> Hide in his shadow and fall out of focus.

It all feels a little too planned, y'know? Because the beginning of everything can always be traced back to the lab, but suddenly it's like everyone has forgotten the roots of the tree and decided to chop off one of the branches and call it good.

Which leads me into a brief thought I had about NINA when I was watching this dw episode, which was spurred by the characters claiming their voices were "stolen" or "captured" by Sky. Especially once Sky fully captured the Doctor's voice and was speaking "on her own." She uses his voice to goad the others into killing him, which, presumably, would have given the entity full control/absorption of his voice.

I've said it already, but the goading feels very akin to TFS Brenner saying things to Henry like "you liked it" irt killing animals, putting words in his mouth and conflating Henry's personal feelings with the desires of the Shadow. Or even of the Shadow and Shadow Brenner taunting Henry in the VR game, telling him that he always loved snapping bones and killing things, but we never actually hear Henry confirm this. The Shadow and Brenner are often "stealing" Henry's voice by way of putting words in his mouth and thoughts in his head that he wouldn't have on his own.

But circling back to NINA specifically, it makes me think of Henward being used as a puppet for Brenner's meddling. Brenner has stolen Henward's voice, his looks, his mannerisms, in order to say and do things that Henward may never have said or done on his own in order to paint a specific picture for El.

And, again, because El is scared, because she doesn't understand what's going on or have the resources to even try, she simply lashes out. Remove the threat and she'll be safe. No matter if this is the real threat; he's an immediate threat in her eyes, therefore he's her target. Killing him is the closest answer she has to "solving" everything.

It's high-stakes situations, fear of the unknown, and mob mentality that results in the passengers on Midnight and our Hawkins gang having their knees knocked out from under them. Without taking the time to think, to stay calm, to mull over their options, they will always come to the wrong conclusions and not fix things like they hoped.

In st4, they're scared and on a time crunch, and with only some of the necessary information at their disposal, they're going to work with what they've got, even if they'd find contradictions if they looked just a little bit harder. They have their immediate threat, someone they can point at and see harm happening because of them, so why see if there's someone else hiding in his shadow? Why waste their, quite literally, precious time when they can, theoretically, still do good with what they have?

[randomnameless]

The "i don't want to kill Edelgard" dialogue the game forces you to pick for Byleth in Verdant Wind is still one the funniest things in the game when you think about what that means in-universe; Byleth has had no issues killing people to get what they want all route-long, but the second Claude brings up killing the girl who started the war and is most at fault for everyone that died because of it, including her own soldiers, they say they don't want to, presumably just because they had such a deep bond with her during their time at Garreg Mach (even though it's perfectly possible to have Byleth spend all their time there never interacting with Edelgard once).

It's shit like that that makes me understand where the same-crest attraction people come from; that forced dialogue choice is at least understandable in Silver Snow, where Byleth is forced to teach Edelgard for a while and would have logicaly formed a bond with her because of that, but the only way that line makes any sense in VW is to assume that their crests made them feel a deeply-heightened and accelerated sense of attraction to each other, to the point that the few short and irrelevant interactions they had in their short time together at GM was enough for them to form a deep bond.

Anon,

If same crust attraction was a thing, do you really thing Billy would angst about Supreme Leader in VW, when Nemesis himself pops up at the end of the route???

I mean, between Supreme Leader and Nemesis, who are you going to simp for if you never talked to any of them, and both are leading a faction to destroy you and your allies?

Supreme Leader, or Nemesis??

All jokes aside,

There's, sadly, no Watsonian explanation for the very Doylist "but she lufs u!!! feel sad about her!!!" approach the devs wanted to hamfist in their game : Billy will feel bad for killing Supreme Leader, even if it doesn't make any sense for them to do so because that is why the devs designed FE16 to be : a story where the player will feel bad about killing the red emperor.

(or at least the player avatar, because damn if this completely missed the mark regarding some players lol)

Just like you feel super BaD for icing Randolph and Ferdie who still works with the Empire, fighting side by side with a Demonic Beast - when the game doesn't expect you to feel a thing when you kill the poor sod who was turned into a monster because the Imperial Army needs War Assets.

that's why some people really felt a bit disturbed by all this Supreme Pandering coming out of nowhere - same with Rhea in VW since her supports are optional, so if Billy is really a player avatar, why should they care about Rhea?

(granted, I'd say even if you only do the strict minimum, Billy still wants to help Rhea in the cinematic before falling in a ravine, so at least there's this sign that Billy cares about her - sure, Billy protected and saved Supreme Leader against Kostas, but after the Flamey reveal, we don't have anything to even remotely indicate Billy still cares specially about Supreme Leader : Billy's avatar status is the reason why they're written to care about Supreme Leader, and yet, Billy's character status explain why they care about Rhea - again, another example of the devs wanting to have their cake and eat it too!)

[jpitha]

The Big Game

"Please come to the commons with me this weekend, practically the whole starbase will be there for the game!"

Ta'reni read the note again. She didn't know why she felt nervous. It was her second month onboard the joint Human/K'laxi starbase and her friend Nilan invited her along to see the game.

K'laxi love to play games, but they tend to be more cooperative games than the competitive games the Humans brought. She didn't know what to expect when they walked out of her quarters that morning.

As she strolled around the Starbase, heading towards the commons, the place seemed empty. There was hardly anyone around; it was unusually quiet. As she passed empty stalls and restaurants and office buildings, she wondered where everyone was.

Her ears picked up a strange noise as she approached the commons. it was like the roar of the sea or the sound of jets taking off. As she got closer to the commons it got louder and louder until she could barely take the noise. She rounded a corner and learned why everyone was gone.

They were all at the game.

The commons was set up with a large rectangular green field - with real grass! - in the middle, with lines and circles painted on it. At each end was a frame of a box with a net around almost the entire thing. One side was open and a person was standing inside. On either long side bleachers had been set up and it was full of people. Human, K'laxi, even a few Xenni were there.

The noise was incredible.

The crowd's noise was nearly a physical thing, pushing her back like a strong wind.

Her headset chirped. "There you are! I'm so glad you made it!" Nilan ran up to Ta'reni. She was dressed in a flowing orange dress that complimented her figure nicely. Ta'reni fleetingly blushed, but regained composure quickly.

"I'm glad you invited me" Ta'reni said over the noise "What is going on though? You had said it was going to be a game?"

"It is! It's the final of the All Starbase Football League! Today is the last game of the season, the Dockers vs the Reactors! Come on, let's find a seat, I'll explain on the way."

As they walked, their headsets enabled them to be able to talk at a normal volume and Ta'reni wasn't overwhelmed by the noise. Nilan explained the game.

"Football is an ancient game from Earth, but it's still very popular on and off world. There are two teams of 11 players and the goal is to get the ball - she points at the small black and white ball rolling on the field - into the other team's goal - she points at the boxes at the ends of the field."

As they sat and watched, Ta'reni noticed how much the audience got into the spirit of the game. Both sides had musicians - human and K'laxi - who would play songs to get their side more excited. The audience would chant slogans and songs either to cheer a goal or to get the players excited.

There were K'laxi players on the field too. When Ta'reni points this out, Nilan smiles. "Yeah, the K'laxi love the game too, and who are we to say no when they asked if they could play? They don't have the same stamina as the human players, so it was agreed that half way through the match, the K'laxi players would come off the field and fresh ones would come on. That way more K'laxi get to play too!"

During the mid game break, they braved the press of crowds to get some drinks. Nilan bought Ta'reni a chamomile tea. She had only recently been introduced to the drink and loved it. Nilan had a coffee.

Back at their seats, the game began again. Ta'reni started to understand the flow of the game and was able to follow along and even cheered with Nilan when the Reactors - Nilan's favorite team - scored. When they sat back down, Nilan leaned against Ta'reni and sighed. "This is so much fun, I'm so glad you came to the game. I was worried you were going to say no."

Ta'reni's fur rippled a blush, but she leaned into Nilan too. "I would never turn down an invitation from you." she found herself saying without realizing it. She glanced up at Nilan, embarrassed, but she just smiled and wrapped her small hand in her larger warm human hand.

"I'm so happy to hear it."

[fever-project]

Linx Lore Part 1 | Links Meet x Winx AU

Okay, I’m obsessed with this AU so I’m going to write about it. I plan on writing more parts once I can come up with more lore, like how the Links are going to meet up in the first place. AU idea by @yourlocaltreesimp.

Let’s start this with the Fairy Titles and powers of each Link, as well as their nicknames and Fairy Forms. I do not know what Links I want to include in this AU yet, so I’m just gonna list as many Links that I can think of. I’d probably have like, 7 Links max be the main characters, like with the actual Winx main cast, with others making appearances from time to time.

Anyways, the Links are going to be listed by game first, then Fairy Title, then nickname, then Fairy Form, and then additional info. Fairy Form descriptions are under the cut, at the very end. Some Links also have custom Fairy Forms, made by me, because I can. Those are also explained at the very end.

Note that in Winx and in this AU, Fairy Titles aren’t specific to one Fairy, many Fairies can have tech powers for example and be called a Fairy of Technology. A Fairy can be THE Fairy of Technology if they are the Guardian Fairy (I don’t what to explain what that is this is already so long) of that, or are just the Fairy of Technology in relation to whatever other Faires they are currently with. Some Fairies, however, do have a special title, like Fairy of the Shining Sun is special because only one Fairy has this title. All Links are Fairies of Courage, which is a special title because there’s usually only one Link alive at a time, but each do have a specific-but not necessarily special-title along with that. I’ll mention whether or not it’s a “common” or “special” title.

And one quick disclaimer for this AU; The Master Sword cancels all magic when one is wielding it. The Links could temporarily sheath her to use magic items, but they would still be unable to use their Fairy powers, but only if they didn’t reach Enchantix yet. Even then, their magic wouldn’t be as powerful. In the meta sense, this is to stop the Links from becoming too powerful. In universe, she was created this way to make it easier to stop Demise.

Now, onto the actual post:

LoZ + AoL: Fairy of Origins(Special) - Ori - Charmix - His power is that he can use any kind of magic, but only in its most basic form. For example, he can conjure fire for a small fireball, but he couldn’t create a wall out of fire. His magic is quite weak compared to most Fairies, but such is the fate of being a jack of all trades. He has a hard time doing magic that he hasn’t seen before, but once he does he picks it up instantly.

AlttP + OoX + LA: Fairy of Alteration(Special) - Alt - Enchantix - It was so hard to figure out this guy’s powers you have no idea. Transformation plays a big part in his games, and altering one’s self would include that. Of course this doesn’t include everything he can do, but Fairies can also learn magic that isn’t their specialty (I don’t want to explain this, why is Winx lore so complicated), so it’s fine. He can mainly alter himself, but also things around him, but whatever he alters has to have the same mass. He can alter the appearance and physical form of things. He regularly changes his hair color, which is why it’s different in each of his games. Honestly it’s hard to explain the full extent of his powers, it’s vague enough that he could do almost anything.

OoT + MM: Fairy of Time(Special) - Time - Fiercix - He learned he was Fairy during OoT, but he wasn’t able to use his powers until the very end of it. He sent himself back in time, with the help of Zelda. During MM he was he grew into his powers more, being the one to turn back time in Termina every three days. So far, he can’t turn back time further than that at his current power level. With the help and power of the Fierce Deity, however, it could be possible to mess with time even more…

WW + PH: Fairy of Wind(Common) - Wind - Charmix - The Wind Waker was a great tool that helped him unlock his Fairy powers. I don’t remember if he keeps it if not in the game, but in this AU he does. It acts as his charm for Charmix, so he can’t use it too much all at once. Aryll also has wind powers, but she hasn’t unlocked her Fairy Form yet so they’re very weak.

TP: Fairy of Animals(Common) - Ani - Twilix - He was already fully aware he was a Fairy before his adventure. He regularly used his powers to help out his and others’ farms. He got up to Charmix during his adventure, then to Enchantix and Twilix (which is explained at the end). His powers include talking and shifting into animals, but he‘s more used to being a wolf thanks to the Shadow Crystal.

HW: Fairy of the Apocalypse(Special) & Witch of Wars - Apocalypse/Apo - Enchantix - So Fairies source of magic is positive energy, or light magic, while Witches source of magic negative energy, or dark magic. Some Fairies can use dark magic, but it tends to corrupt them, and I assume that the same would happen with Witches and light magic. So it’s very rare for someone to be able to use both. Enter Apocalypse. He was found in the forest as a baby and then adopted by Linkle’s family, enjoying a simple-yet, somewhat turbulent-farm life before eventually becoming a knight. There he learned of his Witch ancestry, and practiced dark magic alongside his swordsmanship. Dark magic isn’t shunned during his time, Witches being somewhat common. His title, Witch of War, was only something he earned after the War of Eras. The war was also when he learned of his Fairy powers. War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death, the four horsemen of the apocalypse, each of which Apo can draw his Fairy powers from. Disaster and misfortune follow him everywhere. But the powers he has were far too great to just ignore during the war. He had to use them when he could, but that made him ever more glad to have the Master Sword in his possession. Fi also helped him tremendously with guiding him on how to use his powers without harming everyone and everything. He still hates using his Fairy powers. He also love Pixies (what regular fairies in LoZ are now, they’re like Fairy companions).

FSA: Fairy of Light(Common) - Li - Winx - All 4Sword users are Fairies of Light, as the 4Sword can only be wielded by one. I’m talking about FSA Link-specifically the manga version-because he’s the most interesting one, sorry not sorry. He didn’t know he was a Fairy-actually all of the colors didn’t know they were Fairies until the very end, using their magic to defeat Ganon. Li then practices his magic with his Zelda after all that.

BotW + Totk: Fairy of the Wild(Special) - Wild- Winx - He puts no effort into furthering his Fairy powers. He didn’t even know he was a Fairy until Zelda told him after he rescued her(the Great Fairies tried to tell him, but he didn’t believe them). Especially after gaining Rauru’s arm, he believes that he can do everything he wants to without it. He would’ve reached Enchantix-or perhaps, something even more powerful-if he used his Fairy powers at all. His powers encompass all aspects of the wild, from the plants to the animals, from the clouds to the dirt. He only used his powers when he was traveling around with Wolfie, to keep track of him and ensure that he would always be healthy. He does unknowingly uses his powers, but it acts more like a sixth sense, helping him forage for food and to know exactly how loud or how hot he currently is.

AoC (+Pre-BotW kinda): Fairy of Fauna(Common) - Fauna - Enchantix - He doesn’t put much effort into using his Fairy powers. He isn’t even aware of what he can fully do with his powers (that’s why he thinks he only has control over fauna). After all, he does try to have the Master Sword on his person at all times. But Zelda and the Champions force him into practicing from time to time, and he even uses it during the war a few times. He earns Enchantix after defeating Calamity Ganon.

ST: Fairy of Lost Spirits(Special) - Spirit - Charmix - He can commune with spirits and that’s…mostly it. He can also guide lost spirits (Poes) to the afterlife, and stuff. Maybe he can borrow a spirit’s powers? Honestly his powers and Wild’s in-game powers kinda overlap, with Wild being about to use the Champions’ powers and being able to collect Poes and give them to the Bargainer Statues. I think there should be a reason for that in this AU, but I can’t think of something yet.

Here are some Links/Heroes that either aren’t Fairies or I just don’t know what to do with them yet.

SwSw: He’s not a fairy, he’s just some guy. Idk what he should be called tbh.

MC: He’s the forger of the 4Sword, but I don’t really see him as a fairy, like with SwSw. But he would be a Fairy of Light if he was one.

AlbW + TH: I don’t know if I want to combine him with Alt yet. It he’s his own person, I’m thinking of making him Alt’s son. Maybe he hasn’t started his adventure yet during the Links Meet.

Hero of Men(MC): He’s just some guy, not a fairy. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t have magic though, thank you Light Force.

Ancient Hero(TotK): He’s a demigod, not a fairy. Well, he’s half-fairy, like most of the Links, but his Zonai godhood overrides those powers. In fact, it takes a long, long time until Hylia’s powers(she’s a fairy god to put things in the simplest terms)shine through the bloodline.

First Hero(SwSw manga): idk what to do with this one. He exists, I guess? He’s mostly important for making the Goddesses Sword in this AU, which is honestly a very, very big deal.

I don’t know what to do with most of the Zeldas yet, but I do have some ideas, in the same format as the Links. The Zelda are also all Fairies of Wisdom. Onto the info:

OoT + MM: Fairy of Foresight(Special) - Oracle - Charmix - She can see the future idk man. She also has exceptional actual foresight, being able to predict enemies attacks easily. Doesn’t mean she’s good at dodging them tho lamo. In the Adult timeline she would have Enchantix.

AoC + BotW + TotK: Fairy of Flora(Common) - Flora - Tearix - She’s the first Fairy in her bloodline after Sonia, her powers having had taken a long time to manifest at all. She loved flowers beforehand though, obviously.

WW + PH: Fairy of the Seas(Common) -   Tetra - Enchantix - Power over the Seas! She uses her power a lot to help steer her ship. Not much to say really, I feel like the title speaks for itself.

MC: Fairy of the Light Force(Common) - Force - Winx - I’m just putting this here to say that the title changes to Fairy of Wisdom as time passed, so what that means for this Zelda is that she doesn’t really have any special title, ha.

Now onto the Fairy Forms. Fairy Forms go like this(in this AU at least), from weakest to strongest:

Winx - Standard Form for all Fairies. Simple outfit and wings, outfits are usually a solid color or have two similar and/or complementary accent colors. Wings are either a solid color or have an accent color very similar to the other color. Wings are small and simple.

Charmix - Obtained after overcoming a great personal difficulty. The gain of a little charm is the only visible difference from the standard form. Gives a short, but powerful, boost to a Fairy’s power.

Enchantix - Show great sacrifice, considered to be a “full-fledged” Fairy. There are a lot of powers, like shrinking(im not including that in this AU because I feel bad for MC Link), and neutralizing dark magic, among just making a Fairy stronger. Wings are bigger and are semi-transparent save for the outlining. Jewels hang off of them. Flowing clothes with long, barefoot sandals. Long sparkling gloves and some jewelry. There is also a change in hairstyle, which is also flowing.

There are many Fairy Forms and it’s all very complicated, but for this AU and I think in Winx, after Enchantix, additional Fairy Forms can be gained-and one can go back to Enchantix after reaching the new Fairy Form-at any point after meeting certain conditions. Here are the new Fairy Forms that I made up because it’s fun and I honestly hate most (not all I love you Believix and Sirenix) of the ones that are in the actual show. Now onto my Fairy Forms:

Fiercix - A cursed Fairy Form only obtained by wearing the Fierce Deity mask. The outfit has less armor than Fierce has in game, but it’s mostly the same. The wings are simple and sharp, they’re helix-shaped, like the sword Fierce wields. One must have reached Enchantix to even have a chance of keeping yourself sane. It gives one great power, and drives one to use it mercilessly. Typically, one can’t use it for long before the power seeps away from them. But if you practice, if you’re unwavering in your ambition to push yourself to becoming stronger holds…then one might lose themself to the spirit within the mask. They achieve Fiercix permanently, at a cost.

Twilix - A special Fairy Form only obtained by preforming a great, selfless deed for the Twili and Twilight Realm. It’s like Enchantix, but you need to save the Twilight Realm specifically. Ani essentially obtained both Enchantix and Twilix at the same time. Twilix allows the user to freely travel to and from the Twilight Realm, without the use of the Mirror of Twilight. So Minda and Ani can be together after all hehe. Twilix also gives the user the ability to travel through and manipulate shadows, but this power only extends to themself and people who are very physically close to them. Like if they’re hugging or holding hands. A Twilix Fairy also look like Twili, with black markings covering parts of their body, with those blue, glowing markings accompanying them. Their hair also takes on a blue hue as well. Their wings are also black with blue markings, and they resemble moth wings. Ani’s wings specifically resemble a Luna Moth.

Tearix - A unique Fairy Form only obtained after freeing oneself from Dragonification. The user is able to access a portion of the power they gained from their time as a dragon, but their mind still remains intact. Their Fairy Forms are wingless (gasp! the heresy!) but they are still able to fly nonetheless. Flora’s outfit is basically her Zonai outfit, but with a headpiece with her horns on it, similar to the Dragon Armor.

[alaydabug2]

@sparklenarniawizard

Broken heart/Broken mind

Chapter Thirty-one

(Human AU)

Sophie and Keefe met in the children's hospital when they were little. Because of how long they were confined to the four walls of the hospital, they became very close during their stay.

As the years pass, they wind up being in the same classroom together due to their physical conditions. This makes their bond deepen.

But are they able to handle when life gets tough, throwing problems and complications their way?

Sophie sat at Keefe's baseball game. The high-school coach was giving him the opportunity to play with the varsity. It was to train to be a pitcher for next year.

It was scorching hot. Over one hundred degrees. She went to buy another water bottle. She already knew that the concession stands were making bank off everybody. She sat back into the shade. When she burned her thighs on the mettle bench, she knew it probably wasn't the best idea to wear shorts.

She continued to watch the game. They were at a stand still. Balls were thrown. Strikes were hit. The other team kept making bases.

The other team's score continued going up. The players in the outfield were agitated with all the balls flying over their heads. The infield was annoyed with the ball never making it back to them. The coach was frustrated that they weren't getting any outs. And Keefe looked... tired.

Sophie squinted to get a better look at him. As the inning continued on, she saw the way his shoulders were dropping. How he threw fewer strikes.

With him being in the middle of the field, the sun was beating straight down at him. He was breathing heavier than before as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

She knew he didn't do too well in the heat. And weren't they required, by law, to stop playing when the heat got over a certain temperature?

After ten more minutes of the cycle continuing, Keefe finally turned to the coach and made a time-out sign. It seemed they were arguing for a moment. She could tell he was about ready to cry. She wasn't sure if it was from frustration of not being listened to or the heat.

The arguing continued until Fitz made his way out of the dug out. He joined the bickering against the coach.

Finally, they reached a consensus. The coach rolled his eyes and stalked back to the side lines. Fitz took place at the mound, and Keefe trudged over to the dug out.

Sophie quickly got a couple bottles of water from the concession and made her way to the back of the dugout. She peeked through the gate.

"Hey, you alright?" She asked him.

He nodded and gratefully took the waters she passed him. He used one as an ice pack for his neck and drank the other.

"What happened out there."

"It got way too hot," Keefe muttered. "Felt like I was going to puke. Coach tried to tell me to tough it through, but it's only one out. I wouldn't have been able to do it."

He whined and tugged at the collar of the uniform.

"Unbutton the first few buttons," Sophie tried to tell him.

He adamantly shook his head. "No. They don't know."

"Don't know what?" She realized as soon as she said it.

"They probably won't even notice the scar," she tried to assure him. "Please, you're overheating," she begged.

"But they'll sure as heck notice the monitor," he argued.

Sophie sighed, "Ok. Just keep this here." She took the second bottle he was about to drink and placed it back at his neck. "I'll get you another water."

Keefe nodded. "Thank you."

"Of course."

At the end of the game, Fitz caught up with them.

"On a scale of one to ten, how much do you think he'll make my life misery next year," Keefe complained.

Fitz shrugged. "If I tell Coach to leave you alone, he'll leave you be."

"No offense," Sophie started, "but why would he listen to you."

He snorted. "I have dirt on him."

Both Sophie and Keefe's eyes widened.

"What'd he do," Keefe demanded.

"I walked in on him and the math teacher making out in the supply closet."

Sophie snorted. "No, you did not!"

"I did. It was traumatizing."

Fitz explained the rest of his story. By the time he was done, the majority of the parents had arrived. Keefe kept checking the time.

"Need a ride?" Fitz asked. "My parents can take you home."

"I'm sure they'll be here soon," Keefe tried. "If anything, Ro is probably on the way."

Sophie hated to have to call him out, but, "Didn't you say she worked night shift tonight?"

He shuffled his feet, confirming her suspicions.

"It's fine," Fitz assured him. "Come on, it'll be fun. We can bug the crap out of Biana!"

Keefe had to laugh at that. "Alright, I'll grab my stuff and text my parents."

As they parted ways, Sophie pulled Keefe into a hug. "Be careful," she murmured to him.

"I will. You too."

"Bye," she whispered before kissing his cheek. She leaned to the side and waved goodbye to Fitz, then started the walk to where her parents were waiting.

[invinciblerodent]

Oh-oh! 25 and 7 for oc asks for your tavs

Also, please tell me how Petyr is pronounced, I keep reading is as Peh-TIER, but I'm starting to suspect it might just be Peter

OC Ask Game!

25) The name you chose for your OC, why did you chose it?

oh to unleash the nerdery

For Arvid's name, I was just thinking that dwarf aesthetics generally have a bit of a... half Art Deco, half Viking feel going on for them? so I just thought that leaning into that Scandinavian angle a little bit would be fun. (I was also really fixated on studying Swedish at the time, but I didn't really want to use a specifically Swedish name, so I went with one my little search said was quite common all over Scandinavia, and one I could obnoxiously overpronounce in my head.) (Like the way I tend to read it to myself is with a very grossly exaggerated Swedish accent, lol.)

His last name, Trygg, I chose kinda in the same vein as how J.R.R. Martin did the bastard children's names in GoT depending on the country: it's just... it just means "safe" in Norwegian. I thought it'd be fun for him to have a name that's... not really a name, but more just an adjective, a placeholder given to him out of necessity by the monastery where he was raised. (Which ended up working out really nicely with him getting "Dekarios" to call his own at the end!)

(A fantasy!Norwegian first name and fantasy!Greek last name sound really silly together ngl, but a part of me really loves how strange it is because it's his. Like yeah, people do sometimes wind up with silly names because of their spouses. It's love.)

Iona, as I was kinda developing her, her first placeholder name was "dove" (because of one line of a Dove Cameron song lol) - and I admit, I did just google what names might have similar meanings, in that dove/freedom/independence/autonomy/rebirth vein of things, and one website said that Iona, in Scottish (I believe?) is supposed to mean "dove".

I don't.... fully believe that was correct because I haven't been able to confirm it elsewhere since, but by the time I looked into it further, I got attached to the name, and it... got stuck.

Her last name/maiden name (which is what she uses now), "Raedir", I tried to make a pompous, quintessential Elf Name (to go with her Long Draconic Bloodline), but at the end of the day, it's... really nonsense. Translated, it'd mean something like "unicorn dust", derived from the words "raer" (unicorn) and "mithardir" ("white dust"/snow?), but that meaning is sort of just there to amuse me, because I was looking at a lot of medieval tapestries with unicorns on them at the time.

(One weirdness about it is that, while I know it's supposed to be pronounced "eye-ona" in English, with my Hungarian brain I kept reading it as "ee-yona" on accident. So I decided that "eye-ona" is the "human" pronunciation, and she deliberately went back to pronouncing it the "elvish" way, as "ee-yona", when she started using her maiden name again.)

(A little benefit- if someone is looking for an "Eye-ona" Birchlight, they're not gonna find her. Nope, there's only an "Ee-yona" Raedir here.)

As for Petyr, you're actually reading it perfectly right, lol! I deliberately wanted it to be a little misleading and obnoxious, like it sometimes is in old fantasy novels from like the 70's and 80's. Like sometimes a character will have a very normal name that's spelled- and consequently pronounced in a ~fantasy~ way?

Honestly, I just looked at my build/concept, and thought.... "He's Peter, but stupid. That's it. That's his name. I hate it, it's perfect." So the "-tyr" is pronounced like the god Tyr's name. I don't... really have an answer why, but I do really like the thought of him having to always explain that no, it's not Peter, it's Peh-TYR, like in Tyr, how is this so bloody hard.

"Wildbrook" came from a similar thought, I kinda just... wanted the most "80's fantasy ranger dude" name I could think of, and just like how it is with his whole existence, the fact that I like it actually does bother me a little bit lol.

+1:

"Raymond Percival Trevelyan" is basically "Knightly Knightson Canonlastname". "Raymond" means "protector/protecting hands", "Percival", I took from Sir Percival, one of the knights in Arthurian legend, and Trevelyan, as in the last name given to the human Inquisitor in DA:I.

Back in the day, I was leaning really into the whole "archetypal hero character" theme. He was just... a young, pious, knightly idealist who went from said piousness and idealism to absolute disillusionment (and a much less formal relationship with religion). Now, it sounds pretty tongue-in-cheek, to have the Big Strong Former Hero Of The Lands brandish such a deeply pompous name.

7) Does your OC have a favorite and least favorite food?

OH this one is fun!

Okay, so one of my favorite pieces of headcanon that carries across franchises is that dwarves' superior poison resistance translates in them to an extreme tolerance of spice. Like most human foods, they just taste completely bland to to dwarves.

So I like to imagine that Arvid, having grown up in a monastery and eating mostly things prepared with it being shared with non-dwarves in mind, is just... kind of resigned to things not having a lot of flavor. He'll say nice things when asked for his opinion of course, but more often than not, he's simply eating just to put the calories in- no real favorite or least favorite to speak of there. It's more about the physical sensation of not being hungry anymore.

Gale is of course horrified when he learns this (what do you mean my cooking is bland to you, I cooked every meal you've eaten in the past year????? have you just not had food you've liked in a year??????), and makes it his personal mission to learn to cook traditional dwarven cuisine.

He, uh. He winds up accidentally poisoning himself more than once. But his husband is very, very endeared (if worried) and appreciative of the gesture.

Iona has no such troubles- having been a housewife for such a long time, she's a decent cook, but she's used to preparing meals she... didn't really like much at all. All sorts of roasts and steaks, various pieces of dead animals, the occasional potato maybe- and she, in true elf fashion, is no fan of meats in general.

So during their travels, the only time she cooks is the first night ever, when it's just her, Shadowheart, and Astarion (they toss together a weird, bland stew from just a couple potatoes and a fistful of sage they scrounged up- they didn't even notice that Astarion just pushed the food around a bit, they were so out of it), but as soon as Gale joins up, she categorically rejects even touching a wooden spoon.

It's only after the game, living with a person who makes zero demands of her in regards to food, that she finds joy in food and cooking. She can finally make whatever she wants, whenever she wants it, and she experiments as much as she can. All she has to forego is garlic. (Which, well, you win some, you lose some.)

She's.... sometimes successful. But whatever it ends up being, whether it's good or bad, she is the only one who has to eat it, and she bloody well delights in it.

Petyr has been mostly self-sufficient for 20+ years at this point. Most of his food is homegrown or wild-caught, and like with everything else, he learned by experimentation.

I like to think that he doesn't really think of himself as a good cook, but he is infuriatingly good at this too, like he is at everything else.

Like he'll agree to whip up something quick for the group a few tendays into their journey, and make fucking...... perfect venison steaks, with a wild rice- and fresh mushroom risotto, and a gorgeous red wine sauce. Gale can't decide whether to be impressed, or livid. Petyr just shrugs like, "I kept myself fed in the forest for 20 years. What'd you think I was doing in that time, grazing?"

He too is, I think, in the "whatever puts meat on your bones is good enough" mindset when it comes to favorites, but for some reason I think he'd love a good, nice cheese. That'd be something he can't really make himself, so it'd be a special treat to get on his monthly little supply-trips.

[legendofscarf]

Hi, ur my hero, I really thought no one was going to make Linked universe as Greek gods! I actually had some ideas as well...

Okey well not all of them as gods but in the Greek mythology xd

First I started with Time - Cronos (titan) well I choose him more because he's the titan of time so yeah XD

Next was Twilight - Hades or Hecate (god of witchcraft, magic, the moon, portals) or also Artemis - for Twilight I just wasn't very sure which way to go

Wild for me was easy- Hestia (god of fire, family and cooking) but in reality I choose Hestia as Wild because in mythology she's the first to get eaten and last to come out, so like she's the oldest and also the youngest and I really thought it might click a little with Wild story

Sky - Uranus (primitive god of the sky) I'm not really sure if Uranus is a god or a titan (I found God but his children are Titans so not sure) just chose him because for me Zeus wasn't a good pick

Four - Hefesto (I'm sorry I could resist, god of blacksmith)

Warriors - Ares (do I need to explain? I mean I know Warriors isn't JUST war but I couldn't resist x2)

Wind - Eolo (god of all winds) with Wind I searched for a wind god but found various so I choose at the end Eolo, he's not very well known but it said he's God of ALL winds

Hyrule - Hermes (god of travelers) or Hecate (god of witchcraft, magic, etc) with Hyrule I just thought, magic or traveling and those were the best options XD

And last is Legend-Perseo(demigod) or Apolo(music, divination, Delfos oracle) with Legend I may have done him a little dirty but like, Legend has been on a lot of adventures and I really thought he's kinda like a demigod (u know, because the gods used the demigods to do stuff for them) I don't really remember why I choose Perseo specifically but in general any demigod can fit - or with Apolo idk, in some games of Legend he's made to play music (and there's the headcanon that Legend is very musically inclined) so that's why I chose Apolo XD

I'm sorry for the long ramble and everything, just wanted to share (because you said in your tags to share if we had different ideas) hope u don't mind <3

Nice, I like these! For my post I’d only used gods , but I totally get where you’re coming from especially with Twilight as Hecate, I didn’t think of it but it works really well (she’s techincally a titan, right? Not that it matters)

I liked wind as aeolus, mostly because of the whole winds-in-a-bag story which works really nicely with the wind waker.

I also really liked Wild as Hestia, but didn’t end up using that mostly because Artemis and the hunt were a closer connection, but I hadn’t thought about the youngest/oldest concept, there’s some really good parallels there.

I can see Legend as a demigod, I’d chosen Morpheus because of his domain over dreams, and Legend’s dream adventure in Koholint. Maybe you chose Perseo (Perseus? Eh, same thing, I hope) because of the sea monster having a connection to Koholint? I don’t know, but I like it.

Sky also fought any of my attempts to pick a god, so him being the oldest of the links and Ouranos being a primordial is a great concept, and in this case I can see First (who isn’t a member Link, but hey, he deserves to be here) could be Caos, the origin.

[junijunijune]

I am novelizing my favourite tav and writing the game up as a long story with lots of weird sex but I do want it to have a satisfying arc so I am trying to find ways to build her into the story so she has more MC energy to keep up with the main cast.

And I'm trying to balance it so she feels real and integrated without being too much.

I have a blood mage mod and I've built that heavily into her game progression and I think it would be a good multi-class with an acid dragonic sorcerer because you get the acid buffs and the draconic scales and the copper scales look cool.

In her first iteration when I played she was a wild magic sorcerer who had been experimented on as a kid and the learned to suppress her magic extremely hard and it isn't until she winds up in the events of the game. She was a street kid who had come up to work mostly as a fence - so she plays charming merchant very well but she has a good eye for treasure and doing a bit of guild artisan stuff with repairs or make overs on stolen goods so they're easier to re-sell.

This could still work with the draconic sorcerer but something about it feels different.

I had this Ansur-heavy backstory imagined for a Draconic Sorcerer when I was trying to build a lightning god. And there's this possibility of tying it into Gortash which gives her interesting character notes with Karlach and allows me to go a little harder on the Artisan side of things and make her an expert at the craft side of things.

But we're starting to stray into Angel and Dakota, my OCs from when I was 11 who are super super special and the best at everything and and and ....

Also - that's going to be a character shift. She started her first story off as "the lower city nobody" and the draconic sorcerer I am building right now is not that.

Born into an extremely diluted draconic bloodline where no one has actually been born with scales or more than the tiniest capacity for magic, the scales and the obvious affinity are concerning. Her mother does not want the scaly baby to be ruining the marriage prospects for the older daughters so she spends a lot of time in her father's workshop. He's the one with the "tainted" bloodline and he tells her old family legends about other magic users in the family.

He's ambitious and a climber just like her mother is. He takes jobs from Gortash who is an inventor but needs expert hands to create some of the things that he needs. She learns weapons smithing and more intricate skill sets at her father's elbow.

Eventually Gortash takes her on as an apprentice in one of his workshops. This seems like a good thing. Her parents are thrilled! She is excited to be moving out of soldering and into the actual engineering side fo things.

It isn't great. This isn't quite as bad it is for the Gondians but it gets obvious fast that she is an asset not an ally and she won't be allowed to leave. It's a gilded cage but it is a cage. She's seen Durge around. Maybe she's even seen Ketheric around.

Rather than streetwise and clever, she's sheltered and extremely expert at what she does. She has some magic training but mostly channeled towards artifacing rather than offensive magic. She has been steeped a little in Gortash's bullshit and that might help explain why she is the type to fearlessly talk Orthons into killing themselves. She's not actually involved in the plot but she sees pieces of it cross her desk because she does Gortash's magic as well as his soldering. She's seen bits of Netherese magic. Fragments of Illithid technology. Gondian machinery. Not enough to put the pieces together but enough to be suspicious.

She's asking too many questions so Gortash tells her it is time to explain it and takes her along with him on the next trip to Moonrise. She gets tadpoled and sent out in the same shipment with Durge to be sent back to Baldur's Gate and then the ship crashes and now she's in this mess.

When I write it out it sounds like a story that makes sense.

It seemed like too much in my head but I think I like this.

I'll go make some lunch and chew on it a bit more.

[corleonewrites]

Non ducor, duco

AU: Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

main pairing: Edmure Tully x Original Female Character fanfic.

additional pairing: Jaime Lannister x Original Female Character fanfic

Summary: Being forced to take the homeland under the ruling, young Lady Isolde Meverell learned how to lead, how to make decisions with cold heart and mind, how to speak for her own people and how to protect her land. She knew how to hide her emotions from everyone due to protect herself from others. "The Ice Lady" she was famously called. Without having time to take care of her own feelings, young Lady began her own prudent game of thrones, where the future of herself, her homeland and her relationships are at stake.

Chapter 6. Sanguine et lacrimis*

*Blood and tears

______________________________________________________________

Three horses entered the Vale of Arryn. It was a very long road, and both me and Sansa could finally breathe the northern air calmly. But Einarland was a day and a half away by riding a horse, and I decided to leave the Vale in few hours after our arrival there – my guards and horses needed to relax before our final destination.

Lady Lisa spotted us from the window on almost the top of the tower and when me, Sansa and Littlefinger were on our way to the entrance – she appeared from the high opened doors.

“Welcome to Vale of Arryn”, the woman greeted all three of us and then hugged my cousin tightly, “There’s no need to worry, Sansa, you’re safe here”

Then her gaze fell on me, as if waiting to see my reaction: she knew that I had cold feelings towards all Tullys: neither Lady Lisa nor late Lady Catelyn were the exceptions. But I only gave her effortless look.

“Lady Isolde, haven’t seen you for so many moons”, she smiled and only glared at me more intensely, “You’ve grown as a very fine young woman, and resemble so much with your late parents”

“Lady Isolde inherited not only the resemblance of great Lord and Lady Meverell, but also the wise ability to rule fairly and fearfully like Lord Elric”, Littlefinger pointed out, and looked at me with his cunning smile, as if he wanted to talk about the assassination of King Joffrey.

Sansa squeezed my hand tighter after his sentence. It seemed like she was gaining suspicion over him. I gave Littlefinger the ice-cold glance, and replied to him, greeting Lady Lisa coldly as well:

“People of Einarland will judge my ruling, Lord Baelish, and I believe in their trustful opinion”.

He nodded silently, and all four of us entered the tower, when the cry of crows which began to fly around it in circles was becoming louder and louder with every second.

______________________________________________________________

I was looking from the big window to the opened scenery in the Great Hall of the Vale: almost endless forests surrounded the Vale, birds were flying in the cloudy sky, the wind was slowly growing stronger.

My mind was far away: those dialogues and strange glances and moves between me and Jaime bothered me, as if he started to catch my attention, despite the fact that I knew Lannisters' plans for me, despite my real hate towards them. Probably, other actions and ideas were driving him towards me.

Then I began to question myself what if I married Lord Edmure in the end, moons ago, despite my hate, more and more than used to before.

The conflict between Tullys and Meverells was not that big neither it was disastrous as what we had now. I decided to hate them just because I didn’t like them from my childhood, before the conflict, and I couldn’t explain why.

What if? Then my parents would be alive.

What if? Then I, maybe, could learn how to love and, probably, be loved back. It came to the realization that I didn't hate Edmure after all.

What if?

I lost a track of time and didn't even hear when Lady Lisa approached me from my back, interrupting my thoughts and bringing me to present time:

“You have very sad eyes...And, probably, your heart is cold too”, she looked at me, as if she was looking inside my soul, which made me uncomfortable.

Did she read my thoughts? I doubted it, she never did.

“I know that I have cold heart, Lady Lisa”, I replied, “And I’m aware that everyone is calling me The Ice Lady because of this, I just never knew that It was too visible for others”

“People who have cold heart are very easy to recognize, Lady Isolde”, the woman smiled cunningly, “We’ve heard that you never were betrothed after your rejection of my brother. And also, you’ve never been seen closely with any other Lord…You know, all the gossips flew around in the wind very fast...”

I looked coldly at Lady Lisa, trying not to show the fear on my face:

“You know, Lady Lisa, House Meverell is in the phase of preparing for battles, and I don’t have the time for marriage at the moment, my land must be protected. The right time will come for it.”, I said sharply, but I was still affected by her words.

“Of course, Lady Isolde”, she smiled at me with a strange smile, as if she knew some kind of a secret and she was making laugh at me that I didn’t know it.

I left the room, trembling terribly. I didn’t want to stay in the Vale of Arryn any longer, all I wanted was to take my horse and run as fast as I could back to Shieldville, back home, where no one cared whether I was cold-hearted or not.

______________________________________________________________

The Godswood in Winterfell looked magical, especially in the snowy night like it was when Sansa married Ramsay Bolton. I sensed something deranged and scary when saw Ramsay for the first time and his affected manners could be felt for miles ahead. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do anything about it, and was hoping that my senses were lying to me and Sansa would be safe in her own home.

For my safety Barnard accompanied me to the wedding. He was worrying about the trip to Winterdell, because of Freys’ or Lannisters’ spies which could patrol the roads.

Winterfell felt abandoned without my uncle and cousins. It was impossible to believe that I won’t see them again. I recalled how I loved to have fighting lessons on swords from Ned, how quiet and peaceful walks around the Godswood were. It was all gone now.

When Sansa entered the Godswood my eyes froze. She looked gorgeous in her long white dress, with small tiara and west made out of fur.

I recalled the evening when my mother told me about her own wedding day. How she looked, what she was feeling, when she saw my father standing near the altar in Great Sept of Sigrid, how her emotions overwhelmed her. I wished I could see her now.

For a moment I thought how could I look like if I agreed to marry Edmure Tully. What dress I could have, what would I feel.

Those things won’t happen to me. I would always be the Ice Lady whether I liked it or not. My heart frizzed completely after the death of my parents. It would never melt.

______________________________________________________________

We left the same night. I felt nauseous staying in Winterfell and this feeling was getting more and more unbearable. The horses carried me and Barnard along the snow-covered road through the woods without slowing down their speed.

Snowflakes were falling on my face; they were so sharp it felt like thousands of arrowheads were attacking me. But I didn’t want to stop, if I would – I would simply lay down on the snow and never get up.

We reached Shieldville almost at dawn. Ordering my servants to leave me all alone I ran up the stairs and rushed into my room, closing the door behind me with a key. I didn’t want anyone to see me crying.

Tears treacherously were coming out of my eyes, within seconds I couldn't take a proper breath: sudden fit of hysteria fell over me, it wasn't a one-minute weakness, it was a burst of emotions which couldn’t be hidden inside anymore: the loss of my family, the fear of losing Einarland, no one to whom I could lean on to whom I could open my feelings and my emotions, who I could love unconditionally, no one who could hold my hand and said “I’m here with you”.

My chest was aching, trying to catch breath, but I just covered my eyes with hands and collapsed on the bed, falling into the cold night of Shieldville, trying to hide from outside world of unknown.

Pain. Unbearable pain of being all alone, of losing the most precious people in my entire life. I wanted Freys and Lannisters to suffer just as much. I wanted them to be dead.

______________________________________________________________

Bells were ringing beautifully along the path of newly wedded Lord Elric and Lady Virgilia Meverell from Great Sept of Sigrid to the Great Hall of Shieldville's castle, where the big feast was to be held.

Lords and ladies of other noble Houses, even from South, were among guests, when the King sent his congratulations.

But closest attention was circling around neighbouring Houses and relatives of Lord Elric and Lady Virgilia: Starks, Mormonts and Tullys were sitting on both sides of the big table for closest guests.

"Let there be endless love and understanding between my dearest sister Virgilia and her husband and my friend Lord Elric", Ned Stark raised his cup of wine, greeting the couple, "Let there be an indestructible union, unable to collapse despite obstacles"

"And let their future children inherit strength and wisdom", Lord Hoster Tully raised his cup as well, the cheers of joy could be heard after those words.

The musicians were playing the music loudly, the guests were dancing and enjoying their food and drinks. No one, except Elric, saw his grandmother, prophetess Kriemhild Mormont, who was approaching him through crowds.

He's been waiting for her to come. Since the gift of prophecy was passed only down the female line of House Mormont, the future for Elric was hidden in the fog, and he was eager to know it, even if it was no good. He needed that certainty. The future and protection of Einarland were at stake.

It was tall woman with grey-green eyes, dark-brown hair and small scar on upper lip. Her gaze was cold and her attitude was hidden from the others. It was with Kriemhild Mormont that Elric later compared his daughter Isolde.

They left the cheerful celebrations of crowds and entered the quiet and peaceful area near the Great Sept of Sigrid, surrounded by huge trees where no one could hear their talks.

Kriemhild took a small necklace with a sharp point in the shape of bear's tooth, made of Valyrian steel, took Elric's right hand in hers and began to run it over the palm of his hand.

"The one who you call your friend and neighbour will raise a conflict with you. The peace will come, you will talk, but close friendship will be lost.", her voice was low and husky, Elric later was amazed to discover that Isolde's voice was similar to Kriemhild's as well.

She never mentioned any particular House or other names in her predictions, it was always a hidden mystery to others, but everything that she was saying was becoming true within time.

"The heiress with cold heart will be born with the rising sun of summer", Kriemhild continued, now talking about Isolde, "Her name will be made of ice, her strength will be made of Valyrian steel, her rule of her land will be made of wisdom. She will inherit the gift of prophecy, but will accept it only in many moons to come"

Elric listened to his grandmother accurately, her voice filled in the space around them, all the other sounds disappeared in the woods.

Suddenly, the wind became strong and cold, supporting new prophets of Kriemhild:

"You and your lady will not live long, the wedding of your neighbours will be filled with rivers of your blood"

Elric heard how his heart started to beat faster, the necklace on the palm of his hand began to hurt him.

"Many battles will be hold, but you will not see them. The heiress will revenge your name, your House will never be defeated, the strength and bravery of House will be on your side with the help of the heiress. It will be filled with joy again, when winter will approach.”

Lord Elric looked at Kriemhild, calculating everything that she said to him. Every person in his family knew that what the prophetess said would come true, there was no reason to try to cheat death: it was inevitable.

What was left for him was to accept it. No one must know it. No one, not his wife Lady Virgilia, not his future daughter Isolde. No one, but him. And bear this burden until his last days.

______________________________________________________________

Non ducor, duco masterlist

[levitatingbiscuits]

my favorite lines from my favorite fics that i read in 2024

Theseus' Ship by LifeOfMystery, LittleLovelyLizard, TrenchcoatRats, Zyla_SweetBean

"I removed all of the symptoms of your human affliction. I replaced your blood and sinew with circuits, your so easily hurt body with metal, your very mind with code. You will never have to worry about being damaged ever again, little one. You will suffer no disease, no affliction, not even a cut or a scrape. You will be safe, secure with me, forever."

Miscellaneous Senyuu AUs by floofboy

“-Shut up,” hisses Ros. “I already know what you’re going to say.” His voice shifts to a falsetto. “Ah, but Ros, what if you die for me again? I don’t care that I’m making you live in a living hell as long as I don’t feel guilty about it.” “What do you mean by living hell?” Alba demands, a note of panic staining his voice now. “This entire world!” “Is… is this world that bad?” says Alba, voice going quiet. “A world where I can’t call you an idiot without becoming a social pariah is not a world I want to live in,” Ros says primly.

ship-to-ship combat by pomeloquat

Wait. Fuck. “Uh, Lois,” Clark says, almost dropping his mug on the floor in his rush to walk back to his living room as fast as he can without using super speed. “Actually, the laptop- if you could give me a minute- I was- um. Watching porn? And I don’t-” "Clark. What the hell is this," Lois asks, staring at Clark's Bruceman WIP folder. Clark's first instinct is to fly away, but that would still leave his fic on display for her to see. His second instinct is to blast a hole straight through his laptop screen with his heat vision, which isn't much better. He’d have to do like fifty commissions to buy a new laptop. Also then he’d have to explain to Lois that he’s Superman and that would be the biggest problem of all. “Nothing!” he says, sliding across the hardwood floors to slam his laptop closed. “Just some stuff for work, you know how it is-” Lois silences him with a harsh shush. “Clark Joseph Kent, why are you writing Real Person Fiction about Bruce Wayne and Batman?”

pleased to meet you (hope you guess my name) by BogStandardOtaku

She wasn't Maria from the game, was she? She was just Maria. She wasn't a heroine. She wasn't perfect. Even though, somehow, that made her more perfect to Katarina.

raised by winter winds by nyoomerr

Maybe if he had been there, he could have stopped things before they started. Shen Qingqiu never would have abused a child - not one that Shen Yuan would ever have to know about. Maybe he still would have done everything else - neglecting his disciples at large, isolating Shen Yuan, being unduly cruel to people that have yet to do wrong to him - but that one major crime could have been avoided. Maybe Shen Yuan still would grow to resent Shen Qingqiu, but he could avoid this hatred. That isn’t the world that Shen Yuan lives in, though. He lives in a world where Luo Binghe had already been scarred by the discipline whip long before Shen Yuan had ever met him, where Luo Binghe’s cultivation had nearly been crippled before he’d even been given a chance. You’re supposed to hate an abuser like that, and so Shen Yuan hates Shen Qingqiu. And yet…

onward, lonesome hero (carry on, carry on) by hoebiwan 

“Do you make a habit,” Batman asks, “of getting tortured?” “I would say it’s more an occasional weekend hobby than a habitual occupation,” Superman says. “Who tortured you?” Batman asks. “That’s kind of a personal question,” Superman says.

To Tell the Truth by Mithen

"I've hated you for a long time," snarled Wayne. "But I've never been afraid to say it out loud. Until now." Which didn't make a lot of sense to Steve, but he was too worried about the way the two of them were glaring at each other to puzzle it out. He was a little worried one of them was going to throw himself at the other one, the way they were almost panting with rage. Steve Lombard was feeling very uncomfortable.

Because I Say So! by Nihes

Leia's mother sighed again, but this time it was a sigh of defeat, and Leia knew exactly what would happen next. She had enough. "Oh don't worry," Leia snapped. "She's always on your side, she would even continue to sing your praises and make excuses for your awful behavior if you murdered a bunch of children right in front of her eyes." That actually seemed to hit its mark because her mother stiffened and her father whirled around so fast Leia was surprised he didn't get whiplash.

The Seduction by ikkiM

Enough was enough. “Yes. I want to go on a date with you. And you want to go on a date with me. I can tell.” He knew he’d hit that mark when her eyes widened, like a sexy doe poised for flight.

In Which Uraraka Ochako Decides to End the World by ijustwanttodestroy

Ultimately, she decides that she will end the world because she simply has to end the world. This is not a matter of want. Ochako can’t remember the last time she really wanted anything. What this is, is a matter of utility. Ochako simply has to do it because Ochako understands innately—like how a butterfly understands that it has to fly—that this is something she simply does. It’s what she was made for, because it’s what she can do.

The substitute by Olor_a_Azufre

Furina is a siren, and he is a fool craving to be drowned by her entrancing voice. He desires ruin, madness, depravity if it’s her hand what debauches him. A sovereign kneeling to a human, baring his throat, slitting his chest open with the desperation of a deranged beast, showing her the void space where his heart should be, shaped in her form. And so, Neuvillette claims her. In front of the whole audience, the whole opera—their opera—, under the sleeping gaze of Celestia. He gives her a part of his soul and blends them together. Bound to one another until the last breath leaves her tender lips and he devours her. And then he flees, like a criminal.

All Your Years For Naught by daoguang_yongheng (antsinabox)

Oh, Furina. Dear, perfect Furina. Too divine to be selfish even once in five hundred years, too human to survive the touch of the Primordial Sea. Fontaine - and Focalors - had never deserved her to begin with. She closed her eyes. She hadn't fooled the Heavenly Principles at all. There she sat, weeping alone on her throne, as the storm ravaged all that was left standing. There was only one thing left to do, she supposed. Feed the dragon's grief. If all of Teyvat was to be judged, so be it.

a few drops go a long way by SafelyCapricious 

Although none of these instructors ever throw a boulder at her head, still she’s taught the intricacies of politics, which feels like rather the same thing.

The Blackfish and the Dragon by ama

“Do you realize next month it will be three years since we met?” she asked. The corner of her mouth tilted up. “You called me a peasant.” “I was hoping you had forgotten that.” “I forget nothing.”

Isn’t It Wonderful by smiled_at_you

Rengoku’s smile, his unruined eye shining, but Tanjiro could smell the regret and despair through the stench of blood. “You were sad, even though you s-smiled. You kept a brave face, but you didn’t want to die. You were – You were so scared,” Tanjiro manages. Fresh tears and snot drip down his face. He curls inwards, choking back a sob. “I never told anyone that you were scared. Not even your brother, or your father.”

Lying In Wait by Cogni_Diss

“As already stated, the earth itself is ours to shape,” The kami outstretched their right hand, palm lifted toward the sky. “invigor,” Between their fingers, the lights of the camp flickered about unaware of the one now gazing upon them. “drain,” With a flick of their hand, the further separation of their fingers saw very maws of the earth itself open wide. The horizon cracked beneath the camp, shaking everything beneath their feet in growing intensity as the crevice grew to engulf every possible hint of life. “And break as we see fit.”

Alternate Methods for Restraining Unruly Captives by Ashen_Serpent

With all the flair of rescuing a cat with its head stuck in a tissue box, The Collector plucked Arkin from the razor wire and then slammed him down onto the floor with a weak “thud”. He then picked up the weighted blanket and laid it flat on the floor, maneuvering Arkin onto it while ignoring his murmured swears.

[aamethyst000]

feeling so blue right now, i feel kind of stupid about it lmao - july 2,24 - 7:12pm

Dude, my 3DS fricken broke a couple of days ago and ive been sad about it ever since lmao i was almost done with my master quest on OoT!! how abosultely frusturatingg is THAT?! i was at the last temple, getting to the very last sage before finding out who sheik's other identity is. i didnt even get to start over on majoras mask or kirby. Now im on the look out for a new DS, whether it be a 2DS or a 3DS again i'll decide that when i know i have enough money for it. which will take a long while because i still dont have a goddamn job EVEN THOUGH ive applied to 3!!!! other jobs this year but absolutley no one has answered me. i fucking hate it when they just ghost me like that. i'd rather have them telll me striaght up that im not "fit" for the position i apllied for, or simply just not hired. that's all i want! not this no answer IS an answer bullshit. anyway, hired or not, im still going to be without a handheld concol for a good couple of months. maybe. it depends. i Just started decorating my 3ds with pretty stickers :( i literally wanted to go cry about it, only to be slapped with reality, about how old my 3ds is, that just made me mad lmao because my older brother's dsi is lasting LONGER and it is F I V E years OLDER than my 3ds!!! like, fuck off xD oh well, nothing i can do about it now, considering i dont even have enough money for just the repairs alone. so, im just going to buy a new ds instead. i know that is not any cheaper, but i'm impatient and i really want to finish my file on the master quest!! dammit!!

9;25pm - i just found out i cant play any gamecube games on my laptop :( the emulator is slow and laggy which kind of sucks but i am able to play them on my phone! ive finished twilight princess three times now and im on my way to finish wind waker now, which is taking a bit but only because this is my firdt time finishing on my own with out my older brother lol its okie, im an adult (with a short temper but thats besides the point) i can do this just by looking up the quest part on either youtube or wikihow, ive done it for the heart collections on twilight. i can do it for the wind waker playthrough. which i have about 3 times so far. and i think i am doing pretty well! for my first play through by myself. i can see why i had little to no interest in it when my family actually owned the game. i only remember my older brother playing WW, the others played mario sunshine or smash bros (both are the best btw). so, i dont blame younger me for not having too much interest.

july 5,24 1:11am - SSOOOOOOO UUUUHHHHHH.......shit just got a bit chaotic today! we just found out that my brothers school isnt going to continue high school classes. so they will have to go sign up for another school, IN ANOTHER TOWN BY THE WAY. my mother and i have been mulling it over almost all day today, she says that she doesnt want my younger brother to be staying with any of our family members and i agree with her. lemme explain, one aunty of mine tends to be agressive, some times downright abusive, another aunty, emotions fly like a humming bird who drank nothing but espresso, on of my cousin has a child of her own to look after, same with my cousins sister and she has two kids, all of which my brother does not know very well and will be shy like me and not talk for a long while. make him feel like being comfortable but shy and quiet about it is bad. anyway, my mother is very iffy about sending him into town for his last year of school and i get it. the last time she did that with my older brother and shit hit the roof with him. he moved in with one of our aunty's place, stayed for a few months before finally moving out because said aunty was trying to take advantage of my brother temporarily looking after our spoilt ass nephew who looked and treated his cousins as literal maids. not only that, she tried to start a fight with him and our cousin fucking did nothing but make it worse. so yeah, i get why my mother doesn't want to send my little brother into town. why is my little brother's high school life so chaotic and none of it is even HIS fault?? like DAMN universe!! fucking take a goddamn chill pill when handling my litlle brother THANK YOU!! and for my older brother, FUCKING LEAVE HIM ALONE HE HAS BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH ALREADY OR I IWLL THROW HANDS

anyway, this year has been one fckn crazy year for us, thats for goddamn sure.

july 8,24 6:35pm - i keep trying to play on the family dsi, i cant seem to stay on it long like i did with my 3ds. and i really miss my 3ds, i cant believe i have to buy another one and fucking save up for that. im planning on getting a screen protector, case and a little game case for the handheld consol. be more prepared this time and all. im just so mad the dsi is lasting longer than my fckn 3ds!! lmao just fckn RUDE! anyway, what i have in my little cart on ali express says it costs up to 205 for those things all together, i was going to look on amazon but i have doubt with their electronics and such, and it is more expensive as hell. so no thanks. i think i can wait until i have enough to buy those things for my new 3ds. i just keep onn looking at my old 3ds all sad that i cant play on it for all hours of my day. oh well, i can save up money for myself, so i can save up to get a replacement and possibly other accescories for my new ds kekekeke

i forgot to mention that i went to go hang out with my friends the other day, we had shrooms and edibles for the night, it was fckn fun and kind of upsetting lmao there were certain situations where i was questioning a lot, and other situation i just straight up did not like. other than that it was quite fun tripping pretty hard like that, however sleeping was freaking difficult lmao i was literally arguing with myself in my own head about getting to bed and sleep, i just flopped around and fucking giggled at myselef like, what the hell lmao

11:23pm - good this i double checked the 3ds for anything else that i am missing and now that ive done that, it wont turn on at all, itll just lightly beep at me almost like a whisper and then itll just shut off without the screen turning on. im even more sad lmao i cant wait till i have enough for the 3ds and the cases, i really want to finish my master quest on ocorina of time. this itch wont go away until i do. i should clean my room and start on the towels soon. the house is starting to look like a tornado went into our house and i so can tell that none of us are liking it so i am hoping that one or all of us finall gather our energy to clean up the house again. we need it and the pets really need it too. i know that the messyness is affecting us all to the point we \re getting cranky. so, yeah, we need to clean up. this will help my brain get over the guiltiness of buying myself this new handheld consol and the fact that i am using a little bit of my savings. i already have cashed out a couple moolas from the band office but no more than that. i still do not trust my little brother around my savings still. so ill be keeping some in my bank while slowly cashing them out when he doesnt know that i am going there or why. to which i only go to the band office during school days. speaking of, i still dont think that he wont be able to go and graduate on time unless i move to rupert. and if i do that, that may mean that ill have to talk to my alchoholic "dad" about helping me move to an apartment and then sign my little brother up to the highschool but the thing is, the school education there is way different than the one he is used to and grew up in. which sucks cause i was excited for him to gradutate. he only has one more year to go too! it sucks so much i wish the school is starting to get their shit together during this summer cause MY GOD!! this is ridiculous. almost no teachers in highschool? i stilll cant get over that!!! any way this will be the last journal entry for a bit, good night/day readers!

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 19th July

And we're off the dodgy comedy train - phew! Words cannot express how refreshing the first song here felt after last week's irritatingly not-funny comedy tunes. Some straightforward, youthful music - we love it!

Why Do Fools Fall in Love - Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers (peaked at Number 1)

Oh, man. This is maybe our most teenage song yet? Beyond the fact that the band are literally called the Teenagers, you've also just got the frivolity of it all, the endearingly earnest lyrics about being foolish and in love for the first time, and Frankie Lymon's voice as he sings his 14-year-old heart out. There's something amazingly energetic and innocent about it all, a real breezy breath of fresh air.

It's rock and roll, but a upbeat, chirpy doo-wop version of rock and roll, livened up immediately by the backing singers, with a deep ah dum wah, du-dum wah, dum wah, du-dum wah and a ooh-wah, ooh-wah response. Which looks silly, written out like that, but the effect is immediately iconic, making you want to sing along. It's great!

And then Frankie comes in, asking first Why do fools fall in love? then answering his own question with a series of other questions, asking among other things, Why do birds sing so gay? and Why does the rain fall from up above? Answer: it's nature. Fools fall in love, it's just what they do. There's an unpretentious poetry to this all, especially in the way that the answer isn't really ever explained. You have to kind of think about it to work out what Frankie means here.

There would be a sort of meanness to it, if Frankie didn't so clearly include himself in the fool category, singing about how Love is a losing game / And love can be a shame / I know of a fool you see, for that fool is me. In many ways this is the key joke of the song - Frankie, at only 14 years old, is already jaded and cynical about love, even as he can't escape it.

And to add another layer to it, the sound of the song and the energy that Frankie throws at it kind of undercuts this message, simply through its verve and joie de vivre - it's not the sound of heartbreak, even if the lyrics would suggest it. It's an undeniably fun song, and the overall effect is a sort of performative cynicism, Frankie shrugging and having a laugh at himself, recognising his own foolishness, but not letting it get him down.

And fresh off this bit, we're launched into a very fun bass, guitar and sax break, at which I genuinly found myself doing a little shoulder dance. It's just got a good energy, a kind of infectious enthusiasm, and it lasts just long enough that you feel like you've had a break once Frankie comes back in, which he does with aplomb for one final verse and then some ethereally high tell me why lines, in a well-earned ending.

Yeah, this is a classic for a reason. Simple but enjoyable lyrics, astellar performance, a catchy hook, some fun rock and roll backing and a slightly silly but immediately recognisable opening - it's got everything you need for a hit. Masterful song-craft right there.

Gogi Grant - The Wayward Wind (9)

I've not heard anything by Gogi Grant before, I don't think, so no idea what to expect here. I like the sound of the title, though - it's got a sort of mystique to it, somehow. So, let's give it a listen.

Okay, so this started with some upbeat strings and strummy guitar, it was all quite perky-sounding, very light. Except when Gogi's voice came in, it was much deeper than this would suggest, a sort of smoky, rich country-pop voice. I liked it, but it felt odd and far too modern a mix - and lo and behold, when I tried again, I realised that I had a weird version that had put Gogi's original vocals (I think?) against a completely different backing track. Oops.

Once I got the actual song up, it was much more what I expected, a very string-heavy country track. In it, Gogi first explains that the titular wayward wind is A restless wind that years to wander. And unfortunately, she's in love with a man who was born next of kin / The next of kind to the wayward wind. So he's prone to wandering, travelling about instead of staying with Gogi.

We get a bit of backstory about how this happened, learning, for example, about how In a lonely shack by a railroad track / He spent his younger days, where the sound of trains setting out for foreign parts Made him a slave to his wanderin' ways. We then get a sketch of how, in his wandering, he met Gogi in a border town, and how Though he tried his best to settle down / I'm now alone with a broken heart.

In all of this, the focus remains clearly on Gogi's man, and not on her heartbreak. She doesn't leave it out, she's clearly broken up about her man leaving, and performs the song as such, with all the emotion you'd expect. But there's a lot of sympathy towards her man, too, and a sense that he doesn't really have any control over if, either. He's simply at the whim of his wanderlust, however much he might want to settle down.

There's a sort of Wild West romanticism to all this. You could definitely see this being used in a Western, which often have that sort of wandering protagonist, ruggedly handsome, but unable to settle down or form permanent connections, compelled onwards for some reason or another. It's a powerful image, and honestly, I like it a lot. Good job, Gogi!

Also, her voice is still excellent in this version, I really ought to note that. It's smoky but not rough, and she soars up to the higher notes in the song almost effortlessly, adding in a sort of intensity that doesn't ever feel overdone. So yeah, doubly well done. I happen to know that we will see this song again, and honestly, I'm quite looking forward to it.

Hmmm, those were both kind of poetic, weren't they? Not in an overwritten way, but they've both got a certain nuance to them, and both are well worth checking out. The Wayward Wind, in particular, was an unknown to me, and I think it should get more airplay, it's great! And then Frankie and the Teenagers - talk about iconic! It's got a freshness and a catchiness that really feels like a template for pop to come, and I love it.

Favourite song of the bunch: Why Do Fools Falls in Love