#this is not the grandpa from the worm story

[inbabylontheywept]

Weird Grandpa Dale Story #1

The day started with me digging up cactus. Grandpa Dale had a weird beef with cactuses, bad enough to pay me 10 cents for every pound I turned in. Looking back at it, I think they offended him because they could exist without his consent: They didn't need his water, they didn't need his fertilizer, and they certainly didn't need his permission. 

And that, he simply could not abide. 

Grandpa Dale had been doing something weird that whole morning. I knew because I'd been able to watch him since sunrise. Every time I took a break from digging cactus to look back at the house, I saw him doing something with the gopher holes. 

That made me nervous. Things never went well when he started messing with the gophers.  Earlier that month he'd tried gassing them out, and all he got from that effort was nasty looking blisters up both arms. He almost never complained about anything, but he griped all day about how bad those blisters hurt. When his wife suggested that he go to the hospital he said No, what am I gonna tell them? That my trench got overrun? They wouldn't buy that. They'd think I was cooking meth. 

Which was funny to hear, but also, true, and also, enough for me to know better than to get involved in future gopher battles. 

Which is to admit that I did get involved. But I should've known better. A few hours in, he invited me over, gave me a cold soda, and showed me what he had set up: Two camping chairs, a wicked sharp shovel, a car battery, and a long length of copper wire leading to a pit he'd dug in the middle of the yard. Told me that if I stayed a bit and took a break, cooled down there with a soda in the shade, I'd see something amazing. I asked him if there was even a chance I could get hurt by this "something amazing", and he said "no," which I knew was a bald faced lie. But I believed him because I wanted to believe him. Because I wanted to know what he'd done, and I wanted to sit there in the shade with my grandpa. I also figured, hey, maybe getting gassed taught him a lesson. 

(Never, ever assume that the kind of person willing to break out chemical weapons against gophers is capable of being taught a lesson.) 

So I sat down in my chair and he beamed at that. He loved having an audience. Then I watched him lean forward and tap the ends of the wire against the battery terminals.

And that's where everything went wrong.  

The first thing that hit me was the yard itself. Little bits of sand and grit flying fast enough to hit my skin and bite. It took a year and change for all the little bits to work their way out. But I didn't even feel it at the time, because of what happened after. 

I genuinely think he'd imagined the gophers getting launched out of the holes, disoriented but alive. I think that shovel was there to finish them off afterwards. Which also would've been traumatizing, but probably less so than watching each of those cute little gopher holes projectile vomit bloody piles of tattered critter all over the lawn. 

Which, spoiler alert, is exactly what happened. The sky fell down, and the ground flew up, and the gophers found themselves with nowhere to go. So they did the next best thing and went a little bit everywhere.

I don't think it was actually silent afterwards, but I couldn't hear shit. There was just this long, ringing period of us looking at each other, then the meat piles, then the lawn crater, then the big buckled section of yard that looked oddly like Rockies just behind us, then back to each other. 

I think I did that two or three times before I felt my shoulders start to shake a little. I was crying. Felt weird to cry and not be able to hear it. Like a tic almost, or the way your body seizes up right before you puke. 

And then I looked at his face, and I saw him mouth a single soundless word: 

Shit.

[valdotjpg]

hey boss, any thoughts on the upcoming elden ring dlc? ur fromsoft takes are always enlightened

dont quote me on this but i thjnk miquella might be in it.

[annabelle-creart]

The 13 Prime Au

It´s so funny how bots see the Primes at these days, like, powerful beings with great knowledge and energy, like, dude, they´re not, they doesn´t even were as you think on the old days, like

Prima was a paranoid bitch, I mean it, that man and his angsty and anxious look made everyone thought he was The Thirteenth and not Prima, he created Ghost-stories,

Megatronus was a depressive bear who depended on Solus to have at least 1% of self-esteem on himself,

Solus as the only female was who supported the whole team when Prima couldn´t, but that doesn´t mean she didn´t did stupid gadgets because she was bored and let everyone to use them,

Vector was the one who tested her gadgets because he didn´t fear death, he was so fucking hyperactive and uncontrollable, the most infantile of the team, a man kid, to be wise didn´t mean he didn´t wanted to have fun,

and the there was Quintus and his autistic ass going one way to another in the galaxy, studying the planets and life itself and then coming back home to sit because he got energy-drained,

Micronus trying to deal with all the thoughts of the team and also being A FUCKING GOSSIP MESSENGER, everyone knew about Solus and Megatronus relationship because of his anti-silence mouth,

Onyx was both the grandpa and the pet of the team, when he´s not relaxing with a cup of hot energon and drawing he is in an astral travel with Quintus, he´s Quintus' special info dumping guest, probably they´re the favorite brother of the other,

Liege, as we know is an asshole and everyone knew that, but what not everyone knew and just his siblings was how a CHICKEN he was, he was the tinnest of the team just after Micronus and was always distracting everyone when they were angry, he´s like Starscream but 10 times worst,

Alchemist was an alcoholic but no one pay attention to it till he almost fall from the planet, how? Primus is still trying to figured out that,

Alpha Trion was a book worm, put a book in front on him and in one hour he will know everything about it and the author, and he was a book worm because his social skills were pure shit, the anxiety didn´t let him live out of his magic library,

Amalgamous is still a mystery because no one on the house could comprehend why with all that power he just made spectacles for the rest and the new cybertonians, even liege called him once a buffon,

Nexus was constantly treated like a crazy bot because he was always talking to himself, well, he wasn´t, he was a whole system of various bots, it was actually one of the bots talking to another with the same voice, but the rest didn´t get how it felt, so, they tried not to talk much with them, that´s actually why Nexus system is so angry at their siblings now,

Thirteenth is dead...

Primus is an absent father,

they all literally fought against their uncle

so, now, you can imagine how out of control that house was...

---

The Garden is my new project, please, take a look at it

[nezumithewriter]

magnus archives season 1 was pretty good

ep 15: "This is my [sister's] hole! It was made for m[y sister]!"

ep 16: "fuck this guy in particular" - the spider

ep 17: Bone Hurting Book ouch oooo my bones ouch oooo

ep 18: Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer

ep 19: "please, G- just let me have one good day"

ep 20: the demon "ugh, you again? tear off that guy's face, buddy!"

ep 21: mr blue sky please tell us-- "MARTIN WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT???"

ep 22: "open the noor" KNOCK KNOCK SQUELCHING SOUND KNOCK KNOCK "open na noor"

ep 23: "damn can't kill you rn sorry" disappears

ep 24: cheater gets what he deserves from angry grandpa's evil calliope

ep 25: "my roommate loud as fuck god damn. also there might be a cult involved" kathy probably

ep 26: "whoops you missed one" cuts skin open and grabs silly little worm

ep 27: evil's #1 enemy; locks on doors that may or may not exist

ep 28: GOING TO CAMBRIDGE MILITARY HOSPITAL AT 3AM!! (GONE WRONG) (SOUND GIRL TORE OFF HER SKIN AND GOT LUNG CANCER)

ep 29: "Fallout 76 bug has made a player invincible and they just want to die" - vg247

ep 30: "maybe PETA has a point"

ep 31: mfw the guy i tried to hunt for sport had air force military training and two guns

ep 32: The episode where Jon really makes it really known he wanted to be a voice actor

ep 33: "hey jon maybe you should redo some of these statements--" "FUCK OFF TIM I NEED TO READ THIS STORY ABOUT A BOAT"

ep 34: "oh THAT'S how you do it!" sound of writhing flesh and cracking bone from inside student

ep 35: "oi oi oi got a package 'ere for Jon sims" "you're-- you're standing in a pile of worms" "i don't get paid enuff to care"

ep 36: terrible managing director causes nursing home to go under after not paying cleaning staff and then it explodes

ep 37: this is why you don't fuck with ritual grounds dumbass

ep 38: Mandelbrot Hall Pot, oh and also THE WORMS ARE COMING

ep 39: Prentiss really, really hates academia. also worms. also the weirdest date i've ever seen. also GRAHHHHHHH SASHA NOOOO

ep 40: "gertrude got lit up by someone in the archives, so everyone around me is probably going to kill me next. i can feel it. also OW THESE HOLES REALLY FUCKING HURT."

[zoobus]

I apologize in advance because I'm taking a tag way too seriously and this isn't even YA novel navalgazing, this is literally about a series written for 3rd graders.

I'm realizing "fucked up that the moral of this story was" is a minor trigger for me. It drives me insane in a way obviously unequal to whatever the original context is. But this is my blog so.

The American Girl series was not a moral-driven set of stories! They weren't Animorphs or anything but they were absolutely a kid's introduction to the intrinsic unfairness of life and a solid chunk of the stories ended with the """"moral"""" of the main character left to uncomfortably ponder why something so clearly not right could be allowed to continue before they clunkily skipped to the next story like the previous didn't happen.

I used to own several sets and I skimmed through a few before selling them some years back. The sudden harsh reality of whatever historical ills going on were part of the appeal! It was fucked up and scary and that's why they were good (to an elementary schooler to be clear, these aren't good books)

Like the "moral" of Nellie's story was that it was fucked up to be a child factory worker. It was fucked up that her response to "oh your hair is so pretty, you should grow it longer" was to recount the time she witnessed one of her elementary age coworker get scalped by one of the child labor machines. It was fucked up that she's 8 with PTSD. Of course Nellie got a happy end but like... abused little puppies getting cleaned up and spoiled is a popular media trope. It's not a lesson. Even though it works out for her, you're still left with the knowledge that the girl who's hair was ripped off her skull and untold number of fingerless kids were not adopted by Samantha's rich grandpa.

I'm rarely comfortable saying there's one specific point that a story is objectively going for and you're a fool if you don't see it, but I do think the American Girl series was intentional in showcasing period-specific suffering might have looked like in a way a little kid could conceptualize. And it worked! For example:

Molly, the WW2 American Girl (AG). Her family takes in a little Bri'ish girl and Molly's soooo excited wow imagine having a fancy English girl in your own house. She is irritated when the 9yo lass is very quiet and not into being her doll. After weeks of molly snipping at her, British girl goes off like sorry I'm not fucking prancing around you dumb bitch but I'm not here as a foreign exchange student, I'm here because my house got bombed and my friends and family are probably fucking dead

Samantha, the Victorian AG. We already know Nellie who, as explained before, had a very different life than the wealthy Samantha. But Samantha also had a black nanny she adored up until she disappears without warning. After a lot of snooping, she uncovers that nanny had a baby! So of course she sneaks out at night to find the little man for herself🤫

Her mischievous giggling starts to get more nervous as she gets closer to nanny's address. It's getting dirtier and shittier and there's only black people around and they're openly gawking but not approaching. People live here? Nanny lives here? With a baby? She eventually finds her and the baby who is cute but Samantha is left at the end like. Hm. So. I guess my life is not universal? Much to think about. There's no happy resolution to this. Nanny never returns, segregation continues.

Last one, Addy, the escaped slave (apparently a controversial opinion, but I liked Addy). The other stories take a bit to get to wham aspect, but with her? Right from the start we have Overseer catch Addy slacking while picking cotton. She's just not debugging fast enough. This grown adult man, so infuriated an eight year old child isn't picking cotton tobacco fast enough, forces her to eat one of the fat, green worms she missed. They describe Addy holding back tears, the worm bursting in her mouth, the bitter taste, the humiliation. I feel like this was the first time I like...*got* slavery. You learn about it in school, sure, but owning people, beating people, it sounded bad but unconnected to anything I knew. Like maybe it's because at the time of reading, I too was a daydreamy 8yo black girl, making it hit a little too close. How could anyone do that and feel justified? Or feel nothing at all? An adult made a little kid eat a bug and it didn't hurt his conscious? This guy probably goes to church and doesn't even remember this. He doesn't think he needs forgiveness. This is nothing to him. This is normal. He died thinking he did nothing wrong, probably. Those were my thoughts then. Very good.

These aren't morals. Of course you shouldn't expect a refugee to perform for their host family. Of course you shouldn't make a child eat a worm. Child labor is bad. Didactic American Girl was not.

[xjulixred45x]

WISH: the power of Wishes (RE-IMAGINATION)

okay, I know that many people have already done this, but I want to make my own version of this and above all do my bit for Magnífico Stands (the only salvageable character in the entire movie) and instead of just using the original concepts of the work (which is great) i wanted to mix both the concepts that i liked from the final work and the discarded concepts. we'll see.

First of all, Magnifico would not be the villain, nor would Queen Amaya. Is it simply too much to ask for a king/queen who truly cares about their people in a sincere way and does not want to harm them? although there would be a fixed villain. But I'll leave it for later. Asha and her family remain the same, except that Asha never really considered the stories her father told her about the stars as something real and thought it was another way of referring to the Magnificent King's wishes. which encouraged more fanaticism for him. I think Asha would be more studious, not exactly a book eater, but someone who has many hyper fixations and wants to know absolutely everything about those topics that she is passionate about. which causes some distance between her and boys her age. I mean, his clumsiness is a little more justified (maybe he's even neuro divergent? but I'll leave it ambiguous). Thanks to this and her somewhat more theatrical personality (which we see at the beginning of the movie), Asha participates in various activities to help the inhabitants of Rosas. In this way we would be introduced to the utopian way of life of the kingdom and perhaps even to Asha's few friends. I think that of his group of friends the only relevant ones would be Daliah and MAYBE Simon. Daliah would have a disability that makes her use a crutch (as in one of the old concepts) and she is like a book worm, she and Asha probably met because they had many hyperfixations in common. Simon dreams of being a knight of the kingdom, so he and Asha bond by having similar goals and helping each other achieve them. (Asha and Daliah even help Simón train and encourage him 😭Simon helps Asha get jobs). In general they are a fairly united group. then the main plot of the movie begins, Asha wanting to be Magnífico's apprentice, BUT not because of her Grandpa! But she genuinely wants to use magic to make her family's life easier by being just her and her mother (they're not going to put a 90-year-old man to work) and take better care of them. message about family in your face. The entire At All Costs sequence occurs but with a different context, not only does Magnífico open up to Asha but she also opens up and tells the above, that since her father died she feels that she has to do something to improve the life of her family, take care of them as best you can. generating not only empathy on our part but also on Magnifico. thus becoming his official apprentice. (no, here there is no problem with returning the wishes or anything else, because probably having removed the filling it could be explained in more detail why several dangerous wishes should not be fulfilled.

As an extra fact: I like to think that desires can also disappear on their own when they are fulfilled without the need for Magnifico, simply to give it a little more weight)

Asha and her acquaintances are obviously very happy, and proceed to have certain interactions with Queen Amaya, perhaps just giving more lore about her and Magnifico (God knows we needed it) and even about the founding of Rosas itself and the Magic sistem.

I like to thing wish Sistem of Magic is a mix between The Owl House and Harry Potter.

This would be where the villain would be mentioned for the first time (mention, not appearance), who would be the one who destroyed the Old Village of Magnífico. For now I'll just call him Morgan (like, Morgan Le fay). and then there is the matter of the star. It seems to me that both Magnifico and Asha would be interested in this type of magic to prove ancient myths about stars, so they spend several weeks working on ways to "bring" a star to Magnifico's laboratory. First they study in depth Astronomy, alchemy, traditional magic and then they go to the attempts. **funny sequence of all the failed attempts to lower the star from the sky** I think there would come a time where Asha would even stay the night in the castle to be able to investigate Magnífico's books because her attempts failed and they are both super sleepless. There may even be a cute moment where Asha falls asleep in the castle so Amaya and Magnifico give her a blanket and pillow to make her comfortable (these two are so cute, I can't----) and Magnifico, searching for more books, ends up coming across the forbidden book. the book he took from his old town... that belonged to Morgan. Now, I imagined a whole Dr Jekyll and Ms Hyde-like sequence with this(this was so long i'm sorry) Magnífico tempted to use the book, but as soon as he remembers everything that that same book provoked, what that book TOOK FROM him, it goes away, but he starts to reflect, if it is really good to keep that reminder, that constant nightmare, if he does well. and then (perhaps due to lack of sleep or a materialization of the book) Morgan appears. mocking him, laughing at him, like do you really think you will ever be free from what HE did? from all the damage he caused? He will NEVER be free of it. and Magnifico obviously denies this! Morgan should be dead now, this is just a bad dream. but "Morgan" lets him know that as long as he lives he will always be "there." Magnifico only sees it as all the damage he caused, he lets him know, that when he can completely get rid of his book, there will be no trace of it. That he'll be forgotten. Morgan makes it clear that he will never leave him, THAT HE WILL STAY no matter what he says while he struggles with Magnifico for the book.

AND WHEN MAGNIFICO HAS THE BOOK IN HIS HANDS HE SEE IN HIS REFLECTION THAT HE HAS GREEN EYES WHILE MORGAN SAYS THAT HE WILL BLOOM LONG AFTER HE IS GONE IF HE DECIDES TO FOLLOW HIS PATH (use dangerous magic, the star)... Magnificent knows Morgan well, he needs him to survive, he is a PARASITE, he may not be able to control him, but he will definitely rejoice when he knows that Morgan took his last breath. TRAUMA TIME, "Morgan" showing Magnífico a hallucination of how he destroys 1- the kingdom of roses 2- its inhabitants and 3- AMAYA. f for Magnifico. Magnificent, he's had enough of this, he just curses Morgan one last time, sending him to hell and throwing his book into the fire, which rises above his castle with a green flame... MEANWHILE Asha, still half asleep, settles in as she thinks about her failure with the star again, as she looks out the window at the northern stars, and JUST out of habit, she wishes she wished she could have one of those, so she could help people. and ZASSS! Before she realizes it, a great light appears in the room that almost blinds her and when she regains her composure she is a small creature! What a magic dust! A funny moment that my sister came up with for the inclusion of Star Boy is that Asha gave the star a simple nickname "little guy" and the star decided to change shape back into His kind of human boy😅 In any case, Magnífico hears the confusion and, with his adrenaline high, runs to see Asha and discovers a fucking star boy in his palace. He's shocked, obviously, but now he's much more cautious than before (lack of sleep + ptsd). I think it would take a moment with Amaya to calm down a little, remind him that he is not Morgan and that he would never use magic to hurt its habitants, and to get some sleep (another Amaya moment x Magnifico YEY!) Anyway, Asha, Amaya and Magnifico trying to teach Star boy the basics of human culture while figuring out how exactly it works without being too invasive.

But Star Boy dosen't make it easy, being kind of a knew-it-all(a little arrogant?), messing up some of the tries of Magnífico and Asha of get test material. Things like that.

I don't Even think he knows how frágile humans are at the Start, so it would take a little...incident to make him realize that. But definitely flying dust would be something fun 😝 I think Asha would have several moments with Star Boy showing her the kingdom of Rosas, just trying to use his magic for good and teach him human things.

But at the same time is hard with Someone who's never been with humans before, so when he tries to do something that Asha thinks is "good for the people" Star Boy misunderstand and end up doing something wrong, like grouwing too much the tries to the point the people can't reach them to get fruit, turn the water in ice for fun, etc. Her friends join in! but at the same time I think that some (especially Dalilah) would feel half done by having a new new person in the group (who is literally from another world).

Daliah Even Starts ti believe that Star Boy could be kind of dangerous, specially if she ever sees him mad, he literally is making a disaster without intention, what would happen if he DOES have intention?

But Asha tries to ressur her that Star Boy is not malicous, but just naive, and unexpefienced, and he's trying to learn! Trying to be better.

It would be Even better if Someone endup hurt or Asha almost gets hurt so Star Boy Star to realize, well, MORTALITY, and tries to make up what he did wrong And control better His own Magic. With the proper support ofc. which causes Daliah to distance herself a little while Asha and Star boy have their well-deserved romance (at all cost reprise? at all cost reprise) and Simon continues training hard to be a knight.

Daliah feels insecure around Star Boy, even if he is more careful and empathetic now, she definitely got the impression that his magic is dangerous, but does she feel guilty for distrusting Asha like that, for feeling jealous? so he is going to reflect alone.. That's when he runs into Morgan, probably while on the outskirts of Rosas. and in a certain way when they meet they have some worrying interactions. Morgan gets Daliah to tell him that she feels insecure about her friendship with someone and the whole thing, that she feels like someone is dangerous but they don't believe her, etc. Morgan, with a master's degree in Manipulation, tells her something personal to gain her trust, how he used to be seen as similar to where he came from, how he took refuge and distanced himself from everyone because he didn't fit in, how he had to find his own way of standing out, like her. It sounds like a very Evil Like me moment to me. I mean, Morgan manipulating Dalilah in an emotional moment by being passive aggressive and at the same time being "empathetic." You may even not only try to convince him to see his friends differently, but also his desires. Doesn't that seem archaic to you? Don't you think that having someone who fulfills your desires is something horribly selfish? Like? Are people going to learn if there is no pain involved? (a philosophy...valid, but taken to the extreme) Thanks to this, Daliah begins to hang out with her friends less, but with Star Boy around, they don't realize it at first. Star Boy and Asha do some experiments with their magic for Rosas' benefit, with good results, Magnifico is even being friendlier with him and not as tense. everything seems to be going well... but then Magnifico notices that some wishes have... disappeared. and in the distance, you can see a light on the outskirts of Rosas... a green light... oh no, no no no no- it has to be a mistake- a coincidence- The scene is made where help is sought from the town to find the traitor who stole the wishes, the people are worried, and they are attentive. Asha and Star Boy are confused: why would someone steal the wishes if only Magnifico can fulfill them? There is no way to know who it was? How could he get into the palace? Daliah seems especially distressed, it almost seems like she wants to approach Queen Amaya to tell her something. but at the last moment he decides not to and runs away. Asha and Star Boy get worried and go after her, following her through Rosas until they reach the outskirts of the kingdom. and that's when they see it. Morgan. He has his mirror scepter, Daliah is in front of him, tired from running.

Morgan has several orbs around him, stained and withered, it takes Asha a second to realize they are WISHES. THE LOST WISHES, HE WAS INFECTING THEM..

Now, two possible ways this could end. one attached to the film, another more of my own interpretation. The one attached to the movie is that, Morgan uses his powers augmented by wishes and manages to temporarily absorb Star Boy, and with his powers he manages to keep the entire kingdom of Rosas under his thumb. even Mangifico (maybe controlling it and only true love's kiss can break it?). but Asha, using what Magnifico taught her, manages to make a collective spell to summon the star and thus weaken Morgan, allowing the wishes to leave him and Star Boy using his powers/Magnifico to lock him in the mirror of his scepter. My own interpretation would be that Morgan would rather use people's fears, using their Wishes as a base, infecting them and in a certain way controlling them (and taking away vitality from the people of Rosas). that is the source of the power of evil, fear and ignorance. Then the people of Rosas, seeing that they are all weakened and that the wishes make Morgan stronger, decide to give the remaining wishes to Magnifico and Asha, so that they can recover and be able to face Morgan. Just saying that not only do they not need the physical desire for it to be fulfilled, but they will work to make it happen all together, now the COLLECTIVE desire is to defeat the villain. and thus they manage to give a Power Up to both Asha and Magnifico to fight with Morgan and thus free Star Boy, who similarly ends up locking Morgan in the mirror forever. In the end there is almost no wish left intact, Rosas is a mess, but now they have a new aura of optimism, of desire to try, to work to improve, the people decide to help with their own hands instead of just using magic. There could be a time skip for when Rosas is completely rebuilt, there could be more equity in magical and non-magical users, people no longer depend so much on their desires and work as a team with the few sorcerers there are to make everything better. Asha is Magnifico's official successor, so she is crowned princess of Rosas. while Amaya and Mangifico teach new, younger magic users. Simon is a guard, Dahlia found a way to feel complete in her own way (maybe working with Asha's mom) Star Boy and Asha together, as well as Amaya and Magnifico. In general the message would be that there are dreams that are selfish and that can lead to destruction, that should not be pursued. While there are dreams that are sincere but you have to work for them, everything you can, even if you need help to fulfill them, it is up to YOU to make it happen. and like that, this story is over. END

Shares, reglogs and comments are very welcome!

This was by long shot the LARGEST work i Ever done, but i hope You guys like it.

[slippery-domjot-balls]

DS9 S4 E11 Homefront & E12 Paradise Lost, slippery thoughts

Wow....let me catch my breath. That was a wild and tense ride. Nice scenery too. Obviously these are just my opinions, but I wanted to share them because Star Trek makes me happy and passionate. I want you to be happy and passionate too!

Given the intensity of these two episodes I completely forgot it started off with Jadzia pulling off the most specific pranks on Odo.

Jadzia: I sneak into my coworker's private quarters and move his furniture by 3 cm every couple of days.

Quark: That's weird. They would not even notice that change.

Jadzia: Oh, no no no. He sees it every time and it drives him insane.

Audience: Oh you silly worm!

And I loved that we got to see these two besties playing pretend. We need more Miles and Julian aviation adventures. Super cute pals.

R.I.P. Clive

Playtime is over now because the changelings have basically infiltrated Earth and are ruining everything all the time and it isn't fun anymore....or are they? They are, but are they? Possibly. Probably. Perhaps.

To me this kind of episode is the pinnacle of what Star Trek writing has always been about. We see a complex evaluation of choices in conflict. It is not about an obvious "right" or "wrong", but one decision versus another. This is a battle between perspective and reason. All sides contain some merit. This episode also shows good intentions taken too far and taken beyond the ethical reasoning that initially inspired the action.

If this episode were to have a villain it would be fear and paranoia itself and not any particular character.

Vice Admiral Leyton was an amazing character. It was brilliant to establish that he had a close professional history with Sisko early in the episode because it immediately made me trust him. You sneaky writers!! But that was the whole point. The story that was unfolding to the audience purposefully made us feel betrayed with Sisko. We co-experienced in real time the feeling seeing a close friend commit treason.

Enter the most powerful man on Earth. He can move the most stubborn hearts, calm the most irrational mind, and fill up the most starved stomach. Replicated foods beware of Grandpa Sisko. I see where Jake gets his style too! It was so believable that these three were family. You could see how cadences, mannerism, and behaviors in Granddad Sisko were passed to Ben and then passed down to Jake, but in their own naturally developing ways in each generation.

*Spoiler Alert* Grandpa Sisko also saves the day.

Just when I thought this episode had all the ingredients for perfection Nog the keeper of all things pure and innocent shows up. Look at that smug Ferengi. He knows that he is the best thing at the Academy and so do we.

A great thing about these two episodes is that every character acts as an essential part of the story. Nog will lead Ben on the chase with his talk of the Red Squad. A+ Nog!

This ain't your normal seagull. This one loves Bajoran women.

Around this point we have all the main details of the episode. Admiral Leyton and Captain Sisko are working together to protect Earth from a suspected Dominion infiltration and invasion. The President of the Federation is against the proposed worldwide security changes but reluctantly allows their implementation.

With security personnel, blood tests of all crucial Starfleet staff and family members, and martial law practically in effect everywhere we are ready to repel any Dominion attacks. After all, the wormhole was winking at DS9 a lot so perhaps a cloaked invasion fleet is on Earth's doorstep.

HERE WE GO! Papa Sisko challenges Daddy Sisko's paranoia. Ben is seeing changelings in his sleep and not the Odo kind either.

So we start to see the episode present one of it's many challenges:

How far should we trade individual autonomy for protection?

And THIS is why I love Star Trek. Grandfather Sisko is absolutely correct!! And yet, Ben Sisko is also correct. Both want to protect what they love, life ad they know and perceive it.

We search for the highest good in each situation. Ben wants to secure and save everything he loves on Earth. He wants to protect his family, his home, and everything therein. Grandpa Sisko wants the EXACT same thing. The methods to achieve their shared goal is in conflict.

DS9 writers have a candy bar on me. Well done!!! (engage smooching sounds)

This very moment is crucial for Ben. His paranoia is pushing him toward the type of dictatorial control that Admiral Leyton is calling for, but Ben has found that not only is something odd happening in the background but this entire movement smell stinky.

Nog is such a good cadet. I love him with all my little heart. He provided critical information about Starfleet Academy's unofficial super special secret mean girls club Red Squad. This little snack of information sets Ben Sisko on the trail of breadcrumbs leading to the smorgasbord of treason committed by Leyton.

Smug Shapeshifting O'Brien is a gift. Enjoy every second of this hilarious goop boy. Colm really did a great job. We do see that there is a Dominion changeling on earth (saw it earlier in Homefront as well). We understand how real the threat of their activity can be. We especially see how terrifying a changeling can be when Dominion version O'Brien has a little chat with Ben. It might only take one hostile changeling to completely destabilize an entire world.

I do wish we figured out how the fake changeling blood was created to trap Sisko. Clever girl, Admiral.

I felt bad for Leyton. He is someone caught in a difficult position of authority and personal fears. His own paranoia drove him to the utmost extreme. I imagined that maybe he has a cute little family with a kid back home. I imagined what it might be like in his shoes. It would be hard to live thinking that your lack of effort led to the death of your child or friend or family member or significant other. It would be hard to go to bed knowing that the person you once shared it with prematurely died because of that you thought you failed to do. Even in much of the two episodes his facial expressions show a man full of internal strife and conflict. It is as if he kept questioning his actions as he made them.

What if his fear of failing his community drove him to radical dictatorship? He wanted to keep all that he loved safe, but he betrayed everyone he loved. He demanded that all his loyal friends trust him. Trust is a two way exchange though. He abandoned trusting his friends and confidants. That was the beginning of his downfall.

Leyton wanted to protect society at the cost of society itself. He could not see beyond his fear of losing society to war and enemies abroad to the point of blindness. He became an enemy of all he cherished, and I honestly think that he knew that too. He was just so scared that he desperately dug in to the one aspect of his life that he thought he could control, which is so relatable. We all can act irrationally under stress and pressure. This is not justification or approval. This is accepting that life may not have as many villains in it as we are told to believe. People are just trying to be people, meet their obligations and responsibilities while preserving what little bit of life exists to enjoy.

We are all prone to brash behaviors in order to protect what we love, but sometimes it is healthy to set down the admiralty bars and accept that you can't do it all, especially alone.

Remember that everyone in this episode wanted the same thing. Leyton wanted to protect life. Sisko wanted to protect life. Grandpa Sisko wanted to protect life. Everyone held the same belief and motivation.

I appreciated how solemnly Leyton gave in and how respectfully he surrendered. It actually felt less like defeat and more like he was relieved of a burden that he was too overwhelmed to carry alone. He didn't need to carry it alone but chose to go alone. In a symbolic way by removing the admiral bars he set down his fear and moved on.

The amount of time taken for these shots impressed upon me the symbolic significance of it. Sisko also lets go and moves on with Leyton. By setting the phaser down he too lets go and agrees it is time to move forward from this conflict. He is still betrayed and disappointed, but he is not stuck or trapped in the past. He sets down his weapon and joins Leyton in facing a reality outside the oppression of their own paranoia.

I loved that Paradise Lost ends with the restaurant opening up again. It is the resolution these episodes needed. It was closure showing that being open to others and not letting the world cloud you of the humanity in others is fundamental to life.

Despite the many differences in all these characters, regardless of where they were in the progress of their own lives, no matter the goal or intention, we all essentially desire the same things.

Star Trek is the future I hope for!

If you made it to the end of this post and are reading this then 10,000 sweet kisses to your forehead. If you didn't make it then I am still giving your forehead tender kisses, you are just not aware of it.

[ar3s-r4t-qu33n]

“I have my personal headcanon on what I think happens to her, Johnny, Sissy and Nancy once the Gang are dead, but that's for another time.”

What’s your head canon?

You have no idea the can of worms you have opened 😵‍💫

So,

Everyone is dead. Danny and Virginia are both dead before the game's events, and Ana, Connie, Julie, Leland and Sonny die to the Family during the game.

Maria knows about Virginia and the others. She does NOT know about Danny because she was not near Nancy's House at the time and Johnny has hidden his body somewhere for to use to get his anger issues out. Ana gets the furthest, running from the Family House to Nancy's, finding Danny's body, finding Maria, but is eventually put down (imo by Bubba).

Now, Johnny has been keeping Maria a secret from Nancy and most of the family, so the reveal to them that she's still alive is also a shock.

Now that the kids are dead, Nancy turns on Maria.

She started this mess, she's fucking with Johnny's head, she needs to go for good. Nancy begins to attack, Grandpa he damned, and Maria is just trying to survive. Eventually, they reach some sort of dead end or something where Nancy is absolutely gonna kill Maria.

And Johnny just sees red and kills Nancy.

Maria is his, she is the only thing he's ever had that doesn't belong to the family, someone he chose for himself, someone he wants. And he won't let Nancy force him to stay there again. It's almost exactly like when he was younger and he found out the truth, but now he's bigger and stronger and colder.

Johnny kills Nancy.

And then it goes one of two ways-

Either Maria dies from her injuries, bleeding out, and Johnny just takes her body, puts her in the back seat of his truck, and drives away. He can't go back to the Family House, he can't ever show his face there again. History be damned, the second he killed Nancy, he was no longer Family. So he just leaves, maybe goes off with his Uncle Hands or goes completely solo (the leather jacket makes me think he's spent at least a little time with Hands post-1973), driving around, murdering. He is part of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre, killing his way through the state until we get to Rush Week, where, at the end, he is almost pathetically stopped by the Omega Sigma Theta girls and shot dead by the police, his story coming to an abrupt and bloody end.

OR Maria lives, and is completely traumatised by seeing her friends and sister die and almost dying herself, that when Johnny says they have to go, she merely follows. Again, same deal, he's killed Nancy, he knows he has to go, but he also needs to get Maria out of there; they're free. He makes a pit stop at the Family House, offering to drive Sissy off too so she can give the world another try and she agrees, tossing her blade as they drive away, planning on giving up the life entirely (and leaving Nubbins to pick it up for use in the film, being abandoned again by another sibling).

Johnny and Maria settle down, find a place of their own a fair ways away from any towns, somewhere in the woods where Johnny can hunt animals for food and Maria can take her pictures. And Johnny really genuinely tries to stop killing for a bit. For Maria. He really gives it a shot. But he can't shake that itch. Nancy was right, he wasn't born a Slaughter, but he was raised one, and that is in him forever. He begins at first with sneaking out once Maria is asleep, killing one or two people who he catches out at night on their own. But soon he needs more. Reconnects with his Uncle Hands, starts going away on weekends for "fishing trips" or "hunting trips", always bringing home food for Maria and a little something to sweeten the deal. In reality, he's killing again, bigger targets, like the Sorority. Maria is definitely beginning to suspect, but at this point they either already have children, or she's pregnant, and far too busy to deal with that.

As for how Rush Week ends, either he gets to kill a few or even all of the girls and go home again, back to Maria and their slowly growing family, or, again, he meets his match. He's gunned down, never goes home. Maybe, if Hands is around, he tells Maria what happened or some version of the truth. And she can't go home. Not now, not when Ana is dead and Danny has probably spent so long looking for her. She couldn't do that to her mother, go home with children and the news that her baby sister is dead and she chose to stay with the animal that helped to kill her. She doesn't even know why she stayed, she's traumatised. So she just has to keep going and provide for her family, whatever she can to protect herself now.

I'm not sure which ending I prefer. And I haven't played Rush Week, so maybe that would inform my decision more. But yeah, this is my ending headcanon for Maria, Johnny, Sissy and Nancy. Obviously some creative liberties taken since I truly do believe Johnny loves Maria in his own fucked up way, and I want him and Sissy to forgive each other because I love Sissy and want the best for her. But yeah, hope y'all enjoy

[thewertsearch]

Asks Comp - 16/4

I literally did not know The Baby Is You was a thing. To be welcomed back into the comic like this after four months is very on brand for Homestuck.

... and wow, its outro really does match the end of this song, doesn't it? That's even funnier than if he'd snuck some of Megalovania in there.

Ooh, that's another liveblog I'll want to check out when I'm done! I've never actually seen a Worm liveblog before. Adding it to the list myself!

Nothing's really changed since I've been gone! I make a conscious effort not to do much Homestuck analysis off-blog, since I want my journey to be fully documented here.

It's good to be back! I'm looking forward to a full reread when I'm done.

Would you believe I didn't even know there was a book?

I also didn't know the movie had two (allegedly) terrible sequels, which is very funny. Neverending story indeed.

Thank you! I can't take too much credit, though - most of my tagging system has been crowdsourced from askers!

At some point, before we reach the end of the comic, I'm going to have to formalize my approach to liveblogging Homestuck's side content.

What I'll probably do is give each of them the 'lite' treatment initially, but if they turn out to be more canonical than I thought, or particularly interesting to liveblog, I'll 'zoom in', and analyze them properly. We'll see how we go!

Could you imagine the relationship dynamics in your average troll soap opera? The shipping web for a single season would make our heads explode.

It's a fun question. What sort of object symbolizes everything?

The first thing I'd try would be a star chart, Dave's magnifier and a literal planetful of Grist.

Added to the list! Not until later later on, though - I'd worry that the opinions and theories of another liveblogger could interfere with my own, especially if they're talking about it with someone who's already read it!

I would find it hard to disagree.

Do people think Act 1 is pointless?

I mean, it is the slowest Act in terms of pacing, but slow pacing isn't always a bad thing. You sort of have to take it slow when your readers have this much to get to grips with.

...okay, maybe we didn't need quite as many Sylladex mishaps as we got. But we still needed some. Homestuck has a lot to introduce you to.

I always pictured an English accent for Hass - although, interestingly, I didn't picture one for Jade. As a headcanon, I like the NZ one better.

Where did Grandpa grow up again, actually? He was raised by Fake Mark Twain, who was from Missouri - but I don't have a clue what a Missouri accent sounds like, let alone one from a century ago. I have a funny feeling that it's not the accent I'm imagining coming from Jade.

Now that's a ship I'd never have seen coming. Props to Hussie for coming up with something more controversial than my Feferi<>Equius.

All four kids, with four endgame weapons, might be able to challenge Jack's current incarnation - but they're not going to get the chance. You've hit the nail on the head - he's semi-perfect Jack for a reason.

I have several theories for Jade's prototyping, and every single one of them would make Jack even more dangerous than before. It's just barely possible to challenge him now, but things will only get worse.

Read the room, Serket!

Would Vriska have tried to negotiate? She feels like the type of person who'd rather take a beating than admit they're outclassed. Plus, I'm not sure how much she'd have to offer Aradia, who seemed entirely motivated by revenge (and, possibly, secretly motivated by timeline stuff).

All that said, I would have loved to hear Vriska trying to worm her way out of this.

I love it! Please send in the completed house, if you get the chance. That's going to look so cool with a moving meteor.

And they're both easily distractible! This feels like two people who might actually get on surprisingly well, if they were in, say, the same high school class.

It's hard to say what's a rarepair, since I don't know what ships are rare in the fandom - although I'd have a few guesses about the most common ones.

If we're going for a ship with very tenuous connections, I will submit Rose x Feferi for your appraisal. They're both fans of the Noble Circle, and their signature colors are pretty close.

You know what, I'll just review all of your ships. Tavros/Gamzee - PB&J - is pretty cute. [] I'd recommend Miracle Child for a number of reasons, but it does include a well-written Gamtav. Jack/Droog is more <> to me than it is <3. Like One Sundered Star might be influencing that? I'm not really sure. Somewhere I think I saw a Jack<>Droog. Your pre-shipping chart post isn't in the chrono; also, I'm pretty sure the A6A6I5 ask is one of mine. Gamzee/Eridan is a rarepair; I've seen it, but not often, and it's a <> in the fic I'm referencing. Kanaya<>Terezi and Feferi<>Vriska are strange enough that I've never seen them anywhere, really. [] And finally, Vriska and Tavros. These two are the textbook example of why the ashen quadrant needs to exist, and they're a perfect pair for it. [] ~LOSS (8/1/23)

I don't even know if Carapacians have moirallegiance - but those two would definitely work if they did.

Out of all my ships you flagged as rare, I think my favorite is Feferi<>Vriska. I just think they'd gel weirdly well together!

[iamheretemporarly]

Alright yall are getting my good ol tmnt iteration and my new obsession rn

Ok so

Teenage mutant ninja turtles: Land over water"

(first of all i wanna thank @lieutenantbiscute cause she was such a help in making this)

The reason behind the name of the au originated from the species of the turtles

These guys are tortoises in this, bot turtles, so by nature they'd prefer land over water.

Here's the species of each turtle

LEONARDO:

A pancake tortoise

He is the shortest and smallest but he's also the eldest, he's chill most of the time, but worries too when in mother hen mode, he's the medic and leader but donnie is also secondary medic when leo is out of commission, he's got sass and a cain instinct

DONATELLO :

He's an elongated tortoise

he's the second eldest, he's the genius and secondary medic of the fam, he makes the medicine that leo uses, he's a worry worm, anxious, but also calm and collected when needed to be

MICHAELANGELO:

He's a Russian tortoise

He's the middle child, very funny and laid back, doesn't take stuff seriously but mostly to hide the fact that he's worried or scared, optimistic and a jokester

RAPHAEL:

He's a galapagos tortoise

Yes he is the youngest, yet he's still a hot head, but a bit toned down because he's so damn huge based on his specie

He likes to make fun if leo for his height a lot and calls him "fearless pancake", he's snarky, sassy and sarcastic but also affectionate and caring

---

As for splinter, i kind of swapped the whole thing

In this au the backstory of the hamato family goes like this:

Gamato yoshi the heaf of the hamato clan and Tang shen get together and have a beautiful baby girl named Miwa and years later adopt a little boy named saki

Saki and miwa are pretty close siblings, however jealousy sparked in between

You see, when it came to the art of ninjitsu, miwa aways proved to be better than saki in evry single way

And saki was jealous, however that jealousy burned into hatred when on the night their father was to choose a new head of the hamato clan, he chose miwa

And on the same night, the dark truth of his origins belonging to the foot clan that got wiped by the clan that raised him

He was angry, jealous and vengeful

He manipulated the hamto clan into his favour, and those who refused got killed

Tang shen didn't survive

Hamato yoshi did barely

And karai managed to escape to new york

But

Before she did she had to pay a cost

The hamato family had a chemical business on the side, and in her fight against her brother he used the ooz against her, little did he know that she had her four pet tortoise tots on her, who also got splashed by the ooze

She got mutated into a snake while her tortoises mutated into more humanoid looks

In new york she took shelter in the sewers and changed her name into karai

She raised her boys and taught them the art of ninjitsu, and down the road she'd teach them the spiritual arts

Bits that's a story for another day :)

---

Yeah, splinter in this is karai instead of yoshi, yoshi is the turtles grandpa that they don't know is alive and assumed him dead he's also blind btw

Saki or the shredder is karai's brother instead of father

[sakiyaki-sashimi]

Get to know you questions!! Tag whoever you like :D

Writing my answers in orange!

1) top 5 or top 10 favorite animals (depending on how many animals you like)

Hermit Crabs, Pigeons, Otters, Anglerfish, Shrimp, Cats, Manned Wolves, Salamander, Sheep, Axolotls :D

2) top 3 Minecraft mobs

Mooshroom, chicken, and parrot!!!

3) favorite vocaloid song or My Singing Monsters island theme and why! (If you don’t like/know Vocaloid/MSM, just name a song or genre you like and why :D)

Fav Vocaloid song is Brain Explosion girl recently, and fav MSM theme HAS to be cold island. Or maybe earth???? Hm

4) favorite and least favorite textures, no why needed :333

Fav is squishy soft things, least favorite is ice in a freezer

5) not your favorite color, but your favorite color palette (bonus points if you have a pic of the specific palette or a photo/artwork of the pallet you like!!)

Purple, Green, Orange, Pink, and Black! Total Halloween vibes!!

6) fav book you had to read for school (fiction or non fiction work lol, and if you don’t like/have any then just name a book or fanfic you like!)

Of Mice and Men was surprisingly amazing! Thought I’d hate it tbh

7) how do you think of the months of the year in your head? Left to right, top to bottom, in specific numbered rows and columns? Tell me :D

I think of it like this:

January, February, March, April

May, June, July, August

September, October, November, December

8) assigned harry potter/ilvermorny house or Percy Jackson cabin or Warrior cats clan something like that lol (if you don’t have anything like that, star sign works too!)

I’ll do em all lol: Slytherin/Hufflepuff, Pukwudgie, Dionysus’s, RiverClan, I’m an Aries sun/gemini rising/pisces moon :D

9) MBTI???? Love those things :33 (If you haven’t taken the test yet or u just don’t wanna cuz it’s too long, are you a solider poet or king?)

I’m an ENFP-T! I thought I’d get king but I got poet lol

10) something “cringe” you actually rly like, no shame here :D

Gacha Life/Club, the styles just so cutesy! Ohhh also K-Pop, I’m a TOTAL stay :33 and DSMP, it’s just rly cool to me

11) characters from shows/movies/games you kin/stan/just adore!! NOT ACCEPTING IRL PPL PLZ AND THANK U :D (unless it’s urself, we like self love in these parts)

For me I currently kin Dazai, Edward Elric, c!TommyInnit, and I completely STAN any Project Sekai character. I mean any of them.

12) 5 people you’d wanna be at a party with and why! (Can be alive or dead, real or fake, celebrities or randos, humans or otherwise :D)

My grandpa to see him again, Roy mustang to see if he’s a bastard irl, Hachi/Kenshi Yonezu just to see how he’s doing, Kanye West to just ask him why, and BeastChild (the YouTuber) just cause I really like his stuff and would wanna meet him!

13) favorite hobby/fandom specific term and its meaning :333

I’m a writer (well, aspiring anyway, I’m not rly that good) and I love the idea of the sexy lamp. Basically if you’re writing a female character that could be replaced with a sexy lampshade and nothing about the story changes then you’re writing a BAD FEMALE CHARACTER XD

Cause it’s spooky season il leave it at 13 ;)

Happy answering!!!

No pressure tags :3 @touratoura @theancientwonder @kneecoal-mooma @citrushomie @skytheamazing @mitski-slope @a-trench-coat-of-confused-worms @dicklesswonder-blog @vicaridoo

[romerona]

The Worm.

Surviving the game and losing yourself in the way.

"Don't go underestimating the power of a small force, it may be the only thing that can slip through the cracks."

ROSEMARY BLACK X OC!SNOWMALE.

ROSEMARY BLACK X PRIMROSE EVERDEEN.

"Rosemary Black, District 10, the youngest victor in the Hunger Games. Don't let her age fool you, she a force to be reckon with, known for her cunning wit and speed she manage to-"

"I remember her… I found it hard to believe it then and still find it hard to believe it now."

"Well, then you know that with the right motivation, she's unstoppable."

Rosemary Black x OC!SnowMale? // Primrose Everdeen?

A/N: There would be a few inaccuracies but please, remember this is a fanfic. I’m unsure If I will match Rose with anyone yet but I’ll think about it as the story goes.

Masterlist.

Next

[THE REAPING]

The light of the sun shone brightly through the branches of the trees, casting dancing shadows on the shores of the lake. Rosemary let herself be carried by the gentle breeze, as she made her way towards the lake, which was as usual, tranquil and serene. On this day in particular, it was exactly what she needed.

Rosemary stepped up to the edge of the lake, the warm sun casting a gleam across the water. She took a deep breath and sighed, feeling the weight of the day ahead. Desperate for a distraction, Rose glanced up at the old, familiar rope that she had used many times before. It had been her brother's idea to use it as a swing, and they had spent many hours doing just that. When Rose first reached for it, she had no intention to jump, but to hang on the rope and allow herself to be carried away from her worries for a moment. But the moment she grabbed it, Rose knew it was a failed mission, she had never been good at resisting temptation anyway.

For a moment, though, Rose hesitated, she knew her grandfather would be pissed she wetter her nice clothes but then ultimately she decided to take the plunge and forget her worries for even just a moment, so, without further due, she threw herself headfirst into the water, letting the rope swing her out over the lake.

As she fell into the water, Rose felt a momentary rush of free falling, before hitting the water and gliding underneath the surface. Rosemary felt a wave of calm and comfort as soon as she hit the lake. After a short while, she came back up for air with a gasp. Rose took a moment to take in her surroundings, seeing the sunlight dance across the water and the gentle breeze rustling through the trees.

Rose floated in the water, letting the gentle waves carry her to and fro. It felt like a brief getaway from the worries of the day. Rosemary closed her eyes as the sun warmed her skin, as she felt the chill water that surrounded her and as the noise of singing birds reach her ears, she couldn't help but smile in contentment. Rose let herself relax, breathing deeply and feeling the calm of the lake around her, even if temporarily.

Rosemary let out a frustrated sigh as she floated in the water. She wanted to swim away, to leave everything behind and escape to a world where nothing bad ever happens. But she knew that she couldn't. Rose could sense the consequences waiting for her and knew that swimming away would only lead to trouble. So, after a bother moment, she reluctantly swung herself back to shore and with a sense of resignation, she climbed out of the water, back to the world that she hated.

Rose sat on the edge of the lake, her hands fidgeting with the ends of the rope as she leaned back on the bark of the tree and sighed, no matter what she does, the fact that today was the reaping of the annual Hunger Games always comes to hunt her because today, her name was finally on the bowl.

“Oh uh, look at you. Grandpa’s sure gonna be pissed at you.” The familiar voice of her older brother, Finn, snapped her out of her thoughts.

Rose huffs, not turning to face him. “You say that as if I don’t know already”

“Good. You are aware of the upcoming scolding then…” Finn takes a sit next to her. He turns to her with a grin. “He ask me to come get you, but I suppose we can stay a bit here longer, at least until your clothes dry up a little.”

“With this heat, I doubt it will take long anyway,” Rose told her brother, sparing him a glance. "What are you doing here anyways, I thought you were in Buckaroo's Bar. Y'know, being our free day and all."

Finn shrugs, "I was but I came back for lunch. Oh, and Harper told me to tell you that Chet asked her for a dance yesterday... I didn't know she liked him."

"She has a big fat crush on him," Rose grins thinking about her friends, Harper and Chet. Chet was older than them by a year but that didn't stop them from being friends, and for Harper to develop a crush on the boy, they've known each other since they were babes and grew up together. The fact that Chet, the most uncoordinated person ever asked her for a dance says a lot, but Chet has always enjoyed dancing with whoever is near so... it was up for debate.

"Ha! Well, good for her then,"

There was a moment of silence, the noise around them filled the air but it lasted only so long before it was interrupted.

“What are you anyways doing out here by yourself?” Finn asked, raising an eyebrow. “And where are your shoes? You know there could be snakes around here.”

Rose pursed her lips, looking at the wavering water “I can handle a snake… and I just needed a bit of air.”

“And water, apparently.” Finn scoffs a laugh before asking. “I’m guessing that was why you decided to sneak out?”

“I guess…” Rose mumbles.

Finn has always had the ability to read people, to sense that something was wrong with them, which is why she wasn’t surprised when he put his arm around her shoulders. “What’s wrong?” He asked, gently rubbing his hand up and down her arm. “Is anything bugging ya?”

“Nothing, it’s just…” Rose sighs, running a hand over her wet hair. “The reaping is getting closer.”

Rose didn’t meet Finn’s eyes, she couldn’t. Last year was Finn’s last reaping, he had just turned 19 meaning he was not eligible for the reaping anymore meanwhile Rose had more years to go.

“Hey hey hey, calm down. You’ll be fine,” Her bother said softly, pulling her in tight. “You have nothing to worry about,” Finn smiled down at her. He had always been the protective brother. “Besides, it’s a pretty small chance you get pulled anyway.”

“But there’s still a chance,” Rose purses her lips still not looking at her older brother. “ There will always be a chance I get picked, even if I only apply for tesserae a few times I could still be a potential tribute…”

“Hey,” Finn said, gently placing his hands on Roses' shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. “Even if you are called, you’ll be the strongest tribute they’ve ever picked. Do you get why?” Finn asked, his eyes locking with hers. “Because you’re my sister. You’re a fighter.” Finn smiled down at her, a look of complete confidence and trust shining in his eyes.

Rose stares at him for a moment, before scoffing, shaking her head and shaking herself out of her hold with a small smile. “That’s a stupid reason, if being your sister will help me it’s because I will hardly get scared of anything because I see you every day and that’s scary enough.”

Finn’s eyebrows came together. “You better watch your mouth.” He joked as he stood up, offering Rose a hand to pull her up which she took. “Otherwise I’ll have to kick your ass.”

“As if you could…” Rosemary scoffs grinning up at her older brother with a playful look on her face. “You’re a massive slow poke.”

“Oh, what did you—“

Rose pushes Finn before taking off running with a laugh.

“Get back here, you little rat!” Finn called. “You can’t outrun me!” Finn started to chase her, trying to prove her wrong. He moved quickly, although it wasn’t enough to keep up with her. “Wait up!” He called a huge grin on his face.

Rose laughs at him, she has always been quick on her feet. Her father, Bruno, who is a large man, usually calls her to help wrestle pigs who have scape and take them back into the butchery.

Rose runs backwards looking at her breathless brother. “Come on, you cow. I’m sure Grandpa is waiting for us.”

Finn grunted, now out of breath. “Shut up! Just wait until I catch you, I’ll…” Finn tried to continue, but he couldn’t get any more words out.

“Oh, come on, Finn” Rose scoffs, looking back at her bother who had fallen to the ground, exhausted.

“Agh… just… let me… catch my breath, okay?!” Finn huffed, rolling onto his back, still trying to breathe.

Rose cackles, she moves back to where her brother had fallen and grabbed him by the legs “Slow and lazy and always proving just how right I am about you.” With a last laugh, Rose began to drag her older brother by the feet.

“Hey hey hey!” Finn yelled, laughing and trying to crawl out of her grasp. He kicked his legs wildly, trying to get her to let go, but to no avail. “Get off!”

“Nope”

He huffed, starting to smile again. “You’re like an annoying little bug!” Finn laughed some more.

Rose laughs as they made it out to the field just behind their small house, a wooden house with just a few windows and not enough rooms. As Rose walks, she glances at where her family kept a few chickens…

“Fine fine, you win,” Finn said, finally stopping his struggling, just letting Rose carry him wherever she wanted to go.

Rose hums in thought. “Per usual.”

Finn scoffs as he stares at the sky and takes in the view of the field around them. “This is actually pretty nice.”

“Oh, I bet you think it is,” Rose smirks mischievously as she saw the coop, then she glances at her oblivious brother. “But we are about to pass near Rod’s coop and you know how he is with his territory.”

Rod was a temper rooster, the only rooster the family had, and he couldn’t stand anyone or anything stepping near his coop, not even the other chickens, her father had to build a new coop for the 3 other chicks they had. And if someone is brave or rather dumb enough to step foot near his space, Rod will chase them away and best believe that rooster will make you regret it. The whole district knew that.

“Ugh. I forgot about Rod.” Finn rolled his eyes letting out a laugh. “That big bird would fight a freaking horse if he could. He ain't too hard to avoid though.” He added.

“You’re right but I ain’t avoiding him,” Rose smirks back at Finn before letting out a long and very loud calling sound. The sound her family uses to alarm the flock that food is served.

Rose laughed as she quickly let go of her older brother's leg and sped out of there, where the chickens and most importantly Rod made their swift way out of their coop.

Finn shot up the moment he heard her call, a look of shock and horror on his face. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!” He said, before turning back to run after her. “Rose wait!”

Rose watched as her brother was now in the middle of the coop with a very angry-looking Rod chasing after him. “Crap, crap, crap!” He yelled, dodging Rod's attempts at pecking him. “Why do you have to do this to me?!”

Rose cackles from the safe side of the coops, watching her brother get chased by Rod. And as accustomed in the Black household, Rose starts to sing ‘The Rod song’ a stupid little sing-song her mother had come up with back when Finn and her were little and tried to escape from the ill-tempered Rooster.

“He's a feisty soul with pecks that do hurt. He lives on a farm where he enjoys the sun. But if you step too close, he'll peck away for fun

So here's a warning on behalf of Rod. Don't get too close or you'll get pecked and prod. 'Cause Rod the rooster ain't no joke. His pecks are mighty and strong with a nasty poke.

Oh, Rod the Rooster and his feisty prance. When it comes to humans, he ain’t playing it cool. He pecks to say hi, he pecks to say bye. So if you see Rod coming, you best be ready to fly.”

“Stop!” Finn yelled, throwing his hands up. “Stop it! You’re gonna get me killed!” Finn ran to the side, Rod following close behind. Finn had sweat dripping off his face and he kept making a sudden change in direction, hoping to throw it off, but Rod was a little smarter than that, and quickly adjusted his path to cut Finn off. “Damn you!”

Rose laughs but suddenly, the back door of their small house opens with a bang scaring all the chickens but Rod away.

It was their grandfather, Hugo, who came out with a spatula in his hand. “Y’all better stop fuckin’ round with Rod and come up in ‘ere, your father’s back to have lunch.”

“Yeah, we’ll be coming!” Finn yelled, taking a glance back to gauge how close Rod was. “Oh, and Grandpa, watch out for Rod! He’s in a bad mood! Come on!” He yelled at Rose, pointing to the doors of their house.

Rose laughs and quickly makes her way inside her home just behind her older brother, closing the door just before Rod could peck her ankles. “Damn bird…”

“What is with that thing?! He’s going to kill someone one of these days!” Her brother muttered under his breath. “I’m telling you, it isn’t normal for a rooster to be this aggressive.”

Rose laughs, glancing at the rooster. “Maybe it’s just your ugly face he can’t stand.”

“Oh, shut up. It’s your fault he was chasing me anyways, what a rude thing to do” Finn throws Rose a glare.

Before Rose could retaliate, her grandfather interrupted them.

“What in the… Rosemary, why the fuck are ya wet?” Her grandfather hisses, looking over Rose with narrow eyes making the girl grimace.

“I… took a small dip in the lake.” Rose grins trying her best to look innocent.

“You're lucky you have nice spare clothes.” Her grandfather grumbles, pinching the bride on his nose. He sighs. “Go change quickly and then come have some lunch.”

"Yes, Sir,"

Rosemary spared her brother one last taunting face which was returned with a sneer before making her way to her bedroom. She quickly picked out the second nicest thing she owned (a soft colour pink dress, something completely opposed to her usual dirty overalls,) changed out of her wet clothes to the new ones, put on her shoes and swiftly went back to the kitchen.

“Hi, Dad” Rose greets her dad as soon as she sits down at the small table.

Bruno softly smiles at her before he frowns. “Why is your hair wet, Rosie?”

Before Rose could say anything, Finn huffs the answer. “She decided to go for a swim in the riverbank with no shoes and her clothes on.”

“Rat.”

Rose’s and Finn's grandfather came in, holding a pan of eggs. Hugo was an old man who took care of their house, he had an injury that left him unable to work, so he took care of the house while Rose’s father, brother and even herself worked in the butchery. Hugo also takes care of their chickens and sells most of the eggs the chickens lay (which is not much) and the eggs that don’t sell, the family usually eats.

It’s not much but it’s food so Rose doesn’t complain.

“Y’all dig in,” Hugo said, groaning while taking a seat.

No one needed to tell Rose twice, she swiftly dug into her eggs. That trip to the lake had left her starving.

At some point, Rose's attention was pulled from her meal to Finn as he asked gently, with concern in his voice. “Hey, Dad, everything alright? Something on your mind?”

“Just this damned reaping.” Her father sighs shaking his head with indignation as he takes a bite out of his eggs.

The mood in the room changed. Rose purses her lips as all that good mood from a few minutes ago vanishes away as reality settles in. The reaping was today and she was at reaping age. Rose suddenly felt all hunger go away in exchange for worry and nervousness.

“Ah,” Finn said, nodding in understanding. He looks towards Rose placing a gentle hand on her back. “I… I know this may be stupid to hear, but… Try not to worry too much. I mean, yeah, this is your first reaping but it’s such a small chance that you’ll be pulled anyway, I mean.” he said awkwardly, trying to think of something to uplift her. “Just try not to worry too much, okay?”

“Damn right, ya are, kid.” Their grandfather exclaimed confidently, he and Finn were always the reason for the family, per usual.

Hugo shakes her from the shoulder giving Rose a strong confident look. “One in thousands, darlin’ not even your brother has been reaped and fuck knows how many tesserae he has applied for. You’ll be fine, sweet.” Hugo turns to her father and slaps him on the back of his neck. “Stop worrying the girl, ya dumbass, we all be fine…”

Rose smiled at her grandpas' attempt to lighten the mood. He was a good man, with a heart of iron and a sense of humour like no other.

Finn said with a small laugh, nodding eagerly. “It’ll be fine.” He said turning to his father.

“I know. I know.” Bruno sighs rubbing where her grandfather just slaps him. Her father looks at Rose, and he smiles fondly, however, Rose could still see worry shimmering in his eyes. “One in a thousand darlin’. Don’t worry.”

Rose smiled however the smile didn’t reach her eyes but it was enough to stop Finn, her father and her grandfather from worrying any further. “The chances are pretty low.”

“Damn right. Now eat ya damn eggs before they get cold.” Her grandfather told her, he ripped a bit of the last of the bread they had and handed it to her. “Eat, Rosemary.”

Rose took a small piece of bread, despite the fact that she had lost all appetite.

“If it makes y'all feel better, why don’t we just pretend it’s a normal day?” Her brother asks, probably hoping to ease the mind of everyone even a little bit.

Her father nods slowly, he looks up around the table at his family. “Anything interesting happened today? Besides Rose’s little midday swim?”

“Let’s see… Oh, yeah. I nearly got killed by Rod today.” Finn laughed, shaking his head. “Yep, I was getting chased all around the field by the big ol’ bird. I swear, it was out for blood! And he nearly got me a few times.” he said looking around the small table, his face light up. “It was kind of funny though...”

Rose couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh, shaking her head. “That rooster’s a danger.”

Her father chuckles as well, “I thought I heard Rod’s song… “ He turns to Rose with a grin. “That was you, ain’t it?”

“Yeap!” Rose chuckles, as she finally takes a bite out of the bread.

“I swear, the rooster is more of a pain in the ass than he’s worth sometimes!” Bruno said still chuckling.

Finn huffs taking a bite out of his eggs. “You can say that again.”

“Rod’s a fine Rooster. The bravest Rooster of all damned Panem.” Her grandfather said, he out of all her family was the only one who likes Rod.

Her father chuckles shaking his head. “Rod’s a fuckin danger, Da.”

Finn and Rose laugh. Rose had to admit, Rod was a bit of a character, and her grandpa had a point. “Well, he is an amusing danger, that’s for sure.”

Finn grins at Rose. “But just… Keep him away from me! I don’t want to get chased again.”

"I guess that’s the beauty of Rod, right? He’s his own being!” Her father said, a bit of a laugh escaping his lips. “But, all jokes aside, he is a menace to the whole of Panem. I don’t even think the Capitol would be able to handle such a creature!”

They all laugh. Rose was glad she has such family with her, most people around weren’t as… content with their lives, rightfully so, District 10 is definitely one of the poorest Districts just behind Districts 11 and 12, but Rose was glad that no matter how bad the situation is, her family will always have a strong bond.

However, that happiness and calmness lasted a little while because before Rose knew it, the reaping was about to begin and the tension returned as the black family walks under the scorching sun towards the square outside of the Justice Building, just like every other family in the district.

As she walks Rose glances at her grandfather, her father and her brother knowing that no matter what this tension won’t go away until after the reaping is over and hopefully she wasn’t selected.

Finn suddenly wraps an arm around Roses’s shoulders and gives her a squeeze, in an obvious attempt to comfort her. “Alright, just remember… it’s one in a thousand. It’s going to be alright.” He said, trying his very best to be optimistic as the line for the register tables was becoming closer.

Rose nodded at her older brother's words with a soft grin despite the fact that his words did nothing to settle her radical beating heart, the closer they get the faster it went.

Finn stayed close to her, holding her hand. He tried to keep her calm as they slowly made their way to the tables. The closer they got, the slower it seemed they moved.

Rose felt her knees begin to falter as they neared the table.

“Come on, we’re almost there,” Finn said, forcing a smile on his face as he squeezed her hand gently.

Eventually, Rose had to let go to let her brother's hand to make the line to register, he couldn’t stand with her or be near her while the reaping was in process.

Just before she goes to register Rose turns to her family. Her father places a hand on her head, looking into her eyes. “You’ll be fine, my little Rose, eh? The chances of them calling your name are very low.”

Rose hums, sending him a small smile

Her grandfather ruffles her hair with affection once she was free from her father's hold, making Rose chuckle softly. “Go on, the sooner this shit starts the sooner we’ll be back home.”

Finn nodded firmly, looking back at Rose. It was time for her to go.“You’ve got this Rose,” he said with a soft smile, a little nervous. “Trust me, it’ll be over before you know it.” He said, giving her shoulder a light punch.

“I know,” Rose nods showing a little confidence.

"Come on, let’s go" Her father pulled Finn and Hugo to the sides of the square where most adults or those who don’t participate in the reaping settle to watch the selection go down.

Rose smiles at her family one last time before making her way to the registration table.

“Finger,” said the government official in charge of the girls. Rose wordlessly gives her a finger, and the official roughly took a sample of her blood making her wince and send a quick glare at the man.

Rose then makes her way to the square, standing where the peacekeepers told her to. She looked around, it was not her first time in the plaza but it was her first time in this position, girls were on one side boys on the other. Rose looked to her sides, she was the nine twelve-year-olds in the row, and the one on the far right was Harper, as if sensing her eyes Harper turned her head and looked at her, Rose saw nervousness in her eyes as the girl with black hair softly waved making Rose wave back.

It took her the sound of sniffling for Rose to actually pay attention to who was next to her, it was a girl around her age she was biting her nervously to the point where Rose could see blood being drawn out, and she noticed as well the girl shaking hands.

“It’s okay,” Rose without thinking takes the girl’s hand, making her snap her head to Rose as she continues to speak, she simply repeated what her family told her to soothe her. “The odds of our names being called are very little, we’ll be okay. What’s your name?

“I’m… I’m… I’m Elodie.” She said, her voice full of fear and panic. Elodie could barely get a word out, she was too terrified to really talk. “And you… you don’t know that. I had to sign up for tesserae quite a few times, my name is written many times.” She whispered, her voice breaking.

“Yes, mixed amongst the entire district, so, don’t worry much. I’m Rose, nice to meet you.” Rose told her with a small smile, hoping it looked real enough to give the girl enough strength to stop her whimpers.

Elodie nodded, trying her best not to cry whispering. “N-nice to meet you. I’ve just…” She began, sniffling back her tears. “I’m just very scared of the reaping.” She admitted, her voice barely above a whisper as she looked down in shame.

“You are not the only one, Elodie,” Rose whispers, she purses her lips nervously.

“Yeah… yeah I know… I just- I just…” Elodie began, trying to articulate her words.

Rose sends her a reassuring smile, trying her best to be brave despite her heart wanting to escape her chest. “I know…”

Suddenly, the district mayor came up on stage. “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen…” he said, his voice echoing across the entire square. Everyone could hear him, and as usual, it made the entire crowd go silent. Rose licked her lips nervously, feeling the pit of her stomach deepen, this was it, the reaping was about to start.

The mayor does what he does every year, he recites the history of the founding of Panem, the First Rebellion, the implementation and rules for the Hunger Games, and the spoils and riches that come from victory in it.

“So, for all the lucky ones do your best to win and make our district a proud one.” The mayor finished with an enthusiastic smile as if someone wasn’t about to choose two people to go and die on live television.

The mayor was speaking of the games like they were some kind of honour and reward. Rose felt the bile rise in her stomach and all she could do was stare blankly at the mayor, filled with disgust.

But as the district mayor finish his speech and went to sit back with all the other influential people of their district, Rose felt her heart wanting to crawl out of her chest as four peacekeepers brought out the two reaping bowls, one for girls and another for boys.

The mayor gave the microphone to an odd-looking man, he was tall but there was painting on his face and he was dressed in the most ridiculous clothes Rose had ever seen. Feather vest and pink leather. It was the district escort.

“Well, hello lovely people of 10!” The man exclaimed with enthusiasm. He swats a hand over his face. “Is it my presence here or the day has gotten hotter?”

No one laughed but him and the mayor.

Rose would have rolled her eyes hadn’t she been so nervous and scared. Rose heard Elodie sniffle again. “It’ll be okay.” She whispered, hoping that would give the girl some comfort.

“Well then, though crowd.” The escort laughs awkwardly once he realizes no one was joining his laugh. The escort clears his throat before putting on yet another smile on his painted face. “Now, let’s get started with the so-awaited selection.”

Rose felt her stomach flip sourly when the escort said that.

The escort continues, glancing at the kids in the square. “One brave woman and one brave man shall have the biggest of the honours to participate in the 72nd annual Hunger Games, not only to be representing District 10 but to have the chance to bring glory to it. For all those chosen may the odds be with you…. Now, let’s start, shall we?” The escort smiles with an animated smile. “The girls first, per usual…”

As soon as he said that, Rose could feel her heart sink into her chest. The terror was almost palpable. Rose could feel a lump growing in her throat as she watched the District Escort.

The escort moves to the bowls at his right, he waves his hand over the papers as if it was a little game to him before pulling one out. The escort turns back to the microphone and opens the paper, the silence was defeating and then, with a wide smile, he announced.

"Rosemary Black."

Rosemary felt a chill run down her spine as her name was called out and she felt her heart drop into her stomach. It felt like her world was suddenly spinning and she felt like she might pass out right then and there. Rose felt as if her entire body was shaking slightly as everything began to go numb. She was overwhelmed with feelings and emotions, as her destiny was sealed in that one moment

“M-me?” She whispered, her voice shaking.

"Rosemary Black?"The escort questions again, speaking her name into the microphone. His blue-blazing eyes turn to her, probably following all the other eyes that were staring right in her direction, and made a gesture with his hands. "Well, come on up, little darling."

Rose slowly took one step then another one, with an odd ringing echoing in her ears she walked towards the stage in a daze. Rose felt a peacekeeper take hold of her and with a tug, he moved her towards the spotlight.

Rose was at a loss for words. She was in complete shock, and her entire body felt numb. It felt like she was trapped in a nightmare, that she would wake up from. She slowly made her way up the stairs of the stage, almost as if she couldn’t move her legs towards where the escort was waiting for her with a wide dazzling smile. It was all so surreal. This couldn’t be happening, the odds- the thousands of… it just couldn't be happening to her. This was all a dream, a terrible dream. Rose’s mind was racing and her heart beat faster and faster.

"My my my, but how lovely you are, little rose." The escort gave her a smile, patting her hair. "Isn’t she lovely folks?"

Rose looked into her family’s direction and she could tell that they were terrified. That made her feel even more scared if that was even possible. Her father and her brother looked absolutely abashed, and her grandfather was breathing heavily. She couldn’t blame them. The fact that she had just been chosen was utterly devastating, not even Rose couldn’t believe that this was happening, despite the evidence right in front of her. Rose had to look away because the sight of their horrified faces was making it hard to hold it together.

As Rose looks at the rest of the district with an absent mind, all she thinks was about how just a few moments ago they were all happy, and content in each other's company, and now she was about to die in the Hunger Games, and her family was going to have to watch.

She was still trying to hold it together, but every second the anxiety, the stress, and the pure fear her heart was filled with, continued to build. And the fact that she had to stand there in front of her district, in the spotlight, wasn’t helping.

"Now for the boys," The escort did the same little show he did for the girls and picked one paper before returning to the microphone.

"Eugene Dion…" The escort announced with a smile looking over the crowd. "Where are you Eugene?"

A boy with bright red hair, maybe around two years older than her was slowly begging to walk towards the stage. Rose watched as Eugene walked over, with the same fear she was feeling in her heart. The look in his eyes was one that she related to entirely. She could tell that he was terrified, but he was putting on a brave face.

None of this felt real. She hadn’t expected to be picked, it felt like she had been thrown right into it. And now she was going to have to compete. She felt sick too, sick to her stomach. She felt like she needed to throw up, but she couldn’t. Her entire body was shaking. This was completely and utterly horrifying.

"Well, here we have it folks. The tributes of District 10 for the 72nd Hunger Games." The escort grabbed them by the shoulder and pull them towards himself giving them a squeeze. "How wonderful and what an honour."

The escort looks down at them before moving away leaving Rose and Eugene to face each other. "Now, shake hands, come on…"

Rose glanced at Eugene, and she could tell he, just like she was, wasn’t excited about this, not in the slightest. She felt sick and scared and she didn’t know if she could do this. But she was going to have to. Rose took a deep breath and she reached out to shake Eugene’s hand.

"Happy Hunger Games," The escort called at the crowd with another overly enthusiastic smile. "And may the odds be ever in your favour."

A/N: Hope you enjoy it. Tell me if want to be tagged.

[glaivenoct]

Hi :) Trick or treat! 🎃🍬

Ask Box Trick or Treat - Fic Edition

Hi there!! Happy hallow and thank you for sending one ^.^

I think I'm going to go with a fic idea for this one! It's not necessarily a new one, but it's one I definitely haven't ever mentioned on the tumblr side. ...I think?

The NyxNoct Furbabies --

I've been on the NyxNoct train since 2017, and in all the years I've spent gushing over these two, I've never been one to care for the idea of giving them kids, even just on their own as individuals or with other ships (if anyone out there likes playing around with those ideas, defos more power to ya, I'm not knocking it <3). At some point in one of my jobs I had a coworker who kept asking me really annoying/invasive questions about me having kids, and I decided I was going to project said annoyance onto NyxNoct. Particularly with Noctis, being an heir to the throne and all, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets asked shit like this all the time. And if I was ever going to indulge in the notion of giving Nyx and Noct kids - it was going to be of the fur variety.

So meet the NyxNoct kids!

Top Right: Nyx's baby, Rogue Bottom Right: Noct's baby, Reed

There isn't necessarily a set story/plot. If anything, this would probably just be a series of silly fluffy one-shots from different scenarios I've rambled into the twitter void over the years. Here's some basics tho!

Reed comes first. Noctis comes across him during one of the adoption events he's volunteering at - except there's no record whatsoever of this little black kitten being a part of the shelter's potential adoptees - all of their kittens are accounted for. He happens to be a random stray nearby, and he seems to be hungry. Noctis, being Noctis, buys a snack and shares with the little guy. He then proceeds to follow Noctis around everywhere. Later that night, when Noct goes to Nyx's place and shows up with the kitten cradled in his arms, Nyx just sighs and says "I knew this was going to happen one day."

Rogue doesn't come along until a few months later. Nyx happens to come across her on his walk home from late night watch duty. It's raining and he finds her as a puppy left in a box by a dumpster in an alleyway. The nearest animal shelter is a bit out of the way, so of course all Nyx can do is wrap the pup up in his coat and take her to Noct's place. Initially, Nyx will have no intentions whatsoever to keep the pup, but very quickly she worms her fluffy way into his heart and he decides he's not going to give her up.

REED: A fluffy black cat with bright blue eyes. Nyx says he looks just like his dad.

Noctis breaks the news to Regis with no context and just "You're a Grandpa now."

Regis is one of Reed's favorite people

Reed's favorite spot to sleep is the crook of Noct's neck. It always looks like he's wearing a scarf of fluff.

Reed and Nyx have a very playful "love-hate" relationship. Nyx often calls him "furball" and swears Reed is plotting against him. (He's fond of him tho, he really is)

Reed's 2nd favorite spot to sleep and/or perch is literally Nyx's butt. Noct thinks it's the funniest thing ever.

When Rogue comes into the picture, Reed seems to be indifferent towards her as playful as she is, but in a couple weeks he is actually very protective and snuggly with her at times. They become two furry partners in crime.

ROGUE: A fluffy australian shepherd with black, gray, white and caramel tones in her coat. Noct thinks its cute that she snores softly just like her dad.

Nyx heavily claims in the beginning that he is Not a Dog Dad, then proceeds to call Rogue "baby girl" when she trots happily towards him.

Rogue becomes the unofficial "glaive mascot" and will accompany Nyx to trainings. She gets lots of love and attention here.

Rogue loves to play fetch, but she has a particular version of fetch she plays with Nyx at times - which is essentially her running towards and jumping on him whenever he warps.

Rogue loves taking morning walks or runs with Nyx in the mornings.

She absolutely throws herself over Nyx and Noctis while they're cuddling because, hello, she would like attention too pls and thank.

Rogue has that younger sibling energy with Reed where she constantly pesters him while he's minding his own business. Reed will act annoyed, but then later that night he will sleep on top of her.

OTHER THINGS:

It doesn't become uncommon to see the royal furbabies around the Citadel, either both with Noct or Rogue with Nyx.

Regis happily refers to both as his grandkids and they are always welcomed to join for lunches/dinners.

Reed has sat in on council meetings. Noct says he's an official council member and his input is very valued.

Prompto is their biggest photographer and Noctis demands every picture.

When Nyx is outside the wall or even stuck on duty or training recruits, nothing makes his day more than getting spammed pics/selfies of Noct with the furbabies.

Rogue & Reed are Nyx's lockscreen, his homescreen is Noct smiling and hugging Rogue while Reed lounges in his lap. Alternatively, Noct's lockscreen is Rogue & Reed together. His homescreen is Nyx, lying face down on the floor. Rogue is standing on one side of him, staring down with clear concern like "dad are u ok? are u alive? dad? dad pls". Meanwhile, Reed is perched on Nyx's butt and staring directly at the camera. The context of the photo? Don't ask, just know it's one of Noct's favorite pics and Nyx hates him for it.

There are also nights where they all fall asleep together in a big cuddle pile. Nyx laying on his back while Noct curls up at his side, Reed curled into the crook of Noct's neck and Rogue at Nyx's side with her head on his belly. They are one happy little family <3

Sorry this one got a little lengthy!

[vazaha-tya]

Hi, I just wanted to say that I really love Poetry in the Wind and the OG Shunshin no Shiori and the snippets stories. I love Shiori as a character and I enjoy how Shisui haunts every decision she's made in a certain kind of way. He's dead obviously, but he's not truly gone.

I also love the way you've written Team 7, the dynamics between them don't feel forced at all and it feels very realistic with what we know about them in canon also I love the way you're expanding on other teams as well as the other shinobi of the Leaf Village. Can I just say that I love Hinata and Shiori's relationship? It's so realistic for Hinata to be terrified of a person who looks like her kidnapper as a child, but simultaneously realise that it's not Shiori's fault. I love that Hinata spoke to her about it and I can't wait to see them being friends.

The fact that Shiori hates Itachi gives me life, not because I hate Itachi (I really like his character) but because it makes complete sense for her to hate him instead of a "maybe he did it for a reason" mentality. In canon, people were sus of Shisui's suicide and adults came to the conclusion that maybe Itachi did it, why wouldn't a 7-8 year old not come to the same conclusion?

Also I'm so so curious about Kumo sperm donor, especially considering he seems to be part of the main branch of his clan who has a very rare Kekkei Genkai. I can't help imagining him as like Chika Shihōin from Bleach, and in that moment I completely understand why Mama Uchiha would go the extra mile to bang him even though the whole married couple thing was just a front. Mama Uchiha as well! I'll take any crumbs of her and Grandpa Uchiha!

I absolutely can't wait for Shiori to interact with Neji. I think the can of worms that's gonna open is going to be immaculate.

Kudos <3

Thank you for this, I really enjoyed reading your thoughts!

I love Shiori as well and I'm happy when people find her a good addition to Team Seven. She's a very dear character to me since she's the MC of the first fic I've ever published.

Updates will take a while, but I'm very excited to show her interacting with all the people you've mentioned, especially her dad. I have so many things planned with him.

Neji and Hinata will be a lot of fun as well, their personal trauma and Shiori's mesh in a very interesting way.

[soimcoga]

leoverse part 2 electric boogaloo

i may have a problem

Mirage - Prime (aka the tired grandpa), 87 - Lee (aka the funky uncle), 03 - Leonardo (aka the dad), 12 - Leo (aka child#0), 18 - Leon (aka child#1). Guest appearances: 03 April and 03 Casey

Leon: And what happened to the presumption of innocence?! 

Leo: You are literally holding half-eaten pudding.  

Leon: Well, where’s the proof it’s yours?! 

Leo: Turn it around, it’s written in black marker on the package. 

Leon: 

Leon: Okay, I may have eaten your pudding. 

*

Leonardo: Did you do this? 

Leo: No! 

Leon: Why would we do something like this?! 

Prime, looking at the camera: Turns out, they did do this. 

*

Leon: Would you still love me if I was a worm? 

Prime: I barely like you the way you are. 

Leon: Oh. 

*

Leonardo: How are you feeling? 

Leo: What?

Leonardo: How… are you feeling right now…? 

Leo: What are the words you’re saying to me?

Leonardo: 

Leonardo: I think we may need to talk to a professional. 

*

April, looking at Leonardo scolding Leo and Leon: I know they’re Leonardo’s counterparts, but… 

Casey: They totally act like a family. And Leo’s the father. 

April: Yeah… 

*

Leo: We did this completely normal thing. 

Lee: Yes…? 

Leon:  And… there might be a 10 feet tall mutant chameleon in the sewers now.

Lee: 

Lee: You know, I thought I was the chaotic one. 

*

April, on the phone: Uh, Leo? Are the kids outside, by chance…? 

Leonardo: Why, yes. They’re… what did they do? 

April, staring at the Foot Tower painted in green: A lot. 

*

Leo: We may have disagreements… 

Leon: No, we may not. We either agree or duke it out until one of us submits to the other or dies. 

Leo: 

Leo: Alright, square up. 

*

Lee: I got a word from Donatello! 

Leonardo: Oh! He’s staying in the… Twelfth Earth, isn’t he? 

Lee: Yep! They are apparently waging a war to an alien race! 

Leonardo:

Leonardo: THEY WHAT. 

*

Leo: Apparently, Donnies waged a war to an alien race… 

Leon: 

Leon: I bet a hundo mine caused it. 

Leo: Two hundreds on mine. 

*

Leo: So..

Leon: Yep...

Lee: Pay up.

Both: You weren't even a part of the bet!

Lee: And still won.

*

Leon: I need adult supervision. 

Prime: And you came to me? 

Leon: You won’t care to stop me from doing stupid shit, and I still can claim an adult was present nearby. 

Prime: 

Prime: Fair.

*

Leon: So he resorted to locking us in. 

Leo: So it seems. 

Leon: 

Leon: Should I portal us out or you’d pick the lock?  

Leo: Let’s do both. 

*

Leonardo: Do you think- 

Leo: He doesn’t. 

Leon: Hey! 

*

Leonardo: How about we stop talking about real life traumatic experiences as if they are funny stories to tell at a campfire?

Leo and Leon: Hey, you asked for stories. 

*

April: Hello, what are you doing in our house? 

Leo: We’re grounded. 

Casey: Did… did you run away again? 

Leon: He will get tired of grounding us eventually. 

*

Leo: Fucking hell- 

Leon: 

Leo: What? 

Leon: I always forget that Mikey's the language police in your family. 

*

Prime: Do you think by this time at least one Raphael has died at the hands of his counterpart? 

Lee: …why would you even say that?! 

*

Leo, on the phone: So, if we did this thing, would you be upset? 

Leonardo: Definitely. 

Leon, on the phone muffled: Well damn, we should’ve asked him before we did it then. 

*

Leo: There’s approximately a 93% chance of failure. 

Leon: Damn. 

Leo: Yeah, right? 

Leon: It's better than we ever had!  

*

Prime: How did you manage this?

Leon, on the phone: We didn't!

Leo, on the phone muffled: We might be in dire need of assistance.

*

Leo, on the phone: Aniue, can you get here?

Prime: No, I’m busy. 

Leon, on the phone muffled: It’s about Lee! 

Prime: I’ll be there in a minute.

*

Leo, pointing at Prime: Aniue.

Leo, pointing at Lee: Ani-sama.

Leo, pointing at Leonardo: Aniki. 

Leo, pointing at Leon: Aho.

*

Leon: What does Aho mean in Japanese? 

Leonardo: It means an idiot. 

Leon: Oh. 

Leon: THAT BITCH…!

*

Lee: Is Camilo joining us for dinner? 

Leonardo: Who’s Camilo…?

Leo: 

Leon:

Lee: Oh yeah, we didn’t tell you about him, did we. He's a 10 feet tall mutant chameleon. 

Leonardo: What?! 

*

Prime, looking at Leo and Leon: For how long have they been going? 

Lee: It’s been three hours now. 

Leonardo: I had no idea it was even possible to play one match of Uno for so long. 

*

Leonardo, to Leo: Give me all your lock picks, now. 

Leon: HA! 

Leonardo, to Leon: And you’re going to give me your sword. 

Leo: That’s what you deserve. 

*

April, visiting the lair: So I take it Leo did not, in fact, get tired of grounding you? 

Leon: We’ll find a way to run away even if it would be the last thing we do. 

Casey: Or you can just… stop pulling dangerous stunts, so he won’t ground you anymore. 

Leon: No. 

*

Leonardo: I trust Leo fully. 

Leon, on a note he left: I went with Leo just in case! 

Leonardo: I now trust Leo a little less. 

*

Leonardo: Did I make myself clear? 

Leo: Yes. 

Leon: Absolutely. 

Leonardo: …will you listen? 

Leon: Probably no. 

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

A wounded warrior, a brave youth, covered in blood, scratches and wounds. On their knees, trying to get up, trying to ignore the vicious laughter of the most vicious creature in all the world. The culprit of all curses, the menace of Ridgeside Village, not a man, not a beast, not even a spirit. Something else. Something against the very notion of life.

Gabriella mocked the farmer's attempts to get up from their tattered knees.

"Come on, get up, you worm! Get up and I'll crush you as I crush all those who dare stand in my way! A whore's child, a freak, a weakling! Wretch! Get up! I want to see your eyes when I rip your heart from chest!"

Laughter and mockery, blasted Gabriella! They must get up, the whole fate of Ridgeside Village and Stardew Valley depends on this fight.

They must stand up...

They must fight. It hurts so much... Get up...

Need to get up...

Suddenly, the ensuing attack, a decisive blow from evil, was blocked. Who...? The young fool, the weak fool, could not block her attack... Who dares!?

And then, the young warrior saw her.

Her figure was blurry, like morning mist. The rays of the sun passed through her body, and the swift wind did not blow over her curls. Her body shone brighter than the dawn. She is just a shadow of the past.

But her face... beautiful, pale face, is so familiar... She stood in front.

Grandmother... It can't be true.

She gave her grandchild a warm and gentle smile. She whispered soothing words, encouraging words, telling that together they would defeat the evil.

And then she turned to face that very evil. The source of all trouble, vicious, ruthless, cynical... No, it's not a person, or even a spirit. It is something else. The very spawn of blackness and horror, incapable of love and life. Only destructive, only vengeful.

The ghost turned to face her killer. But there was not an ounce of fear on the ghost's face. Only hatred for this entity and determination to take the fight. A whirlwind formed around the young farmer, a stream of powerful magic dancing in one frantic motion. And a figure formed above him. A huge fox, forest spirit, so powerful. The tips of its fur like tongues of flame, its teeth sharp as blades, and its amber eyes aimed only at this spawn of evil. But the young farmer will see in this animal gaze something, familiar, not forgotten...

Their beloved Grandma.

The entire Spirit Realm held its breath, spirits and animals, even plants, dared not make a sound. A loud growl pierced the entire area, an animal growl. A growl as a mother bear protects her cub from danger. A growl that made the blood run cold in the veins. A growl like the fate, a sentence, like the executioner's axe that cleaves the air.

"Gabriellaaaaa!!!"

_________________________________________

PS: This story could be counted as headcanon if Farmer, on a mission to clear Spirit Realm of Gabriella's curse, encountered her in battle. And also that Farmer's grandmother's spirit is closely associated with Ridgeside Village, and she came to the rescue when she sensed her grandchild was in great danger. Given that Grandpa's spirit is connected to the Stardew Valley, it is fair to assume that Grandma will be closely associated with Ridgeside Village. I couldn't decide whether to do this as a little headcanon or another story about my OC Farmer. But it came out something like this. Yep.