#wrote this in one sitting and it shows

[stealingpotatoes]

just watched mando s3 it’s great that we TOTALLY had a whole season about din coming to grips with being mand’alor & life without grogu and about dueteragonist bo-katan coming to realise she was only trying to lead mand’alor bc of her sister not bc she thought she was the best leader. and the whole season centred around the theme of accepting who you really are even if you’re certain you’re something else and was about how heroes and leaders can come from anywhere, they don’t have to come from a special bloodline (a sorta thesis against the skywalker saga) and about the uniting power of grief and oppression. isn’t it great we had that instead of a season with no plot 

isn’t it great that there were no mando cameos in tbobf and mando season 3 started with him on a bounty, cringefailing at using the darksaber and stabbing himself but he did the job and got paid in a nubian starfighter (he wanted a razor crest but he’s injured so he doesnt argue much) which he then used to find his covert on the canyon planet. then he revealed to the armorer and paz that he had the darksaber which after some time leads to paz duelling din for the saber (without telling the others bc they dont know din has it) and din wins but its revealed he took his helmet off. he’s made apostate IN FRONT OF EVERYONE (EVERYONE!!) with only one IMPOSSIBLE chance of redemption (nobody can go to mandalore anymore!!) and has to leave and now has nothing — no child, no clan. so he does the only thing he can think to and goes to a green planet we’ve never seen before. he lands safely but still injured from his fight with Paz and not fully healed from the original injury he passes out. and the episode ends with a kid running over and telling another kid to call master skywalker

and sure episode 2 was the fanservice episode but its disney! we have to expect a marketable plushie cameo episode — except of course that didn’t mean it wasn’t plot relevant! din wakes up and we realise he’s at luke’s jedi academy and this is great n stuff we finally get to see luke in his prime teaching a whole bunch of students! and we get to see grogu happy and having fun with his kind (which makes din happy but miss his own covert). luke notices din has a saber himself (despite it being well-hidden — luke can sense it) and din admits he can’t use it and that he doesnt think it even belongs to him while luke shows him saber forms (but pretends its for his own training and not din’s bc din refuses to learn). they have a discussion and din reveals he came here bc he got kicked out and has no way to redeem himself bc there are no mines left and even then the planet’s poisonous. luke spouts some jedi stuff asking din if he’s certain and says blind certainty is the enemies of hope and progress or whatever (setting up the larger theme of identity certainty in the season). luke also points out that if they imps r there then they have to have some way of getting around the environment they caused. inspired and knowing grogu is safe here, din is ready to go redeem himself on mandalore. he says he’ll come to see grogu again and luke makes it clear that while attachments can’t get in front of duty, din is always welcome here <3 

episode 3 of course had din go to the ruins of mandalore to redeem himself, inspired by luke’s words about certainty he goes to the ruins of sundari, where he knows there was once living waters (the other option is the one surviving and imperial-controlled city, but he’s not that dumb). also bc the imps only hang around the cities so that must be where it's survivable. there’s some imperials about the edge of the city (not many) and he does have to subtly fight them but he gets spotted. he wins but he’s panicking bc during the fight his breathing system got hit but then he notices a plant growing. and he realises he’s not dying — the air isn’t poisonous anymore or whatever! so he turns off his failing life support and goes to the city. he explores the city and finds many remnants of mandalorian culture there in the small parts that survived. ash-covered murals, mostly-burnt toys, something that could have once been a palace. he finds a memorial to a duchess satine kryze and thinks huh like bo katan? (because of course the show wouldn’t ignore bo’s motivations) anyway after some slow but meaningful exploring (its quietness eerie, unlike the quietness of the previous stealth section) he manages to make his way below the city. he finds the mines, reads the inscription and then goes in. except of course its no longer shallow and he falls and he falls and he realises well fuck he’s gonna die. his life support got hit earlier and he doesnt have his jetpack he’s going to sink. but then in the darkness, a great looming eye opens and before din knows it, SOMETHING is throwing him out that sinking water. it had to have been a freak current right? he was hallucinating. surely a MYTHOSAUR didn’t just save him… those are all dead, only to return with a new age of mandalore! he shakes his head, ignores it, and collects the water with something new to bring to his people

episode 4 reintroduced us to old fan favourite bo katan in her depression girl era bc din shows up to her empty palace ready to help her take back mandalore… only to find her in a depression pit and— oh my god is she drunk??! she drops that her ppl left her bc she didn’t have the darksaber and din’s looking at the depression pit like. right. bc of the darksaber. he briefly tries to convince her to fight him for it but she’s like no you’ll throw the fight it won’t be true comba— oh no! explosion nearby bc looks like din wasn’t as careful as he thought and the imperials followed him to bo’s place so both of them have to fucking skeet outta there and bo’s home’s destroyed so din’s like hey come on let’s go to my people we can take back mandalore with them or smthn. so they head back to the covert, din reveals he’s no longer apostate and that mandalore isnt cursed it’s breathable + you can successfully walk on the surface now. this is however interrupted by a beast showing up and trying to kill some ppl. it almost kills paz’s son but din kills the beast first in his starfighter. anyway back to the conversation (now within the cave) and din’s trying to convince his clan that they can take back mandalore (with bo as leader) but none of them want to follow her or risk what few numbers they have left. dejected, din and bo make to leave again, but paz follows them out and is like ?? din you literally have the darksaber why didn’t you use it to get at least SOME of them to follow you and din’s like i don’t want people to follow me bc of a legend, if they follow me it has to be bc they want to and paz and bo r internally like wow damn. anyway paz then says he’ll always fight w din if needed bc he saved his son but if he wants the people to follow him they should try get some of the other clans to help so it looks less dangerous. so bo and din leave on their quest. also throughout this episode, we’re introduced to some random civilian in the reintegration program. its implied they worked with gideon and that they’re preparing for something, but we don’t get much more than that. 

episode 5 is the bo episode, this is where we explore her character, have her arc, and ya know really cover her motivations (bc disney would NEVER make it so her motivation is invisible unless you’d seen two other tv shows). din and bo head to where her clan is. they just want to see the clan but they end up being dragged into a b-plot about helping the local pacifist duchess (& duke). din tries to say no but bo-katan says smthn abt diplomacy. this quest initially doesn’t seem plot relevant but throughout bo opens up about her own pacifist duchess sister and she comes to realise how much of this quest has been about trying to live up to satine and not bc she thinks herself the best mand’alor. the thing she said abt diplomacy earlier, she reveals, is just a quote from her sister. anyway they’re finally able to go to bo’s old clan and she, now reinvigorated in accepting and knowing who she is and what she wants (no longer depression girl) challenges axe for leadership of the clan. she wins and in a speech is like we’re gonna retake unpoisonous mandalore by uniting the clans!! most agree but theyre like HOW are we supposed to convince the other clans? and it descends into insane yelling UNTIL a low hum and a black-white light falls over the group. silence falls. everyone looks on. high above his head, din is holding the darksaber (proudly!!) and he’s like we’ll unite them with this. but axe has to constantly be chatting shit and getting up from the floor where he got his ass whipped he’s like really???? you wanna follow him???? he doesn’t even have any mandalorian blood in him!!! and bo makes a great speech about blood doesn’t make a good leader what makes a good leader is knowing when to use your power. and then she’s like he is my mand’alor amen and kneels before him. everyone else follows and din awkwardly stands there still not fully accepting his role 

episode 6 was the great prep episode. we start with din and bo helping and getting a new tribe on their side and heading back to Concordia we realise they’ve got this HUGEEEE war camp of mandalorians!! there are so many clans with them now (except one, which din is really missing)!!!!! this episode mostly focuses on mandalorian culture and them training/ planning and din and bo trying to keep the clans from biting each other’s heads off. but this is interrupted when a small group of imperials try to pre-attack them (like they did w bo’s palace) but the mandos all manage to fight back and take them down, which then leads to a whole speech from din and bo about how mandalorians are all fighting but theyre united now in their grief and with this they can fight the empire. the b-plot of the episode comes back to that random civilian from episode 4 and whoomp turns out their plan was to BREAK MOFF GIDEON OUT OF JAIL!! shitttt!!!! oh no!! he’s back now, that’s gonna make their very decent plan to take back mandalore harder but they dont knowww (irony!)

episodes 7 and 8 were the battle of mandalore, woo! it had to be two episodes because it’s a taking whole occupied planet and not a single base, a pretty damn difficult task that definitely can’t be done by two single clans in like 40 minutes! there’s all those mini tiny bases scattered throughout the planet on the ruins (like din encountered in episode 3) AND more importantly there’s the one domed city that the imperials kept alive as their main base — which means they have to be careful, bc they can’t do any sort of aerial assault or great deal of damage to the imperials without also destroying the one surviving place for them to live. so the plan is smaller strike teams to go the bases plopped around the planet as a distraction and to stop reinforcements to the city while the main force surround the city and take it. the first city team (with din and bo) has to open up all the ports and stuff to allow the HUGE armies to get in. unfortunately this is in the main imp base in the centre of the city so they have to get there. (they’d prefer 2 strike teams but they can only spare 1) MOST of the mini-bases r meanwhile being successfully captured. the strike team gets to the centre to de-activate the port shielding n stuff and GASP! IT’S GIDEON!! FROM JAIL!! and he’s surrounded by fucking MANDO STORMTROOPERS and IN BESKAR ARMOUR oh no!! ambush!! he knew they’d have to go here to allow a full-scale assault! the small strike team at sundari also gets captured bc there were some mandotroopers there (they increased security post episode 3). episode 7 ends on a cliffhanger bc all seems lost and the strike team’s surrounded 

episode 8 starts straight off the cliffhanger and oh no they’re all gonna die gasp WHEN BAM fighting noises elsewhere, everyone’s confused, when paz’s voice crackles over din’s comm like hey bro! BC DIN’S CLAN FINALLY SHOWED UP TO HELP AND THEY WERE ABLE TO MAKE THAT SECOND STRIKE TEAM and in the confusion din & bo’s team take out the mandotroopers, gideon gets away. din and paz and the armorer come face to face and paz calls him mand’alor or smthn bc he’s also accepted it and they’re like woo let’s go now we can fight fr!! din heads to help lead the battle ig but bo’s like nah i have to end gideon for what he did to our planet. and din’s like well he’s wearing beskar armour so you’ll need this and gives her his beskar spear WHICH IS SYMBOLIC BC he’s finally giving up his other weapon and is going to solely use the darksaber!! he’s accepted who he is and is going to lead their ppl!! so yeah instead of having din fight gideon, who he already beat once, bo fights him and its incredibly cathartic. at sundari that strike team who got captured is also not looking great but MYTHOSAUR EX MACHINA COMES AND FUCKS UP THE IMPERIALS THERE (its returned!!). so big battle and gideon’s down and the darksaber DOESN’T get destroyed yay! afterwards they all vibe and they go to the forge and the armorer relights it and they proclaim din mand’alor fr and he accepts it and throne. sure he's still a BIT uneasy (mand'alor the reluctant anyone?) but he's not saying NOO now loll. yayyy!! AND THEN final scene is din returns to the jedi academy like hii thanks for ur advice u were right being blindly certain abt stuff is meh and leaves no room for hope. uh could i show grogu mandalore i promise i’ll bring him right back and it ends on din showing grogu the planet finally bc thats cute and fanservice

anyway isn’t it great this is exactly what happened, it’s all canon and definitely not the stealingpotatoes sequels canon continuity rewrite! 

[orkbutch]

Okay! time to add my accompanying essays with each image from this set of work about why I assigned which types of play to each set of characters, and how Baldur's Gate III supports these in the text of the game. Because I thought about all of this way too much im not joking

First, Context:

All of these are drawings of consensual play happening between these characters after they have put aside any active conflicts between each other. Nonetheless, they utilise the dynamics and emotional conflicts of these characters. Each of these characters are in some way violent people, deeply stressed out by their circumstances, and craving pleasure and connection. Sometimes you need a little pinch and squeal before the end of the world just to get through the night, you know?

Knife play; Shadowheart (D) / Lae'zel (S)

This is definitely the best supported concept in the text of the game because we literally see this happen, though in a significantly different context. I'd say most of us thought it was hot, whether we realised it or not, and I think Shadowheart and Lae'zel probably agreed once they weren't worried about dying! I think its the perfect encapsulation of the tension between SH and LZ both early on and as it resolves. It also expresses both their personalities very succinctly and accurately. SH is absolutely an edgy, paranoid goth, and LZ would love the thrill.

For all the early game SH sees LZ as ruthless and dangerous to her, and resents Gith for the death of her peers. LZ is a threat she wants to neutralize or at least control. At the same time, SH is someone who prefers to avoid conflict and subtly occupy power/advantage in most situations she finds herself in. She has little concern for honour, pride or fairness.

Lae'zel absolutely does. She is a very straight forward and efficient person. For her, SH starts as an inconveniently racist coworker, but at the reveal of the artifact SH becomes more than that; not only has she insulted LZ's people, she's revealed herself to be untrustworthy, very willing to lie and play dirty. Not only does SH seem to hate her, but SH has rules and intentions that are entirely unknown to LZ, and that is obviously frightening.

AND SO I JUST THINK... that potent history would be very hot background for fear based play, which knife play is all about. The heart-racing threat of the point of a dangerous object held at your most tender areas - throats, armpits, mouths, bellies... and the depth of trust and submission to let that occur, to sit in the fear and really enjoy the rush of danger and helplessness, knowing you will be safe. It shows a profound growth in their regard for eachother, a true and total overcoming of old resentments and conflicts.

This is not only a position I think SH would relish - to reduce someone as deadly as LZ to being at her mercy, and to feel deeply trusted with someone's life and pleasure - but also a rare delight for LZ. To take the heart-thumping threat of a battlefield, which she absolutely thrives in, and to toy with and explore that mental space. To be truly stripped back and placed in anothers hands. For that to be an enemy who has become someone she feels so completely safe with.

Beneath this I think there is also a thread of empathy and shared idiosyncratic communication between them. They were both cruelly broken into roles that made it difficult for them to connect to others. Violence is a language both of them understand very well, in different ways, and even after they each turn on their cruel masters, violence retains meaning for them.

For SH, violence is to be enacted and more often endured as a sign of devotion. It's something that carries wisdom, the agony of lessons learned and knowledge that is uncomfortable but ultimately good for you. I don't think this is something she decides is wrong. I think what disillusioned her (beyond the betrayal of being lied to) was how Shar was revealed to have misused her pain. Shar's pain was not a gift, it had no loving measure or purpose. It was a spiteful, excessive control tactic.

I like to imagine SH learning a new way to use her affinity with pain, which I think is a very normal affinity for people to have. To learn how to use pain the way she had wanted it to be used and had come to admire. To make pain bespoke from Shar, her own gift to give and recieve on her own terms.

For LZ, violence is to be mastered for survival and superiority. Pain was only endured to prove you could endure it better than others. Violence is a hammer in a world where all beings are nails, except you and the few other hammers. All else was forsaken for this mastery. Even in sex violence and superiority are key. Vulnerability is terrifying, to make yourself a nail made to be driven by hammers who are certain of their purpose.

What else could be a greater liberating thrill, a more profound sign of trust for LZ? Willing submission to the violence of another. Those she comes to truly love become the source of her bruises. In submission to violence LZ embraces true vulnerability, untethered by tradition, opening herself to another person and trusting them to handle her with care.

In conclusion: These bitches love knife play, it gets them super hot and they feel rly connected after and share wine and cheese and maybe a massage if they have energy as aftercare. LZ will be cuddled but only if SH doesn't ask and just does it. LZ always makes sure to tell SH she admires her skill and had fun. Its very sweet

[lemonzestywrites]

people in this fandom who’ve been especially hurt lately by what’s been happening due to prior trauma know i’m wishing you truly nothing but the best for your mental and physical wellbeing

i’m so so extremely sorry people are using this shit as an excuse to be stir hate and discourse and none of it is okay in the absolute slightest.

i love you. i’m so glad you’re here alive with us. and please please take care of yourselves.

prioritize your health and safety however that my look and if stepping back for a little while is that answer know that no one is ever going to hold that against you.

fandom should be a place of community and safety and right now, as much as it pains me, it isn’t. but that doesn’t mean we still can’t take care of one another.

i’ve been a part of this fandom for a good while now and i feel like i can confidently say the vast majority of people genuinely and purely built this place to be loving and supportive. there is nothing but grief in my heart to know that right now it doesn’t feel like that for many people but please let this be a reminder-

here you are loved

you are cared for

you are wanted in this space

none of this is okay in the slightest. i know a lot of individuals who are doing their best to post updates and report these fics when they pop up, so if you’re still active online please take care of yourself and love into these safety measures if you can

if you’re someone who’s unsure or scared to step away for whatever reason let this be your permission to know that it is absolutely okay to do so. your writing can take a pause. you art can be saved for later. you can come back to your edits whenever you’re ready.

you and your personal health matter so much more.

and if you’ve already chosen to step away from everything i want you to know you are perfectly okay in doing that. no one is upset with you. you have zero obligation to anyone in this space to force yourself to be here. i wish you nothing but the absolute best for you in the meantime

and if this experience has justifiably been too much and you have have decided to take a permanent leave, i again can’t stress enough there is no shame in doing so. i’m so so sorry this happened and hope you can find comfort and peace elsewhere where you need it.

there is zero need or pressure for you to ever force yourself back in this fandom. these last few days have been beyond hectic and i can’t imagine the emotional and physical toll it might take on you, so genuinely there is no expectation for you to return if you do not feel ready, if ever.

in the case you do feel safe and ready, know myself and so many people will be here to accept and welcome you back with nothing short of acceptance and support.

please please take care of yourself in the meantime, friend.

[yappinggggg]

Au: (Deons fam is still alive in this one)

Cruel had just gotten back from training when he noticed something- one of his books was missing as well as a pencil,a notebook and one of his hoodies.

This was however not the first time this has happened.

From time to time hed notice something missing.

Normally hed try to find out who stole his things but this case was different.

Cruel knew who stole his stuff.

He looked at the snack stack he had and refilled it- since some of those were gone too.

Then he left the room and was slightly smiling at the thought of how the "thief" would react when hed see his fav snacks.

The "thief" was quite thrilled over it- he didnt bother to think about why his brother always put his fav snacks in his room. Afterall it could be that they simply had similar taste.

(Thats right- Deon was the little thief)

[unnamed-atlas]

Finally finished sweet tooth s3. Having incredibly mixed feelings

[skitskatdacat63]

Boy King Seb :D

[liamthemailman]

im writing this because i realized i havent done any acesoap in a hot minute since i was so busy with House of Cards

me being an oc creator is so fun and its even more fun with canon x oc because i can just go

Johnny woke up with an uneasy feeling. He shifts under the covers but can't find the urge to sleep despite being exhausted the whole day. The room felt unnaturally cold. Johnny turns in bed to find Ace, thinking his boyfriend would give him solace from his discomfort.

Johnny would find that the side that Ace usually took up was empty. There was the distinct smell of the guy lingering in the sheets, but Ace seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Johnny sits up in bed.

Johnny strained his ears. Perhaps Ace just was on a late night bathroom visit. Johnny sat and listened. The air in Johnny's apartment was undisturbed. No movement shook the silent atmosphere, save for some crickets outside. The closing of the bathroom door and the creaking of the floorboards never came. Ace wasn't in the house anymore.

Now, Johnny was really freaking out. He jumps up from the bed and winces slightly when he meets the cold floor. Johnny carefully searches his whole house, more desperate when each room is empty.

All of Ace's stuff seemed to have gone too. Despite it being Johnny's place, Ace would have a toothbrush in the toilet, a sweater or two lying around and a mug for his tea in the cabinet. None of these things were in their places.

Johnny recalls the days leading up to now. Ace hadn't shown any signs of wanting to split up, and he was not one to pull such cruel pranks. Hell, Ace cuddled Johnny as they fell asleep last night as usual, always in each other's arms.

Tears pricked at Johnny's eyes, worry weighing his mind as to why Ace seemed to have just up and left in the middle of the night. Johnny reached for his phone to contact Ace. Johnny's fingers had never dialed Ace's number so fast. He put the phone to his ear, and was sent immediately told that the number was not in service.

What the, Johnny thought. That wasn't possible, since they had called and texted just last afternoon when Johnny called Ace over.

Johnny felt ashamed to call anyone else's help for his issue, unsure how to explain just how he lost his boyfriend. However, he was growing desperate. He dialed Gaz's number despite it being the ungodly hour of 3:28AM on a Saturday.

"This better be important.." Gaz's voice grumbled through the phone. Johnny couldn't be happier to hear his best mate's voice. He immediately spoke.

"Gaz, I dunnae where Ace is! I just woke up not too long ago and he's just gaen! A' his hings tae! Gaz, I-"

"Mate, slow down.. I can barely understand you.." Gaz groaned, interrupting Johnny's babbling. "Who's Ace?"

"Quit pumpin' aroond, Gaz! The man's gone and I need to know where he went-"

"Johnny, calm down. I can't help you if you're all freaked out.. Who's Ace?" Gaz asked, genuine confusion in his voice.

Johnny went quiet. Was Gaz serious? He stared at his phone in disbelief for a moment before putting it to his ear again. Maybe it was because Gaz just woke up.

"Ace? Mah boyfriend. He has a scar going around his neck! Our bleedin' CO!"

Johnny was met with silence from Gaz.

"Ace. Ace Doe! Our lieutenant? Kinda short, angry face, always has his shades on, and wears a hoodie everywhere? Gaz!" Johnny's voice cracked with desperation and panic.

"Johnny. As far as I'm concerned, Ghost's our only lieutenant."

"What?! No, Gaz, I'm serious here-"

"So am I!" Gaz hissed through the phone, quickly silencing Johnny. "..Sorry, lost my temper."

Gaz, on the other end of the line, could clearly tell Johnny was seriously distressed. Whoever this Ace is, was really important to Johnny, and also their lieutenant, apparently.

"Just calm down.. and we can talk to Price in the morning." Gaz says. Johnny, satisfied, thanked Gaz and put down the phone.

Johnny thought about calling Price directly, since he was the first to meet Ace anyway. He couldn't wait another few hours pondering the whereabouts of his love. Johnny dialed the captain's number.

"..ello?" Came the sleepy gruff of Price on the other end.

"Ace is missing." Johnny said in a shaky voice.

"..Who's Ace? Is Ace a dog?"

Johnny takes in another shaky breath, his lips trembling slightly.

"Nevermind.." Johnny strained.

"Well.. I hope you find him soon.." Price says, now confused, and ends the call.

Who is Ace?

This question would echo in Johnny's mind as he slinks back to bed. Exhaustion was catching up to him. He seemed more lonely than alone. It didn't exactly help when his friends didn't even know who he was talking about.

Johnny pulled back the sheets and slipped under the covers. The bed seemed colder than it ever has been with the absence of someone else. The bed smelled different, like someone else laid in it before Johnny did. He shifts a little, the indent in the bed seemingly not fitting him, but someone else instead. Someone else.

Someone else? Johnny pondered.

And it scares Johnny even more, knowing that he was supposed to know. He was supposed to know when remnants of this someone else was in his bed.

Hours passed and Johnny couldn't get a wink of sleep, but he didn't move when the sun shined in through the curtains. Instead, he found himself thinking.

Who is Ace?

[tojiscrack]

JUST READ THE LATEST CHAP OF LIAR LIAR AND WKDJKWIXIW THE DANCE WAS SO CHTE THEY ARE SO CUTE I FIKWKDKW ALSK THE DEDICATION TO ME MADE ME SO HAPPY THAT WAS SO DWEET LITERALLY THE BEST GIFT I COULDVE ASKED FOR UOU ARE MY FAV THANK YOU if you have no fans i am dead. srs.

ofc it was dedicated to you ml, it was your BIRTHDAY (which i hope you had the best celebration ever for btw) 😫🥳🤭

SOOO glad you liked it, not that i thought you’d hate it bcz it happened to be my fav chapter out of everything i’ve written so far, so i knew you’d like it to some extent at least 🫨

no girl, i don’t have fans, you’re my friend, there’s a difference 😭 we do nawt do fans around here, children (majority of you are slightly older than me but idc idc you guys are my children and i’m the mother hen).

tysm for your comments and messages and just existing, you’re so amazing pls never die wiwksnjwnsbs

[riddlertrophy]

watching the penguin now after reading your fic 👍 i love it already

it's so good......i literally just finished rewatching centi'anni five minutes ago for funsies

[campbyler]

la-la-loooved the first chapter. love that you chose the max and will friendship to dive in to for this. thought it was funny will focused on mike’s shorts as im sure will’s not aware mike’s looking right back at him, probably trying not to focus on will’s shorts fitting a little snug 🤣 grinned when mike and his guitar came up too he is such a softie who are you fooling boy!

thank you thank you thank you!!! i love madwise more than almost anything else and camp madwise is very special to me so i’m glad everyone enjoyed them!!

also i literally said this to suni and andi this morning but here’s a fun reveal for everyone, since i am not will byers and have the ability to be neutral and state nothing but facts: mike’s shorts in this scene are 7in inseam. will’s shorts in this scene are also 7in inseam. do w that information what you will 😗

[right-hand-of-the-black-sand]

A Man of Presumed Importance

[No content warnings for this one. Just having fun while writing]

It was around midday when Aladdin and his group of allies broke into the Citadel. Sitting upon the throne awaiting their arrival was Mozenrath, proud as he ever was and grinning from ear to ear. Finally, he had Aladdin in his midst. He would have preferred a smaller number of people or animals in his presence, but no matter. Today was the day that he got what he wanted, all because of a previous intruder who looked too similar to Aladdin for it to be a coincidence!

“Oh, you’ve arrived safely!” Mozenrath exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air in mock-excitement. “I was so worried in this climate that you would be too busy for me!”

“Cut the chatter, Mozenrath,” Aladdin snapped, his eyes dark with anger. “Where is the prisoner?!”

Mozenrath barely held back a smile as he let out a gasp in mock-offense, clutching a hand to his chest. “Why, your manners, street rat! If I didn't know better, I'd say you weren't excited to see your family again!”

Aladdin grit his teeth hard, glaring at the necromancer. If what they had heard from Mozenrath was true, then he had taken a person hostage that was connected to Aladdin by blood. Was it his father?! He hadn't seen him in so long! Was this how they met again?!

Mozenrath's grin grew wide in sadistic pleasure as he watched Aladdin fume to himself. “Oh, strike a nerve, did I?! Well, why don't I reunite the two of you, then?!”

With a final laugh that seemed to echo throughout the room, Mozenrath raised his gloved right hand in a fist before flicking out all of his fingers at once. Immediately, a pitch-black substance emerged from the floor in between the lord and his guests, growing upward until it was about five feet tall. Once it seemed to reach its limit, it splashed outward, opening itself like a flower and spreading its adhesive surface all around it, revealing the trapped upper-half of the man squirming about in its center. A man who looked awfully similar to Aladdin. ...Someone whom Aladdin was all-too familiar with.

“YOU?!” Aladdin snarled.

Mozenrath laughed, humored by the street rat's shock and anger. “Aw, aren't you happy to-”

“WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!”

Mozenrath’s voice faded, his eyes widening in an offended expression. He didn't expect his evil gloating to be cut off so quickly. The necromancer glared down at the street rat, only to find that Aladdin wasn't looking at him in the first place. The prince-consort’s eyes were wide and his teeth grit in anger as he stared at the man in the black sand.

Even Princess Jasmine looked surprised. Her eyes went from Mozenrath to his captive to Aladdin as she tried to understand the situation. “Aladdin, what is going on?”

“He knows what's going on!” Aladdin snarled, pointing an accusing finger at the sorcerer's captive. Mozenrath looked over at the man in the sand, his eyes now narrowing suspiciously.

“Behan,” Aladdin continued, almost sounding like he was scratching the name out of his throat, “did you not learn your lesson last time?!”

The captive in the sand looked both surprised and rather sheepish upon being called out in such a way. He quickly raised a hand up to rub at his neck as he spoke. “Well, I wished to see my nephew, and I got it. Another plan of Behan Yerbak!”

“ANOTHER PLAN?!” Aladdin snapped before pointing at Mozenrath. “Are you working for him this time?!”

Now things made more sense. Mozenrath frowned and narrowed his eyes further at his troublesome captive. “Oh, have I brought you in the middle of a family spat?”

This seemed to trigger something in Jasmine's memory. She gasped and then pointed accusingly at the Aladdin-lookalike. “YOU! Do you have any idea how much trouble you brought to my father?!”

Behan seemed to be taken aback for a second before giving Jasmine a classy, toothy grin. “Ah, so my name has been on the tongues of the people! Another reason that I should be-”

Aladdin cut him off. "You are not welcome back in Agrabah."

Behan seemed to perk up, for whatever reason. "Ah, but nephew, think of the riches that-"

“That's enough from you,” Mozenrath cut in sternly, raising up his gloved hand. In an instant, the tar-like sand surrounding the prisoner rose up and splashed over him, enveloping Behan within its magical depths before he was able to talk himself into any more trouble.

With the prisoner out of the way, Mozenrath glared down at Aladdin, who glared up at Mozenrath alongside with his wife and non-human friends.

“Territorial dispute, I see,” Mozenrath grumbled sourly.

Aladdin paused for a moment before nodding slowly, still holding his glare. “Something like that.”

It took a few more seconds before Genie started up with a “WELL-” and was immediately cut off by a blast from Mozenrath's gauntlet, sending the group flying back. Once they regained their bearings, they each hurtled themselves forward. Even if the fight was to free a captive that none of them seemed to care for, they had a score to settle, and being in each other's presence was practically an invitation to bring it up.

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

[kunikidas-lost-glasses]

Theory on “Welcome Home” by my sister and me

Why we think that Home is the main villain and why we think that Wally is the only one left/his friends disappeared due to Home. 

Includes Spoilers(?) for a lot of the hidden secrets of the Welcome Home website.

I have no idea if someone already came to similar conclusions. We are both still very new in the fandom (we have known “Welcome Home” for three days by now) and came up with this during breakfast so if you know theories which are similar, just know that we genuinely didn’t want to copy anyone. 

TWs: Jumpscare (?), Scopophobia, Horror/creepy themes, unsettling image

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

While talking about the currently unknown situation of the characters, we came to the conclusion that Wally is the only one left, that his friends disappeared, that Home is the main villain of the arg and is responsible for the disappearing of Wally’s friends as well as that Wally actually isn’t evil or twisted at all but that he just tries to keep the viewer/”You” away from Home/the truth because he’s scared, but I will come back to that in a second.

This post is structured in (...) parts:

Why we think that Wally is the only one left/that his friends disappeared

The reason why Home let his friends disappear

Why we think that Wally isn’t evil but rather tries to cover up everything

Explanations for the scenes where Wally seems creepy and threatening 

The reason why he sent the old material to the restoration team but still tries to cover up things/Is there a restoration team?

The Guest book (Which plays a main role in this theory since we found the most proof which supports our theory there)

Conclusion

Now let's get started.

1. Why we think that Wally is the only one left in the neighborhood and why we think that his friends disappeared:

One of the main proofs for this part of our theory, is the fact that the character descriptions of all the characters, besides the description of Wally and the hidden one for “You”, are written in the past tense. Wally’s description and the one of “You” however, are written in the present tense. 

Now it makes sense for the description of “You” to be written in the present since “You” is literally the viewer. “You” is you as you are browsing through the website, engaging with the content but what does that mean for the descriptions of the characters?

In this context, it only makes sense, that the others are gone and all that is left about them, is the old material like merchandise and information about them from the show itself. With Wally’s description written in the present tense, however, it implies that he is still there and due to this, the only left. 

Another proof for this, is the fact that under each description, stands “Go back” while under Wally’s description stands “Good Bye”. Clicking on this link will simply lead you back to the overview of the neighborhood. While this can mean many things and while it does give off a somewhat creepy vibe, we came up with the theory that it’s literally just “You” saying goodbye to Wally after leaving his house again. After all, you click on the houses and “enter” them, in order to “meet” the characters and read information about them. 

Now with the others gone, you can’t say goodbye to anyone since the houses are empty. All that is left are the memories about them but Wally is still there, in his home. Due to this, when you enter his house, you can say goodbye to someone since it isn’t empty like the other houses. 

Also the blurry lines here in this picture, could imply that the things said here are only a memory of Wally.

But where are his friends, and I say friends because the website and Wally’s replies in the guest book make it very clear that he views them as such. 

This question actually leads us to the next part of our theory:

2. The reason why we think that Home is the one responsible for the disappearing of the other characters instead of Wally:

Home clearly plays a huge role in the events and it seems to be a very powerful character too. However, very little is known about it.

The only thing about Home we know for sure, is that it’s very much alive and the only house in the neighborhood which is a character itself. The other houses are simply normal houses without a life of their own. This gets stated in the character description of Wally. 

Now why do we think that Home is the one who let the other characters disappear and why didn’t it let Wally disappear too.

The main point for this, is the portal/void which can be found underneath Home if you remove the image of Home.

It’s pretty likely that the others disappeared through whatever this black hole is since it’s the only known exit out of what seems like the whole world of “Welcome Home” itself.

 Now since this portal is directly underneath Home, it’s likely that Home has something to do with it or is directly connected with it in some way. 

The portal is also obviously well hidden though so it doesn’t seem like something the other neighbors knew about. 

Wally, however, is still in the world of “Welcome Home” and doesn’t seem like he ever left/can leave.

 He tries to communicate with the outside world through staring at the screen, unlike other characters who usually never directly look at the screen outside of concept art and he picks up contact with “You” and the restoration team indirectly, through letters and hidden messages.

 Also, the cut scene where he tells the viewer that he can’t see them, makes it seem like he is somewhat stuck in that world and is unable to leave for now, even though a portal is right there.

 The other characters, however, are gone and the portal seems like the only option to leave. So why can’t Wally leave and if Home is “in charge” of the portal, why won’t it let him leave too?

The conclusion to which we came is that he tried/did something which angered Home and as a punishment, it took away his friends and made him unable to leave the world, forcing him to live in loneliness with Home as his only company/”friend”. 

Maybe, he tried to communicate/did openly communicate with the outside world (maybe he and the others even left the outside world (maybe they produced the series which was known in our world there) leaving Home who couldn’t follow behind, so now it makes Wally suffer in loneliness just like it did then.) angering Home with this, so this is the punishment for it. 

After all, Wally seems to be scared of Home and a lot of actions he does seem to be done in order to soothe Home, in order to prevent further harm caused by it. 

This picture, for example, seems like he’s trying to soothe Home in some way/beg it not to cause harm to whoever it looks at here. 

My sister also pointed out that Home looks directly at the viewer instead of at Wally so maybe he’s trying to prevent Home from making the viewer disappear too. 

Maybe it is also a kind of flashback, showing a part of what happened in the past.

Also the audio where he sings a part of “Beautiful Dreamer” to Home partly seems to be an action he might do because he is thinking about the old times, after all he stated that Barnaby taught him the lyrics of the song, but it could also be done to keep Home entertained.

 The part where he stops and asks Home if it liked the song, telling it that he doesn’t know the rest of the lyrics since Barnaby only taught him until this part, also seems like a backhanded reproach for making his friends disappear but it also kind of confirms that only Wally and Home are left, again. (If he were still there, I could go ask him and sing the rest of the song to you.)

After all, if Barnaby and the others would be still there, he could just go to him and ask him to teach him the rest of the lyrics.

In the Guest Book, Wally also stated that he loves his friends and the old art shows that he was close with them so we highly doubt that he was the one who made them disappear. 

With that, we also come to the third part:

3. Why we think that Wally isn’t evil and why he tries to cover up everything:

As already mentioned, Wally genuinely seemed to love his friends and seemed to be close with them so we highly doubt that he made them disappear but if Wally isn’t the one who made them disappear, then why would he cover everything up instead of openly seeking help?

A possible explanation for it could be that he doesn’t want Home to cause any more harm, this time to the viewer so he tries to keep anyone far away from Home and vice versa. 

He also only, as already mentioned, talks directly to the viewer, either in the Guest Book (which doesn’t count as the outside world since the people who wrote in the guest book were in his home and wrote something in it there and he only replies to what they said), or through hidden messages (white font on white background in the Guest Book; in separate tabs;...)  seemingly hiding his replies from people who don’t search for hidden clues and seemingly hiding it from something in his world too, (Home?). 

He also seems to be grieving after his friends. 

A clue for this is the fact that the old pictures of the other character which were sent by the restoration team are completely damaged and drawn over with his paint. 

It has to be his paint since firstly, the colors used are mainly the colors which are usually resonated with him and secondly, since it’s paint and he is the only character who’s shown to be painting/shown to be a painter. 

Messing up old pictures with them but not completely destroying them, seems more like a thing, done out of desperation and grief upon losing them, after entering the stage of grief where one is trying to erase all the memories of a person but not being able to get rid of everything due to the emotional attachment to the person which is still very much present, instead of some kind of a ritual or a thing which was done with evil intent. 

In a lot of messages, he also seems like he wants to make the viewer stop his search for hints and clues about what happened.

 One of the messages where this is the most obvious, is when he tells the viewer that they “wandered off to far” in a separate tab sending them back to the neighborhood seemingly trying to make them stay in the neighborhood instead of trying to discover what’s hidden in new tabs. 

Also the further you come with your investigation, the more creepy and direct his “warnings” get. 

Speaking of creepy, there are a lot of scenes and details, where Wally comes off as creepy and twisted which leads us to the next point which is

4. Trying to explain scenes where Wally comes off as creepy and threatening in the context of this theory that he isn’t evil or twisted:

1. The hidden scene in one of the tabs/Wally’s first time completely revealing himself to “You:

The scene where he seems the most threatening and creepy got to be the one where he asks the viewer if they can see him, telling them that he can’t see them but if they can see them, they have to stay quiet. 

Now why this scene definitely seems threatening and creepy, and while it can be interpreted in many ways, from genuine threat to a warning, here is our theory about this scene. 

If you find this secret scene, it is clear that you are already aware that something is going on behind the happy and colorful facade and that you searched for clues and hints but also that you are already a lot closer to the truth than others. 

Due to this, we think that Wally is now showing himself openly, in a hidden tab, again hidden away from clueless viewers and maybe also hidden away from Home, telling you once more to stop searching for clues or at least to do so discreetly.

 It seems like you’ve come so close to the truth that he is now forced to step fully in action, showing himself directly but doing so hidden away from anyone besides you.

 He is aware that there is someone from the outside watching him and trying to figure out what happened, but he can’t see “You” yet. 

Now it doesn’t make much sense to tell you to stay quiet if you are already so deep in/if they can see him here, if he would really want to find and harm the viewer himself.

 It seems more like one final threat/warning and an indirect hint that not only he is aware of the viewer but also someone else which can only be Home and that the viewer should stay quiet in order not to be found by Home too.

He’s openly informing us about some danger and while he makes it unclear if he is the danger or Home, in regards to all the clues, it seems like Home is the danger of which he is warning the viewer and that they should stay quiet because of Home.

2. “Wally is your best friend.”

This sentence which appears in the hidden character description of “You”, can be read in a neutral manner, it can be read as friendly or as eerie and possessive.

However, firstly it would make sense that he is your best friend since he is the only one left besides Home and if it’s true that he tries to keep the viewer far away from Home due to the danger striving from it, it’s clear that we can’t be best friends with the only other living being left in that world. 

The possessive vibe can also come from him, finally having someone to interact with again after so long and him not wanting to lose yet another neighbor/friend again. After all, he has been alone since supposedly the 70s since this is when the show was abruptly stopped for unknown reasons. 

3. The Barnaby patch on his armchair and the Barnaby photograph in the newspaper. 

While a lot of people (including me) jumped directly to the conclusion that Wally killed Barnaby, I doubt that he did so by now.

One of the most likely explanations is, that he made Barnaby himself, also in regards of this shich can be found on Clown's website, which portrays Wally and a headless Barnaby where Wally exclaimed that he "made a dog".

(However the pictures on Clown’s website aren’t really canon anymore since they are from when Welcome Home was in its beginning stages and a lot has changed since then and I don’t know how far those pictures can be used for a theory.)

Also talking about this picture, it could also be that Wally tried to make a Barnaby after the real one disappeared and the fact that Barnaby has no head here, symbolizes that he isn’t the real one but rather a puppet resembling Wally’s old friend.

Another theory is that he kept that part as a memory of Barnaby. Maybe he did make him and had some fabric left which he sewed on his armchair as a memory after Barnaby disappeared. 

The newspaper article is probably closely related to what happened in the neighborhood, since Wally has a finger over it, kind of hiding the picture from the viewer. 

Maybe it’s an article about Barnaby missing since the photo looks a lot like those used for articles about missing people.

But I doubt that he killed Barnaby.

5. The reply “You don’t like me neighbor.” to a Guest Book entry saying that they hope that Wally isn’t evil or else they would be super bummed:

If his friends really disappeared as punishment from Home for Wally, it is likely that he feels guilty for what happened and views himself as evil.

Maybe he is the reason why Home turned evil or maybe he is the reason why Home came to life at all so now he blames himself for his actions despite not being what is viewed as evil.

4. Why did Wally send stuff to the restoration team?/Is there a restoration team?

While thinking about everything, we started to question if there is a restoration team since it also seemed likely that Wally is the one who is in charge of the page, but by now we think that Wally just has access to the page in some way but that there is a restoration team. A proof for that is the gloved human hand in the photo which shows one of the damaged pictures. It would be hard to fake this for a literal puppet.

However, it is clear that Wally is the one who sends the restoration team all the material. After all, who else should have all the material and the knowledge of a forgotten show and why should the person stay anonymous and use colorful envelopes, like the ones in the world of “Welcome Home”. Also there is Wally’s hand on a lot of the photos which show some of the material so I think it’s very clear that he sends all of this to the restoration team.

After all these years, he seems to have found a way to communicate with the outside world again.

But why would he send all of this when he tries to cover up the most anyways?

Our guess is that he wants to remind people of the show again, keeping the memory of his friends upright and maybe he wants to send his friends, wherever they might be, a sign that he is still very much alive.

However, he doesn’t want anyone to find out the truth and wants to keep everyone away from Home, either out of shame or because he doesn't want that anything happens again but with people slowly discovering what happened, he starts to take action to scare people away from the secret and from Home. 

5. The Guest Book:

In the Guest Books are so many hidden clues for so much things. 

Not only did we find replies which seem to be by Barnaby which implies that 

Wally tries to act like Barnaby in order to prevent people from guessing that they are gone but there is also stuff like him drawing over replies which suggest that something is going on here/that there are many secrets on this website and replies of Wally which try to change the topic when people ask how’s it going over there (p.ex. him writing stuff like “Apple” to a question like this).

 He also states in the Guest Book that he did in fact love his friends a lot but also him interacting with people who search for clues through white font on white background, asking if they are searching for him, openly showing himself even though in a hidden way, can be found in the Guest Book.

Conclusion: 

All in all, we think that Wally isn’t evil due to him seemingly trying to keep the viewer away from Home, warning them in an indirect way and him hiding from something, even though he does interact with people openly through the Guest Book.

 However the interactions in the Guest Book take place in his own world and every interaction with the outside world, outside of the guest book is hidden in some way.

 He also genuinely seemed to be close with his friends and there are clues which imply him grieving after them, trying to get rid of any memories of them but not being able to do so due to him still being emotionally attracted,  like the pictures of them which were damaged but not fully destroyed by him.

All over the website are hidden clues which suggest that the other characters are all gone and that he and Home are the only ones left. However, it seems like he can’t leave and is somewhat stuck in the neighborhood/his world. 

We came up with the theory that Home is actually the one who let them disappear as a form of punishment for Wally for something he did, probably for leaving the neighborhood with his friends to the outside world where they produced the show in the 70s, leaving Home behind so now it makes him suffer in loneliness as a punishment for this.

A lot of images also suggest that Wally is actually scared of Home and tries to soothe it/keep it entertained in order to prevent any more harm caused by it but he also once seems to make a backhanded reproach to it for making his friends disappear when telling it that he can’t continue singing the song to it since Barnaby only taught him this part of it.

Wally also seems to try to keep the viewer as far from the truth and from Home as possible, getting slowly more and more direct with his warnings until he even seems threatening in the hidden tab where he tells the viewer that they should stay quiet if they can see him in this tab, suggesting that they are already far too deep in and most likely giving them a last warning to stay away from Home and the truth. Most likely he does so in order to prevent Home from causing harm to the viewer. 

It’s likely that he only sended the material to the restoration team after finding a way to communicate with the outside world after all these years, in order to gain some company again, to send his friends, wherever they are, a sign that he is still very much alive and to keep the memory of his friends upright but he didn’t really wanted that people find out what happened so with people starting to get closer to the truth, he is forced to take action himself, scaring them away though interactions which are hidden away from viewers which are unaware of what’s going on and hidden away from Home as well. 

While there is one reply in the Guest Book which suggests that he views himself as evil, it is likely that he might blame himself for what happened but if it’s true that Home took his friends away as a punishment, it’s only logic that he blames himself and therefore views himself as evil. 

Maybe he also is the reason why Home came to life at all or maybe he is responsible for his friends disappearing through Home without wanting it. 

However, all the scenes where Wally seems to be evil and unhinged, can actually be viewed in multiple ways often and could be made like this in order to mislead the viewer into thinking that Wally is the main villain when in truth he is only trying to keep the viewer away from Home out of fear that Home takes them away too. 

Or Wally just got a bit funky in his time where he lived alone with only Home as company. 

However, this is all just one big theory and it’s also kind of messy with a lot of interpretation since there isn’t a lot known about Wally’s and Home’s true motives but at this moment, we do think that Home is the one who made them disappear to punish Wally, that Wally tries to simply keep the viewer away from Home to prevent Home from making them disappear too and that all the scenes where he seems creepy and threatening are only made like this in order to mislead the viewer into thinking that Wally is the main villain but also in order to scare them away from trying to uncover the truth.  

[josecariohca]

.

[forthedancingandthethriving]

(Via ways I don't know how, because idk how to write them, it's the minister party time bitches!)

TW: Harassment

○●○

"Hey, Tulip?" Ash calls as he walks into the fashion room. He adjusts the suit he was wearing before glancing up. "Are you almost ready to go? We need to- uh.."

He was then witness to watching Tulip pacing back and forth, running her fingers through her hair as she muttered things frantically under her breath. He frowns.

It was no secret that Tulip was the most stressed about the upcoming party. The engineer had informed the group of the party invitation to the party held by the Prime Minister. She had been convinced to go, mainly because of the idea that the Meme Alliance Leaders proposed. They wanted to gauge and see the responses the Ministers, and Aite, would have to things like this.

It took a lot, a lot of work. Social engineering, Tulip herself having to pull some stunts, and some general meme fuckery, they had managed to get Princess Peach and Cynthia to have a presence and Renata, and Desmond with the princess and Ash with the champion. It took work, way too much work, but when those two got the invitations, along with the agreement to Plus Ones, it was a win for them all.

Still, it left Tulip stressed. And for understandable reasons.

"Hey, Tulip." Ash walks over and gently grabs her shoulder. She jolts in surprise and stops in her pace.

"Oh, sorry." She looks away, frowning. "I.. I was pacing and got too lost in thought."

"I don't blame you." He shook his head. "I mean, you're going back to somewhere you don't really like."

"Yeah." Tulip nods in agreement. She exhales. "But.. I have to." She smiles. "For everyone."

Ash pulls her into a hug. "And we'll be there to help." He then grins, adding on, "and maybe I can punch Archie again."

"Ash!"

○●○

That didn't take too long, Chester thinks to himself, sipping from a champagne glass. He stands underneath one of the windows, the setting sun's light pouring in through the window, gently bathing him in its warmth.

His azure eyes watch as Ash puts himself between Tulip and Archie, and some heated words are already being exchanged. Tulip looked like she was on the brink of a panic attack, with who he presumed was Cynthia attempting to calm her, the one who was probably Peach trying to de-escalate the situation, and the other male that was probably Desmond watching with a bit of a faraway look on his face.

"Shouldn't you be doing something about that?" A familiar voice cuts in through his hearing. Chester turns his head, raising an eyebrow.

He exhales softly, before turning his head to smile. Long golden hair in a low ponytail, dark green eyes, and a dark blue suit. Showing alignment with Travis Wrede, the Blue Minister.

"Why should I?" The aide to the Purple Minister hums. He raises the champagne glass to his lips. "I don't see any reason why I should be."

"That random boy looks like he's about to punch Archie in the face," Zeke Burkheart says like it's obvious.

Chester chuckles, sipping the liquid before he finally turns his head to look at Zeke fully. "Wouldn't you like that?" He challenges with a smile. "After all, you never did like Archie, did you?"

Zeke, knowing better than to challenge the second most powerful person in the country, instead aims his glare towards the group. "I don't understand why Tulip isn't over where with me."

Finally, seeing the situation getting to the point where Cynthia was now having to try and hold Ash back, Chester sets his glass aside. He looks back at Zeke with a hum. "Some people just tend to pull the blind backs and see the sun for the first time."

Leaving the heir to the Burkheart family confused with his words, Chester makes his way over to the escalating situation.

"— poor excuse of a brother!"

The aide chuckles at the aggressive words from Ash before he steps in between the group of five and the duo. "Now, now. I don't think there's any need to this fight."

Tulip, seemingly brought out of her panic by seeing Chester, quickly moves forward and pulls Ash back. She whispers to him, voice frantic, "that's Chester Damond! He's Aite's aide!"

"Mr. Chester!" Daisy puts on a familiar fake smile. "I didn't think you'd be showing up."

He returns the smile with one of his own, coated in honey and sugar. "Of course I would, Mrs. Orpheus. After all, I only leave once Ms. Tyron leaves."

He then turns his head to smile at Tulip, who nearly seems to collapse from her having his attention. He holds out a hand, and it takes a moment for her to register that he was asking for a handshake. She does just that, and Chester then claps his hands together. "Now, what in the world was this argument about? Surely it wouldn't warrant how loud you all were getting."

His eyes narrow at the reactions. Ash seemed genuinely remorseful, while Archie no doubt was just embarrassed he got caught by the Prime Minister's aide.

"He got up in Tulip's face and started demanding to know why she was here," Ash spoke before Archie or Daisy could, "and it sort of.. escalated. I'm sorry."

Chester watches as Tulip places a hand on Ash's shoulder and whispers something to him, probably something meant to be reassuring. He smiles at that display before he turns his head to the mother and son. "Well, Mrs. Orpheus? Do you have anything to add?"

He can't help but be a bit amused by the scowl that crosses Daisy's face. "I just couldn't help but wonder what my dear daughter is doing here." She masks the scowl quite nicely with a smile, one that could be mistaken for concern.

But Chester knew, and Tulip most certainly knew as well.

"I just can't help but wonder what Tulip has achieved for her to be able to be invited," Daisy muses, tilting her head.

Tulip tenses at that, Ash looks ready to defend her once more as well, but Chester speaks up.

"Ms. Tyron personally invited them."

That draws the attention of everyone around. People who had been pretending to listen were now looking at them with wide eyes. Tulip felt like melting into a puddle then and there.

"Well, if that's all, then I'll be going." Chester smiles at the group before turning on his heel and walking off. However, he just couldn't help but wonder - why in the world would Aite make him reveal that, should a fight break out?

○●○

Tulip's heart was pounding, and she was very, very sure she was on the verge of a panic attack. And yet there was no one around to comfort her. To pull her aside, tell her breath, and that she'd be okay.

Following Chester bringing up how Aite had personally invited them to the party, it was nothing but conversation after conversation with people Tulip had hoped she would never see again. She'd gotten so swept up into it, so busy falling back into the old habits of greeting and making small talk that she didn't even notice her support had gotten swept away.

Though, it made sense. Maybe the social engineering worked too well.

"Tulip!" called a girl from a family Tulip couldn't care to remember. She put on a fake smile.

"Oh, hi," she greets them with a wave. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was just wondering.." The girl's voice grew quieter, almost embarrassed as she spoke. "The boy you were with.. is he single?"

Tulip blanks for a moment. She was pretty sure romance wasn't really a thing on Ash's mind all that much, so the girl had to be talking about Desmond. She giggles nervously and rubs the back of her neck, "ah, well, it's not really my place to say. Why.. do you ask?"

"Because he's so handsome!" The girl squeals. "Nearly all the other girls are swooning over him. He's so aloof, it's so dreamy."

Tulip holds back a wince. Uh, no, he's probably trying to stay awake right now. She pauses then in her thinking. Or disassociating. I know I'm gonna start soon..

"Well now, who's this?" A familiar voice makes Tulip shake and grip the glass she was holding. The girl who was talking to seems to recognize the voice as well, she quickly rushes off.

"To think I'd see you at one of these again," the voice of Zeke makes Tulip's heart start to race from panic.

Not him. Anyone but him.

But the familiar blonde hair enters her vision first, followed by the face she had detested every time she had to come here, or those stupid family dinners, or anything else.

Zeke Burkheart looks down at her with a bit of a smirk, and Tulip is thankful that she doesn't just collapse then and there. She can feel bile creeping its way up her throat, and it was taking everything in her to not vomit.

"It's been far too long since I last saw you, little petal." Zeke hums as he plucks Tulip's glass from her hand. She's frozen in place, and she can hear her heart pounding in her ears. Little petal.. God, she hated that nickname too much.

"I-It has been a while," she stutters, unable to meet his eyes. Memories she didn't want to remember were coming back. Hugs and the sort. Ones that made her oh-so uncomfortable, ones that she was sure Zeke knew made her uncomfortable but still went with it because he wanted to be with her solely to get a stake in the family company and-

Zeke places a hand on her forehead, and it snaps Tulip out of her spiraling thoughts. Her eyes finally snap up to meet his, and he hums. There's a small frown on his face. "You're getting quite red, little petal. Maybe I should help you cool off somewhere."

"Th-That's really not needed!" Tulip manages to say, her voice shaking just a bit. This was a mistake, her mind screams at her, panic clawing its way past the logical barriers of her mind. You shouldn't have come here. You need to run. Get out. Leave. Another day, another time, just LEAVE!

"Come on, don't be a stranger." He chuckles, taking his hand into her's and intertwining their fingers. She feels rooted to that spot, like a deer in headlights. "We were engaged to each other once upon a time, weren't we? Why don't we—"

"I think that's enough," Peach's voice, of all people, broke through Tulip's hearing. Gloved hands gently grab her shoulders and pulls her away from Zeke. Not even aware that her vision was blurring, Tulip blinks several times to realize that Peach has grabbed her by the shoulders, and Desmond has stepped in front of her, putting space between her and Zeke.

"Who are-"

"Her chaperone," Peach cuts him off, voice stern. "And might I ask where your's is?"

Tulip holds back a small snort at how flabbergasted Zeke seems. "Well- Thats-"

"I think it would be a good idea to get back to them," Peach says as she lets go of Tulip's shoulders. She points a finger to Zeke. "Goodness knows they're probably wondering where their responsibility went off to."

Zeke stares at Peach before letting out a soft scoff, turning on his heel, and walking off back to the crowds of people.

"Thanks, Peach," Tulips exhales, placing a hand to her chest. Then, she raises an eyebrow. "How.. did you know that we had chaperones?"

"These are.. a lot like the gatherings I used to have in the Mushroom Kingdom." The princess answers, her voice no longer stern or tight. "Younger kids having a chaperone there wasn't abnormal, and I saw a lot of it here." She then looks at Tulip with a frown. "But.. are you okay? Desmond spotted that boy getting close to you, and he managed to flag me down."

Tulip shoots a small smile to Desmond, who returns it despite the sleepiness still clear in his expression. "Yeah, I'm okay. That was my.. ex-fiancé."

She can't help but laugh softly at the way their expressions quickly change from worry to confusion. "Yeah, that stuff happens here."

The Avatar couldn't help but feel a bit better as she discusses those things with them, making their way back to Cynthia and Ash. From there, it was smooth sailing. Until..

"Thank you, everyone, for showing up once again to a gathering like this." Aite's voice breaks through the chatter of people. It all dies down and attention turns to her, where she stands on the 'second floor' in front of the railing. Chester stood on at her side.

Tulip exhales softly as she prepares herself to listen. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Ash glancing between her and Aite, almost.. confused.

"The shining stars of this country, you all, are of coursed gathered her once more to make connections and to strengthen your companies," Aite speaks, and she.. begins walking over to one of the staircases, Chester close behind. Tulip straightens up at that.

"Is that not normal?" Ash whispers softly, seeing her do that.

"No," Tulip whispers back. "She never came down when talking! She's never even mingled in the parties!" And it never happened when she ran away either, because it would make headlines just mere minutes afterwards, considering there were some reporters here.

The rest of the people gathered seemed to have the same sentiment, with how they were quietly whispering.

"Many of you here are the backbones of our industries. Technology, fashion, machinery, everything. You hold power to do good, and of course, you do." Aite slowly drags her hand down the banister as she walks down the stairs. In her other hand she holds her folding fan.

"Which brings me to why I am diverging so much from my usual speech," Aite continues as she gets to the final step. She opens the folding fan and rests it over her mask, where her mouth would be.

"As of tonight, I am beginning my search for my successor."

The reaction was immediate, gasps and chatter became loud, and Tulip was sure she heard Travis (the Green Minister) shriek somewhere.

"Is that a good thing?" Cynthia asks, not needing to whisper since there was so much noise.

"No," Tulip manages to say, voice tight. "No, it means we are fucked." But she still couldn't understand. Why had Aite gone off script from her usual speech?

○●○

As Aite weaves and makes her way through the people, she merely hums and nods at those trying to get her attention.

"Ms. Tyron, I mean this respectfully," Chester whispers softly, "but what the actual hell are you planning?!"

She hums at him. The mic was now deactivated and handed to her aide, so she didn't need to worry about people hearing her. "Bait. After hearing that, Tulip is no doubt going to try and avoid me."

"Isn't that bad?!" Chester just looks more confused. "Didn't you want her to come and meet us?"

"Yes, but then it won't have the affect I want." With that, the Purple Prime Minister finally spots the group she's looking for. She smiles beneath her mask, and her heels clacking gently, she makes her way over.

"Tulip!" Aite calls cheerfully, just as the teen was attempting to hid behind Cynthia. Now having been pointed out, Tulip smiles nervously as she waves.

"M-Ms. Tyron! It's a pleasure to-!"

"Oh please, none of those formalities," Aite reassures her with a soft sigh, closing her folding fan. "I invited you here, Tulip, there's no need to be using my last name."

"I? Uh? Okay?" Tulip manages to squeak out, looking completely and utterly confused. The boy next to her (Ash, Aite believes) was looking between her and Tulip, a look of growing confusion on his face too.

"You must be Cynthia." Aite points her folding fan to the champion, and then to the princess. "And you must be Peach. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Tyron," Cynthia returns the greeting, nodding respectfully.

"You're friends of Tulip. You all can just call me Aite as well." Aite was smiling sincerely beneath her mask. She couldn't help but admit that the bewildered looks from all around her.

After making some small talk, the Prime Minister decides enough is enough.

"That reminds me, Tulip." She taps her closed folding fan to her mask. "Didn't you say that you had something to ask of me in your response to my letter?"

Tulips blinks, as if surprised that she remembered. "You.. remembered that?"

"Of course!" Aite tilts her head. "Why wouldn't I?"

The teen looks even more surprised, and Aite hums. "Why don't we head somewhere private?" She gestures to the group. "And your friends came come with, of course."

That now led to them walking down the halls to the meeting room Aite had set up some time ago. Chester was keeping up with the Prime Minister's pace, not paying too much attention to the quiet conversation happening behind them.

"What are you planning here?" Chester asks his boss, voice soft. "I am having.. so much trouble trying to figure out what you are doing."

Aite chuckles softly. "It's called matching their energy."

The aide was still, very, very confused, even once they got to the meeting room. As the group walks in, Aite gestures to the couches. "Have a seat. I'm sure it couldn't have been fun, standing around for so long."

She walks over to the drawer in front of the large window overlooking the capital of Renata. She shrugs off her fur coat before, finally, Tulip asks; "are you really looking for a successor?"

"By god, no!" Aite laughs softly, surprising everyone. "Absolutely no one there was qualified. The country would turn into a dump if I appointed any of them."

"Then why'd you say that?" Ash speaks up, confusion evident in his tone.

"Because I knew Tulip would be the only one to recognize what I was doing," the Prime Minister points out.

The aforementioned girl points to herself in confusion, and Aite continues. "You no doubt realized I was going off script from my usual speeches, coming down to mingle.. everything." She turns around and hums. "Which is why I'm telling you now; whatever you have to say to me, there is a very high chance that I will be willing to listen."

Everyone looked shocked, even Chester seemed surprised.

Tulip hesitates, glancing at the two women, and then the two teens. After getting nods, she exhales and stands up. "Okay, I.. I know this is going to sound crazy but.. if what you're saying is true, please hear me out."

Aite smiles. "I'm all ears."

Tulip looks back at Ash, a bit hesitant. He seems to know what she's saying, as he nods reassuringly.

"Well, you see.." Tulip begins to mess with her hands, a nervous habit. "I guess it's easier to explain that.. I'm sort of the reason Renata is the way it is right now. I'm.. the Avatar of the world."

Aite was quiet before she spoke, voice considerably more soft. "I've known."

"..What?"

"Tulip, with all due respect, I would definitely notice if my country's national IQ dropped a bit." Aite laughs gently. "And I've known it was you at the center of this all. Do you think I wouldn't try and figure that out?"

Tulip raises a finger, then lowers it with a contemplative look. Finally, she relents. "Okay, fair point." She then exhales softly. "Well, uhm.. you see there.." She takes some deep breaths, and Aite waits patiently. "There are.. other universes. My.. my friends here are from those other universes, and many of them have been forming an alliance.. called the Meme Alliance."

Aite lets out an interested hum, seemingly not turned off by the name alone. Tulip swallows thickly, and can't help but look back towards Peach and Cynthia for just a bit of help.

Cynthia takes the lead. "The Meme Alliance is essentially a way for all of us to stay safe, to rely on each other in case we need it."

Aite leans against the drawer as she considers. She then tilts her head. "Why exactly did you propose this to me? Surely there are others that can offer more."

Tulip hesitates, then she speaks, voice soft. "You.. seemed like the best option. Like you would actually.. listen."

The Prime Minister is quiet for some moments more. Her eyes glance over at the group. Then she hums.

"Well I don't see why I shouldn't agree."

That takes Tulip by surprise, especially as Aite turns her head to look out the window. "Wait, really?"

"If what you're saying is true — and I'm inclined to believe that it is true — then Renata would benefit from this." Aite smiles beneath her mask. "So, when would I be able to meet the rest?"

Her heart warms at Tulip's bright smile.

○●○

It was sometime after now. Figuring things out, Peach and Cynthia filling Aite in more about the Meme Alliance, and Tulip was very happy to know that, at the very least, she didn't have to worry about the Prime Minister being a dick.

Even as she was happily immersed in conversation with Peach, Ash couldn't help but ponder.

"Hey, Cynthia?" He turns to the champion.

"Hm?" She turns her head.

"Do you think.. Aite and Tulip are related?"

Cynthia pulls a face at that. "I.. I don't so, no." She looks at him, confused. "Why do you think that?"

"Their auras." He shrugs. "Aite's was really, really similar to Tulip's. Like, I could tell them apart, but when they were standing close together, it was really hard."

Cynthia frowns at that. "Hm.. How odd." She thinks about it before shaking her head. "Well, it's not like we can go back and ask her about it now. But maybe keep that in the back of your mind."

Ash nods and goes to respond, before a loud THUMP as Tulip fell face first to the ground.

"Tulip?!"

The only response was the girl letting out a slow, squeaky, and muffled shriek into the ground.

○●○

"You didn't tell them?" Chester asks, voice soft. The meeting room was empty now, the group probably having left the room entirely. He helps the Prime Minister unclip her mask, and he gently smooths out her hair.

"And make Tulip spiral?" Aite hums with a gentle giggle. She feels Chester gently brush his fingers over the purple scar on her cheek.

"Good point," her aide concedes. "I assume you'll still hide it even now that we're going to be a part of this alliance."

She nods, feeling him run his fingers through her hair. "Of course. I can't trust those Ministers with a matter like this. And telling a group of strangers my secret.." She shakes her head.

After some moments, Aite sighs softly. "Plus, I have to make an annoucment that no one met my standards for a successor."

That makes Chester laugh, and Aite smiles. She pauses to think about something. Then, she giggles softly.

How odd, she was smiling a lot more lately. And Aite didn't mind.

[aenslem]

can we just take a moment and appreciate the fact that young puts the weapon down to use his fists, it needs to be physical for him, he needs to feel rush when he hurts him, and I love it, I am here for this, I am here for these two being wild about each other, it's just beautiful

if he wanted to kill rush, he would just shoot him, he does not want to kill him like 'kill him', but he wants to beat him so much, he wants to feel rush's life in his hands, that way he can have some control over whatever they have going on between each other, this 'need to beat you' mode is so good, I absolutely enjoy it

yeah, there are better things to enjoy in life than watching how two idiots on screen would fight, but there are some sports where people pay to watch those things, I just chose to enjoy it between a space drama, mostly caused by one of the jerks above

I am trying to imagine what their relationship would be like if the show was not cancelled, and they did become more, um, 'friendly' I guess I can call it friendly, less physical, which obviously sucks for me, I enjoy them getting physical. I think even when they are on good terms young would not be able to not be aggressive with rush in some ways. it would not be life threatening like in this scene, and rush would know it, but their arguments would be heated, and I think young would use his strength, maybe pushing rush to a wall a little too hard, stopping him by holding his arm a little too hard, I think whenever young would realize he is losing an argument he would try to get into rush's personal space, it's the way he shows his strength, he can't win with his mind, but he can win by force. he knows it, but also, I think he would not do it intentionally all the time, with rush it's always unintentional, heated and brought to the point where you can't control yourself and you give into it and act on impulse.

I think it would start with less and less aggression in fight, and more enjoy outdoing\outsmarting the other one. like playing a chess, like, you can be smart as rush and win, but you also need to be a good strategist, so young does have something to offer here, he can challenge rush, and I think he has the chance to win a game. so they would be around each other as if they play a chess. the more they would play this game the more they would want to win, they would make the other one learn some new tricks to win, I think they would make each other better by learning thing or two from one another, and by the end of the show they would actually enjoy having an argument, having a talk, maybe one day they would just talk, you know, like normal people, and it would not end up with one accusing the other one in sabotaging something, or lying, or whatever.

rush just crawling away, and young trying so hard to not finish what he started, you can see he wants to beat him more, but he is tired of this as well. have you seen a man who is so tired by trying so hard to not kill smb? love it

they are trying so hard to control things, but they can't even control themselves

as if it is not about control and power for you, man. when he offers rush to work together in 'darkness' he looses his shit and the talk goes the wrong way, just because young wanted rush to report to him, not him consulting his actions with rush. you want to control this man, but he is like a force of nature, you both are like two hurricanes meeting at some point and you either collide and become even more dangerous together or destroy each other and everything around you.

oh, and let's appreciate this screencap here, idk, I just love it, because I love men suffering, also robert carlyle has pretty hands there

he ain't wrong here. young does something on impulse and then regrets, he can be calm and strategic, but when it comes to something he cannot control, something like rush, he is all about emotions, bringing out the worst in him, and causing to act based on impulse rather than thinking about his actions through, he does it after, and it usually ends with regret, as we saw in 'justice'. yay my fav part <3

anyway, idk where I was going with this but here we are

oh and you know what I love about young? he is a man of force, using fists instead of words, but he actually listens if you talk to him, and even if he does not always understand it he tries and is not opposed to explore something new and learn and stay on an ancient ship with 10 more people and the man who framed him for murder just to find out what lies beyond it all. you may say it's because he feels responsible for those people, and yes, he does, but I also like to think that it's not just responsibility, but young just wanting to go to unknown places to see wonders of the universe.

[magic-swords]

Happy birthday to my first created cos character