#now that they've experienced all that they have it's impossible to go back

[probablyaseamonster]

Things I’m excited to see in s5

- Azure Lion finding out who was pulling the strings the whole time (his eyes glowed ink green when he achieved his goal and I think that that’s something)

- The reveal of who stole the scroll and presumably gave it to Jin & Yin or AL (I firmly believe it wasn’t Azure because the person in the cloak had human proportions)

- Azure getting stuck with leaderly responsibilities (this could very well be played for comedy)

- Everyone learns why exactly the Jade Emperor being absorbed(?) is such a bad thing for the universe

- Peng insulting more people down to their core (I am firmly on the side of the fandom that likes that bird and I think he’s got an interesting role in the group dynamic)

- Yellow Tusk being wise in a significant way (like maybe a line where he’s like “Hey Azure, something’s up with you, maybe calm down a little?”

- Nezha being taught that he has value beyond what post he can take up and maybe having a cute moment where he at least smiles

- More content regarding Princess Iron Fan’s days as a celestial (this one I’m fine with because that shot with her and DBK’s first meeting is everything to me)

- More DBK angst (dude clearly has an issue with being called “weak” and I want to see another adorable shot with him and his wife saving each other from the ink)

- Red Son confronting his own issues + maybe even his parental abuse (maybe we could get flashbacks if we’re lucky)

- MK OR MEI RESCUING RED SON (if the show ends up leaving the fam in the scroll because they’re villains and it gets them out of the way I will be PISSED)

- MK, Macaque and the audience finally seeing what mind games Wukong was being put through (because we didn’t actually get to see that in s4 and since he never got out I bet we’re being set up to finally see him and Mac’s fallout in s5)

- More monkey form MK (hopefully him eventually coming to “embrace it” without “accepting his destiny”)

- MK finding out what exactly Subodhi meant by the stone being remade to make another celestial / demon monkey, but MK not actually being born from the stone (maybe getting to meet that goddess in the artwork who potentially shaped him (Quanyin?))

- Finding out what happened to the Samadhi Fire (we haven’t seen Mei use it since LBD and the only time it was mentioned since was Subodhi talking about it in past tense, and honestly if the writers nerfed her simply because they had trouble write conflict while Mei had that universe-destroying power I’m kinda chill with that)

- Sandy’s being “too nice for [his] own good” becoming a character flaw that he has to get past in order to save his friends (someone on tumblr came up with the theory that Sandy’s hiding something and being super nice on purpose and I haven’t been able to stop thinking of it)

- Seeing WTF happened to the Mayor after LBD’s defeat (did he shrivel up and die because his source of immortal power was destroyed? did he actually get arrested by the Megapolis law enforcement that we’ve never seen because everyone saw their mayor hanging behind the demon freezing and destroying the city + he’s more closely connected to human society than any of the other villains so he deserves a human punishment? Or did he actually get away and is currently plotting revenge while having an identity crisis? (please writers even if he anticlimactically died off-screen I WANT TO KNOW))

[ye4gerism]

𝑨𝑳𝑳 𝑰𝑺 𝑭𝑨𝑰𝑹 𝑰𝑵 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑾𝑨𝑹 - 𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐊𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐈𝐍 𝐗 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 part two!

word count 2.6k

content warning smut (they’re getting IN TO IT)

author’s note guys don’t laugh at me seriously. enjoy the little mature scene you got 😭 also thank you for the reposts and likes on the first post!

synopsis after the rumbling, you found yourself on your feet in your home town. you have a completely new life - you’re watching your country be built again and now you have a fiancé! what happens when a man from your past reaches out to you via letter?

Winter 858

Mister Ambassador,

Thank you so much for the job opportunity. My wife had told me about, you, a friend she had made before the Rumbling. Thank you for reaching out to her. Considering my previous line of work, I did hear a little bit about Paradis and their efforts from other Hizuran diplomats. We should connect personally some time.

I am interested in diplomat work but I'm worried about leaving Anahg. As time has gone on, we've grown at steady rate; with hardworking people and Hizuru's funds and service, we've been able to get up on our feet. There's still a lot of ways to go but we're getting there. My problem is turning my back on these people. I'm not even from here but yet they've found their trust in me as a leader.  It'd be a bad look if I packed up and left, especially because the people of Anahg know of my love for the world. And I can't just leave my wife or move her again. She's been far away from Anahg and now she's finally home and we just got married. I'm honestly surprised that she pitched this offer to me.

I can't say yes to a new job right now, I'm sorry. But if you and the Alliance would like to visit Anahg, that'd be wonderful. Maybe we can build a partnership.

Thank you again,

Sebas Abe

Mr. Abe,

No, thank you for reaching out to me. Your wife has presented you as an amazing candidate and from asking around my Hizuran colleagues, I can tell they trust you too from how their eyes lit up from the mention of your name. I'd definitely be interested in connecting with you even if you can't take the job and I think I can work something out if you're interested in having the Alliance come to you.

I'm most definitely interested in visiting you, your wife, and Anahg.

I'll write again soon,

Jean Kirstein, Peace Ambassador

Dearest Jean,

My my, what a negotiator you are. Sebas was over the moon about your response today, as you already know. I'm also very excited. I'm interested in seeing you and touching you again. Are you still as handsome as you were a few years ago?

Are you for sure bringing more people with you? I want to see if I can get a moment alone with you. I feel that it might be impossible considering you're the one pitching this trip and it'd be inappropriate for you to disappear for a few hours. But we'll see.

If you were to visit, how long would you stay?

Missing you,

Y/N

Y/N,

I still feel handsome. I am worried though...I haven't done anything since you. It's really been me and my alone time, so I hope you aren't disappointed when I arrive. I can't wait to see you; I bet you're even more beautiful now.

I'd like to bring my friends from Paradis who established the Alliance but I'm worried they all won't be able to come with our situation with New Marley and Mainland Marley. It's either I bring a few of us and stay for a few weeks or even days or we wait a very long time as we have a few more places to visit before we can hit the Southern Regions.

In the past, and because of how recent the Rumbling was, I and multiple others have spent at least two years in New Marley and Mainland Marley. I've managed to come home because of my mother or because of holidays that have been planned previously. I know a few people love to stay for the entire period.

Jean Kirstein

Jean,

Don't worry, I'll get you up to speed. I'm very experienced now!

Bring as many as you can. Or just you. I doubt Sebas will have you running all over the place if it's just you. Also, why not ask some individuals from Hizuru? They'd love to visit him, no?

I'd do anything to see you every few days every month. I can't wait for years. I might even have to come to Paradis myself.

I need you. I need your air. He doesn't satisfy me. He doesn't leave me thinking about his performance for years, not even seconds. I'm always thinking about you; replacing his face with yours. I always have to stop myself from crying out your name. I only get the chance to when I'm alone.

Y/N

Darling,

From now on, I don't want to hear anything about you and him. I totally forgot that activity was a part of your marriage. Don't remind me.

As soon as I read your letter, I started talking to the others. Some of us have agreed to visit Anahg for a few days. I will write to your husband. Act as if you don't know. I will be seeing you soon, darling.

When I'm there, I'll take you. I'll give you the time you deserve. I'll perform for you. Just wait and keep me in mind.

Love,

Jean Kirstein

Spring 858

Dear Mr. Ambassador,

We're all excited about your arrival this upcoming week. I understand that a native, Onyankopon, is coming with you. I am eager to speak with him and so is my wife.

We have set up spaces for you and your colleagues and we will let you know once you arrive. You, however, will be staying with my wife and I.

I am so pleased with this visit. I hope we can make some progress.

Thank you,

Sebas Abe

Summer 858

The minute the Paradian Alliance members stepped foot within Anahg they were hit with humidity. Although they had lived on an island for most of their lives, the heat and humidity were nothing like Paradis. Regardless of the humidity, Jean was looking forward to his time here. He was going to take off his clothes anyway; the sooner the better.

Along with Jean came Onyankopon, Armin, and Connie. Considering that Libero was their home, Reiner, Annie, and Pieck stayed behind with others to finish negotiations in both Marleyian nations. The quartet in Anahg was greeted by a group of Anahgians who, by horse, led them to the Abe residence. The home wasn't as majestic as it sounded but it looked live-able and comfortable.

Onyankopon thanks the individuals who helped in their shared language and the four walk up to the front door. Jean is feeling jittery; not only is he worried about being caught but he doesn't know how he's going to react once he sees you. The last time you saw each other, he was leaving and he didn't dare to look you in the eye. After learning what you had been through during the Rumbling, he felt responsible. He could have just told you the truth and you could have gone home. But had you gone home, would you have been killed?

His thoughts dissolved once the front door opened and he was met by a woman. Her skin was melanated, her hair coily, and her face absolutely beautiful. Jean's eyes widen and his mouth parts. She's looking up at him with the same look on her face.

"Y/N," he breathes. Instinctively, you find yourself wrapping your arms around his torso. Jean takes this as an opportunity to bow his head and take in your air. If only he could kiss you. The moment feels like it could last forever.

"Mr. Kirstein." The two move away from each other like two positive magnets. Sebas enters. He shakes the Alliance's hands one by one and reaches Jean last. You move back, eyes still on Jean, missing the touch of his torso, longing to be attached to him once more. Sebas's handshake with Jean is firm. "I'm so glad to finally meet you. Let's head inside." Sebas looks back at you, his wife. "Do you think you could get our guest something to drink?" Your eyes flicker over at Sebas and you almost forget how to speak. "Uh, uh...yeah."

You all begin to enter the home. It's still developing its story; The living room was a light shade of brown, full of seating and some plants. "You can wait here. I have tea, water, wine..." you start," The tea and water will take a while-" Sebas cuts in, "It's a little too early for wine don't you think? Just get them the tea and water." You nod but once you're about to walk off, Jean opens his mouth. "I'll actually take some wine. I know it's a diplomatic visit...kind of but..." He looks over at Armin sheepishly. Armin refuses to look at him but then sighs and shakes his head looking down. Trying to hold back a chuckle, he mutters, "You're ridiculous." Sebas looks over at you once more, "Just go ahead and get the wine." You look at Sebas, then Jean, and finally take your exit.

"I guess we can relax tonight. You all just got here, so I don't mind a little drinking. Just not too much though because I know all of you will be placed somewhere else and we want to make a good impression on your hosts. Throughout the next few days, I'll show you around," Sebas explains.

You return with two bottles and five glasses. Everyone thanks you verbally but Jean says nothing. His eyes only stay on you.

After many introductions and drinking, Sebas had gone out with Onyankopon, Armin, and Connie to show them where they'd be sleeping for the next few days, leaving you with Jean. He had gone to the guest room to put his stuff down. You were in the kitchen, trying to figure out the plan for dinner. Coming up with something was much harder now with technology being very wonky these past few years and it didn't help that she didn't know what Jean wanted.

You turned around, ready to call him downstairs but there he was leaning on the doorframe of the kitchen. "Jean," you breathe. He starts walking towards you, steps getting faster and bigger each time until he has one hand on your neck and the other on your back. Your lips meet his, desperate for him. Jean lifts you and places you on the counter. He pushes your legs back and lowers himself. Jean pushes your underwear aside to get a look at your core. You were getting wetter and needier by the moment. "Jean..." you mewled. Jean looks up at you. "Be patient, baby. I'm just getting a good look at you." You whine at his words, clearly growing impatient. Your aching and yearning dissolved once you felt his tongue running over your slit. Your body trembles in excitement, unsure on how to work itself. He laps at your cunt but then stops remembering you were both on a time limit. He comes up and kisses you a few more times.

"I need you desperately," you whisper, placing your forehead on his. Jean kisses your nose then proceeds to unbuckle and pull down his pants. "I'll make it quick." He strokes himself up and down against you before applying pressure. Naturally, you take him in. Jean grabs at your side, letting out a pained sigh before setting a pace. You immediately grab onto his cheek and bring him in for another quick kiss.

By the minute his pace picks up and you're so close! You start to gasp, ready to release when Jean suddenly stops. He gives you a panicked look - the front door is opening. He pulls out of you and bends over to pull his pants up and get situated. You get off the counter with slightly shaky legs from the experience and the anxiety of Sebas on his way.

"Do you have a towel or-" Jean cuts himself off once he grabs a rag and wipes the part of the counter where they partially did the deed off. He shoves it in your hand unsure of what to do with it. Both of your faces are flushed, unsure of if Sebas will crack the code on day one.

He walks in, smiling, then it drops. "You haven't made dinner, yet?" he asks. You're using the counter to support you. "I-I-" You don't stutter because you're nervous but because you still have Jean on your mind. One moment, he had you feeling euphoric and now he has you trembling from his force. You look over at him. "It's my fault. She called me over to talk about it and we ended up having a conversation about my life in Paradis and what we've been up to these past years. I totally forgot I was hungry," Jean replies quickly. He looks at you; you tell them thank you with your eyes.

"Mr. Kirstein, are you ok? You seem a little hot...out of breath almost?" Jean's eyes widened like he was about to shit a ton of bricks. "Is it the heat?" Jean coughs. "I think so. Sorry...Paradian summers are a bit lighter than Anahg's." Sebas's hands clasp together. "That's alright, let's sit down in the living room and relax." Jean nods and leaves immediately, feeling sheepish.

Sebas doesn't immediately follow and instead turns to you. "Make something," he says sternly, "Cereal, oatmeal, something! It's getting late." You bow your head in embarrassment. If you only had Jean a little longer.

Fall 858

Y/N,

I apologize for leaving you high and dry during our visit. Your husband is very passionate about Anahg and it's progress and from my point of view, a lot of work has to be done. My work mind turned on immediately and my focus was on the individuals that needed help. I'm sorry.

I had to get myself off so many times at the thought of you in so many different places during that trip. I wish we had more time to sneak off. I was either with Sebas or you were. I wish you could have been in the guest room with me but that would have been very suspicious. I wish we had more time together, so I could really give you a good welcome back.

Well, at least I got to see your face. You're beautiful. I think the sun in Anahg has done you a favor; you have this insane glow to you. And your hair is pretty. I'm just afraid to pull on it though.

Y/N, I want to ask you something, if it's not too inappropriate. Why is Sebas always talking to you that way? He's not cruel but his tone isn't kind either. Based on his positive tone in his letters and in person, I'm unsure about what exactly I witnessed.

Love,

Jean

My Dearest, Jean,

I’m starting to see your point about mentioning Sebas and our activities in our letters. But I find that calling him Sebas doesn’t make things easier. Let’s call him…Him.

Yes, I share your frustration. I couldn’t even satisfy myself. I need you physically. I wish he had given us more time to catch up; he knows of our friendship.

You’re equally as handsome, Jean. I find myself heating up at the thought of you…and a little jealous when I hear other women talk about the visit. I wish Him was as thoughtful as you are; he doesn’t bother asking about pulling my hair.

Him…well, he was sweet in the beginning - so I feel like the stress is getting to him. I understand. There’s been so much because of what your friend did. We’re losing our patience and missing our past lives. We just need a little patience and time. He can be kind sometimes.

Missing yearning for you,

Y/N

[humdinky]

i love pixar's turning red. it is such a good representation of girls at that age. they don't shy away from depicting the awkward and weird parts. it is so rare to see a movie depict girls and their silly interests without condemning or judging them. they just let the girls be girly, noisy, and silly.

fuck the hate this movie got on its release. i could go on for hours about society's uniquely shitty attitude towards teenage girls and their interests. there are countless examples. remember the feverish hate for twilight, a series aimed exclusively at young women? what about the hunger games? teenage girls were the first ones to fall in love with elvis and the beatles, and critics treated them like a joke. that is, until adult men started liking them. funny how that works. justin bieber fans, one direction fans, vsco girls, girly girls, tomboys, emo girls, indie girls, bookworms. you will see every single type of girl being made fun of for every conceivable interest a human being can have.

at a certain age you feel forced to make an arbitrary choice. lean into your feminine side and continue to get mocked for 'being shallow', 'only caring about your looks', 'being annoying' etc. or lean into your masculine side and get called a pick-me or told that you just want to get with their guy friends. you like things that are popular? you’re basic. you like things that aren’t as popular? you’re trying too hard. it is the entire reason why so many girls internalize this misogyny, why they start saying things like "im not like other girls."

i certainly wasn't immune to that trap. i didn’t fit the mold and got ostracized for it. the only validation i received for the longest time was from boys, when i turned my anger back on girls and girlhood. i was sold that narrative so many times that i wore it like some sort of badge of honor. it took years to unlearn. i feel sad when i look back on my younger self. i was so sad, so angry, and so scared all the time.

we get insulted for being happy. we get insulted for being sad. we get insulted for being mad that we were insulted for being sad. we get insulted for trying to forget what happened and act happy again. we get insulted for feeling hopeless. they beat the confidence out of you very early.

and it angers me how the emotions of teenagers as a whole are so often neglected. when you're around that age and grappling with big emotions, you've quite literally never felt anything that strongly before. a failed test, a best friend's betrayal, being cut from a sports team. it all feels like a rejection of your entire person, your entire being. you haven't lived that many years yet, and it's the first time you've felt this horrible. you don't have anything to compare it to, and it feels like nobody else could have ever survived feeling this bad before.

it's not petty teenage drama. it's not immaturity. it is a normal human reaction to the worst pain you've experienced, and it is happening at a time when your body is going haywire and your feelings feel impossible to control. you don't know how to cope with it, you can't possibly know, because it's the first time you've had this bottomless well of pain tearing you up inside. you can't look back at previous times you've felt this way to reassure yourself that it will be okay eventually. the first time is the worst and hardest and you have no resources to get through it yet.

a lot of adults scoff at and dismiss the feelings of teenagers. "you're young, you'll get over it"' they've decided that because you haven't dealt with this feeling before that you must be overreacting. sometimes you are, and sometimes you're reacting exactly how any adult would. it's an absolutely shitty thing to express to anyone. a teenage girl's pain is not any less real than a 50 year old's pain. so what if it will get better? it doesn't matter that it isn't going to be the worst thing that ever happens; it matters that right now it very much is the worst thing that's happened.

yes, teenagers overreact over a lot of things that aren't as important as they feel. as if adults, who don't even have the excuse of inexperience with deep emotions, don't? no one should ever dismiss someone else's pain regardless of their age or circumstances.

​im turning 20 in a few months. find the small joys of life, and don’t you dare let anyone take them away from you. if there is a teenage girl reading this, i love you, i am sorry, and it does get better.

[parad-ice-lostandfound]

Prompt: Imagine going home after everything that happened in Twisted Wonderland.

Pairing: NA

Genre: Hurt no comfort (im sorry)

TW: Talk of loneliness, mention of scars ig, let me know if there's something else I should add here

AN: I don't know what happened here ummm... I just, started writing and it went somewhere. But going somewhere is still better than going nowhere (which is what a lot of my drafts are doing rn) so I'm just putting this out for your reading pleasure and as a practice thing. Enjoy!

Imagine going home after everything that happened in Twisted Wonderland.

After spending years and years trying to find a way back home with the help of the most wealthy, intelligent people and their abundant resources at hand, you finally manage to return to your world (somehow calling it the real world leaves a bad taste in your mouth; Twisted Wonderland was real, your friends were real. Everything you went through was real, and it would be a gross disservice to treat it as anything less than that).

You find out everything has changed. Naturally, considering you were essentially in a different universe entirely for many years, there would be changes. Like you being presumed dead after being reported missing by your family and friends. Perhaps you're even on one of those documentaries about mysterious and unsolved disappearances with the weirdest theories floating around on the internet.

Imagine going to your home, finding out another person lives there now. Imagine seeing the new tenant lose colour from their face on seeing you, as if they've seen a ghost. Because that is what you are to these people in this world now, isn't it? A ghost of the past.

Imagine having to go to the police, giving them a story you spent time coming up with to explain your absence, your disappearance.

Imagine meeting your family. For how much you've longed to see them while you were in Twisted Wonderland, there is little relief. Especially when they have changed so much, just like you. You have scars you cannot explain, secrets they wouldn't understand, stories they would dismiss at best and be concerned about at worst.

Even if you were to reveal the truth of everything that happened to you, everything that you saw and learnt and experienced, who would believe you? They would think you've gone mad.

Imagine reaching out to your friends, facing the same cycle again and again; the fear, the disbelief, the relief and tears, then the questions. You don't know which part of it hurts you more, which part digs its claws into your heart and shreds it more savagely.

Because somehow, somewhere down the line you don't recognize these people. You don't fit in, and you don't connect. The world has moved on without you, and now that you're back, it struggles to accommodate your unexpected presence.

You see it in the hesitancy with which your best friend introduces you to the child she had with her husband (who was her boyfriend before you left), in the way your father tiptoes around you in any and all conversations. Your mother sometimes forgets to set out three plates instead of the two she had gotten accustomed to, and your friends treat you as though you are made of glass and will shatter with the slightest touch.

You're a ghost of the past, haunting them with your presence and risk hurting them with your absence.

But what can you do?

You made your decision when you chose to come back. There is no going back, no second chances.

" Did I make the right choice?" You think to yourself on days where the loneliness grips you just a little too hard, where the gap between you and your loved ones seems near impossible to bridge. Days where it seems that living in Twisted Wonderland would have been far better than this... empty life you were living.

Can you imagine going home after everything that happened in Twisted Wonderland?

[landthatplane-blog]

Another steam of consciousness on Mr Daniel Ricciardo and no sleep so apologies in advance if things are a bit scattered.

A little scared to post because tags have been intense.

Anyways....

Happy for Daniel. Everyone criticized him for taking a break last year (which he clearly needed) and not taking a Haas/Williams seat. People thought that he thought he was too good. Well, he's now taking a seat at the last place team, to rebuild and prove himself. He sees a pathway, but he's taking the step down in hopes for a long view move. He is a multiple race winner and probably could have retired but of course, unfinished business. Beauty of the sport. The comeback. He's allowed the chance to rebuild and is literally starting with a back marker team now and knows he has to prove himself. But now, people are pressed he is in a seat. Again, obviously Red Bull see something in him. If they weren't seeing some indication - based on Red Bull's history of being cutthroat - this wouldn't be a conversation. Even on that Simon Rennie/RB podcast, Simon mentioned not wanting to basically lie or hype Daniel up if the results weren't there. There's a trust there. Luckily, they saw something. They literally can't hire Daniel solely for markeing/PR. Does it help? Of course. Everyone has to find value wherever they can. There's only 20 seats people have to take their opportunities where they can.

Alpha Tauri is a junior team narrative. It was but they've obviously repeatedly put out there they're looking for a restructure with one experienced driver and one younger, and they're going to be using Red Bull parts. Two young drivers (unless you're a generational talent like MV) could very well result in little to no points and they're dead last right now. Haas had to bring back two experienced drivers to make up for the previous years of two young drivers. They need an injection of experience.

Pay Driver - He has not had a family member nor a huge corporation buy his way into the sport. He's built a career where people are interested in him - over 10 years - how can people find a way to penalize that? Again, he can't win. Just because he can pull in interest from huge sponsors - again, after years of building a career, that's just the business. If it was based on that person's definition alone - Lewis, Lando would also be pay drivers. But it isn't based on that factor alone. There's so many factors.

A lot of people deserve things, but this is a competitive sport, so nothing is ever guaranteed. Liam may very well deserve a spot on the grid, but you could also say he never would have had this opportunity if not for DR's accident. Also, if he’s as great as people think he is - I’m not too worried for him. People keep going back to Alex Albon's appendix causing the string of recent events but sometimes I think - this all wouldn't have happened if Daniel hadn't left Red Bull in first place lol. Maybe he'd still have his Red Bull seat now! I don't mean that in a he shouldn't have left, just that his leaving kind of caused a similar effect and gave all these other people opportunities lol. But again, that's not really how it works. They're making decisions based on today's circumstances. And now, he's come back but has to re-earn his spot. His leg up is Christian Horner supports him, but he still has to perform to get back. Just think it's funny people are acting like, there won't be hard work or there's no talent (again, drivers don't forget how to drive). It's complicated and impossible to identify who "deserves" a seat more or less. So many variables and impossible to be definitive (the way some people speak as if they know everything/must be right). Guess, we could argue forever which is what's entertaining. That said....

Professionalism/Kindness. While I think everyone knows that the way McLaren handled Daniel's exit was in poor taste, never once did Daniel complain or make excuses. He was professional and continues to be. The results weren't there. When he was fired (let go, released), he understood it. Acknowledged the results weren't there and this was part of the sport (I'll get into that NY Times article another time - but it was clearly not for a lack of trying). Daniel called Oscar Piastri to tell him no hard feelings. Wanted him to still have a positive start. Even Checo has been asked about Daniel "coming after his seat" and presumably under a lot of pressure for 2025 and his response was also professional and an understanding of the sport. He said Daniel's a friend and there are only 20 seats, there's no hard feelings. It's up to him (Checo) to perform. They all understand. Nobody inherently deserves or is guaranteed a seat. Wish some fans would understand. If the drivers aren't publically pressed about it themselves - maybe everyone just calm down. People are just so nasty, and without actually knowing all the information. Twitter/X is the worst. This should be fun, juicy, competitive but no need to bring hate or be nasty.

That's all for now🤷🏻‍♀️. As always, happy to discuss but please be kind (or funny).

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

🎵 Ignus Nilsen Waltz

I've decided to change outfits for this. This is going to alter some of the dialogue we've already heard.

ECHO MAKER - "He should know the meeting starts at 22.00 *sharp*." His companion looks up at you and squints.

VISUAL CALCULUS [Medium: Success] - His eyes are tracing an invisible line back and forth from your jacket to his companion.

ECHO MAKER - "Hey, Steban. Isn't that *your* jacket?"

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - What a coincidence! You two have the *same* jacket. What are the odds?

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - Based on the prevalence of white Saramirizian suits in Martinaise? Extremely low.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "It certainly *looks* like my jacket, Ulixes. Where did you get that, gendarme?"

I just found it… in a room."

"Must be a coincidence. I see these jackets all the time."

"This jacket is RCM property. It's been confiscated as part of an ongoing investigation."

[Leave.]

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Unlikely. That's real Saramirizian twill. Only old Saramirizian communists and drug smugglers wear those anymore..."

"See, Uli? It's just like Mazov wrote. How does it go again?"

ECHO MAKER - "'Those committed to the rights of property are those most apt to violate them'." His companion nods emphatically.

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Just a minute. Steban... Ulixes... *why* do those names ring the faintest of bells?

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - Probably because they're the real names of 'Nasteb' and 'Exilus', the authors of that so-called essay about TipTop Tournée you read...

CONCEPTUALIZATION - You should get to the bottom of this, when you have the chance.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "I assumed it was Maurice who broke into my room, to play a trick on me. I didn't think I'd *actually* been raided by the RCM!"

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - There is surprise in his voice, naturally, but is that a note of *excitement* you also detect?

"So, do you want your jacket *back*?"

"Listen, comrade, it's not what it looks like..."

"Why do you sound *excited* to be raided by the RCM?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Oh, gendarme, because this is perfect..."

He turns to his companion. "Can you imagine the look on Maurice's face when he finds out the RCM has been kicking my door down?"

ECHO MAKER - "He'll shit himself! Positively."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "And now they've shown up *in force* to break up our meeting!" He rubs his hands together excitedly.

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant sighs. "Something tells me these young men are not very experienced with law enforcement."

"Hold on, we're not here to *break up* your meeting. We want to *join* your meeting!"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "The RCM wants to join us?" A quizzical expression...

KIM KITSURAGI - "My partner, of course, is acting in a strictly *personal capacity*, not as an official representative of the RCM."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Interesting. Does that mean you've done the reading?"

DRAMA [Impossible: Failure] - Uh oh. No one said anything about *reading*. You'll just have to wing this one.

And we're back.

4. (Whisper.) "Kim, did *you* do the reading?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "No, detective. The only reading I've been doing is right here..." The lieutenant holds up his little blue notebook.

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - He seems to be wagging the notebook at you, as though he suspects you may have forgotten why you're here.

KIM KITSURAGI - "I have not had time to seek out pretentious communist book clubs, nor have I done their 'reading'."

ECHO MAKER - "It doesn't sound like they've done the reading, Steban."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Well, this is getting awkward. I'm not sure what you were expecting to find here then..."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - There's profound consternation in his voice. You suspect it's about something bigger than your not having done the reading.

ECHO MAKER - "Maybe they can explain themselves."

"What *exactly* are you two doing here?"

"What were you doing with those matchboxes just now?"

"Do I *know* you two from somewhere?"

"That's enough for tonight. Will you still be here if I have more questions?" [Leave.]

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "In the most general sense, I would say we're cultivating revolutionary consciousness."

ECHO MAKER - "Yes, that's probably the best way to describe it."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "But more specifically, we're running a reading group, the most rigorous and theoretically advanced materialist reading group in Martinaise."

ECHO MAKER - "Comrade Steban is a great discussion leader. One of the best at the university."

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - It's obvious they take this 'group' of theirs extremely seriously. Whatever you do, *don't* compare it to a common book club.

HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success] - *YAWWWWN!* Can you imagine anything duller than a bunch of binoclards yanking each others' knobs?

"Is this where I can square off in *theory combat*?"

"Sounds like a place for intense intellectual engagement. Exactly my kind of jam."

"Sounds just like a regular book club."

"Sounds like a yank-fest for binos."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "We have been known to get into some *spirited* debates. But it's always in service of our larger intellectual and ideological project."

ECHO MAKER - "Precisely. We're not interested in senseless parroting. We like to read *critically*."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Within the contours of Mazovian historical materialism, of course."

"I didn't realise they taught radical Mazovian theory in the universities."

"Okay, so what does your reading group actually *read*?"

"I think I get the idea. Let me ask about something else."

ECHO MAKER - "Ha! As though you can call that pablum *teaching*."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "One thing you learn quickly at university is that you're not going to find a real education in any lecture hall or discussion seminar."

ECHO MAKER - "We're post-attendance, basically."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Exactly. The only worthwhile part of the so-called École normale de Revachol is the library. That's where we've made our greatest critical strides."

2. “Kim, can we arrest these kids for truancy?”

KIM KITSURAGI - "They’re not primary school delinquents, they’re university students. Attendance isn't compulsory. Besides, we’re not the skip squad."

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Success] - The Counter-Truancy Task Force (or 'skip squad') is the division of the RCM that drives around in wagons looking for delinquent minors. It's generally considered a punitive assignment for under-performing officers.

3. "Okay, so what does your reading group actually *read*?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "We study all the foundational texts of Mazovian theory, of course. Just last week we finished the second volume of Puncher and Wattmann's 'Innocence of Capital'..."

ECHO MAKER - "Truly extraordinary."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "And before that we spent six weeks on 'State and Plasm'..."

VOLITION [Formidable: Success] - This is fine. You can handle a list. In fact, you find the tedium strangely soothing.

+1 Morale

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "We've also read Wertmüller's 'The Mega-Structure of History,' and before that, 'Reál and Reality'..."

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Communist theorists love puns, in case that wasn't obvious.

Level up!

ECHO MAKER - "Abelard's 'Un Pays Infernal'..."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "The original Fizdale translation, not that watered-down revisionist garbage."

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - These two deserve the Order of Honour for Bullshitting. There's no way they've actually *read* all this stuff.

ECHO MAKER - "Obviously." He snorts.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "But, of course, our *special emphasis* is on the theories of Ignus Nilsen and his followers, especially the infra-materialists."

"Wait, who are these *infra-materialists*?"

"I know who Kras Mazov is, but who is this 'Ignus Nilsen' guy?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "You're not familiar with them? It's... pretty advanced stuff. You may not be ready for it yet, gendarme." The two young men exchange skeptical side-glances.

"Okay, but then who's this 'Ignus Nilsen' guy?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Only Kras Mazov's most trusted lieutenant, the Evangelist of the Revolution, and the founding father of the People's Republic of Samara."

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Legendary: Failure] - It's hard to overstate how unimpressed he is that you've never heard of this world-historical individual.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "He *also* happens to be the greatest communist theorist after Mazov himself. It was Nilsen who first postulated the existence of ideological plasm, which forms the basis of infra-materialist theory."

The young man sighs. His companion looks about furtively.

2. "Did this reading group have anything to do with the lynching?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Lynching? No. We're not an *operational* cell."

ECHO MAKER - "We think of ourselves as more of an intellectual vanguard."

"Okay, but what's your group's stance on the lynching?"

"Is your reading group affiliated with the Union somehow?"

"*Are* there any operational communists in Martinaise?" (Proceed.)

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Our stance? What, does he want to know if the SRV has established a party line on lynchings in Martinaise?" The two young men look at one another.

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Success] - The SRV refers to the People's Republic of Samara. Established as a socialist utopia by survivors of the Revolution, it has since degenerated into a bureaucratic workers' state under the decades-long rule of President Sapormat 'Sport' Knezhinisky.

ECHO MAKER - "Though historically speaking, the SRV *has supported* direct action against right-wing paramilitary squads, especially when they're doing the Indotribes' dirty work."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Good point. So as a provisional matter, I can say we support it."

SAVOIR FAIRE [Challenging: Failure] - Are they being sarcastic? You feel like you're caught in some elaborate joke labyrinth, but it's impossible to see your way through.

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - It's always that way. Beneath the crust of irony there's a molten sincerity that threatens to erupt forth... You may witness it yet.

2. "Is your reading group affiliated with the Union somehow?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "No, we're an independent organisation," he says proudly. "We acknowledge and respect the Union's efforts, but our interests are more theoretical than Mr. Claire's."

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - He speaks the truth.

3. "So what's your stance on crime in general?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "That's easy: Crime is simply the inevitable expression of the injustice and incoherence embedded within capitalism itself."

"It's a symptom, in other words. Not a cause." He waves his hand as though this is all there is to say on the subject of crime.

ECHO MAKER - His companion can barely suppress a yawn.

4. "*Are* there any operational communists in Martinaise?" (Proceed.)

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "No, unfortunately. The communards were hunted down and killed nearly to a man. All that's left of them are bones and old rifles."

"Right. They all got shot in the head, just like the anarchists."

"Well, that's too bad."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "The Insulindian Deluge wiped out an entire generation of communists. Afterward, they were all bulldozed into mass graves." The young man looks slightly queasy at the thought.

ECHO MAKER - His friend, though, seems oddly unmoved.

HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success] - On the contrary, he appears to be *savouring* the thought of so many people shot in the head, regardless of their beliefs.

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - Mark it, there's something sinister in that one.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - A moment of silence. They're waiting for you to speak.

3. "Where is the rest of the reading group?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "What do you mean? This *is* the reading group..."

"So there's just two of you?"

"Shouldn't a group have, like, more people in it?"

"Two's all you need. Me and Kim are the same way." (Turn to Kim.)

KIM KITSURAGI - "Kim and *I*..." the lieutenant mutters under his breath. He scribbles something in his notebook but adds nothing else.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "We're in something of a rebuilding phase."

ECHO MAKER - "Some of our former comrades didn't have the *ideological fortitude* our work demands."

"Okay, but what happened to them?"

"I've heard enough. Let's talk about something else."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Intellectual attrition is maybe the best way to describe it. Felix said he couldn't keep up with the reading on top of his classwork. And Zuzanna wanted to read texts *other than* Mazovian theory. Like novels, if you can believe it..."

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Imagine, the audacity of wanting to read a novel in a reading group!

"Novels, unbelievable." (Shake your head.)

"Maybe you just haven't found the right group yet?"

ECHO MAKER - "See? Even a gendarme gets it."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "We've tried recruiting new members, but unfortunately the *current intellectual climate* is pretty hostile to infra-materialist thought. These days, if you're on the left, the ascendent schools are the Gottwaldians and the Econoclards."

ECHO MAKER - "Don't forget about Maurice and the turnips."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - He sighs. "Right, then there was the whole 'turnip' debacle."

RHETORIC - Whatever this turnip business is about, one thing *is* perfectly clear: These young students have a much deeper understanding of communism than you do...

You could learn a thing or two from them, if you can convince them you're one of them.

"What's so bad about the Gottwaldians?"

"Who are the Econoclards?"

"What about Cindy, is she part of the group?"

"Did you say something about *turnips*?"

"I've heard enough. Let's talk about something else."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "They're the most depressing school of communism. They love writing long books with a patina of Mazovian theory to cover up their cheap psychologising."

ECHO MAKER - "A gang of cheap psychologists and intellectual midgets." His companion sneers. "Typical Gottwalders, in other words."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "It's okay for Uli to say that because his dad is from Gottwald."

"What's so depressing about their theories?"

"What's so bad about psychologising?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "The Gottwald School believe that intellectuals as a class are incapable of sparking revolutionary change, so all they can do is *critique* capitalism from inside itself."

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - In other words, they have lost faith in their own relevance.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "That's why they spend all their time smoking cigarettes and writing long works of criticism that make you want to commit suicide."

"That sounds miserable."

"Sounds rewarding, actually."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "It *is* miserable. That's probably why they're always committing suicide."

2. "What's so bad about psychologising?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Do you think all the problems in the world can be reduced to repressed sexual urges?"

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - No, of course not. That's reductive in the extreme.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Medium: Success] - One-thousand percent, yes.

"Probably not."

"Speaking from experience, definitely."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Well, there you have it. You're not a Gottwaldian, then."

"You see, the Gottwald School look like communists, they talk like communists, but scratch the patina and you'll see beneath that they're just depressed liberals who've read too many books."

2. "Okay, but what about the Econoclards?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "For starters, they love talking about *beans*."

"*Beans*?"

"What's wrong with beans? I like beans."

"No beans for me. Can't stand the stuff."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "That's right. Econoclards are *obsessed* with beans. They love thinking about beans, they love counting beans, but most of all, they love building models to predict how many beans there'll be *in the future*."

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Success] - Nota bene: 'Econoclard' is an extra-pejorative form of the already pejorative name 'Mazovian Economists', a moderate school of Mazovianism, which advocates a gradual transition to communism through carefully managed economic modernisation rather than violent social revolution.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "They're by far the most bean-centric school of communism."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - Ah yes, the much maligned bean counters, ensconced in their think-tanks and highrises, believing they can save the world through a series of incremental, assiduously technocratic reforms...

"I don't get it. Are the beans a *metaphor*?"

"But isn't it good to know how many beans there are?"

"What's wrong with making progress through moderate economic reforms?"

ECHO MAKER - "If only! They've got all the beans accounted for in their asset sheets, their quarterly budgets, their future projections. But for some reason there are never enough beans to go around, so we've just got to cut our bean rations in half..."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "... and next thing you know there are *budget cuts*, so now we've got to cut the bean rations in half *again*..."

"You see, Econoclards claim to be communists, but in reality they're just liberals with hard-ons for spreadsheets."

3. "And what about the liberals? Are they liberals, too?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Of course not. The only people who actually call themselves liberals are mouth-foaming reactionaries."

ECHO MAKER - "Basically indistinguishable from fascists. You'd need an x-ray machine to tell the difference."

4. "What about Cindy, is she part of the group?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Cindy is... how to describe her *role*..."

ECHO MAKER - "... something of an ideological auxiliary, perhaps."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Yes, that's exactly how I would put it. And naturally we support her radical counter-liberal aesthetics."

ECHO MAKER - "But she refuses to submit an essay, so we can't call her a member of the group *per se*."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "That doesn't stop her from using the room for studio space, of course."

5. "Did you say something about *turnips*?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - Another sigh. “It's an unfortunate story. You see, our ex-comrade Maurice is something of an economist...”

ECHO MAKER - “He’s studying macro- *and* micro-economics.”

KIM KITSURAGI - "Wow, a *real* intellectual, it sounds like." The lieutenant arches his eyebrows.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - “Right, so a few weeks ago we were discussing the extra-physical capabilities of the revolutionary state, and Maurice said... what were his exact words, Ulixes?"

ECHO MAKER - "It was unbelievable. He said, 'Turnips don't care if they're grown by communists, moralists, or welkin. They grow just the same'."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Basically, he was rejecting the whole foundation of infra-materialist theory."

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - What is this *infra-materialist* business they keep blathering about? You've never heard of anything like it.

"Remind me what infra-materialist theory says about turnips again?"

Just go along with it.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Simply that *under suitably revolutionary conditions* crop yields naturally increase relative to non-revolutionary crops. Which Maurice somehow has the gall to deny."

ECHO MAKER - "Zuzanna said that he has been hanging out with some non-communists lately."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "For us the question boiled down to: 'If you don't even accept the basic ideas of Nilsen and infra-materialist theory, why are you in the reading group?'"

"I totally understand."

"I don't understand at all."

"So you expelled Maurice from the reading group over an argument about turnips?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Exactly. What educated person could believe that turnips grow at the same rate under capitalism *and* communism?"

ECHO MAKER - "It's a sad reflection on our educational institutions."

"So you expelled Maurice from the reading group over an argument about turnips?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Well, it wasn't so much that he was expelled..."

ECHO MAKER - "He just quit coming. We haven't seen him around for weeks."

6. "I've heard enough. Let's talk about something else."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Go ahead." The young man gives you a half-smile. His companion sniffs.

4. "What were you doing with those matchboxes just now?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - The young man frowns at the little pile of boxes on the floor.

"Nothing, just messing around until the meeting started."

INTERFACING [Easy: Success] - They're watching those matchboxes awfully intently for two guys who are just 'messing around.'

It's almost as though they were trying to create the most unstable structure they could...

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - With predictable results.

5. "Do I *know* you two from somewhere?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "I don't think so." The young man gives you a curious look. "Unless you've been hanging around the Cultural Studies faculty at the École Normale de Revachol..."

ECHO MAKER - "Perhaps he subscribes to 'La Fumée'."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - That's sarcasm. He does not expect you to subscribe to radical communist periodicals.

(Show them 'La Fumée'.) "Wait, *you* guys wrote for *this*?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "*You've* read our article?" For the first time since you've met the young man, words seem to desert him...

ECHO MAKER - "That I did not expect." His companion is blushing now, a sheepish grin on his face.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Well, don't keep us on tenterhooks! What did you think of the essay?"

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - The delicate egos on these boys! Even though you're just some cop they're desperate for your approval.

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Hey! You're not just 'some cop', you've got highly developed critical faculties! Now's your chance to show them off.

"It was a good article. You should keep developing your ideas."

If we'd read the article *after* becoming the Art Cop, we might have had some more profound things to say.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Well, of course that's just an *initial foray* into the subject. We're hoping to return to it for a more substantial treatment next term..."

"In any case, I'm glad our piece found its audience. That's always the hope with these things, you know."

+5 XP

6. "Is the reading group accepting new members?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "We typically only accept new members once per semester. There's this whole *process*, with essays and presentations on assigned topics..." The young man turns to his companion.

"But given that we have some extra seating at the moment, I guess we could be convinced to expedite an application or two."

ECHO MAKER - "Steban, you can't be serious... for these gendarmes?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "I am serious. As materialists we've got to adapt to conditions as they are. Besides, he'll still need to pass the *interview portion* of the entrance process..." He turns back to you.

"... assuming he's even still interested, that is."

We can improve our chances on this Composure check, so let's back out of the conversation first.

7. "That's enough for tonight. Will you still be here if I have more questions?" [Leave.]

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Sure, we're here most every night." He shrugs. "Maybe we'll catch you again."

ECHO MAKER - "Sleep well, gendarme."

We can use this as an opportunity to look around the room.

Try not to think about the cracks spidering out across the floor...

"The communards didn't commit *enough* atrocities."

A rickety easel, surrounded by pots of gouache.

Cindy's, no doubt.

Could it be the *phasmid*? No, probably not.

This one says: "NO WAR BUT CLASS WAR!"

"Kind of chilly tonight, Uli."

"Don't worry, I'm sure your jacket will turn up."

This poster reads: "Under the cobblestones, communism!"

Mmmm, coffee...

At the bottom of the pot, an isle of black sludge rises from a shadowy sea.

RELFECTIVE CONSTRUCTION VEST

+1 Endurance: Safety first. -1 Reaction Speed: Impossible to miss.

A ludicrously reflective safety vest like those favoured by construction and road repair crews. Comes with a replaceable battery back. Makes you feel like a deep sea anemone.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "The gendarme returns." The young man turns to you. "What do you need?"

4. "I'm guessing these pots of gouache belong to Cindy?"

You have to be Art Cop to recognize the paint as gouache.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - He sighs. "Yeah, it's hers. She just sort of... moved it all in a few months ago."

ECHO MAKER - "She said if she's going to make truly radical art, she needs a suitably radical workspace."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "And I don't think she could afford rent at an actual studio."

"Do you like her art?"

"Now I'm wondering, what's the deal with this place?"

"Okay, let's move on."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Oh, sure. It's definitely *interesting*, I would say..."

"Hmmm, I guess you could call her latest stuff a sort of *counter-bourgeois calligraphy*. She's got a real taste for radical slogans."

ECHO MAKER - "It's too bad she hasn't developed the theoretical foundation to do truly radical work."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "I think she'll get there, though. She's still looking for a subject equal to her ambitions."

2. "Now I'm wondering, what's the deal with this place?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "'The deal'? At a fundamental level I guess you could call it the shattered bones of a dream crushed by capital."

LOGIC [Challenging : Success] - A feeble and hopelessly mixed metaphor.

ECHO MAKER - "That's really good, Steban. You should save that for an essay."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Thanks, Uli. When the idea is sound the words just sort of flow."

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Yes, now keep developing the idea.

"Actually, I think that's a mixed metaphor."

"If this place is the shattered bones, that must make us the bone weevils."

"I heard these used to be luxury apartments. Million reál views, that sort of thing."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Mmm, yeah that's not bad."

ECHO MAKER - "Not as good as Steban's original idea, though."

3. "I heard these used to be luxury apartments. Million reál views, that sort of thing."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "That could be." He nods. "It would explain some of the more ornate detailing. But we're speaking in world-historical terms here. What this place *represents*, not what it merely *was*."

ECHO MAKER - His friend yawns, evidently bored by literal reality.

3. "Okay, let's move on."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Go ahead." The young man gives you a half-smile. His companion sniffs.

7. [Composure - Impossible 17] Convince them you belong in the reading group.

+4 Somewhat bookish toad.

COMPOSURE [Impossible: Failure] - Is it getting warm in here? There seems to be a little pool of sweat forming in the depression of your lower back.

"Definitely not sweating, no sir. (Dab the sweat with your shirt.)"

It's because I don't do well in interviews.

COMPOSURE - Excellent work, now there's a dark handprint on the back of your shirt. Everyone will be able to see the evidence of your overactive sweat glands.

2. It's because I don't do well in interviews.

COMPOSURE - No, you're terrible at them. The thought of everyone looking at you, judging you, makes you want to heave, frankly...

-1 Morale

3. Why am I getting so worked up? They're just a couple of kids!

COMPOSURE - Let's be frank, they're probably way smarter than you. You bet they've read more books than you can even name...

RHETORIC [Medium: Success] - Of course, if you're nervous it wouldn't hurt to read another book or two.

COMPOSURE - The hardest part will just be working up the nerve to ask without soiling yourself.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Everything alright, gendarme? You look a little green about the gills..."

8. [Leave.]

[bonny-kookoo]

Prey: Cold Waters

In which Jungkook dreams- of warmth, love, and the soft comfort of safety. The only issue? Louri never dream without reason.

Tags/Warnings: Alien!Jungkook, vomiting (briefly mentioned), blood (teeny tiny injury), protective!koo, dead dove do not eat, major angst, fluff

Story length: mid

All content can be found under the Tag #Prey

..........................................................................................

He's surrounded by white.

There's a certain smell around him, soft and gentle, covering him in a comfort he doesn't remember ever feeling. He's a Louri after all- raised to be bold and brave, not soft and vulnerable. His kind survived and thrived because they've embraced their instincts while moving forward with the course of time. But for all of the change and growth, there's been sacrifices;

Nurturing traditions like family and children have long become uninteresting and undesirable for Louri people. Seen as a hassle and burden, it's become a problem, a hindrance in career and sucess- resulting in biology changing to the point of conceiving a child being impossible without medical assistance, and less Louri passing the compatibility tests nowadays.

Even worse: more and more have been diagnosed as infertile.

Therefore, a lot of traditions have been lost to time- unseen for years and generations. Other things have become so rare they've just been completely forgotten- so when Jungkook walks around in the lands of dreams, he's unsure what exactly is going on.

All he knows is that he doesn't ever want to leave where he is.

Or does he? Isn't something missing?

There's a trace of your scent around him, but he doesn't know where you are. He can't see you, or anything really- all he knows is there's a weight in his arms, too small to be you.

"...kook? Hey, Jungkookie?"

He hears you call out to him, distant, but it's there. Looking around, he can't see past the fog surrounding him, thick clouds making it impossible to spot anything further away than an arms length. He wants to call your name- but he stays silent, lips sealed shut.

"hey, Jungkook?"

You're a little louder, but still not quite there. He feels like his body starts to weigh more again, as if he's growing aware of his limbs again, when the scene darkens and his consciousness returns.

His eyes flutter open, suddenly looking into your face, smiling softly at him, faint sound of traffic being heard from outside the opened window. The fog is gone, everything saturated in the colors of reality, familiar surroundings back again. "wow, you slept for ages." you giggle, before pecking his lips and leaving the bedroom. "I made you your favourite- I hope your stomachache has gotten better!" you call out, while he sits up in bed.

Did he.. Dream?

He's heard about dreams before, from a friend of Yoongi's, and he knows from you that humans dream fairly frequently, but he himself has never experienced it. It must've been what it was, but why did he dream? He should call Jin about it.

Because this has been the second time now.

"Huh? Where are you going?" You wonder, as Jungkook simply kisses the side of your neck, before he puts on his shoes to walk towards the door.

"Nothing, I just forgot about something. I'll be back as quick as I can though!" He calls out before hurrying out the door-

Leaving you confused.

◇━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◇

Blood is taken. Tested. Results are read.

Seokjin checks them twice. Then once more. But there's nothing wrong with any of it. The results are clear, they're honestly textbook-worthy. They're exactly what one would expect them to look like in a situation like this.

Jin doesn't need to test you. There's no reason for it. Jungkook is a faithful mate, never even glancing into someone else's direction. And his blood, everything about him, shows the first signs of fatherhood.

He's changing, dreaming, because he's created a new life. His body is waiting, expecting, preparing.

And as soon as Jungkook is told the news, he's running out the room, barging into the bathroom close by, clinging onto the toilet as he heaves whatever leftovers he's still got in his stomach, before he somehow collects himself enough to splash some cold water in his face, trying to get himself together.

He's still in shock.

Jungkook hasn't ever seen himself like this.

The mirror shows a reflection of someone that looks like him- but strangely doesn't feel like it's him. Pupils blown wide, roots of his hair longer and unfamiliar in their deep black color, his face just as disbelieving as he himself. The splash of cold water did nothing to wake him up it seems.

A knock on the door makes him turn around- fearfully and more or less making him jump at the sudden sound, but Jin seems understanding as he sighs. "I know it's hard." he tells the younger Louri.

"Why is this happening to me?" Jungkook asks, voice trembling. "Why.. Us?" he almost whispers.

"I don't know." Seokjin sighs empathetically, a hand on the younger one's neck as a sign of comfort. "But I'll be with you until the end." he says, while Jungkook himself averts his gaze.

Unsure what's going to happen to the both of you now.

"She's going to die." Jungkook stampers quietly, sounding somewhat controlled, but he's not. "I'm going to loose her."

"We don't know that yet." Seokjin tries to comfort his friend. "There's not enough cases to make a generalization yet. Sure, there's never been a successful pregnancy with both chikd and mother surviving, but that doesn't mean it's impossible." He tries, and Jungkook just laughs, without any humor.

"You know her." He says lowly. "You know her body. She won't be able to handle it." He tells his friend. "I know that. You know it. She probably knows it, too." He scoffs, closing his eyes as he runs his hands over his face. "What do I do now?" He asks no one in particular.

There's not much.

He can either go through with it, or terminate it right now. There's no third option, no safer way, no better idea that could let him keep both you and his unborn child.

"You'll need to inform her." Jin says. "Or I can do it, if you'd like." He mumbles, but Jungkook shakes his head.

"I'll do it." He almost whispers. "Its my fault. I don't.. I didn't know it would happen, how did it even happen?!" He's now becoming more and more frantic. "I'm not on any hormones, no medication, how in the name of the gods did this even happen in the first place?!" He barks out. "Are you absolutely sure?" He presses, and Seokjin nods.

"It has to be." He says. "I can give you a testing kit for her to do at home, but I'm certain that she's pregnant." He says, and it seems like Jungkook falters a little at the word.

It's like it's suddenly real.

"What are we going to do?"

♥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

"I.. can you.. seokjin gave me this." Jungkook says, pale as a ghost. "There's.. pictures under the instructions. I'd.. like you to do this." He says, and you take the small box from his shaking hand, a bit nervous now.

"Is everything alright?" You wonder. "You're worrying me a little."

He wants to say that you shouldn't. That you don't have to. But he can't lie.

You wordlessly walk into the bathroom, following the instructions before you pinch the tip of your finger for a drop of blood to be picked up by what looks like a piece of paper at the end of a plastic tester, before you do the more intimate part of it.

You've realized what this is already.

You're not sure what to think of it. In a way, you're not scared, just worried for Jungkook. He seemed terrified, and you're not really sure what to make of it. You know his fears- but maybe he just doesn't want a child with you? Even though you've talked about it, there's still doubts in the back of your head.

Your phone vibrates, the timer has stopped.

You pick up the small plastic tester.

A circle is shown. You're actually creating a tiny little life inside you right now.

Walking out of the small room, you wordlessly place the object on the kitchen counter where Jungkook has placed his head down, waiting. It snaps up at the noise, at the sight, and his eyes stare for a good minute or so, before he dares to pick it up.

"What.. do we do now?" You wonder quietly, scared to cut through the silence. At the sound of your voice, he looks over at you, deep in thought, before his gaze drops down to your stomach.

"I can't loose you." He says, the first words he's said since you've returned from the thest. "I can't."

"But you won't?" You say, unsure. "Jin said he'll help us." You say, but he doesn't seem convinced at all, still staring. "Do you.. not want it?" You ask quietly, and for a moment, there's no reaction from him, no movement at all, before he gently picks up up and sits you on the kitchen counter. He's now face to face with you, before he wraps his arms around your middle, face resting against your abdomen.

"Of course I want it." He quietly says. "But I want you too."

"You have me." You say, carefully running your hand over his shoulder.

"Who knows for how long." He mumbles.

"Well just have to see, I guess." You shrug.

"How can you be this calm about this?" He whines almost into your clothes, arms tightening a bit.

"I don't know." You say. "Seokjin told me that I knownmy body best. And right now, I feel perfectly fine. A bit hungry maybe, but that's besides the point." You giggle, trying to lift the mood a little. "I've got you by my side, and him for whenever I've got questions or I need help. I'll be fine." You say.

"And if you're not?" He quietly worries. "If you're dying?"

"I won't." You say. "I can't."

"You will." He fights back.

"No, Jungkook, you don't understand." You say, pushing him a bit so he looks at you with his already red rimmed, glossy eyes. "Even if I don't make it, there's always gonna be a part of me with you." You explain. "Whenever you'll look at them-" you look down at your stomach, "-I'll be there too."

And at that he cries.

Because he doesn't just want to keep a piece of you. But everything.

♥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

"Absolutely amazing." Seokjin says, putting his devices away before looking at you with a smile. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Slightly elevated levels here and there, but that's simply to aid the growing fetus. It's remarkable." He says.

"Well.. I mean, nothing is really going on yet." You giggle. "Its still tiny, I mean. It'll probably take a while until, you know, you'll notice anything." You shrug, but Seokjin shakes his head.

"Not quite." He says, typing some things in. "Your body is already adapting to everything. It's working hard at providing optimal conditions for the child, but you're physically absolutely not showing any signs of lower energy or fatigue. That's really out of the ordinary." He explains. "Humans really are quite different from us."

"So she's doing good?" Jungkook anxiously asks from the back. "Nothings wrong yet?"

"Nothing at all. Or have you noticed anything odd?" Jin asks you, but you shake your head.

"I'm a bit hot and cold sometimes, and a little grumpy in the mornings, but I don't feel sick at all or anything." You offer.

"Slightly elevated temperature is normal." The doctor immediately tells the fidgeting Lourie behind him, waving him off. "And like I said, you know yourself best. Rest when you need it, exercise if you'd like. Just nothing too exhausting."

"She's absolutely not exercising." Jungkook answers strongly, walking towards you to help you down from the elevated examination bed. "I'll bring her back next week for another checkup."

"Do I really need to be monitored this much?" You complain a little.

"To be quite honest, yes." Jin somberly explains. "I'll come over though. There's no need to come here every time. Only for specifics."

You help Jin file some information, before you're ready to walk out the room. "Oh, eh, Jin?" You ask, and he hums a reply to let you know his attention is on you. "When do.. you know, when can we find out the gender?" You wonder, and Jungkook looks down at you.

"I'll tell you." He says. "As soon as I know, I'll tell you."

"Louri can sense a child's gender at a certain point in its development inside the womb." Jin explains walking closer. "As a father, he's going through changes as well. Depending on how these will present themselves, we will know." He explains a bit more in depth, making you nod, before you walk out.

"You're still so calm about this." Jungkook wonders as he walks home with you. "You don't seem worried at all."

"I already told you, I'm not." You say. "Theres no reason to be. It wouldn't change anything for the better."

He has to agree with you on that. Worrying might only bring more trouble for you. So maybe, he should stop that as well- or at least tone it down a bit, and embrace the changes to come for the time being. He will deal with any problems once they're there.

He straightens his posture a bit suddenly, steps more sure now as his hand holds yours a bit tighter.

He will be the best mate. The best partner. The best friend.

And the best father.

♥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: New year new book! Welcome back -Danny Words: 2,342 Series' Masterlist Previous Book // Next Chapter Listen to: 'How Far We've Come' -by Matchbox Twenty

I: No Thoughts, Head Empty

Nothing prepares you to be a leader. You can be born as one, or climb your way up, but you rarely fall flat on the spot. You don't want that to be your case, but it is mine.

I'm not the only one with a new job, Rachel Dare got a job as our new oracle. Apollo's there and everything, he even talks to me and says the next solstice is going to be fun now that I'll be there to report how I'm handling everything in the mortal world.

When Rachel gives us the next big prophecy, Chiron offers her a room in the Big House until they figure out where to put her. Then he turns to me. "Our Daughter of Olympus," he states gravely. "Let's talk."

Percy steps forward. "Chiron, she's my little sister. What is—?"

"I'm not little," I interrupt him. "I can look after myself."

"What?" He scowls. "That's not what I'm saying, Ara, you're too young to be a General."

I'm the same age he was when we explored the labyrinth and no one told him he was too young to do that! I was twelve myself, I'm experienced enough to do whatever I want.

Chiron gives Percy a look. "Ara is our General, Percy. If she's willing, you may ask her what her new rank entails, after we're done talking."

Never before had I been above Percy, I'm usually the one pushed out of the room. Things are about to be very different from what we're both used to.

Ara wakes up to people arguing on deck and she just had the worst talk of her life with Aphrodite. She has no time to process any of this, so she leaves her cabin and goes to the deck to see what's the commotion.

"Impossible!" Someone's yelling."Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!"

"Which is it?" Leo taunts the stranger. "Surrender, or leave?"

"Both! Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous boy! Do you feel that?"

"Wow," the boy continues. "You're wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look." Someone gets hit and Leo hisses. 

Ara walks into the scene, still too drowsy to understand. "What's going on?"

Annabeth turns to her. "Strategus, this is the guardian of New Rome."

When her friend moves to the side, Ara realizes they've been talking to a statue. She has 1.5 seconds to accept this and nods at the bust. "You must be Terminus. I'm—"

"The Praetor's little sister," the statue isn't as rude when he talks to her. "The daughter of Olympus."

Ara frowns. "Did you just call my brother a Praetor?"

"Leo, stop the ship," Annabeth orders unexpectedly.

"What?"

She's looking over the railing. "You heard me. Keep us right where we are." 

Leo looks at Ara for permission and she nods. They stop midway down, and Annabeth turns to the statue. 

"Terminus, there's no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?"

"Well, no..."

"We can keep the ship aloft," Annabeth explains. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically."

"Okay," Ara pipes in. "That's a safe middle ground for all of us. Terminus?"

"I like technicalities," he hums. "Still..."

"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Annabeth continues. "I assume the Romans—even those reinforcements marching toward us—will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?"

"Of course! Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?"

"Uh, girls..." Leo wavers. "You sure this is a good idea?"

Annabeth's face is telling her that no, she doesn't think this is a good idea and probably the rest can tell that too, so Ara steps in. 

"If anything happens, we'll handle it like civilized people—and god."

"I suppose," the statue raises a brow. "For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, Strategus. Please try not to destroy my town."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she places her compass on the god's platter.

Chiron guides me across the strawberry fields. Lily and Nico follow us from a distance. 

"Are they you're official guard?" The centaur asks bemusedly.

"Lily's my second in command. Nico is just following Lily, but he doesn't support my decision, not entirely."

Chiron glances at them and then eyes me with uncertainty. "You're the first child of Olympus in this camp, I don't know what kind of responsibilities you'll have here, but I know what must be done at once."

"I'm listening."

"You'll remove your stuff from Cabin Ten and take them to the Big House before dinner."

"Oh. That means I won't eat with my siblings either?"

"You're the caretaker of camp now," he explains. "You'll sit with Mr. D and I."

"But I... I was supposed to be Cabin Ten's counselor," I continue hesitantly. "What about that?"

"The position goes to the person next in line. You're the caretaker of all the campers," he repeats patiently.

"What about my lessons? And the chores?"

"At the risk of hurting your friends' feelings," he makes a face, "that's beneath you. Now you watch over the barriers, the campers, and our oracle. That, and any quest the gods may give you. Could be a trip to pick up Zeus's suits from the dry cleaner, could be leading a war."

"But I'll still live with Percy and my parents, right?"

"If you want," he looks at me. "But it's not ideal, Ara."

I glance back at Lily, it'd be fun to be with her, but I would miss Percy and my parents. "I think I'll try New York if it's all the same to you."

"It's not. You're a priority, and must train twice as hard as everyone else."

"I already do that..." I mumble.

"What your friends taught you makes you a skillful demigod, but they didn't prepare you for bigger threats. That's my job."

I'm not going to contradict Chiron, he knows better than me. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Are you happy for me?" I shake my head. "No, scratch that, I know you're not. What I mean is... there's gotta be an upside to this, right?"

He ponders my question, circling back to the Big House. "What do you expect to get?"

"Nothing," I reply. "I'm half-hoping my friends will be left alone, that's it."

"What about you?"

I smile. "I'm just getting started."

"You might get tired faster this way."

"There's only one way to find out," I shrug. "When I was little, I didn't know what to do with my time, but I always enjoyed helping my friends. I think it's my calling."

Chiron looks at me funny when I say that, but he doesn't question me. Lily and Nico are waiting for me near the end of the fields, and the centaur stops right before we reach them.

"Meet me at Apollo's cabin after you move. They'll need your help there, some of our campers will arrive in shrouds."

I get an unpleasant feeling at the thought, but being a General means I have to look after my army... and give them a proper farewell too.

Ara's wearing her cloak, and before leaving the ship she glimpsed into her dino bag and found her laurel crown in there. Lily must've packed it for her, but she doesn't know if it was to upset her or not. Ara has opted to hang it on her belt. She'd feel stupid wearing it, like a kid showing off, although she's feeling like a freak either way. 

The Roman crowd points fingers and whispers when she walks past them. The statue mentioned Percy was a praetor now, if her brother's in charge, maybe they're looking forward to meeting her...

When she reaches the end of the road, she spots a girl with a purple cape just like hers. Ara's not impressed by the stranger, but surprised, because she recognizes her. 

"It's you!"

Reyna's brows knit together. "Do I know you?"

Ara chuckles. "It's okay if you don't remember me," she offers to shake the praetor's hand. "You taught me how to do boxer braids!"

Reyna steps back, eyes widening. "You? But... Percy said you're his sister!" The girl exclaims, now with a bit of outrage. "You told me you didn't have a family!"

"Percy's mom adopted me the summer I met you," Ara grins.

"You've changed," Reyna's in distress, but Ara doesn't have time to ask why, because Percy decides to show up then.

He's acting like this is a party and he just happened to get there earlier than them. Ara's insides decompress when she sees him, but she barely manages to open her mouth when Annabeth rushes past and kisses him in front of everyone.

Ara diverts her gaze when the scarlet flash goes off. Without warning, Annabeth throws Percy to the ground and whispers something through gritted teeth. Percy laughs while Annabeth is still choking him.

"That's normal," Ara informs Reyna with a smile, "don't worry, Annabeth won't attack anyone else."

Jason clears his throat. "It's good to be back." He introduces everyone but leaves Ara to the very end. "This is our Strategus, Ara Jackson. I think you know her?"

"The daughter of Olympus," Reyna eyes her, serious and calculating. "The leader of all mortal armies."

Ara fixes her posture to look confident and excited. "Yes. I'm here to be your Praetor adjacent."

The people around them make noises of contempt that both, Reyna and Ara ignore. Reyna holds out her hand, and Ara shakes it. 

"Welcome to New Rome, General. Centurions!" The girl raises her voice. "Tell the legion to stand down. Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And, Octavian—"

"You're letting these intruders into the camp?" A boy that looks like a terminally-ill version of Luke interrupts her. "Reyna, the security risks—"

"We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian," Reyna drops Ara's hand, but the girl still senses a wave of dislike from her as she talks to Octavian. "We'll eat here, in the forum."

"Oh, much better," he replies sarcastically. "You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."

"Our warship is as harmless..." Ara glances at the plushies hanging from his belt. "As a teddy bear, if it's left alone. The ship was made to protect us from the threats outside your borders, that's all."

"These are our guests." Reyna nods in agreement. "We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As Augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely and for bringing a child of Olympus to make us stronger."

"Good idea," Percy adds. "Go burn your bears, Octavian."

Reyna gestures at the blond guy before walking away. "You have my orders. Go."

The girl starts to walk in the direction of a building, but Ara stays behind and approaches her brother and Annabeth. As the crowd disperses, Percy holds Annabeth's hand and squeezes it.

"Don't worry about Octavian. Most of the Romans are good people—like Frank and Hazel here, and Reyna. We'll be fine."

Ara looks at the kids Percy is pointing at: they're the demigods of her dreams. She steps forward, the speech she's rehearsed about a thousand times spilling out faster than she can make sense of it. 

"Percy, it's been so long, and I know—"

The boy pulls Ara in a bear hug. He's taller and stronger than he used to be, his skin looks darker thanks to the weeks spent under the sun, and his hair is longer as well, it's like a whole cooler version of Percy, which makes her feel a bit of a dork. 

He kisses the top of her head. "You got bangs now! They make you look like a middle schooler, that's funny."

Ara's a little annoyed that he's talking and treating her this way in front of others. "Yeah..." 

She holds him by the shoulders to take a proper look. Ara spots the SPQR tattoo on his forearm, identical to Jason's except for the trident. She can't help feeling the Romans marked him like cattle, and she dislikes that, so she focuses on the purple cloak around his shoulders instead.

"Praetor?" Ara raises a brow. "You just can't let me have one thing..."

He laughs. "I'm sorry, Birdy. I tried to suck, but they loved me right away."

Ara's been called Birdy all this time, but it was Percy who came up with the nickname in the first place, so hearing it from him hits differently after all these months of not hearing his voice. The girl cups his face and beams. "I missed you tons, you jerk."

Percy playfully flicks her nose and then goes back to Annabeth, holding her hand as he starts walking. "C'mon, I wanna show you around..."

Ara sees them holding hands while glowing scarlet and remembers they're not done with the introductions yet. "Wait! There's someone I want you to meet—"

"Later," he says distractedly. "Come, they've got an elephant and—"

"Percy," she presses. "This can't wait."

Her brother seems a little confused but smiles anyway. "Alright. Who is it?"

Ara looks over her shoulder and smiles at Leo a few feet away, he'd stayed behind waiting for her. She encourages him to approach, and when he does, she holds his hand. "Leo, this is my brother Percy. Percy, this is Leo Valdez, my boyfriend."

Percy's smile fades, and so does the joy in his eyes.

"Hi, man!" Leo grins, which only makes him look even more dangerous from Percy's point of view. He reminds him of the Stolls. "Ara was worried sick about you for months, I'm glad you're okay."

The older boy stares at Leo, which is not great because he doesn't have a gentle gaze. He looks downright murderous, and Leo tries very hard to act like he isn't scared shitless.

"Boyfriend?" Percy turns to Annabeth, his voice full of concern.

Annabeth holds back a smile. "I'll explain. Ara, you two go ahead, Reyna's waiting for you."

Ara doesn't argue, now that the worst has passed she wants some alone time with Leo to tell him about what Aphrodite told her.

She looks at her brother with what she hopes is a confident smile. "I'm really happy you're back, Nemo."

Something about the way he keeps looking at Leo makes Ara feel like he knows something she doesn't. Right now, however, she's got more important things to figure out.

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @asnyox-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles

[sophieinwonderland]

VR, Plurality and Virtugenic Systems

Before we begin, I want to talk about roleplaying tulpas or autojects.

Different groups of plurals have different names for the phenomena, but the basics remain consistent. You roleplay a character long enough and eventually, your brain may start to see that character as someone else entirely. It dissociates from the character and the character may start to develop a life of their own, acting on their own terms, even talking to the host at different times thrpugh the day when not roleplaying. They've gained independence, autonomy and sapience.

Right off the bat, you can imagine how VR could lead to this type of experience being common, especially with characters who are vastly different from the core. What really made me interested in this concept though was this video from The Virtual Reality Show, where the host (of the show; she's not a system as far as I'm aware) pretends to be a guy for a week in VRchat.

"I mean, when in your life have you ever looked down and not been you? Never."

Okay, yeah, she's DEFINITELY not a system. 😜

I am not going to read too far into Phia's wording because much of it seems off the cuff and it's impossible to know how this really affected her exactly without being in her head or at least getting an in-depth interview.

But the short of it for anyone who doesn't want to watch the video is that it only took her four days to feel incredibly dissociated, start talking about this character as a separate person with his own thoughts and feelings, and to start talking about herself in the third person. Seven days later, she describes the character as becoming a part of her that will be always be there.

Again, I cannot possibly speculate what these words might mean to Phia or what she experienced. It obviously sounds reminiscent of system language, but it's just impossible to know what this really means to her.

But what I think this does show is what can happen to others. That you can have people with completely different avatars that they'll strongly identify with in the game and then outside of the game still identify with their physical bodies.

Remember, this is how the experience started affecting Phia in only four days.

For others in VR, they're existing in these worlds for months or years. We may have a new generation brought up in a virtual world from the age of 13. There's no telling the psychological impact that could have.

For existing plural systems, the propagation of VR is a massive boon. Apps like VRchat can allow headmates to present themselves to others in something close to their actual forms.

And I really want to take a moment to appreciate how amazing of a concept that is. This is something that has never been possible for plurals at any point in history.

But something I've never seen brought up is the potential for new systems to be created through VR dissociation. Virtugenic Systems.

Yes, I'm just coining that right now!

If this technology becomes as common as is hoped, this might actually become one of the primary ways accidental endogenic systems will develop in the future.

There have been studies into the characters of writers showing them possessing a degree of autonomy and separateness, and even the ability to speak to their creators mentally.

What I would love to see is an equivalent study to this for VR. How many VR players see their avatars as separate people? Do they hear the voice of their avatar on its own? Do they feel like they become someone else when in VR? Do they use reflexive or non-reflexive pronouns when they think of their non-VR self while in VR?

These are all topics I would love to see explored at length in future research.

I would love to hear other's thoughts on this and to hear if anyone has developed headmates in this way! 😁

[boinin]

“The biggest blindspot on the field...”

Here's our teaser for how Isagi and Hiori's idealised goal is gonna go down. Any thoughts? Here are mine:

The second to last panel from chp 237 shows us the situation near the Ubers goal.

There's no defenders in front of the goal, so it's up to Fukaku Gen alone to fend off scoring attempts. (RIP buddy)

Isagi is double-marked by Rico and Aryu—who has incredible reach and excels at aerial battles.

Aiku and Niko are closing in on Hiori. They have the ability to predict actions using MV in a similar way to Isagi, but lack his imagination. Isagi sees more possibilities.

Finally, Kaiser is moving in from Hiori's left—who also has MV, is just as imaginative as Isagi and has better stats... but who's also experiencing frustration-induced tunnel-vision, hampering his judgement.

Isagi can't receive the ball where he is—Aryu would intercept it, even if Hiori gets past Niko and Aiku.

If Hiori hesitates, he'll get pressed by the defenders and/or Kaiser.

So, it seems like Isagi wants Hiori to send the ball to an unoccupied part of pitch, within his reach.

Where's Isagi thinking of?

Where... or what? Has he got another tactic in mind?

More in-depth speculation under the cut.

Nomura and Kaneshiro love foreshadowing outcomes in Blue Lock. It's infuriating, but I love that kind of storytelling.

On a character level, Isagi is driven to win this match with his own goal, winning his bet with Kaiser. He faces steep opposition by Ubers naturally, but also by Kaiser himself.

Two further considerations: Isagi must ensure that neither Kunigami nor Yukimiya profit off his playmaking.

Kunigami is trying to prove his relevance as a striker against all odds and won't hesitate to poach a fumbled kick by Isagi.

On the other hand, Yukimiya has been willing to assist Isagi in this match so far... but will he sacrifice a chance to score himself in order to support Isagi?

Hell no. Isagi understands their individual protagonism. So even if they join the fray, Isagi's goal idea can't involve them. It's between him and Hiori only.

I keep coming back to this panel of Isagi's eye from chapter 235. In chapter 237, we see a version of it in Hiori's eyes.

His main weapon is his direct shot, which is his ability to score on a pass without stopping the ball's momentum. From Hiori's perspective, we see a slightly hunched or twisted Isagi, kicking.

Remember how the creators love forshadowing? Well, Isagi's positioning in Hiori's vision reminded me of something shown much earlier... before the Ubers match started at all.

Do you remember when Isagi is training with Kurona and Yukimiya between matches? It's from chapter 208.

Here's what came to mind:

Here, Isagi moves in Yukimiya's blind spot (I'll see myself out 🤓), then uses him for balance to pivot and score with his direct shot.

It's actually a sick goal. Downplayed, since it's during training, but Igaguri comments afterwards that Isagi's become a monster.

Who sent that ball Isagi's way in the first place? I'm glad you asked...

...it was none other than Hiori.

They're in trickier circumstances. There's way more players in the mix. But this is a goal they've both achieved before.

As Hiori puts it:

For Kaiser, nothing is impossible.

This isn't the case for Isagi. He is limited by his physical abilities. There's no way he's pulling off a bicycle kick, the way Kaiser did.

But he's been working hard to increase his number of possibilities: increasing his 'luck', per the meaning Ego gives. Back to another thematically significant moment in chapter 213:

For Isagi, this match has been all about proving his worth as a striker. He spent a lot of it defending and being a midfielder—but now he has Hiori by his side, he's free to focus on offence... utilising his weapons' potential to the fullest.

So, to finish things off? Isagi will be scoring a goal that's unique to his skillset and weapons. He'll position himself using MV, and he'll score with a direct shot. In addition, I believe he and Hiori will exploit another character's blind spot, to distract all the defenders.

Who will that be? Well, Nomura/Kaneshiro might have hinted at that too, towards the end of chapter 237:

Kaiser? Barou?

It'd be a risky play. But Hiori does call this idea totally crazy...

Roll on Friday's leaks! ⚽

[intertexts]

OK OK SINCE U ARE PRETTY FAR INTO PD NOW. I NEED TO ASK. DO U HAVE A FAVORITE CHARACTER. do u have a favorite moment. whos backstory are u the most interested in seeing. what are u excited to learn about the world . I AM PUTTING UR BRAIN UNDER A MICROSCOPE AND DISSECTING IT IVE GOTTA KNOW. what villains are u most afraid of. write me an essay on ur feelings about mark winters. etc etc etc etc WHATEVER U WANNA TALK ABT RN im standing in the middle of a field like a scarecrow and just SCREAMING at the sky

OHHHHHH MAN DUDE LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO CHOOSE A FAVORITE OF ANYONE. FUCKK. GOD.

ok putting all of this under a cut because its so fucking long???

ok ok ok. lets see. they r all so so so good it's impossible 2 choose but also iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii really fucking like dakota dude..... i like him so much. so much. i will admit. i am a massive fucking fan of a character who stays silly. massive fucking fan of the emotional king dedede hammer that comes down when the silly guy drops the silliness. i love it when characters literally r incapable of processing their emotions. gebuinely i don't know what he put in that guy but it is cartoonish the way my neurons light up at him its not quite akechi from p5 levels of FUCKKK YEAH THIS GUY MY FUCKED UP LITTLE GUY!! but it is Getting Close!!!

whose backstory.... fuck. okay. Most interested in wiwi's backstory. of course. i AM really interested in vyncent's whole deal but i feel like his fucked up knife that possesses him (?????????) is slightly more of a specific thing than backstory. and i DO wanna know howww the jrpg protag isekai'd here but also like. consider... wiwi. also i wanna know if im right & ashe/ashes fucked up demon grimoire r responsible for his mom's death. ALSO I WANNA KNOW WHY MARK'S A LIZARD GUY.

FAVORITE MOMENTS SO FAR.... i LOVED the spirit world shit it was all so cinematic it was so lovely. usually im dogshit at like, visualizing descriptions in my head? but all of that was very much oh, yeah for sure, ive seen this cartoon! i know whats happening! that whole episode went hard as fuck. can't believe we got vyncent with a gun ashe going holy shit why am i fucking doing this imgonnadie william having a horrifying crisis over eating a fucking soul & dakota getting murked in one episode. & mal is just. on just. such a different level such a different world from Anything else they've experienced. its so good.

also i still really love the winding-down end of that amalgam island ep (5?) where they r exhausted & coming off so many huge emotions & stress & stuff & tide arrives.... that's really the scene that fucking hooked me i think. going ohhh yeah theyre just fucking kids and everyone at this table Knows theyre kids in a world where people will just fucking kill you. like,, yeah, it WOULD be fucked up if you were seventeen and ran into an island full of horrifying human and animal experimentation & abuse!! and theyre not playing it as a motw adventure where its just sillygoofy? ok. ok!! maybe these guys know where theyre taking it. like i can count on one hand maybe the amount of times ive been like "yeah im sure whatever the creators do will be good they've always done good & thoughtful work. i don't have to continually be delegating brain space to how im dissatisfied with this story." so i guess. i just like the show a lot!!

what am i most interested in about the world... ohhh man i love cape worldbuilding it's maybe like one of my favorite things. so i guess i'm interested in All of It?? in an overall probably-wont-be-answered-because-its-not-that-genre way i'd love 2 know what religion looks like in a world where JESUS IS A TRADEMARKED SUPERHERO & kids can come back from the dead. id love 2 know more ab the dynamic btwn politics & the cape world here thats always interesting? i really enjoy the approach they took 2 the kid heroes in the beginning, as in: these guys are literally still students they are not Supposed to be doing big hero shit. theyre not supposed to be doing teen titans or x-men shit & it is in fact a massive massive fuckup on their guardian's part when they Are in those positions. i'm a big fan of that i like it a lot more than the alternative. (unless yr like in a world like parahumans where there Is a narrative & in-universe reason why child & teen cape teams exist)

what villains am i most afraid of....... ok i kind of feel like being afraid of mal is like, being afraid of hurricanes or something. like sure i can be nervous about him but i can't fucking do anything if he's coming this way. so it's better i think to not think about it until it comes up & then pray. so i guess i AM really concerned about the overlord stuff. i dont know where it's gonna go but i know it'll be nowhere good & i know it'll end up getting people hurt. so.!!!!!!

[ihaveatheoryonthat]

I've been struggling to write this up, because I keep going too far into detail whenever I try, but I really wanted to get the beginning/basics down for the Distortion Chimera AU.

This takes place well after PLA's main story, after the PC has returned home and released all but the Pokemon they were closest with.

They challenged the Path of Solitude a few times, and at least once using Giratina, so Ingo was familiar with it being one of their Pokemon.

After it's released, it can't get back to the Distortion World, so it heads to Turnback Cave. Eventually, its presence there becomes noticeable, and-- as the most experienced Pokemon handler in the Clan-- Ingo is asked to look into it.

He recognizes Giratina re: the PC, and it's able to communicate that it just wants to go home. Its connection to the rest of the Sinnoan pantheon encourages both clans to help it as a sign of cooperation.

They're able to get a hold of a way to open the Distortion World and escort Giratina to the Temple of Sinnoh to go home. (The 'party' at the temple itself is Irida, Adaman and Ingo, as the only people who are okay getting that close)

Giratina turns on them when it has this chance; it begins to drag Ingo into the Distortion World and, fearing that it will do the same to the clan leaders, he has Alakazam teleport them away.

They try to get back to the temple as quickly as possible, but it's empty when they get there. After some preparation, they (and probably another Warden from either clan) enter the Distortion World, themselves.

It's... also empty. Mostly. After some searching, they find Ingo, who's completely unresponsive. He's missing his his coat and Pokemon, but that's not important when he doesn't seem to be breathing.

They manage to get him out. Nothing changes in the 'real' world, but he's still warm, and his heart is still (slowly) beating, impossible though it sounds. They try different ways to try to wake him, but nothing ever works. By the same stroke, though, he never gets any worse.

The Pearl Clan looks after him until the clans merge, and the resulting clan carries on with Irida's wishes even after she passes. It's half tradition, and half mythology at this point.

He's only moved once the settlement has to relocate, generations later. In an effort to keep him somewhere he might recognize, if he ever woke up, he's taken to the Snowpoint Temple, and stays there until modern day.

I think the area he's in is accidentally closed off, then rediscovered around (probably after) DPPT, and someone connects the dots some time after he disappears in the current day. I want to say a few months.

Obviously Emmet comes to investigate, and then tries to figure out what can be done to wake Ingo up.

He tries a number of different legendaries. Many can't be tracked down or refuse to meet him. Of particular note: Jirachi is asleep for X00 more years, Xerneas won't respond, Zekrom answers, but can't help, and Celebi can't be found. He eventually approaches Ho-oh, who will at least see what can be done.

It meets him in Sinnoh, on the roof where they've set up, and decides that it can, in fact, help. This affliction borders close enough to being death that revival is an option.

We would get some pretty standard reunion stuff in here; it's important to note that Ingo doesn't remember any more than he had prior, right now, and is completely lost re: losing consciousness in one century and waking up centuries later.

They don't stay in Sinnoh for long; before the week is up in Unova, though, another incident occurs.

(The exact nature of this incident may be subject to change; this is just the mental image I had as of writing this)

In the middle of the night, it seems that a rift into the Distortion World tears open, and tries to drag Ingo back in. Between the two of them, they're able to keep him out/pull him back, but... things have changed.

Emmet's help gets him out up to the first set of very inhuman legs, and he's able to drag himself the rest of the way. Black feathers spread upward from the wings over the course of the night.

And this is where I'm going to stop for now: Ingo is very amnesiac, no longer human, and-- given that legends of Ho-oh's powers include the transformation from Eeveelution to Raikou, Entei and Suicune-- Emmet feels incredibly responsible.

[esteemed-excellency]

Silly headcanons about Hiram's yacht and crew:

The oldest are the Gang of Hoodlums, they've known Hiram for years and given that he's been successfully running a smuggling business for decades, and the pay has always been insanely good, they decided to stick with him for maritime plunder too. They're in charge of running operations when Hiram is not on board, and the crew can use the ship as they please when he doesn't need it. It's a good deal for everyone involved.

The Hoodlums were all working together even before being hired by Hiram, he was the last addition to the gang and they basically always regarded him as a very weird cat. Yes that's their weird soulless boss/captain, don't worry about it. Sometimes he wants to sail all the way to some cursed island just to research a single correspondence sigil but what can you do? Sometimes they lose him at sea, but you should see the glim shipments!

They all agree that if Hiram wants to bring some dangerous item on board he has to keep it in his cabin, they're not risking the entire crew to check in at the Royal Beth.

Some crewmen are corsairs from the HMS Ramilles, all very experienced in pirating matters, but they weren't ready for the level of chaos they got into. How is a sailing yacht even managing to hide all of these cannons? Who even approved the idea to sail directly through the Snares? No one in their right mind would host a party with this much Troubled Waters around the ship, and yet here they are. They have to admit it's a very nice party. Plus, they get to loot all the invitees. They might be one of the best paid crews to ever sail the underzee.

The chef is a retired Great Game agent who just wanted to leave espionage behind and open a restaurant, but it's impossible to open an honest business if you carried intel on a daily basis, so now he's on the Great Game equivalent of witness protection. If you ask him, he's an old french chef who sailed to London on a cruise ship and got stuck there. If you ask the crew they say the same thing. If you keep asking no one can guarantee your safety.

A blue prophet took permanent residency on the yacht and no one can make it fly back to Gaider's Mourn. Hiram says it's his blue prophet, but the corsairs know very well that it's the prophet that chooses its ship and not the other way around. The bird goes about its usual omious business of pursuing doomed ships, but it developed a fondness for the crew and it's currently nesting below deck. Funnily enough, the name it utters the most seems to be the captain's.

Hiram's demises at sea are somewhat of a running joke for the crew, but they all were worried sick when he dived in the Bell with the Naturalist, and after hours of waiting they heard the blue prophet screeching his name, and they saw the diving bell's debris. They're used to going back to London without their captain, but that one time was particularly dreadful.

There are some newbies on board too, some had professional experience with luxury ships and were not ready for the type of expeditions they found themselves in, but curiosity got the better of them. Others come from a background of professional piracy, and they were pleasantly surprised by all the parties. They all agree they got more adventures than they bargained for, but as long as the loot keeps coming, and they get to keep some fancy items, they're not complaining.

[purefandomonium]

Glitchy Red Headcanons for Connection

Thought I'd share some (mostly) spoiler-free headcanons for my Glitchy Red fic just for fun. With what I have posted so far these should all be pretty obvious, but there's a couple more things I want to hint at for the story. Some are just random tidbits that have no reason for existing other than just because.

In my mind, Red is something between a glitch, an AI, and a supernatural entity.

The longer a player interacts with the game, the stronger Red gets. He'd been left dormant for so long that when Leann found him, he hardly had any of his old abilities and was borderline an amnesiac. All he had at that point was his bitter hatred of players and the glitches. Her keeping the game on for so long has allowed him to become himself again.

The glitches he experienced broke him in every way imaginable. Hence the reason it takes him some time to snap into his real self.

Despite all his talk, he has no idea what he is or how he exists. He can't be bothered to care.

Theoretically he could be transferred into a PC or some other more powerful device, but due to the broken nature of his code and the fact he doesn't fully understand what proper programming is, it likely wouldn't end well for whatever he's put in. He's a stubborn bastard now so he'd be fine, but the computer would be bricked.

I feel like, just for shits and giggles, Red's "data" is this impossibly convoluted mess of code that is somehow much larger than it should be. He exists within the Pokémon Red cart, along with the entire game, and this mofo is like, 8GB of data by himself. Makes no sense. Something mind-bogglingly stupid like that.

There's more below the cut, and beware potential spoilers for stuff I haven't written.

Now for some fun ideas I have that I kind of want to do stuff with but I don't know if I'll include it in Connection or not.

Red is powerful enough to physically haunt a person. Only the person claiming ownership over the cartridge can see and hear him. Likewise, Red can only interact with them and no one else. He mostly uses this fact to stare intimidatingly from the corner of a dark room, a la sleep paralysis demon, or just watch them while they struggle to ignore his presence and go about their lives.

In the past he's gone far enough with this that he's tormented players to the point of people thinking they've gone insane. And they pretty much were by that point.

Red's other preferred ghost tactic is to swat things from their hands or wake them up in the middle of the night by prodding at them. Or screaming right in their face.

Unless the player passes the game along to some other poor sap, they'll be stuck with him indefinitely.

The game cannot be destroyed. It lets off major fuck-you energy to anyone who tries. Smash it to bits with a hammer? Lol. Set it on fire? Got any marshmallows? Throw it into a lake? Well, I'd almost say good job but did I forget to mention that the only other thing Red can interact with is his game? Whoops. Hope you don't mind him letting himself back in to give you an earful for throwing him away like that. And no, water can't damage it either.

This is of no deliberate choice from Red. He'd love to let the game be destroyed so he can stop existing in pure agony. The damn thing just won't die though, and subsequently, neither will he.

He doesn't really have anything against kids. Mind you, he doesn't like kids since he gained sapience, but he can tolerate them more than adults. At least children have the excuse of being naïve and clueless when they're breaking the game. Usually. He'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Adults who come back to witness the broken horror of the original game know full-well what they're doing and he can't stand it.

He won't do much to torment kids aside from his usual in-game antics. The adult players are the ones who get thrown out of bed at 3am or have their dreams haunted.

The developers were adults too so the hatred's also pretty obvious. He'd love to get his hands on them some day. He has a paranoid side that is whole-heartedly convinced they're out there looking for his cart, ready to erase him and be rid of the stain on their record.

It's been a while since someone last turned the game on. He seems to have a bit of reputation now.

Has zero concept of the internet but could probably figure it out.

He doesn't hate the new gens so much just because they replaced him. He loathes the fact that they are all genuinely better than he'll ever be. He and his game are broken, not good enough, and now that he has self-awareness he realizes he was never meant to be anything special. He was simply a stepping-stone, a learning curve meant to kickstart an idea. He was, isn't, and never will be anything more than that. His only legacy is how glitchy his game is.

He's very aware of the irony that the very thing that made him what he is, is the whole reason why he was deemed a failure by his creators. If you're smart, you won't bring it up.

I have more, but I think I should stop. I could talk about this little project of mine for hours. Or any project for that matter. If anyone would like to hear more of my deranged ramblings they're more than welcome to ask. 😅

[princeescaluswords]

When people go "Stiles never trusted Theo" I'm like "He *did* trust him to keep his secret, he certainly trusted him more than his own supposed best friend whom he thought so little of that he assumed immediately he'd look down on him"

You and I have often joked about "people should have been bullied by their English teachers more" but it's not just a joke, is it? The reduction of media consumption to a narrow set of shared tropes has rendered almost any sort of nuanced experience impossible. The fandom sees any and every type of story almost exclusively in terms of whom can be shipped with whom. It leads to partisanship instead of comprehension and frustration with parts of the narrative that have nothing to do with romance and/or sex.

For example, that's the reason why I've been seeing outrage in the fandom for the new Interview with the Vampire over the way Lestat has been portrayed in the most recent episode. Fandom was so excited by the chance for their "toxic but loving mlm relationship" addiction to get its fix that they ignored the clear signs that Lestat's possessive love, shallow self-absorption, and culturally inculcated disdain for those he saw as lesser than himself would ultimately create unbearable horror for Louis and Claudia.

Instead of experiencing the story and what it's actually trying to say, they immediately rebel because they've been allowed to believe that consuming media means imposing their favorite tropes and fetishes on it. Due to this entitlement, "Enemies to lovers, slow burn, 300k" has become the enemy of actually being a receptive audience.

Nothing, nothing, embodies this more than fandom's reaction to Season 5 of Teen Wolf. Their interpretation of its plot is ridiculously shallow simply because that ridiculously shallow interpretation suits their needs, which was to make Stiles the victim of Scott's role as lead protagonist, rather than Stiles being the victim of Theo and the Doctors and their need to make Scott not a victim at all.

If a viewer would take off the stan-goggles for a moment, Theo and the Dread Doctors targeted each of the pack's weaknesses, of course, but not just any of their weaknesses. They targeted weaknesses that arose out of the pack's strengths as well. I could go into each of them, and I will upon request, but the pack's trust in each other can be underlined by the scene in Parasomnia (5x02):

Scott: Why can't you trust anyone?

Stiles: Because you trust everyone!

The key that the fandom misses in their need to impose their own desired outcome on the story is that both of these lines are intentionally wrong. Scott does not trust everyone. He didn't trust Derek, or Peter, or Gerard, or Deucalion, among others. But most importantly, he doesn't actually trust himself. He doesn't trust his own emotions, his own intelligence, or his own nature. It's why he can't bring himself to tell Kira about her fox spirit, because he would have to say he's afraid. It's why he doesn't tell Liam about the plan, because he's "not sure if it's going to work." It's why he tells his mother that things have changed "because of me."

Stiles on the other hand, trusts a lot of people. He trusts his own instincts and usefulness, which is why he's still haunted by the time they were taken from him. He trusts Scott's virtue, which is why he assumes that Scott would choose being morally right over him. He trusts Theo but only after Theo confirms Stiles's own initial judgement. And yes, he does trust Theo, because he works with him, he assumes Theo will keep their secrets, which is why Stiles was surprised by the wrench "where did you get that?", and, most importantly, he trusts Theo will keep his word when he offers "I'll tell you where your father is but only if you promise not to help Scott."

Now, of course, the stans will come back with that scene in Memory Found (6x09) where Theo tells Noah "He was smart enough not to trust me" and completely miss the context of that scene. Theo is locked in a jail cell in a city being attacked by the Wild Hunt, and he wants out and the only person with the key card demands to be told something about the son he's forgotten. Of course, Theo is going to say something that plays to the sheriff's biases in order to get what he wants. That is Theo's thing; that's his modus operandi. But fandom as usual decides that they need to take Theo's words at face value, as if they don't supposedly hate Scott for doing the exact same thing.

What's sad is they miss some of Teen Wolf's best writing when they shuck context in order to make the story serve their agenda. How many times have you read the fact that Derek or Peter or Theo has saved people's lives, so that means others should trust them, only to forget that this was exactly how Theo got people to trust him in Season 5A. As well as how Peter got people to trust him in Smoke & Mirrors (4x12) and how Derek got Scott to trust him in Lunatic (1x09). (Yet, strangely, Scott saving lives means nothing to them.)

Trust isn't a simple thing, not for Scott or Stiles or anyone. It's difficult yet worth pursuing, and Teen Wolf's writing doesn't shy away from exploring it. That complexity is completely eliminated in fandom's urge to promote certain ships and certain characters. They need to take English again.

[shiroi---kumo]

( @aquaticsoul , the glitter pen has concerns. )

📚☀️ +

Sielu's being exceptionally clingy to Aamunkoitto today beyond just choosing a spot to nap. He's been like this since he's woken, ignoring any other possible places to be in favor of wrapping all four of his limbs around the mathematician, hands both tightened in a death grip around whatever fabric they could find. And he's stayed like that for hours. He's started to speak a few times, but cut himself off before he could get very far into it - and it's not out of fear. It's out of "trying to make the words make sense", and at least he did manage to explain that much a while ago. Finally, though, after spending time trying to think between short naps, he decides to just tell the truth plain and simple. "I'm having a bad day," he mumbles, and it's possibly the most honest thing he's ever said in his life. "My chest hurts and I'm tired and... the plants keep saying you're going to hate me when we find him. You're going to hate me and get rid of me because he's better than I am but... You wouldn't do that, would you? I don't feel like you would... They're lying, right?"

.·:*¨༺ ✩★✩ ༻¨*:·. Fingers are slowly stroking and twisting through blue waves and even if they've been stuck out here in the forest more often than not most days now because of his stupid mouth, that doesn't mean they've neglected basic care and that means making sure that Sielu's hair (and his own) got brushed each and every day. These musical waves of blue are an ever extending song nowadays and he'll listen to whatever tune they have to sing for him.

No matter the genre. Whatever it was, that was fine.

Sielu says he's having a bad day and with the way the musician is clinging to him like a lifeline he gathered that much. At least he's honest about it this time though. He's honest in his fears that once they find the prince - find Pilvi - that they'll simple replace him and turn on him as the prince apparently did.

He still wants to know the full story with that and wants to hear the reasoning for it from the prince's mouth because it doesn't make any sense no matter which one of it had been but it makes even less sense for it to have been Aqua Sielu of all people. Mr. Nap Spot Do Not Touch the Prince himself.

It hadn't mattered how old the prince got. Somehow he managed to drop that man from time to time and sure enough they would find the pair of them curled up and sleeping when they should have been working. They were so close. It was no mystery why having someone like Valkoinen Pilvi abandon him was so crushing. Soul Binding aside. Even if the two had not been bound it still would have hurt just as much. Sielu treated that boy as if he was his own from the day he met him and Pilvi - he adored Sielu so none of it made any sense.

So that's why he would still like to hear the reasoning straight from the prince. His answer would decide on whether he hugged him or he punched him. Even if the boy was his Liege, that doesn't mean he wouldn't knock him down a peg when he needed it and if he was still the same person - his Pilvi wouldn't have it any other way.

He expected his binds to check him and to keep him in line and on the right path.

It doesn't make sense, but doubting Sielu or questioning what he experienced wasn't going to change anything other than making it all worse. What happened, already happened and he couldn't do anything to take it back - so disqualifying what Sielu experienced because of his own questions and doubts would just make the musician spiral again and no one needed that.

"He is my liege and you are my friend. The two of you are not the same. He cannot replace you in my heart. It would be like saying I would simply stop being friends with Valo because of the prince and we all know that's impossible. No matter what His Highness has to say about it, you're not going anywhere. We won't just abandon you. He is my Liege and you are my Glitter Pen. Simply not comparable. I love you both for different reasons, but His Highness has never quite had the same sparkle that you do. Even now you're still so glittery."

His other hand moves and it slowly slips under cyan bangs and swipes them to the side so there is a clear path to the man's forehead and a light kiss is placed down on the top of his head.

"Whatever you're hearing is a lie. I will always want you in my life, as long as you'll have me. You're family to me. No one can ever replace that."