#< also it has a sick secondary ship name

[stealingpotatoes]

luke and biggs… thoughts?

many thoughts + it means luke has a type

[anotherbluesunday]

✨Moodboard Teaser: In Technicolor✨

With the release of the first chapter coming in hot with its expected release being this Friday at the latest or sooner (possibly as early as tomorrow) I wanted to take the time to acquaint everyone with the primary couples in this story. Usually I cap it at two couples and have auxilary couples and characters on the fringes. But because this is a crossover between two of my favorite shows, I have expanded it to three—possibly four—couples with auxilaries (secondary) on the fringes. These couples will include original characters i.e. Wynn Galpin who is Tyler Galpin’s younger sister. There is a crossover couple that joins the Wednesday group with the Riverdale group. This couple is where I expect to receive the most backlash but idc. Their my crossover otp and I hope you all trust me enough to keep reading and join me/the characters on this journey. I have also switched some things up with one of the Riverdale characters because the ship only got screen time in the last season and it did more for their character than their actual failed relationships did the entire season. Fight me. But don’t. Or do.

Anyway, here are the couples moodboards, as promised. The visuals were inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juilet because these past few months since January I have been on a 90’s and 2000’s kick and I am dying for how that movie captured the beauty, grit, grime, and excitement of LA. So enjoy and let me know what you think! 💜

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We open with our crossover couple who are the star-crossed lovers—Cheryl Blossom, the queen of the Palisades and star tennis player and Pugsley “Lee” Addams, the king of Elysian Heights and leader of his grunge sleeze band Texca. Born second generation to a working class defense attorny and day-time caregiver to the elderly, Lee Addams has just wants to make it through his senior year of high school and hangout with his friends on the weekend. But when he and his twin sister Wednesday step a little too far over the line at their old school their parents pull some strings to have their three children—Wednesday, Pugsley, and Pubert “Bertie” attend Morticia’s former high school. There, Lee unwittingly comes face to face with the campus queen, the indomitable and untouchable Cheryl Blossom. Born into privilege with the face of an angel and the bite of a viper, she has everything and anything. Influence thanks to her parents name. Adoration by way of her beauty. And power because of her abilities to manipulate others. But what happens when a hurricane meets an immoveable force? Will they fold? Destroy one another? What happens when the pretty vicious face isn’t all it seems to be and the cutting confidence is stripped away? Who are the real people that lie beneath it all?

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Next are our second pair of the four star-crossed lovers. While it is never a good idea to fall for your twin flame, for Tyler and Wednesday it isn’t so simple. Twin flames and soulmates fused into one as if it were a sick joke, their story begins at a party—the raven haired twin sister with her face painted like a Catrina (see: Dia de los Muertos symbols and iconography) and the Galpin golden boy dressed like Sir Lancelot with the sacred heart etched into his chest plate. Like her brothers, Wednesday grew up living a modest life where nothing was taken for granted and family sits at the heart of all major decisions. For Tyler, he has forgotten the importance of family and community after starting university where his life has evolved into an endless stream of parties and hookup’s. Never struggling but also never being challenged to be better or grow, he’s hit a wall. A mid-life crisis of sorts but at the already chaotic age of 18 with his 19th birthday right around the corner. But from the moment he lays eyes on Wednesday she is all he can think of. All he breathes and dreams of—a beautiful stranger that won’t free him. Yet when this silver tongued Casanova tries to approach the dark beauty he’s shot down. Challenged to question who he is and what he truly is doing with his life that matters. What is in store for the idealistic social revolutionist and her troubled admirer? Where will they land when the walls of his kingdom come crumbling down?

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The youngest of three siblings each yet one is protected and coddled like a greenhouse flower while the other has flourished amidst hardship and bouts of poverty. Wynn Galpin is caught in a never-ending loop of compassions to her twin older siblings, Tyler and Enid. Both are straight A students. Both star athletes with Tyler winning championship after championship for swim and Enid earning a full-ride scholarship to UCLA for volleyball. Both are charming and charismatic. Both are perfect and Wynn can never compare despite how she tries. She doesn’t have the passion for swim or volleyball so she chooses cheer. “That’s not a real sport” she’s told. Her siblings get A’s but she can hardly scrape by with B’s while battling her depression and anxiety. At all times, her mind is screaming for her to just run off and disappear. And after the loss of her friend and pseudo-sister Polly, the darkness has become more persuasive. More invasive and vicious. But it is during a spiral that forces her out of the gym during cheer practice that she runs into the new kid. The brainiac junior in her senior level AP classes. Pubert “Bertie” Addams. A carefree class clown with a heart of gold and the virgin Guadalupe drawn in vibrant neons on the bottom of his skateboard. Where will this new path take them when the class clown and the beauty queen who seems to always be in tears meet to form an oddball friendship? And what happens when their hearts begin to long for more than just friendship but their worlds couldn’t be more different? How will things turn out for the greenhouse flower and her sidewalk dandelion?

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What’s the worst that could happen when you fall in love with your best friend? What happens when you think they love someone else? When you think they could never see you the way you see them in return? Do you stand there and wait for them to turn around? Or do you walk away while piecing together your heart that will never know real closure? Reggie has asked himself these questions nearly every day for the past six years since his family moved to the fringes of the Palisades and enrolled him in the affluent junior high nearby. Archie Andrews was his first friend at his new school all those years ago. The first one to get up during lunch time and sit down next to him. The one who didn’t care that his parents weren’t from money and had only recently come into their fortune. The one who didn’t care that he didn’t have the newest clothes, phone, or hairstyle. Like a guardian angel come to save him from perpetual solitude, Archie befriended Reggie with a bright smile and a silly joke. And since that day, Reggie has kept his love for the redhaired boy wonder to himself. Has been the picture of what a bestfriend should be. Has supported Archie and defended him. Joined their high school swim team with him just so that they could live out Archie’s dream of being the one’s to break Tyler, the former captain’s, record and win more championships than him and his team did. Reggie has lived a beautiful but painful lie for nearly a decade and the cracks have begun to show. The devotion now agony. The love a barbed dagger twisted liettle by little every time he has to play third wheel on Archie’s dates with his girlfriend Veronica. But one night their eyes meet across a sea of moving bodies at a house party. Archie kissing Veronica but can’t stop looking at Reggie. There’s a spark. A sadness. Hope. But is there truth? Is there a willingness to be honest? To accept this attraction that has been there waiting from the start? Does Archie know what real love could be like if he just turned around? Or will the lovefool angel look away once again and leave the poor friend and saint in the dark?

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Stay tuned for more because this is only the beginning. Next will be the auxiliary couples, characters, and family boards for the three main ones at play. But the next next post that will be following this one will be the official titlecard for Chapter One. Can’t wait to see you all again there. 💜

[poltergeist-coffee]

new poltergeist (and vert) mermaid au lore just dropped (i lied it’s not new lore more like a potential cute spinoff AKMDHKJAO)

Majority if not everything stays the same except now Etoiles is a hunter of mermaid hunters. He is top dog he is going after every and all the hunters who are trying to capture mermaids. In particular he’s after this one group who’s signature for their green banner and they play dirty by dropping hostile animals in the water instead of hunting fish/mermaids themself (very bad that’s an invasive species right there. they’re gonna fuck up the ecosystem). No matter how many times Etoiles blows their ship up they just keep doing back??? and it’s annoying as hell??? He’s also after the “Federation”, a group of hunters on white boats with a HUGE force but that’s secondary

The rest of the French are also human and all might work at an aquarium/sea life conservation place? Aypierre def works making new tech and is developing diving technology for marine biologists that is eco friendly!! baghera probs looks after any hurt/sick sea life they find (like rehabilitation? intending to release them back in the wild once they’re all better). Kameto probs fund the place they all work at (ceo moment) and Antoine probs explores the ocean as well looking for new undiscovered sea life/just researching… i’m really unsure tbh but they’re all human but have an adorable little mermaid they’re looking after.

Her name is Pomme, affectionately named that after her red colored tail. Pomme loves to hang out with her family but most times likes to follow Etoiles since he goes on long distant adventures and she likes to keep him company (plush modern technology exists if the man remembers he takes pictures of pomme to send to the rest of the French) Pomme 100% wants to help Etoiles fight the hunters but she’s just a baby and he’s very worried for her safety akmfkhskns

Anyways, Etoiles protects mermaids and is toootally not in love with this one cute clownfish mermaid….. (i’m being sarcastic. he’s got a baby crush on pac) (meanwhile pac is literally heal over heels for etoiles and is not hiding it from anybody)

During their first interaction Etoiles notices that Pac has a tail prosthetic (bitten off by a certain octopus mermaid…) and says somethign like “ooo you must have fought very hard :)) you survived that!!” and pac nearly cries /pos he is so enamored with etoiles right then and there. not to mention etoils points out the patches of scales Pac has on his tail that remind him of pac-man and pac is just so smitten

[midwinterhunt]

I'm going to rant about my favorite book, okay? okay.

It fallows the main character, Daetrin (which is murder for my dyslexia because the a and e next to each other is the bane of my existence) in a post alien invasion world. The aliens, called the Tyr, have already taken control of earth. The war is lost. The point is moot.

Why i LOVE the story is that we fallow Daetrin who we at first assume is just Some Guy, as he's taken prisoner and shipped off into space. Of course he's anxious about his medication and everything which we are worried about, but oh god it is so much worse than we think at first!

See, Daetrin is part of a small part of Earth's population who is functionally immortal, can full on shapeshift, can only really digest blood without his meds, and is basically allergic to UV rays! And we get to see him escape, meet up with an immortal alien shapeshifter, and go on to actually fight against the Tyr for the first time in centuries.

my favorite highlights: (Spoilers, obviously)

The first time he tries to eat normal food without his meds and he gets so sick he turns into a wolf but he thinks it was a fever dream because he forgot he can shapeshift

Him gradually relearning how to be himself and not pretending to be human

The Tyr being a hivemind and every hundred(?) years they feel an irresistible tug to return home where they have a fight to the death for who gets to be the next hive mind host. This is also heavily dependent on a member who has developed a strong enough sense of individuality to actually overpower the influence of the hive mind.

Daetrin and his friend accidentally raise one of the aliens, name him Fred. Fred becomes the next hive mind host. We find out that the alien species is named after the host. The Tyr become the Fred.

They almost get killed by a cult. The temple is honestly my dream house. It is described as seemingly built by a dozen different architects with no concern for what what previously existed. It was massive, windows opened to another wall with just a little gap, hallways led nowhere, doors were three feet off the ground, it sounded so fun!

Secondary character, a Marra, does not understand how physical matter works. Hijinks ensue.

Honestly this book had a major impact on how i approach writing because i saw that there is always a fun secret third option for any situation.

[apersonwholikeslotus]

here to ask u abt irenor… i’ve never heard of the ship before but i’d love to hear u explain it and break it down for me. my main question is how their relationship would work/come about, but my secondary question is who is the better chef between the two? I think cooking with/for ppl is such a sick form of intimacy so that’s why I ask.

quick disclaimer that I don't actually know enough detailed history about these two yet, I just have 2 scenarios that are giving me brain rot. I also don't use canon Ireland, I use an oc named Molly that I can't even particularly claim as my own.

okay but, they would probably hate each other at first, yknow when Sigurd is doing normal vikings raids on the coast (he was about 20, she was 21-22). I don't think they ever actually ran into each other during this time, they just knew of each others existence and decided to hate each others guts.

Now, I like to think about the time Dublin was settled was actually the end of Sigurd's raiding days. Like, there was still raiding going on in Ireland but he no longer wanted to take part. It was then, that the two of them met.

"You committed murder, arson, and thievery!"

"But I don't anymore!!!"

it took like two years for them to actually have a conversation that wasn't yelling.

anywho on Molly's side of things after about a year she just found him annoying, personifications have seen so much shit she got over Sigurd's own-partaking in the raids pretty quickly. They become kinda psuedo friends, as Sigurd is hanging around more and more with the more Norwegians that settle in Ireland. (also Molly thinks he's hot but that's a side note).

Tbh I don't actually know how/when they fell for each other and confessed but it happened at some point.

The first scene I have brain rot for is actually right here! I just adore them way back in the day having soft mornings together, (and considering like hc Iceland and Faroe Islands as their children) them teasingly arguing about who has to get out of bed first to get the baby. If I were to write it the decline in their relationship would absolutely be shown in how they interact when they first wake up going from "Good morning, I love you, I can't wait to spend all day with you, stay in bed I'll get Ida" to just... silence.

the second one I haven't written out, but I would like to if I can find time. Them both living in the US in the 1850s. Though Molly spends most her time on the East Coast and Sigurd spends his in the Midwest, they can't completely avoid running into each other once or twice. That once or twice sparks something fueled by loneliness, sentimentality, homesickness, and the need to control something. There's no real feelings in the relationship, it's very much for old times sake, they were never officially together again and they never officially broke up again. Sigurd went back to Norway, Molly fell in love with Lorenzo. And it was over.

They're friends now, and they kind of ignore their past relationships, do their best to co-parent the two now-adult children they had together. Sometimes they'll fall back into an 'what could have been' state (especially when they meet in Dublin); but it never lasts long. They're happy as friends now. They were in love, they aren't anymore, that's okay.

For the second answer, they both have pretty eccentric food tastes so I guess it really depends. I would have to say Molly though, and really because of time period when they were together she did most the cooking. Although if they were together in modern day it would probably be a pretty 50/50 split.

[atopfourthwall]

Ive only recently gotten into classic Star Trek so I don't think I can properly answer but what is it specifically about Discovery and recent Star Trek that classic Trek fans hate?

Putting this behind a cut because... it's a lot.

Well, first of all a big rejection of it is just on an aesthetic level. Up until the 2009 movie (which was considered a reboot, even with time travel elements), Star Trek tried to treat the original series and how it was portrayed as pretty sacrosanct. Sure, they might occasionally make jokes about goofier aspects of it and discard some of the stupider stuff (like how in the final episode, penned by Gene Roddenberry himself, that women weren't allowed to Captain starships), but how TOS looked? That's how the 23rd century looked. Buttons and multi-colored outfits and boxy computers and smooth, undetailed ships WAS what was appropriate for the time. When Scotty came back in TNG, they had him on the holodeck and it was the TOS bridge. When DS9 traveled back in time to that era for an episode? They went onto the Enterprise and visited it. When in an Enterprise 2-parter we had a TOS-era ship? It looked like a TOS ship. They even did a 2-parter on Enterprise to explain why Klingons had smooth foreheads when later (and earlier) they didn't. Star Trek up until then cared about maintaining that continuity of appearance. But Discovery is set in the TOS era... but nothing looks like TOS. Even when we got the Enterprise and those uniforms and we saw inside the ship, it was an upgraded form. The only logic I've seen people try to argue about WHY it doesn't look like it actually did was "Well, audiences won't accept something as cheap as TOS being futuristic." Well, then you've got a few responses there: -Don't set in TOS era, then. -That's horseshit, because audiences from the 90s through the 2000s accepted it just fine. Even a piece of dialogue from DS9 explained it perfectly: "I LOVE 23rd century design." It LOOKS cheap, but it was just the aesthetics of the period. And the Enterprise 2-parter it still looked good in HD. Hell, arguably it looked BETTER in HD because they knew how to light it and create mood and its own unique flavor. -It's even more horseshit because people are STILL going back and watching it even today, as indicated by you saying you've started watching it, so clearly it's not that much of a barrier. But what's even more egregious is the TECHNOLOGY. You might be able to accept updated aesthetics if at least matches what was present during the period... and it doesn't. Holographic displays and communication (holodeck technology AT ALL, frankly - it's possible it was there, but TNG seemed pretty adamant that the holodecks were fairly new, very impressive technology), weapons not looking or acting like they traditionally did, Enterprise and Discovery having R2D2-style repair droids that certainly did not exist in TOS, the wrong sound effects being frequently employed, replicator technology for good-looking food instead of food dispensers that gave out marshmallows and cubes, and honestly the tech level shown in Discovery looks just as advanced - if not MORE advanced than seen on TNG 100 years later. And this is a minor thing, but despite the attempt to make the future LOOK futuristic, from a cultural perspective, the future looks... way too damn similar to now. The excessive swearing (it was said in particular in Star Trek 4 that while they certainly did cuss, it was less common and they sure as hell weren't dropping F-bombs), a party on Discovery that looked like a rave (when previously it seemed like the most popular music and culture of the 23rd/24th century was considered fairly high-brow entertainment [classical music, Shakespeare, great works of literature and plays, etc.] - and while you could certainly argue that that snootiness and love of that stuff is a problem with Star Trek and a sign of how sterile and homogenized it is, THAT is the future they presented and a character in Voyager loving some of the goofier parts of 20th century culture like jukeboxes and old sci-fi serials was considered unusual), and just the general way people talk betrays the idea that the writers aren't thinking about how society changes in the future. It's just the modern day, but with cooler technology. But hey, let's set aside the general aesthetics - some people aren't going to mind that and find

ways to handwave away a lot of stuff (even Discovery season 2 TRIED to handwave away stuff like the holographic communications, but did a piss-poor job of it). This brings us to the problem of the WRITING. And the problem with the writing is a big Michael Burnham-shaped indentation. To be clear, I don't mind Michael as a character or her actress - there are interesting aspects to her, centering a Star Trek show around the science officer is a neat idea (though that means you should probably NAME IT AFTER HER and not around the ship, because it suggests this is a standard ensemble group and not JUST her)... but the actual execution is that it feels like the entire universe bends over backwards for HER. She has a unique relationship with a beloved longtime character that is retconned in. She has unique relationships with several important characters to the point where the fate of billions of people hinges on her and the decisions she makes. She is presented as almost always correct about everything, and those that oppose her are often wrong, naïve, or active enemies. Now, this is less of an issue in the third season - but that has its own unique problems - but in the first season, the resolution of two major storylines (mirror universe and the Klingon war) revolves around her and her relationship to the Terran Emperor and Lorca. In season 2, her mother trying to help or save her is the basis of the ENTIRE friggin' plot with time travel and the like, with special knowledge and history having to do with her and everyone ready to abandon their lives for her so she won't be alone when she has to go to the future when arguably they barely know her (the timeline of the show is debatable). Season 3 has a few different problems with her - the first is that she keeps being involved in things that don't concern her (why is she going down to Trill?) and she keeps violating orders. Now, her violating orders is a problem throughout the entirety of Discovery - in fact, it's kind of the instigating factor OF the series. And arguably, other Star Trek characters are guilty of that and they face no consequences, just as she faces none... and yet it's the brazenness with which it happens, and in those other series it's arguable because the series tries to avoid excessive continuity changes for its episodic nature, so the status quo MUST return to normal... but Discovery is pivoted as one of MAJOR continuity, so her lack of consequences (and indeed eventual PROMOTION) is baffling to the point of frustration. Now again, let me be clear here - she is not a bad character in and of herself. Honestly what it shows is that being the science officer on a starship is not where her talents lie. She should be in a position where she has a lot more freedom to act and not in a major command structure... but being in that command structure, what we see in season 3 is that she lacks the discipline, emotional maturity, responsibility, leadership qualities, and general other traits necessary to be a Captain. Only once during season 3 did she display such a quality - putting the safety of the Federation above a friend and colleague... but other times she will happily disobey orders and put herself and others in harm's way, creating potential new problems. Now, again, Star Trek is rife with characters doing that... but usually not the Captains. And, in fact, when this happened once on DS9 with one officer disobeying orders and putting their own personal feelings above the greater responsibility, it was made VERY clear that the incident would mean that they would never be able to command a starship because of the unofficial reprimand. What's even more frustrating about her is that the character is ALWAYS shoved to the forefront so much to the point where we just get sick of her. SHE is the one giving log entries (usually pretty piss-poor ones, at that - very flowery and nonsensical and kind of dumb) and not the Captain. SHE is the one given so much focus and how the plot of the episode affects her. Barely anyone else gets any focus episodes - I STILL can't

remember the names of some of the secondary characters because they're so rarely said, and a PTSD-related plotline in season 3 for one of the secondary characters basically gets resolved OFF-SCREEN. Michael would be fine if we actually had a chance to miss her... but we never do. Arguably one of the best episodes of the show is in season 2, when it focuses on Saru and his people because Michael DOES take a back seat. It's his story and his development and problems relating to him and his people. And even if, again, we forgave the idea of so much focus on her even in plots that aren't about her... she never seems to really change that much. She'll TALK about how she's changed, but I see no real difference in the way she acts (MAYBE season 1 to 2, where in season 1 she was stiffer and more Vulcan-like, but that's it). But hey, let's assume that's not a problem for you - you really, REALLY like Michael and are fine with so much focus on her. Simply put, the writing of the rest of the show... is just kind of dumb. The ship is powered by magic mushrooms that let it teleport everywhere because the universe has super fungus capillaries throughout it that nobody can see and also it's magic and can resurrect the dead. The time travel plot of season 2 doesn't make any sense when you sit down and diagram it. Well-established Trek lore is just kind of sprinkled in, but now in ways that doesn't match what it was before or at least in ways that completely recolor how it's supposed to work, because it needs to serve THIS plot. Everyone remembering a murdererous monster fondly after she leaves because "Hey, she was coooool." The explanation for the big mystery in season 3 is just fricking stupid and one of the two big reasons why I've finally given up on Discovery, because it's just so absurd, doesn't match how anything works, and just feels like the writers giving the middle finger to the audience because they care more about "YOU MUST FEEEEEEL THINGS!" instead of it making sense. And indeed, there is certainly a balance to be made of plot vs. emotion-driven storytelling - some stories are dumb, but are forgivable because the character writing and emotion are so strong that they override how goofy the plot is... but sometimes a plot is just so dumb it overrides anything I'm SUPPOSED to feel. And it would help if I already liked the show, already gave it some benefit of the doubt... but I don't and it hasn't done enough to impress me. A little thing that's a problem with ALL of current modern Trek shows is that whole sprinkling lore thing - I don't think a single episode goes by in ANY current modern Trek series that doesn't have a random reference to classic Trek lore. A name, a line of dialogue, etc. It comes across like the creators don't trust you to enjoy it on its own merits, but want you to like it because "Hey, remember thing? We know about thing! Like us because we mentioned thing!" But hey, I recognize that these are things that other people may not have any problem with or just disagree in general. But for me and my family, these are the big ones that keep us from enjoying it. Hell, my brother and dad still watch it for hatewatching purposes, but I was done after season 3. I gave it plenty of chances to impress me, and while each season MARGINALLY got better as it went along, I'm tired of waiting to actually like it and to stop feeling like it thinks I'm a fucking idiot. If other people still like it, great - it clearly appeals to them in a way that it doesn't appeal to me and they are free to enjoy it. Other people probably have their own issues, but this long, rambly bit is the major stuff for me.

[thecampfirestory]

FAQ

Important anouncement!!

In the near future this characters will become fully original! But for now we're merely switching the names every now and then to slowly get used to them

You can still call them by their old names, but im writing the changes so people wont be confused!

Dee -> Dee (but now hes ok with everyone calling him by his full name "Amadeus")

Vee -> Vee

Roman -> Florian

Remus -> Cadmus

Patton -> Lawrence (legal name [NOT a deadname]) / Achilles (chosen name)

Logan -> Nate/Nathan

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

Welcome to the Campfire AU! This blog gets lots of asks everyday so it can be kind of hard to find the basics of everything. So hopefully this can answer your questions if you’re new to the blog! 

 The AU doesn’t really have a plot. Just the sides being teens dealing with everyday stuff. The reason of why it’s called Campfire AU it’s because it all started with a comic where they went camping, but in all honestly it isnt even about camping at this point. Whoops!

(I have a in-character blog for Vee! Just for the fun of it lmao its @littlemothsandtinyvees )

What’s the AU about?

Are there any ships?

 This AU is 100% platonic! Many people get confused mainly because Dee and Remus are usually kinda flirty with each other. But they’re literally just messing around. Although, Vee and Logan get together in college (If this ship makes you uncomfortable, you can block the ‘’cf!analogical’’ tag!). But besides that, nothing else.

Is Thomas/Remy/Emile/etc in this AU?

 Yes, but actually no.

 Thomas and his crew are in this AU. BUT!!!! They have a very small, unsignificant role. Kind of like a cameo. They’re some cool yet scary looking monsters that appear on Vee's dreams. Vee also has a bat plushie named Count Joan.

 And Remy and Emile are Patton’s super cool toads. They just vibe.

What are the characters in the AU?

 Primary characters: Patton, Roman, Logan, Virgil, Janus (who still goes by Dee), and Remus.

 Secondary characters: King Creativity (Romulus), The Dragon Witch (DW), Annika (Vee’s biological mom), Celeste (Dee’s biological mom), and Mama and Papa Ruiz (Roman, Remus, and Romulus’ parents), Azariah, Nona, and Poppy (Dee and Remus' group of friends at school)

We dont really talk that much about Logan’s parents nor Patton’s dad, but they’re still there.

Blog’s ‘’Inside Jokes’’

The blog has some inside jokes that newcomers usually dont understand because they’re so bizarre and out of context, so here’s a quick guide. Beware, these are very dumb. I would like to apologize in advance:

The Jirt Dar: Its a jar full of dirt that Vee carries around and makes their friends put their hands inside of it if they catch them swearing.

The Sock Shirt: Remus owns a plain white shirt with the word ‘’sock’’ handwritten. That’s it. I have no idea why people find that hilarious.

Boneless Logan: Logan once had this theory that since he had never broken any bones in the past, he was, in fact, boneless. And still claims it to this day. Before you ask, no. He’s not serious about believing that, he just claims it to annoy or make people laugh. Has he ever broke a bone after that claim? Yes, he has.

‘‘Addy’‘: ‘’Addy’‘ is a nickname Vee has for Dee and it immediately triggers his Big Brother Mode because Vee only calls him that in scenarios when they’re sad, sick, etc.

‘‘Patton with an E‘‘:  When Vee and Patton first met, Patton had pointed out their last names where the same, except his had an ‘e’ at the end, and Vee thought it was pretty funny. Nowadays Patton sometimes introduces himself as ‘‘Patton with an E’‘ only to make Vee chuckle.

About OP

Hello! My name is Hay/Danny/OP i really dont mind how you refer to me as. I decided to make a little about me because I feel like I should set some boundaries for the sake of my mental health, basically some "please do not do this" because theyre personally triggering for me or make me uncomfortable.

Please never send asks talking about weight. Its a super triggering subject for me. Im fine if its asks like "Oh everyone lifts (X character) up a lot cause theyre very light" but thats it

Please dont vent in the asks, I have no idea what to do to help and as very empathetic person it stresses me out not being able to help. I am not a therapist

*Sometimes food is a subject that makes me extremely uncomfortable. Sometimes. What im trying to say is that you can send food related asks but if i dont answer it, its because at that moment food is a big no for me. I'll try my best to remember to give a heads up

(* Its totally okay if the subject is only passing. Its if the ask is focused on food what makes me extremely uncomfortable)

(Primary) Characters basic information (full name, age, height, etc)

● Janus Amadeus “Dee” Callaghan

 18 years old // 5'10 // Agender/Bisexual // he/him (but doesnt care about pronouns at all)

●Virgil (Vee) Harper Storm

 15 years old // 4'9 // Non Binary/Queer/Asexual // they/them (They’re chill with any pronouns though)

*Important Fact: Vee is autistic

●Patton Jonathan Storme

 16 years old // 5'8 // Demiboy/Homosexual // he/him and xe/xem

●Logan Keith Rowell

 16 years old // 5'5 // Questioning // he/him

●Roman Florian Flynn Ruiz

 18 years old // 5'11 // Transgender/Aromantic // he/him

●Remus Amadeus Ruiz

 18 years old // 6'2 // Transgender/Homosexual // he/him

Character’s specifics

(Before we start, I’d like to mention that the sides are quite further away from canon. Its called an AU for a reason, if you dont like how they’re portrayed, that’s fine, but please do not complain because, again, its an AU for a reason.) 

Patton: Patton is a complicated character. Let’s say hes bittersweet.

Pat has a very complicated relationship with his family, which would be the main reason of his anger issues and poor self esteem. He doesnt have any siblings and his mother left when he was around 9 years old. Leaving him only with his dad. Who is currently the Mayor. As time passed by, Patton as his dad started becoming extremely distant. Patton tried to fix his relationship with his father for a very good while. But nothing seemed to work, so he gave up and nowadays avoids him as much as he can.

At school Patton puts on this happy-go-lucky facade and hes known for being a very sweet and happy guy. Mainly because hes ashamed of the fact that hes, in his words, “an angry person.”

So he tries to come up with a friendly “mask”. Colorful clothes, and round glasses. Because colorful and round things come out as friendly, right?

Patton rarely wears black, unless it something like jeans or shoes. The thought of wearing all black will never cross his mind because hes so desperate to try and come off as a friendly guy.

But with his friends is a whole different story, Patton allows himself to be “his true self”, he allows himself to be mad at some things, he stops repressing the “ugly feelings”, he actually swears, and plays around in a more “rough” way in general. All in good terms, it will never be his intention to hurt his friends.

Facts:

Sophomore in highscool

Vee's best friend. They met each other in 7th grade because Vee was new in school.

He’s on the cheerleading team. Meaning that he’s quite strong, agile, and even flexible. Emphasis on strong. He once broke a guy’s nose because he was harrassing a girl.

Has been doing gymnastics since he was very little

He’s pescetarian. He strongly avoids meat, but still eats fish.

Absolutely loves horror movies, especially old ones. (His all time favorite is Halloween)

Actually has better grades than Logan. He’s a straight A student. Focuses too much on his grades because he wants to get a full scholarship for college.

Ends up majoring in law once he gets to college

Vee: Vee is a rather hyperactive person, and is very into mysterious subjects, such as cryptids, the paranormal, you get the vibe. They aren’t really that anxious, but the anxiety is still there. Especially when it’s about people they don’t know. Once they warm up to you, they barey shut up.

Vee still has some anxiety issues because they were bullied from 3rd grade to 6th grade and never said a word to anyone. Whenever their mom picked them up she’d always notice how sad they looked, sometimes even with puffy eyes from crying. But no matter how hard she tried, Vee would never tell her anything out of pure fear they’d get in trouble. The moment Vee admitted everything, she immediately changed them from that school.

On 7th grade they met Patton, and he was pretty much the one who managed to make Vee come out of their shell, he never forced them to do something they didn’t want to, but he slowly started to introduce them into doing new things that Vee once considered scary.

Vee had made huge progress regarding their self esteem thanks to Pat. And they are now trying to make the exact same thing for Patton.

Facts:

Sophomore in highscool

Patton’s best friend

Dee’s little (step) sibling

Theirs and Dee’s moms were best friends in college (Dee’s dad was also Annika’s childhood friend). So these two have known each other since Vee was born. When they were 11-12 years old, their and Dee’s moms got married.

Even before that, Vee always saw Dee as a big brother.

They keep a dream journal. But if you happen to read it, you’ll realize that what’s written are not dreams, but nightmares. There are some drawings of monsters in some pages, even.

They says that they’re not  scared of most of them, though. That they’re used to it.

Ends up majoring in digital animation

Dee: He’s the most calm guy in the whole group. Usually the leader, even. He’s either a very responsible big brother with Vee or an absolute chaotic teenager with Remus. There’s no in between.

Dee has a really hard time trusting people, the only people he genuinely trusts are Remus, Vee, and his moms (Roman, Patton, and Logan are there too, but not as much as the ones mentioned.)

Dee’s parents got divorced when he was around 8. And his and Vee's moms got married when he was 14-15 years old. To this day his relationship with his dad is kind of complicated. He doesnt hate him, but he’s not quite sure how to feel about him. He calls every now and then to check up on him, and he appreciates it, but those calls usually end up with Dee feeling sort of awkward afterwards.

There isn’t much to say about him, mostly because hes very reserved with pretty much everyone. But hey, between us? Hes has a very soft spot for Vee 

Facts:

Senior in highschool

Vee’s big (step) brother

Remus’ best friend. They met in 3rd grade and have been inseparable ever since.

The scar around his eye is a burn scar from hot water when he was little (7-9 y/o), and the one on his cheek happened because him and Remus were playing with a knife when they were 14-15.

He knows how to drive, but usually Remus is the one who always does do.

Is on the theatre club. Both as a techie and as an actor

He’s 100% sure that he’s  bisexual. But the fact that he has such a hard time trusting people makes it hard for him to imagine himself in a relationship.

Ends up going to college for around two years before he decides to drop out.

Remus: He’s your local hyperactive guy that lives for that sweet, sweet adrenaline. He’s always looking for reckless things to do and he ALWAYS drags Dee to them (not like he minds). But he’s also a very loyal friend, especially to Dee. If he asked Remus for a favor he’d be 100% willing to do ANYTHING without doubts. He’s also highly protective over Vee, Patton, and Logan because theyre the youngest of the group.

His and Roman’s relationship went from horrible to amazing. Him and Roman absolutely despised each other when they were little, if they were put in the same room, 99% of the time they’d end up fighting, as time went by, they started to avoid each other as much as possible, then they kind of tolerated each other, but still never spent much time together. When Remus found Roman chopping his hair off while bawling his eyes out at 2 in the morning, their relationship definitely started to change for the best.

Facts:

Senior in highschool

Roman’s twin, Romulus’ little brother

Dee’s best friend

The scar near his chin is because him and Dee were playing with a knife and both of them got a cut. They called them their “Friendship scars”

Spanish is his first language. But mainly speaks it at family runions, sometimes with his parents, but never with Roman and/or Romulus

Is on the volleyball team

Got top surgery, but doesnt want bottom surgery.

Ends up majoring in mortuary science

Roman: He’s the kindest and sweetest guy in the group. Hes always willing to help and listen to whoever needs it. He’s actually quite popular at school because of the fact that hes so kind. A ray of sunshine. Roman had a very hard time for a good while, but it all crumbled down on him on his freshman year. He felt super lonely, was absolutely lost with who he was as a person and had no idea who he wanted to be, what he wanted to do with his life, etc. He struggled with school and his grades dropped horribly because he had so much in his mind. No matter how hard he tried to concentrate, he just couldnt focus in school. He ended up repeating the year.

Like it was mentioned before, his relationship with Remus went from horrible to amazing. Unfortunately for them, because of this, they barely have childhood memories to look back to. But now they’re trying their best to make up for it. Roman would say that his and Remus relationship got better when Roman repeated his freshman year; Remus apologized to him for a straight hour because he admitted to notice Roman having a hard time, but decided to ignore it because he was “too damn prideful”. After that, little by little, they became closer.

Facts:

Junior in highschool

Remus’ twin. Romulus’ little brother

Logan’s best friend. They met on freshman year (the one that Ro had to re-take)

Spanish is his first language.But mainly speaks it at family runions, sometimes with his parents, but never with Remus and/or Romulus

Is on theatre club. But to contrary belief, he barely takes leading roles.

He absolutely loves to hear Vee ramble about what they enjoy. His grandma used to tell him about the fae folk when he was younger. So unlike everyone in the group, he absolutely understands what Vee is talking about and they can chat for hours about it

Hasn’t had any surgery yet. But wants both top and bottom surgery.

Doesn’t end up going to college, and instead works at his mom’s flower shop alongside Dee

Logan: First things first, while Logan is smart, he isn’t super smart, at least not academically speaking. He has really good grades, but he isn’t a straight A student. People tend to assume he’s a gifted student because of the fact that he skipped a year. But in reality that only happened because he had an advanced reading and writting comprehension so they made him skip first grade.

Logan used to be quite a loner when he was younger, and he was way too serious and cold because of it. When he met Roman, Logan realized that he was actually unhappy back then, and little by little he started to losen up more, joking around and not really minding what people think of it. Now look at him! He’s absolutely chaotic and his favorite hobby is annoying Patton (in a loving way, dont worry.). He still has a somewhat ‘’smart kid’’ reputation at school, but those people in his class are aware that he jokes around every now and then and is actually super chill. He’s known for either fixing people’s laptops/cellphones/tablets or because he can write your essays. He definitely makes money out of both of these things. Unless you’re his friend, he’ll do it for free

 Lo’s parents work a lot and travel every now and then because of it. So they are barely home. But they still talk and text quite often. If his parents happen to be travelling, they videochat. But because of this Logan is most of the time alone at home and learned to be VERY independent. Not like he brags about it, but hes kind of proud of it.

Because of his parents always being away, and the fact that Logan is an only child and never had any friends growing up, he learned to do many things in an attempt to fight the boredom, some of those things are cooking, fixing his own laptop, crafts (im talking about, cosplay worthy crafts), origami, among other things.

Facts:

Junior in highschool

Roman’s best friend

He has a job at a videogame store

Yes, he also loves videogames way too much. Sometimes he messes his sleep schedule because he stays up late playing (usually with Patton)

Plays guitar. Learned how to do so one time he was burned out, and his dad suggested he learned something entirely knew, like playing an instrument. Nowadays he really enjoys it and plays very often.

He could learn how to drive. But he 100% prefers using his bike

He actually despises school and complains about it and about how flawed the educational system is on a daily basis

Ends up making a very last minute decision and going to an art school to study music composition instead of economics

PHEW. That was quite a lot. Anyways, if you got to the end of the page, congrats! If you feel like something should be added please do let me know!!

 Welcome to the Campfire AU, where the campfire is mostly ours rather than theirs

[smilingperformer]

Discussing the good and bad of Pokémon Journeys: Part “Goh”

Oh boi... this part is gonna be a doozy. Because I have a lot to talk about Goh, or as I tend to call him, Gou.

TLDR; I like Gou as a character but I very, very much have issues with the way he's currently written in the show. And that frustrates me deeply as I'd love to feel more positively about him. More under the cut, with Journeys abverted as JN.

Where do I even begin... Maybe by how I first became a fan of Gou's character, by after some time started to go back to neutral ground.

Like, ever since the very first episode, we've got a very clear picture of what kind of character Gou is: a bookworm, loves Pokémon, loves to show his knowledge and isn't exactly good at making friends. His only friend before Satoshi (and before learning about Tokio/Horace's reasonings for not showing up to their meeting place) was Chloe/Koharu, and we still don't know how the two met. Thou my guess is that their childhood friendship bonded over their parents meeting during some job or by Koharu feeling the need to be Gou's friend. Who knows, it's something I want to learn about. But that's besides the point, cough.

But like, from the very first episode on, it became clear that this show wants to focus on Gou, and telling his journey on becoming a Pokémon Trainer who wants to catch all of the Pokémon in the World, in order to get closer to catching Mew, the mythical Pokémon who's said to contain DNA of all existing Pokémon. He had a very strong introduction arc, with showing his dynamic with Koharu, having him meet Satoshi on top of Lugia, first getting to know Satoshi (and Rockets) and then catching his first partner Pokémon in Hibunny. However, as time went on and episodes started piling up, I started feeling like something about him was... off.

I feel like the first time I had an issue with the writing involving him was in JN006, where he went on his first catching spree. Where he kept catching Pokémon with ease. Small struggle at the start when trying to work together his dynamic with Hibunny, but the rest of the ep felt way too easy. Then again, Gou IS flat out Pokémon GO promotion. No one can deny that. His purpose is to promote GO's capture mechanic. It is the most successful Pokémon Mobile game of all time.

Anyway, the easy captures piled up on and on til JN010 when he finally had to use dozens of pokeballs to catch one. single. Dewgong. I loved this so much. It made me feel more at ease with his goal mechanic and I felt like I'd be fine with him from there on out. And I was. Til I started having new issues with him. All thanks to Satoshi's new goal in PWC finally having been established.

As time went on, it became clearer and clearer, that Gou was more focused on when it came to his goal progression, development in character level, and in what kind of quality his episodes would be.

Everyone knows how much I love JN032. Everyone does. It's one of my absolute fav episodes in the series. However, it also kinda is what first prompted me starting my worry that hasn't gone away since then: That Gou feels more like the protagonist than Satoshi does in this series, and not really an equal dual protag he was advertised to be.

Before the pitchforks are getting aimed at me, hear me out. I know, that based on some statistics, the focus is equal, with sliiiightly more inclinded towards Gou. However, that's where the issue is: Gou has, so far for me, had way better focus and way better episodes in this series, than Satoshi has, while also getting progress on his goal on other character's focus episodes. When Satoshi's episodes have been about PWC and training his Pokémon, Gou's had the kind of episodes that are more character exploring, developing him, evolving him in some way. And it, frustrates me. Because despite my better judgement, it gives me this feeling that Gou is stealing Satoshi's thunder, even when some type of statistics would suggest otherwise. It gives me this feeling that Gou is here to write Satoshi out. I do not like that I feel this way, I don't know how to get rid of this feeling and I hate it here.

Again, I like Gou's character, he's sweet, well developed, and I do enjoy seeing him in his own episodes. But I have come to noticed, than whenever he gets goal progression in an episode that's supposed to focus on Koharu or Satoshi, I feel so.... angry? And I've never, ever felt like this while watching other characters progress. And I know it's irrational.

Like, his main partner's already fully evolved, his secondary partner Sobble is already evolving soon despite only having one focus episode for itself before it, and he's caught all three of the Galar starters now, with some of his other not-that-important Pokémon making appearances every now and then with possible evolution showcases. And it's all done so fast. Same issue was with Satoshi's poketeam evolving in fast arcs, but I forgot to mention about it? But then again, I am somewhat fine with it as I get the writing style is to focus on one 'mon and then move on to another. Which is not to my taste completely but I digress. ANYWAY, back to Gou.

After seeing discussions and joining in on some on tumblr and twitter and elsewhere, it does appear that Gou's development speed and progression speed is incredibly fast. Like, seriously fast. He's caught a lot of Pokémon by now, and the show's already shown about 50% percent of all existing Pokémon in a bit over a year. About 30% being caught by Gou. (Statistics borrowed from EntityMays' Living Dex trackers, links in posts will disrupt showing in tag search so, google EntityMays's Living Dex, and you'll find the statistics there).

This is also very apparent when you think about how fast Gou suddenly became a good battler, when at the beginning he sucked. A lot. I get Satoshi could be a great example on learning how to battle with good strategy in mind, but we barely saw Gou struggle. We Satoshi struggle in OS, so I would have prefered more struggling by Gou. His first battle against a legendary ended up in Zapdos almost getting caught and uuuuuggh, while it's a pretty good episode it really should have been at later point, same with Suicune episode. Thou with the latter I have WAY more issues than just the placement but, I'm not gonna rant about that today.

And what should I say about his dynamics with other characters... They're good, I am a huge fan of how the dynamic between Koharu and Gou works, as their childhood friend dynamic is shown so, so well, and you can just tell the two have mutual respect as Gou gives Koharu the space she needed when she wasn't into Pokémon for a while, and when she then became partners with Eevee, Gou was so so SO darn supportive just, AGH. Love how these two work.

And everyone knows I fell for Gou x Tokio dynamic straight away. Like they had a friendship built up right away when they first met as little kids and Tokio missing out on their promised meeting due to being sick and not having any means of contacting him yes still considered Gou his friend after these years when Gou considered him a traitor of trust and Gou then forgives him for it and just aaaaaahhh-. KRHM. Excuse me.

Then there's Gou and Satoshi's dynamic and I already said in my post about Satoshi how I feel intimidated by the fans of their shipping and how it makes me feel.... kinda sad about not being able to like their dynamic for what it is. I LOVE it a ton. I have said it a countless times, they're a broTP to me. They're dynamic was very enjoyable for me to watch, and even Gou was. But like, on TOP of these issues I mentioned before this part, I also have another issue with Gou: his fanbase, or the crazier part of it.

Often times I feel like I'm unable to enjoy Gou's character without being reminded of the fans who constantly think of him as shipping fuel, or think he's flawless and anyone disagreering is in some form a negative trait filled human being, etc etc etc. In a way, I feel like I'd enjoy Gou and his dynamic with Satoshi way, way more, if I had never learned about this side of the fandom. Let people like their dynamic the way they want. Be it romantic or platonic. Neither is wrong, but pushing one side to push their own headcanon to other people's head is just, bad act. Having this feeling in me has actually made me wonder, whether I would have liked other characters I am such a huge fan of, if I had been watching their shows during their airing times (for example Serena).

Now what would I have done differently with Gou? Firstly, slow the fuck down. I would have prefered to see Hibunny way more. I would have prefered to have one Galar Starter, namely Grookey, go to Satoshi, as it would help me feel less like Gou's stealing his thunder. I would have prefered if Gou and Satoshi's goals were established around same time. I would have very much liked it, if Gou wouldn't be catching Pokémon each episode.

Now what COULD help me like him better from what we have by now? Well. Slow it down. Have him interact with Koharu more. Give him a rival to further make him shine on his own instead of seemingly relying on Satoshi to shine through. Hell, maybe make Tokio his friendly rival. And on top of that, please let him not catch Pokémon almost every single episode. I'd love an episode where he captures some Pokémon that prefers to be free, and he then would let it go. I think that would make his character be good on his own, and make me feel better about him once again.

Cough. I think I've got my point clear. As said, I like Gou, but very much dislike the way he's written in such fast pacing and in a way that, despite statistics stating otherwise, making him feel like he's the sole protag and not sharing spotlight as dual protag. And I hope to god I can get rid of this feeling as the series goes on. Because right now, I don't have high hopes :(

If you've read this far, thank you for reading, and I am so, so sorry this became a long long rant about the issues I have with Gou, but I hope I managed to bring out what I like about him as well. Hopefully next time's gonna be a more positive post, as I'll try writing about my full on feelings about the handling of Koharu, or as dub audience knows her, Chloe.

Once again, thanks for reading, have a good evening or morning or whatever time it is by the time you've read this, and I hope you'll have a fantastic time ♥ And as a reminder, these are just my opinions, and if you disagree, you are totally valid.

Til next time! This was Smiling Performer aka Aleira, signing out!

[help-im-a-gay-fish]

Ship kid: Somba Lullaby (secondary verse)

And here he is! I promised. The final of the Fluffynightkiller siblings. He exists the the secondary ship kid universe which is a collab verse with @thebluescreen aka @iam-bluescreen (their new blog)

He's from the Multiverse Rem is a part of, but not from the multiverse Coffee creamer is from. (They are two separate multiverses with different ships and stories.)

"crying? Me? N-no I'm the heir of the king of darkness!........ I'd never cry..... Go away"

Name: Somba Lullaby

Dead name: Oscuroi (comes from the Spanish word for darkness)

Gender: Demi Boy (they changed their name as they felt it was too masculine)

Sexuality: Biromantic Asexual (sex repulsed)

Parents: (Bio) Nightmare (father) and Killer (Baba) Non Bio parent Ccino

Other family: Rem (older half brother) Vanta (older half brother) Agave Syrup (younger half sister). Dream (uncle) Cross (Uncle) Radiant Hope (cousin) Empathy (cousin) and many cats.

Nicknames: Panda (By Rem and Agave) Cry-baby (by Killer) Osuro (by Nightmare)

Somba is the middle child of Ccino, Nightmare and Killer, born not very long after Ccino started dating them. It was about 1 month in when Nightmare discovered Somba's existence and was slightly concerned about what Ccino's reaction would be. Thankfully Ccino was very supportive and perfectly happy to take on a parental roll. Rem was really not happy.

In fact Rem hated Somba since the moment he knew he was going to exist. In his mind anything that was half Nightmare and half Killer is going to be 100% bad. So at first he wanted nothing more then for this baby to disappear.

It seemed that his wish came true when Somba was born very small and very sick. However, much to his dismay, Somba got stronger as was brought home.

At first Rem despised Somba and spent time plotting how to kill him. However after a few months he got attached to the little bean. Though he always kept his concerns in mind and is always keeping his eye on him. All in all he gets on well with his brother.

When he was around 4 or 5 Somba got into a terrible accident. The short version is that one of Rem's friends played a trick on him which ended with them getting seriously hurt. It was very hard for the whole family and almost caused a break up between the trio. Stress was running high because it was also around his time that Agave was discovered, she was born about 6 months after Somba's accident.

Somba is a soft, scared boy who likes to act like the opposite. His whole life he's built up the idea that he needs to be tough, scary and strong as Nightmare's heir. However deep inside it couldn't be further then the truth.

He's a anxious wreck who is easily triggered to cry and spends a lot of time avoiding people. He gets extremely defensive about about this fact though.

Much like his younger sister Agave, he was raised primarily by Ccino and his brother Rem, as Nightmare and Killer weren't massively involved parents. However he is Nightmare and Killer's clearly favourite child so he's the one they took the most interest in out of the 3.

This isn't necessarily a good thing, as it caused them to put a lot of pressure on him to be strong and fearless. This pressure only drove to make his anxiety worse.

By the time he is 15 he dropped out of school because he couldn't take it anymore, and was instead home-schooled by his father. Nightmare was a strict teacher, and it caused him just as much stress as school did.

By the time he's 18 he has basically given up on life though. He doesn't feel like he's all that good at anything and didn't have a clear goal set up. He can't be a strong warrior like his father and Baba want. But what else can he do?

I feel so bad for my poor baby ;-;

facts

Somba is actually really frightened of both his bio parents. Since he knows what kind of things they have done, it kind of scares him.

One of Somba's only passions in life is knife collecting. Somba has a decent collection of beautiful art knives. The first one was given to him by Killer (who also gave one to Agave as well). Ever since then Somba has been an knife collector and its one of the few good memories he has with Killer.

Somba has a huge soft spot for animals, especially Dogs, Cats, rabbits and mice. But he just loves all animals in general. They tend to give him a sense of comfort that humans and monsters can't.

Somba, unfortunately cant stand the taste of coffee.

Yes he has 3 arms. It was based off an mutation because of all the LOVE his parents collectively had. It interfered with the spawning process.

Powers.

Despite who their parents are, Somba has very few powers. However I has one key ability.

Somba can sing. But when he sings it will cause the people around him to become sad and sleepy. (that's why the name they changed to was Somba Lullaby)

Other then this his body produces black gloop when he is really mad however this rarely happens and it comes off very easily as its not as thick as Nightmare's.

And there you go, that's Somba Lullaby. His bio is shorter then his siblings because he's the simplest, but I do hope you like him! Feel free to ask questions if you have any

[miggydiaz]

For the salty ask 1, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 14, 16, 20, 22, 23 and 26 for cobra kai pretty please

My answers are so long, so I am putting this under the cut @wonderwolfballoon! Also I just noticed your Daniel icon I SWEAR I’M NOT DRAGGING HIM TO BE MEAN!!!

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?* My biggest IDGI ships for CK are probably Elimetri or Kiaz. I’m not here to yuck other people’s yums or anything, but I do think there is something to the idea that Migueli isn’t popular because it’s a ship predicated on mutual respect for one another. Kiaz has the obvious enemies to lovers vibe and I just generally don’t sail those ships. Elimetri has... its problems, IMO, most especially around the idea that Demetri has to like... save Hawk from himself? Idk. I just like romances that I feel are based on love and mutual respect and not ...tropes.

 I am also not a Lawrusso shipper although I have a lot of those on my dash and you all are great! Again, not yucking yums! Daniel just makes me want to head butt him too much to pair him romantically with anyone 😂 I don’t even want his wife with him. He needs to self reflect~ 

4. Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?* 

I once saw someone ship Amanda and Anoush and I noped out of that so fucking fast I almost tripped over myself. I’m not sure if they’re popular. I just think some people feel the need to get Amanda out of the way to sail their ship and stuck her with Anoush which... no. Just no. Let Amanda be a messy single queen with a martini hobby, thanks! 

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?* 

Not in CK. I’m lucky because I pretty much stick to my little Migueli bubble and I’m okay with that? Lmao lord knows the Squad on my dash is all about the DISCOURSE™️ so idk if I just don’t feel the need to get sucked into the wider ship wars because we have good healthy debates, but so far, so good. 

6. Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?* 

I never hated it... I just didn’t have many feelings on shipping with this show in general at first. Then I was in the CK tag one day and I saw Migueli fan art. Then I discovered @afurioushawk‘s falconry series and it was all over for me after that! So fandom DID make me love a ship, just not one I hated.

9. Most disliked character(s)? Why? Oh boy. How much time do you have? In some instances, it’s a good thing season 3 happened because otherwise, this would be a multi-page essay on the problems with race and class privilege as it pertains to Sam LaRusso and just some... generally not nice comments about Demetri that I’m conflicted about because I’m not sure if the writers are intentionally trying to write him a specific way and it’s just not translating to me or what. But season 3 revamped both of their images with me a lot. I’m way more flexible in terms of Demetri, but lmao I was the number one Sam LaRusso hater for a minute there (or maybe number 2, I can think of at least 1 other person who was in that boat with me back in like... August/September, but I won’t call them out because I don’t want them to get hate...) However, I have grown a bit in my opinions of Sam, and even though I still think she’s responsible  for a lot of shit she NEVER gets held accountable for, I also think that’s a reflection of the adults around her too, and this includes my otherwise unproblematic queen, Amanda.

But honestly, my most hated character (other than the obvious villain that is Kreese) is Daniel. No matter how handsome Ralph Macchio looks in cable-knits, because Daniel has always been a sanctimonious, shit starting drama king and I say that about KK Daniel too. I’m not saying Daniel was the ~true villain~ or anything, or that Johnny was innocent -- I can only drink so much Red and Yellow Kool-Aid -- but Daniel’s always been annoying to me as a protagonist, and turning him into a smarmy wealthy car salesman who is also a class traitor did not do him any favors in my book. I will say, I also like Daniel more in season 3 than I have in previous season, but since he is the adult, I will be mad at him longer than I will be at the kids, ya feel?

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

 Johnny’s entire season 3 storyline. The sheer level of REGRESSION at every turn drives me bonkers. It’s like watching him go through all of the stumbling blocks of season 1 all over again, but without the “he’s learning! He’s going to make mistakes!” free pass that I was willing to give him the first time around. He regularly jeopardizes Miguel’s recovery and it’s played for laughs. He fucks up on every level with Robby. He spends most of his time running away when things get hard or too real. He drops the ball completely with Hawk, and like, not to put too fine a point on it, but a lot of Hawk’s issues are because Johnny put Hawk on this ‘flip the script and be a badass’ path and then offered him no guidance for how to walk that path and instead left him in the hands of Kreese. And then he has the nerve to go to Hawk and basically be like “I made you what you are!” lmao yeah Johnny, you sure did, that’s why he’s breaking peoples arms, hoss. And then all of the nonsense with Ali and Carmen, like... if you were planning on teasing KK fans with Ali and him getting back together, why write her as married in the first place? Why even tease the idea of Carmen and Johnny until after you were sure what you were going to do with Ali as a character? Instead, they do what they did in season 3 and it makes him look like a colossal jerk. So yeah. Literally every choice they made with Johnny this season, I hated.

14. Unpopular opinion about your fandom? People who hate Tory are not valid, sorry not sorry.

16. If you could change anything in the show, what would you change? I would have kept Miguel entirely out of Tory and Sam’s beef. Or at least not directly inserted him into it like he was with the kiss. I know the writers thought it was necessary to push Tory to the point of inciting a fight at school, but I am just so exhausted over girls being unable to fight about anything but boys. Also I would bring Aisha back.

20. What is the purest ship in the fandom? 

I am probably biased, but I still maintain it’s Migueli. Look, Miguel stood up to Kyler for Eli and Demetri both. Hawk joined CK because he saw what it could do for some skinny nerd who was getting his ass kicked. And he took to CK, really took to it! Even flourished before he started getting mixed messages. And he and Miguel were pretty much inseparable after that. They coordinated their wardrobes ffs. Hawk dubbed him El Serpiente and no one else calls him that — it’s Hawk’s nickname for him. Miguel confides in Hawk only secondary to Johnny, who is like a father to him. The entire Coyote Creek exchange shows they can fight and disagree but... well, to use the cliche, they don’t go to bed angry, you know? They’re square the very next day. Hawk is the first person at Miguel’s side when he gets kicked over the balcony and the LOOK he gives the second floor where Robby is? That boy is out for blood immediately to avenge Miguel. So much of his s3 behavior is fueled by that need for vengeance because MD is wholly responsible for what happened to Miguel. And Miguel is so confused and betrayed by Hawk’s shift in behavior, and yet still holds out hope that Hawk will see through Kreese’s BS and come with him to The Dojo I Refuse to Name. And when Hawk does make that deflection finally, he shows up at MD with Miguel. There’s so much more that I know I’m missing but whether someone ships them or not, that is a tried and true love and respect for one another, a willingness to fight for and defend one another that you don’t often see in TV friendships... or even in most tv relationships. And I just think that’s the best ❤️

22. Popular character you hate?

 Daniel, hands down. I mean... I don’t even necessarily hate Daniel, you know? I just think it’s really, pardon the pun, rich that a guy of immense wealth and privilege can’t get a therapist or turn to his far too patient wife for help with his existential crisis over his high school bully opening up a karate dojo to make some money and help a kid who is getting the crap kicked out of him. I get that Daniel’s narrative is necessary for the rivalry, but it does nothing to make him sympathetic as a character.

23. Unpopular character you love?

 Tory, definitely! Everyone hates her and then there’s me and the Squad over here banging away on our Coors Banquet cans yelling TORY RIGHTS! Seriously she catches so much flack for a teenage girl who is... the sole income provider for her family? At 17? While caring for a sick mom and a little brother? And fending off a creepy landlord? Tory has it so rough and then she meets a cool girl at her dojo who asks her to hang out at some fancy ass country club which is probably the nicest place Tory has ever been in, and then she gets talked down to and accused of being a thief and has another girl lay hands on her, only to find out that same girl is her new boyfriend’s ex and... ugh. I HATE that Tory gets shit all over when Tory and Sam wouldn’t even have beef if Sam had apologized to Tory as she SHOULD have. Tory isn’t innocent, but damn, I’d be pressed too.

 My other unpopular character I love? Nathaniel. Seriously that kid is THE best. He’s a literal child but is out there like I WILL FUCK YOU UP, even though he’s MD. Honestly, his Cobra Kai energy is so ferocious I won’t be surprised if he moves back to CK eventually. Anyway, I love him.


26. Most shippable character?

 Miguel, hands down. It’s because he’s so affable and sweet overall. And because his hair is so fluffy and pettable that no one can resist touching it. I like to imagine that one day he and Hawk are talking about their hair and Hawk makes a joke about how Miguel’s mane is getting so long that it’s going to be bigger than his own, and then he reaches out to ruffle it and internally has a bisexual meltdown because oh no IT’S SO SOFT AND NICE. But uh... anyway, yes. Definitely Miguel.

[vvitchering]

(Okay so now that I’ve managed to post this to the correct blog djjsjdjs have this weird little a/b/o verse draft that’s been sitting in my wips forever. Set just after the s2 finale, Boba and Fennec take an emotionally wounded Din with them on the trip back to Tattooine)

—

Bringing the bounty hunter with them had been a last minute decision. At first it had been a friendly courtesy, one hunter to another. Boba may not consider himself Mandalorian in the same way that his new passenger does, but there’s an understanding between them nonetheless.

He witnessed the man’s ship being destroyed. Shand reports what happened during the mission; how the Moff was captured, the Darksaber won, and the child given over to the Jedi for safe keeping. It sounds like an all-around success. The bounty hunter does not act like a man who has successfully completed a long quest. He is unnervingly quiet, responding only when asked direct questions, and spends longer and longer periods sequestered in his borrowed bunk. He doesn’t even learn the man’s name until several weeks into their association. Boba, as a son who has lost a father, knows grief when he sees it. The man, Din, is in mourning. And he is drowning in it.

Things come to a head after they’ve set course for Tattooine, their first big target. There’s a throne with his name written all over it waiting on the desert world and Boba is eager to begin his takeover. In all the planning, he’s ashamed to admit he’s almost forgotten about Din, hiding away in the small space he’s claimed as his own aboard the ship. Boba knows what unchecked grief is capable of doing to a man and he finds the thought of the formally proud and noble Mandalorian hunter letting himself waste away in sorrow repugnant.

Boba is not a natural caregiver or much of a soft touch. He has his morals and a blaster or three to back them up with and not much else besides. As a Beta, he mostly falls outside the usual secondary gender nonsense and out of everything life has thrown at him, that’s at least one aspect he’s thankful for. Din needs someone though, and Boba doesn’t feel right asking Shand, also a fairly reserved Beta, to play emotional nursemaid, so it falls to him. Neither of them are sure what Din is. His scent is masked by what must be the powerful suppressors that are a normal and necessary precaution for a bounty hunter relying on stealth. Boba feels confident he can pull something at least halfway encouraging out of his ass that might lift the grieving man’s spirit.

It isn’t until he’s standing in the doorway of the tiny quarters he’s loaned to Din that he realizes he’s in over his head. Betas, exempt as they are from the turmoil of the more unstable designations, cannot distinguish between scents as well as their brethren. But he’d have to cut the nose off his face to not pick up the overwhelming scent of anguish and loneliness that hang in the air like haze. Before, when he allowed his thoughts to wander to less important things, he’d sometimes speculate that Din might be a particularly mellow Alpha, or perhaps even a Beta like himself, not that it mattered much at the time.

Now he knows he’s wrong. Deeply wrong. A grieving Beta would have been a tough case, a grieving Alpha even more so, but both would have been well within his ability to help.

What he finds is the scent of a grieving and heart-sick Omega, completely unattached, and quickly nearing the point of no return.

There might not be much he can do for an Omega so far gone, but Boba will be damned if he lets Din pass in the cold vacuum of open space. A Mandalorian warrior deserves better. He comms Shand to kick the ship into hyperdrive. They can make it planet-side in time.

It’s barely a step he has to take to bring him within touching distance of Din’s horribly still form. His chest still rises and falls with irregular breaths. He’s hanging on, despite the incredible pain he must be in. Boba reaches out and grasps Din’s shoulder, between the beskar plating, where he’ll feel the warmth and pressure.

“Cuyanir, ner vod.”

~*~

Mando’a translation: “Survive, my brother”

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, please consider reblogging it! :)

[dessam]

A little pre-Weapon XI AU thing centered around the retelling of how Devin died and the half-truths Max likes to spin.

Warnings for violence, blood mention, and backstabbing

Or: if two Plumbers were on a mission escaping a heliokinetic psychopath and one shot the other in the back would that be fucked up or what?

The universe always seemed to get the last laugh in, no matter what Devin was doing.

“Max, he’s getting closer!” 

Whether it was trying to make breakfast only to realize he didn’t have any eggs, or attempting to stop a galactic warlord from consuming stars on the weekend, he was always somehow the butt of a sick joke. 

This joke’s name was Ragnarok, and Devin wanted nothing more than to wash his hands of the monster. He’d also like to wash his hands of the stupid, stupid man in the co-pilot’s seat next to him.

“Ship won’t go any faster, Devin!” Max hollers back.

Rolling his eyes, Devin mutters under his breath: “Have you tried flapping your arms?”

His current partner - a certain Magister Maxwell Tennyson - seems to find the whole bit some sort of joke, and was laughing through their last narrow escape from Ragnarok. Tennyson isn’t at all perturbed by the villain rapidly gaining on them, and a little voice in the back of Devin’s mind pipes up to remind him: you can’t trust a single one of them, not even your partner.

Which, obviously, was a lesson he had known long before he became a Red Spot, but was now a mantra he spoke every single time an incident like this happened. 

Of all the bloody people to be partnered with, Maxwell Tennyson was a name at the bottom of a long, long list of Plumbers that--

“You with me?”

A voice cuts through Devin’s thoughts, and his partner is looking at him from the corner of his eye, grinning.

“What?” He says shortly, on edge.

“I said: Ragnarok really wants what we took, huh?”

Devin bites his tongue, resists the urge to snarl back that it’s his fault they’re in this bloody mess, that they had the element of stealth right until Max had to blunder their escape and alert every being with working cochlear nerves they were onboard Ragnarok’s ship. 

“We couldn’t let him slaughter six billion people just to get his hands on the Sun’s energy,” he says instead, shooting Max a mocking grin. “Not my fault he didn’t like you stealing the key that activated his energy vortex. You’re welcome, by the way, for me bailing you out of there.”

Max’s expression falls immediately, eyes snapping forward and hands tensing on the ship’s controls, all comradery gone. Devin’s partner was never very good at saying thank you.

CRACK

Lurching in his seat with a grunt, the bulkhead rattles around Devin as the nav system sputters and whines before fading, and he watches with dread as glowing instruments suddenly wink out one by one, the ship going dark. 

Next to him, frantically flicking switches and checking the backup system as it flashes a warning red, Max looks at Devin with wide eyes.

“Blast took out our engine couplings, our shields...we’re dead in space.”

Oh so slowly, a shadow overtakes them, plunging their vessel into darkness. 

Swallowing hard, Devin tests the controls, tries to think of their fastest way out of here, all while Max just stares dumbfounded up at the massive ship overtaking them. 

There’s a hissing vhmm from the rear door, and Devin glances back as the massive form of Ragnarok materializes in a blue haze onto their ship. 

Red eyes boring into his own, the warlord sneers at the two Plumbers, back straightened and fists clenched at his sides. 

“Where did you hide my key?” He speaks in a low snarl, lip curling back to reveal ugly yellowed teeth.

Devin shares a short look with Max, sees the gears turning in his partner’s brain.

Fuck this, he decides. 

Standing and drawing both of his blasters, Devin unloads shot after shot at the ship’s newest arrival, and the human next to him takes just a moment longer before standing and unloading the clip of his weapon at Ragnarok just the same. 

Ragnarok seems unperturbed, smoke clearing as the plasmabolts fizzle out, not a scratch on him. Devin growls, lunging behind cover with Max just as a vibrant yellow blast from Ragnarok takes out their ship’s main console with a resounding BOOM!

The blue halogen lights of the backup systems flicker before maintaining, secondary life support still online and running smoothly. 

It does little to calm Devin’s nerves as he presses his back to the offhand weapon’s console, and glances to Max at his side. 

His partner looks pale, staring straight ahead with his jaw clenched and right hand clutching his blaster. Devin watches him reload the clip in one movement without looking, recognizing the confirmed remaining charge of the weapon: seventy-three percent, glowing in luminous green. 

“I’m going to go for the Null Void projector,” he grips Max’s arm for a moment, forcing the human to look at him. “Cover me, understand?”

“Devin, wait--”

But he’s already up, sprinting towards the main weapon rack on the far wall, ducking under another blast from Ragnarok that singes the hair on the back of his neck. Behind him, he can hear Max swear something in terran before more plasmabolts are fired off, and Ragnarok roars in frustration. 

Devin slams his hand on the access panel, snatches the mobile Null Void projector from its rack just as another blast nearly takes him out, the explosion throwing him back against the port window and sending the Null Void projector clattering into the corner. 

“Devin!” Max hollars, lunging out from behind cover and sending another round of bolts at Ragnarok. 

The heliokinetic monster is grinning now, yellow energy glowing in his palms as he slowly stalks towards Max, and Devin has a split second to think before he focuses on an exposed electrical panel inches away.

Bingo. 

Yanking a glove off with his teeth, he grabs one of the loose wires as he stands and lets the raw energy pulse through his body, instantly feeling woozy. 

He only needs a short charge - thirty-five hundred watts should be enough - and the electricity extends from the fingertips of his left hand to the fingertips to his right hand, gathering at his wrist. Devin narrows his eyes, focuses, and fires.

A sharp blast of energy sparks off, lancing out to strike Ragnarok square in the back. 

He screams, sinks to one knee, and Devin grins in triumph, dropping the wire. 

The heavy smell of ozone hangs in the cockpit, and he tries to shake off the last jitters of electricity sparking off his hands before snatching the Null Void projector off the floor, levelling it at Ragnarok’s torso.

“Any last words?” He asks, unable to help the smug smile that crosses his face.

“You will know true suffering, Osmosian,” Ragnarok spits, pupils dots in a sea of dark red and yellow as he stares unblinking back at Devin. “This isn’t over, none of it. As long as you’re alive--”

Devin scoffs, flicks the trigger, and Ragnarok’s words turn to an enraged scream as he’s sucked backwards through the warped portal of the Null Void.

“Blah blah blah, you'll rue the day, et cetera. I’ve heard it all before.” Devin grins, sheathing the Null Void projector and inspecting the dark smear where Ragnarok once stood. 

He can hear his partner stand, and turns to double-check their nav system.

“Computers will need a reboot, but we should still be able to get a signal out for pickup. Could be worse, I suppose.” He sighs, drags a hand down his face, feels the start of a migraine coming on. “Not a bad shot, eh Max--?”

POW!

Blindingly white-hot pain overtakes him as he hears the sound of a blaster go off. Staggering, falling to one knee, hysteria instantly grips Devin’s mind. 

I’ve been shot. Max shot me.

His thoughts are confirmed as he collapses onto his side, glancing up blearily at the shape of his partner, silhouetted by the ship’s overhead lights. 

“I’m sorry, Devin, I’m so sorry. I had my orders.” Max rasps out, crouching beside him, taking one of his hands in his own.

Devin almost wants to laugh, or scream. To tell Max he’s a brainwashed idiot, that things didn’t have to be like this, that he could’ve found another way. Really, he doesn’t even know why he’s surprised at this point.

“Orders, eh?” He chokes out, tasting copper. “So Ragnarok was a distraction, to get me to slip up?”

Max shakes his head, squeezes Devin’s hand.

“No. Ragnarok was...he was supposed to finish you off back on his ship, quick and clean. But if you want something done right…Devin, I’m so, so sorry.”

“I know,” Devin gasps, agony shooting through his body with each syllable. “Max just, please, promise me one thing.”

His partner squeezes his hand a little tighter, nodding.

“Tell my wife and son I love them.”

Any compassion drains from Max’s face, taken over by horror and dawning realization. 

“Your what.”

Devin grins, finally knowing he got the last laugh in. Fuck you, universe.

[disneydreamlights]

i did not realize tippi/bleck was your OTP please tell me more about why you love them (i also like them but its been years since i played spm so i need to renew that love)

(It’s been years for me too and I’ve been meaning to replay I will just never tire of them.)

So I’m actually going to break this ask down into two parts. The first just talking about their relationship in general and what the game presents, the second actually getting into how they are the ship that very much defined what I consider a lot of my personal ship tropes today. This also isn’t the first time I’ve gone off about them either so I’m going to link this post from 2013. (It’s not my best analysis and I don’t necessarily agree with everything in it now but I mean I was 17 so for a seventeen year old who had no critical thinking skills, I think it was good for what I wanted to convey at the time. XD)

So with that out of the way let’s talk about those memories.

"I remember that day well... The room was warm. The whole place was at peace."

This is the introducing line to the first memory, to the story of Blumiere and Timpani that serves as the foundation for the story of the game, and it shows how much this day meant to Blumiere that even lost in the shadow that became Count Bleck, fallen into darkness and depression and utter self loathing, that he remembered this day as a positive despite it being, as he himself says, “the day that our tragedy was set in motion.” The memories are fond to him and his small bits of happiness, and the idea of that is heartwarming to say the least. It also gives a very early establishment on why their interactions are significant. A lot of the lore is read between the lines, but the game establishes quickly that humans and the Tribe of Darkness do not like each other. So when Timpani shows that she doesn’t care what he is, just that he needed help, it very quickly establishes both her character and why we should empathize with this unknown, and it establishes her bond with Blumiere.

She saved him without knowing who he was. Her kindness and empathy is what draws Blumiere in. And it proves a very strong foundation for their relationship as it progresses. From here in story, we’re only given snippets of who they were before. They give further background on the prejudices against them, how Blumiere’s father is working to keep them apart, and how they seem willing to overcome the obstacles at every turn. Despite the warning from the first memory, you cheer for these unknowns and hope for their happiness, it’s what they deserve. The memories where they’re happy (Blumiere proposing to Timpani, the one with them under the stars, even them just getting to talk again) are wholesome and heartwarming. And the one where Timpani tries to leave after Chapter 3 is heartbreaking. Because you want to believe in their happy ending.

Which of course gets taken away in the Chapter 6 interlude. Watching Blumiere learn that Timpani is gone, well...I’ll grab the dialogue exchange here:

"Timpani! What did you do with her? I must see her!"  "Still your tongue, Blumiere... Can't you see you've been duped by a dirty human? You have brought shame to my name...and to the entire Tribe of Darkness!"  "And so what if I did? That doesn't matter to me! She's my entire world!" "Well, then it will interest you to know...that she no longer resides in this world." "What... What do you mean by that?!"  "This is the price those who resist their own fate must pay, my son."  "She... No... It can't be so!"  "Someday you will see, Son. Our kind and humans must never mix."

Yeah, it’s pretty depressing honestly. Blumiere is so clearly heartbroken and destroyed to the point that it basically convinces him that nothing matters. That he’s willing to destroy his home and everything else in the entire universe because he has nothing. This is a broken man, and it’s why he finally heeds the Prognosticus’s call in the final interlude before the main fight to become Count Bleck.

Now granted it’s not a sucker punch to see the interlude unless you haven’t been picking up the hints in the Castle Bleck scene (Chapter 6 does a fantastic job of hammering in who Blumiere is) watching Blumiere in desperation turn to the book right before you lead into Chapter 8 really hammers home how little he had to live for.

And this is double if you take a lot of the popular fan headcanons (his mother being dead, often times at the hands of humans. His father being abusive. That kind of stuff) as fact for Blumiere’s story. This was quite possibly one of the only people to ever show him kindness, and he lost her, for as far as he’s concerned, forever, and it destroys him.

Which takes us to the timeline of the main game which does an equally good job of fleshing out their love. While the game first points Count Bleck out as an absolute madman and threat with a desire to do nothing more than destroy and recreate the world however he wants, he doesn’t stay that way. The game first foreshadows that something happened to push him over the edge early on and his interactions with Nastasia where he even lets her back out show that he’s fully aware of his actions and not some delusional monster, but chapter 6 in this exchange really drives everything home.

Count Bleck: You QUESTION Count Bleck?! This worthless world's destruction matters not! Far better for Count Bleck to wipe it out of existence than let it remain!  Tippi: How can you say that? That's...horrible!  Count Bleck: Count Bleck scoffs at you! An insignificant Pixl lectures Count Bleck on what is right and wrong?  Tippi: This is not up for discussion! You're wrong...and sick! All living things have a heart. They're all priceless. You can't just...erase them!  Count Bleck: Of all things, you defend the heart? Nothing could be more worthless...All things...are meaningless. Aside from Timpani, no treasure mattered in the least to me...

First since this happens before the memory I put earlier this is your first sign that something awful happened to Timpani, but it also just really drives home just how the loss of Timpani drove the hopelessly in love Blumiere into depression and sent him spiraling. All you know is that Blumiere lost Timpani, and he might as well be dead for what’s left of him, and it’s heartbreaking.

But then Tippi remembers, and Count Bleck realizes exactly who she is. Blumiere learns his quest for destruction of the worlds that took her away from him and of himself is meaningless, and Timpani learns that the madman she’s hated, wanted desperately to stop, is the one person who means the world to her. And the result when they reunite is absolutely devastating as Blumiere attempts to play the part the prophecy sets out for him, and Timpani just wants her husband to stop. Blumiere is throwing the battle because now that he knows she’s alive, he can’t hurt her. He doesn’t want to win. He wants to die, and he wants the world to be safe for her, because all he wants is her happiness and her ability to live. The final boss sequence is absolutely killer if you have any investment in their relationship for that reason at all because they’re so in love and both know what they want can’t happen. And it’s heartbreaking.

Then Dimentio happens and in a desperate attempt to save the world, they confess they love each other and use the power of the Pure Hearts and their love for each other to destroy the Chaos Heart. The lines like actually made me emotional now and I’m reading them out of context in a script and not after the about ten hour journey of the main game.

Count Bleck: There were so many things I wanted to say to you...but I could not find the words.  Tippi: Oh, Blumiere... Only one thing matters to me now. I never had the chance to return your question... Blumiere... Do you still love me, as well?  Count Bleck: Of course... I have thought about you every moment since you disappeared... But I have caused you so much suffering...  Tippi: Perhaps...my life would have been more carefree without you, that is true.  Count Bleck: But I had to be with you, Timpani. I will never apologize for that...  Tippi: I know, Blumiere. And I love you...  Count Bleck: And I love you, Timpani... Hundreds of thousands of years from now, that fact will not have changed...

Like look I’m not here to provide an emotional analysis I don’t have to this is just very good. “And I love you, Timpani... Hundreds of thousands of years from now, that fact will not have changed...” is just honestly a beautiful line and I honestly cry just reading it now. (I’m not joking I have fangirl grin on my face just from reading this I miss these two so much.)

And to get their final dialogue, much like the memory scenes from earlier in the game, the conclusion to their tale immediately after this:

"Timpani...do you remember the promise we made to each other that day?"  "Yes, I remember..."  "If there was a place where we could be happy together, we would find it."  "Will you come with me to that place now?" "Blumiere... Of course... I will always be with you..."

It’s just very sweet and satisfying after going through the story. You’ve spent so long rooting for them to have their chance (since the moment you understood what was going on in the memories) that it makes the conclusion all the more just wholesome and satisfying that after everything they’ve been to, they finally get to be together and happy, as shown by the scene in the after credits where they walk down the hill together.

So to tie all this part together, the brilliant writing of SPM is really what gives this ship the chance to shine. By giving us time to get attached to Count Bleck and Tippi first before revealing who they are, we already have a baseline investment in their happiness and thus in the ship. The ship comes secondary to their characters so you have these two already very enjoyable characters (Tippi’s sarcasm and interactions with the heroes of light are a a lot fun, and Count Bleck is so charismatic that whenever he and his minions are on screen they dominate) and then you add in ship that makes an enjoyable build up to the game with good chemistry and mostly heartwarming moments, and make it a tragedy, and it becomes very easy to get invested in it, and to love. And it makes for one of my personal favorite love stories I’ve seen in gaming.

The rest of this essay is more to do with my personal taste and less objectivity so I’m going to throw it under a read more but oh boy did this ship either literally shape my ship tropes or just hit almost every single one of them I have that well.

So needless to say I have loved this ship since I first beat the game probably about thirteen years ago so it’s hard to say whether my ship taste came first or this game defined my ship taste but let me just list all my tropes and you’ll see what I mean:

Light/Dark Dichotomy - From looks to roles, these two embody this trope to a tee. Timpani is light, she’s a descendant of the Tribe of Ancients, the guardians of the Light Prognosticus, and in game is represented in the rainbow butterfly form, who while angular her colors and overall form (butterflies) tend to give her this general association of friend. She fights for the heroes and radiates a presence of general light. Blumiere is her opposite, a member of the Tribe of Darkness, the guardians of the Dark Prognosticus, and in game is represented by mostly darker colors. He is the main antagonist and his presence in game is often tied to some of its darker moments. They embody this contrast.

Opposing Sides - I need to preface the way I’ve phrased this. In most instances I would call this “Enemies to Lovers” however because of the storyline of this game it’s not quite enemies to lovers but it sure does embody the spirit of the trope where two people are fighting against each other despite loving each other and spend the majority of the game not in love with each other because Blumiere has no idea who she is and Timpani has zero memories. The important thing is that they are working against each other, and the tension of going against somebody you love is wonderful. The scene preceding the Count Bleck boss fight embody everything good about this trope.

Forbidden Love - I mean this is literally obvious but Blumiere’s father is literally against the pairing from minute one and literally tries to kill Timpani over it this pairing is as forbidden as they come.

Tragic - I don’t need to define why Timpani and Blumiere are tragic but boy do I love me some good angst and these two are legitimately swimming in it it’s very very good. My favorite thing about the angst is that it never affects the overall tone which is a testament to how well the game is written. Slight tangent but like SPM as a whole gets very very dark, partially due to the Timpani/Blumiere elements and their tragedy but also in part due to the last three chapters of the game. Like Chapter 6 is definitely the heaviest hitter but there’s a lot to unpack in Chapters 7 and 8 as well. But despite this the game’s atmosphere never feels oppressing, it’s still fun with lighthearted moments and it’s still a game that won’t make you feel super depressed. It balances its darkness with the bright colors and the tone of the writing very well. And because of that, despite the fact that they literally destroy a world while you’re on it and then send you to the Mario version of hell, the game never feels too dark to be enjoyable.

The rest of these aren’t as clearly defined by words but I am very much a sucker for the idea of “my love for you is my one weakness” and the one thing that could be used to bring somebody down and drag them to hell. But also being the one thing that’s keeping them out of going down and the one thing that can bring them back out. It makes me emotional and I love it. I would also like to propose the idea that Timpani and Blumiere are soulmates since they’re most definitely true loves but things like soulmates are kind of subjective in the first place.

To tie it all home you can see the elements of my long standing SPM obsession littered in my fandom tastes today if you look hard enough for it. This game had a major part in forming my tastes because before Kingdom Hearts, even before Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, this was the game that captured my heart and attention. It’s the only game to have an amount of (sadly unpublished and lost on old devices that no longer work) writing to rival the amount of things I’ve written for KH over the years. And at the heart of the phenomenal game is a wonderful ship that, years after my last playthrough of the game, still holds a spot in my heart reserved for it.

Timpani and Blumiere are a fantastic ship and between its wonderful writing and its effects on my taste, it has a lot of reasons to still be my favorite ship of all time.

[everythingcanadian]

Wainlock + Zane Space Pirate AU

So quick alternate universe idea thing. Thank you @jakobslock and @majimalordofthenight for being there to go along with it. 

So, Wainlock and Zane Flynt. Just hold with me for a bit. 

Like. okay straight from our group chat with minor clean ups. 

ZANE THE SPACE PIRATE A LA TREASURE PLANET.

He wants to swindle a bunch of rich folks but he ends up falling in love with the wealthy man and his explorer employee.

Zane with an open chest from half his buttons being undone. But also the idea that he's sailing a ship IN FUCKING SPACE. Don't forget the hot as hell coat he wears along with a sword an actual sword. Wainwright is being nice to his crew, actually listens to the lower status cabin boys. Sleeps with the crew. Has a few stories to tell. He's paying them all handsomely, even pays one of the cargo runners double for him to run and grab a crate of apples. "Pocket the change, I don't want any money back from you." And Zane starts to get a sick feeling in his belly when he revises his plan to not only ask for triple what he would normally get for something like this into the oasis regions. But the idea that he is going to kidnap and ransomed the pair out as soon as they find the temple of Oular  [News flash all these odd names are made up]. the treasure of millions.

And Alistair is equally as nice with the crew. Helps out in the galley and actual pulls his weight when he's done all he can to get their heading correct among the stars. Actual hands off a trick or two to the cook on how to best cut vegetables. Alistair manages to help fix a tear in the secondary sail that had been there for months. "Sometimes we don't have the time or the funds to fix what is deemed unnecessary. However. Not much is needed for this. A simple bone needle and some strong fishing line will work temporarily." "How temporary?" And it's one of the deck hands that speak up. "Five maybe six months if it's good wire and the storms aren't too rough with this girl." and Alistair pats the mast before he follows the most capable of deck hands up. They hook into the mast netting to keep from falling and Alistair walks him through it. Doesn't take over. Waits for the pirate to get his frustrations out before walking the man through it. "And tie a good strong knot into each thread through. It strengthens each stitch and helps it hold closed even if one of them snaps. This can be applied to clothing too. Especially a favourite shirt. Like the one I’m wearing." And Alistair just scoots his vest open slightly to show off the stitching job he had done the year before on it. Wainwright and Alistair are dining with the crew out on the deck, under the stars as they sail through what could be comet dust. Wainwright brings the wheel-man and the on duty sail turner their supper and eats with them a little. It shows that he respects the crew. "Lord Flynt. Or would you prefer I call you Pirate Lord Flynt." Wainwright watches Zane tense up as they talk in his quarters. "It's been nearly a month so I feel like dropping the mask is either going to get me killed or thrown overboard. Or a better option. However. I know you aren't some navy man, half your crew is on wanted posters in some ports. But I feel that I am as good as safe with this crew. You picked a good lot for your ship. All of them." Wainwright waits for Zane's reaction but only gets a one eyed glare. "Very well. Alistair and myself have known since we hired you to take us to the Oasis galaxy. We want to share with you the fame that is going to come from finding this place. I don't want my name on any part of it. I don't care for fame like my daddy did. I just want the histories of the universe to be known." And Zane is stunned. absolutely stunned. hes quiet as Wainwright explains that he wanted the Flynt crew to be the ones to sail them. "You've sailed through the pull of a black hole and past a double belt of asteroids. I know that you ad your crew alone can fly safely into the area of the Oasis that is notorious for it's gas storms." Wainwright smiles softly. "Pirate or naval admiral or whatever. you are the best of the best when it comes to danger and I for one, respect that. I've paid off the rulers in both the Terra Nova galaxy and the Terra Afer sector [real names but they don’t exist]. You are all free men in those parts. I have read quite a bit on you and your crew Mr. Flynt. I admire your perseverance in the ways of travel. I don't with to be bait or simply diced into pieces. I want to share in what is knowledgeable. I have a lot of money I never asked for. Which means I have a lot of funds for you and your crew should you prove to me that I will not become some plaything once we find this temple. I have an idea as to what pirates do Mr. Flynt. I have a few scars from the first time I was aboard a ship as fine as this." And Zane is left gaping at Wainwright as the man heads out of the captain's cabin. That little rich shit took all the wind from Zane's sails and instead anchored the idea that he isn't his daddy at all.

Zane being fucking confused. But then he calls in his first mate, sits the man down. "Gabriel, these two are not to be harmed. They know who we are. What we've done. And yet- they came aboard willingly. This Jakobs, he knows everything and yet hes paying us what a regular naval vessel would make. Hes got everyone's names, not as threats but as people. All of us, and hes paying us as if we were the navy. These are not prisoners or problems. These two men are my personal guests now. Keep treating them like crew, as they have treated us like equals." "Good. I'd have hated to hurt Sir Hammerlock after he taught me how to play the whole Instringus [made up lol] symphony play-set on my fiddle. Even though he cant play it himself." And Gabriel twiddled his fingers slowly, looking down at his clawed fingers in slight sympathy. "I think they've taught us more than we could ask for, captain, something's we didn't even know ourselves." "I agree boyo, Barnes is even learning how to read from Hammerlock's personal diaries. I have never met anyone who would do that if they truly didn't mean the best." Zane sighs through his nose. "This changes things."

Zane looks at the parchment that he and another pirate lord had signed the week after Zane had found out he was taking a pair of rich men onto his ship to go discovery some whatchamacallit. but now he can't deliver on that promise as Wainwright and Alistair are no longer targets but allies. It takes him a second to realize he fucked up more than royally as Captain 'Handsome' Jack won't take no. he is indeed a dumb of ass and needs to get both Wainwright and Alistair back into his quarters.

Zane panicking when they reach the outer edge of the Oasis galaxy. This is A) one of if not the most dangerous Galaxy if one doesn't know how to navigate it. Zane and Gabriel do. B) Captain Jack is set to meet them at the outer edge where Oasis meets Nobilis which is where they ended up heading to due to Wainwright wanting to stop near Haberst Forture the city planet to settle debts that some of the crew had accumulated. and C) both Alistair and Zane know that Jack's ship looks like THAT So as Wainwright Stays on deck he can see Hyperion son John La Paige or now known as Handsome Jack with a scar in the shape of a cracked star on his cheek. Wainwright can feel his stomach drop as this kid was one of his friends' son. "Do- you know this bastard?" "Yeah- I know him. I used to be his uncle when it was much simpler times. His Grandfather and my daddy were thick as thieves. then one day. poof, John La Paige was gone. His father said he had run away. I had suspicions that John had been taken at age 14 and this is where he ended up." Wainwright sighed. "He was a brat back then. I suppose now he doesn't take kindly to not gettin’ his way."

And it's not long before Handsome Jack is boarding The Sentinel. Wainwright knows that he can't go willingly. Can't make it that easy or Jack will do something else. Alistair is hidden under the loose boards under Zane's bed. It's a thick enough space for an average human and Alistair thanked all his stars he wasn't claustrophobic. Wainwright never put Alistair on the manifest for the crew. Zane never knew that Alistair was going to be the explorer coming with them. Jack probably doesn't know that Alistair is on the ship. But it's better that Wainwright makes sure the love of his life is safe. "Well Well. Well. Uncle Wain in the flesh. Ahhh, it's so good to see you after all this time." "John. I wish I could say the same about you." And it's minutes of dancing around each other before Wainwright makes a reach for his gun, gets instead a knock to his chest from Jack's fist, then a swift kick and a series of blows to his ribs and back. Jack yelling about how he was abandoned and taken. How Flynt had delivered him like a nice little package. And Wainwright played into it. looked at Flynt as if the man had been playing him. Looked at the crew like they had betrayed him. Gabriel had caught on the fastest had already taken the special compass Alistair had been using. "I take it you never figured out that Hammerlock didn't really stay on Port Leio. But he did have a nice compass. Embossed with gold and- proposal rubies. You really thought he had decided to stay there? Please. Anyone who has heard of Temple Oular can't resist going there themselves. Too bad Hammerlock couldn't stomach it."

Wainwright played his horror up as much as he could. Screamed himself hoarse. Yelled till he was blue in the face. and Went after Zane in a show to kill him but Jack's men grabbed him first. Jack then handed over what could only be described as a solid gold small chest filled with what is known as tear drop stars. Specially compacted star dust into the form of imperfect tear drop shapes that are worth millions each. "I feel like I'm short a couple." "You know how fragile those little shits are. Besides, No navigator." Zane gave a glare to Gabriel that felt real. And they all hoped it had been bought by Jack and his men. Zane knew it was when Jack took his time departing, he had done deals with the man in the past. the Pirate king himself. So for Jack to take his time meant he was happy with their exchange. Zane even used his detector to see if anything was off about the chest. "She's true boys!" And even as the deck erupted in cheers at a success Zane could feel his stomach sink as Jack's ship disembarked and started to sail into the Oasis. They waited until Jack's ship was out of range before Barnes went and retrieved Hammerlock. "We have a plan that should he be taken- well it's messy business but he has a specific- uh- thing in his blind eye. Because he can't use it he decided that he should put it to some use. there is a tracker in it should he be kidnapped or killed. He thought that it would be useful in times such as this. However it is a few decades old but it has been serviced. If the specifications are right- and he is sure it was- then it should go undetected as it uses infrared signals and not x-waves. Virtually undetectable unless scanned for specifically with a certain code." "And what is this code?" "An 8 character long pass-code that has absolutely no significance to anyone. maybe on luck but it was randomly generated." Alistair smiles. "Unless he's dead, of which I don't think John- er- Handsome Jack will kill him until he has everything that Wainwright has. that includes the family vault." NOW. Imagine Zane fitting Alistair with a set of pirate clothing that makes Alistair look like a badass and hot as hell. "I'm not sure about the torn sleeve of this coat." "It's just the elbow mate, nothing to worry about. It shows off that metal arm of yours." And that is coming from one of the riggers as he helps cut the coat sleeve specifically to show off the robotic arm.

Alistair comes from below decks, looking like a prime rib steak of a pirate. and Zane looks the explorer up and down, feels himself heat up to the roots of his hair. "Well, I'll be. You can clean up nicely for a navigator." "Oh please. I hardly pull this off. The coat feels garish and the pants- well they aren't as fitted as I'm used to." "That's the point Sir Hammerlock. Easy access and movability are the name of the pirate game. The layers thereafter are for status. And you my de- you look the part of a pirate lord. Off to save your fiancee." "How did you boys find out?" Zane snorts along with a couple chuckles from those milling about the deck. "Anyone with eyes can see the love you two hold. Even I can see it and I only have the one good one." "Your second one is also useful." Zane pauses. "Aye, it is. I take it you know echo tech." "Know about it? Zane Flynt I made the echo eye mark one and four. You are wearing my design. But that is not my version. That is Henry's my old partner's patent." Hammerlock smirks. "That is also the bootlegged version. I can tell because you would have a dial on the one side for heat, infrared, ultraviolet, and normal. I will get you the real one once we are back in Jakobs' territory."

God and Alistair is getting worried as the Oasis system has some of the worst patches to fly near. But Zane and his own Navigator Patelli know how to cruise through the system. "I've been here too many times Alistair. I know how to pilot through the Vandert nebula”

The babe is careful during a worm hole pass by, even this far out they could get sucked in with a wrong move. "One way is the wormhole. The other is the heavy pull of Werq and her many layers of dense gaseous winds. Dont need to be crushed by gravity thank you." And zane gets the Sentinel threaded through no problem along with the crew doing their work properly. "Ain't no navy can pilot like this." And Alistair hums appreciatively. When they enter the "coast" or the temple whereabouts Zane takes Alistair into his cabin for the night. "I dont know what is gonna happen. All I know is once Jack has everything he wants from Mr. Jakobs, including the entry to the temple, hes going to kill him and leave his body. He has no mercy rules. I want ye to be prepared in case we're too late. I dont want to watch you crumble Sir Hammerlock, I dont think I can take watching a dear friend die like that again." "I've known Winny for a while. If he dies- well he will be the last i will love as i do now. We have plans in place should that happen. But I wont burden any of you with my grief should it- should he be on the other side."  Alistair squeezes Zanes hands in his own. "I trust and know you and your crew have done their best, even if it didnt start as such." And Zane takes his chance then and there. Kisses Alistair quickly and roughly, gives everything he has into it.  "I've come to love ye both dearly. I hope it doesn't come to death. But I'll fight as best I can to get you to your fiancee in time. Jack needs to end here and- I have nothing left for me. My crew can mourn me but Gabriel is going to take my place if I'm killed." Zane heads to his wardrobe, pulls out a long box with rich engravings on the box. "Mr. Jakobs had this made for you should you need it. Asked me to keep it hidden and safe. That's why we spent nearly a full week at Port Leio. It has the sharpest blade I've come by in a few years. And it's all yours as I think this is the right time."

When  Alistair holds the sword it feels right. Perfect almost. it was made for him. He may have a rifle but this- this feels like it calls to him. "Mr. Jakobs also had one made for himself and told me to hang onto it. I have a feeling he knew what was going to happen." "Winny did have a sort of intuition about him when it came to gambling and deals." Alistair tested the balance. Zane huffed happily. "He has good taste." His eyes look Alistair up and down. "I hope you're referring to the sword Mr. Flynt." Alistair teases. "Oh- I am indeed." It's not long before they fall asleep tucked together in Zane's bed. holding each other as the night of final rest looms over the ship. In the morning Alistair is petting through Zane's hair, his echo eye off and Alistair's fingers are tracing where it would sit. "You deserve so much Mr. Flynt. more than what was dealt to you. I wish you could see what Wainwright and I see in you. Pirating can only have so many years. And you have outlived them." Zane lets himself drift as he listens to Alistair's whispers. he's not meant to hear them as they are far too intimate for what Zane should want.

And Zane knows that it may very well be his last day. he's going to give his all in order to save Wainwright and kill the dreaded pirate king Captain Handsome Jack. [WARNING: GORE] And lets be real it'll look like At Worlds End from Pirates of the Caribbean. All fighting and yelling and anger but also love and trust and Zane comes through canon smoke and plunges his sword, the one Wainwright asked him to hold onto, right into Jack's chest, but that doesn't mean Jack didn't turn to see who was yelling. And Jack's sword pushes through Zane's ribs at high force as Zane kills Jack through the heart.

Jack is sprawled on the deck, dead and bleeding. while Zane is kneeling over him, hanging onto the hilt of his sword so he doesn't slip any farther down the blade of Jack's upright sword in his own chest. It's hard to breath. he can feel himself slipping. he's heaving actually. trying to get as much atmosphere as he can. And as he starts to fall down a little more onto the blade he looks over at Alistair and Wainwright on the star dusty deck of the Hyperion Master. Zane can see that they're okay now. He's done his job. He tries to smile but he can't, he can't feel much either. And he can see that it's his own blood soaking the front of Jack's clothes, that he's dying. He can hear his name being yelled in slow motion almost as he slips the last little bit where his body is fully kneeling. What he doesn't know is it's Wainwright calling out to him, racing over to him. Alistair quickly next to as they watch him give up.

It's been three months of space travel. three months of getting to know each other. and three months of falling in love with each other. And the pair watch as Zane leaves them. "He knew it was coming my dear." Alistair is holding Wainwright in his embrace, they both have blood and goo and what ever else all over them. Alistair can feel in his bones the path Zane had forged was over. He watched the little red light on Zane's echo eye fade out. However The temple of Oular is in the Oasis galaxy, the galaxy known for it's mysterious magics. Star dust, cosmic radiation, some mumbo jumbo bullshit everyone thought was fake. Nope, all real. [GORE OVER] The Emporatta lake is a glowing body of water infused with life. IE the fountain of youth perhaps. Archer and Barnes are the ones to pull Zane off the sword and cover him in the old tattered flag that they held onto from the ship. The first one they had on the main mast. Gabriel is holding himself tight on one side from fighting but he holds himself as best he can with the crew, all a little worse for wear. Some recovering on the ship. But Zane is the only death. (Idk I don't write it)

And so they follow the tales, using the door to Jack's captain's quarters as a makeshift platform to bring Zane's shrouded body into the waters of Oular. Wainwright and Alistair hold the two other corners as they wade into the water with Barns and Archer. "On the count of three we lower the body into the healing waters. One, two, three." And slowly they let the door sink to the floor of the opalescent water. Everyone has to cover their eyes as the body emits a bright white light, green at the edges. The water ripples as a drum sound bangs loud in their ears. It thrums loud and shakes the planet before altogether it ceases. A loud screech being the final sound before the water moves and Barnes grabs at the hand searching out in the opalescent water. And Zane is floating up in the waist deep shallows gasping for breath and looking around before shakily moving so he's standing. Everything on him is gone. the door is gone. His clothes are gone. the flag is gone. He has a massive scar going from his sternum to where his upper arm touches his side. It's where the sword had cut him, where it was shredding his body as they moved him. He's naked, but whole. "Captain Flynt?" Wainwright asks softly "It's Zane, just Zane. never captain. That was me brother." Zane pants heavily, wiping water from his face so he can see. His eye is still a milky white from being blinded but it looks healthier. his other wounds seem cleaner, not as botched or nasty. He smiles warmly. "I never want to go to the afterlife if it meant leaving you lot. Smart feckers, all of ye."

And Wainwright and Alistair are tackling him into the waters, both of them laughing and crying because holy shit this one man is immortal, he has to be, there is no way. And Zane gets to kiss them both under the lake surface. He's laughing like it was nothing. The crew are running through the water in celebration. And Zane feels so damn good. He's happy. He's alive. And Jack is dead. Alistair and Wainwright share a kiss before taking more kisses from Zane

Oh you bet your sweet ass that they're going to get married at one point. And being a "back then" thing Zane is standing at the steering wheel as they are on the journey home. They're way away from the Oasis galaxy, halfway to the Jakobs section of the Border galaxy. And Zane is more than happy to be the one to marry Wainwright and Alistair. He's got the words written down for them so he speaks out to the crew and the pair as they stand just below the wheel deck. They're in new clothes as they're anchored back at Port Leio. And Zane watches as soon as he asks them to recite their vows. He's happy as hell to be the one to do this for them. He watches them exchange rings before he's has to clear his throat. "As Commander of this ship and Pirate lord of the Border galaxy I am pleased to pronounce you as husbands. Go ahead and kiss as you enter this new chapter of life."

Zane jokingly saying that he'd let them have his bed if he can be posted up i a nice inn at port. And Wainwright laughs. "Zane my boy, I own this port, the luxury hotel is ours for the week. Your ship is going to get repaired. We may also have a surprise for you later tonight if you'd like."

END

[sharpnothashtag]

The Good Ship CrushWay, Chapter 36

Villa Picard, outside Robert’s house at sunset: Locutus and Greskrendtregk.

Locutus: I don’t know about going to see Robert.  We were never friends. Gres: That’s not really the important part.  You need to find a way to try to start over.  Returning to your reality isn’t a good idea, so you need to find a way to exist here, apart from the other Jean-Luc. Locutus: (taking a deep breath) Alright.  Let’s go.  He does know who I am, yes? Gres: Sort of.  As much as Robert can know any of these things. Robert: (walking out of the house) Jean-Luc? Locutus: Yes, that’s me. Robert: (walks up to him, extends his hand.  Without smiling.) Welcome home. Locutus: (shakes his hand, also not smiling) It is good to see you, Robert. Robert: (walking toward the house) Rene is excited to see you.  He wants to hear about all your exploring. Locutus: (stopping Robert) I can’t tell Rene what I’ve done--what I’ve been through.  Maybe it’s better if I stay with the other Jean-Luc next door and come over later when Rene’s asleep. Robert: You’re his uncle, and he wants to see you.  You’re not going to make me explain to him that you didn’t want to see him, are you? Locutus: (smiling in spite of the situation) You always were good at guilt trips. Robert: (smiling back) I hope you’ll find that nothing much has changed here.

They enter Villa Picard and see Marie tending to a very sick Rene, who looks exhausted.  Locutus is shocked, but manages to hide it rather well.  He walks up to his bed.

Locutus: Why, if it isn’t my Uncle Rene! Rene: (laughing at the very funny goof) My nephew, Jean-Luc! Locutus: May I give you a hug? Rene: Of course.  (it takes all his strength to sit up enough to give the hug.  Locutus hugs him and helps him lay back down.)  I heard you’ve had some new adventures; tell me about them!   Locutus: (nervously sitting down in a chair) Well, on my latest adventure, I got to meet this wonderful person I’ve been wanting to meet for a long time. Rene: Who?  Who?! Locutus: Her name is Kathryn Janeway.  She’s been all over the galaxy! Rene: Where did you meet her? Locutus: There’s a new ship in the fleet--it’s called the USS Ohana.  She’s the Captain! Rene: Ooo!  I bet she’s important. Locutus: She...(looking to Greskredtregk for support.  Greskrendtregk nods) with the help of some others, helped me to remember what is important. Rene: (clearly getting sleepy) What’s that? Locutus: (holding Rene’s hand) How important it is to get home. (Rene drifts off to sleep.)

Greskrendtregk leads Locutus away after talking with Robert and Marie about their schedule for the next day.  They walk over to Picard’s house.  Naomi takes Greskrendtregk by the hand so he can read her her bedtime story.  Locutus motions for Picard to come outside with him.

Locutus: I was hoping we could talk alone. Picard: Of course.  What’s on your mind? Locutus: ...in my world, Rene isn’t sick. Picard: Oh. Locutus: It was difficult to see him like that. Picard: When he was 4, he fell out of a tree.  He broke several parts of his spine.  Robert and Marie rushed him to the hospital, and he got the best care available, but too much spinal fluid had leaked out.  They couldn’t completely stop that hemorrhage; they could only slow it. He has maybe one more year before the spinal fluid reaches toxic levels.  We’ve tried to make him as comfortable as possible. Locutus: I keep hoping for someone to come along and wake me up and tell me this was all just a horrible nightmare. Picard: If what you want is for your life to go back to normal, you’re not going to be satisfied. Locutus: And why is that? Picard: Define “normal.” (Locutus thinks and then shakes his head.) It’s hard.  If there is anything the last few years has taught me, it’s that normal, if indeed it does exist, is entirely overrated.  If everything remained normal, change would never come.  Without change, you would not be here.  I wouldn’t be planning to start a rehabilitation-style counseling camp for Borg children.  Hell, my name wouldn’t even have “Captain” in front of it without change.  So, even though it’s hard right now, I encourage you to try to see how many things are better because you’re here.  I don’t want to tell you what to do, but I know I think best when I’m out in nature.  My hammock is here--stay as long as you need to. (Locutus nods, thanking him, and hops up into the hammock.)

Later on, in Picard’s house, Greskrendtregk is counseling a teenage Romulan, Murkees.  

Gres: I’m sorry to have us meet here--the last cube was so full that there was no more room on Mars. Murkees: (annoyed) So they had to ship all the medically recovered former drones to Earth.   Gres: I take it you’ve had this explained to you. Murkees: (sarcastically) Perhaps more than once. Gres: I figured it would be a good idea for you to be here, at least until we can get a Romulan counselor through the trauma-counseling training.  This is the site of a future camp for Borg children, one where children may come and find peace with their former existence. Murkees: (angrily, almost under his breath) There is no peace. Gres: Do you want to explain? Murkees: (louder) I said, there is no peace.  Not as long as I exist. Gres: Murkees-- Murkees: (standing) OUR DESIGNATION 8 OF 10, SECONDARY ADJUNCT OF UNIMATRIX SEVEN, YOU WILL RETURN THIS DRONE TO-- Locutus: (barging in the door) I AM LOCUTUS OF BORG.  YOU WILL SIT. (Murkees cowers and sits.)  Gres: Please, Murkees.  Please voice what you’re feeling. Locutus: I know what they’re feeling.  (Greskrendtregk tries to silence him, but Locutus waves him off) They know that if they were still with the collective, their feelings would be muted.  When you feel again for the first time, it’s horrible.  But the feelings are complex.  There’s the pain of the life the Borg prevented you from having, but the cognitive dissonance of not being with the collective is just as real, isn’t it?  Knowing that what you once were forced to do is wrong, but having no power to right it?  Those are justifiable reasons to feel like there is no peace--no justice.  But let me tell you something, Murkees. (getting level with him) You’ll stop finding a reason to exist if you think about it that way. Murkees: (ashamed, choking out between angry sobs) There is no reason for me to exist.  We all should have died.  The Queen should have understood she was beaten and given the command to self-destruct.  But instead we’re placed in stasis.  And when we wake up, there’s a huge mess to clean, and no rag big enough to soak up the blood we spilled.  Existence is hopeless, and without hope, life is futile. Locutus: (several beats of silence.  Greskrendtregk gestures to Locutus to say something.) I thought that, too. Do you think it would be easier to die? (Murkees nods.) Dying is easy, young man.  Living is harder.  [yes, Hamilton.] Murkees: If it is so hard, what is the p  oint in doing it? Locutus: Truthfully?  I’m not sure.   Murkees: Then life IS futile. Locutus: It might be.  But...(Murkees looks at him.) what if you’re wrong? Murkees: I am not wrong; there cannot be anything worth living for.  It is preposterous. Locutus: And yet, it still might exist, no matter how preposterous it might be.  Listen to me, Murkees.  In another life, I destroyed all of sector 001.  Everyone I ever loved was gone.  I escaped from the collective, and I tried to kill myself twice.  And somehow, through some unexplained twist in logic, I’m here, kneeling in front of a former drone much like myself, both of us wanting peace and nothing else.  I know you said there is no peace, and you’re right.  So far, there isn’t. Murkees: What’s the point in looking for our reason if we’ve already looked everywhere we know to look? Locutus: We have to keep looking.  You’ve looked for a reason to live, assuming none exist.  When you begin from that assumption, you give up too easily.  You must begin with the idea that there might be a reason for you to exist: some difference you can make. Murkees: (a beat. timidly) What is your reason? Locutus: I haven’t found one yet.  But there has to be SOMEthing. (a moment of silence passes between all of them) I apologize for interrupting your session, Gres.  I just came in to get some bedding for the hammock--it’s gotten rather cold out there.

Greskrendtregk and Murkees sit in stunned silence as Locutus grabs a few blankets, a sleeping bag, and a pillow and goes back outside to his hammock.

[blue-scr33n]

Ok! Here’s the final product for my Other Origins au, it took me a while and it paid off!

I love both their designs, especially Adrien’s since I think it totally is something he would wear if he started as Ladybug from scratch (and I have his name as Lordbug because he’s a dork)  Marinette’s design for the cat has been in my head for a while, but only grew when I saw her canon design. I don’t like it, nor do I like the name (solely cause it’s a ship name, so it was just meeeeh) And it’s what I think a cat design for her would be starting from scratch as well (Her name is a toss-up between Kitty Noire, or Catnip)

I decided to make her hair into the ears for a cooler looking silhouette and gave her twin tails just because. On Adrien I gave him the collar to give the bodysuit more of a silhouette, which was why I also gave him a belt. 

In the au, Fu accidentally mixed up the miraculous he was going to give the two and it ended up nicely regardless because Adrien, while apparently blind in canon, isn’t stupid. And in the au, depending on the holder, it can “unlock” different powers of the miraculous (hc that in canon it doesn’t because each simply didn’t start out with the miraculous and already knew about the powers the other had, and thusly it just transitioned over into their transformation.) 

So Adrien’s main power aside from miraculous healing, is “Wishful Thinking” which gives him an object like Lucky Charm, however, it gives him what he wants since he’s not a creative thinker (but can come up with a plan, as seen in Reflecktadoll where he came up with a plan, and just needed the right object) 

Marinette’s power, however, is much more abstract to match her creativity. It’s called "Catatonic” and allows her to make use of all the bad luck she carries, and those around her possess allowing for greater chances of an enemy slipping up or something not working for the enemy. Her secondary power (to better match Adrien and be equal with him, like it should be in canon) is called “Catastrophe” and runs in line with her main power, however, it instead focusses on once specific thing unlike “Catatonic” does. So she can basically choose what goes wrong (very helpful when Lordbug has a plan and needs a specific thing to go wrong) 

Everything else pretty much remains the same, however both are suspended from meeting him until after “The Collector” because Tikki in this Au didn’t get sick. Also, the fact that the peacock is no longer in Gabriel's possession by the time Hero’s day rolls around bc Tikki insisted Adrien take the book and the brooch (the book gets returned, the brooch does not)  There are other things under the cut, like these last few ideas, however, the powers are for sure as are the designs (I just like Adrien with slicked-back hair, they coulda done it when he was Aspik, I’m just saying.)