#Tsari draws

[tiredsmashbros]

"happy birthday, bluejay."

2k words ; tsari fanfic

"gAH!" tari yelped as she lost her grip on the wooden plates nailed to the tree. fear of adrenaline rushed inside her veins, glancing a peek below her, acknowledging the height and distance above from the ground. she didn't have a fear of heights, yet it still was an alarming issue to imagine in her mind what could happen if she were to fall.

"w-wOaH! bj, grab my hand!" tsb directed extending his arm out, using his stretchable ability to allow tari a more secure reach. "come on!" he exclaimed, assisting her up until she was finally standing on the wooden surface base marked on their destination. "heh, trying to fall again now are we?" the man chuckled in hopes of lightening the mood, referencing an inside-joke recall based on their first meeting, "but on your birthday? what kind of a crazy bird are you!"

tari giggled, relief dominating over her after finally arriving at the top of tsb's home. "i'm not used to climbing up!" she began, taking a break to catch her breath, "why'd you have to live up so high? it's challenging to come to visit you!" the bluejay spoke glancing her eyes to take in the view as she recovered. she could see the showgrounds perfectly where she stood, watching her friends play in the grass field, and even a clear view of smg3's coffee and bombs. it was just a marvelous view, pondering why she hadn't thought to come here more often. with the wind brushing onto her face, and the shade provided by the tree's leaves to guard from the sun it was evermore peaceful and quiet. her worries gone within an instant, it was relaxing to say.

"then i suppose you'll have to come by more often to see silly o'l me, huh?" tsb responded, opening the entrance door for tari to enter. "birthday girl first~" tsb flirted, forming an exaggerated body gesture for her to enter in. tari shyly smiled and nodded, making her way inside the blue and yellow man's humble abode.

as if it was her first, tari couldn't ever grasp how peculiar and unique tsb's home was structured. the outer appearance appearing as a regular small treehouse built from wood and nails. yet the interior, god the interior was like an entirely whole other world. seemingly cartoonishly larger, covered in bright light blue walls, white clouds painted onto them. additionally, small rainbows scattered around. a giant painted sun on the ceiling, accompanied by multiple small paper-shaped stars assisted with tape dangled down from right above. high enough where her standing wouldn't bother it, but not so high where you couldn't acknowledge them. the area was furniture filled with shelves of unused big and small canvases, all sorts of art materials neatly placed and organized, with the man's silly personality of individually colored beanbags to sit on, and nets filled with all kinds of plushies and toys. it felt like a dream house for an art child really. dried used paint splattered about here and there on the walls and floor adding color to the bright white room.

"still breathtaking for you, birdy? i thought it would still be boring even doing some minor edits here and there." tsb scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment noticing tari's positive expressive expression as she glanced the place up and down, side to side.

"are you kidding? how could i not be? any normal person would find this breathtaking! your place is an absolute dream house, tsb! it's bright, cozy, colorful, and a playground of endless creative creation! i can't get over how you can manage to create this all yourself! very impressive!" tari exclaimed, as her smile stretched up to her cheeks, really absorbing and giving a twirl around the space. excitement fueled her as he bounced about exploring the other familiar areas and all of its satisfying gleam of bright colors. it felt like she truly was up in the clouds or a figment of what she felt was a physical imagination of heaven.

tsb could only watch and giggle from the side. his heart was pounding in glee seeing the bluejay prance about in joy, admiring the work of art he's created for himself to call home. he felt an over beamed of satisfied joy he endlessly craved being appreciated. especially from her. a compliment from anyone would've still been appreciated of course, yet hearing those words coming from her felt like he could die at any moment. and he wouldn't mind.

after some time of tari exploring the area admiring all the nooks and crannies of tsb's dream-like treehouse, tsb finally directed tari to his bedroom. a place he... coming to the realization he had never shown her before up until now. the first time smg4 interrupted them cutting their time short, and other visits were with other guests visiting to do arts and crafts or play board games. yet this was the first since her first visit it was just the two of them. tsb grew nervously anxious as he tiled the sun-shaped knob of his door, allowing entry to the girl he admired most. it was just his room and he truthfully had nothing to hide, yet it was still nerve-racking for him, pondering about her opinion.

"t-this is my room-" before tsb could even continue to create a proper introductory description, tari jolted up in joy, squealing in glee rushing inside to admire the new room, eager to explore. it had the same vibe and aesthetic as the main entrance room, the entire treehouse quite frankly, yet this room specifically was more in the theme of tsb's main colors. yellow and blue! additionally, instead of the walls being painted or scattered with paint, they were filled with drawings drawn on paper of different mediums taped onto the wall.

entering the room revealed tsb's bed, filled with drawings of rainbows and clouds above as seen the theme all over the place. the bed is cuffed below of soft felted cloud-shape border with a uniquely colored placed rainbow for a bed frame. to the right side of the wall was a large window viewing of the sky, and next to it a tall dresser. accompanied by the wall where the door was placed, was filled with drawings she could recognize were drawn from her friends. boopkins, luigi, heck even some dumb doodles from smg3 she recalled tsb telling the tale of them hanging out one night.

the last wall to the left side of the room erupted with colors of different shades of green and brown. taken aback coming to the realization tsb's home lacked the color green almost entirely, let alone any color of brown other than the "disguise" from the exterior. illustrations of trees, squirrels, and small rodents, and what she could make out looked like a television. causing a shiver down her spine being reminded of mr. puzzles, yet these looked nothing like him. furthermore, they looked the same tv of a design with a nice chestnut brown with a cyan-like blue screen. some with hearts, some crossed out even wrinkled, and others... tari stared at it in confusion. she assumed it was an interesting relation due to tsb heavy interest in cartoon shows, he would watch several frequently with mario. however, something inside her told her it meant something else. as if it linked to-

"soooo what do you think, bluejay?" tsb queried, interrupting tari's thoughts. to the bluejay's surprise, he was resting on his bed in a crisscross position with his hands questionably behind his back slightly awkwardly.

"oh! i-it's awesome!" she quickly responded, trying to rid herself pondering over the mystery of this "tv". "i don't recall you ever showing me your room before. what gives! trying to hide more secrets?" she confidently spoke back, removing any possible suspicion. taking a seat next the the cartoony man.

"noo, of course not! just something i suppose i hadn't had the time to show you till now." tari rolled her eyes playfully trying to seem hurtful by his response. tsb giggled.

suddenly, he began to clear his throat, straightening his back, and shifting closer to tari with a slight struggle refusing to use his hands for support. however, fear rose inside as he wondered if he was too close to the bluejay, but she didn't seem bothered and instead mimicked his actions. receiving another giggle from the man feeling his face grow hot. "i uh," tsb began, "i have a gift for you! um..." tsb slowly unhidden his hands to reveal a bird-like figure in his palms. tari began to decipher it being a hand-crafted bluejay figure with a neatly small bowtie around its neck. yet she was utterly confused and speechless, it allowed tsb to continue his monologue. "i'm... not very good at making something supposedly grand like parties or cakes, for someone's orbit around the sun, but i do like handcrafting things for people i... um... admire most." tsb confident outward speech turned to stutters and quiet speech seemingly looking down as he could feel his hands sweat under his golden gloves. "i hope you like this gift-"

"of course i do!~" tari finally bursted into squeals having her hands turn to fists positioned up to her face in an attempt to hide her overly joyous smile. shifting her position to admire the beautifully hand-crafted bluejay more up-close. "it's so cute!~" she squealed once more feeling like she could feel herself almost cry from overstimulated happiness. "how did you use to make it?" she queried swiftly, staring at tsb's shades, eyes wide with sparks of adoration.

tsb only stuttered to find the words, his face growing hotter by the second hearing the beats of his pounding heart inside his ears. "i-i used cardboard to create the base of the shape... and um gluing layers of newspaper to give some texture... a-after painting it with acrylic- nO gouache a-a-and reusing some old thick ribbon i had in my scrapes to gave it a bow!" swiftly adding in the end, "y-you know! because it's a gift! cause it you're birthday! a-and purple to match your eyes! b-because your eyes are purple! oH and this is a bluejay, not a duck i-i-i-im not sure if that was obvious um-"

"it's perfect.~" tari softly interjected, cupping tsb's hands and lowering them down from their chests. "it's adorable of you think of me like that. i've never received a gift like this before... it exactly represents me and considering the thoughts you had i seriously appreciate the effort you put in. it's," tari couldn't help but giggle.

before tsb could muster to search for words to say thank you, tari kissed tsb on the cheek. "it's really cute. thank you.~" shots of physical cloud of air flew out of tsb's ears, face even red than the color red itself, stunned and completely flustered he sat there frozen. tari once again giggled seeing the clouds of smoke coming out of their ears like a real-life cartoon, yearning to see what more of a reaction she can get. she was always fascinated by tsb's strange cartoonish nature she just simply adored him more and more. nothing about him could ever bore her. 

just if by instinct, she removed her hands from tsb and reached out to remove tsb shades. settling it down by the bed, gazing admirably into his brown eyes as they were shifting animatedly to pink hearts back and forth. "t-tari-" tsb started, but was unfortunately cut off by someone outside. turning his eyes into pupils with red outlines from surprise.

"tari!" a familiar voice called, "TARI!" smg4 called again louder.

"smg4 must have the party essentials ready. we should go till he gets impatient hehe!" tari stood up from the bed grabbing the bluejay gift with one hand while the other grabs for the cartoon man's glove. 

"y-yeah..." he replied, still stunned by what happened. eventually after a soft tug from tari, he regained his senses and threw back his shades on. springing off the bed and following tari out of his room. 

"you think there'll be cake left after mario gets to it first?" tsb asked.

tari chuckled, "i doubt it." 

END

[brazenlystrong]

new au but it's tigers yuji and sukuna and leopard satoru

[inblazes]

Dear Son, The only reason this letter must be finding you is that I am gone. Most likely dead and for that I apologize. Know that I wouldn't have left you or Kaeya if I could help it, if Miss Adelinde gave this to you would be a surprise, yet she had grown curious after some time. But apologies for what this box may hold within it. A lot of my past sits in here, along with this letter you are reading now.

With my Demise will come many a face coming to the door, some you may know some you may not - don't question them much as much as I know you will want to. The less you know the better, the less you answer their own questions too will be safer for you, Kaeya, and Mondstadt as a whole in the long run. As Calvery Captain you must put the people first, and your curiosity second. Even if you never receive the answers you wish to know.

What I can tell you, which must never leave this letter or your lips, is that The Doctor used to be my colleague. I used to be the Eleventh of the Fatui's Harbingers. Whether he has weaseled his way to killing me one way or another would make sense, if that is how it came to an end for me. Or that the .. Delusion had.

Don't use it. I only use it when I have to now, considering the damage it has already caused myself in the long term, the mistakes and destruction caused by myself with it on my hand since I was gifted the thing by Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa, back in the day. If you can help it do not use it, you've your vision. That alone should be enough to help you protect those you need to, to help your brother perform the duties of Knights of Favonious.

I'm telling you all this as I've clearly had no time in your adulthood to explain this to you as much as I wanted to. It's been too dangerous, and becoming more so with the Fatui within the city as of late. More seem to grow comfortable within the city walls. Keep eyes on them. There's more I would've loved to disclose but ... I cannot. The view of Her should never find your back, if you can manage that much I think I would've done a good job in raising you --- or that Kaeya has the sense and wherewithal to pull you back from something so utterly suicidal.

Please know that i'm proud of you. Always have been. Since the moment I laid eyes on you I knew I couldn't remain where I was, your birth was something special and provided me the strength to leave and go against what I had helped built. You bring forth a type of Dawn with your smile that not many can.

I hope you can forgive the lies. The truth of what I have been attatched to before you. If you cannot I understand, but even if you curse my name in death know that I still love you and always will.

Be good.

Best regards,

Sire Crepus Ragnvindr, Master of the Dawn Winery.

For years, that letter had gone unread -- stashed away in a lockbox filled with the rest of Diluc's closest treasures. Seashells, jewellery, childhood drawings, letters, pressed flowers, paintings, and photographs of days long gone.

Like his father's funeral, he had never been ready to face it head-on: actively avoided it and refused to acknowledge its existence.

Out of sight, out of mind, so they say.

One day, the young master told himself ( when he was willing to try and move on and make peace with what had happened to their family ) he would read the final words that his father had left for him, and begin to try to heal from the pain of being bereft of his beloved parent.

Except that what he found within the contents of that letter deeply disturbed him. He couldn't have possibly seen it coming... And as he sat, ready to try and let go of the past as his eyes scrolled through every line of handwriting, he felt his heart break anew. Each and every wish his father had held for him, he'd heartbreakingly failed to achieve in one way or another.

Worse still came the news that Crepus was a Fatuus -- and not just some lowly pawn on the bottom rung of the ladder, but the Tsaritsa's former Eleventh. A colleague of Dottore's. It blindsided him similarly to Kaeya's confession on that fateful night, his hands feeling numb as he grips the letter in hand with force, wrinkling it at its edges.

He was the son of a Harbinger, and the shame that came with it was one so deep that he was instant in the action that he took to denounce that shameful stain upon their family name.

It had taken him so long to be able to look upon his father's belongings and feel something other than grief. Now that same hurt resurges all over again, coupled with disgust, as he abandons that accursed letter upon the surface of his desk to erase any trace of him from the manor's walls.

Diluc tears through the home like a whirlwind -- frantic in his efforts to tear down every painting, every photograph... Not even the family portrait was allowed to stay, clattering down to the ground as its frame was torn from the wall in an impulsive rage.

If that was the late master's legacy -- what the Ragnvindr clan represented in this day and age, then he didn't want it any longer.

[tsarinatorment]

For the OC Alphabet Soup, how about Y?

(Also I love you.)

OC Alphabet Soup: Send me a letter of the alphabet A-Z, and if I have an OC starting with that letter, I’ll tell about them.

Technically I only have one oc Y in my Apollo kids (although I have at least one other oc whose name starts with Y which I know you're well aware of!), but if this crops up again I'll cheat and talk about the canon kid I basically built from scratch because they have no canon beyond a first name and ethnicity.

Y is for… YVONNE CALVERT

like last time I did this game I’ve actually started drawing all of them, so all answers this time will be accompanied by actual Tsari-art of her own ocs.

Yvonne, like most of my OCs, is a fandom OC - specifically, she’s a demigod from Riordanverse.

Pronouns: She/Her Date of Birth: 6th May 1986 Parents: Apollo and Émilie Calvert (a librarian from Quebec City, Canada) Etymology: Yvonne - yew or archer. Calvert - tender of cattle from the Middle English calfhirde "calf herdsman". Years at CHB: 1998-2004 (Year-Round camper) Status: Left camp aged 18 Inherited Domains: Knowledge*, Archery, Healing

Yvonne left camp almost two years before the arrival of Percy, thereby missing most of the canon events. She arrived the same year as Lee and knew Michael and Will for a while; she was still in camp when Luke went on his bad quest but left at the end of that summer.

She's a quiet girl who always has her head in a book and can get irritable if pulled away from whatever world she's exploring. Fiction or non-fiction, it's all the same to her, although if pressed she has a slight preference for historical facts and fiction - but in the case of the latter, will tear apart any inaccuracies to anyone who doesn't escape fast enough. When not reading, she likes listening to her more musically-aligned siblings.

Like all of Apollo's children, Yvonne has a degree of healing ability. It isn't particularly impressive, but she's capable of triage and keeping people alive long enough for other help to arrive. She's also a capable archer and favours the longbow.

Her primarily inherited domain is one of the rarer ones, knowledge. She has a seemingly-unlimited capacity for new information and appears incapable of forgetting anything once she's learned it, especially when it comes to historic events and dates, which she has a particular preference for.

After leaving camp, she went on to study history at university and is now a respected lecturer and researcher of Greek history.

[sankta-alina-s]

//For Alina!! Violet - 20, Xaden - 23, Alina/Ivan - 14, Alusina & Alaric - 18//

Burton respected Sebastian, without him he probably would not have met his mate. But his loyalty was the Tsarina Khaede. He left Scholomace's grounds, winnowing home.

He chuckled to himself, seeing his youngest already waiting on the cottage steps.

Right, Ivan was having a hunger strike. He held one every other week about something. It was a wonder the boy grew at all.

"What are we upset about tonight Vanya?"

Ivan looked up from the figures he'd been drawing in the dirt. Alina and he were 14, and with Alusina's marriage now finalized all eyes had turned to her.

Apparently Khaede had decided to find her a match as well.

He wasn't sure why of all the males it had to be him.

"Ma didn't tell you? They're making me marry Alina!"

Burton sighed and sat down next to him on the steps.

"And is the Princesa so awful?"

His son scowled, the tips of his ears reddening.

"She doesn't want me. She likes males like Fedya. She can't stand me, nor can I stand her. She's always pushing back, always asking more questions than what's good for her. Why can't she just listen and -"

"So you must guide her, that's all love."

Ivan scowled at his father, throwing his stick down.

"You act like it's that easy! I - forget it!"

------

Ivan wouldn't have believed this news if he didn't feel it in his bones. His father was killed, and by some no named cadet! There had been rumors of Violet, some female from Spring. Of her breaking up Xaden's betrothal or something like that. He understood why nor had much cared.

But now the bitch had come directly to the Tsarina to plead for mercy? Or was it to petition Khaede to let her and Xaden marry? To stave off some war?

He didn't know, he couldn't stop shaking as she spoke. He was aware of Alusina, and Alina on the dias. Alaric stood with him his brothers were close by.

Khaede looked down at Violet, impassivie.

"I don't see why you're asking me for my approval when you both don't seem to understand the cost of your actions. I wasn't the one harmed in this, Burton's family -"

"Burton tortured her Tsarina! Surely you don't condone such a thing?"

Khaede's eyes flashed and she turned her attention to Xaden. He looked to be fighting for the control of his temper. Alaric's lips thinned at Ivan's side.

Sympathy for his brother's plight? Anger that Xaden's actions would reflect on him?

He didn't know, and again, he didn't much fucking care.

His mother hadn't come home. Griselda had left for the Valkyrie stronghold either in protest or in anguish he didn't know.

No one was telling him anything.

Khaede glanced to him, he felt her eyes before he met them.

"Ivan would you like to speak? You look like you have something to say."

Ivan stepped down to meet Xaden and Violet. He knew unconsciously this was a test.

That he should play politics but he couldn't think beyond the rage. The fury and anguish that churned through him. He wanted Violet in pain but he saw his father's work on her. His eyes slid to Xaden, standing tall and imposing. Her idolized him once.

His hand clenched at his side, Xaden wheezed falling to his knees. He stared as he chocked, as his shadows tried to come to his aid but Khaede's magic held them back.

Ivan watched him struggle and let go turning to Violet.

"I could kill him from where I had stood. I could have stopped his heart when he walked into this room. You loved him like I loved my father. You act like your station matters when you are nothing. My father earned his keep. What have you done but cause discord for everyone around you?"

He stepped back, his held high.

"Your mercy from the Tsarina was that you both are alive. Your mercy is that she doesn't interfere in what Xaden's family chooses to do. That is all you are allowed to have. Anything more is an overreach."

Alina tried her best not to fidget at her sister's side. The entire situation was a travesty, all the fault of the female standing before the Tsarina. Alina hadn't ever met Violet, although now she had a clear picture of who she was. Her stomach turned at learning of the female's crime against Ivan and his family.

She squeezed Alusina's hand as Ivan approached the pair. Her form cringed as Xaden was taken down so easily from Ivan's rage. No one dared interfere, for Ivan's wrath was well-founded.

A breath was loosened from Alina as soon as it was made clear that he would allow both to live. She sneaked a glance up at her sister to gauge her reaction to seeing her brother-in-law humbled before the Court. It was a miracle that both Xaden and Violet would leave with their lives.

Later, as the crowd dispersed, Alina dared pose the question that she'd been ruminating on to her sister.

"Why do you think he let them be?"

[gumnut-logic]

Poke and Prod

@tsarinatorment​ asked:

Kisses #33: kissing it better with Virgil & Alan 

Late night, tired and cranky Nutty writing.

Thank you to @tsarinatorment​ and @janetm74​ for your wonderful support ::hugs you both so much. Extra thanks to Tsari for the ask :D

I hope you enjoy.

-o-o-o-

Virgil had always been the one to poke and prod him.

Dad was caring, but often distant or not there at all. And then not at all became apparently permanent with all the distress that accompanied that.

Scott was…Scott. Alan admired Scott so much. Alan wanted to be John, but Scott always had the answers to the mundane, always stood up for their family, always did what needed to be done. Alan loved Scott with everything he had and knew his big brother would do anything for him. He had a proud hand on Alan’s shoulder, a kind word, a gentle hug when it was needed.

Scott was his big brother and he was amazing.

Virgil nagged Alan if he didn’t eat enough vegetables.

John was what Alan wanted to be. Tall, smart and knowing so much. Alan could talk to John for hours whether it was under the stars or curled up under the quilt in either of their rooms while gawking at John’s tablet and all the amazing space stuff on it. John was an astronaut. John had been to space in a real rocket. John was so cool.

The day John came back from his first mission, Alan hugged him knowing that his brother’s body had been up amongst the stars.

Virgil was determined to keep Alan clean. That damned licked finger should be registered as a hazardous and possibly infectious agent.

Gordon was his best friend. His bro knew all the tricks and all the secrets. He knew where Scott kept his chocolate stash and how to steal just the right amount so their big brother thought he had forgotten he had eaten it. Together they had cracked open one of John’s beers and discovered just how revolting alcohol was. That first impression lasted long enough to get Gordon an Olympic gold medal. Alan got to hold it in his hands. A real gold medal. He was so proud of his brother.

Gordon was mischief and achievement wrapped in laughter. His best friend who just knew what to do.

Virgil told Alan to get down from there before he gave Scott a heart attack.

Virgil was always the one to poke and prod him. He would peer at his face, tell him to present his teeth, and send him back to his room to comb his hair.

It wasn’t Alan’s fault that everyone seemed want to mess with it. He got the feeling that everyone over the age of twenty had the urge to pinch his cute little cheek. Fortunately, telepathy must be a thing because no one dared lest Alan bite their fingers off.

So they settled for mussing his hair instead.

Sometimes being the youngest sucked.

Of course, Virgil fixed his bike, helped him with his homework and was generally an all-round great brother.

But he was always touching, always querying, always poking and prodding.

It was so annoying.

But then came the day Alan narrowly missed being hit by a car and careened his bike into a fence. He ended up with a skinned everything and a blatant worship for mandatory bike helmets.

Virgil had been with him. They had been on their way to the library to access some local history documents for Alan’s school project. Dad hadn’t been available so Virgil offered to come with him.

Probably to make sure he did his homework.

He didn’t. The project ended up scattered across Fourth Street and Alan crying in Virgil’s arms.

Scott was called and he arrived in their Dad’s truck. The bikes were thrown in the back and Virgil bundled Alan into the front seat beside him, not once letting go.

Their eldest brother was a whirlwind of worry, but he had to drive and was reduced to glances as Virgil stuck plasters on Alan’s elbows and knees.

Virgil always was the one to poke and prod.

And yes, his hair was messed both by Virgil checking for injury and by each brother he encountered them the rest of the day, most of which was spent in bed with the holoprojector streaming his favourites.

Virgil sat with him despite Alan knowing his engineer brother despised what was on the ‘projector. Apparently, it was going to rot Alan’s brain.

Alan thought they made great music and Virgil was boring with all his classical stuff.

But today Virgil sat with him.

All afternoon.

Through dinner.

And into the evening.

He didn’t seem to want to leave. His other brothers came and went, Scott hovering as if he had rockets; Gordon offering him chocolate, probably from Scott’s stash; John lending him his tablet. But Virgil sat quietly in the chair beside the bed Alan didn’t really need to be in, but was going to take advantage of anyway, and hardly said a thing.

Eventually it grew dark and Virgil helped Alan into his pyjamas. It hurt. There were bruises and scrapes everywhere. Then, before he could escape, Virgil grabbed him and pulled him into a hug just a little too tight.

“Virg, ow.”

His arms loosened a little, but Virgil did not let go and to Alan’s surprise his big brother kissed his hair.

“Virgil?”

An exhale, warm against his skin. “You scared me today, Allie. That car…” The arms grew tighter again.

“I’m okay, Virg.”

“I know.” But he still didn’t let go. Virgil held him in his lap, not unlike when he had picked him off the sidewalk. “I love you, Allie.”

Alan’s eyes widened and he blinked. “Love you, too, Virg.”

His brother didn’t say anything further and they just sat together like that until Scott found them.

His eldest brother separated them slowly, with worried questions for both of them. Alan was gently nudged into bed because it was late and both of his brothers said good night, Scott walking out of the room with his arm around Virgil’s shoulders.

Alan didn’t fall asleep immediately. There had been something in Virgil’s voice. Fear and worry.

Virgil poked and prodded because he cared. Alan knew that. But that kiss to his hair, those strong arms around him…

It wasn’t the first time, but it was the time that Alan really understood just how much his brother loved him.

Virgil was his big brother. He was going to be an engineer. He could play the piano and draw real well. He had the darkest hair of all of them and he was gentle and kind.

And if Alan had to tolerate a little poking and prodding to keep his brother happy, he could live with that.

-o-o-o-

FIN.

[tsarifr]

So at some point I apparently hit 400 followers without noticing?  That’s a fun little post count, too!

I suppose that makes it time for a follower giveaway then~  I don’t post very regularly at the moment, so you don’t have to be following me to enter (although of course I won’t say no to new followers!)

Prizes?  Well, I haven’t drawn any dragons in a while so I can’t guarantee exactly how they’ll turn out, but winner* will get art of a dragon of their choice!  It’ll almost certainly be a headshot, unless I’m in the mood to experiment.  I’m also happy to do a gijinka as long as they already have a design (or an anthro, but be warned I am much weaker at anthros than the other two!)

*If a lot of people enter and I have the time and inclination, I may draw more than one winner.

To enter simply reblog with your username+ID and a link to the dragon you’d like drawn if you win!  If you want a gijinka or anthro art instead of dragon, please specify and provide a clear reference!  (Likes and replies won’t count)

End Date will be rollover on Saturday 20th June 2021

(If you want examples of my general art style, my art tag is “tsari’s art”)

[tsarisfanfiction]

“Are you going to let go, Gordon?”

“Nope!”  He kept the word up-beat, grin firmly fixed on his face as he burrowed his chin further into the dyed-blond hair.  One small part of him was entirely smug about the fact that, out of all the possible colours, Scott had chosen to go strawberry blond.

The rest of him was still trying to wind down from the adrenaline of weeks, months, of hunting down his MIA eldest brother, and finding him somehow shrunk back into a kid - physically, at least.  Gordon didn’t even want to think about how that had happened, even though he now knew.  Scott had, eventually, admitted everything he’d been through since the moment he’d vanished, and in the back of his mind the military part of him was stirring, because someone had tried to kill his brother - had scared his brother so much he’d run off to hide in Tokyo in a seven year old body instead of calling them for help - but right now Gordon had his brother back, and that was the important thing.

Despite his words, Scott wasn’t actually struggling to get free, seemingly content to stay put.  Of course, he might just have realised that in mini-form he didn’t stand a chance; one good thing about his current shrinkage was that Gordon could cling to him like an overgrown koala and stay there, and there was nothing Scott could do about it.

If he let go, Scott might make another run for it - away from them and safety because he thought that was how to keep them safe, never mind the risks posed to one seven-year-old-bodied American whose Japanese was patchy at best - and Gordon had spent far too much time hunting him down, terrified of what might have happened, to run that risk.

So Scott was just going to have to get used to this, because Gordon had no plans to let go any time soon.

Some of you may remember this random scene I threw out last May.  I still have no idea if that fic will ever be properly written (if I do, it will be a monster, and one monster-fic at a time is plenty), but I do have some more random scene snippets in my head.  Even better, they all come with an art muse attached, so at some point there will be three more of these - one per brother!  (They grumped at me when only Gordon got to play with APTX!Scott so I promised them art, too.)

Yes, this is a crossover.  No, these snippets will not require any knowledge of the other series - I’ll only start delving into that if I write the fic properly.  Kudos to you if you recognise the other series, though.

And no, Tsari still can’t draw backgrounds.  Also, turns out if you de-age Scott and make him blond he looks a lot like Alan.  Honestly if it wasn’t for the dimples I’d be second-guessing which brother I drew (although considering kids’ hair tends to darken with age, Alan at this age would probably be a lot blonder than this).  Originally the plane on his top was red on a blue-grey background, but then it looked like a red rocket, and yeah...  Pity, because I liked that colour scheme, but it made Scott look too Alan.

Big thanks to @gumnut-logic for helping me figure out everything wrong with the sketch and prodding me in the right direction (even if I didn’t always listen, sorry, Nutty!)

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OC Alphabet Soup - U.

OC Alphabet Soup: Send me a letter of the alphabet A-Z, and if I have an OC starting with that letter, I’ll tell about them.

@supremeladyoftherandom​ said “ill give you one: R”

Only one starting with U, but one exists!

U is for… URANIA CALIMERIS

Unlike last time I did this game I’ve actually started drawing all of them, so all answers this time will be accompanied by actual Tsari-art of her own ocs.

Urania, like most of my OCs, is a fandom OC - specifically, she’s a demigod from Riordanverse.

Pronouns: She/Her Date of Birth: 8th December 2000 Parents: Apollo and Sophia Calimeris (a nurse from Delphi, Greece) Etymology: Urania - heavenly, also the Muse of astronomy. Calimeris - good morning from Greek kalimera. Years at CHB: 2012-2019 (Year-Round camper) Status: Left camp aged 18 Inherited Domains: Healing*, Music, Knowledge

Urania didn't arrive at camp until after the chaos of canon. She only attended camp with Will for a year before his departure, but spent several years with Austin, Kayla and the TON trio.

She's mostly a serious girl, or so she likes to present herself on the outside. To people who know her, however, it's apparent that she's actually got a very dry wit and breaks out the sarcasm frequently. She's also very defensive of people she considers to be her family and friends. As a girl growing up in Delphi, she's always felt close to Apollo, even before knowing he was her father (although she suspected from an early age).

Like many children of Apollo, Urania is a talented musician. She prefers to play string instruments, and is particularly fond of her father's most famous instrument, the lyre, although before arriving at camp she was primarily a trained violinist. Her archery skills are less impressive, but she is still perfectly capable with a bow.

Her primarily inherited ability is her healing powers. She can triage instinctively and utilise healing hymns for moderate and even some serious injuries with a high success rate. Her self-regeneration is also highly accelerated, with her recovery time from injuries typically half the standard for the average demigod.

After leaving camp, Urania attended New Rome University to study medicine before going on to further education in a mortal university to become a fully qualified doctor.

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B

OC Alphabet Soup: Send me a letter of the alphabet A-Z, and if I have an OC starting with that letter, I’ll tell about them.

Once again, a letter that crops up more than once! Sticking with my system of picking the eldest (if it wasn't obvious, if a letter gets picked again, I'll go for the next eldest, etc., so unless I say they're the last one, repeated letter requests are a-okay!)

B is for… BAIRD McNEILLY

Unlike last time I did this game I’ve actually started drawing all of them, so all answers this time will be accompanied by actual Tsari-art of her own ocs.

Baird, like most of my OCs, is a fandom OC - specifically, he’s a demigod from Riordanverse.

Pronouns: He/Him Date of Birth: 16th July 1985 Parents: Apollo and Fiona McNeilly (a skiing instructor from Aviemore, Scotland) Etymology: Baird - minstrel or poet. McNeilly - son of the poet from the Gaelic Mac an Fhilidh. Years at CHB: 1997-2003 (Year-Round camper) Status: Left camp aged 18 Inherited Domains: Archery*, Youth, Healing

Baird attended camp long before the chaos of Percy’s time there; he knew Lee well, having arrived only one year before him, and Michael more briefly. He left the same summer that Will arrived, so only knew him very briefly.

He's a laid back and rather loud character, not afraid to take the reins and step up when things need doing, especially when it comes to helping younger campers. While he was never Head Counsellor, or ever in line for the role, he often supported them with new campers and had a way of making most kids feel at ease reasonably quickly.

Like all of Apollo’s children, Baird has a degree of healing.  It’s not particularly impressive - he can triage effectively and utilise some basic healing hymns, though his natural healing factor is barely above the average demigod's - but it’s enough to keep him and people around him alive, which is what matters.

His primarily inherited domain is archery, and while he can use any bow, he stubbornly sticks to the longbow. Before discovering he was a demigod and being whisked away to Camp Half-Blood, his dream was to join the Royal Company of Archers, a dream that wasn't quelled in the least by several years in America.

After leaving camp, he indeed returned to Scotland and finally joined the Company, which he loves doing. Despite the discipline side of things being difficult, his battle-reflexes do make him an excellent bodyguard.

However, that wasn't the end of his interaction with the demigod world - his time off coincided with the climax of the Second Titanomachy, and Baird was one of the several adult demigods who hurried back to help defend Olympus - he was one of the few who survived.

[tsarinatorment]

OC Alphabet Soup: Send me a letter of the alphabet A-Z, and if I have an OC starting with that letter, I’ll tell about them.

@mavie-wisegirl​ said “Well, I choose the letter... H!”

There’s more than one beginning with H, so again I picked the oldest one this time!

H is for... KIM HA-YOON [김 하윤]

Unlike last time I did this game I’ve actually started drawing all of them, so all answers this time will be accompanied by actual Tsari-art of her own ocs.

Ha-Yoon, like most of my OCs, is a fandom OC - specifically, she’s a demigod from Riordanverse.

Pronouns: She/Her Date of Birth: 8th December 1981 Parents: Apollo and Kim Ha-Rin (a dancer from Seoul, South Korea) Etymology: Kim - gold. Ha-Yoon - summer and sunlight. Years at CHB: 1992 - 2000 (Year Rounder / Head Counsellor) Status: Left camp aged 18 Inherited Domains: Dance*, Music, Healing

Ha-Yoon attended camp long before the chaos of Percy’s time there; she knew Lee well, as the head counsellor of the cabin when he arrived, but otherwise has no connection with the canon cast.

She’s a quiet girl who doesn’t say more than she needs to in any given situation, but when she does speak, people quickly learn to take what she says seriously - Ha-Yoon does not suffer fools well.  She also prefers to communicate in Ancient Greek rather than English, partially because learning languages has never been her strong suit and unlike English, Ancient Greek comes instinctively to her (although it can cause some miscommunication or amusement in camp with campers who inherited dialects other than the Ionic spoken by Apollo kids).

Like all of Apollo’s children, Ha-Yoon has inherited some degree of healing.  She can triage instinctively and treat minor wounds with no difficulty, although more serious wounds can be a struggle and she’ll often find one of her more powerful healer siblings when possible.  She’s not much of an archer, either, at least, not compared to her siblings.

Her primarily inherited domain is dance.  She has been dancing for as long as she can remember and specialises in Buchaechum, or fan dance.  Even when not dancing, her movement tends to contain the effortless grace associated with dancers, and during weapons training she might struggle with using some of the weapons (she eventually got the Hephaestus cabin to make her a war fan to use after one too many failures with a sword), but she never struggles with footwork.

After leaving camp, she moved back to South Korea, where she makes a living teaching young children to dance (and teaching them to defend themselves with fans, just in case some of them are other demigods.  South Korea doesn’t have a safe place for Greek demigods like Camp Half-Blood, and Ha-Yoon is very aware it was only thanks to both her parents being so pro-active with her safety and getting her to Long Island early enough that she made it to adulthood).

[tsarinatorment]

OC Alphabet Soup: Send me a letter of the alphabet A-Z, and if I have an OC starting with that letter, I'll tell about them.

@supremeladyoftherandom​ said “ill give you one: R”

I have a few starting with R so I’m gonna pick the oldest this time...

R is for... RAY STRICKLAND

Unlike last time I did this game I’ve actually started drawing all of them, so all answers this time will be accompanied by actual Tsari-art of her own ocs.

Ray, like most of my OCs, is a fandom OC - specifically, he’s a demigod from Riordanverse.

Pronouns: He/Him Date of Birth: 22nd November 1979 Parents: Apollo and Linda Strickland (a phys.ed. teacher from Kentucky, USA) Etymology: Ray - wise protector, also comes from a ray of light. Strickland - bullock pasture from Old English stirc “bullock” and land. Years at CHB: 1993-1998 (Summer camper) Status: Left camp aged 18 Inherited Domains: Archery*, Music, Healing

Ray attended camp long before the chaos of Percy’s time there; he knew Lee briefly, leaving the summer after Lee’s arrival, but otherwise has no connection to the canon cast.

He is a playful character, generally easy-going and often with a smile on his face.  Despite not being a son of Hermes, he does have a bit of a penchant for playing pranks - often on the Hermes cabin, to give them a taste of their own medicine, but also working with them on several occasions.  Ray’s not afraid to speak his mind - or throw the Hermes cabin under the bus if caught mid-prank.  Musically, his preferred instrument is the clarinet, although any single-reed instrument is easy for him to pick up.

Like all of Apollo’s children, Ray has a degree of healing.  It’s not particularly impressive - he can triage effectively and utilise some basic healing hymns for slightly more major wounds, and his own healing factor is slightly accelerated compared to most demigods - but it’s enough to keep him and people around him alive, which is what matters.

His primary inherited domain is archery; he started at a young age, thanks to his mother introducing him to the sport in order to “keep him out of trouble” and “teach him some discipline”, and is comfortable with all types of bow, although he usually uses a compound (he started with a recurve, but found all the intricacies of a compound fascinating and moved onto it once he was old enough).

After leaving camp upon reaching adulthood, he became a professional archer, and works primarily as a coach (although he does also compete at local and national levels).

[tsarinatorment]

Playing around with Scott in a suit because why not?  Suits are great.

His hair was really fun to shade, ngl.  Shiny hair!

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Found an old WIP and decided to finish it off.  Quick and simple, vaguely experimental style.

Someone’s run out of hair gel... 

[tsarinatorment]

Tsari, Tsari, Tsari! Nyaro-chan wants an opinion on Michael's death, pwease? （＾ω＾）

Heyo, Nyan! Opinions on Michael's death? I can certainly do opinions on Michael's death :D

As those who talk to me regularly probably know, I find Michael's death absolutely fascinating on a few different levels - how he died, why he died, and if he narratively had to die. There's two things in particular I'm gonna talk about here - Michael and the Curse of Achilles and Michael's actions and thoughts leading up to his death. The latter is going to be a lot of extrapolation, as I'm wont to do, as well as some open-ended theorising, and there's extrapolation some with the former as well, but I think it narratively fits well - or at least, is the best explanation I can come up with, even though there is one small flaw with the theory.

Before I get started, though, I just want to make the distinction here that I do not blame Percy. I do not blame Percy for Michael's death, nor any of the other things that went horribly wrong during the battle. That's not to say that these things were not a direct result of Percy making several fatal mistakes, because they were, but I think it's important to remember that Percy is a woefully unprepared and inexperienced fifteen (yes, turning sixteen but that makes no difference), child during the events of the book. He does the best he can, but he's fallable and quite frankly none of these responsibilities should've been on his shoulders in the first place. Percy (and all the demigods fighting in the war) are all horrifically let down by the adults around them. He messed up, severely, but he should never have been in the position to make those mistakes anyway.

As always with my analyses, this is probably going to get a little long, but I hope it's still an interesting read! We'll start off with the first point I mentioned: Michael and the Curse of Achilles.

What, exactly, do these two things have in common? On the surface, it might seem like a really bizarre connection to draw, but his death is actually a direct result of the Curse, which leads me to the theory that Michael's death was the price of the Curse.

We know the Curse is, well, a Curse and not a blessing. Achilles himself insists as such and throws several dire warnings Percy's way when he arrives at the River Styx:

The ghost nodded. "I warned the other one not to follow my path. Now I will warn you." "Luke? You spoke with Luke?" "Do not do this," he said. "It will make you powerful. But it will also make you weak. Your prowess in combat will be beyond any mortal's, but your weaknesses, your failings will increase as well." "You mean I'll have a bad heel?" I said. "Couldn't I just, like, wear something besides sandals? No offense." He stared down at his bloody foot. "The heel is only my physical weakness, demigod. My mother, Thetis, held me there when she dipped me in the Styx. What really killed me was my own arrogance. Beware! Turn back!"

Achilles is very anti-Curse; he tried to warn Luke away from it, and then he tried to warn Percy. Firstly, he warns about an increase in failings - from a pragmatic standpoint, that could easily be a reference to more demigods dying than necessary. Secondly, he warns about arrogance, which is something that, in the end, Percy does fall foul of - on Williamsburg Bridge.

Chiron, Hestia and Hermes also all give him warnings of a similar nature, as do the river spirits themselves:

"Curse of Achilles," Hudson snorted. "They always think that'll save them, don't they?" "If only he knew," East agreed. They both laughed, dissolving into the water.

"If only he knew," East said, directly implying that there will be a consequence (and note that it's the East River that the Williamsburg Bridge crosses). There's enough dire warnings floating around that it's impossible that there wasn't a price to be paid, in the end. Also, from a purely narrative standpoint, this exchange is immediately followed by Annabeth informing him they've had a call for reinforcements from Michael - and then the chapter ends. Rick could easily have put that at the start of the next chapter, but he didn't; he linked the conversation about the Curse directly to the next battle - Williamsburg Bridge.

"But wasn't the price Annabeth taking the dagger for him?" is the obvious counter-point here, so I'm going to take some time deconstructing this.

First of all: Annabeth did not die. The Curse of Achilles is fatal - in Achilles' case, it was his own life that was lost, but Achilles makes a point of that - "what really killed me". Annabeth did not die, ergo her little piece of self-sacrifice doesn't actually fulfill what we're told the Curse causes - death.

Second of all: Annabeth would have taken that dagger regardless. At this point, Percabeth is so blatantly obvious everyone knows it's there. Someone would have stabbed at Percy at some point during the battle, Annabeth would have shielded him with her body, regardless of whether or not he had the Curse - so the Curse didn't actually change anything in that scene at all (except for being the later trigger for Percy trusting Annabeth with the secret, and the realisation that Annabeth was part of Luke's tether, too, which are important plot points in their own right). There are other plot points at work here - adding in the Curse of Achilles just makes it feel clumsy and shoe-horned in.

So: Michael.

Right from the start, Percy's arrogance, no doubt brought on by the Curse, changes everything about this battle. Michael, who until this point has been shown to be aggressive, confrontational, and not at all afraid of a fight, wants to retreat. That's his game plan, that's what the Apollo kids were already doing before Percy arrived, that's still what he wants to do after they get reinforcements.

"We have to fall back," Michael said. "I've got Kayla and Austin setting traps farther down the bridge." "No," I said. "Bring your campers forward to this position and wait for my signal. We're going to drive the enemy back to Brooklyn." Michael laughed. "How do you plan to do that?" I drew my sword. "Percy," Annabeth said, "let me come with you." "Too dangerous," I said. "Besides, I need you to help Michael coordinate the defensive line. I'll distract the monsters. You group up here. Move the sleeping mortals out of the way. Then you can start picking off monsters while I keep them focused on me. If anybody can do all that, you can." Michael snorted. "Thanks a lot."

Michael is not impressed with this plan at all. He doesn't think Percy can do it, he would much rather retreat behind the traps they're setting up - frankly, he wants to fight like archers, who are not front line fighters. Melee is the worst possible match up for Apollo kids (remember how Lee died in BOTL? Giant club to the head - melee). With what he's got, that's the best option and he knows it, but Percy's got another plan - a plan he would not have considered if he didn't have the invincibility, because he even makes a point of calling it too dangerous for Annabeth - and really, Michael doesn't have much of a choice but to go along with it. It does also, admittedly, appeal to Michael's confrontational nature to take the fight to the enemy, but again - that wasn't a battle plan he was considering at all until Percy said that was what they were going to do.

This is the arrogance brought about by the Curse of Achilles changing things.

And Percy's plan works... until Kronos appears. Now, why Kronos and his big army here decided to use the Williamsburg Bridge to break through rather than any other access point is a discussion for another time (Percy would've gone to wherever the Minotaur was, Kronos/Luke would have been able to predict that, Williamsburg Bridge and Apollo cabin being targeted was not an unhappy accident), but the point of the matter is that Kronos is here, Percy has completely over-extended the Apollo cabin, and now they're in dire straits (dire straits that would not have happened if they had bottle-necked the army at the bridge's exit and picked them off with arrows from a distance while holding them in place with traps, which was Michael's plan).

I followed with the Apollo campers at my heels. "Yes!" yelled Michael Yew. "That's what I'm talking about!" We drove them back toward the Brooklyn side of the bridge. The sky was growing pale in the east. I could see the toll stations ahead. "Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "You've already routed them. Pull back! We're overextended!" Some part of me knew she was right, but I was doing so well, I wanted to destroy every last monster. Then I saw the crowd at the base of the bridge. The retreating monsters were running straight toward their reinforcements. It was a small group, maybe thirty or forty demigods in battle armor, mounted on skeletal horses. One of them held a purple banner with the black scythe design. The lead horseman trotted forward. He took off his helm, and I recognized Kronos himself, his eyes like molten gold. Annabeth and the Apollo campers faltered. The monsters we'd been pursuing reached the Titan's line and were absorbed into the new force. Kronos gazed in our direction. He was a quarter mile away, but I swear I could see him smile.

"Now," I said, "we pull back."

The Curse's arrogance has full hold of Percy in this moment, until he sees Kronos, to the point he doesn't even listen to Annabeth telling him they need to stop. None of this advance was really necessary, and it certainly shouldn't have gone on as long as it did - and this is what seals Michael's fate.

They have to retreat across almost the entire bridge suddenly, pursued by a fresh army when they're all already tired, and they struggle. Michael, for reasons I'll explore later, gives up on retreating entirely.

This is what kills him. Technically he's killed by the bridge's destruction, but he would not have still been on that bridge in the first place if not for the Curse of Achilles turning Percy overconfident and arrogant.

Now, there is a small flaw in this theory, and that's that Percy and Michael aren't close. There's some guilt on Percy's behalf, and anger, but it's very quickly washed away by ongoing events and then Michael is barely remembered again, barring a brief mention in Percy's thoughts alongside the other dead campers. The emotional impact is, quite frankly, almost entirely glossed over - but this isn't just the case about it being related to the Curse, this is also the case with Michael being one of Percy's own allies that he killed. Percy broke the bridge, and that directly killed Michael, so with the guilt and self-esteem issues Percy is shown to have, just that should have had far more impact. In reality, all we get is this:

"No!" I searched the wreckage on my side of the bridge. I stared down at the river. Nothing. I yelled in anger and frustration. The sound carried forever in the morning stillness. I was about to whistle for Blackjack to help me search, when my mom's phone rang.

and then:

I grabbed Will Solace from the Apollo cabin and told the rest of his siblings to keep searching for Michael Yew.

That's it. Then we're back in the realms of Percabeth and this kid who only appeared for one book before being killed off in what should have been an impactful way was pretty much forgotten. His body is implied to never even be found, even though he was presumably in the water and Percy should've been able to find him post-war, if not during their breaks between battling. Honestly, it's rather underwhelming, all told, but I still stick with my theory because it's the strongest one I can come up with, and the narrative does point towards it, albeit rather subtly at times.

Now, onto the other interesting thing about Michael's death: What was he thinking?

Really, there's two options surrounding Michael's death - either he thought he could get out of the danger zone in time, or he knew he was going to die if it went down and told Percy to destroy it anyway. Let's look at that moment again:

I got unsteadily to my feet. The remaining Apollo campers had almost made it to the end of the bridge, except for Michael Yew, who was perched on one of the suspension cables a few yards away from me. His last arrow was notched in his bow. "Michael, go!" I screamed. "Percy, the bridge!" he called. "It's already weak!" At first I didn't understand. Then I looked down and saw fissures in the pavement. Patches of the road were half melted from Greek fire. The bridge had taken a beating from Kronos's blast and the exploding arrows. "Break it!" Michael yelled. "Use your powers!"

There's nothing here in Michael's body language that says he's preparing to flee - he's perching on a cable (which is incredibly precarious, no wonder he fell), with a nocked arrow. That's not the posture of someone about to run, that's the posture of someone who's preparing to cover someone else's retreat.

From all of this - his lack of preparedness to run, the way he's not even on solid ground, but rather on something incredibly precarious, the fact he has a single arrow left and is preparing to use it - it seems, to me, that he knew he wasn't going to survive the breaking of the bridge.

Which then begs the question - why? Why did Michael stop running alongside the rest of his cabin - if the rest of them made it, no doubt he should have been able to, too. Why did he tell Percy to do it at all?

We don't know Michael's character well enough to give a definitive answer to this, but there are a few hints hanging around in his narrative. One of these is his pragmatic or pessimistic response to the reinforcements he gets:

"Glad you could join us," he said. "Where are the other reinforcements?" "For now, we're it," I said. "Then we're dead," he said.

He's very matter-of-fact about this; there's no complaining, no whining, simply an accepted statement - we're dead. Part of him, it seems, has given up already in the face of the army advancing on them.

There's also the sense that he wants to keep his siblings as safe as possible - this is seen right from the start when he wants to retreat despite that not fitting his general apparent personality until this point, as I mentioned earlier. This makes sense from the point of view that he's their head counselor, and also bearing in mind that he's already lost Lee in the previous summer. There's also at least one Apollo kid death at this point at the bridge (the hellhound-dragged kid), and when Kronos shakes the bridge, other Apollo kids also fall over the side, so he's losing a lot of his siblings already. On that vein, it may well be that Michael initially fell back to protect their backs as they ran, and then saw a way to cut off Kronos' advance before they were all slaughtered - because if that army got across the bridge, Percy and his Curse of Achilles or not, none of the Apollo kids would have survived. In fact, that's almost certainly his reasoning for making Percy break the bridge - protecting his siblings.

His ongoing feud with Clarisse about the chariot is also relevant. Early in the book, when the argument is first introduced, Clarisse declared that the Ares cabin won't join the battle, and at the time, Michael considered it to be good riddance - however, as the battle loomed, he attempted to make amends (despite the fact that he was in the right, if rather ungraceful about it) in a last-ditch attempt to get the Ares cabin to join them after all:

"Nah," Michael said. "Left it at camp. I told Clarisse she could have it. Whatever, you know? Not worth fighting about anymore. But she said it was too late. We'd insulted her honor for the last time or some stupid thing." "Least you tried," I said. Michael shrugged. "Yeah, well, I called her some names when she said she still wouldn't fight. I doubt that helped. Here come the uglies!"

Of course, he didn't quite let it go gracefully, because that's not in his nature, but the fact that he bent his own stubborn pride enough to try in the first place is quite telling about his desperation. He's clearly aware that it's because of him and his temper, at least in part, that Clarisse and the Ares cabin - their best melee fighters - are absent, and it's realistic to imagine there's some guilt in his mind.

I wouldn't say that Michael specifically wanted to die - I highly doubt he did - but it does seem that he made the decision that if someone had to die, it might as well be him, as the one responsible for the cabin and the reason why they're missing a large chunk of their offensive forces.

There are other possibilities as well, of course.

He might have seen something that Percy didn't - a threat to Percy, or the cabin, that he couldn't afford to leave alone. Percy makes note of his bow later on - twenty feet away and ownerless - but there's no arrow mentioned. If it was already nocked, it's unlikely that it fell, so Michael may well have fired at something Percy never saw (if it was a threat to Percy, that's even more tragic because Michael doesn't even know for sure about the Curse of Achilles - unless Michael saw exactly where Ethan was aiming and worked out Percy's weak spot for himself and was protecting that).

He might have been too injured to retreat in time - if he took some serious damage from Kronos' strike on the bridge, that's possible, although nothing about his final appearance in the book openly suggests any sort of injury to that degree.

I also wonder if Michael has some degree of prophetic sight; as a son of Apollo, it's possible, and there's something disquieting and tragic about the idea that Michael may have known that he would die there. It also explains his general attitude on the bridge - the lack of optimism, or even any attempt at optimism, the general acceptance that death is coming for them and there's nothing they can do about it.

A lot of this is still up in the air and I haven't fully got my thoughts in order on Michael's headspace on Williamsburg Bridge yet - I plan to knuckle down on a headcanon for this at some point, but I haven't had the opportunity and time to seriously analyse it yet to work out what, to me, feels the most likely so this is just a bit of a verbal spitball of possibilities.

I am, however, going to finish with this last little section of canon, because it's heartbreakingly sad and makes Michael's death just that little bit worse:

The Titan lord studied the problem. He looked behind him at the rising sun, then smiled across the chasm. He raised his scythe in a mock salute. "Until this evening, Jackson." He mounted his horse, whirled around, and galloped back to Brooklyn, followed by his warriors. I turned to thank Michael Yew, but the words died in my throat. Twenty feet away, a bow lay in the street. Its owner was nowhere to be seen.

Michael died just as the sun rose. It feels horribly symbolic that he would die just as his father's chariot appears and Apollo takes to the sky, and also just plain cruel.

And Kronos knew this - he'd have seen Michael go down (just like the Apollo kids behind Percy, safely off the bridge, would have seen their brother fall), and he deliberately looks at the sun before turning back to Percy, who at that point doesn't know Michael is dead. That taunting mock salute - I think that was as much about Michael's death as it was Kronos signalling that Percy hasn't won anything by destroying the bridge, just delayed the inevitable.

So... yeah. I find Michael's death fascinating.

[tsarisfanfiction]

2020: A [Fandom] Summary

2020 was a pretty rotten year, let’s face it, so now I’m safely away from it for good I’m stealing something @gumnut-logic​ mentioned to me and summarising all the things I managed to make this year!  Let’s start 2021 on a nice positive note... look at all the things I managed to do in the world of fandom!

FANFICTION:

In 2020...

I published 69 works, 66 of which are complete - all for Thunderbirds Are Go

Which came to a total of 268,863 words (Tumblr-only scenes and short stories came to a further 29,764 words which put my grand total up to 298,627!)

My most popular fic on tumblr was Out Patience with 60 notes (wow!!)

My most kudos’d fic on AO3 was Bedtme (Should Not Be 4am) with 62 kudos!

My most favourited fic on FFN was Grounded with 13 favourites!

My longest fic was Long Way From Home, which is incomplete but on 30,902 words published so far (longest complete fic was Grounded on 21,100 words)

(I have not included Tales From The Heart as everything that was posted this year on my blog was written and archived on AO3/FFN in 2017-2019)

FANART:

In 2020...

I posted 12 completed drawings, across 6 fandoms (and across 3 blogs...) - Bleach, D.Gray-Man, Marchen Awakens Romance, Naruto, One Piece and Thunderbirds Are Go

My most popular was “Return of the Dragon” with 114 notes (over a hundred!!! How???)

In conclusion, Tsari has been one very busy bee this year!  Links to everything are below the cut if anyone’s looking for a refresher, or thinks they missed something!

And because I am only human and love validation - if you have a favourite thing I’ve written (or drawn) this year, tell me what it is!  Can just be the  name (although if you want to tell me why that would make my night, I can’t lie), I’d just love to know what people particularly loved :D

COMPLETED WORKS:

Phobos John looks at his brothers, and worries. Rated: Gen/K+.  Family.  John, Scott Words: 1k; published January 2020

Treasured Family Scott’s day hadn’t gone well, and was about to get worse. John doesn’t care for that, and Alan makes a good accomplice.  Episode tag: 3.22 Rated: Gen/K+.  Family.  John, Scott, Alan, Gordon Words: 2k; multichap - completed January 2020

Wax and Feathers Sometimes limits need to be broken. But a limit is there for a reason, and breaking them has consequences.  Episode tag: 3.20 Rated: Gen/K+.  Family.  Scott, Gordon, Virgil Words: 4k; published February 2020

Hero They say you should never meet your heroes. Failure to comply may result in getting tongue-tied, or a failure of the brain to mouth filter.  Episode tag: 3.24 Rated: Gen/K.  Friendship.  Outsider PoV, Scott Words: 1k; published February 2020

Fall He’s not there, until he is.  Episode tag: 3.25 Rated: Teen.  Angst/Hurt/Comfort.  Scott, Jeff Words: 900; published February 2020

Bedtime (Should Not Be 4am) The first night home should be relaxing, but for Jeff it’s anything but as he readjusts to being back on Earth, and five sons who’ve grown up without him. Episode tag: 3.25/26 Rated: Gen/K+.  Family.  Jeff, Gordon, Scott, John Words: 3k; published February 2020

Blank Slate Jeff finds that there’s one relationship he can build from scratch.  Episode tag: 3.25/26 Rated: Gen/K.  Friendship.  Jeff, The Mechanic Words: 1k; published February 2020

Apple Juice How hard is it to get a drink?  Harder when younger brothers insist on interfering. Rated: Gen/K+.  Family.  Scott, Virgil, Tracy brothers Words: 1k; published February 2020

Firelight For Buddy and Ellie, camping is a beautiful way to live. Rated: Gen/K.  Romance.  Buddy, Ellie Words: 500; published March 2020

An Important Part John’s care packages sometimes contain a very special box. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  John, Tracy brothers Words: 1k; published March 2020 

Grape Juice or Wine A function that serves alcohol and a teenage brother. Just what Scott needed. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Scott, Alan Words: 700; published April 2020

Chess Master Gordon has a prized possession. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Gordon, John, Tracy brothers Words: 700; published April 2020

Heroes Made of Gas A spaceman and his stars. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  John, Jeff Words: 700; published April 2020

Caretaker Scott’s week from hell couldn’t just finish without throwing him a final twist. Rated: Gen/K+.  Hurt/Comfort/Family.  Scott, Tracy brothers Words: 1k; published April 2020

Riding the Dragon | Return of the Dragon Part 1: Scott was excited, and John was not, but who really got the last laugh? Part 2: Ten years later they’re back, and this time Alan’s up for the challenge. John isn’t about to let Scott forget about their last adventure, though. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Scott, John, Alan, Tracy brothers Words: 4k; multichap - completed April 2020

Fresh Air When the standard methods of dealing with Scott don’t work, Virgil has to resort to something a little more creative. Rated: Gen/K.  Hurt/Comfort/Family.  Virgil, Scott Words: 2k; published April 2020

Unexpected When it came to the next generation, Scott didn’t think it would happen quite like this. Rated: Gen/K+.  Family.  Scott, John, Gordon, EOS Words: 1k; published April 2020

Awe The Shelbys were probably expecting a certain beautiful Lady when Gordon asked to bring a plus one, not an older brother. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Virgil, Gordon Words: 1k; published April 2020

Thrill Seeker “Launching a rocket into space most days not enough of an adrenaline kick for you, kid?” Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Alan, Grandma, John Words: 1k; published April 2020

The Tale of Scotty-Bear When Lee Taylor bought a bog-standard teddy bear for his best friend’s baby, he probably didn’t expect it to be quite so popular. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Scott, Tracy brothers Words: 1k; published April 2020

I Just Can’t Wait To Be Free When Scott gets stuck, Gordon’s the only one around - too bad he can’t stop laughing. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Gordon, Scott Words: 1k; published April 2020

Splatter Scott was going to regret leaving him to handle Gordon alone, especially when paint got involved. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Virgil, Gordon, Scott Words: 2k; published April 2020

Revenge (Should Be Piping Hot) The only aspect of his appearance Virgil cared about was his hair. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Virgil, Scott, Tracy brothers Words: 1k; published May 2020 

The Rules of Engagement Even acts of immaturity between brothers have to follow rules. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon, Alan Words: 1k; published May 2020

Night At The Opera Surely an invitation to the opera was better suited for Virgil? Or one of his other brothers? No? Okay, then. Wait, what do you mean he had to wear a suit? Rated: Gen/K+.  Friendship/Family.  Scott, Lady Penelope, Parker, Tracy family Words: 10k; published May 2020

Nothing See: Was space supposed to be this dark? A mission to rescue the crew of a freighter goes horribly wrong. Rated: Teen.  Hurt/Comfort/Angst.  Scott, Tracy Family Words: 8k; multichap - completed June 2020

Strays Her Ladyship collects strays. Rated: Gen/K.  Friendship.  Parker, Penelope, John, Gordon Words: 1k; published June 2020

Pulse Touch: Earthquakes suck. Badly. Especially when you’re still in an unstable building when the world crashes down. Rated: Teen.  Hurt/Comfort/Angst.  Scott, Gordon, Tracy Family Words: 11k; multichap - completed June 2020

Melt Smell: Snowy rescues are always the worst. Always. Rated: Teen.  Hurt/Comfort/Angst.  Scott, Virgil, Gordon, Tracy Family Words: 11k; multichap - completed June 2020

Silent Taste: They say you should ask for help when you need it, but what can you do except suffer in silence when asking for help will destroy your family? Rated: Teen.  Hurt/Comfort/Angst.  Scott, Tracy Family Words: 12k; multichap - completed June 2020

Tremor Hear: Not everyone worships the ground International Rescue walk on. Rated: Mature.  Hurt/Comfort/Angst.  Scott, Hood, Tracy Family Words: 14k; multichap - completed July 2020

Hollow Sixth Sense: Two teenagers and a night hike in the middle of nowhere is a recipe for disaster. When trouble strikes the clock starts ticking, but there’s no International Rescue around to pull off a miracle. Rated: Teen.  Hurt/Comfort/Angst.  Scott, John, Jeff, Tracy Family Words: 11k; multichap - completed July 2020 

The Six Foot Club Outgrowing Gordon was an inevitability, but Alan hadn’t given much thought about the respective heights of his other brothers. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Alan, Virgil, Gordon Words: 800; published July 2020  

Out Patience There are three Tracys in the hospital and only one of them should be out of bed. Rated: Gen.  Family.  Alan, Scott, Virgil Words: 4k; published July 2020

Grounded Scott didn’t enjoy the trash mine rescue at all, but he enjoyed the consequences of it even less.  Episode tag: 3.22/23 Rated: Teen.  Hurt/Comfort/Family.  Scott, Tracy Family Words: 21k; multichap - completed July 2020

Human Scott needs to stop taking his helmet off first chance he gets - one day, his luck will run out. Rated: Teen.  Hurt/Comfort/Family.  Gordon, Scott, Grandma Words: 4k; published August 2020

Not Alone John makes a miscalculation with unexpected consequences. Rated: Gen.  Family/Friendship.  John, Scott, EOS Words: 4k; published August 2020

Cracks Under The Surface History likes to repeat itself and the human brain likes to find patterns. Rated: Teen.  Hurt/Comfort/Family.  Scott, Jeff, Virgil Words: 4k; published August 2020

Divided, United Waking up bound in a dark room is never good news, but the absence of the brother he saw shot in front of him just makes it worse. Rated: Teen.  Angst/Hurt/Comfort.  Scott, Virgil, John Words: 6k; published August 2020

For A Brother When it came to protecting family, there were no limits. Rated: Teen.  Angst/Hurt/Comfort.  Virgil, Scott, Kayo, John Words: 7k; published August 2020

The Only Course of Action John’s job is to watch and listen, but sometimes he’s also the last resort. Rated: Teen.  Angst/Hurt/Comfort.  John, Scott Words: 4k; published August 2020

Noise Was that racket supposed to be blaring from their comms?  Alan hoped not. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Alan, Virgil, Tracy brothers, Kayo Words: 1k; published August 2020

His Collection The Hood knows what he wants, and will stop at nothing to get it.  International Rescue have other ideas. Rated: Teen.  Humour.  Hood, Scott, Virgil Words: 1k; published August 2020

3am A desire for water in the early hours of the morning leads Sally Tracy to a revelation. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Grandma, Scott, John Words: 600; published November 2020

Liminal After the rain comes the sun, but there’s a special moment in between. Rated: Gen/K.  Friendship.  Parker, Scott Words: 1k; published November 2020

One More Stuffed Toy The arcade is loud and chaotic, but John doesn’t care, because his brothers are with him. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  John, Tracy Brothers Words: 1k; published November 2020

After Sundown Scott didn’t let Alan help with the big things, but he didn’t say no to the small things. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Alan, Grandma, Scott Words: 1k; published November 2020

Same Old Song and Dance Dealing with a sick Scott was a challenge that Virgil had honed into an art. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Virgil, Scott Words: 1k; published November 2020

First Time It should be Dad, but it’s John instead and he wouldn’t change it for anything. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  John, Alan Words: 800; published November 2020

At The End of The Day After a long, tiring rescue, Virgil just wanted coffee, a shower, and his bed. Gordon had a better idea. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Virgil, Gordon, Scott Words: 1k; published November 2020

Deserving Who looked at the world and said “this deserves to be saved?”  A family of youngsters who’d lost too much already. Rated: Gen/K.  Family/Friendship.  Colonel Casey, Tracy Family Words: 800; published November 2020

His Sons Jeff had been gone eight years.  He’d missed his sons growing up into young men, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still the same boys he’d left behind. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Jeff, Tracy Brothers Words: 900; published November 2020

Faulty It was supposed to be a pleasant, quiet evening.  Then the multilingual tirade started in the kitchen. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Virgil, John, Tracy Brothers Words: 1k; published November 2020

Indescribable The sky is blue, the grass is green, Scott Tracy is a big brother. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Scott Words: 700; published November 2020

Simple Success Any success is worth celebrating, even if it isn’t one of the biggest, most impressive feats in IR history. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Scott, Tracy Family Words: 1k; published November 2020

It Calls Me Scott was born to fly. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Scott Words: 700; published November 2020

Words Not Said (But Still Heard) Gordon didn’t remember much about his time in the hospital, but he remembered the song. Rated: Gen/K.  Family/Hurt/Comfort.  Gordon, Scott Words: 1k; published November 2020

Unexpected, Not Unwanted It might not have been her intention to end up with five sons, but that didn’t mean she loved them any less. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Lucille, Tracy Family Words; 1k; published November 2020

Snap There was a whole mountain of paperwork, but a certain annoying younger brother refused to leave him in peace long enough for him to get it done. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Scott, Gordon Words: 1k; published November 2020

The Box In The Locker Reuniting families is one of the best feelings in the world, especially when one of the ‘family members’ is the child’s best friend. Rated: Gen/K.  Friendship.  Virgil Words: 800; published November 2020

Night Out Gordon learnt two things that night: Scott was an affectionate drunk, and sometimes people throw bar stools for no good reason. Rated: Teen.  Family.  Gordon, Scott Words: 2k; published November 2020

In Your Shadow “Tomorrow, they’re not gonna say ‘that’s Gordon Tracy, the Olympic Champion!’ Tomorrow, they’re gonna say ‘that’s Scott Tracy’s little brother!’, and I’m gonna say ‘damn straight I am.’” Rated: Gen/K+.  Family.  Gordon, Scott Words: 2k; published December 2020

The Sound of Thunder(birds) The sound of a Thunderbird should be a sound of hope and reassurance, but not everyone hears it that way. Rated: Gen/K.  Friendship.  Scott Words: 1k; published December 2020

Too Far It’s not normally Virgil that Scott has to pull up for misconduct.  Episode Tag: 3.06 Rated: Teen/K+.  Hurt/Comfort/Family.  Virgil, Scott Words: 2k; published December 2020

Steady Hands One boat. Two brothers. A life-or-death game of Jenga. Rated: Teen.  Family/Friendship.  Virgil, Gordon, Scott, Chaos Crew Words: 8k; published December 2020

Get Some Sleep, Scott There was no cure for self-destructive idiocy, but Virgil still had a trick - or rather, a last resort - up his sleeve when Scott went too far. It hadn’t failed him yet. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Virgil, Scott, Gordon Words: 1k; published December 2020

ONGOING WORKS:

Desert Sands On the way home from a rescue Thunderbird One and Scott disappear from Thunderbird Five’s sensors, leaving International Rescue scrambling to both discover what happened and find them. Rated: Teen.  Hurt/Comfort/Family.  Scott, John, Tracy Family Words: 13k; Chapters: 7/?; updated September 2020

Long Way From Home His brothers are missing. In their place is a family of strangers, the only explanation that makes any sense is beyond comprehension, and the only solution is impossible. Scott Tracy’s never been so far from home. Rated: Teen.  Family/Friendship.  Scott, Tracy Family Words: 30k; Chapters: 7/?; updated November 2020

Toffee Gordon is a lover of many things.  Toffee is not one of them. Rated: Gen/K.  Family.  Gordon, John, Grandma, Scott Words: 8k; Chapters: 4; updated November 2020

TUMBLR-EXCLUSIVE WORKS:

Dream A FabFiveFeb2020 ficlet using the prompts Scott+Dream Characters: Scott - February 2020

Short Snippet An abandoned wip with implied character death Characters: Gordon, Scott - April 2020

Heavy Metal  A short ficlet inspired by the episode of the same name. Characters: Alan, Scott - April 2020

Random Scene   A short scene with dark!John and EOS Characters: Jeff, John, EOS - May 2020

Random Scene   A Thunderbirds/Detective Conan potential idea Characters: Gordon, John, Scott - May 2020

Random Scene   A Thunderbirds/Percy Jackson potential AU Characters: Percy, Gordon - May 2020

Random Prologue  Where Scott ends up in jail for murder Characters: Col. Casey, Scott - July 2020

WIP #46 Scott gets caught in an avalanche. Characters: Virgil, Scott, John, Grandma - November 2020

WIP #47 Scott gets caught in a serious plane crash. Characters: Gordon, Scott, Virgil, Alan, John, Col. Casey - November 2020

WIP #48  The original, and terrible, version of my published work Grape Juice or Wine. Characters: Alan, Tracy Brothers - November 2020

WIP #55   A post-series fic focusing on the aftermath of Jeff’s return home Characters: Jeff, Gordon, Grandma - November 2020

WIP #56  A sequel to my published work Hero. Characters: Neil (OC), Henry, Bee, Scott - November 2020

WIP #59a |  WIP #59b |  WIP #59c  A squabble between brothers results in a whole pile of angst. Characters: Scott, Alan, John, Gordon, Virgil - November 2020

That One Scene | That One Scene #2  Two scenes from a movie rewrite Characters: Jeff, Hood, Scott, Gordon, Virgil, Alan, John - November 2020

Is- Is That My Blood? Scott’s trapped in a cave-in, and there’s too much blood Characters: Scott - November 2020

Random Scene  AU Crime drama-esque scene with canonical character death Characters: Grandma, Scott - December 2020

Random Prologue Where Scott is Not Okay and just wants to go home Characters: Virgil, Scott - December 2020

Crack When a storm gets too intense for Thunderbird One to fly, Scott has to hunker down and wait it out. Characters: Scott - December 2020

Holey Scott There is a hole in Scott where there shouldn’t be Characters: Virgil, Scott - December 2020

FANART:

Dragon!TB1 A dragonified drawing of Thunderbird One, based on a Flight Rising fandragon - January 2020

Return of the Dragon A snapshot moment from my fic of the same name - July 2020

Night Out A snapshot moment from my fic of the same name - November 2020

The Missing Hair Gel An imagining of Scott without any hair gel - December 2020

Six Boys, Six Fandoms A collection of six drawings of six favourite boys from six favourite series! - December 2020

Dragon!TB2 A dragonified drawing of Thunderbird Two, based on a Flight Rising fandragon - December 2020