#instead of projecting the story they wanted to tell onto the gods

[wickjump]

I don’t know why but I just don’t like ink and underverse didn’t really help change my opinion can you tell me some of his good qualities?

i’m going to tell this to you right now if you ever want to get to know ink as a character do not go to underverse. i love it so so much, but underverse is not canon to him at all and isn’t good to get to know ink in the way he actually is in his canon. so instead im going to blab at you for a while

a lot of people tend to fanonize him as ‘emotionless who doesn’t care about anyone and i’m EVIL’ which is also not him at all, and definitely skews peoples' perspective on him. emotionless ink could never be canon, as ink without his vials turns into what comyet described as a 'husk', unable to function or do anything, much less evil apathetic activities.

the concept of emotionless ink can work with individual stories, but the fandom really messes things up with how they portray him. (all art used here is by comyet and either explicitly canon to ink, or dubiously/half-canon)

literally look at him. that is the face of someone who is not pure evil.

this isn't the fault of the people who write him that way btw, but rather the fandom for being unable to tell the difference between fanon and canon sometimes. anyway, ink appeal:

i, and many other people, enjoy him because the way he acts is very similar to people with autism/adhd. being rude without intending to be so, hyperactive, memory issues, struggles with empathy, social situations, and connection to others, xyz. even little tidbits, like losing his pencils a lot, can be reminiscent of people with poor object permanence often caused by adhd or other disorders (me fr). aaaand, their adhd is actually canon!! he's not intentionally an asshole he's just neurodivergent and cannot read a room for shit!!

for that reason, he's used for neurodivergent people to project onto him. also because his canon story is unique in a way never seen before, just. ever. he expanded the idea of the multiverse in a way that helped allow other people to build on it. so in a way, we owe a lot of the utmv to ink (or comyet for coming up with the idea of him in the first place). i highly recommend you read the comic! it's on comyet's tumblr page, or dubbed on youtube by a few people.

also, to those who say he's completely faking his feelings, what do you think his vials are for? he canonically experiences grief and other strong emotions, even if they're not the same way others’ feelings are. booyah stop making him an asshole i beg i just want one piece of content where ink isnt evil im pleading

^^^^ ink after one of his father figures dies. he tries to cope by saying it's in the script for his au, something ink has sworn himself to protect, despite his grief. he's coping :(

a lot of other people also enjoy ink because of their moral greyness and their priorities being rather interesting. and before you think 'oh thats just underverse': no it is not! ink's priorities are keeping aus on script and protecting them rather than the lives of individual people, however acknowledges them more as people if they're aware of the multiverse (such as his father figures, zephyr and top). otherwise, he views people as characters. ink does not harm people for the sake of harming them, they avoid fighting and would not be abusive or antagonistic for the sake of being an antagonist.

this is actually what influenced the god headcanon, a headcanon where ink is the god of creativity (often paired with error as the god of destruction), as many people interpret this distanced behavior as similar to gods in many media.

his dynamic with other characters is also really interesting, and how he intertwines in their stories. despite none of it being canon to him, he's used in many other stories and he's moldable to each of them. he's canon to dream, while dream isn't canon to him. same with cross! (ok i lied its not all comyet, this art is by jakei (left) showcasing ink in underverse) mind you, this is not canon to ink, only cross/dream respectively. comyet seems fine with this though, and is friends with jakei, creator of underverse (im unsure about joku). ink is a flexible character!

the way he impacts stories that, on his part, aren't canon to him is unique and something generally unseen in other fandoms. even though he and error have never canonically met in either of their stories, their dynamic is so multiversal that regardless of the story, or their relationship in it, 99% of the time their tales are intertwined. the idea that two characters have impacted each other so much despite never canonically being aware of each other, much less meeting, is so appealing. comyet actually made non-canon art of them as friends :)

this is why people who hate errorink for the sole sake of "they hate each other in canon" are incorrect and wrong. comyet also drew ship art of them forever ago which i appreciate so much thank you for the food

ink also has two canon (adoptive) father figures!! i love that for him!! they’re one of very few sanses with two parents. they are the silliest of guys. he's killer but with better morals because he isn't a murderer (its ok i love killer too he can change its all nightmare's fault pls believe me)

also he's french. imaginez être français. épouvantable. /joke (he is french tho)

also, he's canonically he/they and aroace! this is why you see many more qpr headcanons for him than other characters, though some people interpret him in other ways. though he's not non-binary (referred to as a male by comyet several times, even in the same sentence stating his pronouns), just flexible with pronouns, many people also headcanon him to be non-binary or otherwise trans.

overall, i think his appeal comes from how unique he is, how the fandom has expanded upon and used him in so many different ways, and generally his relatability to many neurodivergent people, me included. i love u ink sans.

UGH HES SO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! consume more content of them where they aren’t pure evil for one reason or another and you'll grow to like them i prommy. he's been screwed over by the fandom so many times

#ink sans #utmv #undertale #undertale multiverse #sans undertale #sans #trying my best to get this out there #underverse #error sans #cause what is ink without error by this point

[coyote-fawn]

.

#gotta say #as somebody who’s been a norse-flavored polytheist/animist for a while #the writers for the new gow game really did their research #it’s clear they took a scholarly interest in the archaeology + source material and portrayed it with love and respect #how is it that a game about most of the gods being villains is more accurate and respectful (imo) than media where the gods are the heroes #instead of projecting the story they wanted to tell onto the gods #they took a new interpretation of the lore and extrapolated from there #it truly is fantastic and I am so deeply impressed and touched and surprised! #anyway i am in love with it and i am so glad it is a thing #ALSO great and sensitive portrayal of abuse and trauma and the aftereffects of each and the systems that encourage it #im so glad i waited til after my finals to watch a playthrough because uhhh #i am *obsessing* #they went all in! ​even the way that odin’s character design implies he’s not originally from the norse pantheon #there’s so much to say about this and i could go on for an HOUR #no joke #these games are so close to my heart for so many reasons #and they continue to worm their way in further #(also regarding the second tag: when i say norse polytheist for a while i mean like a decade #i don’t know everything there is to know #but i know a good fair amount and i am so grateful that the santa monica team did such a beautiful job here)

[perenlop]

have no real desire to replay star allies’s main story mode but i do wanna rewatch some cutscenes to refresh myself on the mage sisters dynamic and hyness bc ive been thinking about my “magolor was also raised by hyness alongside the mage sisters” hc/au

#estranged brother they dont talk about anymore bc he got out of the cult basically #i think the way he took in magolor was very different from the sisters. while he got the sisters when they were all desperate #and on the brink of death i think he took in magolor as a baby #while the sisters are not jambandran or halcandran. magolor is clearly a halcandran descendant and boy does hyness project that onto him #*projects his beef with the halcandrans onto mag #and this is why despite the ancients/halcandrans being more invested in technology #their descendant magolor is a mage who has religious connotations with his story #(ik the jambandran religion doesnt reflect christianity at all but still) #basically bc thats what he was actually raised with. nature vs nurture and all that #and i think thats like part of where his fucked up views on relationships come from too bc hyness was definitely hard on him #and hyness's relationship w the sisters was canonically very fucked up and forced and born through manipulation #and i think hyness actually would have thrown him out instead of mag leaving of his own accord #(bc mag was obsessed with his ancestors and wanted to be like them and that pissed hyness off) #i also think that like mag was treated harshly and when he left zan was the one to get the worst of hyness's abuse #bc the roles shifted and now shes the one being isolated and forced to depend only on his religion and devotion #(can u tell im not a fan of how hyness was canonically handled. im leaning into him being a literal cult leader in my head lol) #bc textually thats just what he is and im kinda miffed that the dlc just glosses over it w ''oh he was nice at some point tho'' #why were ppl comparing magolor to lusamine when hyness is the one who actually has the same writing issues as her #anyways tho back to mag. yeah hyness shaped his worldviews and shit #oh my god wait i could also say that part of magolor's robe is based off of hyness's look #and how magolor basically puts his face on everything #and you can take two things from that. one is that hyness perhaps forced it onto him to the point where mag keeps that part of the robe #even after hes been kicked out. and him losing that part of it in his dream robe design is him finally moving on from him #and the alternative is that magolor added that to his robe out of spite bc iirc hyness does not like his face #and magolor was like ''well ok fuck you dad'' #which makes him putting his face on everything even funnier hes like advertising his dads face kinda #echoed voice

[talaok]

can you write actress!reader and their daughter visiting pedro on set or pedro coming back home and surprising his daughter after being away filming please

i just love dad!pedro fluff

Warnings: surprisingly a touch of angst but really just a pinch I promise

“Hi,” you smiled, greeting Craig “Thank you for doing this”

“Of course” he reassured you “he talks about you all the time anyways, and… this way he’ll probably want to get scenes right, right away so it’s a win-win” he joked, making you chuckle.

Suddenly, you felt a tug at your hand.

“Sweetie, say hi”

Your daughter looked up at Craig, her dad’s big brown eyes cute as ever.

“Hi,” she waved, or at least tried to, wave at him.

“Hi there honey, you’re bigger each time I see you”

“‘S not true, I’m always the same,” she said between giggles

“Oh no you’re growing my friend,” he said, crouching down to her level “Next thing I know you’ll be taller than me”

“But that’s impossible“ she laughed

“We’ll see” Craig teased, getting back up to you.

“We should go”

__ __ __

"Heard that sweetie? we have to be real quiet now" You whispered as Craig led you onto the set

"Can you do that?"

She nodded, and you couldn't help but smile to yourself, she would have never been this obedient if not for what she knew was about to come.

"Here" Craig murmured as he closed a heavy white door behind you "We should almost be done with the scene"

You followed him until he stopped right in front of a little screen that showed what the camera was filming.

The scene had already started, and it followed Pedro as he walked around a makeshift apartment.

He had sent you pictures of him in character before, but seeing him in real life was much different.

They had made streaks of his hair and beard white, and he was wearing a black and green flannel that looked approximately a hundred years old.

You liked this rough look, he didn't believe you when you first told him, but seeing him now only made you more sure. He looked hot, and you made a mental note to tell him later.

Your daughter's hand was still gripping yours, but her eyes were wide with amazement as she watched her own daddy at work.

She had been down the whole day. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday and no matter what you tried to do with her, read her her favorite stories, bring her to the park, make the swing fly real high like she begged you do to each time... nothing worked, and only once you set her down to talk, she had confessed what was wrong all along.

She missed her dad.

You already had half a mind that's what it was, but you weren't sure, and when she finally told you, you felt your chest warm a bit.

Of course she did, just as you did,

Pedro had been really busy with this project, and he tried to be home as much as possible, God knows how much it pained him too, but today was Saturday, and he usually never worked on weekends, and as much as your daughter was used to not seeing much of him during the week, they used to spend every waking moment together on Saturdays and Sundays, and she didn't like the change of routine, not one bit.

The recalling of your morning was suddenly interrupted by a loud "Cut!"

The silence that filled the air before was gone in a second, as seemingly everyone rushed on set.

"You wanna go again?" Pedro asked who you assumed was the director.

"no we got it, it was perfect"

"great" Pedro smiled, starting to walk off the set, but the moment he did, something caught his attention.

"Daddy!"

You glanced beneath you, and to your amusement, your daughter wasn't there, instead, she was running towards your husband.

“What?" Pedro's eyes widened, but he wasted no time crouching down to catch her as she ran right into his arms "Peach?" he asked, hugging her tight while standing up.

"Hi" you smiled walking up to them

"Sweetheart!? what is happening?" he said, beaming

You shrugged, caging a grin between your teeth "We missed you"

And at that, he had to pause, his glimmering eyes glancing between the two loves of his life.

"I missed you so much Daddy!" your daughter joined, her pigtails hitting Pedro's cheek as she hid her face between his shoulder and neck.

"I missed you too angel" he promised, stroking her back and kissing her hair "Missed you a lot" You took a step closer, taking his free hand in yours and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

"hi," you repeated yourself in a quiet whisper

"Hi" he smiled, kissing you again

"Hey!" your daughter suddenly interrupted, making both of you chuckle.

"sorry baby" you excused yourself, leaning away "he's all yours"

She made a satisfied sound before her eyes started attentively examing Pedro's face.

"you look old" she stated, making you snort.

Pedro feigned a gasp, clearly stifling a smile "What did you just say to me?"

Your daughter giggled “you look old, daddy”

“I can’t believe this! You don’t see me for a day and already think I look old!?”

“Your hair is white!” she laughed pointing at them.

“I can't believe this!” he kept up his farce, obviously entertaining her “I��ve always looked like this! Since when do you not like my hair?”

“‘S not true” she shook her head, still chuckling ” This is not your hair”

“It sure is”

”No it's not, you have brown hair like me daddy!” She protested ”tell him mommy!” She called for your help, turning to you.

”You’re right baby” you reassured her

”See? Mommy says I’m right”

”Alright, alright, you caught me” Pedro smiled, giving up ” You’re too smart angel” he kissed her cheek, starting to walk towards some chairs off the set.

Your daughter stayed gripped around him like her life depended on it even as he sat down.

”so did you have fun today?” he asked, setting her on his knees.

“Me and Mommy went to the park”

“That’s nice” Pedro smiled, stroking her hair.

“I wanted you to be there” she suddenly pouted, and you saw the look in your husband’s eyes. You saw how much those words affected him, how much they pained him.

“I know” he said “I’m sorry”

“I’ll make it up to you sweetie”

“How?” she asked, with that sassy tone she had recently discovered.

“Tomorrow, we’ll do whatever you want”

“Anything?” her eyes sparked with mischief

“Anything, peach” he promised seconds before she nestled into his chest again, hugging him even tighter.

— — —

In just twenty minutes, your daughter's soft snores started making their way to your ears.

You smiled, watching her sleeping so peacefully on her daddy’s shoulder.

“You spoil her too much” you teased, your fingers gently playing with Pedro’s ones as you set beside him.

“How could I not, have you seen her?” He whispered, still petting her hair.

A familiar smile spread on your face, but before you could fully take it in, a small sigh fled your lips.

“She misses you, Pedro,” you said, your eyes finding his, and in them, a somber understanding.

He already knew. And it destroyed him every day.

“I miss you” you added with a small frown.

He turned his palm to hold your hand, a small gesture, a small -I’m here-

“I know” he spoke after a brief moment “I miss you too”

You nodded, a quiet understanding passing between you.

“I’ll never work on weekends again,” he said

“Pedro that’s not in your control” You shook your head

“I don’t care, I’ll stand my ground” he murmured, his thumb drawing patterns on your hand “I can’t go on like this sweetheart, I want to be there for you, for both of you, and I’m tired of not doing that, I’m tired of missing you all-day baby” he whispered, frustration tracing his words.

You rested your head on his shoulder, a small -I’m here- of your own.

“I know” you spoke, softly rutting your head against his shoulder “It’ll be alright, we’ll find a way”

“Thank you for doing this” he murmured, feeling like the luckiest man in the world sitting between you “I love you”

“I love you too baby” you smiled, leaning up to give him a quick kiss.

And immediately, even if still asleep, your daughter's small arms tightened around his neck possessively, a small “daddy” escaping her lips.

You chuckled, as Pedro absolutely melted at the image

“She’s such a daddy’s girl”

#i had to write this on my phone and I feel like I deserve an award for it #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #dad!pedro pascal #pedro pascal x female reader #pedro pascal x y/n #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal fluff #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfic #pedro pascal x fem reader #the last of us #joel miller #fluff #tlou #pedro pascal smut #the mandalorian #narcos #javier peña

[teamhappyme]

an adjustment period

josh lyman x female!reader

word count: 2.7k

warnings: politically inaccurate portrayal of the white house, aka the west wing, projecting all my feelings onto josh lyman

a/n: me? posting two fics in one month? groundbreaking. I really am in my josh lyman era sue me idc.

“He will call you back at his next availability. I don’t know when that will be, Congressman.” You pulled the phone away from your ear as the Congressman yelled at you through the receiver. “I will let him know. Thank you, have a nice day Congressman.” 

You slammed the receiver against the base until the rest of the communications bullpen looked over at you. 

“I swear to god,” you mumbled to yourself as you barged into Sam’s office. “This is the first and last time I ever fill in for Ginger. Congressman who-gives-a-shit wants you to call him back at your earliest convenience.”

Sam looked up from his briefing, a small smirk on his face. “You would rather help me with research for the state of the union than answer my phone? I’m shocked.”

“Sam, if you don’t give me back my encyclopedia and the keys to my office,”

“Relax,” he interrupted, throwing your keys back to you which you caught easily. “I have a meeting in the oval, walk me there and I’ll give you your precious encyclopedia.”

“Fine.”

You walked through the communications bullpen, bumping into a frantic Kathy juggling a stack of papers in her hands.

“Sam owes you lunch everyday for the next two weeks until he leaves,” you told her, a small smile spreading over her face. “And if he tries to give you a hard time, call me, and then the President.”

“I’m not made of money, you know.” Sam piped in while leading you back into the route of the Oval Office. 

“I have three words for you: Gage Whitney Partner.”

“Touché.”

The two of you rounded the corner past Josh’s office, and you couldn’t help but peer in to see if he was there. 

It was a habit that started first out of survival. In the beginning of your tenure in the west wing you couldn’t walk past Josh’s office without him singing the Yale fight song. Then, after a heated argument in the Roosevelt room between the two of you over the relevance of the Oxford comma, you took every opportunity to occupy his free time to support your argument in favor of the beloved punctuation mark.

Four years had gone by, and somewhere along the way, the small squabbles turned into advice sessions on policy or speech writing. Sometimes, if either of you were feeling sentimental, you would share stories of your times at Yale. 

Over time, it became part of your everyday routines to check in on one another, and it was one of the best parts of your day.

Behind writing speeches for the President of the United States, of course.

“Remind me to edit the concluding paragraphs of the President's speech to the education forum. Toby told me I’ve been using too much passive voice.”

“You do use too much passive voice.”

He stopped in front of Charlie’s desk, glaring at you for the comment.

“Hey, I like the passive voice as much as you, but Toby hates it, therefore I don’t use it.”

“He’ll be ready for you in a minute.” Charlie told Sam before leaving his desk for the Oval.

“Hey, have you guys found a new you yet? Toby has gone through like ten interviews and half of them left looking like they were going to cry.” You said as Charlie waved him in to the Oval. “I mean, the solution to this would be to not have you leave and become a congressman, because that’s boring and you can’t even write your own speeches. In fact, that’s exactly what you should do.”

You walked him to the doorway of the oval, waiting for him to hand you your encyclopedia that had been held hostage.

“Why don’t you come and join me and the President, he would like to be the one to tell you who we picked.”

“Why can’t you just tell me now? You know I have absolutely no patience for these things.”

He didn’t answer you, instead he looked into the Oval Office, a small smile on his face. You looked in after him, curious as to what he was so amused with. 

All you saw was the President leaning against his desk, staring at the two of you, I’m sure not happy to be kept waiting.

“I don’t have all day you know,” President Bartlet joked before waving you both in.

Wait a minute.

“Sam,” You looked over at your boss, his smile now grinning from ear to ear. “No, Sam, it can’t-“

“Come on,” he interrupted, pushing you into the oval with a steady hand on your back.

You’d been in here plenty of times; usually with a group of people, and usually not when you’re getting offered the job of a lifetime. But when it’s just you and the President, it’s the most terrifying place in the world.

“I’ve never seen you scared a day in your life, don’t tell me today is the day you decide to be scared of the White House.” The President commented as you tried to relax.

“Well if you offer me a drink from the fancy decanter I can promise you I’ll be a lot less scared, sir.”

You and Sam sat down across from the president, and waited for the rest of your career change. 

It was hard for you to listen to anyone praise your work ethic, character, and dedication to your job, let alone from the commander in chief himself. You worked for Toby, so there weren't a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings being spread around. So when the president mentioned that, yes, Sam recommended you for his position, but it was Toby that practically locked him in the Oval Office saying it had to be you, you were more than shocked.

You knew deep down he was a softie.

After accepting the position with absolutely no hesitation, it was off to the races with another meeting for the president.

“Mr. President, just one more question.” You asked as he walked you out. “Is there any way we can rework this position so that Toby answers to me and not the other way around?”

“Dream big,” the President said through his laughter, which brought a smile to your face.��

Once you and Sam cleared through Charlie and Mrs. Landingham, you landed a sharp smack to his chest.

“What the hell was that for?” He asked, resting his hand over his hurt chest.

“You couldn’t have told me that you were going to nominate me for your job? Or that the president was going to offer me the job himself in the Oval Office?!”

“Well, then I wouldn’t be able to see your anxious shaking and clammy hands as the President raves about you.”

You rolled your eyes as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder, and the smile quickly returned to your face.

“You deserve this. I’m just sad I won’t be able to see you and Josh fight in Senior Staff meetings.”

“Oh don’t worry, we’ll be visiting you on the hill.”

Sam walked you back to your office and handed you the responsibility of finishing the President’s remarks for tonight’s Town Hall meeting.

“If it isn’t the new Deputy Communications Director in the flesh.”

Josh was waiting for you in your office, holding a gold box in his hand while swiveling around in your office chair.

“Technically we’re equals now, so I can tell you to get the hell out of my chair without fear of losing my job.”

“Technically, I outrank you, but since you don’t answer to me, I’ll let it slide.” He stood up from your chair, moving to stand across from you. “Did you quake under the stress of wondering what the president wanted from you?”

“Did you come here to congratulate me or make fun of me?” You asked, a smirk appearing on his face. “And is that present in your hand for me or your new accessory?”

“Do you have to ruin all the fun?” He commented and handed you the present.

You opened the box, taking out the tissue paper to reveal a book, The Social Contract to be exact.

“I know we both went to Yale, but I’m not sure I share the same affinity for the literature of Rousseau that you do, I’m more of an Austen or Didion kind of gal.” You joked. 

“I thought I’d get you something that you could quote from in your State of the Union address. You know the President loves the cheese.”

You opened the cover of the book to find a note from Josh written on the inside. There were butterflies in your stomach before you read the first word, because that’s just the effect he had on you.

The relationship you shared with Josh is one that you greatly cherished. Your work rarely overlapped, being an underling of Sam in the communications department didn’t leave a lot of room for talking major policy with Josh. But after your own squabbles, and then overhearing a debate between you and Toby only days into your tenure at the White House, he quickly found any reason to work with you.

He would volunteer to work on research with you when he had any spare time, and he always requested you when he needed an extra hand when heading over to the Hill. You finally asked him about it a few months into the arrangement, and he shrugged before admitting he’d never seen someone stand up to Toby like that. 

“You’re gonna go further than a speech writer in the communications department. One day I think you may run this whole building.”

You read aloud from his note, the same thing he said to you three years ago on your walk to the Hill. 

You didn’t think he meant it then, and you surely can’t believe it now.

“I told you I’m good with words, Sam and Toby just never give me a chance.”

You closed the book, the weight of this new position pushing you back against your desk. You’re senior staff now. You’re in charge. You are going to be in the room where it happens.

“What if I’m not good at it.” You admitted in the open air. 

“Hold on-“ Josh tried to interrupt you.

“Sam, Toby, and the President of the United States just told me they want me for this job. I don’t have a law degree, Josh. I have a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Masters in Political Science from Yale, but I don’t make laws. I don’t have an illustrious career in politics, I’m not even a head speechwriter for Christ’s sake. I crumble under the image of the Oval Office, and unless I’m correcting Toby’s grammar, I don’t particularly like to debate with people. I am going to be in charge of a department, responsible for people to get things done the way I want. I barely get things done the way I want. I am not going to be good at this.”

“Hey, I went to Yale, don’t drag her down.”

You threw him a look as he moved from his spot in the doorway.

“For the last three years, I’ve watched you handle more crises and speeches than any other deputy in the communications office. Sure, the President showered you with compliments for your writing skills, but it’s you, the person behind the speeches, who is going to make real change here.”

“Josh,” you protested, your voice becoming a whisper as you grew uncomfortable with the accolades once again.

“I’m serious,” he began, moving to stand in front of you. “No one ends up in the West Wing by chance. You were meant to be here. And I have no doubt in my mind that you are going to run this building one day.”

You shook your head, letting your hair fall in front of your face to shield Josh from seeing the tears forming in your eyes. No one has ever believed in you like Josh does.

“Hey,” he worriedly said, slowly reaching for your hand. “What’s really bothering you?”

You looked down at your hands, fingers laced with his for what felt like the hundredth time. The line was always a bit blurred with Josh. You worked on so many projects together, spending hours on end in one office or another. Three years of small spaces and critical decision making led to post-meeting breakdowns, confiding in people you spent hours on end with.

Josh quickly became your person at work, and after the shooting, you became his. Neither of you spoke of it, you just knew that he would be there for you whenever you needed it. Josh knew it all, from screaming matches with Toby, to family emergencies, and the never ending question of what your purpose in life is, which was looming over everyone’s head that worked in the West Wing. 

You had always felt something more for Josh. Maybe you read too much into it when he would walk you home from a late night event at the White House, or how he would call you in the middle of the night to get your thoughts on how to best proceed with policy. It was easy between you two, and with Bartlett’s second term in the White House now halfway through, you thought this friendship would finally shift to something more.

But now that you were equals, senior advisors to the President, holding extreme responsibilities for the republic in your hands, you knew that the dynamic would change. There was no room to slide into a new relationship.

“Things are going to change now, between us. And I know that nothing has really been said but, I’d like to think something was… shifting into more.” Your voice trailed off at the end, embarrassment taking over. 

“There was.” Josh reassured you, a small smile breaking over his face.

You nodded, and in an attempt to hide the goofy smile crossing your own face, you continued to look down at your hands. You reached out for his other hand, which he gladly surrendered to you.

“Things don’t have to be different. There are no rules against a devilishly handsome Deputy Chief of Staff dating a gorgeous Deputy Communications Director.” He joked, trying to get a laugh out of you.

He was right, there really wasn’t a rule against it. And if there was, you’re sure it had been broken before.

“I’m sure you’re right. But if I really want to make a difference here, I need to focus on this job, and not be distracted by an annoying Deputy Chief of Staff.”

“I understand,” he said with a smile, giving your hands a squeeze. “And I think a two month adjustment period is plenty of time before I ask you out on a date.”

“Josh,” you said through a laugh, “Are you really that impatient you need to put a timetable on it?”

“Yes. Four months sound better?”

“Six months.” you said, but as you looked at him longer, you knew you couldn’t possibly last that long. “With a check-in at the three month mark to see how I’m adjusting.”

“That sounds like a great plan.”

A great plan indeed. 

To an outsider, the two of you looked like school kids interacting with their first crush. And that’s exactly how you felt, butterflies in your stomach and your brain all fuzzy.

“Josh!” You could hear Toby yelling through your closed office door, and you couldn’t help but sigh.

“You’re Director is a real pain in my ass.”

“I tried to get his job while I was in there, but the President said no.”

He laughed and tried to pull away, but you held on to his hand even tighter.

“Josh,” he turned back to you, and you couldn’t help but wrap your arms around him. It took him a minute, but his arms wrapped around your waist, and you finally felt like you could do this. “Thank you for the book.”

“You’re welcome. You’ve got this.” He said and dropped a kiss to your shoulder, then your cheek before pulling away. “I’ve gotta go find the dictator before he breaks every door down.”

“Go ahead, I’m going to spare myself from him for as long as I can.”

“Ok, I’ll see you in Senior Staff tomorrow morning. Newbie brings a full breakfast.” he joked.

“In your dreams,” you said with a roll of your eyes as he went to exit your office. 

“You really are going to do great here.” He winked and wrapped his knuckles on the doorframe before yelling into the bullpen himself for Toby.

Yeah, there’s no way you guys are lasting six months.

****

#josh lyman x reader #josh lyman fic #josh lyman #the west wing #the west wing fanfiction

[aspoonofsugar]

Oshi No Ko - A Family Of Stars

I caught up with Oshi No Ko, so here are some opinions and meta thoughts.

AN INVERSION OF NAOKI URASAWA'S MONSTER

Oshi No Ko and Monster are 2 very different stories, but some plot elements and conflicts are similar:

Monster is the story of a surgeon, who must track down a serial killer whose life he has saved. This monster is one of 2 twins and the story deals with the brother and sister uncovering their past

Oshi No Ko is the story of a doctor, who is murdered and reborn as his favourite idol's child. Together with him there is a twin sister and they must track down the killer of their mother. The series leads the twins to find closure with their previous selves, so they can embrace a new life

In short, in both series there is a pair of twins and a murderer. It is just that in Monster the twins have no memories nor sense of selves, while in Oshi No Ko they have too many memories and baggage.

Finally, in Monster the characters must uncover the truth behind Johan, while in Oshi No Ko they must find out who Ai really is. The former is about understanding a monster, whereas the latter is about empathizing with a goddess.

(A)IDOL

The invincible smile that tears up the media Wanna know her secret, so mysterious Even the things she lacks end up in her area Such a perfect liar, you are: [Miss] ingenious, godly idol (You're my savior, you're my saving grace)

In religion an idol is:

An object which represents a deity, so it can become a manifestation of the god itself

A fake god, at least in monotheistic religions, like Judaism, Christianity and Islam

So, idols are gods. And yet, they are fake gods. In particular, monotheistic religions refuse idols because they are over-simplified representations of the divine.

Similarly, people worship celebrities, but only aknowledge their simplistic personas. Actors and idols are put on a pedestal, but also objectified:

So, what'd you eat today? What's your favorite book? And if you wanna go to play, where are you gonna go? I haven't eaten at all That's a secret No matter what you ask She's elusive, evasive Yet still shining bright; Her secret: out of sight, as if visible, has the taste of honey

They aren't seen as people with complex emotions, but as blank slates fans project their feelings onto.

This is why Ai Hoshino is the ultimate idol:

Drawing everyone's eyes You are the perfect, ultimate idol Never to appear again A reincarnation of Venus With that smile, with that "I love you" You captivate everyone Even if those eyes, those words, are false They make up a perfect love (Ai)

Ai's whole self is a lie. Not because she is malicious, but rather because she lacks a sense of self:

She is not sure of her own emotions and can't tell truth from lies. Everything is mixed and unclear. What does it even mean to love? What does Ai even want?

Ai is supposed to embody love. After all, she is associated to the Morning Star, which is called Venus, also known as the Goddess of Love. And yet, Ai's true eyes are dark:

Similarly, the word "ai" means love, but our idol's name is written with no kanji, which makes it the Japanese transcription of the English word for eye.

Ai's name is the sound of love, but with no kanjis (no meaning) attached. Ai is an empty love with empty eyes. This is the pun she is built on.

Still, why is that so? Well, Ai's parents don't put kanjis in her name, just like they don't love her:

So, Ai's character is defined by these 2 ideas:

I have never been loved by anyone Nor have I loved anyone else

On the one hand she was never loved. On the other hand she has never loved. Because of this, she thinks of herself as a fake.

AI (PURPLE) = AQUA (BLUE) + RUBY (RED)

Ai has stars in both her purple eyes. Aqua and Ruby instead have only 1 star each. Moreover, Aqua has blue eyes, while Ruby has red eyes. The idea is very simple. They are Ai's 2 sides:

Aqua is blue, right, mind and an actor

Ruby is red, left, heart and an idol

Together they make Ai, down to her 2 parallel careers (as an actress and as an idol). That said, the twins' foiling with their mother gets deeper:

As Miyako highlights, both Aqua and Ruby are liars. It is just that they lie about opposite things. On the one hand Aqua hides his most positive and vulnerable side. On the other hand Ruby hides her negative feelings. Aqua always sulks, while Ruby always smiles.

Aqua suppresses his wish to love others and to be happy with them

Ruby suppresses her fear to be unloved and abandoned by those around her

In short, each twin explores one of Ai's complexes (to love and to be loved). They really are the 2 faces of Ai (love).

AQUA - THE UNLOVING ACTOR

Aqua's story starts with Gorou Amamiya:

Gorou is a person strongly defined by guilt, which is at the root of his backstory. His mother was a young girl, who died by giving birth to him. As a result, Gorou feels he lives at her expenses and does all he can to rectify this mistake. For example, he becomes an obstetrician, even if he really wants to be a surgeon. Not only that, but he ends up developing a saviour complex. He feels it is his failure that Sarina dies, even if her illness can't be cured and has nothing to do with Gorou's area of expertise.

So, it is really no surprise that once Ai arrives, he projects on her the 2 people he could not save:

Ai is Sarina's favourite idol and a young girl like her

Ai is a teenage mother and is desperate to give birth in secret, just like Gorou's own mother

Ai represents Gorou's chance of redemption and catharsis. He could not save neither his mom nor Sarina, but he can help Ai. She needs the kind of doctor he is and this time he can make things right. However, Gorou is negated this closure and gets killed and reborn as Ai's own son. A son, who is destined to witness his mother's death. This time again, Aqua is powerless and can't save Ai. So, the story repeats and Aqua is left broken:

Aqua's real wish is to save people, but he keeps failing, so he chooses the path of revenge. He becomes his own antithesis.

He feels he doesn't deserve to live happily with others, but his wish to connect is too strong and he ends up forging some of the deepest bonds in the series:

He insists he is only focused on revenge, but ends up warming up to Kana and Akane to the point he goes out of his way to support them multiple times. Even when it doesn't help his avenge quest.

This is made clear in recent chapters, as well. Aqua has decided to give up on all his bonds. He cuts ties with Akane, decides to manipulate Kana and betrays Ruby's trust. He insists he is ready to go to hell alone. And yet, even after he takes such a dark turn, he can't help, but to save Ruby:

As Crow Girl says, this is a bad move on Aqua's side. His revenge would be easier if Ruby hated him, but he lets his true feelings out. He tries to repress his love and care for others. And yet, it keeps manifesting through the cracks of his vengeful persona. Aqua decides not to love, but he still does.

RUBY - THE UNLOVED IDOL

Ruby's story starts with Sarina Tendouji:

Sarina's life is doomed by her illness, which results in her parents abandoning her. Not only does she suffer physically, but she feels unloved. Despite that, she refuses to give up and laces on 2 people, who become her personal lights (stars):

Ai is the girl Sarina wishes to be. A person who is showered with love, as she shines brightly and moves freely on a stage.

Gorou is a parental substitude, as he is the only adult, who supports Sarina throughout her illness. He is even the person who stays with her, while she dies.

So, Ai and Gorou are around when Sarina's parents aren't, which is why she ends up idolizing them. Ai becomes some kind of ideal self, while Gorou becomes her first crush. The truth, though, is that they are the 2 pillars of Sarina's life.

Ironically, Sarina's make believe family becomes Ruby's real one. In particular, Ai becomes a mother, who loves her children with all her heart. This is healing for Ruby, who projects her wish for love on Ai:

It is Ai's strong emotions, which make it possible for Ruby to recover from the loss of her mother:

Ruby pursues the career of idol earnestly to become a star who never lies. And yet, she keeps lying to herself, as she refuses to confront Sarina's past. This negation is why her reaction to Gorou's death is so strong. This discovery becomes a catalyst for all of Ruby's negative feelings:

Ruby becomes her own antithesis and starts to climb up high through manipulation and lies. It is implied she weakens her relationships and later on she enters a violent fight with Aqua, which breaks their bond.

And yet, when Ruby hits rock bottom and confronts the painful truth that her parents have abandoned Sarina, it is Aqua who comes to her rescue:

Even if Ruby breaks their relationship and is prepared to live without trusting anyone anymore, she is still loved. The girl who fears rejection and abandonement is loved even in her darkest moment.

IDOL + FANS = MOTHER + CHILDREN

Aqua and Ruby are opposites. Aqua is scared to be loved and can't let go of Gorou. Ruby is scared to be unloved and can't face Sarina. And yet, they are also the same. Both project their deeper issues on both each other and Ai.

Gorou's feelings over his mother are projected on Sarina. Similarly, he projects his feelings for Sarina on Ai

Sarina's feelings over her mother are projected on Gorou. Later on, she decides to become like Ai because of her promise to Gorou

In short, Gorou wants to protect Ai because of Sarina and Sarina wants to become like Ai because of Gorou. As a result, Ai ends up as the object of their fantasies and wishes. A real godly idol.

Obviously, Gorou and Sarina's feelings towards Ai grow deeper and more complex as they are reborn as her twins. Slowly, their relationship goes from that of idol and fans to that of mother and children.

So, Aqua and Ruby's story is about overcoming the idealization of Ai. Both as fans towards their favourite idol and as children towards their mother. After all, isn't a mother their child's idol?

SUSANOO, AMATERASU AND MARIA

Among other things, the theme of idolisation is conveyed through the religious motif of the Hoshino Family.

Even the flowing sweats are beautiful Aqua These eyelids that hid the Ruby within

The lyrics reference the legend of Susanoo and Amaterasu:

According to tradition, the 3 god siblings Susanoo, Tsukuyomi and Amterasu are born from the creator god Izanagi. as he washes his face in a river. Tsukuyomi (Moon Goddess) is born from Izanagi's right eye, Amaterasu (Sun Goddess) from his left eye and Susanoo (Sea God) from his nose. In short:

Aqua is a composite version of Tsukuyomi and Susanoo. He has inherited Ai's right eye, like Tsukuyomi. However, the opening associates him to his mother's sweat, like Susanoo is born from Izanagi blowing his nose. Finally, his name links him to the sea

Ruby alludes to Amaterasu. She has inherited Ai's left eye, the opening links her to her mother's eyes and she herself mentions the goddess

This reference loosely comments Aqua and especially Ruby's arcs.

Amaterasu and Susanoo enter a fight, which leaves the Goddess crying and depressed. She hides in a cave and without the light of the sun, the world is left in darkness. The other Gods come up with a plan to lure Amaterasu out of her prison. In particular, the God of Enterteinment Ame-no-Uzume organizes a celebration for a new bright Goddess. Amaterasu gets curious and eventually comes out from the cave, so the world gets sunlight back.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Ame-no-Uzume is mentioned multiple times together with Amaterasu. Moreover, the characters visit the Goddess of Enterteinment's temple and they metaphorically enter Amaterasu's cave:

What the story does is clear, right? Ruby's arc is loosely an inversion of Amaterasu's story.

The Sun Goddess enters a fight with her brother and hides in a cave, only to be rescued by the Goddess of Enterteinment. Ruby is guided by Crow Girl (who could be a composite character between Yagatarasu and Ame-no-Uzume herself) and enters a cave, where she finds Gorou's body. This leads to Ruby going through her eclipse phase, where her eyes go dark. Eventually, she is helped by her brother and she finds her inner light again.

It is possible that Aqua's story will mirror Susanoo's in a similar way. After all, the God of the Sea is famous for killing a monstrous serpent to protect a Princess and for finding a Magical Sword within the beast. This may reference Aqua's quest for revenge, who leads him to find a princess (Akane-Princess Saya) and a blade (Kana-Tsurugi). That said, it is too soon to say.

As a final note, Ruby and Aqua's fight ties into the mythological motif. After all, Amaterasu enters into conflicts with both Susanoo and Tsukuyomi. In Amaterasu and Susanoo's case, they go through a divination ritual, so that Susanoo can prove his good intentions. Susanoo passes the trial, but the aftermath leads to the siblings fighting. When it comes to Ruby and Aqua, Ruby gets angry at Aqua for betraying Ai. As a result, Aqua has to mend his bond with Ruby by revealing his past self. To do so, he proves his identity through the Ai-keychan (a divine sign). He passes the trial.

What's most interesting about these references is Ame-no-Uzume's role. The Goddess of Enterteinment is an ally of Amaterasu, but Crow Girl leads the characters towards darkness. Thematically, she may embody the darkest part of the enterteinment world, which finds fun in people suffering.

So, what about Ai? What is her religious symbolism? Let's turn to Christianity:

Sing, dance, flutter, I am Maria — Right, lying is the most exquisite form of love

Mary is famous for having Jesus, while still a virgin. She is so perfect that God chooses her to bear his child. Similarly, Ai is an idol and is requested to be pure, so for her to have a sexual partner is out of question.

Still, Aqua and Ruby's reaction to the idea of a father is interesting. It speaks of their idealization of Ai both as her children and as her 2 biggest fans. At the same time, it betrays a wish to repress everything related to the final member of the Hoshino family.

MEPHISTO

As @hamliet explains in her meta, Hikaru Kamiki's name means God of Light, which is a reference to Lucifer, the fallen angel turned king of hell. It is a fitting imagery for Ai's enemy. Ai is Aqua and Ruby's goddess, so her killer can only be the devil. Similarly, Lucifer betrays God and Hikaru betrays Ai.

So, what is known about Hikaru Kamiki? Only 2 things:

He was raped and forced to have a son when he was 11

He is a serial killer, who targets famous celebrities

In particular, it is probable Hikaru idolises Ai, just like his children do. As a child, he is raped by a woman, then he meets Ai and has a relationship with her. However, his unsolved trauma almost surely ends up compromising his story with the idol and he eventually kills her. Later on, he projects his feelings over Ai on women similar to her, whom he targets in a neverending cycle.

This psychological mechanism makes him the embodyment of the most twisted love possible:

He was loved wrong (he was raped)

He loves wrong (he kills women he is attracted to)

Given this premise, he is clearly going to be defeated and he will probably die in the end. Still, the way he goes down will be important for Aqua and Ruby, as it will decide their future, as well.

In general, Hikaru is probably meant to be a negative foil (a jungian shadow) to the twins, as he represents their darkest parts. In particular, it is gonna be interesting if he foils them not only on the main theme of love, but also on the theme of lies and truth.

Aqua explores the idea of lies. He hides things from others and manipulates them. At the same time, he also experiences how good beautiful lies can be (his happy life when he thinks his father died). Most of all, though, he embodies the idea that a lie can become truth and vice versa. For example, his most effective manipulation technique is to mix his true feelings with his lies. He tells Kana she is cute because he thinks so. He tells Akane he is interested in her as an actress because it is true. He manipulates both girls, but his feelings are genuine.

Ruby explores the idea of truth. She hates liars and doesn't want to lie even if it would help her become an idol faster. Still, she experiences how painful truth can be (her discovery of Gorou's body). This leads her to lie to both herself and others. In the end, though, an even more painful truth comes out (her parents do not love her). No matter how much Ruby tries to hide her feelings, truth will come out. And yet, despite how agonizing it is, truth also leads to happiness. She is devastated after seeing Sarina's mother again, but this lets Ruby and Aqua find each other as Sarina and Gorou. As a result, Ruby is now happier and stronger.

So, in which way may Hikaru foil his children here? There might already be hints:

Just like Aqua, Hikaru is a master at manipulating others with truth. After all, it is implied he manipulated his rapist's husband to kill her by revealing her infidelity. Similarly, he orchestrates Ai's death by telling an unstable fan about her pregnancy. Even when it comes to Yura Katayose, he openly tells the actress to watch her step. An open threath masked as advice.

Just like Ruby, it is possible Hikaru values truth and hates liars. This could easily tie in his backstory and explain why his relationship with Ai degenerates:

I shall lie today as well (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) Hoping that one day, these words will become true (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) And yet, still, (Hey! Hey!) I have been unable to tell you, and you, alone (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)

Ai sees herself as a liar unable to love. This is obviously the real lie, as her heart is full of love. Still, it wouldn't be surprising if Ai's own issues exasperated Hikaru's fear to be used again. From what we know, it is probable Ai and Hikaru have feelings for each other, at a certain point. Then things go bad. What if Ai's inability to express her love and Hikaru's inability to understand lead to their breakout and eventual tragedy?

Obviously, this is all a theory, but one thing is sure. Ai and Hikaru's relationship is key for understanding their characters and their legacy to the twins. Still, Ai is already dead and Hikaru will die in the end. How can their story find a closure, then?

A WORK OF FICTION TO SHOW THE TRUTH

The climax of the series is building up towards the movie, which is gonna represent Hikaru and Ai's story.

Interestingly, Aqua is playing Hikaru, while Ruby is playing Ai. It is obvious a lot of emotional payoff rides on this. On the one hand it is gonna be a chance for Aqua and Ruby to sort out their feelings towards each other. On the other hand Kana and Akane will probably do the same, which will solve their love triangle with Aqua. (spoiler - KanaXAqua is probably endgame).

What is really interesting, though, is that the movie is set up to reveal who Ai really is. After all, the godly idol asks the director to film the real her and this request should be satisfied. Not only that, but Ai leaves her children 2 tapes whose contents are still to be shown. So, whatever Ai's legacy is, it will be made clear. This is true also for her bond with Hikaru:

So, does Ai forgive Hikaru or not? Her children seem to believe in the latter. However, the former is probably true.

First of all, it is probable Ai realizes Hikaru is behind her murder. The stalker arrives with a bouquet of white roses, which are associated to Hikaru. Moreover, Hikaru is the only person, who knows both about the twins and the new address. Secondly, Ai shows no rage nor fear for the fan who murders her. The man is clearly a stand-in for Hikaru in the scene. Despite his actions, Ai does not lose time hating him, but spends her final moments affirming her love for her and Hikaru's children. In short, Ai possibly knows of Hikaru's involvement, but doesn't regret their kids.

Still, will Aqua and Ruby portray this in their movie? And does Aqua's revenge ride on Ai's forgiveness or hate towards Hikaru? Will the twins understand their mother?

Whatever the result, it is probable Aqua and Ruby will eventually run into their father. In particular, Hikaru is set up as a threath to the 3 main girls:

He sends Akane white roses and she is determined to stop Aqua's revenge, which may put her in harm's way

He is the thematically opposite of Kana. He embodies twisted love and twisted truth. She embodies healthy love and genuine feelings

Finally, there is several build up towards him trying to eventually kill Ruby:

He comments that Ruby is growing up beautiful

He kills Yura, who is the original first choice for Ai's role

Ruby ends up playing Ai in the movie

If this third scenario becomes true, it could give closure to all the character arcs. Ruby may empathize with Ai and forgive her father. Aqua may be given the chance to save Ruby (symbolically both Ai and Sarina) this time. Finally, the outcome may offer catharsis to Hikaru before he dies. In short, I think Hikaru is gonna die, but that the twins are not killing him. Rather, they are gonna understand their mother's feelings and survive their parents' tragedy.

A SECOND CHANCE

Hikaru and Ai's story is a sad one, but Aqua and Ruby's is gonna have a happy outcome. After all, the whole series is about overcoming death and getting second chances.

Gorou and Sarina both go past their deaths and are given brand new lives

The new B Komachi is a second chance for all its members. It is a second chance to live for Ruby, a second chance for Kana's career, a second chance to fulfill Mem-cho's idol dream. Finally, it is the second chance of Ichigo and Miyako's wish to come true

Miyako and Ichigo's love story will also be given a second chance

The movie is the director's second chance to realize Ai's wish to film her real self

In short, this theme is everywhere and it is possible the series ends with B Komachi performing in a dome, exactly as it starts. This time, though, things will go well.

Still, doesn't something feel odd? After all, if the series is about second chances, why isn't Ai given one?

THE REAL AI (TRUE LOVE)

I think there are 2 reasons Ai isn't reborn:

1- Aqua and Ruby are Ai's second chance

The twins are Ai's legacies and will fulfill her dream for her:

Someday, surely, I will have it all in hand I am such a greedy idol Because I wish to love everybody properly in a life-sized way

Ai's wish is to reconcile her family with her idol career. She wants to love both her children and her fans. She wants it all. Well, Aqua and Ruby come to embody these 2 different forms of love:

Aqua is given a lot of focus when it comes to personal relationships. An important part of his arc is his feelings for Akane and Kana and he is not that much interested in the enterteinment business per se. In the end, he may also choose to fulfill his dream to become a surgeon

Ruby's dream is to become an idol, who shines even more brightly than Ai. Moreover, Ruby's wish is pure in how she doesn't want to lie nor to manipulate others to get there. She is right now also stepping into the role of actress, so by the end Ruby may catch up and surpass Ai in both her careers (idol and actress)

In other words, Aqua may live the love of a happy relationship and family, while Ruby may live the love of openly loving the world and people in general. Whatever the case, Aqua and Ruby will fulfill Ai's main wish which is for them to grow up healthy and happy.

2- Ai doesn't need reincarnation because she in fact does fulfill her dream

Ai wants to love both her family and her fans, which is what she does at the very end.

She remembers the stalker's name and his present. She proves to him she never took her fans for granted

She is able to tell her children she loves them and realizes she is not lying

Ah, I've said it now at last This is definitely not a lie; I love you

Ai's wish is to love and to be loved and she gets it through her twins. Aqua and Ruby feel they owe their mother something and that it is cruel they get to live a second life, while Ai doesn't. Still, they are wrong. If Gorou and Sarina were not reborn, Ai would have had a stillbirth, which would have broken her. Just by existing, they fulfill Ai's dream. They give Ai the love she so desperately craves.

By the end, Hoshino Ai becomes the embodyment of true love. True love isn't perfect. It is complicated, as people struggle and make mistakes. Still, if the wish is genuine enough, it shines incredibly bright. So does Ai, not as an idol, but as a real person (the true Ai).

#oshi no ko #oshi no ko meta #oshi no ko theory #ai hoshino #aqua hoshino #ruby hoshino #hikaru kamiki #my meta

[nerdanelschildren]

I want to talk about the Valar.

namely, I want to talk about them as characters in the story, not as gods. they are powerful like gods, sure, but they are also present in the story. they live within Arda, their choices have direct consequences on the narrative. and those consequences are something the Valar never seem prepared to face.

see, when I feel like judging the Valar, I judge them as leaders. I judge them as I would judge someone in my community making these kinds of big far-reaching decisions. because that's the place in the story that I think the Valar have.

and here's the thing. I want to tell a personal story (names and places changed of course). I'm reminded of it every time I think of the Valar's actions and the consequences thereof, and it colors the way I judge them.

this might get long, so I'll put it under a cut.

a few years ago, I was in charge of an organization. nowhere near the same scale as what the Silmarillion deals with of course, just a small local org designed for community activity. but I was its leader, and as such, I was responsible for keeping things moving forward reliably and keeping the people I worked with safe and satisfied.

at one point, a guy joined the group who was very difficult to work with. this guy enjoyed wrecking other people's endeavors, derailing productive conversations, etc. at first I was able to shut him down during meetings, but he got more belligerent as time went on. I asked my friends for advice, but they did not agree on what should be done about him, so... I didn't do anything about him. at first.

then, since he hadn't been stopped yet, this guy stepped up his game. he started taking his activities outside of just the meetings, private messaging people to harass them. I began to hear news that he was also telling lies about people close to me, trying to foment a distrust in leadership among the newer members of the group, essentially trying to convert them to his side instead. if someone refused to be swayed by him, he would relentlessly abuse them, project his own problems onto them, "no THEY are the real liar!" that kind of thing.

so now he was causing massive problems for the entire group. now the people I worked with were no longer safe or satisfied, which meant that if I had let him continue, I would have been failing in my job as a leader. in short, I had a duty to step in then, and I did.

I expelled the guy in question from my group.

now, expelling him did not solve all of the problems immediately, but it solved the main ones, and it allowed us the time and space to start repairing things. when he left, some people went with him. others stayed behind and brought their grievances to me, and I listened, and I was able to reassure them that his accusations were false.

this experience is why I have no patience or sympathy for Melkor, but it's also why I cannot agree with Manwë. he knew Melkor was the problem. he should have dealt with Melkor from the beginning. I understand he had pity for his brother and wanted to believe he could change, but then after that, the moment Melkor started causing problems again, it was Manwë's duty to intervene and he didn't. he let the situation get way too out of hand. in fact, he refused to publicly recognize the real problem at all, and instead decided to blame the Noldor for it, and then he reacted badly when that came back to bite him. If I had refused to acknowledge the guy in my group as the problem, and had instead decided to blame his victims, I would have 100% deserved whatever rebellion I got.

in short, I think Manwë's own sympathy for Melkor got in the way of his leadership duty, and he shouldn't have been at all surprised when the Noldor decided he wasn’t trustworthy anymore.

#tbh not sure how to tag this one #my posts #silmarillion #uprising of the noldor #obligatory fuck the valar tag

[fansids]

Hi so I saw some your anon asks about lmk s4 and SWK so I am curious about what you think of the special and if I solved anything about not seeing SWK POV and him always the one with mistakes

The special does nothing to remedy any of my issues with the show and especially with season 4. Even though it places the 3 Demon Kings as firmly (mostly firmly?) villains, it's also kind of weird about it.

But my main issue is with SWK and Macaque.

Oh my God. If my biggest issue is how the show treats SWK, and my second biggest issue is the world ending after world ending stakes, then my third biggest problem is Macaque. Or, more importantly, his relationship to SWK and the rest of the cast. Like the more Macaque becomes a good guy the more I hate him. But that's besides the point, let's talk about the show's weird framing around these two to put some context to my problems with the special.

When Macaque is first introduced pretty much everything about him is meant to scream deceitful. From his appearance as looking like SWK, but not (to the point where MK mistakes the two until he gets close), to his very powers which are shadows (which tend to symbolize mystery, deceit, and general evilness) that are also very similar to SWK's powers. His purpose in that episode is gaining MK's trust so he can betray him. Okay, fine first episode, lesson learned.

The second time he's shown is in Shadow Play. The way the story telling is framed (through use of shadows, Macaque tricking the gang into thinking he's someone else, and later forcing MK to fight his shadow-fied friends just to push a message he projects onto MK for the crime of being SWK's apprentice and vaguely similar to him) would say that Macaque was either outright lying or twisting the details about his and SWK's past to put himself in a more favorable light (or more importantly, to put SWK into a less favorable one). MK defeats him, and we're still meant to not trust him. Fine. Cool.

Skipping over S3...

THEN WE GET TO THE SPECIAL. Macaque is not only shown to be completely in the right, but SWK is even worse than what was shown in shadow play. TF. Mind you, the whole point of the scroll was to show SWK's past, AND WE NEVER GET TO SEE IT FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE. It is only through Macaque's telling of the story that we see it, and this time it's framed as being the honest truth. It is SWK's fault for being so power hungry and full of himself that they have their falling out. Bro WHAT??? Mind you, since SWK is literally trapped under a mountain Macaque is also the one who leaves instead of the other way around. WHAT???

Let's put jttw aside entirely. This is just poor storytelling because it makes Macaque as a character not make sense. Why is he the one obsessed with SWK? Why does he want to be shown "the real Sun Wukong" in S1? Why is he upset that Sun Wukong abandoned him? He didn't abandon him. MACAQUE left.

And all of that really really begs the question WHY DID SUN WUKONG KILL HIM??? You can at least infer that if SWK was the one who left, and knowing the violence Macaque is willing to enact on others to get revenge, then Macaque likely did, or tried to do, something to the jttw crew that SWK was not too happy about. But Macaque was the one who chose to leave the relationship, so... what happened??? Why was Macaque even there? Why would he care?

Not to mention, for me at least, it destroyed what was left of my interest in Macaque after S3.

Sorry for the rant, but to answer your question, no, the special does not fix anything about the issue with SWK's lack of pov. It makes it worse.

#lmk critical #monkie kid critical #oooo I'm so mad #like for me Macaque was peak when he was just a villain #I loved him he was awful and lowkey pathetic

[irondad-defensesquad]

Sorry seems to be the hardest word - Chapter 1

Also posted on AO3!

Originally a story written in 2019, though I decided to revisit it.

I'm splitting this in two chapters. I'm already warning you that this first one will be painful. Tony will say some VERY mean things to Peter, which are not condoned. Part of this is me projecting onto Tony after I had a bad fight IRL, so characters might be OOC.

TRIGGER WARNINGS (for this chapter) - lashing out and mention of alcohol abuse

DO NOT SHIP PETER AND TONY. P/ROSHIP DNI.

--

Some days are hard and that’s part of life. But that doesn’t mean they won't be a pain in the ass. And when you’re Tony Stark, certified “piping hot mess”, the bad days can feel like he’s still in the wormhole, trapped in the deep and infinite outer space.

There isn’t a particular reason why he’s like this today. Most of his bad days work like that. Well, Tony is aware he has plenty of reasons, but none are recent.

Tony ranges from numb to irritable. When these days happen, he isolates himself in the workshop so he can focus on something else, like his suit of armor or his cars. That way, he won’t resort to alcohol, nor will anyone else get hurt. It helps that Pepper is out to work, and Rhodey is saving the world.

Today, the billionaire is fixing some bugs in his suit while at the same time he’s fixated on rebuilding a piece from the old, flaming Ford. It’s the only car part that has broken, and Tony can’t understand why. And for some reason, he’s unable to fix it. When he gets too stressed about it, Tony returns to his suit, and then he goes back to the Ford, so on and so forth.

Usually, fixing things and taking them apart help him. But today, they don’t.

At one point, Tony gives up and tries to forget the car piece for a bit.

And to make things worse…

F.R.I.D.A.Y reminds him that Peter is on his way.

“Oh. Oh my god,” Tony groans loudly. “Fuck.”

Only then does he remember that today is lab day. On his bad day. How could he forget?

Tony clearly can’t tell Peter to go home. He didn’t take more than two hours to get kicked out immediately. That’s just an asshole thing to do. On the other hand, the older man feels bad for thinking this way, but just imagining Peter rambling and rambling endlessly is already worsening his headache. He also won’t have the courage to tell Peter to not stay in the workshop. He doesn’t want to make the kid feel like he’s not wanted.

He sighs, soon hearing the elevator door opening, and Peter’s bouncy, happy steps going towards him. He’s clearly having a great day. Oh, the irony.

“Hi, Mr. Stark!” Peter greets him. Tony doesn’t have to look at him to see the sun rays coming out of him. Instead of warming him, they only blind Tony and make the heavy storm in his head grow larger.

“Hey, kid,” Tony lamely acknowledges.

“I’m feeling so awesome today! I finally aced my Spanish test,” Peter goes on, probably not noticing Tony’s lack of attention. “For a moment, I thought I wouldn’t make it, since the teacher can be a little hard on the correction, but he congratulated me! Not to brag, but I was one of the few aces in class, and man, you should’ve seen the look on Flash’s face, it was priceless!”

Peter is full on chatterbox mode, talking about all the other school stuff. On a normal day, Tony would’ve been so proud of him. They would’ve even ordered something special to celebrate. He knows how stressed Peter gets because of school, so him feeling so proud of himself is a delight. It’s too bad that Tony’s brain isn’t complying with him, so he stops listening to Peter halfway through, and he realizes he’s not doing anything with his suit, just sliding his fingers on the projection repeatedly, aimlessly.

At some point, he realizes the workshop is silent, save for the Black Sabbath playing in the background. That means Peter has finally realized he’s talking to nobody.

“... uh, w-what are you doing over there?” The teen stutters.

Tony sighs. He should apologize.

“Sorry, kid. I’m…” I’m having a bad day. This is not your fault. But he doesn’t have the strength to say these words, for some reason. “I’m trying to fix some bugs in the communication system.”

“Oh. Do you need help?”

“Nah, it’s fine.” Liar. “You can do whatever you want, like homework, or anything in your suit. I’ll help you later if you need me.”

“Um, okay.”

As Peter moves to his counter, Tony instantly remembers what’s lying there.

“Just don’t touch that thing there, alright?” The latter requests. Almost begging.

“What’s that?” Peter observes it.

“Just… a stubborn car part I’ve been trying to fix forever. And not getting any progress.” He knows his voice is sharper than usual, but Tony’s head is exploding. He’s so angry. At whom?

Peter merely hums and installs himself in the counter. The damned piece is on the other corner. Finally, Tony goes back to the suit. As long as it stays this way, maybe his bad day will improve.

The hero is able to distract himself for once, as Paranoid plays. Tony hears a shuffle or another coming from Peter, but it’s nothing too bothersome.

Next thing he knows, though, everything goes to shambles.

The noise that comes destroying the quietude and peace is loud like thunder. It’s probably the storm inside Tony’s head now ruining the real world, too.

“What the FUCK, Peter?!” Tony blurts out, knowing that it came from the kid. He knows what Peter did, as he sees the car part broken into pieces, scattered on the floor.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Mr. Stark, I was just trying to get a better look at it, m-maybe fix it for you–”

“Are you serious?! I told you not to touch it!”

“I’m sorry, I-I just wanted to help!”

“I don’t WANT your help! I just wanted you to BE QUIET and do your thing in your corner! But clearly you NEVER listen to me when I tell you to stay put!”

Peter is shaking his head, wanting to say more, but Tony keeps going.

“See, that’s your goddamn problem. You refuse to listen to me, you ‘think’ you’re going to help, but you just make EVERYTHING WORSE. That’s exactly what happened at the ferry.”

“But Mr. Stark…” Peter’s voice is tiny.

“I don’t know how many times I have to get in that stupid brain of yours,” Tony steps forward, stepping on one of the pieces, “DO NOT TOUCH MY FUCKING STUFF!”

The thunder scares Peter. He steps back.

He’s shaking. He’s shaking so hard.

And his eyes…

Those precious puppy eyes…

Tony stops dead in his tracks.

The damage has been done.

He replays all the words he just said, and he feels absolutely sickened by his own cruelty.

Peter is scared. He’s scared of Tony.

Oh my god. Oh my god, no.

Peter slowly backs away, like a scared animal.

“Peter,” Tony says, reaching out a hand…

But the kid runs away.

“Peter, wait!”

The boy manages to snatch his backpack and rush to the elevator. Tony doesn’t rush after him, though his arm is still trying to reach him. Of course, it doesn’t work. Peter is gone.

Tony is frozen where he stands.

The car part is broken beyond repair. Some small part of him still believes he can fix it.

But that is not more important.

He needs to fix what he just did to Peter.

He has to fix things.

No suit of armor, no car, nothing is more important than his kid.

When Tony rushes outside, he’s not too late.

“Peter!” He exclaims.

The teenager flinches, much to Tony’s dread. The former turns around like the latter’s storm is going to hit him again.

“Peter, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said those- those awful things to you. I was wrong about everything I said.”

Despite this, Peter doesn’t seem to believe it. He’s been betrayed. His trust… broken. It’s such a stark contrast to when he arrived at the workshop.

“I get it, Mr. Stark,” he says, voice low. He turns around to avoid Tony. “I just ruin your life.”

“No… goodness, no. My life is so much better with you in it.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.”

Peter isn’t crying anymore. He’s not even angry. He’s just hurt.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, I promise,” Tony insists.

“I just break your stuff and make a mess. You said that, and you believe that.”

Tony shakes his head. Meanwhile, Peter is checking his phone and texting someone, probably Happy.

“Please, don’t leave like this,” the man begs. “W-We can fix this, together. We’re a team, right?”

“Mr. Stark–”

“We can order your favorite food, we can celebrate your grade and- and everything you do, we can watch those space movies you like–” Tony knows he’s pushing but he doesn’t know how to stop.

“Tony.”

Peter has never called him by his first name before. And it doesn’t sound endearing.

The boy is still not facing him.

“... I shouldn’t have come here,” he concludes.

Tony doesn’t know what to say anymore.

After a pained silence, Peter sighs, probably to filter his pain. “I just need to go home.”

The other inhales and exhales, putting his hands inside his pockets. “Okay.”

Not too long after, a car arrives in front of the building. Happy only opens the windows, looking confused at the situation yet not prying. He gestures for Peter to get in.

Peter is heading towards the car…

“L-Let me know when you get home, okay?” Tony pleads quietly.

The teen just vaguely looks at him, not directly. “Okay.”

Happy gives Tony a sad gaze, as if meaning, “we can talk about this later, if you want”.

Regardless, Happy and Peter are quickly gone, and Tony watches the car disappear into the horizon. There’s no one else around to watch this scene.

Tony drove them all away.

He drove his kid away.

And for the first time in a while, Tony can’t hold back his tears.

--

(Chapter 2)

#lotus speaks #irondad #fics #my fics #don't worry!!!! this will have a happy ending i promise!!!!

[little-engineer-who-cant]

The ramifications of Cassie Sandsmark

Part 10 of Sirens Scream Names Forgotten by Tomorrow, Laid to Rest in Infinity

(also posted under cut)

Note: Cassie herself does not have much of a presence in this story. This is about the implications of her existence and how her presence affects those who lived through the Titan War.

“Tell me father, which do you ask forgiveness for: what I am or what I am not? Tell me mother, which should I regret: what I became, or what I didn’t?”

- thoughts of a stray iii (m.a.w)

He finally goes to one of those stupid charity galas Bruce always throws. Dick’s pestered him so much, Jason’s been to enough dinners where he’s subject to subtle hints, sad eyes and pointed looks from his various other-

(Oh, please, do go on.)

The others are nothing. Dick is his only sibling. Dick’s pestered him enough that Jason’s finally given in to his requests to come to at least one gala.

“Are you sure about this?” Silena asks him for the first time in two hours but it feels like the millionth for how many times he’s asked himself the same question.

(Sounds like you have your answer then.)

(Yeah, I do.)

“I am,” he replies, hand curling in a tight fist around the gear shift. The plastic creaks. “I… Maybe you can find something. Out. About. Um. Yeah.”

“Jason.” Their fingers slot together over the knob before she pulls his grip away from damaging the car and onto the leather-covered console instead. He’s transfixed by the small scars on her knuckles, nearly invisible but he knows what to look for. What to look beyond. No one else will know a thing. “I know you hate it. You don’t need to bring me.”

“You’ll go out anyway.” Her measured inhale, the start of a calm argument, confirms it. “Can I ask that, just for tonight, you hunt where I can see you?”

“Will it help you more if I hunt or if I back you up?” He tips his head back on the headrest, swearing under his breath.

“I don’t know,” he answers honestly. “I don’t want any more eyes on you. I don’t want… anyone else to find you.”

“Jason,” she squeezes his fingers, he looks over. She’s beautiful in the blinding flare of the setting sun, heavy eyes and drawn lips and resigned shoulders. “Love. They’ll find me eventually.”

“I know.” It’s not in his power to keep her a secret. Hasn’t been since he ran to her, since he revealed… Everything. 

“If we know they’re coming…”

“We can better prepare.” He still can’t let her go, can’t open the door and let this world in, let it touch her. 

(Kill her.)

He swears again, vicious words breaking free until she stifles them with a finger over his lips. 

“I’ve hidden for a long time,” she decides for them both, and he loves her for it because he can’t. “But the world’s spun on. Show me.”

“It left me behind too,” he reminds her. But he’s opening the door, stepping out and so is she, smiling brightly over the top of the flashy sports car.

“Then let’s rediscover it?” He loves her, he swears by every god in the privacy of his heart, letting it flow over his being and into her. Framed in sunlight with the jewels in her ears and around her neck shining bright, she gleams like cut crystal as she glides over to him. The slight pull of the scar on her cheek begs him to press his lips to her, to taste the proof of her reality. “I’m braver when you’re beside me.” 

“Let’s be brave together then,” he gives into the impulse, kissing just below her eye, on the teardrop he knows is burned into her skin. Her lips brush the J on his skull, the spider web across his temple. 

“We fit in at least,” Silena whispers as they leave the car and climb the stairs, squeezing his hand tight. He can feel the tremble in her as eyes turn their way, the people dotted across the front lawn and entry gardens taking note of strange faces in rich clothes and fine jewels. Their eyes linger on the royal blue of her flowing skirts, the streak of white in his hair, the way their fingers knotted together screams mine.

It’s only her shaking hand in his that keeps him from fleeing as the doors open on a fancy ballroom, away from all this false glitz and glamor and back out into the cesspool city. Only her equally nervous presence among these hordes of wealthy liars swarming around them and his promise to Dick, who is nowhere to be seen.

Jason leads them to the bar. Those fancy flutes of champagne aren't either of their style.

The eyes make him nervous. Everyone seems to be staring. Of course they are, Silena is beautiful, bright and magnificent on his arm, looking like she belongs among the painstakingly carved Master statues dotting the room. He cleans up well enough.

The bartender takes Silena’s order. Then his.

Shoes shiny enough to be mirrors tap nervously, his jaw tensing and clicking before he forces out another breath to relax, only to wind himself back up again. There’s nothing Silena can do about it but temper his agitated appearance with her own calm and benign one.

Her drink comes first. His hands twitch for lack of anything to do.

It’s been a year, at least, since they walked in the door. 

“Maybe you could help me?” she asks him softly, looking up through her lashes as his head whips to her.

“Help you with what?” he bites out but she can clearly taste that the annoyed anger is not aimed at her so she blows out a breath and lets it go. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” she soothes, running a hand down his arm and his heart flutters a bit. “But I am a bit lost. Perhaps you can point out some people for me?” 

His drink arrives. He drains half of it. Stops. Breathes. Follows her tug away from the bar and towards a potted fern that’s relatively unoccupied.

“I know what you’re doing,” he says, but there’s a defeated edge to it. Pointing people out, analyzing the situation under the guise of helping her navigate it, it will take the worst edges off his strain. She can make very educated guesses as to who these people are, but that doesn’t help Jason at all so she’ll play ignorant for his sake.

Bruce hasn’t shown himself.

“Start by pointing out Bruce’s horde,” she suggests. “So I know when they start showing up on my doorstep.”

“Okay,” Jason takes a deep breath. “Over there, with the blonde hair, that’s Stephanie…”

—

“That’s Connor Kent.” Jason points at the dark haired teenager talking to Tim and looking distinctly uncomfortable in the fancy environment.

“Ah. And who’s she?” She nods to the cute blonde girl hovering by Tim and the newly identified Connor.

“That’s Cassie Sandsmark.” Abruptly, Jason looks uncomfortable. Silena tilts her head at him. “I…” he blows out a hard breath, then slumps against the door-frame they’ve taken refuge in, “it completely slipped my mind or I would have said something sooner. She’s one of Tim’s friends, so I steer clear but…”

“Spit it out, Jason.”

“... She’s a daughter of Zeus.” Silena’s heart freezes in her chest. 

“What.”

“I… Yeah.” The confirmation, the lack of arguing, the lack of… anything, it cuts her to the core, spills her intestines out across this fine ball except she’s all cinched into her lovely silks, blood stained and shining like a diamond.

Panicking.

“How old is she?” The girl looks to be older, too old- if she was born after the war, she’d be barely out of diapers. You know what this means.

“What?”

“How old is she?” Jason blinks at her like he’s never seen her before. Maybe he hasn’t. She can’t remember ever being this angry since she’s met him. Defeated? Yes. Resigned? Yes. Wildly trying to hold her life together with both desperate hands? Absolutely yes. But this rage? This she hasn’t felt in a long time.

“... Sixteen? Seventeen? Right around Tim I think.”

“I have to go.” 

“Silena-” She doesn’t wait, she can’t be here. I can’t see her . She can’t see this child, she’s a child, you can’t blame her, it’s not her fault-

But she’s everything we could have had.

Acknowledgement. Openness. Freedom. She fights in the open, with heroes she can call on if something goes wrong. Not scurrying around street corners, praying a hungry monster doesn’t find you for lunch and with nowhere to go but the next ditch big enough to hide in, no one to call, no way to call without getting caught. Not bleeding out on concrete and screaming for a parent who won’t answer. 

“Hello?” Dick Grayson is in front of her, blinking in confusion, then his eyes flick up to where Jason is undoubtedly barging his way after her, if he gets to me I’ll spill my guts and he’ll do something rash, I have to leave- “I’m sorry, you must be-”

“Give me a five minute head start?” she bargains sweetly, the words sticking to the inside of her mouth like thick honey, coating the air in sickeningly pink spun sugar, making him blink heavily before he smiles widely and pats her shoulder.

“Of course. Explain why later?”

“Thank you.” If she ever sees this brother again, she’ll lie and he’ll believe her. That’s the way of things. 

“Better get moving,” he scoots out of her way, putting his body between her and her pursuer, your sacrifice will be remembered. “Jason! Buddy!”

She gets farther than she expected, sees the light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a side door, damn, maybe I will give Dick a few grains of truth, when it all goes to hell. Jason is too damned perceptive and adaptive and he knows her too well, gods damn it all why am I seeing a vigilante? She has to be at the top of her game to lose him and unfortunately, that means she loses focus on everything else pretty fucking quick. 

That means she runs straight into the object of her ire. Right into Cassie Sandsmark.

“Oh! Sorry! I didn’t see you there!” I can’t do this. “You’re new, are you Jason’s girlfriend that Tim told me about? I’ve been hoping to meet you. Everyone has, they talk about you so much!” I can’t do this. “Right! Where are my manners? Hi, my name’s Cassie,” the girl sticks out her hand, beaming at Silena who swallows around bile and her own, gut searing hate.

“Anna.” That’s who she is to this city, always will be but to a certain few. Silena Beauregard is dead to the world. Just like so many others but here you fucking are-

“Nice to meet you Anna, are you enjoying the party?”

“I was just about to leave, actually.” Lying is like breathing, she is a child she’s not to blame. “I’m afraid I’m not feeling well.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Get some rest and feel better?” Jason is getting close, having finally shaken Dick, his face a terrible mix of  thunderousfuriousconcernedscared and she has to go or she’s going to turn into a blubbering mess in the middle of this fancy gala, screaming for justice from beings that don’t care anyways right in front of the girl who’s entire existence is a slap in the face to so many dead children. 

“I will, thank you.” And she fucking books it.

—

Thalia picks up on the first ring, thank the gods.

“I can’t talk for long.”

“It’s Silena.” Giving her the option to just hang up right out the gate, to take the guilt off Silena’s own shoulders. If Thalia brushes her off, she won’t call back. Their truce only extends as far as wounded Hunters in the wrong place at the worst time.

“... Why did you call me?” This is not one of those times.

“I…” Do you have to give her this pain? “This was a mistake, I’m sorry-”

“Silena, wait.” There’s a long moment of silence between them, separated by caverns of miles and loyalties and morals. Cinched together by blood, and there’s nowhere else to go- “Why did you call?”

“Wonder Girl,” she whispers, this is a mistake. “I…”

“What about her?” 

“Never mind, I shouldn’t say-”

“Silena.”

“... She’s a kid, Thalia. None of us should hate her but…” Silena buries her head in her hands, yanking at handfuls of her hair just to feel the grounding pain in her scalp. “I had to leave, I couldn’t stay.” 

“What does this have to do with why you called me?”

“She’s a daughter of Zeus and she’s sixteen.” Silence. Utter silence. She stares at the charred ground where she's burned dozens of other demigods, ones far less powerful than the girl running around at the gala now without a fear in the world. Dozens who had been hunted, mangled, chewed up and spit back out only to be kicked down to Hades without so much as a by-your-leave. “I’m sor-”

“Thank you for telling me,” Thalia’s voice is a raw whisper through the already crackling speaker. 

Click.  

Silena pulls the phone from her ear. Probably for the best, she’s pushed her luck far enough already. She’s not that far from Gotham, nor is she that insane. Zeus had one fucking job and he had to fuck it up twice?

There’s a rustle behind her. You didn’t get away fast enough.

“How much did you hear?” Only his perfectly shined dress shoes are visible in her left peripheral, coming to a silent stop next to her, both of them staring at the burned ground. It’s an olive branch.

“Isn’t it dangerous for you to use a phone?”

“Hm.”

“Silena.” 

“This is where I burn them,” she admits, curling around herself. “The ones who don’t make it. A shroud, two drachma and prayers to see them down to Hades.” She’s losing her battle with tears. “I… She’s a child, it’s not her fault. But… she’ll never know. She’s been so safe and she doesn’t even know it. How…” shoving her face into her knees, she loses the war against her enraged despair completely. “How am I supposed to look at her, knowing Thalia? Knowing Nico? Percy? Knowing what I did? And Zeus just went out and broke his oath again with no regards and she’s sixteen, Jason! Thalia will never be sixteen! Nico lost seventy years because Zeus was so fucking afraid of Hades that he wanted to kill Nico! Bianca lost those same seventy years for nothing because now she’s dead! And Percy had to give Luke the knife that Luke used to take his own life and he lives with that-” her body is shaking uncontrollably, but she can’t stop, this has built up for too long. Throwing her head backwards, she glares up at the hidden stars her mother, her enemy, lives among and screams- “We were all children, why was she the one that was spared?!” 

The silence is an answer in itself.

“Why her?” she whispers, knowing he doesn’t have an answer and never will. There is no answer. Not really. “Why her?” 

—

“What would life have been like?” Clarisse tips her head back, staring at where the stars would have been if Gotham wasn’t covered in a large veil of light pollution. “To just,” she snaps her fingers, “turn it all off?”

“Normal.” Silena grinds her chin deeper into her forearms. “Gods…”

“They’re the ones that got us into this mess, cupcake.”

“Shut up.” But it’s half-hearted at best. Clarisse chuckles, her hip pressing into Silena’s shoulder in a familiar streak of warmth. 

“Do we tell her?” That’s the million dollar question. Do we tell her? Tell her what exactly? Tell her about the horrors she’d missed? About the sister who gave up normality to prevent a prophecy that never even touched Cassie? About the piles of bodies left the wake of godly ambitions, the piles yet to come?

“I don’t know. On one hand, she should know she’s not alone, that there are a bunch of us out there. But on the other…”

“She’s missed all this shit. We shouldn’t drag her in just because we’re jealous.” Jealous. That’s the one word Silena’s been avoiding and Clarisse threw it out like it was no big deal. Jealous.  

Because that’s just it, isn’t it? She’s jealous that Cassie Sandsmark has gotten this far relatively scot-free. That there’s a large chance the girl doesn’t wake up at stupid o’clock every night, body tight and breathing quick, soaked in sweat and biting back screams. Clawing at her own face, straining in vain to see from a useless eye.

“I used to wonder why Mom hated me,” Silena admits quietly. Clarisse exhales. “When I got to camp. Why didn't she love me enough to make sure the monsters never found me? Why couldn’t I live with my normal family? Mom had to hate me, because if she didn’t, then I could go home without something trying to eat my little brother when we went for a walk. But I figured out that all the gods hate their children, don’t they? In some way, they all hate us eventually. Because we fail. We’re mortal. We’re not perfect. They put us up to impossible tasks again and again until we fail.” Clarisse’s hand trembles as she runs it through Silena’s hair. “But I think…” Silena swallows around the realization she stumbled across far too young, “our worst sin is that we’re not them.” 

Clarisse slides to the grating, sitting down next to where Silena is slumped and leans their temples together. Neither of them speak again, two jealous daughters of unsatisfied gods offering each other empty comfort. What else is there to say?

—

“You mean to tell me,” her knuckles are white where they’re clenched in her lap, out of Tim Drake’s sight, “that Zeus gave her mother the ability to turn her powers off?” Jason left with Dick to do something likely illegal and to keep her away from at least one curious Bat. Otherwise, she might let her trigger happy boyfriend drop-kick a child and that impulse was not something she wanted to examine right now.

Not when she has to entertain someone who broke into her apartment on behalf of a friend she wants to stab a little more than this particular interloper. Which is also not an impulse she’s particularly fond of examining.

“Yeah,” Tim nods as he takes another deep gulp of the black-as-night coffee that she keeps stocked for her revolving door of child soldiers running on fumes. If Tim bitches that she only keeps Jason’s preferred brand and uses a drip pot instead of a French press like Dick did not even two hours ago, she might lose what little of her shit she has left. “It was a whole thing, right? Like they lied to her all her life, but they’re cool now.”

“Cool now,” she mumbles, feeling the skin of her palms give under the pressure of her newly filled acrylic nails. She smiles as vacantly as she is able through clenched teeth. “I’ve just never heard of something like that before.”

“I don’t think demigoddesses are exactly around every corner, do you?” he grins at her and she smirks back like they’re sharing a joke instead of it being on him. “And daughters of Zeus at that.” It takes every bit of five years of you’re a spy discipline for the red in her vision to recede enough that she can actually see that Tim has sobered again. “She’s had a rough go of it,” he continues quietly, swirling his coffee, “with everyone having lied to her, even Diana. But she’s doing better.” 

“That’s good.” I have never hated another human so much without knowing them and this is a fucking child, it is not her fault, you know that it’s not her fault, get a hold of yourself you insane woman-

“And I was talking to her and she says she’s sorry for whatever she did that made you run away from her?” She can’t fix that. “She swears she won’t hurt anyone, she has control of her powers.” Her nails pop out of her palms. There’s blood, she can feel it drip, drip, dripping all over her hands. Where it belongs.

“I’m not worried that she’ll hurt me.” Hero or not, the girl would be hard pressed to go against Silena, who can hamstring her with a few words. Cassie’s powers are the least harmful thing about her. “I was having a rough night.” Smiling, Silena weaves a tale like she has so many times before and Tim is none the wiser, “and I really wasn’t making a good impression. For that, I apologize to everyone involved.”

“Have you apologized to Jason? He seemed really worried.” Whatever detente Bruce’s two wards have come to, it’s clearly only a ceasefire on Jason’s end. Likely for Dick’s sake. But what does it mean to Tim? Obviously more, by the way he’s expressing concern for Jason. It’s sweet, if not a little bit sad. There will always be a barrier between them, Silena knows, and it’s a barrier that Bruce put there.

“He was the first person I talked to.” There wasn’t a need for an apology. Jason had just held her as she cried in the graveyard. Jason had carried her home and refused to leave her side. He’d been the one to call Clarisse. 

“That’s good. He really seems to like you. Talked to Dick about you a lot. Enough that Dick mentioned you to us. We’ve all been wanting to meet you. And he brought you to the gala, so he really likes you.” 

“Hm.” I know. She can taste his love and she knows Jason knows she can too. He doesn’t hide it. “I like him too.” There’s a lot more than like there. If she wasn’t so sure that Aphrodite would take it as an insult that Silena even got a drip of happiness, she’d do her damndest to keep him. You already are, come what may.  

If a drop of water can keep a man from dying, this sliver of happiness might be what saves her soul.

“I can tell,” Tim takes another sip of coffee, like that will hide the goofy little grin he’s trying to smother. “Dick said you’re the first, um, normal person who’s been around? Shit, that sounds bad, but like I mean it like you’re not a superhero- Ah, I’m bungling this-”

“I get it, I get it.” And she does understand the sentiment, even if it’s not wholly correct. To everyone on the outside, she’s a simple office worker who caught the Red Hood’s eye enough for him to let her near. The Red Hood himself, however, knows the truth is very different and that’s why he’s letting her get so close to other heroes. 

“Are you ever afraid?” Tim asks.

“Hm?”

“Of what might happen?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, how the Joker might come after you?” Kronos had me in his maw. “That you might get hurt?” I’m blind in one eye and have scars to prove I survived the impossible. “That someone might, I don’t know, turn on you to get to Jason?” I turned on people I loved and they died for it.

“No.” She’s done all that and more already. “No. I’ll take whatever comes and I’ll face it as best I can. I’m not going to live in a shadow of fear.” 

“You’re braver than a lot of people.” She shrugs.

“I’m alive,” she replies simply, “and sometimes those two are the same thing.”

“Huh,” Tim chuckles, taking a very deep drag of coffee. “Philosophical. No wonder you and Jason get along.” She smiles again, wiping her bloody palm discreetly on a napkin before taking a sip of her own tea. Swallows down peppermint and a million secrets next to Tim’s butterscotch curiosity. “Will you tell me what his favorite book is? I’m looking for Christmas ideas and I really want to get on his good side. All things considered,” he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, “I know it’s not like my fault but I still feel bad for, I dunno, usurping him? Even if he was dead. And I know he’s still mad, so I was thinking I’d get him something really nice? Like a first edition of a book or a signed copy or something? I don’t know, do you have any better ideas?”

“I think…” Silena tilts her head at Tim and makes a mental note to talk to Jason about what exactly had happened between them later. “You’re at a good starting point. And he doesn’t have a good collection of the classics anymore. I’d recommend The Odyssey.” Tim nods, clearly thinking hard. “But, if you really want to do something extraordinary,” he perks up as she grins over the rim of her mug. “I think his old collection is still at the Manor and he hasn’t managed to sneak all of it out yet.”

#silena beauregard #jason todd #clarisse la rue #cassie sandsmark #thalia grace #tim drake #dick grayson #batman #percy jackson and the olympians #my writing #ao3 link

[nightmare-foundation-2]

Am I the only one that disagrees with peoples perception of Oz being that he's a religious paranoid zealot out to destroy and demonize Salem??

Because,, I really never got that kind of vibe from Oz. Oz is a lot of things- bitter, cynical- but what he is NOT is a religious fanatic who follows the GoL without question.

At first, yes he was willing to follow the GoL's orders with little argument.

But did everyone just,, forget,, that he flat-out originally said NO to the God of Light with no hesitation just because he thought Salem wasn't alive?? Like. He straight up said that he basically DOES NOT CARE about the world (and by extension, the gods) if she's not in it.

And when he found out Salem was alive? He completely ignored the GoLs actual warning, the only thing he SHOULD have listened to. He only accepted the GoLs order because Salem was there. That's it.

That... doesn't tell me he's a zealot blindly following the God of Light.

And about trying to follow through with his task, yes it's bc the GoL told him to. But he's not a fanatic.

The only reason he originally wanted to destroy Salem (which was probably a last resort to him, lbr) was because she was actively working AGAINST him. She hurt him DEEPLY by incidentally killing their kids and him (which, yes, she killed their kids, she attacked first for no reason without trying to talk to him), so naturally he's going to see her in a not-so-good light.

As for Oz being paranoid, it's reasonable he would be. He doesn't know which Grimm is hers, which Grimm was deliberately sent, what events are because of her, etc. There's NO WAY to tell at all. He HAS to be vigilant, because if he isn't, people DIE.

And he isn't demonizing her for no reason. This entire time, Salem has been vying for the destruction of Remnant. Whatever her reason is doesn't matter, that's what she wants. If she really wanted to just bring the Gods back to defeat them, she could've easily communicated this to Oz and worked WITH him instead of against him. Not only that, but she destroyed 3 Academies and is responsible for hundreds if not thousands of deaths, everyone from the guilty to innocent, from elders to children. And it's HEAVILY implied that she started the Great War ("no one knows who shot first" <- in stories that implies the third party, the antagonist, caused it, and Oz was still fighting her then), which resulted in possibly MILLIONS of deaths.

There's also nothing to even imply that she grieved for her daughters' deaths. It's explicitly stated that OZ grieved and drowned his sorrows with alcohol, when Jinn easily could've mentioned if both of them grieved. Oz was, and likely still is, deeply traumatized by his and Salems first fight.

The reason Oz sees her as a manipulative monster is because that's what she currently IS. She tortured Cinder after she disobeyed Salem and manipulated her right after, told Tyrian she was extremely disappointed in him knowing it would hurt him deeply, used Hazels sister to manipulate and keep him on her side EVEN WHILE fighting him- there's probably a million more examples that I can't think of right now. She deliberately uses the broken and hurt of society for her own gain and keeps them broken.

Because of this, in her songs Sacrifice and Divide, she projects HARSHLY onto Oz. Everything she says Oz does is what SHE does- she lies, manipulates, gets people's hopes up only to crush them. She sees humanity 2.0 as nothing more than pawns to use, that she and Oz are the only players. So she thinks that Oz MUST be the same, right? They're both immortal, the only 'true' people, why wouldn't he??

So Salem doesn't TRULY understand Oz in my opinion.

But I really think that Oz DOES understand Salem, at least better than Salem 'understands' him.

Oz... is definitely disillusioned in the Gods. He refers to his immortality as a curse despite the GoL delivering it as a blessing. He's pretty much given up on not just destroying Salem, but also on his task (he straight up said he has no plan when Ruby asked him). He's bitter and no doubt angry. If he was so zealous in his love for the Gods, why would he refer to a blessing as a curse? Why would he give up on his task? Why would he refer to them as essentially people who get into petty fights? To an actual zealot, that would be extreme blasphemy and heresy.

I really do think Oz understands Salems dislike for the Gods. Maybe not at first, not entirely, but now he definitely does. The only thing is that he's not willing to crush people under his boot like Salem does just to get that point across.

I definitely don't think they could ever work together, but mostly because of Salem. Salem views herself as completely separate and better than humanity and hates everything Oz is responsible for. Oz was likely willing to compromise with her, but he didn't like how she did things (like being a tyrannical dictator). And now that Salems done so much damage to him and everyone else, I highly doubt Oz would ever be willing to work with her, same thing with Salem.

To be clear, I don't think Salem was always evil or manipulative nor that Oz is perfect. Salem was, at one point, just a grieving woman who loved her husband enough to go against the Gods because of it. But I think time and constant fighting jaded and twisted her. Oz too- he's had to do things he's not proud of, made mistakes that blew up in his face, hurt people without meaning to. But time also changed him, and he's learning because of Oscar as well as teams RWBY and JNPR.

Ultimately, I don't think Oz is the zealot people think he is. He's not evil, and Salem isn't good or remotely sympathetic anymore. Salem doesn't understand Oz as much as she likes to think she does, but Oz understands her and not only does he hate it, but it scares him.

#felix (host) #ozpin #rwby #rwby salem #ruby rose #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #weiss schnee #team rwby #team jnpr #rwby ozma #meta analysis #also im not even gonna get into how jinn IS in fact a reliable narrator #smth smth bias and misinformation is the enemy of knowledge #also of oz was really so bad #why would it hurt him every time to lose an ally #salem doesnt give a shit #but he does #rwby fndm #fndm #anyways rwby fndm stop misinterpreting oz challenge #i saw a post that tried saying he was a paranoid zealot who doesn't understand salem #im not gonna name names obv im not an ass #bc everyone has their opinions #but its just straight up false to say that

[rainbowangel110]

My little sister watches Toh saga

We uh... got through episodes 8-11 so a bit to cover!

Episode 8

Starting off the episode with Hooty. She was already invested.

"I'll never find a way into Amity's heart!" cue Rock face from here

So uh as much as she loves Hooty she still was weird out by him... swallowing King

"What is Hooty eating???" Cuz King was covered in some stuff.

Oh shit this is puberty talk I thought in a panic

Anyways!!! Bug dance was funny. She was re repeating DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER for a while.

"HOW BIG IS THAT SYRINGE??"

Voice powers had her hyped actually, she was all "What is that?? HE HAS POWERS NOW???" Cute

Onto Eda!!

"I want those cookies." I am not letting you get roofied by a baked good, kid >:(

Oh she was not ready for Owlbeast to attack Dell lemme tell ya.

We got the Archivists part of the Owl Beasts memories and I popped off

She really loved the segment where Eda talked to the Owl Beast.

"I want a plush of it."

"THAT'S SO PRETTY!!!!" in reference to the ending of the dream sequence

SAY HI TO HARPY EDA KID :DDDD

"SHE CAN DO THAT???"

Onto the Lumity segment (y'all were waiting weren't you)

"Stop blushing so much oh my gosh." "They do that a lot trust me."

She was all "ohh nooo" at the reveal of the Tunnel of Love and I was dying inside.

"Amity calm down oh my gosh!" I am in tears rn

she was sooooo hyped at the part where King used his powers again

Little tiny gasp at the Lumity part immediately after

the part where Luz was dancing around asking Amity out she was YELLING

"JUST DO IT ALREADY!!!"

Hooty receives a letter from someone

"KING'S DAD!?!?" no

Episode 9

She has been obsessed with what Belos looks like under the mask ever since we first saw him

"Oh man sure hope Little Rascal doesn't get caught...." "Why?" "... Remember how Belos eat-" "NO I DON'T WANT TO-" (Doing just fine here-)

"That's what he looks like?? ... ew what's the green for??"

I am freaking out right now kid, don't ask me

I paused so much because wow implications when you know the full story are REAL

"What did you think of that conversation (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)" "... Creepy." GIRL SAME

"Is that-" "Dragon Ball Z? Yes" (knows through memes okay?)

"Oh what happened to her??" "She's sick :("

we will now skip over a bunch of stuff nothing too exciting happened here tbh

I am pausing so much during this episode and it's annoying her (YOU WILL UNDERSTAND I PROMISE!!!)

"Lotta projection going on here." "... what?"

Had to explain some stuff about the convo between Hunter and Amity over the Tamagotchi (give her a moment)

"Oh. That's not good." "It really isn't."

Don't mind me just sobbing inside at every Hunter/Flapjack interaction.

Was so so so worried for Owlbert there.

"It's in the key?!?" Yeah uh so here we are :)))))

She was so entranced with the animation and so was I (with internal screaming though)

"SHE CRACKED IT!!!"

"Mushroom Luz."

Was awwing over Flapjack and Hunter at the end (don't mind me just... gonna go over here and AUGHHHHH)

Episode 10

"Who is that?? How is she in the mirror"

"Weird door."

In between is really interesting actually

"IT'S!!! HER!! THE SLUG!!"

Again I found her watching this show at S3E1 at the intro part (all she remembers was Hunter and Vee thank god) so she popped off here.

"She's cute. I like her."

*pause* "Okay so you see that?" *points at Gravesfield logo* "Remember that." "okay..."

"Oh and those two." *points at the the Wittebanes* "Okay I will sheesh 🙄" /lh

She will not

"The basilisks remember? "OH YEAH-"

Not much from her until the rain sequence.

"HOW IS SHE HOLDING HER??" girl don't sweat it, cry with me instead :)

"I feel bad for Camila.' SAME

Episode 11

Honestly not much happened here with her so uhhh....

Biggest take away for her though

"CAT COVEN PERSON!!!" (coven scout)

"King read her diary-"

#the owl house #just posting #little sister saga

[rileyslibrary]

I got you, don’t worry. I cropped everything out and covered the character’s name and other details in case anyone pins it back to you. I wanted to reply publicly since this might help someone in the same position as you. Also, please know that I deleted the ask so there’s no trace of you in my ask box, in case you feel uncomfortable. I hope you see this.

FYI, I’m returning after I wrote this just to let you know that this is probably one of the longest replies I’ve given. I think refraining from writing is making me compose chapter-length responses. Also, I had a beer while writing this, so please accept my sincere apologies if it’s too “chattery.”

You’re not asking for my assistance, although your message feels like a desperate plea for help. I think I can do that for you. You don’t want to? Too bad.

So, let's start with the writing part and then move on to the hate (eek!)

If you read/watched/studied the material and generally did your homework, as you say, then maybe you can go back to studying and see if you missed something. I, personally, won’t critique your work since I’m nothing but an apprentice myself. I won’t act as a know-it-all.

Something I personally like to do as I write, though, is to keep the campaign or cutscenes from Ghost playing in the background. Or, I try to be conscious, and ask myself questions like “Why am I making him do that thing? Is it something he would naturally do, based on what I studied? Or is it something I would do, and I’m projecting it on him instead? Am I making him do/say that just to progress the story, and I’m not thinking clearly?”

Also, don’t study only what the characters say. Observe their facial expressions. Their posture. Even if they are somewhere in the background, just standing. And, he doesn’t have to be perfect, mind you. I mean, what are you gonna do? Plagiarise the freaking canon?! No; Close enough is good enough.

I already replied to a request regarding writing, by the way. You can find it under the writing tag in this blog.

Now, if we’re talking about anons/readers who act as self-proclaimed undisputed authorities with biases and strong opinions, I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do here. I mean it’s not the game developers who creep into your inbox/comments. Or the character himself.

It’s just… a hater. *dun, dun, duuuuun*

Like, it’s one thing not to like a person’s writing/story/content and another to criticise and spew hate while forcing your own personal opinions as if they are the bible.

The first one is normal, reasonable and reversible, believe it or not since you can move on and forget that that fic ever existed.

The second is *shivers* tacky.

Listen, though: if you have already made up your mind (stopping writing altogether), I 100% support you. You shouldn’t feel pressured to do so just because there’s a new game coming up. (I think that’s what you meant?)

But if you want to start writing again and decide to revisit the source material and apply the things suggested above, it’d be better to reform your relationship with this kind of feedback because me telling you that these people don’t matter won’t do you any good. It’s not a reasonable explanation. Sometimes, we want other people’s feedback; that’s why we share what we do.

The reality is that there are people out there who are deeply troubled. They have issues with their families, their jobs, themselves, and god knows what else. They are in pain, and they don’t know how (or don’t have the means) to help themselves. Sometimes, this pain is beyond them, so instead of doing something to solve their problems actively, they displace it onto others.

Seriously, babe, it’s a thing. Here, look:

Displacement is a defence mechanism that involves an individual transferring negative feelings from one person or thing to another.

Example: “My father screams at me, but i can’t scream back at him because he is an ‘authority’. I’m in pain, so, as a result, I choose to scream at this less-threatening person who happens to be a stranger online.”

Mind you, this is beyond their comprehension, NOT because they are stupid, but because they never learned that this is an unhealthy way to cope.

So next time this happens, don’t get angry or upset. Empathise with them.

Hurt people, hurt people.

And if all else fails, just do what I do and block them; that’s what I do 🤷🏻‍♀️. Just don’t attack back and don’t reply; let it end there.

#writing #the librarian answers

[wrathfulrook]

WIP Wmonday

Tagged this week by @deputyash @cassietrn and @direwombat. Ty!

Tagging @roofgeese @adelaidedrubman @socially-awkward-skeleton @josephseedismyfather @trench-rot @strafethesesinners @thedepyuty @felassanis @simplegenius042 @locustandwildhoney @joseph-seeds-manbun @englass @derelictheretic @strangefable @purplehairsecretlair @stacispratt @inafieldofdaisies @voidika @jacobsneed @afarcryfrommymain @shallow-gravy @vampireninjabunnies-blog @v0idbuggy and anyone else with WIPs to share!

Another bit from Wrathling to prove that I'm actually working on it and WILL publish someday:

“I don’t actually know how old you are.” Her tone is surprised, and she can’t believe she just now realized she doesn’t have this information.

John laughs, and with his signature charming smile tells her. “I was wondering when you’d ask something like that. I’m 34.”

Patience laughs aloud before she can stop herself. She silences herself with an apology, but can’t stop the stupid grin spreading across her face. But really… thirty-four?

“John…”

“What? What’s so funny?” he asks with a cocky grin and raised brow.

She can’t tell if he genuinely doesn’t know what she finds so funny or if he’s daring her to dispute him. In either case, she lets him have it. If he wants to be 34, he can be 34; it doesn’t matter to her.

“Wrathling. What?”

He wanted to do this? Fine. She could do this. A mischievous smirk that she couldn’t contain tugged at her lips.

“Ok. So… the Project has been in Montana for about a decade, correct?”

A slow smirk spreads on his own face, and she can see he knows what she’s doing. But he doesn’t stop her, instead answering, “It has.”

“And it operated in Georgia for a few years before that, too. Also true?”

John nods. “Yes. That’s also correct.”

“Ok. So that’s 12 or 13 years. But we can round down and say ten. And before the Project, you and Joseph spent about a year looking for Jacob, yes?”

He keeps that same cocksure grin on his face as he watches her solve this puzzle. “Yes. We did.”

“So, 11 years. And, again, that’s already rounding down. Before that you were an established lawyer. A partner?”

“We were a major firm in the greater Atlanta area.” The look in his eyes borders on sinful. Not that she’s complaining…

“And you’d already re-developed your childhood neighborhood. So that all adds a few more years. We can round down and say two, though I expect it would have had to have taken more than that. Which puts us at 13 years. Before that is law school. Three years minimum. We’re now up to 16 years, having already rounded down multiple times. And before law school is undergrad. Four years. Now we’re at 20, minimum, though I suspect this all would’ve taken closer to 25. Is that in the ballpark?” Her voice is light and teasing, and she feels that her eyes are starting to mirror the sin in his.

John chuckles. “That’s fairly accurate. It’s almost scary how much you’ve figured out there, Wrathling…”

“Well then, going off the guesstimated 25 years… 34, your supposed current age, puts you graduating high school at age nine. Even the rounded down 20 has you graduating high school at 14. So, John, with all due respect, I call bullshit.” Patience laughs lightly. “You’re at least 40.

“If you want to lie about your age, I suggest not foisting your brother’s book with your whole life story in it onto everyone in the county. Or at least don’t lie to your fiancée…

“So? Am I right? 40-something?”

She smirks as she sees his tongue slide across the front of his teeth. And god, it’s a good look…

“Impressive… I am actually 42,” he begrudgingly admits.

Patience laughs, though not unkindly. “Eight years you shaved off… That’s bold, John. You do look good for 42, though; you could almost get away with it.” Her smile is teasing. “So that makes you 16 years older than me. That’s kind of hot…”

John bursts into laughter.

#john is lying about his fucking age and i did the math to prove it #wrathling #wip #oc: patience ekner

[aqgarts]

Hi, I'm AQG Arts!

As you can tell from my bio (and my posts), I am an 'artist' who enjoys drawing anything that will make people laugh. I also love to write, though I haven't made any posts containing my writing. I'm also currently- actually, no. No spoilers :p. Instead, let me link the project when it's ready 😉

My pronouns are she/her/they/them

Here are some fun facts about me:

. I am a bi lesbian in a straight relationship

. I am a Demigirl

. I have a yt channel

. I have a discord

. I have an insta

. Please sign the Griffin Petition uwu

. I love Halo, Warframe, COD, Ghost Recon, etc

. I have four birds (two of which are just as old as me lol); France, Prince (cocktails), Buck and Dare (parrots).

. I have two fish, one's about 5-7 yrs, the other about 2 yrs (Jerome'eis and Tiger)

. I have a cat (Kelly)

. I have a horse (Archie, pictured bellow)

DNI:

. Queerphobes

. BLERQs (Bi Lesbian Exclusionary...)

. TERFs (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist)

. MERQs (MSPEC Exclusionary...)

. Anti-gay Christians (you know the ones)

. Zoos/'MAPs'/pedos (These people are NOT Queer; They are bigots, and they are actually harming people, even if they are 'non-practising'. The difference between them and us MSPECs is exactly that: They hurt people, and we just want to live our lives.)

. Misogynists

. Pro-lifers (don't even lol)

. Pro genocide (you are disgusting)

. Racists

. AI 'artists' (anyone who uses AI with that type of mindset (iykyk) will be purged from thou blog, UwU. In other words, no AI bros)

Here's some of my fav art things I've done (some are WIPS), just so you can get a taste of my art lol. enjoy :D

And for those of you wondering who the last one is, these are my Halo OCs (who is also a bit of a god/prophet of mine), Kalmaya-A118 and her 'AI' buddy, Firefall, redrawn. If you wanna find out a bit more about her, just look at the lovely little things I wrote down bellow ;)

I might add to her dotn't points later, however, for now, this will have to do. Also, be warned; Kalmaya isn't actually in the Halo universe. In fact, if she was, she'd break it because she is... too powerful.

Here are some 'fun' facts about Kalmaya A118 and her bestis bud, Firefall :3

. She lives in an alternative-but-not-really-alternative universe, where her powers can be handled (she's too gay for gaylo)

. She visits the cannon timeline, but only time to time (and only to cause chaos cas she a gremlin fr)

. In her universe, they're missing a couple of people (who are in my basement), but they're only a few 'KIA' Spartan's that ppl tend to forget abt... and maybe 3 or 4 or 10 very alive ones. (Spartèmon, gotta catch em all...)

. Kalmaya is technically a demigod (on the premise that I am a God)

. Kalmaya owns a gravemind (awolololo gang for life yo)

. Kalmaya is also a bi les

. Kalmaya yoinked Umbra and a few other warframes outta their universes when she- actually, this will be hard to explain without writing a story on it (hint hint future me)

. Kalmaya is lovingly nicknamed 'Brutedundee'

. Kalmaya bonked Ballas (because I couldn't 😤)

. Kalmaya beat the living shit out of Chak Lok's corpse (because that's what real heroes do when their bestie gets hurt)

. Kalmaya is not permitted to bring a bag of live popcorn onto any ship unless it is her own and no one is aboard; if she is caught doing so, Firefall will become straight and embarrass the shit out of her...

Ima keep adding to these dot points later, but for now? For now enjoy these brain sharts >:3

#warframe #halo #art #bi lesbian safe #spartan griffin deserves to be retconned #retcongriffin #about my blog #about me #pinned post #pinned intro #aqg and her art #aqg and kelly #getting aqg's bs #aqg and archie #aqg stupidity

[wisdomssdaughterr]

PROJECT SUNSHINE CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR → THE RETURN OF THE DEMOGORGON

summary: steve harrington x oc

when another product of Hawkins National Laboratory escaped a long-survived nightmare alongside her sister, she crashed into one unsuspecting teenage boy and dragged him deeper into the dark mysteries that made up their hometown.

word count. 3.8k

warnings: cannon typical violence, child abuse, horror, gore, and depictions of mental illness. parts of this story were written pre-season 4 release. cannon divergence.

previous chapter ← → next chapter

Fueled by worry about the Code Red call from Dustin, Sunshine biked to the Henderson household in record time. She ditched her bike on the front lawn and hurried up the front steps before she tapped her knuckles against the door. 

Less than a minute later, Dustin swung open the door with wide eyes. His hair was sticking up in odd directions and his cheeks were flushed. Wordlessly, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside the house before kicking the door closed behind them. 

“Do you know how to get blood out of the carpet?” That was the first thing he said to her, spiking Sunshine’s panic through the roof. 

She grabbed a hold of his shoulders and looked him up and down for any sign of injured. “Blood? Is it your blood?” He didn’t look hurt, but that didn’t stop her from assuming the worst had happened. 

“No, no, no.” Dustin shook his head. He brushed her off and sheepishly ran a hand through his curls. “It’s…uh…it’s my cat’s blood. He was kind of, sort of, eaten…” 

It took a moment for Sunshine to process his words. Eaten. Dustin's cat, Mews, had been eaten.  

“Eaten by what?” asked Sunshine, unsure if she wanted to know the answer. 

Dustin rocked and forth on his heels like he was contemplating his next words carefully. “You can’t get mad at what I’m about to tell you, okay?” Sunshine crossed her arms over her chest, bracing herself. 

He continued, “I know I’m your favorite party member, and I-” 

“Who said that?” Sunshine countered. Of course, she didn’t have a favorite, but if there was one party member that hadn’t given her a heart attack or that she was immensely worried about within the last forty-eight hours, it was Lucas.  

“Am I not?” Dustin frowned. “Wait, then who’s your favorite? If it’s Mike, I swear-”  

“Dustin!” she shouted, cutting him off. “What ate your cat?” 

“Right. So, you remember my pet, Dart?” Sunshine nodded slowly. “Well, I may have lied to you guys when I said I didn’t find him in the bathroom.” The worlds tumbled from his mouth so quickly that she almost missed them entirely. Almost.  

Sunshine said nothing, but she did glare daggers at the kid. A part of her wanted to yell, but she knew that wouldn’t get them anywhere. She didn’t want to yell or get angry, even if she felt the hot flood of feelings crawling up her throat.  

Yelling was something the soldiers did back in the Lab, and every time it made Sunshine feel smaller than she already was. Kids make mistakes, like keeping a potentially dangerous monster that they found in their trashcan. That was why Sunshine was there, to help the party and keep her promise.  

Under her glare and tense silence, he winced and continued to explain his situation. “I know it’s bad, okay? But he was scared, and he missed me. I thought you guys were being overdramatic, so I hid him under my hat until I left school. He was fine until I got home today. When I went to check on him, his case was broken, and he had grown a lot bigger. Then he, uh, ate Mews because…” he trailed off, guilty looking at a spot on the ground instead of at Sunshine. With a heavy sigh, he said, “Because I’m pretty sure he’s a baby Demogorgon.”  

Sunshine felt dizzy. Her hand reached up and held onto her necklace so hard nearly tore it from her neck. 

“Oh, my God,” she whispered. 

For the past year, nightmares had plagued Sunshine that detailed nearly every way one of those creatures could have returned to Hawkins. She replayed that night at Jonathan’s over and over again, where she wasn’t fast enough, where Steve never came back, where one blow to Jonathan was enough to leave him crumbled on the floor, or where Nancy misstepped and was left to the mercy of bloodthirsty claws.  

The nightmares were awful, but a small, optimistic part of Sunshine wanted to believe that’s where they’d remain, inside her head instead of before her very eyes. But there was a devoured cat somewhere in Dustin’s house and blood in his carpet, and her nightmares were beginning to unravel in real-time while she was wide awake.  

Dustin chewed down on his lip and looked on the verge of tears waiting for her to say something, and she remembered she wasn’t the only one who came face to face with the Demogorgon. They all had seen the monster, and the kids had done so alone inside the middle school. Sunshine promised them she’d be right back, and she thought fighting the Demogorgon at the Byers would keep the kids safe. It hadn’t worked out that way. That time, she was not going to let them split up. 

“Okay,” she breathed out. “Did you call Hopper yet?” 

“I tried but he wasn’t at the station. No one had seen or even heard from him today, apparently. I called everyone but no one answered. You’re the only one who responded to my Code Red.”  

Her stomach churned, but she tried not to let her panic show too much on her face. 

“Where is it? Where’s Dart right now?” she asked, suddenly very aware that the monster was in Dustin’s home with them. She looked around the quiet living room and had her hands at the ready.  

“I locked him down in the storm cellar,” said Dustin. “But I don’t know how long that’ll hold him. He keeps growing, and at the rate he is, I’m guessing he’ll be fully grown in the next few days.” 

They needed help and they needed it fast. 

“We should try their houses. Someone has got to be home, or their parents have to know where they went. I don’t think we can do this just the two of us.” 

Dustin nodded. “When I called the Byers house, no one answered. But Mrs. Wheeler's line was busy. Maybe she knows where he or Nancy are.”  

The two took off on their bikes toward the Wheeler's house. A little sunlight remained, guiding them across town with the help of the light breeze that pushed them along. It tossed Sunshine’s hair and turned the tips of their noses and ears red. 

Dying trees pasted them in a blur of oranges and red, until they were replaced by neatly packed houses with polished lawns and Halloween decorations cleaned up in preparation for the incoming winter months. 

A familiar house at the end of a cul-de-sac came into view, and they peddled fiercely until they entered the driveway. In a rush, they left their bikes on their sides on the front lawn and all but ran toward the front door.  

Dustin knocked a few too many times until Mike and Nancy’s father, Ted, opened it with a blank expression on his face.  

“Is Mike home?” Dustin asked, skipping any formalities. 

Ted sighed, almost in slow-motion, and turned his head over his shoulder to peer back inside his home. He rose his voice and asked a shuffling Karen Wheeler in the next room, “Is Mike home?” Mrs. Wheeler’s voice was muffled, but Ted relayed her answer to Sunshine and Dustin. “No, he’s not.”  

Dustin bit back a groan. “Do you know where he is?” 

Ted asked his wife, again, before he said, “At Will’s.”

“No one answered there,” Dustin told Sunshine. 

“What about Nancy?” Sunshine tried. “Is she home or do you where she is?” 

The man had no clue where his children were. He asked his wife before shaking his head. “No, she’s not here either. Our children don’t live with us anymore, haven’t you heard?” Ted deadpanned. 

Not in the mood for Mike’s father’s dry humor, Dustin muttered, “Son of a bitch. You’re really no help,” before he turned on his heel and sulked back to his bike.  

“Language!” Ted Wheeler scolded with a huff before he glanced back at Sunshine, who still stood on the front stoop. 

A forced smile made its way onto her lips. “Sorry,” she said. “If either of them comes home, can you tell them we stopped by?”  

He grumbled out a ‘yes’ and shut the door. 

Down the driveway, Dustin stood with his hands on his hips, disappointed at their dead end. “That was useless.” 

“Maybe we should try the Byers next,” Sunshine suggested. There was a chance that the family had returned from wherever they’d been and maybe they knew how to track down Hopper. They needed all the help they could get if Dustin was right about Dart being a Demogorgon that, somehow, was still in their town.

Dustin shook his head as his attention was caught by something behind Sunshine. “No, we don’t have time for that.” There was a certain glint that he got in his eyes when he had a plan brewing, and Sunshine had learned to recognize the look before the kid even opened his mouth to lay out just what he was thinking.  

“I know who’s going to help us,” said Dustin, before he took off past Sunshine and across the Wheeler’s front yard. 

Spinning around, she shouted after him, “Who-” but her question was answered as someone got out of their parked car on the curb. 

With a bouquet of roses in his hands, Steve rounded his car only to be stopped by Dustin.

“Are those flowers for Mr. or Mrs. Wheeler?” he asked Steve, who looked confused. 

“Uh, no?” 

“Good.” Dustin snatched the flowers from Steve’s hands and ignored the shout of protest that followed it. He tossed the flowers to Sunshine before he dragged both his and Sunshine’s bike toward Steve’s car. “Open your trunk.”  

Steve shifted his focus onto Sunshine. “What is happening right now?” 

Not getting the chance to answer him, Dustin said, “We’ll explain everything in the car. First, help me get these things in here!” 

“Sunshine?” 

Once again, Dustin interjected, leaving the bikes leaning up against Steve’s car and grabbing the keys from Steve’s hands too. “We have bigger problems than your love life right now.” Dustin unlocked the car and popped the trunk. He didn’t put the bikes in right away but instead grabbed something that was already in the trunk of Steve’s car.  

The nail-studded bat Nancy and Jonathan had made last year, that Steve had used to beat the hell out of the Demogorgon, was in Dustin’s hands. 

“Dude! Put that thing away-” Steve started to yell, rushing toward where Dustin stood. 

“We’re gonna need this.” 

“For what?!” 

“We’re not one hundred percent sure, yet,” Sunshine finally said. “But we need help, and we’ll explain everything, but we need to hurry.” 

There was a pause; Steve hesitated, looking between the flowers in Sunshine’s hands and the Wheeler’s house. After a beat, he sighed and gave in wordlessly, helping Dustin fit the two bikes in his truck before they all climbed into his car. 

“Where are we even going?” Steve asked. 

From the backseat, Dustin poked his head between Sunshine and Steve, leaning against the center counsel. “To my house. I’ll tell you where to turn.” 

Pulling out of the Wheeler’s neighborhood, Steve drummed his fingers against the steering wheel and bounced his attention between the road, Sunshine, and Dustin, until he broke the silence that had befallen the car. 

“Will someone explain to me what is going on now?” 

“To make a long story short, I found a creature in my trashcan the other night and thought I discovered a new species that they’d have to name after me. But now I’m pretty sure it’s a baby Demogorgon and he’s trapped in my storm cellar. We need to figure out what to do with him before he escapes.”  

Sunshine watched Steve carefully from the passenger seat. His fingers stopped tapping and instead, his grip on the wheel tightened just slightly. She could tell, by the way his eyes narrowed, and the corner of his mouth twitched, that he was trying to understand exactly what Dustin was saying.  

“You mean, like, the monster we fought last year?” Dustin nodded in the rearview mirror. “How big was this thing?” 

Using his hands, Dustin put his pointer fingers out and held them a couple of inches apart to roughly the size Dart was when Sunshine first saw him in the AV Club room at school. “First he was about this big.” He then moved his fingers farther apart to about a foot in length. “Now he’s this big.”  

“And you’re sure it’s not like a lizard or something?” Steve asked, earning an eye roll from Dustin. 

“It’s not.” 

Steve persisted. “How do you know?”  

“How do I know it’s not a lizard?” Dustin mocked, staring at the teen incredulously. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because his face opened up and he ate my cat!” 

Steve held his tongue, not questioning Dustin’s pet any further. The severity of their situation settled in the air and made it harder to breathe. 

“Shit,” Steve said under his breath. 

“If Dustin’s really right about this, we have to get rid of it.” Before it kills anyone else. 

The second half of her thought went unsaid, but she knew that both boys understood it. The little creature Sunshine chased around Hawkins Middle was one thing, but a full-grown Demogorgon was not a task she believed they could take on alone, not without a solid plan at least. And a plan that was different than last year. They had to make sure the monster couldn’t vanish before they killed it.  

They rode in tense silence the rest of the way back to Dustin’s house. Darkness had settled across Hawkins, swallowing up the last bit of comfort they had. The pitch-black sky stretched ahead of them, as did a long night of figuring out their next move.  

Once they arrived, the group of three circled to the truck of Steve’s car to retrieve their bikes and nail bat, before they headed toward the storm cellar in Dustin’s backyard.  

The door was locked shut with a heavy chain around the handles. The monster hadn’t broken through the door, which seemed like a good sign. 

However, as they gathered around the door and listened, nothing but silence came from the underground shelter. 

“I don’t hear shit,” said Steve. 

Dustin assured them, “He’s in there.” 

Using his bat, Steve knocked on the door, hoping to get some reaction from the monster, but there was no response. 

“Listen, kid, if this is some sort of Halloween prank, you’re dead,” Steve said, shining his flashlight right at Dustin’s face. Dustin sputtered for a response before looking to Sunshine for help through the bright light.  

Swatting Steve’s arm, forcing him to stop shining the light at Dustin, Sunshine backed up the kid’s story. “I believe him. If he says Dart’s down there, then he’s down there.” 

Her words seemed to be enough for Steve because nodded and stopped his interrogating. 

“The key’s inside,” Dustin said, already turning on his heel to head into his house. “I’ll grab it and be right back.” 

The two teens were left alone in the eerie darkness of Dustin’s backyard, waiting to potentially come face to face with the monster that haunted both of them again. 

Sunshine shivered and hugged her arms tighter around herself, keeping her eyes trained on the cellar doors.  

“Do you really think it’s the same thing we saw last year?” 

She shrugged. “I don’t want it to be, but Dustin wouldn’t lie about something like that. He saw it too.” 

There were still scars on her arms from the monster; they were healed over and only visible if you really looked, but she knew they were there, even in the dark she could have pointed them out. Jonathan had a scar on his forehead from the coffee table that the monster threw him into. Steve had a scar across the bridge of his nose from where Jonathan had punched him. And Nancy had two scars in the shape of an X over her knee from when she fell in the Upside Down. They all had physical reminders of what happened, but in a way, they were all connected through the matching scars that littered their bodies.  

She wanted to believe that once they all healed, that would be the end of it. Closed wounds, closed world. Of course, that wasn’t the case and Sunshine had a sickening feeling they were about to reopen all of their healed scars almost a year later.  

“Well, on the bright side, at least we know what we’re dealing with this time,” Steve said. “And if the kid managed to trap this thing by himself, between the three of us I’m sure we can kill it, right?” 

A bit of his optimism clouded her spiraling thoughts as she replied, “Right.” 

Dustin returned with a key held tight in his palm before he tossed it to Steve, who unlocked the heavy chain around the door handles and slowly opened the cellar.

A small glow emitted from Sunshine’s palm, ready for whatever awaited them on the other side of the door. Dustin hid himself halfway behind Sunshine, watching and holding his breath until Steve had the doors completely opened. 

Nothing jumped out at them. There were no snarling teeth or low monster growls that pierced the air. The three were only met with silence and a dark set of stairs. 

Steve shined his flashlight into the cellar, searching for any sign of the creature, but they came up empty-handed. Sunshine did not doubt Dustin, but she began to grow increasingly worried about the absence of Dart. If he was hungry, he would have been waiting for them to open the door to pounce on them like prey, but he wasn’t there.  

“He must be further down,” Dustin said, still lingering behind Sunshine and away from the cellar entrance. “I’ll stay up here in case he tries to escape and you two go down there and check it out.”  

For a moment, it looked as if Steve was going to protest, but he didn’t have time to because Sunshine stepped through the cellar entrance and onto the stairs. The boards creaked under her step and a shiver ran down her spine at the dimly lit flight of stairs.  

Taking a deep breath, she held out her illuminated hand in front of her and continued slowly down into the cellar.  

Steve scrambled after her with a string of curse words muttered under his breath, one hand on his bat and the other on his flashlight as he followed close behind. 

They descended slowly, carefully. Sunshine winced with each low growl of the wooden stairs and held her breath in fear of being greeted by the Demogorgon at any second. The thought of it waiting patiently for them to reach the bottom before it attacked clawed at her brain, and she wanted to retreat, but she couldn’t. 

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Sunshine and Steve scanned the cellar for the monster, but there was nothing down there aside from a couple of shelves of canned food and a dusty radio. The cellar was empty, and Dart was nowhere to be found.  

Steve switched on the single lightbulb that hung from the center of the room and Sunshine let her light extinguish from her hand. 

“He’s not here.” Sunshine wiped a drop of blood from under her nose with her coat sleeve. As much as she wanted to be relieved, her mind raced with all of the possible places the creature could have gone.  

She began to wander around the room in search of some sign the monster had been there at all, but she didn’t get a few feet from the staircase before Steve said, “Stop.” Sunshine halted her steps and followed his gaze to a spot on the floor in front of her feet. “What is that?” 

Using his bat, Steve picked up something off the ground. It was a clump of something that dripped with a thick liquid and was almost translucent under the dim light. 

“I don’t know.” 

They studied the substance hanging from the bat, but neither one of them had an answer for what it was, and something behind Steve caught Sunshine’s attention. 

In the far corner of the cellar was a gaping wall ripped through the cement wall.  

“Oh shit,” she whispered. The tunnel let straight out of the cellar and underneath Hawkins. 

“Sunshine? Steve? What’s going on down there?” Dustin nervously shouted from the top of the staircase. 

“Get down here!” Steve yelled back to the kid. 

Dustin hurried down the stairs, but he stopped on the last step and slowly poked his head around the corner until he spotted Sunshine, Steve, and no monster. Then, his gaze wandered to the substance hanging from the end of Steve’s bat and his eyes widened almost cartoonishly. 

“Oh shit,” Dustin whispered, echoing Sunshine from a moment ago. Then, he spotted Sunshine kneeling on the cement floor in front of Dart’s escape route. “Oh, shit!” 

“He’s gone,” Sunshine sighed, staring down the dark, seemingly endless tunnel burrowed through the damp dirt. 

“And he grew again.” Dustin examined the substance closely, scrunching up his nose. “He’s got to be close to full size now.” 

Steve let the monster's shed skin fall to the ground and let his bat fall over his shoulder. “Now he’s God only knows where.”  

“We need a plan,” Dustin stated as he placed his hands on his hips and gained that little glint back in his eyes. “And we need one fast.” 

→←

Before the shit show that his life had become, whenever Steve Harrington found himself inside a girl’s house after the sun had set and her parents were asleep, he was sneaking in through her bedroom window. He certainly was not there to hatch a plan on how to catch a monster, and there was never a smart-ass child tagging along with him. But, in the past year, his life had taken a turn for the weird that led him to the Torres household after hours with the only intention of mapping out exactly how they were going to trap and kill another monster that a middle school had tried to keep as a pet.  

Sunshine quietly closed her bedroom door behind them as Steve look at the bright and colorful decorations she had scattered around.  

The walls were painted a pale pink and covered in posters and artwork, and nearly every table and windowsill held a potted plant. All of her shelves were filled with books, a mix of childhood fairytales and longer novels, and old photographs that he assumed her parents never removed from her bedroom after all those years.  

Dustin lingered by the door, looking around too before he said, “I’ve never been in a girl’s room before.” 

Steve tried and failed to stifle a laugh and Sunshine sent the kid an odd look as she picked up the clothes strewed about her bed until there was enough room for all of them to sit. 

“Focus, please,” Sunshine said. “We need a plan, and we need it tonight.” 

Dustin nodded. “We need to lure Dart to us, kind of like how you guys did last year with the Demogorgon.”  

Out of habit, Sunshine drummed her fingers against her tattoo and cast her gaze onto the three numbers printed across her wrist. “It’s not attracted to blood like it was before. I tried that at the school when we were looking for it.” 

“He went after Mews.” 

Steve furrowed his brows. “Mews?” 

“My cat. Dart was hungry for more than a candy bar. Which makes sense.” Steve wasn’t sure how much of that made sense, but he nodded along anyway. “Dart’s growing like crazy, and he probably can’t grow as fast without eating. If he keeps growing, he’ll probably graduate from cats and onto bigger things… people-sized things.”  

“Great,” Steve muttered, blowing air from his cheeks. “So we lure it with food, but to where? If it can get out of an underground cellar, I don’t think trapping it inside a building is going to work.”  

There was a beat, all of them trying to conjure something up, but Dustin figured it out first. 

“The old junkyard!” he gasped. “It’s perfect! No one goes there, so we wouldn’t have to worry about someone seeing Dart and there’s all kinds of stuff there we could use to create a trap.” 

“That’s great for trapping it, but what do we do after that?” Steve asked. Killing a monster wasn’t exactly a part of his skill set. His bat could only do so much damage. 

Sunshine lifted her hand, so the palm was facing her and flexed her fingers. “I can try to kill him. It almost worked last time.” Her words felt heavy in the air, and they held a certain sadness to them. 

It was still a fresh wound, everything that happened last year, despite the little distance that separated them from it. The death of Barb and Sunshine’s sister still rattled the group, but Sunshine and Nancy especially. The fact that it was practically happening again didn’t help either.  

“No,” Dustin said, quickly, staring at them with wide, panicked eyes. 

“What?” 

Dustin’s eyes fell into his lap, and he began to speak in a softer tone, something closer to a child than a grade-A smart-ass who kept monsters in his storm cellar.  

“I know you could probably kick this thing’s ass, but I think you should only use your powers on it if things go really, really wrong.” 

Placing a gentle hand on Dustin’s shoulder, Sunshine shook her head. “It may be the only way to hurt this thing, Dustin. We don’t know-” 

“No!” His voice rose, startling the two teens slightly. He sighed heavily and shook off Sunshine’s hand before standing up and slowly pacing back and forth across the room. 

“There has to be another way to kill it. You can’t. You can’t because Eleven tried and we lost her. She used her powers, and i-it just took her away.” Dustin’s voice waivered but he continued, “And if Dart is a baby Demogorgon who's almost fully grown, we have to do something…something different this time.” He stopped pacing and gazed at Sunshine with a slight tremble in his chin. “We can’t lose you too.”  

A sharp breath burned Steve’s lungs.  

He was never filled on what had happened at middle school while they were at Jonathan’s, but he knew enough. They were offering up Sunshine the same fate as her little sister. Dustin’s words cut deep into him; they could not lose Sunshine; he had just gotten her back. She fit back into his life almost like she’d never left, and Steve felt like a missing piece of himself, his childhood, had wandered back to him. The last thing he wanted was to lose that.  

It felt like another life that the two of them were connected at the hip; whoever Steve was at seven years old had since disappeared. Yet, having Sunshine back, running into her in the woods that night, Steve had a friend again. He had a real friend.  

“Dustin…” Sunshine lowered her voice to a whisper and grabbed his hand, squeezing it between her own. “No one is going to lose anyone, okay?”  

The kid let his shoulders fall and he fell back onto the bed, close to Sunshine’s side holding her hand. 

“He’s right,” said Steve, clearing his throat. “We can figure out another way to kill it. The bear trap you guys set up before, it held it in place long enough to attack it. We just have to use something similar to your…” Steve trailed off, unsure of exactly what to call what Sunshine could do.  

Luckily, Dustin butted in. “Your superpowers. What’s the closest thing to sunlight?”  

“Fire,” Steve answered, earning a surprised but impressed look from the kid. 

There was still a lighter in his glovebox even though he was trying to stop smoking. He wasn’t sure how something so mundane could kill a monster, but it was worth a shot. Even if it didn’t work, at least they weren’t putting that burden fully on her shoulders, even though she seemed more than willing to shoulder it.  

“Okay,” she sighed. “We can try it but at the first sign of trouble, I’m stepping in. No one is getting hurt, okay?”  

Steve knocked his shoulder into Sunshine’s, drawing her full attention. They sat close enough that he could see the little specks of gold in her dark eyes that made them look almost like they were glowing.  

“That goes for you too, Sunshine,” he said, averting his gaze onto her ceiling, where a hundred little glow-in-the-dark stars were stuck. “It’ll work. I mean, it’s just a half-grown monster. What’s the worst that could happen?”  

Tag List. @leptitlu @sattlersquarry @history-of-stories

#stranger things #steve harrington #stranger things fanfiction #steve harrington fic #steve harrington x original character #steve harrington x oc #dustin henderson #stranger things 2 #project sunshine