#now do the company of heroes nonsense

[dragongirlbunny]

man arr just. really doesnt give you a lot of time with characters huh.

[mr-jack-letterman]

HELLO HI

God I love the Submas fandom, all of you are so nice <3

In any case, I have a silly Au for y'all to munch on.

Allow me to introduce you all to Covalent Twins :]

Covalent

Adjective

- Relating to or denoting chemical bonds formed by the sharing of electrons between atoms.

Or in this case, the sharing of Emmet between 2 Ingos from different timelines NSNDNNDDD.

This Au is essentially the answer to the question: "doesn't being sent to the distant past inherently mean you are also now long dead in the future you just left?"

The answer is yes and no btw

The explanation for this involves a lot of time nonsense that I'm very bad at explaining but the Tldr is basically this:

When Ingo gets sent to the past, this creates a connection between the past and the future. This makes time get all fucky and split into two separate timelines (Timeline A and Timeline B)

Timeline A:

Time in this timeline runs parallel to the future as long as Ingo stays within it (essentially, if Ingo stays in the past for 2 years, then 2 years pass in the present).

Due to this connection, Akari (aka Dawn) gets sent to this timeline (But not Timeline B) and the game events of PLA play out (+ a lot more Ingo bonding because uncle Ingo supremacy)

Akari manages to get her and Ingo sent back home with the power of Arceus, causing both timelines to merge back together again into one cohesive line with only the events of Timeline B being remembered by history.

Ingo and Emmet get their happy ending.

This Ingo got sent to Hisui when he was 29, stayed there for 2 years, and went home when he was 31.

And Timeline B:

This timeline was created as a cannon fodder timeline so Akari and Ingo can keep doing time shenanigans in Timeline A without disturbing the space time continuum even more.

This timeline is therefore not connected to the future the same way Timeline A is.

The Ingo of this timeline (Nicknamed "War" or "Warden" for simplicity.) lives through the PLA game events but with Rei taking the place of Akari.

War doesn't bond with him the same way Ingo does with Akari because Rei isn't a faller.

The events of the game are the exact same (minus the Arc phone, Rei taking the place of Akari, and catching Arceus).

Despite Rei calming the nobles and catching Palkia and Dialga, he is still not the chosen hero. Warden is unable to go home or regain his memories.

Warden lives in Hisui and serves as a warden for the Pearl Clan for a total of 7 years before dying alongside his partner pokemon, Gliscor (nicknamed Nimbasa), while protecting Lady Sneasler from a Zoroark attack at the age of 36.

Warden drifts as a ghost for many years, with only Nimbasa the Gliscor as company. He watches his friends grow old, and eventually die. They pass on to the afterlife, but Warden stays on earth, wandering the Alabaster Icelands and Mount Coronet, searching for people from a life he can't remember even in death.

Warden watches as Hisui changes into Sinnoh. Jubilife Village becomes Jubilife City. Pokemon species die out and new ones are born.

As the world slowly becomes more and more familiar, the great Sinnohs, Palkia and Dialga, take pity on the lost warden, and decide together to lead him home.

It may take 150 years, and many miles of travel, but Warden is pulled by an unknown force towards the Unova region. Though he is unable to touch anything or speak to anyone, it's all so painfully familiar.

He is pulled towards Nimbasa city, (ah! That's where he got the name from!) and eventually to an apartment.

There, he is greeted by a young girl, barely 17. A man in black, who looks exactly like him, give or take a few years and a few scars.

And a smiling man in white. The man he has been searching for for over 150 years...

And they're staring at him, truly staring at him, not through him.

Why is the man in white crying?

*evil laughter.mp3*

So yeah! The twins have an older brother now :D

I mean he's dead and also Ingo just 5 years older and from a different timeline but still!!!

If you've made it this far I believe you deserve a gold star ⭐ and also some art for your troubles.

So here's War and Nimbasa ↓

And some fluffy interaction between War and Emmet as a bandaid.

If you guys have any questions regarding how this Au works, or are interested in seeing more of it, don't hesitate to shoot me an ask :D

I hope I enjoyed reading about my silly Au, even if it was a bit long lol.

*fades back into the void of Submas fics.*

[flightyalrighty]

What do you think about Shadow? What is your personal perception of him? I'm curious about your answer (I hope is spoiler free)

On his character profile, wikipedia etc... for a while he is describled in a strong negative way, like he has no positive traits, an anti-MarySue. But I remember that Shadow from SA2 to 2006, including Shadow 2005 (surprisling, watching the cut scene, I found his positive traits are still there), and then Prime Shadow, tMoStH (those two versions are a bit shy) and Archie Shadow has a good balance of positive and negative traits. In particular the first Shadow (Adventure 2) was enternaining, he seemed playful and mischievous at times, like he was sill a kid even if he was heavily burdened by his past, and there was something likeable in Shadow in Heroes, like he is nice to have around as friend although sometimes he may get difficult to deal with his stubborness, melancholy and pessimism.

Often people complain about Shadow being too expressive in Archie comics. I admit I complained too before rewatching SA2/Sheroes cutscenes, reading some old Sega description of the character, how Maekawa envisioned him (far different than what we have today and that's clear from SA2), I could see Archies' choices.

Also, Archie Shadow is still cold and gruff toward those he doesn't know/he didn't connect with (I lovd the part where he was answering to Relic's questions). He shows his softer side only to his closest friends and still has that hints of distrust, typical of those that were and are still abused and rejected in every possible way.

I like how you showed this in the early page of Infested. The Shadow in first pages is caring toward Rouge, but he is quiet, very focused, and stubborn (when he wanted to complete his mission despite the double concussion and the pain). I see the tick (the bug makes me think to a tick. I see them quite often bvecause the little b...s often attack my cats) is now neutralizing his mental shield, leaving him with his insecurities exposed and vulnerable, in order to make him panic more easily. Shadow's personality is still there for now but his defense is gone.

I think that different continuities have different takes on Shadow (as you mentioned with Archie and Prime). While I thought pretty long and hard about how to answer this, ultimately I'm not sure how. I'll try?

My personal perception of Shadow is simply how he was written before the series had its big tonal shift starting with Sonic Colors. This no-nonsense guy who strives to do the right thing in the most straightforward and efficient way possible. His character arc concluded with Sonic 06, and then he was slid backwards by a company that wanted so badly to twist the franchise to suit the whims of people who never had a real interest in Sonic to begin with. Shadow is so much more than the flat character he'd been hydraulic pressed into. He's more than

This.

I don't envy Ian Flynn's job. He started his career a lot more free to write Shadow how he wanted to, and then found himself struggling against more and more and more restraints -- To the point that he's said on record that he doesn't like writing Shadow anymore. That's sad, especially when my favorite take on all of Team Dark came from his pen. Ian Flynn, famously, was Archie Sonic's writer until its death.

Archie's Team Dark is how I love to see them written.

Archie Shadow, in particular, had a lot more going on than game!Shadow. He was far less likely to cause friction within the Team Dark dynamic -- Not to say friction is a bad thing in fiction, quite the opposite, but when that friction happens all the time it's exhausting. If Shadow was actually allowed more moments to be an actual teammate or collaborate with someone outside of Team Dark without making the whole situation way more needlessly difficult all on his own, that could solve a lot of the issues folks have been complaining about. Like, he doesn't even need to be written nicer, just more willing to work with allies when necessary. He used to do this. Now he barrels into every situation solo.

Anyway, kvetching about Shadow's current writing concluded (on top of the actual answer for this ask).

[desafinado]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ confessing to them...

i know i sound stupid, i do. that's what love will do to you...

°｡⋆ diluc, zhongli, kaveh x reader (separately)

°｡⋆ tiniest teaspoon of angst, mostly fluff, reader is mostly bad at feelings, ngl i got most flustered writing zhongli’s part

note: yes the title was inspired by a laufey song, i love her music sm. i’ve been listening to a lot of “yearning” music (bossa nova, jazz, etc.) while writing recently… and i think it’s been helpful? also… i wanna do this with more characters but idk who yet, pls send suggestions!!

(diluc, zhongli, kaveh,) | (alhaitham, kazuha, kaeya)

diluc ♡

you had been childhood friends, and had seen everything he had gone through. the good, the bad, the ugly, you were always there with open arms. it only made sense that he trusted you with his most complex secrets (feelings included).

over the years, you only stuck closer to one another. there were never any big gestures or dramatic moments between you both, you simply kept each other company through it all.

honestly, it already felt like you were already in a long term domestic relationship. you, especially, were always one to indulge him.

you don’t know why you acted that way towards him. why you’d disapprove of his nightly endeavours, but leave your window open when you knew he was out…

or why you’d send over a basket of his favourite biscuits when you hadn’t met up in a while.

it was a rainy day when you realised why. you were watching the rain drops smash onto the concrete, when you felt particularly cold.

you lit up the fireplace, made some hot cocoa, but something still felt sorely off.

that was when the darknight hero made his entrance, thankfully not too bruised and battered, but absolutely drenched from the rain.

“you’re here?” he could only nod slowly, looking like he could fall at any moment. once you realised this, you quickly ran up to support him.

once you led him to your couch, he fell into a deep sleep. you slightly struggled to put him into a comfortable position, before giving up and letting him embrace you.

though you had also gotten drenched in the cold wet rain, you felt a warmth creep onto your face, your hands, and your heart. it filled that gap from earlier, the warmth that you had been so desperately searching for.

that was when you realised why you act the way you act the way you do; however, now you had an even greater question.

were you more stupid for letting yourself fall in love or not realising it sooner?

you were way past the point of no return, and realising your feelings and what they meant only encouraged it further.

you couldn’t picture a life without him, days without nonsensical discussions he’d only ever have without you, seeing him stop by your apartment with a new batch of grape juice.

you were clinging onto the hope that it wouldn’t destroy the friendship that took a lifetime (thus far) to build.

“the air feels tense.”

he speaks plainly, his brows furrowed into a concerned look. he sets the bottle of grape juice onto your kitchen counter and slowly approaches your sitting form on the living room couch. he sits down next to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulder, guiding your head to rest on his shoulder.

“is this about the wounds from last night? you very well know i’ve handled worse… or… have i angered?”

“no, diluc.”

his frown only grows more weary as you say his name. he loved hearing you say his name, of course, but you said it with such a tone of misery; as if you were begging him not to hurt you.

“then… could you please tell me? i don’t like seeing you like this.”

“then what? how would you like to see me?”

you almost snap at him, sitting back up and facing him fully. your words were laced with venom, and diluc was absolutely feeling the sting. his eyes widened, not having a clue as to why you were acting the way you did. seeing the shock in his face, your own expression softened. you weren’t fair to him at all.

“i’m sorry. i don’t know–”

“it’s fine, i’m sure you have your reasons, whether or not you’d like to talk about it.” he sighs, laying his hands onto his lap; trying to give you the space you need. he’s known you for all these years, of course he’s seen you get angry, as you have seen him in the same predicament.

“i want to talk about it.”

“then speak freely, i’ve never judged you.”

“i want you to judge.”

“so… you need advice?”

you nod slowly staring into his eyes, the next few words stuck in your throat. his eyes are far too sincere, and you have to close your own in order to get through it.

“what am i to do if i love you?”

a thick silence fills the air, there’s nothing but the sound of raindrops starting to drizzle outside. he thinks for a moment, before holding your hands in his. “is that so bad?”. he speaks a bit louder, hoping you open your eyes; your eyes stay shut, clenched harder even.

“it’s not bad… i just don’t know what to do. i don’t want to make the wrong move. i don’t want to lose you as a friend. i’m scared.” you let out a breath, the air feeling a bit less dense. you’ve made your peace and you could find solace in that, at the very least.

you suddenly feel a touch against your cheek, his hands rough, but his movements are oh so soft. you open your eyes in surprise to find him gazing longingly right back at you; the look he gave you was familiar, it was that same look of concern he’d give you when you were crying. this time, however, there was a sparkle to it. his face moved dangerously close to yours, lips faintly grazing one another.

“you’re not gonna lose me, love. i’m right here.”

zhongli ♡

a small little crush, that’s what you’ve always told yourself, but what kind of crush makes you so lovesick for almost a year and a half?

initially, you would just watch him from afar; i mean how could you not notice his handsome silhouette walking through the market.

later on, your stubborn (but well-intentioned) ginger friend decided to introduce you to each other. he hoped that introducing you would stop you from ogling at him, and maybe even become friends!

oh how wrong he was, because the more you found out about zhongli, the harder you fell.

sure, you were friendly now, but you’d never be able cease the wild blush that appears whenever he comes into your sights.

zhongli doesn’t think much of it though, in fact he finds it cute.

“you have a fever?” “n-no!” “is it a bit too hot then? i could fan you…” “yes, t-thank you…”

initially, you’d hangout with mutual friends. you think you’d faint if you’d have to spend an afternoon alone with him, but eventually you do (and you don’t faint).

friendly lunch dates turn into games of checkers at his house. you just let things escalate, letting him take the lead in your “friendship”.

he doesn’t take the trust you put in him for granted, and he holds your heart gently. if only he knew that even the smallest touch already lit your heart aflame.

everybody talks about his voice, yes, and your pupils would shape into hearts if they could, but what you love most about the way he talks is how much weight and feelings he hides behind his words. to see him talk about the world in such a beautiful way, he makes the human experience sound just a bit less painful than what it truly is.

eventually, he’ll tell you who he truly is. what he’s done, what he's experienced, and why he’s telling you. he trusts you now, and it’d feel unfair for him to keep such a big thing from you.

to be quite honest, it doesn’t change how you see him or how much you love him. it gives a perspective, sure, but you’re more happy that he trusts you in such a way.

your friendship only grows stronger after that, and you find yourself boldly lingering around him closer than you’d like to admit. making excuses to hangout alone, holding his hand a bit tighter as you walk through a crowd.

it’s too obvious now, and everybody knows it; you’re the only one he’s waiting for.

“childe told me a silly piece of information the other day.”

you’re fixing up two cups of osmanthus wine, as zhongli sits on the other side of the kitchen island. you’re too focused on getting the perfect amount into the cups that you don’t even register what he’s saying, only giving a small hum of approval.

“you had a crush on me before we had even met?”

you almost drop the bottle in shock, eyes wide and lips almost quivering. you’d get back at childe for this, but right now you were in flight mode. you set the bottle down and take a deep breath.

“m-maybe? um… why bring it up?”

he laughs softly at your reaction, flushed cheeks and bewildered eyes. he gets up from his seat and meets you behind the kitchen island. “just curious, the notion of such intrigues me.” he stands behind you and wraps his arms around you, taking the bottle of osmanthus wine and pouring the remaining into the two cups you’ve prepared.

“so, will you entertain my curiosity?”

his voice sends a chill down your spine, more so because of the position you’re both in. you’d melt into the floor right now if you could, but the confidence you’d recently gained was still standing strong.

“yes. i did.”

you sigh in defeat, turning around to look up at him. “i very much did…”

this time, he hums in approval as his puts down the bottle and his arms move up to hug your waist; while hugging him wasn’t anything too outrageous or new, this hug felt a lot more different.

“i see, would you give me a sip of the wine, dear?”

you nod almost too quickly, his chin lying on your shoulder. you bring the cup to his lips and let him have his drink. after a moment, he stops and you take it as a sign to softly pull the cup away and back onto the wooden surface. he lets go of you and steps back, giving you some space.

there’s a tinge of disappointment as he pulls away, and you turn around to face him.

“thank you. i must admit, i found you pretty cute as well. even now, with your flushed face… and you haven’t even had a sip.” his breath hitches, picking his next words very carefully. he doesn’t want to make you too uncomfortable, but now truly would be the best time. once he’s found them, his lips curves into a modest smirk.

“i wonder if your feelings for me have persisted all this time?”

you hang your head in defeat, avoiding to look at his form altogether. his smirk quickly turns into a reassuring smile; again, he moves one step closer to you, deciding to put an end to this game.

“y-yes, t-they have…”

he’s gentle in guiding your chin up to look at him. you’re forced to stare deep into his amber eyes, and you surely wouldn’t mind under any other circumstance.

“you love me, still?”

“yes… it’s only ever grown.”

“as did mine.”

“a-as did yours? what ar–”

he silences you with a gentle kiss, one you did not even realise was happening until he pulled away. your heartbeat was driving off into the sunset as he stroked your cheek.

“i suppose i did not make myself clear. i love you too, dear.” his lips meet yours again, much more desperately, affirming him as yours.

kaveh ♡

you wondered how kaveh, a man so uniquely brilliant and acclaimed in the field of architecture, would often spend nights asleep on your sofa.

you blame your older brother, alhaitham, for annoying kaveh to such a point, but you’re not really complaining either. you had grown so fond of his presence that you’ve gifted him with an extra key.

something about the way he carries himself, it charms you to no end. you also share a lot of interests, anyways, so you might find yourselves talking and/or drinking until the sun rises.

he’ll also work on some drawings, and you’ll just watch in awe of his process.

whenever he stays over, he makes an effort to bring some takeout, flowers, or some scented candles.

he insists you take it as thanks for putting up with him, and you do so humbly. if they’re some food, you definitely insist he eat some with you.

“ah, but this is for you! you can’t just—” “yes i can, since it’s mine… can i not choose to share it with you?”

you’re both quite stubborn when it comes to being polite, actually. he tries to cook you dinner, but you go one step further and buy some dessert. you try to offer him some of your pillows as well as a blanket, but he just teases you, saying he might as well sleep in your bed.

honestly, after all the time you’ve spent with him, you wouldn’t be opposed to that.

you wouldn’t mind hearing his soft snores in the morning, his arms around you as you both are too lazy to get out of bed.

you really shouldn’t be having such thoughts about him, especially when he’s so “well” acquainted with your brother.

but the other voices in your head do remind you of your autonomy.

you actually get a little bit disappointed when they seem to be getting alone, because that means less time between you and kaveh; moreso when kaveh has to go and travel for business reasons.

those times when he’s gone are when you realise just how head over heels you are for him. it seems like some of his romantic-ness rubbed right onto you; it's just that he wasn’t here to see it.

after he hadn’t visited you, let alone seen you, for a month, you came to a sickening reminder that he only meant to stay over when he needed a break from alhaitham. when he needed respite from the general chaos surrounding him.

your home was not his, he was only ever a guest who you’d let in time and time again.

your apartment was silent, no creaking of wood floorboards, no ringing of the oven timer; you left that way and expected it to be so when you returned. the blonde man setting up your dinner table, however, subverted those expectations.

“kaveh?”

he looks up from his work to see you at the door. his face lights up as approaches you, closing the door behind and guiding you to the table. you’re not completely sure what to feel as he pulls out a chair for you, and you sit down. it’s quite surreal being welcomed into your home by someone you were sure had forgotten about you.

“i’m so terribly sorry i haven’t stopped by in a while.”

you sharply inhale at the sound of his words. you were genuinely just baffled, you didn’t understand what had been going on. he takes your silence as a sign to continue.

“i’ve just been really stressed. they had laughed off all my previous proposals, they were pushing a deadline on me. i couldn’t even get a wink of sleep, it was just so…”

he lets out a long sigh, closing his eyes. you continue watching his movements closely, trying to decipher what exactly he was up to. he pauses for a second more, opening his eyes with a sudden brightness.

“but! it’s over now, so i’m all yours.”

he smiles at you cheerfully, awaiting a response, but your lips are still pressed. it looks as though there’s lingering fire in your eyes, and it almost makes him want to turn away. the keyword being almost.

“you… you don’t owe me anything, kaveh. it’s fine.”

you stand up, a plan to go into your bedroom and just cry into your pillow already swirling in your head, but before you can walk away, kaveh grabs your wrist.

“wait. are you that mad at me? i understand if you need some time, but—”

“i’m not mad at you, kaveh. i told you it’s fine”

“if it’s all fine, why are your eyes red?”

you blink, noticing the way your hand was shaking against his grip, the tears slowly threatening to spill. you finally give in and circle you arms around his neck, your face buried into his chest. he was more than happy to accommodate you and give you the comfort you needed. he brought you both to the sofa, he sat with you still in his arms, falling softly onto his lap.

“i’m… mad at myself.”

your voice is muffled against his chest, but just enough for him to hear. tears threaten to spill from his own eyes as paint flutters through his chest, having to see you like this.

“darling, why? be mad at me, please. i’m the one who deserves it.”

“n-no. i’m the one who fell in love with you, expecting you to come back, feeling like you owe me your time.” you only cry harder at your own agonising admissions. “don’t pity my love for you, just… leave me to live with it.”

“w-wait a minute, i thought you knew i loved you too.”

you pull away, looking up at him. his eyes are glassy as he stutters to get his words out.

“you loved me?”

“i do, i-i still do! t-that’s why i felt guilty. if i had known, i would’ve shown you better.”

“then please… show me, right now.”

you press your lips against his, your breath starting to even out. he graciously kisses you back, matching your pace. you both just stay like that, content to finally be at home.

requests are open!! please do not reposts on other sites.

also, small commercial, but im holding a 50 followers celebration event if any of you guys want to join ^^

[sincerely-sofie]

Chapter 1 of Sofie Plays "Slay the Princess": The Hero and the Princess

Into the insanity.

[ Beginning ] - [ Previous Part ] - [ Next Part ]

I like that we have a little bird talon as our cursor! Fun detail. I'd like to use custom cursors in my own visual novels someday.

Awww! This line is going to come back to bite me, isn't it.

THERE'S VOICE ACTING?????? DANG IT. Now I kinda wish I waited to record myself playing through this game like a let's play... alas. We persist with a playthrough journal comprised of still images and bullet point notes :<

Asked the Narrator how a princess locked in a basement could be dangerous enough to end the world and now I just want to have a perpetual sleepover with the gal. At the very least, we can give her some company while she's down there. Right?

Asked the narrator for details on how she'd end the world and now he's calling me a sheeple. RUDE.

Question: Does the Princess have actual powers that allow her to enforce her will on others? Or is this just the Narrator being anti-princess? or anti-this-Princess-in-particular?

I INSTANTLY DISTRUST THIS MAN. He's going to gaslight me to heck and back, isn't he? He already is, I just know it.

Told the narrator I'm going to meet the Princess before I make any decisions about executions. I'm doubting myself so bad. Is he the manipulator here? Is he genuinely warning me against the Princess being the true manipulator? He sounds uber bitter and I want to know their history.

Narrator, honey, I'm glad you've got a bit you're committed to and all, but I don't want to meet someone new whilst holding the means to end them. Forget taking the blade, I'm taking my sweet time getting to know this poor woman.

Okay yeah the Narrator is 100% not a good guy. That last line made me question whether he was voicing the Hero's thoughts, but the tone he used while saying it makes me feel like he's just working really hard at applying for the role of Intrusive Thought #4 Understudy.

THESE DIALOGUE OPTIONS ARE KILLING ME. NOOOOOO DO NOT LIE TO HER WHEN YOU SAY YOU'RE HERE TO SAVE HER!!! THAT'S MEAN!!!!!

Told the Princess "Uh hi I think I'm here to slay you? Question mark?" and she responded with this:

The Narrator immediately followed up with the below. Go kick rocks Narrator. I want to at least be polite if I'm going to kill someone.

Can't decide whether the Princess is playing at the role of innocent victim or not. We operate on innocent until proven guilty laws here, though. So I'll act accordingly.

Just met the Princess and the Hero is INSTANTLY simping for her as the Narrator looks on in distaste. Straight up "HI WIFEY" nonsense. I like this couple.

Oh my word he's a dork. I love this character.

Told her about why I'm supposed to kill her and I'm 100% believing what she said. I don't care if she's going to sprout fangs and disembowel me with her teeth or anything, I adore this gal.

Oh no. She accurately read my thought process.

Okay so here's a theory: The Narrator really hates monarchies. Which is fair. But this seems very personal for him, and he keeps bringing it up, like the Princess deserves to die for the sin of her being a princess. Is this some kind of worldwide magic anti-monarchist government overthow situation? I know that's definitely not the case but I am grasping at straws to understand his motivation.

I asked her how she's been eating or drinking when I'm apparently the only person she's seen in a very, very long time, and she dodged the question, and the Narrator backed her up. This lady is 100% not human. The Narrator is itching to get me to kill her and is sweeping over what the Hero perceives as a plot hole, because from his perspective, he knows it isn't. She's not human. Jotting that down for later.

I told her that we could do the perpetual sleepover thing I mentioned earlier and I'm realizing how callous of a solution that is now that the Hero is all like "Yay I came up with smart solution! Win-win! Go me :D"

The Princess and Narrator both shot down the sleepover solution. Poor Hero.

The music just cut out. She's doing the anime mean girl thing where she examines her nails. I'm having regrets.

I'M STRAIGHT UP NOT HAVING A GOOD TIME ANYMORE, GUYS

On the one hand: I could lock her in the basement and leave without killing her with my own hands. But with the abrupt change in tone I am no longer confident that this woman isn't going to chew off her own arm like a coyote in a trap so that she can escape and do... whatever it is she intends to do. I'm not sure that's exactly ending the world. But I'm leery of it regardless. She doesn't need food or water apparently, so she likely wouldn't die if I left her alone down here, which just further cements the idea that she's going to do anything necessary to get out.

On the other hand: I could kill her directly, and try to be merciful about how I do it.

On the OTHER other hand, I could free her, but I no longer feel safe around this woman.

I've been staring at these options for so long guys I'm so worried about making the wrong choice. I know that the opening screen said there's no wrong decisions but like. STILL.

Okay, decision made. She's definitely taking the self-dismemberment route if I leave her here, and she's definitely coming after me the second she's out. I'd rather try to make this quick than go through the exceptionally frightening scenario I'm envisioning in my head. Hopefully she's nice about inevitably overpowering me in the subsequent struggle and stabbing me afterward.

Hey, you guys know how 3D horror games will use 90 degree angle blind corners in order to facilitate jump scares? I think I just realized visual novels use line breaks to accomplish the same goal, and I'm scared to progress to the next line.

SHE IS GOING TO CHEW THROUGH THAT ARM AND I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE ASAP.

I CALLED IT I CALLED IT I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT HAVING CALLED IT SOMEBODY PICK UP THE PHONE BECAUSE I CALLED IT AND NOW I NEED 911 ON THE LINE

Oh cool beans! Reality warping! Let's gooooooooo

Yeah no she's definitely got reality warping abilities. I figured that if she doesn't need to eat or drink she wouldn't be able to bleed to death after losing an arm, so I closed the door behind me... and it locked.

Decided to try and wait her out while she lurks in the shadows and now we're LARping Sans and Chara as I fall asleep.

I chickened out and entered the dark to confront her. It went very well for me!

Oh... I don't like that title.

See you guys in the next chapter! I am scared :)

[wonderfull-star]

Me before watching season 1 of Undervese fully: Wow, it's Ink! The well-known funny skeleton artist! Yes, he is also on the same side with the Classic, Fell and Swap! And he'll definitely be on their side until the very end of the season, right? Right…?

Me after watching the season 1 fully: What the hell is going on in this series??! Who is the hero and who is the villain??! And why did an incomprehensible, terrifying inky demonic creature straight from the deepest depths of hell stare straight into my soul??

Even Nightmare was a little scared! Although I didn’t expect this from him. Of course, I saw a lot of videos where Ink is depicted as soulless with an evil, scary face, but I still didn’t expect such a large-scale betrayal. Ink is a real scammer. When I watched the episodes, Error seemed MUCH more sane to me. At least he was doing his job all along. Error even concluded a truce with Ink and canceling of which Ink was to blame. What did Ink do throughout the series? Yes, anything but definitely NOT the protection of au’s. Oh yes, I remembered! For him it's just a game! And no, I’m not discussing the problem of the plot, but rather its merits. Like.. Yes, yes! This is what I expected! They showed us what Ink really is like without his paints. And that is, that person on which it is definitely better NOT to rely. Not only because of his memory problems and many oddities, but also because, having lost his paints, he will simply not care about anyone(well,even with emotions, sometimes Ink doesn’t care either). When I looked at the moments with Error I was like: what’s wrong? I've seen many people portray him as a crazy psychopath (well maybe a little) while Ink is portrayed as a "hero". However, I had mixed feelings while watching it. While at least Error was fulfilling his purpose, Ink sometimes did all sorts of nonsense, pretending to be a “good guy” and disappearing at the most inopportune moment. Error didn’t even intend to touch anyone at first. Until, of course, Ink and Fresh came to interfere and started acting like idiots. Now I don’t even remember why at one point Ink came to Error (when he was just watching Undernovela). Probably just to torment him (as he usually does in company with Fresh). Fresh is just added here for background. For the beauty and aesthetics of the series, so to speak. And Error basically like a punching bag. Now I don’t understand why Nightmare still hasn’t joined all this “fun” of Ink and Fresh. I'm sure that there are more negative emotions in Error himself than in all multiverses. Oh, yes, then there would be such an exciting plot where Nightmare carries poor XChara, exhausted and beaten by life, across all the damn multiverses for the sake of his sadistic pleasure (Nightmare, your true goal is in the anti-void,tho).

I just feel sorry for Classic, Fell and Swap. They were the most suffered by what was happening. In Undertale, everyone was waiting for Sans to finally come to a stupid picnic, while Cross deleted Fell’s whole damn Snowdin, and for Swap, his entire universe was destroyed while its inhabitants were in a stolen Underfell's Snowdin and stood motionless like mannequins in an abandoned clothing store 💀

What a funny Undertale cartoon 😊

[galadae]

tales from the aether - ffxivwrite2024

chapter 2: reticent | words: 856 | rating: G | occurs in early HW patches | ao3 link

"You don't talk much, do you?" 

Calantha leans against the low stone wall and unbuttons her coat. She doesn’t look at the speaker, lost in her own thoughts. She’d agreed to spend time in the Firmament working with Emmanellain, though he was currently absent. Probably avoiding his tasks somewhere, again. She rolls her eyes. 

The Fete is over, and as excessively lighthearted as she found it at first, it was a good distraction. She'd worked up quite the sweat. Snow drifts down from the gray sky, landing on her shoulders and hair.

Laniaitte settles next to her, rubbing her arms through her thick sweater. Her boots scrape against the cobbles as she sits on the wall. "I suppose that was a silly question," she says, with a laugh.

Calantha looks up at her. "Hmm? Sorry, did you say something?" 

Laniaitte studies her face for a moment. "Nothing of import," she says, with a smile. "It does me well to have you here, and I'm sure ‘tis the same with many others. They take heart in seeing you. In fact, I believe it warms my heart as much as carrying all those boxes did."

Calantha gives a small chuckle. "That was quite the effort, wasn't it." 

Laniaitte shakes her head. "One would think after all my years of training I could face this without effort, but no." She leans back to look up at the sky. The snow is falling faster now. A few flakes land on her eyelashes. She blinks them away. As if suddenly remembering something, she stands and steps from the wall, rubbing her hands together. 

"I could do with a hot drink," she says. "My heart may be warm but my hands are not. Would you care to join me?" 

Calantha shakes her head. "I'm not thirsty. Maybe later?" 

"Suit yourself," Laniaitte nods. She waves as she turns to walk towards one of the stalls near the edge of the street. The line is at least 10 people long. 

Calantha stares after her, wondering if she should join. Laniaitte is pleasant company, but she's not sure why she insists on spending time with her. They've only been working together on restoration efforts for a few weeks, it's not as if they're great friends –

She shrugs. It's no matter. Calantha sets about helping some other workers sort boxes from the Fete. She doesn't need to do this, but they seem to appreciate it. And it's one more thing to keep her from going back to the manor. Empty and wrong despite the city's renewed hope. Colder without him. But so is everything. It's been months, and she can't shake the feeling. 

I'm so tired of having holes in my heart while everyone else seems to carry on. She huffs and shakes her head. Not the time to think about this. She’s here to escape those thoughts. 

She finishes with the boxes and makes her way back to the front courtyard. It's been almost half a bell. Laniaitte is nowhere to be seen. Relieved, Calantha starts out to gather her gear. It’s been awhile since she's paid the Diadem a visit–

"Calantha!" Laniaitte’s voice sounds behind her. Her footsteps clatter on the cobbles. "Thank the fury, I thought I had missed you and gotten this for nothing. Here." She holds two tankards, steaming hot, and hands one over. 

Calantha takes it, gingerly. "I'm…fine, honestly. You didn't need to."

"Nonsense. Everyone can use a little more warmth. Even a hero such as yourself." She grins. "Besides, ‘tis quite good. Have you had the drinks from Bourdellaux's new stall yet?”

Calantha shakes her head. She peers into the tankard. The scent of warm, rich chocolate greets her nose.

"Go on, try it!" 

Calantha sighs. She takes a sip. It almost burns her mouth, a stark heat in the frigid air. It's too dark. Not enough milk. 

"That's it. Drink up before it gets cold!" 

Calantha looks into her cup. She hasn't had cocoa in months. The smell brings her back to memories she's tried to lock away. A little over a year before, huddling in Camp Dragonhead. Clutching cocoa in her hands, shivering next to Alphinaud. The year before that, being welcomed into his hall with the same drink, though she was little more than a stranger. And only half a year back, in the manor, when she couldn't sleep–

Calantha swallows. Calm down, it's just cocoa. She looks up at the horizon, trying to find something to distract her. It's no use. Her throat tightens.

"Are you quite well?" Laniaitte looks at her. "You look as if you've just remembered the cake you left in the oven."

Calantha shoves the tankard back into Laniaitte’s hands. "Thank you. But I have to go." 

“Calantha? What is the matter?” Laniaitte clutches both drinks, confused. "At least finish your drink. It's a waste of good cocoa." 

Calantha turns. She doesn't want to risk revealing the memories that seem ready to burst from her chest at any moment. 

“I've had better," she says, not looking back. The tall doors leading to the outskirts of the Brume shut behind her. 

[adriensaltprompts]

Submitted prompt:

When Adrien has his outburst and quits being Chat Noir, the ring ends up in the hands of someone new after a crow picks it up and brings it to a human who feeds him regularly. (Crows do that with humans who are nice to them, sometimes.) This person is Célestin Rivage, a trans boy who is an up and coming fashion designer. He’s active on social media calling out the industry’s problem with underpaying workers, using sweatshops, and other awful practices in the fashion industry, someone Marinette follows and thinks is nice but doesn’t have a crush on. She wants to be a sustainable fashion designer who makes things that last and that contribute to the anti-fast fashion movement in France, so she follows his Tiktok and YouTube, uses some of his tips on how to spot poor craftsmanship and signs a garment was made with unethical labor, etc.

Célestin is not sure he’s the right choice for a superhero. As he tells Plagg, he’s got real concerns about if he can do superhero duties, schoolwork and his part time job correctly without neglecting some aspect of it. But since he’s moved to Paris and Paris has akuma attacks, it would be immoral not to jump in and try to help while he’s here. Ladybug shouldn’t have to do everything by herself. So he jumps into a fight against an akuma, they win, and then he takes off the ring and holds it out to her, explaining he’s not right for this but he trusts her to find someone who is. He trusts her judgment. But Marinette… well, she just had a fight where someone took the threat seriously, didn’t clown around and had her back for once. She sees someone who views having a miraculous as an incredibly serious thing. After having dealt with Chat’s nonsense, that’s wonderful.

Ladybug tells Célestin to keep the cat miraculous for the time being. She’ll look for another candidate to give it to long-term. For now, though, she trusts him to do the job correctly, since he takes it seriously. The bigger issue she has is Alya speculating on the Ladyblog that Ladybug and Chat Noir broke up or that Ladybug is cheating on Chat Noir with the new black cat. Exhausted with Alya insisting the two are dating and not listening to anything Ladybug has ever said about not being interested in him, Ladybug stops giving her interviews and instead, with Célestin’s help, sets up her own social media accounts and personal site in order to be able to speak to people directly. She talks about how Chat has harassed her, touched her without her consent, repeatedly ignored her boundaries and made her life harder. Paris’ opinion of him turns sour at the same rate as Adrien at school gets snappier and shorter tempered with the people around him. Marinette’s crush on Adrien fades as she sees him defending Chat Noir, arguing with other people and generally being less and less mature in ways that are distinctly repulsive instead of charming. Lila decides to go for a different model she’s charmed online who isn’t defending sexual harassment, Chloe is too busy trying to figure out what’s going on with Adrien to bother Marinette, everything is looking up.

Then Adrien gets akumatized. It’s a combination of having his hero persona disliked by everyone, seeing Ladybug be happy with someone else, and the fact that she said she wasn’t romantically interested in him. He manages to suck at being an akuma because the person he goes after, immediately, is the new Chat, Chat Minuit. He thinks this man somehow stole his girlfriend despite all evidence to the contrary, and yells out that he was Chat Noir and Ladybug is his. Ladybug has never been more disappointed or repulsed in her life. Unfortunately for him, Alya livestreamed most of the fight. Now people know he was the douchebag Ladybug had been complaining about, and they’re mad, so Gabriel, if only because he likes money and this is bad for his company’s reputation and profits, shuffles Adrien off to a private boarding school away from angry, dangerous people who hate him enough to want to hurt him. (Yes, Adrien is a minor and shouldn’t be threatened by adults, but sadly, we’ve seen adults IRL threaten minors. It’s wrong but it happens. The fic just shields him from it because no minor, even a shitty one, should be threatened by adults with physical or mental harm.)

Alya apologizes to Ladybug for everything and vows to make amends. Marinette excels at pursuing her fashion career without having to worry about carrying around Chat Noir’s deadweight and instead has someone to lean on when it comes to superheroics. Célestin ends up being the permanent new holder of the cat miraculous and finally overcoming his ongoing fears of not being a good enough person. Now the fight against Hawkmoth can go on but with two competent superheros, not just one.

In my mind I picture Célestin as black, but honestly I’d be cool with a prompt filler making him another race so long as he wasn’t white. This show has way too many white characters when you look at France’s actual demographics already. Please keep him a nonwhite biromantic ace who isn’t automatically attracted to Marinette and she isn’t automatically attracted to him because people can in fact just be friends, regardless of what bad writing might tell you. Give me some bi ace rep where being bi doesn’t mean crushing on everyone or cheating and being ace doesn’t mean being cold or standoffish and I will die happy.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Wait, is it true the writers said Marinette and Gabriel are meant to represent individual creative spirit versus corporate greed?

Taken from the writer's commentary on the final two episodes

In the next scene, we can see Marinette taking the miraculous that have been standardised and industrialised by Gabriel and putting them back in shape. The writers specify that this is a parabole about craftsmanship vs industrial production. The miraculous will now be adapted to every person, but we can’t see what they look like just yet! In this new world, the powers are all shared, among people who they trust and know will work for the common good. They joke that the "Avengers" shot at the end with all the heroes is something they’d been dreaming of.

There's also that bit from her confrontation with Gabriel where he randomly acts like he's The God of Fashion (taken from S5E20):

Gabriel: I don't think you understand, child, so let me put things differently. Life is like fashion. You think you have a choice, but all you have is the illusion of choice. And I decide what choices are given to you. Marinette: You're wrong! (Shows Gabriel her sketchbook.) Fashion is about listening to people, it's about understanding who they are, what excites them and creating the clothes that will help them express their inner world. Help them connect with others and make their dreams come true. Gabriel:(Laughs and takes her sketchbook, then browses its pages.) No, that's not fashion. That's making dresses for your dolls. Fashion is a product, a marketing strategy, an industry that relies on uninterrupted trend renewal that forces you to either throw away everything you have and buy more or, worse, to be out of fashion. Thanks to the clothes I create, the celebrities who wear them, the advertisements I design and the Alliance rings that broadcast them, I create an idyllic vision. A perfection that everyone aspires to achieve, while keeping it just out of their grasp. You finally understand the difference, don't you? You listen to people's desires and create what they want. Somehow, people make you. Whereas I create people's desires. They buy what I decide to buy. They think what I want them to think. I'm the one who makes people. You think you love Adrien, but you're just under the spell of this world I've created. A world where Adrien is the star, shining high above. A world where you're just part of the crowd below looking up at him. (Shuts the sketchbook.) That is why nothing can ever happen between you two.

So, yeah, this is apparently supposed to be them talking about some kind of central theme of individual creators vs mass production? The problem is that it basically comes out of nowhere. If the writers really wanted to have this be some sort of message, then they needed to establish this a lot sooner because Marinette has had no issues with his fashion company nor has anyone else.

An example of a way to do this would be to have Marinette win the hat competition in season one, Adrien models it in season two, and then give us a series of episodes where Marinette gets to learn about the production process for her hat. She gets to see it mass produced and then gets to learn how fast fashion works and, by the end, she's no longer a fan of the fashion industry even though she still loves fashion. It would be a much better environmental message then the nonsense we've been given, too.

But the show didn't give us anything like that. We've never seen a single Gabriel brand product save for the stuff Adrien wears and the alliance rings, which are phones more than fashion accessories, so it makes sense that they'd have a uniform look. Even if phones were made to order, you wouldn't see much variety in the base product save for color. The customization on a phone is the background and the alliance lets you customize your "background" (aka your Adrien, Lila, or Kagami) as we saw in Jubilation when Socqueline was showing off her alliance.

Side note: I realized that Jubilation takes place before I started writing mini episode reviews, so I wanted to make a quick note of how creepy it is that you can customize your alliance avatar given who the avatars are. Gabriel and Tomoe seriously took their 14-year-olds and told people of all ages to treat them like dolls, which is extra creepy given how many fans Adrien has. That has some messed up in-universe implications that make me shudder. What were the writers thinking?

[mari-lair]

No. He may like to make Akane’s life harder but this is about Aoi.

He is smart enough to know she would never tour the festival with him, much less when her other option is her not so secret crush that still gets rejected, but he still love her company, so Teru just does what he knows will work and forces her into it.

He used this exact approach after saving Aoi from being harrassed by a cashier in chap 17 of the spin-off after his more casual attempts to have her make candy with him fail.  Akane was nowhere to be seen in the chapter.

There is no cheeky panel at the end of the spin off of him gloating about it to Akane (which is one of Aidairo’s favorite brand of comedy), nor is it mentioned in any type of extra, so I am pretty sure Teru keep this moment to himself. Something private to treasure.

They don’t see each other much, so Teru will take what he can, he does not care if the only way to make Aoi keep him company is by being a shameless asshole.

And I love how casual terukane has gotten too! Akane’s arc from seeing Teru as an asshole with no empathy, to almost a hero, to a boy that can be just as pathetic and flawed as any human, is very dear to me.

I personally feel like they have been casual since chapter 79? There have been no real malice when they tease each other after their visit to the shrine.

But I do adore how the recent chapters transfer this casual energy to a school setting! 

I love how Akane sent him off to the infermary too. He goes full on ‘class prez’ mode and I love him for it! Is sweet in a stern way, specially compared to the last time Teru got hurt in school, where he couldn’t give less of a shit about Teru’s injury, in fact, he was delighted.

I also like how instead of venting about Teru he now vents to Teru. His biggest challenge is no longer ‘the sadistic demon no one realize is evil’, just the student’s incompetence.

They were never truly ‘strangers’ in a room, but it was still far more quiet? tiring? professional?? “Stay by my side so we can consult each other but focus on the work. Keep your nonsense for later” vibes

Love to see them helping the students with supernatural affairs too. Teru attack and Akane trust him to get the job done, already opening the door for the student evacuation.

And Teru doesn’t look at his surroundings at all after the rescue, fully trusting Akane to protect him while he inspects the unconscious student.

Be it supernatural work or student council work. They have a good dynamic.

[canonmisogynyvictimstournament]

PRELIMINARY ROUND - DC COMICS

PROPAGANDA

Stephanie Brown (CW: Pregnancy)

1.) Steph was created by noted conservative Chuck Dixon, so, off to a good start. She's was a superhero called the Spoiler and was Tim Drake's (the third Robin, yes there's multiple Robins) love interest. From the start, she's consistently framed as a wannabe vigilante who doesn't know what she's doing, who needs to be protected against herself. Pretty much everyone in her vicinity but ESPECIALLY the men thinks she's incompetent, and completely dismissing her vigilantism, constantly telling her to stop, condescending to her non-stop, and we're clearly supposed to agree with them. Her relationship with Tim was fraught with misogynistic tropes, from her relentlessly pursuing him like it's her job to him being one of her #1 condescenders. She gets a teen pregnancy arc by, again, noted conservative Chuck Dixon, where she's used as a mouthpiece for his pro-life stance. Eventually, she gets made Robin for like six weeks as a consolation prize. A consolation prize for what? Being violently killed off in a crossover event, where Steph, after being fired from Robin in an attempt to prove herself, kickstarts one of Batman's plans without understanding the consequences, resulting in an all-out, violent gang war where Steph gets tortured to near-death, and then left to die on purpose by her doctor (a character massacre in its own right btw). She does eventually get retconned as surviving the event and hiding out in Africa (don't ask, it does not make more sense in context), and eventually, things start looking up for her when she's made Batgirl, after the previous Batgirl (yes, there's more than one Batgirl) got forced out of the mantle for entirely DIFFERENT misogynistic nonsense reasons. Her Batgirl run has its issues but is mostly pretty good and deals with the lack of support she received from everyone around her. THEN the universe got rebooted entirely (just roll with it) and bc there were a lot of ppl up high (specifically a guy called Dan Didio, who we all hate) who REALLY hated the idea of Batgirls that weren't Barbara Gordon, Steph not only got forced out of the mantle in favor of a Barbara Gordon (who got magically cured of her full below-the-waist paralysis in one of the worst acts of ableism DC has ever seen and that's saying a LOT), but for years, there was a complete, editorial-enforced ban on even mentioning her or the other previous Batgirl, Cassandra Cain. This eventually got lifted and she was brought back with a completely mangled backstory. Dan Didio has since left the company and she's in a better place now, but her character never recovered from All That imo. DC has SO MUCH sexism it's laughable, and even writing this down I needed to skip or skim over huge examples of misogyny like Barbara's treatment in The Killing Joke and Cass's villain arc, but Steph is one of those characters who's just barely gotten any kind of break ever since she was created. At least Barbara got a cool hero identity which specifically challenged and deconstructed her fridging in The Killing Joke (until she was forced into Batgirl again but that wasn't misogyny towards her it was ableism) and Cass had a long-running, extremely popular Batgirl solo prior to being character massacred. Poor Steph just gets consolation prize after consolation prize bc nobody can be normal about her for some reason.

2.) what if you were introduced to be Robin’s love interest had the most batshit teen pregnancy storyline rooted in the writers views of women and theeeeen after all that when ur boyfriend quit being robin batman took you in as the next batman only to try and make your now-ex jealous to get him to come be robin again and you never got a real shot at it? what if then he fired you, the first time a robin has ACTUALLY gotten legitimately fired without getting to come back and then died after being tortured for his secret identity? and what if this all happened due to the editors mandating you should die at the end of their massive event and the main batman writer at the time thinking you should get to have “a bit of happiness before he crushed you like a bug” (paraphrasing here but. “crushed like a bug” is a pull). what if the whole reason you were fired is because they didnt want to saddle bruce with more guilt in having another dead robin despite the hand he had in your death. and then what if the year after you died jason todd came back from the dead. but this only brings more attention to the fact that he got a memorial as robin and you didnt in canon writing and also from the editors and writers themselves. and then what if years later it was retconned that you faked your death to recover from your GRIEVOUS INJURIES so then writers wrote basically everyone being “betrayed” by you “faking” your death. and it cheapens everything about your death which was already a fucking misogyny hat trick. and all the emotional depth of your death is gone and you come back and only get to be batgirl because once again editorial is having problems and cant decide which of the previous batgirls should come back for the new run so you get thrown in as the noncontroversial pick. and what if after this run ends youre doomed to be written as quirky teen girl supporting cast member for like years up to literally present day in canon AND fanon and are almost always reduced to a girlfriend, a supportive friend for your exs endeavors in dating men, or the super put together girl to “get [x man]’s head out of his ass” for various men you have to play second string too. and what if you finally get a series with other women and even then are a Quirky Teenage Girl before anything else despite literally going to college over ten real life years ago and its taboo for literally anyone to talk about your death-not-death or your teen pregnancy or any of your various problems outside superheroics, which include but are not limited to: your mother being a recovering addict and you two trying to mend your family, your criminal father, your issues regarding your relationship to family as an ideal, and mothers and fathers, in differing ways because of these things, the fact that you are an underdog amongst underdogs in the batfamily to the point where your relationships with all of them should be much more fraught than in canon, considering the shit theyve said to you, and dont get to have any real relationships to the superhero community outside of them, the fact that youre one of the few in the batfam to never be on a team. And of course, the fact that not only do the people in canon hate you but also a decent part of the writers, editors, and fans do too. and if they dont hate you you still are almost always portrayed as a caricature of yourself. even if you just look at how steph was treated next to jason irt their deaths, steph should EASILY advance in this damn competition.

3.) Literally tortured to death in a sexualized manner for shock value:

"There was some controversy in the fan community about both the character's death by torture and the fact that even though she served as Robin for a time, she received no monument or memorial in the Batcave during the years of her apparent death unlike the second Robin Jason Todd.[5]

Regarding the former issue, at the 2011 Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, the former Batgirl writer Dylan Horrocks said that the writers were told from the start that Spoiler would die in this crossover and she was made Robin "purely as a trick to play on the readers, that we would fool them into thinking that the big event [War Games] was that Stephanie Brown would become Robin". The decision was unpopular with both him and Nightwing writer Devin Grayson, and he felt "pleased and vindicated" over the eventual controversy.[6]

Stephanie Brown on the cover of Detective Comics #809 (2005). Art by Jock.

During a Q&A at a convention in March 2007, DC executive editor Dan DiDio responded to questions about the absence of a Stephanie tribute from the Batcave, saying that the official position of DC Comics is that "She was never really a Robin", despite on-panel claims to the contrary.[7] When Alfred Pennyworth asks if Batman's acceptance of Stephanie as Robin was conceived by him as only a temporary measure from the outset and constituted part of an effort to lure Tim back to the cape, Batman evades the question. However, when a dying Stephanie asks, "Was I ever really Robin?", Batman answers, "Of course you were."[8] However, her memorial has been present in different publications since the controversy arose.[9]"

Katma Tui

1.) Katma Tui had her head cut off by Carol Ferris (possessed by the Star Sapphire gem) simply to provoke Hal! She got killed to make mad Hal Jordan. She's been ignored and barely referenced for 30 something years, and whenever she is referenced, its only as John Stewart's dead wife, not as a completely capable gl. She's the worst treated Green Lantern character which is saying something given that gl comics are where the phrase "fridging" comes from. Just god there's so much misogyny in her story.

2.) Prior to her death Hal Jordan talked her out of her impending engagement even though he was planning on getting engaged to his girlfriend Carol Ferris.

She is kinda fridged cause her death focuses on the men that it affected, including her husband John Stewart. Especially Hal because it changed his dynamic and relationship with Carol.

She was later resurrected just to be killed again, by Hal this time. Was turned into a black lantern and then killed for the last time.

[baileyboo2016]

Something for you :)

Lanayru yawned. He was getting more tired these days, but work still needed to be done out in the mines. Though it seemed he could procrastinate a bit longer, as he heard very familiar voices echo in the distance. “Ah, we’ve made it!” Link’s voice sounded ever closer and Lanayru saw both Link and the little one, Hyrule standing near.

“ZINGA-DINGDING! You’re back!” Lanayru called, chuckling deeply. “Come closer, we have much to talk about.”

Hyrule’s face visibly lit up and he rushed over, before he stopped. The size difference between the two was almost laughable but it didn’t matter to either of them. “Lanayru! It’s been awhile!” 

“Indeed it has, tiny one. Time passes by me, but not much has changed other than the tiny Hylians’ progress here on the Surface.” 

“How have you been though?” 

“Hmm…” Lanayru thought for a moment, trying to come up with a supple answer. “Well, I suppose. Ever since Link here—or Sky I think you call him—rescued me from a mighty bout of illness, I’ve never felt better.” 

Link beamed with the heart that could only belong to a kind, selfless hero. Hyrule sent a grateful and happy look to his friend before turning back to the old dragon. “And the mining and robots?” 

“All is well and good, tiny hero. You mustn’t worry about us. Now, tell me how you are faring. Is your quest being fulfilled?” 

“We’re still trying to chase down the Shadow. It  keeps fleeing from us when we get close to defeating it…but all of us are alive so, that has to count for something,”

“This Shadow you keep mentioning…” Lanayru brushed his large white beard. “How much do you know about it?” 

“It can take more than one form, it can be rather cowardly and its blade has some sort of effect that causes potions and fairies to have no effect on the victim.”

“Hmm…If I hear anything that could be of use to you I will tell you. Ah, but I have something rather unrelated.” 

“And that is?” 

“A gift, tiny one,” Lanayru laughed, the sound boisterous enough to shake the ground. “After all you’ve done I figured it would only be necessary. I cannot let your great deeds go unrewarded, hm?” 

Hyrule’s eyes widened and he shook his head vigorously. “No, I can’t accept anything…My great deeds aren’t as great as you make them out to be.”

“Nonsense. Can’t you let a dragon have his fun? You should at least be rewarded for your kindness. You have given me company that I could never have hoped for, and I want to properly thank you. So please, do not refuse my gift,” Lanayru hummed softly.

“…Alright.” 

Lanayru smiled and hurried off, scouring the desert for his gift and he found it. The device glowed as it touched his scaly hand and he hummed to himself, satisfied. Flying back in a rush he stooped down to the tiny hero and held out the device. “What is it?” Hyrule asked timidly.

“It’s a device I created for you, with the help of my robots of course. The device is imbued with a Time-shift Stone, and if you hold it up to something, it sends the area back in time to whatever state it was in originally. I figured since, you liked exploring, this was a way for you to find more entertainment out of such a task. 

But that is not its only purpose!! It can also act as a weapon if you’re in a pinch. If you press a certain button, it can act as a laser! Truly one of my best works I must say. Now, take it please.”

Hyrule took the device gingerly, an awed look in his brown eyes and he seemed quite grateful as he examined the small device. “I-thank you, Lanayru. Truly.”

“It is my pleasure. Now, I do believe that I should not be keeping you from your current mission. Though…if you have any spare time…”

Link smirked knowingly and Hyrule shook his head. “I have plenty of time! We’re taking a break before we start looking for black-blooded monsters to defeat and if there’s no time left to spare, Sky would tell us.”

“Well, then I will not encourage you to leave, tiny hero. In fact, I have something to show both of you.”

The two heroes climbed onto the palm of his hand and he flew slowly to a specific spot in the desert. There, a foundation had been built for a building. A project the dragon had commandeered. “What? What’s this?” Link asked.

“This is something I’ve been working on well you’ve been gone, with the guidance of the tiny girl one—Zelda I think she was named, though LD-568-09 would’ve suited her greatly.  She had the brilliant idea to make shelter for those who are brave enough to venture through the desert. The Hylian creatures have been ever so curious, wanting to explore the vast land and if they’re anything like you guys, I am happy to provide them any assistance they seek.”

“…Lanayru that’s amazing,” Link beamed as Hyrule gasped with awe and wonder lighting up his eyes.

“Ah, this wouldn’t have been possible without the tiny girl. She had the idea.”

“If we can help let us know!” Hyrule hummed. 

It amazed the old dragon how selfless these Hylian creatures are. It made the project feel all the more special. He grinned at the creatures on his palm and flew back to the entrance of the Lanayru Mining Facility. “Now, please, I have shared enough of myself and my doings. Inform me of yours, ZINGA-DINGDING!” 

He listened to the little Hylians chatter, describing their chase through dungeons and time to find the shapeshifting Shadow, and a close-encounter with death. He was content, even though the other dragons would probably tease him for it. 

I-

……

EEEEEEEEE OMG OMG OMG ITS LANAYRU AND RULIE OMG IM SCREAMING CRYING KICKIMG MY FEET RN THANK YOU SO MUCH SISJSJSJSJSJSSS 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 I THINK….*MALFUNCTION*…I THINK YOU BROKE BAILEY UM-

[blueraineshadows]

Are you still taking requests? Can we have some soft Leander x f!MC? Love your fic btw!

Thank you for the love 💜

I do take requests, my inbox is open ✨️

Leander Prewett x F!MC - fluff ♥️

This is following on from The Value of Kindness when Leander was sweet to MC after he found her crying.

A high breeze ruffled his hair as Leander entered the Owlery, letter in hand. He whistled for the gentle barn owl and it landed on his arm. "There you go, take this to mother for me," he said. He gave the bird an affectionate scratch under the chin before it took off into the breeze.

Garreth was waiting outside for him on the steps, picking at a scorch mark on the cuff of his jumper. Leander raised an eyebrow. "Not another ruined jumper, your mum is going to tear you a new one," he said.

Garreth just shrugged and smiled. "I'm going to try and mend this one, it should work this time," he said. "I still haven't told my mum about the one I accidently disintegrated."

They began the long descent back towards school. Leander was hungry and wanted to get to the hall for lunch before heading to the library. He wasn't sure his notes for the upcoming Herbology exam were up to scratch. He smiled to himself, looking forward to this particular study session.

Garreth gave him a knowing grin. "What's that look for, Lee? Wouldn't have anything to do with a certain school hero would it?"

"Might do," he said, coyly. It was hard not to feel good about the amount of time he had been spending with MC lately. Ever since the day he had leant her his handkerchief, she had been rather friendly. "I'm meeting her after lunch to study."

"Studying? Hmm, nothing else?" Garreth asked. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Have you asked her out on a date yet?"

"No, it's not like that," he said, shaking his head. "We're just friends."

Not that he wouldn't want to, of course. MC was so pretty, and she had a lovely smile. She was smart too, studying with her was easy, fun. She wasn't afraid to delve into difficult questions and find the answers, or debate them out. He could see why she got on so well with Sallow, they had similar ways of thinking.

"You should ask her," Garreth said. "Just see if she wants to go to Hogsmeade, or maybe take a walk outside of the grounds. Get away from the castle for a bit, you never know what may happen. It might be nice to spend time with her alone, you know, just you two."

The very idea of being alone with MC made his neck feel hot. He wasn't so experienced about matters of the heart, or the physical side of it either. He could certainly look, and admire the way a girl moved, or smiled. It always brought a flush to his face when he watched MC duel. She was intoxicating when she got all worked up and fiery, shooting spells across the room in Crossed Wands. She was a formidable opponent.

When it came to the idea of touching her though, he had serious butterflies in his stomach. Just thinking about it right now was starting them off. The anxiety a whole afternoon alone with her might set off made him wonder if he could do it. How would he even ask her? Gods, she might laugh and say no even!

Maybe that would be a relief. At least he wouldn't have to worry about getting so flustered over her.

Nonsense. He was getting to like her company too much to stop now. Why else was he in a hurry to get to lunch? The thought of seeing her was setting his butterflies off pleasantly.

....*....

He could feel eyes on him, that strange sense of just knowing that someone was looking at you. He paused with his reading and looked up. MC had her elbows on the table, one hand supporting her chin, the other pressing her quill to her lips. Her eyes were on him, and her mouth twitched up into a smile when he met her gaze.

He gave a quick glance at the open texts around them before meeting her gaze once more. "What?"

Her smile widened. "You have a habit of biting your lip when you read," she said. "It's cute."

"Cute?" He stared at her, confused. He could feel the beginnings of a blush. She had been watching him.

She nodded. "Very cute." Her eyes flicked down to his lips and she smirked. She tucked some hair behind her ear and pulled her book a little closer, looking down at it, the smirk lingering on her lips.

He turned to gaze across the library, but not actually looking at anything, trying to process what she had said. What did that mean? He brushed fingers self-consciously across his mouth and tried to refocus on his book, but he was now too busy trying to not bite his lip. He glanced up at MC and she smiled without even looking his way, like she knew what he was doing.

She was teasing him.

Fighting the urge to grin, his stomach doing this weird little flip of delight, he returned to his book. He hesitated, and then gently pressed his teeth into his lower lip, his pulse subtly picking up speed.

"Oh, now you're just doing it on purpose," she said. She smacked her quill against his forearm.

He smothered a chuckle, glancing around to see if anyone was paying them any mind, but nobody was. He gave her a teasing look. "I'm sorry, I'm not distracting you now, am I? Perhaps you should be more focused on your book rather than staring at my mouth."

She twirled her quill in her fingers, eyebrows lifted. "What would you rather I paid attention to?"

His lips parted and he couldn't stop his flush, his neck burning just as hot as his face. "Wh...what?"

She giggled quietly, checking for eavesdropping herself. She leant even closer. "I can go back to my studying if you want, but it is rather boring and we've been here for a while now. Or..."

"Or?" He asked. He quite liked the sound of where this might be going, he tensed, waiting.

"We could find something else to do," she said. "You and me. What do you think?"

Oh, he was thinking a lot of things, most of them far too inappropriate to say in the middle of the library. Not that he would say them to her. She would probably slap his face and run for the door. But, gods, he couldn't help but think them.

"I think that sounds like a great idea," he said. He tapped his fingers nervously on the table top. "Did you have anything in mind?"

Her smile did amazing flippy things to his stomach.

....*....

She was holding his hand. It was incredibly distracting, it felt so bloody nice, the feel of her fingers wrapped around his. She was tugging him eagerly along the path, the soft dappled sunlight under the trees gradually disappearing until they were in the dark depths of the Forbidden Forest.

He kept asking where they were going, but she wouldn't say. When she had suggested sneaking off somewhere alone, this wasn't quite what he had imagined.

He glanced around into the shadowed depths of the trees. "You're not dragging me out here to tie me up and leave me here, are you?" There may, or may not, have been a twinge of nerves in that question.

She chuckled. "I wouldn't do that to you," she said. She threw a look over her shoulder, sinful and teasing. "Maybe not the leaving you here part anyway."

"What's got into you today?" He asked.

She suddenly stopped on the path and held up her hand to quiet him. He peered ahead, wondering what she had seen. His heart picked up the pace. There was a reason this forest was forbidden. She looked up at him and put her finger to her lips. He nodded.

She beckoned for him to follow, and she led him quietly behind some bushes, keeping low. She was very stealthy and lithe as she moved, he couldn't help but be impressed. It was more of a struggle for him, being so tall and gangly as he was.

They paused and she pulled him down beside her, still holding on to his hand. She pointed through the foliage and held her finger to her lips again. He looked at her, the eerie glow of the forest making her eyes gleam. He swallowed nervously and then peered through the leaves where she had pointed.

A soft gasp left his lips. Ahead, in a clearing, were three unicorns. His eyes widened as he took in the silky glow of their coats and their graceful necks. They were stunning. He had never seen one this close before, let alone three of them.

He felt her hand squeeze his gently, and he turned to her, another swift breath left him. Her face was closer, her eyes watching him and there was a soft smile on her lips. "Beautiful, aren't they?" She whispered.

"How did you know they would be here?" He whispered back.

"I've been checking in on them for a while," she said. "Poppy and I do it regularly to make sure no poachers harm them. I haven't told anyone that they are here, until now."

He met her gaze. "Why me?"

She studied him, her eyes glowing and warm. "Because I trust you, and I wanted to share them with you."

His heart felt like it stopped in his chest, and then it started thumping hard against his ribs, making him feel a little breathless. "Thank you," he said.

He inwardly cringed at how awkward that sounded. He looked back at the unicorns, touched that she had wanted to share this secret with him. He turned back to her, lips parted ready to say as much. "I...mmph!"

Her lips pressed against his, cutting him off. It was soft but firm, and over far too quickly if he was being honest. She pulled back a little, her eyes assessing for his reaction.

"Wow," he said. He took a shaky breath. "Unicorns and a kiss, all in one day. You're spoiling me!"

Her laugh was a smothered snuffle as she tried to keep quiet. She put a hesitant hand on his chest, her fingers toying with the edge of his robe. "Can I have another?" She asked, softly.

He looked down at her soft, sweet mouth. "You may have as many as you wish," he whispered.

As she kissed him again, he remembered what Garreth had said about getting her alone outside of the castle. He realised that he didn't feel anxious at all, and not even concerned that they were snogging in the creepy dark of the Forbidden Forest.

His heart was hammering for a whole other reason, a brilliant reason. He was with her, and it was all that mattered.

[lilac-den]

I love when the mc is just a regular person lol. Like they're just out doing groceries and the strongest hero in their city fighting some bad guy shows up, madness ensues, bad guy grabs them and suddenly the hero falls in love at first sight. Then after mc gets rescued all the villains are now after them because hero has a weakness now and it's them, while mc is just please don't destroy my apartment again. It's funny to me when a normal person that just wants to live their life gets dragged into nonsense they can't escape lol

I wasn't sure if by new IF, the anon meant TSR or the janitor (cuz I doubt I'll be writing the janitor one given how I'm already writing Silverking, TSR and also did a liiiiittle writing for the dragon-parent one [One Small Scale]) but I'mma entertain this idea a little bit with my brain going overdrive ( •_•)>⌐■-■ | (⌐■_■)

SO

Imagine a tired asf MC, working for a janitorial company that cleans up the battles between the hero and villains (especially the #1 Hero and their team + one of the most nefarious villain and their crew). MC, unknowingly, helped the villain when they're in civilian mode by assisting them to get rid of a stain on their coat (I can picture the MC has a cleaning compulsion that they try to reign in to avoid annoying people into confrontation) and the villain is a little touched at MC helping them out.

Then one day, MC was cleaning the latest battle site between a different hero and bad guy when the same bad guy, who escaped from the attempted arrest, grabbed MC and held them at knifepoint or something similar. This, of course, does not sit well with the villain and he ends up leaving an injury on the bad guy and pulling MC to them...in their villain form. Then the hero comes to the site and not only do they end up intrigued by seeing MC being exasperated despite being in a life-or-death situation, but they're also shocked the villain saved MC from a bad guy. Nevertheless, as a hero, they have to save the hostage and stop the villain!

Just when the two were about to fight, MC, annoyed at how they just cleaned up the mess in the area, ends up blurting out "Can both of you fight on a different day? I have clean up to still do."

This leaves the villain and hero stumped, staring at MC and wondering why is a civilian not panicking or trying to get out of range. Annoyed at it all, MC just goes "Look, I get you two to have a grudge, vendetta or some mysterious back-to-back feud with each other, but gods above, take a damn break once in a while!"

"You...do realize you're in a life-or-death situation, right?"

"And? I'm going to be in a dead situation if I don't do my job and clean up the messes you two, and so many others, left behind. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to scrub off the slime and charred bits splattered on that wall over there."

Thankfully, the hero and villain didn't start a fight, just staring blankly at MC. Then MC probably got reamed out for stopping the villain and hero from fighting and preventing the company from getting another potential cleaning job for the number #1 hero and MC just comes home, exhausted from it all...when a knock comes to the door.

MC opens it up and finds the hero's civilian form/actual appearance and the hero, enamoured by MC's traits (bravery against dangers? Hard work? Casualness with all these hero/villain stuff?) and immediately ask MC if they would be interested in hanging out...then villain's civilian form came to MC's apartment and 'conveniently' found out MC lives here...which MC just ends up realizing who they really are and now MC has both the villain and hero be completely oblivious of each other while at the same time yeeting oil into MC's life to set it on fire.

And all MC is thinking "No shoes in the house!"

Ah, the hilarity of it all XD

[toasecretsanta]

From @tsarinatorment for NatureGuardian using the prompt Percy has heart to heart talk with Nico about everything (Happy or ANGSTY)

Nico frowned as he perched on the porch of the Big House, listening to the chaos of the infirmary.  Will had firmly kicked him out, pointing out that due to his early fade out from the battle, he’d been away from Apollo’s summoned miniature plague and therefore hadn’t caught it – and his boyfriend wanted it to stay that way.

Not that Nico could say he particularly minded not being in the thick of things, especially when that involved almost the entire camp’s population sneezing and snivelling so badly that none of them could stay on their feet, but he did mind that Will was running around and treating everyone else near enough solo, what with Kayla and Austin as two of the worst-affected, and Apollo himself being… well.

Will was a much better healer than Lester, even if Apollo clearly cared, and was trying.

Still, Nico wasn’t happy about the whole thing, and the company that had just appeared from the direction of the lake.

“Hey,” Percy said, grabbing one of the porch chairs and spinning it around before straddling it backwards.  His hair was wet, so clearly he’d let it get wet on purpose during his clean-up of the Colossus.  Nico suspected it was to drive away the hay fever fumes.

He grunted back at him.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Percy.  Percy had been his hero since he was a kid, even if Nico had managed to shift the hero-worship-crush nonsense his younger self had had on the son of Poseidon.  He just didn’t want to deal with Percy right then.

Or at any point in the near future, really.

“This Apollo thing is a mess,” the older demigod said after a few more moments, obviously not getting the hint that Nico didn’t really want his company right then.

He grunted again, shrugging because Percy wasn’t exactly wrong, and looked back towards the infirmary again.  Occasionally, he could catch a glimpse of Will as he flitted about between beds.

“How’s Will holding up?” Percy asked him.  “Given… well…”  He trailed off awkwardly.

“He’s coping,” Nico muttered.  Badly, he added silently, which was another reason why he didn’t like being banished from the infirmary while Will fretted over everyone else and bossed his turned-mortal dad around.  Will was going to burn himself out and Nico hated the feeling of helplessness he got whenever that happened.

“Ah,” Percy grimaced, apparently hearing the silent addition.  “How about you, Nico?  We haven’t spoken in a while.”

There was no way Percy was dumb enough to not realise Nico didn’t want to have this conversation, but he stayed slouched on his backwards chair as though he didn’t have a clue, and part of Nico wanted to push him off, just to break the cool hero façade Percy had going on.  He’d seen him flailing frantically enough times to know he wasn’t so much a cool hero as just another demigod.

Unfortunately, the annoying little-kid part of Nico that had been making itself known more and more since he’d officially started living at camp and socialising with demigods – occasionally even those whose names didn’t start with Will and end with Solace – still saw Percy as the cool hero, and wouldn’t let him even give Percy a small nudge.

“Surviving,” he said instead.  “Not dissolving into shadows much anymore.”

The smile Percy gave him was genuine, because of course Percy was genuinely glad that Nico wasn’t about to fade from existence.  It was the sort of smile that would’ve made his stomach do backflips and butterflies, and drag yes out of his mouth to everything Percy said a year ago.  Now, it just gave him phantom butterflies, barely there but enough to remind him of what had been, before he’d met Will and discovered what a reciprocated crush felt like.

Discovered the difference between loving someone, and the idea of someone.

“I’m glad,” Percy said.  “Glad that you’re doing better, I mean.  I was a bit worried when I didn’t see you in the fight.”  The phantom butterflies dissolved as Nico’s stomach twisted unhappily at the reminder that he’d been near enough useless in the fight.

Percy, for all that he’d turned up to save the day again, had moved on from camp.  Sure, he dropped by every so often, but everyone knew he was going to Camp Jupiter at the end of the summer with Annabeth.  Nico didn’t blame him for wanting to live somewhere that was near-guaranteed to be safe from monsters taking opportunistic pot-shots, he didn’t.  Besides, another full summer at camp being reminded that he’d once had a crush on the heroic Perseus Jackson sounded like hell.

But Nico was uncomfortably aware that that left him as the camp’s resident Big Three kid, with all the expectations that came with it.  Percy was a front-line fighter, Thalia had been a protective pine tree for years, and Nico…

Well, Nico should be a front-line fighter, except he was also more of a guerilla warrior – or would be, if he could shadow travel without passing out almost immediately afterwards.  He didn’t regret the journey back from Greece with the statue, but he hated what it had done to his ability to travel through the shadows.

He hated how much it worried Will, too.

“I wasn’t needed,” he deflected, which was a lie in as much as his shadow travel had been the fastest way to get the flying chariot away from Sherman’s control, but otherwise true because he hadn’t been. Not when Apollo had already rescued all the demigods and had a plan all sorted that didn’t include him.

He pretended not to see the way Percy’s sea-green eyes darkened in disapproval.  “You’re always needed, Nico,” he said, and Nico scoffed.

“I wasn’t needed then,” he repeated, clarified.  “Apollo had it in hand just fine without me.”

The noise Percy made proved that his excuse wasn’t flying at all.  “No he didn’t,” he said.  “That guy did not have that in hand at all.”  Nico glanced over to see him sending a look at the infirmary, one that was usually reserved for people Percy didn’t really respect much.  “Apollo’s not the worst god, sure,” he continued, “but he’s still…”  He trailed off, scrunching his face up as he clearly tried to search for the word he meant.  “Flighty.  He did help us out once, I guess, but… he was kind of lame every other time I’ve met him.  This week very much included.”

Nico’s one encounter with the godly Apollo had included the first time he’d been treated decently since discovering he was a demigod, and now that the rose-tinted glasses he’d once viewed Percy with had shattered, Apollo’s kindness stood out even more amongst the sea of betrayal, abandonment, and dismissal he’d received that day.

Still, he couldn’t quite disagree with Percy’s assessment.  “I suppose,” he said.  “He’s definitely not the worst, for a god.”  Apollo cared, or was at least doing a very good job of pretending to.  Will was struggling with a lot of the current mortal-god situation, but the one thing he seemed to have accepted without any problems was his dad’s personality, so Nico was inclined to let that point stand unchallenged.  “Or a mortal-god.”

“He was on the front lines,” Percy agreed.  “And isn’t he trying to help Will now?”

Nico snorted.  “Trying to,” he said, not bothering to mention that Apollo was still doing a better job than he would.  Despite Will’s best efforts, he was not a natural at helping patients.

“It’s his own fault if he gets sick,” Percy pointed out, “given he summoned the thing in the first place.”

“As long as it doesn’t make Will ill,” Nico grumbled.  Percy sent him a teasing grin.

“If Will gets sick, you’ll just have to look after him,” he said.  “Not that I think I’ve ever seen Will get sick.”

“It happens,” Nico said shortly, although admittedly whenever he had seen him ill, it had been because he’d pushed himself too hard.

Like he was threatening to do again now.

“You’ll know better than me,” Percy admitted easily.  “In that case, good luck!”  Finally he stood up, kicking his chair to one side haphazardly.  Nico watched him wander towards the Big House, where Rachel’s shock of red curls stood out in the fading evening light.  “You’re good for each other, I think,” he added after a moment.  “I’m glad you’re happy again, Nico.”

Was Nico happy?  Not right then, with his boyfriend stuck with a bunch of ill kids of his own volition.  But overall?

“I’m getting there,” he admitted under his breath as Percy disappeared.  “I’ll get there.”

[heroicgartist]

How Vault Tec Rep and Kent Connolly parallel each other and cute relationship headcanons (REALLY SELF INDULGENT)

Tbh I feel like Vault Tec Rep (David Dwecker) and Kent Connolly must've known each other in their past life because I sometimes think back to the way he mentions how Kent is crazy and I just like running off that idea that Crazy Kent is a nickname David gave to him XD

I think it's a cute idea that David and Kent were kinda maybe childhood friends because their dynamic would make too much sense to me. Kent being the Silver Shroud fanatic that he is while David is a fanatic of having stress inducing levels of work ethic for Vault Tec.

I can see Kent endlessly rambling on and on about whatever new story has been produced about the silver shroud to even rants about inconsistencies and flaws with new continuity being made.

While David doesn't really care about whatever childish fictional material Kent likes no matter how grounded Kent says it is, I think he could've gotten motivated by Kent's spirit no matter how timid he may be about it towards other people. He likes how charismatically excited Kent sounds through the stutters. David might've felt jealous about his boundless sense of enthusiasm for one fictional hero. That his spirit seems to be energized even through potential lore/continuity disappointments because holy heck Kent really speaks a lot.

All of this leading up to post-war Kent and David taking opposite stances of their post-war lifestyle. While it is cut from the same root of needing something of the past to push on towards the future. Kent using his forever bound passion in the Silver Shroud to spread the hope and investment he had for the story althroughout the commonwealth wherever he can. To spread the spirit of the Silver Shroud to whoever who wants to aspire being him. His sense of idealism makes use of his past albeit not-at-first practical skills in order to have an actual real Silver Shroud in the Commonwealth. His influence he felt from fiction managed to become possible even in a post-war environment.

To David though, his past passion all led to disappointment and a eternal feeling of betrayal. He represented a corrupt company that sought to not protect everyone from the threat of nuclear devastation and he has to live with the fact that all his hard work effectively represented a corrupt source of power that left him and other people to rot in the wastes or become freaks of Vault Tec's manufactured nature.

He felt like he had nothing of the past to treasure and even people (and 1 Codsworth) from the past was not enough to liven his spirit of the burden he felt he wrought onto himself. He needed a semblance of normalcy and trust from his past life to rely on, also a voice that he could vent to. Some sort of sanctuary isolated from the present he is stuck with.

While David effectively leaves Goodneighbor for Sanctuary to go back to his lively salesman self. I like to think he visits Goodneighbor (via taxi of course) to chat up with Kent with whatever crazy nonsense he has to say about the NEW AWE INSPIRING VENTURES OF THE SILVER SHROUD IN THE COMMONWEALTH. Potentially asking Kent for a favor to sponsor his vendor shops. Now Kent has to bear a grin whenever David speaks all about business and how it could be beneficial inside the Silver Shroud Radio broadcasts. He doesn't really get why he loves doing business so much ^O^" It just turns out David just really needed something to hook onto which is that all the skills and memories he has of his past life were not for nothing.

*misc headcanons

David has to be the one that pulls Kent away from trouble even when he is scared as all heck in a handbasket. Allowing himself to get beatup by bullies or else seeing Kent hurt would kill his spirit more

Kent knows that David isn't really interested, but he relies on David to be a patient polite listener (he is trained to be that way after all)

Kent uses David as a model because he really takes care of his clothes (THE SAME VAULT TEC REPRESENTATIVE OUTFIT STILL RELATIVELY GOOD BRUHHH)

Whenever David agrees to wear a costume with him, he gets the courage to wear the Silver Shroud costume himself (mainly becuz Vault Tec Rep's manage to look like a cool mysterious stranger kinda fella! Aesthetic awesomeness! B))

David helps Kent with his homework so that he can get an allowance to get more and more comic books and merchandise every week. Kent had hobbies to do, David had a comprehensible learning process! ^O^

David likes smoothskin sole survivor from the past, so he gets soothed that Kent's voice sounds completely unharmed. And also kinda cute on a ghoul.

They make Silver Shroud fanfics together, David on keyboard, Kent on idea machine!

Kent made David steak knife weapons, he likes seeing David happy (to do some good justice with the Silver Shroud! Those steak knives are meant for Tuxedo Mask-esque finishers!!! >:D)

Oh and yeah they kisssssssss >3< Kent comments on how good of a person David is to him. David often has moments of self doubt due to his past with Vault Tec and being the image on people's doorsteps of what Vault Tec is supposed to be. But Kent would bring up how David managed to outlive whoever might've controlled Vault Tec at the higher ups themselves even without their corruption made tech. That they are ready and prepared to make their own future!

Anyways good night! -3-