#had a twin brother that died when he was a baby and he coped by imagining him as a ghost that gets him to do pranks

[vaugarde]

i’m very off and on about whether or not i wanna go through with pokemon protagonist headcanons bc i have weird ideas but never really feel like drawing them out bc i dislike drawing humans. but gen 5 thoughts are tempting me...

[louisupdates]

INTERVIEW: Lottie Tomlinson: we lost our mum and sister. Louis saved me

At the age of 20, the sister of One Direction singer Louis had already lost her mother, Johannah, and sister Félicité. Now 25, the social media star has written a book about how they coped

Alice Thomson | Tuesday July 23 2024, 5.00pm BST, The Times

Losing Mum was so hard. I was only a teenager but at least I knew that her death was a possibility, even though she didn’t accept it. She was 47 and had cancer. But when my sister died three years later, I was on this hotel balcony in Bali and I was screaming, ‘No, my baby sister, no.’ The pain was indescribable. I kept thinking, ‘Why me? This can’t be happening again. When is this going to end?’ ”

We are sitting on Lottie Tomlinson’s immaculate white sofa in her pristine white house in Chislehurst, southeast London, where she is curled up in tiny shorts with a perfect tan and impeccably applied make-up. But her French manicured nails are digging so hard into the sofa I think they might snap, the heart tattoo on her minuscule wrist is throbbing and her eyelashes are clogged with tears.

Her life sounds blessed. The influencer has 4.8 million Instagram followers waiting for her to dispense advice on how to apply mascara; the fake tan brand, Tanologist, that she launched at 19 has gone global; and she has a devoted fiancé, Lewis Burton, who runs a luxury concierge business and whose former girlfriend was the late Caroline Flack. They have an adorable son called Lucky, who is dripping ice cream on her marble counters. Her new book is also called Lucky Girl; her older brother is Louis Tomlinson of One Direction and she was touring the world with the band as a make-up artist at 16.

But after her mother died when she was 18, Tomlinson was left looking after her younger sister and two sets of twin siblings, aged eight and two, while creating her businesses, and trying to process her grief. Her father had left their home in Doncaster years before after a battle with alcohol. “Dad had a drinking problem. We’d see glimpses of his good side but he let us down,” she says. “I ended up trying to take care of him rather than the other way round.”

When her mother died, life felt bleak, “I lost the one person who loved me unconditionally, and then when my sister Fizz [Félicité] died of an accidental overdose, I thought I could never be happy again,” she says. “I found the lead-up to Mother’s Day devastating without my sister as well. It was a constant reminder that I was now different from my friends. In my dreams, my mum was still there; she was alive. I woke up feeling comforted, only to realise that she’d gone.”

Tomlinson, who is now 25 and a patron of the bereavement charity Sue Ryder, moves easily between telling you how to apply the best tan and how to talk about death. She cares passionately about both subjects and takes them equally seriously, worried that I’ve never tried a bronzer or used foundation before asking how I coped when my mother died during the pandemic. Her soft Yorkshire accent is both reassuring and no-nonsense.

Born near Doncaster, she was only two when Fizz was born and six when the first twins arrived. “I’ve always been the big sister — Fizz and I each got one and then more twins six years later.” While Louis had his own space, the girls all shared one room with bunk beds. “It was chaos, but my mum, Johannah, was a midwife and loved being pregnant and having so many babies,” she explains. “I used to be in awe of the way she could feed the twins at once, one on each hip. She would do the night shifts, while I held the fort at home.”

Within a few years, Tomlinson would be touring America, Asia and Europe, flying first class with Louis, part of the biggest boy band in the world, but until she was 15, the family had only ever gone to France once a year all packed into a seven-seater car, with her mother’s new partner, snacks laid out in the middle. They stayed in a caravan park. On a Sunday, a treat was to go to their mother’s hospital to see the babies.

While Louis just wanted to sing, play the guitar and listen to Oasis, the girls were obsessed with make-up. “From the age of 12, I struggled academically, but I loved cropped clothes and my mum’s highlighters and mascaras.” She learnt how to apply everything from YouTube tutorials, rather than doing algebra. “We didn’t have much money — we sometimes couldn’t afford to top up the electricity meter so used candles — but everything my mum earned she spent on us. We all looked immaculate — I remember her being horrified when I dyed my hair orange. So it was lovely later when we could treat her.”

Saturday nights were spent watching The X Factor. “My mother and brother kept applying; in 2010, he got in and the whole family went for the audition. We believed in him, but we never thought it would go that far.” One day the family were going to the live shows, the next the boy band was formed with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Liam Payne. “He was 18. For my mum it was a big shock. It was all so sudden. The press and fans were in our front garden every day.”

The older twins had already made their first TV appearances — they sound like Doncaster’s Von Trapps. “My mother was gently pushy,” Tomlinson says, smiling at the thought. “When I didn’t get good enough GCSEs to stay at school, she sent me off to join Louis on tour as work experience. I was so scared. I remember her ringing up Lou [Teasdale], their hair and make-up artist, and saying, ‘Lottie has not got through to sixth form; she’s going to come and assist you.’ I was in the car going, ‘No, please don’t.’ But it ended up being the best thing that happened to me. I went for a week and stayed two years. Lou and I are still so close.”

Suddenly, the two eldest Tomlinson children were circling the world, eating room service and ducking the paparazzi hanging out of helicopters taking snaps. “At first Louis didn’t really want his little sister gate crashing his new rock-star life, but now it feels like the best time of our lives — we experienced that craziness together,” she says.

The teenage Tomlinson found it harder to cope with being photographed wherever she went. “I had some puppy fat which made me very self-aware, and the filler culture was coming in and I felt I had to look perfect.” She had her lips done first at 17. “Then I became addicted: cheek filler, jaw filler, more make-up, blonder hair, slimmer and more tanned. My mum thought I looked perfect, but I was always searching.”

Five years later, when she became pregnant with Lucky and her lips started to swell and crack, she realised she didn’t need the enhancements any more. “I had everything removed, the false eyelashes too. It was liberating.” She kept her boob job, however. “That was just enhancement,” she says laughing. “The rest radically changed the way I looked. My breasts also got huge when I was pregnant and it was a bit painful. But I still breastfed. I loved carrying my child. I felt fantastic even when I was sick and exhausted.”

She leans forward, wraps her bronzed arms around her stomach and whispers, “I am pregnant again. We don’t know yet if it’s a boy or girl. It’s only 13 weeks, so this is the first time I’ve said it publicly. I think I want a big family. I loved having Lucky but after a year I wanted to give him siblings.”

Tomlinson’s influencer career began once she established herself on tour. Soon everything she did, even dying her roots rainbow-coloured, went viral and fashion companies from Asos to Dior wanted in on it. “I was just going for it. I couldn’t believe the money I was making and spending — money I didn’t know existed as a child.”

Then suddenly her mum came home from holiday with flu. “She didn’t want to get out of bed. The doctors quite quickly told her she had leukaemia and she went straight to London for treatment. It all happened so fast. I remember being in London at work and getting a call from her partner — she couldn’t say the words herself, it was too hard for her.” The family were told it was treatable. “We kept so much hope.”

Her mother asked the family to keep her illness secret. “It was hard because you feel so isolated, but I understood. Louis was in the public eye and she didn’t want him questioned. She was determined to fight it and didn’t want everyone pitying her. My friends noticed I was acting differently for a few months. But I wanted to respect her wishes. It was her one request.”

She also dropped everything to go back to Doncaster to help her grandparents with the twins. “The younger ones were two and I wanted to keep everything as normal as possible. I can’t imagine what my mum was feeling leaving her kids to go to hospital.

“I would take them down and treasure seeing her — we tried to keep it light, no serious conversation. The only way Mum could cope was to keep it normal. Then, when the doctors said the transfusions hadn’t worked, she came home to die.”

Tomlinson tries to sound matter-of-fact. “We went to see her in hospital in Sheffield and the next morning we woke up and were told she had died. We felt numb. We didn’t know what to do with ourselves. Now I am involved with the Sue Ryder charity, I am surprised we were offered no support or counselling at all, from the GP, the teachers, the professionals. They all kept away.” Her nan and grandad picked up the pieces.

It’s not surprising she can’t remember the funeral. “I just remember getting really drunk to numb the pain. I couldn’t come to terms with it. I can’t even remember how we organised it. My instinct was to take over as the eldest girl and step into my mum’s shoes so that is what I did.” Meanwhile, her older brother, who was launching his solo career, ensured there was enough money. “He’s incredibly generous. We looked after each other.”

Tomlinson returned to London months later, after her grandmother said she needed to become a role model for her siblings. Her younger sister Fizz worried her most. “She was very academic — she got straight A’s without trying — but she always said she felt different. She was bottling her grief for so long; it was too much and made her turn to other things. I think Mum’s death destroyed her. Only my mum seemed to understand her. If she had been offered some help at the start, things might have been different.”

Meanwhile, Tomlinson’s self-tanning brand was soon being sold in Los Angeles, New York and Australia, while her own fanbase grew; she hardly ever needed to pay for drinks, meals or holidays. However, she finds the term influencer obnoxious. “I don’t want to act like I tell people what to do. I am more of a content creator,” she explains. “I get paid by brands to create content for their clothes or beauty products and promote that to my followers. I also wanted my own business. I was quite aware that, at the end of the day, I was just working with an app. That’s why I started Tanologist with my business partner. I was always using tanning treatments that would end up turning my sheets orange and my face would break out in spots — this is more natural.”

Louis was also forging his career as a solo artist, eventually creating the song Two of Us about his mother’s death. “We were always so proud of Louis and what he was doing. We were not going to match up to being a global superstar, but we didn’t want to — ‘successful’ looks different for everyone,” she says.

But her sister Fizz was slipping and struggling. “She was old enough to do what she wanted at 19; she was partying and taking stuff to numb everything. She did go into rehab but to me it didn’t feel like an addiction problem, but a way to blank out her grief.” When Tomlinson was invited to Bali, she asked Fizz whether she wanted her to stay behind. “She said she was OK, and then it happened while I was away,” she says. (Fizz accidentally overdosed on cocaine, an anxiety drug and painkillers, her inquest found.) “Louis called me…” She stops talking.

The shock of a second death must have been devastating. She doesn’t speak for a minute while she twists her huge diamond engagement ring. “We weren’t mentally prepared,” she eventually says. “I can’t even remember if the two funerals were in the same church. I think grief has affected my memory a lot and that’s quite common. Grief is such a powerful emotion; it takes up a lot of your brain.”

Five years later, she now knows how to remain positive. “I had an amazing mum for 18 years. I have the most amazing family, my little boy and my career, and that is because of her. The same with Fizz — I had an amazing sister. It’s heartbreaking they aren’t with us any more, but they are together and they are looking out for me,” she says, sounding as though she is repeating a mantra.

Having a baby made her feel closer to them both. “He was a boy — it’s funny, he actually looks a lot like Louis did — and I thought, this is what my mother must have felt. But then I had so many questions I couldn’t ask, even more because she was a midwife.”

Her biggest problem was her terror that something terrible would happen to her son. “I became fixated [on the idea that] something bad would happen to him, so I couldn’t sleep. You go to the worst-case scenario, because that’s happened to you twice, to two of the closest people in your life. I couldn’t turn the lights off at night; I needed to see him all the time. Luckily, it calmed down quite quickly.”

We are still flitting between her story and advice on make-up, exercise and clothes.

“I like sharing advice. If a child lost their mother, I would say there is no magic answer. But the point of this book is to show that you can have tragic things happen and still keep going.”

What would the 25-year-old now say to her younger self, struggling at her second funeral at the age of 20? “I would say, ‘You are going to be OK; you will live a nice life.’ I didn’t think I could. I thought this will be a really sad, lonely life without my mum and sister. I wouldn’t have believed then that I could be happy again. But it would have been nice to hear.”

Lucky Girl by Lottie Tomlinson (Bonnier, £22). To order a copy go to timesbookshop.co.uk. Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members

[gentrychild]

BNHA 407 : AFO is a lying liar who lies

Today is a very sad day because I am about to do something I genuinely dislike: I am about to defend All for One. In order to cope, I shall make fun of him the whole time.

AFO and Yoichi's backstory is finally out, with AFO narrating it, and there are two possibilities: he is either completely lying about it (boring) or he is lying a little about it (very in-character for him) because he is also lying to himself.

Lie number 1: AFO was born evil.

The narrator (AFO, seriously, it's AFO) says things such as "The baby drained the lifeforce of both his mom and his brother.", "It was born an arrogant baby." and such but it really reads at AFO villifying himself to add to his own legend.

That's what babies do. Children, before they're born, kinda have to take their strength from their mother. That's why pregnant people aren't supposed to do anything taxing.

AFO and Yoichi's mother didn't die because baby AFO drained her like a vampire. She died because she was a homeless woman who had access to nothing and had to go in labor alone.

Same thing here: during twin birth, a twin is often bigger than the other (well, probably not to extent of Yoichi and AFO, but you get my point).

Lie number 2: AFO, as a demon baby, is shown killing for no reason, just because he can.

(First slaughter by Baby AFO shown in that chapter.)

There are two things that are strange in this scene (apart from... you know.... a baby murdering people...)

AFO had no reason to go after them because they don't have any quirks to steal.

It makes no sense for someone to attack a group of people with nothing to gain. I doubt that's the kind of behavior you have when you're in survival mode as you're barely surviving in the street.

However, a previous panel points at some context we might be missing.

The same panel that indicates that those guys don't have a quirk to steal also shows that they are wiling to do some "preventive attack" on a bunch of quirked people who might or might not be those who assaulted a protest group (reminder that in this context, that protest group are protesting the rights for quirked people to exist).

I could be wrong but odds are that they did something to be qualified as a threat to All for One and we are missing the additional context.

(Second slaughter by Baby AFO shown in that chapter.)

Now, the poor souls who just got absolutely wrecked by a toddler wearing what I suspect to be a garbage bag have quirks, which makes more sense than the previous scene.

However (and thank you for @aimportantdragoncollector for pointing that out to me), we also have this panel.)

Yoichi is shown with bruises on his face and might be broken teeth.

Probably because those same people AFO is shown killing attacked him.

Lie number 3: AFO never loved Yoichi because he can't love, he just considered that he was his. That's all. Nothing more.

(Just... Just ignore the rats.)

AFO didn't care about Yoichi so much that the very conscious first act of his life might have been to swim a river upstream while dragging his brother above the surface with what must have been the deathgrip of all deathgrip.

AFO didn't care about his brother so much that Yoichi was fed and clothed by an AFO who was malnourished enough for his ribs to show and who wore what's basically an improvised toga.

But he just keeps sacrificing what little he has for someone he doesn't care about one bit, that's just his first possession. Nothing more.

Okay, I am going to be clear: anyone who sees that panel and thinks that it's the proof AFO didn't like his brother... You just outed yourself as an only child.

Siblings punt each other for no reason. (There is a reason why the first recorded murderer was an older sibling.) In this case, the reason was Yoichi throwing a can at him.

AFO: "You're not inviting me to a fun activity? You're leaving me out, in the cold, unable to partake in brother bonding activity? Oh, vault for Little Brother! Vault for Little Brother for one thousand years!"

AFO: "Nevermind, we're reading together. All is well, I guess."

Lie number 3: AFO killed the glowing baby for power, because he could, or because the Glowing Baby didn't deserve it

Still laughing about AFO's flawless reasoning... "Comic books heroes' life suck. Better to be a villain. I already did the whole struggle thing, I want an easy life."

AFO killed the glowing baby because he was jealous. It's as simple as that. The glowing baby was considered the first official quirked individual (even though it's not true), was protected by his family (if I remember correctly, the mother of quirks was his mom) while AFO and Yoichi had no one but each other (EDIT: I was wrong, the Mother of Quirks was Destro's mother. thanks to the people in the tags), and had a ton of people following him (while, for some strange reason, people start running away screaming when AFO shows his quirk... What a mystery...).

The last panel was basically AFO saying "I want to be loved' but not having the frame of reference to even know what love is.

In conclusion...

While AFO is definitely a bad guy and a monster, he didn't begin his existence as one. He just wants people to believe that. Because his pride and his ego can't allow him to admit that he lived a childhood full of horrible trauma where he was a victim abandoned by society (to an even greater extent than the LOV) or he would probably combust out of rage and mortification.

Ergo facto, AFO is a lying liar who lies, especially to himself.

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Danny and Damian twins au where Danny died and became a halfa on a mission to kill Vlad Masters. He succeeded but the portal blew up with him inside it due to some of the machines in the lab being damaged in the fight that happened not too long ago.

Danyal gets stuck in the Infinite Realms with amnesia and wanders around helping people and learning things about this new world like a video game protagonist.

Damian thinks he'll never get to see his baby brother again and blames himself since it was his job as the older brother to protect him. Damian life continues as normal and he eventually meets Jon otherwise known as superboy.

Jon reminded him so much of his late brother. It hurt. Damian found himself testing the boy just to make sure this wasn't a cruel trick or some sort by throwing things at him that Danyal definitely would have dodged or asking "innocent" questions. Even after he was satisfied that Jon wasn't a clone or anything he found himself more or less trying to turn Jon into Danyal. He offered him Daniel's favorite snacks and to play his favorite things and even got confused for a second when Jon didn't immediately know what he was talking about when Damian mentioned the constellations above Damians childhood home.

It wasn't even like Jon physically resembled Danyal either. Sure they both had black hair and blue eyes-as compared to Damians green- but it was thier personalities that confused him and threatened to drag him into the deep sea of grief he had kept bottled up in his heart all these years.

He needed to get away from Jon.

His heart wouldn't let him.

It was in Damians 14th year of life that his brothers and sister died. Unable to cope with this he brings them to the Lazarus pit where Jason attempted to stop him from reviving the rest of thier siblings in fear they would turn out like him.

Somehow the both of them got thrown/ fell into the pit with the bodies and something unexpected happened. Sure, thier siblings were revived and screaming but they were now on a floating island in a wierd green dimention that looked suspiciously like Lazarus water.

[celestiall0tus]

Tales of Bloody Bug and Chat Noir - Chapter 62 - Consultation

Beginning || Previous || Next

            Alix sat at her desk while she worked on her homework. Since Mayura’s attack a week ago, and the tally of casualties poured in, it was decided by the school to spend the rest of the year at home to finish their assignments online. A handful of students protested, but many more somberly accepted the decision. She wasn’t the biggest fan of this decision, but it was easier.

            Alix sighed as she put her tablet down. She looked over her shoulder at Adrien, curled up on her bed. She frowned as she watched him tear up again and sob into her pillows. Her heart went out to him losing Sabrina, despite her slight annoyance at repeating Felix’s own coping mechanisms with heartache.

            Alix’s phone buzzed. She glanced at it, then put it back down seeing that it was Felix asking for her help with Kagami. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. Because Adrien was mourning, Felix decided that she was going to help him with Kagami despite her telling him no. He even tried pulling the stepbrother card which annoyed her even more. She didn’t really have a problem with Alim and Amelie, but she didn’t like how Felix was trying to use it to get what he wanted. Especially with her and Alim still mourning Jalil, her actual blood brother.

            Alix’s phone buzzed again, but she turned it off as she looked outside. There had been so much death, and more were discovered by the day. The President took over the operations in place of the mayor as Andre died in the attack, leaving Chloe with just Audrey. She hadn’t met Audrey personally, but from what Chloe had said before, Audrey had to be trouble. Her heart went out to Audrey, but not like it did with Luka. Rose told her that not only did he lose Juleka, but Anarka as well. She asked what was to happen to Luka, and Rose simply told her that he’d be living with Jagged. She wasn’t sure if that meant he was going to stay in Paris, or if he was going to live on the road.

            Alix stood and headed downstairs to the empty sitting room. She mindlessly glanced over it before she headed for the kitchen. She opened the fridge and stared blankly as her mind lingered on the dead. She learned more from Marinette when she did a weekly visit. Marinette had told her that Alya’s family also lost their mother and baby twin sisters, Ivan lost his baby sister and mother, Nadja passed along with her daughter, Manon, and even Marinette lost her mother, Sabine.

            Alix sighed and shut the fridge door. She plopped down at the dining table as she lingered more on the dead. She wondered still if there was a way to bring them all back. To reverse that damage just as she and Chat Noir had restored the city. She had mulled over which miraculous combinations would grant them such powers, but few could offer a mass scale resurrection. Sure, they could bring back a few, but who would that few be? How would they measure the value of one life over another? Was it better to just leave them dead and move on?

            “Tikki, Fluff, are you there?” Alix whispered.

            A moment passed before Tikki and Fluff materialized.

            “What’s wrong?” Tikki asked.

            “Ready to talk about the future?” Fluff asked.

            Alix opened her mouth, then shut it. She turned over her wrist with the bracelet and pressed the gem. She, Tikki, and Fluff were teleported to their realm. She left the entrance courtyard and headed to the fountain plaza in front of the castle. She sat on the rim of the fountain and sighed.

            “I’ve… I need to know what to do,” Alix started.

            “What do you mean?” Tikki asked.

            “Do we reverse this? Do we find a way to undo it? Or should we just learn to live with it? Move on and let the dead be dead.”

            Tikki looked at Fluff, who nudged her forward. Tikki gasped, then sighed.

            “Alix, I’m sorry. This is all my fault. This all was the result of bringing back Paradox Bug, and others too as a result. Because of the conditions being unmet, new conditions needed to be fulfilled. After all, Paradox Bug wanted her timeline to be completely erased and forgotten, but because we brought her back, a new price needed to be paid. A price in the form of a catastrophe to rival that of Chat Blanc,” Tikki explained.

            “But, hey! You guys did advert disaster! This is way better than that crummy timeline,” Fluff butted in.

            “Is it really? Look around! We lost good people! Those people lost good people. Adrien lost Sabrina. I lost Jalil. Rose lost Juleka, and this is better?” Alix roared.

            “I mean, a few lives compared to the absolute genocide that Chat Blanc committed? Yes, yes, it is,” Fluff remarked.

            “So, what should we do then?”

            “I would suggest moving forward. Even if you were to use a miraculous fusion, there could be consequences still,” Tikki warned.

            “Oh! Like a butterfly effect! You know, where you do something small, trivial even, but it has massive consequences later down the line. Something I am very familiar with,” Fluff boasted.

            “That’s not something to be proud of, Fluff,” Tikki scolded.

            Fluff waved their hand dismissingly. “Nonsense. Someone has to familiar with it since you all are too afraid of it. Just imagine, you resurrect everyone with a certain miraculous fusion, but as a result, another catastrophe hits that kills more people than before. Then you’re asking yourself if it was really worth it, and then you try and go back in time, only to find that there are no gates to that time, and you’re screwed.”

            “No gates? Is that really possible?” Alix asked.

            “Oh, yes. The Burrow leads everywhere throughout time, but doesn’t have gates just anywhere. Usually gates are created at very specific moments, other times at random. Or a rabbit holder as you witnessed with a gate being in the former Couffaine houseboat.”

            “So, we could arguably go back in time, but not to that exact moment?”

            “Exactly. And who knows how long you’d have to wait in that time before the events happen again. And, sure, you can try and stop it, but sometimes there are some events that just… refuse to not happen. It’s weird. It’s like one way or another, they’ll find a way to happen. After all, time is this massive river with lots of branches. You may take a different branch, but sometimes that branch will lead back to the main system. You get me?”

            Alix raised a brow as she looked at Fluff in confusion.

            “Fluff, allow me. Alix, remember Eve? Sundered Velze to see his dream fulfilled, but plunged the world into what we know it as. There was so much death and destruction that followed it. With her even killing Adam in a fit of blind fury. Even if she didn’t have all of us made at that time, just Plagg and myself, she didn’t use our powers to remake reality. Maybe she should have. Maybe she should have undid everything and went back to what things were like before, but she didn’t. She kept moving forward and lived with her mistakes,” Tikki explained.

            “I remember that. She said that she wouldn’t have changed a thing, despite the outcome. She also told us to live our lives without regret. That everything happens for a reason and to trust in Velze. Which, fine. I get where she’s coming from. It’s better to just live and move forward than to linger and regret everything, but doesn’t saying things happen for a reason sound like senseless justification? How can anything happen for an unseen reason? Are we to just accept everything as random chance and move on?” Alix demanded.

            “It’s more accepting that you cannot control everything. Eve could not foresee the effects splitting Velze would cause. She had no control over them, only what she did. She did regret for a time what she did, but then she moved on as she accepted it was out of her control,” Tikki said.

            “Yup. Even I can’t control everything that happens and I’m the kwami of, well, basically time, but they call me evolution. Things just… happen, y’know?” Fluff added.

            Alix sighed as she played with the fountain water. “So… we should just move on, yeah? Leave well enough alone?”

            “Yes,” Fluff and Tikki said.

            “Right. The… the others may not agree with this,” Alix remarked.

            “No, but the wounds are still fresh. Give them time,” Tikki advised.

            “Yeah! Time. Time heals all wounds. Well, no. It makes room. Yeah, that’s better,” Fluff remarked.

            “Yeah, yeah. I suppose, with no villain to contest, we can focus on recovering. Maybe in time, we’ll be ready,” Alix remarked.

            “They will be, and so will you. Time will give them the opportunity to grieve and to say their peace. And for you and the other heroes, we’ll be by your sides. None of you will be alone, even if you want to be alone,” Tikki reassured.

            Alix snorted. “Well, that’s reassuring to some, I hope. However, that leaves the question of the miraculous of the fallen and what to do with them.”

            “Yeah, what will you do?” Fluff asked.

            “I’m not sure yet. I do know that I’ll give Marinette the turtle. I know I was going to wait until Alya and Rose gave their approval, but Alya is gone and it was her that believed in Marinette’s change the most. To honor her, I will give Marinette the turtle,” Alix declared.

            “Right, ok, but what about giving me back to Luka?” Fluff asked.

            Alix considered, then shook her head. “I’m sorry, Fluff, but I don’t believe he’s ready. Especially after seeing how he acted during our meeting. I understand you two have a bond, but these jewels aren’t just for anyone. We have to be careful or we’ll have another Mayura on our hands.”

            “She’s right, Fluff. Despite what Eve intended for us, I agree. It is too soon, wounds too fresh, and emotions unstable. Give him time too,” Tikki instructed.

            “Wait, what do you mean by that? What Eve intended?” Alix echoed.

            “Let’s… let’s discuss it once everyone has had a chance to heal. It’ll play a part in your goal to, in essence, liberate us.”

            “Fine. I’ll respect your counsel and stay with the two of you in the meantime,” Fluff remarked.

            Alix raised a brow and looked at Tikki. “Did Eve intend you all to choose your own holders? To be free?”

            Tikki stiffened, then sighed. “Yes. It was Velze’s wish to be able to mingle with mortals like how Fluff always told him. Part of that was allowing us to choose who we made our holders. However, the Order didn’t agree and felt we were too dangerous. And, to an extent, I agree with them.”

            “What? Why?” Alix demanded.

            “I… we are the greatest concepts of Velze, the box that Fu had. There are many others, but the box he had was the closest to Velze. We were dangerous as a result. We were… altered to be more… controllable,” Tikki explained.

            “Which sucks! We were never dangerous,” Fluff argued.

            “Yes, we were,” Tikki retorted.

            “Nuh-uh! They never thought Velze was a danger, and they let him just wander freely. But we’re the dangerous ones when we’re mere fractions of his power? I don’t buy it, and neither should you.”

            “I… I know, but I just fear losing this again. It feels so… alien… to be allowed to be what I was before. To know that I could truly mantle Creation again feels… bizarre, foreign. I just… it’s easier to hold onto what they made me than to allow myself to be who I am.”

            Alix frowned and scooped up Tikki. “Hey, if people claim I’m allowed to be myself, this messy, angry, can’t give a fuck, bitch, I think you’re more than entitled to be yourself too.”

            “What if I go too far though? What if I mess everything up?”

            “Then I’ll be there to remind you, just as you were for me. You’re stuck with me as I was stuck with you. For better and for worse. Until the day someone pries your earrings from my cold, dead hands. And even then, if you can’t bring me back as some zombie or whatever.”

            Tikki grinned, flew up, and nuzzled Alix’s cheek. “Messy together, then?”

            “Messy together. Now, let’s see the real you, Tikki.”

            “A-are you sure? It’s been a while.”

            “C’mon, I’m sure it’s safe for you to let loose in this little pocket dimension thing, right? It’s not like when you told me if you used your powers without a holder, then there would be consequences.”

            “Well, that was another of the Order’s doings too,” Fluff butted in.

            “Oh. Well, by all means, let loose, Tikki!” Alix cheered.

            Tikk considered as she flew up. She double backed a few times before she shook herself and hovered in front of the fountain. She let out a breath and closed her eyes. Pink light poured from her little body that took the form of a swarm of little ladybugs. Alix watched in awe as the little bugs created statues of Fennec, Bomb Bee, Porcelet, and Badb as the centerpieces of the fountain with the rest of the team on the border of the plaza space. Crystals materialized around the fallen that gave off soft light like candles. Alix’s jaw dropped as Tikki changed the glass flowers around the fountain to have a stained-glass pattern and so the lights hit them just right to reflect onto the statues.

            “Beautiful,” Alix whispered.

            “Truly? It has been a long while. Feels good to create again,” Tikki commented.

            “Absolutely. Thank you for this.”

            “Oh, of course. And, if you’d be ok with it, I could modify the rest of this place. Porcelet did a fine job, but there is always room for improvement.”

            “Give it a few months, ok? You know, once people have had some time to mourn.”

            “Oh! Right. Very right. Sorry, got a little carried away. Just, the idea of creating, you know.”

            “I get it. And I’d have no issue with you creating, just wait until the ashes have cooled. Don’t want Adrien or any of the others getting upset with us making changes right away.”

            “No, that’s fair. That’s very fair. But I will be decorating the hall here when the new date for the Hero’s Day comes around.”

            Alix smiled and sighed as she looked away. “I’m glad they moved that back. Now doesn’t seem like the time for any celebrations.”

            “Maybe not in the way the old mayor intended, but there is always something to celebrate. Even now.”

            “Oh yeah? Like what?”

            “You’re still alive, and so many others. You survived. That alone is something to celebrate each and every day.”

            Alix frowned. “Those sentiments are nice, Tikki, but it doesn’t erase any of the guilt. We’re alive and they’re not. They deserved so much more, but they never got it. It just… it feels so hollow when they’re all gone. Jalil, Juleka, Alya, Nathaniel, and Sabrina. They should still be here, we should have done more, but they’re just… they’re gone.”

            “I know, but what’s done is done. If you try to mess with how things turned out, there could be repercussions. It’s going to hurt, but time will heal. Even if it may seem like it won’t, it will. You of all people should know this.”

            Alix opened her mouth, then shut it. “I know, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Even with what I went through with Mom, I just… it isn’t… it just isn’t the same, ok?”

            “I know, but time will make room for you to heal, just as it did when your mother passed. I just hope that this time you’ll allow yourself to heal.”

            “Hey! I healed from it.”

            Tikki deadpanned. “You were literally killed and brought back that was accompanied by an intervention from everyone. That then spiraled into more survivor’s guilt after your chats with Paradox Bug, which lead to more problems because you refused to allow time to heal, listen to your friends and family, and cling to ideas that hurt you in the end.”

            Alix rolled her eyes. “Didn’t have to call me out like that.”

            “Well, if she didn’t, someone would have,” Fluff pointed out.

            Alix deadpanned. “Alright, I get it. I might not have been the best at moving on.”

            “You certainly haven’t, and that needs to change,” Tikki commented.

            “I… I know. It’s just… it’s hard. First it was a matter of letting Mom go, and I thought I did, but clearly didn’t. But things are different. As much as I hate to admit it, Mayura did help when she took away that anxiety, that fear of failure. Everything has felt different since then, and I’m grateful. Begrudgingly.”

            Tikki smiled. “Well, I hope this continues this way. I don’t want any more repeats of everything leading to this moment. Got that?”

            “Yeah, yeah. I’ll try not to.”

            “Alix!”

            “What? All I can do is try. I can’t exactly promise that I won’t, because I know that I can’t really keep it. We don’t know what’s going to happen, so yeah, y’know.”

            “Fine, I’ll give you that. But if we have any repeats as bad, I will not sit idly by and let you work things out. Got that?”

            “I got it. So, what now?”

            Tikki hummed. “Perhaps some treats? Maybe from the Dupain-Cheng bakery?”

            Alix laughed softly. “Alright. Fluff, you gonna want something?”

            “What’s that? Food? Oh, yes! Always. Are we going now? Or are we going later? Or have we already gone?”

            Alix rolled her eyes. “Easy, basket case. C’mon. Let’s… let’s go get some pick me ups for everyone. And, Tikki, Fluff?”

            “Yes?” Tikki and Fluff asked.

            “Thank you. I needed this.”

            Tikki and Fluff smiled as they nuzzled Alix.

            “We’re here for you, little bug,” Tikki said.

            “Yeah! You’re stuck with us until you eventually consent to me going back to Luka,” Fluff remarked.

            “Yeah, well, I hope he’ll get better in time,” Alix commented.

            “Maybe you could help him?” Fluff suggested.

            Alix grimaced. “Uh, probably be better if he found someone else.”

            “But you lost a mother and a sibling. Who better than you?”

            “Uh, maybe. Best I can say is we’ll see.”

            “I’ll take it.”

            “Right. Anyway, let’s go.”

~~

            Adrien stared blankly at his phone screen as a news broadcast played. He half listened to the broadcast as it went over the casualties from around the world. Paris and the immediate areas were hit the hardest and suffered the greatest loses. The rest of the world had suffered little in comparison to them. He frowned and turned off the broadcast. He sighed as he stared at the wall.

            A week had already passed, but it felt like an eternity to Adrien. There had been so much death all because of Mayura, but also because of him. He had the opportunity to end it all, to save so many lives, but he hesitated. He allowed himself to be stopped by his inability to kill Mayura. Because of his weakness, everyone lost so much. And worst of it, he lost Sabrina.

            Fresh tears fell from Adrien’s eyes as he buried his face in a pillow. It was all his fault. He could have saved her if he just listened to Alix. Mayura was off the deep end. He had already signed her death warrant when he broke her brooch. Even if it wasn’t his intention, that’s the reality of it. Now he lost one of the best things in his life because of his hesitance.

            A knock broke Adrien from his thoughts. He turned as Alix walked in carrying a box from the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He shifted back as she took a seat on the edge of the bed.

            “Hey. How you holding up?” Alix asked.

            Adrien grunted and flopped.

            Alix chuckled. “I… I figured as much. Well, I grabbed your favorites while I was out. I know you haven’t been hungry, but they’re here for you.”

            Adrien didn’t answer or move.

            “And… Marinette sends her condolences. She knows how much you loved Sabrina and hopes you are well.”

            Adrien rolled his eyes.

            “And, I know I’m a broken record at this point, but I’m here for you. Though I wish I could do more, but I’m not good at this stuff.”

            Adrien blinked and glanced back at Alix. Alix noticed and offered a small smile.

            “I know I can’t understand what you’re feeling. We’re no where near the same. Even now, with Jalil gone, I’m not sure how I should be feeling. I know I’m sad, I can feel it, but even now, I can’t bring myself to mope. Just like with my mother, I’m pushed to live in his memory, for better or worse. I’m not like you and Dad, but for all I can do, I’m here for whatever you need.”

            Adrien looked away and sighed. “I miss her… a lot. I should have done more.”

            “Maybe, but you did what you were able to. If anything, I failed you. I failed to kill Mayura and pushed you to when I shouldn’t have. I should have done more. I’m sorry.”

            Adrien sat up. “What? No! That’s not fair to you. You shouldn’t have to do everything. We’re a team. I should have done more. I should have killed her. I should have-!”

            Adrien broke down in a sobbing fit. Alix scooted over and patted his back.

            “If I did more… Rin wouldn’t be gone. If I killed her sooner, we wouldn’t have lost so many good people. What good are we as heroes if we can’t save the ones we care the most about?”

            “Now, Adrien, don’t be so hard on yourself. You did far more in this timeline than that last one,” Plagg remarked.

            Adrien opened his mouth when Fluff materialized along with Tikki.

            “That’s right. I mean, oh boy! You destroyed everything in that timeline. There was nothing left. The very fact that Paradox Bug even got the ladybug earrings was a miracle. Talk about that ladybug luck, right, Tikki?” Fluff rambled.

            Adrien scowled. “I don’t want to hear about that stupid timeline. That’s something that never existed. It doesn’t matter.”

            “Fine. Look, you did fine. Sure, you lost a few good ones, but you saved the world. You kept it from being obliterated. That’s something to celebrate,” Plagg cheered.

            “Oh boy. Look, Adrien, you both did what you could. You defeated Mayura, and you saved the world. Unfortunately, there was loss, but no war is fought without some casualties. Could you have done more? Maybe so in hindsight, but don’t let it stop you from celebrating your current accomplishments. You’re alive, and so many others. Sabrina would be proud,” Tikki said.

            “That’s right! Sabrina had faith that you and Bug would save as many as you could, so she did the same. She’d be super duper proud!” Daizzi cheered.

            Adrien opened his mouth when Kaalki phased through the wall and joined them.

            “What is all the commotion here?” Kaalki asked.

            “Wait, why are you here? Where is-?” Alix started.

            Felix burst into the room and pointed at Alix. “You. You’re coming with me. Now.”

            Alix sneered and dropped into a fighting stance. “Just try and kidnap me, bitch.”

            Alix and Felix glared at each other before Felix lunged at her. Adrien jumped and pressed against the wall while Alix and Felix wrestled. The kwamis watched while Kaalki and Tikki barked instructions to their holders. He watched the pair tussle until Felix snagged Alix and put her under his arm.

            “Fuck it all! Felix! Put me down!” Alix roared.

            “You aren’t running anymore. You agreed to help me,” Felix hissed.

            “I never agreed to anything, fuck boy! Why do you even need me? You fucking won her heart in the first place. Just do it again.”

            “I can’t if she’s with Tomoe, now help me.”

            “No!”

            “Too bad. That wasn’t a question.”

            Alix growled as she kneed Felix in the back. He yowled and dropped her. She crouched and lunged at him that sent them tumbling into the hallway. Adrien raised a brow as he listened to the sounds of their struggle fade into a distant quarrel. He watched Kaalki and Tikki chase after their holders before he flopped down on the bed again.

            “Adrien? Will you be ok?” Daizzi asked.

            Adrien didn’t answer and turned away from Daizzi. She frowned and flew next to Plagg and Fluff.

            “Do you think he’ll be ok?” Daizzi asked.

            “Of course, he will be. He’s a cat holder,” Plagg remarked.

            Daizzi frowned. “That doesn’t help, Plagg. Now I’m more concerned.”

            “Ah, no reason to be, Daizzi. The wounds are fresh. Give them time and space. Allow them to feel in their ways. We owe it to them to have this, right?” Fluff pointed out.

            “Well, I suppose. It’s just-,” Daizzi started.

            “Excellent! Adrien, you take it easy, ya hear,” Fluff cheered.

            Adrien was silent before he spoke. “Thank you. I appreciate.”

            “Yup, yup! Just holler if you need us. We’re just a name away,” Fluff reminded.

            Adrien smiled weakly at the declaration. He stared at the wall when Plagg flew over with a slightly annoyed look. He deadpanned as Plagg sat on the bed.

            “Plagg, what’s the-.”

            Adrien stopped as Plagg shift forms into an ordinary black cat with piercing green eyes. His jaw dropped as he gawked while Plagg curled up around him.

            “Plagg! You can… since when could you-!”

            “Look, do you really care right now, or do you want a purring cat to cuddle?” Plagg asked.

            Adrien’s eyes misted over as he wrapped his arms around Plagg. He pressed his face against Plagg’s back as Plagg purred. Tears fell from his eyes as he buried his face in Plagg’s back.

            “Thank you for this, Plagg.”

            “Yeah, well, you feed me,” Plagg remarked.

            Adrien laughed as he cried. “I love you too, Plagg.”

            A moment of silence passed before Plagg turned and licked Adrien. “I… tolerate you too, Adrien.”

            Adrien smiled and clung to Plagg. The soft purring comforted Adrien and lulled him into the first restful sleep he’s had since the attack.

Patreon || Discord || Ko-Fi

[the-feminist-filipino-fangirl]

Reunited in the Afterlife

Summary: Set in the Kraang Apocalypse timeline. Each of the turtles & April reunite with their family after dying in battle.

Author’s Note: Hey! Sorry that this took so long to update. This chapter is my longest one yet. I wanted to put in extra effort because a) there are now more dead characters that they need to reunite with and b) Future Leo and Mikey’s deaths are the ones we have the most information about in canon. I think you guys will like it. Enjoy!

Part 4: Mikey and Leo

(Part 1: Raph, Part 2: Donnie, Part 3: April)

“Do me a favor. When you’re done saving the world, grab a slice!” Leo tossed Casey into the portal that Mikey, his baby brother, had given his life to open. Casey reached out to him as he flew backward and the turtle tried to ignore the pain in his heart. He didn’t want to lose Casey too but this was their only chance for a better world.

 Just as he let go of his student, two Kraangified dogs lunged at him, murder in their eyes. But he had been surviving the apocalypse for 24 years. Leo gave Casey one last reassuring smile before he whipped out his sword and deflected the dog’s attack. He ran a few steps away from the portal, hoping to lead the dogs away from the last surviving member of his family, when a blinding red light surrounded him. Then his vision went black.

 Leo opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a tall gate glowing jade green several meters away from him. Wait, what? The turtle rubbed the back of his head. He was confused. Looks like he wasn’t in New York anymore. “Where am I?” Leo whispered to himself.

 “LEO!!!” a voice exclaimed. The slider’s heart skipped a beat. He lowered his eyes from the glowing gate to see none other than the glowing figure of Michelangelo Hamato racing towards him.

 Leo let out a laugh, his heart warming. “Mikey!” he cried as his little brother launched himself at him. Mikey tackled him in a hug, just like he used to do when they were teens, his cloak becoming tangled in the process. It didn’t matter that Leo had just seen him a few minutes ago, the last time he saw Mikey he was exploding into thousands of light particles. He was allowed to be concerned.

“Did Casey make it through?” Leo nodded into his shoulder. “Good,” Mikey replied. “It’s alright Leo, I’m here.” The smile was evident in his voice. Leo let out a happy sigh before he pulled back to get a better look at his brother.

 “Thanks, Mikey. Just promise you won’t go supernova on me again, ‘kay?” he said in a half-teasing tone. His brother let out a giggle and nodded. Leo responded with a grin and then proceeded to ruffle Mikey’s sideburns.

 “Ah! Hey! Leo!” Mikey laughed while swatting his hand away. The older turtle let out a chuckle. “Hey, what is this place anyway?” Leo asked.

 Mikey’s laughter died down and he became quiet. “You see that gate over there?” he asked, pointing to the glowing green one Leo saw when he first arrived. Leo nodded. Mikey took a breath. “On the other side is the afterlife, where the souls of the dead live.”

 Leo’s eyes widened. “The afterlife…” he whispered. “So that’s what that red light was! I took a direct hit from the beam on Kraang Prime’s armor.”

 “Not gonna lie, that’s a pretty cool way to die,” Mikey said.

 “So if all the souls of the dead are beyond that gate,” Leo said, his tone becoming solemn. “Does that mean that…they are in there?” He didn’t need to use their names. Mikey knew who he was talking about.

 His brother nodded, getting the hint. “I wanted to wait for you before going in. It wouldn’t be a family reunion without all of us there. You ready?”

 Leo hesitated. He’s never been good at facing his emotions head-on. That’s why he used humor to cope. It was so much easier to deflect and pretend that everything was fine than to allow himself to be vulnerable. He was a lot like Donnie that way.

 Donnie… Leo softened at the thought of his twin. His twin who gave his life to save so many others. His twin whose presence never died even after he was gone thanks to his machines. Could he really be about to see him again? And Raph too? Leo still had nightmares about the day he died. The idea of seeing him again…it seemed too impossible to hope.

 Yet here he stood, a soul about to enter the afterlife. And all he had to do was walk through those gates to see his family again. His brothers, his dad, Draxum, Cassandra, and Gram-gram. Leo took a deep breath and faced Mikey, a brave smile on his face. “I’m ready,” he said.

 Mikey smiled and took Leo’s hand. The two brothers walked toward the entrance to the afterlife together. There was an old man standing beside the gates whose eyes widened upon seeing them. “Resistance Leaders Michelangelo and Leonardo!” he exclaimed, standing up straighter. Leo, who was very used to this kind of treatment, gave the man a smile and nod in return. Mikey smiled and gave him a wave of his hand. “Hello!” he said, probably making the old man’s day.

 The gatekeeper then opened the glowing gates and gave them a respectful bow. “Welcome to the afterlife,” he said. “Thank you,” Leo said softly.

 Mikey bent down to ask the man a question. “By the way, have you seen an April O’Neil pass through here?” the box turtle asked. The old man nodded his head. “She arrived just fifteen minutes ago.” The two brothers exchanged a look. April was here with them. That meant their entire family would be together for the first time in almost seventeen years. Minus Casey Jr. who was hopefully trying to stop Leo’s 16-year-old self from making the biggest mistake of his life.

 Mikey turned back around to the old man. “Thank you for telling us,” he said. Then he nudged Leo’s arm and gave him a soft smile. “Come on Leo. Let’s go see our family again.” The red-eared slider grinned back. The two turtles walked through the gates. 

 They had barely made it a few steps in when they found all the ghosts collected near the gate staring at them. “Umm…hi?” Mikey said awkwardly. Immediately, all the souls started panicking and screaming questions. Leo winced at the noise. He should have expected this. He and Mikey were the last remaining leaders of the resistance so the fact that they were dead was not a good sign.

 “HEY! GIVE THEM SOME SPACE!” a strong female voice rang out. At the sound of it, the crowd quieted down and slowly started to disperse. Leo glanced at Mikey. They appeared to be thinking the same thing. There was only one person who that voice could belong to: April.

 Their suspicions were confirmed when Commander O’Neil appeared through what was left of the crowd. “And April O’Neil saves your butts once again,” the Commander said with a smirk.

 “April!” Mikey cried before tackling her in a hug that probably would have killed her if she weren’t already dead. “Woah!” she laughed, stumbling backward a bit. Leo chuckled. Then he waltzed up behind them and wrapped his arms, one small and fleshy, the other large and robotic, around the pair and spun them around. April and Mikey laughed and shrieked in protest, which only fueled him more.

 After a few more spins, he set them down. “How did you even get here?” Leo asked. “We thought you were still alive until the dude at the gates told us otherwise.”

 “I was struck in the back with a laser beam,” April said, gesturing towards her back. “But unlike with you, it didn’t vaporize my body. You actually ran right past my corpse earlier. But you were busy bleeding out so I forgive you.”

 “Oh,” Leo said. “Wait, how did you know that I got hit with a laser too?”

 “Anatawa Hitorijanai,” April quoted. “Spirits of the dead can look after their loved ones on earth and when I died a few minutes ago, I gained that ability too.”

 “Like Gram-gram?!” Mikey exclaimed with stars in his eyes. Just like how he did as a teen before the Kraang invasion, Leo noted. “And Splinter’s mom?!”

 April grinned. “Yeah, just like them,” she said before turning to face Leo. “I heard you got stabbed and we decided you needed all the help you could get. Even from beyond the grave.”

 “So you were haunting us,” Leo said with a smirk. Mikey let out a snort.

 April’s features fell into an annoyed expression. “That’s not exactly the word I would use,” she said.

 “Stalking? Spying?” Leo teased, his grin becoming wider. Mikey was desperately trying to conceal his laughter.

 April rolled her eyes and sighed. “You’re hopeless. Both of you.”

 Leo chuckled. “But seriously now,” he said. “Thanks for watching over us. Even though we ended up dying only like 15 minutes after you, thanks for making the effort.”

 April smiled warmly. “No problem,” she said. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” she continued, her smile becoming mysterious and secretive. “There are two people who have been waiting very patiently to talk to you again.” She stepped aside to reveal…their brothers. Raph and Donnie stood there, their souls glowing red and purple wearing soft smiles on their faces. Mikey gasped and Leo dropped his sword in shock, making it clatter on the ground. The sound echoed in the sudden silence.

 “Took you guys long enough,” Donnie said with a smirk, the sound of his voice making Leo’s heart ache. It was him, it was really him. Not a hologram projection, or Omega, or a recording of his voice, but the real Donnie. His twin. Leo had to fight back his tears. Mikey, who was standing beside him, already had tears streaming down his face.

 “It’s about time the Mad Dogs had a reunion,” Raph said with a grin. And he thought hearing Donnie’s voice again was a shock. Leo forced himself to look directly at his older brother. His older brother who still looked exactly the same as he did 13 years ago. His older brother who had been his best friend during his teenage years and his closest confidant during the first 11 years of the apocalypse. His older brother, whose scolding always, always came from a place of love. His older brother, who sacrificed himself to save Leo’s life. Against his will, tears started streaming down Leo’s cheeks. Then a smile started to form on his face, the joy of seeing his brothers again overpowering all the years of loss and sadness the apocalypse brought.

 “Raph! Donald!” Mikey cried happily, big, fat tears of joy streaking down his face. He charged at them as fast as he could. Leo let out a chuckle, a smile spreading across his face, and followed suit, running towards his brothers and Raph’s open arms. The Kraang had tried to beat him down for 24 years. They took away his home, his friends, his family, and now his life. But he would not let them take away his spirit. If he lost that, then the Kraang won. And he was not going to let that happen. He had wasted enough time on tears and he wasn’t going to give any more of them to the Kraang. Leo crashed into his brothers, all of them laughing as they had their first group hug in over 13 years.

 Leo closed his eyes, wishing to preserve this moment forever. How he missed the feeling of Raph’s spiky arms engulfing all three of them, Mikey’s much tinier arms struggling to reach all the way around, and Donnie’s comforting weight leaning against him, his twin’s arms pinned to his sides. It’s them. It’s really them. I’m with my brothers again, Leo thought. He started to cry again. Not from grief this time, but from relief and joy. Raph’s grip tightened as he picked all of them up and spun them around. Mikey’s happy shriek pierced Leo’s ears as well as Donnie’s startled yells. The slider didn’t mind one bit the damage being done to his eardrums. He was just happy to be with his family again.

 Raph set the three of them back down but no one wanted the hug to end. “Can we stay like this a bit longer?” Mikey whispered, effectively breaking his older brother’s hearts. Leo raised his head and exchanged a look with Raph. They both smiled softly, remembering how innocent and optimistic Mikey was before the Kraang invasion shoved the cruelties of the world right into his face. “Of course, Michael,” Donnie said, freeing his pinned arms to wrap them around their youngest brother. Their group hug tightened once more. Leo sighed. Maybe it was okay for Leo to let himself be vulnerable.

 “Hey April! Get in here!” Raph yelled. Still standing off to the side, April raised her eyebrows in surprise. Then she broke into a giant grin, her eyes crinkling at the corners. She laughed and ran right at the boys, joining their group hug. Immediately, four pairs of arms wrapped around her. Now we’re complete, Leo thought with a smile.

 After what seemed like an eternity, the four brothers and April finally pulled apart, big smiles on all of their faces. Leo chuckled, wiping the last tears from his eyes. “I missed you guys so much,” he said, smiling brighter than he has in years.

 Donnie nudged Leo’s side affectionately and smiled. “We missed you too, Nardo. As fun as it was haunting you-” April groaned, cutting him off. “Not you too, Dee,” she whined. Donnie smirked and continued without missing a beat. “It just, dramatic sigh, wasn’t the same. I longed for our bi-weekly trash talk sessions. It’s good to have you here, Leo.”

 “Gee, if you wanted me dead, you could have just said so,” Leo joked, matching Donnie’s smirk. “But I missed talking to you too. The real you. Not Omega or one of your inventions.” That statement earned a soft smile from Donnie. Sure, it was mostly aimed at the floor because Donnie was emotionally constipated, but Leo understood how much that one action meant.

 “Hey, what about me?” Mikey teased. Donnie smiled genuinely and flung his arm around Michael. “Of course I missed you too, dear Angelo. Whatever would I do without my favorite partner in crime? But it seems I have taught you well. You were certainly a force to be reckoned with earlier. You had impeccable timing too.”

 Mikey grinned. “Thanks, Donald,” he said. “Just imagine if you were there. Your guns and my chains would have been an unstoppable team!”

 “I concur,” Donnie said ruffling Mikey’s hair. “Hey!” the box turtle exclaimed. “Leave my sideburns alone!”

 “Very well Master Yoda.”

 “WHY YOU!”

 While Mikey and Donnie were bickering playfully, Raph nudged Leo’s side. “Hey, I’m proud of you little bro,” his older brother said gently. Leo’s eyes widened. “Wait, really?” he asked. Leo used to feel that the whole Kraang invasion was his fault since he was the one who made Raph drop the key. He now understood that it was the Foot Clan’s fault for deciding to use it, but the feeling still lingered a bit.

 Raph smiled and nodded. “Of course,” he said. “I saw how you led the resistance for the past decade. You rose up to every challenge that came your way and gave the resistance hope to keep going. You led raids and rescue missions and you saved so many lives.”

 But I couldn’t save the ones that mattered, Leo thought to himself, his heart a bit heavy. Raph seemed to have read his mind because he said, “Hey, don’t blame yourself.” His tone was serious and stern. “I made my decision and I would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant saving your life. Besides, you have no control who lives, who dies, who tells your story.”

 “Did you just quote Hamilton to make me feel better?”

 “Yes, absolutely. Did it work?” Raph asked with such an adorable grin on his face, Leo couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, it did. Thanks.”

 Raph grinned. “No problem,”he said. “But my point is, you were an amazing leader and we are all so proud of you. Without you, I don’t think we would’ve been able to hold off the Kraang for as long as we did. And I want you to know it.”

 Leo sniffed and wiped a single tear from his eye. “Thanks, Raph,” he murmured. His big brother wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a hug. “Anytime, he said. “By the way, I love what you did with your prosthetic. And your sword too.” It’s safe to say that Leo had to use every single ounce of his willpower not to break down crying right then and there. But before a single tear could escape from his eye, the sound of someone yelling echoed through the clearing, interrupting the moment.

 “I DON’T CARE IF YOU TWO ARE DEAD, I’M GOING TO MURDER YOU!!!”

 Leo’s eyes widened as he pulled away from the hug. He and Mikey exchanged a look. If that voice was who they thought it was, they were so dead. Pun intended. The brothers turned to April. “Is it just me or was that…?” Leo asked, trailing off.

 April nodded, an evil smile growing on her face. “That,” she said mischievously. “Would be Cassandra. I’d run if I were you. She is pissed.” Leo swore under his breath. He was heartbroken when Cass died, leaving behind her young son, and he was dying to see her again, but If she was made, whoo boy he was done for.

 At that, the one and only Cassandra Jones stormed in looking, as April had said, very pissed. “Okay,” she started. “While I understand why you did it, WHAT ON EARTH! MADE YOU THINK! THAT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO RANDOMLY TOSS MY BOY INTO A TIME PORTAL WITH NO EXPLANATION?! At least you had a sound enough mind to give him clear instructions. But still, aside from our stories, the kid knows nothing about how life was before the apocalypse. He’s probably going to attack the first person he sees.”

 Leo opened and closed his mouth, biting back a remark of like mother, like son as well as any sentimental goop one might say after seeing their dead friend after you helped raise their son. Thankfully, Mikey saved his sorry butt from any potential embarrassment. “Cass?” he gasped softly. Casey’s pissed demeanor melted away like butter and was replaced with a warm smile. Leo smirked. Cass has always had a soft spot for Mikey. But the wholesome atmosphere melted away the second Cass opened her mouth again.

 “Hey, Grandpa Mikey,” she teased, her grin big and mischievous.

 “OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!”

 “Dr. Delicate Touch had entered the chat,” Donnie muttered as he walked up behind Leo. Leo snorted as Raph burst into a fit of giggles. He missed joking around with his brothers like this.

 After Casey had finally calmed down from her fit of giggles, she turned to Leo. “But seriously, thank you for taking care of my little stinkbug after I kicked the bucket. You really kept to your promise.” The blue turtle smiled warmly when she said that. “It was my pleasure. That kid is too good for this world.” Cassandra nodded in agreement.

 “Oh and by the way, your dads are here,” Cass added. Leo and Mikey whipped their heads around to see Splinter running towards them as fast as he could with Draxum at his heels. “Pops?” Leo whispered just as Mikey yelled “DAD! BARRY!” Mikey started to sprint towards them as well. Leo’s shocked expression melted into a smile. He chuckled then turned to look at his other two brothers and April. “Come on!” Leo said to them before turning around and following after Mikey. He could hear Raph, Donnie, and April’s footsteps behind him as he ran towards his parents.

 Leo overtook Mikey and scooped hi dad up into his arms. Splinter let out a big hearty laugh that reminded Leo of when he was younger. He felt three shapes crash into them, Mikey, April and Donnie, before two giant pairs of arms wrapped around them, Raph and Draxum. “Oh, my boys,” their dad muttered, his voice warm and loving. Leos cheeks started to hurt from all the smiling he was doing. He was with his family again. “I missed you so much, Dad,” Leo said. “I did too,” Mikey added. As they were hugging, Leo and Mikey began to change color. Their souls that were once the default jade green color began to change into bright orange and blue. But no one noticed at the time. They were all too invested in the hug.

After several loving minutes they all pulled apart, grinning faces all around. “Hey, we got our colors back!” Mikey exclaimed, admiring his outstretched arms, now glowing orange instead of green. Leo nodded in response, blue always suited him better. Plus, now he was matching with his brothers again. 

 Leo then heard the sharp sound of someone clearing their throat. He turned around to see that it came from Draxum who was looking at him pointedly. “Good to see you Leonardo,” Draxum said with a pinch of passive aggression. Leo realized he hadn’t greeted the alchemist yet The slider gave Draxum a mischievous grin. “Good to see you too, Goat man. How did you get up here anyways? Last I checked, you were still kicking Kraang butt with your mystic vines.”

 Barry rolled his eyes in amusement at the nickname. “I passed away several minutes after O’Neil. I believe I was hit with a laser.”

 “Wow, everyone’s getting murdered by lasers,” April commented. Everyone laughed at that. “I know right!” Leo replied, putting his weight on one leg. “At least that means we’re all together again,” Mikey said sweetly. “Yeah,” Raph replied, ruffling the box turtle’s hair fondly.

 “Really? All of you? Aren’t you forgetting someone?,” a familiar female voice teased. Leo’s head snapped up at the voice. He and Mikey turned to see Karai standing several feet away with a sweet smile on her face. “GRAM-GRAM!!!” the two of them exclaimed in unison.

 Karai laughed. “It’s good to see you boys too,” she said. “Come on. We will all show you around.” Karai reached out her hand. Leo hesitated. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. “You heard her,” Raph said with a grin, looking down at him. “Let’s show you guys around.” Raph took Leo’s hand and lead him towards Karai just as Donnie grabbed Mikey’s hand and did the same. Leo took Gram-gram’s outstretched arm, then Mikey took her other one. All nine of them, Raph, Leo, Mikey, Donnie, April, Splinter, Draxum, Cassandra, and Karai, joined hands in one big line. Leo closed his eyes, feeling more complete than he had in years. Then Gram-gram started to move forward, bringing all of them with her.

 “Welcome to the Afterlife,” she said

[rachelkruglyak]

Vampire Diaries, Blood Brothers (S1, E20): Panel Presentation

Stefan Feeds On His Dad's Blood (Flashback) - The Vampire Diaries 1x20 Scene

Episode’s Connection to Reading:

In her article “Growing up in Magical Time: Representations of Female Growth and Development in ABC’s Once Upon a Time”, one of the episodes from Once Upon a Time that Katherine Whitehurst focuses is“The Stable Boy” (season 1, episode 18) and “The Queen is Dead” (season 2, episode 15). This episode uses flashbacks to highlight the character development of the Evil Queen. In “The Stable Boy” we see how Regina went from being a compassionate young woman to the path that ultimately resulted in her being the Evil Queen. Whitehurst argues that “Regina’s inability to cope with loss and put the needs of others above her own separates her from Snow White and the “good” characteristics Snow White embodies” (Whitehurst, 10). In the Vampire Diaries episode “Blood Brothers”, the viewer sees through Stefan’s vampire origin story, which paints Stefan as the original bad brother. He becomes a vampire after accidentally killing his father and tasting the blood. He then forces Damon to become a vampire as well. This contrasts with his sympathetic representation in the present-day storyline, where he is feeling guilty for drinking Amber’s blood. Whitehurst writes, “In juxtaposing Regina’s history with her villainy in the serial storyline, the program expands her story and complicates her character, creating a sympathetic and emotionally complex figure who is both victim and villain” (Whitehurst, 10). In showing Stefan’s backstory, the audience comes to view him as both victim and villain, too.

Statement:

​​How does the series' form and content inform the relationship of female physical and emotional growth and development?

Over the course of The Vampire Diaries, Bonnie and Caroline are examples of female characters that undergo growth and development. In the first episode, Bonnie says that her grandmother told her that she was a witch. Bonnie doesn’t believe it at first, and doesn't know how to use her magical powers, but by the sixth episode, she understands that she does have power. Her grandmother teaches her how to use her powers, similar to Snow White’s story. When her grandmother dies, Bonnie must practice and continue her education on her own. As the show progresses, Bonnie becomes more and more powerful and is constantly using her power to save the day. In the final episode of the series, Bonnie saves the entire town by moving a huge hellfire away from the town and sending it back to hell where it originated. 

Caroline starts off as a preppy barbie who is incredibly shallow. After turning into a vampire at the beginning of season 2, she will no longer age for the rest of the series, an example of a mismatch between a character’s chronological and physical age. She eventually becomes a much more developed character, and becomes increasingly loyal. She becomes a strong team player, keeping morale up and helping others, a major shift from the self-absorbed character that she was at the beginning. She even mystically becomes the surrogate for another character’s twin babies, and as a loyal friend, she carries the babies to term and becomes the first vampire to give birth.

In what ways does the series use cinematic timing to chronicle character transformations?

The series uses a series of flashbacks to provide context and to show how much characters’ lives have changed. These flashbacks provide more information on Stefan and Damon in the past, and help to tie together the past and the present. In season 7, there are a few episodes that begin with a flash forward to three years in the future which show how things have changed. There is one episode in season 3 in which they are trying to solve murders and there is a flashback to 1912 that reminds Damon of what had happened decades earlier. The flashback helps Damon and Stefan realize that there was a confession, which ultimately helps them to solve the current murder.                      

How are the primary characters' ages and development coded by the characters around them?

At the beginning of the series, the majority of the main characters are juniors in high school, and everyone else’s ages are based on that. These characters are supposed to be youthful and oblivious to the presence of vampires in their town, unlike their parents who know exactly what’s happening. The only exception to this is Elena and Jeremy’s aunt Jenna, who is younger than the rest of the guardians and is seen as less put together than them. Jeremy, who’s only a year younger than Elena and her classmates, is seen as incredibly immature, which is evidenced when Vicki doesn’t want to let everyone know that she and Jeremy slept together because she’s older than him. Damon is several years older than Stefan is. Matt is the most mature as he has to get a job so he can pay bills. His mom is immature compared to him, which is evident when she makes out with his best friend.

As the show progresses, these high school students who are the main characters go to college and become exposed to the supernatural element of the town. Exposure to the vampires and other supernatural creatures forces them to mature as they must navigate dangerous situations to survive. 

Vampires don’t age physically. But as they become older chronologically, they become more experienced and their powers get stronger. As a result, other characters perceive vampires based on their actual age not the age they appear. This results in a dichotomy between their appearance and the way in which other characters perceive them. For instance, Katherine is 500 years old and the other characters are afraid of her and her powers. The Originals, a group of vampires who are all 1000 years old, are considered particularly fearsome. Klaus is the most feared of all vampires and is described as “the oldest vampire in the history of time.”        

In what ways does the series reflect narratives of youth represent narratives’ adult functionality or dysfunctionality?

Katherine was shown as a human The show has a few flashback scenes that show the lives of certain vampires when they were human, before they became vampires. The show shows Katherine as always putting her own needs first. Katherine met Klaus and was friends with him. She learns that he needs her blood for a ritual that will reactivate his werewolf side. To do this, he would need to drink all of her blood. Katherine tries to escape and a vampire named Trevor tries to help her. He tells her to go to a specific place and they’ll take care of you. The family wants to give her back to Klaus, but she’s hurt and Rose heals her with Rose’s blood because vampire blood heals. Katherine kills herself because if you die with vampire blood in your body, you transition. Klaus needs her to be human. By turning herself into a vampire, she thwarts Klaus, who needs her to be human, but puts Trevor and Rose in danger. Trevor and Rose must run from Klaus for years after this. As a vampire, Katherine continues to use others for her own needs. At one point, she puts her soul into Elena’s body to avoid dying.

How does the series use the fantasy genre as an area for framing virtue and villainy? 

The Vampire Diaries uses the fantasy genre for framing virtue and villainy by having the humans represent virtue and innocence and the vampires, werewolves, hybrids, travelers, and Heretics be the villains. The vampires have a switch in their brain that allows them to turn off their “humanity.” This is when they are at their deadliest. They also require blood to survive and are not above killing humans to get it, even when their humanity is on. Throughout the seasons, additional types of nonhuman creatures are introduced and they are consistently portrayed as villains. Hybrids that represent a mixture of two types of villainous creatures are even more dangerous. The show is a good example of “othering” as it portrays creatures other than humans as evil and malicious. The many different types of nonhuman characters have the capacity to murder humans.

Critical Thinking Questions

What is the impact on the viewer when actors are clearly not the age of the character they are playing?

What emotional impact can be achieved by telling stories in a non chronological way and how can this be even more impactful than telling the story chronologically?

Whitehurst writes about “framing the ideal female as self-sacrificial and benevolent,” are female characters presented in stories as valuable only to the extent that they put others’ needs before their own?

Is it easy to “other” creatures that are not human such as vampires and werewolves? Do you perceive instances in which, as Whitehurst implies, women are “othered” because they have normal human emotions.       

[number1120]

As promised, here’s my thoughts on the Sinclair Band!AU fanfic book!

This’ll be a mixture of two AU’s based off the lovely @arkunder's band!AU and the awesome @loveandmurders's Sinclair sister!AU (their writing for the sister sinclair is so fucking amazing! go read it!). This'll be a fun one, trust me, because I had to go over every little thing from both two blogs PLUS a kill count video on youtube over HoW. Yes, there will be murder in this, but it'll be fore the good!

For this to work, I can't use "y/n" but it'll take the story element away from the tale. Also I have a hard time writing in 'y/n' context. I'll be practicing on my spare time to make it better. Thank you understanding. I haven't can up with the sister's name yet, but it'll come to me soon.

ANYWAYS!

The story is going to be base around the idea that the Sinclair Brothers did have an adopted sister in their family from when she was 4 weeks old until she was 6-years-old when she was taken away for two reasons: Near drowning and Bo pushing her down the stairs in the Wax House (the big spiral one!). Because of her young age, she doesn't remember much, but the last thing she remembers is bring ripped out of her brothers' arms... no lie. Like she was RIPPED out of their arms.

This crushes Bo and Vincent, and this breaks Lester because they were really close. Trudy? She wanted the girl gone because raising four kids was a lot, and she needed a reason to get rid of the girl. I mean, she was leaning in the doorway with a cigarette in hands as she watched the madness of her sons fighting police officers for their little sister. Victor was inside reading over files for the hospital, not caring that his sons were being traumatized. You know? Dicks.

To add salt to the wound, there was a firer car crash months later, July 17th, the sister's 16th bithday. When Trudy learned that there was a bad crash, the daughter in it, by Bo's teacher. She takes this as a sick way to make her sons to "forget" her, and, that night, she faked a phone call from the "hospital" and she tells the boys that their sister died later at the hospital. Of course, this CRUSHES them. Bo doing some unhealthy coping skills, Vincent not wanting to touch wax for a while, and Lester is a shell of a kid. They lost her for the second time, and it's for good this time. The twins were 12 and Lester was 8.

Fast forward to now:

Sinclair-Voyance is in the Top 10 rock band with their second album being in top charts seven times in a row! World tours, traveling, meeting the Royals inf England! There's nothing that the three brothers can't do! Things are finally getting better, and they are rocking and vibing hardcore with nothing stopping them! The twins are 22 and Lester 18 (and he graduated high school on the honor role!). They are the youngest rockers to hit the rock world, and nothing will slow them down!

... until their manager has them performing on July 17th, the Cursed Date. Bo wants to cancel it because it's the day where all three of them fall apart, but Lester convenes them that it's a good thing and they should do it! But make it different from the rest of the concerts, Vincent reminds them.

It'll be an honorary concert for their baby sister, their favorite sibling. The concert will be a fundraiser for the Fire Rescue and Recovery, a charity for children who were harmed in fries and car crashes. The band has donated to them a couple of times, but this'll be different: it'll be in honor of their sister. Bo won't getting drunk on stage, Vincent showing his face, and Lester taking lead for some songs when emotions run heavy on Bo to still.

Bo swears he's the reason why they lost their sister, and July 17th is the one day of the year where Bo falls apart like a bullet through a car window. He blames himself. It's his fault. The weight he carries will never be understood by his brothers.

Vincent designs limited edition merch, Lester posts a lot about the concert along with telling stories about survivors that went through recovery with the charity, and Bo will perform at a talk show and promoting this a week before the concert, hoping that other bands will join this cause, too. Now, a Humble/Sober Bo is a very rare sight, and the rock world knows it, showing that this thing is the real deal.

WHILE THEY ARE DOING THAT:

Their sister, alive and well, has a bad knee (from an injury she can't remember) and a burned hand (from the car crash). She and her friends are huge fans of Sinclair-Voyance, and their radio station is hosting a ticket "9th Caller" thing, and she's lucky number 9! She and her friends are stocked to see the boys preform, and the sister is excited, too, because it'll be her 16th birthday. Goodness, she's so excite to celebrate it with her friends and at the concert! And the concert is for a good charity that helped her heal from the car crash she survived. Because of the charity, her hand is scarred but fully healed, and it saved her hand from being taken. Anyways, she won tickets for The Stand Pit, and S-V was happy to trade a standing ticket for a front row seating ticket. She can't stand for a long time, and S-V Brand understood that (The Sinclairs a lot of things, but not ablest).

Plus, this concert will be able to be away from her abusive boyfriend and brothers. Well, she doesn't want to call them bothers for what they've done to her, but what else is she supposed to call them? They remind her every day that her first family didn't want her, and her first brothers tried to kill her! No one wants her. Even the new adopted family doesn't want her: they just wanted the check the state gives every month for taking care of her.

Even though she's a fan of their music, she always felt connected with them. Bo's voice was always comforting her like a lullaby. Vincent's kin smile and gentleness around children made her feel like she knew him. Lester's bright smile an happy brown eyes sending her back to a time she's forgotten. She knows she was taken away from a different family, but she forgot they faces. Is it possible to miss strangers who she's never met?

They felt like a home she never got to live in.

Before the concert, Lester is out near the pit doing autographs, talking, and doing photos with fans. He was the biggest smile on his face, but it fades when he sees his... no. That's not her. She's dead! That's just a fan who looks like her! Yeah, that's it. Besides, his sister's dead! He buried her in a white coffin with butterflies on it. Butterflies were her favorite, and the scar on her hand was in a shape of one she got while she drowned. While the town went to away on the day of her funeral to comfort his parents, the brothers stayed behind and finished the job before the digger could bury her. They threw dirt over her grave while listening to the radio, and they comfort her, promising that she'll always be an angel to them.

The three brothers singing their sister to sleep to "Amazing Grace" when they were done. Yeah... his sister's dead.

Either way, he forces a happy face and takes a photo with the sister look-alike. As Lester leaves to get ready and recovers from this ghost sighting, the girl catches his hand, At first the security is about to push her away, but the girl says to him with soft eyes, "I'm sorry for your lost, Lester. I hope she's resting well."

His eyes falls to her hand and see the butterfly-shaped scar. That seals it. It's her! It's really her! That's his sister and--and she doesn't remember him. He squeezes her hand, saying, "Thank ya, ma'am. It means a lot ya showed up for 's. Than' ya."

In her mind, his voice rings, and she's heard that voice before. Long before the albums and interviews. Long before Sinclair-Voyance became a band. Somewhere, his voice matched the screaming brother fighting to keep his sister in his grip. Somewhere, looking out the back window of a cop car, visions of her brothers fighting sheriffs flashed, and Lester was there.

She finally remembers.

Anyways, that's what I have in mind so far. Let me know if you have another idea!

[koolkat9]

👀 👀 👀 (This means you must ramble about three AUs)

AU Ask Game

Okay let's see

Germanic Family Human AU

This is kind of an old one. Nowadays I usually don't see Rodreich and Vash as related, but for the sake of this au they're cousins. It's not as well thought out as my other aus, but since I have three here, I don't want to make this post too long lol so maybe it's good actually.

So basically Erika (Liech) and Vash have lost their parents. Because they're both still minors they're sent to live with their closest living relative: Their cousin Rodreich and his wife.

Vash is none too happy. He and Rod had a falling out. And even if it wasn't Rod, he'd rather just take Erika and live on their own. He's almost 18 after all. But their parents specifically directed that they be sent to a relative if they died while their children were minors.

Erika and Rodreich's wife Erzsébet quickly bond leaving Vash feeling even more isolated and alone.

And they aren't the only cousins either. Their cousin Gilbert also is living there with his son Ludwig. Gil had Ludwig young and his mom ran so Rodreich and Erzse agreed to let him stay with them to help with little Ludwig. Originally Ludwig was going to be actually Gil's brother and closer in age to Erika, but I am more in the mood for Dad!Gil and Son!Lud so Ludwig is actually probably 6-8 years old while Erika is 14/15.

Anyway. Erzsébet realizes the tension in their house and decides to try to get Vash and Rod to talk things out. So Erzse decides to take Erika out for a girl's day of shopping and getting their nails done leaving Vash and Rod the only ones in the house.

And that's all I've got for that AU so far. Basically it's all of them becoming a family and coping with grief and all the hurt/comfort you could want!

---

Changeling ACE Family AU

This one is really really new but I have to get it out.

I once saw this post of a story prompt or something where this mother's infant gets switched with a changeling so she goes to the fairy ruler or something and the fairy ruler like mixes up the babies or something and is like "okay which is your child" and the mom takes both saying they're both her children.

So warlock Arthur is a single father to his infant son Alfred (mom died during child birth or something). Alfred gets switched out with a changeling but Arthur being in tune with magic is able to pick up on the change and he marches to the fairy king (Francis) to get his kid back.

Francis, loving to tease Arthur, takes both the changeling and Alfred and mixes the two up asking Arthur to distinguish which one is his child. Arthur looks over both little boys. He says both. He'll take both. Francis is shocked, but if that is what Arthur wishes, he may take both children.

He names the other child Matthew and raises him as Alfred's twin. As much as he loves both his boys, he starts to worry if he made the right choice. Matthew is a sickly child and he starts to wonder if it's because he's a changeling. There isn't much research on changeling children as many are abandoned or even killed when it is discovered they are a changeling.

Even worse, as the two boys grow older, Matthew begins to realize he's different. He struggles to communicate with others, would rather stay in the forest where their cottage is than go to town, keeps to himself and just has the overwhelming sense of otherness. But at the same time he loves his father and brother and they give him a sense of belonging. But eventually Arthur has to tell him who he really is.

Matthew is confused, a little hurt, but at least his otherness seems to have an answer and it's not just in his head. It makes Matt and Art's relationship a little tense and Al is completely oblivious to it all.

Arthur seeks Francis out again for advice. Is Matthew's sickliness because he's a changeling? What can Arthur do to ease it? Should Matthew return to the fairy realm?

I'm going to change or perhaps add-on to the regular changeling myth by saying changelings aren't fully fairy, more like a being made of magic itself making their form/health very unstable. So even if Matt was to return to the fairy realm, his health wouldn't necessarily improve, and he would still struggle to fit in with the fairies. But Francis offers to have a look at the boy and see if there is anything he can do.

Matthew is reluctant, but hey he may learn something about himself. It's nice to talk to the Fairy King, he's very curious about Matthew never getting to meet a changeling. He lowkey treats Matt like some sort of science project and makes Matt uncomfortable so Arthur snatches him up and takes him home. Matthew appreciates Arthur trying to figure things out about him.

Arthur, being a warlock starts researching some sort of concoction to strengthen Matt's immune system and try to aide his illnesses (Francis helps a bit too).

Alfred is kind of feeling left out because both Matt and Arthur don't really know how to approach the subject to him. And when Matt and Arthur take trips to meet Francis, Al feels kind of left out. I want to add Al more into this au, but I can't think of how to right now

So there is family drama on top of Matt's identity issues with being a changeling. But really the three of them really love each other and make it work. Alfred leads in social situations supporting Matt. Arthur helps Matthew channel his magic and keep his body as healthy as it can be. And Matt

Matt becomes Arthur's apprentice because being a being of magic makes him really really powerful (though he has to be careful not to use too much because magic is holding him together). Alfred becomes a magical researcher, travelling all over. I think it would be cute if the three go looking for other changelings to help them too.

So much angst and fluff potential with this one

---

Have this older Soulmate AU that I call Poetry in Arms

It's a university based au where if your soulmate writes on their skin it shows up on your skin as well. I ever write will focus on GerEng, but there are many many many other pairings. Originally it was going to be GerEng, AmeIta, Giripan, ScotFra and Prucan but I think I'm going to change it up: GerEng, Itapan, NedCanUkr (we're throwing a polyship in here), ScotFra and...yeah we'll throw AmeLiet in here because I need Al for plot.

Basically everyone is from all across the globe, but some of them have been able to come together at this very prestigious university. Itapan got to meet that way. So did AmeLiet and CanUkr. But not Ludwig. Arthur is all the way in England while the university is in North America or perhaps Japan (though I know more about North America so I'm leaning to somewhere there). Either way he's far from England and doesn't have the means to go to England to meet Arthur.

In a similar vein, CanUkr have come to realize they have another soulmate though this other soulmate seems shy and uncertain, staying pretty anonymous. So their subplot is trying to figure out who this person is and trying to meet them.

ScotFra is trying to get Arthur to meet Ludwig, but Arthur argues that it's finical troubles. Francis knows better. He and Allie offered to help Arthur cover the cost only to be brushed off. They think the real root of the issue is that Arthur is scared.

And GerEng basically just exchange poetry to each other on their skin. Doing this weird long distance thing but neither daring to make a move to actually meet.

Some cute scenes/aspects I have planned

Arthur and Ludwig face timing and Arthur falling asleep mid conversation.

Arthur runs a little bookshop.

Arthur being jealous seeing ScotFra be lovey-dovey because he wants to do that with Ludwig. Though Arthur is kind of sabotaging himself because he's scared to actually meet Ludwig and cement their relationship further.

Perhaps GerEng kind of gets into an argument because Ludwig calls Arthur out for sabotaging the relationship and dragging his feet. But it's okay, Arthur learns his lesson and they get to meet.

Basically their friends and family have to get involved. Al, Kiku, Feli, Mattie and Kateryna come together to basically raise money for Ludwig's trip and perhaps it becomes like a regular thing to help other soulmates that have to travel far distances to find each other.

CanUkr eventually get to meet Jan and live happily ever after.

GerEng finally get to meet each other and live happily ever after.

Everything is great

[juukeboxx]

Future!Leo Headcanons

Hi everyone!

I apologize for not having posted anything for a little while. I've been insanely busy with work, school, and spring cleaning.

This is the first time I'm focusing on anything Rise related on my blog and I'm very excited. I've been thinking about the future version of Leo that we see in the Rise movie a bit, especially because I've been watching through Rise for a second time. We don't see a lot of what happens in the future, so I really wanted to focus on that through Leo's eyes. Enjoy!

Warnings: Spoilers for the Rise movie if you haven't seen it yet, themes of death, loss, grief

Word count: 752

Leo always had such big dreams for himself. When he was younger he had always imagined a future where everyone (mutants, yokai, and humans) could all coexist together and everything would be just peachy. But he didn't think it would happen like this.

He's lost a lot of people who were really important to him. First it was Splinter, who had the most peaceful death. Leo was fortunate enough to see his father pass away from natural causes. The rest of his family, however, weren't so lucky.

Raph and Cassandra (who I'll refer to as Cass) were the next to perish. At first it was a skirmish between the resistance and the Krang but then more and more and more of them kept coming and they couldn't keep up. Only a few soldiers survived the fight.

It was hard enough having heard Cass didn't survive. Casey Jr was only a baby still, he NEEDED his mom. But hearing that kis big brother was killed as well? That was the moment when his whole world began to fall apart.

Leo needed his big brother. Would he ever admit that to his face? No, not likely. Did they fight and argue a lot about anything and everything? Yeah, sometimes. But Raph was still his big brother. It was already hard enough for him to cope with his father's death, but losing Raph wasn't just a big blow to him but to the rest of the family and the entire resistance.

Donnie fell next. It wasn't uncommon that once of the resistance's bases had been discovered and attacked. However, this base was one of the few large bases they had left. It stored supplies, weapons, and as many people that could fit inside. All Leo knew from the report that his twin fought to the very end.

It stung even more than Raph's death because Donnie was his TWIN. Even though they weren't the same species of turtle, they always had this deep connection with one another. They knew when the other one felt excited, felt sad, or just needed someone to be there for them. It felt like half of him had died that day.

For a long time it was only Leo and Mikey. They couldn't give each other the time they needed to grieve, there wasn't any time to in the first place. Being two of the most prominent leaders of the resistance meant they had their duties they had to see through.

After Cass' death Leo really stepped up and took care of Casey Jr. When he was younger he tried to push his problems into a corner and pretended they weren't there. But Casey Jr was still a baby, and he needed someone to be there for him. And he loved that kid with all of his heart.

It was hard not having Cass be able to see all of Casey Jr's milestones - his first steps, his first word, the first time he blew up a Krang base. Leo knew that Cass would be proud of her son.

The first time Casey Jr called him "dad" instead of "master Leonardo" he burst into tears.

Leo tried really hard to give Casey Jr as normal of a life as possible. Despite all the fighting going on he wanted Casey Jr to know the feeling of having some sort of normalcy. He let him play with the other kids, giving them a chance to goof off the way he and his brothers would in their youth.

Leo knew that his time would come at some point, and so did Mikey. They had talked about it quite often and were very open with each other. But both of them knew that they were going to die fighting for a better future.

So in that final battle, holding his side and seeing the blood drip onto the metallic fingers of his prosthetic arm - He knew. He knew this was it. And when Leo and Mikey made eye contact with each other, they both knew what was in store for them. They had planned it well in advance - their last ditch attempt to save the world.

Seeing the portal made hope swell in Leo's stomach. He may not be around to see it, but there's a chance and he was more than willing to take it. When he threw Casey Jr into the portal and bought him as much time as he could before meeting his end, Leo never lost a ninja's greatest weapon - Hope.

[frucienlover]

La Rose Noire (The Black Rose)

This fanfiction is a birthday gift, dedicated to Claire, one of my best friends that I met right here on Tumblr. Happy birthday, girl, I love you!!!! 😘😘😘 @7-wonders​

 Summary: Moving from her family home in Boston and having to settle into a new territory in Los Angeles wasn't what Rose Harmon had in mind when she wanted a fresh start, but with the death of her unborn baby sibling and the revelation of her father's affair, she understood why it was necessary. When things begin to go awry in their new home, Rose will find that the lines between good and evil become blurred and must answer the age old question: can true love really conquer all?

Prologue: The Move

The shouting was muffled, but it could still be heard through the thin walls. Raised, angry voices floated from their parents' room to the room Rose Harmon shared with her younger twin sister, Violet.

"They're fighting again," Violet said sullenly, sitting on her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest, her chin resting on them and her arms wrapped around herself for support.

Rose glanced over at her sister, sympathy washing over her at the latter's position. Violet always had trouble adjusting to life as a moody teenager, but the constant arguments between their parents and the tension in the house only made it worse.

"Yeah. I know," she sighed and moved away from the door before sitting on Violet's bed, the mattress dipping with the redhead's weight.

"Do you think they'll get divorced?" Violet asked softly, staring into her sister's eyes.

Rose contemplated that. On one hand, she hoped that their parents didn't end up divorced; it just complicated things, like holidays, custody battles, the news spreading around town, etc. Not to mention the emotional strain it would put on them all…

But on the other…if their mother left their father, it wouldn't be undeserved on his end.

"I hope not," she eventually answered. "But I'd understand if they did."

Violet nodded. After a few minutes of silence, another inquiry left her lips: "If you had to choose…if they wanted us to choose…who would you live with? Mainly?"

That question made Rose pause. "Who would you live with?" She countered calmly, though she already knew the answer.

"Dad."

'I knew it,' Rose thought. Her sister had always been closer to their father. She never understood why, but they'd always had such a strong bond while Violet's relationship with their mother was strained, especially when the younger Harmon started puberty. 

"I'd choose Mom," she watched Violet's nose crinkle slightly. It wasn't disgust she saw on her face, but her twin obviously wasn't pleased with her response.

"Why?" Violet asked. She realized that her tone could be considered rude or judgmental, but she didn't backtrack and change it.

Rose gave her a look that was both reprimanding and incredulous. "He cheated on her," she said.

"He was grieving. They lost our brother," the defense sounded weak to even Violet's ears, but it was the truth. Ben Harmon didn't just decide to go out and cheat on his wife, Vivien, because he didn't love her; it was brought on by tragedy and the emotional distance between them afterwards.

"That doesn't make it okay," Rose replied, protectiveness over her mother rearing its head again at the younger girl's words. She always had a stronger bond with Vivien than with Ben. Maybe it was because she was her first daughter or she just had more in common with her than Violet, but the older twin never had the same connection with her father that she had with her mother. "He slept with another woman—one of his students, no less—and Mom caught them in her bed. Yes, Mom pushed him away, and Dad lost him, too, but Mom was the one who carried our brother for seven months only to discover that he died inside of her and then had to deliver his body two months after because her own didn't naturally flush him out. I don't blame her for coping with losing her baby the way she knew how at the time. Being depressed and not wanting to be with her husband for awhile is not the same as fucking someone else in your marital bed and you know that, Vi."

Rose's heated lecture silenced Violet, the fight draining out of her. She sniffled a bit and said, in a small voice, "I just don't want our family to be ripped apart. I don't want to be ripped from you."

Rose's eyes softened. She completely understood what Violet was saying. It wasn't so much that she condoned their father's affair or blamed their mother for it, she just didn't want to experience such a drastic change. They liked their life in Boston: their house, their friends, their school…if their parents divorced, they'd be taken from all of that, especially if both of them wanted to relocate to different areas further away from one another.

The fact that they each wanted to live with the other parent made the situation absolutely hellish. Despite their differing opinions and arguments they'd had throughout the years, Rose and Violet had always been close. They shared a womb together, they were born together, they did everything together…losing each other would be like tearing out a part of themselves that they could never get back. They would never feel whole again.

Rose leaned forward, bringing Violet into a comforting embrace. Despite not being the most social person, her sister was the exception, and Violet leaned into her warmth, closing her eyes and taking in the scent of her—the vanilla skin care products and lavender shampoo she ritualistically used—and the sound of her heartbeat as the dirty blonde placed her ear against the redhead's chest. Violet allowed Rose to hold her, to support her as she slumped into her, as if she could physically join them so it made separation impossible, basking in the serenity that only her sister could provide.

Ever the caretaker, Rose kissed the top of Violet's head before gently running her fingers through her hair, stroking between the strands and repeating the motion to further relax the distressed teen in her arms.

"I don't want to lose you, either," Rose murmured. Even the thought was agonizing to her. "But I promise you that no matter what happens, you and I will always be together."

"How?" Violet asked.

"In our hearts. You're in mine all the time and I know I'm in yours. As long as we have that, it won't matter how far the distance is between us."

Suddenly the arguing ceased and Rose heard quiet footsteps approach their door before a light knock resounded through the now still house. "Rose? Violet?" Their mother's voice rang out. "Can we come in? Your father and I have something to tell you two."

Rose looked down at Violet, the latter having opened her eyes and was gazing up at her. She could see the apprehension in the blonde's eyes, the fear that this something will be that they're getting a divorce. It was a fear that Rose knew reflected on her own face.

"Come in," Rose called, and the doorknob turned, the squeaking of the hinges as the door swung open deafening in the silence. Ben and Vivien stood in the doorway, their expressions completely unreadable as they regarded their children.

The sisters reluctantly separated from their embrace, but still sat together on the bed, their hands tightly clasped in preparation for the bombshell that was about to come down.

"What's going on?" Rose asked.

Before either of their parents could open their mouths, Violet quickly followed up her twin's question with one of her own: "Are you getting a divorce?"

Ben and Vivien exchanged tired looks as they walked deeper into their daughters' room. "No," Vivien began, sitting beside Rose. "We're not getting divorced."

"But we do want to start fresh," Ben finished, taking a seat on Violet's side.

"What does that mean?"

Ben and Vivien sighed, a long, drawn out noise that was obvious to anyone who heard it that they were completely finished with the topic.

"After much consideration," Ben began this time while his wife remained mute, content to watch for the time being. "Your mother and I decided that the four of us are going to pack our things and leave Boston to go to California. We didn't want to give up on our marriage or separate you two, so moving was the best option."

Well, it wasn't the bombshell they expected, but it dropped anyway.

[mjmagics]

a note (k&t23)

Hey! This is a note for my book Kittens and Titus. It is simply a personal introduction on why I’m rewriting K&T, and my connection to the characters. I will not be offended if you chose not to read this! Also this is copied from googledocs and I’m too tired to format this how it is in there so please ignore titles of tv shows and comics not being bold or italicized.  

A Note from the Author 

Hello everyone! This is my Damian Wayne fanfic I wrote back in 2018/2017. I used an OC named Jade Constantine who was John’s adopted daughter and also Rachel Roth’s half-sister. She was a little Mary Sue if you ask me, and I honestly think Kittens and Titus (2018) was bad writing but it was crazy popular! 

I was introduced to comic books rather young, and the difference between a Tiny Titans comic and normal comics seemed to be ignored by the adults around me (I only remember getting in trouble for reading Red Hood and the Outlaws when I was 11. I started reading comics around the same age I learned how to read. I have a very specific memory of how I learned of Damian Wayne and his very fucked up story. 

I was between the ages of six and eight, and in the bathroom doing my thing. I liked reading my mom’s Calvin and Hobbes comics but there was only Garfield and I was not vibing with it. (As I’m thinking back on it ever since iPhones came to be I have never seen magazines or comics in a bathroom). Since I didn’t want to read the Garfield comics I picked up a Batman comic. It happened to be the 1987 Batman: Son of the Demon. I saw some crazy shit, but if you have seen Son of Batman which came out in 2014 you're pretty caught up as far as I can remember. 

I reread that comic over and over becoming obsessed with this son of batman. He legit is only shown as a baby in Talia’s arms once and also in a test tube when he was being created (I think. The last time my eyes were on this comic I was a child). I often liked to pretend I was Bruce Wayne's secret daughter and one day he and Dick Grayson would come to save me from my miserable life, so Damian was like my twin brother in my head for a while.

In 2009 or 2010 DC went through a new rebranding (I think) and Damian became Robin! I was ten at the time and a Robin my age was so EXCITING. All I could ever think about when playing pretend with friends is how I wanted to be Damian’s friend (or better yet, girlfriend). 

I spent most of my childhood in a dissociative state, and so most of my childhood memories are obscured by the ‘make-believe’ moments I spent in my head having a grand time helping protect Gotham. Although it may have not been the best for my future, it was a great coping skill for lil Mara.

My history with Jade Roth is very long, nearly as long as my love for Damian. I grew up watching Teen Titans and Young Justice (as previously stated) and my favorite character in TT was Raven. I spent a lot of sixth grade super dissociative due to problems in my life so at times when I felt scared I would pretend I was Raven. I even started talking in a raspy voice just like her. 

Summer after 6th grade (I think it would be 2012) I made a friend who also played make-believe with the DC characters and we decided to be friends. Our OCs lived in Gotham and were dating the batboys! 

She had used the storyline of Bruce Wayne’s long-lost daughter whose mom was rich and died so she had a bunch of money, and I came up with Rain, Raven’s little sister, who (simply for convenience) lived with an older Rachel and Garfield and moved to Gotham City to go to Gotham Academy from a scholarship given to her by Bruce Wayne (lol kinda sounds a bit like Artemis Crook). I named my character Jade at first, but as I had a Soul Eater OC named Jade I couldn’t keep using the same name (according to this friend). I was also obsessed with Avatar: The Last Airbender at the time and I wanted to be a water bender. In my head, I combined Raven and water bending and I came up with the Character Rain. I just decided on Rain since I was depressed and rain and storms were depressing just like me (oh god I was so cringy, no wonder I had no friends). 

I wasn’t very creative back then but I did write a short story on MissLiteratie (I think) and Qoutive called “set fire to the rain” like the Adelle song that was released in 2011. Rain was a hero with the team in Young Justice, so her love interest was between Dick and Conner. 

Rain and my friend’s OC were based on an image we saw once in a Nightcore video. It was two emo girls standing next to each other holding hands. If I find it on Youtube I’ll probably link it because it’s just so cringe but also so 2012. 

The final part of this story is my friend was kind of a bully, and she laid claim on Jason Todd and Tim Drake. (This may have been where my hatred for Tim came from as I found him to be the most attractive Robin [please remember I was 11]). Anyways, my friend said we could share Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne was all mine. 

Of course I hyperfocused on Damian. 

The friendship between the two of us didn’t last long. We both ended up in foster care and if this friend ever reads this, I hope you’re doing well.

I wrote Kittens and Titus in 2018, but I started it in 2017 with a friend. I was 16 at the time and working through trauma my therapist suggested writing this story for the character I was desperately connected to. I did a whole revamp of Jade, making her have the ability to create crystal on her body, similar to how Kirishima Ejiro of My Hero Academia activated his hardening quirk. I changed her hero name to Crystal to try and erase my embarrassing past with Rain.

 I wanted it to be a whole series where Damian and Jade aged together, fell in love, hated each other, and eventually returned to one another in the end. I only got through book 1, and I haven’t reread the book since 2021, so I can’t recall if they had even dated expressed feelings or any of that other shit. 

I’ll also be taking out some personal headcanons of other characters that I had put in due to the young age I'm having the characters start at but eventually, they will probably be implemented again. 

I don’t know how far I’ll get in this, but I am definitely doing Kittens and Titus and probably finishing up the second book. 

I’m now 21, soon to be 22, and I know Damian grows up, but this story will stay when they are young. I did change Jade Roth up a lot, giving her a whole new backstory and life outlook. I think she makes a lot more sense, and the newer characters I’m adding in will help Jade Roth, now known as Jade Knutzvig, seem more real. 

I hope you enjoy the story, and for those who have already read kittens and titus, please bare with me while I continue this story I’m reconnecting with. I also want to clear up one last thing: DAMIAN AND JADE WILL GET TOGETHER BUT NOT RIGHT AWAY. THIS FIRST BOOK TAKES PLACE IN THE MATTER OF A FEW MONTHS AND I DONT SEE DAMIAN AS THE TYPE OF KID TO FALL IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE HE BARELY KNOWS. IF THIS BOTHERS YOU DO NOT READ. I UNDERSTAND IT CAN BE FRUSTRAITING, WHICH IS WHY I AM LETTING YOU KNOW. 

Enjoy. 

[honeycreammilkshake]

About that anon, those gojo fanatics also latched onto kenjaku and even DEFEND him, literally reality is that they are just mad Sukuna killed gojo, that's it, they defend kenjaku (because he didn't kill gojo) despite doing experiment with BABIES and women rape, hello????

It's already sad they are making so many awful edits with blob sukuna (gege please stop making it so hard for us fans) and completely dismissing sukuna and yuji relationship

They even dismiss maki arc. Let's be honest they just want a manga centered about just gojo and that one would become boring fast, sorry. They want to make drama with gojo yes he had drama too but then, how about Sukuna? It's your fault you ignored sukuna's line about him not caring about being the strongest and hinted a bad childhood.

Gojo lived like a rich in easy times, maki and her sister were abused, Sukuna was probably abused too and mocked just because of how he looked, his life was decided just because he accidentally (yes, I believe sukuna is coping with HAHA IM SO EVIL I ATE MY OWN TWIN) ate his own brother, forever making him look like some monster (even more if you read ryomen sukuna lore, apparently he was sold to some circus spectacle and forced to eat other kids or something), which is why Yuji is so sad because that could have been him

I really hope those fanatics move on and latch onto another OH SO COOL character (look at how fast Levi Ackerman was forgotten), I really think and hope anime only people will appreciate Gege story more, without forced agendas or obsession over one character

hi, anon, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me. i'm sorry for the late reply, this got lost in my drafts ;-;

when i first started watching jujutsu kaisen, my first impression of gojo was that he was one of those shonen anime mentors, like vanessa enoteca from black clover or kisuke urahara from bleach. like them, gojo can be really immature, irresponsible, dismissive of his student's safety and even willing to put them in direct danger, self-absorbed, and overly confident to the point that it risks the safety of others.

compare this to how nanami acts. even if he's not very personable, he's still made it clear that he cares about the well-being of others and even stated it's his responsibility to put yuuji's life above his own. meanwhile, gojo has largely been raising his students dangerously so that they can become allies for him. he doesn't seem to care if they don't want anything to do with his cause.

i hate how the fandom so easily dismisses the hardships the other characters (like maki and her sister) faced, and instead only vent about how gojo died. to me, his death was an important part of the story and needed to happen. he even seemed to be content with it. but the tragic deaths of other characters, who didn't deserve such a fate, go unnoticed far more often.

i dislike kenjaku too. i'm very critical of how the fandom let him get away with so much just because he didn't kill gojo.

i'm not all too familiar with ryomen sukuna lore outside of the few facts we've been given in the manga, so i'll do some more research on that. thank you for pointing that out to me! he's definitely had a tragic past and most likely became what he is because of the different pressures to rise above it all.

loved to hear your thoughts, anon! hopefully you've been doing well <3

[praeteritus-memories-muses]

Name: Gorou Amamiya Aquamarine "Aqua" Hoshino

Series: Oshi No Ko

Continuity: Anime

Age: 5-18 (RP dependent)

Height: 5'8"

Birthday: August 2005

Birthplace: Japan

Orientation: Heterosexual

Species: Human

Occupation: Actor under Ichigo Productions

Mother: Ai Hoshino

Father: Hikaru Kamiki

Sibling(s): Ruby Hoshino (twin) , Taiki Himekawa (half-brother)

Bio:

TRIGGER WARNING: MURDER, PTSD, ETC

Secret son of the famous idol, Ai Hoshino, was not always Aquamarine Hoshino. He was originally a doctor named Gorou Amamiya, who ended up becoming the gynecologist for Ai Hoshino and was coincidentally her biggest fan. Gorou became a huge fan of Ai Hoshino after a patient within the hospital showed him videos of Ai, the girl named Sarina was a terminal cancer patient but he developed a deep brotherly/fatherly relationship with her. The death of Sarina broke something in him, but he ended up being Ai's biggest fan as means of coping with Sarina's death.

He promised Ai to help her give birth to healthy twins, but on Ai's due date as her water broke, a stalker was trying to get to Ai in the hospital. He didn't know how this stalker knew, but he chased after him to protect Ai from getting hurt but ended up getting killed by the stalker in the woods.

Reborn as Aquamarine Hoshino, Aqua was somehow reborn with all his memory and consciousness as Gorou. He was even able to speak as a baby because of this! However, what he didn't know was that Sarina was reborn as Ruby, his twin sister.

Over the next three years, Aqua had a largely happy life with Ai and Ruby despite a hiccup here or there. Yet he had difficulty viewing Ai as a mother, not because she was a bad one, but because he still held her on such a pedestal that she was still his idol rather than someone he held a maternal connection with. This doesn't mean he had feelings for Ai, quite the opposite, but all he could feel was deep admiration and awe rather than a maternal love for Ai.

When Ai was about 20, she was going to perform at the biggest dome in Tokyo when she was fatally stabbed by the same stalker who killed him in his past life. Aqua tried his best to stop the bleeding and call emergency services, but Ai ended up dying. She held him in her arms as her last words were "I love you" to him and Ruby, which broke Aqua at such a young age.

Originally, Aqua had largely began to separate his past life as Gorou and his new life as Aqua, but this incident caused an internal split in him where he can't separate Gorou from himself because he feels like he failed twice at keeping Ai safe. Once when he died, and now as Aqua.

Even worse was that Aqua quickly realized that only their biological father knew that Ai would be in her apartment at that time, and so he began an elaborate plot to kill his father. He figured out his father was in the entertainment industry, so his plan is to climb to the top as an actor so he can find which man is his father and kill him.

This meant all the more reason to cling to this idea that he is still Gorou, to emotionally detach and disassociate himself often, although Aqua so desperately just wants to be happy and be Aqua rather than a past life he further and further can't connect with anymore.

Meanwhile, Ruby wanted to be a idol like Ai and so Aqua would support her with hopes that he can at least protect her unlike he could for Ai.

Yet the plan for murder changed when Ruby began to get involved in this plot, even worse was that Ruby was in the same boat as him where she struggled to separate her past life from herself. While Aqua desperately wanted to be Aqua, Ruby wanted to be Sarina again due to rose colored glasses and a warped view of her feelings for Gorou.

Aqua and Ruby were shown a video made on their first birthday by Ai, where she tells them about how she met their father and that the truth was that she really did hold feelings for him. Although she broke up with him because she saw their relationship wasn't healthy, she still held hope he would get better as a person and so she had the twins as a symbol of their love as well as always having a part of him by her side.

This made Ruby want to follow Ai's wishes by letting their father know that Ai loved him deeply. Rather than physically kill him, the twins decided to emotionally ruin him with this video where Ai was finally telling the truth in her life of lies and the next was to ruin his reputation via a film Aqua helped create to expose Hikaru for causing Ai's death.

Aqua is quiet, kind and helpful to others but many point out that he largely has a difficult personality. His main traits is that he's blunt, serious and even a bit rude depending on the person, but he's become well liked for his looks he inherited from his parents.

His skills as an actor swing back and forth, he can either be extremely gifted or mediocre at best. This is largely because Aqua's skills stem from personal feelings and experience, if he has not experienced a scenario before then he deeply struggles with a scene or character. This was seen when he initially struggled with the stage adaptation of the manga, Tokyo Blade, until the death of his character's love interest reminded him of Ai's death all over again.

When Aqua is reminded of Ai's death then he ends up with severe nausea, panic attacks and ends up nearly collapsing to the point where he needs to rest for a few hours. Although he was in therapy for this, Aqua largely ignored what the therapist would talk with him about because he can't tell anyone about how he perfectly remembers his past life and the difficult separating himself from it.

[inquisitorismone]

i am going to write some stuff about anders and hawke procuring a baby but i'm just gonna talk about the specifics of my batshit insane crazy hawke who seems fun and reasonable when you first meet him until you are down the rabbit hole and like. Oh Dear

he is primarily a purple hawke, though regularly diplomatic with very random bouts of red which are mostly when his mom or sister are threatened in any way whatsoever. which you can imagine where that comes from after watching his brother die! his little brother, who was a warrior just like him, who picked up a sword like he did and died for it!

i think when hawke enters kirkwall he just goes like. full I Will Take Care Of This mode. like fully takes control of the situation because he feels like it's his duty as the man of the house to take care of his sister and his mom. he doesn't even really give them a say in what's going to happen, he makes decisions and moves them forwards until they successfully make it into the city. he doesn't like gamlen but also he's stronger and bigger than gamlen so he's not really bothered by him - he's in control. he's got this big friendly smile pasted across his face most of the time, but that is primarily because he is so suspicious and knows he has to tread lightly or else something will go wrong. so he's lighthearted and joking and makes fun of things and makes funny jokes and has drinks with friends but then when the friends are gone he sits alone in the dark feeling exhausted. like he has to be certain at every single moment that he is in control and knows what's happening and is gauging all the threats around them

he takes varric up on the deep roads expedition because he needs that gold to get his mother and his sister someplace that feels more safe. someplace he doesn't have to keep bethany with him every single night whenever he goes out because he's worried about the templars getting to her or even bandits or regular thiefs or regular folks in lowtown taking advantage of her. he really is possessed by fear for his sister in a way that she can see but for the most part accepts because she understands where it comes from. carver was her twin brother! hawke sees his ghost in her face every time he looks at her.

isabela has a similar sort of like. funny facade but very sharp fear beneath the surface so they get along like a house on fire. they have never ever ever ever EVER in their ENTIRE lives talked about anything seriously. they did sleep together once but he was so weird about it that they didn't talk about it in the morning and it never happened again (more on that later)

he is immediately sympathetic to anders primarily because bethany being taken away from him by templars is one of the fears that truly makes him insane. like he cannot even quite focus on it directly because it makes him so insane! he can pass by templars and smile at them and nod because he can't think critically beyond that or he's genuinely like. he feels gripped with fear in a way that makes it hard to breathe when he thinks about it too much so to cope with that he just takes bethany EVERYWHERE with him

for the most part his early interaction with fenris is just about killing slavers which is so obviously a good thing he doesn't even think about it. the combination of magic and a warrior's abilities that fenris has is so curious and interesting to hawke but he's smart enough not to ask too many questions. it's a fucked up thing that fenris has but sometimes hawke wishes he had something like that - just because he wants to be powerful enough to protect his sister and mom and thinks magic would help with that

his relationship with merrill is complicated! it's like, more of a normal brother/sister relationship than what he has with his ACTUAL sister, in that he's always sort of telling her what to do and saying UH actually you migth want to THINK about that. and he's paranoid that association with blood magic will get bethany hurt because he has personally killed so many blood mages. but he also can't leave merrill alone! and part of that is that association with her like a sister, tho i don't think he's really conscious of that. he just always finds himself drawn back to her and running around with her even if he's bickering with her and criticizing her. i imagine he could reduce her to tears once and then have that ugly moment of oh shit. i forgot other people have feelings. that siblings sometimes have with each other. in her own way i think bethany is jealous of this. i think she wishes that hawke would fight her and bully her and be mean to her more like he did when they were kids. now he's just afraid around her all the time

aveline is dependable but he keeps his distance. it's SO nice to have a friend with which you have no meaningful emotional vulnerability LOL he enjoys spending time with her cuz they can just kick some ass and then everyone goes home at the end of the night without talking about their feelings. he often thinks of her as one of his dearest friends even though i think if you asked aveline she'd be like uhhh. hawke? really?

but of course........of course i am on team varric is hawke's best friend. varric really pushes hawke in a way that no one else does, and certainly in act 1 he's getting drunk with varric all the time and laughing and partying and having a ball. but varric can tell when he's out fighting at hawke's side that he runs into the fray just a little too fast, moving with just enough frenzy that something is not right.

but: act 1 is hawke on his best behavior, because everything he's doing is for bethany and his mom. then his mom asks him to leave bethany behind, and he says yes because his mom is right: what if something happens down there, and he was the one who put bethany in danger? he tells them both what to do while he's gone and then. he goes

when he comes back and bethany's been taken by the templars, that's when he first loses his shit. he's got all this gold, this fancy new house, a place for his mom to live. but the templars won't let him see bethany. isabela and varric talk him down from going straight to the gallows and hitting things until he makes sure she's ok, mostly because of anders and merrill - they all can tell he has a soft spot for the two of them. fenris on the other hand is very sort of like. silent and judgmental during this period. doesn't spend a whole lot of time with hawke

for much of the 3 years he's blowing money on drink and at the blooming rose and going out to fight whoever he can at night. i think he might even get into fights in lowtown that people bet on, until people quickly learn not to bet against hawke. (maybe once a qunari fights him and manages to win. afterwards he tries really hard to fuck that qunari but that's really not how the qun works and he's SO angry that he's been rejected maybe he goes straight to anders's place and that's the first time they do it)

there are rumors that he pays for girls at the blooming rose to hold his head in their laps and stroke his hair while he sleeps. the one time he got blackout drunk and had sex with isabela he wouldn't let her touch him. even when he and anders become a regular thing he doesn't like to let anders really like. touch him. he does all the work. it's because..... he's a little insane with control issues my friend (control issues??? in a LUCY OC??? who would've thought!!!!)

varric is the one who starts to notice that he's getting drunk every night and laughign so loudly and making jokes and bets and having a great time but like. afterwards he will go kill some people on the streets of lowtown. and something is weird! something is wrong! he's drinking too much and he's drunk when he throws himself at swords. varric and bela are really the ones who start to get Concerned for him. hawke calls this having a good time; varric calls it a suicide attempt (anders gets REALLY mad at varric for saying that)

but over time, hawke starts to stabilize. he gets a few letters from bethany and weeps over them for whole nights, spends weeks trying to figure out what to write back. and yet it's always something like, Good to hear from you. Tell me if you're having any trouble. Mum's doing alright. the boy is simply bad at expressing emotions honestly!

he and anders start to talk a little bit more. about their past, about their feelings, about the whole situation. hawke can talk for days and days about bethany. it takes him over a year to say carver's name out loud to anders. he thinks looking at that grief directly will literally kill him so he always defaults to laughing or making some bad joke or something and then later at night anders will wake up to find the bed empty and hawke is just standing out in the cold, leaning a little too far over the balcony.

fenris, for his part, makes a few jokes about liking hawke better when he's drunk and hunting people to fight, but eventually stops. he's concerned too, though he would never ever ever say it. maybe he and bela talk about it

but by the beginning of act 2 he's got it under control again. he's not drinking so much, he's not going around looking to fight or fuck constantly, he writes letters to bethany now and then, enjoys fighting slavers with fenris and watchign ships in the harbor with bela and helping anders in the clinic and playing wicked grace with them all at the hanged man.

then his mommy dies! and it's back to SQUARE! FUCKNIG! ONE! and it's even worse this time because now the viscount is depending on him to deal with this whole fucking qunari situation and his nerves are really starting to fray because he simply does not UNDERSTAND!!! WHY!!! PEOPLE!!! CARE!!! about the qunari. he has no issue with them. he thinks the arishok is eminently reasonable and yeah actually killing your sister's rapist does excuse murder, aveline, so what's the fucking problem here. but the crisis runs higher and higher and higher. isabela disappears with the relic. hawke is just like. [distressed] what the fuck. i think he'd have a frighteningly level reaction to that just sort of like shrug whatever let's go talk to the arishok. which varric finds absolutely TERRIFYING. it's like watching a spring being slowly loaded with a thousand times of pressure and just WAITING for it to snap

the fact that bela came back is probably the only thing that stopped hawke from throwing himself on the arishok's blade LOL. he truly was like fuck it i don't care i don't know why i'm here if you're gonna kill me just get it over with. but then isabela came back. and merrill looked scared behind him. and fenris was watching with his hands clutching his sword, ready to fight. and anders was too afraid to put a hand on his back.

seeing a glimpse of bethany instantly calms him down in a way that is frankly weird. orsino and meredith are fighting and he's just like WHY THE FUCK! ARE YOU FIGHTING! SHUT UP! IF NEITHER OF YOU WILL TAKE CONTROL OF THIS SITUATION I WILL!

and then we get timeskip #2. he's doing a lot better! anders moved in with him, because the house was so lonely and empty. tensions are high but he's seen bethany again (orsino likes to keep the champion in his good books) so he's feeling more stable. but every time things pop up and get more intense he gets more and more nervous. he doesn't even really notice it but that pressure starts building up again. he's laughing a little too loud again. he's drinking a little too much. he's getting a little too frisky with anders in public places. isabela says anders if you don't talk to him i will. and anders is like talk to him about what! he's fine! (meanwhile [hawke voice] could a depressed person do THIS [smashes floating vase in bartrand's house])

the thing is that hawke is depressed and so stressed out he might die at any moment and sometimes tries to throw himself on a sword. and anders thinks that's sexy because he wants to be martyred SO bad. and so when anders asks for those ingredients for a potion hawke is like. are you gonna kill yourself. and anders is like are YOU gonna kill yourself? and they stare at each other for a moment before shrugging. (hawke is fairly certain anders is going to kill himself. if that happens, hawke has a plan)(the plan is die. maybe say leave a note for bethany with varric first)

tbh, he did not anticipate the whole chantry explosion thing. but this does explain exactly what he's thinking in that moment.

in the end, he finds out what he's made of. he tells anders to go mostly because he wants anders to get out while he can. but of course anders comes back for the final battle. and hawke is thinking YOU STUPID FUCK!!! I LOVE YOU!! WHEN THIS IS OVER I WILL RUN AWAY WITH YOU AND PROTECT YOU FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!

and BETHANY is there! dear sweet BETHANY! his BABY SISTER! part of him is like no no i will chain her to the floor myself rather than let her fight in this battle. but then. she says. i want to! i want to be free! you were right! you supported me! you protected me my whole life! let me protect you! and he loves her! so much!

HE LOVES THEM ALL SO MUCH! cornered in the gallows he looks at his friends and for the first time in a long time he thinks we are going to come out of here together. in one piece.

and they DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[like-rain-or-confetti]

Request: Crazy (Alec Volturi x Reader)

As of recently, you had began to see more of Chelsea. She was a very alluring woman, her copper coiled hair always perfectly in tact and a million dollar smile. Not even her lipstick out of place, ever. She was a charmer for sure, with the ability to coerce anyone into anything- of that you were certain. 

She tended to stand out from the others, seeming to enjoy the 1920s era enough to still have come clothes from that time. However it wasn't how she walked or dressed that made her stand out. It was her accent, something else she seemed to adopt from that era. The accent was like the ones in old movies. You weren't sure of what it was actually called but what came to mind was what you knew to be a 'jazz baby' or a very dated form of a southern American accent. If you hadn't known any better, she'd have been a character straight out of the Great Gatsby in your mind.  For certain, that wasn't her original voice. That hard to be forced seeing as she wasn't born in that time, she was much older than that and to your knowledge. Chelsea wasn't American. 

Alec told you her birth name was Charmion. That was an old German name. She, like a few, had to or chose to change her name when the name died out over time. That situation was the same for Demetri who was born Demetrius. The two becoming very hostile if called by their birth names. Demetri despised his name and was more than eager to be done with it when the time called for it. Chelsea, on the other hand, didn't care about her name and seemed to change it upon her own time like changing her name to fit a character. Then there were those like Alec who were lucky enough to be able to keep their names. You wondered if when the time came, if you'd have to change your name one day, when you were a vampire. Would your name succumb to time? Would you find it so easy to be rid of it as Demetri and Chelsea were? 

Everything about Chelsea just seemed to put you on edge. Tiny details that reminded you that she wasn't human and had no desire to behave in a manner that was considerate of you. For example, she didn't blink. Not once in every encounter has she blinked. Not once had you seen her eyes close even slightly. It's off putting, along with her grin. She was always the charmer with you, nothing but pleasantries coming your way. However you knew what she was capable of, what or more specifically who she could take from you. Alec came to mind in that moment. A flash of fear and unease running through you at the very thought. When she spoke to you, a name often frequented, yet in all the time you had been there, you hadn't met him. Afton. 

Alec confirmed you hadn't met him or even seen him before but when Afton came up, Alec's expression changed to one of distaste, making it clear he didn't like talking about Afton. In fact, the only one who seemed to be willing to tell you anything about Afton was Chelsea. The others shutting you down on a need-to-know basis. 

After a while, you had your own theories about this Afton. You had begun to think perhaps the Volturi weren't so cruel as they made themselves out to be. Perhaps Chelsea had been around and alone for too long. Maybe she missed companionship or sex and this was her way to cope. To create a mate that fills that void in her life and the rest of the Volturi, even the leaders went along with it for her. Although the idea that the twins and Caius would even go along with it was astounding. However you figured it best to leave it be. 

You were sitting next to Alec in one of the many living rooms. Most of the more permanent guards were there. Santiago and Felix at in the back of the room. Demetri and Heidi on one couch beside you. Alec and yourself on the couch facing the TV and lastly chair sitting in the arm chair next to her brother. Your eyes were on the TV when you heard the door open. You looked over your shoulder, beyond Alec to find Chelsea peeking in behind the door. "Hello Chelsea." Heidi grinned. "Hiya doll." Chelsea smiled at Heidi. "I come asking for a favour." Felix scrunched his nose up. "I haven't had Afton to myself at all in the past three weeks. Surely, one of you could sympathize?" Chelsea looked at the guards and Santiago sighed. "I'll take over from him tonight." "I'll let Afton know." Chelsea smiled sweetly. "Thank you, honey!" You shivered slightly, the feeling of unease washing over you. Alec noticed and was quick to check on you. "Are you cold?" 

When you passed by, one day, you caught the eye of Chelsea but before you could quickly turn back, she called out to you. "(Y/N)!" You winced at the sound of your name, mentally kicking yourself. Regardless when you turned and walked towards her, you smiled. "Hey, Chelsea. How are you?" "I'm fine. Just paying Afton a visit." You blinked. The two of you were standing outside the stairs to the tower...alone. You nodded but thankfully, Chelsea spoke again before you had to think of something to say. Chelsea gasped. "Oh, honey! This is the human I was telling you about some time ago. This is Alec's mate, (Y/N)." There was nothing but silence. You looked at the blank space next to Chelsea just as she did except she wore a smile whilst your expression was a mix of fear and confusion. "He's shy." She said sweetly. You slowly nodded. "Right. It's nice to meet you Afton?" It came out as a question and you didn't get a response. 

Once again, you were caught in a similar situation, this time being in the kitchen with the guards and Chelsea entered talking to 'Afton'. It never failed to make you uneasy as it turned out. She noticed your stare. She seemed to mumble to herself, leaning into the empty space slightly. After a moment she pulled back. "Come on, Afton. No need to be shy." She smiled at the empty space in front of you and beside her. Suddenly you jumped back barely stifling a screech. 

Before you, out of nowhere was a blonde man you had never seen before. Your heart was pounding at the fright making Alec grab hold of you. "Did you have to do that so suddenly?" Alec said coldly to the blonde. "You nearly scared them to death.” The blonde simply looked at both you and Alec. That's when your jaw dropped, reality hitting. You smacked Alec's arm repeatedly.  "What?" Alec asked exasperated as you shook away the stinging pain in your hand. Mouth wide still wide open in shock. The blonde who you presumed to be Afton looked at Chelsea for reassurance and she smiled at him with loving eyes. Seemingly offering silent reassurance. Alec furrowed his brow at you. "What's wrong?" You had to be hallucinating. Had Chelsea's hallucination transferred to you too? Were hallucinations contagious? "You're real!?" You said incredulously, gawking at Afton who tilted his head slightly in confusion. "What are you talking about?" Alec out a hand upon your shoulder, making you look at him. 

You slapped your hands over your mouth. "O-okay...this is awkward." You immediately said. "I thought...that Afton wasn't a real person." You began. "Why would you think that?" Demetri asked. "Well, because I've never seen him before or heard him talk and you guys always shut me down when I asked so I...kind of made my own assumptions?" "That he wasn't real?" Demetri raised an eyebrow. "See when you put it like that, it sounds crazy but I had a theory!" You said hurriedly. "Which was?" Alec asked. You sighed. "Okay, don't get mad." You said to Chelsea. She said nothing, only tilting her head in response. She seemed to also be very confused. "I thought that since Chelsea had been around for so long that maybe she was a little lonely and so made herself a mate and that everyone was being sweet and supportive by going along with it. I figured that since no one was willing to tell me about Afton because they didn't know much about Afton either other than...that he didn't exist." 

There was a long silence. Suddenly you jumped in your seat, scared by a booming laugh. Felix was beside Demetri laughing very loudly and thoroughly enjoying what was happening before him. "Oh, I love this human!" He said loudly between laughs.  "Oh my- I am so sorry." You said to the couple before you. Their silence told you the two didn't really know how to respond. You turned to Alec, as Felix continued to laugh. "I think I'm gonna cry." You were horrified and the guilt was suffocating. 

Although you didn't have to tell Alec. He could see your tears beginning to well up in your eyes. He stood up, taking you shoulders and shooting Felix a cold glare."Let's go, (Y/N)." 

When you left, Chelsea and Afton looked over at the remaining guards. Felix continued to laugh. Chelsea looked to Afton who then looked back at her before she began to giggle, playfully swatting at her mates arm. "You made me look insane all this time!" It was barely noticeable but a ghost of a smile grew on Afton's face before Chelsea took his hand. 

Alec closed his door behind you as you covered your face with your hands. "I'm terrible! I'm so stupid!" Alec immediate pulled you into his arms. "Don't you dare talk about yourself like that." Alec cupped your chin with his hand. "Look at me. I mean it. Never talk about yourself like that again." You nodded quickly, beyond the few tears that threatened to fall before he softly smiled. "Don't cry." Alec said quietly. "It was quite amusing. I know them enough to know they aren't angry with you." "I'm angry at me!" You said quickly. Alec pulled you closer for an embrace once more. "Don't be. If anything it's my fault.” He buried his face into your neck and you felt his cold lips plant a kiss to the side of your neck. "It's my fault, I should have been clearer." Alec smiled against your neck, holding you tightly to him before lifting his head to look at you. You, on the other hand, couldn't look at him. Instead hiding your face in his chest. "We don't really talk about Afton as he keeps to himself. He isn't...he's only here in the guard because of Chelsea." "You don't like him?" "Hm, not really. You know I don't really like many people." Alec replied. You wrapped you arms around him. "I can't believe that happened. I think I'd rather have been startled by you than him." Alec chuckled with a smirk. "I'm naturally terrifying."