#it forces connections that don't need to exist and cuts away ones that do!!!

[livesworthlivingau]

Behind the Vale Chapter 1

Spoilers for TwoHats. CW: Suicidal thoughts/ideation This chapter is meant to be loops perspective on LWL Chapter 1, some dialogue and moments is cut out, assuming you already read it and not wanting to fully duplicate it, so please read that chapter first, or reread if you need a refresher. Lines in Red are meant to show duplicate lines from the complimentary chapter

[Your consciousness slowly fades back into existence. The sweet embrace of oblivion leaving you. The unfamiliar surroundings of a forest clearing filling your senses before a ringing takes over your hearing. Your arms are wrapped around yourself, gripping yourself tighter as the ringing grows. You can't move, you can't speak, you can't...] (Was this actually real?... ) [What?... That voice... You can just barely hear it through the ringing. You focus, trying so hard to parse through the high pitched tone, only making it louder in the process. You have to find it! You have to... find him.] [Stardust?... Is that you?....] (LOOP!) [His voice shouts through your mind. It snaps you out of it, letting you regain control of your body. Your head falls into your hands, staring wide eyed through the your spread fingers, falling to your knees.] [Why?... Why are you back?... Why is this happening again?... You were free, it was over! Why do you exist again?! Why must you be forced through this endless torment?! Why can't you just die?!] [You sigh and collect yourself... you have to hold it together. If you're back, then something must be wrong. You need to be there for Stardust, helping him is the only blinding thing you're pathetic existence is good for anymore...] [You stand again, holding your arms lightly around yourself, waiting... You close your eyes and try to find him, trying to make that connection again. At first it's only static, but as you focus, and as they get closer, the picture becomes just a tad clearer. They seem to be running, frantic at that, rushing through trees, desperate to find you... Suddenly they come to a stop.] "Loop... LOOP! LOOP IT'S REALLY YOU!" [Your eyes shoot open as you hear his voice, suddenly tackled into a tight hug, slowly wrapping your forearms around them as you respond. You do your best to keep up your same little facade as always, even though you fully dropped the that mask during your last encounter. It was what you were best at now, so no use in avoiding it. Performing in your little play was all you could do now.] ------------------------------------------------------------ "30 YEARS?!?!" [You cry out, scattering every nearby bird from the trees.] [This can't be real... Stardust gets his happy ending and a whole BLINDING life, and you're just forced to exist further. You one and only use in this damned universe, taken from you... All you're left with now is his pity, offering you the cheap imitation of your former life. To be yet another character in his play... You suppose it's the only option you have at this point, other than simply wasting away in a tree, though that option did sound more appealing by the minute.] ------------------------------------------------------------- "... So what's the plan here anyways?-" [You begin, it couldn't truly be that simple... right? This wasn't your family. This wasn't your life... Not anymore... Does Stardust truly pity you that much he'd be willing to mess up his perfect little life by cramming me into it?...] “So, just Loop? No other details?” [... Why would he want another him around? Why would he want his family to know? You must be so pathetic! So broken beyond repair, so worthless, so disgusting to look at!... No... No if you were to even humor this silly idea of joining his family, you couldn't parade around as a hollow version of your old self... They're gone, dead... They're the lucky one. They don't have to suffer anymore...]

[webanglikethat]

Decades have passed and yet the Percy Jackson fandom still struggles to accept one single uncomfortable truth: Luke Castellan's actions, though destructive, were the catalyst for change that Olympus desperately needed.

was Luke's method ideal? not really. it’s like setting fire to a house to force a renovation. but in a world where immortals hold all the cards, sometimes extreme measures are the only way to force their hand!!

-> the olympians are not gods, they're basically glorified bullies with lightning bolts and tridents and Luke understood this. he knew that asking nicely wasn't going to cut it. the gods only pay attention when they're hurting. so guess what? he made them hurt. and the hurt and anger they felt doesn’t come even close to the trauma and hurt their children felt thanks to their neglect. the gods' discomfort was a mere shadow compared to the lifelong scars they etched into their children's souls.

-> and you know what? the Gods deserved every bit of it. think about it. these so-called "divine parents" abandon their kids, leave them to fend for themselves against monsters, and then have the audacity to demand loyalty. the trauma inflicted on demigods is immeasurable - unclaimed, unloved, and treated like disposable pawns in the gods' petty games. you’re not you, you’re not yourself, you’re just a role in their game. you think you know who you are, but do you really? you don't know your mother's true name. you don't know your father's true name. they don’t even know your name. and one day, you won't even know your own name.

you're just a loose thread, easily discarded. your name? It's written in sand, waiting for the tide of divine indifference to wash it away. you are born into a legacy you can't escape, a story written long before you took your first breath. your so-called divine parent? they are just a blank space on your birth certificate, a question mark that haunts your every step. and then you walk the halls of Camp Half-Blood, surrounded by faces that mirror your own confusion, your own loss. you are all wearing the same mask, playing parts in a cosmic play you never auditioned for. these strangers with familiar eyes might be your siblings, but you'll never know for sure. you are all one big, confused “family”, bound by shared abandonment and the faint hope of recognition. you are all adrift in the same turbulent waters, clinging to each other in a desperate attempt to stay afloat. each of you is a drop, indistinguishable from the next. your individuality dissolves in this ocean of uncertainty. you might share the same divine blood, but that connection is as tenuous as foam on the waves. the gods, in their lofty perches on Olympus, see you as nothing more than a ripple on the surface of their eternal existence. remember the first time you held a weapon? that wasn't your choice. it was your inheritance, your burden, your curse. you didn't ask for this life, but here you are, another nameless soldier in an endless war. maybe, just maybe, if you bleed enough, if you win enough battles, you'll be claimed. but don't hold your breath. the gods are fickle. most likely, you'll remain unclaimed, another face in the overcrowded Hermes cabin, waiting for a sign that may never come. your achievements? they are not yours. they belong to your godly parent, another trophy on their dusty shelf. your failures? oh, those are all yours to bear. you are not a person. you are a prophecy waiting to happen, a quest waiting to be assigned. you are a pawn in a game so old, even the gods have forgotten why they're playing. and then there's Luke. Luke, who dared to rip up the script. Luke, who looked at this joke of a life and said, "no more." remember this: even a single drop can cause ripples. and when enough drops come together, they can form a wave powerful enough to shake the very foundations of Olympus. THAT is what Luke understood. he saw that together, these forgotten drops could become a tsunami of change.

so you think the gods would have suddenly grown a conscience if Luke hadn't shaken things up? dream on. it took a full-blown war, the near-destruction of Olympus, and countless demigod deaths for them to even consider treating them like more than disposable heroes. it wasn't a gentle awakening, sure. it was a rude, brutal shock to their system. but after millennia of slumber, sometimes you need a lightning bolt to the ass to wake up.

so, again, -> Luke spoke their language. he made them bleed, made them fear, made them realize that their actions have consequences. it is not pretty, but it was necessary.

Luke was the earthquake that shook their ivory towers, the tidal wave that threatened to drown their golden thrones. Luke made the immortals taste mortality, forced them to swallow the bitter pill of their own failings. Luke's actions were the violent birth pangs of a new era. he made the gods bleed ichor and sweat fear. for the first time in eons, Olympus trembled, and in that trembling, they finally, FINALLY, realized their actions had consequences.

it was raw, it was brutal, but by the gods, it was necessary.

[queenvhagar]

Initial thoughts on HOTD season 2 episode 1 "A Son for a Son:"

Alicole

Maybe an unpopular opinion but Alicole seemed to appear out of thin air so quickly with not one but two sex scenes in one episode... Like when did this start? Who started it? How did these characters suddenly get to this place of complete sexual liberation in this way based on literally everything we know about these characters and this world up until this point? Alicent is a deeply religious widow of the king who has lived decades in servitude to the realm without much thought to her own desires and Criston is a knight of the Kingsguard sworn to celibacy who broke his vow once with royalty and almost killed himself out of guilt. Somehow they're at the point where he's giving her head in the middle of the day and she's riding him at night in her bed and the build up is just... non existent save one look and line in season 1 episode 9. Like... what's going on here?

For the first scene I was like "ohh cunnilingus is technically not breaking his vow in a way so maybe this is how they get around the whole Kingsguard vow/honor thing" but then she's just full on riding him later and the way the show shows us this is through the perspective of Helaena as she walks in on them with Jahaera as she's coming directly from B+C sawing Jahaerys' head off in his bed. If Alicole was about reclaiming pleasure or connecting in dark times, there's something there. But compare this almost voyeuristic view of Alicole sex to the focus on female sexual pleasure given to Rhaenyra's sex scenes in the first season... it kind of weird of the show to now just have Alicole have sex as some weird "woah what the heck" bit at the end of the B+C sequence, as if the whole end of the episode really needed some extra shock value. It doesn't even really need to be there to explain why Alicent and Criston weren't there to see B+C... It happens far enough away that the two could've been doing anything else and not have known it was happening.

Alicole sex and particularly this second scene really adds nothing narratively. I would have preferred that Alicent witness B+C like in the original or be doing literally anything else, because the point of Alicole sex in the show of course isn't on their pleasure or their relationship or anything it's just some moments we're intruding on.

I'm not sure why they felt the need to add this element. We already know Criston defends Alicent no matter what and we didn't need to add sex for that to hit. We also know they have a weird bond with weird feelings so like the sex doesn't add much. Like good for them but character wise I don't really see how this realistically developed. I also am not sure about the power dynamics given she is his personal guard, but since they didn't devote any thought to this is season 1 when Rhaenyra forced sex on him, I doubt they will stop to consider how he ended up getting into another sexual relationship with a royal and/or his thoughts about the whole thing. Basically the "after the episode" clip explained that they think Cole is the most messed up character in the show who just flaunts his responsibilities and vows left and right... and that's about as far as they're gonna go about it. Basically: look, he's a hypocrite! But we knew this already.

Blood and Cheese

I'm glad that the show at least let Daemon basically instruct B+C to take a son for a son no matter what if they couldn't find Aemond like he and Rhaenyra initially intended... However they did cut before Daemon literally said it so count on TB stans to give him the benefit of the doubt despite it all 🙄

I still think the book B+C is supremely superior without the weird walking in on Alicole voyeuristic thing and with Helena choosing between her two sons instead of the twins, but for some reason they erased Maelor to make TB look better in the long run and not have to deal with the whole "Rhaenyra puts a bounty on a toddler that gets him torn apart by a mob" thing... so I guess they're going with what they've got...

I do appreciate the build to the moment, the anxiety and atmosphere leading to what will happen. Very well done cinematically. Imagine this plus being committed to sticking to the source material... The amazing scene that could have happened. However the realistic sawing off a six year old's head sound as his mother picks up her six year old daughter and walks out of the room was something that really makes you remember the horror element of early seasons Game of Thrones and something I really appreciate that they let us have. Could it have been better? Yes. Is the book version better? Yes. But I am overall ok with what we got (minus the ending because... wtf) and I'm really looking forward to the fallout we'll get next week.

[sadkachow]

And Then It Is Monday - Why Sunday's plan did not (and could not) work

So normally I don't really make longer analysis posts, but I kept seeing people on social media outright supporting Sunday's actions in 2.2, and I wrote something out about why I personally think that Sunday's plan is wrong. I don't know if this is an issue with tumblr as well, given that the people I saw supporting him were on different forms of social media, but regardless.

Before I begin, I'd like to pose a reminder that the opinions in this are mine and mine alone. If you agree, awesome! If not, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, so long as you're respectful! I have no idea if this is well written or will make any logical sense, but here we go!

(Spoilers for the 2.2 Trailblazer quest under the cut, if that wasn't already obvious)

So the first thing to get off the table: I feel Sunday is a very sympathetic villain, but a villain nonetheless. I understand the people that sympathize with him. I do too, to an extent. He was raised on unhealthy ideals and the belief that he was a "religious figure," one that people looked up to. Other people were allowed to just be, but Sunday always had to be better. He loved his sister, and the people around him, and he wanted to make a better world for them.

But that does not excuse what he did. Making a 'better world' can never come at the cost of taking away people's free will, because that world will never be "better". That's where Sunday's plan falls apart.

Because, yes, there are shitty people in the world, and yes bad things happen. Would it be amazing if we could stop all the bad things from happening ever again, and make the world a much better place? Yes! It would! I would love to live in a world where I don't have to fear for my life and my freedom for an assortment of reasons! But that world doesn't exist--in real life or on Penacony--, and getting it to exist shouldn't be the result of subjugating and controlling other people, because that in and of itself is violence. Albeit a different kind of violence, but violence nonetheless.

Not to mention that things like Sunday's plan and the concept of forcing everyone to act a certain way just to fit this "better world" to me almost serves as a condemnation of human nature and of the very act of choice itself. Your better world starts by saying that some choices are bad, so those choices get taken away, but where does it end? What if someone in charge views a harmless choice as a bad one, and takes away that one in return? Does it stop there, or does it continue, until no one at all is allowed to make any decisions, except those in charge? Who, really, does that benefit?

Consequences for certain choices exist. Generally, society says murder is bad (except for specific circumstances such as self-defense, which technically at that point is no longer even considered murder (at least where I live, it may be different in other areas, but I'm basing this off of my own experience)), so there is a concrete consequence to people murdering people--assuming that they don't get away with it. It doesn't stop people from murdering people, because the liberty of choice is still there, but it shows that just because you can do something doesn't mean you should or that you will escape without consequence.

People are going to do bad things. That is, unfortunately, how humans are. But our responsibility lies in holding ourselves accountable and in promoting growth and healing. That is how you build a better world. Not trapping everyone inside a dream world without any care for their feelings or beliefs, but in getting people the help they need, in fostering a society of positive change and human connection.

And that is why, as "golden" as Sunday's dream may have seemed, it was never going to work. In the end, as the story quest shows, human will and the desire for freedom wins out in the end. When there's a will, there's a way.

[antianakin]

I watched that scene in V for Vendetta when V kills Delia, and it occurred to me that there isn't quite the same scene throughout TBB S3. Despite the heavy redemption themes for Crosshair and Emerie, I don't think I heard either of them directly acknowledge their wrongs and apologise to their (live) victims. I didn't hear Crosshair admit fault for shooting Wrecker on Kamino, trying to incinerate the squad on Bracca, or kidnapping Hunter and using him as bait. Never mind to Howzer for his squad's arrest and death in captivity, or the people of Ryloth for his assassination of Orn Free Taa. Or to the next of kin of at least two women I remembered he killed during his Imperial service.

I never heard Emerie apologise for using the kids and clones as pincushions to draw blood, abducting and imprisoning them. Has everyone forgotten that she was there regularly while Crosshair was strapped to the bed and being experimented on?

The point is that while both characters did heel-face turns and performed deeds to atone for their pasts, the lack of apology is deafening. Howzer was portrayed as the asshole for not seeing Crosshair's heel-face turn because it should have been ''obvious'' how Crosshair treats Omega. I see it as the characters who should have broken the fourth wall and read the script to bypass the drama that would have occurred if an apology had been forthcoming. The "hard" part was done; Crosshair lost his hand; what more do you idiots want? I would have chalked it to the cancellation had I not seen something similar running around Season 1...

It's one of those aspects that gnaws at me with Disney Star Wars. What I call the externalisation of evil, paired with the lack of accountability. Evil happens because people were forced or duped to act on its behalf, but because these people are not "true" believers (as seen by their redemption), they need not be held accountable for their actions while serving evil. Their acts in service of the "superior good" balance the scales and bypass the need for accountability.

And for a "kids" show lauded as the most "adult" of the TCW-era animation, I have to ask, is this really the lesson to teach kids? Because in real life, no one can read your mind and hear your apology mentally. And some can fake it and be unrepentant in the end. The victims of your wrongdoing have the right to confront you, hear your apology, and decide to absolve or condemn you. "I am not here for what you hoped to do. I am here for what you did"- V

"Is it meaningless to apologise? Never I'm so sorry" - Delia's last words to V

I find myself less upset about Emerie because Emerie was introduced so late that not only do we not see her doing anything THAT horrific, but there wouldn't have been a lot of time to really work through any kind of redemption arc for her. Within her first few episodes, we do see her soften towards Omega a bit, so they DO set up that Emerie isn't all she appears to be which allows for her to have stronger reactions to things like the Force sensitive children in the vault later.

My issue with Emerie, which is likely partially due to the cancellation cutting off some of what they might have planned to do with her, is that we have ZERO EXPLANATION for her. Why does she exist, was she just a defective clone who came out female and so the Kaminoans sent her away or did one of them intentionally try to create a female clone for some reason? Why did they send her to Hemlock, how was Hemlock connected with the Kaminoans to begin with and connected SO early that he was able to acquire a clone before the Jedi and the Republic even knew they existed? Why did Hemlock accept her and what has he been doing TO her this whole time? What is her relationship with being a clone if she was presumably separated from the rest of them for her entire life and not necessarily raised as a clone the same way as even TBB would've been? How does this impact her relationship with the clone prisoners on Tantiss as well as Hemlock?

Her redemption arc feels both half-assed and like... just half-assed enough because Emerie is basically a blank slate the whole time. We don't know anything about her or her motivations for anything and so there's nothing to really make me feel like her quicker change of heart goes against anything we know about her. She's never shown to be particularly unkind or malicious, just... somewhat disconnected from the clone prisoners and inclined to just accept that Hemlock's work is necessary. Because we know so little about her aside from that she's been with Hemlock since she was extremely young, it works for me that she's mostly just kind-of disconnected about the things he's doing to the other clones until she manages to make a personal connection that sort-of changes her perspective. She does not personally capture or hurt anyone to my memory, she never seems to be intentionally trying to cause pain to anybody, there's no malicious intent behind her actions that she has to work around and make up for. There's not even any real prejudice and anger towards the clones themselves that is causing her to be okay with what Hemlock is doing to them. So just her recognizing that a change NEEDS to be made is enough for me with Emerie, I don't feel like I needed more of an apology in order for her "redemption arc" to make sense because she's barely a fleshed out character as it is.

Crosshair on the other hand, DID owe an apology to a lot of people. I HATE the way they handled his interactions with the rest of the squad and with Howzer in particular. I HATE the way HOWZER has to apologize and Crosshair never does. It's fucked up and wrong and such a badly done redemption arc and I honestly can't even blame that on the cancellation because it's early enough in the season that they likely already had that built in before they had to make any changes. There's also already been TWO SEASONS before this to build up to Crosshair's change of heart that I think got mishandled as well. He got so little screen time in season two that his change of heart that turns him against the Empire doesn't feel believable to me at all.

My biggest issue with BOTH of these characters and the way their stories were handled was the distance from the ACTUAL CLONES.

This is an issue I've had with the show from the beginning. It's billed as a show about clones, but the main characters are SO separated and distant from the real clones that none of their development really has anything to do with the clones and it makes it feel like it never really WAS a clone story at all. Crosshair's story would've been more compelling if it had been about his bigotry towards the clones and his development had come specifically from learning they were good people and he was wrong about them. Emerie and Omega's stories should've been about them finally being able to connect to the other clones that they'd been forced away from their whole lives and figuring out what it truly means to BE a clone. The Bad Batch's story would've been more compelling if it had had more focus on what was actually happening to the clones immediately after Order 66 and the desperation and tragedy of trying to save them in a world that cares about them even less than it used to.

Instead, Crosshair's story seems to be about realizing the Empire sees him, PERSONALLY, as expendable and THAT'S what makes him realize it's bad. The fact that the Empire sees him as no different than the other clones doesn't really allow him to see the CLONES in a different light or connect to them better, it just destroys his loyalty to the Empire because he's not considered special anymore. Emerie only turns against the Empire after she sees what's happening with the Force sensitive children, the torture and captivity of the clones doesn't seem to bother her at all. Omega's development for the last two seasons has had nothing to do with her identity as a clone and a lot more with her identity as a "soldier". Echo is the only character with any real connection to the other clones and the moment he starts to voice that, he gets written off and becomes a recurring cameo character instead of a regular main ensemble member. The moment he decides to more fully be a part of a clone-centric storyline, he can't be a part of the Bad Batch's story because the Bad Batch is inherently NOT A CLONE STORY.

And this is the biggest problem with this show. It's selling itself as a clone story and not actually following through on it and it causes this weird dissonance within the narrative because I don't think this show ever truly knew what story it was telling. It hurts every single one of the characters.

This show would've been a LOT better if they had just let it be a story about, say, four random bounty hunters who worked as a team. Or even, god help me, four Mandalorians from different clans or houses or whatever who are BARELY managing to stay civil with each other. It would've made the stories with Crosshair and Emerie feel a LOT easier to stomach because we aren't sitting there wondering why they aren't reacting to what's happening to the other clones around them. It might've made the stories easier to WRITE, too, because they wouldn't have had to keep trying to force a connection between these characters and the clones that so clearly just isn't there.

Maybe these "redemption arcs" would've been better done and made more sense if these characters weren't clones.

But then again I remember how well done Ventress and Kallus's "redemption arcs" were and I think that maybe it wouldn't have mattered at all.

[betweenlands]

a list of mods/modpacks i'd like to rattle legundo around in (elaboration under the cut):

From The Fog + Sleepless (no official download yet; here's a link to the series currently showcasing it)

The Hubris of Magic

Into The Betweenlands / Into The Betweenlands 2

Aylyth

Nevermore (Manic + Sanguine)

Dimensional Doors again

From The Fog + Sleepless (no official download yet yada yada here's the link again)

the extremely atmospheric Herobrine mod from Haunted Winter, but with a second Lunar Eclipse creation based on urban legends of the Winchester Mystery Manor.

every night, you must set your bed in a different room of your house, or Bad Things Will Happen. the rooms of the house must be connected to each other. beds can't be placed too near to where other beds were, or Bad Things Will Happen.

Sleepless turns Minecraft into a frantic crawl to get enough materials to build more and more rooms onto an ever-more-convoluted house, and it's great. pairing it with From The Fog is just kind of a given to me, but it also goes great with decor mods and other atmospheric horror mods.

this is the reason this post exists. i want this playthrough to happen so bad. Legundo's former title in Decem is the Architect for god's sake. he needs to be subjected to some house of leaves nonsense more than anything else, and it needs to be his fault.

pair with the Immersive Portals mod for extra HoL.

The Hubris of Magic

a 1.7 modpack focusing around the classic magic mod Thaumcraft, where the world is hostile and covered in sculk i mean Taint

1.7 is a hard sell, i know. here's the thing; Hubris is one of those classic "survive a horrid infection" mods, like Sculk Horde, but it's like that -- at peak infection -- by default. everything is purple, the ground wants to kill you, the corrupt magic is nearly inescapable, there are even magic nodes that want very badly to eat you

it has some of the most iconic magic mods in existence -- chief among them being Thaumcraft and Botania, of course! i also just think it has some great atmosphere and requires fun lateral thinking in terms of how to go about setting up an area that can't be infected.

everything being infected means that villagers are a super endangered species, by the way! good luck.

Into The Betweenlands / Into The Betweenlands 2 (or just play Betweenlands i guess)

a lovely 1.12 modpack that places the player directly into the swamp hell dimension known as the Betweenlands with a handful of other mods. have fun!!!!!! don't die!!!

wow, tumblr user solar betweenlands wants people to play the Betweenlands. fork found in kitchen. no, but in all seriousness, the Betweenlands is one of my favorite ever mods and it has some absolutely killer atmosphere.

i've chosen i2btl and i2btl2 because they're fully balanced modpacks that put you right in the dimension to begin with, but i mean, i would love to see a custom modpack tooled around the Betweenlands as well!

the Betweenlands really forces you to engage with a lot of its mechanics and is basically a survival horror mod that actually understood the "survival" part of that genre premise. resources are always scarce, picking fights isn't always a good idea, and the dimension itself is chewing away at you.

Aylyth

it's like the Betweenlands but in the woods instead of the swamp and also the dimension itself really wants to kill you this time

i don't have a lot to add. it's an acceptable Betweenlands runner-up for me.

Nevermore (Manic + Sanguine)

a datapack/mod combo adding Dark Magics and just straight-up blood magic. has its own extra narsty blood moons and some really fun (in)sanity mechanics.

i love Manic a lot. it's got a fascinatingly unique method of ingame documentation and some seriously cool spritework. Sanguine has some really neat pixel gore as well! they're both super cool.

seriously though Manic owns when it comes to eldritch horror mods. i am chewing on it. i'm recommending Nevermore because i feel like Manic and Sanguine are kind of a Do Not Separate Them deal.

Dimensional Doors again

dimdoors is good and i like it

[princess-of-the-corner]

Gosh I had a 'fun' thought on the "Butterfly can do the Peacock" thing.

So Butterfly made (Sentimonsters) Familiars, work mostly like regular Sentimonsters are described, save maybe more ethereal looking.

IE, Akumatize item, transmit butterfly magic into subject, transmit emotion out, transform said emotion.

Said emotion however needs constant emotional fuel from its source point. Hence being a Familiar, it is directly connected to the target through the item, & so won't harm what they are an extension of.

They can still be dangerous & go rogue as Feast did. If they exist long enough they eventually stabilize & become their own entity. This bad as they don't need the item, butterfly, or external emotion source.

Meaning they tend to run wild as one would expect of a creature defined largely by simplistic and intense emotional drives and needs with no other instincts, plus magical powers.

Feast still happened as Fu was either that good at manifesting a Familiar, or kept Feast as a secret pet until it turned ravenous.

This process however takes a long time and can be quite fraught.

Making a Butterfly child is worse.

The reason being, Emilie had to transmit every emotion at once, drawing on far, far more of them and then violently cut them off.

Followed up with her trying to incept an independent, human life & not a magical companion, she drew more of the butterflies power at once than any user should.

Add in that she then placed said being inside her to grow and she was being directly exposed to unfiltered & unstable (Because emotions) magical energy.

Suffice to say it was obscenely dangerous and a bad idea to do it once, let alone if she also made Felix or other Butterfly children.

This could also be what nearly kills Nathalie, namely her making a believable Senti-Bug requires her to rip far more from herself all at once than is good for the mind or body. Then draw on far more of the Miraculous's power while still in a vulnerable state to fully manifest her as a physical being. Which also made her more independent.

So yeah, doing all that at once was a bad idea, because unlike say, becoming a permanent Akuma (Imago) this isn't just welcoming a magical transformation of the self via magic. Its literally ripping away one's own essence to make a new and entirely separate thing.

If someone wants a permanent Familiar they should let it grow over a long period of time, & ensure the emotions are stable. IE, Fu did not realize how much he resented the order, or how much his starvation trauma influenced Feast's growth even if it did get other emotions.

These rules apply to doing it to one's self or others.

Though generally there's enough raw survival instinct in a person, Akuma, or even partially manifested Familiar to destroy the item if Hawk Moth tried to force it.

Plus he'd still be exhausted after & given the emotions fueling it would be negative and manic, the resulting creature wouldn't be useful to him anyway.

Final thought:

I imagine the Familiar design serve as sort of mirrors of their source, or more like windows into their head-space and specific emotions. Meaning they tend to be a little abstract but also a bit more like primal representations of the subjects identity & emotions.

With Akuma, they tend to be more specific and exaggerated, continuing that reflection theme. But overall major changes in overall design, or powers, likely rely on the person's identity changing heavily & radically different needs.

Hence why Gabriel always gets a Moth with the same abilities regardless of the emotion he's using. As well as why even if Fu made another critter it would have looked like Feast & shared his ingrained starvation trauma & turned out the same. A modern Fu would have something different.

Oh that's fascinating.

[cu1tsmark]

"Masked Desires"

The moon hung low in the night sky, casting an eerie glow over the quiet town. Y/N walked alone, her steps echoing on the deserted streets. For weeks now, the town had been terrorized by a mysterious serial killer known as "The Rabbit." The fear was palpable, and Y/N was one of the determined police officers tasked with capturing the elusive murderer.

As Y/N ventured deeper into the darkness, she heard a distant scream coming from the nearby forest. Instinctively, she rushed towards the source of the sound. Her flashlight cut through the thick trees, revealing nothing but shadows.

Suddenly, she felt a strong force pinning her to the ground, knocking the wind out of her. Panic surged through her veins as she struggled against her attacker, unable to see their face in the darkness.

"Stay quiet, and you won't get hurt," a low, chilling voice whispered in her ear. Y/N's heart pounded in her chest as she fought back tears.

In her struggle, Y/N accidentally kicked off the mask that concealed the assailant's face. The moonlight revealed the face of a man, his features strikingly handsome despite the grim circumstances.

Wide-eyed, Y/N whispered, "Jaemin?"

The man who had been terrorizing the town was none other than Jaemin, a man she'd never suspected. His dark eyes met hers, and he chuckled, a twisted smile forming on his lips. "Surprised, Detective Y/N? The thrill of the chase brought you right to me."

Y/N's mind raced as she tried to process the revelation. Jaemin, the killer, was someone she'd known from her childhood.

"Why, Jaemin?" she asked, her voice trembling.

He leaned in closer, his lips grazing her ear as he whispered, "I was tired of being ordinary. Being 'The Rabbit' gave me a taste of power."

Their faces were dangerously close, and Y/N could feel the heat of his breath. She couldn't deny the attraction she felt, even in this terrifying moment.

"Is this what you wanted, Detective?" Jaemin's voice took on a seductive tone. "To catch me and uncover my secrets?"

Y/N's heart conflicted with her duty as an officer. She couldn't deny the undeniable chemistry between them. "Jaemin, we can't-"

Before she could finish her sentence, he silenced her with a kiss that ignited a fire within her. Their lips locked in a passionate embrace, and for a moment, the world around them ceased to exist.

As they pulled away, Jaemin whispered, "I don't want to be 'The Rabbit' anymore, Y/N. I want to be yours"

Y/N's heart raced as she gazed into Jaemin's captivating eyes. In that stolen moment, emotions swirled within her—fear, desire, and confusion. She had to tread carefully, for she knew the danger of the situation they were in.

"Jaemin," she began, her voice trembling, "what you've done is unforgivable. I can't just forget about the lives you've taken."

Jaemin's grip on her weakened slightly, as if he were contemplating his own actions. "I know, Y/N. I've done terrible things, but it's not who I am anymore. I can change."

The forest seemed to close in around them, its shadows concealing their forbidden connection. Y/N's mind raced, torn between her duty as a detective and the undeniable pull she felt towards Jaemin.

"Turn yourself in," Y/N pleaded, "and let me help you. There's a way to make amends."

Jaemin's gaze held a mixture of longing and despair. "If I do that, they'll never let us be together."

Y/N's heart ached at his words. She understood the consequences of their love, but she also couldn't condone his actions. "We can't just run away from this, Jaemin. We have to face the truth."

Just then, the distant sound of approaching sirens pierced the night. Y/N's fellow officers were closing in on their location.

"We don't have much time," Y/N said urgently. "I'll try to delay them, but you need to make the right choice, Jaemin."

The pursuit of Jaemin intensified, sending shockwaves through the town. She couldn't shake the memory of the night she'd shared with him in the forest. The lines between love and justice were blurred, and she felt herself being drawn deeper into Jaemin's enigmatic world.

Weeks turned into months, and the town remained on edge as Jaemin remained on the run. Y/N relentlessly chased leads and followed every clue, determined to bring him to justice. Meanwhile, a shadowy organization with its own agenda began to close in on Jaemin.

One evening, while combing through the evidence once more, Y/N received an anonymous message. It contained information about Jaemin's whereabouts and a plea for her help. The message hinted at a deeper conspiracy and raised questions about the true nature of Jaemin's crimes.

Against her better judgment, Y/N followed the lead, which led her to a secluded cabin deep in the woods. Inside, she found Jaemin, worn and weary, but no longer wearing the infamous rabbit mask.

"You shouldn't be here," Jaemin whispered, his eyes filled with both relief and sadness.

Ignoring the danger and the voice of reason in her head, Y/N approached him cautiously. "What's going on, Jaemin? Why did you reach out to me?"

He sighed heavily, his gaze never leaving hers. "I didn't want it to come to this, Y/N, but there's something you need to know. The people who are after me, they're not what they seem. They're the ones who manipulated me into becoming 'The Rabbit'."

Y/N's mind reeled at the revelation. "Who are they, and why are they doing this?"

"They call themselves 'The Shadows'," Jaemin explained. "They have their own agenda, and I was just a pawn in their game. They framed me for those murders, and now they want something from me."

The truth was far more complex than Y/N could have ever imagined. As she listened to Jaemin's story, she realized that the lines between good and evil, right and wrong, were blurred beyond recognition. She had to make a choice – to trust Jaemin's words and work together to uncover the real culprits

In that remote cabin, with danger lurking around every corner, Y/N and Jaemin found themselves at a crossroads. As they joined forces to unmask the true villains, they couldn't deny the undeniable bond that had formed between them, one that defied the darkness that had once consumed Jaemin's life.

Y/N had made her choice. She couldn't turn her back on Jaemin, not after learning about the manipulative force known as "The Shadows." Together, they embarked on a perilous journey to uncover the truth behind the organization that had framed Jaemin and set him on a dark path.

Their investigation led them through a labyrinth of secrets, hidden agendas, and dangerous adversaries. The more they delved into the activities of "The Shadows," the clearer it became that this was a battle far larger than they had imagined.

One night, as Y/N and Jaemin sifted through stolen documents in a dimly lit safehouse, they stumbled upon a list of names – a list of individuals targeted by "The Shadows." Among them was Y/N herself. It sent shivers down her spine, realizing that she was a part of this intricate web of deception.

"We need to expose them," Y/N said, determination in her eyes. "We have evidence now, and we can't let them continue their reign of terror."

Jaemin nodded in agreement, his expression grim. "But they won't go down without a fight, Y/N. We have to be prepared for whatever they throw at us."

Their investigation took them to the darkest corners of the city, as they followed the leads, slowly piecing together the puzzle of "The Shadows." They uncovered a web of corruption that reached into the highest echelons of power.

The alliance between Y/N and Jaemin was a risky endeavor, but they knew it was the only way to expose the truth behind the enigmatic organization known as "The Shadows" and clear Jaemin's name once and for all.

Their first lead led them to an underground network of informants who had ties to The Shadows. With Jaemin's insider knowledge, they were able to make inroads and gather crucial information. It became evident that The Shadows were involved in illegal activities far more sinister than they could have anticipated.

As Y/N and Jaemin dug deeper, It seemed that the organization had been using Jaemin as a scapegoat, manipulating him into carrying out their sinister acts while they remained hidden in the shadows.

Their investigation took them to the heart of The Shadows' operations. With evidence in hand and a plan in mind, Y/N and Jaemin decided to confront the leaders of the organization head-on.

Inside the mansion, they finally reached the inner sanctum, and then they came face to face with the enigmatic leader of The Shadows, a figure cloaked in darkness.

"You shouldn't have come here," the leader hissed, their voice dripping with menace.

Undeterred, Y/N stepped forward, brandishing the evidence they had gathered. "We know everything, and we won't let you continue your reign of terror."

Jaemin's eyes burned with determination as he added, "You won't manipulate anyone else into doing your bidding."

The leader of The Shadows smirked, seemingly unfazed by their presence. "You underestimate the power of shadows, Detective. We always find a way."

In the ensuing confrontation, a fierce battle ensued. Y/N and Jaemin fought not just for their lives, but for the truth and justice they sought.

In the end, the leader was apprehended, and The Shadows were dismantled. Justice prevailed, and Jaemin's name was finally cleared.

As they stood amidst the rubble of the mansion, Y/N and Jaemin shared a weary but triumphant smile. Their journey to unravel The Shadows had been harrowing, but it had also brought them closer together.

With The Shadows dismantled and justice served, Y/N and Jaemin faced a new beginning, one free from the shadows that had haunted their lives. The town hailed them as heroes, and Jaemin's name was finally cleared of the crimes he had been forced to commit. But amidst the celebrations, they both knew that their journey was far from over.

In the wake of their victory, Y/N and Jaemin found solace in each other's company.

Y/N continued her work as a detective, determined to rebuild her reputation after the scandal surrounding her involvement with Jaemin.

Jaemin, on the other hand, struggled to reintegrate into society after his months on the run. He faced prejudice and suspicion from those who still remembered him as "The Rabbit." Yet, he was determined to prove that he had changed and that he could lead a normal life.

As time passed, they began to rebuild their lives. Jaemin found work at a local animal shelter, caring for the very creatures he had once harmed in his twisted acts. It was a form of redemption that allowed him to find solace and forgiveness within himself.

Y/N's dedication to her career remained unwavering, and gradually, her colleagues began to recognize her commitment to justice.

One evening, as they watched the sunset together, Jaemin turned to Y/N and said, "You know, Y/N, I never thought I'd find love in the midst of such darkness."

Y/N smiled, her eyes filled with warmth. "And I never thought I'd find a partner who understands the complexities of my world. We've come a long way."

Their journey had been fraught with danger, secrets, and the blurred lines of right and wrong. But in each other's arms, they found the strength to face the future, hand in hand, ready to embrace the light that had finally replaced the shadows of their past.

As they watched the sun dip below the horizon, they knew that their love story, born from the most unlikely of circumstances, would continue to grow, a testament to the power of redemption and the resilience of the human spirit.

[squishmallow36]

It's all I wish to hear tonight, and you're all I wish to be, and this is how we all fall - Chapter one

Summary: It's the Garvar fic! Wdym you want a summary? It's a retelling of the first chapter of kotlc from Garwin's pov. That's--that's pretty much it. We do have them interact which is pretty nice. There will be more loosely connected chapters to come but I don't know how many or how they'll turn out. Word count: 2730

TW: swearing, drug mention, mentions of kidnappings and murder in relation to the Sophie/Fitz interaction

Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed!): @stellar-lune @gaslight-gaetkeep-gayboss @kamikothe1and0lny @nyxpixels @florida-preposterously @poppinspop @uni-seahorse-572 @solreefs @remember-me-in-another-time @rusted-phone-calls @when-wax-wings-melt @good-old-fashioned-lover-boy7 @dexter-dizzknees @abubble125 @hi-imgrapes @callum-hunt-is-bisexual @xanadaus @callas-pancake-tree @hi-my-name-is-awesome @katniss-elizabeth-chase @arson-anarchy-death. Also @frogs-and-flowers-and-faeries @camelspit you two seemed interested

On AO3 (only to registered users because y'know, AI) or below the cut

   If there’s one thing universally agreed upon by high schoolers, it’s this: field trips are fun. Or at least they should be, in theory. 

    Instead of being locked in a classroom for eight hours a day, you get to go outside, cause some havoc, you know, the usual. 

    Your other teachers end up being nice because you cried to them that between all your classes and this field trip, you need an extra week on that paper that you’ve had assigned for three months and you haven’t started and is due tomorrow for a reason. 

    And, most of the time, as an extra bonus, you learn absolute jack shit. 

    The only problem arises when the teacher that is taking you on the trip seems to forget that part and forces you to actually pay attention with the threat of a quiz, and knowing him, he’s going to make it absolutely horrendous. 

    Yes, dinosaurs are badass but having to listen to your teacher read the plaques out loud makes gouging your eyes out seem like a good course of action. 

    Are we completely sure the teachers here have a 100 percent literacy rate? Garwin wonders, rolling his eyes as Sweeney struggles through another scientific name. I mean, knowing this school system, it would not surprise me. 

    There’s a couple of nerds taking notes but honestly there’s no chance. If there is a quiz, it’ll be the type of thing that’s “What year, exactly, did the cretaceous era end?” And the multiple choice options will all be around that 66 million years ago mark ingrained in everyone’s soul but you have to remember that science was able to determine the meteor fell on a Thursday and from that you have to extrapolate what the date would have been. 

    Can a meteor fall on us this today Thursday? That’d be great. No more AP exams.  

    And yeah, AP classes are supposed to have a curve, but with that little photographic memory of Dophie’s only half paying attention and half listening to MCR so loud it can be heard from three miles away, she’s gonna get a perfect score. 

    Case in point: Sweeney finally hears Gerard screaming and catches onto the fact that Sophie is completely ignoring his existence, per usual. 

    “Miss Foster!” He yanks her earbuds out by the cords. “Have you decided that you’re too smart to pay attention to this information?”

    Well, she can probably legit get a zero on the final and still carry a 93 in the class. So I’d probably say the answer is yes. I think we all know that little smartass corrects Sweeney on a daily basis. 

    Between the typos and the shit he gets plain wrong, it was entertaining to see him flounder at the beginning of the year, but at this point she doesn’t seem to grasp the idea that everyone’s given up on the lost cause of a man. 

    This entire class has all had to suffer through more school than she’s been alive. Other than the dumbass sophomores in the class. But it wouldn’t be surprising to find out they were smoking weed in the back of class for a “science experiment.” 

    Ah, the things you can get away with in AP Enviro Science and a teacher that doesn’t care. Except about the toddler in his class who listens to music but hey. Maybe he’s insecure because he’s stupid and he has to maintain control over some aspect of his life.  

    Sophie mumbles something, denying it as she attempts to retract into her shell like a turtle. Unfortunately, humans don’t usually come with a shell, so she isn’t very successful. 

    “Then perhaps you can explain why you were listening to your iPod instead of following along?” Sweeney dangles the headphones in front of her as she rips out an eyelash. 

     Now, Garwin may have only gotten a 2 on the AP Psych exam last year because he only paid attention half the time because those daily quizzes were ass, but that doesn’t seem like the healthiest of coping mechanisms. 

    Sophie simply stares at the ground to pretend like Sweeney isn’t harassing her. 

    “Since you’ve decided you’re above this lecture, why don’t you give it?” Sweeney asks, gesturing to the definitely-accurate reconstruction of an orange hadrosaur. “Explain to the class how the Lambeosaurus differs from the other dinosaurs we’ve studied.”

    You see, one of these was the Pteranodon family’s neighbor on Dinosaur Train. Larry Lambeosaurus was an endless pit that never seemed to fill with food, much like the average teenager. Unlike the average teenager, however, this may have something to do with his diet of tree and its caloric density, or lack thereof. 

    Instead of listening to Sophie rattle off dinosaur facts learned from a lifetime of being a fucking nerd, Garwin chooses to look at literally anything else for some scrap of entertainment. 

    Like, for example, the Albertosaurus. And imagining it coming to life and eating everybody à la Jurassic Park. That would be fun. 

    Sweeney gets increasingly pissed off as she keeps going. He really should’ve learned long ago to not challenge her ‘cause it ain’t gonna go well for him. He mutters something under his breath, and turns to go to the next increasingly stupid dinosaur. 

    Actually, Garwin takes that back. The dinosaurs themselves aren’t stupid. It’s the whole idea of having to get dragged to a place to forcefully learn about them instead of actually studying for the AP exam in less than two weeks. Not that he actually cares about that though. 

    “Nice job, superfreak,” he says to Sophie as she stands helplessly in the middle of the walkway. He pushes past her in an effort to appear engaged enough to not get another detention. “Maybe they'll write another article about you. 'Child Prodigy Teaches Class About the Lame-o-saurus.’”

    Garwin’s gaze lands on someone reading the newspaper with Sophie’s face plastered across it. Yeah, the guy’s kinda cute with dark hair and teal eyes flicking up at Sophie ever so often…but, like, he’s probably freshman-ish years old and that’s kinda weird in the middle of the school day, not gonna lie. 

    And he isn’t in this class, that’s for sure. So he’s probably ditching. Kind of a dumb move to ditch and then go to a museum but hey. That’s his life choice and it’s not Garwin’s fault it’s stupid. 

    Garwin rolls his eyes as he moves into the next room. The desire to cause large amounts of property damage by climbing up the statues is immense, but, alas, one cannot succumb to temptation. 

    Their resident curvebuster doesn’t follow, and, honestly, that is a choice. Maybe if she gets eaten by a dinosaur or kidnapped with the guy pulling a Ferris Bueller, this class might know peace once again. 

    A not-small part of him could not give less of a shit if she disappears suddenly, and another not-small part of him can’t help but see the advantages. Maybe then we won’t all fail the class. It’s not like San Diego City College is going to miss her. Chances are, she’ll be the same to her unfortunate classmates there. 

    As the group shuffles around a reconstruction of a Triceratops, Sweeney begins droning on and on and on and on about the different types of ceratopsians, and it’s a damn fucking shame the one with three horns became famous instead of, like, the Kosmoceratops. 

    That fucker’s got fifteen horns and it’s common knowledge that an animal’s coolness is exponentially correlated with number of things that it has that can kill you. 

    In order to quell the rising tide of complete and total apathy, Garwin once again begins the search for something--anything--interesting to occupy his time.

    And don’t you know it? There’s a hot guy hiding in a corner trying desperately not to be seen. 

    Between him and the kid reading the newspaper in the other room, something weird is definitely going down. So the obvious course of action is to walk up to the guy and see what’s up. Maybe even flirt a little. As soon as he can escape from Sweeney’s torture chamber, that is. 

    In the meantime, Garwin can still stare at him. He has dark hair gelled to perfection and light blue eyes. His eyelashes are visible from this massive distance away, so they must be super long and therefore super hot. Garwin’s fingers ache to trace his sharp square jaw and his skin is a light tan with a dusting of freckles for good measure. 

    In short, he’s absolutely fucking gorgeous. 

    He’s way too far to be certain, but he kind of does look like newspaper boy…for reasons that are as of right now indescribable other than sheer vibes. 

   And he’s wearing a black batman sweatshirt--a foolish decision on a partially sunny day such as today--that hangs in such a way to suggest he’s got some muscles hiding beneath it. 

    The world would be improved in many ways if that sweatshirt was a little less on.

    Then, suddenly, by some miracle, some grace of god, Sweeney lets them explore for themselves. An argument could be made that he realized that no one was paying attention, but the more likely case is that he got tired of teaching and is now allowing them the slightest sliver of freedom to maximize his own laziness. 

    Garwin floats over to the guy in the corner as nonchalantly as possible as his traitorous heart is doing backflips in his chest. He was tall from a distance, but he’s even taller up close. 

    “Hey,” he says. Hey? Hey? That’s the most creative thing you could come up with? A cheesy pickup line would be better at this point.  

    “Hey yourself.” Guy-in-the-corner says with the slightest hint of a smirk. “I’m Alvar, what’s your name?”

    Garwin is almost too distracted by Alvar’s thick accent--almost British, but somehow crisper--to remember his own name. “I’m Garwin. It’s nice to meet you.”

    “Do you really think they looked like that?” Alvar asks. “The dinosaurs, I mean. It’s a little absurd, isn’t it?” 

    “Would you rather have the nerd answer or do you want the smartass answer?” Garwin replies. 

    “Who says I don’t want both?”

    “Ah. Well then. The nerd answer is that at least some of them should have feathers. They are the ancestors to birds, after all. The fact that none of them do is a little yikes. And as for my other answer, I’m not a paleontologist, but,” Garwin points to a fossilized sauropod…or at least a skeleton of one that may or may not be real, “that one might be a tad bit skinny.”

    Alvar laughs, a glorious sound. His eyes wander away from studying Garwin, focusing out of the room, landing on Sophie fucking Foster. 

    Ah, yes. First she gets into Yale without even trying and now she’s gained the attention of multiple people which depending on the intentions could be really fucking creepy. She’s literally twelve. This is complete and utter bullshit. 

    “Is that the kid on the front of the newspaper today?”

    “Yeah,” Garwin replies bitterly. 

    Alvar makes a thoughtful sound and looks back at Garwin, who has begun leaning against the wall. Yes, there’s a plastic fern between them but you do what you can. 

    “Come on, Fitz. Don’t be a total dumbass,” Alvar whispers as newspaper boy--Fitz--begins to step away from Sophie.  

    A swarm of kindergarteners barreled into the exhibit, nearly knocking both Sophie and Fitz off their feet. They hold their heads in their hands like their brains are physically getting stabbed and when they make eye contact again, Sophie watches Fitz in fear. 

    Why that is, Garwin can’t tell, but there’s something in Alvar’s expression that seems like he suspects something, and Garwin would give anything--except a full ride scholarship to Yale--to know what he does. 

    In the time Garwin spends studying Alvar’s features for clues and getting lost in his eyes, Sophie has magically disappeared. Fitz swears, probably loud enough to be heard all the way at the zoo across the street, as he runs after her. 

    Alvar rolls his eyes. “Life choices. Do I run after my dumbass of a brother or do I leave him be? Decisions, decisions,” he asks himself. 

    What the fuck? 

    Garwin looks back at Alvar to find him already watching him. “Would you like me to go tell Sweeney or just…let her skip class?” And probably get murdered just a little bit. 

    It takes a good few seconds for him to process this request. “Eh, I’m sure he’ll notice sooner or later.”

    Oh my fucking god this guy is fucked up. I don’t like Sophie, but I’d rather she not get kidnapped.

    …Is it bad that he's still hot?

        “Why the fuck are you two harassing Sophie?” The question comes out more forcefully than Garwin intends, but not enough to walk it back. 

    “That is one very long story and I don’t think you’d believe half of it. But let’s see--how simplified can I get this?” He pauses, formulating. “We’ve basically got a switched at birth situation going on here except we don’t exactly know who her actual parents are and well that’s a whole thing that I’d rather not get into right now. Also we don’t know if she’s actually the kid we’re looking for. And by we I mean mostly our dad but he isn’t here right now because he figured it would be less creepy for us to stare at children than he would be. And then Fitzy over there doesn’t know I’m here for extensive and even more complicated reasons. And he wasn’t supposed to interact with her. Problems all around.”

    Garwin considers this explanation for a moment. On the one hand, it leaves him with more questions than answers, and on the other hand, he doesn’t really care enough to ask for further elaboration. 

    “Just don’t murder Sophie. I don’t need to see her on the front cover of the newspapers that should already be obsolete two days in a row,” he decides. 

    Alvar smiles. His teeth are brilliantly white, and it’s ever so slightly crooked in such a perfect way that makes it seem practiced. His cobalt eyes fix Garwin to the spot as they turn toward each other. 

    “And, um, before I go, I do immensely apologize if I’m reading this wrong, but would you like to go out with me sometime?”

    “Why the hell else do you think I wandered over here? Absolutely.” 

    Instead of giving Garwin his phone number like a normal person by writing it on a sticky note or the back of his hand with a sharpie that doesn’t come off for a week or just directly typing it into their phone, Alvar comes equipped with a stack of business cards. 

     And honestly, it’s not even that surprising. Like, yes, he’s only known the guy for a grand total of fifteen minutes, but that tracks with what he knows so far…which isn’t much. But it still counts. Bitch. 

    Garwin smiles. “I’ll call you and set up details when I can look at my calendar and I’m not already busy with club meetings and shit.”

    “Sounds good.” 

    After a short pause, Alvar opens his mouth to say something else, but he’s interrupted by Sweeney’s nasal whining before he gets the chance. 

    Garwin rolls his eyes. “I guess I should get back to the fucked up reality that is the American school system. See you later.” 

    “Bye,”  Alvar replies, smiling. 

    Garwin makes his way back to the class reforming around Sweeney like a slime mold, taking his sweet time to not seem too eager to be going back to the hellhole that is occasionally referred to as a school but not dicking around so much he gets left, as making his way back there himself would be mildly inconvenient. 

    And we can’t have that, now, can we?

    Garwin looks back into the corner to sneak one more glance at the indescribably attractive boy who has for some reason asked him out only to find that he’s nowhere to be found. 

    Was he just a figment of my imagination?

    Garwin checks his back pocket, hissing as the sharp edges of a business card leave him with a paper cut. 

    Guess that solves that mess. 

    Now if only all the world’s problems could be solved so easily, we’d be onto something. 

[anamelessfool]

I woke up today screeching

"THE TIMELINE! RAHHH THE TIMELINE!!!!"

I appreciate everybody enjoying my worldbuilding so here's a lil process moment.

Sometime last year I put together a timeline for my AU. There's a few canon dates I wanted to keep, some I needed to tweak for dramatic purposes and because I do what I want. For instance, I decided Primo's reign starts in 1993. Whatever, they're a vintage-sounding band in Opus so it doesn't really matter. I figured out character ages, join dates, summoning dates, etc.

Then I started to notice some weird connections. Connections for plots!!! For drama!!!

My insane ranting below the cut, kudos to you for still being here. (TLDR: make a timeline for your characters and plots will appear!)

For instance: Marian joined in 2002. Was in a relationship with Secondo and his partner soon after. Secondo's son happened to be born in 2004. That could be a deal breaker. That could probably make Marian wanna break up with them. Secondo thinks the world revolves around him and Marian is a commitment phobe. PLOT DRAMAAA!

Ok, so when was Omega summoned? 2005. Terzo wanted to buy a gift for Omega. No idea yet why. Oh! 2006 is one year later, maybe Secondo got married then. Sure, ok he did, done! So commitment phobe Terzo is hit in the head repeatedly by a commitment ceremony. A story about commitment in the shadow of a big formal thing everyone is forced to participate in. That's how I came up with my domestic Terzomega "Ribbons and Ties". DRAMAAAA!

So my latest one came about after I posted my Papa Camino story with his death date on it: 1983

I decided for dramatic purposes Terzo runs away from home 1984-1986. Took me weeks to figure out why, but I did. And no I'm not telling why yet.

But how? How would he run away? And what would be the last straw?

Oh hey what if I had Camino die in 1984 instead and then the whole gang had to attend his funeral in New York City? Giant city to get lost in. To slip out when nobody notices. Sure, whatever, what's another year on this dude's life. Esp for drama. You're welcome.

Yes, a funeral would be the perfect place to contemplate your existence. And to see some fakers and shitheads be all weepy and performative. I've been there. I've seen it. Yeah this is a great environment for a "I can't take this anymore" major life decision.

I then thought of a scene where he just says "I can't take this anymore" and leaves. But we can't have him just say that to the wall. Somebody needs to hear. To once again ignore him. For drama. Who should he say that to? Who would be resistant enough to him wandering away AND pretty much powerless/too apathetic to stop it? (Aka bring the most drama possible?) Primo would convince him back, he's kind. Nihil would be like "hey sounds cool man happy trails" because he was a wanderer himself. Copia is too young to get it, and also they don't have a strong enough relationship. Who else? Who?

Secondo. Always goes back to that guy. I think because deep down he's the dumbest one of all. (At least when he's young and naive! He gets his redemption!)

And to be a little cagey, Secondo knows things in 1984 that Terzo doesn't. But can't say em if he ever wants to be Papa Emeritus. So...yeah he'd half listen to Terzo and then just let him leave. Let's throw that scene into this other fic I'm writing. Maybe it will motivate plot in the future. Will be subtext for a future conversation. Yes yes delicious drama!

So yeah this is how you go insane.

[bilbobagginsomebabez]

the loneliness epidemic genuinely supercharges parasociality and the general inclination to get too-attached to public or semi-public figures, fictional or otherwise, and i think we should talk about that more and the figures themselves less.

humans are social creatures, and we do NOT do well in isolation. the first danger is mental and emotional. loneliness causes depression, anxiety, compulsions, psychosis, and more. the second is physical. loneliness literally weakens your immune system and makes you more likely to become sick and less likely to recover from illness. when it becomes chronic, it can permanently change your brain chemistry into what is currently called "extreme social deprivation" and trigger predispositions to life-long mental and physical illnesses like cancer or schizophrenia. this is why solitary confinement is a human rights abuse. [american loneliness context under the cut]

we crave a soundscape that includes the movement of others, the drumbeat that means "you're not alone." under the strictures of increasingly isolated and atomized american life, that need has to be filled somewhere. so we turn to the third space we do have—the internet—and we listen to recordings of the social interaction we crave. this is called an indirect belongingness strategy, and why podcasts are so popular. no direct social connection, but enough of one to keep social deprivation at bay. we saw this really kick into gear with the invention of the radio, the ability to transmit spoken words into remote places and private spaces en masse. after the loss of forums and self-hosted websites, "space" doesn't so much exist on the internet anymore (everybody is on 4 websites) but people very much do. and a large enough congregation around one person turns more and more into a space the closer you get. the stronger their influence, the more social feedback, the more feelings of community, the stronger the enforcement of rules and norms (which feels like safety rather than control when you're nervous and unsure, which lonely people often are).

your access to your primary community space where you get most of your social feedback is now tied to your ability to maintain proximity to this person online, and your proximity to this person online fundamentally requires habitual isolation and the need for indirect belongingness strategies. your ability to meet others like you, forge connections, and maintain them is now tied to both the existence of your loneliness and your ability to maintain proximity to this person. and this is a really powerful position to be in. digital relationships can hold further damage at bay, but they cannot fully satisfy your social needs, like just enough water to keep you both thirsty and alive. we don't actually live in the cloud. our meat suits need in person social feedback or the meat computer in your head gets glitchy. so what happens is this constant low level lack of satisfaction breeds a desperate attachment to the digital parasocial community. you're so thirsty you're desperate for the water you know you can access, but it's never enough and you're too scared of getting truly dehydrated to leave and find another source.

and if you can't maintain proximity to that person, suddenly a lot more goes away than just the silence of your kitchen. if the locus of your parasocial community is found committing some wrongdoing, suddenly you're forced to question and possibly give up your primary avenue of social interaction along with what it means about you that you congregated there, that you have connections there, and that you don't actually want to leave. where will you go next? how will you find people like you again?

your similarity to this person being the avenue by which you find and maintain social connection ties that person up in your identity FAST. so in the end, any threat against the object of your parasocial fixation becomes an existential threat to you and your ability to maintain social, mental, and emotional equilibrium.

⸺

the inverse of "loneliness kills" is also true. strong social bonds literally make you healthier. cancer patients with family that routinely visit during hospitalization are more likely to recover. the latine paradox refers to the way latine communities routinely buck lifespan expectations despite typical socioeconomic obstacles like healthcare access, and it's because of the strength of their communities and social bonds. everyone's an aunt or cousin, and bloodlines are rarely what's referenced in those relationship statements. the "more likely to recover with visitors" effect has basically been turned into a cultural +2 constitution/health modifier.

we've been trained to think that you have to move out at 18 and the goal is to live alone and completely free and independent until you get a spouse and have a family. utterly atomized. completely on your own. this isn't really financially possible for most people anymore, but having a roommate is still considered a "fall back." not the ideal, not the real life you're trying to build. so instead of imagining their living space as a breathing thing, they end up with roommates they barely know and don't speak to and call that a good deal because there's no drama. as independent and unconnected as possible with another person in your house.

the isolation of the home life is exacerbated by the collapsing fabric of american society. third spaces have almost completely disappeared, nobody can leave their house for free anymore, and two or three whole ass fucking generations have lowkey fucked their ability for spontaneous social interaction and do not know how to meet people on top of an economic collapse and climate crisis. older gens can't comprehend the problem or explain a solution beyond "go sit in a place that has people and talk to some of em." so we're lost, stuck, confused, uncomprehending of what our needs are or how to meet them. which carries the benefit to the capitalists of more rent payments, more grocery bills, more wasted food when one person can't eat a whole loaf of bread in 5 days, more stress trying to cook and clean and keep a space positive on top of whatever work you do. like your own self-induced odyssey of isolation and extra chores. your daily life turned into a rube goldberg ass version of sisyphus' pushing that boulder up the hill only for it to roll straight back down.

[room-surprise]

glad ya like glass eye! I’d you don’t mind me asking, what are your thoughts on it?

I did like it, I'm happy to see people writing stuff about Mithrun, and about Milsiril! I've already passed your fic around to all the people I know, so hopefully some of them will read it too :) I particularly enjoyed seeing Milsiril and her behavior being highlighted. Sometimes I run into hot takes that she isn't that bad, that she's a good mom to Kabru, but I think she's probably not a very healthy person to be around if you're unable to maintain boundaries... For example, if you're a child, or a disabled person who can't tell her no. (I don't think that she's actively, intentionally malicious, but I do think she's a bad parent...Even if she's a good teacher. Teaching and parenting are not always the same thing.) I think having her be the one to give Mithrun his glass eye, and showing her thinking of Mithrun like one of her dolls, is exactly spot-on, and a great bit of inspiration. Or course she thinks of him as a broken doll, and enjoys fixing him to look the way she wants, cutting his hair, dressing him up, etc. I particularly loved the way you described Mithrun barely acknowledging her, and how she kept talking to him, did things like force him to look at her, and said things like 'I can say whatever I want to you' and 'you should be grateful that the canaries need you'. I also liked the bit where she commented on preferring the ears of shorter-lived races, but how she knew better than to say anything out loud about it. And the bit where she briefly had Mithrun's attention, but then it immediately wandered away once she stopped talking about his obsession - or at least, seemed to wander away, obviously Milsiril's POV is going to be flawed. I don't think you explicitly say it in the fic, but I think your stance is that the elves are a deeply abelist society, and I agree with that. I think because they live so long, anything that reminds them that death and disability may one day come from them is considered the MOST socially taboo, and so they prefer to just not see or acknowledge that disability, disfigurement, or old age exist. I think a huge chunk of Milsiril's character is Ryoko Kui yelling at the top of her lungs into a megaphone "here's some red flags, but I'm not going to spell it out for you, connect the dots yourself"... Milsirl hates interacting with peers or people above her, prefers to play with dolls that she can completely control. The only people we know she willingly interacts with are children from short-lived races (so they have even fewer rights than elven children, she can do anything she wants with them and nobody will protest), Canary inmates (she's shown repeatedly with Helki, who has notched ears) and Mithrun, but only after Mithrun is catatonic. Writing about Mithrun when he's in a particularly limited state (deeply depressed? Partially catatonic? I'm not sure what the best words to describe it would be) is extremely challenging, and though you were writing about it from Milsiril's POV I think you did a great job, and offered some much-needed perspective! Honestly I'd love to read about Mithrun's POV from you, if you get inspired to write about something like that! And it made me think about what sort of interactions she must have had with Malthus (my version of Mithrun's brother, in my fics) because yes, she would have interacted with him for sure when she came to visit Mithrun! I can talk more about this if you (or anyone else) wants, just send me an ask - I don't want to hijack this one to talk about my own stuff though, lol.

Thank you for sharing your fic with the rest of the fandom, and thanks for writing to me! I don't know if you read my fic, but if you do, I hope you enjoyed it! I know abelism and learning to deal with it is a major theme.

[bi-bard]

And Just for When We're Apart, I've Got a Piece of Your Heart - Sebastian Sanger Imagine [Titans]

Title: And Just for When We're Apart, I've Got a Piece of Your Heart

Pairing: Sebastian Sanger X Reader

Word Count: 1,011 words

Warning(s): abandonment issues in full swing

Summary: [Inspired by "Piece of Your Heart" by Mayday Parade] (Y/n) offers Sebastian a small gift. Sebastian responds in a less than enthusiastic way and gets a front row seat to see the strength of (Y/n)'s stubbornness.

Author's Note: I drove back to school and got to listen to this song again, so here's a cute little story.

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I remember telling a few friends where I had decided to spend a lot of my free time.

They gave me weird looks. They asked me if I didn't think that it was a little "dark". Even when I explained why I was there, they acted like it was a weird choice. I just shrugged them off. It wasn't my job to convince them of anything.

If I wanted to spend my free time in a taxidermy shop, then that was my decision.

I was happier around Sebastian than I was with them anyway.

It was just easier to be myself. To fall into a rhythm that didn't feel forced. Not something that needed to shift or be fixed, but just exist. It had been something that I had wanted for such a long time. I almost couldn't believe that I finally had it.

I celebrated him when he finally made that meeting to go pitch his game. He celebrated me whenever I got good news at work. We mirrored each other perfectly. I wouldn't trade a moment with him for anything.

Our relationship didn't take any sharp changes until one night.

I had walked in pretty late. Sebastian was at the counter with a new piece.

"Hey," I said as I closed the door with one hand, the other tucked securely into the pocket of my jacket.

He smiled at me. "Hi."

"I... have a gift for you," I rounded the counter as I spoke.

"Why," he asked.

"Because I wanted to give you a gift," I explained, waving off his question.

I pulled my hand out of my pocket, holding it out to him. Sitting in my palm was a small bracelet. It was silly when you looked at it. Simple and basic, made of braided thread instead of gold or silver or metal at all.

Sebastian stared at it for a moment before slowly taking it from my hand.

"I know it's kind of childish, but look," I pulled up my jacket sleeve to reveal a nearly identical bracelet sitting around my wrist. "They match."

He didn't speak up, just running his fingers over the thread.

"It's like we're connected," I added.

There was another pause before he dropped the bracelet on the counter. "I think you should go."

He turned back to his work as I furrowed my eyebrows.

"What," I asked. "I... I don't understand-"

"Just go," he cut me off.

I chuckled. "If you don't like the bracelet, then it's fine-"

"Get out," he snapped. His anger caught me off-guard. "Please, just get out. It's going to happen anyway, so just leave me alone."

"What do you mean?"

His hand slammed on the counter. "How much clearer do I have to be with you?"

"You said that it's going to happen anyway," I replied. "I deserve to know what the hell you mean by that."

"You're going to walk away. I know that. Everyone does. They always have. Just go."

The idea broke my heart, but I also felt that familiar anger-fueled stubbornness burning in my chest. "No."

"No?"

"You don't get to make my decisions for me," I said bluntly. "You don't get to decide whether or not I'm going to leave. And you can't just shove me away because you're scared."

His jaw clenched as he looked down.

I stepped closer to him. "If you want me to go, then I want it to be because it's what you actually want. Not because it gives you a chance to avoid getting hurt."

There was still no response. I wanted to look into his mind. To see if he had a million thoughts all battling for the front of his attention or if he only had one that he didn't want to admit that he was having.

I took a deep breath. I didn't want to walk away from him, but the silence was suffocating me.

I went to speak up again, not that I knew what I was going to say to him.

Before a word could come out of my mouth, he turned to me and pressed his lips to mine.

It only lasted for a moment. Rushed and almost rough. As if he had done it more out of instinct than anything else and immediately snapped back to his senses. He almost immediately leaned away from me, going back to look at his work on the counter.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I... I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay," I reassured him. "Really... it's okay."

I should have said more. God knows that there were a million more things I could have added to the statement to make it clear how I felt about him. But none of them would come out. All of them were stuck in the front of my mind, unable to find the route to my voice.

Sebastian didn't look at me, clearly still embarrassed.

I took a deep breath before reaching over and grabbing the bracelet that he had tossed on the counter. With my other hand, I grabbed his, pulling it over to me.

"What are you doing," he asked.

"What do you think?" I replied as I placed the bracelet on his wrist. I adjusted it so it would stay in place. "There..."

He spoke up, probably going to apologize again. I cut him off by leaning over and kissing him again. This kiss was softer than the first one. Longer too. Only by a few seconds, but those few seconds felt like they made all the difference in the world.

I pulled back, smiling at him as I leaned my forehead on his. "Much better."

I saw a grin pull at his lips.

"I'm not going anywhere," I promised. "I'm going to be right here for as long as I can."

He nodded as his eyes closed.

I moved so I could kiss his forehead.

This was truly all I needed. Just existing in this moment with him.

If this was going to be the rest of my existence, then I could live and die happily.

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Navigation Guide

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

[waves-mp4]

Combiners

I only named a few combiners since there isn't exactly a list of combiners. Also because at least 5 people need to create a combiner and I don't want to name 32+ characters. Way to many people to talk about.

Let's do this

Disclaimer: this is a fan continuity and doesn't fully align with canon (mild spoilers for my fan cont.)

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"Main" Combiners:

Devastator - Scrapper, Hook, Bonecrusher, Long Haul, Mixmaster, and Scavenger (and Prowl)

Bruticus - Onslaught, Brawl, Blast Off, Swindle, and Vortex

Menasor - Motormaster, Dead End, Wildrider, Drag Strip, and Breakdown

Defensor - Hotspot, First Aid, Streetwise, Blades, and Groove

Superion - Silverbolt, Slingshot, Air Raid, Firefight, and Skydive

Victorion - Pyra Magna, Jumpstream, Dust Up, Stormclash, Skyburst, and Rust Dust

(Other Combiners can be found on tfwiki)

✧-✧-✧-✧

How do gestalts and gestalts bonds work?

Gestalt are the word used to refer to the group that creates a combiner. Gestalt bonds are the bond connecting the gestalt. A gestalt bond is a spark bond similar to trines and host-cassette bonds in my fan continuity.

Emotions and thoughts can be sent and received through the gestalt bond. One can temporary block their side of the gestalt bond and with help, completely cut themselves off from the bond. This doesn't hurt anyone! It will feel sore but nothing more. Gestalt bonds are consensual and a bond will not form if someone really doesn't want to.

✧-✧-✧-✧

How to combiners work?

Physically, Combiners need at the very least 5 parts. Two arms, two legs, and a torso/head. Devastator is a special case, having a torso and a head separate.

Mentally, kind of similar to Pacific Rim. The gestalt have to be in sync in order for the combiner to stay combined and work. In the mind of the combiner, there is a space that "holograms" are located. Those holograms are the mechs that make up the combiner. They are more of a representation than anything else. There is a visual of sorts of the gestalts mind. The visual can change depend on who is the leader or who is in the gestalt. For example, Prowl's mind calculates a lot. So when he is leader, there is a lot more numerical calculations vs if Scrapper was leader.

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How are combiners created?

This is a complicated question. Some mechs, like the Constructicons, Combaticons, Stunticons, Protectobot, etc. are born as combiners. In other cases, a mech's frame must be reformatted if they want to be part of a combiner.

Very few know how to reformat a frame to become part of a combiner. Hook is know to be the number one medic to go to for a frame reformat. He is known for turning lots of people away.

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What about the Enigma of Combination?

Doesn't exist, even if it did, the combiners would highly upset over a tool that can force mechs to combine. Combiners and gestalts are consensual, they have to be. Otherwise the combiners can't actually work due to the fact that the gestalt has to be in sync with each other.

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Prowl is part of Devastator??

This might worry some but not to worry, hopefully. The way Prowl becomes part of the Devastator gestalts is more fan continuity and less canon. Prowl genuinely wants to be part of Devastator and it can be tiring. Thankfully Scrapper is there to take over when needed.

Since Scrapper is alive, the "Prowl becomes part of Devastator" arc doesn't work. However Prowl does get brainwashed, and like canon, none of his friends notice. The Constructicons see this and they decide to try and be "friends" with brainwashed Prowl.

After the brainwashing, the Constructicons go to Prowl slightly hopeful that Prowl remembers them. Prowl ends up pushing them away and the Constructicons respect his decision. Slowly his memories from being brainwashed comes back and with some prompting from his therapist, Prowl decides to talk with the Constructicons. The Constructicons and Prowl start to hang out more.

One day, Scrapper requests to talk to Prowl alone. Scrapper tell Prowl that he is getting old and tired. Scrapper expresses how much he wants a break. Prowl asks if there is anyway that he can help. Scrapper says there is. One surgery and gestalt bond later, Prowl becomes part of Devastator.

✧-✧-✧-✧

That is all so far. Questions are always welcomed!

More can be found here

[grimalkinmessor]

Since we are talking about omegaverse, a/a afofa please?

Well, I've already done Alpha Yoichi and Alpha All For One, so their scents don't change from those two (f.r. Yoichi: open wire-tree bark-spearmint, AFO: ozone-chemical sugar). The incident with Yoichi's presentation also doesn't change—he's incited either by someone attacking Takashi, which would result in him committing his first murder ✨ or he's incited by Takashi attacking someone else, in which case he drops Takashi on his ass and makes him submit. The fact that Takashi is also an Alpha does not change this :D

In this verse though, I think that Takashi presents early. TOO early, in fact—toddler level early. Somewhere between getting swept away by the river and appearing as the (⁠●⁠_⁠_⁠●⁠) we see in canon, he presents as ༼ ) ༽ an Alpha. This fucks up his biology a bit?? Like,,,,,to be blunt, a toddler is not supposed to be carrying around a knot, even in omegaverse. It likely puts AFO back in the crawling stage for a while, just because it's more comfortable, and he'd have some internal physical damage to his connective tissue and pelvic muscles, as well as issues talking around the fangs in his mouth without cutting his cheeks and tongue. His breath likely smells like blood more often than not in those years, even before he starts killing people. This AFO is in a lot of chronic pain, which only drives his urges to take that much higher. The first time he steals a healing and regenerative Quirk is probably the first time he's able to exist without any pain at all.

The mutual chronic pain would likely strengthen his and Yoichi's bond, both emotionally and mentally. He and Yoichi are closer, and their twin bond (already heightened by their respective Quirks and AFO likely siphoning off part of Yoichi's in the womb) is so strong that they don't even need to speak aloud to each other. Yoichi learns how to read and speak far later in this verse, given that he and Takashi are basically just reading the spill over from each other's minds most of the time. Both of them having chronic pain synced them up mentally and physically to the point that they often know the other is hurt before they do. Yoichi always knew when Takashi's ruts (fucking awful, supremely painful things since it's all inflamation of body parts Takashi has no way or desire to use as a child) where coming before Takashi felt them coming on himself.

After Yoichi presents, they don't,,,,,calm down, necessarily, but his body chills the hell out with the "SOMETHING IS WRONG WHY BODY NOT RIGHT" because his instincts register another Alpha and not someone to protect. Takashi either recognizes Yoichi as pack, someone capable of watching his back and thus his instincts can fucking relax, or he and Yoichi have a vicious but quiet stand-off where Yoichi wins by virtue of already having dropped Takashi before—and again, Takashi is only able to avoid this by using his forebrain, which is decidedly NOT in charge when Alpha hindbrain comes up to play. As he gets older though, the second option likely pithers out.

During Yoichi's ruts, Takashi is the one using his forebrain, so he basically just sits on Yoichi while he growls and gnaws on his spike fingers to help with the teething pains and instinctive aggression.

Normally, two Alphas in such close quarters with no clear "leader" between them would mean frequent fights and pissing-contests, due to Yoichi and Takashi's bond, they don't actually fight all that often. When their instincts take over and it does get physical, they end it pretty quickly because they can feel each other's pain. HOWEVER, this means that when they hit that threshold of "maturity" (both of them having presented younger than normal) they each try to mount the other, and, in this verse, it's Takashi who starts up the sexual nature of their relationship, by giving in to curiosity and forcing his instincts down to let Yoichi fuck him. He quickly finds out that they don't just share each other's pain—they also share each other's pleasure. He goes from curious to insatiable very quickly. And, of course, when his own rut rolls around, he asks (tells) Yoichi to do the same for him. Which, of course, Yoichi does. It's cause for both of them to really, really enjoy sex, especially when their bond has been just an echo chamber of pain for so long.

This verse is actually one with no evil-as-shit All For One—their closer bond means that Yoichi knows how Takashi hears things and thinks about things, so he's able to better explain his own thought process and morals to him. Yoichi is able to argue him out of the crazy shit (world domination) and into something more pointed. A targeted missile instead of a nuclear bomb.

All For One is a political name rather than a villainess one. With Yoichi's better understanding of the way people think and Takashi's feral need to feel safe and adored in a world that's always made him feel otherwise, they overturn the whole metahuman situation in a few years. And of course, his Alpha status helps give him some legitimacy too. Even if All For One's growl doesn't scare you, Yoichi's bite should (⁠◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕⁠✿⁠)

A lot of circumstance, basically. There's both more and less equality between them than O/O AFOFA, because these two are more codependent than anything. There's less of a solid respect between them and more of an all-consuming need. But hey! Far less widespread suffering over all! :D

[dominijoyce]

"Are you crying? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I just- I have always dreamed of this opportunity and lost hope in it and yet- And yet, here you are."

Idea inspired by @starplatinumgold in which Fugo is a gorgon who went all of his life scared of hurting others and Giorno is a living stone statue and therefore immune to his deadly sight giving his lover the opportunity to be this close to someone without worry of doing them harm.

Also if you are interested, I included some of my ideas of other Vento Aureo characters in this Monster AU under the cut- Maybe someone might get inspired to produce something out of that, just how I did, heh.

Okay *cracks knuckles*

Vento Aureo Monster High AU (cause that's what happens when two completely different hyperfixations meet)

First things first, this AU doesn't take place in the high school itself, cause I don't wanna mess with character ages and etc. This AU (at least my version of it) doesn't involve mafia either, because I just imagine it as a simple Vento Aureo Simple Slice of Life shenanigans, but with monster twist (they deserve to not suffer at least once, heh)

The main idea for Fugo other than a gorgon is that he is specifically the child of Sthenno (was thinking of Euryale first, cause there is no canon child of her yet, but I think Sthenno fits him better)

The original poster that inspired this idea compared Giorno to a gargoyle but I don't think that fits him so he is a living statue, cause Araki based his design off of one. While they aren't connected in this AU, I also sorta got the inspiration from the myth of Galatea and Pygmalion which makes both Giorno and Fugo related to ancient myths ^-^ (also my friend pointed out that it also fits, because vampires are connected to Pillar Men - wasn't intentional, but also fun)

As for the rest of the main squad-

Bruno is a werewolf, but not because of the reasons that people might compare him to one (wolflike behaviors, leadership skills, sort of caretaking nature etc.), I mean those too, but I made him into one, because of a reason that only real true OG Monster High fans are able to connect :p

Leone is a banshee, because death follows him everywhere, heh. In all seriousness I just think it fits him and his aesthetic and also I have seen multiple reinterpretations of him as a ghost and I wanted to be sort of "original" (banshees *are* ghosts in MH, I know, but they are like weird and not full type of ghosts so *shrug*)

Narancia is a steam robot, who is a "failed prototype" of his creator, that was thrown away. He malfunctions quite often or even completely shuts off due to various issues with his design, quite often forced to replace his parts with any new ones he manages to find (can't exactly afford to buy new ones yet or do a full repair). Also he has a jetpack, a radar similar to his Stand and his shoes can switch to roller-skates.

Mista is a black werecat, because I honestly have no idea what else could fit him tbh. His main gimmick is luck and unluck, where he is superstitious about every little thing (not only fours) that could bring unluck - sometimes including himself, even when others reassure him there's no way he brings anyone bad luck with just existing. He is still paranoic though.

Lastly, Trish is a hybrid monster, because I fell in love with this concept back when it was introduced and I firmly believe we need more of that. She is a sea monster and boogeyman hybrid. Sea monster cause she grew up on the coast and boogeyman cause Diavolo ofc, but also I think it is funny cause in canon MH boogeymen hate being the center of attention and use shadows or shapeshifting to always be out of spotlight, while I imagine Trish would be the opposite of that and always strive to be the brightest star in a room. Sea monster also fits, because some of those underwater weirdos (like octopi among others) can manipulate their shape to such a high degree and fit into such narrow spaces and that kinda reminds me of her Stand.

If you read all of this, thanks for being interested in my random rambles and ideas and hope you like them. Maybe I will come up with more (was considering Part 6 Protagonists as Monsters, but not many ideas yet), but for now have these funky creatures!