#who at this point has put out so many fires in my game both in the 1920s and modern day

[aheathen-conceivably]

🎶 🔥 🎶

Well, s’mores night did not go as planned….

(The watcher has reason to believe this lot is cursed and the 1920s are seeking revenge. If there are no metaphorical fires to put out, the game seems to have ensured there are literal ones - four and counting to be exact).

[always-just-red]

@lunariadew asked: 'Can you write a poly fic maby like a feel good fic or date night or something with all the boys! I’m greedy and I think there’s not enough poly fics as there should be'

Nothing profound this time around! Just some good old-fashioned shenanigans. I've wanted to do a fic with all the boys for SO long (Infold, hire me to write a sitcom-style show for the guys, PLEASE) I've kept it platonic since it's early stages; it's open to interpretation about how many sparks are flying and between whom exactly..... 👀 But if ppl want more of this, I'm all over it. Platonic or romantic? I'll play it by ear!

Game Night

L&DS Boys X Reader

Summary: The most important men in your life can manage one evening together, right? For you? Please? Pretty please?

Genre: Fluff + humour

Warnings/Additional Tags: f!reader, some swearing, a lil conflict, non-canon (I know some of the guys probably know each-other but we're pretending they don't 😇)

| Word count: 4k | Masterlist | Opt-in to my taglist here!

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Love and Deepspace. All work is my own, so please don't repost or plagiarise!

“Rafayel… what do you think this is?”

The artist stands at your open door, wearing a self-assured smile and one of the flashier outfits you’ve seen him in, and that’s really saying something. Between you is a bouquet of lilies, petals curled like frozen licks of fire that compliment— deliberately, if you had to guess— the warmer fires within his eyes. Those eyes narrow at your question.

“What do you think it is?” he says suspiciously, lowering the flowers.

“…Game night?”

You’re not sure why you phrase it so tentatively. You know what it is; you’re the host. You open your door wider, stepping aside to give Rafayel a better view of the apartment behind you, and the remainder of his smile sinks.

“Hi,” Xavier calls out, and you don’t have to see him to know he’s giving a wholesome sort of wave.

“Hi…” Rafayel answers, barely more than a whisper as his eyes flit between everyone else in the room, because he’s the last to arrive. “Game night, yeah,” he nods assertively, “I knew that.” Then a deep breath: “Can I, like, put these somewhere—”

“Kitchen counter,” you gesture.

“Got it.” He doesn’t have to be told twice.

Closing the door behind him, you watch as he skirts past the lounge and makes for your kitchen, where another bouquet already lies waiting. He zeroes in on it. “Looks like mine’s not the only heart you’re breaking tonight, huh, cutie? What are these—” he pokes at a petal— “daturas?”

“They’re her favourite,” speaks a distinctly low voice.

Rafayel doesn’t look up. He plonks his bouquet on top of the other and winces: “They’re really not, though.”

“He’s right,” you chip in, giving Sylus a sheepish smile, and now Rafayel looks up, beaming.

“She likes roses,” Zayne says, with the calm confidence he’d quote a medical journal. On the sofa beside him, Xavier nods, and you grin at them both.

“Noted,” Sylus chuckles.

Rafayel’s less convinced. “Since when?!”

“Since forever, Raf. I like lilies too, so I didn’t say anything, ‘kay?” You beckon him back to the lounge, ignoring his splutters of disbelief. “C’mere, let me introduce you to everyone.”

The man slinks to your side like a reluctant shadow, and your hands find your hips. “This is Zayne. Xavier,” you point out, putting faces to names; Rafayel’s heard stories about each. Then you nod towards Sylus. “Over there’s Skye.”

From his place by the window, Sylus lifts a hand in greeting.

“So… yeah,” you finish. Oh, wait! “Guys, this is—”

“They know who I am,” Rafayel shrugs, his fame apparently heavy on his shoulders. He glances around the room for validation, but he gets none, so he tries again. “You do know who I am, right?”

“Sorry,” Xavier admits with an awkward smile, glancing back at Sylus: you?

The man has to think about it. You know for a fact he’s traded more than one of Rafayel’s paintings for a profit, but he smirks and gives an even more exaggerated shrug than the artist himself.

Really?

“You’re Rafayel,” Zayne states plainly.

“Yeah! See, I told you, cutie—”

“You slipped on a paintbrush and checked yourself into Akso, right? The nurses still talk about it.”

Rafayel’s enthusiasm drains. He looks conflicted as he mulls over the additional information. “In, like, a good way?” he hazards.

Zayne stares back at him, wielding silence like a scalpel before cutting deeper with a: “…sure.”

You bite back a smile. Leaving the two to discuss the finer details of Rafayel’s notoriety at the hospital, you wander over to the kitchen, where you fish out a vase from the back of a cupboard. You fill it, set it down on the counter, then reach for Sylus’s bouquet. There’s a black satin ribbon; you untie it.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, sweetie?” asks the man himself, joining you discreetly.

The others can’t really hear you— they’re still talking. “What,” you smirk, retrieving your scissors from a drawer, “you worried Xavier’s gonna arrest you?”

Sylus laughs lowly, quietly. “That’s adorable.”

“Good.” You pick up a flower and trim a leaf from the stem. “Because even if he wanted to—” you wave it, just short of his face— “I’d protect you, ok?”

He regards the flower beneath his nose. Smiles smugly. “These can be toxic, sweetie.”

“Really? Whoops.” You put it down, then snatch up a lily from Rafayel’s bouquet. “En Garde!”

“These too.”

“What the hell?”

The flame-red flower drops from your fingers, and Sylus laughs more sincerely. “Stick to roses, kitten. Or…” He moves his hand over his deconstructed bouquet, his Evol pruning the rest of the leaves from the stems. A tendril of it gathers the flowers, delivering them to him so he can hold them out to you with a flourish. “Live dangerously. Who am I to judge?”

You take them, then plop them into the vase. “Cute.”

“I’m here all week,” he grins. “You’d better wash your hands, hmm?”

With a hmph of agreement, you turn to the sink. You spend half a minute, rubbing soap and warm water over your hands, and when you turn back around— still drying them— something is different. The lilies are gone. Sylus is looking at you, innocuous.

“Real mature, Skye.”

He makes no effort to defend himself. You’re about to tell him that his magic better extend to making flowers reappear when your attention is whipped back to the lounge. The voices from that side have raised, so you lean forward on your kitchen island, watching their owners in a sort of stakeout.

“I take it you have a plan,” Sylus whispers, leaning with you.        

You look at him. He looks back. “The plan is for hosts,” you scold, “not guests.” He’s much too close so you step away, reaching for the vase of daturas and holding them threateningly out, like you’re not afraid to use them. “Go back to the guests, deserter.”

Sylus lifts his hands in surrender, smirking in a way that says he knows he’s met his match. You shoo him further, back into enemy lines, then resume your stakeout. Xavier is sharing his own “embarrassing” medical story— talking about a time where he once passed out from exhaustion while fighting at your side, and you think it’s supposed to make Rafayel feel better.

It doesn’t, of course, and even Zayne is gazing down at the floor, self-conscious.

Sylus meets your eyes across the room, signals with a tip of his head: now's a good time for that master plan, sweetie.

Right. Your plan. Your master plan, yeah.

…

“You should have picked the doctor.”

Sylus’s words are near-silent: for you, not anyone else, and you pretend you don’t hear them. “But no,” he carries on, because he knows you can, “you just had to have the artist.”

“It’s Pictionary!” you snap, drawing all eyes in the room.

Lounging beside you, Sylus feigns an amused surprise, as though he hasn’t just been trying to elicit that exact reaction. On the other sofa, Zayne and Xavier stare, taken more genuinely aback. You give a smile of apology.

“Guys, concentrate!” Rafayel clicks his fingers at you. He’s stood in the centre of the space by a large drawing pad, and he goes back to frantically sketching on it. The drawing is… interesting. Abstract. Maybe even beautiful? But you don’t have a clue what it is.

“Thirty seconds,” warns Zayne, studying the little egg-timer he’s guarding.

You tilt your head at the drawing. There’s maybe a— wait, where did those extra colours come from? Where did he even get those pens? Anyway… there’s a circle. “A globe?” you guess. “Earth! No? Umm… oh! The sun! The moon!”

Rafayel shakes his head with every suggestion, adding even more intricate, unhelpful scribbles. Is that a fifth pen?! You nudge your other teammate, calling for back-up.

Sylus regards the drawing listlessly. “A unicorn.”

“What?!” Rafayel’s tone has reached a pitch that almost makes you wince. “No! C’mon, are you even trying?”

“No,” Sylus lilts with a pleasant smile, lifting the drink he’s been nursing to his lips.

You kick his foot. “A bowl of fruit!” you exclaim, determined to make up for the lack of enthusiasm. “A plate? A plate with food? Breakfast! Lunch! Dinner!”

“Time’s up,” Zayne interrupts, and it’s a mercy, really; you deflate with a sigh.

Rafayel puts his hands on his hips as he takes a step back to observe his work. He tucks four fine-liners back into his pocket— purses his lips as though he really can’t see a problem— and he’s keeping you all in suspense.

Sylus is up in an instant, stealing a card from where it’s been discarded on the coffee table. He reads the answer, then rolls his eyes. The original pen was also abandoned, so he plucks it up, then strides to the drawing pad.

He draws an oval. Then a triangle.

“A fish! A fish!” you cry out.

“You’re good at this, sweetie,” Sylus grins. He puts the lid on the pen with a click before dropping it into Rafayel’s hand.

“Is it my turn?” Xavier asks, trying to relieve the tension of the room. He gets up and smiles as Rafayel passes him the pen. “Your drawing is pretty. The composition is really—”

“Don’t,” Rafayel says. “Like, thanks? But don’t.”

“Fair enough,” Xavier chuckles.

You all prepare for the next round: Zayne handing you the egg-timer, Xavier re-organising the stack of prompt cards. Sylus takes a photo of the drawing pad before ambling back over— a moping Rafayel in tow— and they both sink down either side of you. You glance at the latter, giggling. “A fish, Raf? Really?”

“So I didn’t just wanna draw you some basic fish, ok?” The artist crosses his arms with a pout. “But fine, enjoy mediocrity, I guess.”

To your left, Sylus raises his glass in toast to the notion. There’s a noise: Xavier tearing the used page from the pad. You look up. “Xavier, can I have that?”

“Sure.” He brings it over to you.

You look at the drawing again, holding it at arm’s length and rotating it experimentally. You’re seeing a lot, but nothing that screams ‘fish’. There’s a circle, still. Oh! “It’s a fish bowl! Wait, wait, wait— is that Reddie?”

“Yeah!” Rafayel beams.

“Aww!”

The renewed team spirit drops off with Sylus; he’s on his phone, not paying attention. He seems to sense your scrutiny because he peers up, gives a ghost of a smile, then returns to whatever he’s doing. Meanwhile, Xavier is ready for his turn, so he signals for you to start the timer. You give him a thumbs up as you turn it over. “Go!”

He starts drawing.

“A car,” Zayne guesses after all of five seconds. Correct. Next. “A river? No. Oh. A snake.” Yes. “A cupcake?” Also yes. (In fairness, he was never going to struggle with that one.) “A person? Ok. Oh, a scientist, no? Ah, a doctor.” Yes again, and really— what?

Zayne continues to list correct answers, though thankfully, that’s the last of the coincidences. You watch on, vaguely in awe, until you feel your phone buzz in your pocket. You check it casually, aware that Sylus is next to you, looking down at it too.

It’s a text from him: The drawing… Can I have it?

You glance up at him subtly, meeting his eyes and giving a discreet yet firm shake of your head. He frowns. You’re not having this debate here, now, so you let your gaze return to the drawing pad while idly retrieving your drink.

A few seconds later, there’s another text: Found buyer

Then another: Quarter of a mil

You almost choke on that drink.

“Umm… cutie?” Rafayel asks, poking you. He points at the timer you’ve left on the coffee table, and the top half is empty.

“Shit, yeah. That’s time!” you call.

Xavier stops drawing. The small, crude sketches behind him have reached double digits. He looks really proud. “Great! How many was that?”

His eyes find you. Zayne and Rafayel’s, too. Were you supposed to be counting? Uh—

“Eleven,” says Sylus, and it’s way too smug to be a lie.

“Awesome!” Xavier flips the drawing pad over to where you’ve been tallying point totals. He adds eleven marks to one side. “That’s—” he counts both— “ah, thirty-three to nine.”

A silence falls over the room. Unsure of what else to do, you give a half-hearted round of applause and Xavier laughs awkwardly, still humble, despite it all. “I think we’re kinda done with Pictionary, yeah?” you suggest, rising from your seat. “I should probably get started on food, anyway.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.”

The insistence came from Xavier, and you freeze suspiciously; he’s never turned down free food.

“You’ve already done so much,” he explains, “setting this all up for us. You should relax, really! Leave it to me.”

The word ‘relax’ is not synonymous with the image of Xavier anywhere near your kitchen, but he’s looking at you so earnestly, blue eyes brimming with warmth, and what are you supposed to say? No thanks, Xavier— I value my life? Everyone’s watching you. Gods help you. “That’s really sweet, Xavier. Thanks.”

Your fellow Hunter’s smile widens even more. He heads off to the kitchen, a spring to his step that makes your heart sink with dread. “Actually—” you glance at your ex-teammates— “could you two go help him? Zayne and I’ll tidy up over here.”

Rafayel and Sylus do as they’re asked, even though their expressions remind you that cooking is not, typically, a three-man job. It’s tactical, though. You wanted a moment alone with Zayne. “Are you ok?” you ask, once the others are out of earshot. “I know this must all be a lot. The guys can be, well… yeah.”

He knows what you mean, right?

Zayne has slipped away from the couch; he’s crouched on the floor, collecting a few prompt cards that have wandered astray. He glances up at you, pushing his glasses back on his nose. “I’m ok,” he assures with a fond smile. “Thank you, though.”

“You’re welcome.” He hands you the cards and you slot them back into their deck. Then you turn to the drawing pad. “You and Xavier make a good team, huh?”

The doctor straightens to his full height. “Mmm. It helped that we didn’t spend the entire game comparing the size of our… drawing abilities.” 

You laugh unashamedly. The pen’s still at-hand, so you pick it up— reward another point.

Zayne chuckles.

“Food’s gonna be a while.”

You both turn, following the voice back to Sylus, who has apparently decided he’s had his fill of kitchen duty. What was that— a minute? He seems to have anticipated your dissatisfaction, because he’s brought a bribe with him: the box of chocolates that had come with his bouquet. It’s already open and he holds it out, tempting you.

He’s right— you don’t know when you’ll next be eating— so you select a heart-shaped chocolate, popping it into your mouth with a smile and a muffled: “thanks.”

Sylus smiles back. Then he holds the box out to Zayne. “Doctor?”

It takes a nod of encouragement from you to prompt Zayne into taking something. He chooses a white chocolate truffle, mumbles his own thanks, but Sylus doesn’t relent— not yet. He shakes the box slightly, incitingly, and he doesn’t move it away until Zayne takes two more.

Your physician shoots you a surreptitious smile as Sylus falls back onto the couch, content he’s won your hearts, and that he won’t be sent back to the kitchen anytime soon. His long fingers lift another chocolate from the box, and he meets your eyes as he slips it slowly past his lips, humming like he’s enjoying himself.

You cross your arms, unimpressed. He gives you the least convincing look of innocence you’ve ever seen.

There’s an exclamation from the kitchen: “Hey, where did my flowers go!?” 

Shit. You hastily push the drawing pad aside then scurry over to assist Rafayel. You don’t have a plan, exactly; it’s not like you can help him look for them. “Umm… they’re around, Raf. I moved them somewhere safer, that’s all.”

“Where?”

“Uh—”

“Does it matter?” Sylus speaks from behind you, because he and Zayne are close at your heels. “She said they’re somewhere safe.” He leans on the kitchen island. “Don’t you trust her?”

Rafayel scoffs. “I trust her plenty.”

“So prove it. Drop it.”

“Skye,” you caution, “stop.”

Sylus does stop, but not because you asked. He’s done enough already, hasn’t he? Rafayel is bristling with indignance— a lit fuse— and behind him, Xavier sneakily checks the trash can, looking relieved at what he doesn’t find. He gives you a subtle glance: Where actually are the flowers?

You lift a shoulder an inch: Beats me!

There’s a soft, almost imperceptible crackle, and it draws your eyes to the vase of daturas between you all. They’ve caught light— their petals twisting, darkening, within larger flowers of fire.

“Rafayel!” you gasp. “No, no, no, the fire alarm!”

The torched flowers are encased, all of a sudden, in a fine layer of shimmering frost. Sylus blinks down at them, unmoved by their destruction. Zayne’s hand is still outstretched, snowflakes etched over his palm. Then something… odd happens. The ice doesn’t stop. It spreads over the rest of the kitchen island, to all of your bewilderment.

“Zayne?” Your voice is fraught with worry, but you don’t give a damn about your kitchen.

The man winces, and you so rarely see him out of control. The silver-white patterns have crawled up his wrist, and the ice continues to spread; even Sylus steps back. Sharp, jagged crystals start to form— inching out towards everyone.

“Zayne!” you try again.

His chest rises as he drags air through his teeth; it looks like it hurts, but the ice does stop. The others are still, suspended by momentary uncertainty, and you rush to Zayne’s side, taking his hand.

“What the hell was that?” Rafayel remarks, shaking away his surprise and thawing an icicle that’s way too close for comfort.

“He wouldn’t have needed to use his Evol if you hadn’t used yours.”

It’s Xavier, strangely— you would have expected Sylus. The Hunter’s tone is gentle as always, but there’s something behind it, this time: a frustration that lends an edge.

Rafayel hears it too. “Hey, I’m not the one who started this!” He points to Sylus. “He—”

“Has been lighting fires all evening,” Xavier finishes. “But at least his were only figurative.”

Sylus laughs, and it’s the kind of laugh where you just know he’s vying to make things worse. “Look at that,” he says, “the boy next door can bite.”

Xavier’s eyes sharpen. Beside you, Zayne slips his hand from yours. It’s an instinct you know well. This moment is volatile, and you have to be ready. It could go a dozen different ways; it’s just waiting for a spark.

“Guys,” you manage to get out, “please, just… everyone, take a breath, ok? Everything’s fine, we just have to—”

A spark.

There’s smoke. Actual smoke. “Xavier, behind you!” Zayne alerts.

It’s creeping out of the oven and Xavier turns— eyes wide— to open its door before any of you can stop him. Thicker smoke billows out, filling the air, and you all scramble away from it. The fire alarm triggers. You think Rafayel’s shouting something, but you can’t really hear him. Then Sylus is shouting. Maybe even Zayne. The alarm is piercing your ears and making you dizzy— or is it the smoke?

You feel a hand on your shoulder and suddenly everything changes.

There’s cool air, brushing over your skin, and it’s dark; you’re outside the building. You can still hear the alarm, shrill but further away, and your window is easy to spot: there’s a red light flashing behind it. Sylus leans into your vision, saying your name.

“Stay here,” he tells you, “alright?”

He’s gone in another moment, lost to a flicker of crimson-black darkness.

Gods, you’re so stupid.

…

You sit on a short wall outside of your building, and the street is full of people. You recognise most of them: neighbours. Every single one is mad at you. You’re all waiting for the alarm to cut out— for the all-clear to be given. The fire wasn’t that serious in the end, but there’s still a procedure. You would know; this isn’t exactly your first evacuation.

The guys are safe, which is good, because it means you can kill them later. They’ve all gotten lost in the throng, and your neighbours can keep them. Maybe they’ll kill them for you.  

“Hey, cutie.”

You were staring down at your feet, but you look up at Rafayel’s voice. He’s coming towards you, evoking a sense of déjà vu, because he’s clutching a bouquet of flame lilies. That’s… the bouquet of flame lilies. How?

“Skye gave ‘em back to me,” he explains, chuckling at your expression, and he’s close enough now to hold the flowers out to you. “I don’t know where he was keeping them. His Evol’s weird, huh?”

“Yeah,” you say timidly, taking the bouquet and gazing down into the petals; they still smell sweet.

Rafayel sits next to you, shuffling close, and he leans his head on your shoulder with a tired sigh. You want to be mad at him. You really, really do— but you’re suddenly not.

“I’m sorry, Rafayel.” The admission barely makes it out of your throat.

You feel his head lift. “You’re sorry?”

“I know it was just a misunderstanding,” you speak into the flowers, “but tonight… wasn’t what you were expecting, I get it. I mean, I kinda threw you into the deep end with all this. You didn’t know you were gonna be around other people, and I—”

“Whoa— cut that out, yeah? You’re killing me, cutie. I spend the whole evening causing trouble, and you’re gonna take all the blame? Nope. Not happening. It was a collaborative effort at least, ok?”

You giggle. “Ok.”  

“Good.” His head slumps back down on your shoulder, and yours tilts to rest against it. “Thanks, though. Really,” he whispers, so quiet you almost don’t notice.

Footsteps and familiar voices draw you from the intimacy of the moment. The others are wandering back to you, having finally escaped the veritable mob of your neighbours. They all look tired.

Xavier settles down on the other side of you, and Zayne sits beside him. Sylus takes a seat next to Rafayel with a huff, but he’s not half as unhappy as he’s pretending to be.

All of you sit in silence, gazes flitting between your window— where there are still glimpses of moving figures— and everyone else who’s been evacuated. For the first time all evening, the quiet isn’t tense. It’s peaceful. Easy.

“We’ll do better next time,” Zayne speaks softly.

Next time? You scoff. “Do any of you actually want there to be a next time?”

“I had fun,” Sylus chuckles. He’s taken his coin from his pocket, and he flips it, amusing himself.

“I had fun too,” Xavier grins.

“Cooking again, Xavier?” quips one of your neighbours, as they happen to pass by.

The man beside you laughs, but you can tell it’s forced. Your hand finds his; you give it a little squeeze, letting him know that it wasn’t his fault. His heart was in the right place. It’s always in the right place.

You nudge Rafayel away from you so you can sit up straighter, your free hand rubbing your arm, caressing prickled skin. You’re about to ask for a jacket when something heavy drapes over your shoulders. It’s a coat— still warm— and its owner is stood behind you; you didn’t even notice him get up.

“Thanks, Sylus,” you smile.

All eyes turn to you. What are they—?

Oh.

[baigepueckers]

Caitlin Clark X Reader

Courtside Secrets

The fever game is intense and the energy in the arena is magnified. You’re in your usual spot, sitting just a few rows behind the bench. Cheering loudly every time your girl makes an amazing play. She’s in her element playing with a confidence that’s impossible to ignore, and you can feel the pride in your chest. But your excitement simmers every time you feel another gaze in your direction. It happens more often than you like to admit…

Tonight is no different and just before halftime a guy a few seats down leans your way, giving you a casual friendly smile that’s a little too comfortable.

“You’re always here, huh?” he says raising his voice to be heard over the crowd. “You must be a big fan.”

You nod politely, sending him a small smile. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“Well, maybe you could show me around sometime. I don’t know many people who are this dedicated to the game… I kinda like that.” he says, his eyes checking you out as he watches you.

Out of the corner of your eye, you catch Caitlin glancing over. She’s usually focused and unbothered by anything off the court, but tonight her gaze stays on you for a moment too long and her eyes narrowing as she takes in the guy’s obvious interest. You see the way her lips press into a hard line before she pulls her gaze away, channeling her frustration into the game.

When the second half starts Caitlin’s intensity has somehow turned up even more. She’s putting on a show driving to the basket with an aggression that makes it clear she’s got something to prove. She sinks a lay up and for a brief moment her eyes lock with you, the fire in her gaze unmistakable. It’s as if each point, each block, is a silent message to everyone else in the arena telling them exactly who you’re here for.

If the extra intensity was supposed to discourage people….it’s not working. During a timeout a woman a few rows down catches your eye and walks over, flashing you an excited smile.

“You must be her lucky charm or something” she says nodding toward Cait, who is breathing hard…her focus on the court. “I see you at every game. She really knows how to put on a show, doesn’t she?”

You nod, giving her a polite smile. “Yeah, she’s amazing.”

The woman tilts her head and eyes sparkling with interest. “Maybe after the game, you could show me around the area? It’s my first time in town… I could buy you a drink.”

You hesitate trying to think of a polite way to brush her off without giving away too much. You’re here for Caitlin of course…and part of you wants to make it clear, to shut down any hint of interest. But you both agreed that keeping things low key was the best way to protect her during this rookie season. So instead, you kindly thank the woman and turn back to the game.

Still the moment doesn’t go unnoticed by Cait. You see her jaw tighten from where she’s standing and when she returns to the court, her frustration is there. She’s relentless in every play almost as if she’s trying to make a point to every single person who thinks they can just walk up to you. She scores again and again…barely celebrating with her team, her eyes returning to you between plays, her frustration clear in every look she shoots your way.

When the game finally ends and the crowd begins to dwindle down…you linger in the seats, waiting for her. But before you can move, another guy (someone who’s clearly noticed you are in regular attendance at Caitlin’s games) approaches with a confident grin.

“Hey” he says, offering his hand. “I’ve seen you around here a lot. Huge Clark fan, right? Maybe we could link up and go to a game together?”

The idea that anyone else could think you’re free…that they have a chance to steal even a moment of your attention, feels almost laughable. But you’re still stuck unsure of how to respond without making things complicated for Caitlin. Before you can even respond, you feel a hand slide around your waist…warm and unmistakable.

“Sorry, we already have plans” Caitlin says her voice smooth but her grip is firm as she shoots the guy a look that would send anyone backing away. He mumbles a quick apology and disappears into the crowd.

Caitlin turns to you her face a mix of irritation and something deeper, almost raw vulnerability hidden behind her jealousy. “We need to go” she says her tone low with unspoken frustration. She doesn’t wait for a response, simply intertwining her fingers with yours and leading you out through a side exit into a quiet hallway away from the crowd.

The silence stretches and it’s heavy, until she finally lets out a sigh running a hand through her hair. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to watch them hit on you? To see them trying to make plans with you, thinking they actually have a shot?”

You reach for her other hand, squeezing gently. “Baby, i’m only here for you. I don’t flirt back…I don’t even encourage them. You know that.”

She meets your gaze, her frustration clear but her tone softening. “Then why don’t you just shut them down? Tell them you’re taken… tell them you’re with me.”

You glance around remembering all the conversations you’ve had, all the times you both agreed to keep things low key, especially during her rookie year. “Because we agreed this was for the best…for your career. We didn’t want anyone making a mess of things and taking away what’s ours, remember?”

She lets out a frustrated sigh looking down at your hands, her thumb rubbing gentle circles against your skin as she contemplates with her emotions. “I know…but watching them act like you’re free, like they can just take you out..it drives me insane.”

Her grip on your hands tightens, her gaze intense as she continues. “You’re mine Y/N and I hate that I can’t just make it clear to everyone. I can’t sit there and pretend it doesn’t matter when all I want to do is tell the whole arena you’re with me.”

You step closer running your free hand gently up her arm until you’re holding her face, forcing her to meet your eyes. “I know it’s hard baby, but it’s only temporary. After this season we’ll tell everyone…we’ll let the whole world know. But for now we know I’m yours, whether anyone else knows it or not.”

She closes her eyes leaning into your touch, letting out a soft sigh as if she’s finally letting go of some of the tension that’s been building up all night. “It’s just hard” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want anyone else thinking they have even a chance…it pisses me off.”

“Babe, no one else is even close” you assure her, your voice steady. “You’re the only one I’m here for, Cait. I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

She pulls you closer her arms wrapping around you tightly as she rests her forehead against yours. For a moment it’s just the two of you, wrapped up in the quiet. Caitlin’s jealousy, her protectiveness is something you’re used to seeing. You know that every possessive look, every intense glare is her way of showing how much you mean to her.

“You know what, baby?” she murmurs, her lips brushing against your forehead. “Once the season’s over, I’m telling everyone. I’m done watching from the sidelines while everyone else thinks they can get close to you.”

You smile, your heart swelling at the fierce determination in her voice. “Then it’s a deal, sweetness. Once the season’s over, we don’t have to hide anymore.”

She pulls back, just enough to look into your eyes…her expression soft but her gaze showing the same intensity. “Until then, I’ll be counting down the days.” she says softly, her voice thick with promise.

[aya-luri]

Am I the only one who doesn't associate Zekrom with Ingo and Reshiram with Emmet but do it the other way around? Well, perhaps this will become an unpopular opinion, but, if you stop to think about it there are quite a few points that can support this theory. Let's check them out! To begin with, it's the legendary dragon Zekrom the one who appears on the cover of the White version of the game, while Reshiram does the same on the Black version, which would indicate that they actually represent their opposite color. Such small detail is already important in itself, not just the basic color of the dragons per se. Also we all know that Zekrom's associated element is the electric type, like Emmet's Eeleektros, while Reshiram's is the fire type, like Ingo's Chandelure, both being the most representative pokemons of the Subway Bosses.

Although the issue of ideologies of each dragon is used to link them with each brother among the fandom, "ideals" being the one typically attributed to Ingo for his passionate way of encouraging trainers, while for Emmet it is the "truth" for his direct way of communicating, this could work much better the other way around. If we have learned anything from Ingo on Pokemon Legends Arceus, it is that this man is full of existential doubts that lead him to want to get closer to the player in order to know more about himself. That's it, the truth about his origins. But he already had some tendency to this type of behavior long before, as it was evident in the first Black & White games.

"Where is my destination? I've kept thinking, and I've learned one thing. That is, you cannot know what happens after winning without winning." Through such questions, Ingo seeks to reach a real conclusion, his own truths. And perhaps in our idealized image of him we forget that he can also be frank and direct, without the need to embellish words with lies.

"However, it is difficult to win unless you and your partner are in total sync." On the other hand, and as we have said before, the frankness with which Emmet expresses his opinions makes him look like an open-minded character, sincere, making this seem (for many people) to be his only notable characteristic, despite the fact that it's kinda obvious the way in which he greatly idealizes Pokémon battles.

"This time, I am really serious. Really serious. Because if a battle is not serious, it is not fun." He firmly believes that there is a way to go about Pokémon battles, and that way is by giving it your all in them, and in an ideal world, everyone would have fun battling just as he does, but this is not always the case. Emmet clearly expresses how he believes things should be, and he's also aware that his own victory may not only be due to his skill but also to circumstantial elements or, put another way, luck. So he also idealizes the player's own defeat when it occurs, having enough consideration to make it seem like something unfourtunate. Further proof that the fandom has been associating the wrong dragon with the wrong twin can be found in the legend of the twin heroes, where it was the oldest who pursued the truth, while the youngest pursued the concept of ideals.

This birth order also corresponds to Ingo and Emmet, Ingo being the eldest of the both and Emmet the youngest.

That's why despite being white, I think Reshiram suits to Ingo much better and the same for Emmet regarding the black dragon Zekrom. All of these points put together carry much more sense than simply thinking that each dragon's ideologies relates to a brother just by the main color of his outfit. Although this, in the end, does not have much relevance either, since canonically there is no relationship between these legendary Pokémon and the Subway bosses, other than the simple fact of playing with mere chromatic issues. Still, it's always fun to speculate, right?

[tragicvampireromanceisland]

some real quick, realll loose sketches because i've been thinking about how the powers of the heroes and villains (the ones engaging in direct combat, at least) would stack up against one another....pluuus what's the point of a superhero au if you don't draw everyone fightinggg smh....!! my final consensus is that these three pairs would be the most evenly matched in battle! explanations under the cut.

PLUS some silly aftermath doodles of our heroes as well :) (morph isn't ACTUALLY stuck, she's just being dramatic....)

solarflare vs. deadheat:

basically brute strength against brute strength! these two always give each other the NASTIEST bruises when they fight. while flight and super strength is usually an advantage for sol in dodging and countering attacks, you can't exactly push flames out of your way. however, flight does give her the advantage of forcing deadheat to resort to more long-ranged attacks, which are less powerful. deadheat's immunity to fire also extends to sol's laser vision—in fact, he can even absorb and redirect it with the use of his staff! and while it's difficult to maintain, deadheat can use his flames to propel himself upwards for short bursts of time, so he can sort of fly as well! any stone barricades or projectiles he creates are no match for sol's punches though. good thing he doesn't pull any punches, either!

miss morph vs. blindside:

a far more tactical matchup. while sol's heat vision can sense blindside's immediate presence, this is only when he is right in front of her. important to note: blindside's also got several other obstruction techniques, like his smoke bombs and his general stealth prowess! so enter miss morph, who has the advantage of ALL sorts of heightened senses, depending on what she shifts into. infrared vision, echolocation, electroreception, vibration detection, enhanced hearing...she can even camouflage herself if needed, to further confuse her opponent. though, be warned! blindside is a master of surprise ambush regardless. he's great at immobilizing opponents by swiftly targeting their pressure points. miss morph has to constantly stay on her feet and keep shifting her form to avoid getting hit!

that being said, morph kind of hates whenever she has to fight blindside, simply because she has to utilize so many animal forms at the same time. it feels very gross and frankenstein-y to her, and the added discomfort is definitely a disadvantage with the possibility of throwing her off her game.

kuiper vs. espritvoyant

while the most glaring advantage kuiper has is that she's immune to esprit's mind reading abilities, they're also evenly matched in a lot of other ways (well, whenever kuiper isn't stumbling over the giant, obvious crush she has on her enemy HUH who said that). while teleportation is usually esprit's easy out whenever an attack is hurled at her, it's a hell of a lot more difficult to achieve that when you're fighting someone with super speed. it's a neck and neck battle when it comes to these abilities: kuiper has to be constantly aware of her surroundings in order to predict where esprit may teleport and close the gaps, which also puts a strain on esprit's teleportation abilities, which have a pretty small radius limit when used in such rapid succession.

esprit's telekinesis offers a huge advantage when paired with a power that can easily spiral out of control like kuiper's, though. it's fairly easy for esprit to turn their battles into hellish obstacle courses for kuiper, burdening her with both dodging all of esprit's attacks as well as trying to attack on her own. kuiper's ability to leave afterimages if she runs fast enough is normally a decent confusion tactic, but something easily detected by esprit. her telekinesis can send out a pulse through the air to disrupt surrounding molecules and distort the afterimages.

while every hero has fought every one of the villains at least a few times, these matchups tend to be the most common. it's best to play to your strengths, after all! have they perhaps also learned a few things about their enemies along the way...? only time can tell...🤭

[faggot-greg-house]

house is autistic i will accept no criticism

i have so many thoughts about house and autism. this might be the most unhinged post on my tumblr yet but here we go so house had the illusion of normalcy forced on him from a young age. i dont think thats like, full canon, but house talks about how his father abused him on more than one occassion and talked about how he was never satisfied or happy with house no matter what. so i truly dont think its a far reach to say that he would not have tolerated a "weird child." the thing that i think, though, is that all of his actions are a response to the fact that he's not particularly great at masking. he's afraid if he lets people close to him he won't be able to hide the fact that he's "weird" (aka bad). he intentionally pushes people away with his weird creepy comments and being an asshole and that's both him masking (if he's aggressively mean all the time no one will bother to look further) and a way of coping with the fact that he cant mask. the more he pushes people away the less likely it is that they'll see that he cares about things and that he's not "normal" like he's always been told. i also think that as the show went on, he got less and less concerned about masking. he constantly stims, he hyperfocuses and burns out, he panics about change, he treats his fellows a lot more like family. once he got to a point in his life where his "weirdness" is not something he can be ruined for (he's tenured and he has people who will fight for him) he found himself a lot more able to be aggressively autistic, even if he struggles with it due to trauma.

a huge Autism Moment in the show for me is when foreman quits and house fires chase. house has been afraid his whole life of showing who he actually is, as mentioned. his fellows, though, are his People, they knew all of his shit and they never ran awayy from it. they didnt question who he was and what he knew, only his methods, and they were willing to fight back against him (something he's shown he loves). but then foreman quits because he "doesnt want to be like house" and this is house's worst nightmare. this is exactly why he had normalcy beaten into him, because being weird only makes it that people will run away once they know you. he dared to let people see a bit of who he actually is and how he thinks and acts and foreman essentially said "i cant stand to be like you." on top of that fear, his team became Different. he doesnt know if chase or cameron thought the same things as foreman, if they were also judging him or hating him for being autistic. it sent him into fucking panic mode because how is he supposed to trust them when he doesnt know if they agree with foreman!!!!! and even if he could, the team is Different and its for a reason he cant control and he cant just go back to normal. his method of interviewing his new fellows also shows this - how is he supposed to be able to tell if someone will be okay with who he is and if they'll work well together based off a short intervew where he's almost certainly masking the whole time???? anyway. to end this absolutely unhinged post ive put together an inconclusive list of autistic traits and actions from house, and i want to say that so much of this is him being written off as an antisocial eccentric genius and, while he is an ass that cant be debated, it clearly runs deeper than that!!!!

he doesnt understand how ppl feel (he repeatedly talks about how small talk is like a guessing game for him and he doesnt know what to say)

he doesnt like to be touched (for a lot of the show people just do Not touch him, wilson excluded)

he stims constantly and he needs Sensations

he's blunt, rude, somewhat monotone, etc

he has a hard time making friends

he has a hard time saying what he feels (he'd rather joke or be mean than analyse his emotions)

he has a routine that he Sticks To (even thgh its not exactly the same because of patients etc, he goes to work late, he talks to the same people, he sits in his same office. he's shown coming to work sick at one point and he doesnt rly go on vacation. plus when cuddy took his bloodstained carpet it was such a fundamental change to his life that he couldnt deal)

he notices Everything (yes ik this is a sherlock holmes thing but consider sherlock holmes - also autistic)

he has a method and train of thought that works for him and he is unwilling to break from it (he's shown at least once stopping the fellows from writing on his whiteboard, and after he loses the og three he continues trying to hold ddx's because its how he Thinks)

[witchesofvaliant]

My Take on Worshipping & Working with Ares

(Disclaimer: "My take" means my personal opinion and deriving heavily from my own experience.)

I work with Ares primarily in Shadow Work, and worship/work with him heavily in my practice.

1: The Misconceptions

I see a lot of "I work with Ares, so I work out all the time for him", and while exercise is wonderful for the body, and I myself love to get in a good walk, I have never devoted that to Ares. I am not saying you shouldn't, but the reason I mention it at all is the fact that many people equate working with Ares or those who do as muscle-headed gym bros who are always having to exercise or have to prove their masculinity. As a computer nerd who doesn't have exercise in their daily life and has chronic disabilities/illness that make that harder, I just don't do that. If I can, I take a good long walk for an hour or two about twice or once a week (if I can), that's mostly as far as it goes. In terms of proving my masculinity? Why? Let's dispense with the antiquated gender roles that say we have to assign the tough masculine aura to the cis guys. I am a trans male who has no issue looking feminine and being both a Queen and a King, that's just how it is. Ares can tell me himself if he has an issue with it, but he never has. And after getting to know him for some time, personally, he's not the type to give a fuck about your gender presentation. That also means, you don't have to be a guy to work with him, as I have also seen before.

Now, if we're trying to be true to the ancient Greek times, he was the primary deity worshipped in Sparta, and once the Romans adopted (which is putting it nicely) the Greek deities into their belief system, Mars was used as the primary deity equivalent to Zeus (Jupiter as he was called), with the common epithet to represent him being Mars Ultor, basically a title of greatness and power for him. He was used to inspire and push young men in those times toward a great strength and motivation in terms of military service as that was a greater focus in their culture than it was in the Greek culture (Not that the Greeks couldn't fight of course, they had their war deities, and Ares was one of them, but there IS a massive shift in the Greek and Roman mindsets when involving war, too much to get into). Now, here's where I stop, as I'm not an expert on Greco-Roman history and the two cultures, but it should demonstrate the point well at least on where these ideas so many people are spreading come from and why many think they're valid for everyone.

2: Worship

I tend to worship him by simple prayer. I take the knife I have and meditate with it, praying to him or simply talking. Sometimes, I don't even take the knife Lol. He's honestly a very simple person to deal with in my experience. You don't need to do fancy shit for him as devotional acts, he values respect and honor above all, so if you are giving that and offering this to him, he's a very pleased guy. I can't and don't use candles or fire in my practice, but my fire element/offering is going into a game and killing some bad guys. Is it semi-stereotypical in terms of the aggression? Kind of. Is it more focused on lessening my own stress and self-control so I'm taking my stress and anger out in a game than on people? Yes, and usually this isn't done FOR Ares, this is done more in terms of working on myself as agreed upon with Ares. Which goes into our next subject.

3: Work

Working with Ares is a huge part of my relationship with him (don't get me wrong, I love to just exist with him and listen to Fallout Boy too) but it's here where I have much more to say as I have always focused on Shadow Work in my life, and that only increased when I started my practice and my move away from the toxic Christianity I was raised with. Ares was not the first to work with me on this, and I had to work on some stuff myself just to be open to the idea of working with other deities. But in terms of Ares, he has been someone that I feel a strong connection to because of the heart, not my masculinity, not fighting others and exercising, but more because of the internal struggles and survival for my life I have had throughout my entire life. Be it with illness, my heart and trauma, or defending others, mainly my little brother, but all these thins took an internal struggle, not am external one. I find I work with him purely in terms of internal survival (either against physical or mental illness) and Shadow Work, which means understanding my heart, my will, and how to overcome the pain that has broken those things in my past. THIS part of him, is the part I rarely see anyone say anything about. Or everyone pairs him with Aphrodite and says this is their thing. I don't understand why it can't be him alone, I have hardly ever worked or dealt with Aphrodite, and while I give her respect and have given her my prayer, she is rarely there as my path just doesn't flow that way.

And also.. Why does no one talk about the fact that Ares can connect to illness too? In my opinion, he connects to illness through the issue of having to fight through it or even fight to keep someone alive.

I love embracing him as someone that doesn't require you to be a cis man with a six pack, or fight a literal war or fight other people just to work with him, and I really want to stress that you don't have to be these things, or change who you are as a person or fit into any requirement to work with him, and you don't have to do this with any deity either. You bring yourself first, that's all you truly need to bring to them, yourself and an open mind and ears to listen.

(Damn, this was long, hope people actually read this rant lmao)

If you got to the end, congratulations! And thank you for reading, I deeply appreciate that and you! 💖

[ahamkara-apologist]

Something that people don't really seem to see (or perhaps it's just my perspective, as the son of an Iranian immigrant) is that the hatred for Eramis among fancircles goes beyond pure media illiteracy and seems to be directly tied to anti-immigrant racism. People on youtube seem to be fixated on the idea that she's a 'terrorist' for firing the Warsats- it doesn't matter how many times people tell them that she didn't have a choice in the matter with the Witness being right behind her, or that her target was the Traveler rather than the Last City, or that it means nothing when they never actually discharged in the first place. It doesn't matter that she has a very good reason to hate humanity-the Vanguard in particular- after they systematically destroyed her House and any attempt that the Eliksni made to rebuild a functional society. To them, she's a terrorist, and terrorists are executed for what they've done no matter what. There's no consideration for the circumstances that led them to this point, because these people grew up in a landscape where that does not matter- all that matters is the elimination of a perceived barbaric threat against their nation. And this ideal is extended into the video game

Idk, it just gives me a really bad taste in my mouth that people are so vitrolic towards the Eliksni who do not trust the Vanguard. It doesn't matter who started the Eliksni-Human war (the answer is that both sides started wars across the Houses), the end result is that post Final Attempt, the Eliksni had lost, and we continued to systematically hunt down and eliminate any attempt at reformation with the end goal of exterminating them from the system. If it wasn't for Misraaks and House Light, the Vanguard would have eliminated them from the system entirely, firing on civilians and protectors alike and sending agents in to wipe out as much of them as possible. And Eramis watched all of this happen from the outside, after seeing the entire collapse of her society and the faliure of the Final Attempt, as well as the Vanguard's moves to put Eliksni refugees in a bombed-out district with very little effort for actual reconcilliation to any Eliksni not House Light. She has a very valid reason to hate our guts, and her acting against us doesn't mean that she's a terrorist, but bc she's a refugee from a hostile nation that we meddled in (cough America cough), she's seen as the bad guy, even when the narrative of the story displays that its much more complex than anything we saw when we first started out as a New Light

[alienoresimagines]

Went to a volleyball game yesterday and the commentators were so much fun, they really created a fire atmosphere in the arena, with dance moves and singing and lots of other stuff. Doing that job really requires another kind of energy 🫠

Also got me thinking Sports Commentator!John Egan (yapper King who's very good at his job, the games he comments always have the best crowd, but who's also very deep in his analysis of the players, maybe he's had a carreer ending injury but still has so much passion for his sport) live fangirling over Rising Star! Gale Cleven, who still can't believe so many people are cheering for him (John always makes sure they cheer for Gale the loudest lmao) and really isn't sure of some things like, is the handsome commentator flirting with him?

Just thinking of John giving Gale his nickname on live tv and everyone starting to call Gale Buck before his game is even over, and Gale being confused when "Buck" is all over the internet that evening

Thinking of John going crazy whenever Gale does something, screaming his name in glee

Thinking of Gale learning to be comfortable with the cheers and the camera because John always makes him feel at ease

Thinking of the Internet making fun of John's badly hidden crush on Gale until one day, Gale kisses him on the cheek out of the blue. Maybe Gale just won a major tournament after a bad few months and John's confidence in him (even when not commentating his games, John tweets about his performance, putting the highlights and showing Gale his game wasn't all bad) made him not lose confidence in his games and he just leaves John standing there in front of the cameras, red as a berry and mouth agape in shock as he traces the ghost of Gale's lips on his cheek

Thinking of Gale who thinks of every single little mistakes he did, being so harsh on himself he's disappointed even when his team scores a win because he didn't play as he wanted, needed to - perfectly. Because what's the point of doing something if you're not doing it perfectly ? But John always manages to make him smile at least bit, puts his thoughts in perspective because if John goes on and on about his performance, surely it wasn't all bad ?

Thinking of John who can't play his sport anymore but who falls in love almost at first sight of its shining rising star, the way he plays so beautifully, but crashing so hard through the fields of love and fondness when John speaks to Gale for the first time and sees how shy, sweet and serious he is, with a wicked sense of humour you'll miss if you blink. John who feels so much passion who sees that Gale is good but he just doesn't really love what he does. Gale who slowly starts to fall in love with his sport thanks to John, slowly but surely healing from the trauma inflicted by his father. Gale who shines brighter than ever when he falls in love with both his sport and John.

Thinking of John calling Buck "my champion" and absolutely worshipping him after Gale wins his first major tournament since they got together

John getting the crowd to chant Gale's name then a few hours later having Gale scream his in their bed

[cutpaperbleedswater]

My final thesis on Gale bitch-boy Hawthorne

It’s no secret the majority of the fandom would like to pay Gale a visit and pull out his guts, but is it entirely for the right reason?

Yes I massively understand how his hand in the design of the bomb that murdered Prim and the flippant way he did anything but apologise with his heart and soul to Katniss can really create an itch. To Katniss, we know Prim was absolutely everything, the sun and the moon, to her and she had trusted Gale for so many years to help her keep her sister shining as bright as their world allowed only to have him be the so said ‘cause’ of her death an absolute betrayal both of trust and character. Even if Prim wasn’t in the field, the idea itself is already so morally wrong that you would probably slap the thought out of your head. He tries to dust it off as necessary to a war when Katniss sees the plans but was it, really? Prims death is not souly Gale’s fault at all but we see why Katniss reacts so strongly too it, her hunting partner of four years, her fellow squad member, one of the two people Katniss considered friends, she trusted him with her sister, asking him to keep her alive if she didn’t make it in the Games and to have him even sticking a pinkie in the plans of Prim’s demise. Another point that is mentioned in the books is that he didn’t order the bombs to go off and he couldn’t as he was trapped, with no communication nor knowledge within Katniss’s struggling squad but the incentive is all the same. The worst moral crime Katniss (and thereby, the reader) could think of and attributes it to him who doesn’t say anything and leaves her for a better life for himself while she is at the helms of the skirt of reality.

His entire character in mockingjay was really unfair. When Katniss has the audacity to make another friend, who more so understands the turmoil inside her head, he acts cold about it, dare one say, childishly. He does earn a small redemption point when he defends Peeta after his first interview but we don’t know the motives. He distances himself from Katniss and acts like it’s her fault, failing to realise there is a gap there, one that came to be after the end of her first Games but he wilfully tried to ignore. He hunts with Katniss, arguably their only common ground in the events of the book after their families appear reasonably safe. Gale’s goals appear to prioritise winning the war and can’t except when Katniss doesn’t share that, focused more on Peeta’s absence and coming to grips with being a doll for another child which only aligns with his when Peeta is back and she sees that she loves someone who she decides no longer exists and runs away, into Gales arms, his lips which he sadly says doesn’t really count like by that point he still hopes but is wearing off the delusion. He makes an off centred remark about why Katniss cares so much for her prep team that causes yet more fissures in the chasm between them which is interesting when only moments before, they acted as two bodies/one mind. When he offers to kill Peeta during the active war, it’s viewed (most likely) more to him as putting down a rabid dog with rabies learning to cope around the illnesses, picking up the pieces when Katniss refused, still seeing the humanity in Peeta even purely out of delusion. Gale attempts to read her stance on the situation and is incorrect or could it be he truly somewhat cared for Peeta by proxy of Katniss, when he defends him to her? Yet later on he proves how well he knows hee during his conversation with Peeta where the point that she will only choose who proves their use to her which is both callous and utterly correct which annoys Katniss immensely and presents his fear of no longer being relevant to her.

Catching Fire, kissing her, not a cool move and claiming he ‘had to do it at least once’ means nothing. He sees the difference in his friend but ignores it as he knows that there are things Katniss has survived without him, feeding their family and general life no longer the case. He strives to stay relevant to her so she doesn’t start relations with her Co Victor and Mentor, who can understand way more than he can. But as the mining quotas increase, his opportunity decrease, only one day a week he is allowed with her, in their sanctuary. He relies on Katniss, begrudgingly, to make sure his family have available food and necessary items, like he promised Katniss to do with her family had she not walked out. Gale, in his own blind way, manages to gaslight Katniss into assuming she loves him after watching her perform a whole romance with Peeta that help keeps him alive, which she waits a while to bring it up to him. The fact that it’s never mentioned they the Hawthornes attend dinner/lunch at the Everdeens house could allude to his sourness or something weirder as when he is recovering from being whipped, there is no mention of his family. I know it’s stated that there’s bad snow but they aren’t mentioned at all maybe showcasing the separation in Katniss’s mind between Gale and his family. When he is whipped, all three D12 Victors impose none other than for what Gale means to Katniss and help until he is discharged to Ms Everdeens care and Katniss sits by his side and holds his hand as he sleeps, eventually kissing him, assumingly safe in the knowledge he will never know but he does.

In the Hunger Games, Gale and Katniss’s relationship is way better defined and more jokey, friendly like. They have inside jokes, shared goals and fears, same responsibilities. They have the same pressure but the moment Katniss is at the risk of greeting death, again, he tries to tell her to come back by saying killing an animal and human are still the same basic principle, seeming to already accept the barbarism the Games command without setting foot in the arena, perhaps for holding the opinion that what he does is harder as the main provider for a family of five. He understands the Games concept exceptionally well but the moment he has to attribute real people too it in any way sympathetic, he is unable and unwilling, removing the savagery of core human kind and our individual core beliefs they make us human in our own right. He drags Prim away from the scene of her big sister volunteering to essentially die for her, as a salute to Katniss in a way of sorts, demonstrating how he protects what’s hers.

We learn that all along he had romantic intentions, going so far as to want children, towards Katniss that she was as blind as a bat too and he loved the closed off version of Katniss that was his who had time in her life to smile, such as the incident when Gale realised he minded. He doesn’t make any move, reasons unknown but he punishes her for it anyway in a way over the series, for not choosing him, for loving a Merchant, Traitor, liar and other. For choosing the bakers kid over him even with all Katniss and Peeta went through together. He doesn’t seem to like Peeta but not hate him as seen at points made early on, it’s likely he envies Peeta and is jealous over Katniss or he knows he loosely owes Peeta for getting Katniss home, a debt he understandably despises and wishes it to be left unpaid such as Katniss not thanking Peeta for the bread.

To conclude; Gale is emotionally constipated and immature and a slight romantic. Katniss has a rather cynical outlook on everything in the world and acts so much older than she is, already weighed down with life and she seems to understand the childlessness that want is, never seeming to entertain an out to a life she gets thrust into. Gale seems to think he can use this to get an advantage which he can’t but he shows immaturity over it and relentless that Katniss doesn’t have the passion for. He can’t seem to read a room. Doesn’t weigh in morality and logic in the same scale. He’s 18/19 during the series and still seems to be a bit behind a 16/17 year old in the terms of world view. His hope for a life with him and Katniss sort of protecting his mind from some of the rougher life aspects. He seems to fully mature when the bombs drop but acts the opposite to Katniss with hurtful yet accurate statements directed to her heart left, right and centre.

[lych33dragoncookie]

alright so the main reason i wanted to make this blog; those new Wind Archer trailers.

I already had a lot to say about the first one, for... One big reason.

The fact we're going to the laboratorium is pretty exciting, but I did not expect for us to already catch a glimpse of the Ultimate Cookie. In fact, I had almost forgotten about that; I thought Matcha making MyCookie was more of a byproduct of the Beast cookies needing bodies to inhabit, but...

Well, I guess Dark Enchantress's original ambitions haven't left her. And she's really, really close to realizing her dreams; the dreams she carries on from White Lily Cookie.

It really makes me wonder how White Lily would react to these developments. To see her dreams realized, every bit as horrifying as she most likely knew they'd be, carried on by a part of herself. I really, really wanna see where they go with this.

On another note...

sorry, i just much prefer his Japanese VA HE'S BAAAAAAAACKKKKK~

You have... No idea how frustrated I was to see that the first Beast cookie to release was Mystic Flour and not him. And while it's not guaranteed we'll get him this time, either (even if i really hope we do)... Come on, it's just nice to have him back. He's a really, really fun antagonist. Sometimes, when all your antagonists have complex motives, believing that despite everything they've done, ultimately they're the ones in the right (with even Dark Enchantress only committing as much harm as she has as a response to the revelation that the world, on a fundamental level, was seemingly much more cruel, uncaring and pointless than she had ever thought; a desperate need to make a difference, no matter how many lives and pain it takes), it's incredibly nice to have that one villain, that one villain who doesn't try to find an excuse for what they do, having fun, not believing that they're doing everything that they do for some greater motive, but just to have fun, to make the entire world one big, brightly burning play area for them to toy with as long as they want, however they want. I love Shadow Milk, because he perfectly offsets the usual monologuing, self-righteous villainy we tend to see (And often enjoy, don't get me wrong, both Dark Enchantress and Mystic Flour have grown one me) with just pure, uncaring, show-stopping villainy for the sake of villainy.

He's manipulative, playful, silly, over the top, more concerned with putting on a show first and foremost than actually accomplishing his objectives; because you and I both know that he knows that he could probably just brute force his way into getting his soul jam back, into taking down the heroes without any opportunity for them to do anything about it. If he wanted to, he could very, very easily create an unwinnable scenario. But he doesn't. Because that's no fun.

And I absolutely adore him for it. Every single scene he's in is an absolute delight.

... Right, uh. Wind Archer.

I'm excited for him! It's been a while since we've gotten any Ovenbreak legendaries, and with Wind Archer in the game, it means we're likely very close to seeing Fire Spirit and Millennial Tree (Both pretty big faves for me, though Millie is the one that does unholy things to my brain just from looking at him). And honestly, this feels like a really, really good use for him! No beating around the bush, no overcomplicating anything, just going straight to the point and trying to stop the current threat at its root. He's going to fail, obviously. Even if he takes out the ultimate cookie, chances are it can just be rebuilt, and the beasts on an individual level would be way too much for him to handle. And with Shadow Milk having awoken... Yeah, he stands just about no chance. But, it will be very fun to see, methinks. It's also just a pretty natural fit; a protector of nature that hunts down anything that may disturb or corrupt said nature being sent to strike down what's pretty much a threat that's entirely artificial, unnatural, bodies made through forbidden, arcane magic and ethically dubious means, stumbling upon the culmination of someone's ambitions to create perfect life by artificial means. It works out really, really well, methinks.

But yeah that's my thoughts so far on the 2 Wind Archer update trailers, I'm actually really excited for where they're gonna take this, we've actually got some good plot progression going on and a lot of interesting writing ideas that while I don't fully trust the devs to execute perfectly, I do still really like and feel pretty hopeful for!

... Now just give me Shadow Milk and Millennial Tree and my life is yours. And Lychee, maybe. That one might take a bit. how are they even gonna do Longan in Kingdom. that's... quite a lot to try to adapt without either rehashing content or completely hijacking the plot. god i hope this doesn't mean they'll just stop at Lotus. I miss my dragons. Except not really because OB has been doing some good stuff with them.

Sorry for the really long post, but I wanted to dump some thoughts and have a sort of primer for the kinda stuff I wanna make for this blog.

Oh, and expect some shitposts along the way, too.

[blorbocedes]

Hi there, I might be kind of obsessed with the idea of rbr charles or rbr lestappen so I need to hear the thoughts of some people who might not be in the "lestappen gate 2023" bubble as I am :)) Do you think this can actually happen and become reality? (After all Charles is better of with rbr than ferrari, that's for sure.)

And please be honest. Thank you!

in my opinion, it's not happening babes x

redbull have never had 1-2 teammate finish before this year. ever. it doesn't make sense to fire the driver who finished 2nd in the championship which is exactly where you want him. if checo's lawyers were worth any salt im sure he had a stipulation like you can't fire me for this unless you're willing to PAY pay. checo has a contract til 2024 which redbull is willing to play out. if you've heard newey, he said next year's car is supposed to be even better 🤞 somehow

if checo completely forgets how to drive next year and the grid is super competitive, I can see him being midway switched into the season which redbull is known to do -- but they would do it with someone internally, like they did with kyvat and max, or alex and pierre. as in, they'd be looking at daniel or yuki, since liam lawson is already waiting in the wings.

now 2025 is the Great Unknown, many contracts are expiring apart from max's. here's why it doesn't make sense for charl to go to redbull in 2025: regulations change in 2026. presumably redbull is gonna be fucked by it, like they were fucked by 2013 reg change or merc was fucked by 2022. both maxywaxy and horner have raised some concerns about the reg change. they're getting Ford as their new engine partner, with no clue how that's gonna effect the car -- cause the current Honda is what they're winning the championships with. we can expect redbull domination until 2025, but after that it's anyone's game. so if charles is signing with redbull in 2025, he's coming into a very strong car and a team that's been centred around 1 driver for 9 years at that point. and that's his one chance for sure to fight for the championship. he doesn't even get 1 season's grace period of acclimatising as max's teammate because he doesn't know what 2026 regs will do to the car, if he has another shot. that's a lot of pressure, where even p2 is seen as a failure.

one of the reasons charles is so highly rated is because he puts up a fight against max, like the first half of last year when the Ferrari was faster, or this year when the redbull is slow on certain tracks. if charles moves to redbull, p2 is the MINIMUM of what he's expected. look at how fans do not rate any of max's teammates, cause unless you beaten him it doesn't count. everything chal does in redbull will be held with max's yardstick measure, a team where max has been longer, the only car max has had to drive while charles needs to adjust to it.

I don't think anyone is unbeatable, lewis wasn't, max isn't. but max is the best driver in that redbull.

redbull doesn't want or need 2 drivers fighting for the championship. they need a competent second driver. the valtteri or mark webber buffer. charles is very much the face of ferrari and regarded as the better driver, why would he go to redbull to play max's second fiddle? charles has world champion ambitions, redbull already has a world champion they're happy with -- why invest in another very expensive driver? when they can get a more willing team player, or even look for a younger talent they can move to the seat for 2028? redbulls favouritism predicates on performance, so if charles outperforms max you can expect redbull to be in "let them race" mode, like they did when rookie max outperformed daniel. but that means charles only has 2025, his very first year in redbull, to not only adjust as max's teammate but also beat him.

finally, we don't know if charles wants to move to redbull. we know he loves ferrari, for better or for worse. before max's extension to 2028, charles got the longest ever f1 contract extension with ferrari -- and that's before charles had anything to his name beyond being called predestined.

you've seen how the mclaren went from p19 p20 earlier this season to genuine podium contenders. this is the kind of magic turnaround every team is hoping for. if mclaren are championship contenders next year, every team will know you can change shit up in only 1 year. that's sunk cost fallacy if charles makes a high risk little reward move to redbull and suddenly the ferrari is a championship contender.

the tifosi love him, he wants to win a championship with ferrari, he already got a taste of what it feels like by winning Monza and the first half of 2022 season. I truly think as long as ferrari will have him, and as long as charles can endure, they're in this marriage of misplaced devotion. because the love and childhood dream is so strong for him. seb didn't leave the team until they fired him, you think he wouldn't waste another decade in the ferrari if they'd have him? and that was a 4x wdc.

If you enjoy lestappengate, if you want to speculate on it -- go forth and find your peace and joy. that's none of my business. it doesn't make sense to me, but that doesn't mean it can't make sense to you.

[swervinonalatenight]

There’s something that’s been nudging me about Shadow of the Erdtree lately, and investigating it it goes back into a Soulsborne DLC problem in general.

They rarely have consequences on the base game story/world.

For clarity, The DS3 DLC storyline was hugely self contained to the point really only you and Patches matter in, and The Old Hunters was also boxed off enough that it didn’t tie into the rest of Moon Presence/Nightmare Shenanigans.

But Old Hunters had their existence and story acknowledged by Doll/Gherman, and in DS2 the DLC gave you a new ending of leaving the cycle of Fire all together by beating all the DLC end bosses.

However in DS3 you get, not really anything that can be affected outside of the DLC areas. No one really acknowledges the fact that you have been to the end of the world/a painted world or had an effect on any of it. (Though to be fair, everyone is more concerned about the coming Darkness apocalypse to care).

But Elden Ring doesn’t really have the excuse character wise. You think IC Gideon will see you waddle by decked out in Messmer’s looted armor, his Spear and a Shadow Rune in hand and just, not peek his head up and ask how the fuck you got to a place he didn’t know about? That dusty old man would be crawling over you like crack and spitting like the roadrunner down to Moghwyn palace to snort up some Shadow paper dust the moment you mention he has the chance. This is his chance to get even MORE knowledge no one else has.

Malenia’s fight is an even more obvious one, just, a change in dialogue where if you beat Miquella before her she can sense his great rune/death from you and immediately know you just killed her brother. Perhaps even acknowledge that she herself was manipulated by him but she still must avenge him no matter what.

Melina absolutely should have something about being in the place her brother is, being near him again and what her thoughts on the Shadow Realm/Scadutree are.

(Also while we’re here Lord of FF questline is painfully underfunded in the same way. You’re telling me you go into a place sealed from the rest of the world, containing the one thing capable of destroying it all, taking in apart of it so you yourself can destroy the world and no one besides Melina gives a shit? I’m sorry???)

(Like there’s so many cool ideas to play with. Everyone else’s quests ending as they realize you are set to literally destroy the world and now have to stop you, all the unique interactions that come with it. Gideon changing his motivation from “Mommy Marika told us to fight” to “This world, and my adopted daughter will be lost/was killed by you, I won’t let you destroy Lady Marika’s order.”)

(Godfrey/Horah Loux fighting not because he wants to see his ex again, but because he knows what you have done and will do if you win. Roderika refusing to spirit tune but you intimidating/hurting her into it but Hewg then refusing to smith for you because of what you did to her. Enia outright terrified of you, Mirial calling you a heresy because the FF is just THAT evil, Fia and Roger both castigating you because you would deny those who live in death and the living both the right to live and then pairing up with D because you are simply THAT much of a threat.

Ranni would absolutely be a boss fight, she knows what the FF can do, what it’s capable of and how her plan to be free of the Fingers and ascend is now moot because the thing that will fucking end the world is rampaging around.

Volcano Manor would likely lock you out of the house because they know you’re coming to kill them/Rykaed. Mohg may have even broke out of Miquella’s control long enough to recognize the FF, something he left a phantom of himself to guard, in front of him and be g scared shitless. The entire Lands Between NPCs uniting against you in a final battle boss rush ending with a fight with Radagon/Elden Beast where the fight is less you putting down a shattered god/an alien entity to a desperate attempt to stop the worlds end as Ranni empowers her dad with her own because she’s rather risk being back under Greater Will control than let the world she wants to save/rule burn.)

[theladyofshalott1989]

WIP Tag Game

Rules: Share a snippet from whatever you’re currently working on, and then tag some people.

@kay9leo tagged me in this game! Thank you so much, girl! I am truly honored. If you haven't checked out her post, it's so clever and creative and wonderfully written ("A New York Yankee in Hogwarts' Courtyard, 1890")!

I thought about adding a snippet of the next chapter of my Quidditch: Champions crack fic ("Into the Quaffleverse") here, but I read it back and it's definitely not ready to be shared with the world yet, so instead you get the first handful of paragraphs of the next chapter of "You Cannot Put a Fire Out" (Book 3 of my "Like Moths to a Flame" series).

We're pretty far into the plot by now, so if you haven't read it, MASSIVE SPOILER WARNING. The excerpt follows after the cut:

“What in Merlin’s name?” Anne hissed as she flung open the door. Damien had released his Disillusionment Charm moments before, so the sight Anne was greeted by was probably nothing short of alarming. She seized Damien by the front of his shirt and yanked him into the house, shutting the door firmly behind them. 

Damien was acutely aware of the late hour. He knew he was likely waking Anne, Ominis, and perhaps even the children, but he felt he had no other choice. Returning home meant he’d have no way to contact Ominis, since Sebastian’s owl, Hermes, had died many years before. Damien had never owned an owl of his own; his owl at Hogwarts had been on loan. The Hogsmeade Post Office usually served as their method of communication, but it was closed at this hour. His options were very limited. 

The walk back to Hogsmeade, toting a bound and silenced Jack over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, had been dangerous, that was for certain. Yet, somehow, Damien had managed to evade detection. Jack initially struggled against his restraints, but he eventually gave up, and sooner than Damien expected. Just to be safe, Damien had Disillusioned them both upon entering Hogsmeade, although it turned out to be an unnecessary precaution. At least something had worked in his favor tonight.

“Explain yourself!” Anne whispered, her tone sharp, as Damien settled a still bound Jack onto the sofa. He glared back at them, but made no move to escape, likely knowing full well he wouldn't stand a chance in his current encumbered state, even if he tried.

Ominis entered the room, his brow furrowed. “What’s going on?” he said, joining Anne’s side. 

“I had to restrain Jack so he wouldn’t get away,” Damien explained, his words tumbling out in a rush. “He’s under the Imperius Curse.” 

Anne clapped her hand to her mouth. Ominis’s face flushed bright red. 

Damien pressed on: “Ominis, it was Marvolo. He’s been using Jack.” 

“Let me guess,” Ominis said. “Jack’s currently tied up on our sofa.”

“Correct,” Damien replied, matter-of-factly. There was no point in beating around the bush.

Ominis sighed. “Why did you bring him here, of all places?” He rubbed his temples, clearly exasperated. Damien honestly couldn’t blame him. 

“I wasn’t sure if the Imperius Curse could be broken. If it can be, I doubt I can break it on my own.” When Ominis remained silent, Damien added, “I was hoping you could help.”

No Pressure Tags: @heyitszev (since he was my beta for this fic and has already read it; plus, I WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE WORKING ON). I'm afraid to tag other people because I don't want to spoil anyone who doesn't want to be spoiled for next week's chapter and I don't know who's reading it right now LMAO. But, if you read this and want to join in, please, please, do so! Open invite :)

[ecargmura]

Pokemon Horizons Episode 56 Review - A Battle With Your Pal Rika

Pokemon Horizons never ceases to amaze me with how the elevate matches. If the matches from last week’s episode were great, this episode’s match is even greater. I was seriously on the edge of my seat the entire episode. It was just that good.

I can see why Rika is such a popular character, especially with the female audience. She just oozes charisma even with her laid back personality. I like her a lot more than I normally do now. I love that Horizons never makes anyone be pushovers in these matches. Rika may be the weakest of the Elite Four, but she was seriously a tough opponent here. I think that the Paldean Elite Four would be more respected by the fandom if they were doing Double Battles like in the anime. Rika was seriously a force to be reckoned with here with the way she makes her Dugtrio use Dig and then her Clodsire uses Sludge Wave just to attack the opponents and not Dugtrio was strategic. I also like that they use projectile moves and whenever Floragato gets close, Clodsire uses Poison Jab. I’m glad that Floragato got to learn Acrobatics in this match. The way the match finally ended with both Liko and Rika terastalizing, but Clodsire overpowers Floragato with Earth Power and secures a win for the Elite Four member. One thing I really liked about her was that she was trying to get Liko to relax by joking around and for her to find an answer on what battling truly meant. Like how Kabu helped Liko take a step forward in her battling journey, Rika helps her take another step forward. 

Liko was paired up with Katy, whom many may consider to be the weakest of the Gym Leaders, but she also was no pushover. I never had much thought for Lokix, but this episode seriously changed my opinion of him. Katy, both in-game and in the anime, had to hold back due to league regulations, but for this match, she went all out and she absolutely did. The way she made him purposely take the Poison Jab so she can activate his ability, Swam, and then got all out with Struggle Bug, Lunge and Bounce was serious animation beauty. I can see why people were lauding this bug. I see it now.

The match was seriously great. Liko even got fired up for the first time ever. Normally, she battles because she had to do so. This is the first time she is seen being very passionate about a battle and even had the desire to win. The person Liko was back in Episode 20 where she forfeited a match after being too mindful about Wakaba and the Liko now is like day and night. I love her growth here. The fact that she cried for the first time showed that she really put her all into the match. It really hurt to see her cry, but it was good development. Her dream is to understand Pokemon’s feelings and she finally understood Floragato’s strength and determination when it came to going all out for battles. Even Roy and Dot were so surprised to see her fired up for her next battle. Her battle piqued Grusha’s interest. Geeta even said that he rarely takes interest in others, so I’m curious to see how their battle will play out since it’s revealed in the new trailer that she’s going to battle him.

The side plot for this episode is seeing Terapagos getting lost once again. This time, Dot has to find it. I am seriously getting a little annoyed with that turtle wandering about as a plot point. However, there were some good things that came out of that debacle. Dot is revealed to be a fan of the Occulture magazine that you can find in-game. She also meets Penny who finally speaks. Penny’s role in the story is basically her role in the post game where she works as an engineer for the Pokemon League. She’s in charge of maintaining the Terastal Course system. However, there’s one person that’s on her mind and it turns out to be Chalce, who is disguised as Agepan (deep fried bread roll—befitting the food aliases that Sidian and Coral use). Her data just appeared one day and it’s bothering her. Hm, it seems that Penny will be the one to expose the Explorers. I like the little detail that Dot cannot recognize Chalce because she was in a rush to stop the machine, that she couldn’t get a good look at her face back in Episode 44. The Scarlet Book also appears with Terapagos interested in the drawing of Stellar Terapagos. Penny did mention that the book was written by Heath and I theorize that Heath may play a part in this story.

I’ll add in some voice actor trivia. Grusha’s voice actor is Chiaki Kobayashi. He appeared as the Scarf Psyduck’s trainer back in Pokemon Journeys Episode 57. Some of his non-Pokemon roles include Mash from Mashle: Muscles and Magic, Langa Hasegawa from SK8: The Infinity and Stark from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. Penny is voiced by Ryo Hirohashi, who voices Allister in Twilight Wings and in Masters. Some of her non-Pokemon roles include Tails from the Sonic franchise, Minoru Mineta from My Hero Academia and Luna from Sailor Moon Crystal. I think the voice actor choices are interesting. Penny’s voice suits her well. Grusha, on the other hand, might need some time for me to get used to since it’s a bit deeper than how I imagined it, but it does help people realize that he’s male.

I honestly can’t wait to see the future battles. The trailer got me hyped up because I am anticipating evolutions from Quaxly and Fuecoco. I’m also hyped because it will be 2 vs 2, meaning that the kids will use their second Pokemon in official battles for once! Finally! What are your thoughts on this amazing episode?

[captainsparklefingers]

It's always interesting when an old hyperfixation reemerges and hits you like a truck and drags you back into it, especially when the other currently active fixations don't go away but sort of just get shuffled around.

Like. I'm still working on Unhappy Families, and I've started to feel the flow coming back (not for 1947, unfortunately, THAT chapter still refuses to cooperate)...but suddenly the Sonic movie comes out and beats me with the 'youve liked this since you were 11 and now youre gonna feel things again whether you want to or not' hammer. And the flow is now split between the thing I want to/should work on...and a stupid dumb au idea that I shouldn't do anything with but can't stop thinking about.

So, to get it out of my system, let me tell y'all about my Maria Robotnik lives au, where a tragic lab accident does what it does in comics instead of in real life (aka: so now you have superpowers and a dash of Captain America-esque 'man outta time' vibes).

Lemme go ahead and shove this under a cut and get this out of my head for now. It's 1230 in the morning, my cat is draped all over me like a fuzzy heated weighted blanket, I can't sleep, my brain is going weird places, let's roll with it.

Spoilers for the Sonic movies (particularly the 3rd one).

OKAY SO.

We don't see what actually killed Maria in the movie. I mean, yes, it's the explosion of chaos energy caused by an errant shot, but the specific thing that kills her isn't shown. Could be a blow to the head or traumatic internal injuries, nothing good, but nothing as direct and obvious as a shot to the back like in the games.

And many a fictional individual has been 'blessed' with superpowers following a lab accident or exposure to radiation/mysterious energies/etc. I think you can see where I'm going with this. I mean this is a world with alien hedgehogs, teleportation rings, chaos emeralds, I think one can be allowed a little wiggle room in the name of an au here.

SO. Boom. Explosion. Maria appears dead, her family is devastated and the seeds of revenge are planted,Gerald is carted off, Shadow is put into cryo, all that.

Maria's body is taken by GUN (presumably alongside those of anyone else who died), probably put in a morgue somewhere...aaand that's where she wakes up, screaming, unleashing a wave of Chaos energy that shorts out all electronics in the area, and promptly passes out again.

So. GUN is now in possession of a preteen girl who should be dead, WAS apparently dead, who was exposed to something they were studying and couldn't understand/found too dangerous to mess with, who now appears to have strange abilities that both have kept her alive, given her superpowers, and also seem to (at the moment) be physically taxing to the point of not being able to maintain consciousness for long periods of time.

SO LET'S STICK THE UNSTABLE SUPERPOWERED GIRL INTO CRYO TOO, because that seems to be the standard MO at GUN for these sorts of things at the time. Walters, having been the one who made the call to put Shadow under, is given clearance here as well, as somebody who knew Maria before everything went horribly wrong. And maybe he feels guilty and responsible that this girl is going through this, because of the organization he works for, because he wasn't able to stop those men from pointing weapons at children with intent to fire. So, he lets her out every so often, giving her a chance to physically stabilize, to get an idea of what's been done and what she can do, and to let her know that she hasn't been forgotten.

(of course nobody tells her grandfather about this because why would they, this is all classified and he's a dangerous criminal element now.)

Maybe her memories of what happened are fuzzy. Years in and out of cryosleep following a comic book esque tragic origin story might do that to you. Maybe she's not fully aware of how long it's been, or the fact that she doesn't appear to be aging normally (is it the cryo sleep or the superpowers? Idk. Ask Steve Rogers, it was both with him ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯).

Anyway. Records slip through the cracks, particularly after information about Robotnik is purged by the government post first Sonic movie. And with her being more physically stable and having ways to channel this energy now (let's continue the family theme of science and robots here and make her a bit of a technomancer with machine buddies and robots she communicates with and channels power through, or something along those lines), her scheduled return to cryo sleep gets put off, and put off...

So we have a girl out of time literal computer wizard who's body can only handle so much of the energy it has going through it at once before exhausting her (it's not the same as having a terminal illness, obviously, but it'd be at least something to call back to the game character a bit), who's got patches in her memories, has (to her knowledge) lost her family and doesn't have anyone, who's whole existence is a bit of a cover-up to hide a civilian casualty...

Aaaaaand that's all I have right now. I'm trying to figure out what the best way to get her out of GUN would be while also not having her and Shadow cross paths/know about the other for a good long time (because I enjoy the angst of thinking your closest friend is long dead or gone and having to live on). I'm sure I'll figure out something, there was enough chaos caused by the events of the third movie that I could see her using it as a chance to break herself out.

I dunno. Maybe she ends up with Agent Stone for a bit since they've both lost somebody important. That could be fun. I'm sure there'd be some sort of dramatic reunion or something eventually, but that's all I have for now.

It really isn't much, and I don't want to take away from the impact her death had on Shadow or the importance of it to the story, but at the same time, I'm sort of enamored with this idea of this tween from the 70s who does computer magic and has exhaustion and pain who's trying to find a place in a world that literally forgot her and buried her 50 years ago.

(and maybe I want Stone to have a friend, too, after everything.)

(and maybe some dramatic meetings and reunions too, someday.)