#its a canon event but after age 14 stop it

[okruee]

kids of immigrants that put on an accent as a joke are the weakest links fr

[spicerackofblorbos]

click me for the event information and masterlist!

Invisible String - Taylor Swift Levi Ackerman x gen!reader

And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me?

☾ content/warnings ➼ blood, death, canon world, reincarnation au, modern au, college au, soulmate au ☾ wc ➼ ~800 (yes I know I said drabbles I'M SORRY)

Various earthy colors streak in your vision as you feel yourself catapulting through the trees. The harsh breeze of the cool summer air is the only nice thing about this moment, as you find yourself once again zipping from tree to tree as if your life depended on it – which it very much did.

Heavy stomping from behind you sends chills up your spine as you do your best not to look behind, something you know will be more of a detriment. But not that it mattered, because suddenly you feel your ODM cords snagging on something. Instead of flying to the next tree, you’re pulled up into the air.

With fearful and widened eyes, you are now staring face to face with a 14-meter blonde titan who held you up by the cords like a fish on a line, blue eyes piercing straight through you. As if you were nothing to it.

You whimper, your fingers desperately squeezing on your levers as if that would help your situation – it was obvious that your gear was damaged beyond repair. Your squad mate Eld is yelling your name, telling you to hold on. He was on his way.

Hold on to what, though?

“I’m sorry.” You cry out before you’re flung through the trees, back hitting flat against a tree branch before falling for who knows how long until you impact onto the muddy and leaf-littered forest floor.

You’re unsure of how much time has passed. You’re not dead, but the raspy and shallow breathing told you death was on its way. You couldn’t feel your fingers and toes, nor could you wiggle them. Weirdly, you felt no pain – whether that was from the injuries or shock, you couldn’t say.

You’re staring up at the treetops, sun rays breaking through the upper tree branches that sway in the wind. How pretty.

Someone is calling your name again. It seems so close, yet so distant, and while you wish you could look around to see who it was that needed you, your body fails to respond.

“Hey.” A shadow falls on your face. After a few slow blinks, your numb brain finally registers that it was Levi towering over you. His brows are furrowed, eyes downturned, cheeks red and lips frowning at the corners.

“Why do you look so sad, Captain?” You whisper, your voice hoarse. A few coughs escape you, red spraying all over your face and a little on Levi’s dirt-stained shirt.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be here.” He whispers down at you. There’s a tremble in his voice, something you’ve never heard before. You watch him pull out his cravat and dab at your face, all while keeping his gaze on yours.

“No, I’m sorry I couldn’t-“ Another cough. Another spray of red.

“Stop. You did well.” He places a calloused hand on your cheek, using his thumb to wipe away the warm tears that had slid down the sides of your face. The cold metal of his wedding band, the one matching yours, serves as a comfort as you feel yourself struggling to breathe.

“I love you.”

“I love you. You’ll see me again, I promise.”

-

Idle chatter surrounds you as you stare hard at the textbook in front of you. Your teeth bite down hard on your bottom lip, irritation evident in your expression. Passersby might think it’s because you’re studying a frustrating topic, but really, it’s because most would think to be quiet in a library.

Clearly college students don’t get the memo.

In a huff, you push yourself away from the desk you had claimed an hour ago and start for the in-library café for a caffeine boost. For once there’s no line and you sigh through your nose as you step up to the register, lips parted as you look at your tea bag options.

“What can I get you?”

The most deadpan tone you’ve ever heard comes from a man about your age, black hair almost covering his stark grey-blue eyes that pierce straight into you. His eyebrows are furrowed, lips in a thin line. He’s wearing a gray button down, the top button open to show a necklace with a single gold ring looped on the chain. Something pulls on your heart, followed by a strange tingling sensation throughout your body.

“Have I met you before?” You ask, dumbfounded. He feels familiar to you.

“No. I just transferred here.” You don’t miss the subtle flash of unknown familiarity in his eyes as well. “What can I get you?” He repeats.

“Uh, hot water please. And an earl grey tea bag.” You can’t stop staring as you pull out your student card.

“Great.”

You both stare awkwardly at each other for another minute after closing the transaction before he finally looks away, clearing his throat.

“Thanks.” You smile softly then turn on your heels in the direction of where you left your things.

After a few steps, a sudden visual of green fabric flapping in the wind makes you stop dead in your tracks. You blink hard and suddenly you’re back in the library. Twisting your head, you look back at the familiar barista, whose eyes were still stuck on you.

You hope you’ll see him again.

[butchlesbianmike]

Tower Tarot System Headcanons (Mike & his system)

Under the cut are my detailed headcanons for mike, his backstory, and details about his alters. Note that i've changed some 'canon' stuff and added a few new alters.

TW: There will be mentions of Parental Abuse such as neglect and implied physical and emotional violence. There will be mentions of Sexual Abuse relating to Mike & Vito.

Keeper

• System Aware • One of the main Gatekeepers. More of a state of consciousness than an alter. Not sure how to explain it even as a system myself but basically more of a concept and a fragment? It is not really an alter that another alter could just come up to or interact with. • Was created by the horrid neglect and abuse endured at the end of the system's mother which from a young age made clear they would not be able to function without amnesic barriers separating states of consciousness/ego states.

Lucia:

• 5 - she/her - System Unaware, became dormant until Mike went to therapy. She then became system aware. • Alter i created for their system. Sarah is a child alter and technically the first host the system had but quickly became a rarely fronting part due to varying traumatic events between the ages of 3 and 5. Her age got frozen around 5 years old. She also stopped being host at that age after a harshly traumatic event. • System is unsure if there are other parts younger than her, she is the youngest identifiable host.

Chester:

• 56 - He/Him - System Aware - One of the gatekeepers • Split off around 4. • Introject of their grandpa on their mom side. Very important to Sarah and was very kind and took good care of the system.Their mom was incredibly neglectful and their grandpa is basically who raised them. Their mom cut contact with their grandpa after a fight between them. • Losing their grandpa alongside the constant abuse now worsening from being around their mother more did lead to a split. • Chester appears very grumpy because they found it funny whenever he would go on rambles and complain about silly things to them but also because they were hardly ever allowed to express negative emotions or frustration around their mother and so Chester became a part that held a lot of those negative emotions they didnt feel safe expressing.

Svetlana (Went by Lucia) :

• She/They - Ages with body - not quite system aware, notices things but very much normalizes them. Becomes system aware once Mike gets a girlfriend and also starts exploring gender. • Split off around 7 when their mom started signing them up for competitive gymnastics. (They were already doing gymnastics before, but competitive only started at 7). • Main cohost for a long time. Helped Sarah and Lola with learning gymnastics and handled competitions due to their mother being incredibly abusive during tournaments and competitions. • She wasnt really aware she was cohost, she felt like this was her life but she kinda saw it as like.. "oh i just feel more like myself in my element! Gymnastics is just really important to me and its where i thrive everybody say they have masks depending on if theyre at school or at home or with friends!! I guess my mask just comes off when im doing gymnastics :D". • She thought that the Russian accent was just a bit she was very dedicated to and what helped her 'get in character' for competitions. That it was just her trying hard to be like those russian gymnasts they really like on TV to feel more confident. • She always felt uncomfortable with being infantilized and felt much older, but everyone around them would say they have an old soul so she assumed that must by why. • She discovers she's a lesbian around when the body's age is 14. • She is one of the alters alongside Vito who causes Mike to realize something isn't adding up and reach out to try and get therapy. • Did not like Mike's girlfriend and actually really disliked being referred to as a guy. This was actually a main source of conflict between her and Mike and another reason Mike started feeling something was wrong because he realized that the dysphoria he got seeming more masculine or being perceived as more masculine didn't feel like it was Actually Him. • She often would be very distant and even cold to their girlfriend because she realized that they were a system and that she wasn't Mike and that actually his girlfriend was hurting them. • After therapy and system work and being acknowledged as her own alter, her relationship with Mike got a lot better and they agreed on keeping some feminine stuff for her to wear whenever she's front. • Actually really likes Zoey and tries really hard to hint that she also likes her. She and Zoey actually start dating too.

Lola (Went by Lucia):

• She/her - 10 - system unaware until she stopped being host. She became system aware when the body was 12 and that she got yonked and became more of an internal alter and very very rarely ever fronted again. She was under the care of Manitoba and Chester in the headspace. • Another system kid and previous host, she handled life from 6 to 12. • She and Svetlana were really fronting together almost all the time and switching between eachother frequently, although rarely experiencing blackouts more than greyouts. • While she was a host from ages 6 to 12, she stopped aging in the headspace at 10. • A huge part of this was due to how rocky elementary school was. They were changing schools left and right and it was really hard to keep up with all the constant changes. Around 10 she lost one of the only friends she had managed to make and due to their already fragile state, this was distressing enough to halt her development as an alter in itself. Svetlana mostly started being the main host from 10 to 12 although Lola was still there and at least cofront a majority of the time. • Starts fronting a bit more after Mike starts doing system work (Body age around 17).

Mike:

• He/They - Ages with body - First Host to become system aware. • Split off around 12 due to stress bcuz the system moved in with their dad because their mom no longer wanted to be responsible for them nor pay for their highschool necessities. • He became host because he didnt carry much of the traumatic memories related to their mom, didn't have system awareness, and was fairly functional with school and with their dad. • At first he had it a lot better than previous hosts and was one of the most stable host for a short while which made it that switching didn't frequently occur except here and there or when triggered due to x y z. • That changed about 8 months after him being host. A month before turning 13 he started figuring out that he had a crush on a girl and might be a lesbian. • Not only that but also started getting a lot of gender dysphoria, even feeling uncomfortable with a lot of his clothes and even pictures of him in his gymnastic outfits and competitions. • Nothing much came out of the crush except heartbreak which did kind of shake things up for the system. Mike felt things very profoundly and the heartbreaks of feeling like he would never find love because he likes girls destabilized the system a bit which led to more frequent switches- especially at school to continue functioning with the classmate mike had a crush on. • Around 14 Mike finds out more about things identity wise and starts thinking he might be a transmasculine butch lesbian, but isn't sure of himself because he feels his identity is very shaky and constantly changing so he settles on being genderfluid. (This confusion is mostly caused by Svetlana who also is discovering she's a lesbian btw). • At 15 is when the big bad happens for Mike. He gets his first girlfriend who happens to be older and more experienced than him. She sees him as a trans guy, even though he tries to explain he isn't. She is very forward and sexual to him, which freaks him out. She is constantly trying to see his chest and fetishize him especially when he's binding. • At 17 after a long time seeing a therapist due to the previous events, he found out he was a system and has been doing system work with his therapist for a year now. This is the same year he signs up for total drama.

Manitoba 'Jones':

• He/Him - 21 - System Aware • Split off around 13. • Introject of Henry 'Indiana' Jones from specifically 'The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'. • Chose the name Manitoba to distance himself from his source, although he finds high comfort in it. • System Historian / Internal Helper. He also frequently takes care of the syskids and takes them on adventures in the headspace. • Very rare for him to fully front but he likes to come sit around front whenever anyone watches action movies. • Is actually the one that handled breaking up with Mike & Vito's girlfriend because neither of them felt like they could and when he figured out what was going on he got very protective.

Vito:

• He/Him but later on uses any - 18 - System Aware • Split off around 15 because of Mike's girlfriend of the time. • Split off as a sexual protector and hypersexuality symptoms holder. • Sexualizes himself a lot because it makes him feel in control and desired. Feels like because 'hes a guy' it means he has to like and enjoy it bcuz thats what a real man would feel. • Gets triggered front everytime anyone in the system loses their shirt because of it creating dysphoria and PTSD. • Was actually the most heartbroken when they broke up with their shitty ex girlfriend. He loved her a lot and saw himself as her boyfriend more than Mike did, even if he knew deep down she wasn't good to them. • Is the alter that, alongside Svetlana, made Mike realize something wasn't adding up and start talking to a psychologist and getting therapy. • Started unpacking a lot of his relationship but still holds a lot of the system's hypersexuality symptoms and has a weird relationship to gender as he feels like his 'gender' as a 'guy' is affirmed through having withstood their ex' abuse and 'enjoying' it. • He is actually nonbinary but it takes him a while to figure that out and only really figures it out AFTER total drama.

Mal:

• He/She/It - Ages With Body - System Aware • Persecutor/Misguided Protector. Split off during total drama all stars. • Mal split off with the belief that to win the game you have to be selfish and self preserving and manipulative. • He feels that Mike is "Too soft" and "Too kind" to survive let alone win the game. So he decides to play it by 'their rules'. A rule that Mal perceives to be the only way to make it through. • Due to splitting off with the belief of needing to replace Mike, she actually looks very similar to him in the headspace and while she doesn't like it she finds it very easy to imitate him and sees it as a way to protect the system by imitating Mike to win the show and get everyone away. • She thinks Mike is too 'naive' and 'trusting' and Mal sees that as a weakness others in the show will exploit and abuse so he decides to distrust everyone including the people who the rest of the system feel are safe like Zoey and Cameron. • It doesn't come from a serious place of malice more than a maladaptive coping strategy where Mal is in constant survival mode and unwilling to let his guard down in case the system gets hurt and he KNOWS that its bound to happen being part of total drama. • This is reinforced by the fact that Mal split off with memories concerning their ex girlfriend and knows how deceiving people can be, especially seeing how some of the people on the show have tons of red flags that reminds her of Mike & Vito's ex. • He tries to protect the system by constantly trying to force herself front and by betraying people and playing 'the villain' so that no one will hurt them and that they have more chances to win if they're the one to strike first and he lashes out and gets angry when the system calls him out for it because he doesn't understand why they dont see what he sees. • After a lot of therapy and help from the system and Zoey and Cameron, Mal unpacks and unlearns a lot of the harmful ideas she split off with and also starts exploring herself outside of 'Total Drama'. A lot of her identity is tied as 'Mike's only hope to survive total drama' and its a lot for her to work through. • She gets on much better terms with Zoey later on, but it does take a very long time to build up that trust between them even if Zoey understands where Mal was coming from.

[loquaciousquark]

okay but pls to tell me about the horror of hunger

BOY WOULD I LOVE TO okay so, first, it is imperative to understand that it's Tavish's canon that Astarion kills her the first time he feeds. This is because in playing the scene the first time ever, I was in MP with @mystery-moose & @eponymous-rose, and it so happened that the scene triggered on Tav & it so happened that she rolled TWO NATURAL ONES on both those checks & outright died, and it was so hilarious and unexpected that it simply had to become an integral part of her story.

Except of course as I got to know the character over several playthroughs, I was presented with a couple of questions! Why in the world would Tavish (selfish, self-centered, uniquely concerned with her own survival early in the game) firstly allow Astarion to feed on her at all, and secondly, fail so fatally to stop him before he killed her? How can I reconcile the dice with the narrative?

What I realized on the second run, though, was that Tav was a street kid from the age of 14. She had to fend for herself completely, unable to even scrounge up protection from the Thieves' Guild, and I think there were a lot (a lot) of nights where she went to bed hungry, especially the first few years. I think she developed a bone-deep fear of that hunger, and I think recognizing that same hunger in Astarion's eyes on bite night is what pushes her over the edge to allow the feed, even though it's not something she would have ever agreed to in a million years otherwise.

She likes Astarion by now, even if she doesn't like like him, and along with her realization that she doesn't mind helping others altruistically (some of the early tief stuff) comes the same realization about her companions. (It helps that Tav has additional hangups about her worth as a person being tied to her utility, especially surrounded by people she sees as much more competent than herself; if she can make Astarion dependent on her in this way, she can cement her place in the gang and they won't leave her behind. This is why she fails to stop him when she should, and then can't stop him when she must.) (This entire relationship is initially founded on bilateral manipulation and I love it.)

Anyway, the fic will start with an exploration of those events, then hopefully will move into other expressions of hunger & its dangers for both Tav & Astarion. She sees his ostensible hunger for power & recognizes his true hunger for safety & freedom, both from Cazador & the sun; he sees her hunger for gold and understands she's actually after the security of a warm place to sleep with food in her belly & someone who'll notice if she dies.

I have strong ideas for the first half of this fic & more nebulous vibes for the second half, but I think it'd be a really fun investigation of the way their characters mirror each other, & I like the idea of examining what they think "help" looks like, ahaha.

Thank you for asking! <3<3<3

[plasmaapologist]

...just realized i left my introduction in the drafts. oops. at least i have a better photo now.

my names tula, and i'm a registered pokémon nurse with a horrible tendency to ramble. i live in unova and do some work here, but i mainly travel to other regions for this.

i am a former member of team plasma. former. my username is ironic because i cope with humor.

i ran away from home at age 14- it's a long story - and ended up being indoctrinated in. i, like many others, were lucky to have a sort of "snap to reality" moment after ghetsis' first arrest, before the formation of neo plasma, but not before i spent 10 years of my life working for him. many people are shocked by how open i am about my experience, but i think its extremely important to talk about these things: if i could help just one person leave this cycle, or keep someone from entering it, then it would make the shame worth it.

i have dedicated my life to helping pokémon, as a way to attone, i suppose. my darling solosis, mini, travels with me, though i must admit she's quite the spoiled brat. to have such an innocent creature love and trust you is the most healing experience someone can ask for, and i acknowledge that i was so very lucky. i had a home to return to, i was able to find work despite my history, and physically, i bear only a scar on my back and a missing finger... also just so we all know i am a natural ginger and i am not going to dye my hair please stop asking thanks

feel free to ask me any questions you may have: about pokemon, about myself, or my experience with team plasma, any of the sort. and if you need help leaving neo plasma or a group like it, please shoot me a message, i'll give you all the advice i can.

- tula ☆

ooc and admin info:

hi! im cassini, im 21, and i have not rpd since middle school. please be nice

im okay with joining events and plotlines! but i do not know how to join in naturally and get too embarrassed to ask. please shoot me a message/invite! muse list bellloowwwww tulas info

im not lore compliant at times and am even willing to bend (most) of my own headcanons bc multiverse and the likes! very flexible in general

okay more important tula things:

- sapient pokemon interaction is okay! tula will generally believe them. shes seen weirder. legendaries will be met with much more scrutiny, but kindness.

- i keep her age purposefully vauge for "pokemon timeline makes no sense" reasons, but you can generally imagine her somewhere between 26-30, probably.

- shes been through a lot and often copes with humor, which means she tends to come off the wrong way a lot of the time

- though open about her time in plasma, she doesnt like talking about how it affected her

- she speaks before thinking and often posts in bursts do to this

- she has a pretty shitty memory

MUSE LIST:

Timeline 1:

Tula Gagnon - @plasmaapologist (OC. 📍Unova. Birthday: January 1st)

Callisto Aoki - @cherishcherubi (OC. 📍 Kalos. Birthday: October 25th)

Iolana Kealoha - @teamskullkalos (OC. 📍Kalos. Birthday: April 12th)

Timeline 2:

Mari Pijotto - @marifromkoto (OC. 📍Paldea. Birthday: December 18th)

Katy - @patisserie-soapberry (Canon. 📍Paldea.)

Atticus - @navisquadatticus (Canon. 📍Paldea.)

Larry - @medali-gym (Canon. 📍Paldea. Half joke blog.)

Robin Lusk - @absolsrenegade (OC/Self Insert. 📍Unova. Birthday: July 5th)

Timeline 3:

Timeline Unknown:

Grise (Hilda Lewis) - @driftingtrainer (Canon. 📍 Vagabond. Birthday: October 5th)

Rochelle Ichihara - @basaltpowder (OC. 📍Hoenn. Birthday ??? )

Barbie & Ken: @championbarbie-swimmerken - (It's fucking Barbie. Yeah, the pink one. 📍 Everywhere. She's Barbie. Birthdays: March 9th, March 11th)

Ice - @rottenice OC. 📍Primarily Sinnoh, but travels a lot. Birthday: December 21st. Please read content warnings in the pinned post.

Miki Nakajima - @nakajima-lgm OC.📍 Johto. Birthday unknown. Please read content warnings in the pinned post.

@galacticfoundation - Team Galactic AU blog.

@twotoypokemon Pokémon Rumble based blog. Sapient Pokémon OC. 📍Axel Town

[usafphantom2]

USAF: Raptors and Eagles line up during air power exercise in Okinawa

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 11/22/2022 - 18:00 in Military

U.S. Air Force aircraft lined up on the runway during a demonstration of capabilities at Kadena Air Base, Japan, November 22, 2022. (Photo: U.S. Air Force / Senior Airman Jessi Roth)

The 18th U.S. Air Force (USAF) Fighter Wing mobilized and launched more than three dozen aircraft on Tuesday, its first large-scale force demonstration since the rotating F-22 Raptors arrived to replace the aged F-15 fleet at the base.

The "routine readiness exercise" saw taxiing simultaneously 23 jets F-15C Eagles, eight F-22A Raptors, a trio of HH-60 Pave Hawks, a KC-135 Stratotanker, E-3 Command and control Sentry and RC-135 reconnaissance, before takeoff, a procedure called Elephant Walk.

The succession of launches was designed to test “Kadena’s ability to generate air power quickly” to defend Japan and promote “peace and regional security,” the 18th Fighter Wing said in a statement on Monday announcing the exercise.

The demonstration included HH-60G Pave Hawks, F-15C Eagles, F-22A Raptors, a KC-135 Stratotanker, an E-3 Sentry and a RC-135 Rivet Joint. (Photo: U.S. Air Force / Airman 1st Class Tylir Meyer)

A formation of the 44th F-15C Eagles Fighter Squadron and a 525th FS F-22A Raptor are stopped on the runway as part of a demonstration of capabilities at Kadena Air Base, Japan, November 22, 2022.( Photo: U.S. Air Force / Senior Airman Jessi Roth)

The demonstration came shortly after criticism from some defense experts and a group of U.S. legislators who protested against the replacement of permanent fighters by a rotating set.

“Whenever we are displaying our air power, part of this is to reassure our allies that we are capable and reliable,” said 18th Wing spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Geoffroy, as the aircraft gathered on the runway. He said that Tuesday's exercise "definitely" took on an additional meaning due to the transition from the Eagles to the Raptors and with the two aircraft in hand.

There are still approximately 50 F-15 fighters in Okinawa, Geoffroy said. He calculated the number of Raptors in about a dozen. A spokesman for the Okinawa Department of Defense, which represents the Ministry of Defense of Japan on the island, said there are 14.

The "gradual withdrawal" will occur in the next two years. The Eagles - at least initially - are being replaced by fifth-generation F-22 stealth fighters in six-month rotating deployments.

The first Raptors arrived on November 4, from the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf-Richardson Joint Base in Alaska. There will be no gaps in the coverage of the fighters, according to the 18th Wing.

Critics said the measure sends the wrong message to China and U.S. allies in the region.

Two U.S. Air Force's HH-60G Pave Hawks fly over Kadena Air Base, Japan, on November 22, 2022.( Photo: U.S. Air Force / Airman 1st Class Alexis Redin)

Prominent Republican legislators, Senator Marco Rubio, from Florida; Congressman Mike Gallagher, from Wisconsin, the main Republican in the subcommittee of personnel of the Armed Forces; Senator Bill Hagerty, from Tennessee, former ambassador to Japan; and Congressman Mike McCaul, from Texas, the main Republican in the Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd

The group agrees with the modernization, but fears that there will be a "tangible reduction in American advanced combat power" without the permanent presence of fighters, the letter said.

Tags: Military AviationElephant WalkF-15 EagleF-22 RaptorUSAF - United States Air Force / US Air Force

Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. It has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[soulless-computerbug]

Alright for shits and giggles, lets talk about lore stuff. Specifically, ghosts and the undead, new life, and aging after death. Click under the cut for a *lot* of personal canon info

There are a lot of undead characters in the canon of my fic, and consequently my personal canon that i follow on this blog. Like the Moon Children, all of them are dead and "living" as ghosts in their new vessel, the Event Network. All of them died before they were 18. Despite this, all but two of them are considered legally adults in my canon, and the majority of them are in their mid 20s. How is this the case?? Its a mix of choices made for the self, and the will of the spirit.

Ben, Ifrit, Dusk, Nekko, and Insidiae all willingly ascended, ie. gave their life up to what they thought was their Goddess Luna. Ben was 12, Ifrit and Dusk 17, Nekko 11, and Insidiae 14 when they passed on. Despite this, they didnt ascend to their expected paradise. Where they thought they would pass into an afterlife, they instead passed into the Event Network. The Event Network itself is ageless, but emotionally immature when it first acquires Ben. It learns itself and becomes more mature through the experiences of its own collective, and by the time the majority of the have ascended, it is about as emotionally and mentally mature as the majority of them.

All ghosts get to make a decision from the moment they realize they are stuck on the mortal plane. They can decide to keep living in their afterlife, and they can make this decision whenever they want. If they choose to begin the process to move on, they will age naturally, as a show of progress for their maturity. They can also consciously choose to stop aging at any point, but they cannot revert their years. A ghost can only get older, not younger. Nekko, as an example, refuses to grow up. Nekko will always be a kid in my canon, he doesnt want to grow old, or kive as an adult. He has his fun being a kid forever in the collective, forever the baby of the group. The rest of them often refused to grow at first, not wanting to move on from their trauma, but eventually decided to move on, growing as old as they desired before essentially locking in their age. This is why Ben, despite dying at the age of 12, starts my fic canonically at 23 years old, and is actually 30+ years old.

Sally is another character that pops up on rare occasions in my fic. She died in the 40s, and has refused to age past her dying age, despite emotionally maturing. Mentally, she is old, and has a lot more experience than she gives on. But for her own comfort, she chooses to stay and live as a 12 year old girl, and chooses to keep the mannerisms and lifestyle of a 12 year old girl too. For the most part she stays around other kids, but later on in the fic she will become a proxy of Splendorman to help him with the kids he watches over.

So really, if we're talking about dead or undead characters and ages, it wholly depends on the choices of the individual. There will be as many mixed cases as their are ghosts and dead, and hopefully I will be able to touch on more as I write more.

[crystal-verse]

Can I please ask the first five questions for both K'pheli and Mehka?

-cracks knuckles- okay give me a sec

Where were they during the Calamity? Mehka and K'pheli both were underground, in Gelmorra; they were 18 and 14 at the time, and while Mehka was technically old enough to leave (being an adult), she'd stayed underground to help K'leytai look after K'pheli, who was especially ill during that era due to Dalamud -- and its aether and disruption to the surrounding area -- making him more sick than normal.

How did they acquire their Echo? As a god, K'pheli does not actually have the Echo; however, he has similar abilities and so it's assumed that he has the Echo, and it's assumed that he had it from a young age due to the fact that he was just. . . Like That as a child sometimes. Mehka, on the other hand, didn't have her Echo manifest until she was nineteen -- she wouldn't realize it until later, but it was a vision of early Gelmorra (the first Gelmorra) from the point of view of one of K'pheli's previous incarnations (that is, one of the Shattered God's vessels before he was born as Sae'pheli'ehva).

Does their Echo function like it does in the MSQ? Or is there a twist to it? Mehka's Echo works similarly to canon -- she can understand others regardless of language, seeing past events/viewing someone's thoughts via the visions, etc. However, her Echo gives Mehka the ability to know various ways that a future battle or event may unfold (essentially, dungeon wipes for Mehka would simply be a possible future that she'd have seen beforehand). As stated, K'pheli does not actually have the Echo. However, he does have abilities that are functionally the Echo -- he knows past (or future) events due to having access to divine knowledge (he knows the plot of the game, Higher Plane knowledge and all); he does not actually translate words in other languages into his own first language, like the Echo does for Echo users, but due to the aforementioned divine knowledge he nonetheless knows what others are saying. Lastly, his divine knowledge may let him know anything from a broad strokes understanding of events or a person's history to a very detailed, intimate understanding of someone or something's existence. (It's a fun time.)

Do they have a canon mount or minion? What's its name(s)? Mehka has her company chocobo, simply named Choco. Additionally, she has a unicorn mount, which she's named "Lionnet". (It's more that Haurchefant suggested the name, and Mehka went with it.) K'pheli, meanwhile, has his company chocobo Tonkotsu, whomst he loves very dearly. Additionally, on the First he has his Amaro, named Carissimi (meaning "beloved" in Allagan aka Latin).

Where are they from? What was their childhood like? As stated above, Mehka and K'pheli are both from Gelmorra! Their childhoods, while overall good, was still very influenced by K'pheli's chronic illness and constant sickness. Mehka was influenced more in the sense of seeing her cousin sick all the time, with nothing that she or K'leytai (K'pheli's older sister) could really do to help; this has led to her wanting to help people as much as she can, because she hated the feeling of helplessness and not being able to do anything to help K'pheli. K'pheli, on the other hand, was the one to be constantly sick. As one can imagine, growing up chronically ill can be traumatizing -- K'pheli unfortunately also had the lingering memories of past vessels' lives, manifesting in frequent nightmares when he was younger (though these nightmares lessened as he got older, and stopped -- for the most part -- when he was fourteen). The Calamity's disturbance in Eorzea's aether made him incredibly ill during that time, from about the year of the calamity to the year afterwards, though thankfully his health improved afterwards.

[a-tale-of-legends]

Brainstorming ideas for the rivals relationship with each other, starting with Wally since he popped into my head first.

Blue: Fucking tired of his dramatic ass ( read: they are best friends)

Silver: Get along well! Wally was too sweet to be mean to when they first met, but also very strong. Battle Tower buddies :) ( Wally takes over for Anabel in my au, and Silver ends up managing the Johto Battle Tower).

Barry: Was a bit much for Wally at first, it was hard for Wally to keep up at first....still is. But ever since the first time they met I feel they've grown to be friends.

Barry and Wally are actually the same age in my au. By dppt, they're both 13( dppt takes place 3 years after emerald in my au.). I have Barry be 13 because why not. He's already older in canon, why not make it by a few years ( Danica, the protag, was 11 at the time). Anyway, this is to say that Blue was the oldest of the initial 4 ( by a single year) and Silver was the baby, which Blue made sure to bring up. A lot. Wally had to prevent Silver from decking Blue in the face so many times....

Bianca: Mostly knows her through Kohaku ( a fellow pokemon professor) and general Chosen Shit. Sweet girl! Admires her ability to recognize her own limits and be okay with them. It took him a while for him to do that. Despite being only met her recently, he's proud of her? Does that makes sense?

Cheren: Someone who he feels sorry for. Because Blue just. Would not stop bothering him. He decided to join Jin and Kohaku to the pwt. He didn't participate, he wasn't a part of the gym unit or a past champion, but he was allowed to interact with the competitors. He then saw blue, who then saw Cheren, and it went downhill from there.....okay that's a lie. Things were tense, yes, but it seems they ended up being friends by the end of it. Blue said something about the two having a lot in common, more than he realized. So....yay? Friendship? Personally, Wally relates to Cheren on some level. The drive to be stronger, be better, to let it warp his mind....yeah. He gets that. He's happy that Cheren found his own path in the end. He can kinda get why him and Blue ended up becoming friends. That, and they're both nerds ( Green's words, not his, he swears)

Hugh: Actually doesn't know him all too well. Cheren mentioned him having a bit of a temper, which makes him beg that he doesn't get into a spat with Silver if they ever met ( he knows that Silver isn't as... prickly as he was before, but he's still Silver). Though Cheren says he's a good kid, so Wally takes his words on it

For this batch, the Unova rivals are all younger than Wally, Hugh by a lot. In bw, Wally would be 16 with Cheren and Bianca being 14-15( thinking about dumping up Cheren's age to 15 I mean). Not a super big age difference, but on an experience level, it's a lot. By b2w2, Wally is 18 with the rivals being 16-17 ( Bianca and Hugh being 16, Cheren being 17.... this might change in the feature).

I feel like Wally doesn't know the Kalos rivals all too well. He had definitely seen the news about them ( its when he finally starts to notice a certain pattern with these types of events), and is deeply concerned for their mental health, cause holy shit. Post XY, he would have definitely seen them around so-

Shauna: Given her status as the information tracker of the Chosens,Wally has been in contact with her plenty of times. They have great conversation, Shauna showing him all the pictures she would take when she's out scouting, and Wally talking to her about his own traveling experiences.

Trevor: Since one of his partners is a professor, it's no surprise he would hear about Sycamore's latest professor assistant. I feel Trevor would be closer to Kohaku since the whole researcher thing, but given Trevor also has some interests in being a trainer, and is more attune to fairy types/ the fairy egg group, Wally kinda becomes a mentor figure to him. It's a weird position for him, he never considered himself the mentor, rather the mentee. Though he guesses it's been years since he was young and inexperienced.

The Kalos rivals ages are always changing in my head, but I, for the life of me, cannot picture them as 10, I cannot. They are mid to late teens. xy takes place the same time as B2w2 in my au, sooo the same applies the xy rivals here from above.

Hau: First things first. Blue was the one that asked him to come to the Battle Tree, not the other way around ( not that blue has been pushing this narrative, more so media coverage of it, which is annoying.) Okay onto Hau. Really good kid. Which has Wally worried. Fears that people would take advantage of his kind nature, and is horrified to learn that has happened in some cases. Appreciates blue and red taking up the "uncle" role for him and the other kids in Alola( how did they reach that? He has now fucking clue, but it's sweet).

Gladion: Another kid that Wally is worried about. I don't think Wally would exactly know about Gladion's situation, but has gotten some context clues about what's going on ( also Green traveling with Lillie in Kanto helps bridge the gap in information). Wally doesn't stay in Alola like Red and Blue, but he makes an effort to call them every once in a while, both to check up on them and the kids. Anyway, Gladion has definitely challenged Wally to a battle at some point. Maybe multiple points.....okay an interesting plot point I can see for Gladion is him traveling through Hoenn at Wally's request. Ooooh, and Gladion already becomes a dark type E4 member in my au, so that really could be interesting if he meets Sydney hmmmmmmm.....food for thought.

Hop: " Oh, Barry 2.0" ( he means this in the most affectionate way possible....also doesn't say it out loud). I don't thiiiiiiink Wally would know him well? Like with the Chosen stuff, everyone ends up knowing everyone one way or another, but personally, I don't think their connection is that deep. Wally is still very nice, and is someone that Hop admires,but I'm struggling to sense a deeper bond between the two, which is okay!

Bede: " lmao, Silver 2.0"( again, he means this in the most affectionate way possible). It's a similar case to Hop, but given how Wally compares Bede to Silver, he tries to help Bede with his emotions any way he can. Again, not super close, but the kindness is always there.

Marnie: Past experiences ( Gladion and Hau) has him Concerned ™. But also he knows she's a sweet kid, who's honestly trying their best. They all are really, and the best Wally can do is support them as an adult.

Wally has not met the Paldea kids at all so I'm looking past them for now.

Tldr: Blue, Barry and Silver are essentially Wally's bff's, the people he's closest too. The gen 5 rivals are people he, for the most part, Gets ™. The gen 6 rivals aren't as close, but not too far from where the gen 5 rivals are with him, but is also where he starts to Notice The Pattern. Gen 7 rivals are where he takes more of a backseat than anything, but I can see him being someone of admiration for Hau and Gladion ( especially Gladion). And lastly, the gen 8 rivals are the ones he's not as close too overall, but finds them charming all the same. Also it's his worried parent arc lol.

[kauma-kardia]

Ly’Bai “Iris” Daraen

Age: 22

Specialty: Ambient Energy Manipulation

Daughter of Robin & Lon'Qu from FE: Awakening. Usable for any verse as an extension of original canon. 

Classes: Swordmaster, Mortal Savant, Strategist

Her World

This version of Iris came from the future but instead happened to show up after the events of Fire Emblem: Awakening. Coming from a ruined future, she was the second child born to the couple of Robin and Lon'Qu in the future. Her father Lon'Qu had retreated to Regna Ferox with his two children after attempts to reach his wife failed on multiple attempts, not powerful enough to overcome the beast, even while fighting alongside the West-Khan. 

 When Basilio fell in battle, Lon'Qu took to prioritizing the well being of Ly'Bai and her older brother Marc in the familiar territory of Regna Ferox. That is until a coup against Flavia broke out when she assumed temporary control of both East and West territories following Basilio's death. Despite turning down the position himself, Lon'Qu refused to let a ruler take the stage unless they could defeat him in one-on-one combat, distraught by his constant losses of loved ones but recognizing the need for strong leadership. 

Flavia was silent in her admission or support of Lon'Qu's actions, but that left her in power all the same. Seeing as no-one could defeat the lone fighter, a complete overturning of the current government left those two in particularly under hot water. His last act as their father was pushing Marc and Iris to flee and seek out refuge with the remnants of the Shepherds as there was no other place he could safely send them on short notice. 

 When they finally met up with the next generation of Shepherds, Yllise was far worse off than it had ever been. Marc had known, but Iris was always shielded from the fact that the Fell Dragon incarnated from their mother. And being too young to see front-lines battle up until that point, was ignorant of that fact until she made it back in time with Lucina and the others had simply hoped that their actions could prevent Grima’s awakening altogether. 

Her Story

Like the others, Iris made the jump into the past but was unable to Her leap through time was shoddy in its time frame, much like Laurent's. Though in her case, she wasn't sent back far enough. Instead of arriving in time to prepare and help stop Grima, young 14 year old Iris arrived shortly after its defeat, much to her shock. Granted, she was already the youngest amongst her peers at the time, but seeing everyone now years older than she had last witnessed them, and to hear that they had already come to defeat the Fell Dragon was at the cost of her own mother was devastating. 

The news didn't sit well with the girl who hardly had any memories of her mother to begin with. Having lived through her time, just to come short of being use to her mother, or even getting to meet her. There was a slew of feelings that she didn’t know how to process, but it would not be long before she would try to learn as much as she could about the Dragon's origin as it was her own lineage as well. 

As part of the global search issued by Chrom, Iris would travel far with Nah and her brother, assisting him in his recollection of his old memories on their way toward Mount Prism to seek council of Naga at Tiki’s recommendation. Once there, the Great Divine Dragon would issue them a quest that would help to bring back their mother independent of the fell dragon's influence. Their collective feelings for their lost mother would help act her tether to the physical realm as they sought the last remaining pieces of Grimleal Artifacts and a means to purify them and Robin’s twisted soul, divorced from the curse Forneus wrought upon the land. 

Nah’s Classes: Manakete, Witch, Sage

Marc’s Classes: Grandmaster, Dread Fighter, Dark Bishop

The three would first travel to Chon’sin in order to seek out a blessed Kinshi, with control over fire and the feathers that would shone even in the pitch black darkness. A giant bird was stated to live at the lake south of the Demon’s Ingle, and upon passing its trials, the three were gifted Phoenix Feathers, capable of countless enchantments and purification rituals. Now having obtained the purifying element, they’d need a physical embodiment of the beast. 

Their theory that it should be impossible given that Robin gave her all to ensure there was no way for the Fell Dragon to reincarnate, but Naga ensured her that there still lived a piece of proof that the demon’s power remained: The Demon Ring once used by the first rulers of the Valmese Empire in the days when it was still known as Valentia.

The siblings were urged to visit Valm, often reporting back to Chrom and Lon’Qu, who was busy now raising their current selves. Seeking out his research amongst their royal archives after earning the respect of Walhart. Through him, they learned of the Thabes Labyrinth, where they were shocked to find it still held Risen and at it’s heart, a sentient Deadlord by the name of Zodiark, the undead alchemist Forneus and holder of the Demon Ring. 

After having been killed by the by his creation, the Fell Dragon, he fought for his sanity through the Death Mask he placed over himself in his final moments. He shared his conscious with the generations of thanatophages that have lived and died in his unrotting corpse over the eons in order to continue his experiments and find a way to revive himself. One of his theories is that in order to recreate new life from the ashes of old, he would need to set himself ablaze and utilize the Phoenix Feather, which the three travelers happen to have on them. 

So close to both of their goals, Iris, Morgan and Nah wielding the Book of Naga clashed with the alchemist of legend, Demon Ring in tow utilizing unfamiliar magics and offensive alchemy. In the end, the trio would take the day, end Forneus’ efforts and would take the spoils back to so that they could perform the rite and end the delay on Robin’s reincarnation.

After a year's time from the onset of their journey, Chrom would hear the voice of Naga guide them to the field where their fight to save the world began. And with a strange sense of deja vu, he would reach to pull their friend up with the same warning he would have hoped that'd taken to hear by now. "There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know."

Present Day

Since the return of her mother, Iris has been off studying more about the Fell Dragon as well as the other experiments that their creator had been up to. She stopped to get proper tutelage in magics, focussing on Anima Magics before continuing her studies on the divine dragons, gods, ancient races, and sources of power, and sometimes following Issea, her mother's pupil, or dragging him around for her expeditions or going to see other worlds alongside him.

[paperpennies]

Please tell me about your AU idea where Sasha and Milla meet in Brazil as teenagers and basically end up long-distance dating before either of them become Psychonauts ^_^

Oh hey look at that, totally out of nowhere, not prompted by me at all! (@2somethingelseyoumightknow2 and @strawberry-et also asked me about it but it seems redundant to answer three separate asks. I didn’t think three people would actually do it lol. Also sorry for taking 8 years to answer.) This idea came out of just smushing two thoughts together. Then I got weirdly attached. Buckle in; it’s gonna be pretty long.  Under a cut to avoid annoying feed scrolling.

So, AU is: Sasha mom lives, meaning he turns out a lot better emotionally adjusted since he grows up with at least one attentive parent. His dad is better too- still pretty emotionally constipated but not, like, broken the way he is in canon. The family also has 4-5 more kids after Sasha. This does mean they’re pretty poor but they do okay. 

His mother is a schoolteacher, who is somewhat unusual in the time period for working and being a mom of a big family at the same time. She and Sasha are quite close; he gets a lot of his intellectual and curious side from her. In his eyes, he’s much more like her than like his dad (although people who know them both would say he’s a lot more like his father than he thinks). His mother also knows about his psychic powers, having noticed them as soon as they started showing up, but his dad and siblings (probably) don’t. 

The story starts when Sasha is 14-15 years old. He’s getting increasingly bored living in a small rural town with few opportunities related to his interests, and his developing psychic powers (and probable undiagnosed autism) make things even more complicated and difficult for him. His mother gets an opportunity, probably with some kind of charity organization, to go teach German/English and maybe other stuff in Brazil for a while. She decides to take it, and take Sasha with her so he can have some different life experiences. She also takes his youngest sister along, since she’s still very little and dad’s already going to be left alone with three other kids. 

(Also, my assumed age for Sasha and Milla in the games is like mid-30s, which, if the games take place in mid/late 80s, would mean they were born in the mid-50s. That means they would be 14-15 in the late 60s. So that’s the timeline I’m going with here.) 

So they go to Brazil. The school Sasha’s mom is working at is either at or associated with an orphanage- maybe a church that has a school and an orphanage. Of course, Milla is there. I don’t have a lot of the details locked in here. It’s hard because we know nothing about Milla’s family or life before she was working at the orphanage, so I’m really just pulling this out of nowhere to fit in with this AU. For the purposes of this, she has no family and is living at the orphanage and going to the school there (even though that’s sad and I kinda don’t like it. May change it. Hm.)

Anyway, Sasha’s mom is teaching at the school; Sasha is doing basically independent study. I also haven’t decided if Milla is in his mom’s classes, because I haven’t decided what age group(s) she’s teaching. Either Milla’s in her classes or gets employed (or volunteers) to babysit Sasha’s little sister and that’s how she comes to be around. Oh, and also for the purposes of this, Sasha’s mom already spoke Portuguese before this, and Sasha’s been learning it prior to arriving there, so he’s like conversational at least. 

Either way, Sasha and Milla meet. Despite having some initial personality conflict, they find they have a weird connection to each other. Milla is curious about this feeling and interprets it as maybe being a crush, although it feels a little bit different. She decides to try and befriend him to understand it better, and also because that’s just what Milla does. She’s the sort of person who makes people her friends half-against-their-will just by being friendly and caring consistently until they can’t deny that they’re friends.

Sasha, meanwhile, is wary of her and her enthusiasm because he’s not great with the social stuff, especially with the culture and language gaps at play. He’s also wary of the feeling because it seems psychic-related, but he doesn’t know what that means. Plus Milla is like super pretty and nice and he gets tongue-tied and red-faced whenever she talks to him, but he definitely doesn’t like her shut up Mom.

Over time, Milla’s determination prevails, and they become genuine friends. He hides the fact that he’s psychic at first, but eventually does tell her. He asks her if she’s sure she’s not psychic, because she really seems psychic somehow. She doesn’t think she is, but he theorizes she’s probably not quite normal, at least, and that’s where the connection they’ve felt from the beginning comes from.

Since they’re actually perfect for each other, their friendship grows deeper over the months they spend hanging out. By the time Sasha has to leave, they’ve developed real romantic (in a 14-15 year old way) feelings for each other. They don’t ever really talk about it, but promise to write.

And they do. Sasha’s siblings start referring to the girl he writes to as his girlfriend to tease/annoy him, but eventually it sticks. He stops protesting, although he never confirms whether or not it’s true, and it starts being matter-of-fact to them instead of a joke. On Milla’s side, she still talks about him to her friends like he’s still there, and she gets the penpal-boyfriend teasing, too. It doesn’t really bug her, though. They save up money over a few years to go and visit each other, and talk about their relationship enough to be sort of “official”. It’s rough since they rarely get to see each other in person or even talk on the phone, but they keep going. 

Years pass, and some things change and others don’t. Sasha mother dies when he’s in his late teens, and he and his dad start having bigger and bigger issues between them in the wake of greiving. He leaves home as soon as he’s sure his younger siblings will be fine without him around. Out and about in the world, he gets recruited into the Psychonauts within the next few years (the specifics of this don’t matter too much for this AU). Milla goes on to work in her orphanage, the thing she’s most passionate about. They still keep close in touch, and get to see each other a more often now that they’re grown up and Sasha has better access to international travel. They finally decide “okay yes, we really are actually dating” even though it’s still long distance. Sasha’s colleagues 100% do not believe his story about having a beautiful long-distance girlfriend in Brazil, because that would sound fake af even if wasn’t coming from the very serious, not-romantic-at-all Sasha. Even his picture of them together does not convince them.

Then, the thing happens. Milla’s orphanage burns down, and her psychic powers finally fully awaken. Because of her knowledge of psychics, she realizes what’s happening, but it’s still a horrifically traumatic event. Sasha takes a leave period to come and help her, finds that it’s even more serious than he’d expected, and puts her in touch with the Psychonauts directly for some better assistance. He’s too close to her to do more than an initial check-up himself. 

They find Milla has a lot of potential and extend an offer to join the intern program (which at that time spans a larger age range than later on). She rejects the offer at first, tries to go back to her life, but later decides she needs to make a complete change and accepts. Sasha’s colleagues are shocked to find out she is indeed real. She graduates first out of her class, as one of the best levitators the organization has ever seen. Technically, she and Sasha aren’t supposed to be romantically involved as agents, but the Psychonauts have always been pretty loosey-goosey about that rule (given the history of its founders). 

So that was a novel in length. It’s not necessarily that interesting in this form, but there’s the AU. I think the interest would be the specifics of how their relationship would play out as a story, if they met young enough and under the right circumstances to not to get stuck in the hang-ups their relationship has in canon. If you read this far, tell me what you think! Thoughts, feelings, emotional outbursts?

[beevean]

SEGA and its most recent Sonamy side – more canon than ever

[Translator’s note: this article was originally written in Spanish by @latin-dr-robotnik​]

Hello again! Today we’d like to discuss about something that’s been happening recently, and probably taking Sonic fans by surprise: what is going on with SEGA and its stance about Sonamy?

At the beginning of this year, to celebrate the 200 articles on Seaside Hill Paradise, I finished what I call “the Sonamy trilogy” of articles that I started in 2018 and which cover different themes, such as:

SEGA and the eternal issue of the Sonic-Amy dynamic

“I love you” – Forbidden words in Sonic

SEGA and the eternal issue of “Sonic’s girlfriend”

The idea was to offer a more-or-less complete analysis about the many facets of their dynamic in the last 27 years; a dynamic that, you may have noticed, is not that easy to pin down, and that we’ve been updating almost regularly (although I also intended to investigate on other dynamics, like Knuckles and Rouge’s for example, and write about them). Generally speaking, in these articles I don’t draw objective conclusions about the status of the ship in canon (despite the fact that the available information tends to confirm it in various occasions). I also like to repeat myself and say that shipping is supposed to be for fun, not for tearing each other’s hair in that black hole of misery that is Twitter, but recent events left us slightly perplexed, and this is why we’re here once again.

We left the status of the Sonamy canonicity with these two peculiar instances back in August: Sonic mentioning his “girlfriend” in the Japanese version of Sonic Battle, and the Twitter account of SEGA of Europe saying Sonamy is their “favorite videogame romance”. Now, let’s recap a bit…

Sonamy in Sonic IDW... Round 3

[SPOILERS ALERT FOR IDW SONIC #14-#35]

In 2018, when IDW just started, I decided to study a little how the Sonamy dynamic worked in this new universe. To our surprise, the comic didn’t waste time in dropping its biggest bomb, in one of the cutest scenes we had seen in ages. Since the very beginning, IDW proved that it didn’t intend to deceive those fans that looked for a bit of development of both characters.

I wrote an article about it in June 2019, and it coincided with the beginning of one of the most infamous arc I’ve seen in a Sonic comic for a long time: the Metal Virus Saga. The question is, what has happened since then?

Well, in 2019, with the same accuracy of an aimbot, I said “We’ll probably see some new interactions between Sonic and Amy sometime around IDW #20”. And wouldn’t you know, as misery and tragedy settled in that arc, it was exactly around IDW #20 that we saw some Sonamy interactions: both exhausted, to their limit, with a Sonic that couldn’t even touch Amy to soothe her pain, due to him being infected with the virus.

The arc developed like this in what felt like an eternity, to finally conclude in one the most absurd ways in Sonic history. But it wasn’t a complete disappointment, as, after months and months of asking and discussing on the internet about how much Sonic and Amy deserved a hug at the end of the arc… it actually happened.

Since that moment in IDW #32, we shippers thought that it was what both of them deserved after so much time spent separated and pushed to their limit to survive, but also that after the end of the arc everything would go back to normal. However, what we didn’t know was that the Sonamy train had no intention of stopping, not in IDW, nor anywhere else.

A recurring detail in IDW Sonic is that Amy’s tail starts wagging every time she sees Sonic, as if she was a happy dog. I swear, it happens every time.

Come IDW #35, once again we have some hugs and bits of dialogue between our hedgehogs. For sure, the question here isn’t their relationship itself, as it was for IDW #2, but rather the issues this arc is slowly dealing with. But it’s really nice to see them again, sharing that closeness that they’ve had in the comic since the beginning– be it with some gestures of affection, a wink, a gesture, a private joke.

My favorite image is the first one, Belle’s reaction to seeing Amy hugging Sonic. It’s like she’s thinking “oh, is she his girlfriend?”, and she wouldn’t even be wrong in thinking that.

It can’t be denied that IDW Sonic provided us the conversations and the emotions that the games seldom do. Certainly, the comic has its share of issues and it’s not really a story that I personally follow for its own merits (it’s more because it’s still Sonic, for my interest for things like this, and Belle’s existence… whom I already ship with Tails, sorry not sorry), but what it does well it does really well.

For now, we have to see how IDW Sonic will follow the development of the characters, especially in view of the closure of the current story and beyond. And we may be done with this part of the article, but there is still a lot left.

Sonamy in merchandise

Taking us completely by surprise, recently SEGA launched, in collaboration with Hot Topic, a series of Sonamy-themed t-shirts. No, seriously.

So many people told me this as soon as the voice spread (you know who you are, thank you guys for thinking about me <3), and I can’t help being still surprised that this is actually a thing. T-shirts with lines like “You’re my favorite”, “Love in the fast lane”, and my personal favorite, “S&A Forever”, with drawings of Classic Sonic and Amy… in SEGA-approved products. I don’t know if you realize how much of a big deal this is, even more than “Celebrate the 25 years of Sonic’s girlfriend” from 2018.

One of the things that surprised me the most (aside from how explicit they are in officializing the relationship, and the fact that there are still 2 months left before Valentine’s Day 2021), was the decision to use Classic Sonic and Classic Amy. I tried to understand this decision by analyzing the simplicity and easiness with which the Classic designs convey a message (let’s not forget that Classic Sonic was so iconic because it was specifically designed to convey his expressions without words), besides the fact that they’re inherently cuter than their modern designs. There’s also the controversial aspect of post-Adventure Sonamy, with all the dubbing and weird interpretations that the fandom made over the years… By comparison, the Classic design are a much simpler choice.

What is actually going on?

Well, let’s take a step back and think about what we just saw. The way SEGA has been recently trying to push Sonic and Amy in front view (and for the entirety of 2020, based on the articles I mentioned in the beginning) tells us the harsh truth we all have to accept sooner or later: Sonamy sells, and it sells a lot.

From a strictly business point of view, the ship is so iconic and popular, with fans and detractors alike, that it would be absurd for SEGA to ignore the chance to print these two characters and get a load of money. As I said in my 2018 article, despite the fact that in Japan Sonic isn’t as big of an icon as it is elsewhere, they know pretty well that Sonic + Amy = love, and they have huge amounts of merchandise to back it up. It’s in the West that because of different cultural values, of which we’ve already talked about, along with some internal resistance, left this aspect of the franchise a little on the side. But they’ve been trying to fix it… and how…

Let’s not forget that a decade and a half ago Sonic Team seriously favored Sonamy. They officially said it, Sonic X was their purest view of Sonic they had at the time.

Outside of the business perspective, I believe we’re facing the moment that we’ve been waiting for: it’s time they’ll establish once and for all the dynamic of these two characters, following more closely the original Japanese vision of Sonic. I said many times that, in trying to change canon, the West, especially SEGA of America, did nothing but confuse fans and generate more discussions than needed, by introducing different data and portrayals that contradict the canon established by Sonic Team.

We’ve talked about Unleashed and emotional support, about Sonic X, about the major moments that opened the door to interpreting this dynamic as something more. We don’t threaten at gunpoint those who would rather stay away, but we respond to those declarations that still try to violently discredit the simple fact that Sonic and Amy, who are most of all close friends, form in some measure a couple that, even with its imposed limitations, manages to captivate fans and not fans everywhere in the world. Even the Simpsons used it as a joke, and that says a lot.

What the future has in store for us.

Unless something else happens in this last month of 2020, this is the most complete compilation I can offer at the moment about the status of Sonamy in the fandom and in the official canon. Yes, canon.

It’s impossible to ignore the signals. As you may have noticed, I’ve been considering Sonic and Amy as an official couple, with its clarifications (for example, that at the end it’s more of a friendship, that it’s not a romantic relationship in the most explicit way, that it’s more of a personal perspective to justify a more mature vision of the relationship in the future, not right now), but nowadays I think that SEGA has spoken loud and clear. I think canon is ready to negotiate the idea that Sonic and Amy, apart from being excellent friends who would risk their lives for each other in a heartbeat, have something else on their hands (probably the other’s hand). This won’t automatically translate into a kiss, or a complete love declaration (although Sonic X came close…), or a commitment to a formal relationship like we know them in real life. SEGA canon affirms that Amy is “Sonic’s girlfriend” and nothing more. Outside of that detail, they still pretty much function as friends interacting with a little flirting here, and a little Sonic running away there. It’s the basis of their dynamic, now enhanced by the fact that SEGA is giving us a clearer message.

I think that this all may culminate in a game or an animated series, but I wouldn’t completely count on that. It is good to recognize how far the official position goes on this issue, but at the same time I want to reaffirm that there are things that are better left in the hands of the fandom, and in the meantime that IDW or any other continuity gives us hugs, winks, gestures and words of encouragement, we as the fandom will take care of exploring other avenues and hypothetical scenarios.

This is all I have to say on the matter for now, and I hope you’re happy with this wonderful Sonamy experience we’re going through – I certainly am. See you next time!

[anbu-legacy]

In canon Kakashi is too unstable and morally sound for anbu. He cannot live with what is being asked of him in anbu even though he completes his missions with extreme diligence. When he is kicked out it is for his own good. legacy Kakashi has absolutely 0 problems killing even innocent civilian children and babies. I can think of few things worse than that and yet he does it almost blithely and sleeps like a rock after. I'm curious to know if you went with this diverging take as a logical consequence of the things Kakashi would be okay doing had he been doing them for Minato and not hiruzen? Or was it something else which made you deviate from his canon characterisation in this regard? (Hope i'm not overstepping by asking I'm really fascinated with the legacy universe and love the world you've built so I'm curious about the process of it all)

The simplest answer to this is that the section of canon you're talking about came out after Fallen Leaves and ANBU Legacy began.

The less simple answer is... oi, canon.

So, in canon, Kakashi's journey is thus:

Rin is kidnapped by Kirigakure at the end of the Third War, who implants the Three-Tails into her (how??) as part of a Cunning Plan to have it unleashed on Konoha when she inevitably loses control. Kakashi 'rescues' her. Rin begs Kakashi to kill her, because that is clearly the only solution to this issue, it's not like there are MULTIPLE SEAL-MASTERS at home who could unimplant the Three Tails, death is the only option. Kakashi refuses. Convenient Kiri-nin attack. Rin commits suicide-via-Raikiri by jumping in front of Kakashi. Kakashi gains the Mangekyo and we fridge yet another female character, hooray.

Kakashi becomes depressed. (In the anime, people start calling him Friend-Killer Kakashi. Wow, Konoha.)

Minato decides the fix for this is to toss Kakashi into ANBU. Because what 14-year-old wouldn't be cured of survivor's guilt by committing more murder? It's the perfect plan!

The plan does not work. Kakashi does splendidly in ANBU, becoming a captain and taking command of Team Ro, but -- and I'm quoting from Naruto wiki here -- 'his successes were owed to his cold behavior and his ruthlessness in combat, signs that he was still upset by Rin's death'.

(A little aside here: Kakashi is effectively becoming god's perfect killing machine, the blade of Konoha, the tiny angel of death; everything you want in, you know, your elite special forces, and I'm still trying to figure out what Minato's actual goal was here. Did he tell Kakashi that the point of ANBU was to make Kakashi get over Obito and Rin, or did he just say something like 'Konoha needs your services', and has been moving the secret goal posts ever since? Because it's very hard for someone to participate in their active recovery if they don't actually know they're in therapy.)

Anyway. ANBU isn't working to make Kakashi get over his death wish, so Minato decides, hey, why don't you look after my pregnant wife instead? Except that he assigns it as a mission, so Kakashi treats it like a mission, which means he stalks Kushina from the shadows like a feral cat for several months.

Which brings us to the Nine-Tails. So, Minato dies. Kushina dies (failed your mission AGAIN, Kakashi!). The Third apparently imprisons most of Kakashi's generation in a bubble of protection to stop them from helping, for which there isn't enough "what???" in the world, so we're gonna skip right on past that.

Next is a whole series of events where Danzou tries to corrupt Kakashi, Tenzou is introduced, we find out about Root, Orochimaru does his various war crime experiments and escapes, Root is destroyed (or is it??), Tenzou joins ANBU, we meet Itachi, Itachi massacres the Uchiha, and so on. This all takes place over several years. After the Uchiha massacre, the Third feels like "individuals with kind hearts" don't belong in ANBU, so he pulls Kakashi out, and instead charges him with teaching teenagers how to commit murder.

And that's canon.

So, Legacy. Here are the key differences:

Rin doesn't die

Minato doesn't die

Kakashi's mother doesn't die

The Third does die

Kakashi doesn't join ANBU until he's eighteen

The Uchiha massacre hasn't occurred

Instead of getting knocked from pillar to post and punted into ANBU, Kakashi spends the ages of 14 - 18 on (mostly solo) Jounin missions, building up his skillset. He has support from Minato and Rin, an entirely new, anchoring, and happy relationship with Naruto, and more time to grow into himself. His ties to Konoha are much, much stronger. In Legacy, Danzou would have no chance of tempting Kakashi (and knows it).

When Kakashi joins ANBU, it's a choice. He goes into it knowing exactly what's going to be asked of him, and if he wasn't sure before, Minato removes all doubt:

“The Special Assassination and Tactical Squad is neither Konoha’s oldest division nor its noblest,” Minato said, with a conversational air, and Kakashi realized this wasn’t a prepared speech. This was just Minato laying out the facts like he always did, grounding the extraordinary in regular context. “Even inside the village, ANBU are feared more than they’re respected. Citizens of our own village still call them baby-killers. Some ANBU have earned that title, under my command. You may.” He paused. “I have given those orders personally. Every order the ANBU receive comes through me. Sometimes the command is to protect the village, or to conduct a high-risk mission into enemy territory, or to assassinate an exceptionally strong ninja. Sometimes it’s to sustain the village’s lifeblood—to accept a mission so foul I can’t offer it to the regular forces, to work for a client whose motives and methods are reprehensible but whose coin will feed and protect our children. You’ve accepted that first kind of mission, and excelled. Can you accept the second?”

“Yes,” said Kakashi, without hesitation.

(From Take the Mask)

The oath Kakashi swore was this:

I am Hatake Kakashi, ANBU. I have no face but this face.

I have no heart, but the heart of Konohagakure.

I have no will, but the will of my Hokage.

Which is a little worryingly vague, when you think about it.

Kakashi knows he will be asked to kill. He knows he may be asked to commit much worse actions for Konoha. As much as he can, he's made his peace with that. There are orders he would struggle with, but ultimately his moral compass points to home.

He's a shinobi first. Personhood comes second.

-- DK

[cheesybadgers]

Narcos Fic: Old Habits Die Hard (Chap. 5)

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 21, Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24

Masterlist

Pairing: Javier Peña x Horacio Carrillo

Words: 4,275

Summary: In the aftermath of the events of chapter 4, Horacio is due to leave for Madrid and Javier has gone AWOL. Can they reconcile before it’s too late? Not gonna lie, this is mostly lots of feelings and introspection along with some backstory. 

Warnings: 18+ ONLY. Brief description of a panic attack, nightmares/flashbacks, discussions of canon-typical violence, parental loss/grief, mild smut involving handjobs but nothing explicit, mentions of questioning of sexuality, swearing, smoking, some angst (but there is hope this time you’ll be pleased to know!).

Notes: I’m still feeling a bit guilty for what I did in chapter 4, so hopefully this helps...a bit anyway?! As I’ve said before, happier times lie ahead 😉 Thank you to anyone who has stuck with this either on AO3 or Tumblr, it’s greatly appreciated ❤️ On to chapter 6 I go! 

Whilst obviously I do not own Narcos or its characters, please do not copy, re-post, or plagiarize this fic in any capacity on this or other platforms. If you wish to create any fan works inspired by it, please provide a credit or send me a message if in doubt.

Chapter 5: Time, Truth, Hearts

Horacio slumped to the floor with his back against the wall; chest winded as though all of the air had been punched out of his lungs. Perhaps it was his muscle memory kicking in after so long on the frontline, but his instincts were telling him he needed to regulate his breathing before he did anything else. 

Deep breaths were the key; in through the nose and out through the mouth, slow and steady with each one. He continued like this for several minutes until he felt grounded and able to think more clearly.

He supposed this was a delayed reaction to the last few weeks, or more likely months and years if he was being completely honest. Talking about his father the night before reminded him that he had never allowed himself to properly process the loss, or deal with the omnipresent pressure of following in his footsteps and trying to live up to the expectations of a ghost.

His father had been a damn good cop, exemplary even. He’d been awarded every commendation and medal under the sun, rose quickly through the ranks and was popular amongst his peers. Horacio had been on a similar trajectory in the beginning and in his defence, it was undoubtedly his father’s influence that had instilled such a strong anti-corruption stance in him from a young age. It was one of the first pitfalls he’d been warned about when he joined the force and that had stayed with him over the years.

But the war on drugs had soon put a stop to the rest. Sure, he’d been promoted and selected to lead his unit – something he had assumed as a cadet would be beyond his reach, given the accusations of nepotism he’d already had to endure from certain quarters in his short career as it was – but he was under no misapprehension as to why, nor had it been a popular decision.

He tried to reason with himself that these were unprecedented times that called for an extreme response to an extreme situation, that he’d had no choice in the matter when he’d flouted rule after rule, gone above his superiors and ignored the concerns of the person he cared about the most, but he was also glad his father wasn’t around to see what he’d become. After all, there were many different guises for corruption to be found in and the irony wasn’t lost on Horacio that he’d fallen foul of several of them, despite his unwavering contempt for anyone who tried to pay him off.

In the end, it had been easier to brush all of it under the carpet, out of sight and out of mind. Instead, he had buried his head further into his work; or at the bottom of another bottle; or more recently he had sought refuge in Javier, who had so often anchored him when he needed it the most. Now none of those were viable options, he was left unmoored and drifting; desperately trying to stop the current from dragging him under, but waves of exhaustion that had been lapping at his feet for so long were in danger of finally submerging him.

Numerous restless nights plagued with unsettling dreams hadn’t helped matters. His dreams were always vivid yet disjointed; flashes of fictional scenarios mixed with the reality of his own actions. Lately, it had been the same recurring nightmare. One minute he was standing over Diana Turbay, the next she had been replaced with Javier and it had been Horacio who pulled the trigger. Each time he’d woken up trembling and gasping for air, the initial relief from accepting that detail wasn’t real doing little to alleviate the weight on his conscience for the rest that was.

A part of him had vehemently wanted to heed Javier’s warnings, the same part that threw aside his responsibilities for fleeting glimpses of what could have been if their lives were different. As much as he had savoured those moments, he had hoped there would come a day when they didn’t have to sneak around, when it all just became part of their daily routines and they didn’t have to worry that each time might be the last. But the looming shadow of uncertainty and unpredictability cast over his country meant long term plans were all but impossible to make, even without the added complications of a redeployment – no doubt for a future of dry small talk with diplomats and tedious paperwork – and Javier going AWOL.

He didn’t blame Javier for leaving, even if he resented the manner in which he’d done it. However, Horacio couldn’t shake the feeling he was missing something, as was frequently the case when it came to Javier. He left so much unsaid and deciphering the gaps was like starting at the end of a story and working backwards, but Horacio had become somewhat adept at reading between the lines, even when Javier least expected it.

He reached up to the nearby nightstand for his cigarettes and lit one, taking a soothing drag as he replayed the last few months. 

Tolú immediately sprung to mind, specifically Javier’s hesitance to share his bed. Horacio hadn’t forgotten the look of terror in his eyes, but Javier had soon given into it regardless. Then there was his general reluctance to open up about work, or anything else for that matter. The same fear had flashed across his face each time, but Horacio had coaxed the truth out of him in the end. More recently, there had been their meal in Bogotá and Javier’s panic-stricken expression when he’d asked if it was a date. Horacio understood his unease when they were in public, but he had an inkling that wasn't what it had been about. Then there was the necklace, of course, and the way he had deemed himself unworthy of wearing it. Horacio didn’t doubt he believed that, but he suspected for a different reason than the one he had given.

The evidence was rapidly stacking up and Horacio deduced several things at once. Firstly, it wasn’t that Javier didn’t care; in fact, it was quite the opposite. More than he was apparently comfortable with, but his theatrics didn’t change the facts, nor he suspected would putting an ocean between them. Secondly, Javier clearly thought his disappearing act would be enough for Horacio to give up on him, forgetting that Horacio had no patience for such games and was far too tenacious to walk away now they’d come this far. Thirdly, he looked up at the clock by his bed and realised he still had time to fix this; and fourthly, he had a hunch he knew where Javier might have gone.

The stubborn streak in Horacio had been caught in an internal war since he’d woken up, conflicted between the easy option of continuing to wallow on the floor of his apartment until his flight was due; or refusing to give up on something he knew he would come to regret not fighting for if he did let it slip through his fingers. The truth was, he never had cared for an easy life. That much was obvious from who he’d decided to fall for, he noted with an exasperated sigh. 

So, he did what he’d had no choice but to do every day for as long as he could remember. He picked himself up and carried on.

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

Dawn was breaking across the blush-pink sky; the hazy, fragmented light beginning to stir awake the weary city below as it caught its breath and regrouped in the aftermath of Escobar’s surrender.

Javier stubbed out a cigarette in the already half-full ashtray beneath the dashboard before immediately lighting another, selfishly wishing he could stay under the cover of darkness. His thoughts drifted to Tolú ­– not that that was where all of this had started. That night might have been the final spark that lit the fuse, but he had to go back much further to think of a time when Horacio hadn’t been such an important presence in his life.

He hadn’t been what Horacio expected when finding out yet another DEA agent was transferring. Horacio thought he had seen it all before, with several gringos crashing and burning within their first few months, not being able to hack it and disappearing back to the States, never to be heard from again. So, Javier had been something of a revelation and a curiosity.

They had been tentative and wary of each other in the beginning, both trying to suss out one another’s motives and lines in the sand for a good while, until one day, there was an unspoken acknowledgement of mutual respect, followed by a deeper trust, a partnership, a friendship. Horacio naturally took the lead, and Javier was more than willing to follow. Actions became intuitive, as though they understood the other without needing to say the words – particularly when it came to the burdens and demons they carried.

Part of Javier’s reasoning for moving to Colombia had been to escape the past. He’d tried to make it work in Texas, but he had been surrounded by too many ghosts. He wasn’t excusing what he did to Lorraine, but he always assumed his mother’s death had gone some way to explaining it. He had been twelve when she passed; old enough to have memories of her, but over time some of them had started to fade around the edges like an old photograph. 

He’d spent a large portion of his teenage years having stories about her relayed to him by the older generations of his family, so it was hard to say for sure which memories were even his own. Although, he remembered the warmth, the laughter and the comforting smell of cooking that drifted through the house. The hot summers spent exploring every nook and cranny of the ranch with his cousins and other kids from neighbouring farms; ignoring the adults’ impatient shouts to get inside, until his mother happened to mention dinner was on the table and then they’d all come running. Those were his memories.

He also couldn’t forget how much everything had changed after she was gone. How quiet the house was and how adrift his father had become; how he was still the same in so many ways, but inevitably and irreversibly different in others. Javier had swiftly decided that being alone was safer in the long run and it was difficult to deny that had been a factor when he left Lorraine at the altar. Not to mention, his growing interest in men. 

He’d dabbled with a couple of boys in high school – one in particular he wasn’t entirely convinced his father didn’t secretly know about, although obviously they had never discussed it – and had hooked up with several strangers he’d met in dark, smoky bars, but the older he got, the more he felt a conflicting pull that he couldn’t ignore.

Colombia had been a revelation on that front and the covert nature of his job had allowed him to seek out opportunities without rousing too much suspicion. His interest in women hadn’t lessened, either and his reputation often inadvertently helped to maintain his cover. 

His attraction to Horacio had been almost instantaneous. His broad, imposing physique and soft yet fierce eyes that told a thousand more contradictions were enough to turn anyone’s head, but Javier had presumed there was no way he’d be interested in him, or men in general for that matter. It was easier – and safer – to assume that as the default position of any man he met. 

Javier also vaguely remembered Horacio having girlfriend troubles around the time they’d started to grow closer; a fact that hardly seemed surprising in hindsight, not that he was assuming he was necessarily the cause, although who knew? Horacio had always kept his cards close to his chest, not unlike Javier, which was why it was any wonder anything had happened between them in the first place.

He’d thought about it countless times though and had even come close to acting on it when they’d wound up alone in Horacio’s office knocking back a glass or several; or on laborious stakeouts when the frustrations of the job and their need for an adrenaline rush had teetered close to something more. 

There had been various moments that made Javier wonder if the attraction was mutual. Moments where they’d caught each other’s eye for a fraction too long, or Horacio had unnecessarily lingered in his personal space, leaning close enough across the desk to smell the whiskey they had just shared. Or sometimes it was a feeling, like the calm before a storm, that hinted at what could be unleashed if they allowed it, but they had been too careful around each other for that. It had always felt too dangerous a thread to pull at for a multitude of reasons, until Tolú that was.

In the present, Javier couldn’t make sense of how things had gotten so complicated. It wasn’t just his avoidant tendencies; it was Horacio’s spiralling volatility. He didn’t judge him harshly for it – even at times when he probably should – but then, he was in no position to with the things he’d done and the lines he’d crossed in the last few years, so this wasn’t about taking the moral high ground. He was ashamed to even admit to himself it was much more basic and self-serving than that. He was scared of losing him. Not just scared of him leaving Colombia, but scared of him getting killed in some horrifyingly violent way at the hands of Escobar.

He’d had numerous nightmares about it; the type that involved waking up in a cold sweat, whimpering Horacio’s name having been forced to watch him die over and over again. Sometimes it was a gunshot wound, other times it was something more gruesome and laboured, but each time he was powerless to save him. That had been what woke him in Horacio’s apartment merely hours ago, where he’d been thankful for the silent cry he’d let out when he had jumped awake. 

Ironically, Javier knew Horacio would be safer in Madrid than right here in Colombia, but it went against his natural urge to protect. How could he keep Horacio safe all the way over here? How could he begin to explain he thought it was even his place to?

So, he had fled. He wasn’t proud, but it was easier and fairer than burdening Horacio with all of this, knowing he couldn’t do a damn fucking thing about any of it, hours before he was due to step on a plane and leave all of this behind. Knowing that he would be carrying enough of his own regrets for pushing the boundaries one too many times, for being so hellbent on catching Escobar he was willing to sacrifice everything, even if he didn’t consciously acknowledge it. How could he possibly have asked Horacio to stop for him, in a country that wasn’t his? He had no right to ask that of him, so, it was for the best he slipped away like this, even if it broke their hearts in the process.

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

Horacio drove slowly along the uneven, meandering dirt track that forked off the main road, pulling into a grassy verge after a couple of miles and parking up. He got out and walked further along the track before he spotted a familiar vehicle up ahead. Bingo. His hunch had been right.

He approached the car and without warning, opened the passenger door and climbed in, causing Javier, who was still lost in thought, to jump out of his skin and almost choke on his cigarette.

“What the—how did you—?”

“Because I know you better than you think I do,” Horacio cut in before Javier had chance to finish his sentence, firmly closing the door behind him.

It had only been a passing comment whilst lying in bed one night; a rare exchange of idle chat between them in an unguarded moment. Javier had mentioned how he liked to clear his head somewhere on the outskirts of Medellín and had talked about being able to see the glow of the city lights for miles. Horacio knew Medellín like the back of his hand and the spot he’d found Javier at was one of the highest points he could think of with that same view. He’d tracked down enough sicarios and informants over the years with much less intel to go on, so this had been a walk in the park by comparison.

“I know you got scared and that’s what these dramatics are all about. I know you expected me to give up on you because that’s what you think you deserve. I know you hated some of the things I did and wanted me to stop, but you also know it wasn’t that simple. And I know you let me give you the necklace in the first place for a reason…before you bolted, obviously.”

Javier was speechless, not only due to Horacio’s unexpected appearance, but at the tirade of home truths that he’d just been slapped round the face with, one after the other without Horacio even pausing for breath.

“You’ve got me all figured out, huh?” Javier eventually scoffed as he stared resolutely out of the window, albeit even he knew it was a weak comeback, but it was all he had.

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

Javier sighed and shook his head, unsure if he was more irritated by the words themselves, or the fact that the tone they were uttered in forced him to face his accuser directly. His eyes flickered over Horacio’s rigid features, almost unable to meet his steely gaze as he desperately tried to grab at a reason, something, anything to contradict him. But he couldn’t. Horacio had him banged to rights and he knew it. The only option now was to surrender.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? It was a fucking dick move and you didn’t deserve it.” Javier’s hands slammed down on the steering wheel, bracing himself for what was about to come. He took a steadying breath before bringing a hand up to his top lip where his fingers brushed nervously back and forth over his moustache, fully aware there was nowhere left to run. “And for the record, you’re not wrong, about any of it.”

Horacio’s heart leapt as he let Javier’s confession sink in, warmth flooding through him at being thoroughly vindicated on all counts, before the jarring reality of their situation cruelly plummeted him back down to earth.

“Well, I’m sorry too, for all of this. We wouldn’t even be here now if it weren’t for me.”

Horacio’s conciliatory demeanour caught Javier off guard, in spite of the fact it shouldn’t have. In all the years they’d known each other, Javier could probably count on one hand the number of times he’d heard Horacio raise his voice. Even when he was at his most ruthless and dangerous, he went about it quietly. Usually, Javier was impressed at his composure, but now it just made him feel even more ashamed of what he’d done.

“Guess we both fucked up, then,” Javier settled on with a wry smile. “I do know it wasn’t that simple, by the way. Didn’t stop me losing my fucking mind worrying, or wishing things were different.”

“I think we both wish things were different.”

“Yeah.”

“I meant what I said, though. About when this is all over.”

“I can’t expect you to put your life on hold for me, Horacio.”

“My life was here, so I wouldn’t worry about that.” The bitterness dripped off each syllable and stuck uncomfortably in Horacio’s throat as he looked out the windshield at the city, his city. Except it wasn’t anymore, he registered with a sharp ache he accepted would be there for some time. “You don’t have to give me an answer now. Just think about it. I’ll send you my contact details once I’m settled.”

Javier slowly nodded, before turning to face Horacio, a look passing between them laced with a tangled web of emotions. Javier leaned forwards and gently cupped Horacio’s jaw, before running the pad of his thumb along his cheek and down to his bottom lip, allowing Horacio to lightly capture it in a kiss. It was a subtle touch, but one that appeared to ignite something in both of them as they pinned each other with a piercing stare.

Before they could stop and think about where they were or what they were doing, their lips met in a frenzy and Horacio pulled needily on the front of Javier’s shirt, angling for him to move closer. With some awkward manoeuvring, Javier landed clumsily on Horacio’s lap, straddling his thighs as their mouths continued what they’d started, joined by hands roaming and fingernails pulling at hair and patches of bare skin wherever they could grasp.

They didn’t have much time and couldn’t risk being caught, so quickly unzipped and took one another in hand. It was rough and urgent, their grip unrelenting as they poured everything into each other’s mouths whilst they still had the chance. Their harsh panting was amplified in the cramped confines of the car, as the contrast of the cool morning air outside against the fiery heat within caused the windows to mist over. For the briefest of moments, the rest of the world didn’t exist and it was just the two of them.

It wasn’t long before they hurtled over the edge, their strained cries muffled into their shoulders as they clung tightly to each other, pleasure mingling confusingly with the pain of the inevitable.

Whilst they recovered, Javier splayed his palm across the centre of Horacio’s chest, before sliding it upwards to the seam of his shirt. He dipped his fingers beneath the fabric, hoping against all hopes what he was looking for would be there. He made contact with the cool metal and his eyes fell shut in relief.

They paused for a moment, acutely aware of the fragility between them that could shatter and break at any second if either man made the wrong move.

“It’s still yours if you want it,” Horacio whispered against Javier’s ear.

Javier brought his eyes up to meet Horacio’s and was floored by the depth of tenderness and affection in them despite everything that had happened, after what he had put him through. He was already aware he’d been a complete fucking idiot, but this brought home how close he’d been to throwing it away, all because of his own cowardice.

He sat back slightly and placed a hand on either side of Horacio’s collarbone, tracing his fingertips across his skin as he fumbled around until he found the clasp, lowering the chain and bringing it up to his own neck.

“Here, let me,” Horacio proposed, as he reached around to fasten it.

Javier leaned forwards and pressed their foreheads together, where they remained connected for a long moment, reluctant to pull apart.

“I’m gonna have to leave for the airport soon.” Horacio’s voice was strained, the conflict evident in each syllable.

“I know. I’ve never been any good at goodbyes.”

“I’d noticed.”

“Well, I deserved that,” Javier conceded as he tilted and nodded his head.

“It’s not really goodbye, though, so it doesn’t count.” Horacio placed soft kisses on any part of Javier’s lips and face he could reach, memorising the taste and sensation whilst he had the chance.

“Good point.” Javier’s own mouth searched out Horacio’s, alternating hungrily between light pecks and more lingering kisses, trying to convey as much as he could in the absence of words that he still found hard to say out loud, no matter how strongly he felt them.

He unwillingly removed himself from Horacio’s lap after several minutes and sat back in the driver’s seat to allow Horacio to step out of the car.

“Just promise me one thing?” Horacio asked as he leaned against the door frame.

“We’ll get him, one way or another.”

Horacio simply nodded; no further words needed. “’Til next time,” he said after a heavy silence, his eyes set firmly on Javier’s and leaving no doubt about it being a promise rather than wishful thinking.

“’Til then,” Javier echoed with equal conviction.

Horacio closed the door and retreated up the dirt track towards his own car, deciding it was best not to look back, as the only way now was forwards.

He didn’t know exactly what route his life was about to take, but regardless of the apprehension, pain and regret hammering away at his chest, he knew somewhere down the line he and Javier would cross paths again and it was that shimmer of light in the distance he would hold on to in the meantime.

Javier didn’t have the strength to move for a long while, needing to be sure Horacio was gone before he started the engine. He had no idea how he was going to deal with the coming weeks, months…years? Fuck. He couldn’t think that far ahead. All he knew was his hunger to bring down Escobar was stronger than ever. It may not have been his fight, but if Horacio couldn’t be here to finish his mission, Javier would do everything in his power to make sure someone else did.

His fingers instinctively reached for the cross that now sat more easily against his skin, before he tucked it safely beneath his shirt and turned the key in the ignition. It was time to get back to work.

[incoherentbabblings]

Hi!

I love your content, your love for TimSteph, and I was actually going to ask what you love so much about them. I, for extra credit for English, decided to write an analysis of Stephanie (and why I love her so much), but I just got into comics, and cannot really put my feelings for her in words ... which is odd, considering how much I love her and writing. Also, I was going to do a section on why TimSteph is narrative genius, and I needed help elaborating on that too.

Could you help me out, please? Thanks!

(I feel the need to mention that I have read quite a lot of comics with Stephanie in them, though not all. I'm not much of a comic book fan, but I'm really interested in the Batfamily!)

I'll be very happy to write out bullet points that you could talk about, and feel free to go through my ask and I'll babble/TimSteph meta tags for anything that you think may be worth discussing in your own words - there's like four or so years of stuff there to spark your brain.

HOWEVER!!!! Keep in mind though that much of what I have written is half based on textual evidence and half me just writing what I like/wish would crop up in canon.

For example, yes I like to draw comparisons between Tim being cold and Steph being warm, moon and sun and so on, but there's genuinely nothing in text to hint as this being an actual character trait or symbolism. If anything Tim's stated to be warm several times, more than Steph.

So, and I am sorry to be so blunt, but if I take your request in bad faith for a moment, don't use either directly or indirectly what I've written for your work. Especially without actually going and reading the arcs I talk about. A lot of the time it doesn't hold up under genuine textual scrutiny, and we want to be good academics here! There's Death of the Author and then there's me making crap up because I want to include it in a fanfic. Not the same thing! My blog is called IncoherentBabblings for a reason after all!

I will therefore say this: If you want to write about Steph as a character, I would use the below video as a point of reference. Using the below, you can then go into why she resonates with you the way she does, or why her relationship with Tim is so interesting to you.

If I were you: focus on her dynamic character development: cynical to idealistic. And use three points in her publication history to do this: her introduction in Detective Comics, War Games, and Batgirl. I am sorry to recommend War Games as something to read but it is important to her character. Use the Stephanie Brown Wiki to help!

That lends itself to a biography of her character, a look at her motivations and values, her role within the batfam, and so on. You can also use this to make comparisons with her peers, specifically Tim moving in the exact opposite direction development wise; Babs and Cass in their approaches to Batgirl; and the other Robins through her similar character progression as Dick, which in turn allows her to be a good mentor to Damian, and finally how her character arc runs perpendicular to Jason's. Does that make sense?

Anyway, let's get going! If I were to write an academic piece on Stephanie, these are the main points I would work through. In other words, this is what I would do. You probably will not need nor want to go into this level of depth, and you will want to make it much more personal about why she resonates with you, which may be different to why I love her. So don't worry about touching base with all of them. This is like... 10,000 word essay level stuff. And don't get overwhelmed. I've taken your request far too seriously is all.

Again, I can't write it for you! You gotta do the reading and writing I'm afraid.

...But I still wrote 1,500 words anyway. Gosh darnnit.

Steph’s Character Development

Always keep three points in her character history in mind – her aged 14/15 in her introductory arc in Detective Comics, her aged 16 in War Games, and her aged 18/19 in her Batgirl run.

How does she change? How does she grow as a character? What events caused these changes? Compare that angry 14-year-old trying to choke her father, to the 19-year-old crying happily on the roof. A lot happened between those two points! Outline the main plot beats.

Steph's Role as a Batfam Character:

Protagonist or Antagonist: Supporting Protagonist

Static or Dynamic: Dynamic (think of her character development - angry to alturistic; she softens in her life outlook and in the way she treats others as the years go by)

Minor or Major: Minor and we all mourn that fact :(

Foil or Symbolic: A foil to Tim Drake (and to a lesser extent the other Robins, specifically Jason Todd)

Importance of the character/Position in Society: Fourth Robin, third Batgirl, own superhero. Tim's girlfriend, Cassandra's best friend, one of many of Bruce's 'children'. Initially introduced just as a one-off character for a small arc in Detective Comics, brought back with the intention of being a supporting character to Tim Drake, and eventual love interest. Eventually gained enough popularity on her own terms to support her own solo comic, but has since returned to a supporting role. The character she supports, at the end of the day, is Bruce Wayne.

Motivation

What influences their decisions?: Stephanie's dynamic characterisation comes in here. Compare her motivations during her introductory arc, versus why she does what she does in War Games, versus why she dresses up at Batgirl - Stopping her father, getting Batman's approval, need for redemption.

What do they value?: Values emotional openness, vulnerability, second/third/fourth chances.

Goals/Hopes/Dreams: No long term goals/hopes/dreams in the domestic sense... Continue to be vigilante. Be respected by her peers. Continue to improve self worth through deeds. Graduate college?

What are their views: Views the justice system and police as corrupt, but still trusts in the inherent goodness of people. Focus is usually on the individual, rather than societal or structural.

Actions

Behaviour, Attitudes, Impact on Story and other Characters, Internal Struggle (Wants versus Needs): This is why I think you are best to look at three points in her story - Intro Arc, War Games, Batgirl. Focus on her Wants versus Needs - Steph's take a very long time to align, but they finally do in Batgirl.

Character development is usually driven by the conflict between what a character wants. The plot forces them normally to confront the fact that what they want is not gonna work out, and what they needed instead takes priority.

Everything usually goes tits up for Steph when she is in the driver's seat of the narrative because what she wants from a situation is rarely what she actually needs to happen. See every time she seeks Bruce's approval. She wants it. She absolutely does not need it. And only as Batgirl do we get that acknowledgement, which coincides with her being at the healthiest point in her life emotionally. Look at what she wants as Spoiler during her introductory arc, as Robin/Spoiler during War Games, and then as Batgirl. Why is she so unhappy in the former two? Why have her wants finally aligned with her needs with her time as Batgirl?

Character Traits

Personality: Cynical but perky. Sardonic but sincere. Think about how she changes over the time. This can be attributed to her different writers, but - for example - is there a universe reason for why Batgirl Stephanie is so much more socially awkward than Spoiler Stephanie?

Strengths & Weaknesses: Link these two together because Steph is a very good example where her strengths as a character can simultaneously be a weakness. Her determination can lead to her making ill conceived decisions. Her empathy can lead to her putting her trust in the wrong people. Her forgiving nature can lead to her being taken advantage of. Her temper, whilst landing her in hot water, can also just as often get her out of it.

Relationships

How do they interact with others: Focus on which characters pop up in all three arcs – Steph and her parents; Steph and Bruce; Steph and Tim. I am chucking Cass out the window here, sorry Cass, but if you’re focusing on these three arcs, Cass doesn’t really fit in.

How others view them: Conditional love/affection from her father and Bruce. Unconditional love/affection from Tim and her mother (though both are not without serious pitfalls).

How they view others: Stephanie has explicitly never loved her father. She has also never explicitly hated him either. What does that say about her? Look at her changing closeness with her mother. What changed between them, and again, what does that say about Stephanie? Crystal got sober, supported Stephanie through her pregnancy, Arthur was removed from their lives, Stephanie makes a conscious effort to be closer to her after returning ‘from the dead’, though continues to lie consistently to her. Stephanie admires Bruce, whilst also right from the get go insisting she does not answer to him. She never quite lets go of wanting that approval.

How does society view them: Her outsider role within the Batfam. She never quite belongs, and at points her closest relationships are actively discouraged from seeing her. Which Tim specifically never entertains. This outsider nature bites literally everyone in the butt during War Games. Her outsider status is still in place by the time Batgirl concludes, due to its largely self-contained nature as a book, but this is less being an outsider more having earned to right to operate independently. Trust has been given and earned.

Dialogue

What does she say and how: A teenage girl in New Jersey from a working class background has a very distinct voice. She does not mince words, nor does she hide what she is feeling. If she is happy, she will say so. If she is annoyed, she will say so. What she won’t do is ask for help when she needs it, due to her background formulating a need for her ‘to do things on her own’.

Think of famous/important Steph quotes from the three arcs I keep talking about – the excuse me if I don’t jump when you bark, the I really was part of the legend, the only variable you can control is yourself. These show how Steph views others and herself.

When I was writing I Would Have Loved You, I literally made a spreadsheet where I have picked out what I think are pertinent quotes from every New 52 issue featuring Tim or Steph along with a synopsis that explained what they were up to/what the main theme of the issue was. Not saying you should do the same because I’m just that goddamn anal when it comes to this sort of stuff, but the point is – look for quotes by/about Steph which highlight the above things we’ve talked about. You have thirty years to go through!

Author Intention

What purpose does this character serve?: A character that young female readers could get attached to – the every girl/girl next door archetype or a character that young boys could have a crush on – the kind of girl who’s into the same sort of stuff as you, I think Chuck Dixon once said of her, from her initial appearance. Fodder for Bruce and Tim’s man pain in War Games. Batgirl it’s a combination of filling the void for a female lead solo character in the batbooks, but also tonally taking on a much lighter and self-contained book that new readers could jump into very easily, directly compared to the more lore heavy Batman, Detective Comics, and Red Robin books.

What is the author trying to communicate: Steph’s character shows that determination can only get a person so far, a support system and doing things for the right reasons (again remember that want versus need argument) is the only way a person will genuinely succeed.

What is her main theme?: Balancing cynicism and idealism – doing acts for the right reasons, and discovering what these reasons actually are.

...

Is this even usable for anyone but myself? Possibly not!

Still... Go write! And good luck!

[ryuichirou]

Lord God Savior of All Ryu, I ask for but one noble request. lol i just wanna see all your AUs. Like, I always here about them in replies and stuff but I've almost never seen what they actually look like. So if you could just tag pics of them or doodle (they can be super bad 30 sec doodles too, it don't matter to me) them, I would be the happiest, most joyful little shit ever.

Anon!! Thank you for being so interested in our AUs and wanting to learn more about them. It was a very good excuse for us to go through the list of the AUs, doodle them, revisit some of the older ones, etc. So yeah, your wish is granted lol

Here’s the majority of them, we decided not to include those that we’ve barely talked about and thought out... I’ve put tags for those AUs where we have at least something posted. Most of them are something we haven’t even talked about at all and they don’t have a single sketch, but I liked drawing chibis for them way too much. Sorry, I used your ask lol

We have a general tag for our aus and specific ones for some of them, but sometimes an au from here is not tagged separately, so you might have to use this general tag...I tried to fix it, I don’t think I missed anything, so it should be ok now! ;w;

1. Space AU. It’s a story about a space expedition.. which turned out to be not exactly what everyone planned thanks to Erwin. What a commander! 

2. Tribal AU. It’s a story about Eren becoming a part of the tribe where Erwin and Levi live. 

3. Babysitter AU. Levi is a babysitter to Eren and Zeke, unfortunately for Zeke, who’s 17 and not exactly thrilled about being babied. Sometimes there’s kid Erwin too. We’ve never posted anything related to this AU, I think, and I don’t think we will. There’s another AU related to this one, but 19yo Eren from the paths (he has the memory of the manga events) keeps kid Eren company as an invisible ghost, while others think that kid Eren is cursed or something.

4. SnK AU. A classical one, where Eren has dreams about the plot of SnK, but when the story stops progressing, he decides to kidnap Levi to make the plot go on. Erwin finds out later... and keeps Levi in the basement because he wants to know the ending too lmao plus it’s hot.

5. Mines AU. Erwin gathered a team for his wonderful plan to find a treasure, but it’s not like the rest of the team needs to know where they’re really going. Zeke’s particularly terrified to find that out. Despite its name, they spend the majority of time in the forest. Also, there’s a timeskip of 11 years. 

6. AU with Neetwin who’s a history teacher. We don’t tag this one though, it’s not like it’s our AU. So now it’s a Neetwin tag, although one of the drawings is with adult Levi... eh, who cares. 

7. CC AU (cleaning company). Levi works in a cleaning company and cleans up Neetwin and hobo Eren’s apts. They need a lot of work. Yes, they make their apts even dirtier to make Levi spend more time there. 

8. Prison AU. Damn this one is good... we came up with it before reading the timeskip in the manga, so Eren’s appearance doesn’t really match his age, he’s 17 lol Levi is a mafia member who goes to prison because he need to kill one of the inmates (who later became Zeke) on Erwin’s (Levi’s boss) request. Eren’s his personal guard, although Eren works as a regular guard too.

9. King Kong AU. It’s an AU where the Beast Titan is King Kong lmao Zeke is having fun killing dinosaurs... Levi, not so much. Thank Erwin for his wonderful plan of going to this island.

10. Rus AU, basically just characters living in Russia. Because ofc we will have this type of a setting... Damn, I thought we drew this one more often, huh. 

11. Sea AU. Mainly our modern AU, we use it as a base for other modern stuff for the most part. Levi’s getting two boifrond rings, he lives with Erwin, Eren visits them often, Zeke bitches a lot, fun times with and without Zeke, stuff like that. There’s also a subplot (11.5) where Eren gets “kidnapped” by a witch, so Zevi have to find him and bring him back. Titans exist in this AU, Eren and Zeke are titans, and all of them have military training, but Erwin and Levi retired some time ago. We don’t have a tag for just a modern setting, though. 

12. Cult AU. Eren lives on a farm and has a whole village of his followers. He also has cursed animals... and I think we’ve told about some of the plot points in replies. Erwin’s really into all this cult stuff because it affects reality for real, so he asks Levi to follow rituals, although Levi came to ask Eren to go back to normal life and finish the fucking school. 

13. Serial killer AU. Eren’s a serial killer, duh. Never posted anything with this one, unfortunately, but Eren got disappointed in the police when he was a child, so he decided to fix the situation himself, while Erwin and Levi, as a part of a special department, investigate his “fixing”. It also has a time skip. I really need to redraw at least one sketch...

14. Hospital AU. Levi gets into Marley trying to make Eren go back, but it’s not that simple because Eren doesn’t want to lol Basically canonverse with this small change.

15. Hobo AU. Eren and Levi are hobos, Zeke wants his brother to stop living under a fucking bridge. Later Erwin takes both of them under his roof because he really likes Levi, but he can’t leave Eren alone.

16. Doggies AU. AU where Eren’s a wolf and Erwin’s a doggo. Levi got Erwin because he was a retiring trained dog and sniffed enough drugs in his life, and Eren... his “owner” found him on the streets and lied to Levi about Eren being a dog. Later Eren turned into a magnificent beast and now he doesn’t want to leave. There’s also Zeke, but he belongs to Xavier. 

17. AU where Eren wants to become a mangaka. The first post is self-explanatory, although I’d probably make some changes now if I cared enough. There’s also a time skip where Eren ditched his manga and became hobo!Eren. His editor was pissed lol 

18. Scolopendra Eren AU. You know the drill, and I’ve talked about the plot in some of the replies. 

This post doesn’t show up on the tag for some reason.

19. Ghost Eren AU. I should’ve named it combini AU... Anyway, I’ve talked about this one a lot, although poor Erwin gets neglected a little bit lol it’s hard to compete with a ghost when you’re just a mere stalker... but a very invested one. Eren likes Erwin here, they’re vibing on the same malicious-towards-Levi wave. 

20. Shark Eren AU. It’s just for us for funs, Eren’s a shark, and Levi’s there to help him fight depression. Eren later escapes into the sea.

21. Midsommar AU. Levi and Erwin get an invite to go to the village from Yelena, Eren’s a part of a cult who is kinda attracted to one of the newcomers... Such a good movie, we need to draw them properly. Both Yeagerists and Eldians are a part of the cult, they don’t have any specific rules by which I categorised them... Although not all characters are present, and some of them (Jean, I think) are newcomers who will join the cult later. Sorry, I don’t remember much. 

22. Silent Hill AU. It started with Erwin peeking into Levi’s apartment, but now there’s Eren too... We haven’t thought out this one, I’m bad with Silent Hill AUs for some reason. 

23. House Eren AU. Eren’s a house, and we’ve explained how it works too, so just check out the tag. Levi actually lives there with Erwin, but I don’t remember if we’ve mentioned it or decided to skip this info. 

24. Eren pack AU. It’s an AU where Erens of all ages (6 of them, I believe) are a little bit feral, and they have wolf ears and tails, and they live in a specific place and Levi visits them every day and takes care of them. They love Levi. Here’s the only post that survived, and here’s a link for a twitter post which I never got back on tumblr after it got deleted. 

25. Trailer AU. The story is about Levi who has to live with Zeke for a month as his slave because Erwin lost him in a game of cards lol To be fair, Erwin lost a lot of money and their whole flat, and Zeke gave them a choice between that and Levi (he’s horny ok), and Levi agreed. Zeke even put Levi on a chain, although Levi doesn’t even try to escape...

26. Flower shop AU. Eren’s a plant, and he brings death to the whole planet. He keeps Levi alive though, as a treat for himself. We’ve explained some of the stuff in the replies. 

27. Blair Witch AU. It’s pretty much explained in this post, and if you saw the movie, there’s nothing for me to tell you. Everything that’s different from it is in the post lol 

28. Corpse AU. Eren’s a corpse, Levi’s a pathologist who works on difficult and mysterious cases alongside the police. Eren later comes to life along with a couple of other bodies...

29. Antichrist AU. Zevi adopt baby Eren, but Eren’s a fucking satan. He loves Levi, but Zeke... not so much. Zeke loves Eren to death, though. Eren would love to organise that, but first he needs to grow up a little bit. It doesn’t mean that he won’t torture his parents during his journey. And everyone else who interact with them.

30. This one doesn’t have a title, but it’s an AU where kid Eren went missing, and Levi goes into the forest to find him. Levi owns Erwin who’s a good doggo and helps him find Eren. It turns out Eren killed two adult dudes, and he has paths!Eren telling him what to do and how to do it... Paths!Eren has the memory of the canonverse.

31. Zombie apocalypse AU. There’s only one drawing with it though, but basically Levi builds himself a wonderful place to survive the apocalypse, and he keeps Zombie Erwin in the basement in hopes of Hange finding a cure. Then Eren joins just because he can and because Levi’s very awesome. Eren has a boner for the apocalypse and enjoys every second of it. 

32. No title, but Eren was casted away from the canon universe for the rumbling, and now he’s a mythological giant wolf who lives in a deep very old forest. He was very surprised to find out Levi exists in this universe... So he kidnapped him ❤️

33. Halloween AU. You’ve seen this one, it’s a story where Jean, Connie, Sasha and Eren get into the wrong house and find a ritual instead of a Halloween party... So after saving the child who, as it turns out, is not really a victim, they decide to ditch him at Eruri’s place.

34. Okusan AU. Levi’s a housewife, Erwin is a cuckold who’s really into adultery. He invites both Zeke and Eren from time to time to act as Levi’s husbands, and they (Levi and Erwin) almost get caught because the “husband” suddenly came home... Sorry, we’ve read too many doujinshis lol

35. Island AU. Erwin loves sending Levi to dangerous places to get souvenirs for himself, and now it’s time for Levi to get a crystal from a very isolated island full of strict rules in terms of interacting with outsiders. We have a cool idea for a two part drawing (like with our flower shop au), but it’ll take us ages to complete anything at this rate... I have like two sketches on Patreon for now, but damn this AU has so many cool visuals we wanna draw... It’s another cult AU with people living on Paradis (more like one village in the middle of the island), isolated from the rest of the world. They don’t welcome strangers, and Levi has three months to find and steal that crystal, although it’s not that simple.

36. Erewan. Not exactly a full AU, but Erewan’s a cursed animal plushie who kills people and loves Levi a lot. 

37. Cat AU. Everyone’s a cat (duh). Not really our AU, but it has its own tag, and it’s only asks. 

38. Tiny founder Eren AU?? Again, not really our AU, but now it has its own tag. 

I’ve also found the reply where I talk about how characters’ relationships work in some of the AUs, you can check it out too. I thought it was fitting for a master post.