#thread: familiarity

[wonderingprince]

He smiles slightly. Telemakhos is well used to being judged on his parents' merits rather than his own; he sat in his father's shadow his entire life. It doesn't bother him. He's found that it's useful to be underestimated. To let people see what they want to see. You can learn a lot about a person like that. And it gives him the element of surprise.

"There's not a whole lot of benefit to observing strangers." Not unless you're searching for someone, of course, but Ben keeps his eyes peeled and his ears open, and tries not to spend every waking moment looking for people he might have once known. It's not worth the frustration, or disappointment.

It goes without saying that if he had the ability to spot reborn souls, he would pay more attention. Nevermind that it would no doubt still be an exercise in frustration, given the millions of years of human history up against him.

He hopes what Ganymede says means that he would know his parents, if he stumbled across them. Well, as long as they wanted to be found. Telemakhos is sure that he never did manage to fully match his parents' cunning. But the thought of crossing paths with his family and not realising, never realising, is something of a recurring nightmare he has.

But that's a personal dilemma Ganymede certainly doesn't need the details of.

"Perhaps not obvious, but better than stumbling around completely blind," is what he answers eventually, after a moment of consideration. "Don't worry, I was just curious. I'm not looking for a rebirth detector. I think that would get me more trouble than it's worth."

"A little, though I've always found it relaxing," Ganymede agrees, but the smile is amused. "Probably a good thing - it helped at least a little for the couple years I watched sheep. But I wouldn't have thought the son of Odysseus would consider it as a waste of time to observe people, to find out as much as possible about them."

He's teasing, and makes no attempt to hide that he is doing exactly that.

"As for reborn souls... I don't know how it looks to others," he says, teasing lightless laid aside for a thoughtful little frown. "I wouldn't be able to sit on Olympus and see such a thing. It has to be close. But it's like a certain weight, I suppose, to the person. And if I've met someone before, and talked to them, I can tell it's the same soul, who they were the first time, reborn. I think, if I hadn't been alive for as long as I have, it'd be more difficult."

Sipping on his chocolate, Ganymede's gaze goes a little unfocused as he thinks, then looks back to Ben, shrugging.

"When I'd first come to Olympus, I couldn't see anywhere without divine aid. After a little while, I could use a surface - a mirror, calm liquid, for example - and see down into the mortal world. So it's probably both practice and something reborn souls accrue by being reborn and living again. Does that count as obvious?"

Hard to know, after all, what Ben means by that. Obvious to a god wouldn't be the same as obvious to a mortal with no other skills and abilities mortals usually have, all else being equal.

[sqhilysm]

Going through some old docs of mine and I rediscovered an old au idea I had for a Qijiu & Bingyue fic with Yue Qingyuan at the center of it all. The entire fic from what I gathered from rereading my word doc is basically an au where Yue Qingyuan claims Luo Binghe as a disciple without realizing that Shen Jiu wanted him, which just fuels Shen Jiu's anger towards Yue Qingyuan even more and also causes him to develop a hatred of Binghe like he does in PIDW. But this time he doesn't have any of the authority he originally had over Binghe, so he can't abuse him the way he did in PIDW. I had a lot more on my mind for it and did write a bit more about it in my word doc, but my brain never really focused on the idea enough to actually write about where canon would diverge and where it would stay the same. Thankfully I finally got back into danmei and specifically SVSSS again, so now I'm reworking the idea so that I at least can share a vague outline of it because I honestly have no idea when I'll write the fic and I really want to talk about it.

[silver---linings]

There's a familiar figure, just standing there with his arms crossed and his back turned. He looked like Silver, but he wasn't Silver.

As you approach, his ear flicks as he hears your footsteps, then he turns slightly, and finally takes notice of you.

He seemed a bit surprised he had some guests.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

[sherwood-scribblings]

Sunrise on the Reaping theories + thoughts so far (pt 1)

here's a collection of the most likely and most interesting head-canons and stuff I've seen, both fandom-made and my own

NOT MINE BUT EXPANDED & CONNECTED BY ME:

• Tigress pov, as an audience member, maybe she's Haymitch's designer

• we got a tribute pov, a mentor pov, now we could get an audience pov because of the themes of propaganda she emphasizes... we could also get multi pov if she wants to do smth crazy and appease all fans

• Unreliable narrator, perhaps screwing with the reader's head on what actually happened in the games, capitol editing footage out

• Perhaps Tigress observes the games and originally starts off oblivious to the truth but the more she watches and helps Haymitch the more she begins to see the truth, and so the capitol punishes both her and Haymitch for it

• Lucy Gray is midnight, Haymitch/Maysilee is sunrise, Katniss/Peeta is sunset (symbolic of the progression of the games. Lucy Gray wiped out and forgotten, Haymitch the escaped glimmering sliver of change, Katniss the blazing fire and finale)

• Maysilee wore the mockingjay pin in the arena but the capitol edited it out of all the footage

• Themes of light vs dark, truth vs lies, the audience starts out unaware and conflicted but comes to see how things really are

• Katniss parents could appear??? Maybe we'll see Mr. and Mrs. Everdeen fall in love??

MY THEORIES + THOUGHTS:

• (canon) The arena is an illusion. Flowers, water, fruit, mountains, animals. It's beautiful, heavenly, too good to be true, it doesn't seem real... well, it's not real. Everything seems normal and like you know what it is, but the Entire Setting is actually poisonous and deadly. JUST like the theme of propaganda and lies, she says the book is about. The arena itself is a meta layer to things not being as they appear.

• the cover will have a mockingjay and a sunrise or sun-flare, gold against purple

• the "sunrise" in the title is symbolism, for a person and a theme, likely symbolic of Maysilee Donner because of her kindness and humanity and spirit casting light in the face of violence and war (the reaping). A light the capitol would've snuffed out, to hide the truth. (I have a whole essay on this + maysilee's importance pls check my feed)

• Maysilee is the real mockingjay, and very important, not just a random dead background character who passed down the pin to Katniss. We know how Collins' brain works. Look at TBOSAS. Look at how she foreshadowed Lucy Gray as early as the first book. 

• the mockingjay isn't just one person, but a symbol of resistance and goodness and freedom, that anyone can take on as a mantle, an idea rather than tied to one thing or person. Lucy Gray, Rue, Katniss, and likely Maysilee.

• a rebellion almost happened with the mockingjay pin and Maysilee and Haymitch and perhaps Tigress seeing the truth last minute, but the capitol snuffed it out and destroyed all the evidence of such a thing ever happening, including Haymitch's family and punishing Tigress, leading Panem and the readers themselves in the dark and at peace. Maysilee is the warm sun to bring the spark of a fire, her pin symbolically passes onto Katniss through her niece, thus passing on the resistance and legacy. ....symbolic of how the mockingjay had the will to survive, even when it was destroyed and wiped out.... It escaped and became stronger in the face of its enemies....

• ...for all we know, Katniss' dad didn't die in a coal mining accident, but perhaps was a rebel himself and the capitol planted explosions in the mines to get rid of him. we can't just blindly trust the narrative.

• If Haysilee is a parallel to Everlark, what if Haymitch's girlfriend is a Gale figure? This isn't just because I'm a haysilee shipper I'm built to be a multishipper I'm FIGHTING not to be biased I'm openminded, but i feel the haysilee content in my bones and it's definitely a possibility

• the capitol (and Snow) believes that humanity is vile, that humans will always give into instinct and fend for themselves, that you can't trust or love or anyone lest it lead to your downfall. So... If Ballad was about humanity's corruption, perhaps Reaping is about humanity's goodness (the bond between Haymitch and Maysilee, Tigress seeing the truth despite being a capitol/audience member, perhaps the Capitol cut the footage of that bond to prevent a rebellion like Everlark's relationship later induces) 

• Most people are saying this book will be super depressing and focused on the capitol's propaganda succeeding to stop a rebellion, and I do agree, but, that doesn't cancel out highlighting themes of goodness and friendship but rather enhances them. Perhaps that very thing is what we're missing from the footage, what the capitol succeeded in covering up, raw humanity being the thing that defies their propaganda the most, and punished anyone who acted otherwise (Haymitch, Tigress...)

PART 2 IS COMING SOON to address the fandom discourse with my personal thoughts on whether this book will be about Haymitch and if we need more District 12.

and why Collins would logically choose to tell this story (regardless of pov because that could be anything at this point she'll upset someone either way)

[innervoiceartblog]

I think it's a deep consolation to know that spiders dream, that monkeys tease predators, that dolphins have accents, that lions can be scared silly by a lone mongoose, that otters hold hands, and ants bury their dead. That there isn't their life and our life. Nor your life and my life. That it's just one teetering and endless thread and all of us, all of us, are entangled with it as deep as entanglement goes.

― Anon

• Seb McKinnon, illustration from The Moon's Daughter, 2021

[bikefuckersoftheworldunite]

me recommending races:

[thestoriesincoffeestains]

Familiar Flavors [Dinah/Santiago]

@aquamanandfriends

Dinah lingered outside of Santiago's family restaurant for a moment, shifting in her Converses. She'd knew he'd be happy to see her at first, but that didn't mean he'd be elated to hear she wanted to stay. It had taken so long for her to get a work visa; she hadn't wanted to tell him she was trying to visit until it worked out. From her spot outside, she could see him smiling at customers, obviously at ease. Di didn't want to disrupt the life he'd built for himself here.

The moment she slipped through the doors, a smile crossed Dinah's lips. That smell. It was like coming home. She stepped in a slow circle, taking in the decor from where she stood, when she felt the weight of someone's gaze on her.

[thewiickedones]

@omniterror Asked:

“If you are wise, you will leave this place.” / rose to negan

❝   We’re   not   wise,   ”   Negan   said,   grinning,   ❝   but   we   are   persistent.   ”   He   eyed   Rose’s   companions--   the   one   with   the   raccoon   eyes,   the   redcap   with   a   sock   full   of   steel   ball-bearings,   then   looked   down   at   Rose’s   hands,   the   fingers   curled   around   something   she   wasn’t   quite   ready   to   reveal.   He   looked   back   at   Rose’s   face   and   saw   the   hesitation,   the   faint   crease   in   her   brow   that   said   she’d   never   meant   to   meet   him   here   or   anywhere,   let   alone   parley.

Negan   offered   her   the   crooked   smile   again,   stretching   his   chapped   lips   over   wolfish   teeth.   ❝   Why   don’t   you   save   us   all   some   time   and   tell   us   what   the   hell   you’re   really   doing   in   my   backyard   ?   ❞   Negan   snorted,   but   his   heart   was   not   in   it.   He   recognized   the   hunger,   the   desperate   need,   the   stench   of   people   who   had   lost   everything   and   were   still   biting   back   at   the   world,   teeth   sunk   in   down   to   the   roots.   He’d   been   these   kids,   once.   Before   he’d   become   king.

[crystalcalled]

@missallanea ❧ if you give back every stolen artifact from a museum, you'd be left with an empty building. / demona @ kida? │ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE (2001) PROMPTS

"Then let it be!" Kida flared, the blue of her eyes a tsunami. "Museums should be places where we learn about and honor those who came before us -- not exploit them!"

There was anger in the other's eyes, but she could sense a deep sadness as well which made her pause. Kida could never lose her own fiery spirit, but the long, winding years had taught her to be wiser with it and try to appeal to the good nature she believed was in (most) everyone. Her father had once called her soft for it, but she hoped that wherever he was, he could see it as a kind of strength in its own right and be proud of her. After all, her mother had been much the same way during her short reign.

"I understand you have been hurt by humans," the ancient queen began, steadying her voice like the calm after a storm. "There are such humans who would harm my people, too, but you mustn't punish them all for it. The wars, the destruction, it will never end, and soon there will be nothing left for any of us... My father learned this the hard way during the time of the Great Flood. "

[shadowglens]

i do still think datv feels very … disconnected from the previous trilogy, and that parts of it don’t really Feel like dragon age to me. that being said, i’m still having a fun time

[rayofmisfortune]

For some reason can't stop thinking about how similar tf prime Smokescreen is to Hot Rod.

They're both young autobots out to prove themselves. Heedlessly charging into battle.

Look up to OP to a ridiculous degree.

They both were offered the chance to be a Prime after OP's death. In Rodimus' case, he actually DID become a Prime.

I'm of two minds about these fellas. On one hand I can't help but see these glaring similarities and think how cool it would've been to have Hot Rod there? I mean... Outliers weren't really that much of a thing in Prime right? But heyyyy look woo jingle jingle this guy can set his own fuel on fire jingle jingle. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND I wanna take Smokey and Roddy, shove them in a terrarium under a UV lamp, pull over a chair and observe what they do together.

(This ramble was sparked thanks to a thread on tfw2005)

[townofcadence]

It was almost absurd, how rapid a day could switch from pleasant to devastating.

It could happen in the most unexpected places too, like during a small book faire at the local library. He had been perusing the tables, both to support such an important building to his community, and to find some used books both for him, and potentially for Caelan to consume as well. It had been a good day; there was a certain joy in buying books, in knowing he held something with knowledge and information he might not yet have discovered from other sources. And with most everything being sold being what the library needed to get rid of, it was all used, and definitely affordable.

And then she'd hailed him.

It wasn't....really a bad conversation, initially. She was a girl he'd known in high-school; Peyton, one of the girls from the cliques that really cared about their self-image. He remembered her well enough to recognize her, since she was the one who coerced Elias into going on a few dates. He had said yes, but she was the kind to lay on the pressure until you did, and he had always been too much of a people-pleaser to let anyone down. Thankfully someone else had come along that she deemed more her type, and those few dates had ended without further issues.

He felt awkward from the get go, but mainly the conversation had revolved around her being here to visit her family and deciding to stop in at the faire, and asking how things had been since she left town. It was small talk between past peers: most of it he was wondering what made her want to talk to him as he answered some of her questions and tried to politely offer some to her as well. She had left town for a bigger city and had a husband there. She had a podcast she ran with a friend. He nodded along.

Honestly, he just wanted to look at books instead.

And then, he figured out why she approached him; she asked about Elias, as 'you two were so close'. It made sense, then, why she'd even talk to him. He could feel her anticipation. The left turn was a sour pit in his stomach.

Said pit widened itself to a chasm the more questions she asked. Especially as she started needling about how Elias had disappeared, without a trace. She brought up rumors she'd heard, anything from him running away to elope with his girlfriend, to he had joined some government agency, to he was in witness protection. He sat with the truth tight around his neck, constricting just a little tighter each theory she posited.

The final blow was a slap to the face, the chasm's cliffs giving way to just a gaping hole. Her eyes had cast on him and her head had tilted in this perfectly innocent expression. "I also heard you did it. Some friends of mine said you three had a falling out right before, right? They weren't talking to you at all and you looked so miserable. A lot of people say it's your fault. You drove them away or murdered them or something. Lots of places to hide bodies out here. And oh, you know how true-crime girls can get when they think they've figured out something juicy like that. But it is awfully suspicious how they vanished right after things changed with you. You had to be angry, right? How angry were you? Do you have anything to do with what happened? How did you react when they disappeared? I mean you did have that one murder news story tied to you, didn't you? The one with that one guy from high-school? Oh-- sorry, 'self defense'. But it's awfully suspicious, don't you think?"

Her tone wasn't fully accusatory, but her gaze was scrutinizing, as if looking for any tell, any sign he was guilty. He could see her phone in her hand, but it only registered like a hazy periphery. Too many feelings threaded their way through him, the blood draining from his face. They were infected wounds even after years, and her perfectly manicured nails had managed to dig into the skin and make both bleed again. His throat was dry no matter how much he swallowed. His hands came up together, right hand clutching his left wrist in a curled position, over his chest. "I--- I--"

"So you do know." She'd advanced closer, taking away that semblance of protective distance. He was thrown off too much to push back for himself, drowning in a slew of old feelings. She looked like she smelled blood, maybe for her fucking podcast or something. Her phone came up higher. "The truth will come out either way, so if you tell me, then I can help your story sound a lot more sympathetic, I know you had something to--."

The familiar voice cutting-in felt like a fucking blessing. They must've spotted them. She stopped, startled by the interjection, and it was enough for him to manage a ragged breath.

"I--- it's okay." He tried to sound normal, but his voice was splintering and wooden. "I'm-- you don't have to worry." He wished he was anywhere but here, wished he could do something other than worry his friend, and talk to someone who wanted to--- probably boil one of the worst moments of his life down into a #tragedy on tiktok for views. Or worse, given the line of her self-appointed sleuthing.

"We were just having a conversation." She adds, and it's like jagged glass in his brain. His hand finds it's way to his hair to tug on a few strands, to ground himself and he averts his eyes. "I'm not doing anything to him."

[sarastuss]

i talked about this yesterday with friends, but man, one thing i really love about writing is the plotting bit. like, chatting together about possible things our characters could do, what they would say &. a whole conversation starting from that one single sentence. exploring different timelines, all of it is such a big, &. fun part for me personally what it comes to this hobby. ✨

[boombambaby]

( PERMANENT STARTER CALL. - ) - always accepting! -- @heartbinders ( for Sora! )

" Mmhm, mhm, riiiiiiight. Soooo, these uh. What'd you call them? 'Heartless' things are . . . bad. " A pause, to let his obvious question sink in.

" -- and you need MY heart to open THE door to this super, magical place where everyone is happy, called the Kingdom of Hearts. " Under his breath; " Cause that's not creepy or anything. " then, out loud once more. " Am I getting that right? "

[savingthrcw]

@starwrittenfates for your New Who Master, up to you which version you want to torture a bit!

She'd killed the Cybermen - they were programmed to be evil, there was no problem with her cuffs and she could finally let out a little steam this way - and gotten her hands on the little remote that could lead their army. Too bad that she couldn't directly order them to destroy anything. Her damn cuffs wouldn't let her, so she just had to settle for self-destruction. But before she could, much to her delight, she finally saw the familiar face she had, for all purposes, stalking for a very long time. The boy she had tortured for their entire childhood. Until Theta had killed her, that was.

"Hello. You look familiar... Say, are you with Unit?"

[virgin-superstar]

dont ever go to a "prestigious" university for anything guys its not worth it