#imagine how the rest of the academy would react

[theoneandonlylobster]

My Big Damn Ashes of the Academy Thoughts

Okay so honestly I just need to take this panel by panel because frankly my overall impression of the comic is that everyone got replaced Invasion of the Body Snatchers style with people that look the same as they do and have the same name, but have zero idea of the backgrounds or motivations of said characters, and so they were just making shit up as they went along. Like, I write fanfic, I read fanfic. I have, in general, a pretty high regard for fanfic. And of course one of the more common Dangerous Ladies childhood type fics is how did they meet, why are these three very different individuals friends, etc etc.

And this was not even approaching the worst, crappiest, least coherent of that type of fiction I've read over the last nearly two decades.

Ashes of the Academy is a giant nothing burger comic, a fart in an elevator you're trapped with until you can make your escape.

So, without further ado, let's begin:

So right here on the second page of the comic, and the first page with dialogue, we have Ursa letting us know that, apparently, contrary to what we know, the Academy made Azula a bad person. Not her parents, definitely definitely not Ursa. You got that? It was all the Academy's fault. And we will continue beating that ostrich horse the entire rest of the comic, make no mistake!

Ah yes, Ursa, noted Not Ever An Imperialist At All, Not Even Once, Nuh-Uh.

Skipping several pages that would be me saying these two things multiple times...

Credit where credit is due, I like these two panels. I like this tiny glimpse into the friendship of Kiyi and Lihua or whatever here. One, because I imagine this is more like how Azula probably actually was, based on what we see in Zuko Alone. And two, that means Kiyi is unconsciously mirroring her sister and I like that interpretation of her character. It seems that Hicks does too, on a subconscious level. Look at that devious little look on her face! Little shit. Yeah, you cause a ruckus! Adorable.

I'd be lying if I said this didn't get a chuckle out of me. Is Katara on Zuko's Ministry of Education? Lol wtf. Still funny though.

More Kiyi being a little shit that I can get behind. This time in a Little Miss Know-It-All superiority complex sense that I'm sure would get real old real fast for anyone around her.

I've pointed this out on another post but Kiyi isn't a princess? Wtf? Come on, Hicks. Like it's not hard to figure this shit out. I think giving her a character trait of literally running to her big brother the Firelord anytime she feels slighted is pretty good, but of course it's never explored, because that's not a heroic trait and Kiyi has to be a hero for some reason unlike that irredeemable monster Azula who was born bad.

So nice of you to ask her first Zuko! Fuck's sake! Being Firelord has really gotten to this boy's head, like I know he has absolute power and all that shit but damn, if I was Mai, I would be wanting to get back with him less after this, not more, regardless of whether or not I liked the job in the end. Fucking consent, bro! (Previous page has him telling the headmistress she'll do it.) Unfortunately, this is actually not ooc for what we've seen of Zuko, honestly, imo. Mai, you can do so much better. Like, I ship Maiko. I love their dynamic etc etc. But girl. Respect yourself. This boy is NOT it at this point.

This is our continuing indication that they'll be rewriting the past in this comic, and we'd all better get on board. Zuko certainly thinks Azula treated him badly and has a very, "Zuko did nothing wrong!" approach to it all, but Mai was there for the vast majority of it, witnessed it with her own two eyes, so she would not react to that sentence with, "True." She just wouldn't. At least not the Mai we know. So let the assassination of Mai’s character commence!

Like, was this comic so half-assed nobody could be bothered to look up the spelling of Ukano's name? Yes. Yes it was.

Can I be made to believe Ukano said this to Mai when she was smol? Absolutely, yes. He's portrayed as a social climber and willing to utilize basically any route he can access to gain clout and influence. That's a man who is not above using his daughter in this way. I think it's somewhat implied by Mai’s dialogue in The Beach, even. Dude was a shitty father, Caldera was rife with them. Do I believe for one second Mai became friends with Azula because of this counsel? Absolutely not. The Mai we know thinks for herself 100% of the time, it's basically her thing.

Oh, cool, there's a 10 image per post limit. Well. I'll keep going in reblogs and indicate when I'm done. Bear with me, friends.

[1moreff-creator]

(P:EG Chapter 1 spoiler warning for the unaware) If Tozu gave YOU the Traitor Perk, what would you do?

I don't think I'd ever be able to bring myself to hurt any of the others, let alone kill. Personally, I'd find the more friendly/caring students (Diana, Cassidy, Jean, Desmond, Ingrid), confide to them what happened, ask to stay with them at all times so I'd never be alone, and also desperately search for anything that could lead to an early escape from the academy. It's safe to say I would likely be a crying and shaking mess the whole time and would have to have heavy support from my peers. I'm not sure how they would react - they'd probably round up the others and inform them what's going on with me in order to ensure a team effort on my behalf, while also swearing to do whatever they could to keep me safe.

If all else failed, I might try to isolate myself from the others and await my end in a private place, so I could at least spare the others the sight of me dying in front of them. Tozu never specified a deadline or how Eva would have died, but I'd like to imagine it would have been a personal visit and execution from Mara. Okay, this one is actually really, really dark after presenting my own thoughts. The very idea of the Traitor Perk itself comes across as disgustingly unsettling, but there's a thrilling appeal as to what someone would do in such an event along with how the other students could come into play, which is what spurred me to ask this. Regardless, please feel free to skip this one if it's too grim.

Damn, that's... depressing. Your reaction sounds pretty reasonable, not gonna lie. The Traitor Perk is pretty awful, so I don't blame you for choosing to just accept it. Still, let's see what I think I would do!

Spoilers for EG CH1. CW: Murder, gun violence (Mara), fire and explosions

I'd say the first thing to consider is what context the Traitor Perk exists in. Because it's a thing that exists specifically to begin the killing game, it has to be given pretty early on. That means there isn't a lot of time for my mental health to deteriorate to the point I would genuinely consider mass murder (given I would also need to win the trial to survive), or so I would like to think. Like, I don't think it's impossible to push me to that eventually, but I'd say it'd take way more than the Traitor Perk and a few days in the Academy.

However, while I don't think I would kill, I don't think I'd tell anyone all the details about the Perk, either. See, if I tell someone about it, I risk that getting back to Tozu. And if Tozu finds out I told someone about the Perk, it becomes clear to him that I'm not planning to uphold "my part of the deal" (murdering someone), so he might just send Mara to kill me. That would be what we in the business call unideal.

So, what do? I would first check all the cameras and try to figure out if there's anything useful I can find out doing that. I highly doubt Tozu's gonna give me access to any genuinely useful cameras for escape, but it's worth a shot. I'd try to note down any blindspots for future reference, and try to figure out how the motion tracking works and if there's any way to exploit it. I'm hoping here that Tozu either doesn't notice, doesn't care, or thinks that I'm planning a murder with the cameras instead of trying to find ways to work around him :v

Once I've checked all the info I have, and presumably come to the realization that nothing in the cameras helps and I'm cooked, it would be time to make some sort of escape plan. As I sorta described in a similar ask I received a bit ago, I'd try to coordinate efforts with the rest of the cast by writing in notes away from the view of the camera (and I know what the view is hehe >:))

The main plan I'd suggest is attempting to get into Tozu's tunnels. Unlike other mascots, which may use different methods and copies of a robot to pull off the whole "magically appearing from thin air" party trick, Tozu has to, like, go somewhere. He's human, so whatever he does to move through the Academy, we can surely replicate.

With some luck, there may be few to none contingencies to account for students going there, we'd just need to be careful of Mara. Maybe we could even try to disable the generators to shut off any electronic contingencies, though I'd imagine whatever happens down there probably runs on separate generators so maybe it'd be best not to. Funnily enough, there's no rule against intruding in that space below the floorboards, so the only real rule we'd risk breaking is property damage if we need to break our way in.

Speaking of, how? Breaking our way in with regular tools would probably take too long, we'd get shot by Mara before we're done. Well, you might have guessed this based on the content warnings, but we have lithium batteries, and I doubt it's the only explosive thing around. I'm sure me and the cast can rig something up to blow a hole on the floor big enough for us to infiltrate. If possible, building the explosive in a camera blindspot would be ideal. Obviously, though, that's a lot of property damage, but I'm banking on the idea that whoever sets it off has the chance to get into the space below the floorboards before Mara shows up. Going out of bounds like that might make it harder for the game masters to properly administer punishment.

This is where we go back to the Traitor Perk, and I'm sorry that this post isn't very focused on it but my reactions took me in this direction :v See, this plan is awful. It sucks. There are a million ways this can go wrong, including but not limited to: proper contingencies for this possibility existing, there being nothing useful for escape down there, Mara just instantly shooting anyone who gets close disregarding the rules, a new rule about the tunnels appearing immediately as Tozu notices what's going on and Mara being ready to defend this space, among others. I would say that, in the real world, it'd be significantly safer to remain calm and await rescue, since someone's gonna figure out what's going on (obviously it wouldn't work in the EG universe, but we only know that because we know it's a fictional narrative. If it was happening for real, I'd think this course of action is reasonable). Even with a killing game going on, blowing up the floor of the school is not a great idea.

However, if I receive the Traitor Perk, I can't exactly wait for rescue now can I? If I'm already going to die anyways, might as well go down with a bang. I think I would offer to be the one to set off the explosive off, since I'm probably gonna end up dying no matter what. Yet, a low chance of survival is better than none, right?

Anyways, that's more or less what I would do I think. If Tozu gives me the Traitor Perk, I'm blowing up the school. Thanks for the ask, this was fun to think about! And thanks for sharing your own reaction, it was cool to read.

[bigbadivy]

Leaving my world at your care

prompt: “I do not know what tomorrow will bring, but whatever happens, please… take care of my cat.”

She had an hour.

And she used to go to him.

Heroine stepped through the boy’s dorms as quietly and as quickly as she could. None of the guys were out, probably scared of the punishments for dismissing bed-time.

It didn’t matter to her.

In less than an hour, she would be too far away from the academy. Which was terrifying, but meant that she could forget about certain rules.

Just as she started to enjoy her little rebellious freedom, she found his dorm. The headboy’s dorm. Her sole rival.

The stakes were too high to care about whether or not she obeys bedtime.

She took out the key bunch she had in her pocket, which she was given by her homeroom teacher to help him ensure no troubles were made inside the dorms.

“The teacher’s bunch? hm, you know, acting like a complete nerd won’t help you become smarter than me.”

“Maybe. But it will help me sneak mice into your room.”

Now Rival will learn his lesson.

She searched for the right key and unlocked the door, a bit at unease from the audible sounds the lock made.

Surprisingly, the room was not entirely dark. Rival’s windows were open and the full moon shed some light inside.

He was not in his bed.

Instead, he was sprawled over his table, his neck placed on his bookand his back crooked onward. This did not seem comfortable. And it would hurt when he wakes up.

“How come no one invented a way to not be stiff after sitting…?”

“You mean like, stretching?”

“...”

“Nerd.”

She knew that this astronomy exam stressed everyone, but she didn’t imagine him like… He looked so tired. Perhaps she teased his last score too much. 

and she had no time to help now.

I’m scared, too.

Heroine got closer to him, and raised her hand to his shoulder, but then froze.

He had enough to worry about, and she doesn’t know how he would react to her request- Nor what he will imagine is the reason for such a strange plea…

Right now, at least one of them got to rest.

But it wasn’t just her on the line anymore. She cannot just keep these problems to herself. And maybe, somehow, she had a feeling that he would rather know.

“Hey, Rival,”

She touched his shoulder lightly. It took a moment before there was any reaction. He groaned a bit, still resting his face above his arm. He turned to her side, opening his eyelids in a rusty way.

Heroine couldn’t help but smile at his widened, chestnut eyes.

“Heroine…?”

His voice was barely audible. 

“Yes, it’s me. I came to… well…”

She took a moment to collect the right words. The stakes were high, but she couldn’t stress him more than needed.

He brought his head up and straightened himself. Looking right at her.

“What’s wrong?”

Nothing, yet. But not for long.

“I need a favor from you.”

He nodded slightly and waited. Looking more serious than she ever saw him.

She didn’t want this. She wanted to comment on his messy bed hair and banter and see his smirk and just go back to her normal life.

“I will leave the school for a while and… and I cannot take my…”

She took a big breath.

“My cat. She’ll have to stay here and she doesn’t trust anyone besides… Will you please…”

“I will take care of Nova.”

Rival tried to smile reassuringly, still looking a bit tense. But the promise meant the world to her. 

Heroine smiled for a bit, too.

“Thank you, I don’t know what I… How would I leave without knowing she’s safe.”

But both of their smiles died down quickly.

“...where are you going?”

She inhaled, hoping to keep herself calm. And him, too.

“I do not know, but I have to. And… and I want to.”

He stared at her for a moment. He still looked tired, but also tense, and… and something else.

“Is it dangerous?”

Yes. I’m scared, Rival.

“I cannot tell you, Rival. This is my own problem.”

“Hero-”

“I never wanted to get you involved. But it’s… Nova, she doesn’t trust anyone besides me, and well…”

and you.

“You can get me involved in everything,”

He said, standing up and holding her gaze.

“Whatever this is, I can help. Please, I never saw you this anxious.”

He extended his hand towards hers, not quite touching, but closer than ever.

She closed the gap, holding his hand.

I’ll miss you, Rival.

Heroine then came forward, hugging him.

He was surprised, but accepting. Wrapping his arms around her himself. It felt nice and warm, and Heroine held him like she’d hold the last piece of normalcy she had.

Her clock buzzed. It was midnight.

“I need to go.”

Heroine said, not moving yet. She felt him sighning and nodding. 

They slowly let go of each other, and Heroine took out the key bunch and gave it to him. For one last moment, he held her hands.

“I won't let you down. I’ll take care of her for as long as needed.”

“Thank you, Rival.”

Heroine started walking away, she opened the door, and looked back once more. Rival’s deep brown eyes were still on her. Still too fearful for her liking.

“I will come back, as soon as possible. Enjoy being the top student while you can.”

She meant it. She will return, maybe sooner than expected. She will come back and hug him again and banter and hold Nova and stress about their exams and everything will be normal.

He smiled at her, hope and playfulness in his eyes. That was how she wanted to remember him.

“Enjoy being a dork in the outside world, nerd.”

“Oh, I will.”

Heroine closed the door and went her way, walking with ease. Knowing that she will return She will come back to hug him again and banter and hold Nova and stress about their exams and everything will be normal.

knowing all of that, Heroine walked into the night with confident steps.

[girlbossblackbeard]

s2 brain thoughts: the squeakuel (ep 2)

as a reminder, if u see me posting any of these points as their own posts mind ur business:

-i'm sending my hospital bills to david jenkins for weaponizing thef cuking "you wear fine things well" scene WITHOUT ANY KIND OF WARNING i literally almost choked to death from shock

-hey so what the whole actual fuck is up with transitioning directly from the very painful "you wear fine things well" scene which, as we've already established, has REAL HUMAN CASUALTIES DUE TO THIS USE-CASE, into the "run from me darling" lyric overlayed on top of the god damn shot of ed pAINTING THE BRIDE CAKE TOPPER TO LOOK LIKE HIM AND BASICALLY PLAYING OUT HIS FANTASY OF MARRYING STEDE. david jenkins you have committed crimes

-also!!!!!!!!!! that cake topper has kohl smudged all over it so you KNOW our boy ed has been caressing it against his cheek and sighing longingly

-i know we've all talked about how insane the "ed plays with the wedding cake toppers pretending they're him and stede" scene is but i don't think we've really comprehended how GENUINELY INSANE it is like??? edward teach, blackbeard, the kraken, the scourge of the seven seas, the most fearsome pirate the caribbean has ever known that has recently been on a non-stop slaughtering spree, painted a bride wedding cake topper to look like himself which he then scoots next to a wedding cake topper that looks like stede so he can imagine that he's marrying him. this man carefully rubbed kohl on a cake topper to give it darker skin and darker hair and a BEARD. to make it look more like himself. so he could then. put it next to a cake topper that looked like stede. and pretend. they were getting married. i've written that 3 times now and my brain STILL refuses to fully process those sentences.

-i said it in my first brain thoughts post for ep 1 and i'll say it again: every time im reminded that ed has been crying NON-STOP. EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. for MONTHS. over stede. my wall gains another hole

-the way ed is so delirious in his sadness as he pushes the cake toppers out the window. i don't even have any thoughts on that i feel like all i can do is just note it and let y'all deal with the rest

>>actually I lied, he literally watches them sink into the sea after he pushes them out the window that's so fucked up whomever made that decision to make him do that is so fucked up

-"the sea is restorative isn't it" "YYYYEEESSS QUEEN!!!!!!!!!! I'VE ALWAYS SAID SO!!!!!!!!!!!!" "ohh that guy knows" IS THE MOST UNDERRATED EXCHANGE IN THE ENTIRE SERIES IT LITERALLY HAD ME SHAKING WITH LAUGHTER

-would looooooooooooooove to know what went through stede's head as soon as roach mentioned "some place called China??" like did he immediately think of the kiss or getting sent to the naval academy or the kiss or ed's excitement at the prospect of running away together or the kiss or getting kidnapped by chauncey or the kiss or watching chauncey shoot himself in the dome or the kiss or his flop behavior of running back to his family that doesn't even want him or the kiss or

-the crew of the red flag being so immediately kind and welcoming to stede and his crew <3

-i genuinely cannot wait to watch buttons fully immerse himself in the red flag traditions like he was made to be on that crew

-"how should I put this, your energy is..." can't believe they got hatecrimed like that

-RAT BOY

-HE'S HERE

-OUR BOY IS HERE

-fun fact: i recorded my live reaction to episodes 1 - 3 and posted the clip of my friends and i reacting to lucius coming back because we were quite literally jumping for joy and crying over the reunion and THE illustrious Nathan Foad himself told me it was literally the cutest thing he's ever seen (his words, not mine!!) so we're basically best friends forever now and the rest of my life will be spent chasing the high of the happiness i felt during that interaction

-i am also crying once again over his reappearance and i think that's just gonna happen every time i watch this scene :')

-roach's shocked face when lucius appears is something that can actually be so personal

-the way they all dogpile on top of him because they're so happy to see him bitch what the FCUK

-also stede's STUPID LITTLE "huh!" LIKE??????????? THAT WAS YOUR SCRIBE AND RELATIONSHIP GURU YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER WHERE IS THE ENERGY AND EXCITEMENT AT KNOWING HE ISN'T FUCKING DEAD??????????????

-"i love it" *BIG SMOOCH* "i love all of it" *BIGGER SMOOCH* oh so they're trying to kill me by smothering me in the syrupy sweetness of their love. okay

-okay sorry but lucius's absolutely microscopic furrowing of his brow right before black pete kisses him again. for a split second he had a slight look of sadness which lines up with the very real trauma he's endured and how even in extremely happy moments they can be tinged with sadness - maybe a sadness for the past and the way things could've been if he hadn't been pushed off the boat - and all i can say is nathan foad. ur big powerful acting mind

-we gotta talk about lucius choosing not to reveal that ed had pushed him off the ship in front of the whole crew. i'm still trying to figure out if that was him trying to spare stede's feelings (unlikely considering he lets it all out later), spare black pete's feelings (possible, since he knows black pete idolizes blackbeard), prevent himself from having to relive that trauma in front of his friends when he's not prepared to confront those memories, or a combination of all of the above

-"i fell. off the ship." "that doesn't sound like you. you have impeccable balance, babe" i literally love black pete so much i may legally have to change my name to lucius spriggs

-"toouwelss? what is this? are these jobs?" stede i love you so very much to the moon and back but for the love of god you gotta shut it my guy

-I AM LITERALLY SO EXCITED FOR THE BUTTONS SEA WITCH STORY ARC LIKE IT MAY ACTUALLY BE ON PAR WITH MY EXCITEMENT TO SEE ED AND STEDE PROPERLY REUNITE AND OPENLY LOVE EACH OTHER AGAIN

-ed just. washing the door handle. i dont have any other thoughts

-GODDDDDDD HE'S SERVING SOOOOOO MUCH GENDER WITH HIS LIL HAIR BUN AND MOSTLY CLEANED UP WAR PAINT AND DANGLY EARRINGS AKEFJAPWHFA OPERGJAER

-the way frenchie looks genuinely happy for ed when he says he thinks he got all the poison out of his system and it's a new day :((

-idk much about piracy but i really don't think there's a rule about the new first mate traditionally having to kill the old first mate, i think ed just made that up so someone else would have to kill izzy instead of him. despite everything, despite how low he's sunken into the very dark parts of his mind due to the heartbreak, ed still can't bring himself to deal the killing blow

-"i expect great things from you" might be one of the more chilling lines in that interaction because for THE blackbeard to have not just any expectations from you, but GREAT expectations? that's not a compliment, that's a threat. measure up to what blackbeard thinks you should be or else

-can't comment on the amputation scene too yucky sorry

-stede trying to triangulate ed's coordinates based off of his string of crimes on a map HE drew is me trying to triangulate where tf this season is going based off of buckwild theories i've made up and used as the foundation for even more buckwild theories

-yeah idk what the mushy ass lyrics stede wrote on that map mean but i know they're frighteningly homosexual

-"FUCK YOU. that's how i am" I am SO glad lucius gets to be openly bitchy towards stede it feels like a cathartic release for me personally

-ed's fuckin "heyyyy" to frenchie in the kitchen is both hilarious and unbelievably unsettling

-absolutely obsessed with the writers for once again showing just how scarily observant and intelligent ed is when he calls frenchie out for using his right hand to mime killing izzy even though he's actually left handed

-i really admire how david chose to use a low camera angle that looks up at ed as he reveals to frenchie that he's well aware he hasn't killed izzy yet because taika's performance was already unsettling enough but that specific angle adds so much to his overall menacing presence in that scene

-joel fry's performance in the kitchen scene with ed literally makes me want to bite something he's so good at acting quietly terrified

-this is almost certainly an unpopular opinion but i really would've loved to see more buildup to jim and archie kissing. i just feel like we know NOTHING about her let alone her relationship with jim prior to the two days we've seen them interacting and i feel like that kiss would've felt like a much more satisfying payoff if we had seen more interactions between them before they got to that point. i would've taken delaying that kiss by a few episodes if it meant feeling fully invested in it once it did happen, but i also know the show already has so much material to get through (which is why we should've gotten 10 eps but i digress)

-"hey no one told me this room existed" is giving "i didn't even realize there was piracy happening"

-"take the fuckin leg" is such a perfect line delivery

-love the foreshadowing of olu explaining how the little ships on the war table were all over the place and "some of them were over land"

-roach waxing poetic about the noodles is so relatable

-"jesus christ stede keep your pants on" hands down one of the funniest fucking lucius moments of all time

-sorry but we gotta give a shout out to lucius modifying the chinese fleet uniform so it's sleeveless. the edges are cleanly done so either he was put on tailoring duty at some point and picked it up there or someone on the ship wanted to enable the slayage

-there's something to be said about the fact that the only other man who has lasted being on board the red flag ship is another member of the revenge who was picked up and welcomed into the fold well before stede and the rest of the crew wound up there. something about how stede attracts and retains other people who he can tell are gentle at heart, even if they're putting up a tough front. something about how lucius had bounced from ship to ship until he finally wound up on Zheng Yi Sao's ship where he was allowed to be himself

-"ya don't know............if ya picked up....smokin....." nathaniel buttons my beloved

-OOOOF stede's guilty face after lucius talks about how he must've picked up smoking somewhere. after the crushing guilt he already feels about the ed situation this definitely would've weighed extremely heavy on him

-MY SPICY LIL RAT BOY IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME

-"what the hell is going on in towels" wee john my beloved

-look i know izzy is on the brink of death but he genuinely looks kinda beautiful before ed wakes him up from his shock induced coma and i won't apologize for that

-"my leg" izzy is so fred rechid coded

-"it's up in leg heaven now" i need to know if ed said that as a way of metaphorically digging the knife into izzy and getting back at him for trying to force ed to send stede to doggy heaven in season 1

-i dont have the emotional capacity to dive into the ed and izzy shooting scene rn but just know it destroyed me on a metaphysical level

-"too scared to do it yourself" no because unfortunately now im thinking about ed thinking through taking his own life but coming to the realization that he can't do it. whether it's because of childhood christianity trauma and thinking he'll be sent to hell for doing so or because he knows he can't follow through with it himself if there's still a tiny shred of hope that he'll reunite with stede and everything will be okay again, he always has to outsource the big job

-also, very interesting choice to have almost jovial classical music playing in the background of the ed/izzy scene. it definitely undercut a lot of the tension compared to how supremely uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing the scene would've been if it were dead silent behind the dialogue

-"i loved you...best i could"

-"i've got an ex-wife, two messed up kids probably" LMAO stede acknowledging he would have no way of knowing how fucked up his kids are because of him

-"sounds like you're quite the fuck-up pal" "yeah, i am! and im alone! talk to pete. don't be like me" ohhhhh my god stede is in just as much agony as ed is over this breakup he's just been using his polite society social skills of saving face and never showing how truly devastated you are to others to cover up how supremely messed up he is over all of it. he is BEGGING lucius to talk to pete and NOT make the same mistakes he did because maybe if he can prevent lucius from bottling it up and actually deal with this in a healthy way he can make up for a fraction of all the hurt he's caused not only ed but lucius as well. maybe if he can get lucius to talk to pete he can absolve himself of some of the soul-crushing guilt he feels over how his actions have irreparably damaged the people he cares about the most. maybe if lucius and pete are able to work through this trauma and still come out the other side loving each other just as much or even more than they did before, he can believe that there's still hope for him and ed.

-ed choosing to put on the cravat for what he believes is going to be his last action on earth before dying because he's resigned himself to his fate but is still scared shitless by it and wants that modicum of comfort that stede will always be able to provide him no matter how badly he hurt ed is giving me the urge to find the nearest cast iron skillet and loony toons my skull

-"some people are just broken no matter what you do" noooo why do i feel like lucius was talking about himself when he said that to stede about ed ://

-oof i know they were an unnamed character but fang tried to save someone who went overboard during the storm and wasn't able to :(

-GGGOOOODDDDDDD izzy looks so fucking hot and badass all soaking wet and leaning up against the rigging after shooting ed jesus christ

-"finally" ed was so relieved to have his pain finally end. even after his journey of self discovery in the next episode im really curious how he's going to deal with having to confront the pain he thought he escaped in addition to the pain he inflicted on others while failing to cope with that pain and stopping at nothing, including nearly killing the rest of the crew, to end it

[chibi-celesti]

Interlude 02-Book 01: Dia Rosa Rudje-Ar Prasrity Fowrlle

Ar Prasrity Fowrlle Gfine anw Revatail

(A moment of Peace)

Synopsis: On the eve of the Unbirthday Party, Meryu tries to bide her time to calm her soul and worries over what may happen next. What she didn’t know was that someone else was watching her from the shadows.

A special interlude dedicated to a moment between two people who don’t know each other yet, but one day will soon.

~Twisted Tonelico~

Shortly after returning to Ramshackle, Meryu and the boys settled down for the evening. While Ace and Deuce passed out on the sofa, Meryu was still awake; opting to spend time outside to calm her frayed nerves. 

The evening was cool, calm even. Meryu still couldn’t believe this is what the land beneath felt like. She remembered her guardian Shurelia telling her tales of what their world used to be like back in Platina. Those were things she could only imagine in her dreams back then. But now, seeing it and feeling the caress of the wind on her body was therapeutic. And real.

But then there's tomorrow…

Tomorrow will be my first Unbirthday Party here. And my first formal event without Lady Shurelia to guide me… she thought to herself. I wonder how she would react to me being in an all boy's academy? A smile appeared on her face. She'd probably have a panic attack and tear Mr. Crowley a new one.

She laughed to herself at the image. A fiery, livid Shurelia shouting at the magnanimous Head Mage, and two seconds away from ‘Ka-Boom'-ing the man to bits.

As Meryu continued to think about her guardian and only true family, she started to whisper a little tune to herself.

(~Lyrnya grrena anw bale,

Bautifal ciel burle~)

She swayed with the wind, whispers turning into humming to herself without a care, not minding if a soul were to see her and mock her for her naivete.

(~Was yea ra chanti fowrlle en hartes grlanza fhyu~)

(~Hyma en chs fedyya bexm, iasien sol dea houd frawr chiess herr~)

The longer she swayed with the wind, the more it enticed her to dance with it; the more she danced with the wind, the more her humming became singing.

~Mea eux na idesy sor, den~

~Was yea ra vit yora riura won manafaln dor~

(~Was yea ra vit waath oz hartes dor.~)

She sang of beautiful days, warm and hopeful tomorrow's. Not just for herself but for the world. It was something she always did.

~Mea oriye na idesy sor, dea~

~Was yea erra reen yora hynne tek manafaln ciela, an mean.~

(~Was yea erra reen dilete oz hartes ciela~)

Her little soliloquy was a performance that enamored the trees, the wind, and a few critters that traversed the campus. All either accompanied her in her song or swayed to the melodious waves of each lyric.

Her performance even caught the attention of someone who hid in the shadows. They have never met this young woman before, but it felt as though they have. Something about her voice sounded familiar to them, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it.

Curious yet mesmerized by Meryu's dance and voice, they felt like they were placed under a spell, but they did not fear. In fact, they loved it. A sudden sense of Déjà vu sent shivers throughout their body.

The shadowy figure couldn't help but hum along with the young woman's song. A part of them longing to reach out and dance with her like the wind is. But their feet were rooted to the spot; they couldn't move at all, afraid of disturbing her performance and scaring her off.

And just as she was at the precipice of her song, someone else's voice cut through and disturbed the peace. The stranger quickly hid themselves further into the shadows at the same time.

“Minion, it's late! We can't miss the Unbirthday Party, remember?”

Meryu halted in her steps, turning to the culprit that called her name, annoyed she was disturbed. “I'll be there in a moment, Grim!” Once Grim was back in the Dorm, she sighed in lament. He's right, I need to get some rest… She starts walking back to the front entrance, giving the stars one last glance before walking in the building.  I hope you're ok, Lady Shurelia.  I miss you so much…

In her ascension to the door, Meryu had sung to herself one more time.

~Wee yea ra hymme yanje revm,

Sol ammue zaarn, wi innna near burle.~

~Wee yea ra hymme yanje revm,

Yor irs, wi dor yeal folten…~

She closed the door, ignoring the silent tears falling down her face.

‘So this dorm is now inhabited?’ The stranger thought. They felt disappointed that their favorite place on campus is no longer vacant. They inwardly sighed. ‘Looks like I will have to find another place for myself.’

In a blink of an eye, they vanished  with not a single trace of their presence left behind, except for a glimmer of glowing green lights.

And the echoes of the Reyvateil’s lullaby from their lips.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

for the Emrald Academy au I imagine reader to be a bit of a rebel or social butterfly in terms of social norms. Like maybe they actively seek out or are friends with scavengers. Sneaking out to dance or socalize in the town square. probably covered head to toe trying to hide their appearance trying to be as human as possible how would platonic yandere parents react?

Okay! (My first answer got deleted, so I'm doing this again!). Now, first, Reader and the others dragons aren't human-sized. Humans are usually 5-6 feet tall, with a regular dragon size being about, 15 to 20 feet, I think? Dragons age fast the first seven years of their life (count year one for a dragon as three years old for a human, then times by three until you reach seven, which would be twenty-one for a human, then they age slowly for the rest of their life). I'm making the ages easier. So, a one year old dragonet would be a two year old human, two year old dragonet would be a four year old human, and by age eleven, a dragon would be considered an adult. I hope this works, and makes sense for this au)

Chary (NightWing Xavier) would be worried if Reader wanted to befriend or have a pet scavenger (they're humans, but called scavengers). He applauds Reader wanting peace between them and the dragons, but he's worried for Reader's safety first and foremost. Why can't Reader befriend other dragonets? They're possibly more open-minded than a scavenger towards dragons...

Storm (IceWing Storm) wants Reader to be safe and happy. She'll allow this friendship, but only as long as the scavenger is a good friend and isn't dangerous. If they try to hurt Reader, then Reader won't be allowed near them again. She has either her nephew or herself spy on Reader and the scavenger when they meet up.

Locust (HiveWing Wolverine) doesn't like it one bit. He thinks scavengers are dangerous and that they'll hurt Reader, so he'd rather Reader make friends with the other dragonets rather than a human. He will hunt down anyone, dragon or scavenger, who hurts Reader.

Beauty (SilkWing Beast) finds it fascinating. He wonders if it's an experiment being done, and wants to ask so many questions. He refrains, for the most part. He likes that Reader is open-minded, but reminds them to be careful.

Manta (SeaWing Magneto) is completely against it. He will NOT tolerate any scavengers near his students, least of all a student he views as like his own dragonet! He's putting his talons down on this, and won't allow it. He tries to hunt the scavenger, especially if it hurts Reader.

Majestic (RainWing Mystqiue) finds it odd. Why would Reader bother being around a scavenger? Is it a weird joke? An odd phase? She doesn't understand it, but doesn't mind as long as Reader isn't being used or turned against them.

Sawfly (HiveWing Sabretooth) doesn't like it at all. He's hunting down the scavenger and threatening it, if not outright eating it. He's worried it will hurt Reader, as he and his brother were hurt when they were dragonets, so he'd rather skip to the part where he eats it and Reader goes back to the school, possibly mad, but safe from scavenger schemes and brutality.

At best, they're all confused, at worst they're disapproving or trying to break the friendship apart. Either way, Reader won't be friends with the scavenger for long (that is assuming the scavenger accepted Reader, and didn't run in terror or try to kill them...).

[cielenruine]

[ GOSSIP ]: the sender turns to face the receiver conspiratorially, clearly eager to share some new gossip with them.

"Hey, Matthias!" Yunaka grins with a little wave as she takes the seat next to him in the meeting room. It's more so because the chair is positioned in a way that keeps her back to a wall and her eyes on the door, but she suspects he's got similar ideas with his choice of seating.

Once settled, she leans in with a laugh, lifting some papers to hide her face from the rest of the room. There is no one there to hide from, but staging matters! "I heard there were some people starting a gossip column in the school paper."

Yunaka laughs. It's probably some Deer students, that sounds right. "Isn't that funny? I wonder if they've learned anything interesting yet."

"Ah, Yunaka." Her spirits always seemed light when allowed. It was refreshing though...something sat ill in his chest. How unusual. And then, it drops and he finds himself smirking in turn. "Oh? With the academy as lively as it is, I can only imagine the things they've learned." There certainly had been a good many interesting rumors and they still continued to come. He wondered how exactly people would react to the information presented. It was nearly time, wasn't it? A hand covered hid his mouth as he spoke to her. "Correct me if I'm wrong but wrong, did they not say they ran with all they were given? What will be truth and simply fib seems like a challenge to find out. I for one can't help but be curious." He leaned back and seemed to ponder. "It reminds me of the gossip often shared at pubs. People say the most peculiar things when they know it wont be traced back to them."

[just-before-dawn]

ok big question im kinda wondering how did you came up with ur fanfic "Where the Streets have no name" and the inspos when it comes to writng the world and its characters

thank you for the question! im always willing to blurb out my thought processes haha.

i wanted to write a long fic because there really wasnt that many? (at the time when i came up with this) and i just really wanted to read a very good dramatic slowburn human au tuggoff fic but there weren't any out there, so i did the dirty work myself haha.

i actually came up with the story idea in 2022. this fic couldve been a VERY different story, but i still wanted it to be a dramatic, slice of life, school based, human au fic that features misto's magic as its main point. (the scene of tugger discovering misto's magic was the drive for me creating this whole fic). at first, they started out in an academy and all of the characters were dorming, but i realized it didnt fit well with misto's magic and the overall plot, so i turned it into the siblings having to attend public school.

the music was also a big factor for writing this fic. each chapter is a song. i try to relate the chapter plot to the song or vice versa. (thank you guardians of the galaxy for being my inspo to that). however the title is actually the one song i put most thought into because the lyrics relate to tugger and misto's personal goals so well. they are both beaten up from the life they have lived/are living. they want to escape this pain so badly, so they find it in each other and their love to find the peace they need, the healing they crave, the street that has no name.

i have a lot of inspos for the way i write tugger and misto. i took inspo from heartstopper, sasaki and miyano, boy meets world, and other series (that i cant really remember off of the top of my head) for the general vibes of the story. i always imagine this fic as a drama tv series haha. rogue and gambit from xmen are also now helping me write the tuggoff dynamics too. theres also sett and aphelios from league of legends who are also very similar to tugger and misto!

but tugger was really the main focus point for me. it was important for me to really draw out his character. i actually relate a little too well to tugger more than i expected, so i always enjoy writing in his pov. hes the perfect character who masks everything he's feeling, burying all of his vulnerable feelings in the ground until there's no more room. i get so much inspo for him from sean from boy meets world for the drama and from sasaki from sasaki and miyano for how he reacts to having a crush on someone. those two characters really helped me build up tugger's personality. his interaction with the world helped me write misto's interactions.

i also love writing misto, he's a very reserved character who sticks a lot to his thoughts, so writing his inner dialogue was the hitting point for me. my favorite thing was getting to his "oh" moment with tugger. the main question that helped me write misto's relationship with tugger was "what would be that tipping point for misto's heart to finally fall?" i also needed to think about how his powers isolate him from everyone else.

i have a chart and list for misto's powers and how his powers actually work (which i cannot reveal yet haha).

for writing the rest of the characters, i actually imagine their voices and how they would say certain things, then it helps me get their personality from that. munkustrap for me was always that older sibling figure who cares so much because he feels he has to and hes the only glue keeping the family together to prevent another tragic event from happening (big relate to that). victoria for me is that sister who wants the best for her brother, shes the one who understands misto well to even say his thoughts when he goes silent. she's full of that joy, purity, and innocence that grounds misto. bombalurina is the perfect best friend for tugger in a way that she knows him in such a deeper way (despite them never truly talking about their feelings). because she understands tugger, she can slap whatever thoughts out of him and whip him into shape. i chose tumblebrutus as misto's best friend because i just always liked the way the two danced with each other in the 1998 version (despite that role always going to pouncival), and i thought it would be great to develop that kind of relationship.

but i do in fact have a pinterest board for most of the characters. saving textposts, face claims, and aesthetics really help me imagine these characters better. they also helped me design these characters too.

ahhh i hope i answered your question well and i hope i didn't ramble too much, anon! i get so excited to talk about my fic haha. this story has been boiling my brain for 2 years now and the plans i have for it are so huge, i hope everyone is excited for them as i am.

[more-than-a-princess]

" i do not wish to see a citrus colour, ever again. " a fact that he would argue to be an understatement, perhaps, as the conglomerate heir chooses to step outside the far too crowded hall, once blank features scowled into something less opportunistic. he hadn't imagined finding such a familiar face within the crowd, hadn't been so sure on how to react towards such a discovery, either, but now it remains the two of them does he take it a fine opportunity to voice his true opinion. the base of this years theme feels rather similar to the bowl of oranges he passes every morning in the academy's dining hall, yellows clashing with lemons that rest in glasses to the point he considers excusing himself for their brightness giving him a headache. still ... he supposes that is only his opinion, something that no doubt could be either shared or denied by the princess he finally classes a glance back to, scowl only tightening at the flash of orange he catches behind her. hopefully such a trend would no doubt end soon. / from byakuya! <3

Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1 starters - Accepting!

For all the merriment and levity centered within the elegant Tokyo hotel's grand ballroom, Sonia had needed a respite from the constant activity and cheer. Truly, she hadn't thought a retired Japanese politician's 90th birthday to be quite so lively, but she'd been proven wrong: what she'd come to learn, as briefed by her private secretary earlier that day, was that as a young man he'd spent his early years of adulthood, of wealth and privilege from family money well before he served in the Japanese Diet, traveling the world with a distinct interest in other cultures. And none had made quite such an impression as the South Pacific, the Caribbean, Hawaii. Places both tropical and with a good reputation for frivolity and relaxation, to the point that when his eldest son and a politician in his own right asked his father what sort of occasion he wanted to commemorate such an important birthday, the man had shot him a toothy grin and had apparently uttered a single word: tiki.

The result was a curious mishmash of upperclass sensibility and a luau. Real palm trees had been brought in alongside various artifacts from Polynesian Islands and every tiki bar in Japan (all four of them). The guests were instructed to wear colorful black tie and had been given leis or flowers to wear in their hair upon arrival. The live band switched between a string quartet, soft rock, and a ukulele soloist. But despite silver trays filled with crab rangoon, chicken satay skewers, and fruity cocktails topped with small paper umbrellas being offered by suited waitstaff, some things hadn't changed despite the cheerful decor. Namely how many people quickly made themselves known to the Princess of Novoselic upon her arrival: even her security detail seemed surprised by how many prominent Japanese families had swarmed one of the few, yet very prized, foreign party guests. From other politicians to prominent CEOs in an array of businesses, Sonia had given the nod twenty minutes ago that she was in dire need of a break. And a drink.

To her dismay, she'd been handed a virgin mai tai. One she sipped nevertheless in a quiet, yet elegant, hallway a short distance from the ballroom itself. She would have much rather preferred one with rum, or at least a glass of Veuve Clicquot off the trays going around. But it was to her surprise though that her solitude was to be interrupted, and by someone familiar at that.

The one person who would look most out of place at such an occasion: Byakuya Togami. It wasn't unheard of to appear at the same social events. Out of everyone at Hope's Peak Academy, it was his social circles that had the most overlap with her own. But it was unexpected to see him at this sort of party: with plenty of drunken, partying adults and no business deals to be made in sight. 

"Citrus colors?" She repeated, tilting her head and glancing at the very citrus drink in her hand before looking up again to meet his gaze. "I suppose you chose not to 'get lei'd' upon arrival, then: most of them seemed to be predominantly citrus colors." 

In her own attempt to be part of the fun, she'd accepted a white hibiscus flower with a deep pink center, tucked behind her right ear. It was the offering that clashed the least with her dress: an off-the-shoulder gown made of layers upon layers of seafoam green silk organza and lined in duchesse satin, to support the weight of the petticoats. Green tourmaline and akoya pearl jewelry adorned her ears, neck, and wrist: gifts from the man celebrating his birthday to her grandmother, when she'd been queen. She looked like she'd stepped out of a tropical ocean shore. Citrus colors, her mother had insisted, clashed with the platinum shade of her hair and her blue eyes, and she would not be wearing them.

She set her half-finished drink to the side: without food, it tasted too sweet on its own. "Are you taking a respite from the party as well?" She asked, giving him a small smile. Truthfully, he looked nearly ready to tear someone's head off from the way he scowled, and she was already treading in dangerous waters by attempting to start up a conversation with him. Good thing then, that Byakuya Togami didn't intimidate her in the least. "I found it a little enthusiastic upon my arrival and I needed a moment to breathe." And not commit herself to dancing to every single song that night with every man who asked: from boastful college boys to men twice her age or more, if they were single and came from a prominent family, they were quick to chat her up and ask for her undivided attention for a dance. Sonia supposed it was one of the few things money couldn't buy for them: connections to royalty, if not a title of their own in the future.

As much as she liked to dismiss romance novels featuring princesses and balls, there was some truth to them: the marriage market was still thriving in the upper classes, despite it being the twenty-first century.

Still, she didn't necessarily dislike the theme. It made the party far more interesting than the usual elegant fare she was invited to and expected to attend. Togami, from the way his scowl tightened, didn't agree with her, but at least he was looking over her shoulder.

"What in the-" She asked, turning her head in the direction of his disdain. The youngest granddaughter of the guest of honor, a fourth year student at Bunka Fashion College, was making her way towards them both in an orange beaded and sequined ballgown that, with her coordinating high, tight ponytail, rather made her resemble a sparkly pumpkin. Clearly one of her own designs. "Oh. I understand."

Sonia swiftly turned back to face him. She didn't owe him any sort of favor and he'd certainly never thank her, but as someone so often caught in a similar situation, she felt it wrong to let it slide. "If you do not wish to dance with her," She whispered, barely audible as the girl came closer and closer, an eager expression on her face where Byakuya was concerned. "You must ask someone else instead. It would be ungentlemanly to refuse her otherwise."

[cl-plus-s]

Origins (part 1)

Okay, While not as detailed as a full on written fanfic, this is how i imagine Sissi joining the Lyoko warriors, i'll continue the story next time, don't have enough juice to write it fully now. This happens on the relative begginings of the story, around the first third of season 1. It's friday and festive in the Kadic Academy, which means students have three full days of freedom. Of being able to rest and let loose. Yumi's parents and brother have gone on a trip, leaving the girl on charge of the house. And since they trust in her, Yumi has permission to invite her friends to her house. Sadly, both Ulrich and Odd had already made plans and cannot go since they will be out of town throughout the whole weekend, though this doesn't stop her from going ahead, even if there will only be Jeremie and Her. Besides, this means that even if Xana attacks she will be ready to fight. Meanwhile, Sissi's home is in turnmoil. She thought she would be able to pass this weekend with her mom, but alas she cancelled in the last moment. Jean-Pierre, the director and Sissi's father, tried to calm her down and tell her that her mother loves her still, that she is a really occupied woman and probably some emergency happened. Sissi doesn't buy it, since her mother left her dad she has had this gnawing feeling that it was somehow her fault. That she wasn't enough. Normally she can silence it but now... It feels like a flame eating her inside. And so she goes to the park besides Kadic, to be alone, to calm down... to let the time pass. On her way home, Yumi goes through a shortcut through the park, since it has started raining and is possible that in a bit it will be too much, and she didn't have an umbrella right now. But on her way, she notices something. Under a tree there is someone. Not exactly hugging her knees, but noticeable cowered. Yumi also noticed that Sissi's make up what somewhat ruined, even if the rain was still a drizzle... She recognized what happened. She still didn't know why, But something bad had happened to her. Something painful, not just banter or sarcasm and light insults from classmates, Sissi never reacted to them this way. The director's daughter didn't seem to have noticed her yet since she was too absorted on her own thoughts... probably she could keep walking without trouble, letting this be just a weird enc- ''Hey, it's starting to rain. Did you bring anything to cover from the rain?'' Yumi started the conversation, even if sometimes she was a pain. Seeing Sissi like this felt wrong...Perhaps she would regret it but at this point she kept going with the inertia. ''Look, my family is on a trip for the weekend and they left me the house free and told me i could invite some people over. There was going to be only Jeremie and me, since the others are out of town so i have still some room left. Want to come over and pass the night, even if it's just to cover yourself from the rain?'' Sissi looked at Yumi. Her head still fuzzy and full of bees. Her eyes itchy and blurry. Yeah, Yumi was annoying and the nerd a bit weird... well probably not that different from Herb so whatever. But it felt weird, Sissi thought Yumi didn't liked her, that they were rivals for Ulrich attention. All this interaction felt awkward, It would have been easier if she just had ignored her, at least she didn't noticed the marks of her crying, thanks to the starting rain probably. Sissi was about to tell her that thanks but no thanks. That she had a home herself to return to... But her throat went dry. She... she didn't want to go back home... not yet at least. She collected herself and got up. Cleaned the dust from her clothes and looked at Yumi. ''Alright, i'll go. Just... Nevermind. Besides, i'm sure the place will get brighter just with me being there. Guide the way'' And with a sigh, Yumi guided Sissi to her home. Partly regretting having invited her and preparing herself for what would probably be an uncomfortable and not that great of an experience... Next 2

[the-feral-one]

Flash -

--

"this must be it.."

Flash looked up at the slightly open Mesagoza west side city gate. He took a few seconds to recount the keystone pieces before heading in and beginning to make his way towards the stairs that led to the academy.

He moved one of his tendrils aside as he slowly looked at the staircase, becoming unamused at how tall it was.

"he didn't tell me it was this big..! why'd they have to make so many..?"

He turned away from the staircase.

"no. i refuse. i hate stairs anyway."

Flash started making his way into the city center. Almost immediately, he was drawn towards the ice cream stand.

The shiny Malamar, still making sure not to drop the keystone pieces. motioned to the vendor for his favorite.

"mint choc chip, please..!"

He located the nearest table and rested himself at it. It wasn't easy to do so, as he was holding the ice cream at an odd angle with his beak, but he became happier after being able to put the keystone pieces down so he could hold his favorite treat.

As he ate his ice cream, Flash organised the pieces, placing them in order from smallest to biggest. He then started trying to visualise how they would fit together. After a while, he found himself staring at the sky as the result of an ice cream headache from eating it too quickly.

Flash, after recovering the best he could, gave the keystone pieces another look, once again imagining them fitting together. He gathered them all, making sure not to drop any, and began going towards the academy again.

He looked up at the staircase again. Following some thought, Flash decided not to wait around any longer. He went at his own pace as he made his way towards the academy.

He backed into the academy front door and pushed until he was inside. The shiny Malamar went towards the front desk.

"where is the art class?"

The receptionist was confused. She never thought that she would be talking to a Pokemon.

She didn't get to respond before Flash repeated the question. Instead of talking to him, she pointed in the direction of the art department.

Flash nodded and started to follow them. The receptionist looked at him as he went past the front desk. Her own Pokemon, a Gengar, peeked out from underneath. They looked at each other once Flash was out of sight.

--

Flash went around one corner, then another, then another as he explored the academy corridors. He was fortunate that the students were in their classes, as, if they weren't, trying to navigate would have been quite an inconvenient annoyance.

After a while of looking around, he stopped.

"never thought trying to get around would be this annoying..." He looked at the decorations on the corridor walls and scratched his head.

He did a recount of the keystone pieces before choosing a direction to go in and resuming the corridor exploration.

Very soon, he found himself in the history department.

Flash looked up and around at the different things on display. As he wasn't looking where he was going, he soon ran into one of the teachers.

"oops.."

The teacher that he had ran into was Ms Raifort. She gathered her fallen notes and was about to walk past him when she was stopped and made to look at what the shiny Malamar was holding.

"If I'm not mistaken, those rock fragments that you're holding look quite similar to pieces of a keystone. May I..?"

Flash went back a little, letting out a quiet hiss. Ms Raifort didn't show much fear as she heard it.

"I know you're reacting like this out of a need for self-defense, but, if you'll let me look at it, maybe I could--"

Flash's hiss was a little louder. Ms Raifort found herself seeing him dash past her. She watched him as he went down the corridor and around the corner.

--

Soon, Flash had found the art department.

Flash looked around for the right room. He was almost instantly drawn towards the room with what sounded like sobbing coming from behind the door.

He slowly opened the door and peeked into the room. After moving one tendril aside, he found the art teacher Mr Hassel becoming emotional over a painting of one of many powerful Dragon-types. Beside him was a Gible, who was mimicking his actions.

Not moving away from where he was, Flash knocked on the door. The noises managed to draw their attention to him.

"i need to ask you something."

Mr Hassel wiped his eyes. His Gible did the same action. Flash fully entered the room, which made them both stop feeling overly-emotional, and become confused instead.

"Well, I, for one, never thought I'd be talking to a Pokemon today."

His Gible shot an unimpressed looked at him, hands on his hips.

"...apart from Professor GIble, of course!"

He looked down at the still-unimpressed Gible, showing it an embarrassed smile. Flash glanced at the small Dragon-type, then back to Mr Hassel.

"...professor gible..? it doen't look too happy at hearing that name.."

The Gible soon let go of its unimpressed look, opting to stnd with its arms folded instead.

"Eh-heh.. Well, it has to get used to it, as that's what everyone who comes into my class uses when they see it."

Mr Hassel took a few steps towards Flash. The shiny Malamar did his best not to go back in response.

"Anyway - what do you want to ask me? I'm imagining your question has something to do with what you're holding?"

Flash looked at the keystone pieces. He went towards the nearest table and put them down on it. He and Hassel looked at them after they had been spaced out. Mr Hassel put a hand to his chin.

"Looks like pieces from a..keystone..?"

Flash looked up at Mr Hassel.

"Where did you get these...if you don't mind me asking..?"

Flash looked back to the pieces, going over each one as he responded.

"someone got into a fight with a spiritomb. it didn't go well for them. the rock broke as they fought, and the spiritomb is floating all around the region. he gave me the bits, told me to get over here and fix the rock, then get the spiritomb back in. something like that."

Mr Hassel continued to rub his chin in thought.

"It shouldn't be that hard to put it back together." He reached for a few of the pieces, Flash watching his movements.

"And after we do that, we shall figure out how to catch what formerly called it home!"

Flash continued to follow him with his eyes as he went towards the nearest art supply drawer. Mr Hassel turned to face the shiny squid, holding a bottle of superglue.

"It shouldn't be too hard! Let's get started, shall we?"

[aventurineswife]

Technically, I have two Obey Me universes, the one I already mentioned about role-swapping (Mc being a demon and the brothers being demons), so I thought to myself, so why not imagine what happens if they (except Luke) have children? And here we are. I clarify that all the characters except Luke have a polyamorous relationship with Mc (sorry, I can't reject them all, each one has its own charm…)

I don't know when they'd have sex and Mc would get pregnant, since it wasn't even in her plans from the start, but hey, she can't do anything (she can terminate the pregnancy, but Mc improvises since she's in the Devildom). So, she holds a meeting and tells the rest:

"Well, congratulations, we're going to be parents, while Luke is going to be a big brother. Yay."

They don't even mind dropping the bombshell; they just act like nothing's happening, like: "It's fine, I'm feeling calm." They don't give too many explanations about who the heck the father is, but Mc already knows from the beginning: Mammon. She has no proof. But! Her maternal instinct knows!

As the months go by, they see Mc's belly growing, as does her appetite. There's not much difference from her normal appetite, but they eat more than they should. During a doctor's appointment, I mention to Solomon (it was his turn that day) that they should monitor Mc's diet, since at some point she could be eating more than the baby requires and they could gain weight.

That day? Oh no, it was hell itself for Mc. Before the doctor said that, they were quite happy eating sweets and salty things, along with junk food, but not now. They couldn't eat any more of those delicacies for their sake and for the baby's. Although they couldn't do anything when Mc would get up in the middle of the night and eat a certain selected dish that tasted strange to everyone else, let alone them.

Mc would always ask, "Do you want to feel?" They were curious to know how immortal beings reacted to a new life form, their child (even if it was one of theirs), so they asked whenever they could. They also had to stop attending the academy due to the pregnancy.

Because of the pregnancy, they felt a certain maternal urge toward Luke, so they secretly began to kidnap him, even though they called him "Luke Time." They told him stories, lullabies, things about the baby and how he felt. Sometimes they asked Luke if they could lie on their lap so they could listen to their "brother/sister."

When the 6 months arrived? They had to go shopping with Asmo, since his pants didn't fit and he was tired of putting a damn garter to close them. So they opted to buy dresses, which he didn't want at first, but in the end, he had to give in to the request.

Mc denied everyone knowing the baby's sex, instead taking Luke so he would be the only one who knew what sex the baby was. When they returned, they noticed Luke was a little more attached to Mc, which they considered normal since it was the first time he'd gone with Mc to an ultrasound.

I'll keep rambling tomorrow. It's 3 a.m., um.

—–· ☀️🌻 ⟩ anon.

I’m honestly smiling so hard right now — this is such a warm, funny, loving setup you've built.

Seriously, it feels like you’re letting me peek inside a little universe that’s messy and chaotic and so full of heart.

First of all:

I LOVE that you made Mc just casually drop the news like, "Well, congratulations, we're going to be parents, while Luke is going to be a big brother. Yay."

like it's a random Tuesday.

And the brothers reacting like: "Cool, anyway what’s for dinner?"

without even panicking??

Peak demon behavior.

They’ve seen way too much to be shaken by a little thing like impending parenthood.

Mc knowing it’s Mammon’s kid through pure maternal instinct is so perfect.

They don’t need DNA tests. They just know.

(Besides, Mammon would totally be the "whoops, I’m a dad now???" guy.)

The part about Solomon getting told by the doctor to watch Mc’s diet, and Mc's life turning into absolute hell afterward??

Hilarious.

Realistic.

Tragic.

(Let them eat their weird craving-foods, dammit!)

I can 1000% picture Mc just sighing deeply while shoving some odd Devildom snack into their mouth at 2 a.m.,

while one of the brothers (probably Satan or Lucifer) is hovering like a strict nurse going, "You shouldn’t be eating that right now."

and Mc just... making aggressive eye contact as they do it anyway.

Also, the way you had Mc become extra maternal toward Luke is so precious it physically hurts.

"Luke Time"

STOP, that’s so cute.

Them laying on his lap to let him hear the baby, treating him like a mini big brother, telling him stories...

Mc is literally building the softest, strangest little family unit in the Devildom and nobody can stop them.

Buying maternity clothes with Asmo??

Absolutely canon behavior.

You captured him perfectly: starting off trying to keep it stylish and cool,

but by the end, he’s 100% emotionally invested and running around like,

"Omg, Mc, you would look SO GOOD in this!! And it stretches with your belly!!!"

(Asmo ends up buying five outfits for himself too because “they were just too cute not to!!”)

And then...

Luke being the only one who knows the baby's sex???

Mc trusting him that much??

And Luke taking it so seriously and clinging to Mc even harder afterward???

I’m not okay, that’s so beautiful and wholesome.

Also, go to sleep!!

[curious-gnostic]

i spent like half of last night thinking about the liam plotline in The Andreadis Gene and i have way too many ideas. IF i reintroduce tobias at his death scene that offers me an opportunity to make jesse so pissed that he punches his best friend in the face.

which like. i love that because it’s jesse. the only “violence” he’s cool with is fencing. it would really fuck everything up. and THEN, with the timeskip, that leaves jesse almost completely alone (still debating if i should keep jesse and liam’s friends from the academy? i think i probably should, but i thought previously how liam’s death would screw up their relationship, especially since they werent there, they dont know the truth, and jesse is so guilty for drawing liam into rhys’s shit that he couldnt possibly risk getting his girls involved, so clearly he needs to go back to being casual and dismissive towards them like he is the rest of the academy.)

however. i don’t know how i could have liam’s death be explainable. maybe they say he was mauled by wolves (true enough. haha werewolf murder moment) but how is he found? how do they explain his presence on the evans estate, and right by the old groundskeeper cabin, no less? AND it feels kind of cheap to add a new character immediately after killing the last off.

BUT it also offers me an opportunity to use liam’s siren song. i was vividly imagining jesse trying to go after him after he tells them to cover their ears and rhys having to grab jesse and cover his for him (this offers “rhys is unaware that he’s a supernatural being” foreshadowing, when he isnt affected by the song. ofc if anyone asks he’d just say “its because i barely even tolerated liam. obviously his stupid little song can’t seduce me”) AND supplies further reasoning for tobias to show up (he heard the howling first, and would probably think “eh, theyre just doing normal wolf stuff” however if he heard the sirensong in addition to that, it gives him an opportunity to go “oh fuck, thats jesse and rhys’s friend”)

the thing i cant decide on is how affected the wolves are by the song. if rhys isn’t affected due to being supernatural… well, i could excuse that as his soul being one that has a soulmate mechanic, which also means birch would be unaffected by sirens (not that there’s going to be a chance to test that) i think maybe some of the wolves are affected, and others aren’t. this would be based upon omegaverse bullshit, like idk, maybe the alpha is immune.

so, the alpha kills liam, and tobias kills the alpha, and, as if we dont have enough shit going on, rhys starts getting his visions and passes out? actually, idk if i kept that part of the story in the second draft plotline. will have to check: it is important to a lot of later plot points that rhys starts getting the memories of the people who’ve shared his soul.

i was ALSO thinking about the final showdown between birch and the gang. it seriously did not make sense in the first draft that he changed his mind about killing rhys solely because he professed his love to jesse.

and i had the brilliant idea of the return of rhys’s mind setting. tobias, using his illegal mind manipulation, in a last-ditch effort to save them all, draws birch into rhys’s mind. there he sees his soulmate oak and oak talks them out of killing rhys. this would have the emotional payoff of one thousand love confessions. but also while we’re there mind-rhys needs to act like its completely obvious that he’s been in love with jesse this entire time.

on another note, i was thinking about arthur’s religious background and instinctual homophobia, and how rhys and jesse would react to arthur going “wait… are you guys *queers*???” (jesse goes “NO ABSOLUTELY NOT” and rhys is like (to jesse) “coward,” (then to arthur,) “yeah, i am. what about it?”) but i was also thinking of it in the context of rhys and arthur having a private conversation about liam and jesse’s relationship, and rhys ensuring that arthur keeps his mouth shut regardless of “what God thinks”.

its interesting to think of the differences between the boys and their queerness. like, liam is the most out-and-proud about it, which is important to jesse learning to accept himself. jesse is aware of who he is, but unable and afraid to show it due to what happened when his dad found out. rhys is completely okay with being gay, but he doesn’t see any reason to talk about it. berry casual. arthur is, obviously, very repressed. tobias offers the perspective that things like that are *normal*—he’s seen it in nature, hes been among the other fae and seen their indifference to gender.

[1nkwe4ver]

The Umbrella Academy Season 4 spoilers

You know what’s funny (it’s kinda opinion/kinda hc but I still feel like sharing it)

I feel like every other Five in the multiverse stayed true to character

Seems like at least a good portion of them, like the Five we met in the diner, figured out the true solution to the apocalypses was the family sacrificing themselves/fusing with the marigold/allowing the cleanse

And what did other Fives do?

They kept fucking fighting

They gave slower versions of themselves tips

Brisket Five opened a restaurant to let some of them rest and compare notes (or some Five did, and he was one of a few Fives that worked there)

At least one who got lost, with or without Lila, kept at the railway system so long he figured it out and left his journal to help another Five figure it out faster.

Some Five went so batshit off the rails he created the commission and hired himself, who knows how many times.

All it would take would be one timeline with the marigold and durango completely recombining to cause the cleanse and destroy every branched timeline.

Absolutely none of them reacted with “We have to sacrifice ourselves, it’s the right thing” besides our Season 4 POV Five. Because true to the Five we know, absolutely every other Five lived to stop the apocalypse and save his family. To any that figured out the cleanse, it was just an unfortunate but necessary bit of information to help them get closer to the solution.

I imagine the Five from the diner appearing in the end of that last episode and beating the shit out of our POV Five and going “WTF THATS NOT WHAT I MEANT WHO ARE YOU” and then teleporting the siblings away.

[z-saint-box]

Attack on High Guardian Academy Episode Review

"Sometimes I miss being a kid, when we didn't have to deal with all this... stuff." - Sage, lamenting her new life at High Guardian Academy

"Sage, Parsley, put out the fires! Thyme, help me catch this asshole!" - Rosemary, commanding her team in the library

"We had some sick moves yesterday, High Guardian Spice. Because of our names." - Rosemary, name-dropping the title of the show at the very end of the episode

"Execution." - Rosemary's mother, Lavender, deciding Mandrake's fate

Much like "Festival of Fall," this episode is at a higher quality than the rest of the show, due to its function as the season one, or series' finale. Much like the second part of the Autumn Processional, the entire plot is action, which is why I can't really talk about it, let alone analyze it.

Being a lengthy, climactic fight scene to end the show, the art and animation are unique to this episode, to emphasize how dramatic it is. When the girls are in the library, they have darker shadows and sharp highlights due to the fire, which also represents the intense conflict, or fiery action between the girls and Mandrake. Even as the fighting takes place outside the library, the action is still tense, as Rosemary and Sage fly through the sky to subdue him.

Mandrake makes his debut, and final appearance on the show; but he has an intimidating appearance and personality. Unlike Olive, who has always hesitated with killing the girls, Mandrake is completely willing to do it. For this reason, he is the polar opposite to her, and why he is merciless.

Either way, the girls are put to a real test, a real challenge that they have never faced before; and in the process, Sage's ponytail, which represents old magic, gets stuck under rubble. To free herself, she literally cuts it off in order to save Rose from Mandrake. Shortly after, she uses new magic to defeat him.

One major criticism I have against the episode is how the entire school is supposedly crammed inside the basement. With the number of students that are actually inside, it just doesn't look like it. Mandrake also managed to convince every single High Guardian Academy student into going there. Not only that, but the basement is made of stone, which does not burn. Additionally, none of the students have water spells, or a way to extinguish the flames. They don't even use new magic to do it. This is stupid because Sage summons water to extinguish the fires in the library. Although speaking of, she would've also damaged the books.

All of this would've made more sense if Mandrake had disguised himself as one of the Triad and then called everyone into the rotunda for an assembly. Afterwards, he seals everyone inside, and then the rest of the episode proceeds as normal. And for some reason, the Triad does not appear in the episode whereas every other staff member does.

Another issue I have is Carroway confronting Mandrake by tackling him to the ground. I don't think he is masculine enough to do this. It's not just the fact that he was born female, but because he is soft-spoken, he is too soft for confrontation, or at least physical confrontation. Ironically, the first thing that the real Carroway would've done is draw his staff and point it at his imposter; i.e. ask questions first.

And lastly, towards the end of the library scene, the blood that comes out of Mandrake looks really bad, but at least the action surrounding it is good enough.

As for anything else, it would've been nice to see Aster again. After all, if he is so macho, he should have taken the lead in saving the students, or fail miserably. Either would be acceptable. I also think it would be cute if Zinnia made a cameo appearance. If she thought the Cave of Vinca was a death trap, imagine how she would react to the entire school catching fire. For both reasons, a bit more continuity could have easily added to the episode.

However, I did not mention the credits, which is a completely different outro that is exclusive to this episode. Rather than the standard one, which is inappropriately used for episodes like "Festival of Fall" and "Scypith," this one is an epilogue, what the girls do for winter break. Not only is it cute and well-detailed, but also tells its own miniature story.

Just like the seasons, the girls themselves change as they transition into a new stage of their life. Sage is the best example, as her new hairstyle represents her willingness to accept or adopt new magic, which saved not only Rosemary and herself, but also the school. For that matter, her haircut might even represent her transition into maturity; after all, she looks older.

Despite being the last episode of the show, I still have to judge the fate (hate?) of High Guardian Spice.

previous episode review: Festival of Fall

up next: High Guardian Spice Series Review (reviewing the show as a whole)

[sylviareviar]

❛ i like it out here. it’s peaceful. ❜ (( From Misawa! ))

Sylvia hadn't expected anyone to come all the way down to the lighthouse at this time of night. She didn't often come here, but there were times she just needed to cool down and get away from everything happening on this cursed island.

Looking out over the water reminded her of the times she and Yusei would drive down the Satellite highway, practicing against each other, then stopping every once in a while either when the duel was done or their Runners had issues that needed solving. Or when they needed rest.

On days like those, they often climbed to the highest point of the highway and stared out through the gap of destroyed buildings at the sea, where glimmering lights shimmered in the horizon, indicating just how out of reach New Domino City really was. They would stare out in silence, with nothing but each other's company. Sometimes Sylvia talked to Yusei and filled the void of silence with her voice, be it singing, chatting about nothing, asking questions... But there were also times she was too tired to talk.

There were also times she stared out completely by herself. They were much rarer since she and Yusei became closer, but every once in a while he was too busy with his own things to rest with her. So on the off chance she happened to pass by the spot or just needed to get away from the boys for an hour or two, she stared out across the sea on the highway.

Today was one of those days she'd gotten overstimulated. They happened much more frequently now, on Duel Academy Island, than they did in Satellite. All the rumors and challenges and pointed stares were getting tiresome. Then, all of a sudden, she heard a voice in a soft accent breaking the silence.

"I like it out here. It's peaceful."

She reacted to the voice by moving just a little bit, but despite her curiosity, chose not to turn around and meet their gaze. If they really wanted to talk to her-- actually talk to her, not harass her-- they could prove it from over there. She didn't have to acknowledge them.

All she gave him (the voice was male, of that she was certain) was a soft hum in response, as she continued looking out over the sea. Domino City was just on the other side of that vast body of water. She couldn't imagine New Domino City looking any different from how she saw it toda-- er, in the future. Seeing it without the signature stadium, and the old-timey KaibaCorp tower and Kaiba Dome... It felt unreal.

Sometimes she kept wishing she woke up, and all of this had been some terrible dream. That Yusei, Crow, Toru, Misaki... Everyone would be there when she woke up. Then she did wake up and saw no one. That's how she knew it was all too real to be a dream.